Equestria Girls - The Tale of Two Sunsets

by HumanSunset63

Rating: everyone
Tags: Equestria Girls, Slice of Life, Human, Sunset Shimmer, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad
Length: 530912

What could've been for an ending for Equestria Girls, essentially an envisioning of the true series finale.

Graduation is quickly approaching Canterlot High. While Sunset Shimmer is happy about this celebratory milestone, something has kept her believing there's more to do back in Equestria. Along the way, she begins to think back on her past, try to understand things she had never questioned before, and take an extended return to Equestria. Little does she know, she would eventually uncover an incredibly dark and unexpected truth...

Published 2022-03-19 19:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2025-01-30 23:59:25 UTC

Chapter 1: Canterlot High Memories

As Sunset set off to find her friends, she noticed that the hallways were surprisingly empty, despite the fact that it was only around 9 AM in the morning. Suddenly, her realization sank in, that the seniors weren't even supposed to be on school grounds, now that all their classes were officially finished. This likely meant that most of Sunset's classmates were either hanging elsewhere, staying home, sleeping in, or simply enjoying their one week of freedom. As a result, the hallways throughout CHS remained a ghost town, while classrooms were still in session, and full of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

Given how this was going to be her last week at Canterlot High, Sunset decided that before she followed through with her plan to meet up with the rest of her friends, she would first take a moment to reminisce on all the memories she's made at this particular school. After all, CHS was the one main location she had gotten accustomed to, ever since she first stepped through the mirror, and Sunset could never forget how rough of an experience she had, especially in the very beginning. In fact, it didn't take long for her to realize that she was standing in the same hallways where she had bullied and belittled Fluttershy, all those years ago.

"It's crazy how much everything's changed since then." Sunset reminisced, as she remembered calling Fluttershy 'pathetic', and how it wasn't any surprise that her only friends were animals. "I can't believe I used to be such a jerk to Fluttershy, nor could I imagine how I was able to sleep at night, when I regularly behaved that way. Well... I'm glad that everything worked out between us in the end, I certainly wouldn't treat anybody like that, nowadays."

While Sunset continued to reminisce on her memories here at CHS, one of her classmates came around the corner, and greeted her in a positive manner, boosting her optimism at being a changed person. She was mostly there to grab her cello from the music room, which also reminded Sunset that she needed to do the same with her guitar, though she believed it would've been better to prioritize cleaning out her own locker, and having a serious talk with the girls, before doing so. As she entered CHS's main lobby, Sunset turned to the right, and noticed that the tacky-looking walls of the school's front doors were still there, even after all this time.

How could she ever forget the night she had turned into a raging she-demon, demolished the entrance with her new telekinesis powers, and was then forced to repair the damages, brick by brick? In some ways, the incident had always traumatized Sunset, deep down, knowing that she somehow ended up acting the way she did, shortly after putting on Twilight's crown. After all, Sunset knew that she was arrogant, prideful, and tyrannical when she was running CHS with an iron fist, but just as she once told Twilight herself, she was certainly no monster. This statement admittedly always seemed ironic on hindsight, since she even acknowledged numerous times that she had literally turned into an actual demon.

"I'm still not entirely sure what came over me that night." Sunset sighed. "I mean, I know I was definitely mean and coldhearted back then, but what drove me to almost decimate Twilight and the rest of the girls, back during the Fall Formal? It's like I had no control over myself, or the power had somehow corrupted me. All I can say for certain is, it's a good thing Twilight was able to snap me out of it... or else, who knows what would've happened?"

Just as these thoughts kept Sunset pondering on the past, one of the CHS faculty members had made their way into the main lobby, furthering some preparations for the upcoming graduation. Vice Principal Luna took her attention off of her clipboard, and noticed Sunset Shimmer on school grounds, despite the fact that her classes were already finished.

"Ah, good to see you, Miss Shimmer." The vice principal acknowledged. "I'm a little surprised to see you back on school grounds again, since most of the seniors had already cleaned out their lockers, and are now enjoying their week off, before graduation."

"Well, I just wanted to take a moment to reminisce about my time here at Canterlot High, and make sure I wasn't forgetting any important memories, before I move on with my life." Sunset explained. "I'm also pretty sure that the rest of my friends are currently somewhere in the school right now, and I was about to go find them, to discuss a more... serious matter. Have you by any chance seen them?"

"I'm afraid not, Sunset." Luna shrugged. "The school has been fairly empty today, with only a few staff members here and there, making sure everything's in order for the big day. But at the very least, this means I no longer need to be on anybody's case for parking their car in the faculty lot."

"I understand." Sunset nodded. "Well, if you happen to see them, or if they come back, could you please let them know that I'd like to meet them in front of the school? It's pretty urgent, let's just say."

"Of course, Sunset, I'll make sure to let them know." Luna agreed. "Well, if I manage to find them at all, that is."

"I appreciate it." Sunset gave a thumbs up. "In the meantime, I've been staring at these front doors for a few minutes, now. I definitely remember all that work I've done to rebuild everything, after what happened that night at the Fall Formal. Three whole months of manual labor, but hey, I would've certainly taken that, over you and Principal Celestia turning me in to the police."

"Well, I can't speak for my big sister, but I'm glad you took responsibility for your actions, and didn't try to blame it all on anyone else." Luna smiled, warmly. "It shows true character, and I'll always be proud of you for your decision in the end. Unlike a certain other student that I remember my sister ended up expelling, here at CHS. In fact, it was the first and only expulsion she's ever had to go through with, in over 15 years."

"Wait, really?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Who are you referring to, exactly? I assume... someone other than me?"

"I'm afraid that information is confidential." Luna replied. "But yes, it was somebody else completely different. However, I'll let you in on something that my sister had discussed with me, in and out of the office, back when you were first enrolled. See, we had been contemplating for a while on whether or not to expel you as well, especially when we had gotten numerous complaints about a certain red-haired girl in a leather jacket, pushing around the other students, and forcing them to give her their lunch money."

"I... I still can't believe that was ever me." Sunset shook her head in disgust at her past self. "But hey, I've certainly come a long way now, right?"

"I'd say so, for sure." Luna nodded. "But as far as our consideration back then, as to potentially dismiss you from CHS, my sister and I had almost come to that decision, especially after what happened that night, during the Fall Formal. However, shortly after the dance, when we both saw that you had shown remorse for your actions, and would've rather fixed your errors by repairing the CHS front doors, instead of turning you in to the authorities, that was when we had decided not to do it. And considering everything else that the school's been through, following that night, we were both able to say with certainty, that we didn't regret our decision to keep you enrolled."

"Thanks, Vice Principal Luna." Sunset nodded. "That means a lot to me, really. I've definitely learned from my past mistakes, and I hope that I can keep growing as a person, even after graduation."

"I know you will, and that you're already on the path to make a difference in society." Luna patted Sunset on the back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go take care of some last-minute graduation details. Let's just say... the band we had already hired, months ago, just called in sick at the worst possible time. Fortunately, we've received an email from another band, mentioning that they'd be willing to take the job, if we'll have them. My sister and I were admittedly still a little skeptical of hiring them, considering our past experience, but we came to the conclusion to give them another shot, especially when you yourself had already set a good example for us, Sunset. The past is in the past, after all."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, and I hope everything works out for you." Sunset smiled. "You've always been there for us students, so I'm more than happy to hear I've made a positive impact."

"You've grown into a fine young woman, and I'm sure you'll continue to make us proud, as you move forward in life." Luna responded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must get back to the office. I hope you have a good rest of your day, and remember to enjoy your graduation. Oh, and please don't forget to clean out your locker, if you haven't done so, already."

"Don't worry about it, I'll make sure to do so." Sunset waved goodbye, as the vice principal walked off.

With a sigh, Sunset sat down on one of the benches near the lockers, staring off into the distance. The graduation ceremony was in a week, and she was both excited and nervous about what the future would hold. Sunset couldn't help but wonder what the rest of her friends were doing right now, getting ready for the big event. A small smile crept onto her face, as she imagined them all sitting together on the CHS bleachers, laughing and sharing stories. It was going to be a day to remember, though Sunset kept in mind that she needed to address the elephant in the room, prior to the event.

"I still need to make sure the girls understand that we're all going to be moving on with our lives, after graduation." Sunset said to herself. "More specifically, with me, if I'm metaphorically going to be moving away, back to Equestria. Certainly no easy way for us to keep in touch if I choose to go back, so... maybe we can have a heart-to-heart, at least some time before the ceremony."

As she sat there, Sunset realized that since she was already here at CHS, it was likely a great time to clean out her locker, as Vice Principal Luna had reminded her, moments earlier. She stood up and walked over to her locker, inputting her locker combination and unlocking it. As she opened the locker door, a flood of memories came rushing back, as she noticed various items that had been accumulating in there, throughout the year. There were countless notes and cards from her classmates, pictures of her and the girls during the three prior years, and even some old homework assignments and essays, which she had gotten A's on.

"Well, I guess I should start by taking out the stuff I don't need anymore, and then I can go through the rest, later." Sunset said to herself, as she dug through the old papers.

Sunset carefully organized her locker, removing the old books and notebooks that she no longer needed, along with various other trinkets she had accumulated over the years. As she sorted through her belongings, she eventually brought her attention to a worn journal, tucked away in the back of her locker. A journal that she... hadn't really used in a while, ever since she had communicated with Princess Twilight regarding the Time Twirler, back at the Starswirled Music Festival. In fact, because of the overall lack of supernatural occurrences recently, Sunset realized that she hadn't really kept up with Twilight in what felt like ages.

"Hmm, speaking of going back to Equestria, I wonder what Twilight's been up to, lately." Sunset said, as she opened the journal.

As Sunset began skimming the journal's pages, she could still see the various entries and exchanges they've had over the years, from asking for Twilight's help in defeating the Dazzlings, to seeking further assistance, when her friends' memories had been erased by the Memory Stone. Realizing that she hadn't been up to date with Twilight for months now, Sunset knew that it was likely in her best interest to check in, at least to get an idea on any current events within Equestria. She grabbed a pen and began writing on a new page, hoping that she could get a usual response from the princess, and that Twilight wouldn't jump to the conclusion that she had forgotten all about her.

Dear Princess Twilight... I've been meaning to check in with you for a while now. I just wanted to see how you've been doing, and if there's anything I should know about, back in Equestria. Graduation at Canterlot High is finally coming around the corner, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to perhaps come back to Equestria for a while, especially now that I have a free week off. And if you're wondering, things have been going great in the Human World lately, as I haven't really encountered anything supernatural, within these past few months.

Your friend, Sunset Shimmer.

Unknown to Sunset, Princess Twilight herself was also on the verge of celebrating a large and impactful milestone, back in Equestria. Following an emotional and confrontational final battle against three major foes, Twilight was ready to finally become the princess of all of Equestria, the very role that Celestia had held for over 1,000 years. This was going to be her second major coronation, as she still had fond memories of her very first one, celebrating her ascension into an alicorn princess. Initially, the second coronation had already been planned to take place much sooner than the current day, especially after Celestia had already announced that she and Luna had finally made their decision to retire.

However, Twilight had specifically postponed this upcoming coronation for a while, in order to allow Canterlot's main castle to be reconstructed, following the damages done by Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. After the many months of hard work and determination by Canterlot's construction team, the castle looked just as good as before, if not better. Though Twilight realized that the revamped throne room seemed much emptier than before, likely because the old stained glass windows had been damaged beyond repair, thanks to the Legion of Doom. Twilight had always admired such artistic murals, depicting and symbolizing the various milestones and significant events over the years, making the impact of those foes hit much harder than she had really anticipated.

As the princess continued staring at the windows, she would soon be accompanied by Spike, alongside one of the main employees in Canterlot, Gourmand Ramsay.

"Hey, Twilight!" Spike waved, as he entered the throne room. "I sure hope you're looking forward to your big day! You've worked so hard to get here, and we couldn't be more proud! I just know you're gonna be such a great leader for Equestria!

"Oh, Spike." Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement, before turning to the dragon. "Thank you, you're always so sweet, though to tell you the truth, I'm just a little nervous. Celestia and Luna have been such great mentors, and I'm going to miss working with them on a daily basis. But now that the day's finally come, I think I'm ready for this responsibility now."

"There's no need to worry, Princess!" Gourmand Ramsay assured. "The plans for the coronation have been going swimmingly, and everything's already been set up, just as you've requested. The decorations will be breathtaking, and the food will be incredible! You're going to have the best day ever!"

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be wonderful." Twilight nodded. "Thank you Mr. Ramsay, your assistance has always been wonderful. I've already seen what you've done with the preparations, and I can't thank you enough. I'm certainly looking forward to trying what you ended up preparing, once dinnertime comes."

"Actually, Princess?" Mr. Ramsay began reminding Twilight. "If I remember correctly, you had assigned your friend, Applejack, to take care of the meal preparations. I'll be in charge of overseeing the coronation parfait today, though I won't be involved in actually preparing it, now that I've resigned from work in Canterlot. Today's technically my last day here, though I'm more volunteering, than anything else."

"Oh, that's right, I must've forgotten about that." Twilight replied, sheepishly. "Again though, I hope this resignation didn't have anything to do with somepony treating you badly in the kitchen?"

"Not at all, Princess." Mr. Ramsay shook his head. "If anything, I dare say I'm the one to often become heated, especially when I have to keep reminding some donkey in the kitchen to prepare the lasagna from fresh, instead of using the store-bought frozen type. It's more just, me wanting to seek a new opportunity to share my culinary experience with the rest of Equestria, now that this new position's accepted me. Nothing personal toward Canterlot, but it's just something new and exciting for me."

"I understand, and I wish you the best of luck with that, Mr. Ramsay." Twilight nodded. "You'll make a great addition to whatever kitchen you find yourself in, I just know it! And speaking of new and exciting, I hope that we can fill these stained glass windows with up-to-date memories. It certainly is a shame that the Legion of Doom had to go out of their way to destroy those old, wonderful memories of Celestia and Luna, they were such historical monuments. I know I'll be in charge of the castle pretty soon, but to tell you the truth, I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out what to depict on them. The throne room just doesn't have the same vibes, when those windows are so... blank and empty."

"Well, um... Twilight, I'm sure there's plenty of things we can come up with, as we go along." Spike assured. "In fact, just off the top of my head, how about depicting when you and your friends united with all the creatures of Equestria, to defeat the Legion of Doom? That was a pretty big and important event, and it showed that a united friendship can conquer any evil!"

"I suppose that's a start, alongside depicting this upcoming coronation, now that I'm taking over for Celestia." Twilight agreed. "Becoming the princess of all of Equestria is certainly another event that should go down in the history for Canterlot."

"See, Twilight?" Spike nudged the princess. "There's no need to worry about any of that right now, we'll figure something out when we reach that point."

"I guess you're right, Spike." Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed, especially with everything that's been going on, lately. After all, once Celestia and Luna are fully retired, I'm going to have to sort out many things on my own. Like I've said before, I'm supposed to be the one with all the answers, so the last thing I want to do is let everypony down."

"Huh?" Spike raised an eyebrow. "You're supposed to be the one with all the answers? When did you say that?"

"It's admittedly been a while, but I'm pretty sure I said this, back when you and I went to... that place, to help Sunset Shimmer defeat those sirens." Twilight recalled. "Yeah, I think I recall getting trapped underneath a stage, and I became desperate to find a way to escape."

"Oh, that's right, that definitely rings a bell." Spike remembered. "Especially the part where I heroically saved you all."

"Suuuuuure, Spike." Twilight rolled her eyes, amused.

"Wait a minute, now." Mr. Ramsay spoke up. "Did I hear that correctly, Princess? You happen to know Miss Sunset Shimmer, as in, the former pupil of Princess Celestia?"

"Yes, sir." Twilight nodded, proudly. "I've helped her accept and embrace the values of friendship, and we've kept in touch since then. Why do you ask?"

"Well it's just that... I've often been puzzled as to what happened to her." Mr. Ramsay replied. "Miss Sunset Shimmer and I were never that close, but I definitely recall her enjoying my cooking, when she regularly dined in Canterlot, alongside Princess Celestia. However, I distinctly recall that one day, she mysteriously disappeared, and I kept hearing all sorts of odd rumors from the other residents of Canterlot, regarding what happened. Some claimed that Princess Celestia had banished her from Canterlot, while others hinted that she was involved in stealing a crown."

"Hmm, where did you hear these rumors, specifically?" Twilight questioned.

"I've just occasionally heard this from several of the mares who regularly dine in Canterlot." Mr. Ramsay replied. "When I questioned them on the matter, they mentioned that they were Miss Sunset Shimmer's former classmates, back at the School For Gifted Unicorns. I believe a few of them also told me their names, they were... Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine?"

"Oh, I see now." Twilight finally understood Mr. Ramsay's confusion. "That certainly sounds like quite the mystery, doesn't it? Well, I assure you that Sunset's no crook, and Princess Celestia never banished her. In fact, she's quite a good friend of mine, even though we haven't really talked in a while. As for why she left Canterlot, well... that's kind of a long story, let's just say. But she's been doing well for herself, and I promise you that she's not up to anything malicious."

"Well, that's good to hear, Princess." Mr. Ramsay nodded. "It's nice to know that at least somepony's looking out for Miss Sunset Shimmer, even if she's not here in Canterlot anymore. Well, now that I've delivered my report on the coronation's decorations, I suppose I'll head off and oversee the coronation parfait, since I was told that we were expecting a shipment of Sweet Apple Acres applesauce, today. As for those stained glass windows, well... I suppose if I can come up with some further ideas of inspiration, I'll be sure to return to Canterlot and give you those suggestions. It's always a pleasure to talk to you, Princess Twilight."

"I appreciate the formalities, but there's no need to call me-" Twilight began, but realized that she was coming across as passive-aggressive. "I mean... thank you, Mr. Ramsay, you too."

As Mr. Ramsay left the Canterlot throne room, Twilight turned back to Spike for a second, realizing that this new change would be even more drastic than ever before, especially if everypony were to start treating her like a princess on a pedestal.

"I'm guessing this is likely why Celestia and Luna mentioned that they wanted to keep their new retirement home, so they're not bombarded by the paparazzi, purely for being former princesses." Twilight acknowledged. "Like I've mentioned before, just because I've got these wings and this position of power, it doesn't make me more special from anypony else."

"I don't know about that, Twilight." Spike protested. "You've always been special to me, especially since you're the one who's raised me, since the day I hatched from that egg. Certainly more of a parent than that... piece of Sludge, ever was."

"Thanks, Spike." Twilight smiled, as she playfully ruffled his scales. "But seriously, we need to find some way to fill those windows with more significant memories and events. I've got to make sure that the castle's history is preserved and updated for the next millennium, otherwise, it's just going to be a sad reminder of what we've lost."

"Well, I don't really know of any other current events that would be worth displaying on those windows, other than those two we listed earlier." Spike shrugged. "But come to think of it, maybe we could get an idea from some of our friends, during the coronation? And since you brought her up earlier, perhaps Sunset could give you some form of inspiration, as well."

"Hmm, speaking of Sunset... I'm admittedly surprised that she hasn't written to me in a while." Twilight made her realization. "In fact, I remember recently checking the journal that she uses to write to me, and still, there was nothing from her. Our most recent exchange was regarding the Time Twirler artifact ending up in her world, and that was nearly a whole year ago."

"Maybe she's just busy with school, you know how much of a brainiac she is." Spike suggested.

"True, but she's usually so diligent about keeping in touch." Twilight recalled. "Plus, she's been through so much, ever since she left Equestria, so I'd expect her to have quite a few tales to tell. I'll still never forget how awkward it was to get accustomed to standing on two legs, that's for sure."

"Maybe you should give her the benefit of the doubt, Twilight." Spike insisted. "She's probably just busy, or dealing with something rather difficult. You know how much she loves writing to you, and hearing about your own adventures. Who knows, maybe Sunset has a new update for you, right now."

"You're right, Spike." Twilight put more faith into her distant friend. "Maybe I should just wait a little longer, and give Sunset some time. After all, we've been through a lot together, and I know deep down, that she'd never intentionally ignore or ghost me."

Chapter 2: Great and Powerful Credit Card Debt

As Sunset continuously awaited a response from Princess Twilight, it seemed as though the princess was perhaps occupied with something else rather urgent. It didn't seem like Twilight to not almost metaphorically text her back in a near instant, making it more likely that something big was happening back in Equestria. Sunset hoped that this was the case, and that Twilight wasn't hurt or upset at seemingly being ghosted for nearly a whole year. Then again, it was entirely possible that time in Equestria had differed from the Human World, especially when Sunset remembered that moons in Equestria were measured by days, due to Princess Celestia and Luna raising the sun and moon on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, the moon's full rotation cycle spanned an entire month in the Human World, making it so everything would technically feel longer here, compared to a few days or weeks back in Equestria. However, this was entirely based on Sunset's assumption of how the portal worked, based on what little she had read in that book, back when she was Celestia's pupil. For all Sunset knew, the measurements of time could vary based on numerous factors, including what time she would leave either world, how long she stayed, or even something as simple as the moon's phase. Regardless, there was definitely something up with how the portal truly worked, making Sunset curious on understanding it fully, despite already spending several years of her life here.

"I wonder if Princess Celestia could explain the portal to me." Sunset said to herself. "Maybe she could tell me more about how it works, and why time seems to pass differently here? It'd be great to finally understand this strange connection between the two worlds, but then again, would she actually be willing to share that knowledge with me? After all, this very bit of curiosity was what tore us apart in the first place, especially because I believed I WAS ready to know about it..."

Despite her own doubts, Sunset eventually surmised that her former mentor would likely be willing to share that knowledge now. After all, the princess had seen how much Sunset had changed since then, and how she had finally grown into a responsible and trustworthy mare. Celestia had willingly made amends by allowing her former student back into her hooves, and also showed her the restricted section of Canterlot's library, which even Twilight had never seen before. Surely, Celestia would understand that Sunset was now ready to learn the truth about the portal and its connection to Equestria, especially after she had lived there for so long.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask this time." Sunset assured herself. "But what if she thinks I'm still not ready, or better yet, thinks I'm only asking, because I feel guilty for leaving her in the first place? Actually... that wouldn't really make a lot of sense, but it's just... UGH!"

Sunset knew that her curiosity had often led her down the wrong path, since in her own words to the Human Twilight, she shouldn't have been messing around with things that she didn't understand. And when she did, it resulted in not only Sunset becoming much more meaner and coldhearted, but even turning herself into a raging she-demon. Whether or not Celestia was willing to teach her more about the mirror now, it didn't seem to matter as much, anymore. This exact bit of curiosity was what caused her to burn a bridge with her former teacher, and she wasn't willing to make the same mistake again, especially after that heartwarming reconciliation in Canterlot, a while back.

"I should focus on the present for now." Sunset proposed. "Hopefully Twilight receives my message, and she'll know that I'm still here, and that I haven't forgotten about her. Or... maybe I should just go and visit her myself, though it's been a while since we've seen each other. But before I do that, I need to find my friends, and get an idea on what they're planning to do after graduation..."

As Sunset wandered the halls, continuing to search around for the rest of the girls, she eventually found her way into the yearbook room. Being the president of the Yearbook Committee and editor-in-chief, Sunset had been notified that the final renditions of the senior-grade yearbooks had already been polished and delivered, though she still had yet to get a peek at any of them, given how brand new they were. Entering the room, she was able to immediately see the many boxes with 'Yearbooks' written on the sides, still taped up, and sitting in the corner. But before Sunset had a chance to walk over and inspect the overall quality and presentation, she suddenly brought her attention to the sound of rustling papers and a concentrated hum, coming from the other side of the room.

"Well, what a surprise to see you here." Trixie looked up for a moment, before going back to skimming one of the yearbooks. "But then again, you are the yearbook editor, so I'd figure that this is less surprising than... me spending over $50 on just peanut butter crackers from the vending machine."

"Trixie?" Sunset's eyes widened in surprise. "How'd you even get in here without the key? And you're already looking at the yearbooks before I could? These were supposed to be kept locked up, until tomorrow's distribution."

"Oh, I picked the lock on the door, obviously." Trixie replied with a smug smile. "It's elementary, my dear Shimmer. But it's not everyday you get to see your own legendary face in print, now is it? Besides, I couldn't keep myself in suspense for much longer, I just absolutely NEEDED to check and verify that I was in fact, voted to be the 'Greatest and Most Powerfullest', for the second year in a row."

"Trixie, those awards were supposed to be a surprise for everyone at CHS." Sunset sighed. "Besides, I thought you'd be happy with just 'Most Talented', again."

"As if, Sunset." Trixie huffed. "The title of 'Greatest and Most Powerfullest' is much more... me. But tell me, how did you fare in the yearbook awards this year?"

"Well, I haven't had the chance to look through them yet, but I'm sure everyone's achievements are well-represented." Sunset said. "That's what's most important, after all."

"Ah, here it is!" Trixie finally turned to the respective page for Sunset's award. "Sunset Shimmer, voted 'Most Dedicated to School Spirit'. Well, well, well, how the tables have turned, haven't they? From being a social outcast, to the poster girl for the greatest spirit at CHS."

"Great, thanks a lot for ruining the surprise, Trixie." Sunset groaned. "Well, now that I know, I'm glad that I've worked hard to change and become a better person, I certainly couldn't have done it without the support of my friends."

"Speaking of your friends, how's the band holding up without me?" Trixie questioned. "I'm sure they miss the pizzazz that I brought to their performances."

"You did... what now?" Sunset scratched her head in confusion. "Well to answer your question, they've found their own groove over the years, and they've been growing a lot in each of their respective positions. But... I'm afraid that I have no idea what you're talking about, you were never a part of the band."

"Oh, come now, I was obviously speaking metaphorically." Trixie giggled, before standing up and dusting off her skirt. "But if you say so, then I suppose I should leave the performance dreams to the actual rockstars. Besides, I was planning on getting my own electrical guitar once, but generously decided to give it to your friend, Rainbow Dash, to show how selfless of a performer I was."

"That's not what she told me." Sunset snickered, before crossing her arms. "I seem to remember hearing that you tried to compete against her for it, but she ended up choosing another guitar that suited her better. And then you ended up getting stuck with that guitar, which costed $12,000, isn't that right?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that..." Trixie rolled her eyes. "But I did end up buying it, and it serves as a gentle reminder of my own greatness. Plus, I can still make plenty of money, playing some wonderful tunes at the park, with my sick and upbeat melodies."

Just as Trixie said that, she had stretched her arms out, emphasizing her greatness, but in doing so, ended up dropping a small piece of paper onto the ground, which landed right next to Sunset's boot. Sunset instinctively picked it up, only to see that it was a crumpled up, yet recent credit card bill that Trixie had, stating that she was still overdue with $500 in debt.

"Trixie, is everything okay?" Sunset read the statement, before turning back to her. "$500 is a lot of money, especially for an overdue credit card bill. And it can't just be from peanut butter crackers, unless they're made of solid gold."

"I-I-It's not what it looks like, actually." Trixie stuttered, as she snatched the document away. "It's just a little... misunderstanding with my finances."

"A misunderstanding?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Did your bank mistake your love for peanut butter crackers as an investment opportunity, or something? Being overdue on $500 sounds a lot more serious than that."

"Well, it's complicated, okay?" Trixie's cheeks began to blush a faint shade of pink. "I had some... unexpected expenses, and the market for magic in Canterlot City... isn't quite as lucrative as I thought it would be."

"Come on, Trixie, I've known you for a while now, and I can tell when you're bluffing." Sunset insisted. "Could you please just tell me what's really going on?"

"Alright, fine, you win..." Trixie sighed, heavily. "It all started when my parents gave me my first credit card during sophomore year. Like I mentioned earlier, I ended up purchasing that $12,000 guitar, after remembering I had the card on me at the time. I didn't really understand that I would have debt to pay off, since a credit card almost seemed like free infinite money, and I saw my parents using one to shop all the time. At first, everything seemed great, when I was able to flaunt that guitar to my audience, whenever I felt like performing. But after my parents received the statement in the mail, they gave me a pretty stern talk."

"And they told you to be more responsible with your finances, I'm guessing?" Sunset deduced.

"Well, yes, but the problem is..." Trixie continued. "I never really learned how to manage my money, since I've never really had to. And when I moved here, I guess I just got carried away with all the fancy things this world had to offer. My parents had agreed to pay off my $12,000 debt themselves, but only on the condition that any further expenses I'd make after would be coming out of my pocket. I agreed, but realized that if I could purchase all kinds of things to enhance my performance, with all sorts of fancy costumes, props, and special effects, I'd practically be able to pay off double what I owed. But as you can probably tell by that statement... things didn't exactly work out the way they did..."

"Trixie, I understand that you want to be the best, but you can't let your desire for perfection ruin your future." Sunset put a hand on her own face. "Maybe it's time you set your sights on something more attainable, or at least get a part-time job to help cover your costs?"

"A part-time job?" Trixie choked on her words. "At a... fast food place?! You can't be serious, Sunset, that's just so... beneath me! I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie, not some... teenage burger flipper!"

"Well, I didn't say you had to work at a fast food place, specifically." Sunset folded her arms. "But you need to find a way to pay off your debts, and there's nothing wrong with honest work, regardless of where it's done."

"But... I'm a magical prodigy, not some common worker bee!" Trixie sputtered. "I'm destined for greater things than serving fries and ketchup packets, unlike my classmates who often complain about how much they hate working retail!"

"Trixie, everyone has to start somewhere, working at a job can actually be a good learning experience." Sunset assured. "Plus, it'll show that you're responsible and committed to fixing your mistakes, because it sounds like to me, your parents aren't going to help you out of this $500 hole you dug yourself into."

"But what kind of job could I get, that would be 'magical' enough for someone like me?" Trixie thought out loud. "I mean, I could always just perform fixed magic tricks for money, but that's not the same as using real magic, is it?"

"Well, why don't we start by showing me what you can do with all that fancy equipment you've already bought?" Sunset suggested. "Maybe you could put on a show for me right now, and I can even pay you a little something for your time."

"But why would you pay me for that?" Trixie raised an eyebrow. "It's not like you don't know what I'm capable of already."

"Alright, so it sounds like you don't want my money to pay off your debt, then?" Sunset shrugged. "Oh well, then I guess I'll go spend it on dinner with my friends after graduation, instead."

"Wait, no, please don't go yet!" Trixie begged. "I'm telling you, I'm a professional, and besides, I could use the practice, I guess."

"I'm not sure I'm convinced, if you're not even sounding so confident right now." Sunset looked back for a moment. "Maybe I'll spend this money on a new pair of comfy sneakers at the mall, in that case."

"Alright, fine!" Trixie waved her arms, frantically. "I'll put on the greatest show in the history of Canterlot, and absolutely DAZZLE you with my performance, because I want to prove to you that I'm worth every penny you pay!"

"That's more like it, you see?" Sunset turned around, satisfied. "The first step in the right direction is having confidence in yourself, especially if this is going to be your main career prospect. Alright, now show me what you've got."

"Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you, because once I'm done, you're going to want to empty your wallet into my hat!" Trixie continued her act, before digging through her own backpack, and pulling out a green crystal orb on a small pedestal, alongside a deck of cards.

"Hmm, looks like we're in for some fortune-telling and card tricks?" Sunset sat back on a nearby stool, ready to watch the show."

"You jest, but this crystal ball is not just any crystal ball!" Trixie said, as she placed it carefully on the table, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "It is a genuine artifact from Trixie's Museum of Magic in Canterlot, and is absolutely capable of predicting the future! Including... the card you plan to take from this very deck! Pick a card, any card!"

"Alright, I'll play along." Sunset selected a card from the deck, keeping it hidden from Trixie's view. "Now, what's it going to tell us?"

"Give me a moment to channel the mystical energies within." Trixie closed her eyes and placed her hands over the crystal ball, which began to emit a faint glow. "Ah, I see it now! Your card is... the Queen of Hearts!"

"Impressive, you actually managed to find out what card I picked!" Sunset grinned, before turning the card around to show it was indeed the Queen of Hearts. "I'm guessing you've rehearsed this trick plenty of times, though, because many people already know how to do a card trick."

"Wait, are you serious now?" Trixie's eyes widened in disbelief. "No, I swear, Sunset! I've never practiced that trick with these exact cards before! The crystal ball truly did tell me which card you chose!"

"You're right, I shouldn't doubt you." Sunset continued playing along. "But if that's the case, then please tell me what the future holds for us all, after graduation."

"Ah, the future is not so easily revealed, Sunset Shimmer, but I shall give you a riddle to ponder." Trixie hovered over the crystal ball, before sensing another prediction coming her way. "But... just between the two of us, I'll literally be paraphrasing what it'll say, word for word. Ahem... in a place where a mirror shows more than your reflection, you shall meet a reflection of yourself that will either shine like a star, or cast a shadow upon your heart. Choose wisely on when this reflection appears, for it may hold the key to your destiny..."

"Well, that's quite the cryptic fortune, for sure." Sunset gave the riddle some thought. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for any... reflective surfaces. I'd have no idea when something like that would even occur, so... how about this? Could you give me a prediction on my future for something that'll happen much sooner? Say... maybe in a few days from now?"

"Alright, let's see..." Trixie peered into the crystal ball again, her expression turning a bit more serious. "In five days' time, you shall face a challenge that will require your courage and wit. The crystal whispers of a journey, one filled with speed and steel, where you shall face a swarm of tiny foes that crawl and squeal. Upon the highest peak of this moving beast, you'll fight to save yourself and others from their feast. The outcome of this battle will show your true colors, whether bravery or fear, and it will all be in your power to reveal..."

"What the... okay, now you're really scaring me, Trixie." Sunset said, rather unsettled. "That sounds like something out of a horror movie, not a high school adventure."

"Not to worry, remember, I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie, so I'm sure you'll be fine." Trixie brushed off. "Besides, fortune telling is all about interpreting the signs, so maybe it's not as dire as it sounds. Anyways... what did you think of my performance?"

"Your performance was... intriguing, to say the least." Sunset responded. "But tell me, where did you get this crystal ball? It seems like it could be a valuable tool for magical acts."

"It's a long story, but I got it from a... let's call it a 'magical garage sale', within the outskirts of Canterlot." Trixie explained. "I had to haggle down the price a bit, but it was worth it for the authenticity, don't you think?"

Although still astonished with what Trixie was able to come up with off the top of her head, Sunset couldn't help but internally believe that the predictions were just a bunch of nonsense. She had seen plenty of magic in her time, and while Trixie had some flair, she was certain that there was no way she could truly predict the future. Plus, it was entirely plausible that the card trick was simply a lucky fluke and coincidence. However, now that it seemed that Trixie finally had her confidence back, Sunset knew that her work was done, and that she had hopefully set her back on track, with the right amount of motivation to pay off her credit card debt.

"Wow, Trixie, that was quite the show!" Sunset applauded. "I'm sure you'll be able to wow a real audience with your skills, it's certainly been pretty mind-blowing, especially compared to the magicians that I've seen back in my hometown! Now, how about that payment for your wonderful performance? How much would you like?"

"Why, Sunset, I didn't know you were such a generous patron of the mystical arts!" Trixie put a hand over her heart in a dramatic gesture. "But for a show as epic as the one I just gave you, a mere $1,000 seems quite fitting, don't you think?"

"Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, Trixie." Sunset put her hands up. "That's a bit too much, don't you think? You need to remember, not everyone's got deep pockets, nor will they always be willing to watch you perform. Besides, in the magic business, you can't go around asking for ludicrous prices, or people will stop coming to see you. How about we start with a more reasonable number, like say, $20?"

"But Sunset, I need to make enough to pay off my debts!" Trixie reminded. "$20 won't even cover the additional interest that I'll owe, if I can't fully pay off my debt at the end of the month, which is in less than a week from now!"

"Alright, I get it." Sunset sighed under her breath. "But you can't expect to make a fortune in one go, you'll have to build up your reputation, and that comes with fair pricing. How about this, I'll give you $50 for today's performance, and if you can find a way to perform even better tricks, like something nobody's seen before, I'll consider upping your payment for future shows."

"Fine, I'll take it." Trixie reluctantly agreed. "But just remember, you're getting a steal of a deal here!"

Just as Sunset reached into her pocket to pull out a $50 bill, her eyes widened upon realizing that she had left her wallet and money at home. She then turned to Trixie, hoping that the magician girl would be understanding.

"Err, Trixie?" Sunset spoke up. "Bad news I'm afraid, I'm really sorry, but it seems I've left my wallet at home. You wouldn't mind if I paid you back later, would you?"

"Well, I suppose I can't force you to pay me if you don't have the funds, but I do hope that when you do, you won't forget about our little agreement." Trixie folded her arms. "But... now I'm curious, why are you helping me out, anyways? I mean, here I am, going through the CHS yearbooks without authorization, and instead of chewing me out and reporting me to Principal Celestia, you decide to help me get back on my feet, and even give me money? Why?"

"Well Trixie, I remember a time when I was in a similar situation of hopelessness, and it was you who helped me out, without expecting anything in return." Sunset looked around the yearbook room. "It was right here in this very room where you helped me confront that girl who had the Memory Stone, and your willingness to help, made a big difference to me. Let's just say that if you didn't help me escape this room, my friends probably would've hated me forever. I just want to return the favor, and maybe give you a nudge in the right direction."

"I wouldn't quite say that I helped, without expecting something for myself." Trixie recalled. "It's primarily because of you, that I earned the title of 'Greatest and Most Powerfullest', for junior year."

"I suppose that's true, but at the end of the day, it's just a nice feeling to help others out, especially in their time of need." Sunset replied. "I've seen firsthand what real magic can do to people, and I don't want you to fall down the same rabbit hole I did."

"That's fair enough." Trixie nodded. "Well, I guess I'll go on to continue doing some performances on the side, and see if it'll get me a profit in the triple digits. My parents are going to go absolutely ballistic, if they find out how much debt I'm in. I specifically hid the credit card statement from them, when I got it in the mail."

"Well, in that case... alright Trixie, I really do want to help you out." Sunset insisted. "Let's just head over to my place real quick, and I can give you the $50 now, to save you the hassle of waiting. It's the least I can do for our friendship, and the help you've given me. Besides, my place is only about a 10-minute walk from CHS."

"Well, if you're really sure, Sunset, I wouldn't want to impose on you." Trixie accepted. "Though, walking is certainly overrated, especially if it'll give me a blister in these boots here. Maybe you could give me a piggyback ride?"

"Come now, Trixie." Sunset sighed. "What did I already tell you earlier, about going around and asking for unreasonable things?"

"Alright, alright, if you insist..." Trixie pouted. "I think I remember you mentioning where you lived... it's that central apartment down on Maple Street, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's right." Sunset nodded. "Let's go there, and I'll get you your payment, but remember, this is just a one-time thing, okay? You're going to have to work hard in this world, if you plan on making it big, as a freelancer magician."

"Don't worry, I'll pull through." Trixie said, confidently. "Besides, with a little help from my friends, like you, I'm sure I'll be able to pull off something amazing!"

Sunset and Trixie left the school grounds, as they began strolling down the sidewalks of Canterlot City. The trip to Sunset's apartment was filled with Trixie's complaints about her uncomfortable boots, and the length of the walk, but Sunset remained unfazed, her eyes focused on the destination. Upon arriving, Sunset used her keys to open the front door, and held it open for Trixie, inviting her inside. The apartment itself was rather quiet, aside from the sounds of their footsteps echoing throughout the room, as Sunset walked upstairs to her bed. While Sunset was searching around for her wallet in the dresser next to the bed, Trixie was downstairs, admiring Sunset's home and belongings.

"Alright, Trixie." Sunset walked back downstairs with the $50 she had promised. "Here's your cash-"

But before Sunset could even hand Trixie the money, she immediately noticed Trixie sitting on the floor, trying on a pair of Sunset's sneakers. The magician girl simply looked up, a sheepish smile went across her face.

"Come on, can you really blame me?" Trixie asked. "Your sneakers are so soft and comfy, these old boots were clearly not meant for walking long distances."

"Trixie, those are my favorite pair!" Sunset exclaimed. "But I guess I can't blame you for wanting a break from those boots. Just... don't go stealing my stuff, okay? I use those kicks for when I stream games on ShimmerCode."

"Hmm, I can see it now... The Great and Powerful Trixie, Twilight Kingdom's number one gamer and fortune teller!" Trixie announced, before she took the sneakers off, and put her own boots back on. "But alright, I suppose it'd be rotten for me to steal your shoes, even though they actually fit me, perfectly. Now then, about that money..."

"Here you go, Trixie." Sunset handed the $50 to her. "Now remember, invest it wisely, and maybe buy some new props or something for your show, but only AFTER you've paid off your credit card debt."

"Oh, don't you worry about that, Sunset." Trixie assured. "I've got a plan, and it's going to be absolutely... MAGICAL!"

As Sunset walked over to her desk by the front door, she took a moment to take notice of a black and white box in the corner, sitting next to her computer. She had admittedly forgotten what it contained, but vaguely recalled that she had bought this from the local hardware store, shortly following the holiday season. Sunset then used one of her keys to unlock the box, and it suddenly hit her. Sitting in the middle of the box, was none other than the Geode of Empathy, the necklace that Sunset ended up obtaining, following an epic battle against Gloriosa Daisy, back at Camp Everfree. But what was this doing here, specifically?

Sunset and the other girls had always worn these geode necklaces as a way to symbolize their evergrowing friendship, almost like friendship bracelets. However, earlier this year, they had all mutually decided that it would've been better to simply leave the geodes behind for a while, as wearing them had often contributed toward numerous supernatural occurrences. As such, it felt like the wiser decision to take a break from their magical abilities, especially with a significantly monumental event like graduation, coming very soon. In fact, accidentally blowing up the ceremonial stage, or attracting a new, unknown threat, due to the presence of their Equestrian magic, would've been the last thing any of the girls wanted. Sunset grabbed the necklace out of the box and wrapped it around her finger, reminiscing on all the good times she's had with her friends, as Trixie came around the corner, ready to head back home with her profit.

"Well, I suppose this is adieu for now, Sunset." Trixie began waving goodbye. "Hopefully, I'll be able to make it big in this world, doing what I really love. I don't particularly plan to fall for the scam that college and university truly is, especially if it'll land me a job that I won't even like, along with costing me thousands of dollars in tuition. Cause like, if I plan to become more realistic and responsible with my finances, that's a start, isn't it?"

"I mean, it's your life and decision in the end, Trixie." Sunset shrugged. "I can't tell you otherwise what's best for you, but if you feel that this is your true path, I'd say, go for it!"

"Thanks for the pep talk and the cash, Sunset." Trixie grinned. "I'll make sure to use it wisely! And hey... what's that in your hand, there? Aren't those the necklaces that you and your friends used to regularly wear, all the time?"

"That's right, our friendship geode necklaces." Sunset replied. "I've been keeping mine safe here, since... let's just say, the girls and I believed it was for the better. But... this was just a reminder that I need to go talk to them, and discuss a serious matter. Though I was unable to find them, since they weren't even in our regular hangout spot, the music classroom."

"Oh, I know where your friends are, saw them while I was searching around the school for the yearbooks." Trixie remembered. "They've been spending quite some time in the cafeteria, discussing something rather quite intense, from the looks of it. Seems like your friends have a lot on their minds."

"Well, if it's serious, then I guess I should head over there, right now." Sunset said, as both she and Trixie exited the apartment, before Sunset locked the front door. "Thanks for letting me know, Trixie."

"Hey, what are friends for, after all?" Trixie shrugged. "I was just thinking though, after graduation, do you think we'll still keep in touch? I know we're all going to different places, but I'd like to think that our friendship can stand the test of time, especially after all we've been through together."

"That's something I've been wondering about too, admittedly." Sunset acknowledged. "It's weird to think that our friendship could just... end, because we're going on different career paths. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what's been keeping my friends busy, since it seems like they know the full extent on what graduation could entail for our friendship. I mean, we've had so many adventures together, so it just seems wrong to not know what's happening in each other's lives. I suppose I can get back to you on that, but as long as we find a way to stay in touch after graduation, I'm sure everything will work out."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Trixie agreed. "Maybe we can all meet up again after graduation, once we've figured out our futures, and share some magical stories?"

"Definitely, that sounds like a plan." Sunset nodded. "But before we get ahead of ourselves, I should really go and see what the girls are up to at CHS, it's not like them to be all secretive about something. You go on ahead, and I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"Alright, and remember, if you need anything, I'm just a magic trick away!" Trixie said, enthusiastically.

With a wink and a wave, Trixie disappeared down the street, before getting stopped by a man in an alleyway, wearing a trenchcoat. The man motioned for Trixie to come closer, before coming out with a proposition deal.

"Hey there, kid." Flim said, muffled in his disguise. "Word on the street is, you like performing magic? How would you like to purchase an EFT?"

"I do like performing, but... what does that even stand for, EFT?" Trixie questioned.

"Equestria-Fungible Token, silly!" Flim said. "Assets and cryptocurrency that can make you RICH in a matter of days. Why, if you give me say... 50 bucks, I can turn that into 50 GRAND in just one week! What do you say?"

"Hmm, imagine how well I could do with fifty thousand dollars..." Trixie felt enticed, before handing him the money. "DEAL!"

Chapter 3: Major Life Changes

Sunset had finally made her way back to CHS, and as advised by Trixie, ran straight towards the cafeteria. This particular area of the school always had a more significant role throughout Sunset's journey, as she recalled the various events that occurred here, over the years. More specifically, this was the same cafeteria where Princess Twilight had rallied the entire school to revolutionize against Sunset's tyranny, as well as the very place where the Dazzlings had initiated the Battle of the Bands. The most meaningful aspect of the cafeteria to Sunset, was the fact that this was the main place where the girls had strengthened their bond with her, almost making lunchtime her favorite time of the day. Then again, who wouldn't rather take a free lunch break, especially over unprepared pop quizzes, and tediously long essays in class?

As Sunset opened the doors to the cafeteria, she immediately noticed that there wasn't any lunch being served at all, likely because today was a half-day for all students, not just the seniors. However, Trixie was in fact telling the truth earlier, after Sunset had scanned her surroundings, and noticed that five of her six friends were sitting at a table, located in the far corner. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were all present, but Pinkie Pie was mysteriously absent, which was definitely surprising. It seemed very unlike Pinkie to not be around the rest of the group, especially given how the graduation gifts in the music room were most likely her idea, in the first place. Regardless of where Pinkie was, Sunset began approaching the table her friends were sitting at, as the group began to take notice of her.

"Sunset, darling!" Rarity greeted. "How nice of you to join us, we were all admittedly wondering where you've been, this whole time."

"Hi, girls!" Sunset waved to her friends, as she took a seat next to them. "Well, I was searching around the school for you all, and I kinda got caught up with doing something with Trixie in the yearbook room, let's just say."

"Trixie, huh?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "What'd she do this time, persuade you into editing her face onto photos where she didn't belong? I sure hope those new yearbooks haven't been tampered with, especially after last year's. I still can't get over the fact that Bulk Biceps' award was right next to ours! Trixie did that on purpose to make room for her 'Greatest and Powerfullest' page, didn't she?"

"No, it was nothing like that, Rainbow." Sunset giggled, after being reminded of the junior yearbook mishap. "I'm afraid that mishap was purely due to a publication error by the yearbook printing company, after one of the pages got mixed up, and every other section went in the wrong order. But as for Trixie, we actually had a pretty interesting discussion about career prospects, and she even mentioned that you were all having a pretty serious talk here, before I arrived?"

"Well yes, that's one way to put it." Twilight nodded. "We were all discussing what we're planning to do after graduation, since it'll certainly be a big step in everybody's lives. Going to different places, varying career paths, it'll all be pretty overwhelming."

"Some of us are even opting to pursue paths outside of university as well, even if it's often frowned upon in society." Fluttershy added. "I mean, haven't you heard of the many horror stories of people who went off to college, earned their degree, but still can't find a job out there? Especially considering how expensive tuition is."

"I'd be one of those people." Applejack raised her hand. "And I very much agree with that there statement, even though I'm more or less followin' what Big McIntosh did, after he graduated himself."

"He's already graduated?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "But... we see him around school all the time."

"Well yes, but he hasn't attended any classes for a while now." Applejack replied. "In fact, he's mostly here for volunteer hours, which'll help out in his job resume, considerin' that he's lookin' into the work force as a plumber. But unfortunately, even with that CHS diploma, nobody's willin' to hire him, at least until he has 'real' experience..."

"Ugh, tell me about it, dear." Rarity rolled her eyes. "Every job employer out there expects years of experience upfront, but how in the world are you expected to even get experience, if nobody hires you? Thus, I'm very grateful to have built a following on MyStable, to where I can pretty easily get clients and work as a freelance fashionista. In fact, I must've made around $400 in just the last few weeks, alone."

"It's pretty nice to hear that you're doing well for yourself, Rarity." Twilight smiled. "For me though, I'm still planning to go for the old-fashioned route of graduating at the top of my class, at Canterlot City's best university. I've already received tons of college acceptance letters, with the exception of the one university I've always dreamed of going to. No response quite yet, but I'm sure that it's bound to come, sooner or later."

"I certainly know that feeling, myself." Fluttershy spoke up. "I'm mostly going, to secure some certification on becoming a veterinarian. I know that I'm already doing a lot of volunteer work at that local animal shelter every week, but it just isn't the same as having an actual job to nurse animals back to health. What kind of job do you plan on securing, once you graduate from college, Twilight?"

"Well, I've been looking into a few internships in mathematics, but I've also been considering starting my own business, potentially a bookstore, if I can get the funding." Twilight recalled. "Though, my parents mentioned that they can already foresee me becoming a math teacher. I've always dreamt of being a teacher, but I'm not entirely sure where specifically I'd share my knowledge with the rest of the world."

"No offense, Twilight, but umm..." Rainbow tried her best to explain her own thoughts on the matter. "Haven't you heard that teachers get paid less than a Taco Tuesday employee? And considering how much that fancy college degree will cost, I'm not so sure you'd be making such a wise investment."

"I'm afraid that I'm with Rainbow on that." Applejack nodded. "The main reason that I'm choosin' not to go, is simply because I can't afford it. If this so-called university expects my family to fork over hundreds to thousands of dollars in tuition, only for it to not even guarantee one of them 'white collar' jobs, I wouldn't even go, if I HAD the cash. That's why I'm lookin' into agriculture programs, especially since those skills and months of experience would be more worthwhile for me, compared to those... 'General Education' classes."

"Well, I understand where you're both coming from." Twilight agreed, albeit halfway. "But for me, it's about pursuing what I love, regardless of the pay and cost. Plus, I've been working on getting scholarships for quite some time now, so hopefully that'll help."

"Ah, the inspiration of following one's dreams!" Rarity sighed. "But the reality is, sometimes we need to be practical, considering how much more expensive this world is becoming. After all, fashion isn't exactly the most stable industry, unless you've already got a huge following, like myself. Though, that's not to say that I don't have my fair share of challenges, since competition can be fiercer than a pack of dogs at a biscuit buffet."

"But it's important to follow your heart, too." Fluttershy insisted. "I've always felt that if you're truly passionate about something, then it's worth it, even if it means taking the less traveled path."

"I just couldn't see college doing that for myself." Rainbow shrugged. "My parents mentioned that they did have enough to send me off to university, only for me to find out that was complete malarkey. One night, when it was way past my bedtime, I snuck downstairs to have some lasagna from the fridge, only to overhear my mom and dad discussing that it would only cover the first few semesters, and nowhere close to graduation. When I confronted them about it the next day, they confessed that they wanted me to go to college, to look good amongst their peers, and that my solution would be to take out student loans, then get a job after graduation to pay off that debt. Are they absolutely nuts, for doing something like that to their own daughter?"

"Well, I guess everyone's got their own reasons for pushin' college, Rainbow." Applejack said. "But if it's not for you, then that's okay, there's a whole lot of good you can do without a fancy degree, and preferably without student loans that'll follow you for the rest of your life. I swear, it sometimes feels as if Flim and Flam are behind these evil institutions, expectin' everybody to cough up their life savings and sanity, under the lie that the degree will guarantee them a great job one day."

"Hmm, it's funny that you say that, AJ." Sunset joined in on the conversation. "I remember Princess Twilight writing to me a while back, mentioning that the Flim and Flam in Equestria were running a 'Friendship University', and making the biggest fortune out of a scam."

"Well, I'll be!" Applejack's eyes widened. "If it's not the apple of the same tree, it's the same fruit! And just when you thought that a guitar costin' $12,000 was highway robbery, you've got people going off to these institutions, and spendin' 100 grand a year, just for that little piece of paper!"

"But isn't that just the way of the world?" Fluttershy questioned. "Sometimes, we must make sacrifices for the sake of our futures. I can understand what you mean though, the idea to be tied down to something for so long, and still not be guaranteed success?"

"Like I've said, I'm blessed with the success that I already have, but I've also had to deal with my fair share of challenges, even considering the idea of taking on debt, just to study fashion design at a prestigious school." Rarity reflected. "But when I saw that I was already making more money than the average college graduate, that's when everything absolutely changed for me."

"If you ask me, going off to college feels no different than going to a casino." Rainbow gave her two cents. "Aren't you essentially betting thousands of dollars on an actual gamble, and when you've placed the bets, there's no going back? Except, even at casinos, you do have a pretty legitimate chance at earning a fortune, as long as you're not reckless about it."

"But isn't it also a matter of personal growth, Rainbow?" Twilight reminded. "You can't just put a price tag down on knowledge and experiences that you'd get from a higher education, even if the job market is... challenging."

"I wouldn't be so sure on that there." Applejack pondered. "Big Mac's mentioned that many job employers won't even give you a chance without experience, and that they have the nerve to claim that goin' off to college ain't any 'real experience'. By that point, you'd just be jobless with that expensive piece of paper, while your student loan debt will grow bigger than a squirrel's appetite at a peanut convention."

"Well... what about the friendships and memories you make along the way?" Fluttershy suggested. "That's something you can't put a price on."

"Maybe so, but here at CHS, the tuition's practically free, and the workload's far more manageable, to where we've got plenty of time to bond, and make the most of our years here." Rarity responded. "Unlike say... Crystal Prep Academy. I've often heard that because it's a private school, everybody there must pass some entrance exam, and that tuition to attend is at least several thousand dollars a year, just like college."

"And come to think of it, those girls we met at the Friendship Games weren't so friendly, were they?" Rainbow recalled. "I mean, sure, they helped rescue the other students from falling into that Equestria place, but they were still pretty stuck-up and arrogant, even after. Remember when they went as far as to steal Rarity's dance choreography, then had the nerve to ask us for our help to bail them out?"

"I'd imagine it was either because of Principal Cinch's philosophies, or they became bitter and arrogant for the same reasons that university students can." Applejack speculated. "Stressful work, toxic environments, fierce competition, and on top of all that, costin' an arm and a leg just to be there. I'm not sure if I should blame Crystal Prep Academy for doin' that to those girls, or was it their parents? But one thing's for certain, Crystal Prep's one definitive example of what life would be like durin' college years, since let's be honest. Crystal Prep Academy might as well be college, but for high-schoolers. All I can say is, if those girls were always this grouchy and arrogant, I can only imagine what actual universities would turn them into."

The other girls gave Applejack's speech some deep thought, and realized that she was certainly onto something. Seeing what Crystal Prep Academy had turned students such as Sugarcoat, Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, Sunny Flare, and Sour Sweet into, despite it technically being a high school, it was unimaginable what those girls would end up doing in college. In fact, they had truly exemplified what a group of friends would fittingly be like at university, on top of costing them more than their soul. Hearing this, coupled with all these other solid points on college being way more trouble than its worth, and not even guaranteeing financial stability, Fluttershy felt that she finally had her wake-up call, before giving her piece.

"You know something?" Fluttershy finally asserted her passions with this new mindset. "I've always felt that I can do more good by helping animals, but if college and university would practically turn us into those Crystal Prep girls, then I'm pretty sure that I can get plenty of experiences and knowledge without this higher education. Plus, I can start volunteering at plenty of other animal shelters right now, and I'm sure that'll look just as good on a resume, as any university would."

"Alright, sounds like Fluttershy's joined our 'no college' club, here!" Rainbow grinned. "Especially now that we know, college isn't the be-all, end-all that it's cracked up to be. Instead, after graduation, I'm thinking of maybe taking a gap year to travel and learn more about myself, and to find out what I truly want to do in life. Heck, maybe I can even use some of my life savings to start a business, since those so-called job employers care more for work experience than that piece of paper."

"Well... it's all up to you in the end, Fluttershy, so I can't tell you that your choice is 'wrong', or anything." Twilight chimed in. "While I can't say I'm not tempted by the idea of seeing the world and gaining new experiences, I've worked so hard for this. Especially the scholarships, the grades, the internships, the essays, I know I can't just throw all of that away, on a whim."

"But is this really your dream, Twilight?" Rainbow folded her arms. "Or is it your parents' dreams? Because getting pressured into going to college? It's the main reason why I've heard that there's plenty of lecture halls filled to the brim with miserable and burnt out students, who don't even want to be there, in the first place."

"It's... a bit of both, Rainbow." Twilight explained herself. "I do want to go to college, but I've also been told that if I don't, I'll be letting down my family. And considering how much they've sacrificed for me, it's tough to argue against that. In fact, they've already set aside $300,000 in my education bank account, hoping that in many years from now, I'll make it back home with a PhD in mathematics."

"Three hundred grand!?!" Applejack's eyes widened. "I'd say that's more than enough to start your own bookstore, Twilight, and you'd be doin' something you truly love! Maybe you can even turn it into a sort of education center, where you can teach math, without the unnecessary burden of debt hangin' over your head."

"We can certainly understand why you'd think that way, Twilight." Rarity added. "But in some ways, that sounds more applicable to students who've already spent years in college, and realizing too late that this wasn't the path for them, from the very beginning. They become depressed, pressured, and expected to do well, especially since it feels selfish to throw everything that their parents had sacrificed, to get them such a prestigious education. But regardless, they may still end up needing to drop out, and get absolutely nothing in the end, for their efforts."

"Well... I can certainly see that college isn't really the next step for most of you." Twilight sighed. "However, I've always seen college as a stepping stone to greater things. Sure, I can teach math without a PhD, but it's the opportunities that come with that degree, that I'm interested in. The research, the publications, the potential to help more than just a few students at a time. And that's exactly what I plan to do with that piece of paper I'll get at my dream university, sooner or later..."

"We respect your decision in the end, Twilight." Fluttershy responded. "But as for the rest of us, even I now see that college will most likely make the rest of us feel lost and confused on what we want in life, than if we never went. Even if I have to end up working in retail, if I can't find a more stable job, I'll at least be happy to know that I'll be putting food on the table."

"Same here, I think the rest of us have already made it pretty clear on where we stand, ditching college to pursue what we truly want in life." Rainbow sat back in her chair. "What about you, Sunset? We've kinda all been discussing this topic since this morning, and you've just joined us. Maybe you can give us your opinion on going to college, and whether or not that's the next step for yourself?"

"Well, I've already had a pretty... unique experience with the whole prestigious school thing." Sunset reflected. "As you might already know, considering I've had a taste of it, way back in Equestria. In fact, when I was focused on being Princess Celestia's pupil, I can kinda agree with what you've said about the Crystal Prep Academy girls. Just like them, I became way more distant, bitter, and arrogant, even from any... pony, who wanted to be my friend."

"Ah yes, your transformation from a self-centered bully, to the fabulous friend that we all know today." Rarity commended. "It's amazing what a change of heart can do to one's character, but you've changed so much, Sunset. You're nothing like that anymore, and we couldn't be any more proud of you. Even though some of us are still trying to figure out our futures after graduation, we're all here for you, no matter what you decide."

"Thanks, Rarity." Sunset smiled. "To be honest, I've been thinking about it a lot lately, the whole, going to college thing. I've kinda realized long ago, that there's so much more to life than just getting good grades, and being the best at everything. So in some ways, I can't help but wonder if college is really the best place to find myself, when I've already learned so much more about who I truly am, right here at CHS."

"Hmm, well that's certainly a philosophy there that I can certainly agree with." Applejack held the tip of her hat. "So, I'm guessin' that implies you didn't even bother sendin' out college applications, Sunset?"

"I did apply to a few, just in case I changed my mind, and wanted to seek out an opportunity." Sunset admitted. "But honestly, my heart's just not in it, let's just say. I've had enough school drama to last a lifetime, that's for certain, though I'm not really turned away by the school life, since... I might actually have a solid idea on what I'd want to do in my later years."

"Hmm, what do you mean that your heart's not in it, Sunset?" Twilight questioned. "I've known you for a few years now, and you've always struck me as the type of student who would want to pursue your own passions in education, like I would."

"Well, I've been giving it a lot of thought, and I think I've found something that resonates with me more than just book learning." Sunset began leaning into her confession about potentially wanting to go back to Equestria, possibly for good. "I mean, it's clear that since we all have pretty different paths to take after graduation, we might have a much tougher time staying in touch? After all, I'm sure some of us would be moving pretty far away, and that we won't get to see each other again?"

"Actually, we've already discussed this a few weeks ago, Sunset." Rainbow replied. "Canterlot City is where we'll all plan to live, even after graduation. So, even if we're not seeing each other in the hallways of CHS anymore, we'll still be able to meet up, regularly. Plus, think of all the amazing parties we can throw, once we've got our own places!"

"None of you are moving?" Sunset pondered the idea. "Even Pinkie?"

"That's right, we remember her mentionin' that she's been wantin' to stay here and continue toward an apprenticeship toward bakin', since Mr. and Mrs. Cake have connections." Applejack recalled. "But... what are you implyin' by askin' that? You're not plannin' to move somewhere else far away, are you, Sunset?"

Upon being asked this, Sunset realized that because all her friends were planning to stay in Canterlot City, it would seem much more heartbreaking to let them know now, that she WAS planning on metaphorically moving away. Realizing that she was going a little fast with bringing up the idea out of nowhere, she decided to brush it off, and instead, change the topic.

"Oh, no no, I was just... you know, hypothetically speaking, of course." Sunset said, nervously. "I was just thinking about the future, and I've got a feeling that we'll all be just fine, no matter where life takes us after graduation. But hey, speaking of Pinkie... I have to wonder where she is? Have any of you seen her, lately?"

"Pinkie?" Twilight pondered. "No, I'm afraid I haven't seen her since last week, which definitely seems unlike her."

"I'd have to believe she's just busy doing something to land her some work after graduation." Fluttershy speculated. "She's always so punctual and happy to be around us, so I can't imagine that she's purposefully avoiding us."

"I don't know about that, actually." Applejack held out her phone. "She hasn't even responded to any of our texts, so I'm startin' to get a little concerned."

"That IS weird." Rainbow checked her own phone. "But you know Pinkie, she's probably just out there, throwing the mother of all surprise parties for someone, or herself. She's got that kind of energy, after all."

"Actually, you might be onto something there." Rarity pondered. "I seem to have remembered a rumor going around, that somebody new is in town, and they're throwing huge birthday parties for the residents. I didn't hear anything about them moving here, but for all we know, this could be what's been keeping Pinkie so busy."

"You think so, Rarity?" Sunset speculated. "Maybe we should go check it out, just to make sure she's okay?"

"I suppose we could do that, now that we've all got an idea on our plans after graduation." Applejack nodded. "After all, just like I've told Sunset here, a few years back... what do I love the most about family? No matter how big your family is, there's always room for more. So I'm happy to hear that since none of us are movin' away, we'll all be one big, happy family, even once we're out there in the real world, findin' jobs and makin' a livin'."

Sunset felt a twinge of sadness upon hearing Applejack's heartwarming words. Her thoughts drifted back to the possibility of moving back to Equestria, and she realized that she had been keeping a significant part of herself hidden from her friends. The joyful atmosphere at the table grew slightly heavier, as she pondered over how to maintain her friendship with the group, whilst also following her heart's true calling.

"We're all here for each other, through thick and thin." Sunset said with optimism. "It's what you girls taught me ever since the Fall Formal here at CHS, and I could never be more grateful for that."

"Aw, don't get all mushy on us, Sunset!" Rainbow teased, lightening the mood with a smirk. "But yeah, you're right, we're all a big family until the very end, regardless of what direction life will take us. So let's go find Pinkie, and maybe get an update on what she's been up to! For all we know, she could even be planning a big graduation surprise party for us all, which would explain why we haven't seen her in a while. I guess we could go check out Sugarcube Corner, maybe Mr. and Mrs. Cake have an idea."

The group of friends gathered their bags, before getting ready to walk out of the cafeteria, their laughter and chatter echoing throughout the room, as they prepared to find their party-loving friend. However, on the way out, Twilight noticed Sunset lingering behind, which prompted her to approach Sunset with a gentle smile.

"Is everything okay, Sunset?" Twilight wanted assurance from her friend. "You seem a bit lost in thought."

"Yeah, I'm okay, just... thinking about how much has changed since we all met." Sunset brushed off, once more. "It's like looking back at a puzzle that's almost complete, and trying to figure out where the last few pieces fit. I'll meet you and the rest of the girls at Sugarcube Corner soon, you go on ahead."

"Alright, if you're sure." Twilight nodded. "We're all here for you, if you ever need to talk."

As Twilight left the cafeteria, Sunset continued sitting in her chair, unsure of what the future held for her and the girls, especially after graduation. The implications of Pinkie being too busy to even respond to any of their texts, had also led Sunset to believe something similar could've been happening with Princess Twilight, over in Equestria, which would also explain why she hadn't written back, just yet.

"This just really feels like that one unavoidable phase, when we realize that we're not only growing up, but also growing apart." Sunset sighed to herself. "I have to wonder if Princess Twilight is going through something similar, back in Equestria..."

As this was going on, Princess Twilight was already planning out everything for her coronation, including the speech, activities, and going over the guest list, once more. By this point, the princess had already spent some quality time with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, under the guidance of Spike. Twilight and her first five friends had all shared various memories they've had together over the years, leading up to this big day for her. However, she kept pacing around Canterlot's throne room, still unsure of anything else she needed to make this coronation... perfect.

"Spike, I've gone over everything." Twilight said to the dragon. "The guests are invited, the decorations are set, the food is ordered, and the schedule is organized to the minute. But I just can't shake off this feeling that I've forgotten something important. I'm not entirely sure why you had me reminisce on the good times with my first five friends, but... it's certainly kept me occupied, that's for certain."

"Well, you'll definitely see, soon enough." Spike put his arms behind his back. "But as for something else you're forgetting... that, I'm not entirely sure on, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. Besides, the coronation's technically tomorrow, so you've still got plenty of time on your hooves."

"I suppose so." Twilight sighed. "I just can't shake this feeling that I've missed something crucial, and that it might have something to do with the guest list. I might've forgotten to invite somepony, but who, exactly...?"

Just then, Flash Sentry entered the castle's throne room, calling over for the princess.

"Princess Twilight, do you have a moment?" Flash called over to her.

"Of course, Flash." Twilight trotted over to the royal guard. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing seems to be problematic as of right now, but you know that new policy we've implemented, to prevent intruders or anyone unrecognizable into the castle?" Flash reminded.

"Ah, yes." Twilight nodded. "The enhanced security protocols for Canterlot. It's all in place, correct?"

"Invariably." Flash saluted the princess. "However, I happen to have this stallion with me, who claims that he somehow knows you, and would like to speak to you on an urgent matter. Unfortunately, since I don't recognize him, nor do I know of his connection to you, I've had to bring him here myself, to verify whether he's a threat or not."

"Bring him in, please." Twilight gestured with her hoof. "I'd like to handle this personally."

"Very well." Flash went behind the door to fetch the pony in question.

As the pony entered the room, the stallion was none other than Sunny Skies, the mayor of Hope Hollow, and host of the town's Rainbow Festival. Twilight had remembered recently visiting there with her friends, and bringing color back to everypony who resided there.

"Mayor Sunny Skies!" Twilight greeted. "It's okay, Flash, I know him, and he's certainly no threat to anypony here in Canterlot."

"My apologies then, Mayor." Flash nodded to the stallion. "I suppose that means I should head back over to my post. Nothing personal, it's just... rules and regulations for us royal guards."

"Of course, no offense taken." Mayor Skies waved a hoof at Flash Sentry, as he left the throne room. "Now then, let's get down to business, Princess Twilight. You might be wondering why I've traveled all the way from Hope Hollow to Canterlot, without much of a notice beforehand?"

"Yes, I'm curious." Twilight replied. "What's the urgent matter you wish to discuss? Actually, wait... don't tell me! Is it perhaps you, who I've somehow forgotten to invite to my upcoming coronation?"

"Well, not at all, actually." The mayor shook his head. "We've already received your invitations in the mailboxes, but I'm coming here by myself to speak on behalf of everypony else in Hope Hollow. I'm sorry to say that none of us will have the opportunity to come by and see you become the princess of all of Equestria. We were certainly planning to originally, but due to the construction of one of our most recent projects back in town, we actually have no choice but to prioritize finishing that, before anything else."

"Oh, I see." Twilight understood. "I hope everything's going well in Hope Hollow, what's this project that you're working on?"

"It's a bit of a secret, but just know that it'll certainly help Hope Hollow become far more well-known within Equestria." Sunny Skies whispered. "I'm sure you get the idea, since you and your friends hadn't even heard of our lovely town, last time you stopped by the Rainbow Festival?"

"Ah, yes, I remember that festival quite fondly." Twilight reflected. "It was quite enlightening, to say the least, now that everypony there is quite literally, living in color."

"And we owe it all to you and your friends, Princess." The mayor reminded. "Petunia and I truly wish there was a way that we could reschedule everything, so we could all go to your coronation, but the construction team wouldn't go for it. In fact, these two stallions mentioned that if we were to postpone this project for any longer, they would take their business elsewhere."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to cause any issues for your town." Twilight assured. "I suppose as a way to compensate, I'll make sure to visit, once everything's completed, and maybe we could help you set up a second Rainbow Festival."

"That would be absolutely wonderful, Princess!" Sunny Skies beamed. "We'd be thrilled to host you again, especially now that you're going to become the princess of all of Equestria! At least, if the invitations that you sent us, are anything to go by."

"Well, I'm afraid that I wasn't the one who sent out those invitations." Twilight corrected. "In fact, the closest thing I've done, was check off the guess list with Princess Celestia and Luna."

"Hmm, really now?" Sunny Skies scratched his head. "Well then, who exactly would I thank for the welcoming invitations, regardless?"

"You should thank Starlight for that, Mayor." Spike spoke up. "She's been helping Twilight with all of her coronation preparations, and made sure that Equestria's most important figures were on the guest list."

"Starlight..." Mayor Skies tried his best to remember that name. "I think I vaguely remember you mentioning that name back at the first Rainbow Festival. Starlight Glimmer, is that correct? Who is she, again?"

"Starlight Glimmer, yes." Twilight nodded. "To refresh your memory, she's a close friend of mine, and technically speaking, my student, ever since I've taught her the magic of friendship. Though it's a bit of a stretch to still call her a student, since she's now the new headmare of the School of Friendship.

"Hmm, yes... that does ring a bell." Sunny Skies recalled. "I don't think I've ever met this Starlight Glimmer before, but if I do, I'll be sure to give her a warm reception, especially since she even considered having us all for your coronation. But for now, I should head on back over to Hope Hollow, now that I've personally informed you of our situation, back in town. Torque Wrench is absolutely going to lose it, if I'm late again."

"I hope everything goes smoothly with the construction then, Mayor." Twilight said. "If there's anything I can do to assist you all, please don't hesitate to send a letter."

"I'm kinda surprised that he didn't write you a letter, to let you know about Hope Hollow's situation, instead of coming here, himself." Spike gave his input. "You really didn't have to come all the way over here, just for that, Mayor."

"I'm aware." Sunny Skies nodded. "But I just figured that since I haven't really seen Princess Twilight in quite a while, it'd be more refreshing to deliver the news, by coming to see her, myself. After all, Hope Hollow's pretty far away from here, I'd say almost as good of a distance from Canterlot to Ponyville."

"Wait... it is?" Twilight's eyes widened in surprise. "Is it really that far from here to Ponyville?"

"Well, according to this map of Equestria I went off of, to come find you." Sunny Skies took out a map from his satchel. "But yeah, since I live pretty far away, and don't get to see you very often, I figured it'd be more courteous to deliver the news myself, rather than sending a letter, especially considering how big of a deal this coronation would be for you."

Hearing this, although Twilight completely understood where Sunny Skies was coming from, her realization suddenly sank in. The mayor was right, when pointing out that since he lived in a very faraway location, he'd very rarely get the opportunity to come visit her, which made the visit feel much more meaningful, than a simple letter. However, Twilight would come to realize that the very same thing would soon happen with her and her friends, as well. Once she became the princess of all of Equestria, she would regularly be doing everything here in Canterlot, while the rest of her friends remained in Ponyville, where she had first met them.

The idea made Twilight dread what was about to come, following the day of the coronation. This was unknowingly the same thing that Sunset had feared about her own friends, upon graduating CHS in the Human World. However, knowing that this wasn't Sunny Skies' intention by bringing this up, Twilight had decided to politely dismiss the mayor from the throne room, now that she had something else pretty major on her mind.

"I understand, Mayor Skies." Twilight said, assuringly. "I'll keep Hope Hollow in mind, and I hope everything goes well with the project. And again, if there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate to contact me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something else to tend to."

"I'd imagine so, being the soon-to-be princess of all of Equestria." Sunny Skies began waving goodbye, and exiting the throne room. "I'll be sure to say 'hi' to Starlight, whenever I get the chance!"

Twilight turned back to Spike for a moment, once the mayor left the room. The princess had also realized that Starlight Glimmer seemed mysteriously absent for quite some time. Unknown to the princess, Starlight was working on a book that contained all sorts of wonderful memories that Twilight's had with her friends, but decided to keep the project a secret, at least until the day of the coronation. This was why Spike had insisted for Twilight to unknowingly spend some quality time with her friends, but her mind was now clouded with despair, realizing that this major life change would likely keep her and her friends, completely distant and apart.

"Spike, speaking of which... where's Starlight?" Twilight questioned. "I haven't seen her for a while now, do you have any clue what she's been up to?"

"Well, she's been busy, lets just say." Spike replied, not wanting to spoil the surprise, just yet. "But if you'd like to talk to her right now, I believe she's at the Castle of Friendship with your friends, right now. I suppose we can pay them a visit now, if you'd like?"

Chapter 4: Sugarcubes Around The Corner

At the Castle of Friendship, Spike and Starlight Glimmer were chatting with the rest of their friends, ready to add the last-minute additions to Twilight's memory scrapbook, just in time for her coronation. The duo had already put in a ton of time and effort into making this project look amazing, whilst also keeping it a surprise for Twilight on her big day. However, Starlight felt the need to make everything seem 'perfect', especially after being this far in with the project, which prompted her to ask around for a few more standout memories, before putting the whole scrapbook together.

"Okay, Celestia and Luna came up with some last-minute 'Princess Etiquette' for Twilight to learn, but we don't have much time." Starlight explained to the rest of her friends.

"I thought you were nearly finished with your book of memories." Rarity recalled.

"We were, but then we put in our own memories of Twilight, and wanted to give all of you the chance to do the same." Starlight proposed, prompting everypony in the room to brainstorm some further ideas on past memories, which would fit such a scenario.

"Oooh!" Pinkie raised her hoof. "Like how she's always prepared for everything ever?"

"Or how much she loves books?" Applejack suggested.

"Or how she freaks out all the time?" Rainbow reflected, as they began to share some last-minute, various memories.

Once the memories had been retold, Starlight realized that she had finally filled up the last pages of the scrapbook. She had finally reached the point in believing that now was the perfect time to stop, and she was ready to add the finishing touches.

"Okay! That is it!" Starlight grinned with satisfaction. "I am 100% certain we have everything we need."

"And I am 100% certain Twilight is going to love it." Rarity added.

"She sure is!" Applejack agreed.

"Love, darling!" Rarity reiterated.

"Absolutely-tootly!" Pinkie shouted, jovially.

"Oh, definitely!" Fluttershy joined in on the encouragement.

"Of course!" Rainbow spread the final ounce of positivity.

"Let's meet back here in the morning, and give her the present before everypony leaves for the coronation." Spike proposed, as the five other ponies cheered on, in approval.

Just then, everyone in the room began to hear a familiar voice in the distance, prompting them to look toward the castle's front door, as they realized that Twilight was stopping by.

"Hello?" Twilight shouted from a distance. "Anypony here? Starlight? If you're here, Spike and I would like to talk to you about something, real quick."

"Don't you worry, Twilight." Spike assured from outside. "I know I saw Starlight here in the castle, earlier."

"Wait, what now?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Do my ears deceive me, or has Spike always had a twin brother?"

"Uhhh, yeah." Rainbow added, rather confused. "How is Spike outside the castle with Twilight, if he's standing right next to you, Starlight?"

"Oh, no need to worry about that, actually." Spike assured, as he began explaining what was going on outside. "Just a duplication spell, so that I could not only keep Twilight busy back in Canterlot, but also help Starlight gather all these vital memories for the scrapbook."

"Pretty much, it's the first time in a while since I've had to use that particular spell, though." Starlight nodded. "But... it sounds like your duplicate copy already spilled the beans to Twilight, and let her know that we're all here."

"Well, you know what they say about copies not being as sharp as the real deal." Pinkie reminded. "After all, don't you all remember what happened that one time I went into the Mirror Pool?"

"More than I'd like to." Rarity shuttered. "I still get occasional nightmares of having a Pinkie hurricane rage through my shop."

"Well, at the very least, having controlled clones feels more manageable, but it sounds like his time's up, now that we've got everything we need." Spike shrugged. "That hunky little dragon fulfilled his purpose at being a distraction, even if he gave us away at the last minute."

"Hello, anypony home...?" Twilight knocked on the castle's front doors.

"Alright, I've got a plan." Starlight looked back and forth. "Spike, you hide for a bit, and I'll keep Twilight distracted for a while, since it sounds like she primarily wants to see me for something important. The last thing we need is for her to become suspicious of what we're planning, especially after coming this far."

"Yeah, she'll definitely know something's up if she sees that there's two of me." Spike replied. "Wait, what about that scrapbook?"

"You're going to have to take it with you, and put it in my mailbox, back at the School of Friendship." Starlight handed the scrapbook to him. "I'll have to put the final touches on it, sometime tonight. Oh, and if Twilight notices you leaving with it, just tell her you're reorganizing a few books here."

"Roger." Spike ran off and hid in a nearby room with the book, while Starlight went over to the front doors and opened them, ready to greet the princess.

"Hey there, Twilight!" Starlight greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure, the day before your coronation?"

"Starlight, there you are!" Twilight made her way inside. "Well, I've been having something else on my mind lately, but I'm also admittedly curious as to why... I haven't really seen you all week?"

"Well you know, I've had my own things to prepare for the big day, and all." Starlight recalled what she had done to send out invitations. "Oh, and the rest of your friends are also here, if you'd like to say 'hi' to them, real quick?"

"Oh, perfect, I've had something on my mind to discuss with them, so I guess I'll do that, right now." Twilight trotted over to the meeting room with Spike, before Starlight pulled Spike over to the side.

"Err, you go on ahead, Twilight." Starlight assured. "I just need to borrow 'Spike' for a second, here."

"Alright, I'll wait in the meeting room." Twilight looked back at the duo. "But don't take too long, okay?"

Starlight then dragged the Spike clone into the room, before using her magic to combine both Spikes back into one entity, now that the scrapbook was practically already finished. With there no longer being any potential confliction from having a doppelganger dragon, Spike grabbed the scrapbook, and as he had agreed to before, was ready to deliver it back to Starlight's mailbox, back at the School of Friendship. But just as the duo had prepared to leave, Twilight had already come back, looking more confused, than anything else.

"Oh Twilight, back so soon already?" Spike looked up at the princess.

"Did you at least get a chance to mingle with your friends?" Starlight asked.

"Well, I mostly got to greet them, since they mentioned that tomorrow would be an extra-busy day for them all." Twilight sighed. "I really thought for a second that we could've spent a few minutes catching up as friends, but they were really in a hurry to leave. I guess it really means a lot to them, to make my coronation day as special and ambitious as they've been letting on."

"I hear you, and it's certainly a good thing that you've already spent some quality time with your friends these past few days, right?" Spike asked, rhetorically, before being nudged by Starlight, as a desperate reminder for the dragon to not spoil the surprise yet.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Twilight reflected. "Though, I can't help but feel like I've been neglecting all of you, just by preparing for the coronation, and vice versa. I mean, I've only just realized earlier, that I'll soon be leaving behind the castle here, since I'll be ruling in Canterlot. And because of that... maybe my friends could take that into consideration, rather than focusing too hard on making the coronation... perfect."

"Well, Twilight, I'm sure that they just want to give you the best send-off they can, since they know how important of a day this'll be for you." Starlight assured. "I can tell you now that I'm just as excited for you, as well as whatever the future holds for Equestria."

"I'd certainly imagine that Equestria's going to be in good hooves." Spike added. "After all, this is the same pony who single-hoofedly took down Lord Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Queen Chrysalis, all in one swift attack."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Spike." Twilight giggled. "But I'm sure ruling Equestria will be much more serious than that, especially since... even Celestia herself had no other choice, than to deal with threats that just came out of nowhere for over 1,000 years. I'm sure she'll have plenty of stories to tell, once she's fully in retirement. And... speaking of stories, what's that book you're holding right now, Spike?"

"Oh, well it's a scrap-" Spike began, but was nudged by Starlight again, as a reminder to not give their secret project away. "I mean... a collection of scrap papers from our students, back at the School of Friendship. I was just reorganizing a few books here, and I'll need to bring this back to the school, since there's a few graded essays in here."

With that said, the dragon ran off to the School of Friendship, ready to deliver on his word in keeping the scrapbook present a surprise. However, since Spike brought up how he'd been reorganizing the Castle of Friendship's books, it gave Twilight a potential idea that this was what she was what she had omitted from her checklist.

"Alright Spike, I guess I'll see you at the school, soon!" Twilight waved goodbye to her dragon, as she turned back to Starlight Glimmer. "Hmm, there was definitely still something else that I must've omitted to do for the coronation, but I feel like Spike just reminded me. I must've forgotten to add to my checklist, that I needed to reorganize all these old books in this castle, and deciding which ones we should bring to Canterlot, once we move over."

"Hmm, I don't think that's it, Twilight." Starlight shook her head. "Knowing you, your list would more likely have items that you'd prefer to have completed, well BEFORE the coronation. After all, moving items from here to Canterlot? That's something you can do whenever you want, even after the big event."

"Well, I suppose you're right." Twilight did her best to shake this persistently bothersome feeling. "Maybe I'm just getting overwhelmed with everything, especially since I'll be completely in charge of Equestria, very soon. Still though, I know for a fact that there's something else important, which I haven't done yet. I can feel it in the back of my mind, and it's suggesting that... it might have something to do with the guest list. You helped send out invitations, right?"

"Mostly to everypony and creature outside of our main friend group, yes." Starlight nodded. "So that includes the hippogriffs, dragons, changelings, yaks, and griffins, as well as their respective leaders. I also sent out invitations to the various towns that I remember you being on good terms with. The only town that I didn't bother inviting at all, was Mustangia. Last time we had a meeting with their sheriff, she made it particularly clear that she didn't want anything to do with us, after all."

"I remember, and I'm not entirely sure why we got such a reception." Twilight reflected. "My best guess is, the residents of Mustangia simply dislike foreigners, particularly anypony who wasn't born and raised there. Hopefully we can find a way to strengthen our friendship with them, now that we've brought everypony and almost every creature in Equestria together."

"Same here." Starlight agreed. "On hindsight, sometimes the best way to overcome prejudices, is to show them that we can all get along. Maybe inviting a few representatives from Mustangia would've been a good start, but... it's too late for that, now, since the coronation's already tomorrow."

"Hmm, and that's actually what I'm afraid of." Twilight kept thinking. "I just don't know why, but my mind keeps telling me that I must've forgotten to invite... somepony. Considering how you've already invited everyone else we could think of, who exactly could I have forgotten to put on the guest list...?"

"Well, if it's something really important, I'm sure you'll remember it soon, Twilight." Starlight replied. "Like, I'm definitely assuming everypony else close to you is already invited. That'd include your parents, Cadance and Shining Armor, Flurrie Heart, Moondancer, Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkle Shine, Sunset Shimmer, the list goes on."

"Yes, I've definitely sent out invitations to my family, as well as my old classmates back at the School For Gifted Unicorns, except..." Twilight's eyes widened upon being reminded of one last pony, whom she had finally realized, she had neglected to invite. "OH! Now I remember who I hadn't given an invitation to! I completely forgot to invite Sunset Shimmer to my coronation!"

"Wait, are you sure?" Starlight tried to calm the princess down. "But I thought you and Sunset were particularly close, and that you regularly communicated with her through that journal?"

"Well yes, but not as of lately." Twilight recalled. "In fact, I only realized earlier that she hadn't written to me in a while, likely because she's busy with her own life, back in the Human World. You know what I'm talking about, that other world where you two got acquainted with one another, and then you ended up staying there for a couple more days, under my permission?"

"It was quite the enlightening experience, that's one way of putting it." Starlight reflected. "I wasn't the only one who awkwardly walked on all fours at first, was I?"

"You and me both, I'll never forget that." Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement. "Well anyways, what did you think of Sunset when you first met her? Did she make the Human World an enjoyable experience for you?"

"I've always related with Sunset pretty well, as far as having a pretty troubled past that I don't look too fondly back on." Starlight recalled meeting Sunset for the first time. "From what I've seen of her, she's grown into a true leader, and quite charismatic with her friends. She's also incredibly thoughtful and caring, especially when she did everything she could, to save us all from that magical mirror."

"I can certainly see that Sunset's had a lot of growth, since I've left her with her Human Friends." Twilight smiled. "She's become such an amazing pony in a human's body, and I'd hate for her to feel left out on such a momentous occasion as this coronation. Problem is, it seems a little last-minute to send her an invitation, now of all times."

"Well, I know it's a bit unconventional, but what if you just sent her a message through the magical friendship journal?" Starlight suggested. "It's a quick way to get a message to her, and she'd definitely appreciate the gesture."

"I suppose so, though it's actually been a while since I've really touched that journal." Twilight reflected. "Sunset hasn't even written to me in a while either, so it's anypony's guess on how busy she could be right now. But if I remember correctly, that journal should be... here at the Castle of Friendship? I seem to remember that last time Sunset and I had a conversation through there, I was warning her about the Time Twirler."

"Well, let's hope that since then, Sunset hasn't gotten into any other time-related trouble." Starlight giggled. "But in all seriousness, if you're really curious on what Sunset's been up to, maybe it's worth checking the library. The journal's most likely still in the last place you left it at."

Starlight and Twilight made their way into the Castle of Friendship's grand library, ready to reconnect with their unicorn-human friend. The hushed whispers of ancient Equestria had filled the air, a gentle reminder of the countless stories and knowledge contained within the towering shelves. Twilight's eyes scanned the rows of books, a hint of focus in her gaze, as she searched around for the magical friendship journal she had distinctly remembered leaving there. It was nearly a whole year since she had written to Sunset about the Time Twirler, but the princess hoped that their friendship had grown even stronger since then, despite the seemingly long absence, and the distance between their worlds.

As the two mares approached the spot where Twilight had last seen the journal, it remained untouched, nestled between two dust-free books. Twilight's heart raced as she pulled it out, feeling the leather cover beneath her hooves. As she opened it up to the last page she had written on, her messages detailing the urgent matter of the time-traveling artifact were still there. Before Twilight could even begin writing a new entry to her friend across dimensions, she had suddenly noticed that there was a faint glow on the next page, which definitely wasn't there before. This either meant that Sunset had some further news, following the Time Twirler incident, or she had finally written back on something else going on in her life.

"Starlight, look at this!" Twilight exclaimed, pointing to the glowing page with a tremble in her voice. "It seems Sunset actually left me a message today, judging by how fresh the shimmering glow is!"

"Sounds like our unicorn-human friend didn't forget us, after all." Starlight leaned toward the journal's glowing page. "What did she say?"

The two mares read Sunset's journal entry together, which gave them both a solid idea on what had been going on in the Human World. They read on to learn about graduation at CHS coming up, and Sunset contemplating the idea of coming back to Equestria for a more extended period, now that she had a free week off. Given how Sunset also hadn't experienced any recent encounters with magical artifacts, it gave both Twilight and Starlight the impression that Sunset definitely didn't have any outside circumstances, that would otherwise force her to stay in the Human World for a prolonged period.

"Wow, Sunset's been busy with her school life, it seems." Twilight commented, as she finished reading Sunset's entry. "It's so great to know that she's been doing well for herself, and I'm happy to hear that she's actually thinking of possibly coming back to Equestria for a week! But... why do you suppose she hasn't written back to me, only up until now? It's been nearly a whole year since we've talked with one another."

"I can't say for certain, but it's not uncommon for friends to get caught up in their own lives, especially when they're in different worlds." Starlight deduced. "Who knows, maybe she just needed a bit of a nudge to remember that she has friends here, whom she hasn't seen in a while. But anyways, it sounds like to me that if Sunset's willing to take some time off to come back to Equestria for a bit, we should definitely give her a warm welcome. That should definitely include inviting her to your upcoming coronation, don't you think?"

"Absolutely, I couldn't agree more!" Twilight's eyes lit up with excitement. "But we've got to make this right, a simple invitation just won't do, especially since the coronation's already tomorrow. We need to make it special, something that'll truly show her how much she means to us all. Starlight, do you have a little extra time today? I know you're now the headmare at the School of Friendship, so I can understand if you're busy."

"Of course, Twilight." Starlight nodded. "This is your coronation, and Sunset's like family to me. Besides, it's not every day we get to see a friend from another dimension, so yeah, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, I've mostly been inspired to do this, after seeing another friend come visit me himself back in Canterlot." Twilight alluded to what Sunny Skies had done. "I think that you and I should go visit Sunset together in the Human World, and personally invite her to the coronation. I'm sure it'll be an extra special surprise for her, especially since she hasn't seen either of us in a very long time?"

"Funnily enough, I don't think the three of us have ever met up together, actually." Starlight recalled. "Yeah, when I met her for the first time, you weren't around, and instead, there was a human version of yourself amongst Sunset's friends. She looks just like you, but wears some big glasses. Have you met her before?"

"Technically, yes." Twilight replied. "I've actually encountered her in both Equestria and the Human World, but as far as actually KNOWING her... that's a different story. That said, I've heard so much about her from Sunset, and all the adventures they've both had together. I suppose it'd also be nice to invite her to my coronation as well, but... I think I'm leaning more toward only inviting Sunset. After all, Sunset did mention that the 'Other Me', had a habit of freaking out when she turned into a pony in this world."

"Fair point, Twilight." Starlight replied. "It'd be a good opportunity to reconnect with Sunset without any distractions, especially if you don't even know the Human Twilight too well, so it'd be kinda left field to invite her along, as well. As for going to the Human World to invite Sunset ourselves, I'd be down for that. The portal's still open, even right now, is that correct? I remember Sunset mentioning that before, this portal had an issue of locking every 30 moons, or something like that?"

"That's right, but it's no longer an issue now, thanks to the machine, as well as Princess Celestia's old journal." Twilight replied. "Pretty convenient how I somehow found a way to keep that portal open, whenever I want. Yet ironically, I myself never really took full advantage of that, since I mostly only used that portal once, to help Sunset deal with the sirens in her world. Then again, when a princess has her plate full of royal duties, she can't always find time to check out another world, can she?"

"The balance between everyday duties and our friendships can be tricky, but we find a way to make it work." Starlight said, as she trotted over to the magical mirror, located in the corner of the library. "So this is it, right? It's been a while since I've seen the portal to the Human World, but I believe it was this mirror here?"

"That's correct, let's both go in right now, and see if we can find Sunset." Twilight replied. "And preferably, we should find her as quickly as possible, before she has to go back to her own world's responsibilities. I can only imagine what kind of directions she might choose with her life, after graduating from CHS..."

After having that conversation about future career paths in the CHS cafeteria, Sunset had finally caught up with the rest of her friends, who were all hanging out at Sugarcube Corner. She knew that sooner or later, she'd absolutely have to bring up the possibility of going back to Equestria for good, but knew that the timing was a bit awkward, especially after learning that none of her friends were planning on moving away after graduation. For the time being, Sunset decided that it would've been better to simply lounge around and spend what little time she had left with her friends, before making the next big step. As Sunset entered Sugarcube Corner, she realized that she had dwelled on everything for a bit too long, as her friends had already gotten bored of the café, and were preparing to leave.

"Sunset, there you are." Rainbow acknowledged from the couch. "Glad of you to finally join us, but I'm afraid that we've already satisfied our cravings for sweets here."

"Yes, and we were already thinking of heading over to Applejack's place, mostly to discuss our performance during graduation." Rarity reminded. "After all, Principal Celestia personally chose us to give a proper send-off to the rest of the school, so it'll be a nice way to finish everything with how we all started off, as a group of bandmates."

"Oh, right." Sunset recalled that they were given this honor over a month ago, and had constantly been debating what song they should pick for the big event. "I certainly remember we had a pretty heated debate as to which song we should perform during graduation. Have we come up with a decision, yet?"

"Well, we've been throwing around some ideas, but we haven't quite settled on one." Fluttershy replied. "I've been practicing a few songs that might be nice, but I don't know if they're... good enough."

"I suppose that for old time's sake, if we can't come up with anything new and original, we could settle for 'Shake Your Tail', just like we did, back during the Battle of the Bands." Applejack suggested. "Though, as a group, we all unanimously agreed that since you're the band's leader, you should get to decide what we perform, Sunset. What do you propose?"

"Hmm, well in that case..." Sunset gave this some further thought. "Since we're all going to be graduating and moving on to different things, maybe we should perform something that encapsulates our growth and friendship? Perhaps something that shows how we've supported each other through thick and thin, and we incorporate it into our own new song? Something unique to us, a melody that speaks to our hearts, and tells the story of our time in Canterlot High? I personally wouldn't want to just reuse an old song, since we've proven how incredible we've grown as a band, over the years."

"That's a beautiful idea, Sunset." Twilight nodded. "It's like we're leaving our mark on the school, not just as students, but as friends and musicians who've shared so much together. I'd be down to help you all come up with the lyrics."

"Count me in too, Sunset!" Rainbow exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I've got some fire beats in mind that could really make our song epic. Let's rock the school's socks off, and show everyone at CHS what we're made of!"

"I'd love to sing something that brings everyone together." Fluttershy added. "Something that makes everyone feel happy and hopeful for the future."

"I've always felt that music has a way of weaving together the threads of our lives, much like a fine tapestry." Rarity elaborated. "Each note and lyric is a thread, contributing to the picture of who we are, and what we stand for. Perhaps our song could be a tapestry of sorts, with each of us bringing our unique threads to create a harmonious pattern that represents our friendship and growth. We could each write a verse about our own journey, and then weave them together with a powerful chorus that encapsulates our unity and strength as the Rainbooms."

"Well, ain't that just the sweetest notion, Rarity?" Applejack agreed. "It's like we're all addin' a piece of ourselves to the school's memory quilt. I reckon I could whip up a verse 'bout stickin' together through the good and bad times, especially with y'all helping me out with the finer details of life itself. But let's not forget, we've got to keep it fun and catchy, so everyone's engaged with our performance. Why don't we all head on over to my home, so we can work everything out even further?"

"That's a fantastic idea, Applejack!" Twilight said with enthusiasm. "I've been studying various musical compositions, and their psychological effects on audiences. I'm certain that with our diverse backgrounds and experiences, we can create a song that resonates not only with us, but with everyone at Canterlot High. I'll start working on the lyrics for my part, right away!"

"Looks like Sunset's always been the best leader for our group!" Rainbow finished off what was left of her milkshake. "All right, let's head on over to AJ's, we've got a lot of work to do!"

"I'm glad to hear that you've all got that motivation in you, now!" Sunset cheered, proudly. "But uhh, you girls go on ahead, I'm actually still a bit peckish from all that walking. I think I'll just grab something quick to eat here, and then I'll meet you all at Applejack's place?"

"Of course, Sunset, can't write a song on an empty stomach." Rarity said, understandingly. "Remember, we're all in this together, and your contribution is as vital as any of ours. Just don't keep us waiting too long, darling, we've got a masterpiece to compose!"

The entire group shared a laugh before they began to file out, leaving Twilight to cast one last lingering look at Sunset, who remained at the counter. Twilight stood there for a few more moments, concerned with why her friend had a sudden and unusual habit of isolating herself from the rest of the group. However, Twilight didn't have much time to give this some heavy thought, as she walked off with the rest of the Rainbooms, while Sunset continued thinking of their upcoming graduation performance, as well as her impending choice on potentially going back to Equestria for good.

As Sunset continued waiting behind the counter, expecting Mrs. Cake to show up soon, she was eventually surprised by the presence of a new girl, whom she hadn't seen before. However, Sunset had a vague idea on why Mrs. Cake wasn't here, since she recalled hearing that the café's owner needed new employees, especially after Mrs. Cake had recently given birth to twins. Due to this, Pinkie mentioned a few weeks ago, that Sugarcube Corner was expected to have new staff running the front counters, and that this was most likely going to be a temporary absence for the Cakes. With that mystery solved, Sunset turned her attention to the girl, who gave her a warm welcome.

"Hi there." The girl smiled at Sunset, who was patiently waiting for service. "Mrs. Cake had to stay at home today, but she left me in charge. What can I get for you?"

"Hey there, could I just get one regular coffee, and two red-velvet cupcakes, please?" Sunset requested.

"Coming right up, ma'am!" The girl said in a soft tone, as she went to the cupcake rack to bag the requested items.

Once the girl had retrieved Sunset's order, she brought them over to the front in a paper bag, then ran a nearby bell, letting Sunset know that her order was ready. Sunset then realized that the bell was new, since she hadn't ever recalled Mrs. Cake using one, especially after being a regular at this café for several years now.

"Hmm, that's new." Sunset looked at the bell. "I don't think there was a bell on the counter before. I'm guessing Mrs. Cake's made plenty of changes, now that there's new employment here at Sugarcube Corner?"

"That's right, thanks for taking notice." The girl giggled, before introducing herself. "Bells help speed up business, and they're also part of my name too. My name's Sugar Belle.

"Nice to meet you, Sugar Belle, that's a pretty sweet name." Sunset replied. "My name's Sunset Shimmer.

"Oh, you're Sunset Shimmer!" Sugar Belle smiled. "I've heard so much about you from your friends earlier, and even Mrs. Cake. She says you're one of the most reliable customers she's ever had, so it's certainly a pleasure to serve you today."

"What can I say, I've always loved her baking, and I'm sure you're going to do a great job here." Sunset encouraged the new girl. "Hmm, come to think of it... I don't think I've seen you around Canterlot City before, so I'm guessing you're new in town? At the very least, I've never seen you at CHS."

"Oh yes, I've actually just moved here from a small town nearby, looking for new opportunities." Sugar Belle explained. "I've always had a passion for baking, so when I heard that Mrs. Cake needed help running the shop, I knew this was the perfect place for me. I've heard so much about Canterlot High and all the amazing things that happen there, though it's unfortunately too late for me to experience that, myself. I've already graduated from high school, about a year ago."

"Well, welcome to Canterlot City, and the one and only Sugarcube Corner." Sunset crossed her arms and grinned. "It's a pretty special place, especially with all the friends I've made here. I've got to say, I'm going to miss this place once we're all out of school, it's where we've had so many good times together, over the years. Graduation at CHS is coming up in about a week, and it's definitely both a happy and sad experience for some of us. The journey may be coming to an end for our general education, but the same could be said for our friendships, as well."

"I hear you there, Sunset." Sugar Belle nodded. "I've always felt like I've missed out on a lot, being from a small town, and all. We all knew each other pretty well, but here, there's so much more diversity and potential for growth. I'm really looking forward to working here and getting to know everyone better. Speaking of school, are you and your friends preparing for something big? I think while I was in the back preparing doughnuts, I overheard something about a big performance during graduation?"

"Oh yes, we're actually getting ready to perform as the Rainbooms for the graduation ceremony." Sunset replied. "It's a pretty big deal for us, since we've come a long way from our first gig at the Battle of the Bands. We're trying to decide on a new song that represents us and our journey together."

"Mmm, I can see that you and your friends have that type of charisma and confidence when you're all together." Sugar Belle commended. "Before you came in, however, your friend Applejack made a pretty interesting comment about how I reminded her of you, somehow."

"Really, how so?" Sunset questioned. "I'm admittedly a little confused as to why she'd think that, especially if she doesn't know you that well."

"Well actually, I believe Applejack knows me, because I've met her big brother, Big McIntosh." Sugar Belle began. "Anyways, while I was getting their orders earlier, I could've sworn that I overheard her mention that... something about the way I talk, it reminded her of you, Sunset. I didn't quite understand what she meant by that, but nevertheless, I suppose it's an amusing thought."

"Hmm, I know from experience that Applejack's pretty observant, and she's not one to make random comparisons like that." Sunset scratched her head, before picking up her bag of cupcakes. "I'm... definitely not sure what she means by that either, I'd have to ask her."

"What's funny is, this isn't the first time I've been compared to somebody else." Sugar Belle shrugged. "In fact, back in my old hometown, one of my neighbors claimed that I somehow reminded her of my childhood friend, Night Glider. All I know is that Night Glider and I had the same babysitter growing up, but I never really understood why my neighbor made that comparison."

"Well, that's certainly unusual, but I'm sure there must've been a deeper meaning behind that kind of comparison, that you just didn't understand at the time." Sunset deduced. "Oh, so um... how much do I owe you for the cupcakes and coffee?"

"Oh, that's right, your coffee!" Sugar Belle immediately turned her attention toward the expresso machine to get Sunset's order. "Sorry, I've been so caught up talking with you, that I neglected to get your coffee. I'll get that for you right away, and your total will be $8.47, please."

"Not a problem, I'm always happy to have some company." Sunset smiled, before reaching into her pocket, and handing Sugar Belle a $10 bill. "Keep the change, and thanks for sharing your story with me, it's always interesting to meet new people like yourself."

"Glad to have you here!" Sugar Belle grinned, as she finally handed Sunset her coffee. "Have a good rest of your day, and if you happen to run into Big McIntosh, umm... please tell him that I'd like to have dinner with him and his family, this weekend. He... actually asked me that himself earlier, but then ran off before I could give him a solid answer. I suppose he would've been crushed, had I refused his offer."

"I'll be sure to pass that along, then." Sunset nodded. "I'm sure Applejack's family would love to have you over, I've met them all before, and they're pretty amazing people. Take care!"

Sunset then took a sip of her coffee, the refreshment of it spreading through her, as she stepped out of the café, and into the warm summer air. It was time to regroup with the rest of the Rainbooms and discuss their performance during graduation, but even then, that comparison with Sugar Belle continued to stick within Sunset's mind.

"I can't quite place my finger on it, what exactly does that new girl and I have in common...?" Sunset muttered, as she went about her way to Applejack's house, ready to potentially get an answer from Applejack herself.

Chapter 5: Riveting Reunion

Sunset strode out of Sugarcube Corner, the scent of her freshly brewed coffee trailed behind her as she walked down the city's streets, ready to meet with the rest of the girls at Sweet Apple Acres. She had two lingering thoughts clouding her mind, one of which involved Pinkie Pie, the usual ray of cheerfulness in their group, who had been notably absent from both school and their group chat. Whatever was seemingly occupying Pinkie for an usually long period, Sunset figured that if even the rest of her friends had no idea what she was up to, it was likely something else personal going on, or Pinkie was planning a big surprise for them all during graduation.

Aside from Pinkie's unusual absence, Sunset was also admittedly curious at why Applejack had believed that the way Sugar Belle talked... somehow reminded her of herself. Was there something more significant between the two that would've influenced Applejack to make this comparison, or was it simply out of the blue? Sunset knew that baking seemed completely left field for her, as it wasn't really ever one of her core interests. She had recalled recently baking a soufflé with Pinkie, and helping her drag it to Rarity through a brutal snowball fight. However, aside from this, it didn't really make much sense regarding what else Sunset and Sugar Belle had in common. Sunset also didn't notice any similarities when she had talked with her, urging her even further to question Applejack, once she herself reached Sweet Apple Acres.

As both of these thoughts lingered throughout Sunset's mind, she suddenly realized that there was still something else yet to be resolved, that being what was going on with Princess Twilight back in Equestria. Sunset took a moment to take the journal out of her bag, and realized that up until now, she hadn't gotten a single magical notification, which would've signaled Twilight both receiving and responding to her previous messages. As Sunset turned to the respective page she had last written on, she noticed that what followed was completely blank, and unlike cell phone texts, it wasn't immediately clear whether or not Twilight had received her journal entry's message.

The thoughts of concern slowly crept into Sunset's mind, as she didn't know what to make of this. Possibilities included Twilight being far too busy with her royal duties as a princess, Twilight fighting some unknown threat back in Equestria, or the princess simply being hurt at Sunset seemingly ghosting her for nearly a whole year. Sunset truly hoped that out of all these possible cases, it wasn't the third scenario, but felt as though Twilight would know better. After all, dealing with real life was simply something unavoidable that everybody had to go through, and for that matter, would keep Twilight much more occupied, assuming her responsibilities had increased since then.

"Well, no updates from Twilight, I guess I'll just have to wait." Sunset said to herself as she stared at the rest of the journal's blank page. "Until then, might as well head on over to Applejack's place, and help the rest of the girls out with our graduation song. But I still can't help but wonder... what's keeping Twilight so occupied back in Equestria? She usually doesn't take this long to respond to my messages..."

As Sunset tucked the journal back into her bag, a sudden voice came out of nowhere, and she wasn't sure at first what to make of it.

"Well, Sunset..." Twilight said from behind Sunset. "I suppose you could ask her that, yourself."

Sunset's eyes widened upon hearing Twilight's voice, but she wasn't entirely sure if it was the Human Twilight, or if she was simply hearing what she wanted to hear. But as Sunset turned around, she was in for a completely unexpected surprise, upon seeing not just one, but two visitors that she hadn't seen for quite some time. In fact, these two were technically just like Sunset, in the sense that they were actually ponies from Equestria, much like herself, but in human bodies. Princess Twilight and Starlight Glimmer had crossed back into the Human World once more, and were looking around for Sunset Shimmer, specifically.

"Twilight, Starlight, it's so good to see you both!" Sunset greeted, as she ran up to give the two girls a big hug. "It almost feels like a family reunion here!"

"Indeed it does, Sunset." Starlight said with a warm smile. "From what I can understand, it's been a very long time since either of us have seen you here in the Human World, hasn't it?"

"Too long, really." Sunset giggled, as she took the journal back out of her bag. "So Twilight, is this visit in response to the journal entry that I wrote today? Because I noticed that for some reason, you didn't reply to my messages like you usually would. Is something troubling you?"

"Well, I suppose I definitely owe you an explanation for that." Twilight began elaborating. "See, to say that I've been busy lately, would certainly be an understatement. In fact, everyone else and I had been planning nonstop this past week, for a big and important, upcoming event."

"Definitely pretty coincidental that it's taking place around the same time as graduation for you at CHS." Starlight added. "But thankfully, since you mentioned that it'll take place in about a week from now, it looks like you'll have an opportunity to attend both events."

"Oh?" Sunset said with curiosity. "Is this what you two came by to inform me of? Are you inviting me to this other big event?"

"That's right, Sunset." Twilight nodded. "This isn't simply any ordinary big event, in fact, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me."

"Or is it actually twice-in-a-lifetime?" Starlight turned to Twilight. "Considering how you've already had your first one, ever since you got your wings?"

"Wait, are you meaning to tell me..." Sunset began to deduce what this all meant, based on the various clues she was already given. "You're being promoted as a princess, Twilight? And you're getting a whole new coronation to commemorate this event?"

"Correct, and more specifically, I'm going to be the princess of all of Equestria!" Twilight replied. "We're here to personally invite you, and let you know that you're more than welcome to attend my coronation. After this big event, I'll be taking on the very role that Princess Celestia and Luna have held for so long, as they've already announced their retirement."

"Princess Celestia... retiring?" Sunset tried her best to parse what she was just told. "I never thought I'd even live to see the day that would happen. I mean, my former teacher who ruled Equestria for over 1,000 years, stepping down and passing the torch?"

"It's quite the monumental occasion, Sunset." Starlight helped her take in the rather sudden news. "With Twilight taking the throne, it's safe to say that there'll soon be a new era for all of us. Besides, doing your job for over 1,000 years certainly sounds like retirement is well overdue, wouldn't you say?"

Sunset felt a whirlwind of emotions upon hearing the news, a mix of shock, excitement, and happiness for her princess friend. She herself had come so far from the days of envying Twilight's success as Princess Celestia's new pupil, and now she was standing before her, the soon-to-be princess of all of Equestria. Sunset looked at her two friends, their faces alight with joy and anticipation. She took a deep breath, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin, and the smell of fresh flowers coming from a nearby store.

"Twilight, this is absolutely incredible, I'm so proud of you!" Sunset said, optimistically. "I can't believe it's actually happening, what will this mean for everyone, for Equestria, for... us?"

"Well Sunset, it means a lot of changes, but I promise you, everything will be fine." Twilight assured. "I'll still be the same pony you've known all these years, just with a few more responsibilities."

"Same with me, since, let's just say that the School of Friendship will be keeping me busy for quite some time." Starlight added. "And since you mentioned possibly taking an extended stay in Equestria, you'll always be welcome to visit us anytime you'd like. Certainly a lot easier when we don't have to worry about that portal only opening every 30 moons."

"I can't wait to see what you both have planned for the future, I'm sure Equestria will be in good hands with you." Sunset smiled. "But speaking of my journal entry, Twilight? I'm a little confused as to why you came by to see me yourself, instead of writing me back like you usually do?"

"Well, to tell you the truth..." Twilight began with a slightly sheepish grin. "I wanted to tell you in person, since an old friend had done the same for me, back in Canterlot. Plus, with all the commotion of the upcoming coronation, I figured a surprise visit would be a nice break from the chaos of planning. Also, I wanted to make sure you knew how much I've missed you and the other girls, it's been far too long since we've all been together."

"That's true." Sunset nodded. "Though I'm pretty sure the last time you saw them, was when we had to bring them all through Equestria, after getting stranded on a desert island during our spring break cruise."

"Oh right, I kinda forgot that they were from the human world, but in pony bodies." Twilight recalled. "I was instead thinking that the last time I had directly met them was when I was late to reply to your messages, since I was pretty preoccupied with a certain time-travel loop."

Starlight suddenly looked down with guilt and shame, upon being reminded of what she had done back then, which Twilight and Sunset both took notice of.

"It's alright, Starlight." Twilight patted her on the shoulder. "That was all in the past, and it's what we've learned from those experiences that made us who we are today. Besides, if it wasn't for you, we'd probably all still be stuck in those cocoons in the changeling hive, right about now."

"Heh, yeah, you're right about that." Starlight looked up at her with a bit of a chuckle. "I guess I've had my fair share of mess-ups, but I'm trying to make up for them."

"I could say the same about myself." Sunset sighed. "Especially with what happened between me and Princess Celestia all those years ago. But hey, I'm certainly happy to know that I've fully reconciled with Celestia since then. Remember when I was even preparing for the possibility of her wanting me to go away, so she'd never have to see me again?"

"I do, Sunset." Twilight nodded solemnly, her eyes reflecting the warmth of the sun. "And I'm just as proud of you, as I am with Starlight. You've come such a long way from the girl who first stepped into Equestria with so much anger and resentment. Now look at you, one of the most confident and determined students at Canterlot High, and an integral part of the Rainbooms."

"I've often heard about your stories and adventures from Twilight, ever since my first stay here in the Human World." Starlight acknowledged. "With how well I've always connected with you, as far as having a troubled past, and how well we've clicked with one another, I've kinda almost seen you like a big sister, Sunset."

"Aw, Starlight, that means the world to me." Sunset's eyes glistened with genuine warmth. "I've always felt like Twilight's been the glue that keeps us all together, even though ironically, I think this is the first time we're all together in the same place."

"Speaking of which, we're not just here for a casual visit." Twilight reminded. "There's something rather urgent we need to discuss with you."

"Alright, what's going on?" Sunset questioned. "Is everything okay back in Equestria?"

"Well to be totally honest with you, it's kind of been a major ride." Starlight answered. "You wouldn't believe what we've all went through, just a couple of months ago. The three pony kinds became separated and nearly turned against each other, and as a result, the growing distrust and animosity brought back the windigos. How exactly did this happen? Well, it's all thanks to the begrudging teamwork of some filly, centaur, and changeling queen."

"Indeed, it was quite the ordeal, and it almost felt like the final exam for my entire journey." Twilight nodded. "It's times like these that really put our friendship to the test, but I'm just so grateful for everyone, and how they've managed to overcome even the most challenging of obstacles. Heck, I'm just grateful that I had more allies on my side to battle Lord Tirek, compared to how I had no choice but to fight him all by myself the first time."

"Lord Tirek?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "I've never actually met him, but I know I've heard Princess Celestia mention his name, back when I was her pupil. Well either way, sounds like you've lived out the videogame, Tirek's Revenge, but in a VR simulation in real life. That definitely sounds like quite the adventure, since VR does lose its charm after a while.

Twilight and Starlight looked toward one another in confusion, as neither of them were particularly familiar with the Human World's technology, let alone understanding what 'VR' was."

"Well, I think I remember you and the other girls playing these... TV game videos back during that slumber party we were all at." Twilight recalled. "No real idea what this VR is, but from what you've described of it, it sounds freaky."

"VR is like being inside the game, but way more immersive." Sunset explained. "You wear a headset and use these controllers, and it feels like you're actually there. But yeah, I can see how it could be a bit overwhelming, especially for anyone who's only recently gotten used to smartphones."

"I'm still trying to grasp how exactly everything works here in the Human World." Starlight looked down at her jeans and boots. "I mean, I definitely wasn't wearing these clothes before I stepped through the portal, and yet here I am, dressed up like this is some sort of fashion show. I know that we ponies sometimes wear clothes back in Equestria, but for the most part, we normally don't wear clothes at all. Would it really make a difference if I took my clothes off right now? This strapped thing under my shirt feels pretty tight and uncomfortable."

"Well Starlight, it's not really about fashion here, it's more about... societal norms and comfort, I guess?" Sunset chuckled nervously, trying to avoid a misunderstanding. "But, let's save that conversation for another time. Right now, I should get going to Sweet Apple Acres, the others are probably already there, and I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Very well then, Sunset." Twilight nodded. "I'm glad that we've had a chance to talk, and that we've caught up a bit with each other's lives. But most importantly, we'd all love to know whether or not you're willing to join us at the coronation, especially since you mentioned that you're willing to possibly come back to Equestria for about a week?"

"Of course, Twilight, I wouldn't miss it for the world." Sunset accepted the invite. "It's just that I still have a few more of my own responsibilities here with my friends, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. After all, graduation's in a week, so it'll be perfect timing, and I'll just have to make sure everyone knows I'll be leaving for that. When exactly is the coronation?"

"Time might pass differently between our two worlds, but speaking purely on Equestrian time, it'll actually be tomorrow." Twilight explained. "Yeah, I'm sorry if you feel like this is poor timing, Sunset. I know that sounds incredibly last-minute of us, but we figured that coming by to tell you ourselves would at least let you know how much we'd be willing to have you there."

"Not to mention, we ran out of invitation materials, shortly after sending the invitations all over Equestria." Starlight added. "Yeah, let's just say that we should be expecting a pretty hefty guest list, tomorrow."

"But not to worry, I'll be sure to let the royal guards know about you, and that you're a really close friend of mine." Twilight assured. "I haven't worked too closely with the security at Canterlot, but I can assure you that the protocols have been implemented to ensure there'll be no intruders or unwanted guests at the coronation. Just tell them your name, Sunset, and I promise you that they'll let you in, no questions asked."

"Thanks Twilight, I really appreciate it." Sunset grinned. "But before I head back to Equestria, I've got to sort out a few more things here, like telling the girls about my sudden trip, I can't just leave without telling them. Plus, I've gotta help them come up with a song that we'll be expected to perform during graduation. I'll meet you both back in Equestria when I get the chance, but just so you know, I gladly accept your invitation, and look forward to seeing you at the coronation."

"Understood, Sunset." Twilight nodded. "I've got a feeling you and the girls will come up with something amazing for your graduation's performance. After all, you're the master of music in our group, and the main reason we were able to defeat the Dazzlings. Please go on and take care of your responsibilities here, and we'll see you soon."

"And remember, just like you've told me once." Starlight began reiterating. "When we think of focusing on the positive, whatever happens is gonna happen, and we've just gotta live in the moment, right?"

"Right." Sunset giggled, as she felt reminded of that exchange, shortly before Starlight took an extended stay in the Human World back then. "But... just between us, I'd heavily recommend that you not take your clothes off, especially out here in the open. I remember when I thought it wasn't a big deal either, but Pinkie Pie discouraged the idea, telling me that if I did that, some black box in the upper left corner would have to change its rating. I never figured out what she meant by that, but I just kept my clothes on, just to be safe."

"Heh, okay, I'll keep that in mind." Starlight snickered. "I'll just stick to the clothes that I have on for now, though I've never been a big fan of these boots. Maybe if I came to the Human World more often, I could experiment with my own tastes in fashion, but... well, you get the idea. Either way, we're both ecstatic to hear that we'll get to see you at the coronation tomorrow. Good luck with whatever else you've got to take care of, and say 'hi' to Juniper Montage for me, if you somehow bump into her."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely give her your regards." Sunset gave Twilight and Starlight one last hug before getting ready to head on over to Sweet Apple Acres. "Now, I should get going, I've got to break the news to the girls, and we've got to get to work on that graduation song. See you both soon, and thanks for the heads up, this'll be something to remember!"

Both Twilight and Starlight nodded in approval, as they waved goodbye to Sunset, before turning around and getting ready to head back to Equestria through the portal at CHS. As they did so, Sunset realized that although the potential idea of metaphorically moving away would be rather sudden and heartbreaking news for the rest of the girls to hear, she now had a reason to experiment and see everything for herself. In fact, it was entirely possible for Sunset to instead develop homesickness for the Human World, especially after being here for so long. What if the excitement and endeavors in using magic again weren't all it's cracked up to be?

This essentially meant that Sunset thankfully now had a reason to head back to Equestria for a week, not only to fully determine her decision on which world she would live in, but also buy her some time to think everything through before graduation. After Twilight's coronation, Sunset knew she had the potential to explore her old home for quite a while, make new friends, and even spend more time with Princess Celestia. She realized that she had technically already done so, as far as making amends with Celestia, and even becoming friends with Starlight Glimmer. But now that she had so much more leisure time on her hands to go all over Equestria, Sunset felt determined to make the most out of her free week off.

There weren't any urgent circumstances this time around, which would make her time in Equestria much more limited and restricted. No memory stones that erased her friends' good memories of her, and no friends getting stranded on a sinking cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. Sunset was going to do everything in her power to make every moment of this trip count, especially when it came to the idea of possibly reuniting with her family. It was still unclear who exactly Sunset's parents were, as she barely had the vaguest idea on what her father looked like, let alone his name.

"I have to admit, the thought of possibly seeing either of my parents..." Sunset dwelled on these thoughts, as she slowly made her way over to Sweet Apple Acres. "It'll certainly be complicated, that's for sure. I've built a life here, and I'm not entirely sure how they'd react to this new life, after all these years. I've changed so much, and I'm not just talking about the whole 'human' thing. No longer the rebellious and arrogant student I was, way back then."

Sunset felt a peculiar mix of excitement and curiosity as she approached Sweet Apple Acres. She had a lot to tell her friends, so much that had transpired within a short amount of time. The scent of apple blossoms grew stronger as she walked closer to the farm, reminding her of the comforting and familiar embrace of her second home. Upon reaching the farm, she noticed Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy all sitting on the front porch, but not Applejack. The four girls also had concerned looks on their faces, making Sunset deduce that AJ was most likely dealing with something else troublesome at home, prompting her to rush over and do anything she could to help.

Chapter 6: A Mysterious New Threat

Sunset went up to her friends sitting on the porch, curious at what was seemingly troubling AJ. The girls noticed her approaching, but immediately made it clear for Sunset that it really wasn't a good time to go inside, and that Applejack most likely needed some time alone.

"Girls, what's going on with AJ?" Sunset questioned. "I thought that since we left Sugarcube Corner, our plan was to come over to her house and continue working on our song for the graduation performance."

"Yeah, that's what we were originally going to do." Rainbow replied. "But when we got here, she was... well, you know how Applejack can sometimes get with her family. She didn't say much, but it's pretty clear that she's upset."

"It's probably something to do with her family's farm." Twilight speculated. "I've been hearing reports lately, that there's a strange blight going around and ruining people's crops. At least, that's what most residents have been saying, it could just be a rumor."

"That, or it could be something related with her family." Rarity suggested. "Applejack hasn't mentioned anything about it to us yet, I can tell that she's always so strong for everyone else, not willing to burden us with her own troubles."

"But until this issue's resolved, Applejack's asked us all to remain on the porch for a bit, especially since she won't be able to focus on anything related to our song." Fluttershy added. "It must be incredibly serious for her, so I think it's better that we give her some space."

Although Sunset understood where her friends were coming from, she felt more inclined to check up on Applejack, and do whatever she could to help out. Years had already passed since the bitter Anon-a-Miss winter incident, and although Sunset went through a number of hardships and struggles throughout that time, she would never forget Applejack's philosophies on family, and that the girls were all considered the family that she chose. Putting the past behind her, along with understanding why the girls had more reason to distrust her back then, Sunset believed in doing what was best for their friendships.

"I know she's tough, but we're her friends." Sunset insisted. "If there's something going on with her family or the farm, she shouldn't have to deal with it alone. I'm going to talk to her, maybe I can offer some comfort or assistance."

"Sunset, I get that you want to help, but Applejack's got her pride in keeping family issues private." Rainbow reminded. "When it comes to family stuff, she's as stubborn as a mule during mud season. We've gotta respect her space until she's ready to talk."

"While your intentions are noble, dear, it's true that Applejack might not appreciate us prying." Rarity added. "However, perhaps there's something we could do in the meantime? At least, some way that we could possibly cheer her up, once she's ready to rejoin us? Our song can wait, after all, what's important is supporting our dear friend through whatever storm she's weathering."

"Well, you've certainly got good points there." Sunset folded her arms across her chest. "But sitting around and waiting isn't going to help either, maybe we can find a way to support her without intruding."

Just as Sunset said this, some commotion from within Applejack's house began to make itself present. Everyone could very clearly overhear Applejack in distress, and seemingly unable to come up with an answer to her supposed predicament. Although their intent was to do anything but eavesdrop, Applejack already began to clearly spell out what was troubling her family, which the rest of the girls started to get a better understanding of.

"What do you mean the profits from this year's harvest are gone!?" Applejack exclaimed from within her home. "Are you sure that you've checked every inch of this house!?"

"Sis, I've checked everywhere, twice!" Applebloom insisted. "We can't find the money anywhere!"

"That money was essential for Granny Smith's deposit on her Social Security taxes!" Applejack reminded. "We're talkin' at least $5,000 here! Without it, she won't be eligible for her retirement checks, and she needs them more than ever, now that she's resigned from work at CHS!"

"But I don't know what else to do! Applebloom's voice was filled with a mix of frustration and concern. "We've turned this place upside-down, but only found pocket change and dust! We've got to tell someone, maybe they can help us figure it out."

"No, absolutely not!" Applejack's voice grew firm, yet Sunset could still detect the underlying fear. "We're gonna handle this ourselves as a family, we don't need anyone else pokin' their noses into our business."

Just then, Big McIntosh turned the corner and brought his younger siblings over to the back of the house. One of the back windows had been shattered apart, the glass remnants sitting on both the kitchen counter and grass outside. Applejack had immediately deduced that some sort of burglary had taken place, likely when nobody was home.

"Big Mac, what are we gonna do?" Applejack's heart sank as she took in the sight. "We never installed any security cameras, and for all we know, this burglar might've even stolen much more than just our money..."

"Eeyup." Big McIntosh replied, fearing that something else important might've gone missing.

"We've got to file a police report, at the very least!" Applebloom suggested.

"That's usually what we would do in situations like this, but unfortunately, without any evidence on who committed this here robbery, there's just not much that the cops would do." Applejack sighed. "For that matter, chances of us gettin' our money back are slim, assumin' the burglars already spent it all..."

"But we can't just let this slide, especially for the sake of Granny!" Applebloom reminded, her voice quivering. "Maybe we can offer a reward for any information?"

"We're already fresh out of five grand, Applebloom." Applejack responded. "I don't think we could offer anything worthwhile as a reward when we're already this deep into the hole."

"We can't just do nothing!" Applebloom protested. "Granny's been lookin' forward to her retirement for so long, and now she might not even get to enjoy it! What are we goin' tell her when she gets home!?"

"We'll have to figure this out together as a family... one way or another." Applejack said, before she heard a knock at the door.

"Applejack, is it alright if we come in?" Sunset knocked at the front door.

"Yeah, come on in." Applejack said, sounding defeated. "It's unlocked."

As Sunset and the rest of the girls went into the house, Applejack was now by herself in the living room, sitting on the couch, whilst Applebloom and Big McIntosh went upstairs to dial for the authorities. Applejack looked over to her friends, all with concerned looks on their faces, upon overhearing her predicament. Despite this, the farm girl decided not to bring anything up, and that it was better to focus on the main reason they were coming over, that being their collaboration on their graduation song.

"Well, since we're all here, I reckon we should get down to business." Applejack said to the rest of her friends. "Might as well come up with the lyrics to our openin' verse, wouldn't you say?"

"AJ, are you sure you're okay to work on the song right now?" Sunset sat down next to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You look like you've got a lot on your plate, if you need to talk about it, we're all here for you."

"I appreciate the concern, Sunset." Applejack replied. "However, since it's a family matter that we need to figure out on our own, I wouldn't want to be a burden on y'all. Besides, we've got a performance to nail at graduation, and I wouldn't want to let you girls down."

"Well the thing is, Applejack?" Fluttershy spoke up. "We... admittedly overheard everything you just discussed with your siblings back there, you were all pretty vocal about it."

"We didn't mean to eavesdrop on you, it's just that we heard everything loud and clear, while waiting on your porch." Twilight added.

Applejack's eyes widened upon hearing this, as she escorted her friends back outside. Sunset and the other girls were directed to the front of the garage, where they could continue their conversation in private, as Big McIntosh was busy filing a police report, and it'd be unwise to make a lot of noise downstairs. When Applejack saw that she and her friends were now alone in a safe and quiet spot, she continued the conversation, as normal.

"I'm sorry y'all had to hear that, I know it's not exactly what you girls came here for." Applejack sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. "I just never could've imagined that after decades of the family business goin' well here in the city, we'd have to deal with burglars and break-ins. We've always lived in what felt like the nicest neighborhood."

"Applejack, darling, I know you're trying to keep a brave face, but you don't have to carry this burden alone." Rarity assured. "We're here for you, always, and if there's anything we can do to help, please tell us."

"You've helped us out of some pretty tight spots before." Rainbow said, her eyes bright with determination. "Let's put our heads together and figure out what happened, maybe we can even catch the person who did this!"

"I certainly reckon that'll be difficult, considerin' an investigation can take months, even years to fully crack the case." Applejack replied. "I just feel bad that I invited you girls over, so we could work on our graduation song, and now I'm holding everyone back with my family issues."

"AJ, you're not holding us back, we're here for you through thick and thin." Sunset's voice was filled with genuine concern. "And if we can't help you solve this dilemma directly, we'll be here for you. We're not just bandmates after all, we're friends."

"I know you girls mean well, but I just can't risk us gettin' involved in something that could be actually dangerous." Applejack said to her friends. "I'm talkin' remorseless criminals, this ain't like our usual adventures, it's real life with real consequences. I appreciate you all offerin' to help, but right now, Big McIntosh is currently filin' a police report on the phone. Until we hear back from the authorities, I'm afraid there's just not much we can do now, especially since we ain't got no idea who committed this burglary. If we can't figure something out on our own, I'll come to you girls for further assistance, but for now, let's just try to focus on the music, alright?"

"Alright Applejack, if that's what you think is best." Sunset nodded. "Please remember that whenever you need us, we're just a call away. In the meantime, let's keep our minds busy with something positive, maybe we can come up with the lyrics to the chorus, something that'll really get the crowd going at graduation."

"Gosh, I was all shook up about this unexpected robbery, but with you girls by my side, I almost feel like there's nothing to worry about." Applejack put her hand on Sunset's shoulder and sighed. "Sunset, you really know how to take the stress off of a girl's shoulders, even when I believed this family matter should stay within the family."

"Well, that's technically what we're already doing, since we consider you part of our family too, AJ." Sunset replied. "After all, remember what you told me about family, a couple of winters ago?"

"I did say that your friends are the family you choose, and you girls have certainly chosen to be the best kind of family for me." Applejack's voice was filled with warmth and affection. "But that doesn't mean you should be dealin' with our troubles. Big Mac and I will bring everything we need to the authorities when we get the chance, so for now, let's get to work on that graduation song! I'm beginning to see what you meant, Sunset, when you suggested that we should make the song's meaning focus more on our growth and friendships. I'm really startin' to feel that sentiment, right about now."

"I get that feeling a lot too, thanks to an old friend teaching me that valuable lesson, a long time ago." Sunset reflected what Princess Twilight had done for her back at the Fall Formal.

"Well then, we're not getting any younger here, especially once we officially graduate." Rarity said, enthusiastically. "Let's get to work on that chorus, shall we?"

"Alright, if you're all really okay with this, I'll go grab my old notebook, it's back upstairs in my room." Applejack nodded. "Maybe there's something in there that'll spark some inspiration for our verses."

As Applejack ran back into her home to get what she needed, Sunset and the rest of the girls began to speculate with one another, trying to get a more solid idea on who could've committed this robbery. For the most part, this was the first time that they had ever encountered a case as serious as a break-in and theft, and it was jarring to think that any of their houses could've been next. Canterlot City generally had next to no serious cases for criminal activity like this, which almost led the girls to suspect that something crucial must've recently occurred for this to happen.

"Girls, I know we should be focusing on the song, but I can't help but wonder who could've done this." Twilight began speculating. "It's so unlike Canterlot to have something like this happen, and... Applejack's never really had any personal enemies who'd want to do this to her."

"That's true, Twilight, but we can't rule out the chance of it being someone from outside the city." Sunset's eyes narrowed as she considered the possibilities. "And considering we've dealt with many culprits who somehow got ahold of Equestrian magic, for all we know, it could've been anybody, even someone we've never met before. It's entirely possible that someone's been watching us from a distance, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike."

"Hold up, girls, I know we're trying to keep the peace and all, but maybe we should consider every angle here." Rainbow spoke up, her mind racing. "Remember that time when Applejack was running for class president, and a certain someone tried to sabotage her campaign?"

"Wha...?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "You're not... talking about me, are you? To be honest, I've tried to forget about my awful past, when I was ruling CHS with an iron fist, that I've even clouded out every awful thing that I've done to hurt you girls and the other students back then. If I was somehow involved with sabotaging AJ's campaign, please know that I am-"

"Whoa, whoa, Sunset!" Rainbow put her hands up. "No, I'm not referring to you at all. In fact, as far as I'm aware, you've probably never even met her before, considering that this was way back during our freshman year. But just know that the way she treated everybody at CHS was so bad, that Principal Celestia ended up expelling her."

As Rarity and Fluttershy both heard this, Rarity was suddenly able to get a vague idea on who Rainbow was referring to, while Fluttershy's eyes had widened, as she fully knew who this girl in question was.

"Oh no, you don't mean...?" Rarity said, as everything came flooding back to her.

"She... made my time in school absolutely abysmal..." Fluttershy whispered, as she hid her face in her arms, almost feeling traumatized upon being reminded of this girl. "The absolute nastiest bully I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with..."

"Yeah, it sounds like you two know exactly who I'm talking about." Rainbow began reflecting, as she turned to Sunset and Twilight. "Let's just say, she was a real piece of work back in the day, always looking to stir up trouble. And if she's somehow back in town, and she's still got it out for Applejack, I wouldn't put it past her to do something like this."

"But why would she wait until now to do this?" Twilight questioned. "And what would she even gain from it?"

"Heck if I know." Rainbow shrugged. "But Sunset made a pretty good point, who knows if somebody's been watching us from the shadows for a while, and specifically waited until now, just a week before graduation?"

"You think... she, or whoever is truly behind this, would be willing to sabotage our graduation?" Rarity suggested.

"Oh... please don't say that!" Fluttershy felt terrified at the thought. "The last thing I want lingering around my mind in bed tonight, is the very idea that she's somehow back, and lurking around the very place we all used to consider a nice neighborhood!"

Sunset frowned deeply, recalling the tyrannical times of her own past as a bully. She knew all too well the kind of pain a person could inflict, and the thought of someone else now doing the same to Applejack or any of her friends was unbearable. Sunset also began having flashbacks of how awful she had been to Fluttershy in the past, which included making her feel vulnerable, and even shaming her for only having animal friends. She began feeling extra guilty, now realizing that she had unknowingly inflicted even further mental damage towards Fluttershy, at a time when she was already at one of her lowest points in life. And considering how this girl in question ended up getting expelled, something that Principal Celestia never even ended up doing to Sunset, she knew that this was much more serious.

"Fluttershy, it's okay." Sunset reached out to gently pat Fluttershy's back, her eyes filled with genuine care. "We're all here for you, and we're not going to let anyone ruin our graduation, or hurt Applejack's family. I'm sorry for everything I did back then too, I had no idea how much pain I was causing. But we can't let fear control us, we need to stay strong and supportive for one another. Let's focus on the song and be there for Applejack, and if we happen to run into whoever's been stirring up this trouble, we'll face it together, just like we always do."

"Thank you, Sunset." Fluttershy felt more assured. "I know you've changed a lot, and I appreciate your support, I just... I can't shake off the feeling that something bad is going to happen. What... she did to me back then, it didn't even compare to any other bully I've ever met in my life, even during elementary school."

"We can't let fear rule us, we've come so far since then, and we're all so much stronger together." Sunset reminded. "Even if she is back, we'll deal with her as friends, as a family who's even overcome sinking cruise ships and summer camp plant monsters, haven't we, girls?"

"Indeed, we've faced our fair share of challenges, but nothing has ever truly torn us apart." Rarity's voice grew firm, her eyes shining with a fierce determination. "And if she... has returned to cause trouble, we'll stand united, just as we always have."

"For now though, let's focus on what we can control, our graduation song." Rainbow suggested. "Applejack needs us to be strong for her, and I think the best way to do that is by ensuring our performance is nothing short of spectacular."

Just then, Applejack came back over to the girls with her notebook, ready to begin what they had originally planned to do.

"Big Mac's still goin' to take a bit with the cops upstairs, so I reckon it's better we discuss further details of our chorus in the garage." Applejack said to her friends. "Just like the good old days, when we tried to come up with something to defeat the Dazzlings, huh?"

"Those were some intense times, AJ, but I'm just glad we had each other to lean on." Sunset reminisced.

"Now, if you're all ready, let's head on inside and see what we can come up with for the chorus." Applejack instructed. "Maybe the rhythm of our friendship can be the inspiration we need to get through this tough time."

As the girls all nodded and followed Applejack into her garage, Sunset admittedly felt some concern in this potential new threat they could all soon face. The very idea of this mysterious culprit lurking in the shadows for so long, spying on their very move, and choosing to strike now, around the time of graduation at CHS, it left an uneasy feeling. Sunset also couldn't help but wonder if this new threat, once again involved somebody from the Human World wielding a magical artifact, or if it was possibly somebody from Equestria. With Princess Twilight's upcoming coronation, and the news of Princess Celestia and Luna retiring soon, was it entirely plausible that something sinister was going on back in Equestria?

These thoughts kept swimming through Sunset's mind, but she soon realized that she was getting absolutely nowhere, especially if this crime wasn't even committed by this mysterious girl that her friends had seemingly known. Sunset kept this at the back of her mind, that the possibility was still very much out there, and that she herself would soon run into a girl who had done something so horrible, that it warranted expulsion from CHS. Suddenly, the realization soon sank in, was this the same girl that Vice Principal Luna had vaguely alluded to, earlier that day? Regardless of what was truly going on, Sunset understood that since nothing else significant had truly happened as of yet, she'd focus on the positives with her friends for a while, as their graduation song certainly wouldn't compose itself.

Back in Equestria, Princess Twilight and Starlight Glimmer had already returned to Canterlot's throne room, now feeling assured that they had finally invited everyone they'd want to attend this upcoming coronation. Mr. Ramsay and the rest of the staff had already prepared the decorations and furniture, which meant that everything was set, and it was finally time to relax for the rest of the day. After the incredibly busy day she's just had, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, but subconsciously knew that her workload would most likely quadruple, especially once she was put in charge of everything in Canterlot.

"Well, that certainly went better than expected, wouldn't you say, Starlight?" Twilight asked. "It's so nice to hear that Sunset's actually willing to attend my coronation, despite how busy she's gotten with her own life in the Human World."

"Absolutely." Starlight nodded. "I'm sure it'll be an unforgettable event, and it's just like Sunset to put aside her schedule to support her friends. Speaking of which, these decorations are absolutely stunning, the staff here at Canterlot have truly outdone themselves. It's almost hard to imagine this building was once the same one that Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow had nearly taken over, huh?"

"I'm just grateful we can all come together like this, it seems like it's been ages since we've had the opportunity to truly celebrate without some looming threat." Twilight reflected. "I just really wish that I could come up with something to fill those empty windows that were once those beautifully historical stained glass portraits. The throne room just feels so empty with those generic, plain windows, especially when you can even see random trees and bushes from outside."

"I think I might have an idea for that." Starlight began suggesting her idea. "I saw some of the old drawings and designs in Canterlot's historical archives, we could totally recreate some of those old relics, and maybe even add some new ones with our modern flair!"

"It would be like preserving a piece of Equestria's history while also making it our own!" Twilight relished in her excitement at the idea. "But, where would we even begin? I'm sure there's plenty of historical events that have transpired over 1,000 years, and I wouldn't want to just copy everything from before..."

Just then, as Twilight stared at the various blank windows, she suddenly noticed that one of the bushes from outside was suspiciously rustling, as if someone was hiding inside of it. The princess had immediately derailed her previous thought on what to depict in the stained glass murals, and was unsure of what she just saw outside the castle.

"Hmm, am I seeing things, or did that bush outside just move?" Twilight stared at the one bush that seemingly just rustled out of nowhere.

"Hm?" Starlight spun around to look. "I didn't see anything, Twilight. Maybe it's just the wind playing tricks on us."

"I'm not so sure, actually." Twilight squinted her eyes at the window. "That bush was definitely moving in a pattern that the wind couldn't have caused, maybe we should go check it out?"

But before Twilight or Starlight could even do so, there was a knock coming from the end of the hallway, which prompted the two mares to bring their attention to the front doors of the throne room. Upon opening the doors, Twilight and Starlight were accompanied by Celestia, still unable to believe that her star pupil, whom she had taught from day one, was now stepping up and taking on the very role that she had occupied for over 1,000 years.

"Twilight, Starlight, I trust everything is coming along well for the coronation?" Celestia's regal voice filled the room, her eyes twinkling with a hint of pride. "I know that you two are more than capable of handling the preparations, but I wanted to personally check in."

"Princess Celestia, everything is going splendidly!" Twilight grinned. "The staff have worked tirelessly to make sure everything will be perfect for the big day, and the decor has never looked better. The flair and presentation just seems to completely outdo everything they did for my first coronation, back when I first got my wings."

"Justifiably so, considering this won't just be the mark of you becoming the Princess of Friendship." Celestia reminded. "You'll soon be the princess of all of Equestria, a title that hasn't been given in over 1,000 years. Just as a reminder, today will technically be my very last day holding that title, as once Luna and I hand you your official crown tomorrow, we shall forever be known as just 'Celestia' and 'Luna' then. Residing in Silver Shoals, and watching you rule Equestria from a distance."

"I can't even begin to express how much I've learned from you." Twilight's heart moved with a mix of pride and anxiety at Celestia's words. "You've been more than just a teacher, you've been a guiding star for all of us, and I'll do my best to rule with the same wisdom and grace that you've shown over the millennia. In fact, I seem to recall you recently mentioning that there's been a new star student at the School For Gifted Unicorns? Luster Dawn was her name, right?"

"Ah, yes." Celestia nodded. "Luster is quite a promising young unicorn, indeed. She's already showing signs of exceptional talent in the field of magic, and it'll be quite intriguing to see her potential unfold. Though I've been told that she appears to be rather unsociable among her classmates, certainly reminds me of somepony before I sent her over to Ponyville, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, I'm sure with the right kind of guidance and friends, she'll blossom into a wonderful alicorn, just like I did." Twilight giggled, a warm smile spreading across her face. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves, I still have so much to learn myself, and for that matter, so much more to teach, now that you and Luna are retiring."

"Retiring is perhaps a strong word, Twilight." Celestia pointed out. "We're simply... moving on to the next phase of our lives. We'll still be around to offer guidance and support when needed, but for the most part, any future responsibilities will now be handled by you and your friends."

"It's a big responsibility, Twilight, but I know you can handle it." Starlight assured. "After all, you've come so far from the little filly who didn't believe friendship was so important, and you even helped me change for the better, too."

"Thank you both." Twilight looked back at Celestia and Starlight. "No matter the challenges the future will throw at me, I just know that I'll be able to get through them all, with my friends by my side. It's finally time for me to demonstrate everything I've learned from day one, and for you and Luna to get some well-deserved rest in Silver Shoals. Maybe you could even say 'hi' to Dusty Pages for me?"

"I'll keep that in mind for when Luna and I start moving our belongings from Canterlot." Celestia winked. "Above all, I wish you the best of luck when it comes to your new responsibilities as a leader, we're all counting on you, now."

"I won't let you or Equestria down." Twilight replied, her voice filled with determination. "I'll make sure that our friendship and unity are reflected in every decision I make."

Just as Twilight said this, the bush from behind the window rustled again, immediately prompting Twilight to turn around and take notice of it. This time, even Starlight saw the subtle rustling of the bush, as she realized that this wasn't the wind playing a trick at all.

"There it is, again!" Twilight shifted her focus onto this mysterious bush. "Spike, if that's you hiding in the bush, please come out right now!"

However, the bush ominously went silent, and there was no purple dragon to be seen. This prompted both Twilight and Starlight to rush out of the window and get a closer look at this bush, if it even was a bush at all. Upon further inspection, there seemed to be absolutely no one in the bushes, not even signs of any small animals that could've been nearby. The rustling just came and went, and if someone actually was hiding inside, they were definitely gone by now.

"Well, that's odd." Twilight murmured, turning back to Starlight. "I could've sworn I saw something... never mind, it's probably just the excitement of tomorrow's coronation playing tricks on me."

"Hmm, maybe not, Twilight." Starlight went inside the same bush that supposedly just rustled a few moments ago, and picked up what seemed like a clue. "This... doesn't look like it should've been here."

"Is that... a pegasus feather?" Twilight inspected the clue. "Hmm, an orange pegasus feather, and it doesn't seem to match the color of anypony I know, at least... this particular shade of orange. This certainly couldn't be Scootaloo's feather, that's for sure."

"It's definitely not from any of the Royal Guards, and I don't recall seeing this color from anypony around Canterlot lately." Starlight reflected. "Who knows, maybe this was just somepony who wanted an autograph, but didn't know how to approach you?"

"That's a possibility, but it seems rather out of place, doesn't it?" Twilight kept brainstorming. "I can't shake the feeling that there's something more to this."

"Well, we could always ask the guards if they've noticed any unusual visitors around the castle." Starlight suggested. "They usually keep a pretty close eye on everything."

"I suppose we could question one of our lieutenants right now." Twilight nodded. "Though, fair warning, she's known to be less sweet and more sour, but she at least gets the job done."

"That's fine, let's see if she has anything to report." Starlight followed Twilight back through the window.

Unknown to anypony else in Canterlot, there was in fact, imminent trouble brewing just around the corner. Within the alleyways of Canterlot's business area, a mysterious pegasus mare was now hiding within a dumpster, but had now gathered all the important information that she needed to hear. This pegasus had slowly peaked her head from the dumpster's closed lid, but the darkness of the alleyway had made her completely indistinguishable and hidden from view, so much so that anypony trotting by wouldn't even be able to notice her hiding there. An evil grin spread across the mare's face, as she began to realize that the day she had been anticipating for so long, had finally come.

"So... the rumors were true." The pegasus thought out loud in her head. "Those so-called princesses, Celestia and Luna have finally decided to pass the torch, and make Equestria completely dependent on that... Twilight Sparkle. Those dumb fools don't seem to realize that cutting Equestria's princesses by half will suddenly make everything so much more vulnerable. Well, I've waited so long for this day to come, for those princess sisters to step down, so I can finally reclaim what was always rightfully mine. I've waited in these shadows for this exact opportunity, and now it's time for me to steal as many riches and treasures as it'll take to get exactly what I've yearned for, since I was a filly. And this time... I'm not alone. I have a faithful husband by my side, who hates Canterlot and that stupid Celestia as much as I do, and a helpful daughter, whom I can use as a mere tool to do my dirty work. As for this new... Princess Twilight Sparkle, you'd better get serious, because I'm now officially back in business!"

Chapter 7: Tales of Canterlot High

As Sunset and her friends continued to work on their graduation song within Applejack's garage, they had made some rather exceptional progress, as Twilight managed to compromise their plans for the opening tone of the lyrics. The rest of the girls had high hopes for their performance at CHS, imagining the overwhelming praise and reception from not just everyone at CHS, but their families as well. Everything seemed to be coming together rather nicely, despite the urgent situation with Applejack's family, which internally still made several of the girls skeptical on who could've committed such a crime.

"It's certainly quite refreshing to come up with a new song together as a band, we admittedly haven't done so in ages." Rarity reflected. "That being said though, it's truly a real shame that Pinkie Pie couldn't be here to partake with our little activity, wouldn't you say?"

"She does have a way of bringing out the creativity in us, that's for sure." Twilight nodded. "But hey, we're not even close to finishing the song yet, so I'm sure there's still plenty of time for her to contribute later, down the line."

"Well whenever she comes back, we'll totally surprise her with this epic tune!" Rainbow strummed a few energetic chords on Applejack's old guitar, the sound resonating through the room. "For now, let's keep the momentum going, and see what else we could come up with. Let's see... what do you think about adding a bridge that brings all our friendships together?"

"A bridge could serve as a symbol of unity, especially considering everything we've been through." Sunset went along with Rainbow's idea. "It's like... when we stand together, we're unstoppable no matter what this world throws at us. Maybe we could each throw in a line or two that represents our individuality, but blends seamlessly into the whole song?"

"I reckon that's a fine idea, Sunset." Applejack agreed. "Rainbow, why don't you start us off with something that captures the essence of your main trait, loyalty? And I'll follow with honesty, if that's alright with everyone?"

"That sounds great." Fluttershy replied, as she began scrolling through her phone. "I'll think of something that represents kindness and compassion, but I'm admittedly having a more difficult time coming up with the right lyrics. Perhaps if I scroll around social media for a bit, I could get some inspiration."

"Ah yes, social media's the main reason as to why my side-business has been doing so well." Rarity acknowledged. "The best invention to ever exist, as long as it's used for the greater good. You girls all remember what happened with Vignette, don't you?"

"All I remember is that she used her phone to trap us in a random white room, somewhere in that amusement park." Rainbow recalled.

"And I was SO MAD when I found that out, though it's actually amusing on hindsight, I'd say." Sunset added. "I wouldn't really say that social media was the cause of that incident as much as Equestrian magic, but I can see where you're coming from. Back in Equestria, we don't even have these fancy phones that let you play games or listen to music, just those old-fashioned telephones."

"NOT have cell phones or social media back in Equestria?" Rainbow's eyes widened. "I couldn't imagine going a few hours without watching some hilarious or viral videos on the web. I feel for you Sunset, you must've been so bored back in your world."

"I wouldn't really think that's the case, Sugarcube." Applejack reflected. "I remember Sunset tellin' me about how much magic Equestria has, and that her world's equivalent of cell phones were magic-burpin' dragons. We certainly ain't got nothing like that in this world, that's for certain."

"And technically-speaking, we were all there once, when our boat sank during that spring break cruise." Twilight reminded. "It was certainly... freaky to adjust being in a horse's body, but I get the feeling that no amount of science could ever give us a logical explanation for how such a thing was possible."

"Almost like the equivalent of living in two different worlds, each with its own set of rules and... well, problems." Sunset said. "For example, I don't have my horn in this world, as much as I'd like to use telekinesis to make everyday activities a little easier. But at the same time, Equestria doesn't have video games, television, or smartphones, so it's kind of a trade-off."

"So, you're saying that in Equestria, you could just wave your horn around and stuff would move?" Rainbow paused, visualizing the idea. "Then we could literally be like that one evil villain dude from that movie we watched at Pinkie's slumber party! What was the name of the film, again? I just remember the dude had asthma, and he chopped off the main character's hand, before telling him he's their father."

"Well, it's not quite that dramatic, Rainbow." Sunset giggled. "In Equestria, my horn's more of a tool for magic, not just for moving objects. There's also the option to teleport, cast spells, levitate, or even create a giant beanstalk from a simple seed."

"Fascinating!" Rarity's eyes sparked further curiosity. "And what about your singing, Sunset? Does your magic enhance it as well?"

"I'm pretty confident that I could sing, with or without magic." Sunset acknowledged. "After all, that's exactly how we were able to defeat the Dazzlings back at the Battle of the Bands, and I'm sure that's mostly because I didn't rely on a voice-enhancing pendant all the time."

"Well, I reckon we all had to find our own ways to shine." Applejack winked. "It's the same mentality when it comes to goin' to college. When everyone has a college degree, you have to find even further ways to stick out. Good luck tryin' to figure that out when you've got evil student loan debt followin' you for the rest of your days."

"When you put it that way, it's not entirely wrong to think that's how Equestria operates, as well." Sunset pondered this mentality. "In Equestria, we rely more on our innate talents and abilities rather than formal education. Though I do admit, it's pretty funny that I say that now, considering I used to be the top student at the School For Gifted Unicorns."

"Our world can be pretty depressing when we think about it that way." Rarity nodded. "Here, we're all about papers, diplomas, and the almighty grade point average. It's almost reached a point where learning doesn't even matter anymore, as much as arbitrary and meaningless grades. Yet in your world, it's all about honing your inner talent and growing through friendship, that just sounds so whimsical and pure. But... we've already had this talk, and it's clear that most of us don't plan on falling for that scam, which many parents fool their kids into believing is necessary to become successful in life."

"Yeah yeah, I'm still with you all on that." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I've heard it all, tons of people being brainwashed to go to college, only to end up with depression and debt. Do I really want a psychology degree that'll cost me $100,000, just to better understand why customers want fries with their burger? I'd rather do literally anything else to get by, especially since nobody ever seems to talk about the many jobs out there that don't require some useless and expensive degree. Speaking of which, how about we continue working on that epic song? Fluttershy, have you come up with anything yet for your part in the bridge?"

Just as Rainbow turned to Fluttershy to ask this, so did the other girls, and they immediately noticed that something was wrong. Fluttershy simply continued staring at her phone with wide eyes and shrunken pupils, and acted as if nobody in the room had just asked her a simple question. This most likely meant that something else abrupt had come up, which managed to put Fluttershy in a state of shock. Did she manage to stumble across something disturbing on the web, or was it actually related to inspiration for the song?

"Fluttershy, you okay?" Rainbow went over to her friend. "You've been pretty quiet for a bit, is something wrong?"

It took Fluttershy a few more moments to compose herself, but she eventually snapped back to reality, and realized how awkward everything had become.

"While I was browsing the web for some ideas, I saw something on the news which, I don't know if it truly means that... she's back, but it's definitely concerning." Fluttershy held out her phone, showing a news article titled, 'Mysterious Mugging Near Canterlot High'.

"Muggin', you say?" Applejack read the headline. "Well, I guess that means that the recent break-in and robbery may not have been a coincidence, after all."

"But Fluttershy, what makes you believe that... SHE was the one responsible for this?" Rarity inquired. "For all we know, it could've been anybody else, thieves and burglars aren't exactly uncommon in this harsh world."

"According to this article, one of the local residents was the one to report this story, after encountering this supposed crook, who had already committed multiple accounts of mugging this past week." Fluttershy explained. "The article goes on to mention that while walking home one night from work, this person was understandably exhausted and sleepy. So much so that they ended up bumping into the crook, whom they described as a tall woman wearing a brown leather jacket. Exactly what she used to always wear, back when she had relentlessly bullied me at CHS."

Sunset listened on, realizing Fluttershy had suspected that her oldest school bully had somehow returned, and was the one responsible for these mysterious robberies. It once again made Sunset feel extra guilty about the days when she herself had relentlessly bullied Fluttershy at CHS, and showed next to no mercy towards the rest of her classmates.

"Don't you all remember when I first met her in the halls during freshman year?" Fluttershy began sharing her experience back then. "It was a peaceful and sunny day at CHS, where the freshmen were all looking forward to their first day of high school. I was delighted to have some animal friends joining me on my first day, though this was before I was told that I wasn't allowed to have pets on school grounds. I seemed to have gotten a bit distracted with my gerbil friends, that I accidentally bumped into... her in the hallways. I ended up accidentally scratching her leather jacket, and from that moment on, to say that I got off on the wrong foot with her, is certainly an understatement."

"Oh dear, I remember that, she was quite the... I can't even come up with the right words to describe her." Rarity commented. "Fluttershy, darling, we've all had our fair share of schoolyard bullies, but I can't imagine the sheer terror you must have felt back then."

"All over a leather jacket, too!" Rainbow added. "I mean, who does that sort of thing, making somebody else's life miserable over an accident? Unlike Sunset here, she's come around, even after we wrecked both her leather jacket and reputation at CHS, back during the fall formal. I know this line's probably getting really old at this point, but uh... no offense."

"None taken, Rainbow." Sunset's gaze drifted to the floor, the weight of her past heavy on her shoulders. "But Fluttershy, are you really sure it's her, maybe it's just someone who looks similar to your old school bully?"

"Believe me, I don't want to imagine that she's back, but the rest of this article is telling me otherwise." Fluttershy continued. "It also mentions that when this person bumped into the crook, they tried to apologize and go about their day. But immediately after bumping into her, the crook in question instantly lost her temper, and specifically told them that, 'You lame citizens are driving me buggy, I gotta bail!', before attacking them with a plank of wood and stealing their wallet. Doesn't that sound exactly like... her?"

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like her." Rainbow nodded. "Who else uses 'lame' so much these days, honestly? But why would she come back, and now of all times? You don't think she's planning something to ruin graduation, do you?"

"If you don't mind me asking, real quick?" Sunset spoke up. "I'm definitely going to need some further context, but who exactly was this girl in question, do you remember her name?"

"Her name was Gilda, Sunset." Fluttershy shuttered upon mentioning that name once more. "She was the school's resident troublemaker before... well, you get the idea. I don't want to make you feel guilty again, especially after how much you've proven to be a friend to us all, over the years."

"Hmm, that name doesn't ring a bell at all." Sunset pondered. "To answer your question, Rainbow, it's really hard to say what her motives are, or if she has any particular reason to still have a vendetta against you all. But we still don't know for certain whether or not that article's talking about Gilda."

"I'd be pretty certain that even after all these years, she'd still hate our guts." Rainbow replied. "Considering... we were also kinda the reason she got expelled from CHS."

"Even so, it was absolutely well deserved!" Applejack huffed. "Especially after that incident where she poisoned the cafeteria's chili, in an attempt to prank everybody! There's a fine line between pullin' a joke, and simply being insufferable."

"That would be the main reason I don't really pull those kinds of pranks anymore." Rainbow acknowledged. "It was cool back in the day to mess around with the rest of our classmates, but when I realized it wasn't necessarily fun when I was the one being pranked, well, you get the idea."

"It's quite fascinating how one's perspective can change, once the tables have turned." Rarity nodded. "Though I can't really say that was always applicable for Gilda, when a joke came at her expense. Instead of learning a lesson like the rest of us would've, she simply sought out to get revenge and sink even lower, up until she felt like she won. As you can imagine, this eventually led up to her expulsion from CHS, though we can't really say she didn't have it coming."

"So this Gilda always was a wild card, even before I came along." Sunset leaned against the wall, her arms folded, burying herself in deep thought. "I almost never could've imagined that CHS had this much trouble brewing in it, long before I came into this world, myself. For a while, it almost seemed like I was the most disliked student who's ever enrolled at this school."

"Well, that's the thing about CHS, Sunset." Applejack replied. "It's got its fair share of drama, but it's usually not on the scale of what you had to deal with. Why, there's still some students who just love to gossip about the others behind their back. I still occasionally overhear somebody in the halls mention 'Piggly Wiggly' from time to time, but I think I've gotten used to it by now."

"As for Gilda, I've admittedly always felt like something was off with her, even when I briefly knew her back in middle school." Rainbow continued explaining. "She often caused trouble for the sake of it, picked on those who were different, but she had a knack for disappearing after she caused enough damage. It's like she knew exactly when to vanish into thin air, especially when she was about to get caught."

"What was the straw that broke the camel's back with Gilda, if you don't mind me asking?" Sunset looked around at her friends, each of them holding a piece of the puzzle to Gilda's downfall. "Was there something particularly extreme she did, which led to her expulsion?"

"It was a series of events, really." Rarity began reflecting. "Gilda had been a persistent troublemaker, but the final incident was when she tried to sabotage the school's talent show, simply for her own amusement. She had painted herself as the victim of our so-called 'competition', and tried to manipulate us all into fighting each other."

"Just like when the Dazzlings did the same, and goaded everybody into becoming fiercely competitive during the Battle of the Bands?" Sunset recalled. "I guess that wasn't the first time CHS had such an unpleasant experience with competition."

"Yeah, she had a real nasty streak, that's for sure." Rainbow folded her arms. "And you know what made her antics even worse? Gilda was always filming stuff on her phone, trying to catch us in some kind of embarrassing situation to post online to MyStable. She had this weird obsession with exposing what she saw as our 'true colors', it's like she didn't have any friends, or anything better to do than to mess with everyone else's lives. And when we found out that she tried to rig the talent show, just to film us in heated arguments, that was really the last straw."

"Huh, so this actually wasn't the first time you girls had to deal with online gossip and unwanted exposure, considering what happened with Anon-a-Miss." Sunset had an epiphany. "That explains why you girls were quick to believe I was behind that account, as well as the fact we weren't as close back then. And to be fair, what Anon-a-Miss did, it didn't seem too different from everything else I was responsible for, back at the Fall Formal."

"Well, I reckon that's all water under the bridge, Sunset." Applejack put a hand on her shoulder. "We're all still sorry for puttin' you through that back then. I know we've had our fair share of troublesome experiences at CHS, but that was no excuse for just throwin' you under the bus, especially since we truly jumped to conclusions with no real evidence."

"Thanks Applejack, it's just... it's eerie how history seems to repeat itself at CHS." Sunset looked up at Applejack, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I know everyone's changed since then, and we're all working to make sure nobody has to go through that again. But let's focus on Gilda for now, if she's really back, we can't ignore it."

"And if it isn't her, I think we should still keep our guards up." Twilight suggested. "I mean, if this thief's going around town and robbing random houses, any of us could be their next target. I couldn't imagine not having that money to go to college anymore, my life would be ruined..."

"That's why we have to do something about it." Sunset took a deep breath, looking up at her friends. "Remember how we stood together to defeat the Dazzlings and Gaea Everfree? This is no different, regardless if it's Gilda, or whoever this thief is."

"Umm, unfortunately, I may have even further reason to believe that... Gilda really is back." Fluttershy gulped. "I scrolled around the web again, and I found this other article here, mentioning that there was a recent jailbreak from... where the police ended up sending her, after she got expelled..."

"Jailbreak, you say?" Rarity's eyebrows furrowed in concern as she approached Fluttershy to get a better look at the article. "Could it be that she's returned with a vendetta against the school, or perhaps just looking to stir up trouble again?"

"The article goes on to list a few of the inmates who've gone missing, including Rolling Thunder, Lightning Dust, and a few others." Fluttershy scrolled through the rest of the page. "It doesn't specifically mention Gilda by name, but this definitely confirms that the recent robbery here at Applejack's may not have been a coincidence at all!"

"Hmm, it also mentions that the Canterlot Juvenile Detention Center had not experienced a jailbreak like this in over fifteen years." Twilight read the article on her own phone. "And the timing is eerily suspicious, right around the time when the school's alumnae are starting to come back into town for graduation."

"Well, one thing's for sure, it seems like we've got no choice but to watch each other's back, once graduation rolls around." Rainbow sighed. "Just when we thought that leaving behind our magical geodes could've let us live our lives casually like everybody else, now we've got vengeful Gilda on our shoulders."

"Agreed, but we can't let this ruin our final moments at CHS, we've come so far together, and we're not about to let some old bully taint our graduation memories." Applejack said with a firm nod, her eyes reflecting the determination that had carried her through so many battles. "Besides, we've faced far worse, and come out the other side stronger for it."

"I'm not letting her mess with us again, she's had her shot and lost." Rainbow added. "If she thinks she can just waltz back over here and start causing trouble, she's got another think coming. When it comes to any unfinished business Gilda might've had with us, I think we can act out what happened. Mostly to let Twilight and Sunset get a better understanding of the day she got expelled, what do you say?"

"I'd like to hear more about it, sure, but I think it's also important to keep our eyes on the future and not just dwell on the past." Sunset replied. "We've all changed a lot since then, so for all we know, perhaps Gilda has too."

"Second that." Twilight nodded. "Remember when I was that lonesome student who was ranked #1 at Crystal Prep Academy, but never really had any true friends? I think the closest to a friend I had was Sugarcoat, but even then, she often acted snarky towards me, simply because she got ranked #2."

"You don't know Gilda like we did, Sunset." Rainbow shook her head. "That's actually a pretty good thing, but... to act out what happened that day, let's pretend I'm Gilda, and Rarity is Principal Celestia. You know where this is going, right Rarity?"

"Oh, darling, I think I can manage that, I was quite the drama queen back in the day." Rarity nodded, as she exited a door within the garage, ready to begin their act.

As Rainbow and Rarity prepared everything, Twilight and Sunset were able to get a pretty quick understanding of what was happening, especially with the obvious setup, as Rainbow put a bucket on top of the door that Rarity was about to enter. Rainbow then took out her phone, doing what she recalled Gilda had done on that fateful day, at least to her best memory of the incident.

"What's up, Griffon Army?" Rainbow said, pretending to be Gilda. "It's your girl Gilda again, and you know why I'm here today? It's cause that lame wimp Fluttershy actually tried to stand up against ME, of all people! Can you believe how lame she truly is, especially for a girl whose only real friends are pathetic animals? Well today, I've got the best prank for you all, and I sure hope you can all get me up to one million views with this video! Earlier this week, I tried to convince Fluttershy that she's not only a chicken, but a smelly chicken as well! She seriously smells like she's been hanging with that loser Applejack, who was clearly raised in a barn!"

"Gilda was correct about ONE of those statements, but now you get the idea on why I disliked her so much." Applejack whispered to her friends.

"So, I've just been told that Fluttershy's coming out of her lame animal shelter club, and she'll never see this coming!" Rainbow continued the act. "We'll see who exactly the real smelly chicken will be at the end of the day, it surely won't be me! And if we break one million views on this video, I'll even release the other prank videos of me planting fake cheat sheets in my classmates' desks, and getting them in trouble for it, since the teacher caught them! But for now, let's see that lame chicken come out of the club, smelling worse than the cafeteria's old potato salad!"

"I had one of my classmates tell Gilda that I was in the animal club, when in reality, I was in the library, and instead asked a certain somebody else to spend a little time with the critters." Fluttershy explained.

Suddenly, the doorknob on the garage's door turned, but Rainbow's eyes widened when she saw through the window who was really coming out of the club. Rarity pretending to be Principal Celestia walked into the garage, and almost instantly, walked right into the boobytrap that Gilda had set up, even though there was technically nothing like that, this time around.

"If you're wondering, the trap that Gilda set up involved a little contraption with strings, which spilled tar and a bag of feathers onto Principal Celestia." Applejack explained. "Just imagine Rarity's covered with all that, and looks like a giant chicken."

"Ahhh, Principal... Celestia!?" Rainbow stammered as if she were Gilda. "I-I..."

"Gilda!" Rarity frowned, pretending to be the CHS principal. "What did you just do!?"

"I-It wasn't meant for you, it's just-" Rainbow continued the act, and as Rarity was pretending to wipe the imaginary tar out of her eyes, she accidentally pushed the door even further. "N-No, wait! Watch out for that...!"

But it was already too late, and the bucket fell directly onto Rarity's head, making Rainbow stare at the scene in absolute shock.

"For the record, that bucket was filled with rotten sardines and anchovies." Fluttershy explained. "I think you can imagine how furious Principal Celestia must've been."

"Oh, no doubt about that." Twilight nodded.

"I can't believe she went that far just to spite you, Fluttershy." Sunset added.

"GILDA!!!" Rarity screamed, as she picked the bucket off of her head.

"P-P-Principal Celestia, I-I'm so sorry, it's what you think, it was meant to b-be an accident!" Rainbow said, out of the blue.

"You really think that I'm dumb enough to believe THIS was an accident!?!" Rarity screeched, furiously.

"Yes!" Rainbow replied. "I-I mean no, I-I-I mean..."

"You are in BIG TROUBLE, GILDA!" Rarity snapped. "Give me your phone, and get in my office, RIGHT NOW!!!"

Rainbow then sadly slumped her way over to Rarity, as the two went through the garage's door, then came back in, concluding their acts, and pretending as if nothing happened.

"I gotta hand it to you, Rarity." Rainbow commended. "I was actually quivering back there, you really know how to make a convincing performance as a furious principal."

"Why thank you, Rainbow." Rarity blushed. "It's all thanks to the drama club back in freshman year, I suppose. Besides, it's not every day one gets to reenact a moment of such... utter chaos."

"After that little incident, Principal Celestia thoroughly searched through Gilda's phone, and not only found her confessions to settin' up that particular prank, but even previous crimes she committed, that other students had gotten in trouble for." Applejack explained further. "As a result, she got the police involved, and presented those videos as evidence against Gilda."

"When given a chance to right her wrongs, Gilda absolutely refused, and claimed that she'd rather go to jail than give the whole school a heartfelt apology." Fluttershy added. "And it was at that moment, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna both decided that enough was enough. For the first time in ages within CHS's history, Gilda ended up getting expelled, and we never saw her again."

"There were often rumors about what had truly happened to her, but for all we knew, nothing ever came of them." Rarity recalled, before turning to Sunset and Twilight. "That is... until now, of course. But surely, you've both got a more clear understanding of the type of girl we're up against, if she's truly returned?"

"It sounds like she was quite the troublemaker." Twilight said, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "Not even anybody at Crystal Prep Academy was THAT bad. I've admittedly heard a rumor however, that Indigo Zap ended up bullying somebody so badly, that they had to drop out of school altogether. That said, it's probably just a rumor, I can't imagine something like that actually happened."

"Even I broke down in tears and wanted to do nothing more than the right thing, after turning into an actual demon." Sunset reflected. "Vice Principal Luna actually mentioned that it was because of my willingness to do the right thing, that they didn't get the police involved, nor expel me for everything I did at the Fall Formal."

"But that was different, Sunset." Rarity put a hand on her shoulder. "You had genuine regret and sought out to change your ways, from what I understand. Gilda on the other hand, well, she didn't quite have that same... revelation, shall we say?"

"We've all done things we've regretted, and it's sometimes even because of bad influences or pressure." Twilight added. "I don't think that incident at the Friendship Games would've happened, had it not been for that devious Principal Cinch."

"Yeah, and look how much we've all changed since then." Rainbow said, confidently. "We've faced so much together, from Equestrian magic to school drama. No matter the problem, we deal with it like we do with any other problem, as a team."

"All of that perfectly encapsulates the song we'll be performing during graduation." Sunset nodded. "Well, we've still got some time this week to finish the song, so I'd say we're already on the right track to make sure nothing will ruin our big day together!"

Just then, everyone began to hear a truck pull up in front of the garage, as a familiar voice began to make itself apparent.

"Applejack, Big McIntosh, Applebloom!" Granny Smith called out from outside. "I just came home with some groceries, and could use a little help carryin' them inside!"

Realizing that her grandmother was finally home, Applejack realized that she had no choice but to face the music, and that she couldn't keep quiet about the supposed robbery, any longer. The farm girl sighed, before turning to her friends, and knew that she had to be strong, even in the tougher times.

"Ah shoot, that's Granny Smith." Applejack's eyes widened with worry. "Looks like I can't keep it from her anymore, I've gotta tell her about the break-in. She's gonna be devastated, I just know it, but we've got no choice. I'll be right back, girls."

"We're all here for you, Applejack." Sunset assured. "Let us know if you need us to help you get through this rough patch."

With a deep breath, Applejack stepped outside the garage door, ready to approach her grandmother. Applejack admittedly had a hard time coming up with the right words to tell Granny Smith that her retirement deposit had gone missing, but nevertheless, this matter had to be taken care of, sooner or later.

"Alright Applejack, I've got the bacon, eggs, and bananas in this bag." Granny Smith began carrying one of the grocery bags out of her truck. "Would you be a dear and get the canned vegetables?"

"Ah, sure thing, Granny." Applejack nodded, forcing a smile. "But, there's something we need to talk about first, it's a pretty urgent matter what we've got to fix."

"Oh, wouldn't you know it..." Granny replied. "In fact, I've already called up the local repairman to come fix that broken window in the back of the kitchen, but I'm not lookin' forward to hearin' what he's gonna charge me."

"Wait, so... you knew about the broken window?" Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Well yes, it actually happened earlier this week, all thanks to that pesky raccoon that's been gettin' into our trash." Granny explained. "I baked a fresh apple pie and let it cool on the window sill. Little would I know, the furry little burglar would come by and try to steal it. I tried to shoo him away with my broom, but he ended up making me swing it too hard, and I accidentally smashed the window up. The pesky little pest ended up getting away with my pie, sadly."

Suddenly, Big McIntosh and Applebloom approached the two, after overhearing that their grandmother had returned.

"Sis, Big Mac and I have already filed the report, so now we can focus on carryin' those groceries!" Applebloom announced.

"Eeyup." Big McIntosh nodded.

"Report?" Granny Smith raised an eyebrow. "Applejack, mind explainin' what this is all about?"

"Well Granny, it's about the broken window, we saw it and thought somebody was responsible for a break-in." Applejack explained. "Big Mac and I were worried that someone might've also taken your retirement deposits, since we couldn't find our profits from this year's harvest. We didn't want to trouble you until we knew for sure, but we had to tell you now."

"Applejack, what makes you believe I would just leave a large amount of cash sittin' around the house?" Granny questioned. "I deposited everything into our family's bank account weeks ago, since I needed to provide evidence for my Social Security Taxes being paid off, which would make me eligible for retirement."

"So... there was no burglar or break-in?" Applebloom asked, confused. "W-What about the broken window in the kitchen?"

"Apparently, that was just a raccoon who got hungry for some apple pie, and Granny accidentally broke the window, tryin' to get the varmint out." Applejack sighed. "I'm really sorry, Granny, but we really thought some criminal or burglar broke into the house last night, and stole all our money. Because of this paranoia, we already filed a police report, and it seems like we've made a huge mistake by doing so."

"Well, that's quite the relief, but also a bit embarrassin' for me." Granny Smith chuckled. "We'll just have to call the police back and let them know it was a false alarm, but hey, at least you all were lookin' out for me, and that's what matters. Now, let's get these groceries into the house, and to get our minds off of this misunderstandin', I'll tell you about the time I fought off a whole pack of coyotes with just a flashlight and a fryin' pan!"

Applebloom and Big McIntosh had done so, as did Applejack, before she finished carrying the remaining canned vegetables, and went back over to her friends in the garage, who had once again overheard everything. It was admittedly a huge relief to learn that the only burglar who had robbed the Apple Family was nothing more than a simple masked racoon. This however, did not dismiss the possibility of Gilda still being out there somewhere, and plotting to take revenge against CHS, even after all these years.

"So, Granny's deposits are safe, but I just can't shake off this feeling that... we may still be in danger." Applejack said to the rest of her friends. "After all, if a number of inmates from juvey have escaped, who knows what that'll mean for the rest of us, especially with graduation just around the corner?"

"Well even so, remember what Sunset said about the Dazzlings after we defeated them?" Rainbow reminded. "Without those magical pendants, they're just some harmless girls with no real power to be a threat to us."

"Plus, if we need to, we could just use our magical geodes to give us the upper hand." Rarity added. "I'm sure that no matter who's out there plotting to sabotage graduation, as long as we have each other, we'll never let anything like that happen."

"We've never let memory-erasing stones or endless time loops tear our friendships apart, so I'm pretty confident in thinking that we'll all make happy memories during graduation." Sunset said. "Especially since... we haven't had any unexpected encounters with Equestrian magic for the past few months. I think that may just be a sign of things to come, all things considered."

"We also owe it to you too, Sunset, for being the kind of leader who's always there for us, through thick and thin." Twilight smiled. "I mean, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably still be that depressed and lonesome school girl at Crystal Prep Academy, constantly being blackmailed by Principal Cinch to do all kinds of crazy things."

"Thanks, Twilight." Sunset felt a warm glow spread through her chest, her eyes shimmering with a mix of pride and satisfaction. "I've just... never really felt this kind of happiness back then, you've all been the best family in my life, metaphorically and technically speaking."

"Speaking of family... I didn't realize you had friends over, Applejack." Granny Smith walked over to the garage, and saw all the girls hanging around. "And it's a good thing too, considerin' I baked an extra apple pie this mornin', and Big McIntosh and Applebloom have already had their fixin' for the day. Wouldn't you all like to come on inside, and have a slice?"

"Hmm, that sounds like a nice way for us to share some even more quality time before graduation." Applejack nodded. "What do you girls all think?"

"Why, that sounds fabulous." Rarity agreed. "I may be on a bit of a diet now, but I suppose I could use a cheat day."

"Some glucose might help us get the energy we need to continue working on that song." Twilight added.

"I'm down!" Rainbow raised her hand, before whispering to her friends. "Actually... I don't really like pie all that much, but I'm more down to hang out a bit longer. You girls can have my slice, if you want."

The rest of the girls giggled, before they followed Granny Smith inside, looking forward to having some sweets, especially following the ordeal and potential return of Gilda. Applejack and Sunset were about to go inside the house as well, before Sunset stopped outside the porch, and realized there was something else she needed to get off her chest, since the supposed robbery and break-in had kept her mind off of it for a while.

"Hmm?" Applejack looked back at Sunset for a moment. "You comin' inside, Sugarcube? There's plenty of pie for everybody."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to having some pie as well, it's just... there was actually something I've been meaning to ask you, since we left Sugarcube Corner." Sunset began. "You know that new girl that Mrs. Cake hired, Sugar Belle?"

"Oh yeah, she's a real sweetheart." Applejack nodded, recalling meeting her for the first time. "What about her?"

"Well, she said that while you were sitting at one of the tables, you actually mentioned that something about the way she spoke, it reminded you of me?" Sunset questioned.

"Ah, that's pretty true when it comes to Sugar Belle." Applejack nodded, her eyes lighting up with recognition. "Yeah, she's got this way of talkin' that's all sweet and proper, just like how you used to be, shortly before the Dazzlings came to CHS. She's got her own charm too, such as this way of stringin' words together, similar to how you did, before you started hangin' out with us more. Made me think of how much you've changed since we met, and how much we've all grown together as a group."

"It's nice to know that I left a positive impression on you, Applejack." Sunset took a deep breath, stepping closer to her. "Sugar Belle does have a certain... innocence to her, I suppose it's comforting to be reminded of who I used to be before I fully integrated myself into the group. But thanks to all of you, I've learned what true friendship is, and I'm so much happier for it. Speaking of growing and changing, there's something else I've been meaning to tell you all, and it's been weighing on me."

"We're all willin' to lend an ear for you, Sunset." Applejack assured. "Let's head on inside and discuss it over some apple pie?"

"Sounds wonderful, and let's just say, I hope you'll all be pretty understanding about it..." Sunset replied.

Chapter 8: The Times They Are A-Changin'

Sunset and her friends had just finished having some apple pie within Applejack's dining room, enjoying the savory cinnamon flavor within each bite. Once they sipped on some milk to wash it all down, Applejack began to bring the focus of the other girls over to Sunset, recalling that her friend wanted to share something important. It was speculated at first that this most likely had something to do with graduation, or relating to the song they were going to perform. Regardless of what was supposedly weighing Sunset down, Applejack picked up a spoon from her kitchen's counter and tapped on a glass to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, y'all." Applejack continuously tapped her glass a few times. "Now that you've all seen what a great cook that Granny Smith is, I think Sunset here has something weighing on her, that she'd like to tell us. What's on your mind, Sunset?"

Sunset knew that it didn't seem like the right time to inform her friends on her decision in potentially leaving the Human World for good, as it still seemed rather out of nowhere, especially after learning that most of her friends weren't particularly planning on moving away. But regardless of how sudden and direct this decision would've come across, she knew that it was necessary to do what was needed, especially given how time was running out. After meeting with Princess Twilight and Starlight Glimmer, she had already stuck with the idea to spend her time off in Equestria for about a week, before finalizing her decision after graduation.

"Well, I do have something to tell all of you, and it's kind of a big deal." Sunset began. "I've been thinking a lot about the future for us all after graduation, and I've decided... maybe it's time that I take a little time off during this upcoming week."

"Time off?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Sunset? Did something happen?"

"You know how it all began, right?" Sunset reflected. "How I came into this world, and started a new life and friendship with you all? I betrayed my former mentor, Princess Celestia, purely out of my own pride and curiosity in exploring a mirror that I had no position to mess around with, which ended up trapping me here for quite a while. Because of that one bad decision I made, I've pretty much adapted my life here as a human, even though I'm naturally supposed to be a unicorn with a magical horn. I've also realized that ever since the Friendship Games, I've just been feeling a bit... out of place in this world."

"Sunset, dear, I can't say I fully understand what you're going through, but I know that your heart is as golden as any angel in the world." Rarity gave her input. "You've proven yourself to be a true friend through thick and thin, and we've all grown so much together. But if you truly feel the need to take some time away, we'll support you, no matter what."

"Agreed." Applejack nodded. "You've been through a heck of a lot, Sunset. Sometimes, a little break can help ya sort things out. Just remember, you've got a home here with us, and you're always welcome, whenever you want to come see us. Especially since, goin' off of our previous conversation, none of us are plannin' on movin' away."

Sunset took a deep breath, looking around at her friends. Their support meant the world to her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this decision was bigger than just needing a break. This entailed potentially leaving the Human World for good, to return back to her natural life back in Equestria, and satisfy her aspirations to continue studying magic like she had done many years ago. But unfortunately, as wonderful as this idea seemed on paper, Sunset couldn't ignore the unavoidable aspect of abandoning these girls.

She had already abandoned Princess Celestia for so long, and she couldn't imagine possibly losing touch with her human friends as well, especially given how they were technically the very first ones in her life, whom she had fully embraced her friendship and happiness with. Sunset kept feeling conflicted that even if her friends were fine with the idea, it would've still seemed selfish of her, and that she wouldn't want these girls to think poorly of her in their years after CHS, or even forget about her, altogether.

"Thank you, Applejack." Sunset replied. "I know you girls are always there for me, and I appreciate that, more than you know. But... I think this might be more than just a break, let's just say. It's about figuring out where I truly belong, since I've been torn between two worlds for so long, and that maybe now's the time to explore that. Rainbow, Twilight, I know that you both specifically had a special experience with going through Equestria as ponies, maybe you two can understand me on the same level?"

"Sunset, I understand how you feel." Twilight said. "After going through so much, it's natural to want to find your place, and remember, you're not alone in this. Whether it's in Equestria or here, you have friends who care about you deeply."

"Second it." Rainbow added, before recalling her own experience. "It was certainly an unusually satisfying experience going through that Equestria place, but all the same, I'm personally happy to be back in the world that I belong in. Nothing against being a pony, it's just... I'd rather keep one life, and one life only. But out of curiosity, Sunset, what exactly are you looking for back in Equestria, when you say you want to explore?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Rainbow, it's just... I feel like I have unfinished business there, in a way." Sunset scratched her own head. "After what happened with Princess Celestia, I feel like I need to go back and take an extended period to reconcile with her, especially since I didn't have too much time to make amends with her last time. Aside from that... I don't know, maybe this time off in Equestria will help me find myself again, especially when it comes to studying magic. It's not just about that, it's also finding a balance between the world where I came from, and the world where I've established a second home. Don't get me wrong, I've built so much here with you girls over the years, but I constantly feel like I miss my old life."

"Sunset..." Fluttershy spoke softly, her eyes filled with understanding. "We've all seen the incredible growth you've gone through here, and how much you've changed for the better. If you truly feel like you need to go back to Equestria for a week, we'll support you, no matter what. Just remember that we're your friends, and that friendship transcends worlds. If you find your path there, we'll be happy for you, and once you come back for graduation, our hearts will be open to welcome you again."

The rest of the girls all nodded and murmured in agreement, going along with the idea that this break from the Human World was only for a short while, and that things would go back to normal next week. Although happy to hear that her friends were incredibly understanding and supportive of her decision, Sunset didn't believe they fully understood what she truly meant.

This trip back home would potentially result in her staying in Equestria for good, and not coming back to the Human World. It wasn't a temporary vacation that would simply last a week, and very possible that things could change drastically, following the graduation at CHS. However, knowing that her friends all seemed fine with her decision in spending her week off in Equestria, Sunset felt that this was all she needed to hear for the time being, and that she would discuss final decisions after her break from here.

"Thanks girls." Sunset replied with a gentle smile, though it was clear there was still a tint of sadness in her voice, which Twilight took notice of. "But before I go, I want to make sure that all of us have the best possible graduation, and that includes the performance we've been planning. So, let's not let my little trip affect our preparations, all right?"

"You betcha, Sunset." Applejack winked. "We'll keep the home fires burnin' and the practice sessions rollin' while you're away, so we insist that you make the most of your time there."

"Besides, we're definitely no strangers to doing rush jobs for songs." Rainbow added. "How else would we have bested those Dazzlings and the rest of the competition, back during the Battle of the Bands?"

"Indeed, I still can't wrap my head around how well we were able to pull that off, it was quite the fiasco." Rarity nodded. "And as much as I'd love to see Sunset compose the rest of this song with us, her well-being is far more important. If this is what she feels is best for herself, then we must support her. Don't you worry, Sunset, we'll keep everything in tip-top shape until you return."

"We've already gotten a pretty solid idea on the direction you want to take with this song, so I just know that sooner or later, we'll come up with something, just like we always have." Fluttershy smiled. "I hope you enjoy your time off back in Equestria, to finish tying up loose ends, or get an idea on how well you like it there, now that you've learned everything you need to know about friendship. But Sunset, what if you find out that you're happier in Equestria and decide to stay? We'll all miss you so much..."

Hearing this, Sunset's sadness in the idea became visible again, but mostly to Twilight. This was exactly the dilemma she had in mind, and the driving point behind why she seemed so hesitant towards the idea, even though she knew internally that it was what she wanted for herself. Sunset was correct when interpreting that the girls had misunderstood her proposal from earlier, believing that this was simply a temporary escape, and that she'd come back and continue her old life with them, once the week was up. Sunset took a deep breath and entertained the thought of Equestria not being as wonderfully magical and whimsical as she had remembered, especially given how drastically things might've changed since she was last there. As such, Sunset began speaking up, going along with the idea that this stay was actually temporary.

"I don't know what'll happen after I get back from Equestria." Sunset gave her input on the situation. "In the end, however, maybe I'll find that I truly do belong back here with you all. But what I do know is that you girls will always be my friends, and I'll never forget the amazing times we've had together. I genuinely have a strong feeling that most likely, I'll still come back to be with you all, since you're not only my friends, but even my family in this world. I'm happy to hear that you're all cool with me taking some time off, but this is just a week, after all. And who knows, maybe I'll miss you all so much that I'll write the next hit song for us, right there."

"You'd better come back with some crazy inspiration, or I'm gonna have to challenge you to an epic guitar solo battle, Shimmer." Rainbow Dash said, playfully sticking her tongue out at her. "Actually, I'm not being serious about that, but you get the idea. Hopefully we can compare what we came up with before graduation, and have a little time to rehearse everything."

"I'll try to keep the magic of music in mind, but I can't make any promises." Sunset winked. "I'm not exactly known for my guitar skills, unlike you, Rainbow. But I'll do my best to make sure that our performance is the best it can be."

"Don't you mean... awesome as I wanna be?" Rainbow reiterated her lyrics from her past guitar solo.

"Well, if we're going to come up with further lyrics, I'd heavily advise that we not make them seem so shameless." Sunset giggled, imagining how awkward of a performance it would be with that particular direction. "That aside, now that I have an idea on my plans next week, I guess I should start getting ready for my trip back to Equestria. Starting tomorrow, I'll only have about five days to make the most of my time there before graduation, so I'll need to leave, first thing in the morning."

"We hope you'll have a wonderful time in that Equestria place, darling." Rarity encouraged. "You've always had a flair for the exquisite things in life, but I can't help but feel that there's more to your decision than you're letting on. Is there something specific that you're hoping to find in Equestria by taking some time away from here?"

"Not really something, but rather... someone, whom I've never really gotten a chance to meet directly, yet I still occasionally think about them to this day." Sunset replied, alluding to her biological parents. "When I get home, I may have to start planning out my entire schedule for my week in Equestria, but who knows? With how much there is to do back in my home world, I might just go along with anything interesting that I come across."

"Well, if you need any help packing, you know you've got friends here to help ya out." Applejack reminded. "You've got a lot to bring back with ya, if you know what I mean. We ourselves did see Equestria for a brief while once, but didn't really get the full experience ourselves, so it'd be nice to hear about your adventures once you come back."

"I'd love to hear about it too, Sunset, I'm sure it'll be riveting." Fluttershy added. "I still can't get over the idea that magic burping dragons are that world's equivalent of sending emails, it sounds both convenient and adorable."

"It's definitely more entertaining than text messages, that's for sure." Sunset's smile grew a bit more genuine at the thought of getting to see this in action once more. "I'll be sure to keep a journal of my experiences, so I can share it all with you when I get back. Maybe it'll even give us some inspiration for our next band reunion."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea." Rarity nodded. "It's rather unfortunate that Pinkie isn't here to add her usual... flair to our band activities. But I'm sure that if she were here right now, she'd understand the importance of this trip for you, as well. I know deep down that Pinkie's always been so supportive of our endeavors."

"Speaking of Pinkie, I noticed something interesting in the music room today." Sunset remembered when she was searching the school for her friends. "Did you girls, by any chance have Pinkie organize some kind of graduation gift exchange? I knew Pinkie Pie always had a knack for organizing heartfelt surprises, and the timing couldn't be more perfect."

"Actually, Sunset, it was me who had the idea for the graduation gift exchange." Twilight spoke up. "I figured it would be a nice way to celebrate everyone's achievements, and to thank each other for the friendship we've shared over the years. But of course, Pinkie was more than happy to help with the preparations and add her own special touch to the gifts, she really does have a talent for making people feel special."

"Besides, if Pinkie truly was behind everything, I'd reckon she'd go through more of an effort to make it a real surprise, rather than just leavin' the presents out in the open like that." Applejack surmised.

"Well, all the same, I'm really touched that you all took the time to get me something." Sunset smiled at her friends. "I'll have to think hard about what to get each of you in return. I don't want to disappoint, especially since we're all graduating together."

"No no, we've all planned out our own gifts already, weeks ago." Twilight clarified. "The idea being, this was our way of thanking you for being a great friend to us all, even through the more difficult times."

"After all, I've learned over time that throughout the lower points of life, you'll learn who your true friends are." Fluttershy recalled her own experiences. "Just like how even though I wanted to transfer schools altogether because of Gilda, Rainbow Dash was able to convince me otherwise, and assure me that she'd always have my back."

"Likewise, you've always been there for us, Sunset, even when we somehow believed you weren't our friend." Rainbow commended. "I can't imagine what we'd do without you, you've always been the leader of the group who holds us all together."

"The point being, we're absolutely not expecting anything in return from you at all, Sunset." Twilight continued. "I may or may not have gotten inspiration from your dedication during the holidays last year, going through all that trouble to get the storage key from your locker, purely to ensure that those children would get their presents for the Toys for Kids Festival. We simply want to reward you for being that noble and trustworthy friend for so long, and to let you know that your efforts shall not go unnoticed."

"Wow, I had no idea that I had made such an impact on you all." Sunset felt a new sense of gratitude. "I guess I've been so caught up in my own thoughts, that I didn't realize how much I've been appreciated, but I suppose that's what friends are for, right? After all, if it wasn't for you girls, I'd imagine that I'd still be that rebellious, nasty, and tyrannical school bully, who would've never found her true place in life. You girls are admittedly the very first friends I've ever made, and technically speaking, from a completely different world, too. It's pretty astonishing to think how unique of a pony I must be, purely because of this."

"You've definitely come a long way, Sunset." Rainbow winked in approval. "To tell you the truth, we wouldn't be the same without you either, you've taught us all so much about friendship and ourselves. So by all means, enjoy your week off, do what you need to do, and have a real blast. Just don't forget to send us some postcards from Equestria, yeah? Or whatever Equestria usually prefers to deliver their mail."

"I suppose I'll keep that in mind, though I think the easiest way we can keep in touch is by writing through magical journals." Sunset pondered, before going through her bag and remembering what she had picked up a while ago. "Yeah, in fact, I seem to recall that when I went back to Equestria during the Memory Stone incident, I met up with Princess Twilight to do some research on that artifact. While I was in a restricted section of the library, Twilight gave me this spare magical journal, similar to the journals we use to write to each other. She gave it to me in case I needed to send some more messages seeking guidance, but I guess I've forgotten about it up until now, though I've held onto it all this time."

"Oh, how utterly enchanting!" Rarity exclaimed with excitement. "I do hope it still works, it's such a clever invention, really. It's like having a piece of Equestria with us here in our world, even if we're more accustomed with text messages or emails."

"Let's see, I think I can test it out real quick, just to see if it'll work." Sunset pulled out a pen from her bag, and began writing in the journal.

Not long after writing on her own journal's page, she could immediately see the same writing appear almost instantaneously within the spare journal, as if it truly was the equivalent of a text message, but with magic instead. Feeling assured that this would be an excellent way for her to keep in touch with the girls, even while in Equestria, Sunset smiled and closed the journal, before handing it to Twilight.

"Here, Twilight." Sunset put the journal into Twilight's lap. "I want you to be the messenger in case something comes up while I'm away, and I'll be sure to get back to you if I'm not too busy. It's pretty fitting, considering how Princess Twilight's always been my main source of connection to Equestria, while I'm in this world."

"Of course, I'll make sure to keep everyone updated on how you're doing, and I'll be here to help with any advice you might need, just like always." Twilight took the journal with a gentle smile, flipping through the pages to admire the intricate magical details that seemed to glow faintly with power. "It's not every day that a scientist like myself gets to play around with unexplainable contraptions like this, that exist purely due to magic."

"Heck, maybe if I find some source of inspiration back in Equestria for our song, I could also share it with you girls through there." Sunset imagined Equestria holding all sorts of surprises that could help her come up with new and original ideas. "But most importantly, since you girls have been worried about this Gilda girl, and suspect that she could be hiding somewhere around the city, please don't hesitate to contact me if you by some chance end up running into her. Unless something else comes up in Equestria that might prevent me from returning for a while, I'll be sure to come back and help you all deal with her, together."

"Don't you worry, Sunset." Rainbow assured. "We'll keep our eyes peeled, and we'll keep each other safe. Besides, I've got a feeling that if Gilda tries anything again, she'll have to face all of us together, and she won't know what hit her. But hey, we still don't know for certain if it truly is Gilda, so for all we know, she's still doing her time behind bars, and we can just let the police deal with whoever's responsible for these mysterious robberies."

"I'm just glad to hear that Granny's cash goin' missin' was simply a little misunderstandin', and not a sign of things to come." Applejack sighed in relief. "But just cause this was somehow unrelated to what happened in that news article, I still say we should keep our guards up."

"You're right, Applejack, we can't just assume that everything will be fine." Twilight nodded solemnly, her eyes reflecting the seriousness of the situation. "Even though Sunset's going to Equestria, we need to stay vigilant. It's strange, but sometimes it feels like trouble has a habit of following us around. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for anything unusual, and we can use this magical journal to stay connected."

"You girls know I'm always here to help, even if I'm in a different world." Sunset said with confidence. "But let's not let potential trouble overshadow our preparations for graduation, we've got a performance to knock out of the park, and I want us to go out with a bang. Until we reach that point however, I guess this is goodbye for now? I'll have to make some necessary preparations before going back, and gradually plan out where in Equestria I'll be exploring, but I'm sure I can also figure it out along the way."

"We'll certainly miss you, Sunset." Rarity reached out to give Sunset a gentle hug, feeling the warmth of their friendship in the embrace. "But I have a feeling that this week in Equestria will be nothing short of enchanting for you."

"Please be sure to enjoy your time there." Fluttershy came up to give Sunset a hug as well. "It's not every day one gets to visit a world of magic and wonder, even if it's your own home."

"Remember to take in all the beauty Equestria has to offer, Sugarcube." Applejack joined in on the hugging. "I just know it'll help you find the balance you're looking for."

"And don't forget to tell us if you find any cool new moves for us to add to our performances!" Rainbow Dash gave the final hug to Sunset. "We'll stay here at AJ's for a bit longer to work on the rest of the lyrics, and if you ever feel the need to keep in touch, you'll know where to find us."

The rest of the girls then turned to Twilight, still holding the journal in her hands, but remaining skeptical about some of Sunset's body language from earlier. She knew Sunset was going through a lot, and she didn't want her to face the unknown alone, so she felt the need to perhaps accompany her a bit longer.

"Twilight, dear?" Rarity spoke up from her chair. "Don't you want to say goodbye to Sunset?"

"I will, but before I do, I think I'll accompany her on the way back to her apartment." Twilight replied. "It's not every day you return to Equestria, after all, so I know how special this must be for her. Speaking of which, Sunset, I think I also want to talk to you about something else along the way, if that's fine?"

Sunset nodded, feeling a mix of comfort and unease at Twilight's offer. She knew that Twilight was perceptive and had most likely noticed her earlier hesitation in their discussion. As they stepped out into the warm summer air, she took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of apple blossoms from Applejack's orchard. The clouds kept cruising along the blue skies above them, as they strolled down the quiet street, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the stillness. Sooner or later, the duo found themselves in the middle of a park, where nobody else was around. It was by this point, Twilight felt it was the right time to have a heart-to-heart talk with Sunset, deducing that there seemed to be a lot more meaning behind this trip.

"I know we all support your decision in returning to Equestria for a week, but I can't help but feel that there's something else you're not telling us." Twilight began, her eyes searching Sunset's for any signs of doubt or fear. "I don't mean to pry, but is there by any chance, something specific you're looking for, or perhaps something you fear to leave behind?"

"Well to tell you the truth, it's not just about finding something or someone back in Equestria." Sunset began explaining. "It's more about finding myself, and understanding who I truly am. This visit to Equestria isn't just centered around seeing how much I've changed or figuring out if I belong here or there. It's about embracing my past, present, and future, especially with how much things are going to change after graduation."

"I know you're feeling a bit lost right now, Sunset, but you do have a home here with us." Twilight reminded. "We're all going through changes as we grow, but you don't have to face them alone."

"As much as I've looked forward to graduation, I've admittedly even dreaded this day would come, ever since the Friendship Games at CHS." Sunset reflected. "By that point, I was very well integrated with our friends, to where I could never imagine the possibility of abandoning them. But even then, I've always had this lingering feeling that there's much more excitement for me back in Equestria, and that staying here as a human has just limited my potential. I grew up as a unicorn who specialized in magic, and I just feel... out of place in this ordinary world where everything runs on science or technology screens."

"I understand your feelings, Sunset, but I think you're selling yourself short." Twilight began to get a better understanding on Sunset's situation. "You've done so much here, learned so much about friendship and how to be a better person, that's a kind of magic all on its own. Maybe this trip will help you see that you can blend the two aspects of yourself, rather than choosing one over the other."

"That's what I'm hoping for, Twilight." Sunset nodded in agreement. "I just need to figure out if Equestria still feels like home to me, or if I've truly found a new one here. Because if I do end up leaning more towards the belief that Equestria has always been my true home, that means..."

"So it sounds like my hunch was correct." Twilight put a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "This isn't simply a one-week vacation back to Equestria for you, you're actually thinking of potentially leaving this world for good, embracing everything we've taught you about friendship over the years, and considering rebuilding your old life back in Equestria?"

Sunset looked down at the ground, her thoughts racing, as the park's serene ambiance was contrasted sharply with the turmoil in her mind. She took a moment to gather her words before speaking.

"Sounds like you've completely read my mind." Sunset sighed. "I've come to cherish you all, and this world so much, but there's still so much more of me that's tied to Equestria. I want to explore my heritage, understand my magic, and find out if I can still make a difference there. However, I also have the internal fear, what if I go back and realize that I don't fit in anymore, and that I've changed too much? I've gotten used to walking on two legs for so long, that I've forgotten I'm supposed to be a pony on all four's."

"Sunset, change can be scary, but it's also incredibly powerful." Twilight reminded. "It's what allowed you to become the amazing person you are today, and you even helped me change for the better too. Without you, I'd most likely still be that unsocial bookworm at Crystal Prep Academy, and jumping through all sorts of hoops, just to convince Principal Cinch to give me an honorary recommendation to my dream university. I have faith that you'll find your place, whether it's here or in Equestria. Just remember, no matter where you go, you'll always have friends who believe in you."

"Thanks Twilight, that means a lot to me." Sunset paused, her eyes glistening slightly. "I guess it's just that I'm afraid of the unknown, since I've grown so much here, but part of me feels like I'm still running from who I was in Equestria. But if I can face my past and still hold onto what I've learned from all of you, then maybe... I'll finally be at peace with my identity. I mean, I know I'm not the only pony from Equestria who's experienced this world, but as far as I'm aware, I'm the only one of those ponies who've dedicated a good chunk of their life here."

"I know you're feeling torn, but I think this trip could be incredibly enlightening for you." Twilight continued. "It's important to explore your roots and understand where you come from, even if it's not where you end up. And please always remember, you're an amazing person and a wonderful friend to us all."

"I appreciate the kind words." Sunset looked up at her friend. "It's just been so frustrating, I've been wrestling with this for so long, and it's been eating away at me, like a storm brewing inside that I need to weather out. I just hope that once I do, I'll find the clarity I need to make the right choice, but until then, I'm going to cherish every moment we have before graduation, and I'll do my best to keep you all updated."

"We'll be here for you, Sunset." Twilight kept assuring. "And who knows, maybe you'll find a way to make both worlds your home. After all, you've already proven that you can certainly bridge the gap between them, whether it'd be staying in touch with a magical journal, or going through that portal."

"Maybe I can, Twilight." Sunset nodded. "Perhaps I'm just looking for that perfect harmony between my life here and my heritage in Equestria. I've got a week to figure it out, and I'm going to make the most of it. I guess the main thing that's been holding me back is... just the thought of actually enjoying my experience in Equestria too much, to where I suddenly forget about the very friends who've helped me build my happiness and friendship skills for so long. It just feels selfish for me to metaphorically move away, and abandon you all."

"Sunset, it's not selfish to seek your own happiness and identity." Twilight replied. "You've earned the right to explore who you are, and if that means spending time in Equestria, then by all means. We'll support you, and we'll be here for you, no matter what you choose. I understand it may be disheartening to hear that the rest of the girls aren't planning on moving away, but as far as I'm aware, that could simply be wishful thinking on their part. Who knows, once they get into the job market, or things don't really work out as they expected, they could very easily change their plans on a whim like that. The same could be said for all of our other friends and classmates at CHS, especially when a good number of them are planning on moving away, going to university, or whatever direction in life they plan to take."

Sunset gave this some deep thought, and realized that Twilight's reasoning was on point. It seemed as if Sunset had focused too much on other people's expectations, that she had neglected the most vital aspect of her own life to keep her going, her happiness.

"You're right, Twilight." Sunset felt she finally had the wakeup call she needed. "I've been so caught up in what I think everyone expects of me, that I've neglected my own needs. I guess I just want to make sure that if I do decide to stay in Equestria, I'm not leaving anyone behind or hurting anyone's feelings. Before I do end up making the ultimate decision, I feel as though I need to get more acquainted with the ponies back in Equestria, to see if they're also willing to welcome me with open hands, err... hooves, I mean. As far as I'm aware, it's primarily Princess Twilight, Princess Celestia, and Starlight Glimmer, whom I can look forward to meeting again, back in Equestria."

"Hmm, that's true, but I seem to also recall you vaguely sharing your experiences at this old magical school." Twilight pondered. "What was it called again, the School For Gifted Unicorns, or something like that? Didn't you mention something about a few classmates you had there, who wanted to hang out with you?"

"Yeah, they were certainly friendly and welcoming towards me, but I sadly didn't give them the same courtesy." Sunset sighed, regretting how she treated her old classmates. "Back when I was Princess Celestia's pupil, my arrogance had somehow led me to delude myself into believing that nothing mattered more than my academic performance, and that anyone who wanted to be my friend was only doing so for 'special treatment', since I was the princess's prized pupil. Even if that was the case, I shouldn't have instantly shut everyone out, believing that anyone willing to hang out with me just wanted to copy my homework. As you can imagine, Princess Celestia didn't take this lightly, and it was only the first step contributing to our animosity, and eventually, my resentment towards her."

"I know you regret what happened in the past, but remember, that was a long time ago, and you've changed so much since then." Twilight reminded her once more. "I'm sure if you reach out to them again with a more open heart, they'll see that. Besides, you're not the same pony you were back then, and they've likely grown and changed as well, it's never too late to mend those bridges."

"I'll definitely try to reconnect with them, if I get the chance." Sunset promised. "What about you, Twilight? Have you kept in touch with the Shadowbolts back at Crystal Prep Academy?"

"I've at least kept an eye on them from afar." Twilight's gaze drifted off into the distance. "They've all gone their separate ways, but I hope they've found their paths to true happiness, just as you have. It's a journey we all go through, and it's the toughest lessons that make the biggest impact. I still wouldn't particularly call them my friends, especially given our rough histories as classmates. Sugarcoat was always jealous of me, being ranked the #2 student herself, Indigo Zap had a habit of bribing her classmates higher grades, and the rest of the girls... well, they all contributed to stealing Rarity's dance choreography that one time. I think that alone says a lot about them, even after we had inadvertently gotten Principal Cinch fired from her position."

"I remember that, it was quite the chaotic experience." Sunset reflected. "But it did bring us together, and ultimately, it was because of that experience, that we learned about true friendship and how to be a team. Perhaps we encouraged your old classmates to embrace friendship as well, but considering how blatant they were, willing to plagiarize Rarity's hard work, yeah, I can see where you're coming from. Speaking of which, you actually mentioned earlier that... Indigo Zap supposedly bullied a student at Crystal Prep Academy so badly, that they ended up dropping out of school, completely?"

"During my first few weeks there, I kept vaguely hearing other students gossip about it, especially after getting the fresh word that I earned the top ranking, faster than any other student in the entire school's history." Twilight began explaining. "A few students even began joking around that I should be watching out for Indigo, considering what she did to her last victim. I didn't know what to make of it at first, but aside from Indigo poking fun at me a few times for being smart, nothing ever came of it. I barely even interacted with her, and just continued focusing on my studies, like normal."

"Hmm, that's the first time I'm hearing about Indigo Zap being that much of a supposed troublemaker." Sunset said. "I couldn't have imagined that she'd be capable of doing such a thing to any student, but if it's true, then it's certainly heartbreaking, and a stark reminder of how much damage a lack of empathy can cause. But I also know that people can change, and perhaps with enough time and the right influences, even Indigo could find her way. Maybe she even regrets what she did, and realized that she truly took it too far?"

"Perhaps you're right, but I almost want to believe that the schoolwork ethic and expectations of Crystal Prep Academy have truly adapted those girls to stick with those mindsets, possibly for the rest of their lives." Twilight shrugged. "After all, some of them even hinted that after they graduate, they don't even plan on spending a penny in college. Instead, they'd rather just take the easy way out, and snatch a free position in any job, thanks to their parents' connections, especially considering how rich they are. I can't really imagine that would end well for whatever company they end up choosing, if they don't truly understand the responsibilities of hard work, if that makes any sense?"

"It does, Twilight." Sunset thought about her own work ethics, back when she was Princess Celestia's most prized pupil. "It's one of the things I've come to appreciate about this world, you can't just rely on your status or your family's name to get ahead, you actually have to work for it. And speaking of working hard, I just know that any company out there would want to hire you after graduation. Who knows, maybe you'll end up being the one to revolutionize the science department in this city's Institution of Technology."

"Well, I do hope to make a difference, but let's not get ahead of ourselves." Twilight giggled. "We still have a graduation to get through first, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of surprises along the way when I'm off to college. Now then, I hope that this talk has helped you reshaped what this return and decision will entail for you, me, and the rest of our friends, and that you'll be able to completely focus on enjoying your time off?"

"Yeah, I really think this was a nice way for us to bond for a bit, especially after all we've been through together." Sunset leaned in for a big hug. "Thank you for being there for me, I think I'm ready to face Equestria with a clearer mind and an open heart. I'm looking forward to seeing how things have changed, and maybe even rediscovering parts of myself I left behind. But even then, it'll still depend on how well things go with everypony back in Equestria, and if they're willing to accept me back again, especially with how much everything must've changed since then. I mean... I even got to meet Princess Luna for the first time, even though I was told that she was banished to the moon while I was Princess Celestia's pupil."

"Sounds like there's plenty of exciting things for you to do there." Twilight returned the hug. "It's been quite the journey for both of us, and I'm happy to have been a part of it. As for Equestria, I'm sure that with your newfound appreciation for friendship and kindness, you'll find your place. Well, since you still have to prepare for a bit before leaving, I guess this is goodbye until next week?"

"Sounds good to me." Sunset finished the hug, before waving goodbye and jogging away. "I'll see you and the rest of the girls at graduation, but until then, I should go clean out my locker at CHS. Have fun composing our performance song with the rest of the girls!"

Chapter 9: Sincere Siren's Song

After that heartfelt exchange with Twilight, Sunset made her way back to CHS, as she realized there was still the matter of cleaning out her locker. Her plan on returning to Equestria seemed to be coming together rather nicely, and it was wonderful that the rest of the Rainbooms were more than willing to be supportive of her decision. She still had yet to find out where Pinkie Pie was, but figured that knowing the energetic party planner quite well, Pinkie would most likely support this leave of absence, just like the other girls. Despite this feeling, Sunset realized it would still be a good idea to perhaps find Pinkie and let her know of these plans, considering how close they truly were, especially after the events of the Starswirled Music Festival.

As Sunset entered through CHS's front doors, she immediately went over to her locker, once again having a sharp feeling of sentiment in regards to all the memories she's made here. Regardless of what decision she'd end up making in the end, once this week was up, she would be leaving this school behind, one way or another. It almost seemed reminiscent of what ended up happening back at the School For Gifted Unicorns, but unlike her old school, where she focused way too much on being an overachiever, she would instead be leaving CHS with the happiest memories. Everything seemed to be in order, especially after her last visit to Princess Celestia, where the princess herself acknowledged the vast change and newfound strength in her former pupil.

Whilst thinking of her old mentor just then, Sunset coincidentally saw Principal Celestia approaching in her direction, ready to make final arrangements within her office. The principal was holding a clipboard with various documents attached, before bringing her attention towards Sunset, and preparing to exchange a few words with her soon-to-be graduated student.

"Ah, Sunset, how nice to run into you, considering there aren't any classes for the seniors today." Principal Celestia greeted. "I trust you're feeling ready for the grand finale next week? After all, I've been hearing word from the students that our staff assigned too much homework, but it sounds like everyone's persevered enough to get to where we are now."

"I am, Principal Celestia." Sunset nodded, as she reflected her own times here at the school. "It's been quite the journey, but I'm ready to see this through to the end. To be honest, I feel like the luckiest girl in the entire school, considering what happened years ago at the Fall Formal. I'll always be forever grateful that you didn't end up expelling me for that incident."

"Indeed, I'm glad I was able to even see the potential in you back then." Celestia offered a gentle smile. "You've come so far, and it's been a delight to watch your transformation throughout your years here at CHS. But remember, you're not leaving us entirely, you'll be an alumna, and your friends here will always be a part of you, no matter what you plan on doing out there in the real world."

"You've been nothing but understanding and supportive, even when I was at my worst." Sunset said. "I'll definitely cherish the times I've had here, and the friendships I've made, especially considering how much I've learned from everyone, especially my friends. I'm just admittedly worried about... a potential problem that my friends and I have been discussing."

"Hmm, I do have a few minutes before my next scheduled meeting." Celestia took a look at a nearby clock. "Would you like to discuss it with me, perhaps I could give you some advice in regards to whatever is troubling you."

"Well, when I say it's a potential problem, I mean in the sense that... none of us really know for sure yet if this problem's truly lurking around the corner, or if we're all just being paranoid." Sunset began explaining. "My friends revealed a bit of a dark history regarding CHS, supposedly before I even came to the school, myself. And it was during this time that most of the students had one common fear, that being some girl named Gilda. I'm sure you're well familiar with who that is? According to my friends, she was the only student in this school's history who ever got expelled?"

"Normally, I'm not supposed to disclose information that is typically considered confidential across the schoolboard, but yes, I know exactly who you're talking about." Celestia replied. "She was quite the troublemaker back in the day, and while she initially seemed like a very bright and creative girl, she didn't exactly channel her energy in the most constructive ways. I've heard absolutely nothing in regards to what happened to her after she left the school, and even if I did, I wouldn't be allowed to talk about it. Tell me, Sunset, what specifically has you and your friends concerned?"

"It's just that we've heard whispers and hints that she might be coming back, and with the way she left the school, it's not exactly a comforting thought." Sunset recalled everything her friends had said, regarding this mysterious girl. "I understand that you may have to keep certain pieces of information private, but if I may just ask out of curiosity? After hearing about what Gilda did to my friends and the rest of the school, it still didn't seem like it could compare with what I did, especially becoming an actual demon. I also spent a majority of my time back then, ruling with an iron fist, and bullying everyone to get what I wanted. Based on my past actions, how come you decided to expel Gilda, but not me?"

"Without going too far into details, I can at least give you a brief summary of how I came to that decision." Celestia reflected. "Gilda was always a troubled soul who chose her own path willfully, and without the influence of an external force of corruption. Her actions were her own, and she refused to accept responsibility for the hurt she caused, even when my sister and I both offered to give her a chance to turn things around, before her life would change forever."

Sunset listened on, realizing that Celestia was most likely referring to that ultimatum near the end, to where Gilda still ended up willingly going to prison, rather than taking responsibility for her wrongdoings.

"As for you, Sunset, your case was actually quite different." Celestia continued. "Twilight explained everything to me, shortly following the Fall Formal Dance, and I was admittedly skeptical at first, even after witnessing such a supernatural occurrence, upfront. All I remember hearing is that it had something to do with the crown, and when it was removed, you were remorseful for your actions. You had a genuine desire to atone, which is something that Gilda most certainly did not possess. And despite how tough everything must've been in the beginning, you were still willing to go forward with forming a friendship with those you've wronged, which said a lot about your strength and character."

"I see, so it was more about the intention behind the actions, rather than just the actions themselves." Sunset nodded thoughtfully. "I've learned so much since then, and I'm truly grateful for that chance. Though based on what my friends mentioned about Gilda, she actually recorded herself doing certain misdeeds, and shifted the blame onto other students. She even posted it online to MyStable, so I'm admittedly also curious as to how with even such incriminating evidence against her, it took her that long to get caught?"

"Ah, yes, the digital age brings forth new challenges, doesn't it?" Principal Celestia sighed, her eyes reflecting the weight of past incidents. "The truth is, we had our suspicions about Gilda for quite some time, but her methods of manipulation were subtle at first, and she had a way of turning the students against each other. Sometimes, it's the students who were their own harshest critics, causing the most significant harm to their own mental health and relationships. And considering other unfortunate events related to MyStable, I do believe it was a wise decision to have our school's technician block access to that website on all of our school computers."

"I can see how that would be a problem." Sunset remembered the Anon-a-Miss situation all too well, especially with how it all started on that particular website. "And it's good to know that you had the foresight to protect the students from such negativity."

"Despite everything I just said about Gilda, admittedly... part of me even regrets the decision to expel her from CHS." Celestia opened up. "Back then, I didn't think much of it. A persistent troublemaker being severely punished for their crimes just sounded like the most obvious route to take. But when I gave you that second chance, and watched how much progress you've made, academically and socially amongst all the other students, that was when I realized there was always hope to change somebody for the better, no matter what happened in the past."

"I can't say I'm not curious about what happened to her after she got expelled, but if she's truly changed, I hope she's found some happiness." Sunset continued pondering. "It's just... the idea of her returning is pretty worrying, I wouldn't want any of us to go through that kind of trouble again."

"I share your concerns, Sunset." Principal Celestia nodded understandingly, her gaze thoughtful. "However, we must also be open to the possibility of changing. Sometimes, when faced with our own mistakes, we can find a path to become better versions of ourselves. I've seen it in you, and I've seen it in others, notably that other girl from over a year ago, what was her name again, Mallflower Brush, was it?"

"Wallflower Blush, actually." Sunset corrected. "I wouldn't really blame you for forgetting her name, considering how she ended up making herself invisible, but yeah, that's her alright. I'm still quite proud of helping her turn over a new leaf, and becoming more seen at the school."

"If we could say the same about Gilda, perhaps we could learn something from her journey as well." Celestia believed. "But if she hasn't, I would still have faith in you and your friends to handle the situation, with the wisdom and grace that you've all shown over the years. The bonds you've forged are strong, and I'm confident you can face any challenge together."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence." Sunset smiled. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind if she does end up returning, as certain incidents have taught me that everyone deserves a chance to make things right. That being said, it doesn't mean I should be a pushover and give absolutely anyone a second chance, of course. It'll definitely depend on their current actions, and my own personal experiences with them."

"Wise words, indeed." Celestia approved of Sunset's mindset. "Now, if you don't mind, I should get back to my office, as I'm awaiting a client who chose to fill in for a role that's been vacant for months now. I'll keep an ear out for any news regarding Gilda, and if there's anything I can do to help, you know where to find me."

With a nod, Principal Celestia turned and walked away, her heels echoing in the hallway as she disappeared around the corner. Having this talk with the school principal had not only given Sunset some further insight regarding this mysterious girl that her friends have had a dark past with, but even a reminder of how to approach certain situations. As much as it would've made sense to fully punish Wallflower Blush back then, especially given the pettiness of her actions, Sunset still took the honorable path in accepting her as a friend, as she still saw the good in the once seemingly invisible girl.

After some further reflection of that one particular incident, Sunset surmised that her actions most likely stemmed from what Princess Celestia had done for her during that time, showing nothing more than forgiveness and compassion. Sunset could still very clearly recall that day she stepped into the throne room once more, feeling quite nervous. Based on her previous actions as her pupil, Sunset was expecting no mercy from the princess, and was fully prepared to receive whatever punishment her former mentor deemed worthy.

And yet despite these concerns, on top of already having to deal with the rest of the girls at CHS thinking quite poorly of her, Princess Celestia still welcomed Sunset back with open hooves, not even showing the slightest hint of anger or resentment, even after the incident with the magical mirror. Bearing this in mind, it made Sunset miss her old mentor that much more, and she was incredibly grateful to have already made amends with her during the Memory Stone incident. With the week-long trip already planned, Sunset knew that she would especially look forward to seeing Princess Celestia, Twilight, and Starlight Glimmer again. However, now that she had more time than ever to fully explore Equestria to a greater scale, the possibilities of making even newer friends just seemed endless.

"Come to think of it, exploring Equestria with my new changed self just feels like a whole new chapter of my life." Sunset said to herself, as she finished cleaning out her locker. "I'm not entirely sure at this point if I'm truly going to commit towards staying in Equestria for good after graduation, but even if I don't, at least I'll always be with the rest of the girls here."

Sunset finally finished gathering everything from her locker, and was prepared to head back to her apartment, as she knew that she'd most likely have quite the busy day tomorrow, including attending Princess Twilight's coronation. On the subject of her apartment, it suddenly dawned on Sunset that she also needed a housekeeper to take care of things around her place, especially to feed her pet, Ray. The adorable little leopard gecko surely wouldn't have a good time being stuck in his glass tank without food or water for a whole week, which prompted Sunset to perhaps look around for a potential housekeeper before she would leave for Equestria.

As Sunset exited CHS's front doors with her bag, her mind suddenly drifted onto what looked like a purple van covered in graffiti sitting in the parking lot, which somehow looked incredibly familiar. After a few moments of recollecting recent events, she soon realized that it was the van that belonged to the Dazzlings, the trio of girls who once came to CHS to start up the Battle of the Bands, and fed off of the negativity from the other students. Sunset recalled recently encountering those girls once again during the Starswirled Music Festival, when she suspected that they were the ones responsible for the never-ending time loop.

However, if the van signified that the trio had truly returned, one question kept poking Sunset at the back of her mind. Why would they come back to CHS of all places, especially considering their reputation with the rest of the school, following their ultimate defeat on stage? But before Sunset could even come up with any potential possibility in regards to the sirens making an unexpected return, a familiar pair of spiked boots stepped out of the van, along with a large orange poof of hair. Adagio Dazzle was checking the email invitation on her cell phone, before she turned around and explained everything to her sisters.

"Alright, so this is it." Adagio said to Aria and Sonata. "I know this place most likely sparks some bad memories for us all, but the principal confirmed that she's willing to meet with me to sign this deal, considering how she's been unable to find a suitable band for months."

"Are we really going to do this, Adagio?" Aria spoke up, her eyes narrowed as she glanced around the parking lot. "Not really a wise choice to return to the scene of the crime, so to speak?"

"And the principal didn't even say in the email that she's decided to hire us yet." Sonata added. "What makes you so sure she's willing to have us?"

"Look, I've read between the lines, she's desperate for talent during this graduation ceremony, and we're the best she's got." Adagio folded her arms. "Besides, we're not here to stir up trouble, we're here to make a career out of our newfound hobby, and make some decent profit while we're at it."

"But after everything that's already happened, don't you think they'll see through our charm?" Aria looked skeptical, her hand running through her hair, before turning to Sonata. "After all, we can't exactly use our old pendants anymore to get people to do what we want, isn't that right, you bigmouth?"

"Maybe not." Sonata rolled her eyes at Aria's comment. "But our music still has that little something extra that can turn any frown upside down. Besides, we've got a whole new angle to work with now, we're not just some random band looking for a gig, we're the Dazzlings, and everyone loves a good comeback story."

"Exactly, and if we play our cards right, we might just get the recognition we deserve without needing to resort to our old tricks." Adagio nodded. "Now, let's get this over with, I've got better things to do than rehash old drama."

"Like what, exactly?" Aria continued showing a lack of enthusiasm. "Because last I checked, we haven't had any other major gigs since that festival, and our landlord's been getting on our case about it."

"Relax, he's always been nice to us, remember?" Sonata reminded. "He doesn't seem to mind that much about rent being overdue, since in his own words, we're all so lucky to be quite attractive."

"Ugh, I don't know if that's supposed to be comforting or not, Sonata." Aria replied, groaning at the mention of their landlord's rather unprofessional behavior. "But if we can get this gig at CHS, I'll just be relieved that he won't be expecting us to pay him in other... creepy ways."

"Aria, that's enough, let's not go down that rabbit hole again." Adagio's eyes flashed with annoyance before she took a deep breath and turned her focus back to the task at hand. "Alright, she booked this meeting with me specifically, because as we all know, I'm the most level-headed of us three, and our only hope of convincing her that we're a good fit for this gig. We'll see how this meeting goes, but in the meantime, Aria? You'd BETTER make sure that Sonata doesn't get her guacamole-coated fingers on my credit card again."

"Yeah, yeah, don't you worry, I've got her on a strict avocado diet." Aria rolled her eyes at Adagio's sternness, but couldn't help the smirk that played at her lips. "But in all seriousness, why can't you take it with you?"

"You think I wouldn't if I could?" Adagio began reminding. "These outfits may be all flashy and appealing to the eyes, but not designed very well as far as functionality. No pockets is such an inconvenience, but not as much as the $200 charge I received on my statement, all consisting of purchases from Taco Tuesday!"

"It was just one Taco Tuesday, Adagio!" Sonata protested, her cheeks flushing slightly at the accusation. "Or... was it two? Okay, maybe seven, but it's not like it was that much."

"Just make sure I don't have to have another heated conversation with the credit card company, you're both lucky that I'll be doing all the talking in this upcoming meeting." Adagio straightened her outfit to look more presentable for Principal Celestia. "Now, let's get this show on the road."

Adagio Dazzle finally closed the van's door and began heading towards the front entrance of CHS, ready to hopefully have a simple negotiation with the principal for this upcoming graduation gig. Although trying her best to maintain a professional attitude before the actual meeting, this attempt was only short-lived, as Adagio took notice of a familiar girl in the distance. Both Sunset and Adagio's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing each other once more, before mutually giving off a cold glare, as the two girls approached one another.

"Well, I should've definitely expected to see you again, ever since you and your friends showed us the bitter taste of defeat." Adagio reflected. "It's so hard to believe it's already been this long, we haven't seen you once since the Battle of the Bands, and part of me wishes we would've kept it that way."

Hearing this, Sunset was confused at first, but then realized that this particular exchange made sense. Although Sunset still remembered confronting and accusing the Dazzlings back at the festival, it was only an alternative scenario, as a result of the Time Twirler's effects. And given how the final confrontation with Postcrush went before the artifact was smashed up, it meant that the Dazzlings had no recollection of running into Sunset at the festival, only recalling their last confrontation here at CHS. Still though, even if they were merely just a red herring last time, Sunset kept her guard up, trying to get a more clear idea on their intentions by returning.

"What do you mean by that, you manipulative witch?" Sunset put an arm on her own hip. "Why would you be back here of all places, let alone a week before graduation? You're planning on doing something to sabotage the upcoming ceremony, as revenge against me and this entire school, aren't you?"

"I see how it is, always so quick to assume the worst, hmm?" Adagio snarked, rolling her eyes at Sunset's accusations. "You really believe that my sisters and I plan on playing such childish games of petty revenge, when we can barely survive on our own without those special pendants? That being said, even though you were the primary reason for us losing our natural Equestrian magic, not everything went downhill for us. In fact, in a rather unusually ironic way, we actually grew some form of respect for you, specifically because of your actions."

"Respect for me, huh?" Sunset continued remaining skeptical. "That's certainly a new one, especially coming from you. I still remember how you tried to play into my insecurities regarding my past, and I can assure you I'm no longer that same girl who lacks confidence and self-respect. Don't try any of your tricks, buttering me up isn't going to get you anywhere this time around."

"You really don't understand, do you?" Adagio sighed, as she began trying her best to explain. "Well, if you're still so unconvinced that I'm being genuine, I'll just be frank with you. Think about how life was for my sisters and I, when we still had our special pendants. Sure, we were able to get anything our hearts desired, anytime we wanted, and as a result, life almost became too easy and boring. But when we could no longer rely on those pendants all the time, it actually forced us all into getting jobs like normal people, as a means of earning money to survive. Most places rejected our applications, looking past our charm and beauty, since we still lacked actual work experience."

"So you're telling me that your lives of crime and manipulation were over on a whim, just like that?" Sunset folded her arms across her chest. "And now you're looking for a gig at the same school that you've previously tried to tear apart? I'm sorry, but that's a bit hard to swallow, especially after everything we've been through with you and your sisters."

"You can think whatever you want, I really don't care at this point." Adagio's eyes glinted with a hint of challenge. "But we're here to make a living, same as everyone else, and if that means playing nice for a little while, so be it. Besides, it's not like we're here asking for your friendship, just your understanding that we're not the girls you once knew. I can continue my explanation on where our respect for you stemmed from, if you'd like?"

"Go ahead, I'm listening." Sunset continued to let Adagio explain. "I'm having a hard time understanding where all of this is coming from, so I'd very much appreciate some form of context."

"Very well, then." Adagio nodded. "Life became much more difficult without our pendants, but this unexpected change helped my sisters and I realize, we relied too heavily on their magical influence, so much to where we never truly appreciated the merits of singing and performing. I mean, did you remember how awful and off-key we sounded, shortly after our humiliating defeat on stage?"

"I do remember that, it was a stark contrast to the enchanting melodies you had before." Sunset reflected. "But what does that have to do with respect for me?"

"It's because you showed us that there's more to life than simply using our pendants to manipulate and control others." Adagio further elaborated. "Your actions ended up forcing us to take singing much more seriously, and jump through the many struggles and strained voices we've had to deal with to get to this point in our career. This in turn, helped us all see the true value of hard work, which even made us realize we could find genuine joy and fulfillment in music, not just power and control. Even though we didn't get to keep our magic, we still kept that valuable lesson, even after all this time. When Principal Celestia posted an ad looking for performers at the upcoming graduation, we took it as an opportunity to prove that we've truly changed, and to showcase what we've learned. This time around, we want to use our music to bring happiness and unity, not to cause pain and turmoil amongst all the students."

Sunset took a moment to process Adagio's words, her skepticism slowly giving way to curiosity. The idea that the Dazzlings had truly turned over a new leaf was something she had already considered, especially after their first encounter at the Starswirled Music Festival, where Adagio was telling the truth about not being responsible for the Time Twirler's effects. Sunset studied Adagio's expression, looking for any hint of deceit, but found only earnestness, as the band leader continued giving her piece.

"On another note, it's certainly a relief that we no longer have to feed on negative energy, as if our lives depended on it." Adagio added. "You might've unintentionally done us a favor by destroying those pendants, no longer do we have the urge to feed on this arbitrary form of energy, let alone cause mass turmoil with it. By forcefully teaching us how to be independent without magic at our disposal, it created a more challenging lifestyle, but it should still technically be the very lifestyle we should expect to have, especially considering we don't descend from royalty, or have connections to a rich CEO. And now that my sisters and I have adapted to this new lifestyle, it actually prepared us quite nicely for the real world. I'm sure even you and your friends can understand such a sentiment, since you'll all be headed there yourselves, shortly after graduation?"

Sunset began to internalize this, as she remembered how Princess Twilight had written to her about a similar phenomena occurring with a species known as changelings. She wasn't exactly familiar with changelings, but read from Twilight's journal entry that once their entire colony had fully embraced friendship for the first time in their lives, they no longer had to forcefully feed on love to keep them afloat. Was something similar going on with Adagio, Aria, and Sonata, in the sense that they were never truly doing any of this out of pure malice, but because those pendants had given them no other choice?

Everything else that Adagio had just explained, it sounded like it all made sense, but was it simply a clever ruse, done as a form of manipulation to have Sunset lower her guard and suspicion? Sunset crossed her arms and questioned Adagio on her intentions even further, especially given the Dazzlings' unusual choice of location, as a means of finding another gig.

"All right, fair enough, and I'd say you've gained my respect as well, by having this talk with me." Sunset nodded, giving an approving grin. "But I still have to question why out of all places to book another gig, you decided to go with CHS. Don't you think the students and staff are going to think poorly of you, when they see you performing during the actual event?"

"As much as we've moved on from our past, we're aware that we can't escape it entirely." Adagio admitted, her expression slightly pained. "But we're not here to ask for everybody's forgiveness, we're here to offer them a show. If we can't get past the stigma here with the people at the ceremony, so be it, we still have to take responsibility and face the music, figuratively and literally. If you're still concerned and unconvinced, then by all means, I encourage you to keep tabs on us to make sure we're not up to our so-called old tricks. We're just looking to make music and perhaps leave a positive mark on CHS this time around. Who knows, perhaps our performance could be a symbol of change and reflection for everyone who's ever felt like a misunderstood outcast. I'm sure you specifically understand what I mean by that?"

"I do understand, more than you know." Sunset reflected on her own past, once more. "But I can't just ignore the past, it's shaped all of us, and it's important that we learn from it. If everything you've just told me is true, then I suppose it's worth giving you a chance to prove it. Maybe this is exactly the kind of second chance everyone deserves, but remember, if you cross any lines, I won't hesitate to stop you."

"Think about it for a minute, at least." Adagio insisted. "My sisters and I barely have any money to keep us afloat, we're always desperate for work to keep up with rent in a shabby apartment downtown, and we no longer have any magic that we can fall back on. What do you suppose I would have to gain by lying to you?"

Hearing the insistence of genuinely wanting to earn an honest buck, Sunset recalled that the last time she used the Geode of Empathy to read Adagio's mind, her geode's power revealed that she was indeed telling the truth, and not fabricating a story. Coupled with the fact that Adagio wouldn't even have any memory of this occurrence, to the point of coming up with convoluted half-truths to cover up her 'true' intentions, Sunset eventually came to the conclusion that perhaps this was all a mistake, and Adagio was truly being genuine.

"Alright, in that case... sorry for jumping to conclusions like that." Sunset apologized. "I guess I've just been on edge with everything happening lately, and I'm not used to seeing you three as anything but troublemakers. But if you're telling me that you've truly changed, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt this time around."

"I appreciate that, Sunset." Adagio smiled, having a newfound form of respect for Sunset. "It hasn't been easy, but we're doing our best. I'm not saying we're perfect, but we're certainly not the same sirens that once plagued this school. Though, just between the two of us, Aria and Sonata still need to work on their behavior. I genuinely wish Aria would take the things I say more seriously, and Sonata... dare I even mention how many receipts for tacos and grape juice, that are scattered throughout the back of our van?"

"Well, everyone has their quirks, I suppose." Sunset thought back to her own friends, who had their fair share of peculiar habits. "Good luck with that upcoming meeting, and if Principal Celestia agrees to have you, I'm sure you'll get the chance to show CHS a different side of the Dazzlings."

"Glad to hear you're willing to put some faith into us, even after everything that's happened." Adagio's voice had a genuine note of gratitude. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should get ready for the meeting, hopefully we'll all be able to have a budget for the next few months."

"Hey wait, before you go, you mentioned that you're all desperate for work, correct?" Sunset began proposing a solution that would solve her own problem as well. "I know we've had our differences, but I've got a bit of a dilemma on my hands, too. I've got this upcoming vacation, and while I'm away, I'll need somebody to look after my house, and especially to feed my pet leopard gecko. Would you or your sisters be up for that?"

"Given how I'm already barely able to take care of Aria and Sonata, I'm afraid I'd have to pass on that, if we want to be realistic." Adagio turned down the offer. "Knowing my sisters quite well, I can honestly foresee them doing an even shabbier job than I ever could. Sonata especially, when you account for how much of a slob she is, forcing Aria and I to pick up all her Taco Tuesday wrappers. If you expect to come back to a clean home and nurtured pet, you'll have to look elsewhere, I'm afraid."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised, but I appreciate you being straightforward with me." Sunset replied, somewhat amused. "I still desperately need a housekeeper for about a week, do you at least have any other recommendations for somebody else who can get the job done?"

"Hmm, I don't know much about the local talent for housekeeping, but I saw some girls hanging around the main square's gazebo." Adagio recalled. "I overheard them talking about their luxurious homes and house pets, before I drove over here. If you're interested in perhaps hiring one of them, I'd say go for it. Oh, and just for the record, the second reason I turned down your offer was simply because I didn't want you to think we'd be up to anything, such as robbing your house while you were away. I hope that makes sense, even if we weren't considering such a silly idea to begin with."

Sunset nodded, understanding Adagio's concerns. She had to admit, it was a bit awkward and out of left field, asking for help from someone she had previously considered an enemy.

"Well in that case, I'll look into those girls you mentioned." Sunset said, as she began walking away. "Hopefully Principal Celestia is also in a forgiving mood, but going off of a conversation I just had with her earlier, I'd say you should be good."

Adagio grinned, watching Sunset walk away, as she couldn't help but feel relief upon hearing this.

"We were all just so caught up in our own worlds, that we couldn't see the damage we were causing." Adagio reflected, as she finally entered through CHS's front doors. "I just hope that one day, we can be... well, not friends, but at least not enemies anymore."

Chapter 10: Dark Inner Shadows

As advised by Adagio Dazzle, Sunset began going around Canterlot City's main square, hoping to find somebody to entrust with her apartment, while she was back in Equestria. A majority of the people had been discussing business details here and there, but ultimately, none of them were up to the task, and even with the ones who sounded potentially interested, Sunset felt her intuition telling her that they wouldn't be a good choice. It mostly came down to not really knowing these people that well to entrust them, but it was also wise to heed Adagio's concern, as the last thing Sunset wanted to do was return from her weeklong trip, only to come back and find her apartment completely ransacked.

After a while of running through potential candidates, but still hitting a dead end, Sunset sighed to herself and sat on a nearby bench, her eyes scanning the crowd. She absolutely needed a housekeeper to water her plants and feed her pet leopard gecko, and it was only a matter of picking somebody responsible enough. It was also in Sunset's best interest to find a housekeeper as soon as possible, as she knew it was going to become dark soon. In fact, upon turning around and glancing over at the horizon, the sun had already begun to go down, and the night was approaching quite soon.

Time was passing by even quicker than expected, and Sunset soon decided that it'd be wiser to head on home and text one of her friends, in case they were available for the job. After all, Sunset trusted any of them with her life, especially after the various adventures they've all had together, which entailed saving other people's lives from Equestrian magic. With how supportive and understanding they all were, regarding this decision to visit Equestria for a whole week, it'd be likely that any of the Rainbooms would be up to the task, assuming they weren't already busy with other plans.

Sunset kept this in mind as she finally began to exit the main square, before taking notice of a gazebo on her left, with yet another group of familiar girls. Despite the Shadowbolts essentially being rivals to CHS and the Rainbooms, Sunset mostly remained neutral with them. These girls acted incredibly rude, stuck-up, and arrogant during the Friendship Games, but like Sunset and her own friends considered earlier, this was likely an effect of going to a school like Crystal Prep Academy, or an influence from Principal Cinch. Outside of them having some semblance of morality, notably when they helped rescue the other students from Midnight Sparkle's wrath, Sunset knew that she couldn't really consider any of them her friends, especially after the dance choreography fiasco.

The five girls continued sitting around the gazebo, with Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap on one side, while Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, and Sour Sweet sat on the other. For the most part, Sunset didn't pay them much mind at all, as she was now focused on heading back to her apartment, and potentially having one of her friends housesit for her. She certainly couldn't consider any of the Shadowbolts to fit that role, especially given how she didn't really know them that well. But as Sunset was walking right by the gazebo, the girls immediately took notice of her, and decided to greet their old rival.

"Well, look who it is!" Sour Sweet looked up from her phone, and motioned for Sunset to come over. "Certainly been a while since we've seen you, hasn't it?"

"The leader of those other girls at Canterlot High, I believe." Lemon Zest acknowledged. "Certainly a treat to stumble into you, out of everyone else who goes there."

"I'll say, especially considering she's the main reason that Principal Cinch got fired." Sunny Flare added. "Where do you suppose the old hag is working nowadays, Taco Tuesday or something?"

"I wouldn't even be surprised if she ends up living behind that dumpster behind Coinky Dink World." Indigo Zap remarked. "Then again, that smelly old hobo would probably mark his territory by pulling out his-"

"Can we not start with that again, we're trying to enjoy the evening here." Sugarcoat bluntly stopped Indigo from saying things she couldn't unhear, before walking over to Sunset, and giving her a small nod. "It's nice to see you out and about, Sunset. How's the life outside of CHS?"

"Hey girls, just passing through." Sunset figured it would've been polite to at least acknowledge them. "I'm actually headed home right now, but I guess if you want to chat real fast, I could hang around for a bit. I'm a little surprised to see you're all wearing casual clothes, instead of your Crystal Prep Academy uniforms. Did the policy get lifted or something?"

"More or less, Principal Cadance made a plethora of improvements, ever since Cinch left the school for good." Sunny Flare replied. "But it's not like our old uniforms are worthless, we just found out that at the right auction, they could go all the way up for $20,000. It's because they're considered vintage outfits, since the manufacturers for them went bankrupt."

"There's no need to share such information with a Crystal Prep outsider." Sugarcoat turned back to Sunny Flare. "We're only keeping this knowledge for ourselves, since you fully know well that if the whole school knew about this, every outfit would lose their monetary value. That'd be especially bad when some of us are heading off to college after graduation, since the cost is no joke."

"Are you sure the auction worth will really make that much of a difference, considering student loans are literally known to completely drain bank accounts?" Sour Sweet shrugged. "For all we know, that designer bag you're holding is worth at least a few thousand."

"What, this old thing?" Sugarcoat looked down at her magenta purse. "It's literally just an ordinary purse meant to carry basic necessities. It's probably also nothing compared to that bag Sunset has, even if it looks like it came from the thrift store."

Hearing this, it dawned on Sunset that she's had this bag her whole life, even tracing back to her days in Equestria, and as Princess Celestia's pupil. She hadn't ever recalled purchasing the bag at any thrift store, despite Sugarcoat's beliefs, but it certainly raised the question, regarding where exactly this bag came from. Much like Sugarcoat, Sunset had always treated this bag like any other bag, as far as its convenience in storing her belongings, since she never really used a backpack at school, unlike most of her classmates. Sunset looked down at her own satchel, realizing she couldn't immediately tell what brand it was.

"Now that I'm looking at it, I just realized that I've never really paid much mind regarding its brand." Sunset continued examining her bag.

"Maybe I could have a quick look at it?" Sunny Flare raised her hand. "I know purse brands like no one else at Crystal Prep."

"Sure thing, I guess." Sunset took off her bag and handed it to Sunny Flare for examination. "I've had this satchel since forever, and it's just... a bag to me."

Sunny Flare examined the satchel from all angles, as she felt the fabric to get an idea of the materials. Eventually, she flipped it over and thoroughly scanned the bottom, where she saw the engraving of what appeared to be a distinct word.

"Well, to tell you the truth, you've even managed to stump me, which is pretty surprising." Sunny Flare handed the bag back to Sunset. "This definitely isn't from any brand here in Canterlot City. It's got 'Solstice' written on the bottom, and the stitching... it's like nothing I've ever seen before. This isn't from a thrift store, it's more like something that's been passed down through generations! As far as I'm aware, there's no such brand name known as Solstice, so it could just be an original, discontinued business."

"Huh, I've had this bag for so long, and I've never noticed this word engraved on the bottom." Sunset said with surprise, before putting the satchel's straps back on her shoulder. "Well, it doesn't really matter, it's served me well over the years, and I couldn't have asked for a better bag. Either way, it's pretty refreshing to see you girls again, especially with graduation coming up. I mean, who knows, after we all graduate from high school, this could be the very last time we'll all see each other."

"Hm, so you're actually thinking of moving away, are you?" Lemon Zest inquired. "I suppose sooner or later, we'll all end up going down our own paths in that so-called real world. My parents are pushing for me to get a job soon, even if it means doing something as arbitrary as delivering fast food."

"What do you need a job for?" Indigo Zap scoffed. "As far as I'm aware, all of our parents are letting us use our trust funds however we wish, since they're under the impression that we'll be using all that money for college. In reality, we'll just use that cash to live life to the fullest, and just say that we ended up dropping out. Not like it matters, because only idiots would spend six digits on college tuition."

"Some of us actually care about our futures, Indigo." Sugarcoat rolled her eyes at this comment. "Plus, you can't really say I'm dumb for taking college seriously, considering my grades are higher than all of yours, combined. Heck, you girls even pay ME to take pictures of my homework answers to get your grade up, remember?"

"Well, she's got you there, I'm afraid." Sunny Flare snickered. "Besides, I've been thinking of starting my own business in fashion, and I need some cash for materials and costs to get everything set up. As much as it'd be a dream come true, you can't just rely on Daddy's wallet, forever."

"Yeah, I'm looking into internships, actually." Lemon Zest shrugged. "Maybe I can get into something big in music, but my parents are heavily disagreeing with me on that, saying things like, I'll just be wasting their savings on college for a useless degree. It's a real shame, considering I have no genuine interest in anything else my parents would want for me. They either want me to be a scientist, teacher, or boat captain. None of those jobs really sound like they fit me, if I'm being honest."

"Well I'm planning on becoming the next biggest soccer athlete, so no college for me either." Indigo Zap smirked. "But then again, I hear connections matter more in that so-called place of higher education than that expensive piece of paper, so maybe I'll look into getting into some arbitrary university, and perhaps that's where my career will begin. I certainly don't intend on FINISHING college, that's for sure."

"You always did have that inner fire, I'm sure you'll go far in whatever you choose to do." Sour Sweet looked at Indigo with a hint of admiration. "As for me, I've been thinking of becoming a cop, like my mother. I could imagine it now, interrogating criminals during investigations, where I could play both the good cop AND bad cop, on top of making a fortune. In just a few years from now, I can totally see myself living in a penthouse, sipping tea with my future husband, who's a millionaire."

"And here we have Sour Sweet, with her unrealistic fantasies of power and money." Sugarcoat groaned. "But honestly, even though we're all just trying to figure out our lives, none of you seem to have that work ethic that I do, which tells me that you four will be completely helpless when I go off to earn my PhD in astrophysics. In the next few years, I'd realistically see you all working jobs as retail cashiers, while I'll be researching in the planetarium, alongside Rosette Nebula."

"Oh please, like you're one to talk." Sour Sweet pointed. "We all know that you're only going to college to get away from your overbearing parents. Seriously, I can never understand why there exists parents who push you to work hard your entire life, only to have nothing to show for it. If you ask me, Sugarcoat, no matter how rich we'll be in the future, we'll all at least be happier than you, while you'll just be a grouchy know-it-all, who'll wish she at least lived a little."

"Maybe so, but happiness isn't always about living such delusions of grandeur." Sugarcoat replied with a sigh, her eyes scanning the ground as she kicked a small pebble. "Sometimes it's about knowing you've achieved something real, but I'm not judging you girls for your choices. Just remember, life's a marathon, not a sprint, and you can't always rely on your parents' money to get you through."

"That's actually kind of deep coming from you, Sugarcoat." Lemon Zest acknowledged. "I mean, we'll all pretty much remember you as the blunt and cynical smart girl, who let nothing stand in her way of being ranked #1 at Crystal Prep Academy."

"And yet she couldn't even do that fairly, could she?" Sour Sweet Snickered. "After all, Sugarcoat could never beat Twilight Sparkle at academics when she joined our school, and it was only after she transferred over to Canterlot High, that Sugarcoat 'won' the ranking by default."

Sugarcoat's eyes narrowed slightly, and she opened her mouth to retort, but Sunset decided to cut in before things could get too heated. She didn't need to be stuck in the middle of a Crystal Prep drama fest right now, especially considering she had a more pressing issue on her mind.

"Well, it's certainly interesting to hear how you've all got different plans with your lives after graduation, but if you ask me personally, I don't think going off to college is the best solution for everybody." Sunset spoke up. "With how much it costs, and the statistics of how many graduates actually end up using their degrees in the job market, it's definitely something to consider. Me personally, I've already imagined that going off to college is only going to end up with me getting a job I dislike. My best take is, if you feel like college isn't for you, or if you don't plan on becoming a doctor or engineer, there's no real reason to go."

"Yeah right, you're probably just saying that, purely because you didn't get accepted into the Oakley Leagues, like I did." Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "Typical, because you know that you're going to be stuck at some community college with the rest of the commoners. When I'm going to become the head researcher at the planetarium, you can certainly bet I'll be pretty exclusive with who I'll pick as my assistants. Anybody who didn't study at the top 1% institution, I'll drop them off at the local fast food joint, instead."

Sunset couldn't help but laugh a little at Sugarcoat's remark, despite the hint of spite in her voice. She knew that the prideful Crystal Prep overachiever was just trying to get a rise out of her, but it didn't seem to matter, as Sunset believed that there was more to life than just academic success. This was a valuable lesson that her own friends at CHS taught her, especially given her own similarly flawed mentality, back when she was Princess Celestia's pupil.

"Well, that being said, I did send out some college applications to give myself more options, but I still have yet to hear back from them." Sunset explained. "Even if I don't end up getting into the most ideal university, I may already have other plans in mind, back in my hometown. If you're all planning to go with internships and the traditional college route, I wish you the best of luck."

"That's all appreciated, but who needs luck when I've already got it all figured out?" Indigo sat back with her arms behind her head. "I'll get into a good school, charm my professors, and get a degree that'll get me noticed. Then, I'll be signing autographs for my soccer games, while Sugarcoat here will be stuck in some lab coat, mixing chemicals and looking at stars. Sounds way more boring than having a job that lets you live life to the fullest."

"Some of us prefer to leave our mark on the world with actual science and discovery, rather than kicking a ball around." Sugarcoat said, bluntly. "Besides, once your popularity fades, what's left for you? Don't say I didn't warn you when the time comes, in which you'll look back on your past decisions and regret everything you've done."

"I guess that's one way of looking at it, especially when it comes to reflecting your whole life, up until this point." Lemon Zest nodded. "Sure, my parents are pushing me into something I'm not really into, but maybe there's more to life than just following the crowd. Sunset, I know we've had our... differences in the past, but I've always admired the way you've managed to find yourself, despite the challenges. What's your secret?"

"Well, it's all about finding what truly makes you happy, and not letting anyone else's expectations dictate your path." Sunset gave her own piece. "I've learned that the hard way, since I used to chase after power and prestige, and my friends at Canterlot High showed me that friendship and personal growth are much more fulfilling. They helped me rediscover my love for music and art, and I realized that's where my true talents lie. How exactly I ended up getting this far with my passions, I'd say it's about never giving up, even when it feels like the world's against you."

"But what if you don't even know what you're good at?" Sour Sweet questioned. "As far as I'm aware, life's too short to constantly dwell on a talent you're unsure of, but if it really takes that long to find your way, I'd almost say it's a sign you were never meant to follow this particular path to begin with. That's what I've realized, listening to my parents yap on and on about what's best for me in the near future."

"Well at least you have actual parents who care about-" Sunny Flare began, but realized that she was becoming a little too personal, to where she immediately changed the topic. "Forget I said anything, I just wish that society would be more welcoming to what you're truly good at, rather than judging the very clothes you wear during an interview. It's like we're all trapped in a system where nobody can win, and that the real crooks in society will never end up behind bars."

"Maybe you're right, Sunset, we should all just do what makes us happy." Lemon Zest agreed. "But then again, happiness is fleeting, and sometimes we have to make sacrifices to get ahead in life. It's only a matter of making sure you're lucky enough to make the right choices from the very beginning, or you'll heavily regret your decisions in the long run."

"Speaking of regrets, I suppose to pass the time and entertain ourselves for a bit, we could all share our biggest regrets in life, up until now." Sugarcoat turned to the rest of the girls. "Starting with myself, I would say that the thing I've regretted the absolute most, was letting Twilight Sparkle best me in my academics at Crystal Prep Academy. Even with her graduation merits from Canterlot High, I'd be worried that she could potentially even replace me at the planetarium, before I could even get my foot into the door."

"That's your biggest regret?" Sour Sweet raised an eyebrow. "Dang, you ARE sad, Sugarcoat. I've got to imagine whether that's truly you speaking, or your manipulative, overbearing parents. I wouldn't even be surprised if they planted a listening device somewhere on you, to make sure you're not saying anything out of line."

"Look, regardless of what you may think, I've worked hard to get where I am, and I'm not going to throw it all away because of some whimsical notion of happiness." Sugarcoat took a deep breath, before speaking again. "I know what I want, and I know what I'm good at. Maybe you're all content with just floating through life, but I have set goals in mind, and I'll reach them, with or without your sympathy. Now then, anybody else wish to share their biggest regret?"

"I've got a feeling that out of all of us, Indigo here has a number of things she could share." Sunny Flare snickered. "After all, if it wasn't for Principal Cinch discreetly handing her answer sheets to pass all those classes, she wouldn't have even lasted a semester with us."

"Well, if we're being honest?" Indigo's cheeks flushed a bit, but she didn't let the tease get to her. "My biggest regret would probably be... what happened after soccer practice, before we went over to participate in the Friendship Games. I was about to drive home in my dad's new car, and I accidentally hit Coach Rommel's truck, while I was backing up. Luckily, since the coach knew I was our only shot at winning the next big game at the major leagues, he decided to not say a word, nor report the incident to the police. Since I basically got away with vandalism, my only regret was that I ended up getting a small dent in my dad's nice car."

"Right then, well as for the rest of us, I'm sure it's fair to say that outside of any personal life decisions, one of our biggest regrets would've been not standing up to Principal Cinch sooner." Sunny Flare gave her input. "I knew she was manipulating everyone, but I was too busy fighting through my classes and endless homework to see the real picture."

"You can say that again, especially when we found out about how she was trying to blackmail Twilight behind the scenes." Lemon Zest added. "I was just too busy trying to impress her, to realize she didn't care about any of us. Maybe if we had done something sooner, the Friendship Games might've actually been... well, a game of friendship, rather than a never-ending fierce competition."

"Yeah, she really had us all fooled." Sour Sweet reflected. "But let's not get too down about it, we're all graduating soon, and we've got the whole world ahead of us. We'll show everyone at Crystal Prep that we're more than just their pawns. Besides, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for the future, and I'm pretty sure that I'll be the one laughing when it's all said and done. When I'm a cop out there in the city, you can bet that I'll even go as far as to plant incriminating evidence on suspects, just to give myself a bonus."

"I know you're just joking, Sour Sweet, but that's not the kind of attitude we should be encouraging in our future careers." Sugarcoat's gaze grew stern. "The point of what we're discussing is to find what truly drives us and makes us successful, not to become the very kind of people we were trying to avoid. If Moondancer were here right now, she'd surely agree with me."

"You mean the currently ranked #2 student at Crystal Prep Academy?" Sunny Flare rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, her parents are probably just as bad as yours."

"Besides, who said that Sour Sweet was just joking?" Indigo Zap grinned. "Need I remind you Sugarcoat, that the main reason you were able to keep the #1 ranking during freshman year, was all thanks to me? I made sure to keep that nerdy girl in line, as even you were afraid that she'd potentially outsmart you in your own game, making you become a huge disappointment to your parents, if you couldn't be the top student."

"You don't know the first thing about her or my merits." Sugarcoat's face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment at the mention of this old rival. "Yes, I was competitive, but I never stooped to such... tactics. I've learned the importance of true personal growth, which is something none of you will ever truly understand."

"I don't know about that, Sugarcoat." Lemon Zest shook her head. "I remember that day we all sat in the cafeteria, where you and Indigo coldly threw her under the bus, purely because you thought she was trying to leech off of you, and take that #1 spot away. That doesn't sound like personal growth, as much as making a rival out of somebody, when it didn't have to come down to that."

"Speaking of which, if you're all referring to who I'm thinking of, I don't actually recall seeing her again for the rest of our time at Crystal Prep Academy." Sunny Flare reflected.

"Hmm, same, but then again, we could immediately tell she wasn't exactly the social-type, was she?" Sour Sweet added.

"You're not all talking about Twilight, are you?" Sunset spoke up from a distance. "I get that you may think she's betrayed your school by transferring over to CHS, but I can assure you that she's changed so much since the Friendship Games."

"Huh?" Sunny Flare looked over. "No, we're not even talking about her, we're more neutral with Twilight, now that Principal Cinch is no longer around. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if you've never met this old rival of Sugarcoat's."

"Come to think of it, I almost find it unusual that Twilight transferred to Crystal Prep Academy, even after Dean Cadance posted multiple announcements that enrollment spots had been full for months." Sour Sweet remembered. "It's as if... somebody left the school on such short notice, to where a spot opened up for her."

Sunset's eyes widened slightly at the revelation, as it dawned on her that this dark past of Crystal Prep Academy was deeper than she had initially thought. The mention of Principal Cinch's tactics made her wonder if there was more to the story than just a simple academic rivalry, especially after being told a rather concerning rumor from Twilight herself. If Indigo Zap had truly bullied a student so badly, that they dropped out of school entirely, it would almost certainly line up with the oddity of Twilight having been eligible to enroll, despite enrollment spaces being consistently full.

"Indigo Zap?" Sunset addressed the goggle wearing girl. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this girl in question, would you?"

"Oh, her? "Indigo leaned back, a smug smile playing on her lips, as she adjusted her goggles. "She was just some nerdy girl who thought she could hang with the big leagues. Didn't have what it takes to keep up with us, so she transferred out. What's it to you?"

"Well, that's not what I've been hearing." Sunset replied. "Earlier today, while I was making arrangements with the rest of my friends before graduation, Twilight told me the strangest thing. A rumor that went around Crystal Prep Academy, where supposedly, you bullied a student so badly, that they had no choice but to drop out. And considering how Twilight used to go to that school, she surely must've heard it from somewhere."

"Is that what she said?" Indigo responded with a sneer. "Well, I'll tell you the truth, Sunset. That girl was a showoff and snitch, always trying to one-up us, and she never knew when to back down. So, maybe I played a few pranks on her, but it was just to keep her in line, it's not like I was hurting her or anything, but hey, I guess you'd take the side of the school nerd over a star athlete, wouldn't you?"

"Don't lie, Indigo." Sugarcoat turned around. "It was definitely quite telling when I noticed a pair of broken glasses in the parking lot one day, which looked just like hers. And considering how you yourself claimed that you did everything to keep her in line, I'm guessing there's more to the story that you're not telling us."

"Well, if it's true, maybe it's time to let bygones be bygones." Indigo groaned. "We're all graduating soon, and it's not like we're going to be seeing much of each other after that. Besides, if she was that much of a problem, then maybe it's a good thing I took care of our little troublemaker."

"But... was it really true?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "I'm not so sure how I feel about that, regardless of how much of a troublemaker she was. That's a new low, to literally force somebody into dropping out, just to escape the bullying."

"Look, it's not like we kicked her out or anything." Indigo's smug smile faded, and she leaned forward, her grip tightening around the handle of her sports drink. "She was just too sensitive, couldn't handle the heat, you know? We're all competitive at Crystal Prep, it's part of the school spirit. Besides, she probably just couldn't handle the pressure of being around actual winners. At the end of the day, we can't dictate somebody else's decisions, whatever life choices you make will only fall on your own shoulders."

Sunset's gaze remained steadfast on Indigo, a mix of disbelief and concern in her eyes. She knew that high school could be a challenge for most students, but to drive someone away from their education? That was a line that shouldn't have been crossed, let alone using such a dirty tactic as a bully.

"I understand that competition can be intense, but that's no excuse for bullying to such an extreme extent." Sunset took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Twilight is one of my closest friends, and she's done nothing but good for CHS. If you girls had a problem with this other student, you should've talked it out like adults, instead of resorting to... whatever it was you did. What do you know about this, Sugarcoat?"

"I don't know the full story, but I do know that Indigo can be... intense when it comes to competition." Sugarcoat said with a blank expression. "I didn't condone her actions, but I also didn't intervene. We all have our moments of weakness, and I was too focused on my own battles to notice someone else's."

Sunset felt a pang of guilt wash over her as she heard this. Her own past as the bully at CHS came back in a rush of memories, and she couldn't help but compare herself to Indigo. She knew firsthand the pain and isolation it could cause, but couldn't comprehend a bully's actions becoming this intense. As Sunset took a moment to gather her thoughts, her gaze lingered on the horizon, as the setting sun painted the sky with a warm, reflective glow. Had it not been for Princess Twilight, would Sunset's past actions have likely done the same thing to even Fluttershy?

"You can't just write someone off as 'not cut out for it'." Sunset folded her arms across her chest. "It sounds like to me, that all you girls never realized the impact your actions had on her. Maybe she had her own dreams and aspirations that you shattered, and what if she had nowhere to go, or no one to turn to, after dropping out? What kind of environment does that say about Crystal Prep Academy, if a student feels that trapped?"

"Hey, what are you bringing us into this for?" Sunny Flare huffed. "We barely even knew this girl, and hardly interacted with her at all."

"Yeah, we only just realized today that she mysteriously vanished from the school." Sour Sweet defended herself. "All we really knew back then, was that Sugarcoat and Indigo gave her a hard time, and that's about it, really."

"But if you knew she was being bullied, why didn't any of you do something?" Sunset said, disappointed. "That's not what friends do, especially when their actions are certainly out of line. You can't just let a bias in friendship allow you to take a blind eye towards something this serious."

Hearing Sunset's words, Sunny Flare, Sour Sweet, and Lemon Zest all exchanged glances of discomfort, each silently acknowledging that they had been passive observers in the events that unfolded back then. They had never truly understood the gravity of the situation, but as they saw the genuine concern in Sunset's eyes, they realized that their indifference had allowed for a fellow student's suffering. Indigo Zap on the other hand, remained unfazed, her smug expression unwavering as she took a casual sip of her drink. Sugarcoat's gaze was cold and calculating, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she listened intently.

"Well Sunset, it's easy for you to say that now, considering you yourself even made Twilight cry at the Friendship Games." Sugarcoat frowned. "But at the time, we were all just trying to survive in the harsh world of Crystal Prep, and especially Principal Cinch. You can't expect us to have been saints, especially when we were constantly fighting to maintain our status."

"And besides, you know how it is, every school has its drama." Indigo Zap continued maintaining a carefree attitude. "Sure, I might've played a few jokes here and there, but it's not like I made someone actually leave the school. Plus, who says we had any say in which students Principal Cinch allowed to transfer in or out? Maybe she had her reasons for keeping us in the dark about that whole situation."

Sunset's gaze sharpened as she listened on, as it was clear that she wasn't going to get a straight answer, but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease. She glanced at Sugarcoat, who remained silent, her expression unreadable, while the remaining three Shadowbolts continued to express guilt, after finally understanding what they've ignored for so long.

"If your justifications entailed surviving through Crystal Prep Academy's hardships, doesn't that also include looking out for each other?" Sunset began, her voice measured and calm. "We're talking about survival here, so isn't it our responsibility to think about others, not just yourself? To not just be bystanders to someone else's pain? I know we all have our own paths, and that we're not going to agree on everything, but we can at least agree to be more humble to one another, right?"

"Sunset, you're right, and I'm sorry for not speaking up back then." Lemon Zest looked down upon herself, fidgeting her fingers. "I... I guess I was just too scared of losing my place on the team, and disappointing my parents. But that's no excuse, especially if Indigo's pranks went too far, to the point that she made another student leave the school. We should've done something, even if it was just to tell someone who could help."

Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet were both having similar thoughts clouding their minds, and were about to speak up in addition to Lemon Zest's response, but were quickly cut off by Indigo.

"Hmph, excuse me!?" Indigo Zap huffed. "You mean to tell me that you would've been a dirty little rat? And here I thought we all made an oath during freshman year to help each other get through our classes, and survive Principal Cinch's tyrannical leadership. So our oath back then meant nothing, you'd rather be a snitch?"

"Look, I don't think any of us are saying we should've snitched." Sour Sweet crossed her arms, her expression a mix of skepticism and defensiveness. "We're just pointing out that maybe we could've been more... proactive in reaching out to that girl, even if we didn't know her that well. It's not like she was just some random student, she was a member of our school community, and she was being bullied by someone we all knew."

"Plus, even if we wanted to snitch, it's too little, too late now, don't you think?" Sunny Flare narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe that you've kept such a grim secret from us, all these years. Now we'll know for a fact that it won't be a coincidence, if we don't see her anywhere during graduation."

"If I may ask, who was this girl in question?" Sunset tried to get an idea on what had happened back then. "Do you remember her name?"

"Her name?" Indigo tapped a finger against her chin. "It's been so long, but she did have this... strange aura about her. Something that was eerily similar to you, Sunset. But I distinctly remember her having glasses, and a penchant for science and good grades, instead of fashion and music. Can't say I remember her name, though it's not like we were ever really friends."

Hearing this, Sunset felt that she knew this type of student they were describing all too well, someone who was likely just as misunderstood and lost as she once was. Her heart went out to this mysterious victim of their former school's toxic culture, but conceded in the fact that no matter what happened, the damage had already been done.

"Well, knowing what you know now, I'm sure you can all agree that we should strive to be better in the future." Sunset tried to keep a calm and respectful tone. "I understand that we can't change the past, but maybe we can learn from it. If we truly want to move on, we need to acknowledge the harm done and improve ourselves. If you can perhaps even find a way to reach out to her, I'd definitely advise for you to apologize, and make amends if she's willing. After all, a good friend once taught me that it costs nothing to show a little compassion and understanding."

Sunset watched as the Shadowbolts absorbed her words, their expressions ranging from guilt to defensiveness. It was clear that the mention of the bullied student had brought up a dark chapter in their lives, one that had been buried beneath the glittering facade of their school's prestigious reputation. Each of them processed the information differently, as Indigo's nonchalance was a stark contrast to Lemon Zest's visible regret. Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet's eyes held the weight of realization that they had been complicit in allowing the situation to escalate. Sugarcoat on the other hand, remained stoic, her thoughts unreadable behind her blank gaze.

The wind picked up, whispering secrets through the leaves of the nearby trees, as if echoing the unspoken truths that hung heavily in the air. Sunset took a step back, her own heart heavy with the burden of understanding the kind of environment Twilight had escaped from. She knew that she couldn't force these girls to change their ways, but hoped that by speaking out, she had at least planted a seed of consideration within them. With a small sigh, she decided it was time to shift the conversation back to the task at hand.

"Alright, it was good to see you girls one last time before graduation, but hopefully, some of you will heed my words well, and understand that the world doesn't always revolve around you and your needs, but everyone's." Sunset sighed, heavily. "With that being said, it's getting quite late, so I'll be heading home now, and hopefully... the next time I meet you girls, my ideas and philosophies will have made a difference in helping you all understand the same things I've taught Twilight over the years."

As the sun dipped further into the horizon, casting long shadows over Canterlot City, Sunset stepped away from the Shadowbolts. Her eyes had lingered on each of them, before she turned around and began exiting through the main square's gates, ready to head home. Once she went out of view, the tension from Sunset's words still remained within three of the girls, before Indigo Zap made a casual remark about her upcoming pool party before graduation, a stark contrast to the heavy conversation that had just transpired.

"Finally, now that she's gone, just another reminder that my dad will be hosting a big pool party later this week, it'll be the hottest bash before graduation, and I've got a feeling it's going to be the talk of the school." Indigo said with a smirk, tossing her hair over one shoulder. "He's already spent over $7,000 on all the food and entertainment, so be sure to come over this weekend and have the time of your lives!"

"Indigo, maybe you should learn to be a little more... humble." Lemon Zest spoke up. "Sunset's words have really opened my eyes up to what we've been blind to, for years now."

"What, I'm just excited, that's all." Indigo rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's not like we can't have fun because we're talking about some nerd that transferred out. It's not like she's going to be there anyways."

"You know what, Indigo, I think I'm gonna pass on that party." Sunny Flare crossed her arms. "What you did to that girl was just wrong, and if you can't even feel bad about it, then I don't think I want to be around you."

"Agreed, and to be honest, we've never really said anything up until now, but there's always been a reason we've purposefully excluded you from some of our past activities." Sour Sweet added. "It was mostly Sugarcoat's idea to steal Rarity's dance choreography for that contest, but at least Sugarcoat's got more hospitality than you. We've always considered her the leader of our group, instead of you."

"Whatever, you girls are just overthinking it." Indigo Zap scoffed. "Besides, we're the Shadowbolts, we're not supposed to be nice, we're meant to be fierce competitors! And if some people get stepped on along the way, that's just part of the game!"

"Indigo, maybe you don't see it, but we've all changed since then, especially since we're graduating and moving on." Sugarcoat gave her piece. "We're not the same people we were back then, so maybe it's time you start acting like it."

"Fine, have it your way, but don't expect me to start playing nice with everyone." Indigo rolled her eyes. "I've got my own future to worry about, and if being fierce is what it takes, then so be it. Don't come crying to me when you realize that the real world isn't all sunshine and rainbows, sometimes you have to play a little dirty to win."

"If that's truly how you feel, even after everything Sunset's said, then have it your way." Lemon Zest huffed. "I think that both Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet are in mutual agreement with me that we don't really want to be around you anymore. Until something changes, we're not speaking with you."

"Fine, be that way." Indigo replied. "But don't expect to be invited to any of the exclusive parties or events I'll be attending after this, I'll be living the high life."

Chapter 11: Trouble In The Alleyways

After that heavy discussion with the Shadowbolts, Sunset could only feel nothing more than sympathy for whoever that mysterious victim was, having to drop out of school, just to escape Indigo Zap's bullying. She already knew that Crystal Prep Academy had a questionable inner reputation, especially after meeting their students and principal at the Friendship Games, but crossing a line like this was something else entirely. All Sunset knew for certain, was that she was glad about one particular aspect regarding her past, when she was no better than Indigo. If anything, this jarring discovery had only served as a cautionary tale behind psychologically irreversible damage, especially from making someone else feel bad about themselves.

It was only left up to imagination as to how bad Indigo had truly bullied that student, but just the fact that the student in question had no other choice but to throw away their entire general education, it must've been quite severe. Sunset was thankful that despite being the main bully at CHS herself for so long, she hadn't ended up making Fluttershy do the same thing, and ruining her future. Better yet, had the end results come down to Fluttershy dropping out of CHS, just to escape the constant bullying, Sunset felt that she could never forgive herself for such a horrendous act, especially after getting to know Fluttershy over the years.

Moving past this, Sunset noted that aside from the rest of the group, who expressed signs of genuine regret and remorse over what happened to that unfortunate victim, the remaining members were on the opposite side of the spectrum. Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap seemed completely complacent or ignorant over the situation, which seemed to signify one of two things. Either those two girls in particular had been influenced by Principal Cinch in the worst possible ways, or something was going on at home, notably when the other Shadowbolts claimed they knew how overbearing Sugarcoat's parents were.

Whilst on the subject of parents, Sunset then remembered the possibility of potentially meeting her own parents back in Equestria, and began thinking of clues on where to find them. Despite being completely focused on her studies as Princess Celestia's pupil, Sunset remembered quite well, that she still had this drive to spend some time with her parents at a young age. She seemed to have a motherly connection with her former mentor, and a vague memory of her dad. But even with this memory, Sunset thought back to her earliest days as a filly in Canterlot, and not once did she recall her father ever visiting, or checking up on her.

"Hmm, unless my records at the School For Gifted Unicorns has information regarding my parents' addresses, I might be out of luck when it comes to finding them, once I return to Equestria." Sunset said to herself, thinking of other options she'd most likely have. "I'm sure that either Princess Celestia or Twilight would know, if I asked them, but if they don't..."

As Sunset brainstormed ideas and potential places on where she could look, she suddenly brought her attention towards the other main discovery whilst conversing with the Shadowbolts, that being her old satchel. Just like Sunny Flare pointed out, Sunset examined the bag once more, and took notice of the distinct word that was deliberately engraved on the bottom. She knew that there had to be a reason as to why this was here, but was unsure if it had any connection to her parents. At the very least, her father, since Sunset oddly never had any distinct memory of her mother. Considering that she's had this satchel, even back when she was a filly in Canterlot, Sunset firmly believed this was likely the closest thing to a clue that she currently had.

"Solstice..." Sunset read the engraved word out loud, as she continued refreshing her memory. "I don't think that sounds familiar at all, so if I were to guess, would this be my dad's name, or the name of a brand line for satchels? But Sunny Flare claimed that there doesn't exist a brand by that label, so if 'Solstice' isn't the satchel's marque, then what could it be? Maybe it's my dad's name, but... it doesn't really sound like a stallion's name. Then again, I've been away from Equestria for a while now, so perhaps I'll figure it out in due time."

As she kept her satchel's mysterious engravement in mind, Sunset then envisioned everything she'd most likely be doing back in Equestria, including the honor of being at Princess Twilight's coronation. She certainly couldn't be more happy for her friend, who not only introduced her to the magic of friendship, but also often communicated warnings of unusual occurrences throughout the Human World, caused by Equestrian magic. This same friend was finally moving on to the next level of royalty, and taking the position of Princess Celestia herself. It was almost somewhat amusing to think, given how she was once Celestia's pupil, Sunset could've been on the same path, had it not been for her arrogance and pride.

"Heh, if I had taken friendship more seriously back then, even I could've become the princess of all of Equestria." Sunset jokingly reflected. "Although I'm technically now the leader of the Rainbooms, that certainly couldn't possibly compare to the same responsibilities for Twilight, once the coronation's over. But hey, even if I never got a chance to be a princess, I still feel quite privileged, being somepony from Equestria to truly and freely explore this unusual Human World."

The cool night air brushed against Sunset's skin as she wandered the now dimly lit streets, her thoughts continuing with the weight of her past, as well as the possibilities of her future. The gentle hum of distant traffic provided a rhythmic backdrop to her boots' steps on the pavement, but it seemed as if nobody else was around. Recalling that her friends had warned of a potential new threat, lurking within the shadows at night, Sunset realized that she had dwelled on everything for longer than planned, and that she should've been home by now. With this in mind, she began picking up the pace, hoping to be within the safety and comfort of her apartment, before noticing something out of the corner of her eye.

Looking over, a shadowy figure had caught her attention—a little girl, no older than a middle schooler, sprinting as fast as her legs would carry her. Alarm bells began to ring in Sunset's mind, since the child's solitude had suggested something was terribly wrong, especially since it was now nighttime. She couldn't shake the feeling that the girl's situation mirrored her own, as far as being lost, and searching for something precious. Regardless of what was happening, Sunset's heart prioritized the sketchiness of what she had just witnessed, as she quickened her pace, following behind the girl at a safe distance. She internally hoped that the girl wasn't in any real danger, but something at the back of her mind kept telling her that this likely wasn't the case at all.

After following the girl for a while, Sunset watched the child enter through a dark alleyway by herself. This was certainly not normal, let alone at night, when all sorts of sketchy activities often took place. Panicking from the situation, with the possibilities of what this little girl was likely digging herself into, Sunset had her instincts kick in. Should she call the police, or should she immediately protect the girl from whatever was lurking in that alleyway, potentially getting herself maimed in the process? But before Sunset could even consider either of those options, she slowly slid over and peaked over the corner, hoping to get a clear idea on the situation.

"Please, give me back my tablet!" The child said to a mysterious figure, standing in the shadows. "My mom worked so hard to get that for me!"

Upon first glance, Sunset recognized that the little girl was somebody that her friend, Pinkie Pie had babysat for. She had heard of this girl from Rarity, and also briefly saw her during the Toys for Kids Festival at the Canterlot Mall from around six months ago. Her name was Lily Pad, and Sunset knew that for the most part, Lily was a well-behaved, but rather shy girl, at least according to Pinkie and Rarity. This fact by itself made her actions of running off alone into an alleyway at night, even more unusual. That being said, Sunset felt that she would soon get an answer, as the culprit behind this situation began slowly emerging from the shadows, and walked right up to Lily. To Sunset, it appeared to be a tall girl that she had never met before, but it was clear that she had bad intentions.

"Oh, you want this so badly, do you?" The unrecognized girl spat, before she shoved the electronic into her jeans' back pocket, and turned back to Lily. "Listen up, pipsqueak, I'm out of cash to buy pizza for my crew tonight, and they're going to do unspeakable things to me if I come back to them, empty-handed. Normally, there's plenty of ways I could use clueless children like yourself to get some easy money, but luckily for you, I have a little proposition. You either pay me $50 in cash, or I take your tablet to a pawn shop and sell it, which means you'll never see it again. So what's it gonna be, are you going to be fine with my little hustle and pay up, or do you not value your precious little tablet?"

"But I don't have any money, I just need my tablet back, please!" Lily's eyes began to well up with tears, her voice quivering in fear.

"Don't have any money, huh?" The girl huffed, before pointing at Lily's small coat. "Then what do you call that $50 bill that's clearly hanging out of your pocket there!?"

"It's... it's all I have!" Lily held onto the bill and zipped it away. "My grandma gave me this as a birthday gift, and I need it for something else!"

"Is that so?" The girl folded her arms, before rolling her eyes. "I saw how you were back at that diner, your sad excuse of a mother taking the spotlight, bragging about how well-behaved her daughter is. One who carries a title such as that, should not be telling lies!"

Lily's eyes grew wide with fear as the girl's harsh words cut through the night, knowing that she couldn't fight back, nor outrun her. With trembling hands, she reached into her pocket, and with a heavy heart, pulled out the cherished $50 bill.

"Okay, okay, please, I'll give you the money." Lily whimpered. "Just... just don't take my tablet, it has all my irreplaceable family pictures on it!"

"Well, well, well, I guess you're still capable of making a wise decision, even if you've still got to work on your honesty." The girl stepped closer to Lily, taking the money from the child's hand. "But you know what, since I'm now holding all the strings here, instead of giving you the tablet back, I think I'll instead take both, and double my profits from tonight!"

"No, please!" Lily's eyes widened in horror as she watched her only hope of saving her tablet slip away. "That's all the money I have, you can't do this!"

"I can, and I just did!" The girl stuffed the $50 bill into her pocket. "Besides, it's not like you can do anything about it, so you might as well give up and head on home, empty-handed. You'll understand when you get older, that what I'm doing is essentially just what's necessary for survival in this cruel world!"

"But that's not fair, you're just a thief!" Lily pouted. "How would you like it if others stole from you!?"

"Oh, I'd love it, actually." The girl said with a faux sweet tone. "It's the circle of life, kid, get used to it. Now scram, since I have no more business with you!"

Lily felt tears streaking down her cheeks as she realized she'd lost everything, as the cruel girl's laughter echoed through the alleyway like a taunting nightmare. Her thoughts raced, trying to think of a way to get her tablet back, but fear held her in place.

"Come on, can't you please have a heart, and give me back what's rightfully mine!?" Lily cried out.

"Heart, what's that, a fancy way of saying weakness?" The girl played it up, dramatically. "I don't have one of those, never did, never will. Now, unless you want me to demonstrate just what I mean by that, I suggest you turn around and leave, you're not worth the trouble. And besides, even if you don't like this, what exactly are you going to do about it?"

"You don't know what you're taking from me!" Lily whispered, her voice barely audible. "Those pictures are all I have of my dad, and he's not with us anymore! You're just going to throw them away for money and pizza? In fact, I know what I should do, I'll run back to my mom at the diner, she'll make you give me back my tablet!"

"Oh, so you're going to tattle on me, huh?" The girl's eyes narrowed at Lily's words, as she stepped closer, towering over the child. "That's rich, coming from someone who can't even hold onto their own stuff. You know what, I'll give you a taste of what happens when you don't play by the rules. If you step out of the alleyway right now, I'll be long gone, and you'll never see me, nor your tablet again! Better yet, I'd actually love to see how you'll try and get me in trouble, when you don't even have any evidence of this! For all we know, a homeless person stole your tablet!"

"You... you're horrific!" Lily sobbed, tears blurring her vision. "Why are you doing this to me!?"

"Oh please, save your sob story for someone who cares." The girl scoffed. "Better yet, even if you did go running back to your mommy, instead of caring about the tablet, I'd say she'll be more mad at you for running off by yourself, into the streets at night. You should've thought twice before you decided to mess up like that."

Lily's sobs grew louder as the girl's cruel words cut through her like a knife. She knew that she had made a mistake, but she never thought someone could be so heartless. Through her teary eyes, she watched as the girl began to leave the alleyway, her own heart feeling like it was shattering into a million pieces. The thought of losing her only connection to her father was unbearable, and she couldn't let this monster get away with it.

"I've messed up, when you're the one stealing from me!?" Lily called out. "You're the one who's messed up here-"

"EXCUSE ME!?!" The girl roared as she kicked a nearby trashcan to the ground, prompting Lily to lose every last bit of confidence to stand up for herself.

"N-Nothing..." Lily immediately backed down.

"That's what I thought, you little quiet kids are so easy to steal from." The girl smirked. "It's no wonder you also grow up to become the social outcasts, later on in school."

Hearing this entire exchange from nearby, Sunset immediately felt each of the girl's words pierce through her own heart like daggers. She remembered saying similar words to Fluttershy within the hallways of CHS, and knew that at the time, she was just as bad, if not worse than this thieving girl here. Being haunted by the past person she once was to this very day, Sunset understood what had to be done, and that she absolutely couldn't be a bystander to this injustice. She had already extended her empathy and friendship to others over the years, but the time had finally come for her to demonstrate everything she now knew, to essentially deal with the caricature of her former self.

"You're going to regret every single word you've said to her." Sunset stomped her boot on the concrete sidewalk, her eyes burning with a fiery resolve that hadn't been seen in her for a very long time. "I can't stand by and let you bully her any longer! Give her back what's rightfully hers right now, or face the consequences!"

Both Lily and the tall girl immediately looked over, watching Sunset step out from behind the building, and stand right in front of the alleyway like an iron wall. The girl was taken aback at this unexpected event, but all the same, couldn't help but snicker at this seemingly pathetic attempt to save this child from her actions.

"Oh, and what exactly are you going to do, huh?" The girl pointed. "You don't even know me, so I believe some introductions are in order. I'm the leader of the Canterlot Street Gang, we roam the streets at night, and pillage any bits of cash we can get our hands on, just to survive in this cruel world. If you know what's best for you, you'll walk away right now, and nobody will get hurt!"

"You don't scare me with such empty words." Sunset's eyes narrowed into a glare that cut through the darkness of the alleyway, and her voice was firm, yet filled with a surprising calmness that was eerie to the core. "You think you're above everyone else, just because you consider yourself the leader of a gang? Believe me, I've seen your type before, and it's only a matter of time before the world chews you up and spits you out. You're not the boss of this town, and definitely not the boss of that little girl, there."

"Oh please, who are you, some kind of self-employed vigilante?" The girl taunted, taking a step closer to Lily, who was now cowering behind a trash can. "You don't know what it's like out here, this is our world, and we take what we want. If you're not a fan of how my gang operates at night, tough! Now I'm not going to warn you again, you'd better step out of here before I show you the true meaning of pain!"

"I've faced far worse, trust me." Sunset stepped into the light, revealing her determined expression, as she approached the bully. "All I know for certain is that I've seen plenty of bullies like you, using fear and intimidation to get what you want, but I've also seen how friendship and kindness can turn the tables. As of right now, I'm here to stand up for that poor child you're stealing from, especially because I have a friend at school, who certainly knows what it feels like to be in her position!"

"You think you can just waltz in here and save the day, do you?" The leader of the Canterlot Street Gang sneered at Sunset's bravado, noticing the confidence in her eyes, but not recognizing her genuine determination. "You're not in your fancy school anymore, this is where the real world bites. But either way, how could I ever expect one with such a limited perspective to understand my motives? Besides, does the shark feel the need to explain itself to its prey out there in the sea? I think not, it would immediately devour them like the lame, insignificant sea creatures they truly are!"

Sunset's eyes remained steadfast on the gang leader, her heart beating fast, but her resolve unwavering. She knew the kind of person this girl was, and she had already seen the damage that could be caused by such malicious intentions. Eventually, Sunset took a step forward, her boots echoing throughout the alleyway, before reaching out her hand, hoping to offer a peaceful solution.

"I'm not here to judge you or your life, but I am here to make sure that you don't ruin someone else's." Sunset glared at the girl with a serious demeanor. "Give her stuff back right now, or I promise you, it'll instead be you who'll regret this."

"And what's that supposed to mean, exactly?" The girl scoffed. "You gonna call the cops? Fat chance that'll do you any good, I already know my way around the city, and I'll be long gone before you even know it! Why don't you just give up this charade, and step away from the sidewalk? I'm not kidding when I'm warning you, don't make me get violent!"

"Violence is never the answer, and I'm not here to scare you, nor get you into trouble with the authorities." Sunset's voice remained calm but firm. "I've been where you are, and I know how it feels to think that you have to take from others, just to get by. The solution here is simple, you give her tablet and money back, let her go, and we'll forget about all this. What's it going to be?"

"You think I'm going to just roll over for some random chick with a savior complex!?!" The leader of the Canterlot Street Gang spat, her eyes glinting with anger. "You're not my mother, teacher, or even the cops, so what makes you think you have the right to tell me what to do? You know what, fine, I'll give this little girl her stuff back, if it means saving me the headache from your pathetic lecture! Does that suffice?"

"It would." Sunset nodded, feeling a small wave of relief wash over her. "Give everything you took back, and we'll go our separate ways. But I think I'll stay behind and watch you give everything back, before I let you go."

The gang leader's expression shifted from anger to smug amusement, as she feigned compliance, extending the tablet and the crumpled bill towards Lily. However, just as the child reached for them, she deftly snatched them back and sneered.

"But why would I do that, when I can just leave you both to cry like little babies?" The girl suddenly dashed towards Sunset, shoving her aside with surprising strength, and sprinting out of the alleyway.

"Nooooooo, she's getting away with my stuff!" Lily's voice was a mix of fear and desperation, as she watched the thief disappear into the night. "Is she... is she really going to get away with this!?"

"Not on my watch!" Sunset exclaimed, bolting after the retreating figure, her legs pumping with renewed vigor, as Lily followed behind.

Sunset's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, a mix of anger and determination. She couldn't just let this girl get away with everything, not after all she's learned about the importance of empathy and friendship. The night air rushed past her as she gave chase, her eyes locked on the fleeing thief. Her disbelief at the audacity of the gang leader's cowardly decision to flee, it only served to fuel her pursuit, prompting Sunset's body to move by pure instinct. The alleyways grew narrower, with the possibilities of danger increasing with every passing moment, but Sunset's resolve never wavered. She had to make this right, not just for Lily, but for herself, to make amends for the immeasurable pain she had once caused at CHS.

Chapter 12: All Bark With No Bite

Sunset's eyes kept focused on where this coldhearted thief was heading, her heart pounding with a mix of anger and determination. Despite the risks and dangers that came with chasing down a supposed criminal, she couldn't simply let this mysterious girl get away with Lily's tablet, with all those precious memories. Sunset's boots echoed through the narrow corridors as she navigated the darkness of the alleyways. It almost seemed reflective of what transpired back then during the CHS Fall Formal, when Princess Twilight and the other girls were chasing Sunset herself, ending with a huge fight for the crown.

Alongside the tables being turned, Sunset knew that she had to prevail with her plans this time around, not just for the greater good, but also the satisfaction of defeating the caricature of the awful girl she once was. It didn't exactly seem like a one-to-one comparison, since this other girl seemed to be more of a criminal who mugs people at night, rather than the stereotypical bully who demands the lunch money of other students. Still, the aggressive mannerisms and willingness to pick on the most helpless of all, it made Sunset almost treat this situation as the equivalent of fighting her past self, and she was more than willing to partake in such an act.

The thief was fast, but Sunset had spent years honing her athletic skills in the Human World, alongside taking martial arts classes in her free time. This persistent chase grew intense as the thief tried to lose her, deliberately knocking over garbage cans and sprinting through sudden turns in the alleyway. Each clang and attempt at escaping had only fueled Sunset's determination, as her goal became more clear by each passing minute. She had to recover the tablet and $50 bill, not just for Lily, but for anyone else who had ever felt the pain of losing something irreplaceable, due to a bully's greed. Eventually, the tall girl ended up making a misstep on her part, and found herself cornered at the dead end of an alleyway, with Sunset approaching her.

"You're pretty fast, I'll give you that." The girl looked back to Sunset, panting heavily. "But you're just wasting your time, you really think you're going to get this stuff back from me? That certainly won't happen, at least not without a fight!"

Sunset felt the heat of the chase in her veins, her eyes narrowing as she approached the trapped thief. She had seen enough in her life to know when someone was desperate, and this girl was definitely in that category. All the same, Sunset hoped that she wouldn't need to resort to violence, but kept in mind that if she had no other choice, it was still a risk that she was willing to take.

"Look, I don't want to fight you, I just want to make sure that little girl gets everything back, she's been through enough, don't you think?" Sunset's voice was calm, yet it carried an underlying tone that made it clear she wasn't backing down. "But if you force my hand, I'll do what it takes to get that tablet back, since I can certainly understand the sentimental value that it brings for her. It's not always just about how much something is worth from a financial standpoint, there's also the irreplaceable memories that you can't put a price tag on."

"Oh, you think you're so high and mighty, don't you?" The thief spat back, her eyes flashing with defiance. "You have no idea what it's like to live on the streets, to do whatever it takes to survive, and you want to lecture me about morals? You're just another spoiled brat who's had everything handed to her on a silver platter, in my eyes!"

"That's fair, I don't know what it's like to live on the streets." Sunset admitted, her voice steady. "But I do know what it's like to hurt others for my own personal gain, and the regrets that come with it. I've changed so much since then, and I'm hoping I can help you do the same. My friends have helped me see that, and they-"

"Blah, blah, blah!" The girl used her hand to mock Sunset's yapping. "I don't have the patience to listen in on another one of your lame lectures! You're literally the only thing that stands in the way of my gang and I being able to eat tonight, so I could care less about what you do in your personal life! It's naught but a mere distraction for me, as I crave nothing but to take from those more fortunate than myself!"

"You don't have to do this." Sunset said with a serious tone. "I've been in your position, and I know what it's like to feel desperate, but I've also learned that there are better ways to get by than stealing from others. If you're really that much in need of food or money, perhaps I could be of some assistance. My only condition for helping you however, is that you give back what you've wrongfully taken."

"What's your angle, huh?" The girl retorted with skepticism. "Why do you care about some random kid's tablet? Is she part of some rich family or something, and you intend to look good in front of them, so they can compensate you for your so-called heroics?"

"I've done things in the past that I'm not proud of, but I've changed because I had friends who believed in me." Sunset explained. "If I can prevent that pain from happening to someone else, then that's all the compensation I need. But if you won't give it back willingly, then you leave me with no other choice."

"I've practically had to watch my own back since I was that kid's age, so I surely don't need your pity or help!" The girl snapped. "You know as well as I do that this world is run by the greedy, real crooks of society, and that those crooks somehow never end up behind bars! That makes them no different than me, so if you're going to cause a headache with your asinine lectures, why don't you find a topnotch CEO to spew such lame words?"

"You're right, the world isn't fair, and it's filled with people who take advantage of others." Sunset expressed a mix of determination and empathy. "But that doesn't mean we have to be like them, to put it simply, it costs nothing to be a kind person and do the right thing!"

"And you really think being 'kind' is going to fill my stomach or keep me warm at night?" The girl rolled her eyes. "Get real, I have to survive, just like everybody else, and if that means having to take from others, I'm more than willing to oblige with such actions! Now, if you wouldn't mind as to step out of the way, so that I can finally return to my gang, I'll completely forget about you coming here and interfering with my business!"

Just then, both Sunset and the thief turned their attention to footsteps coming from the alleyway's entrance, only to see Lily Pad. The child had finally caught up, as she felt a protective aura with Sunset, and she didn't feel safe remaining behind in a dark alleyway by herself. Lily watched on, as it seemed like the thief who took her belongings was already planning on making yet another swift escape.

"Wait, please don't go, I-I can't lose my tablet!" Lily cried, her voice trembling with fear and desperation.

"Enough of this prattle, I have no interest in continuing to waste my time with you two crybabies!" The thief hissed, before turning to Sunset. "That especially goes for you, who seems way too concerned with other people's problems to see the bigger picture! Now, just to make sure that you'll no longer be a barrier within my path, it seems you've left me with no other choice, but to resort to drastic measures!"

As the thief began growing increasingly desperate, she prepared to make a sudden move as a diversion. With a swift and practiced motion, she raised her boot and slammed it down onto Sunset's foot, hoping the injury would prevent her from giving chase again. The sound of the impact echoed through the alleyway, and for a moment, Sunset's eyes widened with pain. However, she had been through much worse, and thankfully, her boots had rather a thick leather coating, protecting her foot from the severity of the attack. Combined with this, her years of experience in combat had taught her to ignore the pain, and to focus on the task at hand.

Unfortunately for Sunset, the attack had stunned her body long enough, to where the thief had a clear opening to retreat outside the alley. As Sunset was trying to shake the pain off, the coldhearted girl made a break for it, completely ignoring Lily, who was seemingly standing in her way. This ignorance would soon lead to her downfall, in both a figurative and literal sense, as the child stuck out her leg at the last minute, causing the thief to trip over and fall to the ground. This quick thinking had given Sunset just enough time to process the sudden advantage she had, as she quickly ran over and grabbed the tablet from the thief's back pocket, and handed it back to Lily.

"Hopefully the tablet isn't damaged from that fall?" Sunset checked for cracks or scratches. "It looks fine, good thing she slid it into her back pocket."

"Th-Thank you, kind girl!" Lily took the tablet, clutching it tightly to her chest with tearful eyes. "I-I never thought I'd see it again!"

Despite the tides suddenly shifting in Sunset and Lily's favor, the battle had only just begun, as the two girls immediately took notice of the thief getting back up from her fall, and giving them both a nasty look. The child might've successfully gotten her tablet back, but unfortunately, this thief still had Lily's money, and was now completely bent on exacting her wrath upon these meddlesome strangers.

"You little..." The thief began to stomp her way over to Lily, who immediately hid behind Sunset. "You'll pay for that little stunt you pulled, and don't think I'll show you any mercy! Think I won't hit a child, do you? Well, think again!"

The girl immediately swung one of her fists, intending to pummel the child right in the face. But before her fist could even connect, Sunset immediately caught it with one of her own hands, as she narrowed her eyes at this monster's horrendous actions. If she wasn't here to intervene, this coldhearted bully would've gone as far as to harm an innocent child? This was completely unacceptable in her eyes, and Sunset knew she could no longer hold back or attempt to reason with her.

"You're going to pay for every tear you've made that child shed!" Sunset's voice was a mix of anger and disbelief. "I'm going to take you down, and make sure you're unable to do this to anyone else, ever again!"

"Oh really, you think you're so tough now?" The thief sneered, trying to pull her hand free from Sunset's grasp. "Let's see how much you're willing to risk for some random kid you don't even know! Given how righteous you are, I bet you don't even know the first thing about what it takes to be mean and tough in these cold streets!"

The girl immediately used her other fist to punch Sunset in the stomach, causing her to stumble back in pain. In return, Sunset retaliated by doing the same, and then used her leg to swing an uppercut kick, slamming her boot onto the back of the thief's head.

"You're about to see how mean I can get!" Sunset threatened, almost feeling reminded of the Memory Stone incident, when she said the same thing to Wallflower.

The alleyway had suddenly turned into a battleground of wills, as Sunset and the gang leader stood directly in front of one another, each fueled by their own brand of determination. The mysterious girl's eyes flashed with a mix of anger and hunger, as she took in the challenge presented by Sunset's unyielding stance. Around the brawling duo, the air grew tense, as the thief's punches and kicks rained down upon Sunset, who deftly dodged and countered with a grace, true to her own fiery spirit. The sound of fists connecting with flesh, along with the grunts of exertion echoing throughout the night, they were a stark contrast to the quiet, desolate streets of the city.

Sunset's eyes never left the thief's, as she readied herself for the next blow. Her opponent was admittedly much stronger than she had expected, but she wasn't going to let that deter her from her goal. The pain from the stomach punch washed over her, and she knew she had to keep fighting. Using her martial arts training, Sunset blocked another swing with her forearm, then swiftly retaliated with a kick to the ribs, sending her opponent to the ground. Sunset could then feel the thief's breath hitch, but she didn't let up, especially in the chance that this was only an act meant to lower her guard.

"You think you're special because you go to some fancy school?" The girl growled, fiercely. "Let me tell you right now, I've got a whole gang backing me up, and we don't play by the rules that you're used to! I should make it clear that if you so much as interfere with our operations at night, we'll search the ends of the city to track down your whereabouts, and make sure you pay dearly for this!"

"Your threats don't scare me, I've faced worse than a pack of street bullies." Sunset's eyes flashed with a fiery determination. "Better yet, if you're going to keep making trouble for others, even after I'm through with you, I'm going to keep coming back, until you learn that fear and intimidation won't work on me. This is practically any bully's main tactic, always resorting to intimidation, because deep down, you're just a coward who chooses to run from the problem, instead of resolving it!"

"Grrrrrr, you insolent cur!" The thief breathed heavily with anger, before she lunged at Sunset, her fists a blur of motion. "I'll show you the very sticks and stones that'll break your bones! Think you're so much better than me, and can just waltz into our territory and take over? Let's see how you'll do against the rest of the Canterlot Street Gang, when I call them over and teach you a lesson you'll never forget!"

But Sunset was more than ready, her own years of experience in combat had shaped her into a formidable opponent. She sidestepped the thief's clumsy attack, landing a firm blow to her jaw, which caused the thief to stumble back. Her eyes widened with shock, the taste of bitterness filling her mouth. The thief had never encountered someone who could stand up to her so easily, and it was infuriating. She spat out a mouthful of spite and glared at Sunset, her eyes gleaming with pure malice.

"You're nothing but a glammed-up fool playing dress-up with your rich friends, let me show you the kind of world I live in!" With a roar, the girl charged at Sunset again, her fists flying with a rage that seemed almost feral.

Despite the sudden attack, Sunset swiftly blocked each blow with precision, her eyes never leaving the girl's. She knew that she had to be careful not to go too far, as to not become the very thing she was fighting against. This inadvertently gave the thief the upper hand, as she began noticing her opponent focusing more on defense, rather than offense. With her previous comment about Sunset merely being a fool playing dress-up, it suddenly gave the girl the idea to deliver a quick kick to Sunset's face, which Sunset herself was unable to block in time, sending her crumbling to the ground.

The thief's grin grew malicious as she saw the open advantage, before she reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small but deadly-looking pocket knife. She flicked it open with a practiced ease that sent a shiver down Lily's spine, as she could do nothing much besides watch in horror. With a sadistic twirl, the girl began to cut into Sunset's clothing, tearing through the fabric and spiky pins, and transforming her once luxurious outfit into a big mess of threads and scratches. With a sinister intent on leaving her opponent even more exposed and vulnerable, the sound of the knife slicing through the material was merely the least of Sunset's concerns, as she braced herself for the inevitable sting of cold steel against her skin.

"What are you doing!?!" Sunset exclaimed, her eyes widened with shock and fear. "You're not going to solve anything with that weapon!"

"You really think I'll heed such meaningless words?" The girl scoffed, as she then jabbed the knife through Sunset's hair, messing it up. "This is all about making sure you learn to stay out of our business, nobody messes with the Canterlot Street Gang, especially not some school girl with a pretty face, who decided to end up in the wrong part of town! But if you really felt the need to step between my gang's operation like some filthy homeless person, I might as well make you look like one!"

Sunset felt a chill run down her spine, as the blade of the knife was inevitably going to do some serious damage to her body. With a sudden burst of strength fueled by her drive for friendship and protection of the innocent, she pushed herself off the ground and rolled away from the girl, narrowly avoiding the knife's edge. She quickly got to her feet, and kicked the girl in the back, her eyes flashing with a fiery resolve.

"You might not know this, but I'm someone who's been through the fires of adversity, and came out stronger, because of it!" Sunset roared. "I won't go anywhere until you return that child's money, so it's up to you, whether or not you want to make this easy for yourself!"

The thief, seeing Sunset's quick escape from the knife's path, simply snarled in frustration. With a sadistic glint in her eyes, she then came up with another plan, before reaching into her pocket, and instead pulling out a cigarette lighter. Flipping it open with a metallic click, she held the flame to the crumpled $50 bill, which she had managed to keep ahold of during their scuffle.

"Looks like you're out of luck, rich girl!" The girl sneered, holding the flame closer to the cash. "This is what happens when you mess with a gang leader, didn't think it would come down to this, did you!? Unless you want me to burn this cash right in front of the child, you'll give me that tablet right now, without a fight!"

Sunset's mind raced as she watched the thief hold the lighter to the cash, but eventually realized that this was simply another empty threat. She knew that the gang leader was desperate, and that the money was likely just as important to her, if it meant being able to feed her gang for the night. As such, Sunset began to take a clever risk, a gamble that played on the thief's own desperation, whilst utilizing some reverse psychology. She subtly looked back and winked to Lily, hoping the child could understand that she knew what she was doing.

"Fine, you win." Sunset reiterated, similar to the time she conceded defeat and dropped the sledgehammer, years ago at the Fall Formal. "Go on ahead and burn that $50 bill, if you please."

"Oh, you really want to test me, do you!?" The thief's eyes widened in shock, her grip on the lighter and bill tightening. "No, you can't be serious, I'm not playing around! Mistaking foolishness for bravery is not a wise decision at all, you hear!?"

"I'm more than serious." Sunset's voice was calm, yet firm. "If you burn that money, you're not only proving my point, but also ensuring that you won't get to eat tonight. Think about it, you're already at a disadvantage with the tablet in our possession, so if you destroy the money, then what will you have left, and how are you going to face your gang, of which you claim to hide behind?"

The thief's hand wavered for a moment, with the flame of the lighter dancing closer to the bill, then away again, as if in sync with her indecision. This almost felt like the equivalent of being called on in class, not knowing what the answer to the teacher's question was, and then getting humiliated by the showoff, smart kid. A brief moment of indecision from the gang leader was all Sunset needed, as she knew that she couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

With a swift and precise move, she kicked the lighter out of the thief's hand, the flame extinguishing as it shattered upon the hard concrete, along with the lighter's fluid spilling everywhere. The girl's eyes darted down in disbelief at her favorite lighter being destroyed, which allowed Sunset to snatch the crumpled up $50 bill from her grip with ease. Sunset then turned to Lily, handing it back to the child with a gentle smile.

"That'll teach her for stealing from a child." Sunset said, feeling satisfied at serving justice.

Tears of gratitude streamed down Lily's cheeks as she took the crumpled $50 bill, clutching it to her chest, but it was too soon to celebrate, as the duo soon noticed the gang leader approaching them, completely enraged at losing everything. Now she would most likely get a real thrashing from the rest of her gang, and knew that if anybody needed a thrashing first, it was these two crybabies. The tall girl pulled the pocket knife out once more, and was prepared to show her enemies absolutely no mercy.

"Alright, so the cur is not all bark..." The girl seethed, her knife glinting dangerously in the dim alleyway light. "But will you still have that BITE, upon witnessing the kind of pain I can inflict with this blade, here!?"

Sunset's heart pounded in her chest as the knife grew closer, but knew that she couldn't let fear control her, especially not when a child's safety was at stake. She reflected on the many times she had stared down danger itself, and how her friends had always been there to support her. Drawing upon that strength, Sunset stepped protectively in front of Lily, the knife now pointed at her.

"If you want to hurt someone, you'll have to go through me, first!" Sunset said, her voice steady.

"You think you can just come in here at the last minute and take back what I've earned!?" The girl took a step closer, holding the blade, firmly. "Why don't you save yourself the trouble and run along now, and maybe I'll spare you the same fate I had planned for that kid. I've got better things to do than play games with the likes of you, so I insist, go on and run, I won't stop you!"

"I'm not running anywhere, and I'm definitely not letting you get away with this." Sunset shook her head. "You've hurt enough people for one night, and spewing some meaningless threats like that, it certainly doesn't make you a fierce wolf!"

"Such hubris!" The girl snapped, getting ready to attack. "I'm still the one with the teeth here, and you're about to be ripped to shreds! In that case, even if you run now, I'll make certain that you'll never have the opportunity to interfere with my gang's operation, again! You should feel so lucky to suffer by the hand of one of the Canterlot Street Gang!"

Hearing this, Sunset understood that by this point, the girl was completely bent on relentlessly chasing her with the pocket knife. Her eyes darted around the alleyway, searching for anything she could potentially use to her advantage, before her gaze landed upon a pile of trash cans at the far end, with a family of raccoons rummaging through them. Seeing this, she suddenly formed yet another risky gambit that might just turn the tides in battle, at least as a temporary distraction, meant to chase the thief away. She took a step back, before whispering to Lily, wanting to keep the child safe from harm's way.

"Quick, hide behind those dumpsters." Sunset whispered to Lily, as she watched the child scurry away.

Turning back to the thief, Sunset stepped aside, making it appear as though she was retreating. The gang leader saw this supposed fear, feeling triumphant, before taking the bait and lunging forward with the knife. The two girls ran around in circles throughout the alleyway, with Sunset looking back upon the thief, showing absolute determination to put an end to their fight. After a while of relentless chasing, Sunset kept sprinting until she was almost within reach of the trash cans, making it seem like she was going to jump over them. However, at the very last minute, she stopped short and moved out of the way just in time, throwing her attacker off.

Before she could even react, the gang leader looked back for a moment in confusion, then crashed directly into the pile of trash cans, knocking them over and spilling the contents everywhere. In addition to becoming coated with smelly garbage, the family of racoons were incredibly displeased at their home being destroyed. As such, the scavenging critters hissed and snarled, as they raised their claws, preparing to attack as a whole family. The girl's eyes grew wide with shock as she realized she had been outsmarted, but it was already too late, once she noticed the raccoons swarming all over her, with their sharp claws and bared teeth.

"Agh, get off, you oversized rats!" The thief tried desperately to get the raccoons off of her, before glaring at Sunset, trying to ignore the pain of the animals clawing and biting her. "I've... underestimated you, how foolish of me! How can this be... an ordinary schoolgirl outsmarting the gang leader, who's used to living the rough and tough street life!? Hear my words closely, I vow to discover who you are, and exactly where you live! And when I unveil that bit of knowledge... I will bring the rest of the Canterlot Street Gang's might to bear... and make you suffer... for making us all starve tonight! So sleep with one eye open from now on, and you shall soon know the lame taste of defeat, yourself!"

The girl stumbled away, yelling and swiping at the raccoons that clung onto her, but their tiny claws and teeth proved to be surprisingly effective against her resistance. As the sounds of her retreating footsteps echoed down the alley, Sunset turned around to check on Lily, who was still shaking behind the dumpsters, her eyes wide with fear. Sunset hurried over, her own heart still racing from the encounter, but was happy that despite the injuries in that battle, she had not only succeeded in protecting the helpless child, but also emerged victorious over the caricature of the mean girl she used to be.

However, the gang leader's last words had concerned Sunset greatly... was there any truth to them? Would she actually go out of her way to learn more about who she was, and return someday to exact her vengeance? No, it was most likely the hollow posturing of a bitter defeat, especially coming from someone who ended up proving to be more bark than bite. Despite all this, Sunset knew her work wasn't quite finished yet, as the child still needed somebody to escort her back to her parents, after running off alone at night.

Chapter 14: Showered Away

The evening's events had painted the once vibrant streets of Canterlot with uncertainty and disarray, leaving Sunset's once pristine attire with a plethora of rips, cuts, and loose pins. After arriving back at her apartment, Sunset immediately set aside her bag and entered her bathroom, thoroughly inspecting the extent of the damage done towards her favorite outfit. It was obvious that the mysterious girl's knife had done some pretty irreversible damage to the leather, but she still wanted to see just how noticeable it was.

Upon further inspection, Sunset couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her outfit had been completely shredded by the battle she'd just been through, and it was clear that the damage would be very noticeable if she went out in public again. Although the fight had been intense, consisting of a whirlwind of fists and brute strength, it was still worth it. The opportunity to keep a child out of harm's way was absolutely priceless, while clothes could always be very easily replaceable. Better yet, Sunset was sure that if she were to ask, Rarity would be more than happy to stitch her outfit back together, and make it look just as good as new again.

"Well, this snazzy outfit was unfortunately a price I had to pay for saving that child, but I know I did the right thing." Sunset said to herself. "Twilight and the rest of my friends would be proud of my decision, the same kind of philosophy I tried to instill within those girls from Crystal Prep Academy. All I know for certain is, whoever that unfortunate girl that ended up dropping out was, she probably needed somebody like me in her time of need. After all, considering how close Twilight and I have become since the Friendship Games, I can only imagine what else must've transpired behind the scenes back then..."

Sunset then picked up a pair of scissors, as she clipped off some of her hair, allowing the messy strands to fall down her shoulders. Most of the damaged ends had come off nicely, but Sunset felt that she still looked as though she now had a bad haircut from an inexperienced barber. That was when she realized that she also needed to take a shower, not only to wash her hair, but also wash away any possible bruises or cuts she had endured during that fight. Plus, with the upcoming trip back to Equestria, it only seemed appropriate to come across as presentable, especially during an event like Princess Twilight's coronation. With this in mind, Sunset immediately went over to her bathtub and turned on the hot water, which began to fill the room with a blinding steam mist.

Soon enough, each article of clothing was carefully removed and set aside, as Sunset looked down, realizing that overall, she hadn't sustained any noticeable injuries at all, which meant that her clothes had truly taken all the punishment, like the armor of a knight. Sunset then took another quick glance at her body, remembering the exchange she had with Starlight, earlier that day. Admittedly, Starlight was onto something, notably when she pointed out how unusual the two worlds' social norms had differed from one another. Ponies back in Equestria may sometimes wear clothes, but not wearing them at all was still widely accepted, and considered normal amongst their society. And yet despite this, it was a completely different story, if one were to try that here in the Human World.

"I may be used to this world's norms, but I still never quite understand why it's unacceptable to not wear clothes in this world, even though that's pretty normal, back in Equestria." Sunset reflected as she ran her hand through the running water. "It... doesn't have anything to do with these two round things across my chest, does it? I know ponies certainly don't have these, and even then, I often see male humans not wearing shirts and showing these things off, so... is it something else? This world's rules can be so weird sometimes, but who am I to judge, considering I come from a world with magic-burping dragons as cell phones?"

Sunset stepped into the warm embrace of the shower, letting the water flow down her body, as she washed away her musings on the peculiarities of human customs. She scrubbed vigorously, feeling the tension of the day melt away within the soap bubbles, cleansing away anything left behind from that invigorating battle. The scent of lavender filled the steamy bathroom, creating a calming fragrance that she'd come to appreciate in this human form. All the while, she almost felt like doing some singing in the shower, as she still needed to gather some ideas on new lyrics for the Rainbooms' performance song during graduation. It was admittedly difficult to come up with originality off the top of her head, so she settled with an old song, which was both nostalgic and meaningful of her past.

"Power... was all I desired..." Sunset began reciting her most iconic song. "But all that grew inside me... was the darkness I acquired..."

As Sunset continued to recite the verses of the entire song, she slowly began to lean more towards the idea that the song itself was already a perfect choice for their graduation's performance. The very thought of expressing the same song that represented her growth and strength as a new girl, but being played alongside the rest of her closest friends, as a means of showing their union. This approach seemed brilliant, but admittedly lacked another important element, originality. It would still come across as lazy to just reuse the entire song, word for word, without coming up with something new and interesting, especially as a song meant to be the defining send-off, for the very students about to graduate from CHS.

"Maybe I should tweak it a bit, add something about friendship and unity, like how we all grew together, despite our differences." Sunset brainstormed in the shower. "Especially when we had to overcome various challenges throughout the years, together as friends."

The more Sunset gave this some deep thought, the more she realized that some further forms of inspiration was necessary to give this song the very flair it needed. Graduation at CHS was a one-time thing, so she and the other girls certainly needed to end things with a bang, rather than an underwhelming performance. Despite this, Sunset also knew that she couldn't become too fixated on making this performance absolutely perfect, as to not have a repeat of what happened with the Postcrush girls.

"I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I sing..." Sunset began to finish up not only her song's closing verses, but also her shower. "That my past does not define me, 'cause my past is not... wait, that's not right, and it doesn't even rhyme. Well, I've still got a whole week ahead of me to figure it out, and plenty of time to find some inspiration back in Equestria. I don't know if I'll end up meeting somepony who's into music just as much as me, but I suppose it's possible. Now that I have all the time I need to truly appreciate Equestria for a return trip, the possibilities are just endless."

As Sunset finally turned off the shower's faucet, she wrapped herself in a towel, the warm fabric enveloping her damp body, as the steam slowly dissipated around her. Upon drying herself off, she then walked over to her dresser and pulled out a fresh set of pajamas, whilst her mind raced with the thoughts of her impending journey back to her home world. As she finally changed into her PJ's, Sunset took a glance at a nearby clock and noticed that it was only around 8:00 PM. Knowing that it was way too early to go to bed, and that most of her main duties on her checklist had been taken care of, Sunset felt as though something else crucial was slipping her mind. Then it suddenly hit her, she was still in need of someone to watch over her apartment, while she was away.

Sunset immediately went over to her couch, where she left her bag and cell phone. As she scrolled through her contacts, her eyes narrowed in deep thought, trying her best to consider who would be the most reliable choice for housesitting. Her thumb hovered over Rarity's name, pondering if hiring her would be the best idea. Rarity had always been meticulous with her own possessions, and also had the gifted knowledge on how to mend damaged clothes. On the other hand, there was also Applejack, who had always been known as a hard-working and reliable girl, especially when it came to keeping a house in good shape. Fluttershy was an expert with animals, and would likely even be able to communicate directly with her pet leopard gecko, Ray, which would make her a good pick, as well.

Although Sunset knew that she could certainly entrust any of her closest friends in watching over her apartment, it didn't necessarily mean they would all be able to set aside their entire schedule, just to take this responsibility. It was going to be for at least a whole week, and the Rainbooms had already made it clear that while Sunset was going to be away, their main focus would consist of finishing up the graduation song. This would be the case for the rest of the girls, all except for one, who had been mysteriously absent all day.

A burst of colorful energy and enthusiasm popped into Sunset's mind, and she immediately realized that she still had one last hope for a housesitter on such short notice. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the name she was looking for, before getting ready to send a quick message. Sunset hadn't seen Pinkie all day, which was odd, given her friend's usual knack for popping up in the most unexpected places. Then again, this unusual absence seemed to signify that Pinkie was likely planning something big as a surprise, especially with graduation right around the corner.

"Hopefully she'll receive my text and respond in time..." Sunset said as she sent her message, asking if Pinkie was busy, and had a moment to chat with her. "I'm not sure if she has much experience as a housesitter, but according to that kid, she's an amazing babysitter, so there is that. Plus, after everything we've been through together at that Postcrush concert, I just know she's got the heart and determination to get the job done. Worse-case scenario, if I can't find a housesitter at all, I may have to take Ray with me back to Equestria."

Whilst thinking of her pet leopard gecko, Sunset couldn't help but wonder why out of all the critters in that pet store, she specifically chose Ray. She distinctly remembered being shown other potential pets, including a variety of fish, guinea pigs, and lizards, but she immediately set her eyes on the leopard gecko. Perhaps Ray had that distinct adorable smile, but Sunset believed there had to have been a more distinct, psychological connection. She wanted to say it was perhaps due to idolizing a certain superhero character that she had seen, when she was just a filly, but being away from Equestria for so long, she just wasn't sure.

"You know something, Ray?" Sunset whispered to her pet, who was sitting in his glass tank. "I've always had a fondness for leopard geckos, ever since I was a young filly in Equestria. I think it was because of a gecko superhero I was fascinated with, he was so brave and kind, just like you. I don't quite remember what his name was, but I'll always cherish what he helped me realize at a young age. Heroes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, not just the ones with scales and tails. Just like the friends I've made here over the years, they've taught me so much more about what it truly means to be a hero."

The leopard gecko tilted his head in curiosity and made a small chirping noise, which only fueled Sunset's soft spot. It was almost difficult for Sunset to imagine, she was once the same girl who ruled CHS with an iron fist, letting no other student stand in her way, and yet she had now become a marshmallow towards her pet's irresistible cuteness. The very thought of Ray having to stay home all week without a housekeeper, she just knew it wasn't an option. Ray wasn't necessarily a picky eater, but he still preferred the occasional live mealworm or cricket, which was able to keep him active and happy.

Whichever one of the girls that would be willing to step up to the task at hand, Sunset kept an open mind. Applejack or Fluttershy would most likely do the best job, but knowing the rest of the Rainbooms, it was fair to believe that any of the girls would be capable of getting the job done, especially if they weren't busy with anything else. It was just then, Sunset realized that she had another aspect of her trip to look forward to. Outside of meeting Princess Twilight, Celestia, and Starlight Glimmer again, she also had the potential of getting to know the girls' pony counterparts.

Since Sunset had technically already met Pony Pinkie Pie, back during the spring break yacht fiasco, she recalled that the Equestrian version of Pinkie was practically no different from her human counterpart. Bubbly, cheery, and always wanting to put a smile on her friends' faces. Sunset also recalled seeing some vaguely familiar faces in pony form, while she was exploring Equestria last time, but it didn't really amount to anything, given how she didn't even get the chance to interact with them. The most recent trip back to Equestria had only entailed seeking Princess Twilight's help, which once again, prevented her from truly appreciating what her old home world had to offer.

However, it was around this point, that Sunset also remembered one other crucial detail. Even if she were to meet the pony versions of Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity, would they be willing to accept her as a friend, and start over? This thought was pivotal, especially when it came to how much a bad first impression could have on someone else's trust and friendship with her. Aside from Twilight and Pinkie, the rest of the girls' pony counterparts had only one last distinct memory of Sunset Shimmer, that being when she broke into the castle and stole Twilight's Element of Harmony.

Understanding how awkward it would be to relive this memory as she got to know Twilight's friends, Sunset hoped that knowing the princess for so long, Twilight had already vouched for her, and assured them that Sunset was nothing like the pony she used to be. In fact, Twilight absolutely must've, especially if she took the extra mile to personally invite her to the upcoming coronation, which was as big of a deal to Sunset, as the graduation at CHS. After all, Sunset knew something else reassuring, thanks to her friendship with Starlight Glimmer. The aforementioned unicorn had told her that she too, was once another troubled individual, and thanks to Twilight's help, she had accomplished so much more in her life, especially after being accepted into the group.

"I'm definitely also looking forward to meeting the pony versions of my friends, for real this time." Sunset sat back on her couch, imagining how everything would likely turn out. "If they accepted Starlight thanks to Twilight's assurance, they'd surely do the same for me as well, despite me getting off on the wrong foot with them. Maybe they'd also be willing to make my experience in Equestria even more special, considering this'll be the first time I'm officially meeting them, and I'm going to be there for a whole week..."

While Sunset was imagining how her bonds with the pony versions of the Rainbooms would turn out, the aforementioned ponies were all discussing their week's plans, together as an entire group. Princess Twilight and her friends had already discussed and prepared everything necessary for the upcoming coronation the following day, but it was already getting rather late. Twilight and Spike waved goodbye to the five other ponies, who knew that they needed to get some immediate sleep, as they had a big day tomorrow.

"It's so hard to imagine, in less than 24 hours from now, Twilight's goin' to be the ruler of all of Equestria!" Applejack said in amazement, as she trotted away with the four other ponies. "Y'all remember the days when she was that same old unicorn, who cared more about her studies than anything else?"

"Indeed, Applejack." Rarity nodded. "It's absolutely astonishing how much we've all grown, especially Twilight. She's come so far, and she'll make a wonderful ruler."

"You think so?" Rainbow chimed in. "I mean, she's always been like the smarty-pants of the group, but ruler material? She's gonna have to deal with so much more than just books and spells, considering she's now taking the job of TWO princesses, not just one."

"Not to mention, outside of managing everything in Canterlot from this point forwards, there's still the School of Friendship." Fluttershy reminded. "Twilight's not just going to be busy after the ceremony tomorrow, she might even get overwhelmed. Which is why we all agreed to set aside our schedules for the week, in case she needs us by her side."

"Actually, come to think of it, we didn't really have much going on this week at all, did we?" Pinkie reflected. "I mean, outside of helping Mr. and Mrs. Cake with their orders, I don't really think there's much on my plate."

"Well regardless of our schedules, we must ensure we are prepared to support Twilight for this huge role." Rarity said. "The coronation is not merely a celebration, it's the beginning of a new era. Besides, even though one of my clients had recently placed an order for the Madame of Manehattan, I would still set that aside, just to ensure Twilight won't feel too overwhelmed, when the time finally comes."

"Madame of Manehattan?" Fluttershy asked with curiosity. "That actually sounds pretty important, Rarity. Are you sure that you shouldn't at least focus on getting that done, since you mentioned that Carousel Boutique has started to fall behind on sales? I'm sure Twilight would understand if you needed to prioritize such an essential client."

"You're quite right about that, but Twilight's coronation is a once-in-a-lifetime event." Rarity insisted. "Besides, the order for the Madame isn't due for another week, and I'm quite capable of multitasking, as I've demonstrated with our students at the School of Friendship."

"Well, I definitely wish you luck on that important order." Rainbow encouraged. "As for what I'm up to this week? I think I might've already told you girls, but back over at the academy, I'm training a new apprentice. See, now that I've been a Wonderbolt for quite some time, Spitfire's insisted that in the chance that one of us can't perform during a big show, we'll need an experienced stand-in, and she's allowed me to choose whoever I wish as a suitable apprentice. I think you've met her before, Fluttershy?"

"I recall bumping into her at your house, yes." Fluttershy nodded. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about you hanging out with her. There's just this strange vibe and aura about your apprentice, to where I'm often thinking she's up to no good. In fact, while I was trotting through your home that one time, I saw her in your room, and I could've sworn she was trying to pick the lock on your diary."

"Psh, what, no way!" Rainbow denied such a possibility. "She's totally cool, and I've met her back when I was at the Junior Speedsters with Gilda. I wouldn't exactly say she's a childhood friend, considering I've known Gilda way longer than her, but we definitely hit it off rather nicely, after we met each other again at the local Cloudsdale obstacle course."

"If she's planning on having some fun, maybe I can throw another surprise party for her, just like I did for Gilda back then." Pinkie suggested. "Then again, we've already got a huge party planned for the coronation, so it might not be the most ideal time for a surprise."

"Hey, Pinkie, out of curiosity?" Applejack spoke up. "If you don't mind me askin', where exactly have you been lately, Sugarcube?"

"Hmm, what do you mean?" Pinkie fluttered her eyes, innocently.

"Well, call me crazy, though I couldn't help but notice that while the rest of us were helpin' Twilight prepare for her coronation, you've been mysteriously absent for a number of days." Applejack began speculating. "And it's really odd, considerin' we specifically asked if you were busy, and you said you had all the free time in Equestria."

"You know me, Applejack." Pinkie giggled. "Always up to something extra-ordinary, extra-fun, and extra-secret! But if I were to tell you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it? Well alright, if you must know, I've mostly just been... exploring new hobbies, that's one way to put it. Oh, and I might've made a new friend along the way, who's been showing me the ropes! She doesn't exactly realize it yet, but we're much closer than she really thinks!"

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy all looked to each other in absolute bewilderment, not having the foggiest clue of what Pinkie was trying to get at. However, knowing Pinkie over the years, they figured that this was likely just a clever joke, which didn't really amount to anything significant at all. Soon enough, they all just shrugged and continued moving along, not wanting to dwell on this mysterious riddle for too long.

"Well, I guess that's Pinkie for you, always full of surprises!" Rainbow rolled her eyes, playfully. "Alright, so aside from us all keeping that promise to Twilight, are we all clear on our roles at the coronation tomorrow?"

"Y'all know I'll be there with my apple cart, providin' snacks for everyone, especially those hungry stomachs that come with all the excitement." Applejack said with enthusiasm. "I'm actually hopin' to make some decent sales at the ceremony tomorrow, considerin' money's been tight lately, and I'm rather worried about Granny Smith. Long story short, Big McIntosh and I have been noticin' Granny havin' severe pain in her hip, and we're not entirely sure why she's got this problem, seemingly out of nowhere."

"Oh no, I hope she'll be alright!" Fluttershy's eyes grew wide with concern. "Is there anything we can do to help? Maybe we could organize some sort of a fundraising event to cover her medical expenses, if she needs it?"

"I appreciate the thought, but we Apples have always been so prideful." Applejack began. "Family expenses should only come from the family itself. If Granny were to learn that you all chipped in for her treatment, she would cancel it on a whim, just like that. Besides, we should have plenty saved up for such an event, anyways."

"If you insist, Applejack, but we'll all be here for you, if you ever need us." Rarity assured. "Hopefully your grandmother will make a miraculous recovery, especially with Twilight's coronation just around the corner."

"I'm sure she'll pull through, she's always been one tough apple, that Granny of mine." Applejack remained hopeful. "Speaking of which, I'd better get back to Sweet Apple Acres to help with the preparations for tomorrow. Can't let the farm go to ruins while I'm in Canterlot, right? See you all bright and early tomorrow!"

With that said, the five ponies all went their separate ways, knowing how busy they would all be at Twilight's coronation, the next day. While they all mostly remained optimistic for the wonderful event coming up, Applejack couldn't help but have her concerns lingering, as her words had only been wishful thinking. Her grandmother's condition was actually much more severe than she was letting on, but all the same, she was still praying that deep down, these circumstances weren't actually a sign of things to come.

Chapter 15: Keeping a Pinkie Promise

While Sunset was awaiting a response from Pinkie, she began surfing the web on her phone, before realizing that very soon, she would have to get used to not having a mobile electronic, after going back through the portal. This wasn't necessarily a huge setback, since she knew that being a unicorn back in Equestria, the lack of cell phones were compensated by magic, even though she had become rusty with most spells. In some ways, Sunset almost felt as if the constant adapting would always be her number one obstacle, notably when switching back and forth between worlds. It was almost the equivalent of taking cold food from her refrigerator, heating it up in the microwave, and immediately putting it back in the fridge.

When it came down to what kind of life Sunset wanted for herself after graduation, she felt like she was also in the same boat as her fellow classmates at CHS, notably the ones who planned on going to college. Pursuing an education at a university, as opposed to getting a job right out of high school, this almost seemed comparable to her upcoming decision, split between staying in Equestria, or continuing her life in the Human World. Though in Sunset's case, she practically viewed the latter option as how her friends viewed college, aside from Twilight. Staying behind in the Human World would most likely entail a boring office job, outrageous costs on college tuition, and an overall lack of motivation.

Sunset had definitely heard it all, especially since she wasn't one of those students being pressured to follow the unrealistic expectations of society. She went out of her way to conduct heavy research, learning that aside from those numerous horror stories of college graduates not even using their expensive degree in the job market, the Human World was nothing like Equestria. The Rainbooms had been quite vocal about how depressing and unfair society had become, caring all about arbitrary bachelor's degrees, and the everlasting conundrum that many graduates are met with. They had always been sold the lie that college would be the wisest investment in their entire lives, only to be met with a rude and picky employer who expected working experience upfront. In other words, something that was impossible to have, if nobody even bothered to give them a chance.

Equestria wasn't run like this at all, Sunset knew it for a fact, before she suddenly reflected on what she herself had been trying to pursue, before the incident that landed her in the Human World. On top of being Princess Celestia's most gifted pupil, this particular path had never really amounted to anything significant in her new life, since she lacked her horn as a human. The closest aspect relating to magic that she even had in the Human World, was her geode's ability to read the minds of others, which was admittedly underwhelming, especially compared to casting spells. Sunset knew for certain that despite being out of practice with magic, one of her biggest goals upon returning to Equestria, was to officially graduate from the School For Gifted Unicorns. It was more a matter of wanting to give herself closure on this particular chapter of her life, especially since her feud with Princess Celestia had ended up destroying this precious opportunity.

"In some ways, it's pretty funny how fate ended up putting me in this situation." Sunset giggled to herself. "I'm about to graduate from high school here, yet I've never even completed my magical education, back in Equestria. It's like the universe decided to throw me a curveball, and I went along with it, just because. I'd be pretty astonished if someone else has ever been in my kind of position, just makes me feel that much more special about myself, despite my many regrets."

As Sunset sat in deep thought, her solitude was suddenly pierced by the sound of a sudden knock at her door. She looked up, a bit surprised, and wondered who could be visiting her at this hour. It certainly couldn't be the mailman delivering a package, especially this late into the night, prompting Sunset to instinctively believe it was someone showing up, unannounced. She took a deep breath and slowly built up the courage to get up and answer it, hoping it wasn't someone with bad news, or a problem that needed her immediate attention.

Then it suddenly hit her, was it that violent thug she had fought in the alleyways earlier, who specifically swore vengeance upon interfering with her gang's business? Had that mysterious girl somehow discovered where Sunset lived, and was now attempting to break in, and potentially ransack her home? Sunset began freaking out as she heard the knocking again, and was unsure if she should immediately lock herself in the bathroom and call the cops. However, after a while, her uncertainty and hesitance to meet her unexpected guest had suddenly vanished, once she heard a distinct and rather high-pitched voice.

"Hey, Sunset!" Pinkie Pie knocked on the door a third time. "Aren't you home? I know it's pretty late to come over, but I got your text! Care to chat with me, I've got plenty of time right now!"

"Pinkie, you scared the life out of me!" Sunset opened the door, a smile replacing her look of fear. "Then again, I guess that's to be expected from someone who specializes in making the biggest surprise parties. Wait a minute, that's what you came here for? Pinkie, I didn't mean you had to come all the way over to my house to chat, we could've just done it over the phone."

"Oh, don't worry, Sunset, I just preferred coming over, since it sounded like you were so lost in thought." Pinkie grinned. "It's not every day you get to catch a glimpse of your closest friends becoming philosophical, especially around the time of graduation! Either way, I just wanted to check in on you, you're looking pretty pensive, even for someone with as many layers as a seven-tiered cake. So what's been on your mind?"

"Well, before we get into that, I'm admittedly curious about something else." Sunset began. "For starters, where have you been, Pinkie? The rest of our friends had been wondering the same thing, and it's just not like you to be absent from our group's gatherings, especially with graduation coming up."

"Oh, I've just been super busy." Pinkie shrugged. "You know me, I kinda just hop all over the place, and plus, I had to do something extra-special for... let's just say a friend, who's just like me. It's totally top secret, but I'll tell you that it involves balloons, confetti, and a piñata filled with their favorite candy!"

"You always knew how to throw the most amazing parties." Sunset rolled her eyes, playfully. "Another thing, how come you haven't been responding to our texts, all week? The other girls even mentioned that they hadn't seen nor heard from you in a while, and it's like you've been completely ignoring us for some reason."

"What do you mean I haven't been responding to texts?" Pinkie raised an eyebrow, before checking her own phone. "That's odd, my phone's been acting up lately, it's been glitching and losing signal in the weirdest places. But I'm here now!"

"Then I guess it was something out of your control." Sunset sighed in relief. "It's just that we've had a lot of things going on lately, and we were starting to get a bit worried. Like, while you were gone, we already came up with a mutual agreement to all work on a big song for our performance during graduation, ever since our band was selected. You weren't really around to help us come up with ideas, and we really needed your... bounciness and creativity."

"Aww, you girls are just too sweet for worrying about me." Pinkie said with gratitude. "I'm sorry if I made you all stressed, but I promise you, the surprise I've got in store will totally be worth it, though I can definitely save it for later. In that case, let's talk about your graduation song, what kind of a vibe are we going for?"

"Well, we've been tossing around ideas, but nothing's really stuck yet." Sunset reflected. "It needs to be something that represents all of us, something that shows our friendship and journey together throughout our time at CHS. We've already had a few sessions to brainstorm ideas, but it's been tough without your input, Pinkie. You got anything else that might give us a direction to take, or any further suggestions?"

"Hmm, a song about friendship and growth!" Pinkie's eyes lit up, as her mind raced with ideas. "We could totally do something with a mix of upbeat rhythms and heartfelt lyrics! Maybe throw in a little bit of humor here and there, because well, you know me! But wait, what if we also made it a surprise for the audience, instead of them expecting us to perform? Then we could also sing a complete mash-up of all the songs we've performed together, with a hint of something new!"

"That's... actually pretty brilliant." Sunset took a nearby notepad and pen to take some notes. "It's always great to throw the audience a curveball, to keep things fresh and exciting. That being said, we need to make sure we're all on the same page, especially if we're going to pull this off. I like the idea of creating a mash-up, it could be a real trip down memory lane for us, and even the audience. Come to think of it, perhaps we could combine elements from 'My Past is Not Today', and 'Shake Your Tail', as the main verses?"

"Oooh, that's a super funky idea!" Pinkie nodded with a grin. "Should we also take some inspiration from other musical artists, as a way of paying them some form of tribute? What kind of music are you into?"

"If you want my opinion on a more general field of music, I would say alternative rock." Sunset replied. "I'm sure that even your sister, Maud, would approve of my tastes. I'm admittedly a bit surprised that you're asking me what kind of music I like, considering we've had a whole adventure together, back at the Starswirled Music Festival."

"Huh...?" Pinkie tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Err, you remember?" Sunset began recalling the events. "You and I went to see Postcrush at that festival, where we discovered how our beloved performing duo had been using some artifact to make us, well, at the very least me, relive the same day over and over, just because they were way too fixated on having the perfect performance?"

"Sunset, I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean by that." Pinkie shrugged. "Was this something we did recently, or was this maybe some bad dream you had, that you never told me about?"

Hearing this, Sunset sat back, rather confused as to how Pinkie seemingly lacked any memory of what went down during that never-ending time loop. Although it made sense how Adagio Dazzle acted as if she had never encountered Sunset at that festival, it was a completely different story for Pinkie. In fact, Pinkie's help was the main reason they had both been able to overpower Postcrush, and prevent them from repeating the same day for all eternity. Judging primarily from Pinkie's responses, Sunset mostly chalked it up to Pinkie having her memory erased, once they destroyed the Time Twirler, or she had truly forgotten all about everything, because of something else.

"Maybe it's just one of those things that only stuck with me, ancient Equestrian artifacts can sometimes just have that kind of oddity about them." Sunset deduced. "Alright, so moving on, aside from this graduation song we've all been working on, we also took some time to discuss our next steps, once we receive our CHS diplomas. To make a long story short, the rest of our friends are all planning to ditch college completely, and I admittedly might be inclined to join them on that decision. The only one who's still planning on going is Twilight, but knowing her, that's to be expected."

"College, huh?" Pinkie began giving this some deep thought. "I've heard so many different stories about it, it's like a box of assorted chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get! Very expensive chocolates, I may add, and that's hardly an understatement, when by comparison, even gourmet chocolate truffles are actually affordable! Hmm, but if almost all of the girls are passing on college completely, what does that mean for the Rainbooms, will we still be together after graduation?"

"If you're asking whether or not any of us are moving away, everyone in our group already mentioned that they'll be remaining here in Canterlot City, even after we all graduate." Sunset began breaking the hard news to Pinkie. "All of us... except for one, and that would be me."

"Wait, you're leaving us, Sunset?" Pinkie's said with surprise. "How come, I always thought you considered us family. This... doesn't have anything to do with the time I accidentally spilled fondue dip into your air conditioning vents, does it?"

"That was you!?" Sunset's eyes widened with shock.

"Errr, no, never mind I said anything!" Pinkie fluttered her eyes around the apartment, innocently. "But really, how come you're thinking of moving away?"

"It's got nothing to do with you and the other girls, nor any fondue incidents for that matter." Sunset couldn't help but roll her eyes at Pinkie's antics. "Basically, I've got a lot on my plate, including some loose ends that I've yet to resolve. Since I felt like I've been putting it off for way too long, I'm taking a trip back to Equestria for a whole week. Now that I've learned everything I needed to know about friendship from you girls over the years, I've been meaning to return to my home world for a while now. There's admittedly quite a bit that I've left behind in Equestria, and I just don't know if I can abandon it all to pursue another life here. I also technically never got the chance to graduate properly from the School for Gifted Unicorns, mostly thanks to what happened between me and Princess Celestia."

"Oh, Sunset, I totally get you!" Pinkie exclaimed. "If Equestria's calling you back home, then who are we to keep you from that? But if you're really considering going back to your home world, then what if we throw a goodbye party? Like, the biggest, most amazing party that CHS would ever have, even better than what we've got planned for graduation! We could invite everyone and even throw in some Equestrian flair, it'll be like a mix of the best parts of both CHS and Equestria!"

Hearing this, Sunset felt that if Pinkie were to partake in organizing this special event just for her, there'd be no reason to deny her such a privilege. Sunset also knew that in some ways, her very own presence at CHS was the main reason the school had now become widely-known, especially in the events of near disasters. Midnight Sparkle opening various portals into Equestria was one of the first things that crossed Sunset's mind, and these types of incidents had made every student's experience, that much more memorable. However, despite this notion of her seemingly moving away forever, Sunset knew that she hadn't necessarily finalized this decision yet, and that it depended on how enjoyable her time back in Equestria would turn out.

"That's pretty sweet of you, Pinkie, I'm looking forward to whatever you've got planned." Sunset's eyes gleamed with excitement. "To tell you the truth though, I haven't said that I'm definitely leaving this world for good, it's just something that I'm strongly considering, especially with some unfinished business back in Equestria. I know that deep down, I can't just abandon you girls on a whim like that, without at least giving a proper goodbye. Who knows, depending on how things go in Equestria, perhaps I'll miss this place so much and decide to stay, or I could even bring back some Equestrian souvenirs to spice things up around here!"

"Sounds like you could even bring back one of those magic-burping dragons that Applejack mentions from time to time!" Pinkie suggested. "Those would be so much more cooler than these cell phones, that's for sure! So hey, is this mostly what you wanted to talk with me about? If so, then I should get started in preparing the biggest farewell party in CHS's history."

"Well actually, before we go full party-planning mode, there's one more thing I need to discuss with you." Sunset began explaining. "Obviously, since I'll be going back to Equestria for a while, I'll need somebody to take care of my apartment. It'll primarily consist of watering my plants, checking the mail, and of course, feeding my leopard gecko, Ray. By any chance, are you up to the task? I know this is pretty last-minute of me, and that you've got a rather busy schedule, so I'd understand if you're unable to do this for me."

"Pfft, that's no big deal!" Pinkie waved her hand. "I'd be more than happy to watch over your place, Sunset! After all, it's not like I don't know how to handle a few simple chores, or be responsible. Besides, it'll be like having a mini vacation at Sunset's casa of mysteries and magic!"

"I would've entrusted my apartment to any of the girls, but I've got a good feeling about you, especially after what happened back then with Postcrush." Sunset smiled. "I almost felt like I was going to go insane, reliving the same day over and over for nearly three weeks. Having to also smell churros every single day, now that was certainly a nightmare. Seriously though, you... don't remember the wild adventure we had at that music festival? Not even the vaguest memory?"

"Sorry, Sunset, It's all just... fuzzy." Pinkie shrugged. "It's like trying to remember what I had for breakfast two weeks ago, and all I can recall is waking up to a whole rainbow of sugary cereals. Either way, if you say we had such a thrilling adventure, then I'm sure it was the most amazing one ever! I can totally believe you when you mentioned that churros were involved, because churros are life!"

"Well, if you say so, Pinkie." Sunset replied, still completely unsure of how her friend was unable to recall such a memorable experience. "Perhaps only I can remember such an event, considering I seemed to be the only one who was even aware of the time loop. Alright, so going back to what I mentioned earlier, you're sure you can handle the task at hand? Remember, this will only be for about a week."

"Positive!" Pinkie nodded, excitedly. "Your place will be in tip-top shape when you get back. I'll keep it so clean that it'll be like you never left, and maybe I'll even throw in a surprise or two. Like, I don't know, a disco party for the plants, or I could even invite over some guests!"

"That reminds me, I also have some expectations for you." Sunset brainstormed. "Let's see, I'll be cool with you inviting the rest of the girls over, and helping yourself to whatever's in the fridge. However, I think it's fair to say that you shouldn't invite anyone else into the apartment, especially without letting me know beforehand. It should go without saying that I won't be happy to come back in a week, only to find the place completely trashed or ransacked by some... unexpected guests."

"Oh, you can totally trust me, I'll keep it cleaner than my own place, promise!" Pinkie assured, before bringing out her pinkie finger. "In fact, how about we make this even more serious, rather than just me saying the word? Why don't we make this a traditional Pinkie Promise, to assure you that I won't hold back on my word, and that I'll take good care of your apartment, until you return?"

"Alright, if you say you've got this, then I'll hold you to that promise." Sunset nodded. "Just remember, I'm not looking for a surprise party when I get back, and I've also left a list of instructions for Ray's care, over by his glass tank. He's a bit picky, but I'm sure you two will hit it off."

"A Pinkie Promise it is!" Pinkie chirped. "But before we make it official, I was kinda hoping you could make a promise of your own? If it's not too much trouble, of course."

"Well, I suppose that depends." Sunset said, curiously. "What kind of promise are we talking about here, exactly?"

"Oh, it's nothing too crazy!" Pinkie began giving her own proposition. "Just that you'll keep an open mind about your experiences within Equestria, and that you'll come back and tell us all about it! I mean, who knows, you might discover something amazing, which could even make us curious enough to visit that world, ourselves!"

"Hmm, you've got a point there, I should definitely keep an open mind while I'm away." Sunset agreed. "After all, I've learned so much from you girls over the years, which I was never able to do in Equestria. It's only fair that I give my return trip a chance to surprise me once again, especially given the hard decision I'll have to eventually make. Deal, let's make this promise official."

Sunset held out her own pinkie finger, and Pinkie eagerly wrapped her own around it, sealing the deal with a firm squeeze.

"Great, now it's a Pinkie Promise, indeed!" Pinkie cheered. "In that case, I suppose I'll meet you tomorrow in the morning, while you go on your little trip?"

"Well, judging from the clock, it's a little early for bed." Sunset saw that it was only around 8:30 PM. "Since I didn't get a chance to spend much time with you today, how about we play some video games, before we hit the hay?"

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Pinkie's eyes lit up with excitement. "But we can't just play any old game, oh no, we should play something epic, something that will go down in the history books!"

"I think I've got just the thing to fit that kind of description, something that's both old and epic, simultaneously." Sunset grinned, as she walked over to her video game library. "I should know, considering the year this game came out, and the amount of times my ShimmerCode followers have begged me to livestream it. For the sake of following your footsteps, how about I surprise you with the game I'm talking about, and then we can see who's the more devoted gamer girl? I've already invited Fluttershy over for this kind of challenge once, so now it's your turn to shine! What do you say?"

"Oh, you're on!" Pinkie accepted the challenge. "But remember, I've got the power of randomness on my side, and if we're really going old school, then you better be ready for a taste of my own brand of nostalgia! My sister Maud always told me that I'm the most retro, out of a whole family used to the old-fashioned times! Let's see who'll be the champion of this mysterious game, I look forward to crushing your high score!"

Chapter 16: Like Chalk and Cheese

While Sunset and Pinkie were busy indulging themselves with some video games, there was a similarly optimistic feeling in a soon-to-be ruler, back in Equestria. Within the quiet and peaceful courtyard of Canterlot, surrounded by various tables and decorations, Twilight Sparkle examined a meticulously crafted checklist, wanting to make sure that everything would go smoothly for the upcoming coronation. Her horn glowed with magic as she levitated yet another scroll, skimming through the intricately organized guest list with a furrowed brow. The anticipation of her big day tomorrow was immeasurable, nothing like she ever felt before, even compared to when she first became a princess and got her wings.

"Alright, Spike." Twilight said to the dragon, who was pushing the last box of sparkling apple juice. "I've triple-checked the list now, and I'm able to officially say that we're all set for the coronation. The guests have been invited, the food and entertainment have been arranged, and I've managed to accept the reality of what's to come, without losing my mind. I mean think about it, after the whole ceremonial crowning event, I'll be in charge of not just Canterlot, but Equestria in its entirety."

"I realize it's a big responsibility, but I also know you can handle it." Spike encouraged. "I mean think about it, you've not only managed to defeat Tirek, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, King Sombra, and the Storm King, but even helped other ponies change for the better. I wouldn't exactly imagine Moondancer, Starlight, or Sunset would be better off today, had it not been for your willingness to extend your friendship to them."

"Fair points you've got there." Twilight smiled at Spike's faith in her. "Although it's pretty much guaranteed that most of my closest friends will be there at the coronation, I'm particularly hoping that Sunset can make it on time. She may not exactly be somepony that we see very often, but I'd still consider her as much of a friend, as Applejack or Fluttershy. Plus, I can only imagine how sweet it would be for her and Celestia to have one last reunion, before she's off to Silver Shoals. I'm so proud that Sunset's managed to make amends with her a while back, I'd definitely understand how difficult and awkward it must've been for her, seeing her again after all these years."

"Pretty hard to imagine how different things were, especially when you first met her?" Spike reflected. "Not only was she ruling that school, as if she were Dragon Lord Torch, but she transformed into a literal she-demon! Actually, come to think of it, that technically wasn't the very first time you encountered her, it was only after she snuck into that castle at the Crystal Empire, and stole your crown in the middle of the night, wasn't it?"

"That's right, but it's certainly all in the past." Twilight replied. "Sunset's turned over a new leaf, and she's done so much good since then, especially with her new friends in the Human World. She's definitely proven herself to be one of the most trustworthy and noble friends I know, and I've seen just how much she's grown. Out of anypony else I've met over the years, it's certainly quite agreeable that I was given the chance to know Sunset. I dare say that if it wasn't for my connection with her, my confrontation with Starlight back then would've gone much differently."

"Well... you're not entirely wrong about that." Spike folded his arms. "Remember how you felt about Trixie, even after Starlight became friends with her? Plus, I know that even now, you're not exactly thrilled about Trixie's new position at the School of Friendship, considering recent events."

"Trixie and I may not exactly see things eye to eye, but I can certainly agree that she's played a huge role in Starlight's life, considering what happened with Sunburst." Twilight said. "Since then, I've always tried my best to be more open-minded and accepting, but then... you saw what happened with Cozy Glow. I mean, who could've ever expected that? A FILLY of all ponies, teaming up with Lord Tirek, as well as the same queen who tried to ruin my brother's wedding?"

"I mean, when you put it that way, it's just a reminder that the most unexpected bonds can either make or break us." Spike shrugged. "Hmm, since you mentioned her earlier, have you told the rest of your friends about how much Sunset's turned over a new leaf? As far as I'm aware, the last time they've even met Sunset at all, was when she was stealing your crown back then. Much like how she made amends with Celestia, I'd say it's in our best interest to make the coronation as friendly and welcoming for her, as possible."

"Oh, I definitely have!" Twilight assured. "They all know how much she's changed, and they'll be looking forward to officially meeting her for the first time. Plus, Starlight's met her before, and I'm aware of how close they've grown together as friends. I'm sure Sunset will have plenty of stories to share, to advocate the idea that no one is truly beyond redemption, as long as you give them a second chance."

"I wouldn't be so sure that applies to absolutely everyone, if you count the Flim Flam brothers." Spike recalled. "They're clearly ones to take a second chance for granted, if that recent Friendship University fiasco is anything to go by."

"You're not exactly wrong, but I'd like to believe in the good in everypony." Twilight sighed. "Besides, we can't just let our past experiences with a pair of shady con artists ruin our view of Equestria. If anything, going off of my responsibilities as the Princess of Friendship over the years, I can confidently say that as long as I hold the throne, there'll be peace and prosperity for every creature, no matter what kind of challenges we'll be met with."

"Would that include Flim and Flam?" Spike questioned. "Cause... call me crazy, but I don't think they've ever crossed paths with Celestia, at least, not any instances that I know of. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever seeing those two attempt to pull a quick one, here in Canterlot. Kinda surprising, since there's a lot of wealthy residents living here, such easy targets for their manipulative schemes."

"All I know is, if they ever do decide to return and try their luck, we'll be ready for them." Twilight giggled. "Now then, let's not drift our thoughts too much about the past and its negativity. The coronation is all about unity and friendship, and I want it to be a day filled with joy and happiness, especially considering how much things will change. I'll technically even be... moving away from my friends, on top of having a very busy schedule."

Twilight internally knew for a while, that the thought of leaving her friends behind was absolutely terrifying, especially after all they've been through together. The princess wasn't aware that her friend, Sunset Shimmer, had been going through a similar struggle in the other world, and was still unsure of how this ultimate change would affect her own friends. Regardless of how things would play out afterwards, Spike kept his optimism, and did his best to assure Twilight that no matter the outcome, her friends would proudly always watch over her from afar.

"Don't you worry, Twilight." Spike put a claw on the princess's shoulder. "Your friends will always support your decisions, and they'll be looking out for you, even when you're busy checking off those scrolls. I'm sure that once the coronation is done, we'll be swarmed with so many well-wishers, that you won't have any time to feel lonely. How's about we take a break from all this planning, and just enjoy the quiet evening together? We've already finished delivering the last of the sparkling apple juice from Sweet Apple Acres, so we might as well. Though... come to think of it, this is the weirdest-smelling batch of cider I've come across. It almost smells like... applesauce? I feel like I can definitely smell a hint of cinnamon coming from this crate."

"I'm no expert on Applejack's cider, but I'm fairly certain she doesn't use any cinnamon in the recipe." Twilight pondered. "In that case, maybe we should check this batch, just to make sure nothing's wrong with it."

But before Twilight could even open the crate, not realizing that the supposed cider had been replaced with batches of applesauce, due to a mix-up from Big McIntosh, the princess immediately turned her attention to a familiar stallion's voice.

"Princess Twilight!" Flash Sentry trotted into the courtyard, donning his royal guard armor. "I figured I could find you here of all places, we can never truly stop bumping into each other, it seems."

"Flash, it's always a pleasure to see you!" The princess greeted warmly. "I'm a little surprised to see you're still wearing your armor, since you're not scheduled to be on duty right now. Well regardless, is there something you need?"

"I was told to deliver a message to you, all the way from the Crystal Empire." Flash explained. "Shining Armor has ordered a summons for you, Princess. He and Princess Cadence have some incredibly urgent matters to discuss with you. I wasn't told what the meeting would be about, but it most likely has something to do with your role in Equestria, following the coronation tomorrow."

"Summons from the Crystal Empire?" Twilight's eyes widened in surprise. "This is unexpected, but if my brother says it's urgent, then I must attend this meeting, immediately. Spike, could you please make sure to lock up the castle for the night? I'll be sure to fetch you tomorrow, when it's time for us to pack up everything at the Castle of Friendship."

"You got it, Twilight!" Spike gave a thumbs up. "Just remember to not let the suspense sour your mood for tomorrow, we've got a big day ahead of us!"

Hearing this, Flash immediately escorted Twilight out of the courtyard, as the two began making their way to the Crystal Empire as fast as they could. Spike meanwhile, took a peek within the crate's contents, only to see a large batch of mushy apple cider. This was especially unusual, as the dragon noticed that the label specifically mentioned that it was supposed to be fizzy apple juice.

"Ehhh, it's probably just a small mix-up, no big deal." Spike shrugged, before closing the crate's lid. "Mr. Ramsay's garlic mashed potatoes are nothing without a little applesauce on the side. Alright, now that I've checked, I might as well lock up and hit the hay for tonight, even a dragon needs his beauty sleep."

As Spike and Twilight went their separate ways for the evening, Sunset was seemingly about to do the same with Pinkie, now that the two had been playing video games for over an hour. The two friends had been taking turns back and forth, doing their best to achieve the high score, with Sunset being in the lead. Pinkie was admittedly surprised that she had been falling behind in this competition, but genuinely cared more about having fun, rather than being a hardcore gamer. Although the session wasn't being livestreamed, Sunset believed it was cute to have one of them play, while the other provided colorful commentary on top of the gameplay.

"I must say, this is certainly a game I've never had the opportunity to experience before." Pinkie watched Sunset's gameplay throughout the level. "I mean, why is this red man in overalls jumping on pipes, bricks, and question mark blocks all the time? And why does he get taller when he eats those mushroom things, you think it's an allergic reaction?"

"When you really think about it, this is a pretty bizarre game." Sunset commented. "I mean he's actually trying to save a princess from some giant turtle dragon, not really something you could expect to see in real life."

"Hehehehe, did you just kick that turtle shell into those walking chocolates with eyes?" Pinkie giggled. "I don't think Fluttershy would like this game very much, she loves turtles just as much as I love pumpkin pie with a dash of whipped cream."

"I'm sure it's not exactly everyone's cup of tea, but I've been able to make do with Fluttershy's tastes, since I played some squirrel game with her last time." Sunset said as she finished the level. "This game is actually pretty basic, but it certainly has that classic feel to it, nothing like those newer games with fancy high-definition graphics, and even amusing voice acting."

"So wait, what exactly is the red man doing by lowering the flag?" Pinkie questioned. "And what's that building he's going into, is it supposed to be some kind of a fast food place, and he wants the employees to close up for the day, so they don't have to work unpaid overtime?"

"I never quite thought of it that way, but sure, let's pretend he's fighting for the working class." Sunset shrugged, as her grip on the controller tightened. "Before, I always just assumed it's simply the end of the level, a fitting move from an even more classic game like this. Honestly Pinkie, I'm surprised you've never played it."

"Surprise is the spice of life, it's so fun to let your imagination wander!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing slightly on the couch. "Though you know what's even more surprising? How good you are at this game, you're breezing through the levels like it's nothing! I thought for sure that I'd be the one schooling you, but it seems like I've got some catching up to do. Hey wait, why did you just go down that pipe, instead of continuing to the right?"

"Because if I did that instead, I would be going to the right forever, let's just say." Sunset did her best to explain. "Yeah, I know it doesn't make sense, but over time, you just get used to video game logic."

"Huh, and now you're suddenly underwater, with a bunch of moving fire traps." Pinkie observed. "Wait a second, since when can there be fire in the WATER? That would be like my sister Maud, not knowing the difference between an igneous and sedimentary rock!"

"Video games just have their own set of rules sometimes, it's best not to think about it." Sunset continued providing her commentary. "Just like how this giant turtle has unlimited hammers at his disposal. Who does he think he is, the owner of the local hardware store?"

"Hehehe, or maybe he's just really good at playing hide-and-seek with them!" Pinkie suggested. "Why does he choose to specifically fight the red man on a bridge, right over cherry soda? Or is that supposed to be pomegranate soda, it's really hard to tell."

"Pffft, it's pretty amusing to imagine that either one of their ultimate goals would be to dunk the other into the pool, filled with a refreshing beverage like that." Sunset rolled her eyes, playfully. "And now that I've successfully landed him into the carbonated red soft drink, we've officially rescued the princess!"

"Wow, you're like a knight in shining armor, slaying the big turtle with a... jump?" Pinkie giggled, her laughter echoing in the room. "But seriously Sunset, those were some impressive skills you just displayed, I can see why you managed to get the high score in the end, while I got a game over in only the first level. I think I'll just stick to my party games from now on, I like the ones where everyone wins!"

"In all fairness, everyone's got their own strengths." Sunset tried to keep Pinkie optimistic. "After all, you throw parties better than anyone I know, and I'm sure I'd be lost without your guidance, when it comes to organizing those."

"Just like how you managed to control a red man so effectively, that he's not only rich from collecting all those gold coins, but now has a princess, all to himself!" Pinkie chirped. "What's he supposed to be exactly, a mechanic who dyed his clothes?"

"He's supposed to be a plumber, and I guess it's symbolic that you think he's rich, since I've heard that plumbers do make pretty good money." Sunset laughed. "I'm not exactly sure if I intend on becoming a plumber after graduation, but I'd imagine it's not too farfetched. After all, I know how to use a lot of tools in shop class, and I'm already pretty familiar with basic mechanical work. How about you, Pinkie, have you decided what path you'll be taking soon?"

"Would clown college be an option for me?" Pinkie shrugged. "If not, I'd probably just consider opening my own bakery, or at least plan special parties for a living. Like you've said, it's my signature specialty, and the number one biggest thing I'm passionate about! I haven't really given college any actual thought, but that's only because it's too expensive."

"Many of our other classmates would likely have the exact same dilemma, regardless of what path they'll take." Sunset reflected. "Like, what's the point of being a rock star, if I'll be stuck behind a textbook, just for a class that has absolutely nothing to do with my main passions? It's no wonder the girls have been against college, despite it being the expected next step for most students."

"In all seriousness, who really needs a fancy degree when you can already make people smile with a cupcake?" Pinkie winked. "It's usually more a matter of how determined you are, rather than hoping this education will give you an opportunity. My mom would know, she really hates her boss, and wants to quit every single day. If I were in her position though, I'd probably bring the boss some coffee with extra cream and sprinkles!"

Pinkie's words resonated with Sunset, who knew all too well, the very challenges of following your heart, compared to being inclined to blindly follow societal expectations. She put down the controller, feeling a bit nostalgic, as this whole concept seemed quite comparable to her mindset back then, when she was still a student at the School For Gifted Unicorns. Sunset had already learned from experience, the very consequences of focusing all of her efforts on just purely her studies, leaving no room for happiness, friends, or a social life. These attributes ended up making her bitter, arrogant, and snarky towards her classmates, either due to the prolonged stress, or the idea that she would be nothing without her academic achievements.

"Let's just say, I've learned that particular lesson the hard way." Sunset leaned back into the couch. "Life's too short to spend it all on just books and tests, you sometimes just have to take a step back and remember what truly makes you happy. Back when I was Princess Celestia's pupil, I might've had the highest marks in the school, but I was always unhappy and stressed. Even if I do end up planning to go to college one day, I surely wouldn't want to make the same mistakes I did back then."

"And if I could afford to go to college, I wouldn't really want to, anyways." Pinkie shrugged. "I mean, I've actually heard that those places are pretty well known for their... parties, but they're not exactly the kind of parties I'd want to be invited to. You get what I mean, lots of shady activity there, along with the fruit punch having a little... extra taste in it."

Sunset knew what Pinkie was specifically referring to, but didn't want to get too much into it, since she wasn't the type of person to partake in such activities. Spending this time with Pinkie had already allowed Sunset to form a solid idea on what path she would most likely take, despite already sending out a college application, just to give herself more options. After all, Equestria wasn't the same place it once was, and for all she knew, using her magic again might not be as thrilling as she imagined. However, these thoughts were quickly derailed, as the girls suddenly heard a knock at the front door, along with a male voice.

"Hello, anyone home?" The voice called out. "I've got some cookies for sale, are you interested?"

"Cookies at this hour?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "I have a feeling we'll need to keep our guard up, this isn't typically the time you'd expect some cookie salesman."

"Hey wait, I recognize that voice!" Pinkie got up from the couch. "Cheese Sandwich, is that you?"

"That's me!" Cheese replied. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, Pinkie Pie, this is quite the wonderful surprise!"

"Hmm, well if you know who that is, then I suppose it'll be safe to open the door this late..." Sunset checked through the peephole, thankful that it wasn't that thug from earlier. "Please come on in."

"Thanks a bunch, Miss!" Cheese Sandwich came into the apartment. "I understand this may not be the most ideal time to go door-to-door for some cookies, but I just had to unload this last batch. It's been a pretty fulfilling mission, I've been traveling across the city, trying to spread friendship and joy, one cookie at a time!"

"You're speaking my kind of language there, I intend to do the same after graduation, but I'll probably stick with cupcakes instead of cookies." Pinkie giggled. "I may've only just met you recently, but I haven't ever come across anybody else as devoted into party-planning as you! This here is my friend, Sunset Shimmer, and she really knows how to party, herself!"

"It's nice to meet you, Cheese Sandwich." Sunset offered a polite smile, feeling a bit more at ease with Pinkie knowing this person. "But I must ask, since it's admittedly a bit odd for cookie sales at this hour. Is there something special about these cookies, which makes them worth the late-night visit?"

"You bet there is!" Cheese Sandwich immediately took a box from his wagon. "These aren't just any ordinary cookies, they're the friendship-filled, happiness-infused, one-of-a-kind Cheesy-Dough-Wows! Basically, crunchy cheesecake fillings made with a dash of love, as well as a sprinkle of the finest ingredients! I've been perfecting this recipe for a while, and I figured, what better way to spread joy than by sharing them with the residents of this city?"

"I admittedly haven't tried cheesecake AND cookies combined, sounds interesting." Sunset said, rather intrigued. "I think I've got some money laying around, how much for a box?"

"Normally, I would go for five bucks a piece, but I'm not actually fundraising for a charity or anything." Cheese began explaining. "It's mostly a matter of sharing my creation with the residents around town, to get a little more familiar with everyone. In fact, since you and Pinkie are friends, this one's on the house!"

"Well, that's quite the generous offer, thank you." Sunset smiled as she opened the box handed to her, before picking out a cookie and taking a bite. "Mmm, you've got to try this, Pinkie, it's like a party in your mouth! These really are something special, so sweet and savory, I can see why you're eager to share them."

"Oh my goodness, they're... AMAZING!" Pinkie exclaimed as she nibbled on a cookie. "I can totally feel the happiness in every cheesy crumb! I mean, I already knew that you were exceptionally good at coming up with baked goods, but this is a whole new level!"

"How's about that, the appreciation for my true culinary genius is just priceless, even compared to whatever amount of money I can earn from selling these!" Cheese Sandwich winked. "I already knew you've always had a huge palette for sweets, Pinkie, and it looks like your friend now recognizes true art that you can eat! It's all about bringing folks together, and it looks as though I've certainly done my job! To tell you the truth, I'm mostly only earning what little money I can for the time being, just to adapt to this new lifestyle, especially since I'm not from around here."

"You're new to Canterlot City, Cheese?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "But you seem to know Pinkie quite well, so I'm a little bit confused. Did you two meet at a party or something?"

"Nope, we actually met at the park, last week!" Pinkie shook her head. "I'm actually rather surprised that despite us never meeting before, he seemed to already know all about who I was, and the type of girl I am. It's just like when I first met Twilight at CHS back then, the only explanation I could come up with is, he's psychic!"

"I'm sure that it's more likely you're just unforgettable, Pinkie." Sunset rolled her eyes, playfully. "I've found that your particular brand of cheerfulness tends to stick with people, so much so that you're friends with practically everyone at CHS. But seriously, these are incredible, Cheese, you've got quite the talent for baking."

"Glad to hear that I may have a future in delivering a delicious sensation to the world!" Cheese grinned. "Much like Pinkie here, I've been all about party-planning, but it wasn't always like that. In fact, I had to find my true passions and place in the world, and it was all thanks to a certain someone, who reminded me of her. You could almost argue that my Cheesy Sense had practically brought Pinkie and I together, almost as if it was destined for us to meet."

"Awww, you really know how to make me feel like a batch of fresh doughnuts." Pinkie blushed. "But what's this... Cheesy Sense that you speak of? This is admittedly the first time I've ever heard of such a thing, is it like a secret superpower, or the main way you're able to recite your cookie recipe by heart?"

"Oh Pinkie, I suppose there's always a good opportunity to learn something new, allow me to explain!" Cheese cracked up. "The Cheesy Sense is something of an intuition, a sixth sense if you will, which helps me gauge the mood of whenever there's a party in need of my talents. I'm even capable of sensing the future with this special ability, which always had a habit of giving me the last laugh in a number of situations."

"Sense the future, you say?" Sunset couldn't help but let her curiosity get the better of her. "Well to tell you the truth, I'm pretty uncertain of how my future's going to turn out, mostly thanks to some important events coming up, as well as a tough decision I'll have to eventually make. Would you be willing to use your Cheesy Sense to predict where I'll likely end up? Say... perhaps a prediction on when exactly we'll next meet?"

"You request a vision of the future, do you?" Cheese Sandwich closed his eyes and began gathering all the focus he could, waiting around for a few moments, before projecting what he was seeing. "Hmm, I can almost see a straight path... one that will be filled with both joy and challenge, much like the perfect blend of sweet and saltiness in my cookies. You will... face a significant event that will shape your destiny, and through it, you shall discover who you truly are."

"Sounds like I've got a lot to look forward to, then." Sunset took another bite of her cookie, feeling a mix of excitement and dread. "I mean, I've got some plans to potentially make some huge, lifechanging decisions soon, so I suppose that means I won't regret whichever path I end up choosing."

"As for our next meeting... oh my." Cheese continued envisioning the future. "I can see us being lost at sea, vicious pirates, vengeful spirits, giant plant monsters... and a volcano's massive eruption! If my Cheesy Sense speaks the truth, then the next time we meet, we'll be fighting for our lives, after being stranded on a desert island!"

Hearing this, Sunset initially had her doubts on the accuracy of this prediction, since she mostly asked out of amusement and curiosity. However, Cheese sounded quite serious about everything, almost on par with his dedication in making fantastic cookies. In other words, if this vision of the future ended up proving to be true, Sunset pondered how exactly she could've let herself end up in such a situation, never mind her reasons for going to a desert island in the first place. Even then, she recalled that this hypothetical scenario of becoming stranded didn't sound too farfetched, especially after what happened on that spring break cruise.

Sunset mostly chalked this up to Cheese Sandwich deliberately coming up with such an absurd prediction, or his personal pitch for an amazing movie. After all, there was just no way this vision would become a reality, especially with all of those dangers that he listed. Although Sunset had already gotten quite used to a number of supernatural occurrences within the Human World, mostly thanks to Equestrian magic and ancient artifacts, this supposed situation just likely wasn't something she could foresee happening in the near future.

"Well, if it means we'll have another adventure like the ones I've had before, I suppose I could deal with that." Sunset giggled. "But hopefully, you're not counting on us to survive on a diet of Cheesy-Dough-Wows, alone!"

"This prediction... it's unlike any that I've tried to envision before." Cheese finally opened his eyes. "I may not know how exactly we'll end up meeting each other again in such a ludicrous situation, but I assure you, Cheesy Sense has never failed me! If it does, and trust me, it won't, I'll surely eat my hat!"

"If you say so, then I'll hold you to that accuracy, Cheese." Sunset said. "I appreciate the cookies and all, but for now, I think we should all get some rest, now that I'm looking at the time. I have a big day tomorrow, and I'm sure you do too, Pinkie."

"Oooh, that's right!" Pinkie recalled what she had promised to do. "Sunset's going on a little road trip, so I agreed to look after her apartment, while she's away. Sunset, you don't mind if I invite Cheese over, do you? I know you said you're comfortable with me having any of the other girls over, but could I hang out with my new party buddy here?"

"Well... I suppose it's fine." Sunset said, as she turned to Cheese. "I can definitely trust Pinkie's judgment, and if she says you're a friend of hers, you're also a friend of mine. Just remember that I'll have some rules and expectations for you to follow, since my road trip will keep me occupied for a while."

"In that case, I'll be sure to treat your place like my cookies, with all the care and respect it deserves!" Cheese winked with enthusiasm. "And don't you worry, I've got a few party tricks up my sleeve that'll help Pinkie and I pass the time around here. In the meantime, I'll be heading out for now, to see if I can brighten anyone else's night with my specialty sweets. Enjoy that box of complimentary cookies, Sunset! It sure was nice meeting you!"

Both Sunset and Pinkie waved goodbye to the cookie and party connoisseur, as he exited the apartment with his wagon. This was certainly an unexpected encounter, especially at such a late hour, but Sunset still preferred meeting someone friendly, rather than inviting the ire of the Canterlot Street Gang into her home. She was admittedly still concerned over that mysterious girl's threats, but figured that if she were to return to Equestria very soon, it would buy herself plenty of time for this gang in question to search all over the city for her whereabouts, only to find nothing. She could only hope that the police would do everything they could to apprehend those troublemakers, and that the graduation at CHS would proceed smoothly.

Chapter 17: The Impending Calamity

With the aroma of cheesecake cookies lingering in the air, Sunset and Pinkie decided to share one last laugh together, before hitting the hay and calling it a night. Pinkie was determined to keep Sunset's apartment in tip-top shape, while Sunset felt relieved that she was able to find a housekeeper on such short notice, and that she could finally focus on her vacation back to her home world. Everything had finally been discussed, including details, plans, and a rough estimate on when the trip would be concluded. Soon enough, Sunset handed Pinkie a spare key to her apartment, along with some money for food and other necessities.

"Alright Pinkie, I'm trusting you with the place, be sure not to let me down." Sunset put her faith in Pinkie. "Aside from what I said earlier about not inviting over other people, be sure not to throw any parties, alright? I'd much rather you focus your energy on the graduation's ceremony, anyways."

"Yep, you got it, I'll keep everything nice and tidy!" Pinkie assured. "Oh, and I'll keep your little leopard gecko fed and nurtured, especially since I'm great with animals. Fluttershy's taught me a thing or two over the years, so no worries. Anything else before I head on home and meet you here, tomorrow morning?"

"In general, just please make sure you don't get distracted or sidetracked, like you did at that festival." Sunset reflected. "If some street vendor's selling churros, try not to let those fried pastries keep you from fulfilling your responsibilities. I realize that you might not remember, but your fascination with churros ended with us getting booted from the festival."

"I'll do my best, Sunset!" Pinkie grinned. "But seriously, I still have no idea what festival you're talking about, I'm pretty sure we've never been to any, recently. Either way, as much as I love churros, I won't let those sweets get in the way of keeping my promise to you! No matter how sweet... savory... delectable... coated with sugary cinnamon spice... dipped in vanilla pudding..."

"Pinkie...?" Sunset snapped her fingers, trying to get Pinkie back with reality. "This is exactly what I'm talking about, you must fight the urge to become fixated on churros!"

"Right, right, I must resist for my friends!" Pinkie shook her imagination away. "Out of curiosity though, how did you know I like churros that much? I'm pretty sure I've never told you about that, I've always been more well known for my cupcakes."

"I mean... if you really don't remember that festival at all, my best guess is that the Time Twirler must've ended up erasing your memory." Sunset shrugged. "It's not really important anymore, now that we've got everything arranged and planned out. I guess I'll see you in the morning?"

"That's right, I'll be here, ready to tackle any chores with a smile!" Pinkie cheered. "Alright, well thanks for having me over, and catching me up with everything we'll be doing, up until graduation. I wish you luck on whatever path you plan on pursuing after we leave CHS for good, I hear it's always been a challenge, getting into our society's job market!"

With a warm goodbye and a promise to be an efficient housekeeper, Pinkie left the apartment with a bounce in her step, leaving Sunset to ponder over that wild adventure at the Starswirled Festival. She walked up the stairs to her bed, still admittedly unsure what to make of everything, and how she herself was the only one who seemed to remember anything at all. Sunset knew that Pinkie's memory could be a bit scattered, but the complete absence of recollection just didn't sit well with her. Then again, there was also the oddity of how the Time Twirler's effects had only seemed to affect Sunset, and presumably the Postcrush girls as well, but seemingly nobody else.

Shaking her head, Sunset decided not to let this unusual quirk bother her, as the excitement for her impending trip to Equestria grew. She already packed her bag with various basic necessities, as well as her magical journal, in case she needed to keep in contact with the Rainbooms. Although Sunset's main outfit had been shredded and torn to pieces, it mattered little, as she already had some spare clothes laid out for the journey ahead. Her mind suddenly raced with the potential possibilities back in Canterlot, as she couldn't wait to dive into the treasure trove of memories that awaited her. With one final look around her apartment, Sunset slipped out of her slippers and climbed into bed, knowing that she needed all the energy she could for her big day tomorrow.

"Dearest Twilight, and Princess Celestia..." Sunset spoke to the two main ponies she had always considered family in Equestria. "Witness me as I not only return to the world I truly belong, but even contemplate making one of the toughest decisions in my life. If it means I'll have to leave my human friends behind, then that'll still be a sacrifice I would be willing to make. No matter what happens in the end, may your guidance give me strength..."

Sunset's eyes grew heavy with the weight of her thoughts, alongside the comfort of her soft pillow. The whispers of her past and potential future kept swimming through her mind, almost like a kaleidoscope of everything she had ever experienced. With a deep and contemplative sigh, she closed her eyes, eventually allowing the sudden exhaustion to claim her. Various significant events were about to occur within such a short timeframe, and Sunset knew that although the eventual decision was difficult, she would still figure it out, one way or another. Her last conscious thought was a silent vow to embrace whatever destiny stood before her, as the warmth of the friendships she's made in this strange world, wrapped around her like a cozy blanket.

In her dreams, Sunset envisioned what the graduation at CHS would most likely look like for her, without the worry of any looming threats around the corner. Supposedly, she would receive her diploma on stage, as her friends and classmates cheered her on from the audience. The idea of this still felt like a breath of fresh air, especially compared to how she was once viewed by everyone, when she first came to the school. Sunset's dreams continued with her eventually getting to perform that song with the rest of the Rainbooms, and the graduation going smoothly, just as expected. There was simply no way that after all she had been through together with her friends, that the event would have anything going wrong...

While Sunset transcended into a peaceful slumber, the same couldn't be said for what was about to transpire at the Crystal Empire. Within the main castle, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were pacing around the throne room, hoping that Twilight would heed their summons in a timely manner. Shortly after, they were soon accompanied by the aforementioned Princess, along with Flash Sentry. The princess of the Crystal Empire breathed a sigh of relief, before trotting over to her sister-in-law, ready to deliver the difficult news.

"Twilight, I'm so glad that you managed to stop by, even at such a late hour." Princess Cadance greeted Twilight.

"I guess we owe it to you, Flash." Shining Armor added, amused. "After all, we all know that Twilight could never stop chasing you. Wherever you go, so does she."

"I'd rather not go there again, thank you." Flash groaned at Shining Armor's teasing. "Besides, since it was a royal summons, I knew I had to act fast. Had I slacked off from delivering this to Twilight herself, I likely would've been stripped of my position in Canterlot without a second thought."

"Plus, with the coronation coming up, I figured it would be fitting that I see my family one last time, before all of Equestria's responsibilities fall into my hooves." Twilight said, confidently. "Speaking of which, where's my favorite niece?"

"Flurry Heart is currently asleep in her room, we just managed to put her to bed." Shining Armor explained. "And as much as we would love for you to partake in a whole family reunion before the big event, that unfortunately was not what we had summoned you for."

"That's correct." Cadance nodded. "As a matter of fact, it's not even a good idea for us to be discussing it, out in the open like this. We must all have this serious talk in a private chamber downstairs. That includes you too, Flash, since you are one of Equestria's most elite soldiers."

"Affirmative." Flash followed behind the princess.

"Understood, please lead the way." Twilight began making her way downstairs. "Whatever this is about, sounds like it'll truly call for drastic measures."

Before long, all four ponies had finally arrived at the chamber, with a large table at the center, and several chairs. Twilight was still rather unsure of what the meeting was going to be about, though she theorized it must've had something to do with her next steps, shortly following her coronation, before taking a seat.

"Cadance, Shining Armor, what's going on, why the sudden meeting?" Twilight wanted nothing more than to end this feeling of dread. "Is there something wrong with the preparations for the coronation, or will this have anything to do with my role in Equestria, once Celestia and Luna give me my official crown?"

"There's... no easy way to put it, and we aren't trying to scare you by bringing this up." Shining Armor tried to deescalate the severity of the situation. "Are you sure you're prepared for this, Twilight?"

"I've prepared my entire life for this, and I trust the both of you." Twilight said with a serious expression. "If there's something that needs to be said, I'm ready to hear it."

"And please don't hesitate or hide anything from us, this sounds like it'll require immediate attention." Flash added.

"It began months ago, and ever since the experience, the very fate behind Equestria's future has always seemed uncertain." Cadance began explaining everything. "Twilight, do you recall when Celestia and Luna had a vision of Lord Tirek's escape from Tartarus, which served as a major warning of an impending calamity?"

"Yes, I remember it well." Twilight replied. "It was shortly after I had become a princess for the first time, and Tirek himself was the main reason I lost the Golden Oak Library, but also gained the Castle of Friendship. Why do you bring this up, exactly? Because as far as I'm aware, he, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow are now resting in an eternal stone prison, somewhere in Taratarus."

"Princess alicorns, like Celestia, Luna, and even you and I, are blessed with a special gift." Cadance continued. "They have the ability to receive visions of the future within their dreams, serving as prophetic glimpses that can't be ignored, as they alert us of impending dangers that may come to pass. As the rulers of Equestria, we use this gift to prepare accordingly, and plan out the next strategic move to prevent disaster from striking."

"However, the visions are not always clear, they're more like puzzles, showing us the shadows of events, rather than the full picture." Shining Armor explained. "We can only interpret them, prepare for the worst, and hope for the best."

"The vision we received was not about Lord Tirek, or the others you mentioned." Cadance reflected. "In fact, this vision ironically came to me, shortly after we put that trio of troublemakers in their place. Instead, it was of a new threat, something that I couldn't even interpret. The best way I could describe this mysterious threat, it was as if the very essence of darkness itself had been scattered all across Equestria, seeking to obliterate and reshape everything we hold dear."

"That's... that's certainly worrisome, especially if we don't even know what the threat in question is." Twilight gulped. "How are we to prepare for something so abstract, yet so powerful? Do you have any theories or ideas on what the vision might possibly mean?"

"We've had our scholars working tirelessly to interpret it, but we all came to the conclusion that it embodies an omnipotent source of power, while also being embraced in eternal darkness." Shining Armor reported. "However, the one thing that's been consistent in their findings, is that the darkness is not something we've encountered before. After a ton of research and analysis, the very essence is unlike anything that Equestria has ever faced. We also consulted with the Pillars of Equestria, and even they were able to give us a confirmation that this darkness has no actual connection to the infamous Grogar."

"If even the Pillars have no idea on what this unknown threat is connected to, we might be out of luck." Flash listened on. "Without a clear indication of what we're up against, I fear that we may all be goners before we even knew what hit us."

"What I'm wondering is, are you sure that this vision is even accurate?" Twilight pondered. "I mean, what if it was simply a bad dream, and has absolutely nothing to do with the future of Equestria?"

"While I wish with all my heart that it was merely a figment of our imagination, the visions that we receive are not to be taken lightly." Cadance shook her head. "I say visions, because the incidents had been recurring for months, but had become more consistent than ever, this past week. I fear that the darkness I've seen is very much real, and it may already be starting to manifest somewhere in Equestria. There have even been reports of strange occurrences in the outskirts of the empire, things that can't be easily explained by natural phenomena."

"With the research strung together through our most efficient magic researchers, I was able to assess the validity, myself." Shining Armor sighed. "Due to the fact that she's been consistently receiving such visions within the past few days, we must presume it's a sign that this impenetrable threat is approaching even quicker than expected. In other words, a massive calamity could occur very soon, and saying we should all be worried, is merely an understatement."

"If Celestia and Luna's visions on Lord Tirek are anything to go by, then that experience already put things into perspective, regarding how much ruin is truly entailed." Flash folded his hooves. "He genuinely almost succeeded, had it not been for Princess Twilight and her friends."

"This is why after much research on the arts in ancient Equestrian magic, we've been discretely devising a backup plan for a while now." Cadance began revealing the new discovery. "While this technique lacks a known name, we've chosen to dub it as 'Unity Magic'. In other words, a supernatural force that is very heavily reliant on certain conditions, but in turn, amplifies the natural magic of ponies, practically tenfold. Remember when you went off to face Lord Tirek by yourself, after Celestia, Luna, and I gave you our magic, as a means of helping you stand a chance against his sheer strength? Think of it as something similar, but without the need for absorbing our magic."

"Hmm, so we'd essentially combine our powers in a way that's never been done before, to fight a new and potentially unbeatable enemy." Twilight's eyes widened at this revelation. "But what are the conditions, and how would we ensure that this Unity Magic won't fail us, like it almost did against Tirek?"

"Unfortunately, although we've still been doing nonstop research on the matter, we're still hitting a dead end, more often than not." Shining Armor spoke up. "For now, it feels like we have a ton of pressure on our hooves, since the most pressing matter isn't necessarily just figuring out how to utilize this Unity Magic and its conditions, but rather, how much time we have left before it's too late."

"With the coronation approaching, we must ensure that this newfound power is not only mastered, but ready to be used at a moment's notice." Flash said, rather determined. "Time is of the essence, and we can't afford any missteps, especially if Equestria is truly at stake. Perhaps we could help you figure out what this mysterious darkness truly is, and what it might mean, should we end up finding its true source. Princess Twilight, do you recall anything within your experiences, which may be able to point us towards what we're up against? Even the vaguest hint could give us a lead, and turn the tide in battle."

Whilst heavily reflecting on her past, Twilight suddenly remembered something crucial, back when she was chasing Starlight Glimmer through that never-ending time travel spell. After a while of witnessing various ruined futures, each worse than the last, she eventually encountered a future where everything and everyone in Equestria was seemingly completely decimated. Although Starlight herself wasn't directly responsible for causing that specific timeline, it was always still left a mystery, as to who or what was responsible for this particular occurrence.

"The only thing that comes to mind... is from my time traveling days with Starlight." Twilight reported. "We saw a future where Equestria had become nothing more than barren ashlands, completely devoid of any sign of life, and it was... utterly devastating. However, Starlight was only indirectly responsible for causing that particular timeline, after we learned it was tied to my friends and I. As such, we never found out who or what had truly caused it, leaving the culprit as nothing more than a shrouded mystery. Could this possibly be connected in any way?"

Cadance and Shining Armor looked to each other in horror, realizing that although they weren't certain, this description could very well be exactly what the visions had been telling them.

"Even then, I have a feeling that it may have nothing to do with this new threat." Twilight tried her best to stay positive. "After all, Starlight's now turned over a new leaf, and we're already in the same timeline where my friends and I are together, all thanks to Rainbow Dash performing her first Sonic Rainboom."

"As much as I would want to share your optimism, Twilight, we wouldn't be so sure, after hearing what you've just described to us." Shining Armor gulped. "It seems to completely line up with what the vision was trying to tell us, where formerly habitable lands will become dry and inhospitable at an incredibly alarming rate. The sun may no longer rise, leaving unspeakable devastation in its wake, especially to our crops and food supply."

"Every creature, not just ponies like us, will eventually succumb to this eternal drought and harsh climate, with very limited options on survival." Cadance added. "More than likely, I would estimate that within the first seven days of the darkness completely consuming the lands, nearly all life in Equestria will be completely wiped out of existence."

"It's a grim thought, but we can't ignore the possibility, especially with such a vivid depiction of what's to come." Flash gave his take on the situation. "And exactly how long would we all have, before the first of those seven days is suddenly upon us?"

"Based on what these recurring visions have been telling me..." Cadance hesitated, but knew she had to spill the beans. "As little... as two weeks from now."

"What...!?" Flash's eyes widened with horror, as he saw Twilight dropping her jaw at the jarring news. "You mean to tell me that Equestria won't even live to see another month, before this impending calamity strikes!?"

"We're still unsure of the exact timeframe, but the visions have been growing stronger with each passing day, leading us to believe that the event could happen, sooner than later." Cadance tried her best to explain.

"At the moment, our research on the Unity Magic is still very limited, but we've uncovered some crucial information from ancient texts." Shining Armor brought up. "Although this ancient art is able to amplify the user's natural magic, it can't do the same for everyone in Equestria. Unity Magic can only be at its most efficient state, when its power is divided evenly among a group, hence the name we've given it. But at the same time, the more users there are absorbing this magic, the less of a chance you have to truly utilize its full potential."

"I suppose that in order for us to have any chance at fighting this new threat off, we'll need to form a select group of powerful individuals, then." Twilight pondered. "Anything to prevent allowing all of these innocent lives in Equestria to succumb to this awful fate. Shining Armor... I've heard enough by now. Although I'm not officially the princess of all of Equestria just yet, I feel like I have no other choice but to decree something now, lest our time ends up being cut even shorter than anticipated. While I'm expected to fulfill my own royal duties, following the coronation, you are to assume direct control over this Unity Magic research, effective immediately!"

"We'll do our best to understand and harness it." Cadance nodded. "I'll have the royal guards keep an extra eye on the outskirts, while Shining Armor will communicate with the other regions of Equestria, to gather any further sources, crucial to helping us further understand this mysterious art. Flash, I'm going to need you to stay close to Twilight, especially once she becomes the princess of all of Equestria. As one of our most trusted soldiers, your protection and guidance will be invaluable."

"You can count on me, your highness." Flash agreed. "Though it's true that I've often been mocked and ridiculed for following Princess Twilight around, my dignity is still only a small price to pay, as long as we have a fighting chance to save Equestria from whatever darkness lies ahead. Even should it come to pass that I must protect the princess and her friends, at the expense of my own life, it would still be a sacrifice I'd be willing to make. Especially... after what happened to my father..."

"Flash, your dedication is truly commendable, and I can't express how much your loyalty to Equestria means to me." Twilight put a hoof on her royal guard. "But remember, we're all in this together, and I don't want anyone thinking that your life is any less valuable than mine. Your dedication and bravery have always been truly inspiring, and I'm honored to have you by my side."

"If I can prevent any harm from coming to you, I'll have paid my debt to my father, a hundredfold." Flash insisted. "I'll do everything in my power to ensure that we stand together against this looming darkness. As for the royal guards in Canterlot, you just leave them to me, I'll get everypony caught up on this new threat."

"Actually, that reminds me." Cadance spoke up. "We would ask that you keep this information private, so we can at least maintain peace for a while, as we build up our preparations. Remember, causing mass panic all over Equestria would likely deter us from our goals, rather than strengthen our lands, hence why we chose to host this meeting in a private chamber. Twilight, Flash, you are not to share of this impending calamity to anyone else, not even your closest friends. We will decide when the time is right, and depending on how our research in Unity Magic will go, we'll let you know when we're ready."

"Understood, I won't say a single word until we're ready to announce it." Twilight nodded. "We need to keep calm and work swiftly, especially after the coronation's main ceremony. When the time comes, and the research is finalized at last, I'd imagine I'll need to discuss this with my friends. They've been a crucial part of any challenge we've faced thus far, and I can't picture fighting this upcoming battle without them."

"Eventually, I would surmise that the source of this eternal darkness could even account for us mastering the art of Unity Magic, and whoever this source is, would stand to be a worthy foe." Flash brainstormed. "It stands to reason then, in such an event, we would need every bit of help we could get, even if it's from our closest companions."

"Once we reach that point, our mission would be in peril." Cadance added. "According to the research we've already done, absorbing Unity Magic for its full potency will come with a catch. The ones who end up utilizing it are unable to give it up, until after they fulfill their charge. Meaning, whoever ends up manifesting themselves with this ancient art will be our only hope at saving Equestria from this supposed doom, we must trust them to the very last."

"Then it becomes all the more imperative that we find the most capable and trustworthy allies for this task." Twilight's eyes lit up with determination. "I trust you two on your judgement, though we must be wise in our choices, as the fate of Equestria rests in our hooves. In the end, we would need to think strategically, and find a balance between those who can harness magic effectively, as well as lead a solid defense on the ground."

"For the sake of finalizing this research, there isn't even a guarantee that I will be able to accomplish even that." Shining Armor warned. "I've already put in a ton of energy into this, working day and night to string together any bits of information, on how to even activate this Unity Magic. After hitting countless dead ends, I just don't know if I'm up to the task."

"Although it may be difficult, we'll all be here to support you in this endeavor." Flash assured. "As for the selection of individuals to wield this newfound power, we must consider not only their magical prowess, but their hearts as well. After all, Princess Twilight has proven time and time again, that love and friendship can still end up becoming more powerful than any darkness we face."

"Now is not the time to lose confidence in yourself, Shining Armor." Twilight gave her older brother a pep talk. "We must surely make use of what little time remains to us, before the inevitable strikes. Even if we'll be unable to save everyone in Equestria, we should at least endeavor to save as many innocent lives as we possibly can. Now that I'll be stepping up to the same role that Celestia and Luna have held for over 1,000 years, it's critical for me to envision what they would most likely do, if they were in my position."

"You're right, Twilight." Shining Armor continued to find the motivation for himself. "I'll push through and keep researching until we crack this mystery, and ensure that the research on Unity Magic will give us all a chance to save Equestria. If that same chance potentially means giving Flurry Heart a future to rule and prosper, then I'm all for it."

"I believe in you, you'll make a breakthrough on this research, not just for the sake of Equestria, but also our daughter." Cadance encouraged. "Twilight, once we've done our part in understanding Unity Magic, we'll send you another summons. After which, you'll need to gather your most trusted friends, and we can finally reveal this information to them. But keep in mind that it doesn't necessarily have to be your first five friends, it could be anyone close to you, whom you're able to entrust this ancient art with."

"I understand, this is only an introduction to the many royal responsibilities I'll soon have on my plate." Twilight replied. "I know that I certainly can't do this alone, and that I'll have to consider anyone who's stood by my side in the past. Just like Flash mentioned, friendship and trust have always been our strongest assets. For now, I need to prepare myself for the coronation tomorrow, especially after all the effort that's went into the planning. Although it's been overwhelming, hearing what's at stake for the road ahead, I'll keep everything in mind when we finally reach that point. Oh, and Shining Armor, please get some rest, we can't have you burning out before we even get a chance to fight back against this looming calamity."

"Tell me about it, I really should set aside these countless coffees, they've done more damage to my overall health, as of lately." Shining Armor sighed in exhaustion. "I'm even more exhausted than I was when Flurry was first born, and that's saying something."

"Oh, one last thing before Flash and I take our leave." Twilight wanted to get one final idea to put things into perspective. "Do you have even the vaguest clue as to who or what could be causing this eventual darkness? Perhaps a foe that Celestia and Luna have faced long ago, or someone who recently escaped from Tartarus?"

"Although we've already considered that being a possibility, nothing concrete has come up." Cadance replied. "The visions are still too vague to pinpoint a specific culprit, it's as if the darkness isn't just a single entity, but a force that'll be awakened or released soon, due to some recent events. The only thing that's been consistent, is the sense of malicious intent behind it, but nothing else specific. We're hoping that with more information on Unity Magic, and any signs that may appear before the darkness descends, we'll have a better understanding of the exact threat we're facing. But for now, we must proceed with caution and an open mind."

"Hang on, that might not be completely true." Shining Armor reminded. "Didn't you mention hearing an ominous whisper through the darkness, notably in your most recent vision?"

"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me." Cadance began opening up. "The voice was faint, but it seemingly spoke of a power beyond our understanding, something... not of our world, I most likely suspect. There was only one phrase within the darkness that I could faintly make out, it supposedly said, 'When the sun sets, there shall not be a shimmer of hope left for any in Equestria.', before it faded away."

Twilight's eyes widened as she processed the ominous words from the vision. Her mind raced, trying to piece together any possible connection to Sunset Shimmer, her friend from the Human World, who was also about to attend her coronation. The princess knew that Sunset had been through a dark phase in her past, but she had changed so much since then. Could this impending calamity be related to her in any form, or was it merely a coincidence? Twilight decided to keep this idea to herself for now, not wanting to alarm the others without solid evidence, especially after how much she and Sunset had been through together.

"Then we must be prepared for the worst, but I trust that we can find a way to prevent this darkness from claiming Equestria, sooner than we think." Twilight finally announced.

Chapter 18: This is Where The Fun Begins

The morning sun had finally shimmered through the curtains of Sunset's apartment, painting a gentle glow upon the walls. As Sunset slowly opened her eyes, she glanced over at the clock on her bedstand, which painted a heavy reminder of today's significance. Though she was typically a heavy sleeper, especially with her habit of often staying up late to play video games, the reality of the coming week began, which served as an incentive to immediately get up. After much contemplation of which life to truly choose, the time had finally come for her to return to Equestria, if only temporarily. Sunset's stomach fluttered with excitement, along with a touch of anxiety, as it wasn't often for her to attend such grand events, let alone one as significant as Princess Twilight's coronation.

With a sigh of anticipation, Sunset immediately went downstairs to change out of her pajamas, as she knew that the time had come, at long last. The thought of seeing Princess Twilight and Celestia again had brought a smile to her face, but she also knew that she'd miss the comforts and familiarity of the Human World. Aside from seeing some familiar faces, including the pony counterparts of her own friends, Sunset had already foreseen the awkwardness of adjusting towards being a pony again. This meant no longer having thumbs to easily pick things up, and having to rely on her horn once more, much like she exemplified when she first met Starlight.

After changing into her clothes, Sunset went over to her kitchen to prepare a little breakfast for herself, as she knew she had a long day ahead of her. While going through a mental checklist of every necessity before leaving for Equestria, Sunset felt assured that everything had already been taken care of. This included leaving her apartment in the capable hands of someone she could trust. Although she was perfectly fine with leaving any of the girls up to the task, Pinkie Pie seemed like a fine fit, especially with her enthusiasm and charisma to help her friends. As Sunset eventually finished her plate of waffles, she then looked over to her bag, and noticed a familiar journal sticking out of it. Though she had already accepted Twilight and Starlight's personal invitation, it still seemed like a good idea to get a time estimate beforehand, regarding how far she would need to travel.

"Hmm, I should probably check in with Twilight, in case the trip to Canterlot takes longer than I expect." Sunset said to herself, after swallowing her last bite. "Although today's main event is attending the coronation, I might still have some time to also explore and relive the experience of being back in Equestria, something that I haven't really done in ages."

Sunset immediately took the magical journal and picked up a pen, as she began writing another message to Princess Twilight. She realized that her princess friend was likely already stressed with preparations towards her big day, but figured that it wouldn't hurt to at least give her a quick heads up. Knowing Twilight, she was always the kind of pony to put her friends first, regardless of the challenges that were often thrown at her.

Princess Twilight had already awoken from bed a while ago, but not before being delivered that jarring news from Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. A mysterious yet impending doom, which was powerful enough to completely wipe out Equestria in a near instant, and would supposedly emerge right after Twilight's official crowning. Whatever this mysterious threat was, Twilight already felt her determination in her sleep, that she and her friends would certainly figure something out. After all, defeating such powerful foes as Lord Tirek or King Sombra, Twilight knew that her experience and growth had given her the strength to fulfill her charge, once she finally became the ruler of all of Equestria.

However, despite the excitement in having a life-changing ceremony on the horizon, Twilight still couldn't quite help but feel a lingering ounce of sadness. She would essentially be moving away from Ponyville, resulting in Twilight seemingly abandoning her friends, especially from becoming distant, thanks to all of her new royal responsibilities. This concern had mirrored what Sunset had been going through with her own human friends. Despite this, Twilight was unaware that she had someone who could relate to her dilemma at all, as her own friends didn't seem phased by these very thoughts. These concerns kept swirling around Twilight's mind, as she and Spike were still busy at work, packing everything up from the Castle of Friendship.

"Twilight?" Spike looked up from his checklist. "Uh, I'm pretty sure that's everything."

"I'm just doing a final check, Spike." Twilight said, as she continued running around the castle.

"But we did a final check." Spike tried his best to explain. "Of every room, twice."

"Ah-ha!" Twilight exclaimed, as she picked up a familiar piece of the past. "See? An issue of Power Ponies. Now, aren't you glad we triple-checked?"

"Thanks, but I already read this one." Spike shrugged it off. "I don't need to take it to Canterlot."

"No, no, no!" Twilight insisted. "You love Power Ponies, we're taking it."

"Really, Twilight, we don't have to bring the comic." Spike replied. "I'm not even sure how much longer I'll collect them, a lot is changing, and I am getting older."

"Just because things change, doesn't mean you leave everything you love behind!" Twilight sighed.

"You're not still worried about ruling Equestria, are you?" Spike asked, trying to get an understanding of where this insistent behavior was coming from.

Although this was a valid thing to ask, especially given how drastic of a change Equestria would soon go through, this concern was still linked to how this change would affect Twilight and her friends. She wanted to believe that the warning of this impending calamity had also contributed towards this continuous fear, especially if it had something to do with her friends drifting away. After all, Twilight had already learned this the hard way, thanks to Starlight's time travel spell. More specifically, her own friendships in particular, which were crucial in preventing Equestria from ending up as a desolate wasteland.

"No, I know it took some time, but I've never been more ready for anything in my life." Twilight denied. "Just because I'm ready to sit on the throne in Canterlot, doesn't mean I'm ready to leave Ponyville. When we were all fighting to save Equestria from Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, I was too busy to think about it, but now it's all happening at once."

"What is?" Spike raised an eyebrow.

"The coronation." Twilight opened up. "Moving, leaving our friends."

"I thought we'd all be ruling Equestria together." Spike reminded.

"Of course we will, but it won't be the same." Twilight expressed her fear. "They all have lives here, we're moving away and they're not, and I can't help but feel like we're leaving them behind. What if we all just... drift apart?"

"I guess I hadn't thought about it like that..." Spike finally understood. "Maybe you should talk to them, I bet they're feeling the same way."

"...You're right, Spike, thanks. "Twilight perked up before coming over to give Spike a hug. "Sometimes, talking to a good friend is all it takes."

Suddenly, Twilight and Spike both heard a magical noise coming from within one of the packages they had planned to move to Canterlot. The princess went over to open the box, and saw that it was a magical journal. More specifically, the same journal that she always used to communicate with Sunset Shimmer, while she was still in the Human World.

"Speaking of good friends... it looks like Sunset wants to talk to you, first." Spike said, as Twilight opened the journal. "In fact, I almost feel like she proves my point, much better than I ever could. Don't you hardly ever get to see her yourself, but still keep in touch through this journal? You two are still pretty close from what I've seen, even after that last adventure we all had together, stopping that trio of sirens at that school place."

"Sounds like you might be onto something." Twilight nodded, as she began reading the new message. "Sunset's always had a way of making me feel less anxious about the future, even when I was admittedly unsure of what to do. Let's see what she has to say..."

Dear Princess Twilight, I'm looking forward to joining you at your coronation today, and I can only imagine how excited you must be right now. However, I felt like giving you a heads up, given how I'll likely have to find my way to Canterlot, especially after being gone from Equestria for so long. I also have a feeling that time passes differently between the two worlds, which might be an issue, if I want to spend a little time exploring Equestria for a bit. If I'm able to catch you in time, perhaps we could go together? But in case I can't, could you please let me know what time your coronation begins?

Your friend, Sunset Shimmer.

Before she decided to head out of her apartment, Sunset looked at her outfit in a mirror, feeling a sense of nostalgia upon seeing some clothes she hadn't worn in a while. After her other outfit had been shredded up by that violent and aggressive girl last night, Sunset settled on an outfit that she hadn't worn in ages. More specifically, she was now wearing the same clothes that were immediately given to her, upon first setting foot into this mysterious new world. Given how this upcoming trip had entailed returning to Equestria for a whole week, Sunset figured that dressing appropriately would fit the mood better, despite no longer wearing clothes, once she transformed back into a pony.

"Gotta enjoy that good old fashion, I can't believe I still have these clothes." Sunset said to herself, as she glanced at the reflection of her oldest attire. "I guess it's like riding an old bike, except more fabulous than you truly remember. Now then, let's hope I still remember how to use my magic, especially after all this time."

Though she hadn't used her magic in ages, it still remained surprisingly potent, despite being in a human body for so long. Sunset had also considered bringing some extra clothes, in case she had to return to the Human World early, for some unexpected reason. With her last-minute preparations out of the way, Sunset grabbed her bag, but not before suddenly noticing a magical glow from within her journal, which meant that Twilight had already given her a response. She immediately opened the journal up, curious to see what her princess friend had written back.

Sunset, it's so great to hear from you! I may not be an expert on how the Human World works, though I'm sure that the time difference is something to consider. The coronation is set to begin at 7:00 PM exactly in Canterlot, but don't worry, I'm sure we can make some time beforehand for a little reunion. Please make sure that you arrive early, and I'll arrange for somepony to guide you to the right spot. I can't wait to see you!

Yours truly, Princess Twilight.

"Hmm, if the coronation's going to be at 7:00, then it sounds like I've got plenty of time to explore Equestria." Sunset brainstormed. "Then again, it might be difficult to find an efficient form of transportation, depending on how far away Canterlot is. Kinda funny that I'm saying this about the Canterlot I grew up in, here in Canterlot City of all places, but that's besides the point. Better yet, if the time zone's going to be an issue, I should definitely go now, just to avoid making things more complicated for myself."

Sunset gently slid the magical journal back into her saddlebag, as her thoughts fixated with excitement on seeing some familiar faces at the coronation. Just then, she immediately turned her attention towards a knock on her front door, accompanied by Pinkie's voice, which signified that her housekeeper was already on top of schedule. Feeling assured that she was now in a position to leave for her trip, Sunset glanced over at her pet leopard gecko. Ray was basking in his terrarium under a warm light, and with a tender smile, she took her pet out, before leaning in and kissing him on the forehead.

"See you soon." Sunset gently whispered to Ray, as his little eyes blinked back. "You'll be in good hands with my friend Pinkie, but I'll certainly be thinking about you, while I'm away."

Petting him one last time, Sunset carefully placed Ray back into his terrarium, as she took a moment to admire her little reptilian companion, who remained unfazed by the upcoming events. With a nod of reassurance, she turned away and went over to the front door, having an undeniable anticipation of the grand adventure that awaited her. She wasn't exactly sure what Pinkie would do to pass the time before graduation, but knew that as long as her expectations and conditions were followed, she didn't have much to lose. As long as there weren't any uninvited guests, or even that gang leader lurking around the corner, all would be well, upon her eventual return. Pinkie's voice grew louder, which prompted Sunset to finally invite her housekeeper inside, as it was finally time to depart.

"Good morning, Sunset!" Pinkie chirped, cheerfully. "Ready for your grand adventure back to that Equestria place?"

"You know it, Pinkie." Sunset replied, as she picked up her bag. "I'll admit, it's weird getting ready for a trip to a place I've actually been to before, but as a totally different person, or... pony, I guess. I mean, it's not exactly the first time I've gone back to my old home world, though this'll be the first time I'll have the luxury of fully exploring and appreciating the very world I've left behind. Something that I haven't done in forever, given how before, I've had no other choice but to focus on other priorities."

"Oh, I totally get you, don't you worry about that!" Pinkie cheered. "I know you're going to have the most amazing time ever, hope you'll have time later to tell us all about the trip! Now then, I promise I'll keep everything safe and sound here, and I'll even throw a little party for Ray while you're gone! After all, I keep my Pinkie Promises like an elephant keeps their memory!"

Hearing this, Sunset couldn't help but feel a pang of doubt, as she handed Pinkie her apartment's keys. This feeling had nothing to do with trust issues, but rather about Pinkie's memory, especially after their experience at the Starswirled Festival. She had told Pinkie all about the bands, the food they ate, and the memories they've made together, yet Pinkie insisted that it never happened, as if her memory had been completely wiped clean, since the whole event. Regardless of how Pinkie lacked such a crucial and distinct memory, Sunset knew that she was right to put her faith in Pinkie, and that her own memory of the event was what mattered most, as far as making this decision.

As Sunset stepped out of her apartment and waved goodbye to Pinkie, she hurried along the streets to CHS, hoping to meet up with Princess Twilight, once she crossed through the portal. She clutched her bag tightly, feeling the comforting weight of her journal, which served as a reminder of her dual existence in both worlds. This jog was almost treated as if she was running late to school, but Sunset knew that this was a rare occurrence for her. As Princess Celestia once put it, Sunset may've lacked social skills, but she was still a star student, which remained consistent with her strengths, even after going through the darkest phase of her life.

After jogging for a while, Sunset realized that she had already made it halfway to Canterlot High, before her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sight of a familiar face, right outside of Sugarcube Corner. Adagio Dazzle was standing nearby, sipping a cup of coffee, before taking notice of Sunset approaching. The Dazzlings' leader decided that it was courteous to have a quick word with her, especially after yesterday's respectful encounter. Sunset had similar thoughts on her mind, and figured that it wouldn't hurt to give two minutes of her time, despite being in a hurry for Equestria's time zone difference.

"Well, look who it is." Adagio took another sip of her coffee. "I guess no matter the endeavors we all want in life, you and I just seem so destined to cross each other's paths. Did you by any chance find a housekeeper for your little dilemma, by the way?"

"That's right, you bet I did." Sunset nodded. "And just in time too, since I'm already leaving for my little trip. Thanks for the concern, by the way. Clearly a lot's changed since the Battle of the Bands, it's hard to believe that we used to be at each other's throats."

"Sounds like the good old days of competition and chaos." Adagio rolled her eyes, playfully. "How time flies when you're not trying to take over a school. Speaking of which, despite my initial concern of your school's principal not hiring us as entertainment, my concern was all for naught, though it took quite some convincing. She eventually gave us the job, and even offered a larger bonus for showing up at such an opportune time. Sixty grand might mean that I can finally allow Sonata to taste other gourmet foods besides just tacos, and Aria won't have to do... questionable things with our landlord."

"Well, congrats on getting the job, I'm sure you'll knock it out of the park with your performance." Sunset smiled. "I know that Principal Celestia's seen a different viewpoint on giving others a second chance, after what happened with me. To tell you the truth, I'm mostly just happy that I could finish my time at CHS on a good note, especially since... it wasn't necessarily my initial plan to start a new life here."

"Our exile to this... peculiar world wasn't so different from moving to this city, I'd imagine?" Adagio pondered. "Equestria was once our very home, yet thanks to an old wizard, we were suddenly thrusted into a new reality, trying to piece together what we've lost. I suppose that's the difference between being me, and a human like yourself? At the same time, we're both trying to find our places, notably in a place that doesn't quite understand us. With how much of a challenge it's become to fend for ourselves in this harsh world, Aria and Sonata have mutually agreed with me, that we shall never give up trying to find our way back home."

Upon hearing this, it suddenly dawned on Sunset that after all this time, Adagio was completely unaware of something major. Despite the fact the Dazzlings were also from Equestria, they actually had no idea that Sunset had always been a unicorn in a human's body, nor did they seem aware of the portal at CHS. She had only just made this realization, after hearing Adagio specifically label her as a human, along with believing that she merely moved here from another city. It was a rather surprising revelation, especially after being told that the trio had already heard all about her. However, it was more likely that they had only been referring to Sunset's past actions at CHS, rather than her true past and identity, long before being a student there.

On another note, Sunset felt another form of relatability with these sirens, given how they were technically just like her, albeit unknowingly. Aside from having a past that they weren't too proud of, they had also ended up becoming trapped in this world, and were insistent on finding a way back to Equestria, out of seeming homesickness. That was when Sunset realized that Aria, Adagio, and Sonata could all technically accompany her, given how there was an indefinitely open portal at CHS. As much as Sunset would've felt comfortable in sharing this valuable knowledge with these girls, she knew that the timing seemed awkward, especially after Adagio had worked tirelessly to secure this job during graduation. With this in mind, Sunset decided to keep quiet about the magical portal, despite respecting the Dazzlings now.

"That's very commendable, it's always nice to see when people can turn their lives around for the better." Sunset replied. "It's been nice getting an update on your situation, but I'm afraid I really have to go now, and I can't be late."

"If you insist, then I suppose I'll see you at your school's ceremony, very soon." Adagio said. "We'll catch up again, Sunset, and remember, the world is a stage, and we're all just actors playing our parts. After all, Aria and I may not see eye-to-eye often, but I can certainly understand her personal complaint, when it comes to getting tired of fast food. We all miss what we had always been accustomed to, so if only we had a way to go back to Equestria, somehow..."

Sunset nodded before waving goodbye, and continued to make her way to CHS. She admittedly felt an ounce of guilt for keeping this knowledge to herself, but knew that it was likely for the better, given the current timing. Adagio and her sisters were likely already on their way to rehearse heavily for this performance, and they admittedly also needed to patch everything up with CHS, and end their career on a more positive note. Telling them that they could go through the portal with her, it would've seemingly complicated things even further, especially without checking in with Princess Twilight first. For that matter, would Equestria even welcome the sirens back with open hooves, given how they had actually been banished here?

It was way different than what ended up happening with Sunset, in the sense that she had only become trapped in the Human World from her own curiosity, as a result of the portal closing, shortly after she went in. Unlike Sunset did with Princess Celestia, it was difficult to say whether or not the sirens had anyone to turn to, had they ended up causing irreversible damage, which warranted their banishment in the first place. In the best-case scenario, Sunset believed that it would've been better to settle back in to Equestria, and get a solid idea on whether or not the sirens would be allowed to return. Only after obtaining this crucial knowledge, would Sunset then consider sharing her secret knowledge with them.

That being said, Sunset couldn't deny that she felt a pang of empathy for the Dazzlings, and their shared mutual longing for returning to Equestria. For the time being, she knew that she had to prioritize her current mission, which was to be there for Princess Twilight, once she became the new ruler of Equestria. With a firm resolve, Sunset picked up her pace down the sidewalk, as CHS finally came into view. The sight of the horse statue's pedestal stood proudly at the center of the schoolyard, which also brought back a flood of memories, from when she first came to the Human World. Sunset specifically recalled how jarring it was to suddenly adjust towards being a human, as opposed to a pony on all fours. The time had finally arrived for her to potentially start a whole new chapter of her life, depending on how her experience in Equestria would turn out.

"Although I knew this day would inevitably come, I didn't expect it to be so soon." Sunset said to herself, as she slowly approached the portal. "I've missed Equestria for so long, yet I've also made a home here, and so many good friends over the years. I remember first coming here, thinking it was an interesting development, and here we are, now. As for returning to Equestria, let's hope I can still find my place there, now that I've changed so much."

Sunset took a deep breath and reached her hand towards the reflective surface, as she knew what was coming. The world around her began to blur with swirling colors, and she could feel the fabric of reality stretching, once she finally went inside. It still wasn't entirely clear how much Sunset would enjoy being back to Equestria, but she knew that one thing was certain. Regardless of her eventual decision, she would always cherish the friends and memories she's made here, even if she ended up choosing to remain behind in Equestria, for the rest of her life.

Chapter 19: Return of the Prodigy

After swirling around the portal's blur, Sunset could almost immediately feel her transformation unfold, before eventually stepping out of the magical mirror. She stumbled slightly as she tried to regain her balance, and stepped down onto the Castle of Friendship's floors, once more. It had been so long since she felt this familiar sensation of her newfound equine form, which was mostly due to the constant adaptation of being a human. She took a moment to adjust, as the weight of her body had now distributed differently, along with no longer having hands to potentially break her fall. After getting used to her hooves, Sunset looked down upon herself, as she suddenly realized that she had to fit the expected norm of equines, and got down on all fours.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to walking like this, again." Sunset said to herself. "Though I'm sure Starlight and Twilight are always able to relate with how awkward this can truly get..."

Just as Twilight had popped into Sunset's mind, she could suddenly hear the aforementioned princess from a distance. This most likely meant that she had caught up with Twilight, just in the nick of time, as she looked around the room. Everything around the castle had been stored into cardboard packages, and the bookshelves had been completely emptied. This was likely a sign of Twilight packing up all her belongings, and moving everything to Canterlot, where she would soon rule over Equestria. Sunset processed everything for a few moments, before hearing Twilight again, who was accompanied by her friends.

Upon overhearing what was happening from a distance, the princess herself had sounded quite upset, while her friends joined in on a bunch of crying. As Sunset drew closer to the nearby gathering through a wall, she could discern snippets of their conversation, which revealed that Twilight had finally opened up with them about something troubling. A warm comfort washed over Sunset, as she processed the thought of their shared understanding and empathy, much like the Rainbooms had done for her. However, the conversation had abruptly concluded, as Sunset could suddenly hear Spike's voice, which was about to highlight the urgency of time.

"That's nice." Spike began to elaborate, as he took out a clock, which showed that it was already 5:00 PM. "But you should be more worried about missing the train to Canterlot!"

Seeing the time, Twilight and her friends gasped, prompting them all to immediately storm out of the castle. Realizing that everyone was already departing, Sunset had also picked up the pace, but was admittedly unsure of where the castle's exit was located. While Sunset was desperately trying her best to keep up with Twilight, the princess and her friends were all rushing out the front door, before suddenly being stopped by Starlight Glimmer, who approached them all with a magenta gift box. Although Spike knew what Starlight was trying to do, the others were more focused on not being late to the coronation, as time had already become way too tight.

"Sorry I'm so late." Starlight apologized on her behalf. "I actually thought I'd missed you-"

"THERE'S NO TIME!!!" Spike interrupted.

All of a sudden, everyone immediately bolted past Starlight, causing her to drop the gift, before spinning and falling onto the ground. Twilight and her friends were all in such a hurry to the train station, that none of them had managed to hear Sunset, even though she was calling out to them. Before Starlight could even process why everyone was in such a rush, she got back up, and used her magic to levitate the present that she had spent days working on.

"So, I'll just give this to her... AFTER the coronation, I guess." Starlight sighed to herself, before hearing some hoofsteps from behind.

Sunset had finally rushed out of the castle's main entrance, desperately trying to get Twilight's attention. Unfortunately, despite her efforts in making it back to Equestria in a timely manner, she was still slightly too late, as Twilight and her friends were already on their way to Canterlot.

"T-Twilight...!" Sunset tried to catch her breath from the sudden sprint. "Ugh, so close, yet so far away..."

"Sunset!" Starlight turned around with a hopeful smile. "Glad to see you've made it, but it looks like Twilight and the others are running a little late. I must say, I was admittedly wondering if I was going to see you soon, but I've been busy with some... secret project, let's just say."

"It's good to be back to Equestria, that's for sure." Sunset nodded. "Wait, what do you mean they're running a little late, is the coronation already about to begin? Back in my world, I literally just got out of bed in the early morning, so I guess the time zone difference was much greater than I thought. In that case, I hope we're not going to be late."

"According to a clock I saw earlier, it should only be about 5:00." Starlight replied. "Which means that we still have plenty of time to get to the coronation, since taking the train to Canterlot should only be a half hour, and it's going to begin at 7:00."

"Alright, good to know." Sunset brainstormed how she was planning to reach Canterlot. "I was admittedly hoping to have a quick reunion with Twilight, but I suppose now, it'll have to wait until after the coronation. I always figured that the two worlds had some sort of a time zone difference, but I never realized it was this drastic. If I ever plan on taking any more return trips in the future, I'll have to keep that in mind."

"I wouldn't worry too much about being late, Twilight's always been rather punctual about keeping a tidy schedule." Starlight assured. "For now though, let's just focus on getting there ourselves. I still need to take care of a few things over at my village, and then it's off to Canterlot. I was looking forward to giving Twilight this special gift, and seeing her reaction, but I guess I caught her at a bad time."

"Well, it's nice to hear that despite how busy this day must be for everyone, you took the trouble to get Twilight a special present to commemorate this event." Sunset smiled. "Hmm, come to think of it, I just realized that although I've brought some basic necessities in my saddlebag, I've neglected to get Twilight a present, myself. Ugh, I've had so many other things on my mind lately, that I've managed to let this slip my mind!"

"Oh, I'm sure she'll understand, especially since we were rather late at inviting you." Starlight reminded. "Plus, I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you there, along with Celestia. It's certainly been quite a while since you two have seen each other, hasn't it?"

"I'm definitely looking forward to that reunion, but I can't help but feel like I should've brought something for Twilight." Sunset insisted. "It'd be a great way for me to express my gratitude to her, for not only helping me turn my life around, but even keeping me updated on certain magical artifacts, which somehow ended up in the other world. Besides, I know this coronation will be a really big deal for Twilight, so I can't just show up, empty-hoofed. If I have a few more hours to find some kind of gift to bring, then I'd rather do that, instead. If I had a little extra time to spare, I was thinking of checking out a little more of Equestria, anyways."

"If you're sure, then I guess I'll head on over to my village to take care of a few things." Starlight replied. "Depending on how busy I'll be, I might be able to bring you with me to Canterlot. In the meantime, have fun doing a little sightseeing, I certainly remember the thrill myself, when you took me through that... mall."

"All I know is, if I'm going to get Twilight a gift, I'll have to make it count." Sunset brainstormed. "I know there's plenty of things I could get her, though I might have better luck deciding on something, once I do a little browsing. If I'm not mistaken, that's Ponyville over there, isn't it?"

"Yep, and if I'm not mistaken, there's many shops that you could check out." Starlight pointed. "I couldn't really give you a specific recommendation on something Twilight would want, but I'm sure that bringing her some flowers would be nice."

"Flowers, you say?" Sunset pondered. "Well, it wouldn't have been the first thing to pop into my mind, but I know she appreciates the natural beauty of Equestria. Alright then, if I can find some decent flowers in town, I'll be sure to bring them for the coronation. I've got some pocket change in my saddlebag, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue to afford them."

"Just remember, the shops in Ponyville can be quite particular with their prices." Starlight warned. "Business has been going slow for some of them, which means that if you're even one bit short, they won't cut you any slack. I know from experience, let's just say. Be sure to not spend all your bits on the first thing that catches your eye. If I'm unable to accompany you later, then you'll need enough bits to afford a train ticket to reach Canterlot."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the tip." Sunset understood. "I'm typically used to shopping around for those good deals, but I'll definitely need to make sure I have enough to take the train. How much are tickets, by the way?"

"A train ticket to Canterlot will typically cost you 7 bits." Starlight explained. "It's a standard fare for this route, but at the same time, I can't guarantee there won't be any price hikes, due to the coronation's festivities. Since I've been doing a lot of advising at the School of Friendship, I'd highly recommend you keep a few extra bits, just in case. Other than that, good luck on your quest for the perfect gift!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Sunset began rummaging through her own saddlebag, before counting her pocket change. "Hmm, I seem to have 18 bits on me, so I should definitely have plenty to spare. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure these are the same bits that've been sitting in my saddlebag, ever since I was Princess Celestia's pupil. I never took them out, or really found a use for them in the Human World."

"Oh yeah, I definitely remember that, especially when I tried to pay for my ice cream." Starlight giggled. "What is it with the humans, preferring to take green rectangular papers? It's almost as if that world's currency can literally grow on trees."

"I know, right?" Sunset shared a laugh. "If anything, these bits are a reminder of the life I've had here, and how much I've grown since then. Though... I'm still unsure if I'll have to get used to that older life, especially after graduation at CHS."

"You mean... you might consider staying here in Equestria with the rest of us?" Starlight pieced together what Sunset likely meant. "I'd be all for it, us getting to spend even more time together, but... how come, exactly? Did something go wrong for you, back in the Human World?"

"Well, it's complicated, let's just say." Sunset sighed with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I know I've made some really great human friends, but I also have some unfinished business to take care of here. Sometimes, I feel like I've been living two different lives, and I'm not ready to let go of either of them, at least until the right time comes. For now, let's not worry about that, I've got a coronation to get to, and a gift to find. I'm not sure what to expect within Ponyville's shops, but I'll be sure to find something truly special for Twilight."

"I know you'll find something amazing, but remember, it's the thought that counts." Starlight nodded. "Twilight will be thrilled no matter what you get her, I'm sure of it. Have fun doing some window shopping, but right now, I need to head back to my village. Party Favor and Double Diamond were planning something special for the coronation, so I have to check and see if they'll need my help."

"Sounds good, I think I'm going to hold onto your suggestion of bringing Twilight some flowers, and then we'll meet up later." Sunset set her eyes on a nearby flower shop, before waving goodbye to Starlight. "Have a safe trip to Canterlot, I'll see you soon!"

As Starlight trotted off into the distance, Sunset couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia, upon taking a closer look at Ponyville. She had technically already explored this town before, but it was under entirely different circumstances, due to the urgency of rescuing everyone from that sinking cruise ship. In that particular scenario, she had practically seen herself as an outsider, looking in on the lives of these magical ponies, who were simply minding their everyday activities and jobs. Looking around, Sunset began to visualize the life she had left behind, back when she made that big decision to step through the mirror, and inadvertently live on as a human.

The more Sunset thoroughly examined her surroundings, the more she felt her homesickness return. Equestria had always been the place she had truly belonged, but she still ended up choosing the human life, which had finally come to a head, as far as finding purpose and meaning. Sunset believed that no matter what, she would much rather be continuing her studies of magic once more, as opposed to pouring coffee for a bunch of miserable people in an office. Her only barrier consisted of her bonds with the rest of the Rainbooms, which was still a hefty price to pay, especially after all they had been through together. Despite these continuous concerns, Sunset had faith in herself to eventually come up with a proper solution, as she had faced more vexing situations in the past.

She continued gazing upon the various buildings, admiring their charming and unique architecture, which was unlike any building she had come across in the Human World. The warmth of the setting sun casted a gentle glow on Ponyville, enhancing the town's natural beauty. However, the sun's positioning had only served as a friendly reminder of the main reason she was here. Sunset had to find the perfect gift for Twilight, and the clock was ticking, with less than two hours until the coronation would officially begin. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the crisp Equestrian air, before trotting towards the area within, where she saw various vibrant shops from a distance.

"Depending on how many bits I have left, I might even consider bringing some flowers for Princess Celestia, too." Sunset said to herself, whilst looking back at her saddlebag. "Hmm, come to think of it, I have to wonder what my old mentor would be doing, once she and Luna officially abdicate the throne. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to ask her this, and I definitely can't wait to have another heartfelt reunion with her, it's just been too long."

As the setting sun shined over the mountainous region of Canterlot, the bustling city had long been active with the excitement of the upcoming coronation. Within the grand walls of the castle, Princess Celestia paced the corridor with a gentle grace, as her eyes scanned over the guest list that Spike had meticulously compiled. It was a pleasant surprise to notice that Twilight had even gone through the trouble of inviting Sunset Shimmer, her former pupil who had betrayed and abandoned her, but had recently made amends and given closure on this dark chapter. It would certainly feel like a spit in the face to just exclude Sunset from such a big event, especially given her history and connections to Canterlot, despite living in another world.

Once Celestia finally finished looking over the entire list, she had only become reminded of how much of an impact Twilight had over all these guests, especially with the presence of various creatures, who had also become acquainted with ponies. This was a feat that Twilight and her friends were able to accomplish, bringing unity and peace to Equestria, seemingly for many years to come. Celestia had ruled over Equestria with her wisdom for over 1,000 years, and it was now time to pass the torch, once and for all. As she turned a corner down the hallways, she approached a familiar room, filled with many cardboard boxes that were scheduled to be moved over to Silver Shoals. Sunburst had momentarily ceased his inspection of the boxes, before addressing the princess, who suddenly accompanied him.

"Y-Your highness, I didn't expect to see you back so soon." Sunburst turned around, before bowing to the princess. "I assure you, once I've finished properly labeling these packages, they'll be immediately shipped over to Silver Shoals. Starlight and I have already arranged for the villagers of Our Town to help you transport them."

"There's no need for such formality, Sunburst." Celestia said, humbly. "After all, in just a few hours from now, I'm no longer going to be the princess of all of Equestria. That particular position will now be something of an age's past, remembered through Twilight's ruling from this day forward. In the meantime, you and Starlight have done an excellent job, helping to arrange the coronation, and I simply wanted to thank you for diligently handling the moving process."

"It's been quite the journey, hasn't it?" Sunburst reflected. "I still remember the very first time I became a student at the School For Gifted Unicorns, and ended up flunking out, despite my prowess in magical knowledge. If only this horn had matched the strength of my brain, I could've gone on to do even more amazing things, but I suppose settling for the School of Friendship's Vice Principal was good enough. I'll be honest, when I was excelling in my written studies, I almost envisioned what it'd be like to become your pupil. It's a shame that we'll never know how that path would've worked out for me, since my inability to perform complex spells was what sealed this path for me."

Celestia couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at Sunburst's words, fully knowing the weight that they carried. The princess didn't have to envision a scenario where one of her students ended up excelling in every merit of their studies, as she could never forget her own experiences in mentoring such a prodigy. Everyone had their own unique talents, and while she was initially proud of Sunburst's achievements at her school, she knew there were times when Sunburst felt like he had missed out on something greater, and that his studies weren't enough to truly satisfy this ambition. However, she chose to keep her thoughts about her former pupil to herself for the time being, not wanting to burden him with her own regrets.

"Every path we take will eventually lead us to where we're meant to be." Celestia gave a few more words of wisdom. "You've touched so many lives with your guidance, which is truly something to be proud of, regardless of how your studies ended up. Since then, the School of Friendship has become a beacon of unity and growth, and you've been able to play a vital role in its success. Although my sister and I will primarily watch over Twilight from afar, we'll also be doing the same for you and Starlight."

"I'm glad to hear that despite the many challenges that lie ahead in the future, we can still come to you for guidance, especially for things we're unsure of." Sunburst continued checking through the boxes. "For example, where exactly should we put this old and dusty-looking yellow lizard toy? Perhaps I should throw it away?"

"No, no, please." Celestia immediately shook her head. "That yellow lizard was once the treasured possession of somepony close to me, who had a knack for finding friendship in the most unlikely places. Despite her... rocky beginnings, she grew to become quite an extraordinary pony, and this toy holds more than just dust and memories, it's a symbol of her journey in becoming the mare she is now. I'd prefer if you kept it in a safe place, though I would hope to see her soon at this coronation, and return this cherished toy to her."

"Well then, I'll make sure it's packed safely, and that it'll find its way back to her." Sunburst nodded, before setting the toy inside the 'Memories' box. "I really wish my parents could see just how far I've come. Well, at the very least, my dad, since I admittedly haven't heard from him, the day I left to study in Canterlot."

"Your... father?" Celestia recalled, feeling a sudden sting within her heart. "Yes, I remember you mentioning to me about your father, and how hesitant he was to let you follow your dreams..."

"Err, is something wrong?" Sunburst asked, noticing this shift in mood.

"Ah, no, it's nothing." Celestia quickly brushed off. "Just a fleeting memory, nothing of importance anymore. Now then, let's focus on checking the remaining boxes, and then we must ensure everything is ready for the coronation. I want this to be a celebration that Equestria won't soon forget."

"Hmm, well other than the yellow lizard toy, there was still one last thing I was unsure of, after inspecting all the other boxes." Sunburst went behind the cardboard packages, before bringing out a familiar yet dangerous object. "Where exactly should we put this?"

"Is that... Grogar's bell?" Celestia's eyes widened in surprise. "The same bell that fell into the hooves of Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow? What's that doing here, of all places?"

"Well, when we were digging around for items that you'd want to take with you, Starlight and I found this in one of the attics of the castle." Sunburst replied. "Apparently, it was just forgotten and left behind, shortly after we defeated those nefarious fiends. I figured it's better to be safe than sorry, so I brought it here. Perhaps if it went to your new home in Silver Shoals, we won't ever have to worry about it falling into the wrong hooves?"

"I'm afraid that may not be a good idea, given how it's one of Equestria's more... infamous artifacts." Celestia expressed her concern. "While I appreciate the thought of keeping it with me, I believe it's best if we store the Bewitching Bell in a place where its power can be contained and studied safely. The Canterlot Museum has a secure exhibit for relics of its kind, and it'll be important that we keep such artifacts out of harm's way, now that Luna and I are retiring. We can't risk the chance of its influence corrupting anypony, especially during the coronation. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention, but I highly recommend that we immediately bring it over to the museum, and ensure its proper placement."

"Ah, yes, of course." Sunburst nodded. "I suppose that we should've thought of that ourselves, but we didn't want it to get lost again, especially after all the trouble we went through, just to get it back from those troublemakers."

"I understand your concern, Sunburst, but I assure you, the security measures in the museum are quite thorough." Celestia said, before she turned off the lights. "Now, let's not waste any more time, as the coronation is fast approaching, and we must ensure everything is in order. Let's bring the bell to its rightful place, and then we shall inspect the banquet that Mr. Ramsay has prepared for us."

As Celestia and Sunburst finally exited the room, deep in conversation about the upcoming coronation, a mysterious silhouette began to slither from the shadows of the half-unpacked boxes. The figure's eyes glowed a malevolent purple, and was patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity, this entire time. She had heard the whispers of a certain artifact's presence, and had hoped to claim it for herself, but was unfortunately too late. With a huff, she retreated back into the box, plotting how she could possibly sneak the artifact out of the museum, and into her own clutches.

"Blast it all, why does it always have to be so complicated?" The mysterious figure muttered to herself. "If only I was able to find that bell earlier, it would've made everything so much easier. But no, now I'll have to wait until they're all distracted by the festivities, or perhaps I'll need to cause a distraction of my own? It matters little, that powerful magic will soon be mine to harness, though I'll need to scout around Canterlot for a proper route to get around the guards. When the perfect opportunity presents itself, I'll be able to unleash my attack, and eventually show off to Equestria, a heretofore unseen, yet transcendent power...!"

Chapter 26: Maximum Security

Sunset trotted frantically on the walkway, as she ascended higher up the mountain that led to Canterlot. She already expected needing to sprint for a fair distance, as it was highly unlikely for her to have reached the peak of a mountain by means of a boat. As she did, she began to notice buildings in the distance, which made her slow down a bit for a glance at the one place she used to call home. Although Sunset had already revisited Canterlot a while ago, when she was seeking guidance about her friends' memories being erased after the Wallflower incident, she didn't really have the most in-depth exploration of the city. After all, when Sunset had too much on her mind regarding her best friends suddenly turning on her, it didn't give her much room to live out the whole Canterlot experience. Sunset began to have vague memories seeing all these structures and buildings that she definitely remembered being around, tracing back to the days when she was a young unicorn filly.

She took notice of the many fancy restaurants that she used to eat in for free, as Celestia covered the costs of the food when she was formerly the Princess's pupil. She then caught a glimpse of what looked like a school of some kind, and remembered it as the School For Gifted Unicorns, the same institution she had attended when discovering her magic skills at a young age. It was unfortunate that being a human for so long had really put Sunset out of practice with her natural magical abilities, as exemplified when she couldn't even do a basic teleportation spell back in Manehattan. She figured it still wasn't a big deal, as she could simply have an extended stay in Equestria to relearn the skills she had forgotten. As Sunset began picking up the pace again, she then passed by several houses she recognized. They were part of a small neighborhood, and one of the houses was where she used to live after moving out of her dad's house in Ponyville. Sunset also had a vivid, sudden memory, that the house was also given to her by Celestia, for her most prized students, while her other unicorn classmates had to rent out the spaces themselves like college students.

It was at this point that Sunset, similar to what she told Lemon Zest back on the boat, realized how much somepony she used to resent, truly sacrificed for her. Princess Celestia saw the potential in Sunset when she was only a filly, and practically raised her like a daughter. She paid for her food, education, and home here in Canterlot, taught her all kinds of new magical skills, and even gave her the mother she seemingly never had. At least, Sunset was still under the impression of this idea, given how she had no memory at all of an actual mother in her life, but remembered having a father. Back when she used to be Celestia's pupil, Sunset reflected on the times where her classmates complained to Celestia about not being nice to them, which in all fairness, was definitely a valid criticism. She used to be incredibly anti-social, acted rude toward anypony who just wanted to hang out with her, and above all, boasted on and on about her magical talent, and how Celestia only chose her as a pupil. Sunset felt that because of these aspects in her behavior back then, she admittedly used to have a bigger ego than even Rainbow Dash.

Going back to her previous thought on all the sacrifices from Princess Celestia Sunset had never really noticed, she felt extra sorry for her. When putting herself in Celestia's place, Sunset couldn't imagine putting so much energy, patience, love, and money toward a student she almost considered a daughter, only for her to one day betray her trust and abandon everything due to selfish ambitions. Though at the same time, this did raise a question Sunset never really considered until just now. Why did Princess Celestia always try to keep Sunset from going through the mirror ever since she realized there was more to it beyond just being an ordinary mirror? Was Celestia aware of something more deep that even Sunset herself was unaware of when she entered this other world?

This didn't seem likely, as Sunset already knew that knowledge regarding this mirror and generally, the human world itself, were incredibly limited, since nopony else besides herself, Princess Twilight, and Starlight Glimmer had really gotten the full experience. Both of the aforementioned ponies were known to be skilled magic wielders, but neither of them really understood being a human as much as Sunset. If anything, Sunset figured that she herself was likely the only true expert on this mirror and alternate world, to where if Princess Twilight knew nothing about the mirror even after becoming a princess, then it wouldn't be likely that Celestia knew anything specific either. With this in mind, Sunset simply chalked up her past experience as Celestia only feeling disgusted at her for attempting to jump ahead in her studies, and especially for demanding to be made a princess.

With that, Sunset didn't really think too deeply about why Celestia was being so insistent on keeping her away from the mirror. Sure, there was initially the issue of not being able to go back until at least 30 moons had passed after the portal closed off, but Princess Twilight used one of Celestia's old journals that was connected to Sunset's to keep the portal open indefinitely, so there were obviously ways around it. Sunset was mostly just happy at the fact that she made amends with Celestia, and was able to finally get some closure over it, after living in guilt for many years.

Sunset took all of this in internally as she walked through the city that was once her home after leaving Ponyville, before focusing back on the main reason she's even here at the moment, to make it to Princess Twilight's coronation. Sunset trotted past one of the shops, and got a quick glimpse at one of the clocks hanging in front of the entrance. It was already 7:17 PM, meaning she was already a good 17 minutes late to the whole event. By now, Sunset had already accepted being a little late, but she would certainly feel awful if she ended up missing everything. Becoming the princess of all of Equestria and getting a new crown were both big celebratory moments for Twilight that Sunset simply couldn't miss.

As Sunset finally made her way past Canterlot's city, she had slowly begun to approach the main square of Canterlot that houses cultural events, and more specifically, where the coronation was being held. Even from this distance, Sunset saw many pegasai and other creatures flying around and gathering together for the event. She was on the right track and was glad she was able to figure out where everything was in Canterlot, despite being gone for so long. Sunset trotted forward, thinking there wouldn't be any issues, as Twilight mentioned earlier today, that she already made sure to notify all the guards about who Sunset was, and to welcome her in to the festival whenever she showed up.

Unfortunately, due to being preoccupied with her friends about moving away to Canterlot, along with focusing entirely on preparation, Twilight had forgotten to inform one of the guards about Sunset showing up. And out of all odds, he was the one guard watching the main entrance to the castle in front of the main square, keeping out any intruders or unwelcome guests. Earlier while the guests were showing up, Princess Cadance was here, and she welcomed all sorts of ponies and creatures whom she knew were friendly and supporting of Princess Twilight. But now that most of the guests were inside, the stallion guard was then sent to watch the main entrance for any suspicious activity.

Sunset walked over to the castle's entrance and saw the stallion. She immediately recognized him as the security guard she had ran into multiple times during the Postcrush Festival's time loop incident. For the most part, Sunset didn't have any ill will toward him, since she knew he was just serving his duty to keep out troublemakers, even if he did in some instances, kick out both her and Pinkie, despite Pinkie being the main cause of trouble over some churros. With those memories behind her, Sunset figured he would let her in, no questions asked, based on what Twilight wrote to her in the journal earlier. But as she was about to walk in, thinking nothing of it, the security guard stopped her.

"Halt!" Max Steele said to Sunset, before putting his hoof out to block her entry. "What is your name and order of business?"

Sunset, somewhat surprised at this, instinctively came out with the appropriate response. "Sunset Shimmer, sir. I'm here to attend Princess Twilight's coronation. She's a good friend of mine."

"Uh huh." Max said with sarcasm and doubt. "Everypony claims they're good friends with Twilight Sparkle these days. Always far from the truth. Now, the coronation's already begun. Unless you have an invitation to this event, I'm afraid it's my job to keep you out."

"...Invitation?" Sunset said with confusion. "Twilight never gave me any physical invitation, but she let me know personally to come. Surely she's mentioned my name to you?"

"Sunset Shimmer..." Max muttered to himself. "Nope, can't say that rings a bell. So I'm afraid I'll have to go with the idea you're just some crazy fan who imagines Princess Twilight is your best friend or something. Begone!"

Sunset became frustrated. She had come all this way from her home, preparing, packing, and sacrificing the opportunity to spend time with her human friends before graduation. Now this one stallion keeping her away from the entire coronation was going to ruin everything? No, this couldn't be, Sunset instead decided she had to think of a way around him. She figured teleportation around the castle wall wasn't an option, due to her being out of practice, and not wanting to risk being even more late than she already was. She thought back to the human version of this guard back at the festival. How did she get past him in order to scope out the Dazzlings' van for any hints of them being the ones behind the time loop? She then remembered it was because she gave him a cute kitten, based on a previous conversation with him and Pinkie. However, with no kitten in sight, and no knowledge of where to find any kittens here in Canterlot, this didn't really help Sunset out, until she thought of an excuse for being late.

"Well, sir? What if I told you I was late to this coronation because I was helping an injured kitten on my way here? " Sunset inquired, being somewhat truthful, as she did help the human Fluttershy out with a kitten's sprained leg at the animal shelter earlier that week.

"Pfft. You think I'm moved by your story because of some random kitten?" Max scoffed. "Now get out of here! And for the record, I prefer puppies to kittens."

Sunset had another moment of frustration from this, forgetting that the pony counterparts of humans she knew back in the other world could be completely different as far as interests and personality, much like Gloriosa and Lemon Zest. Regardless, this security guard was not going to let her in through the castle, so Sunset had to at least see if she could find another means of getting to the coronation, preferably without alerting this stallion. Unfortunately, if memory served Sunset correctly, this path through the castle was the only way to the main square, as any other part of Canterlot would be blocked off by walls. As Sunset trotted away from the castle's main entrance, she looked back and heard a familiar voice, even if it was from a fair distance away.

"And so without further ado, I give you the new ruler of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Celestia announced, before a whole crowd of ponies gasped.

Sunset knew that if she wasn't able to have an upfront seat at the coronation, she could at the very least get part of the experience from a distance. She noticed one of the nearby buildings had a staircase that could let her up to the roof for a better view. As Sunset quickly ran up the roof, she was able to see a little past the castle's wall, and around where the coronation was. More specifically, the balcony where Princess Twilight, Celestia, and Luna were standing before Twilight was about to get her official crown from the two sisters. From this, Sunset was at least thankful she barely caught the main highlight of the whole event, she just wished Twilight was able to see her in the crowd, where presumably everyone else already was.

However, Sunset's happiness for Twilight was short-lived, as she noticed something seemingly disastrous was about to happen. Some pegasai flew around the building, followed by a barrage of fireworks, before one of the pegasai accidentally bumped into the pair of birds who were carrying Twilight's new crown, making them lose the grip of it. Twilight attempted to catch the crown as it fell off the balcony, before accidentally slipping off herself.

"TWILIGHT!!!" Sunset screamed, before quickly running down the stairs and back over to the entrance of the castle. She was unaware that Twilight was actually okay, and that she managed to break her fall thanks to her wings. But from Sunset's perspective, she thought Twilight might've seriously injured herself from such a fall, so she instinctively tried to get to the coronation, regardless of the security guard still being in her way.

"Sir, you have to let me in! I just saw that Princess Twilight fell off the balcony after getting her crown! Please!" Sunset begged.

"Do I look like a child to you? Does it look like it's bedtime to you, ma'am?" Max asked Sunset rhetorically. "No? Then why are you telling me stories? No means no, now I won't tell you again, leave."

Sunset had enough at this point. She finally let her anger get the better of her, and began to change her voice to a more unfriendly tone.

"Alright, then. You've given me no other choice. I've tried playing nice, no more." Sunset finished, as she started up the magic in her horn and pointed it at the door. Even if she was out of practice using her horn, she always knew how to do a basic blast of magic that could be used as a projectile.

"Hey, what are you doing-!?" Max shrieked, before doing a dodge roll by instinct to avoid getting hit by Sunset's magic.

Sunset specifically waited until the stallion was out of her way before firing her magic at the locked door, blasting it open. After all, she didn't want to hurt the guard, and although she might've just played rough, in her own words, she's no monster. Sunset quickly trotted into the castle, before the security guard got up off the ground and took notice of this.

"Hey! Get back here!" Max yelled as he began to chase after Sunset.

Chapter 27: A Sour Note

Sunset sprinted down the castle halls, and now appeared to be within what felt like a labyrinth of a building. She didn't have any knowledge of where the exit to the main square was located in this castle, as it really had been ages since she truly explored Canterlot. She only knew for certain that this was the only way to reach the coronation, but with a security guard hot on her tail, it didn't give Sunset much time to consider which direction to take. A split road showed up at the end of the hall, and by trusting her main instinct, Sunset veered to the right into a separate hallway with a broom closet.

Since Sunset had already ran a pretty good distance up Canterlot's walkway, she knew she couldn't run from the security guard for much longer. In fact, running the short distance in an attempt to escape him had already exhausted her energy pretty well. When she approached the broom closet, Sunset pressed her hooves on the handle out of desperation, and by some miracle, it opened. Sunset fell into the small room as the door closed behind her. She crashed onto the floor so hard, her saddlebag's strap came off of her. Max, who was right behind Sunset, noticed she went down the right hallway, and continued down that way, unaware that she had already hid herself.

Sunset panted quietly inside to catch her breath, but felt some relief upon hearing quick hoofsteps away from the closet door, which signified to her that the guard most likely didn't know where she was anymore. It felt like just the right time too, as if she kept on running, he would've definitely caught her shortly after, and the punishment wouldn't be lenient. As Sunset waited around for several minutes to regain some of her energy, she began to have the initial thought. If Max did end up catching her, would he have simply brought her to Celestia, who would've been able to vouch for her and clear up this whole misunderstanding? This idea was soon proven to be foolish, as Sunset eventually heard Max's voice from a fair distance outside the door.

"Alright, squad." Max addressed several royal guards suddenly standing outside the hallway. "I just encountered a unicorn whom I suspect is planning something malicious during Princess Twilight's coronation. Be on the lookout for a female unicorn with a light-orange coat, red mane with yellow highlights, and turquoise eyes."

As Max finished describing Sunset, one of the female guards spoke up. Sunset didn't immediately recognize the voice, but something about her tone seemed familiar.

"Ohhhhhh, how exciting. A new caper to solve?" The female guard asked rhetorically, before raising some sudden annoyance in her voice. "Why do we have to be the ones to do this when there's fun festivities right now? You couldn't have assigned Flash Sentry to do this dirty work!?"

"He could not join us today, nor the coronation on account of his injured wings." Max replied to this mare guard. "And I would watch your tone, cadet. Or I will consider talking to Princess Twilight to have you suspended from this job indefinitely."

"Awwww, you're going to fire me?" The mare asked like an innocent child wondering what she did wrong, before raising her voice again. "Go ahead, old-timer. I could use a break anyway, and I know you're bluffing, because you'll need all the help you can get right now to find this culprit anyway. Otherwise, you'll be the bozo who gets fired!"

Max simply sighed in frustration. "Whatever the case, just find this unicorn, and we can have this conversation later. And remember, whoever catches her first will get a bonus. The first thing we'll do when we catch her is throw her into the Canterlot dungeon, just to ensure she can't get anywhere near the coronation! We clear? Then get going, search every inch of this castle!" Max ordered, as he and guards began to split up to do a thorough search.

Based on what she just heard, Sunset knew she was really between a rock and a hard place now. If any of the guards did end up catching her, it sounded like she'd miss the coronation for sure, and be spending some hard time in a dungeon, which would even make her end up missing her graduation too. And hiding in this closet wasn't going be in Sunset's favor for much longer, since the guards were really searching for her. She had to do her best to sneak around the castle now, which almost reminded her of the time she snuck into Crystal Castle to steal Princess Twilight's crown. Sunset began to have the suspicion fate was beginning to make her relive some of her worst memories, but if it went to prove how much she had changed since those days, it didn't matter anymore. Sure, she did act rather hostile back at the entrance, but in all fairness, the guard really didn't give her any other choices.

Sunset had to think fast, before any of the guards opened this closet. Relying on her magic was already out of the question, due to being out of practice for so long. While looking around the room for any vents she could crawl through, or quick disguises she could come up with, Sunset unfortunately came up with nothing. It was a broom closet, after all. There wouldn't be much she could expect to work with, let alone a fully convincing disguise to completely fool the guards. Sunset had to pick her own poison, either attempting to slowly get past the guards in the hallways, or staying within this closet and risk getting cornered. The former seemed like the better option of the two choices, so Sunset prepared to make an escape, while listening closely for any nearby hoofsteps. With so much on her mind, she opened the door and left the closet, but forgot to take her saddlebag with her, which was left behind.

Now Sunset was practically living out the fantasy plan she jokingly came up with during the holidays, when she forgot to take her storage locker's key from her CHS locker to get the toy bags for the Toys for Kids festival. She almost felt like a spy infiltrating an enemy base, except that this wasn't a movie, and getting caught would give her one harsh punishment. Sure, Celestia would most likely sort things out at some point, but by then, Sunset would've already missed both the coronation and CHS graduation.

Sunset trotted quietly, hiding in various rooms and behind furniture, hoping to lessen the likelihood of alerting any of the guards to her presence. As she did, she could distinctly hear Princess Twilight's voice in the distance, which gave Sunset the impression that Twilight was okay, even after that fall from the balcony earlier. Thankful at this fact, Sunset continued sneaking around before she finally noticed a door that led outside. Hoping that she had finally found the castle's exit to the coronation, she opened the door, and saw it was nothing more than a dead-end balcony. By now, Sunset had become completely exhausted from everything she went through today, and instinctively growled in frustration before quickly covering her mouth, realizing how loud she suddenly became.

It wasn't even 10 seconds later, that one of the female pegasai guards heard the noise and ran into the hallway Sunset was in. Before Sunset could even react, the guard had quickly flew over to grab her hoof. Sunset didn't recognize this mare at first, but eventually realized who it really was after noticing the familiar colors of her coat and mane, along with her distinct mood swings. In fact, she was the same guard Sunset had overheard talking to Max while she was stuck in the closet earlier.

"Aww, are you lost, ma'am?" Sour Sweet asked with a sarcastic sweet tone, before changing it to a more forceful demeanor. "Because you're going to help me get that bonus for my job! You fit the exact description of the intruder hiding around this castle, so now I'm taking you in!"

Sunset began to panic internally. Her fear of getting caught and taken into custody was already happening, but before trying to do anything desperate, she then remembered a key detail. Twilight had informed most of the guards about who she was, making Sunset began to wonder if coming clean to the guard about her identity would be enough to set her free.

"Wait, before you take me in... could I at least tell you who I am?" Sunset insisted.

"Well, this is a surprise, but a welcome one." Sour Sweet replied. "Go on ahead, I could use a good laugh."

"I'm Sunset Shimmer." Sunset revealed her name to the guard. "Please, if you can trust me and take me over to Princess Twilight, I can assure you. She can clear up this whole misunderstanding."

"Wait a minute, Sunset Shimmer?" Sour Sweet began to brainstorm, realizing that Princess Twilight did mention that name to her and her colleagues earlier that day. Without seemingly any hesitation, Sour Sweet changed her attitude completely and began speaking in a more helpful voice. "Okay, in that case, I can take you to Princess Twilight. But, you'll have to come with me, so that if any other guards see us, they'll see I've at least found you." She finished, still holding a strong grip on Sunset's hoof.

"All right, that's no problem." Sunset said with relief, thinking that if Sour Sweet was going to bring her to Twilight, she wouldn't need to worry about being trapped into the dungeon.

Sunset trotted down the halls with Sour Sweet, thinking she could trust her. After all, this Sour Sweet was a Canterlot Royal Guard, and seemed more trustworthy than the human version whom Sunset remembered took part in stealing Rarity's dance choreography. All of a sudden, Max Steele noticed both Sunset and Sour Sweet from the corner of an intersection, and quickly trotted over to the two mares.

"Well, Ms. Sweet!" Max addressed the royal guard. "I see you've caught the intruder!"

"That's right, chief!" Sour Sweet replied back. "Now quickly, give me some hoof-cuffs so we can restrain her and take her down to the Canterlot Dungeon!"

"Wait, what do you mean-!" Sunset exclaimed out of reaction, but quickly got cuffed before she could even finish her sentence. She then turned to Sour Sweet and gave her a dirty look, realizing exactly what she was doing. "Grrrrr! You tricked me! You said you'd take me to Twilight!"

"Please." Sour Sweet scoffed at Sunset's scolding. "You really expect me to take the word of an intruder? And whether you are or aren't this 'Sunset Shimmer' you claim to be, it doesn't matter. All that matters to me is that I get my bonus for catching you first!"

"Alright, we can discuss this later." Max addressed Sour Sweet. "Right now though, help me escort her to the Canterlot dungeon."

By this point, Sunset didn't really have many options, but she'd be a fool to simply surrender and let them take her to the dungeon. She pleaded with the two guards in a final attempt to save herself.

"Listen, you two." Sunset said sternly. "I'm Sunset Shimmer, a good friend of Princess Twilight. I was most definitely invited to her coronation, but you wouldn't let me in. If you're going to throw me into the dungeon, fine. But I at least insist you bring Princess Twilight here, and let her decide on the matter. I do have a right to that, at least? It'll take just a few minutes. If even Twilight allows you to take me down to the dungeon, then I will go with you without any hesitation."

"She cannot be trusted, she's just wasting our time!" Sour Sweet blurted out in frustration. "And most importantly, she's robbing me of my bonus!"

"You won't have a bonus or a job for that matter, if Princess Twilight finds out you imprisoned a good friend of hers!" Sunset said with a serious look in Sour Sweet's eyes. "Please, you both already have me in custody, what have you got to lose at this point?"

"Well, since Princess Twilight is indeed ruling Equestria now that Celestia has stepped down, I suppose we can let her have a say in it." Max said, meeting Sunset halfway. "But if this is just a fib, I'll make certain your punishment is even more harsh than it will be now! Lying to the authorities is a serious offense, after all."

"Alright, deal." Sunset said firmly, as Max picked up an intercom to call Princess Twilight over to the castle, much to Sour Sweet's shock and disapproval.

Chapter 28: Royal Pain

The intercom message Max made, calling for Princess Twilight was unfortunately not received, as the speakers were still undergoing repairs. Unaware of this fact, Sunset waited patiently for Princess Twilight to arrive at the castle, although both Max and Sour Sweet were growing rather annoyed at waiting around for so long. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle had just finished reconciling with the rest of her friends even after the entire disaster her coronation was. Falling off the balcony, ponies drinking mushy applesauce, and everything seemingly made to look like a huge mess. Despite this, Twilight and her friends laughed things off and were still mostly just happy they were able to share this entire experience together, even more so after Starlight finally revealed the surprise present she had secretly been working on. A book containing all sorts of memories from the past Twilight could now always look back on, no matter how much things would change from this point forward.

Starlight's present gave Twilight the inspiration to maintain her relationship with her friends despite now living in different places. She had just given out her first royal decree to establish the council of friendship, where everyone would be expected to meet with each other once a moon. Both Celestia and Luna commended Twilight and her friends for figuring out how to maintain their friendships on their own, before Celestia gave Twilight her final words of wisdom and a goodbye, as she and Luna were ready to depart for their retirement.

"You're leaving?" Twilight said, still sad to see that her mentors were finally leaving after ruling Equestria for so long.

"We hope you'll come and visit us in Silver Shoals." Luna replied, letting Twilight know where to find them during their retirement.

"But now it's time for you to rule on your own." Celestia said to Twilight, as all her friends teared up in joy. "You're all more than capable."

"Thank you for everything." Twilight said, happy and grateful for everything she's learned ever since she became Celestia's pupil. She ran up to hug Celestia before everyone else joined in.

As they had all finished hugging, Celestia and Luna went off to pick up their luggage before heading off to Silver Shoals. Twilight looked back at her friends for a moment, seeing the first 5 friends she made ever since she was sent to Ponyville, as well as Spike and Starlight. Although she had a blast sharing the same memories with them all a few minutes earlier, she couldn't help but think something was amiss.

"It's good to see you were all able to share this memory with me..." Twilight began, trying to shake this strange feeling. "...But why do I somehow get the feeling somepony's missing?"

Everypony and Spike initially looked at each other in confusion, before Starlight suddenly remembered a crucial detail from earlier today.

"Wait a minute, Twilight." Starlight began. "You might be onto something. Even though we saw most of our friends and family here at the coronation, this whole time, I also couldn't help but feel like somepony in particular was noticeably absent. Where's Sunset?"

Twilight gasped upon being reminded of her human friend. "Sunset! I got a message from her earlier today that confirmed she was going to come! Where could she possibly be!?"

"Sunset?" Applejack asked curiously. "As in, Sunset Shimmer? That unicorn who stole your crown and forced ya' to go into that other strange lil' world?"

"That's her." Spike validated. "Twilight actually wrote to her earlier today regarding when the coronation was going to take place. She wrote back saying she'd come."

"Did she actually ditch you by refusing to show up!?" Rainbow Dash said with annoyance. "I thought you told us she's changed since then!"

"Now now, Rainbow." Twilight said, trying to calm her pegasus friend down. "Let's not jump to any conclusions. I did give Sunset a personal invitation a little late, and she's not really as familiar with Equestria compared to the other world. She also mentioned she was curious at exploring more of Equestria if there was enough time. Maybe something came up, or she got lost somewhere along the way?"

"I have a feeling that could be a possibility." Starlight confirmed. "Earlier while you all were coming out of Twilight's castle to catch the train, it seems you barely missed Sunset, who just arrived through the mirror. I didn't talk much with her, but she did clarify that she was adamant on coming to the coronation, and that she'd enjoy taking the long way, to perhaps explore Equestria for a bit."

"You don't think... something bad happened to Sunset along the way, right?" Fluttershy asked with concern.

As Twilight and her friends were coming up with ideas or theories as to where Sunset had been, Pinkie's tail suddenly twitched a bit, before she got a sudden feeling to answer this mystery.

"That's funny." Pinkie said ironically. "According to my Pinkie Sense, Sunset Shimmer is actually pretty close by. Right around... in there!" Pinkie pointed at the castle where Sour Sweet and Max Steele had just apprehended the aforementioned unicorn.

"In the Main Castle?" Rarity inquired. "But darling, what would she be doing in there when the coronation's out here?"

"Only one way to find out." Twilight said, knowing not to question Pinkie Sense after her past experiences with doubting it. "Please stay behind a bit longer, everyone. Since we're all here at the moment, it would mean a lot to me for you all to meet Sunset more properly. I have a feeling I'm going to have to sort something out." All of Twilight's friends nodded in agreement, before Twilight quickly flew over to the castle.

In the castle, Sour Sweet had finally ran out of patience, and spoke up. "All right, we've waited for about 15 minutes now, Princess Twilight's clearly not coming! So why don't you just go ahead and throw her in the dungeon, Pops?"

Max was leaning more toward doing just that, but still didn't feel right at breaking his promise in giving Sunset a fair chance. As Max was about to give in and escort Sunset down the halls, the doors burst open, as Twilight rushed in to see the two castle guards with a cuffed Sunset.

"Hey! What's going on in here!?" Twilight demanded an explanation.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it, Princess Twilight." Sour Sweet began in a saddened voice, before beginning to fabricate a story. "We just apprehended this slimy unicorn who tried to rob the castle of its valuable gems!"

"Slimy unicorn, what are you talking about, Sour Sweet!?" Twilight huffed, not even buying her story for a second. "Do you have any idea who this is? This is Sunset Shimmer! A really good friend of mine who agreed to take a temporary vacation from her hometown just for me! I personally invited her to this coronation, and you two have her in hoofcuffs!?"

Both Max and Sour Sweet looked at each other in shock for a moment, before Sunset spoke up. "Twilight, I know you wrote to me in the journal earlier about how you notified all the guards about me showing up, but it didn't sound like to me that you let... him know." She turned her head toward Max, as she was unable to point with her hooves due to the cuffs. "He was guarding this castle's main entrance and refused to let me in, or thought my name sounded familiar."

Twilight looked at the stallion, and realized her own mistake. "...Oh. You're right, Sunset. I must've been so focused on my dilemma with my friends about moving away, that I forgot to inform Mr. Steele about it."

Max Steele placed his hoof on his face, rather surprised at this whole thing being a huge misunderstanding. "I'm so sorry, Princess. I really had no idea I was supposed to let this Sunset mare in." He apologized, as he quickly removed the cuffs from Sunset.

"No worries, Mr. Steele, we all make mistakes." Twilight said to the stallion before turning back to Sunset. "I only told the palace guards about you, and to let you in whenever you showed up. Speaking of..." Twilight then turned to Sour Sweet and gave her an angry look. "Why couldn't you clear things up with Mr. Steele? I know for a fact I definitely told you about Sunset, Sour Sweet!"

Sour Sweet looked nervous at first, unable to answer, until she noticed another one of the palace guards coming around the corner, holding what looked like a saddlebag.

"Oh, hey there, Princess!" The guard addressed Twilight. "While looking around for the intruder, I found this saddlebag in a broom closet. Should this be collected as evidence?"

"Cadet, call the search off!"Max ordered the guard. "Not only have we found the intruder in question, but it turns out this was a whole misunderstanding!"

"That's right." Sunset said in approval, before just then realizing she didn't have her saddlebag strapped onto her anymore, and was thankful that one of the guards found it through the search. "Also, that's my saddlebag. Could you please give it to me?"

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, and with both Max and Twilight allowing this action to be taken, the guard went on to put the saddlebag next to Sunset on the floor, before going off to inform the other guards about the search being over. As Sunset reached for her saddlebag, Sour Sweet snatched it. She wanted to play off her fabricated story in one last final attempt.

"Wait, look in her saddlebag!" Sour Sweet interjected. "Why do you think she hid this in the closet!? I bet it's full of valuable stuff, like..." She went through the saddlebag, much to Sunset's disapproval, before finding the tansies Sunset had brought for Twilight. "Aha! Why do you have a bouquet of tansies in here!?"

"TANSIES!? THOSE ATTRACT LADYBUGS!!!" Twilight exclaimed out of pure reaction, before noticing a few crawling around the bouquet itself. "GAH!!!! GIMME THOSE!!!!!" Twilight grabbed the bouquet from Sour Sweet and teleported the flowers away to a place far from Canterlot. Without even thinking, the flowers got sent to Fluttershy's animal sanctuary.

Upon seeing this, Sour Sweet did a subtle smirk, before thinking she could use this as dirt against Sunset. "I guess that confirms this so-called-friend of yours was trying to intentionally poison your coronation by spreading ladybugs everywhere."

Although traumatized at the mere sight of ladybugs a moment ago, Twilight continued to stand her ground on defending her friend whom she knew was better than that. "Well, Sour Sweet. With how dishonest you've been, especially since you still haven't given me an explanation on why you didn't let Mr. Steele know about Sunset, I'm inclined to believe you put those tansies in Sunset's saddlebag to set her up!"

Despite feeling like Sour Sweet deserved all this karma that just came around, Sunset still felt the need to come clean and admit to her own mistake. "Actually, Twilight? She didn't, I was the one who bought those myself. From what I just saw there, I had no idea you disliked tansies, and more specifically, ladybugs. I got the idea from when you wrote to me about how you generally like yellow flowers, and I was just trying to find you a present on such short notice as a coronation gift." As Sunset now realized how much of a disaster bringing the tansies to the coronation would've truly been, she lowered her head and started tearing up. "I'm really sorry things didn't work out, and that I would've ruined your coronation by getting those flowers."

Twilight only put her hoof on Sunset's chin and continued the conversation in a proud tone, happy about Sunset's honesty and willingness to not let her own mistakes come at the expense of others. "Don't be, Sunset. In fact, you're right, now that I recall, I really never told you about my hatred for ladybugs. And I think it's really sweet of you that you tried to get me a present, despite the fact I invited you to my coronation on such short notice. Plus, let's just say, the coronation didn't exactly go according to plan. If anything, it was a total disaster, but the hiccups certainly made the event a whole lot more memorable for everyone."

"Thanks, Twilight." Sunset smiled at the princess, happy she was able to see the good in her, despite making a huge mistake herself.

"Speaking of mistakes..." Twilight turned her head toward Sour Sweet and began speaking in a more unfriendly tone. "You've got some serious explaining to do now, Sour Sweet. Why did you make all these accusations toward Sunset and not let Mr. Steele know about her, despite the fact I specifically told all you palace guards? What did you have to gain from doing all this?"

Sour Sweet simply kept quiet along with an anxious expression, before Sunset spoke up for her. "I think I know, Twilight. Mr. Steele here promised a bonus for the guard who would catch me first, so she made that a priority by also tricking me into getting cuffed."

Both Twilight and Sunset looked at Sour Sweet in disgust, before the guard finally spoke up for herself. "Errr, hey. Everypony makes mistakes, right?" She reiterated in a sweet tone.

"Yeah, that's right." Twilight said, before becoming more blunt. "But the difference here is, unlike Max and Sunset who owned up to their mistakes, you tried to lie about it and cheat at the expense of others. You know what, I've heard enough at this point. I've been hearing reports about a certain palace guard who likes to abuse their authority, and I'm glad this whole situation finally let me see who it was for myself. Sour Sweet, you are handing in your badge and armor, and for lying to a princess, you are also going to be the pony spending time in the dungeon!"

Sour Sweet only made a face of annoyance, and showed no signs of remorse for her little scheme. Max Steele then spoke up. "What about me, Princess? I also contributed in making Sunset miss your coronation, I'm ready to face the music myself."

"Well, it was actually my fault for not letting you know about Sunset coming over, but as for the decision to let you go or not, I'll leave that choice up to Sunset." Twilight said firmly. "I know her well enough to trust her opinion on matters like this."

Although Sunset herself wasn't happy with what happened back at the castle entrance, she still kept in mind he wasn't aware of her being expected, and was simply doing his job as a security guard. Plus, unlike Sour Sweet, he let her go from her cuffs as soon as he realized his mistake.

"I'll forgive him this time, since I know he was being honest about everything." Sunset said empathetically. "But for the record, sir? Maybe in the future, you could not just jump to conclusions about ponies you've never met as intruders, or better yet, clingy fans of Princess Twilight? Back in my hometown, a good friend taught me one valuable lesson. Security is an art, it cannot be rushed." Sunset reiterated the same words said by the Human Max, which she was forced to hear for three weeks during that time loop.

"Huh. I really like that, I'm gonna start saying that more often." Max said. "And thank you for also being so understanding about this whole mess, and I promise to be more careful from this point forward. Now I can definitely understand why you and Princess Twilight are friends."

"Well, she did learn her friendship skills from somewhere, after all." Twilight said jokingly as Sunset chuckled with her. "Now please, Mr. Steele. Take Sour Sweet to the Canterlot Dungeon."

"Affirmative, Princess." Max agreed, as he finally put the hoofcuffs on Sour Sweet and started walking her over to the dungeon.

As Max and Sour Sweet left the room, Twilight turned back to Sunset, now feeling sympathy for everything Sunset seemingly just went through. "I'm really sorry again, Sunset. This was all my fault, I should've double checked in making sure all the guards knew you were coming, and sent you an invitation sooner."

"Don't worry at all, Twilight. As long as I'm here now, it's the perfect opportunity to see you rule like an actual princess, and maybe meet some of your friends." Sunset said with initial hope. "Well, assuming they're still here, that is."

"Most of the coronation guests had already gone home, but my closest friends are still here. Come on, I can introduce you to them." Twilight said happily. Sunset nodded her head and picked up her saddlebag before trotting out together to the main square where Twilight's friends were still waiting.

Chapter 29: Familiar Family

As Twilight and Sunset were trotting over to the main square, Sunset began to have the initial thought of what the pony versions of her human friends were like. She remembered the time she returned to Equestria during the Spring Break cruise, and briefly interacted with the pony Pinkie, who honestly felt no different from the human version. Plus, with the idea that both Twilights she knew were about the same as far as personality and geekiness, it was likely a safe bet that most, if not all of them would remain pretty close to the friends she was already familiar with.

In some ways, Sunset felt that this could be a potential substitute for her original plans in spending time with her human friends before graduation. She wondered at first if she'd get along with these ponies as much as the versions she knew, which begged the question if they all took Twilight's word about her being a changed pony. Starlight might've mentioned having her own troubled past, but did affirm to Sunset at one point that Twilight and her friends gave her another chance. However, this only seemed to be because they've known Starlight longer than her, and were more used to having her around in the same native world. Meanwhile, the last major memory most of them had of Sunset was the time she stole Twilight's crown and forced her to go into the human world to retrieve it back.

"Twilight?" Sunset addressed her princess friend. "This might sound like a dumb question, but do you think your friends will accept me? I just realized that... I haven't really met most of them ever since I stole your crown and went off to the other world. Do you think some of them would still have distrust in me based on my bad first impression?"

"Not at all, Sunset!" Twilight assured. "In fact, they were even concerned you might've gotten lost on your way over here to Canterlot. I can see those security guards were the reason you missed the coronation?"

"Not necessarily just them." Sunset replied. "It was actually my own fault for taking a wrong turn after falling asleep on the train, and waking up in Manehattan. But by the time I arrived to Canterlot, I did catch a brief glimpse of the coronation. I noticed that as soon as Celestia and Luna gave you your new crown, there was a mishap which caused you to slip off that balcony. That's why I decided to rush in, hoping you were okay."

"Oh, yeah." Twilight had a brief laugh at her slip-up during that moment. "It's a good thing I remembered I have wings before it was too late, huh? The coronation might've ended in a number of disasters, but it definitely would've been worthwhile to have you there to share those memories with me. Well, I mean since you did see my balcony slip, I guess that wish was partially fulfilled."

"I guess so." Sunset agreed. "I'm just hoping now that once I meet your friends, I have more time to explore Equestria a bit further. While I might've gotten lost along the way, it was definitely a fulfilling experience to revisit my old home. In fact, just trotting past the School for Gifted Unicorns was enough to really remind me of most of my days as a filly, and Celestia's pupil."

"That's nice to hear." Twilight said with enthusiasm. "Speaking of Celestia, she and Luna were just here a while ago, but I'm pretty sure by now, they've already left for their new retirement home. They're headed toward Silver Shoals, so if you do plan on exploring more of Equestria, there's a possible stop for you. I'd imagine since you've finally made amends with her a while ago, you'd be less nervous to see her again?"

"Heh, yeah." Sunset agreed, remembering how she went into the throne room and was already prepared for the possibility of Celestia never wanting to see her again. "Actually, Twilight? It's not really something I'm focusing on right now, but at some point, I do plan on heading back to to my old school here in Canterlot, and visiting Celestia again. Let's just say it's for a more... personal reason."

"Oh?" Twilight asked with curiosity. "Well, since everything in Canterlot technically now belongs to me, I'm going to be in charge of the School for Gifted Unicorns from now on. Is there anything I can do to help you with this personal motive?"

"Maybe, but I think I'll focus on that later." Sunset said, feeling the need to make up for her overall absence from the coronation. "Right now, I just want to get familiar with your friends. I'm already well acquainted with Starlight, Spike, and maybe Pinkie from that one time I came back with the other you, and I kinda already have an idea on what your other friends are like, based on my experience with their human versions. But yeah, it's crazy to imagine that in all the time we've known each other, I've never properly met your friends.

"It's fine." Twilight assured. "It'd be too much to ask of you, considering you already have a separate life in the other realm. Anyways, we're just about to enter the courtyard. Trust me, there's no need to hesitate on meeting them, I just know they'll be happy to finally meet you."

The two ponies had finally opened the gates to the courtyard, where all of Twilight's friends were still waiting. They were all patiently sitting together at one of the tables, before hearing the gate open. Looking over, they gave friendly faces and waved to Twilight and Sunset, who had finally arrived and approached to take a seat together.

"Hey, everypony, and Spike." Sunset said to the six other ponies and dragon. "I know you all in some way have already met me, but to those of you who only remembered me back when I stole Twilight's crown, I can assure you, those days are definitely over. Name's Sunset Shimmer, nice to officially meet you all.

"Ohhhhh, so you're Sunset Shimmer!" Pinkie exclaimed with surprise. "I thought you looked familiar that one time I was delivering fresh fondue to Twilight! Didn't actually recognize you along with that pony with glasses, but it's a pleasure to meet a new friend!"

"Same here." Applejack agreed. "We haven't really seen you since the crown incident, but from what Twilight's been tellin' us all since then, you've been doin' a lot better in life?"

"She's told us all about how much happier you've been, making friends rather than manipulating them." Rarity added. "Certainly sounds like a huge step from what we first saw of you."

"Absolutely." Fluttershy chimed in. "It's pretty amazing how much we've all really changed over time. Most ponies even acknowledge how I'm no longer as shy as I used to be."

"And even though she's nicer now than before, Twilight tells me Sunset's still got that spunk and attitude, which is pretty impressive." Rainbow Dash complimented. "She even knows how to play a guitar and rock leather outfits? Now that is playing it 20% cooler."

"I admittedly haven't really interacted too much with Sunset." Spike began. "But I was definitely astonished at how much she kinder she was when me and Twilight went back to help her deal with the sirens. It's pretty impressive just how much a pony can change over time."

"Sunset's also kinda been in the same boat as me, so I was able to connect with her quite well." Starlight acknowledged. "From what little I've known about her ever since we met, neither of us really look too fondly back at our pasts, but thanks to Twilight, we've seen things in a more positive light, and even improved our own lives thanks to her teachings. Why, if it wasn't for her, I might've never even reunited with Sunburst, or met Trixie. But yeah, Sunset's a pretty chill gal, and really knows how to have an adventure."

"This has been wonderful to hear." Sunset said, proud to hear that despite her long absence in Equestria, these ponies were still welcoming and willing to start over. "Thank you for your kind words, everyone. I certainly feel welcome around here, and wouldn't mind taking an extended stay here in Equestria. Well, at least until the time's ready. See, back in the other world, graduation at Canterlot High is expected to start in less than a week. So until then, I do have some extra time to explore more of Equestria, something I haven't done in ages. I just wouldn't know where to start, and I'd have to be cautious about when to go back."

Upon hearing this, Twilight thought of an idea that could not only solve Sunset's dilemma, but also help her get more acquainted with her friends here. "Sunset? Do you by any chance still have your magical journal with you?"

"Yeah, right here." Sunset said, as she pulled the aforementioned item out of her saddlebag.

"I remembered a spell that can let me see the exact date and time of other worlds." Twilight said, before using her magic to zap the journal, transforming one of the empty pages into a manual clock for Sunset. Since the journal had magical connections to the human world, the spell was automatically able to display the date and time that Sunset would've expected. "Now you can check back on this journal to monitor the time so you don't miss your graduation. According to this, it's only a little past noon in your world."

"That sounds about right." Sunset confirmed, since she did get up early in the morning before going through the mirror. "So it looks like I still have at least five more days before graduation. Until then, I guess I have a lot of Equestria to explore to make the most out of my time here."

"And that's where we all come in!" Twilight said excitedly. "Earlier, while we were all talking here at the coronation, we discussed how we didn't really have any plans this upcoming week. Even with me, my royal duties aren't going to keep me occupied to the point where I can't make time for my friends. So I propose as my second royal decree, next week, we all chip in to show Sunset around Equestria, while getting to know her a bit better."

"Oh wow, really?" Sunset said with surprise. "I mean, if it's not too much trouble, of course?"

"Not at all, Sunset!" Applejack assured. "After that final confrontation with Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, we could all really use a lil' break and explore Equestria ourselves!"

"Not to mention, dear." Rarity began. "You're our friend now too, and as your new friends, we can certainly make it our welcoming present to ensure this vacation of yours is extra spectacular."

"Plus, I wouldn't mind hanging with a pony who's 20% cooler than even me." Rainbow added. "It'll let me fill my schedule for a bit, since I've already read every Daring Do book released this year."

"I'd certainly welcome a little extra company with my animal friends in the sanctuary." Fluttershy proposed. "The animals there are super friendly, and always open to meet new ponies."

"What can I say?" Pinkie inquired. "With a new pony in town, I should do my usual tradition in throwing a surprise party!" She quickly covered her mouth with her hooves. "Oops, I shouldn't have said that out loud. Now I ruined the surprise."

Sunset brushed it off in amusement. "It's fine, Pinkie. I'll still happily take whatever you have to offer. This all sounds like a wonderful way for us all to bond and see more of Equestria together. Thank you all. Even though I missed the coronation, I'm happy to see that this official meeting went smoothly, and we hit things off together pretty well. I'm just going to need to keep track of the time so I won't be late for graduation in the other world."

"Of course, Sunset." Twilight assured. "Feel free to go back anytime you need, none of us will hold you back if you believe time is tight. Plus, since you were already late to the coronation, we wouldn't want you having a repeat of that for your graduation too."

"Thanks, Twilight." Sunset said with gratitude, before focusing back on her original dilemma she needed guidance on. "Actually, speaking of which, do you all mind keeping a secret? This is something I'll have to worry about shortly after graduation."

"Anything, Sunset! We're all ears!" Pinkie exclaimed, ready to listen to her new friend.

"Well, how to put this?" Sunset began to elaborate. "Ever since the Friendship Games at CHS, I've always had this lingering feeling that there's more to do back here in Equestria. After all, I'm not supposed to naturally be a human who walks on two legs. I'm a unicorn who's now out of practice with her magic. Sure, there's been magic and magic related artifacts that somehow found their way into the other world, but it originated from here, in Equestria. In some ways, my decision to come back for a bit also included the plan of getting more familiar with Equestria, because I'm considering the possibility of coming back for good, once graduation is over."

"You are?" Spike inquired. "But... what about the friends you've already made in the other... oh." He realized Sunset's problem practically spelled itself out.

"Yeah, exactly." Sunset affirmed. "Once graduation's done, I'll be living out the same old life without magic, not something I always wanted. I only went through that mirror all those years ago because my curiosity got the better of me. I was basically forced to stay there for a while due to the previous issue of the portal locking every 30 moons. And while there, I've made the most wonderful friends, basically the human versions of all of you, minus Starlight. We've become so close over the years, that I practically consider them family. But because of my drive to come back to Equestria for good, I'd feel awful for practically abandoning them. I haven't really told any of them about this possible decision of mine yet, out of fear that they'd take the news pretty harshly."

"It does sound like one of those matters where you can't keep this from your friends forever, Sunset." Fluttershy internalized the situation. "From my experience, friends who you consider family would always understand and respect your decisions, and be willing to make the sacrifices necessary."

"Why of course!" Rarity continued. "Even if they are saddened by this decision of yours, as your friends, they wouldn't give you ultimatums because of your own personal life decisions. My good friend, Miss Pommel lives in a completely separate town, but we always find ways to keep in touch, since we're both usually busy with our own businesses."

"I can say the same for the Apple family." Applejack chimed in. "We have family livin' all over Equestria, but being apart doesn't make us any less closer of a family. In some ways, our longer absences make us more thrilled to spend time with each other durin' our family reunions. I know for a fact Applebloom feels this way whenever seein' her cousin, Babs."

"And I learned my own mistake long ago about not keeping in touch." Starlight added. "I always thought I lost Sunburst forever when he moved away, and didn't really think to simply find a means of keeping contact. This started my own ambition in deciding true friendship only comes from being equal, when in reality, I was just making things harder on myself."

As Sunset listened on to all these different perspectives and outlooks, she began to realize everyone had pretty solid points. And if her human friends truly were family, they would ultimately respect her decision in the end, regardless of how sad they'd be about her metaphorically moving away.

"I've also had friends who were former Wonderbolts." Rainbow elaborated. "Some of them did have to move away from Cloudsdale, but they kept in touch by occasionally visiting back and forth."

"I did consider that, actually." Sunset explained. "It just seemed like living out life in two worlds simultaneously would be rather impractical."

"Not really." Pinkie replied. "Isn't that portal thing now open all the time since Twilight used that old journal to keep it unlocked without waiting every 30 moons? Since you always have access to it, you could stay behind in Equestria and occasionally visit your other friends. It doesn't sound much different from what Dashie's friends do to keep in touch."

"Plus, if your friends are finishing up with school, it's basically the same case with Sunburst." Starlight reminded. "They'll either go on to find jobs, move up to universities, but what matters is putting in the effort to always be with them in some way. We just can't always expect life to work in our favor, but we find ways to get around these obstacles to keep our friendships intact."

"And furthermore, just like with my fear earlier today about moving away from Ponyville, I decreed as the new princess of Equestria, that we all meet together once a moon as a council of friendship." Twilight related to Sunset's problem. "There's never the need to fear about being separated due to outside forces, if you show you care about keeping the friendship strong. Meeting together once every moon may not sound like much at first, but I know for certain that it makes all the difference in feeling like your friends and family will always be with you, no matter how busy life becomes."

"I suppose so." Sunset began formulating her own solution. "In that case, maybe I'll stay behind in Equestria after graduation, and occasionally check up with my other friends whenever I get the chance. After all, I do have the option for just that, and it works in both me and my friends' favors. I get to relive a better experience using magic as a unicorn, and my friends will still get to see me every so often. I guess another factor of concern in this decision was the possibility of the portal being shut down for good. If that did somehow happen, then I'd either be stuck in a world without magic, or be legitimately abandoning my friends. Bearing in mind, this magical journal runs on the portal's magic being active, so with the portal being gone forever, I couldn't even write to them anymore."

"Well, we don't really have a reason to shut down the portal, and it wouldn't just happen for no reason at all." Twilight assured. "Besides, since you've spent so much time in the other world and haven't experienced any negative effects, then I think it's a safe bet that you can always switch back and forth between worlds whenever you wish. We'll always welcome you here in open hooves whenever you do decide to come back."

Sunset looked around the table and saw all her new pony friends and Spike nodding in agreement to Twilight's words. Just as she had hoped, talking out the matter with Twilight and her friends gave her that motivation to not hesitate in telling her human friends about this decision in taking an extended stay in Equestria. Plus, both Twilight and Starlight have gone through the mirror with her, and were still able to live out their lives here as ponies just as normally as anypony else. This meant she didn't really have anything to lose by being here in Equestria and visiting back to the human world with a portal that was always open anyways.

"Thanks, everyone." Sunset said gratefully. "I know we've only properly just met, but I'm really happy for everything. Getting to meet you all, and the help in figuring out this tough situation with my other friends. It's nice to have friends who really care about you, and I'm certainly looking forward to getting to know you all more personally this coming week."

"Awww, come here, Sunset!" Twilight said, pulling her friend in for a hug, before everyone else joined in.

Chapter 30: Key to My Heart

With the coronation's reunion finished, and the sun finally lowering in the horizon, Sunset and the rest of her new friends were now surrounded by a beautiful and starry night. Some of them still hung around a bit longer, either for catching up more with Sunset, enjoying some of the leftover party food, or discussing ideas on where they could show her around in Equestria. However, since it was truly getting late, and they did have other responsibilities to take care of back at their own homes, Twilight's friends slowly left Canterlot one by one. Each of them said their goodbyes while wishing Twilight good luck with her new royal responsibilities. After a while, only Twilight, Spike, and Sunset remained behind.

As Twilight finally waved goodbye to the last friend leaving past the castle walls, she turned her focus back on Sunset, whom she had expected would stay behind. While everypony else already had their own places to sleep, Sunset wasn't so lucky, and desperately needed any help to avoid being homeless. Before Sunset could even acknowledge this issue, Twilight had already spoken up and offered a solution.

"Don't worry about not having a place to hit the hay tonight, Sunset." Twilight assured her. "I'm certainly willing to offer you a place in... well, technically now, my castle. You can take any one of the many rooms I have available. Honestly? This castle is huge, and if Spike and I are the only ones who will be living there, we'd feel bad about letting all this space go to waste."

"We'll have all the time in Equestria to figure out what we might end up doing with those rooms." Spike added. "Maybe I could also give you a suggestion here and there, now that you've officially said I will be your royal advisor? How about a room completely made of delicious gems?"

Twilight only rolled her eyes at this idea, but smiled. "We'll see, Spike. Right now though, we will reserve one of these rooms for Sunset. So, how about it, old friend, will you take my offer?"

Although Sunset really appreciated such a generous offer, she couldn't help but internally feel there would be a place in Canterlot she'd much rather stay. Not necessarily because it was more luxurious than Twilight's new castle, but due to sentimental reasons that really made her feel more at home. Sunset remembered what she had in mind earlier while arriving in Canterlot, approaching that familiar looking neighborhood. One of those houses definitely used to be her home shortly after she had moved out from her dad's place. In fact, it was the same house Princess Celestia had given to her after she decided to take Sunset under her wing.

"Twilight, I appreciate this offer, I really do..." Sunset began. "But if it's all right, if there is any vacancy within that small neighborhood here in Canterlot, I think I'd much rather take that instead. I used to live around that area back when I was Princess Celestia's pupil, so it always held a lot of meaning for me."

"Oh!" Twilight began to brainstorm what Sunset had described. "You mean the Canterlot rural area? That's where we usually let students attending the School for Gifted Unicorns crash at, similar to an institution's dormitories."

"Yeah, that's the place I was thinking of." Sunset affirmed. "Would I be able to stay in any of those houses, assuming they're not all occupied?"

"Earlier this week while I was filing the records of Canterlot to become familiar with everything, I noticed that all of the houses there already had tenants and leases." Twilight recalled. "All except for... one. In fact, this is where it gets strange. While looking up the records for the vacant house, it appears that it had been empty for quite some time. When I questioned Princess Celestia, she only mentioned that it was always purposefully left untouched for a more personal reason."

"Was it by any chance the house that's located closest to the school?" Sunset inquired, as it all started flooding back. Her house here in Canterlot was the one on the far end of the neighborhood, as she also vividly remembered Celestia mentioning she specifically sought out for a home right next to the School for Gifted Unicorns. The princess had seen so much potential in her former student, and decided to go all out in making certain she had everything she needed to succeed in her studies. It felt a little bittersweet for Sunset to remember this, keeping in mind that making the right decisions later on during that point in her life could've possibly had her end up where Twilight was today. As a princess and good friend. Even if she couldn't be a princess, Sunset was happy she would still always be the latter.

"Closest to the school..." Twilight tried her best to remember which house it was. "Wait a second, that WAS the house I was talking about! If what you're saying is true, then that means you used to live at Canterlot Drive 216?"

"216... that address sounds so familiar." Sunset insisted. "I'm almost positive that really is where I used to live. Do you think we might be able to go back there together, for a closer look at the place?"

"Okay, Sunset. But there might be a slight problem." Twilight began to explain. "Since that house was left alone for all this time, to my knowledge, they never bothered changing the locks on the door. Unless you somehow still have the key to this supposed home, there's no way for us to safely get in."

"A key that looks like this?" Sunset said, after digging through her saddlebag for a while. She held a small, rusty looking key that was left untouched for ages. "Even if I abandoned my studies back then, it sure was a good thing I always somehow still felt I was making a mistake, and instinctively hoarded everything."

"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed with surprise. "Well in that case, if that key unlocks it, then I can let you stay in that old home if you prefer. But you'll still be welcome to stay in my castle if this doesn't work out. I'll come along with you to help if needed." Before trotting away with Sunset, she turned to her dragon assistant. "Spike, think you could clear all the tables from the coronation?"

"I'm always honored to be a princess's assistant!" Spike said with enthusiasm in being useful. "On it!" He began picking up all the dirty dishes from the tables.

As Sunset and Twilight went back through the castle from earlier that led to the main square, Twilight began striking up a conversation regarding something mentioned when Sunset was getting familiar with her new friends.

"So, Sunset?" Twilight began. "Earlier while you were getting to know rest of my friends, I was confused about one thing. You had a fear that the portal to the human world could one day shut down for good?"

"Well, to be honest, magic in the other world has always been unpredictable." Sunset elaborated. She remembered that back when the human Twilight had a device that detects and absorbs magical energy, it rendered the portal at CHS inactive. "Let's just say had an experience once where there was a device which made the portal's magic disappear, and I was unable to go back to Equestria. I only found out what the cause of it was by luck though. And with how much of an effect magic can have on anyone or anything in the other world, it's only a matter of time before one day, any outside source could remove the portal for good, and I wouldn't have any clue what's causing it."

"I see..." Twilight began to internalize the situation. "I was thinking that this fear might come true if something happened to the old journal connected to yours. The one that I used to power the mirror in order to keep the portal open indefinitely. If someone stole, or better yet, destroyed that journal, then I'd definitely be worrying myself."

"Yeah, I guess that's true too." Sunset agreed. "But for the most part, magic can be a lot more out of my control in the human world. I just know from experience that whether it's a stone that erases memories, or a device that can make you relive the same day over and over, things always get weird when you feel like you've grown used to everything. That even goes for the portal itself. One of these days for whatever reason, I may want to go back to either one of these two worlds, and I won't have the option to."

"I can understand such a feeling." Twilight comforted Sunset. "For the most part, you wouldn't need to worry about something happening to the journal powering the portal here, since it's always within a secure place. But as for the other world, you may not always know the cause of something magic-related immediately, but I know from experience you've always had the determination to pull through. Whether it'd be coming to me or your other friends for help, based on your friendship reports you've written to me, I saw that you never gave up. Dealing with unexpected Equestrian magic in a world that wasn't meant to have it has never been easy, but you always have what's most important. Perseverance and leadership, two qualities that I've rarely seen together in anypony else, and hey, I even used to struggle with them myself. If you ever find yourself in any predicaments in the future, be sure to remember that you are a strong unicorn, and you can always do what you believe in."

"That's a really beautiful message." Sunset said softly. "Before I met up with you and your friends, I had little to no confidence in telling my human friends about my decision to stay for a longer period in Equestria. Now I feel like I have every bit of assurance on doing what must be done once I return for graduation. All I can say is, Princess Celestia certainly made an excellent choice for a new ruler. It's no wonder wonder you've had the title, 'Princess of Friendship' for quite some time."

"Thanks, Sunset." Twilight replied with glee in her voice. "I've always been happy to help, and now feel accomplished in knowing we've all given you the best advice possible once you go back. I have been meaning to ask, however. Often when we discuss magic leaking into the other world, I've noticed you looking down and somewhat guilty. Is something else troubling you?"

"It's just that..." Sunset began. "I always feel like it's been my fault that the other world has to deal with Equestrian magic at all. Because I entered the mirror, and being a source of natural magic myself, I might've attracted other bits of magic that got lost and now linger around there. I've definitely been in and out of there enough times to have had some effect regarding this. Heck, I was the one who brought your Element of Magic crown there and turned into a raging she-demon. Who knows how much magic traveled through the portal because of me?"

"Don't feel bad, Sunset." Twilight put a wing around Sunset as they trotted out the castle and into the rural area. "I may not be an expert at how magic can travel between different worlds, but I know for certain that any bit of magic in the other world wouldn't be your fault. Remember the time we researched the Memory Stone, and read that in ancient history, Clover the Clever chased the sorceress wielding it into the other world? Over thousands of moons ago, the portal was always open, and I'd imagine if Clover and a magical sorceress ended up there, then it's a safe bet that if anypony could've prevented magic from entering the other world, that ship definitely sailed long before you entered the portal yourself."

"I haven't really thought of it like that." Sunset said with a little relief. "I guess it was also partially my guilt from the past talking there. To this day, I've always felt bad for what I did to Princess Celestia, so I've always internally believed everything on my path up until I had accepted and embraced friendship was my fault. Thanks for always seeing the best in me, Twilight."

"Hey, what are friends for, after all?" Twilight replied jovially. "And hey, now we're in that neighborhood! 216 should be... just on the right."

Twilight and Sunset had finally arrived at the house they were both thinking of. It didn't look damaged or abandoned compared to the other homes, but they could both get the vibe that nopony had lived here for quite some time. With the moment of truth, Sunset took out her key and turned it on the door. By some miracle, the door had unlocked and opened, as the two ponies entered. Switching on the light revealed a normal looking household and a table with books and notes in the corner. Sunset had began to remember everything as she looked around.

Approaching the table, Sunset eventually recognized it was the same study space she spent countless hours at, reading up all kinds of spells and perfecting her magic. She found it amusingly ironic that for such a perfectionist back in the day, she would be the one who'd end up made a ton of huge mistakes later down their path. As Sunset looked through the papers, she mostly saw old notes from magic lessons with Celestia, giving her the idea that these could help her relearn the skills she had forgotten after so much time had passed. One of the papers stood out for looking different, and while picking it up, Sunset realized it was actually an envelope.

Sunset read the labels and saw it was from somepony named Moondancer. The name instantly sounded familiar, without counting the earlier mention from the human Sugarcoat. She began thinking back to her school days where she was around freshmares who had attended the same school, and were impressed with her magical skills. They had always complimented how exquisite she was in her spells, and were willing to have lunch with her, to where Sunset never cared much for. In fact, she had remembered only telling them she had better things than to do than socialize, and that being Celestia's pupil, hanging with unicorns of their level would be demeaning. With this memory in mind, Sunset didn't find it surprising at all that she had never even bothered opening this letter. She finally did so after all this time, just to see what Moondancer had to say back then. She read it aloud.

Hello, Sunset! Being a new freshmare here at the School for Gifted Unicorns, I wanted to say that I've been impressed with you and admired how much work you put into perfecting your magic. I'm looking forward to getting to know you a bit better if you ever have time to socialize, but I'll mostly be hanging in the school library. In the meantime, I wanted to invite you to my birthday party next week. I'm right down the road at Canterlot Drive 229. Hope to see you then, I'm really excited to have you there, and I hope you write back soon!

-Sincerely, Moondancer

Sunset simply sighed upon reaching the end of the letter. She had never realized the other students admired her this much and wanted to invite her to their birthday parties, only for her to just ignore them, let alone even open the letters they sent. It was no wonder why Celestia often talked with Sunset about the many reports of her not getting along with the other students, and gave many outside lectures about personal relationships. Just like Twilight, Celestia had always been pushing to see the best in Sunset, only for her to just shrug everything off and take it all for granted. Sunset lowered her head, just imagining how crushed Moondancer was when she never showed up at her birthday party, or even at the library.

"If it makes you feel any better, Sunset?" Twilight began as she put a hoof on Sunset's back. "I got off on the wrong hoof with Moondancer too. I saw my studies more important than coming to a little get-together party, which devastated her. Even a princess can make huge mistakes, and it certainly took a while before I was able to amend my friendship with her."

"It's not just Moondancer though..." Sunset said, as she looked back at the letter. "This made me remember how much of an arrogant upperclassmare I really was. To think, these ponies wanted to have lunch, or even share their birthday cake with me, and this is how I ended up treating them. I used to think Princess Celestia was too hard on me when she removed me as her pupil, but now I can see that she was always quite lenient with the mess I was. The fact that she didn't do so long before I had discovered the mirror, it really shows how much love, care, and patience she had truly put forward for me."

"We can't change the past anymore, but what's important is that you feel remorse for your mistakes and are willing to correct yourself." Twilight insisted. "And hey, Moondancer does still live in Canterlot, so if you're planning to stay longer in Equestria, there's always an opportunity to make amends. Better late than never, even from my experience."

As Sunset took Twilight's words to heart and began looking around her old home, something else out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. A picture of Princess Celestia along with Sunset in her filly days hung from the wall. Sunset approached it and held the frame, beginning to have an emotional moment recalling everything Celestia had done with and sacrificed for her.

"I understand now why Princess Celestia specifically wanted to keep this house untouched." Sunset said, beginning to tear up. "As much of a terrible pupil and friend I was to her, she wanted to keep everything from my home intact, for both sentimental reasons, and the possibility that I would someday return after going through the portal. That's how big her heart is. She could've very easily torn down this house or given it to somepony else, but she chose not to, just for me. Even after I screamed at her to make me a princess, and disobeyed her orders to keep away from the mirror."

"Princess Celestia always knew how to show care and affection to all her students." Twilight agreed. "It's also why she chose not to hide the mirror in a more prominent area, as she always wanted to remind herself of your existence, and be prepared to have you come back one day. I've even talked with her on the matter sometime after retrieving my Element from the other world. She mentioned that regardless of how far gone you've become, she would've still done anything just to see you again. Just like in her own words when you first reunited with her in Canterlot, she had always missed you, Sunset."

"I..." Sunset tried to find the right words while letting all her tears out. "I'm sorry, Twilight, I need a moment. I need some time alone to process and take all of this in. And yes, I've decided, this is where I'll be sleeping tonight."

Twilight was taken back at this, but realized that after how much Sunset had been through her whole life, and to now be reminded of so many unpleasant memories, Sunset needed some time to herself.

"Sure thing, Sunset." Twilight assured. "I know my friends and I agreed to take you out to explore Equestria together, but if you're not feeling up to it tomorrow, I completely understand. I'll go ahead and let my friends know we might have a slight change of plans. I really hope you feel better soon, it does also break my heart to see you in such an emotional state. Good night, old friend."

Twilight had slowly trotted out Sunset's house, still looking at her with worry. As she had exited, Sunset had still sat there on the floor, holding and looking that picture of herself and Celestia. She remained there on the floor for what felt like hours, still crying and feeling to need to atone for her past actions here in Canterlot.

Chapter 31: The Pupil Becomes The Student

After Sunset had enough time sitting alone to take everything in, she finally got up off the ground. She was surrounded by puddles of tears, but took no notice of it before thinking back to what Twilight had said earlier. Everything already done in the past will now forever be kept that way, but what really mattered was moving forward. She could only control her future from this point on, and with everything she's learned over the years, there was always the lingering hope that she'd make the right decisions. Looking toward the foreseen path ahead of her, Sunset still felt it was somewhat foggy, as she didn't have the clearest idea on any specific goal when staying here in Equestria.

Thinking more about it, Sunset already knew for sure that staying as a human wasn't really something she wanted, especially without any main sources of magic apart from her geode. It just seemed there was no benefit in her remaining there after graduation, outside of simply visiting her CHS friends. By that point, most if not all of them, would already be at places far away to continue their own adulthood lives. Again, what really mattered was being honest with them about this decision, and finding ways to keep in touch, even during their college years. The mere thought of university suddenly gave Sunset an idea she had even observed about herself when adapting to unicorn livelihood. Due to her faulty teleportation spell and urge to focus on relearning magic here in Equestria, Sunset began to imagine a possible career path in the field of studying magic.

Sunset already understood that no longer being a filly herself, it would be difficult, as she was already at the point in her life where her brain was nearly fully developed. However, the same could also be said for her accomplishments in learning to accept and maintain her personal relationships with everything Twilight had taught her over the years. By all means, it was not easy to pull off, and she had learned everything well after the point where she fully believed socializing was always a waste of time. Similar to what Adagio had told her earlier on, life would never be an easy, free ride, but being able to make do with practice and legitimate passions would eventually carry anyone on the road to success.

As Sunset thought more about it, it wasn't like she was completely out of practice. She was at least able to cast the spells she remembered best, but only lacked the proper execution for the intended effect. Plus, basic spells such as levitating objects were no issue, which wasn't surprising, given this was the most common skill of all unicorns. Sunset knew in the end that if she was good enough with magic to become Celestia's pupil, and had both the motivation and perseverance to succeed in any newer magic studies, she could genuinely pull this off. It was only a matter of whether or not the School for Gifted Unicorns had any available seats for her. Sunset remembered that getting in as a filly was no easy feat, but regardless, her teachings of friendship and determination had taught her to be patient and work hard to move her way up in life.

With all this in mind, Sunset finally headed off to her bedroom, ready to call it a night. She had an idea on how to spend her remaining time in Equestria before going back for graduation, but decided that first thing in the morning, she would stop by the unicorn school. Looking outside her window as she crawled into bed, she saw the moon illuminating the beautiful night. This began to make Sunset wonder just how busy Twilight would likely be, now that Celestia and Luna were retired. Would she now be the one responsible for moving the sun and moon, on top of balancing her own royal duties? Being the princess of all of Equestria sounded intensely stressful, so Sunset didn't want to trouble Twilight too much when discussing any availability in the school. She went to sleep just as she usually would, but it took some adjusting, as it truly had been ages since she had slept as a unicorn.

The morning Sun had risen, and by some instinct, Sunset had somehow gotten the urge to get up and ready for the day. It was rather surprising at first, but she chalked it up to her excitement in finally getting a legitimate chance in seeing more of Equestria without any concern of a coronation. Just as she had envisioned last night, her first step would be to head off to the School for Gifted Unicorns, but not before getting a little breakfast. Even with the nice feast with her new friends last night, Sunset still felt rather peckish, and went over to her refrigerator. However, she almost immediately lost her appetite after seeing the state of the fruits and vegetables being left in an untouched house for many years.

"Egh." Sunset exclaimed with disgust before closing the fridge door. "Well, I guess I'm both skipping breakfast and going grocery shopping later."

She went over to her saddlebag to check on the magical journal. Looking at the time in the human world, Sunset still had well over four days before she needed to head back, so she went ahead without any rush. Exiting her home and out of the rural neighborhood, she could already see the School for Gifted Unicorns in the distance. Trotting toward the building truly gave Sunset the sense that she was a student again, as it reminded her of how enthusiastic she always was to pursue her studies. Hopefully this time around, she would be able to make more pleasant memories with the other students.

Approaching the school, Sunset saw it was already unlocked. Although it had been a while, she definitely remembered having to get up early for her classes here, much like CHS. As she trotted down the halls, she noticed most of the classrooms were empty. This was when Sunset realized that the school must be open for honor classes, which start a lot earlier in the morning than usual. Just as she had predicted, Sunset eventually heard Twilight in one of the lecture halls, and went around to see a class going on in room 3-9. By some coincidence, this was the homeroom she used to be in, where she managed to not only pass her final exam in the last year of her studies, but also astonish the instructors evaluating her performance. She remembered it vividly, what seemingly started out as a simple growth spell with some beans, turned into a huge sprout of massive beanstalks that wrapped around the entire building.

Sunset slowly opened the door to see Twilight at the podium, giving a lecture to a large group of unicorn foals. Some of them were listening attentively like good students, while others were a little starstruck at the fact they were learning from the Princess Twilight. As she finished up the last sentence in her lecture, Twilight took notice of Sunset peering in, before dismissing class a few minutes before the expected time.

"Alright, class." Twilight acknowledged her unicorn students. "That's everything for today's lesson, so I'll be letting you all go a little earlier than usual. Have a good rest of your morning!"

Most of the unicorns cheered at the earlier dismissal before storming out the doors, but a few who were taking their education much more seriously were still jotting down notes from the board. Twilight trotted away from the podium to see Sunset waiting around in the halls, and took notice of her more cheery mood in contrast to what happened last night at home.

"Sunset!" Twilight greeted. "It's nice to see you more positive now after a good night's sleep. I wasn't expecting to see you here though. I'm mostly here to fill in as a teacher for honors classes since we are a little short-staffed. Did you need to see me for something?"

"Yeah, come to think of it?" Sunset began. "I might be doing better now that I have a more clear aspirational career path here in Equestria. I know you're mostly teaching younger unicorns about magic and all, but I was wondering. Would it be possible at all to re-enroll myself in this school? I may not be able to become a princess anymore, but I'd still rather master my merits in magic, since it's something I've genuinely had passion for my whole life, especially when I was growing up.

"Re-enrollment?" Twilight was trying to understand what exactly Sunset was implying, before she got it. "Ohhhh, because you used to go here, and think you might need to enroll again to take classes ever since Princess Celestia removed you as her pupil?"

"That's right." Sunset affirmed. "I'm willing to retake any classes necessary to earn my way up in the school. Plus, I might actually need some pointers in relearning how to do some of the most basic spells, since it's really been too long where I've gone without a horn."

"Well, that's actually something I was going to discuss with you when I had the chance." Twilight replied. "See, earlier while I was looking at the school records to see everypony currently enrolled, I noticed that your name was still listed on the roster. Not only that, but all the classes you've already taken and passed are still on record and accounted for. So it seems like to me, while Princess Celestia might've removed you from pupil status, she didn't expel you from the institution. You would've still been allowed to continue your education in magic, even after what happened. Normally, the school's policy states that inactive enrollments would be erased after a year, unless Princess Celestia makes an exception. And according to what I've read in the student files, you're still a student enrolled here, even if you haven't registered for any new classes for a while."

"Wow, I'm shocked..." Sunset said with genuine surprise. "Princess Celestia really was adamant about me someday returning, that she did all these little things for me I never even knew about. I definitely have to thank her whenever I plan on visiting Silver Shoals, she has no idea how much this truly means to me. I was fully ready and expecting to start my education all over, but now to hear I can continue exactly where I left off, I'm more than determined to do anything I need to progress."

"Well actually, here's some good news." Twilight began explaining. "According to your records, you've completed all the classes necessary to qualify for a master's degree. You just never got around to ordering and picking it up because... well, you know. And hey, the school policy doesn't state anything against picking it up late for any reason, so with your records still intact, I can get you your certificate without any issue. You've technically already earned it back then, and I would feel proud to give it to you now."

"Really? Wow, I can't believe it, I-" Sunset was happy to hear about this, but considering the long absence from Equestria had made her become out of practice with magic, combined with what her whole life experience taught her, she hesitated. "Actually, Twilight? I think I'd still rather take an extra year or two to get familiar with magic again after being gone from Equestria for ages. After all, I've already paid the price long ago for attempting to jump ahead in my studies, and now understand the importance of earning my place and taking baby steps. I understand I've technically already earned this degree, but I just can't accept it. Especially in my current state of barely being able to get a simple teleportation spell right, I'm just not ready yet. Plus, being here again would give me another opportunity to do something I never had the motivation for back then, socializing and making new friends."

Twilight smiled. "That's very noble of you. I'm so proud to hear how far you've come since those days. But I do insist, you genuinely earned this back then for your merits, so I would feel wrong for depriving you of it. If you do feel this way however, I can think of a compromise for you. I will still give you your degree for your outstanding performance back then, but as for practicing more magic, you are welcome to attend any of these classes to relearn any skills you might've forgotten. Free of charge, of course. And since you now understand the value of earning your place and working hard, I feel comfortable in letting you decide whenever you're ready to move up. I won't hold you back like Princess Celestia did."

"That's so nice of you, Twilight." Sunset said with immense gratitude. "Are you sure about this, though? I don't know if I deserve this. After all, I kept pushing for my own selfish ambitions and kept telling myself I was ready to move up in my studies back when I was Celestia's pupil, and look where I ended up."

"You are a changed pony now, Sunset." Twilight insisted, while putting a hoof on her. "I could not be more proud of the strong and wise mare you've become. I believe you'll do anything it takes to genuinely succeed in this field of study, while making all the right decisions along the way. This short talk we've had where you've shown great enthusiasm in making new friends and slowly earning your place, I can already see that in you for sure. I trust you and am willing to give you that freedom to choose when to level up in your studies, whenever you legitimately believe you're ready."

"I don't know what to say, I-" Sunset stuttered for a moment before coming out with the appropriate response. "Thank you, Twilight. I won't take this for granted or let you down."

"I know you won't, old friend." Twilight smiled back. Just then, the last unicorn filly who just finished taking notes had come out of the classroom and into the halls. She had a pink coat and orange mane with yellow highlights.

"I'm looking forward to our next magic lesson, Professor Twilight!" The filly said to her teacher.

"Luster!" Twilight addressed her student. "Before you go, this is a perfect opportunity to introduce you to an old friend of mine." Twilight turned back to Sunset. "This is my top student, whom I've been teaching for a while now here at the school. I've even decided to take her under my wing as a pupil." Twilight then looked back at Luster. "Luster Dawn, meet Sunset Shimmer."

Luster looked up at Sunset and smiled. "Hello, Sunset! Nice to meet you!"

Sunset smiled back at the filly. "Hello there, likewise! So you're Twilight's pupil now? Congratulations on such an honor! You must be a pretty gifted and talented unicorn. I'm sure your friends and family are proud of you."

"Maybe." Luster replied. "I don't really pay too much attention though, admittedly. I'm more focused on my studies to really make any time for my family. After all, my mom taught me that I have to work hard to succeed, so that's the direction I'm headed."

This scenario sounded way too familiar to Sunset. As a filly, she was basically just like Luster, and this mindset would later end up being the reason she would have no clue about her own parents' whereabouts. She felt the need to say something, even if it wasn't really her business.

"That's understandable, I can definitely relate to that myself." Sunset met Luster halfway. "I just know from experience that while education is important, it's just as valuable as your friends and family. Take it from me, I used to me a unicorn student who thought the same thing, and now I can't even find my own parents here in Equestria, as I never really kept in touch with them."

"Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt to spend a little more time with my parents." Luster said, thinking about Sunset's words. "I haven't really done so in quite a while, maybe you're right. Now that you've mentioned it, I have been growing a little distant from my parents, so I'll keep this in mind once I'm finished with the rest of today's classes. Thanks for the advice, and it was good meeting you, Sunset!"

As Luster trotted off to her next class, Twilight gave a look of approval before speaking up. "Very well spoken, Sunset. Although I chose Luster as my pupil, I couldn't help but notice she showed interest in purely her studies. Not even once has she alluded to the possibility of spending time with her friends or family, which does admittedly remind me of myself. I forget if I've already mentioned this to you, but that's really how I was long before Celestia sent me to Ponyville. But regardless, thanks for encouraging her to take that extra step, which is indeed as valuable as her education."

"It's the least I could do." Sunset replied. "She definitely took the same words right out of my own mouth as a filly, and thanks to that, I've completely lost touch with my parents. I'm just glad I was able to steer her in the right direction, so she wouldn't end up making the same mistakes I once did."

"Your... parents?" Twilight tried to understand the problem. "Wait a second, I remember you vaguely writing about this to me. You mentioned how back then, you weren't really ever close to your family?"

"That's right." Sunset affirmed. "In fact, this is actually what I was referring to yesterday when I said I also wanted to visit the school and Celestia for a more personal reason. I wanted to check and see if there were any traces of my parents, either to Celestia's knowledge, or in the school archives."

"I really wish I could help you with that..." Twilight said in a sympathetic tone. "Unfortunately, not only do I have no clue who your parents are, or even their names, but neither does the school. It's against school policy to ask for unneeded sensitive information from the students, meaning that on record, we only have your name, date of birth, student ID, and address at the time of attending the institution. I'm not sure if any of those would help you get a lead?"

"Not really, my address during that time was here Canterlot, while my dad stayed behind in Ponyville." Sunset brainstormed. "But it's okay, Twilight. I was ready for such a possibility, which is why I also considered visiting Celestia again. Not only to spend a little time with her after being gone for a while, but to also see if she knows anything about this. I feel like right now, the closest thing I have to a lead is this word that was engraved on the bottom of my saddlebag, 'Solstice'. If that is somepony's name, does it sound even a little familiar to you?"

"Solstice..." Twilight thought to herself, trying to think back on all the ponies she's met in Equestria. "Sorry, Sunset. I'm really coming up blank. I've met many ponies here in Equestria ever since I became a princess, and out of hundreds I'm familiar with, I don't have any recollection of anypony having that name. Unless I actually have met them without knowing it, my theory would be that 'Solstice' is just a nickname for them, or they're living somewhere outside of Equestria."

"Hm, I hadn't considered the possibility of it being a just a nickname." Sunset agreed with Twilight's reasoning. "Well, that certainly complicates things even further. Plus, I'm not familiar with any places outside of Equestria either, but hey. If I plan to stay a bit longer in Equestria, I'm sure I can figure it out."

"I'm glad to see that you're keeping a head held high, despite everything you've gone through last night." Twilight said. "If you are planning to explore more of Equestria, I suppose now would be a good opportunity for our friends here to give you a little tour? Rainbow Dash mentioned she wanted to show you around Cloudsdale and get you familiar with the Wonderbolts."

"Yeah, I'm more up to it, now that I'm in a better mood." Sunset replied. "But how would I be able to stand on clouds? I might've been gone for a while, but I'm pretty certain only pegasai can do so."

"Well, since you are willing to relearn magic, there are spells that can allow you to not only levitate yourself, but also obtain pegasai traits, including the ability to traverse clouds." Twilight reminded. "I would know from my experience with Starlight, let's just say. Even if you're out of practice with magic, the spell for pegasai traits is actually quite easy to pull off. Since I don't have any further classes to teach this morning, I can give you a quick lesson, if you'd like?"

"That sounds good, I wasn't aware there were actually any spells to do that." Sunset said with surprise. "I guess when I'm not too fixated on a magical mirror, there's a lot more to learn in this field of study. Anyways, I'll take this lesson with you, and once I feel comfortable enough to pull it off consistently, I'll go meet up with Rainbow Dash. Thanks again, Twilight."

Despite being out of practice, Twilight was not kidding when she said this was a rather easy spell to cast. Sunset had managed to correctly execute the spell after concentrating enough, and to test to see if it worked correctly, Twilight teleported some clouds in the hallway. Sunset hopped atop them and saw they were as solid as the ground. With this done, Sunset set off to find Rainbow Dash, whom was said to currently be at the Wonderbolts Academy.

Chapter 32: I See You... Zap

Although she was now able to trot on clouds, Sunset still wasn't confident about her teleportation magic. Being able to safely and reliably teleport to the ground seemed out of the question after her visit was complete. As such, Twilight had offered her a ride in her hot air balloon, which she hadn't really used since that trip to Hope Hollow. Twilight also remembered that her princess status allowed access to many forms of traveling, and thought it was a great way to genuinely compensate Sunset for all her troubles during this return.

"I suppose we can travel by balloon, if you prefer..." Twilight began. "But I do also have a royal chariot flown by my personal royal guards. If you'd like, Sunset? We can take that to go see Rainbow Dash. Anything to make this trip extra special for you, especially after what happened yesterday."

"I appreciate the offer, Twilight." Sunset said with gratitude. "But I think I'd rather just travel by balloon, to be able to appreciate Equestria's scenery more smoothly. Plus, as nice as it'd be to ride in a royal chariot, I somehow still feel the need to stay true to my modest ways. Back when I was Celestia's pupil, I actually remember taking the chariot everywhere and not really appreciating anything or anypony in my surroundings. So I'd figure this would be a good chance for once."

Twilight was impressed with just how much Sunset had changed compared to her days as Celestia's pupil. Every time she offered Sunset something she knew deep down her unicorn friend always wanted, Sunset would turn it down and show incredibly selfless motives surrounding all this hospitality. Twilight had mostly offered Sunset all these nice things, such as allowing her to stay in the royal castle, because she felt that Sunset at that point earned it all through her entire journey of accepting friendship. Although she had the most malicious intent in the beginning, Twilight began to understand psychologically where all this came from.

From what Twilight understood coming from both Celestia and Sunset herself, she realized that Sunset's past ambition wasn't necessarily bad, as much as it was her taking it to extreme levels. Twilight herself was just like her, in the sense that she had strictly prioritized her studies in magic, rather than having any care to make and accept friends. Despite this, she always had loving parents by her side, who always gave her exceptional support and motivation to succeed in her studies. If it hadn't been for them, Twilight might've never ended up where she was now, let alone the thought of becoming the ruler of Equestria. But after learning before about how Sunset never seemed close with her family, Twilight began to understand why Sunset went down the path she did.

With seemingly no parents by her side as she grew older in Canterlot, Sunset didn't have much experience or motivation to believe making friends was important, nor really taking anything Celestia said to heart. Even earlier when Sunset alluded to possibly looking for her parents somewhere in Equestria, Twilight understood Sunset feeling remorse for taking her family and Celestia for granted. But this aspect of her life lined up with her motives later down the line. It began to make sense why Sunset's curiosity for the mirror stayed persistent, despite Celestia discouraging her. With seemingly no family growing up aside from Celestia, whom Sunset at that point saw only as a teacher than a mother, Sunset felt that she never really had anypony who loved and supported her. And as she got further into her studies, the persistent focus toward schoolwork became more a force of habit, making it so she ignored all possibilities of making new friends and only worried about becoming an overachiever.

The day Celestia finally removed Sunset from pupil status must've also hit quite hard. It had to have been heartbreaking to unknowingly lose the one mother who always cared for her, and also be hit with the news that even after how hard she worked in perfecting her magic, she had still been seen as a failure in her teacher's eyes. And when Sunset felt she had enough and went through the mirror, she only wanted to prove she was ready, and that labeling her as a failure of a pupil would be a big mistake. Twilight also understood from what Celestia's mentioned about Sunset, she had never taught her to truly embrace friendship earlier on, but only focused on helping her get better with spells, which added toward this growing ambition neither of them could see before it was too late.

Bearing all this in kind, Twilight had agreed to bring Sunset to see Rainbow Dash using the hot air balloon, just as she had requested. As the two ponies went into the basket and began their ride, Twilight felt the need to have a heart to heart conversation with Sunset. It seemed necessary to understand her past more clearly and figuring out if there were other ways she could help her, especially with finding her family.

"Sunset, do you mind if we talk about something a little more personal?" Twilight asked as the balloon slowly left Canterlot.

"Sure, Twilight." Sunset replied. "We've been friends for quite a while, and I do feel comfortable with discussing these topics, even if they do get me a bit emotional at times."

"I've been wondering, since you mentioned them earlier." Twilight began. "Do you have any recollection on your parents, and how involved they were in your life before you went off to become Celestia's pupil? Any clues you may recall, it might help me do a little research in my free time to possibly find them. If I'm able to do so, it would mean the world to me to see you happy and reunited with them once more."

"That would be amazing, Twilight, you really are a true friend." Sunset said, happy for Twilight's selfless motivation. "Well, I haven't really thought too deeply about it until I saw the engraved word on my saddlebag. All I really know is that most likely, this bag was given to me by my father, because I still remember living with him before I moved to Canterlot. At the time, I only remember calling him 'Dad', not a single hint of what his real name was. And I still have no idea whether 'Solstice' is truly his name or not."

"Hmm..." Twilight thought about it for a bit. "What about your mother, Sunset? Are you able to remember anything to do with her?"

"Unfortunately, knowing who my mother was seems to be the impossible task." Sunset said with disappointment. "I have legitimately no memory of her being in my life, not even when I was a filly. I was only living in a small house in Ponyville with my dad, and nopony else was around at all. I never really seemed to question why, even when I saw other unicorns at the school being picked up by their own mothers."

"I see." Twilight continued to analyze things. "Well, since you remember your dad and still have a possible lead on a name I could be looking into, I can still try my best to come up with something. As for not being close with your family, don't feel too bad, Sunset. I wouldn't be having much room to speak myself since I always thought the exact same thing regarding making friends before I got sent to Ponyville. But I certainly owe my parents for being supportive toward me in this entire journey."

"That's actually how I've sometimes felt about myself, even right after I abandoned Celestia's teachings." Sunset began to reflect. "With only my dad around who simply looked after me in my youth, I never really got to experience the idea of making friends at a young age. When my magical talent was recognized by Princess Celestia, I let my pride go to my head, to where I wasn't going to let anypony take that pupil title away from me, even if it meant pushing aside socializing. Really though, since I haven't had much of a family besides my dad and Celestia, I guess in some ways... I just never really felt I had anypony who truly loved me. Sure, everypony was commending me on my magic skills, but it was in the sense that I'd be a nopony to them if I didn't have that gift. And because of that, something deep inside always told me that I had to prove myself to be the top student, or else I would have nothing and... nopony to turn to."

"I'm truly sorry you felt that way, Sunset." Twilight said with empathy. "I really wish things could've been different back then, it must've been a miserable experience. Looking back, I do feel as though even our same mentor could've handled things better, as Princess Celestia regrets her own decisions too. She has mentioned to me that she shouldn't have been so hard on you, even right after she declared your removal from pupil status. You see, a princess having pupils was something rather new at the time, and according to her, you were actually one of the first unicorns she took under her wing. She also mentioned that out of all her pupils, you showed the most promise. She took it upon herself to do everything she could to help you succeed, and also in her own words, give you that mother-figure you needed."

"While trotting through Canterlot yesterday, I could definitely see that myself." Sunset responded. "There was genuinely so much Princess Celestia gave me, and I never truly appreciated everything she sacrificed for me. The home, the education, the extended love, and I took it all for granted. All I know is, whenever I get around to exploring more of Equestria, primarily at Silver Shoals, I'm absolutely doing anything I can to make it up to her, especially since I haven't really seen her in quite some time."

"Sounds like a good plan." Twilight approved. "I'll be happy to take you there anytime you're ready."

As Sunset smiled at Twilight's commitment and understanding, she suddenly remembered a subtle detail that Twilight had alluded to.

"Wait a minute, Twilight." Sunset began to brainstorm. "What was that you said just now about Princess Celestia a few moments ago? How she herself said that she felt like giving me a mother-figure that I... needed? If she worded it exactly like that, I'm beginning to think there's more than meets the eye."

"Huh, I hadn't realized that there could be a more deeper meaning to that." Twilight agreed. "But yes, I guarantee that was precisely what she said. Perhaps this is a sign that if you went to visit Princess Celestia, she could give you an answer about your parents, or at the very least, what she's referring to regarding being a mother-figure."

"I'll be sure to keep this in mind whenever I do plan on visiting my old teacher." Sunset said determined. "Thanks for having this talk with me, Twilight. For now though, my plan is to explore more of Equestria as a unicorn again, and being able to see what I've missed after being absent for so long. Looking forward to know what life is like in Cloudsdale and what Rainbow Dash has been up to."

"I hope you have fun." Twilight said enthusiastically. "I have to get started with my royal duties once I drop you off, so I'll leave the balloon at Cloudsdale to let you return once your trip is finished. And when I do have spare time, I'll look into researching who your parents might've been. I at least have the idea to look for a father and a possible name of 'Solstice' to work with."

"I would love that, thank you again for being so involved." Sunset replied gratefully. "Just like I've written to you before, back when I first getting familiar with making friends. I haven't felt so loved or accepted in... ever. And like my old friends in the human world, I feel like I finally have a family again in this world as well. All I can say now is, I should've been making friends long, long ago."

"You were always welcome to." Twilight assured from her own experience. "By the way, when we reach Cloudsdale, are you sure you'll be comfortable with taking the balloon back to the ground yourself? Once we're there, I'll have to use my wings to fly back to Canterlot for my royal responsibilities. If you have trouble, you can ask Rainbow Dash for assistance, she's had experience with it."

"Sure thing, that works!" Sunset responded.

Sunset and Twilight had slowly begun to approach a landing cloud which led into the city itself. Once they had arrived, the two ponies came out from the basket and onto the cloud. The balloon was then secured with a strong rope onto a nearby building hook, before Twilight waved goodbye to Sunset and flew back to Canterlot. Just as Sunset could no longer see her princess friend in the distance, she turned around and saw the rather amazing view of Cloudsdale. Being a unicorn, she would've fallen right through the clouds under normal circumstances, to where being able to visit such a beautiful city felt like a great privilege.

Everything about this city stood out in an impressive way. The many pegasai flying together in groups, the luxurious architecture, and just the thought of everything here being built out of simple materials and clouds. Sunset had only just begun exploring bits of Equestria, and she already felt she had made the right choice in taking a break from the human world to really see more of her true home's magnificent sights. Not only to genuinely appreciate the surrounding world she grew up in, but also tie up loose ends, which she'd imagine would be resolved when she had time to visit Celestia.

For now though, Sunset's current focus was to look for Rainbow Dash, who would be expecting her as a guest for a tour of the place. It also seemed like a great way for both of them to get to know each other a bit better. Sunset had to bear in mind that this Rainbow Dash was already proven to be similar to the human version she was familiar with, but she was still a separate entity with a different life. After all, the Rainbow Dash she knew wasn't someone in the metaphorical military, whereas this one was part of the Wonderbolts. Sunset might not have been interested in the Wonderbolts as much as Rainbow, but was at least equipped with the basic knowledge of who they were and the many stunts they've performed over the years.

As Sunset was ready to head off to the Wonderbolts Academy, where Rainbow Dash was currently at, she suddenly noticed a pegasus flying at an incredibly imposing speed. Because she was flying so fast within a single direction, Sunset initially couldn't make out who it was, other than the fact it was a pegasus fast enough to only be seen as a blur from below. Sunset's initial feeling of wonder took a sudden change when she began to realize what direction the pegasus was headed. As the pegasus had finally zoomed over Sunset's head, she turned around and saw almost within the blink of an eye, the pegasus had crashed right into the hot air balloon, popping it with an intense force and sending the dazed pony backwards a bit.

Sunset had a natural feeling of shock after what she had just witnessed, but also a hint of worry when upon realization. Without a balloon, she definitely had no choice but to rely on somepony to safely get her to the ground once her trip was finished. Regardless of this, she felt the need to check on the pegasus to see if they were okay. As Sunset got closer, she noticed it was a mare wearing goggles with an orange coat and dark blue mane. The goggles were certainly a dead giveaway, as Sunset deduced she had now encountered the pony Indigo Zap.

She had been finding pony versions of certain humans she knew back in the other world, and by some miracle, Sunset had now unintentionally encountered all five Shadowbolts. Out of all of them so far, it was only Lemon Zest whom Sunset didn't have any particular form of disdain toward. While trotting back over to check up on Indigo, Sunset crossed her metaphorical fingers in hoping she was all right and that this Indigo would not be giving her any attitude. Much as Sunset wasn't happy with the fact that her ride was now destroyed thanks to her, she still wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and perhaps work something out.

"Hi, are you okay?" Sunset asked Indigo as she slowly began to regain consciousness and took notice of the unicorn. "That was certainly some flight there, I was pretty impressed with what I saw."

"Oh, thanks miss." Indigo answered as she held her head to ease some of the pain. "I'm a little dizzy still, but I'm more worried that I just vandalized this hot air balloon that was parked here."

"Well, yeah." Sunset replied, before looking at the remains of the balloon. "I was just about to talk to you about that. You see, that's Princess Twilight's hot air balloon, and I-"

But before Sunset could even finish what she was saying, Indigo shrieked in fear.

"That was Princess Twilight's property!?" Indigo said, now afraid of the severity of her consequences. "I can't face the music after vandalizing royal possessions!"

With that said, Indigo Zap flew away in the other direction, seemingly scared of what the current princess of Equestria might do to her, knowing that her balloon was destroyed. Since Indigo flew away too fast, Sunset couldn't catch up with her, even if she somehow teleport like an expert. No doubt, this Indigo was an incredibly fast flyer, perhaps even on par with Rainbow Dash. Since Sunset couldn't really do anything about her after fleeing the scene, she felt that the best thing to do from this was simply find Rainbow. She figured it would be best to simply explain what had happened, and check to see if Rainbow had other solutions to help her return to the ground.

Sunset was somewhat concerned she was now at the mercy of Cloudsdale having ways to accommodate for ponies who normally lack pegasai traits. As Twilight was now back in Canterlot to take care of her royal responsibilities and wouldn't be returning, Sunset was essentially stuck in the sky. When it came to telling Rainbow about Indigo, it would likely be wiser to simply describe her rather than use her name, since she technically hadn't met this Indigo properly. With this in mind, Sunset went forward deeper into the city, hoping to find her new rainbow-haired pegasus friend soon.

Chapter 33: Rainbow's Indigo

Sunset continued her way through Cloudsdale, being happy she at least had an opportunity to admire the wonderful scenery created by the pegasai. After meeting all the pony versions of the Shadowbolts, she decided she would not really be interested in making friends with any of them except for maybe Lemon Zest. Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare, she was more fine with staying away from after they showed having despicable personalities. Sunset was at least a little more neutral on Indigo, as she didn't give her any bad attitude, although she still wrecked her ride home and refused to take any responsibility for it.

It didn't matter too much to Sunset, as none of the Shadowbolts were really her friends back in the human world. She was at least glad that Twilight's friends were understanding and accepting of her, much like the human versions who taught her friendship all those years at Canterlot High. If there were any friends she'd regularly hang out with whenever she did decide to return to Equestria, they would certainly be her first choice. After all, despite stealing Twilight's crown and only just meeting them officially for the first time, they were perfectly fine with still giving her another chance to start over, and take time out of their day to show her around Equestria. Even after the tour was over, Sunset could only imagine what kind of adventures she could have with them all as a unicorn, just like with the human versions.

Looking back, Sunset's worst memory with her human friends was when they accused her of posting their secrets publicly under the screen name 'Anon-a-Miss' despite Sunset showing genuine feelings to assure them that she would never do anything like that. In all fairness, she did understand looking pretty culpable after how guilty Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle presented her as. But being a changed person at that point, she still wished her friends had just a little bit more faith in her than they ended up having. It did feel more crushing than the Wallflower incident, since in that case, their behavior was caused by magic, rather than them feeling genuine disgust toward her.

The whole experience made Sunset learn that as nice of a feeling it was to make friends, it would be just as heartbreaking to lose them like that. This was why up until that conversation back at the coronation, Sunset was still concerned regarding losing her human friends if she decided to take an extended stay in Equestria. But after learning that she didn't really have much to worry about if the portal was always open, it wouldn't be a case of her needing to make an ultimate decision. Sunset's plan after graduation was to maybe get an idea on what her human friends would end up doing with their lives, to see if she could visit them when she had the chance. And if they did somehow move far away, digital communication was always an option thanks to the world's more advanced technology.

With the seemingly impossible dilemma solved after that talk last night, Sunset could focus on enjoying the many marvelous sights of Equestria. She kept on going through the city and mostly saw pegasai doing their everyday jobs, as well as the occasional landmarks seemingly made out of pure clouds. All these sights genuinely made Sunset feel more reminded of how much more in Equestria she's truly missed out on after spending a chunk of her life as a human. After all, she certainly couldn't remember the last time she was able to walk in the sky and see an entire civilization before her eyes.

It was true that occasionally, being able to power up and use magical abilities was something Sunset and her human friends did together quite a bit, especially after they had gotten their geodes from Camp Everfree. However, there was still a major difference between simply using magic and being in a world where magic was naturally everywhere. Plus, using the magic for extended periods from Sunset's experience seemed to cause unnatural side effects, sometimes to where she didn't even have full control over her powers anymore. The most noticeable example was when she felt a drop of rain on her hands, and was able to read the rain's mind, despite the fact it was an inanimate piece of precipitation.

Along with taking a serious break from using the geodes, it was clear to Sunset that even long before graduation at Canterlot High, being able to use magic freely was out of the question. And with magic already being quite limited in power in a world that was never meant to have it, she began to realize that although she's made a wonderful family of friends there, this was not the life she wanted. Sunset then began to think back on what Princess Celestia told her all those years ago when remaining adamant on doing nothing but staying away from the magical mirror. Was this the reason her former mentor discouraged the idea of coming into this world, or was there some other reason Sunset had never even considered? Whatever was the case, she was most likely not going to understand until her visit to Celestia in Silver Shoals.

Unfortunately, with the hot air balloon wrecked by Indigo earlier, visiting Celestia couldn't be a priority until she could find a way to return to the ground. Sunset had already decided that she'd seen enough of Cloudsdale after going through most of the city, and now focused on finding Rainbow Dash. But Sunset suddenly had a problem, in that she had no idea where the Wonderbolts Academy was located, nor how far away it was. To make matters worse, she didn't bring her saddlebag with her, and more importantly, the map of Equestria, as she felt that wearing the bag everywhere would get exhausting. Plus, she felt that if her new pony friends were going to show her around Equestria more, there was really no need to bring a map.

Sunset began to contemplate how to move forward, when she eventually decided to simply continue on until she could find Rainbow Dash, or anypony else who could help her with directions. She listened to some chatter from other pegasai in the distance, wondering if anything said could give her a clue on the right direction to take. Unfortunately, they said nothing useful, other than one pegasus vaguely mentioning that 'Rainbow Crash' was at the Wonderbolts Academy on the other side of town. The pegasai were too far away to hear Sunset's cry for help, so she kept on going.

Eventually, Sunset saw a familiar face in the distance, dressed in a mail delivery uniform and sitting by herself. Given how Sunset didn't really know any other pegasai here and how credible they could be when asked for directions, already knowing Derpy made Sunset more comfortable in trusting her. Plus, she already knew what the human Derpy was like, having her realize she didn't really have anything to lose. Sunset quickly trotted up toward the mail mare while calling out her name.

"Derpy? Is that you?" Sunset asked, as the gray pegasus turned around to see the new friend she made yesterday at the train station. "Good to see you again!"

"Hi! How's it going, Sunset?" Derpy greeted her. "I'm a little surprised to see a unicorn in Cloudsdale."

"Oh, yeah. Just a pegasai trait spell I pulled off." Sunset explained. "But yeah, it's good to see you too. Now that I'm taking a little more time off, thought I'd explore Cloudsdale and get to know about the pegasai better. I am expecting to meet Rainbow Dash soon, and I was told she's at the Wonderbolts Academy today. Do you by any chance know where that might be?"

"Somewhere around the east side of town, you want to follow the sight of a rainbow fall just by the edge of a large mountaintop." Derpy recalled from memory.

"Alright, that shouldn't be too far from here." Sunset replied. "I guess if I keep trotting in that general direction, I'll eventually find it, thanks. I can see you're busy doing your mail delivery job, so I guess we can catch up later?"

"Actually, Sunset?" Derpy began in a more saddened tone. "I just got laid off from my job. My boss had been receiving too many complaints that I somehow didn't deliver the packages to their correct destinations, even though I did! I just don't know what went wrong with those packages."

"Oh? I'm sorry to hear." Sunset sympathized. "Is there anything I can do to help you uncover what's been going on? While I head off to the Wonderbolts Academy, I can keep an eye out for anything suspicious, if you like?"

"Well, I have noticed that some pegasus started following me on my mail routes." Derpy recalled during the past week. "And strangely, most of the packages that were reported to be undelivered were shipments of goggles and workout uniforms. I might not be the quickest delivery pony in Cloudsdale, but I've always had perfect attendance and delivery on my routes. My boss didn't think so, though, not after 19 calls of missing packages..."

"Hmm, pegasus... and goggles?" Sunset thought to herself, before realizing who she had encountered earlier in Cloudsdale upon arrival. "Did this pegasus happen to have an orange coat?"

"I believe so." Derpy confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"Seems I might get to do some investigating during my trip then." Sunset said, feeling somewhat confident on who could've done this. "If I'm to understand what's going on, whoever did this is must've swiped the packages right after you delivered them. That would explain why they were following you during your mail route."

"Oh no, I can't believe I didn't catch on to that sooner!" Derpy grumbled. "Well, unless I can find some evidence to prove to my boss that the missing packages weren't my fault, I'm afraid I'm out of a job at the moment."

"Don't worry, I'm a pony who believes in helping out her friends whenever they need it." Sunset assured. "I think I already have a pretty good lead on who might've done this, but I'll need to find Rainbow Dash first. Hopefully we can meet up again soon!"

"I appreciate it, I guess I'll see you soon too!" Derpy said, happy that her new friend was willing to help out of the kindness of her heart.

Sunset went down the east route of the city, and was soon able to see the Wonderbolts Academy in the distance. It hard to miss the gigantic mountaintop with a runway and distinct rainbow fall by the side, and there was even a nice bridge connecting it to the city, likely for pegasai with injured wings. Sunset eventually noticed Rainbow Dash in the distance, training some other Wonderbolt recruits. She hoped that after finishing, they could get to know each other a little better, but also discuss what happened with Indigo Zap earlier. She also had good reason to believe Indigo was the package thief who got Derpy fired, making Sunset more adamant about mentioning her. Sunset trotted up to Rainbow Dash as she turned around and noticed the unicorn she officially met last night.

"Oh, Sunset! Hey!" Rainbow greeted before turning back to her trainees. "Alright, everypony, that's enough workout for today, be sure to come back tomorrow same time!"

"Well, I can see you're one busy pony." Sunset observed, as the pegasai trainers left the field. "I'm definitely impressed you've become a Wonderbolt, as I've heard from Twilight. I also vaguely recall watching their performances when I was little. I think I liked Spitfire the most."

"You're a fan of the Wonderbolts?" Rainbow asked in surprise before breathing a sigh of relief. "You're already a step up from Starlight, she's never even heard of them. I might already see you as a better Starlight, due to the both of you having troubled pasts."

"Hey now, Rainbow." Sunset said, a little taken back from that statement. "There's no need to compare me to her in that sense, she's allowed to enjoy what she likes. Besides, the Wonderbolts wouldn't exactly be my number one interest, that spot would probably go to comic books. I drew them in my free time back at home."

"Come on, I didn't actually mean that!" Rainbow clarified. "But seriously, you should consider seeing the Wonderbolts more frequently if you do plan on staying in Equestria more. We're awesome."

Sunset simply rolled her eyes. The ego in pony Rainbow Dash seemed consistent with the human version she knew, but in the end, Sunset still couldn't help but admire it, since it reminded her of a part of herself she took pride in. After all, being the leader of her group of friends back at CHS certainly took great friendship skills and confidence. Plus, she used to have such an ego as well back as Celestia's pupil, so she wouldn't have much room to talk, despite now being a changed pony.

"I'll... consider it, at least." Sunset said in a somewhat uninterested manner. "But anyways, just like with what Twilight declared yesterday at the coronation, I mostly came over to Cloudsdale so that we could maybe know each other more personally, and perhaps explore more of the city together. Though, I had to come find you myself."

"Oh, yeah. About that?" Rainbow began. "Spitfire called in on such short notice that Soarin' had a bit of an accident on his last flight, so I had to fill in as recruit coach. I kinda forgot to tell you and Twilight, apologies."

"Alright, that's fine." Sunset said understandingly. "But while coming here, I've kinda seen enough of Cloudsdale to really appreciate the scenery and everything. Pretty impressive how much you pegasai can craft with just clouds, that's for certain. Now that I'm here though, I guess we can get a bit closer with one another. I was mostly wondering what you did as a Wonderbolt, but now I can see you're a pretty excellent coach and main lead flyer. But what's weird is, while I was trotting through town, I could've sworn I heard somepony call you 'Rainbow Crash', or something like that."

"Argh, I'm never going to stop hearing that nickname, am I?" Rainbow groaned. "Well, at least I've grown used to that name, even if it does seem embarrassing. At least I am a Wonderbolt now, and probably the best flyer on the team. In fact, I'm so good that I've recently gotten the power to start training newbies here at the academy. Heck, I even took on a new personal Wonderbolt apprentice. It took quite a while to get to this point though. That includes almost quitting after Spitfire kept favoring Lightning Dust over me, and all those years at Junior Speedsters with Gilda."

"Gilda?" Sunset asked, trying to piece together who exactly Gilda was. "She isn't by any chance an aggressive bully with a raspy voice, is she?"

"Well, she kinda was in the beginning when she was acting like a jerk to Pinkie, and from what I was told, even roared at Fluttershy, but we've made up since. I even sometimes visit her at Griffinstone. And yeah, I guess her voice is pretty raspy. Why?"

"Does she sound... ahem." Sunset began, before making her voice raspier to better imitate that girl who attacked her in the alley that night. "Like this, Rainbow Dash?"

"Yeah, exactly like that!" Rainbow confirmed. "So you've met her? I hope she was at least nicer to you than she was way back then."

"Not exactly." Sunset began, before explaining herself. "Well, for one thing, it wasn't the Gilda you know, it was the other Gilda. And let's just say the human... you, she got her expelled from CHS after she bullied Fluttershy mercilessly."

"Is that so?" Rainbow said with a bit of smugness at what her human self did. "Well, I guess that means I'm always 20 percent cooler no matter which world I'm in!"

"Well let's move on from that. I was just curious anyways." Sunset finished, now knowing that based on what both Rainbow Dashes had told her, that girl she fought most likely was Gilda. It was only now a matter of remembering to keep her guard up if she did encounter her again, knowing that her human friends heavily implied she somehow broke out of juvenile hall. Regardless, Sunset didn't want to focus on that topic anymore, so she shifted the conversation back to talking more about Rainbow's life at the academy. "So hey, you mentioned you have an apprentice now? Kind of like how Princess Celestia took pupils under her wing?"

"More or less. She's a pretty amazing flyer, I actually just sent her out toward the city to attempt trying to pull off a Sonic Rainboom. I dare say she could even be faster than yours truly, but I guess we'll see." Rainbow explained, before she noticed out of the corner of her eye, the aforementioned apprentice was breezing through the sky. "Speaking of which, there she is!" Rainbow had blown her whistle to signal the attention of her prized student, as she took notice and flew down.

It admittedly took Sunset by surprise at first to see who the apprentice was, but then she realized it shouldn't have been too surprising given how remarkably fast that pegasus flew earlier in town. Sunset understood the timing was perfect, and that this would likely be a good opportunity to tell Rainbow what happened when she just arrived in Cloudsdale.

"Good to see you again, Dash." Indigo greeted her coach. She was now wearing a training uniform "I couldn't pull off the Sonic Rainboom, but I did manage to pop a balloon, let's just say."

"Yeah, you certainly did." Sunset said in a less friendly tone. "Among other things that's been going on around town, I'd imagine."

Indigo's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "You again? Listen, I'm sorry for popping the hot air balloon, just please don't tell Princess Twilight!"

"All right, but maybe I should tell Rainbow Dash that you've been stealing packages all around town." Sunset pointed at Indigo with her hoof."

"What!?" Indigo exclaimed at the accusation. "I would never!"

"Right, and that must be why you decided to leave the scene of a crime after vandalizing the hot air balloon, and why you're now wearing both goggles and a training uniform." Sunset insisted. "The two reportedly missing package items from Cloudsdale. Derpy told me everything, and it's because of thieves like you, she got fired from her job!"

Indigo simply narrowed her eyes. "Okay, I'll take full blame for what happened to the hot air balloon, but I didn't steal nopony's packages. These goggles and this uniform, they were a gift from my mentor, Rainbow Dash!"

"She's right, Sunset." Rainbow vouched. "I bought her the uniform and goggles for our flight training sessions. Why are you suddenly accusing my apprentice of being a crook? I've known Indigo for a while, and it's not like her to steal packages. What could Derpy have told you to make you believe it was her?"

"She vandalized Twilight's balloon and didn't take any form of responsibility, she's the only pegasus I've seen today wearing both goggles and training uniforms, and like Derpy confirmed, the thief had an orange coat!" Sunset reasoned.

"Seriously?" Rainbow asked in disbelief. "You're going to say she's guilty just because she has an orange coat? Lots of pegasai have orange fur, and plus, uniforms and goggles are common for academy trainers! Okay, she might've destroyed your hot air balloon, but that was under my command! I told her to go into the city to practice pulling off a Sonic Rainboom! So what, are you going to blame me now, Sunset!?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who's making foolish decisions that come at the expense of others!" Sunset stood her ground. "Look, I get she's your apprentice, but I'm just letting you know that based on my experience you can't always trust everypony you meet. There's no pony else, it had to have been her!"

"What could've been her?" Derpy asked, as she overheard part of the argument while flying around Cloudsdale. "Have you found the culprit, Sunset?"

"I believe I have." Sunset said proudly. It was perfect timing to finally expose Indigo. "Tell Rainbow, Derpy. That orange pegasus there with the goggles was the one who followed you around during your mail route, stole delivered packages, and got you fired from your job. Isn't that right?"

Derpy looked at Indigo in confusion before speaking up. "Sunset is right on at least two things here. There was a pegasus who followed me while I was delivering packages whom mysteriously made them vanish and got me fired. But that pegasus wasn't the one who followed me. I seem to remember her having blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow. From what I understand, I've never seen this pegasus on any of my mail routes before."

Upon hearing this, both Rainbow and Indigo looked toward Sunset with nasty expressions, as Sunset's confidence and feeling of justice plummeted. She gulped before speaking up. "O...okay, so maybe I did assume a little quicker than I should have, but... she was the only orange pegasus I encountered today, and I really just wanted to help Derpy-"

"Oh save it!" Indigo snapped. "Maybe before you accuse me of being a bad pony, you should look at yourself first! I've never felt so humiliated in all my life! In front of my Wonderbolts mentor too! There's only one thing you've instead stolen from me, and that's my willingness to still be a Wonderbolt! I quit! And I'm now glad I destroyed your hot air balloon!"

With that, Indigo huffed and quickly flew off of the academy grounds, before Rainbow began to speak. "You really just made me lose my apprentice over believing she's the only orange pegasus in Cloudsdale!? Twilight mentioned that you're out of practice with your teleportation spells to reliably get down to Ponyville and that I should step in to help you if needed. But after what you just did, I say forget it! I agree, I am glad that your balloon is destroyed, have fun getting to the ground by yourself, Sunset Shimmer! And you know the saddest thing? I legitimately thought for a minute you had changed. I even had my doubts yesterday when I thought you had ditched Twilight's coronation! Looks like I was right after all. Goodbye, you so called friend!"

Rainbow bolted off in the opposite direction Indigo went, now leaving Sunset and Derpy all alone on the academy runway. Sunset now looked down on herself, rubbing her hoof on the ground for what just happened. She was almost positive Indigo was truly the package culprit, but assumed things a little too quickly when the thief was only described having orange fur. Sunset realized that just like she had done in her past, she seemingly let her own pride consume her, making the situation worse as she kept on fighting toward a personal belief rather than logically reasoning everything. It was definitely her own fault for not asking Derpy on other traits the thief had, which definitely did not match Indigo's look.

Sunset now put her hooves over her face, saddened by not only already losing Rainbow as a friend, but also being straight up told that she 'hadn't changed', when that was absolutely far from the truth. Despite everything that just happened a few minutes ago, Derpy put her hoof on Sunset's back and tried to cheer her up.

"Please don't cry, Sunset." Derpy said in a saddened tone. "I still appreciate you trying to fight for me, especially since whoever did this made me lose my job. It's also my fault for not letting you know before on specifics for what the thief looked like."

"I just can't believe I messed up so badly." Sunset said with sorrow. "I was so sure with myself that I let that get in the way of a friendship. Now Rainbow Dash doesn't want anything to do with me, and... I'm stuck in the sky too."

"Stuck?" Derpy questioned, while continuing to pat Sunset's back. "What do you mean, you don't have any way to get to the ground?"

I only had the pegasai cloud walking spell to walk on Cloudsdale, and the hot air balloon, which was destroyed by that pony I thought was the thief." Sunset explained. "Twilight mentioned that if I had trouble returning after my trip to Cloudsdale was complete, I could ask Rainbow, but as you can see, now that's certainly out of the question."

Derpy's ears went down with sadness, before she thought of an idea. "I might be fired from my job and turned in my delivery uniform, but my boss is still making me do one last shipment of muffins to Ponyville before my work is completely done. Even better, I still have my mail delivery-truck. If you'd like, Sunset? You can ride in my passenger's seat while I drive. I have to go to Ponyville anyways, and after seeing what you just went through to help me, it's honestly the least I could for you."

"I wouldn't know how else to safely get to the ground, so I'll certainly take the offer." Sunset said gratefully. "Thank you so much, you really are a good friend."

"You definitely are the better friend." Derpy smiled. "Listen, I have known Rainbow Dash for a while, so if you'd like, I could also talk to her on your behalf, if you'd like?"

"That sounds nice, but I have a feeling that if I'm going to solve this friendship problem with her, I'll have to do it myself. It was still my fault for jumping to conclusions too quickly. Plus, I'd feel guilty for giving you more trouble after you just got fired."

"I understand." Derpy replied. "Good luck with working things out with Rainbow, even I know from experience she isn't the easiest to pony to get along with. Come on, Sunset, let's get you home."

With that, Derpy hugged her wing around Sunset as they slowly trotted off of the academy grounds and back into the city. As they approached Derpy's truck, Sunset was still contemplating on how she could've handled the situation better than she ended up doing. She also imagined Twilight would be rather disappointed in her with how upset she ended up making Rainbow.

Chapter 34: The Pie Is a Lie

As Derpy and Sunset finally left Cloudsdale together, Sunset still couldn't help but think about her actions while sitting in the delivery-truck. Perhaps it would've been more professional of her simply address what happened with the balloon, and then bring up the package thief without immediately assuming it was Indigo. She just couldn't help but think it had to have been her, given how unprofessional Indigo acted when committing vandalism, how she was wearing the exact items that reported were stolen, and the fact that most of the Shadowbolts in this world were almost just like their human counterparts. Sunset began to realize this might be a price to pay for being used to knowing these entities as who they were as humans, when their pony counterparts could drastically different personality-wise.

Regardless of Sunset's mindset of the situation on hindsight, it was far too late now. This was essentially what most of her life lessons taught her, that making mistakes couldn't be undone, and the only option was to move on with the knowledge learnt from the whole experience. Despite this, she still couldn't help but feel disappointment in herself after already knowing she had been a legit changed pony. Had Sunset still been the same manipulative and selfish person she once was when controlling CHS by force, she couldn't imagine what might've become of Lily Pad when she caught Gilda threatening the child that night. No, she instead stood up for the helpless ones who couldn't defend themselves from the dangers of society, and she had even taught the other Twilight Sparkle how to embrace friendship instead of abandoning it.

What Rainbow had told her just after Indigo flew off, she couldn't have meant it, could she? Granted, Sunset had to bear in mind this was not the same Rainbow Dash she knew, and for that matter, not somepony who could simply take the word of Princess Twilight on her being a changed pony. Going off of her relationship with the human Rainbow, even back when Sunset was a bully who even went as far as picking on Fluttershy, Rainbow was the only student in the entire school to stand up to her. Not only that, she even held somewhat of a grudge toward Sunset at times, even after the rest of her human friends decided to start fresh. By all means, like Derpy said, Rainbow was not an easy friend to get along with, but Sunset still considered the fact they technically just got properly acquainted with each other. A seeming stranger who caused this big of a mess almost completely out of nowhere was certainly not a good first impression, especially when this same stranger was once a thief herself who stole Twilight's crown.

As Sunset contemplated all this, she noticed that Derpy had taken her to a more central area of Ponyville, and more specifically, near where Sugarcube Corner was located. Although Sunset wasn't familiar with this side of town, she did recall Twilight telling her through the journal that this was both the workplace and home of Pinkie Pie. However, Derpy was not delivering these muffins to Pinkie, but rather, her now former boss who was awaiting them at the Ponyville post office. Once Derpy landed her truck on the ground, Sunset was good to go in perhaps being able to visit Pinkie for a bit.

"Thank you very much for ride, I don't know how I would've gotten down from Cloudsdale without your help." Sunset said gratefully to her new pegasus friend.

"Don't mention it, what you did for me was a wonderful thing. I actually wish there was more I could give you for being such a selfless pony yourself." Derpy replied with a smile. "Now that I'm here, I guess I should go make this last delivery.

"Eh, don't worry about giving me more, what you've already done for me was more than enough." Sunset insisted. "I really hope also things do get better for you after your boss let you go, you certainly come across as a hardworking mail mare yourself."

Just as Sunset stepped out of the truck, she couldn't help but hear her stomach growl rather loudly. This wasn't really surprising given Sunset had just spent nearly the entire morning trotting through an entire cloud city on top of skipping breakfast. The stomach was so loud that even Derpy managed to hear it while still being in the truck.

"I can tell you're really hungry, did you not have breakfast this morning?" Derpy questioned.

"Well, not really anything since the coronation last night." Sunset clarified. "But no worries, now that I'm in Ponyville again, I suppose it's a perfect chance for me to go grocery shopping. Except... ugh, no... I forgot. I left my money back in my house in Canterlot. Looks like I'll have to trot all the way back home to get it."

"Wait, I can take you home instead!" Derpy offered. "Canterlot's pretty far from here, and it sounds like to me you don't have enough energy to trot the entire way without passing out."

"No, no." Sunset declined. "You've already done enough for me, I can't possibly ask that from you and bring more trouble after you got fired. I'll just go on and hope things go well. Good luck finding a new job, by the way.

As Sunset was already starting to head off by herself, Derpy couldn't help but give a look of sadness. She then took a look at her delivery, and realized she did have something to give Sunset after all. The pegasus quickly called out Sunset's name before flying out to stop her.

"Listen, I know I said these muffins were ordered by my boss..." Derpy began to explain. "But after the way he's been treating me, I don't really know if I want to give these to him. I've been his reliable employee for almost 8 years now, and he couldn't even believe me when I said those packages weren't my fault. Meanwhile, I've got you, who risked their own friendships just for me, even if we only met yesterday. That's an incredibly beautiful gift anypony's ever done for me, and because of that, I want you to have these instead."

Derpy handed Sunset the bag of assorted muffins before Sunset began to hesitate.

"But... your boss." Sunset said with concern. "If you don't give these to him, I can't imagine he'd listen to you begging you for your job back, even if we did somehow catch the package thief."

"Mr. Crafty Crate can be just as much a stick in the mud as those rude mares we encountered by the train yesterday." Derpy explained. "I hear he even attempts to scam others, like the time he tried to charge one pony 20 bits for a cherry! If he wants some muffins after throwing away his number one employee like that, I'll just give him the stale batch that's been sitting in my truck for a week. I'm already fired as it is, and I don't need him. You and your stomach however, definitely need these scrumptious baked goods I made with love."

Sunset still wasn't sure about taking the muffins. Her brain kept telling her not to, yet her heart and stomach kept insisting she should. However, Sunset's brain eventually deduced logically, if she kept on going alone without any vital nourishment, she would likely collapse and possibly even be hospitalized. This would go against everything she would want, especially if such a scenario would make her miss out on her graduation as well. Plus, those muffins would probably be in the better hooves of a pony who stands up for others willingly, rather than a greedy boss who cheats his own customers.

"Thank you, Derpy." Sunset smiled as her hunger made her quickly take a bite by instinct. The pastry was incredibly delicious, almost on par with the cookies given to her by Cheese Sandwich. She was going to have to go grocery shopping later that day anyways, but those homemade muffins were to die for. It even reminded her that having access to Equestrian groceries could finally let her eat legitimate foods that her natural herbivore taste buds were always adapted to. "These are so good, you really made these yourself?"

"That's right!" Derpy said proudly. "You can really taste the love I put into them. As for my mail delivery job, I'll just check if there's hiring positions at another post office. I actually recently heard Crafty Crate in particular has a pretty high turnover rate. I was sad at first for getting fired, but you standing up for me also inspired me to finally stand up against my corrupt boss too. You deserve such wonderful baked goods for your kindness for sure. In the meantime, I'm just going to finish this last delivery and head off for the day. Hopefully we can see each other again soon? Oh, and good luck making things right with Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, sounds good." Sunset agreed, though she still wasn't sure how to patch things up with Rainbow. "And yeah, I sure am going to have to figure something out with her."

The two ponies waved goodbye to each other and headed off in opposite directions. Sunset trotted around the corner and down a few blocks to where a sign pointed to a large building which almost resembled a gingerbread house. Even without the sign, Sunset could definitely tell it was Sugarcube Corner from what Twilight described of Pinkie's home in past journal entries. From what Sunset was told, the establishment was almost equivalent to the cafe she regularly hung out at with her human friends, which was also owned by another Mrs. Cake. Sunset had no idea if the pony Pinkie was currently inside, but if she was, it'd be a perfect opportunity to spend time with her, as there wasn't really anything too eye-catching in Ponyville. After all, it was where she used to live before moving to Canterlot, and she still had no leads on where her dad's house was located.

Sunset decided it would be better to finish off the muffins before heading inside, as admittedly, she did begin to feel slightly light headed from walking around in Cloudsdale for a while. Plus, knowing how energetic Pinkie tends to be, she would definitely need some decent energy herself to keep up with everything. The hunger proved to be incredibly overwhelming, as Sunset had finished the entire bag of muffins before she knew it. Now she was definitely glad for accepting the gift Derpy offered in exchange for her own selfless intentions. Sunset still had to figure out how to resolve things with Rainbow Dash, but decided to focus on that later. She was here to explore Equestria and spend times with the rest of her new pony friends, rather than mope about one bad impression.

With her stomach finally satisfied from the muffins, Sunset finally felt comfortable enough to enter Sugarcube Corner. Although it was a bakery with plenty of food, Sunset couldn't have brought herself to expect free food after leaving her bits at home. Her years of working hard at a sushi restaurant certainly taught her that any business would need legitimate compensation for their products and services, and didn't think of herself as somepony who deserved special treatment. Perhaps Pinkie could've spotted her a cupcake or two if she really needed it, she couldn't imagine Mrs. Cake would.

As this thought flooded her mind, surprisingly, Sunset had saw that there was nopony in sight as she came inside. It seemed unusually quiet, and there was no sign of Mrs. Cake, Pinkie, or any other employees anywhere. Sunset mostly arrived to see if Pinkie was around, so she instinctively pressed her hoof on a bell on the counter, trying to see if anypony was around. After ringing it a few times, Sunset eventually heard a familiar high pitched voice, stepping out of the kitchen and behind the counter.

"Hey, Sunset!" Pinkie exclaimed upon seeing the unicorn she officially met at yesterday's coronation. "Well, I know Twilight wanted us to spend more time together, but I'm afraid we can't go out today. I have to work on a pretty huge cake order myself while Mr. and Mrs. Cake are out delivering the other large cake order we just finished."

"Oh, that's no problem, Pinkie." Sunset said understandingly. "Perhaps you can show me around Sugarcube corner since Twilight has mentioned this place is also your home. Out of curiosity, what are Mr. and Mrs. Cake delivering?"

"A wedding cake that's for a couple who just got engaged." Pinkie recalled. "I believe their names are... Lyra and Bon Bon?"

"Oh, how nice for them." Sunset said, thinking back about how those aforementioned girls were also a rather cute couple back at CHS as well. "And what are you in charge of today?"

"Coincidentally, another wedding cake for a couple of mares!" Pinkie said excitedly. "Oh, and get this. They're also performers who sing some of the best songs I regularly listen to in my room, it's such an honor to cater to them! Could you guess who they could be?"

Sunset thought about it for a bit, but remembered once again this Pinkie could be completely different from the human one she knew. As such, despite thinking of what kind of music was popular in Equestria, she couldn't immediately come up with a confident idea.

"I'm afraid I'm stumped, Pinkie." Sunset gave up. "Could you give me a hint?"

"Alrighty, as you wish!" Pinkie agreed, before saying something that would shock Sunset. "What do you call a 'someone' fan with three 'I's'? Pinkie Pie!"

Sunset's eyes immediately widened, as her pupils shrunk. The exact same words said to her for nearly three weeks during the Postcrush festival time loop. Obviously, it was easy to figure out who the wedding cake was for, and she didn't really think much of how Postcrush was seemingly a couple in this world as well. However, it was the fact that Pinkie somehow worded her hint in a manner that would suggest the pony Pinkie somehow knew Sunset had heard this exact joke and could immediately decipher who the 'someone' in her riddle was.

"I'm not quite sure..." Sunset began pretending to not know straight away, before revealing what she figured out upon hearing the hint. "It wouldn't by any chance be Postcrush, would it?"

"Yes!" Pinkie cheered. "You figured it out! And just for that, I'm going to let you into the kitchen to help me make the cake! Do you accept the offer?"

"Well, sure." Sunset accepted. "I suppose it would be a nice way for us to spend more time with each other, but I was wondering-"

Before Sunset could even finish, two voices had entered the room, along with two other ponies. The aforementioned performer duo whom Sunset and Pinkie always showed large enthusiasm to see perform live. However, with Sunset forced to hear Postcrush for nearly three weeks, along with the fact these were not the same performers she knew in the human world, Sunset was noticeably underwhelmed compared to Pinkie.

"Miss... Pinkie Pie, was it?" K-Lo acknowledged from the entrance. "Do you have any idea when our wedding cake will be ready? We're expecting to pick it up soon."

"Hopefully we won't have to wait more than two hours." Su-Z added, as she started dancing with her planned partner. "We don't mind waiting, it'll at least give us a little more time to perform for our little dance at the wedding."

"Oh, my, GOODNESS!!!" Pinkie exploded in excitement. "It's really you, I, I, I've been a fan of your music for so long, and it's an absolute honor for you to order something from Sugarcube Corner! I can assure you, you won't regret this!"

"You'd better hope we won't." K-Lo said in a humorous manner. "While our beauty will never change, our minds very easily do."

"No arguing there." Su-Z agreed. "If we like what we get, we'll recommend this bakery to all our fans."

"Oh, absolutely! I will get right on it!" Pinkie assured. "Come on, Sunset! Let's bake a cake for a power couple!"

As Pinkie rushed back into the kitchen, Sunset followed, before overhearing the couple say something she could only interpret as an ironic joke.

"I am going to get somewhat tired of waiting, wouldn't you agree, babe?" Su-Z said to her partner.

"Yeah, if only we had magic to change time or something." K-Lo replied. "Then we wouldn't have to keep waiting for this cake."

Sunset stood still for a few moments, then simply gave a subtle laugh upon hearing this, as she didn't need to be reminded of nearly going insane during that never ending festival. That aside, there was still one more thing on Sunset's mind, in which she was still confused at the way Pinkie worded her hint of the customers being the pony versions of Postcrush. As Sunset stepped into the kitchen, she saw that Pinkie had somehow already finished making the entire cake with even all the touches.

"Errr, Pinkie?" Sunset said, confused at this. "Didn't you say I was going to help you make the cake?"

"Yeah, you sure were!" Pinkie exclaimed in her usual optimism. "Though you stood outside the kitchen a little too long, to where I had to finish making it myself. As you just heard, Postcrush doesn't like waiting. When you just came to the place, this cake was still a bowl of batter. But while you were just outside, I finished up everything myself."

Sunset was now dumbfounded upon what she just heard, but felt no need to question anything. Pinkie was either the most efficient baker in the universe, or she was simply messing with Sunset about the cake not even being close to done when she just arrived. Whether she was just joking or not, Sunset still felt the need to talk with Pinkie on a more serious matter, which couldn't possibly be a joke in her eyes.

"Well then... great job, Pinkie!" Sunset commended. "I'm sure they'll love it!"

"I know they will!" Pinkie squeed, as she brought the giant cake on a cart into the bakery's lobby. Sunset followed Pinkie out to see their reaction. "Here you are, Postcrush! Happy wedding day!"

"Oh, well that was quicker than even expected." K-Lo said, astonished. "It is a pretty big cake, so we hired the proper muscle. Performers like us don't carry things like that."

"You said it, girl!" Su-Z agreed. "Come on in, boys! Time to carry the cake all the way to Canterlot!"

Just as she said that, three mangy but muscular figures entered the bakery, ready to carry the couple's enormous cake. Sunset didn't recognize who these creatures were, nor what kind of species they'd be. Though to Sunset, they did somewhat resemble dogs, similar to Spike when he entered the human world. This was confirmed to be true as they spoke up.

"We're on our way, miss! So glad that you decided to choose us for this job!" Spot said with enthusiasm.

"We certainly hope you will compensate us diamond dogs handsomely. At least with thousands of luxurious gemstones!" Rover insisted.

"Yeah, we got the muscle, but it's gonna cost you ladies. Know what I'm saying?" Fido asked rhetorically.

"Of course, of course." Su-Z giggled. "Just be sure you boys carry that cake all the way to Canterlot in one piece, and we'll give you all the jewelry we don't wear anymore."

With that said, the two ponies and three diamond dogs exited the bakery with the cake. Sunset did hear of diamond dogs existing as a filly, but never really saw any herself. She also realized that the aspect of Postcrush having connections with dogs seemed to coincidentally line up, as the human Su-Z did own a cute dog named Princess Thunder Guts. Admittedly, Sunset knew next to nothing about diamond dogs, but this was likely another effect of Twilight's methods in bringing ponies and all sorts of other creatures together. She still wasn't able to immediately recognize them as anyone she knew, though a part of her suggested she had seen three similar boys at CHS who tend to dig around the school. Sunset also noted that she never saw those boys attend any classes, so she wasn't entirely sure if they were students or juvenile delinquents who didn't attend school, much like Gilda.

"Those dogs seemed nice." Pinkie smiled. "Though I think Rarity mentioned that one of them called her a mule once."

With the customers gone and Pinkie having no more orders for the day, Sunset felt it was time to finally understand what Pinkie was getting at earlier. The logic-defying claim about finishing the cake almost instantly might've just been a clever joke, but mentioning the exact same joke said by the human Pinkie and in a way that would imply this Pinkie would've known she had heard it before, there seemed to be more meaning behind it. To make matters even stranger, Sunset even noted that back in the human world, Pinkie never seemed to talk about the Postcrush Festival at all, almost as if she had no memory at all of the event.

"Pinkie, do you mind if we have a serious talk somewhere?" Sunset requested. "Perhaps in your room, if that works for you?"

"Oh, sure! No problem at all!" Pinkie said with excitement. "That was my last order for today, so I don't see why not. Maybe we can get to know each other better, like Twilight wanted."

As the two ponies exited the bakery and entered Pinkie's bedroom, Pinkie climbed upon her bed while Sunset sat nearby. Pinkie gave a friendly grin, happy for whatever Sunset wanted to discuss with her.

"So, Pinkie?" Sunset began. "About that hint you gave me of what you call a Postcrush fan with three 'I's'?"

"Oh, yeah!" Pinkie cheered with pride. "Pretty clever joke, eh? Everypony in Ponyville always said I come up with the best jokes around here."

"I'm sure they do..." Sunset continued to focus on her main questioning. "But would you mind explaining why you worded it in a way that tells me you somehow knew the human version of yourself told me that joke?"

Pinkie's grin immediately faded to a nervous expression, as she shifted her eyes all around the room. She realized Sunset was a smart pony who just saw through her, and with the jig finally being up, she felt it was finally time to come clean.

"O...okay, Sunset." Pinkie began in a saddened tone. "Could you please keep a secret?"

"A secret?" Sunset asked in confusion. "All right, I promise, I won't say a word to anypony else. Now, what's going on?"

"Well, has Twilight ever told you about how when you first stole the crown and made her enter the human world, the human version of me somehow figured out everything about her and her motivations, almost as if she was psychic?"

"Yeah..." Sunset began to parse things. "I was admittedly astonished myself when she wrote to me about it. She was about to explain to everyone about who she really was and why she was there, and the human Pinkie somehow out of nowhere, took all the words out of her mouth."

"That's because... it was actually me." Pinkie began to explain. "You see, when Twilight was in the other world, me, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, and Princess Cadance were waiting around the mirror for whenever Twilight would return. However, it got a point where we couldn't continue watching the mirror, since Twilight was in the other world for too long, and we had to take naps in between. In those between times, I used my Pinkie sense to detect that the human version of myself was near the entrance of the portal, and while everypony else was asleep, I made my way in. The human me was so much like myself that we figured nopony could tell us apart. And since we were curious about exploring each other's worlds, we made a deal. She would come into Equestria to pretend to be me, and I would go into her world to pretend to be her. It was just one method we both came up with to share the wonder of being in another world without anyone from our respective worlds noticing we were missing, but we switched back at the last minute, right before Twilight came back through the portal. After all, the portal would've closed every 30 moons, so we had to act fast to avoid being trapped, at least until she used the journal to keep the mirror open indefinitely. That's how I knew Twilight's plan in the other world, and how she had a sudden crush on some guy named Flash Sentry. But we alternated back and forth at times secretly just to see what's going on in the other world. For example, I'm actually the same Pinkie you went to the Postcrush festival with, as well as the time we went to Camp Everfree together. Our camp counselor turning out to be Gaea Everfree sure was unexpected, wasn't it? I think I hugged you and exclaimed the camping was going to be so much fun, right after you said that people as chipper as Gloriosa make you nervous. And I still remember the amazing aroma of those churros made by Puffed Pastry. But the main reason we wanted to keep this a secret was because we wanted to see how long each of us could fit in within another world before somepony would notice the difference. And I guess you just did when I accidentally told you a joke you weren't supposed to hear from me. Oh, and I only pretended to not recognize you back at Twilight's coronation just to make sure nopony grew suspicious of me. We've actually been through a number of adventures together in the other world, you just never realized it until now. Pretty clever, right?"

Just as Pinkie finished her incredibly long and detailed exposition that Sunset would've never even considered being remotely possible, Sunset's jaw dropped in shock as Pinkie gasped for her breath. The details Pinkie described from Camp Everfree and Postcrush lined up perfectly with what Sunset and the human Pinkie, or so she thought, had been through together. If Sunset's brain was explosive, she would've completely wiped out the entirety of Ponyville in a large nuclear blast over what she had just heard. Having her mind blown, she immediately had trouble coming up with even the most basic way to describe this entire revelation. It was... scary, brilliant, or thought provoking? Nevertheless, Sunset was now given an answer to how the pony Pinkie somehow knew something that she clearly shouldn't have. This would also explain why the human Pinkie was always silent about the festival, since she never actually went to it with her.

"Okay, Pinkie." Sunset began, still in her rather shocked state. "You are officially smarter than myself, Twilight, and even the human Twilight combined. I would've never imagined you would be capable of doing something so sneaky and subtle to where almost nopony could ever see through your little charade. Anyways, I will stay true to my word about not mentioning this to anypony else. But if you don't mind me asking, may I ask why you want to keep this a secret?"

"Well, it wouldn't exactly be fun to keep this up with my human self if everypony already knew something was up." Pinkie explained. "From what I can tell, when she acts like me, nopony here in Equestria was able to see any difference between her and myself, so I guess that means she does a good job at being me. That, and the fact that when Twilight went into the other world to get her crown back, Princess Celestia demanded Twilight should go alone. She was worrying about how sending me and the rest of the gang with Twilight could upset this alternate world's balance or something. I wouldn't want Celestia and Twilight mad at me."

Once again, this reminded Sunset of a legitimate question she would have for Celestia once she did plan to visit Silver Shoals. Not only for potential leads on what could've happened with her parents back then, but also why she was so insistent on not allowing her to enter the portal all those years ago. Twilight might've alluded the idea to Sunset a few times during journal entries, but this was the first time she was straight-up told that the idea of her being in the other world would upset that world's balance. Assuming Pinkie was truthful on Celestia saying just that about the portal, Sunset still had no idea what that meant.

Going off of what was just told to her, both Pinkie's had switched back and forth between each world with seemingly no negative effects in either world. At least, there was not anything Sunset herself could notice with the human world, nor Twilight with Equestria. Speaking of Twilight, shortly after the Friendship Games, she had seen both Princess Twilight and the human Twilight she knew in the exact same place, again, with seemingly no repercussions. From what Sunset was told, Princess Twilight was in the middle of stopping Starlight Glimmer going crazy with a time travel spell that altered Equestria's futures. But as she arrived right after the games were over and the conflicts were already resolved, she simply went back to Equestria to continue her royal duties as if nothing ever happened. This perplexing mystery certainly kept Sunset even more invested, and she kept this in the back of her mind when it was time to visit Celestia.

"Alright, Pinkie." Sunset said. "I understand. More than you know, actually. I know what it's like to make Princess Celestia upset by disobeying her orders, believe me. And I'll also be keeping this a secret just out of respect that you manged to fool me and everyone else through such an elaborate hoax. But just to clarify, are you actually the Pinkie that originated here in Equestria?"

"Yeah, I am." Pinkie said nonchalantly. "I'm the same Pinkie who managed to pull pranks on a griffin named Gilda to show her true colors to Rainbow Dash after I saw her roar at poor Fluttershy. And I'm certainly the true element of laughter around here, even if the Elements of Harmony are now gone."

"Alright, cool. But I guess the next time I see Pinkie in the human world, I'm going to keep a closer eye on you to see if it's really you and not her." Sunset promised.

"Have fun doing so." Pinkie smiled, before hearing the bell ring downstairs in the bakery. "Ooh, another customer? Well, I'd better go get that! Well, this was a pretty nice chance for us to bond even more than we already did as humans, Sunset. But I still have a job to do, so maybe we could catch up later?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." Sunset affirmed. "Thanks for having this whole talk with me... I guess."

Both of them went downstairs and into the lobby, where Sunset noticed Pinkie was then taking an order from a large brown pegasus stallion with a delivery hat and five o' clock shadow.

"It's about time I get some service around here!" The stallion huffed. "Get me some fresh muffins already, you pink twerp! I'm feeling so ill after ingesting these abomination of pastries my former employee delivered for me! Do you have cotton in your ears or something, I demand some service already!"

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said without even questioning the stallion's complaints.

It didn't take long for Sunset to surmise that the stallion was Derpy's corrupt boss, who had just gotten what was coming to him. After hearing the way he just talked to Pinkie, Sunset didn't feel bad for him in the slightest, and was instead proud of Derpy for doing what she did with those stale muffins. She simply smirked out of the corner of her eye and exited the bakery, now wondering where else in Equestria she could explore. Sunset was still somewhat shaken up by how well deceived both Pinkie's had played her all these years, but it was certainly a respectably impressive gig. At the very least, even if it wasn't at all what she was expecting when getting to know Pinkie a bit better, Sunset still remained happy that she finally got to know the real pony Pinkie, and that her experience with her at least went better than with Rainbow Dash.

Chapter 35: Suited For Sunset

While continuing to trot through Ponyville, Sunset wasn't entirely sure where her next stop would be. She wasn't told specifically where each of her friends would be that day, but it was hinted that most of them would be somewhere around town. This was surmised after hearing of the dilemma Twilight alluded to during the coronation, as she mentioned everypony else stayed behind in Ponyville when she moved to Canterlot. This gave Sunset the idea to at least scope out Ponyville further, as it would still fulfill her motivation at seeing more of Equestria, even if she wasn't immediately able to find a friend to share the experience with. Still bearing in mind, there wasn't really a set plan for who she would hang with on each day, but rather, just finding the right opportunity while exploring, like she had originally planned.

Sunset also decided that for the sake of being polite in return to these ponies sacrificing their time just for her, she would hold off on visiting Silver Shoals until then. Sure, she technically already knew these ponies thanks to knowing their human counterparts, but getting closer with them was just as important if she planned on revisiting Equestria more often in the future. And since they had all agreed to bond with her, as requested by Princess Twilight, Sunset felt it was right to take their offers whenever she did happen to find them. So far, these experiences with the pony versions of her friends hadn't gone at all as Sunset had expected. Rainbow ended up hating her guts after falsely accusing Indigo Zap for purposefully malicious vandalism and theft. Pinkie just left Sunset feeling awestruck after knowing she could be hanging with either Pinkies no matter which world she was in, but regardless, she still seemed to be on good terms with her in the end.

Due to her experiences thus far, Sunset hoped nothing else would go wrong with the rest of her pony friends, and that she could make some actual good memories with them. It was one of the main aspects that had enticed her to return, as making friends felt like something she should've done many years ago. The only real pony friends she had for quite some time were Twilight and Celestia, as she had never bothered socializing beyond her mentor. Having more friends in Equestria could also make her own personal quest in relearning magic more satisfying to fulfill, as by then, she would actually have somepony to share that victory with. Although Sunset technically already had her human friends by her side for such occasions, they wouldn't really understand the extent of her merits, as they were all beings who weren't meant to truly use magic. With this in mind, she decided it was definitely a great plan to help herself feel more at home, as her time in the human world already taught her the values in making friends instead of driving them away.

As for her parents, Sunset decided there was no use in focusing on them at the moment. She could barely remember any distinct areas in Ponyville, as she had spent most of her youth growing up in Canterlot. There were still two sources of hope remaining, as Twilight mentioned she would research into the matter whenever she could, possibly coming up with something more concrete. Plus, Sunset had yet to visit Celestia, whom she believed definitely knew something about the matter, assuming she actually claimed wanting to become the mother-figure Sunset seemingly needed. Despite hearing her classmates mentioning how supportive and close their own parents were, Sunset always believed it was just as much a waste of time as socializing. This kept up to where she wouldn't even bother questioning why her parents weren't involved in her life, or truly considered the possibility of having an actual family. The human friends she made at CHS were the legitimate first family Sunset ever had in her entire life, and it seemed as if their love from day one had finally inspired her to look further into the family who brought her into the world.

Knowing it would be better to focus her parents later, Sunset kept on going through Ponyville until she finally noticed a familiar purple-maned unicorn in the distance. Thinking back to her bully days at CHS, Sunset remembered that out of the entire gang, she disliked Rarity the most. This was due to finding her overly dramatic reactions annoying, and often gritting her teeth in jealousy when overhearing other students claiming that Rarity was prettier than her. Since then, Sunset admired Rarity a lot more, as she learned over time they actually had a lot more in common than she really imagined. It was actually Rarity who had influenced Sunset's fashion choices at CHS, which genuinely improved the approaches she took at sporting leather outfits. Rarity also designed and crafted that spiky leather vest Sunset loved wearing often, which was unfortunately ruined when Gilda assaulted her in the alleyway.

Again, Sunset wasn't too saddened, as clothes were always replaceable, but this mostly served as a reminder that Rarity's generosity created trait and philosophy she had stuck with over time. The many instances of Sunset generously considering others before herself had exemplified this, especially when had risked her own life to save a helpless child from imminent danger. It was time to spend time with the one friend whom Sunset considered to have some of the best influences on her ever since they had become friends. She went over to Rarity to greet her, hoping that they could both make some wonderful memories together in the next few hours.

"Hey, Rarity." Sunset greeted. "I was wondering if now was maybe a good time for us to hang for a bit? If you're not too busy, of course."

"Oh, why hello, Sunset!" Rarity replied. "I'm afraid it is somewhat of a bad time, dear. I had just gotten report that my latest client had arrived in Manehattan a week earlier than expected. That's a week less for me to finish this dress I've been working on, which is still only a blueprint. I'm expected to finish the whole project by tomorrow, but if I by some miracle finish tonight, she'll recommend my line to absolutely all of her adoring fans."

"That's understandable." Sunset began, before thinking this could still be a great opportunity. "But since we're friends now, perhaps I can help you out? Let's just say the other... you, taught me a thing or two about fashion and generosity. Plus, I certainly wouldn't mind doing a little work with you, if it means we could bond with each other."

"Well, I'd certainly be in a state of organized chaos if I turned down help when I most certainly need it." Rarity said gratefully. "Miss Pommel and Sassy Saddles are currently doing their own side commissions, so I guess it'll just be you and me, my new assistant. Thank you very much, Sunset."

"Awesome!" Sunset said enthusiastically. "Are you going out to get the required materials or anything?"

"Not at all, actually. I have everything I need back at Carousel Boutique." Rarity responded. "I was actually checking to see if anypony around here could give me any fresh and original ideas to make this dress dazzle. Coming up with originality becomes rather difficult over time, wouldn't you believe it?"

"Yeah, I can certainly relate." Sunset acknowledged. "Even drawing up comic books begins to take a toll when you have no idea which direction to take. But anyways, it looks like you got your wish, now that I'm here. I guess we could head back to your place to discuss ideas."

"Sounds wonderful, dear." Rarity said with hope, as the two unicorns began heading to Carousel Boutique.

As they had both entered the carousel, Sunset could certainly see Rarity was truly having a lot more trouble than she let on. There were bizarre dress designs hanging on mannequin ponies, many papers with rejected designs scattered and crumpled up around the floor, and even several trash cans filled with cut fabric. With the knowledge of Rarity seemingly going through all this for the new client, and being told she had a week less to finish everything, Sunset certainly began feeling sympathetic toward her. Luckily, she was now there to help her generous friend prevail, and Sunset did have her own senses of fashion which would certainly give Rarity a new perspective on the matter. Seeing all the failed attempts at dresses, Sunset felt she had to understand what specifically Rarity needed to accomplish for this clothing commission.

"I can certainly see that you've already given a fine attempt in your creative spirit, that's for certain." Sunset started off.

"Yes, this organized chaos isn't a pretty sight at all, wouldn't you say?" Rarity asked rhetorically. "Unfortunately, after all these years in making hundreds of dress designs, the public simply demands more originality, quality, functionality, and creativity. And I'm afraid asking a designer like myself to now create something that perfect and ambitious is just too much."

"Let's break this down bit by bit." Sunset said, trying to analyze everything. "Did your client by any chance mention that this absolutely had to be a dress with the most perfect qualities imaginable?"

"Well... no." Rarity admitted. "She only mentioned wanting something nice to wear at the annual Manehattan beauty pageant. But of course she would say that, she wouldn't want to stifle my creativity. Plus, making super ambitious and perfectly designed dresses just proves to clients that I'm a designer who can outdo herself, putting quality and design over anything competitors would come up with. It guarantees business and gives yours truly a good image in the eyes of the public."

"I get you." Sunset understood, before explaining her own viewpoints. "But perhaps you're still going about it all wrong. Just hear me out, at least. It looks like you've become too focused on being a perfectionist for this dress, that you've forgotten to incorporate basic aspects to prevent it from becoming defective. For example, notice how some of those failed dresses in the corner either lack functionality or have incredibly unusual design choices. I feel as though focusing too much on perfecting this design may be more counter-intuitive than the little things, which really matter."

"I suppose... I had forgotten the image and direction I wanted to take with this project, since I hadn't really been working on it until after I was informed the deadline had changed." Rarity reflected. "I was working on Twilight's coronation gown after all, and did focus too heavily on being as ambitious as I could. That did admittedly backfire when I learned later on at the event, the dress being too ambitious contributed to the disaster of her falling off the balcony after she got her crown. Maybe you do have a point after all."

"Right, so I was thinking perhaps we could come up with something more different for your client." Sunset started explaining. "You said she simply wanted something nice to wear at a beauty pageant, right? I'd think something as simple as a vest could do the job just as effectively as a dress. Coming from me, dresses are pretty overdone at times, especially at beauty pageants. Plus, I would certainly know building a fully functional dress with tons of detail in such a short time isn't something we'd likely be able to pull off. With the stricter deadline and the order not specified to be a dress, I think we can definitely handle doing a vest, at least."

"A vest..." Rarity pondered. "I've never thought about crafting these for a Manehattan order, but I believe that could be a better idea, dear! We don't really have a lot of time either, so you do have a point, I'd most likely just put out something cheap and unfinished if I truly kept the ambition and stuck to the deadline. But unfortunately, I would have no idea where to start, I'm afraid I have little experience with designing vests, as I've mostly stuck to dresses my whole life."

"Well, how about just something simple, but able to accomplish the goal of making the pony look stylish?" Sunset proposed. "Maybe something made of leather? Leather's been part of most of my outfits, and it's always a material that made me happy and confident in my appearance. Plus, let's just say a good friend much like yourself, was able to design me one of the best and fashionable spiky leather vests I've ever seen."

"Leather?" Rarity thought for a second. "I can't believe I hadn't thought of using leather for my orders! I remember the time my mane got into a horrific incident, to where I couldn't show my face anywhere in Equestria. But after some motivation, I styled myself in the most trendy punk look I've ever managed to pull off. A full mohawk with leather attire which really added toward my fashion like never before. I even have some leftover leather in the shelves, so we wouldn't even need to make another trip to gather materials. This is incredibly brilliant, Sunset! If you plan on being in Equestria more often, you might have a future in fashion after all! I'd gladly even pay you for your services as my third assistant."

"I appreciate the offer, Rarity." Sunset smiled. "But it's really just something I came up with off the top of my head. Fashion's still not really my expertise, and I still had learn how to improve my own fashion from my other friends. Oh, and if I do plan on staying in Equestria longer, I've kinda already decided to focus more on improving my magic, since I haven't had available magic for so long."

"I understand, darling." Rarity replied. "But I really do owe you for saving me from this pickle. I honestly have no idea what I'd do if you hadn't come along and given me the inspiration I needed. Losing this client's interest would most certainly affect my business in many ways, even if I was at the mercy of her changing the plans very last minute."

"Very generous of you for sure." Sunset acknowledged. "But really, I'm just happy to help out a friend because I believe it's the right thing to do. After all, I used to be the kind of pony who's learned the hard way not to expect being rewarded for absolutely everything I do, let's just say."

"I insist, I should still do something for you." Rarity persisted, before thinking about it further. "I know! How about I design you a vest of your own? You most certainly know a thing or two about leather, and I would imagine it'd look nicely on you! Then you could study magic in style, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Well, alright. That does sound nice, thank you very much." Sunset replied gratefully. "But of course, we'll have to finish the main order for your client first, so we might as well get started. Is there anything at all I can help you with right now? You might need help gathering the materials to speed things along?"

"That would be excellent, dear." Rarity responded. "We haven't got a moment to lose, it's time to let the crafting marathon commence!"

With that said, both Rarity and Sunset began doing everything possible to create the most stunning leather vest anypony had ever seen. They had gathered materials, created a base design, and started trimming the leather sheets to make everything just right. Sunset had to admit, working with Rarity on clothing that was more suited to her own style was pretty fun, even if last time, it resulted in her and the rest of her friends wearing ridiculously laughable vegetable costumes. Overall, the vest was coming together rather nicely, and it began to feel like they had made huge progress in the little time they've spent collaborating on the project.

Things seemed to be going smoothly, up until the front door to Carousel Boutique opened. Rarity knew she wasn't expecting any customers today, since the shop was closed. This meant that either her client had arrived even earlier than she said, or it was likely her little sister. It turned out to be the latter, as both Sunset and Rarity heard a familiar and distinct squeaky voice from downstairs.

"Rarity, I'm home!" Sweetie Belle shouted, before making her way up the stairs as Sunset and Rarity had paused their activities."You mentioned earlier before school that you had to work on some dress, right? Well, now that I'm growing older and needing to learn future responsibilities, I'd figure I could help-"

But before Sweetie Belle could even finish, she saw Sunset, whom she had presumed was already assisting Rarity in her work. Her disappointment caused her ears fall back in sadness, as this was confirmed when Rarity spoke up.

"I'm terribly sorry, sister." Rarity apologized. "But I'm already doing that with my friend, Sunset here. If you would like us to spend time doing things together, perhaps we could mine for gems next week?"

"Alright then..." Sweetie Belle sighed, before murmuring as she began leaving the room. "It figures that the one time I actually want to spend time with my big sister, she doesn't have any time. Yet when she missed me, she only wanted us to do things I liked when I was way younger."

However, Sunset's hearing was keen to where she was able to understand everything the filly had just said, even from a fair distance away. Sunset already began to get flashbacks of the Anon-a-Miss incident, where she unknowingly took time away from the older sisters of Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, which caused the three little girls to became jealous and attempted to frame her. This was certainly no different, as the pony Sweetie Belle seemed noticeably upset when she was legitimately looking forward to spending time with her older sister.

Although what the girls did to her back in the human world was especially rotten and selfish of them, Sunset still felt a part of herself was wrong too, by simply letting Applejack exclude Applebloom from their activities. Sure, it was more ideal to hang with a group of friends around the same age, but just as she had said herself after the revelation, she already knew herself what it was like to be all alone. Although Sunset wasn't immediately thinking Sweetie Belle might plan on doing something as malicious to her for stealing her big sister, she was considering doing what she should've done back then, which might've prevented the whole Anon-a-Miss conflict in the first place.

"Rarity..." Sunset began before explaining why she suddenly stopped making further progress on the vest. "Maybe we shouldn't just exclude your sister like that. It looked like she was really looking forward to spending more time with you, and I wouldn't want to take that away from her. I also heard her mutter under her breath, something about how when you missed her, you purely wanted her to indulge in things she only liked when she was little?"

"Oh, right." Rarity said sheepishly. "That was an embarrassing experience for me, how I spent so much time away from my sister, to where I wanted to have more quality time with her, unaware she wasn't a little filly anymore. But I did end up taking away the lesson that growing up doesn't necessarily mean you also grow apart. As such, I had accepted to give her room to continue growing older on her own, as I've already assured myself she'll always be my little pony."

"Well, even if you've decided to give her space, it sounded like she really wanted to spend more time with you herself this time." Sunset elaborated, before alluding to her own parents. "If there's anything that my friends have taught me, it's that family always comes first, and that we really shouldn't exclude them when they genuinely want to spend time with you. Plus, let's just say that, I've already embraced the strong feeling that... family won't be around forever. She really did sound sad and disappointed that I'm taking up your time, so perhaps we could have her join us."

Rarity looked back at their handiwork so far, but then looked toward the direction Sweetie Belle went, thinking of Sunset's words. She began to realize her friend was right, and that this was a perfect opportunity to spend time with her sister, as this was one of the very few times in the past year Sweetie Belle actively wanted to hang out.

"You're absolutely right, Sunset." Rarity admitted making a huge mistake. "I've decided to give my sister more space to be herself, and the one time she wants to be with me, I deny her of it. Again, I guess I was caught up with making this order perfect, to where I didn't really think consider having her, as you were already assisting me. And she did say she wanted to learn from me, as one day, I'll be too old for this job, and she'll be the one running things around here. She certainly can't do just that if I don't teach her anything."

"I'm glad you see things this way now." Sunset said, happy she was seemingly able to immediately stop tension between the two unicorn siblings. "Should I go get her?"

"No need, dear." Rarity replied. "I'll go fetch her, but truly, thank you for caring enough to see family problems which I couldn't even see myself."

As Rarity stormed out of the workshop and toward Sweetie Belle's room, the two sisters reconciled before finally returning to Sunset. She noted that Sweetie Belle now seemed much happier than she was a few minutes ago, which made her feel deep down, she had done the right thing. Although the three girls definitely were in the wrong with framing Sunset, she was still able to understand why they did it, as she also knew from experience what it was like to be left out.

"Well, I guess it looks like the three of us are now going to finish this vest for that ultra-important client of Rarity's?" Sunset asked rhetorically.

"You bet!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed excitedly. "Rarity said it was your idea, so thank you very much for letting me spend time with my sister after all. Honestly, I'm kinda surprised you two didn't just carry on without me. That's what I'd usually expect if Rarity's already got that Coco pony working on dresses with her. Out of curiosity, what made you feel the need to let me join in on the activity, Sunset?"

"Well, I know myself what it's like to be alone and left out." Sunset began alluding to what the the human version of Sweetie Belle had done to her. "I did feel bad for taking your sister's time away from you, and let's just say... last time I unknowingly did this with another friend, their sibling became jealous and acted maliciously toward me. I'm not saying you would've done the same, it's just... something I've learned during my entire journey of accepting friendship."

"Sweetie Belle? Not acting malicious?" Rarity questioned with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. "Oh, I don't know, Sunset. My dear sister here once tried to sabotage the headdress I made for Sapphire Shores, just because she felt the costumes I made for her play got more acknowledgement than her acting. She actually almost cost me my entire career, now isn't that right, Sweetie?"

"Come now, I said I was sorry, didn't I?" Sweetie Belle pouted. "Plus, I did make that extra change with the dolphin stitching, which she ended up loving. But hey, this will give me a nice opportunity to learn from the master. One day, I'll be the one running Carousel Boutique, and you have said I've got the creative vision to craft, haven't you?"

"Yes, I suppose it's a good time to teach you more about fashion, darling." Rarity responded. "Alright, so why don't we all continue where we left off?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Sunset said, enthusiastic to continue.

Although the three ponies began working on the vest as expected, Sunset was still somewhat shook up by the fact Sweetie Belle did at some point end up nearly costing her sister's career out of pettiness. This was much like the human version of her, who ended up stealing Sunset's phone at the slumber party while everyone was asleep and downloaded the embarrassing photos and videos to post on MyStable. Sunset began thinking she definitely did the right thing, not only for helping Rarity improve her family relationship like a good friend, but because it might've also potentially saved her from a jealous Sweetie Belle's retaliation.

Regardless of what the outcome would've otherwise been, Sunset was glad the Anon-a-Miss incident still helped her learn a valuable lesson, even if in all fairness, it wasn't particularly clear that the three young girls were feeling excluded at the time. She took this off her mind as everypony continued doing the usual routine of gathering materials and assisting Rarity whenever possible. Rarity also had to admit, twelve hooves working together made things much faster than only four, even if she was more used to working by herself. After a few hours of hard work and perseverance, the leather vest was completed, and to Sunset, it looked much better than the one the human Rarity had made for her. She could almost feel a joking degree of envy toward the pony who would end up receiving this wonderful vest, but still kept in mind that Rarity promised she'd make another for her.

"That sure is a beauty, Rarity." Sunset acknowledged as the three unicorns gazed upon the marvelous attire. "I'm glad we were able to do this whole project together."

"And now, I would like for you to try it on, Sunset." Rarity said. "I do need somepony to model the vest for me, since Sweetie Belle here is still a little too small."

"That's fine, I'm in no hurry to grow up anyways." Sweetie responded, alluding to the incident where she and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders became adult mares.

"Wow, this is quite a privilege." Sunset said before taking the vest off the rack and putting it on herself.

It made her feel at home in the human world, since this was the first time she had worn leather as a pony. The leather vest to Sunset, symbolized the path she had gone down, to where the beauty of the vest manifested as the inner kind and empathetic pony she had become. Having three ponies work together on the dress certainly cut down on the time spent constructing the attire, and it also gave Sunset a good opportunity to bond with not only Rarity, but her little sister too. With the client's order finished, Rarity and Sweetie Belle gazed upon a pony who showed beauty on not only the outside, but the inside as well, after seeing the lovely acts of kindness she had done for both of them.

Chapter 37: Trixie's For Kids

Finally finishing up their meals, both Sunset and Starlight enjoyed what this new restaurant was able to provide, despite their waitress sparking bad memories for them. Their experience with the human Juniper at least brought them closer together, making their first adventure that much more memorable. They were ready to leave, but not before Starlight had left payment for their tab, along with a tip, as she had promised. It still made her feel awkward to once again interact with this Juniper, since she had technically already met her, despite her not being the same one. Once Juniper had been satisfied with the payment and collected it, the two unicorns trotted off together further in Manehattan, thinking of what to do next.

"Well, that sure was awkward seeing who our waitress was, don't you think?" Starlight asked. "I think that's the first time I've actually met somepony in another world before I got to know them here in Equestria."

"That's actually what's been happening to me ever since I decided to take an extended return here." Sunset related. "I guess spending time in another world under the philosophy of making new friends had somehow gotten me to know a lot of people there. And since I've returned, I've been running into the pony versions of those very people I've known, or at least encountered once or twice during my stay there."

"You can even relate to that with me?" Starlight asked with astonishment. "We really do have a lot more in common than I thought. Well, I suppose whenever you do plan on taking more extended stays in Equestria, you've got another best friend here. To be honest, I've never really had a legitimate best friend before until I met Trixie. Even then, I do sometimes feel she can be a bit of a pain, as she especially has a habit of not recognizing how badly her actions affect others. I've even lost my temper several times due to it, since it really did get that bad."

"Hmm, I don't really know much about the Trixie you know." Sunset began. "So far with the pony versions of people I've met, they can be either close to their human personalities, or completely different. But from what you've described of Trixie, it sounds like she's got the same obnoxious ego me and my friends have to put up with at CHS from time to time. To her credit though, she never means anything bad when acting the way she does, it's mostly behavior I roll my eyes at, since there's usually no harm from her actions. Plus, she even helped me one time when this girl erased my friends' memories with some magical stone artifact, so I'm more neutral on her, honestly."

"I get that feeling, Trixie's still loyal and trying to mean well." Starlight explained. "Plus, if it wasn't for her help, we probably wouldn't have helped the Changelings turn a new leaf and fit in to Equestria's society. I just... really wish she would at least take her experiences with me more to heart, and wasn't so oblivious with her shenanigans. Like there was one time she kept trying to be my assistant once Twilight promoted me to headmare of the School of Friendship. She unfortunately kept performing incompetently and even ended up putting innocent students in massive danger."

"I can definitely understand where you're coming from, but it's not exactly with Trixie from my experience." Sunset elaborated. "I've learned it's better to treat your closest friends like family, and that we can't always expect them to be perfect with us. I know what it's like, I even wished the same when I went to this festival with Pinkie. I kept getting frustrated, expecting a perfect day with her, but she just kept screwing things up and even got us both kicked out. Then, when I finally got what I wanted in my eyes as a 'perfect' day, I realized it just wasn't the same without her, and no matter how hard you try, wanting to make things perfect will just make you eternally miserable, since it's impossible. Plus, since I have my own personal flaws such as anger issues, my friends still always accepted me for who I was, much like I did the same for them."

"I never really thought of it like that, sounds like a pretty nice philosophy to take to heart." Starlight heeded Sunset's words. "I'm certainly not the most perfect pony myself, yet Trixie still accepted me despite these flaws. For example, I sometimes still have a habit of bottling up my anger to not be more calm and direct with Trixie before I just suddenly explode in her face. But thinking about this in the way you just worded it, she's still stuck by my side after all this time because we both accept each other. I suppose it's more just a matter of knowing how to live with Trixie, as I'd definitely feel lonesome without her. Honestly, this hesitation in standing up for myself seemed more like an effect on starting out feeling comfortable in making new friends. Because when I only just started to accept and embrace friendship, the last thing I wanted to do was-"

As Starlight was about to finish, Sunset tried to finish the sentence before being surprised at Starlight seemingly finishing the sentence mutually, almost as if she was reading her mind.

"Let everypony down." Both Sunset and Starlight said to each other simultaneously. Starlight gave a warm smile to Sunset at how she was even able to understand this psychological issue she's kept battling for a while. Sunset smiled back, realizing that this seemed to be a nice parallel toward how Princess Twilight and herself came to a mutual understanding of each other as a group leader, back when they were both trying to stop the Dazzlings.

"I wasn't really as confident of a leader for my friends since it was still something new I was getting used to." Sunset reflected. "It mostly involved pleasing everyone and ensuring they'd always have a friend who'd stick by their side regardless of what happens. Things weren't easy when most students at CHS kept shunning me or acting hostile. Rightfully so, since I certainly did much worse to all of them for so long. But after I saw my friends weren't powerful enough without me to aide them in their struggles, I was finally able to stand up, helping me cement myself as both a leader and true friend. It certainly was a struggle to overcome my past insecurities after all that had happened, but I managed to do so and fully integrate myself into the group as a respected and trusted leader."

"That sounds like a bold path you went down, Sunset." Starlight acknowledged. "I actually wish I had more time to experience a similar journey, since what I almost did by myself was pretty horrible. Somehow, Twilight was able to help convince everypony here that I had turned a new leaf, and that I could be a new friend for them all. I sometimes still feel bad that even after what I did, I didn't get a more fitting punishment."

"Well, from what I've read about you from Twilight, you've certainly done more good than bad in your own journey, so I'd definitely be happy for that." Sunset assured. "Although I got a punishment of rebuilding CHS after I turned into a demon and wrecked the front doors, the punishment that hit the hardest was still being socially and mentally tormented in a society that didn't understand or accept me. Well... at least until Twilight convinced my human friends to pick me up off the ground, shortly before returning to Equestria. And to be fair, I didn't exactly have Twilight to help convince everyone at CHS to give me another chance immediately, so I did have to take baby steps to get where I am now."

"That makes sense." Starlight listened on. "Perhaps it's better that I don't compare our pasts in that light, since we clearly both went through drastically different psychological effects. The least I could say now is, the two of us are finally no longer miserable and lonely, all thanks to Twilight. I'm happy for us both, along with the fact we've gotten to know each other more closely during the time we've spent together."

"Same here." Sunset agreed. "Even after you had an extended stay back in the human world the first time, we mostly hung out with my human friends, to where we didn't really have as much time to know each other like we are now. Speaking of which, how was the stay for you, personally? I'm sure it still felt awkward trying to adjust toward walking on two feet instead of four hooves?"

"The stay itself was pretty great." Starlight replied. "It was nice meeting your human friends, and I certainly enjoyed the ice cream they served at that... mall, I think it was called? As for the rest of the days I spent there, it was cool being able to explore a whole new world I had never seen before, let alone doing so outside of my unicorn body. The only real weird occurrence however, seemed to begin after the third day."

"Hm? How so?" Sunset asked out of curiosity.

"Well, I didn't say anything back then since it was only a temporary stay, and I didn't think much of it at the time." Starlight began explaining. "Everything seemed to be normal the first two days I spent in your world, but after the third day, I couldn't help but feel something was amiss. Despite being a human without magic, I began noticing unusual reflexes in my new body, almost as if a new jolt of magic was suddenly controlling me. Magic also began to somehow resonate in me, in a way that I could almost perceive, without being able to actually use it. And to top it all off, I had the weirdest dream on the third night. It's hard to describe, but... I could only sum it up as, me somehow sitting in complete darkness, while a voice in the distance began to cry out for help. The creepiest part being, it sounded like my voice."

Sunset's eyes widened after what Starlight just revealed, before speaking up herself. "That's... that's really chilling to me now that you've mentioned it. Even though I went through that portal many years ago, I still vividly remember almost a similar experience. Just like you described, on the third day, I felt uneasy myself when a seemingly outside force began to control my body. And likewise, later that night, I had that exact same dream too. It was pitch black, to where I couldn't even see my own hand in front of my face. Shortly after, I could've sworn I heard my own voice, except that it wasn't me speaking. Among the crying and screaming, I recalled two distinct sentences I was able to make out from the rest. All I know was, I definitely heard the phrases 'Mom, please be with me!' and 'Don't just leave me here, please!' said in my voice."

A chill ran down Starlight's spine as she responded. "That's legitimately pretty weird. So it wasn't just me, you went through this unusual dream and behavior out of your control too? Not only that, but also on the third day during our first times we visited the human world? I have no idea what this could mean, but I really can't imagine this was just a coincidence. If it was only me, I'd have only chalked it up as a bizarre dream, which anypony can get. There has to be more meaning behind why we both went through that when entering the mirror."

"I agree with your reasoning." Sunset replied. "The thing is, when I was hanging with Pinkie earlier at Sugarcube Corner, she mentioned how Princess Celestia at one point said something about how when Twilight first entered the mirror to retrieve the crown I had stolen, she had to go alone. Apparently, this had something to do with how sending the rest of her friends with her through the mirror could upset the world's balance? Either, this was connected to what Celestia was getting at when mentioning an imbalance, or we just had one very creepy coincidence occur."

"Considering how I'm certainly not as big of an expert as you regarding that world, I can't really say for sure." Starlight said. "Even during my own magical studies, the idea of a magical mirror sending you to another world was beyond my comprehension. If Celestia really said that though, I'd certainly ask her more about it, since it definitely sounds like she knows something more deep behind that mirror. She's now living in Silver Shoals with her sister, so feel free to visit her whenever you'd like."

"Yeah, Twilight's told me about that." Sunset began, looking a little bit glum. "I'm not really sure if I should be asking her about that though. Looking back, my persistent curiosity of that mirror was what drove Celestia and I apart, and how I ended up in the life I currently have. She always told me I wasn't ready to know about that mirror just yet, and I began to learn over time, perhaps she was right. I stayed behind in a world I had next to no knowledge about, and even after being there for so long, I'm still not sure if there's something else crucial I'm missing. I just don't know if I should bring up this topic again with Celestia, and if it could once again, negatively impact our relationship."

"I'm sure she'd still be willing to give you some closure for this unanswered mystery." Starlight assured. "Plus, that was back when you were her pupil. Now that she's no longer the princess of all of Equestria, she's got more time to relax and reflect on the past. For that matter, this sounds like information you deserve to know, now that you've spent a good chunk of your life there. You now have rare knowledge of a world, which most ponies here in Equestria have no idea even exists. If Celestia still deems you as 'not ready' to learn further information about that world, then I'd have to believe she's deliberately hiding something she doesn't want you to know about."

"Sounds about right." Sunset reasoned. "I guess... I'll ask her about it once I get to Silver Shoals, but if she doesn't want to reveal anything, I'll respect her wishes and not pry any further."

"Pretty noble choice for sure." Starlight said. "Good luck handling things when you reach that point, I hope it goes well, Sunset."

"Yeah, same..." Sunset replied. "Now that we've been going around Manehattan for a while, I'm still not sure where we should head next. All I know is, Rarity's doing something with an influencer at a beauty pageant right now. I'm wondering if we should make that our next stop?"

"Oh yeah, I heard about that." Starlight recalled, as she saw the clock of a nearby building. "According to the time, that show isn't going to start for at least another hour, so you have a little more time to explore. In the meantime, Trixie told me that she'll be performing a show somewhere around Manehattan, but she didn't mention where specifically. If we do run into her, that's another event we can check out together. Plus, I'd certainly be happy to introduce you to Trixie."

"Sounds cool." Sunset smiled. "I think I already have a pretty good idea on what Trixie's like, but of course, I haven't met this one yet. She might be full of herself at times, but she can still put on an enjoyable show. If she's anything like the Trixie I know, she'll be doing tricks involving peanut butter crackers and teacups. At least, the show she put on back at CHS was heavily themed around those two things."

"That certainly sounds like her, all right." Starlight said amused. "We've certainly had a number of adventures together."

Starlight began to share numerous stories about her and Trixie to Sunset, as they kept trotting around town looking for any places that might catch their attention. Nothing particularly stood out yet, so they mostly kept on exploring while bearing in mind that stopping by Trixie's show was a good choice. Sunset listened on to Starlight's stories until one particular story stood out, leaving her incredibly confused on what she had heard.

"Wait, what do you mean you traded away Trixie's wagon?" Sunset asked in an aghast manner. "Sure, the wagon might've been cramped, but that doesn't give you the right to sell something you don't own, at least not without her approval. I couldn't imagine any of my friends still being with me if I sold their belongings without their knowledge. Seriously, what were you thinking?"

"Yeah, I admit, that was especially rotten of me." Starlight said sadly. "It's definitely one of the biggest regrets I've made in my life, which makes me seem hypocritical when I earlier criticized Trixie for doing things without thinking of the consequences. I might've just been frustrated with how poorly our whole trip to Saddle Arabia was going, and she did end up getting her wagon back, but that's certainly no excuse for what I did. This certainly best exemplifies the conversation you and I had earlier, how Trixie and I are friends because we accept each other for who we are, despite these issues."

"Well, I'm glad things were able to work out between you and her." Sunset said modestly. "I still wish I could say the same for me and the pony Rainbow Dash..."

"Hm? May I ask what's wrong?" Starlight asked with a bit of concern.

"Eh, let's just say I accused a good friend of hers of a serious crime, only to find out it wasn't actually her." Sunset said with guilt. "Now Rainbow no longer wants anything to do with me. Talk about getting off on the wrong hoof, huh? I have no idea how I'm going to explain to Twilight about this..."

"Hey, don't fret too much." Starlight assured. "Before I met Trixie, I was trying to spend more time with the rest of Twilight's friends too. I didn't exactly make the best first impressions with any of them either. Plus, accusing someone wrongly sounds like nothing compared to my huge blunder involving Trixie's wagon, and she's still my friend to this day. Take it from me, Sunset. She'll forgive you in due time, though I would at least report to Twilight on what happened for you two to perhaps talk things out."

"Thanks, Starlight." Sunset said, a little happier with her guilt eased. "You might be the first friend I've made who's been able to fully understand most of, if not all the psychological problems relating to friendship I've dealt with over the years."

"I could certainly say the same about you." Starlight smiled, before hearing a familiar voice in the distance. "Well, good luck fixing things with Rainbow, I'll be sure to vouch for you if Twilight decides to call a meeting for us all. But moving on from this, I think I just heard Trixie's voice. It sounded like it came from over here, just down the street."

Sunset and Starlight turned the corner to see the aforementioned unicorn in the center of town square performing atop a large mobile stage. As Trixie continued to carry on with her show just as she normally would, she began to realize the audience was notably getting bored of the tricks she had started to unintentionally repeat. But the new tricks she had planned required a volunteer from the crowd, and with nopony seeming enthusiastic on participating in the seemingly dying show, Trixie found herself in a bit of a pickle. She had no idea if she was simply having an off-day, or if the crowd in Manehattan was just rather difficult to impress. However, this changed when Trixie was looking around her audience, and saw Starlight had now arrived, along with Sunset, whom she didn't recognize.

"Well well, if it isn't the Great and Powerful Trixie's favorite assistant!" Trixie announced before pointing at Starlight. "Since nopony seems to be up to the task of participating in my next amazing trick, how about you fulfill that role?"

"I'd be happy to, Trixie." Starlight began. "But I do have a guest with me this time around, and she's mentioned she enjoys magic shows. What do you say, Sunset?"

"Oh, sure. All right, I can do that." Sunset smiled as she trotted past the crowd of unamused ponies and onto the stage.

But instead of performing a trick with her as a volunteer like she would've expected, Trixie quickly grabbed Sunset's hoof and dragged her behind the curtains of the stage to give her a little rundown. Even before Trixie began explaining, Sunset already had somewhat of a feeling that Trixie needed to rely on her for something obvious in order to make this next trick work.

"Okay, listen up, girl." Trixie whispered to Sunset. "I can see you're a unicorn, so you clearly have magic, right?"

"Well yes, but-" Sunset began, but was quickly cut off before she could explain she hasn't had enough practice with her own magic.

"Perfect." Trixie said quietly. "All right, so for this trick, I'll be putting this hat on my head. Every time I say the magic word, 'teacup', I'll be ready to take it off, and every time I do, I'm going to have a new manestyle. The magic word will be your cue to use your magic from behind the curtain to change my manestyle. I don't mind what you end up creating with your magic, as long as you make it different from what I have now. The reason I can't use my own magic to do that is because the crowd would very clearly see my magical aurora, which would ruin everything. You understand all the instructions I just laid out?"

Sunset was unable to give a clear answer right away, after believing this would not end well, especially with her being out of practice with magic. "But I'm trying to tell you, I haven't had enough practice with magic-"

"Nonsense, you're a unicorn mare like me." Trixie insisted. "You've used magic for your entire life. Now no more stalling, just remember your cue when I say the magic words."

Trixie then went back on stage before Sunset sighed, not realizing what she just signed up for. She realized that while this could be a good opportunity for her to practice magic once again, making a mistake could certainly come at the expense of Trixie's performance. At the same time, Sunset could feel Trixie was cheating with this particular trick, as the volunteer she chose would essentially be doing all the work, while she'd be showing it all off. Still, this didn't seem far off from how the human Trixie would act at times, so Sunset decided to just roll with it and try her best.

"And although I just made my volunteer disappear, the Great and Powerful Trixie will now dazzle you all with this enchanted hat!" Trixie announced to the crowd, before putting the hat back on. "Every time I put it on, I will have expected to have come out of a beauty salon without actually paying for the manestyles! Why, this might be a good opportunity to have this hat give me a classy look, while I'm sipping a nice and fancy... teacup!"

Sunset listened on behind the stage, but began to panic when hearing her cue. She realized the first challenge was having proper judgement of where Trixie was behind the curtain, as she couldn't see through them. The second obstacle was definitely whether or not her mane-changing spell would even work, as from her previous experiences with attempting to use magic, she believed it could go either way. Almost without any hesitation, Sunset quickly used her magic to start up a growth spell, similar to the beanstalk she managed to grow during her last midterm at the School For Gifted Unicorns. As expected, she didn't manage to pull off the spell initially, but she tried harder to remember how she did so all those years ago. Unaware that Sunset was having trouble getting the spell underway, Trixie began to awkwardly take off her hat, only to find her mane remaining the same.

"Err... I said, I think this enchanted hat should give me a good manestyle that'll make me look classy whilst drinking from a teacup." Trixie reiterated a few times back toward Sunset's direction, as the audience was starting to really lose interest.

Finally, after trying to start up enough times, and hearing which direction Trixie's voice was coming from, Sunset managed to finally pull off a successful spell that she couldn't immediately see. She wasn't sure if the spell did grow out Trixie's mane, or if she had created an unintentional effect. Whatever was the case, Trixie sounded happy outside on the stage, to where Sunset peaked around the corner to see what was happening.

"Haha, I told you this hat was magical!" Trixie announced. "Look at how suddenly stylish your favorite magician's mane has become!"

The audience was not impressed in the slightest, along with the foals. They were all immediately able to surmise that Sunset was taken backstage to perform magic on Trixie's mane, and that this wasn't any kind of magic that the unicorns living in Manehattan were strangers to. With this final nail in the coffin, everypony in the crowd with the exception of Starlight, began grabbing their bits back from Trixie's admission jar and trotted away unamused.

"No, wait! Don't go, please!" Trixie begged, but it was far too late.

The admission jar was already empty, and the only ponies remaining were the three unicorns. Starlight went on stage to comfort her friend, while Sunset came out from behind the curtains to do the same. While processing what had happened, Starlight was rather confused at how Trixie was somehow failing at her magical performance.

"What happened there, Trixie?" Starlight asked. "You usually do so well in these performances, and make the crowds fall in love with your acts. But I couldn't help but feel you began to get desperate when you asked Sunset to perform magic for you off-stage."

"...Maybe it's a sign I'm not as good as I used to be." Trixie sighed. "Perhaps someone as great and powerful as I am finally getting too old for this kind of job. Plus, I've been performing for so many years now, it's hard for me to come up with new material. The mane shifting trick was just something I came up with off the top of my head, since I had no more ideas on how to truly amaze those ponies. Not even the fillies or colts in my audience seemed impressed by my performance, even for some of the good tricks I did earlier on in the show."

"I can definitely understand doing something for a little too long, to where I start getting sick of it." Sunset mediated. "It's why I decided to take a break from my old hometown to return to Canterlot for a bit. Maybe you were having an off-day, or the ponies here in Manehattan were just a tough crowd. But I know from experience that it's better to do something you have legitimate passion for, rather than something you begin to find repetitive and uninteresting after a while."

"I'm afraid... that is the case." Trixie agreed. "Performing magic has been my entire life, but now that I've done both figuratively and literally every trick in the book, ponies just don't find me entertaining anymore. Not just in Manehattan, but even the last few times I've gotten booked for magician gigs all over Equestria. I suppose... now that I've got big responsibilities as the new guidance counselor at that school with Starlight, along with doing this for so long... I've begun to lose passion for my craft."

"I know where you come from, Trixie." Sunset put a hoof on her. "Change is a tough thing to accept over time, but I've come to learn change can still be a good aspect for any of our lives. Starlight would certainly agree with me on that, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, right." Starlight said sheepishly. "Sunset does bring up a good point, though. Are there any other hobbies of interest you've grown to enjoy at all, Trixie?"

"Well, not really anything besides performing and having all sorts of ponies and foals adore me." Trixie reflected. "I just love that sort of attention and adoration from my work in entertainment. Now that next to nopony shows any further interest in magic anymore, I'm considering it's perhaps time I really do retire. Magic's not even that special to one pony since nearly one third of the entire pony population can use it."

"Adoration and... entertainment?" Sunset brainstormed. "And you mention you like doing so with other ponies including foals? Well, this is a job I enjoyed doing at my old town, but have you considered babysitting? I'm sure that would not only give you a perfect audience to show off what you can perform, but also gain that adoration you enjoy."

"Hmm, I hadn't considered that, but I actually like the idea." Trixie said with astonishment at how great the suggestion sounded. "For that matter, I've forgotten that when I was just starting out, I was actually hired to perform at other little foals' birthday parties. I think the first one I ever did was for somepony named Moondancer. Nopony else attended her party, but I was at least able to keep her entertained."

Sunset winced with a little guilt upon being reminded of an effect she caused by never being social with the other unicorns at Canterlot. Regardless, she was happy at being able to come up with a good solution for Trixie to continue on with her life, doing something she'd truly enjoy.

"Well, I'm glad we were able to figure something out, Trixie." Sunset smiled. "If you do start doing babysitting gigs around Equestria, maybe we should start calling you 'Babysitter Trixie', how does that sound?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of... 'The Great and Powerful Sitter', because I like to make my brand stand out." Trixie replied. "Though that name probably wouldn't sit well with parents who would want somepony to protect their foals. Alright, 'Babysitter Trixie', it is! I'll start looking for any potential jobs soon, because I'm ready to start a new career!"

"Thanks for caring enough to help her out, Sunset." Starlight smiled. "Even I couldn't have come up with an idea as great as that."

"Hey, your friends are my friends too." Sunset replied. "Plus, it's the least I can do for Trixie after she helped me stop Wallflower when she erased my friends' memories."

"...I did what now?" Trixie said, confused.

"Err, let's just say you unintentionally helped me." Sunset covered up her mistake of accidentally bringing up something the other Trixie did for her. "You're just that great and powerful."

"Indeed I am!" Trixie boasted. "But now that there could be foals in need of a sitter, Babysitter Trixie will be in town! I should start packing up my stage and equipment, while researching who needs someone to watch their foals. Wish me luck!"

Trixie went on to pack up all her things and head out of Manehattan by herself. Though Starlight felt it was probably a good idea to help her carry some of the load, as it did look rather heavy.

"I think I'm going to help Trixie carry her things." Starlight said to Sunset. "I might even help her get started on this whole babysitting business if she really needs it. In the meantime, the beauty pageant Rarity told me about should be starting soon, I think in about half an hour. The building is right down the corner on the left from where we are now, and it's got neon signs, so you definitely wouldn't miss it. Thanks again for being a good friend to both Trixie and I."

"Anytime, hope I'll see you again soon." Sunset finished, as she waved goodbye to the two unicorns now carrying huge wagons of equipment.

With enough time spent in Manehattan, Sunset realized that it was still a good opportunity to check out the beauty pageant, and the reception of the leather vest she and Rarity had worked on. Although she wasn't entirely sure if Rarity was finished with her meetings yet, she decided to still attend, as admission was free after all. Sunset went forth toward the direction Starlight had mentioned, happy that she was able to have good experiences with both Trixie and Starlight in her time here.

Chapter 38: Stealing The Show

Sunset followed exactly where Starlight mentioned the beauty pageant was located, and arrived at the building as expected. She was now thinking of what she could potentially do with Rarity to continue spending time with her, assuming she wasn't directly involved with the event. As she entered the building with neon decorations, Sunset was able to get a clear idea on where everything was, due to the signs laid out in the main lobby. One door led to a hallway connecting to the auditorium, where the main event was taking place, while another door was connected to a break room, where Rarity presumably already finished her meeting, as it was now empty.

While approaching the main hallway, Sunset stopped as she began hearing a voice in the distance, likely coming from another room on the other side of the building. As she distinctly heard the voice saying, 'Since you're no longer my fashionista, make sure you don't mess up my show, or you're fired!', something about the voice legitimately sounded familiar. It began to remind Sunset that the name 'Valencia' seemed like someone she met in the human world, but she had honestly forgotten who it was after a while. Regardless, it certainly sounded like whoever said this was incredibly pompous and demanding. Though to Sunset, she didn't really pay too much mind, since she was mostly here to see the show with Rarity, as admissions were free.

Although Sunset was initially thinking of simply heading toward the auditorium, she heard another voice crying behind her near a backdoor she didn't notice before. In the far corner of the lobby, Sunset trotted over to another passageway which was marked with a sign reading 'Fashionistas only!' in front. Sunset wasn't wanting to trespass, but the concern and urge to do so was growing heavily, as she began recognizing it was actually Rarity crying. It didn't sound fake or anything minor, she could begin to hear Rarity crying severe tears of heartbreak. Thinking nothing more to it, she simply decided to go on ahead, since she was technically considered to be a fashionista for helping Rarity design that vest earlier.

Hearing Rarity seemingly heartbroken for whatever reason, Sunset realized she definitely couldn't enjoy the show with this knowledge. Plus, she believed that since these ponies were now her friends too, it was her responsibility to help ameliorate their struggles as best she could, much like her human friends did for her. Sunset entered the back hallway which eventually brought her to a dressing room. Thankfully, since the building's security guards were currently on break, she was able to go all the way in without any trouble, but eventually found Rarity curled up on the floor all by herself. Seeing how seemingly mentally damaged Rarity appeared to be, Sunset knew something tragic must've happened, to where she began questioning her friend.

"Rarity?" Sunset asked with concern. "I heard you crying severely when I entered the building. What in Equestria happened here?"

"Oh... Sunset?" Rarity looked up to her unicorn friend. "So glad that you could make it here after all. It's... it's nothing, don't worry about it, just know that I'm perfectly fine and that nothing's wrong at all."

"Come on, Rarity." Sunset said after raising an eyebrow. "I know that is far from the truth. Please, let me know what's going on, I can help you get through this."

"Well..." Rarity began, before sniffing more. "Did... did you remember I mentioned that before we came to Manehattan, the leather vest we worked on was for my important client, Miss Valencia?"

"Yes... how did that go?" Sunset questioned with a little hesitation.

"She hated it." Rarity moped. "It was a complete disaster. After finishing up my meeting and presenting the attire to the Madame, she went on and on about how giving her something small and made of leather would end up making her look cheap and unappealing, as she instead wanted the most perfect and ambitious dress in Equestrian history. She then chastised me for attempting to pull a quick one with her, and that because of this, she'd never order anything from me ever again. To make things even worse, she didn't even end up paying me for what I came up with and demoted my position in her show. I went from her main fashionista to the pony who'll simply shower confetti on her during the event."

"That's terrible!" Sunset said shocked and angered. "Didn't you say that she never specifically asked for a dress? Just something that would make her look nice at this beauty pageant? And to top it all off, she also cut your crafting time by a whole week without even letting you know until the last minute?"

"Well yes." Rarity replied. "But in her eyes, the vest did not make her look nice, and she mentioned that she would've expected me to know the order would've been for an ambitiously marvelous dress design. As for arriving a week early, she mentioned that good fashionistas should be expected to deal with plan changes, regardless of how severe they may be. She has the best connections around Manehattan, so I would understand she'd be too busy to accommodate for my needs. I guess she was right, I really am nothing but a failure. She still mentioned at the very least, showering the confetti will still give me a small chance to persuade her into recommending my line."

Upon hearing the extent of what this Valencia pony had seemingly been putting her friend through, Sunset immediately felt she had to step up.

"Rarity, no." Sunset frowned. "This isn't right at all. If she didn't specify what she wanted to order, then that's on her and not you. She should still be very much paying you for your efforts to compensate the trouble you went through, especially if she wanted something nice to wear for herself and gave you less than a day to do so. It sounds like to me, she's simply using you, if she's not even going to pay you a single bit after this is all over, but only payment in exposure. That is the absolute most selfish thing anypony could ever do. Not caring for the extent of how much somepony sacrifices for them, basically taking them for granted at all times, just like... I used to do myself with Princess Celestia."

"No no no, please don't say that of the Madame, Sunset." Rarity insisted. "She has much more power over the fashion business than anypony else in Equestria, even surpassing myself and Miss Pommel combined. It is now my duty to stay on her good side, as it could still guarantee business for a good, solid while."

"Please, hear me out, Rarity." Sunset begged. "You are most definitely going about it all wrong. I don't know who this Valencia pony is, but from what you've described of her, I can definitely understand her true intentions. She is most certainly taking advantage of you, and once she's finished, she'll simply toss you aside like garbage. I'm only trying to look out for you, since I used to do free comic book art for others myself. I deeply regretted it when they kept treating me badly despite all I sacrificed for them. I just really want you to understand, there's a huge difference between doing something nice for a friend, and letting yourself be taken advantage of."

"Miss Valencia?" Rarity asked with confusion. "I think you misunderstood, Sunset. Miss Valencia and I have known each other for a while now, and she's simply the manager for the Madame during this beauty show. The pony whom I've been describing is the Madame of Manehattan. Nopony seems to know her actual name, so we typically always just refer to her as 'The Madame', like I've been doing. Miss Valencia was simply the client who ordered from me, but it was the Madame who demanded her to not pay me."

"Oh, gotcha." Sunset replied. "But still, whoever this Madame is, I still can't wrap my head around how she's been treating you. I knew back when I helped you finish that vest, you were certainly a pony of passion for your hard work. After everything you've described of the Madame, I'm appalled from the position she's put you in. I think the best choice here would be to simply abandon the show and refuse any further demands from the Madame until you get paid in full."

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that ship has sailed." Rarity sighed. "Everything you've just advised me on, I was actually thinking of doing just that. But now, I'm most certainly between a sewing machine and power outage. The Madame made it clear that if I ditch the show or refuse to shower the confetti, she'll purposefully use her connections to talk badly about my services. I'm guessing she knew I would be unhappy for this treatment she's given me, and is using this as a way to prevent me from retaliating. I just can't take that risk, since business at Carousel Boutique had been even slower than usual for some reason."

"I see..." Sunset empathized with Rarity's dilemma. "There's got to be some kind of way we can beat this Madame at her own game, or I'd be afraid she'll keep doing this with not only you, but anypony else she orders from."

Before Sunset or Rarity could reflect on the entire situation, the aforementioned manager had then opened another door to find Rarity. Sunset turned around and finally remembered who Miss Valencia truly was after one look at her. Just as Rarity had alluded to, she was that influencer who had somehow gotten a magical phone, Vignette Valencia, back during Sunset's trip with her friends to Equestria Land. Although Sunset was more focused on winning a rigged ring toss game with Twilight at the time, she was still able to remember what Vignette did to her and her friends. Trapping them all in a seemingly inescapable place similar to Juniper's mirror, only to find out later they were simply teleported to a white room at the carnival. Remembering this, Sunset decided to tread lightly if this Vignette was bad news as well.

"Hey, Rarity?" Vignette said with sorrow. "I'm really sorry with the way my boss has been treating you. I only started working as her manager recently, and had no idea she treats her fashionistas this way. I really wish I could spread a good word about your business after the show, but Madame's not allowing me to, since she gets the final say on your business's quality."

"It's fine, darling." Rarity responded. "It's certainly not your fault when she basically threatened to make your life miserable if you used her money to pay me for that vest. Honestly, firing you if even one bit was missing from her bank account? But it's not like either of us has a choice, due to how powerful the Madame is in the fashion market."

"I'm pretty powerful in the clothing market too." Vignette reflected. "But unfortunately, Madame still outranks me, and my influence on the market could absolutely plummet if she becomes displeased. Plus, I really do need this job as her manager, since I'm behind on rent for my home here in Manehattan. I just can't take any chances."

Hearing this conversation, Sunset began to feel bad for Vignette as well. Understanding everything, she could see that both Vignette and Rarity were practically in the same boat, being forced to work for an overbearing tyrant and blacklisted if they attempted to go against her. It also didn't help that she was like this with the students of CHS when she first entered the human world. Sunset wanted nothing more but to help out, so she decided to join in on the conversation to come up with ideas toward a solution.

"Miss Valencia, was it?" Sunset addressed. "You mentioned you're an influencer on the fashion market, right? Have you considered sharing a story to everypony, documenting the horrid treatment the Madame had put both you and Rarity through?"

"Well, I'm both a fashionista and marketer, but I'm afraid attempting to expose her is out of the question." Vignette replied. "Earlier after I saw how badly she treated Rarity, I confronted her about it and even brought up the idea of sharing what I just witnessed to the ponies of Manehattan. Unfortunately, she called my bluff when mentioning I have no proof, and that she'll just end up denying all the allegations, along with firing me, and making sure I'll never get a job in fashion ever again. I'm already in huge financial trouble as it is, I have no power against somepony with as many connections as Madame."

"You're so brave for attempting to stand up for me, even during your troubled times, Vignette." Rarity replied. "But as it stands, it appears that we just don't have any other options. I'll pour the confetti for her to stay on her good side and possibly get decent reviews for my business, and you'll have to keep working as her manager to ensure you won't get evicted."

"Yep, I'm afraid that's just how things are going to roll." Vignette said, sadly. "If only there was something we could do to come out on top in this battle. With how well known Madame is in Equestria, there's just nothing we can seemingly accomplish if she'll constantly hold the bad reviews over our heads."

It was at this point, Rarity and Vignette felt absolutely defeated, almost sure that they'd have to do the Madame's bidding, whether they liked it or not. Sunset however, kept analyzing the situation, while also being rather touched at how much nicer and caring this Vignette was toward Rarity. This motivated Sunset to do anything possible to help them both defeat the Madame and not end up with miserable lives. She kept on brainstorming, understanding the Madame's advantages to potentially come up with a way those could be used against her. Eventually, she decided to reflect on her own personal memories back in the human world, but realized that her experience with defeating the human Vignette didn't really seem comparable to the current situation.

However, she was on the right track with reflecting back on the past, as she soon recalled another unpleasant memory. Way back when Princess Twilight and her own future human friends utilized the magic of friendship after Sunset had turned into a raging she-demon, she was engulfed in a powerful rainbow tornado that ultimately defeated her. Upon regaining consciousness as she begun to hear Twilight's voice from within a deep crater below the ground, she always remembered how powerful Twilight's words were after she reverted back into a human.

"You will never rule in Equestria." Sunset recalled Twilight saying this to her atop the ground. "Any power you may have had in this world is gone. Tonight, you've shown everyone who you really are. You've shown them what is in your heart."

The reason Sunset recalled this moment so well was because of the impact it had on her life, as it was the pivotal moment she decided to truly accept taking friendship more seriously, like Princess Celestia would've wanted all those years ago. She definitely also remembered crying and begging for forgiveness from everyone shortly after, which everyone at CHS eventually ended up giving her. But the main reason she decided to reflect on this particular memory was because it seemed the absolute most relatable to this dilemma. Twilight's words were correct, in the sense that the Madame would have power over nopony if they were somehow able to show everypony else who she truly was. Sunset finally had an idea to solve everything, as she noticed Vignette hugging Rarity, trying to comfort each other.

"Rarity? Vignette?" Sunset addressed the two ponies. "I think I've thought of a way to help the both of you out of this."

"Well, I guess you could explain your ideas." Vignette replied. "But again, I'm not so sure I'd be confident in doing it."

"Same here." Rarity moped. "I need my good business reputation, and Vignette needs a way to pay her rent."

"Okay, so let's break down the Madame's strengths here." Sunset began explaining. "We know she has a powerful influence on the market, connections all over Equestria, and an overall good reputation to the community, is that correct?"

"From what I've heard of her, yes." Vignette confirmed. "That's actually why I decided to fill in as her pageant manager when I saw she seemed like a reputable pony. I sure feel like a fool after seeing how she treated Rarity."

"And you mentioned that you wouldn't feel comfortable writing a bad story about her since you'd have no proof to the public to back up your claims?" Sunset questioned.

"Well, we don't really have a proper way to expose her, since the building does have security guards lined up by the Madame's room, and they won't let anypony near there, not even Vignette nor I." Rarity elaborated. "I do recall one time, Applejack's friend, Rara, had a slimy manager, some stallion named Svengallop. Twilight was able to magically record his true colors and broadcast the recording to Rara, helping her finally see his true intentions. However, despite being proficient in magic, I actually don't have the knowledge of how to use my magic to record ponies like that. And considering the show is starting soon, it'd be too late by the time we find Twilight to help us. Even then, I can't imagine we should inconvenience her, since she's already likely got tons of royal duties on her plate."

"I feel like I've been taught such a spell by Princess Celestia." Sunset said, somewhat amused at how alike she and Twilight were, likely due to having the same mentor. "But unfortunately, it's been a long time since I've done it, and I'm only recently getting used to being able to use magic again. I don't feel completely confident in reliably pulling this off, and we only have one shot at getting proof of her showing her true colors before the show."

"That's what I was afraid of." Vignette said as her ears drooped in sadness. "I'm in charge of the building, and know for a fact the Madame's room does have a recording booth nearby. But unless we can somehow get past the guards blocking the entrance to that hallway, we aren't going anywhere."

"A recording room and security guards?" Sunset brainstormed. "I think I have a solid plan on how we can outsmart the Madame. As long as you two are committed to the plan?"

Sunset, Rarity, and Vignette all huddled together to quietly whisper every bit of detail regarding this plan. By the end, Rarity and Vignette were both astonished by what Sunset had proposed, and agreed to go along with everything.

"My word, Sunset!" Rarity exclaimed. "You're absolutely brilliant for being able to come up with all this! She'll never know what hit her!"

"Agreed!" Vignette said with approval. "The only real drawback is, while Rarity will continue to have her business, I'll be out of a job. But I've decided at this point, I'd rather become homeless than lift another hoof for that pompous boss of mine. I'm in!"

"Terrific!" Sunset said, happy to hear her plan sat well with the two ponies. "We might only have one shot at doing this, but as long as we stick to the plan completely, we'll be absolutely sure to prevail in the end. Now let's get this party started, it's time for us to steal the show."

Chapter 39: Well Excuse Me, Madame!

Sunset, Rarity, and Vignette went out of the room and into the hallway to the Madame's room, where the Madame herself was currently at. As expected from their previous conversation, there were two large stallion guards standing in front of the Madame's door, keeping alert for any intruders or signs of trouble. Unlike a lot of the ponies she had been encountering during her time back in Equestria, these stallions were completely unrecognizable to Sunset, so she simply went on with their plan and didn't think too much of another mission to sneak past some security guards.

Although Sunset herself wasn't too afraid of them, given what she went through back at Canterlot with Max Steele, Rarity and Vignette were more nervous. After all, if Sunset were to get caught, they'd imagine the worst that would happen to her would simply be getting kicked out of the building. But if they were to end up displeasing the Madame after getting caught, they could both kiss their careers goodbye. Before Sunset came along, the situation seemed completely hopeless, with the Madame blackmailing the two to where neither of them would even dare attempt to retaliate.

Rarity and Vignette basically had a choice in either serving their greedy and pompous boss without much compensation, or simply living life with the Madame constantly badmouthing them. Neither path sounded particularly pleasing, which still ended up making them question if this payment from their jobs was truly worth it at all. However, it was Sunset's words and seemingly foolproof plan that had given them the confidence to finally stand up against their corrupt boss, just as she had previously done with Derpy. With that said and done, the three ponies ventured further on, hoping to finally expose the Madame to everypony else in the outside world of who she truly was. Of course, the first obstacle in their path was getting around the guards, before they could even reach the Madame herself. Rarity peaked around the corner to see the two stallions watching the door at the end of the hallway, not making even the slightest budge.

"Rarity." Sunset whispered. "Are you sure you can handle this, just like we planned?"

"Oh, of course, dear." Rarity whispered back. "I've even helped Fluttershy get the last batch of asparagus at the market with my skills. And even if this somehow fails, you two remember what to do, right?"

Sunset and Vignette nodded back, before Rarity calmly trotted down the hall and up to the two stallions. As Rarity wasn't actively attempting to enter the Madame's room, the guards didn't pay too much attention to her presence, until she started speaking up.

"Why hello." Rarity began in a flirty tone. "What are a couple of handsome and strong stallions like yourselves doing in this building alone?"

The stallions simply ignored this question, as it seemed inconsequential to answer her. They were being paid to watch the Madame's door and keep out any intruders, so they simply carried on, but kept their guards up if Rarity were to pull a quick one.

"I see, not very talkative, are we?" Rarity observed. "Well, I was just feeling lonely and wanted to see if either of you wanted to have a quick lunch with me? I do know a good place down the street that serves delicious hayburgers."

"Not at all." Brick House finally answered. "We get paid by the hour, and it's going to take a lot more than a mare and some food to get us to abandon our posts."

"Well, I dunno." Night Watch slowly began accepting Rarity's offer. "Bud, we've been standing here for nearly 7 hours now without a single break or opportunity to get lunch."

"That's because we're guarding the Madame's room, and she pays big amounts for us to stay here without any breaks." Brick House huffed to his partner.

Upon hearing this, Rarity thought of another way to persuade the guards to leave their post. It seemed possible that these guards could potentially be unhappy with the Madame's treatment as well.

"Is that so?" Rarity questioned. "Well, if that's the case, how's the payment she's actually given you two?"

"Me?" Night Watch began. "It's my first day on the job, and she's mentioned she doesn't pay us until the end of the week. But I'm sure it'll be worth it when she finally does pay us."

"End of the week?" Brick House asked rhetorically. "I've been working here for nearly a month now and I haven't gotten paid yet. But I trust the Madame since she mentioned there was a problem in her finance deposits. She promised she'll pay me back with interest once it's resolved."

"What!" Night Watch exclaimed. "I can't believe we're selling ourselves to do all this for her, and she can't even do something as simple as pay us on time!"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it." Rarity said with dismay. "I actually know a good friend of mine who worked on a beautiful vest for the Madame, only for her to expect a dress and refuse to pay her. Despite the fact she never asked for an actual dress, just something nice to wear."

"Well in that case..." Night Watch had a blank expression on his face before he trotted away from his position and over to Rarity. "I'm sure she won't mind me taking a quick break if she's going to be this sticky with paying for things. I'll take your offer for lunch, ma'am!"

"Splendid, dear!" Rarity said with approval. "Come this way, we haven't a minute to lose!"

"You'll actually sacrifice your career over a little lunch?" Brick House addressed his security partner. "That's up to you then, but I ain't going anywhere unless the Madame says so."

"Suit yourself!" Rarity replied nonchalantly as she escorted the other stallion out the building.

"I wasn't quite expecting both of the guards to leave anyways." Vignette whispered under her breath.

Sunset and Vignette were hiding behind furniture to avoid drawing any suspicion of foul play, before continuing on with their plan. Since Rarity was able to successfully remove one of the guards, the task felt much easier than originally expected, as she subtly used her magic to withdraw the building's keys from Night Watch's pockets, and passed them to Sunset. Even if the remaining guard was to somehow start chasing after them, it was still two against one, and one of them had a way to easily get inside. However, they still decided it was best to not get careless, as even if they could get past this guard, there was still the matter of dealing with the Madame.

"Alright, let's hope this plan works." Sunset said to Vignette, before the fashionista casually trotted up to the guard down the hall.

"Hi there." Vignette said with a friendly tone to the stallion. "I was wondering if I could please speak with the Madame?"

"Miss Valencia." Brick addressed the fashionista. "You know for a fact that nopony is allowed to see the Madame directly before the show. If you could kindly leave and stop wasting my time, that'd be much appreciated."

"Oh, okay. I guess that's reasonable." Vignette replied. "But I guess that means neither of us will be getting a salary increase from the Madame for protecting her show. Because I just noticed there seems to be a suspicious pony in the building who's attempting to sabotage the show or steal from her."

"I'm not going to believe you for a second until I see it with my own eye-" Brick began, before he noticed a pony around the corner behind Vignette, wearing a black suit and ski mask. His initial thought was believing the pony was either a burglar or vandalist, and immediately ran right past Vignette before yelling. "Hey, I see you there! Turn yourself in now and I promise I'll go easy on you!"

Unknown to Brick, this was actually Sunset, who had taken the ski mask and suit from the dressing room earlier. Just as Sunset had anticipated, the guard ran directly toward her direction, so she immediately turned the corner and sprinted. After sprinting enough, she had stopped at an intersection leading toward another two hallways, before hiding herself in a closet, much like she did back when Max had chased her at Canterlot. The plan seemed to be going smoothly, as Sunset was now expecting the guard to run past the closet and into the hallways, hopefully buying her and Vignette some time for the next phase.

Although Vignette was behind the guard, Sunset was still expecting her to eventually catch up and find her in the closet, so that they could switch places. Vignette would wear the burglar disguise to lure any other security guards away from the Madame's room, while Sunset could go investigate. Unfortunately, the plan seemed to derail for a moment, as Brick actually had pretty wide range of hearing, being able to pick up a door being slammed, even from a fair distance away. Due to this, he was able to surmise that the burglar had hid themselves, either in a nearby room or closet. By an unexpected turn of events, Sunset was shocked when she eventually saw the pony who ended up opening the closet door wasn't Vignette, but instead, the guard.

"Thought you could get away from me, did you?" Brick asked Sunset in a hostile manner.

Sunset was initially panicking, realizing she didn't exactly prepare for the guard actually finding her in the closet. Thankfully, by some miracle, she was saved when she saw Brick had somehow been knocked out, and noticed what happened as he collapsed. It was Vignette, who had luckily been following behind as he was focused on searching for Sunset. She had snuck up to him and grabbed a nearby vase to break over his head, in case he somehow found Sunset.

"I had a feeling he might do that." Vignette said. "He's definitely the most notorious security guard in this building for taking his job way too seriously and searching anywhere for trespassers. I'm generally not a pony who likes to play rough, but it seems I had no other choice there."

"Thanks for looking out for me." Sunset replied, as she took off her disguise and handed it to Vignette, who started putting it on herself.

"Well, even though the two security guards are gone, more are definitely going to show up soon." Vignette explained before pointing her hoof at Brick. "Especially once he regains consciousness. So even though we now have more leeway to get into the Madame's room, I'm afraid you'll still have to go in by yourself, like we originally planned. It's just too risky, and you might not have enough time to get everything you need if other guards are looking for us."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Sunset agreed. "Thanks for taking one for the team. I'd certainly feel like being the diversion for all the security guards would be the toughest role to fulfill. But don't you or Rarity worry. Once I get enough evidence of the Madame, neither of you will have to worry about her ever again."

Vignette nodded as both she and Sunset returned back to the hallway leading to the Madame's room. With both of the security guards gone, Sunset ran down the hall while Vignette kept an eye out for any other security guards, as she would now be a bait burglar for them to chase. Sunset listened on in the room and heard snoring, which came from the Madame as she was taking a quick nap before her big show. This seemed to luckily line up perfectly with her plan, as she had intended to plant a tape recorder in the room without her noticing.

Sunset used the key Rarity had swiped earlier from the other guard, and entered the Madame's room quietly. She then placed the tape recorder under one of the cushions of a nearby couch, and pressed the record button. Then she trotted over to the entry door and taped a note onto it. The note was written by Vignette and signed by an anonymous employee, demanding a hefty salary increase, as well as a 6 month vacation, which the Madame would surely not take kindly to. As Sunset was about to leave the room, it seemed like bad timing, as she began to hear yawning in the distance, which was the Madame slowly getting up from her bed after finishing her nap.

In a panic, Sunset quickly dove behind the same couch she had placed the tape recorder onto, as she noticed the Madame's approach was imminent. On the floor, she was able to find a vague piece of gear that she recognized, despite not being too familiar with Equestria's technology. She kept it hidden in her mane as a backup, in the case the tape recorder somehow failed.

The Madame had finally gotten out of her bed from the corner of the room and slowly approached the door. From the other side of the room where Sunset was hiding, she peaked around the couch's corner to get a good look at this Madame, and she was once again able to immediately recognize who it truly was. Since she was straight up told how manipulative and arrogant this Madame was, it was no surprise to Sunset in learning that the Madame was actually the pony counterpart of the abusive former headmaster of Crystal Prep Academy, Principal Abacus Cinch.

Admittedly, this made the whole sabotage mission feel a lot more satisfying for Sunset internally. After all, she definitely always had a personal vendetta against the human Cinch for manipulating Twilight into becoming Midnight Sparkle, which almost ended up dooming both the human world and Equestria. Although she never got to actually witness Cinch catch up to her consequences after the Friendship Games, it was still satisfying to learn sometime after from the Shadowbolts that she had been fired and replaced with Dean Cadance. Regardless, this abusive treatment toward Rarity was definitely enough of a motivation for Sunset to go through with helping her friend.

As Madame Cinch took notice of the note placed upon her door, she instinctively picked it off and read it. She immediately let out a frustrated groan, along with the fact the note was signed anonymously, so she couldn't chastise whoever wrote it. She crumpled up the note using her magic and tossed it in the trash, before trotting over to the couch, where Sunset was currently hiding behind. As Cinch took a seat, she began grumbling about how she felt about her employees.

"Stupid fashionistas and security guards." Cinch said to herself. "You can't trust anypony these days. First they mess up your order and expect payment for it, and then can't even be grateful for me paying them in exposure. And then you pay cheap security guards to keep out any intruders, and I get this joker who really believes I'll give them a raise and unreasonably long vacation. These degenerates really should be more thankful for how wonderfully generous I am to them. I'm just giving them exactly what they deserve. I'll even pay them with the old dust from under my bed if I feel they did their job terribly. A beauty queen like myself deserves absolute perfection, no less! Since I have the best connections all over Equestria, I'm so glad I can use this as leverage to leech off these dumb fools for free labor."

As Sunset listened on to Cinch's rant about her employees, she was glad to hear the Madame was truly letting it all out. The recorder was picking up everything perfectly, and a good majority of her monologue was effective at showing her true colors. The plan seemed absolutely foolproof, as once Cinch left the room, it would give Sunset the perfect opportunity to grab the tape recorder and present solid evidence of the Madame being an incredibly haughty and selfish tyrant, much like the human principal version of her. However, this feeling didn't last too long, as Sunset eventually heard Cinch say something that would increase her anxiety like never before.

"Say, wait a minute." Cinch muttered with slight suspicion. "Why does my sofa feel more lumpy than usual? Miss Valencia didn't do a shabby job at fluffing my cushions, did she?"

Madame Cinch got off the couch and removed the cushion she was sitting on, revealing the tape recorder Sunset had planted there with the 'on' button down and an active red light, indicating it was currently recording. She immediately frowned upon seeing this and began figuring out what was going on. Whoever put that note on her door was attempting to make her rant on her employees and record it as evidence to expose her. After becoming more alert and aware, she then instinctively grabbed the tape recorder and searched more thoroughly around the room, before eventually finding Sunset hiding behind the couch.

"Oh, you think this is funny, do you?" Cinch snapped at Sunset before raising the tape recorder in the air and smashing it on the floor, destroying it completely. "You trying to make movies, or what!?"

"No no!" Sunset insisted. "I can explain, you see-"

"Save it!" Cinch demanded before going over to pick up a telephone. "I know exactly what's going on now. You're trying to catch me in the act and destroy my perfect reputation here in Manehattan! I'll never let that happen! I'm going to call security and have you thrown in Manehattan prison, and then I'll fire them for letting you get in here!"

Sunset knew there was no use in trying to fool the Madame at this point, but kept in mind that she needed to do anything she could to expose the Madame, even if the tape recorder was now busted. After all, Rarity and Vignette's futures were on the line, and she would feel absolutely awful for abandoning the mission now and letting her friends down. As such, Sunset decided to improvise, as this scenario felt similar to what happened with Pinkie and herself when confronting Postcrush backstage at the festival.

"All right then." Sunset began shifting to a more hostile tone. "If you want to play dirty, so will I, Miss Drama Queen!"

Sunset quickly ran up to Cinch and slapped the phone out of her hooves. Then she quickly used her magic to blast a projectile at the phone, turning it into dust. A blazing fire began to appear in Cinch's eyes, as she stomped her hoof on the floor. There was no turning back now, and this meant war.

"You have just made the last mistakes you'll ever make in your entire life!" Cinch screamed. "Do you have any idea how much that hooficure of mine costed!? And that phone you destroyed was a valuable antique!!!"

"Well it still amuses me how you seemingly have so much money, and you can't even properly pay your employees." Sunset remarked, attempting to lure Cinch into chasing her. "Perhaps you should do yourself a favor, and maybe if you weren't buying all kinds of expensive and unnecessary junk, you could buy yourself a brain instead."

"Why you...!" Cinch snapped before going into a blind rage of fury and picking up a nearby wooden chair and slamming it against the wall, now using her magic to levitate sharp wooden shards. "Let's see how you'll run your mouth once I feed you some splinters!"

Sunset realized she had to tread lightly, as she was well aware that Cinch was now ready to legitimately harm her. She already knew Cinch was a pompous and domineering Madame, but hadn't expected she would turn out to be so aggressive and violent. This definitely gave Sunset all the more reason to put an end to her game, as she couldn't imagine how much more abusive Cinch would be if she didn't decide to step in to help Rarity and Vignette. However, much like with her clash with Gilda, she decided to fight smart rather than aggressive. She used her magic to levitate a nearby expensive painting off the wall in front of her as a shield to block any of Cinch's sudden stake attacks.

"That might be a super rare and limited edition painting..." Cinch sighed with slight grief. "But if sacrificing it means getting rid of you for good, the Madame will be absolutely satisfied!"

Cinch began pelting the fragments of chair toward Sunset, who was able to deflect all the fragments at ease, until the last fragment knocked the painting out of her grip. Sunset then immediately bolted toward a recording booth next to the Madame's room, consisting of microphones, equipment, and speakers. In a panic, she started looking around the room for anything that might assist her in exposing the Madame, as she finally rushed in, cornering Sunset.

The Madame knew Sunset would utilize the recording booth's equipment in an attempt to expose her again, so she simply kept quiet and used her magic to hurl various equipment at her. Unknown to her, Sunset was already one step ahead of her, and had agile ninja-like reflexes. It wasn't as effective as her techniques in human form, but spending enough time as a unicorn back in Equestria had already helped her get used to the postures. It was just enough for Sunset to dodge all of the attacks, before she finally used an open advantage to toss a microphone up at the ceiling, hitting a chandelier. The chandelier was immediately damaged due to Sunset's strength, falling on Cinch's head, and stunning her temporarily.

Sunset saw that the chandelier didn't knock Cinch unconscious like the guard from earlier, so she knew it was time to escape. Thankfully, having the one secret gear piece with her was all she needed, as it was then mostly just a matter of getting around the Madame in the recording room. As Cinch eased her head from the pain, her intent on pulverizing Sunset grew ever so stronger, as she eventually got up and took notice of Sunset leaving the room and back into the hallway she had originally come from.

"Those stupid security guards are going to get a real treat from me once I'm finished with her!" Cinch snapped, angry at how the two guards she hired to watch her room had failed at doing their job, before going back to chasing Sunset.

As Cinch pursued the intruder down the hallways, Sunset was admittedly worried she might be cornered for good if other security guards were in the building. However, while she was in the Madame's room, Vignette was able to successfully lure the guards into another floor of the building, giving Sunset more leeway to do what she needed. Although Sunset wasn't necessarily afraid of the security guards, she was certainly more worried of Cinch hurting her really badly if she caught up to her.

One thing remained for absolute certain, she had never expected that the pony counterpart of Cinch would be an aggressive and hostile monster, similar to the human Gilda that she fought. This might've been the first case of Sunset finally meeting somepony in Equestria who was much meaner than the human version she was familiar with. Although Cinch was indeed furious after Sunset and all the other students roasted her for everything she did, that Cinch still wasn't this uncivil and unforgiving. Sunset knew that this Cinch had to be stopped at all costs, as if she would willingly hunt Sunset down like this, there was no telling the extent of what she'd do with other ponies whom unlike Sunset, would never dare have the courage for standing up to the corrupt Madame.

Sunset's anxiety began to increase exponentially, as she looked back in the hallway and saw that Cinch was catching up to her. It might not have seemed like it, but the Madame was actually quite physically imposing. She could actually run just as fast, if not even faster than Sunset, and it looked like she was going to catch up soon. Sunset was hoping there was something anywhere in the building she could use to slow her down, and her prayers were answered when she turned the corner and saw a mop with a bucket of water that a janitor must've forgotten to put away. She used her magic to quickly levitate the bucket and dumped it on the floor as she ran past, leaving a huge puddle in the middle of the hall. At this point, Sunset was certainly happy to be used to having her magic again, as this was always something she admittedly missed back in the human world.

Cinch was too fixated on going after Sunset that she failed to take notice of the floor being soaked. Her speed didn't do her any favors as the momentum finally put a stop in her tracks, making her slip and fall to the floor, cracking her glasses. Sunset noticed this as she kept a safe distance from Cinch further down the hall, before using the moment to catch her breath, as she was getting tired from the sudden sprint she just did. Sunset backed away slowly to get a head start, before eventually feeling a hoof on her back. She swiftly turned around in surprise, but it was thankfully only Vignette in her burglar disguise, and not a security guard.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Vignette asked Sunset. "The other four security guards of the building started chasing me while you were in the Madame's room, but I managed to lose them on the third floor."

"Oh, that's good to know." Sunset expressed in temporary relief. "I'm afraid the tape recorder didn't exactly go as planned, but luckily, I have another trick up my hooves. We might need to start running away though, because the Madame caught me in her room and is now chasing me."

"Oh my." Vignette said in a worrisome manner. "We should probably split up before she-"

But before Vignette could even finish, she and Sunset turned around to see the Madame had gotten up from her fall and was back to chase the intruder. However, she stopped temporarily as she took notice of Vignette standing next to Sunset, dressed as a burglar.

"What is this, a prowler has found their way into my building too!?" Cinch gritted her teeth. "Those security guards are so going to get it once I'm through here! You want a job done, you gotta do it yourself, it seems. You two, are so going down!!!"

Sunset and Vignette looked at each other quickly and nodded, as the chase continued. They kept on running into the hallways, before eventually coming up to a three way intersection. Vignette headed left to the staircases, while Sunset ran right into a rehearsal room. Since the Madame was more focused on punishing Sunset first, she only took notice of which way Sunset went, and followed directly behind her. Vignette noticed this and saw an advantage to this, before formulating another plan that would show everypony who the Madame was on the inside. The rehearsal room was unfortunately a dead end, so Sunset had to hide somewhere and hope Cinch wouldn't end up finding her. The Madame ran straight up to the door but saw that Sunset had locked it from the other side, so she kicked it down and entered the room without any issue. Thankfully, since the room was relatively large in size, it would force Cinch to go through all the props and equipment before she could even find a small hint of Sunset's presence. Unknown to her, Sunset was actually hiding directly behind two bookshelves right next to the door that barely had enough space to hide a full adult mare behind.

Vignette knew however, that the rehearsal room was actually directly behind the auditorium stage, where many ponies were already sitting and awaiting the show, thanks to the free admission. She took a look at the clock and noticed it was now five minutes before the actual show, meaning that most of the seats were likely already filled. She also remembered that the building's construction team had notified her about a damaged wall on the far left of the rehearsal room, and that nopony in maintenance had been appointed to scheduled repairs. The wall was so fragile that anypony could very easily knock it down with little to no effort.

As Cinch was frantically searching the far right of the room, Vignette slowly peaked inside the room, before noticing Sunset behind the bookshelves, as she winked to her. Since Cinch was too focused on the other end of the room, Sunset quietly crept out from behind the bookshelves and slowly exited the room with Vignette. They slowly made their way together past another hallway before Vignette began to instruct Sunset on a plan she had just come up with.

"You know that recording booth next to the Madame's room?" Vignette whispered.

"Yeah, I was just there a bit earlier." Sunset confirmed.

"I got another idea." Vignette said, quietly. "All I need you to do is get back to that room and find the button labeled 'lights' on it, it's a big red button, so you can't miss it. All right?"

"Got it." Sunset nodded. "Let's just hope this time we can actually outsmart the Madame."

Sunset and Vignette then went their separate ways. Sunset carefully made her way back to the recording room where the Madame tried to assault her with all kinds of recording equipment. Vignette meanwhile, took off her burglar disguise and peaked around the corner to note the Madame was still searching at the far end of the room, giving her the proper advantage. She snuck into the rehearsal room and carefully placed a light unicorn mannequin right next to the area with the weakened wall. She then subtly placed a tarp over it, which would fool the Madame into believing Sunset was there, hiding underneath the tarp. Vignette then exited the room, and the Madame thankfully didn't notice anything. It seemed as if she was really adamant that Sunset would be hiding anywhere in the piles of props, rather than an obvious spot.

As Vignette was now outside the room, she picked up a random object from the room and tossed it hard at the side of the room with the mannequin, which caught the Madame's attention. As Vignette peaked around the corner and saw the Madame was now focusing on the other end, she then knew it was her cue to quickly make her way to the stage, and she thankfully knew a shortcut around the building. Madame Cinch was now alert and searching this side of the room, after hearing that strange noise that couldn't occur under normal circumstances. She then noticed the mannequin Vignette had set up, and knew she had finally found where her intruder was hiding.

She only played it casually, trying to let 'Sunset' keep her guard down, before she eventually made a full force tackle toward the mannequin, which also sent both it and her through the weakened wall and onto the stage in the auditorium. It was too dark for the Madame to notice she was now on the stage, but as she seemingly finally caught Sunset and was ready to pound her into pieces, she did so in the darkness, before Vignette finally arrived nearby and was about to pull the curtains to show everypony what the Madame was doing.

Meanwhile, Sunset was lucky enough to make it all the way back to the recording room, and noticed a camera pointing at the stage, where Vignette then pulled the curtains away. Sunset then knew this was her cue to push the lights button, and as she did, three bright spotlights shined on the Madame, showing to everypony in the audience she was absolutely decimating a lifeless mannequin. As it took a moment for Madame Cinch to finally notice she was not pulverizing Sunset, but rather, a unicorn mannequin, she then looked behind her to see a whole crowd of ponies in shock and surprise, witnessing the Madame enact such unprofessional acts of violence, let alone on an inanimate object.

"Ahem, Madame?" One of the ponies on the news team questioned from the audience. "I do believe we all deserve an answer as to why you're pounding down a mannequin? We are broadcasting this whole show live, by the way."

"Oh, umm, I was searching for a prowler in the building, and I heroically tried to stop them after seeing one in the darkness, since I wanted to give my security guards a break." Cinch fabricated. "I guess I was mistaken when I saw this wasn't an actual pony."

As the crowd of ponies in the audience murmured to one another with mixed feelings, the news reporter spoke up again.

"Even then, we don't really see this as professional behavior from a Madame of all ponies." The reporter announced. "And it doesn't seem likely for you to do this right before the show. Is there something you're not telling us, Madame?"

As Cinch was about to continue denying things, Sunset was watching this live from the recording room, and noticed there was also a speaker button, usually used by hosts who participate in providing live commentary for large events. Sunset then became crafty and finally brought the secret gear out of her mane which she grabbed earlier when hiding behind the couch. It was a small two-way radio that was used by security guards, likely left there in the Madame's room by mistake. Unknown to the Madame, even after she found the tape recorder and smashed it to pieces, Sunset was still using this radio to secretly record further audio of her, and she thankfully still had everything nasty she said saved on the device. She put her hoof on the speaker button to activate the microphone and placed the radio in front of it.

Not too long after, the stage's speakers began pumping out the audio Sunset had recorded of the Madame when she thought she was speaking to herself in private. The audience began hearing everything, including the news reporters who were broadcasting this live to everypony else in Equestria. They could very clearly hear how Cinch treated her fashionistas, the awful things she said about her security guards who were still doing their jobs, and even how she exploited ponies for labor by threatening to talk badly of them due to her good connections. Everypony in the audience gasped in absolute horror, thinking they were going to get a beauty pageant, but only ended up with seeing how ugly both the Madame was internally and even externally. Sunset then stopped the playback button on the radio before heading over to the auditorium herself.

Everypony in the audience began booing at the Madame, some threw rotten tomatoes at her face, while others began to get up from their seats and leave, not wanting to waste anymore of their time with somepony like her. The news reporter finally turned back around to the camera before giving her two cents.

"Well, that was certainly shocking, everypony." The reporter said. "I suppose that one thing's for certain, if you have connections all over Equestria, that can go either way. But it seems like the Madame of Manehattan had shown quite a bit of ugliness all over, which is quite ironic when you consider this whole event was a beauty pageant. Regardless, I think we've seen and heard everything we need to, and this will now be your decision on whether or not you want to support this Madame. As it stands though, I do believe everypony here in the audience is in agreement, that we will now leave the event before it even started. Manehattan News out!"

By this point, everypony in the auditorium were all gone, except for Madame Cinch, Vignette, and Sunset, who had now entered the room herself. Cinch wept in defeat, before eventually getting up and seeing Vignette and Sunset on the other side of the stage.

"You! YOU TWO!!!" Cinch screamed at the top of her lungs. "You may have exposed me, but I can still expose you two to a world of agony and despair!"

As Sunset and Vignette initially hugged each other for comfort before getting ready to run, they were thankfully saved rather quickly. A police mare had entered the building and restrained Cinch, along with the other former security guards who used to work for the Madame.

"Not so fast!" Copper Top announced before placing hoofcuffs on the Madame. "Madame, you are under arrest for fraud, disrespect of the local authorities, and from what we had just witnessed, attempted assault. You have the right to remain silent, and anything you do or say now can be used against you in a court of law."

"LET ME GO!!!" Cinch bellowed, as she kept struggling to escape from the police ponies and security guards. "IT'S THEM!!! THEY'RE THE BURGLARS WHO TRIED TO ROB THE POOR MADAME!!!"

The struggle was only in vain, as the many guards had eventually restrained and apprehended the Madame. They did not buy her claims in the slightest, and began to escort her out of the building. As she did, Sunset and Vignette walked up to her, now feeling assured that her restraints would keep them both out of harm's way. Sunset then saw this as a perfect opportunity to reiterate the words Twilight once told her back during the events of the Fall Formal.

"You will never rule over Manehattan, any power you've had in this town is gone. Tonight, you've shown everypony who you really are. You've shown them what is in your heart."

Unlike Sunset, who once teared up in sorrow and immediately apologized for her cruel deeds upon hearing these exact words, Cinch showed no form of remorse or regret. She instead only made a face of disgust toward Sunset, as the security guards finally escorted her out of the room, and eventually out of the building. This one gesture alone was enough to tell Sunset that she did good, and that she not only freed Rarity and Vignette from such tyranny, but anypony else who might've been stiffed hard by such a greedy Madame. Sunset and Vignette then looked to each other with proud expressions before doing a high five with their hooves, happy that they made a pretty good team together.

Chapter 40: Shy No More

Sunset and Vignette eventually came out of the building together, satisfied that Madame Cinch finally got what was coming to her. Vignette went back to apologize to the guard for knocking him out earlier, but he seemed to take the news of Cinch being gone rather well, especially after witnessing the Madame's true colors. As for Rarity, she had finished her role of taking the other stallion out for a quick lunch, before eventually being ready head back toward the entrance of the neon sign building. Rarity had finally arrived, seeing that Vignette and Sunset were happy, and that the Madame was being taken away in the distance. The trio reunited once more to catch up on everything that had happened, though Rarity was able to surmise that her friends had won the battle.

"So, I take it that neither Vignette nor I will have to worry about that old witch anymore?" Rarity asked with a pleased tone.

"That's right, the Madame did admittedly put up a good fight here and there, but we eventually managed to outsmart her in the end." Sunset replied. "I'll admit, your assistant and I made a pretty good team together."

"No kidding." Vignette agreed. "I wouldn't have felt confident in doing anything to go against the Madame, at least until your friend Sunset here came along. Once again, the only real drawback is, now I'm definitely out of a job still. But I'd be a fool in continuing to work for the Madame now that her reputation across Equestria has plummeted."

"That job definitely wouldn't have been worth it anyways." Sunset assured. "I'm sure you'll still find more efficient employment soon though. You certainly demonstrated you can pull off anything you're absolutely committed toward."

"Thanks." Vignette blushed. "With that tyrant now gone from Manehattan, I guess it's time to go job hunting. Hopefully my landlord won't decide to already kick me out next week."

"I'll be happy to help you out, Miss Valencia." Rarity addressed formally before turning to Sunset. "Right now though, I would just like to say, you have genuinely saved the entirety of Manehattan from one pony's complete tyranny, Sunset. If you hadn't decided to come back to Equestria, I'd have no idea what Vignette nor I would do against that Madame."

"I'm just glad I could be a true friend who stands up to the bullies." Sunset said, proudly. "It's always been a driving motivation for me, considering my past. As you would already know, I wasn't always this noble and self-sacrificing, considering I used to be the tyrannical bully myself back at CHS. Since that time, I've then understood what it's like to become the victim of the bullies, and embracing the magic of friendship. In some ways, I almost feel like coming back for an extended stay in Equestria is helping me exemplify everything I've learned since the crown incident with Twilight."

"You went from that kind of pony to becoming the one who'd genuinely help others out of the kindness of their heart." Rarity commended. "Even though we've only just met properly yesterday at Twilight's coronation, I've already grown so attached to you, and definitely am quite impressed with how far you've come. Me, Vignette, and everypony else in Manehattan are certainly still in your debt for your good deed. From now on, if you need anything from either of us, it'll be our treat."

"Very generous of you, Rarity." Sunset smiled. "But in some ways, I feel like this was also my way of repaying somepony else for their own generosity. Before the coronation, I met a certain someone, and according to what she told me, it was you who helped her gain the courage to stand up for herself. Her name's Coco Pommel, and she was the main reason I was even able to get to Twilight's coronation at all, after she decided to give me a ticket to sail on the Manehattan ferry. Yeah, you remember how I showed up late to the coronation and awkwardly joined Twilight and everypony else at the last minute? Kind of a long story, but that's what happened to me."

"That's wonderful to hear, I had no idea my own generosity rubbed off on my assistant, Miss Pommel." Rarity said with awe. "She would willingly miss the coronation just for you?"

"Actually, she said the reason she wouldn't be attending was due to being extra busy with her business." Sunset recalled. "She had an ticket she didn't plan on using, so she gave it to me in my desperate struggle to attend the coronation before it was completely over. I did promise her to pass on the generosity forward, and I guess I did just that when helping you both deal with the Madame."

"Miss Pommel's... business?" Rarity inquired. "Oh, that's right, Sunset! How could I forget? Miss Pommel's no longer only my assistant, but she's recently also started up her own fashion line under the brand name, 'Pommel's Piqué', I believe. Vignette, darling! If Miss Pommel is hiring, maybe she could have you on her team? You do have remarkable fashion marketing skills, after all."

"I'll take anything I can find, since my landlord's not going to like the fact I've now been late several months in a row in paying rent." Vignette replied.

"Splendid, dear!" Rarity exclaimed, before the three ponies trotted away from the beauty pageant center and on the road to Coco's shop.

As they finally arrived at the destination, Rarity knocked on the door before hearing Coco's announcement to come in. Upon seeing Rarity, she was happy to have the company of the one friend who changed her entire life, but also found it a pleasant surprise to see Sunset as well.

"Rarity, Sunset!" Coco announced from her counter. "Good to see you two again. Have you heard the news lately? I listened to it over the radio while I was working on new fabric designs, I had no idea our town's Madame was such a... gosh, I can't even come up with the right words to describe what I heard about her."

"Yes, I suppose you could say we heard the news." Rarity replied. "We... caused the news, let's just say."

"Oh my, I hope you're all okay." Coco worried.

"We certainly are now that we've won the battle to expose her." Rarity affirmed. "It's a good thing Sunset here came along, as without her help, me and my colleague Vignette here would most likely still be unpleasantly working for her."

"I can't imagine anypony would want to work for her now, unless they're the wardens bringing her food in prison." Sunset joked. "But we stopped by to visit since Rarity mentioned you actually run a business now?"

"Well yes." Coco confirmed. "I did start my new business a couple weeks ago, but I'm admittedly not doing so well as far as sales. I'm having a feeling that nopony in Manehattan is too familiar with my lines to immediately order from me."

"Well, that's why the Madame's former assistant would like to have a word with you, since she's out of a job now." Sunset winked to Vignette.

"Indeed, now that I'm no longer working for her, I'm still looking for some occupation." Vignette said. "Would you be interested in having me on your team? I have great skills in fashion designs and marketing."

"R-Really?" Coco asked, surprised. "You would actually want to work for me? I've set up hiring ads all over town for the past week, and I haven't even gotten a single applicant. Yes, yes! I'll take any help I can get, especially from a fashionista like yourself."

"Terrific!" Vignette expressed, elated. "I can start now, if you wish? I just hope you'll be able to pay me on time, since the Madame certainly never would've given me such a luxury."

"Of course." Coco nodded. "I absolutely believe in treating all my employees fairly and the way I would want to be treated myself. Thank you so much."

"Well, no need to thank me, I wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for Sunset." Vignette pointed at the aforementioned unicorn. "She's the reason the Madame's now gone, and she reminded us that you have a business which might need more employment."

Coco looked at Sunset and smiled softly. Sunset did end up fulfilling her promise to pass the generosity onto others, as she not only found her a new assistant for her business, but also saved everypony else in Manehattan from the Madame's utter tyranny.

"That ferry ticket seems to be one of the best investments I've ever made." Coco said to Sunset. "I can't express this enough, thank you, Sunset."

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" Sunset chuckled. "I'm just glad things worked out the way they did. Good luck with the business, you two!"

"Likewise!" Coco replied, as she and Vignette began waving goodbye to Sunset and Rarity as they had now exited the shop.

With the time that had passed since then, the sky had turned into an orange sunset, and it was definitely going to get dark soon. The setting admittedly reminded Sunset again of the eternal struggle she had endured back when attending Twilight's coronation, but found that this time around, she ended up making many new pleasant memories instead. Not only with Rarity, Starlight and Trixie, but also unexpectedly with Vignette of all ponies.

"Well, what a day we've had together." Rarity said with exhaustion. "It is going to get late soon, so of course, we may head back to the train station to return to Ponyville, as I still have my creator's pass. Bringing you back home is certainly the least I could do for you now, so if you'd like, we can check out more of Manehattan, and I'll get you anything you'd like. Or, would you like to get a nice dinner in any of the many restaurants? My treat."

"I appreciate the offer, Rarity." Sunset replied. "But I've admittedly had enough of Manehattan for one day. Plus, I already had a decent meal with Starlight, so I think I'm good for now. At the moment, I think I'm just more focused on heading back home."

"Very well then, onward to Ponyville!" Rarity declared.

The two unicorns headed all the way back to the train station and waited a few minutes before the next train had already arrived on the expected platform. While boarding the train with Rarity, Sunset noticed there weren't too many ponies onboard, so they found plenty of seats. But unexpectedly, while finding a place to sit, the two unicorns found a mutual pegasus friend of theirs. As they both approached her, they were certainly happy to see a familiar face.

"Fluttershy dear!" Rarity greeted, before she and Sunset took a seat next to her, as the train began to leave the station. "Fancy seeing you here as well."

"Oh, Rarity!" Fluttershy replied. "And Sunset too? I didn't expect to see you both on my way back to Ponyville. I just finished my daily visit to the animal sanctuary. Also, on my way over here, I heard the most horrific news regarding a certain somepony in Manehattan. Didn't you mention she was your next client, Rarity?"

"Emphasis on the word 'was', dear." Rarity explained. "Thanks to Sunset's help, we've managed to expose her true colors to the public, and it appears that word about her is spreading rather fast in Equestria."

"And that's why having those good connections eventually came back to haunt her." Sunset chimed in. "A reputation can certainly be a double edged sword, since they could be either good or bad."

"Well, it sounds like you spent some good quality time together, so I'm happy for you both." Fluttershy smiled. "For now, I'm focused on heading back to my cottage, but along the way, I'll also head over to the local grocery shop. I admittedly need to stock back up on food after feeding all the critters today."

"Grocery store?" Sunset responded. "That reminds me, since I haven't really been back to my old home in Canterlot for ages, my refrigerator has certainly seen better days. Even though I've had a few good meals today, I also certainly need to pick up some groceries too. Though I'd have to head back to Canterlot first since I left my bits back in my saddlebag at home."

"Oh, well in that case, since I do have plenty of bits on me at the moment, I can get you a few groceries as well, Sunset." Fluttershy offered. "Anything for a friend, of course."

"Hmm, I do legitimately need some groceries..." Sunset contemplated. "And it would certainly save me a trip considering it is going to get dark soon. All right, I'll take you up on your offer, Fluttershy. Thanks! But don't worry, once I get home, I'll be sure to pay you back for the food as soon as I can."

"And see to it that you do..." Fluttershy began in a more assertive tone. "You wouldn't want Fluttershy angry with you, after all. I wouldn't just spend bits on you for free and not be paid back, right?"

Both Rarity and Sunset were confused and slightly intimidated from hearing this, but Sunset decided to speak up.

"Err, of course, which is why I offered to pay you back when I could." Sunset assured, nervously.

"I'm just kidding." Fluttershy giggled. "In all seriousness, I insist, this will be my treat, Sunset. That was mostly just an active demonstration of what I truly meant when other ponies mention I'm no longer as shy as I used to be. Pretty impressive for somepony with 'shy' in their name, wouldn't you say? Nowadays, my brother Zephyr wouldn't even dare to attempt asking for bits from me."

"Oh, all right." Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. "You really had me going there for a second. All I know for certain is, past me would certainly not last long at all against current you, Fluttershy."

"What do you... mean?" Fluttershy asked, confused.

"Well, back during my bully days at CHS, I used to pick on the other... you, a lot. I'd intimidate her, push her around, and sometimes even acted with blunt violence. I don't really talk about it much nowadays, since it reminds me of how awful I truly was back then. Thankfully, despite all I did, I eventually proved myself to be the friend she never had, and she ended up forgiving me. That's certainly the most beautiful gift anyone can give, especially to someone who had wronged them for so long."

"Oh my, I had no idea." Fluttershy replied. "But I'm still happy that things worked out between you and her. I even remember the days when I, myself, was too shy to even talk to other ponies. I like to imagine that thanks to Twilight and the rest of my friends, they've helped me shape up over time, even if I was accused to have been learning the same lesson over and over. It's just baby steps, and my animal sanctuary wasn't built in a day either."

"Yeah, my road to accepting friendship wasn't that simple." Sunset reflected. "Even Starlight mentioned that everypony forgave her much quicker than she had really expected, but I guess it's cause she had Twilight to vouch for her, and I didn't."

"Well, in the short time I've spent with you, dear?" Rarity began. "I can most certainly vouch to Fluttershy here that you're an absolute diamond with perfectly smooth edges. Couldn't have asked for a better friend, regardless of you being an initial crown thief whom we haven't seen in many moons after the fact."

"Thanks, Rarity." Sunset smiled. "I'm just doing my part for the team, since I am technically also the leader of the human you's. And no, being a leader doesn't entail just bossing everyone around and acting like the queen. Fitting how I use that analogy since I recall Princess Celestia teaching me that most queens are evil. But really, as the leader, it meant that I knew how to effectively communicate and lead the team, even during times where other humans ended up possessing powerful and destructive Equestrian magic. Because of our teamwork skills, we've actually saved the human world together a number of times."

"Very impressive." Fluttershy noted. "Saving Equestria has been something we've all done with Twilight too. The sheer number of creatures who were bent on using magic to take over Equestria or rid it for good were astonishing. But we've managed to take them all down thanks to the magic of friendship. I'd just imagine it might be more difficult now, ever since King Sombra destroyed the Tree of Harmony along with the Elements of Harmony."

"You mean... the crown I stole from Twilight back then is completely gone? Well, at least now Twilight will know for certain I won't ever steal that crown ever again." Sunset joked. "But in all seriousness, as long as you all have each other, I'm sure you can all overcome whatever challenges and struggles the future holds for you. Heck, if I do decide to take an extended stay in Equestria, that means you also got me and Starlight too."

"I guess that's true." Fluttershy replied. "We're mostly on high alert for anything suspicious that may happen in Equestria, especially since Princess Celestia and Luna are now retired. Twilight might be the new princess, but we still stand by her side as both her advocates and friends. In these times, we're mostly hoping to carry on with our lives without anything new going wrong, but I'm pretty sure no matter how hard we try, that's going to be unavoidable."

"I agree on that." Rarity added. "It gets especially bad when you can't even trust those who seem like good ponies, but turn out to be despicable on the inside. The Madame and Cozy Glow are certainly prime examples of that."

"Well, I can certainly relate to that frustration, since there's seemingly no way to stop unexpected Equestrian magic from entering the human world." Sunset explained. "But to be honest, that's another factor contributing to why I wanted to come back to Equestria for a little longer. For some strange reason, we haven't had any sudden magical occurrences in the human world, and I kinda began to feel life was becoming a little too boring and easy. I was basically nothing more than a typical high school girl who had no real magic and exams I hadn't studied for. I actually missed being able to use real magic, rather than a simple geode which allows me to read other people's minds. This horn did end up making me Princess Celestia's pupil at one point, so I figured I shouldn't let it go to waste."

"We're certainly happy to have you if you're willing to be our new friend." Fluttershy replied. "I actually have no idea what that other world is like, but I have admittedly gotten curious based on what Twilight's described of it."

"Same here." Rarity agreed. "Perhaps if you are deciding to stay in Equestria for a while longer, some of us could travel through the mirror and see the extent of this fascinating world. Though I would imagine it'd be a little awkward seeing a double of myself."

"While I would normally be open to further exploration for you all, I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Sunset warned. "Let's just say, somewhere along the way, I was told that back when Twilight first entered the world, Princess Celestia forbade you all to enter it with her, vaguely due to involving something upsetting the balance?"

"Oh, that's right." Fluttershy recalled. "It's been a while, but that was the reason Twilight had to go alone to retrieve her crown back. Well, at least until Spike followed her in too, but they both still made it back without any usual effects."

"In that case, Princess Celestia may not be our ruler anymore, but I'll still follow anything she ordered of us." Rarity insisted. "I know nothing about magic like her, so if she specifically said that us entering that world could be dangerous, then I'll respect her wishes."

"Pretty wise thinking, I really wish I had done the same myself back then..." Sunset moped.

"Hey, it's fine, Sunset." Fluttershy assured. "We've all done things we've severely regretted, since nopony's perfect. I sometimes still think of the time I became too aggressively assertive with everypony after being labeled as a doormat countless times. And believe me, I certainly went way too far before I realized my mistake."

"And I can certainly recall back when it was Fashion Week in Manehattan." Rarity reflected. "I drove everypony, including Fluttershy here to the ground simply because I was adamant on winning first place. I let a dumb achievement stand in the way of how I treated ponies who were my friends, not co-workers. Even then, I shouldn't have treated anypony that way to begin with. But the important thing was that I realized what I did wrong and corrected for it. We can both certainly see you've done the same yourself, Sunset."

"I'm happy you always try to see the best in me." Sunset said more cheerfully. "I'm beginning to realize this was always how I've picked myself up from the ashes. It's because I've had friends who genuinely cared enough about me to get through tough times. Hence why there is a legitimate magic in friendship, even if we usually see it as a source of power to fight other forms of magic. This would also be another reason why I've grown the philosophy to look out for others out of the kindness of my own heart. After all, if you only care about yourself, who will care about you?"

"It's a wonderful philosophy to take to heart, dear." Rarity smiled. "Which would be especially true since you're talking to both the metaphorical elements in generosity and kindness."

"That's true." Fluttershy chimed in. "Everything you've just said, Sunset? It's definitely another motivation as to why I look out for my many animal friends. That, and the fact I feel more strongly connected to them than anypony else I know."

"I'm really glad we've had this talk." Sunset sighed in happiness. "I can't emphasize how much nicer life is with friends by your side than to be a tyrannical ruler without any true friends. You might as well just be a social outcast who has a power that you'll inevitably lose eventually. I'm certainly looking forward to us spending a little more time together, Fluttershy. Can't wait to see what kind of other Equestrian foods the grocery store has to offer for us, it's been way too long since I've tried anything that wasn't human-made."

"Oh, speaking of foods, the train is notified when ponies with a creator's pass come aboard." Rarity explained. "When they have enough supplies, they may eventually come out with some complimentary food to keep us fed while we wait for our next stop. I believe they didn't do so on our first ride to Manehattan, since the server was late to her shift."

"I'm not too sure the service on this train is really good." Fluttershy noted. "Earlier on the train, I heard a glass shatter somewhere, I'm guessing the server dropped some drinks."

"Well, I guess it would be nice to try something else native to Equestria before we go back to Ponyville." Sunset smiled.

Coincidentally, just as Sunset had said that, the train's back room opened, with a pony pushing a cart holding a tray of food. The pony looked grouchy with her job, but knew she really had no choice if she were to make a living. As she approached Rarity, Sunset began to vaguely recognize her as well. It was that female chef who had worked both on that yacht during spring break, as well as the Postcrush festival. She was the one who made those churros which constantly tempted Pinkie and got both Sunset and herself into trouble several times during that three week loop. Thanks to the private conversation with Pinkie from earlier, Sunset was immediately able to recall her name, Puffed Pastry.

Pastry was ordered to bring a couple of gourmet cucumber sandwiches over to Rarity, as she noted two other ponies accompanied her. Although she was told only two ponies had the creator's pass privileges, she purposefully created three sandwiches in an attempt to make a little extra money. As she was unhappy with her job, she believed it was only right that the world gave back to her in exchange for having to live out a miserable life. Pastry finally made her way to the ponies at the end of the train before speaking up.

"Some cucumber sandwiches for the creator's pass ponies." Pastry announced. "One creator and one guest. Who may those be?"

"Me and her, dear." Rarity raised her hoof while pointing over at Sunset across from her.

"Very well then." Pastry replied. "But I do have an extra sandwich, and I assume this pegasus here is not covered by your creator's pass. Since I'm feeling generous today, would she want it anyways?"

"No, I don't have this pass, and I'm not covered as a guest, but I am feeling a little bit peckish." Fluttershy responded. "I guess it couldn't hurt to get a quick meal before I head home, so sure, I'll take it."

With that said, the three ponies each grabbed a sandwich from the tray and ate up. They were especially good due to the fresh cucumbers and extra gourmet ingredients added in. Rarity, Sunset, and Fluttershy all had an absolutely satisfying meal, but Fluttershy was about to choke on her last bread crumb at the next thing Pastry was going to say.

"I'm glad you enjoyed your meals." Pastry said. "But since this pegasus here wasn't covered by the creator's pass, that'll be 27 bits, please. And before you say anything, train policy states that anypony who eats food without being covered by a pass must pay full price."

"What!?" Sunset announced in outrage. "27 bits for a sandwich!? What kind of a business are you running here? And that's not fair, you didn't say anything about her having to pay full price before she ate it! You implied you had an extra free sandwich lying around!"

"Hey, I don't make the rules, you should've read the train policy." Pastry smirked. "Plus, those were 100% gourmet cucumbers and spices I used to give you that refreshing taste. If anything, you should pay me much more than 27 bits. The train policy still stands, and it isn't my fault that you didn't read the train's rules more closely. Now you can either pay up, or I call security."

Rarity and Sunset looked at each other with concern, as Rarity was about ready to offer her own bits to bail Fluttershy out of this hole she had unintentionally dug herself into. However, since Fluttershy was no longer a pushover and also knew how to balance her behavior through simple gestures and mature decisions, she didn't do anything foolish. Screaming at Pastry or attacking her could get herself into some serious trouble, despite Pastry clearly being in the wrong here. Since her stare worked rather nicely on misbehaving animals back at home, she showed no hesitance on transforming her expression into an intense and aggressive glare at Pastry. The server was initially shrugging it off, before seeing that Fluttershy's stare was becoming even more intense and intimidating, to where she began to slowly back down.

"O-O-Okay!" Pastry shrieked before grabbing the tray off the cart to cover her face. "I'm sorry I tried to scam you like that, please don't hurt me! I'll take the 27 bits off your tab!"

Fluttershy finally softened her expression, but gave a more serious face toward the server, before pointing her to the other side of the train, signaling her to leave them. Pastry interpreted this as it was, and finally grabbed her cart to leave the room in a hurry before anything could've happened.

"Wow, Fluttershy." Sunset said, astonished. "I'm impressed at how well you handled that situation. You definitely weren't kidding when you mentioned other ponies don't see you as the shy one anymore. If I was still that mean bully at CHS, I wouldn't even think of messing with you."

"That certainly was an impressive display, Fluttershy." Rarity agreed. "I do know for a fact that train policies can be particularly strict, so I was certainly ready to pay her off just to make sure you didn't get in trouble."

"Thanks for wanting to look out for me, girls." Fluttershy said with gratitude. "But that was definitely another good opportunity to demonstrate that like Pinkie once said, 'Fluttershy' is now 'Flutterbold'. Not even Iron Will was able to teach me how to handle situations this well, so I'll always be happy with just how far I've truly come."

"That makes two of us, 'Flutterbold'. Sunset said, also mutual with Fluttershy's satisfaction at being a changed pony.

As the two unicorns and pegasus laughed it all off, they could then see that their stop at Ponyville was soon approaching. Although Rarity and Sunset were prepared to simply get off the train once it had stopped, Fluttershy had to go into the luggage room next to them to pick up her bag. She was using a bag to carry her essentials to the animal sanctuary, as well as her money. Although Rarity was still wearing her saddlebag, Fluttershy had set it in the other room, as she was exhausted from wearing it all day.

"It looks like we might be arriving at Ponyville soon, I'll need to get my bag." Fluttershy said to her friends, before she got up from her seat and over to the luggage room.

Fluttershy inserted her train ticket in a slot on the wall and unlocked the luggage room's door. As she was prepared to pick up her bag early as expected, she let out a shocking gasp that would also alert Rarity and Sunset. The two unicorns trotted over to the luggage room to find Fluttershy in complete disbelief, seeing that her bag was completely empty. Everything from her money and the essential supplies for the animals at the sanctuary seemingly vanished without a trace.

"I don't understand, how could this have happened?" Fluttershy began panicking. "I left my bag in this room, and you can't get in here unless you have a train ticket as a key card. Plus, I've been sitting here the whole time, and I didn't see anypony else enter this room!"

As Rarity and Sunset looked around the room for any clues, Sunset eventually recalled a key detail Fluttershy had mentioned earlier. She then noticed something in the room that normally shouldn't be there at all.

"Wait a second, Fluttershy." Sunset said before pointing up at a window that had seemingly been broken. "Didn't you say you heard a glass shatter earlier on the train ride? I guess that wasn't actually a drink the server had accidentally dropped."

"W-What!?" Fluttershy looked in horror. "Did somepony break in here and rob me?"

"I have a feeling that is a definite possibility, dear." Rarity sympathized, as she turned around and presented another piece of evidence to her friends. It looked like an orange feather that belonged to a pegasus. "Was this in here when you first set your bag in the luggage room?"

"No, this room looked completely empty when I set my bag here!" Fluttershy insisted. "Plus, I'm almost positive that the window Sunset pointed out wasn't broken when I did so, either!"

"Then I have to surmise... whoever did this had to have been a pegasus with an orange coat!" Sunset announced, before realizing this was exactly the same mystery she had tried to solve earlier that morning. She then recalled the description of the pegasus Derpy had given her. "Thankfully, I think I have a lead on who it may be. Let's just say we should probably be looking for an orange coat pegasus with blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow."

"How would you know the thief would look like that?" Rarity asked curiously.

"Let's just say, earlier when I was in Cloudsdale, another friend of mine mentioned getting robbed, and she gave me this exact description of a suspicious pegasus we should likely be keeping an eye out for." Sunset explained. "Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'll do anything I can to help solve this perplexing mystery with you."

"Well, I do have to head home to my cottage, so my first priority was to go grocery shopping." Fluttershy said. "But now that I have no bits, I guess I'll have to go home empty-hoofed."

"Not to worry, darling." Rarity chimed in, before grabbing her saddlebag and placing 30 of her own bits into Fluttershy's bag. "Take this, and don't even worry at all about paying me back. You need this much more than I do."

"Oh, Rarity." Fluttershy addressed her friend's generosity. "I couldn't. I should probably just head back to my cottage and see if I have any other bits there. Plus, I did promise to get some groceries for Sunset here too, so I have to make sure I can find enough."

"No, Fluttershy." Sunset insisted. "Buying me some groceries is certainly the least of your worries right now. You should take these bits Rarity gave you, it'll at least guarantee you some food for the night, and possibly other essentials too. There's no guarantee we can immediately find the crook, so I would take those bits just in case."

"Sunset's right, dear." Rarity agreed. "I promise, those are entirely for you, and I don't expect anything in return. All I care about is you returning safely with a good supply of food. Plus, I also have to get back to Carousel Boutique to watch after Sweetie Belle, and I still have enough bits for that."

"Thank you, Rarity." Fluttershy said. "I won't take this for granted, and I'll be sure you won't need to worry about me tonight. I guess once we arrive at Ponyville, I'll just head over to the grocery store to pick up some essentials, then head home."

"I'll come with you." Sunset offered. "Not for getting groceries, but to help you carry them, and maybe even keep an eye out for the thief who stole your belongings, if we manage to find them."

"Thank you both, you have no idea what this means to me." Fluttershy expressed, touched by both of her unicorn friends' beautiful selflessness. "We should be arriving at Ponyville quite soon, so we should prepare to get off the train any minute now."

Within only a couple of minutes, Rarity, Sunset, and Fluttershy had all arrived at their destination. Leaving the train station together, Rarity headed back toward Carousel Boutique, while Sunset and Fluttershy went the opposite direction to the grocery shop. The friends all waved goodbye to each other, as the night sky was beginning to make itself apparent. Sunset and Fluttershy were ready to get groceries together while also being aware there was still a malicious thief who was still on the loose somewhere...

Chapter 41: Big Trouble Little Pony

Sunset and Fluttershy ventured further into Ponyville as night began to fall over the dusk skies. What was once a simple plan to go grocery shopping and having fun together in town now felt like a stealth mission through uncharted territory. After learning someone robbed Fluttershy back on the train, any further unfortunate situations were possible, as the night sky certainly set the mood. Just like back in the human world, Sunset knew there could be imminent dangers such as robbers or thugs lurking around at night. Sticking together felt like the smartest plan, since a thief on the loose was quite alarming, especially if they were armed. While being more cautious than normal, both ponies trotted along to the grocery store, keeping their eyes peeled for anything suspicious.

"Back in my town, I've typically never had to worry about thieves or thugs until late at night." Sunset whispered, as to not potentially alert anyone nearby who could overhear her. "Would you say the crime rate here in Ponyville is just as bad as the current situation we're in?"

"Not really, in all my time here in Ponyville that didn't include swindlers, this is actually the first time I've been robbed blind." Fluttershy affirmed, quietly. "Usually, Ponyville's a pretty safe and peaceful place, but after what happened to my belongings back on the train, I'm not so confident in believing that anymore. I also hadn't considered the idea it'd be much more dangerous to be out at night, but that's because I'm often already home by that time, along with my animal friends. Either way, I'm incredibly thankful you decided to step in and stay by my side, in case something happens. Last thing we need is another thief mugging us both."

"Right, we should just stay close and lay low, at least until we get to the market." Sunset advised. "We might both be tough ponies who can stand up for ourselves, but I know from experience we might not be as tough if whoever we're up against is armed with weapons. There's a difference between being brave and being foolish."

"That's some good thinking." Fluttershy replied. "You're certainly giving me a good demonstration of your leadership skills, Sunset. Knowing how to stay calm and find a proper solution is the best way to handle any situation."

The two ponies continued on together, high on alert toward anything that could lead to danger. An ominous silence had filled the town, likely because the residents were still on their way to return home, or they were already asleep. Although Fluttershy was leaning more toward the idea of her and Sunset being unnecessarily paranoid, she somehow began to get an unsettling vibe that they were both being watched or followed. Sunset started getting this vibe too, as it seemed as if a constant occasional noise was inching closer toward their direction. However, they eventually surmised it was likely only one of the residents taking out the trash.

After a while, the two ponies made good progress together, and Fluttershy knew they were now over halfway toward their destination. Things seemed to be going smoothly, as other than a few strange noises, nothing along the way particularly stood out to them. That was however, until Sunset noticed an orange pegasus feather on the ground. It was a little dark to completely make out the feather's color, but Sunset speculated it did look like the feather Rarity found back on the train.

"Hmm, maybe I'm just being paranoid?" Sunset suggested, quietly. "This could be anypony's feather, and I'm sure plenty of pegasai live in Ponyville?"

"They do." Fluttershy confirmed. "But most of them live in Cloudsdale, and I'm fairly certain I don't personally know any orange coated pegasai around here. At least, not anypony with that particular shade of orange."

"Then it's entirely possible this pegasus we're looking for could now be lurking around town." Sunset speculated. "Don't worry though, as long as we make it to the grocery store, we shouldn't-"

But before Sunset could finish her sentence, a loud noise had startled the two ponies, followed by what sounded like fast hoofsteps. Sunset reluctantly peaked around the corner of a house, and saw that the noise was seemingly created by a trash can falling over. Under normal circumstances, this could've simply been an accident, but the fact that they heard somepony running away definitely raised some red flags.

Venturing forward, Sunset already began to have flashbacks to that night she was returning home and encountered Gilda and Lily in that alleyway. Since Sunset was willing to practice using magic more often by returning to Equestria, she lit up her horn to get a better view of the surrounding area, as it seemed unusually dark in this area of the neighborhood. As she was at least expecting to catch a glimpse of some pony or creature scurrying away in a nearby direction, there was nothing. This either meant that the thief was extremely fast, or someone out there was deliberately trying to play an elaborate hoax on her and Fluttershy. The former theory seemed much more likely, since Fluttershy alluded to the idea that nopony in Ponyville would really do anything like that.

"D-Don't worry, Fluttershy." Sunset whispered with a slight unsettling feeling. "It was probably nothing, so let's just focus back on getting groceries."

Thinking about it further, Sunset remembered how remarkably fast Indigo Zap was back when she wrecked the hot air balloon. The fact that the thief was now essentially following them and able to make a quick getaway whenever necessary made Sunset reflect more deeply about what she saw back in Cloudsdale. Was it entirely possible the thief was Indigo all along? Derpy might've mentioned a completely different description of a shady pegasus that didn't match Indigo's look, but the speed of this pegasus along with the orange feathers began to make Sunset speculate further.

Although Indigo's reaction to her initial accusation seemed genuine, Sunset still considered it a possibility it was all an act to throw off her and Rainbow Dash. Plus, she really was the only pegasus in the city who was seen wearing goggles and a workout uniform, the aforementioned stolen items from Derpy's mail route. However, Sunset decided that this time around, she shouldn't just jump to conclusions too quickly. Until she met an orange pegasus with blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow, she felt it would be better to not point hooves until she had far more solid evidence to prove whoever was responsible, guilty. The only seeming similarity Sunset could connect between the suspect and Indigo, were that they were both orange pegasai with astounding speeds, but this could've just been a coincidence. It wouldn't explain why there was another dubious pegasus who looked completely different, along with how Derpy didn't recognize Indigo at all. Whatever was the case then, Sunset and Fluttershy's only choice was to get back on track, while being alert, as usual.

Before long, they had finally reached the aforementioned grocery store. Sunset was not used to the idea of getting food from within a building in Equestria, since she vaguely recalled Ponyville having outside farmer's markets back when she was a filly. It seemed as if Equestria had been expanding upon their businesses and technology ever since she started living in the human world, which gave her even more of a reason in wanting to take an extended stay back. She wouldn't really miss having cell phones or video games, as she believed following the quest in perfecting her magic instead gave her more time to focus on something she had genuine passion for. Plus, since the portal was always going to be open, there was nothing stopping her from going back, making it so Sunset didn't really have anything to lose. Keeping in touch with her friends would be easy thanks to the internet, and she also had an opportunity to ask them where they'd be heading off to during graduation, as well as which social media platforms they would be active on.

For now, Sunset's focus was to mostly help Fluttershy gather some groceries, but realized that since they were now in a safer environment with security, it would be fine to relax a little. Plus, like Princess Twilight would've wanted, this also gave them both a nice opportunity to bond and get to know one another better. The timing after a supposed train robbery seemed a little awkward, but if there was one thing that Sunset learned in her entire journey of friendship, it's how true friends stick together in even the toughest of times. Aside from assisting Fluttershy with carrying her groceries, it would also feel nice to have a friend be comforting for a bit.

"So, Fluttershy?" Sunset addressed her pegasus friend. "Since Twilight wanted us to get a little closer during our time together, would it be okay for us to bond while you pick out your groceries?"

"I guess it would be nice, I do kind of need something to take my mind off of this unpleasant experience." Fluttershy affirmed, before placing several tomatoes in a bag. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I guess to continue from the conversation we had earlier." Sunset began elaborating. "Although we're pretty different as far as interests and goals, I still find it particularly impressive how much we've both changed over time for the better. Everyone at CHS tends to acknowledge how they've never met anyone like me in their entire lives, which I could certainly understand. One day I was the bully who would take everyone's lunch money, and now I'm that chill gal whom many would want to share a coffee with."

"I can agree with that, since I've learned over time that having flaws doesn't make one weak, but keeping them does." Fluttershy replied. "In fact, starting up the animal sanctuary wouldn't have been possible if not for my improved assertiveness and professional behavior."

"Oh, the animal sanctuary you mentioned early was built by you?" Sunset inquired. "Twilight's vaguely wrote to me before on how big and beautiful it is for all those critters. You actually built all that by yourself? That's very impressive."

"Well, I did have some help from Big Daddy McColt, but it was my design and vision which made the project work out." Fluttershy elaborated, as she finished gathering tomatoes and started checking out the asparagus. "Sometimes, you can't really trust ponies to get a job done if they choose to simply deviate from the original plan without consulting the boss beforehand. But I was able to trust McColt, since I knew he would abide by my wishes. Admittedly, it's another aspect of why I started venturing further into Equestria sometimes to make new friends. I now have that courage, especially given how I used to even be shy in talking to other ponies when doing something as simple as grocery shopping."

"I can certainly understand that, since admittedly, although I didn't seem like it at the time, I guess I was also shy in wanting to make new friends, since I wasn't socially capable of talking to other ponies, outside of asking them to leave me to my studies." Sunset reflected. "Would you mind me asking what happened back then in your experience with grocery shopping?"

"It was a definite disaster for sure." Fluttershy began explaining. "I basically let other ponies cut in line in front of me, push me around, or even try swindling me for a single cherry."

"A single cherry, you say?" Sunset asked, recalling it sounded familiar when she was with Derpy earlier. "Like, trying to charge you 20 bits for a cherry? Some brown pegasus stallion with a five o' clock shadow, right?"

"...Yes, I unfortunately remember him and that incident far too well." Fluttershy winced, looking back. "How did you know?"

"Let's just say a good friend of mine vaguely mentioned something like that, and that the stallion who did so is pretty well known for trying to pull these kinds of scams." Sunset explained. "Plus, it seems karma has finally hit him ever since he let go of his most valuable and trusted employee. Let's just say that from what I've heard, he might not be in business for quite some time now."

"Oh wow, I had no idea his actions finally came back to him." Fluttershy replied with satisfaction, as she started digging through the lettuce and carrots. "Though to be fair, I was almost expecting that it'd happen sooner or later. Those who try to cheat everypony else will never get ahead in the end."

"Mhm." Sunset agreed. "And certainly learned that the hard way myself. Well, not as far as cheating when it comes to my education in magic, but exploiting others and being a total monster at CHS. Speaking of, I still feel extra bad for all those times I picked on the... other you. I might have met some scummy ponies or people in my life, but picking on the innocent when they can't defend themselves is pretty rotten and low, even for them."

"If it makes you feel any better, Sunset?" Fluttershy looked back with an assuring face. "Earlier when I mentioned I was once overly assertive to an extreme extent, I was not exaggerating. I was misled into believing being an assertive bully who would pick on the innocent would earn me respect and dignity. I had no problem covering ponies in garbage, assaulting them, or intimidating them when they were already down. It actually took Rarity and Pinkie running away in tears from my monstrous behavior for me to realize I genuinely took things way too far."

"I'm really sorry to hear you had to go through that." Sunset's ears fell back in sadness. "But I'm glad to hear you're now living a much better life than you were then, even if you still have to deal with the occasional disreputable ponies, like that train server from earlier. I guess this is a pretty big reason why I respect you a lot, Fluttershy. We not only have a lot in common as far as changing for the better, but we're also both not ashamed to admit our mistakes. What's happened in the past has already occurred, and our only choice after is to look toward the future with heads held high."

"I respect you a lot too, Sunset." Fluttershy smiled as she was checking the final item on her grocery list, celery. "After all, it does take quite a bit of respect to build trust for somepony who once stole from Princess Twilight, wouldn't you say? To that end, you've certainly earned not only my respect, but also my values in fellowship."

"For sure, and I'm really glad for that." Sunset replied, as Fluttershy now officially had all the groceries she needed in two baskets. "By the way, it seems like you've got quite a lot of critters to feed back at home?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Fluttershy smiled slightly, before handing one of the baskets to Sunset. "And I've got my first big critter to feed here with me."

"Oh, but Fluttershy..." Sunset hesitated. "Are you sure? It seems you still might need both baskets. As I've said, buying me some food should not be your priority after what happened with your bag."

"I am sure, and I won't take 'no' for an answer." Fluttershy said, determined. "I'll always keep my promises to those who have my everlasting respect and trust. Plus, I shop here frequently and did the math based on today's sales. Altogether, combined with my coupons, this will only cost me 8 bits. It's also a 'thank you' present for you since you decided to accompany me during these tough times instead of simply heading home. Oh, and trust me, the critters back at home, including myself, will have more than enough to last a week with just one basket."

"Thank you, Fluttershy." Sunset smiled. "Nowadays, I couldn't imagine how I'd be living life without any friends."

"You and me both." Fluttershy responded, as she was now heading over to the register to pay.

By this point, things seemed to be going rather smoothly. Fluttershy and Sunset had both gotten enough groceries to last for quite a while, and they hadn't encountered anypony dangerous lurking around the neighborhood. The sudden noise and hoofsteps sprinting away from earlier did signify something rather unusual, but it was already decided that whoever caused it was already scared away. Regardless, Fluttershy had finished paying for both baskets of produce, as Sunset carried them both out of the store.

Unaware to the two mares, the unusual noises from earlier were actually created by a shady orange pegasus mare who was now barely visible within the darker shadows of the town, right by the grocery store. This whole time, she was stalking them to seek upon an opportunity in more thievery, as she believed what she had already stolen wouldn't be enough to satisfy her personal needs. She had finally noticed Fluttershy and Sunset exiting with baskets of groceries, and had almost decided to simply move on to another potential victim to steal from, as groceries wouldn't be worthwhile. However, this decision was abruptly changed as she began overhearing them, even if it was from a fair distance away.

"Alright, I guess we should start heading back to your cottage?" Sunset asked, somewhat quietly.

"Yeah, it's actually only about 5 minutes away from here, so we should be good by this point." Fluttershy explained, feeling assured by now that nopony was overhearing them. "I can't wait to finally get home to all my animal friends."

In the shadows, only a pair of purple eyes were barely visible. But overhearing this, the orange pegasus understood this meant another opportunity to make a fortune, especially when she had her daughter, who accompanied her during this entire discreet mission. As she finally saw Fluttershy and Sunset supposedly trotting back to the cottage, she backed around to address her daughter, who was looking rather afraid and nervous of her so-called mother. The little filly was hiding in a trash can, trembling about how easily agitated and intimidating her parental figure was.

"My child, come out of that trash can right now." The pegasus demanded.

"I-I'm sorry that I knocked over those garbage cans!" The filly got out and quickly apologized for her beginner's mistake which almost had them both caught by Sunset earlier. "Please don't be mad at me!"

"Mommy will let it slide this time, because luckily for you, I have a new objective for you to accomplish, my dear." The pegasus began explaining. "In case you didn't overhear, that pegasus mentioned something about heading back to a cottage full of animals, which isn't far from here. Do you have any idea what this means for me- er... I mean, us?"

"...That pegasus likes to make cottage cheese?" The filly asked, rather confused.

"No, you simpleton!" The mother snapped. "Given how that pegasus seems to like taking care of animals, she must have real compassion and be loaded with supplies to feed them all. Any animals, including you, darling. I'm sure she can't say 'no' to a sweet little angel like yourself."

"But... what does this mean for us then?" The filly questioned her mother's motives.

"Isn't it obvious?" The mother asked rhetorically. "If she accepts to take you in to her home, make absolutely sure to still be awake after she and her animal friends go to sleep. Once done, search the house for any valuables including bits, jewelry, or even basic supplies. She's absolutely guaranteed to have things like that in order to afford feeding those pathetic critters. If at all possible, try to take one of the critters with you in a cage after you leave later tonight with enough stolen goods. Perhaps I can sell it for a quick buck, mommy does need good makeup after all."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" The filly hesitated. "W-What if she catches me, or what if one of the animals sniffs me out?"

"Well, then you fail as a daughter and let your mother down." The mother stated bluntly. "If you expect to be able to eat tonight, you will not fail and be as sneaky as I've taught you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes, mommy..." The filly gulped.

"Quickly now, I can still see them in the distance, that red maned unicorn and pink maned pegasus." The mother observed. "Follow them closely and make absolutely sure you do not lose them. In order to make her feel bad enough for you to let her into her home, try fake crying or telling them about how I found you, I don't care as long as it gets the job done. I'll be waiting right here for you behind the grocery store, but be sure to return back to the cottage afterward, since you'll be a prime suspect if you're missing from the household. Once you return with the goods, you will have made your mommy proud, and I... might buy you a half-eaten carrot stick as your dinner- I-I mean, reward."

"Okay, mommy." The filly said, sadly. "I'll do my best to make you proud."

Fluttershy's estimation of the time it would take to return to her cottage was spot-on. Before long, Sunset and Fluttershy had arrived at the expected destination with their grocery baskets, and were ready to part ways. Sunset had already fulfilled her duty in staying by Fluttershy's side, spending some quality time with her, and ensuring she had returned home safely. It was now a good time to say goodbye before heading home herself.

"Well, I'm certainly happy things worked out, and we got you home safely." Sunset smiled. "Thanks again for the groceries, by the way."

"Don't mention it." Fluttershy replied warmly. "And thank you for being a good friend yourself, Sunset. It's pretty late now, so I suppose you'll be heading home now?"

"I guess so." Sunset agreed, before saying her final goodbyes for the night. "It was nice spending time with you-"

But Sunset could not immediately finish her sentence, as she looked behind Fluttershy and noticed a weird noise in a nearby bush. Shortly after, both mares heard what sounded like a filly whimpering. By instinct, Sunset wanted to go check and see if whoever was crying was okay, but part of her gut began telling her this could be a trap. Regardless of this feeling, Sunset trotted over and uncovered the bush, revealing a small little filly. The reveal seemed even more shocking to Sunset as she recognized who it was.

The familiar purple ponytail, barrettes, and even the sweet voice she distinctly recalled during the times she's babysat her with Pinkie in the human world, Sunset realized this was the pony Lily Pad. It was the pony counterpart of the girl who almost got hurt and robbed by Gilda in that alleyway that night, and even gave up the money she almost lost as a gift to Sunset for showing the noble kindness to put others above herself. Knowing Lily rather well in the other world, seeing Lily in a heartbreaking state of despair immediately made Sunset forget about returning to Canterlot for now. To avoid making an awkward conversation, Sunset instinctively asked what was wrong, while pretending she didn't know Lily's name.

"What's wrong, little filly?" Sunset asked Lily, tenderly, as Fluttershy came up to Sunset, also rather concerned. "Are you lost from home or hurt in any way?"

"N-No, I'm not hurt, but I'm afraid I don't have a home now." Lily sniffled. "My mom lost her job, and my dad's company went bankrupt. A-After that, my parents blamed their failures on me, because they had to focus on so much time taking care of me. So they kicked me out of their house and completely abandoned me..."

"That's awful!" Fluttershy gasped. "I can't believe anypony could be that heartless to such a young child!"

"I can't possibly imagine what you're going through right now." Sunset empathized, before looking at her basket of produce. "I do have a home back in Canterlot, as well as some fresh groceries here. Would you like to come stay with me for a while?"

"No, I can't let you do that, Sunset." Fluttershy insisted. "You're a guest in Equestria for a little while, so I can't bring myself to let you take care of both an unexpected filly and yourself. I'm great with young fillies just as much as I am with animals, let me take her in. I've got plenty of food and cozy, warm space here in my cottage."

"Are you sure about this, Fluttershy?" Sunset asked. "I really don't mind, since I've got experience with babysitting."

"Absolutely." Fluttershy assured. "Little one, would you like to come in to have something to eat? I'm sure you must be hungry."

"I really am." Lily whimpered, truthful about being extremely famished. "I haven't been fed in quite a long time."

"Well in that case, please come on inside my cottage." Fluttershy welcomed the filly into her home. "I'll get started making some nice veggie salads."

"I was about to head home, but I think I might stay with you a bit longer, Fluttershy." Sunset decided, as Fluttershy nodded in approval. "It sounds like this filly really needs some love and compassion in her life after everything she's been through, and I want to give her just that. Let's just say, she reminds me of someone whom really connected with me."

"Love... and compassion?" Lily reiterated. "That's the first time I heard these words, and I don't feel like I've gotten anything like that."

"Don't you worry, little one." Fluttershy put a hoof on the filly. "You'll now get to experience something you've genuinely always wanted and needed. I'm so sorry to hear your own parents never gave you such a life. Do you by any chance remember their names?"

"I'm afraid not." Lily said, sadly. "I only referred to them as 'mommy' and 'daddy', and even then, after what they did, I'd honestly rather forget about them entirely."

"You don't remember your parents' names?" Sunset related. "That makes two of us, hon. Don't worry, I know exactly how that feels, and we can get through all this together. Right, Fluttershy?"

"Of course." Fluttershy replied. "Let's head into my home, and I'll get started with your salad."

The two mares and small filly entered the cottage and sat around a table. As promised, Fluttershy had prepared a nice meal for both Sunset and Lily, which was certainly much more food than the filly had truly eaten in a while.

"This is so delicious." Lily ended up finishing her meal long before Sunset and Fluttershy did. "I haven't had anything like this in so long."

"I can actually understand that feeling as well." Sunset related once more. "Do you by any chance have a name we can call you?"

"I don't actually know my real name." Lily replied."My parents weren't really involved too well in my life, that they never even bothered giving me a name."

"Well, I guess we can come up with a name for you." Fluttershy suggested. "You do kind of remind me of the flowers that grow in my pond. Particularly, those purple lilies that my hummingbirds love."

"I can see that comparison rather well." Sunset smiled, as she realized this would be the perfect opportunity to name her after that girl she regularly babysits in the human world. "How about... Lily Pad?"

"Lily Pad..." Lily thought for a moment. "I like it, it sounds pretty! But I think I'd rather go by 'Lily', at least for now."

"Fair enough." Sunset chuckled, before doing introductions. "My name's Sunset Shimmer, and that's Fluttershy."

"Nice to meet you both as well." Lily smiled.

"So, Lily?" Sunset began. "I was just about to say that from what little you've described of yourself, I can relate to almost everything."

"Y-You do?" Lily asked, somewhat nervous that Sunset seemingly grew suspicious of her story.

"Yeah, admittedly, I never really grew up with my own parents either." Sunset explained. "Well, I did have a dad with me in Ponyville, but he was primarily looking after me before I moved to Canterlot to pursue my education in magic. It's been so long that... I never really bothered to keep in touch or remember my parents' names, so I'm kinda in the same boat as you. And I also related with how much you just enjoyed that salad Fluttershy made for you. I haven't actually had such quality produce in quite some time, due to living in another town far away from here. I'm just really happy to see that we could connect on such a personal level, given how we've just met."

"Oh, y-yes." Lily replied, relieved. "I'm just happy that I finally got to eat something for dinner, since I haven't eaten all day."

"You poor thing." Fluttershy sighed. "Although I've had experience with not letting others take advantage of me, I can certainly make an exception for you, Lily. You're just a child, after all. If my brother Zephyr begged me to stay here in the cottage for a little while, I'd at most only give him a week. But for you, Lily? After what you've been through, I say you can stay here as long as you need."

Lily was astonished by how much love and care the seeming two strangers were giving her, certainly in contrast to her current mother's treatment. This admittedly already made her feel bad that she was planning on stealing from the cottage, but she knew that by this point, she had no other choice. Her mother already made it particularly clear that she would not be forgiving at all if she fails to steal from them, and by this point, she was the only pony in her life Lily had to turn to.

"I'm so happy for this, thank you." Lily smiled, as she began to tear up with joy. "But I'm wondering, why are you being so nice to me?"

"I may not be a pushover anymore." Fluttershy began. "But I'm still always going to be the Element of Kindness at heart."

"Plus, we'd feel awful for abandoning you, just like your so-called parents, Lily." Sunset explained, before reiterating the same lesson she taught the human Lily after fighting off Gilda. "One valuable lesson I've learned over time is, there's no cost in being nice to others, and every nice thing you do will always find a way to come back to you."

"That sounds like a wonderful lesson to takeaway, Sunset." Fluttershy said approvingly. "We do hope that by doing this, you'll learn to pass on this kindness to the rest of Equestria too."

Lily smiled at this and nodded, but internally, now she was feeling extra guilty for what she was about to do to the poor pegasus who extended her home to a filly she had never even met before. Regardless, something in the back of her mind made her believe she still had to steal, as her current mother was expecting her to be a little bandit in this entire mission. She felt that perhaps she should only start stealing subtle items from the house, as to not draw any suspicion, but still felt very bad about it. Lily was admiring not only Fluttershy for being so kind, but also Sunset for being able to connect with her with common traits, as if she had met someone who finally understood her, psychologically.

"It is getting a little bit late for me." Sunset said, after looking at a clock on the wall and grabbing her basket of groceries. "I'm afraid I really have to get going now."

"Of course, hopefully we can meet again very soon?" Fluttershy proposed, as Sunset nodded, before being ready to depart.

"W-Wait!" Lily stopped Sunset, hoping she could see her again soon too. "Will I ever get to see you again soon?"

"Canterlot's a little far from here, Lily." Sunset sighed. "But... don't worry. I'm here in Equestria for at least a little while longer, so I'll be sure to visit you. You do remind me of a sweetheart girl I've connected with back in my own hometown, so I'd be happy for us to spend a little more time together. Maybe tomorrow though, as I really do have to head home now."

"Oh, really?" Lily said with a little disappointment. "Well, I'm happy for whenever you're around."

"Same here." Sunset responded, as she opened the front door and waved goodbye to the two ponies. "And again, thanks for a nice night together, Fluttershy."

Sunset had finally exited and was now prepared to go back to her house in Canterlot. She began reflecting on the wild day she's had, just exploring Equestria and hanging out with some of her new pony friends. Having some good Equestrian meals, helping her friends with their dilemmas, and encountering even more ponies of humans she knew back in the other world.

The thing that still bugged Sunset, however, was the mishap with Rainbow Dash back in Cloudsdale. It felt frustrating that she was not able to solve the mystery on whoever stole Derpy's packages and Fluttershy's belongings back on the train. All she knew was that an orange pegasus with blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow was the prime suspect. Even then, it didn't sound like anypony or any human in the other world Sunset could immediately recognize based on the description alone. Regardless, some mysteries remain as such, and Sunset decided now it was far too late at night to do any detective work. Trotting around all over Equestria in one day had left her hooves quite exhausted, and she needed to head to bed early in order to have more time to explore further tomorrow.

As Sunset no longer had Twilight's hot air balloon, or Rarity's creator's pass to board the train for free, her only option was to trot home. It was admittedly a longer trot to get all the way home, but she didn't really mind, as these trots helped her get more and more connected with the areas and towns she's visited. Out of all her new pony friends she spent time with today, Sunset then realized she didn't really get any quality time with Applejack, but this felt understandable, knowing the human version of her. Applejack was always a hardworking busy girl, even going as far as to do construction projects for CHS. If anything, Sunset still had more time to explore further tomorrow, so she decided she would perhaps hang with Applejack when an opportunity came up.

Trotting further around Ponyville, Sunset eventually noticed a big red barn in the distance, similar to the one owned by the human Applejack. This was not a coincidence, as the front doors opened, and coming out was the pony version of the independent farm girl she knew. While Sunset's friends often considered her the leader of their group, Sunset usually always saw Applejack as the second in command. Out of all her friends, it was Applejack who was the most rational and capable of leading a group, even if she did occasionally have some childish competition with Rainbow Dash. Since she was going to pass by the farm anyways, Sunset decided this was at least a good opportunity to say hi to her before heading home, even if there wasn't likely enough time to hang out.

"Evening, Applejack." Sunset greeted from a distance. "I've kinda been all over Equestria today, but it's nice to at least see you for a bit before heading home."

"Howdy, Sunset." Applejack welcomed her unicorn friend. "Yeah, I'm just finishin' up for the day, and it's probably a good thing we weren't able to spend any time today."

"Pardon me?" Sunset asked with confusion at how Applejack worded things.

"My apologies, Sugarcube, I more meant it was cause I've been far too busy today." Applejack tried to correct herself for the unusual wording. "Let's just say... things have unfortunately not been lookin' good for the Apple family. And I've kinda had to stay behind all day at Sweet Apple Acres to work to make enough bits. Things are kinda complicated to explain right now, so I'd rather give details tomorrow morning?"

"All right, whatever it is, I do hope things end up working out." Sunset said, rather confused and worried at what Applejack was seemingly upset about. "It was nice to see you managed a day's of hard work, though. I was thinking of trotting back to my home in Canterlot, but since you were here, thought I'd at least drop in real quick to say 'hi' for a minute."

"Trottin'?" Applejack questioned. "To Canterlot? You aren't going to be takin' the train or anything?"

"Nope, I don't have a train ticket or bits on me at the moment." Sunset explained. "I don't mind though, it'll at least give me a good opportunity to explore Equestria a little further, even if it's already nighttime."

"I wouldn't advise you on doing so." Applejack insisted. "Believe me, I've had trips deliverin' fresh apple cider to Canterlot, and one time, foolishly decided to just trot the whole way. Not only was I incredibly late by the time I got there, but I had little to no energy left after makin' it barely halfway up the mountain. It's certainly in our best interest to take the train, even if it means spendin' a little on a ticket."

"Oh, right." Sunset understood. "I guess I was overly excited on exploring Equestria today, that I didn't consider the idea of having to go back up the mountain to return to the city up there. Well, I don't have anything to buy another train ticket with, so I'm not quite sure what to do..."

"Tell you what, Sunset." Applejack began. "I do legitimately need the bits I've earned for something else, but since you're our guest in Equestria for a little bit, it's already pretty late, and you don't have a reliable means of returnin' to Canterlot, how about I let you stay at Sweet Apple Acres for the evenin'? It'd be nice to have you with me for a while, given I've kinda already been by myself this entire day due to... right, I think I'd rather discuss that first thing in the morning, the timin's not quite right now."

"I understand." Sunset replied. "And sure, I guess it would be nice to have a sleepover for a while. Although, I kinda have little to no energy left after trotting so much today, so I'm afraid resting for the night's my first priority. Gosh, now I really feel like a fool for thinking I could trot by myself all the way back to Canterlot."

"Canterlot may be relatively close to Ponyville, but never underestimate the distance, say that much." Applejack reflected. "Well, happy to have a friend over for the night, I'll show you to the guest room, and we'll both hit the hay?"

"Sure thing!" Sunset said with enthusiasm. "And thanks for considering my dilemma."

"Nah, thank you for stoppin' by, given how lonely I've been feelin' all day." Applejack smiled. "But we'll save it for tomorrow, let's just head on inside and worry about it tomorrow mornin'."

Sunset followed Applejack inside her house and went into the guest room. After how much distance she had covered in only one day's worth of spending time with her new friends, she certainly felt like a well deserved rest was due. Although Sunset was still somewhat concerned on why Applejack seemed to be upset to the point of not wanting to immediately talk about it, she respected her wishes in not prying further until the next morning. It was still a pretty nice and adventurous day for Sunset, and as of now, she had finally interacted with each of her new friends during their everyday personal lives, which taught her all about their interests and how things were run in Equestria.

As Sunset then sat in her bed and went under a blanket, one other detail from today particularly stood out to her. When Starlight mentioned that she had experienced nearly the same unusual occurrences during her time in the human world, Sunset really began brainstorming what it could possibly mean. Why would they both have this bizarre dream where they could see nothing but darkness, yet only hear their own voice in the distance crying for help? By this point, considering how she still knew nothing about why Celestia forbade her from entering the portal all those years ago, Sunset believed coming up with mere theories was nothing more than a waste of time.

There was however, one theory that Sunset began to keep at the back of her mind, given what she knew, and all the hints she had already gathered. In the time she's spent in Equestria with her new friends, Sunset had unintentionally met or encountered pony counterparts of people she knew back in the human world. It gave a potential idea that since there would appear to be pony versions of those humans, both worlds had their own version of these living beings. As exemplified by Sunset's experiences with them, they could turn out to be around the same as far as personality, or drastically different. But the point still stood in that, they existed.

This eventually gave Sunset a possible idea that what she had heard that dreadful third night in the human world was the human version of herself who was native to that world. Likewise, Starlight might've also been hearing the human counterpart of herself. But even then, it wouldn't explain why their counterparts were both crying out for help, or why they themselves experienced unusual jolts of magic when moving around on the third day. Considering how this was simply a wild guess with what little she already knew, Sunset felt it'd be better to at least check what Celestia had to say when it was time to visit Silver Shoals.

Considering how the next day, Sunset would most likely be hanging with Applejack, she would've finished hanging out with all her new friends, bonding with them and exploring Equestria, to where she had enough time to finally visit Celestia once more. But at the same time, she also remembered how earlier today, Starlight mentioned possibly getting in touch with somepony named Sunburst, and to let her meet his father. Given how Sunset was still perplexed on the mystery of who her real parents were, this sounded like another good stop to make the next day, assuming Starlight had already arranged everything for her.

Regardless, there were two guaranteed plans Sunset had the next morning. The first was to wake up and talk things out with Applejack on the supposed problem she was having, and the second was to finally head to Silver Shoals in reuniting with Celestia. If Starlight and Sunburst were already ready before then, she would at least consider meeting the mystery father first.

With everything now cleared up in her head, Sunset finally relaxed in her bed to start heading to sleep. Everything seemed to go rather well today other than what happened with Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap. Unfortunately, she was still completely unaware of two crucial things. The first was that letting Lily into Fluttershy's cottage might've been a huge mistake, but the second was the theory on what she heard in that dream back then might not have been as crazy of an idea as she had believed...

Chapter 42: The Invisible Hand

Sunset had finally woken up to a new morning, now fully rested after that exhausting journey yesterday. She hadn't imagined this vacation would become the wild ride she's experienced, but began recapping to plan out her schedule. Day one was focused on getting to Twilight's coronation, while day two revolved around exploring all over Equestria with her new friends. She was still adamant on continuing her original plan for day three, in hanging with Applejack for a bit, reuniting with Celestia once more in Silver Shoals, and possibly even meeting her potential father, assuming Starlight and Sunburst were ready for her. Other than these three main objectives, Sunset didn't particularly feel interested in doing anything else for the day.

She kept in mind there was still the matter of reconciling with Rainbow Dash, though she would likely need to talk to Twilight about it first, and perhaps even require her assistance in convincing Rainbow to talk things out. And of course, there was also still a mysterious thief on the loose who had already negatively impacted Sunset's friends, particularly Derpy and Fluttershy, supposedly. It didn't seem like a coincidence that during both instances, an orange pegasus was heavily implied to be around the respective crime scenes when items were stolen, and Sunset still had yet to see one who also had blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow. Whatever was the case, Sunset felt the case was still very much inconclusive until she had much more solid evidence on what had really happened, and decided to focus back on her vacation in Equestria.

Given how Sunset went to bed relatively early last night, it was no surprise that in response, she had woken up much earlier than she normally would, at around 9 AM. A noticeable contrast to the times where she would stay up late, sometimes even up til 4 in the morning to play video games in her apartment back in the human world. As Sunset got out of her bed and went over to Applejack's room, she noticed that her bedroom door was open and that the bed was empty. She then heard noises downstairs, seemingly coming from the kitchen. It made sense for Applejack to be up relatively early, as she had a lot of responsibilities and chores, especially as a farm pony. Sunset followed the noise downstairs to the kitchen and saw Applejack had already prepared a nice breakfast.

"Mornin' Sugarcube." Applejack addressed her friend. "Ya' must be hungry as a pumpkin right now?"

"Mmm, this looks so good." Sunset licked her lips. "Pancakes, applesauce, apple cider, buttered toast, it's like we're dining in Canterlot!"

"Aw shucks, thanks." Applejack blushed. "I do my best in followin' my family's recipes. It's because of stickin' together as a family, our business blossomed immensely all over Equestria. I'll let ya' be the judge of that, help yourself!"

"I can certainly see that." Sunset smiled, as she sat down and dug into the hearty breakfast on the table in front of her. "Mmm! Your family's recipes are scrumptious! Looks like you got something not only to be proud of now, but for many many years to come."

"Yeah, er..." Applejack stuttered for a bit, before her tone began to turn more gloomy. "Many more years, at least that's what I'm hopin'..."

Sunset noticed this shift in mood, and remembered that last night, Applejack was vaguely hinting toward something that troubled her. Although initially having a bright conversation over brunch, Sunset realized she had unintentionally opened an old wound, as reminding Applejack of her family in this particular context yielded a mixed feeling. Since it was now a new morning, and Applejack already mentioned that she'd talk about it later, it seemed like a good time to finally learn what specifically was so upsetting for the farm pony.

"Hey, Applejack...?" Sunset began, trying to comfort her friend. "It seems like the thing that's been troubling you from last night has returned. I'm here for you if you really need it, would you like to discuss it with me?"

Applejack nodded in agreement, but took a rather sudden pause. She just stared at her bowl of cereal for a bit, blinking every few seconds, but also giving Sunset eye contact to signify she was still interested in explaining. It was by this point, Sunset knew this was extremely serious, so she was ready to give a listening ear whenever Applejack was ready to open up about this seeming tragedy.

"Well, things have been rough lately for the Apple family." Applejack took her hat off for a moment and sighed in sadness. "It all started yesterday mornin', pretty much immediately after Granny Smith got home from Twilight's coronation. Granny had felt a very sudden pain in her chest and collapsed onto the floor, so we had to rush her to the nearest hospital. While in the hospital bed, she seemed to be slowly gettin' better with proper treatment, but there was then another issue. We were told by the clinic that our current insurance plan didn't have enough to cover everything, so I had no choice. Big Mcintosh and Applebloom stayed behind at the hospital with Granny, but I had to return here to Sweet Apple Acres and gather funds all by myself yesterday. Workin', bakin', and managin' a huge liquidation sale of the family's crops and products in order to make enough bits for coverin' her treatment. I worked nonstop since this meant Granny's life was on the line."

"...I'm so sorry you've been going through all this, Applejack." Sunset empathized. "I feel so sad to hear you can't even be with your grandmother during these tough times because of some hospital bill, as they're making you work just to afford the proper treatment. They're actually going to put prices over ponies' lives? That is simply disgusting."

"I know the feelin' for sure." Applejack sighed. "Life's not fair, but society can sometimes be like this when it comes to money, just ask Flim and Flam for instance. The issue now being, after I took my earnin's and already deposited them into our family bank account this mornin', the clinic called and said we were still short around 650 bits. The hospital has a strict policy in which every patient's case must be paid in full before they begin the main operation, so there's nothing we could do about it."

"That really is troubling..." Sunset put her hoof on Applejack to comfort her.

"It sure is, Sugarcube..." Applejack reflected. "I tried my absolute best to gather enough bits in the hope of paying for everything to save her, and I still failed. Now I almost don't know if I can bring myself to visit her at the clinic, since she might be gone very soon and it's all my fault..."

Sunset listened on to Applejack's pain and understood it completely, the same way she had felt about her own parents, especially with the constant thought that they might've already passed during the time she's lived in the human world. However, she realized that Applejack's hesitation on visiting Granny seemed to steer her in the wrong direction, so she decided to advise her.

"I can understand how upset you are, Applejack." Sunset said in a soft and sad voice. "But this is certainly not your fault. The fact that you decided to stay behind to pull together any funds you could get in affording her treatment makes you a granddaughter with a heart of gold. You might not have gotten enough funds, but the fact you tried your absolute hardest should still count for something. You should still go visit her at the clinic, since being able to spend time with your grandmother would be just as valuable to her."

"But... what if she sees me as a failure of a granddaughter because I wasn't able to save her?" Applejack looked down at herself. "Those funds really were the last we had, as I've already sold everything else profitable here at the farm, and there's nothing else I can do to earn anything more in time."

"She won't see you as a failure." Sunset assured. "She'll see you as a granddaughter who truly cared and had her heart in the right place. Even if you aren't able to afford this operation, you'll always be able to afford being with her in her time of need. Take it from me, as Princess Celestia's former pupil. I was always an overachieving student who got the best marks and results back at the School for Gifted Unicorns under her guidance. However, after disobeying what she believed was best for me as she had believed by heart, I failed as not simply her pupil, but as a metaphorical daughter. Given how close Celestia and I were, we were practically family, and I always knew that deep down, failing as family hits much harder than anything else imaginable. I might've been a good student, but that still ended up becoming irrelevant because of my past selfish ambitions. If you're still able to be there for Granny Smith during these tough times, you'll have fulfilled your duties as a family, and that'll matter the most in the long run."

"Y-You're right, Sunset." Applejack sniffled a bit. "I might've failed with financial purposes in the operation, but I could never forgive myself if I failed as a granddaughter by not showin' up to visit. I gave all I could to contribute to the clinic's bill, and now it's time to do what's right, since family is forever. She hasn't actually seen me since she left home, so being by her side is the only thing I can do now. Thanks for helpin' me see that, you really seem to understand what being family is all about."

"I'm really glad to hear that, and that I've steered you in the right direction." Sunset smiled. "I've never been close with my family in the past, which has made me realize why I was so unhappy during most of my early years. I guess the time I've spent away from Equestria has made me miss my actual parents, and it's helped me understand to never take my family for granted."

"You miss your parents?" Applejack started comforting Sunset back. "That makes two of us, Sugarcube. Let's just say, Ma and Pop are smilin' from Heaven right now, and unfortunately, they never got to say goodbye to the rest of the family. Granny's the closest me, Big Mac, and Applebloom have to a mother left, so things have been really hard lately."

"Sorry to hear about your parents too..." Sunset sighed. "As for my parents, I just never really knew my mom. All I know was, I used to live with my dad somewhere in Ponyville, but it's been so long to where I can't even remember his name, what he looked like, or where he lived. This is the price I pay for never keeping in touch, since I only seemed to care about being the best student in Canterlot back then. Twilight's doing some research on the side, but as far as I know, they could both already be gone since I've already spent several good years in the human world. And even if they were still alive, I don't really know if they'd be happy to see their daughter again, since I've been practically absent for a good majority of their lives. What if they've moved on or don't even remember me?"

"Well, I wouldn't just jump to conclusions, Sunset." Applejack replied. "I admit, I haven't really had a case in the Apple family similar to yours, but what I do know is, family will always respect and love you no matter what. In the worst case scenario that your parents would act like that, I'd understand for sure how much it would hurt. But then I would also keep in mind that they wouldn't truly be family if they ended up treatin' me that way. Plus, Twilight has sometimes told me she sees all of us as her family too, because we all treat each other the way we'd wanna be treated ourselves. I'd genuinely hope if you could find your parents, it wouldn't end up in the way you're worryin' about, but if it does, I still want you to remember you still have all of us. You'll always be part of the Apple family for takin' the extra mile regardin' Granny's situation, and nothing would change that."

"I really love your philosophies regarding family, AJ." Sunset began tearing up. "These are some wonderful ideas I'll always keep in a special place in my heart. I genuinely can't emphasize how nice it is to have friends who truly care for you in even the hardest of times."

"Me too, Sunset. Me too." Applejack smiled. "Well, I'm glad that we've had this talk together, but I suppose we should start heading over to the hospital to check up on Granny Smith. I legitimately gave all I could, and that's what truly matters."

"Yeah, I guess I could join you as an honorary Apple, since I now know all the values of what a family entails." Sunset said. "Which hospital is she staying at?"

"The one on the other side of Ponyville." Applejack responded. "It's admittedly further than the hospital we normally go to for checkups, but that clinic was already full. Not entirely sure why, but I'm guessin' it may have something to do with that huge battle we all had with Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. Many ponies and creatures did get injured tryin' to fight against those snakes in the grass. Regardless, we got some serious ground to cover if we wanna make it before visitin' hours are over. If I remember correctly, the visitin' time will end today at noon, so we have to get goin'. After this, they're stopping visitin' hours for the rest of the week. I mean, who knows how much time Granny has left?"

"Alright, that's very understandable." Sunset replied. "We should get going then, since it's almost 9:30."

Applejack and Sunset exited the house after finishing up breakfast and began trotting together to the clinic. There was a bittersweet feeling in the fact that Applejack wasn't able to make enough to cover Granny's treatment, but she knew being by her side was now the only thing that mattered most. As the two ponies were about to depart Sweet Apple Acres, they noticed a green Earth pony approaching them. Given how Sunset recalled the Wallflower incident several times throughout this entire journey, she was able to immediately recognize it was the pony Wallflower Blush who was seemingly stopping them from visiting the hospital.

"Applejack, right?" Wallflower addressed the farm pony she had planned to do business with.

"Oh, howdy there, Miss Blush!" Applejack replied back. "To what do I owe the pleasure today?"

"Well, you did give me a call yesterday afternoon in offering to help me out with my botanical garden, since you were looking for work." Wallflower reminded. "It's going to take several hours, so we might as well get started."

"Oh... that's right." Applejack put her hoof on her face, feeling astounded at how something like this could've slipped her mind. "I've been so busy makin' sales yesterday that I completely forgot about this. Could we please do it sometime later today, preferably in the afternoon?"

"That was not part of the deal, ma'am." Wallflower replied sternly. "You mentioned you were desperate for work and booked this job with me at exactly 9:30 in the morning. Plus, you also expected a good amount of bits from me, and I had already paid upfront for you. It's too late to back out and change plans now."

"Please, hear me out." Applejack begged. "I needed the money for my grandmother's treatment, and I absolutely have to get to the hospital to visit her before visitn' hours are over today at noon. If you would let me reschedule this job for you on such short notice, I'll be sure to make it all up to you with extra labor toward your gardenin' later today. Or, could I give you a refund?"

"I won't accept a refund because this will be mandatory for my business." Wallflower stated bluntly. "Nopony else is available to help me with the gardening, and I must get the gardening done before noon today, because I'll have to leave to Mustangia in order to set up my shop there, and I can't be late! You can't persuade me with some sob story about a grandma if you've already taken my money and specifically agreed to the deal as we had set. If you still refuse to help out, everypony in Equestria will hear about this, let's just say."

Applejack knew what this meant. Wallflower Blush was likely going to sue the Apple family for 'scamming' her, or go share her story in a newspaper article all over Equestria, which would certainly impact the family business for many years to come. Applejack then understood that she simply had no choice. Even if Granny didn't have much time left, she would certainly not be happy in the afterlife to see what would become of her family's reputation in the later years over this one tiny little incident, and neither would Bright Mac nor Pear Butter. The farm pony was about to come to terms with Wallflower's demands, but Sunset was analyzing the situation this whole time.

Sunset definitely didn't appreciate what the human Wallflower did in erasing her friends' good memories of her, but eventually came to terms as to why she ended up doing so. Plus, they did make up in the end, and even went to the Postcrush Music Festival together as mutual friends, though they didn't interact much there. However, even keeping in mind that this was another Wallflower, Sunset already noted how much more pushy and demanding she was, whereas the Wallflower she already knew was more of an introvert.

In some ways, Sunset could understand why Wallflower was acting the way she did, considering Wallflower had a tight schedule herself, already paid Applejack upfront, and set a specific time to do the work well in advance. It might've been Applejack's fault for letting this slip her mind, but the fact that Wallflower seemingly didn't care at all about AJ having a sick relative didn't sit well with her. Since Wallflower brought up how nopony else was available to help her today, it gave her an idea on what she should do, as she saw Applejack was ready to give in to Wallflower's demands.

"All right then." Applejack sighed. "I guess I'll go with you, Miss Blush-"

"Applejack, wait!" Sunset stopped her friend before she potentially made a decision that would change everything. "Miss Blush said she needed somepony available to help her out with gardening, right? If that's the case, how about you go on ahead to the hospital, while I do the gardening with her?"

"A unicorn?" Wallflower observed the pony who had offered her help. "Well, I suppose if you're up to tend bonsai trees with me, it doesn't really matter who assists me. But if you end up doing a shabby job..."

"I won't." Sunset affirmed. "I actually know exactly what bonsai trees needs, since back in my hometown, a certain friend taught me everything it takes to run a successful garden club."

"Oh, Sunset..." Applejack said, astounded at Sunset for how big of a sacrifice she was willing to make. "But I got myself into this here pickle by forgettin' I signed up for this, and you'd essentially be doin' what should be my labor."

"It's okay, Applejack." Sunset assured. "Since you consider me as part of your family, I'm willing to do anything I can to provide you that opportunity to see Granny Smith. As family, we stick together and help each other through even the toughest of times, no matter what."

"You have a real heart of gold, yourself, Sunset..." Applejack smiled. "Havin' family like you in my life, makes me feel-"

"Hey, I hate to interrupt, but we're all kind of on a schedule here!" Wallflower blurted out. "So, do I have a gardening assistant or not?"

"Well, she certainly just ruined a heartwarmin' moment." Applejack observed. "Regardless, I can't thank you enough for this, Sunset."

"No problem." Sunset replied, before turning to Wallflower. "And yes, you do have an assistant now, so let's head over to get started on the work."

Sunset and Wallflower headed off together to the garden while Applejack went off in the other direction to see Granny. It didn't take long for the two gardening ponies to finally arrive, and Sunset noted that the garden did look somewhat similar to the garden owned by the human Wallflower for her club back at CHS. Although the garden's theming did seem to line up with her human counterpart, her personality did not. The human Wallflower was initially seen as a mysterious, invisible girl who nobody ever seemed to notice, which made her begin to resent all the attention Sunset got. Despite ending up erasing her friends' good memories of her out of pettiness, Sunset realized there seemed to be a completely different side to this Wallflower for acting the way she did.

As the two ponies tended to a number of bonsai trees with the correct procedures and also began planting them into flower pots, Sunset still couldn't help but think why this Wallflower was so bitter. Obviously, due to her own absence in Equestria, combined with how Wallflower didn't seem to recognize her at all, Sunset couldn't imagine that she herself was responsible for this Wallflower turning out the way she did. She was understandably justified in feeling frustrated for Applejack changing her plans on such short notice, but definitely not for blackmailing AJ if she didn't comply with her demands in the end. The labor would normally take a lot longer with two Earth ponies, but Sunset sped things up since she had the advantage of her horn to move things along quicker. Since she and Wallflower had already been working together for a while, and it appeared they were already nearly done, Sunset felt the need to ask Wallflower what was seemingly making her act so grouchy.

"Wallflower, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Sunset addressed the gardening pony.

"H-How do you know my name?" Wallflower asked, surprised. "Most ponies only know me by 'Miss Blush'."

"Err, just a lucky guess?" Sunset tried to save herself, as she felt silly for accidentally making this mistake again, much like she did with Gloriosa. "But I mean, since we're nearly done with these bonsai trees and we still have plenty of time to spare, could I maybe talk with you for a while?"

"Well it's only these bonsai trees I'm exporting to Mustangia, and we are about to wrap up soon, so I guess so." Wallflower rolled her eyes. "What could you possibly want to talk about?"

"Do you feel... invisible in the world sometimes?" Sunset questioned, trying to understand if this Wallflower was having the same issue as the human version she knew. "Feeling like nopony seems to notice or understand anything about you?"

"I mean... considering how that Applejack pony completely forgot about my gardening appointment with her, what do you think?" Wallflower asked rhetorically. "That's not even been the first time either, I almost feel as if my existence in Equestria is almost worthless if I can't even get a simple bonsai tree business to take off. Everypony around here only seems to buy from that Gloriosa pony, while I just got forgotten all the time."

"Well, what if I told you I knew what it was like myself, being shunned and ignored in a society that never really understood or accepted me?" Sunset alluded to her past where she went through such treatment shortly after Princess Twilight left the human world for the first time after retrieving her stolen crown.

"What do you even know about anything like that?" Wallflower questioned. "It's not like you have problems making friends if you're just casually hanging with somepony like that Applejack mare, whom I hear is a legendary hero here in Equestria. Meanwhile, I can't even go through with simple business negotiations, because everypony keeps forgetting about me. I give them some details and demands upfront, the next thing I know, they just change their plans or minds. Why does that keep happening time and time again?"

"To be honest, you do have a bit of a temper." Sunset noted. "Is it entirely possible you might be difficult to work with because of that?"

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?!" Wallflower snapped, similar to the time the human Wallflower straight up roared at Sunset bluntly, that she hated her. This made Sunset flinch back a bit before speaking up.

"Well for example, I didn't exactly like what I saw back there with Applejack." Sunset explained. "You didn't seem to care that AJ had to go see her grandma, given how strict the hospital's visiting hours are. Not exactly a friendly reception for somepony she was planning to work with, right?"

"Well what did you expect when Applejack and I set a strict agreement on time, and I already paid her upfront for her services?" Wallflower attempted to justify her behavior. "Only for her to just ditch and forget about me to change plans at the very last minute, just like everypony else I've come across. Plus, I've heard that excuse plenty of times. 'My grandma is sick and I need to see her...', that's what they all say! And I've actually gone and found out that other ponies who've said that, it turned out to be nothing more than a lie. So why should I have thought differently about Applejack?"

"...Because I've known Applejack for a while." Sunset said, though mostly referring to her human counterpart. "She would never ask you of something if she didn't need it, and plus, her family's the most reputable apple business in Equestria. I'm sorry to hear you've had different experiences in the past with actual dishonest ponies, but I can assure you, AJ is nothing like that. She's a hardworking, honest, and independent farm pony who really cares about her friends and family."

"And how do you know that?" Wallflower simply spat in disgust. "This was supposed to be the job she signed up for, not you. How do we not know she's just scamming you by letting you do her work so she can just go goof off instead of visiting her grandmother, like you said? Has she even shown you any proof?"

"You wouldn't make yourself come across as the easiest pony the work with if you demand proof for every small little thing." Sunset huffed. "I know AJ, she would never lie about something so serious. Plus, I slept over at her house, and saw that nopony else who lived there was even present, including her grandmother. Even if I were to demand proof, that would've been all I needed to be convinced, and it wouldn't have been professional for anypony to be constantly prying like they don't trust them. If you wanted to work with Applejack in the first place, you surely would've trusted her to some extent, yes? What makes you think she, the most reputable businesspony in Equestria would lie to you on a matter as serious as a sick relative?"

"I just told you, it was my past experiences that makes me not wanting to trust many ponies nowadays!" Wallflower spouted. "Do you have cotton in your ears or something?"

"I don't." Sunset frowned. "I simply want to help you out in understanding why Equestria's society seemingly forgets about you, Wallflower."

"Quit calling me that name!" Wallflower demanded. "You either call me 'Miss Blush', or stop talking to me altogether! You choose."

"Fine, Miss Blush." Sunset rolled her eyes. "Do you see what I mean though? This is really unprofessional behavior from you, to somepony like me who's offering their time to help you with some labor."

"So... what are you saying then?" Wallflower asked for clarity.

"You've been mean to so many residents of Equestria for so long, that nopony wants to work with you." Sunset illustrated. "I, myself used to be just like that, and believe me, I lived out a life of misery because everyone kept on shunning or ignoring me, because I was so hard to work with. It's hard when something like that happens, but then you have to analyze and understand why ponies start to hesitate in wanting to work with you, or forget about you. Though in Applejack's case, from what I was told, it was purely in accident, as she was desperately working nonstop yesterday."

"All I'm doing is setting my demands and expectations upfront for simple business transactions in service." Wallflower explained. "What more could they want?"

"Right, but did you feel for how that would be if you were in the other pony's place?" Sunset asked.

"I don't know what you're trying to imply by that." Wallflower said, confused.

"Let's pretend... I'm the client who's expecting you to do another job when you're in the middle of exporting these bonsai trees, and you're the assistant who agreed to the task." Sunset explained, before changing her voice slightly in pretending she was a completely different pony. "Hey, Miss Blush! You need to come with me now to deliver these pizzas to Canterlot! I don't care what you're doing right now, you must come with me now and that is final!"

"B-But, I have to move these bonsai trees to Mustangia for my business. It's very urgent!" Wallflower said, playing along.

"Urgent?" Sunset reiterated. "The only thing you'll need that's urgent is a bath for disobeying my orders! I'm dumping these pots of soil all over you until you comply! Take it or leave it!"

"I... I desperately need these trees for my business though." Wallflower said, somewhat intimidated.

"Very well then, you asked for it!" Sunset said in an aggressive tone.

Sunset used her magic to levitate around 10 pots of soil over Wallflower's head, and turned them 180 degrees to drop the dirt all over her. Wallflower shrieked in horror and almost wanted to cry, but Sunset had thankfully planned ahead. The time she's spent in Equestria had started letting her get more used to having magic, and she used her levitation spell to catch all patches of soil before they could make Wallflower look like a mint and chocolate chip ice cream mess. She then put the pots back on the ground, as the soil magically went back into each respective pot, as her point had finally been made.

"Gosh, that's how I've been treating the ponies I've been hiring?" Wallflower looked back in shock. Although those disreputable ponies in the past who've wronged me are to blame, I still have to blame myself for taking this approach with absolutely everypony I work with. I guess... over time, it just becomes hard to look at yourself in the mirror, and it's easier to just point a hoof. Then it just reached a point where I was used to behaving this way, that I didn't think much about how anypony else would react. I guess... when you're seeing this behavior from somepony else's point of view, you start to see a fragment of yourself that you normally can't seem to understand."

"That's exactly what I was hoping you would realize." Sunset smiled. "I'm certainly not the most perfect pony myself in that front, since I do occasionally still have anger issues that make me explode in other ponies' faces simply because I couldn't control my frustration. I understand your frustration with those ponies who have lied to you before in the past, that's on them. But always acting cranky to the point of being difficult to work with..."

"...Is all my fault." Wallflower finished Sunset's sentence, before sighing. "I'm really sorry for the way I've been treating both you and Applejack. Now I feel so ashamed and disgusted with myself, and even dumb for not realizing there was a legitimate reason why I seemed so... invisible to everypony."

"Please... Miss Blush." Sunset put a hoof on Wallflower. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Such flaws never make you a bad pony, they show there's a piece of yourself which you can always improve on for the better.

"Thank you so much for this valuable lesson, Miss..." Wallflower began, but realized Sunset never introduced herself.

"Sunset Shimmer." Sunset finally gave an introduction. And let's just say, I learned this kind of lesson myself from the many friends I've made over the years. Now, we're almost done with the bonsai trees, and I'm glad you were able to understand me on the same level. Once we fill out these remaining 30 pots, I guess it's time to ship them off to this Mustangia place? Admittedly, I've never been there myself."

"It's my hometown, but I had to pick up my garden's supply here in Ponyville, since I don't own any acres there." Wallflower explained. "Some ponies have considered the possibility of letting me share with them, but ended up changing their minds after mentioning I'm a bit too difficult to work with. Now I understand why."

"Well, if you do end up expanding your business with the proper attitude, I'm sure you'll start becoming successful in no time, Miss Blush."

"Actually... you can call me 'Wallflower' if you'd like." Wallflower changed her approach toward Sunset. "I've already realized that demanding to be referred to as 'Miss Blush' doesn't make me come across as a friendly or easy pony to work with."

"I'm starting to like this new Wallflower already!" Sunset smiled, before she went back to packing the bonsai trees with her, and felt satisfied in solving the mystery behind why this other Wallflower was constantly feeling so... invisible.

Chapter 43: General Hospital

Sunset and Wallflower had finally finished packing up all the trees as they were now ready to be carried off in two wagons. During her time in Equestria, Sunset couldn't help but feel her pride in showing what her skills in empathy and friendship had as far as making a difference to those around her. Although her initial goal was simply to help Wallflower out as a means of letting Applejack see Granny Smith, Sunset had also effectively understood Wallflower's psychological issues and how they could be corrected for the better. The initial job of packing the bonsai trees went rather quickly, but there was also the matter of escorting them to Mustangia, as Wallflower certainly wasn't able to carry both wagons by herself.

The two ponies carried the wagons over to the far edge of Ponyville, and eventually toward another station that had a waiting train with coaches that specialized in carrying freight. There was still plenty of time to spare for loading the trees onto the train itself, but Wallflower wasn't in as big of a rush as she likely would've been, had a unicorn not volunteered to assist her. However, making it all the way to Mustangia for her business deal with time being of the essence, she decided to not waste too much time with loading them aboard. With Sunset's help, it once again didn't take too long, and she was now set to arrive back at her hometown to start setting up her business.

"Thank you so much again for both the labor in packing, and also the valuable life lessons on my behavior." Wallflower said, gratefully. "We still have around 30 minutes to spare before the train leaves, but it's good to be ahead of schedule. This was why I really needed to get everything done before noon, but as you've taught me, there could've been a much better way to approach it. I'm still just... really torn up about the times where I had been lied to in the past."

"No problem." Sunset smiled, before alluding to certain bad memories she had encountered in the past few days. "I'm still glad things worked out and you were able to turn a new leaf, unlike... other disreputable ponies I've come across myself recently."

"Yeah, but to be completely fair, some of the first few encounters I've had with dishonest ponies, it was kinda my own fault for being dumb." Wallflower sighed. "Like this one time I hired somepony in delivering my flower pots to Ponyville, only to find out later that they never arrived. I paid the pony upfront for this job, and then she just flew away like that. I never got to see my bits or flower pots ever again."

"She... flew away?" Sunset questioned, realizing Wallflower was implying this pony was not only female, but also a pegasus. "Out of curiosity, do you remember much about what this pony looked like? Did she happen to have an orange coat, as well as blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow?"

"Y-Yes...?" Wallflower's eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

"Let's just say I'm doing a little side investigation to a pony who's been committing acts of thievery all over Equestria lately, and I was given a tip that somepony with those exact characteristics is likely the culprit." Sunset explained. "Do you by any chance remember her name?"

"Afraid not." Wallflower frowned at her dumb decision. "I should've known better than to trust a seeming stranger and paid her upfront for a job, only for her to not do as she was told. I guess that's the price I pay when I'm desperate."

"I see, really sorry that happened to you, Wallflower." Sunset empathized. "But hey, look on the bright side. Now you have an outlook on how to effectively communicate with other ponies, and it'll play a major part in your business. Plus, it looks like you'll be able to travel home safely without the worry of being late."

"All thanks to you, my friend!" Wallflower smiled. "I'm... kinda surprised to call somepony else a friend, since I've admittedly not really made any friends here in Equestria, up until now. Would you like to come to Mustangia with me?"

"Maybe some other time." Sunset decided, as she'd still prefer sticking with her original plan in being with Applejack and visiting Celestia later on. "I do have some other plans for today, and your main objective with loading the trees onto the train is finished. I'll be sure to visit Mustangia sometime, it does sound like an interesting place I've yet to see. Good luck with your business and new communication skills in the meantime."

"Alright, sounds cool, thanks!" Wallflower replied, before boarding the train herself and waving goodbye to Sunset. "Hope we can keep in touch."

Sunset finished waving goodbye and began heading back the way she came. Looking at the time on a nearby clock, it was 11:34 AM, meaning that the hospital's visiting hours were almost over. Although Sunset's main concern was returning to Applejack, two other things began to flood her mind. Firstly, whoever this orange pegasus was, she was most certainly a ruthless, disreputable scumbag, even more than that Crafty Crate stallion Derpy had mentioned before. And secondly, since she was likely going to be joining Applejack at the hospital, she began wondering if the hospital itself could provide any information regarding her missing family. It seemed to be worth a shot, as there could also be a chance that the hospital Granny was staying at was the same clinic she was born in, given how Sunset and her father lived in Ponyville at one point.

It was rather simple to locate the hospital Applejack was referring to, as there were only two clinics in Ponyville, and one of them was completely opposite from the direction Applejack proceeded to from Sweet Apple Acres earlier. In a matter of minutes, Sunset trotted along the path and eventually found it, the only other hospital which was located on the far, opposite end of the farm. Visiting hours were likely over by the time she arrived, but it didn't seem to matter, as asking questions at the front desk was normally allowed. There was also the matter of joining Applejack in praying for Granny's health, assuming she wasn't already too late. With this in mind, Sunset casually trotted through the hospital's front doors, and to her surprise, immediately saw Applejack, along with the pony Applebloom and Big Mcintosh in the main lobby, looking very heartbroken.

Sunset also noticed that accompanying Big Mac was a pink unicorn who looked just like that Sugar Belle gal she had met at the cafe back in the human world. She appeared to be escorting Applebloom and Big Mac into another room to comfort them, while Applejack remained behind in the lobby. Sunset noted that Applejack was also now wearing a bandana, which looked exactly like the one the human Granny Smith wore. Considering what Applejack had already mentioned earlier regarding Granny's condition, as well as the issue of not being able to afford her treatment, Sunset began to wonder if the inevitable had already occurred.

"AJ...?" Sunset asked from a distance, as Applejack looked over and waved, signaling Sunset to come up to her.

"Well Sunset..." Applejack begin, barely able to speak. "I'm not sure if you could immediately tell just based on how me and my family were actin', but... it's just as I had feared this mornin'. Granny Smith was just taken from us all about 15 minutes ago. We were all sittin' in her room hopin' she could make a miraculous recover, but... we unfortunately heard her breathe her last breath before she went completely limp."

"I'm so sorry to hear." Sunset said, sadly. "It's just so frustrating that the hospital wasn't able to save her because of some bill."

"Actually, Sugarcube?" Applejack began explaining, before sharing a flashback of what she had just experienced.

Almost an hour before Granny Smith's untimely demise, Applebloom, Sugar Belle, Big Mcintosh, and Applejack, who had just arrived to join her whole family, were sitting around Granny's bed. Applejack began to express her words of sorrow in failing her mission of gathering enough funds for the hospital bill.

"I still feel... really, really bad that I wasn't able to gather enough bits for your treatment, Granny." Applejack sighed.

"Maybe... it's for the better, Applejack..." Granny said, weakly.

"For the better?" Applejack asked, perplexed, before turning to the rest of her family, as she knew taking the energy to talk was making Granny feel worse than she already was. "Why is that?"

"Apparently, we were all told by the doctor everything concerning her condition and it all being late-stage." Sugar Belle explained. "In the end, it was said that at best, she had four, maybe five months left, and that's only if she was kept in the hospital, hooked up to machines constantly."

"While you were at the farm yesterday, we were talkin' to Granny after the doctor delivered the news." Applebloom further elaborated. "We've known her all our lives, and knew that wouldn't have been an existence she would've wanted."

"Nope." Big Mac agreed strongly.

"It doesn't matter to Granny now, because she's happy that she'll still be getting some time with her first granddaughter." Sugar Belle assured.

"Granny..." Applejack put her hoof on her dying grandmother's bed. "We can't lose you like this, I'd even be willin' to sell Sweet Apple Acres just to give you that further four or so months."

"Sis..." Applebloom interjected. "You and I both know Granny would not want that. She would much rather we continue the family business for many more generations to come, even after she's gone."

Although it appeared to be subtle, Granny was able to weakly nod her head in agreement to Applebloom's statement, as a way of communicating to Applejack that her second granddaughter was right in expressing her own thoughts on the matter. Applejack then seemed to die on the inside herself, realizing that this truly was the end, and there was no going back, whether she had made enough bits or not to cover Granny's treatment. If Applejack's heartstrings weren't being pulled on before, they certainly were at what Granny was about to do next. Granny had weakly used her hoof to point at her bandana, as Applebloom took notice of this.

"That's right." Applebloom began tearing up. "Sis, Granny also told us that after she's gone, she wants you to keep her apple-spotted bandana. Not only so that you'll always have a piece of her to remember for many more years to come, but also as her way of sayin', you'll be the mare of the farm from now on."

"Granny, if that's really what you want, I won't let you down." Applejack sniffled. "I've kept Pa's hat my whole life ever since he passed, and now I'll be gettin' your bandana too..."

Granny Smith took one last look at her first granddaughter and smiled as Applejack took the bandana off of her and placed in on her own neck. With the grandmother satisfied at her grandchildren for respecting her wishes and giving everything they finally could, Granny then closed her eyes and motioned into a nap, not knowing that it would already be her very last. She passed away around an hour later, as Applebloom, Applejack, Big Mac, and Sugar Belle all held each other and cried profusely, regardless of them all knowing this was inevitable. Applejack's flashback then ended, as Sunset finally had full context of everything that had happened while she was helping Wallflower.

"My condolences, AJ." Sunset said, as her ears went down in sadness. "I really wish things didn't have to end this way..."

"Sunset..." Applejack looked up at her friend with her hoof on her own chest. "If it wasn't for your beautiful act in helpin' me out with Miss Blush, I wouldn't have gotten to see Granny Smith before she was gone. Nopony else I know would've been that empathetic and puttin' others before herself. The fact you were willin' to do this for me, a pony you barely know compared to whom I'd assume being the other... me? I can now see you truly are the most carin' pony in Equestria, and you've truly embraced what Twilight has taught you over the years. This is genuinely the most beautiful gift I have ever gotten, since there's no greater gift than family."

"I'm so happy to hear." Sunset smiled at Applejack's kind words. "I just couldn't see you miss out on your one opportunity to see Granny before visiting hours were over, and I know myself now to never take my own family for granted, like I had all those years ago. I wanted to pass on my philosophy to others in the same way, because by this point, I'd do anything just to meet my own parents one more time. The whole idea of family being forever, if that makes sense?"

"Family truly is forever, and it is sadly a common part of Equestrian society to take it for granted." Applejack elaborated. "Time is one of those very limited and precious things that... once you use it, you can't ever get it back. Even if Granny herself would've decided against it, I would've honestly given up everything at the farm just to have one more year with her. Me, Applebloom, and Big Mcintosh have spent our entire lives with Granny, and even now, we still feel we didn't get enough time with her. She was all we had left after Ma and Pa passed, and now she's out there with them, watchin' over us."

"I'm sure Granny Smith will now be proud for what you and your family will end up doing with the business for many more years to come." Sunset assured. "She may be gone, but her legacy and what she's left behind certainly still remains."

"That's definitely what she wanted me to believe myself before she took that final nap." Applejack sighed. "I just wasn't prepared for this, since Granny seemed perfectly healthy and capable when she attended both Big Mac's weddin' with Sugar Belle, as well as Twilight's coronation. But I'm guessin' the sudden buildup in her system ended up taking her unexpectedly, and so sudden too. If there's a major lesson about anypony's family, I'd say that... just cause they're here today, doesn't mean they'll still be here tomorrow. Nopony lives forever and... it's just now a sad truth that this is pretty much what me and the family have to accept as 'normal' now..."

"I would certainly understand this all being a lot to take in, AJ." Sunset sympathized. "I'm legitimately glad that I was still able to provide you that opportunity to see her one final time, as I could tell how much you loved her. Taking the whole day to gather enough funds for her treatment certainly makes you a one of a kind granddaughter in my eyes."

"Much obliged." Applejack replied. "And even if I wasn't able to get everything together for her treatment, I suppose we can now put the extra funds toward Granny's funeral. In all my life I've known her, Sunset? Granny really reminded me of how you are yourself now. She was always a kind mare who put everypony else before her own needs. Sure, she didn't initially approve of Ma and Pa marryin' each other, but the important thing being, she accepted Ma when she truly saw Pa was happy. But now since Ma, Pa, and Granny are all gone, sayin' that I'll miss them all would certainly be an understatement."

"I miss my own parents in the same way." Sunset sighed. "I have no idea who they were, where they lived, or whether or not they're still alive. For all I know, I might possibly be going on a wild goose chase with finding my missing family, since everywhere I've currently looked, I've hit dead ends. All I have to go off of is, somepony who was supposedly named 'Solstice', at least from what I found on the bottom of my saddlebag."

"That must be so hard, Sunset." Applejack responded. "Tell ya' what, Sugarcube. The Apples have family livin' all over Equestria, like I mentioned back at Twilight's coronation. I'll of course be contactin' the rest of the family about Granny, but I'll also put in the word to any of them if they know anypony by that name. It's really no trouble at all, and it's the least I could do for you. You helped me see my family before they were gone, so I'd feel it's only right that I'd do the same for you."

"I'd really appreciate any leads I could get, thank you." Sunset smiled.

Just then, coming out of the other room was the aforementioned wife of Big Mcintosh, Sugar Belle. Sunset still remembered the other Sugar Belle she had briefly met at the cafe before confessing to her human friends about her desire to take an extended stay in Equestria, so it was a nice surprise to see a familiar face she had just met. Although Sunset didn't really know much about this Sugar Belle, she could still immediately notice that the unicorn was just as heartbroken as the rest of the Apples over now losing her grandmother-in-law.

"Big Mac and Applebloom are certainly taking the news rather harshly." Sugar Belle sighed. "But I think I was finally able to dry their tears. I'm so sorry that you lost your loving grandmother just like that, Applejack. She may be gone now, but at least she was able to see Big Mac and I get married, and her entire family in Ponyville by her side before she passed."

"I guess that's true." Applejack replied, before introducing Sunset to her sister-in-law. "This is the pony I was tellin' you about before Granny had her final nap. She was the main reason I was even able to come, since some pushy Earth pony nearly prevented me from doing so. This is Sunset Shimmer, a pony I've met recently whom in my honest opinion, truly exemplifies everything regardin' what family is all about."

"Sunset Shimmer?" Sugar Belle said, before introducing herself. "Sugar Belle here, nice to meet you. And thanks so much for letting Applejack see Granny again before... well, you know..."

"Nice to meet you as well." Sunset replied back. "I'm just happy to help wherever I can, since I've kept my belief that true friends are family no matter how hard life becomes. That said, I still honestly wish I could see my own family once again, since I've pretty much locked them out of my memory up until recently."

"I did say I would spread the word to the rest of the family, so I guess I could start with Sugar Belle." Applejack said. "Sis, do you know anything about somepony supposedly named 'Solstice', by any chance?"

Sunset was still thinking that the main source of information she had left was any knowledge coming from Celestia. She knew for certain that if her former mentor supposedly said that she wanted to give her the mother she needed, Celestia definitely knew something more dark and deep that she had kept hidden for her entire youth. Given how almost everypony else she's asked seemed to know nothing about anypony named 'Solstice', Sunset began to think even Sugar Belle would hit a dead end. However, she and Applejack were about to hear something rather surprising from the baking unicorn.

"Actually... that does sound familiar." Sugar Belle replied, as Sunset and Applejack's eyes widened. "Now, that's not somepony in my family, but I seem to vaguely remember I had a personal vocal tutor by that name when I tried out for singing as a filly. She was a really good mentor, and we had a lot of fun together. But shortly after I discovered my passion for baking, I decided to focus on that completely, and my parents told her that her lessons were no longer needed. Baking's just been my true calling for everything I've done since then. Well, unless you count when I was part of Starlight's village and let her take away my cutie mark, but you know how the rest of the story goes, AJ?"

"Sure do." Applejack affirmed. "But like Sunset here, Starlight's certainly a much better pony now than she did havin' all you villagers equal."

"So... you knew of somepony named 'Solstice' in the past, and she was a mare?" Sunset began brainstorming. "Do you remember anything else about her, and was she by any chance a unicorn? Do you know where she might be now?"

"I unfortunately don't remember much about what she looked like, but I'm fairly certain she was a unicorn." Sugar Belle recalled. "And I'm sorry, but I wouldn't know where she is nowadays, and neither would my parents. I definitely remember that as a filly, I was crushed when I was told that they had completely cut contact with her after her singing lessons were deemed to be obsolete, and I had already gotten my baking cutie mark. That's all I know about anypony being named 'Solstice', I'm afraid."

"I see..." Sunset began thinking further. "Thanks for at least trying to give me a lead on my missing family, but if you no longer know about her whereabouts, I might've hit another dead end. Plus, it could be possible that this isn't the same 'Solstice' I'm looking for, and it's just a coincidence."

"Wait a second, Sunset..." Applejack began to observe. "While sittin' here and listen to you and Sugar Belle talk to each other, I'm beginnin' to notice you both sound pretty similar to each other."

Although Sunset and Sugar Belle seemed rather confused initially at what Applejack was getting at, they were eventually able to understand what she meant after deciding to focus on directly hearing each others' voice, rather than having a casual conversation. This began to get more noticeable when they started to finish each others' sentences.

"Do we..." Sunset began.

"...really, Applejack?" Sugar Belle finished, as she and Sunset then understood what Applejack truly meant.

"Huh... no wonder I did have an initial feeling that something about Sugar Belle reminded me a bit of myself..." Sunset reiterated, though she was mostly referring to the human Sugar Belle when she said those exact words. "Sugar Belle's voice might be softer than mine, but you're right. I can definitely hear some kind of connection between our vocals."

"What do you suppose this implies, Applejack?" Sugar Belle questioned, curiously.

"Is it entirely possible that Sunset had a relative by the name of 'Solstice', who just happened to coincidentally be Sugar Belle's singin' teacher, which by that virtue, could be the reason you both have similar voices?"

Sunset and Sugar Belle looked at each other with a mixed feeling, before Sunset spoke up.

"That sounds..." Sunset began.

"...like a bit of a stretch, I know." Applejack finished Sunset's sentence. "Perhaps I'm just overthinkin' things, like I always used to do when feedin' the pigs back at the farm."

"No, not at all, AJ." Sunset assured. "I was going to say that actually sounds like a brilliant theory. I have a lingering feeling that my dad's name isn't 'Solstice', but have no information about my mother. And since Sugar Belle confirmed Solstice was not only a mare, but also a unicorn, she might possibly be my real mom. Plus, you were able to connect the dots with me and Sugar Belle's voices, since Solstice not only taught Sugar Belle how to sing, but also gave me my inherited voice. Considering how I've asked so many other ponies about any information regarding somepony named 'Solstice', they've all come up with nothing. So since Sugar Belle had a vivid memory on somepony by that name, I might finally have a legitimate lead on something. I only recently discovered the name 'Solstice' engraved on the bottom of the saddlebag I've kept all my life, and for quite some time, that's the only hint I've gotten. I can't thank you enough for the tip, Sugar Belle."

"Of course, like you've said yourself, Sunset." Sugar Belle begin reiterating. "I'm happy to help my friends and family out wherever I can too. Speaking of helping out families, Applejack? Should we contact all our friends and family on when Granny's funeral will be held?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Applejack agreed. "Well, Sunset? I'm glad things worked out to some extent, but I'll still contact the rest of the family in whether or not they got further leads on this Solstice pony you're curious about. In the meantime, I'll still need to deliver the hard news about Granny being gone to everypony else, and we have to start settin' up things back at Sweet Apple Acres for the funeral."

"Applebloom and my Big Mac might still need some time to mourn this loss, so I might stay with them a little bit longer." Sugar Belle explained. "Maybe you should go on ahead with the funeral plans without me? We'll all catch up with you soon."

"I understand." Applejack agreed. "Sunset, would you like to accompany me a little bit longer?"

"Sure, AJ." Sunset smiled. "That hospital bill already made you lonely for quite some time, so I'd want to make sure you're never alone when family is forever."

With that said, Applejack and Sunset exited the hospital together, as Sugar Belle returned to the other room to continue comforting her husband and little sister-in-law. In the meantime, Sunset was happy she was not only able to prove how much of a genuine pony she was to Applejack, but also how she seemingly hit a major breakthrough in becoming closer to solving this mystery behind her parents. She still didn't quite know anything remarkable regarding her father, but now had reasons to believe she seemingly used to have a mother by the name of 'Solstice', who was responsible for why specifically Sunset noted something about Sugar Belle reminded her of herself.

Chapter 44: Revisiting the Past

Applejack and Sunset had finally arrived back at Sweet Apple Acres, with both ponies having different objectives in mind. Sunset wanted to accompany her friend a little longer to mourn the late Granny Smith, while Applejack was going through her cherished items before preparing for the funeral. Preparation was certainly going to take a lot of time, effort, and money, which Applejack thankfully had plenty of, as she had not spent it on the hospital's treatment after all. One thing that Applejack had not mentioned earlier while at the hospital, was that Granny also mentioned she had left one last item to pass down to her, which was located in her bedroom's dresser.

As expected, Applejack searched Granny's bedroom and found exactly what her grandmother had described, which was kept safe within a box. It was a gold necklace with an apple shaped red ruby in the center, which Granny had kept secretly in her room all these years. The colors were reminiscent of Applejack's father, Bright Mcintosh, and this was no coincidence. The necklace was originally a custom-built piece of jewelry Granny had bought, which was given to Bright Mac in honoring his and Pear Butter's secret marriage. Unfortunately, after Bright Mac and Pear Butter had both unexpectedly passed away, the necklace fell back into the possession of Granny Smith, who had then kept it a secret all these years. She had never told the rest of the Apple family about the necklace to symbolize her grief, and it had too much sentimental value to her.

"It really is here." Applejack gazed in awe at the box which held the shiny necklace, before taking it out and putting it on her own neck. "Pa's necklace. Granny had never mentioned it to any of us until today, but she finally told us in her last breath. After Ma and Pa both tragically left us all without even gettin' the chance to say goodbye, Granny kept this secret weddin' present here this whole time, as a means of ensurin' nothin' would ever happen to it."

"It's nice to hear Granny was able to give you a bit of closure for this secret she's kept for so long." Sunset said. "I guess this means she passed it down to you as part of your inheritance?"

"Well, yes and no, actually." Applejack began explaining. "Granny wasn't able to speak much on her bed, but it was mostly Sugar Belle who reiterated what Granny would've wanted to tell me. Basically, Granny's given this necklace to me as a bit of a parting gift, but she very much wants me to treat it like it's still Pa's. The sentimental value is so strong, since other than this here hat I'm wearin', this truly is the only other thing I have left of Pa. In other words, Granny's wanting me to know that it's now my turn in protectin' this necklace's legacy, much like she had for a good portion of her life."

"I'm sure you'll treasure it forever." Sunset smiled. "Looks like a very beautiful necklace indeed."

"It sure is." Applejack agreed. "Even after Ma and Pa passed, the family business wasn't as big as it is now, and back at the hospital, we were all discussin' how sad Granny felt back then when she couldn't even afford a funeral for them. She almost contemplated selling the necklace just to pay for the expenses, but didn't have the heart to do so. That's how much this necklace truly meant to Granny, and I've officially made it my vow since her passin' that I'll be lookin' after it for the rest of my life."

"Sounds like a commitment I know you'll stick with, AJ." Sunset assured. "As for my parents, from what Sugar Belle told me back at the hospital, that might mean the saddlebag with the word 'Solstice' engraved on the bottom once belonged to my mother. And from what I can gather, considering how my dad passed it down to me, maybe it is a likely sign that my mom already passed away early on, or got a divorce with dad. It's all beginning to add up, why I only grew up with a dad in Ponyville, and why Princess Celestia seemingly claimed she wanted to give me the mother I needed. Well... I mean, that's still assuming this is the same Solstice Sugar Belle alluded to. It is possible for ponies to share first names, I'd assume?"

"Considerin' how the Apple family is consisted of Apples, as well as the fact that me and Applebloom have the word 'Apple' in front, I don't doubt it." Applejack brainstormed. "I believe last names have cases like that too, if you count Sweetie Belle and Sugar Belle as an example."

"Yeah, that's what I had feared." Sunset sighed. "Well, that certainly does complicate things a little, but still. The connection between me and Sugar Belle's voices, as well as the fact that nopony else I've talked to has even the vaguest memories of anypony named Solstice, I feel like I should take this lead seriously. At this point, whether my parents are still alive or not doesn't matter to me anymore. After the many years of feeling lonely and forgotten by everypony who once loved me, getting some closure over this whole mystery is what's most important now. Applejack, don't get me wrong. I'm glad that I now have you, Twilight, and everypony else as my family too, it's just... I really want to know now about where I truly came from and what could've happened back then."

"I understand your pain, Sunset." Applejack replied. "I for one would have no idea how I'd be livin' life in Equestria if I had nopony in my family to come back to after a long day of work. Hence why after I'm finishin' up gatherin' everything to prepare for Granny's funeral, I'll be phonin' the rest of the family in regards to any other leads to this Solstice pony you're lookin' for. Have you by any chance talked to Twilight or Celestia for help? Twilight's usually goin' to be at Canterlot from now on, whereas Celestia's now stayin' at Silver Shoals."

"Well I did ask Twilight earlier on, but she unfortunately didn't have any leads either." Sunset reflected. "She did tell me that she'd be doing some research to come up with any further clues, so there is still that. As for Celestia, I actually haven't visited her yet, since I've spent a majority of my time in Equestria exploring and hanging with all you ponies, like Twilight proposed back at the Coronation. It's amazing how in less than two days, I've basically hung out with everypony for a while, and gotten to know them the same way I had with my human friends. But yeah, I have been told where Celestia lives now, and I do plan on visiting her sometime later today."

"Now wait a minute." Applejack interjected. "From what Twilight's told us about you, you were formerly Princess Celestia's pupil, right? And if what you just said earlier was anything to go by, the former princess also saw you as a daughter since she believed she could be the mother you needed?"

"That's right." Sunset affirmed. "It's ironic how I seemingly resented Princess Celestia for a majority of my earlier life after escaping through the portal, when in reality, she was the only true family I had besides my father throughout my youth. As I grew up in Canterlot as a filly, I could certainly remember how much of a caring mother figure she was to me, but I clearly let my ambition in magic cloud my judgement of her. I do admittedly still want to visit her soon, since it has been quite some time since our last reunion together."

"Tell ya what, Sunset." Applejack began, before opening her money box to take out some leftover bits and putting them in Sunset's hoof. "Since you took the extra mile in lettin' me see Granny Smith before she was gone, I want to pass your kindness back to you. I'm well familiar with the train schedule here in Ponyville, and am aware that there is a train which will be headin' to Silver Shoals sometime today. And since you mentioned that you didn't have any bits with you last night, I want you to take these to buy yourself a train ticket to visit there. You made a sacrifice to help me see my grandmother, so I'll make my own to help you see the one pony you consider a mother."

"I really appreciate this, AJ." Sunset smiled. "Thank you so much. But I do kinda still feel bad you're going to be here all alone to prepare for Granny Smith's funeral. Especially after everything you must've went through at the hospital."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Sugarcube." Applejack assured. "Last night before bed, I did get a call from Fluttershy. She mentioned needing somepony to watch over a little filly she brought into her home, since she needed to head back to the animal sanctuary today. I heard about what happened last night as far as her gettin' robbed on the train, so given the circumstances, I just couldn't say 'no' to her. But basically, I'll just be around the farm doing simple tasks and chores to prepare for the funeral, and I won't be by myself while doin' everything, so I insist. Go see your metaphorical mother, Sunset."

"All right, well I'm glad you won't be alone while setting up everything." Sunset said, happily. "I'm also glad to hear that you're going to be with Lily."

"Hmm, you've met her?" Applejack questioned.

"Well, kind of." Sunset tried her best to explain. "Basically, I was with Fluttershy last night and we both encountered her all abandoned and alone without any family. So Fluttershy volunteered to extend her home to her, since it's sickening to imagine how anypony in Equestria could abandon a poor little filly like her."

"Tell me about it." Applejack reflected. "Not havin' a family must be the worst thing in Equestria. Err... no offense, Sunset."

"None taken." Sunset sighed before rolling her eyes in amusement at seemingly hearing this for the thousanth time. "But really, from what little I've seen of her, she's really a sweet filly who just needs to be loved. Given how strong of a family the Apples are, I'm sure you'll be able to give her just that, AJ."

"I reckon I sure could." Applejack said with pride, before hearing a knock at the front door. "Oh, it looks like that might be her. Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, Sunset? I hope you can spend some real quality time with Celestia when you reach Silver Shoals."

"Thanks, Applejack." Sunset said with gratitude. "I do hope so myself too."

"Oh, and one last thing, Sugarcube." Applejack reminded. "Is that basket of groceries in the kitchen yours? It doesn't seem to contain anything I usually buy."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Thanks so much for reminding me." Sunset replied before heading over to the kitchen to pick it up, as Applejack answered the front door.

As Sunset went back over to the front door to accompany Applejack, she saw Fluttershy and Lily from last night, who were both somewhat surprised to see Sunset with the farm pony. Applejack held off on telling Fluttershy about Granny's passing at the moment, since she knew her pegasus friend already had a lot on her plate after getting robbed. Fluttershy simply nodded in thanking Applejack for watching over Lily before heading off to the train station, as she was already running somewhat late for her train.

Lily looked up at Applejack and Sunset, notably happy she was able to see Sunset again after the brief bonds from last night. She felt absolutely loved and cared by Fluttershy last night, which made her feel extra guilty that she had already stolen bits, jewelry, and even a critter in a cage. She had done exactly as her mother had instructed of her, from discreetly taking the items from Fluttershy's cottage, putting them in the possession of her mother, and then safely returning back to the cottage so that she couldn't immediately be seen as a suspect. Luckily for Lily, Fluttershy didn't really notice anything missing from her home, but she was inevitably going to at some point.

Although the guilt crept up further on Lily, she was mostly reminded of this when she saw this Applejack pony Fluttershy had told her about last night. What she didn't expect was that she was wearing this beautiful and expensive looking necklace that she knew her mother would go crazy for. As such, the first thing the little filly did was do the obligatory introductions, before questioning the farm pony about her necklace.

"Nice to meet you, Applejack." Lily began. "I'm Lily, at least, that's the name Sunset here had given me last night."

"So I've been told." Applejack tipped her hat. "Nice to meet you as well, Lily. Sunset was just leavin', but no need to fret. We can still spend some time together. From what both Fluttershy and Sunset had told me last night, you don't have a family?"

"No, I don't." Lily partially lied, as although she had already lost her biological parents, she now had an adopted mother who took her in. "I really just wanted somepony to love me, since I've felt so alone forever."

"Well, I can assure you that I'd be willin' to give you that kind of family." Applejack said with enthusiasm.

"Thank you so much." Lily smiled, before asking about the necklace she was wearing. "By the way, I really like that necklace you're wearing, where did you get it?"

"Oh... let's just say... it was a gift from my grandmother, who had unfortunately passed away today." Applejack said, glumly. "It's the last thing she passed down to me before she was gone, so I'm makin' it my goal to protect its legacy at all costs. I'm just wearin' it now for sentimental reasons."

"Sorry to hear about your grandma." Lily said, sadly, now realizing that the necklace she was planning on stealing had so much value to Applejack than her own mother would truly ever see, which made her feel even more immensely guilty than she already was. "I'm sure I can help you take your mind off of her for a little while?"

"I'm kinda hopin' for just that." Applejack replied. "In the meantime, I'll mostly be doin' chores around the house for a bit, but let me know if you need anything, Lily."

Lily nodded, before she entered Applejack's home, as Sunset exited and was heading toward the train station. Sunset was hoping she could maybe still spend a little further time with Fluttershy on the train ride, but realized that her pegasus friend had likely already caught her train, as she seemed to be in a hurry while dropping off Lily. Regardless, Sunset went over to the train station and as expected, used the bits Applejack had given her to purchase another train ticket. By this point, Sunset was genuinely hoping she could remaster her skills in teleportation so that she didn't have to pay for train tickets so much, but it was mostly a brief feeling of slight frustration. Remastering her magic would come in due time, and she was mostly just here to take a temporary vacation before returning back to CHS for her graduation.

Unlike the last few times Sunset was waiting for the train, there was nopony around she particularly recognized or knew, nor anypony onboard when she had eventually boarded her arriving train. Due to the fact that last time she tried socializing on the train, which inadvertently caused her to miss most of Twilight's coronation, Sunset decided to mostly keep to herself during the ride. The train finished waiting for the passengers to be seated and began to take off toward the direction of Silver Shoals, and Sunset sat in her seat, contemplating. She mostly thought of how she'd spend time with her former mentor and mother, Princess Celestia. Although Sunset was well aware by now that Celestia was no longer the Princess of Equestria, she still felt compelled to call her that out of respect, as well as the fact she was always more used to calling her by that title.

Much like she had alluded to yesterday while Starlight accompanied her, Sunset decided she would at least bring up the topic regarding her family, and that if Celestia didn't want to say anything, she would respect her wishes. However, thinking more deeply about how she's already hit plenty of dead ends when inquiring most ponies regarding her parents, Sunset hoped that Celestia would still give her a vital piece of information somewhere down the line. If the former princess truly said that she believed in giving Sunset the mother she needed, that just seemed to confirm Celestia definitely knew something more dark and deep regarding Sunset's past, but kept it hidden all this time. The train had just passed Canterlot, which also reminded Sunset of the many memories she and Celestia had together, furthering her desire to visit the former princess now that she was officially retired.

As all these thoughts continued to circulate Sunset's mind while riding the train, her thought process came to a sudden halt, as she, along with everypony else on the train, noticed that the train seemingly randomly stopped in the middle of the tracks. This seemed unusual, as there was no hint of any station nearby, meaning that this was obviously not an intended scheduled stop that the train would make. Shortly after, the conductor took his intercom to let all the passengers onboard know what was going on.

"I'm terribly sorry to inform everypony..." The conductor began. "But I'm afraid that we are going to have to take a temporary detour. There appears to have been a giant boulder which rolled off from the top of this ravine, which is now blocking the tracks. Everypony on board will unfortunately need to get off at the last stop back at Canterlot. I truly apologize for the inconvenience, and as stated by train station policy, we will be refunding everypony's admission tickets and remove passenger fees for future train rides until further notice. Thank you so much for understanding."

Sunset sighed upon hearing this, while most ponies around her understandably groaned in frustration at this unexpected news. At the very least, unlike presumably most other ponies on the train, heading back to Canterlot temporarily would give Sunset two opportunities. The first being her chance to go back to her old Canterlot home, as Sunset could finally store the basket of groceries Fluttershy had bought her last night, as well as checking her journal to see how much time was left before the CHS graduation. The second opportunity would be to check in with Twilight about everything she had been through during her time in Equestria, which of course also included the mishap with Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap. Despite the fact her visit to Celestia was indeed delayed, Sunset at least felt happy that this temporary detour saved her a return trip to Canterlot.

Sunset and everypony got off of the stop at Canterlot, and the stationmaster as promised, gave full refunds to all the passengers. As Sunset took her bits back and slowly trotted back to her old home, she once again began to get sentimental feelings of the many memories she and Celestia had many years ago. She passed by the same park that she distinctly remembered playing at as a filly, as well as the ice cream shop Celestia would take her to for celebration every time Sunset had aced her magic midterms. The unicorn started to cry a few bittersweet tears of sentiment, before finally arriving back at her home and unlocking the door.

Sunset entered her home and immediately used her magic to throw all the old, rotten groceries from her fridge into a nearby trashcan in front of the gate. It was somewhat amusing to think that these groceries technically existed when she was still Princess Celestia's pupil, but like with the rest of her past, Sunset felt perfectly okay with tossing them out of her mind and moving on with fresh new memories. After which, she used some nearby cleaning supplies to tidy up the inside of her fridge, before finally placing the fresh groceries neatly within. The next priority was checking how much time she had left before the graduation at CHS, so Sunset quickly went over to where she left her saddlebag and opened up her journal to check the human world's time.

As expected, there was still plenty of time before the big event, so there was still room for further activities in Equestria. Since this was only day three of her temporary stay, the graduation wouldn't take place for about another two and a half days, which made sense, as Sunset had already used up approximately half her week off in Equestria by this point. Sunset also decided that if she were to go back too early, she'd still be stuck doing the same old human activities without magic, which would go against her desire to potentially relearn her unicorn magic. With this in mind, she simply breathed a sigh of relief before exiting her home.

There was still the issue of not being able to use the train to proceed to Silver Shoals, so there admittedly wasn't too much on Sunset's mind if she were to wander around Canterlot for a while. Checking in with Twilight might be ideal, assuming the princess wasn't busy, but it was entirely possible Twilight was elsewhere too. Even if Sunset herself would by this point, never know what being a princess is like, her own experience as the leader of her human friends had already taught her the importance and responsibilities of leadership. Being the princess of Equestria was certainly no different, making it so Sunset's first motive would simply be to head over to the main castle and request permission to speak with Twilight for a bit.

However, the timing seemed to be perfect once again, as Twilight was already outside and spotted Sunset about to exit her home's front yard, before calling her name and trotting over to her. Sunset noticed Twilight was now wearing regal gold armor, matching the color of her new crown, in contrast to when Twilight looked like her usual self that morning when she was filling in as a teacher at the School for Gifted Unicorns.

"Sunset!" Twilight greeted, before coming up to her unicorn friend. "This is actually good timing, since I've already finished most of my duties for today and wanted to see you real quick."

"Hey, Twilight." Sunset greeted back. "Good to know, since... I've been meaning to check in with you as well. By the way, love the armor, it really goes nicely with your new crown."

"Thanks!" Twilight replied. "I got it delivered to me today after the armor foundry here in Canterlot finished crafting everything. Plus, I agree, it certainly does go rather nicely with my crown. You're not going to steal this one too, are you?"

"Very funny Twilight, I've definitely learned my lesson, thank you very much." Sunset rolled her eyes in mild amusement. "Plus it looks much better on you anyways."

"Hehe, thanks for taking the joke well, it really tells me now you've certainly moved forward since that incident." Twilight chuckled. "But in all seriousness, you wanted to check in with me about something yourself? What did you want to discuss, I have plenty of time right now before I have to go settle a dispute in Saddle Arabia."

"Well, a bit of a confession." Sunset began. "I have some good news and bad news, which would you like to hear first?"

"Considering there's quite a bit on my plate later today, I guess I'll take the good news now." Twilight replied.

"The good news is, up until now, I've already fulfilled your second royal decree with the rest of your friends, as far as letting them show me around Equestria while we all got to know each other a bit better." Sunset said.

"You did?" Twilight asked, happily. "Oh, that is wonderful news, you took less than two days to do all that? Well, I guess I also did myself when Princess Celestia first sent me to Ponyville, though I did meet and befriend you and Starlight much later on. Looks like I've taught you well, Sunset. Great job! Sounds to me like you were able to click with them all thanks to your confidence and willingness to make new friends, congratulations! That said... what's the bad news?"

"The bad news is... "Sunset sighed before confessing to her blunder. "I managed to make friends with them all, except for Rainbow Dash."

"What do you... mean?" Twilight said, confused at how the two statements seemingly conflicted with each other.

"Well, I mean I did also do so for Rainbow Dash initially." Sunset began explaining. "Except there was an incident that resulted in her essentially doing the equivalent of blocking me on a social media platform. You see, after we arrived at Cloudsdale yesterday morning, I saw some orange pegasus who flew into the hot air balloon and wrecked it. When I checked to see if she was alright, she just immediately flew off in fear because I brought up how the hot air balloon belonged to you."

"She did WHAT now!?" Twilight exclaimed, rather shocked. "I've had that hot air balloon since before I was even Princess Celestia's student. And she just flew off without taking any responsibility for it? I guess this explains why I didn't see you return the hot air balloon back to Canterlot when you were finished exploring Cloudsdale, and that was one of the things I was going to question you on."

"Yeah, I would've definitely returned it had she not done that, and I was willing to reason with her until she flew off." Sunset further elaborated. "While in Cloudsdale, I saw one of my newer friends, Derpy, and she told me that she got fired from her job thanks to some orange pegasus was seemingly committing theft around town by stealing packages, specifically of goggles and workout uniforms."

"Well, I'm at least happy to hear you've also made other friends in Equestria besides simply my friends." Twilight replied, before deducting the situation. "So it had to have been that same orange pegasus who destroyed the balloon, right?"

"That's what I believed myself." Sunset reflected. "Only, after meeting Rainbow, I found out that same orange pegasus was her apprentice for the Wonderbolts, and she was wearing goggles and a workout uniform. I tried to bring up how she vandalized the hot air balloon, and fit the description of being the package thief. However, Derpy came by and tried to testify, only to mention that the actual culprit was a completely different pony. After which, the orange pegasus I wrongly accused snapped at me for humiliating her, and quit being Rainbow's apprentice since I jumped to conclusions too quickly. This also caused Rainbow to fly off and abandon me, not even giving a single care of how I'd return to the ground. I only managed to do so thanks to Derpy's help, but I still felt awful after everything I did in a matter of minutes."

"Yikes." Twilight reacted to Sunset's dilemma. "I'm so sorry to hear you went through all that, Sunset. But from what I can deduct of what you've just told me, you were only trying to help Derpy out of the kindness of your heart. If anything, I should be angry and upset with Rainbow Dash and this orange pegasus."

"So... you're not upset with me?" Sunset said, rather surprised.

"Absolutely not." Twilight affirmed. "From the story you've just told me, you were the only one with any actual good intentions. It was this orange pegasus who wrecked your ride home, as well as my property, and Rainbow Dash who abandoned you simply because of a silly Wonderbolt apprentice. The fact that Rainbow chose to side with her instead of you, when she committed a legitimate act of vandalism and chose to fly away to avoid repercussions infuriates me beyond belief. All you did was try to help the Ponyville mailmare, while this orange pegasus most certainly overreacted. If she's willing to quit being Dash's apprentice that easily when something like this happens, you might've unintentionally done Rainbow a favor."

"Thanks for seeing the good in me, Twilight." Sunset said. "But I won't sugarcoat things, I definitely messed up myself. I most likely could've approached that situation better, so it's a pretty good learning experience, I suppose."

"Well regardless, I'm certainly going to contact Rainbow as soon as I can and give her a real piece of my mind." Twilight affirmed, sternly. "The so-called element of loyalty choosing to abandon her real friends in favor of fake ones? But to tell you the truth, I'm not actually surprised Rainbow did this."

"Hm, how so?" Sunset questioned.

"Let's just say it's not the first time recently this has happened." Twilight elaborated further. "Although Rainbow's been part of the group since the beginning, she... certainly tends to be the most problematic in our eyes. Pulling malicious pranks toward everypony nonstop, constantly starting childish competition with Applejack, and being an incredibly poor coach for the School of Friendship's buckball team, just to name a few."

"Oh, wow." Sunset replied with shock. "I had no idea this world's Rainbow was like that. I mean, sure, I do sometimes put up with similar behavior from the other Rainbow in my world, notably when it felt like she was ruining everybody's experience during our spring break cruise. But to her credit, if it wasn't for her curiosity, we wouldn't have found out about the Storm King's magic."

"Yeah, I was surprised myself when it turned out bits of his magic somehow ended up in your world." Twilight reflected. "The point being, if Rainbow's willing to do this to her friends, specifically one whom I vouched for, this has been going on for far too long. I'm glad you brought Rainbow's behavior to my attention, Sunset. My friends and I haven't really given Rainbow serious sessions to discuss how unacceptable her decisions can be at times, and after hearing what she ended up doing to you, I can not tolerate this any longer. You might've actually done us all a favor in letting us see we've been far too lenient with Rainbow Dash, and she needs to reevaluate herself first. Once my trip to Saddle Arabia is finished, I'm going to contact Rainbow to come over to Canterlot, along with the rest of the Council of Friendship, to talk things out."

"I'm glad you see things my way, Twilight." Sunset said with gratitude. "But like I've said, I can understand that Rainbow and I both made mistakes in this case, and I'm willing to give her an apology myself if she cooperates."

"Very noble of you." Twilight commended. "But trust me, in this situation, Rainbow's certainly the one who's done far more wrong than you in my eyes. You were just trying to help a friend, while Rainbow basically gave you an ultimatum, ditched you in the middle of nowhere, and gave no care about my prized balloon. So if anything, Sunset? I am not angry, upset, or disappointed with you at all. I think 'proud' would be a more appropriate word, especially since you've also hit things off quite well with everypony else. Very impressive, especially given Starlight's mentioned to me she was having trouble getting along with them all herself the first time she decided to go out and make newer friends."

"Yeah, she did mention something like that." Sunset recalled. "Alright, would you mind letting me know when would be a good time for us all to talk things out with Rainbow?"

"My schedule tomorrow is mostly empty, so I would think sometime tomorrow afternoon?" Twilight proposed. "That's assuming everypony else isn't busy, but I'll put out the word that the meeting is urgent. By the way, how much time do you have left before your graduation at Canterlot High? Like I've said, we won't hold you back from it if time is tight, and from what you've shared in regards to your experience with Rainbow, we'll all certainly vouch for and defend you."

"I appreciate that, but... since I still did some wrong myself, I'd only feel it's right I also confront Rainbow myself, face to face." Sunset insisted. "Plus, I'm not really worried about time, since I still have at least a full two days before I even need to get ready for my graduation."

"If you feel it's what's best, then I'll respect your decision on the matter." Twilight smiled. "Now, did you have anything else you needed to tell me regarding the Rainbow Dash situation?"

"Nope, I think I've already said all that I needed to, and we've come up with an excellent way to resolve things." Sunset said with confidence. "Now, you said you wanted to see me about something yourself too?

"Ah, yes." Twilight remembered. "Two things, actually. First off, I did do some research in the residency of Ponyville, to find any clues regarding your parents, as I had already promised. Looking in depth, I admittedly couldn't find anypony by the name of Solstice in these parts, and that's when I decided to do some further digging. I went over to Starlight's village to check if anypony there had any leads, as Starlight did mention to me that a lot of her villagers there come from various places all over Equestria. While I was there, one of the villagers said something that stood out. A pegasus named Night Glider mentioned that she does loosely remember somepony named Solstice, who taught her how to sing karaoke when she was younger. What's interesting was, Night Glider also remembered that this Solstice pony seemingly carried a brown satchel everywhere, and it supposedly had an engraved word on the bottom."

"A brown satchel with a word engraved on the bottom..." Sunset began processing things. "Just like the saddlebag I currently have?"

"Precisely." Twilight replied. "But asking Night Glider further, she mentioned that these were the only memories she had of anypony named Solstice, and that the rest is pretty foggy. Night Glider stopped taking lessons with Solstice after she decided to focus on taking flight lessons, so we might've hit yet another dead end. Since this was the only lead in regards to somepony named Solstice, and I knew you were adamant on learning more, I felt the need to at least let you know about it. Though I'm sorry if this information isn't very helpful, I wouldn't really know what else to make of it."

"Actually, this seems to line up with what I've just learned recently." Sunset said with astonishment. "See, I've met somepony named Sugar Belle recently, and they gave me some insight on this pony named Solstice, and this clue actually makes a lot of sense with what she told me. Sugar Belle said that this Solstice pony taught her how to sing when she was a filly, and that she was a female unicorn. That matches up nicely if this Night Glider pony said she taught karaoke to her. Even more is the fact that she had a brown satchel with a word engraved on the bottom, like my saddlebag. I might not be an expert on satchels or saddlebags, but I'm fairly certain that having words engraved on the bottom doesn't seem normal?"

"I'm pretty sure that is a unique area to engrave a word." Twilight believed. "Most bags I've seen, they're usually on the sides. But alright, that's interesting to know as well. Sugar Belle and Night Glider are pretty close friends, and they do occasionally sing or hum doing their everyday activities. So now that we've figured out this Solstice pony was a female unicorn, do you maybe surmise she was your mother, and that saddlebag you own now was once hers?"

"That's exactly my theory." Sunset replied. "However, there's still two more stops I plan on making soon to potentially uncover this mystery. Visiting Celestia in Silver Shoals would be a priority, since I would want to spend a little more time with my former teacher and... mother figure. Plus, if she did actually say that she wanted to give me the mother I needed, Celestia definitely knows something about my past that she's never told me. Although it's been many years since I grew up under her wings, I never really questioned my family until recently. Even when Celestia was encouraging me to make new friends when I was her pupil, she never seemed to remotely hint at anything regarding my biological parents. She just... treated me as if I was her own daughter, much more than an ordinary student."

"That's sweet to hear, that you'd want to visit the now retired former princess and teacher we both had." Twilight put a hoof on Sunset's back. "I also agree with your reasoning, in that something does feel rather perplexing if Celestia did say that and never seemed to tell you about your real parents. I would definitely encourage you to ask her about it, because now that you do plan on staying in Equestria more often, you would understandably want some closure regarding your origins."

"Thanks, Twilight." Sunset said more jovially. "Yeah, that's exactly how I've been feeling ever since I started to find more clues to solve this mystery. Speaking of, that's actually the second thing on my agenda. I talked to Starlight yesterday, and she said that if she had time, she would introduce me to some friend of hers named Sunburst."

"Oh, perfect, that's actually the other thing I wanted to discuss with you." Twilight began explaining. "Yesterday evening while I was wrapping up my royal duties, Starlight came by after helping Trixie. She told me about what you two did together in Manehattan, and also brought up how you were interested in meeting her friend, Sunburst."

"That's right." Sunset affirmed. "I was intrigued when Starlight talked about how this Sunburst pony seemingly grew up with only a dad, just like me, and how he's one of the few ponies who have the word 'sun' in their name. I wanted to meet this Sunburst since I was hoping to get an idea on whether or not he would know anything regarding this father of his. As far as I'm aware, I have not heard once about anypony named Sunburst until Starlight brought him up, nor do I have any memories of having any siblings, so this might just be a wild goose chase. But regardless, I'm willing to still put in the time and energy to check if there is a connection between his dad and mine, since I'd feel it's worth a shot."

"It does sound rather intriguing indeed." Twilight agreed. "But anyways, Starlight brought this to my attention because she needed my help to contact Sunburst to schedule a meeting between you two. When we got in touch, Sunburst agreed to meet with you for a while, since he was cool with making new friends, especially ones who were mutual with Starlight. Both Starlight and Sunburst arrived at my castle's front doors a little while ago, and they said they were willing to wait around for a bit while I went to fetch you. And luckily, it looks like I didn't have to go too far to accomplish that."

"Oh, so they're both ready for me?" Sunset said, rather pleased. "Well in that case, I guess it was somehow a good thing that my train to Silver Shoals had to take a detour back to Canterlot."

"It did?" Twilight questioned. "Really sorry to hear about the bad luck you've been having with trains, Sunset. First my coronation, and now you can't even go see Celestia?"

"Yeah, I was hoping to see Celestia myself, but I guess it's somehow better for us that I could meet up with Sunburst and Starlight when they were ready for me, rather than you having to fetch me all the way at Silver Shoals." Sunset said. "Plus, it's not really a big deal, since we all got our tickets refunded, and it's just a giant boulder blocking off the tracks, which they said is currently being taken care of."

"Oh, well I suppose everything did work out to an extent, then." Twilight agreed with Sunset's reasoning. "So since you're already here and you were planning on it anyways, would you like to meet Sunburst right now, or do you have other plans?"

"Well other than visiting Silver Shoals to reunite with Celestia, not really." Sunset replied. "And hey, what kind of a guest would I be if I were to not take part in what my hosts bring to the table? I did already decide that if they were ready for me, I'd make them my priority before Celestia, whom I can't really see at the moment anyways."

"Very well then, just to make sure you'll have no problems getting into the castle this time, I'll come with you until we get to the lounge room." Twilight offered. "Wouldn't want a repeat of what happened with Mr. Steele and Sour Sweet, now would we?"

"I guess, though I think he'd vouch for me after getting to know be a bit better." Sunset reasoned. "But good idea, since the other castle guards might not know me as well. To clarify, is the main castle heavily guarded at all times?"

"That's pretty much how it's always been to keep out any intruders, and the security system's become far more effective at doing just that." Twilight said. "Especially now that only guards with designated badges are able to get in. Though being the princess myself, the guards won't try anything if I'm to bring my guests or friends inside, which is how Sunburst and Starlight got in. So yeah, since most of the castle guards don't know you well, we should probably head in together. After which, I definitely have to head to Saddle Arabia to settle this dispute. Royal responsibilities, after all."

"I understand, thank you for giving me your time and care, Twilight." Sunset smiled, as Twilight began walking her over to the castle.

"By the way, one thing I admittedly am wondering, Sunset." Twilight questioned. "Did you ever end up finding out who this thief was, if it wasn't Rainbow Dash's apprentice?"

"Unfortunately not." Sunset sighed. "But whoever it was, it's been heavily implied by several ponies I've come across, that the thief was a female orange coated pegasus with blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow. I didn't actually end up encountering or meeting this supposed suspect, but all I do know is, she's definitely committed many acts of theft. She seemingly even robbed Fluttershy yesterday as she was returning home on the train."

"Oh no, that's horrible!" Twilight exclaimed. "And sadly, this pony you've described does not sound like anypony I've ever met either. I guess in the meantime, I'll also put out a royal order for the guards to keep an eye out for somepony who matches that exact description."

"Sounds like a good idea, it genuinely hurts me to see my friends being affected by somepony else's selfish intentions." Sunset moped. "Really though, the few days I've spent in Equestria bonding with your friends, it's just taught me so much about how the past doesn't really matter as much as say... the present and future. After all, I was once this 'somepony' with incredibly selfish intentions. You yourself witnessed how much of an actual monster I was, ruling CHS with an iron fist, and even going as far as attempting to wipe you all out of existence."

"That may be, but I have done some research regarding that incident." Twilight began to reflect. "Remember when you wrote to me about how the other... me turned into a monster-like being after unleashing the magic from her device? Would you like me to explain what actually happened?"

"Yeah, the other Twilight and I recall that particular incident far too well." Sunset noted. "And sure, explain away. There's not any time like the present to learn something new."

"See, when magic is stored with intentions that go against the six elements of friendship, it turns whoever wields it into a monstrous alter ego, corrupted and bent on letting nothing stand in their way." Twilight explained. "When this happens, they also begin to lose free will, as this altered form takes over the main neurological system, which almost controls your every move, due to the form's priority in growing in power and decimating any who opposes them."

"That... does make a lot of sense, now that you mention it." Sunset reflected her dreadful experience that night. "I distinctly remember how after I put on your crown, I almost immediately began to regret my decision. The magical aura that surrounded and engulfed me began to have side effects and changes I was not anticipating at all. I'll admit that my initial intention was to gain powerful magic, but I was not expecting to suddenly lose control of my body, nor transforming into a horrifying demon. Part of my actual self was hidden away somewhere as I was trying to fight off this inner demon, but alas, I grew too weak and let it take over. Once that happened, something just seemingly forced me to destroy the front doors at CHS, and fire a nuclear blast at you and the rest of the girls. Remember when I jokingly claimed that I wasn't a monster? Well, I wasn't kidding when I said that, Twilight. I wanted power, sure, but even when I was such a nasty bully, I knew I could never bring myself to kill another living being."

"Of course not, Sunset." Twilight continued on. "I would completely understand why that happened, because I read further regarding how it all works out. This alter ego feeds on your desires and goals, anger, sadness, and intentions toward gathering such magic. Once the figure embraces the ego and allows it to fully take over, the corruption stays in full effect, and can not be reversed unless they can somehow have a change of heart to give up such power. Which... as you'd probably expect, would be rather difficult to accomplish due to the driving forces."

"That's... really fascinating." Sunset said, now knowing what had truly happened that night at the Fall Formal. "Not only does that seem to match up perfectly with what happened to me that night, but even with the other Twilight. In fact, I knew myself that she wouldn't have had the heart to destroy both Equestria and the human world just to understand magic. She was just curious after being manipulated by Principal Cinch, which unintentionally corrupted her. However, it was only thanks to my assurance and offering my hand in friendship to her, that she ended up beating Midnight Sparkle and returning back to normal. She surely couldn't have done it by herself if the corruption and power of her alter ego kept going strongly and controlling her every move."

"And the fact that you managed to stop her on your own, without my help, is one reason I'll always respect and admire how far you've come, Sunset." Twilight assured. "But I'm hoping the main thing you take away from this lesson is, what you and the other me ended up doing in these alter egos was actually something completely out of your control and free will."

Sunset had an epiphany over what Twilight had explained in regards to when she turned into a demon that fateful night. It was no wonder that she immediately cried, apologized, and begged for forgiveness for everything she had done once the alter ego had left her.

"That may be, but again, I'd definitely still be willing to take responsibility for my own actions." Sunset replied. "Nobody else put the crown on my head, nor put the thoughts of wanting more power into my brain before that happened. Plus, the other Twilight could've also refused Principal Cinch's orders to unleash the magic, so we both technically still had to take responsibility somewhere in those messes. I appreciate you trying to ease my guilt of that incident, but like I exemplified earlier, I'm certainly over it by now, and so is the other Twilight, thanks to my help."

"Well, it was mostly to give you a quick lesson on something fascinating I've read regarding Equestrian magic." Twilight winked. "I'm glad you've been able to let go of your past after all the wonderful new memories you've made while accepting friendship, and I can't be more happy for you."

"I appreciate the kind words." Sunset smiled. "This sort of thing is certainly the main reason I've been wanting to come back to Equestria for quite some time. I surely couldn't learn about actual magic in a world that doesn't naturally have it, nor could I just casually visit a city in the clouds run by pegasai. I guess one other aspect of this entire return is, it overall feels nice to finally learn so much about myself and Equestria that I've never even thought to dive deeper into."

"I could definitely say the same about myself before Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville." Twilight replied. "Well, thanks for having this talk with me, but it looks like we're finally here at the castle. Are you ready to meet Sunburst?"

"Absolutely, let's head on in." Sunset said with enthusiasm, as she and the princess were able to enter the castle without any issue whatsoever. Sunset was now crossing her metaphorical fingers that this Sunburst pony could help her come closer to finding her missing family.

Chapter 45: Family History

Twilight had finished walking Sunset into the lounge room, where Starlight and Sunburst were still waiting. The childhood friends were bonding over some tea, before noticing Sunset entering the room. They gave friendly waves, as Twilight was happy she accomplished her mission in bringing Sunset and Sunburst together. The princess now had to leave in order to take care of her royal duties in Saddle Arabia, so she gave everypony a nod before waving goodbye and exiting the castle. Sunset trotted over to this Sunburst stallion she had vaguely been hearing about for a while, and took a good look at him before introducing herself.

Beyond the glasses, cloak, and coat markings on his hooves and face, she noticed they both shared more common traits visually, other than the attribute of 'sun' in their names. Sunset and Sunburst were both unicorns with a light orange coat, similar eye colors, and even the patterns of a wavy sun's fire in their manes and tails. Despite this fact right off the bat, Sunset still didn't particularly recognize Sunburst as anypony she'd be familiar with, not even from her youth. The only reason she knew of his existence at all was because Starlight brought him up, and she had barely guessed at the idea of him having any possible connection to herself as far as growing up with a single father. Even if there was no connection, she still felt interested in meeting this pony who did somewhat resemble her own appearance, and began to do formal introductions.

"Hello there." Sunset greeted Sunburst, as Starlight sat nearby. "Sunburst, right?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sunburst affirmed before trotting over to shake Sunset's hoof. "Sunset Shimmer, I presume?"

"That's me." Sunset replied. "Nice to officially meet you. I'm guessing Starlight and Twilight have already let you know of why I was interested in scheduling a meeting with you?"

"Yep, we already gave him the full rundown of everything, so there's no need to explain anything, Sunset." Starlight confirmed. "Plus, he was already interested in making friends who were mutual with me. Remember Trixie and Maud, Sunburst?"

"Yeah, we've all had some pretty good experiences together." Sunburst recalled. "But anyways, I was admittedly intrigued myself when Starlight called me up and told me about you, Sunset. I can definitely already tell that we do share some similar traits, visually. Your fur, mane patterns, and eye colors, I can see somewhat of a resemblance between us. The only things you seem to be missing are these distinct coat markings, and well of course, this stylish cloak."

"That's what I was thinking myself just by looking at you too." Sunset noted. "One of the main things I did want to ask you about is regarding your father, if you don't mind?"

"Sure, I'm happy to talk about my family." Sunburst said, enthusiastically. "Well, just a fair warning, my mom does still occasionally tend to embarrass me, let's just say."

"Same could be said about my dad." Starlight related.

"Well, speaking of your mother, Sunburst?" Sunset began. "We don't have to go too far into details if you're not comfortable sharing your experiences. I was mostly just curious, is your mother's name 'Solstice', by any chance?"

"Uhh, no?" Sunburst said, rather confused. "Her name's Stellar Flare, so I'm afraid you're way off. But since you brought that name up, I almost vaguely remember hearing dad murmur something about a solstice from time to time when I was just a colt. It's probably completely unrelated, however."

"Well all right, perhaps there's legitimately more to this Solstice pony I still don't quite understand." Sunset continued brainstorming. "What about your dad, though?"

"Admittedly... dad's not really been as involved in my life as much as my mom." Sunburst realized. "In case you're wondering, his name's Sunspot. Does that name ring a bell to you, Sunset?"

"Not at all, but the problem here is that... I don't actually know my own father's name." Sunset explained. "I just vaguely remember I grew up somewhere in Ponyville with my dad before I moved to Canterlot to become Princess Celestia's pupil. Since I was never particularly close with my actual family, I've kinda just forgotten what my dad looked like, what his name was, or where he lived after I moved away."

"Starlight's mentioned something like that about you." Sunburst recalled. "I was rather astonished when realizing that your past admittedly sounded rather similar to mine. Right after I discovered my talent for magic and got my cutiemark, I kinda just moved away from my dad's home in Ponyville, and lived out my life at Canterlot attending the School For Gifted Unicorns. I kinda got separated from both of my actual parents since it was a boarding school I had attended, and I was looked after by Princess Celestia. After this move, I didn't really hear much from my dad, though as I've hinted to earlier, mom's sent me plenty of letters asking about my future career path."

"Wait, you mean that even before you officially moved away, you actually never lived in Sire's Hollow with me?" Starlight asked, rather surprised.

"Technically, I did and I also didn't." Sunburst began explaining, as the two unicorn mares looked rather confused. "See, to my understanding, shortly after I was born, my parents had for some reason separated, and I seemingly bounced back and forth with living with them in different places, as if they were fighting for custody over me. I didn't really think much of it back then, I just humorously believed my parents were rich enough to afford two separate mortgages."

"Huh, I didn't even know that, and I guess that explains why we didn't see your dad anywhere in Sire's Hollow during that time we were both called there for a friendship problem." Starlight said upon hearing this revelation. "Sunburst, I'm your oldest childhood friend, and even I never got a single hint of that. You and your parents always seemed like such a happy and connected family who were inseparable."

"Well I may or may not have kept plenty of secrets from you during our youth." Sunburst replied. "To be honest, since you were also the first friend I've ever made, I guess I never really said anything out of fear that you'd take the news rather harshly, almost as if I was moving away. Ponyville is rather far from Sire's Hollow. Ironic how I say that now, given what you ended up doing with most of your life after?"

"You can say that again." Starlight agreed. "The village and the removal of cutie marks to fighting Twilight nonstop in a time travel spell, just because I was heartbroken at my first friend leaving me. But thinking back to that day you did save me from that stack of books and got your cutie mark, now I feel confused. You mentioned that your parents separated long before that incident? Because I definitely remember that when I saw you step out of my house to show everypony else, both of your parents were there, Sunspot AND Stellar Flare."

"Well, I'd just chalk that up to coincidence, since dad did sometimes come to visit me in Sire's Hollow." Sunburst speculated. "The point being, I definitely lived in two separate places and alternated back and forth. With dad in Ponyville and mom in Sire's Hollow. I still don't understand why they were living separately, but all I do know is, they were both incredibly proud when I did get a cutie mark."

"That... might explain why your mother acted the way she did whenever I used to knock at her door to see you." Starlight finally understood. "For some reason, she always seemed somewhat nervous when I wanted to come see you and you supposedly weren't there, and just brushed it off like it was nothing. Saying things like... you were on vacation or you were busy doing a fundraiser selling cookies. Needless to say, I always found it strange that you never mentioned anything like that to me during our play dates."

"Huh?" Sunburst raised an eyebrow. "I've never sold cookies in my entire life. So that's what she told you? I guess she didn't want you to find out the truth behind our family whenever I was living with dad. I never really asked her to tell you these white lies, but I guess she got the idea when she did overhear me telling dad that I'd be worried about how you'd feel, Starlight."

"As you and Sunset both know now, it's kinda funny to imagine how this small miscommunication between me and your family almost caused the complete decimation of Equestria in its entirety." Starlight reflected, as Sunset and Sunburst both looked toward each other in astonishment of how correct that statement was. "Well, moving past this, does any of this information help your case, Sunset?"

"Well, I'm definitely getting more of an idea after putting the puzzle pieces together..." Sunset continued to process the information she was just told. "So from what I can understand, Sunburst did actually grow up with a dad separate from his mother, and this father also lived in Ponyville. As much as I'd like to believe there's a connection somewhere, I might still be overthinking things when it's simply a coincidence. After all, plenty of ponies live in Ponyville, and unlike me, you actually knew your mother too."

"That's true, but Starlight brought up that you'd possibly want to also meet my father?" Sunburst reminded. "I haven't kept in touch with my dad, nor have I visited him at all since I moved away. That said, you were hoping I could introduce you to him?"

"Oh, yes!" Sunset said with enthusiasm. "So far, none of these facts really point toward concrete evidence regarding who my father truly was, but I still have yet to meet another pony with 'sun' in their name. It's entirely possible that this Sunspot dad of yours could be a friend or relative of my own father, so I'd really love to learn if he knows any vital information. But if you don't mind me asking, how come you didn't really keep in touch with him after you moved to Canterlot?"

"Well to tell you the truth, I didn’t really have that close of a relationship with my father." Sunburst reflected. "He and I just didn’t really have much in common, we didn’t share many interests, and he wanted me to be somepony I wasn’t. I mean, it wasn’t a bad relationship per se, we just never really did much together, unlike my mother who was definitely more involved. It was her idea to send me off to magic school and pursue this career in magic, which I have had genuine passion for since then. Plus, even as a grown stallion now, she still encourages me to become a huge success."

"Your dad wanted you to be somepony else?" Sunset questioned. "I'm not quite sure what you mean by that?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain." Sunburst tried his best to elaborate. "Long before I got my cutie mark, I almost vaguely remember overhearing him telling my mom about how he's always wanted to raise a daughter. I don't quite know if he was talking about me, or if he was simply talking to her about having another baby, thus giving me a sister. But the biggest thing I definitely remember from the earlier days was that... dad really didn't seem supportive of my dream in studying magic. I don't recall what he actually wanted from me instead, it's just that I had no interest whatsoever in comparison."

"I could definitely also understand this kind of frustration." Sunset said, as this sounded similar to what Lemon Zest mentioned about her own father back on the Manehattan ferry. "Somepony else told me she's had a similar experience with her dad, but I helped her realize that he simply wanted what was best for her."

"Yeah, deep down, I guess dad always just wanted me to follow a career that would help me live a good life." Sunburst surmised. "But even then, this pushy nature of his was still enough for me to not really be as close with him as much as mom. She might be an embarrassing parent from time to time, but I still felt she was always more supportive of my life choices than dad. That said, dad still wanted me to live with him for a little longer before he moved to Canterlot, and I did."

"I'm guessing he was really going to miss you moving away and wanted some time to spend with you before you were gone for quite a while?" Starlight speculated.

"Precisely." Sunburst confirmed. "Like I've said, he and I weren't that close, but I knew he still loved me. I think I only lived there for about a week before I went off to Canterlot. It was pretty nice to have one last opportunity to live with dad before I took an indefinite period of time to focus on my magic studies, and I still remember our very last exchange when that final week was up..."

Sunburst then began to share a flashback of what had happened from his perspective. He was still the little colt Starlight remembered, residing at his father's Ponyville home, and was rather excited for his new life studying magic at Canterlot after passing his entrance exam. His father, Sunspot, noticed that his son had just finished packing his suitcase and looked rather eager to board the train heading for the new school. This was exactly the problem, as in his eyes, Sunburst seemingly had no care in Equestria over leaving his parents for many years. Sunspot had already decided against the idea of Sunburst studying magic ages ago, and now he was not only going down that exact path, but even abandoning his family.

"Sunburst..." Sunspot said to his son, as the little colt finally closed his suitcase. "Are you sure you really want to go study at Canterlot for the next decade or so?"

"Of course, dad." Sunburst said firmly. "I wouldn't have packed my things or studied for six hours straight to pass that entrance exam to get in if I wasn't. Plus, mom's been so supportive of my decision to study magic since the very beginning. I thought you'd be too, as far as getting accepted by the school and earning my cutie mark recently. Aren't you happy for me?"

"Absolutely..." Sunspot replied. "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of your academic achievements and recent discovery for your talent, but I mean... are you willing to be separated from your mother and I for at least several years while you're attending this boarding school? Canterlot is incredibly far from both Ponyville and Sire's Hollow, and you'll most likely be too occupied with schoolwork to even get a good opportunity to visit us again."

"Relax." Sunburst tried to assure his father. "If it helps, I'll be sure to write you letters to give you updates every so often. Heck, after I left mom's place last week, she's already written me two letters even before I've left for Canterlot. I'm sure everything will be fine as long as we keep in touch. It's not like I'm abandoning anypony by just following my dreams."

"What about me?" Sunspot quickly blurted from pure instinct. "What about your mother? How about Starlight? You don't believe any of us would miss you? Your mother and I would also feel sad in never getting the opportunity to watch you grow up."

"I'd understand you would all miss me, but like I've said, I'll at least write and try finding opportunities to visit whenever I can." Sunburst said. "Why are you making such a big deal out of this, anyways? It's just a higher level school that'll help me grow and demonstrate my talent in magic. My exam instructor even wrote back that I might be proficient enough to become Princess Celestia's pupil, if she's looking for one."

"...Is that so?" Sunspot said with an ounce of sadness. "I'm happy for this honor you received, son, believe me. I'm just reluctant in willingly letting you go, knowing it may be the last time I'll see you for quite some time. Plus, I really would not want to make the same mistake twice..."

"Huh?" Sunburst said, rather confused. "When have you made a mistake like that before?"

"Err, let's just say it's not important anymore." Sunspot quickly brushed it off. "The point being, I'm just not sure if this field of study is absolutely what you should pursue. I might be good with magic myself, but I never ended up strictly studying magic as a career. I guess as a good form of reassurance, I'd like to at least get an idea of how things are holding up during your first week there. Do you promise to write back to me as soon as you arrive at Canterlot?"

"Alright." Sunburst agreed. "But I do hope this means you're now accepting that I've chosen this new life and path when it comes to my talent with magic. I genuinely want to do this, it's a fascinating study, and I'd be willing to take the time and energy to learn plenty of new spells on the road to success, like mom would want for me."

"...Yes." Sunspot finally agreed, albeit reluctantly. "I'm sorry if you feel like I haven't been supportive of your decisions, son, it's just... I really want what's best for you, and the last thing I want to do is lose my family because of a decision we'd regret on hindsight."

"I'm always willing to work with you and be with you no matter what, dad." Sunburst affirmed. "If you support what I genuinely have passion for, that's all I want from you. I'll send you a letter right away after I've gotten accustomed to this new school. I've heard it's got good ratings, given it is the School For Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot."

"How... wonderful." Sunspot said, but notably felt uncomfortable at his son bringing up that school's name. "All right, as long as you're sure you're willing to write back, I'll be with you til the end. If you really are sure you'd want to study magic and learn all sorts of new spells while you're there, then that's what I'll put your tuition toward. I mean, your mother and I have obviously already paid the school all the fees and tuition, but you get the idea, of course?"

"Absolutely, and no problem at all." Sunburst said with confidence. "I'll be sure to write enough times to where you'll never even notice I'm gone. With that said, we really have to catch the train now, since I wouldn't want to make a bad first impression to my mentors by being late."

"As you wish, Sunburst." Sunspot agreed, as he walked his son out the door, ready to head over to the train station, before muttering something under his breath. "I just really hope nopony at that school brainwashes my son too..."

"What was that, dad?" Sunburst said, rather perplexed.

"Nothing, nothing." Sunspot quickly brushed off his last statement, before closing his door and accompanying Sunburst to Canterlot.

The two ponies boarded the train heading for Sunburst's new school. Along the way, Sunspot didn't really say anything, but Sunburst did notice that his father seemed distraught, as if something at the back of his mind was still bothering him. After arriving at Canterlot, Sunburst took his suitcase and waved goodbye to his dad, before heading off to the student dorms. Although Sunspot also waved back, Sunburst could still read a negative emotion from his father's expression, and that was the last image the little colt saw of his father, before he went off to pursue his studies. Before even entering his boarding school, Sunburst noted he was still confused about his dad's behavior, as his flashback then ended.

"...And that was the last I ever heard or saw of my dad." Sunburst finished. "It's also kinda funny to think dad was in some ways right about me eventually regretting that decision. Even if I had interest in studying magic, I flunked my courses for not being able to perform it. I was so ashamed over my failure, that I just didn't know what I was going to do with my life after."

"Well, I guess it is a little more comforting to know that I wasn't the only one who was severely hurt by you moving away." Starlight reflected. "But now I'm confused from you mentioning that final week you spent with Sunspot was the last you ever heard or saw of him."

"Yeah, same." Sunset said in mutual agreement. "Did you end up keeping your promise in writing to him and keeping in touch?"

"I did for sure." Sunburst affirmed. "Dad and I might've had some disagreements regarding this decision I made, but the last thing I am is a liar to my parents. After my first week at the school, I wrote my very first letter and mailed it to his old home address in Ponyville. But here's the really strange thing. I waited days, to weeks, to months, to even years, and I never heard back from him. He didn't send any letters addressed to me himself, nor did he ever reply to that very first letter I sent."

"Hmm, I'm not really sure why he would do that, since from what you've shared, he was really adamant on staying in touch with you, Sunburst." Sunset noted.

"Well... did you by some chance happen to write anything in the letter that would've potentially offended or upset him?" Starlight suggested.

"It's been ages since I've sent that particular letter, but to tell you the truth, not really." Sunburst recalled. "All I really said was that I was having a good time with my new teachers, classmates, and sessions to study magic. Mind you, this was long before I had realized my struggle in being able to cast spells, and was on the verge of flunking out. I also made it particularly clear that I already missed him, and would be willing to schedule a time to visit him sometime during winter break. Other than that, I asked how he was doing and if he had any plans over break himself, but nothing too specific. That's about it, yet he never wrote back in replying to my first letter, nor did he even send me outside letters letting me know he didn't receive my first one."

"Are you sure that he really didn't write back to you?" Sunset questioned. "Maybe he actually did, but you somehow missed it?"

"Trust me, Sunset, that's impossible." Sunburst debunked. "If he did, I definitely would've gotten it, since I always keep track of any mail sent by my parents, like the 5,685 letters my mom's sent me over the years."

Sunset and Starlight looked to each other in amusement at how obsessive Stellar Flare was toward her son, before thinking of a logical explanation as to why Sunspot never wrote back.

"Well... is it entirely possible that he, for whatever reason didn't receive your first letter at all?" Starlight asked. "Did you write and mail any further letters to him after that?"

"Not really, actually." Sunburst reflected. "I had pretty much always waited for a response to that first letter, and it never arrived in my mailbox. Plus, I was more focused on my schoolwork, and replying to the numerous letters my mother sent me. Well, whether he received it or not, it doesn't seem like it matters now. He never kept in touch with me himself for one reason or another, so I'd say it's all water under the bridge. And given how I never wrote back to Starlight since I was so ashamed for failing my classes, I wouldn't have had the motivation to let dad know I was flunking out later on either."

"Well, going off of what you had shared earlier, two things in particular stood out to me." Sunset began dissecting Sunburst's story. "I definitely agree with your confusion as to why he constantly seemed so reluctant about letting you go off to study magic in Canterlot, but it sounded like to me, he was brushing off a few things that have a much deeper meaning. Him letting you go off to pursue your education at that school would be him somehow making the same mistake twice? And he believed that the ponies running the school would 'brainwash' you?"

"Yeah, I didn't know what to make of it either." Sunburst speculated himself. "Unless maybe he was just referring to himself? It is possible he decided to go off to a boarding school when he was a colt, and he ended up having bad experiences, to where he didn't want me to live out a similar life of misery? It wasn't like that at all during my earlier school days. Everypony was really nice and supportive, and even Princess Celestia herself commended me for how quickly I was learning. I was deemed to be one of the most knowledgeable students in the school's history, even if I was having difficulty actually casting said spells."

"I'm not sure if that seems likely, as your father did mention he never strictly studied magic." Sunset recalled. "I highly doubt he would've attended a magic school himself if that was the case."

"Unless that was just a lie?" Sunburst continued speculating. "Ugh, but then that would mean anything else he said during our last week together might've been false information too. I'm not sure we're getting anywhere at this rate..."

Sunset, Sunburst, and Starlight all sat around, still trying their best to connect the dots wherever they could. They had ideas here and there, but the overall picture was still missing too many puzzle pieces to make out the main image behind everything. However, after some deliberating, Starlight eventually came up with an idea that would shock the two other ponies.

"...Unless he was talking about his first daughter, that being you, Sunset?" Starlight suggested.

Sunset and Sunburst froze for a second, before thinking the idea seemed absurd.

"If that were so, how would that explain why Sunset and I don't recognize each other as anypony from our pasts?" Sunburst questioned.

"Same here, I've never even heard of anypony named Sunburst until you mentioned that name at Twilight's coronation, Starlight." Sunset added.

"Well, just hear me out." Starlight requested. "Sunset, you mentioned to me that you only lived in Ponyville with your dad before you went off to Canterlot to become Princess Celestia's pupil. You also mentioned that you didn't really keep in touch with him, as you were never really close with your family. But then, when you entered the mirror and became trapped, due to the portal only opening every 30 moons, wouldn't it have been likely that Princess Celestia had to deliver the hard news to your father? Anything could've happened to you in the human world, after all."

"...Huh." Sunset began to agree with Starlight's logic. "I never really considered the possibility that Princess Celestia would have had to report to my family, everything that happened when she removed me as her pupil and I made my way into the human world. She would've definitely had to get the word out if my family wanted to come visit me. Well, at the very least, my dad, since he was the only true family member I recall."

"Right." Starlight continued her explanation. "Obviously, since Princess Celestia was responsible for looking after you, I'm sure your father did not take things well. He would absolutely be against the idea of sending his children to boarding schools to learn magic, based on what happened to his daughter under the care of the school and princess. You said that you don't remember having a mother in your life at all, not even when you were living with your dad?"

"I'm afraid I lack even the vaguest memories." Sunset replied. "Which is telling me that either my parents divorced, or she had unfortunately passed shortly after I was born."

"Then that would line up with your father remarrying, if he found Stellar Flare and she gave birth to Sunburst." Starlight further elaborated. "Now, fast forward years later to that exchange Sunspot had with Sunburst before he went off to study at Canterlot. Making the same mistake again could be referring to letting his new son go off to the same magic school, thus separating his custody of you. That may even be applicable to the whole 'brainwashing' comment he muttered, if he was talking about Princess Celestia brainwashing Sunset to end up in the human world."

"That... is somewhat true, admittedly." Sunset reasoned. "It was because of Princess Celestia constantly telling me I wasn't ready to learn about that mirror that furthered my interest. Sure, it was my own decision to end up going into the human world and inadvertently trapping myself for 30 moons, but at the same time, I feel I wouldn't have done so had she given some solid answers to quench my ever growing curiosity."

"And that brings me to my final point of speculation." Starlight began to close her case. "What if when Sunspot was hesitant on letting Sunburst go off to Canterlot to study magic, he was afraid the same thing that happened to Sunset would then happen to his son? Both of you would've been cases of his children going off into the care of a school to learn about magic, only to one day discover, he might never see his children ever again. What if... he was afraid Sunburst could've been brainwashed by Princess Celestia one way or another, and end up regretting his decision, just like when he allowed Sunset to go to the School For Gifted Unicorns."

Sunset and Sunburst sat there, rather intrigued by how brilliant Starlight's theory sounded. If everything she described really was true, that would perfectly explain Sunspot's rather unusual behavior shortly before he accompanied his son to Canterlot. Regardless, there were still a few questions remaining that needed answers.

"That would explain why dad was acting that way before I left for my school." Sunburst reasoned. "But that still doesn't explain why Sunset and I haven't known each other, and I also still don't quite understand why dad never wrote back to me. Neither of my parents have even hinted at the possibility of me having a sibling. Those unusual comments he made during that last week before I went off, he didn't explicitly mention anything about him having other children, it could've been something else entirely."

"Realistically... maybe my dad wanted to start a new life and family after I disappeared into the human world." Sunset believed. "Considering my mother seemingly wasn't around either, he wanted to leave behind his old life and move on after things didn't work out. After all, without a wife or daughter in his life anymore, what else was he going to do?"

"Considering how he split up with my mom too, I guess raising a child on his own was a consistent theme with him." Sunburst added. "Even then, we don't really know if this is truly the case. Maybe Stellar Flare is your mother too, Sunset? Or maybe we both have completely separate parents, and we've gone absolutely nowhere?"

"I feel like there definitely has to be a connection somewhere, based on why Sunspot was so hesitant on sending his son to a school that teaches magic." Starlight said.

"We haven't really met this Sunspot pony yet, so perhaps we should do so before we come up with any other possible leads?" Sunset proposed. "Starlight's ideas do seem to somewhat line up with what me and Sunburst both know about our own father, but we've only been discussing theories thus far."

"That's probably a good idea, since I think we've only been fixated on vague facts rather than solid evidence." Sunburst agreed.

"I have a feeling that if I look at him myself and don't recognize him, or if he doesn't react unusually to my presence, nor me bringing up the name, 'Solstice', he's not really my dad." Sunset reasoned.

"Your guess would only be as good as mine." Sunburst said. "Regardless, even if this entire discussion went nowhere in regards to your parents, Sunset? I'm still glad we got to meet and know each other for a while. It's pretty interesting how much we both have in common, after all. Growing up with single parents, going off to study magic at the same school in Canterlot, and even our own appearances. This is admittedly the first time I've met another pony whose mane and tail remind me of the blazing sun, just like myself."

"Yeah, same." Sunset said, mutually. "It was certainly nice to meet you as well, even if our theories behind everything don't really end up amounting to anything significant. Obviously, we still need to meet Sunspot to get some closure over this whole mystery."

"I think for all of us, 'meet' would be a pretty appropriate term, considering Sunburst hasn't really visited his dad since then." Starlight said. "I haven't really met Sunspot either, even when I was living in Sire's Hollow as a filly."

"That's true, since the last time I've ever seen or heard from dad really was that last week I stayed with him in Ponyville before I left to study at Canterlot." Sunburst confirmed. "I guess since mom's been more involved with my life, I didn't really question why dad never wrote back to me. I suppose that's another question I could ask him myself when I visit him too. Unless of course, he got the word that I had flunked out and became too ashamed and disappointed to continue keeping in touch."

"So just to clarify, you both would want to accompany me in meeting Sunspot?" Sunset asked.

"Sure, I'd be happy to learn a little more about my first childhood friend's father." Starlight said, happily.

"And I'd be ecstatic to revisit him, and maybe get an explanation as to why he never wrote back." Sunburst added. "You know, Sunset? If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have really thought to visit my dad again. He wasn't really as involved in my life as much as my mother, so I kinda feel like over the years, combined with the fact he never wrote back to me, I've almost just forgotten about him altogether. Because of your quest in finding clues regarding your own parents, you might've unintentionally inspired me to spend time with somepony whom I haven't seen in ages."

"Happy to see I was able to bring you closer to your own family, Sunburst." Sunset smiled. "So we know he lives in Ponyville, but do you have his exact address?"

"Sorry, I really don't remember it, as it's been so long since I've wrote that first letter." Sunburst sighed. "I think we can ask my mom, though. Reason being, even if they for whatever reason separated, my mom told me the other day, that while she was setting up a business deal in Ponyville, she unintentionally ran into dad. They didn't exchange many words, but she made it clear she saw him entering his old home, while she trotted away. We can find my mom easily, since I know exactly where her home is in Sire's Hollow."

"It seems as if forgetting about our dads' whereabouts runs in the family." Sunset joked. "Well, assuming we are siblings, of course."

"I'd definitely be surprised if that was the case, but of course, we have yet to meet my dad before making that assumption." Sunburst chuckled.

"It'd also be cool to learn even more about your family history, Sunburst." Starlight added. "I've actually learned a few things about you during these conversations that I never knew myself."

"Then it's settled." Sunset agreed. "We'll head over to Sire's Hollow to question Stellar Flare, and then we'll head toward Ponyville to meet Sunspot."

"Sounds good to me." Sunburst leveled with Sunset. "So I guess we should get ready to go to the train station?"

"Taking the train might not be as effective at the moment, due to the fact they're still trying to figure out a way to deal with a giant boulder that's blocked off the tracks somewhere past Canterlot's station." Sunset explained.

"A boulder, you say?" Starlight interjected. "Well, Sunburst? I think we both know the perfect pony to deal with something like that?"

"Oh yeah." Sunburst recalled one of the few friends he's made recently. "I guess if they're still having trouble getting rid of that big rock, we could call Maud for help. I don't think combining unicorn magic would be enough to make it budge even the slightest."

"Yeah, if we're talking about a big boulder, there'd be too much mass, and unicorn magic has its limits, after all." Starlight added. "But I'll tell you what unicorn magic can do. Sunset, Sunburst, could you grab one of my front hooves real quick?"

The two ponies did so, as Starlight closed her eyes, and started up a spell in her horn. Sunset and Sunburst were confused at first, until they realized she was doing a teleportation spell, specifically to their destination to meet up with Sunburst's mother. In an instantaneous poof of magic, they teleported from the castle's lounge room to the front door of Stellar Flare's home in Sire's Hollow.

"It must be pretty awesome to master teleportation to where you don't have to worry about always paying for train tickets to cover traveling long distances." Sunset said in amazement.

"True, but like I've said, even my magic has its limits too." Starlight explained briefly. "I may not have trouble teleporting shorter distances, but teleporting an incredibly long distance from my current position takes up a lot of energy. This means, I can really only pull off such a spell a maximum of three times a day."

"That makes sense, as I can still remember teleportation can be draining if you do it too much." Sunset reasoned.

"Well, now that we're here, other than getting info on dad's whereabouts, I guess I can also introduce you to my mother, Sunset?" Sunburst offered. "You never know, she could be your mother too."

"Oh, well that would be nice." Sunset accepted. "I just feel as though... if her name's not Solstice, then it's not likely."

Sunburst knocked on her mother's front door and waited on the porch with Sunset. Moments later, Stellar Flare had opened the door, happy to see her child again.

"Son, how nice of you to come visit your mother!" Stellar Flare said, ecstatic, before noticing Sunset accompanying him. "And who's this you brought with you? Are you already getting married too? Oh, you little ponies grow up so fast!"

"Err, no." Sunburst quickly denied. "If I was, then I definitely would've written to you about it. This is my new friend, Sunset Shimmer."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Sunset held her hoof out to shake things out.

"Charmed." Stellar Flare shook back, but notably felt displeased that her son wasn't getting married after all. "What brings you to see me this fine day, Sunburst? Would you like me to take you to that magic convention you've always wanted to attend?"

"No, mom, it's not that." Sunburst said. "I was just wondering, since you wrote to me about how you saw dad in Ponyville the other day, could you by any chance let us know where he is? We kinda want to go visit him."

"Well, I may know his exact address, but may I ask why you would want to visit your so-called father?" Stellar Flare questioned. "You and I both know he was never as involved in your life or aspirations to study magic. Like you've told me before, he never even bothered writing you letters back, while I've been on top of it every single week you've been studying and pursuing your dreams. You could however, make better use of your time by spending it with your wonderful, more caring mother instead. I still supported you even when you had flunked out of the School For Gifted Unicorns, remember?"

"It's just that... I haven't visited dad in a while, and I want to check in with him for a bit." Sunburst proposed. "Plus, I've already visited you at least three times in the last week alone. I haven't even seen dad at all ever since I was a little colt, so I'd feel it'd be nice to do so after all these years."

"Very well then." Stellar Flare sighed, before taking a piece of paper, writing down Sunspot's home address in Ponyville, and handing the paper to Sunburst. "There you are, Sunburst. But don't say I didn't warn you, your father can be a hurtful stallion. Let's just say, there's a reason he and I split up ages ago."

Sunburst looked over the paper, as it looked like Stellar Flare was ready to close the door. Before the mother was about to head back into her home, Sunset stopped her.

"Wait, ma'am!" Sunset used her hoof to prevent the door from closing. "I also wanted to ask you some things myself."

"Yes...?" Stellar Flare groaned in annoyance. "What could you possibly want to know?"

"Well, do I look familiar to you by any chance?" Sunset asked. "Is it entirely possible that I'm your daughter too?"

"Preposterous!" Stellar Flare blurted out. "Having more than a single son with my ex-husband would've been the last thing I wanted. Much as I resented him for what happened between us, I'll always still love and care for my baby. He's always been a good and caring son, unlike his father. Plus, just look at yourself. You don't even have these distinct coat markings anywhere on your body, unlike Sunburst. What makes you think you could possibly be part of the family?"

"Well, I guess it was a bit of a stretch, and only coincidental that your son and I both have similar fur and eye colors, as well as sunny patterns in our manes and tails." Sunset admitted. "Out of curiosity, though? Does the name 'Solstice' mean anything to you?"

What happened next was incredibly unexpected. As soon as Sunset mentioned that name to Stellar Flare, she just froze. Her pupils shrunk, her left eye began to twitch, and she just momentarily deepened her frown. Sunset and Sunburst were initially confused at this unusual reaction, before they began to flinch back at what would follow soon after.

"GET OFF OF MY PORCH!!!" Stellar Flare screeched at the top of her lungs, shortly after her face turned red with rage. "SUNBURST! I FORBID YOU TO BRING THIS SUNSET PONY BACK TO SIRE'S HOLLOW EVER AGAIN!!!!!!"

The mother then slammed her door super hard, which had in impact so immense, it cracked a nearby window. Sunburst, Sunset, and Starlight were all taken back from this sudden, extreme reaction to Sunset mentioning that name to Stellar Flare. Regardless, it was time to visit Sunspot, so Starlight got ready holding hooves with the two other ponies to teleport them all to Ponyville.

Chapter 46: I am Your... Father?

The unexpected reaction of Stellar Flare still left the trio of unicorns absolutely bewildered over what had just happened. Judging from what his mother had just ordered of him, Sunburst figured that it was in their best interest to get Sunset out of Sire's Hollow before things would escalate even further. He showed Starlight the address Stellar Flare wrote for him, which was supposedly the location in Ponyville where Sunspot was residing at.

"Hm, I've never actually been to that area of Ponyville, but I'll try to teleport us as close to that location as I can." Starlight said, after reading the paper in Sunburst's hoof.

Just like the first time, Starlight held hooves with Sunset and Sunburst, before closing her eyes, starting the magic up in her horn, and sending them all to Ponyville. Although Sunset was now well aware of how teleportation would take up a lot of energy when traveling long distances, it didn't really matter to her. She would have never been able to pull off anything like this in the human world, and it was always supposedly a natural gift unicorns were able to master when building their skills in magic. It was certainly still part of the incentive of her wanting to stay in Equestria more often after graduation. Regardless, now the trio found themselves in a corner of Ponyville, which was at least somewhat close to the address Stellar Flare had written for her son. They started trotting together to this location, as Sunburst put a hoof on Sunset's back.

"Sunset, I'm really sorry for what happened with my mom back there." Sunburst apologized on behalf of Stellar Flare. "I don't know why she became so profusely angry with you after you mentioned that name to her."

"I'm just as confused as you are, Sunburst." Sunset said. "I mean, from what little we heard during that conversation, we do know two things now. First of all, she and your dad did for whatever reason get a divorce, since she referred to Sunspot as her 'ex-husband'. Secondly, she definitely knows something about this Solstice pony, if she were to suddenly change her entire approach and behavior in an instant like that."

"Maybe this Solstice pony had something to do with the reason she and Sunspot separated?" Starlight brainstormed. "Unless... she's actually the Solstice pony we've been looking for?"

"Well, like I've said, I could've sworn that while I was living with dad in Ponyville as a colt, I occasionally heard him muttering something about a 'Solstice'." Sunburst recalled again. "Even then, I never really thought much about what he was referring to."

"Do you remember what he said specifically regarding this Solstice?" Starlight questioned.

"I really have no clue, especially since it's been so long since I've even seen my father." Sunburst said. "As for the possibility of my mother being Solstice, I'd say that's unlikely. I've spent more time with my mother than anypony else in my family, and I have never once heard anypony else refer to her as 'Solstice' at all."

"Well, whatever the case might be, telling her that name certainly didn't do myself any favors." Sunset noted. "I have no idea why she would never want to see me again, or forbid me from coming back to Sire's Hollow. I don't even know who she is, because... again, I've never known or seen my mother. What's strange to me is, she didn't seem to react adversely to the mention of my own name, 'Sunset Shimmer', but only when I mention 'Solstice', does something set her off."

"This certainly has been a rather perplexing mystery for me to solve with you two." Starlight said. "Been learning so many revelations about both of you, I feel like we should hang out like this more often. As for what happened back there with Stellar Flare, I have a feeling we might get an answer once we talk to Sunspot. There's got to be a reason far more deep that we're not understanding."

"Agreed, because I know my mom." Sunburst added. "She might get angry or disappointed on occasion, but that was actually the very first time I've seen her legitimately FURIOUS. Believe me, the one time I had to inevitably tell her that I ended up dropping out of the School For Gifted Unicorns after failing too many classes, she was still calm in comparison."

"I guess I could understand her holding a grudge toward your father and of course, this Solstice pony, but what about me?" Sunset asked, bewildered. "What could I have possibly done to her to warrant such a reaction?"

"I don't quite think it's a matter of you doing anything to hurt her in the past." Starlight believed. "She might've just became inadvertently livid over you bringing up that name to spark some unpleasant memories for her. Not to say it's your fault, Sunset. Any of us could've said that to her, and she might've reacted the same way."

"Well, even if it's just that, I really don't know if Stellar Flare is my actual mom." Sunset said. "I didn't recognize her myself, and she didn't even seem to recognize me, not even after you mentioned my name."

"If she knew we were siblings and suggested that we were about to get married, that's pretty messed up." Sunburst noted. "Either she didn't know about you, or she did know, but was saying that to purposefully throw us off. Regardless of what actually happened, I think it's pretty obvious that she won't talk to any of us if we bring up that name, let alone actually telling us about this Solstice pony."

"In that case, you think it's better if I don't bring up that name to your father?" Sunset asked. "You seem like a cool stallion yourself, and I would genuinely like to be friends with you, without both of your parents hating me."

"How about... we'll question my dad, and when the time's right, I'll ask him about Solstice?" Sunburst suggested. "I feel like I certainly have quite a number of things to ask him myself, including why he never wrote back to my first letter."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Sunset agreed, as Starlight suddenly halted in her tracks, which prompted the two other ponies to do the same.

They were confused at first, before realizing Starlight was simply looking around for the house where Sunspot lived. None of them were familiar with this area of Ponyville, but following the address provided by Stellar Flare, they eventually located the exact house this stallion resided. Starlight pointed her hoof in the direction to their destination and trotted forward, as Sunset and Sunburst followed behind. They were ready to finally meet this Sunspot pony with the plans they already had in store, but something at the back of Sunset's mind stopped Sunburst just as he was about to knock on the door.

"What's wrong, Sunset?" Sunburst asked, rather confused at Sunset's sudden action.

"It's just... I have this weird feeling." Sunset began whispering. "To make sure we're on the same page here, your father never remotely hinted toward the possibility of you having a sibling, just like with me when I was living with him?"

"To my understanding, yes." Sunburst confirmed. "What are you getting at, though?"

"I have a feeling that... we should probably meet Sunspot separately." Sunset elaborated. "I almost have the feeling that if we meet him together, it'll generate a negative reaction if he does recognize us both, especially with how possible Starlight's theory was. Maybe one of us could meet him first, pretend to leave, and let the other meet him separately? It's pretty clear that what happened with Stellar Flare absolutely confirms there's a further connection between us."

"Sunset does bring up a good point." Starlight reasoned. "When you were both at Stellar Flare's front door, it was admittedly hard to say whether or not she truly knew and understood who Sunset was. She obviously knows something about this Solstice, but we don't really know much else beyond that."

"I guess that makes sense, can't really say with certainty whether or not my parents are simply pretending to not recognize you, Sunset." Sunburst agreed. "How about... you visit him first on your own? Me and Starlight will hide on the other side of the house and listen in from a window once you're inside. If Sunspot really is your dad, and can give you some answers to these tough questions you've been trying to figure out for a while, I'd want you to have that luxury first. Starlight and I can come back tomorrow, as to not draw any suspicion to him of us visiting around the same time."

"Oh, Sunburst... are you sure?" Sunset asked. "He's your dad after all, and you did say you wanted to visit him too, especially given you haven't seen him since you were a little colt."

"Absolutely, I insist." Sunburst said. "I do miss him myself, but like you've said, there's obviously some kind of connection between both of our parents, so I would want to give you the opportunity first, especially since from what I've heard, you've spent far less time with your own parents than I did."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you." Sunset smiled. "But since Starlight is here with us, maybe she can meet Sunspot with me?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Starlight interjected. "Although I don't really know Sunburst's dad, I do know that he was always aware of how close me and Sunburst were as friends in our youth. Our hope is to not draw any suspicion, and he might get such a feeling if he sees his 'daughter' accompanied by his son's closest childhood friend."

"Oh, that's right." Sunset agreed with Starlight's reasoning. "I didn't really think about that. So I guess I'll go ahead and meet him on my own, while you two listen nearby?"

"That's the idea." Sunburst agreed. "We'll head over to the other side of the house and listen in to get some insight on how dad would act if he believes you're by yourself. Are you sure you won't mind Starlight and I eavesdropping on you and Sunspot?"

"Well, if I know you're both going to listen in, it's not exactly eavesdropping in my book." Sunset said. "Plus, given what you shared about your father during that final week before you moved away, it's pretty obvious he's always been hiding something from you, so I believe after all these years, it's about time we get some solid answers."

"That's true." Sunburst said in mutual understanding. "All right, well Starlight and I will head over to the other side of the house. Have a good time meeting my dad, and once again, don't forget to open a window once you're in so we can overhear anything vital."

"Gotcha." Sunset said, as Starlight and Sunburst headed off from the front door, leaving Sunset by herself.

Before Sunset was ready to knock on the door, she looked around the area. Admittedly, even after a long absence in Equestria, something about the yard's layout, as well as the house itself, struck a vague feeling of familiarity to her. Combined with all the smaller clues she's gathered from Sunburst and this Solstice pony, she almost had a good feeling Sunspot was her true birth father. But if he was, would he react positively or negatively to his supposed first daughter's presence? With one final gulp, Sunset finally took a deep breath and approached the front door, knocking on it, before the aforementioned stallion approached the door to open it.

Although initially annoyed, believing that it was yet another group of fillies selling Pony Scout cookies, Sunspot had absolutely no clue for the surprise that was awaiting him on the other side of the door. He opened the front door to his home and immediately widened his eyes in sheer shock and disbelief over who he was seeing standing over his porch. Noticing this reaction herself, Sunset took a good look at the unicorn stallion's face, realizing the vague memories she had of her own father sparked some familiarity in this particular pony before her. Seeing how Sunspot had yellow fur, blue eyes, and a fiery orange mane, it suddenly clicked inside her. Recalling what little she saw of her father as a little filly, this actually was how her father looked in terms of appearance, and Sunset began to have this feeling she was finally able to reunite with at least one of her birth parents. However, what the stallion would soon say to Sunset completely threw her off in the most unexpected way.

"May I help you?" Sunspot asked. "If you're selling cookies, kindly know that I'm not interested in the slightest."

"No, that's... not the reason at all." Sunset responded, rather perplexed. "I came by to visit you. Surely you recognize who I am?"

The stallion froze for a few seconds, seemingly gesturing that Sunset did in fact look very familiar to him. But after those few seconds, he just quickly brushed it off like it was nothing.

"Nope, not at all." Sunspot said, before putting his hoof on the door. "I don't know what kind of trickery you're pulling, but nothing's going to encourage me to fork over some bits for your cookies. Now, if you're simply going to waste my time, I'm heading back over to my couch."

Sunset felt an immediate jolt of pain and shock, seeing how her seeming father was not thrilled in the slightest at seeing his daughter. Even if this stallion was not immediately interested in speaking with her, Sunset felt desperate to the point of offering him an incentive for some answers, at the very least.

"Wait, please!" Sunset begged, before holding out a few bits she took from her saddlebag earlier at home, in case she had an emergency. "If I could just come inside and talk to you for a few minutes... that's all I ask."

"Ugh, fine then." Sunspot sighed, before taking the bits out of Sunset's hooves and letting her into his home.

Sunspot and Sunset trotted into the middle of the living room, as Sunset then noticed the stallion acting rather unusual when they both passed by. Up ahead was a staircase that led to the second floor, where Sunspot was focused toward approaching.

"I have to head upstairs first to take care of some... stuff." Sunspot told Sunset, before making his tone much more hostile. "But don't get too comfortable while you wait here, or break anything! I'll make you pay dearly for that, you hear!?"

"Y-Yes, of course." Sunset said, now saddened by understanding what kind of pony she was truly facing.

"And you're lucky I even let you into my house!" Sunspot snapped. "Just remember that I could've taken your money and slammed the door in your face."

Sunspot then ruffled his mane in annoyance, making him drop a few of his hairs on the ground. After which, he trotted up the stairs, as Sunset and the rest of the first floor left his view. Seeing this, Sunset trotted over and picked up one of the stallion's hairs as a potential way to conduct a DNA test if she really needed it. Regardless of collecting this hair sample, she was already 99% sure that this really was her birth father, as something at the back of her mind kept telling her. Sunset then remembered what Sunburst had asked of her, and also took the opportunity to open a nearby window. Noticing this from the outside, Sunburst and Starlight both approached stealthily, before noticing Sunset was gesturing for them to listen in toward some insight over what she had just experienced.

"Well... I've only been here for like ten seconds, and I'm not happy at all with the results." Sunset whispered to her friends from the window. "I had to actually pay Sunspot as an incentive to let me inside so I can talk to him, and he still just yelled profusely at me."

"Wait, really?" Starlight replied, aghast. "From what little I've seen of Sunburst's dad when I was living in Sire's Hollow as a filly, I never would've expected him to behave like this. Is this maybe why Stellar Flare warned us not to come visit him? She did tell us that he was a pretty hurtful stallion, after all."

"I... I don't believe it." Sunburst tried to parse what Sunset had just reported back. "I swear to both of you, my dad's always been the sweetest, most caring father a little colt could ask for. Sunset, are you sure you were just talking to my father, and not some completely different pony?"

"Trust me, I took one good look at him and knew for certain he's the stallion we're both looking for." Sunset affirmed, before hearing hoofsteps coming down the stairs. "Uh oh. I think he's coming back, you need to hide. I'll talk to him myself and see what kind of information I can gather. Based on what I've seen so far, we might need a change of plan, as I might need to ask him the more tough questions. In the meantime, make sure he doesn't see you."

Sunburst and Starlight nodded and hid themselves from view, as Sunset then went back over to the staircase before noticing Sunspot coming back to the first floor, with the same grouchy demeanor he had displayed moments ago. He trotted over to his couch, took a seat, and folded his hooves with frustration.

"Well?" Sunspot said, impatiently. "You wanted to talk to me, or did you pay me just to be an annoyance?"

"I just wanted to come visit you for a bit... Sunspot, right?" Sunset addressed.

"How in Equestria do you know that name?" Sunspot quickly got defensive. "Are you trying to intimidate me or something?"

"Please, just hear me out..." Sunset said in a soft and broken voice. "I really wanted to come visit you, since I had a strong feeling that you would recognize and remember who I am. I was hoping that stopping by would make you happy."

"Happy?" Sunspot asked, rhetorically. "Miss, the only way you'd make me happy now is if you brought at least a thousand bits, instead of that pathetic amount you offered back there. Well... I suppose another form of happiness would've been if you brought me a box of donuts from Donut Joe's shop, but that's beside the point."

"Okay well..." Sunset began. "I might not have food on me, but what I did bring instead was something much more important. A daughter. I came all this way because... I have reason to believe you're my dad?"

Sunspot's eyes widened for a moment, before he unexpectedly bursted out laughing it off.

"So that's why you're here, huh?" Sunspot spat. "You wanted money from me from missing out on paying filly support or something? Good luck trying to get it from me, that's all I'm saying."

"I don't think that'd be the case if I just paid you to have this talk..." Sunset said, feeling much more hurt than she already was earlier. "There was only one thing you just said that was partially true though. You never got to see me grow up before I went off to The School For Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot."

Sunspot's eye twitched for a moment after hearing the name of that school. He became so mad that he slammed his hooves on the coffee table in front of him, causing a noticeable crack.

"...How dare you try to insult me in my own home!" Sunspot roared. "Did you get brainwashed just to come bother me like some school punk!?"

Starlight and Sunburst were both listening closely in horror this whole time, whilst occasionally peeking around the corner to look at the stallion Sunset was confronting. It felt unfortunate that they both recognized this pony was definitely Sunburst's father, based on the memories they had both seen of him in their youth. Sunburst was already wanting to cry, seeing just how much of a monster his father had become, as Starlight held him for comfort. Starlight was also beginning to grow worried that Sunset might eventually end up getting hurt through a physical altercation.

"I'm sorry, I-" Sunset tried to calm Sunspot down. "I just thought that I could help give you some context regarding why I believed you're my father."

"Well giving me fake context doesn't really do you any favors." Sunspot said, bluntly. "I might've always wanted to raise a daughter, but that wouldn't be you now."

As Sunset, Sunburst, and Starlight all heard this, things were beginning to line up with everything Sunburst had shared earlier regarding his father. Taking offense at the mere mention of Princess Celestia's old school, the feeling of always wanting to raise a daughter, and even labeling others as 'brainwashed'. It was without a doubt that this really was the same stallion Sunset and Sunburst remembered growing up, and they were all absolutely confused as to why things were like this. The stallion they once knew as a goodhearted and kind father was now nothing more but a short-tempered, abusive monster.

"How do you not recognize me, dad?" Sunset tried her best to get through to the stallion. "You really don't remember me, your daughter, Sunset Shimmer?"

"First of all, you will not dare call me dad, because I'm certainly not that!" Sunspot affirmed. "I only have a daughter now, and she's not you, get that through your head! My only daughter too."

"...You only have a daughter?" Sunset asked, now completely bewildered as to why Sunspot seemingly didn't consider Sunburst his son. "Are you sure you don't have a son, thus making me have a brother?"

"Absolutely not." Sunspot denied. "I never had a son in my entire life, and even if I did, I'm sure he would've been the biggest disappointment in the history of Equestria."

If Sunburst was hurt before, that was nothing compared to how he felt now after just hearing that. As sympathetic as Starlight felt toward her first childhood friend, she still tried her best to prevent Sunburst from making any noise, as to not blow their cover. But by now, the two unicorns outside the window had felt like they had already heard enough from Sunspot to decide they were no longer interested in visiting him the next day. They even began to feel an epiphany that Stellar Flare was completely justified when she tried her best to persuade them to not visit Sunspot. By this point, since this stallion was not only going to deny having Sunset as a daughter, but even Sunburst as a son, it was clear he had to be questioned more heavily.

"All right, but at least hear me out." Sunset continued. "Does the name 'Sunset Shimmer' at least ring a bell to you?"

"Look, don't try to change the subject, since you've already wasted enough of my time." Sunspot said, firmly. "If you really have to sit here all day yapping like a lunatic, that's fine, but I want more bits from you then."

At this point, Sunset was ready to tear up herself. Was this really the same pony who had once taken care of her before she went off to the School For Gifted Unicorns? Did he really also take care of Sunburst with a heart of gold, long before turning into this train wreck of a stallion he was now?

"...If you cared about and loved me, you wouldn't be asking me for more money." Sunset began to leak tears. "Don't you even care that I stopped by to visit you? I really wanted to spend some quality time with you because I've missed you for so long."

Sunspot then groaned in annoyance before making the most serious expression on his face that sent chills down Sunset's spine.

"...Do you really think that if your dad loved you, he would've put you up for adoption?" Sunspot said without an ounce of hesitation.

"W-W-What!?" Sunset's eyes widened.

"You heard me." Sunspot said, coldly. "Even if we pretend you were my daughter, which you aren't to begin with, I'm living the good life now without some unwanted, ungrateful little brats tracking me down because they want money from me."

"I don't want money from you!" Sunset spat in frustration. "There are more important things in this world that money can't buy! Family, friends, love... surely you understand even an ounce of what I'm saying to you?"

"If you're being serious right now, I might as well put makeup on your face and stick a tomato on your snout." Sunspot continued to verbally abuse Sunset. "You're not even a pony I can take seriously at all, but just an unfunny clown who clearly never got a good education."

"I'll have you know...!" Sunset began to defend herself. "I'm about to graduate from two different schools at the same time! I have both a 3.9 GPA and fulfilled the requirements to receive a master's degree for magic."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to be impressed by that now?" Sunspot said with sarcasm. "Congratulations on your achievements. Study a field that gets you absolutely nowhere in life. Waste thousands of bits on tuition just to learn useless knowledge that'll put you in debt faster than you can say 'Princess Celestia'."

"...You just implied I was an uneducated clown!" Sunset started getting conflicted at what her father wanted.

"Well maybe you should join the circus to impress your so-called audience, instead of coming here to believe that I'd ever care about having you as a daughter." Sunspot finally ripped through Sunset's heartstrings.

"You... don't understand...!!!" Sunset began sobbing hysterically. "I know I've been gone for ages, but now I was hoping we could have a peaceful reunion and start over as father and daughter once more! You don't even care that I took all the time and trouble into finding you, because I sincerely missed you!? You don't remotely care about having a family!?"

"The only thing I care about now, is you ruining my carpet with your dumb tears." Sunspot finished in the most cold and careless tone. "And like I've said already, I got a family now, a wife and a daughter who isn't you. Now the deal was that you got to talk to me for a few minutes, and those minutes are up. So you either get out of my house or this will get ugly, you hear?"

Sunset picked herself up off the ground and lowered her head in sadness, as she was heading back in the direction of the front door. She had no idea what could've happened to her father, and neither could Sunburst nor Starlight. The threats, the aggressive behavior, and the verbal abuse toward both his daughter and son. Sunspot's actions in general reminded Sunset of just how she acted as the tyrannical bully at CHS, which almost made her question if her aggressive traits were inherited by her father.

Despite this feeling, it seemed unlikely that Sunset got these traits by watching her father's behavior, given how she definitely grew up completely isolated from him. Plus, Sunburst's flashback heavily implied that Sunspot was still hurt over the disappearance of his first daughter after sending her off to the School For Gifted Unicorns, and he still seemed to act caring toward his son like a decent father. He went from this kindhearted stallion to a careless and verbally abusive beast with seemingly no explanation whatsoever. All Sunset did know now, was that her heart had a huge, seemingly irreversible crack in it, as if her father somehow used the same sledgehammer she had once threatened to smash the CHS horse statue pedestal with, and swung the thing directly on target.

Sunset was by this point, too hurt and confused to even consider questioning Sunspot regarding Solstice, but it almost didn't matter to her anymore. Based on how Sunspot was acting this whole time, she had to have been crazy to believe he'd willingly tell her about Solstice without either demanding more money from her or flipping out. In some ways, Sunset was almost glad she still stuck to the original plan with Sunburst and Starlight in not bringing up this Solstice pony to her father. With how intense of a reaction Stellar Flare had displayed after Sunset seemingly touched a nerve, the mere thought of how Sunspot would've reacted frightened her.

By this point, Sunset was stepping out the door, but not before taking one last look at the stallion who seemingly brought her into this world. Sunspot looked back, but simply pointed his hoof to motion Sunset to scram, before trotting up the stairs himself. Sunset had no idea what Sunspot seemingly did to her real mother, Solstice, but believed that whatever he did, he hurt her, and in one of the worst possible ways imaginable. There had to have been a legitimate reason as to why her mother was never around, and why Princess Celestia took custody of her, before she claimed to become the mother she needed.

As Sunset finally closed the door behind her, she moved to the area where Sunburst and Starlight were listening to everything from an opened window. The three friends simply looked at each other with sad expressions, completely caught off-guard by what they had all just witnessed. Even though Sunset's memories of Sunspot were admittedly limited, Sunburst absolutely believed that before he went off to study magic in Canterlot, his father was once a kind and supportive stallion, even if he did sometimes hesitate on letting his son choose to follow his dreams.

Although Starlight held both of her front hooves out again to signal her friends to teleport them away from this traumatic location, Sunset and Sunburst's instinct differed. They interpreted it as Starlight offering them both a hug of comfort after what they had both seen of their father, which, after realizing this was what her friends needed, Starlight obliged and hugged them both. Tears streamed down all their faces at fast rates, but it was Sunburst who seemingly took it the hardest, despite Sunset being the one who had been targeted with some of the most vile verbal abuse ever.

After a few minutes, Starlight knew it was time to finally have them all teleport back to Canterlot to escape this horrid nightmare. She started the teleportation spell in her horn once more, as Sunset was trying to wipe her tears away. However, she could've sworn she also started hearing another noise coming from upstairs. It sounded like Sunspot's voice, but the bizarre thing was that Sunset began to hear... crying? Why would her father cry after how he had treated both his daughter and son just a few minutes earlier? This thought was then derailed briefly, as Starlight had finally teleported the entire trio back to Canterlot, specifically the lounge room from before.

Since it was clear that both Sunset and Sunburst needed her support more than ever, Starlight continued to try and comfort her friends, despite the fact she was certainly hurt herself. Although she never interacted much with Sunspot as a filly, she almost even considered him like a second father to her, as she believed he was always a kind stallion who always put others before himself, especially his son. After hearing Sunspot outright state that he's never had a son and what he'd refer to him if he ever did, her faith in the stallion plummeted like a rock. Although Starlight never particularly enjoyed how embarrassing her own father, Firelight was, he was still a true and genuine father to her by comparison.

"Sunset, Sunburst?" Starlight addressed her two friends. "I'm really sorry that you both had to go through all that with your father. This even hurts for me, way more than the time it seemed like Trixie simply made friends with me just to beat Twilight at some petty game. All I can say for certain now is, even if Stellar Flare exploded in our faces earlier, we should've taken her advice. Sunspot truly is a hurtful stallion, and your mother had every right and reason to split with him."

"Is it entirely possible he never actually wanted me in my life to begin with?" Sunburst began to break down. "Was he only pretending to love me the whole time, only because he wanted something else? You two heard what he said, that he'd rather raise a daughter than a son. Clearly... he doesn't want me nor Sunset in his life anymore, especially considering he supposedly already has a new wife and daughter now too. I'm certainly glad at this point that you advised us to not visit him together, Sunset."

"I can't even begin to understand why he would react this way to my presence." Sunset reflected. "I may not have been with him as much as Sunburst during the time he did have custody of me, but I always believed he would never do anything to hurt me. What could I have done that would inevitably change that?"

"Well in my case, I'd believe dad was sore over me dropping out of magic school, even after he encouraged me not to pursue this field of study." Sunburst surmised. "It must've been a huge disappointment to him that his son not only moved away, but even wasted all the money he spent on his son's tuition."

"But from what I can understand, you only flunked out much later on, after you realized you had trouble casting spells compared to studying them." Starlight reasoned. "So if you still ended up sending him a letter after your first week, that still doesn't explain why he never wrote back to you."

"Isn't it obvious!?" Sunburst wailed. "He never loved me, nor had any interest to keep in touch with me at all after I was gone. I feel like at this point, he always pretended to care, only for me to now find out this whole time, it always was nothing more than a fake act..."

"I'm beginning to think there's something more fishy going on." Sunset tried to analyze everything she knew so far. "Being a rough and aggressive bully myself once, I almost feel like I can understand there's something more deep that we're all missing. Sure, Sunspot definitely hurt me dearly just then, but I'd have to believe there's a reason he'd behave that way. You two were able to vouch for me when I believed he was a genuine father from all our pasts."

"Not anymore." Sunburst huffed in sadness. "All he is now, is nothing more than a greedy and selfish bully."

"Sunset, I know that you and I both changed for the better..." Starlight began. "But we can definitely see that things change, for better or for worse. It seems as if... we can only accept this as reality now, and the only smart choice to make is to simply move on with our heads held high."

"How can we do that knowing Sunspot is hurt himself?" Sunset still tried to stand her ground. "I know myself that I turned into a bully because I felt hurt, lonely, and abandoned in a world that never seemed to understand or accept who I was. Plus, before we teleported back here, didn't you also hear him crying? I heard it coming from the second floor of his house, and I know it was him, because I saw him trotting upstairs before I exited the front door."

"I didn't hear any crying other than all the pain in my own heart." Sunburst reflected. "Really though, Sunset? Why are you continuing to defend him after he demanded money from you and tore you to pieces without a care in Equestria? It's obvious by now that he's become a lost cause."

"I just feel like if I could understand what was causing his pain, we'd have a better understanding of why he wouldn't be thrilled to see his children again." Sunset said. "He is our father, after all."

"What if he's actually not?" Sunburst suggested. "What if he was never our actual father, and just an imposter who had more selfish desires whilst pretending to be our dad? Whether he truly is related to us or not, it doesn't matter to me anymore. I still have my mom, who's always been a true supportive mother mother who's been by my side during the toughest of times, even after I flunked magic school."

"I agree with that reasoning." Starlight added. "Stellar Flare clearly gave us a warning to not visit him, and I guess she simply let us do so just to have us understand she was trying to prove a point. It's just a shame that we all had to find this out the hard way."

"I can understand both of you as far as being hurt and confused, but I just can't give up yet, especially since I have this strong feeling we're not getting the full picture." Sunset continued to persevere. "We still don't know what happened back then with Sunspot in regards to Stellar Flare and Solstice, nor did we ever figure out why he was crying when he went upstairs."

"Well, even if we don't quite understand at the moment, I've still lost all motivation to continue solving this mystery." Sunburst moped.

"Yeah, and I've already used my long distance teleportation spell three times today, so I'm afraid my magic's become too exhausted to teleport us back." Starlight explained. "If you really want to figure things out, maybe we can try again some other day? I'm still in an emotional state of shock and disbelief to go back anytime soon."

"Fair enough, but regardless, being a hurt pony myself for many years, I don't think it's right for me to completely cut him out of my life for good without understanding the full story." Sunset said. "For now though, yeah, I guess we should focus on other things..."

Starlight got up and went to retrieve some cucumber sandwiches and tea from the kitchen, as she felt all three of them needed some refreshments after what they had just gone through back at that house. She didn't want to admit it just yet, but she resonated with Sunset's statement, given how she herself felt hurt and abandoned for many years after Sunburst left her. They were still missing the extent of the full story for what happened to Sunspot, and although she didn't quite hear his crying due to being too focused on casting her teleportation spell, she still believed Sunset had gotten another fragment of the truth, which encouraged her to help out in any way she could.

Meanwhile, back at Sunspot's house, the stallion was now by himself once more, pacing back and forth for somepony to return. There still didn't seem to be any kind of explanation as to why he treated Sunset that way, but that wasn't what was on his mind now. He realized that the pony he was expecting was running unusually late, which did worry him slightly. However, after a few minutes, he finally heard a knock at the door and went to open it. He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the pony, who was a pegasus with an orange coat, blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow.

"So glad to have you back, honey." Sunspot addressed the pegasus.

"Of course, let's just say that I had to work overtime to get paid a wonderful bonus." The pegasus replied, before showing Sunspot a gold necklace with an apple shaped red ruby, which looked exactly like Bright McIntosh's. "My job doesn't pay well to those who take the rest of the day off, you know."

"I can imagine." Sunspot reasoned. "By the way, where's our daughter? I think you mentioned earlier this morning that she's decided to go by a name we can call her, since we still hadn't decided a name for her yet? Lily, is that right?"

"That's right." The pegasus confirmed. "Such a pretty name. I did leave her to be babysat at a friend's house, let's just say, so it's just you and me tonight. Did you by any chance remember what I wanted you to pick up yesterday at the store?"

"I certainly did, wouldn't want to disappoint you after all." Sunspot replied. "I got the first dress as soon as the store opened, and it costed me 1,800 bits. Anything for you when you have such a good paying job, after all. That necklace might be a great addition as a centerpiece too, now that I look at it."

"Aw shucks, thank you, babe." The pegasus said, happily. "Well, now that you've bought the dress and I've said 'yes' after you proposed to me a few weeks ago, only one question remains. When exactly will our wedding be? I can assure you that unlike your previous marriages, you won't regret this one, dear!"

Chapter 47: Half-Truth

Back in Canterlot, Sunset, Sunburst, and Starlight had been comfort-eating for a while, still trying to take in what had become of the one father they once knew as a kind stallion. Although Sunset was more adamant in learning what could've caused Sunspot to change so drastically, Sunburst had little to no motivation. He was simply too heartbroken to return to a so-called father who claimed that he never had a son to begin with, and would've went as far as to call him a complete failure. It was true that Sunburst did flunk out of magic school, but he always understood magic itself and had plenty of work experience after he left, from being Flurry Heart's crystaller, to even being hired as vice principal at the School of Friendship.

"I know I might've dropped out of the School For Gifted Unicorns, but I still have so much more to be proud of." Sunburst moped. "It's just a shame to now know that... it won't ever matter to dad anymore."

"But you saw how he acted." Starlight reminded. "He didn't even care about having a good education."

"To be honest, as hurt as I am now, it still served as a reminder of how that's the kind of pony I once was myself." Sunset said. "I once had no problem pushing others around, threatening them, or taking money from them with little to no hesitation. I still want to perhaps investigate another day, just to fully understand where all this behavior was coming from. After all, even when I struggled to embrace friendship, I was always grateful when others still tried to see the best in me, especially Twilight."

"It's noble how you want to understand his behavior psychologically, but I'm really afraid it's all just a lost cause at this point." Sunburst replied. "My mom clearly divorced him for a reason, and he never bothered writing me back when I was a student at magic school. By this point, I don't think he'll ever change, so I'd much rather cut him out of my life permanently."

"Sunburst, don't you remember what I ended up almost doing myself when I was so hurt and abandoned from you moving away?" Starlight gave a reminder of her heinous deeds. "The village, the removal of cutie marks, to even almost wiping out Equestria in its entirety because I wouldn't let Twilight and her friends meet in the past? And now you're sitting here comfortably next to me without thinking I'm a psychotic lunatic."

"I can attest to that." Sunset added. "I don't think I've mentioned this to you yet, but I once turned into a raging she-demon who was bent on taking over Equestria with my own army. I did it because I let my ambitions and resentment toward Princess Celestia get the better of me, and despite all that, here I am now."

"Huh." Sunburst had an epiphany. "I really am a forgiving pony, aren't I? But... that doesn't change the fact that dad would horribly treat his own children like that."

"We don't even know if he is the true dad to both of you." Starlight chimed in. "If only there was a way we could know for certain."

"I do have a feeling he's the same stallion from my youth before I met Princess Celestia, but I agree." Sunset said. "We might need a reliable way to conclude whether or not he truly is me and Sunburst's dad. In the meantime, I'm also wondering how I'll head to Silver Shoals by train. I was originally planning to head there to visit Princess Celestia, but again, a giant rock's in the way of my train at that ravine."

"I still think Maud's the answer to that little problem." Starlight affirmed. "I'd offer to teleport you to Silver Shoals right now, but... like I've said, I can only teleport long distances three times a day."

"It's fine, you've already done more than enough to help me today, Starlight." Sunset assured. "I presume you're talking about Maud Pie, Pinkie's sister? I've... kinda met her myself that day I was heading over to Twilight's coronation."

"Yep, we are." Sunburst confirmed. "Cool how we also have mutual friends of mutual friends. But yeah, other than Maud, I'm not quite sure how we could get rid of that rock for your train."

As the trio waited around even further, thinking of ways they could deal with the giant rock blocking the train from heading to Silver Shoals, somepony else entered the room. It was Twilight, who had just taken care of her royal duties in Saddle Arabia, and returned briefly to check up on her friends.

"Twilight, good to see you back!" Sunset addressed the princess, as Starlight and Sunburst waved.

"Yeah, I just wanted to come back for a little while to check in with you again." Twilight said. "I might've finished up with Saddle Arabia, but I did have to return to gather a few documents before heading over to a conference at Las Pegasus. In the meantime, how did your meeting with Sunburst go?"

"Well... I really think he's a good friend, just like you and Starlight." Sunset began. "And let's just say, after we got to know each other more closely and teleported around Equestria to find a potential candidate for who my real father is... I think we finally found him. My real biological father, after we stopped by his home and met him."

"You did?" Twilight widened her eyes with joy. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

Although Twilight was gleeful upon hearing this news, she could immediately notice that all three of her unicorn friends were not. She was certainly confused, unsure as to why none of them were happy for Sunset finding her true father, especially Sunset herself.

"But... what's wrong?" Twilight asked, rather concerned. "I take it your visit didn't go well?"

"Let's just say... Sunburst and I both learned a seemingly terrible truth about him."

"We were all initially pretty excited to meet or reunite with Sunspot, only to find out he wasn't exactly the kind of pony we were expecting and... kind of hoping to be." Starlight elaborated.

"Sunspot?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute... isn't that the name of your father, Sunburst?"

"Indeed." Sunburst confirmed. "Yeah, we should've made it more clear before. Sunset and I talked for a bit, and... let's just say when we compared our pasts and how Sunspot was acting back then, as if he was hiding something, we started to have a reason to believe he's the dad to the both of us, thus making us siblings."

"Huh... fascinating." Twilight noted, as she looked closely at both Sunburst and Sunset. "I actually hadn't noticed before that there was some definite resemblance between you and Sunset. Looking at you two side by side, you do share some striking similarities. Well, other than Sunset not having these coat markings on her fur."

"That's what we pointed out ourselves." Sunset affirmed. "But basically, there's a definite reason why we weren't thrilled to meet our... dad. He demanded bits from me just to talk to him, verbally abused me, denied having me as a daughter and even Sunburst as a son, and even threatened to hurt me if I didn't leave his house."

"Oh my, that's terrible!" Twilight exclaimed in shock and disgust. "I'm so sorry you both had to go through that, it must've been so heartbreaking to hear this coming from your own dad!"

"Well, it was mostly Sunset who was targeted." Sunburst corrected. "She met Sunspot on her own, while Starlight and I listened from a window. I honestly don't know what could've made him change so drastically. I swear to all of you, when I was a little colt, he was a kind and caring dad. A total contrast to what we had seen of him a little while ago."

"We still don't know what to make of it when he outright claimed Sunset and Sunburst weren't his children." Starlight added. "Either he was telling the truth, or he simply wanted to make it clear he didn't want either of them in his life anymore."

"Yeah, I still didn't understand what he meant by that when he was blunt with me." Sunset reflected. "I mean, I could understand him saying that to me, since I don't know for certain if he is my real dad. But Sunburst too? Plus, I just have this strong feeling that he truly is my father after I took one good look at him, and could see that he did recognize me in his eyes. If we could do something like a DNA test, then we could know for sure, but I don't know if Equestria even has that kind of technology."

"Well, there is a device which can do just that, I saw it in use back when I was supervising the Canterlot medical center." Twilight explained. "We use it to, as you would guess, determine whether or not somepony is related by blood or not. It's a more recent development in Equestrian technology, so I can understand not many ponies knowing we have it. Of course, in order to use it, I would need some DNA, like hair samples."

"Oh, well I did pick up some of Sunspot's hair when I was at his home earlier." Sunset held it up in her hoof. "I saw him ruffle his mane a little, causing some hair to fall on the floor, so I saw an opportunity."

"Wait, what about Stellar Flare?" Starlight reminded. "You might have Sunspot's hair, but weren't we also curious as to whether or not Stellar Flare is your real mom too?"

"That's right..." Sunset sighed. "I guess we're not going to know that for now, since we don't have a DNA sample from her."

"Well, actually..." Sunburst began, as the princess and two unicorns turned to him in curiosity.

Sunburst was originally doing an errand for his mother, in which he was planning to head to the store to buy her a new mane brush. Stellar Flare had given her son her old brush as a way of letting him know what kind of brush she was wanting him to pick up.

"I was getting my mom a new brush, but she wanted me to hold on to her old one for now." Sunburst explained, as he took his mother's mane brush out of his saddlebag, which had some leftover strands of her hair on it. "Point is, we do have my mom's hair after all."

"Perfect!" Twilight said with approval. "All right, then all that's left is a strand of hair from both you and Sunset. Are you comfortable removing a small bit?"

"I want an answer to this mystery just as much as the rest of us, so I'll do anything it takes to get some informative results." Sunset said, as she used her magic to pluck a small hair from her head. "Ouch!"

"Same here, since... I'm not entirely sure about my own parents as much anymore." Sunburst said with mutual agreement, before doing the same with his hair. "Ow! No wonder we only ever get haircuts."

Twilight used her magic to levitate four paper bags, as she used a marker to label whose hair was whose. She placed the bags on a table in front of her friends, marked with 'Sunset', 'Sunburst', 'Stellar Flare', and 'Sunspot' respectively. Sunset and Sunburst placed each hair strand in their respective bag. Twilight then closed each bag and tied them with string, as she now had four separate DNA samples to test at the Canterlot medical center's lab, which wasn't too far from the lounge room.

"Alright, thanks for the cooperation, you two." Twilight smiled. "I'll go fly over to the medical lab and conduct some tests. Hopefully by then, we'll finally get some answers thanks to the marvels of science."

Sunset, Sunburst, and Starlight all nodded, as Twilight went over to do just that. They sat around, waiting anxiously for results, almost just as much as a college student awaiting their final exam score in an AP class. After around fifteen minutes when Twilight had successfully ran everything, the princess returned to the lounge room with two pieces of paper that had the paternity test results printed on them.

"Okay, so according to my machine's analysis, I'll start off by saying, there's an interesting result." Twilight began, before reading off what her device had concluded. "Sunburst, as far as sharing blood with Stellar Flare and Sunspot, it is a 100% match, meaning they are both indeed your biological parents."

"I guess I'll have to live the rest of my life knowing one of my real parents is a monster." Sunburst sighed. "But I'm glad about my mom, since she's the family member I'm closest to. And... what about Sunset here?"

"That's right, here's where things get interesting." Twilight built up. "Sunset, according to this DNA test, Sunspot actually is your biological father, but... Stellar Flare is not. Based on this result, you and Sunburst are half siblings!"

Sunset and Sunburst's eyes widened at this revelation, but they still figured it wasn't necessarily too surprising. Their visual similarities were somewhat of a giveaway, and Starlight had already come up with an intriguing theory to connect what might've happened.

"I hadn't ever considered the possibility I would have a sister, let alone a half sister." Sunburst expressed his astonishment. "I guess visually, it does kind of make sense why Sunset and I look both similar and different at the same time."

"Yeah, we both have similar colors in our coats, manes, and eyes." Sunset began to compare herself visually to Sunburst. "But it does make sense that Stellar Flare isn't my real mom, given how I completely lack coat markings anywhere on my body. Whoever my real mom is, I guess having a plain fur body was a trait I inherited from her. And hey, now I guess it does make sense why Stellar Flare didn't immediately recognize me, unlike dad, since I definitely was able to read it in his eyes. "

"I'm rather surprised my theory ended up being correct after all." Starlight recalled what she pieced together. "But that's so cool, you two are not only my best friends, but also half siblings! Who would've guessed?"

"Well, other than my mom, it's nice to know that I also have a caring sister too. "Sunburst said. "Quite an interesting revelation if I do say so myself. After getting to know Sunset for a bit, I almost began to have a feeling we were connected more than I would've expected. It's crazy to know that this whole time, we've been growing apart, yet lived out very similar lives with the same dad."

"In the end, I suppose it wasn't a coincidence that we both went off to magic school, specifically the School For Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot." Sunset reflected. "Well, I guess by now, I'm glad to see my curiosity has at least gotten me somewhere as far as getting closer with my real family. I now know who my dad is, and that I've always had a half brother I never even knew existed. Twilight, what about my biological mom, though? Does your machine give any conclusive information regarding her?"

"I'm sorry, Sunset." Twilight sighed. "But unless you have any bit of DNA from her, there's no way for us to know for certain. It'll only determine whether or not you share blood with somepony else, as it can't provide information about who the pony was."

"I see." Sunset understood. "Well, I'm still happy we've made a pretty good breakthrough on my family's history, even if there's still so much more I haven't quite figured out yet. Thank you so much for your help, Twilight. At least we now know for certain about one biological parent I have."

"Anytime, Sunset." Twilight smiled. "Now like I've said, I do need to head to Las Pegasus for a conference, but I'm glad I was able to be of some assistance in your quest to discover your missing family. In the meantime, I hope our meeting tomorrow with Rainbow Dash will go smoothly. Starlight, since you're already here, I guess I could now let you know that the Council of Friendship will be holding a meeting to discuss a fallout between Sunset and Rainbow sometime tomorrow afternoon. Does that work for you? I still have to notify the rest of our friends about it, as I'll also be declaring it an urgent meeting."

"Oh, sure." Starlight agreed. "Sunset already mentioned something regarding that to me earlier, so I completely understand that we'd need to eventually talk things out. She shared some vague details here and there about what happened, but I still decided to stick by her side in the end. It was simply a wrong accusation, a mistake anypony could've made, and I'm sure she had good intentions to begin with."

"Frankly, yes." Twilight confirmed. "Sunset was trying to help another one of her friends regarding some thief who's been going around committing theft all over Equestria, so her heart was definitely in the right place. I'm glad you're making the right decision in vouching for her, Starlight. But are you sure you're good to attend the meeting regarding Sunset and Rainbow's dispute? You do look a little weary."

"Anything for my buddy, Sunset." Starlight assured. "And yeah, I know, I'm just a little lethargic after teleporting long distances today. But hey, it was for a good cause."

"Ah, I see." Twilight understood. "Yeah, that's a reason I try to conserve my energy by flying, even if teleportation can be more convenient. All right, well, I guess I'll see you all soon."

Twilight waved goodbye to the three other unicorns, as they waved back, before getting back to the previous conversation's topic.

"Alright, so since you're heading to Silver Shoals, you might still need Maud's help?" Starlight reminded. "Clearing a giant boulder from the tracks takes a lot of time and requires many strong tools. Luckily, we know Maud can clear away the most durable rocks in mere seconds."

"Oh wow, really?" Sunset said, surprised. "I guess there was a reason I could never beat her at arm wrestling in the human world, even with my strength. Well regardless, yeah, if magic's not going to get rid of that rock, I don't know what will. Do either of you know where Maud might be?"

"We're in Canterlot right now, and you said it was a ravine somewhere past Canterlot's station..." Sunburst began to recall a crucial detail. "Starlight, didn't Maud vaguely mention to us that she was going to be excavating in a nearby quarry today?"

"Oh, that's right!" Starlight remembered. "Yeah, in that case, she's actually pretty close to where we are right now. We'll help you find her if you're having trouble locating the quarry. After all, I'm out of long distance teleportations for the rest of the day."

"I'll appreciate any help I can get at the moment." Sunset smiled. "And no worries, even if you could bring me to Silver Shoals, the rock would still be blocking the tracks, so I'd have no reliable way to return. Getting rid of that rock is certainly going to be a priority for everypony."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Starlight agreed.

"Alright, anything to help my sister, even if I never knew I had one." Sunburst added. "We're friends and family to the end now, Sunset."

The three unicorns left the lounge room, but before departing from Canterlot, Sunset made a quick stop into her old home and grabbed her saddlebag. Since she was planning on meeting up with Celestia soon, she figured bringing the saddlebag with her could provide further insight, as she still had a ton of questions for her former mentor. After leaving the city's grounds, the trio trotted along the side of the tracks that led down the mountain. They thankfully didn't have to travel too far, before noticing a quarry and lake, presumably used by Canterlot to gather alloy to craft armor for royal guards. They noticed some digging in a nearby pit, and approached it together. In it, they saw their mutual Earth pony friend, Maud Pie, who was finishing up her duty to forage materials.

"Hi, Maud." Sunset said from the top of the pit.

"Sunset, Sunburst, and Starlight." Maud addressed her friends. "Good to see you all."

"Likewise!" Starlight replied. "It looks like you're a little too busy and tired at the moment?"

"Actually, I've just finished my assignment in digging out these holes while the rest of the excavators search for precious metals." Maud said. "Also, I'm not really tired right now. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we were wondering if you could help Sunset out?" Sunburst inquired. "Up ahead for the train, there's a ravine where a giant rock fell onto the tracks, and it's preventing her from being able to reach Silver Shoals. We were wondering if you could help get rid of it? You do have the strength and expertise on rocks, after all."

"Yeah, I'm trying to reach Princess Celestia, but until that rock is removed, that might not be happening anytime soon." Sunset explained her motives.

"Oh yeah, that." Maud recalled. "The rest of the team mentioned something about that while we were working, so I decided I'll voluntarily head over there to take care of it after I was finished digging. I was about to go there just now anyways."

"Oh, well, how nice to hear everything working out like that, talk about perfect timing!" Starlight said.

"Glad to hear Maud's always willing to help her friends out whenever they need it." Sunburst smiled. "Well in that case, Starlight and I are probably going to head home now. I admittedly need some time with my mom again since I'm still kinda emotionally broken after overhearing our dad."

"Understandable." Sunset sympathized with her half brother. "Thank you both once again for all the help you've given me."

Sunburst and Starlight waved goodbye to Sunset and Maud, as the Earth pony and unicorn headed over to the ravine together. Although Sunset presumably wasn't able to do anything about the rock herself, she still wanted to see the extent of what was preventing the train from progressing. After trotting together for a while, they finally reached the ravine, and saw it was indeed a massive rock. Nearby was a team of ponies who were sent to inspect the rock and attempt to remove it. They noticed Sunset and Maud approaching, and looked confused.

"Hey, what are you ponies doing here?" Hard Hat questioned.

"Maybe they have a solution to help us get rid of this giant rock?" Wensley said, jokingly. "I'd hope so, since we've been working for two hours straight and have barely made a dent!"

"If you have any ideas, we'd love to hear them." Florina Tart said with curiosity. "I've already gone through fourteen chisels and it doesn't look like the rock's going anytime soon."

"Actually, we do have a solution." Sunset replied, as she pointed a hoof at her Earth pony friend.

"Yeah, I'll reduce the rock to pieces with my hooves." Maud stated with confidence. "It shouldn't take too long."

The inspection team simply bursted out laughing, thinking that the Earth pony was trying to entertain them with some kind of crazy fantasy. Despite seeing this reaction to her claim, Maud simply shrugged it off, as she was admittedly used to it.

"Oh, that's a good one." Wensley said. "Maybe next time I'll also use my hooves to grow plants in an instant! Haha!"

"Or perhaps I could one day grow a berry the size of this giant rock, and have it roll into Ponyville for fun, like that rolling boulder scene I read in a Daring Do book once." Florina Tart joked.

"As much as I wish I could do that with my hooves, we all unfortunately know that Earth pony magic doesn't exist." Hard Hat added. "Unicorns have magic, pegasai can fly, and we Earth ponies simply have our strength. I sometimes wish I could do more if I had wings or a horn, but it is what it is. Regardless, thanks for the laugh, but I'm afraid we'll need more durable equipment if we want this rock to move."

"Yeah, let's head on back to the shop to get some pickaxes this time." Florina Tart agreed.

The three Earth ponies left the ravine to retrieve their tools, but Sunset was beginning to have an idea that those ponies would be in for quite a surprise once they returned. The comment from one of them did stick out to Sunset, in regards to how some ponies were wishing they could do more if they had a horn like her. Although she remembered Starlight mentioning that unicorn magic had its limits too, she still attempted to use her own magic to at least attempt budging the rock. When she realized it was simply too much, she had to immediately stop before she strained her horn, as it really was too heavy to be levitated.

"Yeah, that's pretty much the result I expected, but good to know even magic can't lift things this heavy." Sunset noted. "Alright Maud, mind showing me what you got?"

As Maud hopped on top of the giant rock and started piling the surface like a jackhammer with her hooves, it began to slowly disintegrate into smaller fragments of rock, dust, and even ashes of an unknown sentiment from within. When she had finished the job, it almost looked as if the rock was never there, and the train now had a clear path to Silver Shoals. As Sunset looked around the tracks, astonished by the sheer power Maud had just displayed, she noticed something shiny that caught her eye in one of the remains. She trotted over and saw something she wasn't expecting at all to find in some ordinary rock. After that rock's total destruction, eight distinctly loose pieces of orange crystal seemed to be completely intact, and to Sunset, they looked absolutely beautiful.

"I suppose these crystals could make for a nice collectible." Sunset said, as she picked them up from the rock's remains. "Maud, what do you think of these crystals overall, do they look valuable to you?"

"Kind of." Maud replied, before going over to examine the fragments of rock around the tracks. "Looking at all these new rocks I've created, Boulder might be excited once I bring home plenty of new friends for him."

"Well, I'm sure your pet rock will be happy indeed." Sunset smiled. "Thanks again for taking the trouble to come here and clear a way for the train. Now I'll have no problem being able to visit Princess Celestia in Silver Shoals. Would you like one of these crystals as a Thank-You gift?"

"I typically don't collect gems or crystals since I'm overall more fascinated with the rocks." Maud said. "Maybe the rest of your friends would like them? Pinkie's mentioned to me that you've been spending more time with her, and she likes shiny objects."

The idea Maud suggested resonated with Sunset. She realized that since she had eight crystals and almost just as many friends here in Equestria, it'd seem to work out. Obviously, it still made more sense to make amends with Rainbow Dash before giving her one of these crystals, but the rest of her current friends sounded like they'd be happy to accept one of these as a token for her new friendship with each of them. Twilight, Starlight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity were all still on good terms with her, and she decided giving each of her friends a crystal could be a nice way to thank them for making her return to Equestria quite welcoming. But as Sunset counted the crystals and friends she had, she then wondered who to give the last crystal to, as she planned to keep at least one for herself.

In some ways, having these crystals shared among all her friends reminded Sunset of how she and her human friends had a similar connection when they all wore the geodes obtained from Camp Everfree. Although the geodes gave each of the girls magical and supernatural abilities, Sunset mostly cherished them as a sign of linking them all together as good friends, similar to a friendship bracelet or secret handshake. After some deliberating, she was conflicted on who she'd give the final crystal to, but then considered either Sunburst or Celestia, as Rainbow Dash was certainly out of the question for the time being. Regardless of this, Sunset shook her head in approval to Maud's suggestion, as she finally put the crystals in her saddlebag.

"I think I'll do just that for sure." Sunset said, as she already had great confidence over what these crystals would symbolize with each of her new friends. "And yes, that also includes giving one of these to Pinkie, since let's just say, I kinda found out I've known her the longest out of all the friends I've been making recently."

"Hmm." Maud deliberated upon hearing Sunset's plan. "You're planning to give Pinkie one of those crystals anyways, right? Maybe one could be a special gift for Pinkie for her big day in a few weeks."

"A big day?" Sunset questioned. "I did hang with Pinkie for a bit yesterday afternoon, but I'm pretty sure she never said anything about a special day for herself coming up."

"She came home to the rock farm to share the news to me and the rest of our family last night." Maud began explaining. "Remember when I briefly mentioned that some friend of Pinkie ordered a bouquet of pink roses for her? It was actually somepony she's known for a while, Cheese Sandwich, who not only took her on a surprise date, but even proposed to her after all the time they've spent together. I guess you could say, I was pretty happy myself when Pinkie told us all that she said 'yes'."

"Aw, that's sweet." Sunset smiled for her friend, as it even turned out her hunch of who ordered those flowers was correct. "Likewise, I'm happy to hear Pinkie's getting married, and I've kinda met Cheese Sandwich myself recently, he's a pretty nice party guy. But what did you mean when you suggested I should give the crystal to Pinkie for her wedding day? Like as a surprise or something?"

"She may like surprises, but it has more to do with something Cheese Sandwich mentioned to me." Maud continued. "Ever since he decided to continue being a traveling party pony once again, he was able to pull enough bits together to afford a wedding location, party, and music. But unfortunately, wedding ring prices had increased drastically lately, I think because there's been many recent reports of theft all over Equestria. Although he proposed to Pinkie and she said 'yes', he didn't present a ring to her yet. He's happy that they're technically engaged now, but he still felt bad he wasn't able to get her the main centerpiece."

"Oh, I think I see what you're getting at." Sunset began to understand. "Maybe... I could consult with Cheese Sandwich, and we could both give her a wedding ring crafted from one of these crystals together? We could probably say something along the lines of... we both chipped in to get this for her, and it'd be like a sign of love and friendship from both of us?"

"Sure." Maud agreed. "That could work."

"Given how I've technically known Pinkie the longest, I guess that gives me more of a reason to make her crystal extra special of a gift." Sunset said. "I'll do it. Plus, it'd also be a gift from you as well, given I wouldn't have gotten these crystals without you getting rid of that giant rock."

"Thank you for being a good friend to my sister, Sunset." Maud gave a slight smile, which was usually pretty rare for her. "Even if I don't know you that well, I just wanted to let you know... you have the inner strength of a rock. Have fun in Silver Shoals in the meantime, since I really have to head back home now."

"And again, thank you for not only letting me be able to visit Silver Shoals, but also advise me on what I should do with these crystals." Sunset smiled back, as she saw Maud trotting away, but not before waving goodbye.

Sunset was now ready to report back to the stationmaster at Canterlot of the giant boulder no longer being an issue. Since she was just at Canterlot earlier, she was already well familiar with the return route, and was able to make it back to the station in no time. After discussing the situation with the stationmaster, he phoned a message to the inspection team back at the boulder's previous location. They were astounded at how the big rock seemingly disappeared out of nowhere, but confirmed it was indeed no longer preventing the train from progressing. With that knowledge, the stallion then sent a message to the train conductor that it was now safe for the train to return. As a way of thanking Sunset for seemingly helping out with the situation, the stationmaster handed Sunset a train ticket at no charge, which Sunset happily accepted, as she decided she might need her remaining bits for other essentials later down the line.

The unicorn then waited for the train, and it was able to return after nearly an hour of sitting around. By this point, the sky had turned into an orange sunset, as Sunset herself felt like it set the mood pretty well for herself. Her journey and time in Equestria amounted to tons of hard work, perseverance, and enthusiasm when it came to making new friends. All that effort was now finally going to let her visit Princess Celestia in Silver Shoals, thus having her finally reunite with the one pony she considered both a mentor and mother. Even after her shameful betrayal and abandonment as a result of being removed from pupil status, Celestia still ended up forgiving and welcoming Sunset back in open hooves, assuring Sunset that this was definitely a stop worth making.

Although Sunset now already had a pretty good picture regarding her biological parents, she still had no idea what ever happened to her real mother. As for her father, as bad as he had verbally abused Sunset back at his home in Ponyville, Sunset still believed it was no different from the many times she herself had verbally abused and horribly bullied the human Fluttershy back at CHS. She wasn't exactly innocent herself when it came to being a bully, and fully understood the many factors that led to why she became one in the first place. Abandonment, feeling neglected, and just having the lingering feeling that no one ever understood her, especially anyone in the human world when she was trapped there for 30 moons.

Sunset still remembered Sunburst sharing his flashback, in which Sunspot seemingly still cared for and loved his son, confirming that something else had to be up. This certainly sparked curiosity in her, after believing that Sunspot had to have given birth to her and let his daughter go, long before he had then let his first son go off to the same school to study magic. This fact combined with briefly hearing her father seemingly cry before Starlight teleported them all away, made Sunset believe there was still good in him, and that something more devious was brewing behind the scenes.

The train had finally arrived to the platform, as Sunset got aboard. The thoughts regarding her true father kept floating in her mind as the train began to make its way to Silver Shoals, though she figured it would likely be better to focus on the matter another day. Nearly half of her week was already used up, and she still hadn't seen Princess Celestia yet, which furthered Sunset's desire to finally reunite with the former princess of Equestria, and maybe get some answers. She was still curious on what could've happened to her birth mother if Sunspot wasn't always the monster of a stallion he was now, and what made her father change so drastically in the time she was gone. As she knew the train would soon bring her to Silver Shoals, Sunset crossed her metaphorical fingers that Celestia could finally give her the missing pieces of the puzzle and receive some closure to this seemingly dark past regarding her biological family...

Chapter 48: Dear Princess Celestia

With no more obstacles to prevent the train from reaching Silver Shoals, Sunset was able to finally reach her destination in the hope of reuniting with the former princess of Equestria. Although she had already reunited and made amends with her awhile back during the Wallflower memory stone incident, it still felt like another proper reunion, as a good amount of time had already passed since their last meeting. Stepping off of the train, the town appeared to be located within a coastal area, and there appeared to be many elderly ponies roaming around, giving off the impression that it was an ideal place to live in during retirement. This made sense, as Sunset was already told that both Celestia and Luna moved here to enjoy their well-deserved retirement after ruling Equestria for so many years.

Having not even a single clue about Celestia's whereabouts in this town, Sunset did the most logical thing and asked around for help. Most elderly ponies didn't seem to know, nor did any workers who were serving drinks around a swimming pool. This came across as unusual to Sunset, as she would've expected most residents to react with excitement after learning two former princesses were finally moving into town with them. With seemingly nopony else knowing where Celestia was living, Sunset was pretty unsure of what she was going to do next. That was until, she was approached by an elderly female Earth pony with glasses.

"Are you by any chance lost, dear?" Dusty Pages questioned the unicorn who was seemingly wandering all over town on her own.

"Well, not really lost, as much as I'm looking for somepony. I'm wondering where Princess Celestia and Luna are staying, so I can go visit them." Sunset said. "Twilight's told me that they live here in Silver Shoals now?"

"Oh?" Dusty's eyes widened. "My stars, you're friends with the one pony who's taught me how to accept imperfection?"

"Come again...?" Sunset asked, not understanding the context.

"I've known Twilight Sparkle for a while, and we go way back, even during the days when she was considered 'Best Book Borrower' at my old library." Dusty explained. "Yep, that library is now just as old as me and I've made all sorts of memories there, but I'll never forget when Twilight neglected to return one of her books and it inspired me to no longer care about being a perfectionist."

"You were once a perfectionist like Twilight?" Sunset reflected toward her days as Celestia's pupil. "I guess I'm in the same boat too. I actually used to be Princess Celestia's pupil myself, and... trying to be the perfect, overachieving student would be an understatement when I was in that position. I'm happy to hear that whatever Twilight did with forgetting about a library book, it positively impacted your life, ma'am. She's done the same for me, let's just say."

"Wonderful to hear, dear!" Dusty smiled. "Now, you said you were primarily here to visit Princess Celestia? You are aware that she is no longer the princess of Equestria anymore, yes?"

"Yeah, I know." Sunset said. "I still called her by that title since... it's going to take some time to get used to. Do you by any chance know where she might be living? I'm still wanting to visit my former mentor who taught me the essentials in magic."

"Oh, well in that case, she and her sister are residing in the house directly across from mine." Dusty pointed to the blue house in front of her own home. "I'm guessing they wanted to move here as to not be bothered by the pizza-rasberry, or something like that? I don't quite know what you young ponies call it, but they don't like the attention when being recognized as former princesses everywhere they go, so they asked most residents here in Silver Shoals to not reveal their whereabouts."

"Huh, I guess that explains why nopony seemed to know where they lived when I was asking them." Sunset understood. "Also, did you mean paparazzi?"

"Ah, yes." Dusty remembered. "I'm not good with these new and fancy terms, they certainly weren't around back in my day."

"But... if that's the case, why would you let me know where she's living?" Sunset asked, somewhat confused.

"Because any friend of Twilight is a friend of mine." Dusty smiled. "Plus, you mentioned that the former princess knows you, so I'd imagine it would be okay. Come to think of it... I think Twilight's told me a thing or two about you. You must be... Starlight Glimmer, is that correct?"

"...No, I'm afraid that's way off." Sunset replied. "It's Sunset Shimmer."

"Oh, my mistake then." Dusty apologized. "Well, have fun visiting Celestia, Sunset. I hope your visit to this marvelous coastal town will be just as splendid."

"Thank you, ma'am." Sunset smiled, as Dusty went about her way.

Now that Sunset had a clear direction to visit her former teacher, she was glad she no longer needed to knock door to door until she found her. Sunset trotted up to the house, which admittedly didn't look much different from the rest of the homes in the area. This definitely gave off the impression that Dusty wasn't kidding when she mentioned that the former princesses would prefer to be living here discreetly. It made sense as a motive for them to not attract unwanted attention from being two alicorns casually living in this ordinary town during their retirement. Sunset knocked on the door, waiting for somepony to open it. Before long, Luna arrived and opened up, surprised to see who the visitor was.

"Sunset Shimmer?" Luna widened her eyes. "Hello, long time no see!"

"Nice to see you again too, Vice-Principal- err, I mean, Princess Luna." Sunset greeted. "Sorry, that's still going to take some getting used to."

"Just 'Luna' will do, since my sister and I are no longer the princesses of Equestria." Luna giggled. "By the way, were you ever able to take care of that nefarious 'faculty lot' you had briefly mentioned before?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that, and I did recently encounter a siren there too." Sunset recalled jokingly, when she unexpectedly ran into Adagio in the CHS parking lot.

"Sirens, you say?" Luna said with astonishment. "I haven't heard anypony mention those creatures in moons. I don't think we've seen any ever since Starswirl banished those three into some other realm. That might mean the species has now become completely extinct from Equestria. Regardless, I'm sure you would like to say 'hi' to my sister?"

"Yeah, for sure!" Sunset said, enthusiastically. "Is it true that you two are laying low here as to avoid any unwanted attention?"

"Yes, you would not believe how hard it always has been to live a casual life without bypassers constantly acknowledging you as a princess or putting you on a pedestal." Luna reflected. "At least the elderly folks here at Silver Shoals are more understanding with respecting our wishes. Out of curiosity, did you by any chance know who I was that one time you came to Canterlot to reconcile with my sister?"

"I didn't recognize you at first, but Twilight eventually caught me up on everything when we were in the library doing research together." Sunset recalled. "To be fair, I'm pretty sure that back when I was your sister's pupil, you were still stuck in the moon, right?"

"Hard to say, since you begin to lose track of time when you get banished for 1,000 years." Luna replied.

"Fair point, but I recall Twilight mentioning that she and her friends freed you from being Nightmare Moon long after your sister removed me as her pupil." Sunset speculated. "I guess that would explain why I didn't immediately recognize you, since it was technically our very first meeting. Regardless, I can connect with you pretty well as far as having a troubled past with Princess Celestia."

"I'm glad to hear you can relate with where I've been myself, Sunset." Luna smiled. "My sister and I may not always agree on everything, but at the end of the day, we love each other as good siblings. If you ask me, I've always felt grateful for how forgiving of a pony she can be."

"You and me both." Sunset agreed. "Where is your sister, by the way? She's not busy at the moment, is she?"

"Well, she's mostly continuing to unpack our belongings upstairs, since we just moved here and began renovating." Luna explained. "It's getting late soon, so I was about to start dinner. Would you like to stay over for the night?"

"Oh, really?" Sunset said with enthusiasm. "I'd love to, especially since this was my last stop for the day, and I hadn't really considered where I was going to hit the hay for the night."

"Glad to have some company over for today, at least when the company's familiar, and not constantly bothering you because you're a princess." Luna sighed in relief. "I'll get started cooking our meals, feel free to meet my sister upstairs."

Sunset nodded and trotted up the stairs, as she set her saddlebag down in a corner. She continued to keep in mind that her former teacher could have vital information regarding her real family, as her time in Equestria had already helped her learn a lot. More specifically, she was at least hoping Celestia knew something, anything about this seeming Solstice pony whom she's speculated for a while was once her birth mother. As Sunset searched the various rooms upstairs, she eventually saw Celestia facing the opposite direction within what looked like her bedroom, still opening some moving packages that contained old belongings from Canterlot. Since the door was already opened, Sunset simply gave a knock on it to make her presence known, before the former princess turned around and saw her old student once more.

"Dear Princess Celestia." Sunset began, trying to deliver a cool entrance line. "Today I learned where you live."

"Ohhhhhh, Sunset Shimmer!" Celestia dropped everything and ran up to hug her former pupil. "This is a wonderful surprise. I know I've said this before, but I'll say those exact words once more. I've missed you... Sunset Shimmer."

"I've missed you too." Sunset cried a few tears of happiness. "It's already been quite a journey getting to this point, but you might be wondering why I've only come to visit you just now?"

"Hmm." Celestia thought to herself. "Are you by any chance coming to me for guidance once more, or simply visiting as a matter of checking in after Twilight took over as the Princess of Equestria?"

"Eh, a little bit of both, actually." Sunset replied. "Well, maybe more toward the latter, since I really missed you dearly, even when I was often preoccupied with my human life in the other world. I hadn't realized back when I was your pupil, how much over the years you truly cared for me, as if I was your daughter. Let's just say... I've kinda been reflecting everything we've been through together before I betrayed and abandoned you back then. I realize now, how important our relationship always was, since you weren't just my teacher, but also like a mother to me. You gave me everything when I was just an ordinary filly who was curious in learning magic, and I shouldn't have taken it all for granted."

"I'm happy you're letting me know how grateful you were for all I've given you back when you were my pupil, but I'm sure it was really nothing." Celestia tried to be humble. "Being the former princess of Equestria entailed much more responsibility over 1,000 years, making it so I was too occupied and never able to have any children of my own. Despite this, I've always had a more motherly side when it came to the matter of teaching. Since having my own children was out of the question, I put this motherly instinct toward my students, not only as a way of encouraging them to succeed, but to also teach them the values and morals of making friends."

"Yeah..." Sunset began. "I can completely see that now, especially after remembering how wrong it was of me to simply ignore your concerns of making friends when I was under your wing. I basically only cared about being an overachieving perfectionist, and pushed away anypony who wanted to be my friend, simply because I wanted to come out on top. Then I became too obsessed over some magical mirror, which ultimately tore us apart. Though now that I've spent a good chunk of my life in that other world, at least I can now confidently say that my curiosity's been completely satisfied. Ironically, while that mirror did make us distant, the world within was where I genuinely embraced friendship for the first time and made a bunch of legitimate friends there. Funny how that works out, huh?"

"Are you saying I WASN'T your first friend?" Celestia asked, offended.

"Oh, n-no, that's not what I meant, I-" Sunset stuttered.

"Gotcha!" Celestia laughed it off, similar to the last time Sunset returned, and jokingly interjected that Twilight and Sunset were implying she wasn't ever a good teacher herself.

"Ah, yes." Sunset joined in with her former teacher's laughing. "I almost forgot a certain somepony now has a sense of humor and changed, just like me."

"But serious talk, it does seem amusing that the portal to this other world was the main reason you grew distant from me, yet finally also understood the importance of making friends as I had hoped you would one day." Celestia realized. "Twilight did in some ways almost remind me of yourself before I sent her off to Ponyville. She always used to be a perfectionist who put her studies first, even going as far as neglecting her friends. Since I had mostly let you live in the luxurious residential area of Canterlot, I almost imagined giving you the high-class, privileged life might've unintentionally spoiled you a fair bit?"

"Honestly... I agree with that." Sunset reasoned with her own beliefs. "I even remember some of my old classmates at the School For Gifted Unicorns used to acknowledge the things I had that they didn't. Being your pupil, having a luxurious home all to myself, and even getting to eat high-class foods almost every day. Although Twilight's never really touched upon why you sent her to Ponyville, I think I can kind of understand myself now. You wanted her to make some new friends there, sure, but you also wanted to make sure she didn't become as spoiled and entitled as I once did when I believed I always had the finer things in life?"

"Precisely." Celestia replied, impressed. "I've never actually straight-up told anypony else of why specifically I sent her to Ponyville, since it wouldn't sound good to word things that way, but you did hit the nail right on the head. The fact you were able to surmise this on your own surely tells me that you now completely understand the most important lesson I've struggled to teach you for years. Do you remember when you read about the mirror and bluntly demanded that I make you a princess? Well, if this current Sunset Shimmer was my pupil back then, I could almost guarantee she would've truly earned it all one day."

"I appreciate your kind words, but..." Sunset explained her changed mentality regarding the whole princess motive. "If I'm honest, I've kinda lost interest in the whole princess dream. I feel like I only wanted to become a princess because I began to grow mad with power, without considering any of the responsibilities of actually being one. After all, being the leader of my friends back in the other world is already a lot of work, and I couldn't imagine how busy Twilight's become, now that she's in charge. She even goes as far as putting others before her own needs and duties, so I'm sure Equestria will be in good hooves for many years to come."

"Honest and humble too." Celestia noted even more pleasant traits regarding her former student. "I really now believe that in some ways, even though I joked about you and Twilight implying I wasn't a good teacher back then, that statement wasn't necessarily wrong. Ever since your return and theft of Twilight's crown, I wasn't really involved in the process of making you a better pony. It was Twilight who went into that world on her own, and even managed to discover a method to keep that portal open without needing to wait every 30 moons. Twilight's also kept me updated that she's been helping you out with information regarding magical artifacts which somehow ended up in that world. The point being, after some thinking myself, I can concede that I never actually did anything to set you on the road to becoming the pony you are now. It was all Twilight's doing in the end, especially since my teaching methods didn't seem to work out for you."

"But... you taught Twilight, and she taught me, so I believe you should still get some credit." Sunset insisted. "Plus, to tell you the truth, that's not entirely true. That one time I did return to Canterlot in the hopes of seeking your guidance, you did actually teach me something else valuable."

"I did?" Celestia asked in astonishment. "I mean, I guess I helped you and Twilight search for answers in regards to the memory stone, but I wouldn't think that's something noteworthy."

"Err, no, it's not that." Sunset began elaborating. "It wasn't something you taught me directly, but rather something that you did unintentionally inspire me to embrace more of, empathy and forgiveness. Sure, it did feel nice when over time, I proved myself to the rest of my human friends and everyone else at CHS that I truly changed for the better, but it was particularly your opinion that mattered the most for me, deep down. I know it didn't really seem like it at first, but I was always heartbroken and felt lonely when I first entered the mirror and realized I couldn't go back. During some of my first nights there, all I could really think about was how dumb of a decision I made, and that I immediately regretted disobeying your orders."

"Hmm, I had no idea you even felt this immediately after our dispute." Celestia reflected. "But considering what had happened soon, shortly following Twilight's ascension into an alicorn princess, something did change along the way?"

"Well, feeling all lonely in a world where no one seemed to accept or understand me would've been a contributing factor." Sunset internalized. "I guess after being trapped, I realized I had no one left to share my achievements and accomplishments with. During those all those moons, without even the simplest motivation to make friends, out of my pride in admitting you were right all along, I just grew distant, lonelier, sadder, meaner, until I just became a full time bully who ruled CHS with an iron fist. I even recall that at some point, I also began to go as far as to blame you for being trapped there, since you failed to gave me the simplest explanation of why it was dangerous. This began to make me heavily resent you over time, when I should've been looking in a non-magical mirror this whole time. It was clearly my own fault and decision to begin with."

"I'm happy to hear how open you're willing to be with me regarding our troubled past." Celestia put a hoof on Sunset's cheek. "To be fair, you did actually raise a good point, in that I could've handled things better myself. Constantly telling you that you weren't ready to know about that mirror, never giving you at least a little information to satisfy your curiosity, nor teaching you the true importance and values in making friends. It's why in my own time, I do feel like I was still responsible for what had happened to you, and reevaluated myself before taking on a new pupil. I might've been the Princess of Equestria, but even princesses can make mistakes. Banishing my own sister to the moon for 1,000 years without even considering why she was feeling hurt herself to begin with? That would certainly still be my biggest regret."

"Yeah, I might not know Luna as well as you, but I can certainly understand why she went down the path she did, based on what Twilight wrote to me about her." Sunset reflected. "Feeling like her hard work in creating a beautiful night every day, only for everypony to basically sleep through it, thereby shunning her duties, she grew bitter over time and eventually embraced her Nightmare Moon ego."

"Correct, I can see that Twilight's been teaching you more than just friendship lessons." Celestia smiled. "But yes, admittedly, I feel as though being the ruler of Equestria for so long, that was always a bad habit I've had for far too long, in the sense that I never seemed to empathize with others or attempted to understand how I'd feel if I was in their position. Not even my own sister, which... you can certainly understand hurt the most for me. I've felt like this aspect in my life was one that I tried heavily to correct for the longest time, in that I should never push away an opportunity to make amends if I can see the other pony is being genuine. Since I felt I was still partially responsible for what had happened with both you and Luna, it was practically an instinct for me to immediately be willing to reconcile with you both when the two of you had finally returned after so long."

"Huh, I never thought about it like that." Sunset finally understood her former teacher's psychology. "But regardless, since you did forgive me in that light, that does bring me back to what I meant when you unintentionally taught me something else, last time I sought guidance from you. Let's just say, I eventually found out who was responsible for the memory stone, and I really wanted to let her have everything she had coming to her. I mean, if you were in my position, wouldn't you feel the same way?"

"From what Twilight's reported to me ever since she got word of that situation being resolved, I'd understand where you were coming from." Celestia resonated with Sunset's mentality. "If somepony erased everypony's memories of me out of pure pettiness, I would certainly not be happy and not hold back in punishing them dearly."

"Right, that's exactly how I felt initially." Sunset continued retelling her story of the Wallflower incident. "Earlier when I came back to visit you, I think you could definitely tell how anxious and afraid I was when Twilight advised me to seek you for guidance once more. I mean, after what I did, I would've completely been prepared for the possibility of you being unforgiving or never wanting to see me again. That was far from the case, when I heard you not only said you missed me yourself, but also accepted me into your hooves like you did all those years ago. And I guess... this act of kindness from you inadvertently inspired me to do the same when I finally confronted the culprit behind the memory stone. I ended up forgiving her after learning the extent of it all being a misunderstanding."

"Twilight specifically reported that based on your story of events, this culprit did erase your friends' memories out of pettiness." Celestia recalled. "Was this not the case?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly agree that it wasn't petty of her per se, but I mean, I resonated more with her when I was finally able to understand how she was feeling herself." Sunset elaborated further. "She got too used to erasing memories and began to rely on its power too heavily, so much to the point where others lacked memories of her at all. But given how much of a good reputation I had at CHS, despite how awful I was to everyone during freshman year, she began to grow resentful toward me, especially when I went as far as to treat her like she never existed. I know this was never my intention to begin with, assuming she even erased my own memories of her without ever realizing it, but I could've talked things out and treated her better, rather than just ditching her to hang with the rest of my friends."

"This reminds me of what happened with my sister, when I simply brushed off how hurt she was when seemingly nopony else was ever appreciating the beautiful night she created every evening." Celestia related. "Going back to what happened with you and this culprit, I'm happy to hear I've influenced you in a good way, albeit unintentionally. We all make mistakes, since nopony's perfect, but it's always good to recognize who you can genuinely forgive, compared to those who expect forgiveness without doing anything to earn it."

"Agreed, though I mostly forgave her because I was able to understand myself what it was once like to be part of a society that never understood my deep complexities." Sunset reasoned. "Plus, it just feels good to be forgiven for your mistakes if you genuinely did go the extra mile to be a better pony than you once were. I guess you can say... although Twilight's taught me everything I needed to know about friendship, you taught me how to show empathy and forgiveness toward others."

"Maybe you're like a seventh Element of Harmony then, Sunset." Celestia smiled. "The Element of Empathy. It's just a shame we'll never see anything like that now, after a certain king destroyed the original six, along with the Tree of Harmony."

"So I've been told." Sunset recalled what Rarity and Fluttershy shared with her on the train. "Even then, like with being a princess, I don't need a superior title to prove to myself that I'm now a better pony than I once was years ago. All I really need is some commitment and friends by my side, and that's it, really."

"Twilight and I have both set the bar pretty high for your future, it seems." Celestia said, proudly. "Thank you very much for visiting and being so open with me, given how you had far more... urgent circumstances to worry about last time you came by. I'm not sure if Luna's mentioned to you yet, but I'd be happy to have you stay over for the night. I let her know that if you or Twilight by some chance stopped by, we'd be willing to let either of you make yourself at home."

"She did, and I'd happily take the offer." Sunset smiled. "It's one reason that I decided to take a more extensive stay in Equestria, mostly to spend more time with my friends and family since graduation at CHS is finally approaching for me and the rest of the girls."

"Oh, congratulations on making it that far." Celestia acknowledged. "Speaking of schools, did Twilight tell you that back at the School For Gifted Unicorns, I... well, how do I put this?"

"Made it so all my records and educational history was still completely intact, rather than being erased after I was removed from pupil status?" Sunset finished Celestia's sentence. "Yeah, and it made me realize just how much you cared for me, in the hopes that I'd one day return. Twilight said that I've fulfilled every requirement necessary to receive a degree, but I still decided I'm not ready yet. Since I've been living in a world that doesn't normally have magic, it's admittedly been many years since I've had decent practice with magic, so it doesn't really feel right yet to accept an award for something that I can barely pull off now. She also advised me to come visit you here in Silver Shoals, just so we could spend a little more time together before I remastered my skills in magic."

"Twilight really does care for her friends and students, on top of balancing her royal responsibilities." Celestia noted. "I'm glad to see I've made the right decision putting her in charge. As for relearning magic, I may be old and retired now, but that doesn't mean I can't still effectively use magic when I had my own plate of duties. For example, my sister and I are still raising the sun and moon in our own time, just to give Twilight a little more breathing room as she gets more used to all of her new responsibilities. Once she believes she's ready to do it all on her own, that might be when Luna and I will be on an indefinite hiatus when it comes to using magic to such an extent. But since you expressed interest in relearning these skills, I can still teach you a thing or two, being that I was once your teacher."

"Oh, I guess that explains why I wasn't seeing Twilight raise the sun or moon, or mention doing anything like that in her new position." Sunset understood. "And sure, I'd love to learn some new things if you're willing to take the time and effort to teach me again. The last thing I want to do now is waste a good opportunity like this from my teacher."

As Celestia was prepared to show her old student some basic tricks to get her more familiar with the art of magic, they both heard Luna calling from downstairs.

"Sunset! Big Sister!" Luna called out. "Dinner's ready, come get it while it's hot!"

"Hmm, we might need some fuel before we do a few private lessons." Celestia suggested. "Are you hungry yourself right now and would like something to eat?"

"Sure, I'd love to join you both for dinner." Sunset accepted. "I... particularly miss actual Equestrian food, let's just say."

"I'd imagine so." Celestia replied, amused, before she and her former student began trotting down the halls and downstairs to the dining room. "By the way, on another subject, during Twilight's coronation, I was looking over the guest list, and noticed that Twilight added your name to it, meaning she had to have invited you. But if memory serves correctly, I don't think I saw you anywhere at the event, not even with Twilight and the rest of her friends before my sister and I said our final goodbyes to them. Did you somehow miss the invitation? It seems very unlike you to not attend, given how close you and Twilight are."

"Oh yeah, that." Sunset recalled what happened that day. "It's... kind of a long story, there was a mishap with some castle guards after I showed up late, Twilight had to vouch for me to clear up a misunderstanding, and... a number of things led me to miss most of the coronation. I can assure you that despite missing most of the event, I was able to still meet up with Twilight and her friends before they all headed home. Plus, I still barely caught the main highlight of the coronation from a distance, when Twilight received her new crown and slipped off the balcony, prompting me to rush in to see if she was okay. Long story short, I was definitely still part of her coronation, even if I wasn't physically there during the main event."

"Oh my." Celestia reacted in shock to Sunset's story. "Sounds like to me you've already gone through quite a wild ride during your visit back. I dearly hope Twilight and her friends have been making your return feel that much more special?"

"For the most part, yes." Sunset replied, as she still had to deal with making amends with Rainbow Dash. "I've gotten to know them all more closely these past few days, and as far as I can tell, they do remind me of my human friends, who're the human versions of all of them. Speaking of which, aside from what we've already discussed regarding my motives in coming by to visit you, I also wanted to ask you a few tough questions, if that's fine?"

"What kind of questions did you have in mind?" Celestia asked curiously, before arriving in the dining room.

"Well, two things in particular." Sunset began, as she and her former teacher finally took their seats at the dinner table. "I wanted to ask if you knew anything about my biological family, whom I've already gotten somewhat of an idea about thanks to Twilight and a few other friends helping me. Secondly, I had some questions regarding the portal itself, and why specifically you kept it away from me all those years ago."

"Hmm, fair questions, I suppose." Celestia agreed and obliged to Sunset's request. "However, I may warn you ahead of time that you might not like what you hear, even if what I tell you is the truth. But before we get to that, we might as well have dinner. Do you like spaghetti?"

"Mmm, some pasta sounds pretty good right about now." Sunset licked her lips, as she saw Luna using her magic to place some plates of spaghetti with sauce and Parmesan cheese in front of the two ponies.

Sunset and Celestia began to dig in, as Luna joined them. Once again, the tantalizing tastes of food native to Equestria proved to be even more of an incentive to the unicorn who was too used to devouring foods meant more for omnivorous beings like humans. All the ingredients tasted so fresh, Sunset almost believed she was eating high quality food prepared by Gourmand Ramsay, a chef who used to cook her meals back in Canterlot when she was a filly.

"Mmm! This is literally the best pasta I've had in ages!" Sunset complimented Luna's cooking.

"Much obliged, Sunset. It should taste familiar, as Mr. Ramsay gave me the recipe before we moved away from Canterlot." Luna explained, furthering the reasoning of why it tasted so familiar. "I actually used fresh tomatoes grown from our old private Canterlot garden, and the cheese had been aged for approximately 1,000 years while I was on the moon."

"Oh, Luna." Celestia giggled at her sister's last statement. "Even though we've both changed quite a lot since that incident, I can still see some things will never change. For context, Sunset, my sister always loved to crack a few jokes from time to time, and I feel as though ever since she returned, she's been rubbing off on me. My new sense of humor had to come from somewhere, after all."

"Well whether this cheese is 1,000 years old or not, it's still got some of the best flavor I've ever tasted." Sunset affirmed.

Before long, the three ponies had already finished their scrumptious supper, leaving behind some clean plates. Although now fed for the evening, Sunset was still adamant about asking Celestia the questions swimming around in her mind for quite some time, even tracing back to her days as the former princess's pupil. Celestia saw this in Sunset's eyes, and initiated the conversation.

"Alright, Sunset." Celestia began. "As promised, we can now discuss some of these tough questions you wanted to ask me. Did you have anything specific regarding these topics you'd like us to touch upon?"

"Yes, I guess I'll first ask regarding my family." Sunset began, as she knew this was going to be pivotal. "Earlier on when I was hanging with Twilight, I was told that you mentioned at some point, you felt like you wanted to give me the mother I needed? Does that mean... there was something much more troubling with my family earlier on, or my real mom was already gone by the time I was born? Did neither of my parents truly want me?"

"Well Sunset, I wouldn't say that, I mean-"

"Sister." Luna interjected. "You've already told me what happened, and it sounds like to me Sunset really wants to know nothing more than the truth. I don't believe it's right of you to keep this from her any longer, even if it is tragic."

"Y-You're right, Luna." Celestia shifted her tone to ensure she wouldn't sugarcoat anything. "Alright, Sunset, are you sure that you really want to know what happened?"

"I've already come pretty far in this mystery, including learning my real dad was some stallion named Sunspot, as well as the fact I've always had a half brother, Sunburst." Sunset began explaining her journey. "This was already proven to be legitimate, since Twilight conducted a DNA test that confirms this, but I'm still missing a piece of the puzzle. I've been curious about this whole mystery ever since I had an urge in wanting to spend time with my real biological family that originated here in Equestria, and noticed a distinct word engraved on the bottom of my saddlebag."

She held her saddlebag up and showed it to the two princesses, as Celestia's eyes widened.

"For a while, I had no idea what this word meant, until I realized it might've been linked to one of my parents. Let's just say... after doing some further digging, along with the way other ponies have reacted when I mentioned this name, I think I now have a reason to believe this Solstice pony was my mother. Could you... please let me know if that's the case or not?"

"My, my." Celestia said with amazement. "I'm impressed at how you were able to figure out all those things on your own, without me providing you any information yet. I must admit, I was rather confused myself when Sunburst first came to study at the same school you left a few years prior, and mentioned his father's name. It sounded familiar, but I eventually realized it was the same name of your father, making me realize that he must've remarried and had another child. Since you're already aware about your half brother and father, I'll start off by saying, your hunch was correct. Solstice was indeed your mother."

"Was?" Sunset questioned the implication behind Celestia's word choice. "You mean... she passed away shortly after I was born, or she disowned me, just like my dad?"

"Your father disowned you?" Celestia asked, rather confused. "That... doesn't sound like him, are you sure we're talking about the same Sunspot here, who's also the father of Sunburst?"

"Positive." Sunset replied. "I might've visited him earlier today, and let's just say... it was far from pleasant, what I had experienced from him..."

"Oh, Sunset..." Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. To answer your question though, Solstice did not disown you, but rather... your father did something that resulted in them being separated shortly before you were born. I was not given the full extent of every detail regarding their case settled in court, but to make a long story short, your mother found out Sunspot cheated on her."

"He did...?" Sunset's ears went down in sadness.

"As badly as he hurt her, my sister initially didn't want you to know the full extent of these circumstances because... she didn't want you to hate your dad." Luna added. "That's how big her heart is."

"I understand, but..." Sunset began, horrified at what her father seemingly did before she was even born. "I think at this point, it's better that I know the truth so that I don't spend the rest of my life wondering why I only grew up with him and not mom. Speaking of which, what happened after I was born?"

"Although your mother initially wanted full custody of you, the court wouldn't allow it." Celestia began. "They still ruled in favor of your father wanting some custody as well, given he was the more financially stable parent. Solstice sacrificed her dreams and career to help your father become successful over the years, only to find out he was never a faithful husband. Following the divorce, it would've originally granted her a large sum of bits in alimony support, but your mother did something completely unexpected. She turned down the alimony in its entirety, because she didn't want anything to do with your dad's money anymore. Being prideful enough to reject anything from him, she unfortunately realized a crucial detail far too late after already signing the papers. It didn't occur to her at the time, but due to an old Equestrian law that prohibited parents with no income to have custody of their children, she suddenly lost complete custody of you. Being so emotionally broken over your dad's actions had her make a mistake so severe, she signed herself into not being able to legally see you after you were born. And if you're wondering, the decisions on such matters in Equestria have always been strict, meaning that once she signed the documents, it was final, whether she wanted it or not."

"I... I can't believe it." Sunset said, exasperated. "Dad cheated on mom, then tricked her so that he could have 100% custody of me when I was born?"

"Supposedly, his appeal to the court claimed that he would never do something so horrible to his wife, and that even if Solstice wanted to separate, they should both still get custody over you." Celestia clarified. "Your mother believed that if she could start her own career and have complete custody over you as you both lived off of her life savings, things would still work out. But unfortunately, the old law, which had since then been revoked, prevented her from getting even a fraction of custody, since she turned down your dad's alimony."

"Hmm, I see." Sunset began brainstorming. "Something about this doesn't seem to add up, though. If dad was really unfaithful to her to willingly have an affair behind his back, why would he still want to raise me? During my visit to his home earlier, he went as far as claiming he put me up for adoption because he never wanted me."

"He really said that?" Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm afraid that would be far from the truth back then, especially given how my exchange with him went, shortly after you were born."

Celestia began sharing a flashback when Sunset was already born, but barely a year old. She was already able to start learning magic in her own time, after her father had begun teaching her this important life skill. Princess Celestia was stopping by, looking for potential recruits who might be interested in attending a new institution which had recently opened up in Canterlot, the School For Gifted Unicorns. The princess had already found a number of families all over Equestria who were interested in giving their unicorn children this opportunity, even if it meant a few had to move away. In the meantime, Celestia knocked on the door of Sunspot, not realizing she was about to change the life of a young filly forever.

"Oh, hello, Princess!" Sunspot bowed to the ruler of Equestria. "To what do I owe the pleasure this fine day?"

"I appreciate the formalities, sir, but I can assure you, I could do without them every time I visit a house." Celestia said. "Anyways, I won't take up too much of your time, I just wanted to let you know that back in Canterlot, I've set up a new institution specialized on teaching young unicorns the wonders of magic. According to the residence information in Ponyville, you happen to have a young unicorn daughter, is that correct?"

"Well, yes." Sunspot replied. "But you said this magic school is located in Canterlot? Even with my job and income, I don't even know if I'm able to afford that kind of tuition. All I know is, Canterlot's most likely out of my budget, even if my wife was still with me..."

"Oh?" Celestia sympathized with the stallion. "I'm sorry to hear, you mean she is...?"

"She divorced me." Sunspot clarified. "Over something that I never even did, and then made a huge mistake in our divorce papers to where she couldn't even legally see our daughter anymore."

"Hmm, I was not aware such a law existed, so I might need to look into the terms of Equestria and see if anything needs updating." Celestia said. "I hope things have at least been going well for you now that you're raising your daughter on your own, but I'm happy to know she has a wonderful, caring father. Could I please see your daughter?"

"Of course." Sunspot agreed. "She's not even a full year old yet, so I'm not really sure if she can do anything to prove she's magic school material."

"That's okay, I'm not exactly looking for such skills at the moment, I wanted to mostly check and see if anypony had interest in attending the school whenever they're ready and old enough." Celestia assured.

"Well, even though Sunset's still really young, I recently started teaching her a few skills to prepare her for the future." Sunspot explained. "It's nothing really that impressive, though."

"Sunset, that's a beautiful name." Celestia smiled. "It almost reminds me of my own name, Celestia. This is actually the first family I've come across where I've heard anypony with an attribute in their name related to the sun."

"I originally wanted to name her 'Sunny', but long before our divorce, my wife wanted 'Sunset'. Thus, we eventually ended up with 'Sunset Shimmer', as we felt it had a nice ring to it. We mostly chose this name since we also have sun-like names ourselves. I'm Sunspot, and my ex-wife's first name was 'Solstice'."

"Nice to meet you, Sunspot." Celestia said. "Also, I agree, that sounds like a wonderful name for your daughter. Are you sure she'd be interested in learning magic?"

"Well, I can't really speak for her, maybe we should let Sunset herself decide." Sunspot said, as he went upstairs to fetch his daughter, who was still taking a nap in her crib.

Sunset woke up upon hearing her father's hoofsteps, but unlike most babies her age, she didn't immediately cry upon waking. She simply looked up at her father's face in curiosity, before Sunspot took her out of the crib and downstairs to the princess. By this point, Sunset was still confused at what was going on, before noticing the princess with a colorful, wavy mane standing before her. The baby Sunset smiled and giggled with happiness upon seeing Celestia.

"Ohhhhh, she's so adorable." Celestia said with glee.

"Thank you, your highness." Sunspot said happily. "I mostly wanted to show you what she looked like since... I was actually being hypothetical when I said we should let Sunset decide. She hasn't said her first word yet, and I'm not really sure when she's ready to speak."

"It's all right, Sunspot." Celestia assured, before showering the filly with motherly affection. "In the meantime, Sunset? Would you ever want me to teach you magic with that horn of yours?"

Although Sunset could not speak yet, she seemed to be able to understand Celestia's words, especially when she used the word 'magic'. She waved her hooves excitedly in her dad's lap, before doing something completely unexpected. She somehow managed to use her magic to levitate two picture frames from the wall, and held them in front of Celestia without any issue. One picture was of her father, while the other was of herself, presumably taken by Sunspot a few weeks ago. If Sunset's impressive feat with magic wasn't astonishing enough, she even began to utter a few noises before saying what sounded like her first word.

"...M-M-M-Mama... ?" Sunset tried her best to speak, as her father was shocked, before the princess cried tears of joy.

"She... she thinks you're her mother." Sunspot exclaimed in surprise. "M-Maybe we should-"

"Yes, Sunset." Celestia quickly cut Sunspot off, before holding Sunset in her own hooves. "I am your mama, and I love you very much."

The princess winked to Sunspot, subtly letting him know that since Sunset seemingly understood her when she used the word 'magic', she could potentially overhear and understand them clarifying that Celestia was not her mother, likely leaving the filly feeling sad and confused. Sunspot understood this, and let the princess continue this act, believing it was the best thing to make her daughter happy. Sunset meanwhile, looked quite overjoyed that after so long, she could finally see the pony who was supposedly her mom. After a while, Celestia handed Sunset back to Sunspot, who was still staring at the princess as if she had finally met her real mother.

"It's particularly rare to see a baby as young as Sunset lift some heavy picture frames off the wall with just her magic. I can tell that she's been particularly gifted in the art, indeed." Celestia complimented. "It'd be such a waste to not have her study at the school with what she can already accomplish on her own."

"I would love that for my daughter, but... the tuition." Sunspot said with concern. "Canterlot's tuition must be all the way through the roof, and I'm not made of bits."

"Well, how about this, Sunspot?" Celestia proposed. "Since I own the school and make the final decisions as to who gets in or not, I'll give Sunset here a scholarship and cover all the expenses for you."

"For real?" Sunspot said with surprise. "Come on princess, what's the catch?"

"Well, if I'm to give her a scholarship, it would come with a lot of additional privileges, including her very own home in the residential town of Canterlot." Celestia explained. "Also, students who get in through scholarship exclusively get a chance at becoming my pupil once they're old enough, and I think Sunset might be able to achieve that one day. Of course, giving her a home in Canterlot would entail that she'd no longer live here in Ponyville with you. I'd be watching over her from that point forward, and you could almost think of it like a boarding school under my supervision. She'd be learning all kinds of exclusive spells that only the most powerful unicorns would be able to master, and you could come visit her anytime you'd like. What do you say?"

"Gosh, all that sounds like it'd do Sunset many great wonders in her magic skills, and it seems like she'd love this kind of life rather than only being with me in this run-down house that needs renovations." Sunspot said. "Princess, I trust that you'd take good care of my daughter, don't get me wrong, it's just... I don't know that I really want to let Sunset go yet. Maybe if I taught her a little more magic for a few more years, at least until she becomes more attached to her father."

"Of course, I wouldn't force this offer upon you if you were feeling uncomfortable." Celestia understood. "When you feel the time's right, I'll be willing to keep in touch and recruit Sunset as a student. Maybe I'll come back in a few years when Sunset's a little older?"

"I think that would be for the best, princess." Sunspot agreed, before he started trotting away from the door with Sunset still in his hooves.

As Sunset saw her father was taking her further away from who she believed was her mother, she began to lose it. The baby unicorn started crying and wailing, trying her best to let her father know that what he was doing was upsetting her dearly.

"M-M-MAMA!!! M-MAMA!!!!!!" Sunset wailed over and over.

Seeing this reaction, Sunspot immediately brought Sunset back over to Celestia to hold the baby in her own hooves, which immediately made the young unicorn calm down. This made Sunspot believe that since her daughter now had a pony she could see as a mother figure, given how her real mother was no longer able to see her legally anymore, he didn't have the heart to simply tear her away from her 'mother' now. He always wanted to raise a daughter, but didn't want her to grow up without a caring and loving mother by her side.

Sunspot also knew that given how busy Princess Celestia likely was on a daily basis, it'd be counter-intuitive to have her visit Sunset in Ponyville all the time. Given how Sunset's already spent nearly a whole year of her life with her father, Sunspot also considered that it'd make more sense for him to visit Sunset in Canterlot instead, giving her more time with Celestia. And seeing how affectionate and motherly the princess was acting toward her daughter, the stallion began to contemplate possibly making one of the hardest decisions in his life. He eventually leaned more toward this decision after a few more minutes of consideration, before finally speaking to the princess again.

"Princess... maybe you can take Sunset now if you believe you're able to give her the good life that I can't give her myself." Sunspot finally said, before whispering everything he had just processed into the princess's ear, to avoid having Sunset overhear him, and to let Celestia understand where he was coming from.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, even when Sunset's barely a year old?" Celestia wanted to be certain regarding Sunspot's decision.

"I just want what's best for my daughter, even if it means letting her go, especially given the circumstances." Sunspot said. "Maybe we should also ask Sunset herself before we finalize this decision?"

"Sunset Shimmer." Celestia addressed the young unicorn in her hooves. "Would you like to come to Canterlot with mommy and learn all kinds of new things about magic? Your father here will visit you whenever he can."

Sunset still had difficulty speaking to give a clear answer, but was able to convey how she was feeling on the idea by waving her hooves around excitedly, and giggling with joy.

"Alright, then I guess the decision's final." Sunspot said, confidently. "I'll fill out any paperwork you have for me, and to save time, I'll grant you permission to take Sunset with you to Canterlot right now. The only condition being, I get to come along with her, just to make sure she has everything she needs up there. Remember, I'm putting my absolute trust in you that nothing bad ever happens to my little Ray of Sunshine."

"Absolutely, that sounds perfectly reasonable." Celestia agreed, before the two ponies and infant took a train to Canterlot.

Upon arrival, Sunspot was able to see Celestia was willing to give her baby all the necessities, including her own home in the town, where the princess herself would look after her as if she was her own daughter. After feeling assured that her daughter was going to be in good hooves, along with having a mother figure to grow up with during the rest of her youth, Sunspot felt relieved. Due to how busy he was back in Ponyville with his own job, he didn't know when would be a good time to come back to Canterlot to see his daughter after returning to Ponyville, but made it clear that he'd do his best to seek an opportunity whenever it made itself apparent. Sunspot simply nodded to the princess in approval before returning home, as Celestia's flashback finally ended.

"He called me his 'Ray of Sunshine'? Sunset had an epiphany. "No wonder that always sounded so familiar to me, that's what I named my pet leopard gecko back in the other world. That aside, everything seems to be coming together, as to what happened to dad, mom, and how you ended up choosing me as not only your pupil, but even like a daughter. This even lines up with what Sunburst told me when he mentioned Sunspot was once a caring and kind father, which he also seemed to be back when he had me as a daughter. Also, yikes, I can only imagine how upset he must've been after learning something bad DID end up happening to his daughter after all. I assume you had to deliver the hard news to him after I made my way through the mirror and got trapped for an indefinite period of time?"

"Yes, and unfortunately, that's where nearly everything afterwards went south." Celestia confirmed. "If you're wondering, I learned about the history of what had happened to Sunspot and his ex-wife Solstice, after your father shared court documents and stories of everything that transpired from his perspective, shortly after he left you in my care at Canterlot. Going back to your father, he tried his best a few times to visit you over the years, but he unfortunately began to grow distant after receiving a promotion at work. According to him, he wanted to one day welcome you home and give you the life you always deserved, since he would've never been able to give you that when balancing work and taking care of you, on top of having you grow up without a mom. Thus, he held off on visiting you and focused primarily on making money, before one day coming back to Canterlot to finally visit you. And out of all odds, the timing was quite poor when he finally decided to drop by."

Celestia began sharing another flashback, when Sunspot had finally finished working hard to renovate his old home in Ponyville, and was ready to welcome his daughter back after so many years of being alone. Unfortunately, it had already been a few days since Sunset and Celestia had their fallout, which resulted with the princess removing the unicorn as her pupil, starting the bitter resentment that resonated in Sunset. She had worked years with Celestia to show she could do anything with magic, only for the princess to continuously tell her that she couldn't move on to the next level? Sunset made her way into the mirror, completely disregarding Celestia's concern, which she soon regretted. It was initially an interesting development for Sunset when she learned going through the mirror would completely change her physical appearance, but the fascination was short lived.

After a few hours of roaming around this mysterious new world she had no idea even existed, Sunset felt that with her curiosity satisfied enough, it was time to go back to Equestria, even if she now had to live with the fact she was now seen as a failure in the princess's eyes. But her feeling of astonishment soon turned to horror when she realized that the portal on the CHS horse statue pedestal was no longer functioning. She had no idea what was going on, other than the fact she was now trapped and had no idea when the portal would reopen to provide another opportunity to go back. This then made Sunset realize that since the princess would most likely notice her sudden disappearance and surmise that she went into the mirror against her orders anyways, she'd inevitably have to confront Celestia once more, only to get the worst punishment imaginable. Due to this lingering fear and continuous resentment toward her former teacher and mentor, Sunset never bothered looking for an opening from that point forward, and decided to simply lay low for quite a while.

Around the same time in Canterlot, Sunset was correct when she believed Celestia would eventually notice what her former pupil ended up doing. Instead of anger and the urge to punish Sunset even further, Celestia mostly felt disappointment in not just Sunset, but even herself for letting this happen. If she had raised Sunset like a daughter differently instead of constantly spoiling her, or if she warned her about specifically why the portal itself was dangerous instead of always brushing it off whenever she brought it up, things could've been different. Regardless, it was too late now, as Celestia now believed there was only one way she herself could learn from this tragic incident. She placed the mirror in a more noticeable location she could easily see on a daily basis, specifically in her throne room. It was an area she could always keep an eye on, to remind of her the pupil and metaphorical daughter she lost, and even having a sliver of hope that she'd one day return.

The timing was incredibly poor, when one day, Celestia was carrying on with her royal duties back in her throne room. She was reading over scrolls and letters sent to her from all over Equestria, some being invitations to large events, while others were disputes she had to resolve. She had an immediate feeling of guilt and pain in her chest when noticing Sunset's father had entered the room with an enthusiastic expression on his face. It was obvious why he was here, and although the princess initially didn't have the heart to deliver the hard news, she knew it was inevitable.

"Hi, princess!" Sunspot greeted Celestia. "Long time no see, but that's mostly because I've been renovating my home and working incredibly hard at my new job to afford everything. As you'd probably guess, I'm here to welcome my baby girl back home. Where might she be?"

Before Sunset continued listening on to this flashback, she now felt more guilty than ever before. She couldn't have imagined what Celestia must've gone through when she had no choice but to inform her once caring father that his daughter became trapped in another world with seemingly no way of returning. It made her feel extra bad that instead of looking for an opening in the mirror whenever she could, she simply ran from her problems, not taking even an ounce of responsibility for her own actions. Sunset wasn't sure if she was ready to continue hearing what had happened that day, but understood she had to know more eventually. By this point, Sunset realized that this visit to Celestia had certainly done her justice in not only finally learning about her real mother, but even understanding a much clearer picture of this perplexing story.

Chapter 50: The Human World Sunset Shimmer

Leaving the dark alley, Human Sunset felt rested enough to be on her way, since she had technically already been 'asleep' for quite some time. Looking over at nearby clocks within surrounding buildings, it was approximately 8:30 PM, meaning that most people would've already been home by now. It didn't seem to matter to her regardless, since she remembered staying up all night long after becoming rebellious and reinventing herself. Although she seemingly just got out of a coma for an unknown period of time, the memories of her previous life began flooding back to her almost instantly. As she walked around the dark and desolate streets of the city, she began recapping everything, as to not potentially forget about her identity before mysteriously fading from existence.

It took several attempts after remembering her own name, but she eventually recollected everything from her previous life before the fire incident. She remembered originally being a Straight-A student in middle school, as a pleasant surprise to both of her parents, Sunspot and Solstice. However, this seemingly perfect path to success was unfortunately cut short almost immediately after beginning her freshman year at high school, specifically at Crystal Prep Academy. At the time, Twilight Sparkle was not enrolled as a student yet, as Human Sunset was occupying that final enrollment spot. Similar to colleges, the school used to have very limited spaces for enrollment, due to the headmaster, Principal Abacus Cinch, making a pretentious rule regarding standards. The headmaster required all new students to qualify under certain academic expectations, grade quality, and discipline. Although this rule was originally seen as a method to ensure that the qualified students would've had the best education possible, it was really Cinch's intention to be able to show off to her peers, as well as the superintendent. As a result, Crystal Prep Academy was regarded as the #1 ranked high school in the entire city, even topping Canterlot High, which usually fell in second place.

Moving past this, Human Sunset remembered that it was her impressive middle school GPA that allowed her to enroll, which initially made her parents proud of such an achievement. She remembered that Sunspot took great pride in bragging about his daughter's successful enrollment to all his friends. Although initially happy herself, Human Sunset soon realized that her father's behavior was becoming toxic, as well as adding stress on her academics. Since his daughter was now on the road to getting potential scholarships into the best colleges after graduating, he'd even act disappointed if she came home with a 99% on her exams instead of 100%. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Solstice always supported and cared about her daughter dearly, to the point where she'd always love her no matter what, even if she somehow flunked out of school. The only drawback was that her mother would be gone for most of the day, due to her job forcing her to work late hours. Although happy with Solstice's supportive approach, Sunspot had constant hopes for his daughter to not only graduate with a 4.0 GPA, but also to become a doctor someday. All these impossibly unreasonable expectations had consistently added pressure over time, which made her nervous to make even the smallest mistakes.

During this point in her life, Human Sunset still loved and respected both of her parents immensely, and the last thing she would've wanted was becoming a complete disappointment in her dad's eyes. She was still halfway deciding on attending Canterlot High, until she looked over her options and learned of several potential disadvantages other schools seemingly had in comparison. Another factor in agreeing to study at Crystal Prep was remembering when her parents mentioned that they began struggling with money. They were still able to pay for Crystal Prep's tuition, but just barely, and money had become incredibly tight, shortly after Sunspot got laid off from his job. Human Sunset knew what this meant, and realized that studying hard enough to get into a good university was her and her family's main hope at escaping poverty. When it was time to get into college, this would've also entailed being good enough to earn a scholarship, thus avoiding the concern of needing to pay for an incredibly high tuition.

When Human Sunset was attending Crystal Prep, things seemed to be going rather well during her first week. She was able to stay on top of her homework, prepare adequately for quizzes, and get used to the much heavier workload in contrast to her middle school's. Although unsure of how she was going to handle her high school days, she initially became somewhat of an introvert who studied on her own and always avoided socializing, as she believed making friends could admittedly distract her from her schoolwork. As a result, a majority of her classmates simply saw her as the quiet nerd, and for the most part, they had left her alone, since she clearly wasn't interested in becoming friends with any of them. However, two particular classmates stood out to her in bad enough ways, that she would never forget the negative impacts that they had left on her in the short time she was a student there.

After thinking hard enough, Human Sunset recalled one particular classmate who had somewhat reminded her of herself, Sugarcoat. This classmate always treated the teachers with respect, never missed a single homework assignment, and always felt confident in herself. The main difference was that Sugarcoat seemed to be far more popular than Human Sunset, due to her smarts and kind nature. Back then, before Twilight Sparkle came along, Sugarcoat had strived to become the number one student herself at Crystal Prep, and she was overall more cheerful and confident, in contrast to her more blunt and grouchy attitude later on. It was unknown to most students at the time, but after Twilight enrolled and overshadowed Sugarcoat in her own merits toward the academic curriculum, it all resulted in this drastic change of her demeanor.

Although Human Sunset was initially against the idea of making friends, it felt different with Sugarcoat, given how much they seemingly had in common, along with how beneficial having a study buddy was. Unfortunately, socializing with this particular classmate eventually turned out to be her undoing, as it created a series of events that later led to intense animosity. Human Sunset began visualizing everything as a flashback in her own head, remembering everything far too well, as it all contributed toward the life she'd eventually end up with.

It was only the fourth day at Crystal Prep Academy, and most students were already feeling stressed out with all the new expectations, almost as if they had skipped high school entirely and directly went to college. Human Sunset felt like everything was manageable, especially if she was able to get a study partner like Sugarcoat. During this time, she didn't go by 'Sunset' just yet, as she preferred sticking with her nickname from middle school, being 'Sunny'. As a result, most people who knew Human Sunset as 'Sunny S.' weren't able to immediately recognize her as the Pony Sunset at CHS, during their first meeting at the Friendship Games.

One day, when Human Sunset and Sugarcoat were both coincidentally in the school's library during lunchtime, Human Sunset went to greet her and see if she was interested in wanting to study together.

"H-Hi there..." Human Sunset greeted Sugarcoat rather shyly. "I'm... Sunny S."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sugarcoat." Sugarcoat replied, as she set her book down. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering if you were interested in studying with me, possibly as a study partner for all the challenges high school will throw at us?" Human Sunset proposed.

"I actually don't study here at school, so I'm not really interested." Sugarcoat turned down the offer. "But I suppose if you'd like to be friends, I'm down for that."

"Hmm, I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll pass, since I really need to focus on my schoolwork." Human Sunset decided, before walking into the study hall by herself.

At the time, it seemed like a reasonable conversation, except for the fact that Human Sunset hadn't considered the possibility of Sugarcoat making more exclusive friends later on. After around two months into the school year, the continuous stress and pressure put in by her father eventually started catching up, as Human Sunset noticed she began to let her grades slip. It felt frustrating, since she knew for a fact that these past few months entailed staying true to her goal of studying harder than anybody else. At the time, her grades were incredibly outstanding, to the point where she became one of the top students at Crystal Prep Academy. Unfortunately, as impressive as she was in her classes, it wasn't enough. No matter how hard she pushed herself to do even better, she wasn't able to top the student in the #1 spot. When Dean Cadance posted a list on the bulletin board, ranking the top 20 most academically successful students, Human Sunset noticed that she was ranked #2, and labeled 'Sunny S.', like she preferred. When peering at the absolute top of the list, her jaw dropped when noticing #1 was Sugarcoat, and the idea of her being at the top of her class without seemingly ever studying at school was incredibly bewildering.

Although still standing by her original statement of not being interested in making friends, Human Sunset still felt like questioning Sugarcoat regarding how she was able to get this far. After all, despite how brief their very first interaction went, Sugarcoat came across as a polite classmate who was willing to make friends, likely being the kind of person perfectly fine with giving a few pointers, even if she wasn't interested in being study buddies with anyone else at school. Unfortunately, when Human Sunset walked into the cafeteria one day to see Sugarcoat again, she absolutely wasn't expecting how much Sugarcoat changed in just two months. It was lunchtime, and although Human Sunset felt like a social outcast in this crowd of students, she eventually caught a glimpse of Sugarcoat sitting at a table with four other girls by her side. These girls were Sour Sweet, Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, and Sunny Flare. It was unknown to most students at the time, but the girls had formed a social group titled 'The Shadowbolts'. As Sour Sweet, Lemon Zest, and Sunny Flare went to grab something from their lockers, Human Sunset approached Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap.

"Hi, Sugarcoat." Human Sunset greeted once again.

"Hey, how do you know my name?" Sugarcoat questioned.

"Oh, you don't remember me?" Human Sunset replied, but realized it seemed reasonable, considering they never really became friends. "I'm Sunny, and we met each other back during our first week here at Crystal Prep Academy."

"Right, I think you asked me to be study partners or something?" Sugarcoat vaguely recalled.

"What could you possibly want, geek?" Indigo Zap snapped. "If you're looking to be friends with Sugarcoat, too bad. She's already got four other friends by her side, and one of them is already named 'Sunny'. Her name's Sunny Flare, and I can certainly tell she's already far cooler than you'll ever be!"

"Uhh, what...?" Human Sunset simply blurted out, not sure where all this hostility was coming from. "I don't understand why you're being so rude?"

"Name's Indigo Zap, and I just realized who you really are." Indigo huffed. "Well, I just remembered that when Sugarcoat shared a story with us about some nerd who turned down her offer in becoming friends, simply because she wanted to have a study partner instead, you're that nerd in question."

"I'm sorry, I-" Human Sunset stuttered. "I didn't mean to come across as harsh when I said I wasn't interested in becoming friends. Surely you understand, Sugarcoat?"

"Oh, I can understand everything now, all right." Sugarcoat shifted her tone to a more blunt demeanor, something completely unlike her from their first meeting. "Dean Cadance posted the top 20 students earlier this week, and who did I notice in second place while I was first? You, wasn't your name Sunny S?"

"Yes, but... I don't quite see what you're getting at?" Human Sunset said, still confused.

"It all makes sense now." Sugarcoat began analyzing the supposed intentions. "You simply thought I was a hardworking student you could leech off of by studying with me every night, is that it? Then, when you turned down my offer to become friends with you, that was completely uncalled for. But after seeing you were ranked #2, I was able to surmise that you simply wanted my help just so you could beat me at being #1. In fact let me guess, you came to me now purely because you want some tips on how to study as efficiently as me so that you can top me, am I correct?"

"Well, I do want some study tips, sure..." Human Sunset began, but was immediately cut off soon after.

"That's exactly her point." Indigo interjected. "Boy, you really are that shallow, huh?"

"But not because I want to top Sugarcoat!" Human Sunset claimed, yet she knew deep down, that technically was true too. "I was just wondering if you could give me some pointers at how I could improve?"

"You're asking for improvements when you're already in the top 5?" Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "Give me a break. And why would I help you when you're basically my rival now? I ain't going to let you leech off of my hard work so you can steal the spotlight from me! You want to come out on top in this competition, you gotta do it yourself."

"That's right, you heard her." Indigo added, coldly. "Now scram!"

Human Sunset simply walked away, both disappointed and a little heartbroken that those girls could treat her like that. In some ways, she still believed that they had a point, in that she herself was being selfish by turning down Sugarcoat's offer in friendship initially, but was only coming back now to seek guidance after Sugarcoat finally had a reputation. It even made sense that being #1 now, Sugarcoat would do anything she could to keep things this way, and that helping the student who was ranked #2 was certainly out of the question. As a result, Human Sunset realized that her very first interaction with Sugarcoat where she innocently just said she wasn't too interested in becoming friends, it had now unintentionally given her a rival and enemy to be jealous of. Her father's expectations didn't help matters either, as it seemed clear that he wouldn't have accepted simply letting his daughter be #2.

After this second interaction, Human Sunset decided she wasn't going to talk to Sugarcoat anymore, especially with how mean and blunt she and her new friends seemingly were. Unfortunately, as the school year progressed, trying to ignore Sugarcoat soon proved to be impossible, especially since she remained in the #1 spot for quite some time. The grudge with how Sugarcoat treated her that day soon grew into resentment, especially as Human Sunset constantly heard remarks from many teachers about how gifted Sugarcoat was. It also certainly didn't help that none of the teachers really said anything remarkable regarding the previous 19 ranked students, especially #2.

During the course of the year, Human Sunset noticed that whenever she saw Sugarcoat somewhere at school, she was never once seen studying. She was simply always hanging out with her new friends like some kind of popular leader, and never once mentioned anything regarding academic subjects, unless it was to simply brag about her grades. Despite not coming across as the kind of student who'd take studying extremely seriously, Sugarcoat always got better grades than her, making Human Sunset wonder what Sugarcoat's secret was. She theorized it had to have been intense study sessions at home, likely with a really good and expensive private tutor. Unfortunately, even if this was the case, Human Sunset knew her family couldn't afford such educational advantages, to where she simply decided that she had no choice but to study the old fashioned way. In other words, continuing exactly what she was already doing, but even better.

Human Sunset decided that being #1 wouldn't have been selfish, as she wanted to do this for her family too. If she was able to prove she was capable of being the #1 student, it was her chance to get a scholarship at the best university, as well as a job with an incredibly high salary. Accomplishing all of this ensured that her family would no longer have to permanently live out a life in poverty, nor live out on food stamps. As such, she pushed herself all year long, sacrificing so much just to make sure she could come out on top in the end.

Over time, Human Sunset threw herself at the textbooks like never before, analyzing and grasping every single word and page, as if she could eventually recite everything by heart. She studied so hard that she barely slept, ate, or took care of her life's basic needs. As time passed, bags begun to form under her eyes, and she sometimes even risked accidentally falling asleep in class. Eventually, an essential exam rolled by sometime near the end of the semester. After finishing it with how much she had already prepared in the process, Human Sunset was almost confident she was finally able to top Sugarcoat. This was especially likely, given how she overheard most of her classmates muttering how difficult that exam truly was, to the point of some not even finishing.

As the semester concluded, report cards were given to all the students, and after that last exam, the reactions were overall mixed. Some were crying in disappointment, relieved that they actually passed the class, while others simply didn't care. Human Sunset looked over her report card in confidence, as she initially saw every checkbox had an 'A' in it. Then, when she walked over to the bulletin board to recheck the updated ranked list, she simply dropped her jaw in horror.

She was still ranked #2, and #1 was of course, still Sugarcoat, the undefeated champion. Human Sunset eventually noticed Sugarcoat out of the corner of her eye, smiling proudly with her group of friends over her report card, and even bragging about how it got a special stamp on it for being the best one in the whole school. By this point, Human Sunset simply lowered her head in defeat, realizing that she had lost to her yet again. She was so stunned after these events that she began to have trouble focusing in her daily life, as only one thing filled her mind, that being Sugarcoat.

It was still mysterious how Sugarcoat was able to beat her every single time, but it supposedly had to have been those private lessons by some expensive tutor. Unfortunately, affording such a tutor herself would've been impossible, and she realized by this point that she could never beat Sugarcoat, and that she and her family would forever live in poverty. As winter break rolled around, Human Sunset just stayed in her room completely depressed, especially after she showed her report card to her parents. Although Solstice was especially proud of her daughter's achievement, Sunspot was still adamant that she simply wasn't trying hard enough if somebody else was able to reach the #1 spot.

Once the new semester started, things only got worse from there. It initially began with Human Sunset doing what she normally did, now with the acceptance that the best she could ever get was #2, meaning there was simply no use in studying in vain like before. However, one thing that she was completely unaware of, was a conversation that had occurred between Sugarcoat before winter break, when she was bragging proudly about her report card to her friends. Although Sugarcoat had expected such a victory, she also realized that she had barely achieved it, as Human Sunset was only off by several digits of a point. In some ways, she became somewhat worried that 'Sunny S,' would end up taking the #1 spot, which prompted Indigo Zap to play dirty. Indigo never told Sugarcoat of her plan, but simply hinted that she wouldn't ever have to worry about losing her place ever again.

As the newer school weeks started, Human Sunset walked down the halls normally after class to the cafeteria, although she didn't feel too hungry, as she still felt rather depressed at her ultimate defeat last semester. Before she made it any further to the cafeteria, she was immediately stopped by Indigo Zap, who slammed her hand on a locker and blocked her passageway.

"Umm, could you please let me by?" Human Sunset asked.

"Oh, well of course." Indigo began rhetorically, before changing to a more hostile tone. "Listen up, you dweeb. You think you're the teacher's pet and a smart girl, do you? Well, I have a proposal for you. For the rest of the years here at Crystal Prep Academy, you're going to do all my homework assignments and steal answer sheets from the teacher's classrooms. I could use a certain someone like you to help get my grades up, what do you say?"

"Haha, very funny." Human Sunset simply rolled her eyes. "Now, if you excuse me-"

"Thought you might say that." Indigo interrupted. "Alright, what if I convince Sugarcoat to be your friend for a little while, and even give you some tips on how to study better so that you can be the #1 ranked student in this school?"

"Unless she's willing to lend me her expensive private tutor, I don't want to hear anymore." Human Sunset stood her ground. "Sugarcoat treated me horribly and made me feel awful over this entire rivalry, so the last thing I'd want her to do is become my friend, especially if you're asking her to do so insincerely."

"Figured you'd go there too." Indigo huffed. "That's why I'm not giving you a choice anymore. Listen up, you little chicken. You're going to do my homework from now on and steal test answers from the teachers, OR ELSE."

Indigo then grabbed Human Sunset's glasses from off her face, as Human Sunset looked in horror. Glasses were very expensive, and the last thing she would've wanted was having to inform her parents that she needed a new pair, especially given they had no insurance.

"No, please don't break my glasses, I don't have insurance on those, I-" Human Sunset quickly covered her mouth, realizing that she practically fell right into Indigo's trap, and there was no backing out now.

"Wow, for a nerd, you aren't really the sharpest knife in the drawer, huh?" Indigo smirked. "I love how you're making this so easy for me, especially since I'm too focused on sports to have any care for whatever the square root of 109 is. Now get started with my math homework, and I'll hold onto your glasses as collateral. You'll get them back at the end of the day once you finish, and we'll begin the whole process again tomorrow. Do I make myself clear, geek?"

"Y-Yes..." Human Sunset sighed in defeat.

"And don't even THINK about telling on me, you hear!?" Indigo threatened. "Cause if you do, I'll know it was you, and I'll break far more than your glasses."

Indigo slammed her locker shut, as Human Sunset fell to the floor and began to cry. Not only were her dreams and merits in being the #1 student now trashed thanks to Sugarcoat, but Indigo Zap was now blackmailing her into doing her schoolwork for the rest of her time at Crystal Prep Academy. With how much time and energy she'd be forced to put into doing double the amount of schoolwork she'd normally have, not only was being #1 even more impossible than it already was, but she'd most likely fall even further from being #2 now. She simply swallowed her pride and decided to tread lightly, thinking that Indigo probably wasn't being serious when she said it'd be for the rest of the remaining years here.

This was unfortunately far from the case, as Human Sunset was forced to do countless homework assignments, steal answer sheets from the teacher's classrooms, and even began slipping off of the top 20 students. This went on for around two months, and before long, Human Sunset noticed that the name 'Sunny S.' was no longer visible on the bulletin board anymore. Along the way, Indigo also bullied her horribly, including tripping her in the halls, spitting in her lunch, and throwing her glasses in the toilet. It certainly went without saying that Indigo even started overworking her, to the point where the once introverted nerd felt like she finally had enough. Eventually, one day when Indigo was approaching her main source of A's in the gradebook, Human Sunset was waiting at the back of the school, looking absolutely exhausted. She had stayed up until nearly 6 AM just to finish Indigo's history project, math homework, and biology assignments, that she didn't even have a chance to finish any assignments of her own. This would've been the first time she'd ever been late in turning in homework, but her passion for being a top student had already disappeared long ago. Human Sunset noticed Indigo approaching once more, ready to collect the finished assignments.

"Here you go, Indigo..." Human Sunset yawned, before handing over the papers. "Sorry, I barely got even an hour of sleep, and I didn't even get a chance to finish my own homework..."

"Aww, that's too bad for you." Indigo teased, before taking the papers. "But not that I care! What I do care about however, is this rumor that's been going around school. Word on the street is, although most high schools make the students take the SAT during junior year, Crystal Prep Academy gives it to the freshmen! So, I need you of course, to break into the Canterlot College Board and steal the SAT test answers for me."

Although still pretty sleepy, Human Sunset woke up in shock upon hearing what Indigo had demanded from her.

"What!?" Human Sunset snapped. "Okay, that's it, now you're going too far, I-"

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear before." Indigo threatened again, before removing the glasses from Human Sunset's face once more. "You either break the glass at the College Board's building to get the goods, or I break the glass on your frames. What's it going to be?"

Human Sunset felt she legitimately had enough at this point, as she had been pushed way too far. Studying to the brink of insanity, losing her position in the top 20, and now being forced to do something that could land her in jail. Her time in this school had been absolutely miserable thanks to Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap, and after what Indigo had just demanded of her, she had finally reached her breaking point.

"You know what!?" Human Sunset yelled, as she quickly grabbed the glasses back from Indigo, threw them on the ground, and stomped them to pieces herself. "THERE, NOW YOU CAN'T BLACKMAIL ME ANYMORE, YOU FILTHY CHEATER!!!"

"Pfft, wow, for a nerd, I'm surprised it took you this long to figure this out." Indigo remarked. "You really are pathetic, you know that?"

"I'M PATHETIC, HUH!?!" Human Sunset screeched at the top of her lungs so loud, that she accidentally got the attention of a teacher who was still in the parking lot. "YOU'RE THE BOZO WHO'S BEEN MAKING ME DO EVERYTHING TO GET YOU STRAIGHT A'S, AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET!?!??!?!?!?!?! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT YOU REALLY DESERVE!!!!!!!!!"

Human Sunset then retaliated by grabbing the goggles Indigo was wearing and yanked them off her head. She then threw them to the ground on top of her own destroyed glasses, and stomped them to pieces as well, in a fiery heat of vengeance. However, the timing was unfortunate, as the teacher who heard the commotion came around the corner to see Human Sunset yanking the goggles away from Indigo and breaking them viciously.

"Hey, stop that right now!" Coach Rommel ran over to the scene to witness the destroyed eyewear on the ground, and frowned. "You are coming with me to the principal's office right now!"

"B-B-But, she was the one who started-" Human Sunset tried to explain.

"I don't want to hear it." Coach Rommel stated bluntly. "Whatever it was, you had no right to destroy someone else's property, now let's go. You too, Indigo, since we need to get your side of the story."

Human Sunset lowered her head in shame as the coach escorted both Indigo and herself to Principal Cinch's office, where she knew that something was now likely going to be added to her permanent record. She almost didn't care anymore, as Indigo most certainly had it coming, especially thanks to all the prolonged bullying. While at the principal's office, as Indigo shared her side of the story, in which she mostly came up with fabrications, Human Sunset hoped that Principal Cinch would at least throw her a bone.

"...and then nerdy girl here was so jealous of my goggles, that she decided to ruin them." Indigo sighed sadly, as she had finished sharing details.

"Well, that sounds absolutely petty, I'd say." Cinch huffed. "Miss Sunny, care to explain yourself?"

"Yes, please hear me out." Human Sunset finally breathed a sigh of relief that she now had the perfect opportunity to finally expose Indigo. "It all started this semester when she blackmailed me into doing her homework and making me steal test answers from teachers just for her. She took my glasses and kept threatening to break them unless I followed her demands, and given how poor my family's become, I simply couldn't afford that happening. But then she went too far and demanded I break into the College Board to steal test answers for the SAT, and I just snapped. I broke my own glasses in a fit of rage to make sure she couldn't blackmail me anymore, and then I broke her goggles too because she had it coming. Not to mention, she's also been bullying me horribly this entire year."

"Is what she's saying true?" Cinch turned to Indigo.

Although Human Sunset was obviously expecting Indigo to deny everything, what she said next was overly surprising.

"Yes." Indigo smirked. "It is true. So what if I did?"

"You're right, Indigo Zap." Cinch added. "I'm no babysitter here, so why should I even care? And for that matter, why should I care about Indigo cheating, when all that matters is getting high marks to make our school have the best reputation around here? I don't care how my students do it, as long as it works. The truth is, Miss Sunny? The only thing I care about in this entire situation is that you broke Miss Indigo's goggles, so you now owe her the costs of replacing them."

"W-What!?" Human Sunset snapped in outrage. "And what about my glasses then!?"

"Technically speaking, since you claimed that story you told was indeed true, Indigo did not break your glasses." Cinch recalled. "You were the one who broke them yourself, so I see no need for her to pay you anything. I'll do everything I can to make sure Miss Indigo and her family are pleased, as they've now made a second generous donation to support the school this semester. Unless your family can top another shipment of $10,000, I'm afraid our conversation here is over. Oh, and for wrecking someone else's property, I'll also be suspending you for a week. Have I made myself clear, Miss Sunny?"

Human Sunset was at a loss for words. Indigo basically proved that no matter how awfully she treated her, Principal Cinch simply would not give the slightest care, especially when Indigo's family was rich enough to donate plenty for the school's funding. And this exact life would go on for the next three years too? She had practically already lost everything by this point, her spot in the top 20, the #1 student rank, and even her perfect record, as Cinch mentioned she was going to be suspended for the next week. What was once a path to potentially graduate at the top of her class had now become nothing more than being an animal at the circus, humiliated and laughed at all the way. Even worse, being an introvert for most of the school year also meant that Human Sunset didn't have anybody to turn to, no friends who'd vouch for her, or let her vent out all this pent up frustration. Absolutely disgusted with how the principal decided to handle this situation, she immediately got up from her chair and became blunt with Cinch.

"I'm dropping out!" Human Sunset affirmed. "I'd rather spend the rest of my life homeless than spend yet another five minutes in this absolute dump of a school! Insane bullies, encouragement on cheating, and a corrupt and greedy principal who only cares about money and nothing more!? I SHOULD SUE THIS SCHOOL!!!"

"Sure you will." Cinch simply cackled wickedly. "With what money, Miss Broke Family? You realize any lawyer in Canterlot is especially expensive and charge hourly fees? Also, good luck proving anything, who do you imagine the court will believe, the reliably reputable headmaster of the #1 ranked school in the city, or a student who admitted to vandalizing somebody else's property?"

"I don't even care anymore!" Human Sunset huffed. "I just want to get out of here right now, so I mean it. Take my name off the roster, I demand it!"

"Fine, as you wish." Cinch simply smirked, before getting ready to make a few phone calls to the school board. "In the meantime, Miss Indigo? I'll make your life easier so you don't even have to blackmail pathetic nerds for all the answers. I'll simply sneak you all the homework and test answers, and even what they'll prepare to test you on during the SAT. It'll certainly make Crystal Prep Academy look even better if we can get a Straight-A athlete too. But of course, I trust that you won't say a word to anyone about this?"

"No problem at all." Indigo laid back in her chair with her arms behind her head. "But just to be safe, I should probably get a few bad grades just in case, since I didn't do too well last semester either. Don't want anybody getting suspicious, especially my parents."

"Good call, I just wanted to ensure you get into good universities in the future." Cinch agreed. "Anything for a student whose family is so wonderfully generous. In the meantime, you're dismissed, Miss Sunny. Try not to let the door hit you on the way out."

Human Sunset still had tears in her eyes, but felt like the circumstances had left her with no other choice. Indigo's bullying was obviously going to become inevitably much worse if she chose to stay, and even the principal herself was going to take a bias due to being incredibly capitalistic. As she walked out the principal's door, she admittedly began to feel a sense of freedom, in that she was no longer a prisoner in a school that brought her nothing but misery every single day. She grabbed everything out of her locker and simply left school grounds, not having a single care anymore about finishing her freshman year.

Although none of the Shadowbolts ever recognized Sunset Shimmer, otherwise known as the Pony Sunset, Principal Cinch did. The Shadowbolts and other students only knew Human Sunset under the identity of 'Sunny S.', and as a result, they always believed Sunset Shimmer was an entirely different person, especially due to her drastically different personality, appearance, and reputation at CHS. Pony Sunset also didn't seem to recognize Sugarcoat or Indigo the first time they met, nor did she have any particular vendetta toward them, thus making that first theory more likely. However, when Principal Cinch was able to recognize one of the students as 'Sunset Shimmer', she surmised that Sunny S. might've simply transferred schools, as Cinch was the only one who had known Human Sunset's full birth name. It made even more sense to her that this must've been the case after Twilight Sparkle transferred to CHS herself, shortly following the Midnight Sparkle incident during the Friendship Games.

After dropping out of Crystal Prep Academy in a desperate attempt to escape the ongoing torment and humiliation from Indigo Zap, Human Sunset felt like she might immediately regret her decision. This turned out to be true when she came home to her confused and upset parents, though it was definitely Sunspot who took the news incredibly harshly, compared to his wife. Solstice meanwhile, mostly wanted to understand what could've caused her daughter to willingly drop out of an incredibly prestigious school that would've helped her future immensely.

"Sunset, come upstairs right now!" Sunspot demanded. "You have some serious explaining to do, young lady!"

Human Sunset walked up the stairs and into her parents' bedroom, where her father's voice was coming from. She knew she was definitely in hot water now, especially with her dad, who always had impossibly unreasonable expectations for her education.

"Sweetheart, could you please explain to us why we got a phone call from Principal Cinch that you decided to drop out of Crystal Prep Academy, thus withdrawing our deposits for your tuition?" Solstice asked her daughter, rather concerned.

"Mom, dad... I couldn't bear to be stuck in that abomination of a school anymore." Human Sunset sighed. "I was doing well academically, but there were two girls who kept holding me back and made every school day a living nightmare. Some girl named Indigo Zap constantly bullied me nonstop, and she always forced me to do her homework and steal test answers. She was relentless, making it clear that she'd hurt me horribly if I tattled on her. When I had enough, I ended up telling Principal Cinch, only for her to simply not care in the slightest. In fact, she ended up siding with Indigo even after all she did, and ended up suspending me after I finally retaliated against my bully."

"That's awful." Solstice said, before hugging her daughter. "I had no idea you were dealing with an awful bully, and even the principal herself refused to do anything about it."

"Are you meaning to tell me that my hard-earned money went down the drain simply because you couldn't stand up to some bully!?" Sunspot snapped. "I can't believe how weak you are!"

"Honey, please!" Solstice disapproved of her husband's behavior. "Do you even understand what our daughter's been through lately!? She dropped out to escape this ongoing torment, and nobody at the school was willing to do anything to help her, not even the principal."

"And that's not all." Human Sunset continued. "There was this other girl, Sugarcoat. She'd brag about how she'd somehow always get better grades than me, and I just don't know how. I've poured so much time and effort into studying, yet I still only got ranked #2 in the entire school. She also treated me horribly when I tried to approach her, making it clear that she only cared about coming out on top. My first semester there felt awful in the end when I still ended up losing to her, especially after how hard I already worked. Even worse was when dad said he thought I could've still done better."

"Well of course I think you could've done even better." Sunspot huffed. "You really think I was going to spend $7,000 a year at that school just for you to not graduate at the top of your class? You promised that you would do so to ensure we all wouldn't be in poverty for the rest of our lives! You could've become the CEO of a big corporate company, but now you'll only spend the rest of your days flipping hamburgers and mopping restrooms."

"Alright, that's enough!" Solstice stomped her foot on the ground. "I can't believe how much you're willing to kick Sunset when she's already down! She's clearly been driven to the brink of insanity studying to satisfy your perfectionist expectations, and you couldn't even be happy when she was #2 of the entire school? And now, you're more worried about money than you are of our very own daughter!?"

"I'm just speaking realistically for our futures and retirements!" Sunspot snapped. "It's not my fault that Sunset didn't come to either of us to let us know of any bully!"

"You could've been more involved whenever you picked her up from school, especially given how we're primarily living off of my job alone, ever since you got laid off!" Solstice yelled.

"I didn't say anything because... she blackmailed me with breaking my glasses, and I didn't want mom to have to pay so much money for another pair..." Human Sunset began sobbing. "She even said that she'd break far more than my glasses if I snitched, I was too intimidated to try anything..."

"Well regardless, there goes our retirement money and futures!" Sunspot continued his petty behavior, but unknowingly, this was the pivotal moment where Solstice decided she finally had enough.

"...You mean YOUR retirement money and future, dear." Solstice sighed.

"What are you blabbing about now, woman?" Sunspot questioned.

"I want a divorce." Solstice stated bluntly. "I can't do this anymore, I can't... be with a man who only cares about money and not the well being of his own daughter. Every night when I come home from work, I always make sure to give Sunset the love and attention she needs, while you're always on the couch, watching football and drinking beers."

"Wow, so that's it, huh?" Sunspot huffed again. "This is the thanks I get for taking care of the house, driving Sunset to and from school, and buying you that $25,000 wedding ring with my life savings?"

"Some of the most important things in life can never be bought with money, but it seems as if you'll never understand any of that." Solstice sighed. "After seeing how awful of a father you've been to Sunset, I'd rather raise her on my own than let her be exposed to any more of your toxic behavior."

"Alright, fine." Sunspot rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault Sunset was too dumb to tell either of us about this, or at least let us know before she made that decision to drop out!"

"Let's be honest now." Solstice said, sharply. "You wouldn't have even cared if she did tell us about the bully, as much as you would, her getting a 101% on the SAT."

"You know what, you're right, I wouldn't have cared." Sunspot teased. "There, I said it, you happy now? I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning with the divorce papers, maybe I'll go on to raise a son with a new woman who actually understands financial value! Have a good life, Solstice."

Sunspot walked out the door without an ounce of hesitation, as Human Sunset began weeping. Now she had not only lost her future and education, but even her own father too. The words spoken by him even stuck to Human Sunset's heart like glue, in that she realized he had a point as far as being dumb and weak. She likely had many options to deal with Indigo Zap, but simply let the bully bleed her dry for two straight months. Then again, it seemed as if retaliation wouldn't have been an option regardless, as she had learned recently that Indigo's family was rich. This was an incentive for Cinch to always take her side, and would've allowed Indigo to afford great lawyers. This once again made Human Sunset heavily regret not making any friends during her freshman year, as any friend might've been able to vouch for or protect her.

Better yet, if she had accepted Sugarcoat's initial offer in becoming friends at the beginning of the year, would things have played out differently? Given how ruthless Indigo ended up being, along with how morally corrupt and uncaring the principal was, Human Sunset contemplated if making friends at Crystal Prep Academy would've been a waste regardless, especially with what she had to endure every single day. When she was constantly getting bullied by Indigo in her own time, nobody nearby ever stood up for her or tried to pick her up off the ground. They either didn't care about her, or were afraid Indigo's family might sue them as well, had they decided to intervene. After deliberating for a bit, she didn't care anymore, and was just glad she had finally escaped that prison that dared call itself a prestigious school.

Human Sunset walked up to Solstice and hugged her, still heartbroken that she was now likely going to spend the rest of her youth without a dad. Regardless, she was eternally grateful that her mother still stuck by her side, as it always seemed clear that she was the more understanding and reasonable parent, despite having to work long hours every day. Although Human Sunset was in some ways relieved that her father was gone, and that she no longer had to be at the mercy of his expectations, she still felt as if she had failed the family, since she knew getting into a good college would've completely changed this life of poverty for sure.

As for being weak enough to fall to a bully, no, she would not let this stand any longer. Once a shy and nerdy social outcast, it used to make her an easy target. With the pain in her heart over her father abandoning the family, the emotional struggles and anger over losing practically everything built up inside. Even if she was going to have to scrub toilets and live off of food stamps for the rest of her life, it didn't matter anymore. She believed in seeking vengeance against those students and the principal for all their wrongdoings, as it was time to finally reinvent herself. She wanted to make her appearance stand out and ensure anyone who saw her would immediately know she's not somebody to be messed with. The time had come for the city of Canterlot to never forget the name 'Sunset Shimmer', as 'Sunny S.' was now forever gone.

Chapter 51: Vanishing Vengeance

It had already been a week since Solstice and Sunspot divorced, along with Human Sunset finally finishing up reinventing herself. Although her overall vision was still somewhat blurry, she had no choice but to roll with it, as getting new prescribed glasses was still currently too much for her mother's budget, and she didn't particularly NEED glasses anymore, now that she didn't have any classes to attend. Besides, wearing glasses contributed to how easily she was targeted and blackmailed by Indigo, and they would've felt out of place coupled with her new attire and look. Human Sunset dyed her hair an even darker shade of red and yellow, began using mascara, painted her nails black, and applied black eyeshadow to her eyelids. She also used what little money she had left to buy some new clothes, as she had already sold her Crystal Prep Academy uniform.

At the store, she picked out a pair of spiky black boots, a short-sleeved dark jacket with spikes on the collars, and a fiery skirt with a matching undershirt. With this new ensemble put together, she knew for certain that her previous life of being an introverted nerd was now forever gone. No longer going by 'Sunny S.' like she did at school, she wanted to make sure everyone around her would finally remember the name, 'Sunset Shimmer', for all the right reasons. She was not to be pushed around and messed with, and any who dared to do so would regret it heavily. In some ways, Human Sunset believed that this goth-girl theme with her new look was effective at showing what Crystal Prep Academy had done to her. It was an excellent way of symbolizing her grief after being bullied and abused at school, along with feeling heartbroken at her father abandoning her at such a young age. The world had seemingly been against her for so long, and this was the result, as a consequence from this entire series of unfortunate events.

Although her new visual identity was now solved, she was admittedly still weak as far as physical strength, making it clear that she needed to toughen herself up and prove she was truly a force to be reckoned with. No longer having to worry about school after dropping out, Human Sunset had far more time on her hands to become meaner and tougher, and she particularly wanted to take it all out on Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, and Principal Cinch one day. Since she was currently still living with her mother, she at least had a place to live, along with plenty of food to eat, as Solstice managed to take half of Sunspot's money as alimony. Despite this, Human Sunset knew that at one point, she'd have to get a job herself to help her mother out with everything. It'd be her personal way to thank Solstice for still believing in her despite now ending up in this unfortunate life as a school dropout. That said, not even having graduated high school would make that goal incredibly challenging, so Human Sunset decided to currently focus on getting in shape.

She began working out at a local gym for months, growing her physical strength and taking all of her anger out on punching bags. This training not only helped her vent out frustration internally, but even practice potential fighting moves that could come in handy should she ever come across anyone who'd test her patience. Before long, Human Sunset had eventually built herself into a fighting machine, capable of blocking attacks, dodging, counterattacking, and even knocking out her opponents. As a final test for her new and improved body, she planned to sneak back to Crystal Prep Academy, looking specifically for the car parked in the faculty lot labeled 'Principal'. Since this was a personal act of revenge, it felt much more cathartic to use only her new skills to do the deed.

Human Sunset knew Principal Cinch would've been required to arrive much earlier than any other faculty, and decided to pull an all-nighter from a distance, waiting patiently until Cinch pulled up in her reserved spot. After arriving and keeping herself awake with coffee, Cinch eventually parked her car in the designated spot, before entering the school building. It was only 5:30 AM, and no other staff were expected to arrive until around another hour later. Seeing this perfect opportunity, Human Sunset snuck over and was ready to metaphorically show Cinch the consequences of her actions. Using only her fists, she managed to make several large dents all over the car, before punching out every glass window. The car alarm thankfully hadn't set off, making it so Human Sunset had another opportunity to vandalize further. She took notice of the sharp spikes on her boots, before kicking to slash all four tires, thus rendering the vehicle immobile.

Being able to damage a car severely with her own fists was enough to prove to herself that all the training had paid off, finally toughening herself up to become the perfect weapon against anyone else who'd wrong her. In fact, she was so satisfied that she became overconfident, thinking of doing the exact same deed upon Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap. Human Sunset would later on that week, do some heavy digging to find out where those two girls had lived, and committed the same acts of vandalism against those girls' family vehicles, which looked like expensive supercars. Satisfied with her cathartic act of revenge on her former school's enemies, Human Sunset simply left, thinking that karma had finally come back to bite Cinch and those girls.

As Human Sunset decided she was finally finished with her training, she quit stopping by the gym and was finally prepared to get a job. Looking for jobs without even having a high school diploma would've been challenging for sure, as most places would've expected that as the minimum qualification requirement. Human Sunset applied to Taco Tuesday, Burger Queen, and McRonald's, but every place ended up rejecting her when her resume stated that she never ended up finishing high school due to dropping out. No matter where she went, every business had deemed her as 'unqualified', especially when she wasn't even enrolled as a student anywhere currently. As a result, without being able to provide an extra source of income, Human Sunset began feeling incredibly sad for her poor mother.

During these past few months, she was still living with Solstice, who was still happy that her daughter was no longer trapped at in awful and corrupted school. At the same time, Human Sunset felt like a failure of a daughter, in the sense that bills would eventually add up, and Solstice might not be able to handle everything on her own, especially given they were already a poor family to begin with. Despite taking her ex-husband's alimony, Solstice eventually realized that over time, she wasn't able to keep up anymore, when she had unexpectedly gotten laid off from her job too. Now only living off of her savings, money had become even tighter than ever before, especially after Solstice was forced to write Indigo a check for a large sum of money for her goggles.

Solstice did her absolute best to find a new job so that she could still live happily with her daughter, but this act of kindness would unknowingly end up becoming her undoing. She stayed up all night long, barely got any sleep, did all the necessary tasks of a parent on her own, and barely fed herself in order to still provide for her daughter. Despite these efforts, no other place ended up hiring her, and money was going to inevitably become scarce at some point. Unfortunately, by neglecting her own health in favor of giving her daughter the best life possible despite the circumstances, it would eventually come back to bite Solstice in the worst way imaginable. She fell to the ground as a result of exhaustion and malnutrition, which prompted Human Sunset to rush her to the hospital.

In her hospital bed, the doctor told both Solstice and her daughter that their insurance wasn't going to be enough to cover the treatment, much like with the pony Applejack and Granny Smith one day. They were still short around $500, which was ironically how much Solstice was forced to pay Indigo Zap for her goggles and damages. Human Sunset then felt like an absolute failure of a daughter like never before, realizing that the indirect consequences of her actions in dropping out had lost these valuable opportunities. She could've gotten into the best university to ensure money would never be an issue for her family ever again. Now she was essentially a loser dropout who could never get a reliable source of income, which ended up having her own mother overwork herself to the point of becoming ill.

Crying over how cruel the entire world had been to both her and her mother, Human Sunset simply hugged Solstice tightly for many hours straight, with the two praying to each other and bonding over all the good memories they've made together over the years. Human Sunset had no idea what she was going to do to move forward if her mother ended up passing away, since her father was already gone, and the only person she truly had left was Solstice. She had no other friends or family members to turn to, meaning that she'd be forced to live out the rest of her life alone if she did nothing and let her mother pass. Despite the dire circumstances, Solstice told her daughter one last thing before Human Sunset had to leave, as visiting hours were nearly over.

"I'm so happy that you've stuck by my side for 7 hours straight today, Sunset." Solstice said, weakly.

"Anything for you, mom." Human Sunset was still crying emotionally, that it made her face rather messy from all her makeup. "If I hadn't dropped out and broken that bully's goggles, none of this would be happening... this is all my fault."

"Sunset, darling..." Solstice continued. "The only people we can point a finger at are your bullies, Principal Cinch, and your father. I refuse to let you believe that you were the one who ended up putting me in this hospital bed..."

"I know, but... I could've done things differently, even if the world ended up not working out in our favors..." Human Sunset sobbed. "I could've graduated at the top of my class and made sure we'd never have to worry about money ever again, yet this happens. I don't know how I'll ever go on to find a stable job, get my driver's license, or even live the rest of my life without you being around anymore. I love you, mom..."

"I love you too, Sunset... and please don't forget..." Solstice said, before coughing a bit from her condition. "Even if this ends up taking my life, I'll always be by your side and protect you, no matter how rough life becomes..."

Human Sunset's heart shattered upon hearing those words, but realized that this was simply going to be how life was going to play out, since every parent would have to eventually say goodbye to their child forever, one way or another. She hugged her mother tightly one last time, before the doctor broke them up, forcing Human Sunset to leave, as they had to close the hospital for the night.

Still aggravated over the circumstances and events that contributed to this very moment, Human Sunset felt disgust in herself too, knowing that breaking Indigo's goggles would've practically costed her mother's life. Although she had already committed revenge against her enemies by vandalizing their cars, it only felt right to enact further revenge against Indigo, since she had taken the money that was vital for her mother's sake. Remembering again where Indigo lived, Human Sunset went back over to Indigo's house and noticed that the family car was gone, likely because she and her family was now out getting a new ride. This gave Human Sunset the perfect opportunity to break into their home and steal some money. Upon shattering a window and entering to search for anything valuable, she initially noticed a moneybox in the closet, guarded by a lock. This would've been a pain to crack open by any typical burglar, but Human Sunset knew she had the strength to break it open.

After destroying the safe with her bare fists, money and coins scattered everywhere, as Human Sunset counted the money, realizing that she had found approximately $1,000. She might've only needed $500, but taking it all felt like proper compensation for all the pain and humiliation she went through back at Crystal Prep Academy. Upon stashing the cash into her pocket, it felt like bad timing, as she heard Indigo's family car pull up onto their driveway. Seeing that there wasn't much time to goof around and look for other valuables, Human Sunset fled the house, hoping they wouldn't catch her in the act. As she exited and hid in a nearby bush, she overheard Indigo exclaim horror upon entering her home.

"Mom, dad, look!" Indigo shrieked. "Somebody broke our window and... and they took my allowance stash!!! Call the police!!! And quick, let's check the security camera footage!"

Human Sunset's eyes widened, realizing that if they checked their cameras, they would know she was the culprit, since there was technically no evidence beforehand of her vandalizing Cinch's, Sugarcoats, and Indigo's cars. She then surmised they must've installed cameras after they saw somebody had smashed up their car. As a result, Human Sunset just fled the scene, hoping that even if she was now going to be a criminal who'd get locked up for the rest of her life, she could at least bring the money to the hospital the next day, making sure they could treat her mother. Human Sunset eventually returned home and stashed the money under her pillow, praying that it wasn't already too late to save her mother, before falling asleep.

The next day, Human Sunset rushed to the hospital as quickly as she could, ready to deliver the missing money needed to afford Solstice's treatment. But as she went to the receptionist desk and was asked to speak with the doctor, she got told some even worse news, on top of now being a criminal herself.

"Hi, Sunset." The doctor addressed his client's daughter. "I'm glad to see you went the extra mile to bring $500 for your mother's insurance to cover her treatment, but I'm afraid your efforts are a tad too late. Your mother unfortunately already passed away at around 6 AM this morning, as a result of her condition."

"No... please... TELL ME THIS ISN'T TRUE!!!!" Human Sunset began sobbing hysterically.

"I'm really sorry for your loss, but I'm afraid it already happened." The doctor sympathized. "If it helps, I can at least let you see her for a bit, before you decide on how you and your family will plan on moving forward."

Human Sunset nodded, though she felt somewhat insulted by the doctor claiming she had any family left, if what he told her was true. As she had dreaded, Human Sunset saw Solstice completely unconscious in her hospital bed, and her mother's eyes were closed, along with having pale skin. She brought her hand upon her mother's forehead and noticed it was pretty cold, making her realize the inevitable had already occurred.

"No, mom... please!!!" Human Sunset hugged her lifeless mother's body. "I risked everything to help save you, and I still couldn't do it! I'm so sorry, mom, I've failed both you and dad as a daughter! I know you didn't want me to ever believe this, but it's the truth, given how I've made dumb decisions myself!!!"

Despite her mother being long gone, Human Sunset still stood by her side, since it felt like the right thing to do, given how Solstice promised that she'd always be there for her daughter through thick and thin, even after she's gone. After staying around for what felt like an eternity, Human Sunset eventually knew she had to pick herself up and do the respectable thing after her mother's passing. She used what little money her family had left, along with the $1,000 she stole from Indigo to pay for the funeral, albeit a private one where she was the only one attending. Being by herself during this funeral, without her dad or any friends by her side, it seemed to symbolize how alone Human Sunset truly was now. She cremated her mother's body and arranged for a spot to bury her in the cemetery, something no child should ever have to experience, let alone on their own.

After which, with no job or reliable source of income from that point forward, Human Sunset just laid low and stayed in her mother's home, feeling completely depressed and lonely. She sacrificed everything in an attempt to become #1 for her father, and was willing to possibly go to jail for vandalism and theft for her mother, only to find out she ended up failing in both instances. For the rest of the upcoming week, Human Sunset just cried herself to sleep every night, whilst barely eating or taking care of herself, as the emotional pain over losing her mother prevented her from doing so. With so much going on in just a few days over her mother being hospitalized and passing away, Human Sunset would've never imagined the possibility of another version of herself coming here from another world.

Around this time, Pony Sunset had already made her way through the portal, before realizing she couldn't go back anymore after satisfying her curiosity. After which, a few days had already passed, and she mostly kept a low profile around CHS, where nobody would've recognized her as that 'Sunny S.' student from Crystal Prep. She never even bothered going into the city itself, as she felt the need to familiarize herself with her surroundings, now being forced to live in a different world, and all. As she didn't have the capabilities of making money just yet, she wasn't able to afford an apartment to rent, and mostly slept within storage closets in the school gym.

As Human Sunset was continuing her usual routine in mourning the loss of her mother, another thing eventually happened that would change everything. She heard a knock at the front door and went downstairs to look through the peephole. To her shock, two policemen were standing on her porch, looking rather stern and impatient. Since Human Sunset overheard Indigo and her family checking their cameras, it was reasonable to surmise that they had done an investigation to discover that she was the one behind the theft and acts of vandalism. Realizing that this would most likely mean she'd go to jail or face even harsher consequences, Human Sunset decided to not answer, and snuck out her home's back window before making a run for it.

Unknown to Human Sunset, Indigo and her family had checked their footage, only to find out that their camera wasn't working, meaning that they actually had no real evidence of her being the thief. As a result, the policemen were mostly there just to question the residents if they had any leads regarding this criminal, and since they saw that nobody was seemingly home, they simply left casually without doing anything else extreme. Regardless, Human Sunset basically knew she was a legitimate criminal at this point, and with no more friends and family to go to, she just mindlessly decided to hide.

As she ran down the streets frantically, something unusual happened, as a strange jolt of magic forced her to run down another street she wasn't familiar with, an occurrence that even the pony Sunset and Starlight noticed themselves. Not questioning this, Human Sunset continued on down the street until she noticed a pizza parlor. Desperate to the point of hiding from the cops for quite some time, she simply hid in the parlor's restroom and locked herself in one of the stalls, hoping that the police wouldn't end up finding and apprehending her.

Unfortunately, out of all odds, this pizza parlor had recently hired a new employee to cook the pizzas, and this particular newbie had a dangerous habit of leaving the ovens unattended as he grew bored waiting for the pizzas to cook. As a result, a few hours after Human Sunset barricaded herself in the restroom, the oven caught on fire. The employee attempted to use a fire extinguisher to put out the flames, but it was no use, as the fire then spread to a larger portion of the building. Desperate for their lives, the manager and employees fled the restaurant quickly, not even realizing there was a girl who remained behind in the restroom.

Human Sunset continued hiding in her stall, until she had suddenly smelled smoke. It didn't seem surprising given how she saw a few workers cooking pizza on her way in, but she soon realized that the smoke wasn't going away, and was actually getting worse and more toxic. Understanding that something was truly wrong, Human Sunset got up out of her stall and went outside the restroom, only to see the building was completely covered and surrounded by fire. Her initial instinct was to grab some water from the sink to potentially put the flames out, only to see that the fire started spreading inside the restroom too, shortly after she opened the door. The fire then began surrounding Human Sunset, as she soon realized there was truly no easy way out. Although prepared for the worst as far as potentially dying to these flames, it was primarily the toxic smoke fumes that weakened Human Sunset, to the point where she had trouble breathing and keeping consciousness.

Finally, after inhaling too many smoke fumes, it unfortunately became too much for her biological system, and Human Sunset was on the brink of passing out. She desperately tried her best to use what little energy she had left to save herself, but only slid a few inches across the coarse ground before blacking out completely. Shortly after, it wasn't particularly clear at the time, but her body began to fade in and out several times before disappearing, leaving behind nothing more than an empty building that was set to burn to the ground.

As Pony Sunset had already fallen asleep relatively early inside one of the CHS storage rooms, she began having a dream, where she was sitting in complete darkness and seemed to be by herself. She couldn't see any part of herself either, almost giving off the impression that her physical form had suddenly disappeared, and all that was left was her voice. Pony Sunset was able to mutter a few words and hear herself speaking, but out of nowhere, another sound began to make itself apparent over her own voice.

Although everything seemed invisible to Pony Sunset, Human Sunset meanwhile saw a white silhouette out of the corner of her eye, which looked like some kind of four-legged animal. It then suddenly hit her that she somehow escaped from the burning building and was now in some strange dimension where she could see nothing else but darkness, other than that strange animal. But before Human Sunset could even comprehend what was even going on, out of nowhere, something seemingly invisible in the area began to suck her up from the ground, pulling her toward it. Given how she once did a lot of research in astronomy during her school days, it seemed as if a void or black hole was attempting to suck her inside, almost as if she was within the void's proximity.

Pony Sunset meanwhile, was continuing on with this 'dream', still unsure of why her mind shifted to this unusual scenario. She almost had a potential theory that this place might've represented the consequences of her actions in still going through the mirror after disobeying Princess Celestia's orders, as she seemed to be trapped in some void of emptiness with only herself within it. Unknown to Pony Sunset, there really was an actual void in the darkness itself, which began engulfing Human Sunset, given how Pony Sunset was luckily far enough away from its reach.

As the void began taking hold of Human Sunset's body, she was only able to notice that she was getting sucked up, while the strange animal in the distance just remained behind. She began struggling and crying, realizing that something seemingly tragic was about to happen, especially knowing what happens to anything that gets trapped in a black hole's reach. Human Sunset kicked around and tried to grab ahold of anything in the darkness that could prevent the hole from pulling her all the way in, but to no avail. She then started screaming desperately for anyone who would somehow hear her, possibly able to save her from this dreaded nightmare.

"Mom, please be with me!" Human Sunset begged. "Don't just leave me here, please!"

She was genuinely desperate to the point of calling for her mother, Solstice, even though she knew internally that her mom was already gone. Despite her mother's passing, Human Sunset never forgot what Solstice said to her in her last breath, in that she'd always be with her, no matter how hard life became. In a final attempt of struggling to escape the void, Human Sunset was suddenly out of energy and was pulled all the way in, completely engulfed as the void closed itself up, erasing her from existence. From Pony Sunset's point of view, she only made out Human Sunset's voice and noises, as well as the few phrases she had briefly cried out before disappearing. As Pony Sunset had noted before, she was always creeped out at why there was a voice in this third night's dream that sounded just like hers, and she would unknowingly let this happen again when Starlight Glimmer joined her for an extended stay too.

Although still confused at what the dream was about, Pony Sunset didn't think much about it, before somehow waking up in the storage room. Looking over at a clock, she noticed it was already the next morning, despite how short that dream seemed to be. Not thinking much of the dream until she eventually had that conversation with Starlight, Pony Sunset carried on with her new life in the human world, believing it was simply a weird experience. But as for Human Sunset, the void trapped her the entire time Pony Sunset's physical presence manifested with the world's own magic. Although Pony Sunset had revisted Equestria several times during her human life, she had never actually left the human world for more than 24 hours, up until she had recently decided to take a longer extended stay, thus exceeding 72 hours.

When Pony Sunset's presence was no longer in the world anymore, the void finally opened back up, releasing Human Sunset from her seemingly eternal prison, which occurred nearly an hour ago as Human Sunset took all this time to recollect everything. That void was the very last thing she saw and remembered before being wiped from existence, only to one day, throw her back out in the same area she was initially at before being brought before the darkness. It was unknown to Human Sunset at the time, but the alleyway she ended up in used to be the exact same area where the old pizza parlor originally was, before it had eventually burned to the ground. With the space now being empty despite the firefighters' best efforts to save the building, Canterlot City's mayor decided to add a few more business buildings. These buildings were the same ones that surrounded Human Sunset, forming the alley she had just left after regaining consciousness.

Although she had been faded from existence rather than being in a coma from those smoke fumes, the effects of being in one were still the same, as Human Sunset was still alive and had aged in her time trapped within the void. Unknown to everything that had occurred when Pony Sunset made her way in, Human Sunset now purely wanted answers as to what had happened before she passed out. Did the smoke fumes do that to her, or did it have something to do with that faint, four-legged animal she briefly saw in the darkness? Whatever was the case, Human Sunset had already accepted being in a coma and missing several years of her life, but she still wanted to understand what truly happened, and why specifically to her.

While she continued to walk down the dark streets of Canterlot, everything seemed to be quiet. It was now around 9:30 PM, and most people were already home, or had closed shop. This was why when Human Sunset seemingly heard very subtle noises in the distance, it began to alert her to somebody else's presence. Although her eyesight admittedly wasn't that great, she had a great sense of hearing, which allowed her to pick up anything small. Since the noises seemed to be following her wherever she went, it almost gave off the impression that somebody was stalking her, but this didn't worry Human Sunset too terribly much. As long as she didn't have to deal with another void trapping her, she believed she was still well-prepared to fight anyone who would attempt to jump her, especially at night.

After hearing what sounded like less subtle noises in the form of footsteps, Human Sunset swiftly turned around, only to find that nobody was there. Something seemed very wrong, but it actually turned out that the person following her was rather sneaky, able to quickly hide without being noticed. After checking behind her thoroughly and realizing there really seemed to be nobody there, Human Sunset let her guard down slightly as she began making her way to a street that would then change everything. The same street where Pony Sunset's apartment was located, where Pinkie was still housesitting for her, and also prepared for the possibility of her friend returning back home early...

Chapter 52: The Terrible Truth

Human Sunset continued down the street casually, unsure of who she could even ask for answers. She decided that at the same time, it was likely best to lay low, just as she used to do during that final week before her disappearance, assuming the police were still looking for her as a wanted fugitive. Other than this, she still genuinely missed her mother, Solstice, hoping that her deceased mother would not look down on her in a bad light if she somehow ended up in jail. She might've still been loved by her mother, even as a school dropout, but Solstice would most likely feel a lot differently if her daughter ended up being convicted of theft and vandalism for the rest of her life. Having a criminal record would've certainly made finding a job ten times more difficult, never mind the restraints from never finishing high school. By this point, since Human Sunset felt she had already finished business by committing those crimes against those people who had once wronged her, there was no need to feel vengeful toward anybody else.

While on her stroll, Human Sunset began slowly approaching the apartment rented by her pony counterpart, and Pinkie spotted what looked like her friend right outside the window. Happy to see Sunset again, but remembering that her good friend reminded her of the possibility of returning home early for any reason, Pinkie began approaching the front door to open it, ready to greet 'Sunset Shimmer'. Although Pony Pinkie had already confessed to the shenanigans she had done with secretly switching worlds with her human counterpart from time to time, due to how capable either Pinkie was at blending in, there was still unfortunately one crucial difference between the two. Human Pinkie lacked Pinkie Sense, making it so she was unable to immediately decipher whether somebody was a being from Equestria, or the actual native human counterpart.

This line of thinking was why she had instantly theorized Princess Twilight was possibly a twin sister of the Human Twilight, along with having a similar-looking pet dog. Although 'Pinkie' was able to pick out why the Human Twilight was the native counterpart to Princess Twilight during the Friendship Games, due to that Twilight wearing glasses and attending Crystal Prep Academy, it was actually the Pony Pinkie who pointed that out. Pony Pinkie decided to switch places with her human counterpart out of boredom, especially after figuring out how to keep the mirror open without waiting every 30 moons. She had secretly gone through the mirror in her own time, completely unaware that during this little visit, Twilight and Starlight had been fighting a seemingly never-ending battle through time traveling spells. Pony Pinkie spent most of her time accompanying Sunset and her human friends during the CHS pep rallies, shortly before the Crystal Prep students arrived.

It was unknown to anybody at the time, but after the Human Twilight unintentionally used her device to capture Pony Pinkie's magic, making her feel party pooped, that was when she decided to return to Equestria to switch back, letting her human self take over during the roller-skating competition. Knowing Pony Sunset for a while, Human Pinkie also understood that Sunset never brought up the possibility of having a twin sister, as she had already told all her human friends long ago that she was never really close with her actual family in Equestria. As a result of all these factors combined, Human Pinkie went outside the apartment to greet her friend, completely unaware that this was not the Sunset Shimmer she knew.

"Hi there, Sunset!" Pinkie called out, happily. "I guess that vacation of yours went smoothly? Or maybe it didn't, since it looks like you're already back in only the middle of the week?"

"Wha...?" Human Sunset stuttered, completely confused at this random pink-haired girl addressing her by name. "Who the heck are you, and how do you know my name!?"

"Oh, you're so funny, Sunset!" Pinkie giggled. "By the way, I like the new look you've done with your hair and face! That eyeshadow makes you look really pretty!"

"I'm serious now!" Human Sunset spat. "Who are you, and how do you already know my name even though I've been gone for so long!?"

"I'm your friend, Pinkie Pie." Pinkie replied, somewhat unamused. "Come on, now. It's not funny anymore when you let the punchline overstay its welcome. And according to my watch, you haven't been gone for that long, it's only been about three days since you left. You were on vacation, remember?"

Human Sunset had become much more confused than she already was, especially knowing with certainty that she never had any friends. How did this random girl she's never even met before somehow know her actual name, let alone the fact she's been gone for quite some time? This Pinkie girl even figured out that this was a more recent look she gave herself after reinventing her appearance, making Human Sunset wonder if she was going delusional or had met some psychic person. She instinctively pinched her own arm to see if she was dreaming or not.

"Ouch!" Human Sunset flinched slightly at her own pinch. "Well, I'm certainly not dreaming right now. Alright... Pinkie. I'm going to ask you right now, where was I approximately three days ago?"

"Well, you paid me to watch your apartment, I made sure to do everything you asked while hanging out with my new friend, Cheese Sandwich." Pinkie replied. "I watered your plants, fed Ray, and found something in the mailbox addressed to you. I think you'll be very excited, it's from Canterlot University."

Pinkie handed Human Sunset an envelope, and she opened it out of curiosity, as it was addressed to 'Sunset Shimmer', matching who she actually was. Inside was a letter from the university board saying that 'Sunset' had gotten in, and would be accepted as a new student next year. This came as an absolute surprise to Human Sunset, knowing how she never even finished high school thanks to dropping out, but she decided to pry further.

"And... why were you watching um... my apartment?" Human Sunset questioned, trying to figure everything out.

"Oh, I see how it is." Pinkie put her hand on her own chin. "You want to recall every little memory we made together before graduation day at CHS, so that we'll always remember each other no matter how busy life pulls us apart, gotcha. Well in that case, you only mentioned that you were leaving town for a few days, so I have no idea where you actually went. But if my hunch was anything to go by, you probably went back to that Equestria place through the portal on the CHS horse statue pedestal. That place looked pretty nifty the first time you brought me and the rest of our spring break cruisers to that alternate dimension. I'll never forget how we all turned into ponies and got mixed up with the Storm King's terrible magic."

"Are you... feeling okay, or just crazy?" Human Sunset stated bluntly, feeling as if this girl was spouting utter nonsense. "Better yet, are you trying to convince me that you belong in a mental institution or something?"

"Hey, Sunset!" Pinkie said with disapproval. "You don't have to be so mean..."

"I feel as if you're just making stuff up to mess with me now!" Human Sunset continued. "Look, I don't know how you know my name, or how you found out I was gone for quite some time, but I'm almost certain at this point that you're just making up all this nonsense like a knucklehead! Can you just get out of here!?"

"Ouch..." Pinkie started showing a hurt expression. "Okay, I'm sorry if I wasn't playing along correctly, and I'll give you your house key back since you've returned early, but... we're still going to be standing next to each other when they take the graduation photo, right? It's nice how we've both survived everything that high school's been throwing at us, and now we'll finally graduate together as good friends."

Hearing this particular statement from Pinkie, Human Sunset's eye simply twitched. Was this girl now mocking her too, poking fun at the fact that she never got the opportunity to finish freshman year of high school, let alone enjoy the luxury of graduation? It didn't even feel like a question at that point, but rather an insensitive insult that drove Human Sunset over the edge, making her anger flare up and snap at Pinkie viciously.

"I never even finished freshman year, and you go as far as to mock me by claiming that I'll be graduating with you!?" Human Sunset roared. "Get out of my face right now, you ANNOYING PIECE OF GARBAGE!!! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!!!!"

Pinkie simply lowered her head in sadness before handing Human Sunset the key to Pony Sunset's apartment. Feeling a sudden sense of abandonment from her bestie, Pinkie became conflicted as she slowly made her way down the sidewalk before looking back one last time. She was so hurt and confused as to why her friend would act so cold and blunt, never mind pretending that she wasn't going to graduate CHS when she was already one of the top students there. In a final attempt to check and see whether 'Sunset' was serious or not, Pinkie turned around and asked with the smallest sliver of hope that her friend was simply messing with her.

"Sunset, if this is just a really sick joke, you have to tell me right now..." Pinkie moped. "If not, are you... ditching me at graduation too?"

"You're the sick joke here!" Human Sunset emphasized her bluntness before pointing a finger to make Pinkie leave. "And you know what, yeah, sure! I am ditching your non-existent graduation fantasy, so BEAT IT!"

Pinkie ran away crying, feeling betrayed and abandoned, just like the Pony Pinkie would've felt during that alternate timeline where Pony Sunset purposefully avoided and abandoned her in favor of having the perfect Postcrush experience. Human Sunset meanwhile, had no care in the world, given how she had no idea who that delusional girl even was, and took great offense at the mere thought of herself actually graduating high school, let alone moving on to college. Thinking the college acceptance letter was nothing more than a cruel joke meant to mock her, she simply ripped the letter to pieces and stomped on it with fury. Still though, the fact that this random girl seemed to know a few arbitrary facts about her without ever getting properly acquainted, it gave Human Sunset the idea to at least investigate this apartment that was claimed to have been her home.

This wasn't right, the last place Human Sunset lived was Solstice's old home in the residential area of Canterlot City, she knew this with certainty. Given how poor her family was, renting a luxurious looking apartment like this was certainly out of the question. On top of that, as Human Sunset opened the door and walked into the apartment, she could see how nice the place truly was. Computers, guitars on the wall, a gaming console with a 75'' HD monitor, a full fridge with fresh sushi laying around, and a wide collection of furniture that any ordinary person would envy. According to that girl who 'housesat' for her, all of these nice things supposedly belonged to herself? Processing this further, Human Sunset had no idea if she was going delusional, having some kind of hallucination where she somehow stumbled into another alternate life and reality where she had become successful and was on top of the world to afford all these nice things.

It felt like a cruel joke, that she went from a poor and broken school dropout, to this seemingly successful millionaire with the nicest home in the city. Even though she already knew it was an apartment, Human Sunset believed she was in the middle of a mansion, owned by somebody who had to have worked hard to afford everything. Then she remembered that she herself most certainly worked hard at Crystal Prep Academy, only to now end up in this unfortunate life. Was this... all meant to be a vision to symbolize what she could've gotten, had she decided to stay in school? Taking one last look at her surroundings, Human Sunset believed that this would've been exactly the kind of luxurious home she wanted to one day give to her parents if she got into the best school and made top dollars. But there was no way she could've done all this herself, assuming she was in a coma for at least several years.

Upon further inspection, Human Sunset took notice of a photo album, as well as a personal diary separate from Pony Sunset's magical journal. Her first instinct was to take a look at the photos, trying to understand who truly owned this home and all these nice belongings. Whilst skimming the photos, there weren't any pictures that Pony Sunset had taken of herself, as these were mostly part of a collection she had worked on for photography class. However, one particular photo near the end of the album had caught Human Sunset's attention. The setting took place at that slumber party at Pinkie's house, where Pony Sunset and Princess Twilight had joined the rest of the Rainbooms in figuring out ways to defeat the Dazzlings. Looking at the photo, it originated from when Rarity was attempting to take a selfie with herself, Pony Sunset, and Fluttershy, only for Spike to photobomb it at the last minute. Human Sunset simply stared at Pony Sunset's face in the photo, completely bewildered on when this could've been taken.

"Did I... actually experience this at some point before I got into that coma?" Human Sunset asked herself, still scratching her head. "I don't recognize those two other girls, nor that dog. And for that matter, I certainly don't remember ever smiling like that, my previous life before the coma was straight up miserable. Driving myself to the brink of insanity to satisfy dad, losing mom, and not to mention that awful experience at Crystal Prep Academy, when was I ever this happy?"

Moving past this, Human Sunset set the photo down, and realized that it felt logical to now get an understanding of how long of a period she had been in a coma, as it certainly didn't seem likely that she was only out cold for around three days, according to that Pinkie girl. Checking a nearby calendar, Human Sunset was shocked to see that several solid years had already passed since the year she had dropped out and had the misfortune of seeing her own mother pass away. She then realized that this meant there was truly something more fishy going on, and noticed that the computer by the front door was still plugged in. Taking a seat and starting up the PC, Human Sunset opened a browser and searched up the name, 'Sunset Shimmer' in the search engine. To her shock, many results came up, including older news articles documenting the many times the Pony Sunset and her human friends had saved the world by using their magic for the greater good. Another result that came up was a gaming channel named 'ShimmerCode', where Pony Sunset played all sorts of video games and had just reached 10 million subscribers. Clicking on this, Human Sunset could see that the channel was already logged in, and there were notifications from the website admins that 'Sunset' had earned a new revenue of $15,000 a month for her quality content.

This made Human Sunset more furious than ever before. How could anyone make such large digits of money by rotting their brain from playing video games? Meanwhile, she herself had been studying day and night on many tough subjects that were difficult to master, only to one day drop out all because of bullying. She had absolutely nothing to show for her hard work, yet this 'Sunset' person was able to live the high life by just playing mindless games. As she was incredibly curious by this point, yet also afraid that she might uncover a terrible truth, Human Sunset clicked on the channel's 'videos' section, then took a quick peak at the most recent video titled 'A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT', which was uploaded by the Pony Sunset a few weeks ago. Human Sunset noticed that the person in the thumbnail looked just like that person in the photo. In other words, this Sunset person looked practically identical to herself, except she didn't have any makeup on, and had an overall lighter hair tone. Clicking on the video, it was time to finally learn what was happening.

"Hey there, ShimmerCode army." Pony Sunset addressed her fanbase. "I'm glad to see you all enjoyed my most recent livestreams of Super Cosmic Galaxy 3, Fetchtroid, and Splatter Town. I do my best to keep you all entertained whenever you aren't having the sunniest of days, after all. I wanted to make a special video today to address something particularly important. Firstly, as you might've noticed, I just cracked 10 million subs, so I'm absolutely thankful for the support. Secondly, I just wanted to share that I'm happy to be open with my personal life outside of being a gamer for you all."

While watching, Human Sunset simply raised an eyebrow at this. Who was this person who looked and sounded just like her, and why was she making videos centered around gaming? Better yet, was this who that Pinkie girl was talking about, the 'Sunset' who had asked her to housesit and was almost ready for graduation? Human Sunset began coming up with many potential theories to give her the slightest bit of comprehension as to how this was possible. Her father Sunspot did hint at the possibility of having more children after he divorced Solstice, so was this the result of that? She dismissed the idea almost immediately after realizing that she had only been in a coma for a few years, and this other 'Sunset' person looked just as old as herself. Then she considered the possibility of her having a secret twin sister, and that her parents somehow kept this twin from her all these years. Human Sunset wanted to believe this was the only logical explanation she was seeing all this now, but felt that deep down, Solstice would've never had the heart to keep something like this from her, especially as she was dying in her hospital bed. With no idea what to make of it, Human Sunset continued listening on in the video, trying to gather any further clues.

"...but I'm afraid that I might need to take an... indefinite hiatus soon." Pony Sunset continued on in the video. "I'm so sorry to any of you who are disappointed by this news, but it's just a matter of life and moving forward. Basically, I've enjoyed my time in Canterlot City and all, but let's just say that I've lately been feeling a little homesick, to the point where I'd want to head back to my old hometown and start a new life. It's nothing personal, it's just that... I've lately been feeling more and more motivated to go back, perhaps reuniting with my old friends and family there. I'll soon be graduating from Canterlot High in a few weeks, and I'd say that sets the mood rather well as far as things coming to an end."

Upon hearing this, the context finally made sense as to why Human Sunset was told that 'she' was graduating soon, though it was at Canterlot High, one of the schools she chose to forget about in favor of Crystal Prep Academy. Realizing that this video was now revealing more crucial information, she continued watching the video, hoping to get more answers.

"My closest friends at CHS will also most likely be moving away after graduation, and let's just say it might be a possibility with myself too." Pony Sunset addressed her main human friends on video. "And if any of them are somehow watching this video right now, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity? I just wanted to let you know personally that you've always been the greatest friends any girl could ask for, especially given how rough the past has been for us all. As for the rest of the ShimmerCode fans, I wanted to make this potential 'final' video end with a valuable message a good friend once taught me. When your friends are like family, be sure to cherish and make the most out of your time with them, even if life begins to pull you apart. I'd be completely lost without my friends, and I genuinely hope I'll never have to leave them behind. Thank you all for listening and understanding, and until I've finalized my decisions after graduation, this might be the very last time you'll see me pick up a controller. ShimmerCode out!"

The video ended, as Human Sunset got up from the chair, pacing back and forth to decipher this mystery further. It made sense now as to why that Pinkie girl had considered her a friend, but things still weren't adding up. As far as she was aware, Human Sunset stood by her belief that she was never famous to the point of starting a popular gaming channel, let alone being a proclaimed hero. She went back over to the photo album and finally turned her attention to the personal diary, which was locked, as expected. Just like she had done with Indigo's moneybox all those years ago, she snapped the lock in half with her bare fists and opened the diary up, hoping to now learn of these hidden secrets. A majority of the entries appeared to be brief daily logs that Pony Sunset had summarized about her casual life, and like with the photos, Human Sunset didn't pay too much mind and continued skimming. Nothing really stood out, until she eventually turned to the front and saw a more informative log that supposedly gave context as to why this Sunset person was here now.

Dear Diary,
It's only been about a week since the Battle of the Bands at CHS, and nearly a whole year since I've set foot in this new world. I felt like opening up about something far more personal. I really love my new friends like family, I really do. But I've still been having this lingering feeling of guilt ever since I abandoned Equestria and Princess Celestia. Now that I know the portal back to Equestria on the CHS horse statue pedestal will always be open without having to wait every 30 moons, I have an opportunity to go back, but... I'm still unsure of wanting to go back now, since I finally have a life of happiness here. My new friends and I have already been through so much together, I wouldn't want to abandon them, especially on the chance that the portal for one reason or another begins to malfunction. I know that I'll inevitably have to deal with this roadblock in choosing between my friends and Equestria one day, but for the time being, I hope I'll never have to make a strict decision between the two.

The log continued on further, but if everything written so far was true, it would've meant that everything that Pinkie girl had said earlier wasn't utter nonsense after all. The mention of a portal, different worlds, and the CHS horse statue pedestal, things were beginning to come together. Was it possible that this other Sunset person had actually come here from another world, thereby replacing her? But if this was the case, why did this happen, and presumably only to her? Much like the Human Twilight, Human Sunset now began to feel intrigued by this concept, though her feelings of anxiety remained intact, at how another version of herself from another world had somehow managed to steal her entire life and identity from her. As Human Sunset continued finishing up the read, there appeared to be something important attached to the page with a paperclip, along with an explanation as to why it was there.

When I do get around to taking an extended stay in Equestria once more, I might also consider seeing if anypony would be able to translate this piece of scroll that I found at the library of Dark Magic in Canterlot, way back when I was Princess Celestia's pupil. I completely forgot that I held on to this scroll piece, shortly before I first made my way into this world. It appears to be written in an ancient Equestrian language, meaning that there might be some overall difficulty in deciphering what it says. Regardless, I'll be keeping this tucked away safely in this diary, and I'll consider bringing it back to Equestria one day to translate it. Until then, I hope I can enjoy my new life and friendships in this world for the next few years, and I'm eternally grateful that I'm now living a life of happiness.

Taking the piece of scroll off of the page, Human Sunset certainly had no idea what the words were saying either, as it was written in a language that didn't seem to exist in the human world at all. But if she were to make her way to this Equestria place in order to find someone to help her translate it, this would most likely give her a further clue as to what was happening, especially given how this other Sunset claimed that she had found this scroll shortly before she came into this world. As it appeared that there was nothing else of importance to bring her attention toward, Human Sunset placed the scroll piece into her pocket and was ready to exit the apartment, but not before noticing a few other letters placed at the front desk, presumably by Pinkie, when she was fetching the mail.

Most envelopes seemed to contain junk mail, but there were two addressed from Canterlot High. One was congratulating 'Sunset' for having the second highest GPA of 3.9 in the entire school, only bested by Twilight Sparkle, who had the full 4.0. It stirred unpleasant memories once again for Human Sunset, furthering her desire to head to this Equestria place to seek answers for this perplexing mystery. The other envelope contained an invitation to the graduation ceremony and after-party, both featuring the Dazzlings providing their own music and voices as singers. This invitation also made it particularly clear that they were barely able to book the Dazzlings in time for the event, encouraging the students to give them the best gratitude and appreciation for their services, even after what had transpired during the Battle of the Bands.

The graduation invitation didn't seem to matter much to Human Sunset at first, until she realized that there might potentially be opportunities to find further answers, if she went there herself and everybody mistook her for this other Sunset, like Pinkie did. Human Sunset didn't feel particularly bad that she'd be impersonating, since it was already clear from the evidence she had gathered thus far, that there was an imposter who had already taken her life and identity for several solid years. Since this graduation was still two days away, she understood that she now had time to check out this Equestria place, both to get answers for what was happening, and to possibly even translate the piece of scroll from the other Sunset's diary.

Although Pony Sunset had originally intended to take the scroll piece back with her to this extended stay in Equestria, it had unfortunately slipped her mind, given how her concerns of abandoning her human friends was the more crucial matter on her mind at the time. To recap, when Pony Sunset snuck into Canterlot's library of Dark Magic, she snooped around until she found a brief excerpt regarding the mirror, within a book that was titled, 'Canterlot Castle, A History, Vol. II.'. Although she had read a vague summary at how a crystal mirror's portal would supposedly open every 30 moons, the book never actually stated anything explicit regarding the dangers and a sudden inbalance effect. However, one thing that Princess Celestia and her royal guards had missed shortly before catching Sunset in the act, was that Sunset had also discovered this piece of scroll hidden away on the same page that briefly alluded to the mirror.

It wasn't clear at the time, but Pony Sunset had taken the scroll piece and tucked it away into her mane secretly, as she was curious if the piece could potentially give her further answers, since the history book didn't say much beyond the existence of the portal, as well as the time span of it opening. She had kept it with her the whole time, even after entering the human world, but only remembered of its existence after going through the contents of her saddlebag, shortly following the Dazzlings' defeat after the Battle of the Bands. After remembering she had secretly taken this from that library back then, Pony Sunset intended to one day return it to Equestria, though her guilt of betraying Princess Celestia long ago had kept her mind occupied, preventing her from going back and making amends with her former teacher. As a result of primarily focusing on her friendships in the human world, as well as a pure vacation, Pony Sunset letting the scroll piece slip her mind had now resulted in it falling into the hands of her human world counterpart, for better or for worse.

As Human Sunset had finally exited the apartment, still in shock after discovering this entire new revelation, she was still a little bit unsure of what she was going to do now, moving forward. Piecing together everything she already knew, she understood that this seeming imposter was about to graduate from Canterlot High, and that she happened to originate from some place named Equestria. Given how much Human Sunset was capable of delivering scientific explanations to baffling phenomenons during her school days, she wanted to believe everything was all still nothing more than an incredibly elaborate hoax, but something at the back of her mind kept telling her otherwise. The unusual void trapping her and putting her in a coma for years, another version of herself taking away her life and identity, and somehow escaping that burning pizzeria before the flames had engulfed her. None of these occurrences seemed possible under scientifically normal circumstances, making her believe for a second that magic had to have been involved somewhere, but where?

Remembering the detail described by both Pinkie and the other Sunset, there supposedly was a portal on the Canterlot High School horse statue pedestal, which was always open, according to Pony Sunset's diary log. And supposedly, if Human Sunset were to go through this portal, she would also need to find the library of Dark Magic, located in an area called Canterlot. This was a little confusing, given it meant she'd need to go to Canterlot High before she could even reach Canterlot itself. Regardless, by this point, Human Sunset didn't really have any motivation to do anything else, since she was still nothing more than a high school dropout who wasn't able to find any employment. She thought to herself that she was still becoming crazy by even considering the idea of attempting to find some portal at a disclosed location, but it appeared to be the only explanation now, given how everything she had already been through was incredibly cryptic to figure out from a scientific perspective. Human Sunset was adamant on finding further answers as to why she seemingly woke up from a coma, only to now live out an eternal nightmare she couldn't even wake up from.

Solstice was still long gone, so Human Sunset couldn't even go back to her mother for any comfort or guidance. As the thought of her mother popped into her head, she also contemplated how her parents would've reacted to the presence of this imposter who supposedly took over her life and identity by coming here. Had both of her parents still stuck by her side even after dropping out, would they have suddenly taken this new Sunset as their daughter, thereby having her replaced? The mere thought of being replaced by an imposter who had a seemingly perfect life by contrast, made Human Sunset's resentment toward this fake Sunset grow immensely. Why was it that this other Sunset got to live the high life and would eventually experience the luxury of graduation, while the Sunset native to this world had lost everything she once cherished and worked hard toward?

Human Sunset's first goal was attempting to locate this supposed portal at Canterlot High, so she continued down the streets. Even if she was technically gone for quite some time, she was still familiar with the road and area, as this was once her own hometown, after all. After pinpointing her location, she surmised that traveling several more blocks away would bring her to the destination, as she recalled often seeing Canterlot High along the way, when her father Sunspot had given her rides to and from Crystal Prep Academy. On the subject of her father, Human Sunset started growing a fierce resentment toward him as well, especially for how he once treated his own daughter. The psychological trauma over Sunspot also straight-up abandoning the family didn't help matters either, making her believe that if she ever somehow ran into her father again, she would do everything she could to put him in his place. Solstice's words in the hospital always resonated in her, even after this long absence, letting her understand that Sunspot also contributed to her daughter ending up in this wreck of a life she now had, as well as his wife overworking herself to the point of death.

As these thoughts flooded her mind while finding Canterlot High, Human Sunset slowly began approaching a dark alleyway. Due to being distracted by these thoughts, she wasn't able to react in time to sudden footsteps approaching behind her, before a large plank of wood had been broken over her head, knocking her unconscious temporarily. As a result, she realized that the noises pointing to a person that had been following her was no coincidence at all, but rather a warning sign that she foolishly ignored. Completely knocked out cold, the shadowy figure from the alleyway had smiled at her handiwork at successfully targeting this girl she had a definite personal vendetta toward. Coming out of the darkness, it was that girl the Pony Sunset had fought to protect Lily Pad, whom even after getting stopped by raccoons, had sworn vengeance in cold blood. Gilda stood over the unconscious body, ready to exact her revenge.

"Haha, I told you that this wasn't over, punk!" Gilda taunted 'Sunset', as if she could hear her speaking. "The rest of my buddies gave me a good thrashing after I failed to bring back money, so now it looks like I'm finally ready to return the favor!"

Gilda began dragging the unconscious body toward another alleyway across several streets from their current location, where a few other gang members were waiting anxiously to exact vengeance against this Sunset girl too. Not only for getting into an altercation with Gilda, but for also meddling in their top dollar business in mugging people blind. It was unknown to anybody else outside the gang, but Gilda had been waiting in the alleyways for several days now, anticipating whenever the Sunset girl would make her way down the streets, and being ready to knock her out when she least expected it. This plan wasn't as effective when Pony Sunset had already gone back to Equestria this whole time, but now, Gilda and her crew were unknowingly about to punish the wrong girl at their hideout...

Chapter 53: Canterlot Street Gang

Human Sunset slowly began regaining her consciousness, seeing that she was now in a dark room within what looked like an abandoned and run-down building. She tried to ease the pain in her head after suffering a blow to the head with a plank of wood, hoping that she didn't have a concussion. But as she tried to reach her head with her hands, she suddenly noticed that she couldn't. Upon further inspection, she realized that she was now sitting in a chair, and was completely tied up with rope. Human Sunset attempted desperately to budge, but it appeared as though the ropes were too strong to allow her to break free.

While attempting to escape, the desperation from Human Sunset ended up creating a lot of noise, and as a result of this, two of Gilda's cronies went into the room to investigate. Although initially concerned at the possibility of their captive prisoner breaking her restraints, they simply let their guard down when noticing she was still stuck to the chair like glue, thanks to those strong ropes. They simply looked at Human Sunset and smirked, believing any bit of effort she made now was futile. As a result of this, Human Sunset's mood began to shift to direct rage, especially given how she had no idea who either of these girls were.

"If you punks know what's good for you, you're going to untie these ropes now, OR ELSE." Human Sunset gave a very stern warning to the girls standing in front of her.

"Hmph, well you didn't say please, so I'm afraid your request is denied." Teased the girl with curly white hair. "Regardless, the Canterlot Street Gang has a reputation to keep when it comes to punishing those who meddle with our mugging operations."

"Besides, you really believe you got the guts and muscle to take down a gang of school dropouts like us?" Asked the girl with a black beanie and leather jacket. "You might've taken down Gilda on your own, but I'm afraid that was just pure luck. You won't be so lucky if you try to take all of us on at the same time. We'll pound you into guacamole and leave you on the streets for those raccoons, you hear!?"

"That's right, ever since we stopped going to those boring dumps with all those annoying teachers, it certainly gave us a lot more time to build our upper body strength." Said the curly haired girl. "What can you really do now, you're just one of those punk school kids after all."

"Don't you even go there!" Human Sunset snapped. "I never even got to finish my freshman year of high school, and I was working out at a gym nonstop after dropping out for the sake of toughening myself up. If anything, you both should really watch your mouths right now, before I rip them off of your smug faces!"

"Ooooh, we're so scared." The beanie girl said, sarcastically. "Listen, if you know what's best for you, you'll stay put right here until Gilda gets back. She's out mugging some other people at night blind, after what you did in trying to be a Mrs. Goody-Two Shoes!"

"What are you even talking about!?" Human Sunset asked, both angry and confused. "I don't even know who either of you are, or anybody named Gilda!"

"Don't pretend you forgot getting into a fight with our gang leader, because you wanted to help out some little girl!" The curly haired girl tried to remind her. "We all had to go to bed hungry that night since you tried to play the hero! Well, once Gilda gets back, we'll all make sure that you'll finally pay off your debt with your life."

"Maybe Gilda gave her amnesia when she knocked her out or something." The beanie girl joked. "Either way, we're all ready to get our ultimate revenge on you, that's for sure."

"Whoever this Gilda is, she's certainly going to get pulverized once I'm free of these ropes!" Human Sunset threatened. "And don't think I'll go easy on either of you two when I'm through with her! I'm letting you know with certainty that you have no idea who you're messing with right now!"

"You already had no idea who you were messing with when you interfered with our little mugging business." The beanie girl replied. "And don't even try calling out for help, you're now in the basement of our hideout, an old and abandoned building that nobody ever checks. Get comfy, because this might be the last time you'll ever get to feel actual comfort!"

Just then, Gilda had finally returned from her mugging spree, where she managed to come back with $700 she had stolen from Filthy Rich's wallet. As Gilda entered the basement to flaunt her money at her cronies, the two girls had left the room to huddle with their leader, while Human Sunset saw this as an opportunity to find any way to get out of her restraints. Even if she believed she could take all three of these girls on, being restrained like this was certainly going to limit her ability, making it so escaping the ropes was a priority. She looked around the room and noticed a switch blade on a table behind her. Since Gilda and the other girls were paying too much attention counting the money, they didn't immediately hear Human Sunset kicking the table with the back of her boot, making the blade drop to the ground. She then tugged one of her arms in vain, and miraculously was able to get at least one arm free, which was all she needed. Looking behind the chair, she kept one eye focused on the door to make sure the girls wouldn't catch her trying to escape, while also looking at where the blade was.

Since Gilda had managed to return with a much heftier wad of cash than she usually would when mugging people at night, she and the other girls were too astonished and overjoyed to really take notice of any noises coming from their prisoner's room. Human Sunset finally managed to get ahold of the blade, then began to carefully cut the ropes behind her back, trying not to cut her own arm in the process. Eventually, she managed to fully get free from the rope's restraints, but decided to still remain in place for two reasons. Firstly, before she was ready to pound these girls into smithereens, she wanted to at least get an idea of just what was happening, assuming they all supposedly already knew something about 'her'. Secondly, since she was played with a cheap shot by Gilda using a plank of wood, she wanted to also take these girls by surprise, playing dirty in return as a result. As Human Sunset continued to pretend being tied up, she sat in her chair until the two girls returned back into the room, accompanied by Gilda.

"Haha, you ever seen such a bigger wad of cash than that?" Gilda waved the money in Sunset's face in an attempt to make her mad or jealous. "I certainly lucked out when I saw some old rich dude wandering the streets who didn't believe in credit cards!"

"Good for you." Human Sunset said with sarcasm. "Maybe you should put that money to some good plastic surgery toward your face, cause that's where you really need it!"

"Pfft, oooooh, ohhhhhh, that, that actually hurt my feelings!" Gilda pretended to feel insulted, before laughing it off. "You're just all talk right now, you act as if us girls on the rough side of town lack any thick skin whatsoever. Try to insult me now, no problem! I'll just take my anger out on you with my baseball bat!"

"Hmph." Human Sunset rolled her eyes. "Well while we're talking now before you choose to pulverize me, do you by any chance even know who I am?"

"Well, let's just say that after our first little encounter a few days ago, I ended up doing some digging around town by describing your appearance." Gilda began explaining. "It took a little while before I was able to surmise that you must've been that Sunset Shimmer girl at Canterlot High. That do-gooder who's apparently well known for originally ruling the school with an iron fist, yet is now somehow one of the top students there who has everyone's respect. Upon further investigation, I even learned she's good friends with my sworn enemies, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash."

"Alright, if you say so." Human Sunset continued playing along. "And just what would you want with me if I happened to be this Sunset Shimmer person you claim me to be?"

"Well, I'm sure the rest of my gang have already spelled it out solidly for you." Gilda huffed. "We'll be teaching you a lesson for snooping around our mugging operation at night, as well as getting into a fight with me. And even if you hadn't, being friends with my sworn enemies is also just as good of a reason for me to give you a real thrashing, you hear!? Besides, it's always just satisfying for us to relish in the idea of beating up educated school punks like yourself. I loathe the fact that there's so many new kids getting a good education these days who don't deserve it!"

"In case it wasn't already obvious to you, I'm just like you all!" Human Sunset spat. "Ever since I dropped out of school during my high school freshman year, I've always had a fierce resentment toward anybody else lucky enough to get a good education too! Without finishing school, no place ended up hiring me, and I might as well just become homeless for the rest of my life! But this is the life I chose, because living in poverty now was my only choice to escape the prolonged bullying that went on forever at school! Surely you can relate, since you all either dropped out or got expelled yourselves!?"

"Hmph, so you actually understand what we dropouts have to struggle with when it comes to making do with whatever we can find or steal?" Gilda raised an eyebrow. "When I got expelled from Canterlot High, no place would ever hire me either, especially with my criminal record. So if you actually understood this yourself, then how come you still tried to keep me from making a quick buck with that girl's phone!? You realized you just stole an easy fifty bucks for me?"

"Let's just say... I've done some digging myself to learn that I seemingly have a... twin sister, from the looks of it." Human Sunset tried her best to explain her theory. "Look, I don't know what this 'Sunset Shimmer' did with you, but you shouldn't be having any issues with me when I never got to experience the luxury of finishing school myself! I don't care what you do when it comes to stealing from people! In fact, I'd encourage you to do so, especially to those who've wronged you heavily in the past, like my former school bully who made me end up in this awful life I have now! All I can say with certainty is, it's not fair that we have to live out these rough lives just because some dumb and arbitrary school decided that fate for us all! I don't know what you're talking about regarding a girl's phone and fifty bucks, but just know that I had nothing to do with that!"

"Hmph, are you really trying to impress us with fairy tales instead of being ready to take your punishment?" Gilda rolled her eyes, not believing the seeming fibs she was just told.

"Gilda... is it possible that she might be telling the truth?" The beanie girl questioned. "She seems to understand exactly why we mug people whenever we can at night, and she really seems to have no clue or memory of your first encounter with her. Not only that, but it sounds like she really despises those school kids just as much as the rest of us."

"And come to think of it, when you were describing this gal to us, didn't you say that this Sunset Shimmer you met lacked makeup?" The curly haired girl added. "This one's wearing pretty heavy eyeshadow."

"I wouldn't believe any of this until I have more solid proof." Gilda retorted. "I recognize your hairstyle, face, and voice. They all line up with that girl I had fought in that alleyway a few days ago, so whether you are her or not, it doesn't matter anyways. It'll still be satisfying for me to kick your butt if you already remind me of someone I despise! As such, get ready for me to introduce you to my favorite crowbar!"

"Alright, but just one question before you do so." Human Sunset began, before getting ready to do her surprise attack. "How are you going to kick my butt..."

Human Sunset quickly got up out of her chair, much to the sudden shock of Gilda and the other girls. She quickly did a swift kick toward Gilda's face, making her recoil in pain and fall back onto the floor.

"...if I kick yours, first?" Human Sunset finished, and was anticipating that she was going to be in one heck of a fight now.

"What are you fools still doing standing around!?" Gilda addressed her gang members, as the pain in her nose was preventing her from getting back up immediately. "GET HER!!!"

"You just made a big mistake, kid." The curly haired girl said, before getting ready to attack.

"Nobody messes with the Canterlot Street Gang!" The beanie girl addressed their gang's name to Human Sunset, before attempting to intimidate her even further. "You have no idea what you're in for now, we're all about brute strength and won't go easy on you, understand!?"

Human Sunset got her fighting stance ready, being prepared to anticipate the movement of the two girls about to pummel her. Realizing that these girls were school dropouts just like herself, it was most likely that they had plenty of time to toughen themselves up, either through intense workouts or by using illegal substances. As a result, her mind kept telling her that this was an actual life and death situation, as they weren’t just ready to beat her up, but were prepared to leave her practically dead on the streets. Given they were already the kind of girls who were used to living the rough life, it'd also seem likely that they wouldn't give any care in regards to what they might lose, and would make her lose with them in the end.

The curly haired girl quickly ran up to Human Sunset, attempting to knock her out with a quick swing to the face. To Human Sunset, this attack only seemed like a beginner's move, as she was able to quickly anticipate the movements before swerving out of the way and tackling the girl to the ground. Human Sunset then headbutted her whilst on the ground, sending a wave of pain to the girl's stomach.

"Aghhhhhh... cheap shot!" The curly haired girl grumbled on the ground.

As Human Sunset got back up, she was almost anticipating the beanie girl to start running toward her, and saw that her prediction was right, as she got punched several times while trying to get on her feet again. After realizing the punches were following a consistent pattern, Human Sunset instinctively blocked one of the punches with her wrist, much to the surprise of the beanie girl, who was expecting her to simply sit there and take her combos. Thanks to Human Sunset's immense strength, she grabbed the beanie girl by the fists and began spinning in a circle to add some velocity, before throwing the girl's body and having her slam against a brick wall.

"You ain't getting away that easily!" The beanie girl said, getting back up almost immediately, as the curly haired girl also did the same.

"I think it's about time we rush her together, she can't take all of us on at the same time!" The curly haired girl advised.

"Right, you are!" Gilda said in agreement to her crony. "Well, Sunset Shimmer? I hope you've been living a good life, because we're about to end it all for you right here, right now!"

"I'd rather just get out of here instead, not cause I'm actually afraid of you punks, but because you're not even worth my time and energy!" Human Sunset said, sternly.

"Tough luck for you, the basement door's made of solid titanium, and the only way you'll get out is with the key!" Gilda smirked, before holding the key in front of Human Sunset's face, trying to tease her. "Unfortunately, we aren't giving you the key anytime soon! You two, hold her off for a bit while I find my crowbar!"

Gilda then ran away into another one of the basement rooms, trying to find her weapon, before leaving Human Sunset with the two other girls once more. Seeing how quickly they were able to get up before, despite how powerful her attacks from earlier would've been, Human Sunset understood that she needed far more destructive tactics to ensure that these girls stayed down, so that she could then focus on Gilda separately and get the key to escape. To Human Sunset, something about both of these girls reminded her of Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat, which certainly made her desire to fight flare up immensely. She simply imagined these girls as her former school bullies, motivating her to finally show what she's made of, now that she knew she was certainly a fighting machine.

"Alright, you girls really wanted to play?" Human Sunset said with confidence. "Bring it on!"

"Show her what we got for her!" The beanie girl said, as the curly haired girl attempted to tackle Human Sunset this time around.

Human Sunset pretended to be tackled at first to boost the curly haired girl's confidence, but then turned the tackle around by doing a reverse grapple. She then punched her in the face several times in an erratic pattern, before suddenly kicking her on the side. The last move was extra painful, due to Human Sunset's boots having spikes on them. After kicking her down, she heard the beanie girl approach from behind and quickly jumped out of the way at the last minute, letting her hit the hard ground. This girl with the beanie appeared to be tenacious, being able to get back up almost immediately after hitting hard surfaces, and ran up trying to rush her again. Human Sunset used her wrists to block every single punch. It appeared as though despite being in a coma for several years, her fighting skills and accuracy remained intact.

The next move had unfortunately caught Human Sunset off guard. The beanie girl did a leg sweep to knock her off of her feet, making her lose balance before swinging at her face. Human Sunset flew back with some force, but seemed to shrug it off rather quickly, and saw the girl now running up to her as she was laying against the wall. Realizing how dirty of a move the leg sweep was, Human Sunset waited until the girl got close enough, before doing a leg sweep back, sending her to the ground. Human Sunset then punched the girl's face and stomach, before doing a final slam with both of her fists, sending the girl to the ground.

"Had enough yet!?" Human Sunset huffed.

"You ain't so tough..." The beanie girl tried to fight on, but that last three hit combo really did some serious damage to her. "I've seen better fighting from a forest badger!"

"Wrong answer!" Human Sunset then used her spiky boots to kick the girl on the sides, but her eyes widened when she saw the girl was then grabbing her by the leg to make her lose her balance once again.

Falling to the ground, Human Sunset was initially worried at the beanie girl getting back up, before noticing a nearby glass bottle on the ground. Seeing how the beanie girl was preparing to headbutt her on the ground, due to her movements and fighting stance, Human Sunset anticipated the headbutt well, and did quick movements as the girl was about to use her skull to collide with any sensitive areas of her body. Human Sunset then quickly took the glass bottle and broke it over the girl's head, finally knocking her out unconsciously.

With both of the girls knocked out, it was now time to chase after Gilda, and more specifically, the key that would let her escape this basement. Human Sunset began running into the other room, but was surprised to see that for a basement, this area was rather huge, likely a sign that these gang girls hung out here a lot and stashed their stolen goods all over. However, she didn't have to search the entire area for Gilda, as the aforementioned gang leader came out of one of the entrances with a large crowbar in her grip.

"You pathetic little coward!" Human Sunset addressed Gilda. "Hiding behind your friends while you get tools? You can't even fight me with your bare fists, it seems."

"I've already learned my lesson the first time around, fool!" Gilda snapped. "Plus, at least I have friends while you don't, like the loser you are! Let's see how you'll try to block a solid steel crowbar!"

Human Sunset looked around the room quickly, realizing that a crowbar was certainly something she could not block with her wrists, unlike fists. Luckily, there was a nearby piece of scrap metal on the floor, which seemed to come from an old computer that was stolen by the gang years ago. Human Sunset held the metal plate in front of her like a shield, ready to deflect any swings from Gilda's crowbar, as Gilda simply smirked.

"Heh, you've resorted to using tools yourself now?" Gilda said, rather amused. "You're a clever little pigeon, huh?"

Gilda then used her crowbar to make a hard swing onto the metal plate, cracking and denting it slightly. Human Sunset continued holding it in place, as the plate would at least give her some temporary defense before it got worn out. Gilda kept on swinging over and over, before the plate eventually cracked in two.

"Haha, you're not as clever or tough as you think you are, kid." Gilda smirked again. "You'll need a lot more help than that if you think you'll stand up to my solid steel!"

Although now backed into a corner with Gilda hot on her tail, Human Sunset didn't lose hope just yet. She knew that she was already a proficient fighter from those training days at the gym, but realized that she herself at least had one advantage that this Gilda girl supposedly lacked, brains. Using her head, Human Sunset attempted to use reverse psychology, but was about to do something else further that would be guaranteed to completely throw her off.

"You wouldn't be so tough if it wasn't for that crowbar!" Human Sunset spat.

"Pfft, are you really trying to fool me again with that reverse psychology nonsense?" Gilda rolled her eyes. "You're finished, and this crowbar will definitely make certain of that-"

But before Gilda could even finish, Human Sunset grabbed several rocks on the ground and began chucking them at Gilda's face, making her flinch back in pain once more. Despite the rocks being rather small, they were surprisingly effective at pushing Gilda back, as it gave Human Sunset the advantage of having ranged projectiles, while Gilda was only stuck with a melee crowbar.

"MY EYES!!!" Gilda screeched, as she blindly tried to use her crowbar to deflect Sunset's projectiles at ease.

However, this was exactly what Human Sunset was hoping, as she then snuck behind Gilda, and anticipated that since her eyes were in pain after getting rocks thrown at her face, she would then blindly try to make her way over to where she remembered her enemy was in the corner. Gilda did so, and was prepared to bring the crowbar down onto her opponent's head, only to instead hit nothing but the hard floor. Just as Gilda realized she had missed, Human Sunset kicked her from behind, making her fall into the corner and finally drop her crowbar. Human Sunset then grabbed both the crowbar and Gilda's shirt by the collar, picking her up to let her know personally that she had lost.

"Who's in charge now, huh!?" Human Sunset asked Gilda rhetorically, as Gilda tried her best to ease herself of the pain from that kick. "I can't hear you right now, who's the leader of this gang now, you punk!? Answer me!"

"You are..." Gilda held her head in pain.

"What was that, I couldn't hear you!" Human Sunset shouted.

"You are!" Gilda repeated.

"One more time, and louder!" Human Sunset said, still not satisfied.

"YOU ARE!!!" Gilda finished, trying desperately to let her know that she had finally given up.

"That's right, it's me!" Human Sunset said, before throwing Gilda to the ground, as she moaned in pain. "Now listen here, you punks aren't ever going to mess with me ever again, and you all work for me from now on, you understand!?"

"Yes, just no more, please!" Gilda whimpered, especially now that Human Sunset had her crowbar. "We're sorry if we've given you a hard time, we'll be good from now on! H-Here, take the money and key that leads outside, just don't hurt me anymore!"

Gilda handed Human Sunset the key and cash she had stolen out of her pocket, desperately hoping that she would take the bribe and leave. Human Sunset did so, and simply walked upstairs to get out of the basement, satisfied at what her fighting skills and ingenuity had done for her to escape a good thrashing from some girls she didn't even know at all. At least, Human Sunset assumed that they were primarily having a vendetta toward the other Sunset, who was claimed to have been meddling with their constant mugging sprees, and she herself would've been no different. After all, she didn't have room to talk as far as being a thief who stole from people, given how she just took Gilda's money, and had stolen Indigo's cash long ago, though in her mind, it felt justified. She wasn't necessarily mugging innocent strangers who didn't deserve it, she was simply getting back at those who wronged her horribly, such as being a terrible school bully, or kidnapping her.

Making her way out of the basement with the key, and eventually leaving the building itself, Human Sunset was able to recognize that the building was located in one of the city's corners, which admittedly was only several blocks away from Canterlot High. This was obvious, given how there was a convenient sign nearby that pointed out CHS was right around the corner. Looking back at the building she had just left, it looked like an incredibly old and abandoned building, likely left behind to deteriorate, as nobody seemed interested in purchasing a lease. It felt like an ideal place for those girls to be hiding with their stolen goods, but being in a disclosed location only meant that they'd be more likely to get cornered and trapped should they get caught.

Human Sunset didn't particularly seem interested in calling the police on those girls, especially since she had no idea who they even were. She had no real vendetta or tragic past with them, compared to Sugarcoat, Principal Cinch, and Indigo Zap, and kept in mind that she was just as, if not more guilty than those gang girls for being a crook. Trying to become a hero who'd bring justice to the city was the furthest thing on her mind at the moment as far as she was concerned. Instead, Human Sunset was mostly just curious on not only why there was another version of herself existing around here, but why this other Sunset's existence took her away from her own world. Heading to this Equestria place might've been her first priority, but she decided first to visit an old place she hadn't been to for years.

Although Human Sunset just got out of a fight, she didn't have much of an issue returning back to Solstice's old home, mostly to live out some feelings of sentiment. Her fighting skills and aggressive nature had helped her escape from Gilda and those lackeys with only minimal scratches on her face, so it definitely made her satisfied to know that she was more than capable of handling anyone foolish enough to mess with her once more, especially those people at Crystal Prep Academy. After walking down the streets far enough, Human Sunset eventually made it all the way back to her old house, the same place where her mother had fallen ill, and her father straight-up abandoned the family. It brought unpleasant memories back briefly, though it was primarily the memories of her mother which kept her motivated to return for a little while.

Entering her old home with the key she still had in her pocket, Human Sunset first stored the $700 she had taken from Gilda into one of the drawers, but then blankly stared at a picture frame hung above her couch in the living room. It was a family photo consisting of Solstice, Sunspot, and Human Sunset herself, back when she was more known as 'Sunny S.' shortly after graduating middle school. Human Sunset took the picture off of the wall, now sighing in sadness, especially after everything she had went through up until this point in her life.

"I just... feel like I've lost my whole family..." Human Sunset said to herself. "I have nobody left, no friends or family, no opportunity to get a good job, and no chance to turn my life back around anymore. I'm past the point of no return, and as a result, I might become just like those girls in that old building that tried to hurt me. If I can't get a good career or chance to make things right, I might just be homeless for the rest of my life, on top of being forced to mug innocent people just to survive."

Looking at the photo further, seeing her father's face only made Human Sunset resent him even more, the way he was smiling and looking happy for her daughter. After what happened at Crystal Prep, Human Sunset felt she had every right and reason to believe Sunspot was always only happy, simply for the fact that he had a potential meal ticket who could one day buy him a nice car and mansion. He might've wanted his family to escape poverty, but that certainly didn't change the fact that no matter how hard she worked for school, it was never enough to satisfy him. Human Sunset then looked to her mother's face in the photo, still saddened by how things ended for her. Even sadder was the fact that Solstice could no longer hold or speak to her daughter, giving off the tragic feeling to Human Sunset that her mother truly was nothing more than a memory now, despite promising that she'd still be by her side and protect her, even after passing.

"Mom..." Human Sunset said, while looking at her mother in the photo. "I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid I have no choice now if I'm going to continue living on here. I'll never get a good job with what happened in school, so it looks like I'll have to steal from others just to survive, and possibly end up in jail one day. I've already stolen money from my old bully, so I'm not sure if the police are still looking for me, but I now fully believe one thing about my life, regardless. I'm not proud of this life I've chosen ever since I dropped out of school... but I'm not ashamed either. I've already gotten my revenge against Principal Cinch, my bullies, and those gang girls who tried to fight me, but now it looks like I'm going to have to start getting revenge against someone new. Someone who's way too familiar... and seemingly stole my entire life and identity away from me. I love you, mom. Whatever happens to me, I hope we can still meet each other again when I'm gone too..."

Human Sunset placed the picture frame back on the wall, but still made a face of disgust whenever she had even the slightest glimpse of Sunspot's face. Although speaking to her late mother regarding swearing revenge on this supposed imposter Sunset, she was still just as adamant on swearing revenge against her father too, as it was his constant neglect and unreasonable expectations that pushed her over the edge. Getting back against Sunspot seemed unrealistic, as she would have no idea where her father would be nowadays, though presumably with a new wife and family, as he had hinted this shortly following his divorce with Solstice. Regardless, given how Sunspot never once gave his daughter his time of day when Solstice was usually busy working, on top of not acting proud of her becoming #2 at Crystal Prep Academy, Human Sunset was adamant that he was just as awful and selfish as Principal Cinch.

Going over to the kitchen, Human Sunset used water from the sink to wash off her small injuries from the fight, and took a few crackers out of the cupboard and snacked on them briefly, mostly because she needed some energy before heading over to this Equestria place supposedly located at Canterlot High. Before focusing on that thought, she was still initially curious at how her life was going to move forward, especially if no places would hire her without even having a high school diploma. On the kitchen's countertop laid a few envelopes that Human Sunset had forgotten to look at, as it seemed they were placed there the day she rushed Solstice to the hospital after she had fallen ill. Figuring that it was nice to at least check what the envelopes contained, Human Sunset ripped them up, only to mostly find junk mail she had no interest in. However, one of them had a notification congratulating Solstice for being able to completely pay off the house's mortgage.

This fact made Human Sunset much more adamant that she'd rather go around mugging people and risk ending up in jail, as she wouldn't have been willing to go as far as selling the home just to survive. It had way too much sentimental value to her, and she simply wouldn't let her mother's sacrifice in working hard to paying off the mortgage only be in vain. Plus, selling a whole house simply for the sake of her own survival in her eyes seemed absolutely selfish and appalling to her mother's legacy. Given how selfish her own father turned out to be, Human Sunset was certain that she would keep the house around to honor Solstice, while believing she couldn't become as selfish and shallow as Sunspot. Plus, if she were to investigate this Equestria place and find a solution to rid this other Sunset imposter for good, she would still have a home and life to live. A rough life, but at least something more than being trapped in another indefinite coma.

Being prideful enough to accept that she'd have to endure tragedy and hardship for the rest of her life, it didn't matter now. What was important in her mind, was going forward to investigate where this other Sunset had come from, and possibly finding a way to ensure she'd never come back again, stealing her name, identity, life, and existence from her. Exiting Solstice's home after finishing her meal, Human Sunset began recalling the exact route Sunspot used to drive her to Crystal Prep Academy, which always had a brief glance of Canterlot High along the way. Although she was thankful her father at least had the courtesy to give her rides to school, it didn't go much beyond that. He had never asked her about her day, and always sped off on the gas as soon as his daughter stepped off his vehicle and closed the door. This definitely hammered in the reminder for Human Sunset that her father would be her next target for seeking revenge upon, should she ever find him again.

This thought aside, Human Sunset continued following the route she had remembered, as she appeared to have a clear mental image of how she always got to Crystal Prep Academy from home. Then, coming out of the business areas and eventually stumbling into a more open and designated space, there it was in front of her. Human Sunset saw the school she had turned down years ago, believing now that her decision to not attend this school back then might've been a mistake. Neither of her parents really forced her to specifically become a Crystal Prep student, it was mostly her own decision at the mere thought of becoming successful there to ensure her family wouldn't have to worry about money ever again. She wouldn't really know now, but regardless, it didn't matter to her anymore. She already had this big and annoying mess of a life she chose, so it was already too late to think of such matters after the fact.

Human Sunset looked around the school for a while, specifically repeating to herself to find a horse statue pedestal somewhere. After searching around in circles for a few minutes, she became stumped, and began having thoughts that she was now simply wasting her time on a wild goose chase, based on a hunch from vague hints. It was still entirely possible that the other Sunset's diary and that Pinkie girl were just making things up, and that some portal around these parts was nothing more than a figment of their imagination. As Human Sunset was prepared to give up her search after seeing no horse statue in sight, she suddenly remembered a far more crucial detail.

She was vaguely told that it was a horse statue PEDESTAL, not necessarily an actual horse statue. Unknown to her, the horse statue in question was blown to pieces years ago, after the Human Twilight unleashed the magic in her device and transformed into Midnight Sparkle, and used her magic for utter destruction. It still wasn't particularly clear to anybody at the time, but this action in turn, created a crack at the top of the pedestal, causing Equestrian magic to leak in, including several bits of magic that would later become the girls' element geodes at Camp Everfree. Both Pony Sunset and the Human Twilight had touched upon this briefly during the Camp Everfree Crystal Ball, but still disregarded what was the cause. This unknowingly led to such events as Juniper Montage obtaining a magical mirror, or Vignette Valencia having a destructive teleportation phone.

The reason behind why no new magic had appeared recently, was mostly due to how the crack began to slowly erode over time, thus repairing the opening to prevent new magic from leaking in. Despite this, it was still puzzling as to how actual Equestrian artifacts like the Time Twirler and Memory Stone found their ways here, but Pony Sunset learned it was heavily implied to be the work of Clover the Clever, thanks to some help from Princess Twilight and Celestia. The result of magic becoming a much less common occurrence in the human world continuously solidified Pony Sunset's desire to return to Equestria for a while, since due to the crack repairing itself, she genuinely had no new magic left in the world, other than her geode. No other Equestrian artifacts had really come up, or anything remarkable that would've kept her interested to stick around, especially since graduation at CHS was just around the corner.

Going back to Human Sunset's motives, she kept looking around and eventually saw what looked like a solid block of stone sitting at the school's front, but no horse statue in sight. Considering how this was the only thing on the entire school's outdoor campus that remotely looked like it once held a statue, she believed she had finally found what supposedly was the way into Equestria, where she would most likely get answers for what she herself was going through. Before heading in, Human Sunset checked her pockets to find she was still holding on to that piece of scroll she had taken from the diary earlier, which seemed to be of some importance if it was linked to that other Sunset, shortly before she made her way into this world.

Human Sunset initially checked the other three surfaces of the stone pedestal, curious at understanding where this portal might possibly be hidden. Seeing how they were all initially nothing more than a solid and flat surface with nothing of importance on them, she began to once again have the feeling that she was going crazy for believing a magical portal of all things, would be existing on an arbitrary location such as this. But after checking those three surfaces, she then checked the final side that was facing directly to the front of the school, and began to see her arm glowing, just as the 'surface' revealed itself to be an illusion, covering up what looked like a passageway. Human Sunset's eyes widened, and she instinctively pulled her arm back for a second, rather freaked out, yet astonished at what she just witnessed.

Given how human beings also had no problem entering Equestria, much like the Human Twilight and Rainbow Dash during the spring break cruise, Human Sunset was just as capable of going through, ready to finally make her way in. Although intrigued at how well-hidden this portal's entrance was, she was now anxious at the possibility of discovering why there was an imposter in her world, and finally understanding what could've caused her to fade out of existence years ago...

Chapter 54: A Clever Legacy

Human Sunset entered the portal and got sent into what looked like a spiraling wormhole, before being teleported to an old and dusty looking library. Although Princess Twilight was mostly focusing on her royal duties, she had already ordered several of her royal guards to carry a majority of the moving packages and items from the Castle of Friendship to Canterlot, and more specifically, the castle which once belonged to Princess Celestia and Luna. Twilight had already finished packing everything the day before her coronation, and let the royal guards do their job as she was celebrating with her friends and getting used to her new responsibilities. However, one thing she also specifically did herself was placing the Crystal Mirror in the Canterlot library's restricted section, as she wanted to ensure Pony Sunset's entrance back home would be in a safe place, and she also wanted to conduct some research on the mirror itself in her free time.

The Crystal Mirror along with the entire convoluted setup Twilight had used to keep the portal open indefinitely was all intact and placed neatly near the library's entrance, along with the old journal powering it up. As a result, when Human Sunset arrived, she fell onto the ground, but was rather confused at where she was now. Initially to her, it just looked like a creepy and old abandoned steeple with a library, similar to the building where those gang girls had taken her. She didn't even immediately notice she was now in a pony's body, as coming here to this supposed Equestria place entailed focusing on her main mission in learning what could've caused her seeming disappearance from her own world.

Human Sunset's first instinct upon remembering this was reaching into her pocket to find that scroll piece again, only to find she had no pockets. In fact, she wasn't even wearing any clothes now, and appeared to have an animal's body from her waist-down. This was incredibly confusing and off-putting, the mere thought of her now being an indecently exposed filthy animal. But as she looked back onto the same mirror her pony counterpart had stared at admirably years ago, she suddenly saw a reflection of herself as a... horse? A four-legged animal, she knew that with certainty, but had no idea what this strange cone protruding out of her head was. Then, it suddenly hit her.

"Wait a minute..." Human Sunset said to herself whilst staring at her reflection, before getting on all fours. "Have I suddenly become that same four-legged animal in that dark area before I got engulfed by that void? It seems like I've become a horse from the looks of it, but I certainly look pretty strange for a horse. For that matter, I can even talk while being a horse? I've never heard of any animals talking other than parakeets, but... that's besides the point. Where even am I, is this that Equestria place I read about in the diary? And for that matter, if I no longer have pockets, what happened to that-"

Human Sunset ruffled her hair to process everything, before noticing something falling out of her mane and onto the ground. Although she lost her clothes after transforming into a pony, the scroll piece was still intact and with her, but now it seemed awkward to pick it up, as she no longer had hands. She tried over and over to pick it up, but lacking fingers most certainly proved to be a challenge, not helped by the fact that being in this new place to her, raised far more questions than answers. Eventually, after being desperate enough to even get her mouth dirty, she instinctively just picked up the scroll piece with her teeth, unamused and also disgusted at putting something that's been on the floor in her mouth.

"This is going to get really awkward if I stick around here, I just need to learn what's been happening and why there's an imposter back in my world." Human Sunset said to herself in clenched teeth. "At least, I assume I'm now in a different world, since I don't remember seeing colorful talking horses where I come from."

As such, Human Sunset decided it was likely best to not stay here longer than she needed to, it was mostly a matter of learning where this fake Sunset had come from, and why specifically her existence created this detrimental effect to herself. The idea of magic being involved was still completely beyond Human Sunset's comprehension, to where she decided to simply roll with it, realizing that whatever was the case, she had to know, one way or another. Given how this place was a library with shelves of books all over, it at least gave her the idea to read up on anything to help her understand, even if there appeared to be thousands of old books to choose from. This might be her only opportunity to learn what had happened when that void had taken her, meaning that even if she was going to be here for a while, so be it.

Since Human Sunset still couldn't read what the scroll piece was saying, she released it from her mouth and placed it onto her hoof, which she was still getting used to having, at least for now. To save her the trouble of carrying it everywhere with her mouth, she tucked it into her mane, much like her pony counterpart did when she secretly took it from that history book back then. It was time to begin doing some heavy research, even if she had to do it one book at a time. Going off of what she already knew, she realized she had to at least look for any books revolving around the human world, a portal, and a void that trapped her. Unfortunately, much like Princess Celestia, who had already triple-checked and searched the absolute full extent of the library during her reign, Human Sunset wasn't having any luck finding a book that was remotely relevant to the topic she was hoping to learn about.

Most books only elaborated on ancient spells and legendary creatures which had already been labeled as extinct from Equestria, but this at least let Human Sunset know for certain that she was now indeed in that Equestria place she was looking for. Considering how it was definitely likely for that imposter Sunset to return, which would potentially put her through that void nightmare once more, Human Sunset was adamant on ensuring she could completely understand what had happened, and if there was any way to prevent the imposter from coming back. The desperate nature of her research created a lot of noise as she was vaguely skimming the books for answers, which in turn, caught the attention of somepony who was finishing up organizing the outside Canterlot library, and was ready to hit the hay.

Twilight Sparkle had finished rearranging the library in a way that would help her find whatever she needed comfortably, as it was time to close up and rest for the night, since it was nearly 3 AM. However, the distinct sound of books being thrown to the floor began to vaguely make itself apparent, even if the library's restricted section was a floor below where Twilight currently was. The princess followed the noise downstairs, realizing that someone had made their way into the one section of the library she still had yet to organize, which was also currently off-limits. Understanding the potential danger, Twilight quickly grabbed the secret books on the shelf that activated a hidden lever, opening up the entrance to the secret room. She also had her horn ready to blast magic, in case she had to fight this seeming intruder.

It didn't make a lot of sense to the princess as to how someone knew about the restricted section, and why they were there this late. Since no one else seemingly knew of the secret area's existence other than herself, Celestia, Luna, and Sunset Shimmer, Twilight surmised it was most likely someone who had a personal vendetta toward Celestia, or attempting to steal ancient Equestrian knowledge for themselves. Rushing in to find the intruder as quickly as she could, she eventually saw a trail of books on the floor, leading to a pile in the corner. This certainly gave off the impression that the intruder was looking for something specific, furthering Twilight's concern to apprehend the culprit before it was too late. However, after searching another one of the rooms in this hidden library, the princess saw the pony who was responsible, and breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing it seemingly wasn't someone dangerous or vengeful.

"Ohhhhh, thank Celestia." Twilight wiped the sweat off of her face. "It's just you, Sunset. I really thought for a second there that someone dangerous was robbing the library's restricted section."

"Errr, yeah, that's right." Human Sunset said, awkwardly.

Out of the fear that whoever was behind her would most likely notice anything different about her, Human Sunset didn't turn around yet to reveal her face, as exemplified with the street gang from earlier, when one of them had claimed that the fake Sunset lacked eyeshadow, which she still had, based on the reflection she saw in the mirror. Human Sunset mostly tried to play things off, hoping that she wouldn't get captured or punished for trespassing. It seemed fine though, as whoever had found her seemed to already know and trust 'Sunset Shimmer'.

"Well, I guess it makes sense now why you're here." Twilight began surmising. "To my knowledge, you're the only pony other than myself who knows of this hidden library, after Princess Celestia showed us how to get in last time. I'm also sorry for forgetting to mention that I had moved the Crystal Mirror here, just to ensure you'll have a safe and easy way back into the Human World. But it looks like you found it on your own."

"Thanks, I guess." Human Sunset continued playing along. "You don't mind the mess I just made, do you?"

"Oh, not at all." Twilight reassured. "My hope was for you to get as comfortable as you'd like during your return to Equestria, and you've already mentioned to me that you'd be more interested in relearning magic, so it's okay. I've said that I'm willing to give you that freedom in choosing when to level up in your studies, and promised I wouldn't hold you back from trying to study new magic you didn't quite understand, so you're technically the only pony I've granted permission to be here, especially since you've been here before. Besides, I don't mind the mess, considering I still have yet to reorganize this place in my own free time. In some ways, you've probably just given me a head start."

"Alright, thanks for being so understanding." Human Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. "By the way, what should I do if I find something in say... one of those books that appears to be written in a language I can't read?"

"Oh?" Twilight said with curiosity. "Well for that, I guess you could use the archive's mechanical catalog on the right from the main room. Remember when Princess Celestia showed us, but it broke apart after not being used for presumably hundreds of years? I already fixed it myself in my free time, but that catalog does have a translator if you're having trouble reading something that's in a language you don't recognize. All you have to do is scan what you're trying to translate under the bottom left scanner, then pull the right lever, which will print out what it says in English. And as far as I'm aware, it shouldn't have issues with not recognizing any language, considering it's a catalog that was specifically designed to organize ancient Equestrian books for many centuries."

"Okay, I got it then." Human Sunset replied, relieved that there was an easy way to translate her scroll piece. "Thank you very much for your help."

"Anything for you, Sunset." Twilight smiled. "But if you don't mind me asking, why are you back here in Canterlot and doing research on magic this late at night? After our last meeting earlier, Starlight informed me that you were heading toward Silver Shoals to see Celestia, so I'm a little confused as to why you're not only still here in Canterlot, but in the restricted section at nearly 3 AM. And speaking of, was there a reason why you didn't let me know earlier that you wanted to come back here to do some late night studying?"

"Oh, I guess my plans just changed?" Human Sunset attempted to cover herself. "Plus, I didn't want to interrupt you or anything, considering how busy you might be."

"Oh, okay then." Twilight understood. "Thanks for being considerate of me, since... yeah, being the princess of Equestria now isn't the easiest job with how many responsibilities there are. But for the record, I'd still prefer that you check in with me from now on before coming here, just to ensure that I know for certain there's no intruders trying to steal books or artifacts from here. I was admittedly worried when I heard noises down here, and all."

"Alright, I will." Human Sunset replied. "Thanks for being an understanding person- err... pony?"

"Still trying to adapt back into Equestria after living with humans, I see?" Twilight giggled. "It's all good, I still remember that feeling myself, after all. Well anyways, I'll be heading back to the castle and calling it a night, but if you'd like to continue doing some late night studying, I'll let you do so. Though this means I'll have to lock up the library for the night, meaning you might need to sleep down here until I come back to reopen the library at 8 AM. I've set up a bed in the left room from the main foyer, so if you don't mind sleeping here for the night, I'll give you that option. Or of course, you could use the mirror to return back to the human world to sleep, whichever works better for you."

"Nice to know, but I guess I'll stay behind here in the library for the time being." Human Sunset agreed.

"Very well then." Twilight nodded her head in approval at Sunset's desire to learn, reminding her of herself. "Happy reading, but... try to at least get some sleep soon, if you'd like to see more of Equestria. And don't forget, we still have to resolve things with Rainbow Dash with the rest of the council in the afternoon, so try not to stay up too late, alright? Good night, Sunset."

"Good night... you?" Human Sunset said awkwardly, as Twilight trotted her way out of the restricted section, then exited the library, before using the key to lock the front doors.

"Hmm, is it just me, or was Sunset acting a little strange?" Twilight said to herself, as she was about to head back to her castle, before yawning. "Oh wait, that's probably it. She's most likely just tired, especially after everything she's been through during her return to Equestria. Not to mention, wanting to work extra hard in relearning magic, even if she's already earned her degree, I can respect that."

Twilight then headed all the way back to her new bedroom at the main castle, hitting the hay for the night, completely unaware that the pony she was just talking to was not the Sunset Shimmer that she knew. The princess didn't think much of it, considering it made sense why Sunset would be there. She's seen the restricted section before, it housed her way back into the Human World, and she had already mentioned wanting to learn new magic without any limitations this time around. As such, the only thing on Twilight's mind now, was how the meeting between Sunset and Rainbow Dash in front of the Council of Friendship would go the following afternoon, before falling asleep from another exhausting day.

Back in the restricted section, Human Sunset didn't have much of a care at now being locked in, since she could very easily head back through the mirror to return to her world. More importantly, she was now told how to translate the scroll piece, which might possibly give her the exact answers she had been seeking for a while. Since the many books she had already searched lacked any answers whatsoever, Human Sunset believed the scroll piece was her very last hope at getting what she wanted. Otherwise, she would most likely be here forever, only to find nothing, which ironically was exactly what had happened when Princess Celestia did the same.

Human Sunset went over to what looked like the old catalog that other pony mentioned. The device that originally fell apart as soon as Pony Sunset budged a lever, causing the scanners and parts to scatter and crumble to pieces. Luckily, since Twilight had already fixed it herself, there was no issue with using it now. Human Sunset took the scroll piece out of her mane, placed it under the bottom left scanner, then pulled a lever. To her surprise, this actually worked, even if what was written on the scroll seemed practically illegible. The catalog's side then printed out a small piece of paper, similar to a receipt printer at a store. Human Sunset grabbed the paper and read what was supposedly translated from the scroll.

"Go to the Founders of Equestria sanctuary near the library and find Clover the Clever's statue..." Human Sunset read the paper out loud. "Great, since that pony locked me in here, looks like I'm now stuck? Where am I supposed to find a sanctuary of all things?"

Human Sunset leaned against the wall, sighing in frustration, before her eyes widened at how she started leaning back even further. Looking behind her, she realized she had somehow found a hidden lever, one that seemed to completely blend in with the wall. As a result of the lever being activated, another secret door began to open from the floor, which appeared to lead into a hidden basement. Although she had just gone through a bad experience with a basement back in the human world, Human Sunset grabbed a nearby lantern and went down to investigate, as she was already locked in the library. Fortunately, this appeared to be the old sanctuary the scroll was referring to, as the stairs leading down appeared to bring her to a rather creepy but empty room, which had several ancient looking statues that hadn't been touched in quite some time.

Nopony else, even Princess Celestia herself, had known about this room's existence, as it was a secret shrine set up by Clover the Clever to honor himself, as well as the other Founders of Equestria. Given how the Canterlot library's restricted section was already obscure, this secret shrine was even less well known, as supposedly, only Clover himself knew of his dedication in honoring all their merits together, albeit secretly. Clover had chosen to hide the room here in a hidden underground tunnel he had dug, as a library had long been built on top of it, being the restricted section. Although the other founders would've merely seen this as Clover's tribute toward them all, Clover himself used this room for a very specific purpose, as Human Sunset would soon find out.

Human Sunset trotted all the way to the bottom of the stairs, getting an eerie and unsettling vibe that someone was somehow watching her, even if they were long deceased. Across from here were six uniquely designed statues that depicted each of the original Founders of Equestria, all displayed on short marble column pedestals. Seeing the statues supposedly staring right at her didn't help matters either, it was almost as if the old founders had just awoken, displeased at now seeing somepony trespassing within their shrine. Ignoring these feelings of slight fear, Human Sunset continued on to follow what the scroll had asked of her, which was to look for the statue of Clover the Clever.

Going from left to right, Human Sunset read the plaques on each statue in the following order. Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, Private Pansy, Chancellor Puddinghead, Smart Cookie, and finally, Clover the Clever. Human Sunset initially just stared at the statue with an blank expression, unsure of what the scroll was trying to point her toward. After seeing that there was seemingly nothing that could provide closure for her unanswered questions, she began talking to Clover's statue, as if the statue was alive and sentient.

"All right, I followed your orders according to your scroll." Human Sunset began a conversation with the statue. "So a deal's a deal. Can you give me an answer for why there's another version of myself back in my native world, and why I got erased from existence?"

As expected, the statue simply continued to behave like any other statue, staring on in silence and lacking any sign of life. From this, Human Sunset put a hoof on her face in frustration, thinking that this entire trip really was nothing more than a wild goose chase, as she believed she had become insane enough to attempt communication with inanimate stone statues.

"What was the point in coming here, I'm just wasting my time now, aren't I!?" Human Sunset said to herself, before directing her rage back at Clover's statue. "I haven't found one thing in that library that tells me why I'm going through everything I have for the past few years, and you can't even give me a simple answer despite having the audacity to call yourself clever!? ANSWER ME!!!!!!"

Human Sunset grabbed the statue with her hooves out of frustration and began shaking it, almost as if she was a police officer interrogating a suspect. However, she suddenly lost control and accidentally let the statue fall off the pedestal, shattering to pieces as it collided with the floor. Shortly following this, eerie noises began to fill the room, which could not be explained, considering she was by herself. This initially had Human Sunset worry if she had suddenly brought a curse upon herself, so she instinctively closed her eyes and curled up into a ball on the floor, hoping that she wasn't about to face the wrath of a phantom for knocking over and breaking that statue.

However, after a few moments, the strange noises had suddenly stopped, as Human Sunset picked herself back up to see what she had done to that statue. Upon further investigation, she found two objects hidden within the statue's remains. One was a journal that belonged to Clover the Clever, documenting his entire journey and experiences with old Equestrian artifacts ever since he and the other founders had first established Equestria. The other was a book that was personally written by Clover, titled, 'Don't EVER go through the Crystal Mirror' on the front. The unusual thing was, there appeared to be a small note attached to the book with 'DON'T PUBLISH!!!' written on it, implying that this book was never released to the public. Regardless, Human Sunset felt that she at least finally found what she was looking for, as she picked up the journal and began reading, looking specifically for any entries making mentions of either the human world or the crystal mirror. Just like with the other Sunset's diary, she began slowly skimming the journal, until a few entries had caught her eye, urging her to begin reading them thoroughly.

Equestria's Founding, Day 39
It has nearly been 40 days since the other founders and I have established Equestria, but I fear as though the blizzard around here caused by the windigos has been getting worse every day. As a result, we've started accumulating resources and magical artifacts that could potentially help all three pony kinds deal with the cold, but one particular artifact we've obtained has been puzzling me for a while. It appears to be some kind of mirror once owned by a wealthy individual, but this one is different. Whenever I get close enough to it, my reflection begins to shift and distort to become... some creature beyond my comprehension. Once the windigos have been dealt with, I plan on returning back to this mirror to conduct further research, as even my mentor, Starswirl, doesn't understand what this mirror's purpose is either.

Human Sunset continued reading on, specifically looking for any more entries that touched upon the mirror, now that she knew the mirror, portal, and human world were all connected.

Equestria's Founding, Day 78
It was brought to my attention that after I discovered these new magical artifacts I had uncovered several days ago, their abilities would be far too dangerous and powerful to be left unchecked. One example of these is what I'm to name, the 'Time Twirler', capable of altering reality by rewinding time itself. I decided that for the sake of Equestria, this should be hidden in a place where nopony would ever find it, regardless of how good their intentions may be. Whilst contemplating where I should hide this, I was pacing around the castle and accidentally tripped on the carpet, sending myself onto the mirror. While I was initially worried about breaking the mirror or hitting my head, I was rather shocked when it had instead acted as a portal, sending me into what looked like another world. Magic might exist in Equestria and all, but this other world was on another level of astonishment. The creatures here look really weird and walk upright, including me, after I went in and saw a reflection of myself in a puddle. Regardless, this gave me the idea to bury the Time Twirler in this world, as it would be extremely unlikely for anypony in Equestria to find it here, let alone discover the existence of a completely new world. After discovering this incredible breakthrough for the first time, it makes me curious on how life would be if I lived in this world myself, but I simply could not yet. Equestria needs me, to continue ensuring safety and uniting the three pony kinds.

Although Clover was right about no one from Equestria discovering those artifacts ever again, he had never considered the possibility of human beings native to that world uncovering them, or being able to utilize their magic. Regardless, this entry gave some insight as to how an Equestrian being, much like Clover himself, considered the possibility of actually staying in the human world, which is touched upon in the very next entry as well.

Equestria's Founding, Day 79
I was curious at exploring the world through the mirror once more, only to find that the mirror was nothing more than a solid object now. I have no idea what happened to that portal, but is it entirely possible that I'm only able to enter and come back through it once? Whatever the case may be, I haven't shared of this other world's existence to anypony else yet, including Starswirl. The magic behind this world's existence is still incredibly complex to understand, meaning that I would need to discover things on my own, especially regarding my concerns on certain artifacts being too dangerous for Equestria, including this mirror itself. Whenever this mirror's portal opens once more, I can continue furthering my research.

Clover had just discovered the problem with the portal randomly closing, and waited until the exact correct day to continue studying the mirror.

Equestria's Founding, Day 108
It has been precisely 30 days, or more specifically, moons, since the portal on the mirror was last active. Although I'm supposedly able to go in and out of the portal whenever I want, I fear that the portal might randomly close again, thus leaving me trapped in the other world. As such, I will only check with my hooves to see whether or not the portal is open these next few days, determining whether or not there is a set time limit. On another note, I had also met someone in the other realm who looked and sounded just like me. We mostly considered it to be a coincidence, and got along well, as he appeared to be a kind fellow. He mentioned needing to borrow something to write on for a project, and I agreed to lend him this old journal for a while. All I can say with certainty by this point, I've never met someone else in my life who has so much in common with myself. According to him, the beings in the world are called 'humans', thus, I started nicknaming the other world, the 'Human World'.

At the time, Clover was not aware of how this other being that reminded him of himself might've been far more than simply a coincidence. The research had been slowly coming together, but the clever founder kept remembering one particular issue, which was preventing him from staying behind as much as he wanted to. For the next cycle of the time limit, Clover's old journal remained behind in the human world, while he temporarily used a substitute journal to log his daily experiences. He had also used his magic to copy and archive every older entry to ensure he wouldn't by some chance lose them for good. But by giving that human being the journal for a while, another extraordinary discovery was about to be uncovered.

Equestria's Founding, Day 148
If my research so far is anything to go by, the mirror's portal would supposedly be open for only 3 days, but then close for another 30 whenever the time limit has been reached. For the time being, the portal appears to follow this pattern consistently, meaning that the cycle would continue on for another 33 days, then rinse and repeat. As such, I could not afford to be trapped in the other world for nearly a month, given the circumstances and responsibilities I have here as one of Equestria's main founders. However, I seem to have discovered a way of exploiting the portal's time limit rule, thanks to the journal I lent to that mysterious human being I got along with last time. I had gone back to retrieve it, but something about it looked... different. I have no idea if the journal had suddenly absorbed the other world's magic, though I've somehow gotten the theory that it might be the key to let me go back whenever I want. The reason being, as soon as I took the journal back, and placed it by the mirror whilst in my world, the portal's time limit appeared to break its pattern, thus allowing me to go back on the 7th day, in which it would normally be locked up.

Much like Princess Celestia's old journal, Clover's other journal had a similar effect, since his companion in the other realm wrote notes on an object that already had magical writings on it from Equestria, which also reappeared in Clover's substitute journal, thus connecting the two worlds. Luckily for Clover, the human who wrote back didn't end up damaging the journal, thus allowing him to go back to retrieve it completely intact. Since the old journal now ran on the portal's magic by connecting both worlds, it suddenly started acting like a battery source when placed by the mirror, creating a large glow, and practically keeping the entrance ajar without any concern of it locking for good. From Clover's experience, keeping the journal away from the mirror seemed to turn it back to normal, thus making the time limit return at different intervals. Knowing this, it appeared to later on come in handy when battling a slippery being in Equestria who wielded another magical artifact.

Equestria's Founding, Day 182
After using my clever skills in outwitting an evil sorceress who was playing dirty by using the memory stone, I was able to take it from her and render her nearly powerless. Unlike other Equestrian artifacts, I decided to keep this one around, mostly to erase anypony's memory if they were to discover the truth behind this mirror. Bearing in mind that the research is something I would prefer to do on my own, without anypony else drawing their curiosity and doing something that could be disastrous. I might be risking my own safety by doing research in secret, but I decided that for the time being, it may not be as safe to let others in on this, if somepony were to enter and not understand any potential dangers in the human world. As for the sorceress, I had mostly received the word that she had been imprisoned in an ancient coffin here in Equestria, but some excavators had managed to discover and open it, thus releasing her from her eternal tomb. After defeating this sorceress, I used my magic to trap her back into her old coffin, and decided that just like with certain other artifacts, she would need to be hidden in a place where nopony would accidentally reawaken her. Entering the Human World with the coffin, I went far into a deep wooded area, discovered an abandoned old mine, and hid the coffin there to ensure her eternal slumber. In the meantime, I held onto the Memory Stone, just until my research on the mirror and other world itself were complete.

As explained, Clover took the old coffin holding the evil sorceress, and planted it in an area where she would most likely be trapped until the end of time. After this particular log, one rather creepy and unusual aspect regarding how the journal was organized, was that there appeared to be nearly no future entries that continued off of Clover furthering his research, as he had claimed to do so in that last log. To make matters even stranger, Human Sunset eventually turned to a segment where it felt as if a crucial segment of Clover's experience was purposefully gone and hidden away, once he started doing research again. For starters, she noticed that entries 276 through 278 had been ripped straight out of the journal, as well as entries 284 through 286. Following this, entry 287 made Human Sunset nearly faint from the sudden shift in tone, affirming that something did in fact go extremely wrong in the worst possible way for Clover, that he had to hide what had happened during those particular day intervals. Human Sunset read the log, as her eyes widened in shock.

Equestria's Founding, Day 287
IF ANYPONY FROM EQUESTRIA IS READING THIS NOW, HEED MY ADVICE VERY CLEARLY. DON'T EVER GO TO THE HUMAN WORLD UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I DON'T KNOW WHAT COULD'VE CAUSED WHAT HAD HAPPENED YESTERDAY, BUT I AM NOW PSYCHOLOGICALLY SCARRED FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. JUST KNOW WITH CERTAINTY THAT IF YOU ARE AN EQUESTRIAN BEING, YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES BY ENTERING THE HUMAN WORLD AND CAUSING WHAT I PERCEIVE TO BE A DIRECT EFFECT OF UPSETTING THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE TWO WORLDS. IT HAPPENED ONCE WHEN I STAYED IN THE HUMAN WORLD MYSELF FOR 72 HOURS STRAIGHT, AND THINGS MAY HAVE RETURNED BACK TO NORMAL FOR A WHILE. BUT THE SECOND TIME I WENT IN AND HAD THE EFFECT OCCUR ONCE MORE, JUST KNOW THAT I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO FORGIVE MYSELF. I WILL SAVE YOU THE INCREDIBLY PETRIFYING TRUTH BY RIPPING OUT MY JOURNAL'S EXPERIENCE THAT DAY, AND REWRITING EVERYTHING TO SIMPLY LET YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU EVER HAVE THOUGHTS ON ENTERING THE HUMAN WORLD, JUST DON'T. STAY FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR FAAAAAAAAAAAR AWAY FROM IT, PLEASE!!!!!! ONCE YOU SEE WHAT TRULY HAPPENS IF YOU LET THE INBALANCE EFFECT TAKE PLACE BY STAYING IN THE HUMAN WORLD FOR 72 HOURS TWICE, YOU WILL NOT, I REPEAT, NOT SLEEP FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

As expected, this particular entry sent many chills down Human Sunset's spine, letting her know that whatever had happened, it may have had something to do with what she herself experienced when being brought before a dark area and getting both sucked up and trapped in a mysterious void that left her in a coma for years. But the main rise in concern was of course, Clover claiming that something far more worse would occur if the other Sunset were to return, putting her through it all over again. For the time being, Human Sunset felt thankful that she didn't immediately know what would happen if the other Sunset came back and stayed for more than 72 hours once again, even if she was a little disappointed she couldn't immediately satisfy her curiosity. All she knew for absolute certain was, whatever would happen, it gave her even more of a reason to ensure the fake Sunset could never return to her world again under any circumstances.

In some ways, her curiosity itself appeared to grow adamant on knowing the truth, since it appeared that this Clover being seemingly knew exactly what he was talking about. With what Clover had already written down regarding everything he knew about the mirror, it at least now gave Human Sunset the proper insight on how the mirror worked, and where this fake Sunset must've come from. Even after how traumatizing the last entry appeared to be, Human Sunset pushed on to check further logs that could give her answers, since there were other things she still wanted to understand for herself before going back to her world. But the next entry that had this didn't show up until nearly 100 entries later down the line.

Equestria's Founding, Day 384
It's been over a whole year since Equestria was founded, but I've heard back from the other founders that they might not be able to keep up with all the responsibilities they were expected to take care of. This was why we all unanimously agreed to instill the rule of a princess, as Equestria had recently started expanding into many numerous branches and systems. As such, my master, Starswirl, had used his magic to artificially create a combination of all three pony kinds, as we had deemed them as creatures known as 'alicorns'. My master had done this on two ponies now helping rule Equestria alongside us founders, Princess Celestia and Luna, respectively. The princesses may have been doing an excellent job at settling disputes and even raising the sun and moon, but I fear as though their curiosity of magic might lead them to one day try learning about this mirror. As stated before, I had ripped out my previous entries documenting my experience, as I believed nopony should ever have to know, let alone go through what I did when I made my way into the human world. Thankfully, I still have the memory stone with me, in case I find myself in a predicament where one of the princesses catches me in the act and tries to learn about the mirror for themselves.

Whatever had shocked Clover immensely by entering the human world and causing the inbalance effect, it was clear that it was psychologically traumatic, if he went out of his way to ensure nopony else would ever know about it. Human Sunset believed that what she went through when this supposed inbalance effect took place at least gave her half of the answer, but it was the fact that Clover claimed that going through it twice would end up entailing something far more worse. Since Clover was even going as far as hiding this from the trusted princesses of Equestria, it would inevitably come to a head once the princesses did get involved after discovering something that had slipped Clover's mind.

Equestria's Founding, Day 396
I was continuing doing research on magic with Starswirl in my own time, when Princess Celestia announced that she wanted to see me for a more personal matter, by myself. As such, I briefly stopped my research with my master to go see the princess at Canterlot's castle, and during this meeting...

The rest of the log was incredibly long as far as details describing what had happened that day, but Human Sunset continued reading, visually imagining a flashback in her own head to see the events for herself. Princess Celestia was awaiting Clover the Clever in a private meeting room at the castle, pacing back and forth whilst holding a blue book. Clover had just entered the room, but his eyes immediately widened when seeing what the princess was carrying.

"Ah, Clover." Princess Celestia addressed the clever founder. "How nice of you to join me, since I have some important questions for you. Ever since I started learning far more complex magic, I was looking around the castle for new scrolls and books to help me grow in my skills, and that's when I remembered finding this book I saw you had written, which was for some reason tossed in a trash can."

"Princess, how could you!?" Clover snapped. "You should know better than to snoop around my belongings!"

"I'm sorry?" Celestia said, somewhat confused. "I was taking out the trash after having supper with you and the other founders of Equestria last night. While doing so, I noticed what looked like a perfectly good book that was somehow thrown away as well, and I had noticed it was written by you."

Clover had not mentioned this anywhere in his journal yet, but when he was conducting research on the mirror and human world in his own time, he was also secretly writing a book that documented everything he knew about the human world, in good details. Unlike his previous journal entries, this book had practically everything, from what he did during the days he made his way in, to even describing all the effects and explanations Clover had deduced from his many days of research. This even included the eventual inbalance effect that took place, which was so horrid, that it psychologically traumatized him for life. After this, was when he decided to rip out the pages from his journal that described his exact experience, alongside changing his mind in publishing the book. Believing that for everypony's sake, that the book should never be read, Clover had secretly thrown it away, not considering the possibility of anypony uncovering it for themselves, which was incredibly foolish.

"Well even so, that was not a book I intended for anypony to actually read!" Clover protested. "Please, don't tell me that you actually read it!"

"I've actually read the whole book after opening it this morning, and..." Celestia began to hear her own voice break. "What happened at the end was both astonishing and psychologically breaking. I mostly wanted to call you here to discuss what we could do about this mirror, to ensure that nopony else would ever have to go through what you did when you entered it yourself."

"All right, I can tell you where the mirror is, but I'm sorry to hear you had to find out what happened for yourself the hard way." Clover said.

"Indeed, I'll have no idea whether or not I'll be able to sleep at night once my sister raises the moon." Celestia replied. "But regardless, sounds good. I'll make a quick note of what happened, so that I don't forget, and put this book in a place where nopony will ever find it."

Although initially happy that the princess seemed to understand what he himself had believed after experiencing what he did, Clover then realized something else. After his scarring experience, he just wasn't himself anymore. He was no longer as clever and witting like before, and seemingly had difficulties fulfilling his responsibilities as one of Equestria's main founders. His traumatic experience had left him thinking of his actions every single day, distracting him constantly, to where Clover believed that if the princess herself had read such an experience, the same could happen to her. Clover also knew that he was growing old and would eventually perish one day, and just wouldn't allow a princess to continue ruling with this kind of negative psychological effect. He would not want to leave a legacy like this, being known as 'Clover the Emotionally Damaging'. As such, noticing that the princess was using a quill and scroll to write down what had happened, he was not proud of having to use the last resort, but believed that since the princess had read everything, he had no other choice.

"I'm so sorry, Princess..." Clover began, before taking the memory stone out of his saddlebag and using it on the princess. "But nopony else should ever have to live out the rest of their lives, knowing what truly happens beyond the mirror."

Princess Celestia's mind was eventually completely wiped clean of everything she read about this morning and collapsed to the floor, as Clover took the opportunity to take the book back from the princess. He also decided that he had to take care of the mirror himself, as he believed it was the only way to ensure nopony else ever learns of its true power again. Clover used his magic to erase the contents of the book, leaving all the pages practically blank. Human Sunset briefly paused to see the blue book's contents, and expected, there was nothing inside, before continuing to read on. As for the mirror itself, Clover acted fast when going around the castle, before eventually taking the mirror from his study, and placing it within a dressing room. Believing that the mirror would at least blend in with an environment where nopony would ever suspect of it being a magical artifact, Clover had hoped this would all work out, as there was no way he could hide the mirror itself in the human world.

Unfortunately, the clever founder had let yet another crucial detail slip his mind. What Princess Celestia had already written on a scroll already gave her a partial idea on the matter, and Clover had neglected to take it away as well. As Celestia got up, with her mind completely wiped of the book's contents, she stumbled around the room in confusion, trying to remember why she was there. Then she took a quick look at the scroll, and read it aloud.

"Don't ever let anypony go through the Crystal Mirror under ANY circumstances." Celestia began reading. "Doing so will unfortunately result in upsetting the balance between the two worlds, and it involves..."

That was all that was already written on the scroll before her memory got erased with the memory stone. Despite this, the princess continued to process what this could mean.

"Wait a minute, this is my own hoofwriting!" Celestia said to herself. "There's absolutely no way I would be writing this down if it wasn't important, but unfortunately, I can't remember at all what I was writing. All I know for absolute certain is, if I ever find a crystal mirror that somepony could supposedly go through, I'll do everything I can as a princess to ensure everypony stays far away from it. How did I even know about this, I must've gotten this knowledge from a book somewhere, so I'll keep in mind that I might need to find it again someday."

The entry then ended with Clover explaining that he finally went back into the human world one last time, just to hide the memory stone, as he felt guilty for needing to use it on who he believed was already a trusted ruler. As for returning to the human world briefly, the damage had already been done when he had upset the balance twice, so he quickly buried it within the center of a rock formation, before leaving the world itself behind once and for all, not knowing that the stone would one day be uncovered by the human Wallflower Blush. After this final return, Clover had also removed the old journal that was powering up the mirror, bringing it back to its state of needing to wait 30 moons to reopen. Afterwards, he had grabbed the ripped pages of his journal from his study, before going on to do something that would close this chapter of his life for good. Since he had already ripped the pages out of the journal beforehand, he couldn't erase everything with his magic, much like with the book, making it so he had no other choice but to hide the pages too. As for Clover's final deed afterward, Human Sunset kept skimming through before she finally found it.

Equestria's Founding, Day 442
I had not mentioned this yet, but up until now, I was secretly digging a tunnel under Canterlot's library. It's here where I built a hidden shrine to honor myself, as well as the other founders of Equestria for our hard work over time. I had initially sculpted these stone statues in my own time, but eventually changed my mind about the shrine idea, when realizing that it could serve another purpose. For reference, it's been so long since I've messed around with the human world, but I realized that nopony would ever find this old journal or book describing my traumatic experiences ever again if they were hidden down here. I will not say where I decided to hide them, but I made sure to include a reference in case I ever forgot, within the history book that was titled 'Canterlot Castle, A History, Vol. II'. There was a brief summary describing the mirror in the book, since it was added by me, to imply it was more of a mere legend than anything else. I used a translator to write on a small scroll piece to help point me toward the book and journal if I ever needed it, and since it's in an ancient Equestrian language, I'm sure nopony would ever make any sense of it. They wouldn't even be able to know of the shrine's existence without the journal, which will be hidden here until the end of time, especially thanks to the fact I've hidden a lever to activate the entrance in a very obscure spot. This will also be my last journal entry before I go into retirement. It's been a wild experience being a founder and discovering the human world, but it's time for me to simply live out the rest of my days, knowing Equestria will be run by a confident and not emotionally broken princess.

After finishing up this read, Human Sunset at least now understood why she found everything that she did, and why it was all down here. Although this was claimed to be the very last journal entry Clover had ever written, there was still one final brief entry written on the final page, before the journal was out of pages. She quickly read it, in case it had any more crucial information.

To ensure nopony ever finds out about the journal and book, I've placed a final form of security to keep any intruders out. Let's just say, it's a special kind of bug that will react adversely to the presence of pony fur, which will only reawaken with a source of light.

Despite this claim, Human Sunset looked around the empty room, seeing absolutely nothing like what was described. The only thing at the bottom of the room besides herself were just the statues of the founders, and what looked like a small crack in the wall. Not really noticing that crack before, Human Sunset slowly approached it, just to see what it was. As she got closer to it, there appeared to be a living thing inside, which just slipped right through the crack. To Human Sunset, it looked nothing more than an ordinary red beetle with a horn, which slowly started hissing at her.

"THIS is that final form of security?" Human Sunset rolled her eyes. "Well, that Clover person already said he isn't as clever as he thinks he is anymore. Whatever, this will be easy."

Human Sunset stomped on the beetle with her hoof, killing it without a sweat. As she walked away, however, she heard noises behind her, before swiftly turning around. Although the dead beetle was still there, it appeared to now attract a whole swarm of them. Hundreds of red, vicious-looking beetles begun emerging from the crevice, now growing in size and strength, as well as becoming enraged after seeing one of their own being threatened. Seeing how the blue book she was holding was practically useless, Human Sunset merely threw the book at the beetles in the hopes of just scaring them off, only to see the book now bouncing off of their heads, as her own eyes widened in horror. The beetles now appeared to be invincible, and a few even started demonstrating that they could breathe fire too.

Human Sunset simply ran for her safety, climbing the stairs with Clover's old journal in her hoof, as the red beetles did the same. When she reached the top, she went back over to desperately find the lever that opened the entrance and activated it, closing the trapdoor below. Human Sunset initially breathed a sigh of relief, before noticing that the ground was shaking, and the door itself was beginning to move up and down. The beetles were inevitably going to break through it soon, which convinced Human Sunset to make a run for the mirror, as it was her only chance of escaping them, due to the library itself now being locked up.

Human Sunset found her way back to the Crystal Mirror, and this time, noticed an old journal nearby powering it up, making it so the portal would be open indefinitely, much like Clover did with his journal. As Human Sunset was desperate to ensure the other Sunset and those red beetles wouldn't follow her back, she blindly grabbed the journal, then jumped right into the mirror, hoping she could be out of harm's way for now. Thankfully, since the mirror was currently in a state where it would already be open, regardless of there being a journal to power it up, Human Sunset was able to escape back into her world, now with both Princess Celestia's and Clover's old journals.

As the trapdoor finally opened, the red beetles by this point, had already gotten a clear image of Sunset's face to swear vengeance against her for trespassing and killing one of their own. They began searching the library and were willing to go as far as searching all over Equestria just to do this. However, after a while of searching all over the restricted section, these beetles couldn't find a trace or hint of Human Sunset anywhere, making them surmise that she might've escaped outside. They were not smart enough to deduce that she had gone through the mirror, making it so their next goal would be to find their way out of the building, since it had been literal centuries they had been stuck in a dormant tomb.

Every last red beetle made their way out of the wall, and eventually out of a small air duct which led outside the library itself. The very last beetles from the shrine suddenly dropped something on the way out. They were carrying Clover's missing journal pages, still unread by anypony else to this day, which fell by the blue book Human Sunset had thrown earlier. The last beetles finally exited the trapdoor itself, which was still ajar, leaving the shrine completely open for anypony who might come back to the restricted section...

Chapter 55: Evergrowing Resentment

Returning back to her native world, Human Sunset came out of the same spot from the CHS horse statute pedestal, and hoped those red beetles wouldn't follow her through the portal. After it seemed as though the beetles had given up looking for her, she felt her anxiety decrease, before noticing she was suddenly wearing her old clothes again, almost as if this portal had some kind of filter that removed them when she turned into a pony. This observation aside, it felt crucial to her in now going back to recap everything she had just learned in Equestria, as it seemingly explained quite a number of things she once believed were unexplainable. For starters, recalling that experience in which she had been engulfed in a void and left in a coma for literal years, it appeared to be something that this Clover pony saw for himself, but there seemed to be a much greater consequence that was hinted at back in entry 287.

It was still rather dark, and likely past midnight by this point, so Human Sunset's first move was to return back to her home, processing everything she had to take in. She affirmed that the first 72 hour thing was exactly what had happened that day she faded out of existence and lost touch with her world, after the pony version of herself ended up here. At least, she would assume that the other Sunset was the Sunset Shimmer native to Equestria, based on the evidence she had already seen of her existence, as well as the contents of her diary from earlier. This meant that she was not only a pony version of herself from another world, but also that four-legged animal she saw in that dark area before getting engulfed and trapped. For the time being, Human Sunset knew that returning now appeared to bring everything back to normal, as she also had her previous knowledge and physical strength completely intact. Unfortunately, one crucial detail that kept on bothering her, was again, what Clover had written in that particular chilling journal entry.

Just like Clover had claimed, the first 72 hour inbalance occurrence had taken effect, presumably with that other being whom he shared common interests with, who was likely the Clover native to this world. After not thinking much of it, he had only briefly returned to Equestria, which brought things back to normal, just like with Human Sunset now. But then the second time Clover let the effect take place, it was said that he'd never look at himself the same way ever again, making it so Human Sunset was scared for her life at what could've possibly happened. Whatever was the case, it almost sounded like a fate even worse than death itself, and presumably a permanent effect that could never be reversed.

Although she had taken away the old journal that kept the portal open indefinitely, from what she had already read, she knew it wasn't enough. Human Sunset now knew of the portal opening every 30 moons, meaning that Pony Sunset would still eventually be able to return in the matter of just waiting it out. Although stealing her life, identity, and existence were all already bad enough, Human Sunset's main fear at the possibility of her pony self returning again, was the inbalance enigma taking effect for the second time. The fact it was horrible to the point where Clover made certain that no one else other than himself would ever know, that just solidified the extent of what Pony Sunset had done by coming into this world. Human Sunset would simply refuse to take any chances, wanting to ensure that this fake Sunset would never willingly set foot in this world ever again.

The consequence of her coming back to upset the balance of the world a second time was just too much, never mind Human Sunset already having bitter resentment toward this fake imposter for not only taking away her existence, but in comparison, living the good life she always dreamed of having, but never got. Even without this warning of an extremely dangerous inbalance effect, Human Sunset was now adamant on also getting revenge on the imposter Sunset, just as much as her father. Pony Sunset's decision to come into this world from Equestria had already cost her dearly, and also during one of the most psychologically traumatizing periods of her entire life, what with the school bullies, Sunspot abandoning the family, and Solstice passing away. She had practically nothing and no one left, then this had happened to her.

Regardless of what would happen with her own life from that point forward, Human Sunset didn't particularly care for the time being. If anything, starving to death or rotting in jail sounded much more pleasant compared to what would inevitably happen to her by letting the imposter return and stay for another 72 hours. She humorously believed that reporting this to the local news station could possibly make her rich and famous, but it'd likely also be digging her own grave, once human beings would face the same inbalance effect by staying in Equestria for too long. All in all, a whole other world supposedly ran by ponies which was connected to her own world thanks to magic, it definitely felt like something she'd never fully understand on her own, nor would science. Even astro scientists and anybody within the entire galaxy would be dumbfounded by how this could truly work.

Moving past this, as she began to enter the neighborhood area where Solstice's old home was, Human Sunset had absolutely no idea how she was going to deal with Pony Sunset returning and having her existence be the main cause for supposed irreversible damage to herself. As the possibilities flooded her mind, she personally believed that simply telling her of what she had learned and nicely asking her to never come back wasn't an option. There was simply no way Pony Sunset could be so understanding and cooperative, especially after seeing everything she had supposedly owned and accomplished while her human counterpart was in a deep sleep. And seeing how rich and successful she was, in contrast to her own miserable life, Human Sunset went on the assumption that Pony Sunset had the exact same mentality as the snobby, rich bullies she once had at Crystal Prep Academy. She'd be just like Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap, seeing how much more of a popular status and wealthy life Pony Sunset had compared to her human counterpart.

Although Human Sunset's beliefs regarding her pony counterpart becoming upset and reluctant over permanently abandoning the human world were correct, she was completely unaware of two things. Pony Sunset was incredibly compassionate and empathetic toward everyone, to the point where she'd be willing to make any sacrifices for the well being of others, much like she did when she saved Lily Pad from Gilda that night. As such, she'd never be as stuck up and pompous like Indigo or Sugarcoat, despite having a past where she was a rather nasty bully. Secondly, Pony Sunset was already growing rather tired of the human world anyways, and mostly decided that after graduation, coming back was more of an afterthought, and it mostly just entailed keeping in touch with her human friends. This was due to her wanting to spend more time in Equestria, learning about her family, and returning to her former life of studying magic.

Unfortunately, without this knowledge, Human Sunset stood by her belief that a girl as rich and respected as Pony Sunset would be just like her old rich bullies, and that a form of revenge felt justified, given how her existence had already done all this to her human counterpart, intentional or not. The harsh life she previously had was already depressing and traumatizing as it was, and this final act of removing her from existence simply pushed Human Sunset over the edge to feel vengeful, now that she was back. Her thought process came to a temporary halt, as she finally returned back to the home once owned by her mother, which was never bought or torn down, ever since the mortgage was paid off.

Not even having the will to sit on her own bed, despite how comfortable it was, Human Sunset simply walked over to the living room's sofa, and laid there to rest for a bit. She didn't even take off her boots or clothes, nor change into her pajamas, which were still in her old bedroom upstairs. This look and arrangement of attire had basically defined her new self, and she was far too insecure to change into anything else, as she believed any other look would again, remind her of once being that weak and helpless Sunny S. student in school. On the subject of her old school life, Human Sunset continued to boil up in resentment toward Indigo, as she was the primary cause of her dropping out, whereas Sugarcoat only made her jealous, and Principal Cinch broke the camel's back after the bullying was finally reported.

Had it not been for Indigo, it was most likely that Human Sunset could've made it all the way through high school, while only being #2. It was unknown to her for the time being, but the student who ended up taking her spot in the school after dropping out was none other than the human Twilight, who was almost just like her. The main difference was, Principal Cinch handed Indigo everything she needed to cheat her way through high school, to the point where Indigo didn't feel any need to continue bullying Twilight, like she once did with Sunny S. And unlike Human Sunset, once Twilight managed to even surpass Sugarcoat, Principal Cinch put Twilight on a pedestal to brag to her peers, and gave her that special treatment, while leaving Sugarcoat in the dust, after finally losing her #1 spot.

This alone had always made Sugarcoat heavily resent Twilight, even when Twilight was polite enough to have casual conversations with her on the bus, despite not being much of a person who actively socialized. However, Twilight was never bullied or had her education hindered by other students, since Principal Cinch made certain of it. Having a student who could even beat the #1 student in a matter of weeks made Cinch see Twilight as her prized advantage for the school, and she had already known what had happened to Sunny S. shortly before. This was when Cinch made a public announcement that put Twilight in the spotlight, but also made it particularly clear that if anyone were to bully or harass her, they would get expelled, and that included Indigo. As a result of this, Twilight overall saw most Crystal Prep students avoiding or ignoring her, even if she was willing to socialize, as they were too afraid of Cinch's punishment. Although Twilight was never bullied or attacked for being the #1 student, she still felt like a lonely social outcast, and this in its entirety, would've represented what might've actually happened to Human Sunset, had she decided to stay.

But unfortunately, Sunny S. just never had enough to satisfy Principal Cinch to give her that same luxury, since just like Sunspot, Cinch didn't have much of a care for the student in the #2 spot, like she soon did with Sugarcoat, turning her into the bitter and blunt girl she had become in present day. Indigo was her ticket at getting good money for the school's funding, while Twilight was the driving force behind making Crystal Prep Academy the absolute #1 school in the city. Having a student like Twilight also made certain that Cinch would never have any problem boasting about how talented of a headmaster she was whenever she had the opportunity, much like during the Friendship Games. Though this didn't stop the awful and wicked principal from blackmailing Twilight to do her bidding, much like when she made it clear that her application to the Everton Independent Study program would be rejected if she refused to participate in the big event.

All this aside, Human Sunset particularly had it out for Indigo, so much to where she couldn't stop thinking about her. Although she had smashed up her family's car and stolen her money, she didn't particularly think it was enough, especially since she would likely still be graduating, thanks to Principal Cinch handing her the easy grades like candy. Thinking that Indigo deserved a much more fitting punishment for everything she did to her, Human Sunset got up from the couch for a bit to check the date on her mother's old laptop. Turning it on, she looked at the digital calendar, and noticed it was actually a Monday at 1:17 AM, meaning that it was now a school day. Remembering that Crystal Prep Academy had a school website, Human Sunset searched it up, before looking at the calendar and information located there. It was here where she made several surprising discoveries.

The first thing that caught her attention was that according to the staff list, the 'Principal' section now had Dean Cadance's face, meaning that Cinch was no longer the principal of her old school anymore. Human Sunset had no idea what this meant, but it was likely implying she had gotten fired and replaced with the old dean. Considering what the wicked old witch had put her through during her freshman year, it definitely left some room to truly imagine how awful of a deed Cinch had committed to warrant finally getting her comeuppance. Sidetracking for a bit, Human Sunset quickly opened up a new tab on her browser to search what had happened to Cinch, and eventually discovered an old article describing the events during the Friendship Games at CHS. She scrolled down to the bottom of the article and started reading a brief summary of the allegations put toward the former principal, which most likely contributed to her losing her job.

Principal Abacus Cinch - Allegations and/or Criminal Charges
-Child Abuse
-Psychological Abuse
-Manipulative Abuse
-Terrorism
-Blackmail
-Sabotage
-Thievery
-Exploitation
-Tyrannical Behavior
-Making Illegal Profits

Many locals had always wondered how Crystal Prep Academy always got such high marks, but after the events of the Friendship Games between Canterlot High School and Crystal Prep, students had started speaking out against their principal, Abacus Cinch, after Principal Celestia filed a civil lawsuit reporting numerous serious allegations. As it would turn out, students at Crystal Prep began presenting solid evidence of the principal using underhanded tactics to make the school look like the #1 ranked in the city, as exemplified by an anonymous source. This tip claimed that the principal snuck cheat sheets and sold advance copies of tests to students before actual examination, and it was proven true, thanks to audio recordings and video cameras from phones.

For the time being, Abacus Cinch is now facing a $500,000 lawsuit for allowing her students to cheat, on top of making a profit from it, but the other charges regarding abusive behavior toward the students has since then been dropped, due to said allegations only presenting circumstantial evidence. The courtroom's jury has also unanimously decided that there appeared to be no actual evidence of her manipulation creating a demonic being possessing magic to the point of nearly destroying the world, on top of sounding farfetched. [UPDATE:] She was originally sentenced to 10 years in prison, but had recently been released on parole after serving her first year.

"Are... you... KIDDING ME!?!" Human Sunset spat.

Seeing this last statement in the article made Human Sunset's blood boil, despite hearing that Cinch did eventually get caught for one of her major felonies in making a profit through cheat sheets, like she once did for Indigo. Getting sent to prison only to get released so early despite everything else Cinch did, Human Sunset believed that the justice system was next to useless, seeing how they were incompetent to the point of never being able to prove Cinch's previous abusive behavior. Handing out cheat sheets was definitely the furthest thing from what she would've hoped Cinch had gotten convicted for, and this essentially meant that since Cinch was already released, she'd basically get no consequences for everything else she did, especially during the days Human Sunset was attending Crystal Prep Academy.

Although Human Sunset believed she was somewhat of a hypocrite for thinking this after she had vandalized her enemies' cars and stolen a hefty wad of cash from her bully, she didn't care. This traced all the way back to that day when Cinch showed complacency toward the idea of Human Sunset suing her, since she never got any actual evidence for her legitimately abusive behavior. Every allegation listed toward Cinch on that article earlier, Human Sunset knew it was absolutely accurate, given her own personal experience with the former principal. Even long before that final confrontation with her and Indigo, she always believed something was off about Cinch, especially with the way she ran the school. It was even noticeable when Human Sunset recalled that being #2 never brought any praise or attention from Cinch, as she only cared about the #1 student at the time, that being Sugarcoat. She could've been #200 for all she cared, and it wouldn't have made a difference.

Regardless of all this, it was infuriating to believe that Cinch practically got off scot-free for everything that had happened when Human Sunset first came to that awful school. Cinch's former statement in that office shortly before Human Sunset decided to drop out had unfortunately come true, in the sense that nobody was ever able to convict her of all her other felonies from being a corrupt and abusive principal, and that the only thing ever proven was her handing out cheat sheets. And even then, she only ended up serving one year in prison, whereas Human Sunset lost practically three years of her life, thanks to her pony counterpart's presence in the world itself. On top of that, Human Sunset also had to worry about her pony counterpart returning to create the enigma effect a second time, while presumably nobody else had this concern, especially Cinch. Unknown to Human Sunset, Cinch would definitely lack this kind of problem, given how her Madame pony counterpart was currently in Manehattan prison, and that Cinch wasn't as lucky after her abusive behavior was revealed publicly, thanks to Pony Sunset.

By this point, Human Sunset decided to purely focus on positives, as Cinch at least got some kind of punishment, even if there was now seemingly no way to ever prove and reconvict her for all the other awful things she did as principal. Her initial intention was focusing on how to get back at Indigo, so Human Sunset continued doing some digging on the Crystal Prep Academy website, trying to find anything that could be useful information. According to the events schedule, graduation was coming up rather soon for that school as well, and it was planned to be on the same day as Canterlot High. Knowing this, it gave Human Sunset the idea to perhaps do something involving sabotaging the graduation, and notably for Sugarcoat and Indigo. However, while thinking of ways to pull this off, this exact thought began to make her brainstorm a way she could potentially kill two birds with one stone.

Being told that graduation was going to take place during the same day as Canterlot High's, the same school that Pony Sunset attended, Human Sunset hypothetically asked herself what would happen if she were to sabotage both events. More specifically, people in her world were confusing her for Pony Sunset one way or another, whether it'd be her friends like Pinkie, or vengeful enemies like Gilda. But then, there was seemingly a way Human Sunset could use this to her advantage. What if she were to commit crimes under Pony Sunset's name, making it so everyone would suddenly turn on her to the point that she'd never want to come back from Equestria? After all, what that pony mentioned to her back in the Equestrian library absolutely confirmed that Pony Sunset was still around, and had intentions to return after her revisit to Equestria was finished. Even if Human Sunset herself was likely to face the music herself once Pony Sunset decided to depart for good, so be it. She already believed her own life was absolutely terrible, to where getting scorned and shunned by society would only be a light papercut, compared to the inbalance effect issue.

Unfortunately, last time when Human Sunset had planned revenge, she wasn't as careful in planning things out, notably when Indigo's family had installed video cameras after seeing their car wrecked. Adding on, it wasn't likely for her to pull everything off on her own, let alone with two graduation events. She was going to need help in order to sabotage and ruin the graduations under Pony Sunset's name, and she would have no idea where to even start, given how she wasn't much of a criminal, outside of vandalizing cars and stealing money. It also didn't help that she didn't really have any friends prior to reinventing herself, other than her mother, who was still long gone. Pony Sunset was presumably friends with a lot of people in the city, but it didn't seem likely that any of them would follow Human Sunset with her intentions on committing crimes that could potentially get them in trouble too. But then it suddenly hit her, if she didn't have any friends in this world, what if she were to enlist the help of her enemies, who seemingly had just as big of a vendetta toward Pony Sunset?

It seemed like genius, given how Human Sunset already proved she was more than capable of beating Gilda and her gang to a pulp, solidifying how tough she truly was. But more importantly, they had held a personal grudge toward Pony Sunset, since in their words, Pony Sunset had intervened when Gilda was attempting to demand cash from some girl by using her phone as collateral. Would it not be reasonable to surmise that Gilda's gang would have no problem whatsoever in teaming up with her, as an attempt in tarnishing Pony Sunset's name? Since she had already managed to take on a group of vicious and vengeful girls on her own, it'd also be likely to surmise they wouldn't even dare try to retaliate against Human Sunset, especially after taking down two members and their group leader without much of a sweat. Given how by this very point, although Human Sunset couldn't imagine any of Pony Sunset's actual friends willing to go through with her sinister plans, perhaps her enemies would, since they'd be getting something out of it as well.

Keeping this in mind, Human Sunset decided that she'd head back to Gilda and her gang's hideout, shortly after doing some further research. The last thing on her mind was the whereabouts of her father, and what she could potentially do as far as revenge for how he had treated her when he was part of the family. Sunspot's treatment toward Solstice wasn't that much better, as Human Sunset often saw her parents arguing, Sunspot acting lazy after getting laid off, and signs that he was actually leeching off of his wife's income, even long before their divorce. Getting back at Cinch was also not really something at the top of Human Sunset's priority list, since at the moment, three particular people stood out in her mind, as enemies that she would love to teach a personal lesson toward, which they would never forget. Indigo Zap for tormenting her during school, Sunspot for being an awful and selfish father, and Pony Sunset for coming into this world and erasing her from existence. Getting further revenge on Cinch was still something Human Sunset was planning, but believed that she already had enough on her plate for the time being.

Whilst searching up Sunspot's name on the laptop, Human Sunset made yet another horrifying discovery, this time regarding something that was apparently discovered sometime after her parents divorced. The title of the news article brought to perspective at how much of a scumbag Sunspot truly was, even ignoring how he had already treated Human Sunset as a daughter. She read it, trying to understand what had happened to her father following his separation from Solstice.

The Sunspot Cheating Scandal: Be Careful Who You Trust
Recently, a young high school student by the name of Sunburst had come forward to the news station about his father being an opportunistic person, after finding evidence of him having an affair with his wife of over 10 years, Stellar Flare. He had been constantly keeping his relationship with an unnamed actress (For privacy reasons), whom he also had a daughter with, a complete secret. As it would turn out, this cheating scandal had shook the entire community over how severe it was, and what Sunspot had to say after his true colors were revealed. Once he admitted to the affair, he only had this to say, and by quote:

"I feel ashamed, after realizing how dumb of a decision I made. I loved these two women since I felt that they both gave me solid advantages that made my life better, especially after how much I had been living in poverty during my former life. Both of these women gave me a life that I felt couldn't be matched, and I merely toyed with the idea that I could keep them both, since each had their own benefits. My first wife, Stellar Flare, had understood my deep complexities, and even helped me do my taxes, something I could never do by myself. Meanwhile, the rich actress had money and success, something that I've craved for the longest time, since my previous poor life had me wanting some of the finer things in life. I had also kept my son and daughter with these women a secret from their respective moms, out of fear that it would jeopardize either relationship. Despite this, I still went after other women behind both of their backs, and even attempted to impress them with expensive gifts. I admit that I had genuinely selfish motives by being with these women, hoping that I could keep them both, only to now have neither, once they've found out and divorced me. Now that the truth is out, I'm terribly sorry it had to come to this, and I completely understand if no woman ever wants to come near me ever again." -Sunspot

Outside of the fact that Sunspot supposedly remarried later down the line... some woman named Stellar Flare was apparently his FIRST wife? Processing this, it would've meant that her father had even been cheating on Solstice during his marriage, which made Human Sunset even more livid than she already was. She recalled that on some nights, her father would occasionally come home at around midnight, even on days when he wasn't working, which would perfectly explain where he was during those late nights. His motivations being so cold and calculated for being with those women sounded just like him as well, if his previous behavior in wanting Human Sunset to become rich and successful by being the #1 student was anything to go by.

The thing that threw off Human Sunset was, this article didn't seem to mention anything regarding Solstice or herself, as it was mostly elaborating Sunspot's affair with this actress and Stellar Flare lady. Although it was said that the actress had a daughter, Human Sunset knew that the actress couldn't have been Solstice, given how poor her family was growing up, and she recalled that her mother originally worked in finance, not in the acting industry. Assuming that this was all taking place simultaneously, it would've meant that Sunspot was cheating on three separate women, along with having a child with each of them, a son and two daughters, respectively. If that were the case, it would've meant she had two half siblings, though attempting to find them seemed to be impossible, given she had no real idea where they could possibly be nowadays. She also didn't know for certain if they also wanted revenge against their dad, which prompted Human Sunset to check for any hints regarding on her father's whereabouts. She continued reading the rest of the article, following Sunspot's statement.

After these cases were brought to the attention of the press, only Stellar Flare has agreed to come forward in where they stand, following the divorce. Sunspot had recently gotten a new job at Tartarus Industries, and will now be obligated in paying her half of his paycheck every month, now that she has moved away from Canterlot City with their son, Sunburst, to a new and disclosed city. As for the unnamed actress, the case is still being settled in court, but we will not provide further updates, as she has made a statement that she would prefer to keep silent on the matter to the public. One thing that the general public has taken away from this shocking case however, is mostly the lesson learned when understanding that people like this exist, even if they appear as genuine and faithful in your marriages. Be careful who you trust, and always be wary of red flags.

Finishing this read, Human Sunset couldn't agree more with how shocking this revelation was, furthering her desire to put her father in his place for all he did. Not only was Sunspot never really there for her as a dad, but he also cheated, supposedly before he and Solstice even separated. One thing that stood out from the article however, was the fact that it mentioned Stellar Flare and her son had moved away from Canterlot City, implying that following the divorce, Sunspot was still around town somewhere. More specifically, at Tartarus Industries, which Human Sunset vaguely remembered hearing about when she was younger. It still felt unusual how this article never made even a single mention of Solstice or Sunset Shimmer, but Human Sunset then theorized that they were both likely forgotten about. Solstice had passed away, and Human Sunset herself was trapped in a void for over three years.

Moving past this, it was time to set her plans into motion, as Human Sunset believed her motives were finally clear enough. Now that her research was complete, it was time to enlist the help of those gang girls whom she had fought earlier. Human Sunset felt that if she somehow couldn't convince them to aide in her quest in fulfilling her vengeance against these three people, and possibly even Cinch, she'd use her brute strength to make them comply regardless. Human Sunset then closed her mother's old laptop, took the money she had taken from Gilda earlier, and began retracing her steps to make her way back to that abandoned building Gilda and her crew were likely still hiding at. Even if they'd refuse to help her regardless, it'd still be a good try, and something clearly had to be done.

Human Sunset's hatred for Pony Sunset, Sunspot, and Indigo Zap were about the same, as each of them had contributed to what she had become now. However, she believed her first priority was seeing whether or not Gilda and those other girls would assist her in getting revenge against Pony Sunset, since from what she understood, they both shared a common enemy. Plus, since these girls were much more underhanded and seemingly capable of the most criminal motives out of anyone else she's ever met, having them as her allies would be quite useful. Before long, after a determined walk through the city at nearly 2 AM, Human Sunset eventually found her way back to that abandoned building, which was impossible to miss. She went through the basement's door, and began hearing a few voices in the distance.

"Look, she had me pinned in a corner and took my crowbar!" Gilda said to her cronies. "I had no other choice."

"Yeah, but why'd you give her the money you stole too!?" The beanie girl shouted in outrage. "Are you that much of a coward, that you decided to bribe her not to hurt you?"

"Now we're going to starve for the night for sure!" The curly haired girl agreed. "Some leader you turned out to be!"

"Thanks to you, we're probably going to have you for dinner now, Gilda!" The beanie girl spat. "You cowardly chicken nugget!"

"Come on, get serious now, Lightning." Gilda replied. "If you're that hungry, I got some candy bars I stole from a few children at the park earlier."

"I'm hungry for some vengeance, that's what's going on, now!" The beanie girl continued.

"If that Sunset punk ever comes back, we'll show her who's boss, together!" The curly haired girl added.

"Yeah, she was still a coward for running off from our hideout, regardless." Gilda agreed. "We could all take her on if we actually worked together as a team."

Just as Gilda had said this, Human Sunset had just entered the basement room, as she overheard a brief bit of that last statement.

"What were you all just saying about me?" Human Sunset said with an unamused expression, after opening the door.

The room suddenly fell in silence, as each of the gang girls had realized they were likely now dead meat after running their mouths at the wrong time. They had merely only been bluffing, as a result of frustration from losing that battle earlier, now afraid for their lives at the unexpected return of this girl who had proven to be tougher than them all, combined.

Chapter 56: Menacing Phantom

All three of the girls continued to stand there in utter fear, seeing the one girl they attempted to take on together earlier, but regretted it heavily. She had now returned, either to give them an even further thrashing, or tattle on them to the police, making it so their arrest was imminent. As Human Sunset realized that these girls clearly lacked the guts to even say a single word in her presence, she simply smirked and began to continue the conversation left off from Gilda, after the gang leader had only toyed with the idea on getting revenge toward her a second time.

"Not much of the talkative type, is that right?" Human Sunset asked, rhetorically. "It makes sense, given how I've now proven I'm way tougher than any of you bananas combined."

"Alright, fine!" The beanie girl blurted out. "You've proved your point, but why do you have to talk about food to torment us!? We're starving!"

"We ain't eating nothing tonight, ever since Gilda foolishly decided to hand you that money she took!" The curly haired girl added.

"Oh, you mean..." Human Sunset reached into her jacket's pocket, pulling out the same wad of cash Gilda had given her earlier out of cowardice. "THIS money?"

All of the gang girls' eyes widened, not understanding what Human Sunset was trying to do. Was she attempting to make them feel a world of despair, now that she was rich, while they were all practically homeless and starving? Or... could this possibly be a sign that she'll give the money back, but expect something in return for doing so?

"Alright, spit it out, already!" Gilda groaned in frustration. "You clearly want something from us by coming back, so just get to the point!"

"Yeah, agreed, since I wouldn't want to spend time listening on an empty stomach!" The beanie girl said in mutual agreement.

"I need you all... to help me get revenge on a few people." Human Sunset began setting up her proposition. "I've realized that there's been certain people who were responsible for ruining my life, and I decided it's time to repay the favor! But to do that, I could use you girls to assist me, in order to make that happen."

"You're out of your mind if you think we'd be willing to team up with you, never mind during the time we could really crave a cheeseburger!" The curly haired girl protested.

"And even if we DID have the strength to help you out, why should we?" The beanie girl added.

"Yeah, it's not like you did anything nice for us that would entice us to do so!" Gilda spoke on her gang's behalf. "We should be beating you uhhh... I mean..."

Gilda realized she let her frustration get the better of her again, but realized she was practically digging her own grave now. She knew the girl standing before her was able to take on all three of them at the same time, never mind coming out on top without so much as a scratch on her face.

"Go on." Human Sunset glared at Gilda. "Finish that sentence. I dare you."

Gilda just continued to show a nervous expression, not wanting to practically sign her death warrant by acting out of line.

"And this is why Lightning and I have decided Gilda's no longer the leader of our group!" The curly haired girl said out of the blue. "I mean, if she can't even protect us, nor bring back some cash so we can eat tonight, what good of a leader is she!?"

"You raise a good point there." Human Sunset replied, before taking a $20 bill from her stack of cash, and flung it at the girls. "This is what you want... right?"

Seeing the cash that was the key to their survival, Gilda just instinctively grabbed it, having mixed feelings. On one hand, she could at least afford some form of nourishment for herself and her underlings, but on the other, it'd most likely mean they would have no choice but to join forces with the one girl who fought them all.

"Yeah, this is what we want." Gilda replied. "But now I'm guessing, you want something yourself in exchange for this?"

"Well, now you have a reason to assist me in my paths for revenge, don't you?" Human Sunset smirked.

"Darn it, Gilda!" Lightning Dust spat in frustration. "Why'd you have to give her that cash!? Now we have to work for her for practically nothing!"

"Yeah, if you had just given her the key, she wouldn't be holding our very own cash as a ransom for our stomachs!" The curly haired girl agreed. "We should just take it from her!"

"And let me make myself... very clear." Human Sunset said with an aggressive tone. "If you even attempt to snatch this cash back, or try to take it without my knowledge... rest assured. You will never walk again for the rest of your lives. Have I made myself clear?"

The gang girls shuttered in fear upon hearing this threat, but still frowned in resentment at the fact that they'd basically have no choice now but to become Human Sunset's pawns in her own little game. After all, without vital nourishment after going through days without eating anything, they realized they'd be too weak to even attempt mugging people again the very next day. Feeling like this was the only way they could continue on, they only bit their lips out of frustration before speaking up, trying to understand what Human Sunset wanted from them.

"Alright, so if you're serious about all this, then... who are we helping you get revenge on?" Gilda questioned.

"Glad you asked, since it looks like we've got a lot of work to do in order to ensure victory." Human Sunset sat down at a nearby table before she began explaining her plans, as well as the people she wanted to target.

As the gang girls approached the same table and took a seat, they listened on, before seeing Human Sunset taking out the journals she had stolen from Equestria earlier. She began explaining the logistics of her plans, assigned roles to each of the girls, and listed who she was planning on targeting. Using everything she had already learned after awaking from her eternal slumber, Human Sunset showed these girls an old photo of her father, Sunspot, a photo of Pony Sunset, and vaguely described Indigo Zap to them. This went on for a while, before one the girls spoke up.

"Wait a second, now." The curly hair girl noted. "The way you've described this Indigo Zap girl... it just sounds like good ol' Lightning Dust here."

"What do you mean, Thunder!?" Lightning Dust spat. "I don't know this girl at all, don't you be throwing me under the bus, given how she wants revenge on this Indigo person!"

"Relax now, we've already had a good fight earlier here, so I don't feel the need to get violent again." Human Sunset teased. "Besides, that might've been a reason as to why I put up such a fight, since as far as looks, the two of you did somewhat remind me of my old bullies at Crystal Prep Academy, Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap, respectively."

"All right, so you want us to take care of a few school punks at Crystal Prep Academy, I can get behind that." Gilda said. "After all, it's always satisfying for me to make life miserable for any dumb school kids who somehow got a better education than me!"

"That's the spirit, see now?" Human Sunset replied. "We can be friends and make everyone who's ever wronged us pay. It's just the matter of us joining forces and putting our brute strength to good use. Only difference is, I'm in charge here. I'm the new self-proclaimed leader of the group, while you three are my lackeys. But at the end of the day, they'll pay, oh yes. They'll all pay. The schools, the people who wronged us, everyone. I'm sure you all can relate to that?"

"I got kicked out of my school for running an illegal casino on campus." Lightning Dust admitted. "It was a lot of work trying to sneak a slot machine into the main building, but it was worth it. Unfortunately, after getting expelled, I still lost that money trying to bet on horse races."

"I was just a slacker to the extreme." Rolling Thunder added. "It's not my fault I have no interest in what in blazes a cosine is. For that matter, why should I have to keep up with homework or study for tests when I could just be out having a smoke or watching TV?"

"What I did wasn't really worthy of expulsion though, was it?" Gilda asked, rhetorically. "All I did was bully that Fluttershy girl into giving me her lunch money and homework answers. Big whoop."

"Fluttershy..." Human Sunset recalled that name when Pony Sunset mentioned it earlier in that video. "So I presume this was at that Canterlot High place?"

"Yeah, it was." Gilda replied. "What's it to you?"

"Well, it's funny to think that this Indigo Zap person I'm wanting you girls to target, bullied me to the point of dropping out, similar to what you did to that girl, Gilda." Human Sunset narrowed her eyes. "And considering how CHS actually expelled you for doing that, it just makes me even more mad that I chose to sacrifice everything I believed in at that dump of a school, Crystal Prep Academy. Long story short, I may or may not have it out for you in particular now, Gilda. At least, now that I know what you ended up doing before you got expelled yourself."

"Oooooooh." Lightning Dust and Rolling Thunder said, mutually.

"Well, guess what, shrimp?" Gilda said. "I'm helping you out now, aren't I? So what are you trying to say, you don't want my help anymore, is that it?"

"You're still going to assist me, whether you like it or not." Human Sunset said, sternly. "It's just internally satisfying for me to know that after being bullied and humiliated for so long, I was even capable of taking down a bully like yourself. At least it sounds like your lackeys here didn't intentionally do anything to hurt quiet and shy students like myself back then. Point being, I got my eye on you, Gilda. You'd better sleep with one eye open from now on, if you think you're going to try overtaking me as group leader once again."

"Fine, fine!" Gilda shook the table in frustration. "Can we just get on further with your plan!? I just want to head over to the bakery to pick up some doughnuts or something, since it's been literal days since we've eaten anything!"

"That's right, we all broke out of juvey, and have been on the run from the cops for quite some time." Lightning Dust added. "Doesn't really give us a whole lot of good opportunities to get food."

"At this point, I'm just getting a further idea from looking at these photos you've given us." Rolling Thunder continued looking over her assigned targets. "So you want us to get revenge on your father, I can respect that. Especially since my own dad gave me quite a thrashing after I got straight F's on my report card."

"Yeah, and from what I can gather, dad's now working for some company known as Tartarus Industries." Human Sunset elaborated. "Any of you know where that is?"

"It's on the other side of town, so we'd have to use our stolen car to get that far." Lightning Dust explained. "Is he your priority out of these people?"

"Not really as much as Crystal Prep Academy and... this girl." Human Sunset pointed at the photo of Pony Sunset.

"I don't quite get it, that's just a picture of you!" Lightning Dust said. "I'm confused, you want to get revenge against yourself too?"

"Something like that." Human Sunset replied, based on technicalities of that last statement. "Bottom line is, you all know that girl who apparently stopped Gilda from stealing money from that girl a few nights ago? That girl wasn't me, it was this girl. I found this picture of her when I was at her apartment earlier. In other words, the Sunset Shimmer you actually want revenge on."

"Hey, wait a minute... it looks like my suspicion was correct!" Rolling Thunder spoke up. "So that girl who looks just like you lacked heavy eyeshadow, which you clearly have right now. At least it makes sense now why this girl we kidnapped earlier didn't seem to have any idea what we were talking about, Gilda."

"Well give me a break, Thunder!" Gilda spat. "Can you really blame me, given how they both look pretty alike? And you both sound alike too, so what's up with that?"

"You might think I'm already a crazy girl at this point, but here's where it gets even crazier, now that you're all actually listening to me for the first time." Human Sunset continued. "That Sunset Shimmer... is the one native to some other world called Equestria, and I've read that due to magic and some kind of inbalance effect, it was actually her presence in the world that manifested with the world's magic, causing me to fade out of existence for several years. She's the one who supposedly got into a fight with Gilda several nights ago, and the same girl we're all targeting, now that we have a common enemy. Does that make sense, now?"

The gang girls looked to each other with mixed emotions, before one of them spoke up.

"We already knew you were crazy, but we didn't think you were this crazy." Lightning Dust began.

"Like, we can understand you wanting to get revenge against some school, or a bad parent, but magic and alternate dimensions?" Rolling Thunder added. "Are you sure you haven't been watching too many movies or something, and becoming delusional now?"

"I get that feeling, considering I thought the same about myself when I read certain clues pointing me toward this." Human Sunset said. "All right, if you find this idea too farfetched, how about this then? Let's just say she's my twin sister, who stole my life and identity while I was in a coma for many years. There, does that work better for you?"

"Well, I'm leaning more toward believing that the first idea could be plausible." Gilda began. "For one thing, even during my time in juvey, I've been hearing all kinds of rumors and stories of strange occurrences at CHS, and how there have been claims about one student turning into a literal demon. A lot of these people all over town who've been sharing such a story seemed pretty genuine in the idea that the story was no myth. Considering all the other strange things that happen in this dump of a town, I'm willing to at least consider that a possibility, the idea of magic being involved somewhere."

"If you're curious about where I got these ideas from, here's my evidence." Human Sunset said, before pointing at the two journals she had taken from Equestria. "This journal on the left was written by some Equestrian being named Clover the Clever, and his experiences pretty much confirmed my fears about the other Sunset being here. Now, although I have a reason to exact vengeance toward her for making me lose several years of my life, I'm mostly just wanting to ensure she never comes back, since supposedly, her coming back for another 72 hours will create something far more irreversible. I don't know what it is, and what effect it will have, but from what I can gather, it's connected to magic that found its way into our world."

"Are you being serious right now, or is all this just an amazing pitch for an awesome movie?" Lightning Dust asked.

"I know it's hard to imagine this, but I am being serious." Human Sunset stated firmly. "I just can't risk taking any chances in letting her come back, and I couldn't imagine she'd easily just agree to never return by simply asking her, given how much more popular, rich, and successful her life was compared to mine. That's why I've decided, the best thing we could possibly do is... sabotage the graduation at CHS, and blame it all on her. After which, her standing with everyone would plummet, and she'd have no reason to ever come back again. I'd imagine this would be easy, given how random girls like you three somehow confused me for that heroic Sunset Shimmer girl."

"You want to commit crimes in her name to get her in trouble and make it so she never comes back?" Rolling Thunder understood. "Sounds pretty clever for a kid like you who dropped out of school."

"I'm smarter than you know, it's just that life became unfortunate to where I couldn't ever put my knowledge to good use." Human Sunset said. "But at least now, I'm proving how valuable my brains are, combined with your brute strength. With us joining forces, we'll make everybody pay. The schools, the graduates, and even that Sunset Shimmer girl. That's what you all want too, isn't it?"

"Darn right, it is!" Gilda smirked. "But just to make sure we're on the same page here, if that's Sunset Shimmer, who are you supposed to be?"

"Ironically, I'm also Sunset Shimmer." Human Sunset confessed. "Hence why I've been trying to explain there are two Sunsets, and the one you'll want to target is the same girl who interfered with Gilda's mugging spree. But for simplicity's sake, how about this? From now on, just call me... Sunny."

Human Sunset believed that reusing her previous identity's nickname was an excellent way in differentiating her from the other Sunset, while omitting the 'S.' for the sake of it sounding cooler. She no longer wanted to be reminded of once being that weak and helpless nerd girl at Crystal Prep Academy.

"Alright, nice to officially meet you, Sunny." Rolling Thunder said. "You can call me Thunder, and that's Gilda and Lightning. But you probably already know that by this point?"

"Well of course, she's got ears too, genius!" Lightning Dust said snarkily. "By the way, out of curiosity, what's that other journal there on the right?"

"Oh, this?" Human Sunset pointed at Princess Celestia's old journal, which was previously used to power up the mirror. "It's just some journal I took from Equestria, which was the main reason the portal to Equestria was open indefinitely. It's like... there's normally a time limit of three days and something about waiting every 30 moons... kind of hard to explain. I mostly just took it as a way of preventing some bugs from following me back into this world, but it doesn't seem like it'll be enough to keep Sunset Shimmer out."

"Well alright then." Gilda said, before putting her hand out to Human Sunset. "By this point, do we have a deal, Sunny? You'll be leading our gang now, and feeding us, but we'll all be working together to get revenge against a common enemy? For us, it'll mostly be against Sunset Shimmer and CHS."

"We do." Human Sunset shook Gilda's hand. "Just make sure you don't step out of line, cause if you do, I won't hesitate at teaching you a proper lesson again."

"Trust me, girl." Gilda rolled her eyes. "I've already seen what you're capable of, I mostly just want to get vengeance on Sunset and CHS, considering... if what you've said is true, I got no real beef with you."

"That's what I thought." Human Sunset folded her arms, proudly. "But as your new leader, I'll be a reasonable one, at least. We're probably going to need some energy to pull everything off that I've already planned out. So how about we get some shut-eye and food?"

Human Sunset took another $20 bill, and handed it to the gang girls, just to make sure they'd be well fed with at least $40.

"Well, I guess I could go pick up some doughnuts or tacos." Lightning Dust volunteered. "But just for the record, I still don't really believe this magic and sorcery nonsense."

"Yeah, I'm pretty skeptical of your claims as well." Rolling Thunder said. "You're going to need some more solid proof if we're going to believe this."

"I already believe her, since I've just had this feeling on the existence of magic for a while." Gilda said. "Besides, we gotta listen to our leader who'll eventually lead us to some satisfying revenge. It's just that... if you're going to be our leader from now on, you'll need something that truly shows that, something that sets you apart from the rest of us."

"This dark eyeshadow and these punk clothes aren't enough to convince you?" Human Sunset raised an eyebrow.

"They're good, but... what you really need is a tattoo." Gilda suggested. "The rest of us have tattoos somewhere on our body, what about you?"

"Never really considered getting tattoos, are they worth it?" Human Sunset asked.

"Trust me, girl." Rolling Thunder chimed in. "Tattoos are one way you'll get legitimate respect, and a sign that you're not somebody to be messed with. Besides, I did actually take a temporary job as a tattoo artist before I quit and left, so I can certainly give you some new ink, if you're feeling inclined."

"Look at this, we all got tattoos, yet she doesn't?" Lightning Dust added. "C'mon, you're going to need some tattoos if we're going to take you seriously."

"Alright, fine." Human Sunset agreed. "But you punks aren't gonna order me around, you hear? I'll get a tattoo only because I want to."

"Sure, sure, whatever works for you." Rolling Thunder put her hands up. "Now look, I'll sneak you back to that tattoo parlor I used to work at, while Lightning's going to get some food to hold us all over for the night."

"You girls eat up on your own, I already know where to get my own food." Human Sunset insisted. "Alright, Lightning's getting food, Thunder's going to help me get a tattoo, what are you going to do, Gilda?"

"I'm just thinking about these journals you took from Equestria, and how they explain things relating to magic, it fascinates me." Gilda said. "Have you even read this second journal yet?"

"Nothing other than Clover's old journal, no." Human Sunset replied, before taking a brief glimpse on the inside of the journal she still had yet to read, but was interrupted thanks to those red beetles earlier.

Remembering this, Human Sunset opened Celestia's old journal and took a quick peak, only to mostly find journal entries logged by Princess Celestia, as well as old messages Pony Sunset had written to Princess Twilight, which was able to connect the two worlds. However, since most of these entries didn't really seem to hold much importance, now that Human Sunset felt she already knew everything she needed to know, she simply shrugged it off.

"Even then, it doesn't look like anything in here catches my interest, now that I've learned everything essential to carry these plans out." Human Sunset believed.

"Well then... how about this?" Gilda proposed. "While you three go out and run your errands, I'll stay behind for a while and try learning more about this magic you claim happens to exists in this other world? You never know, I might end up finding something else that could really help us all."

"Whatever works for you, I guess." Human Sunset rolled her eyes. "Make sure you let me know if you find anything yourself, but in the meantime, I need to go get that tattoo."

"Right you do, Sunny." Rolling Thunder said, before escorting Human Sunset out of the basement.

While Rolling Thunder and Human Sunset went off to the old tattoo parlor, Lightning Dust went on her way to pick up food for everyone. As mentioned before, Gilda began digging into Clover's journal to get some insight on this portal and Equestria place, which definitely sounded intriguing to her, based on the various rumors that had been circulating all over town. After all, with a student turning into a literal she-demon, along with the former #1 student at Crystal Prep Academy opening voids that were prominent to destroy both worlds, these occurrences sounded both astonishing and farfetched at the same time. But with how many witnesses were present during these incidents, the staff and students from both CHS and Crystal Prep respectively, there seemed to be much more of a reason to believe it all happened. A few students spreading such a rumor around might've come across as something that could be brushed off, but it really grinded Gilda's gears as to how two whole schools stood by their beliefs that it was all real.

While Gilda and Lightning Dust were carrying on with their motives, Rolling Thunder brought Human Sunset into what looked like a dirty and run-down alleyway. This appeared to be shady at first, so Human Sunset was on her guard, in case Rolling Thunder were to pull a fast one. They began walking down the alleyway, but it almost felt as if something bad was about to happen at any moment.

"This is a weird place to put a tattoo shop, don't you think?" Human Sunset said. "You're not thinking of trying to get somebody to jump me in this dark alley, are you?"

"Pfft, come now." Rolling Thunder rolled her eyes. "You really think me, the girl who dropped out of school because she just couldn't be bothered with the schoolwork anymore, would think to plan something like that? My whole deal is, I'm mostly just lazy to the point of wanting to do nothing except sitting around watching TV all day. I only got a job at this tattoo place because my dad forced me to get one."

"So, does that mean you're going to do a shoddy job at giving me my tattoo?" Human Sunset raised her eyebrow.

"Not at all." Rolling Thunder assured. "Although I had passion in this craft and liked drawing tattoos on people's skin, I didn't like my job's expectations. Having to get up early and only get paid so little in the end? Wasn't happy with my working conditions, so I ended up quitting. But I'm definitely a good tattoo artist, if that's what you're asking. I actually did both Gilda's and Lightning's tattoos, as well as this beauty on my own arm."

Rolling Thunder showed Human Sunset her own tattoo under her sleeve, which admittedly looked impressive, given how she implied she had done it all on her own. It was a flaming thunder bolt with a large scar running down the middle, which seemed to reflect the scars under her left eye, much like her pony counterpart, who was part of the Washouts.

"If you actually did that on your own, I have to say, I'm impressed." Human Sunset did a fist bump with Rolling Thunder.

"Thanks, kid." Rolling Thunder smirked. "And by the way, on the subject of the parlor, we're finally here."

"It's closed, and the door's locked, it seems." Human Sunset tugged on the parlor door's handle. "What are we doing here exactly, if you're capable of doing tattoos on your own?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Rolling Thunder asked, rhetorically. "We're here to steal ink and a needle so I can give you that tattoo. I mean, come on. If we're sitting at our hideout starving and on the run from the police, you really think I can afford this special ink?"

"You might now, if you kept that job." Human Sunset said, snarkily. "And hey, you should feel lucky that you even got a job. After I dropped out of school, no place would end up hiring me."

"Yeah, I kinda regret quitting now, especially after my parents kicked me out of their home when I flunked out." Rolling Thunder reflected. "Can't get a good job now that I also got a criminal record, but regardless, I'm on your payroll now, isn't that right, Sunny?"

"You bet, but I'll pay you based on how well I like my tattoo." Human Sunset said. "So for real, don't you think about doing a trash job on this tattoo. If I don't like what I see, let's just say the only thing you'll be going home with is a knuckle sandwich."

"You'll get exactly as you wish, trust me." Rolling Thunder said with a serious expression. "Even though I quit this job, I never returned my key, and my dumb boss never even bothered changing the lock, so..."

Rolling Thunder reached into her pocket to grab the shop's key, unlocked it, and entered back into her old workplace. Human Sunset followed behind, before approaching one of the rooms obstructed by a curtain. Rolling Thunder turned on a light switch, before showing Human Sunset to her chair. Given how the shop seemed like a reasonably normal place, with nothing out of the ordinary, Human Sunset decided it was all right to lower her guard, at least for now.

"All right, I got the needle and ink ready." Rolling Thunder said with confidence. "I always steal a little ink, so my boss doesn't notice. She doesn't even bother installing security cameras here either, what a joker. But moving past this, have you decided what you wanted yet?"

"Yeah, I think I know now." Human Sunset said, after having a few moments to think it over, before also taking off her jacket. "I want a skull in front of a large flame. Let's just say... it's for a more sentimental reason. And I want it here on my right shoulder."

"Right then, whatever the boss wants!" Rolling Thunder replied, before getting her needle ready.

Internally, Human Sunset wanted this tattoo to symbolize her late mother, Solstice. To her, the skull would symbolize her mother's head, and the flames would represent the tragedies of everything she had to endure before falling ill and passing away. Learning of her only daughter being bullied to the point of dropping out of school, divorcing her husband, and not to mention overworking herself after she unfortunately got laid off from her job. In some ways, the skull also represented Solstice's abrupt death, following everything that happened during that period of Human Sunset's life where everything changed, shortly after she left Crystal Prep Academy. Having this tattoo on her shoulder, represented to Human Sunset that her mother's legacy would forever live on in the strength of her arm, and that everything she had once sacrificed for her daughter's sake would not be in vain.

The tattooing process took several hours, but in the end, the final product from Rolling Thunder's work proved to be promising. The former tattoo artist, despite being out of work for so long, and also exhausted from hunger, somehow managed to deliver exactly what Human Sunset had requested, a flaming skull that not only looked rebellious, but also true to what she was hoping it would symbolize internally for her. As such, Human Sunset smiled upon seeing Rolling Thunder's work, before getting off the chair, and occasionally still wincing at the pain the needle had inflicted during the tattooing process.

"Pretty nice work, girl." Human Sunset said to Rolling Thunder before putting her jacket back on.

"Pretty nice?" Rolling Thunder asked with a little offense. "Oh, boo-hoo. I feel so insulted."

"Fine, you did an amazing job, the best I've seen, actually." Human Sunset rolled her eyes, before taking a $50 bill out of her jacket and handed it to Rolling Thunder. "Here, you've really earned this."

"Thanks, boss!" Rolling Thunder happily accepted her reward. "To be honest, this is actually a lot more than my boss paid me in a single day. Needless to say, I might hate working, but I'll never hate anything more than stingy bosses."

"Well, good thing you're working for me now!" Human Sunset said proudly to the former tattoo artist. "Pretty satisfied with what you can do, you definitely deserve a good pay with this kind of talent."

"Alright, now that this is done, I guess we should head back to our hideout-" Rolling Thunder began, but her eyes widened when she heard the front door to the parlor somehow open.

The owner of the tattoo parlor had kicked her front door open and entered with an enraged expression on her face. She had a mohawk, leather jacket, and also a sledgehammer in her grip. It was actually unknown to Rolling Thunder at the time, but her former boss was actually one step ahead of her this time around, after realizing that supplies from her shop were in fact, mysteriously vanishing. Due to this oddity, the owner had secretly set up a motion detector at her parlor's entrance, which had alerted her while Human Sunset was getting her tattoo. The owner then made her presence known by shouting toward the one room she noticed had a light on.

"There you thieves are!" The owner shouted, before pointing toward the lit room. "Whoever's in there, you must be the ones responsible for depleting my shop's ink supply! And even if you aren't, get ready to eat a sledgehammer for trespassing! Good thing I installed some motion detectors around here lately!"

Human Sunset and Rolling Thunder began to panic, but mostly out of fear that the owner had brought a sledgehammer. They knew that as tough as they both were, neither of them were capable of blocking a sledgehammer's blow, especially to their skulls. There was also no window in the room either, making it so escaping would definitely be problematic. Before long, the owner ripped down the curtain obstructing the tattooing room and took notice of the two girls.

"Well well well... if it isn't my old employee." The owner said to Rolling Thunder. "I wasn't kidding when I said you'd need to pay for those exotic inks, but since you can't pay with money, looks like you'll both pay with your lives instead!"

"W-Wait a second!" Rolling Thunder said out of desperation for her life. "My friend here has $500 cash on hand! Would you be willing to forgive us if we pay you that much?"

"That's a start, but to cover all the foreign inks you've depleted, I expect at least $1,000!" The owner demanded.

This was problematic, as by this point, Human Sunset only had a little over $600 on hand, meaning that bargaining for their lives was certainly out of the question. As a result, Rolling Thunder mostly did a subtle wink to Human Sunset, before turning back to the owner.

"O-Okay, how about as a down payment, we'll give you $500 now, and pay the other half tomorrow?" Rolling Thunder proposed. "We promise!"

"If this is a lie, so help me..." The owner's eye twitched. "I'm betting you punks don't even have $500 cash on hand right now either!"

"No, we do!" Human Sunset said, as she took the $500 from her jacket and handed it to the owner.

"Hmph, all right, fine." The owner huffed. "You punks are lucky I'm not calling the cops on you, but you'd better make sure you pay me the other half within 24 hours! Also, you're both banned from my parlor from now on, so don't think of coming back again even after you've repaid your debt! Now, let me count this up and make sure these bills aren't counterfeit."

As the owner set her sledgehammer down temporarily to count the cash, Rolling Thunder then did another subtle wink at Human Sunset, letting her know that everything was going according to plan. With the owner too focused on the cash in her hand, she was unable to anticipate Rolling Thunder's next move, in which she quickly grabbed a nearby tattooing tool and whacked it over the owner's head, stunning her temporarily, and dropping the cash that was in her grip.

"Remember, if you're going to be our leader, we need that cash!" Rolling Thunder pointed at the bills scattered along the floor. "Quickly, before she gets back up!"

Human Sunset quickly grabbed all the bills off of the floor before preparing to make a run for it. If their escape was successful, Human Sunset would've gotten a sweet new tattoo at the excellent, bargain price of free. Thankfully, Rolling Thunder's sudden attack to the owner was just enough to keep her down after the money had been taken back. The owner then got up, before barely catching a glimpse of the two girls finally exiting her parlor.

"You dirty little punks!" The owner roared whilst waving her fist in anger at being played for a fool. "If I ever see either of you again, oh ho ho... you'll wish for something more pleasant than a concussion once I'm through with you!"

The two girls ran far away, desperate to evade the owner by any means necessary. Once they've fled far enough, confident that they were out of harm's way for now, they breathed a sigh of relief and also looked at each other in satisfaction at their teamwork to make it out of that situation unscaved, especially since they didn't actually have $1,000. By this point, Human Sunset had a nice feeling in her gut from how well she seemed to be getting along with Rolling Thunder. Was this what having a friend was like, the very things she foolishly decided to never make when she was an actual student in school?

As a result of these sudden emotions, it only seemed like a silly feeling that this gang girl could be her friend, given how Human Sunset primarily got these girls to stick by her side out of pure force, not because they actually liked her. For that matter, had they not shared the common enemy in the form of Sunset Shimmer, or if Human Sunset wasn't paying them for their services in her quest to get revenge, would things be very different? Regardless, for the very first time in her life, it still felt nice being acknowledged and accepted as a friend, something that she never had, other than her mother. Whether or not these gang girls would be genuine in that respect, it didn't matter now. Human Sunset was at least happy she finally began to embrace a friendship with somebody else, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

"Good work back there, kid." Rolling Thunder said with approval. "I guess you could say, high risk with high reward can still be worth it in the end."

"I guess so." Human Sunset agreed, although she was mostly just relieved her skull wasn't cracked open. "Well, it was a lot of trouble to get this tattoo, but we have to plan out our next moves when it comes to getting revenge on those people I mentioned. I'm going to head home for now, so you should go on ahead back to your hideout, get some food from Lightning, and call it a night. You're going to need your strength for when we got actual work to do. And of course, you'll get rewarded nicely for your efforts."

"As you say, boss!" Rolling Thunder nodded her head in approval, as both girls began making their ways back to their respective destinations.

Back at the Street Gang's hideout, Gilda was continuing to do research on her own time, as she had already skimmed through Clover's old journal, reading up on nearly everything Human Sunset had read earlier while she was in the Canterlot library's restricted section. For the most part, although it all sounded fascinating, and helped her understand where such magic had come from, it didn't really seem interesting to her. The inbalance effect seemed inconsequential on her end, given how Gilda didn't have to worry about fading out of existence, let alone dealing with the irreversible effect that Clover inevitably ended up going through himself. That said, assuming that everything written in this journal was legitimate, it gave a lot of answers to questions she had been pondering for a while, as well as the confirmation that Human Sunset most likely wasn't crazy with her ambition to keep Pony Sunset out. At least, Gilda began to surmise that Sunset Shimmer was the Pony Sunset, based on the other entries she had already read so far.

While reading all the way through, Gilda eventually came across the entry that touched upon Clover defeating the sorceress, and trapping her in this world. This didn't seem important at first, given how Gilda was primarily focusing on learning any further crucial details regarding magic, and how it all worked. However, one thing that stood out in this particular entry, was the fact that Clover specifically mentioned he had hid the coffin in an abandoned old mine within a wooded area. Gilda definitely recalled that during the days in which she was a graverobber, she distinctly remembered finding something that matched this exact description. She always noticed this unusual cave near Camp Everfree, which almost looked like it had an entrance at the front. For one reason or another, that entrance was unfortunately caved in, making it so nobody would realistically be able to get inside. But the fact that Gilda actually managed to find what looked like a mine in an empty wooded area, it was entirely possible that this was where Clover buried the coffin, given how his entries never hinted at him traveling far.

Feeling as if she had read enough, Gilda set Clover's old journal aside, primarily to then put her focus on the other journal that once belonged to Princess Celestia, and was used by Princess Twilight to open the portal indefinitely, without needing to wait every 30 moons. Gilda was skimming through most of the entries written by Princess Celestia, which mostly documented events and daily logs for when she just started out ruling Equestria with her sister. Gilda mostly felt uninterested in reading these entries, since it mostly appeared to be irrelevant to anything regarding the magic she wanted to understand. That was until, she came across one particular entry, written by Princess Celestia herself.

Princess's Log, Day 15
It's been a few days since I've begun trying to figure out the mystery behind why specifically I should prohibit anypony from entering this mirror, which I've only recently discovered appears to be a portal into another world. I genuinely feel like I should know it has something to do with upsetting the balance between the two worlds, but I've somehow forgotten. While doing some research, I decided to ask Clover the Clever if he knew anything, and he only mentioned it might have something to do with that sorceress he trapped. It would make sense, given how cunning I remember that sorceress truly was. I specifically remember how she awoke, as it was due to an excavator pony discovering this ancient coffin. When they awoke her, she mentioned that although the coffin was now open, she was not able to leave until she granted one wish to the pony. As such, she promised the pony she'd grant one wish for absolutely anything in Equestria without any limitations.

This was all that was written on this particular journal log, and for unknown reasons, the bottom half of the page was ripped out of the journal. Regardless, this new knowledge had planted a seed of evil within Gilda's brain, as she realized a potential plot that would benefit her, and her only. She already knew of this abandoned mine's location, given it was the only place around here that remotely matched Clover's vague description at where he had hidden the coffin. Potential doom to the city by helping the sorceress escape was not of her concern, especially since she had no real care for what happened to the outside world. Instead, Gilda believed that any damage done by the sorceress by letting her escape would be the ultimate form of payback toward everybody, especially with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pony Sunset, and even Human Sunset too.

Gilda definitely still wanted definitive personal revenge toward Human Sunset, especially after she had beaten her gang up and took her stolen cash, even if she gave it up voluntarily. Although Gilda already knew she was certainly outmatched by Human Sunset as far as physical strength, that didn't seem to matter at all anymore. If Gilda were to reawaken this sorceress, who would then grant her a limitless wish as a sign of her gratitude, Gilda could potentially wish for herself to become omnipotent, even being able to eventually surpass her. By this point, Gilda decided that even if she were to join forces with Human Sunset, she'd do so mostly for the sake of helping her get revenge on CHS, primarily because she had a personal vendetta against Pony Sunset, as well as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. But after the masquerade was over, she could then backstab Human Sunset at the last minute, awaken the sorceress, and get one free wish that could theoretically let her get revenge on any living being she wanted.

Gilda then heard the basement's door open, which was Lightning Dust returning with food, accompanied by Rolling Thunder, after escaping that tattoo parlor owner with Human Sunset. Given how Gilda wanted this potential wish from the sorceress all to herself, she mostly kept this knowledge to herself, as she ripped the page out of the old journal and tucked it into her jeans, much like she did with Lily Pad's phone. She then set the journal down and rubbed her hands together evilly, thinking that she'd eventually get anything she wanted after awaking this supposed phantom menace...

Chapter 57: A Girl and Her Gecko

Back in Equestria, Pony Sunset had just awoken to a new morning in her adoptive mother's home, now fully rested for another day, and completely unaware of what transpired within the Human World while she was asleep. As she got up, she immediately noticed several loose hairs from her mane on the pillow, likely a sign of stress caused to her mental health after visiting her father yesterday. As much as Celestia wanted to convince her that her past decisions had only unintentionally kept her away from Sunspot, Sunset still couldn't help but feel that she was still responsible for her father becoming the kind of pony he was now. Better yet, even if Sunspot wasn't as involved in her life after becoming Celestia's student and pupil, Sunset firmly believed that it was her decision in rebelliously entering the mirror that ruined everypony else's lives back in Equestria, despite her own life getting ironically better there, once she did start embracing friendship.

Going down the list, getting trapped in the human world resulted in Sunspot becoming emotionally broken for losing his daughter, drove Solstice over the edge to abandon the family once and for all, and even caused Princess Celestia to be on bad terms with her dad to this day, despite Sunset being well and accounted for now. It was too late, the damage had already been done, and everypony had to eventually move on after what had happened back then. Celestia's words last night had really stuck to Sunset, specifically when she explained why she was so willing to reconcile with both her and Luna, as she felt she was partially responsible for the incidents leading up to their respective fallouts. Much as her adoptive mother wanted her to not believe she was at fault here, Sunset still stood by her belief that her actions in disobeying her mentor definitely contributed toward Sunspot's life going downhill, even after he had a new son.

Sunset got up from her bed with these thoughts still clouding her mind, and began to make her way downstairs. Much like when she was at Applejack's home the morning before, she began smelling something delicious and heard Luna's voice in the kitchen, likely a sign that her adoptive mother's sister was making breakfast. While thinking of this, Sunset realized that in some ways, Luna was like an adoptive aunt to her. Though since this was technically the very first time she was getting to know her more directly, it did admittedly feel a little awkward to give her that nickname, especially since she hadn't really accepted being addressed as such. Regardless, Sunset made her way downstairs, before noticing the two former princesses greeting her as she came over to take a seat at the dining table.

"Had a good night's sleep, dear?" Luna asked Sunset, as she was flipping pancakes on the stove.

"I sure did, it might've felt like the best sleep I've gotten in a while... but my hair might be telling me otherwise." Sunset admitted, as she ruffled her mane a bit to demonstrate her hair was falling out. "I guess the situation regarding dad is... still taking quite the toll on me."

"I understand, Sunset." Celestia put one of her wings on Sunset's back to comfort her. "I'm not entirely sure how your exchange with him went yesterday, but the fact that he went as far as to claim he put you up for adoption because he never wanted you, that alone most certainly puts things into perspective."

"But after some thinking before I went to sleep last night, I've come up with an idea as to why dad's become the wreck of a stallion he is now." Sunset began explaining her thought process. "From what Sunburst shared with me, just like myself, when I decided to study at the School For Gifted Unicorns, we practically completely abandoned him to follow our dreams, and I just feel as though... having this happen twice made him reach a breaking point. Never getting to see Sunburst or I in his life again, divorcing both our moms... it had to also have taken a toll on his mental health. From what I can remember when I was still living with him as a yearling, I think I can understand what dad truly wanted. He simply wanted to start a family to create a new chapter in his life, and... all of that was just taken away from him. Not just with mom and I, but even with Sunburst and Stellar Flare. After that, he must've felt so alone and began resenting how much of a downward spiral his life had become."

"It's sweet to hear that you still care about Sunspot." Luna set the pancakes on plates before going to fetch the maple syrup. "But after hearing how he treated you, I'd imagine he's a lost cause at this point."

"I unfortunately have to agree with my sister." Celestia sighed. "Although I understand where you're coming from, Sunset, his behavior toward you was completely uncalled for. Losing his family is always something I can sympathize with, but being far from happy at seeing his own daughter return in one piece? On top of that, telling you that he never even wanted you as a daughter, despite you taking quite the effort to have a proper reunion with him, this kind of behavior absolutely sickens me."

"He did also demand bits from me just to talk with me, yelled at me nonstop, and even began threatening me if I didn't leave his home." Sunset recalled.

"Well that most certainly solidifies my point." Celestia frowned. "I'm so sorry to hear he put you through all that, especially since his concerns back then primarily focused on ensuring your safety. I would've believed that if you two had ever crossed paths again, he'd be overjoyed and ecstatic to finally reunite with his daughter. Clearly, I was wrong."

"It also goes without saying that if he hadn't cheated on your mother?" Luna added. "None of this would've happened to him."

"I wasn't given the full extent of what had happened, since names in the court documents had to be blurred out for privacy reasons." Celestia recalled. "But presumably, he was having an affair with Stellar Flare around the same time when you were born, Sunset."

"As a result, even if you did believe he was a caring father to you back then, I do believe that his behavior now exemplifies his true colors, especially if he cheated on Solstice all those years ago." Luna used her magic to levitate the breakfast plates in front of Celestia and Sunset, as Celestia began digging in. "He clearly disowned you as his daughter, meaning that if he is truly this adamant on being alone for the rest of his life, so be it."

"Not to mention, he barely even raised you as a daughter to begin with." Celestia reflected. "That day he insisted on having me raise you as a daughter, I was more than happy to, especially after hearing the circumstances of you not having a mother in your life anymore. But even when I agreed to, he almost never bothered visiting you like a caring father would, and instead decided that his promotion at work was more important. I understand you feeling hurt and betrayed by Sunspot acting the way he did yesterday, but I'm going to have to agree with Luna. We should simply let him internally know on his own now that his current behavior will never be tolerated, and it's going to make him alone for the rest of his life, for better or for worse."

"Mom..." Sunset put her hoof on Celestia's wing. "What about when you told me last night that since you felt that you were partially responsible with what happened with both Luna and myself, it was the reason you were immediately willing to reconcile with us? Unintentional or not, Sunburst and I contributed to our father feeling lonely, so I believe I'd have to take responsibility somewhere. Although it wasn't what you were trying to teach me during the memory stone incident, I've genuinely began showing empathy toward anypony else, even if they hurt me dearly. I truly feel that if I simply give up on dad altogether, I'll never get any closure regarding the full picture. Even if he still rejects me as his daughter when I do further digging, I'll be sad, sure, but at least I won't be spending the rest of my life wondering, what if?"

"Even after how awful Sunspot was to you, dear?" Luna swallowed her bite of pancakes. "You're still willing to go the extra mile to understand why, and take that chance to help him turn his life around for the better? Sister, it seems as if your teachings have truly been rubbing off on Sunset, notably after you reconciled with her when she was seeking for your guidance once more."

"Well... I'm happy to hear that your heart is just that big, Sunset." Celestia said. "It's true that I wanted to reconcile with you and Luna even after everything that happened between us all, but it felt different from this. I saw you two as my family, and believed that since you were both wanting another chance after genuinely atoning for your actions, it'd be wrong of me to deny you of that."

"Sunspot's my dad though." Sunset then began recalling the words she remembered fondly from the Human Applejack. "And a good friend taught me long ago that there's one thing to cherish about family. No matter how big your family is, there's always room for more."

"He may be your biological father." Luna began, agreeing with Sunset's reasoning. "But if he hasn't shown any remorse for not really being as involved in your life, nor shown the slightest respect for you as his daughter, then I don't see a reason myself to forgive somepony who clearly isn't sorry."

"And for that matter, you must also recall one other thing I mentioned last night." Celestia reminded Sunset. "Imperfection makes it so everypony will make mistakes, but it's crucial to recognize who you can genuinely forgive, compared to those who are a lost cause."

"I appreciate the advice and wishful thinking, I really do." Sunset said, as she began finishing one of her pancakes. "But my heart's definitely telling me that it's still wrong of me to permanently cut him out of my life for good, especially since I don't know the full picture regarding what happened to him. It's still not particularly clear whether or not he did have an affair with Solstice, we don't know for certain if there was something else keeping him busy to the point of almost never visiting me in Canterlot, and it's still unclear why he never wrote back to Sunburst, despite wanting to stay in touch with him. He might've been wrong himself with how he treated his own daughter, but two wrongs don't make a right. I still stand by my belief that there's still good in him, but I mostly just need to do some digging to understand the full extent of the situation."

"I must say, I'm really proud to hear that you're being so noble, Sunset." Celestia smiled. "Even if I don't necessarily agree myself, especially after what happened on the day he cut me out of his life permanently."

"Agreed for sure." Luna nodded her head. "He willingly took money from my sister and had her go through the trouble of revoking the old alimony law, but still chose to blacklist her. Then, years later, even when he finally sees his own daughter return, who was the very reason why he did all that back then, he just does the exact same to you. All I can say for certain at this point, Sunset? We won't hold you back if you truly feel like making things right with your father, but we definitely wish you the best of luck."

"For sure." Celestia nodded. "If you're still willing to help him turn his life around, I admire your dedication in going the extra mile. Especially given my experience with him, he can certainly be one hardheaded stallion. Whatever happens in the end, I hope you'll at least have a happier ending with him than I did."

"Thank you both." Sunset said, as she finally finished every pancake on her plate. "Not only for this scrumptious breakfast, but also for the words of wisdom and support in these tough times. If I'm entirely honest regarding this motive, however? You're both right when you mentioned that his current behavior's solidifying himself as being truly alone for the rest of his life. But... given how I went through that rough experience myself by going through the mirror, I know exactly how sad and painful being alone truly is. Ever since I've turned my life around for the better, I've also made it a personal mission in my life to make sure nopony else has to go through such misery, and I'm willing to do that now, especially for my dad."

"It seems as if my decision to reconcile with you has truly inspired you to maintain a heart of gold, Sunset." Celestia said, with a soft expression. "I guess that means my teachings ended up amounting to something valuable after all."

"Are you saying I WASN'T a good student when it came to studying magic?" Sunset asked in an offended tone.

"No no, I didn't mean that at all, I-" Celestia stuttered.

"Gotcha back." Sunset winked, before laughing it off, as Celestia did the same upon realization of her daughter's wit.

"It looks like my sister's teachings weren't the only things that rubbed off on you, Sunset." Luna giggled, before using her magic to put the breakfast dishes in the sink. "But regardless, we hope you'll at least get some form of closure with your father, at least as far as getting to know the full picture."

"Yeah, that's what I'm hoping too." Sunset crossed her hooves in having the smallest sliver of hope that Sunspot could come to terms with her, once she understood the full extent of her father's past. "And if I do reach that point in helping him turn a new leaf, I also want to ensure that he can also make peace with you, mom."

"Oh, that's not necessary at all." Celestia insisted, despite admiring her daughter's selfless intentions. "At this point, I'm just an old, retired princess who's more focused on living out the rest of her days here at Silver Shoals. What really matters is your relationship with your father, and I wouldn't want to jeopardize that for you, especially if you do somehow make amends with him."

"No, I feel like that's the only way I can truly accept him back into my life again, it would be like a final test." Sunset explained. "Even if he ends up reconciling with me, I would still no longer consider him my dad if he also refuses to do the same with you, mom. Why though? Because I firmly believe that at this point, for anypony here in Equestria to be my family, they would have to love and respect both me and my mother. If he fails to do so with you, mom, don't worry. At least at that point, I'll understand the full extent of his past and have that closure. But I'm absolutely sure I'll have no problem cutting him out of my life for good if he refuses to make amends with you, because I truly love you that much."

Celestia felt so touched upon hearing this, that she opened her hooves, which signaled Sunset to come to her adoptive mother to embrace her parental love. They both hugged it out upon having this nice moment together.

"You... truly are the best daughter a princess could ask for." Celestia said, as tears of joy slid down her eyes.

"Thanks mom." Sunset said, as she continued embracing her adoptive mom's hug. "I just wish I could've been that for you years ago as your pupil."

"I understand the feeling for sure." Celestia replied. "I'm so glad that you decided to drop by to visit me, even though Luna and I are no longer the princesses of Equestria. Thank you so much for taking the opportunity to spend time with me, especially given our past together."

"Anytime, I'm glad that we've been able to connect, especially since I've begun understanding how important you were as part of my life, mom." Sunset said, as she finally finished hugging it out. "I don't think I've mentioned this to you yet , but I have considered the possibility of taking an extended stay in Equestria, more for the sake of wanting to relearn the magic I've been out of practice with, thanks to becoming a human. This means we'll likely get to spend more time together from now on, which is great, since even after our last reunion back at Canterlot, I still felt like I didn't get enough time with you."

"I'm happy to hear that, since I definitely missed you dearly back then as well." Celestia smiled. "I'll be looking forward to whenever you decide to stop by again. But for the time being, what about your graduation back in the other world?"

"Oh yeah." Sunset recalled. "I'll be heading back to the human world to attend that once my week here in Equestria is up, since I've already finished finals, and this last week is more of a break for us seniors. After the graduation's finished, I'll most likely be sticking around Equestria for a while, and of course, I'll be arranging for ways to keep in touch with my human friends, especially since the portal's always going to be open, thanks to the old journal. Speaking of which, are you sure that there was never really anything that entailed a being from Equestria upsetting the balance between the two worlds by going through the mirror?"

"I'm still drawing a blank on that, since I remember that for one reason or another, I specifically wrote that down in my first journal, dating all the way back to when Luna and I first started ruling Equestria, after Starswirl the Bearded had made us artificial alicorns." Celestia recalled. "I don't know whether or not somepony knocked me unconscious or gave me amnesia, but the truth of the matter is, it seems unlikely that I would write something like that down if it wasn't true. However, given how both you and Twilight have been in that world and returned without any negative effects, it might be reasonable to surmise I was wrong all this time. Twilight's even mentioned that Starlight has safely gone through the mirror with you as well, so I'm willing to believe that a supposed inbalance effect never existed."

Hearing this, Sunset was then able to assume that the weird dream both she and Starlight had on their third night during their first visits to the human world was nothing more than a creepy coincidence. Unfortunately, completely unknown to her, this was far from the case, given everything that had transpired in both worlds during the hours she was sleeping peacefully here at her adoptive mother's home. Moving past this, Sunset felt like elaborating her plans for her remaining time here in Equestria before graduation.

"Well, I guess that's a relief then, especially since Starlight did share some rather unsettling detail that she and I both went through during our time there." Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. "Whatever, it's not really important anymore, especially since I'm planning to spend more time in Equestria now anyways. As for the rest of my week here, well... other than reconciling with a friend I had a major fallout with, I'm not entirely sure what else I'll be doing here during my time off from the human world. Perhaps practicing magic or exploring more of Equestria, but that's really just wishful thinking on my part."

"Oh?" Celestia said with curiosity. "Sorry to hear you had a fallout as well. I hope you'll be able to smooth things out with them when that time comes, and of course, the same goes for your father."

"Thanks, mom." Sunset smiled. "On the subject of magic, I'm also willing to relearn the skills I had forgotten during my time at your school, so when I'm ready, I was admittedly wondering if I could ask you for something?"

"At this point, I'm willing to give you anything, Sunset." Celestia said, proudly. "Even fulfilling your past wish in making you a princess. No, seriously, there actually is a spell that can give you wings, but it's only temporary."

"Well, that's something I certainly wasn't aware of, but as nice as that sounds, I think I'll pass, just like the princess dream being more of an afterthought." Sunset giggled. "No, what I was going to ask was, once I'm able to remaster my skills in magic to properly earn my degree, would you and Luna come back to Canterlot for a while to watch me officially graduate?"

"Is that even a question?" Celestia snickered. "Come on, Sunset, you should definitely know the answer to that. It would be an absolute honor, especially now that I know for sure a magical mirror won't come between us this time around."

"We may be retired now, but that doesn't mean we're not willing to go back to Canterlot." Luna added, as she just finished washing the breakfast dishes. "It'd be nice to take a trot down memory lane, especially since this means you'd be fulfilling a memory that was never achieved, if that makes any sense?"

"Yeah, if it wasn't for that mirror, mom could've at least seen me graduate at the top of my class while I was still her pupil." Sunset surmised. "But then again, that mirror was also the main reason I was able to correct for my stinky behavior and attitude. It was also a pretty life-changing experience for me, so... I'm still happy that things worked out for me. But of course, since it was the complete opposite for both you and Sunspot, mom? That's why I felt it's now my responsibility to make things right. The past is in the past, but now we have a chance in the present to create a positive and happy future."

"I couldn't have said things better myself, Sunset." Celestia agreed. "Will you be leaving Silver Shoals now, since you have a friendship problem to solve? I certainly wouldn't mind having you around a little longer."

"It might be for the better, since I can't really be late for this meeting, let's just say." Sunset said.

"Very well, I understand then." Celestia nodded her head. "But before you go, I would at least like to show you something special, if that's fine?"

Sunset looked at a nearby clock and saw that it was only about 8:30 AM, meaning she still had several solid hours before the meeting with the rest of the council to settle her and Rainbow's dispute would begin. And in the worst case scenario of her train being late, she now had the proper knowledge on how to teleport back to Canterlot, if necessary. As such, Sunset nodded in agreement to Celestia's request, before the former princess left the dining table to fetch something upstairs.

"I'm going to head off to the Silver Shoals gym for my daily routines." Luna said, as she grabbed her gym bag. "It was nice seeing you and catching up, Sunset. And remember, never give up on anything you believe in, whether it'd be reconciling with your father, or fighting off that treacherous faculty lot!"

"Will do, Luna!" Sunset said, as she waved goodbye to her metaphorical aunt.

A few minutes later, Celestia returned back downstairs with a cardboard box. Sunset was rather curious at what her adoptive mother wanted to show her, as she shifted her eyes toward the former princess. Just then, Celestia finally set the box on the floor, as Sunset looked down and noticed what looked like a yellow toy within. However, taking a closer examination, Sunset began realizing that this was no ordinary toy, as it looked rather familiar to her. More specifically, it looked like a toy from her childhood, one that she supposedly always cherished, but had forgotten about.

"Go on, take it, dear." Celestia insisted. "It was technically already yours, but I still held onto it all these years after you disappeared into the mirror."

Sunset picked up the toy and realized it looked like a cotton plush of a leopard gecko, just like her pet back in the human world, whom she named 'Ray'. She then began to remember why this particular toy was always her favorite back then, and why she seemingly grew a huge fondness toward leopard geckos later on in her life.

"I... I remember now!" Sunset said, as she snuggled her old plush. "This was based on that old puppet show I used to watch all the time in Canterlot as a filly! Señor G. Echo, the superhero leopard gecko!"

"That's right, I remember even watching a few episodes with you when they also brought that show to Canterlot's theaters." Celestia recalled. "But there's two main reasons why I wanted to show this to you. Last night, you reminded me of your love for this show, after you vaguely mentioned you had a pet leopard gecko in the other world. Secondly, like I mentioned earlier, I was still finishing unpacking Luna and I's belongings from Canterlot, and I was continuing to do so this morning. That's when I found this in one of my room's cardboard boxes, and it reminded me that it might cheer you up a bit, especially given what you had already shared regarding Sunspot."

"This certainly does bring back the memories, for sure!" Sunset continued to show affection to the plush, as she began to almost grow attached to the old toy again. "I remember what that show was like. Señor G. Echo was a kindhearted leopard gecko who always fought crime, put others before himself, and made certain that justice would be served. I'll also never forget his famous catchphrase, 'Evil will always be spotted, amigo!', I used to say that all the time whenever I believed I was doing something heroic, even though it was mostly an act."

"Doing something heroic, you say?" Celestia reiterated. "Sounds like a certain somepony I know, given what Twilight's reported to me of certain events that have occurred in the other world."

"Hehe, yes." Sunset blushed. "It would've been hard to imagine back then, but being the leader of my human friends has actually made me a superhero myself, especially during the times where they needed my help to defeat certain evils that they couldn't handle on their own. Heck, when we powered up, we even got unique-looking, superhero-like outfits to go with it. I'm sure Señor G. Echo would be proud of me now, especially when it entailed literally saving both worlds from certain destruction."

"You mean like the time the Twilight Sparkle native to that world almost ripped through the fabric of time between both worlds just to understand magic, based on what our world's Twilight had reported to me?"

"Precisely." Sunset said. "Though it's admittedly ironic to believe that I idolized this little leopard gecko guy for so long, yet I never really bothered to embrace the values and morals he presented to the audience. As for my pet leopard gecko, I named him Ray, or more specifically, my little Ray of Sunshine, just like what dad used to call me. He's such a sweet little angel who's helped me through the toughest of times, and so adorable too. I remember when the Human Fluttershy encouraged me to get a pet like the rest of our friends, and I gazed in absolute awe at Ray. At the time, I admittedly didn't quite understand why I felt so connected to a leopard gecko out of all the other pets, but I guess I have my answer now."

"It appears that no matter how much you change, there's always a fragment from your past that remains consistent, one way or another." Celestia giggled. "Much like how Luna occasionally brought up how I accidentally ate the cake in the fridge that was meant for her birthday. I just didn't think much of it, since I've always had this sweet tooth, even before I became a princess. Luckily, it seems as if Luna's forgotten about it, as she hasn't really brought it up lately."

"You wanna bet?" Luna said, as she came back into the house, having Celestia realize that her little sister had overheard that last statement. "I just came back to pick up my gym membership card, but thanks for reminding me that you still owe me a replacement cake for my next birthday. You're over 1,000 years late, but I'll happily remind you of that until you decide to actually replace it."

"What do you mean, Luna?" Celestia said, rather confused. "I bought you a cake last year, didn't I?"

"Well, it was okay, but it still wasn't the Black Forest Caramel Marshmallow Supreme cake that I never got one bite of thanks to you." Luna reminded. "I'll happily continue to remind you until you remember to actually replace that exact cake, sister. In the meantime, I'm off to burn a few calories."

Luna then left the house with her bag and membership card, as Celestia rolled her eyes.

"Unfortunately for Luna, she just remains in denial that nopony makes that cake anymore, especially after the recipe was lost, sometime after I banished her to the moon." Celestia reflected. "Even 1,000 years later, some things really do never change, do you see what I mean now, Sunset?"

"For sure, mom." Sunset said. "I hope that this cake hasn't torn you and Luna apart over the years?"

"Maybe back then, but not really as much after I reconciled with her." Celestia clarified. "The cake incident was primarily just something she wanted to remind me of from time to time, whenever I insisted that I should get the first helping of dessert, but it hasn't really hurt our relationship. To this day, I do wonder where I could even find that exact cake recipe, since my personal recreations of it weren't enough to satisfy Luna. This aside, going back to the leopard gecko toy, I mostly wanted to return it to you, since I knew you definitely loved it as a filly. And since you decided to drop by, I thought it was at least a perfect opportunity I couldn't waste, especially after I found it again."

"I'm thankful that you decided to give this back, and allowed me to understand where my connection with leopard geckos had originated from." Sunset said, continuing to hold her plush. "Speaking of which, the cake story revolving around you and Luna certainly intrigued me, it's nice to hear so many different stories from the past that give some solid answers to the present. I got a little more time before I need to catch my train, do you think you could share the story of how I got this lovable plush of Señor G. Echo?"

"Oh yes." Celestia obliged to Sunset's request. "I remember that story quite fondly."

Celestia began sharing a flashback of when Sunset was now a few years older than she was as a baby, around the same age where Sunspot would've originally felt more comfortable in letting his daughter go. Princess Celestia was taking her to an arcade with a foal's play area in Canterlot, since it was Sunset's birthday. This was long before the young unicorn felt egotistical and self-centered, as her adoptive mother had not made Sunset her pupil yet. As such, she appeared to get along with the other colts and fillies rather well, but her primary focus was playing games to earn enough tickets to cash in at the prize counter.

Sunset continued to persist through all of these games, as nearby fillies commented how much they admired her skills. All the while, Princess Celestia was sitting back, watching her adoptive daughter impress the whole crowd whilst keeping her birthday pizza warm. The princess didn't think much of it at the time, but it was entirely possible that letting Sunset enjoy the spotlight might've contributed to her behavior later on in life. Regardless, she only wanted to see her adoptive daughter happy and confident, especially if she were to one day consider making Sunset her official pupil in magic.

Eventually, after a day's of hard work in winning practically every game the arcade had to offer, Sunset then brought a huge wad of tickets over to the prize counter, ready to claim whatever treasures she could possibly get her hooves on. Unfortunately, while the young unicorn was believing she had reached the climax of her birthday as far as being rewarded for her efforts and gaming skills, she was about to be in for a real surprise, thanks to the pair of young stallions running the prize booth.

"Well, hello there, little filly." Flim said, whilst winking to his brother.

"That's an awfully huge wad of tickets you've accumulated over a day's worth of minigames." Flam added. "Now, I suppose you'll want a good reward?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Sunset nodded her head in excitement, as she handed the stallions her tickets.

"Well, you may have enough tickets to obtain some of the fancier prizes, like this water gun or skateboard, but what if I told you that there's even more luxurious prizes than even those?"

"There... there are?" Sunset asked with curiosity.

"Right you are!" Flam said to his brother, before moving out of the way to show Sunset other items on the wall that looked absolutely stunning.

Sunset saw what looked like a guitar with a flame pattern on it, a real diamond-studded collar, and a leather jacket. All of which looked amazing to her, and fittingly enough, were items that she'd one day end up owning for herself in the human world, once she began exploring her tastes and fashion senses. Unfortunately, these items appeared to only be as good as those that were purely for display, after Sunset had read the prices on those prizes. They costed 10 million tickets each to obtain, and Sunset's day of work had only gotten her around 2,000.

"They look so cool, but... I don't have enough tickets." Sunset said, innocently. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, not to fret, these prizes are extra special, but more meant to show off what the prize booth has in store for anypony truly dedicated enough to earn that many tickets." Flim explained. "However, after realizing that it may not be fair to tease everypony with such wonderful prizes, my brother and I have come up with a good compromise."

"That's right." Flam continued. "Now, how's about this as a proposition, young filly? For the price of all these tickets you have now, you have one chance to make a shot with this basketball into this small hole here behind us. If you can get it in, any one of those fabulous, super-prizes is yours. But if you miss, your tickets are all ours, and there are no refunds. What do you say?"

Although still rather young, Sunset understood the risk and reward factor of what she was just proposed. It sounded absolutely tempting, a chance at winning a prize that no other foal would realistically be able to get on their own, especially due to tickets having expiration dates. Thinking that the minigame she was asked to participate in felt no different to the skeeball games she had obtained plenty of tickets from, Sunset accepted the proposition, shaking hooves with one of the stallions.

Flam handed Sunset a mini-basketball, as the filly began to concentrate. All her tickets were on the line here, so she kept thinking to herself that she was not allowed to lose. After having enough confidence in her throw, she finally did so at an angle in which it looked like the ball would make its way in without any issue. Unfortunately, Sunset was in for quite the surprise when she saw that the ball was somehow repelled away from the hole, in a way that just seemed impossible. As the ball fell onto the arcade's floor, Sunset felt completely exasperated at what had just happened.

"Awwww, too bad." Flim teased, as he took Sunset's tickets away and locked them in a drawer. "Better luck next time, but remember, you agreed to our little game, so I'm afraid there's no refunds or second chances."

Sunset felt absolutely cheated at this point, since it appeared that the game was somehow rigged. There was just no way the ball should've been repelled away from the hole if she had truly missed, and now those stallions had taken all her tickets too. The tickets she was originally planning to use to obtain some of the more medium-cool prizes, but now she had nothing. The young unicorn felt heartbreak so severe, she began crying rather loudly, that it got the attention of everypony else in the arcade.

Princess Celestia was the first one to take notice of this, and immediately went over to the prize booth, to see her adoptive daughter truly heartbroken. She had never heard her cry like this before, making the princess realize something really bad must've happened. Celestia turned to Flim and Flam, demanding an explanation.

"What in Equestria happened here?" The princess asked, rather sternly.

"Hey, princess." Flim attempted to defend himself and his brother. "It's not our fault this filly here is a sore loser."

"Yeah." Flam agreed. "She agreed to hand over all her tickets if we gave her a shot at this bonus minigame behind us, that would've allowed her to get any of the three exclusive prizes on top. And hey, we do have a sign here that states are policies upfront, 'First Come, First Serve', and 'No Refunds', respectively."

"...That filly there is my daughter." Celestia huffed. "And what is the meaning of this? What kind of operation are you running here to allow something like that? This sounds like nothing more than a shady scam you two are pulling right now."

This was 100% the case, as Flim and Flam's original plan was to scam any unsuspecting foal who had accumulated a large number of tickets. They had rigged the skeeball game and basketball with magnets, ensuring that no foal would ever have a chance at getting the ball into the hole. After scamming the foals out of their tickets, they would then attempt to sell the extra tickets to other unsuspecting foals outside of work, earning them extra money even when they weren't assigned bonus hours.

"Hey, she agreed to our little proposal because she wanted the prizes really badly." Flim insisted.

"He... he's right, mommy." Sunset teared up. "I made a really dumb decision, let's just go home now."

"Hold it, Sunset!" Celestia stopped her adoptive daughter from trotting outside the arcade, before turning back to Flim and Flam. "So, am I to understand that you have permission from your boss to instill this kind of operation into the business?"

"Of course we do, we wouldn't want to be dishonest to innocent children, after all!" Flam claimed.

"Really?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "In that case, may I please speak with your boss to confirm this?"

"Errr... maybe not today, since our boss is unfortunately out with the flu." Flam fabricated. "He... doesn't really like talking to ponies outside his office anyways."

"Oh, okay." Celestia replied in a sarcastic manner. "That's perfectly fine then. But before we decide to leave, are you sure that this game is not rigged in any way?"

"Of course it isn't!" Flim quickly blurted out. "What kind of disreputable business ponies would we be if we did that?"

"Fascinating." Celestia said, before using her magic to levitate the same basketball Sunset had dropped on the floor earlier, and put it in Flim's hoof. "Then prove it to me. If you can make this shot right now, then I'll directly head on home with my daughter, no questions asked."

Everypony else in the arcade gasped upon hearing the princess challenge the stallions managing the prize booth. They all began to watch closely, as Flim gulped and nodded his head in agreement to the princess's proposal. He got up from behind the counter and went to the other side, with the ball in his shaking, nervous hoof. In fact, his shaking got so bad, that instead of getting a chance to throw it, he just dropped the ball directly on the ground, as everypony around saw this, and began booing the two stallions, after it appeared to be proven that they were running nothing more than a scam.

The adult ponies began leaving the arcade with their foals, and even the foals themselves were disgusted to the point of not wanting to stay longer in this arcade, after realizing how the prize booth was managed. Flam put a hoof on his face at his brother blowing it big time, as Flim quickly went behind the counter, feeling both he and Flam were now at the mercy of the princess before them.

"Well, that was certainly interesting." Celestia said, rather amused. "I guess you couldn't do it, could you?"

"Listen, please don't tell our boss about this, we really need this job!" Flim begged.

"What do you want from us, bits, candy, toys, just name it!" Flam proposed.

"I suppose I could be a little more lenient, as long as you apologize to my daughter and give her something that she rightfully deserves for her tickets." Celestia said with a serious tone.

"We're so sorry, little filly!" Flam quickly said, albeit insincerely. "Please forgive us!"

"A-And as for giving her something she truly deserves, we can't afford to give her any of those luxury prizes we proposed, but... how about this!?" Flim added, nervously, before taking out a pile of plush toys from behind the counter, and setting them in front of Sunset. "You can take one... or two...? Better yet, how about you take them all?"

Sunset looked at the pile of plushes in front of her, but for the most part, they didn't really seem as interesting as the leather jacket or diamond collar. However, after rummaging through the pile, she found one toy that truly resonated with her. Sunset quickly grabbed this plush that looked like a leopard gecko, which made Flim and Flam's eyes widen with shock at their big mistake.

"Oh, this one! This one! This one!" Sunset said, over and over, as she began hugging the plush. "It's Señor G. Echo, my favorite superhero! I've never seen any toys of him in any store before, so I'll take this one! I love him, I love him so much!"

"That's because... it's the limited edition Señor G. Echo plush we managed to snag at an auction!" Flam said with horror. "D-Did we say you can have the whole pile of plushes, I-I meant that you can have them all, except for that one!"

"No!" Sunset insisted. "Those all look cheap and boring! I want this one, and this one only. You can keep the others."

"Well, my daughter's spoken, and like you've said yourselves." Celestia began reiterating the shady business ponies' mentality. "No refunds, first come, first serve."

"Please, it's said that there's only 10 of those in existence, and they're absolutely valuable no matter where you go!" Flim begged. "They're so valuable ever since the merchandise company for Señor G. Echo went out of business, and they became priceless collectible items! We actually had to pay 100,000 bits for that plush at an auction! Honestly, Flam? How did you manage to mix up that plush with the rubbish knockoff toys we give away here!?"

"You two con artists probably should've thought about that before you decided to scam my daughter." Celestia frowned. "Let this be a lesson to you, especially since that guitar, bracelet, and leather jacket are so much more valuable to you."

"They really aren't, compared to that plush!" Flam insisted. "Tell you what, we'll give you all three of the top prizes right now, if you give up that Señor G. Echo plush."

"N-No!" Sunset refused. "I-I don't w-wanna!"

"All right, then in other words, you'll get nothing, and like it!" Flam snarled, before snatching the Señor G. Echo plush back from Sunset, and getting ready to make a run for it.

Sunset began crying even more severe tears of heartbreak at this action, which only enraged Celestia further. As the princess realized that these con ponies were attempting to escape, she quickly used her own magic to seal off all the doors and windows in the arcade, trapping them in. Flim and Flam continued to try finding places to hide, but it was no use, as Celestia managed to eventually trap and corner them, ready to blast magic at them for their heinous crimes.

"Nopony makes my daughter cry, you hear me!?" Celestia shouted to the two stallions, now scared for their lives. "Hand over that leopard gecko plush, or else!"

"I-If you come any closer, I'll just rip this plush up with my horn!" Flim threatened.

"Flim, no!" Flam snatched the plush back from his brother, outraged at what he was about to do. "I'll never forgive you if you do that, especially after how much we paid for it! Look, we'll just try and find another one of these from an unsuspecting seller one day, and go from there! I'm not willing to let this plush cost us our lives now!"

Out of pure fear that they were about to be obliterated by the princess, Flam nervously handed the toy to Celestia, who then stopped charging up her magic and went back over to Sunset.

"Thank you." Celestia said sternly to the brothers, before handing the plush back to Sunset, who was now overjoyed.

Flam went back into the corner to accompany Flim, now disgusted at his brother's actions.

"This is all your fault, you're the one who insisted we get into the arcade business!" Flim scoffed. "If we had gone with my idea to invest toward a deluxe apple cider machine, we'd be making so much more money!"

"Relax, Flim." Flam frowned. "At least we're alive now, and don't have to worry about losing our jobs anymore."

"Ohhhhhh no." Celestia said, as she was about to exit the arcade with Sunset. "Don't think that I won't be having a word with your boss about all this. Better yet, you both are also banned from Canterlot from now on, so I don't believe you'll be scamming anypony around here anytime soon."

"What!?" Flim shouted with outrage. "B-But, I thought you said you'd be lenient with us if we gave up that Señor G. Echo plush!"

"What's wrong?" Celestia asked, rhetorically. "Not throwing you in jail or better yet, banishing you to the moon sound better? Would you really like to bargain again for your punishment?"

Flim and Flam's eyes widened, before adamantly shaking their heads 'no' out of pure desperation.

"That's what I thought." Celestia said, rather satisfied, before turning back to Sunset with a soft expression. "And... happy birthday, Sunset."

"Thank you so much, mommy!" Sunset hugged her adoptive mother tightly before showing her enthusiasm to her new Señor G. Echo plush. "I love you so much, mommy, and I also love you, Señor G. Echo. I hope that I can one day grow up to be just like you, a superhero who always puts others first!"

"Well, as long as you follow Señor G. Echo's examples, I'm sure you can be like him in no time!" Celestia encouraged her adoptive daughter.

"Actually, I was talking about you, mommy." Sunset said. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know what I would've done with those mean stallions."

"Oh, alright then." Celestia giggled at her daughter's wit. "What kind of a mother would I be, had I not? Alright, Sunset. Let's head back on home."

"Yeah!" Sunset exclaimed with enthusiasm whilst snuggling her Señor G. Echo plush. "This was the best birthday ever!"

Chapter 58: Gone In a Flash

Sunset happily began clapping after Celestia finished telling that rather cathartic story, which explained how she ended up getting her hooves on this Señor G. Echo plush. It was admittedly satisfying to learn how her adoptive mother was responsible for not only foiling the Flim Flam Brothers' nefarious scam, but also allowing Sunset to own a toy of the superhero leopard gecko that she always cherished as a young filly. Not only that, but it was implied to have been an incredibly sought after collector's item, and this made sense. While Señor G. Echo was indeed a popular puppet show series enjoyed by both foals and even some adult ponies alike, toys of the adventurous gecko were thought to be nonexistent.

"That was a wonderful tale, for sure." Sunset said, rather satisfied with the happy ending. "Pretty satisfying to hear that Flim and Flam ended up getting exactly what they deserved, though I do remember Twilight writing to me a few times about them occasionally still being up to their old tricks whenever given the opportunity. Notably when they attempted to open some university that teaches friendship."

"It wouldn't surprise me, they most certainly represent how foul and slimy somepony can become thanks to money." Celestia replied. "Have you ever heard the saying of how money can't buy happiness? Well, I believe it's safe to say that anypony who cheats or lives off of pure greed will never truly be happy."

"I actually learned that the hard way myself, since... let's just say I was actually guilty of manipulating and using others for my own personal gain, making myself exponentially more alone in the process." Sunset alluded to her time at CHS. "That aside, Señor G. Echo certainly represents the kind of pony I could've still been, had I actually embraced what he taught me as a role model. But admittedly, I almost feel as if becoming your pupil was the point in my past where everything changed. I was way too focused on being number one, stopped socializing altogether, and even pushed others aside to get my way. Come to think of it... I vaguely even recall that this was also the point when I stopped calling you 'mommy', and instead just saw you as my teacher?"

"It's been many ages since I officially declared you as my pupil, but that does sound about right." Celestia recalled. "I'll give you this much, your skills with magic were unmatched by anypony else's performance I've seen in all my years of teaching. But as your skills grew, so did your rebellious nature, which I imagine had to have been my decision in letting you be free to express yourself, as I didn't want to interfere with your creative spirit. Is it safe to assume you're now rebellious for a good cause these days?"

"As far as being a leader and taking responsibility, for sure." Sunset replied. "That said, my rebellious and stubborn nature was admittedly another trait that came back to bite me at times. Notably when the other Twilight and I drove ourselves crazy trying to win this rigged ring toss minigame, which was coincidentally set up by the other Flim and Flam. Something kept telling me at the back of my mind that it was certainly losing proposition to continuously attempt a rigged game, but hey. My pride kept telling me otherwise, and that I couldn't let those two best me again, even if they weren't the same ponies from my childhood. Plus, we actually did end up beating them at their own game, and walked away with a stuffed parakeet, so there's that, too."

"I'll certainly admire your perseverance regardless, since that's always been a trait I've encouraged with all of my students." Celestia winked. "Now that the story's been told, I suppose this is goodbye for now?"

"I guess so, since... I really can't afford to be late to this meeting." Sunset said, before coming over to hug her adopted mother one last time, as Celestia did the same. "I know now that even after dad asked you all those years ago to raise me like a daughter, you could've very easily refused. But you chose to do so anyways, especially after what happened between him and Solstice. You've given me a life of happiness and joy that I'll always appreciate and cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you, mom. For everything."

"You're very welcome, Sunset." Celestia teared up. "I'm just happy to know now that my daughter is an absolute sweet angel who absolutely values friendship and spreads her empathy and kindness toward others. In the meantime, although you know now that I'm not your biological mother, I still hope that if we can find Solstice one day, you'll get to meet her and at least have some form of closure as far as knowing her. And of course, I wish you luck on making things right with Sunspot as well."

"I hope so too, but it'll admittedly be difficult if he refuses to talk to me." Sunset believed, as she grabbed her saddlebag, placed her precious plush in a separate compartment, and began making her way to the front door. "Well... that's why I have my friends to help me through these tough times. Even Sunburst mentioned that he's now committed as my brother until the end, so I'm happy that some good has come out of this discovery surrounding Sunspot. I'm admittedly somewhat afraid to approach dad at this point, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. After all, I've dealt with literal plant monsters at summer camp, and even pop stars who make you live through the same day over and over. As such, I'm confident I can somehow solve this family dispute, no matter how it turns out in the end. For now, I'm mostly just happy that I have at least one true mom who's always cared for me, and I'll always cherish and remember that for the rest of my days."

"You have become strong and wise since the days you were my pupil, and I couldn't be more proud of how much you've grown, Sunset." Celestia smiled. "I've taught you everything I knew about magic since you were a small filly, and now you have the valuable knowledge in the importance of friendship. You've become a far greater unicorn pupil than I could ever hope to be. I know now that with your perseverance and determination, it won't be long before I see you officially graduate and trot down that ceremony stage back at the School For Gifted Unicorns."

Sunset gave a soft expression in response to Celestia's kind words, before she nodded in confidence, and began waving goodbye to her adoptive mother. Celestia did the same, feeling that these moments with Sunset seemed just as emotional and heartwarming to her as the entirety of Twilight's coronation, and especially right before she and Luna said her final goodbyes to the new official princess of Equestria. Before Sunset was about to put her saddlebag on her back again, she decided to open it, mostly for a quick glimpse at how much time she had left before the CHS graduation. While doing so, she also got a glimpse of the shiny crystals she had taken from the giant boulder that Maud had helped her clear away from the train tracks.

She had admittedly forgotten about these, as most of her time here in Silver Shoals was focused on being with Celestia. Sunset knew she would eventually be back at Canterlot to settle things with Rainbow Dash, and she had only vaguely considered the idea of giving each of her main pony friends here in Equestria one of these crystals as a sign of her friendship with them. There were 8 crystals, and 8 ponies respectively, if Sunset were to count herself, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Starlight, Applejack, Rainbow, and Twilight. However, since Sunset believed that Celestia was technically the very first friend in Equestria she's ever had, she decided now would at least be the perfect opportunity to ask her adoptive mother if she'd accept one of these crystals herself.

"Mom, wait a second." Sunset turned around, as Celestia did the same, curious at what her daughter had seemingly forgotten. "Before I go, I also wanted to give you a little present. Would you be willing to accept one of these orange crystals?"

Sunset reached into her saddlebag and took all eight crystals out, before displaying them on a table. She then held one up in her hoof, offering her adoptive mother this gift.

"My, these look like beautiful fragments of citrine, and well-shaped too." Celestia began admiring the crystals. "They must've cost you a pretty bit, I'd imagine?"

"Actually, let's just say that a friend helped me discover these while she was getting rid of a boulder that was stopping the train from reaching Silver Shoals." Sunset replied. "And I was thinking, considering all we've been through together as a mother and daughter, would you be willing to accept this gift as a sign of my gratitude?"

"It would be an honor, but... are you sure you wouldn't rather give these to your other friends, whom you've recently befriended during your return?" Celestia hesitated. "I'm noticing there are eight crystals here, and if we were to count Twilight and her first five friends, Starlight Glimmer, and yourself, wouldn't that also be eight ponies too? I could see this as a great way to link together your friendship with all the other girls, similar to friendship bracelets. You did mention yesterday that Twilight and those other ponies have been making your return to Equestria feel incredibly special, so I'd imagine these crystals would be a wonderful gift for them in return for their kindness."

"I did think of that at first, except..." Sunset began, realizing she needed to make a confession. "Befriending them all didn't actually happen. I managed to do so with everypony... except for Rainbow Dash. In fact, she's the one involved in this dispute I mentioned earlier, and why I felt I couldn't be late to this meeting. But regardless, that's why I wanted to offer you one of these crystals as a gift, since... until I reconcile with Rainbow, it wouldn't really make sense for me to give her one now."

"I'm sorry to hear you got off on the wrong hoof with Rainbow Dash, Sunset." Celestia understood. "However, as much as I appreciate your consideration of me as a mother, I'm afraid I can't accept this until I know the outcome of how things will work out between you two. Reason being, if you're able to make amends in the end, I'd much rather you give her one of these citrines to strengthen your friendship with her, and to show just how much you care about making things right. I wouldn't want to take this opportunity away from you, especially since... having you visit me after retirement was already the perfect present for me. In the meantime, just like with your father, I wish you luck in resolving things with her as well."

"Yeah... you're right, mom." Sunset nodded understandingly, before collecting back the crystals and setting them away in her saddlebag. "I will, and... hopefully the next time we see each other, I'll have happy news to share, as far as how everything ended up working out."

"Splendid, I hope that you'll travel safely and be able to solve these disputes with everything you've learned." Celestia encouraged, as Sunset was now ready to exit. "Until then, I hope we can meet again very soon."

Sunset finally trotted out the house, but not before looking back and waving goodbye one final time, as she knew this was likely going to be the last time for a while she'd be seeing Celestia. After all, with the upcoming council meeting to settle her and Rainbow's dispute, as well as spending more of her time relearning magic back in Canterlot, Sunset understood that she was certainly going to be busy for a while, especially since she was still interested in doing further exploring. She might've already seen parts of Manehattan, Cloudsdale, and Ponyville, but there were other places she was still interested in potentially visiting, such as that Mustangia place Wallflower vaguely mentioned the other day.

While thinking of Wallflower, Sunset also remembered that by this point, she had ran into many pony counterparts to people she recognized in the human world, and were even able to befriend some of them. Knowing how her exploration had gotten her a little more acquainted with the residents of Equestria, she was still hoping that she'd eventually find further clues, or better yet, meet her real mother, Solstice. Sugar Belle and Stellar Flare seemed to know more about her existence than Sunset ever did, but Sunset believed that fully understanding Sunspot's past could provide a more crucial clue as to what truly happened to her biological mother. All she knew for certain was that Solstice completely abandoned Sunspot after learning her daughter was trapped in the human world, which didn't really provide much insight as to where she could possibly be in present day.

Believing that the mystery surrounding Solstice would have to be something she'd need to focus on some other time, Sunset trotted back over to the train station, awaiting a trip back to Canterlot. Although she now knew how to directly teleport back, Sunset decided against it, primarily since the purpose of this return was to admire the many sights of Equestria, and of course, the concern that teleportation over long distances would be energy consuming, much like Starlight warned. Sunset knew that she needed any energy she could spare for the upcoming confrontation with Rainbow, and decided that if the train ran into an issue that would force her to teleport in order to reach Canterlot on time, she'd only do so in such a scenario as an emergency.

After purchasing another train ticket at the admission booth, Sunset also understood that she was now running low on bits, even if the admission prices here at Silver Shoals were lower than the ones at Canterlot and Ponyville. If she were to take an extended stay in Equestria, that would definitely entail finding work soon, since she was inevitably going to run out of bits at some point. Although Sunset knew she already had a home in Canterlot, with a fridge full of fresh groceries thanks to Fluttershy, it wasn't enough to accommodate for the foreseen extended stay, likely at least several years before she would consider returning to the human world.

Waiting for the train to arrive, Sunset began contemplating how the meeting with Rainbow Dash would go. Since she had already bonded quite well with everypony else who was part of the council, Sunset at least felt comfortable in knowing they'd all most likely support her, much like Starlight said when Twilight had mentioned the dispute surrounding them. However, was it entirely possible that some of them would side with Rainbow, due to being biased, or because they've known her longer? No matter what would happen in the end, Sunset recalled the words Fluttershy said to her during the coronation's aftermath, in that true friends would always understand and respect her decisions while making any sacrifices necessary. This made sense, as Twilight showed she was willing to do just that, even if it meant hurting her own friendship and standing with Rainbow.

For the most part, Sunset didn't worry too much about any of her new friends taking a bias to side against her, since they all made it rather clear that they'd be by her side no matter what, especially with how much time in Equestria she's spent bonding with each of them. This included Pinkie too, as although Sunset admittedly spent the overall least time with her compared to any of her other friends, she now knew that she had technically known her the longest, after Pinkie revealed her crafty and sneaky game in switching places with her human counterpart countless times. As Twilight and Starlight were already adamant on speaking to Rainbow on Sunset's behalf, it felt reasonable to surmise everpony else would too. But even if they were to support Sunset's side in the fallout, Sunset still hoped that deep down, they wouldn't all just gang up on Rainbow to the point of completely damaging their own friendships with her.

Rainbow wasn't someone Sunset truly loathed, unlike say, Principal Cinch. She still saw the good in her, and the potential of still being able to make amends, especially with understanding why specifically she ended up doing what she did. Abandoning Sunset and acting overly harsh were uncalled for, but so was falsely accusing her apprentice for being a thief, which inadvertently damaged her friendship with Indigo. Even if it was for a good cause, mostly as a means of catching the actual thief on Derpy's behalf, Sunset conceded she still ended up making a mistake, which was enough of a reason for her to willingly make things right herself. Being the leader of her human friends for quite some time now, she definitely knew one of the most valuable aspects of leadership entailed listening to both sides, and understanding the full extent of the story, rather than sticking with biases.

As these thoughts clouded Sunset's mind, the train finally began arriving at her platform, preparing to make a departure towards Canterlot. She trotted aboard, noticing that the train coach was rather empty, which was likely a result of her taking the train rather early in the morning. However, while looking around, Sunset spotted a stallion sitting by himself, who was admittedly familiar for the wrong reasons. Although Sunset felt happy that she and Flash Sentry had become mutual friends later on, even after their breakup, she certainly never forgot how horribly she treated him during her first stay in the human world. Exploiting him for personal gain, using him for money, and tossing him aside even when he genuinely loved her, it was an absolutely toxic relationship. Sunset felt that because of this behavior back then, she was admittedly no better than even Madame Cinch, whom she also believed accurately represented the kind of pony she'd be today, had she never turned a new leaf.

While thinking of the past, Sunset also realized this actually wasn't the first time she had met this particular Flash, much like she had been doing lately with many other familiar pony counterparts here in Equestria. In fact, while seeking Celestia's guidance during the memory stone fiasco, she specifically remembered briefly glancing at the Canterlot guard, shortly before she made her way into the library. Much like with Celestia, Sunset never really had much of an opportunity to interact with him, as she was still focused on learning why her human friends had turned on her, and the fact it technically wasn't the Flash she knew. Since the train ride was going to take some time, and the Pony Flash Sentry was admittedly looking a bit sad and lonely by himself, Sunset decided to sit next to him, trying to understand what was supposedly bothering the royal guard.

"Hello, how are you doing today?" Sunset began a conversation, before setting her saddlebag down and taking a seat.

"Morning, ma'am." Flash Sentry replied, with a little more optimism in his voice, but slowly began reverting back into his glum state.

"Hey there... are you feeling alright?" Sunset asked with a little concern. "I'm noticing you seem rather forlorn right now."

"It's... not really important, and I'm sure that I've still got much bigger responsibilities to worry about back at Canterlot." Flash continued.

"I'm heading back to Canterlot too, and we've got some time now to discuss things if you need somepony to talk to." Sunset assured. "I'm willing to listen about whatever's troubling you."

"Well... alright." Flash nodded, before explaining himself. "Let's just say... it involves somepony I've worked with for many years at Canterlot as a royal guard. Her name's Sour Sweet, and... I was admittedly pretty devastated to learn that she was the one who was reported to have been abusing her power."

"Oh, yeah..." Sunset remembered what Sour Sweet had done to her after Max Steele tried to keep her out from Twilight's coronation. "Let's just say... I know somepony who was recently affected by her abusive behavior, myself. I mean, assuming we're talking about the same Sour Sweet, she's that royal guard with freckles, who sometimes acts sour and other times, sweet?"

"Correct, that's her." Flash said. "I've known her ever since my days at Canterlot's training academy, and we always hit things off pretty well. In fact, I've gotten reports from some of my colleagues that she has a habit of acting sour when I'm not around. However, when I am around, she tends to act rather servile and repeats anything I say. Despite this, there have been rumors that she claims that the Canterlot guards would be more respected if she were the leader instead, due to the fact that she's actually better at flying than anypony else on the team. Given what ended up happening to Sour Sweet after Princess Twilight and Mr. Steele testified against her, I'm guessing those rumors were never wrong."

"Really sorry to hear you ended up having to learn the hard way in regards to Sour Sweet's true colors." Sunset replied, realizing that she was actually seemingly responsible for Flash feeling saddened as a result of learning how scummy Sour Sweet truly was. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now, since... it's crazy to think that it's the ponies you're close with who can hurt you the most."

"For sure." Flash said in agreement. "For many years, I've actually seen her as my second in command, whilst I led the rest of the team during battles or expeditions. I've admittedly gotten occasional reports from them that they haven't been happy with Sour Sweet's treatment when I'm not around, and I always tended to brush it off, thinking it sounded completely unlike her. Knowing the circumstances now, I certainly realize I've failed as a leader, and it's why I've been feeling glum lately. I just feel like I've let the rest of my team down, purely because I was biased toward Sour Sweet, making me go in denial whenever somepony claimed they didn't like her."

"I know that feeling too, the dread and disappointment you can get when you believe you've let everypony down." Sunset related to Flash's sorrow. "I'm part of a group of friends myself, and... over time, they considered me their leader. To me, although the leader's job is to make sure everyone is happy and accounted for, I also believe it's their job to learn from their mistakes, understanding that there's no such thing as perfection. I've actually felt like I failed as a leader from time to time thanks to a habit of losing my temper, but that doesn't make me a bad pony. It makes me a pony who understands what they did wrong, and become willing to correct for it in the future with this kind of experience in mind. I'd say the same could be said for you, since you're atoning for your past mistakes on being biased."

"I suppose so, but that doesn't change the fact that I could've very easily done something about it, even if I was biased." Flash sighed. "I let my partnership with Sour Sweet blind me to the point of ignoring complaints and concerns from the rest of the team, and now... everything that she supposedly put them all through during our duties... still very much happened. It can't be undone anymore, and now I'm just sitting here defeated, hoping I could've always done things differently back then."

"Yeah... I know that feeling too, more than you know." Sunset related. "I understand the pain and frustration regarding anything that went wrong in the past, which ended up causing irreversible damage. But unfortunately, since we can never change the past, I've stuck with a philosophy that's motivated me to always make the right steps forward. What happens in the past stays in the past, but what happens in the present can lead to a better future that you'll be able to remember for all the right reasons. I don't look too fondly back on my past, but with every new cherished memory I've made, it's helped me remember just how far I've come since those days."

"That's a pretty good philosophy to take away." Flash smiled. "But regardless of what I do now, I don't know how I can come back to face the rest of my team again. I've just recovered from my broken wings, and am now returning back to Canterlot to continue serving my duties, but I'm not sure if they'll give me a warm reception upon return."

"Sorry to hear about your wings." Sunset said, vaguely remembering Max Steele alluded to this when she hid in that broom closet. "Do you mind me asking what happened?"

"Well, the thing is, I'm actually not entirely sure how it happened." Flash began trying to remember that day. "All I seem to recall was, I had been on duty at Cloudsdale a few weeks ago, when out of nowhere, this unknown force managed to hit me at a remarkable speed, and sent me crashing down onto the city grounds. I ended up landing on my wings, which put me out of work up until now. My wings might be better, but I can't say with certainty that'll apply to my standing with the team too."

"Whatever happens with your team in the end?" Sunset began. "I believe all that matters is you giving them an apology for being biased, then proving to them that you're willing to change and become a more responsible leader, assuring them that you'd never make such a mistake again. They might not forgive you immediately, but it's important to show you're confident in moving forward as a changed stallion. It's valuable to see your past mistakes as a way for you to learn and grow, rather than something to dwell on."

"Sounds like the perfect way for me to move forward, especially after everything my team and I have been through, ever since I landed this job in protecting and serving Equestria." Flash said with some newfound confidence. "Thanks for having this talk with me, I feel a lot better and ready to face the music when the time comes. Feels nice to meet somepony who really cares that much about my personal issues."

"Anytime, I figured I had to at least do something, given how sad you looked when I boarded the train." Sunset replied. "I guess since this is the first time we're getting properly acquainted, I could introduce myself. I'm Sunset Shimmer."

"Flash Sentry." Flash introduced himself, before understanding who Sunset truly was. "Wait a minute, you're Sunset Shimmer? So you're that pony who was involved in exposing Sour Sweet's true colors, at least according to what Princess Twilight ended up reporting. In that case, whatever you ended up doing, you have my eternal respect as far as helping me learn I couldn't recover from working with somepony as two-faced as her. You saved me from a lot of trouble, considering that for a while, I was begging the princess to promote her to the elite ranks, where I'm currently at. And on top of this, you've even given me solid advice as to how I can make things right with the rest of my colleagues, now that Sour Sweet's gone."

"I'm always willing to be a friend for anypony in need, especially since I know myself how much it hurts to be all alone, with nopony else to have your back in the toughest of times." Sunset opened up.

"I really love that kind of commitment and mentality, especially since Princess Celestia herself commended me on my dedication and leadership." Flash replied. "In fact, before her retirement, she ended up knighting me as 'Sir Sentry', since I had been going the extra mile to effectively lead troops and formally welcome officials outside of Equestria, much like when the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia paid a visit."

"It's impressive how you've managed to earn such a title while continuing to work hard as a royal guard." Sunset acknowledged. "I'm sure your friends and family have always been proud of you for how far you've come yourself."

"Yeah, my... family." Flash's glumness seemingly came back briefly.

"Oh, I'm... I'm sorry if I've touched upon a sensitive topic." Sunset said. "I completely understand if you don't really want to talk about it."

"No, don't worry." Flash assured. "Bringing up my family might've let me remember one particular unpleasant memory, but at the same time, it also gave me a reminder of why I decided to choose this career path. I'm also pretty comfortable about sharing this with you, given how understanding and compassionate you are. Sunset, are you interested in learning why specifically I became a royal guard?"

"Of course, I'm all ears." Sunset replied, as she already knew herself what it was like to have a troubled past with her own biological family.

"My father, who was once one of Equestria's most gifted soldiers." Flash began opening himself up. "Sentinel Sentry was his name, and he was well respected by many. Growing up in Equestria, I showed promise as far as flight skills and effective communication, to where dad saw the potential in me to become a royal guard one day. I decided against it at first, before seeing the benefits that would come with it. My family was poor and unable to afford university tuition after I graduated grade school, but since I was looking for work and kept my athletic flying ability intact, I ended up joining the E.U.P, just like dad."

"E.U.P?" Sunset questioned, initially not understanding the acronym. "Oh, wait a minute, I think I've heard of that before. Earth, Unicorn, Pegasus, right?"

"That's right, Canterlot's military system which allowed all three pony kinds to join their ranks." Flash confirmed. "Though since many creatures are now living alongside ponies too, Princess Twilight recently opened up positions to allow creatures besides ponies to join, should they be interested in doing so."

"Been noticing that lately, which was pretty astonishing, given how long I've been gone from Equestria." Sunset shared her own experience. "This aside, how was the E.U.P. when you first joined?"

"At first, it seemed tolerable and rewarding." Flash continued. "We'd get meals free of charge, training sessions that helped us increase our physical strength, and felt respected by anypony else in Equestria no matter where we went. But after a while, the physical labor and policies began to get on my nerves. Our sergeant in particular began making me regret my decision to become a royal guard, especially with everything he had been putting me through. One day, while I was in the castle to have a reunion with dad, I had this exchange with him."

Flash then began sharing a flashback, where he had just finished his training for the day and was now allowed to see his family. He approached the castle's entrance and was greeted by his father, Sentinel, who had completed his military duties and was now ecstatic to finally see his son.

"Flash, good to see you, my boy!" Sentinel addressed his son, before noticing that he looked rather grouchy. "Hm, is there something wrong, son? Aren't you happy to see your pop?"

"Hey, dad." Flash said to his father, before saluting him. "I am, I very much am, and will always respect you as one of Equestria's most valuable soldiers. But nothing's wrong, don't worry."

"Flash... I've known you ever since you were a small colt, and I can tell when you're lying." Sentinel began with a serious tone. "Please, if something's truly been bothering you, could you please let your father know?"

"Alright, I guess it's good to finally get this off of my chest." Flash nodded, before explaining himself. "I'm not happy at all with Sergeant Peanut, ever since I stepped hoof into this academy. He would force us newbies to get up at 5 AM just to do pushups, kept yelling at us nonstop, and belittled us all the time, any chance he could. And I'm never allowed to talk back or give him a piece of my mind, it's so frustrating that he can treat us that way."

"Son, I can understand how intimidating this may be, especially compared to the schools you were used to before you joined." Sentinel began. "But you must understand that he's supposed to do that. While you may see it as belittling, it's actually how Equestria manages to build you recruits into successful soldiers. It's a form of building discipline and respect to your superiors."

"Yeah, right." Flash huffed. "I've been here for weeks now, and all I can feel for the guy is anything but respect. You'd think that as the ponies who protect and serve in Equestria, we'd get more respect than this. But no, we're instead just the underlings who, in his own words, are always replaceable."

"It's tough to adapt to this new lifestyle, but I can assure you that it's all perfectly normal, and the reason why I've become the built soldier I am today." Sentinel responded. "One day, I'll have to retire as a veteran, and it'll be your responsibility to lead the rest of these soldiers to protect Equestria, as I once did. Besides, we mutually agreed that this was for the best, since we were unable to afford further education for you."

"I know, but... maybe it's better if I just went and looked for a real job, instead of this bogus humiliation." Flash pouted. "I might be getting along with the new recruits and all, but it's primarily Sergeant Peanut who's holding me back and has it out for me. Even the other newbies have been mentioning that he's been targeting me the most."

"That's actually a sign that he sees the absolute most potential in you, and wanting to shape you up into the soldier you could become." Sentinel said. "You did notice that you scored the highest on the written examination for leadership qualifications, as well as flight strength?"

"Well, yes." Flash replied. "And I thought that because of this, he'd have more respect for me, as far as being the #1 in the academy."

"Flash, I'm telling you this as your father, but you must not give up because you feel insecure about your drill instructor." Sentinel held his son and made certain he could heed his words well. "Sergeant Peanut trained some of the most elite soldiers here in Equestria, including myself. I was just like you, thinking that the treatment wasn't right, given how effective I was with the training. However, over time, I helped myself realize that the yelling was a sign that he cared, and knows that you have the potential to be better. The discipline, the training, and the mentality that I could always improve, it shaped me into the stallion I am now. I know you can be too, as long as you put your differences aside and continue pushing on. Over time, you'll even grow compassion for everypony else on your team, including Sergeant Peanut."

"It'll... definitely still take a while for me to get used to my new life like this, but this pep talk at least motivates me to push on, even when I've begun to lose confidence in myself." Flash said. "Thanks, dad. I think I now know how I'll be approaching future training sessions with this kind of knowledge in mind."

"That's my boy, you definitely inherited that perseverance from me." Sentinel patted Flash on the back, before handing him a special badge. "This was my previous uniform's badge. I can't use it anymore, but I want you to have it, as it'll serve as a reminder. I'll sadly have to retire my position one day, but I know now when that day comes, you'll make your pop proud and pass this on for future generations of soldiers to come."

Flash and Sentinel hugged it out, and over time, Flash began realizing that his father was right. The 'bullying' from Sergeant Peanut had become effective at helping Flash build character and confidence in himself. After a while, his performances began to increase like never before, though his insecurities from being belittled still came up from time to time. Whenever this occurred, Flash just remembered what his father told him that day, and kept telling himself that he would soon be responsible for protecting and serving Equestria, much like Sentinel. The flashback then ended, which prompted Sunset to share her own thoughts.

"It's good to hear that you had a pretty solid relationship with your dad, Flash." Sunset said with optimism. "Always happy for anypony with a parent able to give you this kind of level and motivation."

"Indeed, but... that would unfortunately come to an end one day, in one of the most tragic ways imaginable." Flash sighed, before sharing another flashback.

It was another ordinary day in Canterlot, as Flash had once again finished his training to reunite with Sentinel. Everypony else in the E.U.P. had already gone home for the evening, and the only ponies that remained behind in Canterlot were Flash, Sentinel, and Princess Celestia herself. The princess commended both stallions for their efforts in protecting and serving Equestria, seeing the promise in the soldiers the E.U.P. had shaped.

"It's an honor to see both father and son together, working hard to maintain the peace of Equestria." Celestia expressed.

"You bet, Princess!" Sentinel said with confidence. "I'm especially proud of my boy for getting that leadership position, he was just built to manage troops!"

"Thanks, dad." Flash said, rather flattered, before hearing a growling noise. "But it sounds as if you're hungry now. Maybe that's a sign we should head back and have a good feast?"

"Err... son?" Sentinel said, rather concerned. "I'm afraid that wasn't my stomach."

The growling continued on, this time getting even louder than before. The three ponies began growing extra worried, realizing that some dangerous creature was nearby. Unfortunately for them, it was actually multiple creatures, fierce and bent on having a good feast, just as Flash had suggested. Out of nowhere, seven timberwolves hopped out from behind one of the buildings, and began cornering the princess and two soldiers. Princess Celestia spread her wings out to express hostility, before doing her best to protect everypony from these dangerous creatures.

"Timberwolves!" Celestia shouted, before using her magic to blast off the aggressive creatures who were known to feast on pony flesh, despite being made of wood.

At first, this appeared to take care of the creatures easily, as after the dust cleared away, the three ponies looked around and saw nothing but sticks and branches, seemingly harmless and ineffective at attacking. Unfortunately, this feeling of relief was short-lived, after the branches began moving and reassembling themselves, creating a much larger and fiercer entity, known as the Timberwolf King. Celestia, Flash, and Sentinel's eyes widened at this, since they had never seen any creatures capable of such an ability.

"What should we do!?" Flash began panicking. "I've never even seen these creatures before, but it seems as if blasting that magic just made it even more mad!"

"I've dealt with these before in the past, however!" Celestia continued to stand her ground against the now reassembled, monstrous beast. "This is astonishing, since I've never seen any timberwolves reassemble themselves to create a larger and more powerful form! My guess is, they must've found some form of new magic which gives them this ability, or they've somehow evolved into a more advanced stage in their life cycle!"

"Well that's no good, especially since we're the last ponies standing, here at Canterlot!" Sentinel shrieked. "But it looks like that thing's now immune to your attacks, Princess! If not even your magic can stand up to it, there may not be anything we can do either!"

By now, Celestia had given up firing at the wooden beast, since her attacks were now somehow ineffective. Out of desperation, she even tried teleporting the beast away, but it appears to have adapted to the point of becoming immune to magic. As a result, the beast simply laughed and roared at the three ponies, now bent on having some delicious morsels for dinner. Realizing that her lack of knowledge on this new variant of timberwolves might've just caused the foreseen doom of Canterlot, the princess decided that they had no other choice but to use the last resort.

"Flash, Sentinel!" Celestia addressed her pegasai royal guards. "In case of attacks like this, Canterlot has something that's used as a last resort, if nothing we do is able to fend off plant-based monsters. But it's risky to pull off."

"We gotta do whatever it takes, Princess!" Sentinel affirmed.

"Our job is to protect Equestria from nefarious monsters like that, so we have to give it a shot!" Flash added.

"Very well then." Celestia nodded her head. "We don't have a lot of time, but we'll need to get over to the botanical research lab, we'll find what we need there! In the meantime, run!"

The three ponies began running away toward the botanical lab, where scientists had been conducting research on rare plants and plant-based creatures beneficial to Equestria. Celestia had her mind set on one particular item located within, which was a unique concoction specialized in killing off any botanical-related species, should they pose as a threat to Equestria's society. All the while, the Timberwolf King gave a persistent chase, adamant on having a delicious pony banquet. As Celestia, Sentinel, and Flash eventually made it over to the lab, they realized that they had made a mistake that would cost them their lives. The lab was unfortunately locked, and none of them had the passcode to get inside.

"What are we going to do now!?" Flash shrieked. "None of us are botanical scientists, which means we don't know the password!"

"Princess, have you considered teleporting inside?" Sentinel suggested.

"Unfortunately, I can't." Celestia sighed. "This lab is actually protected with an invisible force field that blocks out teleportation. As a result, I think there's only one thing we can do now. I'm actually not supposed to share this with anypony else, but it seems like we have no choice now. In the Canterlot armor and weapons storage, I've hidden a secret master switch that unlocks every military-based building if the locks are somehow jammed. That includes the botanical lab, which is where we need to get into to stop that wooden abomination!"

Just as she said this, the Timberwolf King had finally caught up to the trio, now enraged at its prey continuously trying to escape. Fed up with this little game, the monstrous beast began howling at the sky, which attracted a massive pack of them. 100 other normal timberwolves had began surrounding the area, heeding the howl to aide their king's hunt.

"This is so troublesome, I shouldn't have used my magic to blast those first timberwolves, it seems." Celestia sighed. "Alright, since it was my fault we're in this pickle now, and I hadn't done any research on this new variant of timberwolf which can reassemble itself, I'll go flip that switch."

"No, Princess!" Sentinel decided against the idea. "I can't allow you to do such a risky mission, no matter the circumstances! I'm well familiar with that storage room, let me go for it!"

"Are you sure about this, Sentinel?" Celestia said with worry. "If you're confident you can do it, you need to look for the switch box hidden underneath the green tile of the building. It should be easy to spot, since it's the only one."

"Affirmative, Princess." Sentinel nodded, before getting ready to move out.

"D-Dad... no." Flash began tearing up at his father willing to risk his own life."

"Please, Flash." Sentinel looked at his son's face with serious eyes. "We don't really have a choice now, one of us has to risk our safety as a matter of protecting Equestria, just like I've helped you learn when you first entered the E.U.P. I've taught you everything you needed to know over the years, and now it's time for me to fulfill my destiny, for you, the princess, and all of Equestria."

"I love you, dad..." Flash's eyes began tearing up at his father willing to make this big of a sacrifice, before hugging him, thinking that this could be the very last time he'd ever see him alive.

"I love you too, and I know you're sad, but I have to get going now!" Sentinel said, as he knew the timberwolves were beginning to grow impatient.

Sentinel then flew up into the air and tried his best to get the attention of these bloodthirsty creatures. He then began taunting them and acting like they couldn't touch him at all, which only enraged the timberwolves. His plan was working, as this was the perfect bait needed to entice the timberwolves in chasing after him, and him only. This meant that once he pulled the switch, it would give Celestia and Flash just enough time to do whatever they needed to put an end to these wooden monsters. After giving chase through Canterlot for a while, Sentinel eventually managed to make it into the aforementioned storage unit, broke open the green tile with his hooves, and flipped the switch. As a result, the lab door finally opened, allowing Flash to fly inside and grab the concoction, which was aptly labeled on one of the counters.

As Flash handed the concoction to Celestia, he was still praying for his father's safety. The princess quickly used the concoction, along with her magic, to create a special weather spell that would ensure the demise of every timberwolf in Canterlot. Even from a distance from within the lab's entrance, Flash was able to see his father safely exit from the storage unit, with seemingly no timberwolves in sight. He initially breathed a sigh of relief, as did Sentinel, thinking that he might actually be able to make it back too.

"Whew, I guess I lost those timberwolves during that chase-" Sentinel began, before something completely unexpected happened.

Out of nowhere, the Timberwolf King quickly mauled at the stallion, knocking him into the corner of another nearby building, as his sudden injuries now impaired his ability to get up. Suddenly, the underling timberwolves began forming a thick crowd to surround the injured stallion, ready to have the meal of a lifetime. Flash shrieked in horror upon witnessing this, urging him to fly out to help his father, before noticing Celestia not allowing him to.

"Ugh..." Sentinel winced in pain at that sudden attack, as his now blurred vision helped him capture the sight of a massive pack of timberwolves ready to tear him into pieces. "It... doesn't matter anymore, you a-abominations of n-nature... p-prepare to join me in t-the grave..."

"Please, Princess!" Flash begged. "I have no choice now, I need to help him!"

"Flash, no... please." Celestia sighed. "I'm afraid he's gone..."

"You don't know that for certain, maybe it's still not too late!" Flash huffed in denial. "If I just go out there and keep them away from dad for a while, maybe he can still-"

"No, he truly is gone now, especially since this weather spell needs a little time to take effect." Celestia said, trying to comfort the stallion. "He did this for us, and all of Equestria, Flash. If you go out there now, he'll have made the ultimate sacrifice for nothing..."

Flash sighed in defeat upon hearing this, realizing that Celestia was right. But regardless, it was especially painful for him at this point, as he looked outside the entrance of the lab and saw all those timberwolves were now chowing away at his father's flesh. However, since Sentinel managed to draw away every single timberwolf from Celestia and Flash just long enough for the weather spell to take effect, he had managed to die a hero. Shortly after the timberwolves had finished devouring the helpless stallion, they were still hungry, and were ready to head over to the same lab those other ponies were hiding in. But as they began approaching, the spell had finally created a mystical fog all around Canterlot, which contained the same toxins from the lab's concoction.

As a result of this, the timberwolves, including the king himself, began choking and suffocating at their adverse reaction to this new compound. Every last timberwolf started losing their structure as well as their inner consciousness, which caused them to shatter apart and even dissolved their remains, making it so they could no longer reassemble themselves. Before long, all timberwolves were reduced into nothing but dust, blown away by the wind, shortly after. Once the fog cleared away, Celestia and Flash went over to where the timberwolves had attacked and devoured Sentinel, and it was most certainly not a pretty sight.

"He sacrificed himself for me, his son, and all of Equestria." Celestia felt some tears in her eyes. "I'll be sure to commission a statue here in Canterlot in his honor, he was a true hero."

"Dad... I know that we didn't always get along, but I'll miss you dearly." Flash began sobbing. "I'll never forget this... your sacrifice will not be in vain, and I'll be sure to make you proud. It'll now be my responsibility to lead the rest of these soldiers and protect Equestria, as you once did..."

Celestia and Flash eventually gathered Sentinel Sentry's remains, and gave him an honorable funeral, one where everypony in Canterlot had attended, as his heroics quickly spread throughout Equestria. Once it ended, Flash took one final look at that old badge his late father had given him ever since he was fed up with his drill sergeant and contemplated starting a new life. He knew more than ever that it was now his duty to pass on his father's legacy, and why he ended up choosing to stay in the E.U.P. for many years to come, as the flashback finally came to a close.

"...and that same badge he gave me was embedded onto my uniform's real badge, which I have right here." Flash pointed at his armor. "Now you know, it was my dad who inspired me to become a royal guard, and it was his motivation and selfless sacrifice which inspired me to continue protecting and serving in Equestria. I've admittedly not shared this with anypony else before, since it definitely always gets me emotional, just thinking about him..."

"Really sorry to hear your dad didn't make it out of that predicament, but I very much agree." Sunset put a hoof on Flash. "You're right, too, he was a noble stallion when he sacrificed himself just so everypony else could survive. It's especially bold for you to continue passing on his legacy in that respect, I'm sure wherever he is now, he's smiling proudly on you."

"Thanks, Sunset." Flash smiled a bit. "I'm sure of it too."

Chapter 59: Re-Amending Fences

After finishing up that last exchange with Flash Sentry, Sunset decided to pause her conversation for a while, as it appeared Flash now needed some time to process how he was going to approach his teammates back in Canterlot. Sunset also understood that she was somewhat in the same boat, as far as returning to Canterlot and reconciling with somepony in particular. For the time being, she wasn't entirely sure if she was going to have to confront both Rainbow and Indigo, or just Rainbow by herself. Knowing Twilight at this point, however, it seemed as though she would most likely gather both ponies together in this meeting, as a matter of getting the full extent of the story. Sunset used the remaining time to check her journal again, seeing that she still had around two full days before her graduation at CHS. This let her understand that she definitely still had plenty of time to explore further, and hopefully reconcile with Rainbow. Before long, the train had finally reached Canterlot once more, as there weren't any obstacles or delays this time around.

Thankfully, the red beetles that had been released by Human Sunset were no longer anywhere in Canterlot, since they already searched through the entire city the night before, but found no sign of anypony who resembled her. As a result, they departed elsewhere through Equestria like a convoy, waiting for the perfect opportunity to exact their vengeance. Although Sunset was likely out of harm's way for now by going through Canterlot, the beetles would still pose as a potential threat to anypony else who'd get in their way. As exemplified with Human Sunset's encounter, they were capable of utilizing armor-like shells, breathing fire, and even possessing some form of intelligence that set them apart from other bugs. Not having the slightest clue on this imminent bug problem, Sunset just continued on with her exploration through Canterlot, with the biggest thing on her mind being the confrontation with Rainbow Dash in front of Twilight and the rest of the council.

Stepping off of the train, Sunset accompanied Flash as she began to make her way to the main castle, ready to await the meeting to settle her own unfortunate dispute. Along the way, she saw the statue of a stallion soldier who was depicted in a more heroic light, realizing that this was the first time she had ever taken notice of its existence, after hearing that story Flash shared about his father. She went closer to the statue and read the plaque below, which read 'Sentinel Sentry' on top, and 'A True Hero' on the bottom.

"Ah, yes." Flash acknowledged, whilst momentarily coming up to the statue himself. "I can see that the story surrounding my dad has really moved you?"

"Absolutely, especially since... let's just say I've been the kind of pony who puts others before myself, even to the point of self-sacrificing." Sunset replied, with the most applicable memory being the time she sacrificed her own memories to save her human friends from Wallflower's memory stone attack. "It's a really good feeling to help others, especially once you've understood the pain from being alone and neglected."

"Truer words couldn't have been said better myself." Flash nodded. "Whatever you ended up doing that nearly sacrificed yourself, I'm sure Sentinel would've been proud of you too. Did you by any chance know him?"

"Admittedly, no." Sunset shook her head. "Your story was actually the first time I've heard his name at all, and even when I was living here in Canterlot, I didn't really pay much attention to the Equestrian military. Back then, I was mostly focused on studying magic before... an incident happened, which would separate me from Equestria for quite some time. It's... kind of hard to explain but..."

"Let me guess." Flash began to surmise what Sunset was referring to. "Is this about that crystal mirror that supposedly sends you to another world?"

"Wait... you know about its existence, and the fact that I've been there for quite some time?" Sunset asked with surprise.

"Well, when I've been working alongside Princess Twilight and Celestia for years, it's only expected that I hear a hint of that mirror every once in a while." Flash explained. "Besides, since Princess Twilight herself has mentioned that you're a good friend of hers, you might've also heard from her that she sometimes sees me as... more than just her lieutenant?"

"Oh, interesting to hear you're aware of that as well." Sunset said. "Though, I guess it's to be expected, since... Twilight's written to me from time to time that she never really was good at hiding that from anypony else. In fact, she even mentioned that when she first came back to Equestria after her adventure through the portal, all her friends were able to pick up the hint pretty quickly. You really did remind her of... a certain someone else, let's just say."

"I've been well aware of all that for quite some time now, and although I was flattered, I just don't really see myself as the kind of pony to pursue a relationship." Flash replied. "Princess Cadance may be capable of both ruling the Crystal Empire and being a mother but... not all princesses are cut out for it. I've talked with Princess Twilight before and helped her understand that it's probably for the better, since we definitely both have important responsibilities to fulfill. Coupled with the fact that she's now in charge of all of Equestria, she won't really have time to focus on a relationship or family, never mind with somepony who's already always busy serving their own duties. We came to a mutual agreement we'll only see each other as princess and lieutenant, and that protecting Equestria will always come first. Besides, you can take it from me. Princess Twilight can... really have a habit of getting distracted when focusing her energy toward a silly crush, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I actually know that feeling a lot more than you might think." Sunset reflected, thinking of the various times in the human world where she saw Twilight having this faux crush. "I'm happy to hear that you were able to resolve things in the end without making her glum, since you didn't feel the same way. Pretty responsible and mature of you, and... this admittedly explains why Twilight hasn't really been showing any signs of that former infatuation lately. She's been a lot more focused on serving her duties with all her new added responsibilities, so you've definitely helped her stay on track."

"Glad to hear." Flash nodded. "I was admittedly nervous at first when approaching Princess Twilight about all this, I didn't want to break her heart by simply rejecting her on the spot, you know? But after our long talk about how we both chose a prime responsibility in our lives to protect and commit to, she was able to completely understand where I was coming from. Besides, she ended up agreeing it was pretty silly, considering I'm not actually the same Flash Sentry she supposedly knew. And even if she did want to continue keeping this relationship with that other Flash, we both had a laugh over how absurd that sounded. I mean, a pony princess like herself falling in love with some... human from another world... whom she barely even knew?"

"More or less, especially when you put it that way." Sunset agreed, remembering the time at Camp Everfree when she had no choice but to lay out similar words to the Human Flash. "I remember the first time I was in a relationship, and... everything was far from okay, especially when it came to how it ended. Over time, I've grown more comfortable with just having friends and focusing on my own life, so I definitely understand where you're coming from when you mention wanting to focus on your life's commitment as a soldier, rather than maintaining a relationship. Being in a relationship... is admittedly not for everypony, especially while having major responsibilities. If you're able to do both, like Princess Cadance, that's great, but... can't really say with confidence I'd be in the same boat."

"You and me both." Flash added. "I may not have children or a special somepony in my life, but I've got a team and nation to protect, and that's always been enough for me. Speaking of which, I really do need to return to my team now, so I'm afraid I'll have to cut this conversation short. Thanks for having this talk with me regardless, Sunset."

"Anytime, and understood." Sunset nodded, as Flash began making his way to the main castle. "I hope you'll be able to work things out with them."

Sunset followed behind, and from a distance, noticed that as soon as Flash approached the main entrance, he was immediately greeted and welcomed by Twilight and Pinkie. This gave off the impression that everyone else in the council was already prepared to start off the meeting, including Rainbow Dash. After letting Flash in to reach the rest of his teammates, Twilight then took notice of Sunset, giving her a warm welcome as well.

"Ah, there you are, Sunset!" Twilight greeted. "I was admittedly wondering where you had gone off to, since I didn't find you anywhere in the library this morning."

"Hey, Twilight." Sunset waved back. "The... library? I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're talking about. I went to Silver Shoals to visit Celestia last night, just like you recommended."

"Hmm, I guess that means you did study a little too hard, to where you might've even forgotten that you were doing some late-night cramming." Twilight tried to make sense of things. "It did happen to me occasionally when I was Princess Celestia's student, after all. Wait a minute, but... if you went to see her in Silver Shoals, how did I find you in Canterlot last night too?"

"Oh, wait..." Sunset began to surmise what Twilight was supposedly getting at. "I was briefly at Canterlot last night when Celestia helped me with a magic lesson. She taught me how to teleport long distances, since I was admittedly out of practice with it. I didn't realize you had seen me when we teleported there, but we did manage to teleport back to Silver Shoals successfully. But as for being in the library last night, I'm really unsure of when you thought I was there."

"Well... alright then." Twilight replied, rather confused. "I've studied to the point where my brain becomes too exhausted to remember certain things, so I guess that must be it. But regardless, you must be ready to sort things out with Rainbow alongside the rest of the council?"

"Yeah, for sure." Sunset nodded. "I just hope that we're able to resolve things peacefully, and she won't continue to hold a grudge against me, even if everypony else does end up siding with me."

"I wouldn't really worry about how Rainbow feels if she ends up getting a proper punishment for her actions." Twilight assured. "What mostly matters now is helping Rainbow understand what she did was wrong, since in her eyes, she has a tendency to believe she does no wrong."

Sunset nodded understandingly to Twilight's words, as Pinkie then took notice of Twilight greeting somepony else outside the castle.

"Oh, hey Sunset." Pinkie called out from the front door. "Sorry to hear that you've had a fallout with Dashie, but to tell you the truth, you're not the only one. In fact, the rest of us on the council have had our fair share of problematic experiences with her, even if we do consider her our friend."

"Is that so?" Sunset said, remembering what Twilight had mentioned yesterday before meeting Sunburst. "Well, I've had plenty of friendship related problems in the past, I'm sure we can all figure something out in the end. I just hope we'll come up with a fair compromise when we finish up. Should we go in and start the meeting now?"

"Normally, I would start off things if everypony on the council was already present, but unfortunately, they're not." Twilight explained. "Fluttershy and Applejack are both absent, but they've notified me it's because something incredibly important in their households have gone missing, and it's rather likely they'll be a little late. With Applejack mentioning that Granny Smith had just passed away, I just couldn't say 'no' to them. But don't worry, they assured me that they'll come by to help out with the dispute between you and Rainbow. Plus, we're still pretty early, I wasn't really expecting to start this meeting until at least around three hours from now."

"Alright then, and yeah, I can definitely understand the circumstances with AJ." Sunset replied. "I guess... if we can't start the meeting yet, perhaps I should focus on something else in the meantime? For example, I was looking for work to gather a reliable source of income, considering I'll most likely be staying in Equestria for a while after my graduation at CHS."

"Whatever works best for you, Sunset." Pinkie nodded. "Come to think of it... if you're looking for a job directly here in Canterlot, I vaguely remember seeing The Tasty Treat putting up a 'Help Wanted' sign out front. It's an amazing restaurant with some of the most unique and exotic foods to offer. I even occasionally stop by to try the incredible desserts!"

"I like the food there too, but... I'll refuse to even LOOK at the quesadillas on the menu." Twilight shuttered.

"Well, I do have restaurant experience back in the human world... so why not?" Sunset alluded to her sushi delivery job. "Where specifically is this restaurant?"

"It's right next to the Canterlot residential area, within what I like to call the 'Restaurant Row'." Pinkie pointed in the direction. "The look of the restaurant has a snazzy design, so you can't miss it! Always happy to introduce that restaurant to any new friends, since... let's just say me and Rarity's influence helped turn the owners around in their business. They even almost considered renovating the place to look like those other, ordinary fine dining places here in Canterlot. Who'd wanna eat in a lifeless place like that?"

"Errr... Pinkie?" Twilight tried to remind her Earth pony friend. "Don't forget that Sunset here used to live in Canterlot, and she likely ate at those restaurants all the time."

"Ohhhhh, um... no offense." Pinkie smiled sheepishly.

"None taken, especially since... I agree with Pinkie, actually." Sunset winked. "It's why I've chosen to work at a sushi place with a lot of personality, especially with the uniforms, but that's a story for another day. Well, all right, I guess I could head on over to this Tasty Treat place and see if they'll want me. But Twilight... are you sure that I shouldn't at least talk to Rainbow for a while before the actual meeting?"

"Normally, I would allow it, but I'm just afraid that things could escalate until everypony on the council is here." Twilight replied. "Starlight and I actually had to use our magic to literally drag Rainbow in when we had to fetch her from her home in Cloudsdale, so we might need to wait for her to calm down for a bit before starting the meeting proper."

"Understood." Sunset nodded. "Alright, I guess I'll see you all in a bit. If I do get a position at the Tasty Treat, well, that's where I'll be for the next few hours, but I'll try to at least return on time for the meeting."

Sunset then waved goodbye to Twilight and Pinkie, before making her way to the area of Canterlot Pinkie described. While continuing to trot on, she eventually noticed there was a 'Help Wanted' sign outside of this small but thematic-looking restaurant, which had another sign that read 'The Tasty Treat'. It admittedly looked out of place compared to all the other high class buildings surrounding the area, but something about the vibrant colors and inviting atmosphere drew Sunset in. She knew it was necessary to find a job here in Equestria, mostly to help her get through the rest of her years here. Money would soon become an inevitable issue, so why not seek an opportunity in finding a job, especially one here in Canterlot, where she already lived?

As Sunset entered The Tasty Treat, she noticed that while the indoor decor was absolutely beautiful, the supposed flow of business wasn't. In fact, there was only one pony sitting around who had just finished their meal, seemingly grouchy at the fact she had to wait so long for her food. Although this gave off the impression that the restaurant suddenly wasn't as successful as Pinkie had alluded to, perhaps it was only a sign that they needed somepony new to fill a crucial position. After hearing that Pinkie and Rarity both managed to help the business reopen with high hopes, Sunset felt the inspiration to do the same, though she would definitely need an understanding of the issues, according to the owner. The unicorn trotted over to the front counter and began calling for anypony available.

"Hello?" Sunset called out, whilst ringing the bell on the counter.

"Yes, yes?" Coriander Cumin responded, as he came out of the kitchen. "Oh, good. Another customer. Please, I beg of you to be patient, considering I'm the only one here today."

"Oh, well..." Sunset began, before pointing at the sign on the front window. "I'm not here to eat, actually. I'm interested in the available position, assuming it's still open? If so, could I please speak with the owner?"

"OH!" Coriander Cumin exclaimed with surprise. "Wonderful, well... that would be me, actually. Since it doesn't look like any other customers are coming in soon, we could get started with an interview?"

"Sure thing!" Sunset nodded, as she followed the stallion over to his office.

In the office, Sunset sat in a nearby chair while Coriander went over to his desk. The stallion handed Sunset a menu of all the exquisite dishes the restaurant would be preparing on a daily basis, as she read over them. There were admittedly many foods and dishes Sunset had never even heard of, even if these were technically native to Equestria, unlike the foods she was familiar with in the human world. The second page had a brief listing of job positions available, but the primary two included waitress or chef.

"I'm admittedly a little relieved somepony decided to look for work here in Canterlot." Coriander breathed a sigh of relief. "Most ponies here don't really seek jobs when they already own a lot of money, after all."

"Well... let's just say that I'm different, despite living here in Canterlot." Sunset giggled. "Now... as for the positions you have here... I don't know that I'd be confident in preparing almost 90% of these dishes listed here. I've admittedly never heard of them before, so it seems as though I'd need to go through huge training sessions to properly be a chef here for you."

"That's quite alright, I don't particularly expect everypony here to know the secrets of my family's special recipes." Coriander nodded. "However, being a chef shouldn't be too difficult, if you're mostly assisting me in the kitchen. Unfortunately, it appears that the bigger issue now is that the customers have been complaining that I've been taking way too long with their orders. But there's nothing I can do, especially regarding the situation with my daughter, Saffron."

"Sorry to hear about your daughter..." Sunset's ears went down with sadness. "Do you mind me asking what happened?"

"Business was doing absolutely great when my daughter and I were working together as a team." Coriander began sighing. "Unfortunately, things went downhill for both the family and restaurant a few weeks ago. Saffron and I had decided to go rock climbing during our vacation to Ghastly Gorge, and... the worst possible thing had happened. The safety harness's rope had snapped, sending her plummeting a fair distance down the cliff. She landed pretty hard on her back legs, but thankfully, the rest of her body was unscathed. Despite this, she needed serious medical treatment, and could no longer work alongside myself here in the restaurant. It was especially heartbreaking for her when she realized this, since... The Tasty Treat was always a huge part of her life."

"That's awful, I really hope she gets better soon." Sunset empathized with the stallion. "Has her condition at least been improving since then?"

"Physically, yes." Coriander replied. "But mentally, no. Although I've been struggling to keep the business afloat, she's still saddened by the fact that business has been slowly going downhill ever since I started taking over by myself. With how good the business took off before her injuries, the ponies in charge of the leasing here in Canterlot will automatically repossess our space if we miss even one payment on time. It's a policy here in Canterlot that applies to any business capable of earning more than 1,000 bits per week. Our due date for rent is already next week, and we're still short half of what we need. Meaning... if we can't make it through the next payment date, The Tasty Treat... might be gone for good. And by the time Saffron's legs get better, it'll already be too late..."

"Yeah, I know that feeling for sure, when money comes in between you and what you cherish dearly." Sunset said, remembering how Applejack couldn't afford Granny Smith's treatment before her death. "Well, I don't think I have that much experience with cooking these dishes, but I feel confident in being a waitress for you. I've got good social skills, and have had previous experience serving in a sushi restaurant before."

"Come again?" Coriander questioned. "What is this thing you call 'sushi'? It sounds interesting."

"Oh, uhhh..." Sunset tried to come up with an appropriate response, understanding that ponies don't normally eat fish. "An interesting combination of seaweed and rice, with some other flavorings, all bundled up in a neat roll."

"I'm afraid I have no idea what that is, but I might consider experimenting with that if we can make next week's payment on time." Coriander said, intrigued. "In the meantime, you sound more acquainted to being a waitress, so I'll allow it. Besides, it's an absolute nightmare for me to take other ponies' orders and cook it simultaneously, then getting complaints that I'm purposefully taking too long."

"Alright, so does this mean you'll have me?" Sunset said, rather hopeful.

"Yes, welcome to the team, err..." Coriander stuttered. "Oh, how rude of me. I've been so worried about this business that I never even bothered allowing us to give proper introductions. My name is Coriander Cumin, but you can just call me 'Coriander'."

"Nice to meet you, Coriander." Sunset replied. "Sunset Shimmer, and... thanks for having me. When would you like me to start? If it's right now, then that may be problematic, since I do have a meeting at noon, and..."

"Oh?" Coriander understood immediately. "Not to worry, Sunset. Due to business being more slow than usual, I'll actually be closing at around noon today regardless. This is mostly because I have a meeting to discuss the restaurant's finances, as well as heading over to the hospital to visit my daughter. But yes, today could be considered your orientation day, except that I'll still be paying you once your hours are up."

"Alright then, that sounds wonderful, actually." Sunset smiled, before hearing the front doors to the restaurant open.

"Oh!" Coriander exclaimed. "Looks like the timing was perfect, now I've got a waitress who can help me speed things up. Taking orders and being the chef simultaneously is just intensely stressful."

"I'd imagine so." Sunset nodded. "Alright, so do I have to wear a uniform or anything?"

"Nah, we're not that kind of restaurant, and admittedly... we currently don't have the budget to afford waitress uniforms." Coriander explained. "Though it does sometimes create confusion, like the time some of my customers claimed that they enjoyed the service from their dragon waiter. I've never employed a dragon here before, so I was certainly confused."

"Oh, interesting." Sunset said, wondering if her new boss was referring to Spike. "Alright, I'll head on out and get started."

Going back out into the dining room, Sunset noticed three unicorn mares approaching one of the tables. She wasn't able to immediately recognize them at first, but after a brief reflection back to her days at the School For Gifted Unicorns, she realized that these weren't just any unicorns. They were the same old classmates who had offered to become her friends back then, but were always rudely brushed off, much to Princess Celestia's dismay. It took a while for Sunset to remember their names, but she eventually remembered at least two of them, Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine, respectively. She wasn't immediately sure who the third unicorn was, but she did look familiar. Going off of her last major return to Canterlot, Sunset wanted to say that she briefly saw this other unicorn in the library while seeking Princess Celestia's guidance during the memory stone incident. However, this mystery was immediately answered when one of the other unicorns spoke up.

"So this is that restaurant you like to occasionally have a quick meal at, Moondancer?" Twinkleshine asked. "Even to the point of skipping our book club sessions?"

"Indeed, it's also probably the only establishment here in Canterlot where you truly get your bit's worth." Moondancer nodded. "One of those fine dining places expected me to cough up 28 bits for a grilled cheese sandwich and a glass of water."

"Price-wise, I've heard this place may be better, but... not so much the service." Lemon Hearts chimed in. "In fact, Minuette informed me that she had to wait over a half hour just to get her side dish. I'm willing to give this place a chance on your word, but... I have a feeling I might skip the opportunity if I'm not impressed today. When's our waiter coming out, by the way?"

Overhearing this, Sunset understood this meant two things. Firstly, all three of these unicorns were ponies from her past who potentially wanted to become her friend, but were just rejected on the spot, which encouraged her to see if she could possibly make amends with them, much like she would soon with Rainbow Dash too. Secondly, that unicorn she didn't recognize right away was actually the pony in question, the one Sunset knew she seemingly ended up hurting the most, when she disregarded that old invitation to her birthday party back then. Sunset remembered Twilight vaguely sharing her own experience with getting off on the wrong hoof with Moondancer, and understood that if these ponies wouldn't immediately forgive her, she'd at least make an effort to prove she had changed. After all, with her plan on staying behind in Equestria after her graduation, it'd be likely that she'd see them more often.

"Hello there!" Sunset trotted over to the trio of unicorns, whilst using her magic to hold a notepad and pen. "I'll be your waitress this fine day, what can I get started for you?"

"Eh, just give us the usual, a stack of pancakes, and maybe some-" Moondancer began, before being cut off by Lemon Hearts.

"Wait a minute..." Lemon Hearts chimed in. "Don't we know you from somewhere?"

"Huh, now that you mention it, she does look familiar." Twinkleshine began to parse this unusual feeling.

"Actually... now that I'm taking a good look at her..." Moondancer adjusted her glasses accordingly. "Sunset... Shimmer?"

"Yeah, that's me." Sunset nodded. "You... might remember me from the days where I was so focused at being Princess Celestia's pupil, that I shunned anypony who wanted to be my friend, which includes you three."

"Oh yeah, I vaguely remember our brief interactions back at the School For Gifted Unicorns..." Moondancer began reflecting. "Come to think of it, I remember admiring your skill levels with magic, and sent you an invitation to my very first birthday party here in Canterlot. Though I'm guessing they must've mixed up the mail, considering you never showed up?"

"Or she was too busy getting straight A's." Lemon Hearts theorized.

"Actually... there wasn't a problem with the mailing system at all." Sunset confessed. "The problem was me back then, since I didn't care for anypony other than myself, and only focused on being the #1 student. As a result, I always adamantly believed that I had better things to do than socialize, which... was far from the truth, especially with everything new about making friends I've learned over the years. I'm really sorry for how I treated you and all our other classmates back then."

The three unicorns looked at each other initially, before looking back at Sunset.

"So... what now?" Twinkleshine huffed. "Just because you apologized, we're automatically required to forgive you now?"

"Honestly, that apology just won't cut it if you were always right full of yourself, and treated us like we were uneducated fillies who only got in thanks to our parents paying our tuition!" Lemon Hearts agreed. "How did you even get into that school yourself?"

"As far as I'm aware, she had Princess Celestia paying for everything, like a spoiled little princess." Twinkleshine added. "In other words, why did you believe you were above the rest of us who were also pretty skilled with magic?"

"Because... back then, I was focused too heavily on being the #1 student, and allowed Princess Celestia making me her pupil go to my head." Sunset sighed. "Listen, I understand that the way I treated you girls back then was just not right, but over time, I've genuinely learned the errors of my ways. I made certain that I would never treat you or anypony like that ever again."

"Pffft, sure." Lemon Hearts scoffed. "Just because you say that now, it automatically makes it all better. Listen here, you can't erase literal years of constantly being turned down and rejected as a friend! We were willing to be by your side and even help you study, but you just always blew us off. You always bragged about how Princess Celestia chose you over us, and even flaunted your money at everypony."

"Come to think of it... you think that's why she's now a waitress here?" Twinkleshine smirked. "She obviously needed to find a job, considering Mommy Celestia clearly can't pay for everything she wants now."

"...I did take this job because I needed money, but not because of that." Sunset said with a serious face, realizing that her hope in making amends with these ponies had clearly backfired. "Look, I really don't look fondly back at my past, and can understand where all this is coming from, but I assure you, I'm not that same pony anymore. I'll be sure to do anything I can to prove that to you, but if you're not interested, why don't I just start taking your orders?"

"Why even bother?" Twinkleshine shook her head. "Knowing you, you'll probably just spit in our food before you give it to us, or try charging us for something we never ordered!"

"Yeah, we don't even want to talk to you right now, let alone trust you to bring us our food!" Lemon Hearts snapped. "Surely you feel the same way, Moondancer? Especially considering what happened back then at your first birthday party here in Canterlot."

Moondancer initially looked annoyed after Lemon Hearts said that, which worried Sunset at first. It was just as she feared, she had always treated her old classmates like dirt ever since she became Princess Celestia's pupil, and now she was paying the ultimate price, getting shunned and rejected, much like they had been themselves back then. As Sunset believed that since she had seemingly hurt Moondancer the worst by neglecting to show up at her birthday party, she was almost expecting Moondancer to either explode or really give her a piece of her mind. But as Moondancer finally spoke up, Sunset was surprised at what she had to say.

"Enough of this!" Moondancer slammed her hooves on the table, before turning to her friends. "Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine! You both need to apologize to Sunset right now!"

"What!?" Twinkleshine said, aghast. "After how she treated us all those years back at school? Tell me you're joking right now."

"Yeah, I mean... did you forget how hurt you must've been when she never showed up at your birthday party?" Lemon Hearts reminded.

"Did YOU forget that Twilight did practically the same thing when she didn't show up to my get-together party too?" Moondancer frowned. "But it seems as though you still treated Twilight with respect, despite that."

"Well of course, I mean... she's now a princess!" Lemon Hearts rolled her eyes. "How could we possibly disrespect our royal leaders?"

"Princess Celestia chose her as princess for a reason, and I recall she at least treated us better when we were classmates!" Twinkleshine added.

"...So you're meaning to tell me that if Twilight never became a princess, you'd treat her the same way you just treated Sunset here?" Moondancer asked, rhetorically.

"Why would we treat Twilight that way if she specifically went out of her way to reunite with us all?" Lemon Hearts said, confused. "In fact, you're one to talk about treating Twilight horribly!"

"Yeah, it seems you've forgotten that while she was reuniting with the rest of us, you just constantly gave her the cold shoulder like she was your enemy."

"I know... and... that's why I'm refusing to let myself make the same mistake again." Moondancer said, seriously. "I might've been hurt when Twilight ended up abandoning my party, but that certainly didn't justify my own behavior toward her. Two wrongs don't make a right, just like you both deciding to treat Sunset the same way she treated you back then, despite the fact she's changed now."

"Well how do you know she's not just bluffing or trying to give us a sob story?" Twinkleshine speculated.

"Because... I myself can relate to wanting to become the top student, to the point of pushing away all my friends, including Twilight." Moondancer reflected. "After Twilight hurt me to the point where it all changed, I realize now that I was basically in the same boat as Sunset here, alone and isolated from everypony else. I believed that becoming the #1 student would make me happy, but... it didn't. It never did, and instead, just made me grow more bitter and resentful over the years, which resulted in what happened between me and Twilight after we reunited."

"But I mean... it's at least different with Twilight, don't you think?" Lemon Hearts said. "She never blew us off or treated us like garbage, she was happy to reunite with us when she came back to Canterlot that one time!"

"Well I'm willing to bet all my magic that you girls wouldn't believe that if Twilight never ascended into a princess." Moondancer glared at her companions. "Besides... are you really sure about that? Need I remind you, Twinkleshine, that you yourself once believed Twilight was always more interested in books than friends?"

"Oh... yeah, err... how do you remember things from so long ago?" Twinkleshine smiled, sheepishly. "Alright, I guess you do prove a good point, it's just become hard to remember everything Twilight and the rest of us went through back in school. I mean, I mostly just remember Lemon Hearts getting her head trapped in that beaker."

"And how you would've treated Twilight if she was the same unicorn we knew back in chemistry class?" Moondancer began to finish her point. "Doesn't seem that much different from how you both just treated Sunset here. Just because she doesn't have wings or a title of royalty, it doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings like the rest of us. Twilight's always been the same pony we knew back in school, but you decided to show favoritism toward her just because of her new position. I know that for a fact, because if that wasn't the case, you wouldn't have targeted and bullied Sunset here, even if she did the same to us all back then."

"Adding on, you two don't even know my full story." Sunset began speaking up herself. "I'm well aware of how awful I was to you all back then, but I promise you, those days are over. I'm not taking this waitress job because I was too used to Princess Celestia paying for everything. It's because I'm wanting to start a new life now that I've moved back to Canterlot. And the main reason I wanted to come by and apologize for our past together was not because I was expecting forgiveness right away. It's because I wanted to give you that closure in hearing my words of regret in pushing away all that time we could've spent together as friends, but never did."

"Wow, I... I never really thought of it that way." Twinkleshine said.

"That's pretty noble of you, if what you're saying is true." Lemon Hearts nodded.

"So?" Moondancer crossed her hooves. "Are you two going to give Sunset an apology now?"

"We're... we're sorry for being so rude to you earlier." Twinkleshine lowered her head in shame.

"Yeah, it was pretty rotten, and two wrongs don't make a right." Lemon Hearts said with guilt. "I'm sorry too, and... we also accept your apology for back then. But now we completely understand if you no longer want to take our orders anymore."

"Well I mean, I have to do my job to earn money no matter what, and I appreciate the apologies, so I'll happily still be your waitress today." Sunset smiled. "What will you be having?"

"Let's just each get the usual order of five stacked pancakes with butter and maple syrup." Moondancer suggested, as Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine nodded in agreement. "That'll be all, Sunset."

"Got it!" Sunset finally used her pen to write down the order. "And... thanks for being such an understanding friend, Moondancer."

"Hey, I'm just doing what Twilight once taught me." Moondancer winked.

Sunset finally returned into the kitchen to present the order to Coriander Cumin, who read the paper.

"Whoa, fifteen orders of flapjacks!?" Coriander exclaimed in surprise. "This alone will already make more than I've made during yesterday's business hours! It sounds like to me you're already doing an excellent job as a waitress!"

"Thank you, boss." Sunset nodded, before going back over to the main counter.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Sunset had successfully found a job that would help her earn a steady income, and were able to reconcile with a few of her old classmates from the School For Gifted Unicorns, including Moondancer herself. It definitely sounded like Moondancer truly gave Twilight a hard time back then, but whatever was the case, Sunset was glad Moondancer was able to approach the situation differently this time around. Coupled with hearing that they both had somewhat similar lives as far as isolating themselves from everypony else for the sake of studying magic. While awaiting any further customers, Sunset began overhearing something from the unicorn trio.

"Wait a minute... that's today?" Lemon Hearts said, surprised. "Then that means... wasn't it your birthday a week ago?"

"Yeah, it was." Moondancer nodded. "Didn't really end up doing anything special, I mostly just stayed home and studied biology."

"Well... you had a cake, didn't you?" Twinkleshine asked. "I remember strawberry's your favorite."

"Nah, I didn't have time to go grocery shopping that day." Moondancer responded. "It's fine though. I'm not a filly anymore, birthdays aren't really that important now that I have other things in life to worry about."

Hearing this, it gave Sunset an idea, as she headed back to the kitchen, where Coriander was busy mixing pancake batter. She was wondering if there was any cake available that Coriander was willing to part with.

"Looking for something, Sunset?" Coriander asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's not something they ordered, but... do you by any chance have a cake laying around that you would be willing to give away without extra charge?" Sunset questioned. "It's... for a special occasion, let's just say."

"Well, with business being more slow than usual, I do have a few spare cakes laying around in the fridge." Coriander pointed at the walk-in fridge. "It's probably better I get rid of them, since they'll become stale after we close today. Feel free to do whatever you please with any of them."

Sunset nodded, before going inside and noticing there was one strawberry cake laying around. She grabbed the cake with her magic, began making her way into the dining room, and set it on the unicorn trio's table, much to Moondancer's surprise. Sunset was doing this as a further form of an apology to Moondancer for missing her birthday party back then, and repaying her for her kindness in standing up for her earlier.

"Oh, Sunset, err..." Moondancer stuttered. "I appreciate the thought, but... how much extra will-"

"Don't worry about it." Sunset assured. "It's on the house, and... happy birthday."

Tears of joy leaked from Moondancer's eyes, as she then hugged the unicorn she once saw as an upperclassmare back in school. Happy that somepony was able to acknowledge her birthday, along with providing her favorite cake, it was a beautiful act of kindness that was reciprocated. Feeling that this was a lot to accept, Moondancer made certain to tip Sunset generously once everypony was finished with their pancakes. When that time came, Sunset returned with their order of pancakes, feeling good about this entire experience, despite the rocky start when reuniting with her old classmates. After Sunset presented the bill after the trio was finished with their meals, Moondancer happily took bits out of her saddlebag to pay for everything, along with also leaving behind 40 bits to Sunset as a generous tip.

After the trio had departed from the restaurant, Sunset happily continued doing her job, as more ponies began coming in. She was admittedly unsure if Moondancer had gone out to spread a positive word about the restaurant, or if there were just more hungry ponies today than usual. Regardless, she carried on with engaging in conversation with the various ponies who came flooding in, knowing that at this rate, Coriander would most likely reach his goal to keep the restaurant afloat. Everything seemed like a dream come true, and Sunset smiled at how nicely this morning was already going for her.

However, as it was approaching closing time, Sunset looked toward the front door upon hearing it open one last time. To her surprise, it was Lily, the same little filly that she and Fluttershy comforted and took in that night, as well as Applejack the following morning. While this was admittedly a pleasant surprise, Sunset's eyes widened when she saw who was accompanying her. It was an orange fur pegasus with blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow.

Chapter 60: Mother of Gloom

Sunset realized at first that this orange pegasus in question, much like Indigo Zap, was somepony that she actually recognized. Although she had admittedly forgotten her name, she knew for certain that the human version she was familiar with was an actress. Seeing her with Lily made Sunset surmise that this pony must've adopted her, shortly after Applejack had looked after her yesterday. However, it was the fact that this particular pegasus matched the exact description of this seeming mysterious thief who had been committing robberies all over Equestria lately, which worried Sunset. Coupled with the fact that directly after entering The Tasty Treat, this pegasus had taken off her hat and sunglasses, a sign that she was possibly hiding her own appearance.

It made sense for somepony who matched that description to do so here in Canterlot, especially after Twilight had mentioned alerting all the guards to keep an eye out for anypony with those characteristics. Although glancing at her from behind the counter, seeing that she definitely had orange fur, blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow, Sunset still felt like giving her the benefit of the doubt, as to not have a repeat of what happened with Indigo. After all, she had seemingly adopted Lily, who had claimed earlier on that she had no parents who would look after her, giving off the impression that perhaps the orange pegasus was kindhearted, and that her similarities in appearance were simply a coincidence.

Unfortunately, as much as Sunset wanted to believe this was the case, Lily's body language and expressions would soon be saying otherwise. While wiping the front counter with a rag, she immediately noticed Lily and the pegasus taking a seat at a nearby table, whilst the pegasus immediately grabbed a menu to look over her options. It seemed normal enough to Sunset, and she was at least glad that Lily had seemingly found a mother who was willing to take her in. She continued wiping down the counter to get rid of this tough stain, before overhearing the pegasus trying to call her attention.

"Hello?" The pegasus waved to Sunset. "Hey, you think you could come over here already?"

Sunset set down her rag and immediately went over, understanding that she'd have to deal with somewhat impatient customers from time to time. This particular first impression urged Sunset to perhaps not let her know that she had already met Lily, in case they were on a tight schedule.

"Yes, how can I help you ma'am?" Sunset greeted, before taking out her notepad and pen.

"Yeah, I was trying to get your attention because I'm ready to order." The pegasus snapped. "Is your attention span that short?"

"I'm... I'm sorry, it's just that..." Sunset began explaining. "We're a little short staffed, I'm the only waitress here today, and we just had a big breakfast rush earlier, so I apologize."

"Are you... trying to give me excuses?" The pegasus rolled her eyes. "You're a waitress who probably makes below minimum wage, how hard can your job be?"

While realizing what kind of pony she was dealing with, thanks to all this unpleasant behavior so far, Sunset merely brushed it off. Perhaps this pegasus was having a bad day, or there were circumstances that could be causing her to act extra grouchy.

"Again, I do apologize." Sunset said, before using her magic to get ready taking orders. "What can I get you started today? Perhaps... your filly there would be hungry for some hush puppies?"

Although Lily fully understood what Sunset had suggested, her mother became defensive upon hearing this.

"...What kind of a delusional monster are you?" The pegasus frowned.

"...Oh, no no." Sunset tried to assure, understanding that her last statement could've been misinterpreted. "They aren't actual puppies, they're deep fried dough with a cornmeal based-"

"Excuse me." The pegasus interrupted. "I wasn't talking about that, I'm referring to how presumptuous you appear to be right now, alright? Just outright assuming my daughter here is hungry?"

"Oh, well, I didn't mean it like that, I-" Sunset stuttered, before getting cut off again.

"Does she look hungry to you?" The pegasus pointed at Lily, who stayed silent out of fear. "No, she doesn't. So I would appreciate you not pointing a hoof or making these silly accusations, understood? Or do I have to go talk to your manager?"

"O...Okay, I completely understand, and I'm very sorry." Sunset apologized, but now getting the impression that Lily might not be in good hooves as she had previously surmised. "I'll take your orders and make sure you both have a satisfying experience here at The Tasty Treat."

"Thank you." The pegasus smirked with satisfaction, before holding up her menu.

"Alright, so what can I get you?" Sunset asked, getting ready to write down the order.

"Hmm, I think I'll go with a stack of ten blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and butter on top..." The pegasus began ordering. "I also want an order of oatmeal cookies, a chocolate milkshake, rice pudding, a plate of waffles, and the fruit yogurt parfait special."

"...Got it." Sunset finished writing down the order, thinking that perhaps she was too quick to judge, since this pegasus was seemingly ordering a lot of food for both Lily and herself. "Will that be all?"

"Yeah, it'll all be a perfect buffet for yours truly, so if you could go back to the kitchen, and..." The pegasus began, before noticing Sunset looking at Lily too. "Oh, right, that reminds me, I almost forgot. Lily here will also have a single, plain slice of bread. Don't toast it, no toppings, and for a drink, just get her water from the sink without ice. It'll... be a special treat for my daughter, since it's her birthday today."

"Oh, well happy birthday then." Sunset smiled, before her smile faded.

Sunset now understood the unusual context of what was going on. Was this pegasus joking when mentioning that she was ordering that entire breakfast buffet for herself, whilst only giving Lily bread and water, which would be considered her birthday treat? Even overhearing her mother order for her, Lily showed expressions that signified she'd be miserable with only that much to eat, and who wouldn't? But alas, she was still far too afraid to speak up, especially knowing what her mother was like. Realizing that Lily likely wouldn't have enough to eat, especially as a birthday treat, she then spoke up again.

"If it's your birthday, how about I also bring out the foal's special?" Sunset suggested. "It's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with macaroni and cheese on the side."

Overhearing this, Lily's expression showed that getting to eat something like that now would be a dream come true, but knew that deep down, her mother would be out of her mind to agree to it.

"Are you really trying to recommend something else when I've already given you my order?" The pegasus huffed. "You should already know about customer service, the customer is always right! So, why don't you go on ahead and take our order to the kitchen, or do I have to do your job for you, since you probably never graduated grade school?"

Sunset took that last remark pretty harshly, since it was also technically true, given she still had yet to graduate the School For Gifted Unicorns, as well as CHS. Regardless, she felt that she had already seen enough hints and signs that even if this pegasus did end up adopting Lily, it was crystal clear that Lily was anything but happy. Even if this pony did come across as an abusive mother, it still didn't prove yet that she was truly the thief behind everything that had been happening lately. However, after getting ready to take the order back to Coriander, Sunset took notice of the gold necklace with an apple shaped red ruby in the center this pegasus was wearing, which looked like the same one Applejack showed her.

"Nope, I will get everything for you without any issues." Sunset tried to keep her optimism. "By the way, I like that necklace you're wearing."

"Oh, thank you, dear." The pegasus smiled. "But enough about me, you outta get moving, somepony's hungry for some brunch right now!"

Sunset nodded, before taking her notepad back to the kitchen, feeling incredibly uneasy about everything. This nasty behavior toward Lily already raised many red flags, especially if she had now been supposedly adopted. But the fact that this pegasus was also wearing a necklace that looked just like the one Granny Smith had passed down to Applejack, it really got Sunset wondering if her suspicion was correct. Although she felt like she still needed further proof before outright making a false accusation, much like with Indigo, Sunset decided it was likely better to lay low until she had more than simply circumstantial evidence. For the time being, she had to focus on her job, which still entailed going over to the kitchen and handing Coriander the order. As the stallion grabbed the paper and read it, his eyes widened.

"Oh my... YES!!!" Coriander exclaimed with excitement. "All this combined will already be enough bits to cover the rent of our restaurant space! My daughter will be so happy!"

"I'm sure she will..." Sunset added, trying to be happy for her boss, but she couldn't completely, not after knowing with certainty that somepony else's daughter was the complete opposite of happy.

Since Sunset had already finished her duty in bringing the order to the kitchen, she went back over to the front counter to ponder things. While waiting for Coriander to prepare all the meals, she continued trying to clean the tough stain, before getting an idea. There were still a couple of cakes in the walk-in fridge, which Coriander had already permitted Sunset to use for any purpose, and this opportunity seemed perfect. Much like with Moondancer, Sunset got up from the counter, went to the fridge, and grabbed a chocolate cake to give to Lily for her birthday. She figured that there wouldn't be issues with doing so, if she were to also mention that it was complimentary and for the special occasion.

Coriander had already finished preparing the water and milkshake at this point, so Sunset set the beverages on a tray, before also using her magic to levitate the chocolate cake. As she came back over to the dining room, she set the beverages in front of the two ponies, before also setting the cake directly in front of Lily.

"Alright, one milkshake, one water, and... here's for today's special occasion." Sunset smiled, as Lily looked at the cake with a glimpse of joy, which would become short-lived thanks to her mother.

"...What the heck is this?" The pegasus pointed at the chocolate cake, unamused. "Did you screw up our order already?"

"Oh, don't worry." Sunset assured. "It's just that, since it's your daughter's birthday today, I wanted to do something nice for her. And of course, it's on the house."

"Oh... I see how it is." The pegasus replied, feeling insulted. "So you don't believe that I can afford to buy my own daughter a cake, is that it?"

"No... not at all." Sunset said. "I just figured that since it's her birthday, I thought-"

"Hmph, you thought." The pegasus interrupted. "Your job isn't to think, it's to bring us exactly what we want, but I guess that's too complicated for you to understand. If we wanted a cake, we would've ordered it at the beginning, and you're assuming things about us, once again. What if my daughter here was allergic to chocolate? Would you have been trying to give her food poisoning?"

"But... I was just trying to-" Sunset tried to explain, before being cut off again.

"You're not supposed to try anything, unless you somehow have mind-reading powers, which I'm certain you don't anyways." The pegasus huffed. "Speaking of which... since you said this is on the house anyways..."

The pegasus then grabbed the cake, threw it on the floor, and then stomped on it with her hooves, creating a mushy chocolate mess on the ground. This sudden action not only shattered the plate that the cake was on, but also Lily's heart, since chocolate was ironically something she would've always loved to try.

"That's what I think of your restaurant promotions." The pegasus snarled. "So get back to the kitchen and get our order right this time! Also, have fun cleaning this up while we wait."

It took a lot of willpower for Sunset to not outright smack this pegasus at this point, especially after seeing how sad Lily became once the cake was destroyed. Although she could definitely say with certainty that the pegasus was anything but a loving parent, she still had no real evidence of this pony being the thief many ponies had been looking for. The apple necklace definitely looked similar, but Sunset didn't recall Applejack mentioning that the necklace was custom-built, which it actually was. Regardless, Sunset didn't want to make a scene, get fired, or even face charges for assault and battery, so she kept her cool and went on with grabbing a nearby broom and dustpan to start cleaning up.

After Sunset finished sweeping everything up, she then dumped the mess's remains into a dumpster outside the restaurant, before heading on back inside. She knew at this point that she definitely had to do something, regardless of that pony being the thief or not. Adamant on contemplating what she could do at this point, Sunset went back over to the kitchen, as there didn't seem to be any more customers to serve. Since she had finished her current duties as the waitress, she immediately went over to her boss, who was still preparing the waffle batter.

"Coriander..." Sunset said, rather worried. "Have you by any chance seen that mare and filly before?"

Coriander looked through the kitchen opening and saw the aforementioned ponies Sunset had described.

"Oh, so it's her." Coriander then understood why he got as big of an order as he did earlier. "Yes, I've seen them come in occasionally. They always love to order a big amount whenever they drop by. Though between the two of us, that pegasus mare tends to be a little... picky with her selection."

"Yeah, I get what you mean by that..." Sunset said, still concerned. "I just... have a bad feeling, especially since that filly with her looks absolutely terrified."

Sunset was hoping Coriander would understand her at the same level, especially given that he had a daughter himself. With how nice and understanding Coriander had been to Sunset this whole time, she was almost expecting him to take action immediately, upon letting him know that a filly was in potential danger. But what her boss said next completely took her by surprise.

"It's none of our business, Sunset." Coriander replied, calmly. "Our job is to serve food and make customers happy. Speaking of which, I've finished the pancakes over by the stove. Go bring them their food once these waffles are finished."

Despite hearing this, Sunset continued looking over to the table Lily and her mother were sitting at, and she was 100% certain that she could see absolutely nothing but fear and dread in Lily's eyes.

"I can't shake off this bad feeling..." Sunset continued her concern. "I just can't trust that mare."

"Well I do." Coriander replied, starting to become blunt. "I've seen her eat here before, she always orders plenty to keep the business afloat. And better yet, this is good for you as well, since she even leaves a decent tip if you do exactly as she asks. Just do exactly that, and we'll have no issues."

As Coriander finished, he nonchalantly went back to preparing the meals, with the only thing on his mind being when to turn off the waffle maker. Even after hearing this, Sunset didn't particularly care about money at this point. All she could think about was how rough life most likely was back at home for Lily, going off of everything she was dealing with from her mother here at a public place.

"But..." Sunset continued to stand her ground. "Coriander, don't you care if something-"

"NO!" Coriander huffed, as he slammed his hoof on the counter. "I do not care about anything like that, the only thing I care about at this point is satisfying paying customers. In fact, now that these waffles are done, I also care about you taking all this food over to them. They'll become happy, and we'll get paid. Now stop asking silly questions when you already know that our business with them is the key to saving The Tasty Treat."

Sunset sighed upon hearing how consumed with greed Coriander had become, since he was now adamant in preventing The Tasty Treat from closing down. While he was at least thinking of his daughter, he also appeared to take a blind eye to situations involving abusive family dynamics. Regardless, this now meant that she had no choice but to deal with this pegasus on her own, and she still had a job to do as a waitress. Sunset trotted in and out of the kitchen multiple times, bringing over the various dishes the pegasus had ordered for herself, along with the single slice of bread for Lily.

"Alright, all your food's here now, enjoy." Sunset tried her best to maintain her optimism, before getting ready head back over to the front counter.

"Hey, wait a minute now..." The pegasus began pointing at Sunset, whilst getting a closer look at her, realizing that this was one of the two ponies heading back to that cottage that night. "I knew you somehow looked familiar. You must be friends with that other pegasus whom I hear lives in a cottage. Better yet, you probably also lived in one of those cottages too, didn't you?"

"Well, not exactly..." Sunset began, trying to understand where this pegasus was going with that. "But I have slept in a cottage before, if that's what you're asking."

"Close enough." The pegasus rolled her eyes. "That explains why you messed up our order earlier by bringing us a cake we never even asked for. Anypony who lives in a cottage must be an unsophisticated, uneducated, insignificant waste of space. Why would you ever want to live in a woodland home, which is practically living in a tree? What do you think you are, a squirrel?"

"I guess everypony has their own tastes as far as homes?" Sunset continued to try keeping her cool, despite feeling that this pegasus was truly testing her patience at this point.

"Well whatever, isn't it just sweet of Coriander Cumin to give you a job here, despite the fact you're clearly under-qualified for being a waitress?" The pegasus remarked. "I mean, you're just taking orders and bringing customers their food, it doesn't really require any brain, yet you somehow screwed it up anyways. I have to imagine Coriander takes pity on you, since you clearly can't find any other reliable job to sustain your pathetic little life."

Sunset just glared at the pegasus, unamused after that last remark. She believed that although she had a number of equally insulting things to say to the pegasus at this point, it'd be better to still be the bigger pony by not stooping to her level. However, while her mother was busy tearing Sunset to shreds, Lily had secretly been grabbing blueberries from her mother's parfait bowl and stuffing them into her own mouth. After looking back at her yogurt, realizing that a few blueberries had randomly disappeared, the pegasus glared back at Lily, realizing what she did.

"Those were MY blueberries!" The pegasus frowned. "Are you that disobedient, even after promising your father that you'd be the perfect child? Oh, you just wait until we get home, you hear!? I am kind enough to take you out for a birthday breakfast, and this is the thanks I get? You steal from me like some nasty, spoiled brat?"

"B-But... what about that necklace you took from-" Lily finally had a little courage to speak up, knowing that Sunset was nearby, but was quickly cut off.

"QUIET!!!" The pegasus screeched to make certain that this waitress wouldn't grow suspicious of her. "Are you trying to spread lies about me now, on top of stealing my food!? I should've only given you half a slice of bread instead, if this was how it was going to be!"

Understanding that the pegasus was now making a scene, Sunset tried to do her best in calming her down, as it certainly wouldn't give the restaurant a good look. That last comment from Lily now made Sunset 99% certain that the necklace this pegasus was wearing really was the same one Granny Smith had given to Applejack, but she couldn't make a false move that would end up backfiring on herself. She understood that since Lily was understandably hungry, perhaps she could offer her a little something extra on the bread, which the restaurant doesn't charge extra for.

"Ma'am, I can understand that your daughter wants more than just bread." Sunset observed, before reaching over for one of the spreads. "We have some marmalade here if you want-"

But as Sunset reached on the table with her hoof, she had accidentally knocked over the water glass, spilling it all over the pegasus. Both Sunset and the pegasus gasped simultaneously, before Sunset realized she had made the situation even worse than it already was.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, I-" Sunset quickly tried to apologize.

"And just when I thought the service in this place couldn't get any worse!" The pegasus snarled, before getting up to go to the restroom to clean herself up."

"Could I give you a napkin to-" Sunset offered, before getting cut off once more.

"No, don't even lay a hoof on me!" The pegasus snapped. "You've already messed up big time, and you expect me to entrust you with a napkin? You really are a brainless cottage crawler! Now get out of my way! And Lily, don't you even dare move from your seat!"

As the pegasus stormed off to get herself cleaned up, Sunset saw this as the perfect opportunity to talk to Lily, getting an idea of just how severe the situation was with her new adoptive mother. As Sunset took a seat, she wasted no time trying to get to the bottom of this. She herself was an adopted child too, and she couldn't imagine what her own life would've been like, had Princess Celestia treated her in a similar manner. After knowing how starved Lily presumably was, Sunset put the milkshake glass in front of her, which her mother had not even taken a sip of yet.

"I know how hungry you must be right now, so please... take a sip." Sunset insisted. "She'll take a while in the restroom, so this is your chance. If anything happens, I'll be there to protect you."

Lily nodded with some newfound confidence, knowing that Sunset was by her side, before taking a sip of the chocolate milkshake, and returning to her state of fear.

"Hey... Lily?" Sunset asked, trying to get the full extent. "Are you in danger because of... her?"

"I... I can't say anything." Lily began, still afraid for herself. "If I do, she'll... she'll..."

"Say no more." Sunset assured, now understanding that the situation was even worse than she thought. "But I need to know for certain on one thing. I had a pretty good feeling when I saw what kind of pony she is. Is that necklace... you know...?"

Lily continued to shiver in fear, not knowing if it'd truly be wise to fess up to Sunset about what she did. But at this point, she even considered the possibility of jail being more pleasant than continuing to be with her mother. Unknown to Sunset and Lily at this point, the pegasus had already exited the restroom after drying herself with paper towels, before going around the corner to spy on the two having a conversation.

"Come on, please." Sunset continued insisting that Lily let her know. "Did she... steal that necklace from Applejack?"

Lily finally nodded her head 'yes' to answer Sunset's question, which finally allowed Sunset to surmise that this pegasus most likely was the same one who also stole Derpy's packages and Fluttershy's bits. The pegasus only frowned at this, but decided that since the waitress now knew, she had no other choice but to play dirty. Sunset went back over to the front counter to pick up her saddlebag, checking to see if she had a means of communication with child protective services. Other than the journal which would normally deliver messages to Twilight, she had none. This meant that Sunset had to find a telephone in the building, ready to make an incredibly hard call.

As Sunset went out of the dining room to check the rest of the building, the pegasus saw this as the perfect opportunity. She grabbed the necklace off of her own neck, before secretly planting it within Sunset's saddlebag. She smirked upon realizing that she was now one step ahead of Sunset, since she already knew that her waitress was now most likely calling child protective services. After setting in motion her plan to frame Sunset if anypony were to actively look for that necklace, she turned around and saw Lily had witnessed the whole thing. Understanding now that she'd most likely be caught in the act if the authorities were to find Lily underfed, she went over to Lily and proposed a deal with her daughter.

"Hey, Lily?" The pegasus began in an unusual sweet tone, which was definitely unlike her normal self. "I can see that you noticed I put that necklace in her saddlebag, but... I also noticed that you seemingly already took a sip of that milkshake. I'll tell you what, you can have the whole thing to yourself."

"I... I can?" Lily's eyes widened in surprise, not knowing where this was coming from.

"Of course, it is your birthday, after all." The pegasus reminded. "But... if you want it, you'll have to do one small thing for me."

"What is it?" Lily asked, both curious and fearful at the same time.

"I just need you to keep quiet." The pegasus requested. "Don't open your mouth to the waitress about me planting that necklace in her saddlebag. Oh, and also, there will likely be ponies coming by to check whether or not you've been properly fed. So if you accept this deal, then finish that milkshake, you'll need to leave some on your mouth, and make sure to also burp in order to prove that you're not underfed."

"Oh..." Lily looked at the ground in guilt, her heart telling her that potentially framing Sunset was wrong.

"I work hard at my job to put a roof over your head and bought you a milkshake!" The pegasus snapped. "And you can't do this ONE, tiny little thing for your mother!? Or perhaps, you'd prefer I dump this milkshake all over you instead! Plus, once we get home..."

Realizing that the threats were becoming worse by the minute, Lily finally swallowed her pride and nodded in agreement to her mother's demands. She began drinking the milkshake in a swift sip, desperate to keep her nearly-empty stomach temporarily satisfied. But despite her stomach now getting full, Lily still felt empty on the inside, knowing that she had practically signed herself up for a losing proposition, which was at Sunset's expense.

Meanwhile, Sunset had finally located the only telephone in the restaurant, which was in the kitchen, presumably used by Coriander and Saffron to make delivery orders. There was even a phone book nearby, which also provided the number to call child protective services. Sunset flipped to the respective page and began dialing the number, awaiting a response to hopefully serve justice. She had already seen and heard everything she needed to know with certainty that she had now caught the true culprit, and there was no way for this pegasus to weasel out of it. However, whilst waiting for an answer on the other end, Coriander took notice of this and began expressing his disapproval.

"Sunset!" Coriander pointed at his newly employed waitress, aghast at her actions. "What in Equestria do you think you're doing right now!?"

"What does it look like?" Sunset continued waiting, not even having a care anymore about her boss disagreeing with her actions. "I'm calling child protective services, it's the only right thing to do now."

"I've already told you!" Coriander huffed. "That's none of our business, and the tab for their meal is going to save The Tasty Treat! I can't allow you to take that away from me and Saffron! Give me the telephone, right now, or else!"

"Or else what?" Sunset asked, still believing that whatever her boss was about to say next would be inconsequential.

"Or you can find another restaurant to become a waitress in!" Coriander threatened. "You already know how much this restaurant means to Saffron and myself, so you should watch what you say next! You think carefully about this decision now, you understand? Think about how you'll make it in this world without a job! Better yet, just imagine what you would do right now if you had your own daughter!"

Despite these harsh words and the threat of losing her new job already, Sunset remained strong and just shrugged Coriander's words off. She continued gripping the telephone firmly, before showing an expression of seriousness, and giving an answer to that rhetorical question of what she herself would do if her own daughter was on the line in a similar situation.

"I... am." Sunset began tearing up, whilst staring directly at Coriander's eyes. "That little filly... needs our help, she truly does. Will you help, Coriander? Or will you care more about the well-being of the restaurant over somepony else's safety? What if that filly was Saffron?"

It was by this point, Sunset's powerful words finally struck a new perspective into Coriander's eyes. He looked out the window, briefly, thinking of how he would feel if his own daughter was treated the same way as Lily by that pegasus mare. If Saffron was getting mentally and psychologically abused by a parental figure, and he wasn't around to protect her, he would've never forgiven himself. Saffron and Coriander were always the perfect team who gave The Tasty Treat the very life and soul it had to become one of the best restaurants in Canterlot. Coriander suddenly had en epiphany, realizing that he let his love for the restaurant completely consume himself to the point of turning a blind eye to this entire situation.

After all, whilst working in the kitchen, Coriander had already overheard all the nasty and hurtful things that pegasus had said to both Lily and Sunset, yet he brushed it off due to believing the profits were essential to keep the restaurant open. He then thought back to his last visit to Saffron at the hospital, realizing that while his daughter didn't directly say so, she did vaguely hint that she wouldn't want to keep The Tasty Treat open at the expense of others. It was a sudden occurrence in Coriander's memory, after recalling the last visit where he proposed recruiting volunteers at the establishment to help with business. Saffron insisted that her father should still open paid job positions, since everypony needs money in exchange for their services to survive.

Although this led to Sunset seeking a paid job opportunity at the establishment, Coriander now knew that deep down, he ended up betraying his own daughter's outlook at what the restaurant itself entailed, which was love and partnership. By refusing to care before about Lily's predicament, he became no better than any of the more expensive, fine-dining restaurants here in Canterlot, which was a serious spit in the face to The Tasty Treat's legacy. Saffron would've most certainly been unhappy with the restaurant staying afloat, if she knew the circumstances of what her father did to make that happen. As such, Coriander simply sighed in defeat and lowered his head in shame, and allowed Sunset to continue calling her number, which had just picked up.

Sunset told child protective services everything, which prompted them to send some ponies of authority over to the restaurant as quickly as possible. It was going to take some time for them to arrive, but luckily, there was still plenty of food that the pegasus had to finish before paying her bill. Unknown to Sunset, this horrendously abusive mother had already anticipated this action, which allowed her the opportunity to potentially deceive the authorities once they arrived. After all, she had planted the necklace in the accuser's saddlebag, fed Lily a milkshake which somewhat filled her up, and now had Lily playing her sick game of deception too.

After the pegasus had finally finished her food, she went over to the front counter to pay. Despite Sunset already knowing that this pegasus was the mysterious thief, she was unaware that these bits were actually the same ones stolen from Fluttershy's saddlebag on the train before. Sunset collected the payment as intended, but still glared at the pegasus coldly, not only for her treatment toward herself, but especially everything she had put Lily through. Counting the bits, Sunset understood that she had only paid the amount for their order, omitting the tip, which was to be expected. It didn't matter to Sunset regardless, as the only thing she truly wanted now was justice, not bits. It seemed that she would soon get it, as there was then a knock on the door, before one of the ponies of authority from outside spoke up.

"Child protective services!" A royal guard announced. "Open up, please!"

"They're... going to take my daughter away from me!?" The pegasus asked, pretending to be surprised, before turning back to Sunset. "You must've called them, you dirty little-"

"Cottage crawler?" Sunset pulled Lily up to herself and began holding the filly in a motherly manner. "I might be a cottage crawler, but at least I know how to love a foal."

Moments later, two royal guards, accompanied by a foster family agent stepped into the restaurant, hoping to put an end to this pegasus having custody of Lily, especially after hearing everything Sunset had reported on the phone earlier. The agent was a unicorn mare who began using her magic to search the database for this supposed foster mother, purely by capturing the image of her face.

"Well... although we're here to reassess custody, I'm afraid I'm confused as far as who this pegasus mare is." The agent began. "Not only do I see that she has never adopted a foal in these records, but the database itself is completely unfamiliar with her face. Regardless, we were called over because we got the report that a little filly was getting constantly abused, starved, and belittled by you, ma'am. Is that true?"

"No... of course not!" The pegasus tried to laugh things off. "Plus, just look at her mouth right now, she's clearly had a good meal!"

"Yeah, I..." Lily began, before her mother had forced out a burp by pressing a hoof along her back. "...technically did."

"Oh, really now?" The agent raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I'm still skeptical, considering how the mare who called us sounded absolutely distressed. I just can't help but feel you're covering something up, ma'am. And although this isn't directly related to child protective services, we were also told that you're a thief, who stole a valuable necklace?"

"Do you see a necklace on me?" The pegasus showed her neck off to the ponies of authority, feeling that she had nothing to hide. "Maybe you should instead consider the possibility of me being framed for crimes I never committed, because somepony's jealous!"

"She's lying!" Sunset insisted. "Please, you have to believe me, she was an absolute monster to this filly earlier! I'm genuinely afraid that if she takes her back home, it'll only get worse."

"Well... we unfortunately can't stick with one side, since it appears there isn't enough evidence to disprove either claim here." The agent said, conflicted. "Perhaps a secondary, reputable opinion or witness could sway our decision."

"Oh, of course!" The pegasus said with confidence. "Coriander Cumin, the restaurant owner can certainly vouch for me!"

Upon hearing his own name being called, Coriander himself stepped out of the kitchen, seeing the authority figures, pegasus, Lily, and Sunset standing in the dining room. He saw in Sunset's eyes that although she was unhappy with his own behavior earlier, there was still hope for him to turn everything around and do the right thing. The pegasus, however, was having none of that, only expecting that Coriander would come to her defense, especially with how much of a profit he had made from her order.

"Go ahead, Coriander, tell them how wrong your waitress is, and how I'm a wonderful mother." The pegasus asked, proudly. "The sweetest, most cherished mom in Equestria, and a valuable customer for you."

But what happened next completely went against the mother's expectations. Coriander only expressed the emptiness in those words by showing an expression of grief and shaking his head 'no', before trotting back into the kitchen, sadly, without even saying a single word. He didn't even want to look at her in the face anymore at that point, let alone defend her disgusting actions toward an innocent filly who definitely didn't deserve any of this abusive treatment.

"Coriander, please..." The pegasus begged. "I'm your best customer, I've always given you good business!"

Realizing that this was likely already more than enough evidence to lean toward Sunset's side, the agent then came down to Lily's level, believing that she needed the filly's word herself, before it was time to take action.

"Hey, little filly." The agent said to Lily, trying to also comfort her. "Are you hungry right now, and was that chocolate on your mouth only planted there by your mother in an attempt to deceive us?"

Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to finally expose her mother, Lily nodded her head 'yes'.

"I've barely eaten anything today." Lily finally admitted, much to the horror of the agent and royal guards.

"So that's it, huh?" The pegasus sprung her wings up in fury, before grabbing her own saddlebag, prepared to take out a bottle of heavy perfume to cover her escape.

Realizing what her mother was about to do, Lily then desperately tried to warn Sunset about what her mother truly ended up doing with that necklace.

"Wait, Sunset!" Lily called out. "That necklace was planted in-"

"Silence, you liar!" The pegasus quickly covered Lily's mouth with her hoof, before finally taking out that perfume bottle she was looking for. "You're in for it now once we get home, you hear!?"

The pegasus quickly smashed the bottle on the ground, creating a cloudy shroud of fragrant smells, similar to a smoke bomb. As Sunset, the agent, and the royal guards coughed uncontrollably, they did their best to fan at the air with their hooves to disperse the perfume fog. To their dismay, Lily and her mother were now gone, and they couldn't find any sign of which direction they had gone off to.

"Well, ma'am?" The agent addressed Sunset. "I'm not entirely sure that was a case of an abusive FOSTER mother, since my database spell hadn't picked up any records on that particular pegasus mare. However, you did the right thing by contacting us. There's unfortunately no guarantees that we can relocate Lily and put her into our adoption system, but we'll make this one of our top priorities."

"I guess that's the only thing we can do now." Sunset nodded, understandingly. "Thank you so much for coming."

The agent and royal guards then stepped out of the restaurant, before Sunset turned around to grab her saddlebag, and also taking a glance at the clock. It was now noon, meaning she was thankfully on time to attend that meeting to settle her and Rainbow Dash's dispute. Sunset sighed in frustration upon realizing she was too slow in anticipating that mare's escape, that she practically allowed that slippery snake to slither away with a vulnerable filly who would now most likely deal with even worse abusive treatment once they got home. She was still unaware of what happened to Applejack's necklace, but presumed that the pegasus must've hidden it somewhere around the restaurant.

As Sunset was about to leave The Tasty Treat, one last thing stopped her before fully exiting. The hoofsteps of Coriander Cumin followed her, prompting her to turn around to see what the stallion had to say. Coriander then spoke up, now showing his complete change of heart after hearing Sunset's powerful words from earlier.

"You did the right thing by calling them." Coriander said, rather glum. "I'm so sorry for my behavior earlier, I know now that Saffron wouldn't have wanted this, even if it did mean saving the restaurant."

"I'm glad you see things that way now." Sunset nodded, before looking around the restaurant one last time. "This really is a nice establishment, so I can kind of understand why you were so defensive before. Problem is, now that you've lost that mare as a customer, how will you manage to stay open after this month's rent is paid off?"

"Don't worry about it." Coriander assured. "I'm sure Saffron will understand too, especially after knowing the circumstances. The best I can do now is simply hope everything will work out in the future, and that in the worst-case scenario, we'll shut down, but make an investment to reopen somewhere else in Equestria one day."

"Sounds like you'll be looking toward the future with head held high." Sunset smiled. "I'm just hoping I can do the same too, in regards to my upcoming meeting with a friend I had a major fight with."

"Wait a minute!" Coriander tried to stop Sunset from fully leaving. "What about your pay for your waitress services?"

"Consider them on the house." Sunset insisted. "Being here has at least given me knowledge on something I've been trying to figure out for a while now, and it sounds like you'll really need those bits to stay open a little longer. Do it for your daughter, she truly sounds like a sweet and caring pony. Besides, don't worry about me. A good friend already gave me a good tip from earlier, so I'll manage."

"You really have a heart of gold, Sunset." Coriander began tearing up. "I won't forget this!"

Sunset nodded and began going about her way to the main castle, ready to face Rainbow Dash alongside Twilight and the rest of the Council of Friendship. She was admittedly still unsure of who that pegasus was, but knew for certain that she was in fact someone she had vaguely seen before in the human world. It had unfortunately already been so long that Sunset had truly forgotten her real name, which would've most likely helped as far as letting the authorities know of her true identity. Perhaps Wallflower's memory stone had somehow ended up erasing this particular memory, or Sunset simply never paid too much attention, given how she never really interacted with that pony's human counterpart much.

Whatever was the case, Sunset now had a story to share with everypony else during the meeting, in regards to finally meeting the thief and uncovering this perplexing mystery. While trotting over to the main castle, Sunset was still unaware of two crucial things. Lily and that pegasus mare were both connected to her own father, Sunspot, which would most certainly come as an absolute shock when Sunset uncovered the truth. But the more imminently disastrous fact, was that Sunset was now about to attend a meeting to settle falsely accusing somepony else of being a thief, when she herself was unknowingly carrying a stolen and valuable necklace to Applejack...

Chapter 61: Confronting Rainbow Dash

As Sunset finally made her way back to the main castle, the only thing she could think about was how this upcoming meeting with Rainbow Dash and the rest of the council would go. She was still unsure if anypony would end up taking Rainbow's side, but felt comfortable in knowing that at the very least, Twilight and Starlight would be supportive of her. Pinkie was likely another one as well, given how she had technically already known Sunset in the human world for quite some time, albeit secretly. As for everypony else, they could still very easily go with either side, though Sunset felt that her consecutive sessions in getting to know them all better would've made them willing to support her as well. Stopping Madame Cinch's tyranny over Rarity, as well as giving Applejack the golden opportunity to visit her dying grandmother, just to name a few.

Despite hoping that a majority of the ponies attending this meeting would have her back, Sunset primarily wanted this as a means of convincing Rainbow to talk things out, heart to hoof. In fact, Sunset still feared the possibility of everypony taking her own side, but as a result of doing so, ganging up on Rainbow to the point of making ultimatums. Although Rainbow herself had done just this by ditching Sunset back in Cloudsdale, Sunset still felt like it'd be wrong for everypony else to do the same, even if it meant teaching Rainbow a lesson by giving her a taste of her own medicine. As such, Sunset's empathy and compassion for all her new friends kept her encouraged to do her best in making a fair compromise so that everypony would be satisfied, coming out of the meeting. Up until the accusation toward Indigo Zap, Sunset remembered how well she had initially hit things off with meeting Rainbow officially for the first time, motivating her to potentially save this severed friendship at all costs.

Shortly before coming back to Canterlot, Sunset also reflected what Celestia had told her in regards to the citrine crystals she had found from that giant rock, thanks to Maud. Even if Rainbow would end up forgiving her after sorting everything through, Sunset admittedly believed the timing would've felt awkward. She still had a good amount of time to explore Equestria further, before it was time to return to the Human World and attend her graduation at CHS. Regardless, her adoptive mother's advice had persuaded Sunset to do just that, in the sense of giving all her new friends a crystal to symbolize their friendship and connections toward one another, including Rainbow. If Rainbow were to reject this gift, Sunset knew she would have to simply accept it and move on, but would keep the consideration for who to give that final crystal to.

For the time being, Sunset knew that she definitely wanted to give crystals to both Twilight and Starlight, whom she considered special friends for everything they've done for her over the course of this entire journey. Regardless, what she would eventually end up doing with the crystals seemed inconsequential for now, as it was obvious that Sunset needed to save her energy and maintain professionalism when confronting Rainbow for this dispute. Sunset trotted over to the same main castle she was at earlier this morning, and noticed that Max Steele was nearby with a small puppy, watching the entrance like he did during Twilight's coronation. Recalling that she ended on good terms with the stallion, Sunset went over to the castle to prepare herself for the meeting, but was surprisingly stopped by Max again, albeit for a different reason.

"Ah, it's you again, Sunset." Max said, stopping Sunset from going through the doors.

"Hey there." Sunset acknowledged, happy in recalling that she managed to change the security stallion for the better. "Have things been going well for you?"

"Yeah, for sure." Max nodded. "You put me on the right path when you encouraged me to take security one step at a time, it's always much more appreciated as an art that can not be rushed. I just wanted to stop you real quick and let you know something. Firstly, I'm once again very sorry for my previous behavior which resulted in you missing out on Princess Twilight's coronation."

"Oh, that's all right." Sunset understood. "You were just doing your job, and given the circumstances, I can certainly forgive a small little misunderstanding. You didn't really know who I was, so I wouldn't blame you. Plus, you definitely treated me a lot more fairly than Sour Sweet did, so I was definitely happy we ended things off on a positive note."

"Thank you very much." Max replied. "Speaking of which, that's the other thing I wanted to check in with you about. Since you had convinced Princess Twilight to allow me in keeping my job here in Canterlot, I felt like returning the kindness by making certain that you'll never have to worry about anything like that ever again. I went ahead and spread a good word about you to every royal guard in Canterlot, and they all mutually agreed to my terms, especially now that Sour Sweet is gone. Even without Princess Twilight around, from now on, you are welcome anywhere, anytime here in Canterlot, Sunset. I'll make sure of it, even if it means chastising my colleagues for being disobedient."

"Happy to hear, thanks for looking out for me, sir." Sunset smiled. "I'm also glad that you're taking your job one step at a time now, you've definitely shown that you've kept your promise."

"Indeed." Max acknowledged, before holding his pet puppy tenderly. "Well, it was good seeing you again, miss. Please proceed into the castle and give Princess Twilight my regards."

Sunset nodded and did just that, relieved in now knowing that she no longer had to worry about any royal guards holding her back. Although this felt like a well deserved victory after what had happened the day she was trying to reach Twilight's coronation, Sunset still had to cross her metaphorical hooves that the same could be said for this upcoming meeting with Rainbow too. Sunset admittedly also felt a bit of déjà vu, in the sense that she had just come out of an unexpected encounter with Max Steele, shortly before having a big meeting with the pony counterparts of her human friends.

After trotting through the same hallways where Max had chased her, Sunset eventually found herself in the middle of a central room with a large table and many seats, along with all her new pony friends. Sunset looked around the room and saw Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow sitting on one side, while Twilight, Starlight, Spike, and Applejack sat on the other. There was an empty seat on the latter side, located in the middle, which was presumably reserved for Sunset. Seeing this, Sunset began making her way over to her seat, as everyone began taking notice of this, especially Rainbow. As Sunset took her seat, she immediately saw the way Rainbow was glaring at her, pouting and making it clear that she really didn't want to be here. This was to be expected, after what Twilight had described earlier, and since everypony was now here, Sunset nodded to Twilight, who realized it was now her cue to initiate the meeting.

"Thank you for coming by on such short notice, everyone." Twilight acknowledged the seven other ponies and dragon sitting in the room together. "I know I made it a proposal back at my coronation that we would all meet together again once a moon, but as you all know by now, there's unfortunately been a critical friendship dispute between Sunset and Rainbow Dash. I see the importance of resolving things between the two as one of our top priorities, now that we're all here and accounted for. Of course, we may see this as an unofficial court hearing, where both sides will be given a fair chance to defend themselves, and by the end, everyone will cast a vote that will go toward what action will be taken against the losing side. Have I made myself clear?"

Everyone in the room nodded, knowing how serious the situation must've been, and only just after a majority of them had officially met Sunset for the first time. They might've had distrust in Sunset after she had stolen Twilight's crown back then, but after truly meeting and getting to know her these past couple of days, they all definitely saw her as an absolute angel who would take a bullet for them. As for Rainbow Dash, although they've all certainly known her longer, it also meant that they've had to put up with rather problematic experiences with the pegasus from time to time, which already made them want to lean more toward Sunset's side, even before hearing what the dispute was truly about. However, they still wanted to give Rainbow the benefit of the doubt, knowing that they shouldn't be biased until they got the full extent of the story.

"Very good then." Twilight nodded. "So now that I've established the rules, we might as well get started. Since Sunset's our guest, and she's already shared a little bit of what happened, I think it's only fair that she goes first."

"Nuh-uh!" Rainbow interjected. "How come she gets to go first when I'm very clearly the victim here? I thought you were a princess of friendship, not favoritism!"

"If that's what she wants, then it's fine, Twilight." Sunset sighed. "Let her go first."

"Very well then, Rainbow." Twilight rolled her eyes at Rainbow's childishness. "Go on ahead."

"Thank you." Rainbow said with confidence, before sharing her side of the story. "So I was at the Wonderbolt's academy, doing some training with my new apprentice, Indigo Zap. Then Sunset dropped by to hang with me for a bit, but as soon as Indigo came by, Sunset just started acting like a bully to her for no real reason! She insulted her, belittled her, and worst of all, accused her of being a filthy thief without any evidence. It hurt Indigo so bad that she quit being my apprentice, which hurt me very much! It made me believe that she hadn't changed one bit ever since the days where she stole Twilight's crown! I mean, seriously! Coming between me and my apprentice, along with being a bully who called her a thief despite the fact she was a thief too? Hence why I believe she should be punished for her actions!"

"...Is that all you have to say on the matter?" Twilight said, already having a good feeling that Rainbow had definitely stretched the truth or taken things out of proportion.

"Yeah." Rainbow replied. "So, if you could all just vote in my favor and rightfully punish Sunset like the filthy donkey she is, then I'll-"

"Hold on, Rainbow." Twilight said, sternly. "We haven't even heard Sunset's side of the story yet, and that comment you just made was completely uncalled for. You need to apologize to Sunset right now."

"For what!?" Rainbow snapped. "All I said was that she should be punished for coming between me and Indigo-"

"I think she meant you callin' her a filthy donkey, Sugarcube." Applejack chimed in, rather unamused.

"Hmph, fine then." Rainbow huffed, before apologizing in an insincere tone. "I apologize, Sunset."

"I guess that's the closest we'll get for the time being." Twilight sighed in frustration, knowing now that Rainbow's behavior had grown even worse than she truly imagined. "Well, now that Rainbow's given her side of the story, could we get some feedback, please?"

"That... don't sound like Sunset at all, Rainbow." Applejack defended her unicorn friend. "And knowin' your track record of being dishonest before, I don't really know that I'd believe ya' when claimin' she acted like a bully to yer' apprentice for no reason."

"I second that." Fluttershy agreed. "I might be 'mean' and assertive to other ponies, but it's definitely always for a legitimate reason, like that mare who tried to scam me on the train the other day."

"I've gotten to know Sunset for quite some time in both worlds." Starlight added. "I don't know that I really believe you. Sunset would never do anything like that."

"Even if I were to believe Sunset was mean to this Indigo Zap, I'm sure she had her reasons to do so." Rarity speculated. "After all, I can definitely say with certainty that Sunset was more than justified in helping me and Miss Valencia expose our former boss, the abusive Madame of Manehattan."

"I agree too." Pinkie said in an unusually serious tone, unlike her usual self. "Dashie, I'm always willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but now I can't help but feel like you're coming up with lies and exaggerations in an attempt for us to take your side. Don't you think it's hard for us to do just that, if you're actively insulting poor Sunset and throwing her under the wagon?"

"Well... if she deserved it, then it's justified too!" Rainbow continued to stand her ground. "Plus, what are you talking about, Pinkie? Just when exactly have I lied to you or steered you the wrong way?"

"I dunno..." Pinkie began reminding Dash of her past wrongdoings. "How about when you lied straight to my face about liking the pies I worked so hard on to commemorate special occasions, as it turned out you just threw them away? I still sometimes wonder if you used your laser eyes to destroy them like some evil pie-hater!"

"Come on, Pinkie!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I figured you'd be past that now, after what I did to make things right between us! Okay, fine, so I lied one time, big deal. What's your point?"

"You're really gonna deny your track record in being a dishonest cheater, now?" Applejack added on. "What about the time you cheated in numerous events during the Iron Pony competition, and especially the Running of the Leaves? Plus, Applebloom might've also told me a thing or two about how ya' implied I couldn't do anything to help her get a cutie mark."

"That little rat!" Rainbow frowned. "I help her, and this is the thanks I get?"

"That's not the point, you obviously shouldn't be saying nasty things behind somepony's back!" Rarity said. "But I also recall you doing so even when they WERE around! In fact, how about the time where we all went to stop a giant dragon from breathing smoke all over Equestria, and you couldn't even have faith in poor Fluttershy to get the job done? Instead, you just kicked the poor dragon in the face, that sure worked out, didn't it?"

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with Rarity, Dash." Fluttershy nodded. "When you kept insisting I was useless on that journey, I felt very insecure, to where it even caused me to lose confidence in standing up for myself for quite some time, even after I had convinced that dragon to leave and sleep somewhere else."

"Agh, give me a break!" Rainbow snapped. "You girls are seriously going to bring up stuff that happened a million years ago!? Plus, I thought that we all had to learn our own lessons after making critical mistakes that may or may not have hurt our friendship together!"

"Well, that wasn't really something you ever corrected, or for that matter, apologized to Fluttershy about." Rarity reminded. "But fine, if you want a more recent example, what do you have to say for yourself when it came to not acting mature and civil when you were told you wouldn't be coaching the School of Friendship's buckball team?"

"Hey, I still learned my lesson at the end, and helped the cheerleading team do great with their routine, didn't I?" Rainbow continued defending herself.

"We still would've expected better from you, especially for somepony who's part of the Wonderbolts." Twilight spoke up. "And although that may be true for the cheerleading squad, have you forgotten that after my team lost to Princess Celestia's during the buckball match, you didn't even feel like commending the actual game's team participants for their efforts? Heck, they actually ended up resigning for future buckball sessions. When questioned why, one anonymous complaint form claimed that a certain rainbow-maned pegasus ruined the experience for them."

"They... ended up quitting buckball?" Rainbow said with surprise. "I did admittedly wonder why we suddenly scrapped buckball tournaments at the school, but I'm sure that complaint was just because they were jealous I wasn't there to coach them. Where are you girls going with all of these recaps? It's like 'Pick on Dash Day' or something!"

"You're sitting here complaining about Sunset being a bully when you've also insulted her and done all those other awful things." Twilight glared at Rainbow with disappointment. "And the point of all this is to remind you of everything you've done before, to help you understand that you've honestly been the most problematic friend in our group. We've admittedly always been far too lenient and kind to say anything, but after what you did with Sunset, that's where we draw the line. Plus, the list goes on and on, I can still think of many other examples! I still remember you making Princess Luna feel insecure about herself on Nightmare Night when you scared ponies away in her presence!"

"Need I also remind you of the time when you were pulling all sorts of malicious pranks on everypony, and we all had to pretend to be cookie crazed zombies just to teach you a lesson?" Spike recalled. "If you had actually listened to us when we told you to stop being a prankster, it would've been a lot simpler."

"Although I haven't really had many instances where I was around to see you being dishonest, I recall hearing you still did some pretty rotten things, Dash." Starlight continued adding to the list. "For example, I've heard reports that you snuck into the Cloudsdale weather factory and posed as an employee in a silly attempt to prevent your pet tortoise from hibernating. You could've hurt everypony who worked at the factory by overloading the lab, and not to mention, potentially suffocating the ponies below when you created that abnormally large sheet of snow."

"Oh, I'M the one who should be ashamed of potentially hurting other ponies!?" Rainbow scoffed. "Says the pony who enslaved villages and nearly caused the destruction of Equestria by going back in time and making sure I never did the first Sonic Rainboom-"

"NO!" Starlight slammed her hooves on the table in pure frustration, as her horn began leaking a spell she was tempted to cast. "Don't you even try pinning that on me now, we're way past that incident at this point, and this meeting isn't even about THAT! After hearing all these awful things you've done to everypony, and now Sunset too, I'm beginning to question why we're all friends with you! I SHOULD JUST BLAST YOU WITH MAGIC LIKE I DID WITH TRIXIE WHEN SHE WAS BEING AN ANNOYING! LITTLE!"

Rainbow and everypony else sitting at the table instinctively widened their eyes in shock, before quickly ducking down to put themselves out of harm's way, in case Starlight was far gone from controlling herself.

"Starlight... please calm down." Spike tried his best to deescalate the situation, before everypony begun to emerge back up from the table, as they all heard Starlight taking deep breaths upon hearing Spike's words.

"I... I'm sorry, everypony." Starlight began coming back to reality and ceased her horn from casting magic to attack Rainbow, before sitting back down, calmly. "I still have a habit of bottling up my anger, and I'm not proud of it."

"Thanks for getting things under control, Spike." Twilight smiled. "And don't worry, Starlight. I think your anger toward Rainbow at this point is also very much justified."

"Yeah, after hearing what she's done with everypony else in the past, and even with my bestie, Sunset, I just lost control for a second there." Starlight acknowledged.

"And just what have I done to Sunset, exactly?" Rainbow huffed, although now rather afraid of Starlight.

"Well, let's just say she's already told Starlight and I a pretty good extent of what really happened." Twilight replied. "Since Sunset's been honest with us all the way, and I've already seen sufficient evidence of her telling the truth, to say that you haven't done anything wrong to Sunset is about as correct as claiming the atomic number of lead is 87."

"Evidence?" Rainbow said with skepticism. "Please, what kind of evidence could you possibly have against me?"

"Well, does a certain hot air balloon ring a bell to you?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "But now that we've all said our piece regarding your side of the story, it's now Sunset's turn. Sunset, please go on ahead."

"Thanks, Twilight." Sunset nodded, as she began sharing things from her perspective.

Sunset reported the same details she had told Twilight of everything that had happened that day, including what really happened with Indigo and her destroying the hot air balloon, how Derpy had gotten fired from her job thanks to a thief, and how this thief was described as an orange pegasus. Sunset then began sharing details on why specifically she began to grow suspicious of Indigo, but still nobly admitted that she herself had made a mistake by jumping to conclusions too quickly. Since the real orange pegasus thief she had encountered earlier wasn't really relevant to this current meeting's topic, Sunset decided to not bring that up for now, as she began finishing up letting everypony know where she was coming from when it all happened, leading to that fallout.

"So... she really 'bullied' your apprentice for no reason at all?" Applejack said with a blank expression.

"As I had figured, she clearly had her own reasons to do so!" Rarity interjected. "Especially since Indigo was also wearing what was reported to have been stolen."

"Not to mention, Indigo didn't really make a good first impression by doing a hit and run." Fluttershy added. "I don't blame Sunset for thinking she was up to no good. I would've maybe assumed she was flying away that fast because she was carrying stolen items."

"Yeah, especially if my best muffin customer also reported that this mysterious thief was an orange pegasus." Pinkie analyzed. "I know practically everypony in Equestria, and in my experience, I admittedly haven't met many orange pegasai, especially with that particular shade of orange."

"And think about it, really." Starlight joined in defending Sunset. "Is it not reasonable for Sunset to believe that somepony who was flying that fast, committed a legitimately serious act of vandalism, wore the same reported stolen items, and was an orange pegasus, was the culprit? She might've jumped to conclusions, but she was trying to help the mailmare after she got fired from her job!"

"That's right." Twilight fully agreed with everypony that had spoken up after Sunset had said her piece. "Sunset was trying her best in putting Derpy's needs before her own and bringing a rotten criminal to justice. Which, in this case, Indigo is still very much a criminal for vandalizing my hot air balloon and flying off without as much as an apology or compensation. What were you defending, Rainbow? A silly Wonderbolt apprentice who's clearly a bad influence on you, given what she ended up doing?"

"I admit, I may be a drama queen from time to time, but even I say that Indigo mare definitely overreacted." Rarity insisted.

"Yeah, it almost sounded like you gave Sunset an ultimatum over practically nothing." Pinkie moped. "For shame, Dashie. For shame."

"Not to mention you ended up ditching her in Cloudsdale over this nonsense." Fluttershy added. "What were you thinking, I wouldn't even do something like that with my brother, Zephyr."

"This sadly don't surprise me, especially given how we've all had pretty problematic experiences with you, Rainbow." Applejack sighed. "I'm sadly beginning to agree with what Starlight said earlier, in questionin' why we're friends with you."

"If Sunset became a literal she-demon, and I was responsible for nearly wiping out all of Equestria, yet we both have more overall respect from everypony else than you do now, I think that's really saying something." Starlight glared at Rainbow.

"And you must've forgotten, that it was my Sonic Rainboom that made it so we all united and became legendary heroes here in Equestria." Rainbow boasted. "So I'm awesome and should clearly be the one everypony sides with."

"It may be true how your Sonic Rainboom brought us all together..." Twilight began, meeting Rainbow halfway. "But as for that being a justification as to why we should have your back, and not Sunset's... I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken. You've absolutely done far more wrong than Sunset did, and even then, Sunset's still willing to give you an apology for it, if you simply admit to your mistakes and own up to them!"

"That's right." Sunset nodded her head, but still a little saddened by how everypony had really ganged up on Rainbow, just as she had feared. "Look, Rainbow, I know things ended really badly between us that day, but I can assure you that I didn't mean for things to blow up like that. I genuinely care for all my friends, and would do anything for you all, even if it means coming at my expense."

"Friend?" Rainbow scoffed. "Don't call me your friend, you've done nothing so far to justify labeling me that way! And besides, since I've known everyone else here longer than you, it's clear that you're going to be the one who gets punished!"

"We'll see, Rainbow." Twilight glared. "So, like I've said at the beginning, both sides have shared their perspectives on what happened, and everypony's already given some feedback in regards to specifics. Now that that's done, it's time for the council of friendship to cast a vote. After listening to Rainbow Dash's story, please raise your hoof or arm if you vote in favor of her."

"Yeah, I'm the one who's the reason the rest of you are heroes, and we've been through many adventures before, so who's with me?" Rainbow closed her eyes and reiterated words similar to her human counterpart during the spring break cruise, before raising her own hoof.

Awkward silence filled the air, as Rainbow then opened her eyes for a second. To her horror, absolutely nopony else had voted for her, including Spike. They all mostly just glared at her with dirty looks, and especially getting tired of her obnoxious ego at this point. Rainbow gulped at this, but figured that maybe everyone was just toying with her.

"Come on now, nopony else is voting for me?" Rainbow smiled, nervously. "You're all pulling my leg, right?"

"Right then, I think that's enough of a window to cast our votes." Twilight continued the trial. "Now that Rainbow's side is finished, please raise your hoof or arm if you vote in Sunset's favor."

Almost instantaneously, Twilight, Starlight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Spike all raised their hoof or arm, making it absolutely clear that they would all much rather stick by Sunset's side. The only one at the meeting who didn't vote for either side was Sunset herself, not because she didn't want to come across as arrogant, but because she didn't have the heart to pick a side. It wasn't immediately clear to Sunset, but because of this, she had a sense of empathy that everyone else at the meeting lacked. The kind of empathy that would help her understand that as obnoxious and unreasonable Rainbow was being during this meeting, the pegasus was now getting completely ganged up on, and becoming the same thing Sunset once was herself, completely alone.

"Well, I did notice that Sunset didn't vote for herself." Twilight noted. "Very humble of her, but it's very obvious now that the verdict is unanimous. Rainbow Dash, as the leader of the council of friendship, you are hereby suspended from the council for an indefinite period of time, and you will also be relieved of your teaching privileges at the School of Friendship. Instead, you will now have to take classes on friendship until you can learn how to take responsibility and professionalism correctly. Your behavior today absolutely exemplifies that we've all been far too lenient with you over the years, and you need to be taught a real lesson. In fact, what you did with Sunset was the straw that broke the pony's back for us. She's the main reason that we decided to hold this meeting and let you know that your behavior will no longer be tolerated."

"Sunset...!" Rainbow growled lowly, now feeling like it was all Sunset's fault that she was now the one being punished, before getting up from her seat, ready to dive into the unicorn. "I AM GOING TO DESTROY YOU-"

"I don't think so!" Starlight anticipated this sudden attack, and quickly used her magic to restrain the mentally unstable pegasus.

"LET ME GO!!!" Rainbow demanded.

"Not a chance." Starlight continued holding Rainbow in place. "There's a lot of things I want to say to you at this point, but all I can say is, you'll be begging to travel back in time if you even so much as scratch Sunset!"

"It really is a shame too, Rainbow." Twilight sighed in disappointment. "If you had handled things professionally like Sunset did, then we might've given you more leeway. But no, the fact that you're the only one who voted for yourself, it certainly speaks for itself. I really thought you were the element of loyalty. What even are you loyal to at this point? Your..."

"Ego?" Applejack suggested.

"Being a poor sport." Fluttershy frowned.

"And a big baby." Rarity added.

"Even I can't believe how childish you've been during this meeting, Dashie." Pinkie sighed. "And that's coming from me, the self-proclaimed out-of-control party animal."

"How can you all side with that filthy donkey who stole Twilight's crown!?" Rainbow continued expressing her displeasure. "I'm disgusted with you all!"

"That's it, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight flung her wings up to express her disapproval. "I'm going to start adding additional punishments to your sentence if you keep this up. Starlight, don't even bother releasing Rainbow until she gives Sunset a legitimate apology for not only the Cloudsdale incident, but being persistently rude throughout this entire meeting."

"You don't need to tell me twice, Twilight." Starlight agreed, as she adjusted her magic to have an even tighter grip on the pegasus.

"Well speaking of apologies..." Sunset went up to the immobilized Rainbow Dash and began to do her part in the deal. "Rainbow, I'm sorry for falsely accusing your apprentice for being a thief, and that everypony here has turned on you."

"Sunset, I definitely appreciate your humbleness." Twilight nodded. "But you don't need to apologize for that second thing. Rainbow has very clearly brought that on herself."

"I know, but..." Sunset continued to display her empathetic philosophy. "I still feel bad for her, since it seems like she's now all alone."

"It's definitely all her fault that she now has nopony supporting her, don't you worry about that." Starlight assured. "It seems as if her obsession with the Wonderbolts and silly apprentices has become her undoing. It's pushing all her friends away, yet she doesn't seem to care. I still remember when she implied I was a bad pony simply because I never heard of the Wonderbolts."

"Well, duh!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Besides, you're already a bad pony for a variety of other reasons!"

"You wanna say that again to my face?" Starlight glared back at Rainbow, before using her magic to squeeze the pegasus even tighter. "Go ahead, I dare you."

"Agh, okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Rainbow finally conceded defeat, feeling like her well being was more important than her stubborn pride.

"For?" Twilight crossed her hooves and awaited a response from Rainbow explaining why she was sorry.

"I'm sorry for not caring about my apprentice wrecking Twilight's hot air balloon, ditching Sunset in Cloudsdale, and acting like a spoiled, entitled brat during this meeting!"

"And do you mean this apology?" Twilight wanted to be certain of the validity.

"Better yet, if I release you after you're done, are you going to attempt to hurt Sunset again?" Starlight narrowed her eyes. "Because if you do, I won't be as nice as before."

"Yes, I really really mean it, and I promise you won't have to worry about that anymore." Rainbow tried desperately to save herself. "But if you want me to be honest, fine. I still don't like Sunset since I'm now in trouble because of her, but I'll stay put because I'm afraid of Starlight."

"...Fair enough." Starlight nodded, before finally releasing Rainbow from her magic, which plopped the limp pegasus on the table.

As Rainbow went back over to her chair to take a seat, she still crossed her hooves in annoyance over losing this argument with the very same ponies and dragon she had known for years now. How was it that they all loved and respected some random unicorn, whom to her own knowledge, was only mainly known to steal Twilight's crown back then? Whatever was the case, it was definitely clear now that none of them had really considered her a friend anymore, especially after they had all expressed her disgust in her for a variety of different incidents in the past.

"Wait, before this meeting wraps up for good, I think I should still give Rainbow a gift as an olive branch, a symbol of peace, if you will." Sunset then spoke up, thinking that it was time to stick to her last resort, as far as having one final option to perhaps let Rainbow come to terms with her somewhere along the way.

"A present, for me?" Rainbow said, with both bitterness and surprise. "I have no idea what you have that I could possibly want."

"You'll see soon enough." Sunset built up, thinking that giving Rainbow one of these citrines could still be a form of progress, despite knowing now that the meeting only shifted toward her own side. "I found a group of beautiful, orange gems that could certainly be used to make a friendship bracelet. I wanted to give you one."

"Hmm, perhaps if Rainbow decides to accept this gift, it may or may not persuade me to give her a lighter sentence on her punishments." Twilight proposed.

"Alright, I guess that's a good idea, Twilight." Sunset agreed, before going over to grab her saddlebag.

"And just how in Equestria were you able to afford jewelry like that?" Rainbow questioned. "You stole them, didn't you? Just like you stole Twilight's crown back then!"

"Rainbow!" Twilight raised her wings in absolute disapproval. "You are like, this close right now to getting thrown into the Canterlot dungeon! Need I remind you that being the accomplice of a pony who did a hit and run is also punishable?"

"Look, Rainbow." Sunset sighed, now with a hint of frustration. "I get that you still don't like me, nor trust me. But I'm anything but a thief now. In fact, a friend helped me get these, and since there were enough crystals to give everypony on the council one, I just decided it'd be a nice way for us all to connect and express our friendship with one another. Well... until you decide to have a change of heart toward me, of course."

"As if!" Rainbow scoffed. "If there's anything I hate more than being friends with somepony who got me in trouble, it's wearing frilly jewels that make me lose style points! I wouldn't even want to wear something like that even if I did somehow consider you my friend!"

"Well, at the very least, just have a look at these crystals before you decide that you already dislike them!" Sunset insisted, before finally opening her saddlebag to show everypony the contents inside.

Everypony in the room gasped upon looking at the inside of Sunset's saddlebag, and it was particularly Applejack who showed the most emotion and shock. Sunset initially assumed they were all mostly speechless at how beautiful the citrines looked, but after a few moments, she began to realize these were actually reactions of horror, not astonishment. Not understanding what was going on, she simply sat back in her chair, rather confused at what could possibly be causing this unexpected reaction. A few moments later, Applejack spoke up, now with tears in her eyes.

"Sunset..." Applejack said, still rather shocked. "Tell me this ain't what I think it is!"

"What's wrong, AJ?" Sunset asked, attempting to make sense of things.

Sunset then did the most logical thing and took a look at the inside of her saddlebag herself, and this time, her own eyes widened in horror just as much as everypony else in the room. It was the apple-shaped red ruby necklace Granny Smith had passed down to Applejack, shortly before her passing. Although recalling that the orange pegasus back at The Tasty Treat had somehow gotten ahold of it, Sunset most certainly had no clue as to how it could've gotten into her saddlebag. Twilight had mentioned Fluttershy and Applejack had lost valuable items, and would become late to this meeting because of it. This must've been what was keeping Applejack from coming, and Sunset thankfully had gotten confirmation from Lily that it was the same one that was stolen.

Sunset then remembered the thief had randomly made that necklace disappear when the child protective service ponies had arrived, and it was speculated that she must've hidden it somewhere around the restaurant, but her own saddlebag was definitely the last place she would've expected. That pegasus was not only a thief and abusive mother, but a conniving framer who planted evidence on her to make her look guilty. This was exactly what Lily had attempted to warn Sunset of, but the unicorn had unfortunately realized this far too late.

"Aha!" Rainbow pointed at Sunset, thinking that she had somehow found a new legitimate reason as to why everyone at the meeting should no longer side with the unicorn. "I knew she was still a thief, Applejack mentioned something about this earlier! So it was Sunset who had stolen that necklace Granny Smith had passed down to her!"

Sunset then looked to everyone, still staring at this unexpected turn of events with complete shock. She had no idea what was going to happen now, but figured that getting punished would certainly be the least of her worries. Instead, she winced at this oncoming feeling of sadness, as far as getting framed, and now potentially losing all of her new friends. Would they all suddenly turn on her as well, even after everything they've been through together lately, akin to that whole Anon-A-Miss incident back at CHS? Sunset continued sitting back in her chair in shock and fear, hoping that even if she lost a majority of these ponies as her friends, at the very least, Twilight and Starlight would still stick by her side all the way, and not simply drop her into the ocean like an anchor...

Chapter 62: Sunset Investigates!

Sunset continued sitting in silence and shock, unsure of how everyone would react at seeing her seemingly guilty of committing theft, let alone with such a valuable and cherished necklace to Applejack. It didn't help that Rainbow still distrusted her, especially with her constant belief that Sunset was still a thief. Not knowing how to proceed, Sunset took a couple more moments to process everything, including that previous theory that the pegasus thief must've planted the necklace into her saddlebag when she wasn't looking. Instinctively, she came out with the first few words to at least attempt explaining herself, despite now looking rather guilty.

"Everyone..." Sunset began, doing her best to stay calm and professional. "I know this looks bad, but I promise you... this isn't what it looks like."

"Sunset... I made an oath to protect that necklace for the rest of my life, as Granny's last wish before she was taken from us all." Applejack said with disbelief.

"Please, Applejack." Sunset insisted. "When I said I wasn't a thief anymore, and would do anything for all my friends, I really meant that. You... you've gotta believe me!"

"Well too late now!" Rainbow smirked. "It looks like we'll have to count that as a mistrial, and you'll be the one who gets punished instead!"

Sunset was praying for a miracle internally now, hoping that someone here would still vouch for her. Some of them had already known the unicorn long enough to know she would never do something so awful and selfish as this. It almost seemed to be in vain, as Applejack and Rainbow Dash already seemed to believe that this wasn't the case at all, and that Sunset really stole it. She had been nothing but kind to all these ponies these past couple of days, and it almost appeared as though this incident of getting frame was about to completely destroy everything, especially their trust and friendship with her. However, just as she had hoped a few moments earlier, somepony did end up vouching for her, in spite of how bad this looked for Sunset.

"Hold on a second, Rainbow." Twilight looked toward the pegasus with skepticism. "How come you're sitting here smiling at this, and labeled Sunset as a thief earlier, before this even unfolded?"

"I mean, I still haven't forgotten the time she stole your crown back when you stayed at the Crystal Empire, so calling her a thief isn't exactly wrong!" Rainbow replied. "Where are you going with this, Twilight?"

"Well, I also noticed that you didn't really seem that surprised when Sunset showed us all the contents of her saddlebag." Twilight continued. "Plus, back at my coronation, Sunset wasn't able to make it due to a certain somepony attempting to frame and imprison her for something she never even did. With how petty you've been acting toward Sunset this whole time, am I to understand that perhaps it was you who stole Applejack's necklace, then planted it into her saddlebag in an attempt to frame her?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't put it past her if that really was the case." Starlight agreed. "Besides, I highly doubt that anypony who knowingly stole the necklace would willingly show us all the contents of their saddlebag, assuming it was filled with stolen objects."

"Come to think of it... you're right." Fluttershy added. "Isn't it a little strange that nopony else other than Dash remotely hinted at Sunset being a thief?"

"It wouldn't be the first time I've seen Rainbow do something so dirty and dishonest." Rarity affirmed.

"I've known Sunset long enough to know she'd never be a crook, she's even shared the wonders of churros with me before." Pinkie alluded to the Postcrush Festival back in the human world.

"Now that everyone's spoken up about this, I'm beginnin' to think that makes sense as well." Applejack surmised. "Sunset, I'm so sorry for considerin' the possibility of you being the one who took Pa's necklace. I feel like such a bad friend for even thinkin' of such an awful idea."

"Thanks for having my back, everyone." Sunset sighed in relief, before instinctively handing the necklace back to Applejack. "But as for Rainbow being the one who stole and planted it in my saddlebag, I'm actually having a good feeling that it was instead, somepony else."

"Your humble approach and willingness to still defend Rainbow after everything she's done at the meeting is incredibly admirable, Sunset." Twilight commended. "But I'm afraid it's clear that nopony else could've done this, especially since Applejack gave us all phone calls last night about what happened to Granny Smith, and we were the only friends she had mentioned that necklace to, outside of the Apple family."

"That's true, other than you all, I hadn't mentioned the necklace to anypony else, since I did also consider you all my family too." Applejack recollected, before also glaring at Rainbow after finishing that last statement. "Well, most of you, anyways."

"So Rainbow, do you have anything to say for yourself?" Twilight began glaring at Rainbow as well. "For not only theft, but also attempting to pin this on Sunset out of pettiness?"

"Well... maybe she might've forgotten she put it in there!" Rainbow insisted. "It's not like she was so sneaky and subtle when she managed to actually wake all of us up back during the crown theft incident!"

"That's it, Rainbow!" Twilight snarled, truly having enough at this point. "You can drop the act now, it's pretty clear to me that since you were the only one here who kept insisting Sunset's a thief, and would have any reason to do this, you were the one who stole AJ's necklace in an attempt to ruin Sunset's image with the rest of us! I can't express how disappointed I am with you right now!"

"I stand by that belief as well." Starlight vouched as well. "You might not know Sunset as well as Twilight nor I, but she's always been a kindhearted gal, which makes me proud to label her as one of my besties, much like I did with Trixie."

"No wait, please!" Rainbow begged. "I just wanted to validate my belief that Sunset really was guilty of doing something, which would justify why she shouldn't have won the trial against me! But I'm not a crook!"

"I don't really know that I believe anything you say anymore, Rainbow." Twilight frowned. "In other words, why don't I also make it so you'll be 100% liable for all damages in this case, including paying for the repairs of my hot air balloon?"

"Really!?" Rainbow said with brief joy, but then quickly changed her tone to a more glum demeanor. "I mean... really? Well, if you insist, then all right."

Sunset noticed this strange behavior, realizing by this point that something was definitely off about Rainbow. The previous aggressive behavior could've been chalked up to her being frustrated, but why would she suddenly be happy at hearing that she herself would need to completely take the fall for Indigo's crime? Rainbow might've been egotistical and stubborn, but it just wasn't likely that she would willingly take a punishment for something she didn't do. Indigo was the one who destroyed the hot air balloon, why would Rainbow suddenly act in Indigo's favor like this? It was by this point, Sunset deduced something far more fishy was going on, and since she already knew Rainbow wasn't the one who planted the necklace to begin with, the unicorn volunteered to do an investigation.

"If we could just wrap up this meeting already, then I think that'd just be 30% cooler." Rainbow said, nonchalantly.

"Well, if you insist, then I suppose so." Twilight replied, still rather unamused.

"Twilight, wait!" Sunset insisted. "I'm glad that you all understand now that I wasn't the one who stole AJ's necklace, but I have my own reasons to believe it wasn't Rainbow either. Do you think you could at least allow me to present some evidence that would prove Rainbow's actually innocent here?"

"Well... alright then." Twilight agreed, albeit a little reluctantly. "Could you maybe give an explanation as to why you feel this way?"

"Let's just say... I know who the real thief is, but I'll need to do a little investigation to gather some clues and evidence." Sunset said with confidence. "I just know for certain that it couldn't have been Rainbow."

"Very well then." Twilight nodded, thinking she could still trust Sunset. "In that case, I'll give you an hour to find anything you can that would prove Rainbow's innocence. However, if you can't find anything, then I'm afraid my previous verdict will stand, in that Rainbow will still get all those punishments I listed before, including being 100% liable for Indigo's vandalism."

"Fair enough." Sunset agreed. "Thanks for giving me a fair chance."

As Sunset began leaving the room, she looked back for a second, noticing that 'Rainbow' was glaring at her in annoyance and frustration, despite the fact that she was trying to help her. This just further hinted that something was off about the pegasus, and that her behavior pointed toward wanting to punish herself as much as she could. There was just no way that Rainbow would be dense enough to the point of accepting additional charges for crimes she didn't commit, let alone acting happy upon hearing it. Was it entirely possible that... something happened along the way, which brainwashed her to act like this?

While looking around the castle for any hints or clues that could prove there was foul play, there didn't seem to be anything. No potions, spell books, or bits laying around that could've served as a bribe to persuade Dash into taking the fall for both Indigo and herself. However, Sunset did eventually find a small barrette on the ground, which admittedly looked like one of Lily's. It didn't seem entirely likely that Lily was still around, but seeing this had reminded Sunset that it'd be far more beneficial if she was able to locate Lily's mother, and have that pegasus mare taken into custody. When being questioned by the local authorities, it would definitely help clear up this entire misunderstanding. Though as nice as that would be, as far as Sunset knew, Lily and her mother were far gone at this point.

After finding nothing that stood out other than that barrette, it admittedly didn't seem practical to investigate the castle anymore, especially since time was running out. Suddenly, Sunset then remembered another detail Twilight brought up earlier, how she and Starlight were practically forced to drag Rainbow here with their magic from her home in Cloudsdale. Coupled with the fact that Twilight was keeping an eye on Rainbow the whole time before Sunset herself had finally arrived, this meant that nothing could've changed in between the time from her home to Canterlot. Having found nothing in the castle that could point her to anything else that could prove something was truly off about Rainbow, Sunset then decided to perhaps travel to Rainbow's home in Cloudsdale and check for further clues. This would likely require teleportation, as Sunset knew Twilight and the rest of the council couldn't wait around for too long.

She now knew how to teleport long distances thanks to Celestia, and although this would leave her magic exhausted, Sunset would absolutely do anything for her friends, just like she had exemplified earlier. Before doing so, however, she briefly used her magic to create some clouds on the floor, then stepped on them, seeing they were solid ground, which meant that the cloud-walking spell was still intact. Assured that she was in the right state to teleport to the cloud city, Sunset closed her eyes and began her teleportation spell. Once the spell executed, she found herself back on the same clouds that were primarily home to the pegasai. The only thing Sunset didn't prepare for was knowing where Rainbow's house was, but she pushed on, feeling as though somepony had to know where the famous Wonderbolt member lived. Luckily, a friend was nearby, and was more than willing to provide such information.

"Oh, hey again, Sunset!" Derpy called out from the distance, seeing her unicorn friend once more.

"Derpy, good to see you again too." Sunset smiled, but knew she had to hurry. "I'd like to catch up with you a bit more, but I'm afraid now isn't a good time. You remember the fallout I had with Rainbow Dash a few days ago? Well, I now have a reason to believe there's something more fishy going on with the Rainbow I was just in a meeting with, and I decided it was likely a good idea to perhaps investigate her home. Problem is, I don't know where that is."

"Oh, that's understandable then." Derpy nodded. "Well, if you're looking for her house, the Cloudominium, it's actually right down the corner here." Derpy pointed to the direction of Rainbow's home. "I'm a bit worried, however. When I was trotting by that area of the neighborhood earlier, I could've sworn I heard a door being banged on from within her house, along with some muffled screams. But when I checked through the windows to see what was going on, that noise mysteriously stopped. I have no idea what I could've heard then if that was the case, maybe it was a ghost?"

"That definitely sounds rather peculiar, to say the least." Sunset agreed. "I guess I have to go see what that's all about, since I'm trying to gather any evidence I can to prove Rainbow's innocence."

"Innocence?" Derpy questioned. "Over her yelling at you and ditching you back at the academy?"

"Err, not that." Sunset clarified. "Let's just say that Twilight and all my other friends are now accusing her of something else, which I'm certain was something she didn't do. Right now, I'm just looking for some evidence to prove it, since I'm also now a little suspicious that something's actually off about Rainbow."

"I see then." Derpy understood. "You're a noble pony for wanting to do the right thing, even if I saw myself that Rainbow did something bad to you. Well, good luck with this little investigation, hope you'll make a breakthrough!"

Sunset nodded as she began making her way to Rainbow Dash's house, curious at what that noise Derpy had heard could've been. It was always possible that the sound was coming from somewhere else entirely, but the fact that it was heard within the house itself, along with muffled screams, it certainly raised some red flags. She knew that since Twilight gave her less than an hour to solve this mystery, time was of the essence, and the last thing she wanted to do was let Rainbow take the fall for something that she clearly didn't do. This was especially true, given how Rainbow couldn't have snuck to The Tasty Treat to plant the necklace in Sunset's saddlebag if she was at the castle the whole time, supervised by everypony else. It had to have been Lily's new mother who did so, but Sunset didn't really have proof of that either. After finally arriving at Rainbow's home, Sunset saw that the door was strangely unlocked, a further sign that something bad might've happened here.

Upon entering, Sunset began looking around Rainbow's home for any more clues, as this mystery started to feel more and more perplexing. She searched all over, hoping that something around here could help her understand what specifically could've happened. There had to have been an explanation as to why Rainbow was acting the way she did, when it came to her somehow being happy with taking 100% liability for the situation, whilst Indigo got off scot-free, especially with the wording that she gave. Knowing the Human Rainbow also made Sunset believe that it was very much unlike the Pony Rainbow to claim something was '30% cooler', especially since she remembered her specifically stating '20%' back at the coronation.

Over time, Sunset began to feel like this was turning into nothing more than a wild goose chase, as she wasn't able to find any evidence of foul play or trickery. The closest to a clue she could gather was two empty containers on the kitchen table that looked like they would've held something magical, like a potion. But then again, those could've been anything, and there was still nothing that was able to explain the strange noises Derpy had heard. As Sunset began to feel like there was nothing of importance in Rainbow's home, she was about ready to give up and head back, thinking she merely wasted her time. However, just as she was about to do so, she suddenly heard more banging and muffled screams behind one of the closets. Going over to the source of the noise and turning on the light, Sunset's eyes widened at what she saw. It appeared to be Indigo Zap, tied up with rope and with a piece of duct tape on her mouth.

"Indigo!?" Sunset addressed, before taking the tape off of her mouth, hoping to get some answers.

"Gah!" Indigo shrieked upon the tape being ripped off. "S-Sunset? Is that you?"

"Don't try to act friendly now, especially when you did a hit and run with Twilight's hot air balloon!" Sunset frowned. "You're going to give me some answers right now! Like for example, why are you here in Rainbow Dash's house?"

"Sunset, please..." Indigo begged, whilst attempting to get up from her restraints. "I know this sounds crazy right now, but I'm not who you think I am! In fact, I wasn't expecting this at all when we took those potions."

"What are you..." Sunset tried to make sense of what Indigo meant, before remembering what she found on the kitchen table. "Wait a minute..."

Back at the meeting with Twilight and everypony else, Sunset only went into the meeting believing that Rainbow would absolutely have it out for her, which made it so her behavior seemingly made sense. However, she and everyone else had actually overlooked Rainbow's unusually aggressive behavior, which definitely would've set things straight much earlier on. Sunset admittedly didn't know this Rainbow as much as the human one she knew, but understood that everything she said during the meeting seemed very unlike her, especially if she was once the element of loyalty. Insulting Sunset, attempting to frame her, and deliberately trying to convict herself, there appeared to be more than meets the eye.

Sunset then recalled a spell she learned long ago, which Princess Celestia had primarily taught her to differentiate any creatures attempting to disguise themselves, such as changelings. By attempting to start up this spell, it miraculously worked, and Sunset's own vision began to see the 'truth' for a few brief moments. Indigo's eye color shifted from it's usual gold to a sudden shade of magenta, the exact same color of Rainbow Dash's eyes, before reverting back to normal, moments later. Seeing this supposed reveal on whose eyes were truly being shown, whilst understanding that Rainbow and Indigo supposedly both took potions together in this house, Sunset instinctively came out with what she initially believed that meant.

"...Rainbow Dash?" Sunset addressed the pegasus, trying to process what was going on.

"Yes, it's me!" Rainbow said in Indigo's body, desperately hoping Sunset would believe her. "Please, you believe me, don't you?"

"Well, given the circumstances, I might, but..." Sunset began, but kept her guard up in case 'Rainbow' were to pull a fast one. "How do I know that you're really Rainbow, and not just pretending to be her?"

"Don't you remember how you mentioned to me about recently meeting Gilda in the human world, and how the human version of me managed to get her expelled?" Rainbow refreshed Sunset's memory. "You also told me how you vaguely recall watching the Wonderbolts when you were little, and that you liked Spitfire the most."

"Okay, I'm a little more convinced now, but I'm still not entirely sure, since there's always the possibility of Indigo actually overhearing our conversation before she showed up." Sunset remained skeptical. "What did you say you liked about me back when we were getting acquainted with each other at Twilight's coronation?"

"That I admired your ability to play a guitar and rock leather outfits." Rainbow recalled. "I also commented that it's certainly playing it 20% cooler."

"Alright, you're definitely the real Rainbow then." Sunset began finally felt assured enough and untied the ropes. "So I'm beginning to surmise that you both took a potion and switched bodies."

"You'd be right for thinking that, I was pretty surprised myself when it happened." Rainbow confirmed, before getting back up and noticing a box on the floor, where she previously was. "Come to think of it, I think it's all starting to come back to me now. Let's just say, she was the reason I got locked in my own home's closet. I was desperately banging on the door, hoping somepony would let me out, but I think that banging made this box fall on my head and knock me unconscious."

"I'm definitely starting to put two and two together now." Sunset now understood what caused that noise and sudden halt, according to Derpy. "Listen, Rainbow. About what happened back at Cloudsdale with your apprentice..."

"Don't worry about that now, Sunset." Rainbow insisted. "I don't know if I have a lot of time to explain, but all I know for certain is that we have to stop Indigo at all costs! I have no idea what she could possibly be doing with my name and body right now!"

"Well, let's just say that 'Rainbow Dash' was acting pretty jerky to me and everypony else during the council of friendship's meeting. You know? The same one where we were supposed to talk things out after our dispute?"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me..." Rainbow put her hoof on her own face in shame and embarrassment. "Where is she right now?"

"She's still in the foyer of Canterlot's main castle." Sunset recalled. "Twilight's given me less than an hour to find evidence to prove whoever was the culprit responsible for planting Applejack's necklace into my saddlebag. While looking for clues, I also began to realize the 'Rainbow Dash' back in Canterlot wasn't as she seemed, and since Twilight mentioned that she and Starlight had to drag you from your home to the meeting, it made me feel like doing an investigation here."

"Thank Celestia you decided to come here then." Rainbow said with relief. "I don't know how I'll get my identity back, or if there's a surefire way I can reverse the effects of this potion, but I know now that we have to work together to clear both of our names!" Rainbow said, determined.

"Well actually, Twilight and everyone else had already determined that I wasn't the one who stole the necklace." Sunset explained. "But time is of the essence for you, Rainbow. Because unfortunately, if I can't come up with evidence that proved you weren't the culprit who planted it there, you'll get punished pretty badly."

"What!?" Rainbow said with disbelief. "This is unbelievable, and to think I once called Indigo my friend!"

"Don't worry, Rainbow." Sunset assured. "Now that I understand what truly happened, I want to help you and sort things out with everyone else on the council."

"Sunset... why are you so nice to me, even after what I did?" Rainbow asked in surprise. "For context, I may not be Indigo right now, but I'm still the same Rainbow who yelled at you and ditched you at the academy over my friendship with Indigo, remember?"

"I know, but..." Sunset put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "I still believe in doing the right thing, regardless. Because the last thing I want is for you to get punished for something you never did. I'm curious now though, how exactly did this happen, you and Indigo switching bodies?"

"I'm afraid there's no time to explain that now, if you said Twilight gave us less than an hour." Rainbow said, concerned.

"Alright, well... could you at least explain how we can reverse the effect of the potions you both took?" Sunset pushed on, determined.

"All I know for certain is that supposedly, Fluttershy and her pet bunny, Angel took these potions too." Rainbow recalled. "I don't think we were told anything about how we can change back, but I think Fluttershy said a thing or two about how it only reversed once she and Angel finally understood each other's differences."

"Ah, sounds like we'll have to outsmart her then, if she's unaware of how to reverse the potion." Sunset brainstormed. "What specifically were you and Indigo having as far as differences?"

"She couldn't understand why I wanted to take responsibility after I yelled at and ditched you, and I couldn't understand why she refused to own up to her mistake in vandalizing the hot air balloon." Rainbow recalled.

"Alright, if what you're saying is true, it may be our only hope at putting an end to this deceptive masquerade for good." Sunset said with confidence. "I have a plan then, you'll just need to follow my lead."

Sunset whispered the plan into Rainbow's ear, which seemed like it would be foolproof, especially since Indigo really wasn't aware of how to switch bodies again. For that matter, the backstabbing pegasus hadn't even considered how she was going to switch back, and was only under the assumption that the effects would be temporary. Much like Sunset's plan with both Rarity and Vignette to stop Madame Cinch, Rainbow liked Sunset's plan as well, ready to finally give Indigo everything coming to her for this disgusting act of betrayal and impersonation.

"Gotcha, but we'll need to get back to Canterlot fast if we're going to make it on time." Rainbow said, rather worried. "Maybe we can take the-"

"Unicorn's teleportation ability." Sunset finished, whilst grabbing Rainbow's hoof, before starting up her horn's magic once again to teleport both of them back to the main castle.

Both Sunset and Rainbow returned in to the same spot Sunset had left earlier, though the unicorn's energy was now rather depleted from already teleporting long distances twice in one day

"Oh, I wasn't aware you could do that too." Rainbow said with astonishment. "Looks like I've found somepony else who could easily beat me in a race."

"Well, I was once Princess Celestia's pupil for a reason." Sunset giggled. "But we're going to have to do this fast, since I'm pretty sure Indigo's becoming impatient. Follow my lead, and come out when I give you the cue."

Rainbow nodded and hid behind some furniture near the main room where Twilight and everyone else still was, before Sunset entered. The unicorn was ready to report back to the princess about what she found, but had a trick up her hooves to put an end to Indigo's scheme.

"Ah, Sunset!" Twilight noticed her friend coming back. "Well, it looks like we have to wrap things up soon, especially since most of us still believe Rainbow must've been the one who planted Applejack's necklace into your saddlebag. Have you found anything yet that would prove otherwise?"

"I'm afraid I couldn't find any physical evidence." Sunset reported back, before looking back at 'Rainbow'. "But as for the accusation of Rainbow being the culprit, I just have a couple of questions for her."

"Fine, then." Indigo rolled her eyes in Rainbow's body. "Go on and hit me."

"Do you understand why specifically you should own up to your mistakes after you yelled at me and abandoned me back at the academy?" Sunset asked, rhetorically.

"Oh, this has got to be the stupidest..." Indigo snarled, feeling like her time was being wasted. "Look, can we just accept the fact that I'm guilty and will be responsible for paying for everything, including the hot air balloon?"

"We'll get to that." Sunset continued. "You do realize that the longer this meeting goes on, the longer you'll be here, right? So please just answer the question."

"Alright, fine, yeah." Indigo said, rather annoyed, but sincere. "I guess it is pretty rotten for somepony to act mean to a friend, then fly off without wanting to consider the consequences. You'll create unnecessary drama and make yourself look like a fool. Now, is there a point to this?"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Rainbow on that last statement, Sunset." Twilight said, rather confused. "I don't really understand what these questions are meant to help us learn."

"Trust me, Twilight." Sunset winked to her princess friend. "It'll all make sense in a minute here. Well, I'm really glad that you feel that way, 'Rainbow', because... somepony here wants to meet you and show their understanding as well."

Sunset then signaled Rainbow by knocking on the wall with her hoof, which prompted her to come out, much to the surprise and dismay of Indigo and everyone else in the room. They all gasped with surprise as to how Sunset managed to convince 'Indigo' to come, but it was primarily 'Rainbow' who looked the most nervous.

"Errr, umm... Indigo...!" Indigo continued playing along. "How nice of you to... join us."

"Same here." Rainbow replied, before slowly trotting up to her former friend. "By the way, I've done some thinking, and I realized how I messed up too. I mean, how would you feel if somepony wrecked your property, then flew off without apologizing or compensating you?"

"I... guess I wouldn't like that either." Indigo came to terms with her own mistake, but still wanted to continue her deception.

"Well, I'm so glad that we finally understand each other's differences." Rainbow said to Indigo, before trotting up to her and giving her a hug. "Come here, you!"

"Alright then, I guess I can do this now, mostly to show that I love my apprentice enough to cover all expenses and charges for her." Indigo reluctantly agreed.

Indigo kept up her scheme, unsure of whether or not Sunset had saw through her by bringing the real Rainbow Dash back to the meeting. Unfortunately for the backstabbing pegasus, this was completely the case, as now that Rainbow and Indigo seemed to understand each other's differences, much like Fluttershy and Angel did with the same potions, both pegasai began glowing. Everypony in the room watched in astonishment, before also seeing that Indigo and Rainbow suddenly fused together for a brief moment, switching their places and bodies in the process.

"Agh, what the-!?" Indigo shrieked, now back in her original body. "What just happened!?"

"The jig is up now, Indigo!" Rainbow announced, reunited with her body as well. "Why don't you tell everyone what you did?"

"Eeep!" Indigo's eyes widened, ready to make a run for it.

Luckily, Sunset was quick enough to use her magic to slam the door shut, stopping Indigo from escaping in the process. Rainbow then grabbed a nearby rug and rolled the pegasus up in it, trapping her.

"...What in Equestria is going on right now?" Twilight asked, completely bewildered at the situation, and why Rainbow and Sunset were suddenly working together.

"Umm, I think I know." Fluttershy spoke up. "Did Rainbow and Indigo... switch bodies, and somehow just switched back?"

"But... that don't seem possible." Applejack believed. "How would either of them have casted such a spell if they're both pegasai?"

"Actually, it must've been from two potions made by Zecora." Fluttershy explained. "I took a dose with Angel once when we weren't getting along, and it helped us understand each other's problems."

"So, if we're to understand that they switched back, does that mean... the Rainbow we just had a meeting with wasn't the real Rainbow Dash?" Rarity said, astonished.

"That's right, it appears that Indigo managed to fool all of us, though I'm still admittedly unsure of what happened." Sunset spoke up. "Let's just say, I managed to find Dash stuck in Indigo's body, and she was able to prove and explain she was the real deal, whilst Indigo was here the whole time, being an imposter. Now that we've made it back here on time, perhaps you can explain what happened, Rainbow?"

"For sure." Rainbow nodded, now happy to be back in her original body. "Here's how it happened."

Rainbow began sharing a flashback where she managed to bring Indigo to the Everfree Forest, hoping to find a solution to this friendship problem that she had with not only Sunset, but now Indigo too. It was shortly after Twilight had notified the rest of the council of this dispute, urging Rainbow to do anything she could to correct for her mistakes. The two pegasai were primarily pointing a hoof at each other, and realized that they needed to resolve everything before attending the meeting. Rainbow was leading Indigo to a certain zebra's home in this forest, as Indigo was still unsure of what this was meant to accomplish.

"What are we doing here, Dash?" Indigo questioned. "I should be at home right now working on pilates. Why do you want to make amends with that Sunset pony anyways by agreeing to attend that meeting?"

"I just feel bad for yelling at Sunset and ditching her back at the academy a few days ago." Rainbow explained. "Twilight recently summoned a letter that will ask me to attend a meeting with the council of friendship to talk things out, and I just know I messed up, big time. Plus, it's not just me, you have to come as well to help me work things through."

"What's it to you?" Indigo scoffed. "She was being a bully to me for no reason whatsoever!"

"Why are you acting so childish right now, when I essentially gave Sunset an ultimatum for you over practically nothing?" Rainbow said, rather hurt. "Plus, during my time alone, I've done some thinking to realize where Sunset's intentions were coming from. She was just trying to help Derpy, and the thing is, I could understand her having this mix-up, especially since I've heard there really have been robberies committed by some orange pegasus lately. And between the two of us, you didn't really make a good first impression by doing a hit and run with Twilight's hot air balloon."

"Hey, whose side are you on, exactly!?" Indigo pouted. "She still shouldn't have jumped to conclusions!"

"I know, but... two wrongs don't make a right." Dash stood her ground. "Now that we're here, we can get what we need."

"And what are we doing here at this old tree, anyways?" Indigo rolled her eyes.

"Well, Fluttershy told me that she and Angel had a huge dispute themselves recently, and that Zecora was able to help them work things out." Dash explained. "Now, I'm not entirely sure what she did, but I'm guessing it could be something along the lines of a potion. Whatever it is, we need to put our differences aside, taking responsibility for the meeting's disputes with everyone else, and that's final."

"Alright, fine then." Indigo crossed her hooves. "But I still don't like that filthy donkey unicorn anyways!"

"Listen, I don't really care what you like or don't like at this point." Rainbow pointed her hoof at her former apprentice. "We're both in some hot water right now due to some reckless decisions, and now it's time to take responsibility! After all, you still need to face the music for wrecking Twilight's hot air balloon."

"What!?" Indigo huffed. "But you were the one who instructed me to fly that fast!"

"Did I instruct you to not look where you were going, and thus colliding with somepony else's property?" Dash asked, rhetorically. "I don't think so, so don't try to turn this around on me! Plus, I still have the receipt on those goggles and workout uniforms I bought you. If you don't come to the meeting with me and cooperate, I'll happily take those back from you and get a refund."

"You..." Indigo began, but not before grunting. "UGH, FINE!!!"

Rainbow and Indigo then entered Zecora's home, as the zebra turned around, curious at what these visitors needed.

"Welcome to my home once more, Rainbow Dash!" Zecora welcomed the pegasai. "Could I interest you in some enchanted flowers or rare hash?"

"No thanks, Zecora." Dash replied, before explaining herself. "Indigo here and I? We're just having a friendship problems with each other, and I recall Fluttershy mentioning that you did something to help resolve things between her and her pet bunny, Angel?"

"Ah, so you seek an opportunity to understand one another." Zecora nodded. "You'll want the brew that would help you think like your brother."

"Well, I don't actually have a brother, but I mean..." Rainbow began. "Let's just say it was mostly thanks to a certain somepony putting me in the middle, which unintentionally resulted in an ultimatum."

"Hey, at least I didn't force you to make that decision." Indigo pouted. "I really can't understand why you want to actually still be friends with that unicorn, she's not awesome like yours truly."

"And I can't understand why you're so insistent on avoiding your responsibilities, such as owning up to destroying a princess's hot air balloon!" Rainbow replied with a hint of frustration.

"Precisely what I had prepared for that bunny and your friend." Zecora held up a pair of small potion bottles with a green brew within, the same ones she had given to Fluttershy and Angel. "Drink these when you both get home, and your friendship problems will end."

"Thanks, Zecora." Rainbow acknowledged, before taking the potions and handing Zecora some bits as compensation. "This'll certainly help Indigo and I feel more level-headed once it's time to attend the meeting with Sunset, Twilight, and everypony else. After all, we're not exactly too cooperative with each other's wishes right now."

"No kidding." Indigo mutually agreed with snark, before both pegasai were ready to depart.

"Wait a minute, you plan on consulting with Twilight Sparkle at this meeting?" Zecora stopped Dash and Indigo from exiting. "Do you mind at least delivering a message from me, as a regard of my greeting?"

"Sure, what is it?" Dash replied, curious.

"It is a message that came to me during my fortune brew session." Zecora began. "These predictions tend to always come true, your minds must freshen."

"Sounds like a warning then, I guess it'll help Twilight out, now that she's princess of all of Equestria." Dash understood, before listening on.

"She will most likely come across a figure in her future that is the absolute definition of 'mean'. " Zecora reiterated her prediction. "Whatever happens, make certain that she knows the dangers of this tyrannical figure named..."

Zecora whispered the name in Dash's ear, though she was unable to make any sense of it.

"Alright then, I guess I'll keep Twilight posted when it's time for the meeting." Dash agreed to Zecora's request. "Thank you very much for your help."

The next morning, Rainbow and Indigo were together at the Cloudominium, ready to see if their own disputes would be resolved, well before the official meeting took place. Both pegasai had mutually agreed to take their potions simultaneously, and after doing so, they mostly just noted that the taste was a little bizarre. Shortly after, much like with Fluttershy and Angel, both pegasai began glowing, as both of their consciousnesses had switched bodies, leaving them in a state of shock after doing so.

"Hey, why are there suddenly two of me!?" Indigo shrieked, now in Rainbow's body.

"Same could be said for me, why do I see another pony who's 20% cooler?" Rainbow observed, realizing that she was now Indigo.

"Wait a minute... did we switch bodies!?" Indigo looked at her new body, unsure of what happened.

"I guess we did." Rainbow noted. "This makes sense now, I guess Zecora was intending to help us understand each other's problems if we had the other pony's life and responsibilities."

"Well, this will certainly make the meeting confusing, now that we're switched around." Indigo huffed.

"Relax, I'm sure there's a simple way we can reverse the process." Rainbow assured, before turning around to grab her saddlebag. "Now then, when we get to the meeting, we're going to have to explain to Twilight what happened, since this potion's effects are mostly to help us get along better. You have to make sure you promise Twilight that you'll pay for the damages for her hot air balloon, for starters."

"Or... how about you become liable to pay for 100% of everything?" Indigo smirked, realizing that being in Rainbow's body now gave her an advantage.

"What are you-" Rainbow began, before realizing too late that Indigo grabbed a nearby object to whack over her former Wonderbolt coach's head.

Rainbow was knocked unconscious for a few minutes, and during this time, Indigo had managed to tie her up with rope, slapped duct tape on her mouth, and stuffed her into a nearby closet with a lock on the outside. As Dash began to regain consciousness, she began to desperately scream through the tape, hoping that anypony could hear her. Unfortunately, nopony was nearby, and Indigo simply smirked upon realizing she could definitely take advantage with this identity theft.

"Sorry, Dash." Indigo began, sarcastically. "But if I can make you look bad enough as a means of persuading Princess Twilight to make you 100% liable for all damages, then I'd be perfectly fine with that, instead. You're no longer going to boss me around or push me to my limits, I'm going out there to ruin your good name so that they won't even think of punishing me, and there's nothing you can do about it! Better yet, if I can get that filthy donkey unicorn into trouble as well, it'll just be a bigger bonus!"

Indigo then slammed the closet door shut and locked it from the outside, as Dash continued to desperately make noise, hoping anypony could rescue her. Unfortunately, this went on for nearly an hour, and she wasn't able to get the attention of anypony nearby. Shortly after, Twilight and Starlight had both arrived, to fetch 'Rainbow', knowing that they needed to ensure one of their main guests would be able to make it on time.

"There you are, Rainbow." Twilight greeted. "You already know what you did to Sunset, so we'd better get going."

"As if!" Indigo scoffed, pretending to be Rainbow in an extremely petty state. "It was clearly Sunset's fault since she hates Indigo's guts so much! I don't see any reason for apologizing when I've clearly done nothing wrong!"

"Twilight, I definitely don't know Rainbow Dash as much as you, but was she always this snarky and stubborn?" Starlight questioned, disapproving of Rainbow's response.

"I have no idea why Rainbow's so hung up on this, but if she's going as far as to disobey a princess's orders, it looks like we'll have no choice." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "By the way, Rainbow, where's Indigo? We'll need her side of the story as well."

"She won't be joining us because I could easily represent both of us." Indigo snarled. "You can't talk down on my apprentice like that anyways, so I refuse to come with you!"

"Right then, in that case..." Twilight put her wings up in disapproval. "Starlight, please use your magic to drag her with us back to Canterlot."

"Wha-" Indigo's eyes widened, as she saw she was being carried away with that unicorn's magic. "HEY! HEY! LET ME GO!"

"We'll let you go once we arrive at Canterlot." Starlight said. "I really hope you're ready to give Sunset an apology yourself after what you did."

"NEVER!" Indigo growled in defiance, before kicking and screaming like a child.

This immediate bad behavior from 'Rainbow Dash' was already causing both Starlight and Twilight to lose faith in the pegasus when it was time for the meeting. They simply shrugged it off and were ready to carry the stubborn pegasus back to Canterlot, completely unaware that it was Indigo Zap in disguise, and that the real Rainbow Dash was now literally a prisoner within her own home. Rainbow remained behind, locked up in her closet, praying that somepony could eventually come to her rescue before Indigo managed to destroy her name and reputation with the rest of the council, as the flashback ended.

"Thank Celestia that Sunset stopped by and gave me the benefit of the doubt, I don't know what I would've done had she not came by my home to investigate." Dash commended.

"Yeah, I teleported there after mastering the long distance teleportation spell, and it worked like a charm." Sunset explained. "I just analyzed the clues we had to work with, and began having my own suspicions that 'Rainbow' wasn't who she appeared to be."

"So based on this story, Rainbow Dash was actually wanting to own up to her mistakes the whole time after that incident with Sunset?" Twilight recapped. "And she unintentionally took a body switching spell from Zecora as a means of working things out with Indigo?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Dash affirmed. "Like I said, I actually felt pretty bad about what I did to Sunset, that I felt I needed to make things up to her when it was time for the meeting, and that included convincing Indigo to come along. However, I needed her to cooperate and act mature about owning up to her mistakes, hence why I opted to see Zecora, not knowing what the potion was going to do. I unfortunately realized too late that Indigo having my body and voice would've ended in disaster had it not been for Sunset."

"Tell me about it." Sunset nodded. "It sounded like Indigo wanted to avoid any consequences for her actions at the expense of Dash and I. Now that's just rotten."

"I see now." Twilight began deducing the whole situation. "So in other words, we still have yet to have the official meeting with the rest of the council with both you and Rainbow, Sunset. Because we were all unknowingly criticizing Indigo Zap the whole time."

"Criticizing?" Dash questioned. "What do you... mean by that?"

"Let's just say... we all thought you were acting incredibly pretentious and mean to Sunset the whole time, that most of us brought up incidents from the past, which exemplified how we felt about you essentially disowning Sunset." Starlight confessed, rather ashamed at this huge blunder.

"And it was because of this extreme emotion that most of us also outright assumed that you were the one who stole Applejack's necklace and placed it in Sunset's saddlebag in an attempt to frame her." Twilight continued. "Rainbow, we're so sorry that we went that far, that we completely disregarded all the nice things you've done over the years for us all. I guess there really was a reason you truly was, and still is, the element of loyalty."

"To be fair, knowing what I did to Sunset when I'm supposed to be the most loyal pony of the group, I probably would've deserved it anyways." Dash acknowledged. "But I hope you understand now that before Indigo decided to impersonate me here at the meeting, I was wanting to come here and reconcile with Sunset the entire time, because I still felt rather guilty for my behavior that day, regardless of it being in the heat of the moment."

"Thanks for understanding where we were coming from, and wanting to take responsibility for your actions." Twilight smiled. "It seems as if we all had a tendency to focus on the bad things we've been through with you, that we completely forgot we've also made plenty of good memories together. We might've truly underestimated how much you've grown over the years, and are proud with how you decided to approach us now, despite these dire circumstances."

"I'm glad to hear the whole misunderstanding has been sorted out." Sunset added. "It's nice to see that my urge in wanting to prove Dash wasn't the one who took AJ's necklace ended up letting us discover this unexpected revelation. Like I've said earlier, I'd do anything for my friends, and that includes making certain they don't get punished for something that they didn't do."

"And here I was thinking you and Dashie's fight would've ultimately torn everypony apart." Pinkie sniffled, now rather emotional with joy. "I think I'm gonna cry!"

"By the way, how exactly did Indigo know all that stuff that Rainbow Dash herself seemingly knew, which made it so she was quite convincing during the meeting?" Twilight questioned the pegasus still stuck in the rolled up rug.

"All right, since you already caught me, I might as well confess." Indigo growled. "I picked the lock on Dash's diary and may or may not have read the whole thing."

"You what!?" Dash snarled in anger.

"Yeah, and in fact, I definitely recall the pages where you talked about Soarin', and the fact that you both-"

But before Indigo could even finish that statement, Rainbow quickly ripped some duct tape from a nearby table and slapped it onto her former apprentice's mouth, making certain she wasn't able to do any further collateral damage.

"Oh, and for the record?" Dash explained further. "I never told Indigo about AJ's necklace, nor did I write about it in my diary. For that matter, I don't even think Indigo has actually met AJ before, either."

"That's true." Applejack confirmed. "This is actually the first time I've ever seen her, so I reckon it wasn't likely her who had stolen the necklace."

"I suppose that makes sense too." Twilight understood. "Really sorry to hear that you went through all this regardless, Rainbow."

Everyone else on the council had also spoken up at this point to apologize to Dash for talking down on her in the meeting earlier, not realizing that it was an imposter the whole time. But despite that, Dash continued in wanting to take responsibility for her own mistakes, regardless.

"No, I'm the one who should still be sorry, especially to Sunset." Dash looked back at the unicorn. "Sorry that I acted so selfish and gave her an ultimatum, despite the fact Sunset was always more of a true friend to me than Indigo ever was. Even after what I did, Sunset still managed to come rescue me, hear me out, and helped me get my identity back. If it wasn't for her, I just... I don't know how I'd manage to sort things out at this point."

"Sunset, you've truly proven to everyone that you're always going to be a true friend in even the toughest of times." Twilight commended. "The rest of us almost entirely believed Rainbow had become such a... gosh, I can't even think of the right word to describe how Indigo was trying to portray her. The fact that you still saw good in her, and solved this rather unexpected mystery, it genuinely shows how far you've truly come in your journey in accepting friendship."

"Well, I didn't have much when I first started out." Sunset reflected. "But over time, that actually helped me appreciate what I already had, as opposed to what I still lacked. In this case, saving a friendship at all costs, especially since I know from experience, friendships aren't simply built in a day, so they shouldn't be lost that quickly either."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Twilight nodded. "You've even taught the new princess of Equestria a valuable friendship lesson in empathy, I'd imagine Princess Celestia would be especially proud of you right now."

"Thanks, Twilight." Sunset smiled. "I know she would too."

"Now then, onto somepony else who isn't so friendly..." Twilight raised her wings in hostility and went over to the trapped pegasus in the carpet. "Indigo Zap. For impersonation, deception, vandalism, and a number of other crimes you've committed, well, let's just hope you know a good attorney."

Twilight then pushed a nearby alarm button, which prompted Max Steele to come into the castle and intervene.

"Mr. Steele?" Twilight addressed the castle's main security guard. "Please show Indigo Zap here to the dungeon, hopefully she and Sour Sweet will get along together until they learn their lessons."

"Affirmative, princess." Max agreed, before carrying the rugged pegasus out of the room and to the Canterlot dungeon.

Everyone else in the room smiled at Sunset and Rainbow for their nobleness, and made certain to glare at Indigo with resentment as she was being carried out of the room. The dispute between the unicorn and rainbow-maned pegasus had practically solved itself, making it so there didn't even have to be a meeting anymore.

"So, now that Indigo's taken care of, I see no reason to host another meeting, since it looks like Sunset and Rainbow Dash are friends again." Twilight acknowledged.

"You got that right!" Rainbow nodded. "From now on, Sunset? Anything you do is a-okay with me."

"I'm just glad that I made the right decision in following what my heart kept telling me." Sunset said, proudly.

"No arguing there." Twilight agreed, before remembering there were still two other things to take note of. "Now that this is over, I'm afraid there's still two things I need to ask before we end the meeting for good. Firstly, Rainbow? What was that name Zecora was trying to warn me about?"

"While I was stuck in the closet, a box had unfortunately struck me on the head, and I sadly forgot the name." Rainbow sighed. "All I know for certain was that the name started with an 'O'."

"Knowing Zecora's pattern of rhymes, that must mean this figure's name must start with 'O' and rhyme with the word 'mean'." Rarity surmised. "I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank, I don't believe I know anypony with such a name like that."

"Same here." Twilight reasoned, before turning to the rest of the council. "Does a name with those characteristics sound even remotely familiar to anyone?"

Everyone else on the council had only shrugged and murmured with confusion, including Sunset and Rainbow Dash.

"Well, I'm sure it's not really important right now, maybe it'll make a lot more sense later on." Twilight believed. "I still have the rest of my years to go as the princess of all of Equestria, but I suppose it'll be good to keep this name in mind in the far future. Anyways, the second thing I wanted to ask was regarding Applejack's necklace. Sunset, if it wasn't Rainbow or Indigo who had planted that necklace into your saddlebag, then who was it?"

"I don't know with absolute certainty, but I have a pretty good feeling on the actual culprit." Sunset said with confidence. "It was-"

But before Sunset could finish, somepony else came into the room, along with a familiar, small filly.

"Princess Twilight?" Flash Sentry addressed, whilst having Lily Pad follow his authority. "I found this little filly hiding in one of the castle's broom closets, and she seems to be completely unsupervised. Any idea what I should do?"

"Perhaps we could check her in to the Canterlot daycare?" Twilight suggested. "Thank you for reporting this, Flash. Now then, what were you saying, Sunset?"

By this point, Sunset realized that she definitely needed to tell the truth regarding the actual culprit behind the disappearance of Applejack's necklace. But then, she suddenly recalled one rather crucial detail. Lily actually was at Applejack's place the day before, and it was only after she had stayed there that the necklace had seemingly mysteriously vanished. Already knowing the filly's connection to the true thief who didn't turn out to be Indigo Zap all along, Sunset then began having a bad thought. Was it entirely possible that... Lily herself was the thief the whole time? Although Sunset knew that informing everyone about the other orange pegasus was practically mandatory, she was also afraid of getting Lily into trouble, since it didn't really seem like the filly would've stolen the necklace by pure choice...

Chapter 63: A Horn In My Side

Sunset was admittedly still unsure on how to proceed, but knew that Lily most likely had to say something in regards to what truly happened back at The Tasty Treat. In fact, it almost looked like Lily wanted to confess herself, as being taken away from her mother would seemingly outweigh any other supposed punishment. Still, this was under the assumption that it was truly Lily herself who had stolen Applejack's necklace, and not that orange pegasus. It admittedly didn't seem like a coincidence to Sunset that both AJ and Fluttershy had supposedly been robbed around the same times Lily had been to their homes. Regardless of what really happened, Sunset knew she needed to report the ringleader behind this whole crime spree. But before Sunset could even begin her explanation, Twilight then recalled a suspect, purely from her description.

"As a reminder, everyone?" Twilight added on. "There's supposedly been an orange pegasus mare with blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow, who's another suspect. Does a pony with those characteristics sound remotely familiar to any of you?"

As everyone in the room was contemplating where they had seen such a pony who fit this exact description, Applejack suddenly realized something crucial the night before.

"Wait just a darn minute..." Applejack began reflecting. "A pegasus with orange fur, blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow? That... sounds just like the pony who came by Sweet Apple Acres to pick Lily up. She claimed that she was Lily's new foster mother, and showed me paperwork to prove it. I also noticed Lily followin' her without any hesitation, so I presumed they must've known each other. And that pony... might've been a suspect?"

"Oh?" Spike jumped into the conversation. "So this Lily in question... is that filly Flash just found?"

"That's right." Applejack nodded. "But now I'm skeptical in realizin' the pony who picked her up matches the description of this supposed suspect Twilight had just mentioned."

"...Lily?" Fluttershy spoke up, now thinking that things weren't adding up. "You never mentioned anything about a foster mother when you were staying at my cottage, and I just realized. Some of my things around my home had mysteriously vanished the same day you were staying over. That included my bits, as well as jewelry from my parents. Not to mention, I've also been unsure where my bunny, Angel has run off to. He hadn't touched his dinner bowl at all, despite me making him his favorite entrée."

"Come to think of it, didn't AJ tell us that the necklace also vanished around the same time Lily was staying at Sweet Apple Acres?" Pinkie recalled.

"That... doesn't seem like a coincidence then." Rarity turned to Lily, rather mystified. "But since Lily was staying over at both of your homes, perhaps she saw somepony who had stolen everything, like this orange pegasus we've been speculating?"

"I... I'm so sorry!" Lily began breaking down in tears. "It wasn't any orange pegasus, it was me! I stole Applejack's necklace, and the items from Fluttershy's cottage! Not to mention, I also stole her pet bunny too."

Everypony in the room gasped upon hearing this, but it was primarily Fluttershy and Applejack who became the most confused upon hearing this supposed confession.

"H-How could you do this!?" Fluttershy said with shock. "I would've been fine with you taking my food, bits, and even jewelry if you really needed them. But bunnynapping Angel?"

"Say it ain't so, Sugarcube!" Applejack added with disbelief. "I treated ya' like one of my own, and it turns out after all that, you were the one who took the necklace?"

"I... I know, but you see..." Lily began attempting to explain herself, though her primary intention was hoping she could make up a convincing story to forcibly separate her from her mother.

"Well, little filly?" Twilight said with disappointment. "We're willing to be fair here, so please. Care to explain yourself?"

By this point, Lily contemplated reporting how her mother had forced her to steal, but kept thinking to herself that it was truly a bad idea, especially if nopony were to believe her. Lily didn't want to shift the blame onto Sunset either, especially after how kindly the unicorn had been treating her. However, if she confessed and took full blame for these crimes, she believed that the authorities would take her into custody, and at least away from her mother. By this point, being separated from her mother sounded like a dream come true compared to whatever punishment she herself would end up getting for being a thief, and Lily began leaning more toward this idea.

"I..." Lily began, attempting to paint herself as the one guilty here. "Okay, there's no excuses here, I took the necklace and items because I really needed the money for food! I'm completely guilty here! I'm willing to face the music."

"I just can't understand this." Fluttershy said, still exasperated at this seemingly shocking revelation. "I specifically said that I'd let you stay as long as you need, so you wouldn't have had to worry about starving! How could you still go as far as to steal from us?"

"We can't even trust fillies these days, it seems." Applejack sighed. "Remember Cozy Glow, after all?"

"Well unlike Cozy Glow, I wouldn't really go that far in punishing somepony for theft like this." Twilight began. "However, since you stole from members of the council of friendship, it may actually sway my decision to send you to the Canterlot Dungeon for now, until I'm able to speak with your foster mother. Do you have her contact information? If not, I'm going to have to head over to the adoption centers and report this incident."

Lily shook her head 'no', as she didn't have any knowledge of how to get in touch with her mother. This already made Twilight's decision seem rather easy to make, as no one in the room would have any reason to doubt the filly's confession and claims. Well, everyone, all except for Sunset. The unicorn had already witnessed Lily's supposed mother, and all the horrendous abuse the orange pegasus had put her through.

"Alright, then I guess we'll go with Option A, unless of course, Sunset says otherwise." Twilight announced, before turning to the unicorn. "Sunset, since you mentioned that you knew who the real culprit was, and we have reasons to trust you on matters as serious as this, we'll all need you to finish what you were saying. Was this filly here the one who planted Applejack's necklace into your saddlebag?"

Sunset felt that she had to be honest here, especially after everything she had seen back at The Tasty Treat. It seemed absolutely clear that even if Lily supposedly planted the necklace into her saddlebag, somepony in particular must've forced her to do so, especially since the necklace had randomly disappeared from the orange pegasus, and she had attempted to play it off. But just as Sunset was about to spill the beans, she saw Lily attempting to shake her head 'no', signaling that it'd be a huge mistake to mention the real culprit. Despite this, Sunset knew that she had no choice, and she wasn't about to let the poor filly continue living out this life, where her screams of misery would never be heard.

"As far as I'm aware, there may be a possibility that she did do it." Sunset began, but continued explaining further. "But even if she did, I just KNOW that she wouldn't have done this by choice."

"Why would that be?" Pinkie questioned. "I mean, if I was tempted to eat a wedding cake, knew it was important to somepony else, but ended up taking a bite of it before the actual event, I'd say that's very much still my choice. Err... not that I've done anything like that before."

"Wait a second..." Starlight began recalling an incident that happened a while back. "Double Diamond mentioned that her sister was having a wedding a few months ago, but somepony took a bite out of the cake before the reception. Pinkie... are you trying to tell us something?"

"...Okay, it was me, I confess!" Pinkie shrieked. "I'm just as guilty here!"

"Girls, let's not get sidetracked, we have to settle this now." Twilight insisted. "So, Sunset? According to your claim, does that mean somepony else forced Lily to plant the necklace on you? If that's the case, would you mind explaining who you believe the real culprit is? It wouldn't by any chance be this orange pegasus we mentioned earlier, would it?"

"Alright, Twilight." Sunset began reporting her experience. "Let's just say that while I was working at The Tasty Treat earlier, I somehow encountered a pegasus who fit that exact description. In other words, Lily's foster mother, as we've been calling her. She was an orange pegasus, much like Indigo, but she also had blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow."

"I'll admit, Indigo might as well have been a thief anyways, considering she stole my identity." Rainbow reflected. "As for this actual thief, yeah, I've been hearing rumors and reports of a pony like that."

"So you actually saw her?" Twilight questioned, trying to piece together the story. "Then I presume it was actually her, who was responsible for stealing and planting Applejack's necklace into your saddlebag, and that you managed to put her into custody?"

"Well... almost." Sunset sighed. "She had unfortunately managed to get away before I could even step in to stop her. Needless to say, she was a pretty awful pony, and it took a lot of willpower for me to not just outright smack her. Not to mention, I now realize that before she got away, Lily was trying to warn me regarding where the necklace was hidden."

"That's terrible!" Starlight exclaimed. "In that case, it sounds like this pegasus had been forcing Lily to steal from others, as well as attempting to frame you, Sunset! Well, at least we all know what the actual culprit looks like now, we'll just need to keep our eyes peeled in case she's still out there somewhere."

"Agreed, that's the only thing we can do now." Twilight said. "But since you actually saw her yourself, Sunset? Did you end up finding out who she truly was, or where she was headed off to?"

"Sadly, I didn't learn of her name, nor what happened to her." Sunset continued reporting her experience. "But long story short, she ended up escaping from The Tasty Treat before anypony was able to step in. As far as I'm aware, she was mostly there to have a quick breakfast with Lily, and I assure you. She was barely letting Lily eat anything at all."

"Well, although this pegasus had escaped, are you sure that she's the actual culprit, and not somepony else?" Rainbow began analyzing the situation. "My love of Daring Do books has taught me that the major suspect could always merely be a red herring."

"Trust me, Rainbow." Sunset insisted. "That orange pegasus had to have been the true culprit, especially since I've seen the way she had been treating Lily too. Aside from stealing and planting AJ's necklace, she had also been starving Lily, yelling at her, and being the exact opposite of a caring mother."

"If what you're saying is true, Sunset..." Twilight began making sense of everything. "That must also mean Lily could've been trying to take full blame to either protect her mother's identity, or willingly be taken away to the dungeon as a means of escaping her mother. Is this the case, young filly?"

Realizing that it was likely for the better, Lily decided it was finally time to cut the act, as everypony was smart enough to deduce everything thanks to Sunset. Lily nodded her head 'yes', which helped everypony come to terms with the idea that Lily was truly in danger.

"I'm still sorry for being a thief anyways..." Lily wimpered. "I know how valuable that necklace and bunny were to you both, and I didn't want to do it, but I knew mommy wouldn't have had it any other way. If only there was a way I could get your bunny back. Mommy mentioned she had sold him to a faraway town for some easy money."

"Well, Sunset's already given me my necklace back, so I have no reason to hold a grudge, Lily." Applejack assured. "Besides, knowin' the circumstances now, we just can't get mad at a lil' filly like yourself being forced to steal for your so-called mother."

"And as for Angel, well... I'll just be searching all over Equestria until I can find him again." Fluttershy considered. "It might take a while before I can reunite with him, but just know that I'm not mad anymore, after knowing what you've been through."

"Well, as bad as everything had looked for you, Lily?" Twilight began. "It's nice how Sunset here was able to help clear up this entire, tragic misunderstanding. But then, only one question remains. Where exactly is your mother right now?"

"I don't really know." Lily began confessing. "All I know was that after mommy took me away from this restaurant earlier, she stuffed me into one of the castle's closets and demanded I stay there. Along the way, she did mutter something about wanting to go on a little treasure hunt, but she didn't say what she was after. Please, that's all I know, I swear!"

"Hmm, well if she's here in the castle, then that means she couldn't have gone far at all." Sunset deduced. "But while I was searching for clues earlier regarding the Rainbow Dash imposter, I didn't find anything pointing to the orange pegasus being present around here, other than one of your barrettes, Lily."

"Not in the castle, I'm pretty certain that she went somewhere else." Lily affirmed.

"If that's the case, there's no telling what she could've stolen." Twilight said, rather concerned. "Even worse, the entire council of friendship has been bundled together in the main castle, meaning that none of us could've seen anything else suspicious going on outside. Flash, since you found Lily, did you happen to notice any suspicious activity outside the castle?"

"Negative, princess." Flash Sentry reported back. "That said, I did get a quick glimpse of an orange pegasus feather on the ground earlier, while I was trotting past the Canterlot Museum. It could've been anypony's, though."

"Well... alright." Twilight continued to keep hope that something disastrous hadn't occurred. "In the meantime, I suppose that as for Lily, just as I had suggested earlier, we could take her to the Canterlot Daycare to keep her away from her horrendously abusive mother."

"Yes, princess." Flash nodded. "Right away."

"Oh... I'm afraid I can't let you do that." A voice began on the other side of the room, as everyone swiftly turned around to witness who was speaking.

The voice sounded all too familiar to Sunset and Lily, but as for everyone else, they had never heard this particular pony before. As the door finally opened, they all witnessed an orange pegasus mare with blonde hair, purple eyes, green eyeshadow, and a saddlebag, presumably with stolen items. Everyone else's eyes narrowed upon seeing this pony, realizing that based on her matching the exact description, as well as refusing to let them take Lily away, this was the abusive mother and thief in question.

"That's her!" Sunset pointed her hoof, prompting everyone in the room to act quickly to ensure this awful pony couldn't escape.

Twilight used her magic to lock the door behind the pegasus, before both she and Flash stood in front of the opposite door, blocking her escape. Sunset, Starlight, and Rarity all readied their magic, preparing to blast the pegasus if she were to make a false move. Pinkie Pie began cornering the pegasus as she prepared her party cannon with Fluttershy by her side, whilst Applejack and Rainbow Dash used their immense strength to block off the remaining side doors. With everypony prepared for combat, Spike finally stood in front of Lily, and prepared his fire breath, much like the unicorns with their magic.

"So you're the thief that's been committing robberies all over Equestria, on top of forcing your daughter to steal from others!" Twilight addressed the pegasus standing before her. "You are an absolutely despicable, disgusting pony, you hear me!?"

"And you're completely surrounded now, so there's no use in trying to escape!" Rarity yelled.

"Simply surrender, and you'll simply be saving yourself the humilliation!" Rainbow announced.

"Take one step closer, and it'll be the last mistake you ever make!" Starlight threatened.

"We'll stuff you into this cannon and make you know exactly how a piñata feels at birthday parties!" Pinkie screeched.

"You'll be wishing for something more pleasant than what's coming to you, especially for stealing my sweet Angel!" Fluttershy screamed.

"Granny Smith will be wishin' an absolute burden upon you from beyond the grave!" Applejack said with genuine anger.

"You'll never bring anypony down ever again, you hear!?" Sunset said, now completely tempted to simply blast her magic at the pegasus without a single ounce of hesitation.

"My, my." The pegasus pretended to act afraid. "Whatever shall I do, it seems as if I've found myself between a rock and a hard place. How dare you all accuse some random pony you've never met before like this, and point a hoof without any proof."

"It's too late, you rotten pegasus!" Twilight raised her wings in hostility. "In case it wasn't already obvious, we already know of everything you've done, so there's no need for you to play dumb!"

"But I'm afraid that in this case, I'm already one step ahead of you all." The pegasus smirked. "In fact, I almost feel insulted that you would all believe I'd be this stupid in showing my face now! Let's just say, my treasure hunt was a complete success!"

"Well whatever you stole, it's in your best interest to hand it over, right now!" Twilight demanded. "Bring it out!"

"Fine then, as you wish." The pegasus agreed to the princess's demands, before taking the object out of her own saddlebag.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock upon seeing what the pegasus had stolen. It was a bell that stirred unpleasant memories for them all, especially when it somehow ended up in the possession of Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. The pegasus was now wielding the Bewitching Bell, an artifact that once belonged to the nefarious Grogar, which began glowing, and in one swift move, could very easily drain everyone's magic instantaneously. Sunset and Lily were the only ones who weren't aware of the bell's true power, but noticed that since everyone else suddenly approached with caution and lowered their guard, they'd do the same.

"Isn't that nice?" The pegasus grinned, evilly. "You didn't think I wasn't aware of what this bell could do, especially after I had read about it in the newspaper, did you?"

"You... you don't even know how to use the Bewitching Bell!" Spike tried to act brave."

"Oh no?" The pegasus felt like taking this statement as a challenge, before wielding the artifact and using it to absorb magic from the dragon, which managed to render his wings stiff, and unable to fly.

"MY WINGS!!!" Spike exclaimed in horror.

"I'd be more than happy to take all your magic right now if anypony else feels like stepping out of line." The pegasus said, coldly.

Seeing this, everyone else in the room simply nodded their heads and surrendered to the pegasus, knowing how she was now a genuine threat to them all. She was practically able to take all their magic and become omnipotent, much like Lord Tirek once did when he managed to escape Tartarus.

"Good." The pegasus smirked, before explaining herself. "I had mostly come to Canterlot in search of this mystical artifact, since I've been hearing of it's immense value at auctions! But it seems like I have an even better use for it now, seeing how I even have a princess at my mercy! Anyways, now that I'm in charge here, I think it's in your best interest to let me have exactly what I want!"

"W-What do you want, exactly?" Twilight asked, rather concerned.

"Well, I've already taken enough of Canterlot's riches at this point, so bits and jewelry don't really interest me anymore." The pegasus began making demands. "However, since I very much still like that Apple-studded red ruby necklace that farm pony is holding, I'll be taking that. Unless of course, you prefer I take away your magic, instead. One false move from anyone in this room, and all your magic will be mine, understood!?"

Everyone else apart from the pegasus had nodded in unison, as Applejack approached the pegasus and handed over her necklace, tearfully. She knew that Granny wouldn't have wanted this, but that her late grandmother also wouldn't have wanted AJ to endanger all her friends, including herself. The pegasus gladly took the necklace back, before also turning back to the one daughter she absolutely loved to use for her own personal gain.

"And of course, I'll gladly take my daughter back, too." The pegasus demanded, before pointing Lily to come back to her side.

As much as Lily had hesitated upon hearing this, she knew she had no other choice, when it came to protecting everypony else in the room, especially Sunset. As Spike moved out of Lily's way, the little filly lowered her head in shame and sadly trotted back over to her ruthless mother, as the pegasus simply smiled at the power this bell had suddenly given her. With both the necklace and her daughter back in her possession, the pegasus simply carried on, now that her treasure hunt in Canterlot was completed.

"Alright, that'll be all for now." The pegasus said, now satisfied. "You fools are lucky that I didn't simply drain your magic with this bell, even after you gave in to my demands. I could very easily still do so, but I'm in a good mood right now. Simply open the doors, and you'll never see Lily nor I ever again."

Not wanting to take any chances, Flash and Twilight complied with the pegasus's request, before opening the front doors and moving out of the way. The pegasus nonchalantly trotted out of the castle with Grogar's bell, Bright Mac's necklace, and Lily, whom she was inevitably going to abuse even worse, now that she had even greater power over her. As Lily and her mother had finally exited, Twilight then had an epiphany. The pegasus was simply using Lily and the council's meeting as a diversion, while she ransacked the museum and managed to get her hooves on Grogar's bell.

"This is all my fault." Twilight sighed. "If only I had sent some royal guards to keep watch on the rest of Canterlot, we could've prevented this. It was also a dumb decision to put Grogar's Bell on display at the Canterlot Museum, but it was mostly there to document what had happened when it fell into the wrong hooves. After the defeat of Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis, I hadn't considered the possibility of anypony else stealing it, let alone using such an underhanded tactic to do so."

"Don't say that, Twilight." Sunset assured. "No one could've seen this coming, especially since that pegasus truly outsmarted us all."

"That may be, but it's my duty to protect my friends in even the toughest of times, especially since I'm now the princess of all of Equestria." Twilight continued moping. "I let that pegasus get away, rob us all, and even worse, allowed her to get away with Grogar's Bell. There's no telling what she'll end up doing with it now, or what will happen if she actually goes through with selling it to someone else. It's only been a few days since I've become the ruler of Equestria, and I've already let an imminent disaster occur..."

Twilight then grabbed the official crown given to her by both Celestia and Luna, and took it off of her head, before sighing.

"T-Twilight?" Sunset said, concerned. "What are you doing?"

"I'm such a terrible princess." Twilight sighed to herself, before throwing the crown on the floor. "I don't deserve to wear this crown..."

Everyone gasped upon seeing Twilight this heartbroken in defeat, but Sunset still stood strong. As terrible as the circumstances were, now that the pegasus had a seemingly dangerous artifact, Sunset continued to maintain positivity, believing that it still wasn't the end of the world. She herself was well familiar with numerous people in the human world possessing dangerous Equestrian artifacts from time to time, and felt that this would be no different. As such, she picked the crown off of the floor and placed it back onto Twilight's head, before also placing a hoof on the princess's shoulder.

"Twilight..." Sunset began talking to Twilight, hoof to heart. "You're anything but a terrible princess. If there's anything Princess Celestia taught me from her experience, it's that even princesses make mistakes. Plus, let's just say that while I was visiting her in Silver Shoals, another pony you've had some history with, she mentioned a thing or two about how you taught her the values of imperfection. Some librarian mare, I recall."

"Dusty Pages?" Twilight deduced. "Yeah, she even reminded me of how perfection is impossible to achieve, but I still can't help but feel like I failed. I wasn't able to protect my friends, thus allowing a dangerous pony to escape with a powerful artifact."

"But you did it for all your friends." Sunset assured. "You gave her exactly what she wanted, in the hopes that we'd all be out of harm's way. If you actually decided to risk everything and take that chance, we'd all be on the ground right now, weakened and drained of our magic. Knowing the circumstances, you weren't reckless and managed to approach the situation calmly, making certain that everypony's safety would be your number one priority, regardless of taking losses. That's exactly what a good princess would do."

"Sunset's got a point there." Starlight said with mutual agreement. "After all, even under Princess Celestia's rule, I don't think we could've accounted for the invasion of the Changeling kingdom, nor Cozy Glow's dastardly plans."

"Y-You're right." Twilight said, with a new ounce of hope. "I should at least be happy for the fact that we're all okay with our magic still intact. But I guess... it just didn't seem likely for Princess Celestia to allow disaster to strike this early, following her rule."

"I'm sure she's had plenty of incidents like this over the 1,000 years she's ruled Equestria." Sunset believed. "I know things look bad right now, but we haven't lost yet just because we're down. We only lose if we aren't able to get back up."

"I really like that line of thinking." Twilight said, now with her confidence back. "Thanks for having faith in me, Sunset."

"This is exactly what Princess Celestia would've wanted me to pass down to my friends all those years ago, so I'm happy to hear I've helped you regain your confidence." Sunset smiled. "Other than her getting away with that bell artifact, I'm also quite concerned with what will become of Lily. Just imagine, a pony like her mother becoming even more powerful than she already was."

"Oh no, you're quite right!" Rarity exclaimed with realization. "That poor little filly, if she's been forced to steal from others before, there's no telling what she'll be forced to do next! I could never imagine anypony treating my little sister like that, but if I ever did come across such a pony, they'd be begging for mercy."

"What will we do now, though?" Applejack questioned. "As far as I'm aware, we've now met a pony who's just as power-hungry as Tirek on the loose. We can't just sit around and do nothin', especially when a little filly's on the line."

"Maybe I should go stop her myself." Sunset said, determined. "I've met plenty of humans in the other world who've wielded magical artifacts, and I managed to stop them all before the damage they inflicted was permanent. It'll be worth a shot, and plus, this will be personal, especially after seeing everything she's done to all my friends."

"Sunset, no!" Spike insisted. "You saw what that bell did to my wings, there's no telling what'll happen to you if you go alone!"

"Spike's right." Twilight nodded. "It might be too dangerous, especially if she ends up absorbing your magic."

"Don't worry, I'm willing to risk anything for my friends, even if it means taking losses." Sunset stated, firmly. "If she somehow ends up overpowering me, so be it. I'll at least be happy for giving it my best shot, and that it won't come at the expense of anypony else. If we all go together, we might all end up losing our magic to her, and I'm not willing to let that happen."

"If you're really willing to take that chance for us all, you truly are the bravest pony here, Sunset." Twilight put a hoof on Sunset's shoulder, wishing her luck, as all her other friends did the same.

"Thanks, everypony." Sunset nodded, before getting ready to chase down that pegasus, guns blazing.

"But Sunset, before you go-" Twilight began, but realized she was too late, as Sunset had already teleported away. "...it'd be nice for us to at least come up with a plan first."

"Perhaps, but it's likely that by the time we came up with said plan, that orange pegasus might already be long gone." Flash surmised. "Either way, we all have to pray for Sunset's safety. She's just as brave as my father once was..."

As Sunset immediately remembered which direction the pegasus had trotted off to, she had already teleported to the far entrance of Canterlot, crossing her hooves that the thief and Lily hadn't already escaped. Since this teleportation spell had only sent Sunset through fairly short distance, it hadn't completely drained her magic, which allowed her to still it it combat, if needed. After teleporting, she found herself behind one of the Canterlot gate's front buildings, and heard Lily and her mother slowly approaching. The orange pegasus was having a supposed private conversation with her daughter, which Sunset began overhearing.

"And just remember now, Lily." The pegasus began instructing her daughter. "Do you remember what you had found in my other necklace last night? Well, you are not to mention it to your father under any circumstances! Because if you do, just know that you'll get to know the Bewitching Bell much more fondly. Have I made myself clear?"

"Y-Yes..." Lily wimpered.

"You should've honestly known better than to sneak into my bedroom and go through my belongings!" The pegasus snarled. "Luckily for you, I'm a very forgiving pony, especially now that I have an artifact that can let me get whatever I want."

"Okay, mommy." Lily nodded, rather intimidated. "Why is it so important, though?"

"You really think that I'm willing to explain that to you after you had betrayed my trust earlier at the restaurant?" The pegasus reminded. "Thankfully, I know that you'll keep quiet now, since you won't have a choice. Besides, very few know of what it's actually called, so without that knowledge, it's inconsequential, regardless. Just like how your father has yet to know of my birth name. But I'd be an absolute fool to tell him before our wedding."

The pegasus was slowly approaching the main gate at this point, but overhearing this had allowed Sunset to surmise it'd most likely be crucial to learn of this pony's name, especially since she had been hiding this from her husband. Judging from the earlier statement, inspecting this other necklace would most likely give Sunset a vital clue. Although aware that the pony before her was wielding an enchanted bell that could steal her magic instantaneously, Sunset didn't really care. Stopping this pony at all costs would've been for the greater good, for her friends, Lily, and especially all of Equestria. As the pegasus began coming around the corner, Sunset instantly tackled her to the ground, thus making her lose her grip on the Bewitching Bell, as well as her saddlebag.

"What the-!?" The pegasus attempted to connect, before falling over and becoming dazed temporarily.

Lily's eyes widened in surprise at this, but she was internally happy that Sunset appeared to be coming to her rescue once more. Now a fair distance away from her mother, Lily left her side and immediately trotted over to Sunset, feeling protected. As the pegasus was attempting to get up from the sudden attack, Sunset immediately grabbed the bell, before also going over to the thief's saddlebag, and trying to understand if this custom necklace could give her a clue of the pony's actual name. Since the bag's contents were all scattered on the ground, it was the perfect opportunity to get a good look at this necklace.

Besides Applejack's necklace, there was only one other, which sat nearby plethora of scattered bits. The central piece appeared to actually be a locket, unlike the apple-shaped necklace, which was simply a pendant with a gem in the center. Upon further inspection, Sunset opened up this locket, and noticed what looked like a black gemstone on the inside, which had a seemingly mysterious glow. Unsure of what this gemstone truly was, Sunset closed the locket, before getting a better look at the shape of it. It was at this point, Sunset noticed the locket itself was shaped like a chestnut, which finally allowed her to remember the name of this pegasus thief's human counterpart.

"Ugh... you again!?" The pegasus snapped, before also growling in rage at seeing Sunset holding her bell and locket.

"I know who you are now!" Sunset frowned, as she believed she finally had the upper hand. "You're Chestnut Magnifico!"

Chestnut's eyes widened at this, rather taken back at this seeming stranger somehow knowing her name.

"W-What did you just say!?" Chestnut said, exasperated. "How do you know that name!?"

"That's not really important to know now, is it?" Sunset asked, rhetorically. "Now then, since I have the Bewitching Bell, it's my turn to give orders! You're going to march right back to Princess Twilight and turn yourself in, as well as giving back everything you've stolen! You'll also be letting me know who your husband is, so I can tell him all about you, especially with how you've been treating Lily!"

"Hmph." Chestnut rolled her eyes. "And if I refuse?"

"Then I'm going to drain you of your magic, and leave you in a weakened state until Princess Twilight arrives!" Sunset threatened, as she held up the Bewitching Bell.

"Haha!" Chestnut laughed. "You really that much of an unintelligent cottage crawler, huh? That so-called Bewitching Bell you have right now is merely a flimflam! A fake! I can't believe you'd think I would be dumb enough to carry around the real one casually, in a city surrounded by royal guards! To be honest, the only thing that took me by surprise was how you somehow know of my real name, but that is of little importance now!"

"You... you're bluffing!" Sunset believed, as she attempted to use the Bewitching Bell to absorb Chestnut's magic, but to no avail.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Chestnut shook her head, disapprovingly. "It's become rather obvious to me now that you clearly can't handle the truth."

"Well if this is fake, then where's the real one!?" Sunset demanded to know, as she tossed the fake bell to the side.

"Like I would ever tell you!" Chestnut spat. "But enough of this prattle, you've wasted enough of my time today! Now give me back my saddlebag right now, if you know what's best for you!"

"Fake artifact or not, you're going to have to take it from me!" Sunset growled, as she was finally ready to show this pegasus just how mean she herself could really get.

Sunset began using her magic to blast Chestnut relentlessly, but it seemed rather useless. No matter how many shots she made, similar to a machine gun, her target kept moving swiftly to avoid contact, and it felt like Sunset wasn't making much progress at all. This was especially noticeable with how Chestnut managed to move around and occasionally yawn, hinting that she was practically doing this in her sleep, whilst Sunset was focusing all her energy on this one task, continuously getting more exhausted by the second.

"Are you finished yet?" Chestnut teased, as she took a moment to comb her mane. "I have a hooficure appointment soon too, so I'd very much appreciate you hurrying up."

"Give it up, already!" Sunset panted. "After everything you've done, there's no way I'm going to let you get away with this! I can stay here all day if I need to!"

"My, my." Chestnut sneered. "You certainly have quite the skills with your little unicorn magic. I wonder how it would benefit me, if it was on my side instead?"

"Yeah, right." Sunset readied her horn, ready to blast magic at the awful pegasus again, if she were to refuse cooperation. "No more of these games, you go right back to Princess Twilight and turn yourself in, unless you want me to ruin your makeup!"

"Hmm..." Chestnut began pretending to think, before coming out with the obvious answer. "No thanks."

"Alright, if I can't persuade you to turn yourself in by brute force, maybe I can convince you otherwise with your precious necklace!" Sunset snapped in frustration, before holding up Bright Mac's necklace, and pointing her horn at it.

"Yeah, right." Chestnut sneered, as she simply stared at this proposition. "I've seen how much of a goody-horsehoes you were to my daughter. You might as well also tell me that chestnuts grow on apple trees!"

"I MEAN IT!" Sunset screeched, as she began starting to magic up in her horn. "You won't have this valuable necklace anymore, and I could very easily end its existence in less than a second!"

Lily looked absolutely shocked at this, but Chestnut simply watched on without even blinking, believing that Sunset was merely toying with her.

"Oh yeah?" Chestnut said, rather amused. "I dare you, then. Go right on ahead and entertain me."

Sunset then looked back at Lily, with the magic already built up in her horn, and ready to pull the trigger. As Chestnut stared on with an evil and confident grin on her face, Sunset looked at Lily for a second. The filly's expression conveyed that even if Sunset destroyed the necklace, her mother still wouldn't budge. But even without this, Sunset knew internally that Chestnut was absolutely correct, in the sense that she herself could never have the heart to willingly destroy this necklace, which Applejack truly cherished and valued. She remembered once again specifically stating back at the first CHS Fall Formal that she wasn't a monster, and she intended to stay true to that belief.

As it looked like Chestnut was truly calling Sunset's bluff on attempting to destroy the necklace at all, she would soon see her hunch being correct. After a few more moments of this rather convincing act, Sunset simply closed her eyes, lowered her head in shame, and stopped her horn's magic in an instant. She then released the apple necklace, setting it down for the time being. Lily felt relieved at this, as she knew internally, it didn't seem like Sunset to do something as far as destroying one of her friend's most prized possessions. But regardless, no longer having any leverage on Chestnut as a means of convincing her to turn herself in, Sunset practically felt like giving up at this point.

"Haha, I knew you couldn't do it!" Chestnut simply laughed on, knowing that she practically had nothing to lose whatsoever. "Lily! You come back to mommy right now, OR ELSE!"

Lily's eyes widened upon hearing this, as she instinctively came back to her mother's side, leaving Sunset with only Chestnut's saddlebag in her grip.

"Alright, well..." Sunset began panting in emotional frustration. "If you don't turn yourself in right now, you'll never see this saddlebag ever again!"

"You really still think you have the power to order me around?" Chestnut growled, before trotting over to the fake bell Sunset had thrown earlier, and picking it up. "Put it this way, I do not take orders from uneducated ponies like yourself, who would even fall for such a ruse as there being a fake bell!"

As Chestnut picked up the supposed 'fake' Bewitching Bell, she activated a lever on the inside of it, which caused it to power back up again. Sunset's eyes widened at this, knowing that she messed up, big time, for not considering the possibility of the artifact being turned off. It turns out that this fake bell was actually the real deal all along, and it unfortunately fell back into the possession of the nefarious Chestnut Magnifico, who now had Sunset at her mercy, once again. As Chestnut believed that Sunset was nothing more than an annoying mosquito, and she had already warned her of what would happen if she stepped out of line, she finally pointed the artifact at the unicorn, as Sunset attempted to teleport away.

But before Sunset even had a chance to react, Chestnut Magnifico had already started to use the Bewitching Bell to absorb Sunset's magic, and this went beyond what she was expecting. Instead of simply draining the unicorn of her magic, it had also created a more damaging effect, whilst acting in favor of the rotten pegasus. This experience appeared to be quite similar to the memory stone incident, when the human Wallflower absorbed Sunset's own memories, before leaving her in a weakened state. Sunset collapsed to the ground almost instantaneously, feeling like she couldn't control her magic anymore, or for that matter, her horn. It took a few moments for her to get up and regain consciousness, before realizing that something felt incredibly wrong.

"Thanks a bunch for the horn, this was such a nice donation!" Chestnut grinned evilly.

Sunset quickly felt the top of her head with her hooves, staring in horror at how her own horn had vanished. She was essentially now an Earth pony, while the awful pegasus before her had become an alicorn with wings and a horn. What kind of sick sorcery had that bell performed on her, and was there even a way to get her horn back now? Regardless of the circumstances, Sunset felt she truly had no choice at this point but to back down, as losing her horn had practically rendered her defenseless. The loss of her magic had also weakened her physical strength, making it so Sunset barely even made it a couple of inches from where she stood, before collapsing once again in defeat.

"You... monster!" Sunset gave her final breath to address the evil and power hungry pegasus.

"Awww, was that supposed to coarse through my heart?" Chestnut said, sarcastically, as her heart was practically made of stone. "That actually hurt my feelings, I hope you feel proud of yourself! Thankfully for you, your debt has been repaid thanks to this boost of magic you've decided to kindly give up for me."

"We'll... still manage to stop you!" Sunset continued to stay determined.

"Don't be so sure about that!" Chestnut smirked. "Especially since I took my sweet time in pillaging all sorts of other magical artifacts from the Canterlot Museum! I just hid them in this bell, since it makes it a lot easier to carry around! Plus, just look at me, now! I have magic, and you have nothing!"

Hearing that last statement reminded Sunset again of the CHS Fall Formal, where her demon-self had said the exact same words to Princess Twilight. But unlike Twilight, who immediately had her new human friends back her up in combat, Sunset was all alone, making it so that particular statement was unfortunately true. Chestnut Magnifico practically had enough power to conquer lands, much like Lord Tirek had sought out to do himself. Although Lily was Sunset's only friend in this current scene, she was unfortunately way too afraid of her mother to step in, especially now that her mother had alicorn magic and the Bewitching Bell.

"Alright, now that this pesky unicorn is out of our manes, we might as well get started on a little shopping spree, where we'll get a plethora of 100% discounts!" Chestnut said, rather satisfied, before going over to Sunset and taking her own saddlebag back. "Let's go right now, Lily! Cause you already know now what happens otherwise."

Lily nodded sadly and did exactly as she was told, though she couldn't believe internally that her own mother was about to willingly let Sunset harm her. The little filly wasn't upset with Sunset at all over that earlier incident, since she knew that deep down, Sunset was only doing anything she could to protect her, which entailed sending her mother into the custody of Canterlot. Regardless, Chestnut proved to outwit Sunset in a plethora of ways during their confrontation, which had unfortunately allowed the pegasus to get away with everything. The Bewitching Bell, the artifacts, Applejack's inherited necklace, Lily Pad, and now Sunset's horn too.

However, Sunset's belief that she was truly all alone was anything but the truth, as before slowly falling unconscious from exhaustion, she could very vaguely make it two ponies coming up to her. Despite this, it didn't make Sunset feel any better, knowing that she had more or less failed her mission in defeating Chestnut Magnifico and getting her put into custody. By this point, Sunset didn't recall too much about the human Chestnut, other than the fact she was initially a hotheaded diva, but was shown to be more kind and level-headed later during that Daring Do film's production. This Chestnut on the other hand, much like Madame Cinch, proved to be much meaner than their human counterparts, at least according to Sunset. This was the main thing that occupied her mind before blacking out, as the two ponies finally ran up to her, rather concerned.

"Oh no, it looks like we're too late!" Twilight exclaimed in horror, seeing that Sunset was not only unconscious, but that her horn was gone too. "I knew we should've come up with a solid plan first..."

"It looks like that pegasus managed to use the Bewitching Bell to steal not only her magic, but her horn too!" Flash observed. "Sunset, you gave it your best shot, and that's all that matters now. Dad would be proud of your sacrifice."

"I'm sure Sentinel Sentry would, if he was with us now." Twilight nodded in agreement. "Flash, we must get Sunset some medical attention, and bring her back to the Canterlot infirmary as quickly as possible!"

"Affirmative, princess!" Flash nodded, before picking Sunset up with his hooves and carrying the unconscious unicorn to the designated building.

With Chestnut Magnifico now on the loose, there was just no telling what the dastardly pegasus was planning to do with her newfound magic, nor the predicaments Lily would find herself in, now that her mother was even more powerful than she already was. Although still completely unconscious and carried away to receive medical treatment, one thought kept on lingering on in Sunset's consciousness. Who exactly was Chestnut's husband, who was also supposedly the father of Lily? It would most certainly come as a major shock to her when she would inevitably find out in due time...

Chapter 64: Back to The Future

Waking up in one of the beds within Canterlot's infirmary, Sunset could slowly move her hooves, but overall still felt quite weakened with her magic gone. Her eyes had also become somewhat faded, much like the many ponies who once fell victim to Lord Tirek's rampage all over Equestria. Regardless, she had brushed off this fact, feeling rather relieved that she was not terribly injured from that fight with Chestnut Magnifico, aside from losing her horn and magic. As the former unicorn opened her eyes and tried to process what happened, she began to slowly get up from the bed to vaguely notice two ponies standing right in front of her, looking rather concerned.

"Sunset, please... can you speak?" Twilight begged, worried for her friend's current condition.

"T-Twilight...?" Sunset began to parse her vision, but the drainage of her magic had even affected this as well. "W-What... happened...?"

"You were truly taking one for the team." Starlight sighed. "It's so brave how you went ahead to stop that orange pegasus on your own. Unfortunately, it seems that she overpowered you with Grogar's bell, which resulted in you losing not only your magic, but also your horn."

"My horn..." Sunset recalled. "That's... right. T-T-Twilight... this... this is all my fault... we must stop..."

"No, Sunset." Twilight put a hoof on her friend's head. "You're in no condition to do anything. You must sit here and fully recover before I can allow you to go anywhere."

"And please, don't blame yourself on this." Starlight assured. "You were quite brave to put an end to her schemes, while the rest of us stood back. Plus, since she had the Bewitching Bell, it's most likely that she could've very easily just stolen the magic from somepony else, and we'd still have the same, current predicament."

"That's absolutely right." Twilight nodded. "I can admire your willingness to put others before yourself, so I'm still very proud of you for your efforts."

"I... guess you're right..." Sunset slowly spoke. "W-Wait a second... how long... was I out... cold?"

"I'd say around 45 minutes or so." Starlight checked a nearby clock. "I'm not too familiar with what happens when you get drained of your magic, but what I'm certain of is, the loss of your magic will keep you in this weakened state."

"That's unfortunately true." Twilight sighed. "Lord Tirek once went on a spree draining ponies of their magic, and everypony was only able to recover after that power-hungry centaur was defeated. There's no telling where that pegasus had fled off to, so I'm afraid there's not much we can do."

As Twilight began pondering a possible solution, Rarity made her way into Sunset's room, just as concerned for her friend's well being.

"Sunset, thank Celestia you're awake." Rarity began approaching the hospital bed. "I'm really sorry this happened to you, darling, it was especially brave and noble of you to risk your magic in protecting Equestria."

"T...Thanks... Rarity." Sunset continued struggling to talk.

"Losing her magic is one thing, but unfortunately, losing both her horn AND magic has left her with almost no energy." Twilight explained. "I feel extra bad, because Sunset was also planning on returning back to the human world to attend her graduation at CHS. I just... wish there was something we could do."

"Wait a minute." Starlight began recalling something Twilight had shared with her before. "Didn't you mention to me that during Lord Tirek's rampage, after he had escaped from Tartarus the first time, the other princesses transferred their alicorn magic to you?"

"...That's right!" Twilight replied with newfound hope. "Maybe if I transferred some of my magic into her, she could-"

"Unfortunately, that won't work." Starlight elaborated. "I specifically remember in my studies that whenever somepony transfers their magic to another being, it's a 100% transfer. Meaning, if you give her your magic, it'll completely drain you."

"That's okay, I'd be willing to do just that for Sunset." Twilight affirmed. "Especially if it means letting her have the energy to attend her graduation. There's just one problem. I've never done a transfer spell before, the same one that Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadance all used to transfer their magic into my horn."

"I know how to perform that spell." Starlight volunteered herself. "Most importantly, I also know how to relay the magic onto somepony else, even if that magic isn't mine. Let's just say... this particular skill took a majority of my childhood to fully master."

"Well, it's a good thing you've got your own merits in magic then!" Twilight said with optimism. "Alright then. Sunset, in that case, why don't we get started right now?"

"Twilight... no..." Sunset responded. "You're the... princess of... Equestria now... I can't... possibly accept..."

"She does have a point." Rarity sighed. "Twilight, you're the princess of all of Equestria, and there's currently a miscreant on the loose with Grogar's bell. If you don't have your magic, and something else comes up... it's just a risk we can't take."

"I'm not sure what else we could do though..." Twilight pondered. "We can't ask Starlight to simply give up her magic either, since she's the only one who knows how to relay the transfer spell."

"I'll give Sunset my magic." Rarity offered. "It's certainly the least I could do in return for how much of a friend she's been to all of us."

"Rarity... I can't... take..." Sunset began.

"Please, Sunset." Rarity insisted. "I likely wouldn't even have my magic right now if it wasn't for you attempting to stop that pegasus on your own. Plus, you were the main reason Miss Valencia and I were able to overpower the awful Madame of Manehattan. Getting you to your graduation and improving your current condition, it would mean the world to me after all that."

"Most importantly, this transfer spell will only make Rarity lose her magic, not her horn." Starlight explained. "She'd still be able to retain her energy without succumbing to similar effects. However, I'm fairly certain that this won't give you back your horn, given how that pegasus had stolen it."

"Sunset..." Rarity put a hoof on her weary friend. "Please, at least take my magic. I simply will not take 'no' for an answer."

Sunset realized that it was likely for the better, especially since her current condition would certainly give her no chance at being able to make it back to her graduation at CHS, nor enjoying her return to Equestria. Understanding that Rarity was almost as insistent as the human Lily Pad once was with her $50 bill, Sunset finally accepted the offer, nodding her head in agreement. This prompted Twilight and the two other unicorns to nod to each other as well, as Starlight finally began initiating the spell. Rarity and Starlight's horns began glowing, before both of the unicorn's eyes emitted a solid white glow, much like the princesses did when they transferred their magic to Twilight.

Before long, Rarity's magic had slowly left her horn, and began channeling into Starlight's. With the added power, Starlight was then able to cast her magic into a spherical orb of magic in the air, which started descending down into Sunset. After a few moments of the process, Sunset could slowly begin perceiving her surroundings much better, as the magic was restoring her energy and physical strength. Soon enough, the process was completed, and Sunset felt almost as energized as before. However, feeling the top of her head, her horn was unfortunately still missing. However, she felt she could care less about that fact for now, as she was mostly thankful at being in a recovered state, despite essentially being turned into an Earth pony.

"It... It worked!" Sunset felt on top of the world. "Rarity, thank you... I don't know what to say, I-"

"I wanted to, in return for your own selflessness and generosity, Sunset." Rarity smiled. "After all, that is the same philosophy I had taught Miss Pommel. I may not have my magic anymore, but I'm still capable of doing everyday activities. Plus, let's just say that I most likely wouldn't have had a magical experience if I was still working for the Madame right now, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess that's a fair point." Sunset giggled. "I don't even mind that my horn's gone, especially since I've already spent a long time in the human world without it. All I can say with certainty is, I'm back in business! Well, I'm definitely still hoping there's a way I can get my actual horn back. Because sadly, without an actual horn, I still won't be able to use my magic."

"Of course, Sunset." Twilight understood. "We'll most likely need to do an investigation to figure out where this pegasus has gone off to with the Bewitching Bell. But until then, now that you've regained your strength, what do you propose on doing? Would you maybe like to return to the human world now, as to avoid any further inconveniences that would prevent you from enjoying your graduation?"

"Hmm, I guess since my time's running out, it might be better to go back a little early..." Sunset considered. "But unfortunately, I can't help but think that something might go wrong here in Equestria, especially since that pegasus flew off with that bell, along with my horn."

"Don't worry at all about that, Sunset." Twilight assured. "That'll be my responsibility, and I'll ensure that nothing bad will happen while you're in the human world. I'm sure this will at least be easier for us to deal with, considering it's only one pegasus who has that bell."

"Yeah, that's true." Starlight added. "It once fell into the hooves of a filly, centaur, and changeling queen, after all. I'm sure we'll figure something out. Plus, if we manage to defeat and capture her, we'll be sure to give you your horn back whenever you return again."

"That's just it..." Sunset sighed and began confessing. "When I return again, who knows how long that'll be? Without my horn now, it'll practically be just like how I've been feeling in the human world, especially ever since the Friendship Games at CHS. I've mentioned my aspirations to continue staying in Equestria were primarily centered around still having a horn, so..."

"Sunset... you don't mean...?" Twilight began deducing what Sunset had meant.

"That's right, now I might actually consider changing my mind about taking an extended stay in Equestria." Sunset replied. "I'm sorry, Twilight. But I almost see no purpose in staying in Equestria anymore if I can't use my magic, and the only way to get my horn back is finding and defeating that pegasus."

"I understand." Twilight respected her friend's decision. "Well, like I've said before, we won't hold you back on your own decisions, especially when it comes to your graduation at CHS. I'm at least happy to hear that this new decision won't keep you distant from your human friends afterwards. Does this mean that you'd like to return to the human world now?"

"Unfortunately... I can't just yet." Sunset began explaining. "I just have this lingering feeling that something could go extremely wrong if I choose to go back now, and by the time I return, Equestria won't be the same anymore."

"But darling, hasn't that already been the case?" Rarity questioned. "Equestria's definitely changed quite a bit since the time you've been in that other world."

"Well... yes." Sunset replied. "But I'm referring to that pegasus who stole my horn and has the Bewitching Bell. What worries me is, she doesn't just have anypony's horn, she has MY horn. That means... she now possesses my skills and knowledge of magic. I feel like that's a lot more worrisome."

"I hadn't thought of that." Twilight said, now beginning to worry herself.

"So more or less, if I choose to go back now, I'm not sure I can sleep at night anymore, knowing there may always be a chance that Equestria will fall into ruins." Sunset explained. "I might not have had to worry about anything like that before, but now that I've seen what the Bewitching Bell is capable of, I know this is a serious matter. A pony like her on the loose with such a powerful artifact, I just don't know if I can bring myself to go back yet."

"Well... how would we know for certain if that pegasus is a genuine threat to Equestria?" Twilight pondered. "I wouldn't want you to feel this way all the time, especially after all we've been through together."

"...There IS one method I could think of, Twilight." Starlight suggested. "I'm sure you and I know this method pretty well before we first got acquainted."

"...No, I don't know if that's a good idea." Twilight said, reluctantly. "Time traveling can get extremely messy if we tamper with even the smallest thing in an alternate timeline."

"Not really." Starlight began elaborating. "Remember how we traveled to the future multiple times to witness various realities as a result of stopping Rainbow perform her Sonic Rainboom? Then we traveled back in time, and later to the present without any negative effects. The point being, if we travel to the future, we'll at least get a good glimpse at what Equestria will be like later on, and can come back without setting off the butterfly effect. Seeing the future won't have as much impact as changing the past, but most importantly, nothing will remain permanent as long as the scroll is still intact. I'll do everything I can to make sure nothing will go wrong, and that we can return to our current timeline without any issues."

"Well... I guess that would be fine then." Twilight leaned more toward Starlight's reasoning. "But this is mostly to help Sunset feel reassured if she decides to continue living on in the human world. What do you say, Sunset? Should we go for it?"

"If it's safe and will give us a better understanding of what's to come, I'm down for it." Sunset agreed. "I'm thinking that if Equestria will be okay in the future, I'll be much more relieved during my time in the human world. Truth be told, I've had the occasional nightmare in fearing something would go wrong while living there. Whether that'd be the portal's magic failing, or coming back to Equestria, completely decimated."

"Sounds like we're going on a time travel spree then." Twilight nodded. "Alright, well... first thing's first. We'll need to find that scroll and... wait a minute. Oh no, that may be a problem. After Starlight and I put our differences aside, the scroll returned through the void and disappeared. How will we travel back without that scroll?"

"Well actually, we don't need THAT specific scroll to pull this off." Starlight explained. "See, all I really did was copy Starswirl's spell, modified it with certain conditions, and then I used my magic to activate the scroll's effects. If you have any spare scrolls laying around, I can essentially recreate it and make a duplicate. Let's just say... I know that spell pretty well."

"I'd imagine so." Twilight said. "Well sure, in that case, I think I have a new supply of scrolls sitting in the Canterlot library, so I'll go fetch them and-"

But before Twilight could finish, Pinkie entered the room, holding what looked like a pile of paper scraps.

"Hey, Twilight?" Pinkie called out. "I stopped by the Canterlot library to return one of my books, and I saw these shredded papers all over the floor. Is it fine if I use them to make a piñata?

"Wha... shredded?" Twilight said, exasperated. "They were perfectly fine when I was organizing the library last night. Sunset, since you were there, you didn't by any chance see anything suspicious, did you?"

"Not that I know of?" Sunset said, still rather confused as to why Twilight continued to believe she was in the library last night.

"Well regardless, I guess I'll order a new supply when I get the chance." Twilight sighed. "But Pinkie, do you at least see any scrolls we might still be able to salvage? Just one."

"Maybe this one?" Pinkie reached into the pile and pulled out a scroll that looked at least 90% intact. "I think that's the only one that looks usable. Does this mean I can make my piñata? Let's just say... it'll be for somepony special."

"Sure Pinkie, go right on ahead." Twilight agreed, before trotting over and taking the scroll, as Pinkie picked up the remaining shreds and exited the room. "Alright, Starlight. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Positive." Starlight nodded, before grabbing a nearby quill, ready to rewrite Starswirl's time travel spell.

After around 5 minutes, Starlight had managed to successfully recreate the exact spell she had used long ago to prevent Rainbow Dash from pulling off the Sonic Rainboom. The main difference however, was that she removed the modification that would force herself to be sent back every single time. For the sake of consistency, after returning to the present, the destination they would all teleport to would remain in the Canterlot infirmary, rather than the location of the map within Twilight's castle. As Starlight finished proofreading her spell and all the newer modifications, she nodded to Twilight, who knew it was now time to witness what the future of Equestria would hold. But before going, Twilight turned to Rarity again, before she, Sunset, and Starlight would start traveling through time.

"We'll all be seeing what Equestria will be like under these current circumstances." Twilight explained. "Will you be coming with us, Rarity?"

"It would be intriguing, but I'm currently the only one aside from you three who knows you'll be going through time." Rarity replied. "Perhaps it'd be better if I stay behind and ensure you're all able to safely return. If you're gone for too long, I could let everypony else know, and maybe even find Celestia for further assistance."

"That does sound like a good idea." Twilight nodded. "Alright, in that case, let's go, girls. How did we do this last time again...?"

"I'm on it." Starlight winked, before using her magic to activate the spell once again.

The initial activation created a large wave of energy rings, slowly opening up a time-traveling portal, which was currently set to send them to the future. Starlight began levitating, ready to enter the portal first, herself. She set the scroll on a nearby table, before reminding Twilight that she needed to touch the magical scroll in order to come with her, while she was currently keeping the spell active with her magic. Twilight then explained to Sunset about this, as the two ponies were ready to see the future. As Starlight entered the portal first, Twilight and Sunset touched the scroll simultaneously, applying the spell's effects to themselves. Rarity stood back and watched, astonished by what she was witnessing.

The portal magically sucked Twilight in like a vacuum, before doing the same with Sunset. Although it admittedly gave Twilight some bad memories, given what had happened the last time she was involved in a time travel spell, Sunset wasn't as phased. It practically felt like her usual routine in going through the portal between two different worlds, as she had already done for quite some time now. As both Sunset and Twilight traveled through the wormhole, they were eventually teleported and released onto the location of Twilight's castle map, much like Starlight's spell had done before. But upon getting up, whilst Starlight had grabbed the magical scroll that had fell along with them, the three ponies saw that something was terribly wrong.

To Starlight and Twilight, they were immensely shocked to see a familiar future they had both witnessed before, which had internally given them both psychological trauma the first time around. But to Sunset, she didn't quite understand the full context, before realizing that Equestria looked much darker, deserted, and seemingly in ruins. This was the exact same future that Twilight had used to show Starlight what the consequences of her actions would eventually lead into. A future in which everyone and everything in Equestria was completely obliterated. No more castle, no more houses, no more vegetation, not even a sign of any life nearby, aside from some dead trees.

"We're back... here again?" Starlight said, rather confused as to how this would supposedly be Equestria's future.

"Let's not panic just yet." Twilight continued to stay positive. "Maybe something just went wrong with the spell, and sent us to a previous timeline we had already seen before."

"I'm not sure that would be the case." Starlight said, now extremely concerned, before showing Twilight the scroll. "As you can see here, I specifically modified the spell to send us to the future from our current position."

"So then... this is actually the future of Equestria?" Sunset said, now shook at what this timeline possibly implied.

"You remember me mentioning that I single hoofedly almost caused Equestria to be completely wiped out, after what had happened with Sunburst?" Starlight reminded Sunset. "Yeah, well... this is what I meant."

"Before we jump to any further conclusions, why don't we go back to the past and see if anything else changed that led us here?" Twilight suggested. "I know it looks bad now, but I'm sure this might just be a mistake that's simply giving us an inaccurate vision."

"Worth a shot, I suppose." Starlight agreed. "If I remember correctly, I think this timeline was shortly after you tried to explain the butterfly effect to me, to convince me to give up my motives. Let's go back to that timeline and see what went wrong."

"But that means we'll have to go back to Cloudsdale, since that's where Rainbow Dash did the Sonic Rainboom." Twilight recalled. "Just in case, I'll need to apply the cloud-walking spell once again, since none of us are pegasai."

Twilight did just that, before nodding to Starlight. The unicorn then knew it was her cue to use her magic and activate another portal, sending the trio back to that exact alternate timeline, just before Twilight and Spike had dragged Starlight into that same future in an attempt to have her listen to reason. Internally, all three ponies were still hoping that the spell was simply giving them all an inaccurate vision of the future, trying to understand if anything in the past had tampered with the timeline they had just left. The trio then got sent into that exact moment, where Starlight's past self was still arguing with Twilight about how important her friendships truly were. Thankfully, as to not avoid any awkwardness or tampering, they teleported directly above where the actual confrontation took place. As they got up from the cloud they had landed on, they all looked down and witnessed exactly how that exchange went that day.

"Oh, next I suppose you'll tell me that the fate of all of Equestria hangs in the balance!" Past Starlight said, snarkily.

"It DOES!" Past Twilight continued desperately to persuade her foe at giving up this madness.

"Had to learn that the hard way..." Starlight muttered to herself, as Sunset and Twilight watched on.

"Spare me your overblown ego!" Past Starlight spat, as the young Rainbow Dash began to fly by. "No group of friends, not even Princess Twilight's, is THAT important!"

Past Starlight then zapped young Rainbow with her magic, sending her spiraling upward, as the filly shrieked.

"That's right, because you threw Rainbow's momentum off, that was still just a future that ended up the way it did, because my friends and I never met." Twilight recalled. "I wasn't entirely sure if preventing Rainbow from doing the Sonic Rainboom contributed to that last future, but it looks like we have our answer now."

"Well, even then, we still have yet to understand why our timeline became that way, after we left the present from earlier." Sunset affirmed. "Maybe there's still something we missed."

"I don't know how important other ponies' friendships are to the future, but I can show you what the world is like without mine!" Past Twilight shouted, before grabbing Starlight and entering the exact same future the current trio had just witnessed earlier.

"Well... I guess the spell might've been faulty after all." Starlight said with a bit of relief. "This outcome for that dreaded future just makes sense, since I did throw Rainbow off during her race."

Both Twilight and Sunset had similar feelings of relief, but for Sunset, that didn't last too long. She knew that Rainbow Dash not being able to pull off that first Sonic Rainboom would result in a ruined future for Equestria. This dread amplified as Sunset turned around and witnessed something that neither Twilight nor Starlight had seen when they were in this particular timeline the first time.

"Uhh... girls?" Sunset's eyes widened, as the two other ponies turned around to observe the same thing.

"Whoa, whatever just hit me, it just improved my speed after that spin!" Past Rainbow said to herself, as she began speeding up immensely. "I've never gone this fast before, those bullies picking on Fluttershy can eat my dust!"

"...Huh!?" Starlight exclaimed, rather surprised that in this specific scenario, her past action had unintentionally helped Rainbow. "You don't mean to tell me...?"

Past Rainbow began accelerating at speeds like never before, and in this alternate timeline, still managed to eventually pull off the Sonic Rainboom. Twilight and Starlight's jaws dropped at this, as a new feeling of anxiety now crept up on them. They were in such a rush to leave this alternate timeline during their first confrontation that they never actually realized this was the only one where Rainbow had still managed to successfully break the sound barrier with her speed. Sunset knew what this meant too, given how she was already told which timeline this scenario led up to.

"Well... there's only one thing we can do now." Twilight said, reluctantly.

Starlight cast her spell once again to send the trio to the future within this timeline, and once again, they were sent into the exact same desolate wasteland they had just left a few minutes ago. Twilight looked around, trying to take in what this meant. The future looked bleak, despite the fact that the Sonic Rainboom still took place, which in turn, would've resulted in Twilight and her friends meeting?

"This... This can't be right!" Twilight exclaimed in shock. "How are we still back here again?"

"I really wish we weren't just seeing something misleading, but I'm afraid the spell is doing exactly what we need." Starlight reexamined her scroll.

"So that means... even after my friends and I became the destined group we were meant to be, it still wasn't enough to prevent this particular future?" Twilight tried to deduce the scenario.

"Well, I wasn't involved in that never-ending time travel spell with you two." Sunset started to express her own thoughts on the matter. "But considering how this future never occurred yet within our timeline, that must mean there's actually still a chance it'll become real much later on."

"That's exactly what I was afraid of." Twilight said with immense concern. "After all, how come when we did the time travel spell from there, the very first place we were sent to was back here again? Starlight? Do you recall anything that might've slipped our minds when we were first going back and forth in that time travel loop?"

"Actually, I just remembered two crucial details from when we were in that never-ending time travel spell." Starlight began brainstorming. "For one, we never actually saw a vision of the far future in a scenario where Rainbow Dash failed to pull off the Sonic Rainboom... or so we thought. Considering how this future was more or less consistent in both scenarios of the event being a success, we had never planned ahead for such a possible outcome, because we always thought it was centered around what Rainbow did."

Twilight and Sunset looked to each other upon hearing this, now understanding that the pegasus escaping with the Bewitching Bell was likely the main culprit behind this ruined future.

"But the second thing that went over our heads was... we never actually saw who specifically was responsible for this outcome." Starlight reminded. "I mean, you saw for example how there were alternate timelines where Chrysalis, Tirek, and Nightmare Moon took over, right? But... as far as I'm aware, this future always remained a mystery, just due to the fact that there was no one, and nothing that could've given us a clue."

"Well... we have some time now to make sense of everything, or at least try to." Sunset stayed determined. "Who do you think was responsible? I have a pretty good feeling that it was the pegasus with the Bewitching Bell we had all encountered earlier. Do you girls think it was maybe someone else?"

"I can't think of any other foes we've encountered over the years, at least ones who weren't already defeated or changed for the better." Twilight pondered. "Plus, Starlight and I already saw what certain futures were like with a majority of the foes we've encountered over time."

"Except for Cozy Glow?" Starlight suggested. "Remember when she had attempted to completely destroy the magic within Equestria? What if this was the future we had never seen where she had succeeded?"

"That may be possible, except for the fact that we've already defeated her along with Chrysalis and Lord Tirek." Twilight brainstormed as well. "So if we've already defeated her, and yet this future is still able to become a reality afterwards, it's not really likely this was her doing."

"Ah, that's another fair point." Starlight agreed. "So in other words, the mystery behind who's responsible for all this destruction just deepens. Considering how that pegasus has the Bewitching Bell of all things, I think I might actually lean toward Sunset's belief. This might've actually been her doing, especially since none of us were even able to stop her in Canterlot."

"That's only really a theory I had barely guessed at though." Sunset spoke up. "Since we have some time now to search for a potential answer, we might as well look for any clues that could lead us in the right direction. I genuinely have a feeling that whatever this culprit had done, they were much more capable in bringing ruin to Equestria compared to anyone else."

"It's the only thing we can do now." Twilight nodded. "We might not get an answer here though, since it just looks like there's nothing for miles out from here. For a reference, this area was once Ponyville, since that's where my castle was located. If we need to search for clues, I think what I'll do is teleport us around this landscape to various locations. Don't worry though, I've recently learned of a new technique to make this easier, so it shouldn't exhaust my energy too much. Anyways, when we find something or someone that could give us some answers, we'll approach them and hope for the best."

"Gotcha." Sunset and Starlight both agreed before holding one of Twilight's front hooves.

Twilight then teleported to several locations off the top of her head. She started with Canterlot, then went on to investigate Manehattan, The Crystal Empire, Cloudsdale, and Las Pegasus. All of these areas looked just as empty and abandoned as what was left of Ponyville. It broke the three ponies to witness how all of these areas they had seen for themselves had been reduced to barren wastelands, with practically all residents either gone or dead. Something incredibly horrible must've happened to cause all this, but what exactly? As Twilight then teleported to a certain area that Starlight was well familiar with, the trio suddenly felt both surprise and relief to see that Our Town's buildings still looked completely intact, albeit in poor conditions.

"Well, this is certainly surprising." Starlight acknowledged. "It seems that out of all places that managed to survive this madness, it was my village?"

"Hey, wait a minute..." Sunset began examining the remains of the village through the murky fog. "Is that... a pony over there?"

The pony in question had heard this voice, but didn't get a clear glimpse of the trio, due to the fog. Their initial instinct was to shriek in fear, then run into their house, seemingly attempting to barricade themselves.

"Well, I wasn't really expecting to encounter another living being, but we just found somepony who might be able to fill us in on what's really going on." Twilight said, determined. "Come on, girls."

The trio trotted over to the house the pony had fled into, and instinctively knocked on the door. As expected, there was no response whatsoever, as it had become obvious that the pony was insistent on hiding and pretending that no one was home. However, adamant on ensuring they could at least have some closure over what was really happening in this potential timeline, Starlight began knocking on the door, hoping the pony could come to terms with her.

"Hello?" Starlight began knocking. "Please, come out here. We just want to talk to you."

Upon hearing Starlight's voice, the pony's eyes widened, prompting him to immediately open his door. Both Starlight and Twilight were initially happy to see it was a familiar face, but Sunset stood nearby, not recognizing who this pony was at all.

"S-S-Starlight!?" Party Favor had an ounce of relief in his voice. "And P-Princess T-Twilight!? Y-You're a-a-alive, b-but... how!?"

"Well, let's just say that we had a reason to investigate the future." Twilight explained.

"Yeah, just doing another time travel spell." Starlight added. "We want to get an understanding of what caused this future to happen, so we could prevent it. Unfortunately, it seems as if most ponies we've known are no longer here with us. Could you maybe... give us an explanation on what happened?"

"W-W-Well c-c-certainly!" Party Favor said with small hope. "Y-Y-You see... I-I still remember t-t-the day S-S-SHE came into Equestria... and u-u-used her powers to feed on the e-e-energy and l-l-lives of everypony w-w-we know!"

"It's just as we had feared then." Starlight began putting the puzzle pieces together. "Who's 'she', specifically?"

"W-W-Wait a minute!" Party Favor had then adjusted his blurry vision to take notice of Sunset standing behind the two ponies. "W-W-WHAT'S SHE DOING H-H-HERE!?!"

"Huh!?" Twilight and Starlight both looked behind themselves, but only saw Sunset, with an equally confused expression from the stallion's behavior.

"What do you mean?" Twilight questioned. "That's just our friend. Her name is-"

"SHE PUT YOU UP TO THIS, DIDN'T SHE!?!" Party Favor spat. "I'M NOT TALKING TO ANY OF YOU IF YOU'RE ASSOCIATING WITH HER!!! GO AWAY!!!!!!"

Party Favor then slammed the door shut, leaving both Sunset and Starlight equally as confused as when Stellar Flare had done the same thing yesterday in Sire's Hollow. This raised far more questions than answers, especially given the fact that the stallion wasn't even able to provide a crucial hint regarding who was truly responsible for all this damage to Equestria. The trio then felt that they had no choice but to trot away, especially since Party Favor had become way too mentally unstable to properly question.

"Well, there goes any hope we had on getting a solid answer." Sunset sighed. "But more specifically, what was all that about?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Twilight said, just as bewildered. "Party Favor refused to talk because you were with us, Sunset? Why?"

"I may have a theory on why." Sunset began surmising. "I must've caused this future when I had allowed that rotten pegasus to steal my horn. Given how she's now an artificial alicorn with the Bewitching Bell, I'm the main reason she had become an alicorn. Then, she must've been responsible for feeding on the lives of everypony to grow power. It might be possible that word got around that her having my horn was the pivotal moment she had enough power to completely consume Equestria."

"I don't really think that would be it." Starlight assured. "Given how she's able to use the Bewitching Bell as she pleases, anypony could've been her victim, even any of us back in Canterlot, had you not tried to take her down on your own."

"I agree." Twilight added. "It just doesn't seem likely, especially if she's supposedly had thousands of victims to become this powerful."

"Well even if that was the case, I don't quite understand why he seemed so afraid of me." Sunset moped. "I don't think I've ever had this kind of exchange with someone else since... since the days I was the bully at CHS. As you can imagine, that's certainly not a good feeling now."

"Sorry to hear you feel that way, Sunset." Twilight put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sure there has to be a logical explanation for all this."

"Well, considering that I don't even know or recognize him at all, I'm guessing there's a story here that we're just not getting." Sunset insisted. "The minute he took notice of me, it's like my presence had reminded him of some traumatizing experiences. There's just... no way that I, of all ponies... I couldn't have caused..."

"Absolutely not." Twilight assured. "Starlight and I have known you long enough to know you wouldn't have ever had the heart to do anything like this to Equestria. The same can be said for your past self too. It's just like I had explained regarding the incident where you turned into a demon. You lost all control and ultimately succumbed to your inner ego, and at that moment you put on my crown with those desires, it was too late. Whatever's the case, we just can't jump to conclusions until we can find further clues that'll point us in the right direction."

Just then, another noise had emerged from the opposite side of Our Town. The trio could vaguely make out another pony who had seemingly exited their house, and had just went back in. Upon the door closing, there appeared to be another opportunity to gather some vital information, but Sunset knew what this meant.

"Alright, looks like we still have a chance to learn something." Sunset said to her companions. "Unfortunately, we just can't risk letting that pony see me as well, judging from how Party Favor reacted. Starlight, why don't we reverse roles this time around? Maybe you and Twilight can question that pony about anything they know, and I'll stand nearby and listen in? Just like you and Sunburst did when I confronted dad."

"Gotcha, let's go then." Starlight nodded, as Twilight did the same. "We've got no time to lose."

The trio did just that, and before long, Sunset stood by the side of the house, whilst Twilight and Starlight knocked on the front door. Thankfully, the pony who answered was yet another familiar face, rather surprised to see who was at the doorstep. The stallion looked incredibly broken and unkempt, but was seemingly in a better mental state than Party Favor.

"Starlight!?" Double Diamond said with immense shock. "And Princess Twilight!? I could've sworn I just heard Party Favor acting crazy outside, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see you two again! We thought you were both long gone, along with Night Glider!"

"Listen, Double Diamond." Starlight tried to calm the stallion down. "Please just settle down a bit and... could we ask you a couple of questions? I know this sounds crazy right now, but... we're actually from the past. We're here to get an understanding of what happened, and who caused this barren wasteland."

"Then it sounds like... our prayers have only been half-answered." Double Diamond said to himself. "Guess the only thing I can do now is say what I know, then hope you two can go back and make sure this awful future never happens. It's too late for us all."

"We'll make this quick, then." Twilight began the interrogation. "Just three questions come to mind after seeing this. One, did all of this unfold sometime after my coronation? Two, did it happen because me and my friends were unable to stop whoever was responsible? And three, who in question IS responsible for all this?"

"Yes, don't know, and I really don't know." Double Diamond answered. "All I know for certain is, I'm not doing too good. Ever since Equestria became eternally sunset, the quality of our produce has reduced me into eating food scraps from the trash bin. I don't know who exactly caused all of this, all I remember is that I was stuck at home the day it happened. Darkness began to engulf the entire world, and soon, some unknown figure seemingly came by and devoured everypony's souls and magic. I've never seen them myself, but Party Favor claims he did, but he refused to tell anyone, as the image of this figure scarred him for life."

"That's... quite interesting to know." Twilight pieced the story together. "So Party Favor actually encountered the one responsible for all this, and he managed to survive?"

"As far as I know, he and I were the very last survivors of Our Town, and we've been hiding here ever since." Double Diamond continued. "Problem is, I'm not sure we have much longer, as our mental health and nutrition have deteriorated rapidly..."

"I see then..." Starlight listened on. "And one last thing, what were you going on about, in regards to Night Glider?"

"Shortly after the princess's coronation, she mentioned wanting to take a tropical vacation overseas, but she never came back." Double Diamond moped. "Even worse, none of us ever found out what happened to her, not even you, Starlight."

"...Oh no." Twilight realized. "She actually vaguely mentioned something about this yesterday when I had visited the village. Well, I guess that's another thing for us to look into. Thanks for your time, Double Diamond."

"None of this matters now, though." Double Diamond said, glumly. "Please, whatever you do now, make sure that you go to the past and fix all this. Make sure this future will never become a reality! I'm begging you..."

"We'll do everything we can, now that we know the circumstances." Twilight assured the broken stallion. "Hang in there, because you may have just given us the key to understanding this mystery."

Double Diamond then closed his door and continue to drown his sorrows within his tattered home, as Starlight then signaled Sunset that it was safe to come out now. The trio then began walking away, trying to put together all the clues both stallions had given them.

"Well, two things in particular stood out to me." Sunset began summarizing. "First off, this alternate timeline is eternally sunset? Similar to how Nightmare Moon made Equestria eternally night?"

"I mean, it could just be a coincidence?" Starlight suggested. "After all, we still don't know for certain who had done this, and it could've been the result of something else entirely. Just because it's eternally sunset, I'm sure there's no actual connection to you."

"That's just it." Sunset continued her theory. "He claimed that the other surviving pony, Party Favor, had actually seen the one who was responsible for devouring ponies and their magic, essentially bringing the entirety of Equestria to absolute ruin, where we are now. Let's not forget, he took one look at me and seemingly determined that I must've been that figure in question."

"If this really was the doing of that pegasus who stole the Bewitching Bell, I'm sure there could be a number of different explanations regarding his behavior." Twilight said. "Maybe that pegasus changed her appearance with her new magic, or you simply just reminded Party Favor of a pony who resembled you?"

"Yeah, for sure." Starlight added. "I'm not really that close with Party Favor, but I've often heard from the other villagers that he has a habit of acting this way if something's truly troubling him. Like the time the rest of us forgot to get the balloons he wanted for his birthday party. He was outraged."

"I'm glad you both know that I'd never willingly turn Equestria into... this." Sunset replied. "But I just can't shake the feeling now that... there's a definite bigger connection here that involves myself. The eternal sunset, the fact that Party Favor seemed very afraid of me... it just doesn't add up. From what I can gather, this most likely had to have been the doing of that pegasus, since I'm sure the Bewitching Bell is capable of doing this kind of damage. Furthermore, since she has my horn, and therefore, my magic, I'm almost positive that too, has something to do with it."

"Well, regardless of who's really responsible for this barren wasteland, it seems like there's just not much we can do now." Twilight sighed. "But now that we know the future of Equestria could potentially drop like a rock in the ocean, what do you propose to do, Sunset?"

"Knowing this, I feel like I'm going to stay here in Equestria a little longer, just until we can have a better shot at capturing that pegasus and getting the Bewitching Bell back." Sunset said. "After all, since I still have some time left before graduation, we'll need all the help we can possibly get to prevent this. Like I've said before, the last thing I want to do is stay in the human world for a prolonged period, only to eventually come back one day to see Equestria like this."

"Very noble of you in wanting to help out, now that we know the circumstances." Twilight said, proudly. "But realistically, you definitely shouldn't believe that you had anything to do with Equestria turning out like this. It must've been something else entirely that was bothering Party Favor when he saw you."

"It's not that I want to believe that, it's just... I can't help but feel there has to be a connection somewhere, which involves me." Sunset insisted. "It seems to be an instinct that's constantly telling me at the back of my head, but I can't seem to figure out what exactly. And there doesn't seem to be a use in asking Party Favor now, since it's pretty obvious that he won't be telling us anything, anytime soon."

"Well, I'm almost positive that if there's anyone who would be a major suspect for causing all of this, I'd place my bits on that pegasus thief." Starlight stayed true to her belief. "And that if we manage to defeat and capture her, all will be well to Equestria for years to come."

"That will certainly be our next priority as far as my royal duties as princess." Twilight agreed. "We're going to have to postpone most other objectives until we can figure out a way to successfully defeat that pegasus, or at least find a way to deal with the Bewitching Bell. As for my ideas on a suspect, Zecora did try to warn me of someone whose name starts with 'O' and rhymes with the word 'mean'. Who knows, this could've been their doing too, it's always a possibility."

"I guess we'll see when we eventually uncover more." Sunset replied. "Well, now that we've done all we can for the time being, what's the next course of plan for when we return to the present timeline, Twilight?"

"I'm thinking the best solution would be to report to the rest of the council about what we had witnessed, and tripling search parties who can gather intel regarding that pegasus thief's whereabouts." Twilight suggested. "We should definitely keep this information about the future private, mostly as a means of not causing mass panic all over Equestria. In the meantime, I'll be heading to the Canterlot library to see if I can gather information regarding anything we could use to potentially counter the Bewitching Bell's effects."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Sunset nodded, as she continued trotting with the princess.

"What do you think, Starlight?" Twilight asked, but suddenly realized that Starlight was much further behind from Sunset and herself, seemingly staring at something on the side of Party Favor's home. "Starlight...? What are you doing?"

"Well, even if we're unable to get a more solid answer from Party Favor himself, I just noticed what looks like writing that's been carved onto this particular wall." Starlight explained. "Some of these phrases don't seem to make a lot of sense, such as, 'All ponies will one day have fetlocks!' and, 'Toy sales shouldn't determine cancellations!'. However, this one bit of writing here seems to give us more of a hint than anything else Party Favor was able to provide for us.

Sunset and Twilight came over to glance at what Starlight was pointing at, but like everything else Party Favor had carved on his home, it didn't seem to make a lot of sense either.

"It looks like it says, 'Save Equestria from Sunny S!' on the wall." Twilight read from a distance, as Sunset began approaching the writing to get a better look. "Hmm, I don't think I know anypony named Sunny S. Except maybe Sunny Skies, the mayor of Hope Hollow? Even then, this couldn't have been his doing, and I know he looks nothing like you, Sunset."

"If this is meant to be a hint, then this is probably the most cryptic one I've ever seen." Sunset continued trying to come up with a potential theory. "Who in Equestria is this 'Sunny S.'? Who... WHO...?"

Chapter 65: The Faculty Lot

Back in the human world, Human Sunset had just awoken and began preparing for a new morning within her late mother's home. Although this routine was something she was already familiar with, it was missing one thing that she remembered quite fondly of, even during the times at Crystal Prep Academy she had been bullied mercilessly. Before her father would drive her to school, Solstice had always originally made the best breakfast pancakes, which were unlike anything else she ever had in her life. They were often nicknamed 'Suncakes', and were made with genuine love and care, which allowed Human Sunset to have a clear mind to do well in school, despite what had happened.

Lacking these pancakes, as well as love and support from her mother, Human Sunset just felt empty inside, even after devouring her breakfast, which mostly consisted of scrambled eggs. She wouldn't necessarily be completely broke or homeless, as she still had the leftover cash she had stolen from Indigo Zap all those years ago, combined with the cash she had took from Gilda and her goons. But even though she had this extra money to stay afloat for a while, things would certainly become much more difficult once she ran out, and getting an actual job to make money was simply out of the question. Not even having a high school diploma, any workplace would've just seen this as a major red flag without bothering to read the rest of her resume during job applications.

Dwelling on these thoughts as she finished her breakfast and began to start her new day, Human Sunset didn't really know what she'd plan to do after exacting her revenge on the various people who had ruined her life. But whilst thinking of her mother, she had begun to consider something else entirely, which wouldn't have come up earlier when she was blinded by vengeance. Would Solstice have wanted this for her, or approved of her own daughter committing vandalism, theft, or assault, as a means of making things right?

Deep down, Human Sunset knew in her heart what the obvious answer to that question was, but didn't particularly care. Her heart was currently filled with too much darkness and hatred, that she'd much rather just do all of this to avenge her mother's death, regardless of the consequences. She had already made her decision to team up with the Canterlot Street Gang to sabotage both Canterlot High and Crystal Prep's graduations, and she wasn't simply going to chicken out of it now. Before exiting the house, Human Sunset turned back one final time to speak to her mother, not knowing if her spirit could even hear her.

"Bye, mom..." Human Sunset said to the upstairs bedroom, where both of her parents had originally slept in. "I'm going to make the horrid education system pay for what it did to our family. Even if life's going to go all downhill from here, maybe that means I'll get to see you soon enough out there..."

Although an incredibly depressing statement, it ironically appeared to be completely contrasted by a warm and sunny day. In fact, it was a relatively warmer day than usual, so Human Sunset decided that she'd leave her black jacket behind, primarily going out with her maroon tank top. This in turn, would also allow her sweet new tattoo to become more visible to the public eye, along with giving any strangers a clear idea of what she's truly made of. Going officially by 'Sunny' again, at least to her new friends, served as a reminder of how far she had come in her journey to make sure nobody would think of her as a weak, spineless nerd, as she once was to those awful people at her old school. The idea of giving everyone who had once wronged her exactly what was coming to them, it seemed like the only thing that would make her happy now.

As Human Sunset made her way back to the Canterlot Street Gang's hideout in no time, she entered the old building and knocked on the basement door. Although initially expecting to see Gilda, Lightning Dust had opened the door for her instead. Human Sunset went down the stairs and was now in the same room these girls had assaulted her the night before, and looked around, only to see Lightning Dust and Rolling Thunder, sitting around and smoking some cigarettes. Gilda was nowhere in sight, which was definitely unusual and raised several questions.

"Well well, it's the boss, it seems." Rolling Thunder called out, as she threw her cigarette on the floor and stomped on it. "Nice to see that you ditched the jacket so everyone can see that sweet new tattoo I gave you! You've never looked better, Sunny!"

"I take it that you're ready, then?" Lightning Dust asked. "I can't wait to sabotage these dumb graduations, there's just way too many people getting a good education these days!"

"I'd say so, but... where exactly is Gilda?" Human Sunset questioned her allies. "I certainly would've expected her to be here, especially since I've got plans to hit CHS soon."

"Dunno, actually." Lightning Dust replied. "In fact, neither of us have even heard from her since last night, which definitely seems pretty unlike her."

"And for that matter, she wasn't here when we woke up." Rolling Thunder added. "It's even stranger how she didn't tell either of us about why she'd be gone, since she usually fills us in on it before anybody else."

"Well, hopefully she's not thinking of ratting all of us out or betraying us." Human Sunset frowned. "Because if she wants another fight, I'm right here."

"Calm down, kid." Rolling Thunder scoffed. "None of us would even dare try to fight you now, since you've already earned our respect and proven you're stronger than all of us combined. Just like how I'm way too smart for school anyways."

"Yeah, speaking of which, why don't we just focus our energy on those dumb schools?" Lightning Dust suggested. "Whenever Gilda gets back, I guess we could at least ask what she was doing, but I'd be pretty sure that wanting to fight you again would be the last thing she'd do."

"Well, alright then." Human Sunset lowered her hostility. "First thing's first, we're going to go all the way back to the one place where it all started. The school which drove a once educated student completely off the edge thanks to the bullies and corrupt principal. Crystal Prep Academy."

"No real clue about that school." Lighting Dust raised an eyebrow. "I only got expelled from CHS."

"I don't really care which school it is, even if it's the one I didn't flunk out from." Rolling Thunder crossed her arms. "What's the plan?"

"For starters, we're going to need to improvise, since it sounds like none of us currently know a whole lot about that school, nor where we can hit them the hardest. We're going to have to sneak over there to get some dirt."

"That's all?" Lightning Dust sighed. "Ugh, and to think you're our leader now. What kind of a leader doesn't even have a plan?"

"Alright, fine then." Human Sunset rolled her eyes. "You want to humor me? What plans have you devised to get revenge on CHS?"

"I uhh..." Lightning Dust picked her fingers nervously. "I... once kicked dirt on some kid's shoes, and made them dirty?"

"Are you... kidding me?" Human Sunset said, unamused. "You want me to be impressed with THAT?"

"I think her point is, Gilda typically always had solid plans for us, well in advance before we pulled them off." Rolling Thunder said.

"Alright, if that's the way you feel, I guess we'll hit Crystal Prep after we finish up with CHS." Human Sunset grunted. "I've already had a pretty solid plan, thinking about it in my sleep, that involves framing Sunset Shimmer. But of course, if we're heading to CHS first, that means one of you will have to scope out Crystal Prep, mostly to get some intel on just how hard we can hit those rich slimeballs."

"I'll do it then." Lightning Dust volunteered. "At least it sounds like you have a plan now, which makes us feel more confident. Plus, I'll do anything to destroy those snotty rich kids. If there's one thing I hate more than educated school kids, it's rich educated school kids. I REALLY hate them!"

"O...kay then..." Human Sunset said, awkwardly. "You go on ahead and do that, and Thunder and I will head on over to CHS. Just remember that if any of us need to get into a fight, I'll be the muscles of the group."

"Sounds like we all got our assignments then." Rolling Thunder nodded.

The group all exchanged handshakes with one another, before setting off to officially begin sabotaging the school graduations. Internally, Human Sunset felt somewhat unsatisfied that she wasn't able to immediately plan a hit on Crystal Prep Academy first, but realized that she had no choice, at least until Lightning was capable of learning of that school's weak points. However, ruining the graduation at CHS almost felt like child's play. After all, given how this was the school that Sunset Shimmer went to, Human Sunset already knew that presumably, she could simply commit crimes nonchalantly, and if she were to somehow get caught, it would be under Pony Sunset's name.

Human Sunset and Rolling Thunder made their way down the alleyways of Canterlot City, mostly as a means of avoiding attention from any cops that were possibly looking for them, specifically escapees from juvey. Before long, they had managed to eventually stumble onto the campus of Canterlot High, without getting seen by anybody. Classes had begun long ago, meaning that most students and teachers were already inside. Given how there wasn't really anybody nearby who'd potentially believe that these girls were planning something suspicious, Human Sunset and Rolling Thunder went to the side of the school building, looking for anything they could potentially sabotage.

"You see anything yet?" Rolling Thunder questioned. "I thought you said you already had a plan."

"Yeah, a plan to get Lightning to shut up." Human Sunset rolled her eyes. "Look, you can't expect me to come up with a plan from scratch in just one night. Besides, you don't really need a plan in this scenario, since this is the school Sunset Shimmer goes to. Pretty sure that someone with half a brain could figure out what we should do, since I'm here."

"Ah, you mean committing a crime in Sunset Shimmer's name, which would make getting caught completely irrelevant?" Rolling Thunder surmised. "In fact, we'd almost encourage getting caught, since that would simply get Sunset in trouble even faster? You're so diabolical, kid. I like it!"

"Well, at least you proved my point that you don't need a fancy diploma to prove you're smart." Human Sunset said. "It's just sad to know that the real world doesn't seem to think so. Life's just not fair like that."

"At least we'll teach the same thing to these punk school kids." Rolling Thunder replied. "Alright, so you got an idea on what you wanna do?"

"Actually... yes." Human Sunset said, as she began to look through the windows to the music classroom, noticing Pinkie. "That's the girl who kept mistaking me for Sunset Shimmer, and I lashed out at her because of it. Let's learn what's happening with them, I'm assuming these are the rest of her friends."

Within the classroom, the rest of the Rainbooms were the only ones sitting around, as they originally planned to spend some more time together before their big day at graduation. The music teacher had only let them in to gather their instruments, but something seemed to be preventing the girls from doing a task as simple as that. The rest of the girls were looking at Pinkie, who appeared to be incredibly upset and heartbroken about something. Human Sunset leaned her ear on the window, ready to eavesdrop on the conversation between Sunset's human friends.

"That's awful, Pinkie." Fluttershy put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Why would Sunset do something like that?"

"It just... doesn't seem like Sunset, everything you've described, Pinkie." Twilight scratched her head. "I mean, I know she has anger issues, and even snapped at me during the Friendship Games, but she wouldn't just do that for no real reason."

"You didn't by any chance do anythin' to upset her, did ya', Sugarcube?" Applejack questioned.

"No!" Pinkie denied. "All I did was watch her house and take care of her gecko, like she asked of me. She even gave me money to do so, and seemed perfectly okay with everything while she went on vacation for a few days."

"You didn't ask for too much money from her, did you?" Rainbow asked, while the rest of the girls raised an eyebrow at this. "...What, I'm just saying, that's always a possibility."

"From what Pinkie's described, that simply doesn't sound like it at all." Rarity interjected. "Come on, girls. We've all known Sunset for years now, this just seems completely unlike her. Pinkie, there just has to be some kind of logical explanation for why Sunset was acting that way."

"Maybe not logical..." Twilight began to suggest her own theory. "Magical."

"That would make sense." Fluttershy agreed. "Don't you remember when the Dazzlings used their magic to make everybody so competitive and aggressive toward one another? Maybe something happened to Sunset during her little vacation, which caused her to behave this way? She certainly wouldn't just lash out at Pinkie of her own volition."

"I'm in complete agreement there." Applejack nodded. "Besides, we've all already accused Sunset of bein' a lowdown snake in the grass, back when 'Anon-a-Miss' put the school in a heated frenzy. We just all threw her under the bus and ditched her."

"And even after we did that, what did she do for us?" Rarity reminded. "She sacrificed her own safety and memories, just so we wouldn't permanently lose our memories from that Wallflower girl."

"Honestly, I'd more believe Pinkie's story if Sunset was still the tyrannical bully she once was when she first came to CHS, but... she's certainly not anymore." Rainbow added. "We've all gotten to truly know her over time, and we ourselves were certainly at fault for abandoning Sunset, like AJ said. Pinkie, whatever happened that night with Sunset, I'm sure there's got to be an explanation behind it all."

"I'd be willing to bet my college tuition that something to do with magic is involved." Twilight affirmed. "It's admittedly strange though, how we haven't really seen any magic-related occurrences, since we've all locked away our geodes for quite some time."

"Magic comes and goes, it seems." Fluttershy shrugged.

"Well, Pinkie?" Rarity addressed her still mentally damaged friend. "Has this talk at least ameliorated things for you, especially your perception on Sunset?"

"Maybe a little..." Pinkie sniffled. "But what she said that night really hurt my feelings."

"Come on, Pinkie!" Rainbow insisted. "Even so, I'm sure it was either something out of her control, or she didn't mean it! Why can't you just let this go?"

"You're not really helpin', Rainbow." Applejack crossed her arms. "Look, Pinkie. If it makes you feel any better, we'll all head on over to the local coffee shop and get some sweets on us. Could you just promise us that you'll try to forget about the situation with Sunset for a bit, 'til we can try gettin' to the bottom of this?"

"...I guess." Pinkie picked herself up off the ground, as Applejack put an arm around her.

"Wait, what about our instruments?" Twilight reminded.

"We'll just leave them here for now, it'd be pretty cumbersome to carry them all the way to the cafe." Rarity replied. "Besides, this will only take us about an hour, what could possibly happen to them in such a short time?"

"I guess you're right." Twilight agreed. "Alright, girls. Let's all go."

As the Rainbooms were all heading toward the coffee shop downtown to help Pinkie recover from her encounter with 'Sunset' the night before, Human Sunset simply frowned, given how she had just overheard the entire conversation without any of the girls noticing her outside. She kept an eye on the inside of the classroom, making sure that the coast was absolutely clear, before it was time to make a move. Rarity was the last one to exit the classroom, and she made sure to lock the door as a precaution.

"Well, I guess this is gonna be tougher than I thought." Human Sunset sighed. "Sunset Shimmer is such a good friend to those girls, that they're already onto me. Believing that some form of magic or an imposter is the cause of everything. It's no use, if I go in there and wreck their instruments, it sounds like they'll just dismiss the idea that Sunset was the culprit, especially if I get caught."

"And this is why we always come up with a plan, or at least a backup plan." Rolling Thunder crossed her arms. "You might be our gang's leader now, but maybe you shouldn't be so arrogant with how you handle things."

"Oh, you shouldn't be so arrogant..." Human Sunset mocked. "Be quiet! Improvising is just as much a skill as planning an attack for months. I just... need to figure out something we could potentially do to postpone the graduation here. I'll admit, I was so consumed with revenge that I hadn't really thought things through."

"Hey, we've all been there, it's just a matter of knowing when you've done something wrong." Rolling Thunder nodded. "Well, I ain't much of an improviser, I typically just go along with whatever Gilda says, but since you're the boss now, you gotta lead the way."

"I guess we just need to find something else that'll help buy us some more time, since I'm sure graduation day is just around the corner." Human Sunset sighed under her breath.

"Hey, wait a minute." Rolling Thunder noticed a vehicle all too familiar to the Pony Sunset. "What's that van doing here in the parking lot?"

"I have no clue, but it almost looks like it belongs to a band." Human Sunset speculated. "Well, since we have no plan at the moment, I suppose we could check if there's any connection between them and the graduation."

Both girls carefully snuck over to the Dazzlings' van, without any of the three siren sisters inside taking notice of them. Before long, Human Sunset began to hear the distinct sound of singing, as it appeared that a rehearsal was currently taking place. Knowing this, she decided to lay low around the side of the van, mostly as a means of overhearing anything they could potentially use to sabotage the upcoming graduation. A few minutes later, the singing had stopped, and one of the sisters began speaking up regarding their performance.

"I know I've probably said this plenty of times in the past already, but that was barely worth the effort, Adagio." Aria said, rather displeased.

"What's wrong, Aria?" Sonata questioned. "I think we sounded great, even though we started to go out of sync within the third verse of the song."

"Precisely my point." Aria grunted. "Honestly, now. Why did you even bother agreeing to the school principal that we'd come up with a new song from scratch within the one week time-frame? You remember how the song we wrote at that festival took over 18 months to fully produce and rehearse?"

"Well, it's mostly because she offered to give us a bonus for coming up with a more original performance during the graduation event." Adagio replied. "Besides, I figured that we'd all be enthusiastic about the hefty salary we'll be earning soon, given how desperate the school became. And for that matter, have you forgotten that we've become nearly broke, thanks to our new landlord demanding higher rent?"

"Is it really just that?" Aria scoffed. "I figured it was because of Sonata blowing our money on that Taco Hut place. She seriously has the choice to eat anywhere in the world for an affordable price, but no, she chooses that overpriced dump."

"Well for your information, I still spent my cut of our salary only." Sonata defended herself. "Plus, you've got some nerve to say such a thing, considering you spent your own cut on that new tattoo."

"I wouldn't expect someone with grape juice in their brain to understand the true meaning of body art." Aria crossed her arms.

"WELL I WOULDN'T EXPECT-" Sonata began to explode, but was shortly cut off.

"Girls, focus!" Adagio snapped. "We can bicker and act like childish siblings... AFTER we get paid for our performance. The fine print within that contract we signed also stated that our pay will reflect upon our performance quality. So if we do a subpar job at this gig, we might as well kiss our apartment goodbye."

"Whatever, I guess a $60,000 salary might make my headache go away." Aria said. "I'm already getting tired of eating microwave lasagna practically everyday, I need an actual meal of fish to please my diet. When exactly is our big day, anyways?"

"Day after tomorrow, so we certainly still have plenty of time to rehearse." Adagio checked her calendar. "In the meantime, we really need to work on staying in sync. I know it's been years since we've relied on using our special gems to sing like pop divas, but now that they're gone, this is the real world. It's every girl for herself, and your choice on whether or not you want to starve."

"Do we have to, though?" Sonata whined. "We've already been rehearsing for the past four hours straight, and I'm already starving!"

"We literally just picked up some pizza on the way here!" Aria growled. "You didn't even finish your slices, and you want us to go out and get more food when money's already tight as it is!?"

"I'm just getting really tired of pizza." Sonata kicked away an empty pizza box on the van's floor. "I haven't even had a single taco since you started taking over as the one who's getting our food."

"And it's going to stay that way!" Aria huffed. "Because I can't stand staying in the van with you after your endless taco buffets, and having to deal with your smelly onion breath everywhere we drive!"

"Says you!" Sonata rolled her eyes. "You really enjoy working out a lot, but don't even have the courtesy to take a shower after getting all sweaty! The only thing that stinks worse than your attitude sometimes is your armpit!"

"If a little sweat is enough to make you cry, I can give you something else to really cry about." Aria snarled.

"Alright, that does it!" Adagio pounded her fist on the van's counter. "We can't throw a simple rehearsal without you two bickering like a married couple! I guess we have no other choice. It looks like we're going to have to compromise in order for you two to get what you want so we can focus on earning a good salary for our performance. Sonata, we'll head over to a taco place right now to get your lousy tacos. And Aria, we're going to all jog there as our daily exercise. When we're done, I expect you two to truly act like adults, and not make a scene when we perform during the actual graduation!"

"Well, if I'll finally get something remotely close to an enchilada or burrito, I guess I could be cool for a while." Sonata agreed.

"Ugh, fine then." Aria rolled her eyes. "I feel like I need to lose some weight anyways."

"Very well." Adagio rolled up the van's back door and began exiting, before looking back at her sisters. "Wait a minute, Aria. What are you doing with that thing?"

"Oh, this?" Aria looked toward the decorative baseball bat in her hand. "Well, you said we're going to a taco place, I'm guessing that one down on Maple Street. I just want to be prepared, in case that rude cashier girl is working today, if you know what I mean."

"Come on, now." Adagio narrowed her eyes. "Put it back. We're already in debt as it is, we don't need any more lawsuits just because you can't control your temper."

"I'm not the only one, it seems..." Aria muttered under her breath, before reluctantly setting her trusty weapon back down in the van, and locking the door.

"Alright, now we've got no time to lose, let's just get this over with." Adagio ordered her sisters, as the trio began jogging off to the taco joint.

With the coast now clear, Human Sunset and Rolling Thunder now had the context behind why those girls were here. They were performers booked to sing a song at the CHS graduation ceremony, and the school itself was seemingly desperate to hire them. Regardless, the two girls began exchanging words on the side of the van, in response to what they just overheard.

"Yeesh." Rolling Thunder exclaimed upon the Dazzlings leaving. "I'm sure glad I don't have any siblings, or have plans on getting married."

"Well, not everybody's cut out for such a lifestyle." Human Sunset rolled her eyes. "But anyways, I guess this gives us something we can do to ruin the graduation, and if not, at least delay it. We have to figure out a way to make sure they can't perform, or a reason for the school to no longer keep them by contract."

"I noticed that baseball bat the purple girl was holding." Rolling Thunder recalled. "It looked pretty unique, not like any baseball bat I've seen. In fact, I've used a lot of bats in my past life when I was helping Gilda rob gas stations."

"Hmm, what are you getting at?" Human Sunset began brainstorming. "Are you thinking we should vandalize those music instruments, and then leave that bat there on purpose, as a means of framing those girls?"

"I'd say that sounds pretty brilliant." Rolling Thunder nodded. "Plus, I think I recognize those girls. Gilda's told me about them, and how they were once pretty big troublemakers here at CHS, hence why it makes sense why the school would be desperate enough to hire them again. Considering how one of them just hates everything, and the other has an unhealthy obsession with tacos, I'm almost certain that's them."

"Well, it's worth a shot, I suppose." Human Sunset decided to go through with her plan. "But since we're currently unable to come up with something that could frame Sunset Shimmer, we'll need to buy as much time as possible. Unfortunately for us, it looks like those girls locked their van. How are we going to get in to steal that bat?"

"Leave it to me, Sunny!" Rolling Thunder said, confidently, before taking a small metal tool from her pocket, and began picking the van's lock.

"Nice to see drawing tattoos isn't your only specialty." Human Sunset complimented. "Speaking of Gilda, where do you suppose she even is? She should definitely be helping us out right now."

While the two girls at CHS were beginning their plot to destroy the upcoming graduation, the aforementioned former leader of the Canterlot Street Gang was desperately searching out for her meal ticket to ultimate power. In other words, the cave near Camp Everfree where Clover the Clever had claimed to hide the remains of that powerful sorceress. Although lacking a driver's license, Gilda was driving their gang's stolen pickup truck along the road, hoping that her memory in stumbling upon this strange location wasn't simply a figment of her imagination. She had also taken both Clover and Princess Celestia's old journals in case she needed a reference.

The trip itself was unfortunately rather long for Gilda, given how CHS needed to use a whole school bus to transport the students to summer camp. Along the way, she began to encounter heavy traffic, detours, and even plenty of jaywalkers. These only proved to be minor annoyances to Gilda, but she eventually began to find her way onto the route that began leading deep into the heavy forest. As she stopped at a nearby red light, Gilda began contemplating what kind of omnipotent powers this sorceress could give her. But as a result, she failed to take notice of the light suddenly turning green, that she just stood on the road for a solid 10 seconds. The car behind her began honking at this, doing nothing other than provoking the already aggravated girl. Stuck in this thought, the car began to change lanes and go around the truck, while the person driving made a remark.

"Where'd you get a driver's license, at a cat food's convention!?" Feather Bangs scoffed. "Head over to the DMV before you consider getting on the road next time, you moron!"

As Feather Bangs sped off, Gilda just growled at this, before doing the next thing that came to mind, after realizing that these roads along the woods didn't have any surveillance cameras, unlike the streets of Canterlot City. Gilda slammed her boot on the gas pedal, speeding up at alarming speeds, before making a heavy crash onto Feather Bang's car. This prompted him to step out immediately, as he examined the damage. Feather Bangs was certainly displeased to notice a rather large dent on the back of his vehicle, while Gilda's truck seemed nearly undamaged.

"Well, I guess you just proved my point." Feather Bangs frowned, as he saw Gilda beginning to step out of her truck. "You're in a lot of trouble now, you know that?"

"Oh, did I hit you?" Gilda began mocking. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize your car was a big deal!"

"You're going to pay for damages." Feather Bangs crossed his arms. "I'm heading over to the police station to report this incident."

"That would be all fine and good, except..." Gilda calmly walked up to Feather Bangs before pushing him onto the ground.

As Feather Bangs struggled to get back up, he began to notice Gilda was now within his car, and she used her strength to rip the steering wheel right off of it. Gilda then nonchalantly tossed the wheel into her truck, before getting back on.

"Good luck getting to the police without a steering wheel, buddy!" Gilda smirked.

"How dare you, I'll get your license plate number!" Feather Bangs grumbled.

"But I don't have one, or a driver's license, remember?" Gilda mocked his words from before. "Have a good rest of your day, maybe next time you'll learn not to honk and provoke other people!"

Gilda then sped off to reach her destination, as Feather Bangs noticed that the truck really didn't have a license plate number. Now that he had a ruined car on the middle of the road without a steering wheel, the broken driver just sat there on the ground and began lamenting. As for Gilda, she continued to stay true to her mission in finding the sorceress, letting nobody stand in her way, whether it'd be Sunset Shimmer or even Human Sunset.

Back at CHS, Rolling Thunder had already picked the van's lock successfully, to where the duo was able to acquire Aria Blaze's baseball bat. After grabbing it and stepping out of the van, Human Sunset noticed that the markings of the bat seemed to completely match up with the visual graffiti on the van itself, which would perfectly make the Dazzlings the perfect prime suspect. Rolling Thunder had then also managed to pick the lock on the window from the outside, allowing Human Sunset to sneak inside to take notice of the Rainboom's instruments and equipment. Only their instruments had remained, as every other student had already picked theirs up much earlier on. She knew whose instrument was whose, as each one had a piece of tape with the respective girl's name written on it.

Walking around the room, Human Sunset began to use her new baseball bat to vandalize Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash's guitars, Pinkie's drum set, and Fluttershy's tambourine. Every instrument was now ruined and completely in pieces, as the room itself almost looked as if an earthquake had taken place. The only instrument she hadn't vandalized yet was the guitar belonging to Pony Sunset, and this felt like the most satisfying one for her to destroy, given how Human Sunset had it out for her the absolute most. But before she even had the opportunity, she began to hear footsteps approaching the music room, likely as a result of her making all that noise.

"What in the world is going on in here!?" Ms. Harshwhinny approached the music room. "I'm nice enough to let those girls hang around in my classroom, and they think they can just throw a party in there?"

Panicking, Human Sunset knew she had no choice but to flee the scene. She dropped Aria's bat onto the ground, opened the window, then jumped out, believing it wasn't really practical now to get caught. As Human Sunset and Rolling Thunder ran away from the school building, the music teacher used her keys to unlock the classroom door, as her jaw dropped upon seeing the state of her classroom. Her feelings of shock soon turned to anger, as she also knew that there was a deposit on some of those instruments.

"A hooligan, huh!?" Ms. Harshwhinny snapped. "Oh, when I get my hands on whoever did this, I'll..."

But before she could finish, she took notice of Aria's baseball bat, which definitely wasn't in the classroom when she was there this morning. The music teacher grabbed it and examined the logo on top, but she soon realized that something about it definitely seemed familiar.

"Where have I seen this logo before...?" Ms. Harshwhinny said to herself, before it suddenly clicked within her. "Wait, isn't this...!? I... I KNEW those girls were trouble, especially with what happened when they proposed to have a Battle of the Bands years ago! And to think Principal Celestia gave them another chance to start fresh and perform at the upcoming graduation this year! Oh, just wait until I report to her what happened..."

Ms. Harshwhinny marched right off to the principal's office, ready to truly give Principal Celestia a piece of her mind. In the meantime, Human Sunset and Rolling Thunder were now waiting within the bushes right outside of school campus, ready to see the results of their handiwork from afar quite soon.

"So it looks like you destroyed all their instruments before someone came in." Rolling Thunder recalled. "How'd it feel? It must've been pretty satisfying to give those school kids what was coming to them?"

"Well... not really, actually." Human Sunset began to shake off this weird feeling of guilt. "Those girls never really did anything to hurt me, so that's why I'm beginning to feel... bad for what I did. For that matter, I didn't even get the chance to vandalize Sunset Shimmer's guitar, before I was about to get caught."

"Oh, really now?" Rolling Thunder said, rather impressed. "Sounds like you've just set up another trap, although unintentionally. If we somehow aren't able to frame those band girls, perhaps Sunset Shimmer herself will get in trouble. After all, wouldn't it be pretty suspicious for everybody else's instrument to be destroyed, but not hers? I take it back, you might actually be as good at planning as Gilda."

"Thanks, I guess." Human Sunset replied, but couldn't ignore this newly growing guilt within herself.

This act of revenge began to feel different from before. Unlike people who had genuinely wronged her, like Principal Cinch or Indigo Zap, for the first time in her life, Human Sunset began to believe what she was doing was wrong. She had just willingly vandalized instruments that belonged to people who had nothing to do with her at all, combined with attempting to frame somebody else who never wronged her either. This also began to make Human Sunset consider the possibility of whether or not she'd feel the same way after eventually getting revenge on Pony Sunset. She had technically never actually met her, nor understood the full extent of the story regarding why she chose to come into her world.

"Hey, come now." Rolling Thunder began to notice her companion's strange behavior. "I thought you'd at least be more enthusiastic and all. You'd be getting revenge against either Sunset Shimmer or the dumb education system. It's because of these horrid schools that we're living the lives we currently have. It doesn't matter who you hurt, as long as you come out on top in the end."

"Yeah... in that case... yeah, I guess you're right." Human Sunset began to slowly come to terms with why she had planned to do all this before. "We've already begun to do some serious damage, it's too late to back out now. I don't know... why exactly I started to feel guilty, like I still had some kind of conscience. It's almost as if... some outside force of magic is exerting this sudden emotion onto me. Emotions can be really weird like that, sometimes."

"I haven't felt anything like that in ages." Rolling Thunder said, nonchalantly. "Regardless, we wanted to cause some trouble, and it looks like we're getting our wish soon. Let's just sit back and enjoy the show when those band girls come back."

Beyond the outskirts of Camp Everfree, Gilda had finally managed to drive all the way to the strange cave she had vaguely remembered seeing ages ago. The hope of awakening this sorceress to potentially get any power she craved for, it felt like the time would come soon enough. Unfortunately, while this cave in question did in fact exist, the other minor detail Gilda had recalled was true as well, in the fact that the entrance was completely caved in with a pile of large rocks. There was just no way she'd have the strength to destroy all these rocks, even with the pickaxe in the back of her truck.

This in turn, frustrated Gilda beyond belief, as it essentially meant that she had taken the time and energy to drive all the way here, only to be met with a dead end. She had no choice but to think of a realistic way to get in, as it was obvious that going into public places would practically be the equivalent of going back to jail. No chance at getting a jackhammer or supply of dynamite, as she'd get caught way too easily. With no other tools that could remove this giant rock pile, Gilda simply bit her lip in frustration and jumped back into her truck. As she was about to start up the engine to drive back to the city, Gilda then recalled an incident back at CHS, when she was still a student.

"Hmm, come to think of it, I remember the time I destroyed the Fall Formal's ice sculpture, then framed Rainbow Dash for it." Gilda recalled. "I was easily able to do so with a small wrench I stole from the janitor's closet. If I could somehow turn those rocks into ice, getting in would practically be child's play. The thing is, would there even be a way to do that? Ugh, this is probably just wishful thinking on my part."

But despite this feeling, Gilda was desperate to try anything, even if it meant skimming through Clover's old journal again. She started looking around the journal for anything that could potentially come close to the solution she had just came up with, but as expected, wasn't able to have much luck in doing so. However, one of the pages eventually stood out, as Clover had brought up an ancient artifact that was capable of such a thing.

Equestria's Founding, Day 49
I was rather surprised to come across this strange piece of regalia that the excavator team at Canterlot managed to uncover. For a while, I was completely unsure of what its purpose was, or for that matter, who it belonged to. But after some wild experimentation, whilst doing some heavy research, I was able to conclude that this was the Tundra Tiara! This was one of the few artifacts that I was more comfortable with letting go, since most ponies would never be able to know this was an artifact at all. How it works is, it allows the wearer to utilize frost and ice abilities with their hooves, but only if they say, 'Frosty Shivers', the magical words. Given how unlikely it would be for anypony to utter such specific words, I'd be confident that everypony would primarily see this as nothing more than a fashionable crown. That said, my magical studies have pointed me to a theory I realized too late, after I sold the crown at an auction to pay for a sufficient food supply to feed Canterlot's soldiers. I've read that magical artifacts only usable by saying the magic words typically have one disastrous effect, in that if they were ever destroyed, their magic would manifest eternally. In other words, this ice magic might potentially be a permanent manifestation in all unicorns, if they ever said the words, 'Frosty Shivers', over and over. But with the chances of the tiara getting destroyed and unicorns uttering these two specific words being incredibly slim, combined with this all being nothing more than a theory, I'm almost certain nothing will ever come from this.

Upon finishing up the read, Clover also taped a picture of what the Tundra Tiara looked like, which let Gilda know exactly what to look for.

"Well... that was certainly pretty long-winded." Gilda rolled her eyes. "But who cares, now I know for certain that there's this weird tiara thing that would let me use ice magic to destroy those rocks. There's just one problem, I'd most likely need to go to that Equestria place in order to find it. Or... since I have a visual aid with me, perhaps I can somehow convince Sunny to do my dirty work for me."

With her new knowledge in mind, combined with also knowing that the sorceress's cave did in fact exist, Gilda knew what she had to do next. It was time to head back to her gang's hideout, and come up with a potential way to manipulate Human Sunset into going back to Equestria to find that crown for her. If she was able to get in and awaken that sorceress, then gain her ultimate power, she'd be set for life, not even having a care for what would happen to the rest of the world as a result. With this plan in motion, Gilda started the engine on her pickup truck, and started driving all the way back to her hideout.

Meanwhile, as the Dazzlings finally returned from their trip to the taco joint, they casually jogged back to their van, ready to continue rehearsing. Since this was the only thing going on in their minds, it was certainly confusing when they saw Principal Celestia and Ms. Harshwhinny standing by their van, with crossed arms and stern expressions. Unbeknownst to everyone in the faculty lot, Human Sunset and Rolling Thunder were currently watching nearby, ready to finally see their handiwork. Not knowing what was going on, Adagio did the most logical thing and began questioning.

"Uhh, hello?" Adagio said, rather confused. "Is there... some kind of a problem here? Look, if you've got issues with us parking here, I can just move the van over-"

"Save it!" Principal Celestia snapped. "You girls clearly know what you did, it's time to fess up!"

"What's your problem?" Sonata became defensive. "Are you just mad because we didn't save you any soft shell tacos?"

"Enough of this playing dumb!" Ms. Harshwhinny demanded, before taking the baseball bat from behind the van. "Tell me, does this look familiar to you?"

"Hey, that's my baseball bat!" Aria interjected. "What are you doing with that, were you going through our van!?"

"Well then, I'm so happy you admitted that." Ms. Harshwhinny said, sarcastically. "Because guess what? I found this left behind in the music classroom, next to a bunch of now vandalized instruments."

"And furthermore, what's interesting was that those instruments belonged to the Rainbooms." Principal Celestia added. "You know? The same girls who defeated you and showed your true colors back at the Battle of the Bands?"

"Hey, just because we're not really friends with certain people, it doesn't automatically make us guilty!" Adagio defended herself and her sisters. "Besides, we all just went to get tacos, how could we have possibly vandalized instruments here when we were clearly somewhere else!?"

"Then how do you explain your baseball bat being left at the scene of the crime?" Principal Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Ms. Harshwhinny, when exactly were those instruments destroyed?"

"About half an hour ago." Ms. Harshwhinny replied.

"Well that just can't be!" Adagio slammed her foot on the ground. "We were all literally just out getting tacos for lunch around that time, so we couldn't have done anything! Me and my sisters were all together half an hour ago! In fact, I even have a receipt from the taco joint, with the time and date listed on it!"

Adagio handed Principal Celestia the receipt, which clearly showed 11:57 AM on the current day, which was only a few minutes away from when the vandalism took place.

"Well, I guess you're not guilty then, but what about your sisters?" Principal Celestia questioned. "Because this is only one small taco you ordered. If you all ordered lunch, may I please check their receipts as well?"

"Here's mine!" Sonata handed the principal her receipt, which had 17 soft shell tacos, at 11:56 AM.

"Okay then..." Principal Celestia halfway conceded with her accusations. "Rather unusually large order, but... you're clean too. How about you, Aria?"

"Huh, me?" Aria reached into her pockets. "But... I didn't order anything there, I just went with them for the exercise. Never really been fond of tacos myself, so I'm afraid I don't have a receipt."

"Interesting, considering how you already confessed that it was YOUR baseball bat that was left behind in the classroom!" Ms. Harshwhinny spat. "So in other words, you must be guilty, if you didn't go to get tacos with your sisters as you had claimed!"

"Wha-!?" Adagio began with aghast. "That's not fair, just because she doesn't like tacos, it doesn't prove anything! We're a gang who always sticks together, and she was with us the entire time! Why can't you just accept our word!?"

"Well, it's hard to take the word of somebody who had once used magic to brainwash me and my sister to approve of the Battle of the Bands." Principal Celestia crossed her arms. "But regardless, since you confessed that it was your bat at the scene of the crime, and you have no evidence that you were elsewhere, I'm afraid we'll have to take you in."

A male police officer came out from behind the van and began to put Aria in handcuffs.

"This... This isn't fair!" Aria shrieked. "I didn't do anything!"

"You're guilty until proven innocent!" The officer spat, before taking Aria over to the police car. "Anything you say now can be used against you later in court."

"And as for you two, I'm afraid there's still enough evidence here that concludes one of your members committed a serious crime here at CHS." Principal Celestia frowned. "So in other words..."

The principal then took out the contract the Dazzlings had signed with the school earlier that week, and ripped the paper in two, right in front of Adagio and Sonata.

"N-No... YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!!" Adagio screeched.

"I can, and I just did." Principal Celestia huffed. "We're going to have to push the CHS graduation back another day until we can find more trustworthy performers for the concert. And in the worst case-scenario, we just won't have any entertainment at graduation this year. Have a good life, you two."

The Principal and music teacher marched right back to the building, while the police officer drove off with Aria in his car. Adagio and Sonata just stood there, completely speechless at what just happened. They were now completely unsure of how to move forward from this.

"Well, I did always try to convince her that a love for tacos has its benefits from time to time..." Sonata sighed.

"Is THAT really all you have to say after what just happened!?" Adagio began turning berserk. "Our sister just got arrested, we've lost our contract deal to hold us over for the next few years, and the only thing you have to worry about is Aria's preferences in food!?!?!?"

"But what can we do now!?" Sonata hyperventilated. "This wouldn't have happened if she just got a taco with us, right!?"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT'S IMPORTANT NOW!!!" Adagio exploded. "Clearly, somebody broke into our van and took Aria's bat, vandalized those instruments, then planted it there in the classroom to frame her! When I find out who did this, I'm going to give them something to REALLY cry about!"

"Who do you think did this?" Sonata began thinking of a potential culprit. "It couldn't be that rude cashier that Aria has a grudge against, could it?"

"Obviously not, if she was the one who served us our tacos earlier!" Adagio grabbed Sonata by the shoulders. "Snap out of it already and actually use your brain for once! Who could've done this to us, WHO!?!?!?"

As Adagio shook her little sister around in pure rage, Sonata began to take notice of someone out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey, wait a minute, who's THAT!?" Sonata pointed.

Adagio swiftly turned around, getting an immediate glimpse of Human Sunset and Rolling Thunder, hiding in the bushes from a distance away.

"HEY!" Adagio yelled from a distance. "Sunset Shimmer, is that you!? What are you two punks doing spying on us!?"

Both of the aforementioned girls' eyes widened upon realizing they were spotted.

"They found us, let's bolt!" Rolling Thunder shrieked.

Human Sunset and Rolling Thunder began running away frantically, which only seemed to further indicate what must've really happened.

"It... It was Sunset!" Sonata deduced. "She must've been the culprit who framed our sister!"

"Sunset Shimmer...!" Adagio began to flare up in extreme anger. "And to think that for a minute, I actually gained an ounce of respect for her, only for her to do this to us! Sonata, grab your hard taco shells! When we find Sunset Shimmer again, she is going to pay... DEARLY!!!"

Chapter 66: Captain's Request

Back in Equestria, Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight had finally returned to their current timeline, still rather shocked to learn about the upcoming bad future. It almost felt as if time was suddenly of the essence, given how there was currently a power-mad artificial alicorn on the loose, who also possessed the Bewitching Bell. Upon returning, Rarity was glad to see that the trio managed to return without any issues, but noticed immediately that her friends showed expressions of grief and concern over what they had supposedly just witnessed.

"Well, I take it that the time travel spell did its job, but..." Rarity began, as she observed her friends' gestures. "I'm guessing that something about Equestria's future was very wrong?"

"You might want to sit down for this one, Rarity." Twilight sighed. "We need to call the rest of the council too, this is some pretty heavy stuff."

"Hmm, this sounds serious." Rarity understood. "I'll go and fetch the rest of our friends, they should still be at the castle's meeting room from earlier."

"Alright then, time for another official emergency meeting." Twilight said. "Now that I'm princess of all of Equestria, it's my responsibility to ensure that this bad future will never become a reality. As such, that'll entail figuring out a way to counter the Bewitching Bell's effects, so that we don't end up weakened from magic loss. For now though, it's time to deliver the hard news."

After eventually calling everyone on the council back over to the same meeting room from before, Twilight sat in her seat and began explaining everything. How the future of Equestria looked incredibly bleak and hopeless, combined with how it was also a future that still took place after Rainbow's Sonic Rainboom was able to unite the entire destined group of friends. Starlight also shared the closest thing to a hint they were able to gather, involving someone named 'Sunny S.', who supposedly was responsible for the future in question. The rest of the council showed rather mixed feelings about this, but the overall consensus was that this was truly a matter of shock and concern. No one else on the council seemed to have any idea about who 'Sunny S.' was, except for Rainbow.

"Wait a minute... Sunny S..." Rainbow began to recall. "You mean Sunny Skies? The mayor of Hope Hollow who invited us all to attend his town's Rainbow Festival?"

"That's what I was thinking at first, until I realized that it couldn't have been him." Twilight replied. "The main clues we were able to gather was that whoever was responsible, they caused an eternal sunset in Equestria, and their general appearance seems to resemble Sunset over here. Since Mayor Skies doesn't resemble Sunset at all, I'm pretty confident we can rule him out as a suspect."

"When I found that out myself, it almost got me wondering if I had a connection somewhere..." Sunset recalled. "I mean, Party Favor immediately freaked out upon seeing me, and the fact that the world became eternally sunset...? I... I couldn't have been the one who was responsible..."

"There's just no way, Sugarcube." Applejack assured. "Your humbleness as an honorary Apple, you're way too pure of a soul to do somethin' as awful as that to Equestria."

"I'm sure that even though Party Favor's behavior was... strange?" Rarity described. "There simply must be a logical explanation for why he reacted that way."

"I'm also sure that the eternal sunset has nothing to do with you, Sunset." Fluttershy added. "Why would you believe you're responsible for having a connection with that?"

"It's just that... I remember Twilight telling me about what happened with Princess Luna." Sunset recalled. "Isn't it true that when she became Nightmare Moon, she had the ultimate goal of covering Equestria in an eternal night? The fact that Double Diamond specifically described the bad future as having an eternal sunset, along with how... I'm the only pony I know of with a connection through my name? I just can't help but feel I have something to do with it..."

"Princess Luna's name is reflective of the moon though, silly." Pinkie tried to cheer Sunset up. "Not the night."

"Yeah, but the moon fully shows itself at night." Sunset continued. "I've practically exhausted all my theories up until this point, I just have no idea what this bad future is trying to tell us..."

"If I were to guess, this could just be someone we haven't encountered yet, who may or may not coincidentally resemble you, Sunset." Starlight added. "But because that pegasus is still on the loose with the Bewitching Bell, and there's that mysterious figure Zecora tried to warn Rainbow about, I'm sure it's entirely plausible either of them were responsible for the bad future."

"No real idea on that mystery figure whose name starts with an 'O' and rhymes with the word 'mean'..." Sunset pondered. "But as for the pegasus, I wouldn't be so sure if it's even her, considering how I don't look anything like that psycho. Plus, let's just say I've recently learned her name, it's Chestnut Magnifico. With a name like that, I couldn't imagine she'd have anything to do with making Equestria eternally sunset. But whether she is or isn't the culprit, that doesn't matter to me now. Since I have a little time left before graduation, and I still have a chance to help change the future of Equestria, I've decided to stick around a bit longer, mostly to help in any way I can."

"It's incredibly noble of you, how you're still willing to help save Equestria from that awful future, even after what just happened with that Chestnut pegasus." Twilight nodded. "But are you sure that's a good idea? Without your horn and unicorn magic, I could just never forgive myself if I let something else bad happen to you, Sunset."

"Trust me, Twilight." Sunset assured. "I've had my fair share of wild adventures back in the human world, including getting stranded on a desert island once. At the very least, I want to do anything I can to help protect... my old home."

"If you're absolutely sure about this, I understand and appreciate your commitment." Twilight smiled. "However, we're going to have to head over to the Canterlot Library and do some research regarding the Bewitching Bell, because the last thing I want is for any of my friends to get hurt again."

"Understood, hopefully we'll all find something crucial." Sunset nodded. "If that future of Equestria is just down the corner, I'm beginning to feel like time is running out..."

As Twilight and the rest of the council had rushed to the Canterlot Library to conduct any research they could in a timely manner, trouble was continuing to brew within the human world. Gilda had begun to make her way back to Canterlot City, but started to notice that her truck was running too low on gas. This prompted her to sigh in annoyance, before pulling over to a nearby gas station. She thankfully still had some spare cash on her, which was at least enough to get her back to her gang's hideout.

"Darn fossil fuels... why you gotta be so expensive?" Gilda grumbled. "Why can't you be as easy to steal as a school kid's lunch money?"

Knowing that she was a wanted criminal on the loose, Gilda put on her jacket's hood and added a pair of sunglasses, mostly as a precaution if the gas station's store had security cameras. She then exited the truck with her cash and was ready to refuel, but then recalled a crucial detail she hadn't really thought through before she decided to ditch the rest of the gang for the sake of her little quest.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, I hadn't considered how I was going to explain why I was gone for so long." Gilda pondered to herself. "I might just have to come up with a dumb excuse and hope she buys it."

Gilda walked right into the store and handed the cashier her money to begin purchasing gas.

"30 bucks on number 6, please." Gilda said, rather calm.

"Oh, thank goodness." Soarin said with relief, before activating the gas pump. "An actual polite customer. I was almost halfway tempted to quit my job because of those rude Crystal Prep Academy girls coming in here just to make fun of me."

Although Gilda initially didn't care much for the cashier's personal sob story, she then suddenly remembered that Crystal Prep Academy was the school that Human Sunset seemed to have a personal vendetta against. As she was still in need of an excuse for why she had gone missing this morning, she figured that perhaps gathering some information about this school could not only put her back on Human Sunset's good side, but perhaps even persuade her to do her dirty work in locating the Tundra Tiara.

"Sorry to hear about that..." Gilda said, albeit insincerely. "Where might those girls be, maybe I can go talk to them?"

"I think I just saw them heading over to the cooler section to get some iced coffees." Soarin pointed to the far end of the store. "I tried to call the police before, but they always call my bluff."

Gilda turned around and saw two girls standing in front of the coolers, with one of the girls constantly touching bottles and cans, before putting them back on the shelves in incorrect places. Ignoring this unusual behavior, Gilda simply snuck over to the two girls from afar, before hiding herself behind one of the beef jerky shelves on the adjacent side of the coolers. She began eavesdropping, desperately hoping that she could find some dirt that could put her back in Human Sunset's good graces.

"Come on, Sugarcoat!" Indigo Zap tried to persuade her friend. "Why aren't you helping me rearrange everything around here? It'll be funny to make people believe that coffee costs 40 bucks while this pack of beer only costs 93 cents!"

"Why exactly are we doing this again?" Sugarcoat sighed in frustration. "You know that there's a universal number of things that are better to do than... this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Indigo asked rhetorically. "That cashier was clearly annoyed with us earlier. So maybe if we drive him bananas enough, he might let us take these iced coffees at no charge. After all, don't you think beverages just taste way better if they're free?"

"I can't exactly agree that it's free if you're going to spend hours monkeying around just to get something that costs less than a dollar." Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "Honestly, we HAVE the money to pay for like a thousand of these, what's your deal?"

"My deal is, what if I end up getting a scholarship as an athlete in college, but then I'm a dollar short for health insurance?" Indigo said. "Did you ever think about that?"

"The way you choose to set priorities never ceases to amaze me." Sugarcoat said, sarcastically. "I honestly don't know why the rest of our gang entrusted you to hold on to our old Crystal Prep Academy uniforms. We're all pretty much depending on you to keep those vintage outfits safe."

"Duh, don't you remember?" Indigo reminded. "Since I'm an athlete, my locker also gets a completely separate compartment to store clothes, and you all complained about having to carry the uniforms around everywhere. Besides, if you're so confident that you can afford coffee, why are you suddenly so afraid of possibly losing $20,000?"

"Would you NOT say that out loud, especially in public!?" Sugarcoat snapped. "You know something? I might've appreciated you volunteering to hold onto our old uniforms until after graduation, but now I'm having second thoughts. You're not particularly responsible with time, let alone a large sum of money."

"Well, too bad!" Indigo huffed. "They're staying in my locker until we get our diplomas at graduation. Besides, you don't even know my locker combination to get in anyways."

"It's 6-7-57." Sugarcoat recalled. "I know this because you have a habit of chanting it all the time during soccer tryouts. Someone with only half a brain could even figure that out."

"SHHHHHHH!!!" Indigo put her hand on Sugarcoat's mouth. "You want somebody to hear?"

"Oh, NOW you're suddenly so cautious about revealing sensitive information in public, let alone in a gas station where there's video cameras and shady people." Sugarcoat stated, bluntly. "Listen, if you want to waste the rest of the afternoon trying to bother the gas station cashier, be my guest. But I think I'll just head on over to the school and take my uniform back."

"We're not allowed on campus if we don't have any active classes for the day, genius!" Indigo reminded. "Didn't you read Principal Cadence's new policy!?"

"I really wonder about you sometimes, Indigo Zap." Sugarcoat sighed. "You're either following rules to a tee, or doing ridiculously dumb things that make me lose brain cells."

"Just for that, I get your free coffee when the cashier's had enough." Indigo retaliated.

"Whatever, have fun wasting your life." Sugarcoat shrugged before she finally began to leave the store.

Overhearing all of this from behind the snack shelf, Gilda suddenly knew she had made a breakthrough that would help Human Sunset devastate these girls at Crystal Prep Academy, especially after she had heard their names. Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap, the same girls Human Sunset had the fiercest grudge against. Combined with this, Gilda had also learned of the locker combination to help them break in, as she quickly took out her notepad and a pen, writing down '6-7-57', to make sure she didn't forget. Then it suddenly clicked inside her.

Gilda realized that she could use the excuse of scoping out Crystal Prep Academy to gather intel as a means of explaining her sudden absence, along with using Indigo Zap's locker combination as leverage to force Human Sunset to acquire the Tundra Tiara for her. Feeling like she was most certainly just blessed with the best luck in the world, Gilda put the notepad back into her pocket, before getting back up and exiting the store to refuel her truck.

"Well, did you talk to them?" Soarin asked with desperation, as he noticed Indigo was still fumbling around with the cooler section. "What did they say?"

"Err, yeah." Gilda shrugged at this. "Just give that girl some free coffee and she'll leave."

"Fine then, if that's what it takes." Soarin breathed a sigh of relief, before Gilda stepped out of the store quickly to avoid any further awkward conversations.

As Gilda finally finished adding gas to her truck, she sped off back to the city, ready to set her plot into motion. It was obviously going to take a lot of work and acting to get through all this, but when the time was right, she would finally be able to awaken that sorceress and gain access to her omnipotent powers. Hopefully the locker combination wasn't a fib, but most importantly, she had the perfect explanation toward her absence, while Human Sunset and the rest of her gang were still slowly sabotaging the upcoming school graduations.

As Twilight, Sunset, and the rest of the council were busy conducting research within the Canterlot Library, it seemed to be going almost nowhere, as everypony had practically already exhausted every magic book on the shelves. Almost nothing appeared to give even the slightest hint of a way they could counter the Bewitching Bell's draining effects, let alone a way to fight back. As everypony was beginning to lose hope, Twilight finally shrieked in amazement when she found a book that specifically documented the Bewitching Bell.

"YES!!!" Twilight held the book up in front of her. "I knew you could always find any answers in your local library! It looks like this book was written by Starswirl the Bearded, and it carefully documents everything about the Bewitching Bell back when he and the other Pillars of Equestria were attacked by the nefarious Grogar."

"Cool!" Pinkie jumped with glee. "Could you read us the entire story? A lot of the books I've skimmed around here don't seem to have happy endings."

"Maybe another time, as much as I agree with your curiosity, Pinkie." Twilight began skimming the book. For now, I'm skipping over to the chapter that explains how Gusty the Great was able to defeat Grogar, even when he was nearly unstoppable thanks to the bell's magic."

"I'm just saying though, isn't it kinda weird how we're all afraid of some bell?" Rainbow reminded. "Yeah, that's right! You heard me, Bewitching Bell! YOU DON'T SCARE ME!!!"

A bell suddenly dinged out of nowhere, which made Rainbow jump up in shock, before she turned around and saw it came from a bell from the checkout counter near the library's entrance.

"Shhh!" The librarian demanded. "Keep it down, please!"

"Let's just at least be glad that this bell didn't take away your ability to fly." Rarity said, rather amused.

"Aha, I finally found it!" Twilight suddenly flipped to the page that explained Grogar's defeat, before placing the book on the table. "Everyone, take a look at this. For many years, nopony dared to even attempt standing up against Grogar, since he could very easily drain their magic in mere seconds. It didn't matter who it was, even if they were allied or working for him."

"Sounds awful, just like that rotten pegasus we're now up against." Sunset listened on.

"However, one day when the legendary pillar, Rockhoof, was mining around a quarry, he uncovered an artifact that somehow made him completely immune to the Bewitching Bell's draining effects, the Dragonstone. Rockhoof had managed to absorb the dragon fire from within, and he was completely unaffected by one of Grogar's intense rampages. Nopony ever knew specifically what the artifact was once used for, but for some reason, the stone itself could completely drain dragons of their dragon fire. I know this doesn't really sound particularly helpful, but it also had a secondary effect, that reciprocating the dragon fire onto somepony can make them completely immune to... magic draining effects. In this case, the Bewitching Bell. "

"Then I reckon that if only we knew about this back then, it would've also prevented Lord Tirek from drainin' us ponies of our magic?" Applejack deduced.

"Precisely." Twilight nodded. "The battle with Grogar was a real piece of cake for Gusty after she was given the Dragonstone's fire and became invincible to the Bewitching Bell. However, here's where things get... tricky. That's all there is as far as Starswirl documenting his studies on the bell itself. There's no mention past this regarding where the Dragonstone is now."

"Well, under normal circumstances, this would certainly be a real pickle." Starlight agreed. "But... since the Pillars are still around, after we brought them back during our battle against the Pony of Shadows, we could simply ask Rockhoof himself?"

"OH!" Twilight responded. "That's right, how could I forget that!?"

"To be fair, we don't really have the Pillars interacting with the new Equestria much." Spike added. "Though I'm sure that's mostly just an effect of them adapting back into society. It has been 1,000 years, after all."

"Wait, you... brought the Pillars of Equestria back to life?" Sunset asked, rather astonished. "Well, I'm definitely glad that I chose to come back to Equestria then, you usually wouldn't hear about stuff like this back in the human world."

"I'd imagine so." Twilight giggled. "Now then, we'll have to find Starswirl and Rockhoof, mostly to ask if they have any idea regarding where the Dragonstone is now."

"Did somepony call my name?" Rockhoof entered the room, as the timing appeared to be perfect.

"Oh, Rockhoof!" Twilight announced from a distance. "Good to see you, what are you doing here?"

"I'm actually here to return a library book that I borrowed over 1,000 years ago." Rockhoof explained. "You don't think the librarian will mind the lateness, do you? I wonder if she's my librarian's great great great great great great great great great great great great granddaughter."

"Well... why don't I just take it off your hooves and take care of it for you?" Twilight took the book from Rockhoof and smiled sheepishly. "I... had a bad experience with an overdue library book myself, let's just say."

"Much obliged, Princess!" Rockhoof nodded.

"Oh... my." Sunset said in awe. "You're... Rockhoof! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I read about you in magic school, you were actually the first Equestrian Legend I read about, and you were an amazing inspiration! How you went from being unable to pick up an axe to finding your inner strength when that volcano erupted, and you saved all those villagers from that magma! I always dreamt of one day becoming as strong and brave as you!"

"Aye, I hadn't expected that I'd meet a pony who idolized me so much in modern day." Rockhoof reacted, rather flattered. "Who might you be, lass?"

"Sunset Shimmer." Sunset began squeeing. "I've never told anypony this before, but your tale's legacy was the main reason that I always had a tendency to work out and become a much stronger pony each day. I remember always wanting to be just like you, the big and strong viking hero of Equestria, and... now I'm actually given the opportunity to meet you, pony to pony? It's such an honor!"

"Heh, I know Applebloom felt the same way when I had her meet Rockhoof too." Applejack added.

"Well, I'm certainly flattered that I was able to change somepony's life through what I accomplished thousands of moons ago." Rockhoof nodded. "But I hope you've learned that it's always a pony's inner strength that truly counts, not just their outer, physical strength."

"Well... yes, I agree with that." Sunset blushed in embarrassment. "I've managed to actually accomplish growing my inner strength to its best potential. That... was really more one of my fangirl moments, since... it's not every day you get to meet somepony you've admired so much throughout your youth."

"That makes two of us, we really have that inner fangirl in common." Twilight giggled.

"Aye, but at the end of the day, I'm still just an ordinary pony like the rest of you all." Rockhoof said. "I might've captured the hearts and imaginations of many ponies around Equestria, and have been appointed the role of the official Keeper of Tales, but that certainly doesn't make me better than anypony else in the room."

"Of course." Sunset nodded. "A certain somepony's taught me a thing or two about being humble, so I'm happy to hear you're quite humble about your heroics too."

"Always a pleasure to hear that you understand where I come from, lass." Rockhoof said with approval. "I still appreciate the kind words, regardless. But getting back to earlier, Princess Twilight? Since I believe I heard my name, I'm guessing you need something?"

"Oh, yes actually." Twilight nodded. "Rockhoof, if it's not too much trouble, we were mostly curious if you had any recollection of what you did with the Dragonstone? You know, the artifact you and the rest of the pillars had given to Gusty the Great to defeat Grogar all those centuries ago?"

"The Dragonstone?" Rockhoof's eyes widened. "That there be a rather dangerous relic to play with, especially if it fell into the wrong hooves. I don't particularly think it's a wise choice to let anypony know of its whereabouts now."

"But... why?" Sunset questioned her childhood idol. "We understand the magnitude of its power, but we don't seem to have a choice, especially after somepony stole the Bewitching Bell."

"THEY WHAT!?" Rockhoof shrieked. "HOW IN EQUESTRIA DID THAT HAPPEN!?!?!?"

"We... weren't exactly cautious of everything going on in Canterlot whilst we were settling a friendship dispute and... this pony managed to break into the Canterlot Museum and get ahold of it." Twilight explained.

"So that's where it was the entire time?" Rockhoof put a hoof on his face. "Princess, do you know why I ended up hiding the Dragonstone in a place where nopony would ever find it? To ensure that it would absolutely prevent something like this from ever happening! Why would you display the Bewitching Bell in a place as vulnerable as a museum!?"

"Hey, cut her a break!" Rainbow jumped in. "It was meant to be a display of victory after we had managed to finally defeat Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow for good!"

"Plus, we just figured that since anyone dangerous we've encountered had already been defeated or changed for the better, we wouldn't have to worry about anything like this happening." Twilight said. "But regardless, it's far too late now. We absolutely need the Dragonstone once again, if we're going to go up against somepony wielding the Bewitching Bell."

"You've only just become the Princess of all of Equestria, and already made such a foolish mistake..." Rockhoof sighed, before obliging to Twilight's request. "Very well, I suppose if that's our only choice now, I'll reveal its whereabouts. But I must warn you, actually finding it will be a dangerous and difficult journey."

"That's to be expected, and we're willing to do anything we can to get that artifact." Sunset said with confidence.

"Well alright, lass." Rockhoof began explaining. "Centuries ago, after Grogar's defeat at the hooves of Gusty the Great, we both mutually agreed that the Dragonstone needed to be hidden far away for the sake of Equestria. So I sailed the many seas for weeks, going from island to island, desperately seeking the absolute most isolated area to ensure the Dragonstone would remain hidden until the rest of time. Eventually, I ended up on Everfree Island, just south of the Celestial Sea."

"Everfree Island?" Twilight said, rather bewildered. "I've studied the map of Equestria for quite some time, and never got even the slightest hint of that place."

"It was purposefully never marked on the map, Princess." Rockhoof replied. "And for good reason too. Very few have made it to that island and returned alive. Some have even perished in the incredibly aggressive sea, capable of swallowing whole ships. I was one of the few to be lucky enough and make it all the way to Everfree Island with my ship completely intact. It was there where I had hidden the Dragonstone within the deep grotto at the center of the island."

"Hmm, well that doesn't sound too bad." Pinkie said. "If you steer us to that island on your boat, I'm sure we can all find that relic in no time!"

"Unfortunately, although I still have my ship, I cannot." Rockhoof sighed. "Shortly after I departed from the grotto, I heard a strange figure's voice. I never got to see them, but always believed it was some kind of spiritual being, who had only allowed me to return safely at a price. Because they was angry with me trespassing on Everfree Island, they demanded that I give up something in return to pay for my error. Since this being was rather impressed with me making it all the way across the dangerous waters without any struggle, they wanted me to give up my skills in sailing a boat, which I had no choice but to agree to. After which, I managed to return to Equestria safely, but unfortunately lost my previous knowledge and experience at operating a vessel. It appears as though... some kind of curse had taken effect after the deal was done."

"So in other words, although you have a boat strong enough to traverse the dangerous waters surrounding Everfree Island, you wouldn't be capable of being our navigator?" Twilight asked.

"That's right." Rockhoof lowered his head in shame. "You're more than welcome to use my ship for such a task, since it no longer has any use to me. But as for somepony to help you steer, you'll have to search elsewhere."

"Hmm, do we know anypony who can steer a ship?" Twilight asked around the council.

"Rarity, Pinkie, and I went on a lil' boat trip once, but considerin' how our boat ended up sinkin', even in relatively safer waters, I wouldn't really trust our luck at operatin' another boat." Applejack replied.

"For sure, let alone within waters capable of swallowing an entire ship." Rarity added.

"Wait a minute, what about the hippogriffs?" Starlight suggested. "Don't they have a navy? Perhaps General Seaspray could help us out."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, lass." Rockhoof dismissed. "Last time I tried to help General Seaspray navigate the seas, I ended up crashing his ship for my beliefs on the constellations always pointing us in the right direction. Most likely an effect of losing my sailing skills centuries ago. I highly doubt the general would want to associate with me, let alone navigate my ship after that mess."

"Oh, that's right." Twilight recalled. "I completely forgot about that too. Let's see, we have a boat, we have an idea on which direction to sail to, we have a crew, but we don't have an experienced ship navigator. This is certainly troublesome, since it seems like getting the Dragonstone is now our only hope at saving Equestria from that awful future. Does anypony know someone we can rely on as an experienced ship navigator?"

As everyone around the council wasn't able to think of anyone other than General Seaspray, Sunset had a different idea in mind, given how she had never even met the hippogriffs. In fact, it was somepony she was already somewhat familiar with in the human world, but was much nicer than her human counterpart. The only pony version of the Shadowbolts who Sunset considered rather kindhearted, understanding, and relatable as far as having a distant relationship with her father. Given how Sunset was also definitely still on good terms with her after their last meeting together, she finally spoke up to make the pivotal suggestion.

"Twilight, I think I know somepony who can help us." Sunset began elaborating. "The problem is, we'll need to head on over to Manehattan, specifically around the ferry area."

"Hmm, alright then." Twilight understood. "I guess we could teleport there to save time? It's admittedly been a while since I've been to Manehattan, so I'm not sure if I can reliably teleport us there."

"I'll do it, then." Starlight volunteered. "Sunset and I hit it off pretty well there, and I think I still have a pretty clear image of what the docks looked like."

"Alright then, we'll head over to Manehattan for a bit, please wait a while for us, everyone." Twilight said to the rest of the council, as everyone nodded.

Twilight and Sunset held hooves with Starlight, before she teleported them all to their destination. Sunset was definitely able to recognize where they had teleported to, as it wasn't far from the area from before. The same place where she was searching desperately for a way to reach Twilight's coronation on time. However, it didn't take long for her to lead her friends to the docks, and specifically to where she had boarded the Manehattan ferry. It was here where she suddenly began to notice something rather unusual. Although the ferry was absent and most likely carrying other passengers on a cruise, the captain herself was remaining alone at the pier. She appeared to be rather concerned, whilst staring at a walkie talkie desperately.

"Captain Zest?" Sunset addressed the captain who had helped her get to Twilight's coronation during her first day back in Equestria.

Lemon Zest turned around, rather surprised and happy to see the pony who had treated her with such kindness and understanding.

"Hey there, you're that passenger who really helped me turn my life and business in the right direction!" Lemon Zest recalled. "Sunset Shimmer, right? And Princess Twilight too? What are you doing here?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sunset nodded, before explaining. "Well, let's just say that back in Canterlot, we've unraveled quite a bit regarding the potential dangers that'll likely come to Equestria in the near future. We're able to prevent it, but the problem is... we need a ship navigator."

"I can see that you're the Manehattan's ferry captain, so you certainly must have tons of experience navigating a boat." Twilight deduced. "If it's not too much trouble, would you accept the role for us? We'd be willing to compensate you with any amount of bits you believe is fair."

"I see." Lemon Zest understood. "Well, I'd certainly be happy to do anything to help Sunset, given how her advice truly helped my business flourish lately. Over the past couple of days, I've actually had more passengers than ever before, with even some claiming they decided to not take the train after hearing the good word. Unfortunately, as much as I'd want to assist you, there's two troubling things going on in my mind right now."

"Oh?" Sunset was ready to lend an ear. "What might that be?"

"As you can see, the ferry's gone, and it was supposed to return over three hours ago." Lemon Zest explained. "I was gathering some tools in the city when it came time to repair the ferry during maintenance, so Ragamuffin took the wheel. This whole time, I've been trying to radio call him, but to no avail. I have no idea where the ferry, my first mate, and the passengers are. Something terrible must've happened, and I've been incredibly worried this whole time."

"That's awful." Sunset's ear went down. "Did you... by any chance remember which direction they sailed off to?"

"Well, the passengers wanted a new route for a better tour, so Ragamuffin and I both agreed that we'd open a new cruise path down the Celestial Sea." Lemon Zest recalled. "I believe it was south, according to my compass."

"...Oh no." Starlight began to deduce what this likely meant. "That might've been a big mistake. Let's just say... going south of the Celestial Sea? We've been told that it's incredibly dangerous."

"More specifically, that's the direction to Everfree Island." Twilight explained. "It's an unmarked area of Equestria that's specifically unmarked due to the many dangers that surround that island, including rapid and violent waters."

"So then... it's just as I had feared then." Lemon Zest took her captain's hat off in grief. "For all I know, my first mate and passengers are now gone like the wind."

"We don't know that for certain." Sunset continued to keep her positivity. "But the thing is, we actually do need to travel to Everfree Island ourselves. Let's just say... the future of Equestria depends on it."

"I suppose the future of my business too, if my passengers and first mate are now stranded on that island." Lemon moped. "I really want to help you, Sunset, along with being able to potentially recover everypony who boarded the ferry, but the truth is, just knowing that something bad must've happened along the way, I'm not exactly in the best mental state. Plus, since I've been a lot busier lately with the ferry business, I haven't had time to visit my dad. And... I just received word from my cousin this morning that... he had fallen ill and was sent to the hospital."

"Really sorry to hear that, I certainly hope he recovers well soon." Sunset put a hoof on the captain's shoulder. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

"Well, I would normally be doing everything I could to go visit him, but unfortunately... I can't." Lemon Zest sighed. "Not since the ferry's gone, and I need to travel to Canterlot. The hospital was already full here in Manehattan, so my cousin brought him to the Canterlot infirmary by train. And even if I could somehow go to Canterlot, I'm sure visiting hours are already over. I'm sorry, but... knowing that something tragic might've happened with my passengers and Ragamuffin, along with how I'm unable to see my dad, I'm just not mentally capable of navigating a ship, even with my years of experience."

"You need to get to Canterlot?" Sunset analyzed the situation. "We can take you to Canterlot right now through teleportation. And don't worry about visiting hours, I know a somepony who can let you in, no questions asked. Would seeing your father right now at least ameliorate things?"

"I suppose so." Lemon Zest agreed. "You'd do that for me? I'm sure that even if my business tanks due to this incident, I'll still be fine for the rest of my life if I can just see my dad one last time. Then I'll definitely be able to focus on navigating a ship, no matter how rough the waters are. You really are such a kind soul, Sunset."

"Thanks, captain." Sunset blushed. "Alright, let's go."

With that said and done, Twilight nodded and knew what she had to do. She instructed everypony to grab hooves before she visualized Canterlot in her mind and teleported everypony back to the library they had just met. The rest of the council and Rockhoof were nearby, rather astonished at how Sunset was able to locate a boat captain within such a short timeframe.

"Whoa, you found an actual captain, Sunset?" Rainbow said with astonishment.

"Yeah, but we need to do something for her first, before she agrees to become our navigator." Sunset explained. "By the way, where's Rockhoof's boat?"

"It's stationed down at the Canterlot Harbor, and it's still in perfectly good condition, despite the fact I haven't touched it in hundreds of moons." Rockhoof replied.

"Hmm, well in that case, we might need to head down there and check if the vessel needs any maintenance." Twilight suggested.

"Alright, in that case, I'll take Captain Zest over to the infirmary." Sunset volunteered.

"Are you sure you'll be able to do so safely?" Twilight asked with concern. "Especially considering your past experiences with Canterlot's security when I'm not around."

"Trust me, Twilight." Sunset nodded with confidence. "We'll be just fine."

Twilight understood, before she, Rockhoof, and the rest of the council headed off to check the condition of the boat. As Captain Zest and Sunset trotted over and began to enter the infirmary, they did the most logical thing and attempted to sign in at the front desk. However, the pony behind the front counter had denied them access, not allowing them to proceed.

"What do you mean visiting hours are already over?" Sunset said, rather displeased.

"It means that as long as I'm here at the front desk, I get the say on who gets to go in to see the patients." The receptionist said, snarkily. "The rules here in Canterlot can be just like that, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"But this is an emergency, especially because my father's ill and hasn't seen me in years!" Lemon Zest began to show tears in her eyes. "His name is-"

"Too bad, you were too slow." The receptionist rolled her eyes. "Should've come in sooner, but you didn't. So if you could just kindly get out of here, that'd be much appreciated. Or do I have to call security to kick you out?"

"Alright, fine then." Sunset crossed her hooves. "Go right ahead, call them now."

"You asked for it!" The receptionist wasted no time in pushing a button to alert security.

"Uhh, Sunset...?" Lemon Zest said, rather worried.

"Just trust me on this one." Sunset winked to the captain, confidently.

Moments later, Max Steele arrived at the building, seeing Sunset once again. He looked toward the receptionist, trying to understand what the problem was.

"Yes, as you can see, these two are trying to see one of the patients who've fallen ill, but visiting hours are closed for the day." The receptionist explained. "You think you could escort them out?"

"I think I have a better mind to escort you out, miss!" Max huffed to the receptionist. "This here is a VIP, a good friend of Princess Twilight! Whatever she's here for, I'm sure it's important, regardless of the rules! So you'll let her in right away, you hear?"

"Oh, she's... friends with the princess?" The receptionist stuttered. "I-I'm so sorry, I..."

"And she was pretty rude to us too, sir." Sunset added, making the receptionist even more worried."

"Was she, now?" Max frowned. "You let her in right now, or I can go ahead and find somepony else to fill your position!"

"Y-Yes sir, right away!" The receptionist, nodded nervously, before doing just that.

"Thanks for having our backs, sir!" Sunset nodded to the security guard, who did the same thing, before leaving the building.

"Good friend of yours?" Lemon Zest questioned, as she and Sunset began trotting over to the patients' hall.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Sunset replied. "He knows how that security's an art that can't be rushed, thanks to me."

"I certainly appreciate you having my back too, especially in these situations!" Lemon Zest smiled. "Alright, I remember my cousin mentioning that dad should be in... room 127."

"Alright, that should be on this floor then." Sunset carefully searched the various room numbers, before they eventually came across the room that housed Lemon Zest's father.

As the two ponies entered the room, they saw a stallion with glasses, sitting on the bed and looking rather ill. To Sunset, she didn't immediately recognize the stallion at first, but knew that he somehow looked familiar. Regardless, Lemon Zest instantly ran over to surprise her father, happy that this reunion was now filled with joy, rather than resentment from before. But the stallion was still sitting in bed, rather unresponsive.

"D...Dad...?" Lemon Zest got closer to the stallion, praying in her heart that the inevitable hadn't occurred. "Please... wake up!"

The stallion continued being dormant, as if nopony else was in the room at all.

"Dad!" Lemon Zest began screaming, before holding her father's hoof. "Please, I'm sorry about how badly things ended between us when I left home, I'd do anything just to have you see me one last time...!"

Sunset stood nearby, hoping as well that the reunion between Captain Zest and her father wasn't already too late. She specifically recalled how distant the captain had grown with her dad, and it was certainly alluded to that things ended rather messy between the two. As Captain Zest continued praying for a miracle, she eventually got her wish. The stallion slowly began to wake up and open his eyes, also rather surprised to see his own daughter, whom he hadn't seen in literal ages.

"Lemon... Zest?" The stallion weakly said.

"Daddy!" Lemon Zest hugged her father, before she leaked tears of joy. "I know that we've always had our disagreements and fights in the past, especially when it came to my career choice in being a ferry captain. But I know now that you've always just wanted the best for me, and... I just want you to know this from the bottom of my heart. I love you, dad."

"I love you too... my little lemon poundcake..." The stallion said, super overjoyed at this pleasant surprise. "You've... grown so much since you've left home. I remember that when I bought you that boat... you left and never came back... so what changed...?"

"I had a heart-to-heart talk with one of my passengers, and she ended up putting me on the right track, along with helping me change my approach with the ferry business." Lemon Zest explained. "Before, business was incredibly slow, but after I took her advice, I've had nonstop customers in just the past couple of days. And for the first time in my life, I've had genuine passion for this profession."

"That's wonderful..." The stallion held his daughter's hoof. "Who was this passenger...?"

"She's right here." Lemon Zest pointed to her left side, which prompted Sunset to come closer. "Her name's Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, this is my dad, Canter Zoom."

"Canter Zoom..." Sunset began recalling that name from one of her earlier adventures in the human world.

Sunset then realized this was the name of that movie producer who was in charge of that Daring Do film which starred... Chestnut Magnifico. This aside, Sunset also vaguely recalled that around this time, it was Mr. Zoom's niece, Juniper Montage, who had stirred trouble with her and the rest of her friends with a magical hand mirror. With this in mind, Sunset then questioned what she surmised this meant, if Lemon Zest was Canter Zoom's daughter.

"Nice to meet you both as well." Sunset replied. "You both wouldn't happen to know a Juniper Montage by any chance?"

"You've met my cousin?" Lemon Zest responded. "She was the one who brought my dad to the hospital, given how I had more... urgent circumstances to worry about back in Manehattan."

"She was always taking good care of me when my health started going... down..." Canter Zoom mentioned. "I always sadly felt like my niece cared more... about me than my own daughter. She's the only one who's been sending... me money to help pay for my medical treatment."

"I'm so sorry to hear you've been feeling that way, dad." Lemon Zest apologized for her past behavior and grudges. "I promise, from now on, I'll do anything I can make sure you completely recover, even if it means taking a break from the ferry business for a while- hey, wait a minute... what did you just say? Juniper's the only one who's been sending you money?"

"Y-Yes..." Canter Zoom replied. "She mentioned that she had always been using her waitress tips to cover the additional expenses, especially after insurance was no longer able to do so."

"That's a lie!" Lemon Zest said with disbelief. "That money she's been using, I specifically gave her those bits, they were from my earnings as ferry captain! I also definitely asked her to make sure it was clear I was the one sending you money. There's just no way she could've covered thousands of bits worth of bills with just her small restaurant tips! So... she's been taking credit for my hard-earned money!?"

"Ah... it makes sense now..." Canter Zoom began to piece things together. "Since I've been retired for years now... and I wasn't sure when my time was up... I already brought up the possibility of writing a will a few years back... when my niece and I were having dinner at my house... and it discussed who would end up inheriting the family house once I was gone..."

"I-I can't believe this!" Lemon Zest spat. "I've even used my own bits to financially support Juniper over the years, and I helped her get those various waitress jobs in Manehattan thanks to my experience there, and this is how she repays me? I can't believe my own cousin would backstab me like this!"

"To be fair..." Canter Zoom continued. "She was definitely aware of how you and I didn't have the best relationship... but that doesn't matter now... since I now know what's really been going on."

"Well, I'm definitely feeling pretty hurt and betrayed by what Juniper was doing behind the scenes..." Lemon Zest wiped away her tears. "But... I don't even care anymore. Dad, you can just go ahead and give her that house and whatever inheritance she thinks she can swipe from under my nose. Because all that matters now is that you know, and we can finally spend some time together."

"No... no..." Canter Zoom shook his head. "I hadn't signed the will yet, but I'm now able to see things more clearly... especially since I noticed my niece had a tendency of acting nervous... whenever I questioned how she covered the medical expenses with just her tips..."

"So... what are you saying, dad?" Lemon Zest raised an eyebrow.

"You're getting it all... the rest of the savings... and my house... full custody..." Canter Zoom insisted. "I always knew I hesitated... signing over everything to Juniper for a legitimate reason..."

"As much as I appreciate that, dad... it's too much, and I can't accept it." Lemon Zest replied. "Since mom's gone too, and it's just you, me, and Juniper left, I think you should still give her half."

"After she tried to cheat both of us with favortism and lies...?" Canter Zoom spat. "No chance... but you can do whatever you want with everything... once I'm gone..."

"No, dad." Lemon Zest shook her head. "Don't say that, the inheritance means nothing to me if you're no longer by my side. I'm already doing better with the ferry business, so I don't need any money from you. However, things got pretty rough today at work, especially after my passengers and first mate disappeared. I've already gotten a feeling that something tragic must've happened to them, but I have no idea if I should sail the seas to find them. I'll have to traverse pretty rough waters, for one thing."

"More specifically, we have to get to Everfree Island." Sunset specified. "It's going to be pretty dangerous, especially with the violent waters."

"You have a responsibility as a ferry captain... and you must fulfill them... no matter what..." Canter Zoom advised. "You're my daughter... I've taught you from a young age how to sail a boat... even in the most aggressive of waters... but I've heard many sailors would've met their ends on the waters near Everfree Island... not your pop though... and I know you can do it as well..."

"Y-You're right, dad." Lemon Zest began to regain her confidence and motivation. "Even if it's dangerous, I put them in this mess by allowing the ferry to take a south route from the Celestial Sea, so I must do what I can... for the business, for my first mate, and for you, dad!"

"Don't... do it for me..." Canter Zoom insisted. "Do it... for yourself... for your image as a big and strong lemon tree... who will serve her role and responsibility... as a captain... and as my daughter..."

"But... what if something happens out there, and I'll never get to see you again?" Lemon Zest lowered her ears.

"I know in my heart that you... will return safely..." Canter Zoom replied. "We've sailed seas as fierce... as Everfree Island's waters... I know... you can... do it..."

"I won't hold back and let those rapid seas get the better of me, then!" Lemon Zest said with confidence. "Will I ever get to see you again?"

"I'll always be with you... as one with the sea..." Canter Zoom continued. "Go and do what's right... make your pop proud...!"

"I will!" Lemon Zest hugged her father one last time, before turning to Sunset. "And... thank you, Sunset. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to repair my relationship with my dad. It's ironic how... my sailing career was not only what tore us apart, but also what brought us back together in the end. Funny how that works out, huh?"

"Yeah, I could definitely say the same thing with my... mother as well." Sunset related with her own experience with Celestia. "I'm happy to hear that you and your dad are on better terms now."

"For sure!" Lemon Zest nodded. "And most of all, now I definitely feel confident in being your navigator, since I most certainly have a responsibility to fulfill. Ragamuffin, my passengers, wherever you are now... I'm coming!"

As Lemon Zest and Sunset waved goodbye one last time to Canter Zoom, they began exiting the infirmary. They were now ready to head over to the Canterlot Harbor, where everyone else on the council was still waiting. It was finally time to set off on an expedition to Everfree Island, not only to obtain the Dragonstone, but also recover Captain Zest's passengers and first mate. However, Rockhoof's decision to reveal the Dragonstone's whereabouts would unknowingly and eventually seal the fate of Equestria. It had slipped Rockhoof's mind that Starswirl specifically instructed him to keep the artifact dormant at all times, as once the Dragonstone was activated, it would inevitably awaken the presence of a fire alicorn hidden within the shadows, who had been sealed for hundreds of years...

Chapter 67: Shiver Me Timbers!

Sunset and Captain Zest had finally arrived at the Canterlot Harbor, where Rockhoof and the rest of the council were waiting. The goal seemed clear for everyone, as this expedition was vital for recovering the Dragonstone, along with searching for and rescuing the passengers. Twilight deduced that since the wastelands future had vaguely alluded to Night Glider making a mysterious disappearance, shortly after her coronation, it was entirely possible that she was among the passengers who were now seemingly stranded. Even if finding the Dragonstone would somehow be futile in preventing that awful future, at the very least, this trip was necessary as a means of protecting her citizens, and Twilight knew it was still her responsibility as the new princess of Equestria. Whatever was the case now, it was finally time to set out to sea, especially since Sunset had finally convinced an experienced ship navigator to steer Rockhoof's boat, which had already passed maintenance inspection.

"Alright, everyone." Twilight announced to the rest of her friends. "Since the boat's already been thoroughly inspected by the Canterlot vessel maintenance team, we're good to go. It seems like we have everything we need to reclaim the Dragonstone and save Equestria. We got a crew, a navigator, and a clear mission in mind."

"I'm beginning to contemplate whether or not I should come along as well, Princess." Rockhoof said. "Although I may be capable of lending my strength on this expedition, I certainly wouldn't be of much help on the open waters."

"Well... as long as you don't tell our navigator to follow the constellations, we shouldn't run into any issues." Twilight replied. "But since you were the one who hid the Dragonstone, we might also need you to help us locate its exact spot."

"I suppose that's the only other thing I can do now." Rockhoof nodded.

Sunset and Captain Zest began boarding the boat, followed by Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and then Pinkie. However, as soon as Pinkie stepped onto the port, something unexpected began to occur. The boat began to rapidly shake back and forth, as it began sinking, almost as if it was suddenly above a whirlpool.

"What the-!?" Twilight shrieked. "That's not supposed to happen! Quickly everyone, abandon ship!"

Everyone had done so in a panic, rather confused as to how the boat was suddenly having problems, despite already passing inspection earlier. After doing so, the boat returned to its original position, almost as if nothing had happened.

"The boat began sinking after I stepped aboard?" Pinkie noted. "I knew I shouldn't have had all that pasta for lunch."

"I'm pretty sure that wasn't it, Pinkie." Twilight assured. "I mean... it felt like the boat began to sink because it was carrying too much weight. But I'm guessing there's something else going on here. Rockhoof, do you have any idea what happened?"

"Ah, I've forgotten." Rockhoof recalled. "Since this boat was specifically designed for me back in the day, it was only accustomed to be capable of supporting my weight alone. If the weight exceeds the limit even slightly, it'll cause the vessel to sink down almost instantly. I have no idea why the merchant constructed her this way, but I vaguely remember it was primarily to allow the ship to move... better?"

"Sounds like a certain buoyancy law I studied in science class at CHS." Sunset suggested. "It must be because you had to traverse incredibly rapid waters, and excess weight just increases the pressure on the surface to the helm."

"I suppose that could be it, lass." Rockhoof nodded, although not fully understanding Sunset's knowledge on physics. "In other words, it looks like she'll only support the weight of five of you little ponies before deciding it's more than she can handle."

"It also sounds like if we bring you along, Rockhoof?" Starlight observed. "We'd already be past the weight limit, forcing you to go by yourself. Certainly out of the question without our navigator."

"Aye." Rockhoof agreed. "So in other words, the best I can really do is lend this ship, and the recollection that the Dragonstone is hidden at the center of the island. At least, if my knowledge on the constellations back then were accurate..."

"Well, we're going to have to do our best, then." Twilight said, determined. "But come to think of it... couldn't we simply use our wings to fly to the island, or better yet, use our magic to levitate anypony who can't hover themselves?"

"It's not advisable." Rockhoof quickly warned. "Rumor has it that going near this island will suddenly make you lose your magic, as if there's some kind of curse surrounding it. It's another reason why many who attempt to reach Everfree Island never make it back, never mind the rough seas. Once you lose your magic, you'd better hope you're a strong swimmer, otherwise... you get the idea."

"I understand, and appreciate the warning." Twilight nodded, not wanting to take that risk. "Alright, so let's see... we already know we must bring Captain Zest, myself, and Sunset... so that just leaves space for two other ponies. Who else should come along?"

"I'll come along." Rainbow raised her hoof, before coming back over to the docks. "If Sunset's going, so am I. It's the very least I can do, especially since we got off on the wrong hoof. Plus, this whole adventure expedition just seems like my kind of thing. I've even done so with A.K. Yearling herself, so I certainly have the experience."

"I'd normally join an expedition like this as well, but... I'm not sure I'd be of much use." Starlight added. "If this island's curse is going to disable my magic, I don't think I'd be able to contribute much."

"Same could be said for the rest of us." Applejack pondered. "I reckon most of us wouldn't be capable in helpin' ya if we tend to rely on our strength, magic, or flyin' capabilities."

"I'll go." Flash Sentry volunteered, before trotting over as well. "I may not be much without my flight, but I've made it my commitment to protect others til the very end, especially if the princess herself is going."

"Hmm, so let's see..." Twilight observed the four other ponies standing by her side. "Everypony here is either experienced with adventures, steering a ship over rough waters, or incredibly determined to get the Dragonstone no matter what. If this is as much weight as the boat will allow, I suppose it's the best crew we have for now."

"We really wish we could all come along with you, Twilight." Rarity moped. "We've always stuck together on countless adventures."

"I know, but at the same time, certain circumstances will unfortunately prevent it from happening." Twilight replied. "Just like when I had to go to the human world by myself to retrieve my crown. I really hope we'll be successful in this voyage, with the limited crew we have."

"We'll be wishing you the best on this journey!" Spike began waving goodbye.

Captain Zest, Sunset, Twilight, Rainbow, and Flash had all boarded the ship, which remained stable with the weight it was carrying. With the plan and crew now selected, Captain Zest released the chain holding the ship in place, ready to set off on their new adventure. The rest of the council and Rockhoof were also waving goodbye and wishing them the best of luck. However, just as the boat had already left a good distance from the harbor, something suddenly clicked within Spike.

"Wait a minute... what am I doing!?" Spike's eyes widened as he jumped off the dock and attempted to board the ship as well, only to miss by several feet, before falling into the water. "TWILIGHT, WAIT!!!"

"Spike!" Fluttershy called out, before flying down to rescue the dragon, and bringing him back onto the dock.

"What was that all about, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked, rather confused.

"You know, it's just..." Spike blushed in embarrassment. "Last time Twilight went off into uncharted territory, I just couldn't fight this instinct to join her, since we've always been inseparable. But on second thought, it's probably better that I didn't go, since I would've sunk the ship in the middle of departure. Plus, last time I carelessly went followed Twilight into a journey like this, I turned into a dog."

"You did?" Fluttershy's eyes widened in joy. "That sounds so adorable, you should tell us how that story went, it would certainly help pass us the time."

"Well, if you insist... I suppose I could tell you about the time I, Spike the heroic dog, single-handedly rescued Sunset, Twilight, and the rest of her friends during the Battle of the Bands, after a trio of sirens had trapped them underneath the stage." Spike began to retell his own story of events. "You see..."

"Oh, Spike." Twilight giggled from a distance, as she had overheard the entire thing.

"Well, at least he'll be keeping the rest of the council entertained for a while." Sunset rolled her eyes in amusement.

After a while, the boat had been cruising far along the seas, well on its way to reach Everfree Island quite soon. Not knowing what to expect from this daring adventure, Sunset began pondering how they would go about their plan, leading up to reaching their destination.

"Not really sure what to expect when we arrive at that island." Sunset said. "I'm guessing this will be uncharted territory for the whole crew."

"Yeah, never even heard of this Everfree Island place, but it already sounds like it could be a miserable experience, especially if we lose our abilities to fly." Rainbow replied.

"We might lose our flight, but not all heroes wear capes." Flash stayed determined. "It's now a matter of sticking together as a team to ensure the safety and future of Equestria."

"I'm glad you decided to come along for the journey, Flash." Twilight smiled. "Not for the reasons that Rainbow and Sunset may think, but err... it's good to have a pony with as much combat experience as yourself. I vaguely recall hearing that you recently began training sessions with a katana?"

"Affirmative." Flash nodded. "I figured they would come in handy someday, and it looks like that day's finally arrived. I just wish dad could see me now, and how far I've come."

"Wherever he is, I'm sure he couldn't have asked for a better son." Sunset put a hoof on Flash's shoulder. "As for you and Flash, Twilight? I've already gotten to know him pretty well, and he's explained everything, so no need to worry. I won't tease you like the rest of your friends once did when you came back to Equestria during your first adventure to the human world."

"Well, it's not that I resent that kind of teasing, it's just... it had a negative effect on us both, especially Flash." Twilight explained. "Ever since I returned from that first journey, rumors spread rather quickly around Canterlot. Then, as far as I'm aware, Flash had to endure many of his colleagues poking fun at him or making him feel awful about it, despite the fact he had no romantic interest in me to begin with."

"It never really bothered me that much, Princess." Flash assured. "Coming from a stallion who lost his father at a young age, along with the extensive training in the academy, I'd say my earlier life really prepared and toughened me up."

"I'm glad you feel that way, but it's just so frustrating." Twilight sighed. "For a while, nopony could ever see the fruits of your labor, let alone appreciate what you contributed to Equestria as far as protection and leadership. They just made kissy noises whenever you were nearby and just treated you like a complete joke. And all for what, just because you may or may not have reminded me of someone I had a bit of a crush on?"

"I'll admit, it was bothersome at first, which was why I began laying low from the public, shortly after I had the honors of welcoming the Duke and Dutchess of Maretonia." Flash replied. "But after a while, I just kept telling myself I'm above retaliating, and that my dad wouldn't want me carrying on his legacy like this. In fact, he's actually the one who taught me how to stand up for myself against bullies at a young age. It's part of the reason why I became a royal guard in the first place, to protect those in need, and those who may not be as capable of defending themselves."

"That's certainly something you and I definitely have in common, Flash." Sunset related, remembering how she saved Lily from Gilda that night. "In fact, most of my attributes and interests were primarily because... I once dated someone similar, let's just say. Leather jackets, playing guitar, and helping others whenever they needed it."

"Maybe I should start making kissing noises whenever you and Flash are together then, Sunset." Rainbow teased.

"Really, Rainbow?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at this behavior. "Or are you suddenly Indigo Zap again?"

"Come on, I'm only joking." Rainbow played it off, before feeling guilty. "Actually, yeah, that was pretty uncalled for, I'm sorry for making that comment. In fact, the whole ordeal between me and Sunset has been an eye-opener for me. While you were unconscious earlier, Sunset? The rest of the council and I had a serious talk regarding what the various problems they've had with me over the years. Even recent events, including the childish competition with Applejack, or putting my ego first when it came wanting to coach the buckball team at the School of Friendship."

"I also remember them mentioning a whole lot of other things, including... breaking into the Cloudsdale weather factory?" Sunset recalled.

"Yeah, it was pretty selfish of me to do something like that, simply because of my pet tortoise, Tank." Rainbow said with shame. "I just... it never really occurred to me that I haven't really been as much of a friend to everypony else on the council, and most of these conflicts have primarily been because of me. It's almost as if I have a tendency to not learn my lesson every time, because it never seemed like that big of a deal to me. Not this time, however, especially with what happened between you and I, Sunset."

"So... what are you saying then, Rainbow?" Sunset said with curiosity.

"Going forward, I want to stay true to being my title element of being a loyal friend." Rainbow said genuinely. "I can really understand now why the council had said such nasty things about me when Indigo was impersonating me, and honestly, I really deserved it. I might've been insecure about competition and being the best my whole life, but it's never worth the cost of a true friend."

"I understand we might've said some pretty harsh things, but I'm sure they were mostly under the impression of you refusing to amends with Sunset." Twilight clarified.

"Well, even so, I'd still completely understand why nopony would want to be my friend anymore if I really behaved that way." Rainbow admitted. "I know it seems like I've already learned my 'lesson' countless times, but I promise you, I really mean it this time. Sunset, Twilight, from now on... I won't let my ego overtake my actions, especially at the expense of my friends. And I want to prove that in this journey, making sure to stick with you ponies until the very end, and guaranteeing we'll get that Dragonstone and save Equestria!"

"I really love your new attitude, Rainbow." Twilight said, impressed. "We've seen you struggle with this in the past, but it sounds like you really have faith in yourself now, I'm so proud of you. Sunset, it seems as if your experience with friendship in the other world has now even rubbed off on my friends as well."

"I'm glad to hear that, Twilight." Sunset smiled. "It's always great when you can learn from your mistakes and become a better pony because of it, I certainly know from experience. And Rainbow, I really appreciate your determination to change for the better. I know we can count on you during this expedition. We're so happy to have you as our friend again."

"Thanks, you two." Rainbow nodded with approval. "I promise I won't let you down, and give 110% for the future of Equestria! Since we may be reaching the island soon, should we perhaps discuss our strategy for dealing with obstacles and getting to the Dragonstone?"

"That's a great idea." Twilight agreed. "I've been thinking about it as well, and I think it's important that we all contribute our unique talents to the team. For example, Sunset's leadership skills, Flash's combat experience, and of course, Rainbow, your flight and determination. We'll have to work together to overcome whatever challenges we face."

"Errr, Princess?" Lemon Zest turned to the rest of the crew with concern. "We may want to figure something out now as a team, sooner than I expected..."

"Hmm?" Twilight turned to their navigator. "Why's that, Captain?"

"I'm already beginning to feel some heavy mist particles on my hooves..." Lemon Zest looked at her moistened fur. "That can only mean... we're entering heavy fog. Also... has it suddenly gotten darker?"

"Huh... it can't be nighttime already." Twilight looked up at the sudden night sky. "Either Luna's messing around with the moon right now, or something is terribly wrong."

Moments later, a strange green fog began to surround the ship, completely obstructing the view of everypony on board. This was especially dangerous, as Captain Zest noticed the wavy waters becoming much rougher than before, making her line of sight absolutely vital.

"Maybe we should fly above the fog and get an idea of our position in respect to the longitude!" Flash suggested. "It's certainly impossible to steer a boat in these conditions."

Rainbow and Twilight nodded, before the two pegasai and princess attempted to fly up together to get a good view. But for some reason, their wings could only flutter for a few brief moments, before making them drop back down onto the boat like rocks.

"Hey, what in the..." Rainbow got up from the starboard. "I can't fly! None of us can fly...?"

"It must be the fog." Sunset began to deduce. "Rockhoof warned us that attempting to go near this island could result in us losing our magic. Call me crazy, but this fog seems... artificially created."

"Sunset does have a point." Flash began inspecting the fog. "This certainly doesn't look like any natural fog I've seen in all my years at the academy."

"It's all... sparkly too." Twilight observed, before attempting to use her horn to test her magic, and failing to cast a simple spell. "Well, whether or not the fog did this to us, it looks like all our magic is now gone. This is certainly troublesome."

"We'd better think of something fast, Princess!" Lemon Zest urged. "Last thing I want to do is steer us right into an iceberg I couldn't even see coming!"

Sunset, Twilight, Flash, and Rainbow all huddled together, trying to come up with ideas on how to ameliorate their current predicament. The loss of magic was something they were warned about prior to the expedition, but they had no idea it would become a conundrum. Unable to navigate properly across the rough sea, Captain Zest focused her energy on doing her best to steer. However, soon enough, a strange kelp-like vine began to emerge from the water and slither onto the boat. It snuck behind the captain and tapped her on the back of her head.

"Yeah, yeah." Lemon Zest felt the tap. "I know we need a solution, but I have to focus on treading these waters. Could you all please not distract me?"

"Huh...?" Twilight looked up, rather confused. "Captain Zest... we're all over here."

Suddenly, more vines emerged from behind the four other ponies, tapping them on their heads as well. Flash, Sunset, Rainbow, and Twilight all turned around in unison, finally seeing what must've poked their captain.

"Whoa!" Sunset jumped back a bit, startled by the vine attempting to grab her. "What in Equestria are these things!?"

"No idea, but they don't look friendly." Rainbow said, concerned. "Twilight, don't these vines look pretty similar to those spiked, thorny black vines we saw coming from the Everfree Forest that one time?"

"Well, this is Everfree Island we're talking about, so it wouldn't surprise me if they were distant relatives." Twilight replied. "Either way, it looks like these vines are trying to throw us off the boat! We'd better do something about them!"

"Go show them what sea ponies like yourselves are made of!" Lemon Zest encouraged. "But be careful, these waters are becoming increasingly rapid!"

Everypony aside from the captain went over to a nearby toolbox and grabbed various pieces of metal equipment. They slashed and hacked at the vines attempting to grab them, until all the vines fell limp and back into the water.

"Ha, it looks like those vines knew not to mess with us, we're awesome." Rainbow remarked, proudly.

But this feeling of relief was short-lived, as an eerie voice began to emerge, startling the five ponies on board.

"OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo..." A ghostly female voice began to make itself apparent over the fog.

"I-I-Is that a g-g-ghost?" Sunset began to worry.

"D-Don't be ridiculous!" Twilight stuttered. "T-T-There's no such thing as a... g-g-ghost... is there?"

"Foolish mortals..." The ghostly voice said, now with a hint of anger. "How dare you retaliate in response to my warning for you to stay away from Everfree Island! Now you will pay the ultimate price!"

Suddenly, 100 different kelp vines emerged from the waters, ready to sink the ship to the bottom of the sea. Many vines began to hack away at the ship's wood and frames, causing vital damage to their vessel. Everypony on board began panicking and running around to slash up the vines, but there were way too many to handle.

"This is not happening, this is NOT happening!!!" Rainbow began to pull at her mane in anxiety. "Somepony, please pinch me and see if this is just a bad dream!"

One of the vines humorously pinched Rainbow's neck, as she winced in pain.

"Ouch!" Rainbow rubbed her neck. "Alright, fine then... HELP!!!!!!!!"

Suddenly, the fog grew even thicker than before, practically blinding everypony on board. As the rest of the vines continued attacking and damaging the boat, the entire crew could begin feeling the boat crack beneath their hooves. The vessel eventually snapped into pieces, beginning to sink downward, along with a bunch of shipwreck debris. Combined with the incredibly rough waters, the crew had no idea what was going to become of them, though it was clear that the situation was nothing but dire. Everypony soon fell into the water and blacked out, unsure if this was the end.

With the unknown force causing an awful shipwreck for Sunset and her crew, trouble continued to brew within the human world. Human Sunset had already finished her setup at CHS, but became determined to know what Gilda had been up to. Rolling Thunder had gone back to the gang's hideout, prompting Human Sunset to thoroughly search around town for any sign of the gang's former leader. Having not even the slightest clue of what Gilda had been plotting behind her back, Human Sunset only cared for nothing more than a reasonable explanation as to why she had gone missing that morning.

After looking around town, she eventually caught glimpse of a rusty looking pickup truck, with Gilda in the driver's seat. Human Sunset ran like never before, following the truck to see where she was headed. As the truck stopped at an upcoming red light, Human Sunset ran up to the side of the passenger window and began tapping on the glass. Gilda instinctively looked to her right and rolled the window down.

"Well, you certainly took your sweet time in meeting up with me." Human Sunset frowned. "Now you'd better have a good explanation as to why you were gone all morning!"

"Oh, but I absolutely do, boss." Gilda said, sarcastically. "I just wanted to keep your coffee warm this morning."

"Coffee, huh?" Human Sunset narrowed her eyes and cracked her knuckles. "If you're just going to lie to me like this, I think our conversation is already over."

"Alright, fine then..." Gilda said, pretending to act sad. "But if getting revenge on those girls at Crystal Prep Academy isn't of any interest to you, then I guess that's your problem, not mine."

"I never said that!" Human Sunset spat. "Of course I want to get back at those stuck-up snobs! So am I to assume your absence this morning was because you went spying on them? What could you have possibly found out?"

"What if I told you that I overheard those girls discussing something incredibly valuable to them?" Gilda asked, rhetorically. "That Indigo girl apparently stored her entire gang's vintage school uniforms in her own locker, which are all supposedly worth around 20 grand each. And miraculously, I somehow got her locker combination. Does that interest you, boss?"

Human Sunset's eyes widened in disbelief, before she unlocked the car door and climbed into the vehicle, knowing that the traffic light would turn green soon.

"Well, I have no idea how you managed to pull something like that off, but all right then." Human Sunset calmed herself a bit. "This better be true though, Gilda. If this is all just a lie, I swear I'll make you regret it."

"If you wish, why don't I take you to Crystal Prep Academy right now, and prove this ain't no fairy tale?" Gilda smirked with confidence.

"Fine, then." Human Sunset crossed her arms. "But if we're going to do this, we're going to have to move fast. Those girls at CHS might already be on to us, after what I did this morning."

"Whatever you say, boss." Gilda rolled her eyes. "Why don't you tell me what happened, so I don't get bored?"

Gilda continued driving with Human Sunset to Crystal Prep Academy, ready to begin the next phase of her plan. Though at the back of her mind, the former gang leader was desperately hoping that the locker combination was indeed correct. Toying with Human Sunset was one thing, but she was admittedly still quite afraid of the vengeful Crystal Prep dropout, especially knowing her strength. Regardless, Gilda's focus remained on obtaining those vintage uniforms, as to play along with the entire scheme, and not make Human Sunset suspicious of her dastardly plan behind the scenes.

Back in Equestria, Sunset and her entire crew were found unconscious from that unexpected encounter earlier, but miraculously still afloat on scattered planks of wood. They had somehow managed to already pass through the incredibly devastating waters prior to their boat sinking. Getting back up, Sunset saw that although the boat was practically all gone, she and the four other ponies were right next to her on what remained of the ship's deck, drifting slowly along the smoother waters. Everypony appeared to be out of danger for the time being, but Sunset quickly realized that they were now lost and stranded.

Looking at her surroundings, the night sky had mysteriously vanished, as everything looked bright and sunny again, furthering the idea that the fog and change in atmosphere were artificially created. Sunset also noticed that there didn't seem to be any sign of land for miles, only seemingly endless stretches of water. This made it impossible to deduce whether or not they were closer to reaching the island, or sailed off in the wrong direction. Sunset slowly got up from the ship debris and attempted to wake the other ponies up, contemplating what they should do next.

"Twilight, Rainbow?" Sunset poked at the unconscious ponies, hoping they would be responsive. "Flash? Captain Zest? Can any of you hear me?"

"Ugh, not now, mom..." Rainbow muttered. "Five more minutes... please- huh? Sunset?"

"Wha-?" Twilight began regaining consciousness. "Sunset, is that you?"

"Bleh..." Lemon Zest began feeling nauseous. "I've never felt this seasick in my life, ironically enough."

"My aching..." Flash began rubbing his head to ease the pain. "Whatever was back there in the fog, it wasn't enough to bring us tough soldiers down!"

"I'm glad to see we're all okay." Sunset smiled at her crew. "Even though we're all still here, we've got another major problem. No ship, so we're now stranded, and have to rely on these leftover pieces of the ship to keep us afloat."

"That's definitely problematic, but hey." Rainbow tried to stay positive, before flapping her wings. "Since the fog's gone, maybe we can fly now-"

Rainbow quickly dropped back down like a rock, before creating a huge splash in the water, and climbing back aboard the shipwreck debris in a panic.

"Alright, never mind." Rainbow sighed. "It looks like the fog really took away our magic and flight."

"For the first time as the princess, I'm really not sure what else we can do." Twilight began losing hope. "It doesn't look like there's any sign of land nearby."

"Never had this happen in all my years of navigating a boat." Lemon Zest reflected. "But I'm thinking we don't have much of a choice beyond riding this driftwood until we can get to land. It's either that, or hope that somepony else on the waters is able to rescue us."

Everypony began thoroughly looking around, desperately wanting to spot any potential form of a rescue. This went on for several minutes, but there didn't seem to be anything at all. By this point, Twilight heavily regretted not coming up with a backup plan, in the unlikelihood that something like this could've transpired. The situation looked bleak and hopeless for the entire crew, but eventually, Flash took notice of something much further away.

"Hey, wait a minute... is that another ship in the distance?" Flash pointed behind Sunset.

Everypony turned around, squinting their eyes to get a better look at the horizon, before noticing an incredibly subtle shape of what looked like a large ship.

"Ahoy, good eye, dude!" Lemon Zest said, optimistically. "But it seems like they're way too far away. How would we even get their attention?"

"Hmm, that's a good question." Rainbow began pondering. "If only we still had our flight..."

"Quite the conundrum for sure." Twilight felt dumbfounded for the first time in ages. "I'm usually the one coming up with plans, but for once, I'm definitely open to any new suggestions. Anypony?"

While brainstorming ideas, Sunset suddenly remembered what she had been told earlier, when she was visiting Celestia and Luna in Silver Shoals. The two former princesses hinted they had been consistently preparing Twilight with all of her new royal responsibilities, including raising the sun and moon to help balance out her workload. Sunset then recalled from a young age, hearing her adoptive mother often mention her sister having a habit of using her Royal Canterlot Voice, which was remarkably loud. Assuming the two sisters had been prepping Twilight long before the coronation, it seemed entirely possible that Luna might've taught the princess this, especially if it meant giving orders to the royal guards.

"Twilight, I'd assume that Princess Celestia and Luna taught you quite a bit to prepare for becoming the new princess of Equestria?" Sunset asked.

"I mean, yeah, it's to be expected." Twilight replied. "Couldn't imagine they'd be comfortable with the idea if I hadn't gone through the proper training."

"Well, has Princess Luna taught you a thing or two on using the Royal Canterlot Voice?" Sunset suggested. "I've often heard Princess Celestia mention this, and how incredibly loud it is. Maybe even loud enough to get that ship's attention?"

"Huh, you're right, Sunset." Twilight liked the ingenuity in Sunset's idea. "That might actually work, since I had been practicing a week ago. And to think I told Princess Luna that I felt it didn't seem too important for me to learn. Well, if it means I can get that ship to come over rescue us, I'll try my best."

Twilight cleared her voice several times, before turning in the direction of the ship, hoping that her voice could let whoever was on the ship become alerted to her presence.

"EVIL, BEWARE!!! WE HAVE WAFFLES!!!" Twilight bellowed at the top of her lungs.

"Uhhh, why did you say that, instead of calling for help, Princess?" Lemon Zest asked, rather confused.

"Sorry, it's just a... force of habit." Twilight blushed. "Princess Luna was constantly teaching me those lessons during breakfast, so there is that."

"Well hey, look!" Flash pointed to the direction of the boat. "Regardless of what you said, it looks like whoever's aboard that ship heard you loud and clear!"

With the flow pushing the crew closer and closer to the direction of the now approaching ship, they eventually drifted in front of the vessel, thankful that they were about to be rescued from their current predicament. However, although the rest of the crew initially felt this, it came as an immediate unpleasant surprise to Rainbow, once she saw who was aboard the ship. It was a large stallion with an orange mane and brown vest, whom Rainbow definitely recognized from her previous adventures with Daring Do.

"What's this, now?" Rogue raised his eyebrow at the ponies drifting along the open waters. "Am I to understand that you ponies need rescue? Also, where's those waffles you promised? At least cook us those waffles before we decide to rescue you."

"Mate, does it look like we have the ingredients, or a kitchen on us!?" Lemon Zest snapped. "Now quit fooling around, and please... just help us up!"

"Fine, if you insist." Rogue narrowed his eyes, before throwing down a rope, allowing the stranded ponies to climb aboard. "For the record, I was really hoping you did have waffles, so to say I'm disappointed... is an understatement. Nopony messes with my snack cravings."

As Flash and Rainbow made their way abord, the entire crew then noticed two other stallions coming out from the ship's cabin, who were also familiar to Rainbow.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" Biff looked around at the ponies Rogue had reeled up. "Looks like we caught some extra tuna this fine day."

"More like some stowaways, from the looks of it." Withers deduced. "Including one very familiar Rainbow maned pony among them."

"You know these guys, Rainbow?" Sunset questioned.

"Yeah, and let's just say from my experience... they're not exactly friendly." Rainbow glared at the trio of stallions. "After all, don't our previous adventures with Daring Do ring a bell?"

"Well, how nice of you to remind us, after we let you set hoof on our ship." Withers spat. "To tell you the truth, we would've normally just left you behind to rot in this sea. What do we look like, lifeguards?"

"But moving past this, it looks like Rogue had the right idea to reel you ponies aboard." Biff smirked. "The boss mentioned wanting to find a little extra muscle to do his dirty work, perhaps he'll find excellent uses for you five."

"Your boss!?" Rainbow spat. "You mean to tell me you clowns still work for Dr. Caballeron?"

"Nah, we quit working for Caballeron, especially after he promised to stop pillaging artifacts from lands." Withers explained. "Why would we topnotch crooks stick with some sissy book author now?"

"We wanted to have some real fun, so we found a new boss who delivers on just that." Rogue sneered. "Somepony who knows how to become rich by being nothing but ruthless. Come on out, boss!"

Sunset and her crew then watched the ship's cabin open one final time, rather curious at who this mysterious leader of the vessel was. It was a good chance that if they had hired Dr. Caballeron's old henchponies, who had a track record of being ruthless and conniving crooks, they most likely had bad intentions. Stepping out of the cabin door, they saw a brown stallion with a dark green mane, dressed up as a pirate captain. Although Flash, Twilight, Rainbow, and Lemon Zest didn't seem to recognize this stallion at all, Sunset did. With one glance at his manestyle and color scheme, Sunset immediately realized that it was the pony counterpart of Timber Spruce, Gloriosa Daisy's younger brother.

"That's 'Captain' to you!" Timber snapped. "Captain Spruce! And ye crewmates have done well by catchin' some cheap stowaways. They'd be me key in pillagin' a nearby locale and doin' some hard labor. Well then, being your captain, are ye five scallywags up to the task?"

"Listen here, Mr. Pirate!" Lemon Zest glared at Timber. "If there's one rule of any ship, it's that there can only be one captain, and that's me! I got an official hat and license for it!"

"A captain of what ship, you little bilge?" Timber rolled his eyes. "Hmph. I suppose we could work together, me hearty. But just remember, it was me what found ye lot, so ye'd best be followin' me orders!"

"Hearty!?" Lemon Zest raised an eyebrow. "Bleh, you wish! There's no way I'm taking orders from you, let alone date you!"

"Date?!" Timber brought his sword out to assert his dominance. "I ain't interested in no silly romance! I'm here to pillage and plunder, not find some parrot to stroke! Ye ponies should be thankin' me crew for the rescue, since followin' me orders is ye lot's way of repaying yer debt!"

"Well, regardless, don't think you can use us as pawns in your little game!" Flash snapped. "Who do you think you are, taking us as hostages and forcing us to commit crimes on your behalf!?"

"You tell them, Flash!" Rainbow raised her wings whilst narrowing her eyes at the pirate captain. "We may have a princess with us, but she's no damsel in distress! You salty old pirates think you're so tough, but we can take you! Come on, gang, we've got them outnumbered, it's five on four!"

"Believe ye can take on Captain Spruce and his crew!?" Timber simply brushed off the threat. "I've seen and pillaged armed ships back in me day, and ye stowaways are mere insects! Now, why don't ye all shut yer gobs and listen to reason? If ye don't want to follow me orders, ye can walk the plank! But if ye do decide to join... well, there's treasure and glory to be had! Well, maybe. Most of that treasure be mine! Anyways, the choice is yers, my little equine friends."

"Alright, listen up." Sunset spoke up. "Captain, did you just say that you were about to pillage a nearby locale? It wouldn't happen to be... Everfree Island, would it?"

"Aye... maybe... what's it to ye!?" Timber pointed his sword at Sunset.

"Well, we were initially heading to Everfree Island ourselves for a little vacation." Sunset replied, before winking to Twilight. "We've never seen the luxurious shores, so we decided to come out, only to have a little accident ruin our ship. But if you're in need of a bit of help, we could always strike a deal. We're not too busy, and we've always wanted to see what the fuss is all about. So, what do you say? We help you, and you help us in getting there?"

"Yargh!" Timber exclaimed in disbelief. "I'd believe ye to be a spinoff character of a novel, before being convinced that ye'd go to such a dangerous locale for vacation! I should make ye walk the plank for lyin' to ye captain!"

"Really, we just wanted to see the island." Twilight vouched for Sunset's claim. "We heard there were lots of ruins and stuff to explore, and it just seemed like a good place for tourists. Our ship got wrecked in an unfortunate storm, so that's why we needed rescue. Surely, you understand?"

"I certainly can't understand, especially since you still haven't fulfilled your promise to make me those waffles!" Rogue's eye twitched.

"Yeah, and just who would believe a princess would put herself in danger on a trip for something as silly as a mere vacation?" Biff added. "You're clearly wanting to go there for a bigger purpose!"

"You ponies either come clean now, or we'll drop you all in a nearby whirlpool and watch you drown!" Rogue threatened. "Especially your rainbow-maned friend there!"

"Ye scoundrels have one last chance to confess, ye hear!?" Timber stomped his hoof on the boat. "Or would ye rather live in Gravy Bones' locker for the rest of ye life!?"

Although feeling as if her crew had the capabilities of taking on these pirates, the princess still felt that it wasn't a good idea to gamble their lives, especially without their magic. Twilight got the impression that these ponies were a legitimate threat to them, and that they wouldn't play around with the idea of throwing her entire group overboard, and letting them suffer a watery grave. As risky as it seemed to come clean about why they were really going to the island, it felt like the lesser risk to take, since she knew her own crew was technically on a treasure hunt themselves. Not wanting to say something foolish that could potentially jeopardize her friends, the princess sighed and began confessing.

"All right, we're on a treasure hunt ourselves." Twilight said. "We're traveling there in the hopes of finding a rare artifact, known as the Dragonstone. If you would just... take us to Everfree Island, we'll let you keep any other treasures you find yourself. Just please, spare us and give us a lift there, since we have no ship anymore."

"Dragonstone, you say?" Timber began contemplating what to do with these ponies. "So, am I to understand that this is a negotiable statement? Ye stowaways will follow me orders in exchange for using me ship as a luxury cruise? I'll expect ye to lend yer hooves to help around this vessel to pay off yer debt, understood?"

"Yes, whatever you say..." Twilight sighed. "We don't have much of a choice, otherwise."

"Twilight, what are you doing?" Rainbow began worrying. "Need I remind you that three of those stallions used to work for Dr. Caballeron? You've read the Daring Do books yourself, after all. I've got a bad feeling about this..."

"Well, if they'll hold up their end of the bargain, as far as rescuing and bringing us to the island, we don't have much to lose." Twilight replied. "After all, it's not the first time we've enlisted the help of some pirates. Remember when we encountered the Storm King?"

"They're pirates though, Princess." Flash warned. "We may be putting ourselves at risk by playing into their hooves."

"I'm going to have to agree, Princess." Lemon Zest nodded. "Number one rule on the open seas? Never bargain with a pirate, they'll always try to swindle you to come out on top, no matter what."

"Well, without magic out here, we're going to have to take that risk." Twilight said, determined. "Besides, they need us just as much as we need them."

"A wise investment for ye scallywag stowaways." Timber nodded in approval, before pointing at Captain Zest. "But since I'm still Captain, I hereby declare Miss Self-Proclaimed Captain here to be our cook! A mare like her be better suited to work in a kitchen than on a boat's deck."

"What!?" Lemon Zest growled. "I've been sailing boats for years, I'm not some... some useless cook!"

"Oh, please." Timber rolled his eyes. "Ye can't even sail on the open seas without losing yer ship! I don't believe ye have much room to argue. I'd never hire a mare like ye to be on me crew, let alone a captain. Ye'd best be leavin' that to a qualified stallion like me-self. Why do ye suppose I hired these expert stallions as me muscle?"

"You disrespectful, misogynistic pirate!" Lemon Zest slammed her hoof on the deck. "Anything a stallion can do, a mare can do just as well, if not better!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow stood her ground as well. "You have no idea just how capable we are, and how much we've accomplished in Equestria!"

"Spare me yer dramatics, missy!" Timber gave a sharp look toward Rainbow and Captain Zest. "I'll not have ye talkin' to me like that aboard me ship, not if ye expect to live out this voyage alive. Now, do as I say, and shut yer trap before I shut it for ye!"

"You heard the boss!" Rogue grinned. "Now how about you make yourself useful and head on into the kitchen, Captain Cuisine? I still expect those waffles your little princess friend there promised, so chop chop!"

Lemon Zest turned around and gave Twilight a dirty look, before reluctantly trotting toward the ship's kitchen.

"Sorry, Captain..." Twilight sighed, knowing that her lack of preparation from this trip had now forced her entire crew to be at the mercy of these pirates.

"And as for the rest of ye landlubbers, there's a lot of work that needs to be done below the deck." Timber pointed past the starboard, before turning around to address Twilight and Rainbow. "We've got a cabin below deck with a cot and some supplies ye can use. Get settled in and start cleanin' down there. It's a mare's job after all."

Twilight and Rainbow reluctantly followed the pirate captain's demands and began trotting downstairs, though it was primarily Rainbow who kept glaring at the stallion, still aghast by his misogynistic remarks. Timber then turned his attention to Flash and Sunset, before thinking of another assignment for them.

"Alright, now." Timber addressed the remaining two ponies. "The servant boy, get up on the crow's nest and keep an eye out for any other ships that might be in the area. As for the missy here? I want ye to help our cook friend down in the kitchen. She's going to need some assistance in makin' certain we've got enough rations for the journey. We should be arrivin' at Everfree Island quite soon."

"Fine, but with all due respect, I think it's important for both of us to be up on deck to keep an eye out for potential threats." Flash gave his own input. "It wouldn't make sense for just one of us to be up there while the other is stuck down below. I'm beginning to question your qualifications on running a ship. Besides, if we're coming up to the island soon, aren't you afraid of this strange fog and these vines that are capable of bringing a vessel down?"

"Huh?" Timber raised an eyebrow. "No idea what yer blabberin' about, what kind of fog be doin' that? No, wait, I don't care! Remember, ye stowaways are assigned to take care of me dirty work, so I suggest ye not waste any more time! Now get on with it, or ye know what happens."

As Flash climbed up toward the crow's nest, Sunset reluctantly trotted over to the kitchen, prepared to do as she was told. However, what Flash brought up suddenly raised a rather legitimate question in Sunset's mind. How was it that the ship was much closer to the island now, but there was almost no sign of the same mysterious fog and vines her own crew had encountered earlier? It became even more puzzling after Captain Spruce implied that he himself had no idea of it existing at all. She kept this in mind, but continued to focus on her current assignment.

Upon entering the kitchen, she saw Captain Zest already hard at work, chopping up vegetables and grumbling angrily. She came over to the captain's side, trying to help her get through this tough situation. Being forced to work for a pirate captain was bad enough, but a misogynistic one, of all odds? Sunset brought some more ingredients out of the cupboards, before hearing her crew's captain venting.

"I can't believe him!" Lemon Zest began stirring the curry. "Who does he think he is, treating us mares like that?"

"Well, Captain, we're both in the same boat, so to speak." Sunset acknowledged. "But I'm sure if we work together, we can make the best of it. My friends and I will find our artifact, and you'll get to rescue your passengers and first mate."

"I hope so too." Lemon Zest sighed, before pointing at one of the bowls. "By the way, don't eat this particular batch. It's for those pirates, so I made sure to spit in it and make it extra spicy for them."

"Gotcha." Sunset nodded. "But while we're here, you want to hear something strange?"

"What's up?" Lemon Zest kept stirring, but looked at Sunset in curiosity.

"We're much closer to the island than before, but for some reason, the mysterious fog that attacked our ship and took away our magic, it hasn't come back." Sunset observed. "Even stranger is... Captain Spruce claimed he had no idea of the fog existing in the first place. That tells me that either... those pirates took a different route from us, or...?"

"...or were THEY the ones who were responsible for the fog and attacking our ship in the first place?" Lemon Zest's eyes widened. "Why else would the fog curse us and our ship, but not theirs?"

"I hadn't considered that, but I suppose that's definitely a possibility." Sunset nodded. "Maybe a ploy from those pirates to scare away anypony else who'd attempt to reach the island, so they can hog the treasures all to themselves?"

"That would make perfect sense, actually." Lemon Zest agreed. "And better yet, I bet that's exactly what happened to Ragamuffin and the rest of my passengers. Oh... I just hope wherever they are now, they're safe."

"I'm sure we still have a chance to rescue them." Sunset put a hoof on Captain Zest's shoulder, trying to keep her positivity.

"You're right." Lemon Zest smiled back at Sunset, whilst pouring the curry ingredients into a pot. "Hopefully we won't have to cooperate with this salty pirate captain for much longer. Once he takes us to the island, I never want to see him again."

"I know exactly how you're feeling, but we can't really do much at the moment, unfortunately." Sunset continued to empathize with the upset ferry captain. "Now then, does the curry need anything else?"

"Maybe some salt, to match Mr. Salty's personality out there." Lemon Zest suggested. "Think you could find some for me?"

Sunset nodded and looked around the cabinets, eventually finding two strange bottles. The contents within at least resembled salt, so she took them back over to the captain, who began thoroughly inspecting the containers.

"Huh... whatever this is, I don't think it's salt." Lemon Zest said.

"What makes you say that?" Sunset questioned, unsure of what the substance really was.

"Well, it's a bit too fine-grained and shiny to be salt." Lemon Zest replied. "Maybe it's some sort of spice?"

"Wait a minute... since when do spices glow like this?" Sunset observed. "This might actually be some kind of magical potion. I should probably show this to Twilight and see if she can identify it."

"Alright, but bring this curry out to the pirates first, so that they don't get suspicious." Lemon Zest warned, before handing Sunset the tainted batch of curry. "You might want to hide those bottles somewhere."

"Right." Sunset nodded, as she tucked the bottles away in her mane, and trotted out of the kitchen to serve those pirates.

At Crystal Prep Academy, Human Sunset had just arrived on campus with Gilda, ready to see what leverages she had against her former schoolmate bullies. The front doors were locked, forcing the girls to sneak their way into one of the windows. Walking down the hallways, Human Sunset noticed the lockers were all labelled accordingly, not just by number, but also the students' names. The former Crystal Prep student eventually noticed her old locker, #216, was now supposedly owned by somebody named Twilight Sparkle. Unknown to her, Twilight was no longer attending the school, but her locker was left untouched. This was due to Principal Cadence's new policies and regulations, shortly after Principal Cinch's dismissal.

Human Sunset took it upon herself to remember this particular name, the student who supposedly ended up taking her spot after dropping out. It didn't seem important for now, as she was focused on finding those vintage school uniforms that were stuffed in Indigo Zap's locker. The two girls continued going down the long corridor, before finally discovering the locker in question. Locker #517, with Indigo's name labeled at the top. Staring down this particular locker already sent a burning rage in Human Sunset's eyes, but if what Gilda had told her was true, this would be an excellent way to get some well deserved revenge.

"If we're able to get our hands on those vintage uniforms and destroy them, it'll be the ultimate payback." Human Sunset said. "Not only for Indigo to lose such a valuable possession, but to also have her friends shun her for letting this happen. Then she'll know exactly how I felt when she pushed me to do her schoolwork."

"Whatever floats your boat, boss." Gilda responded, before casually walking up to the locker to input the combination.

To both Human Sunset and Gilda's surprise, the lock actually opened up, revealing the Shadowbolts' old Crystal Prep uniforms. The uniforms appeared to be ironed and sealed in plastic casings, furthering the idea that those girls weren't kidding when mentioning how valuable they had truly become. On hindsight, this made Human Sunset internally frustrated at the fact she had already sold her own Crystal Prep school uniform, back when it was only worth about $200, rather than $20,000. But before Human Sunset could even think about what she could do to get her revenge, Gilda immediately slammed the locker shut, and put the lock back on.

"What do you think you're doing?" Human Sunset spat. "Whose side are you on!?"

"Yours, of course." Gilda replied. "I hate those dumb school kids as much as you. However, now that you know I possess the knowledge of how to break and enter this locker, why don't we make it... interesting?"

"And what do you mean by that?" Human Sunset narrowed her eyes, her fists shaking in impatience.

"I need you to do a little errand for me." Gilda clarified. "In other words, you know that Equestria place you mentioned earlier? Well, I'm after a little valuable piece of jewelry known as the Tundra Tiara. If you go back to Equestria and bring it back for me, I'll give you the locker combination and let you do whatever you want with those uniforms."

"You're crazy." Human Sunset folded her arms.

"Well, you're not wrong about that." Gilda simply brushed it off. "That's what my therapist told me, so I headbutted him in the office. Anyways, we got a deal or not?"

"Forget it!" Human Sunset huffed, before cracking her knuckles. "I can MAKE you open that locker, if you catch my drift."

"Perhaps, but if you hit me hard enough, I might get amnesia and forget the combo." Gilda hypothesized. "Then what would you do? You think you can use a chainsaw or tool to bust into those lockers without getting caught? Besides, you got a better way to get revenge on your past school bullies?"

"RRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH!!!" Human Sunset growled, fiercely. "You are testing my patience right now!"

The former Crystal Prep student then breathed in and out several times, before swallowing her pride. After all, this did seem like the perfect opportunity to get her ultimate revenge against the Shadowbolts, and all she'd have to do was find some arbitrary piece of jewelry.

"...very well then." Human Sunset sighed, before shaking hands with Gilda. "I accept your little bargain. Just make sure that you stay behind here and see to it that nobody else comes by to retrieve those uniforms, especially not Indigo."

"Glad to see you're making the right choice." Gilda smirked, before taking out the photo she found from the old journal earlier, and handing it to her boss. "Here's a little visual aid to help you locate it more easily. Best of luck, Sunny."

Human Sunset simply grabbed the photo and frowned in frustration, knowing that she had become desperate enough to essentially become her own lackey's errand girl. She exited the school through the window and began making her way back to CHS, as it was the only place with a portal that she knew existed. Once she eventually arrived back at the same horse statue pedestal from before, she made her way in, thankful that the portal was still functional, despite taking the magical journal away earlier. She also internally prayed that those vicious red beetles wouldn't be waiting for her on the other side, recalling that those things were likely out for her blood.

When Human Sunset arrived back into Equestria again, she breathed a sigh of relief when noticing the beetles were gone. She immediately got up and slowly adjusted toward walking on four hooves again, remembering what animal she had turned into. It took a little effort to figure out how to exit Canterlot Library's restricted section, but she eventually managed to do so, getting a glimpse of the outside world of Equestria, as she stepped out of the library. There didn't seem to be any ponies nearby, other than a stallion waiting at the train station. Human Sunset simply sighed in frustration at her new homework, before trotting over to the stallion.

"Excuse me, sir?" Human Sunset addressed the pony in front of her.

"Oh, hello!" Party Favor gave an optimistic smile to the mare in front of her. "Did you need something?"

"I'm more just trying to find somebody, err... somepony?" Human Sunset adjusted her pronouns, before showing the photo of the Tundra Tiara to the stallion. "Anypony who would know where I could find this?"

"That looks like a majestic crown." Party Favor complimented. "Actually, come to think of it, that crown looks almost identical to the one I've seen Countess Coloratura wear at her meet-and-greets."

"Hmm, alright then..." Human Sunset kept this in mind. "And where exactly would I find this... Countess Color Tiara?"

"Actually, she goes by 'Rara' these days, and she resides in Manehattan." Party Favor explained. "In fact, I've heard that she may be performing at another charity event there."

"Good to know." Human Sunset nodded, before realizing her next dilemma. "Unfortunately, it seems like I'd have to use the train to get to this... Manehattan place. I assume I'll need to buy a ticket, but I'm not sure if this place accepts dollars."

"Huh?" Party favor raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that where you're from, they accept toy dolls as currency? Sounds interesting, but you're correct, I can't imagine the ticket booth will accept that as payment. Tell you what, since I'm heading to Manehattan myself, why don't you come with me? It's no trouble at all, since I have one of those fancy creator passes that'll allow me to ride the train for free, plus a friend."

"Really?" Human Sunset felt touched by this act of kindness. "Thank you, I've... never really had any real friends, let's just say..."

"Well, first time for everything... friend." Party Favor winked, before sitting down at a nearby bench. "Maybe we could get to know each other a bit better as we wait for the train. What's your name, ma'am?"

"...Sunny." Human Sunset told the stallion. "You can call me... Sunny S."

Chapter 69: Insulaphobia

Back on Captain Spruce's ship, Sunset, Rainbow, and Captain Zest were beginning to tire out from holding off the pirates, who were more skilled with swords than they had anticipated. By this point, the brawl had nearly come to an end, with Captain Spruce and his team having the upper hand. They had already relentlessly slashed at the three mares enough times, to where they ended up dropping their swords out of exhaustion. Flash was the last one who still had a weapon in his hooves, defending everypony else from the relentless pirate gang. Although remarkably skilled with his trusty katana, it was only a matter of time before he would become overpowered as well. Internally, Sunset was hoping that Twilight understood what she meant earlier, as far as finding something to help their entire crew escape from the pirate ship.

Knowing that they were all getting dangerously cornered, Sunset's eyes darted around the battlefield, scanning the deck for anything that could possibly aid her and her friends in their escape. She spotted something shiny and metallic a few yards away, and realized it was an ink pen that one of the pirates had dropped during the fight. Sunset quickly picked it up and sprinted over to Flash, who was still valiantly clashing away. She shook the pen up, before pointing it at the pirates, and squirting a large amount of ink at them, with even some getting in their eyes.

"MY EYES!!!" Rogue screeched, as he stumbled back.

"Captain!" Withers tried to get the ink out of his eyes. "I told you we should've worn eyepatches!"

"Well, looks like the pen is mightier than the swords, after all." Flash commended Sunset's quick thinking.

"Ye certainly be regrettin' that quite soon, missy!" Timber simply coped with the ink in his eye, as he stared Sunset down. "Any last words before we be finishin' ye landlubbers off!?"

Sunset began to worry, but she breathed an internal sigh of relief, shortly after. Behind the pirates, Twilight finally exited the deck's trapdoor, and managed to acquire a large inflatable raft, which she slowly began to inflate using her magic. As the pirates were too focused on the ponies in front of them to take notice of this, Sunset then realized she suddenly had a snappy one-liner with a more hidden meaning.

"Yes, actually." Sunset began to say her 'last words' to the ruthless pirate captain. "Timber Spruce, Twilight Sparkle... has a crush on you."

"...What???" Timber simply froze in his tracks and blinked in confusion, before turning around to see the now fully inflated rubber raft, suspended up in the air.

Twilight then dropped the heavy raft directly onto the pirates, knocking them unconscious, and making them drop their swords. The brief distraction was all the time that Sunset, Flash, Rainbow, and Captain Zest needed, as they quickly ran aboard the inflatable raft, before Twilight did the same. The princess then used her magic to levitate the raft off of the boat and onto the water, as they began floating away.

"Well, I'm glad that you were able to pick up on what I tried to tell you earlier on the boat, Twilight." Sunset said.

"Pretty clever strategy, to have me find an escape route while you all kept those pirates busy." Twilight replied. "Well, now I guess it's smooth sailing to Everfree Island. I'm curious though, Sunset? Was there more meaning behind you mentioning that I... had a crush on that pirate captain?"

"I mean, Twilight DID have a crush on me once, so... I'm guessing there's a story here that we're just not getting." Flash added.

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain." Sunset giggled. "But you see-"

Before Sunset could even explain what she meant, Rainbow warned her of an upcoming danger.

"SUNSET!" Rainbow's eyes widened, before pushing her down onto the raft. "DUCK!"

This prompted everypony aboard to duck for cover, as a cannonball went slightly over their heads. They all turned around to see that Captain Spruce and his crew were now in hot pursuit, firing at them relentlessly.

"Are you serious?" Lemon Zest snapped. "You salty old dogs are actually going to use cannonballs to sink an inflatable raft!?"

"Ye lot think ye can just abandon us like that?!" Timber sneered. "Ye just don't understand the power of the sea, me hearty. Now, ye scallywags be plummetin' down to the bottom of the ocean, where ye belong!"

Twilight then used her artificial magic to speed the raft along, as she knew this was going to be a persistent chase. All the while, Flash took his katana and began swinging away at the cannonballs that were close to puncturing the raft, which miraculously worked. Each hit connected, as he managed to slice the cannonballs in half, and making them fall into the water.

"I'm surprised as much as you all." Flash commented. "Suddenly, it feels like I'm playing baseball with piñatas."

"Yeah, uhh... what are those cannonballs even made of?" Sunset questioned.

Distracted in this line of thought, one of the cannonballs eventually made contact with the rubber raft itself, creating a large hole. The raft began to sink, causing Sunset and her crew a great deal of anxiety.

"We're hit!" Twilight shrieked. "It's only a matter of time before we run out of raft!"

"Twilight, look!" Sunset pointed behind the princess, as she turned around. "I can see an island over on the horizon! That must be Everfree Island!"

"Even if it's not, it's still an island, and our only chance of making it safely to land!" Lemon Zest added.

"Looks like we're going to have to add some extra speed here!" Rainbow said, as she dove into the water and began pushing on the raft with all her might. "Twilight, let's speed it up! We still have a chance!"

Twilight nodded, as she and Rainbow used all their strength to push the sinking raft along the waters like a motorboat, much to the frustration of the pirates. As long as they were fast enough, reaching the nearby island seemed completely doable, albeit extremely stressful.

"They're getting away!" Biff screeched above the ship's deck. "After them!"

As the raft began to rapidly approach the island, Sunset noticed that they were about to crash upon a nearby segment of land. With the pirates still hot on their tails, it became vital to abandon the raft as soon as possible, especially before Captain Spruce and his crew would catch up to them. Once they were close enough, Sunset motioned her hooves to prompt everypony in the raft to jump to land, just before the raft was about to collide with the hard rocks. Everypony did so, and made it safely without any issue, though there was still the concern of the pirates beginning to reach the island as well.

"Well, I'm glad we're all okay, but we gotta do something about those salty pirates!" Rainbow announced.

"I think I still have some magic left in me." Twilight said, before she used her artificial magic to zap the water in front of the pirate ship.

Within seconds, the water slowly transformed into a large iceberg wall, forcing the pirates to stop their ship and turn around, to avoid a shipwreck. Twilight created this iceberg barrier all around the island, ensuring that the pirates would not be able to reach them, at least for quite some time.

"Very clever, but ye haven't seen the last of us!" Timber yelled from a distance. "Soon that iceberg be meltin', and we'll be back!"

Twilight panted in exhaustion from using her artificial magic, but ended up breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing those pirates storm off. The iceberg barrier around the island had bought them some time, perhaps just enough time for the entire crew to locate the Dragonstone. Although Captain Zest was more focused on finding her first mate and ferry passengers, she was still more than willing to contribute, as far as helping her crewmates acquire the artifact. The five ponies looked at each other proudly at being able to make it this far, but now, it was only a matter of being successful in their little treasure hunt.

"Hey, just to get an idea, this IS Everfree Island, right?" Sunset questioned.

"Definitely looks like it, especially since I see all sorts of plants growing around here that are normally native to the Everfree Forest." Twilight observed. "Yeah, you see those strange-looking blue flowers in that patch over there? Poison Joke. Let's just say... it's definitely in your best interest to not touch those."

"Plus, those pirates were originally bringing us all to Everfree Island anyways." Rainbow added. "I can't imagine this is some other locale, at least going off of that map we saw earlier."

"Everfree Island was unmarked, though." Flash reminded. "Either way, the best we can do now is just search around, since we got some time before that iceberg melts. Princess, do you still have any magic left in you?"

Twilight tried to do a simple levitation spell on a nearby rock, but her horn began to short out.

"It seems like I've run out." Twilight sighed. "Must've been all that effort I put into creating that iceberg. But even then, it was just enough for us to escape those pirates, and that's what matters. We shouldn't use what's left of our Enchantment Tonics, though. They should only be used in real emergencies."

"Come to think of it, why do you suppose those pirates had magic tonics in their stash anyways?" Lemon Zest pondered.

"They must've pillaged them off of a cargo ship that carries potions." Sunset deduced. "Either way, now that we're on Everfree Island, we have that chance to locate not only the Dragonstone, but your passengers, Captain."

"Perhaps we should split up for that?" Lemon Zest suggested.

"I wouldn't do that." Flash warned. "Something tells me that the vegetation around here isn't welcoming to guests like us. I'll have my katana ready in case we encounter anything hostile. If anything like those vines that attacked our ship earlier are around, we'd best stick together."

"Second that." Rainbow added. "Just like the Wonderbolts, teamwork will help us prevail in the end."

"Sounds like a plan." Sunset nodded in agreement, as the five ponies began trotting off into uncharted territory as a group.

Whilst trotting around the beaches with her crew, Sunset particularly found a sense of déjà vu. Much like her Spring Break cruise, she now appeared to be combing a desert island with Twilight and Rainbow Dash again, albeit the ones native to Equestria. It definitely felt like she was reliving one of her previous adventures in the human world, even if Flash Sentry and Lemon Zest were accompanying them this time around. It was also somewhat amusing to think that Equestria's Twilight and Timber Spruce had a total opposite relationship with one another, compared to their human counterparts, though it made sense. A princess certainly wouldn't act kindly toward a ruthless and savage pirate captain bent on harming her friends, even if they were both interested in a supposed treasure.

As the group finally made it past the beach, they took notice of a jungle with a clear path in between. Rockhoof had already mentioned that he hid the Dragonstone in the center of the island, prompting Sunset and her group to venture deeper into the island through the jungle's opening. To Sunset, the experience felt no different from that other island she ended up on during Spring Break, though she internally hoped that there wouldn't be any situations involving quicksand. After trotting through for a bit, Sunset suddenly noticed what looked like a trail of hoofprints on the dirt itself.

"Hey, is that... what I think it is?" Sunset pointed at the hoofprints in front of her.

"Somepony else must be here, then!" Captain Zest said with hope. "We should follow them, they look pretty fresh!"

"Let's just hope that whoever made them, they're friendly." Flash added, before the group began to follow the hoofprint trail.

After some thorough tracking of the trail, Sunset and the others eventually came across some kind of small camp, with several tents set up, and an active campfire. The fire had a rotisserie of grilled cabbages, which prompted Rainbow and Twilight's stomachs to growl.

"We've been out here for a while it seems." Rainbow held her stomach. "Can't find the Dragonstone on an empty stomach."

"I think casting that iceberg spell made me work up a real appetite." Twilight said. "Well, whoever's out here, maybe they won't mind us having a quick snack."

Twilight and Rainbow grabbed one of the cabbages off of the stick and began munching away, gaining back some energy from this draining adventure. Sunset, Flash, and Captain Zest were all still doing fine as far as hunger, though Sunset was concerned that whoever set the camp up would in fact, absolutely mind Rainbow and Twilight taking their food. Her instinctive thoughts would soon prove to be correct, as two ponies came around the corner to inspect the noises they had heard from their camp. The first pony who came around the corner looked familiar to Sunset, and not in a good way. In fact, it was the same pony who had inadvertently caused her to miss out most of Twilight's coronation, during day one of her extended return.

"HEY!" Sunny Flare snapped upon seeing Twilight and Rainbow eating their camp food. "What do you think you're doing!? I was going to eat those!"

"Oh, umm..." Twilight's eyes widened. "We're so sorry, we thought this camp was abandoned."

"And we were really hungry." Rainbow held up the mostly-eaten cabbage. "Here, there's still some left."

"Well, too late now!" Sunny Flare frowned. "Besides, we've been out here for days, and have been really conservative of our supplies! You're probably just here to steal our food!"

"That's not true at all!" Twilight insisted. "In fact, we're here to-"

But before Twilight could finish, the other pony came around the corner to see the commotion.

"Princess Twilight!?" Night Glider addressed. "Oh, this is wonderful! You have no idea how relieved we are to see you!"

"Night Glider!" Twilight said with relief, after hearing about the pegasus' mysterious disappearance in that future timeline. "We're glad to see you're okay! Sorry about eating your food, we got really hungry."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Night Glider assured. "Please, enjoy the rest of the cabbage, and don't mind my crabby little friend here."

"I'm not your friend!" Sunny Flare hissed. "Especially if you're just going to let us starve!"

"Now, now." Night Glider tried to calm her down. "I know we have enough food to share. Besides, Princess Twilight has a reason to be out here, I'm sure."

"Several reasons, actually." Twilight replied. "But to get an idea, it looks like you ponies are stranded on the island?"

"Well, that's one way to put it." Night Glider replied. "The original plan was to just have an overseas cruise, but along the way, something went wrong. Some strange fog and a bunch of kelp vines damaged and sank our ship, which forced us to swim all the way here to shore."

"That's exactly what we encountered, ourselves." Sunset replied. "We still have no idea what could've caused it, though it's entirely possible that a gang of pirates we've encountered was responsible for it."

"Pirates?" Sunny Flare raised an eyebrow. "Get outta here with these dumb fairy tales!"

"She's not fabricating anything, we very much had to escape some pirates to get here." Rainbow vouched for Sunset's statement. "Maybe you should watch what you say, instead. Because to tell you the truth, I don't think I like your attitude."

"Nor do I like you slobbering all over my cabbage!" Sunny Flare growled.

"Listen, if you're so hungry, I have some granola bars in my tent." Night Glider tried to reason with Sunny Flare. "Besides, Ragamuffin and that other stallion are currently foraging for anything edible they can gather from the island itself."

"Ragamuffin!?" Lemon Zest exclaimed with hope upon hearing this. "Thank Celestia he's okay. I was almost worried that my first mate didn't make it to land safely."

"So you're the captain behind that ferry?" Sunny Flare pointed at Captain Zest. "Well it seems like you need a better first mate. He steered us out here in the first place, so this is all his fault!"

"Oh, shut up, you grouch!" Captain Zest snapped at the mare. "I've had enough of you and your attitude! If it weren't for his survival and navigation skills, you'd be at the bottom of the sea right now! As for you, Miss Night Glider? I'm sorry for the trouble we've caused you and your crew. I'll make sure both Ragamuffin and I do what we can to help you all get off the island."

"Thank you, Captain." Night Glider smiled. "Your help is much appreciated, but coming up with a way off the island will certainly be difficult, especially since we have no ferry anymore."

"We don't have a boat ourselves either, but I'm sure we'll figure something out." Sunset assured. "After all, this isn't the first time I've been stuck on an island, let's just say."

"But before we even think about getting off the island, we're here to find something." Twilight explained.

"What is it?" Night Glider questioned. "Maybe Sunny Flare and I can help you search for it."

"As if!" Sunny Flare huffed. "You're not getting my help, I've got my own problems to worry about!"

"Well go on ahead, who needs you, anyways?" Rainbow snapped. "In fact, you can forget about getting the rest of this cabbage!"

"Good, because you're going to go out and forage me some new food as compensation!" Sunny Flare demanded.

"Are you serious right now?" Lemon Zest pointed at the mare. "Do you always act like this?"

"I'm not going to tell you again!" Sunny Flare screeched. "Go out and get me some new food, you unfashionable, discount cereal mascot!"

"Go to Tartarus, you uncouth unicorn!" Lemon Zest frowned.

"Hey, hey, let's break it up, now." Night Glider decided to step in. "Listen, we're all in the same boat, as far as needing to work together to get off the island. Though to get by, we might need to find some more food for us all to share. Do you think you five could go further into the jungle to find anything else edible?"

"For sure!" Rainbow nodded. "We'll help you, at least."

"See, Sunny Flare?" Night Glider felt that she set a good example. "You should try being nice, sometimes."

"Or, I could try being more attractive to rainbow maned clowns." Sunny Flare sneered.

"Enough of this, we have to focus." Flash insisted. "Alright, so is it settled? We'll all work together to gather some more food and resources, then we'll continue our little treasure hunt."

"That sounds good to me." Night Glider nodded. "May I ask though, what is it you're looking for?"

"Well, we're looking for an artifact known as the Dragonstone." Twilight explained. "Going off of a picture we saw, it's a bright magenta, curved, teardrop-shaped stone with spiral markings on it."

"Hmm, interesting." Night Glider responded. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for something like that myself, though I really wish I had my flight back. I don't know how it happened, but it's like... we suddenly lost our magic out of nowhere."

"Yeah, we definitely noticed that ourselves." Sunset said. "But I'm sure that if we all work together as a team, we'll have all the magic we need."

"Agreed." Night Glider nodded. "However, if we're going to split up to cover more ground, we might need another pony to join our group. Ragamuffin and the other stallion haven't returned yet."

"Alright, I'll join you temporarily." Twilight volunteered herself, before turning to the rest of her crew. "Flash, you go on ahead with Sunset, Rainbow, and Captain Zest. Make sure you all stay together."

"Affirmative, Princess." Flash replied, before motioning the three other mares to follow him.

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Twilight?" Sunset asked with concern.

"I will." Twilight assured. "My friends and I have been on adventures more dangerous than this, I know I'll be fine. By the way, in case something happens, you should take this."

Twilight handed Sunset the unopened Enchantment Tonic, before Sunset nodded and went off with the rest of her group. As Twilight, Sunny Flare, and Night Glider left camp together, Sunset and her group were heading the opposite direction, mostly to gather food and resources. It was definitely going to be difficult to figure out a way off the island, especially if the culprit behind that mysterious fog was still out there, ready to cause another shipwreck. Sunset still had a feeling it could've been connected to those pirates, but then again, it was entirely possible that the fog came from somewhere else. After all, Rockhoof also mentioned that a strange, spiritual being had cursed him, much like the fog had cursed everypony on the island, taking away their magic. She questioned who this being possibly was, and if there was a way to reason with them, in exchange for safely getting off the island, much like Rockhoof once did.

By this point, Human Sunset had already made it all the way back to her native world, now with the Tundra Tiara on hand, hidden away in her skirt's pocket. She was still halfway torn between keeping the crown for herself as a sentimental friendship gift from Rara, or to simply hand it over to Gilda and continue down her dark path of revenge. She slowly walked all the way back over to Crystal Prep Academy, where Gilda was still waiting, impatiently. As Human Sunset went over to the same window she had crawled out of earlier, she was surprised to see Gilda kept true to her word in staying behind, keeping watch for anybody who'd open Indigo's locker, especially Indigo herself.

"I'm here." Human Sunset made her presence known, before climbing in.

"Welcome back, boss." Gilda addressed, before eagerly giving her a reminder. "So, where's that tiara that you owe me?"

"I... wasn't able to find it." Human Sunset fabricated, feeling that she needed to test Gilda on her loyalty.

"Too bad." Gilda simply crossed her arms without a care in the world. "I guess you gotta find another way to get revenge then, huh?"

"It's not that, it's just... why are we even doing this in the first place?" Human Sunset began explaining her newfound philosophy, after befriending Rara and Party Favor. "Doesn't revenge only consume you, and makes you no better than the ones you seek to destroy? It's a never-ending cycle. Maybe it's healthier to find a more constructive way to deal with my anger and frustration."

"Eh, whatever you say." Gilda scoffed. "But you're still lying, you could've found the tiara if you really tried. You just didn't want to. So, why lie to me about it?"

"W-What do you mean, I'm not lying." Human Sunset insisted.

"Yeah?" Gilda raised an eyebrow. "Then what's that metallic-looking tiara thing sticking out of your pocket?"

"Okay, okay, fine." Human Sunset sighed. "To tell you the truth, I just wanted to test your loyalty, especially since during my trip there, I've made new friends. In fact, I vented to somebody named Party Favor about wanting revenge, and that's the philosophy he tried to instill in me."

"Pffft!" Gilda broke out in laughter. "Then this Party Favor person must get beaten up a lot. That's the most sad and sappy thing I've ever heard. Of course revenge is the right thing to do!"

"Well, we can agree to disagree..." Human Sunset sighed. "But I hope you understand why I did what I did. It wasn't because I didn't want to find it for you, it was just because... I feel like I've changed, and I hope you can accept that."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say." Gilda began attempting to emotionally manipulate Human Sunset. "But don't you think it's kinda weird that you're changing now, after all this time? I mean, you've already constructed such a huge master revenge plan, and now you're just gonna give up on it?"

"It's not that I'm giving up on it, Gilda." Human Sunset replied. "It's just that I'm finding a different way to deal with things. I'm not saying that I'll never seek vengeance again, but I don't want to let it control me anymore. I want to be better than that."

"Is this because your so-called new friends in Equestria persuaded you to think like this?" Gilda folded her arms.

"They did play a part in it, yes." Human Sunset nodded. "But it was also because of my own experiences and reflections. I've seen how vengeance can destroy not only the person you're seeking revenge against, but also yourself. I want to find a way to move forward, to heal, and to be happy again. Especially when my new friends have made me feel happy for the first time ever."

"But don't you think that's just because they're being nice to you, simply because they pity you?" Gilda continued her cunning manipulation. "Why do you believe they're your true friends? Have you even had 'real' friends before?"

"Well, to tell you the truth... not really." Human Sunset replied.

"Exactly!" Gilda smirked, realizing that her manipulation was working. "They're just taking advantage of your gullibility and loneliness. You need to see the truth, that they're just using you for their own gain. They don't really care about you, Sunny, they only care about themselves. I've had so-called friends like Rainbow Dash, only for her to end up double crossing me, and getting me expelled."

"B-But... I don't think that's true, Gilda." Human Sunset tried her best to follow her new beliefs. "They were there for me when no one else was. They've helped me grow as a person, and genuinely made me happy. I can't just throw that away."

"Oh, please." Gilda scoffed. "You're just being naive. You think they'd actually care if you just disappeared? They'd just find someone else to replace you. They're all the same, and simply using you. Just like how you're using me and my gang to do your dirty work. Making friends is quite literally the biggest joke, just behind spending thousands of dollars on a dumb and useless college."

"I-I don't know... maybe you're right..." Human Sunset trailed off, her voice growing more uncertain. "I just... I don't want to be sad and alone anymore..."

"Who says you're alone, kid?" Gilda replied. "You got me, Lightning, and Thunder, all following your footsteps in this huge ploy of revenge to sabotage these school graduations. Plus, I'm actually loyal to you. I stood here by the lockers the whole time, making sure nobody else would open this locker but you."

"I understand and appreciate that, but..." Human Sunset continued to feel internally conflicted. "Is getting revenge really the right thing to do?"

"Who cares about what's right or wrong?" Gilda sneered. "You want to tell right from wrong, you might as well go back to kindergarten. This is the real world now, Sunny. It's a cruel and dark world where nobody is ever truly your friend, no matter how nice they are to you. My girls and I are the only friends you'll truly ever have, and we're offering to help you get the ultimate revenge on everybody, when no one else would."

"I-I just want to be happy..." Human Sunset repeated, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

Frustrated at this, Gilda began to remind Human Sunset of why she wanted all this revenge in the first place, as a last resort to fully shift her mind.

"Sunny, let me ask you." Gilda began. "How did it feel when that Sugarcoat girl constantly bested you academically, all those times here in this school, as you mentioned earlier in the truck?"

"It... hurt." Human Sunset admitted, feeling a twinge of anger. "She always made me feel like I was never good enough..."

"How about that Indigo girl?" Gilda recalled everything she was told earlier. "You know? The one who bullied you nonstop, made you stay up til 6 AM to do all her homework, and then tried to persuade you into stealing test answers for the SAT?"

"She was horrible." Human Sunset murmured, her fists clenching at the memory. "She treated me like a slave, and always made me feel so vulnerable."

"Well, the vintage $20,000 school uniforms owned by both of those girls are sitting in this locker, as we speak." Gilda pressed her hand on Indigo's locker. "Besides, they're not the only ones you want your vengeance toward. How about that Principal Cinch, who made things extremely one-sided that day for you, which forced you to drop out of school altogether?"

"That... absolute MONSTER!!!" Human Sunset spat, feeling a surge of rage. "Always favored those rich snobs, and treated me like I was nothing more than a source of profit to the school itself! I wish I could make her pay for everything, especially for turning a blind eye to everything I went through!"

"She's not the only one who's treated you horribly, Sunny." Gilda reflected. "Remember what you told me about your father, and how he abandoned your family, simply over you dropping out? He never once truly cared about you and your problems, instead, just pushing you to do all this in school, simply to use you. If that really happened, what makes you think your new 'friends' in Equestria are any different?"

"You're... right about everything." Human Sunset felt her hands trembling, as Gilda knew that her manipulation had finally paid off. "He never loved me at all, and neither does anyone else! I'm better off without them all!"

Human Sunset could feel tears of legitimate heartbreak build up in her eyes, especially since the only person whom she feel always truly loved her, was gone. Solstice had already passed on ages ago, and she was never coming back. Meanwhile, all of these people who had wronged her and ruined her life and mental health... would just go on to enjoy and live out their normal lives? No... this wasn't going to stand.

"So tell me now, Sunny." Gilda leaned against the lockers. "Are you really, truly happy, without getting that sweet taste of revenge you've wanted for quite some time, now?"

"No..." Human Sunset whispered, wiping away the tears that had finally begun to fall. "I can't just forget about it..."

"Then let's do this." Gilda smiled wickedly, as she slammed her fist against the lockers multiple times, making them all shake violently. "Let's go and get what's ours. Just give me the Tundra Tiara, and I'll open the locker for you."

Human Sunset slowly nodded, as she took the crown out of her pocket and handed it over, symbolically and metaphorically throwing away her friendship with Rara in favor of continuing her dark and dastardly path with Gilda and her no-good gang. To Human Sunset, it didn't matter anymore, since she knew she was already this far in, and there was no backing out now. Once Gilda grabbed the Tundra Tiara, she opened Indigo's locker as she had promised, and allowed Human Sunset to snatch every single one of the Shadowbolts' vintage uniforms.

"Good to see you're making the right decision, Sunny." Gilda smirked, before both girls' eyes widened at hearing a doorknob turn from down the hall.

"Did I just hear somebody... shake all the lockers?" Principal Cadance said out loud. "The building's supposed to be locked right now."

"We'd better make a run for it, it's now or never!" Gilda panicked.

Human Sunset and Gilda jumped out of the open window and ran off Crystal Prep's campus grounds, as both girls felt that their business was finished. Principal Cadance slowly walked toward the direction she had heard the noise caused by Gilda slamming her fist, before noticing one of the lockers was mysteriously opened and emptied.

"Hmm... was that locker like that when I came into the office today?" Cadance asked herself. "It's a good thing I set up security cameras in the halls after I became principal. I should go review the footage..."

Back in Equestria, the task to scavenge supplies for everypony's survival was becoming more challenging by the minute. Whilst combing Everfree Island's jungle for resources and food, Pony Sunset and her group weren't having much luck, especially with the consideration that most resources they had already found were too weak to build a reliable raft. But whilst searching for food, the crew soon came across several bushes with berries growing on them. These berries didn't look like the kinds they would find at a grocery store, making everypony question if they were even edible.

"You think we can bring those back?" Rainbow pointed at the berries.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think we should take the risk." Sunset advised. "They could be poisonous."

"Sunset's correct, those are hemlock berries." Flash confirmed. "We definitely don't want to eat those, I guarantee that."

"Maybe we can feed them to that pompous mare back at the camp." Lemon Zest suggested. "She demanded we give her some new food, so that's exactly what we're going to do."

"We're not doing that." Flash replied, sternly. "I know she was pretty rude earlier, but we can't stoop to her level. Remember, we absolutely must all work together as a team, if we're going to make it."

"Agreed." Sunset nodded. "Even if she's behaving this way, we're above poisoning somepony. We're not monsters, after all."

"I wasn't being serious." Lemon Zest rolled her eyes. "But just so you know, I'm still keeping my eye on her."

"Same here, really not a fan of her attitude." Rainbow added. "For now, I'm just not sure what we need to build a boat or raft. Any ideas where to start?"

"If we're going to craft a boat, we could try gathering a bunch of fallen logs and branches." Sunset suggested. "But I'm still worried about the fog that sank our ship. I have a feeling that some spiritual entity haunting the island was maybe the cause. Like Rockhoof said himself, perhaps we can work something out with the spiritual being, in exchange for returning back safely, assuming they were responsible for it."

"I still speculate that it was those salty pirates, but I get what you mean." Lemon Zest said. "This is the first I've ever heard of ghosts or spirits, but then again, anything's unexpected on the open seas."

"Come to think of it, you wonder if that spiritual entity is guarding the Dragonstone?" Rainbow pondered. "I just hope it's not being guarded by Ahuizotl. Otherwise, he'll be writing all about us in his next book."

"The Dragonstone will be vital for saving Equestria." Flash replied. "So even if he does, we'll just tell our side of the story and make him look like the bad guy. Whoever he is."

"You've never read Daring Do, Flash?" Rainbow questioned.

"Never got around to it." Flash admitted. "Though I vaguely heard a rumor that the stories are actually nonfiction?"

"Well, that's... not entirely wrong." Rainbow responded. "There's some exaggeration, but most of it really did happen. So, Ahuizotl might actually be a tough opponent to face off against. It's either him, or whatever spirit is actually guarding the Dragonstone."

"Whoever it is, let's just hope they can be reasoned with." Sunset said. "For now though, let's just focus on finding some food to bring back to camp. Preferably anything that isn't a berry."

"How about some bananas?" Lemon Zest pointed at a nearby tree. "Those look pretty ripe, too."

"Good eye, captain!" Rainbow replied, before going over to shake the tree with her hooves.

The bunch eventually fell off the branches, with Captain Zest successfully catching them before they hit the ground. Feeling like this was more than enough food to hold everypony over for quite some time, Sunset and her group decided to head back to the camp. But along the way, they began to hear screaming from a distance. It sounded like the pony was in real danger, though it took a moment for Captain Zest to eventually recognize who it truly was.

"Ragamuffin!" Lemon Zest called out. "I've worked with him for the past three years, I know his scream anywhere! Quickly, this way!"

The entire group rushed over to the direction the screams were coming from. Following Captain Zest, they began to notice strange vegetation surrounding the environment, as if something large and intimidating was just lurking around the corner. Shuffling through the bushes and vines, they eventually caught wind of a giant plant monster. To Sunset, although it initially looked like nothing more than a giant Venus Flytrap, she soon realized it was the same type of carnivorous plant creature that the Human Twilight had accidentally released during the Friendship Games. Specifically, the one that attacked all the girls during the Motocross race event, where the Human Rainbow stayed true to her loyalty by going back to rescue everyone before they got chomped up.

It was truly a memorable experience for Sunset, to where she even reminded the Human Rainbow about this event, in an attempt to bring back the good memories of her, which were erased from the memory stone. After remembering the new powers that the Human Twilight gained after becoming possessed, it all began to make sense. She managed to open unlimited portals into Equestria with her new magic as Midnight Sparkle, the same capabilities of that device Principal Cinch had pressured her to open up. All this time, Sunset had admittedly wondered where those carnivorous plants had originated from, and she finally got her answer. Despite having a sense of closure over learning that they had originated here on Everfree Island, Sunset knew that Captain Zest's first mate was in danger, and it was time for a rescue.

"Somepony, anypony... HELP!!!" Ragamuffin shrieked, as the plant creature began to trap the pony in its maw.

"This is what we soldiers trained for back at the academy." Flash began to instruct the rest of the group. "Sunset, Rainbow, Captain Zest! I want you to focus on trying to distract that plant monster. You three should attack it with everything you've got! We need to give Ragamuffin a chance to escape!"

"Will do!" The trio nodded, before Sunset spoke up. "What about you, Flash?"

"I'll cover you from behind!" Flash held his katana up. "Just keep it occupied!"

The three mares began kicking and hitting the plant with their hooves, which the creature barely paid much attention to, due to it's thick layers. Sunset then improvised by picking up some sharp and heavy rocks, as she pelted the body with them. After the carnivorous plant became agitated enough, it finally brought its attention to the ponies, feeling provoked at their pathetic little interference. In response, the plant simply used its lower vines to whack the ponies away, as they were being nothing more than a minor inconvenience that was easily circumvented.

"It's not working, we have to provoke it far enough!" Flash announced. "Try another tactic!"

Everypony frantically looked around, knowing that they had very limited time.

"I've got an idea!" Sunset said, as she noticed something in the distance that might be of use against the plant.

She spotted a large fallen tree nearby, its branches still intact. Sunset quickly ran over and began to pull on the thickest branch she could manage. With a mighty heave, she broke it off of the trunk and brought it back over to the plant. Then, using all her strength, she swung it at the creature's exposed root system. There was a loud CRACK, as the branch connected with the roots, and the plant shrieked in pain. Although Sunset's tactic seemed to finally get the plant's full attention, it still wasn't doing what Flash was hoping for.

Enraged by the attack on its roots, the carnivorous plant lashed out with its vines, whipping them through the air at Sunset. One vine wrapped around her front leg, pinning her to the ground, while another coiled around her neck, and began choking her. Flash used his katana to slash apart the vines holding Sunset in place, enraging the plant even further. Suddenly, Rainbow and Captain Zest picked up their own sharp sticks from the same fallen tree trunk, and went over to the beast. They hurled the sticks at the plant's main stem like harpoons, making it screech out in more pain.

The carnivorous plant glanced down and saw for a brief moment, who its last attackers were. It focused heavily on the area Rainbow and Captain Zest were standing, before licking its lips with its tongue. Angered by all these puny attacks, the plant finally realized it was in the mood for its next meal. Before the two ponies could even react, the plant erupted its vines from the ground and tripped them up. The captain landed on her face with a thud, while Rainbow flipped through the air and landed in a crumpled heap nearby. The vines then wrapped around their bodies, restraining them, and brought them close together. Looking from below, Sunset and Flash saw that the head prepared to lunge toward Rainbow and Captain Zest, but this was exactly what Flash had anticipated the entire time.

"Rainbow, Captain Zest, this may sound crazy, but you have to trust me!" Flash instructed. "The creature's aiming for you two, so be sure to stand in place and don't move!"

"W-What!?" Rainbow felt her heart beating intensely. "Whose side are you on, now!?"

"You want us to become plant food!?" Lemon Zest shrieked. "What's wrong with you!? I don't think I like this plan!"

"It's the only chance we've got, just trust me!" Flash yelled, as he saw the plant creature was ready to lunge.

The plant monster began to do so at an alarming speed, as Rainbow and Captain Zest shut their eyes, thinking they were goners. Knowing that the head was reaching close enough to the ground, Flash simply drew out his trusty katana, before taking a deep breath and stepping back. In one swift motion, he swung the weapon toward the base of the savage beast's neck at a near-exact timing. With a sickening crunch, the monster's head was severed from its body, causing it to fall limply to the ground. Suddenly, the vines restraining the two mares had died down as well, releasing them from their trap, as they slowly got up together in shock.

"I've done this before when protecting Princess Cadance from an awful Tatzlwurm." Flash explained, before wiping the sweat off of his face. "It worked then, so I knew it would work here too. After all, attacking the body is always futile if you can't reach the head."

"You did great, Flash." Sunset commended Flash for his leadership and military skills. "You really showed us how to take charge and use our combined strengths to defeat that thing. I'm proud of everypony for working together so well, that's what being part of a team is all about. We stick together, and we don't let any old plant monster get the better of us."

"I've had plenty of experience protecting Canterlot with my team over the years." Flash nodded, as he and Sunset then looked over at Rainbow and Captain Zest, who were still shaky from the ordeal. "Are you two all right?"

"We are now, but maybe next time, don't try to scare us like that." Rainbow replied, still feeling uneasy.

"I'll make a mental note." Flash responded.

"Wait a minute, where's Ragamuffin!?" Lemon Zest was still concerned over the well being of her first mate.

Suddenly, everypony looked over to the sudden movement from the decapitated plant's head. They immediately took a quick fighting stance, in the chance that the plant wasn't quite dead yet. However, they soon realized that it was a pony attempting to escape from the maw, who had held on to dear life at the back of the plant's throat. It was Ragamuffin, who was completely drenched in saliva, but had managed to avoid becoming digested from the plant's stomach acid. Captain Zest soon recognized her first mate standing before her, and quickly ran over to hug him, overjoyed at this reunion.

"Ragamuffin!" The captain held him close for a moment, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, I thought you were gone for good. I'm so glad you're alive! You have no idea how relieved I am to see you."

"Captain, it's good to see you too." Ragamuffin replied, as he wiped some of the plant's saliva from his face. "That plant was one tough customer, probably the worst customer we've ever had in this whole business. I can't imagine would've happened if you didn't show up."

As Sunset, Rainbow, and Flash all smiled proudly upon this heartwarming reunion, they soon took notice of the other pony, still slowly climbing out of the plant's maw. He was initially unrecognizable to them, until some of the saliva slowly dripped off, revealing his puffy brown mane. It was Cheese Sandwich, Pinkie Pie's soon-to-be husband.

"Cheese Sandwich?" Rainbow addressed from a distance. "Hey, long time no see! I guess rescuing you would be my way of thanking you for throwing that epic birth-iversary party for me back then!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Cheese exclaimed, as he regained his consciousness. "I guess it was no coincidence, after all! My Cheesy Sense was a-tingling, telling me somepony would come rescue us."

"Well, I guess you could say, it's what my friends and I were put on this planet to do." Rainbow replied with confidence. "But now that both you and Ragamuffin are rescued, we should all get out of here before any more of those awful plant monsters show up."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Ragamuffin nodded. "We must simply thank you all for such a heroic deed!"

"Well, Flash here was the one who came up with the plan to save us all, he's definitely the real hero here." Sunset commended. "I gotta say, Flash, that was a really brilliant plan, even I couldn't have come up with something like that, when those same plants attacked me back in my world."

"Your... world?" Ragamuffin raised an eyebrow at Sunset's odd word choice.

"Errr, town I mean." Sunset brushed off. "By the way, we found a large stack of bananas, so if you two are hungry, we got just the thing for you."

"Drat, just how exactly did we miss such a big bunch of those ripe fruits?" Ragamuffin scratched his head with his hoof. "Cheese, sir? I should've listened to you rather than my compass."

"I told you, my Cheesy Sense is never wrong." Cheese replied.

"Right then, well... to make up for getting us into that mess, why don't I carry these back to the camp?" Ragamuffin offered, as he began carrying the banana stack on his back. "I got a bad feeling that Sunny Flare is really going to let me have it for taking so long to gather food."

"We've got food, but we still need materials for a boat to get off the island." Sunset said to everypony. "That fallen tree trunk seems to have what we need. You all go on ahead, Cheese Sandwich and I can gather some wood and branches."

"Sounds good, and we're all going to need a new campfire soon, that's for sure." Cheese agreed.

Everypony nodded and began making their way back to camp, as Sunset and Cheese stayed behind to forage some large pieces of wood. Whilst Cheese was doing so, he eventually took a good look at Sunset, as he soon realized that he actually recognized her.

"Say, haven't we already met?" Cheese addressed the mare next to him.

"Uhh, no?" Sunset raised an eyebrow.

"Sunset Shimmer, right?" Cheese recalled. "You sure you haven't met me before?"

"I mean, technically, yes?" Sunset said, rather confused. "I'm sure Pinkie's probably told you all about me, but... I think this is the first time I'm meeting the you-you. I'm sorry, that probably doesn't make any sense at all."

"I sure hope you enjoyed that complimentary box of cookies I gave you a few days ago." Cheese replied.

"Wha-!?" Sunset's eyes widened, as she began to piece together what Cheese was seemingly implying. "You mean... you're actually the... the one who...?"

"Also heard that you were about to graduate from CHS, and asked the other Pinkie to watch your apartment." Cheese winked.

"But... Pinkie told me the other day that you two were getting happily married." Sunset recalled. "Why would you suddenly be spending quality time with the human Pinkie?"

"The Pinkie you and I both know, she specifically asked me to spend some time with her." Cheese replied. "Said how she was often feeling lonely in the human world, and needed some company to keep her spirits high. I guess it makes sense, since the human her doesn't have Pinkie Sense."

"She doesn't?" Sunset questioned. "I guess that would explain why she wouldn't be able to tell whether or not you're the Cheese Sandwich native to her world."

"Precisely, Sunset." Cheese nodded. "Besides, wasn't it just clever how she often switched places with her human counterpart, just to trick everyone from either respective world?"

"Uhh, I have no idea what you're talking about." Sunset brushed off, trying to keep her promise to Pony Pinkie, in never speaking of her elaborate hoax with anypony else.

"C'mon, no need to pretend, now." Cheese winked. "I already know she's told you. Besides, great minds who think alike are terrible at keeping secrets from one another."

"I guess that would make sense." Sunset shrugged. "Yeah, she's... definitely fooled me for quite some time, let's just say. Well, thanks for having this... revelation with me. But we should definitely hurry back to camp with these branches, before any more of those plant beasts show up."

"Couldn't have said it better, myself!" Cheese agreed, as he began trotting back to the camp with long segments of wood resting on his back.

Sunset followed behind Cheese, still rather shocked that the Cheese Sandwich she met back in the human world wasn't even the one native to that world. Though it definitely seemed sweet how Pony Pinkie was perfectly fine and open with her own Cheese flirting and spending quality time with Human Pinkie, just because she didn't want her to feel left out. At the same time, it admittedly stood out, hearing Cheese confirm that the Human Pinkie would have no way of recognizing whether somebody was native to the human world or not, as she lacked Pinkie Sense. Would that mean that if she somehow ran into the Human Cheese, she'd believe he would be the same person, leaving the actual Cheese from that world rather confused? It seems like this would've most likely been the case, as Pony Cheese seemed to really know everything from behind the scenes.

Sunset simply shrugged at this, completely unaware that Human Pinkie already ran into such a situation with the Sunset Shimmer native to her world. In fact, up until this point, Sunset never even gave a second thought at the possibility of her human counterpart being a bitter and resentful girl, now bent on sabotaging her graduation at CHS. It just seemed completely silly and irrelevant, especially when even Princess Celestia herself had hinted that upsetting the balance between the two worlds was never really an issue at all. Unfortunately, with Human Sunset already going back down her original dark path, thanks to Gilda's manipulation, Pony Sunset would most likely be in for quite the wild surprise upon her inevitable return to the human world...

Author's Note

This ending segment is meant to serve as a more clear in-story explanation as to why Human Pinkie couldn't recognize Human Sunset back in Chapter 52. Also, if you're confused on when Sunset met Cheese Sandwich, try going back to Chapter 16 to refresh your memory.

Chapter 70: Legend of Everfree Island

Sunset and Cheese Sandwich were feeling rather peckish themselves, but had almost returned to the camp, where everypony else was still waiting. They were ready to set their lumber aside and begin having some bananas with their entire group, feeling rather satisfied with their journey's progress. It was admittedly going to be much more difficult to construct a stable boat or raft with what little they could forage, especially with how many ponies were now stranded on the island itself. Regardless, Sunset remained positive, feeling that she's experienced much worse in the past, including getting stranded on a desert island before. This positivity would almost be short-lived, as once she and Cheese turned the corner to the campsite, something was terribly wrong. The tents were all ruined, and it looked like any leftover resources from Night Glider's group had completely vanished.

"The camp... what happened?" Sunset questioned.

"We have no idea." Night Glider replied. "All we know is that we went off to find some coconuts for a meal, and by the time we came back, the camp was completely trashed."

"Who in Equestria would do such a thing?" Rainbow said. "Wild animals native to the island?"

"It wouldn't surprise me if it was one of those giant plant monsters." Lemon Zest theorized. "Like I mentioned earlier, we had to rescue Ragamuffin and Cheese Sandwich from a pretty vicious beast."

"Muffins... and cheese sandwiches?" Sunny Flare repeated. "Great, now I'm even more hungry than I was before, and we couldn't even find any stinking coconuts. Thanks a lot."

"Sunny Flare, you are aware that they brought back a large bunch of bananas, right?" Night Glider reminded.

"Yeah, but I was really looking forward to having some coconut cream." Sunny Flare muttered.

"Beggars can't be choosers, you know." Twilight replied, before focusing her attention back on the ruined campsite. "Now then, I can't say for certain who was responsible for trashing the camp, but I might have reason to believe it wasn't one of those plant monsters."

"What makes you say that, Princess?" Flash questioned.

"Well, I don't think those plant monsters are capable of producing... this strange trail of sparkling dust." Twilight inspected the unusual substance sprinkled all around the campsite.

"I might recognize what that may be, Princess." Ragamuffin began explaining. "Going off of my years of studying geology, I could be entirely wrong, but it may be leftover dust from gemstones."

"Gem dust?" Twilight continued analyzing the sample. "Well, too bad Spike isn't here to confirm that, he loves to have it sprinkled on his smoothies. Either way, I have no idea what kind of creature would leave behind gem dust, let alone their reasoning for trashing somepony else's camp."

"Could it be a dragon?" Flash suggested. "They're known to like gems and jewels, and Night Glider mentioned that her group's supplies within the tents had been taken. Is it another instance of a dragon's everlasting greed?"

"It's possible, but dragons usually don't leave such a mess behind them." Sunset spoke up. "They're known for their organization and meticulousness, according to what I've read. Besides, it doesn't really seem like a dragon to just leave behind a trail of gem dust."

"Well, whoever was responsible for this, it doesn't seem to matter now." Cheese sighed. "I had a reserve supply of emergency cheese pizzas in those tents, but I guess we won't be having those now."

"Princess, what are we going to do now?" Lemon Zest said, worried. "We don't have a camp or emergency food supply anymore, and we'll be running out of bananas at some point."

"Not to mention, we still need to craft something to get off the island." Ragamuffin reminded.

"First things first, we can work on crafting a makeshift raft with the lumber that Sunset and Cheese Sandwich brought back." Twilight began. "In the meantime, let's salvage what we can from the ruins of our old camp, before we set off on finding the Dragonstone."

"That reminds me, Twilight." Rainbow said. "Where exactly are we supposed to look? I know Rockhoof mentioned he hid the artifact in the center of the island, but... what if he was wrong, or the island's changed drastically since he was last here?"

"The island is pretty huge, so even if we use our Enchantment Tonic to let one of us fly up and get a better view, it'll still be pretty difficult to tell what's considered the 'center' of the island." Sunset added.

"Those are good points." Twilight pondered. "Oh, if only Rockhoof was here. We should've asked him to be more specific on what he considered the 'center' to be, and there's no easy way to contact him now without magic. Even the Enchantment Tonic won't be enough to get us back to Canterlot and another round trip."

"Definitely quite the conundrum." Sunset said, before noticing Night Glider approaching them.

"Hmm, well this is surprising." Night Glider had finished going through what was left of her tent. "Out of everything that managed to not get stolen, it was this old book I borrowed from the Canterlot library?"

"From the Canterlot library?" Twilight's eyes widened. "Night Glider, mind if we take a look at that book? It might have something important that can help us out of this mess."

"Sure thing." Night Glider handed the book over to the princess, who began skimming the pages. "In the meantime, my group and I are going to search around the area for any further clues that could give us an idea of what we're up against."

"I'm certainly going to give whoever stole my stash of gourmet chocolates a real piece of my mind." Sunny Flare gritted her teeth.

"Sure thing, we'll get back to you once we're ready." Twilight replied, before Night Glider, Sunny Flare, Ragamuffin, and Cheese Sandwich had all trotted away together.

"Twilight, I don't quite understand." Rainbow said, perplexed. "What's so important about that book?"

"Aha, I knew it!" Twilight said, rather hopeful. "This book from Canterlot has a section of special magical pages in the back. These are meant for giving a reminder to the borrower of when the due date for their book is approaching. Whoever has a copy of this book's serial number is able to write reminders like that through these special pages. They work exactly like the journal Sunset and I use to communicate with each other."

"Similar to an email, I guess?" Sunset replied, before remembering she had a pen. "Alright, then it's a good thing I snatched this pen from that pirate ship earlier."

"But wait, how are we going to use that if there's no magic?" Rainbow recalled. "Didn't you mention before that you could only communicate that way, if the journal's running on magic?"

"It looks like there's still some magic left." Twilight noticed the words on the page glowing near her hoof. "So we still have a chance to write a message to somepony in Canterlot."

"Some magic left, sounds like my cell phone whenever I go out." Sunset reflected, before taking the journal from Twilight. "Alright, I can write a message right now."

Sunset pressed her pen tip to the magical paper, but was immediately unable to write anything down. Instead, she simply heard a buzzing noise, almost as if the pages were rejecting anything to be written down at all. Moments later, the book projected a holographic image with two white boxes, and the words, 'LOGIN REQUIRED'.

"Hmm, it says that I need a login for that?" Sunset inspected the journal. "This is certainly new. I mean, I've seen this kind of thing on websites when using my computer or phone, but a... book? I feel like this is next-level technology that even the human world doesn't have, which is really saying something."

"Oh, that's right, the Canterlot library security system." Flash began explaining. "Celestia built this messaging network using magic, and I vaguely recall hearing that it was built in to ensure that only Canterlot librarians are able to use this feature. It won't allow somepony unauthorized to write whatever they want on those pages for... pretty obvious reasons."

"Sounds like the same reason I only keep certain contacts on my phone." Sunset replied, before turning to the rest of the group. "Alright, so I guess I'll have to log in using one of your accounts?"

"Actually, as far as I'm aware, Princess Twilight is the only one here who has a login for that." Flash explained. "The rest of us have no connection to the Canterlot library."

"Yeah, since I'm now in charge of the library, I've become Canterlot's head librarian." Twilight giggled. "I haven't really been using this notification feature too much, until I learned that the messages will disappear over time, kind of like magic marker. I guess I was worried about running out of room."

"Alright, what's your username, Twilight?" Sunset turned to the princess. "Could I get your Canterlot librarian login information?"

"Sure thing." Twilight nodded. "It's 'tsparkle@princess.net', no caps."

"Got it." Sunset wrote the username down on the journal's projected hologram. "Okay then, now what's the password?"

Suddenly, there was an immediate and awkward pause, as Sunset looked back at Twilight, noticing that the princess simply stared on, looking rather nervous and hesitant.

"Twilight...?" Sunset was ready to ask again. "What's the password?"

"It's 'flashhunkybearx0x0'." Twilight blurted out, before covering her face in embarrassment. "No caps."

Another awkward pause took place, as everypony was unable to come up with the right words upon hearing Twilight's extra personal password. They all just sat in bewilderment for a solid 5 seconds, trying to process everything. Eventually, Sunset stopped spacing out, before writing the password into the book's interface.

"Princess... when we get back to Canterlot, it sounds like you and I are going to have to have another one of those... serious talks." Flash put a hoof on his face in disappointment.

"I suppose so..." Twilight hung her head in shame. "But for now, let's focus on the task at hoof. The sooner we get in touch with Rockhoof, the sooner we can find the Dragonstone and save Equestria."

"Alright, I'm in." Sunset noticed that the login had been completed. "I guess this world really does have something far more equitable to cell phones, rather than just magic burping dragons. Time to message somepony in Canterlot to see if we can get a response from Rockhoof."

Back at the Canterlot Harbor, Spike had just finished retelling his fascinating stories as a dog in the human world, with the rest of the council being either invested, bored, or unable to comprehend some of the things he had mentioned. Rockhoof had begun to worry, as he realized that a good amount of time had already passed since Twilight and her crew had left, and there was almost no sign of them returning soon. The legendary Pillar surmised that something bad must've happened along the way, but there was nothing he, nor the council could do, at least not without another ship and experienced navigator. Just then, the Canterlot librarian approached, accompanied by a red Earth pony.

"Mr. Rockhoof?" Bellflower Blurb addressed, whilst holding a copy of the same book Sunset was writing in. "You appear to have a message from the princess herself. She said it's urgent, and that you'll need to write her a message through these magical pages. I'm already logged into my librarian account, so all you need to do is write."

"I see... well alright, in that case, let's see what she has to say, then." Rockhoof nodded, as he followed the librarian to the library, hopeful that Twilight and her crew weren't in any real danger.

As Rockhoof left the harbor, the red Earth pony came up to the council, looking for Pinkie Pie. She was carrying a wheelbarrow filled with decorative flowers, and eager to finish the delivery.

"Miss Pinkie Pie, right?" Gloriosa Daisy addressed her client. "You had the shipment of 600 pink and yellow roses, is that correct?"

"Gloriosa, hey!" Pinkie waved. "Yeah, these are for me and a... special somepony. I'll be having a wedding here in Canterlot pretty soon, I'm really excited about it! My big sisters and parents are so proud of me!"

"Wonderful to hear you've got such a loving family!" Gloriosa said with optimism, before it noticeably trailed off in her voice. "Rather symbolic in these flowers, but... it just makes me reflect to this day."

"Hmm, is something troubling you, dear?" Rarity inquired.

"Oh, no, I'm just... thinking about my brother, since Pinkie mentioned her own family." Gloriosa sighed. "Things... ended really badly between us, unfortunately."

"Sorry to hear that." Fluttershy said, sadly. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Sure, it's been bothering me for a while." Gloriosa tried her best to explain. "My little brother, Timber, he was always so... full of life, you know? As fillies, we were inseparable, constantly playing together and causing mischief around Ponyville. But over the years, we grew distant, and he ended up becoming such a horrible, misogynistic pony. I wish I knew what could've caused him to turn out this way."

"Well, it's hard to say for sure without knowin' the details." Applejack began. "But sometimes, folks change when they're goin' through a rough patch in their lives, or when they're feelin' lost. I'm sure you were a caring sister, Sugarcube."

"I tried to be the best big sister I could." Gloriosa reflected. "I gave him all the love and attention he needed, but maybe it wasn't enough, or I did something wrong. All I know for certain is, despite my flower business taking off in Ponyville, I could never fully escape the shadow of my past, or the guilt I had felt over not being able to save him from his self-destructive path."

"Is it possible that he became jealous of your success?" Spike suggested.

"I never really thought of it that way." Gloriosa pondered. "I mean, I always tried to include him in everything I did, even when he became distant. But now that you mention it, I feel like we began to grow distant after I started running my flower shop."

"Perhaps it wasn't that he was jealous, but rather, he was trying to find his own path in life, and felt like he couldn't live up to your family's expectations?" Rarity offered, trying to console Gloriosa. "It's not uncommon for siblings to feel lost or confused when they're trying to find their place in the world, and sometimes, they make mistakes along the way."

"Well, I suppose that's true." Gloriosa nodded. "It's just hard to not feel responsible when you're the older sibling, especially after hearing Timber became infamous for his brutal treatment of mares, and had gained an unhealthy obsession for power and wealth."

"Perhaps it would help to remember that Timber made his own choices, and while you may have been there for him, he ultimately chose his own path in life." Starlight added, offering some wisdom. "And who knows? Perhaps one day he'll come to his senses and realize the error of his ways, and try to make amends for all the hurt he's caused. I know that myself, from experience."

"I hope you're right about that." Gloriosa sighed. "Despite the pain I had felt from my brother's decisions, I never gave up hope that one day, he'd return and reconcile with me. I always clung to the belief that deep down, Timber was still the kind and loving colt I once knew..."

As Gloriosa was sharing her life story with the rest of the council, Rockhoof had already seen the message Sunset had written in the book, on Twilight's behalf. He just finished writing a reply back, which Sunset had immediately received, upon seeing a magical glow, similar to when she wrote to Twilight in the human world. As Sunset began reading Rockhoof's response, Night Glider's group had regathered with everypony else at the ruined campsite, whilst Twilight herself had climbed atop a rather tall palm tree, trying to get a good look at the iceberg she had created to halt the progress of those pirates earlier.

"It looks like the iceberg around the island is beginning to melt." Twilight looked off on the horizon from the palm tree. "We may have less time than we thought."

"Twilight?" Sunset addressed the princess from below. "Rockhoof just gave me a response. He said that although he may not have been completely accurate about the Dragonstone being hidden at the center of the island, there's two possible landmarks we should explore. He doesn't remember with certain where he had hidden it, but recommends that we check either a volcano, or a grotto with gemstones encrusted at the entrance. He mentioned that they should be on opposite sides of the island, can you see anything like that from up there?"

Twilight looked around the island, before spotting what looked like a volcano in the far distance.

"Well, it looks like there's a large volcano, east of the camp, but I can't seem to locate this grotto." Twilight observed, before climbing down the tree. "My guess is that wherever it's located, it's covered by a dense jungle, so we'll need to explore and hope we can find it. If they're on opposite sides of the island, I'm thinking it's definitely better for our entire group to split up, since time is of the essence. Once the iceberg completely melts, we'll have to worry about those pirates again."

"So you're saying we should split up and just hope that we don't get eaten by those carnivorous plant creatures?" Sunny Flare scoffed with sarcasm. "That's a great plan, Princess."

"I understand that it sounds risky." Twilight began explaining. "But we can't all go to the volcano and the grotto at the same time. We can all meet back here later to share what we've found. You DO want to eventually get off the island, just like everypony else here, correct?"

"Fine, whatever." Sunny Flare glanced at the others before looking back at Twilight. "But if I find anything useful along the way, I'm keeping it for myself. I don't share."

"With that kind of stinky attitude, you might as well go off on your own." Lemon Zest narrowed her eyes.

"Well who would really miss you anyways?" Sunny Flare hissed, before turning to everypony else. "Go fall in a pool of lava for all I care, I usually prefer to work alone, anyways."

"Alright, I suppose we could accommodate for everypony's wishes as needed." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Everypony, you're all free to go in whichever direction you wish. Just remember to be careful, and keep an eye out for each other. We should split up into two different groups, and explore either the volcano or the grotto, in hopes of finding the Dragonstone."

"If I may interject, Princess?" Flash spoke up. "It sounds like it would make more sense for us all to check the volcano. It just seems like the more appropriate place, where an artifact known as the Dragonstone would be hidden."

"That's true, but Rockhoof said he doesn't know for certain." Sunset replied. "In any case, it could actually be hidden in the gem encrusted grotto. After all, could whoever lives in the grotto also be the one responsible for leaving behind the gem dust at the campsite. Maybe they even took the Dragonstone for themselves."

"All rather fair points, Sunset." Twilight nodded. "In other words, it really is a 50-50 on which location we should be exploring. However, since one of them is a volcano, I'll lead the group who wishes to accompany me there. It just seems like the more dangerous of the two, but I have had experience with traversing the Dragon Lands."

"I'll join you, Twilight." Rainbow raised her hoof. "Had my fair share of similar adventures with Daring Do, let's just say."

"Well, if there's a volcano involved, count me and Ragamuffin in." Lemon Zest spoke up. "We've been up close and personal with some of them during our Manehattan island tours, as part of the city's famous ferry attractions. So, we're more than up for the challenge!"

"That's right, I just hope there aren't any unfriendly dragons lurking around there." Ragamuffin added. "We're definitely not prepared for that."

"If we do run into one, I'll do my best to handle the situation." Twilight assured. "However, our primary goal should be finding the Dragonstone, not tangling with dragons. So, let's focus on that, and try to keep ourselves safe. Anypony else wish to join us?"

"I'd like to join you too, Princess, if that's alright." Cheese Sandwich trotted over to Twilight's group. "I've always had a fascination with dragons, and I'm not really afraid of them. Plus, if we do run into one, I can try to reason with it, using my... Cheesy Sense."

"Very well then." Twilight nodded. "However, that's as big as our group can get, since there's nine of us. We shouldn't have a group less than four, and there's only four more ponies remaining. Flash, Sunset, Sunny Flare, and Night Glider. Do you four think you can explore the grotto?"

"I think we can handle it." Night Glider nodded. "I'm not too worried about it being dangerous. I mean, it's just a bunch of caves, right? We'll be fine."

"It's not really the caves themselves, but rather, what could be living in the caves that'll pose as a threat." Sunset deduced.

"That's why I'm going with them, then." Flash replied. "I'll be sure to use my katana if needed."

"Well, since I'm stuck with you three, I guess I have no choice." Sunny Flare muttered under her breath. "I got some experience in kung fu, so I guess it'll be useful. But don't expect me to do any heavy lifting."

"It's all settled, then." Twilight looked toward the two groups, feeling like everything was set. "Flash and Sunny Flare, I think you two will be a great help in case you run into any monsters or creatures in the caves. Just be careful and watch each other's backs. As for you, Sunset and Night Glider, I hope you have a safe and successful journey to the Dragonstone. Good luck, everypony!"

The two groups understood their objectives, and trotted away in opposite directions. Sunset went off with her group, unsure of what to expect when they reached this grotto. For whatever reason, that strange gem dust that was left behind at the camp, Sunset felt like it sounded familiar. Was it maybe something she had heard during her time at Camp Everfree? It was the same place where Sunset and the Human Twilight had been trapped within a gem encrusted cave by Gloriosa Daisy, so she couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu before even reaching the grotto.

"Night Glider, have you had any experience with caves before?" Sunset asked.

"Well, back in Our Town, there was the cutie mark vault." Night Glider reflected. "It was where our town leader, Starlight Glimmer, had removed our cutie marks with the Staff of Sameness, and she stored them in this cavern vault."

"Ah yes, I remember Starlight mentioning something like that to me." Sunset recalled. "Actually, come to think of it... you're that Night Glider I recall hearing about a while ago. Twilight mentioned that you and Sugar Belle had been close friends for a while, and that you had both met somepony named Solstice in your youths?"

"Solstice..." Night Glider tried her best to remember. "Oh, you mean my karaoke teacher from when I was just a filly? Yes, that's right, she was the one who taught me how to sing, and encouraged me to pursue my dreams of becoming a famous singer. Though I eventually gave up on it, after realizing that it was a pretty difficult career. I decided to focus more on flight lessons afterwards."

"Interesting." Sunset listened on. "Do you by any chance know what happened to her after you stopped taking those lessons?"

"Not really, actually." Night Glider replied. "Never really kept in touch, which I kinda regret doing. She was a really sweet and encouraging teacher. Why?"

"Oh, it's just..." Sunset began explaining. "I have no idea if your karaoke teacher was the same Solstice, but I've been trying to find my biological mother, who shares the same name. I unfortunately haven't had much luck though."

"Really?" Night Glider's eyes widened. "That's... quite the coincidence. I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble finding her, Sunset, it must be real tough. If I ever do meet her again, I'll be sure to let you know. She was the best teacher I've ever had."

"Thank you, I'd really appreciate that." Sunset smiled, trying to sound reassured. "Who knows, maybe someday I'll find her as well. It'd actually be my very first time meeting her, since... let's just say I never got the chance to do so."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Night Glider's ears went down in sadness. "Well, if you ever need somepony to talk to, I'm always here to listen. I know how hard it can be to find somepony you care about."

"That means a lot." Sunset tried to stay positive. "But you're right when you say it could be a coincidence. Who knows, this could be a completely different Solstice, for all we know."

"Hmm, it might just be my speculation talking, but it may not just be a coincidence." Flash looked to the two mares.

"What do you mean, Flash?" Night Glider asked, curious.

"You mentioned that this Solstice pony was your karaoke teacher, and she's also Sunset's mother." Flash began brainstorming. "That means she must've had a big influence on both of your voices. Call me crazy, but after hearing both of you talking back to back, you and Sunset... have pretty similar voices."

"Do we now?" Night Glider raised an eyebrow.

"Huh... I can kinda hear it myself, too." Sunset noticed. "I didn't even think much of it until you just mentioned this."

"I can hear the similarities too." Night Glider agreed. "Though obviously, my voice is more raspy than yours, Sunset."

"What's crazy is, my friend Applejack pointed out that Sugar Belle and I also had pretty similar voices." Sunset recalled. "And considering how Sugar Belle supposedly had the same vocal tutor as a filly, she may be the very Solstice I'm looking for."

"It's certainly a possibility." Flash replied. "Perhaps if she was regularly giving lessons like this, she had a unique singing style that she passed down to all of her students."

"Well, when we manage to get off the island, I'll be sure to go back to my house in Our Town, and see if I can find any clues that could help you locate her." Night Glider said. "Pretty sure I still have some documents laying around, regarding her business information."

"That would be wonderful." Sunset smiled. "It's so nice to have friends who are almost just like family."

What happened next was unexpected. Sunny Flare was listening in on the conversation the entire time, and had finally reached her breaking point. She went off of the jungle's trail to hide behind a nearby tree, where she could cry privately. Sunset, Night Glider, and Flash all looked confused at this, but felt that being there for the unicorn was the right thing to do. The entire time they've known Sunny Flare, she may've come across as a cold and irritable mare, but perhaps there was a side to her that they were missing, which caused her to behave the way she does.

Sunset even recalled that the first time she had briefly met this Sunny Flare back on the train, shortly before Twilight's coronation, the unicorn seemed particularly agitated at Sunset and Derpy's conversation regarding their own friendship dilemmas. This was way back on the first day during her extended return to Equestria, when Sunset was still unsure of whether or not her decision in returning to Equestria would potentially entail abandoning her human friends. Somehow, discussing this topic around her on the train had caused her to lash out at them both? Sunset knew that she had to get to the bottom of this, as much like Celestia described earlier, her former student embodied empathy like no other pony.

"Hey, Sunny Flare... are you alright?" Sunset approached the unicorn, followed by Flash and Night Glider. "If there's something you want to talk about, we're here to listen."

"I'm... fine." Sunny Flare sniffled, wiping away a tear. "Just forget about it, and go on without me."

"You know we won't do that." Sunset gently put a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder. "We're a group who sticks together until the very end. Whatever it is that's bothering you, we'll help you through it."

"You've been talking about meeting your real mother and having friends who are like family... it's really touched a nerve." Sunny Flare sniffled again. "My biological parents... I never got the chance to meet either one of them. From what I can understand, I was put into foster care as a baby, and went from house to house most of the time. My new families... treated me horribly. I grew up, constantly feeling ignored, forgotten, or pushed away. One of my families even claimed that I was only there as a business for them. When I finally became a mare, I was immediately kicked out of the system, and had no choice but to work for a dress design firm with a mean and demanding boss."

Hearing Sunny Flare open up about this, Sunset began to have an understanding of the unicorn's hostile behavior. This would explain why she seemed so irritable, hearing conversations regarding friendships. It especially seemed heartbreaking to hear that much like what Lily Pad had been going through with Chestnut Magnifico, Sunny Flare had been in the same boat. Though unlike Lily, Sunny Flare most likely didn't have somepony there to protect her from the hardships of her youth. Instead, she had no choice but to endure everything, which would've scarred her, psychologically. A combination of all these factors perfectly explained her hostility, insecurity, and selfishness.

"Oh, Sunny Flare..." Sunset wrapped her hooves around the unicorn, offering her a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry to hear that. That must have been terrible for you."

"It was... and it still is." Sunny Flare continued. "Sometimes, I wish I could just forget about everything and start over. But... it's hard. I don't know how to let go of all that anger and hurt, especially when I was in school. Everypony made fun of me for not having real parents, and thought I was too socially awkward to be friends with."

"Sunny Flare, I understand how you feel." Night Glider said. "I've had it pretty rough myself, growing up. My parents may not have treated me poorly, but they often left me with sitters, growing up. I dare say that even Solstice was more of a mother figure to me than my actual mother. My real parents were never really there for me, which definitely broke me as well, even after I had met Sugar Belle. It took me a long time to find my place in the world, but I did. You can too."

"I can relate to how you're feeling as well, Sunny Flare." Flash added. "I mean, not with the foster care part, but... losing my dad to a bunch of timberwolves when I was really young... it was tough. After he was gone, I didn't have anypony to rely on, especially during my later years at the Canterlot training academy. But through the struggles and perseverance, I made it to this very day, protecting Equestria as one of Canterlot's most elite royal guards."

"And we're here for you now." Sunset looked into the unicorn's eyes, trying to offer a reassuring smile. "You don't have to face this alone, we're your friends, and we'll help you through everything. Together, we can help you find your place in the world, and make a family for ourselves. You just have to let us in, okay?"

"But I was so mean to all of you, even going as far as to say I wouldn't miss any of you, if you fell into lava." Sunny Flare wiped away her tears, looking at the trio. "It's as if... I've been psychologically prone to reject any new friends, because I'm afraid of being rejected again. Why are you all being so nice to me?"

"Because you're important to us, and you matter." Sunset continued to embrace her empathy. "You're a pony like the rest of us, and we're here for you, no matter what. Besides, you wouldn't be alone as far as... rejecting friendship."

"What do you mean?" Sunny Flare looked up at Sunset, curiously.

"Well, I had a similar experience when I was younger." Sunset reflected her experiences as Princess Celestia's student. "I didn't want to have any friends, because I thought it would distract me from my studies, and I'd lose my focus. So I pushed everypony away, and it made me lonely, bitter, and resentful. But eventually, I realized that having friends isn't a bad thing. They can help you through the toughest times, and make everything better."

"What changed for you in the end?" Sunny Flare asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, I had a good teacher who pushed me in the right direction." Sunset began opening up. "Twilight saw the potential in me, even when I didn't, and she never gave up on me. She helped me see that I didn't need to be alone to succeed, that I could have friends and still be a great student. She left me under the watch of... a group of outside friends, and eventually, I opened up to them, and let them in. It was the best decision I ever made."

"That's... really nice of the princess." Sunny Flare sniffed, wiping away the last of her tears. "I guess I could try to let you all in, too. I'm just... I've always been afraid to make friends. What if they reject me because I'm different from them, or because I don't know the first thing about friendship?"

Sunset felt so much more relatable to Sunny Flare than ever before, remembering that she once said those exact words when Princess Twilight grabbed her hand, and helped her out of that crater she had created from her inner demon. She made certain to assure Sunny Flare the same way Twilight did back then.

"Don't worry, Sunny Flare." Sunset grabbed Sunny Flare's hoof, and helped her back up. "We're not going anywhere without you. We accept you just as you are, and we're here to help you learn about friendship. You don't have to be afraid, we're all here for you, and will help you through this. We won't judge you for not knowing how to embrace friendship, we'll teach you. And if you ever want us to, we'll let you know how we feel, so you don't have to be afraid of the unknown. We're your friends, Sunny Flare, and we're here to stay. Isn't that right, Flash, Night Glider?"

"That's right." Flash nodded, his eyes showing his sincerity. "Sunny Flare, we're all here for you, and we won't leave your side. We're all a team, and we'll help you through anything. You're not alone anymore."

"Yeah, we're all in this together." Night Glider smiled warmly at Sunny Flare. "Just take it slow, and we'll help you learn. You'll see, it's not so bad being friends with us. We promise."

"Okay..." Sunny Flare sniffled again, looking at the three other ponies surrounding her, before giving them a small, shaky smile. "I guess... I can try. I mean, it's not like I have anything else to lose, right? Thank you, all of you. I'll try my best to be a good friend."

"That's the spirit!" Sunset smiled warmly at the unicorn. "We're all friends here, and we'll help you along the way. Don't worry about making mistakes, we all do that sometimes, nopony's perfect. With that said, what do you say we continue our hunt for the Dragonstone? This'll be our journey, our story to tell."

"Sure thing." Sunny Flare took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's go, but um, do you mind if I just... trot a little bit behind you three? It just feels pretty new, being this close to you all."

"Of course, Sunny Flare." Sunset nodded, understandingly. "We're all friends here, and we'll go at your pace."

"We'll be with you the entire time, and if you ever need a break, just let us know." Flash assured.

"And if you ever feel lost, just look for the brightest star in the sky, that's always me!" Night Glider giggled. "Well, as soon as I can fly again, that is. I really wish we had our magic back, it'd be nice to fly or cast spells right about now."

"Oh yeah, speaking of which..." Sunset took the Enchantment Tonic bottle out of her mane. "It's a good thing I have this, now. It might have a nasty taste, but it'll give us temporary access to our magic again, regardless of where we are. Well, for you three, it would. It probably wouldn't do much for me, now that I'm an Earth pony."

"We could definitely put it to good use, but like the princess herself said, we'd best be saving it for emergencies." Flash advised. "Who knows what's waiting for us in that grotto?"

"Good idea, best to keep it in reserve." Sunset tucked the bottle back into her mane. "Alright then, let's head on over to that grotto, onwards!"

The four ponies began making their way forward, now determined more than ever to continue their journey. Flash, Night Glider, and Sunset all gave Sunny Flare encouraging gestures, as they made their way through the jungle, occasionally stopping to point out interesting plants or sightings to the newcomer. They were all eager to show her the ropes of friendship and exploration, which the unicorn began embracing more and more of. The time she was spending with her new friends, Sunny Flare even began to let go of her memories of hardship from her youth, which had always made her bitter and distant from everypony over the years.

After traveling for a while, the group had eventually gotten a glimpse of what looked like a large waterfall. The jungle path had unfortunately hit a dead end, obscured by an overgrowth of plants. However, Flash looked over the horizon, and noticed what looked like an entrance just behind the waterfall. This had prompted everypony to make their way through the thick growth of bushes and overgrown vines, although it was easier said than done. Sunset and her companions carefully pushed their way through the vegetation, their bodies occasionally getting scratched by thorns and twigs. As they emerged from the foliage, the entrance to the grotto came into view.

The grotto, when they finally reached it, was nothing short of breathtaking. Its walls were adorned with shiny magenta gemstones, and the waterfall trickled down into a crystal-clear pool at its entrance. The sound of rushing water filled the air, and a chill breeze rustled through the trees. As the four ponies approached, they noticed what looked like piles of rocks scattered near the entrance, as if the grotto had once been caved in, but someone had removed them through their sheer strength, presumably Rockhoof himself. This gave Sunset and her group hope, that this was in fact the place Rockhoof had hidden the Dragonstone after all.

"Well, it's definitely a pretty safe bet that this is the grotto we're looking for." Sunset said, as her group trotted around the waterfall and made their way through the entrance, traversing the cave.

"Uh oh, is it just me, or is it getting darker, the further we go?" Night Glider observed.

"I'm noticing it too." Flash said, concerned. "The deeper we go, the darker it seems to get. Sunset, maybe we should use the Enchantment Tonic for some temporary magic? How about an illumination spell?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Sunset agreed, as she took the bottle out of her mane. "Unfortunately, I might not be able to do much, since I don't have my horn anymore."

"Let me try." Sunny Flare volunteered. "I still have my horn."

"Alright, just bear in mind that this might have a bad taste." Sunset poured a sample of the tonic into Sunny Flare's mouth, making her gag.

"Bleh, no kidding, this tastes worse than anything my foster mom fed me as a filly!" Sunny Flare made a face of disgust, before suddenly feeling her magic return to her. "Hey, wait a minute, it's working! I can feel my horn glowing again, what a miracle!"

"That's great!" Night Glider said with optimism. "Are you able to illuminate the darkness?"

"Well, that's just it... I don't know how." Sunny Flare sighed. "With the rough life I had as a filly, nopony ever taught me how to use my magic to the fullest potential."

"Well, I'm sure I could teach you a thing or two." Sunset tried her best to explain how to cast such a spell. "Just focus your magic on something, and try to make it light up. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine the light flowing through you. Try concentrating and picturing something bright, like the sun, and see if you're able to become one with the brightness."

"I'll give it a try." Sunny Flare did as she was instructed, before focusing the magic in her horn.

The unicorn did her best to picture light flowing through her horn, imagining the warmth of the sun shining down on her. Her horn began to glow brighter and brighter, until finally, a small orb of light had begun to slowly emerge, but not quite escaping yet.

"Not... quite... finished..." Sunny Flare kept focusing her energy.

"Come on, you can do it!" Sunset encouraged, as Flash and Night Glider did the same. "We believe in you!"

With one final push, Sunny Flare forced the spell to be casted, sending the orb of light above her, which emitted a bright glow onto the cave walls.

"I did it!" Sunny Flare exclaimed, opening her eyes. "I've never even done one of those spells before, it was so... fulfilling. I might've actually found my destiny in life, it all led up to this moment. I guess it really makes sense now, why my name's Sunny Flare?"

"Well, it's certainly fitting for what you just pulled off." Sunset giggled. "I'm actually surprised I remembered how to do that spell after all these years. It was a lesson I recited way back in Magic Kindergarten. I guess I really am Princess Celestia's #1 student, even when I don't have a horn."

"Well, you've certainly become a great teacher, yourself!" Sunny Flare grinned. "And hey, now that we can see where we're going, it looks like we'll have a better chance at finding the artifact."

Suddenly, an eerie, ghostly voice began to make itself apparent, before the group was even able to progress.

"OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo..." The voice began to warn the ponies that they would regret trespassing. "Turn back now... if you know what's good for you..."

Although startled by this, all four ponies began to recognize it was the same voice they had heard before, when the mysterious fog had engulfed and sank both of their respective boats. Although rather intimidating, they had already gotten this far, and it would be foolish to chicken out and bail now.

"We've come this far, we're not about to give up now!" Flash yelled.

"That's right, we're not leaving without a certain special artifact!" Sunset tried to sound confident.

"You dare seek the treasure of Everfree Island!?" The voice sounded haunting and ethereal, as if it were echoing from far away. "Foolish mortals... my treasure is not for you to find... they are relics of the past, best left buried and forgotten..."

The group stuck close together, ignoring the ghostly voice's warnings. They were on high alert for booby traps, dangers, or anything that seemed suspicious. As the four ponies made their way deeper into the grotto, they began to hear what sounded like unusual hissing. It was a dead giveaway that something hostile was approaching soon, making everypony nervous. Once they had reached the end of a long corridor, the hissing had mysteriously stopped, which made Sunset wonder if whatever was creating the noise was now attempting to give them a false sense of security.

This would soon prove to be true, once Night Glider attempted to trot on, thinking nothing of it. Suddenly, a giant, sentient thorny vine emerged from around the corner, ensnaring the pegasus in a cocoon-like coffin. The three other ponies' eyes widened at this, as Flash brought his katana out, ready to rip the vine to shreds.

"You two, get back!" Flash warned Sunset and Sunny Flare, before turning back to the vine. "You mess with our friend, you mess with all of us!"

Sunset and Sunny Flare backed up, as Flash put all his might into hacking away at the vine, which was rather insistent on trapping Night Glider. Suddenly, the two mares freaked out upon feeling something brushup against their tails. Turning around, another one of those monstrous vines had emerged, just as hostile as the first. Sunny Flare and Sunset freaked out, trying to escape before getting cornered. There was another passage between the two vines, which the two mares had run into. The relentless vine pursued, before whacking Sunset across the corridor with its strength, sending her flying nearly 30 feet away.

Witnessing this had angered Sunny Flare, which allowed her to build up some courage. As Sunset got up from the vine's attack, she began to panic, as she noticed she was now cornered between the vine and a dead end. The vine stood atop Sunset, asserting its dominance over the now defenseless pony. Suddenly, it began to lunge toward her, prompting Sunset to close her eyes, expecting the worst. Just as she thought she was done for, Sunny Flare quickly ran over to Sunset's side, casting her illumination spell once again, this time at a greater volume. The luminous flash of light had temporarily blinded the vine, throwing it off balance. Using this to her advantage, Sunny Flare then casted a fireball spell, hurling the projectile toward the vine at unnatural speeds.

The thorny vine instantly recoiled from the flames that began to engulf it. As the fire grew stronger, the vine's thorns had begun to incinerate and cause a chemical reaction with the poison within them, turning into a hazardous acid. Now the vine was not only burning from the intense heat, but even its own toxins from within, deteriorating its cells at an exponential rate. After a few moments, the vine couldn't take much more, before falling limp, and dissipating completely. Sunny Flare then ran over to Sunset, who was still laying on the ground.

"Looks like you've already taught me more than simply the first thing about friendship, huh?" Sunny Flare reiterated what she said earlier, before grabbing Sunset by the hoof. "Come on, let's get you back up, and see if Flash needs our help."

The two mares ran back over to Flash, who was still desperately slashing away at the vine, but to no avail. The outer layers were more durable than the carnivorous plant creature from earlier, and Flash's katana was merely giving the vine nothing more than a papercut. Sunny Flare knew that she couldn't use fire to burn this vine as well, given how Night Glider was still trapped within. Suddenly, Sunset remembered something she had read about thorny vines during her magic studies.

"If we could find the main, vital root of the vine, we might be able to sever it and free Night Glider that way." Sunset suggested. "Problem is, that root could be anywhere."

"Why don't we try an x-ray spell?" Sunny Flare proposed. "If there is such a spell, could you teach me how to do it?"

"Good thinking!" Sunset nodded, before trying to remember how it was done, back when she was Celestia's pupil. "Alright, just concentrate on one section of the vine, and focus your magic into it! You'll know when you've found the root, because it'll feel different from the rest of the vine! Search for the thickest root possible, that should be the one we're aiming for!"

Nodding, Sunny Flare took a deep breath and focused her magic on one segment of the vine. She could feel it tingle and buzz under her hooves, like something alive was pulsing underneath. Taking another deep breath, she channeled her magic into the vine, searching for any sign of a thick root system. Eventually, the magic began creating a trail, until she could visualize something large and retaining water from below the ground. Sunny Flare and Sunset followed this path, until the unicorn could identify a pulse from below the soil, beating more rapidly as they approached. She quickly pointed at the location where it was coming from, prompting Sunset to call Flash over, who was still desperately swinging away at the vine.

"Flash!" Sunset waved. "Your katana won't cut through that thick vine! Instead, come over and do a downward stab right here, where Sunny Flare is pointing!"

"What good is that going to do!?" Flash turned around, unaware of Sunset and Sunny Flare's plan.

"Just trust us, it's our only hope at saving Night Glider!" Sunny Flare encouraged.

Feeling like he had no other choice at this point, Flash nodded and ran over to them. He then positioned himself above where they were pointing and took a deep breath. With all his might, he thrusted his katana deep into the ground. There was a loud cracking sound as the blade pierced and penetrated through the dirt and the vine's vital root. The vine finally gave way and collapsed limply, releasing Night Glider from its grasp. Flash quickly withdrew his blade and turned to face Night Glider.

"Are you all right, Night Glider?" Flash ran over to the pegasus, still gasping for her breath.

"I-I think so." Night Glider coughed, before she smiled gratefully at the three ponies. "Thank you so much for rescuing me. I couldn't have done it on my own."

"It was nothing." Sunset smiled back. "You're part of our team, and we always look out for each other. A few vines weren't enough to halt our progress, so let's move forward and get what we're after!"

The group made their way past the first thorny vine, and it didn't take long before they eventually came across an area within the grotto that was more open, and surrounded by a shallow pool of water. Beyond the water was a trail of gold dabloons on the ground, which led to a huge stack of treasure hidden away at the far end of the area. Everypony's jaws dropped upon seeing the vast riches that were sitting before them.

"Wow... I've never seen this much treasure before." Sunset said with awe, upon looking at all the dabloons, jewels, and ancient-looking artifacts scattered in front of them.

"Well, now that we're here, we'd best find what we're looking for, and bring it back to the camp, before any more of those nasty vines show up." Flash said, as he and Night Glider trotted over to the treasure, searching for the Dragonstone.

Sunset and Sunny Flare were about to do the same, before Sunset stopped, feeling uneasy. She noticed that the same gem dust she had seen back at the campsite earlier was present along the ground, which meant that this was most likely the hideout of the camp wrecker, who had also sent those vines to attack them.

"What's wrong, Sunset?" Sunny Flare raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, it's just..." Sunset whispered, looking around the grotto, nervously. "I've got this feeling that we're not alone in here..."

As Flash and Night Glider were digging through the treasure as fast as they could, it became apparent that they were angering someone, whose presence began to resonate throughout the area. Suddenly, 50 of those same thorny vines from earlier had emerged out of nowhere, trapping both pegasai who were scavenging the treasure chests. They created a mountainous coil around the two ponies, completely immobilizing them. Thankfully, the vines hadn't wrapped around their heads this time, allowing them to breathe.

"Sunset, Sunny Flare!" Flash called out from a distance. "We can't move!"

"I think these vines are getting even tighter than before!" Night Glider shrieked.

"Don't worry, we're coming over to help you!" Sunset said, ready to trot over to her pegasai teammates. "Just hang in there!"

But before the two mares could even do so, the same eerie ghostly voice from earlier had returned. It began to fill the cave again, echoing ever so often. Suddenly, the voice began to grow more loud and clear, as if whoever was making the noises was getting closer by the second. Before long, a mysterious figure began materializing out of thin air, right behind Sunset and Sunny Flare. They both turned around instantly, unable to believe their eyes. Supposedly, this was the same ghostly figure who had sank both of their boats on the Celestial Sea, who had also forced Rockhoof to give up his boat navigating skills centuries ago. The two mares were too afraid to even speak up, unsure of how they should proceed.

"Foolish mortals..." The figure snarled, angrily. "You willingly ignored my warnings and are not only trespassing, but stealing... MY TREASURE!!! NOW YOU WILL FACE THE EVERLASTING WRATH OF I, THE ANCIENT SPIRIT WHO HOLDS DOMAIN OVER THIS FORGOTTEN ISLAND, GAEA EVERFREE!!!!!!"

Chapter 71: Attack of The Bones

Sunset and Sunny Flare were now doing their best to fend off against Gaea Everfree within the grotto. The intense battle had begun, with the two mares trying their best to rescue their friends, still trapped within those thorn vines. Knowing that half of their team was already ensnared by the angered spirit's wrath, the duo had to tread lightly, as it seemed unlikely that Twilight's team would come to their rescue in such a predicament. Sunset used her physical strength and resilience to try and break Flash and Night Glider free from the vines, while Sunny Flare focused her magic on attacking the angry spirit directly. However, it took the spirit a moment to realize that the unicorn was somehow... using magic again?

"How is a mortal like yourself... using magic on my island!?" Gaea Everfree exclaimed, her anger only growing. "The protective mystical fog should have removed you of your powers! But no matter... for I shall claim your magic as my own, and you shall serve me for the rest of eternity!"

"You misunderstand, Gaea Everfree!" Sunny Flare spoke up, trying to act brave. "I didn't lose my powers! The fog only made me realize that my magic is more powerful than I ever thought! Now, you'll pay for all the harm you've caused!"

"Silence, insolent fool!" The spirit roared, commanding her vines at the unicorn. "You have no idea of the power I wield! Even if you do have magic left within you, it won't be enough to defeat me!"

Gaea Everfree's vines lashed out at Sunny Flare, intent on binding her in place. The vines wrapped around her legs, immobilizing them, and then snaked their way up her body, squeezing the unicorn's chest tightly. As Sunny Flare struggled against the bonds, Gaea Everfree laughed on maniacally.

"There you are, my little mortal... now you'll see the true power of Mother Nature!" The spirit cackled.

Gasping for her breath, Sunny Flare had attempted to break free from the vines binding her. She glanced over at Sunset, who was still desperately trying her best to free Flash and Night Glider. Understanding Sunset's struggle against those nefarious thorns, Sunny Flare felt a sudden surge of determination. With a mighty heave, the unicorn used her magic to lift and break off one of the large stalagmites nearby, intending to hurl it at the spirit, and free her friends at the same time. But Gaea Everfree sensed what was about to happen, and swiftly used her own magic to deflect the stalagmite, sending it hurtling harmlessly into the grotto's wall instead.

"Oh, you think you can best me with your pitiful little rocks?" Gaea Everfree laughed evilly. "My powers come from the very Earth itself! You might as well try to stop a mountain from falling with such puny efforts!"

Without even thinking, Sunny Flare quickly used her magic to levitate an entirely new barrage of stalagmites, which were then launched at Gaea Everfree. This sudden attack had caught the spirit off-guard, forcing her to deflect the projectiles at ease, without further consideration. As a result, one of the stalagmites had managed to pierce through the thorn vines holding Night Glider in place, freeing her. Noticing this, Sunset quickly helped Night Glider back up, before bringing out the Enchantment Tonic.

"Mind if you take some?" Sunset asked, holding the bottle out. "It might supposedly taste terrible, but it'll get the job done."

"Sure, it'd be nice to have my flight back again, even temporarily. "Night Glider agreed. "Who knows how much magic Sunny Flare has left?"

As Gaea Everfree was too focused on Sunny Flare, she hadn't noticed Sunset was giving the pegasus a magical stimulant. Despite the tonic giving Night Glider an awful taste, she began slowly regaining her magic, and fluttered her wings, determined. Sunny Flare's effort was well spent, as Sunset had certainly struggled to penetrate the tough hide of those vines, even with her resilience. However, that last stalagmite attack had suddenly burnt the unicorn out, as she began panting from exhaustion. Her horn begun to emit nothing short of a few sparks, indicating that her artificial magic from the Enchantment Tonic had suddenly ran out.

"Pathetic, so pathetic..." Gaea Everfree hissed, before getting ready to stab the unicorn before her. "You think you can defeat me with such petty tricks? I shall teach you the folly of your ways!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Night Glider announced, with Sunset by her side. "You won't be hurting anypony!"

"You're a monster, and we're going to stop you!" Sunset added, glaring at the spirit. "So, you want to fight? Bring it on!"

"Very well, then... if that's what you want!" Gaea Everfree laughed mockingly, her eyes filled with amusement. "But you'll soon find out that fighting me is no game!"

Gaea Everfree's body began to glow with an unnatural energy. She let out a powerful screech, causing the very ground beneath Sunset and Night Glider's hooves to tremble. Her vines, which had been holding Flash and Sunny Flare, had snapped free of the two ponies, and shot toward Sunset and Night Glider instead, trapping their hooves, and binding them in place. Although Sunny Flare was now weakened, Flash sprang into action the moment he realized that the vines had released him. He picked up his katana that he had dropped earlier, before noticing Gaea Everfree about to launch a volley of razor-sharp thorns at Sunset and Night Glider, aiming to pierce their flesh.

"Look out!" Flash shouted, rushing toward the trapped duo, using his katana to best deflect everything, just as the thorns were about to hit them.

The angered spirit continued her assault, unleashing wave after wave of thorn, stone, and vine projectiles at the trio before her. Sunset and Night Glider did their best to dodge and weave, deflecting most of the attacks, but it was clear that they were beginning to tire out. Flash, however, was a force to be reckoned with. His katana spun through the air, deflecting the attacks with ease, and protecting his friends from harm. This only served to infuriate Gaea Everfree even further, urging her to play dirty.

"You're such a nuisance, mortal!" Gaea Everfree snarled, now focusing her magic on Flash. "I'll show you what happens to those who defy me!"

With that, the spirit sent a powerful blast of Earth and rock at Flash, knocking him off his hooves and sending him flying across the grotto. The force of the impact sent him skidding several meters before he came to a halt, struggling to get back up.

"Flash, are you okay?!" Sunset shouted, struggling in her vine restraints.

"Sunset, take my trusty katana!" Flash yelled with the little energy he had left, before throwing the weapon toward Sunset with all his might. "It's the only chance we've got!"

Sunset quickly caught the sword with her mouth, just as it landed at her hooves. She felt the weight of the weapon, and the trust that came along with it, before slashing apart the vines holding her in place. With the new determination within her, she did the same with Night Glider's vines, freeing her as well. The battle appeared to be getting more tense by the minute, especially with Flash and Sunny Flare too weakened to get back up. However, it was clear that by this point, even Sunset and Night Glider were growing more and more exhausted, while Gaea Everfree showed no signs of slowing down.

"You think you can defeat me with that pathetic blade?!" Gaea Everfree scoffed, as she sent a new wave of thorns and stones rushing toward Sunset and Night Glider.

The two mares had managed to dodge most of the attack, but a few of the smaller rocks had hit them square in the side, which weren't too damaging. The air around them felt humid and tense, as Gaea Everfree prepared to unleash another wave of her powerful attacks. Sunset and Night Glider exchanged a glance, knowing that they had to find a way to defeat the spirit before becoming severely injured. They couldn't let her win at this point, not after everything they'd already been through.

The duo quickly stood before the spirit, their bodies filled with anticipation. They noticed the Earth trembling beneath them, as Gaea Everfree gathered more power for her next attack. With a look of determination, they drew close to one another, their hooves firmly planted on the ground. Seeing how there weren't many options left, the two mares realized that they had to find a way to exploit Gaea Everfree's own strength against her. Suddenly, Sunset had an idea, after remembering Night Glider could fly now.

"Night Glider, you're pretty fast, right?" Sunset whispered.

"I'd like to think so." Night Glider replied, a smirk forming on her face. "Why?"

"Well, I think we can use that to our advantage." Sunset said, under her breath. "Try to use your speed to spin around Gaea Everfree, and trap her inside her own attack..."

Night Glider nodded, understanding what Sunset was getting at. With a burst of speed, she darted toward Gaea Everfree, her wings flapping rapidly above, as she circled around the spirit at an impossible pace. In response, Gaea Everfree simply cackled, though she was unable to keep up with the mare's agility. As Night Glider continued to spin, she had almost begun to form a tornado around the spirit, seemingly trapping her within a tall cyclone. This only served more as an annoyance to Gaea Everfree, who was preparing for another wave of her attacks, ready to swat this buzzing fly in the air.

"Foolish mortal, you can't hold me like this!" Gaea Everfree taunted, her body glowing brighter with energy. "Prepare to feel the full power of my wrath!"

With a mighty roar, Gaea Everfree unleashed her attack, sending a barrage of rocks hurtling toward Night Glider and Sunset. The two mares narrowly dodged most of the projectiles, though a few had managed to barely graze their sides. The real threat, however, was now the cyclone that Night Glider had created around Gaea Everfree. As the rocks struck the spinning vortex, they were sent flying in all directions, some of them hitting the spirit herself. This had only served as a minor inconvenience, prompting Gaea Everfree to unleash a powerful gust of wind herself, aiming directly for Night Glider.

The tornado around her only seemed to intensify, as it spun faster, drawing in more thorns and projectiles from the ground. Gaea Everfree's attack appeared to have backfired on herself, as she had only managed to strengthen the cyclone with her own projectiles. Although anticipating that this would knock Night Glider out of the air, something unexpected would soon occur. As the increased amount of rocks and debris from the ground were sent flying toward the spirit herself, they became lodged into her body, weighing her down. Suddenly, Gaea Everfree's movements became sluggish, and she could no longer keep up with Night Glider's consistently rapid speed. Along with this, her glowing aura had suddenly faded, and she looked frail and weakened, which Flash took notice of, from a distance.

"Now's our chance, Sunset!" Flash cheered her friend on. "Let's finish this!"

As Gaea Everfree struggled against the barrage of debris from her own attack, Sunset dashed toward her, her eyes blazing with determination. In a swift motion, she held back Flash's katana and swung it with all her might, aiming for the spirit's central gem core. The blade sliced through the air in a swift motion, making contact with Gaea Everfree's body. There was a flash of light emitting from the core shattering apart, which almost reminded Sunset of the time she and her human friends had destroyed the Dazzlings' siren gems. Suddenly, Gaea Everfree herself began screeching at this, her essence practically dissipating into the air.

"No... THIS CAN'T BE!!!" Gaea Everfree roared, before slowly fading from the mortal realm.

Night Glider finally stopped flying, as she noticed that Sunset had done it. With their teamwork, they had managed to defeat the vengeful spirit who held her domain over Everfree Island for centuries. Flash and Sunny Flare began to slowly get back up, though they were still rather tuckered out from the battle. The royal guard and unicorn slowly trotted over to Sunset and Night Glider's side, ready to congratulate them for their triumphant victory.

"Well done, Sunset." Flash commended, a small grin on his face, before taking his katana back. "I never doubted you for a second."

"You truly are a hero, Sunset." Sunny Flare said, her chest heaving with exhaustion. "Thanks to you, our whole team's safe now."

"We're all heroes, Sunny Flare." Sunset wanted to be humble. "We watched each other's backs and let our teamwork save the day. But remember why we're here? There's an artifact we need to retrieve, so let's find it, shall we?"

"We shall, though Night Glider and I couldn't find it anywhere in the treasure pile earlier." Flash recalled. "You think it could be hidden somewhere, deep underneath that stash?"

"Or perhaps it's not even here at all?" Sunny Flare suggested. "It could've been hidden in the volcano, after all."

"I suppose we could keep looking through the treasure stash until we find something." Sunset proposed. "If we can't find anything, we'll just head on back to camp."

"Hey, wait a minute... what's that?" Night Glider pointed toward the corner of the cave, where Gaea Everfree had been, moments earlier.

Sunset slowly approached where Night Glider was pointing, and noticed what appeared to be an unusual shape with a subtle magenta tint, sticking out of the wall. She went up to the shape and wiped the dirt away with her hooves, before analyzing it closely. It appeared as though Night Glider's cyclone had managed to blow away the dust that had obscured this object, which had blended well into its surroundings. Upon further inspection, Sunset realized that because of the teardrop-like shape, magenta color, and spiral markings, it was the Dragonstone.

"I... I think we found it." Sunset said, her voice shaking with excitement and relief. "The artifact... let's get back to camp and find Twilight!"

"NOT SO FAST!!!" Gaea Everfree roared, before materializing back into the mortal realm. "You mortals are foolish for thinking you were able to defeat me!"

"Oh... you can't be serious... RUN!!!" Flash shouted, as he and everypony else quickly made a break for the entrance of the grotto.

Gaea Everfree had quickly used her vines to barricade the entrance, trapping Sunset and her whole team. Everypony looked back toward the vengeful spirit, thinking they were now done for.

"You didn't actually believe you had ended me back there, did you!?" Gaea Everfree cackled, wickedly. "Well, I've already been dead for centuries, even back before Equestria had princesses ruling it. But my spirit lives on for eternity here, protecting my wealth and treasures from greedy mortals like yourselves! So don't even think for a second that you could simply defeat me and take my riches as you believe! I'm immortal, and I guarantee your days will be numbered if you do!"

"Listen, Gaea Everfree?" Sunset pleaded with the enraged spirit. "If you're talking about your doubloons, gems, and treasure chests filled with wealth, we're not even here for that."

"What...?" Gaea Everfree said, rather confused. "FOOLS! Don't you dare lie to me like that! I saw your pegasai friends back there, rummaging through my prized treasure collection!"

"That's just because we were looking for something else that was rumored to be hidden here on Everfree Island." Sunset explained. "We wouldn't just take your wealth and riches like that, we're no crooks. Plus, even if that was our intention, we wouldn't have a realistic way to get off the island with such a heavy load, since we have no ship anymore."

"Oh, you're... serious?" Gaea Everfree spouted, unsure of the right words upon hearing this unexpected turn of events. "Well... you're still trespassing on my sacred island! So I must ask, if you seek no interest whatsoever in my treasure, then what brings you here in the first place?"

All four ponies pointed toward the Dragonstone, still lodged within the grotto's wall, before Gaea Everfree turned to the side, rather surprised at what these ponies were seemingly after.

"Huh...!?!" Gaea Everfree went up to the wall, staring at the Dragonstone. "You mean to tell me that you mortals just wanted this the whole time? This ugly little rock that sticks out like a sore hoof? Are you serious...?"

"Yeah, I mean... we mentioned earlier that we were after a particular, powerful artifact." Sunset replied. "You mentioned that there was treasure hidden here, so we assumed that this was what you were referring to."

Gaea Everfree continued staring at the Dragonstone, before using her magic to remove it from the walls. These ponies seemed genuine about their intentions, and would've been foolish to attempt stealing her treasure now, let alone realistically escaping the island with it.

"Well, alright then..." Gaea Everfree said, before levitating the Dragonstone into Sunset's hooves. "Go on and take it, though I couldn't imagine any archaeologist seeking such a 'treasure'. But hey, if it's what you want, who am I to question it? Even if it is an artifact, I personally never liked this ugly rock anyways. My only question now is, if this was all you mortals wanted, why didn't you just say so earlier?"

"I guess we should've specified what artifact we were after, then..." Sunny Flare sighed. "Would've definitely cleared up this entire misunderstanding."

"Well, we already have everything we need now, so... are you going to let us go?" Flash asked the spirit.

"Hmm... very well." Gaea Everfree nodded. "I suppose that's fair, if you're not after my precious treasure to begin with. You've proven yourselves to be honest and honorable, even in the face of my anger and distrust, so I admire that. As for the Dragonstone, if it is a powerful artifact as you say, it must come with great power and responsibility, so you mortals be careful with it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other spirits to keep in check. Farewell, and good luck with your quest."

With that, Gaea Everfree faded away, as she released the vines from the entrance, allowing the four ponies to leave with the Dragonstone. They could all practically hear their own hearts beating in their throats, still somewhat unnerved on what could've happened to them, had the vengeful spirit not been so understanding. Sunset and her team slowly began trotting out of the grotto, not even daring to look back at the treasure for a second.

"Did we just... make friends with a ghost?" Sunset had an epiphany.

"Well, I don't know about that, but we managed to get our artifact without any more trouble." Night Glider shrugged. "And hey, out of curiosity, what did we need to find the Dragonstone for, anyways?"

"Yeah, I know Princess Twilight wanted us all to search for it, but... why exactly?" Sunny Flare added.

"Err, let's just say it'll at least play a part in helping us get off the island." Sunset said, sticking true to her word about not discussing the ruined future she had witnessed with Twilight and Starlight.

"Oh, that's right." Flash nodded, as he himself was aware of what Sunset was trying to avoid speaking of. "Well anyways, I guess the trek through Everfree Island won't be as bad now. Perhaps with the Dragonstone in our possession, we'll have a better chance of fighting against any more plant monsters."

"Well about that... we still don't know for certain how exactly to use the Dragonstone." Sunset replied. "For all we know, it could require fire from dragons to work, which... unless there's one somewhere on the island, I'm afraid we may be out of luck."

"That's true, but you don't think that spirit would've given it to us if there wasn't some way for us to use it, right?" Sunny Flare suggested.

"We might have to figure it out on our own, since even she didn't seem to know it was an artifact to begin with." Night Glider added. "For now though, let's head on back to camp, maybe Twilight will know a thing or two."

As Sunset and her group were now returning to the camp, a new revelation would soon be uncovered back at Canterlot. Gloriosa Daisy was opening up about her brother, as she had already finished her last delivery that day. The flower shop owner had gone in-depth regarding her and Timber's past, which definitely had its fascinating quirks. The rest of the council were entertained as they listened on to Gloriosa's tales, some of them even laughing at the more comedic parts. As for Gloriosa herself, she seemed to be enjoying the attention, whilst recollecting on the good times.

"So, before you opened up your flower shop, you were a tradesmare who sold boats?" Applejack listened on.

"Well, it wasn't my initial decision." Gloriosa replied. "It was because my family owned a boat business, and we even used the boats ourselves to travel all over Equestria. However, I believe the business itself was what made Timber and I drift apart in the first place..."

"Why would you say that, Gloriosa?" Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

"It began when our parents had to step down from the business, due to their sudden health problems." Gloriosa further elaborated. "Timber and I began having our differences of interests and priorities within the business itself. As we grew older and started taking on more responsibilities, Timber became more interested in the adventures and freedom that came with being part of a boat-building family, while I focused on the sales and marketing side of things."

"Sounds like you two had different interests, dear." Rarity said. "My sister, Sweetie Belle and I? We may have had our fair share of disagreements over the years, but I dare say it's made us closer than ever before."

"True, but... I feel as though my parents didn't seem to think so." Gloriosa replied. "I noticed them constantly making comments regarding Timber's behavior and temperament when he wasn't around. How he was often impulsive and quick to anger, which made him difficult to work with. In contrast to myself, as they said I was more level-headed and professional."

"I suppose that's just how a family business can be, similar to my own family and the rock farm." Pinkie added. "What happened in the end for you?"

"As time went on, things only got more complicated." Gloriosa continued. "Timber became more distant, and I feel like I started resenting him a bit for it. Eventually, we had a huge debate about the direction the business should take, and... we agreed to disagree. He took the boat building side, and I stuck toward the sales and marketing."

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what do you believe led to his unhealthy obsession for power and wealth, as well as his misogyny?" Starlight questioned.

"That's a good question, Starlight." Gloriosa began reflecting. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. Timber was always competitive from a young age. He always had to be the best at everything, even wanting to prove he could be more successful than me one day. As for the misogyny... I think it may have started when we were foals. He had a crush on another filly who didn't reciprocate his feelings, and he never really got over it. I forget her name... Noonglancer, something like that?"

"Ohhhh, I think I know who you're talking about." Pinkie deduced. "Yeah, well just to let you know, it probably wasn't even his fault anyways. Twilight's told us all about her, and let's just say... she was never really the social type. She actually hated parties of all things, how crazy is that?"

"Well, moving on from this, do you remember anything about Timber's competitive nature that drove you two apart in the end?" Starlight continued dissecting the story. "Maybe something was pivotal in pushing him into becoming the kind of stallion he is now."

"Hmm... I seem to remember what happened, after a retired sailor sold us his old boat." Gloriosa recalled. "One day, while we were sailing together, Timber snooped around, and found something that the sailor must've forgotten to take with him. It appeared to be some kind of a treasure map, tucked away in a bottle. I didn't really believe it was pointing to any kind of real treasure, but Timber just brushed me off. He wouldn't even let me see the map, claiming that it was his, just because he found it. Eventually, we had a tug of war over the bottle, and it slipped out of our hooves, drifting off into the sea. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I realize now... this must've been the tipping point, where Timber never forgave me."

"Oh dear." Fluttershy put a hoof on Gloriosa. "It's a shame that something seemingly so insignificant could've had such a lasting impact on your relationship."

"I know the feeling for sure." Gloriosa sighed. "I think that's when his obsession with power and wealth really took over, and why he became so possessive of anything he thought he owned. I vaguely remember that he swore he'd find that treasure map and treasure someday, just to make himself feel validated about his own existence."

"If he's been failin' to do so after all this time, then I reckon it's time he'd eventually come 'round and accept what's really important." Applejack said. "I wouldn't say he'd never forgive ya over something so silly, a family bond would always be stronger than that."

"I hope you're right, Applejack." Gloriosa nodded. "It's just hard to forget all those years of being loving siblings, only to end up so far apart. It's like we're two completely different ponies now."

"Out of curiosity, dear?" Rarity inquired. "Did you ever find out where this treasure would supposedly be hidden?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I want to say... I vaguely remember him muttering that it was... Everfree something?" Gloriosa remembered. "Probably the Everfree Forest, or wherever, it doesn't seem to matter now. I just wish that I could find my brother again, as I've haven't seen him at all, since the day he left Ponyville..."

Just then, Rockhoof returned to the harbor, ready to report to the rest of the council.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Rockhoof asked.

"Oh, hey Rockhoof!" Pinkie greeted. "No, we were just reminiscing about the old times with Gloriosa here. How did your chat with Twilight go?"

"I'm relieved to report that thankfully, everypony in her crew had successfully survived and made it to Everfree Island, though not my ship." Rockhoof explained. "Not that it matters, since I had no use for her anyways. Regardless, they reported being attacked and stowed away onto a pirate ship, and were now having trouble locating the Dragonstone. Luckily, I was able to remember two key areas where I had hidden something relating to it, and the artifact itself. A volcano and grotto, respectively."

"That's good to hear." Starlight breathed a sigh of relief. "Hopefully they can get back soon with the artifact."

"W-Wait a minute... Everfree Island?" Gloriosa's eyes widened. "And a-a... p-p-pirate ship?"

"Yes, lass." Rockhoof replied. "They went off toward that direction, east of the Canterlot Harbor. Why do you ask?"

"I have to go now!" Gloriosa desperately ran off, leaving everyone rather confused.

Gloriosa vaguely remembered hearing a rumor that her brother ended up taking over a pirate ship, but never really found much truth behind it. Regardless, a pirate ship that was coincidentally near a locale named 'Everfree', it seemed as if the flower shop owner now had a crucial lead, and she was always desperate to find her little brother after all these years. Knowing Timber, Gloriosa knew that her brother would persistently search the ends of Equestria for that treasure, and if this pirate ship in question really was the same one, she would finally be able to reunite and potentially reconcile with her long lost sibling. Gloriosa ran over to her family's old boat storage in Ponyville, remembering that she still had a large boat tucked away in the garage...

As this was happening, Sunset and her group had finally made it back to the camp, where Twilight's team was still awaiting them. Both groups were thankful at seeing each other safe and all right, with nopony left behind. Twilight's eyes suddenly widened upon noticing that Sunset was carrying what looked like the Dragonstone, as her group had already combed all over the volcano, but found absolutely nothing. They did however, find something else entirely, but believed it was moot compared to the actual artifact.

"Sunset, Flash, Night Glider, Sunny Flare, thank Celestia you all made it back!" Twilight said with relief. "And is that...?"

"Yep, this is the Dragonstone, alright." Sunset held the artifact up. "At least, if the picture in that book was anything to go by. It was hidden in the grotto after all, protected by some sort of... guardian, who had attacked us, but we managed to get away with the artifact in the end."

"So Ahuizotl was here on the island after all?" Rainbow deduced. "Sheesh, I mean I know his job is to specifically guard artifacts, but how many jobs could that guy possibly have?"

"Pretty sure it wasn't him, it was a female spirit." Sunset reported back. "But regardless, now that we have the Dragonstone, we're unfortunately still unsure of how to even use its power. Maybe you have an idea, Twilight?"

"Well, although we couldn't find the artifact itself inside of the volcano, we found something else that might give us an answer." Twilight began explaining. "I'd have to imagine that since Rockhoof pointed us there in the first place, it was a clue that he left behind at the volcano's base. We found some words carved onto the walls there, some kind of riddle, I'd bet. Unfortunately, we were unable to decipher what it meant."

"I may be good at riddles, but even I couldn't come up with a confident answer." Lemon Zest added. "And this is coming from a mare who frequently does the Manehattan crossword puzzles."

"Interesting... do you remember what the riddle was?" Sunset asked, curiously. "Maybe we can crack it."

"Even my Cheesy Sense couldn't come up with anything." Cheese Sandwich spoke up. "But it was, 'What is taken by all, given by few, but kept by none?', if you want to give it a shot."

"No clue either here." Twilight sighed. "Though yeah, whether or not this riddle is actually linked to the Dragonstone, we're still unsure of. I tried to write another message to Rockhoof through Night Glider's book, but unfortunately, it already ran out of magic by the time we returned to camp, so... we may be out of luck."

"I'm sure we can still figure something out, Princess." Flash kept his hopes up. "For now though, why don't we focus on crafting a boat or raft to escape the island?"

"Already taken care of." Twilight replied. "Thanks to Captain Zest and Ragamuffin, who're particularly well experienced at constructing vessels, we now have a fairly-sized boat that should fit all of us."

"Couldn't have done it without the lumber you and Cheese brought back, Sunset." Ragamuffin added.

"But speaking of which... how would we ensure returning to Canterlot safely?" Rainbow inquired. "What if those vines from that mysterious fog sinks our boat again?"

"Well you know that spirit Sunset just mentioned?" Night Glider replied. "Let's just say... we seemingly earned her respect, so we may not have to worry about that anymore. She was the one responsible for the attack on both of our groups' ships."

"You gained the respect of a vengeful spirit who tried to drown us all?" Twilight said, rather astonished. "Well, that's certainly good news. So in other words, it's a safe bet that we can all get off the island now without much trouble?"

"I don't know, didn't Rockhoof mention that this spirit forced him to give up something in exchange for sparing his life?" Rainbow reminded. "You think that she'd just let us leave now after trespassing on the island?"

"Well, she specifically said that she'd let us go, since we weren't intending on stealing her treasure." Sunny Flare explained.

"She also let us free to take the Dragonstone, and didn't seem all that bothered anymore about us trespassing in the grotto." Flash added. "I'd like to think that after we managed to defeat her in a fair fight and left her treasure alone, she earned a begrudging respect for us all."

"That's right." Sunset nodded. "Let's just get everypony on the boat and set sail. We can come up with something along the way, and if we encounter her again, we'll talk to her and work something out."

"I still have a bad feeling about this." Lemon Zest replied. "I mean, we've already tried to make a deal with some pirates earlier, and look how that ended up. You think a vengeful spirit who haunts the island is more negotiable?"

"Sunset and her group sounds pretty confident about everything." Twilight said. "I think we can trust their word on this, especially since they managed to find the artifact and escape safely. So in that case, why don't we head on over to the shore and get on the boat?"

"Wait a second..." Flash realized that Captain Zest had just reminded him of something crucial. "Has that iceberg melted by this point? And aren't those vicious pirates still out there?"

"Oh!" Twilight's eyes widened. "Right, the iceberg! I'd better go check on that..."

Twilight climbed atop a tall palm tree, giving surveillance around the island, noticing that the iceberg was practically completely melted, though what little had remained appeared to be insignificant.

"Well, it's safe to say that it's melted." Twilight reported from above, before slowly climbing back down. "So we shouldn't have any issues taking our boat off of the island. And as for the pirates, I don't see any sign of their ship anywhere, so they're not likely to be a threat to us at the moment."

"In that case, what are we all waiting for?" Ragamuffin chimed in. "Now that we have our chance, let's finally escape this dreaded nightmare, and return home safely!"

The entire group quickly assembled themselves to shore with the Dragonstone, their newly-crafted boat waiting for them. There was an initial sense of relief in the fact that everypony had made it, surviving the many dangers on the island that had posed a threat along the way. The volcano, plant monsters, pirates, and Gaea Everfree herself, none of which had put an end to their journey. But just as the entire group was about to board their vessel, ready to return home safely, Rainbow instinctively pushed everypony out of the way, upon hearing the distinct noise of a cannon firing.

"DUCK AND COVER!!!" Rainbow shouted, prompting everypony to do the same.

Just then, a cannonball had landed on a vital part of the boat, wrecking the inside, and no longer making it safe to traverse the seas with.

"Yikes, where'd that come from!?" Night Glider said, shocked.

"What the hay?!" Lemon Zest gritted her teeth. "We just finished building this vessel! Who's out there firing at us?!"

Captain Spruce's pirate ship had suddenly came into view from out of nowhere, completely surprising everypony on shore. Moments later, the ruthless pirate captain stepped aboard the bow, speaking to the ponies who were once again stranded.

"How's that for a good trick?" Timber announced. "Me ship was hidden behind these mountains on the side, rendering it invisible to the naked eye! We'd be followin' ye since settin' hoof on the island, waiting for the perfect moment to strike! Now that yer all together in one place, and have no other means of escapin', what do ye scallywags say we make another negotiation?"

"You mean like the one where you promised not to harm us, and then double-crossed us anyways!?" Twilight replied. "I don't think we're interested in any more of your offers, Captain! We'd rather just find another way off of this island!"

Everypony else protested in mutual agreement with the princess, knowing subconsciously that Captain Spruce was obviously going to stray from his word in the end.

"Well, since ye landlubbers all be in such a defiant mood, we'll just have to see how well ye can taste me cannonballs!" Timber yelled. "And how rude of ye to not even hear me out on me demands!"

"What do you want, exactly!?" Sunset crossed her hooves, glaring at Timber.

"Oh, come now, me hearty!" Timber began explaining his proposition. "Is it not obvious that I'd be after the legendary treasure of Everfree Island!? Ever since I lost the treasure map ages ago, I've made it me life-long goal to take the riches for meself! Bring me crew and I as many treasure chests as ye can carry, and I'll take ye all home safely. Refuse, and... well, let's just say it won't be pretty for ye scallywags!"

Sunset and her team knew that stealing Gaea Everfree's treasure would absolutely spell bad news for everypony, even if Timber was somehow keeping his word about giving them all a ride back home. She spoke up, having learned her lesson of trusting the shady pirate captain.

"We'd rather not get involved with that, Captain!" Sunset replied. "And don't think we're afraid of you firing at us! Eventually, your ship will run out of cannonballs, and you'll just leave us be! Plus, even if you come to shore to fight us, you're outnumbered! It's nine against four!"

"I've got plenty of cannonballs to spare!" Timber sneered. "I could fire at ye for days if I had to! As for ye lot outnumberin' me crew, well... that's what ye want to believe!"

Timber then fired another cannonball at shore, which only managed to hit the beach, completely missing anypony. This projectile was emitting an unusual chartreuse glow, but nopony thought much of it.

"Ha!" Rainbow smirked. "You weren't anywhere close that time, you're just wasting your ammo now!"

"Wasn't even targetin' ye!" Timber cackled, as the shore suddenly began to rumble from the special cannonball's aura. "Avast ye lily-livered landlubbers, at me cannonball coated in a specialized Necromancer Tonic!"

Suddenly, a bunch of skeletal zombie-like ponies began to rise out of the sand, their eyes glowing with bright yellow pupils in their skulls. As they turned around, their eyes had immediately fixed gazes upon Sunset and all her companions. The Necromancer Tonic had influenced the creatures with a magical compulsion, forcing them to attack any who dared defile the sanctity of Everfree Island. More and more of the undead creatures began to swarm out of the sand, until Sunset and her entire group were surrounded by an entire army of them.

"Oh no..." Sunset gulped as she and her friends found themselves surrounded by the undead creatures. "What are we going to do now?"

"Well, we could try to reason with them?" Night Glider suggested, though she didn't sound very confident. "Um... excuse me, uh... undead pony skeletons? Could you please... not attack us? We're just trying to have a peaceful vacation here."

The skeletons simply roared in defiance, as the entire horde advanced further.

"Did you actually think that would work?" Cheese Sandwich put a hoof on his face.

"No, but it was worth a shot, I suppose." Night Glider sighed.

"Alright, so... plan B?" Twilight asked, looking around at her friends, as the horde of undead creatures continued to advance, surrounding them on all sides. "I'm usually a good planner, but what kind of plan could I come up with now in such a short timeframe?"

"I guess we're just going to have to fight our way out of this, then." Flash said, bravely. "Everypony, stick close together and try to focus on taking out the strongest ones first. I'll lead the charge with my katana and try to distract them so you can get a better opening!"

"That's the spirit, Flash!" Sunset nodded. "We've got your back!"

The battle was brutal and desperate. Despite their best efforts, Sunset and everypony else were unable to make any real progress against the overwhelming numbers of the undead horde. Flash's attempts to distract them only seemed to enrage the creatures even further. However, the royal guard charged ahead, his sword held high, drawing the attention of the strongest of the undead creatures. Focusing on the more resilient ones at the front, he parried the first attack, feeling the blade of the sword bend slightly under the force of the impact.

Flash then lashed out with a powerful counterattack, severing the zombie's legs and sending it tumbling to the ground. As another zombie lunged for him, he swiftly dodged to the side and delivered a spinning slash that sent it flying off its hooves. He continued to fight valiantly, but he could feel his strength waning, and the other zombies were closing in around them. He glanced over at his friends, worried about their safety, but remained determined to protect them as best he could. The battle raged on around them, with the undead creatures relentlessly swarming everywhere.

Sunset and her friends fought desperately, using whatever they could as weapons against the seemingly endless tide of zombies. Branches snapped and flew through the air as they defended themselves, trying to keep the creatures at bay. Sweat and fear mixed on everypony's bodies, as they struggled to breathe through the dust and sand kicked up by the constant assault. Eventually, through enough determination and resilience, the undead skeletons were all motionless once more on the beach, giving Sunset and everypony else a bit of breathing room.

"Well..." Sunset panted from exhaustion. "That was certainly an adrenaline rush."

"Yeah, no kidding..." Twilight replied, in between catching her breath. "But are you sure it's a good idea to take a break? I mean, what if more of them keep coming?"

Suddenly, the skeletons began to rumble and slowly regenerate, much like timberwolves. This wasn't too surprising, given they were undead creatures who technically couldn't be killed.

"We might want to figure that out now!" Sunset shrieked, upon seeing the skeletons reviving so soon. "Let's keep moving and sprint back to the camp!"

The entire group of ponies frantically ran back to the camp, with the newly revived skeletons in pursuit. The undead creatures were now faster and more relentless than ever, and it was clear that they would stop at nothing to prevent the ponies from reaching safety. As the distance between them and the camp slowly closed, the ponies could see the look of determination on the faces of their friends, as well as the fear that began to overwhelm them. Captain Zest and Rainbow desperately worked together to fend off the skeletons by pelting them with stones and coconut shells, which only barely made them flinch.

"We're running out of time here!" Sunset brought out the Dragonstone, which began having an unusual effect in front of the skeletons.

The undead creatures suddenly froze dead in their tracks, as Sunset opened one of her eyes, confused at what was going on. Moments later, the Dragonstone began to emit a bright glow from within, sending a wave of energy across the camp. It was unknown to anypony what was happening, but from their perspective, this had caused the skeletons to screech out in terror, before they all collapsed, their bones now turning into dust.

"What just happened?" Sunset asked, now reeling from the unexpected.

"Sunset, did you just... use the Dragonstone's power?" Twilight gasped.

"I guess I did...?" Sunset replied, rather puzzled. "But how? All I did was bring it out in front of those skeletons, and they just... crumbled like that?"

"The riddle!" Lemon Zest's eyes widened. "What is taken by all, given by few, but kept by none? Maybe we finally have our hint for a more clear answer?"

"Perhaps more than before..." Twilight pondered. "But I don't know what it means just yet. In any case, I suppose now we have a secret weapon to face off against not only those undead creatures, but also Captain Spruce and his gang!"

"Yeah, that's true..." Sunset glanced at the Dragonstone, still in her hooves. "But I still don't know how I did that, or what the riddle means. It was like... some kind of instinct just took over, which activated its power. Either way, we'd better keep this as a reserve, in case we get cornered again."

"Well, now that that's taken care of, one more problem remains." Flash spoke up. "How exactly are we going to get off of the island safely, without being seen by those pirates?"

"Something tells me that we're going to have to get creative." Lemon Zest said. "The best plan I have is, we gather as much wood as we possibly can, and build another boat. Then, we'll travel to another side of the island and quietly escape, hopefully losing those pirates in the process. It's the best plan I can come up with, anyways. Any other ideas?"

Everypony else muttered around the camp, shrugging, before going along with Captain Zest's plan, as they didn't have many options.

"Well, I could always try to use my magic to make us invisible, or at the very least, better camouflaged." Twilight suggested, glancing around. "But will the Enchantment Tonic even allow me to do that?"

"Worth a shot, I suppose." Sunset brought the tonic out, before giving Twilight another sample of it.

"Here goes nothing..." The princess took a sample of the tonic, ignoring the awful taste, and began to focus on her magic. "I... I think it's working. Let's try this out."

Twilight used her artificial magic on a nearby rock, expecting it to vanish. However, it had instead enlarged the rock, making it even more visible than it already was.

"Oh... I forgot." Twilight sighed. "If you've already used an Enchantment Tonic once, it'll make your magic malfunction. I believe it's some sort of side effect, as a result of the magic being artificial. In other words, I have no way to reliably make any of us invisible."

"What about Sunny Flare?" Ragamuffin suggested. "She's the only other one among us who has a horn."

"Unfortunately, I already used the tonic myself." Sunny Flare said. "I needed it to help my group and I fight that spirit in the grotto."

"If only I still had my horn..." Sunset added, before sighing. "Well, in that case, getting around those pirates is certainly going to be quite the challenge..."

"Alright, well now that we know for sure that there's no easy way off of the island, we'll just have to work with what we've got." Twilight began leading the entire group. "Let's gather as much wood as we can, bring it back to camp, and get started on building our new escape boat. The sooner we get off this island, the better."

"What if we encounter any more undead skeletons?" Rainbow asked. "We only have one Dragonstone."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Twilight replied. "Right now, we need to focus on escaping the island. Sunset, could you hold onto the Dragonstone and use its power again if we really need it?"

"I can try." Sunset agreed. "But I still don't know how I did it the first time. It was like the power just flowed through me on its own. Either way, let's move out!"

Everypony scattered and went off in different directions, though they had still gone off in groups to watch each other's back. Cheese Sandwich and Ragamuffin went off together through the jungle, Twilight and Flash headed toward the direction of the volcano, Sunset was accompanied by Night Glider toward the grotto, and Sunny Flare followed behind Captain Zest and Rainbow Dash to a nearby beach. As the ferry captain and pegasus climbed atop a nearby tree to gather resources, the unicorn stood at the bottom for a second. Sunny Flare realized that after having a huge change of heart after opening up to Sunset, Flash, and Night Glider, she could very much do the same with these ponies as well, whom she had definitely got off on the wrong hoof with earlier.

"Hey..." Sunny Flare addressed the two ponies from atop the tree, before sighing, sadly.

Rainbow and Captain Zest stopped what they were doing and looked down, frowning upon seeing Sunny Flare, and not giving her a friendly reception. The captain especially, after Sunny Flare had ridiculed her earlier, labeling her as a cereal mascot.

"Sorry if I was rude to you both earlier." Sunny Flare apologized for her behavior. "I was just... really on edge, but I should have been nicer to you."

The two ponies' expressions softened upon hearing this, with Rainbow herself sighing, knowing that deep down, she couldn't have the heart to stay mad at Sunny Flare. This was especially after what happened with Sunset recently, and in the end, Sunset still ended up forgiving Rainbow, and also helped her out of an identity crisis with Indigo.

"It's alright Sunny Flare, we understand." Rainbow replied. "We all make mistakes, and to tell you the truth, Captain Zest and I were going through a lot, too."

"Definitely, especially when I was unsure if Ragamuffin was safe or not." Lemon Zest added. "We should probably all stick together from now on, if we want to make it off of this island alive."

"That, I can agree with." Sunny Flare nodded. "You both seem to be strong ponies yourselves, and I'd be happy to work with you."

As the trio continued to gather more wood and materials for their escape boat, they were now able to triple their efforts, making the job much easier than before. Everypony else was doing the same, though a few were internally concerned at the possibility of encountering more skeletons or plant monsters along the way. Over time, everypony was gradually gathering lumber sturdy enough to craft a boat, which were all brought back to the campsite. Whenever skeletons would occasionally appear, Sunset only had to use the Dragonstone to fend them off, though she was still unsure of what the artifact was really doing.

With everypony working together, steady construction of the escape boat had progressed smoothly. In the midst of their work, however, a commotion would soon be heard from one direction of the jungle. Twilight and Flash were carefully gathering some lumber near the island's volcano, when suddenly, they were surrounded by a whole group of skeletons that were waiting for them.

"Let's get back to the camp!" Twilight said, as she picked up some logs.

"Carnivorous plant!" Flash pointed with his katana, as another one of those plant monsters came around the volcano's corner.

"RUN!!!" Twilight screamed, as they ran back to camp together.

This carnivorous plant variant was able to move around freely, which allowed it to charge in the direction of Flash and Twilight, running over and crumbling the skeletons that were in its way. When the two ponies made their way back to camp, it continued the chase, attempting to corner the princess. Twilight backed up against the giant rock she had enlarged earlier, anticipating the plant to charge at her like a bull once more. The plant had done just that, which prompted Twilight to move out of the way at the very last minute, letting the plant get a concussion from slamming its head straight into the rock.

With the plant momentarily stunned, Ragamuffin and Captain Zest came from around the corner, noticing what was happening. Both ponies used a lumber log they were carrying to whack plant monster, making it stumble over. Struggling to get back up, the carnivorous plant simply roared in an attempt to intimidate its prey. However, this was quickly disregarded when Flash brought down his katana upon its vital neck stem, severing its head, and causing the monster to go limp.

"Nice one!" Captain Zest commended Flash for his efforts.

"Let's get back to work, everypony!" Flash nodded in response, before returning to his tasks. "Time is of the essence!"

Sunset and Night Glider were both scavenging for materials, whilst dealing with the occasional skeleton encounter. These undead creatures only proved to be inconsequential, since most of them had actively attempted to avoid Sunset, as they were intimidated by the Dragonstone. This appeared to give them an advantage over the other groups gathering lumber, though they knew that it was still important to be alert. However, as the two mares were traveling further than usual to forage more wood, one of the skeletons had become crafty, despite not having a brain.

Whilst traveling back to the camp, Sunset and Night Glider were carrying lumber, but something unexpected had happened. A skeleton took Sunset by surprise, immediately knocking the Dragonstone out of her hooves. Although taken aback by this, Sunset believed that it wasn't a big deal, as she took notice of which direction the artifact had landed, before running over to pick it up. However, the Dragonstone had suddenly lost its glow after touching the ground, so much so that even after Sunset picked it back up, it was no longer functioning. Despite desperately holding the rock up against the skeleton, the undead creature simply pushed it away and began roaring at her.

"No... NO!!!" Sunset began to panic. "The Dragonstone, I've lost its power!"

"What!?" Night Glider turned around, before quickly analyzing the situation. "We have to warn the others, quickly! But for now, let's take care of that bonehead!"

Night Glider grabbed the lumber she was carrying on her back, before using it to whack the skeleton away from Sunset. However, as expected, the undead creature simply regenerated rather easily, though it had become more enraged from the attack. Sunset and Night Glider dropped their lumber and ran for safety, though Sunset made sure to carry the Dragonstone with her. The skeleton, now more determined than ever, began to pursue Sunset and Night Glider relentlessly. Soon, the duo found themselves hitting a dead end, with a pool of quicksand surrounding them. The undead creature now saw the perfect opportunity, ready exact its wrath against the two mares.

Sunset and Night Glider had closed their eyes, expecting the worst. However, to their surprise, the skeleton was suddenly pulled toward the quicksand with a lasso, the rope holding down its neck. There was an instantaneous tug, as the skeleton was launched up into the air, sending it plummeting into the quicksand. The undead creature desperately struggled against this, but had only managed to decapitate its own head from its body. However, losing its body had left the head lifeless, as its sentience began to slowly fade away, until nothing was left but the skull itself, which landed right next to the two mares. Sunset and Night Glider were curious at who their savior was, though Sunset had a potential idea.

"Applejack?" Sunset asked the figure behind them, hiding in a bush from a distance. "Is that you?"

"No, I'm afraid you're mistaking me with somepony else." The figure replied, rustling the bush. "Tell me, have you by any chance encountered a pirate captain, recently? If so, could you describe him to me?"

"You mean Captain Spruce?" Night Glider asked, unsure of who would want to associate with such a ruthless pirate captain. "Yeah, unfortunately, he's the reason we're all still stranded here on Everfree Island."

"Brown stallion with a green mane and tail, talks like a pirate, and is misogynistic?" Sunset described. "Is that who you're looking for?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I was hoping you'd say." The figure said. "If you're wanting to get off the island because of this pirate, I could convince him otherwise."

"But... who even are you?" Sunset inquired, rather perplexed. "I'm sure you don't even know him, let alone have a surefire way to persuade him to let us go, and not make us steal any treasure."

"Know him...?" The figure finally stepped out of the bush and approached the two ponies. "I'm his big sister, and was hoping that... perhaps you could let me talk to him? Where might he be?"

Chapter 72: The Sacrifice

Recognizing that the pony who had come to their rescue was none other than Gloriosa Daisy, Sunset began to regain a sense of hope. If anypony were to potentially convince the ruthless pirate captain to put an end to his wrongdoings, it would be his big sister. As such, Sunset and Night Glider both obliged to Gloriosa's request, in helping her reunite with her long lost sibling. Though when it came to Timber and Gloriosa's history together, Sunset felt the need to question what exactly had happened, and what had caused Timber to turn out this way. She picked up the Dragonstone before turning to Gloriosa and getting ready to ask some difficult questions, knowing that this would be tough for everypony involved.

"Gloriosa, right?" Sunset recalled meeting the Pony Gloriosa, shortly before Twilight's coronation. "I know this might be a tough question, but... why did Timber become such a ruthless pirate captain? And what exactly happened between the two of you?"

"I understand why you need to know." Gloriosa said, rather glum. "But for now, we must focus on stopping him before he hurts anypony else."

"A bit too late for that." Night Glider spoke up. "He already destroyed our escape boat and revived an army of undead skeletons to attack our entire group. Now, we're just scrambling to survive, whilst fending off these bony creatures."

"Then we must act quickly!" Gloriosa said, determined. "One of you must take me to Timber so I can confront him, while the other reports to everypony else of why I'm here. I won't stand for any more harm coming to anypony else, especially from my dear brother."

"I'll take you to see your brother." Sunset volunteered. "Night Glider, could you let Twilight and the others know about this? Building an escape boat under such unstable circumstances isn't our best plan, if we have an alternative solution."

"I'll let them know, Sunset." Night Glider nodded, getting ready to run back to the camp. "Good luck."

Back at CHS, the rest of the Rainbooms were planning on returning to the music room to retrieve their instruments, after hanging out with each other at the coffee shop in town. Pinkie was feeling a bit better about her encounter with Human Sunset that night, though she still couldn't help but feel empty inside, despite being filled with sugary treats. As the rest of the girls were about to enter the school's front doors, ready to take their instruments back home, they immediately noticed something was unusual. There were two police cars parked outside the faculty lot, almost as if the officers were conducting heavy surveillance around campus. The girls didn't think much of it, before realizing that the front doors had been locked.

"Hey, what gives?" Rainbow pulled the door handle. "We still have to get our instruments!"

"Hmm, it looks like there's a notice put up by Principal Celestia." Twilight observed and began reading the note out loud. "It says here that due to an act of vandalism, the school will have to be locked up for the rest of the day, as a safety precaution."

"Oh no, who would do such a thing?" Fluttershy said, rather concerned. "You think that would explain why there are police cars here?"

"Well, it's probably nothing to worry about." Applejack reassured. "Let's just head back to the music room tomorrow, and we can figure this all out later, especially since graduation will be the day after tomorrow."

"And that's another thing." Twilight continued reading the notice. "Graduation's now been pushed back another day, due to some... technical issues with staff. She also sent an email notification to everybody, regarding both the vandalism and date change."

"Well, at least we can all take that extra day to prepare for graduation." Rarity replied. "I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with deciding what specifically I should wear under my graduation gown."

"I reckon nobody would be able to see much of it, if you're wearin' a gown on top of an outfit." Applejack sighed. "But hey, at least we're all excited for graduation, right?"

"It's not like I was excited about it anymore, since Sunset decided she doesn't want to be my friend anymore..." Pinkie said, almost no positive energy coming from her voice. "I just wish I still had someone special to share this moment with."

"Come now, Pinkie, I'm sure there's still a reasonable explanation behind why Sunset was acting like that." Rarity tried to comfort her friend. "Besides, we'll always be here for you, won't we girls?"

The rest of the girls nodded in agreement, though they themselves were also rather perplexed by 'Sunset' acting the way she did to Pinkie that night. But they were still willing to give Sunset a fair chance to let her explain herself, especially after the whole Anon-a-Miss incident awhile back. Well... all except for Pinkie, who felt as if she didn't even know who Sunset was anymore.

"Well, speaking of Sunset, I'm not entirely sure when she's available to meet with us, but I'm thinking it's best that I let her know about the new graduation date." Twilight said, before taking a magical journal out of her backpack. "It's a good thing that she gave me this journal to help us keep in touch easier, much like she did with the other... me."

"Do you think she'd still want to talk to you, after what she said?" Pinkie still wasn't able to get the dark thoughts out of her head. "Actually, never mind... maybe I'll just... ditch her."

"But Pinkie, you don't mean that!" Fluttershy said, rather worried about Pinkie's mental health. "Of course she'll still want to be friends with you! You two were so close before!"

"As soon as we find Sunset again, we'll all need to get a better understanding of what happened that night." Twilight stayed true to her beliefs, as she continued writing in the journal. "Until we talk to her ourselves, we won't just drop her as a friend, especially after everything we've been through together. Now then, hopefully Sunset can get this message as soon as possible, in case she somehow misses the principal's email..."

Sunset continued her trek on Everfree Island, as she was guiding Gloriosa through the jungle, in the hopes of convincing Captain Spruce to call off his attack. The two ponies climbed atop a larger hill to get a better view of everything, and spotted it rather far away on the open seas, the pirate ship in question. However, Gloriosa knew that realistically, if her brother was here for the treasure, simply talking to Timber wouldn't be able to accomplish much, especially given his stubborn pride and greed over the years. As such, she stopped for a moment to brainstorm how specifically Timber could be reasoned with, and if there were any leverages they could use to their advantage.

"I've been thinking... maybe if we could find something else of real value that Timber would want, it might make him listen to reason..." Gloriosa suggested. "Something he wouldn't be able to resist at all."

"Well, the main reason he's attacking everypony right now?" Sunset replied. "He's specifically forcing us to steal Everfree Island's treasure. Unfortunately, it's a conundrum based on the fact that... the spirit guarding the treasure will forever haunt and curse us if we take anything."

"Hmm... then perhaps we should find something else that he'd want." Gloriosa pondered. "Something that would make him want to leave Everfree Island behind for good."

Both ponies gave it some thought, but weren't able to come up with anything. More likely than not, Timber would not rest until he could get his hooves on the legendary treasure, even if it meant facing treason for willingly attacking a princess. Gloriosa deduced that unless they were able to use fake treasure to persuade those pirates to let them go, they were out of luck. Even then, it'd be likely that the pirates would be able to tell the difference between real and forged gemstones, making the idea seem rather silly on hindsight. But while thinking of a potential treasure, Gloriosa then looked at the Dragonstone, which Sunset was still holding.

"What is that you're carrying?" Gloriosa tilted her head, curiously. "Is that some kind of... treasure?"

"It's not exactly a treasure... but it's a very powerful artifact." Sunset explained. "This was the only thing that the guardian spirit would let us take. It's called the Dragonstone, and it's said to be able to activate by... well, we're not exactly sure yet. All I know is that when I accidentally activated this, it managed to completely wipe out an entire horde of those undead skeleton creatures. But then, I couldn't get it to work again. You don't suggest... giving this to Timber, do you?"

"Well, it could be worth a try." Gloriosa shrugged. "If it'll get him to stop attacking, we could always take it back, right?"

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Sunset analyzed the situation, remembering the Midnight Sparkle incident, as well as what she learned regarding magical artifacts and its user's intentions. "But... we don't really know how it works, or what kind of power it has, which could transfer to Timber because of his greed and bad intentions. It could be dangerous, and we can't risk such power to end up being used against us. Besides, even if it does make him stop attacking us temporarily, there's no guarantee that it'll make him stop good. After getting consumed with power, he might just want more of it..."

"Then I guess we're back to square one." Gloriosa sighed. "I wish there was some other way. I mean, I have this old amulet that my great grandfather passed down to me, but I can't imagine it's more valuable than Everfree Island's treasure. I considered talking to my brother one more time, but I know that deep down, that's not going to change anything."

"Why would you say that?" Sunset questioned. "You're his big sister, I'm sure he'd at least listen to what you had to say."

"Being his sibling, I know how stubborn he can truly be." Gloriosa replied. "Even when we were younger, he would never listen to me, and now that he's older and thinks he knows everything, it's only gotten worse. Before we went our separate ways in life, I've tried talking to him countless times, but it never seemed to make a difference. He claimed that he wanted to do this to carry on the legacy of our great grandparents, by becoming a pirate. I just wish I could find some other way to convince him that what he's doing is wrong..."

"Come to think of it, if we were to go out into the sea to reach him..." Sunset thought to herself. "How'd you even get to the island, by boat?"

"Yeah, but unfortunately, we can't use it anymore." Gloriosa sighed. "It brought me close enough to the island, but... I hadn't done my maintenance inspections on it, it's been a while since I've sailed out to sea. My boat... sank shortly before I reached land, which forced me to paddle to shore with a plank of wood."

"Well, that's unfortunate." Sunset replied, realizing that Gloriosa faced a similar situation to her own crew.

Just then, the two ponies were approached by Flash and Night Glider, who were ready to report back what Twilight and the others had told them at the camp.

"Night Glider, Flash, there you are." Sunset addressed the ponies standing before them. "Well, any new report from the others?"

"Sadly, I've got bad news." Night Glider began. "As it turns out, the sturdy wood that's absolutely needed to balance out the escape boat's deck? We can't find anymore of it, and we've used up most of those resources on the first boat that got destroyed earlier. According to Captain Zest's calculations, if we continue building our emergency escape boat with the non-sturdy wood, we have a pretty good chance of the boat sinking before it even makes it several meters from the island."

"That's definitely troublesome." Sunset pondered. "So in other words, even going out to sea to reach the pirate ship will be challenging, never mind actually defeating Captain Spruce and his crew."

"We can't just rely on the Enchantment Tonic's artificial magic either to face those vicious pirates." Night Glider added. "In fact, I think we're already running low on it, and we'd definitely need as much backup as we can possibly get."

"Goodness, you're not thinking of... harming my brother, are you?" Gloriosa said, rather worried.

"Well, he's not exactly acting like a loving and caring brother right now, is he?" Flash replied. "But no, we won't go down that path just yet, we'll find another way. If only we could reliably get back onto the pirate ship to confront those pirates... but what can we do?"

"Confronting the pirates... with real magic..." Sunset began to brainstorm, before realizing they knew someone who could do just that. "Maybe we have just the solution!"

"What do you mean?" Gloriosa asked, rather confused. "Who's capable of doing that?"

Sunset then looked around the hill, before spotting a familiar gem encrusted grotto a short distance away. Knowing that her group had ended things on a good note with Gaea Everfree, it gave her an idea to see if they could potentially negotiate with the spirit, since they now technically shared a common enemy, those pirates.

"I see the grotto over there!" Sunset pointed. "Flash, Night Glider? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"But... you really think she'd help us?" Flash said, unsure of the idea.

"I don't know for certain, but it's worth a shot, isn't it?" Sunset replied. "I'm sure that she'll understand our situation, and if we explain everything to her, she'll help us. Besides, she wouldn't want those pirates to steal her treasure, either."

"Then I'll come with you, just in case." Flash said, holding his katana up. "Night Glider, you get back with the others and see if they need any more help."

"Understood." Night Glider nodded. "Be careful out there."

As Night Glider ran back to the camp again, Sunset was accompanied by Gloriosa and Flash, as they were headed back to the grotto where Gaea Everfree had hidden her treasure. It didn't seem like a foolproof plan, as Gaea Everfree could still very easily refuse to help, especially given how these ponies were trespassing once again. However, Sunset kept in mind that the island's spirit was capable of sinking vessels, and internally questioned how exactly those pirates were casually near the shores, completely undisturbed to shoot cannonballs as they pleased.

The three ponies had entered the grotto from behind the waterfall, and eventually made it all the way back into the same room where Gaea Everfree had ambushed them, under the impression that they were after her treasure. Sunset and Gloriosa entered and approached the center of the room, while Flash stayed behind near the entrance, keeping watch for anything hostile. Feeling the ponies' living presence once more within her grotto's treasure stash, Gaea Everfree began to awaken again, stopping at nothing to ensure none of her valuables would be taken.

"OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo..." Gaea Everfree began, attempting to scare the supposed intruders once more.

"W-What in Equestria is that!?" Gloriosa shrieked.

"Shhhhh, don't worry." Sunset assured. "This spirit... she may be able to help us."

The island's spirit had suddenly materialized out of thin air like she did before, and took an immediate glance at the two ponies trespassing within her grotto. Although expecting to act intimidating and protective over her treasure, Gaea Everfree immediately recognized Sunset, and simply calmed herself, instead becoming rather curious at why this particular pony had returned.

"...Oh, hello." Gaea Everfree greeted Sunset once again, somewhat confused. "I certainly wasn't expecting to see you again, did you... forget something?"

"C-C-C-C-Could it b-b-b-be!?" Gloriosa's eyes widened upon seeing the island's guardian spirit. "Are you... G-G-G-G-Gaea Everfree!? I k-know that name from the legendary stories told by the many sailors of Equestria!"

"Why yes, how nice of you to recognize me from my famous legend." Gaea Everfree replied, before getting a good look at Gloriosa. "Hmm, why do you seem so familiar? Who are you?"

"G-G-G-Gloriosa Daisy!" Gloriosa said, rather intimidated. "L-L-Listen, my dear brother is out there right now, being a ruthless pirate captain, attacking these poor ponies with cannonballs!"

"That must explain the cannon noises and commotion I keep hearing outside the grotto." Gaea Everfree understood. "I haven't bothered to check, since nopony else was attempting to storm this sacred cave."

"Furthermore, the pirate captain's not letting any of us escape, unless we bring him your treasure." Sunset added. "Which... is very much out of the question, since I already know you're definitely not okay with the idea."

"Such a foolish thing to do..." Gaea Everfree replied. "A pirate captain? I've encountered enough pirates over the centuries to know that you should never trust pirates. They'd simply take that treasure and make you walk the plank without a second thought! Because of this, I've been using my magical vines to sink any large ships that approach in the direction of the island."

"That's why we're here, we understand you won't give up your treasure, but we still need to find a way to stop those pirates." Sunset said. "But now that you know there's a pirate ship waiting just outside the coastline, how come you weren't able to detect them before? And are you able to sink their boat now, just to stop them from attacking the island?"

"Well, the ship had been out there for a while, lurking off of the coast." Gaea Everfree began explaining. "It didn't seem hostile at first, so I didn't feel the need to interfere. As for sinking it, I actually tried to earlier, once I noticed it was approaching the locale. My attack made me realize that the vessel's made of a special type of wood resistant to thorns and vines, protecting it from my magical abilities."

"It must be that special, Equestrian Buloke wood that my family used for our boat business." Gloriosa reflected. "We... discontinued that brand of wood due to the cost, and I guess one of the ships we crafted eventually landed in the hooves of a pirate gang, which my brother took over."

"So in that case, Gaea Everfree can't simply sink their boat..." Sunset stood there, perplexed. "Well, if you can't sink the pirate ship, do you perhaps have a way to bring us onto their vessel? Better yet, since you created that mysterious fog that took away our natural magic, do you have a way to undo the fog's effects and let us have our magic back?"

"I can't." Gaea Everfree replied. "The fog's spell will persist, as long as you're in a certain range, which extends all over the island. The only way for you to get your magic back, is by exiting the spell's reach. I made the spell this way to ensure no intruders could easily use magic to get their hooves on my treasure."

"I guess that makes sense." Sunset nodded. "Then... if we want to reach those pirates, what would you recommend instead?"

"The best solution would be to create a tidal wave toward the pirate ship, allowing you to board it." Gaea Everfree suggested. "Unfortunately, the last time I encountered some pirates storming the island, they took my most valuable possession... the Amulet of Gaea, a powerful artifact that granted me control over the water. Without that amulet, I wouldn't be of much help."

"Amulet of... Gaea!?" Gloriosa realized that this sounded like a certain family heirloom she had kept for years, prompting her to take it out of her shirt's pocket. "You mean this? I seem to remember my great grandfather, Old Spice, passing it down to me."

The room illuminated from the shininess of an amulet with a bright magenta, flower-shaped gem, similar to the gems encrusted on the grotto's entrance. Although initially hopeful that the spirit would be willing to take the amulet back and help them defeat the pirates, something unexpected had happened instead. Gaea Everfree's eyes had widened upon seeing Gloriosa holding the stolen artifact. She became enraged that this pony had connections to the same culprit who had attempted to pillage her grotto, over a century ago.

"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!!!" Gaea Everfree snapped, the grotto beginning to shake from her rage. "So you have my precious amulet!!! I should've suspected from your outfit, you pirates are all the same!"

"W-W-Wait, I can explain!" Gloriosa tried her best to explain herself. "My great grandfather gave it to me... I didn't realize it belonged to you... I'll give it back, I promise, just please help us with the pirates! I'll return this amulet that was passed down to me as an heirloom throughout the generations, and you'll use its powers to help us reach the pirate ship. Sounds like a pretty fair deal, wouldn't you think so as well, old friend?"

"Don't you even think about calling me a friend!" Gaea Everfree hissed. "No wonder you seemed so familiar, you resemble this pirate by the name of Old Spice! Your so-called great grandfather was anything but a great stallion, he STOLE that amulet from me, like a dirty, conniving crook! You seem incredibly foolish to admit this to me, and then have the nerve to ask for my help! I should instead suffocate you with my vines, so that I'll never have to deal with any more generations of you scoundrels!"

"Gaea Everfree, please hear us out." Sunset stepped up, almost reminding her of the time she first reunited with Princess Celestia to explain herself. "She's just as surprised as I am that this amulet belonged to you, and she's willing to rightfully return it. But you said it's needed to help us reach the pirate ship, right? I'm sure if we work together, we can all get what we want. You'll keep your treasure protected, and we'll all return home safely, without worrying about those pirates slowing us down. Please, you're our only hope now."

The two ponies just stood there, as Gaea Everfree gave this some thought. The spirit knew that if she simply suffocated these ponies here and now with her vines, she'd be on her own to fend off against those pirates. And if the pirate gang were to storm into her grotto, she'd most likely lose far more than just the amulet, especially since their ship was practically indestructible to her vines. Helping these ponies out would potentially benefit her in the long run, especially since she herself had the eternal duty in the afterlife to watch over the island and her precious valuables.

"Fine, you have my word, I shall assist you." Gaea Everfree agreed. "But I'll be keeping a close eye on you, Gloriosa. If I see even the slightest hint of treachery, much like your great grandfather, I won't hesitate to crush you with my vines!"

"Th-Thank you, Gaea Everfree, I promise I won't let you down." Gloriosa shuttered, before holding the amulet out. "N-Now here, take the amulet back."

Gaea Everfree used her magic to levitate the amulet out of Gloriosa's hooves, finally taking back what was taken from her over a century ago. As she began absorbing the amulet's magic from within, the spirit could finally feel a new sense of control over the water surrounding the island, return to her.

"At last, I finally have control over not only the Earth and plants, but also the waters surrounding Everfree Island!" Gaea Everfree said, satisfied. "I was getting rather tired of hearing those cannonball noises outside my grotto anyways."

"Second it, Gaea Everfree." Sunset nodded. "Thank you so much for your help. Now, let's hurry and get to those pirates before they cause any more trouble."

The grotto then began to shift, with plants and vines moving aside to reveal a hidden path behind a cove, leading outside to the sea.

"Follow the path I've revealed, it will lead you to the pirate ship." Gaea Everfree explained.

"Wait, one last thing before we go." Gloriosa turned to the spirit a final time. "The rest of my family had always spoken so highly of my great grandparents. Since you actually met them, what were they really like, since you claimed that they were pirates who had stolen your amulet?"

"Captain Old Spice was a fierce and ferocious pirate, and although he succeeded in stealing my amulet, thousands of moons ago, he somehow managed to leave behind his diary." Gaea Everfree described, before using her magic to levitate an old diary hidden behind her treasure stash. "Why bother explaining the rest when you can read it for yourself?"

Gloriosa began skimming the diary's pages, trying to get an idea on why specifically her great grandparents had passed down Gaea Everfree's amulet as a family heirloom. She immediately knew that this was definitely her great grandfather's hoofwriting, as it matched the old letters he had written to the rest of the family, shortly before passing away. To Gloriosa's horror, Old Spice had certainly revealed his true colors in several of these diary entries, including why he had given up the Amulet of Gaea.

Captain's Entry, Day 47
Today is the last day that I will get to admire this beautiful amulet that I had stolen from a desert island, by outsmarting this dumb spirit. Unfortunately, my children had kept questioning where I bought this, given how poor we had always been. They even began eavesdropping, when my blabbermouth of a wife had revealed our next plan to pillage one of Canterlot's ships, and stealing their riches. Our children had discovered that the amulet was stolen, and they demanded an explanation. Desperate to keep them quiet and protect our reputation, we gave them the amulet as a gift, hoping that the treasure would be enough of a bribe. It ended up working, as we even forced them to never speak of this with anypony else. We had stolen just enough wealth over the years for our retirement, but our children should think twice if they think they'll get any of it as inheritance when we're gone.

"Oh no..." Gloriosa's eyes widened as she kept reading. "So that's why... how could my great grandparents have the nerve to call this an heirloom when it was stolen!?"

"Whatever the reason, they were anything but honest and reputable ponies." Gaea Everfree frowned. "I hope you understand now why I had to do what I did, to prevent large ships from coming to my island."

"Gloriosa, didn't you mention that Timber wanted to carry on the legacy of your great grandparents?" Sunset recalled. "Maybe if you showed him this diary to help him realize what they were really like..."

"That's a great idea." Gloriosa nodded. "He's always been deluded in thinking he's carrying on a great legacy, when in reality, he's becoming just as bad, if not worse than our pirate ancestors."

"Whatever works in the end, I just want you to get rid of those pirates." Gaea Everfree added. "But once you're on there, you'll be on your own. My magical protection won't extend to you while you're on their ship, so I hope you're prepared for what you're about to face."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Sunset understood what needed to be done. "We'll make sure to give you a proper thanks, once we return."

"We're with you, too." Night Glider said, as she trotted into the same room, along with Flash, Twilight, Captain Zest, Ragamuffin, Rainbow, Sunny Flare, and Cheese Sandwich.

"Oh, hey everypony." Sunset greeted the entire group. "How did you...?"

"Night Glider told us that you had a plan which involved the island's spirit, Gaea Everfree." Twilight replied. "Besides, now that the camp was completely destroyed, we had to find a place to hide from those undead skeleton creatures."

"Gaea Everfree here, said that she can help us board my brother's ship." Gloriosa explained. "However, she isn't able to help us when we board that ship. So it looks like we have about... ten ponies here to help convince Timber to cease his attack?"

"It would make sense, but perhaps we should have a group of ponies staying behind on the island." Twilight began to plan out her strategy.

"Why would we do that, Princess?" Ragamuffin inquired. "Better to have more backup to fight those brutes, right?"

"Because it's always best to have a backup plan." Twilight explained. "If something were to go wrong, or if those pirates still manage to overpower and capture us, we'll need to have somepony here on the island who can assist us further, just in case. Which of us should stay behind, while everypony else confronts those pirates?"

"If we need a group to remain on the island, maybe I should be part of it." Sunset suggested. "Just in case we get attacked, I could try to activate the Dragonstone again."

"Captain Zest and I could join you." Rainbow volunteered. "We need plenty of backup to fend off against those skeletons. I mean, unless Gaea Everfree herself could stop them?"

"These undead skeleton creatures you speak of... they're out of my control." Gaea Everfree replied. "So it's a good idea to have an efficient team here on the island, since there's only so much I can do to fight them off."

"Alright, then I guess I'll stick around and use my katana, if needed." Flash spoke up. "It may be better to send the remaining six ponies to the pirate ship, just to outnumber them. Twilight, Ragamuffin, Sunny Flare, Night Glider, Cheese Sandwich, and Gloriosa, can you all handle the task?"

"Does everypony here agree with our military strategy?" Twilight looked around the room, noticing that everypony else was nodding or muttering in agreement.

"Once you go down this side entrance, I'll be able to use my powers to give you ponies a lift onto the ship with a tidal wave." Gaea Everfree began explaining. "Oh, and one last thing I should remind you of. The curse from the fog that removed everypony's magic is tied to my treasure. So if anything were to happen to my treasure, you would all lose your magic, permanently. You've been warned..."

"Well, in that case, my team and I will make certain nothing bad happens to the treasure." Sunset replied. "Thanks for agreeing to help us out, Gaea Everfree. Now come on, everypony! It's time to stop those pirates once and for all!"

With this said and done, Gloriosa led her new team into the path that Gaea Everfree had opened for them, before eventually finding themselves on a small segment of land surrounded by a body of water, with a light at the end of the tunnel, leading outside. Gaea Everfree began using her amulet to create a powerful gust on the water, strong enough to bring the entire crew toward Captain Spruce's ship. Internally, Gloriosa was hoping that she could change Timber's mind about his life decisions, praying that she could give her brother the final push he needed.

As this was happening, Captain Spruce and his pirate gang were still awaiting aboard their ship, cannonballs at the ready. The pirate captain himself was growing rather impatient, expecting those ponies on the island to surrender soon. Regardless, he continued firing cannonballs, knowing that sooner or later, somepony would have to answer and give in to his demands.

"Ye scallywags can't hide forever!" Timber grunted from atop the bow. "Either find the treasure of Everfree Island for me crew, or ye shall suffer!"

Before the pirate captain could fire his next cannonball, he began to hear a mysterious voice echo from the distance. Gaea Everfree was about to send over a whole crew of ponies to take down those pirates, and wanted to make certain, that they would understand that attempting to steal her treasure was a big mistake.

"YOU SALTY OLD PIRATES ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO SHALL SUFFER!!!" Gaea Everfree roared from her grotto, loud enough to be heard.

"What the-!?" Timber shrieked, completely taken aback from this.

Suddenly, from behind the island's cove, a large tidal wave began to erupt, sending a large crew of ponies headed toward the direction of the pirate ship. The crew approaching the vessel consisted of Twilight, Sunny Flare, Night Glider, Ragamuffin, Cheese Sandwich, and Gloriosa Daisy. Before long, the six ponies made it aboard the ship, ready to finally teach those pirates a real lesson. But before Bif, Rogue, and Withers could even raise their swords to begin attacking, Captain Spruce stopped them, before getting a good look at one of these ponies, who seemed the most familiar.

"Gloriosa...?" Timber addressed, completely surprised to see his big sister, after a long absence.

"Well, well, well... it seems the roles have reversed, little brother." Gloriosa replied. "It's been a long time."

"It's been... too long, big sis." Timber sighed, before remembering his main motive. "Ye know I can't let ye stop me from findin' Everfree Island's treasure. Not now, after all this time, especially after I lost me treasure map back in the day."

"Timber... I'm sorry." Gloriosa apologized for what happened that day. "But I can't let you keep hurting innocent ponies like this. You know that mom and dad wouldn't have wanted this for you, they would've approved of us earning an honest bit from our boat business."

"Even then... it's far too late for me now." Timber said, still insistent. "The legendary treasure... I came all this way."

"Why?" Gloriosa crossed her hooves. "What are you even trying to prove by stealing some riches that'll curse you for the rest of your days?"

"Look, I just... I wanted to make a name for meself." Timber confessed. "Be a pirate legend, just like our great grandparents once were. I know it sounds selfish, but... it was always their dyin' wish. For one of us to storm Everfree Island again someday, and reclaim the treasure that was rightfully theirs."

"Oh, Timber..." Gloriosa sighed, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I wish you could've told me. I... I would've understood. I would've helped you make that dream come true, but you've gone about it the wrong way, and now look where it's gotten you. You've put not only your life in danger, but also the lives of your friends and family as well."

"I wouldn't exactly say he's our friend." Bif chimed in. "We're only here cause we're getting paid by the hour."

"Yeah, if he was our real friend, he'd at least cook us some waffles for breakfast." Rogue added. "But no, he had to get that friend of yours to do that."

"I was honestly expecting some decent dental insurance when I applied for this job." Withers sighed. "You can never trust a pirate, it seems."

"Well, at least we finally share one thing in common with you pirates, disdain for your captain there." Sunny Flare joined the conversation. "Certainly wasn't cool of you to destroy our escape boat."

"I have a good mind to imprison all of you for treason." Twilight added. "I mean, attacking a princess of all ponies? Certainly not a wise choice."

As both groups stared each other down, the former henchponies of Dr. Caballeron noticed a sudden shift in their captain, realizing that he seemed more and more hesitant in their original plan of pushing these ponies aside, and forcing them to steal the treasure of Everfree Island. Knowing that Captain Spruce's sister was slowing them down, Bif and Rogue slowly whispered to Withers, urging him to follow up with their secret plan to eventually overthrow their own captain, in the chance that something like this would occur. Withers slowly backed away from the group, which nopony else took notice of, as they were more focused on the approach Timber would take after finally being told off by his big sister.

"I'm sorry I've put ye all in danger..." Timber said, before lowering his sword. "I didn't mean for any of this, I just wanted to get rich and prove I wasn't a failure in me family. Me big sister had one of the most successful flower businesses in Ponyville, while I essentially ran our boat business into the ground, I felt I needed to find me purpose."

"It's not too late, brother." Gloriosa said, slowly approaching him. "You can still change your path, come with us, and we'll help you find your purpose. It doesn't have to be treasure hunting, and maybe we could find something else that would make you happy."

"Ye... really think everypony here will accept that?" Timber said, rather astonished. "After all I've done?"

"Well... you're definitely going to have to take responsibility for your actions, of course." Cheese Sandwich said, trying to analyze the situation. "I mean, I was just taking a cruise to see if it would be enjoyable for my upcoming wedding, and now here I am, being a stowaway on a pirate ship, after struggling to survive on a desert island. When does this kind of thing usually happen?"

Everypony else in Gloriosa's group muttered in agreement, the sheer absurdity of everything they had to go through, simply because of these pirates' actions. Regardless, Gloriosa welcomed Timber back into her hooves, as the two siblings reconciled over their differences. It seemed as though Timber's bitterness and resentment stemmed primarily from being apart from his family, similar to how much closer the first reunion between Sunset and Celestia went. As much as Twilight thought about this while watching the siblings reunite, she admittedly couldn't be as happy, given the circumstances. But just as Gloriosa's group thought as if everything was going to be okay now, the other pirate members spoke up.

"So, ponies think you've won, have you?" Bif asked, rhetorically. "That since our captain's just as much of a softy as Caballeron himself, we'll simply surrender and let you go on your way?"

"Yeah, we came all this way to get that treasure, and we're willing to overthrow our captain just to do that!" Rogue added.

"Well, we still outnumber you, more than before." Ragamuffin replied. "But if you'd like, we can settle this the old fashioned way. There's no way that you two can handle all of us at once."

"...Two?" Twilight said, rather confused. "Wait... weren't there three other pirate members here, besides Timber?"

"How observant." Rogue sneered, before stomping his hoof on the deck, signaling Withers to fire a large volley of cannonballs from underneath.

As Withers fired the cannons, the projectiles were aimed directly at the island's volcano in the distance. The cannonball barrage penetrated and shattered the top of the volcano, causing a massive explosion of rock and lava, as well as sending a giant wave of superheated air and debris in every direction. Everfree Island would soon be engulfed in chaos, as the volcano began shaking violently, soon to create an imminent eruption of molten rock and ash. Sunset and her group had witnessed this on the island themselves, dreading what was about to come. The sounds of the volcano getting ready to blow in a matter of minutes had induced fear into everypony, other than the three henchponies.

"YOU FOOLS!!!" Sunny Flare screeched, completely aghast at this. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE!?!?!?"

"Oh, you mean how we just sealed our fate and everypony else's?" Bif cackled psychotically. "That's a good one, though I think we've made our point pretty clear. If we can't have that treasure, nopony can!"

"Besides, maybe your little captain friend can make me my waffles easier with magma!" Rogue joked, only enraging Twilight at these pirates for putting Sunset, Flash, Rainbow, and Captain Zest all in grave danger.

"EVERYPONY!!!" Twilight exploded, getting ready to give these henchponies what was coming to them. "Get those three stallions and tie them up!!!!!!"

The rest of the group, including Timber, had immediately sprang into action, wrangling and eventually capturing the three pirate henchponies, by tying them up with chains. None of them had seemed bothered at getting captured, since they all felt internally satisfied at the fact that nopony else would be keeping the same treasure, that would soon be destroyed from the volcano's lava. While thinking of the volcano, everypony else suddenly turned their attention to it, before noticing that the opening continued to shake violently. Suddenly, molten rock had spewed forth in every direction, obscuring the sky with a blanket of dark ashes. The air was filled with the sound of explosions and the hissing of superheated gas, prompting Gloriosa to take the wheel of the ship, as she knew Sunset and the others were still on the island.

In the distance, Gloriosa could vaguely notice Sunset, Flash, Rainbow, and Captain Zest all running toward the shore, as they had ran for safety, after noticing the volcano spewing scorching magma. Although Gloriosa was sailing in the direction of the island for a daring rescue, Sunset's group had stopped them.

"Don't worry about my brother and the pirates!" Gloriosa shouted. "We've taken care of everything, and can come rescue you now!"

"Wait, don't come for us just yet!" Sunset yelled from a distance. "We can't just leave under these conditions!"

"Why not!?" Night Glider called out from the deck. "It looks like that eruption was so powerful, the lava will flow and engulf the entire island!"

"Exactly!" Rainbow replied. "Don't you remember what Gaea Everfree told us!? If anything were to happen to her treasure, the curse would be permanent! None of us would get to fly or use our magic ever again!"

"Better yet, who knows if that curse will have other long-term effects!?" Lemon Zest added. "Risky as it seems, we must find a way to stop the lava!"

"Plus, you're now the Princess of Equestria, Twilight!" Flash reminded. "Equestria will be so much more vulnerable against future threats if you permanently lose your magic!"

"You're right, I hadn't thought of that!" Twilight replied, but still fearing the safety of her friends remaining on the island. "Sunset, maybe the Dragonstone's the key to fixing everything!?"

"Remember the riddle!" Cheese Sandwich began reciting it once more. "What is taken by all, but given by few, and kept by none!?"

"We're going to have to figure it out, one way or another!" Sunset yelled, before motioning for the pirate ship to stop. "Don't bother coming closer to the island, we don't want to put more lives in danger than necessary! My group and I will figure out if the riddle's key to activating the Dragonstone, and we'll stop the volcano from engulfing the entire island! Wish us luck!"

With that said, Sunset, Flash, Rainbow, and Captain Zest, all dashed toward the jungle, the lava flowing ever closer. Everypony else remained safely on the vessel, but were filled with anxiety, as they could only watch and hope that Sunset's group would be able to stop the volcano in time. However, the situation was looking more dire by the minute, as they noticed that the lava was now engulfing nearly a quarter of the island, and the clouds of ashes in the sky were becoming much thicker. Even ignoring the danger of the lava, the imminent threat of being suffocated from those toxic ash fumes was just as present.

Sunset and her group knew that the grotto was on the other side of the island, but it was only a matter of time before the lava would soon seep into the caves as well. The four ponies ran as fast as they could, past the foliage, skeletal remains, and waterfall, before eventually getting ready to return to Gaea Everfree. Perhaps if anyone had the powers capable of stopping the volcano, it was the spirit of the island herself, who was already capable of controlling the plants, Earth, and water. However, as everypony soon entered Gaea Everfree's treasure chamber, they noticed the spirit standing before them, looking rather weakened.

"What's... happened...?" Gaea Everfree turned around, speaking rather hoarsely.

"Those pirates ended up causing a volcanic eruption with their cannonballs, and now there's lava headed this way!" Lemon Zest explained.

"Do you maybe have a way to stop the lava with your magical powers?" Rainbow suggested.

"I fear my powers are... drained." Gaea Everfree had attempted to use her abilities of the Earth to control the magma's flow, but instead, only weakened herself even further from the strain. "The volcano's ashes have weakened me... I cannot stop the lava on my own. I suspect the volcano outweighs my own powers... it hasn't erupted like this in over 1,000 years..."

Gaea Everfree's magic had deteriorated so much, she could no longer even become part of the mortal realm, before slowly dissipating and fading away.

"Then we have to find a way to stop it ourselves!" Sunset said, holding up the Dragonstone. "Let's go back the way we came and see if there's something else we're missing!"

But just as the group was heading back and approaching the grotto's entrance, the unimaginable had happened. The magma had caught up much faster than expected, and completely surrounded the cave's entrance, forcing Sunset and her team to head back again, to avoid being cooked to a crisp. Rainbow and Captain Zest had attempted to knock some stalactites off of the cavern's ceiling, hoping that a barricade of rocks would buy them some time, almost like a lava dam. This had only bought them some time once the magma rapidly approached, and they could see that their barricade would melt away from the scorching lava very soon.

"We've gotta figure out how to use this thing!" Sunset looked at the Dragonstone, still unsure of how she did it before. "Think... how did I activate this when those skeletons were attacking us?"

"You somehow activated it when those creatures began to corner us with no other way out?" Rainbow recalled. "But... that doesn't explain why it stopped working, soon after."

"We still have yet to figure out what that riddle carved on the volcano was trying to tell us." Lemon Zest continued trying to decipher it. "Taken by all, given by few, and kept by none... what does that mean?"

"I think the key words here are 'taken' and 'kept'..." Sunset pondered. "Maybe it's referring to the Dragonstone, in the sense that we have to... share the power of the artifact? Actually wait, no, that doesn't make much sense either."

"Sunset, could I see the Dragonstone real fast?" Flash requested.

Sunset handed Flash the Dragonstone, as he began analyzing the situation. He began to have a somewhat confident answer for the riddle, as he looked behind him, noticing the grotto's walls lighting up from the now approaching magma. The three mares were desperately hoping Flash knew what he was doing, as this was life or death for all of them. Suddenly, Flash began to recite what Sunset had said when she first activated the Dragonstone, but this time, the artifact's main power source had extended to him.

"We're running out of time here..." Flash recited, as he stared down the lava that would soon engulf the grotto. "But that's okay. What is taken by all, but given by few, and kept by none? The answer is time. Time is taken by us all, is a gift that few truly give freely, and ultimately, none of us keep in the end. Time is inextricably linked to the power of the Dragonstone, as it allows the user to control the flow of lava, which is essentially a time-based phenomenon. It'll grant me the ability to manipulate and control the passage of time within the lava flow, allowing me to either speed it up or slow it down. This riddle serves as a reminder that the power of the Dragonstone is not just about controlling fire, but also about harnessing the power of time and sacrifice."

Just as Flash had finished, the Dragonstone had granted him even greater power than before, allowing him to hover a bit, before eventually using his new magic to stop the flow of the lava. All seemed well at first, until Flash realized that although his answer to the riddle was correct, it was also quite literal. The grotto began to rumble, before the lava would inevitably start flowing again, as time was running out. Flash looked back for a second at his companions, as he signaled them to move back, knowing that he was the only one who could stop the lava by himself, and it was time to fulfill his main life's destiny, performing a heroic sacrifice, much like his father before him. Flash's royal guard armor had also begun to disintegrate, as he was in the process of truly sacrificing everything he held dear to feed into the Dragonstone's power.

The three mares stared in horror at this, as Sunset ran up to him in tears, hoping that there was another way. However, Flash insisted for her to stay away, before speaking to Sunset one last time.

"Don't worry... I know what I'm doing." Flash said, firmly. "This is what I was born to do, as my dad had done himself. Sunset... promise me that you'll stop Chestnut at all costs, and that my sacrifice won't be in vain."

"I... I promise..." Sunset choked, tears streaming down her face as she slowly backed away from Flash. "I'll make sure that awful pegasus will get exactly what's coming to her..."

"Flash, no!" Rainbow shouted, as she tried to run up to him, only to be stopped by Sunset. "Maybe it doesn't have to end like this, I'm coming over to help you!"

"He's gone, Rainbow..." Sunset said, wiping her tears away. "He's doing this for us, for all of Equestria. If you go now and let yourself be absorbed by the Dragonstone too, he'll have done it for nothing..."

Rainbow gave a sigh of sadness, before realizing that Sunset was right, as she noticed Flash was already becoming one with the Dragonstone, and the process of sacrificing himself had already been initiated. She simply nodded, as the three mares backed away slowly, waving goodbye at their fallen friend and hero. Flash smiled at this, knowing internally now that even with him gone, Sunset and the others had the final push they needed to save Equestria from Chestnut, and reclaim the Bewitching Bell. Suddenly, Flash could faintly hear the voice of a familiar stallion, shortly as he was on the verge of death.

"Flash... you've done well..." Sentinel Sentry began to talk to his son from beyond the grave. "I couldn't have asked for a better colt... hopefully with your final heroic deed, you'll finally get to meet me again in the afterlife..."

As Flash heard his father's voice, he felt a wave of peace wash over him. He knew that his father was proud of him, and that he'd done the right thing. In his final moments, he saw a vision of his father, smiling warmly at him, his eyes filled with love and admiration. Flash began to fully embrace the Dragonstone's power flowing through him, burning away his flesh and turning him into a living conduit for the lava, the agony absolutely unbearable. With one final, desperate surge of his strength, Flash guided the lava toward a safe path from where he stood, causing the lava to disperse freely from the grotto, as well as the rest of the lava coming from the active volcano.

As the lava flowed away from the three mares, Flash's body was completely consumed and disintegrated, though the Dragonstone was still intact. With what was left of Flash's energy, the lava was soon directed up into the air, before spewing harmlessly into the sky, getting absorbed from the Dragonstone's magic, almost like a black hole. After every last ounce of lava had begun to dissipate, Sunset, Rainbow, and Captain Zest noticed the Dragonstone glowing a bright green aura, before settling back down, the glow fading. Flash may've been gone, but he took the entirety of the magma with him, as in the distance, the volcano already settled down, and the ashes in the sky had slowly begun fading away.

It was a bittersweet victory for the three mares, as although their own lives were saved, and they still had the Dragonstone to bring back to Canterlot, it came at the cost of their true friend and hero. Sunset trotted back over to pick up the Dragonstone, but not before giving a salute with her hoof to honor the fallen soldier, as Rainbow and Captain Zest did the same, tears flowing down all their cheeks. Gaea Everfree's treasure was saved, and because of this, the curse tied to it would no longer take effect, once they left the island. This was definitely essential, as Sunset knew she and her friends needed as much magical support as possible, not only to stop Chestnut, but any potential future threats to Equestria as well.

The trio of mares had slowly left the grotto, and knew that Twilight would most certainly take the news of Flash's death rather harshly. Regardless, with the lava literally being wiped away, and those pirates no longer being a threat to them, the three mares began to exit the grotto, ready to deliver the sad news to Twilight. Unfortunate as the outcome was, Sunset could still hear a victory theme playing in her head, considering everything she and her friends had been through on Everfree Island, purely to find the Dragonstone.

Chapter 73: Infestation Investigation

Sunset, Rainbow, and Captain Zest had all exited from the grotto, with the Dragonstone held tightly in Sunset's hoof. The trio remained silent, with their eyes still watery from the tears they had shed for their fallen friend and hero. Rainbow Dash and Captain Zest trotted alongside Sunset, offering their support and comfort, knowing that although Gaea Everfree's curse would no longer be an issue, the loss of Flash had been hard for them all. Telling Twilight the harsh news would certainly be difficult, but Sunset also knew that internally, it was the only right thing to do.

"I may've only just met him today, but I'm sure going to miss him..." Lemon Zest took her hat off to mourn Flash. "Never met a stallion who's able to grow such a connection with the ponies he’s been surviving with, and when we hit that dead end, he was the one who took the lava for us."

"Really wish I could take back all those times I poked fun at him over Twilight having a silly crush on him." Rainbow sighed, as they approached the shore, where Captain Spruce's ship was still waiting. "He was always such a brave and fearless soldier, he didn't deserve any of that ridicule..."

"We need to tell Twilight the news." Sunset said, softly, her voice cracking slightly. "It won't be easy, but we need to be there for her. After I met him for the first time, I could easily tell how much history Flash and Twilight have had over the years."

Rainbow and Captain Zest nodded, their eyes still filled with sadness, as they began to slowly approach the pirate ship, where everypony else was still waiting. The once-lush scenery around them had now appeared to be dull and lifeless, as if reflecting their own emotions, though it was really a result of the magma damaging the local foliage. Twilight had watched closely for any sign of Sunset and her team returning, before noticing the trio returning from a distance, amongst all the scorched remains of the island.

"Sunset!" Twilight waved from atop the ship, happy to see that the group had not only stopped the lava, but also survived what was once a blazing inferno, just minutes ago.

The trio had heard this, and ran over to the pirate ship, which was docked a few meters from the beach, before Sunset also held up the Dragonstone in her hoof, showing that it managed to survive the madness.

"Oh, Sunset!" Twilight began exclaiming her relief. "You've all made it back, I was starting to worry!"

The princess scanned the group below, before her gaze settled on the Dragonstone. This was certainly good news, as they had now accomplished their main objective of escaping Everfree Island with this powerful artifact, alongside successfully rescuing Captain Zest's ferry passengers. It was now all a matter of using Captain Spruce's boat to return to Canterlot, now that the fierce pirate captain was convinced to cease his treachery, thanks to his big sister. It seemed as if the journey had been a complete success, and nothing was lost whatsoever, until...

"Wait, where's...?" Twilight's voice trailed off, as she realized the news that was about to be delivered. "Flash... no... WHERE IS HE!?"

"He..." Sunset began, her voice cracking slightly, but finally mustered the strength to speak.. "He didn't make it, Twilight. I'm so sorry..."

"It's... true, Twilight." Rainbow added. "Flash gave his life to save us, by sacrificing himself to let us escape the lava."

"He not only solved the riddle on the volcano, but also gave his own life to feed into the Dragonstone's power to save us..." Lemon Zest trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No..." Twilight began to shriek with defiance. "No, he can't be gone... he just can't..."

The princess then collapsed onto the deck, her head resting on the wooden planks, and her body wracked with intense sobs, as she grieved for her royal guard. Everypony else on board was just as shocked and upset to hear this sudden news, as they all began to surround Twilight, comforting her over the difficult news.

"Oh, Flash... why did you have to..." Twilight sobbed, before Sunny Flare approached the edge of the deck to speak with the trio below.

"Sorry for your loss." Sunny Flare said, as she saw Sunset, Captain Zest, and Rainbow also holding one another for emotional support. "I'm sure Flash would still be proud of you for everything you've accomplished to safely retrieve the Dragonstone."

"Yeah, I'm sure that internally, he wouldn't want us to be too sad over losing him." Sunset reflected on Flash's final moments. "He'd want us to keep going, and make sure his sacrifice meant something."

Despite being incredibly saddened over losing Flash, Twilight began to pick herself up from the deck, knowing that they still had plenty of work ahead of them to stop Chestnut, and that getting the Dragonstone was only their first step.

"You're... right, Sunset..." Twilight sniffled. "He'd want us to remember him with smiles, not tears. So let's do him proud, and make sure we get back to Canterlot safely with the Dragonstone."

"I'll never forget his heroics." Night Glider added. "Flash not only helped saved us from Gaea Everfree, but also that sudden volcanic eruption."

"Now wait just a minute... didn't this all began because of those pirate stallions?" Cheese Sandwich reminded. "They were the ones who caused that eruption in the first place!"

Rogue, Withers, and Biff all looked nervously at each other, as they all noticed Princess Twilight approaching them, her eyes ablaze with fury. If it wasn't for her years of experience as a princess and following Equestrian laws, she might've immediately put an end to these stallions in the blink of an eye. But regardless of what the princess was about to do, they all knew that they were in huge trouble for inadvertently causing the death of the royal guard.

"It was his idea!" Biff immediately pointed at Withers in an attempt to save himself. "He was also the one who fired the cannon in the first place!"

"Yeah, it was him, it was him!" Rogue added. "If you spare us, I can also forget all about those waffles you owed me!"

"Figured you two would throw me under the ship!" Withers hissed. "Just for that, you can forget about me sharing those artifacts I stole off of Caballeron's back!"

"SILENCE!!!" Twilight raised her wings, as her eyes continued to glow with anger. "You three will be held accountable for your actions, I am not one to forgive such treachery! You will all accompany us back to Canterlot, where you will stand trial for your crimes!!!"

"Princess, that sounds more than reasonable for those low-life stallions, but I hope you won't take action against my dear brother as well?" Gloriosa pleaded.

"I'm actually responsible for bringin' them scallywags out here in the first place..." Timber relented.

"I understand your concern over your brother, Gloriosa." Twilight turned to the two siblings. "And as for you, Captain Spruce, I appreciate your honesty and assistance in capturing your cronies. However, I'm afraid that along with them, you'll also have to face consequences for your actions. It's the only way to ensure that such things don't happen again in the future."

"Well, Princess, I understand where you're comin' from." Timber nodded. "Had I known they were gonna cause all this trouble, I'd never have agreed to enlist them in the first place."

"You should've done some background checks, buddy!" Rainbow said from below. "Those three worked alongside Dr. Caballeron, a crook who stole ancient artifacts for personal profit. Them double crossing you in the end should've been the least surprising thing!"

"Well, I appreciate your understanding, Princess Twilight." Gloriosa said. "It's just that... my brother means the world to me, and I would hate to see him get locked up, especially after being apart from him for so long. Maybe there's something I can do to make amends for his actions?"

"Perhaps there is." Twilight replied. "I'm sure the court will take your family situation into consideration. In the meantime, I must ask that you and your brother remain here with us as we make our way back to Canterlot. We'll need to put your brother into the Canterlot dungeon for a while, until we can find a good opportunity for your trial."

"Of course, Princess." Gloriosa nodded. "That sounds perfectly reasonable to me."

"Alright, and... what of those three pirate stallions?" Ragamuffin inquired.

"They will be locked away in the Canterlot dungeon as well." Twilight responded. "But I'll personally see to it that they'll get a much harsher sentence, and... well, I haven't decided on the rest of the details yet."

"Might I suggest something then?" Gaea Everfree said, as her essence began to slowly return to the mortal realm, and appeared next to Sunset, Rainbow, and Captain Zest on the beach below."

"Gaea Everfree!" Sunset said, rather surprised. "Looks like you've recovered, now that those volcanic ashes are gone."

"Not only that, but now that I have the Amulet of Gaea in my possession, I'm no longer bound to my grotto." Gaea Everfree explained. "You mortals did well to protect my treasure, as I assure you, my curse would've been permanent otherwise, once you left the island."

"Sounds like we made the right decision to stop that lava after all." Lemon Zest said, rather relieved. "What did you want to suggest, by the way?"

"Well, although my treasure's safe, Everfree Island is now completely in ruins, after that rushing magma destroyed all my precious foliage and wildlife." Gaea Everfree frowned. "I could certainly use some help to replenish and recover everything that was lost, thanks to those malicious mortals, whom I now know were always after my treasure."

"That sounds pretty fair, Gaea Everfree." Rainbow said. "But is it really enough of a punishment for those three?"

"They will serve me for the rest of their days." Gaea Everfree insisted. "Or at least when I feel like they've learned their lesson for good. I shall curse them with eternal seasickness, making it impossible for them to escape the island. Only I possess the special knowledge of the island's native plants and herbs, which would be able to cure them. This would force those three to remain on the island and serve me, in order to regain their health and freedom."

"Hmm... that does sound like a fair and fitting punishment." Twilight looked to the others. "What do you all think?"

Everypony else aboard the ship muttered and nodded in agreement at Gaea Everfree's proposal.

"Sounds a lot better than them just sitting in a dungeon for a few years." Sunny Flare insisted. "Especially since they were responsible for us losing Flash."

"Well, I suppose that settles it, then." Twilight nodded in agreement. "We'll leave them with you, Gaea Everfree. Just make sure they don't cause any more trouble, and that they learn their lesson."

"Don't you worry about that." Gaea Everfree said with confidence. "They will serve me well, and learn to appreciate the beauty of nature, just as they had taken it for granted before."

With that said and done, Gaea Everfree used her magic to levitate Withers, Biff, and Rogue off of the pirate ship, before also levitating Sunset, Captain Zest, and Rainbow onto the vessel, and allowing them to leave Everfree Island.

"Well, that's that, then." Lemon Zest shrugged. "Back to Canterlot, I suppose? I can navigate the ship, since I know those rough waters are still out there."

"Sounds like a plan, there's still plenty more for us to do once we return." Sunset nodded, before turning back to Gaea Everfree one last time, just as everypony aboard was preparing to leave. "Thanks again for everything, Gaea Everfree."

"It was my pleasure." Gaea Everfree waved goodbye, seeing the pirate ship leave the island, before using her magic to zap the three stallions, cursing them with eternal seasickness, and removing the chains that were restraining them. "Now then, it seems like you three mortals have a lot of work to do. What do you say you get started sodding up the inner jungle?"

"Yeah, right." Withers sneered. "Why would we work for a wretched old witch like yourself?"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME, MORTAL!?!" Gaea Everfree snapped, as the ground below the three stallions began to rumble, fiercely.

"Uh, guys, I don't think that was a good idea..." Biff muttered, as he and Rogue started backing away from Withers.

"Oh, give me a break." Withers huffed. "What's she going to do about it?"

Gaea Everfree then commanded a bunch of thorny vines to grab onto Withers, whilst strangling him, ferociously. The stallion was desperately gasping for air, before being thrown hard onto the shores. Rogue and Biff looked toward each other, hoping to save themselves from a similar punishment.

"Alright, so uh... we are at your command, we'll do as you say." Rogue said, nervously. "Shall we get started now...?"

As Sunset and her entire crew was sailing back to Canterlot, her human counterpart was continuing her massive plot of revenge. Human Sunset had already returned home, reflecting on what she had been up to, lately. While sitting on her couch, she began to go over everything on her checklist, knowing that she had only just begun the early phases of the very plan she was about to give up on altogether, had it not been for Gilda. Sabotaging the graduations was still going to take time, especially since her previous actions had only entailed minor setbacks. Stealing the Crystal Prep girls' old school uniforms and framing the CHS performers were both great starts, but they didn't necessarily contribute much, as far as ensuring nobody would graduate this year.

"I know that sabotaging the graduations seems selfish of me..." Human Sunset acknowledged, whilst staring at an old framed picture of herself, graduating from middle school. "Especially since this is going to affect a lot more than just the people who've wronged me. But it's still unfair that I had to go through everything I did, while everybody else gets to graduate and live great lives."

Human Sunset continued slumping in misery on the couch, feeling every bit of resentment towards society return to her, and completely forgetting about the friendships she's made in Equestria. She couldn't believe that she was almost considering the possibility of letting everything go, especially in her current situation. Gilda was right, because of the crooked education system and the very people who had contributed to her new life, Human Sunset no longer had the luxury or opportunity in finishing high school, let alone moving onto and graduating college. What difference would having some friends make at this point? No, now that she had finally returned to the very world she had faded from, it'd be much better to use the time she now had to get revenge on everybody, instead of wasting her time building meaningless friendships.

"I've already targeted Canterlot High and Crystal Prep Academy..." Human Sunset pondered, thinking of her next main step. "So I suppose now would be a good opportunity to see if I could get my vengeance against my dad, or Sunset Shimmer herself."

As Human Sunset distinctly remembered the article she had came across on her mother's old laptop, she suddenly recalled that supposedly, Sunspot now worked at a place known as Tartarus Industries. She grabbed the laptop from the table and booted it up, ready to dig even further, and get an idea behind her father's current whereabouts, since it still seemed rather unclear where specifically to find Pony Sunset. Doing some research on Tartarus Industries, Human Sunset found out that it was a company owned by an extremely wealthy and powerful business magnate named Mr. Sombra. The company was often rumored for having shady business practices and being involved in various illegal activities, though none of these allegations were ever proven.

Sunspot himself was indeed working there as one of their main executives, in charge of the company's financial decisions. The most recent article had mentioned the only thing closest to a hint, that Human Sunset was able to gather, regarding her father's whereabouts. Tartarus Industries was currently in the process of shutting down their company's chemical plant, by order of the government, on the account of excessive pollution. The article went on to state that Sunspot had been personally overseeing the shutdown of the chemical plant, and that the entire process had only recently begun.

"So if I want to confront my dad, I should look into this chemical plant's location..." Human Sunset muttered to herself, her eyes narrowing in determination. "But what's exactly my plan, once I do find him? Anything that'd teach him for abandoning mom and I, and to stop being such a selfish jerk."

The more Human Sunset thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't really have a specific plan in mind. She knew she wanted to confront her father, but beyond that, she wasn't sure what she wanted to accomplish. Maybe she could try to reason with him, or try to get him to see things from her perspective, to potentially make him regret his past actions. The possibilities were endless, but they all seemed like moot, if she was unable to find him. With this in mind, Human Sunset had decided on her next main priority, before having a quick snack in the kitchen to refuel her strength. As she munched on some old graham crackers in the cabinets, she still pondered on something else at the back of her mind.

"Now that I'm really thinking about it, why exactly did Gilda want that tiara so badly?" Human Sunset said to herself, still unsure of Gilda's true intentions. "I'd assume to pawn it off and make a quick buck, but... it just seemed like such a strangely specific request. I'm already a school dropout, and even I can't understand her, sometimes..."

Without the worry of Gaea Everfree's wrath, Captain Zest had successfully navigated the pirate ship across the rapid waters, and was soon in proximity to the Canterlot Harbor. The rest of the council was still waiting there, noticing the pirate ship in the distance. Despite having some initial concern, they soon noticed that Twilight and the rest of the crew were aboard, signifying that everypony had safely returned from Everfree Island. They had all confidently put their faith in Twilight, who had experienced many daring adventures over the years, including the recent confrontation with Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. As the ship soon docked at the harbor, everypony aboard began to disembark, as the council took note of the various new ponies, now accompanying Twilight and her crew.

"Cheese Sandwich!" Pinkie greeted from the harbor. "Wasn't expecting to see you here!"

"Pinkie Pie!" Cheese exclaimed, trotting over to Pinkie, giving her a warm hug. "Have you told your friends here about the wonderful news?"

"She mentioned it to us awhile ago, congratulations on the engagement, Sugarcube." Applejack said. "So I reckon you were one of Captain Zest's passengers?"

"That's right." Captain Zest nodded, as she finally got off the boat herself. "Although our boat was destroyed, I'm at least happy that I rescued all my passengers, who were stranded on Everfree Island."

"Not only that, we managed to get the Dragonstone, too." Sunset held the artifact up in her hoof. "The journey was certainly difficult, but we made it!"

"Sorry again about your old boat, Rockhoof." Twilight apologized on behalf of her crew. "I'll be sure to compensate you in any way I can."

"No need for that, Princess." Rockhoof insisted. "Since you found the Dragonstone, I'm glad my boat ended up serving its purpose."

"Speaking of... I assume there's some kind of story we're missing here, as to why you've all arrived back to Canterlot on a... pirate ship?" Rarity questioned.

"It's... kind of a long story, that." Sunset replied, amusingly. "Not every day you get to run into some pirates when going on a luxury cruise. Though this pirate captain here was notably responsible for making our journey longer than it needed to be."

"Again, me apologies, matey." Timber said, knowing he still had yet to face the music. "But I'd be glad for turning me life around now..."

"Second it." Gloriosa added. "I always knew my little brother was still out there in Equestria somewhere, even if he ended up taking on a pirate facade."

"Wait a second... weren't there five of you before you all left?" Fluttershy made a realization. "I see that Twilight, Sunset, Rainbow, and Captain Zest are all here... but where's Flash Sentry?"

"He... unfortunately didn't make it back." Twilight said, rather glum.

"He sacrificed himself to let us escape with our magic intact." Rainbow explained. "If it wasn't for him, we would've permanently lost our magic after leaving Everfree Island..."

Hearing this, Rockhoof and the rest of the council had looked on with grief in their eyes. It was a solemn moment for those who had known Flash Sentry, understanding that such a selfless act would not be forgotten. They had all closed their eyes and paid their respects to the fallen royal guard, now knowing that he was the main reason that everypony else who was involved on Everfree Island, had returned safely.

"Well, if that's the case, then we owe it to him to make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain." Starlight said, determined. "Let's make Flash proud by doing what we can with the Dragonstone."

"We wish you all luck on whatever you plan to do with the artifact." Ragamuffin chimed in. "In the meantime, Captain Zest and I will be heading back to Manehattan to resume our ferry business. Though you can make a safe bet that we'll no longer be putting Everfree Island on our tour stops."

"Agreed." Captain Zest nodded. "It's been an honor serving as your navigator in this endeavor of an expedition. And as for the Dragonstone, I'm sure you'll do great things with it."

The captain and her first mate had departed the Canterlot Harbor, waving goodbye to everypony they had met on this daring expedition. Night Glider was about to do the same herself, before also remembering a promise she had made to Sunset.

"Well, I think I've had enough luxury cruises for now, so I think I'll head on back to Our Town." Night Glider said. "And Sunset, if I get the chance to see you again, I'll be sure to fill you in on any information I'm able to gather, regarding Solstice."

"Thank you, Night Glider." Sunset smiled. "That means a lot to me."

Night Glider then went on her way, as Sunset and Twilight both internally realized they had solved the mystery behind why the pegasus had gone missing, according to Double Diamond in that ruined future. Just then, Cheese Sandwich spoke up, ready to reveal something.

"Oh, Pinkie?" Cheese Sandwich addressed his soon-to-be wife. "You're probably wondering why I went off on a secret cruise without your knowledge?"

"I actually knew about it, silly!" Pinkie giggled. "I was just waiting for you to come back so we could talk about it, but I got so busy with the wedding planning, that I forgot! As for why you went, well... I'm not really sure."

"It's a long story." Cheese began. "I'll tell you all about it later, but it mostly had to do with wanting to find you a really nice wedding gift. Although I've never been to an exotic island before, I wanted to find something unique and special for you, to show you how much you mean to me. Though sadly, I couldn't find anything like that for you."

"Oh, Cheese Sandwich!" Pinkie squealed, blushing brightly. "You didn't have to do that! I already have the perfect wedding gift from you, and that's your Pinkie Promise to always be there for me, through thick and thin!"

"In that case... I'm glad that I made sure you knew how much you mean to me." Cheese Sandwich wrapped his hooves around Pinkie's waist, and gave her another warm hug.

Everypony else smiled at the affectionate display between Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie. They were all happy to see that the two had found love in each other, which was a welcome distraction from the grim events that had transpired on Everfree Island. But suddenly, this feeling was interrupted by Spike, who began making gag reflexes, almost as if he was going to vomit.

"Not again, Spike..." Applejack sighed at the dragon ruining the moment. "Figured that you'd be able to handle the least bit of sentiment by now..."

Spike then burped up a magical scroll, just like the time Twilight was conflicted on which friend to take to the Grand Galloping Gala.

"Come on, I can't help it if I'm a living messenger." Spike rolled his eyes, before taking a look at the letter's intended recipient. "Hmm, Starlight? Looks like this is for you."

Starlight took the scroll from Spike and began reading, before Cheese Sandwich went on his way.

"Alright, Pinkie." Cheese Sandwich began to part ways. "I guess in that case, I'll see you soon to finalize our wedding plans? I have to get back to my next birthday party gig, for some colt in Vanhoover."

"Okay, see you soon!" Pinkie waved. "And don't forget to tell me all about your secret cruise later!"

"Well, it's been an honor assisting you in this journey for retrieving the Dragonstone as best I could, Princess." Rockhoof said. "But I should be getting back to my duties at the School of Friendship. Those ancient Equestrian tales won't tell themselves, you know."

"Rockhoof, I may have to come with you." Starlight chimed in. "According to this scroll, I'm needed at the school as well. It's from Sunburst, and he said it's quite urgent."

"School of Friendship?" Sunny Flare began recognizing the name. "I vaguely remember hearing about that place thanks to a promotional letter in my mailbox. And let's just say... I'm now wanting to learn more about friendship myself."

"We're always welcoming any new students at the school." Starlight approached Sunny Flare. "You're more than welcome to join us, if you'd like."

Sunny Flare nodded, as she, Rockhoof, and Starlight started making their way towards the School of Friendship. Along the way, Sunny Flare began opening up to Rockhoof and Starlight, sharing her own struggles with making friends and feeling lonely at times. Overhearing this, Sunset knew she had done well, as far as letting the unicorn open up and accept friendship, much like Twilight had done for her, years ago. Once the trio left for the Canterlot train station, the only ponies who remained behind were the rest of the council, alongside Sunset, Captain Spruce, and Gloriosa.

"Alright, now as for you two, you remember the deal." Twilight addressed the remaining two guests. "I'll allow you to spend a little more time to reconcile with one another, but your brother here will have to remain in the dungeon for his treachery, until further notice."

"Of course, Princess." Gloriosa nodded. "We understand your decision, and will be sure to make everything right, once we're all back on good terms."

"Aye." Timber added. "Probably the most generous bargain in all me years of piracy."

Just then, Canterlot's main security guard came around the corner, after hearing of the princess's return from her expedition.

"Ah, there you are, Princess." Max Steele addressed Twilight. "I take it that your expedition was a success?"

"For the most part, Mr. Steele." Twilight replied. "We were successful in retrieving our artifact, at least. However, we've had a bit of an incident with Captain Spruce here. Could you please escort him to the Canterlot dungeon?"

"Affirmative." Max nodded, before doing as he was instructed, as Gloriosa accompanied them from behind.

"Alright then..." Twilight then turned to everyone else who remained, seeing Spike, her first five pony friends, and Sunset. "Looks like it's just us now, minus Starlight, of course. The original friends and heroes of Equestria."

"I'm glad that you all see me as a friend now, but I can't really say that title applies to me as well." Sunset tried to keep her humbleness. "After all, I've only gotten to know the rest of you after I decided to take an extended stay in Equestria. Plus, I'm pretty sure you've all befriended Starlight, long before me."

"That's true, but technically speaking, we all met you long before meeting Starlight." Rarity reminded. "Didn't we, girls?"

"Oh, that's right." Fluttershy added. "That makes you special, Sunset. Since you're not only a new friend, but an old friend as well."

"Thanks, Fluttershy, I appreciate that." Sunset smiled at the pegasus. "But in the meantime, we've still got a lot of work ahead of us. After all, Chestnut Magnifico is still out there somewhere with the Bewitching Bell, and I made a promise to Flash that we'd stop her at all costs."

"Well, it's gonna be a long road ahead of us, but I reckon we can get through it together, Sugarcube." Applejack said with confidence. "After all, we've faced plenty of tough adventures before, I'm sure we can figure something out."

"Things should be a little easier, now that we've finally got the Dragonstone." Rainbow said. "Now we hopefully won't need to worry about getting drained of our magic."

"That's what we're all hoping for, but at the same time, it's better for me to do a little further research on how to properly use it." Twilight replied, before reiterating words Sunset had once said to the Human Twilight. "After all, it's generally not a good idea to mess around with things we don't understand."

"I know a certain somebody who'd definitely agree with you on that." Sunset reflected.

"Speaking of things that we still don't understand, out of curiosity, Sunset?" Pinkie began questioning. "Did you by some chance leave here on the Canterlot train, a couple of hours ago?"

"Uh... what now...?" Sunset said, rather confused. "Pinkie, I really don't understand why you would think that, when I was out at sea with Twilight and the others, during that time."

"Well... like I've said, some things that we just can't understand." Pinkie shrugged. "Unless it was maybe Ocellus copying you? You must've met her, right? One of our changeling students at the School of Friendship."

"Who...?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Pinkie, I'm afraid I have no idea who you're referring to... at all. In fact, now I'm just as confused when Twilight claimed that she saw me in the Canterlot library last night. Twilight, I assure you, I was with Princess Celestia in Silver Shoals, during that time."

"Hmm, that might actually explain why the 'Sunset' I encountered last night was acting a little strange..." Twilight reflected. "Even weirder is the fact that I got reports from library staff this morning, stating that various books and documents had been damaged and chewed up, almost as if there was a sudden infestation in there. Do you think this might've had something to do with...?"

"Well, whoever that truly was, I'd imagine it's a pretty safe assumption that they had a connection, somewhere." Sunset pondered. "Though when it comes to finding a logical explanation behind everything... I'm not really so sure."

"What if it's Chestnut disguising herself as you, Sunset?" Twilight suggested. "I'm sure that if she has access to powerful magic, having the same abilities as a changeling wouldn't be out of the norm."

"I suppose that's possible...?" Sunset began scratching her head. "But... that wouldn't really explain this supposed infestation you mentioned. Unless of course, she poofed up a bunch of cockroaches to scare off the library staff, in an attempt to cover up anything she tampered with?"

"But if that was her plan, then why did she also try to make it seem like you were there?" Fluttershy inquired. "It doesn't really make much sense for her to just do that?"

"I'd imagine to make us believe that it was somepony we could trust." Twilight deduced. "After all, I didn't suspect anything when I saw that it was seemingly Sunset going through the restricted section last night."

"The restricted section...?" Sunset raised an eyebrow. "No, Twilight... I promise you, the only time I've ever set hoof in the restricted section was when Princess Celestia invited us in there that one time. I'm afraid that whoever you encountered down there last night... they were definitely an imposter.

"Well, I'll just have to keep that in mind, then." Twilight sighed, understanding that there was now possibly an even bigger threat on the loose. "I'll make sure to watch out for anything suspicious, just in case."

Just then, two mares began to approach the harbor, after overhearing that the princess had returned.

"Princess, there you are!" K-Lo addressed from a distance. "We've been waiting to page you for a while, now."

"POSTCRUSH!!!" Pinkie exclaimed with glee. "What a wonderful surprise!"

"Oh, hi there." Twilight greeted the two mares. "I think I remember... you two rented out the Canterlot courtyard for your wedding, is that correct?"

"Yeah, we were." Su-Z said, rather annoyed. "But now we want a refund, and you want to know why?"

"When we left our wedding cake here in Canterlot, we were expecting to have our big day today!" K-Lo began to explain in outrage. "Only to find out that our glamorous gateau had been munched up, ruined, destroyed!"

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Twilight said, trying to get an understanding on the culprit. "Who could've done such a thing?"

Everypony else looked toward one another, before most of them began glaring at Rarity and Fluttershy.

"W-Why's everypony looking at Fluttershy and I?" Rarity questioned.

"Did you and Fluttershy not do that to Mr. and Mrs. Cake's "MMMM" on the train that one time?" Pinkie reminded, before putting on her detective's cap.

"I assure you, we've definitely learned our lesson from that." Fluttershy insisted. "It must've been somepony else."

"Didn't I remember hearing that Rainbow Dash was also guilty of that crime?" Spike recalled. "How come we're already ruling out her as a suspect?"

"Because I highly doubt that Rainbow could've done such a thing, when there was the whole Indigo fiasco, and she was with us the whole time, on that expedition." Sunset defended Rainbow, which the pegasus had appreciated.

"So if it wasn't Dashie, and it wasn't Rarity or Fluttershy... then I suspect the culprit may be... Celestia!" Pinkie said with her detective mannerisms. "She's always had a thing for cake, after all. Especially cake that's not hers."

"Miss Pinkie Pie, I'm afraid you're gravely mistaken." K-Lo put a hoof on her face. "The bite marks on the cake didn't look anything like a pony's doing. In fact, the culprit being any of you, would actually be my last guess."

"That's right, judging from the bite sizes and strange trails of crumbs leading into a crevice into the walls, we suspect that some kind of bug infestation managed to reach our cake before we could." Su-Z added.

"Oh, I'm actually glad you're reporting this." Twilight said, hopeful for answers. "We were just all discussing the possibility of there being a mysterious infestation occurring here in Canterlot. Did you two manage to find any other clues at the scene of the crime?"

"Well, not that we're the kind of mares to do the dirty work, but we found these atop what was left of the almond paste sculptures of Su-Z and I." K-Lo threw the clue in front of Twilight and the rest of the council, as everyone began examining it.

"Anypony know what that is?" Sunset asked, whilst observing the clue.

"It's all... translucent, dry, and flakey." Twilight felt the clue with her hooves. "I'd assume some kind of skin, shed by one of those bugs?"

"This is some kind of a beetle cocoon." Fluttershy verified from her animal experience. "Not any kind of beetle I've seen before, but definitely the remains of one of their larvae."

"EW!" Su-Z exclaimed in disgust upon hearing this. "You mean to tell me actual larvae had been crawling on our wedding cake!? Princess, I certainly hope you understand that this is completely unacceptable! Especially for Canterlot standards!

"I absolutely agree." Twilight said, determined to investigate further. "This is highly irregular. I'll be sure to bring this up with Pest Control, they'll be able to assist us. But we'll also need to investigate this matter thoroughly, and get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, I'll be sure to issue you a refund for the trouble."

"Wait a minute, Twilight." Pinkie began proposing a solution. "It's just your cake that's been ruined, right, Postcrush?"

"Yeah, but the cake was the most important centerpiece." Su-Z sighed.

"Why don't I bake you a whole new cake, free of charge?" Pinkie offered. "It's really no trouble, and the least I could do for my all-time favorite musical duo."

"A cake is easily replaceable, but our concern now is whether or not Canterlot can pass a health inspection, before we decide to give it another chance, and host our wedding here!" K-Lo voiced her concerns.

"Rather fair point." Twilight nodded. "Pinkie, that's very kind of you to offer, but I think we should all keep in mind that it was bugs that got to the cake in the first place. We don't want to risk anything happening to the new cake. In the meantime, I'll contact Pest Control as soon as possible. Let's all keep our hooves crossed and hope for the best."

"We should hope so, ourselves." K-Lo sighed, still saddened by her wedding day being ruined. "Remember, Princess. At the end of the day, we'll most certainly be expecting some form of compensation for all this!"

"So be sure not to disappoint us!" Su-Z insisted. "Otherwise, we'll have to take our wedding business elsewhere."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure everything is taken care of." Twilight assured. "I'll work with Pest Control to discover the source of the infestation, and make sure Canterlot is safe for your big day. As for compensation, I'll be in touch soon about that as well. Your wedding is important to us, and we want to make sure you have everything you need to be satisfied."

K-Lo and Su-Z simply nodded and trotted away together, but as soon as they were out of view, Twilight's confidence and assuring stature had collapsed, now getting an even bigger taste of the many responsibilities that came with being the princess of all of Equestria.

"Well, if you've ever had any doubts that being a princess is busy, BUSY work, I sure hope you don't have those doubts anymore." Twilight sighed.

"I know you'll handle it all perfectly, Twilight." Sunset reassured the princess. "You're a natural at this whole 'princess' thing. And don't worry about them pressuring you for compensation, I'm sure whatever you decide will be fair for both parties."

"Thanks, Sunset." Twilight smiled. "It's good to know that I can count on you for support. I'll get to the bottom of this and make sure everything's taken care of. In the meantime, let's not forget that we still have Chestnut Magnifico to deal with! Let's head into the Canterlot library to do some further research on the Dragonstone."

Back in Manehattan, Madame Cinch had been plotting her escape for a while now. She had managed to successfully fool the inattentive security guards patrolling the prison, and hiding Svengallop's diamond whenever they had gotten suspicious. Using the diamond, she spent her time in her cell chiseling away at the bars, inch by inch. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last bar gave way with a resounding clang. The Madame crawled her way out of the opening she had made, and was prepared to make her escape.

"I'm free!" Cinch cackled maniacally, feeling a rush of adrenaline course through her. "Now I'm off to teach that orange unicorn a lesson for exposing and imprisoning a beauty queen like myself!"

"Hey, wait a minute, now!" Svengallop pleaded with his ex-wife. "What about me!? You promised that if I gave you the diamond, you'd help me escape, too!"

"Oh, Svengallop, you fool!" The Madame sneered. "You thought I would let you be a part of my glorious escape? You were just a tool to help me get what I wanted, and now you're useless to me! Why else do you think I divorced you?"

"Fine, then!" Svengallop snarled. "I'll just go find some other mare to love me!"

"Come now!" Cinch rolled her eyes. "You're pathetic! Nothing but a loser! And let me tell you something, no other mare would ever want a wimp like you, let alone have foals with you! Speaking of which, I certainly hope you've been having fun paying child support for our daughter, Cozy Glow!"

"Cozy Glow?!" Svengallop's eyes widened. "We're her biological parents?! You told me she was adopted!"

"Oh, please!" Cinch huffed. "You really think I would have married you if I wasn't desperate? Of course she's your daughter, you idiot! And I simply needed to have her for the benefits, before I sold her to some fellow in Tartarus, who was looking to raise his own protégé. What was his name... Teareek, something like that? Either way, now you know that you've been paying her child support all these years, so that I didn't have to."

"I should've expected this from a mare who spends all her bits on cosmetics and makeup!" Svengallop protested in fury. "So you played me and your daughter, huh!?"

"Like a pair of violins!" Cinch responded with heavy venom in her voice. "And what are you going to do about it now!?"

Svengallop reached out of his cell and pressed the security button on the side of his wall, sounding an alarm, and alerting nearby security guards to the recent breakout.

"Fool!" Cinch hissed, as she began to run through the hallways of the prison. "You'll regret that! Now I'll make sure that you and that orange unicorn will both pay for what you've done!"

The Madame charged her way through the approaching security guards like a bull, using her magic to strategically get rid of any barricades and obstacles in her way. It admittedly seemed a lot easier without the restraints she had been put in, when she first got arrested. Most of the security guards had not anticipated this, and were promptly knocked aside, unable to process what had hit them, until it was too late. Once the Madame approached the front doors, she saw that the doors were locked. Cinch simply used her horn to crack open the glass, giving her an opening to escape. Despite freeing herself from prison, she knew that after being exposed, she could never relive the luxury that was once her old life. So her next priority was to search all over Equestria for Sunset Shimmer, to exact her vengeance...

Princess Twilight had already gotten in contact with Pest Control, while she, Sunset, and the rest of the council were doing even further research on the Dragonstone, knowing it was their main way to counter the Bewitching Bell. Whilst skimming the books for any further information, Sunset came across another one of Rockhoof's journal entries that explained what had happened to Flash on Everfree Island.

"Everyone, listen here!" Sunset announced, before reading out loud to the council. "It says here that the Dragonstone had always been protected by a riddle, in order to prevent its power to be abused, particularly by a mysterious... fire alicorn?"

"A fire alicorn?" Twilight pondered this. "Hmm... I wonder who exactly that could be referring to... this is certainly the first I've ever heard of such a being. But go on."

"Well, it further elaborates that the Dragonstone would drain all life and energy from the host able to crack the riddle, which Flash was able to do." Sunset continued. "The symbolism of sacrifice and heroism would be the main way to ensure someone trustworthy would be able to wield its great power. So it sounds like... if Flash hadn't sacrificed himself, the Dragonstone would practically be useless to us..."

"Well, although I'm still saddened over the loss of Flash, I'm glad that he was able to contribute and provide what was needed to protect us from the Bewitching Bell." Twilight said, bittersweetly. "Does it explain how we can reciprocate the dragon fire onto us?"

"And also, will it be safe?" Rarity questioned. "I know dragons are typically fireproof, but we most certainly are not."

"It says that the fire of a dragon is much different from ordinary flames, as it's imbued with a special kind of energy." Sunset kept elaborating. "When it's passed onto a pony, it purifies their body, giving them resistance to magical draining effects. It also says that the transformation process takes several hours to complete, and that the subject will feel a strange tingling sensation throughout their body, as it happens."

"Well, then I guess we've got nothing to lose!" Rainbow exclaimed with confidence. "Bring it on, dragon fire! I've faced worse than that in the Wonderbolts!"

"...HOWEVER." Sunset raised her hoof as she continued reading.

"Awww, darn." Rainbow slumped. "I should've known there'd be some kind of catch..."

"In order for us to utilize its powers freely, it requires a fresh source of natural dragon fire." Sunset finished. "It specifically mentions that if it's left dormant for too long, which I imagine is definitely the case, after all these centuries on Everfree Island, the Dragonstone is just nothing more than a powerless rock."

"Well, that's no problem." Fluttershy shrugged at this. "I'm sure Spike would be able to assist us, since it's for a great cause."

"I would, but I can't." Spike sighed. "Don't you remember when Chestnut absorbed my magic? It not only rendered my wings useless, but also took away my natural fire breath."

"Oh, that's right..." Twilight recalled, but then also remembered something that would contradict this claim. "But wait, Spike... if that's the case, then how were you able to poof up that scroll you gave to Starlight a while ago?"

"I, um..." Spike looked around the room, nervously. "Okay, fine, I confess! Sunburst gave me that message while I was using the bathroom, earlier. I knew my dragon magic was gone, so I kept it hidden in my mouth the whole time, until I felt it was the right opportunity to give it to Starlight. I mean, I've delivered scrolls and messages for years now, I couldn't possibly subject myself to such humiliation!"

"Errr..." Twilight's mind drew a blank upon hearing this, before she continued. "It's... probably best that we don't mention this to Starlight then, for her sanity..."

"And I guess it makes sense Sunburst would personally hand you a scroll like that, since he mentioned he had trouble performing spells in magic school." Sunset deduced. "I may not have used magic in a while, but don't you need to cast a spell to deliver it through magic burping dragons? Anyways... that's besides the point, we're getting a little sidetracked here. I brought this up because... I don't know if we know a dragon who's able to willingly give up their dragon fire."

"How about Princess Ember or Smolder?" Spike suggested. "I'm sure one of them knows us well enough to trust us on matters as serious as this."

"I don't know about Princess Ember..." Twilight pondered. "She's the Dragon Lord, and I'm sure she absolutely needs her dragon fire to rule her land. Even if she was willing to give us her fire, I'd imagine she's literally unable to."

"Well wait just a minute, now." Applejack interjected. "We don't need ALL of a dragon's fire, do we? What if we just ask for a little, just to power the Dragonstone up?"

"It says that the fire absorbed through the Dragonstone can severely weaken a dragon exponentially over time." Sunset read the journal. "It's either that, or... well, let's just say, a rather bizarre... side effect. And we need as much dragon fire as we can to keep the magic active, so it's in our best interest to absorb as much as we can get."

"Hmm, I see..." Twilight analyzed the situation. "Well in that case, I suppose that just like Starlight, we should all head on over to the School of Friendship and see if Smolder's willing to part with her fire."

"Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie grinned, before she, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Applejack began trotting out of the Canterlot library. "Are you, Spike, and Sunset coming with us?"

"Not yet, I still have to hear back from Pest Control regarding the whole infestation mystery." Twilight replied. "I know I'm a princess now, but the last thing I want to be is a leader who breaks their promises."

Pinkie nodded, as the rest of the council exited, taking a train over to Ponyville, and on their way to reach the School of Friendship. Several minutes later, a stallion knocked on the library door, requesting permission to speak to the princess.

"Pest Control!" The stallion announced.

"Come on in!" Twilight invited the stallion inside, but was somewhat surprised to see who it was. "Wait... Dr. Whooves? Weren't you recently one of the candidates running for Vice Headmare at the School of Friendship?"

"Yes, Princess Twilight, that's right." Dr. Whooves replied. "But now that I've been given a chance to work with the professionals here at Pest Control, I've decided that my true calling is to protect and serve the creatures of Equestria from the most dangerous of pests, especially cockroaches."

"Alright, so... what's the analysis?" Sunset asked, rather curious. "Our friend determined that they're some kind of beetle larvae, but a type of beetle she's never even seen before?"

"Yes, the beetle larvae hypothesis was one of our first considerations as well." Dr. Whooves held up his clipboard and data analyses. "However, after conducting thorough tests, we can confirm that the samples are in fact, not beetle larvae cocoons, but rather beetle shells that had been shed."

"An adult beetle... molting from their shells?" Twilight thought back to her studies in school. "Okay, I know I took enough biology classes to know that... this doesn't sound normal at all for a beetle."

"Indeed, Princess." Dr. Whooves began explaining further. "After a further analysis, we discovered that the beetle in question is a species that was once native to The Isles of Scaly, known as the Stagma Beetle. It's a rare and highly intelligent species capable of shapeshifting and assimilating into various alternate forms. However, during the molting process, it must shed its outer shell, revealing its true form."

"Stagma Beetle?" Sunset began recalling her studies as well. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but... isn't that species said to be completely extinct from Equestria now?"

"That's what I believed too, and that would supposedly be a good thing." Dr. Whooves replied. "Because according to my research, the Stagma Beetle is one of the very few pests that were not only a nuisance, but a threat to Equestria, being that they are one of the natural predators of ponies, like you and I. In fact, the slightest detection of pony fur in their presence would naturally activate their hunting instincts, especially since they can go starving for centuries, and still survive. These things can even survive in lava, unscathed, which may also explain why they're able to breathe fire as well. And if you were having any doubts, take a look at my analysis from that sample you provided us with, back at my lab. Here's what one of them looks like, and it says here that based on the sample's DNA, it's a 99.99% match. You can't really argue with that, now can you?"

"Oh my... this is... worse than I thought..." Twilight said, rather concerned at the possibility of these beetles now being on the loose. "Do you have any idea where they might have come from?"

"Well, the most likely scenario is that they were brought here by some means, perhaps accidentally." Dr. Whooves theorized. "However, given the rarity of these beetles, and the fact that they've been extinct for over a thousand years, it's difficult to determine exactly what might've happened. Unfortunately, because of all of these combined circumstances, there's not a whole lot that Pest Control can do. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this report may have caused, Princess. But I'm afraid that asking us to take on these creatures is the equivalent of having us Pest Control an Ursa Major."

"So... you're saying you're too afraid to just do it?" Spike huffed. "You don't seem all that afraid, especially with all this scientific research you've lectured us with."

"Allons-y!" Dr. Whooves replied, rather unamused. "I'm very much afraid, I'm just better at hiding it. Besides, am I to understand that you're willing to risk your life by being Pest Control, instead?"

"You mentioned that they're natural predators of ponies, not dragons." Spike recalled.

"Hmm... alright, I suppose I'll give you that one." Dr. Whooves conceded. "Still, it's not exactly something I'd advise, as these beetles are more like wild animals, rather than your typical vermin. If you insist on taking matters into your own hooves, I'd recommend contacting the Equestrian Army for assistance, as they have the necessary resources and expertise to handle such a situation. Even then, according to my calculations, chances of survival against creatures like these, are particularly slim."

"I see..." Twilight said with a sigh. "Well, I'll take that under advisement, then. In the meantime, what do you suggest we do to ensure the prevention of another infestation here at Canterlot?"

"I'd advise you to keep an eye out for any further signs of these beetles being around." Dr. Whooves began to close his case. "As for prevention, well, that's where things get a bit tricky. The Stagma Beetle is known to prefer living in dark and isolated environments, but they have no known weakness, as far as I'm aware. If you discover any more signs of these pests being around, we'll be sure to keep in contact to finalize our research. I must say, it's not every day that we're asked to Pest Control something that's already been said to be extinct, I guess the declaration was only wishful thinking."

"Thank you for your report, Doctor." Twilight nodded, understanding the circumstances. "Dealing with these things... will certainly be a challenge..."

"Well, when you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Dr. Whooves said, out of the blue. "Or in this case, the Stagma Beetles, that works too."

The Pest Control stallion then trotted out of the library, leaving Sunset, Twilight, and Spike feeling rather anxious at the idea of potentially coming across these vicious beetles. They still had to search all over Equestria to gather intel regarding Chestnut's whereabouts, and the warning that even the most professional military in Equestria would struggle against these beetles... definitely put things into perspective. Now with the infestation report in mind, Twilight then prioritized heading over to the School of Friendship, and seeing if Smolder was willing to part with her dragon fire. What would become of Equestria's future, now that there were supposedly two major threats on the loose?

Chapter 74: Another Rainbow Roadtrip

Twilight, Sunset, and Spike began making their way over to the School of Friendship, now that they were given the full extent regarding the Stagma Beetle infestation. It was around this time, Twilight understood that graduation at CHS was approaching even sooner than expected, urging the princess to remind her friend of the upcoming big event. After all, it would've seemed extremely unfair to force Sunset to miss her graduation at the one school she had spent nearly her entire human life at. Twilight then remembered the magical clock she had put into Sunset's journal, and decided to tap her friend on the shoulder.

"So, Sunset?" Twilight addressed her friend and pupil from behind. "While we certainly appreciate everything you've done to help us acquire the Dragonstone, I'm getting a little more worried about your time in Equestria. Your graduation at CHS should be coming up pretty soon, so I was admittedly wondering if you wanted to return to your world now?"

"Oh, the graduation, that's right..." Sunset replied, understanding that time would be particularly tight. "Well, if you really think it's best, maybe I should go back now. Though I should probably check the time in the human world through my journal, since you gave me that magical clock. But my journal's in... wait... where's my saddlebag? It just occurred to me that I never took it with me on that expedition. Uh oh, did it possibly get stolen!?"

"No need to worry about that, Sunset." Twilight assured. "Remember how you left the meeting room to confront Chestnut on your own? Well, that's where you left it at, and I made sure to keep it in a safe place."

The princess then used her magic to poof up the saddlebag, which was hidden away in a discreet location in the castle.

"Well, I'm glad I can always count on my friends, I would have been really upset if it went missing." Sunset opened up her saddlebag and began searching for her journal, before taking out her Señor G. Echo plush.

"Ooh, is that...?" Twilight gasped, realizing what the plush was based on. "Señor G. Echo!? I remember Celestia showing me that puppet show in Canterlot, when I was just a filly!"

"I guess that makes two of us." Sunset giggled, whilst holding her plush, affectionately. "Princess Celestia gave this back to me when I was visiting her in Silver Shoals. The story surrounding how I found it in the first place? It's a pretty wild one, but it definitely embodied the heroes thwarting the villains in the end, much like one of his episodes. Are you rather surprised there's merchandise of Señor G. Echo?"

"Well, sort of." Twilight replied. "I mean, it's been around for a long time, and I've heard that many older ponies used to watch it when they were younger. It's just that I didn't expect to see a plushie of him, I always believed they were nothing more than a rumor. So if this is actually real, I'd have to imagine that toy would be pretty valuable?"

"Oh, you could say that again." Sunset grinned with confidence, knowing how she and her adoptive mother had foiled the nefarious schemes of Flim and Flam, much like the superhero leopard gecko himself would've done. "The fact that I even have this because of Princess Celestia, well, that certainly makes it a whole lot more special and priceless."

"That's very interesting to hear, Sunset." Twilight smiled. "I'm glad you were able to find that toy, and I'm sure it holds a lot of special memories for you. But for now... we should probably get back on track. You wanted to check the time in the human world through your journal, right?"

"Yeah, good call." Sunset continued digging through her saddlebag, until she found the clock within her journal. "Hmm, so it's only a little past 3 PM in the human world, that means I only have about one and a half days left before graduation. But... it seems I also have a message here from the other... you. Remember, the version of you who wears glasses? Pretty sure you've met her before in both worlds."

"I have, not every day you get to see another version of yourself from another world." Twilight recalled. "So with that much time left, if you really need to get back to the human world now, I'd completely understand. The council and I will sort out what to do about Chestnut, so that you won't have to miss out on graduation. How does that sound?"

"Actually, hold that thought, Twilight." Sunset began reading Human Twilight's message. "According to the other you, graduation at CHS has for some reason... been pushed back a day. She even included a picture of a notice signed by the principal herself. That means I have a little more time to help save Equestria, like I originally intended. Besides, I made a promise to Flash before he sacrificed himself, that I would stop Chestnut, no matter the cost."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I'm sure Flash wouldn't have held that promise over your head, if it entailed missing out on your big day." Twilight elaborated. "He might've simply meant that we should all use the Dragonstone to our fullest potential, and foil Chestnut's plans when the time's right."

"You make a good point there." Sunset thought back to Flash's final moments before the sacrifice on Everfree Island. "But I still feel like I owe it to Flash, I can't just abandon this endeavor to save Equestria now. Besides, if we wait until after my graduation, Chestnut might do something even more horrible to Equestria, very soon. I wouldn't want to risk that, and come back through the portal, only to suddenly see that ruined future we saw with Starlight."

"Hmm, alright... I understand." Twilight nodded, appreciating Sunset's willingness to stick around even longer than she had originally planned. "Sometimes, such things must be done, especially when it comes to having the responsibility to protect Equestria, now that Celestia and Luna are retired. In that case, we should probably head on over to the School of Friendship, meet up with the rest of the council, and decide where to go from there."

But just as Twilight, Sunset, and Spike were about to do just that, a familiar security stallion stepped out of the castle, requesting the princess in regards to an urgent matter.

"Uhhh, Princess Twilight?" Max Steele addressed from atop the staircase. "We... have a bit of a problem."

"What's going on, Mr. Steele?" Twilight turned around, curious at what had happened. "You escorted Captain Spruce to the Canterlot dungeon, correct?"

"Well, yes." Max replied, before he was about to address the more alarming news. "However, after locking him up to await his trial, I was patrolling the other cell blocks, and realized something quite alarming! Indigo Zap's cell had been melted open, and the pegasus herself had escaped!"

"Escaped?!" Twilight shrieked. "But how could that be? We thought she was being held in the most secure cell of the entire Canterlot dungeon!"

"We may still have hope at figuring out what had happened." Max began explaining. "Sour Sweet was in the cell directly across from hers, and she claimed to have witnessed what had happened. However, as best as I've tried to interrogate her, she's refusing to spill the beans."

"In that case, we should try to get some more information out of Sour Sweet." Twilight said, rather determined to get answers from the one royal guard who had been proven to abuse her authority. "We'll head into the dungeon and see if she'll listen to us, instead. Be sure to keep an eye out for anything else suspicious here in Canterlot, Mr. Steele. Especially any red beetles."

"Yes, Princess." Max nodded, before Sunset, Twilight, and Spike went on their way.

The trio had rushed into the dungeon faster than Pinkie Pie chasing an ice cream cart. When they had approached the dungeon's main corridor, they passed by the cell containing Captain Spruce, who was still atoning for his crimes from earlier. Eventually, the two mares and dragon saw that the cell with Indigo Zap's inmate number had seen better days. The bars were melted away, and as expected, the pegasus herself was nowhere to be seen. As such, the only pony who could've seen anything at all, was sitting directly across from Indigo's cell, the former royal guard who had attempted to abuse her authority by wrongfully convicting Sunset during the day of Twilight's coronation.

"Sour Sweet." Twilight turned to her former royal guard. "I do believe that since you were the only pony down here who could've witnessed what had happened, you owe us an explanation. What happened to that pegasus directly across from you?"

"Well, good to see you too, Princess... but I didn't see anything..." Sour Sweet began innocently, before turning into a more grouchy demeanor. "I was just sleeping, so why don't you get off my back!? Especially since you're with that pony who got me locked up in here in the first place!"

"You fully know well that you selfishly tried to imprison Sunset over some bonus, and that you've been abusing your authority for far too long!" Twilight raised her wings in hostility. "Now, I suggest you tell us exactly what happened in here, or I may add additional consequences when it comes time for your trial!"

"Like I care about that anymore!" Sour Sweet huffed. "I already know how you work, Princess! You can't fool me with your bluff."

"Alright, is that how you want to play things?" Sunset began, ready to add her own bargain. "How about... if you give us the answers we want, we'll let you out of your cell?"

"Err, Sunset?" Spike began, unsure of Sunset's plans. "Are you sure that's a good-"

"Trust me, Spike." Sunset replied, pretty confident with where she was going with her bargain.

"Ooh, for real?" Sour Sweet began with her usual sweet demeanor, before shifting back into her sour mood. "Alright, fine. Listen up, cause I'm only gonna say this once."

Sour Sweet then began sharing a flashback from her perspective, as it had already been a few days since she had lost her position as a royal guard, and was doing some hard time. Indigo Zap had just been brought into the prison by Max Steele, whom Sour Sweet didn't really care much about, since she was still bitter about everything earlier on that week. The two had merely engaged in small talk, though their conversations didn't really go much beyond recognizing that Sunset Shimmer was the main reason they were both behind bars.

"Ugh, I can't believe we both got thrown in prison because of that unicorn!" Indigo groaned, rather frustrated.

"Well, what'd you expect, huh?" Sour Sweet huffed. "She's the princess's best friend now, so there was nothing we could do about it."

"And a smart one, too." Indigo added. "So that checks out, for sure. I still can't believe she saw through me, I would've expected my performance as Dash to have been convincing, but she just had to be such a killjoy. I don't even know who I should be getting my revenge on, that unicorn, or Dash herself..."

As Indigo was thinking of nothing more than a way to potentially get her revenge, something else in the corner began to get her attention. A strange noise coming from within her cell, almost sounding as if something was scratching at her walls.

"Oh great..." Indigo growled. "Are there seriously mice down here too?"

Suddenly, the noises had stopped, before something began to crawl out of a small crevice within the floor. It was a lone Stagma Beetle, who had gotten separated from the rest of the swarm. The beetle had made its presence more apparent by burping, as a result of eating Postcrush's wedding cake. This not only caught Indigo's attention, but even startled her, when she saw that the burp had caused it to breathe a small wave of fire.

"What the heck is this thing, a cockroach dragon hybrid?" Indigo questioned, never having seen one of these before. "Hey, wait a minute, if it can breathe fire..."

"What are you doing?" Sour Sweet said from her cell, unsure of what was happening in the cell across from hers.

"Hey, little guy." Indigo said to the beetle, whilst offering it her hoof. "You want to be my friend and help bust us out of here-"

But before the pegasus could even finish, the beetle had immediately attempted to bite her, wanting another meal after having dessert. Indigo narrowed her eyes at this, realizing this strange bug was going to put up a fight, but decided it was her only hope at melting away her prison bars. Suddenly, Indigo had come up with an ingenious plan to help her escape.

"Alright, little guy." Indigo said to the beetle, before whacking it against the wall. "You really want to cook me up and have me for dinner? Try and get me, then!"

The beetle stood up from the sudden attack, now enraged. As Indigo tempted it to breathe fire by teasingly standing still and acting like a large target, the Stagma Beetle began breathing wave after wave of its fire breath, whilst the pegasus strategically dodged every volley of it. After a while of this, the prison bars behind Indigo had become hot enough to become liquid metal. Indigo saw her opportunity, before picking up a nearby stone, and using it to carve out a whole big enough in the bars for her escape. She had done this just in time, as the bars quickly cooled down and returned to their solid state, rather quickly.

The Stagma Beetle meanwhile, had become exhausted and frustrated with Indigo's little game, before hissing at the pegasus and escaping back through the crevice, hoping to reunite with the whole swarm. Not even questioning her luck, Indigo slipped out of her cell's melted bars and trotted over to Sour Sweet, rather surprised to see such a escape.

"Well, what do you know?" Indigo smirked at how well her plan had worked. "Now I can go and get my revenge on a certain somepony. Too bad for you, huh? You'll have to serve your sentence, it seems."

"You're kidding, right?" Sour Sweet frowned. "You're just going to leave me here?"

"It's not like I owe you anything." Indigo shrugged, before making her way out of the dungeon. "But if it makes you feel any better though, I'll get revenge for both of us!"

Indigo then made her way out of the dungeon with her incredible speed, completely throwing the guards off balance, and unsure of what they had just witnessed. The guards simply assumed it was most likely another royal guard in a hurry, as they didn't get a clear view of who the pegasus truly was. The flashback then ended, leaving Sunset, Twilight, and Spike rather worried.

"So, Indigo really did manage to escape because of one of those pests." Twilight sighed. "I really hope there's a way for us to truly deal with the infestation here in Canterlot."

"Hey, now that I've spilled the beans, a deal's a deal." Sour Sweet huffed. "Please, could you be nice for once, and open my little cell?"

"Forget it!" Spike spat. "There's no way we're really going to let you out, you still have plenty of time to serve! I'm sure Sunset was only saying that just to get you to talk, isn't that right?"

"No, I was being serious." Sunset kept her promise to Sour Sweet. "Twilight, could you please open her cell? She's still in hoofcuffs, so I'm sure she can't make it far, anyways."

"Even after all the trouble she caused you on my coronation day?" Twilight hesitated for a moment, but felt as though she could trust Sunset on matters as serious as this. "Alright... I hope you know what you're doing."

Twilight used her horn to input the magical code needed to open the dungeon cell in front of her. Shortly after, the bars had begun to rise, leaving an open space for Sour Sweet to leave her cell.

"Well then, thanks a bunch for releasing me." Sour Sweet said, as she exited her confinement space. "I guess in that case, I'll be free to head on home-"

"Not so fast." Sunset grabbed Sour Sweet by the hoof, a grip strong enough to where she couldn't wander off on her own. "While I may've asked Twilight to release you, I didn't say that you were off the hook, now did I? In fact, there's something you could do to help us."

"Let go of me, you brat!" Sour Sweet spat, trying to wriggle out of Sunset's grip. "You're actually going to hold my freedom for ransom!? How dare you! I refuse to help you in any way, you understand!?"

"Alright, if that's really how you feel, then you can go on ahead back into your cell." Sunset replied, before turning to Twilight. "By the way, Twilight? How long is the sentence for somepony convicted of the same crimes as her?"

"Abusing authority and committing fraud are both very serious offences." Twilight recalled the rulebook regarding Equestrian law. "If found guilty in trial, she may serve a sentence of up to 20 years, with no chance of probation."

"WHAT!?" Sour Sweet screeched in outrage. "That's ridiculous! I didn't even do anything that bad!"

"But it's definitely where you're headed, if you choose this path you're currently on." Sunset continued explaining. "If you help us with some more important matters, which may even include tracking down Indigo Zap's whereabouts, we may consider some leniency on your sentence. What do you think, Twilight?"

"That sounds fair enough, but I think we should first discuss this with Celestia and Luna before-" Twilight began, but remembered her former mentors were now retired. "Oh... that's right, we can't really do that anymore, so it really is up to me now. But what are you suggesting specifically, Sunset? Would this be like a bit of a probation period for Sour Sweet, to see if she can appeal for her crimes, and prove she'd be unlikely to reoffend?"

"Exactly, Twilight." Sunset nodded. "We'd like to give her a chance to redeem herself by working with us. Even if she ended up abusing her authority, Flash mentioned that she's still had many years of experience as a royal guard, so I'm sure she'd be able to help us wherever we need her. Now, Sour Sweet, are you with us?"

"Alright, I suppose if you'll give me a little chance." Sour Sweet began sweetly, but changed her tone rather quickly. "But if I end up getting stuck with that ridiculous sentence anyways, I'm holding you both responsible for not keeping your promises."

"Since I'm now in charge of the courtroom procedures here in Canterlot, I can assure you, Sour Sweet." Twilight explained. "I'll be sure to put in a good word for you, depending on how well your performance is. So, I think Sunset's made a pretty fair proposal, especially after all the trouble you've caused for her. In other words, you'll be released temporarily, and will follow any orders given to you by either Sunset, myself, or the council. And rest assured, if I get any report of you misbehaving, acting unreasonable, or ditching your duties, I'll not only maximize your sentence, but also make certain that you'll never find another job in Equestria ever again."

"Fine... I'll do it." Sour Sweet groaned. "Just don't expect me to be all sweet and happy about this."

"Well, you should've thought about that before making all those terrible decisions over the years." Spike folded his arms.

"I know it sounds difficult now, but I know from experience that if you want everypony to give you another chance, you have to work hard to prove it." Sunset reflected her time at CHS doing just that. "Alright, Twilight. Now that we've understood what's happened here, and made a deal with Sour Sweet, we should all head on over to this... School of Friendship place?"

"Sounds good to me." Twilight replied, as the entire group was making their way out of the dungeon, with the Dragonstone being carried by Spike.

Once everyone had exited the main castle, Twilight had instructed two nearby royal guards to bring them all over to the School of Friendship by using the royal chariot. The guards did as they were instructed, carrying the three ponies and dragon from Canterlot to Ponyville. After reaching their destination, the group got off of the chariot, ready to make their way inside. However, the guards specifically escorted Sour Sweet inside, and made certain to not let her out of their sight, as instructed by the princess herself. Sunset, Twilight, and Spike began making their way to the school, but as they were doing so, the princess voiced what was on her mind.

"Out of curiosity, Sunset?" Twilight began to inquire. "What gave you the idea to give Sour Sweet a chance to turn her life around?"

"Well, we did the same with that pirate captain." Sunset reflected. "I also befriended somepony else on Everfree Island, whom I didn't really think I'd get along with, so I figured we could still give Sour Sweet a fair chance. I know she was horrible to me, but she seemed really lonely and unhappy in there. I just figured that maybe if we gave her a chance to prove herself, she might change for the better. Plus, with the circumstances we're all currently dealing with, we're going to need all the help we can get."

"It's a pretty interesting approach to be open-minded." Twilight nodded. "I know I can be rather harsh and judgmental at times, which isn't always the best way to handle things. Even though you're not officially a member of the council, I'd imagine you'd still be a great mentor and advisor for us."

"Well, I'm flattered you think that." Sunset smiled. "If there's one thing I've learned from my time in the human world, it's that sometimes, the worst of us can surprise you in great ways. In fact, it was my human friends who taught me that you can always give someone a chance to prove themselves, no matter how bad they've been in the past. And they've shaped me into the leader I am now, determined to help her friends, and especially to save Equestria from Chestnut Magnifico."

"Your leadership skills with your human friends are really shining, especially after everything we had just been through on Everfree Island." Twilight said with confidence. "Though if we're going to further investigate as a means of tracking down Chestnut, we unfortunately might have to split up for a while. There's still research that needs to be done, on top of figuring out what specifically we need, in taking down a foe with the Bewitching Bell at their disposal."

"I'm sure we can still figure something out, as long as we put our mind to it." Sunset insisted. "After all, the most important thing is to not give up. Though I'm curious, how do we move forward when it comes to splitting up?"

"I can arrange search party groups with the rest of the council." Twilight began planning everything out. "We'd also need to check in every once in a while, to discuss our progress and share any new information we've gathered."

"And to keep in touch, we could use magical journals, like the one you use to communicate with Twilight." Spike suggested. "I'd volunteer to be the messenger through scrolls, but... well, you know why I'm out of commission now. But on a lighter note, the School of Friendship should be... just around the corner."

"Alright, I guess this means I'll finally get to see this school that you and Starlight have vaguely mentioned." Sunset turned to Twilight. "Pretty impressive how you technically now own two different schools, including the one I used to study at."

"Impressive, but definitely a lot of work." Twilight giggled. "You should've seen how many papers I've had to grade last term. It was still worth it though, especially since we've formed one of the most diverse communities to pursue an education in friendship."

"Been noticing that ever since I've taken an extended return to Equestria, especially when I saw dragons, changelings, and yaks all over Ponyville." Sunset recalled, before the trio finally stood in front of the School of Friendship.

"Here we are!" Twilight said, almost as if she was giving Sunset an exclusive tour. "What do you think, Sunset?"

"Wow, this is a school?" Sunset reacted with astonishment. "It looks like a pristine palace! Look at the waterfalls, the architecture, the... the..."

"Yeah, I guess you could say a little budget and hard work can really go a long way." Twilight looked proudly at her institution. "But in this case, the hardest part was actually convincing Chancellor Neighsay to approve of everything."

"Well, you definitely know how to set up an incredible learning environment!" Sunset admired the school's design. "This place looks even more luxurious than what I was accustomed to back in Canterlot. You might even be capable of running a Friendship University!"

"Err, let's just say there's a personal reason why I specifically chose not to endorse in something like that." Twilight alluded to the Flim Flam brothers doing just this a while back. "But regardless, I appreciate your feedback on the very establishment that I built from the ground up. It's always a good feeling to be acknowledged for something you've dedicated your time and heart into."

"Second that." Sunset agreed, before returning to what they were focusing toward. "Alright, so I guess we should now be searching for Starlight and the rest of the council? Where would they most likely be?"

"Given how Starlight's the new headmare of the school, we'll most likely find her in her office." Twilight believed.

"Headmare?" Sunset said, rather confused. "I remember her telling me she was the guidance counselor."

"She was, but this change was very recent, so I suppose she hadn't really gotten used to the new position just yet." Twilight shrugged. "I remember hearing the story of how it all happened, it was pretty crazy. In the end, Trixie's the new student counselor, but... I wasn't too wild about the idea."

"Knowing Trixie, I can see where you're coming from." Sunset leaned toward Twilight's belief, as they entered the school and trotted down the hallways. "I mean, she can get a little rambunctious and full of herself from time to time, but we can still get along pretty well. Though I'm mostly speaking from experience with the... other Trixie. Not sure I could see her as a responsible student counselor at CHS if she's too busy taking selfies of herself eating peanut butter crackers."

"You and me both, though I'm still happy for the fact that she made a huge contribution in helping Starlight turn her life around." Twilight agreed, before noticing they were finally approaching the headmare's office. "Oh, looks like we're here now!"

"Hello, may we come in?" Spike knocked on the door, awaiting a response.

"Come on in!" Sunburst announced, before the trio entered the office, and saw that there seemed to be trouble.

Starlight and Sunburst were in the middle of consulting matters that was rather crucial to the school, but they were unsure of a potential solution to their dilemma.

"Hey, Sis!" Sunburst said to Sunset, before realizing it was a bit informal. "Errr... you don't mind me calling you that, do you? Now that we know we share the same dad?"

"It's fine, especially since we're proven to be half siblings." Sunset shrugged. "Anyways, judging from the looks on you and Starlight's faces... I'm guessing there's something wrong?"

"That would be an understatement." Starlight sighed, before explaining. "You know that urgent matter Sunburst had to call me back to the school for? Well, it turns out that Chancellor Neighsay is overseeing an inspection of how the school's being run, now that test scores are up. The problem is, he'll also be bringing the rest of the EEA board, and they all have pretty high expectations for us."

"Well that shouldn't be too much of a problem." Twilight analyzed the situation. "I can't imagine Chancellor Neighsay will be as much of an issue now, after we put an end to Cozy Glow's plans and personally showed him how wrong he was."

"That'd be my first thought too, Twilight." Sunburst chimed in. "Except, this is Chancellor Neighsay we're talking about here. I don't really know him that well, but I know how ruthless and strict he truly is. We really shouldn't take any chances, especially since everypony on the EEA will be checking in on our performance, not just him."

"We really need to go above and beyond for the EEA." Starlight nodded. "We may have convinced Neighsay, but this is the first time that the entire board will be here. Who knows if they'll even judge us for breathing incorrectly?"

"Well, if it helps, I'm sure you all know how to run a school by now." Twilight assured. "You've both been doing well in your respective positions of the school, so you just need to keep on doing what you normally do. It's obvious to me at least, that you've all been working hard."

"Even so, the board also mentioned that they were really looking forward to meeting with the student counselor, to potentially get some insight on how the students have been performing so well." Starlight elaborated. "And as you all know... that's Trixie. Need I say more?"

"I understand the concern, but I don't think we should let that affect our performance." Twilight replied. "I'm sure we can find a way to showcase the school's strengths without putting Trixie in the spotlight. Besides, even if she does say something out of line, we'll be there to back her up."

"And that's another thing." Sunburst spoke up. "We don't even know where Trixie's gone off to. We've tried to get in contact with her the past few hours, but... nothing. She may've only just started as the new student counselor, but I can't say I'm impressed with her performance so far. Besides, not having the student counselor here? That won't be a good look for the school, how are we going to explain that to the board?"

"We'll just have to make sure that we're extra prepared for anything that comes our way, then." Twilight said with confidence. "I'm sure Trixie will turn up eventually. In the meantime, let's focus on making the school look its best."

Just then, a dragon student made her way into the office. She was accompanied by Pinkie and a changeling student, after hearing that the princess had just arrived at the institution.

"Hey, Twilight!" Pinkie announced, as she brought the two students over to the princess. "So... the rest of us talked to Smolder here, and she mentioned that she was maybe interested in giving up her dragon fire."

"Good work, Pinkie." Twilight nodded, as the energetic pony left the room to let them discuss details. "Alright, Smolder? So you're willing to give up your dragon fire for a greater cause?"

"Yeah, that's right." Smolder nodded. "Since I've been going to this school and learning all about friendship, I figured I could demonstrate what I've learned. But... before I give it to you, I was also wondering if I could get something in exchange for it? It's usually not the dragon's tradition to simply give up something for free."

"I understand, Smolder." Twilight was willing to level with her student. "Of course, I'd be more than happy to discuss what you'd like in return. Just know that anything you ask for, it must also be reasonable, and in line with the school's values."

"Oh, so I can't ask for automatic A's in all my classes?" Smolder teased. "Or better yet, a kiss from Spike?"

"W-What!?" Spike choked. "You... aren't serious, are you?"

"I'm just playing with you." Smolder snickered, though it left Spike a bit disappointed on the inside. "No, instead... I was wondering if I could ask for a little field trip with the rest of my closest friends here? Ocellus, could you give them the rundown?"

"Sure, Smolder." The young changeling turned to the others. "Since we've all gotten our grades up, we were thinking of potentially exploring newer places around Equestria. Not only would it be educational, but also a lot of fun! In fact, we were specifically wondering if you could take us... here?"

Ocellus handed Twilight a brochure of Hope Hollow, which also directly advertised Slice-N-Shake, a pizzeria arcade, which was a new tourists' attraction. Seeing this, the princess became skeptical, and began to deduce the real reason Smolder and her friends wanted to take a field trip there.

"Listen, since you've all been doing exceptionally well in your classes, there's no need to sugarcoat anything." Twilight assured, as she set the brochure aside. "You actually want to take a field trip to this pizzeria arcade place, don't you?"

"Well, uh..." Ocellus began nervously, but realized that she already messed up. "Alright, you got us! I guess I made things pretty obvious then, huh?"

"Okay, fine, we kinda wanted to go there, specifically." Smolder crossed her arms. "So what? It's not like we're going to cause trouble or anything. We just want to have a little fun and enjoy ourselves, especially after getting our grades up."

"Don't worry, I never said that you couldn't go to this pizzeria arcade place for your field trip." Twilight assured. "But I'm thinking you didn't pay too much attention during Applejack's lectures about honesty. Regardless, I'm happy to hear that you'll want to share this kind of fun with all your friends, and not just yourself. A nice demonstration of generosity and kindness, so it'd be an honor to say... yes, you and your friends may go there for a field trip."

"Really?" Smolder became a little skeptical. "You're not just saying that because you know I'm about to give up my dragon fire?"

"Come now, Smolder." Twilight said with assurance. "I don't think I'd be teaching every creature the values of honesty without embracing it all myself. Besides, it'd be very foolish to make promises I can't keep, I know from experience."

"Well, the field trip itself sounds perfectly reasonable." Starlight voiced her own opinion on the matter. "However, with the upcoming school inspection by the EEA, we'll need all the staff we can here, to make sure things go smoothly. Where are we going to get some teachers who can chaperone Smolder and her friends while they go on this trip?"

"Sounds like it's a good thing I decided to stick around a bit longer, then?" Sunset volunteered herself. "I may not exactly be a teacher, but I've led my own friends on many adventures before. What do you say, Twilight?"

"That's a very kind offer, Sunset." Twilight replied. "But are you sure you can handle it all on your own? I mean, these students are much younger than you, and you'd be responsible for their safety. It isn't the same as simply hanging out with friends."

"Don't worry, I can handle it." Sunset assured. "In fact, hanging with my friends also often entailed working with them to ensure their safety, so I know I have that kind of experience. Plus, it'd be nice to see a little more of Equestria for a while."

"Very well then, I trust that you'll do a great job, Sunset." Twilight nodded, before turning to Smolder and Ocellus. "As for the rest of you, remember to be on your best behavior and listen to Sunset. No shenanigans, alright?"

"Come on, now." Smolder rolled her eyes. "When was the last time we tried anything cheeky?"

"Did you forget when you were all expecting to automatically graduate, simply because you helped save Equestria from Cozy Glow?" Spike reminded.

"Oh, right." Ocellus blushed in embarrassment. "Good point, Spike."

"If I may interject, I think there should be a minimum of at least two chaperones, just to be safe." Sunburst advised. "Problem is, I don't really know anypony else who's available, if we're all needed here at the school for the EEA."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing we now have Sour Sweet." Sunset reminded.

"Hmm, good thinking, Sunset." Twilight agreed. "I suppose it'd also be a good punishment for her. She may've abused her authority as a royal guard, but she certainly can't anymore, not without her badge. This chaperone job might also teach her a thing or two about hospitality. Alright, so it's settled, then. Sour Sweet will help Sunset chaperone Smolder and her friends during their field trip to Hope Hollow."

"Sounds like a plan." Sunset said with enthusiasm. "But now the question is... where exactly is Hope Hollow?"

"Well, the last time my friends and I went, we traveled by hot air balloon." Twilight recalled. "But as you can imagine, we don't really have the option now, thanks to a certain goggle-wearing pegasus. I'm not really sure how else we can reach Hope Hollow, since it's not a destination that's marked on route for the Friendship Express."

"Hmm, I see..." Sunset began pondering. "But if that's the case, we might need to do some further research on Hope Hollow..."

"Excuse me?" Sunny Flare knocked on the wall from outside the office to make her presence known. "Did I just overhear that you were needed to reach Hope Hollow? As in, the town that regularly hosts the Rainbow Festival?"

"That's the one." Twilight confirmed. "Mayor Sunny Skies invited my friends and I there once to celebrate that."

"Alright, well if you're planning to take a trip there, I know a way, since that's my hometown." Sunny Flare began explaining. "You'd need to take the Endtrak Express. If I remember correctly, one of the stops is right outside of Ponyville. It's a bit of a longer train ride, but your very last stop should be Hope Hollow itself."

"Huh, you'd need a specific train to reach that town, even I didn't know that." Twilight said with astonishment. "That's good to know, Sunny Flare! Would you mind showing Sunset and her group the way to the train station?"

"Of course, no problem!" Sunny Flare smiled.

"Well, now that we have everything set for your field trip, Smolder?" Twilight turned to her dragon student. "Could we please have your dragon fire? We'll need to absorb it with the Dragonstone, which is what Spike's carrying."

"Oh, right, sure thing." Smolder focused her breath, ready to deposit her dragon fire, as requested.

She took a deep breath, before exhaling a long stream of flames. The flames were directed at the Dragonstone, which began glowing and slowly absorbing the dragon fire, little by little, until Smolder had nothing left within her. Once the transfer was complete, Smolder collapsed to the floor from exhaustion, but slowly got up, as she was still excited about the field trip she had bargained for.

"Phew, that took a lot out of me..." Smolder huffed, before getting back on her feet. "There... aren't any side effects to this, are there?"

"Well according to what we've researched about the Dragonstone, as long as we return the magic back to you, things should return to normal." Sunset recalled. "But it did mention potentially inhibiting your growth as you age. Something along the lines of... your limbs growing naturally, but your overall appearance staying the same."

"Eh, I can live with that." Smolder shrugged, before making her way out of the office. "C'mon, Ocellus! Let's go and tell the rest of our friends that we've earned ourselves a field trip!"

Ocellus followed Smolder out, as Sunset turned back to notice a fully-powered up Dragonstone. As Sunset reached out to take the Dragonstone, its surface began to glow brightly, bathing her in a warm, golden light. The power emanating from the stone seemed to flow directly into her, filling her with energy and vitality. The dragon fire had successfully granted Sunset immunity and resistance to magic draining effects.

"Well, looks like that worked exactly as we'd hope." Sunset said, feeling the Dragonstone's newfound power flow throughout her. "Alright, so I guess Sunny Flare and I can now bring everyone to the train station for the field trip. In the meantime, good luck with the school inspection, Twilight."

"Thanks, Sunset." Twilight replied, before handing Sunset a bag of bits. "Here's a little something from the school's budget to help you cover the trip's expenses. Have fun chaperoning this field trip! As for the inspection from the EEA, I'm sure it'll go smoothly, as long as we demonstrate the performance of our students."

As the two ponies waved goodbye to each other, Sunset and Sunny Flare left the office together, searching for Smolder and her group of friends, as well as Sour Sweet. Once they had done so, they gave the full rundown of everything that was just discussed with Twilight. Sandbar, Gallus, Ocellus, Yona, Smolder, and Silverstream were all overly excited to partake in this field trip Smolder had earned for them all, while Sour Sweet rolled her eyes in frustration at now being stuck with a babysitting gig. The former royal guard knew she had no choice, if this meant regaining her freedom, so she swallowed her pride and went along with it, before following Sunset, Sunny Flare, and the students out of the school.

Once the entire group had reached the Ponyville train station, Sunset used some of her bits to purchase eight train tickets for everyone, as they all began waiting. They were in luck, as according to the train schedule posted on the bulletin board, the upcoming Endtrak Express was the last one for the day. Sunny Flare then waved goodbye to the group, as she had now signed up as a new student at the School of Friendship. As the students sat around, they were in a mix of excitement for visiting Hope Hollow specifically, whilst the others were more looking forward to having fun at Slice-N-Shake.

"Do you all think Yona will meet new pony friends in this Hope Hollow place?" Yona asked, curiously.

"I suppose, but since we're going to that new arcade, I'm looking forward to crushing everyone else's high scores." Gallus envisioned.

"Yeah, that's what I hope to take away from the trip as well." Silverstream nodded in agreement. "Pinkie's fun and laughter lessons have certainly been a blast!"

"It'll be a nice change of pace, considering how stressful our exams have been, lately." Sandbar acknowledged. "I don't know what I would've done if I didn't get that A."

"Well, now you'll finally get a rewarding experience." Smolder put her arms behind her head as a cushion. "Pretty sweet how I managed to earn us this whole trip, just because they needed my dragon fire, huh?"

"It was a team effort, Smolder." Ocellus corrected. "You just happened to be the one with the dragon fire."

"Alright, fine... if you say so." Smolder rolled her eyes. "So this new pony... Sunset, I think? I don't think I've ever seen you at the School of Friendship before. Are you our substitute teacher, or something?"

"Oh, um... well, I'm not a teacher." Sunset scratched her ear, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm actually Twilight's friend from Canterlot. I just happened to be there when Twilight mentioned that she needed somepony to chaperone you all for this field trip."

"So you're not even a teacher, huh?" Gallus raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess that means she can't boss us around or hold our grades over our heads."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Sunset shrugged, understanding the struggles she went through during school. "I'm just here to make sure everyone has a fun and safe time on the trip. Twilight trusts me with all of you, and she's confident that I can handle any situation that comes up. Besides, I'm sure Twilight does everything she can to make sure you all do well in your studies. I know she's put in a lot of work to make this school a success."

"That's true." Sandbar nodded. "Imagine if the school was still being run by Chancellor Neighsay or Cozy Glow."

"Nasty ponies!" Yona hissed. "Nasty ponies make Yona want to be nasty, herself!"

"Will you all be quiet!?" Sour Sweet snapped, getting tired of all this banter. "It's bad enough that I'm not getting paid to babysit you punks, but now you're giving me a serious headache!"

"Sour Sweet." Sunset looked sternly at the pegasus. "What did Twilight tell you before we left Canterlot?"

"That if she got any report of me misbehaving, it'll affect her decision to lighten my punishment, blah blah blah..." Sour Sweet grumbled.

"Exactly." Sunset crossed her hooves. "If you can't at least try to behave, I'll have to report it when we get back. This is better than being locked up, don't you think?"

"Fine, fine..." Sour Sweet sighed. "Just don't expect miracles, okay? Sheesh..."

"Hey, is that the train we're looking for?" Silverstream flew up into the air, spotting an approaching train in the distance.

"I think so." Sunset glanced over at the train. "I see 'Endtrak Express' on the side, so it looks like our ride's here!"

As the train finally approached the platform, Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the students all handed the inspector their tickets, before getting let aboard the train. Unlike the trains that Sunset had gotten accustomed to riding, this train appeared to be a massive upgrade. Not only was the train's interior decorated beautifully, but there were even beds aboard, allowing passengers to sleep overnight, if needed. As Sunset and her group searched around for their bedrooms, they saw that each room had enough beds for six passengers, which meant that two of them needed to share a separate room.

"It looks like you six are in luck." Sunset opened the cabin, showing the students to their room. "You all get to share a room together, while Sour Sweet and I can take the room next door. Be sure to knock if you need anything, alright?"

"Thanks, Miss Sunset." Ocellus said with gratitude, before admiring the new room with her friends. "This place is so much nicer than the Friendship Express! It's like a hotel room, but on wheels!"

Sunset placed her saddlebag within a storage container and locked it, before turning to Sour Sweet. Although they had initially gotten off on the wrong hoof, Sunset still wanted to give the pegasus the benefit of the doubt, especially after her experiences here in Equestria. She had initially believed there were certain ponies who weren't worth befriending at all, mainly because they were never really her friends in the human world. But after befriending Sunny Flare, and even psychologically understanding Pony Wallflower Blush, Sunset felt that Sour Sweet had potential, too. Was there something in particular that made the former royal guard act so sour, and not sweet at times? Sunset kept this in mind, but for the time being, focused on being a chaperone for the students, like she had promised Twilight.

"Well, as much as I'm not a fan of this community service you hooked me up with, at least we got a decent place to crash for the night." Sour Sweet began laying down on one of the beds. "It's probably built for the rich ponies or something. Guess I'll get some sleep."

"It's a little early for bed, don't you think?" Sunset began skimming the train schedule. "According to this, they'll be serving dinner pretty soon. Don't you maybe want to go out and socialize for a bit? It'd be a nice change of scenery from sitting around in the dungeon all day."

"Well... alright, I guess a decent meal sounds good right about now." Sour Sweet shrugged, before getting up to follow Sunset.

The two ponies exited their cabin and began making their way into the train's dining room. The presentation was absolutely exquisite, it was as if a fancy restaurant was sitting right before them, but on a train! To both Sunset and Sour Sweet, who were well familiar with Canterlot, the standards and vibes were about the same as the high class city they were familiar with, which was definitely surprising. Not even the train in Canterlot went above and beyond for their passengers, yet this arbitrary train headed toward a town that neither of them had been to before, did.

While being reminded of Canterlot, Sunset looked around the dining room, and spotted in the distance, a familiar stallion who had cooked many of her meals, back when she was Princess Celestia's pupil. It had admittedly been years since they had seen each other, as for all Sunset knew, Mr. Ramsay had cooked for thousands of fillies during his time in Canterlot, and since she was now an adult mare, would he even recognize her? Sunset approached the stallion, who was preparing dinner.

"Mr. Ramsay?" Sunset addressed from the kitchen's entrance.

"Ah, Miss Sunset Shimmer?" Gourmand Ramsay smiled, trotting over to greet her. "Is that really you? I often heard a rumor that you had been banished from Canterlot."

"That's about halfway true." Sunset acknowledged. "It mostly boiled down to Princess Celestia removing me as her pupil, but we've made up since then. I certainly remember when you used to cook for me in Canterlot, and I especially loved your Leaf Wellington!"

"Well, it's nice to see that you remember those times." Gourmand Ramsay reflected. "Ah, yes... I had to go out and buy new produce every night, just to satisfy your cravings for that very meal. Not that I'm complaining, of course. It always meant a lot to me that somepony loved my cooking so much, that Princess Celestia herself had to put in the requested order for me."

"I really do miss those days, they seemed so serene." Sunset reminisced of those good times. "So, why exactly are you now working on the Endtrak Express, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It really boiled down to preference." Gourmand Ramsay shrugged. "I got a little bored of Canterlot, so I took a chance and applied to work here on the Endtrak Express, thinking that it might be nice to travel and see more of Equestria. Little did I know that I'd end up cooking on a train that's practically a moving palace!"

"Yeah, I can't believe how fancy this place is, either." Sour Sweet added. "You'd think we were riding this train to Canterlot, but no. The trains with an actual route to Canterlot are nothing like this. So it looks like you've found a hidden gem worthy enough of your cooking. I should know, since I've tasted it before."

"Well, I must say, it's always a pleasure to have customers who appreciate my work." Gourmand Ramsay said with confidence. "Now, if you two lovely mares wouldn't mind, dinner will be served shortly. We'll be having the braised carrots and eggplant, with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. It's a personal favorite of mine."

The two mares nodded and exited, making their way back into the dining room. It was certainly a treat for Sunset to reunite with her childhood chef from Canterlot, and even Sour Sweet appeared to have respect for the stallion. Since dinnertime was still approaching, both mares decided they needed to do something to pass the time. They glanced over across the dining room, noticing a whole group of ponies who were also presumably on their way to Hope Hollow.

"Well, it was kinda fun to talk to a star like Mr. Ramsay." Sour Sweet had sweetened her visibly sour mood from earlier. "Maybe there's something more to this whole... socializing thing, after all."

"I'm glad to hear that." Sunset smiled, liking Sour Sweet's new attitude. "Sometimes, it's good to just focus on yourself and do what makes you happy. If you want to make a few new friends here, I say, go for it."

Sour Sweet got up and did just that, as she began trotting over to have a conversation with the three mares on the opposite side of the dining room. The only other pony who wasn't currently engaging in conversation was a sky-blue stallion with a top hat and bowtie. Feeling as if she should encourage Sour Sweet's newfound enthusiasm to make new friends, much like she did with Sunny Flare, Sunset got up from her chair and approached the stallion, wanting to socialize herself.

"Hello there." Sunset addressed the stallion, who turned around and gave a friendly smile.

"Oh, hello!" The stallion tipped his hat. "I'm glad to see we've got some newcomers visiting our lovely town! Err, you are heading toward Hope Hollow, is that correct?"

"Yeah, we're taking a little field trip there, it'll be our first time, Mr... uhh?" Sunset began, but was unsure of the stallion's name.

"Oh, how rude of me to not give proper introductions." The stallion put a hoof on his face. "Well, stuff me in an olive and call me a pimento! Except, please don't, since that's not actually my name. The name's Sunny Skies, I'm the mayor of Hope Hollow."

"You're Sunny Skies?" Sunset's eyes widened in surprise, since she had vaguely been hearing about him, along with the possibility of him being the 'Sunny S.' she needed to be wary of. "Oh, well... I've actually heard a thing or two about you, let's just say."

"You have?" Sunny Skies listened on in curiosity. "What'd you hear, perhaps something related to our lovely town's Rainbow Festival?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Sunset replied, trying to see if this Sunny S. had any connection to the one that Party Favor supposedly knew. "Hey, out of curiosity, have you ever gone by the name... 'Sunny S.' before?"

"Uhh, what now?" Sunny Skies scratched his head, unsure of what he was really being asked. "I mean, that sure is one way of saying my name, but I don't really... oh, wait a second! I get it now. Because you haven't told me your name yet, this is just a little introduction to you wanting to play a game of riddles with me. Well that's certainly fun, in that case, go on ahead and give me a hint, and hopefully I'll be able to guess your name."

Sunset went along with it, as Sunny Skies' response made him seem like the least likely pony responsible for destroying and bringing Equestria to ruin. Combined with the fact that he didn't seem to ever go by 'Sunny S.', and as Twilight had alluded to earlier, the stallion looked completely different from her, Sunset immediately ruled out the possibility of Sunny Skies being the culprit behind that future.

"Alright." Sunset thought of a clue to help Sunny Skies deduce her identity. "I'm a close friend and student of Princess Twilight. She taught me the values of friendship, even when I didn't think it was really important."

"Oh... OH!" Sunny Skies began to heavily brainstorm, remembering the last time the Rainbow Dash and her friends had visited Hope Hollow. "Princess Twilight herself actually attended our last Rainbow Festival, and she's shared certain things from her personal life... don't tell me, don't tell me!"

Sunset waited around, giving the stallion some time to think, as Sunny Skies got a closer look at Sunset, recognizing the sunny patterns in her mane and tail.

"Your mane and tail..." Sunny Skies observed. "They resemble the Sun... just like your cutie mark! And since you're a close friend and student of Princess Twilight... AHA, I've got it! You must be... Starlight Glimmer!"

"Well, it was a good try, but I'm afraid you're mistaken." Sunset giggled, realizing that the mayor made the same mistake as Dusty Pages. "No, I'm actually-"

"Come on, you can't fool me." Sunny Skies insisted. "I remember doing enough studies on astronomy to know that the Sun is very much considered a star. And since your mane and tail give off the light of the star, combined with being a close friend and student of Princess Twilight, you absolutely must be Starlight Glimmer. She's told me all about you, back when we had the last Rainbow Festival."

"But I assure you, that's not who I am... at all." Sunset tried to explain herself again. "My name is actually-"

"Oh, alright... I understand." Sunny Skies interrupted. "How rude of me to address you by your full name, like you're in trouble, or something. Who am I after all, your parent? No, so instead, I'll just call you 'Starlight' from now on. Nice to meet you, Starlight!"

"Please, I've been trying to tell you, my name's really-" Sunset began, before getting cut off again.

"Starlight G.?" Sunny Skies suggested. "If your question from earlier was anything to go by? Nah, that doesn't roll off the tongue that well. I liked simply 'Starlight' better, so I'll just call you that. I hope your visit to Hope Hollow will be an amazing experience, Starlight."

"Um... okay... thanks, I guess?" Sunset was unsure of how to respond at this point, so she continued the conversation normally. "Well, it's nice to meet you too, Sunny Skies- err, I mean, uh... Sunny?"

"Either name is fine, though I definitely prefer adding the 'Skies' at the end, since it honors both my dad and granddad, who passed down their Rainbow Generator to me." Sunny Skies explained. "But that's a story for another time, since according to the clock, it's almost dinnertime. Hope you're hungry for some good food cooked by Gourmand Ramsay, Starlight."

"Yeah, for sure." Sunset replied, as Sunny Skies began trotting back to his cabin, prompting Sunset to mutter under her breath. "He can get Mr. Ramsay's name right, but not mine...?"

Chapter 75: WHERE'S THE LAMB SAUCE!?!

Brushing off the fact that Sunny Skies had somehow mistook her for Starlight Glimmer, Sunset brought her attention to the other side of the room. Sour Sweet had been chatting it up with the three other mares, who were all rather friendly. Sunset wasn't able to hear much from their conversation, other than the fact that these mares not only resided in Hope Hollow, but also had jobs there. Once she had mingled enough, Sour Sweet trotted back over to Sunset, and seemed to be in a better mood.

"Those ponies from Hope Hollow sure know how to welcome their guests." Sour Sweet acknowledged, but then unexpectantly turned sour again. "That said, I still can't help but resent this dumb, volunteer babysitting job! Do we really have to hang out with those six obnoxious brats this whole trip...?"

"Well, you know that's what Twilight wanted us to do." Sunset reminded. "And we're supposed to learn something from this, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." Sour Sweet scoffed, making a mocking face. "The magic of friendship, and all that nonsense. I hear Princess Twilight spewing this kind of thing all the time. Well, I'll try to keep an open mind, but if those brats start getting on my nerves too much, just know that I warned you..."

"Come on, there's no need to resort to anything like that." Sunset said, trying to get Sour Sweet's mind off of potentially harming the students. "And even if they do get on your nerves, you can just talk to me about it, and we can find something else for you to do."

"If you say so." Sour Sweet rolled her eyes. "But hey, now that I've socialized, I'll just be in our room, waiting until dinner's served. Don't bother waking me up until it's time to eat."

The sour pegasus marched back into her cabin, leaving Sunset feeling rather confused. Sure, it made sense how she wasn't wild about the idea of being a chaperone for the students, but why was she still fixated on her sour attitude, despite seemingly making some new friends? Sunset respected Sour Sweet's wishes in not being disturbed until dinner was prepared, so she trotted over to the trio of mares, trying to get an idea of what might've been internally bothering the pegasus, as she was mingling.

"Hey there." Sunset greeted the mares, as they all turned their attention to her. "I see you've met my chaperone buddy there. We're... in charge of bringing some students to Hope Hollow for a field trip, let's just say."

"Oh, how nice of you two!" Petunia Petals spoke up. "We're so lucky to have such wonderful role models for our youth! She mentioned something about this, which I find absolutely humble, given how I'm foalsitting here on the train, as well. It's a lot of work, but I know it's always worth it in the end."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be just fine." Torque Wrench said. "I've seen you with Barley and Pickle Barrel before, and I know for a fact that they wouldn't trade you for any other sitter in Equestria."

"That's something I truly admire about our wonderful town." Kerfuffle added. "I think we're all very fortunate to have each other, such hardworking and dedicated ponies. Though we owe it all to Princess Twilight and her friends, since they not only brought everypony together as a community, but even allowed our colors to return."

"So you all know Twilight, as well?" Sunset responded. "I guess that's not surprising, since I just met Sunny Skies, and he mentioned something about Twilight and her friends attending the last Rainbow Festival. He also said that he's the mayor?"

"Not just the mayor, but also now my fiancé, too!" Petunia smiled. "You should've been there when he gave the speech he had worked so hard on for our proposal, it was the most romantic thing ever!"

"Congratulations, it must be nice to find your special somepony." Sunset commended. "I'm guessing you help him run the town, like the mayor's assistant?"

"Actually, I'm mostly the manager of Hotel Hope, alongside being the librarian, information guide, historian, chef, portrait painter, AND florist." Petunia listed.

"We often joke about you having the most impressive resumé, Petunia." Torque Wrench added. "Though I'm sure that none of those jobs are as stressful as mine, everypony expects the old repair pony to fix their stuff like a magician. It may be even more difficult, now that I'm taking a secondary job here, as the Endtrak Express's maintenance engineer."

"I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job, just like with everything else, Torque Wrench!" Kerfuffle encouraged. "I especially can't thank you enough for fixing my shop's air conditioning unit, even though I was still short around 10 bits!"

"Come on, Kerfuffle." Torque rolled her eyes in amusement. "This is like the fifth time you've brought this up, it's no big deal when it's literally what I'm getting paid to do."

"Taking on a job shouldn't just be about the money, though." Petunia reminded everypony of her work ethic. "It's also important to consider if you have real passion for that job, even if the pay isn't that great. Cause if you hate your job, you really can't be surprised for getting fired. At least, that's the advice I gave to your friend, Sour Sweet."

"You told her that?" Sunset raised an eyebrow, but understood that Petunia's heart was in the right place. "Well, although I can agree with that, real life tends to think otherwise. It's great to find a job that pays well, and is something you're passionate about, but sadly, not everypony can be lucky enough to have such a luxury. Even my friend Rarity, mentioned that although she's dedicated to her craft as a fashion designer, sometimes, business can be slow, and there's not much she can do about it."

"You know THE Rarity?" Kerfuffle's eyes widened. "How wonderful, especially since I recently got to meet her. I've specifically used many of Rarity's works as an inspiration for my own designs, and I've always been happy with the results! That said, I can agree with that mindset. When you can only rely on your passions as a freelance designer, it becomes difficult to rely on consistent business from time to time."

"That's why I chose the career path I did." Torque reflected. "I may not always like my job, in fact, I resent how stressful it can be at times. But it's what I've trained my whole life to do, and I'm happy that it's enough to put food on the table. Your friend there also asked how much I make a year, and let's just say... quite a hefty salary. Being a repair pony pays well."

"Nice to know..." Sunset replied, now getting a better understanding on what must've been bothering Sour Sweet. "But I've learned it's not always all about the money. I mean, I love what I do, and it may not pay that well, but there's just that feeling about making a difference, right? Like, I could be making a lot more at a bigger company, but I'd rather do something that helps others, even if it's not as profitable."

"You could never convince me to rely soley on one job at a corporate company." Petunia shuttered. "I've heard horror stories about sudden layoffs immediately after the holidays, and even mistreatment with underpaying, despite the unreasonable amount of hard work the employees are put through. I know it sounds like I'm overworking myself with the many jobs I've signed up for, but trust me, it's a life of luxury compared to working for a big and successful company."

"Well, I'm sure that with the jobs you three currently have, you're all contributing something great to Equestria." Sunset smiled, before turning to Petunia. "So you mentioned that you're a historian, Petunia? I'm admittedly curious as to why this train is known as the 'Endtrak Express', since it's my first time boarding it."

"Oh, well I'm glad you asked." Petunia began explaining. "Like Kerfuffle had mentioned earlier, when Hope Hollow was devoid of all color and hospitality among everypony, it wasn't doing so well. In fact, we all started struggling financially, after becoming so distant with each other. But when Princess Twilight and her friends came by, they helped each of us find a part of ourselves we were missing, which resulted in the colors slowly returning back to the town, that was once known as the 'End of the Rainbow', as it had been for generations. Hence why it's known as the Endtrak Express, though it wasn't always this fancy."

"You're telling me." Kerfuffle added. "After Hope Hollow began thriving again, we were able to afford renovations for our town train. I took the liberty of designing the interiors you see here, and the addition of train beds to allow ponies to sleep overnight. Cause truth be told, Hope Hollow's certainly pretty far away from Ponyville. And although I came up with the remodeling ideas, Torque here was the one who managed to put everything together."

"Well, I've had plenty of experience working with rail systems, so I'm just glad that I was able to help out." Torque said, proudly. "Besides, I needed to find some work after assisting in the construction of Hope Hollow's latest project, some pizzeria arcade known as Slice-N-Shake, or something like that."

"Oh, that's actually what our students are largely looking forward to visiting." Sunset recalled. "Some kind of a tourists' attraction, from what I've heard. Well, I guess it makes sense why you and Torque are here, Petunia. Maintenance engineer and foalsitting sound like pretty important jobs. What about you, Kerfuffle?"

"I'm just returning from a business trip in Manehattan." Kerfuffle explained. "See, I got the word that a brand new fashion firm opened up recently, known as Pommel's Piqué. I knew the name sounded familiar, as Rarity often held Miss Pommel in such high esteem. When I arrived, I worked with her, alongside her new business partner, Miss Valencia, to pitch the idea of something worn in cold weather. I came up with a sparkly, dark blue fur coat, modeled after some of Rarity's designs. They both loved the idea, but asked if I could return to my shop and bring them a prototype, before they go further with the pitch."

"Sounds pretty interesting, I know a few friends who really enjoy wearing fur from time to time." Sunset reflected the fur outfits her human friends sometimes wore, and was also happy to hear that Coco and Vignette sounded like they were doing well for themselves. "Well, it was certainly nice to meet you all, definitely looking forward to visiting Hope Hollow."

"It's always nice to have new faces around Hope Hollow." Petunia smiled. "We're glad that you decided to visit our lovely town, and we're all looking forward to having you and your students make the most of your visit. If you have any questions about our little slice of Equestria, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Sounds like we could talk more about it over dinner." Kerfuffle chimed in, as the other mares turned to see that the kitchen door had been opened. "Looks like Mr. Ramsay's ready with our entrées."

Gourmand Ramsay rang the dinner bell, alerting every train passenger to report to the dining room for supper. Moments later, Sunset and the three mares were accompanied by the six students, Sour Sweet, Sunny Skies with Barley and Pickle Barrel, and a pegasus mare, whom Sunset couldn't immediately recognize. Sunset gave the students the rundown of what Petunia had just told her, which urged the students to sit nearby Petunia, having all kinds of questions regarding Hope Hollow.

As this was happening, the unknown pegasus mare sat elsewhere with Torque, joined by Sour Sweet, while Kerfuffle sat with the two fillies Petunia was foalsitting. Sunset realized that since there were no more available seats, she had no choice but to dine at the smallest table, which only had two chairs. It felt a bit awkward, in the sense that she had met so many new faces lately, but still ended up having to dine by herself. Luckily, this feeling was quickly disregarded, when she noticed that Sunny Skies was coming by to accompany her, shortly after grabbing his dinner plate from Mr. Ramsay.

"Well, I guess we'll be dining together then, Starlight." The mayor greeted, as he began digging into his food. "While I was in the cabin, it sounded like you've met my wife, Petunia?"

"Yeah, I've just met her." Sunset glanced over at the aforementioned pony. "She's certainly a kind and hardworking mare, and it sounds like you two have a very happy marriage. I'm guessing you're both watching over those two foals, together?"

"You mean Barley and Pickle Barrel?" Sunny Skies turned around in his chair. "Yeah, those twins are the foals of one of Petunia's closest friends in Hope Hollow. They're also pretty well known for being the founders of their very own Rainbow Dash fan club. Petunia and I agreed to not only watch after them, but also take them around Equestria for a little traveling, while their parents are on a business trip. The main reason's because... well, Petunia and I have contemplated whether or not to have foals of our own. Watching over these twins is certainly one way we'll have that practice and experience."

"I'm glad to hear." Sunset commended. "It's always nice to see couples who take care of each other, and help out their friends, as well. Sounds like you two are a great example of that."

"Much obliged." Sunny Skies tipped his hat. "And if you don't mind me asking, what about you, Starlight? Do you have a special somepony back home, or plan to have foals of your own?"

"Well... I don't really know about having foals, at least for now." Sunset replied. "But as for having a special somepony..."

Sunset knew that the only one ever romantically involved with her was the Human Flash, but realized that it would be pretty difficult to explain everything to the mayor, without it sounding all bizarre. And claiming that she had a romantic relationship with the late Pony Flash would feel like a spit on his grave, especially after he had given his piece on the idea of being romantically involved with Princess Twilight. In the end, Sunset eventually decided to allude to Human Flash, but not go too much into detail.

"I used to be close with a certain stallion back home, but..." Sunset began, before thinking of the best way to summarize what had happened. "Let's just say that things didn't really work out between us, to where he broke up with me. I don't really blame him, since... it was really my fault, looking back."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Starlight..." Sunny Skies' ears went down in sadness. "It's never easy when things like that happen. But please, take comfort in the fact that here in Equestria, it's a big place where there's lots of mares and stallions out there, all looking for their special somepony. If you look toward the future with your head held high, and learned from your past mistakes, I'm sure you'll be destined to find them, someday."

"I appreciate the kind words, Mayor." Sunset took a sip of her cider. "But to tell you the truth, I've felt lonely for a while, mostly because I shunned the idea of making friends. I imagine that certainly contributed to how I treated him back then. And let's just say that... for personal reasons, I'm just not all that interested in pursuing a relationship, but maybe things will change later on. After all, I've still got my whole life ahead of me."

"It's never easy to go through these things." Sunny Skies nodded. "I can't tell you how to live your life, but please, don't close yourself off from the possibility of finding love. Equestria is a beautiful place, and I'm sure there are plenty of ponies here who would be honored to be by your side. I know Petunia always was for me, long before I proposed to her."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sunset acknowledged, as she continued eating her dinner. "For now, I think I'll just focus on enjoying my time here, and helping out wherever I can."

Just then, the kitchen door swung wide open, prompting everyone in the dining room to look over, only to see a distressed and outraged Gourmand Ramsay.

"WHERE'S THE LAMB SAUCE!?!" Mr. Ramsay shouted, as every passenger's eyes widened in a mix of surprise and uncertainty.

"What's a lamb sauce?" Yona questioned. "Yona never heard of this sauce, chef pony."

"Maybe it's a sauce made from sheep's milk?" Gallus shrugged. "Doesn't really sound appealing to me."

"Or is it sauce that you rub on a lamb, almost like sunscreen?" Sandbar suggested.

"My Celestia, don't you even DARE compare it to anything as insignificant as that!" Mr. Ramsay yelled. "My Equestrian-famous lamb sauce is a special concoction of rare and expensive, gourmet ingredients! It's called 'lamb sauce', because it's the favorite treat of my dear pet lamb here, Rumpole!"

The aforementioned lamb slowly crawled out of the kitchen, looking rather saddened by the fact that his special treat had vanished. Rumpole continued staring at the passengers sadly, before slumping back into the kitchen.

"Aww, poor little lamb." Silverstream said, glumly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll turn up." Ocellus assured.

"Oh, it'll turn up all right." Mr. Ramsay huffed. "But not in time for when I make my special dessert tonight!"

"It's just a little sauce, isn't it?" Smolder tried to deescalate the situation. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Well let me tell you, Rumpole's tears of heartbreak have put me in a very sour mood!" Mr. Ramsay glared at the passengers. "And I'm suspecting that someone on this train snatched it from me when I wasn't looking! If my little lamby can't have his lamb sauce, then no one here gets to eat dessert tonight!"

"W-WHAT!?" Sunny Skies choked on his food. "Oh my, this is a LOT more serious than I thought! Folks, Mr. Ramsay's world famous sticky toffee pudding is to die for! We'll all have to work together to find that lamb sauce! Sounds like... we've got a mystery on our hooves, oh, how exciting!"

"Wait a minute, if we can't have dessert tonight, then why don't we just have it tomorrow, instead?" Torque suggested. "I'm sure the lamb sauce will turn up eventually."

"Refusing to help find something that's gone missing, huh?" Sunny Skies stared at the repair pony. "That must make you... a suspect!"

"Wha... me!?" Torque spat, aghast. "You've known me for many years, Sunny! You should know that I've always been a hardworking and honest mare! I'd never steal, let alone from Mr. Ramsay!"

"Plus, she was with us here in the dining room, the entire time!" Kerfuffle added. "How could you, Mayor?"

"Errr... terribly sorry." Sunny Skies realized he took it too far. "It's not every day we encounter a perplexing mystery, so I just wanted to spice things up a bit, to add some suspense and tension."

"Well, the sooner we find that lamb sauce, the sooner we can all have dessert." Torque rolled her eyes. "So, did anyone here see anything suspicious during dinner?"

Every other passenger all shrugged and murmured, rather confused. How could any of them have been the culprit, when they were sitting in the dining room, casually enjoying their supper? While looking around the tables, Sunset recalled everyone who was present at the start of dinnertime. It appeared as though every passenger was accounted for, still sitting at one of the tables. However, Sunset soon realized that one of the seats was empty, and it was the one that Sour Sweet was sitting in.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to figure something out." Sunny Skies sighed. "In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye out for anything unusual. It appears as though we've got a thief, among us!"

"How do we know that someone here took the lamb sauce?" Petunia spoke up. "What if Mr. Ramsay simply misplaced it?"

"It wasn't misplaced, dear!" Mr. Ramsay affirmed. "I had it right here, in my satchel, just about half an hour ago! There's no way that it grew legs and walked off on its own, so that must mean one of you passengers here is guilty! And until I can get my lamb sauce back, nobody's eating dessert, you hear me!?"

Every passenger muttered, as they were about finished with their dinner by this point. Some of them were curiously wanting to try Mr. Ramsay's special dessert, while others felt it'd be better to skip sweets, since they didn't have much of a sweet tooth. They all witnessed Mr. Ramsay marching back into the kitchen, rather infuriated at the fact someone aboard the train had stolen from him. As this happened, everypony else began leaving their tables, ready to return to their cabins. Suddenly, one of the students went up to Sunset and Sunny Skies' table, making the same realization that Sunset had, moments ago.

"Hey, wait a second... where's our other chaperone, Sour Sweet?" Smolder questioned.

"Huh, now that you mention it..." Silverstream began piecing everything together. "I think she was with us at the start of dinner, but she didn't seem to be around when Mr. Ramsay made a scene."

"I suppose that means we might've already found our first suspect!" Sunny Skies began deducing. "I'll go ask around the cabins to see if there's any further clues, since we can't just accuse someone without any proof. You mentioned that you're willing to help out wherever you can, right Starlight?"

"Yeah, I mean..." Sunset began. "It's crummy that this happened to Mr. Ramsay. I'm pretty upset to see him like this, especially since I've known him as a filly."

"Love that enthusiasm!" Sunny Skies nodded. "Then you and I can both go around the cabins and see if we can find anything. I'm sure Mr. Ramsay certainly appreciates your help, Starlight!"

The mayor began marching toward one side of the train's cabins, ready to interrogate and investigate further. Sunset then turned back to the students, some of which having rather confused faces.

"Uhh, did he just call you...?" Gallus raised an eyebrow. "You're not Starlight, what the heck is he yapping about?"

"Yeah, I'm well aware of that." Sunset replied. "I don't really know why he would think that, we look nothing alike."

"Well, to be fair, your names sound pretty similar." Ocellus brought up. "Let's see... 'Sunset Shimmer', 'Starlight Glimmer', I could see a little confusion there."

"Hmm, I guess there's also the fact that Starlight and I both initially crossed paths with Twilight as an enemy, before we befriended her." Sunset recalled. "And... she's the main reason we both accept friendship now. Yeah, in that case... not many ponies really fit that description."

"So... should we tell Mayor pony about chaperone Sunset's real name?" Yona asked.

"I've tried to tell him, but he seems pretty insistent that I'm Starlight Glimmer." Sunset shrugged. "It's like there's no way I can convince him."

"Well in that case, why don't we have some fun?" Smolder snickered. "Maybe we can place some bets to estimate how long it'll take for him to realize what your actual name is."

"I feel like we should focus on finding Mr. Ramsay's lamb sauce, or clues that'll point us to the culprit behind the theft." Sunset insisted. "Besides, I'd heavily advise against you all gambling. Let's just say... I've known from experience that it'll end badly, thanks to a certain rigged ring-toss game I've played."

The students all nodded and took Sunset's advice, before Sunset heard screaming coming from one of the cabins. She promptly rushed over to the scene to investigate, as did the six students. It was coming from Kerfuffle's cabin, and the fashionista appeared to be incredibly distressed. Both Sunset and Sunny Skies entered the cabin, as Sandbar, Gallus, Smolder, Silverstream, Yona, and Ocellus all stood by the entrance to listen in.

"Kerfuffle, what happened?" Sunny Skies asked, concerned. "Are you hurt?"

"Stack my pancakes!" Kerfuffle began, her hooves shaking. "My gems! My precious, precious baby blue sapphires! I had a whole box of them in this drawer, and now they're all gone! Someone must have snuck in while we were all having dinner!"

Overhearing this, the students outside the cabin glared at Smolder with suspicion, causing the dragon to stare back in confusion.

"Why are you all staring at...?" Smolder commented, before she made her realization. "Oh, I see how it is... gemstones go missing, so you automatically blame the dragon? Not cool!"

"Sorry, Smolder." Silverstream apologized. "We should've all known you were with us the whole time. Plus, we wouldn't even be on this field trip without you..."

"Exquisite lamb sauce, and now gemstones?" Sunny Skies said back in the cabin. "I gotta wonder what this thief's intentions are. Those sapphires weren't too important, were they?"

"They were VERY important!" Kerfuffle burst into tears. "I was saving them for my special project at Pommel's Piqué! These were extremely rare gemstones too, and I only have a week to complete my prototype! It'll take months for me to find more of these gemstones! Did Torque actually take them, just because I didn't have enough bits to pay her in full, that one time!?"

"Now, now, let's not jump to conclusions just yet." Sunset tried to keep Kerfuffle calm. "We'll help you look for it, why don't you start by describing what the box looked like?"

"It was a shiny cerulean box, with a gold lock." Kerfuffle sniffled. "I kept it in the top drawer of my nightstand. I... I don't understand how it could've disappeared..."

"Let's see... are there any clues around the cabin?" Sunset began inspecting her surroundings. "Anything that wasn't in here before we all had dinner?"

Eventually, Kerfuffle noticed what appeared to be a feather under her bed, before picking it up with her hoof.

"Hmm... a pegasus feather?" Kerfuffle held the clue up for Sunset and Sunny Skies. "Well, judging from the fact it's yellow, this certainly isn't mine. And it'd be silly to think I'd be guilty of stealing my own jewels."

"I guess we could collect these bits as evidence until further notice." Sunset took the feather from Kerfuffle. "In the meantime, we'll continue searching for further clues."

Sunset and Sunny Skies both left the cabin, as the mayor himself began trotting further down the train.

"It seems like this mystery is becoming even more perplexing by the minute." Sunny Skies commented, as he trotted away to question the other passengers. "You're doing a great job so far, Starlight! Keep it up!"

Sunset then turned back to the students, who were all standing by Kerfuffle's cabin.

"Hey, you don't mind us eavesdropping on you, right?" Sandbar asked. "We want to help, too."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Sunset assured. "It's always good to have a few extra pairs of eyes and ears around. Any ideas on a suspect?"

"I'd still wager my gems that it's Sour Sweet." Smolder crossed her arms. "A yellow pegasus feather? And she was mysteriously absent at the scene of the crime!"

"That kind of reasoning seems logical." Gallus nodded. "It must've been her!"

"Well, wait a minute..." Ocellus interjected. "Weren't there two other yellow pegasai foals having dinner with us?"

"You really think that a child could've committed heinous robbery?" Sandbar raised an eyebrow.

"Did Sandbar already forget about evil child pony, Cozy Glow?" Yona reminded.

"Well, no." Sandbar replied. "But still, I think we should consider all the evidence before jumping to conclusions."

"And let's just say... I've met a filly who's had no choice but to be a thief." Sunset alluded to Lily Pad. "But you're right, Sandbar. Maybe we should check in with those two foals, just to see if they have any leads."

"Yay, this is so exciting!" Silverstream said with glee. "Not every day we get to experience such thrilling mysteries!"

Sunset trotted back the opposite direction, making her way to Sunny Skies' cabin. She knocked on the door, before being let in by Petunia Petals. Accompanying the mayor's wife were the two aforementioned foals, Barley and Pickle Barrel.

"Hey, how are you all holding up?" Sunset asked the trio.

"It's a real shame that someone stole Mr. Ramsay's lamb sauce." Petunia sighed. "These two were really looking forward to that special dessert that the Endtrak Express had originally scheduled."

"Sticky toffee pudding..." Pickle Barrel imagined. "I could almost taste the sensation that would rot away all my teeth, but fill me up with wonderful pudding happiness..."

"Yeah, we were really looking forward to that." Barley Barrel added. "But I'm still pretty sad for Mr. Ramsay's pet lamb. He looked so adorable, I can't believe some monster would steal that little lamby's supper."

"Not to worry, Sunny Skies and I are currently doing an investigation to gather clues." Sunset explained. "Have you two noticed anything out of the ordinary before the theft? Anything suspicious?"

"Well... when we were all having dinner, I did notice that pegasus with the magenta mane and tail leaving the dining room, as soon as she got her dinner plate." Barley Barrel recalled.

"That's not suspicious, Sis." Pickle Barrel interjected. "Even I prefer taking my dinner up to my room, rather than sitting at the family table. Gives me more time to devote to our Rainbow Dash fan club."

"Yeah, fair point." Barley replied. "I sometimes do that too, mostly to draw art of Señor G. Echo. But she did seem to leave in a hurry."

"Oh, you enjoy Señor G. Echo, too?" Sunset said, pleasantly surprised. "Well, good to see you've got great taste in puppet shows! Going back to these leads, Sour Sweet was in a... hurry? I wonder what for?"

"Perhaps she simply wanted to eat her dinner in peace?" Petunia suggested. "Maybe you should ask her, you seem to know her better than any of us."

"Agreed." Sunset nodded. "Thanks for your help, you three. If you can come up with any further clues, please don't hesitate to let me know."

Sunset exited the cabin and turned to the six students, who had just overheard everything.

"So far, it seems like our other so-called chaperone is looking pretty guilty..." Gallus said.

"Yeah, a yellow pegasus feather, combined with her acting suspicious during dinnertime, and in a hurry, no less?" Sandbar went down the list.

"Plus, Yona no appreciate Sour Sweet pony yelling at us all, earlier." Yona added.

"It does seem to be building a convincing case against Sour Sweet, but remember, we don't have any real proof yet." Sunset said, not wanting to make the same mistake she did with Indigo back in Cloudsdale. "Let's not jump to conclusions."

"Well, what do you think?" Smolder huffed. "Do you have any idea why Sour Sweet acted the way she did?"

"Better yet, why is she such a grouch?" Silverstream questioned. "Is it because she's sour-first, and sweet-second? No wait, that probably doesn't make too much sense."

"Going off of my conversations with those ponies from Hope Hollow, I'm beginning to think she's often bitter about something financially." Sunset deduced. "Like... she seemed happy at first to socialize, but then came back with a rather hostile attitude toward me. Petunia and Torque mentioned things about how much they make, and having actual passion for jobs, and I'm guessing... they must've hit a nerve somewhere with her."

"That sounds like even more reason to believe it was Sour Sweet." Ocellus spoke up. "Stealing expensive, gourmet lamb sauce, and even rare gemstones?"

"Plus, didn't she grumble and complain about not getting paid to chaperone us?" Gallus recalled. "Is it not reasonable to believe she's stealing valuable items aboard the train to fulfill this selfish desire of hers?"

"Hmm... you're all making some very convincing arguments." Sunset began to halfway concede. "It seems like we might have a lead to follow after all. Perhaps it's time we confront Sour Sweet, and see what she has to say for herself."

The students began following Sunset back to the cabin she and Sour Sweet were sharing. Upon opening the door, Sunset was rather surprised to see that it was completely empty. She trotted over to the storage container, noticing that her saddlebag was still in there, and the lock was still secure. Thankful that nothing was stolen, Sunset breathed a temporary sigh of relief, before turning back to a group of skeptical students.

"She's not even in her cabin for questioning?" Smolder crossed her arms. "Sounds like we've found our culprit, after all!"

"Should we go tell Mr. Ramsay, and let him know we've found the lamb sauce crook?" Gallus suggested.

"I know this is a bad look for Sour Sweet, but again, we can't just jump to conclusions until we find and interrogate her." Sunset insisted.

"What do you mean, Sunset?" Silverstream interjected. "All of the clues we've gathered so far, they point to Sour Sweet being the culprit! It's gotta be her!"

"I understand why you may think that... but I'm just not willing to jump to conclusions and accuse somepony, if they're innocent." Sunset affirmed, remembering what happened with Indigo and Dash. "I know it'll actually feel worse to wrongfully punish somepony than to not find the culprit at all."

"I suppose that sounds fair." Ocellus began. "But if it wasn't her, then who was it?"

"Yeah, we've followed you around as you were gathering clues." Sandbar reminded. "Plus, we've even talked with those ponies from Hope Hollow, they don't sound like they'd be the type of ponies to commit theft."

"And they were in the dining room with us the entire time." Smolder added. "Haven't we already gone around and questioned everypony by this point?"

As Sunset gave this some deep thought, she suddenly remembered one last crucial detail. They had not questioned absolutely everyone, aside from Sour Sweet. In fact, they still had to get Torque Wrench's side of the story, but more importantly, there was still that other mysterious pegasus who was dining with them all at the beginning. Sunset realized that she turned a blind eye to that other pegasus, as she was the only passenger who wasn't really alluded to, unlike the foals that Petunia was looking after.

"Well, other than Torque Wrench... what about that other pegasus who was having dinner with us all?" Sunset reflected. "I believe she was sitting with... Torque and Sour Sweet?"

"Huh?" Ocellus raised an eyebrow. "Who are you referring to?"

"Yeah, I don't recall seeing somepony like that." Smolder shrugged. "Actually, to be fair, I think we were all distracted from listening to Petunia's stories during dinnertime."

"Torque sat with her, I remember that much." Sunset insisted. "So let's go check and see if she has anything to say."

Sunset trotted over to Torque Wrench's cabin, accompanied by the students, once more. She was able to easily locate it, as she had heard the repair pony's voice. After knocking on the door, she was let inside, and joined in on the conversation she was having with the Mayor.

"Ah, there you are, perfect timing." Sunny Skies said, as he saw Sunset enter the cabin. "I was beginning to lose hope on finding some solid leads, but Torque here was just telling me something interesting, to where we might finally have a breakthrough. Go on ahead, Torque, and tell Starlight here what just happened a few minutes ago."

"Alright, so here's the deal." Torque began explaining. "I was checking around my cabin to see if any of my tools had been stolen, and unfortunately, one of my drill bits went missing. I also thought I might've been missing other tools, but didn't think much of it. Then, all of a sudden, I heard some really strange noises in the cabin right next to mine. So naturally, I went inside there to check for myself, but it was completely empty. I figured I must've been hearing things, but when I came back to my cabin, the noises returned, which really spooked me."

"That's certainly peculiar." Sunset said, trying to analyze the situation. "But since you mentioned a drill bit went missing, do you think whoever took it was responsible for making those noises?"

"Well, it's hard to say for sure." Torque replied. "It could've even been a problem with the train itself, but to tell you the truth, I've worked as a maintenance engineer for over a decade, and I've never heard a train make that kind of noise before."

"Hmm... This is really puzzling." Sunny Skies pondered. "I suppose it's also feasible that someone else made those noises to distract us from finding the real culprit. Either way, it's worth investigating further."

"Well, if you plan on doing some further digging, do you think you could search the train for Sour Sweet?" Sunset suggested. "She's a yellow pegasus with a magenta mane, and purple eyes. We couldn't find her in the cabin she was staying in."

"That's some smart thinking, Starlight." The mayor agreed. "I don't think I've interviewed her yet, so I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her."

Sunny Skies trotted out of the cabin, now searching for the pegasus who had mysteriously vanished during dinnertime. However, Sunset wasn't finished quite yet, as she knew Torque likely witnessed something else crucial.

"Before I leave, Torque?" Sunset pressed on. "One last thing I need to know. During dinnertime, I noticed that you sat with Sour Sweet, and this other pegasus mare at one of the tables. Did you happen to know who that was?"

"I'm afraid I don't, and better yet, I didn't even talk to her at all, during dinner." Torque recalled. "She seemed to keep to herself, but the only reason I sat with her was because I thought she might need some company, being new and all. I was mostly by myself, since Sour Sweet left the dining room, early on."

"Do you have any idea where this other pegasus went after dinner?" Sunset continued. "We've gone around from cabin to cabin, and strangely enough, this mysterious mare seems to be noticeably absent as well."

"Well, here's the really weird thing." Torque began reflecting. "Shortly after Mr. Ramsay announced the theft, I noticed that this mare dropped one of her utensils. So naturally, she bent down to pick it up, or so I thought. As soon as she went out of sight, I looked around and saw that everyone else was returning to their cabin. But then, I realized that once this mare bent over to retrieve her fork, she had completely vanished. As such, I wasn't able to see which direction she went, or which cabin she's in."

"Hmm, that's quite the lead you've given us, Torque." Sunset began putting two and two together. "In that case, I think I now have a pretty good idea on what to really investigate. Thanks a bunch for these tips, I'll be sure to look into everything."

Sunset exited the cabin and began making her way back to the dining room, accompanied by the students, once more.

"Miss Sunset, for the record?" Ocellus began. "We kinda have no choice but to follow you around everywhere, given how our other chaperone's mysteriously vanished, and the fact there's likely a criminal on board with us."

"I understand, Ocellus." Sunset turned back to the students. "I'll do my best to keep you all safe. In the meantime, let's not forget that we still have a mystery to solve here. Whoever's behind all this, they're clearly trying to make us think that it's somepony else. So we need to be extra careful not to fall for any kind of red herring."

After returning to the dining room, Sunset knew that her first step was to thoroughly inspect the table that Torque, Sour Sweet, and that mystery pegasus had been sitting at. As Sunset approached that particular table, the students seemed rather perplexed at what Torque described.

"How would mystery pegasus pony disappear after bending down to grab fork?" Yona questioned. "Are they a g-g-g-ghost!?"

"Well, I don't know if they're a ghost, but it's clear that something very strange is going on here." Sunset inspected the table, but kept in mind that a ghost being involved was plausible, given her recent encounter with Gaea Everfree. "If they weren't a ghost, but disappeared after bending over... could they have escaped through a secret passageway somewhere? Perhaps... under the table?"

Sunset used her strength to push away the rather heavy dining table, hoping she could uncover something crucial. As she had done so, they all began to notice what looked like a hole carved into the train's floorboard. The hole was seemed to be strategically covered up by the tablecloth, and led down into a compartment space below, where the train's compressors, air tanks, and traction motors were being stored.

"Whoa... could that be where the mystery pegasus went?" Smolder deduced. "Call me crazy, but it looks like an adult mare could fit through that."

"Pretty good possibility." Sunset saw the small passageway below the floor, as Sunny Skies approached.

"Well, I wasn't able to find this Sour Sweet pony, but-" The mayor derailed his thoughts as he saw the large hole in the floorboard. "WHAT THE!? Starlight, what happened to the train's floor!?"

"Apparently, this seemed to be purposefully hidden away, under one of the dining tables." Sunset explained. "I might have to go down there to investigate, since I'm almost positive now that this might also be connected to the strange noises that Torque heard."

"Hmm, I see." Sunny Skies nodded. "Well in that case, I'd highly recommend that you wear a gas mask, since there's been reports of toxic gas leaks in some of the train's compartments."

"Sounds like a good idea." Sunset replied. "Where would I find one of those?"

"They're usually kept in the first-aid kits, which are located in each cabin." Sunny Skies replied. "Better head there and grab one, just in case. In the meantime, I'll keep looking around for Sour Sweet."

The mayor turned around and went on his way, as Sunset began trotting back to her and Sour Sweet's cabin. After locating the first-aid kit, Sunset noticed that although the medical supplies were inside, the gas mask bags were ripped open and completely empty.

"Looks like our mystery pegasus thought ahead and grabbed these gas masks for themselves." Sunset sighed, before turning to the students. "Could I please use one of the masks from your cabin?"

"Uh, yeah, of course." Sandbar replied. "Help yourself."

Sunset entered the students' cabin, before finding and grabbing a gas mask for herself. As she was about to enter the hole, the train's intercom began to announce a message from the train's conductor.

"Attention, passengers." The conductor announced. "The Endtrak Express will soon be making a scheduled stop at Bridlewood Station."

Hearing this, Sunset knew that she had limited time. Wherever this mysterious pegasus was hiding on the train, it'd be very likely that the next stop would be their vital chance to make a swift getaway. She motioned for the students to follow her to Petunia's cabin, and asked the mayor's wife to watch after the students temporarily, as she had to investigate under the train. Petunia agreed, and began sharing even more stories with the students, alongside Barley and Pickle Barrel. Sunset then put on her gas mask and climbed down through the hole, trying to see if someone was hiding down there.

Sunset was definitely glad that Mayor Skies had warned her of the dangers of going down here without a mask, as even with the mask on, she could practically still smell the toxic fumes and volatile chemicals used to power the train. It was also quite clear that with the masks missing from her room, the culprit likely planned to protect themselves from inhaling these substances in the same way, by taking them. She climbed her way through the vents below the train, knowing that it was in her best interest to not stay down there, longer than she needed to.

Continuing down through the vents, Sunset could vaguely overhear Petunia telling her stories, signaling that she was now directly below her cabin. To the right of her was where Kerfuffle was staying, and then Torque, respectively. Sunset then remembered Torque mentioning those strange noises occurring within the cabin right next door, prompting her to move underneath that particular empty cabin, to check and see if someone was cleverly hiding in there. The noises she made crawling further into the vents began to startle Torque once more.

"There it is again!" Torque looked down, unsure of what she was hearing. "If this is Sunny's great old Grandpa Skies, please understand that we managed to fix your precious Rainbow Generator and legacy!"

Sunset continued on, until she was confident that she was directly under the suspiciously empty cabin. Once she had reached the spot, she noticed that there appeared to be a vent cover obstructing an opening in the floorboard. Since Torque claimed that there were strange noises going on in this room, but they mysteriously stopped when she went in to investigate herself, it gave Sunset a good peace of mind to simply camp out here, waiting patiently, until something out of the ordinary would happen. It may've been risky to put all of her attention toward a potential red herring, but then again, this was still the biggest lead she had.

After waiting long enough, Sunset noticed the train's rug moving slightly, before a small part of the floorboard was lifted, revealing another hidden compartment below the train, next to the vent she was currently in. Sunset couldn't get an immediate glimpse of who was hiding in that compartment, but deduced that they must've been responsible for creating those noises that had alerted Torque. With a mighty heave, Sunset pushed away the vent's cover and climbed out of the crawlspace, ready to uncover the compartment under the carpet. She uncovered the lid that was obstructing the compartment below, revealing not only that same mystery pegasus, but also several of Torque's tools, Kerfuffle's gem box, and Mr. Ramsay's lamb sauce.

"Wha-!?" The pegasus looked up, surprised. "Where'd you come from!? No matter, you won't be catching me that easily!"

The pegasus attempted to make a break for it, but was no match for Sunset's rather quick reflexes. Sunset managed to pounce on the pegasus and pinned her down before she could exit the cabin, prompting her to call out for help to detain the culprit.

"SOMEPONY, ANYPONY!!!" Sunset tried to attract as much attention as she possibly could. "Come here, I think I've found our thief!"

Sunny Skies and Torque Wrench ran into the cabin as fast as they could, and were rather shocked when they saw who was supposedly the culprit behind everything.

"Well I'll be an olive stuffed pimento!" Sunny Skies exclaimed. "Songbird Serenade!? She's the culprit!?"

"She sure is!" Sunset glanced over at the incriminating evidence. "Look in that hidden compartment under the floorboard, you'll find everything that was stolen!"

"My tools!" Torque gasped, as she trotted over to the compartment, seeing her belongings alongside the other stolen items. "Why, you conniving little crook! How could you do such a thing!?"

"Curses!" Songbird Serenade grumbled. "I was waiting for the perfect moment to make my escape, once the train made a stop at Bridlewood Station!"

"Songbird Serenade, to say that I'm disappointed is beyond an understatement!" Mayor Skies frowned. "From one of Equestria's biggest pop star celebrities!? I mean, I have heard of big name celebrities often being involved in scandals and all, but still! I was such a big fan of your albums!"

"So that's who this pegasus was." Torque realized. "It doesn't matter anymore, now that the jig is up, and the rest of the passengers don't need to worry about their stuff getting stolen!"

"Well, speaking of which, I need some help apprehending the culprit." Sunset spoke up. "Could you let Kerfuffle and Mr. Ramsay know that we've found their belongings?"

"I'm on it." Torque nodded, as she trotted out of the cabin to alert the aforementioned ponies.

"I should've known that like every mystery out there, it's always the one we least suspect!" Sunny Skies commented. "In fact, while I was running around from cabin to cabin, many of the passengers began to spread a rumor that Sour Sweet was the culprit, instead!"

"Speaking of Sour Sweet, what do you think happened to her, anyways?" Sunset questioned. "She just seemingly... disappeared without a trace."

Just then, Kerfuffle and Mr. Ramsay entered the cabin, ready to take back what was stolen from them.

"Ahhhh, my precious baby blue sapphires!" Kerfuffle teared up in joy, as she ran over to grab her box. "And look, it's Mr. Ramsay's lamb sauce!"

"This is wonderful!" Mr. Ramsay exclaimed. "And to think, my little lamby would've gone hungry for the rest of the trip! Nice work catching the culprit, everyone! Now, shall we get this mare over to the Bridlewood Station authorities? I'm sure they'll know what to do with her!"

"I'm afraid we'll have to contact the authorities, separately." Sunny Skies explained. "See, Bridlewood Station isn't actually a stop meant for the passengers to get off at, since nopony lives in Bridlewood. Something about... rumors of a wicked mayonnaise spirit that haunts the forest."

"Yeah, that stop is just meant to refuel and inspect the train for maintenance." Torque added.

"Well, we'll just have to make do with what we can, I suppose." Mr. Ramsay sighed. "By the way, do any of you know of a yellow pegasus with a magenta and mint-green mane and tail? While I was sniffing around for clues, I found her laying unconscious in my kitchen's freezer. Any idea how she ended up in there?"

Everypony glared at Songbird Serenade, knowing that the culprit had a lot of explaining to do. Suddenly, the train's intercom began to ring.

"Attention, passengers." The conductor announced over the intercom again. "We are now approaching Bridlewood Station, and will be making a scheduled stop."

The Endtrak Express pulled up to the aforementioned station, located within a rather deserted but dense forest area. The mayor hit the nail on the head when mentioning that nopony lived here, as the forest gave off similar vibes to the Everfree Forest. The station itself looked rather old and abandoned, but its pump and coal dispensers remained functional. As the conductor unlocked the doors after coming to a complete stop, Sunset, Sunny Skies, Gourmand Ramsay, and the students walked out of the train coach together, now with the arrested Songbird Serenade. Everyone made their way into the station, ready to take care of business.

"Alright, it'll take a while for them to arrive, but fortunately, we've got plenty of time before the Endtrak Express takes off again." Sunny Skies said to the rest of the group. "Be sure to hold onto Songbird there, while I go behind the counter to dial for the authorities."

"Heh, you think you puny losers can hold me?" Songbird Serenade sneered, before turning to face Sunset. "I think not! Especially not this filthy donkey unicorn behind me!"

"I assure you, young miss, that we are quite capable of holding you here!" Mr. Ramsay gave a stern look at the pegasus. "Also, how dare you call somepony else a donkey? Only I have the rights to do that, and even then, it's quite rude, so I only reserve it for somepony who really screws things up in my kitchen! Either way, who do you think you are, resorting to petty insults like that!?"

"Who am I?" Songbird Serenade reiterated. "Well, I can tell you this much, I'm somepony who still seems to have ended up outsmarting all of you!"

Suddenly, 'Songbird Serenade' began to morph her appearance, similar to a changeling, before glowing an ominous dark magenta color. This was enough to startle Sunset and Mr. Ramsay, prompting them to immediately let go out of pure instinct. In a poof out of nowhere, the pegasus revealed her true form, as Sunset began to slowly make sense of everything, especially after remembering who had originally labeled her as a 'filthy donkey unicorn' before.

"This whole charade was just to see how dumb you ponies really are!" Indigo smirked. "Well, not quite, since I was supposed to sabotage the train to a complete stop, but if I can't do that, I suppose I'll just slow you all down!"

Indigo then sped off deeper into the station, before anyone could even blink. The entire group then stood there, completely perplexed, including Sunset. For one, how exactly was Indigo able to manage the same disguising technique as changelings? And even if Indigo managed to escape the dungeon, why would she suddenly want to slow everyone down from reaching Hope Hollow?

Chapter 76: Idlehood of Bridlewood

After the sudden reveal and escape, Sunset couldn't particularly help but wonder what Indigo's true intentions were, and why the pegasus had attempted to sabotage her trip in the first place. The only connection she could think of was the incident with Rainbow Dash, but that didn't seem like a compelling enough reason to risk derailing the entire train. In any case, it was clear that Indigo was somepony who wasn't above petty behavior, especially after pretending to be Dash, just to save her own hide.

"Might I just ask who in Equestria even was that?" Mr. Ramsay questioned. "If I had two slices of bread on me, I'd put her head in between them and call her an 'Idiot Sandwich', for thinking she could get away with stealing from me, of all ponies!"

"I've been bumping into her lately." Sunset replied. "Let's just say... she's been causing trouble for me and my friends, and it seems like now, she's finally gone too far. I have no idea why she's trying to sabotage our trip to Hope Hollow, but I'm guessing it may be personal, considering how I'm here."

"Well regardless, now that our little mystery's over with, I suppose we should all head back onto the train?" Sunny Skies proposed. "There's... not really anything interesting to see here in Bridlewood Station, especially since it's been abandoned for... too many moons to count, let's just say."

"If I may ask?" Ocellus spoke up. "Why exactly is the train station abandoned?"

"Better yet, whose bright idea was it to set up a train station in an area where nopony even lives?" Gallus questioned.

"Well, according to my Grandpa Skies, there used to be a large population here, mining for valuable crystals." The mayor explained. "But as it turned out, they became far less profitable over time, especially when ponies began to move to the Crystal Empire. The station was originally supposed to be part of a larger rail network that was supposed to connect Equestria from the north to the south, but the project was never completed. Again, this may have something to do with the rumors regarding some mayonnaise spirit haunting the forest, but we've never found any real evidence of its existence. As such, the station's just been sitting here, gathering dust and cobwebs ever since."

"Yeah, in that case, maybe we should just head back to the train." Smolder said. "We didn't come on this field trip to explore some haunted house."

"Come to think of it, we should probably check up on our other chaperone?" Sandbar suggested. "Mr. Ramsay mentioned he found her in the... freezer, of all places?"

Everyone began making their way back to the train, hoping to possibly get a better explanation from Sour Sweet, regarding Indigo's motives. The mayor approached Petunia's cabin, whilst Sunset, Mr. Ramsay, and the students all approached the Endtrak Express's kitchen, where they were all in for an unpleasant surprise, upon seeing that the aforementioned pegasus was nowhere to be seen. This prompted Ocellus and Silverstream to check the rest of the train, whilst Sunset thoroughly searched around the kitchen and freezer, only to find no trace of Sour Sweet.

"Where'd she go?" Sunset turned to Mr. Ramsay. "Didn't you mention that you found her here unconscious, just a few minutes ago?"

"I may be getting old, but I know my eyes didn't deceive me." Mr. Ramsay insisted. "She must've gotten up, while we were all distracted by that Idiot Sandw- I mean, that thief who tried to steal from me."

"Miss Sunset?" Ocellus came into the kitchen. "I just checked your cabin, and she wasn't there either. Our other chaperone's gone missing!"

"I also checked in with the other passengers." Silverstream reported. "None of them had seen her in between the time we got off at Bridlewood Station and now. What do you suppose this could mean?"

"I don't know for certain, but we have to find her before there's any more trouble." Sunset replied. "Especially since our little train bandit escaped into the station. When we find Sour Sweet, she definitely owes us an explanation for everything."

As Sunset and the others began to search every inch of the train for Sour Sweet, things had gone well back at the School of Friendship. Chancellor Neighsay and the EEA were rather pleased with the inspection of the institution, feeling as if they had truly found the one place for any creature to pursue their education in friendship, not just ponies. As the chancellor and committee left school grounds, Twilight waved goodbye to the ponies of educational authority, before she looked back to her friends for a moment, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, that went rather well, all things considered." Twilight said to the rest of the council. "I'm just glad we don't have to worry about the school closing, anytime soon."

"If you ask me, Twilight?" Rainbow chimed in. "I kinda feel like we overprepared for their visit. They didn't even say anything when I accidentally knocked over Chancellor Neighsay's tea."

"I'm guessing that he really turned a new leaf, especially compared to when we first opened the school." Pinkie added. "It's either that, or he's actually taught the rest of the board to embrace friendship as well, which would be pretty surprising, considering this is Chancellor Neighsay we're talking about here."

"Well, it's pretty amazing just how much a pony can change, especially when they learn to embrace friendship." Twilight reflected. "Whether it'd be Chancellor Neighsay, Starlight, Sunset, the list goes on."

"Hey, speaking of Sunset..." Starlight reminded them of the trip that Sunset was currently chaperoning. "How do you think she's handling the field trip with our students?"

"She'll be fine, I'm sure." Twilight assured. "I know from experience that Sunset's great at leading others, and I trust her judgment. I'm certain that she'll make the most of this trip for them, and give the students a fun and educational time in Hope Hollow."

"While we're talkin' about explorin' more of Equestria, much like Sunset..." Applejack spoke up. "Should we focus back on spreadin' out and gatherin' intel regardin' the whereabouts of... you know who?"

"Finding her will certainly prove to be challenging." Rarity responded. "However, I do believe our odds of facing her head-on will have increased significantly. We've now made ourselves immune to the bell's magical draining capabilities, thanks to Smolder's dragon fire."

"That's true, Rarity." Twilight nodded. "We're more prepared than ever before, so let's focus our efforts on locating and bringing her to justice. We can't let her continue to cause chaos and hurt innocent creatures out there."

"Although we're more prepared now, maybe we should ask a certain somepony if she knows who Chestnut really is, and if she has any advice that would help us take her down?" Spike proposed.

"What do you mean, Spike?" Flutershy questioned. "Like... learning her weaknesses? Who would we even ask?"

"Celestia, of course." Spike replied. "If anypony knows what we should do, it'd be her. Plus, she's been the princess for over 1,000 years, and she's had plenty of history with the many foes we've faced, such as Lord Tirek. She's bound to have some insight on Chestnut, I think it's worth a shot."

"But she's retired now." Rainbow reminded. "Shouldn't stopping Chestnut be our full responsibility now, as a council?"

"That's true, but at the same time, asking her for some insight and guidance, it may be our only chance at learning something crucial about this pegasus." Twilight replied. "I'm sure Celestia would be willing to help us if we explained the situation, and at the end of the day, we'll be the ones to carry out everything we need to stop her. Plus, Luna specifically told us that we're welcome to visit her and Celestia anytime in Silver Shoals, back during my coronation."

"You should also mention what that monster ended up doing to Sunset." Spike added. "Didn't Celestia sometimes hint that she saw Sunset as not only her student, but like her daughter too?"

"I'll definitely make sure to mention that as well." Twilight nodded. "Alright, so we're all agreed that I should reach out to Celestia for help, then? If so, I'll arrange a chariot to bring Spike and I to Silver Shoals. The rest of you, please make sure to finish teaching any further classes you have planned for the day, then leave a note in Starlight's office, letting me know where you've gone off to search for Chestnut. Are we all clear, everyone?"

The six other ponies and dragon murmured and nodded understandingly, before Starlight spoke up.

"Clear as day, Twilight." Starlight replied. "Good luck with Celestia, and the rest of you, be careful out there. Let me know if you need any help or support."

With that said and done, Spike followed Twilight outside, preparing for a visit to Silver Shoals, and hoping to get some answers from the former princess of Equestria. The rest of the council unfortunately still had teaching duties at the school, so they had to remain occupied for a while. As the princess and dragon climbed aboard the royal chariot outside of the institution, they began to soar through the air, getting a good glimpse of Equestria as a whole. Twilight looked back at Canterlot from behind, unable to imagine the horrible fate that would seemingly await them in the future, should they fail to stop Chestnut.

"We'd better enjoy that sight of Canterlot now, Spike." Twilight said, glumly. "Who knows how much time we have left before that pegasus grows too powerful?"

Spike put a hand on Twilight's shoulder, understanding how stressful the situation truly was for her, on top of now taking on every other responsibility as the princess of Equestria. Unknown to both of them as they were getting carried off to Silver Shoals, there was another hunt going on back in Canterlot. Not searching for Chestnut Magnifico, but instead, a certain self-proclaimed diva bent on exacting her revenge on Sunset Shimmer, for exposing her true self back in Manehattan.

Max Steele was currently off-duty, and decided to grab some dinner at one of Canterlot's restaurants. He had admittedly been feeling lonely as a long-hour security guard, but was happy to finally spend some quality time with his pet puppy, Mr. Puppy.

"I know they have your favorite here, Mr. Puppy." Max fed his puppy some of his dinner. "Which is why this is my favorite restaurant in Canterlot, next to The Tasty Treat, of course."

Just then, Madame Cinch barged into the restaurant, hoping to grab a bite to regain her energy, especially after being on the run from Manehattan. She took a seat directly across from Max, catching her breath.

"Oh, hello ma'am." Max greeted. "I wasn't really expecting company tonight, other than my sweet little puppy."

"Yeah hi, whatever." Cinch replied, coldly. "You have no idea what I've been through today, I'm just hoping I can get some fresh, premium Appleloosan oats to regain my energy."

"Well, if you're looking for Appleloosan oats, you're in luck." Max replied. "I happen to know this place has the best in all of Equestria. In fact, I have a bowl of them right here, but they've been prepared specifically for Mr. Puppy's liking."

"Oh, so you're one of those types?" Cinch snorted. "Always spoiling your little pets, while you live like a slob. Well, I guess beggars can't be choosers. I'll take that bowl for myself now, if you don't mind."

"No way!" Max shook his head in defiance. "If you want some food, you pay for your own! Especially if you're going to make that kind of comment about me."

"Alright, I apologize." Cinch rolled her eyes. "Now then, would you be willing to share, if we made this a date? Just a fine night between you and I, as long as you pay for my dinner. Better yet, I wouldn't mind if you spoiled me a little, afterwards. Maybe you can buy me a new hat...?"

"Errr... I don't really date, you know, for my job and all." Max replied, awkwardly. "I have to work long hours as a security guard, and I already devote most of my time to Mr. Puppy."

"Hmph." Cinch huffed, folding her hooves. "Fine then. You should get your eyes checked if you're just going to throw me away like that, I am simply a prize! Besides, I didn't really want to date a crusty old geezer like yourself, who's already all gray in the mane!"

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Max exclaimed, agitated. "And in any case, you're not my type either, you self-centered, arrogant diva! You're also one to talk about being past their prime, if you ask me."

"How dare you!" Cinch scoffed. "A beauty queen like myself deserves the absolute best, not your mangy mutt! In fact... give me that!"

Madame Cinch grabbed the bowl of Appleloosan oats from Mr. Puppy, and began downing the oats like a pig. Max sat there, completely aghast at this, as did his pet. Soon enough, she threw the bowl down on the floor, laughing in a satisfied manner.

"Heh, yeah, that feels bad, huh?" Cinch snickered. "I took your precious oats, and gave them a better home."

As the Madame continued to emit an unpleasant laughter, Mr. Puppy climbed up from his seat, before doing the unexpected. The puppy lunged at Cinch's face, biting her on the snout, and refusing to let go. This prompted the Madame to spring up in pain, screaming uncontrollably, and causing her to stumble out of the restaurant itself.

"GAHHHHHH!" Cinch shrieked. "You unkempt mutt, how dare you ruin my makeup!

As the Madame stumbled back, she didn't realize that she had backed herself into a tree. She tried to shake Mr. Puppy off of her snout, but only resulted in her constantly hitting the tree with tremendous force. To make matters even worse, this tree had a large wasps' nest at the very top, with the wasps inside becoming increasingly enraged at something seemingly threatening their home. With one final lunge, Madame Cinch ended up crashing onto the tree, her backside hitting the tree trunk with a hard thud. Satisfied at this, Mr. Puppy ran back over to Max Steele, as the Madame held her snout, still wincing from the bite.

"You insolent, flea-infested brat!" Cinch screeched hoarsely at Max and his puppy. "You'll pay for this, you and your sad excuse for an owner, too! I'll make sure you both regret the day you ever crossed paths with me!"

But as Cinch was about to get up, the impacts from hitting the tree had caused the wasps' nest to crumble from its branch, landing directly on the Madame's head. The wasps, angered at their home ending up this way, realized that this pony must've been their attacker. They began to show no mercy, holding nothing back from stinging the self-proclaimed diva, and attacking all together as a massive swarm.

"AAAAH! AAAHHHHHHH!" Cinch screamed, as she knocked the nest off her head and desperately ran for her life. "GET THEM OFF ME! AAAAH! AAAHHHHHHH!"

"Well lady, you got your wish when you said you wanted a new hat." Max watched the Madame get chased off of Canterlot's grounds. "Better be careful what you wish for. Now then, you sure showed her who's boss, Mr. Puppy. I've got no doubt that you'll one day be a great security dog. As a reward, I'll get you two whole bowls of Appleloosan oats instead of just one!"

After searching endlessly all over the Endtrak Express, Sunset and the students were completely unable to find Sour Sweet. As a result, Sunset couldn't help but wonder if these sudden disappearances had anything to do with Indigo, or better yet... was her chaperone partner up to something in connection to Indigo? By this point, Sour Sweet was nowhere to be found, prompting Sunset to call off the search, knowing that there was definitely something even more fishy going on.

"Alright, everyone." Sunset addressed the students. "I'm pretty certain that we've searched every inch of this train at this point, so it's maybe a safe bet that Sour Sweet's no longer on board with us."

"But... we can't just leave her behind, once the train is refueled." Ocellus spoke up. "If she's somewhere in the station, then we've got to go find her, before the train takes off."

"What's the point?" Gallus huffed. "She's very clearly trying to ditch her duties as a chaperone, so we might as well go on without her."

"Yona agrees!" Yona added. "Sour Sweet pony might be even more grouchy than nasty chancellor pony!"

"Once this field trip is over, you might as well report to Princess Twilight about everything she's done." Smolder gave her piece.

"I know it seems like Sour Sweet's dug herself into a hole, for not being around to explain herself, but I'm getting the feeling that we might need to investigate further in the station itself." Sunset insisted. "After all, Sour Sweet wasn't the one stealing everypony's things on the train."

"Speaking of which, out of curiosity?" Sandbar spoke up. "How did you become such a great detective? I mean, most of us believed that Sour Sweet must've been guilty, after all the clues pointed to her."

"Well, to be honest, I had a gut feeling that something wasn't right, and I decided to trust my instincts." Sunset replied. "Though the excitement for being a hero or detective primarily came from my love for Señor G. Echo. He always solved all kinds of crimes and mysteries on his puppet show, and I think he helped shape me into the mare I am today. I still remember his famous catchphrase, it's-"

"Evil will always be spotted, amigo!" Barley Barrel finished Sunset's sentence. "I could never forget that little leopard gecko's snappy catchphrase, he actually inspired my brother and I to start our own fan club, even if it's for the Rainbow Dash. Either way, always happy to meet another Señor G. Echo fan!"

"Glad to hear we have that in common, it's always been the best puppet show I've seen." Sunset looked over at the pegasus filly, before turning back to the students. "But anyways, what do you say? Perhaps we should do a further investigation within Bridlewood Station?"

"I'm up for it!" Silverstream said with enthusiasm. "I'd love to help you out, anything for our chaperone!"

"Is that really a good idea though?" Gallus interjected. "Pretty sure that the train's almost refueled by now. We can't miss our ride by the time we get back."

"Well, if it means getting to the bottom of this mystery, I think it's worth it." Sunset insisted. "I can put in a word to the conductor that we'll need to investigate the station for a bit."

"If I may ask, why exactly are you so invested on doing this?" Smolder questioned. "I mean, isn't our main priority to reach Hope Hollow, as if this was any ordinary field trip?"

"To tell you the truth, it's something a lot more deeper than that." Sunset began explaining. "See, Twilight and her friends are currently dealing with a... newer threat in Equestria, let's just say. Now, don't get me wrong, I definitely want to make sure that you all reach Hope Hollow safely, but I also agreed to take the job to explore more of Equestria, whilst being on the lookout for anything suspicious, since we're all searching for that new threat. Since that pegasus we arrested at the station mentioned how she was deliberately trying to slow us down, I just feel like we can't simply ignore this. Something else could go wrong during the trip, if that makes sense?"

"That does sound pretty concerning, Miss Sunset." Ocellus nodded. "If you think it's extremely important to get to the bottom of this, then we should trust you. What do you all say?"

The rest of the students murmured in agreement, now understanding where their chaperone was coming from.

"Well, if it means we'll get to explore a bit more for our field trip, I'd be on board with it." Gallus said. "At least this ain't a boring old lecture that'll entice us to ditch class, like we did on the first day of school, right everyone?"

"See, there's the spirit." Sunset smiled. "And to tell you the truth, you're not the only ones who've ditched class before, so I totally get where you're all coming from."

"Hmph." Smolder smirked. "This may be our best chaperone yet."

As Sunset and the students stepped off of the train, they noticed Mayor Skies and Torque Wrench on the station's platform, seemingly discussing something troubling. Sunset approached the mayor, wondering what was happening.

"Mayor Skies?" Sunset tapped the stallion on the shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, hello Starlight!" The mayor greeted. "Well, no, nothing's wrong per say, it's just..."

"Something is very wrong, actually." Torque corrected. "There's no need to sugarcoat anything, Mayor."

"Well... alright then." Sunny Skies sighed. "You know how we mentioned that this stop is meant to let the Endtrak Express refuel before taking off? Well, as it turns out, the fuel pump seems to now be out of commission. In fact, no matter how long we wait, or how hard we pump, we're not even getting a drop of fuel."

"I've already put in a word with the conductor about this." Torque added. "Without a refuel, the train can't just leave the station, as it's now dangerously low on it. So unfortunately, we're pretty much stuck here at Bridlewood Station, until we can get this sorted out."

"That's certainly troublesome." Sunset replied. "Anything we can do to help?"

"To my best knowledge, there's a master switch somewhere in the station, which can allow us to power it up by force." Torque explained. "I'll have to go inside and flip it myself. From my experience, I suspect that the pump is either clogged, or something in the station flipped the switch."

"Think we may already have an idea on who, considering our little train thief made a getaway in the station." Sunny Skies deduced.

"And she mentioned that she was trying to slow us down, so it's very possible." Sunset added. "Do you think that my students and I can come into the station with you? We're... searching for somepony else, let's just say."

"I appreciate all the help I can get, especially since I've never had to actually go flip the master switch." Torque replied. "I'd advise you all to be cautious, since the station's interior is pretty unkempt, and there could be plenty of spiders or rats lurking about."

Sunset and the students all entered the station, following behind Torque, and unsure of what the repair pony was referring to. Bridlewood Station's main passenger room and ticket booth both looked rather presentable, though the paint was slowly chipping away. However, they soon realized what Torque was referring to, once they headed down the station's hallway, where bits of the brick wall were visible, and there were cobwebs in many corners. Whilst following the repair pony, the students took notice of the unsettling atmosphere, and even their surroundings.

"Hey, is that a jar of mayonnaise, underneath all those spider webs?" Silverstream pointed out.

"I don't think mayonnaise is supposed to ever be THAT color..." Sandbar gagged.

Before long, everyone made it to the station's elevator, which was located at the end of the hallway. Torque pushed the button, but the elevator wouldn't budge, let alone light up.

"Well, that's just great." Torque sighed. "I know for a fact that the master switch is in the electrical room on the floor below, but the only way to get there is by using this elevator."

"What do you suppose happened?" Ocellus asked. "You think the elevator blew a fuse?"

"No, that's not it." Torque replied. "I need a keycard to activate it, since the elevator's been inactive for quite some time. I'm certain that the only place we can get a keycard for this, is the stationmaster's office. Problem is, it's pretty far into the station."

"Well, if it's the only way, we can all help you out." Sunset replied. "Where exactly is the office?"

"The stationmaster's office is a floor below." Torque began. "We would need to go through the maintenance room, and I'm fairly certain there's also a garbage chute along the way. Past that, it should be easy to spot at the end of the corridor, since it has a big plaque on it. However, since I don't have the keys to that office, I might need to head back to the train and grab my toolbox. I'll need something to pry that door open, if needed."

"Alright, in that case, we'll wait for you outside the stationmaster's office." Sunset proposed. "Hopefully we can find that keycard when we meet up again."

"Sounds good to me." Torque nodded. "Thanks again for the help."

Torque rushed back to the Endtrak Express, while Sunset and the students continued on. The creepy atmosphere of the abandoned train station had made everyone feeling uneasy, not helped by the various cobwebs, dead insects, and rat bones scattering the hallways.

"This is quite the contrast from the train we were just on, isn't it?" Smolder said. "It's like we're now in a dungeon, or something."

"You're telling me!" Gallus nodded. "Rats, bugs, and spider webs everywhere. You'd think with the budget they have for the Endtrak Express, they'd invest a bit to tidy up this station."

"That's true, but I'm not entirely sure if they own the station." Sunset responded. "Plus, they mentioned that this station's meant to let the train refuel, since nopony actually lives here in Bridlewood. I wouldn't really see much of a reason to remodel the dilapidated interior, especially considering how expensive that would be."

"Well, if we're going to be here for a while, at least we're going together as a group." Ocellus said. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Tell me about it." Smolder looked around the hallways. "Even these bugs couldn't make it here, since there's little to no food. Looks like a bunch of dead ants, cockroaches, termites, and... what do you suppose those are?"

"Yona not certain, but they look like beetles." Yona observed. "Or maybe... beetle shells?"

"Beetle shells?" Sunset's eyes widened, realizing that it was entirely possible that these other bugs didn't simply starve to death. "Do they look like cocoons, by any chance?"

"Kinda, but they look more like actual shells to me." Sandbar observed. "Why?"

"Err, no reason, I was just curious." Sunset brushed off, hoping internally that this wasn't a sign that a certain species of beetle was nearby. "But hey, the sooner we get that keycard, the sooner we can enjoy our field trip to Hope Hollow. Let's go find the stationmaster's office, but be sure to stick close together."

"You know, Miss Sunset?" Smolder said in a satisfied tone. "You might be the coolest teacher we've ever had, even if you're more of a chaperone. You wouldn't believe the number of times Princess Twilight and the other teachers have made class completely unenjoyable for us students."

"Second that." Gallus agreed. "Remember that field trip we had, where our teachers were pretty much at each others throats, purely because they were competing for Teacher of the Month?"

"And I'd almost be certain that Princess Twilight herself would be against us going off into an abandoned train station like this." Silverstream added. "She always tends to do things by the book, which is why we ended up skipping class once. So I gotta say, thanks a bunch for making this field trip extra fun, Miss Sunset!"

"Well, I'm just glad you all seem to be enjoying yourselves on the trip, even in spite of the circumstances." Sunset said to the rest of the group. "Now let's head on over to the stationmaster's office and make this a field trip worth remembering!"

Everyone made their way down the hallways, searching for a way to get downstairs. The students kept their minds off of the station's creepy atmosphere, now that they were filled with newfound enthusiasm and a curiosity for exploration. Eventually, Sunset came up to what appeared to be an abandoned gift shop, with a rather rusted door. Since her priorities were still on finding the stationmaster's office, she trotted past it, before noticing that the hallway leading downstairs was caved in. A pile of old bricks and debris had blocked off access to the staircase, as if it was caused by an earthquake.

"Awww, those poor stairs." Silverstream examined what was left of the staircase. "We could've gone up and down you all, like you would've wanted."

"Well, this place has certainly seen better days." Sunset noted. "Maybe there's another way to get downstairs through that gift shop. You students feel like doing some window shopping?"

"Eh, why not?" Sandbar shrugged. "Not every day we can pick out a souvenir at an abandoned train station."

Sunset went over to the gift shop's door, and as expected, it was locked.

"Hmm, this is probably why Torque went back to grab her tools." Sunset began pondering. "We'll need to figure out a way to get inside."

"Maybe Yona can make friends with door." Yona proposed, before turning to the door, and turning into a more aggressive demeanor. "Mr. Door! You must be our friend! BE! OUR! FRIEND!!!"

The yak then rammed into the door, making it fly off of the hinges, as everyone else's eyes widened.

"Well, didn't think you had it in you, Yona." Smolder commended. "Pretty impressive."

"Teacher Iron Will taught Yona how to do that once." Yona recalled. "May not be most friendly way, but it seems like it works!"

"Nice work at getting us inside, but please, try not to hurt yourself, Yona." Sunset said. "I want to make sure you're all safe on this field trip, after all."

As everyone entered the gift shop, it admittedly looked like the place had been out of business for decades. The shelves were completely empty, the walls were rotten and deteriorating, and the floors contained more dust than the average vacuum cleaner. The only items that remained on the shelves were an assortment of snacks, which Silverstream and Ocellus took notice of.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ocellus walked over to the shelf. "I forget what they're called, but... the kind of cream cakes that never go bad, if you leave them in their wrappers?"

"I wouldn't, if I were you." Gallus advised. "For all we know, those cream cakes are older than Grandpa Gruff."

"Yeah, maybe, but I mean..." Silverstream continued looking at the cakes, rather enticed.

"Hmm, does anyone see another way we can get downstairs through here?" Sunset searched around the dusty old gift shop.

"Not really." Smolder shrugged. "We could maybe try looking for another way through the back, but I don't see any doors or anything."

"Gift shop just looks like a gift shop." Yona looked around, before noticing a hole in the wall, with a sign that seemingly said 'Trash' above it. "It looks like there is garbage chute in the corner there."

"Oh yeah, didn't Torque mention a garbage chute earlier?" Sandbar recalled.

"She did." Sunset replied. "But I'm not really sure if that's going to help us, if we can't even get downstairs."

Sunset continued pondering, as the gift shop appeared to be nothing more than a dead end. However, this thought was derailed almost immediately, once she noticed the commotion coming from the other end of the shop.

"Give it back!" Silverstream began playing tug-of-war with Gallus and Ocellus, over the box of old cream cakes.

"Come on, Silverstream!" Gallus insisted. "You already had dinner earlier, there's no need to make yourself sick by eating these hundred-year-old cakes!"

"My stomach could still use some mouthwatering dessert!" Silverstream persisted. "Mr. Ramsay refused to give us any, earlier!"

"I'm with Gallus on this one!" Ocellus spoke up. "You don't know where these cakes have been! Even if they seemingly never go bad, we're not risking you getting sick from them!"

"Alright, alright!" Sunset stepped over to break up the fight. "Listen, why don't we just wait for Torque to come back, and maybe she'll help us reach the stationmaster's office? There unfortunately doesn't seem to be an easy way to get downstairs, and she's more familiar with the station than any of us."

Despite stepping in, the three students continued fighting over the box of cream cakes, before Silverstream ended up tugging the box back too hard, and accidentally letting it fly backwards, directly into the open garbage chute.

"MY CAKES!!!" Silverstream screamed, as she immediately dove into the garbage chute, wanting to retrieve her snacks.

"Silverstream, no!" Sunset tried to stop the hippogriff, but realized she was already too late, prompting herself to jump through the garbage chute as well.

"Well, she is our chaperone, so we kinda have to follow her." Smolder shrugged. "Let's ride!"

One by one, the remaining students lined up and began throwing themselves down the garbage chute as well. Despite the funky smells, they were able to enjoy the ride down, as it felt like an extreme version of a playground slide. After a while of sliding down, Sunset and the students found themselves inside a dumpster, which still had old bags of trash that had broken their fall.

"Well, that was admittedly fun." Sandbar commented. "But I think now, we'll all need a bath after this field trip is over."

"Are you all okay?" Sunset got up from the trash pile and looked around, seeing that five out of six students were present. "Silverstream, where are you!?"

"Here I am!" The aforementioned hippogriff popped out of the trash pile with her box of cream cakes, after fishing around in the garbage for it.

"Silverstream, we still wouldn't recommend-" Ocellus tried to stop her friend again.

But Silverstream had already begun snacking on the cakes, initially enjoying the sweet sensation, before realizing that the cakes were as hard as a rock.

"Awwww, are you kidding me?" Silverstream pouted, before throwing the cakes back into the dumpster. "These cakes are harder than that pop quiz we had in class last week."

"We tried to warn you." Gallus sighed. "Besides, if you really wanted dessert, I'm sure Mr. Ramsay would be willing to make his Sticky Toffee Pudding, once we get back."

"Actually, speaking of which... how exactly are we supposed to get back now?" Sandbar questioned. "Certainly not back up through that garbage chute, that's for sure."

"Well, on the plus side, we're downstairs now, aren't we?" Smolder reminded. "And look, that sign says we've reached the maintenance room!"

"You're right, it does!" Sunset squinted her eyes to read the sign from a distance, before turning to Gallus, Ocellus, and Silverstream. "I should probably chastise you three for fighting like that, but since you inadvertently helped us get downstairs, I'll allow it. We're not going anywhere without that keycard, after all."

"Like I've said, coolest chaperone ever!" Smolder repeated herself.

Sunset climbed out of the dumpster, trying her best to ignore the awful odor of the trash, as the students did the same. They began to slowly approach the maintenance room, which was surprisingly unlocked. Sunset didn't know whether to feel grateful or uneasy, realizing the foreboding possibility that somepony else was already awaiting her in the station.

As this was happening, Twilight and Spike had already arrived at Celestia and Luna's home in Silver Shoals, where the two former princesses were curious as to how their new ruler was doing. The princess and dragon sat on the couch, enjoying some tea and snacks that Celestia had provided for them.

"So, I take it that you're already getting used to your much bigger workload as the princess of all of Equestria?" Luna asked, as she sipped her tea.

"Well, I've been busy trying to adjust to my new roles and responsibilities, but it's not easy." Twilight reflected. "I've already worked on plans to improve our magic schools, found a way to help those who were affected by the recent changes, and dealt with all sorts of other matters."

"Speaking of which..." Celestia spoke up, before taking a seat nearby. "You wanted some guidance and insight on this... Chestnut Magnifico, is that correct, Twilight?"

"According to Sunset, that's what her name is." Twilight nodded. "I'm guessing that she most likely knows her name, because she's met her before in the Human World. And I've already given you her description, blonde mane, orange fur, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow."

"Does she by any chance ring a bell to you?" Spike inquired.

"I'm afraid that I don't recognize that name, nor do I recall anypony with the characteristics you've described." Celestia sighed. "But then again, my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be, especially after 1,000 years of ruling Equestria."

"Are you sure that this Chestnut Magnifico is out to destroy Equestria, much like Lord Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow?" Luna questioned.

"Well, if stealing Grogar's Bell doesn't imply that's her end-goal, I don't know what would." Twilight shrugged. "Oh, and did I mention that she hurt Sunset, too? She used the Bewitching Bell to not only drain her magic, but also stole her horn!"

"What?!" Celestia's eyes widened. "If this Chestnut Magnifico harmed my daughter in any way, she will have to answer for it! We must find this mare and bring her to justice at once!"

"Well, that's just it." Twilight began explaining. "See, we have absolutely no idea where she's gone off to, nor what her true intentions are. Which is why the council and I are now doing a thorough search all over Equestria."

"Are you absolutely sure you've never come across this pony?" Spike asked. "Maybe you have, but forgot about her?"

"Better yet, are there any other foes you've had history with, whom my friends and I have not dealt with?" Twilight pressed on. "Let's see, there's King Sombra, Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon, The Storm King..."

"I'm afraid that just like Cozy Glow, I have little to no knowledge on this Chestnut Magnifico, based on what you've described of her." Celestia sighed. "But as for other potential foes my sister and I have known... Luna, do we know anyone like that?"

"Other than those you've already listed, who are all no longer a threat to us, I believe that there are two more, whom we haven't seen in a while." Luna reflected. "But to be fair, I was stuck in the moon for most of that time."

"Two more?" Twilight listened on. "Who would they be?"

"Well as a possibility, could this Chestnut Magnifico have any connection to that slippery sorceress, who used the Memory Stone to erase memories?" Luna suggested.

"It doesn't seem likely, Luna." Celestia dismissed the idea. "I firmly remember Clover the Clever outsmarting her, and trapping her in a stone coffin for the rest of eternity. Just the fact that the coffin was never uncovered, leads me to suspect that he had hidden it in a place nopony would ever think to look."

"He was Clover the Clever, after all." Luna reminisced. "Well, if it wasn't the sorceress, there is another possibility. Sister, do you remember our birthplace and foalhood home, the city of Skyros?"

"I remember it well." Celestia began reflecting. "It was a beautiful city, full of life and magic. We had many friends there, though there was that one pony who only tried to befriend us for popularity reasons. She never really wanted to be our real friend, in fact, I'm pretty certain that she merely used us, just to get favors from the other residents."

"Sounds like something that still happens in today's time and age." Spike acknowledged. "Remember when the Cutie Mark Crusaders did just that for Twilight Time?"

"Well, nopony's perfect during their youth." Twilight replied. "So anyways, who's this potential threat that you speak of?"

"That's just it, actually." Luna began elaborating. "When Starswirl the Bearded turned my sister and I into alicorns, that was when we moved from Skyros to Equestria. However, before we moved, we distinctly recall hearing this pony from our hometown saying something... rather disconcerting."

"That's right." Celestia began remembering everything. "She claimed that we're no more special than she is, even if we suddenly gained the abilities to raise the sun and moon. And that the next time we would see her, she would rule all of Equestria as the most powerful fire alicorn."

"Fire alicorn...?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Is that even a real thing?"

"As far as we know, it isn't." Luna insisted. "At least, not in the way she described it. However, my sister soon theorized that it was possibly an indication that she had been studying forbidden lore, and perhaps made some... questionable discoveries."

"Do you remember what her name was?" Spike questioned.

"Sadly, we never got to know her name, since she didn't even have the courtesy to give us a proper introduction." Celestia recalled. "That's how false of a friend she was, but even then, this could all be farfetched. The idea that the childhood... 'friend' of ours becoming an alicorn, still being alive today, and thriving to become the most powerful fire alicorn in Equestria, I just don't believe it's likely. Especially because she doesn't even remotely resemble this Chestnut pony you've described."

"Unlikely, but not out of the realm of plausibility, if it's not the sorceress." Luna reminded. "But then again, I suppose you could be right, Sister. After all, if even you haven't seen her over 1,000 years of ruling Equestria, for all we know, she could've simply been bluffing."

"Well, I appreciate the tips and guidance you've both given me, but I'm afraid that if even you don't know anything about this Chestnut Magnifico, we might've hit a dead end. Only Sunset seems to remotely know something about her, and even then, it's mostly her name."

"Speaking of which, where exactly is Sunset, now?" Celestia questioned. "Is she all right?"

"We were able to give Sunset some temporary magic, so she's just as strong as ever." Twilight replied. "She still lacks her horn, but she's still the same determined student we both know. Currently, she's busy chaperoning a field trip to Hope Hollow with our school's students. It's a good thing she stepped in to do this, since... let's just say, it was necessary to help us become immune to the Bewitching Bell's powers."

"Alright, well I'm glad to hear that she's fine now." Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. "It's emotionally draining to hear that somepony ended up hurting my daughter, especially after she came around yesterday night to visit Luna and I."

"So Sunset really was in Silver Shoals after all." Spike realized. "You really did end up meeting an imposter in the restricted section, Twilight."

"And I wouldn't be surprised if this imposter was Chestnut herself." Twilight deduced, before turning to her former teacher. "Alright, well I'm glad that you and Luna were able to clear a few things up for us. But if even you don't know who Chestnut is, defeating her... is going to be quite the challenge."

"The only advice I can offer is to continue your research and seek out any information you can find on this Chestnut Magnifico." Celestia advised. "Perhaps if you can find somepony who knows more about her, it might lead you to uncover her true intentions. Just be careful in your search, and do not hesitate to come to me or Luna if you need our help. We may be retired now, but we are most certainly far from obsolete."

"I appreciate the words of wisdom." Twilight nodded. "Hopefully soon, we'll make a breakthrough and put an end to her plans once and for all."

Back at Bridlewood Station, Sunset and the students had already entered the maintenance room, which to Sunset, appeared to be much more industrial than any other part of Equestria she had seen before. This was admittedly ironic, considering how the station itself had been abandoned for quite some time, yet contained fully functional machinery that appeared to be more complex than most modern technology in Equestria. Sunset knew that it was in everyone's best interest to avoid touching anything, unless it was absolutely necessary to reach the stationmaster's office.

"Okay, everyone, stay close together and try not to touch anything." Sunset instructed her students. "Remember, we're here to find the elevator keycard in the stationmaster's office."

"Right, lead the way Miss Sunset!" Ocellus followed behind.

"Wow, are we even on our home planet anymore?" Silverstream commented. "It looks like we're on a spaceship! It's a real shame that most creatures won't get to see this, since the station's abandoned and all."

"Actually, I'm almost certain that even if the station was in good condition, they wouldn't normally let us come in here." Sandbar deduced. "It looks like only engineers or repair ponies are authorized."

"So our chaperone's intentionally letting us break the rules?" Smolder grinned. "I swear, I don't ever want another chaperone other than Miss Sunset here. She really knows how to live!"

"Well, although I love having fun whenever I can, I'm just doing my best to keep you all safe, and show you an interesting part of Equestria." Sunset looked back to her group, before coming up to a halt.

The staircase to the top of the maintenance room was completely broken, and it unfortunately seemed to be the only way to reach the exit. Sunset looked around the area, searching for something that could get them all upstairs.

"Awww, what does this place have against stairs?" Silverstream pouted. "Not that I need them or anything, since I can fly. But still, who would vandalize them?"

"I guess it's a good thing most of us have wings." Gallus spread his wings out. "But now the question is, which of us have both wings AND muscle? Cause to tell you the truth, I typically don't go lifting and flying at the same time."

"I suppose we'll all just go one at a time." Smolder suggested. "At least four of us here have wings, so this shouldn't be too bad."

"It looks like there's a switch there, which can help us get a bit of an elevation on the platform." Sandbar pointed.

"Good eye, that should certainly help us out." Sunset trotted over to the switch and flipped it, but to her confusion, the platform remained where it was.

Moments later, a giant steel cage began to drop from the ceiling, directly onto the students. However, Smolder had heard the noises just in time, prompting her to push Silverstream out of the way.

"WATCH OUT!!!" Smolder screeched, as she managed to push Silverstream out of the cage's range, allowing both the hippogriff and herself to avoid being trapped.

"Miss Sunset, please help us out of here, quick!" Ocellus said, worried.

"Yona... no like small spaces!" Yona said, teeth chattering.

"I'm on it!" Sunset assured her students. "Everyone stay calm, we'll find a way out!"

"Sure you will, but at what cost?" A voice said from a distance.

Sunset immediately turned around, prepared to fight the seeming threat.

"Who's there!?" Sunset looked around the maintenance room. "Show yourself, now!"

Moments later, a pony stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself to be none other than Indigo Zap. The former apprentice of Rainbow Dash glared at Sunset, Smolder, and Silverstream, before speaking up.

"So, you really came this far, even after I purposefully blocked off that staircase on the main floor?" Indigo said, impressed.

"That was you!?" Silverstream snapped. "You big meanie! What do you have against stairs, they've done nothing to you!"

"And ironically, it seems like I was right about you being a thief after all, since you tried to steal everypony's things back on the train!" Sunset narrowed her eyes. "Better yet, what exactly are you doing, trying to keep us from reaching Hope Hollow?"

"Oh, shut your traps!" Indigo hissed. "There's no need to get all worked up. What I'm doing is none of your concern, but just know that since you're involved, it makes the sabotage feel that much sweeter. It's just a shame that trap I set up for you didn't manage to trap all your friends back there."

"That's right, Sunset has us on her side!" Smolder cracked her knuckles. "So if you know what's good for you, you'll let our friends go, before we give you a real thrashing."

Suddenly, Indigo began glowing like she did before, and began to use her mysterious new power to transform her outer appearance into Sunset herself.

"Well, how exactly are you going to do that, if you can't even know who Sunset really is?" Indigo asked, rhetorically.

Chapter 77: Bitter Sweet

Sunset, Smolder, and Silverstream all stared Indigo down, anticipating her very next move. They weren't sure if she was planning on attacking, or expecting to sneak around them to escape, whilst using her new disguise to her advantage. Thankfully, it seemed rather pointless, given how the students had already gotten to know Sunset rather well in the time they've spent together, to where they'd easily be able to identify her. However, unknown to everyone else in the room, Indigo was already one step ahead of them all, especially after making her mistake with impersonating Rainbow Dash.

"So, I suppose the first thing you'd like to do is free your friends from that cage." Indigo said, before holding up a remote with a red button. "But unfortunately for you punks, you'll never manage to do that without this thing!"

"Oh yeah!?" Smolder huffed, taking a step forward. "Well we'll just see about that, you weasel! Silverstream and I are gonna stop you, even if we have to rely on our traditional combat skills!"

"Yeah!" Silverstream agreed. "We're gonna teach you a lesson you won't forget, you little... stair hater!"

"You'd better watch yourself, Indigo!" Sunset continued glaring at the treacherous pegasus. "We won't let you get away with what you've done!"

"Oh, please!" Indigo scoffed. "You three? Ha! I could take all of you on myself if I wanted to! But since I'm feeling so generous today, I'll let you try to stop me! Show me what you've got."

The trio began charging toward Indigo at full speed, and as expected, the disguised pegasus simply backed away and made a run for it, initiating a huge chase atop the maintenance room's high-raised platforms. Indigo had managed to circle the machinery multiple times, and kicked some old boxes at the trio in an attempt to slow them down. It seemed as though her disguise of Sunset had still allowed her to retain her remarkable athletic ability and speed, despite no longer having wings. After giving chase for a while, Indigo spotted a large old pipe that was hanging loosely from the ceiling above them. With a mischievous grin, she dashed towards it and knocked it free from its rusty bolts.

Suddenly, the pipe came loose and crashed to the ground, spilling a torrent of dark, foul-smelling sewage all over the floor. The thick, slimy mess instantly covered the area, making it nearly impossible to run without slipping and falling. Smolder and Silverstream skidded to a halt, their eyes widening in disgust as the muck managed to splash onto them. The dragon and hippogriff slipped and ended up landing on their backs, both injuring one of their wings. Sunset was more tenacious however, and simply ignored the awful odors to continue the chase, especially after climbing out of a dumpster earlier. Unfortunately, Indigo had managed to accomplish exactly as she had planned, which was to isolate Sunset from the two students. After pursuing the pegasus long enough, Indigo managed to hide in a nearby broom closet, seemingly cornering herself. Sunset followed suit, and was ready to finally confront the troublemaking pegasus.

"This is it, Indigo!" Sunset yelled. "You're cornered, and there's nowhere left to run!"

"Oh really?" The voice of the disguised pegasus echoed throughout the closet. "I've been in worse situations before. Besides, you're the one who's actually cornered here, my little fool. You shouldn't have followed me."

"Well, it's too late now." Sunset frowned. "You're going to pay for what you've done."

"Oh, I'm going to pay, am I?" Indigo challenged. "Well, that just sounds like a wonderful idea!"

As Smolder and Silverstream had been slowed down from the sewage earlier, they already lost track of where Sunset and Indigo had ran off to. Conflicted on where to go within the station's massive maintenance room, the two students had no choice but to return back the way they came, to the exact spot with the giant cage that trapped Sandbar, Gallus, Ocellus, and Yona. Without either one of their field trip's chaperones by their side, the students had begun to worry, unsure if they would ever find a way out of Bridlewood Station, let alone return home safely.

"Hey, you two think you could help us outta here?" Gallus said from within the cage. "Yona's already feeling pretty claustrophobic!"

"This is so tight space, and bars are too strong for Yona to bash through..." Yona began chattering her teeth. "YONA! CAN'T! TAKE! MUCH! LONGER!!!"

"Did you manage to catch that crazy pegasus who trapped us?" Sandbar asked.

"And where's Miss Sunset?" Ocellus had begun to worry.

"We don't know where that mean pegasus went, nor Miss Sunset!" Silverstream began freaking out. "But we need to figure out a way to get you all out of there! Who does that pegasus think we are, zoo animals!?"

"Nrrrrrrrgh!" Smolder did her absolute best to lift the metal cage, but to no avail. "Rats! I don't have the strength of Dragon Lord Torch, that's for sure. And I sadly already gave up my dragon fire to give us this field trip. Of all the times for me to not have my fire breath... it would easily melt these bars to free you all!"

"Well, I have my abilities to morph into a dragon, but it's only visual." Ocellus sighed. "No fire breath, sadly. And I highly doubt changing into a fish could help us either."

"Maybe not, but you could probably change into a smaller critter to slip through the bars." Sandbar suggested.

"But... we can't just leave the rest of you in there!" Silverstream interjected.

"Of course not." Sandbar replied. "But perhaps Ocellus could make her way out of the cage, then she could help you two search around for Miss Sunset. Since the maintenance room's so big, maybe it'll be easier to find her by flying around."

"I don't know, Sandbar." Smolder hesitated. "Silverstream and I both slipped and broke one of our wings earlier, while chasing after that crazy pegasus."

"Oh no, are you two all right!?" Sandbar said, concerned.

"We'll be fine, but it's going to take us a while longer to fly again." Silverstream moped. "We're pretty much stuck here until we can get our wings back in shape. Sorry Ocellus, but if you can manage to get out, you'll be on your own."

"Well, I guess that's what I'll have to do then." Ocellus said, determined. "If you guys can't come with me, just stay here and be safe."

"Uhhh, not to be pushy or anything but..." Gallus began, rather disconcerted. "You think you could find our chaperone as soon as you can? Yona looks like she's about to snap...!"

"YONA! NEED! SPACE! NOW!!!" Yona howled, as she began banging on the cage's metal bars.

With a deep breath, Ocellus focused her concentration and began to morph out of her changeling form, into that of a mouse. The mouse scurried out of the cage and down to the ground, squeaking softly. After exiting the cage, the changeling student morphed back into her original form, and began flapping her wings to soar into the air.

"Don't worry, I'll find them and get us all out of here." Ocellus assured the others before scampering off into the distance, searching for any sign of Sunset or Indigo.

As Ocellus frantically searched high and low throughout the maintenance room, she began to feel a sense of panic rising within her. Everywhere she looked, there was nothing but metal and machinery, and there was also the internal fear of possibly getting lost herself. The changeling student knew she had to act fast, especially given the circumstances with Yona's claustrophobia. The adrenaline was rushing through her heart, this somehow began to feel more intense than her extreme study sessions back at the School of Friendship. After enough determination, she eventually noticed Sunset within one of the corridors.

"Hey, over here!" Ocellus called out from a distance, prompting Sunset to turn around, happy to see her student. "What happened to that mean pegasus?"

"Oh, you know, just another pegasus with a stick up their flank, we won't need to worry about her anymore." Sunset assured. "Anyways, I'm glad you're safe. Do you know where the rest of the students are?"

"Yes, of course!" Ocellus nodded. "I'll take you back to them right now! But we must hurry, Yona's becoming quite claustrophobic of that cage!"

Ocellus and Sunset rushed back through the maintenance room, careful not to trip over any of the pipes or machinery. As they neared the cage where their friends were trapped, they could hear Yona's loud howls echoing through the room, which was a dead giveaway on their location.

"Everyone, good news!" Ocellus began to approach the group. "I found Miss Sunset rather easily!"

"Wait just a minute... how do we know that's really the best chaperone we've ever had?" Smolder folded her arms. "After all, that rotten pegasus transformed into her earlier!"

"But... Ocellus seems to recognize it's her!" Silverstream observed. "If any of us here would know about changeling magic, it'd be Ocellus, right?"

"Well, I am pretty good at recognizing changelings, yes." Ocellus nodded. "From what I can gather... I can't sense any natural changeling magic coming from Miss Sunset here. So it has to be her!"

"Besides, I snatched the remote control from that awful pegasus." Sunset held up the remote, before pressing the red button to lift the cage up, releasing Sandbar, Gallus, and Yona. "I just came back to free you students from that awful trap."

"T-Thank you!" Yona ran over to give Sunset a big hug. "You have no idea how much Yona hate being trapped like that! Yona was almost ready to smash all over cage, like rest of family!"

"It's a good thing you showed up when you did, then." Gallus breathed a sigh of relief. "Otherwise, Sandbar and I would be griffon scone jam right about now."

"Well, I'm just glad that we're all safe now." Sandbar added. "Thanks to Ocellus and Miss Sunset, we're finally back on our hooves again!"

"Again though, how do we know that's Miss Sunset?" Smolder continued pressing. "What were we fighting about back upstairs before we jumped through the garbage chute?"

"Oh, you mean that little argument over those cream cakes?" Sunset reminded. "It seemed like a silly argument anyways, since even I wouldn't feed those to a dog!"

"Besides, if she had the ability to morph like a changeling, I'd be able to detect it." Ocellus assured. "I don't sense it coming from Miss Sunset, so it must be her."

"Well, I suppose that's good enough for me." Smolder finally conceded, still looking a bit skeptical, but trusting Ocellus's word. "So, Miss Sunset, what should we do now?"

"To tell you the truth, the diversion of that pegasus had us all sidetracked for a bit." Sunset replied. "Could someone remind us why we're all here again?"

"We were about to fly up that broken staircase in search of the stationmaster's office." Sandbar reminded. "Problem is, now that Silverstream and Smolder injured their wings, it's going to be a lot more difficult for us all to get up there together."

"Perhaps we can find another way up there." Sunset observed her surroundings. "This place is so big and complicated, there has to be another route that we can take to reach our destination. We just need to keep our heads together and think creatively. Come on, every creature! Let's go!"

Sunset and the six students began to exit the opposite way they came, looking for another way to reach the stationmaster's office. Everyone seemed assured that they were following their true chaperone, especially since Ocellus was able to corroborate that there wasn't anything funny going on. Despite this, Smolder still remained somewhat skeptical of the whole ordeal, especially given her experience with being able to identify someone disguising themselves, most notably when Ocellus herself had attempted to take the form of a dragon during their first day of school.

As everyone exited the maintenance room and began searching for another way to reach the stationmaster's office, Smolder's intuition would unfortunately soon prove to be correct. Back in the broom closet where Sunset and Indigo supposedly fought over the remote control, an unconscious body remained on the floor, before slowly moving again, as the wind blew the door open, letting in a glimmer of light. Before long, the pony began to immediately get back up, realizing that something bad must've happened.

"This isn't Canterlot..." Sunset began to slowly reiterate. "Where am I...? Princess Celesti- wait a minute now. I don't think I have my memories erased this time, must be a force of habit. Let's see... I'm chaperoning a field trip to Hope Hollow, we just encountered Indigo Zap, and... SHE KNOCKED ME UNCONSCIOUS WITH SOME KIND OF MAGICAL ARTIFACT!!!"

Recalling the true extent of the circumstances now, Sunset immediately ran out from the broom closet, and to her horror, found absolutely no sign of Indigo, nor the students anywhere. It began to sink in that supposedly, Indigo must've truly utilized her disguise to her advantage, especially after separating her from the students during that chase. Sunset was now all alone in the station, as she had now been separated from the students she was assigned to chaperone, along with her own identity. This most likely meant that unlike with Rainbow, Indigo was now doing more of a deliberate job at playing a convincing role as Sunset, good enough to fool the students. With the situation growing increasingly dire by the second, Sunset scrambled all around Bridlewood Station's maintenance room, before exiting through another side door in the corner.

As this was happening, trouble would soon brew back in the Human World at Crystal Prep Academy, where coincidentally, another Sunset Shimmer had a vendetta toward a different Indigo Zap. Principal Cadance had been on the phone with the parents of two students, whom she knew were rather close friends, to discuss a rather urgent matter. Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat were rather unpleased to be called back to school campus at nearly 6 PM, but knew that they couldn't let anything minor get in the way of their graduation.

"What do you suppose Principal Cadance wants from us?" Indigo questioned. "It's not like us to get a trip to the principal's office just a few days before graduation, let alone at around 6:00!"

"Maybe she's congratulating me on the many college acceptance letters I should've received by now." Sugarcoat remarked, proudly. "As for you, I'd say she probably wants to talk to you about cheating on that math final with Mr. McColt. I know I saw you sneaking those cheat sheets into your desk during class."

"Oh, please." Indigo rolled her eyes. "Like you didn't have your own stack of them!"

"Nope." Sugarcoat shook her head. "I can recite the pythagorean theorem and rules of derivatives in my sleep. You know what else I can do, if Principal Cadance called us in for something else? Mention to her that I witnessed you cheating, even if you only ended up getting a C-."

"You'd better not!" Indigo spat. "If you even DARE think of doing so, I'll make sure your school life in college will be miserable, just like I did to that nerdy girl way back in freshman year!"

"Good luck doing that when you won't even know which college I'll end up choosing." Sugarcoat called Indigo's bluff. "Besides, you know the drill at this point, since I let you take pictures of my homework for a fee. If you want to buy my silence, cough up the dough."

"Fine..." Indigo growled, before reaching into her pocket and handing Sugarcoat a $20 bill. "Let's just get this over with, so I can go home and start training for something that's ACTUALLY important!"

Before long, the two Crystal Prep girls made their way into Principal Cadance's office, and took a seat. It had admittedly been a while since either of them had been in the principal's office, but they noticed that the gloomy and dark interiors were no longer there, as it had been when Principal Cinch was in control. Despite the lively and more cheery atmosphere, Principal Cadance was ready to break some hard news to the two students.

"So, what's up, Principal?" Indigo asked, innocently. "We're not in any trouble, are we?"

"Maybe you are." Sugarcoat scoffed.

"Sugarcoat!" Indigo stomped her foot on the floor in a rage.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that there is indeed trouble for you, Indigo." Principal Cadance sighed, as Indigo's eyes widened.

"Please, don't hold me back from graduation!" Indigo began crying crocodile tears. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT!!!"

"Didn't mean to do... what?" Cadance raised an eyebrow. "This is regarding an incident I had witnessed, involving a break-in with your locker.

"Oh, well..." Indigo fidgeted her fingers, nervously, before recalling what she used to bribe her math teacher for a passing grade. "I didn't mean to give Mr. McColt a pumpkin pie as a treat after the finals. I didn't realize he didn't like pumpkins."

"Wait, what did you say, just now?" Sugarcoat's eyes widened at the principal. "Indigo's locker?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that a few hours ago, I had witnessed what appeared to be two hooligans somehow breaking into Indigo Zap's locker." Cadance explained.

"They... didn't steal our old Crystal Prep uniforms, did they!?" Sugarcoat began hyperventilating.

"Sadly, they did." Cadance sighed. "In fact, according to the CCTV footage from our security camera, it appears that those were the only items that were stolen."

"AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO STOP THEM!?" Indigo snapped. "WHAT KIND OF PRINCIPAL ARE YOU!?"

"Indigo, you idiot!" Sugarcoat facepalmed. "I knew I should've just kept my old Crystal Prep uniform with me the whole time!"

"How is this my fault!?" Indigo became enraged. "You were the one who said my locker combination out loud earlier at the gas station! Some crook must've overheard and put two and two together!"

"Like you're even the type of girl who knows what two plus two even is!" Sugarcoat jabbed. "After graduation, I was going to sell my uniform and use that money to pay for my college dorm costs! Thanks a lot, now I'll probably have to live in the campus library, thanks to your incompetence!"

"It's not my fault you and the other girls wanted to store your uniforms in my locker for free, while you all focused on studying for finals!" Indigo huffed.

"Now, now, girls." Cadance tried to break up the fight. "Let's not get any more worked up, shall we? I'm sure we can come up with a solution to this problem. Perhaps we can ask the police to investigate further into this matter, and see if there's any way we can retrieve the uniforms."

"Well, I suppose that's all we can do for now." Sugarcoat groaned. "But to get an idea, do you think we can see the security footage of the two thugs who broke into our locker?"

"Absolutely, the only issue being, there's no audio." Cadance nodded, before playing the footage back on the large monitor next to her desk.

Although the two girls were unable to recognize Gilda, they both noticed that the other girl looked familiar. In fact, it didn't take long for them to realize that the hairstyle, facial features, and even mannerisms, seemed to match up with Sunset Shimmer. Sugarcoat and Indigo's eyes widened at this, before Indigo stomped again, rather outraged. This prompted the goggle wearing girl to storm out of the office to let off some steam, as Sugarcoat accompanied her.

"It was that girl at CHS, Sunset Shimmer!?" Indigo snapped. "What does she have against Crystal Prep Academy!?"

"Well, in all fairness, the other girls and I partook in plagiarizing her and her friends' dance choreography once." Sugarcoat recalled. "Still though, stealing dance choreography is nothing compared to stealing my college dorm rent! Should we let Principal Cadance know who we think the culprit really is?"

"Why bother?" Indigo folded her arms. "She'll probably ask us for more solid proof, especially because that footage was a little blurry, and lacked audio! Well! Two can play at this game! Come on, Sugarcoat. If Sunset Shimmer thinks she can ruin our lives just days before graduation, we'll teach her AND her dumb school!"

Back at Bridlewood Station, Sunset continued to search through the various rooms within the station, only to be met with dead ends, and no sign of Indigo and the students anywhere. She had almost begun to have flashbacks of desperately searching through Canterlot's labyrinth-like main castle during Twilight's coronation, although there weren't any security guards in hot pursuit this time around. However, she knew time was of the essence, especially with the possibility of Indigo being up to no good, and potentially leading the students into an even more dangerous trap. It was still unknown why Indigo was doing all this, but Sunset stood by her original belief that the pegasus was likely doing it out of pettiness, after what had happened with Rainbow Dash.

Eventually, Sunset found herself within what appeared to be an old basement, with records and archives of the station's history. Upon further inspection, Sunset took notice of a framed picture on the wall, showing Grandpa Skies, which listed him as the former stationmaster. It made sense that this would be here, after Mayor Skies had implied that his grandfather had connections with Bridlewood Station long ago. Unfortunately, this didn't really help matters, especially since Sunset was still focusing on regrouping with her students, or potentially finding another way outside the station. Sunset looked around the station's basement for further clues, before finding what appeared to be a hidden message written on the back of Grandpa Skies' picture.

"In case of cravings, check the stationmaster's office, 6-28-86." Sunset read out loud. "Hmm, this combination... maybe that's what we need to find the keycard? I'll have to keep this in mind."

Sunset made a mental note of this combination, before exiting the basement, and miraculously, discovering another room that led up, and outside of the station. There was now a visible night sky, signaling the near end of what now felt like the longest day of her extended stay in Equestria. Unfortunately, due to the barbed wire fences cutting off the forest area, Sunset didn't have many options to go from here, as she was technically outside, but still inside, in some ways. She was about ready to head back into the station to thoroughly search for the students, before hearing what seemed to be... soft crying from a distance? Sunset worked up some courage to approach the station's garbage dump, and eventually noticed what appeared to be a familiar face behind a dumpster. It was Sour Sweet, the other chaperone who had mysteriously been vanishing throughout this entire field trip.

"Sour Sweet...?" Sunset approached the broken pegasus, unsure of what was even happening.

"I... I'm sorry..." Sour Sweet whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "I... I never meant for any of this... please, don't turn me in to Princess Twilight!"

"What are you talking about?" Sunset said, taken aback at this. "I'm just glad to see that you're okay. What... didn't you mean for?"

"Getting you in trouble a few days ago, just because I wanted that bonus from Mr. Steele." Sour Sweet sniffled. "And... now you're probably going to report to Princess Twilight that I was stealing everypony's things on the train!"

"I'll admit, it wasn't cool what you did, back during Twilight's coronation." Sunset acknowledged. "But as for the train thief, I know it wasn't you. I just can't really see you as a crook, being a former royal guard, and all."

"Easy for you to say." Sour Sweet pouted. "Everypony on board hates me, and thinks I've been stealing their stuff!"

"Wait a minute..." Sunset began to slowly process what happened. "Is that why you were...?"

"I went back into my cabin to enjoy my dinner." Sour Sweet began explaining herself. "However, when I overheard Mr. Ramsay announce that his lamb sauce had been stolen, I realized there was trouble. Part of me didn't want to miss my chance to talk with you and the students regarding this matter, but then I began overhearing some of the other passengers accusing ME of being the thief. That got me even more anxious and paranoid, to where I just panicked, and hid in Mr. Ramsay's freezer to save myself the shame. Then, I stepped off of the train and flew all the way here, just to drown my sorrows."

"I guess that's why we found you unconscious in the freezer." Sunset recalled. "I can kinda see why you did this, but... if you truly were innocent, you'd have nothing to hide."

"I know, I know..." Sour Sweet whimpered, wiping her eyes. "But it's just... what if nopony believed me, or heck, tried to frame me on purpose by planting evidence? Besides, I can't really prove my innocence now, can I?"

"Well, I wouldn't really say that." Sunset assured. "Like I've said, I already know who the real thief was, because I just caught her earlier. Mr. Ramsay and the mayor were even around when she revealed herself, so I can assure you that no one believes you're a thief now. If anything, they're just confused as to why you mysteriously disappeared."

"I... I don't know what to say." Sour Sweet said, rather surprised. "Thank you, Sunset."

"No sweat at all." Sunset replied. "I'm just wondering now though... even if everyone was still accusing you of being the thief, why did you take such an extreme level to hide from the problem? I'm sure that sooner or later, we would've discovered the real thief anyways."

"Don't you remember what Princess Twilight said to me back in the dungeon?" Sour Sweet reminded. "She'd maximize my sentence, and also make certain I could never find work in Equestria ever again. With that kind of pressure on my shoulders, something inside me just snapped. I've always hated my job as a royal guard, anyways."

"I understand that what Twilight said might've been a bit harsh, but from my experience with her, it's primarily tough love, when she knows you have hope." Sunset remembered everything Twilight had done to set her on the right path, shortly after the Fall Formal back at CHS. "If you don't mind me asking... what didn't you like about your job?"

"Well... I suppose it's not the job itself, but rather the expectations that came with it." Sour Sweet gave her input. "As a former royal guard, everypony expected me to be this tough, unshakeable pony, always in control of any situation. But the truth is, I'm not. I'm just a normal pony, with normal problems. Sometimes, I just need a break from being a tough and sour leader, because my family always raised me to be a kind and sweet pony. The pay wasn't that great either, and paying rent on time in Canterlot was never easy."

"I guess this was before Twilight became the Princess of all of Equestria, when there were different rules." Sunset listened on. "While I can understand this, why were you a pony who ended up abusing her power? Flash even told me that you sometimes ended up talking trash behind his back, when you two were working together."

"Oh, you know how it is." Sour Sweet continued. "Everypony gets fed up with their job sometimes, and they take it out on those they perceive as being beneath them. I... I wasn't always that way. I used to be just as nice as Flash, but when I was assigned to be Princess Celestia's personal guard, things started to change. Her highness was always so... perfect. Always had a smile on her face, and was so kind to everypony she met. I began to feel inadequate, like I could never live up to her standards."

"I can certainly relate to that, myself." Sunset could never forget how she pushed herself to be Celestia's prized pupil, only to feel that it was still never enough. "If you're anything like me, I suppose that also means you began to feel resentment over time?"

"It was a slow process, yeah." Sour Sweet opened up. "Over time, I began to resent Princess Celestia for making me feel that way. And when I was assigned to protect, I saw that opportunity as a way to prove that I was just as good, if not better than Princess Celestia. I wanted to show that I could be strong, and unyielding, just like she was. But instead, I just became a bully who let nopony stand in my way, I didn't realize what I was doing until it was too late."

Hearing Sour Sweet's words, Sunset's heart sank for a few moments. She herself was certainly in no position to judge the former royal guard, after learning what had led up to her behavior, and that she felt remorse for her actions. She wasn't necessarily just a pony of authority who abused her power, but rather, only did so because she was misguided into believing she was expected to. Sunset also knew from experience as a pony who once resented Princess Celestia, albeit for different reasons, that this sort of resentment would lead into dishonesty, anger, and a series of other psychological factors that would cause her to do all sorts of things that she'd regret to this very day.

Attempting to frame somepony else for a little bonus was rotten, for sure. But Sunset knew that she was no better when she had attempted to frame Twilight for wrecking the CHS Fall Formal, in a dirty attempt to disqualify her from winning her crown back. The resentment, expectations, and peer pressure all contributed to a once sweet mare becoming the type of pony with a sour demeanor, with a tendency to lash out at others. Sunset was able to absolutely empathize with everything Sour Sweet had opened up about, since in her own eyes, she was way worse off in her own path of resentment toward Celestia than the former royal guard.

"I understand how you feel, Sour Sweet." Sunset began holding the pegasus, tenderly. "I had my own resentment against Princess Celestia for a while, and it led me down a dark path too. I know it's hard to forgive yourself, but I want you to know that you don't have to carry that burden alone."

"I... I appreciate that, Sunset." Sour Sweet sniffled. "It means a lot, coming from you. But I still feel like I owe it to those I hurt to make things right, especially Flash."

Hearing this had made things even more heartbreaking for Sunset, especially with the circumstances of Flash no longer being with them, after what happened on Everfree Island. Sunset knew that while the news would be upsetting for Sour Sweet, she would inevitably find out soon enough. By that point, she'd have a much more difficult time accepting the new reality, so Sunset knew she had to build up the courage to let the pegasus know about Flash's fate.

"I'm sorry, Sour Sweet." Sunset's voice trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know how to say this... but Flash... he lost his life on Everfree Island. My friends and I were cornered by rushing magma, and he sacrificed himself to save us..."

"N-No..." Sour Sweet looked as if she'd been hit in the gut, as her eyes welled up with tears, trying to process the news. "It can't be... he can't... oh, Flash... I'm so sorry I never got the chance to reconcile with you, after what happened between us on the last day at the E.U.P!"

The former royal guard buried her face in her hooves, sobbing uncontrollably, as Sunset came by to cradle her, knowing that she'd miss Flash just as much as her. In fact, it felt even more shocking to learn that the both of them not only went down a dark path due to their resentment toward Princess Celestia, but also had a bad history with Flash, albeit completely different ones. Sunset now understood the full extent of Sour Sweet's psychology, and ended up learning that they had much more in common than she would've ever imagined. As difficult as everything currently was for Sour Sweet, Sunset knew that the first step would be to accept the reality of the situation, and mention the best alternative solution for her, once the field trip was over.

"When we make arrangements for Flash's funeral back in Canterlot, you should try to talk to him, Sour Sweet." Sunset continued holding the former royal guard. "Tell him how you feel, and how you're no longer going to treat anypony else like that ever again. I know it's hard that you may not be able to tell him directly, but I know deep down that it'll still help you both find some peace."

"I... I'll try." Sour Sweet sniffled, wiping her eyes with a hoof. "I'll try to find peace with it, and I'll make sure to tell Flash everything I want to say, even if I can't tell him face to face anymore. Thank you, Sunset... for being here for me."

"It's never a problem, though we should both technically thank Twilight." Sunset replied, softly. "She did the same thing for me, way back when I couldn't even have one true friend by my side. In fact, now that you've told me about how you've been feeling about your job, I can let Twilight know, and I'm sure she'd be willing to make arrangements for you. In fact, if you really needed a break from your old job, I'm sure there are plenty of other ways you can serve Equestria, it doesn't have to be a royal guard."

"Thanks, Sunset, that means a lot to me." Sour Sweet sniffled. "Maybe I could work with something else entirely within Canterlot. I'll... I'll think about it. Though when it comes to new work experience, I guess being a field trip chaperone is a start?"

"Well, it's certainly something." Sunset chuckled softly. "Just don't let this be the last time you get to hang out with us, alright? I know we haven't had the best start, but I'm hoping we can all be friends by the end of this. I mean, we're all in the same train, right?"

"Yeah, we are." Sour Sweet nodded. "I'll try not to be such a... grump around you all, and act more sweet, rather than sour."

The two mares continued hugging it out, sending a heartwarming sensation, in contrast to the dark night sky and abandoned old train station. Once Sour Sweet showed she was comfortable enough to pick herself up off the ground, Sunset knew it was time to search for the students, as they both still had plenty of work to do on this field trip.

"Alright, so should we go back to the train and find the students?" Sour Sweet asked. "I'm guessing they're waiting for us right now?"

"Well actually, that's the thing." Sunset began explaining her situation. "You know the actual thief who had been stealing everypony's things back on the train? It was Indigo Zap, the pony who was in the cell across from yours in the dungeon. And if I understand everything correctly, she's used her mysterious transformation powers to disguise herself as me, and fooled the students into following her!"

"In that case, we need to find and stop her immediately!" Sour Sweet insisted, looking at the station. "We can't let her get away with this! I'll help you, Sunset, no matter what!"

The two mares hurried back through the exit, and desperately began searching together for the students. They were still unable to find any sign of Indigo or the students anywhere, making them feel a bit worried at the possibility of already being too late.

"Hmm, where did you last see the students before you got separated from them?" Sour Sweet kept looking around.

"In the station's maintenance room." Sunset replied. "I'm not exactly sure where Indigo could've taken the students off to, since... let's just say we had to get downstairs by a garbage chute. The other stairway leading down was blocked off by the building's debris, so I'm not sure if they somehow found a way back upstairs."

"Hey, wait a second... do you hear that?" Sour Sweet's ear pointed her toward an air vent in the ceiling, which had some vague noises coming from upstairs, prompting the two mares to listen in.

"Miss Sunset, what are we doing all the way over here?" Sandbar questioned from the floor above. "Weren't we supposed to find the stationmaster's office?"

"Oh, well you see kids, the stationmaster's office is... actually back here!" Indigo explained, her voice somewhat muffled by the vent. "We're going to have to get back there through this air duct. It's part of the mystery!"

Hearing this, the two mares observed that the duct leading down would presumably trap the students again within another steel cage, which only made the concern intensify even further.

"Looks like Indigo's walking them right into another trap!" Sunset said, uneased. "And I'm guessing if she needed to know anything to convince the students that she's me, she must've overheard me from this air duct, it's got a pretty big echo going down. Either way, how are we going to get back upstairs in time? We can't get up through there, that's for sure."

"There's actually a way we can both get up there, but it's going to take a bit of trust on your part, Sunset." Sour Sweet explained, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to need you to hold onto my tail really tightly, and I'll use my extra strength to pull you up into the duct. Let's just say... it's a technique that Flash taught me back at the E.U.P. to rescue ponies trapped within tight spaces."

"Okay... I trust you, Sour Sweet." Sunset nodded, taking a deep breath herself, as she leaned forward to get a better grip on Sour Sweet's tail. "We're in this together, and I know you wouldn't lead me astray. This is our only chance now to keep the students safe from that imposter!"

The duo carefully climbed atop the cage, with Sour Sweet's powerful wings spreading wide to brace for impact. With a mighty heave, Sour Sweet launched herself upwards through the air vent, her powerful wings propelling her through the narrow space with an incredible speed. Sunset clung onto her tail, her hooves scrabbling at the smooth metal of the duct as they shot upwards at breakneck speed. After reaching the top, the two had burst through the vent, and landed onto the same floor where Indigo and the students were currently at.

"Wha...!" Indigo stood there, aghast at this unexpected event. "How did you two get up here?"

The students behind Indigo looked on in confusion, unsure of what was going on. The real Sunset then took a step forward, glaring at the imposter.

"I'd ask you the same thing, but I already know the answer." Sunset narrowed her eyes. "You've been lying to these poor kids, and thought you were going to get away with it, huh?"

"You mean... you thought YOU were trying to get away with it!" Indigo had attempted to turn the tables. "Look, every creature! Indigo's returned, and she's teamed up with Sour Sweet to ruin your field trip again! Let's get them both!"

However, the students were more hesitant on following 'Sunset', and had instead been curious as to where their other chaperone had been this whole time. Suddenly, Sour Sweet had decided to play along, since she had already spent enough time around both Indigo and Sunset, to know for certain who was the real deal.

"You are... Indigo!?" Sour Sweet gasped at Sunset, as Indigo smirked, knowing that her plan was working. "You mean... I've been helping the train's thief!?"

"That's right, Sour Sweet." Indigo said, confident in her lie. "Though it's not like you were any help in the first place. Now, let's see if you two can stop the whole class from enjoying this field trip. Come on, students! Let's get these treacherous ponies!"

"I...I'm sorry, Indigo." Sour Sweet continued her charade, but winked to the real Sunset. "But... Sunset's the only pony around here who's shown me any kindness! She even released me from the dungeon, and gave me another chance to turn my life around!"

"Sounds like you have every reason to stick by my side, Sour Sweet." Indigo said, believing that the odds were now in her favor. "Now, go on ahead and give Indigo exactly what she deserves!"

"You got it." Sour Sweet nodded, before using her opportunity to fly over to the real Indigo, and knocking her off of the ground.

"Wha-!?" Indigo's eyes widened in surprise. "Sour Sweet! What do you think you're doing!?"

"Doing exactly as you said." Sour Sweet replied, coldly. "Giving Indigo exactly what she deserves."

The two had begun to wrestle over the floor, but unfortunately for Indigo, Sour Sweet had far more experience in combat as a royal guard, giving her the advantage. The former royal guard managed to catch Indigo by surprise multiple times, resulting in throwing the imposter off balance. Before long, Sour Sweet had managed to daze Indigo through a swift kick to the noggin, before throwing the pegasus down through the same opened duct that she and Sunset had flewn up from earlier. Indigo fell all the way down, and eventually plummeted directly into the trap cage that she had set herself. Sunset and Sour Sweet then looked back toward the students, happy that their teamwork was enough to save the students from literally falling directly into another trap.

"So that WAS that rotten pegasus thief this whole time!?" Smolder deduced. "I should've known, my intuition is never wrong."

"But... I don't understand." Gallus scratched his head. "How was Ocellus unable to detect the natural changeling magic?"

"Actually..." Ocellus inspected the real Sunset, and came to the same conclusion she did with Indigo. "I don't sense it coming from the real Miss Sunset, which means... whatever that thief was using to disguise herself, it wasn't natural changeling magic! I should've figured earlier, since... we changelings typically don't glow that particular color when transforming ourselves."

"Chaperone Sunset is not mad at us students, is she?" Yona said, unable to comprehend being fooled.

"No, no, of course not, Yona." Sunset assured. "I'm just glad that everything worked out, especially since Indigo was leading you all into a trap by going down that duct. Luckily, Sour Sweet was around to save you all before it was too late."

"Speaking of which... where WAS our other chaperone this whole time?" Silverstream questioned.

"It's... kind of a long story, I can tell you back on the train." Sour Sweet replied. "But hey, we still have work to do, don't we?"

"Right, we still need to reach the stationmaster's office to get that keycard for Torque." Sunset explained. "We were supposed to get there through Bridlewood Station's maintenance room, but we hit a dead end when we saw that the exit was located at the top of a broken staircase."

"Broken staircase, huh?" Sour Sweet pondered. "Well, that's certainly no issue at all, if climbing up a ventilation shaft was doable. Come on, let's go!"

With the students and both chaperones finally reunited, the field trip to Hope Hollow was back on track, especially once the stationmaster's keycard was acquired. Sunset and Sour Sweet led the students back into the maintenance room they were all in earlier, before returning to the broken staircase. Sour Sweet was easily able to carry Sunset and every other student upstairs with her flight and strength, though she had admittedly struggled carrying Yona by herself. Now that everybody had finally reached the corridor leading out of the maintenance room, they were well on their way to approach the stationmaster's office, which was located at the end of the hall. As Torque had alluded to earlier, the office had a locked door, which prompted Yona to do what she had done before with the abandoned gift shop.

"BE! OUR! FRIEND!!!" Yona recited, before bashing her way through the locked door, knocking it off of the hinges as well.

Sunset and the others walked into the office, and surprisingly, found the elevator keycard lying flat on the front desk. Though if the keycard was here, Sunset pondered what that lock combination she had found behind Grandpa Skies' portrait was pointing her towards. She then brought her attention to a rusty iron safe in the corner of the room, which was the only thing within the office that had a padlock on it. Sunset grabbed the keycard, before inputting the combination that she remembered. The lock had opened, and within the safe was a dusty old book labeled, 'Skies Family Secret Recipes'.

"How did you know the locker combination?" Gallus questioned.

"I found a clue earlier while looking for you students, let's just say." Sunset replied. "Hmm, it's probably not our business to be taking things from this old office, but apparently, Sunny Skies' grandfather was the original stationmaster here. Perhaps the mayor would like to have this, cause otherwise... it'll just remain here in Bridlewood Station until the end of time."

"I'd say hold onto it." Smolder suggested. "Finders keepers, after all, just like we found the elevator's keycard."

"Hey, speaking of which... didn't we see an elevator in that corridor outside?" Sandbar recalled. "Maybe we could use the keycard to get all the way back upstairs with it, since the other staircase is still blocked off by debris."

"That's a good idea, Sandbar." Sunset nodded. "Let's go check it out!"

Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the students all went out of the office, and approached the old elevator. As Sunset swiped the keycard in the slot, it had miraculously lit up, returning electricity to the once inactive power cells. Everyone had entered the elevator, and began ascending upwards, specifically the floor leading up to Bridlewood Station's main passenger room. Unknown to them, Torque and Sunny Skies were waiting right outside the elevator's exit, rather concerned about the passengers' whereabouts.

"What do you mean you couldn't find Starlight and those students?" The mayor questioned.

"I don't know!" Torque panicked. "They told me they'd meet me by the stationmaster's office, but there's no way to get downstairs, since the staircase had been caved in. I'd need a jackhammer to get through that rubble, and I don't have one handy on the train!"

"You think something bad happened to them within the station?" Sunny Skies began shaking.

Just then, the elevator behind the two ponies had opened, revealing Sour Sweet, Sunset, and the students. Sunset had instructed Sour Sweet to bring the students safely back to the Endtrak Express, which the pegasus had agreed to do so. As the group began leaving the station's corridor, ready to reboard the train, Torque and Sunny Skies turned around to commend Sunset on her efforts.

"Well I'll be a pimento sandwich!" Sunny Skies said. "Whatever you ended up doing, you got the elevator working again, Starlight! Great job!"

"It was really no trouble, thanks to this keycard." Sunset handed the repair pony the keycard. "Oh, and I also found this while going through the station."

Sunset handed the mayor his grandfather's old recipe book, which made Sunny Skies' eyes widen.

"Oh my... you found my family's old recipe book!?" Sunny Skies exploded with joy. "My dad always claimed that he had lost it forever, since he never figured out Grandpa Skies' safe combination! Is there anything you can't do, Starlight? You've been an amazing help this entire trip!"

"Well, I'm just glad that I could be of assistance, Mayor." Sunset smiled. "Now that the elevator's powered up, I'm sure that Torque and I can get the Endtrak Express back on track."

"Right then, it's time we get the fuel pumps working again!" Torque nodded, before pressing the elevator's buttons to reach the sublevel that the electrical room was located on.

Sunset and Torque rode the elevator down, hoping that they could flip the master switch without much hassle. Unfortunately for them, they would soon be in for an unpleasant surprise, once the elevator's doors opened. Within the electrical room, camped a massive swarm of red beetles. In fact, Sunset could immediately recognize that due to their sizes and horned appearances, they weren't any ordinary pests, but rather... the Stagma Beetles that Dr. Whooves had warned her about back in Canterlot.

Unknown to Sunset, these were the same beetles that Human Sunset had provoked within the Canterlot library's restricted section. They had remembered Sunset's face and image rather well, and had been searching all over Equestria for their attacker, before eventually giving up and settling down within Bridlewood Station's electrical room. Sunset and Torque widened their eyes at the infestation, but knew that they had no choice but to flip the switch. However, their plan to sneak around the beetles had backfired, once a group of them had awoken, due to sensing the presence of pony fur. These beetles began hissing loudly, which alerted the rest of the horde from their slumber.

"Gahhhhh!" Sunset shrieked, as a pile of beetles immediately began to overwhelm her. "Get these nasty things off of me!"

As the beetles were more focused on targeting Sunset, this gave Torque the opportunity to run over to the opposite side of the electrical room, before flipping back on the master switch. This caused various sections of the area to light up with a high voltage, frying some of the beetles with a spark. Torque then held up an electrified transistor rod, zapping away any beetles that stood in her way, and especially the ones that engulfed Sunset. After enough punishment, the Stagma Beetles decided to retreat as a swarm, as they realized they were very susceptible to the electric shocks.

"I've dealt with plenty of pests in my experience, but it's great to know that a little electricity is all it takes to get them to scatter." Torque helped Sunset back up. "Though... isn't it a little strange how they only attacked you, and not me?"

"Not really sure why they did, but... at least they're gone now." Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. "More importantly, we got the master switch flipped, so the train should be able to refuel again."

Sunset and Torque went back up the elevator, and eventually exited the station itself, before Torque began to work the fuel pump on the station's platform, which thankfully now had its power restored. As this was happening, Sunset knew that it was getting late, and that it was finally time to get some shuteye, after the long and difficult day she's had. Sour Sweet and the students had already gone to sleep in their respective cabins, but instead of returning to her own cabin, Sunset decided to camp out within the students room, just in case Indigo were to return and create another emergency. She had locked the cabin door to ensure there were no further intrusions, before eventually dozing off to sleep.

As this was happening, Mr. Ramsay was in the kitchen, preparing his Sticky Toffee Pudding for the passengers' breakfast the next day. He was unaware that there was a massive swarm of Stagma Beetles sneaking outside the station, which had become attracted to the strong and savory scent of the desserts. Torque had already finished refueling the Endtrak Express by this point, prompting her to let the conductor know that they were now set for takeoff. Unbeknownst to everyone aboard, the Endtrak Express would soon break the world record of having the absolute most stowaways a train would ever have...

The next morning, the train was on the move again, and would expectedly soon arrive at Hope Hollow. Sunset had awoken, but noticed that Sandbar was absent from the cabin. She didn't think too much of it, and believed that he had most likely gotten a head start on breakfast. However, when she unlocked and exited the students' cabin, she went next door to notice Sour Sweet was absent as well. Not only that, but so was Mr. Ramsay, Sunny Skies, and the other residents of Hope Hollow. Sunset had no idea where everybody was, but figured that since the train was still moving, perhaps the conductor had an idea. She went over to the front of the Endtrak Express, where the conductor was still casually driving the train. Sunset knocked on the door, and was invited in by him.

"I'm normally not allowed to let passengers in here, but to tell you the truth, I do feel kinda lonely in here sometimes, so it's nice to have some company." The conductor said. "Though... it seems unusually quiet on the Endtrak Express this morning, don't you think?"

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Sunset said. "I can't find most of the passengers, and I'm starting to get a little worried. You don't happen to know where they might be, do you?"

"I'd imagine having breakfast, or maybe-" The conductor began, but immediately noticed a strange noise from the train's windshield. "Hmm, what was that? Did a bug splatter on the windshield or something?"

Suddenly, a massive swarm of Stagma Beetles had dropped down from the train's roof, obstructing the conductor's view, and making both ponies gasp in shock.

"WHOA!!!" The conductor's eyes widened. "What in Equestria are these things!?"

Before Sunset could even answer, she immediately heard a window breaking from within the train's coaches, prompting her to rush back, only to find the five other students trying to get the beetles off of them in their cabin. They had successfully fended them off, as the beetles began retreating out of the window, and back onto the train's roof. Sunset then surmised what this most likely meant, and why everyone seemed to have mysteriously disappeared. Sunset climbed outside the broken window, and carefully maneuvered over to a nearby ladder on the train, climbing aboard the roof. The five other students had done the same, mostly to see what the commotion was all about. From a distance, Sunset could spot a massive red blob on the center coach, and began approaching it.

It didn't take long for Sunset to realize that her fear was indeed true, in that the Stagma Beetles from Bridlewood Station had somehow snuck aboard the train and kidnapped the passengers. More specifically, every other pony passenger aside from the train's conductor were now in the firm grasp of those vicious beetles.

"Buckle up, students!" Sunset said to the five students standing behind her in complete shock. "The train's been hijacked!"

Chapter 78: Swarm of The Century

The situation was more dire than ever, not only because every other pony passenger aboard the Endtrak Express had been abducted by those beetles, but that the battle was now about to commence atop a moving train. It was unknown what the Stagma Beetles were after, though Sunset deduced that they were most likely here for food, as they had been stated to be one of the main natural predators of ponies. This was the case, as these beetles had been in an eternal slumber within Canterlot Library's restricted section, centuries without food, and were primarily there to deter anyone from Clover the Clever's hidden shrine. Wherever these beetles came from, Sunset knew that it was certainly up to her to save the other passengers, while also protecting her students.

"What are we going to do!?" Gallus shrieked. "Ocellus, are these relatives of yours, by any chance? Can you speak their language!?"

"I may be a bug creature, but I can't speak to bugs!" Ocellus replied. "I've never even seen these big red bugs before, never mind knowing if I can speak their native tongue!"

"I can try something!" Silverstream volunteered. "Let's see... Bzzzt! BZZZZZZZZZT!!! Aw, it didn't work..."

"Those sounds would only make sense if they were bees or mosquitoes!" Smolder sighed. "Either way, looks like we're all about to become some hardcore beetle exterminators, isn't that right, every creature!?"

"Mean nasty beetles have Sandbar in their grip!" Yona snorted angrily. "Yona say... WE CHARGE!!!"

As the yak began to charge forward like a bull, she was immediately stopped by Sunset, who knew that these beetles were unlike any other species in Equestria, and were capable of devouring fully healthy ponies.

"Yona, stop!" Sunset held the yak back with all her strength. "These aren't ordinary bugs, and charging headfirst into them isn't going to help. We need to come up with a plan first!"

"But Sandbar's already been abducted!" Ocellus said, worried. "The longer we wait, the worse the situation will be for everypony trapped in that horde!"

"I know, but we can't just rush in there." Sunset tried to keep herself calm. "If we don't have a plan, we'll end up like the rest of the passengers."

"What even are these things, anyways!?" Smolder glared at the pile of vicious beetles. "And how did they even get aboard the train!?"

"They're called Stagma Beetles!" Sunset began explaining. "They're the natural predators of ponies, and they're capable of breathing fire! Whatever you do, stay back from them until we have a thorough plan! "

"That's it?" Smolder raised an eyebrow, before smirking. "Well fortunately, five of us here are not ponies, and one of us five is also fireproof, even if she lost her dragon fire recently. Stay back and watch, this should be a snap."

By this point, the Stagma Beetles had completely obscured the passengers from view, doing anything they could to prevent their prey from potentially escaping. Smolder marched right up to the beetle swarm, and was ready to put her bravery to the ultimate test.

"Hey, ugly beetles!" Smolder pointed at the swarm, which gathered their attention. "You think you're hot stuff, huh!? Well, get a load of this!"

Despite no longer possessing her own dragon fire, Smolder inhaled deeply, before emitting a large cloud of soot at the beetles, which only acted as a mere annoyance to them. In response, the Stagma Beetles simply shook the soot off, and retaliated by breathing their own streams of flames at the dragon. Smolder let the attacks come her way, before she suddenly realized that the fires actually caused a burning sensation on her body, and even charred her scales. She ended up flinching and falling back, before shaking the char marks off of her.

"Well that... didn't go as planned." Smolder picked herself up. "Either losing my dragon fire also made me lose my immunity to fire, or those beetles can breathe flames hotter than the sun!"

"Maybe both, actually." Sunset speculated. "Although I've never actually seen them before, I've studied these beetles back at the School For Gifted Unicorns. Stagma Beetles are known to have a high resistance to heat and fire! Without your dragon fire, Smolder, you're just as vulnerable as the rest of us."

"Well, what are we supposed to do now?" Gallus said, looking back at the swarm. "We've gotta save Sandbar and everypony else before they get eaten!"

"Miss Sunset, I know you said we need a plan, but it seems like we have no choice but to improvise!" Ocellus gave her piece. "We don't really have a lot of time to strategically plan something out, when everypony's lives are on the line!"

"Alright, I suppose you have a point." Sunset conceded, realizing that Ocellus was right. "Let's not panic, and bear in mind that we need to work together to get through this. Silverstream, can you distract the beetles, while the rest of us sneak over to save the passengers?"

"I'll do my best!" Silverstream said, determined, before she flew over to the swarm. "Hey, red beetle thingies! You want to see a magic trick!?"

The hippogriff used her powers to shapeshift into a seapony, before using her tail fin to whack into the beetle swarm, pushing them back. As they recovered, she then quickly darted behind them and began using her tail fin to keep them distracted with more whacks, some of which had begun to temporarily stun them.

"Alright, looks like Silverstream's bought us some time." Smolder noted. "What next?"

"We need to use our own abilities to our advantage, and theirs against them!" Sunset encouraged, before giving instructions. "Yona, you think you can plow down those beetles, like you did with those doors at Bridlewood Station? But aim for the side of the swarm, and try to knock some of those beetles off of the train!"

"EVIL BUGS, YOU WILL BE! OUR! FRIENDS!" Yona charged forward, using her body as a battering ram against the side of the beetle swarm, knocking some of them off the Endtrak Express's roof, before noticing Sandbar at the bottom. "Sandbar, Yona must save you from nasty mean bugs!"

"B-But you need to focus on stopping the beetles, not getting me out!" Sandbar tried to warn Yona, before noticing that the beetles' grip on him was getting even tighter than before.

"Yona!" Sunset called out from a distance. "There's too many beetles, we can't rescue anypony until we've dispersed them apart!"

"O-Okay!" Yona replied, before charging back into the swarm, knocking more beetles off the train and away from Sandbar. "Sandbar, Yona will save you! Don't worry!"

"Alright, Chaperone." Smolder looked back at Sunset. "Anything we can do? Yona and Silverstream can't hold them off forever."

"Actually, yes." Sunset began to formulate her plan. "Smolder, I want you to try and distract the beetles on top with your smoke breath, while I knock away the beetles in the center of the swarm. Once we have a clear path, we can all rush in and rescue everypony! Ocellus, Gallus, can you two follow behind me and try your best to rescue the passengers while we do this?"

"Sure thing, chaperone!" Gallus nodded. "Those pesky pests won't hurt our Sandbar!"

"We won't let you down, Miss Sunset!" Ocellus turned to the swarm. "Never thought I'd get to fight another swarm, like I did when I was under the reign of Queen Chrysalis!"

Smolder immediately flew upwards and emitted a large cloud of smoke and soot to distract most of the beetles, though this also inadvertently began to affect the passengers on top, in a form of collateral damage.

"Ughhh!" Mr. Ramsay coughed from within the pile of beetles. "If I could feel my hooves right now, I'd pulverize these vermin for reminding me of the time some donkey in the kitchen was cooking with a burnt frying pan!"

As the beetles were blinded and slowed down by the smoke cloud, Sunset ran straight into the horde, using her strength and martial art skills to kick away some of the beetles in her path, whilst Gallus and Ocellus did the same. The griffon and changeling suddenly noticed Sandbar, and realized that as they were plowing away most of the beetles at this point, this was their perfect chance to rescue their friend.

"Sandbar, there you are!" Gallus pointed. "We gave those beetles a good thrashing, huh? Quickly, grab on!"

"That's right, don't you worry!" Ocellus assured. "Just grab onto one of us, and we'll fly you out of here!"

Sandbar held onto his friends for dear life, and had soon been pulled away from the Stagma Beetles' relentless grip. Gallus and Ocellus then flew Sandbar over to safety, as they turned back to notice Sunset, Silverstream, Smolder, and Yona, all fighting for the freedom of the other passengers.

"One down, eight more to go!" Gallus said, proudly, as they still had to rescue Mayor Skies, Petunia, Torque, Kerfuffle, Barley and Pickle Barrel, Sour Sweet, and Mr. Ramsay.

"Maybe twelve more if we don't help Miss Sunset and our other friends!" Ocellus dreaded. "Come on, we've got to stop these vile bugs!"

Just then, Smolder had run out of her smoke and soot breath, as a result of her drained dragon fire. The dragon slowly descended down onto the train's roof, completely out of breath, and exhausted from using her energy for this. The Stagma Beetles quickly noticed that the smoke was gone, and finally turned their attention to Yona, Silverstream, and Sunset, who were all attacking their colony. They had gotten used to the yak and hippogriff's pattern of attacks, before strategically waiting for them to come around the corner. Suddenly, a massive pile of beetles dropped from atop the swarm, crushing Yona and Silverstream with their weight.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Yona shrieked. "BAD! BAD! EVIL BUGS!"

"Why are bugs on the land so cruel!?" Silverstream whimpered.

As this was happening, Sunset was among the midst of the swarm, and had suddenly managed to free Sour Sweet. She was dreading when the beetles would suddenly take notice of her, now that there was no one else distracting them. Sunset pulled Sour Sweet out, before the pegasus used her flight and speed to rescue both Sunset and herself. While they had indeed made some progress to rescue every passenger, it seemed to only be in vain, since Yona and Silverstream were now trapped underneath the beetles.

"Thank you, Sunset!" Sour Sweet said, gratefully. "Maybe you should consider being a royal guard, you've got that sort of determination!"

"That's what friends are for, after all." Sunset smiled. "But right now, we've got to save Yona, Silverstream, and everypony else trapped in that swarm!"

"Sorry Miss Sunset..." Smolder coughed. "I'm afraid that I'm completely out of breath now, those beetles were able to shrug off my soot like it was nothing!"

"It's alright, Smolder." Sunset said, understandingly. "We'll just have to find another way to deal with them, but for now, we should focus on freeing Yona and Silverstream. Let's see if we can find something heavy nearby to use as a weapon against those bugs."

As the group pondered for new ways to deal with the Stagma Beetles, Ocellus was the first to notice more trouble coming their way.

"Uhhhh, Miss Sunset?" Ocellus tapped her chaperone on the shoulder. "You know those beetles that Yona and Silverstream managed to knock off the train earlier? It looks like they're all crawling back, fast!"

Everyone looked back, and noticed a whole group of Stagma Beetles keeping up with the fast train, proving to have tremendous agility and smell. Some of them were already catching up with the train, and began climbing back aboard.

"Bugs that can keep up with a moving train!?" Smolder's jaw dropped. "What kind of sorcery is this!?"

"We'll hold them off for a bit, while you and Sour Sweet focus on the main swarm!" Gallus proposed, as he, Ocellus, and Smolder ran over to keep the relentless Stagma Beetles at bay, especially the ones that had already climbed back onto the roof.

"Hang on a second, Sandbar." Sunset stopped the Earth pony from following them. "Do you remember how those beetles ended up on the train? And how did they end up abducting you and Sour Sweet?"

"I'm not sure how it happened!" Sandbar recalled. "All I remember is, I overheard everypony getting ready for breakfast this morning, since Mr. Ramsay announced that he was finally going to make his sticky toffee pudding for the passengers! However, when I went into the dining room, I was confused at the fact that nopony was around! Suddenly, something out of nowhere knocked me unconscious, and the next thing I knew, I had awoken to the grip of all those red bugs!"

"I guess those things snuck aboard the train last night, and slowly kidnapped the passengers, one by one!" Sunset deduced from Sandbar's testimony. "What about you, Sour Sweet?"

"I was getting ready for breakfast as well, when all of a sudden, I began to vaguely smell smoke coming from somewhere!" Sour Sweet explained. "I went outside my cabin to check what it was, and became alarmed when I realized that nopony else was around! So I found a fire extinguisher, but just as I went to grab it, I felt a sharp pinch on the back of my hoof, and was out cold! And just like Sandbar, I also got surrounded by those awful beetles when I had awoken!"

"Sharp pinch?" Sunset's eyes widened. "Those things must have a bite that causes paralysis, we've gotta be extra careful, then! But what can we do now to deal with the main swarm?"

"Wait... that's it!" Sandbar began suggesting a solution. "A fire extinguisher, maybe that'll wash up those bugs!

"Good thinking!" Sunset agreed, before turning to Sour Sweet. "Do you remember where it was located on the train?"

"Yeah!" Sour Sweet nodded, confidently. "It was right next to the kitchen, but when I got bitten, I must've dropped it! I sure hope Mr. Ramsay won't be mad at me using it, in case his kitchen catches fire!"

"I think Mr. Ramsay has way more important things to worry about right now!" Sandbar replied. "Like... becoming an entrée himself, for once!"

"I'm aware, but I just know how Mr. Ramsay can get sometimes, when we touch his equipment, unsupervised!" Sour Sweet said, before climbing back into the train coach, and flying back out with the same fire extinguisher that she had dropped a few hours ago. "Either way, it seems we don't have much of a choice now!"

"Now that we've got the fire extinguisher, hopefully we can weaken the swarm!" Sunset took the fire extinguisher from Sour Sweet, and began to slowly approach the Stagma Beetles, which were all leaning more toward finally beginning their feast. "Sour Sweet, try to save some of the other passengers with your flight, while I spray those beetles!"

"Got it!" Sour Sweet nodded, and immediately took flight.

Sunset knew that she had to do her best to avoid spraying the passengers, as the chemicals inside were harmful. She took a deep breath, aimed the nozzle, and sprayed the liquids in one swift motion, dousing a good portion of the swarm in a blinding, white mist. The Stagma Beetles began to react adversely, as the chemicals weakened their grip and eyesight, along with their movements becoming much more sluggish and disoriented. Many of them had dropped from the pile, their bodies coated in a thick white powder, and unable to move around anymore.

Sunset realized that the spray was most likely causing a chemical reaction in conjunction with the beetles' fire breath, and likely just stunning them temporarily. However, whatever it was doing to the beetles, it had managed to buy enough time, allowing Sour Sweet to successfully rescue both Yona and Silverstream from the doused beetle piles. The pegasus coughed and sputtered from inhaling a bit of the fire extinguisher, but she eventually managed to pick the yak and hippogriff up, and away from the swarm.

"T-Thank you very much for saving Yona and Silverstream from evil bugs!" Yona thanked. "Sour Sweet isn't such bad pony after all! Yona so sorry that she and Silverstream said such nasty things about you behind back!"

"It's no proble-" Sour Sweet replied, before parsing Yona's last statement. "What did you two say about me?"

"Oh, uh, nothing important." Silverstream fidgeted her claws, nervously. "But for now, we've got to help Miss Sunset save the rest of those passengers!"

"Alright, whatever it was, I deserved it for making a bad first impression." Sour Sweet laughed it off. "But yeah, we've still got plenty of passengers to save!"

Just as Sunset believed she finally had the upper hand against the beetles, she had inevitably run out of fire extinguisher spray. Although the coverage doused a good portion of the swarm, there were still way too many beetles that managed to avoid the chemical paralysis, and began to focus their attention back onto Sunset. Their main goal now was to begin devouring the pony passengers, but the beetles knew that they couldn't do so in peace, not until they found a way to fend off these remaining creatures with ease.

The Stagma Beetles gathered together, forming a gargantuan, shifting mass of chitinous armor and razor-sharp mandibles. They moved slowly at first, but their numbers were overwhelming, and their determination became unshakeable. Sunset desperately tried to get any remaining fire extinguisher spray out, but realized it was no use, before throwing the container at the beetles, in a last-ditch effort attack. The strong shells of those beetles had instead managed to deflect the object away from the train's roof, and they began getting ready to initiate their plan to overwhelm Sunset as a whole swarm.

Sunset began to carefully back away, knowing that the Stagma Beetles were planning to strike at any moment. The air around her seemed to hum with their collective anger and determination, as the beetles gathered into a terrifying mass. However, Sunset would soon realize she was simply backing herself into a corner, as Gallus, Ocellus, and Smolder had struggled severely to fend off the beetles on the opposite side of the train. Those same beetles that had been knocked off of the train earlier began crawling around the sides of the coaches, and eventually reassembled with the entire colony. Even the beetles that had been stunned with the fire extinguisher spray had started to regain their consciousness, and returned to the entire swarm, amassing their strength in great numbers.

By this point, the Stagma Beetles knew they had to act fast and decisively, if they were to stand any chance of overwhelming the group before them. With a unified roar that echoed across the train, the beetles launched themselves up into the air, creating an almost tower-like structure, and determined to slam down onto the Endtrak Express's roof. Eventually, the beetles finally closed in, their mandibles clicking menacingly as they prepared to strike. Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the six students weren't able to see the attack coming, and despite efforts to evade the strike, it was already too late. The tower of beetles collapsed onto the entire group with such heavy force, that they fell through the train's roof, and landed back within the coaches. With the attack successful, the Stagma Beetles retreated away in the opposite direction, hoping that they could finally devour their meals.

Sunset slowly got back up, whilst also helping Sour Sweet and the other students up from the train's debris. She knew that they had no choice now but to find something aboard the train to stop those beetles, before it was too late.

"Alright, everyone!" Sunset said to the entire group, determined. "We need to find something on the train to stop those beetles, fast! They'll devour every passenger if we don't do something soon!"

"Well, did those beetles end up kidnapping everyone aboard the train?" Sandbar asked. "If not, maybe we can ask them for something else to deal with the swarm!"

"I think I saw Mr. Ramsay's pet lamb in the kitchen there." Silverstream pointed. "But I don't think he'll be able to eat those beetles, at least not without enough lamb sauce. Where are we supposed to get that much sauce?"

"Seriously, though." Gallus looked around the train. "Did anyone else aboard the train manage to avoid getting taken away by those red bugs?"

"Actually... there was the conductor!" Sunset recalled. "I'm guessing the main reason that the Stagma Beetles couldn't get to him, or any of us, was because of our locked doors!"

"Wait, but didn't Sandbar unlock your cabin's door when he went outside for breakfast?" Sour Sweet questioned. "How did the door stay locked?"

"Well, I don't think I unlocked it." Sandbar recalled. "I just turned the handle until it clicked, and then it opened."

"I think Petunia might've mentioned that the doors can lock from the inside." Smolder said. "Either way, I don't really think that'll help our current predicament, we've gotta find the conductor!"

"Should we climb back onto roof to save pony passengers from evil bugs?" Yona suggested.

"We can't face those beetles again without a foolproof backup plan." Sour Sweet objected. "Otherwise, the same thing will happen to us again. Dunno about you creatures, but getting shoved through a train's roof is not pleasant at all."

"Hopefully the conductor can help us out here..." Sunset said, before getting ready to run back over to the front of the train. "Come on, every creature, maybe he has some kind of bug repellent!"

The two chaperones and six students rushed over to the conductor's room, where the stallion was still doing his best to operate the train under these dire circumstances. Sunset knocked on the door and was immediately let in by him, followed by the rest of the group.

"I'm happy to see that you passengers are all okay!" The conductor shook in fear. "I have no clue where those vicious bugs came from, but they must've tampered with something on the train, since these controls aren't responding as well as I'd like them to!"

"We may all be okay, but the rest of the passengers certainly are not!" Silverstream reported. "In fact, if we don't do something fast, every one of our passengers will become dinner to those red beetles, served with a side of lamb sauce!"

"The passengers have been kidnapped!?" The conductor's eyes widened. "Oh dear, I... certainly didn't train for this on the job!"

"And those beetle things can breathe fire, too!" Silverstream added. "How awful, right!?"

"Hey, come on!" Sandbar frowned. "No need to say that in front of Smolder, right?"

"Eh, in all fairness..." Smolder shrugged. "I can kinda understand why we fire breathers don't always have the best reputation around Equestria. Remember when I told you all about that one dragon who pretended to be Spike's dad, and didn't even do a very good job at it?"

"Let's not get sidetracked." Ocellus spoke up. "Mr. Conductor, we were hoping to find something on the train that could help us rescue the passengers from those beetles."

"They've got everypony captive on the train's roof as we speak." Gallus pointed. "You got anything that'll teach those bugs a lesson they'll never forget?"

"I-I'm not sure, but I do know there's some bug spray in one of my compartments back here." The conductor took the bug spray out, and handed it to Sunset. "I have no idea if it'll work on those big red bugs, but it might help? And unfortunately, I have to keep driving the train, so I can't help you out further beyond this..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Conductor." Sunset assured. "We'll figure something out with what we have. Hopefully this bug spray can at least help us rescue everypony, though I'm still unsure of how we can get rid of all those beetles for good..."

"Wait a minute... did you just mention that those bugs can breathe fire?" The conductor's eyes widened, having a new foreboding feeling.

"Evil bugs managed to breathe fire hot enough to scorch dragon friend, Smolder!" Yona nodded. "Why?"

"Oh dear... that might explain why some of the train's controls have been irresponsive!" The conductor began freaking out. According to the red light here, the boiler room seems to be overheating, likely caused by a nearby source of heat! If the water tank's stability goes past a certain limit, the boiler would explode, and the entire train could DERAIL!!!"

"You mean to tell me that if the boiler room overheats, we could ALL BE DONE FOR!?!" Silverstream began panicking.

"Yes, that's precisely what I'm afraid of!" The conductor wiped the sweat off his brow. "Normally in emergencies like this, I would have to ask you all to evacuate the train immediately, but for whatever reason, the brakes seem to be jammed, and I can't seem to stop the train! What to do...!?!"

"Wait a second now, why not just refill the water tank, if there's any spare water aboard the train?" Sour Sweet suggested. "That's a safety procedure I was taught, if by some chance, a train's boiler begins to overheat in the middle of departure!"

"Well that's just it... I don't know why the water supply has become so dangerously low!" The conductor scratched his head. "When we were refueling the train at Bridlewood Station, Torque used the pumps to give the Endtrak Express maximum fuel and water! I know from experience that the train uses up way more fuel than water, so the fact that I still have around 80% fuel, and only 15% water left... is rather bizarre!"

Just then, an unusual noise came from behind the students, pointing everyone's attention toward the boiler room. There appeared to be hissing steam noises and sounds of metal clanking, prompting Sunset to investigate. As the conductor pressed a button to unlock the boiler room's door, Sunset opened it, and immediately saw from the water tank's window, a bunch of Stagma Beetles practically swimming around in the boiling hot liquid. There was a hole atop the boiler room's roof, that the beetles had presumably bitten through to get down here. Sunset warned everyone behind her to step back, before sprinkling the bug spray everywhere, creating an unpleasant odor. As the beetles reacted adversely to the spray, they crawled their way back out through the boiler room's roof, and retreated back to their colony.

"There's your answer, Mr. Conductor." Gallus observed. "Looks like those beetles used your boiler room's water tank as a juice bar to quench their thirst."

"But... that water is quite literally broiling hot!" The conductor said, aghast. "How can those bugs stand such devastating temperatures!?"

"The same way we dragons can swim through lava like it's a cool lake, I suppose." Smolder shrugged. "Well, you've got some water left, by the looks of it. I guess we're okay for now?"

Suddenly, the train's emergency alarm began to sound, indicating dangerously insufficient water coming within the boiler. The conductor knew what this meant, but tried to keep himself calm, despite the circumstances.

"If the water supply fully evaporates, the entire train will blow up, and none of us will ever see the light of day again!" The conductor shrieked. "We... MUST make sure that those bugs don't pay another visit to the boiler room! I only have 13% of the water remaining, and judging by that percentage, I might have EXACTLY enough to reach Hope Hollow! It'll be a close shave, for sure!"

Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the students all looked to each other in concern, realizing that everyone's lives truly were on the line now. However, they all kept Sour Sweet's suggestion in mind, that if they could find additional sources of water to keep the boiler's water supply sufficient, the Endtrak Express would at least have some form of insurance.

"Hey, isn't there a kitchen aboard the train?" Sandbar recalled. "Why don't we just use the sink to get some more water?"

"I'm afraid that won't do, since the kitchen's pipeline also shares water from the boiler room!" The conductor explained. "What little water we have left now is unfortunately all we've truly got!"

"Ironic that I actually went out to sea yesterday." Sunset sighed. "Surrounded by all that sea water, yet I can't use any of that now to help us all get out of this predicament..."

"Weren't there some leftover water bottles in the dining room from last night?" Gallus recalled. "It might not be much, but we've got to make sure this boiler doesn't explode, like the first time Grampa Gruff saw my report card!"

"Good idea, Gallus!" Sunset nodded. "Quickly, everyone! Gather any and all water bottles you can find in the dining car, we've got to save the train, and everyone aboard!"

As Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the six students hurried over to the dining coach, they frantically searched through the remnants of the feast from the previous night. There were a few scattered water bottles here and there, some half-empty, and others still sealed. They quickly filled a crate with as many as they could find, and began making their way back to the boiler room. Along the way, Ocellus overheard some strange noises coming from the hole in the train's floor, the same one Sunset had crawled into last night to investigate the mysterious culprit.

"Hmm, that sounds... pretty similar to the noises those beetles make." Ocellus said to herself. "I might just be hearing things though.

Everyone eventually arrived back at the boiler room and began to desperately fill the water tank with as much water as they could possibly salvage. As soon as the group ran out of water bottles, it seemed to get the job done, as the conductor soon realized that the tank's capacity went all the way back up to 30%.

"It seems like your idea worked!" The conductor announced. "We're now at a safe percentage, and I should be able to make it to Hope Hollow without any further problems! Well, provided that we can keep those red bugs from coming back to drink any more water..."

"As long as we've got the bug spray, it'll at least keep them back for a while." Sandbar reminded.

"I just hope that no one's going to become dehydrated along the way, now." Smolder looked over to the now empty water bottles.

"Well, maybe we can find a way to get more water somewhere along the way." Sunset reassured. "In the meantime, we've still got some vicious beetles on top of the train to exterminate."

"So we should continue finding more water or smashing evil red bugs?" Yona asked.

"I'm thinking we can do both." Sour Sweet said, confidently. "We can find more water as we go along, and if we come across any more of those beetles, we can deal with them then. By the way, Mr. Conductor? Do you have any idea what's in that bug spray, and what made those beetles scram?"

"Well, it's a powerful insecticide, but I don't know the specifics of it, since it was left here by the maintenance crew." The conductor replied. "All I know for certain, is that it somehow works wonders on those beetles!"

"Hmm, interesting." Sunset read the labels on the bug spray. "It looks like this stuff contains something called 'pyrethroids', which are synthetic chemicals designed to mimic the active ingredients found in chrysanthemums. These pyrethroids can be highly effective against insects, and they're often used in pesticides and insecticides. So that's why the bug spray works so well against those red beetles!"

"Errr, what now?" Silverstream scratched her head. "I have like, no idea what you just said, other than the fact that this spray will keep those beetles back."

"It's mostly just what I read on the labels, combined with what I remember learning back in chemistry class." Sunset reflected. "Either way, from what I can understand, we can mostly push those beetles back as much as we need, but how exactly would that help us?"

"Perhaps we can force them into a corner, and keep them distracted long enough to save the rest of the passengers!" Sour Sweet suggested. "We'd better hurry though, before everypony becomes dinner to those awful bugs!"

"It sounds good in theory, but... how would we actually get rid of those beetles for good?" Ocellus inquired. "You saw what happened earlier when we tried knocking those beetles off the train, they were persistent enough to climb back aboard to continue wreaking havoc."

"That's a good point." Sunset nodded. "Well, I guess we could keep using the bug spray to push them back, and hope that we can find a way to trap them somewhere. Or maybe there's some other insecticide we can use that would be more effective against them?"

"I'm sure we can figure something out." Gallus shrugged. "For now though, it seems like our first priority is to rescue the rest of the pony passengers trapped above us!"

"Let's just hope we're not too late!" Silverstream worried, as the entire crew left the conductor's room, and climbed up a ladder to reach the top of the Entrak Express's engine.

Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the students all looked back in the opposite direction, the train moving rather swiftly along the tracks. The beetles still swarmed atop the train, crawling over each other and the trapped passengers, feeling famished after literal centuries of being dormant without food. Their red shells glistened in the sunlight, and their exoskeletons clicked and clacked as they moved forward, preparing for the biggest meal they would've ever had. Sunset saw this, and knew that time was of the essence, but kept in mind that she still needed to figure out a way to get rid of those beetles for good.

"Let's focus on getting to those passengers first!" Sunset instructed the rest of her group. "Once we get them all to safety, we'll back and figure out how to deal with these beetles once and for all!"

As the entire group approached the colony, attempting to do what they had done before to rescue the passengers from the swarm, the Stagma Beetles had anticipated this. Every single beetle turned around to see that their attackers were still tenacious enough to continue the battle, which only enraged the red bugs. In unison, the Stagma Beetles began clicking their mandibles angrily and prepared to attack, prompting Sunset and her group to start approaching with caution. Enraged by the intrusion of their meal, the entire swarm got closer to Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the students, before spitting out a strange and green gooey substance on their limbs, which appeared to stick them to the train's roof.

"Ewwww, what is this stuff!?" Gallus tried to move away from his current position.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't seem too different from that goop we used to trap intruders back at the hive!" Ocellus reflected.

"Ugh, why do evil bugs have to be so nasty!?" Yona struggled to move herself from the patches of goop.

"Well, at least now we know they're not picky about who they use their slime on!" Sandbar said. "Let's just focus on getting out of this and saving those ponies!"

"Not even the sea ever had anything this icky and tough!" Silverstream continued struggling. "How do we even get out of this nasty slime!?"

"Hang on, didn't I manage to almost stagger those beetles earlier with my smoke breath?" Smolder recalled. "If I can breathe out some hot soot, maybe it'll melt the goop up!"

"It's worth a shot, I suppose." Sunset agreed. "But are you sure you still have some soot left in you?"

"I'll do my best, Chaperone!" Smolder said, confidently. "Just give me a second to gather some soot in my throat!"

Smolder then began to breathe in deeply, her mind forcing herself to concentrate on creating the soot that she needed. After a few moments, she let out a long, slow breath, exhaling a cloud of dark gray soot that swirled around the entire group, before dissipating completely in the wind. Everyone began coughing and fanning away the soot from their faces, before noticing that the goop around their limbs had not only hardened, but began to crack apart from the soot's heat. Sunset and the six students continued to break free from the goop, but still needed some extra time and effort to do so.

However, Sour Sweet was lucky enough to free herself from her restraint, as the goop had only managed to trap one of her hooves. Seeing this, the Stagma Beetles came back over, realizing that they now had another potential meal in the form of Sour Sweet. The entire swarm began to tower over the group, as Sunset and Sour Sweet's eyes widened, now desperate to keep the swarm away at all costs.

"Sunset, the bug spray!" Sour Sweet reminded. "I can keep them back and hopefully rescue the passengers while you and the students break free!"

"Alright, be careful out there, Sour Sweet!" Sunset tossed Sour Sweet the bug spray, before turning to the students. "Everyone, stay close together! We'll work together to take down the beetles and rescue everypony trapped in that swarm!"

As Sour Sweet sprinkled the bug spray at the Stagma Beetles, it hit their exoskeletons, causing them to writhe and squirm in pain, and forcing the entire swarm to start retreating.

"Come on, you little pests!" Sour Sweet yelled, spraying the remaining beetles, and sending them scattering away from the main colony.

While Sour Sweet was busy pushing the beetles back, Smolder continued to work overtime to breathe out her soot, which continuously deteriorated the goop holding them in place. It took a lot of effort on Smolder's part, but eventually, the goop began to crumble and shatter apart, freeing Yona, Smolder, and Silverstream completely. The three students then used what little strength and teamwork they had to free everyone else, as they knew that Sour Sweet couldn't hold the beetles off for much longer.

"Huff... huff..." Smolder panted. "Who knew that giving up my dragon fire could make breathing soot more difficult than friendship exams I hadn't studied for?"

"Well, you did manage to help save the day, so I guess it was all worth it." Sandbar continued to stay positive.

As Sour Sweet continued to valiantly defend her group from the swarm of Stagma Beetles, she managed to keep them at bay for several more seconds. Just as she was about to continue relentlessly spraying, she spotted something else moving among the squirming insects. At first, she thought it was simply another beetle, but then realized it was one of the passengers from the train, struggling to free themselves from the beetles' grip.

"Help! I can't breathe!" Mayor Skies cried out, flailing his hooves helplessly. "Let me go!"

"Hold on, I'm coming to get you!" Sour Sweet yelled, setting aside the bug spray, and dashing toward the struggling stallion.

As she approached, the beetles hissed angrily, trying to fend her off, but Sour Sweet was determined. With a mighty leap, she dug her way through the swarm and landed in front of the mayor, quickly using her hooves to pry the beetles off of him. On the opposite side of the train, Sunset and the students had finally freed themselves with enough teamwork and determination. Being the chaperone of this field trip, Sunset made certain that every student was completely free from the goop, and were now ready to continue assisting Sour Sweet with the struggling battle against these vile and vicious red beetles.

"Well, I'll give you this much." Gallus gave his input. "This is probably the most fun we've ever had on a field trip, and you've most certainly got our full attention, even without a classroom!"

"I couldn't agree more, Gallus." Ocellus nodded. "Now, let's see how we can help Miss Sour Sweet with the rest of those beetles, and get everypony back on the train safely."

"I'm happy to hear that despite these dire circumstances, I've been making this trip a memorable experience, even before we've arrived at Hope Hollow." Sunset smiled at her students. "Now, let's get those beetles back under control while Sour Sweet helps the passengers, so we'll all have a great time at Slice-N-Shake!"

The students all felt encouraged by Sunset's words, gathering around their chaperone, as they prepared to face the remaining Stagma Beetles. Together, they all charged forward toward the fearsome swarm, ready to take back the train and save the day from these awful pests. However, as they approached the main colony, Sunset could notice that while Sour Sweet was desperately trying to pull Mayor Skies from the beetles' grip, another group of beetles from behind were planning a dirty trick.

"Sour Sweet!" Sunset's eyes widened. "BEHIND YOU!!!"

As Sour Sweet desperately struggled to free the mayor from the relentless onslaught of Stagma Beetles, she failed to notice the devious plan unfolding behind her. A group of beetles had sensed an opportunity, and gathered their strength to launch a coordinated attack, striking the pegasus with their sharp thorns and venom, sending her tumbling onto the swarm from being poisoned. Sunny Skies cried out in horror as he too was overwhelmed once more by the beetles, and slowly became shrouded from view within the colony.

"No, evil bugs have captured Mayor Pony and Sour Sweet Pony!" Yona cried out.

"This is not good!" Ocellus dreaded. "This is not good at all!"

Desperate to try anything, Sunset picked up the bug spray that Sour Sweet had set aside earlier, and approached the swarm, ready to rescue the passengers at all costs.

"Come on, you vile vermin!" Sunset held the bug spray up, threateningly. "You think you can just keep those innocent ponies hostage!? You're not going to get away with this!"

However, what happened next was unexpected. Just as Sunset was about to use the bug spray to push the beetles back, as Sour Sweet did, the Stagma Beetles finally had enough of this nonsense, and began to huddle together to finally use their special, ultimate power. Sunset's eyes widened in surprise as the beetles began to glow and slowly morph, as she soon realized what was truly going on, especially after remembering Dr. Whooves mentioning that these beetles were capable of assimilating into various alternate forms.

"W-What's happening!?" Smolder said, completely shocked at what was going on.

"They're combining their powers!" Sunset deduced, though she was still unsure of what kind of magic these beetles had possessed.

One by one, the beetles kept their retreated stance, still sealing the trapped pony passengers within their grasp. The mysterious glow had occurred once more, as the Stagma Beetles slowly began to fuse together, their glow becoming brighter with each passing moment. Suddenly, with a flash of light, the entire swarm was absorbed into a big orb of energy, as Sunset and the students were forced to only sit back and watch in horror, not knowing what they were preparing to face. Despite this, they all somehow knew for certain that the beetles were increasing their power at an exponential rate, and ready to become the ultimate force to be reckoned with.

After a few more moments of transformation, a giant and monstrous figure emerged from the energy. The beetles had combined into a single colossal creature, towering over the students and Sunset alike. It had the general shape of a giant rhinoceros, with a shimmering, iridescent exoskeleton, and glowing red eyes. Sunset and the six students had absolutely no idea what this creature even was, but realized that they were most certainly in more danger than ever before. The red rhino monster's appearance was grotesque and intimidating enough, but to Sunset, the visual appearance almost reminded her of what she had become when she put on Twilight's crown and turned into a horrifying she-demon. And now she was facing such a creature herself, a massive hotheaded monster bent on destruction and vengeance.

The monster let out a deafening roar, sending shockwaves along the Endtrak Express's roof. Sunset prayed internally that the bug spray would still do its job at pushing the rhino back, before spraying the monster in the face, just as Sour Sweet had done. To Sunset's horror, the monster didn't even flinch, and simply lunged its head toward her, forcing Sunset to drop the bug spray to avoid getting munched on. The bug spray was then caught between the monster's teeth, as the monster ingested it, before its eyes glowed a bright orange color.

Sunset could almost sense things heating up at any second, prompting her to duck in desperation from the rhino monster's fire breath, which was seemingly much more powerful than the regular flames of the Stagma Beetles. The students also ducked to avoid getting burnt, before Sunset got up and looked back at the fearsome and grotesque fire rhino monster that stood before her. She was now completely unsure of what to do, but could vaguely hear the screams and cries of the pony passengers who were now trapped within the monster's stomach.

"Alright... is that how you want to play?" Sunset asked the monster, rhetorically. "Well, toasty rhino boy, if you want to play rough, so can we!"

Chapter 79: Fire Rhino Rampage

Sunset and the six students stood in front of the red rhinoceros beast, anticipating its very next movements. It was clear by this point that the monster wasn't playing around, and making one false move would result in any of them getting devoured and trapped within its stomach, like the other passengers. Unfortunately, Sunset was already told that these beetles had no known weakness, despite vaguely studying the biology behind Stagma Beetles back in school. Regardless, the knowledge seemed to be irrelevant now, especially after the beast had proven to become resistant to the bug spray, and had increased its attack strength like never before.

However, there was little time to formulate a plan at all, as Sunset noticed that the beast was already intent on continuing the hunt. The monster let out another deafening roar, its hot breath singeing the roof, as it began charging straight toward Sunset. It swung its massive horn at her, intent on skewering her where she stood. Sunset, quick on her hooves, dodged to the side just in time, and as a result, the horn missed her by a few mere inches, instead sending up a shower of metal and debris from the train's roof. This appeared to only be a minor inconvenience, as the rhino monster had already come into proximity with the six students, all now cowering in fear, and desperate to keep a safe distance from it.

"Stay back!" Sunset shouted, trying her best to protect the students. "We might have to find something within the coaches to fight that thing!"

"Like what!?" Sandbar asked, completely in a state of panic. "A-And there's only so much we can carry!"

"Perhaps something else from the conductor!?" Ocellus suggested. "But maybe not bug spray, since that clearly won't do a thing now!"

"Then what do we do, Chaperone Pony?!" Yona asked, beginning to lose hope. "Yona so scared!"

"Alright everyone, I've got a bit of a plan!" Sunset improvised, remaining calm, despite the dire circumstances. "We need to find something on the train that we can use as a weapon, it's our only hope at fighting back! In the meantime, we must stay together and be ready, in case the rhino charges at us again!"

"That's certainly no rhino I've ever seen, even from Professor Fluttershy's animal sanctuary!" Gallus reflected. "What do we even call that thing!?"

"I'd personally like to call it the 'Volcrhino', pretty clever, right?" Smolder came up with the nickname off the top of her head. "I've been practicing portmanteaus lately, in class!"

"Eh, I dunno." Silverstream shrugged. "I also liked Miss Sunset's nickname of 'Toasty Rhino Boy', so I think I'll call him that. Or... it? I'm not really sure what kind of pronouns that thing prefers."

The rhino beast simply growled, getting fed up with all these nonsensical games, as Sunset and the six students saw this, knowing they had to prepare for whatever was coming next. The monster let out a deep, guttural roar, its nostrils flared up while snorting, emitting a cloud of ash and smoke. Its muscles tensed, and its horn began to glow with a fierce, crimson light, causing its leg movements to gradually accelerate. Everyone who stood before the beast could feel the heat emanating from the air, and immediately realized that there was nowhere left to run, after continuously backing away.

Sunset and the students looked back, only to see the same vandalized train coach from earlier, with the large hole created from the Stagma Beetles' tower slam. The debris and broken glass were still there, and Sunset also considered the risk of jumping down into the hole, since the monster could easily crush them all with its gargantuan weight. But now that they were all backed into a corner, and saw that the beast was preparing to charge once more, Sunset knew that the only other option, albeit still risky, was their only way of escaping this current predicament.

"Everyone, listen up!" Sunset began instructing her students. "When it charges, we're going to jump off of the coach, and catch ourselves on the sides! Then, we'll climb back inside through the windows!"

"Wait, what?!" Yona stammered. "B-But that's insane, Yona might fall off train!"

"Well, if that's what we have to do, then we've got no choice!" Gallus reasoned. "We can't hide from that thing forever!"

"Can't really argue with that!" Silverstream added. "If we don't do something now, we're all going to end up like those poor stairs back at Bridlewood Station!"

"I know this sounds risky, but it's the only way out of this situation!" Sunset assured. "We have to trust each other and work together as a team! And remember, if anyone misses and falls, make sure to grab onto them!"

"Missing and falling off train sounds like best thing to do!" Yona's teeth chattered. "Yona wants to escape this monster rhino nightmare!"

"As much as I can understand why you feel that way, the monster has the rest of the passengers trapped within its stomach!" Sunset reminded. "I know it's scary, but we can't just abandon everypony and let the monster digest them!"

"You're right, Miss Sunset!" Ocellus said, determined. "Those ponies were quite welcoming to show us around their hometown, so now it's our turn to extend our kindness and help them in their time of need!"

"And Yona, don't worry, Smolder and Silverstream will catch you if you fall!" Sandbar gave her a little nudge with his hoof. "We've all got each other's backs!"

"That actually sounds like a good plan, Sandbar!" Smolder nodded in agreement. "But what if the rhino just follows us through the coaches!?"

"Well Smolder, even if it does follow us through the coaches, it'll have a hard time moving around in there, due to its cumbersome size!" Sunset speculated. "It's much easier for us to navigate between the coaches, and we can always hide in the luggage compartments, if we need to. So as long as we stick together and keep our wits about us, we can do this!"

Just then, the rhino beast's body had built up enough energy, as it finally began charging toward Sunset and the students at full speed. The roof shook beneath everyone's limbs, and the sound of its pounding steps echoed from a distance. The students' hearts raced in unison with the beast getting closer, their fear mixing with adrenaline and determination. The rhino monster was accelerating at an exponential rate, to where Sunset and the six students knew that this was their final chance to avoid getting skewered or rammed off of the train, and that they had to make their maneuver count.

At the last moment, Sunset gave a clear signal, prompting everyone to jump off the sides of the coach, and landing onto the sides. Yona had admittedly struggled to do so, but was immediately caught by Smolder and Silverstream, mid-flight. They all scrambled to find their way back inside the coaches, and felt relieved upon noticing that the windows were unlocked, and could be opened from the outside. The rhino beast, meanwhile, slammed directly into the gaping hole of the coach's roof at full speed, its massive bulk causing the roof's remnants to collapse down. As the monster fell into the wreckage it had created, its massive weight became trapped beneath the debris of the wrecked coach.

Its bulky body heaved and thrashed, but it couldn't escape the weight of the metal and debris that had pinned it down. Sunset and the students all watched in awe and relief, their hearts still pounding from the near-miss. However, they still knew internally that it was only a matter of time before the beast could gather enough strength to escape, and fry them all to a crisp. The wreckage had at least bought them some time, and Sunset knew that they all needed to use it wisely, even if it meant finding potential weaknesses of the red rhino monster.

"Alright everyone, let's think about this." Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. "We need to find a way to stop that monster for good, and release everypony trapped in its stomach. Any ideas?"

"Well, we know that the rhino's hide probably really thick, but not indestructible." Gallus speculated. "Perhaps if we could find a way to weaken its hide, like using acid or something?"

"That might work..." Sunset pondered. "However, I don't know if we'll be able to find anything like that on this train. I was thinking we should try to lure it away from the Endtrak Express, and find a more isolated area to fight it."

"Not sure how we'll manage to do that, didn't the conductor mention that he's unable to stop the train?" Sandbar recalled. "What could even be jamming the brakes?"

Sunset and the six students continued to think of other ways to deal with the beast, but their minds drew a blank. Just as everyone about to give up, believing they were simply outmatched, Ocellus remembered something crucial from earlier.

"Wait, there was a strange noise coming from the train's compartment space, while we all were searching for water bottles!" The changeling student exclaimed. "I realized that the noise sounded similar to the ones those beetles make, but I just wasn't sure! Perhaps something down there might be connected to why the brakes haven't been working!?"

"Good thinking, Ocellus!" Smolder agreed. "We should investigate that compartment space, maybe those beetles chewed up the brakes or something!"

"Alright, sounds like something I can do on my own!" Sunset ran over to one of the cabins and grabbed another gas mask. "I'll check and see if there's anything going on down there, and hopefully we'll be able to stop the train! In the meantime, you students go back to the conductor's room, and ask him for any tools or weapons you could use to fight that monster!"

"Sure thing, Miss Sunset!" Silverstream nodded, as the five other students did the same, before getting ready to run back over to the conductor.

Just then, everyone began to hear the rhino beast struggling violently, its massive bulk thrashing and heaving, as it tried to free itself from the weight of the metal and debris that had pinned it down. The train's coaches had trembled with each powerful movement, and the students could see the determination in the creature, continuously fighting for freedom. Time was of the essence, as it was clear that this monster wouldn't be giving up so easily, prompting the students to run toward the front of the train as fast as they could, while Sunset put on the gas mask and climbed down into the compartment space.

Sunset carefully made her way through the compartments, making her way towards the engine room, as she searched around for anything that might've affected the brakes. Ocellus alluded to the possibility of the Stagma Beetles being down here, which worried Sunset internally, but knew that if they were to have any chance at defeating that rhino monstrosity, being able to stop the train would be everyone's first priority. The compartment space began to get tighter and smaller, but Sunset pushed on, before eventually noticing the Endtrak Express's brakes, after turning a corner. It appeared as though some of the metal had been chewed up, presumably by those beetles.

As Sunset pondered how she could fix the brakes, the students had already entered the conductor's room, doing as they were instructed by their chaperone, and hoping to find a solution toward their struggle against the rhino monster.

"Thank Celestia you're all still okay!" The conductor said with relief. "I take it our little bug problem has been taken care of?"

"Not entirely, sir." Sandbar replied. "In fact, the problem's gotten a lot... bigger, let's just say."

"Bigger?" The conductor questioned. "What do you mean by-"

Just then, even from such a great distance, the rhino beast's roars had echoed across the coaches, loud enough to induce panic into everyone aboard the train.

"There it is again!" The conductor worried. "What are those loud roars I've been hearing!?!"

"That's what we were about to tell you." Smolder began explaining. "The beetles... weren't just beetles, after all. Now there's a giant monster made of them, attacking the train!"

"Big red rhino monster has eaten pony passengers!" Yona grimaced. "Yona's family would normally want to smash red beast, but red beast would certainly smash Yona and her family into oatmeal first!"

"A monster on the train... ATE THE PASSENGERS!?!" The conductor shrieked. "I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS WHEN I APPLIED FOR THE JOB!!!"

"Our chaperone recommended that we return to you, to perhaps find something else to fight that thing, since the bug spray didn't go so well, let's just say." Gallus added. "You got anything in here that we could use as weapons?"

"Weapons..." The conductor desperately looked around his room. "Well, I do have this emergency toolbox that Torque Wrench keeps in this compartment. I don't really have anything else in here that you could use as a weapon, safety protocols, after all."

The students opened the red toolbox, which contained various sharp tools, including screwdrivers, wrenches, heavy-duty pliers, and a nail gun.

"These should do the trick." Gallus picked up various tools as weapons, as the other students did the same. "Now we'd better hurry before that thing gets back up."

"You think Torque's going to be cool with us using her tools?" Silverstream asked.

"If it means we can rescue her and everypony else trapped within that monster's stomach, that's a definite 'yes'." Smolder replied. "Though I think we should wait for Miss Sunset, since she's been great at leading us, even in battle."

Suddenly, from underneath the train's floor, Sunset began tapping her hoof on the metal to make her presence known. Everyone soon noticed that they could see their chaperone through a vent in the floorboard.

"Hey, I think I see what's wrong with the train's brakes!" Sunset said from the vent. "By any chance, do any of you have a screwdriver I could use? Any size will do, as long as it's not a Phillips screwdriver!"

"Philips?" Silverstream raised an eyebrow. "Who's that, your brother?"

"Sorry Miss Sunset, but I'm afraid none of us know what you mean by that." Smolder sighed.

"Just make sure the screwdriver's head looks like a minus sign, and not a plus." Sunset clarified.

"These things have heads?" Silverstream said, astonished. "I never knew tools could think like everyone else! Maybe some of them should enroll at the school with us!"

"I don't think that's what she means..." Ocellus said, whilst fidgeting her screwdriver. "But then again, I'm not really familiar with tools at all!"

"Wait, I think Miss Sunset's referring to the metal ends of the screwdriver!" Sandbar pointed at the tips. "Looks like only mine is a minus sign, while every other screwdriver is a plus! Good thing we had that math session at the beginning of the semester!"

"Huh, math class actually teaching you something that can be applied to real life?" Gallus said, rather surprised. "That's certainly news to me."

Sandbar tossed his screwdriver down into the vent, which Sunset took notice of, before grabbing it and climbing back over to the area with the train's brakes. Using the knowledge she had about mechanical work, Sunset took notice of the loose screws that had fallen by the side. The beetles had seemingly chewed up the metal and loosened one of the brake's segments, which was connected to the conductor's shifter. After fidgeting around with the screws and putting them back into their respective sockets, Sunset used the screwdriver to tighten each individual screw, which was surprisingly manageable, even if she had gotten used to having fingers.

"Well, I think I've finally fixed the brakes, thank Celestia for those automotive shop classes back at CHS." Sunset said as she climbed out of the vent space, and taking off her gas mask. "Mr. Conductor, are you able to stop the train now?"

The conductor proceeded to move the shifter to the emergency brake position, which would usually stop the train almost instantaneously. Everyone then noticed that the Endtrak Express began to slow down, gradually losing speed, before the train finally came to a complete stop.

"Well, I'll be... that worked!" The conductor exclaimed. "Miss, you're a lifesaver! I can't imagine what would've happened if I was unable to stop the train, just before a ravine!"

"Miss Sunset, how did you know what to do?" Ocellus asked, astonished. "We almost thought that without Torque here, we would've been doomed!"

"A little knowledge in mechanical work can always come in handy." Sunset said, proudly. "It's always good to have a little bit of technical know-how, especially when you're in a tight spot like that. And speaking of tight spots, we should find a way to deal with that rhino monster, before it causes any more problems."

"Speaking of which, we've found plenty of weapons!" Sandbar pointed to the various tools everyone was now holding. "You think we'll stand much of a chance against it, now?"

"Well, there's no way to guarantee that for sure, but I think our best bet is to stay together and use our wits." Sunset recommended, as she trotted over to grab a wrench as a weapon. "There must be some weakness we can exploit, but we'll see. For now, let's head back over to that train coach, and see if we can find a weakness! In the meantime, Mr. Conductor? Don't start the train again until we've found and rescued the passengers!"

"Of course, Miss!" The conductor nodded. "I'll wait here for your signal."

As Sunset and the students made their way back over to the same train coach that the beast had gotten stuck in, everyone instantly had a foreboding feeling, upon seeing that the coach was now mysteriously empty, and things had gotten quiet. It was almost as if the rhino monster had disappeared without a single trace, or better yet, was it simply hiding somewhere, and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike?

"Maybe if we don't move, it won't see us..." Ocellus said, dreading what was seemingly about to happen.

With the Endtrak Express no longer moving, Sunset knew it was much more manageable to have the fight commence atop the train's roof. As the students followed Sunset, who used a nearby ladder to climb back onto the roof, the monster was still surprisingly nowhere to be seen. Despite this, Sunset knew internally that there had to be a reason the Stagma Beetles had decided to target this train, specifically. Even bearing in mind that the beetles had specifically only targeted her back at Bridlewood Station, Sunset couldn't help but wonder if the attack was personal. She continued scouting around the train, but kept her guard up, having an internal feeling that the monster was simply hiding somewhere, and stalking its prey.

"Stay alert, everyone." Sunset warned. "We need to find out exactly where it is, so be sure to keep your eyes open, and let me know if you see anything."

As everyone walked along the Endtrak Express's roof, with almost no sign of the monster's presence, they all eventually heard an unusual, and almost monstrous growl.

"W-Why did that seem so... distinct?" Sandbar shook. "Could it be hiding right underneath us!?"

"Sorry everyone, that's just my tummy." Silverstream acknowledged, before rubbing her growling stomach. "It's never a good idea to skip breakfast, you know?"

"Well, I'm more concerned about the fact that we don't know where the rhino monster is." Smolder sighed. "We need to find it fast, before it finds us."

Sunset and the students continued along the roof, hoping for a clear indication on where the monster was located. Just then, another loud growl could be heard coming from Silverstream's direction, which slowly became louder.

"Alright, Silverstream." Gallus turned around. "Maybe we should head back to our cabin to get you some food if you're that hungry. I've got some griffon scones, if you're interested."

"That'd be nice, Gallus, but uh... that time, that wasn't me..." Silverstream's pupils shrunk.

Shortly after, the growl turned into another deafening roar, as the rhino monster hopped out from behind a large tree, and leaped back onto the Endtrak Express's roof, ready to continue their battle. The red beast stared down the entire group standing before it, but primarily kept its attention on Sunset.

"O-OKAY, I THINK THIS IS REASON WE MUST PANIC!!!" Yona shrieked.

"We've gotta fight that thing now!" Sandbar said, determined.

"It's a real shame that thing's gotta be so unfriendly!" Smolder frowned. "Why can't something that big and strong be on our side!?"

"Are these weapons even gonna work against that thing!?" Ocellus asked, nervously.

"Oh, they'll work all right." Gallus narrowed his eyes at the beast. "Just gotta aim for the right spot, we're certainly not as helpless as before!"

Gallus held a chisel blade firmly, before aiming his claw back, and throwing the blade onto the rhino monster's stumpy leg like a spear. The weapon had cut deeply into the rhino monster's flesh, causing it to stumble back and flinch in pain. There was an initial moment of relief upon seeing the effectiveness of the attack, before everyone soon noticed that the monster simply used its teeth to pick the blade out, and threw it off into the distance.

"Well, that didn't go as planned!" Gallus grimaced. "Looks like we'll have to think of something else."

"We'll have to use what we've got, then!" Sunset instructed, motioning for the students to start running away, as a chase was about to commence. "Run and attack, we'll have to focus all our energy on that thing!"

Sunset and the six students began running whilst attacking with their tools. Ocellus, Smolder, and Sandbar were all launching various screwdrivers at the beast, in an attempt to pierce its flesh, but they weren't really as effective as the chisel that Gallus had. The attempts at pushing it back had only enraged the monster further, enticing it to speed up. Sunset looked back and noticed that the rhino would soon be catching up, and it was merely shrugging off most attacks like it was nothing.

However, as it appeared as though all hope was lost, Silverstream then began using her nail gun, though she was still unsure of how to use one, as they never existed underwater. But after fumbling around with it for a bit, she miraculously hit the nail gun's trigger, shooting off a fast-moving, sharp projectile, which had pierced deeply into the rhino monster's snout, causing it to immediately flinch and stop in its tracks. Sunset and the other students stopped running for a bit, as they realized that Silverstream had a weapon capable of stunning the beast to a halt.

"That's right!" Silverstream screeched in anger and satisfaction, before using the nail gun to shoot the beast in the head again. "That's what you get for eating those poor, defenseless ponies!"

As the rhino monster staggered and stumbled back from the pain, Silverstream continued her onslaught, firing nail after nail into the beast's head. The monster roared in agony, shaking its head violently as the sharp points pierced its flesh, but it couldn't seem to escape the relentless barrage. However, after firing enough nails, Silverstream soon noticed that the nail gun suddenly went click, as there were no longer any nails loaded inside. The rhino monster took the opportunity to shake the nails out of its head, and immediately shifted its attention onto its attacker, who was now nervously hiding the nail gun behind her back. If the beast was angry before, it was nothing compared to how it felt now.

"Uh oh!" Silverstream stammered, taking a step back, as the rhino monster began charging at her. "HELP!!!"

The rest of the group looked on, unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, Sunset threw her wrench at the beast's eye, causing it to roar in pain, and allowing Silverstream to run over to safety. This feeling of relief was cut short, as the rhino monster growled in frustration and continued its pursuit, chasing the entire group atop the coaches, as if its dinner was running away. After a while of chasing, Sunset looked back at her students and formulated another plan to potentially outsmart the monster, knowing that they couldn't keep running and hiding for much longer.

"Gallus, Smolder, Silverstream!" Sunset addressed the three students. "You three think you can fly over the monster and attack it from behind!? Maybe if we attack from both sides, it'll keep that thing distracted long enough for us to do some real damage!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Smolder nodded confidently, readying herself to fly. "Leave it to us!"

"Will do!" Gallus added. "Together, we'll show that monster who's boss!"

"I'll do my best!" Silverstream chirped, fanning her wings out. "Let's do this!"

As the three students flew upwards, and landed directly behind the beast, Sunset took a deep breath, and began thinking of the next steps. They would need to keep the rhino monster occupied for a bit, whilst taking the opportunity to attack it from all sides, in an attempt to confuse it. Smolder, Gallus, and Silverstream all began pelting screwdrivers and various metal tools at the beast from behind, making it stop dead in its tracks again. But as it turned around to deal with the new threats from the back, Sunset, Yona, Sandbar, and Ocellus did the same on the opposite side, bewildering the monster on who it should prioritize attacking first.

This went on for a bit, before Sunset became a little overconfident, and went dangerously close to the beast, using the pliers as a melee weapon against its snout. The chaperone could feel the adrenaline pumping through her system, the satisfaction at seemingly doing some rather hefty damage to the monster in its already confused state. However, Sunset had almost forgotten that the Stagma Beetles' nature was to prioritize attacking ponies, given they were the natural predators of equines. The rhino monster turned its full attention to Sunset, and almost instantaneously, used its claw to swipe and knock her away, sending the mare flying toward the far end of the coach.

"MISS SUNSET!!!" The students all shrieked in unison, before noticing that the monster began prioritizing the students in front, and almost completely ignoring the attacks from behind.

"Ugh... that really..." Sunset began to slowly get up, thankful that the impact had not left her incapacitated.

While the monster was busy charging toward the other students from a distance, Sunset took notice of the noises coming from an electrical generator inside the coach, which appeared to still have an active current, despite the train no longer moving. She then remembered how susceptible the beetles were to electric shocks, as Torque had demonstrated last night at Bridlewood Station. So far, most of the metal weapons had merely given the rhino monster papercuts, as exemplified with the beast shaking the sharp tools from its tough hide. However, if she were to lead the monster over and let it get shocked by the generator's high voltage, it could be their only chance at winning the battle.

The six students continued the eternal struggle against the beast, using what little tools they had left to fend it off, or at the very least, slow it down. Unfortunately, as expected, this could only have gone on for so long, as the students had now inevitably run out of tools to use as weapons. Most of which were thrown off of the train, even after getting lodged into the monster's thick hide, while other tools had been caught within the monster's maw, and devoured. With the six students now defenseless, the rhino monster used its horn to rip off a large segment of the train's roof, before hurling the debris toward Sandbar, Yona, and Ocellus.

The three students stumbled back, and had barely avoided the attack, but they had almost already lost all hope. It was definitely clear that aside from the nail gun, none of their weapons proved to be an effective form of defense, as the rhino monster's hide was way too strong, much like the durable shells of the Stagma Beetles themselves. The beast then turned around to confront the three other students that had been attacking from behind, making Gallus, Smolder, and Silverstream all believe they were done for.

"I'm sorry, every creature..." Silverstream said, defeated. "We gave it our all..."

"No, don't give up hope just yet, Silverstream!" Smolder encouraged. "We can still win this!"

"I don't know about that, it looks like that thing wants to cook us all to a crisp..." Gallus observed. "Silverstream...? If we don't make it, I just wanted to say I've always... always... lo-"

But before Gallus could finish his sentence, Sunset had already come up with her next plan, which involved letting the rhino monster charge directly into the train's generator, knowing that it most likely still had a weakness toward electrical shocks. She threw her Philips screwdriver at the rhino's back, in an attempt to provoke it, as Sunset also knew that for whatever reason, this rhino monster seemed particularly interested in targeting her, making the goad more likely to be successful. It had indeed worked, resulting in the monster turning around again, and shifting its focus onto Sunset, once more.

"Come on, you pathetic beast!" Sunset goaded the monster into charging at her. "Try and get me if you can, I'm standing perfectly still!"

The six students watched on, unsure of what their chaperone was attempting to do, but knew internally that she most likely had some kind of trick up her hooves. The rhino monster, enraged by Sunset's attack, reared its head back and snorted profusely, staring down its target like never before. Shortly after, the monster charged forward, aiming straight for the mare who stood her ground, seemingly not even flinching, as the massive beast barreled toward her at full speed. At the very last minute, Sunset leaped like never before, saving herself from getting skewered by the rhino's horn, once more. The rhino monster meanwhile, had fallen through the roof with its speed, crashing directly onto the electrical generator within the coach.

All seemed well at first, until Sunset realized that this accomplished absolutely nothing. Despite having a little voltage left, the generator merely gave the rhino a mild shock, which only appeared to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience. By stopping the Endtrak Express, the voltage was not strong enough to attack the monster directly, as Torque did with her transistor rod against the beetles. Sunset looked back at her students, now absolutely stumped on what they could do to defeat this monstrosity, which practically fended off everything that they threw at it, aside from Mr. Ramsay's kitchen sink.

"Well students, I really don't know what else to do..." Sunset dreaded, as this monster truly proved to be an extremely resilient opponent. "Let's just say, I was specifically told that even the Equestrian Army would struggle against these beetles, and I certainly believe that now!"

As the rhino monster got up from the crash, it instinctively used its fire breath once more to torch the surrounding area, causing various trees to fall over from being scorched, and barricading Sunset and the students in, cornering them. The monster then leaped high into the air, sending a huge shockwave along the entire Endtrak Express, with a force powerful enough to bounce Sandbar right in front of it, completely helpless and terrified.

"N-No!" Sandbar's eyes widened. "P-P-Please, don't e-eat me!"

The monster simply licked its own lips, knowing that it still had enough room in its stomach for one more pony, before being fully satisfied. Sunset and the five other students got up from the shockwaves, as Sunset soon noticed what was happening in the distance. Much like the time Sunset sacrificed her own memories in an attempt to save her human friends from the memory stone, Sunset quickly ran over to push Sandbar out of the way to safety, just in time, but as a result, ended up getting caught within the monster's mouth. She used her strength to keep the jaw from closing, and looked down to take notice of a worried Sandbar.

"No, Sandbar, you get out of here!" Sunset instructed. "I'll hold it off!"

"B-But, you'll get eaten, Miss Sunset!" Sandbar said, unable to comprehend the idea of abandoning their chaperone.

"That may be, but I'd rather let that happen to me, than any of you!" Sunset stated firmly. "You and your friends are still young, and have so much more to live for! I made a commitment to Twilight to keep you all safe, and allow you all to return home safely! You're the only ones who can do that now. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, I promise..."

Although Sandbar was still reluctant to do so, Sunset gave him a determined look, and he found himself unable to argue against her strong words. With a nod, he turned and ran for safety, followed by his classmates, all of them looking back with fear and concern in their eyes, seeing their chaperone caught in between the rhino monster's teeth. Eventually, the inevitable had happened, to where Sunset's strength had finally given out, and the monster had successfully managed to swallow her whole. She had now become yet another victim of the monster's hunger, but gave somepony else the golden opportunity to escape a similar fate.

"Miss Sunset..." Sandbar said, touched by their chaperone's kindness. "She sacrificed herself for me, a colt she barely knew, just to give us all the opportunity to flee!"

"She really was the best..." Smolder sighed, sadly. "We'll never find another chaperone like her ever again, ponies like her only come once in a lifetime..."

"Poor Miss Sunset!" Silverstream began tearing up. "We've never had such a wonderful and adventurous field trip before!"

"She truly was an inspiration to us all..." Ocellus grieved.

"YONA... SO SAD RIGHT NOW!!!!!!" Yona sobbed, uncontrollably.

"We all are, Yona..." Gallus added. "But she was right, since it's clear now that we have absolutely no chance of taking that thing on! She'd want us to keep going, to find some help, so we can rescue her and everypony else trapped inside that monster's stomach! Come on, every creature, let's go and make Miss Sunset proud!"

However, just as the students were prepared to leave the train and find help, the rhino monster had anticipated this, and decided that although its hunger was now satisfied, it would not allow the remaining students to escape. The monster had quickly used its horn to light up with magic, restraining the students in place, and preventing them from leaving the train. Shortly after, it casted a spell above the Endtrak Express, creating a void in the sky. This spell seemed rather similar to what Midnight Sparkle had casted, when she opened portals to Equestria at CHS during the Friendship Games. But unlike those portals, this spell instead seemed to open a void that led into... outer space? The students struggled to move from the monster's magical restraints, until they looked up and saw the void, gradually growing bigger by each passing moment.

"What the...!?!" Sandbar shrieked. "Where's that thing taking us?!"

"Is that... outer space!?" Ocellus looked up at the void in the sky, which continued growing even bigger.

"It sure looks like it, to me!" Silverstream's eyes widened. "I-Isn't that Jupiter right there!?"

"Hmm, I don't know, I think that might be Saturn." Gallus looked up into the void. "Pluto's the one with the weird ring around it, right?"

"Every creature, I think we should focus!" Smolder grimaced, as she saw that the void was beginning to suck away the gravity and atmosphere around the area.

"W-Why are trees and rocks flying up into big hole!?" Yona observed the surroundings being sucked up into the void, as if it were a tornado.

"That monster wants to get rid of us for good!" Sandbar deduced. "When we get sent up through there, we'll all suffocate in the cold vacuum of outer space!"

As the surrounding scenery had been engulfed by the portal, thanks to the sudden lack of gravity, the void itself grew further and larger, almost enough to surround the entire train. It wouldn't be long before the students, and even the Endtrak Express itself would be sucked up into outer space. However, the rhino monster simply used its own magic to bolt itself to the Entrak Express's roof, protecting itself from the gaping hole in the sky. Even if these Stagma Beetles had seemingly already gotten their revenge on the same pony who had supposedly attacked them back in the Canterlot Library's restricted section, it would've been smarter to dispose of these students, preventing them from alarming the rest of Equestria.

Once the void had grown strong enough, completely shrouding the Endtrak Express, the rhino monster finally loosened its magical restraints on the six students, letting them get absorbed to suffocate and be destroyed within the cold of outer space. The students all shrieked upon getting sucked into this void like a black hole, as it seemed that all hope was lost. This rhino monster was practically invincible to everything they had thrown at it, and now, this was seemingly the end of the journey for all of them, as well as their chaperone, Miss Sunset.

As the six students helplessly drifted up into the void, they all looked at each other with grief, realizing that they were all about to suffer the same fate. All those memories and wonderful times they've had together as friends at the School of Friendship would be wiped from them in an instant, once they were fully sucked up. Almost coming to accept the idea that there was no escape from this awful fate, Sandbar, Gallus, Ocellus, Yona, Smolder, and Silverstream all held one of their limbs in a circle, before closing their eyes. If they were going to go out like this, at least they would all accept their impending fate together, as friends who had never abandoned each other, until the very end.

However, despite all hope being lost, something had suddenly resonated within the six students, just as they were nearing the void. The students had all begun to glow a mystical shade of white, almost like they had done when Princess Twilight united them all together, alongside her friends and the Pillars of Friendship, to deliver the final magical blow toward Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek, and Cozy Glow. It appeared as though their commitment to stay by each other's side until the end, had made their friendship and love for one another flow throughout them, and giving them just enough strength to overpower the antigravitational forces surrounding the area.

The students all opened their eyes in unison, seeing how they were suddenly able to move freely, despite trees and other objects being helplessly sucked up into the void. Realizing that they finally had an opportunity to fight back, all six students used what little strength they had left to levitate back over to the train, almost completely defying the laws of physics. The rhino monster watched in shock, completely bewildered by how those creatures had somehow avoided getting sucked up into outer space. In a fit of rage, the monster used it's fire breath at an even greater scale, completely bent on torching and incinerating those students, once and for all.

Unfortunately for the monster, the fire breath had done absolutely nothing, as the students simply held each other, allowing their friendship to unite and protect themselves. This was almost reminiscent of when Princess Twilight had done the same with the girls at CHS, to save themselves from Sunset's She-Demon form. Now, with the monster seemingly having no real way to attack the students, Sandbar began to give a speech about friendship, much like he had remembered seeing Princess Twilight do to the Legion of Doom.

"You think you can just come here and destroy my friends and I, just because you're stronger than us!?" Sandbar opened. "Well, you're wrong, we may not have your level of strength, but we have something even better, friendship!"

"No matter how strong you are, or how much power you think you have, you can never take that away from us!" Ocellus added.

"And we not going to let you bring Equestria to ruin, nor anyone else who cares deeply about it!" Yona pointed at the beast.

"We'll keep fighting, even if it's the last thing we'll ever do, because we're stronger together, and we won't let anything break us apart!" Gallus snapped.

"And most importantly, you'll never understand what we have!" Smolder chimed in. "You're just nothing more than a tool of destruction, while we were taught to love and cherish those around us! To protect those who can't protect themselves, and we won't rest until you're stopped, and those poor ponies in your stomach are freed!"

"So you'd better find some other hobby to keep yourself occupied, cause we're not going anywhere until you release those pony passengers!" Silverstream finished.

However, the monster simply ignored all this, believing that it was still much stronger than those puny creatures, combined. Knowing that its fire breath was next to useless, the rhino monster charged toward the students at a ferocious speed, before pouncing up into the air, in an attempt to body slam them. Once the beast had landed on the Endtrak Express's roof, it had seemingly gotten the trick done, squashing those students like the pathetic little bugs they were. But unfortunately, this time around, the students had used their new magical powers to completely outsmart the monster.

After looking underneath its claws, the monster's eyes had widened in disbelief, seeing that it had managed to squash absolutely nothing, other than the Endtrak Express's roof. This prompted the monster to swiftly turn around, only to see the six students levitating off of the train to evade the attack, before floating back down behind it. Their agility and combined strength were now completely unmatched thanks to their friendship, and had finally given them the upper hand in the heat of this battle.

"Rhino monster, you will-" Sandbar began closing his speech, before Silverstream chimed in.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Silverstream cut in. "Could you maybe close this out with 'Toasty Rhino Boy'? I'm sure Miss Sunset would be really proud of you, if you do that!"

"Eh, why not?" Sandbar shrugged. "She did save me from getting eaten, so it's the least I could do. Ahem... Toasty Rhino Boy, you may possess magic that is otherworldly, but you are still no match for us! Because we possess within us, the most powerful magic of all!"

Suddenly, the aura around the six students had briefly transformed into a colorful orb of energy, giving them the strength they needed to break through the rhino monster's thick hide. With a heave and mighty aim of the friendship beam that had resonated through them all, it was directly targeted at the giant rhino monster standing before them, cutting deeply into its flesh, which had transformed back into helpless Stagma Beetles. This attack had immediately weakened the beast's magic on the void's strength, as nearby fallen trees were slowly returning back to the ground, meaning that it was now safe to release the passengers from the monster's stomach. Their plan was finally working, prompting them to give them the final push to defeat this monstrosity, once and for all.

"THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP!!!" The six students all said, simultaneously, as their friendship had powered them up even further.

The six friends concentrated all of their energy into a single, massive blast of power, focusing it directly at the now weakened rhino monster before them. This time, the blast was aimed at the monster's stomach, which had managed to completely shred through its flesh, freeing a few of the passengers, including Miss Sunset. Some of the passengers had fallen onto the roof of the train, whilst others landed safely onto the soft grass below. Piece by piece, the rhino monster had started to slowly crumble apart, its bits of flesh transforming back into weak Stagma Beetles, and knocking them away. Before long, each and every pony passenger was eventually rescued from the beast's stomach, and immediately backed away from the giant Stagma Beetle pile, not wanting to be captured again.

As the students did a count of the passengers, they could see that Sunset Shimmer, Sour Sweet, Sunny Skies, Mr. Ramsay, Petunia Petals, Torque Wrench, Kerfuffle, Pickle Barrel, and Barley Barrel were now all safe. Everypony was also far enough away from the beetles, that they could now deliver the finishing blow without risking collateral damage. With one last surge in their combined strength, the students blasted their magic to knock the entire pile of weakened Stagma Beetles up into the air. The beetles were then sucked up through the same void to outer space that they had casted earlier, which began to slowly dissipate, now that the rhino monster was no longer holding the spell in place.

Everyone looked up, watching every last beetle slowly turning into dust, as the entire colony entered the cold vacuum of outer space. Shortly after, the void had immediately closed itself off, now making the Stagma Beetles completely extinct from Equestria. With the day now saved, the students had begun powering down, and fell onto the Endtrak Express's surface, exhausted from focusing all of their energy, just moments earlier. Sunset and Sour Sweet immediately trotted over to the six students, checking to see if they were all right.

"Sandbar?" Sunset quickly ran over to check on the students. "Ocellus? Smolder? Please... some creature answer me!"

"Chaperone..." Yona gradually regained her strength. "Did we do good thing...?"

"Yes, Yona!" Sunset replied, relieved. "You all did a great job, and saved everypony on this train! You stopped those horrible Stagma Beetles all on your own, we're so proud of you!"

"To think, as the chaperones of your field trip, we were supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around." Sour Sweet said, amused. "But we're certainly glad that everything worked out in the end!"

"Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't stopped those vile bugs?" Petunia trotted over to the students. "If that monster they formed had managed to escape, ugh... I don't even want to think about it..."

"I'd imagine Equestria would be even worse off than a 1-Star kitchen." Mr. Ramsay added. "In fact, it seems as though you've all gone above and beyond as our heroes!"

"Thank you so much for saving all of our lives!" Kerfuffle thanked. "Princess Twilight would be so proud of you all!"

"Hmm, that reminds me..." Mr. Ramsay pondered. "Princess Twilight did mention to the rest of the staff at Canterlot, that the throne room is lacking, as far as stain glass windows. Perhaps I should give the princess a suggestion on what to depict, considering your heroics today."

"That'd be very much appreciated, Mr. Ramsay." Sandbar replied, before pointing to Sunset. "But you really should give credit to our chaperone here, too. If it wasn't for her, I would've gotten eaten by that monster, and we probably wouldn't have defeated that thing."

"I'm flattered, Sandbar, but I know for certain that it was a team effort." Sunset acknowledged. "Besides, you and your friends had managed to actually defeat that rhino monster yourselves, so I insist. It should definitely be all of you who deserve to get the recognition."

"Well, I suppose I'll keep that in mind, once I return to Canterlot." Mr. Ramsay nodded. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I should go inform the conductor of the train about the situation, and get us moving once more. Just relax and rest up, you've all certainly earned it, after what we've just been through."

As Mr. Ramsay trotted off, the students and remaining passengers had done the same, as they had now climbed back into the Endtrak Express's coaches. Everyone was hoping to salvage their trip to Hope Hollow, despite the train having large wreckages. While waiting for a word on the train's status, several other passengers came up to the six students to express their gratitude.

"You've all done us proud!" Barley Barrel chimed in. "Maybe my brother and I could devote a fan club to you, we've never been rescued by real heroes before!"

"I'd say we could do that." Pickle Barrel agreed. "Once this train gets back on track, we'll make it back home to Hope Hollow in no time!"

"There's a bit of a problem with that, I'm afraid." Torque trotted over to the group within the cabin. "I just checked the Endtrak Express's generator, and it appears as though it's been damaged pretty heavily by a huge dent. It'll take me a while to repair it, but hey, a repair pony's job is never done."

"Well, at least it's something to keep us busy for a while." Sunny Skies added. "I'm sure we can find some interesting ways to keep ourselves entertained, while we wait. In the meantime, Starlight? Once we reach Hope Hollow, as the mayor of our lovely town, I was thinking of giving you some kind of reward, for also being a hero. I figured it's the least I could do, considering you've already let Mr. Ramsay talk Princess Twilight into making a stain glass window, commemorating the heroic deeds of your students there.

"I appreciate the thought, Mayor, but you really don't have to." Sunset insisted. "We were all just doing what had to be done, and I'm glad everything worked out in the end."

"Nonsense, Starlight." Mayor Skies shook his head. "You've already been through so much, and you've been such a good friend to us all. So I declare that as the mayor, you'll be getting a reward, and I know you'll absolutely love it."

"Well, if you really insist... thank you, Mayor." Sunset accepted.

"Don't mention it." Sunny Skies replied. "In the meantime, why don't we all sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of our journey? We've still got a long way to go, but with the help of Torque here, I know we can get there safely."

"Right, I should probably get started on that generator." Torque said. "And maybe this time, you can actually help me out, Sunny. Instead of just sitting back and watching me do all the work."

"Oh, all right, if you insist..." Sunny Skies rolled his eyes, before following Torque over to the Endtrak Express's generator.

"Guess what, students?" Sour Sweet then entered the cabin, holding a dessert plate in her hoof. "Mr. Ramsay just announced that his world famous sticky toffee pudding is ready! And he's willing to give you all seconds, at least, if there's enough left!"

"He is!?" The students all exclaimed in unison.

"Well, this trip just got a whole lot sweeter, it seems." Sunset acknowledged.

"You're telling me!" Barley Barrel said, craving dessert.

"My dentist is probably gonna hate me once this is all over, but... I don't care!" Pickle Barrel added.

With that said and done, Sunset, Sour Sweet, the Barrel twins, Smolder, Yona, Sandbar, and Ocellus all left the cabin, curious to try this mysterious dessert, which had been hyped up for a while now. Gallus and Silverstream were about to do the same, before Silverstream stopped for a second, curious about something that Gallus never had the chance to finish saying.

"Hey, Gallus?" Silverstream looked back at the griffon. "What were you trying to say earlier, when Toasty Rhino Boy had seemingly cornered us? That you've always... lo... something?"

"Oh, uhhhh..." Gallus blushed, as he nervously looked around the cabin, until he had a cover-up, now that they were no longer in danger. "That I've always loved how beautiful your seashell necklace is! Yeah!"

"Oh..." Silverstream looked down at her necklace, which granted her the power to transform between a hippogriff and seapony. "Thank you Gallus, that's really sweet, I'm glad you think so. Well, now that that's over with, let's get something just as sweet, some sticky toffee pudding!"

As Gallus watched Silverstream storm out of the cabin, Gallus opened up his backpack, which had some leftover griffon scones that he had packed for this trip, one of which, was deliberately shaped like a heart. The griffon grabbed this heart-shaped scone and held it close to him, whilst thinking deeply about a certain hippogriff.

"Someday, Gallus..." Gallus said to himself. "Maybe someday..."

Chapter 80: The Destined Encounter

While Sunset and everyone else aboard the Endtrak Express were focused on getting back on track to Hope Hollow, an urgent revelation would soon be unfolded, back at the School of Friendship. Starlight Glimmer was still patiently waiting in her office for any further updates from either Twilight or the rest of the council. The lingering concern about how much of a threat that Chestnut Magnifico would become with each passing minute, it continuously swam through her mind. After finishing up some further paperwork, she filed the documents into a nearby cabinet, before hearing a knock on her office door.

"Come in." Starlight called out, trying to sound more composed than she felt.

"Hey Starlight, you got a minute?" Sunburst asked, as he entered. "I've just finished up the meeting with that student who thought it'd be cute to play hooky, so my duties at the school are finished for the day."

"Good to hear, come have a seat." Starlight gestured to the chair opposite of her desk. "I'm just waiting for some word from Twilight and the others about our situation with Chestnut Magnifico. Every moment we spend here is another moment that we're not out there, trying to stop whatever she's planning. But unfortunately, as much as we're determined to be the heroes who save Equestria, we've still got a job to do."

"Educating the youth of Equestria also seems pretty essential to make that a reality, especially since... even we have to retire ourselves, someday." Sunburst shrugged. "Anyways, regarding that Chestnut pegasus who not only stole the Bewitching Bell, but even Sunset's horn, Twilight just sent me a scroll regarding some new information that Celestia was able to provide for her. After hearing how she hurt my sister, I'm definitely more determined than ever to give Sunset the justice she deserves."

"Indeed, Sunset's always been like a big sister to us both, and I'm sure she's done an excellent job at protecting those students on their field trip to Hope Hollow." Starlight nodded. "Now, going off of what you just told me, what new information is this? Did Celestia find anything that could help us track that pegasus down?"

"Well, not quite, at least according to what Twilight wrote." Sunburst shook his head. "She mentioned that Celestia remembered something hidden within the Canterlot Library's restricted section, which could help us learn more about another potential new threat. See, although we've now protected ourselves from the Bewitching Bell's effects by using the Dragonstone, Twilight unfortunately learned that activating it... inadvertently released something else."

"You mean... it was never meant to be activated?" Starlight's eyes widened. "I mean, all we really know is that Rockhoof hid the Dragonstone on Everfree Island, and we were able to retrieve it. We even used Smolder's dragon fire to power it up, so it's not like it was possessed by outside magic."

"I mean, it doesn't sound like a big deal when you put it that way, but Celestia didn't seem to think so." Sunburst sighed. "Apparently, when she learned from Twilight that the Dragonstone had been activated, Celestia actually freaked out. She specifically remembered that centuries ago, Starswirl the Bearded had actually instructed Rockhoof to hide the Dragonstone in a deserted place, purely to ensure it would never be activated again. Because Starswirl actually casted a curse on the artifact, meant to eternally weaken some mysterious... fire alicorn. And this curse would be broken, the instant we activate its power."

"Fire... alicorn?" Starlight couldn't believe her ears. "So it's more than just a simple theft of the Bewitching Bell, it's like we've opened Pandora's Box, except we have no idea what we've unleashed! How powerful and dangerous could this creature even be, that Starswirl had to go through such a length to weaken them?"

"That's right, and now we're left to deal with the consequences." Sunburst responded. "Twilight's message didn't have all the details, but it's clear that we need to get ahead of this before it's too late, and that we must meet her in Canterlot, right away!"

"In that case, we can't just sit here and wait for trouble to come to us, we've got to understand what we're dealing with." Starlight said, determined, before writing a note. "I'll leave a note on my door, saying that we'll be unavailable for a while. Oh, and we should definitely also inform Sunset and the rest of the council, once we've made our discoveries."

"Sounds like a plan." Sunburst said, as he watched Starlight trot out of the office and tape the note onto her door. "It's crazy to imagine, we were once casual childhood friends back in Sire's Hollow, and now we're teaming up to save Equestria. Never would've imagined that this is what destiny would bring us together to do."

"Nor could I have imagined being responsible for helping Thorax and the rest of the changelings accept friendship." Starlight nodded. "Well, I almost contributed to Equestria's utter destruction once, so now it's my duty to save it from whatever these new threats are! Let's go to Canterlot!"

As Sunburst and Starlight ran from the School of Friendship, not wanting to waste any time, they were unaware that the school suddenly had another unexpected guest. After escaping a horde of angry wasps from Canterlot, Madame Cinch had been hiding within bushes for a while, as she was still a prisoner on the run. The Madame eventually exited the bushes, growling at the twigs and branches messing up her mane, before looking up at the school that Sunburst and Starlight had just left.

"My, my." Cinch said, as she admired the school's structure. "I'm absolutely quite surprised that this literal palace exists in Ponyville, of all places. Where was the palace that I deserved, back in Manehattan?"

Madame Cinch approached the building, before noticing that the front doors were unlocked, and made her way in. It didn't take long for her to realize that due to the classrooms and chalkboards, she was suddenly in a school.

"I should've known, only ponies living in poverty would waste such a pristine palace on something as silly as education." Cinch rolled her eyes. "But then again, if I had my own school, I could probably make quite the fortune, and better yet, I imagine that I'd make a wonderful school principal."

"Principal?" A voice said from a nearby hallway, as Cinch's eyes widened. "So I'm guessing you're in charge now, since I saw that the school's headmare has gone out for the day?"

"Erm, yes, that's right." Cinch pretended, trying to keep her tone civil, despite the bitterness in her heart. "And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with, today?"

"Name's Sunny Flare, and I just had a question for the headmare." Sunny Flare replied. "See, I just enrolled at the school yesterday, mostly to improve my social skills and understanding of friendship. Anyways, I was just wondering, would it be all right for me to take this one class for only a week, before I head back to my hometown? I still have a business to run, and my hometown's admittedly pretty far from Ponyville."

"Ah, yes." Madame Cinch put on her best smile, though it was forced. "That sounds perfectly reasonable, but of course, education comes at a cost. You're free to leave whenever you want, but you'll have to compensate us dearly for helping you secure a brighter future. I'll take that payment of 500 bits, if you may."

"500 bits for one week's worth of classes?" Sunny Flare raised an eyebrow. "That seems a bit... excessive, don't you think?"

"My dear, when you deal with the finest education that Equestria has to offer, you must understand that such privileges do not come cheap." Cinch insisted. "Plus, considering that I had to come all the way from Canterlot to personally oversee your education, I would say that's quite the bargain. But, since you're new, I can offer you a one-time discount. How does... 499 bits sound?"

"Well, I suppose if that's what it takes." Sunny Flare sighed. "Alright, I'll pay the 499 bits, but I want to ensure that it's worth my investment. I guess I'll go and grab my saddlebag from the classroom..."

"If she's that desperate for a week's worth of education, she must be quite gullible." Cinch thought to herself, smirking, before speaking up. "Excellent, Miss Flare. I'll be waiting here to take your payment, and I'm sure you'll find the education here... enlightening."

As Cinch waited in the halls for her easy money, with the only thing on her mind being how she could spoil herself afterwards, she would soon be in for a sudden shock, upon hearing a conversation within the classroom right down the hall. Sunny Flare was already busy at work, counting the bits she had on her, before a familiar pony's voice became apparent.

"Sunny Flare?" Rarity inquired from inside the classroom, making the Madame anxious as she heard the voice. "What in Equestria are you doing with all that money, darling? This is a school, not a bank."

"Well, it's for the weekly class fee that the headmare told me about." Sunny Flare replied. "She said that 500 bits is standard for students who only want to stay for a week."

"What...?" Rarity raised an eyebrow. "The School of Friendship's classes have always been free, and even if they weren't, we absolutely would not commit such an act of highway robbery! Why would Starlight Glimmer tell you this?"

"Uhh, she didn't." Sunny Flare replied. "I was told this by the mare who said she was the school's principal, since the headmare isn't in her office."

"I'm afraid you've been misinformed, Sunny Flare." Rarity said, gently. "The School of Friendship operates on the belief that knowledge and friendship shouldn't come with a price tag, it's free for all who wish to learn. Whoever told you such nonsense, I should give her a real piece of my mind."

"Wha... I can't believe I almost fell for that!" Sunny Flare felt a mix of embarrassment and anger, as she began to stuff the bits back into her saddlebag. "Thank you for telling me the truth, Rarity. I'll find this so-called principal and bring her to you!"

Sunny Flare immediately dashed out of the classroom, and right back over to the hallways where Cinch claimed she would wait. Unfortunately, upon hearing Rarity's voice, and even confirmation that it was her by name, the Madame was already one step ahead, and already reached the school's front doors, ready to make a run for it. She was already in some hot water from getting caught attempting to scam somepony, but knew she'd have her goose cooked if even Rarity saw her here, especially after what had happened back in Manehattan. Sunny Flare sprinted over to the front doors, where she caught a glimpse of the Madame attempting to catch her breath on the stone path near the waterfalls.

"HEY!" Sunny Flare frowned upon seeing the fraudster attempt her escape. "Where are YOU going!?"

"Anywhere to avoid that... MONSTER!" Cinch turned around and snarled. "And I suggest you do the same!"

Madame Cinch immediately sprinted off before she could get caught, as Sunny Flare sighed in frustration, but was at least thankful that she had been saved the inconvenience and humiliation of having her bits stolen. Shortly after, Sunny Flare was accompanied by Rarity, who was already too late at even catching the slightest glimpse of the now escaped Madame.

"Well, it looks like whoever tried to extort you for your bits is no longer a problem." Rarity said. "Thank Celestia I was around before you unknowingly got robbed."

"Yeah, thanks to you, Rarity." Sunny Flare smiled. "I can't believe somepony would try to pull something that dirty, especially in a place that's supposed to be about learning friendship."

"It's quite shocking, indeed." Rarity nodded. "Did you by any chance get a good look at her? She wasn't an orange pegasus with a blonde mane, was she?"

"Umm, not that I can immediately recall, but I'm pretty sure she was a unicorn." Sunny Flare replied. "Though she wasn't Starlight, that's for sure. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason, I was just curious." Rarity quickly brushed off. "Well regardless, let's just hope that whoever that petty thief was, she'll get exactly what's coming to her."

As Madame Cinch had finally sprinted a good distance away from the school, she took another quick break to catch her breath, as she laid low in some nearby bushes. She gritted her teeth, frustrated at how she was this close to getting some easy money to spoil herself, only for that pesky Rarity to ruin it for her. Despite Cinch's grudge towards her former employee, she also had just as much of a vendetta for Sunset Shimmer, whom according to Svengallop, was the main reason they had both ended up behind bars.

"Before I potentially get caught and end up behind bars again, I'll absolutely want to get my revenge on that orange unicorn who helped Miss Valencia destroy my perfect reputation." Cinch said to herself. "Until then, what else could possibly go wrong, today?"

Soon enough, the Madame eventually heard some hoofsteps, prompting her to duck back into the bushes. Peering from outside it, she took notice of a gray pegasus wearing noise-cancelling headphones, holding a loud lawnmower.

"Well, even though I got fired from my mail job, I'm happy that I found some temporary work as a gardener." Derpy said to herself, as she turned the lawnmower on.

Cinch instinctively tried to make her escape, but realized that she couldn't, upon seeing her own tail get caught between the bush's twigs.

"Wait, STOP!!!" Cinch shrieked from inside the bush.

"Hmm?" Derpy blinked, as she looked around. "Did somepony just say something? Could you maybe repeat what you just said?"

"Turn that off, my poor tail's stuck in this bush!" Cinch ordered.

"Mow that off, there's a horsetail stuck in that bush?" Derpy attempted to reiterate, but misinterpreted what she had heard, due to her headphones. "All right, you got it then!"

As Derpy pushed the lawnmower forwards into the bush, Cinch immediately felt the machine's blades slice her tail off, making her shriek at the indignity and humiliation, which prompted her to scurry away through the bushes and trees to avoid being seen. Derpy immediately turned the mower off, before examining her work, and noticing Madame Cinch's severed and messy tail underneath the bush's remnants.

"Well, it's a good thing I was told to trim this particular horsetail, that is one ugly weed, indeed." Derpy giggled, as she continued to mow the rest of the lawn.

Back on the Endtrak Express, Torque Wrench was almost finished repairing the train's vital components, making it so everyone would miraculously soon arrive at their destination, despite the Stagma Beetle rush from earlier. While Sunset and the students were enjoying Mr. Ramsay's sticky toffee pudding, Sunset sat in her own cabin, thinking that the activities had kept her quite busy, to where something crucial was slipping her mind. As Yona finished her third helping of dessert, she turned to her chaperone, noticing the conflict in her eyes.

"Everything okay, Chaperone Sunset?" Yona questioned.

"Didn't you enjoy Mr. Ramsay's sweet treat?" Gallus added. "I know I sure did!"

"Yeah, I really savored Mr. Ramsay's cooking, it's just as good as I remember it." Sunset nodded. "But despite us being able to overcome those nasty beetles, I just can't help but feel like I'm forgetting something. I mean, I've kinda been distracted with all sorts of new things here in Equestria, alongside this newer threat that my friends and I are after, but... I feel like I've neglected a promise I made to a friend."

"What do you mean, Miss Sunset?" Smolder raised an eyebrow. "We haven't actually reached Hope Hollow yet, and even then, we all feel like you've just given us the best field trip adventure we've ever had!"

"I agree, Smolder." Ocellus said. "You've been nothing but amazing, keeping us safe, and showing us the beauty of Equestria. It's what you promised Princess Twilight, and you've most certainly fulfilled that promise, that's for sure."

"Hmm, yeah, that's right..." Sunset pondered. "I made a promise to Twilight, but it wasn't about this. In fact, it's not even the Twilight from this world, but I know I promised something a few days ago."

The students all looked at each other in confusion, baffled by Sunset's choice of words.

"Are you feeling all right, Miss Sunset?" Sandbar asked out of concern. "What other world are you referring to?"

"Unless she's talking about Princess Twilight having a twin sister who resides in another kingdom?" Silverstream suggested. "Oh, that would be so cool, do you think they'd keep each other updated with what's going on in their lives?"

"Wait, that's it!" Sunset suddenly had an epiphany. "You're... kind of right when you say that, Silverstream. But yeah, I've been so caught up with everything going on in Equestria, that I've neglected to stay in touch with my friends in this other kingdom, let's just say. The Twilight of that kingdom actually sent me a message through this magical journal yesterday, and I didn't even find an opportunity to write her back."

"A magical journal that lets you communicate with another kingdom?" Ocellus' eyes widened in a mix of shock and fascination. "That sounds incredible, Miss Sunset! I didn't know such a thing existed!"

"What's this other place like?" Silverstream leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued. "And who are these friends you speak of?"

"Friends who remind me of your teachers at the School of Friendship, who are also my friends now, too." Sunset tried her best to explain. "We were originally supposed to be working on a song together for an upcoming big event, but for personal reasons, I decided to take some time off here in Equestria. This other Twilight mostly mentioned that I have an extra day to do anything I need, but surprisingly, no reports on anything troublesome going on. For example, she didn't even mention that girl named Gilda, whom I'm sure is still out there, somewhere."

"Gilda?" Gallus spoke up. "I know who she is, she's the main reason I even got to know my teacher Rainbow Dash, before the first day of school. Sure, she used to be a real grouch back in Griffonstone, but nowadays, she's pretty chill and makes great scones. What happened with Gilda, did you and your friends get into an argument with her?"

"Not exactly, but at the same time, I'm pretty certain it's not the same Gilda that you know." Sunset deduced, as she flipped through her journal. "I mean, I think she is, but at the same time, she isn't. It's... pretty complicated, I'll say that much."

"This other kingdom sounds pretty bizarre, the way you've described it." Smolder sat back on her cabin bed. "But even then, I certainly wouldn't mind checking out the place sometime. Maybe even after our trip to Hope Hollow is finished, we could also go to this mysterious other kingdom?"

"Another field trip with Chaperone Sunset!?" Yona sparked with glee. "Yes, yes! Could we, Chaperone!?"

"Well, it's definitely not something we can do today, but it's an interesting idea, for another time." Sunset smiled at her students' enthusiasm. "But for now, we'll be reaching Hope Hollow soon, and I'm sure there's more than enough to keep us busy once we get there. Plus, I wouldn't want to burden you all with even more responsibilities after this trip, but I do appreciate everything you've done to help, it really shows how much you've all grown."

The students all unanimously muttered in agreement and enthusiasm, looking forward to having another potential field trip in the future with Miss Sunset. In the meantime, Sunset began writing a message back for the Human Twilight, trying to get an update for anything else that might've happened back in the Human World, while she was away. She knew for certain that it was very likely that Gilda was still on the loose somewhere, and that the graduation at CHS being pushed back a day might've had something in connection to Gilda's misdeeds. All of these thoughts kept swimming around her mind, as Sunset knew she would return to the Human World very soon, but was still completely unaware of a certain doppelganger whom also shares her identity...

As this was going on, Human Sunset continued to walk around the desolate streets of Canterlot City at night, as she had already met up with Rolling Thunder and Lightning Dust, back at the hideout. None of the girls had the foggiest idea of where Gilda had gone off to, ever since she got her hands on the Tundra Tiara. It began to enrage Human Sunset internally, that she already had a plan on whom to target next, but Gilda seemed to constantly be slacking off, left and right. This made Human Sunset determined to find Gilda, and perhaps get a more clear idea on what her true motives were, which would explain why she kept mysteriously disappearing.

"Where could Gilda possibly be?" Human Sunset clenched her fists tightly in frustration, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the dimly lit streets. "I'm beginning to think she's plotting something behind my back, but I just can't seem to figure out where she could've possibly gone off to. I'll have to find her eventually, and then she'd better come up with a good explanation on her absence!"

With a newfound sense of motivation, Human Sunset picked up her pace, her boots clicking against the pavement in a steady rhythm. Despite it now being nighttime, and many businesses having already been closed for the day, Human Sunset eventually caught glimpse of a building on the far end of a street, which still had its lights on. She carefully snuck over to the building in question, which was none other than Sugarcube Corner, the regular hangout spot for Pony Sunset and the rest of the Rainbooms. Upon hearing a conversation going on in the café, Human Sunset ducked underneath one of the windows, as she began eavesdropping, noticing five girls sitting at one of the tables.

"Come on, girls!" Rainbow tried to encourage the rest of her friends. "We've been at this all day, and we've barely come up with anything new for our graduation song!"

"Well to tell you the truth, without Sunset here to help us, it's been a lot harder to come up with something original." Fluttershy said. "After all, it was mostly her contribution that helped us win the Battle of the Bands."

"Adding on, I'm not particularly sure many of us are motivated to prioritize the graduation song, especially with how sad Pinkie's been acting." Rarity noted. "In fact, she's been so sad over 'Sunset' supposedly being mean to her, that she didn't even want to join us to work on the song, even when we offered to buy her an octuple ice cream sundae deluxe! It's not like her to turn down such a treat like that."

Hearing this, Human Sunset immediately remembered what she had done that night, and that these girls were specifically referring to her. But not knowing who that Pinkie girl even was, and that she had grown far too bitter at this point to even care about making friends, Human Sunset just shrugged it off and continued listening in for any crucial information, now knowing that these were supposedly Pony Sunset's friends.

"I reckon she's just takin' it pretty hard." Applejack said, as she finished what was left of her milkshake. "Even then, I can't help but scratch the feelin' that something fishy's goin' on, we've known Sunset for years now, she's got a good heart, and she'd never do anything to really hurt anyone on purpose like that. I just hope Sunset's considerin' comin' back to our world, sooner than she planned, so that we can resolve everything, and hopefully clear up this misunderstandin'."

"Well, that's just it." Twilight said, as she took her journal out of her bag. "I wrote a message to Sunset earlier, mentioning how according to Principal Celestia, the graduation's being pushed back a day. However, since I didn't want to burden her, or straight up accuse her of anything, I specifically left out anything to do with the Pinkie situation, because I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. It really doesn't sound like her at all to act that way towards Pinkie, especially given how excited she was to finish writing the graduation song with us all."

"I figured that maybe she's just really busy with all that Equestria stuff, you know?" Rainbow added. "Besides, it doesn't seem like Sunset to just come back a few days early out of nowhere, especially without letting any of us know. She told us she was going to return to Equestria for at least a week, and I know Sunset's a gal who often sticks to her word."

"But what if something really is wrong?" Applejack spoke up, her voice tinged with concern. "Pinkie's pretty shaken up, and she's not the type to just make this up out of the blue. Maybe we should talk to Sunset about it, just to get an idea on anything suspicious that's been going on?"

"Better yet, what if it's that Gilda girl, who simply disguised herself as Sunset, in an attempt to hide her true identity?" Rarity suggested. "We still have no idea if Gilda's out there somewhere, and she's specifically plotting to destroy graduation for us all."

"I'm not sure if that's likely, especially since Sunset mentioned that she's never even met Gilda before." Fluttershy replied. "I really have to imagine that whatever happened, the Sunset we all know wasn't involved with hurting Pinkie's feelings. But I agree with Applejack, maybe we should at least write to her about this, just to get an idea on what's going on."

"Well, that's just it." Twilight looked at her journal. "Ever since I wrote to Sunset regarding the graduation date change, she hasn't given me a response. I haven't written to her about anything else, since we haven't really encountered any other forms of suspicious activity lately, other than the Pinkie situation. But I'd imagine that Sunset's just busy back in Equestria, since we made it very clear that we want her to enjoy her week off in her home world, especially if nothing else troublesome has really stood out to us."

However, just as Twilight said this, she immediately glanced down and saw her journal emit a glow, the exact kind that would've notified her of a new and unread message.

"Ooh, Twilight!" Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise. "It looks like you spoke too soon, let's see what Sunset has to say!"

"Okay, okay, let me just flip to the most recent page..." Twilight opened the journal and found the newest message on the glowing page, her eyes scanning it quickly. "Alright, I'll read what she wrote."

Dear Twilight,

I'm really sorry that I haven't been around to reply to your message, but something else big in Equestria has been keeping me quite busy. I appreciate the heads up in regards to the new graduation date, it especially seems to work in my favor, since I was getting rather worried about time being tight on my end. For the most part, this whole week in Equestria has been a wild ride, considering how I just helped six students defeat a giant fire rhino monster atop a train. I've been meaning to ask, is everything going well back in the Human World? Have you and the girls been working on our graduation song just fine, any signs of Gilda or anything else troublesome around the corner? Please be sure to let me know, in case something comes up.

-Sunset Shimmer

"Fire rhino monster?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Maybe we should have gone back to Equestria with Sunset, that sure does sound exciting."

"Well that's besides the point, it seems as though Sunset's confirmed several mysteries we've been pondering." Rarity inspected the message. "This implies Sunset's been in Equestria for the entire week, and she has no idea on anything malicious that may be going on behind the scenes. Surely, she wouldn't just casually write to us about this, if she intentionally hurt Pinkie's feelings."

"That's true, but we can't just ignore what happened to Pinkie." Fluttershy insisted. "It's a good thing we didn't just straight-up accuse Sunset of doing something mean towards her, we wouldn't want her feeling guilty over something she didn't even do, and sour her experience in Equestria."

"Considerin' what we did back then with the Anon-a-Miss incident, I reckon it's for the best." Applejack sighed. "But now that we know something fishy is definitely going on, I say we get to the bottom of this! If we're havin' trouble comin' up with ideas for our graduation song, at the very least, we should do everything we can to help Sunset clear her name, especially if she's being framed!"

"But how do we even start looking for answers?" Rainbow questioned. "Should we wait for Sunset to come back, or do we start investigating now? I think I'd rather do that, than spend hours on a song, only to come up with nothing."

"Since the week in Equestria is almost up, I can definitely estimate that Sunset's going to be returning to our world, very soon." Twilight predicted. "In the meantime, it's important we keep our promises to Sunset, and that we stick to our main duties here, mostly in regards to working on the song. We've already made a ton of progress since then, so that certainly counts for something. That said, I do think we should keep our eyes open for anything out of the ordinary, just in case."

Underneath the window of Sugarcube Corner, Human Sunset's heart raced as she overheard the Rainbooms. Her eyes narrowed at the mention of Pinkie Pie's distress, as she couldn't shake the reality that her own actions had unintentionally painted her doppelganger in a negative light. The thought of facing them with the truth made her palms sweat, even if she wanted to believe it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, since she was now determined to ruin the graduation ceremonies at both CHS and Crystal Prep Academy, and the damage had already been done, Human Sunset committed to her original motives, and knew she had to act fast.

With a deep breath, she straightened her posture and took a step back from the wall, her boots scraping the ground. The light from the window cast a soft glow on her determined face as she turned away from the building, the sound of the Rainbooms' voices fading into the night as Human Sunset retreated into the shadows. It was unfortunate to hear that despite her best efforts, the Rainbooms managed to see through her little scheme, and determined that these unusual acts most likely weren't being committed by the Sunset Shimmer that they all knew. Human Sunset needed a plan, and she needed it before Pony Sunset inevitably returned to the Human World, which sounded like it could be anytime soon.

Almost entirely forgetting about whatever Gilda was up to, Human Sunset walked all the way back over to her mother's home, believing that she had already spent too much time going on a wild goose chase, and that she needed her energy the next day. At the very least, this crucial knowledge about Pony Sunset and her closest friends at CHS, had given Human Sunset the peace of mind to formulate what her next move was. Unfortunately, as confident as Human Sunset wanted to believe she was, given how easily she had managed to overpower the Canterlot Street Gang and bring them under her control, she couldn't immediately say the same about Pony Sunset.

Human Sunset already knew how successful, well-respected, and capable her pony counterpart was, but had no idea what she truly was like, personality-wise. She figured that if Pony Sunset was anything like the mean and aggressive girl, whom she herself now was, the very thought of confronting her head-on when she inevitably returned to the Human World, it was terrifying. Fortunately, since she had some time to regain her energy before facing the unknown, Human Sunset quickly put herself to sleep on her living room's couch, unsure of when exactly she'd have this supposed destined encounter.

Meanwhile, Gilda spent her own time relocating the same cave area she had left a while ago, after coming to a dead end, thanks to the barrier of rocks caving in the entrance. Now with the Tundra Tiara in her hands, she placed it atop her own head whilst driving her truck, feeling as though she'd soon become a powerful queen, thanks to the supposed Sorceress's magic. After putting her vehicle in park, Gilda got out of the vehicle and approached the pile of rocks obstructing her path. Without hesitation, she followed Clover's instructions on how to use the magical crown to bypass this seemingly impossible obstacle.

"Frosty shivers!" Gilda reiterated, as the Tundra Tiara lit up, before blasting a magical beam of ice towards the rock pile, freezing everything solid.

With a cackle that echoed throughout the desolate forest, she snatched the pickaxe from her truck's bed and swung it at the frozen obstruction, over and over. The axe connected with a resonant crack, and the rocks shattered into a glittering cascade of ice shards that rained down around her, leaving a clear path ahead. The sound of breaking ice filled the air, mingling with the distant howl of the wind. Gilda stepped over the remnants of her victory, ignoring the new chilly sensation, and continued her march into the cave. before also carrying a lantern to help her see more clearly through the darkness.

After what felt like a few hours of falling asleep, Human Sunset immediately woke up to a shattered window in her house. The noise made her instinctively believe it was a burglar, as she kept her guard up, before turning on the lights. To her surprise, there didn't seem to be anything unusual going on inside the house, other than what looked like a rock on the floor, with a note taped to it. Not thinking anything of it, Human Sunset crouched down and inspected the note, reading it out loud.

"Meet me at the front of Canterlot High at midnight, exactly." Human Sunset read aloud. "If you don't show up, I will burn your house down!"

Seeing a nearby clock on the wall showing that it was currently 11:44 PM, Human Sunset knew she had to act fast, especially with the threat of becoming homeless. The real question was, who exactly was this person threatening her, had Gilda finally returned from her secret plot, and was now ready to take her on? Even if it was Gilda, Human Sunset wasn't too particularly afraid, given how she had managed to beat her before in a fair fight. Was it the tattoo shop owner who had been enraged over her and Rolling Thunder's robbery, and had managed to track her down? These thoughts kept clouding Human Sunset's mind, but she knew that regardless of whoever wanted to confront her, she had to face the music.

Human Sunset's heart thundered in her chest as she sprinted through the quiet, moonlit streets of Canterlot City. She had no idea what awaited her at the front of Canterlot High, but the urgency of the note, and the time-sensitive nature of the threat, had left her with no room for error. As she approached the school, she saw a silhouette standing in the shadows, the figure's posture suggesting both confidence and hostility. But as she got closer to this mysterious figure, they immediately hid themselves from view behind the stone pedestal. Human Sunset had no idea what was happening, but kept her composure, knowing that whatever this person wanted, she herself had dug her own hole to get into this mess.

"Who's there!?" Human Sunset kept up a fighting stance, unsure of who was hiding behind the pedestal. "What do you want from me!?"

"What do I want from you?" The voice sneered from a distance. "The real question is, why did YOU take away what was rightfully always mine!?"

Human Sunset's eyes narrowed as she tried to identify the speaker. This voice was definitely not Gilda's, nor did it sound like any of the Canterlot Street Gang members she had encountered before. The tone was eerily familiar, yet she couldn't quite place it.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Human Sunset called out, her voice steady, despite the racing of her heart. "But if you've got a problem with me, you can just say it to my face instead of hiding like a coward!"

"Oh, I'm not hiding, I'm just... observing." The voice grew closer, the sound of footsteps clicking against the pavement. "You see, I've heard a lot about the 'new' you. The one who's been causing trouble in my absence, even though that's always been my job! How else do you think I managed to get everyone at CHS to respect me, by being nice to them? You're an absolute joke if you think friendship buys you respect! But I never thought you'd sink so low as to deceive my own friends, let alone ruin our upcoming graduation!"

"You're... you're the imposter who came into this world and let me be erased from existence!" Human Sunset finally realized who she was speaking with. "This was always MY home, but you just randomly decided to come into this world one day and make me disappear! Why would you do such a thing, let along during one of the darkest and lowest points in my life, after I dropped out of Crystal Prep Academy, AND lost both of my parents!?"

"Listen to yourself..." Pony Sunset finally stepped out of the shadows, crossing her arms at her human counterpart. "Always making things about you, and not caring for more important people like me! I ruled CHS like a queen, and I'm not about to have everything be taken away, just because you wanted to drop by at the last minute and soil my name!"

"You're the one who's been soiling things!" Human Sunset accused. "You're the one who's been pretending to be me, and got me trapped in a void, simply by coming into this world! I can't even begin to resent the fact that you've become so much more successful than me, despite my stupid dad forcing me to study my brains out, only to still end up with nothing in the end! I swear, you're just like those arrogant Crystal Prep girls!"

"You know nothing of what I've had to endure in Equestria, and the challenges I've faced to get where I am today!" Pony Sunset narrowed her eyes. "Your spitefulness is what got you into this mess, and now you dare throw your tantrum on the very doorstep of the world that's offered you a second chance? What are you going to do, 'apologize' for what you've done? Save it, I've heard that one before, why should I believe anything you say, now? You've already shown us what you're capable of when you think you can get away with it!"

"I never wanted to replace you, or take anything from you, I just wanted to live my life without being haunted by the shadow of what I could've been!" Human Sunset spat. "But instead, you just come back and not even show any bit of empathy towards what you've put me through, even though you have your own world to live in! You're no better than my selfish father, or Principal Cinch, both of whom I wouldn't hesitate to inflict my fiery vengeance on!"

"You're unbelievable!" Pony Sunset pointed. "I've spent years building up my wonderful and respected reputation, and now here you are, throwing it all back into my face. But enough of this, we're not here to argue about who's the bigger victim, we'll settle this the old fashioned way! Read my lips clearly, because I'm only going to say this once! There can only be ONE Sunset Shimmer in this world, you hear me!?"

"Oh, you want to settle this!?!" Human Sunset challenged. "Then let's do it, I'm not going anywhere without a fight, especially after learning all about you, I've got nothing left to lose, anyways! First I take you down, and then I'm going to get my revenge on every other person in my life who's ever wronged me! At least we can both seem to agree that having friends is completely pointless, when friendship is nothing but a form of leverage! I don't have any friends, not now, not ever! But I only know one thing for certain at this point... YOU are my enemy!!!"

With a fiery snarl, Human Sunset lunged at Pony Sunset, her eyes burning with a rage that had been bottled up for quite some time. The two versions of the same being collided with a thud, the sound echoing through the empty schoolyard. Human Sunset's strength was fueled by her anger and desperation, while Pony Sunset's reflexes kept her from being easily overpowered. They rolled across the pavement, each trying to gain the upper hand, their grunts and snarls piercing the quiet night. Human Sunset was then thrown to the ground, as Pony Sunset held her down, and was ready to begin initiating a fistfight.

"Friends, schmends!" Pony Sunset sneered, her eyes flashing with anger. "You never knew the true value of friendship! It's not about trust, loyalty, or caring for each other, it's about using them to get ahead! But you never seemed to know a single thing about manipulation and deceit, just working hard and being a cheap fool who's very easily replaceable! That's all you're good for, and that's all you'll ever be! Now then, I've had enough of your lies and your games! It's time you face the consequences for what you've done!"

Human Sunset managed to pull a fistful of Pony Sunset's hair, yanking her head back with a brutal force that made the latter's eyes water. Pony Sunset snarled, her teeth bared, as she tried to break free from the hand's iron grip. The pain fueled her anger, and she managed to roll them both over so that she was on top, pinning Human Sunset down. Their struggle was fierce, with each version of Sunset determined to prove their dominance. The ground's pavements dug into their skin, but neither seemed to care as they fought with the desperation of someone whose very existence was on the line.

Soon enough, Pony Sunset began punching Human Sunset in the stomach several times, causing her some physical pain that she couldn't immediately shake off. Human Sunset's eyes watered as Pony Sunset's fists connected with her stomach, her breath hitching with each blow. Despite the pain, she couldn't help but feel an unusual sense of satisfaction, seeing the supposed normally calm and collected Pony Sunset losing her cool.

"Is this what you call friendship!?" Human Sunset coughed out. "Beating someone up when they're already down, that's your idea of a good time!? I should've figured that despite your huge following on social media, and your respect at school, this is the real you! Nothing more than a pathetic coward who hides behind a good image, when in reality, you wouldn't give two cares in the world if your friends truly needed you!"

"You dare call ME a coward?!" Pony Sunset's eyes widened with shock at the accusation, and she paused her assault for a brief moment. "You, who tried to ruin somebody else's life out of spite and jealousy? Who's the real monster here, huh?! I've faced far greater challenges than you could ever imagine, and I've come out stronger, because I'm capable of doing anything that you could only dream of! And if you can't understand that, then maybe you don't deserve to call yourself 'Sunset Shimmer' at all! That is MY name, and you absolutely don't embody anything I stand for, so you're on the wrong side of history, you hear!?"

"You think you're so much better than me because you got lucky with your friends and your life!" Human Sunset yelled back, her voice hoarse. "Well, let me tell you something, I didn't have that luxury! I had to fight tooth and nail for every little scrap of attention and success that I ever got!"

With her anger and sudden adrenaline, Human Sunset managed to push Pony Sunset off of her, the two now standing on their feet, panting heavily.

"But fine, if you want to prove that you're the 'real' Sunset Shimmer, then why don't we settle this once and for all!?" Human Sunset screeched. "I am going to destroy you, and make sure you won't ever live to see the light of day in either of our worlds, ever again!!!"

"You think you can just challenge me like that?!" Pony Sunset's eyes narrowed, as she began to glow up with magic. "You don't know what you're getting into, and you certainly don't know the power that you're up against! Unlike you, I come from a world with magic, so that automatically gives me the upper hand! What do you possibly have that could help you win anything at all, you don't even have a general education! In other words, I have magic, and you have... NOTHING!!!"

The night air had grown energetic, as Pony Sunset's form began to shift right before Human Sunset's disbelieving eyes. Her body turned into a dark red skin tone, her hair lengthened and transformed into a fiery shape, and her eyes gleamed with an eerie, otherworldly light, as the white in her eyes turned black. In addition, Pony Sunset's clothes also morphed into a darker, more menacing version of her attire, as her voice deepened and took on a resonant echo.

"You think you know what it takes to truly be Sunset Shimmer?" Pony Sunset declared as her transformation was complete, standing as a terrifying she-demon version of herself, ready to face the challenge. "Watch and learn!"

"What... what have you become!?" Human Sunset took a step back, her fear now mixing with the anger. "I should've known, you really are a monster! Outside, you're just somebody that everyone foolishly follows like a pack of sheep, but on the inside, this is who you really are! A selfish, grotesque, and raging monster who deserves nothing more than to rot alone for the rest of her life!"

"You think I care what you think of me?" The demonic Pony Sunset snarled, raising a hand that was now tipped with fiery claws. "You're the one who brought us to this, not me! I was living my best life in Equestria, then looking forward to graduation alongside my friends, and what do you do!? You try to tear everything apart because you're too weak to build your own life, but now, I'm going to show you just how weak you truly are!"

With a roar, the demonic creature unleashed a wave of dark magic towards Human Sunset, the blast sending her tumbling through the air, crashing her onto a nearby tree. The impact shook the ground, leaves fluttering down around her, as Human Sunset could barely move, but was now desperately trying her best to escape. Human Sunset's eyes widened in terror and disbelief as she stared at the monstrous form her once-admired counterpart had taken. The sheer power was overwhelming, and the realization that she had underestimated Pony Sunset's capabilities, it all filled her with dread.

"I... I don't know what you've become, but this isn't who I envisioned you to be!" Human Sunset coughed out, her vision swimming. "I won't let you ruin everything for me, even if this is my final chapter! All I am is a high school dropout with no future, endeavors, or motivations for anything ever again! If you're just going to end me like the coward YOU are, then just go for it! But just remember, I had NOTHING to lose for fighting for what I believed was right!"

"Your time is up!" Demon Pony Sunset said coldly, advancing. "Spare me your dramatics and remember that even with you gone, no one will ever miss you, nor the insignificant life you once had! They only care about me, the true Sunset Shimmer of this world, while you're just a stranger in a sea of nobodies! Now, you've interfered with my own life one too many times already! You need to be dealt with!"

The night sky grew fiercer as Demon Pony Sunset's dark magic crackled in the air, her eyes alight with an unyielding fury. She raised her arms, as a fiery orb of energy began to form, growing larger and more menacing with each pulse of power she fed into it. The orb hovered above her head, casting a sinister shadow across the schoolyard, before she fired the projectile directly at Human Sunset, with the intention to finally finish her off. As soon as the orb connected, Human Sunset could only see darkness immediately after, believing she was now gone for good, fighting for the justice she had wanted for herself for so long.

However, upon opening her eyes again, the 'orb of energy' appeared to be nothing more than an illusion, as she had woken back up on the same couch she fell asleep on. The light was due to an open window, with the luminescent moon shining down into the house, which was the last thing Human Sunset had seen in that supposed dream sequence. Although relieved that she didn't actually encounter anybody dangerous, let alone lose her own life in the process, Human Sunset still couldn't help but believe that once the inevitable encounter really did occur, that particular behavior didn't seem far off from how Pony Sunset would truly act.

"Well, I know it was just a bad dream, but I've got a feeling that it's only a vision for what's to come." Human Sunset said to herself. "If Sunset Shimmer's anything like those spoiled and arrogant girls at Crystal Prep Academy, I think I've given myself a pretty accurate understanding of what she's really like. How could she not be, with how successful and independent she's become, compared to me? She's right, nobody WOULD miss me if I were gone! Ever since I returned, did anybody even seem concerned about me? No, they just kept thinking I'm the pretty and popular Sunset Shimmer they know, who stole my life!"

Human Sunset sat on her couch, fists clenched tightly. Her mind was racing with thoughts of anger and resentment towards the pony version of herself, being nothing more than a shadow in her success. Now that she had seen a supposed glimpse of what the near future would likely look like for her, she was consumed by bitterness. The image of Pony Sunset standing before her, powerful and revered, was a stark contrast to the forgotten and desolate existence she had been left with. Human Sunset clung onto the belief that Pony Sunset was nothing but a self-centered monster, taking everything she had ever wanted without a second thought.

The dream had been a nightmare, a reflection of the deep-seated fear that Pony Sunset would destroy her without hesitation, when she eventually returns to the Human World. But Human Sunset wasn't going to just roll over and accept her fate, like she did with Principal Cinch and Indigo Zap all those years ago. She would show everyone, especially Pony Sunset, that she wasn't weak, that she could stand on her own two feet and fight for what was rightfully hers. The anger boiled even further, making Human Sunset determined that she would stop at no costs to get her ultimate revenge, even if it meant costing her own life to do so. In her own words, she already had nothing to lose, so why would she even worry about wanting to have a future of any kind?

"If she thinks she can just waltz in here and take everything from me again, she's got another thing coming." Human Sunset stomped her boot onto the wooden floor. "She's the one who stole everything from me, and now she dares act like she's the victim? She's nothing but a glorified imposter, living off the goodwill of the same people I could've had! Thinks she's so high and mighty with her magic and friends, but I'll show her what it's like to be truly powerful! She stole my life, my identity, and now she dares call ME a weak coward!?! I'll rip her perfect little world apart, piece by piece, until everyone sees her for the fraud she truly is! She's not the only one who knows how to manipulate and deceive, and when the time comes, I'll make sure she regrets ever setting foot in this world! Get ready Sunset Shimmer, whenever you decide to come back, I know it is YOUR time that is up!!!"

Gilda marched a long way through the mysterious cavern, her breath visible in the frigid air, and the echoes of her booted steps bouncing off the crystal walls. The corridor grew narrower, as the light from her lantern had reflected off the gleaming surfaces, casting eerie shadows that danced around her. The air grew still, the distant whispers of the wind outside muffled by the heavy silence within. At the end of this corridor, Gilda eventually spotted what looked like a large black coffin, ornately carved and adorned with what looked like ancient Equestrian writing, which pulsed with an eerie light. It was situated on a raised dais, surrounded by a circle of dust that seemed to emanate from the very ground itself. Gilda's heart pounded in her chest, a mix of excitement and anticipation. This was it, the final resting place of the Sorceress that Clover the Clever had supposedly trapped.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Gilda mused aloud, her voice echoing through the chamber, as she stepped closer to the coffin, her eyes widening with greed at the thought of the power within. "Time to claim what's rightfully mine!"

"Who's there...?" A mysterious and muffled voice said from within the coffin, startling Gilda. "No being has entered this cave to disturb my eternal slumber for eons!"

"Well, I guess today's your lucky day." Gilda quipped, trying to hide the tremor in her voice. "Don't ask how exactly I know, but if I'm understanding everything correctly here, you are a Sorceress who wields great power, is that right?"

"Indeed, I am a wielder of great power, but I am no mere Sorceress." The voice said, still muffled by the coffin. "I am the Sorceress who nearly brought Equestria to ruin, 1,000 years ago, but my plans were foiled by a self-proclaimed clever mortal. Regardless, you dare disturb my slumber? What is your purpose here, exactly!?"

"My purpose?" Gilda played along. "Well, let's just say I'm looking to borrow some of that omnipotent power of yours. See, I've got a score to settle with some girls who ruined my life, and I hear you must grant a wish to the person who freed you, in order to leave this stone prison of yours."

"Ah, yes, so you are enticed by my traditional bargain." The voice continued. "But beware, the power of the ancients is not to be trifled with. You must understand that my power comes with a price, what are you willing to offer in exchange for my assistance?"

"Well... what do you want, exactly?" Gilda shrugged. "I mean, I have this artifact known as the Tundra Tiara, but I'm not really sure if that's all you'll take."

"I do not care for the mere, pitiful power of an artifact that I could very easily replicate myself, if not for the fact that I can't... well, it's not that simple, and I don't expect a mere mortal like yourself to fully understand." The voice sighed.

"Fine, if the crown isn't what you're after, what is it that you want from me?" Gilda rolled her eyes at the disdain in the voice's tone, feeling a spark of irritation. "I'm not just here to offer you a pretty hat, I need your power to settle a score. So, what's your price?"

"When that clever mortal had managed to outwit my schemes with the Memory Stone, he even managed to destroy my physical body, leaving me as nothing more than a powerless spirit, trapped in this coffin for eternity." The voice explained. "As a result, without a strong living vessel for me to transfer my soul into, I have nothing I can offer."

"Well, that's a bit of a disappointment." Gilda tapped her chin thoughtfully, the chilly air making her breath mist. "But perhaps we could come to an agreement. So are you saying you need to possess someone's body in order to regain your full potential? If that's the case, how about me?"

"Your spirit and strength, while exceptional compared to most, I'm afraid I sense it to be way too... fragmented." The voice replied, disapproving. "In order for my powers to reach otherworldly strengths, they must feed off of one's spite and anger. The vessel I seek must be the opposite of pure, filled to the brim with spiteful intent. A soul that burns with the darkness of vengeance and resentment, for those are the bonds that can contain and amplify my essence without consuming it. And I'm afraid... you lack the sufficient amount of hatred that I would hope for."

"Figures." Gilda scoffed, folding her arms. "Nothing's easy to get, these days."

"But fear not, for I feel a presence approaching, one that might just be what I need." The voice proposed. "This being is filled with the exact coldhearted animosity that I have not felt in this realm for over a millennia. The amount of hurt, loneliness, and utter fury feels like the perfect combination to fuel the energy my magic is built on. If you somehow know who this being is, and manage to bring them to me, then you may be the very one, destined to draw forth and truly release me, and your efforts shall not go unrewarded. Once our deal is finished, I will grant you a single wish that your heart desires, without any limitations."

"Hmm, I think I know a certain friend of mine who fits that exact description you just listed." Gilda gave this some deep thought. "In other words, we've got a deal, but I think I'll have a little fun with her first, before I bring her to you! When that time comes... you can certainly bet that I'll put my one wish to good use!"

Chapter 81: A New Hope Hollow

Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst had finally met up with Princess Twilight back in Canterlot, as the trio had now entered the library's restricted section, which the princess herself was finally becoming more familiar with. While Twilight was searching around for the book described by Celestia, the two unicorns were admittedly curious on what this new supposed threat was, and if it had any connection to someone they've met or encountered recently. A fire alicorn was completely new to any of their understandings, even with the trio's extensive knowledge from studying magic over the years. Whoever this fire alicorn in question was, it became apparent to Twilight that time was becoming even tighter than before, especially with Chestnut Magnifico still on the loose.

"You know something, Twilight?" Starlight spoke up. "I'm almost having a suspicion that whoever this fire alicorn is, what if they're responsible for that ruined future that I nearly caused that one time? As far as I'm aware, aside from Chestnut Magnifico, this fire alicorn's the only new threat we'll be dealing with, and them bringing ruin to Equestria doesn't sound out of the question."

"I've considered that, actually." Twilight replied. "But we need to keep an open mind, there could be any number of explanations. The future is always in motion, and we can't assume we know all the variables at play. The best we can really do is find that book, learn of any potential weaknesses, and hold another meeting with the rest of the council."

"We should inform Sunset as well, especially once she returns from Hope Hollow with our students." Sunburst reminded. "Is she... technically part of the council now, too?"

"Ever since she's officially met everypony at Twilight's coronation, I'd say so." Starlight nodded. "As far as I'm aware, she's the only pony we know of, who's vastly experienced with the Human World, and has any understanding of any interdimensional threats. Besides, she's always been like a protective big sister, and makes certain to follow through on her commitments, so it sounds reasonable to let her in on this potential threat, as well."

"Aha, I've found the book!" Twilight pulled the dusty old book from the shelf. "Celestia specifically pointed me to this, 'Forbidden Equestrian Evolutions', which has a section that explains the lore behind fire alicorns. We'll have to study this for a bit, then meet back with the council about our findings, should any of them somehow encounter this new threat. Already three different threats on the loose somewhere in Equestria, that's quite the workload for my first week as the princess of all of Equestria."

"Three new threats?" Sunburst raised an eyebrow. "If my math skills from school were anything to go by, we only have to worry about Chestnut Magnifico and this fire alicorn. That's only two threats, Twilight."

"Well unfortunately, this other threat entails a type of mysterious beetle that devours ponies, known as Stagma Beetles." Twilight explained. "I was told that a whole swarm of them had somehow emerged out of nowhere, despite already being documented as extinct for hundreds of years. For all we know, they could already be causing havoc out there somewhere, and we're not around to stop them, which is also easier said than done."

"They could be anywhere out there in Equestria?" Starlight's eyes widened. "Well, let's certainly hope that Sunset and the students haven't somehow ran into those bugs in the middle of their field trip. I remember reading about those myself, and almost wondered if they were a myth. Stagma Beetles have always sounded way too nightmarish to really exist, considering what they're actually capable of."

"We can only hope nopony's actually encountered them, they've been documented to be real and a very dangerous threat." Twilight responded. "Even Shining Armor used to tease me about them, claiming that if I got out of bed and wandered the halls late at night, I'd run into a quesadilla filled with Stagma Beetles."

"That's certainly a thought to unravel..." Starlight said, unsure of how she'd picture such a scenario. "Alright, so we'll take this book back to the School of Friendship, and with the council's combined knowledge, we might be able to piece together more about this fire alicorn. Don't forget to let Sunset in on this as well, she's been through enough interdimensional shenanigans to know how serious this could be."

"Sounds good, but we'll need to move quickly." Twilight nodded. "We can't let fear of the unknown hold us back from protecting Equestria, let's go."

"Hang on a second, Twilight." Sunburst paused for a moment. "I know this is Starlight and I's first time down here in the restricted section, but you mentioned you've been here before, and it's only one floor?"

"As far as I'm aware." Twilight replied. "This section of the library is quite extensive, but it's only one floor. The main reason I even know of this place's existence is because of Sunset, and I actually helped her learn more about this memory erasing artifact. Either way, I'd say it's always more about the depth and breadth of knowledge contained within these walls, rather than the physical space."

"If you say so." Sunburst acknowledged, before trotting over to the unusual hole in the floor. "But what I'm getting at is, what's this trapdoor down here?"

The three ponies trotted over to this discovery in question, which was the same trapdoor that Human Sunset had stumbled into, and inadvertently released the Stagma Beetles that were once dormant down there. But since none of them were aware that this had happened, their immediate first thoughts revolved around, why would this trapdoor be left open, and what could've possibly even been down there?

"Huh, that's pretty strange." Twilight looked down at the opened trapdoor and staircase leading down. "I've never seen that before, and considering how I've been down here several times already, I'm certainly surprised that this completely slipped my attention. Ever since Celestia's shown me the restricted section, I have taken the liberty of getting familiar with the entire layout of this secluded area, but I've never found even the slightest hint of there being another room down there."

"Do you think we should go down there, in case there's something important we might find?" Starlight suggested. "Twilight, you even mentioned that there was supposedly a Sunset imposter down here, is it entirely possible that this is where she went?"

"I suppose it's worth looking into, but the problem is, I'm worried that time's running out." Twilight sighed. "Celestia mentioned that this book may be our only chance at learning of this fire alicorn's weaknesses, and considering how we're all fully responsible for activating the Dragonstone, we must find a solution, fast. After we meet with the rest of the council, and warn them about this fire alicorn, I suppose I can come back here myself, just to check if there's anything crucial to find down there. Besides, even if whoever went down there was trying to steal something, I highly doubt they'd leave some incriminating evidence that would point us to them."

"You're probably right." Sunburst conceded. "I know I'd love to get to the bottom of this mystery, but the safety of Equestria is at stake, and we can't let curiosity lead us away from our primary mission."

"That's right, Sunburst." Twilight said, her horn glowing slightly as she levitated the book. "There's so much knowledge here that could help us understand the mysteries of Equestria, but we'll have to save that for another time. The sooner we know what we're up against, the better prepared we'll be."

As the trio ran out of the restricted section, they were completely unaware of some rather crucial information. The trapdoor had led down to a room that not only housed the Stagma Beetles, which were now no longer a threat, but the elusive shrine built by Clover the Clever. Not only that, but Clover's horrific documentation of the consequences surrounding staying in the Human World, which were still sitting at the very bottom of the stone room. Coupled with the fact that the magical mirror leading back into the Human World no longer had the old journal keeping the portal open indefinitely, potentially trapping anyone inside for an indefinite period.

Considering how Sunset had already contemplated her stay in Equestria most likely coming to a near end, and would be returning to the Human World very soon, a recipe for disaster was already brewing. This lack of knowledge on critical events would most likely leave Sunset for quite the unpleasant surprise, even if she was already looking forward to her graduation at CHS. However, it was still very much a mystery regarding Chestnut Magnifico's whereabouts, and her connection to Sunset's biological father, Sunspot. Without a doubt, it would only be an incredibly shocking revelation for Sunset, and even more bewildering, once she learned of everything that her human counterpart had been up to lately...

By this point, the Endtrak Express, while heavily damaged by the attack of the Stagma Beetles, still remained functional, mostly thanks to Torque Wrench's expertise on mechanical work. The once luxurious train was now back on track to reach Hope Hollow, and would actually be arriving sooner than expected. Everything seemed to be in order, especially with a huge bug extermination, and Sour Sweet becoming much kinder around her peers, after being psychologically understood for the first time in her life. Despite this, Sunset still couldn't help but ponder what exactly Indigo Zap's motives were, and if she managed to find a way to escape from Bridlewood Station.

The dastardly pegasus had proven to be tenacious, from vandalizing a hot air balloon, to impersonating Rainbow Dash, to even attempted theft and vandalism aboard a train. Although Sunset had made emotional connections with ponies like Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, Wallflower Blush, and now Sour Sweet, she admittedly wasn't so sure if she could do the same with Indigo, especially with how much trouble she's caused throughout this entire journey. Regardless of why Indigo was doing all this, and no recent signs of Chestnut Magnifico, Sunset instead decided to focus on her duties as the field trip chaperone, while also continuing to enjoy seeing more of Equestria.

As a way of filling their remaining time on the Endtrak Express, Sunset decided to share several stories about her past here in Equestria, including the story she had heard recently from Celestia, regarding her Señor G. Echo plush, which had almost been swindled away by the Flim Flam brothers. It seemed incredibly cathartic to hear how Sunset and her adoptive mother had actually turned the tables on a pair of con artists, even if this hadn't ended their history of being swindlers. Despite the brothers participating in the final showdown against Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, no one had really seen them since then, and it was unclear if they had turned a new leaf, or were laying low.

"Wow Sunset, sounds like you've had so many adventures in Canterlot." Sandbar admired Sunset's story. "Glad to hear those con artists got exactly what was coming to them."

"It's like you're a real-life hero from a book or something, just like that leopard gecko character, even if I've never heard of that puppet show series." Ocellus added.

"You know, Chaperone?" Smolder spoke up. "I've always admired the way you stand up for what's right, even when things get tough, it's really inspiring."

"Yes, inspiring and thrilling!" Yona said with glee. "Yona hopes that one day, she can be as brave and clever as you are, Miss Sunset!"

"I'm sure you will be, Yona." Sunset encouraged. "It's not always easy, but knowing that you all look up to me like that, it sure does remind me of how far I've come, since I was Celestia's pupil."

"That's actually what stood out to me the most, you were once Princess Celestia's best student?" Silverstream acknowledged. "So you're not just Twilight's friend from Canterlot, like you told us earlier, you're actually somepony pretty special!"

"Better yet, you really know how to make learning on a field trip an absolute treat." Gallus added. "What do you know? A chaperone who knows exactly what we students want, especially when any education system almost feels like it was intentionally designed like garbage."

"Well, I wouldn't say that's the case anymore." Sandbar replied. "It was only when Princess Twilight strictly followed a bunch of arbitrary regulations, which took away our fun and motivation."

"Tell me about it." Smolder groaned upon being reminded of this. "I'm surprised that we were the only students to ditch class like that, but it's a good thing Princess Twilight actually acknowledged and fixed her mistakes. There's nothing more frustrating than someone who won't take the time of day to actually listen to your feedback."

"I'll say." Sour Sweet chimed in. "When I was one of Canterlot's best royal guards, I never really felt like I had a voice, and that the expectation was to be the best, even if it meant stepping on others to get your way. Not with Sunset, however. She's honestly the first pony I've met who's been able to resonate with my resentment towards Celestia, and saw the good in me, even when I couldn't, myself. That really takes courage and character, which I can now see is what being a royal guard always stood for."

"Well Sour Sweet, I'm just happy that I could help you find your true colors again." Sunset smiled, putting a hoof on the pegasus. All it takes is somepony to believe in you, which Twilight once did for me, and I'm sure she'll be more than willing to do the same with you, once this field trip is over. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, since we haven't actually enjoyed our time in Hope Hollow just yet."

Just as Sunset said this, the Endtrak Express's conductor began to announce a message over the intercom.

"Attention, passengers." The conductor began. "We have finally arrived at Hope Hollow, please be sure to exit on your right, and thank you for choosing to visit this lovely town."

As the Endtrak Express came to a complete stop, every passenger aboard the train did as they were instructed, before getting a view of the lovely town that stood before them. The once soulless and drab area was now filled to the brim with life and color, befitting a town that labeled itself as the 'End of the Rainbow'. Sunset got off of the train, accompanied by Gallus, Smolder, and Silverstream, while Sour Sweet exited another way with the remaining students. Sunset and the three students gazed in awe at the admirable town's foliage, alongside the beautiful and majestic stone fountains.

"Quite a sight to behold, huh Starlight?" Sunny Skies trotted by. "Yep, I can certainly say that Princess Twilight and her friends did wonders for our little community. If it weren't from them, we'd all look like we belong in a coloring book, except with nopony to color us in!"

"It truly is amazing what a little magic and friendship can do, Mayor." Sunset said, her voice filled with warmth. "Let's get the students organized and start our tour, shall we? Our plan consisted of looking around Hope Hollow, but also checking out Slice-N-Shake, the pizzeria arcade."

"We're particularly looking forward to the arcade, that's for sure!" Silverstream acknowledged. "I've never actually played an arcade game before, but first time for everything, right?"

"I'm also looking forward to the good food they've got there." Smolder added. "Pizza admittedly sounds like a nice substitute from gemstones, even if I've gotten more used to non-dragon food."

"I certainly want to see if I can crush Sandbar's high score on Pac-Mare!" Gallus proposed. "I can't believe he was lucky enough to earn only 25 points more than me, that's a real fluke, if I've ever seen one."

"Sounds like you have a fine taste for classic games!" Sunny Skies tipped his hat. "Just, word of advice, if you happen to find a game that's titled 'Ponybius', well... do yourself and favor and save that token for literally any other game."

"Uhh, right then." Sunset giggled, understanding the infamous myth the mayor was likely referring to. "We'll keep that in mind, but I'm sure Gallus can handle anything the arcade throws at him."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that." The mayor chuckled. "Just remember, even the best of us have our off days, so don't get too overconfident on winning a prize! Oh, and that reminds me, on the subject of prizes, I've got a little surprise waiting for you at Hotel Hope, Starlight. Feel free to explore Hope Hollow with your students as you please, but make sure to stop by so I can give you that reward I promised earlier."

"Hotel Hope, huh?" Sunset glanced over to where the grand hotel stood, gleaming under the warm sun. "Looks like a pretty lovely place to stay, but due to time constraints, we'll likely be on our way once we've gotten our full experience with Hope Hollow. Regardless, we'll definitely make sure to drop by, Mayor, thank you again for the hospitality."

"Well, Hospitality's always been my middle name, especially after all the work I did to get the Endtrak Express back on track!" Sunny Skies gleamed.

"Yeah right, Sunny." Torque Wrench trotted by, rolling her eyes. "Because handing me a screwdriver really counts for fixing the train's most vital components. Without my expertise, we'd all still be stuck at Bridlewood Station."

"Hey now, I had faith in your abilities!" Sunny Skies replied, somewhat embarrassed. "Besides, if it wasn't for Starlight and her students, we'd all probably be digested by that red rhino monster by now."

"That's laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?" Torque said, her voice carrying a hint of playful teasing. "But yes, thanks to our little guests and their quick thinking, we're all here safe and sound. It'll be some real hard work to fully patch the train back up, but it's the least we can do, after what we just experienced. Even Mr. Ramsay mentioned that he's never seen that many bugs in a kitchen before, in all his years of being a health inspector for restaurants and hotels."

"Speaking of hotels, I should really head on back to Hotel Hope, since I just received the word that other guests have arrived here recently, and they're having trouble checking in." Petunia Petals said as she trotted by, accompanied by the Barrel twins. "Come on, Sunny, we've got a job to do, let's make everyone's visit to Hope Hollow a memorable and lively experience."

"Ah yes, of course." Sunny said to his wife. "The hotel's running smoothly, but the more guests on deck, the better. Let's go, Petunia, I'm sure our new guests will be thrilled to see a familiar face."

"You're all free to hang out with us residents anytime you wish, but please don't let us interrupt you and your students' fun." Torque said to Sunset and the three students, as Petunia and Mayor Skies trotted away. "Take your time exploring the town, and we can catch up later, since I've got a lot of work ahead of me, fixing up the train's interiors."

"Sounds great, and good luck with that." Sunset waved goodbye to the repair pony, as her students did the same.

"Well, that mayor guy seems nice and all, and really knows how to get us fired up for this exciting new experience!" Silverstream exclaimed.

"That's for sure, but at the same time... is he ever going to stop calling you 'Starlight', Miss Sunset?" Gallus spoke up.

"Well, I suppose that a little misunderstanding from earlier has already made him adapt into the habit, but I'm sure he means well." Sunset giggled. "Besides, I can kinda understand his confusion, since... who else can you really name, who's a friend of Princess Twilight, specifically because she helped turn their life around for the better?"

"I guess I can see a little similarity there." Smolder folded her arms. "Hey Gallus, since we're both going to the arcade, how much do you want to bet that without any of us telling the mayor directly, he'll still think Miss Sunset is our school's headmare, even after we leave Hope Hollow?"

"I'm thinking he'll have to learn his mistake sooner or later, but I'd rather save my winnings for a real prize!" Gallus replied. "How about... if the mayor still thinks she's 'Starlight' when we're about to leave, you can have any prize in my possession?"

"Trying to encourage a dragon's inner greediness, huh?" Smolder smirked. "I like your game, Gallus!"

"We're already playing games?" Silverstream asked, confused. "Wow, arcade games aren't really what I was expecting, at all. I thought they'd be more... creative than that."

"That wasn't really an arcade game though, Silverstream." Sunset tried her best to explain. "They're a way to test your skills and reflexes, all while having a blast. Speaking of which, since you students specifically wanted to go to Slice-N-Shake first, I guess we'd better get going before all the good prizes are taken."

"Actually, as much as I'd like that, I've grown to respect you and the foundations of what a field trip was always built on, Miss Sunset." Smolder opened up.

"Second that, this is a pretty lovely town, I wouldn't really mind checking out the more natural aspects of Hope Hollow, before I get my eyes glued to a skeeball machine." Gallus added.

"Yeah, same!" Silverstream nodded. "So in other words, if you suggest we could do anything else before Slice-N-Shake, we're with you all the way! Think of it as our way of honoring you as a chaperone, since you've very clearly done the same with us students. Not like... some of the teachers we've had in the past, that's for sure."

"Alright, I appreciate the gesture, and I can see you're eager to explore." Sunset smiled proudly at her students. "First, let's check in with Sour Sweet and the rest of your friends, and see what their plan is."

Sunset and the students went over to reunite with the other half of their entire group, noticing that they were all chatting with Kerfuffle just moments ago, before the fashion designer went about her way.

"There you are, Miss Sunset." Sandbar turned around. "Kerfuffle there mentioned that she's pretty knowledgeable on Hope Hollow's history, and that she's more than willing to give us all a little tour."

"It's her way of thanking us for not only finding her stolen gemstones, but of course, saving her from those Stagma Beetle things." Ocellus added.

"Well, if she's offering, it'd be impolite for us not to take her up on it, I'm sure she knows the town like the back of her hoof." Sunset said. "The real question is, what did you students want to do, specifically? I know some of you were looking forward to the Slice-N-Shake arcade place, but did anyone prefer some sightseeing of Hope Hollow, first?"

"Miss Sunset, Yona would really love to start historical tour of Hope Hollow." Yona spoke up. "Kerfuffle Pony made history sound very interesting, and also, Yona has been meaning to get to know Miss Sour Sweet better, after all we been through."

"Maybe we can learn more about the town and each other at the same time?" Ocellus looked at Sour Sweet with a hopeful expression, her eyes wide and curious. "What do you say, Miss Sour Sweet?"

"I must admit, I've had quite the adventure with you all on this field trip, so I'd be happy to tag along for this little tour." Sour Sweet said, her voice filled with a genuine warmth. "Plus, I've always had a fondness for history, being a former royal guard, myself. It's like peering into a looking glass and seeing the events that shaped our world today."

"Alright, so I guess I'll be going with Sour Sweet, Yona, and Ocellus on this little tour, while you can take Gallus, Silverstream, and Smolder to the arcade area, Miss Sunset." Sandbar proposed. "Does that sound like a plan?"

"That's a wonderful idea." Sunset nodded. "You four have fun learning the history behind Hope Hollow, but please remember, we all need to meet back at the Endtrak Express in three hours sharp, according to the train's schedule. We wouldn't want to miss our ride back to the School of Friendship, would we?"

"If it'll get us out of a pop quiz we didn't study for, I'd be down for it." Smolder snickered.

"I get the feeling, if you're surrounded by arcade games and pizza, I'm sure schoolwork is the furthest thing from your mind." Sunset looked back at Smolder. "Alright, I think we're clear on our plans for the next few hours, let's get this rainbow roadtrip started!"

As Sour Sweet's group went off to find Kerfuffle, hoping to begin a tour of Hope Hollow's historical sites, Sunset and her students began walking over to Slice-N-Shake, but briefly stopped at Hotel Hope along the way. Remembering that the mayor wanted to give her some kind of reward, Sunset decided to get this taken care of, before her own group would spend a majority of their time at the arcade.

"Now before we head over to the arcade, I suppose we could check out what this hotel is like." Sunset said to her students. "You never know, maybe one day when you're all older, you'll decide to take a little vacation in this wonderful town."

As Sunset and the trio trotted into Hotel Hope, they saw that the hotel's staff had done an excellent job in sprucing up the place, and even making the presentation feel as if they were in Canterlot. The three students were almost feeling disappointed that they weren't going to actually stay in this luxurious resort, but were enticed to possibly return to Hope Hollow in the near future.

"Well, this place is definitely more welcoming than Bridlewood Station ever was." Gallus commented. "Seriously, if that beat-up old train station had the same attention and care as the rest of Hope Hollow, they'd have a real gold mine in that old forest area."

"You're telling me!" Silverstream admired the hotel's walls, decor, and especially the stairs. "The closest thing to a nice hotel I've seen in the water is an abandoned old shipwreck, and even then, I couldn't find stairs in those! Not like here, that's for sure!"

"I can see you're all enjoying yourselves here at Hotel Hope, and I couldn't be more proud of the hard work that's went into this place." Petunia said from the front desk. "We really should thank Mr. Ramsay, however, since a majority of these interior design changes were suggested by him. The stallion has a real knack for knowing just what a hotel needs, with his many years of experience."

"Considering how Mr. Ramsay used to work in Canterlot, I'd say his influence has always made an impact." Sunset reflected on her old life in the aforementioned city above the mountains. "Anyways, Petunia? I was about to take my students to Slice-N-Shake, but before I do so, Sunny Skies mentioned that he wanted to see me personally and give me some kind of reward?"

"Oh, why yes, my husband's got something special waiting for you, he's quite the generous host, isn't he?" Petunia winked, her mane fluttering slightly as she gestured to the grand staircase leading up to the second floor. "He's upstairs in the VIP suite, getting ready for the grand tour with our newest guests. Oh, and just so you know, I've had my chefs here whip up several dozen complimentary cookies for our visitors in the guest room, as a token of gratitude for them choosing to visit our wonderful town and community."

The group looked over to the room Petunia was pointing at, immediately noticing the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies wafting through the air, making the students' mouths water.

"Pizza, arcade games, AND free cookies!?" Smolder's eyes widened. "I don't want today to ever end!"

"It's a good thing Yona didn't join us just yet, you know how much of an appetite she has for chocolate chip." Gallus nodded. "Be sure to control yourself, Smolder. We don't want your natural dragon greed to get the better of you."

"Relax, we all remember that lecture from Professor Rarity's generosity class, don't we?" Silverstream recalled. "Then again, being generous to yourself isn't always a bad thing."

"Just like having dessert before dinner, but I sometimes do it, just to try new things." Sunset winked. "Alright students, help yourselves to those cookies, I'm going to go upstairs and talk with the mayor. Please be sure to remain in either the guest room or the front lobby when I get back, and then we'll head to Slice-N-Shake. Can I trust you three to not wander off?"

"You bet, Miss Sunset!" Silverstream nodded. "We wouldn't go anywhere without your approval, especially with that wonderful chocolate chip scent."

Gallus and Smolder also made gestures of approval, prompting Sunset to go upstairs and have a chat with Sunny Skies. The three students then wasted no time stuffing their mouths with cookies, enjoying every morsel, and feeling as if the chefs knew exactly how to make every bite feel like a delightful surprise.

"How about that, our chaperone's actually letting us have some time to ourselves, rather than constantly keeping tabs on us." Gallus noted.

"Makes sense, she knows we're not children anymore, and treats us as if we're on the same level as her." Smolder folded her arms with dignity. "I swear, we'll never get a cooler chaperone than her ever again, so let's be sure to not let her down."

As Sunset ascended the grand staircase of Hotel Hope with a gentle grace, her curiosity piqued at what specifically Mayor Sunny Skies wanted to reward her with. She approached the VIP suite, her hooves clicking against the polished wooden floor, before she knocked on the door. Upon opening, she was met with Mayor Skies, accompanied by the Barrel twins, who were playing around with a miniature trainset. It made sense as to why the foals were around here, given how she was told that the mayor and his wife were looking after the pegasai foals.

"Good to see you again, Mayor." Sunset said to Sunny Skies. "I was stopping by to see you about that reward you mentioned, but I can see you're pretty busy at the moment? Perhaps I should come back a little later?"

"Ah, no no, please come in, Starlight!" The mayor insisted, as he pointed to the twins, who were now making the miniature train cars crash into each other with giggles. "These two are just fine on their own for a bit, they're having fun with this trainset I bought from the gift shop, modeled after the Endtrak Express itself. But yes, I certainly wanted to thank you for all your help. Your bravery and resourcefulness have truly been a saving grace for our little train ride earlier, and we're all so grateful."

"Ain't that the truth!" Pickle Barrel agreed. "We've idolized the Wonderbolts and THE Rainbow Dash for so long, thinking about all kinds of thrilling stunts we could try as we get older, but we've never been in any real danger like that before. It's a good thing you were around when we were in such a predicament."

"We should really think about starting a fan club for you, so we can remember this for the rest of our lives!" Barley Barrel added. "You really are the type of real-life superhero that Señor G. Echo always was!"

"Well, I'm not sure about that, but I'm just happy we could all make it here in one piece." Sunset couldn't help but laugh at the twins' enthusiasm, her heart swelling with pride. "I'm about to get a reward from the mayor, so I feel like I already have more than enough, but I appreciate the idea."

"Hmm, speaking of rewards, Sis?" Pickle Barrel said to his sister. "Didn't mom and dad order a little something special for you, as a reward for your excellent report card? Isn't that supposed to arrive at our house's mailbox today?"

"You know about that?" Barley Barrel's eyes widened. "Oh, I've been so looking forward to it, I've never gotten an official piece of merchandise for it before, but I think that's going to change today! I can't wait until we get home later, this is going to be so worth it, even if it costed me nearly six whole months' worth of allowances!"

"Well, sounds like these two have something else to look forward to later, let's just hope Petunia and I will be great parents ourselves, one day." Sunny Skies looked over to the twins. "Anyways, Starlight? This won't take long, the reward I wanted to give you is this."

The mayor pulled out what looked like a beautifully crafted jewelry box from his drawer, and handed it to Sunset, before explaining the history behind it.

"This trinket was given to me by my Grandpa Skies, and he's had a pretty long history with it." The mayor explained. "My grandfather, the founder of Bridlewood Station, always had a knack for appreciating the various crystals found in the forest's mines, that he kept one for himself. One day, he faced a creature much like the one we encountered atop the Endtrak Express, except it was a vicious Cragadile, which somehow made it into the station. Trying to flee for his life, he was eventually cornered by that beast, and out of desperation, he threw this jewelry box as a distraction. The Cragadile got fixated on the shiny object inside, which gave Grandpa Skies just enough time to escape and defeat it with his trusty shovel."

"Wow, that's an incredible story, and I'm truly honored to accept such a precious gift." Sunset said, as she took in the mayor's story. "But... are you sure your grandpa would want you to give it to some mare you just met?"

"My Grandpa Skies always said that selflessness is the most precious jewel of all, and I can see that same spark in your eyes, Starlight." Sunny Skies replied. "This was always a crystal that held the essence of Bridlewood's beauty, and now that it's in your possession, it's a symbol of our friendship and the brave heart you've shown to us all. Besides, it's not every day we get to host a hero like yourself. He said it was his good luck charm, and that I should pass it down to any hero who saved my life. I likely wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for you, so I figured, who better to pass it on to, than somepony who's proven themselves to be as brave and noble as yourself?"

Opening the box, Sunset gazed upon the crystal inside. It was a deep shade of sapphire, almost like the night sky, with a gold pedestal keeping it up, reminiscent of the stars. It was breathtaking, and she couldn't believe that she had earned something so elegant and meaningful.

"Thank you Mayor, I truly am honored by your gesture." Sunset held the crystal in her hooves. "This means more to me than you know, I'll be sure to treasure it, and I promise to always pass on the spirit of bravery and friendship it represents."

"I know you will, Starlight." The mayor winked. "Now that this passing of the noble Bridlewood crystal has been done, please be sure to enjoy Hope Hollow to your heart's content!"

"I'm sure there's still plenty of things we can do to savor each moment we spend here, my students have already found all sorts of things to entertain themselves." Sunset said. "I should get back to them, they're likely eager to start their own adventures in this town, especially at the Slice-N-Shake arcade. We really wish we could take a stay longer here by getting a hotel room, but unfortunately, due to some circumstances out there in Equestria, we can't really stay for long, let's just say."

"Well in that case, it's a real shame that the Endtrak Express has to keep its tight schedule for the sake of maintenance, so you'll only have less than three hours before the train departs." Sunny Skies sighed. "We would've certainly made it to Hope Hollow a lot earlier, had it not been for that swarm of bugs along the way. It sounds like you have a long road ahead of you, Starlight, so whatever endeavors you still have on your mind, never give up!"

"It's been a... journey, to say the least, but I've learned so much from the friends I've made along the way." Sunset nodded. "Hopefully we'll see each other again soon in the near future!"

Sunset stepped out of the VIP suite, her eyes shimmering with the light of the sapphire crystal she held in her hooves. The mayor's story had left a profound impact on her, filling her with a proud sense of satisfaction. As she descended the grand staircase, the sweet aroma of chocolate chips grew stronger as she approached the guest room, where she found Gallus, Silverstream, and Smolder still indulging the complimentary cookies. They looked up, noticing the jewelry box in her grasp, their curiosity piqued.

"Ooh, that's a pretty crystal you've got there, Miss Sunset!" Silverstream exclaimed. "It reminds me of how beautiful Queen Novo's pearl is!"

"You might want to hide it from Smolder, who knows if she'll be tempted to eat it." Gallus teased.

"Very funny, Gallus, but even I know not to mix food with friendship!" Smolder smirked, swiping a crumb off her chin. "What's the deal with the fancy crystal?"

"It's not just a crystal, it's a piece of Bridlewood history, actually." Sunset explained, before putting the jewelry box into her saddlebag. "Mayor Sunny Skies gave it to me as a reward for saving him and the other residents, it's quite beautiful, isn't it? But as a reminder, since this is only a field trip, and we must leave before the Endtrak Express takes off, we've got less than three hours to truly enjoy Hope Hollow. If you've had enough cookies, shall we go check out Slice-N-Shake?"

The three students looked at each other with excitement, their eyes gleaming with the prospect of adventure and arcade games. They couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with Miss Sunset, who had proven to be not only a skilled leader, but also a respectable chaperone. The lobby of Hotel Hope was a warm and inviting space, with the scent of the cookies lingering in the air like a sweet promise of more good times to come. Before Sunset and her students left the lobby, they were stopped by the hotel's manager, who wanted to make an offer, whilst she was helping to check in some other guests.

"Excuse me, before you all leave?" Petunia Petals spoke up. "I don't mean to intrude, but I couldn't help but overhear how you and your students will already be leaving in a few hours. There's some spare rooms available here in Hotel Hope, and I'd be more than willing to comp you all a room, especially for your heroics."

"Thank you so much for the generous offer, Petunia, but I think we've already got a full schedule ahead of us." Sunset went back over to the front desk. "See, it's not that we can't afford a room, it's just that we really can't stay for long, especially since we can't miss our ride back on the Endtrak Express."

"I really wish everything could be just as simple for me and my little sister here." The mare across the front desk sighed, before turning to Petunia. "Please, ma'am. I know for a fact that I booked a reservation here, and the name should be under 'Sunflower'."

"Sunflower, you say?" Petunia's eyes darted over the ledger in front of her, her pen tapping the paper in a quick, rhythmic pattern as she scanned through the list, but she couldn't locate the name. "I'm terribly sorry, but I can't seem to find a reservation under that name at all, perhaps there's been a mistake?"

"But I'm positive I booked it!" The mare insisted. "I've been looking forward to this trip for months, and we don't have any bits to pay upfront for a room now, since we need our money for food and other necessities! How come you can't find my name in your reservations!?"

"I'm so sorry, but without a confirmation number, there's really nothing I can do." Petunia shrugged. "Our records are quite extensive, but I assure you, if there was a mistake, we'll make it right."

"I... don't remember the confirmation number!" The mare realized her massive blunder. "If we can't get a room today, my sister and I are going to have no choice but to go back home! And we've already come such a long way from Manehattan!"

Sunset couldn't help but feel sympathy for the distressed mare next to her, who also had a little filly with her. She had seen so much hardship on her own journey, that she recognized the signs of somepony who had hit a wall, and knew something had to be done. With the jovial atmosphere of Hotel Hope suddenly tinged with a sense of urgency, Sunset stepped in, hoping to ease the tension.

"Petunia, I understand that my students and I can't stay, but since you offered to give me a free room, perhaps you could give it to these two, instead?" Sunset proposed. "If my group's not going to use it, we might as well not let the room go to waste."

"But I mean, we can't just give away hotel rooms like they're..." Petunia began, but realized that since this was only one room, and she did promise to give Sunset a comp for a room regardless, it wasn't actually a big deal. "Well, alright, I suppose we could make an exception this one time, but only if you're absolutely sure."

"It's alright, Petunia." Sunset assured with a gentle smile. "This isn't about me and my students getting a free room, it's about extending kindness to somepony else who truly needs it. Please, give our room comp to this mare and her sister, it's really no trouble."

"Well, if you insist, it's not every day we get such a selfless hero among us, of course we can make that exception." Petunia smiled, as she booked the one available room on her document, and turned to the mare. "Ma'am, it seems like today is your lucky day, you and your sister are now welcome to stay in the complimentary room upstairs."

"Oh my, thank you so much!" The filly hopped up and down in joy, as she looked at Sunset with tears in her eyes. "You have no idea how much this means to us! Thank you, thank you!"

"You're too kind, Miss!" The mare said, her voice quivering. "We've had some rough events happen recently in the family, and this... this is just the miracle we needed. Please, what's your name?"

"Sunset Shimmer." Sunset introduced herself. "We all need a little help sometimes, and I wanted to make a good difference in this world, like an old friend once taught me."

"Sunset... Shimmer?" The mare's eyes widened, as she suddenly recognized that name. "Do you happen to know an Applejack?"

"Why yes, she's one of my closest friends from Ponyville." Sunset nodded. "How do you know her?"

"The name's Sunflower." Sunflower introduced, before looking down at her sister. "And this is my little sister, Babs Seed. We're Applejack's cousins from Manehattan, and if you haven't guessed, the rough patch as of lately, it revolves around Granny Smith."

"She may not have been our grandmother, but I certainly know how involved she was in Applebloom's life, considering what happened to her own parents..." Babs recalled.

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Sunset sighed upon being reminded of Granny Smith's recent passing. "I didn't actually get a chance to meet her myself, but-"

"But you helped get Applejack out of a tough place to let her see her grandmother before she was gone." Sunflower finished. "That's a mighty fine thing you did for our cousin, and considering what you just did for us with the hotel? That really shows your own strength of character."

"Now it's totally understandable why Applejack considered you part of our entire family." Babs added. "You even went out of your way to help us, two random strangers you've never met before, even when you really didn't have to. A true honorary Apple, if we've ever seen one."

"Thank you, that means a lot coming from you two." Sunset smiled. "Applejack's always been a special friend to me, and Granny Smith's legacy is something I'm sure she'll always cherish. Anyways, I'm glad I was able to help you folks out, but I'm currently managing a field trip with these students here, and we have to leave Hope Hollow in a few hours. We were just about to head over to Slice-N-Shake."

"Oh, we were actually planning to go to the Slice-N-Shake arcade too, but we've got some luggage to sort out first." Sunflower replied. "Come on, Babs, let's head up to our hotel room, and we can catch up with Sunset here later in the arcade."

"Thank you so much again, Sunset." Babs said, gratefully. "I'm sure wherever Applejack is now, she'd be especially proud of you for what you just did for us."

"Pardon me, I don't mean to intrude on your conversation, but I'm a tad confused right now." Petunia spoke up, before turning to Sunset. "Your name is Sunset Shimmer? That's strange, because I distinctly remember my husband mentioning your name was... Starlight Glimmer, was it?"

"Ah, yes." Sunset giggled, knowing somepony else was finally pointing out the mayor's mistake. "There was a little misunderstanding when I first met Sunny Skies back on the Endtrak Express, but I assure you, I'm Sunset Shimmer."

"Well, regardless of that little mishap, you're certainly one of the more special ponies to ever visit Hope Hollow." Petunia nodded, understandingly. "Though I'll admit, it's going to take some time getting used to, after hearing how Sunny kept referring to you by that other name."

"It's all good, Petunia, I've had to deal with worse misunderstandings in the past, let's just say." Sunset alluded to her past adventures back in the Human World, before turning back to her students. "Alright then, Smolder, Gallus, Silverstream? Who's ready to finally enjoy some arcade action?"

"Count me in, Miss Sunset!" Gallus said, all energized. "I've been waiting for this moment ever since I've heard about the kind of games they have in there!"

"Alright, well in that case, I do hope you and your students will remember Hope Hollow for everything we stand for... Starlight." Petunia winked and giggled, as somepony else entered the lobby, just as she said this. "Again, still have to get used to it."

"What the-!?" Trixie ran up to the front desk in a state of panic, much to the confusion of everyone else. "Starlight's here!? No no no no no no no, this is BAD! If she finds me here, I'm never going to hear the end of it, please hide me!"

Trixie immediately ran into the guest room and barricaded the door, adding even more confusion to everyone in the hotel's lobby. However, Sunset was able to piece everything together, after recalling that the School of Friendship was expecting Trixie for an upcoming inspection, yet she was nowhere to be found. And she would be afraid that... the actual Starlight Glimmer would get incredibly bent out of shape to find her here? Unsure of what this truly meant regardless, Sunset instinctively came out with the only question she could really ask, after witnessing such an event.

"Is it just me, or was that Trixie?" Smolder rubbed her eyes.

"What in Equestria was that about?" Sunset questioned. "I mean, I've met Trixie before, and know she can be a little dubious, but I'm not really sure why she acted like that?"

"Trixie, as in, the Great and Powerful Trixie?" Sunflower recalled. "We've heard of her! She's like, a magical unicorn celebrity, at least I think she is? Wait a minute, Babs, don't you know her?"

"It's been a while since I've seen her, but yes I do!" Babs perked up. "She was falsely accused of jewelry theft once, and I helped her catch the real crook! We even became great friends, afterwards."

"Sounds like some of you seem to know Trixie way better than I ever would." Sunflower commented.

"Know her?" Silverstream chimed in. "She's our new guidance counselor at the School of Friendship! We... like how entertaining she is, but we're not fond of how often she puts us students in danger."

"Oh, that reminds me." Sunflower recalled. "Babs here has been going on about the School of Friendship and all the fun classes they have. She's actually thinking of enrolling, but unfortunately, the school's a good distance away from Manehattan."

"It was really more of an afterthought." Babs clarified. "I don't think I'd really NEED to learn anything more about friendship, after everything the Cutie Mark Crusaders have taught me, and I regularly help others find their destiny as part of our pact. Plus, the main reason I had that inner heartache back then was cause of those bullies back at school, but after I came to you about it, Sis? Let's just say it felt as if those bullies were never there."

"You know that I've always been quite protective of you, Sis." Sunflower held her little sister. "Which is why I wish you came to me about that mischievous filly sooner than you did, considering she was the main instigator, from what I've seen. What was her name again, Cozy Glow, I think?"

"Cozy Glow... was a school bully back in Manehattan?" Smolder raised an eyebrow. "If this is the same Cozy Glow I think you're talking about, then we're also referring to why Equestria itself nearly had all of its magic completely destroyed. Don't ask me how I know that."

"Sounds like something pretty big happened behind the scenes, while I was helping some of my Manehattan friends get their cutie marks." Babs commented. "Glad to hear that whatever happened with my old school bully, it got resolved in the end. Well, it was nice meeting you, Sunset, I know that my big sister and I will always welcome you as part of the family, as Applejack did."

"I think it's almost fate that we ran into Sunset here, it's like Granny Smith sent us an angel to make sure we had a place to stay." Sunflower added, as she took her little sister upstairs. "Thank you again, Sunset, we'll definitely catch up with you all at Slice-N-Shake. But first, we've got some luggage to take care of. Come on, Babs, let's go unpack."

As Sunset and her students left Hotel Hope, they were ready to finally head over to Slice-N-Shake, looking forward to everything fun that the arcade had to offer. Along the way, Gallus, Silverstream, and Smolder couldn't help but whisper amongst themselves regarding the revelation of Cozy Glow's past, their eyes wide with wonder and curiosity.

"I've constantly been hearing about this Cozy Glow quite a bit during this entire trip, from my friends, from you students, and now even from Applejack's relatives." Sunset reflected. "Never actually met her before, but it sounds like she must've made some really bad decisions early on in life, to end up the way she did."

"Who do you suppose her parents were?" Smolder questioned, unsure of the rest of Cozy Glow's history. "Whoever they were, I'd say it's a safe bet that they were either extremely manipulative, or just straight up ignorant."

"Sometimes, it's all about having a good role model to show them the right path." Silverstream replied. "It's like what you've done for us, leading us through this journey and helping us learn about ourselves and the importance of friendship."

"Who knows, maybe if you were around, you could've helped Cozy Glow change for the better, Miss Sunset." Gallus imagined. "Just like you did with Miss Sour Sweet."

"Perhaps, but everyone has their own path to follow." Sunset said, though she knew her empathy truly had more of an impact than she let on. "What's important is that we're here now, ready to make the most of our time in Hope Hollow. Let's not dwell on the past and instead focus on the fun ahead!"

Sunset and her students stepped into the bustling arcade, the neon lights and clinking of machines creating a symphony of sound that was music to their ears. Slice-N-Shake looked like a place that was stuck in the past, yet had been lovingly restored to capture the essence of a bygone era, whilst still maintaining a modern charm. The walls were lined with vintage arcade cabinets, alongside contemporary booths that promised an immersive experience. In the back, a row of pinball machines winked with welcoming lights, and the sweet scent of fresh pizza pies and sugary drinks filled the air. It was clear that this wasn't just a place for foals to spend their allowance, it was even a nostalgic haven for adult ponies to reconnect with their inner childhood.

"Wow, it seems like I've been away from here longer than I thought." Sunset reflected, astonished by how much technology had truly developed in Equestria. "Maybe one day, Equestria will get to use those fancy smartphones that let you play games on them."

"Mmmm, I'm sure going to savor the food here!" Smolder sniffed the air. "It's not very often we dragons get to eat pizza, and we tend to prefer it when it's broiling hot. Though considering what happened when I took my chances earlier with those bugs, maybe it's a safe bet that I should let it cool down for a bit."

"Whatever you do, just don't get any pineapples on your pizza." Gallus suggested. "That'd be like making griffon scones without baking powder..."

"Pineapples on pizza is a classic debate, but here in Hope Hollow, I'm sure they'll have something for everyone's tastes." Sunset looked back at her students. "Unlike where I'm from however, I highly doubt they'll have... big red circles as an option."

"Huh?" Silverstream raised an eyebrow. "You don't like tomatoes, Miss Sunset? Bummer, that's my favorite topping."

"Well, that's not what I was referring to, let's just say that where I come from, we have a few... unconventional toppings that you might not find here in Equestria." Sunset knew it would be way too awkward to explain pepperoni to non-meat eaters. "Either way, we can all get whatever toppings we want, it'll be my treat."

Sunset fished through her saddlebag, extracting enough bits to pay for the entry admissions at Slice-N-Shake. Upon purchasing and being handed their entry passes, the entire group made their way into the restaurant section of the arcade, and took a seat at one of the tables. There was even a large menu on the wall, giving everyone a solid idea on any kind of pizza toppings that were available.

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or are they actually going to give us white mushroom sauce as an option?" Sunset read the menu. "This sure is a fancy place, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Ramsay had an influence on what the kitchen serves."

Suddenly, Sunset and her students saw their waitress approaching, and it was surprisingly, another familiar face to Sunset. In fact, she had already met this particular waitress a few days ago, and already knew that unlike the human version of her, she was nothing more than a harmless server trying to earn a living. Aside from the fact that this waitress had supposedly tried to steal Captain Zest's inheritance from her sick father, Sunset knew that for the most part, her students had nothing to worry about.

"Welcome to Slice-N-Shake!" Juniper Montage greeted the guests. "What can I get for you all today?"

"I'll have the most spicy pizza you have, with extra pineapple!" Smolder ordered. "Gallus, you should try it, it's like a taste of the Dragon Lands, but in pizza form!"

"I don't think so, I'll never give that dreadful combination of fruit and cheese a chance." Gallus refused. "Well, unless it's a cheesecake, but I think I'll just go with the extra cheese pizza."

"I'll just have a calzone, please!" Silverstream pointed at the menu. "They look like cute seashells, so cute that I might not even eat it! Could you also throw in a strawberry milkshake?"

"And I'll just have the regular cheese pizza, but with white mushroom sauce." Sunset requested. "I certainly remember Mr. Ramsay's special recipe for that particular pizza, really takes me back to the days when I lived in Canterlot."

"All very excellent choices, coming right up!" Juniper scribbled down the orders before trotting back to the kitchen. "We'll have your food ready in no time!"

"So hey, while we're waiting for our food, what exactly are we supposed to do here in the arcade?" Silverstream shrugged. "I've never really been to one before, but I've heard from our classmates about how great these places are."

"Well, the games are all yours to explore, I'm sure you'll find something you like." Sunset looked over at the many available arcade games. "Just remember to be good sports, and maybe you can all learn something about teamwork and strategy. The goal is to use the tokens you have from your entry passes to win as many tickets as you can. The more tickets you have, the better chances you'll find something at the prize counter that you'd want. But take it from me, try not to get too overconfident, even though that's inadvertently how I managed to snag Señor G. Echo back then."

Sunset took the Señor G. Echo plush out of her saddlebag to give her students a good visual example of what kind of prizes they could be batting an eye on. As this was going on, Juniper had already given their orders to the restaurant's chefs, and was already on her way to wait on another table.

"Hmm, this is certainly unusual." Flim looked over the order. "Someone actually ordered a cheese pizza with white mushroom sauce, they usually go for the classic tomato dip."

"That's the first time we've gotten this preference from a customer, I'm guessing whoever ordered it, they must have great taste." Flam deduced. "They really know how to find a true bargain, or are used to fancier food options."

"It wouldn't surprise me." Juniper said, before she trotted out of the kitchen. "I think she mentioned that she used to live in Canterlot, and that she's tasted Mr. Ramsay's recipes, it makes sense."

As the Flim Flam brothers heard this, they immediately stopped preparing the pizza dough, and rushed over to the kitchen door's window, getting a quick glimpse of a familiar pony, whom they knew for the wrong reasons. The daughter of Princess Celestia who indirectly stopped the brothers' first arcade scheme in Canterlot, and was the reason they had lost their limited edition Señor G. Echo plush, which costed them a huge fortune. Out of all odds, that same pony, now grown up had returned, as they could instantly remember her orange fur, alongside her distinct red and yellow fiery mane. Flim and Flam also took notice of the leopard gecko plush in question, which Sunset was still showing to her students, causing the two stallions to become enraged and vengeful.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little Princess's girl, herself!" Flim exclaimed, his eyes narrowing. "It's been ages since we've seen you around here, Sunset Shimmer!"

"How fitting is it by the way, that out of all places we'd see her again, it'd be an arcade?" Flam added. "You remember, the exact work environment where she saw through our prize ticket scheme, and stole that Señor G. Echo plush, which we rightfully BOUGHT at that auction! And now look at her, she's kept it all these years, while we could've sold that dumb plush for an even greater fortune, to pay off our debts for all the failed investments we've made!"

"That's the main reason we've taken this demeaning job as arcade staff, but it was our only way to avoid getting evicted!" Flim snarled. "Plus, we've only been able to get by, purely because we've been secretly pocketing the waitress's tips, but that's besides the point! What are the chances that Sunset Shimmer's just here for fun, and not here to ruin us again? Look at her, flaunting that valuable plush at her friends."

"You know what this means, brother?" Flam's eyes widened in realization. "If we play our cards just right, we can get our hooves on that plush, and finally earn back the millions we've lost because of her! Just imagine it, when we take that sought-after toy to any auction, we could afford to make 50 Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000's, or be eligible to open multiple Friendship Universities!"

"But we can't just snatch it from her, she's gotten pretty clever over the years, I'm sure." Flim pondered, stroking his chin with a greasy hoof. "We need a plan, something foolproof, like convincing her to give it up, willingly. It's almost dumb luck that we'd even see her again at all, Mr. Ramsay sometimes mentioned a rumor about her disappearing from Canterlot."

"Sounds like my idea to get familiar with the arcade business wasn't a lost cause after all, huh?" Flam scoffed. "We only got this job from our previous arcade experience, but otherwise, the ponies here in Hope Hollow don't know about our shady past and failed schemes."

"Yes, yes, but bear in mind that we haven't gotten away with any single one of our past investments." Flim rolled his eyes. "We need to come up with a plan, something that she'll never see coming. Looks like she's got friends with her, so we must have some sort of diversion."

"And she's not the same little filly we outsmarted back then." Flam nodded. "Say, come to think of it, we do have an open advantage today. Aside from the waitress, who's clearly only here for her payroll, we're the only staff working today. That means we've got full access to the prize booth, the mascot costumes, and that... ahem, animatronic that Torque Wrench engineered, which we've secretly modified."

"Ah yes, the perfect little weapon we've got." Flim replied. "We could set it loose and cause a commotion while we sneak in and reclaim our rightful prize, but we need to make sure she doesn't suspect a thing. We'll play nice, get on her good side, and then wait for the right opportunity. Remember, she's the one who loves drama and entertainment, so we'll give her a performance she'll never forget. Before we leave for the day, we'll snatch that plush and be out of here before she knows what hit her!"

"At that point, you can certainly bet we'll give our boss a two weeks notice!" Flam reminded. "When that leopard gecko plush is ours again, we'll even be able to afford our childrens' retirement! Actually, who am I kidding? We're not ever having any foals, they've always been annoying little gremlins who'll deplete our life savings!"

"Alright, alright, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Flim chuckled. "We've got to make sure she's as oblivious as she was when she was a filly. Maybe we'll throw in a little charm this time around, or offer a fake bargain deal for those pizzas. And as for her friends, they're just... extra baggage she's got to handle, right? They'll be easy to distract with some of those noisy games."

"Are you sure this is going to be a good idea, brother?" Flam hesitated. "I mean, she's Princess Celestia's daughter, and from what I've heard, her pupil. I'm having this weird feeling that she'll be able to see through us, no matter what we do..."

"Are YOU sure you want to make below-minimum wage for the rest of our lives, just to pay off our debts?" Flim said, agitated. "She's not the only one who's learned a few tricks over the years, we won't make the same mistakes from our previous failed investments! Now, let's get those pizzas ready, and we'll be sure to make that pesky Sunset Shimmer regret ever crossing paths with us!"

"Do you want me to put on the mascot costume?" Flam suggested. "I know it's been years and all, but she's bound to recognize me!"

"Whatever it takes, brother." Flim replied, as he viciously pounded the pizza dough. "She wants that 'special' pizza sauce? I'll give it to her, alright!"

Chapter 82: Five Nights at Flimmy's

While the Flim Flam brothers were devising a devious plan to steal back the Señor G. Echo plush, Sunset was awaiting her food, alongside her students. As Sunset anticipated how her white mushroom sauce pizza would turn out, she had a few other thoughts occupying her mind, including what exactly Trixie was doing here in Hope Hollow. When she had last seen the former magician, Trixie was at her rope's end as far as performing, and had been convinced to potentially switch her career to foalsitting, especially given her exceptional performances at birthday parties. From all this, Sunset gathered that if anything, Trixie was most likely looking for work, to where she prioritized this babysitting gig, over her duties at the School of Friendship.

"So hey, about Trixie being here?" Sunset said to her students. "My best guess is that she's looking for anypony willing to hire her as a foalsitter, and what better place to look for that kind of gig, than an arcade?"

"Sounds like you've got a keen instinct for figuring everything out, Sunset." Sunflower commended, as she and Babs sat at a table next to them. "The hotel manager had to drag Trixie out of the guest room, and when she did, you should've seen how many residents she approached about a potential foalsitting gig."

"Since Trixie and I have had history, and we're at least familiar with her background, we decided to give her a fair chance." Babs explained. "This'll be like her orientation day, mostly to see if she'll be a good fit in the future. In other words, she'll be tagging along with us for a bit."

"Well, I hope she finds what she's looking for, Trixie usually needs that kind of experience when it comes to the opportunities she takes." Sunset nodded, as she took a sip of her soda. "It can't be easy trying to make a new start, but I'm sure she'll map out everything she needs to become a great foalsitter."

Just then, the aforementioned mare came around the corner to join Sunflower and Babs at their table, feeling confident and satisfied with being given this chance.

"I should've known foalsitting's always been a great way to make a living." Trixie sat down, eager to begin her new career. "Performing magic doesn't necessarily make me special, considering how a literal third of Equestria's population can use magic as well. Either way, I certainly look forward to looking after you in the near future, Babs."

"Well actually, you technically wouldn't be foalsitting me, because I'm not a foal anymore." Babs confessed. "I may look small and young, but I'm actually a lot older than I look, since I got held back a few times. That's also part of the reason I got bullied quite a bit at my old school, when they learned about my actual age."

"Wait, so I'm not foalsitting you then?" Trixie's eyes widened in surprise. "Then why am I tagging along with you two?"

"We wanted to see your performance as a foalsitter, since you mentioned you had no prior experience." Sunflower explained. "If we're happy with what we see, we'll recommend you to the rest of our extended family, who often mention they're looking for sitters while they're at work. But just for today, you can treat Babs like the foal you're looking after, as a bit of a warmup. We all have to start somewhere, somepony's gotta give you a fair chance, sooner or later."

"That makes sense." Trixie shrugged. "I'll be sure to keep a close eye on Babs and keep her entertained, I've always had a knack for keeping the young ones amused with my magic shows, after all."

"Hey, Guidance Counselor!" Gallus waved from the other table. "Remember us?"

"We're the students from the School of Friendship, and on a field trip with Miss Sunset here." Smolder added. "Certainly weren't expecting to see you here, as well."

"Would you mind explaining why you seemed to panic when you thought Headmare Starlight was here?" Silverstream inquired. "You weren't... ditching your duties at the school, were you?"

"Oh, goodness no!" Trixie exclaimed, raising her hooves in a gesture of innocence. "I'd never ditch my duties at the School of Friendship! But... I did want to take a little break, just a small one. I've been feeling a bit unmotivated with performing magic, and I thought some time off to explore other talents might do me some good. But please, whatever you do, don't tell Starlight about this! I'm sure she'd understand, but I'd rather not see her chew me out for goofing off again, she's scary when she gets angry..."

"Your secret's safe with us." Gallus nodded. "We don't have much room to judge, considering we've ditched school ourselves, once."

"Trixie's just trying to find her way in Equestria, like the rest of us." Sunset sat back in her chair, reflecting a bit on her own journey. "So, what brought you to Hope Hollow, exactly? Did you have any particular gigs in mind, or was it more of a spontaneous decision?"

"Well I had a few leads, but nothing quite stuck until I saw the ad for Hotel Hope." Trixie explained. "I read that there's an arcade here as well, so the chances of finding some foals to look after seemed promising. Unfortunately, not a whole lot of the residents here wanted to give me an opportunity, even after I reinvented my look. How can somepony look at this hip manestyle and groovy hoodie, and say I'm still unqualified for the job!?"

"Your lack of foalsitting experience is a concern, unfortunately." Sunflower began. "There's also your previous reputation as a show-off magician, which may turn some away, but we're all about giving second chances here. I'm sure with your charm and talent, you'll be booked solid in no time."

"I know that feeling about giving second chances, considering how I once treated Applebloom and the other Crusaders, when I was visiting for the first time." Babs sighed. "A little heartache really just drives you to do anything to avoid getting bullied, but I know it's never an excuse to become a bully yourself."

"You're absolutely right about that, Babs." Sunset said, feeling those words resonating within her. "Everyone's got their past, but what we learn from it makes us who we are today. I should know, considering how I used to be a resentful bully myself, and it's still hard to imagine that kind of girl was once me."

"You, a bully, Miss Sunset?" Silverstream raised an eyebrow. "I just can't see that, you've been nothing but a kind and encouraging chaperone for this entire field trip!"

"Believe it or not, I was once incredibly self-centered and, well, not exactly the nicest pony around." Sunset opened up. "I didn't understand the importance of friendship, and it most certainly showed. One of my biggest regrets, but like a good friend once taught me, the pony who never made a mistake... never made anything."

"Wise choice of words, I couldn't imagine Babs getting through her depression from bullying without Applebloom giving her a second chance to start over." Sunflower nodded. "Then again, her big sister is friends with Princess Twilight, so I'm sure she learned it from somewhere."

"Well, I appreciate the second chance, really I do, but I'm a bit nervous now." Trixie said. "I overheard how Starlight was at Hotel Hope, so I panicked and hid for a while. Does anyone know if she's still somewhere around Hope Hollow? I'd hate to run into her while I'm supposed to be on leave."

"Well, about 'Starlight' being here..." Sunset tried her best to explain the misunderstanding. "See, when I was talking to Mayor Sunny Skies earlier, he-"

"He mentioned that Starlight was picking up some kites from the secret kite club that she and Petunia had!" Gallus fabricated.

"Oh, that's right!" Silverstream began adding on. "Yeah, it's totally top secret, even the wind whispers about it in hushed tones."

"What!?" Trixie eyes widened in outrage. "How dare Starlight not let me in on this secret club, we've been best friends for so long! Then again, she has a habit of bottling up her anger towards me, but it's not like it was my fault."

"Good save, you two." Sunset whispered to her students, before giggling. "Well Trixie, I suppose to take your mind off of the School of Friendship, we could all indulge in some arcade food."

"You betcha on that, I can't believe this place even gives us the option to have peanut butter and chocolate pizzas." Trixie licked her own lips in anticipation. "I've always had a fondness for the greasy, sugary goodness that fuels the soul! Speaking of which, how long must we wait for our food? This arcade looks like it was built on a large budget, so I'd certainly expect some speedy service."

Back in the kitchen, Juniper Montage was waiting for the food that Flim and Flam were in the process of preparing, as the brothers began to lay out their sinister plan. Flam had already prepared a majority of the orders for the other customers, but Flim was specifically saving one of the pizza pies for Sunset Shimmer. As Juniper was in the process of delivering the food to the remaining customers, Flam stayed behind to notice Flim dumping some sleeping powder on Sunset's white mushroom sauce pizza. As long as they made her fall asleep, stealing the plush toy would be quite trivial.

"Say, isn't that the leftover sleeping powder from our Friendship University scheme?" Flam recalled. "How did we plan to use that again, had it not been for that nosy Princess Twilight and Plainity infiltrating our school?"

"We would've originally snuck this into our students' dorm food to throw their schedules off balance, and make it more likely for them to miss class and fail, resulting in more profit for us." Flim reminded. "Thankfully, we can now use it to put that Sunset Shimmer to sleep. When they're finished with their food and get ready to play some arcade games, she'll be too drowsy to play and instead take a nap, which will be the perfect opportunity for us to swoop in and snatch her Señor G. Echo plush from her saddlebag!"

"Hold on, brother!" Flam paused for a second. "Don't you think it's a bit risky using that old sleeping powder? It's not like we can predict how much she'll eat, nor the right amount to make her drowsy."

"Oh, come now, it's not like I've never done this before!" Flim whispered, sharply. "We only need her to become sleepy enough as a distraction, and that way, she'll never know what hit her! Besides, it's not like she's going to eat the whole thing by herself, and if she does, well, it's not our problem if she takes a longer nap than planned, is it? Now how about you stop questioning my brilliant plans, and act fast before she starts asking questions?"

"Alright, it'll all be worth it for the Señor G. Echo plush." Flam sighed. "I hear that the latest bid at an auction for such a vintage toy will go up to twelve million bits. We'll never have to scam or work a day in our lives again with that kind of a profit! Just remember how you wanted to approach this plan, we've got to play nice and make her believe there's nothing fishy going on. She might get suspicious when she sees how much longer her pizza is taking to come out, so why don't we mark her order as the 'special' deal?"

"Oh yes, the Birthday Bash special that this arcade offers." Flim nodded, before he put on a mouse mascot costume. "In that case, be sure to put on those candles so that it looks more legit, then I'll bring this special deal to our little Princess's girl!"

Once Flam added the birthday candles on the pizza and lit every single one, Flim trotted out of the kitchen with the special pizza pie, clad in his mouse mascot costume, which he could see through the costume's open mouth. He silently snickered to himself as he approached the table, getting ready to initiate their malicious plan towards these unsuspecting fools.

"Hey everyone, look!" Sunflower pointed to Flim. "It's Mozzarella Mouse, one of the arcade's main mascots!"

"Yes, that's me, and I've got a special deal for this little mare right over here!" Flim called out in a faux-cheerful tone, his eyes hidden behind the tinted visor of the costume. "Congratulations to you, Miss, and have a cheesy, happy birthday!"

"Oh, well uh..." Sunset stuttered, confused. "I'm pretty sure I just ordered the white mushroom sauce pizza, it's not my birthday..."

"Oops, it seems like we have a case of mistaken identity!" Flim said with a forced laugh. "But you know what they say, when life gives you candles, you might as well make a wish! Either way, this is still what you ordered, so why don't you go on ahead and dig in?"

"Well, I suppose so." Sunset shrugged, as she began reaching for a slice. "It's been a while since I've had a white mushroom sauce pizza from here, so I might as well grab a slice and relive my fillyhood!"

"Hey, wait!" Smolder stopped Sunset. "Since this is a birthday special, don't you have to make a wish and blow out the candles, first?"

"I mean, it's not actually my birthday, but I guess I can make a quick wish for good luck." Sunset leaned over to the pizza, taking a deep breath, and prepared to blow out the candles.

But just as the candles' flames looked like they had been put out, they immediately relit again, much to Sunset's confusion. It was at this point that Flim realized his brother must've accidentally used the prank relighting birthday candles by mistake, instead of the normal variety. Sunset took another breath, this time blowing with more force, and again, the flames flickered out, only to spring back to life.

"Well, that's odd..." Sunset said, flabbergasted. "Looks like I've got a bit of a stubborn wish on my hooves here!"

"Err, you don't have to blow out the candles actually..." Flim insisted. "Just... enjoy your pizza as it is."

"Come now, don't you know what happens when you don't blow out birthday candles?" Gallus protested. "Someone's gotta do it, and I've got plenty of experience creating large gusts of wind! Let me have a go at them!"

Gallus leaned back and took a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks before releasing a powerful gust of wind, aimed directly at the birthday candles. The flames immediately all shot out with a hiss, but the power behind his breath was much more than the candles could handle, and the entire pizza, along with the scalding hot cheese, instantly flew off of the plate. The combination of scorching pizza crusts and melted cheese had shot directly into the mascot's mouth hole, completely covering Flim's face, as the stallion began to feel a painful, burning sensation on his head.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Flim screamed in agony, as he began running straight back to the kitchen, desperate to get the piping hot cheese off of him. "SUCH HOT CHEESE, GET OUT OF MY WAY, I NEED WATER!!!! COLD WATER TO WASH THIS STUFF OFF!!!!!"

Whilst in the kitchen, Flam and Juniper took notice of Flim scurrying by, covered with melted cheese. As the cheese had ended up obstructing Flim's vision, it didn't seem to matter, as his first motive was to immediately get cold water from the sink to wash off the torment and indignity. But as Flim didn't even hesitate dunking his head into what he thought was the sink, Flam and Juniper spoke up in confusion, unsure if the stallion was right in the head.

"Err, brother?" Flam raised an eyebrow upon seeing what his brother was doing. "Now, I know you said you didn't want me to question anything you did, but..."

"Would you mind explaining why you just stuck your head into the deep fryer?" Juniper finished Flam's question, incredibly concerned. "It's cooking a bunch of fries right now!"

Panicking and blinded by the cheese, Flim hadn't realized the depth of his mistake until the scalding hot oil from the deep fryer had made contact with his cheese-covered face. He let out a high-pitched squeal of pain, his eyes watering profusely as he jerked his head back up, fry bits stuck to his face, and a faint scent of burnt fur filling the room. He ended up accidentally knocking the deep fryer off of the counter, spilling the hot oil on the rest of his body, and causing him to jump and stumble around everywhere, as if the floor was suddenly lava.

"GRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Flim shrieked over and over, before he dove directly into the freezer to coat himself with tubs of ice cream, which all instantly melted as soon as they made contact with him.

"Well, I suppose that's one way of making fried ice cream." Juniper tried her best to stay positive. "What even happened out there?"

"It was supposed to be a simple plan, but those birthday candles had to go and ruin it!" Flim said, as he tried to wipe off the cheese with a wet towel. "And now look at me, I'm covered with all sorts of burns! You just had to insist that we had to make this pizza special, didn't you, brother!?"

"Well, you're the one who forgot to check the candles, and now we're going to have to come up with something else!" Flam replied, frustration evident in his voice. "This was just a minor setback, there's plenty more we can do with the arcade games!"

"You guys aren't actually planning to do something bad, are you?" Juniper narrowed her eyes at the two stallions, upon hearing their strange choice of words. "Because I've noticed that everytime I add up my tips, I'm always short a good fraction of what I earn. You two wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Juniper, I assure you, we had nothing to do with that!" Flam exclaimed, his voice a mix of innocence and panic. "We were just trying to make that pony's day special with a surprise! Besides, we're business-ponies of honor, we wouldn't stoop to theft like that!"

"Uh-huh." Juniper Montage stared at the two stallions, coldly. "It's always a coincidence that this happens on days when we all share the same shift, suuuuure. I've got my eyes on you two, and I'd better not see you pulling anything funny with our guests, or I'm going to file a complaint to the boss!"

"We were just trying to give the customer a memorable experience!" Flim insisted, as he smeared the remaining cheese off of his body. "We'll be on our best behavior, I promise!"

Juniper gave the two brothers a cold glare, before trotting out of the kitchen, as Flim and Flam sighed in relief. They were still admittedly frustrated over their plan going south so quickly, but knew there was plenty of time to improvise. Whilst coming up with another scheme, Juniper went back to check in with the rest of the diners, trying to get an understanding of what just happened.

"Hey there." Sunset noticed Juniper approaching them. "We're so sorry about that, something was up with those candles, and I'm sure Gallus didn't mean for that to happen. We completely understand if you're going to escort us out of the arcade, now."

"Well, I'm not sure what happened there, but it's definitely not the first odd occurrence with my coworkers." Juniper sighed. "But I can see that you're all okay, so no harm done, right? You're all still welcome to stay, since accidents will happen."

"Thanks for being so understanding." Sunset smiled. "I just don't understand why he specifically gave me a birthday surprise pizza. It's not my birthday, and I certainly didn't order one of those for myself."

"I'm well aware, I took your order, after all." Juniper nodded. "Listen, how about I bring out some extra food on the house, to make up for your missing pizza?"

"Oh, but we wouldn't want to trouble you like that." Silverstream chimed in. "Here, Miss Sunset. You can have the calzone I ordered, I didn't really want to eat it, anyways, I just wanted to see what they looked like up close."

"I appreciate your consideration, Silverstream." Sunset grinned, as the hippogriff handed Sunset her untouched plate. "Looks like those friendship classes have really been working out for you."

"Well if you're planning to bring out some more food, could I get some service?" Trixie requested.

"Sure thing, but it looks like there's another table in the distance, and they've been patiently waiting for a while." Juniper replied, before trotting off. "I'll be with you in a few minutes."

As Juniper continued waiting tables, Flim and Flam were back in the kitchen, thinking up their next move. It seemed crucial to at least keep Sunset and her entire group distracted, primarily as a means of seeking the perfect opportunity to go through her saddlebag without anyone noticing.

"Well, what do you propose we do now to steal that toy?" Flam brainstormed. "You already used up what little sleeping powder we had left, so we clearly can't tamper with her food anymore."

"Don't worry, I've got it covered." Flim formulated his new plan. "You remember that old trick we used to pull at foals' birthday parties, right? When they put on their blindfolds to play that game known as, Pin the Tail on the Pony?"

"Ah-ha, I see where this is going!" Flam exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face. "We can announce an impromptu game of Pin the Tail on the Pony, and when everyone's blindfolded, we'll just sneak over and grab her Señor G. Echo plush!"

"Precisely!" Flim nodded. "But the question is, how will we entice them to play our little game? I mean, they're mostly just here to play games and win prizes... oh, why didn't I think of that immediately?"

"We could offer up a reward of any prize from the prize booth, or a complimentary item from the restaurant's menu!" Flam suggested. "The extra cost will be coming out of our wages, but for the Señor G. Echo plush, it'll all be worth it!"

"But let's not make it too obvious, we don't want to raise any suspicion." Flim's eyes gleamed with mischief. "How about this, we announce a special 'Friendship Day' event where everyone gets a chance to win a prize! And as part of the festivities, we'll organize a Pin the Tail on the Pony game. We make sure to blindfold all the participants, and when they're all busy playing, we can sneak over to Sunset's table and grab the plush, it's absolutely foolproof!"

"Alright, sounds like we've got everything figured out!" Flam agreed. "I'll go out this time with the other mascot costume, and set everything up, while you grab the toy when the time's right!"

As the Flim Flam brothers began to put everything together, Sunset and her students were enjoying the rest of their meals. Sunflower and Babs were doing the same, but was now accompanied by an agitated and impatient Trixie, whose plate had been empty for a while.

"COME ON!" Trixie began banging on the table in frustration. "What's a foalsitter gotta do to get some fast service in this dump!?"

"Please calm down, Trixie." Sunflower tried to deescalate things. "You've eaten a whole peanut butter and chocolate pizza, already."

"Yeah, yeah." Trixie rolled her eyes. "It was just an appetizer, I'll need more peanut butter than that before I'm satisfied!"

"Well one thing's for sure, you're certainly going to keep the foals entertained." Babs giggled. "Speaking of entertainment, since most of us are already finished with our meals, maybe it's time we start playing some arcade games?"

"That's a great idea, Babs." Sunset agreed. "Who knows, maybe we can even convince Trixie to let out some steam and play a round or two with us?"

"Hmph!" Trixie huffed. "Not without my second helping of peanut butter chocolate pizza, I'm not!"

Just then, Flam stormed out of the kitchen with a different mouse mascot costume, ready to give his announcement on the special game event he and his brother just came up with. He picked up a microphone, amplifying the speakers around the arcade's dining area.

"Welcome to Slice-N-Shake, please gather 'round for the arcade's special Friendship Day event!" Flam announced in an overly cheerful tone. "In honor of the friendship that brings us all together, we present to you the classic party game, Pin the Tail on the Pony! Winner gets any prize from the prize booth of their choosing!"

"Well, that's unexpected." Smolder finished the rest of her pizza. "But hey, free games and prizes? I'm in."

"Free prizes, you say?" Gallus' eyes lit up, his competitive spirit piqued. "Count me in, as well! Maybe I can win one of those giant teddy bears. Err, not that I need one to sleep with at night, or anything!"

"Maybe we'll all find something new to enjoy today." Silverstream chirped. "I've never been good at these kinds of games, but I'll give it a shot for the experience!"

"Haven't really played that particular game in a while, but I guess I'll join in." Babs joined in on the bandwagon. "Perhaps it'll be a nice warmup for the other arcade games!"

"Well count me out!" Trixie scoffed. "I'm not moving from this spot until I get my peanut butter chocolate pizza!"

"Ahem... did I also mention that the first contestant to pin the tail on the pony can also have the choice of a complimentary item from the menu as their prize?" Flam added.

"Wha...!" Trixie's eyes widened, as she immediately got up from her chair. "Pin the Tail on the Pony has ALWAYS been my favorite activity, even more than spending time with Starlight! No wait, please don't tell her I said that!"

"Well, I suppose if everyone else is playing, I don't see why we couldn't join in on the fun!" Sunset said, enthusiastically. "Where do we go to participate in this little activity?"

"Ah, I'm so glad to see everyone is eager to join in!" Flam announced, as he pointed to a play area off to the side. "If you could all please gather around the designated area over there, we'll get this show on the road! And remember, regardless of who wins, be sure to have fun! It's our way of spreading a little extra friendship on this fine day!"

As Sunset, Smolder, Gallus, Silverstream, Babs, Trixie, and Sunflower all followed Flam over to the designated play area, Flam had taken the liberty to wrap blindfolds over everyone's eyes, and provided darts with attached fake tails. Once the game was about to commence, Flam looked back at the kitchen door, nodding to Flim, who was watching everything from a distance. Flim then realized that since everyone was now distracted, it was his cue to sneak out of the kitchen and raid Sunset's saddlebag. But just as Flim was about to exit the kitchen, he was immediately stopped by a familiar coworker.

"Where do you think you're going?" Juniper said, blocking the entryway into the dining area.

"Oh, hello there, Juniper!" Flim grinned nervously, before attempting to butter her up. "You know something, I've neglected to mention that your name is so beautiful, Juniper, it reminds me so much of the great outdoors! And your manestyle, so adorable, pigtails have always been a great way to express your soft side!"

Despite his best efforts, Juniper Montage continued staring Flim down, completely ignoring his obviously forced compliments.

"Anyways... my brother is over there hosting a little game with the rest of our guests." Flim explained. "So if you don't mind, I'm just going to go over-"

"No you're not, buddy." Juniper said, sternly. "You've got about eight new orders to fill, and we don't have any other chefs working in the kitchen today. I'm not getting paid extra to let you two slack off, so you'd better get serious and know your place in this business! Take these orders and make sure you don't keep our guests waiting too long, right now."

"But, but..." Flim stuttered, as Juniper's glare turned even darker, before sighing. "Fine, I guess I'll start cooking up this... whatever these guests want."

Flim trotted over to the pizza dough and tried his best to pretend doing his job, mostly to get Juniper Montage off of his back. But as he just blankly stared at the pizza dough, he turned to the side, and noticed Juniper still standing by the kitchen door, glaring at him.

"Erm... I will see you later with the orders." Flim chuckled, nervously.

"Actually, I think I'll stick around and specifically watch you fill those orders." Juniper smirked, as she continued blocking the exit to the kitchen.

Flim's heart sank as he realized his escape was blocked off, and that his previously foolproof plan had fallen apart almost instantly. As such, he crushed the orders in his hoof out of anger, and grumbled as he began preparing the food.

"The pigtails in your mane actually make you look hideous, Juniper." Flim insulted. "And that's an awful name, your parents must've really hated you."

While Flim had no choice but to do his job like a normal employee, Flam continued watching the kitchen door, and noticed that his brother didn't have a chance to exit and snatch the plush from Sunset's saddlebag, like they previously planned. Since the game had already commenced, and the participants were all blindfolded, Flam knew he had no choice but to improvise. He looked over and noticed that Trixie was coming dangerously close to finding the pony target poster he stuck on the wall, and quickly ran over to snatch it, in an attempt to prolong the game as much as he could.

Flam then decided that there was only one way to ensure none of the participants would win the game, and stuck the taped poster to his back, realizing it was now up to him to sneak over to the dining area and go through Sunset's saddlebag. However, Trixie pinned her dart to the wall, but was incredibly perplexed upon realizing she had only pinned the wall, and not the pony.

"What gives, I know this game like the back of my hoof, considering how many times I've played this at foals' birthday parties." Trixie took her blindfold off, before peaking around, until she saw the poster on Flam's back. "Oh, so that's how you want to play, is it? Now I don't even feel bad for peaking, nobody cheats the Great and Powerful Trixie out of a complimentary peanut butter chocolate pizza!"

Trixie immediately ran over to Flam's direction, already being able to taste her delicious prize. Just as Flam was about to exit the play area, he immediately felt a sharp puncture from behind, as Trixie's dart had pierced through his costume.

"Ow!" Flam winced, as he turned around. "What's going on here?"

"I win!" Trixie boasted, before turning to the rest of her companions. "You can all take your blindfolds off now! But hey, if you all want the satisfaction of pinning the tail on the pony, it's over here!"

"You heard our Guidance Counselor!" Smolder turned around, before taking off her blindfold, as did everyone else.

"So this is what an arcade game is like, no wonder arcades are so fun!" Silverstream cheered. "LET'S PIN IT!!!"

Flam's eyes widened upon hearing this, as he began to desperately run away from Smolder, Gallus, and Silverstream, who began to chase him down with their darts. Not wanting to take any chances of sustaining a severe injury, Flam desperately ran back to the kitchen, not even contemplating stealing the toy from the saddlebag. Sunset, Sunflower, and Babs all stood back, enjoying the participation from the little activity, even though they didn't win.

"Hmm, I didn't really notice it at first, but does that stallion in the mascot costume sound... familiar to you?" Sunflower pondered.

"Not really, Sis." Babs replied. "Why, does he remind you of somepony in particular?"

"I just remember this one time back in Manehattan, I bought a tonic from some vendor off the streets, claiming it could immediately cure any ailments or injuries." Sunflower recalled. "When I used in on my hoof after straining it at work, let's just say, it didn't produce the results I had hoped for."

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I do feel like I've heard that voice before, too." Sunset gave this some further thought. "And I vaguely remember Twilight writing to me about a scheme that involved a fake healing tonic... but it could just be a coincidence. Our food turned out all right, and we're all having fun, so perhaps we're overthinking things."

Over at the kitchen door, Flam desperately banged on the kitchen door, wanting nothing more than to escape the torment of the three students determined to pin the tail on his behind.

"PLEASE, LET ME IN!!!" Flam continued banging, but it was already too late, and he immediately felt the darts pierce from behind. "YOWCH!!!"

Juniper finally opened the door, seeing the now broken Flam stumble back inside to regain what was left of his sanity. Now that the two chefs were finally back together in the kitchen, and more tables had to be waited on, she felt satisfied enough at ensuring the brothers weren't goofing around. Trixie also dropped by, reminding the brothers of their little bargain.

"A deal's a deal, you know." Trixie said through the open kitchen door. "I'll be expecting my complimentary peanut butter chocolate pizza soon!"

"Alright you two, remember what I said, no funny business!" Juniper began trotting out of the kitchen. "If you take too long on these next orders, well... don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Ugh, finally, that annoying waitress is going to let us be." Flim sighed, as he slid several pizzas into the oven behind him. "Did you get the Señor G. Echo toy?"

"No, brother..." Flam continued wincing in pain. "Sunset's friends got me, instead. Oh, my poor aching flank... please don't make me go back out there by myself!"

"Well, even though we've failed again, it's not the end of the world, now is it?" Flim tried to comfort his brother. "We still have plenty of time to come up with another plan, and like they always say, third time's the charm. Any new ideas?"

"Hmm, you remember those old prizes at our previous arcade gig at Canterlot?" Flam reminisced. "You know, where we labeled their price as ten million tickets, used that basketball scheme to entice unsuspecting foals to play into our little game, then sold those extra tickets to desperate prize seekers outside of work hours?"

"Why yes, and out of all those prizes, the only one we have left is the custom-made flame guitar, which we have as a prop here in our storage room." Flim recalled. "We've had to sell the leather jacket and diamond studded collar to make do with our financial struggles, but what are you getting at, brother? How is that guitar going to help us take back our precious leopard gecko plush?"

"It's not the guitar itself, don't you remember how the old arcade back in Canterlot used to regularly host auctions for big prizes?" Flam explained. "Our boss instilled this promotion into the business to entice foals into greater competition for more arcade activity, resulting in more profit revenue, at the cost of a luxurious prize, of course."

"So, are you suggesting that we host one of these auctions, and while everyone's busy bidding on the grand prize, we take the opportunity to turn off the lights, and snatch our prize back from Sunset Shimmer's saddlebag?" Flim felt enticed by the idea. "It's brilliant, but we must make sure to get that dumb waitress off our cases by filling some orders. In the meantime, we must wait for Sunset and her friends to play the arcade games and win enough tickets anyways, before we go through with our plan."

"We'd better not screw it up this time, this could be our very last chance to become millionaires here in Equestria." Flam said with a serious tone. "What other plans could we resort to if even this fails, as well?"

"If this plan doesn't work out either, then I'm afraid we're going to have to go with our last resort." Flim said, as he took the finished pizzas out of the oven. "You know what I'm referring to, the modified animatronic that we've hidden below the disco dancefloor."

"But brother, we haven't tested that thing ever since we've tinkered with the inner components!" Flam reminded. "What if it malfunctions again?"

"We'll have to take that risk, whether we like it or not." Flim replied, as he used a pizza cutter to slice the pies up. "After all, that leopard gecko plush will still be worth astronomically more than anything else we could ever own."

While the Flim Flam brothers continued doing their usual job filling in orders, as they had predicted, Sunset and her entire group went off to participate in the various arcade games to win tickets. This was now their primary focus, as they all had more than enough food to last for quite a while, though Trixie believed she still had more room for peanut butter chocolate pizzas. Gallus, Silverstream, and Smolder had all entertained themselves with a few skeeball matches, and had drawn their interest towards a whack-a-mole game.

"So this is that whack-a-mole game you've been talking about." Silverstream said, as she picked up a mallet. "Don't you think Professor Fluttershy would be disapproving of us doing this?"

"They're not real moles though, you could instead think of them as... moles who hate stairs." Smolder teased.

"Ohhh, you shouldn't have said that, Smolder..." Gallus knew what was about to happen.

"HOW! DARE! YOU! HATE! STAAAAAAIRS!!!!" Silverstream repeatedly whacked every mole within a nanosecond, resulting in the machine spewing out hundreds of tickets.

"Well, I didn't think she'd go that far, but hey, looks like Silverstream's going to have no issue affording something at the prize counter." Smolder giggled. "I remember Ocellus mentioning they had dragon plushes here as well."

"Hmm, speaking of Ocellus, what do you suppose the rest of our friends are up to right now?" Gallus pondered.

As the group of friends continued indulging in the arcade games, Sour Sweet and the remaining three students were continuing their tour of Hope Hollow, given by Kerfuffle. Sandbar, Yona, and Ocellus had all learned so much history surrounding this town, that they even felt confident in teaching this knowledge to the rest of their friends and classmates, back at the School of Friendship.

"Finally, coming up to more recent events, this was where Mayor Sunny Skies had proposed to Petunia Petals, shortly after the Rainbow Generator returned color back to the town." Kerfuffle explained. "Sunny gave a heartfelt speech and asked for her hoof in marriage, which Petunia happily accepted. That about sums it up for the entire history of Hope Hollow."

"Well, it's been interesting to hear about Hope Hollow's history, but I wouldn't quite say that's the entire story." Sour Sweet said. "After all, shouldn't we add the incident from a few hours ago into the timeline? Sunset Shimmer and her six students triumphantly thwarting a giant red rhino monster from devouring the residents of this town."

"Hm, who's Sunset Shimmer?" Kerfuffle raised an eyebrow. "You mean the mare with the red and yellow fiery mane? But I could've sworn I heard Sunny Skies referring to her as 'Starlight'."

"Ah yes, about that..." Ocellus tried her best to explain. "Well, how to put this...?"

"A miscommunication between Sunset and the mayor aboard the Endtrak Express, let's just say." Sandbar clarified. "But no big deal, we all make mistakes from time to time. He does seem rather insistent that she's our school's headmare, Starlight Glimmer, but she's somepony else."

"She certainly no headmare of ours." Yona added. "Only best field trip chaperone!"

"Ah, I see." Kerfuffle giggled at the mayor's quirk. "Sunny always had an... interesting way to invite guests over to Hope Hollow. After all, he had to stretch the truth on the previous Rainbow Festival, just to entice Princess Twilight and her friends to pay a little visit."

"This is probably the most fun we've ever had on a field trip." Ocellus admired every aspect of this escape from school. "I don't know if Gallus, Smolder, Silverstream, and Miss Sunset are having as much fun as us, back at Slice-N-Shake."

Sour Sweet and her three students kept following Kerfuffle around with her tour, while gaming activities continued to commence within the aforementioned arcade. As the other three students were still playing skeeball and whack-a-mole, Sunset and Trixie both focused on the arcade's cabinet games. It was internally amusing for Sunset to realize that Equestria actually had video games as well, even if they seemed a lot less complicated as far as programming, compared to the Human World. She certainly never had the opportunity to experience these types of games when she was Princess Celestia's pupil, but was happy to finally live out what her fillyhood had truly missed out on.

"Yes, I got the high score on this asteroids game!" Sunset felt proud of her achievement. "That means I'll get the first place prize, 500 tickets!"

While Sunset was collecting her tickets from the machine, she noticed Trixie struggling heavily at a different arcade cabinet.

"Ugh, this game makes no sense!" Trixie huffed in frustration. "How in Equestria am I supposed to shuffle these cards around and figure out what card my volunteer from the audience had chosen!? These dumb cards on top are refusing to move!"

"Errr, Trixie?" Sunset began explaining the game's rules. "This isn't a card trick game, it's solitaire. You're supposed to move the cards on the bottom, and make each pile with the corresponding suit in ascending order."

"What now!?" Trixie looked back at her game's screen. "Then where's the number 1, 11, 12, and 13? All I see are some random letters in the midst of these numbers! It's like algebra class all over again, this is making my head hurt! Good thing I was smart enough to cheat on my math exams to make it through school, but either way, I'm playing some other game, not this ripoff!"

"Well in your defense, some games of solitaire are technically impossible to win." Sunset sympathized with Trixie's frustration. "But if you ask me, my biggest complaint about solitaire is how there's no card suits for princesses, only kings, queens, and jacks. Maybe this is why Celestia taught me that queens are evil."

While Sunset was helping Trixie get familiar with other arcade games, Babs and Sunflower had already played a good number of the sport-related challenges, including the mini-basketball shooters. After winning a bunch of tickets, the duo then brought their attention over to a High Striker minigame, testing the participant's physical strength.

"What do you think, Babs?" Sunflower encouraged her little sister. "We come from a long line of Apples, who've used their physical strength to harvest fruit for generations! Think you've got what it takes?"

"I sure won't let Cousin Applejack down, she'd be so disappointed in me if I mess this up!" Babs replied, determined, before swinging her mallet against the lever.

To her surprise, the lever ended up hitting the bell on top without any issue, resulting in the machine spewing out even more tickets to add to Babs' wad.

"Looks like my little sister's going to have a future in agriculture, back in Manehattan!" Sunflower commended. "What's your secret, how did you get the bell on the very first try?"

"Well as Applebloom once put it, I'm a Bad Seed, but bad in a good way." Babs reflected. "That mentality certainly made me grow thicker skin to stand up against my bullies, that's for sure."

Soon enough, while everyone was still in the process of winning games and earning tickets, the Flim Flam brothers knew that the right time had finally come. By this point, the brothers had finished preparing orders, much to Juniper Montage's relief, and forcibly closed down the dining area, as to not receive any further interruptions for their upcoming plan. Shortly after exiting the kitchen, the two stallions, clad in their mascot costumes, went over to the arcade's lighting controls, ready to dim the lights within the surrounding area. Everyone in the arcade took notice of this, unsure of what was going on. The arcade certainly wouldn't be closing so soon, especially since it was barely past noon, and the business hours clearly stated that they'd be closed at around 7:00 PM.

Everyone's questions would soon be answered, once they noticed the only neon lights visible on the stage at the center of the building. Many of the foals and residents of Hope Hollow looked over in curiosity, unsure if a concert was about to commence. After all, they could very easily see the presence of a flaming guitar on stage. Everyone in the arcade gathered around the stage through the darkness, completely pausing whatever activities they were previously doing. Sunset and her entire group slowly approached the front of the stage, and to Sunset specifically, she couldn't help but feel that something about the guitar seemed familiar. She wanted to believe she had seen it before, but where exactly? Shortly after, Flim came out from behind the stage with a microphone, ready to announce the arcade's auction.

"Ladies and gentlecolts, may I present to you, the grand prize for Slice-N-Shake's monthly auction!" Flim announced, holding up the flame guitar. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win this legendary piece of musical artwork, so don't miss out on your chance! A custom-built guitar, and the only one of it's kind, I assure you on that!"

"Hmm, if that's really a custom design for the guitar, why does that seem so familiar to me?" Sunset said to herself. "It's like I know I've seen it before..."

"That's odd." Juniper Montage pondered from the crowd. "I don't remember the arcade being scheduled to host one of these little auction events. Well, perhaps it was one of those last-minute changes."

Hearing this, it only furthered Sunset's suspicion that something fishy was going on, combined with the strange occurrences from earlier. Who were these stallions in the mouse mascot costumes, and what did they want, exactly? Although Sunset had these thoughts swimming through her mind, the rest of the audience stared on in awe at the magnificent-looking guitar.

"That's one sick guitar, reminds me of the Dragon Lands!" Smolder admired the visual design of the instrument.

"Such pretty flames, I wouldn't mind having it mounted on my wall!" Gallus added.

"Must be one of those vintage guitars from over 50 years ago!" Sunflower speculated.

"I've gotta have it!" Trixie insisted. "I wouldn't even mind spending 12,000 bits on such a guitar!"

"Now, now, I know you must all be excited to bid on this wonderous piece of musical history, but it'll come at a price of tickets, so... hopefully you've all played enough games to have a shot at winning it." Flim continued announcing. "Starting bid will begin at... 500 tickets. Go on and hit me with your bidding offers!"

"Oh oh, I'll give you 600 tickets, and a piece of gum I got from the concession stand!" Gallus put in an offer, as he held the aforementioned items in his claws.

"900 tickets, and a Hope Hollow lottery ticket!" Trixie put in her bid, and held up her lotto scratcher.

"I'll give you 2,000 tickets!" Sunflower made her offer, whilst holding up her winnings.

"4,000!" Silverstream held up all the tickets she won from her whack-a-mole games.

"I can top all of that, I'll give you my trout costume!" Rainbow Trout put in his offer.

"And I'll give you my husband!" Mrs. Hoofington added her bid to the ring as well. "We're getting a divorce, anyways!"

"Well, well, well, it seems like the bidding is heating up!" Flim said to the crowd, amused. "Whoever shall give us the most generous offer will be the rightful owner of this guitar!"

"I'm already out of tickets!?" Babs looked over her winnings. "I can't be out already, I know I've won more than this!"

"Still not enough tickets!" Smolder groaned in frustration after hearing the other bidders. "Maybe I have some extras in my bag, back over at the dining area! Good thing we dragons have evolved night vision built into our eyesight..."

Smolder flew away from the crowd, and back over to where she had remembered leaving her belongings. As the dragon reentered the dining area, she immediately noticed something out of the ordinary, despite the corner of the arcade appearing pitch-black to anyone else. Upon further inspection, she quietly snuck over towards what looked like a mouse mascot costume, presumably worn by one of the stallions from earlier. Although Smolder was able to perfectly locate where the rest of her tickets were, she paused for a moment to witness what this stallion was up to, believing there was something suspicious going on.

"Where is that dumb leopard gecko plush...?" Flam said, as he blindly kept moving his hoof around through the darkness. "I should've brought a flashlight, it's too dark to see which bag it's in! No matter, as soon as I snatch back this toy from that Sunset Shimmer, my brother and I won't ever have to worry about money ever again! And no one will stop me, since they're all too invested in that pathetic guitar, that's just made of cardboard, anyways..."

Smolder's eyes widened upon eavesdropping in the darkness, now fully understanding what was going on. The two stallions in the mascot costumes were none other than the Flim Flam brothers, and they were plotting to steal the same Señor G. Echo plush that Sunset had taken from them, according to the story their chaperone had coincidentally told them all before arriving to Hope Hollow. Knowing that she couldn't bear to let Miss Sunset become a victim to this incredibly petty theft, the dragon rushed back over to the crowd, searching all over for her chaperone, before it was too late.

Sunset herself didn't even bother putting in a bid, since she already had a gut feeling that something unusual was going on, and it didn't seem normal for the arcade to host an auction out of nowhere, according to the waitress. Her instinct would soon be proven right, as she turned to her side to take notice of Smolder returning, and the dragon looked like she had some urgent news.

"Smolder, there you are." Sunset said to her dragon student. "Did you find the extra tickets you needed?"

"Miss Sunset..." Smolder whispered, her eyes darting around nervously. "I found something sketchy going on, it's about your Señor G. Echo plush. I think these two mascot stallions are the Flim Flam brothers, remember when you and Celestia exposed their arcade scam back in Canterlot? I heard one of them talking in the dark, saying they're looking for it, and planning to snatch away the toy during this shady auction, which is just a diversion! He even mentioned that the guitar's a fake, it's made of cardboard!"

"Ah, so that's their plan, I knew their voices sounded familiar..." Sunset finally put two and two together. "I guess even after all these years, and the many times they've crossed paths with my friends, they just won't learn their lesson. But if they think they can outsmart the same filly from back then, now all grown up, they've got another thing coming. One of the brothers is on stage right now, so where's the other?"

"He's back over at the dining area, trying to find your plush in the darkness." Smolder recalled. "Unfortunately, everyone's way too distracted with this phony auction to pay them any mind, what should we do?"

As Sunset pondered this for a bit, trying to formulate a plan to combat this conundrum, she eventually came up with a clever way to potentially outsmart and expose these stallions for their true nature, much like she did with Madame Cinch. Sunset whispered in Smolder's ear, as the dragon gave a thumbs up, ready to work together with her field trip chaperone, and destroy this entire shady operation. The duo quietly left the crowd, as Smolder guided Sunset through the darkness, before they eventually located the controls for the building's lights. Smolder then flew over to the top of the stage, as Sunset awaited her cue from the dragon.

"Hey buddy, I just have to say, that's one incredibly special guitar you have there!" Smolder began playing along with the scheme.

"Oh, thank you, it's a one-of-a-kind beauty, isn't it?" Flim said, before continuing the auction. "Now, let's get down to business, shall we? If you can outbid our latest offer of 10,000 tickets, you may just be heading on home with-"

"A piece of cardboard that's not even close to what an actual guitar is!" Smolder pointed, as the entire crowd gasped.

"What!?" Flim said, aghast at the accusation. "Of course it's a real guitar, why would you believe otherwise?"

"It looks all cool and slick, but this is clearly some smoke and mirrors you're pulling here!" Smolder crossed her arms. "But if it isn't, then play me a chord on that so-called guitar, right now!"

Flim looked at the dragon with a nervous smile, trying to play it cool. He didn't want to make the same mistake he had made years ago, when Princess Celestia put him on the spot, only to expose him and his brother's scheme with the mini-basketball challenge. As such, he decided that the only thing he could do to buy his brother enough time, was continue stalling.

"Ah, a skeptical one, I see!" Flim nervously tried his best to stall. "But why pray tell, would I be lying to you all about this exquisite instrument?"

"Well, wouldn't that be the perfect diversion, while your brother is over by the dining tables, robbing the guests of Hope Hollow there?" Smolder pointed to the left, as Sunset knew it was her cue.

Sunset immediately flipped the switch that was labeled accordingly on the control box, and a bright spotlight shined atop the dining area where everyone in the arcade turned to their side and gasped in horror, upon seeing Flam supposedly looting the guests' saddlebags.

"Hey!" Trixie called out from within the crowd. "What do you think you're doing with my saddlebag!? Nopony robs the Great and Powerful Trixie, at least not without a fight!"

"This isn't what it looks like!" Flam panicked as the spotlight exposed his misdeed, dropping the saddlebag he had been rummaging through. "I was uh, simply checking for... loose change! It's all just a big misunderstanding, I swear!"

"And you know what else is a big misunderstanding?" Smolder reiterated, before grabbing the cardboard guitar from Flim, and easily snapping it it half. "Guitars aren't normally supposed to be as fragile as a paper mache project!"

"These two jerks were trying to cheat us all!" Sunflower exclaimed. "I can't believe I was about to fork over all my tickets, just for that sad excuse of a grand prize!"

"Let's get them!" Rainbow Trout began to start the riot. "We'll teach them how it's settled here in Hope Hollow!"

Flim's pupils shrank upon hearing this, now knowing that he and his brother were in a very bad spot. Sunset fully turned the lights back on, giving everyone in the building some clear line of sight with the two stallions, as the entire crowd began chasing after Flim. Flam was already preparing to barricade himself in the kitchen, but not before he let his brother inside, saving him from the crowd about to tear him to shreds. The brothers quickly barricaded the kitchen door with whatever furniture they could find, before making their escape through a secret compartment they had made for themselves. Now knowing that the arcade had an angry mob wanting to bring the two con artists to justice, the brothers decided it was finally time to follow through on their last resort.

"We can't get inside the kitchen!" Gallus frowned. "Those two are such cowards, tried to cheat us all, then won't even have the nerve to show their faces!"

"I always knew there was something off about those stallions when I landed the job here!" Juniper Montage added. "Now I definitely know where the rest of my server tips went!"

"The important thing is, we were able to expose them for the filthy liars they truly are." Sunset said to the rest of the arcade's guests. "This certainly isn't the first time they've tried to pull something like this, I guarantee you that much! At the very least, now that we've driven them away, it seems like that's the last we'll ever see of them and their shady schemes here in Hope Hollow!"

But just as Sunset said this, the arcade began shaking, almost as if there was a sudden earthquake. Everyone began to panic and run around frantically, unsure of what was happening. Before long, a majority of the guests looked over to their right, and saw that the disco dancefloor was opening up, and emerging from underneath was what looked like a massive, armed robot. Flim and Flam had finally brought out the big guns, and were now more determined than ever to reclaim what Sunset had taken from them, years ago.

"Get back, all of you!" Flim threatened, as he controlled the robot to advance towards the crowd. "This is between us and that pesky Sunset Shimmer! If you wish to stay out of harm's way, you will all leave the arcade right now!"

A majority of the crowd immediately ran from the arcade, not willing to risk their safety at the vengeful hooves of Flim and Flam. Although their arcade schemes had finally been exposed, they weren't quite through just yet, and were persistent to go through with their last resort. The gigantic animatronic robot walked all the way over towards the arcade's dining area, where Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, and Juniper Montage remained. Smolder, Gallus, Silverstream, Babs, and Sunflower all stayed behind in the arcade as well, but were a fair distance away.

Once the robot stood directly in front of Sunset, the brothers sneered at their newfound power, a monstrous metal behemoth towering over the same ponies who were about to riot against them. Flim and Flam had never felt more confident with their dominance, but Sunset stood her ground, realizing that even if these stallions wanted a fight, she'd be more than willing to oblige with their request. Soon enough, the brothers lifted their cockpit's window, getting a better view of their target through the robot's eyes.

"It's quite ironic to believe that we're about to settle everything within the same place where it all started, Sunset Shimmer!" Flam cackled, almost feeling ready to taste their sweet revenge. "You remember, when you just had to run to your mommy at that old Canterlot arcade, and ruined the careers we started!"

"Your CAREERS?" Sunset spoke up, ready to give the brothers a real verbal thrashing. "More like your short-lived stint at scamming innocent ponies! But if you truly believe that you can intimidate me with that contraption, then you're even more pathetic than I had given you credit for!"

"You think this is a game, hmm?" Flim grinned with malice. "You've always underestimated us, and now you're about to pay the price for your overconfidence and meddlesome ways! Just know that you've met your end at the hooves of the Flim Flam brothers, and that your mommy, Princess Celestia, won't be around to save you this time! You're finished, only one of us will be walking away from this battle, you hear!?"

"Celestia may not be here, but she has us on her side!" Trixie protested. "There's no way you'll become greater or more powerful with some dumb toy like that!"

"We won't hesitate to all team up and take you down!" Juniper nodded. "Especially after learning that you HAVE been stealing my tips!"

"No way we'll abandon Miss Sunset in her time of need!" Smolder joined in on the team.

"Best chaperone we've ever had!" Gallus continued the rally. "We stand by her side!"

"If you meanies think that machine will help you win this arcade game, you're wrong, you hear!?" Silverstream flew up and stared the brothers down.

"This isn't actually a game, but I'll never forgive myself for abandoning the pony who helped Applejack see Granny Smith before she was gone!" Sunflower chimed in.

"An Honorary Apple 'til the very end, we'll all show you what we do to bullies around here!" Babs roared.

"Awww, so you also know Applejack, whose family wrecked our Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 plan?" Flim turned his robot to the two Apples. "I guess this'll be an even sweeter victory to exact our vengeance upon you all! Behold, our latest invention, the FlimFlamtimus Prime! I hope you all enjoyed those meals that you had earlier, because they'll be your very last!!!"

Chapter 84: Cold Reception In Mustangia

After a wild adventure in Hope Hollow, Sunset and Sour Sweet had finally finished delivering on their promises for Princess Twilight and the six students. Everyone was now on a safe ride back to the School of Friendship aboard the Endtrak Express, and the return trip was expected to be much shorter, given the train still had plenty of fuel, and the Stagma Beetles were no longer a problem. Sunset also noted to herself that she still had no idea what exactly Indigo Zap was trying to accomplish back at Bridlewood Station, but it seemed inconsequential, especially compared to the other threats she had encountered throughout this entire field trip.

In a way, Sunset was almost somewhat relieved that she didn't encounter Chestnut Magnifico, but realized that time was running out. She was hoping to at least find a trace of her whereabouts throughout Equestria, and perhaps get a better idea on her motives, but the power-hungry pegasus was nowhere to be found. As such, Sunset could only hope that the rest of the council could provide some solid leads, once she returned. She also wasn't too afraid of confronting her head-on again, after using the Dragonstone's magic on herself, which granted magic draining immunity. Still though, it made next to no sense as to why this particular pegasus, who was nothing more than a movie actress in the Human World, had these spiteful motives.

Reflecting on the troublemakers she had just encountered, Flim and Flam were simply after a prized toy, but their motives didn't seem as extreme as that of Chestnut Magnifico's. Sunset also knew that since she herself hardly knew much about the Human Chestnut, who was mostly just a harmless actress, and none of her friends seemed to recognize this Pony Chestnut at all, there was definitely something unusual going on. It didn't seem to make a lot of sense as to why a random mare like Chestnut had such malicious motives, let alone committing crimes immediately right under Princess Twilight's rule.

As Sunset sat back in her train's cabin, she began reflecting on this, trying to come up with a potential theory as to what was really going on behind the scenes. However, in regards to where specifically Chestnut Magnifico had been hiding out, it was a place much closer to Sunset's past than she had truly realized, which was her old Ponyville home, owned by her father, Sunspot. In fact, Chestnut had already used a good chunk of her stolen riches to impress Sunspot, enticing him to feel convinced that she was the one, given how his marriages with Solstice and Stellar Flare ended up.

The stallion in question was now trotting around his home, expecting his partner to return soon, as they had important plans to discuss for their upcoming wedding. He had already been told that the event would be held at the Crystal Empire, which was fine enough, given Sunspot's eternal hatred for Canterlot and Princess Celestia. His persistent grudge on keeping a happy and lasting family was now his number one priority, even if it meant doing anything desperate to cut ties with his former children. Eventually, Sunspot heard a knock on his front door, and naturally went over to greet who he had expected. But unfortunately for the grouchy old stallion, upon opening the door, he ended up seeing a random unicorn mare, whom he hadn't recognized at all.

"Grrrr!" Sunspot growled, as he was ready to slam the door. "You're not my spouse, so why don't you buzz off!?"

"Excuse me?" Madame Cinch spoke up, using her hoof to block the door from closing. "Is that any way to talk to a fine mare like myself, who's made so much from doing beauty pageants in Manehattan over the years?"

"I don't care what you do with your time, and I'm not interested in hearing your life story." Sunspot narrowed his eyes. "What do you even want, this had better be important!"

"Well, if you want to be so direct, I'm looking for a certain somepony." Cinch spoke up. "Have you by any chance seen a unicorn mare with a fiery red and yellow mane, and orange fur?"

Sunspot's eyes widened upon being reminded of his first daughter again, who still brought him bitter and unhappy memories. He would never forget how Sunset Shimmer ended up becoming separated from him, and the even more gloomful effects it had on his familial relations later down the line. Recalling what eventually happened behind the scenes, after that incident with both his first and second ex-wife, the stallion refused to even comment or continue the topic.

"I think you should go, now!" Sunspot pushed Madame Cinch out of his doorframe and slammed the door shut, prompting the Madame to use her magic to teleport inside his home and continue prying.

"Well, that was an interesting reaction, now wasn't it?" Cinch said to Sunspot, as he now growled upon seeing an uninvited guest in his home. "Sounds like you do know a thing or two about this pony I've described, how's about you spill the beans? I'll even make it worth your while, if you'd like?"

"Fine...!" Sunspot crossed his hooves, huffing. "If it'll get you out of here and make me some money, then I'm all for it. Who even are you, anyways? Somepony from Canterlot coming to collect child support?"

"No need to worry about that, I'm just somepony who saw her during one of my most recent beauty pageants, that's all." Cinch began fabricating. "This particular unicorn is quite gifted, so I'd like to offer her a big trophy, and the grand prize of 10,000 bits. I'd just like to know her name, and where I might find her, so that I may deliver what she's truly earned. You have to admit, she's a particularly crafty and talented individual."

Sunspot's eye twitched upon hearing this, as he felt an inner rage build up within him, prompting him to knock a nearby shelf down from pure anger.

"It's ALWAYS been like this, I swear!" Sunspot screeched. "My children end up living their dream lives, while their old stallion of a father ends up being stuck as practically a BANK to let them pursue their passions, as the other half went to their mothers! And did they ever have the courtesy to write or visit!? No, they never did!"

"Are you feeling... alright, sir?" The Madame fluttered her eyes around the room, before making a realization. "Wait a minute, does this mean you're her father?"

"That's right, she's my daughter, Sunset Shimmer!" Sunspot finally admitted. "And I've had it up to here with ponies just waltzing in and out of my life, reminding me of all the mistake choices I've made over the years! She's clearly already made her own choices and moved on, well... so have I!"

"Listen to me, I'm not here to cause any trouble for you, sir." Cinch leaned in closer, a sly smile spreading across her face. "I'm merely a talent scout seeking to acknowledge this... Sunset Shimmer for her achievements, since I noticed she has quite the unique look. It's not every day you see a unicorn with such a vibrant mane and coat, she'd be quite the star in Manehattan."

"What's it to you, rewarding HER, even though I'm the stallion who brought her into this world!?" Sunspot continued. "If anything, you should give those 10,000 bits to ME, instead! Oh wait, that's right, nopony ever cares about the old stallion past his prime, what does he expect to become, a supermodel at this age!?"

"Her unique look is precisely what I'm interested in." The Madame kept pushing on. "And who knows, with the right connections, she could be more than just a star in Manehattan, why, she could be the next biggest thing, even surpassing Countess Coloratura! All I'd like to know is where I might be able to find your daughter, so I can continue building up her potential career?"

"Will you QUIT calling her my daughter!?" Sunspot stomped his hoof on the floor. "She has absolutely no idea what her mere existence ended up doing to my life, and I'm sure that even if she did, she wouldn't feel the least bit sorry for me! Her school made it clear that she never got along with her classmates, her only merits being good grades! But what does it matter now, since she'll never understand the pain, suffering, and loneliness that'll stick with me, forever! Maybe it's for the better that I don't tell you where she is, because why would I be happy to hear that you're about to reward the very filly that I've disowned!?"

"Okay, that's enough, I'm just going to be frank with you." Cinch rolled her eyes, unwilling to be this stallion's therapist. "Since you've made it pretty clear that you hate your daughter, this... Sunset Shimmer, what will it take for you to give me a lead regarding her whereabouts? Because I lied about everything I just said, I actually want to confront her for some revenge, considering she ended up ruining my perfect life, as well."

"I don't care whatever you do with her, she's not my daughter anymore, how many times do I have to tell you!?!" Sunspot snapped. "Besides, heck if I know where she lives nowadays, it's not like she ever bothered to write back or keep her old stallion updated! Now, a deal's a deal, I've told you her name, so you either cough up some bits right now, or I'm going to do to you, what I've always wanted to do to my second ex-wife!"

"Now, now, let's not get hasty." Cinch cautioned herself at this stallion's coarseness. "I can see you're in a bit of a tough spot, financially speaking, but I don't feel particularly compelled to give you even a single bit, with how rude you've been acting. You're so dumb for not asking for payment upfront, you know that, right?"

Hearing this, Sunspot's eye twitched again, prompting him to stomp his way over to the dining area, as he picked up one of the chairs, ready to get even meaner than he already was.

"GET OUTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!" Sunspot screamed, as he whacked Madame Cinch over the head with his chair, prompting her to scurry outside before things got even uglier. "And if you even DARE come back here, let's just say nopony will recognize you at your next so-called beauty pageant!"

Madame Cinch stumbled out through the house's back door, the chair's collision leaving a small bruise on her head, but she was more shaken by the stallion's outburst than any physical pain. She took a deep breath and brushed herself off, her eyes narrowing in determination as she watched the door slam shut. The Madame had not anticipated such a hostile reaction, but she had learned something valuable from her encounter, even though she still lacked vital information on where in Equestria to search for Sunset.

Sunspot meanwhile, tried his best to calm himself down, as he then heard hoofsteps approaching his front door. This time when he answered the door, it was finally who the bitter stallion had been expecting, accompanied by his new daughter. Chestnut Magnifico had been quite busy with her 'work', but specifically kept her new alicorn powers hidden from Sunspot, as to not draw any suspicion. She had done this by using her magic to make her new horn appear invisible, giving the impression that she was still the same old pegasus mare he had met a couple of years ago. As Chestnut and Lily entered the house, the mare questioned Sunspot on those unusual sounds before showing up.

"Honey, is everything okay?" Chestnut Magnifico began with a faux sweet tone. "I could've sworn I just heard a bunch of yelling and loud noises, who was that, exactly?"

"Some solicitor or homeless mare, that'd be my best guess." Sunspot replied, before focusing on what he had been meaning to ask his soon-to-be spouse. "Either way, you're home earlier than expected. I trust that your new promotion at work has given you a hefty salary for today?"

"Oh darling, you know I wouldn't keep you waiting." Chestnut assured, as she went into her saddlebag to show the stallion her 'earnings' from today. "Look at that, 500 bits, and all I had to do was sell somepony in Hope Hollow a yellow lizard toy. This was just a tip, while my actual salary from my promotion is five times that amount. Have I proven to you now that with this kind of financial stability, our imminent marriage will be the greatest decision you've ever made? Why, we could even afford the most luxurious lifestyle for our daughter Lily, here."

The filly in question shuttered in fear upon hearing her name, as she fully knew well that her so-called mother had other plans for her stolen riches. She was also under the impression that her father had no idea that those bits were either stolen or collected with underhanded schemes, but knew that for her own safety, she had to keep quiet about everything. Lily gave a weak smile upon looking up to Chestnut, and nodding slightly.

"That reminds me, are you really sure that 'Lily' is the correct name for her?" Sunspot spoke up. "Ever since she came into my life, I've gotten pretty used to just calling her my daughter, and not giving her an actual name, out of preference."

"Ah yes, it's a pretty fitting name for her, and better than anything I could ever come up with." Chestnut replied. "Could you maybe remind me why you chose not to give her a name, the day she was born?"

"It's simple, I've always feared that if I gave my children the wrong name, it might send them on a destiny that destroys everything I've built for them." Sunspot reflected. "Why else would my previous daughter and son both go off to study magic, and abandon me like the selfish brats they've always been?"

"Darling, you're overthinking it." Chestnut leaned in closer to give Sunspot a comforting nuzzle, while her inner thoughts raced with the dark intentions she had for the helpless filly in question. "Lily is a beautiful name, and she seems quite content with it. Besides, you know what they say, a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, right? But let's not dwell on the past, especially considering today is finally our big day. You're absolutely convinced that despite your awful previous marriages, that I'm the special one for you, who's able to provide financial and emotional support, through thick and thin?"

"Why yes, I am." Sunspot reflected his entire life up until this point. "You've been nothing but kind to me, and to Lily, and I can see that you truly care about us. My debts, burdens, and sacrifices that were all in vain, they all vanished the day I met you. I've made some horrendous mistakes in the past, failing my first two children and marriages, until the day you showed up, and turned my life around. Needless to say, I had quite the number of trust issues throughout my midlife crisis."

"You don't need to be hard on yourself for the past." Chestnut said, her voice coated with a layer of false affection, as she knew all too well how to play this game. "We all make mistakes, and what's important is that we learn from them. You've certainly learned to recognize true beauty and grace when you see it, so let's just focus on our future together, shall we? We're due to have our private wedding at the Crystal Empire in a few hours, so why don't we get dressed and have the most memorable day of our lives?"

Sunspot experienced a peculiar mix of excitement and unease, since he had never felt this way before, not even with his previous wives. Something about Chestnut just seemed too good to be true, but he pushed those thoughts aside, reminding himself of the happiness she had brought to him and Lily.

"You're absolutely right, my dear." Sunspot bowed to Chestnut out of respect. "Let's do this, I've got the perfect suit in mind, up in my room. This is absolutely going to be the start of a brand new era, I can already picture it all!"

"Excellent." Chestnut grinned, but felt the need to remind Sunspot of what she was truly after. "I just want to be clear, however. Given everything that I've sacrificed to help turn your life around, you do remember what I had asked of you, the day you finally proposed to me? Am I to understand that once we make our vows, you'll hold up your end of the bargain?"

Sunspot froze for a moment, recalling the dark deal he had made with Chestnut. He agreed to cut all ties with his previous family, and to never speak of them again, in exchange for her love and the financial stability she had provided. It was a steep price, but he had been so desperate for happiness, he had overlooked the potential consequences.

"Yes, of course, darling." Sunspot nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes to ensure our future is bright and prosperous, just like the stars we're going to be under tonight. Nopony from my previous families will be there, it'll just be us and Lily, the perfect private wedding where we will seal the deal and live peacefully from this point on!"

"I do recall you making that oath to me back then, and while that is still very important for me, it isn't quite what I was referring to." Chestnut tried her best to explain. "Do you remember mentioning how one of your ancestors, whom specialized in studying ancient magic, passed down a supposed family heirloom? And that to this day, you still have it lying around your home, sealed away in a magical safe, which only you have access to?"

"You mean... the special gold necklace?" Sunspot deduced. "The one that my own father passed down to me, which I made an oath to protect and never take out, no matter the circumstances?"

"Ah yes, that very one." Chestnut's eyes gleamed with greed, but she kept her smile sweet. "I know how much it means to you and your past relatives, but I assure you, I only wish to borrow it for the wedding, especially after you showed me a picture of what it looks like. It's such a stunning piece of jewelry, and I believe it would truly represent our union, the joining of two families, and the promise of prosperity."

"I'll admit, both my father and grandfather told me to keep this necklace safe from anypony else, but they never explained what the reason was." Sunspot reflected. "I'd imagine in that case, it's only for sentimental reasons, considering this necklace must be at least several centuries old. You just want to... wear it for our wedding?"

"It's just for a short while, darling." Chestnut continued persuading the stallion. "Besides, you've shown me that you're quite the reliable stallion, so I know you'll keep your word about protecting the necklace itself. As for me, I promise to handle it with the utmost care. Think of this as... one final test to prove you're truly committed in this relationship, especially considering all I've sacrificed for you and our daughter."

Sunspot felt a sudden wave of hesitation wash over him, as this particular necklace had always been something sacred, a piece of his family's history that had been passed down through many generations. But at the same time, desperate times called for desperate measures, considering he himself was now a washed up old stallion who had already been through two divorces, and was surely past his prime. The idea of completely starting over for a new relationship seemed out of the question, and next to impossible. Sunspot glanced over at Chestnut, who looked up at him with hopeful eyes, as he knew he couldn't let her down.

"Alright, you win, honey." Sunspot agreed with a heavy sigh, his heart feeling like it was being squeezed in a vice. "I'll get it for you, but just for the wedding, and you better take good care of it. I only ask for one condition of you, in order to make this work. That you will wear it only after we've made our vows, and we begin posing for our wedding photos."

"Of course, I'd be happy to make that promise." Chestnut agreed, before she spoke in a subtle riddle, pointing towards what she was truly after. "Besides, a necklace is just a necklace, isn't it? It's what's inside that truly counts."

"In that case, I suppose we should pick up our train tickets and leave for the Crystal Empire." Sunspot began. "I'll bring the necklace box with me, and when we get there, it'll just be you, me, Lily, and a plethora of unpleasant memories behind us all."

Chestnut Magnifico nodded understandingly, her eyes shimmering with a mix of greed and satisfaction, as Sunspot trotted upstairs to his room. The mare had done her research, and she knew that the necklace was no ordinary heirloom, it was the key to a forgotten and powerful magic that could change the balance of Equestria, and she intended to harness it. She gave Sunspot a gentle smile, her heart fluttering with excitement.

"Lily." Chestnut turned to her daughter with a stern demeanor. "Get dressed for the wedding, and you'd better be on your best behavior, you hear?"

"Y-Yes, mommy." Lily obeyed, her eyes wide with fear as she retreated to her room.

"It's just a shame that my recent scanning of Hope Hollow found no trace of this other thing I was after." Chestnut said to herself, believing there was nopony around to overhear her. "Luckily, I got out of there just in time, before that meddling Sunset pony could show up."

As Chestnut trotted upstairs to get changed as well, she was unaware that there was somepony nearby, eavesdropping from an open window, to gather what little information she could about Sunset's whereabouts. Madame Cinch grinned at overhearing that she would most likely find Sunset at this Hope Hollow place, as it was now only a matter of finding directions and an efficient form of transportation.

"So that's where this... Sunset Shimmer is hiding out at." Madame Cinch began formulating her devious plan, as she ran from the house. "I don't care how many bits I'll have to spend to get there, the sweet taste of vengeance for soiling my perfect Manehattan reputation will be absolutely priceless!"

The Madame was so bent on exacting her revenge on Sunset, that she failed to take notice of her surroundings, enough to where she came across something dubious laying on the ground. It was only after splattering one of her front hooves into the brown substance in front of her, that her eyes widened in both shock and disgust, hoping it was not what she immediately thought it was. Two nearby mares took notice of this, and went up to the Madame to explain everything.

"Ugh, you see?" K-Lo sighed in frustration upon seeing this unfortunate event. "I told you that this could happen, and it's just plain unsanitary!"

"We're so sorry about this, ma'am." Su-Z apologized on behalf of her helper. "One of our diamond dog movers had some really bad tacos for lunch, and we couldn't find a nearby restroom in time for him to... well, you get the idea."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Madame Cinch screeched at the top of her lungs upon hearing this, prompting the Postcrush mares to scurry away out of pure instinct.

By this point, the Endtrak Express had already made it all the way back to Ponyville, with Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the students preparing to depart the train. Sunburst and Starlight Glimmer were waiting by the station's platform, ready to escort the students back to the School of Friendship. Upon exiting the train, the duo could see that everyone was not only present and accounted for, but also quite happy, giving off the impression that Sunset had done a great job chaperoning the students. Once the remaining passengers disembarked, the Endtrak Express was ready to take off once more, but not before Torque Wrench and Mr. Ramsay came over to the train's exit, wanting to express their gratitude one last time.

"Always remember, anytime you feel like returning to Hope Hollow, you're more than welcome to, Starlight." Torque said to Sunset. "We'll be happy to have you."

Although both Sunset and the students had already gotten used to this by now, Sour Sweet, Sunburst, and Starlight herself were rather confused upon hearing this.

"Miss Torque, did I just hear that correctly?" Mr. Ramsay questioned, just as bewildered. "Did you just refer to Miss Sunset Shimmer here as... I don't understand how you came to that conclusion."

"MY name is Starlight." The actual Starlight spoke up. "But... yeah, this is Sunset."

"Wait, really?" Torque tried to shake the confusion off of her. "I could've sworn he kept calling you... never mind then. The point still stands, I believe we speak for all the residents, that we'd welcome you back in open hooves, Sunset."

"Agreed, you certainly seem to have made quite an impression on Hope Hollow." Mr. Ramsay added. "It's not every day somepony saves the town from both a giant rhino monster and rampaging robot."

"Well, I did have a bit of help." Sunset replied with a warm smile, nudging Sour Sweet gently. "Couldn't have done it without all of you, especially this one."

"It was nothing, really." Sour Sweet tried to stay modest. "You're the hero here, Sunset."

Everyone waved goodbye to both Torque Wrench and Mr. Ramsay, as the Endtrak Express began making its way back to Hope Hollow, once more. Sunset then turned to Sunburst and Starlight, who were still rather confused at what they just heard a few moments ago.

"Well, I'm glad to see that all the students made it back safely, and it sounded like you had quite the adventure, but... what was that all about?" Sunburst raised an eyebrow. "Why did that mare just call you 'Starlight'?"

"Long story, let's just say." Sunset giggled, before turning to her students. "And as for how the field trip itself went, well, why don't you all tell them about your experience?"

"It was awesome!" Sandbar exclaimed in enthusiasm. "We got to see a whole other town, and we even met some cool ponies along the way!"

"We learned a bunch about teamwork and friendship!" Gallus added. "Way more than we usually do, and we didn't even have to study for it!"

"It was quite an educational trip indeed." Ocellus chimed in. "I discovered that sometimes, the most important lessons come from the most unexpected places."

"Food was incredible!" Yona hopped up and down. "Chef Pony gave Yona delicious sticky toffee pudding, many more better than Yakyakistan Brûlée!"

"It's been a while since I've had some good pizza, and Slice-N-Shake certainly didn't disappoint." Smolder folded her arms, satisfied. "You really oughta try a slice, best crust I've ever had."

"I taught some evil moles a thing or two about hating stairs." Silverstream recollected. "Other than that, the arcade's milkshakes are just as amazing!"

"Well then, sounds like we truly lucked out with you volunteering to take our students on this trip, Sunset." Starlight commended. "But now, it's time to get everyone back to the School of Friendship, where I'm sure we have some lessons to catch up on. Plus, I bet the rest of their classmates can't wait to hear all about what happened in detail."

"I'll escort the students back to the school." Sunburst rounded up the six students, as he led them away from the train station. "Starlight, could you bring Sunset and Sour Sweet over to Twilight? She should be waiting over at the Castle of Friendship, alongside the rest of the council."

"I'm on it." Starlight nodded, as she accompanied the two mares to the aforementioned castle. "We've got some... pretty urgent matters to discuss, let's just say."

When the trio of mares made it all the way back to the castle, Twilight and her friends all looked over, happy to see that Sunset and Sour Sweet were able to return safely. The princess anticipated that since the rest of the council was here, it was the perfect opportunity to discuss their next step, concerning the new potential threats to Equestria. Although Chestnut Magnifico seemed like their biggest priority, Twilight believed it wasn't wise to ignore the other dangers.

"Sunset, Sour Sweet, welcome back!" Twilight called over, her eyes sparkling with excitement and a hint of relief. "I take it the field trip went rather smoothly, and the students were never put in harm's way?"

"Well actually, I wouldn't 100% say that was the case, Princess." Sour Sweet spoke up.

"What!?" Twilight's eyes widened, as she raised her wings in hostility. "Sour Sweet, I gave you a serious warning to improve on your behavior, and you're telling me the students were in danger!? What did you do to them!?"

"Twilight!" Sunset immediately tried to deescalate things. "You misunderstand completely, we all experienced several dangers throughout the trip, but they were completely out of our control. Sour Sweet was actually the one who helped us out of a tight spot, and the students themselves fought off a big red monster we encountered."

"Big red monster?" Applejack questioned. "It couldn't have been Lord Tirek, could it? I reckoned he's still resting within a stone prison in Tartarus to this very day."

"It wasn't him, that's for sure." Sunset explained. "On the train ride there, we all encountered a huge horde of Stagma Beetles, and well... if it wasn't for everyone's contributions, including Sour Sweet's, we'd all be entrées to those vile bugs by now."

"Wait, so you not only encountered the Stagma Beetles, but managed to completely overpower them?" Starlight's eyes widened with surprise. "Ironically, we were almost hoping that you wouldn't have the misfortune of running into those mysterious bugs, but it sounds like everything worked out in the end."

"Ah, well, that's certainly more than I bargained for when I approved this trip." Twilight said with a nervous chuckle. "I suppose we should be grateful for any experience that reinforces the importance of teamwork and friendship, even if it's an unexpected one."

"The encounter with the Stagma Beetles was... enlightening, to say the least." Sunset reflected. "It tested us all, but we came out stronger because of it. And as for Sour Sweet, she's really turned over a new leaf. I hadn't realized she was so selfless and brave, but then again, I suppose it's expected, given she was a royal guard."

"It was nothing, really." Sour Sweet said with a smile, looking down at her hooves briefly. "I just knew I couldn't let any of you down, especially not when you've all been so kind to me. I've come to realize now that there's a way to embrace hospitality, while still serving my duties to protect Equestria, and that I always had a tendency to lean towards the sour side."

"Sour Sweet... actually embodying the true values of being a part of the E.U.P?" Twilight observed. "In that case, Sour Sweet, I'm so sorry for lashing out at you like that. I was almost under the impression that you deliberately put the students in danger, but that's not what it sounds like now, according to Sunset."

"Princess, it's quite alright." Sour Sweet looked up at Twilight. "I know I haven't always been the most agreeable, but I assure you, I've learned quite a bit on this journey, and I'm striving to be a better pony. As for Sunset, she managed to open my eyes and understand my complexity, and I couldn't have asked for a better... friend in this whole ordeal."

"That makes two of us." Rainbow reminded. "I'm telling you, Sunset really knows how to be a true friend in the toughest of times. If she was here with us months ago, she probably could've even convinced Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow to accept friendship as well."

"I'm flattered you think that way, Rainbow." Sunset replied. "But I wouldn't really say I'd be a miracle worker in that sense, rather just... extending my empathy and understanding to those whom I feel deserve it."

"Well, I'd still say that makes you more special than the rest of us, darling." Rarity commended. "I must admit, some of us don't really empathize with others as much as we really should."

"Speaking of special, did you all check out the bakery in Hope Hollow?" Pinkie questioned with curiosity. "They had the most amazing apricot pies ever! It's like they were baked with nothing but happiness!"

"Errr... Pinkie?" Twilight ceased the conversation for a moment. "As much as we would love to hear all about Sunset's journey on that field trip, I'm afraid we'll have to save it for another day, given how time is of the essence. This meeting is mostly to let Sunset in on the newest threats to Equestria, before we move out with our respective search parties. As for you, Sour Sweet, I've heard everything I needed to hear to determine that you are officially free to go. Please go wait in the room next door, and once our meeting is finished, I shall escort you back to Canterlot myself, and settle things with the other royal guards for you."

"Yes, Princess." Sour Sweet nodded her head respectfully, before leaving the room.

"Alright, Sunset." Twilight turned back to her friend. "Now that we're all here, and going off of what you just reported back, we actually have two threats on our hooves. Obviously, one of them is Chestnut Magnifico herself, but the other entails... something we accidentally did ourselves, as a result of activating the Dragonstone. I went to consult Celestia myself, and unfortunately learned too late, that when we absorbed the Dragonstone's magic, we also broke a curse on the artifact, which was linked to a mysterious fire alicorn."

"So, we're dealing with not one, but two powerful beings that could potentially destroy Equestria?" Sunset glanced around the room at her friends, who all shared her concern. "What do we know about this fire alicorn, this is admittedly the first time I've ever heard of such a being existing."

"I've read a bit about them in some ancient texts." Twilight continued. "They're rare, almost like a phoenix, and supposedly, they appear in times of great need. Or at least, when a great injustice has been committed, but I've never heard of one that would be a danger to Equestria. Celestia and Luna mentioned that they once knew somepony in particular, back when they lived in their old hometown of Skyros, where this pony claimed she would do everything in her will to become the most powerful fire alicorn in Equestria. Likely out of jealousy, or for the same reasons that Lord Tirek had, when he drained everypony's magic."

"I always believed that alicorns were supposed to be the guardians of Equestria, the ones that keep our fires burning, and our harmony connected." Fluttershy gave her input. "Why would one of them want to do such a terrible thing?"

"They must have their reasons, considering how Luna once became Nightmare Moon." Twilight reminded, before turning back to Sunset. "Fortunately, I was able to find this book, which describes everything important that we'd want to know, considering this is a foe that none of us have ever faced before. This section right here, I've bookmarked, because it's the only known knowledge regarding fire alicorns that I'm aware of. There might possibly be more leads in the restricted section, but I'm just worried we won't have enough time to read up on everything, before it's too late."

Sunset nodded gravely as she took in the information, her eyes scanning the book with intense focus. This admittedly almost seemed like a privilege for her, being able to learn seemingly forbidden magic that was out of her area of expertise, much like she once did with the magic mirror. The book's page mostly described the magical abilities of a fire alicorn, along with how they're able to enhance their strength with dragon fire. Eventually, Sunset scanned a paragraph of the last page, which astonished her so much, that she felt the need to read it aloud.

"Since fire alicorns entail using an elemental magic from a different species, it is considered forbidden to utilize these arts in your studies." Sunset read, as she continued reading on. "The magic is capable of altering one's physical body, and the amount of dragon fire absorbed will manifest. Eventually, the assimilation would cause the user to become warped beyond recognition, coming with a taxing mental and magical cost. If the user complies with these sacrifices of their mental sanity and natural magic, an ancient ritual is performed, granting full access to the special abilities of a fire alicorn, including exclusive spells. But if the user does not willingly comply to sacrifice these necessities, once the ritual has begun, they instead get sent to the... Den of Disharmony?"

Twilight and everypony else looked to each other with concern, as they had mostly only been discussing strategies on how they could team up to fight this unknown threat. Hearing this, although most of them had no idea what this forbidden ritual and transformation truly entailed, it seemed much more serious than any other foe they've faced in the past.

"The Den of Disharmony... dare I even ask what that is?" Sunset turned back to Twilight.

"I don't know much about this place either, but I do vaguely recall Celestia mentioning it, when I questioned her about other potential threats I should be aware of, once she stepped down." Twilight began explaining. "Supposedly, the Den of Disharmony is a realm of havoc and malice, where those who seek power through forbidden means end up getting casted to, as a form of punishment, it's like... the complete antithesis of the School of Friendship. Even though it sounds like Tartarus to an extent, it makes even Tartarus itself seem like a luxury hotel in comparison. The realm is completely populated with strong and vicious monsters, with powers far beyond those that are locked away in Tartarus, but luckily, as far as I'm aware, we've never had the misfortune of encountering any being associated with that realm."

"Well, if we're dealin' with a foe that's got a taste for such power, we've got our work cut out for us." Applejack chimed in. "But if there's one thing I've learned from being around you all, it's that no matter what we face, we're stronger together."

"So let's get to it." Rainbow encouraged. "What's the plan to stop this fire alicorn before they start wreakin' havoc?"

"First thing we must do is locate her." Twilight instructed. "The book mentions that fire alicorns are drawn to places of intense heat and magical activity. We should start with the volcanic regions of Equestria, I'll coordinate with the royal guards of Canterlot and organize search parties. As for the Bewitching Bell, we shouldn't have to worry about that anymore, now that we've absorbed the Dragonstone's dragon fire."

"Wait a minute, Twilight." Starlight gave her own input. "You mean that we should call off the search for Chestnut Magnifico, and prioritize finding the fire alicorn?"

"We didn't have the opportunity to do much searching at all, given our duties at the School of Friendship." Fluttershy reminded. "And with what little searching we did do, we couldn't find traces of any suspicious activity going on throughout Equestria."

"Maybe we could throw a party, and invite the fire alicorn, too?" Pinkie suggested. "If we show her how much fun we can have with friendship, she might not want to be all grumpy and mean anymore!"

"As simple of a solution as that would be, I'd imagine that's most likely not going to be an option, Pinkie." Sunset replied, before thinking of what she herself could do to contribute. "With what little time left I have in Equestria, and no solid leads on where to find either Chestnut Magnifico or this fire alicorn, I'm not really sure where we should start looking."

"Well, darling, I've got quite the extensive network of acquaintances across Equestria, perhaps one of them has seen or heard something that could point us in the right direction?" Rarity suggested with a hint of optimism in her voice. "Besides, I've always had a knack for piecing together puzzles, and it seems we've got quite the mystery on our hooves here."

"To answer your question, Starlight, I don't believe we should immediately dismiss Chestnut, now that we have the perfect opportunity to search around Equestria as a team." Twilight said, after giving it some deep thought. "Whether it's Chestnut or this fire alicorn, we'll need to eventually report back any new revelations we've discovered on our own time, which will strengthen our chances. When the time comes, the ones who encounter either threat will gather the best team they can assemble, and it will be important to put a stop to them as soon as possible. I fear that if we give either of these foes enough time to gather their strength, we'll be far too late to stop them all, together. Should it come to pass that the fire alicorn ends up escaping, I shall look into casting a special protection spell around Equestria, which will limit their powers and protect us all for some time. Does anypony have any objections?"

"None from me, Twilight." Rainbow replied. "If we can split up and cover more ground, then we've got a better shot at finding either of them. Just tell me where to go, and I'll be there faster than a shooting star!"

"Rainbow Dash and I will investigate the dragon lands, since you mentioned that's the first place we would likely find a supposed fire alicorn." Applejack suggested.

"Pinkie and I could perhaps scope out Las Pegasus, considering this Chestnut Magnifico pony has a real liking to the finer things in life." Rarity volunteered.

"She'd better not be crashing somepony else's birthday party, or else I'm going to be REALLY angry." Pinkie added.

"I'm leaning more towards volcanic regions, especially since I recently came out of one myself, back on Everfree Island." Twilight proposed. "Fluttershy, think you can come with me, in case there's dragons that will act hostile towards us?"

"Of course, Twilight." Fluttershy agreed. "I'll do my best to keep everyone safe, and I'll talk to the dragons if we need to. Maybe they've heard something about this fire alicorn."

"Alright, then that just leaves Starlight and I." Sunset looked towards the aforementioned unicorn. "Do you have any idea where we should go to investigate?"

"I'm still thinking of a potential area, but I'm sure we can figure something out." Starlight kept pondering. "We'll get back to you on that decision, Twilight. The worst thing we can do is give either Chestnut or this fire alicorn more time. Dwelling on where we'll search will only make our chances slimmer, so you should all go on ahead to your respective destinations."

"That's true." Twilight nodded. "It's decided, then. Starlight, you are to accompany Sunset wherever she goes, and use your magic to protect her, should she come across any unexpected threats. She already lost her horn thanks to the Bewitching Bell, so it's absolutely essential that you stick together at all times."

"Of course, Twilight." Starlight nodded. "I'm more than ready to protect Sunset, I've learned so much from her, and I owe it to her to keep her safe. Besides, together, we make a pretty unbeatable team, I'm sure we can handle anything thrown our way."

"And Sunset, I can't stress this enough." Twilight gave a friendly reminder. "I know things look dire for Equestria right now, but if you ever feel the need to return back to the Human World for your graduation at CHS, please, always remember that you are more than welcome to. The last thing any of us would want to do, is rob you of your opportunity to attend such an important event, due to circumstances outside of your control. If you believe time is too tight on your end, by all means, use the mirror to return there. The mirror's now located in the Canterlot library's restricted section, and I've specifically instructed Mr. Steele to let you in, just in case you forgot how to get inside."

"Thanks for understanding, Twilight." Sunset responded. "But right now, I'm all in for Equestria, I just know that deep down, I can't leave Equestria behind when everything's become this urgent. Plus, I've got Starlight by my side, and I've got full trust in her to keep me safe. As for everypony else, I wish you all the best of luck, please stay safe."

Hearing this, Twilight knew it was finally time to conduct the ultimate search party. Everyone now had their objectives in mind, and understood that for the sake of Equestria, both of these threats needed to be dealt with.

"Move out!" Twilight instructed the rest of the council, as six of the eight ponies went off in opposite directions, leaving only Sunset and Starlight behind. Twilight also retrieved Sour Sweet, as she needed to bring the former royal guard back to Canterlot. Sunset meanwhile, trotted around the castle's meeting room, knowing that any false leads would only waste their already limited time, which was certainly not an option, given that there were now two different threats lurking around Equestria.

"I'm really not sure where we should investigate." Sunset kept pondering. "Equestria's a huge place, and if even the rest of the council hasn't found anything suspicious that would indicate the presence of either threat, we can't just hastily pick a place, only to find nothing."

"Don't worry, Sunset." Starlight assured. "I know we're under pressure, but let's take a moment to think strategically. If we can't decide on a specific location, then we should go somewhere that might provide us with more information or hints. Perhaps we should check the map?"

"I think I may still have a map in my saddlebag, let me check real fast." Sunset began searching through her satchel.

"No no, not that map." Starlight began pointing towards the map she was referring to. "This one, in front of all the chairs. I know at first glance it just looks like a crystal table with some projected images, but the rest of the council and I have been using this map for a while now. It's been sending us to specific areas across Equestria to solve various friendship problems."

"Oh yeah." Sunset trotted over to the Friendship Map. "I think I remember Twilight writing to me about this, and she amusingly mentioned that it felt like a fancier version of what she used to do, writing to Celestia about what she's learned about friendship every single week. Hmm, and this is the first time I'm seeing it for myself, how does this work, exactly?"

"For the most part, as far as I'm aware, it's pretty much random whenever the map calls on any of us for a specific friendship problem." Starlight began. "Supposedly, whenever a friendship problem crops up, our cutie marks glow, and when we check the map, it'll point us to a specific area in Equestria. The tricky bit being, it won't directly tell you what exactly the friendship problem entails, nor who specifically it'll involve. We have to figure it out on our own, but I suppose that's the point, to give ourselves more experience."

"Sounds pretty interesting, but I don't really think that's going to help our current situation." Sunset said. "I mean, unless the map is just going to specifically point me to a region of Equestria we should investigate, it's probably none of our concern."

But just as Sunset said this, she noticed a strange glow emitting around her. Unsure of what was going on, she instinctively questioned the only thing on her mind.

"What's going on, is this an effect from the Dragonstone?" Sunset looked around.

"Sunset, look!" Starlight pointed at Sunset's flank. "Your cutie mark!"

A projection of Sunset's cutie mark flew around the room, emanating sparkles, before eventually settling down onto the map itself. The two mares looked to each other in astonishment at both the timing and convenience.

"Looks like I spoke too soon, perhaps this is a sign that we actually have a lead, after all!" Sunset watched her cutie mark transcend. "It's... only my cutie mark too, as if the map believes I'm the only one who can solve this friendship problem. Well, I've technically solved a number of friendship problems throughout this entire journey already, but this is the first time the map itself is calling me. Where's it pointing us to, specifically?"

"According to the map, it looks like... Mustangia." Starlight's eyes widened, before groaning. "Great, out of all places in Equestria, it wants us to go there?"

"Hmm, I remember vaguely hearing about Mustangia from somepony else." Sunset alluded to when she met Pony Wallflower Blush. "What seems to be the problem with Mustangia, did you happen to have a fight with somepony there?"

"Well, Mustangia is known for their... unique take on friendship, to say the least." Starlight rolled her eyes. "They're rather independent and exclusive, which can sometimes lead to less cooperation than we'd like to see. More specifically, Twilight and I have met with their town's sheriff, and she made it pretty clear that their residents prefer keeping to themselves, whilst shunning foreigners. But if the map's pointing us there, then there must be something more serious going on."

"Fascinating." Sunset pondered the potential reason as to why she was being called on by the map. "So I take it that means you've never been to Mustangia, yourself?"

"That's right, I've never even seen what the town itself looks like." Starlight nodded. "But I know from experience that if the map's pointing us somewhere specific, then we have to trust it. Besides, you're pretty good at dealing with challenging ponies, from the looks of it. I don't really know Sour Sweet all that well myself, but it looks like you really showed her the true meaning of friendship."

"Thanks, Starlight." Sunset smiled. "I think we'll just have to tread carefully in Mustangia, and if they're not exactly welcoming to us, we might have to find a way to win them over. Well, in that case, now that we have a somewhat clear destination..."

Sunset took a moment to come up with a snappy exit-line, before thinking up the perfect one.

"Come on Glimmer, let's go Shimmer." Sunset said, as Starlight giggled at Sunset's ingenuity.

As the two mares trotted out of the castle, they were suddenly joined by Sunburst, who had finished escorting the students back to the School of Friendship.

"Sunset, Starlight, now that the students are all back at the school, I may be of some assistance." Sunburst explained. "I presume Twilight already gave you the rundown of the entire plan, and you're now ready to search around Equestria for the three new threats?"

"Two new threats, actually." Starlight corrected. "Sunset mentioned that she and the students already ran into the Stagma Beetles, and that they'll no longer be a problem for Equestria. And yes, while you were gone, we gave Sunset the rundown of everything else we had previously discussed. In fact, the map actually called her to solve a friendship problem in Mustangia."

"Mustangia, huh?" Sunburst reflected. "I've always been curious about that place, but I never had the chance to visit."

"I'm just admittedly surprised that the map chose to call me for a friendship problem." Sunset said. "I mean, I'm actually not officially part of the council, and I've only been back to Equestria for less than a week."

"We definitely all consider you part of the council now, especially after you officially met everypony at Twilight's coronation." Starlight assured. "The map doesn't just call ponies exclusive to the council, heck, Twilight didn't actually form the council itself until after the coronation."

"It even called ME one time too." Sunburst recalled. "Somepony who lives outside of Ponyville. I was just as surprised as anypony else, that's for sure."

"Well, it looks like we've got our mission, then." Sunset giggled. "Let's hope we can get some solid intel from the locals there. It's just that... I'm a bit worried, considering what Starlight's described of Mustangia. If we can't get the residents to cooperate with us, we'll pretty much have hit a dead end. If we could find somepony who's more familiar with that town, perhaps they could give us some tips on how we should approach them."

"That might be a problem for us, since as far as I'm aware, Mustangia seems to take pride for its exclusivity." Starlight replied. "The residents either choose to not leave their town, and the ones who do leave are shunned by the rest of the community. At least, that's what the sheriff of their town claimed. Plus, I don't know anypony off the top of my head we could easily find, who's familiar with Mustangia."

"Hmm, wait just a minute, now!" Sunburst remembered something crucial. "Starlight, didn't you mention once how Double Diamond loves to ski in his free time, and that he's skied in a number of snowy regions throughout Equestria, including Mustangia?"

"That's right!" Starlight's eyes lit up with realization. "Double Diamond might be able to give us some insight on the place, or even help us blend in. And we can certainly find him pretty easily, he resides in the very same town I founded. To save time, let's just teleport there, together. Come on, Sunset, Sunburst, you know the drill by now."

Sunset and Sunburst held hooves with Starlight, as she teleported the trio all the way over to Our Town. Nearby residents took notice of this, and gave friendly waves, upon seeing their town leader return. Some of the nearby residents even recognized Sunset, including some familiar faces.

"Starlight, good to see you again." Night Glider smiled. "And you too, Sunset, it's a pleasant surprise to see you both again."

"Awww, what am I, chopped horseradish?" Sunburst pouted.

"My apologies, Sunburst." Night Glider turned to the stallion. "It's just that we don't really know you all that well, and you've never really visited Our Town much."

"Alright, I guess that's fair." Sunburst shrugged.

"Oh, and Sunset?" Night Glider recalled a special promise she made. "Just so you know, I'm still digging through my home's belongings, trying to find any clues as to where we might be able to find Solstice. I haven't had much luck yet, but I'm doing everything I can for you, especially after all we've been through together on Everfree Island."

"Thank you, Night Glider, that means a lot to me." Sunset grinned. "But unfortunately, we can't really focus on that right now, as we've got another urgent matter to attend to. Do you by any chance know where this Double Diamond is?"

"He should be in his home right now, polishing his ski trophies." Night Glider pointed.

"Perfect, let's pay him a visit." Starlight motioned her team over to the respective house. "Thanks!"

As the trio trotted over to the house on the far end of Our Town, they stopped for a moment along the way, upon seeing Sugar Belle, looking forlorn and heartbroken, and accompanied by Party Favor.

"Sugar Belle?" Starlight approached the unicorn. "Is everything okay?"

"No, it's not at all." Sugar Belle sniffled. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"She's been like this all day, and I've tried everything I could do to cheer her up." Party Favor explained.

"Come on, Sugar Belle." Sunburst insisted. "We may be on a mission right now, but we're willing to lend an ear. What's been troubling you?"

"Well... it's regarding my husband, Big McIntosh." Sugar Belle explained. "Apparently, Applejack and her friends ended up getting stuck between a rock and a hard place, and eventually, she had no choice but to give up Granny Smith's special red ruby gold necklace. Although Big Mac understood why Applejack had to do what she did, it didn't make it any less heartbreaking for him, given the necklace's sentimental value. Now he's fallen into a depression himself, and it's even been taking a toll on me, as well."

Sunset and Starlight both looked to each other, remembering how it all happened, and in the end, Chestnut Magnifico still ended up coming out on top, along with escaping swiftly. Knowing that Chestnut's actions affected Sugar Belle like this, and presumably the rest of Applejack's family as well, they became more determined than ever to potentially find Chestnut and end the conflict with the power-hungry thief, once and for all.

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Sugar Belle." Sunset empathized with Sugar Belle's distress. "I know how much that necklace means to your family, and I'm sure we can all understand Big Mac's pain. All I can say is, if we manage to find the pony who took the necklace by force, we'll make sure she pays the ultimate price for her crimes."

"Thank you..." Sugar Belle nodded, weakly. "That's all I could ever ask for."

As the trio was ready to trot off once more, they were stopped again, this time by another seemingly cryptic revelation from Party Favor.

"Hey wait a second, I remember you." Party Favor pointed at Sunset. "Errr... Sunny S. right?"

Sunset's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this distinct name once more, which she originally believed was referring to Mayor Sunny Skies. It was just then that she realized this was the same Party Favor she had initially met in that ruined future timeline, and it sounded like he had already met this Sunny S. in question. The fact that the stallion implied that he was able to recognize her by just looking at Sunset, it already brought some incredibly concerning possibilities. Sunset stayed behind for a moment, hoping to get a more clear answer.

"No, actually." Sunset corrected. "My name's Sunset Shimmer, I think you may be mistaking me for somepony else."

"Really?" Party Favor raised an eyebrow. "I mean, Sunny S. still sounds like it fits that name perfectly, maybe it's your nickname, and you've forgotten? All I remember is that you wanted to go to Manehattan yesterday to meet Rara, formerly known as Countess Coloratura."

"Huh...?" Sunset felt that this raised even more questions than answers. "I'm afraid that you are definitely mistaking me with somepony else, because I definitely didn't have time to do that yesterday."

"Well that's odd, because I eventually met with Rara myself, and she had some wonderful things to say about you." Party Favor recalled. "You even showed that nasty Svengallop a thing or two about being a greedy scumbag."

"Did... you ever hear about where, ahem... 'I' ended up going after that?" Sunset questioned.

"Hmm, I'm afraid Rara didn't mention anything about that." Party Favor shrugged. "But I suppose if that wasn't you, it was just a misunderstanding and mistake on my end. Sorry for the confusion, if that was the case."

"Right then, well, thanks for the heads up, anyways." Sunset said, before turning back to Starlight and Sunburst, as the three ponies went off to Double Diamond's house.

"Something tells me Party Favor truly had an encounter with somepony he clearly shouldn't have." Starlight tried her best to come up with a theory, especially considering what she saw in that ruined future timeline, as well.

Sunset meanwhile, decided not to pay much mind to this, considering Party Favor didn't seem to know anything else regarding this... Sunny S. at all. Regardless of what was really happening behind the scenes, Sunset mostly figured that if either Chestnut Magnifico or Indigo Zap were roaming around Equestria, disguising themselves as her, they certainly had another thing coming. As such, the trio made it all the way over to Double Diamond's house without any further comment on this seeming revelation that still led nowhere. Starlight knocked on the door, before the stallion in question opened up, greeting the trio.

"Starlight, I was wondering when you would return." Double Diamond addressed their town leader. "And what do I owe the pleasure of bumping into you today?"

"Double Diamond, we actually need your advice, given how we're about to take a trip to Mustangia." Starlight said with urgency. "You're familiar with that particular town, right?"

"Ah, Mustangia." Double Diamond nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I've had the pleasure of skiing there a few times, it's quite the picturesque place, but I can't say the same about the residents. Their hospitality leaves something to be desired, and they're just a peculiar bunch, quite set in their ways. What did you need to know?"

"Well, that's just it." Sunset began explaining. "We're on a mission to solve a problem there, but unfortunately, if the residents aren't going to be welcoming, and immediately chase us away, it's going to make everything much harder than it needs to be. Since you've actually skied there before, do you have any advice as to how we can get the folks there to cooperate with us?"

"The Mustangians are certainly tough nuts to crack, for sure." Double Diamond elaborated. "Don't know much about how they operate as a town, but I've heard rumors that they value strength and independence. I showed them that I was capable and self-reliant with my own skiing skills, and managed to earn enough of their respect. They allowed me to ski on their snowy hills, but their sheriff wasn't wild about the idea, given I had no connections with anypony from their town. In the end, my best guess is that if you don't have any connections with somepony native to Mustangia, you might be out of luck."

Hearing this, Sunset realized that although she did know one particular Mustangian, there was no guarantee if this particular friendship could strengthen their relations with the other residents. It still seemed better than nothing, given how Double Diamond was able to ski freely there, without any connections to their townsfolks.

"It seems we're going to have to get creative, then." Sunburst brainstormed. "Perhaps we could find a way to demonstrate our own strengths, or maybe even organize some kind of friendship event that would appeal to them? Either way, we appreciate the tips, Double Diamond. I guess we should head over to this Mustangia place right now."

"Whoa whoa, just a minute now!" Double Diamond stopped the trio for a moment. "I'm well familiar with the seasons in Equestria for skiing, and know for a fact that this time of the year, Mustangia is extremely frigid. I certainly wouldn't advise you all to just travel there like that, not unless you intend to freeze like popsicles. I'm talking high winds and a relentless blizzard."

"I know from experience that not even magic can continuously keep you warm." Starlight heeded Double Diamond's advice. "What would you suggest as proper gear?"

"Nothing fancy, other than some wool hats and scarves." Double Diamond suggested. "Here, I've got a couple of spares in my home, ordered them yesterday from this place known as Pommel's Piqué. According to the tags, somepony known as Miss Valencia designed these garments, and she certainly knows what she's doing!"

Double Diamond went inside to fetch the aforementioned items, as Sunset grinned upon hearing that Coco and Vignette were still doing quite well for themselves. A few moments later, the stallion brought out a cardboard box, and handed the hats and scarves to the trio. Sunset and Starlight both noticed that one of their garments seemed quite familiar in pattern, coincidentally something they had worn before as humans in the Human World. Everyone put on their scarves and hats, as Double Diamond felt more assured that they wouldn't be as susceptible to the bitter cold.

"These are the warmest pieces of clothing you'll find in all of Equestria." Double Diamond explained. "They're designed to keep in your body heat, and resist the coldest of winds, just make sure to bundle up tight, and you'll be fine. Now that you're all set, I wish you the best of luck, Mustangia is a tough place for even the most seasoned of adventurers."

"Thank you, Double Diamond." Starlight smiled at her soft and comfy garments. "We'll make sure to use your advice wisely."

Human Sunset had just awoken to a brand new morning, but the dream sequence from earlier still seemed to serve as a warning, and a reason for her to be afraid of Pony Sunset, especially when she'd inevitably return to the Human World for her graduation at CHS. The Crystal Prep Academy dropout got off of her couch, rubbing her eyes, and began formulating her next move. It was clear that with what little time she had left, it was in Human Sunset's best interest to find something to combat Pony Sunset with, given how her destined foe originated from a world that ran on magic.

"Well, that dream definitely settles it, then." Human Sunset yawned and stretched, as she was getting ready to start her day. "Before I even think of getting any further revenge, I've gotta find a way to protect myself against someone who must be well familiar with magic. It seems like if I have no other choice, I'll have to go back through that Equestria place once more, in the hopes of finding something that'll let me stand a chance against my imposter."

As Human Sunset walked over to a nearby coffee table, she took notice of Clover the Clever's old journal, and remembered that if she needed any information regarding Equestria and magical artifacts, this was the key to her chances of prevailing. She began skimming a number of the pages, trying to find anything she could, before preparing another trip through Equestria to get whatever she needed to fight her doppelganger.

"Looks like I'm going to be here for a while, but it seems like my drive for revenge has fully woken me up." Human Sunset said to herself. "If I had a cup of hot coffee on me right now, I wouldn't even want to drink it, as much as I'd like to throw that coffee right into Principal Cinch's face."

After gathering directions and arranging for a form of transportation, Sunset, Starlight, and Sunburst all arrived around the gates of Mustangia. The trio was certainly glad that they took Double Diamond's advice, as he wasn't kidding at all about the freezing cold temperatures. As they entered through the door's open gates, Sunset immediately took notice of the town's surrounding residents, giving them either confused or nasty looks. Regardless of their gestures, it became pretty clear that the townsfolks were anything but welcoming, and that their preference for keeping exclusivity seemed to be their number one priority. Before the three ponies could venture even further into Mustangia, they were suddenly stopped, and to both Sunset and Starlight, the voice sounded quite familiar.

"Hold it right there!" Sugarcoat blew her security whistle, before approaching the trio. "Sheriff Sugarcoat's the name, and I don't believe you ponies are natives to Mustangia. What do you think you're doing, marching on in here, unannounced?"

Starlight groaned at this, remembering how much of a hardheaded mare this particular sheriff was, and she wasn't looking forward to putting up with it again. Sunset meanwhile, mostly just remembered getting off on the wrong hoof with Pony Sugarcoat at the train station, but she hadn't realized Sugarcoat was actually Mustangia's sheriff. If the map had called her here to settle things with the sheriff specifically, Sunset deduced that she most likely had even bigger problems than Chestnut or the fire alicorn.

"Well, speak up, would you!?" Sugarcoat pushed for an answer. "I don't have all day to watch you outsiders blankly stare at me, so if you don't come up with an answer, I'll have to escort you out!"

"Let's just say, we're looking for something, or even somepony, that could be causing trouble in Mustangia." Starlight tried her best to explain. "Since you hold a high rank of power in this town, we were hoping to get some information that could lead us to the source of the problem."

"Excuse me?" Sugarcoat huffed. "I think you should watch what you say, unless you want me to stop being nice."

"Sheriff Sugarcoat, please, we mean no harm." Sunburst insisted. "We're here because the Friendship Map led us here, and we suspect it's because there's an issue that needs our help. Could you possibly point us in the right direction?"

"More specifically, a friendship problem." Sunset added. "If you allow us to stay here for a few hours and get to the bottom of this, we would really appreciate it."

"Friendship problem, you say?" Sugarcoat scoffed. "Let me tell you upfront, we don't take kindly to strangers poking their noses in our affairs here in Mustangia. If you want to solve a so-called friendship problem and make friends, I suggest you look elsewhere, like at that School of Friendship place that I occasionally hear about. Now get lost!"

Mustangia's sheriff immediately escorted the trio back out through the town's gates, making certain to keep their town's exclusivity.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" Sunburst protested. "You can't just kick us out of the town like that, it's not like we were committing crimes or disturbing the peace!"

"You're not welcome here, and that's final." Sugarcoat stared coldly at the trio. "Now, I don't want to have to call for backup, so I suggest you all turn your tails around and trot back to where you came from."

"Come on, that's not fair!" Starlight protested. "Surely Mustangia has some sort of law that would prohibit you from just outright gatekeeping like this!"

"Mustangia has its own rules, and our residents make it very clear about who we let into our town." The sheriff's stern gaze bore into the trio as she raised her hoof, her voice as cold as the winds that whipped through the town itself. "If we all unanimously don't trust you, then you're not welcome here, simple as that."

"Well that is just... dumb!" Sunburst snapped. "What kind of a rule is that, this is supposed to be a town, not a private clubhouse!"

"Keep it down, or I'll be forced to take further action!" Sugarcoat motioned for a large crowd of Mustangia's residents to trot over, in an attempt to intimidate these outsiders. "I'm not going to repeat myself again, leave!"

"Hang on a second." Sunset spoke up. "You said the vote has to be unanimous, correct? Well then, why don't we cast a vote right now, and see if that particular condition is intact?"

"Hmph." Sugarcoat huffed. "You really want to do this right now, even when it's so obviously clear what we're all going to choose in the end?"

"Are... you sure this is a good idea?" Starlight whispered.

"Just trust me on this, it may be our only hope at getting invited in." Sunset replied, quietly, before turning back to the sheriff. "Yeah, that's right, let's all take a vote. Unless you're actually afraid that one of your residents will take a vote against you."

"You're on, but just know that I've got the whole town's support here." Sugarcoat turned back to Mustangia's residents. "All in favor of these three outsiders leaving Mustangia for good, no questions asked?"

"Aye!" A vast majority of the crowd raised their hooves, casting their vote.

"Well, that about settles it, then." Sugarcoat turned back to the trio, amused. "Now why don't you go on home and leave us be, like you rightfully should?"

"Not so fast." Sunset stopped the sheriff. "Aren't you forgetting to also cast a vote regarding anypony who would be in favor of us NOT being booted from Mustangia?"

"Alright, fine." Sugarcoat sighed, as she addressed the crowd once more. "Anypony who thinks these three should be allowed to stay and snoop around, speak now."

The crowd went dead silent for a few moments, before one of the residents emerged from the crowd. In fact, upon hearing Sunset's voice, she became absolutely determined to fight for her new friend's rights, and not become overruled by Mustangia's busted and arbitrary system. The once seemingly invisible mare had finally made her presence known, and trotted over to the sheriff, ready to make a stand.

"Now listen here..." Wallflower Blush pointed at Sugarcoat. "As the town's sheriff, how can you just kick out some ponies who've done absolutely nothing wrong?"

"Ugh, are we really doing this now?" Sugarcoat rolled her eyes in frustration, before narrowing them at Wallflower. "Great, just great. This is exactly what we all needed at a time like this. Back to the shadows with you, Miss Blush. We Mustangians have no interest in housing these putrid outsiders!"

"Why not!?" Wallflower protested. "They're all ponies, just the same as everypony else here! Besides, didn't we already come to another unanimous vote to allow our residents outside of Mustangia?"

"Mostly to get supplies and other necessities, but that's besides the point!" Sugarcoat frowned. "But I hope you understand that I voted on that for a more personal reason. I only decided to let you off your leash, because I grew ever so weary of your incessant yapping."

"And you're dodging the point as well, Sheriff!" Wallflower accused. "If we can allow some of us to leave the town, why can't we allow somepony from outside to enter?"

"Miss Blush, enough!" Sugarcoat ceased the conversation. "Why don't you head back to your little flower garden and play some games with your imaginary friends?"

"It's absolutely insulting that you would say that about me, in front of all the townsfolks." Wallflower stomped her hoof. "Do you even realize what I'm doing right now? I don't need any imaginary friends, because I have a real friend right here!"

As Wallflower pointed at Sunset, the rest of the town's residents gasped, perplexed at the idea of a Mustangian and outsider actually being friends, given their town's built-in philosophies. This prompted everypony else to whisper among each other, further fueling the sheriff's annoyance.

"Cease your incessant mewling, or I may consider forcing you out of Mustangia, as well!" Sugarcoat snapped.

"If that's what you want, then just go for it." Wallflower challenged. "Not that I care, now that I've realized Mustangia's policies have always been nothing but trash, and the main reason why I could never make any real friends, becoming invisible to the rest of Equestria! These ponies on the other hoof... are obviously here for a reason. And you have no right to force your arbitrary beliefs onto them, just because you have a position of power that you think you can use to intimidate everypony to get what you want!"

Everypony on both sides of Mustangia's main gate suddenly froze, and ironically, not from the cold winds. Just as Wallflower Blush said this, all ponies focused their eyes on Sugarcoat, anticipating the sheriff's response after this particular exchange. Whatever the sheriff was about to say would either make the biggest difference in Equestria, or create an even more frustrating challenge for Sunset, Starlight, and Sunburst...

Prologue: The Beginning of The Tale

The sun was shining along the grassy plains of Equestria, where a book sat atop the hill. It had fully documented Princess Twilight's entire journey, from student, to pupil, to now the princess of all of Equestria. Although the story had been told for nearly a whole decade, there was still one last tale to tell, which had never gotten a proper chance to share the spotlight. Even after the storybook had finally closed up, a unicorn mare began approaching it, as she reminisced on her friend's rise to becoming a princess. After all, she could never forget Twilight going the extra mile to extend her friendship to her, despite living in a completely separate world. The unicorn began narrating her thoughts on the story's closure, alongside her own mysterious and massive adventure, which was never really told, up until now...

My name is Sunset Shimmer. I was once Princess Celestia's most prized pupil at the School For Gifted Unicorns, and took a lot of pride in being successful, by having the highest marks. Despite believing that I was doing something good, I had instead become arrogant, distant, and rebellious against my former teacher. This ended with me developing a fierce resentment toward Celestia, which persisted throughout most of my days, even after getting trapped by a portal, leading me into the Human World, as I liked to call it. A world where we ponies stood upright, walked on two legs, and used hands to do everyday activities. Certainly something you would never expect a pony to ever get used to doing, right?

I'll admit, I've had all these wonderful adventures, and made so many great friends within the Human World. However, I've continuously had this lingering urge to return back to Equestria, feeling as though there was more to do, especially in a place where I truly belonged. So with graduation at Canterlot High coming up, I had decided to take a vacation to my native home for a whole week, and ended up experiencing many crazy things along the way, as well as numerous sentimental moments that resonated with me, even to this day. Little would I know that by the time I returned to the Human World, I would've ran into the most unexpected encounter, that would absolutely reshape anypony else's view about the magical portal. Well... mostly me, since as far as I'm concerned, this entire convoluted journey had primarily occurred, because of my rebellious belief that I WAS ready to move onto the next level in the first place...

But... I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I really owe it to my friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, for helping me turn my life around, and even regularly being there for me, despite having tons of royal duties and friendship problems on her own plate. It was really nice to read up on Twilight's entire story, and learning of everything she had been doing, while I was ameliorating my own life back in the Human World. However, now that Twilight's story is finished, it's time for me to share the convoluted journey that I went through, shortly following the year I had attended the Starswirled Music Festival, and dressed up as a carrot for a holiday photoshoot. Fast forward to that week before graduation at CHS, and that's where our story begins. Today, I present to you, what I've fittingly dubbed... The Tale of Two Sunsets...

It was another ordinary day at Canterlot High, with graduation quickly approaching in about a week. Senior year had been stressful for most students, due to all the exams, pop quizzes, and seemingly endless homework. Fortunately, the persevering students had pushed on to overcome everything, as they knew the eternal struggle would be over quite soon. It was exciting for the students to realize all their years of hard work were about to pay off, and that they'd finally get to experience the real world, once they had received their high school diploma.

Like every other student enrolled at CHS, Sunset Shimmer had already passed her final exams for the semester, and received an invitation from Principal Celestia for the upcoming graduation. Not willing to waste any time, Sunset knew there were numerous tasks to check off of her list, including picking up her graduation gown, emptying out her locker, and checking her mailbox for the statuses on those month-long college applications she had sent out. Being able to finally walk atop the stage during graduation had truly resonated with her, especially since she had lost the opportunity to do so back at the School For Gifted Unicorns, following her feud with Princess Celestia.

As Sunset stood around the lobby of CHS, she couldn't help but feel weary from the immense effort she'd put into her final exams. The constant grind of schoolwork had taken a toll on her mind, making it more difficult to focus immediately on anything else, including preparing for graduation. As such, her mind shifted from the upcoming ceremony, to reflecting on her past experiences in the Human World with Equestrian magic, and magical artifacts. With how unusually long the school day felt, Sunset couldn't help but speculate if something funny was going on with the passage of time, especially since these magical encounters hadn't been occurring for months now. In fact, the very last supernatural experience involved the Time Twirler during the Starswirled Music Festival, but it never stopped her from staying vigilant and cautious.

"I've certainly had quite the adventures here at CHS, and even throughout this entire world, haven't I?" Sunset reflected. "Let's see... a magical crown that turned me into a demon, siren gems that fed on negative energy, magical mirrors that trapped you in another dimension, stones that erased your memory, and even a weird clock thing that made you relive the same day indefinitely. Yeah, I'd say I've definitely been through a lot..."

After recapping, Sunset began brainstorming her plans, for before, and even after graduation. She already quit her part-time job at the Canterlot Mall's sushi restaurant, to focus on growing her ShimmerCode gaming channel. The monetization had provided more than sufficient income to help Sunset pay for her apartment's rent, as well as other necessities to get by. In fact, Sunset was often praised by her closest friends for being able to practically raise herself in this world, whereas every other student lived under their family's roof. Though to Sunset, she didn't really think much of it, especially when ShimmerCode's monetization had been paying her almost $10,000 for many months now.

"I'll never forget when I first came into this world, and had to rely on sleeping in the CHS gym's storage closet." Sunset reminisced. "Before the apartment, that was the only way I could avoid being homeless. The girls still commend me for living independently, while they all live with the rest of their family. I mean... just like Applejack once told me, no matter how big your family is, there's always room for more. Buying your own house after graduating college, it seems like the 'normal' thing to do, but is there really any shame in living with your family afterwards? As long as you act responsible and pull your own weight, I don't really see what the big deal is?"

It was by this point, Sunset's train of thought had brought her attention toward another idea, which she had never really considered before. Survival within the Human World had been her number one priority for years now, along with maintaining her friendships with the other girls here at CHS. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy had all been by her side since the day she turned a new leaf, outside of a few incidents that were completely out of Sunset's control. But... these girls had always been talking about their families, and more specifically, their parents. Understandably so, considering how important parental figures have always been in anyone's life, raising them from birth, and setting them on the right path toward a brighter future.

However... Sunset realized that the same couldn't be said about her own life. For one thing, she had no parents to speak of, or at least, any that she could immediately remember, off the top of her head. Though Sunset kept in mind, that given how close she and Princess Celestia once were, she was probably the closest Sunset ever had to a mother? In fact, she was immediately reminded of this, upon seeing a Mother's Day poster on the wall, which had yet to be taken down.

"Hmm, speaking of mothers..." Sunset began brainstorming. "Is it entirely possible that Princess Celestia herself was always...? No, wait... that can't be... I have to have had a mom and dad at some point, and I'm sure she was just my teacher. Though if that was the case... why don't I immediately have any memories of them being in my life, other than... my dad? I somehow vaguely remember him when I was a baby, but not my mother..."

The more Sunset gave this some deep thought, the more she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right about the situation. Perhaps there was more to her past than she had originally thought, and it was finally time to dig deeper, and discover the truth about her parents. As she continued to dwell on these thoughts, a light of determination sparked within her eyes. Since she knew that she had a free week to do whatever she wanted before graduation, perhaps it was time for her to potentially return to Equestria once again, and seek out her long-lost family.

Returning to Equestria whenever she wanted was never an issue, especially when Sunset had already done so several times, ever since Twilight used Princess Celestia's old journal to keep the mirror's portal open, indefinitely. With a renewed purpose and clear goal in mind, Sunset slowly began planning out her schedule before graduation, especially when it came to reuniting with her biological parents. Although she had no immediate clue on where they might've lived, Sunset dismissed the thought, believing that Celestia would most likely know, and give her a clear answer, especially after their reconciliation meeting in Canterlot.

Now that Sunset had a potential plan to fill her week before graduation, she immediately continued thinking of her plans after the ceremony, including her future life after CHS. College tuition was certainly through the roof in Canterlot City, but she paid no mind to this burden, given how stable of an income she already had with her ShimmerCode monetization. And even if money was somehow going to be an issue, she could certainly still apply for scholarships, due to her remarkably high grade point average. In fact, this had prompted Sunset to walk over to the CHS awards bulletin board, to check where she herself had ranked among her peers.

"Hmm, I think I remember Twilight mentioning that Crystal Prep Academy ranked their students." Sunset recalled, as she went over to the CHS awards. "Thankfully, I'm glad that CHS never did this, that would definitely make everything incredibly toxic and competitive."

As Sunset began reading the bulletin board, she was pleasantly surprised to learn that although she herself hadn't been chosen as the CHS valedictorian, she had still been awarded to be salutatorian, for having the second highest grade point average of 3.9. The holder of the only 4.0 GPA and award for valedictorian was instead, Twilight Sparkle herself, which was admittedly unsurprising, as Sunset remembered Twilight mentioning that she was ranked #1 back at Crystal Prep Academy, even beating Sugarcoat in the ranks.

"Well, I may not have gotten valedictorian, but second prize isn't too shabby at all." Sunset said, proudly. "And it seems like the Twilight I know, is just as much of a success as her princess self. Makes sense, though... would the same be said about me? If there was also a Sunset Shimmer native to the Human World, would she also be proud of earning the second highest rank at school? Then again, I might just be overthinking things like I usually do, especially since I've never even met her before."

Moving past this, Sunset felt assured in realizing that she was definitely set for being accepted into any college she wanted, especially with the 3.9 GPA, and upcoming award of salutatorian on her diploma. But after some more deep thought, would this plan for moving onto college, and finding a stable job outside of ShimmerCode, really be the best solution? In fact, the main reason she had even applied to numerous colleges at all, was purely because everybody else at CHS was doing the same, though some of the students had already decided against college, in favor of trade schools. But what was Sunset's true end-goal, after finally receiving her high school diploma?

"I still have no idea which college will accept me when the time comes..." Sunset said, as she began contemplating. "Sure, I've got numerous skills that could help me land a more stable job in the future here, but is this really what I want...?"

Just then, Sunset suddenly thought of something that hadn't even crossed her mind, ever since the Friendship Games. Has the Human World always been too... ordinary, and not very magical, outside of the occasional catastrophe, caused by Equestrian Magic? After all, since her former life entailed studying magic in Equestria, which resulted in her traveling dimensions, making friends, and defeating evil, Sunset knew that this interest that had sparked within her, had always originated back in Equestria. Her thoughts from the very beginning had began slipping back into her mind, remembering that she still needed more, than something as bland and simple as... intramural sports.

While an office job after college might not have seemed as dull and boring as intramural sports, Sunset could still foresee it to be nothing more than unfulfilling and distasteful, lacking both the excitement and adventure that she so craved. The daily grind of sitting at a desk, working on mundane tasks, and never really making a tangible difference in the world, it would most definitely, slowly eat away at her spirit and ambition. In fact, the ambition in her life was always such an important aspect, that she specifically sang about it frequently, ever since her performance atop the roof of CHS's main building.

Going back to this potential life after college, Sunset knew deep down that she would yearn for something more, something that challenged her both intellectually and emotionally, just like her days at Canterlot's School For Gifted Unicorns. In fact, the thought of spending the rest of her life in such a dreary and stagnant environment, it would be nothing short of torturous and draining for her. Sunset had even heard horror stories from the residents of Canterlot City who DID work nine-to-five jobs, and absolutely hating every aspect about it. The demanding management, the required overtime, the stressful workloads, and even the pay not being sufficient enough to allow them to afford their rent.

"What if... this isn't what I want at all?" Sunset pondered. "I know that I can go back to Equestria whenever I want, without having to worry about waiting every 30 moons... so maybe there's more to do back home? I don't want to be stuck in a drab and boring office all day, pouring coffee for a boss who probably hates me more than his wife..."

This would pretty much sum up her 'adult' life in the Human World, should she choose to stay here and continue her current path. Meanwhile, going back to Equestria could allow her to not only reunite with her lost family, but even reexplore her main desire and interest from a young age, to study magic, ambitiously. Though this would seemingly keep her busy for quite some time, Sunset didn't particularly care about how long it would take to relearn the skills in magic she had forgotten. The School For Gifted Unicorns had likely already long erased her records of being there, but it didn't seem to matter too much. If anything, it just gave her a fresh new mind to continue doing what she had loved from the very beginning, especially since she was truly this close to graduating from there, had it not been for her and Celestia's heated feud that night.

However, as these thoughts clouded Sunset's mind, she had suddenly remembered something else rather crucial, which would definitely also force her to reconsider everything. Sunset knew for sure that there were already multiple incentives for her to start a new life back in Equestria after graduation, but... what about her closest friends here at CHS? Much like most of the other students, keeping in touch was certainly a valuable way for them to stay connected, even well into their adulthood. Unfortunately, this idea didn't really apply in Sunset's case, especially since she had technically originated from another world.

Sunset knew that unlike the other students, she wouldn't even be able to connect with any of the girls back in the other world, even by texting, as there were no cell phones in Equestria, at least, none that she was aware of. She had even remembered acknowledging this during one of Pinkie's slumber parties, mentioning that the closest thing they had to cell phones back in Equestria, were magic, burping dragons. Plus, Sunset knew that she couldn't simply take any of the girls to live in Equestria with her, since they all already had predetermined human lives that they were accustomed to. This was especially evident during their spring break cruise, when Twilight had freaked out upon entering Equestria, and the rest of the passengers immediately wanted to return back to the Human World, after getting stranded on that desert island.

Either way, the point still stood, in the fact that Sunset absolutely had to make a choice in the end, and she wouldn't have much time left, before that moment inevitably came. This would quite possibly be the biggest decision in her life, as it seemed nearly impossible to live a life in two separate worlds, simultaneously. With graduation quickly approaching, Sunset was glad she had entertained all these thoughts, as it gave her a head start to contemplate what she would end up doing in the end. What was once a carefree week before graduation, suddenly turned into the ultimate test of decision-making for Sunset, alongside the many CHS students who were also planning to go to college, under parental pressure.

"Well, looks like I'll have to weigh my options, carefully..." Sunset sighed to herself. "Should I stay in the human world and see where it takes me, or should I go back home and start anew? It's not like I'm afraid of the responsibility that'll come with starting a new life back in Equestria, but I don't want to leave my human friends behind, either..."

As Sunset pondered this, she went over to the music room, ready to take her guitar back to her apartment. But before she could even do so, she had immediately noticed a small stack of gifts, placed down on a table near the center of the room. Reading the tags, she saw that the rest of the Rainbooms had gone shopping for graduation presents, and had decided to surprise her with them. Sunset couldn't help but smile, feeling touched by their thoughtfulness, as this was just another reminder of how much these girls had truly meant to her, and how much she would miss them, if she were to leave.

"I've got to go find my friends and sort this out, myself!" Sunset said, feeling more determined than ever before.

Chapter 13: Marks of a Good Deed

After that invigorating fight, Sunset's hair and outfit had seen better days, but it seemed to matter not. When taking the risk to put aside her own safety for the sake of protecting a helpless child, she felt internally satisfied at essentially fighting off the type of girl she used to be. Whoever that self-proclaimed gang leader was, her interaction with the poor child had reminded Sunset all too much of treating Fluttershy in a similar manner, which admittedly almost made Sunset question if that girl was actually none other than Gilda herself. The thieving girl claimed to have been used to the rough street life, and had a habit of using the word 'lame' pretty frequently, but other than those connections, there just wasn't any way to conclude her identity for certain.

Regardless, whether or not she had truly fought the infamous troublemaker from CHS, it wasn't really important now, as much as guiding the lost child back to her guardians. Sunset rushed over to Lily, her heart racing not just from the adrenaline of the fight, but from the sheer terror she had seen in the child's eyes. It almost felt comforting to believe that the decision to step in had given Sunset the closure she needed, especially after doing the same to Fluttershy for so long. She knelt besides Lily, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, did she hurt you at all?" Sunset wanted to make sure the child wasn't harmed. "You're so brave for standing up to her. Not everyone can do that, especially when they're backed into a corner like that."

"I'm okay, thanks to you..." Lily looked up at Sunset with admiration shining in her eyes. "My name is Lily Pad, by the way. I just... don't know what I would've done had you not showed up, I've never felt so afraid in my life."

"Lily, it's okay, you don't have to be afraid anymore." Sunset offered her hand to help the trembling child up. "But we need to get you home, it's not safe out here. Did I overhear that you ran from your parents from some diner?"

"That's right." Lily nodded. "I was with my mother at Coinky-Dink World, and she had to go pay the bill. Then out of nowhere, that mean girl swooped by and snatched the tablet right out of my hands, so I chased her down. Didn't do me a whole lot of good, and I even got separated from my mother."

"Coinky-Dink World, huh?" Sunset's eyes lit up slightly. "That's not too far from here, in fact, I think my friend works there, and I know the way. Let's go back and find her, I promise you won't have anything else to be afraid of this evening."

"Okay, thank you, Miss...uh, I don't know your name." Lily twirled her fingers.

"Sunset Shimmer, but you can just call me Sunset." She offered a gentle smile. "I'm sure you've had quite the rough night, but it'll all be better in the morning."

"I'm not so sure about that, after all, I'm not exactly off the hook just yet." Lily sighed. "My mother's going to be really mad at me for running off like that, I'll probably get punished for it."

"Don't you worry about that." Sunset assured. "Sometimes, we all make mistakes, but that's how we learn. When we face our fears and make things right, it shows our true strength."

"Sunset, tell me... why did you go out of your way to help me, even if it put you in serious danger?" Lily inquired. "I feel so bad that you ended up getting your clothes ruined, and your hair's all messed up too, all because of me."

"It's nothing to worry about." Sunset ignored the unfortunate circumstances the predicament had put her in. "I have a friend who's been there before, and she knew what it was like to feel scared and alone. And although I may've been responsible for making her feel that way, I've also helped her recover from it over time. Ever since, she now knows what it's like to have friends who'll help you out when you need them most, and sometimes, you just have to be that friend for someone else. Besides, it's all a part of growing up, and learning to stand up for what's right."

"I guess everyone makes mistakes, huh?" Lily looked up at Sunset with surprise. "Even you, who risked your own safety for me, a little girl that you barely know?"

"Everyone's got their own stories, Lily." Sunset nodded. "We've all been through tough times, and sometimes, all we need is someone to stand by us. That's what friends do, they help each other out, no matter what. It's true that I may not know you that well, but I know who you are, thanks to my friends. You were babysat by my friend Pinkie Pie, isn't that right?"

"Oh yes, she was so amazing!" Lily replied. "I wasn't really sure what to expect when I met her, but she always made me laugh with her funny faces and party tricks. She also said she knew a cool girl named Sunset, and she was totally right! Though didn't I see you during the holidays, at the Toys for Kids Festival?"

"That's right, you did!" Sunset said. "I was helping Pinkie and the rest of my friends collect toys for the charity, and we came up with a number of... creative ways to gather those toys. I'm surprised you remember me, since we didn't really talk there."

"I mostly remember that you were the one who gave me that super cool teddy bear." Lily recalled. "I didn't know you could fight like that, though. We learn something new about people every single day, it seems."

"That may be a small part of who I am, but I only fight when I have no other choice." Sunset began reflecting on her own philosophy over the years. "I'm also a believer in second chances and friendship, considering it's what got me to where I am today. It's always about making the world a better place, and passing some kindness forward. I wouldn't immediately say the same could be said for that thief you encountered, but we can only hope that she'll learn that these kinds of actions have consequences."

"I guess everyone deserves a second chance, depending on the person." Lily nodded. "I just don't understand why people have to be so mean, I almost grew up thinking no one could ever be like that. Thanks to you, I've got my photos back, and even my money, as well. I certainly wish I had more friends my age, who were just like you, Sunset."

Sunset couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt upon hearing Lily's innocence, remembering the times at CHS when she had been the one causing that very type of pain and chaos. She took a deep breath, pushing aside the memories of her past, as she knew that she had done well this evening.

"I know it's not the same, but I'd like to be that friend for you, even if it's just for tonight." Sunset replied, folding her arms. "Now, let's go find your mother, I'm sure she's worried sick about you."

Lily looked up at Sunset, her eyes swimming with gratitude. The kindness she had shown was something she had rarely seen from anyone, especially not from within the same rough streets she had stumbled upon. Her small hand reached into her pocket, before feeling the reassuring crunch of the $50 bill. As this was happening, her mind raced the very thought of a way to thank this heroic stranger, before it suddenly dawned on her. Moments later, Lily pulled out the money and held it out to Sunset with a reassuring smile.

"Sunset, before you bring me back to my mother, please take this." Lily said. "It's not much, but it's all I can do to thank you for what you've done. You've proven to be braver than any knight in shining armor, and I know it's not easy to face fear like that. After all, if it wasn't for you standing up to that bully for me, I wouldn't even have this money with me anymore."

Sunset's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the bill in Lily's hands. She felt flattered at this, knowing that she had made a huge difference in protecting this child, but also knew that taking the money wasn't the right thing to do.

"Lily, I can't take this." Sunset shook her head. "Your family gave it to you, and it's your money. Besides, I didn't do this for the reward, I did it because it was the right thing to do. All I really need is for you to remember that when you're feeling scared or alone, there's always someone who'll be there for you."

"Please, Sunset." Lily insisted. "My parents won't know the difference, they're always giving me an allowance to spend on toys, anyways. This way, I'll know that you're okay too, especially after what you did for me. Maybe you can use this to buy yourself some new clothes, or anything else you need. Besides, it's like you said yourself, you've always wanted to make the world a better place, and pass your kindness forward. That's exactly what I want to do for you, to show that I've taken your words to heart."

Sunset couldn't help but feel a warmth spread through her chest at the child's earnestness. She knew that taking the money would go against everything she stood for, but also understood the weight of the gesture, in the sense that Lily also wanted to follow her own footsteps. Sunset looked into Lily's hopeful eyes, and she knew that she couldn't refuse such a heartfelt offer, and with a gentle smile, she accepted the money.

"Thank you, Lily." Sunset said with gratitude, as she was handed the $50 bill. "But remember, the most important thing is that you're safe and sound. I hope you'll know that no matter what happens, even after we part ways, you're never truly alone."

"I know you're right about that." Lily's eyes glistened with hope. "I'll never forget this night, and I'll definitely tell Pinkie Pie about you when I see her again!"

"I'm sure Pinkie would be pretty thrilled to hear this whole story." Sunset giggled. "Alright Lily, let's go find your mother, she must be worried sick about you. Let's see, I believe Coinky-Dink World is this way."

As Sunset and Lily approached the empty streets where the aforementioned diner was located, they heard the distant wail of sirens growing closer. The noise became louder and more urgent, until a police car came into view, its blue and red lights casting a frantic glow across the sidewalk. The vehicle screeched to a halt besides them, before a concerned officer stepped out, his hand resting on the handle of his holster. The officer then scanned thoroughly around the area, before approaching the duo, after taking notice of the child.

"How are we doing this evening?" The officer addressed Sunset. "We got a call about a little girl who ran off into the night and went missing, and according to the description we were given, she seems to be the child in question. This wouldn't happen to be... Lily Pad, would she?"

"Yes officer, this is Lily." Sunset nodded. "She's certainly been through a lot tonight, I found her being harassed by a girl who claimed she was a gang leader, and I had to fight that girl off in order to protect Lily. She had her tablet stolen, but I managed to retrieve it, and now, it's thankfully all over."

"Miss, I appreciate your story, but we need to get to the bottom of this." The officer replied. "I can't quite help but feel skeptical of what you just described, considering it seems pretty farfetched, and you aren't somebody that the child knows. Am I to understand you were perhaps the kidnapper?"

"No, no, it's not like that at all!" Sunset's eyes grew wide, as she frantically tried to explain herself. "Look, the gang leader took the tablet, I got it back, and now I'm just trying to bring Lily back to her mother."

"As much as I would love to give you the benefit of the doubt, I'm afraid that we can't be too careful these days." The officer turned to Lily. "Little girl, can you tell me what happened tonight, in your own words?"

"I was with my mom at the Coinky-Dink World, and she had to go pay the bill." Lily began explaining everything. "Then some mean girl snatched my tablet, and I chased her into the alleyways, pretty far away from the diner. That's when Sunset came over and helped me, she fought off the bully and got my tablet back, and now she's trying to help me find my mom. The thief had a knife, but Sunset was really brave and didn't let her hurt me, she's not a bad person, she's a true hero!"

"I see... well in that case, we must bring you back to your mother, young lady." The officer said, before turning to Sunset. "And according to this girl... Sunset, was it? Wait a minute, if my memory serves me correctly... you are Sunset Shimmer? The girl who goes to Canterlot High?"

"Yes, that's me." Sunset replied tentatively, unsure of how this revelation would affect the situation. "How... do you know me, exactly?"

"So you're the girl who once dated a boy named Flash Sentry, is that correct?" The officer questioned.

"Well yes, I used to." Sunset nodded. "Though I'm not entirely sure what that has to do with this situation?"

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself, I am Sentinel Sentry." Sentinel began. "Flash Sentry's father, and the Chief of Police here in Canterlot City."

"Oh, so you're Flash's dad, well in that case, it's a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances." Sunset expressed. "Then again, I'm sure that being a chief, you're usually pretty busy? I suppose that explains why Flash only introduced me to his mother, but not his father."

"I may often be busy fulfilling my duties and making the city a safer place, but I'm still quite involved in my son's life." Sentinel continued. "I mostly know of a Sunset Shimmer, since Flash often shared stories revolving around his first girlfriend. Sadly, he also came back home one day, expressing his grief over the fact that you two had broken up. Out of curiosity, was it my son, who was the problem in the relationship?"

"Ah, no, it was definitely me." Sunset said with a bit of guilt. "I had my own issues that I had to deal with back then, and I realized that I wasn't ready to be in a relationship. Contrary to what everyone at CHS believed at the time, it was actually a mutual decision, and I've made sure to move on from that, to become a better person."

"My son mentioned that you two remained on friendly terms, which is quite commendable, considering the dramatic breakup that took place." The chief commended. "He's a good boy, and he's always had a soft spot for you, especially since you were the first girl who was truly involved in his life. I've been told that he's even taught you how to play guitar as a bit of a side hobby, but I'm getting a little off topic here. Now that I know you are Sunset Shimmer, and not some random stranger accompanying this little girl here, I feel more assured to take your word on the matter."

"I've come a long way from who I was back then, and I'd never do anything to hurt an innocent child like Lily." Sunset's voice was firm, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she thought back to her past. "If there's any way I can help, I'm more than happy to assist. Maybe we can go to Coinky-Dink World together, and I can help find Lily's mother?"

"No need for that, I can take it from here." Chief Sentry insisted. "I suppose that fighting off this supposed gang leader is also the explanation for why you look like such a mess? Your clothes have certainly been roughed up pretty badly."

"It's a long story, but yes, I had to get a bit rough to protect Lily here." Sunset said with a small chuckle, trying to play off the situation. "I'm just glad that no matter what happened, Lily was safe and sound, and that she got her tablet back."

"Well in that case, I suppose you've done a fine job, Sunset." Chief Sentry nodded with a hint of respect in his eyes. "But let's not take any more chances, I'll escort the child back to the diner, and make sure that Lily is returned to her mother, safely. It's quite a relief to hear that in the many cases I've investigated, which involved missing children, this is one of the few where we were able to have the child in question, turn up."

"I'm just happy I was there to help." Sunset smiled. "One other thing, did you by any chance need a report regarding this thief in question? Word on the street is, there's someone going around, mugging people at night. I have no idea if this gang leader has any connection to them, but I suppose it's still something?"

"Hmm, I've been hearing sightings of this particular thug, but we haven't had any solid leads on them, lately." Sentinel Sentry took out a notepad and pen. "If you're willing, I'd like to get your full account of what happened tonight, it could be crucial to our investigation. More specifically, if you could describe what they looked like, or if they mentioned their name at any point?"

"Well, I unfortunately never got her name, but she claimed she was the Canterlot Street Gang's leader." Sunset thought back to the confrontation. "She had a brown leather jacket, yellow lipstick, and a purple top. Definitely a pretty violent one too, who carried weapons like a knife and cigarette lighter."

"Thank you, Sunset." The chief jotted down the details in his notepad. "We've had reports of someone matching that description causing trouble around these parts, but they've always been one step ahead. If she's got a gang, we're dealing with a more organized threat, so I'll make sure this information gets to the right people."

"One other thing I'd like to mention, is the fact that I may have a possible idea on who she was, thanks to my friends." Sunset continued. "Supposedly, there's this girl named Gilda, who had been expelled from CHS a few years ago, and she got arrested. According to some news article, Gilda also apparently broke out recently, which would coincide with why there's been mysterious robberies happening at night. However, this is only a theory that I barely guessed at, since there's no way to know for sure if that girl truly was Gilda."

"Ah, Gilda." The chief's expression grew serious. "She's a troublemaker alright, and she's been a thorn in our side for a while now. If she's indeed the one you encountered, we'll need to be on high alert. She and her cronies have been known to cause havoc with the other inmates when we had her in custody. Better yet, if she's back in action, it won't be long before we see more of her kind around here, and the crime rate skyrockets. Thank you for your help tonight, Sunset, you've given us a significant lead. I'll make sure to pass on your report to the officers handling her case."

"Well, as long as she's insistent on sticking around, I'm sure the Canterlot City police will handle it, sooner than we think." Sunset tried to keep positive. "Would it be alright now if I return home and get cleaned up? It's been a long night."

"Affirmative, your good deeds tonight will be crucial in helping us keep our streets safe." The chief nodded. "I'll take Lily to her mother now, and remember, if you ever see trouble again, don't hesitate to call us. As for you, little miss, let's go find your mother, she'll be absolutely relieved to see you're still alright."

"Thank you again, Sunset." Lily said with a small smile, as she climbed into the backseat of the police car. "I'll never forget what you did for me."

Sunset gave another reassuring smile to the child, before seeing Sentinel Sentry climbing into the driver's seat of his car, and rolling down the window. The chief seemingly had something else on his mind, which prompted Sunset to stay behind a bit longer.

"One other thing before we go off for the evening." The chief said from his car. "I know that you and Flash have moved on from your pasts, and that you're not really focusing on relationships now, is that correct?"

"Yes, Chief Sentry." Sunset replied. "I've been focusing on becoming a better person, and my friendships are what's most important to me right now, since I'm still trying to make amends for who I was before. Why, is Flash by any chance thinking of getting back together with me? Because he hasn't really discussed this with me since then, we've mostly been going our own separate ways for a while now."

"Ah, no, it's nothing like that." The chief's expression was a mix of amusement and understanding. "My son has moved on as well, and he's quite happy with his current life, from what I've gathered. However, I wanted to make sure that you know, should you ever decide to hang with Flash casually as mutual friends, you're more than welcome in our family's eyes. After all, if it wasn't for you, my son wouldn't have such experience and confidence in talking to girls. You wouldn't believe the amount of times in middle school, where he always decided to hide from any of his female classmates, even if they were being friendly with him."

"Huh, he's actually hinted at this when we were together, but I hadn't realized it was that severe." Sunset said with surprise. "Couldn't imagine he's always been that shy, but I was the one who approached Flash first back then, so there is that. Glad to hear that despite what happened between us, I was still able to help him grow more social amongst his peers, albeit unintentionally."

"Have you and Flash been talking much since then, just out of curiosity?" Sentinel questioned.

"I mean, we occasionally still do, but not as of lately, mostly due to the fact that we've been busy with our finals and community service hours for graduation." Sunset replied. "Don't get me wrong, Flash has always been a sweetheart who took me out to the movies, helped me adapt to my new life here in the city, and even shaped my own choices in fashion. I'm just not really interested in pursuing a relationship, mostly out of preference, and the fact I've got other plans after graduation, which would definitely complicate things."

"I must admit, with how fondly Flash had spoken of you back then, I always kept joking that our family had already found our future daughter-in-law." The chief reflected. "However, we may already be expecting another, in a few years from now."

"Hmm?" Sunset became curious. "What do you mean by that, has Flash... already found someone else?"

"It's nothing too serious yet, but from what I've gathered, Flash seems to have his eye on this other girl." The chief explained. "He didn't tell you? I suppose he didn't want to break the news to you just yet, fearing how you'd react. I mean, you both have clearly been through a lot together back then, so perhaps he didn't want to make you feel jealous or hurt. My apologies if that's the case, after finding out about this."

Sunset felt a sudden wave of nostalgia, remembering the memories that she and Flash had shared. She always knew that they weren't meant to be together, but it was a comforting feeling to know that he had found happiness in the form of another girl. Despite feeling more surprise in this revelation than anything else, Sunset managed to keep her smile in place, especially after hearing that she was technically responsible for Flash overcoming his shyness in his social life.

"No worries, I'm happy for him." Sunset assured. "We've both moved on, and I'm sure he'll be focusing on a new life with her after graduation. Just out of curiosity, is she nice? The kind of girl you'd want to bring home to meet?"

"Well, like I've said before, thanks to the alarming rise in crime rates around the city, I'm swamped with all kinds of reports and investigations to focus on." The chief replied. "I haven't met my son's new girlfriend yet, nor do I know of her name, but I'm sure that Flash has his reasons for believing she's the one for him. Perhaps once the investigations are wrapped up, I'll be able to come home to enjoy a dinner with the whole family, but until then, I'll be one busy man."

"I understand completely." Sunset nodded. "He's a good judge of character, so I'm sure she's wonderful. In the meantime, tell Flash that I said hello, and that I wish him luck on whatever path he plans to pursue after graduation."

"Will do, Sunset." The chief began turning the keys in his car's ignition. "You have my gratitude for retrieving and rescuing this child, and I'm sure Lily's parents would feel the same way. Have a good evening, and remember to report to us, should you see any further suspicious activity going on in the city."

As the police car pulled away, its lights kept flashing rhythmically in the night, while Sunset couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment and relief. Lily Pad had gotten her stolen tablet back, and would soon be reunited with her parents. The encounter with her ex's father had been unexpected, yet it brought back a flood of memories from her time with Flash. Despite the breakup and mistreatment towards Flash back then, it was heartwarming to hear that he had moved on. After learning of Flash's relationship with his father, Sunset then thought about her upcoming journey, in returning back to Equestria, and rebuilding her bond with her own parents.

The cool evening air whispered around her as Sunset began to walk back to her apartment, her thoughts drifting to the mysterious 'Solstice' engravement that Sunny Flare had pointed out earlier. Her stomach fluttered with a mix of excitement and nervousness, as she contemplated the potential revelations within the near future. Sunset couldn't help but wonder, even if she were able to find her biological parents, would they even remember or accept her back into their lives again? After all, it suddenly dawned on Sunset that for the most part, during her time as Princess Celestia's pupil at the School For Gifted Unicorns, neither of her parents had ever visited her, and Celestia herself had been taking care of her, almost like a mother-figure.

Although it was rather sweet to know that Flash had two caring parents, and that his father almost played with the idea of Sunset being their future daughter-in-law, Sunset unfortunately couldn't say the same about having a loving family. Outside of Celestia, and extremely vague memories of having a father when she was very young, Sunset almost felt as if her parents' absence from her life, especially when growing up as a filly, contributed towards her problematic behavior in her later years. The same behavior that ended up splitting her and Flash up, as well as abandoning the only pony in her life, who was the closest she had to a mother.

These thoughts kept swimming around Sunset's mind as she slowly made her way back to her apartment, and knew that she would most likely get a clear answer, soon enough. If anypony were to know of what must've happened back then, during her time growing up in Canterlot, Princess Celestia herself would surely have that bit of knowledge. Not only in regards to where Sunset's parents were, but also what specifically could've contributed towards this rebellious nature that made Sunset end up in the life she now had. Sunset was already fully aware that Celestia kept the knowledge of the magical mirror hidden from her back then, which made her wonder if the princess had also been intentionally hiding a dark truth regarding her parents...

Chapter 36: Peckish Pal

Sunset had just finished modeling the leather vest for Rarity and returned it to the rack, while a satisfied Sweetie Belle headed off to her room after a long session of being a secondary assistant to her big sister. It was time for both unicorn mares to travel to Manehattan and meet up with the client who ordered the attire. Although she already mistakenly ended up in Manehattan after falling asleep on the train yesterday, Sunset decided it would still be a nice opportunity to continue spending time with Rarity if they were able to travel there together. After all, worrying too much about getting to the coronation didn't give her much room to truly explore the marvelous sights of the city, much like with Canterlot during the Wallflower memory incident. The only issue she could immediately foresee was that she'd likely need to go back to home to Canterlot first for some bits in order to purchase another train ticket.

"All right, so now that the vest is good to go, I suppose we can travel to Manehattan now?" Sunset asked. "You did mention your client will give you a much bigger bonus if you got there early, right?"

"Very much so." Rarity replied. "Miss Valencia will surely be pleased to the point where she'll pay extra and even recommend my line to everypony in Equestria. She is a powerful influencer in the clothing market, after all."

"Valencia?" Sunset began to think back on who that might be. "That name sounds familiar, even to me. I want to say I've met her once in my adventures back in the human world?"

"Oh, well there you have it!" Rarity exclaimed in excitement. "That goes to show how well known she is. In the meantime, we might as well take the train, since it appears to be arriving at the west Ponyville station in about 15 minutes. Perfect timing, I'd say! Since I regularly have to travel for delivering my clients' orders, I do have a creator's pass which allows me to take the train at no charge, plus one guest. Since you would want to explore more of Equestria, you're welcome to come with me, dear."

"Really? That's great!" Sunset said with delight, now knowing the train ticket problem was solved. "Since we're heading to Manehattan to deliver the order, will that give us some time to check out some of the city together?"

"Well, not quite." Rarity replied. "See, once I arrive to Manehattan, I'll also have to fill out some paperwork while attending a meeting with other fashionistas. After which, I'm expected to also attend the beauty pageant itself and act as a photographer during the showoff segment. You're certainly welcome to take part in the event, admission is free and all. But I'm afraid we most likely won't have time together there."

"Oh, really?" Sunset said with a little disappointment. "Well, I suppose I could try to enjoy Manehattan by myself, but it certainly would be nice to have somepony join me. Are any of our friends going to be there too?"

"Actually, come to think of it..." Rarity began. "Starlight did mention to me this morning that she was going to be somewhere around Manehattan. Perhaps you two could be travel buddies for a few hours while I take care of my business responsibilities."

"All right, cool!" Sunset said with her optimism back. "It'd be nice to spend time with her, since I haven't really met anyone whom I can truly connect with as far as having a troubled past."

"Very nice then, onward to the train station!" Rarity announced happily before taking the leather vest off the rack and putting it in a fancy bag.

Rarity and Sunset had just arrived in Manehattan after getting off the train. The memories of anxiety began to slowly inch up to Sunset, as the last time she was here, there was a scenario of panic involving becoming critically late to a big event. Since the event was well over by this point, she had nothing to worry about and had a whole luxurious city to fully explore. Admittedly, Sunset had never seen Manehattan much, or was truly familiar with what the city contained. This began to feel like yet another effect from her living in Canterlot, as she stayed there during a majority of her time in Equestria.

She used to always feel that being a pony who lived in Canterlot gave her privileges above anypony else, to where caring about other cities and landscapes wasn't of her interest in the slightest. Due to this, Sunset felt this would be a great change, being able to finally appreciate the outer world she had neglected for so long, even if it was considered to be an inferior lower-class compared to Canterlot. Going with Rarity into the city, Sunset was luckily able to spot Starlight a short distance away, casually sitting outside at a restaurant's table by herself. As she had mentioned previously, Rarity had to go attend an important meeting, so she waved goodbye to Sunset and went about her own way, as Sunset trotted over to the restaurant.

"Hey again, Starlight." Sunset greeted the one friend she always found immensely relatable, before taking a seat with her. "Seems like a good day to be in Manehattan, right? Pretty nice to just relax and get away from all the hard work in our everyday lives."

"Hi, Sunset." Starlight greeted back. "Yeah, admittedly, I could certainly use a break after everything the School of Friendship puts me through. Being a guidance counselor isn't exactly the easiest job in Equestria."

"I understand." Sunset said. "What are you doing here by yourself, by any chance? Mostly to explore Manehattan?"

"Yeah, I just felt like seeing more of Equestria now that I have some free time. You're welcome to join me in that activity, if you wish. Right now though, I'm just grabbing a bite to eat, as this restaurant opened up recently, so I thought I'd check it out. I've been told it's a place many other ponies would certainly recommend, and that the food's certainly 5 stars. Would you like to order something with me as soon as the waiter's ready?"

"Well I would, but I unfortunately left my saddlebag and money back at home." Sunset replied. "It's okay though, I already had some muffins along the way, I'm sure I'll manage."

"Don't worry about paying, I'll handle it." Starlight assured. "You are both my friend and guest, after all. We didn't get too much time to know each other last time you returned to Equestria, so I'd figure this would be a nice time for us to bond."

"That's really nice of you." Sunset smiled.

By perfect timing, the waitress finally came out of the restaurant, ready to take orders. Both Sunset and Starlight's eyes widened when they saw who it was. They had a seemingly mutual feeling of anxiety as the pony before them sparked unpleasant memories during their first adventure together. However, both of them tried their best to keep calm and carry on casually without acting unusual.

"Hello there, I'll be your waitress this fine afternoon!" Juniper Montage said with enthusiasm. "What can I get started for you today at the Manehattan Eatery?"

"Hi, could I just get a simple order of hayburger and fries, please?" Starlight ordered.

"Yeah, I'll have the same thing she's having." Sunset requested, not really being too picky on food, as her absence in Equestria gave her less of a palette to choose from.

"Coming right up!" Juniper said as she wrote down the orders and returned to the restaurant's kitchen.

"Starlight, did you just get déjà vu from that?" Sunset questioned.

"If you were thinking about a certain magical mirror and giant movie star monster, then you just read my mind." Starlight responded. "At least we won't need to worry about anything this time, since we both got our magic. But... let's move on from that unpleasant experience, and get to know each other a bit better while we wait for our food."

"Agreed." Sunset nodded, before returning back to the previous conversation. "So hey, you run a school yourself? That sounds pretty impressive. The most I've ever been is a student, and hey, even being Princess Celestia's pupil only still entailed being once again, a student. I've never heard of this school before, besides small mentions from Twilight writing to me."

"Oh yeah, it's a more recent institution Twilight and I set up." Starlight explained. "Let's just say that having almost every creature here in Equestria becoming acquainted with ponies wouldn't have been possible if not for the school. Yaks, griffins, hippogriffs, dragons, changelings, you name it. To be honest, I've always been surprised at how far I've come in both my life and career. I went from a manipulative village ruler who believed everypony should be equal, to a caring psychological advisor for a school encouraging all sorts of creatures and ponies to feel proud about being different."

"Tell me about it." Sunset related to Starlight's words. "I used to be a manipulative bully myself, who shunned ponies interested in being my friends, took Princess Celestia for granted, and even worse, ruled CHS with an iron fist. Honestly, Starlight? It's kind of become a form of psychological relief for me ever since I met you and learned more about your past. It just... feels nice to have somepony to relate with and understand where you've been your whole life. I mean, how many friends have you made also share as troubled a past as yours?"

"I know, right?" Starlight replied. "Before I met you, I felt more connected with ponies like Trixie, just for the fact that I was able to understand her on at least a smaller level. She's mentioned taking over Ponyville for a while after obtaining the Alicorn Amulet and creating many forms of turmoil. Honestly, that still seemed like nothing compared to what I did. Trixie wanted revenge on Twilight for ruining her show after the incident with the Ursa Minor, and I wanted to get back at Twilight for interfering with my beliefs and structure of a society where everypony was equal. But to her credit, she eventually helped me understand why those beliefs were wrong."

"While it feels like I never had any direct resentment toward Twilight, I still fall under that category for stealing her crown." Sunset reflected. "I was more bitter toward Princess Celestia at the time, mostly for not giving me what I wanted when I felt I was ready. And that unfortunately led me to be at my worst when I was all alone in the other world at CHS. All those years of shunning potential friends resulted in me becoming the nastiest bully imaginable. Whenever I reflect on that point in my life, I always look back in shame."

"I guess I could say the same too when Sunburst moved away during our youth. "Starlight related. "Like I've mentioned before, after he saved me from that stack of books and got his cutie mark, I felt I was abandoned. I made myself believe that cutie marks would take any potential future friends away from me, and started my village of equality. Little did I know, I was just taking away individuality from those ponies which made them special."

"I see." Sunset listened on. "Now I don't have much room to speak myself, considering I was never close with my own family to bother keeping in touch with them, but I am now curious. Was there a reason you never kept in touch with Sunburst? I never kept in touch with my parents since I grew up as an overachiever who believed socializing was a waste of time."

"I'm thinking because I wasn't really told where he went off to?" Starlight reasoned. "Even if I had the motivation to write to him, he and his family did end up moving away before I even got a chance to ask for where he'd be after. I was still in a state of emotional shock and rather heartbroken after seeing him just leave me. But I learned later on that Sunburst actually only moved away with his dad to continue the rest of his new life, while his mother stayed behind in Sire's Hollow."

"He only grew up with a dad, just like I did?" Sunset began to brainstorm. "And you say this friend of yours was named Sunburst, just like my name, Sunset. Would you think it's a coincidence that we both have sun attributes in our names, along with the fact we only grew up with a dad in our lives? The only real difference I can see is that my dad and I lived in Ponyville, whereas you mention Sunburst and his dad lived in some place name named Sire's Hollow."

"Oh, no. I think you misunderstood." Starlight clarified. "His mom stayed behind in that town, but as for Sunburst and his father, all I was really told was that he moved to Canterlot to pursue his path in studying magic. I never actually questioned Sunburst on where his father lived after their move, but I would presume he moved there with him? Somepony did have to take care of him since he was still a little colt at the time. Either that, or his dad moved somewhere else, while he was placed under the care of Canterlot."

"Hmm, if that's the case, that would also explain why I only grew up with a dad before moving to Canterlot, and why I've never heard of anypony named Sunburst before you mentioned him to me." Sunset kept thinking. "Do you have any idea why his parents split up?"

"Unfortunately, that's all I was really told from Sunburst regarding his family." Starlight continued. "That, and the fact he's often been frustrated with how persistent his mother keeps sending him letters to ask about his future plans, when he and I returned to Sire's Hollow for a while. If I'm being honest, Sunset? It really was a shame to find out after all those years I felt abandoned, I could've simply asked his mom where Sunburst moved to, so I could've kept in touch with him. I always thought Sunburst and his entire family moved away after he got his cutie mark, but that apparently wasn't the case. And to think I almost caused Equestria to become a desolate wasteland when I was going up against Twilight with my time travel spells."

"Wait, you did what now?" Sunset asked from confusion, as her previous thought of Sunburst's parents were suddenly derailed.

"Oh yeah, I guess I never really talked about that." Starlight said with shame. "By changing the past to where Twilight and the rest of her friends never met, it somehow caused massive changes in the future that resulted in awful outcomes. It even got to a point where nothing in Equestria remained, as everything and everyone got obliterated. I single hoofedly almost caused Equestria to be completely wiped out, all because one childhood friend moved away. Yeah, I admit, my motives to do everything I did were very weak, and I would've ended up doing something I would've heavily regretted in the long run. Never really shared this with anypony else, since I'd imagine they'd believe I'm crazy or psychotic. And honestly, now that you've heard this, I wouldn't blame you for being afraid of me and thinking I've been a messed up pony for most of my life."

While Sunset was a little shaken up by what Starlight revealed, she couldn't help but feel Starlight was rather noble about opening up about something so serious.

"While I'm a little surprised to hear you went through all that, I'm kinda in a similar boat." Sunset explained. "After stealing Twilight's crown and putting it on myself, I turned into an actual she-demon bent on taking over Equestria with my own little army of personal human zombies. I planned on returning to Equestria to exact revenge against Princess Celestia while using my new powers to also create the literal destruction of this world we're both in right now. So needless to say, it even feels like further mental relief to learn I now know somepony who can even understand where I've been in almost doing irreversible damage to all of Equestria. And it sounds like in both of our cases, it was because of Twilight that neither of us ended up going through with what we planned to do back then."

"Yikes, sorry to hear you had to go through that as well." Starlight replied. "When you first mentioned something like that during our first adventure together, I didn't realize it was to that extent. But you're right, it's nice to actually meet somepony you could connect with on such an immense level. Not even Trixie was capable of doing something as insane and unpredictable as I did. Both of us truly were one-of-a-kind mentally unstable unicorns back in the day, weren't we?"

"Yep..." Sunset agreed. "But hey, now that we both got each other and all sorts of other friends, we're been living the lives we've always wanted, right? All thanks to Twilight, it's no wonder she's the Princess of Friendship. Although I've had the ambitious wish of becoming a princess myself for so long, I instead now feel a lot happier in the path she's helped me take. Plus, let's just say I've learned over time that being a princess and leader is a much bigger responsibility than you would think."

"I could say the same about running a village." Starlight responded. "I agree though, like I mentioned before, thanks to Twilight, I would've never met Trixie or found Sunburst again. Speaking of Sunburst, would you like me to introduce you to him sometime later this week? It sounds like to me, you're hoping to find your parents or something?"

"Well, I suppose meeting him and his parents will at least give me a better idea on whether or not they're the biological family I have." Sunset elaborated. "And yes, that's kind of the idea, since like I've mentioned before, I was never particularly close to my family before I moved to Canterlot and became Princess Celestia's pupil. All I knew for absolute certain was that during my days as a filly, I only grew up with a dad, but not a mom. Is it reasonable to surmise that since Sunburst's parents were for whatever reason separated, there's a connection there between his dad and mine?"

"Sure, I can help you two get acquainted whenever I get the word he's not too busy." Starlight offered. "Admittedly, your reasoning does seem to make sense to me, since aside from Sunburst, you're the only other pony in Equestria I'm familiar with who has 'Sun' in their name."

"What about Sunburst's dad though?" Sunset questioned. "After everything that's remained ever since the thought first came to me about looking for my parents, I only have one possible lead. There was a distinct word engraved on the bottom of my saddlebag, which I kept on thinking has to mean something more significant, as I have a definite memory that my dad gave it to me. Is Sunburst's dad named 'Solstice' by any chance?"

"No, I don't believe that's his name." Starlight debunked. "While I've never really known Sunburst's father personally, I'm pretty certain that based on the times Sunburst and I hung out, he vaguely mentioned something about how his dad's name was actually 'Sunspot' and not 'Solstice', as you presume."

"Well... then there's still the possibility of either of those names being a nickname." Sunset believed. "Either way, a single dad with the attribute of 'Sun' in his name is enough of a lead for me to at least check and see whether he's my actual dad or not. I guess if I arrange a time to meet him, I could determine it for myself. The idea is, if he doesn't act strange when I mention the name 'Solstice' to him, or if I just don't recognize him at all myself, even through my vague memories of my father, then he's only Sunburst's dad and not mine. It'd still be worth a try, I'd imagine."

"Sounds like an all right plan to me." Starlight continued. "Plus, I'd certainly be happy to introduce you to my first childhood friend. It'd be nice to see two ponies I've grown to connect with so much finally meet. I'll be sure to contact Sunburst sometime after to meet with you, and if he has time, also introduce you to his father. Assuming Sunspot truly is your dad, that would make Sunburst your brother. Are you sure you've never heard of Sunburst before in your life, or had any vague hints of having a brother?"

"I'm afraid not." Sunset replied. "The very first time I heard a mention of anypony named Sunburst was from you, and I definitely wouldn't remember having a brother in my life, since it was only my dad and I who lived together in Ponyville."

"Hmm, okay, well I'll still arrange this with Sunburst regardless, since I want to help you out." Starlight smiled. "Anything for a good friend who just wants to get closer with their family. I'll admit, for a while, I never really liked my own dad, since he always treated me like a child whenever I came to visit him. But I eventually learned to love him and not take him for granted, as this behavior of his was more an effect of me not visiting him as often as he would've wished."

"A very valuable lesson to learn, since... one day, your family won't be around anymore, regardless of how close you were with them." Sunset moped. "I'm at least things worked out with your own dad, at least. But out of curiosity, what about your mother?"

"Oh, funny story about my mom." Starlight began. "See, when I was just a filly-" But before Starlight could even continue her story, Juniper had just returned with the food made in the time Sunset and Starlight were conversing together.

"All right, two orders of hayburgers and fries, as requested." Juniper announced to the two mares, before setting the plates of food in front of them. "Enjoy, and please be sure to leave a tip!"

"You got it, ma'am." Starlight said to Juniper before turning back to Sunset. "Err, I'll tell you the story some other time."

As Juniper trotted back into the restaurant, Sunset and Starlight began enjoying their meals. Just like with Derpy's muffins, Sunset notably had more enjoyment with this meal than most foods she was accustomed to as a human, since she was able to devour using her natural herbivore taste buds again. She had certainly forgotten what good hay tasted like, and to Sunset, it felt like such a relief, as she remembered attempting to chew on hay as a human didn't exactly work out for her.

"Hungry, aren't you?" Starlight observed as she saw Sunset downing the meal as if she hadn't eaten in a while.

"You bet, haven't had good hay like this in ages." Sunset replied, while finishing off nearly all her fries. "And hey, I just made a realization. At least this time around, our waitress didn't serve us a dish of revenge like she did last time, right?"

"Ha! That's a good one." Starlight said amused, as both unicorns continued to finish up their meals.

Chapter 49: An Interesting Development

The suspension kept growing within Sunset, anxious that she was about to find out how disastrous the situation behind her sudden disappearance must've gone for Celestia when she had to inform her father. It seemed to completely line up with Sunburst's story when he shared that his father showed numerous hints of not wanting to send his son to the same school in Canterlot. Realizing that she needed to have closure over hearing any further information that Celestia could provide for her, Sunset sat back in her dining chair and listened on, as the flashback continued.

"Err, your highness?" Sunspot waved his hoof in front of Celestia's face in an attempt to get her attention. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I-I'm sorry, what brings you here again?" Celestia suddenly broke out of her trance of guilt after seeing Sunset's father, knowing that her former pupil was now trapped within another dimension.

"Like I've said, I finished renovating my home back in Ponyville, and now I'd like to see my baby girl." Sunspot affirmed. "You wrote to me a few weeks ago that Sunset just finished and passed her final midterm exam, in which she successfully grew an enormous beanstalk. I wanted to drop by and reunite with my daughter after being gone for so long, and take her home for the rest of the day as a bit of a graduation treat. Simple enough, I'd imagine? Where might she be at the moment, so I can go pick her up?"

"Oh, um..." Celestia looked around her throne room nervously. "I'm afraid that... Sunset Shimmer isn't exactly with us here at the moment."

"Hmm, alright then." Sunspot said, understandingly. "I guess I'll check back as soon as I can, since I wouldn't miss a chance in finally getting to spend some time once more with my baby girl, now that my boss gave me the rest of the week off."

"No, that's not quite what I mean..." Celestia tried to explain the hard news. "She's... trapped in a magical mirror, and it just closed by the time she went in, so we don't have a way to reliably get her back."

"W-What do you..." Sunspot sputtered, before realizing this must've been an elaborate hoax. "Okay princess, you got me. Good to know that our royal leader has a great sense of humor. Now for real, where's my daughter?"

"I'm so sorry, but I was being serious." Celestia tried to hold back her tears. "She went through this magical mirror which, to my understanding, brought her into a strange alternate dimension that supposedly only opens once every 30 moons. Unfortunately, she wouldn't have known about this, as I hadn't taught her anything regarding this mirror yet. I also lack a means of being able to communicate with her whilst in this dimension, and it's unknown where Sunset might've gone off to after she made her way in."

"Y-Y-You..." Sunspot couldn't believe his ears. "If this is some kind of a sick joke, you need to tell me right now!"

Celestia simply lowered her head and closed her eyes, signaling that this was in fact, no fib.

"HOW COULD YOU JUST LET THIS HAPPEN TO MY DAUGHTER!?!?!?" Sunspot exploded, before some nearby royal guards tried to restrain the stallion.

"No, no." Celestia said to her guards. "Don't worry, his reaction is completely justified, I'll need you to leave us be so we can resolve this on our own."

The guards nodded and did as they were instructed, before Celestia turned back to a horrified and outraged Sunspot.

"I'm sorry but... when Sunset took interest in this mirror, I tried to keep her away, as I was afraid that her curiosity would grow too strong." Celestia explained. "When we reached that point, she began blatantly disobeying my orders, and we ended up having a heated dispute that resulted in me removing her as my pupil. Shortly after, I got the report from my guards that she snuck around the castle, took them by surprise, and just jumped into the mirror. A mirror leading to another world that just closed, shortly after she went in."

"If that mirror was so dangerous, why would you not warn her of the dangers, instead of just letting her curiosity grow!?" Sunspot spat. "And you ended up removing her as your pupil just as I had finally arrived to celebrate her graduation!?"

"I truly apologize, Sunspot." Celestia tried reasoning with her former pupil's father. "I genuinely didn't anticipate Sunset's actions, and believed that not allowing her to continue her studies was the only way we could prevent this growing delusion of hers in wanting to be my pupil for all the wrong reasons. She even went as far as to demand I make her a princess, which was certainly out of the question."

"You should've at least told her why it was dangerous regardless!" Sunspot criticized the princess's foolish decisions. "Better yet, what could possibly be happening in this other world as we speak!? Sunset couldn't be in any real danger... could she?"

"Well, I'm afraid there's always a possibility she ran off and got herself lost in uncharted territory." Celestia surmised. "However, according to my best recollection, there's something more magic-related that could potentially pose as a threat should anypony from here in Equestria decide to make their way in. For some reason, I can't seem to remember what that exact threat was, but I do know there was something supposedly relating to upsetting the balance between the two worlds. Whatever the case was, I've decided it's too risky to send somepony in to find her now, even if we normally have to wait another 30 moons for the portal to reopen."

"Are you nuts, princess!?" Sunspot protested. "You're just going to let my daughter be trapped for the rest of her life, even if she's still alive in there, all over some dumb hunch!? At least let me go in there after enough moons have passed to see if I can find her myself!"

"This is not a hunch, Sunspot." Celestia said with a serious look on her face. "It's something that deep down, I simply know will legitimately create negative effects as the result of some kind of inbalance between these worlds. I've known this for a while over hundreds of years of studying magic, so I can assure you that this is no joking matter. Until I'm able to conduct some heavy research to remember what this inbalance effect was, I'm forbidding anypony to enter the mirror until further notice. I'm sorry, Sunspot, but I simply can not allow you to enter the mirror to find Sunset due to this."

"I... TRUSTED YOU, PRINCESS!!!" Sunspot began sobbing. "YOU NOT ONLY TOOK MY DAUGHTER AWAY FOR MANY YEARS, BUT ALSO EFFECTIVELY BRAINWASHED HER INTO GETTING TRAPPED IN A DANGEROUS WORLD!?!?!? IF YOU KNEW THIS MIRROR WAS DANGEROUS, YOU SHOULD'VE JUST SAID WHY, INSTEAD OF TESTING HER CURIOSITY!!!"

"Please, I understand how difficult all this must be for you to take in, but as the princess, even in these tough times, it's still my responsibility to ensure the safety of Equestria as our first priority." Celestia tried to reason with the stallion. "Since even my knowledge of the mirror is limited at the moment, until I'm able to finalize my research to know with certainty whether or not it's safe to go through, I'm afraid nopony else will be entering, even if it does reopen in about 30 moons."

"You lost my daughter, raised her to be rebellious, brainwashed her into doing something reckless, made the dumb decision to not warn her of the actual dangers behind the mirror, and then won't even allow me, her father, to go into this world and try to save her myself!?" Sunspot went down the list. "Princess, this simply will not stand! I've already had my wife divorce me long ago, and now it's your fault my daughter is gone too! Your words on some inbalance will not sway my decision to sue you for destroying my family!!!"

The entire fiasco ended with Sunspot and Celestia herself settling the dispute at the Canterlot courtroom. Most jurors still ended up siding with the princess, given the circumstances of a supposed magical inbalance, and how nopony could've anticipated Sunset's actions until it was too late. However, since Celestia still felt awful for all the emotional pain Sunspot must've been going through due to her foolish decisions in tempting Sunset the whole time and not keeping a closer eye on the mirror, she still felt like owing her former pupil's father some form of compensation. She voluntarily gave up 30,000 bits for the damage done to Sunset's family, hoping this would at least have the stallion come to terms with her concerns and forgive her honest mistake. Further explanations were also about to be made, as the flashback ended for now.

"Wow, I was certainly afraid of how my father would've reacted after I was stuck in the human world for quite some time." Sunset said. "I didn't think he'd end up suing you too."

"At the time, although I won the case after explaining myself, I still felt bad for Sunspot, since I could understand his pain." Celestia reflected. "He effectively lost his daughter in one of the worst ways imaginable, in the care of somepony he thought he could trust. I also conceded that by constantly telling you that you weren't ready to learn about the mirror, almost as if it was some sort of challenge, in some ways according to your father, I did 'brainwash' you into getting stuck there, especially after our fight in the castle. I truly apologize for putting you in this situation, since I definitely could've handled things better myself."

"No, you shouldn't be the one apologizing." Sunset began, sincerely. "I'm sorry that I made a dumb decision, simply because of this ego and belief that I was always ready to learn more about that mirror. I hadn't realized the extent of my actions when it came to not even attempting to find an opening to come back. After hearing how emotionally broken my dad must've been when he found out his daughter was possibly gone forever, I... I never would've guessed how my selfish actions ended up affecting you when he did decide to come visit me. The thing is, up until that point, I don't think I really remember him visiting me before, after you took me to Canterlot?"

"Well, to my understanding, that was the first time he came to Canterlot physically to see you." Celestia recalled. "Before that, he wrote you a few letters from time to time, I'm guessing because he couldn't find a good time due to work. Do you recall if you ever got them in your Canterlot home's mailbox?"

"I'm thinking I most likely did, but never read them." Sunset believed. "I definitely recall focusing primarily on being the number one student at the school, to the point of turning down any opportunity to socialize or make friends. That even included letters, as somepony invited me to her birthday party years ago, and I found out I never even bothered opening that envelope. As such, I couldn't remember a single time I've read any of dad's letters, let alone actually writing him back."

"I see." Celestia understood. "In that case, he was probably under the impression that you were too busy to focus on your studies to write him back, and this obsessive studying at the school slowly tore his daughter away from the family."

"That would also perfectly explain why he constantly hesitated to send Sunburst to the same school I went to." Sunset recalled the memory shared by her half brother earlier. "Aside from my sudden disappearance, he must've also felt that the school itself set high standards to the point where his own children grew distant from him. Focusing too heavily on our studies when he always wanted us to keep in touch, it most likely made him grow bitter over the years. I pretty much completely disregarded his existence after I moved to Canterlot, and so did Sunburst, since he mentioned that he hadn't even visited him once after he moved away. Maybe... Sunburst and I are both partially to blame for our father becoming the bitter and uncaring stallion he is now? Having two children who effectively chose to abandon him, along with getting a divorce with both of our moms, I can't really imagine it would've done his mental health any favors..."

"No, Sunset..." Celestia put a hoof under Sunset's chin. "Please don't say that. You and Sunburst were only following your dreams and simply ended up with unfortunate outcomes. You became isolated from Equestria due to the portal locking itself, and Sunburst to my knowledge, lost touch with his father after he flunked out of my magic school. I remember him mentioning that it was a similar case of him being too ashamed to write back, much like he did with his childhood friend, Starlight Glimmer."

"Hmm, speaking of Sunburst writing to our dad, there's admittedly still something I haven't figured out." Sunset remembered. "Sunburst also said that he did write a letter to dad during his first week there, yet he never heard back, so I'm still scratching my head at what that was all about. While we're talking about dad right now though, what happened after your settlement with him in court? Did he end up forgiving you sometime afterward?"

"Ah yes, I should also bring up what happened a few weeks following that messy day your father decided to return, shortly after you were stuck in the other world." Celestia began sharing another flashback.

Several weeks had already passed since the day Sunspot returned to Canterlot and expected to see his daughter finally graduate from the most prestigious school in Equestria. Although Celestia had willingly given up a good sum of bits to pay for damages, as well as repealed several older Equestrian laws as a means of helping grant Solstice's status to legally see Sunset, things unfortunately didn't have a happy ending between the princess and father of her former pupil. The stallion returned back to Celestia's throne room, where the princess herself saw that Sunspot still looked rather unhappy. Regardless, she decided to still welcome him back, hoping they could at least still be on neutral terms.

"Oh, I'm so happy to see you return." Celestia welcomed. "After I sent you that letter in which I finally revoked the old law that prevented Solstice from seeing Sunset, I figured you'd might be-"

"Even more unhappy than the last time I decided to come back to Canterlot?"

"I... I'm sorry?" Celestia asked, rather confused. "I don't understand, I've given you a large sum of money to pay for damages and revoked the law which would allow Solstice to finally see Sunset legally without needing to worry about requiring alimony."

"Yeah, I figured I should've been happy to hear all this myself." Sunspot said, sarcastically. "Unfortunately, despite the fact we divorced a while ago, I went over to Solstice's home to deliver the news you told me yourself. Although she was happy to hear about the law being changed, she was far from happy when I had to tell her what happened to Sunset. She went absolutely berserk, seeing how I not only supposedly 'cheated' on her, but was also dumb enough to hand over our daughter to you, only for you to one day lose her. That was unfortunately the final straw for her. Even after our divorce, she still kept in touch with me purely because of Sunset. Now that she's gone, Solstice has completely cut all contact with me, and I found out earlier today that she moved away to an unknown location, since her house was now empty. Meaning, you not only took my daughter away from me, but even my ex-wife, who was still willing to be with me for a while because of our daughter."

"I... I don't know what else to say beyond... I'm so, so sorry." Celestia said, sadly, now understanding the full extent of damage caused by Sunset's disappearance. "I really wish things could've been different, but... I'm afraid there's nothing we can do now."

"There's only one thing you can do for me now." Sunspot became blunt. "Even if I don't know where Solstice is anymore, I believe I still have the right to go into the mirror myself and save my daughter. You should've done enough research by now to determine it's safe enough for me to go in when the portal's open, is that correct?"

"Listen, Sunspot..." Celestia sighed. "You're not going to like what I'm about to say, but I'm afraid I still can't allow that. During the past few weeks, I've tried looking all over Canterlot's library for the book that explains the mirror, but I wasn't able to recover it. As such, without a clear answer as to whether or not it's truly safe to send anypony else through, I just can't risk us taking any chances, and that's final. I know you want to get your daughter back, but I still stand by my belief that sending you through will most likely upset the balance of the world, creating irreversible havoc in the process."

"All right, fine." Sunspot huffed, as he finally had enough. "I've given you a fair chance, but if you won't let me save my precious daughter, no more. Just know now that like my wife did with me, I'm permanently cutting contact with you altogether too. My daughter is now essentially good as gone, and with Solstice no longer around anymore, I have no family left to love and cherish, and it's all your fault! I should've never let you take my daughter away, let alone played with the idea of letting you being her actual mother! We're cutting ties for good, and I don't want to see you around me or my family ever again! Consider yourself blacklisted."

Sunspot then stormed out of the throne room, still enraged over everything that had happened. Celestia meanwhile, still felt sad over everything, especially when she herself tried so hard to fix everything and make amends with her former pupil's father, only for it all to end like this. She was genuinely hoping that giving those bits and changing the alimony law could've at least let Sunspot understand just how much she cared in making things right. The concern regarding sending somepony else through the mirror was just too risky in her eyes, and she wouldn't have been willing to lose both Sunset and Sunspot in the process. Regardless, the princess simply sighed in defeat, realizing that she always could've raised Sunset to be more disciplined and respectful toward her as a mentor, instead of always coddling and spoiling her all those years. She took a break from her royal duties to decide how she was going to move forward from this predicament, as the flashback finally ended.

"Oh wow... I definitely wouldn't have imagined things ended up like that, even after how much you tried to help dad out of the kindness of your heart." Sunset said. "I guess that he simply still wasn't satisfied when he couldn't go through the mirror himself to find me, but there was seemingly a legitimate reason regarding upsetting the balance between that world and Equestria. That makes me wonder, when I returned to steal Twilight's crown, forcing her to go in to get it back, were you just as hesitant on letting her go through the mirror too?"

"I was still even adamant on letting Twilight go through the mirror on her own back then, but when I realized that her element had been taken, and how vital it was for Equestria's sake, I decided that we simply had no choice." Celestia sighed. "When I saw that Twilight was able to return safely without any unusual effects, that's when I realized I might've been mistaken about this fear, but deep down, I've just always known there had to have been something relating to upsetting the balance, that it would've given me a legitimate reason to prohibit anypony else to enter this world too."

"We were all waiting for Twilight to return, and although she made a rather strange entrance back, notably by standing upright, nothing else about her seemingly changed." Luna recalled. "In the meantime, although your father's become a completely changed pony, I hope we're letting you know now that he genuinely loved you back then."

"I just... can't believe this whole time I was randomly exploring the human world, I've had a dad who cared so much about me, even to the point of standing his ground to the Princess of Equestria." Sunset thought back to her vaguest memories of her father as a year old filly.

"In all fairness, you only saw him briefly as a yearling." Luna reminded. "And although you might've missed out on reading his letters addressed to you, up until that point, he never once bothered to show up to Canterlot physically, just to see his daughter again."

"I know, but..." Sunset began to reflect back on the past. "It sounded like he wanted to work hard in Ponyville while I was in Canterlot, to give me the life he wasn't able to afford on his own by being a single dad raising me. So I not only took your sister for granted as a mother, but even my own father too."

"I wouldn't quite say that you took us for granted, Sunset." Celestia affirmed. "It was really more a matter of me not knowing how to be a proper parent, along with always making your life feel more privileged and special compared to all my other students. That high life in Canterlot might've affected you psychologically to behave the way you once did, but I always had the power and responsibility to prevent it from happening. You're admittedly the very first student I've treated like an actual daughter, so I suppose parenting was never really one of my strengths until I learned my lesson."

"Well, I guess in some ways, my blunders were still a reason you were able to watch over Twilight during her early years with this kind of experience in mind." Sunset tried to stay positive. "She did mention that although you treated her similar to me when I was studying at the school, you were more cautious about not making the same mistakes you once did with me. For example, you used to have her write letters to you every week, reporting all kinds of new lessons she's learned about friendship, kind of like outside homework?"

"Yes, and although it was originally meant as an exercise to encourage her social skills when making new friends after I sent her to Ponyville, it was a double-edged sword." Celestia said. "It even got to a point where she purposefully started making friendship problems herself, creating a ton of chaos all over town, and even with her friends. Twilight might be a great and responsible leader now, but like everypony else, she was never perfect either."

"Yeah, even my new friends here in Equestria have been teaching me that lesson pretty well, given I still have a past that I never look too fondly back on." Sunset remembered Rarity and Fluttershy sharing their own regrets back on the train. "As for how Twilight turned out in the end, I'd say you did a good job. Whenever I talk or write to her, I always feel assured and reminded that she genuinely cares about all her friends, even if it means putting biases aside and putting others' needs before her own. She's a true friend."

"Well, I'm glad that somepony sees that my hard work as a mentor and motherly figure to my students did eventually pay off over the years." Celestia replied. "I just wish Sunspot could've seen that about me too, even after what happened with you, Sunset."

"I'm sorry again to hear that you were never able to make things right with my dad." Sunset said, sadly. "Being told all this now, I really feel like even when I had to worry about my friends and the memory stone back then, I would've still dropped everything just to try to make amends between you and Sunspot. Though truthfully, I don't know if he would've treated me the same way he did a few hours ago..."

"Well actually, there was another reason why I purposefully never brought the incident with your father up, even after you had returned to seek my guidance." Celestia began confessing. "Over the course of time Twilight had set you on the right path in the other world, she's occasionally reported to me how much happier you were with your new friends, and that you practically saw them as family. Not only did I see you were desperate to find out why your friends had suddenly turned on you, but I also realized telling you about your father at that point would've complicated things. I didn't want you to believe that you would've had to make a choice, between returning to your father back in Equestria, or staying in the other world with the first friends who taught you how to genuinely embrace happiness and friendship."

"I appreciate you going the extra mile to have considered that, even when I once never really considered anypony else besides myself." Sunset said. "You would've been right, since I've had that exact dilemma for a while when I was considering the possibility of abandoning my friends by choosing to stay in Equestria. Luckily, when I met Twilight's friends at the coronation, Twilight and everypony else helped ease my guilt by explaining solutions and realistic reasons why I wouldn't necessarily be abandoning them. This is especially true, given how the portal's always going to be open thanks to that old journal, meaning that I'd always be able to visit them at my own whim."

"I'm glad to hear Twilight and her friends were even able to help you out with that little conflict, as I acknowledged how they were all able to rule on their own as the Council of Friendship, shortly before Luna and I departed." Celestia smiled. "I also have to hand it to Twilight for figuring out how to use my old journal to keep that portal open indefinitely. I admittedly haven't thought to touch the mirror or figure a way around it closing ever since you went through and got stuck in the other world."

"Well, to give credit where it's due, it was actually Pinkie's idea after she observed the same magic that allowed me to write Twilight messages through my journal would've been able to consistently power up the portal like some kind of battery source." Sunset corrected. "Regardless, yeah, Twilight always was capable of figuring out so many problems on her own, not all friendship or magic related. On the subject of the mirror, you mentioned that during the incident with my dad, you were still trying to do further research in the meantime, due to recalling that something would inevitably upset the balance of the two worlds? Were you ever able to figure out what that was?"

"Unfortunately, I wasn't." Celestia sighed. "To my best recollection, I've searched many times through the entire Canterlot library, as well as the restricted section I had shown to you and Twilight during your last return. Recalling my vaguest memories, I knew a book like that had to have existed somewhere, and that the problem with upsetting the balance between the worlds was legitimately true. However, since I was never able to find that book, even up until my last days before retirement, I was never able to read and remember the actual reason behind it. Basically, I've just always had this instinct based on what little I was able to remember about the mirror, and it was always a driving reason behind why I always tried to keep both you and Sunspot away from it. Back then, I said that you weren't ready to learn about the mirror because... I admittedly wasn't either. I simply cared for your safety, since I knew playing around with magic even I had limited knowledge on, could've been dangerous or unexpected. You asked this question earlier, so I'm sorry if I wasn't able to give you clear enough of an answer as you might've hoped."

"No need to be sorry, you've already answered a lot of my questions that I've been wondering for quite some time." Sunset assured. "Now I definitely know why I always saw you as a parental figure, what happened with my dad after he returned to Canterlot, who my mom was, and why my parents separated. Plus, it at least makes sense now why you were always trying to keep me away from that mirror since... let's just say I once told a certain someone myself, that she shouldn't have been messing around with things she didn't understand. Considering how I ended up in that world in the first place, I kinda feel like a hypocrite for saying that."

"Once again, I can truly admire how humble and understanding you've become since the days as my student." Celestia complimented. "I'm glad to know I was still able to be of some help in letting you now understand some perplexing questions, since I've always realized that if you were to one day return, I would've eventually had to tell you about this complicated past. Even if I wasn't as good of a teacher for you, I'm hoping I was at least a good parental figure."

"You were the best." Sunset smiled. "I know you just always wanted the best for me, given how rough things must've been for my actual parents. One last thing, did you ever find out what happened to my real mother, Solstice?"

"Sadly, given how she left your father after he told her the difficult news, as far as I'm aware, nopony ever found out where she went, nor what happened to her." Celestia sighed once more. "Not even Sunspot himself, who was still keeping in touch with her all that time. Although you might've found your father, I'm truly afraid meeting your real mother will be challenging for sure. It looks as if the only thing you have left of her is that saddlebag, which, if you're wondering, it was given to you by Sunspot. I recall that him mentioning it was an old satchel used by your mother before she got a new one, following their divorce."

"I see..." Sunset understood. "And come to think of it, even if I do end up finding her, would she even want me anymore, or just disown me, just like dad did? Actually, never mind, I... I don't really want to think about that right now. The only thing that matters to me now is, I do currently have a mother who genuinely cares about me, even after how awful I was all those years ago. She's taught me how to accept, empathize, forgive, and how to extend one's love and friendship to somepony else in need, in the hopes of one day being able to pass it all forward. I'm glad to know that although my actual family's complicated at the moment, I still have a family in the form of you, Twilight, and all my other new friends."

"For a while, I never thought I'd live to see the day such words of hope and enthusiasm would come from your mouth, Sunset." Celestia winked. "All I can say with confidence now is, even if I wasn't the one who taught you such wonderful morals and philosophies, I'm proud of how well you were able to learn them in the time you've spent in the other world. In the meantime, I still genuinely hope we could find your actual mother, Solstice, just to give you that closure to understand who your biological family once was."

"If dad knew, I would at least try to get some information out of him, but it's certainly going to be difficult if even he doesn't know where she went." Sunset brainstormed. "I just can't believe he ended up cheating on her, which resulted in me never getting the chance to meet her, not even when I lived with him in Ponyville. It's still admittedly strange how he kept claiming that he never did have an affair during the time where he truly came across as a genuine father. I actually still feel like getting to the bottom of that eventually, but in the meantime, I'm just happy to know I do have a mom who genuinely loves me. Do you mind if I call you 'mom', Princess Celestia?"

"Well, since you now understand the reasoning behind why I felt like giving you the mother you needed, it'd be an honor for you to address me by that nickname." Celestia smiled. "No need for 'Princess' though, as I'm obviously now retired from that position."

"Yeah, but I'm just pretty used to calling you by that title." Sunset blushed in embarrassment. "Besides, 'Dear Celestia' just doesn't have as nice of a ring to it as much as 'Dear Princess Celestia', wouldn't you say?"

"Hehe, I suppose that is true." Celestia giggled at her adoptive daughter's sense of humor.

"Well, I'm pretty exhausted from unpacking boxes all day, so I think I'll go ahead and raise the moon before calling it a night." Luna said. "Even the former princess of the night needs her beauty sleep. In the meantime, it was certainly nice to catch up with you and my sister's past, Sunset. I genuinely hope your stay in Equestria will be special!"

Luna then trotted upstairs to her bedroom, as Sunset and Celestia wished her goodnight. Celestia then used her magic to levitate the dishes and put them in the sink, being ready to wash them thoroughly the next morning. She also poofed the garbage right outside the house instantaneously, saving a trip to take out the trash. Seeing her adoptive mother using magic gave Sunset one last idea before bed, as Luna finally raised the moon from within her room.

"Soooo... mom?" Sunset addressed Celestia with her new nickname. "Would now be a good time to ask you for something before we hit the hay ourselves?"

"Sure thing." Celestia smiled at her daughter. "What will that be?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping that my time in Equestria would help me improve my magic skills, since it's been far too long." Sunset began explaining. "Spending so much time in the other world without a horn has made me completely out of practice, even to the point of forgetting how to teleport correctly. I was kind of wondering if you could give me a quick magic lesson, to where I'd be learning from you as a teacher, just like old times?"

"Hmm, I do need a reason myself to practice some magic from time to time, so why not?" Celestia agreed to Sunset's request. "There's actually a simple trick to guarantee you can teleport anywhere without issues, but be warned that doing so over long distances can begin to wear out your magic if you do it too much."

"Yeah, so I've been told." Sunset remembered the warnings Starlight gave her when attempting to teleport long distances. "What's the trick?"

"It's actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it." Celestia began being a teacher once more. "All you have to do is close your eyes, start up the teleportation spell, and in your mind, visualize a location you would like to teleport to. The trick is, you have to visualize the location very clearly, before waiting about ten seconds to let the spell take effect. If you do it too early, you most likely run the risk of being sent to a completely different area, or just further from your actual destination."

"That makes a lot of sense, given I've already had to learn that the hard way." Sunset recalled how much of an epic fail her attempt was in Manehattan when attempting to reach Twilight's coronation. "I know what the spell already is, so I was wondering if we could practice it together? Maybe let's teleport to... I dunno, your old throne room in Canterlot?"

"Sure, I could use a little trip down memory lane." Celestia agreed.

Before long, Celestia closed her eyes and started up the teleportation spell, while Sunset did the same, and used her previous memory of visiting her former mentor's throne room to visualize the location. Celestia already teleported away, but Sunset waited the extra few seconds as her teacher had instructed, before teleporting away herself. Although Celestia was happy to see a room she had just left from a few days ago, she was initially worried to see she was by herself, with Sunset nowhere in sight. However, after a few seconds, Sunset teleported into the same room, rather surprised at how that was the only thing she was truly missing when casting this particular spell.

"Huh, I actually did it." Sunset said with astonishment. "You're not so bad of a teacher after all."

"Well done, Sunset!" Celestia commended. "I almost forgot how quick of a learner you were when it came to anything other than friendship."

"Very funny, mom." Sunset rolled her eyes in amusement. "Alright, I guess that's it, then? We should head back to Silver Shoals before somepony comes in here?"

"Yeah, I guess it'd be a bit of an awkward situation." Celestia agreed.

The former princess teleported back to her new home in Silver Shoals, while Sunset did the same. It felt like a genuine, heartwarming moment for the two ponies, that they were able to once again relive the whole teacher and student dynamic, especially now that Sunset had a much bigger heart.

"Thanks so much for this, it means so much to me that we were able to do things together just like the older days, since... I've admittedly always missed you as a teacher." Sunset said.

"I'm glad to see you've enjoyed your lesson, and the feeling's mutual." Celestia replied back. "Luna and I still have a ton of unpacking to do tomorrow, so I think it's best we get some sleep now."

"Yeah, I'm already starting to feel pretty lethargic myself after teleporting far distances twice." Sunset agreed.

Sunset and Celestia went upstairs, before Sunset was shown the guest room by her adoptive mother. The unicorn was ready to hit the hay after another long day, but her feelings of parental abandonment crept up to her once more. This was technically the first time she'd be spending the night with somepony else, while she could genuinely see them as a loving parent, deep down. As Celestia let her adoptive daughter in and was about to head over to her own bedroom, Sunset stopped her.

"Mom...?" Sunset addressed her adoptive mother once more. "I was wondering... could you please... tuck me into bed?"

Celestia turned around and felt touched that Sunset was finally able to reciprocate the motherly love she had given her for years, instead of acting like a spoiled and entitled pupil. She cried a few tears of joy and nodded, before doing just that, as Sunset herself was finally cherishing the genuine parental love she knew she had always taken for granted.

"Goodnight, my little pony..." Celestia said to Sunset, as she tucked her daughter in, before heading to bed herself.

Sitting comfortably in her bed, Sunset felt an emotion she never really experienced before, a feeling of being complete. She had mostly solid answers to a lot of questions she had been pondering for a while, and was able to experience some parental love that she, for the most part, never truly embraced. Despite this, she knew there were still a few more unanswered questions. It was still unclear whether or not Sunspot was telling the truth about never having an affair with Solstice, and even Princess Celestia herself was never able to uncover the mystery surrounding the mirror. The very idea of a being from Equestria entering the human world supposedly upsetting the balance of both worlds, Sunset still didn't understand what to make of it.

The only real clue Sunset knew she seemingly had, was that some unusual dream and effects of staying in the human world on the third day during her very first visit appeared to remain consistent with what Starlight Glimmer had experienced. Although Sunset still wasn't sure what she was hearing in that dream, she knew for certain that the voice sounded just like her, except it wasn't actually her speaking. Linking this with Celestia's persistently strong theory about an Equestrian being's presence upsetting the balance, it still didn't seem to make too much sense. Sunset recalled she had observed both Twilight Sparkles together in both worlds without any unusual effects, during the aftermath of the Friendship Games and their spring break cruise, respectively. As such, given how Celestia herself hinted toward the possibility that the feeling was a mistake, it was always feasible that this fear was always concerning something else entirely. Twilight once went in to retrieve her crown, then came back to Equestria as if nothing ever happened, so Sunset eventually decided it wasn't really important anymore, before falling asleep herself.

Meanwhile, back in the human world, something pivotal as an effect of Sunset's sudden absence from the world itself was about to occur. By this point, a mark of precisely 72 hours had been reached since Sunset stepped through the mirror to return to Equestria, isolating her existence from this world. As a result, within one of the alleyways in Canterlot's town, something, or rather, someone, began materializing out of thin air. The reasons for why this was happening were still unknown, even to both Sunset and Celestia herself back in Equestria. Regardless, flashes of magic made itself apparent, as the materialized figure faded in and out several times, before finally coming out into existence as a new entity.

From a distance, if anyone nearby was to observe this phenomena, they would notice that this new existing figure looked just like Sunset Shimmer, except that her hair was even darker than Sunset's ever was, she was wearing black eyeshadow, as well as a completely different outfit. More specifically, she was wearing the same clothes she was last wearing before she had seemingly faded out of existence without any logical explanation. After being gone for so many years from the world she was born in, she had finally returned. It was the Sunset Shimmer who was native to this world, whose name and identity were always unknowingly taken by the Pony Sunset.

During Pony Sunset's time in Equestria, in which she ran into numerous pony counterparts to people she had known in the human world, this was not simply an intriguing aspect of her extended return, but rather a foreshadowing. The idea of everyone in this world having a pony counterpart would've further hinted that both worlds always had their own version of these entities, including Sunset Shimmer herself. Sunset never really thought much about this concept, given she already knew her closest human friends had pony counterparts, and she was already well familiar with both Twilight Sparkles. However, the last thing she would've ever expected as a result of disobeying Princess Celestia's orders and living here, was that she'd unintentionally affect somebody else's life in one of the most unexpected ways imaginable.

As consciousness began to return to Human Sunset, she slowly opened her eyes. It was practically already nighttime in the human world, as the cold wind blew on her legs, signaling her to get up. As she did, she suddenly realized that she supposedly wasn't in a coma anymore. The very last thing she remembered before being in this indefinite coma was getting trapped in a burning building, before seemingly blacking out. Confused, yet also relieved when realizing she was somehow alive and no longer inhaling toxic smoke fumes, the Human Sunset got on her feet and began to process what was going on. Eventually, she instinctively just came out with the first few words she had seemingly uttered in ages.

"Am I really still alive?" Human Sunset said to herself. "How did I get here and escape from that burning building, was I... in a coma for many years, yet somehow still woke up good as new? I'm so confused right now, I need to get to the bottom of this, it seems like this will really be an interesting development..."

Chapter 68: So Uncivilized

Despite feeling as though making new friends wasn't really her focus, Human Sunset continued chatting it up with Party Favor whilst awaiting the train. She believed it was better to not discuss sensitive topics, or reveal any crucial information that could immediately give her away, assuming this stallion knew something about Pony Sunset. For once, making friends actually felt... nice. But this was a different 'nice', in contrast to the Canterlot Street Gang girls, who were more like accomplices and lackeys, rather than friends who genuinely accepted her.

Human Sunset believed that if she had this kind of courage to make new friends during her freshman year at Crystal Prep Academy, things could've been so much different. A friend who'd be willing to hear her out, or perhaps even help her get Indigo in trouble for everything she did. However, it was sadly far too late to have this kind of wishful thinking, seeing how she already ruined her life and tanked her career opportunities, after dropping out of high school. Making friends seemed like something that Human Sunset began to believe gave her genuine happiness, especially with Party Favor's positivity and optimism.

He almost reminded her of a male pony version of that Pinkie girl she lashed out at that night, but at the same time, she wasn't here to make friends. For all she knew, it was mostly a perfect opportunity to simply use Party Favor to reach Manehattan for free, and find the Tundra Tiara for Gilda. Although happy to make a new friend, Human Sunset continued convincing herself that she'd only be 100 times more happy to go through with her original plan. The sweet vengeance behind destroying the Shadowbolts' valuable vintage school uniforms, and having them pin it on Indigo, it was the only thing that occupied her mind, before the train to Manehattan had finally arrived by the platform.

Human Sunset and Party Favor began boarding the train together, but another source of positivity was trotting around the corner, after being asked by her friends to bring some snacks. The rest of the council of friendship were feeling peckish, whilst sitting by the Canterlot Harbor, and listening on to Spike's retelling of Sunset and Twilight's journey to defeat the Dazzlings. Pinkie Pie had volunteered to make a quick trip to bring over some snacks and refreshments on a cart. However, as she was dragging the cart back over to her friends, she casually glanced over at the train station, and briefly saw what looked like Party Favor boarding the train, accompanied by... Sunset Shimmer?

"Sunset...?" Pinkie raised an eyebrow at this. "No, no... that can't be her. She left on Rockhoof's boat about an hour ago, along with Twilight, Flash, Dashie, and the pony version of that girl at Crystal Prep Academy who likes listening to music a lot. She couldn't be back already, at least not without saying 'hi' to us first."

Human Sunset then took her seat on the train, next to the window, with Party Favor sitting by her side. Even from a fair distance away, Pinkie could've sworn that this pony who looked like Sunset actually had a horn. This was when Pinkie began to deduce this pony most likely wasn't Sunset, given she had her horn stolen by Chestnut Magnifico. Pinkie contemplated trotting over to the train, just to get a closer look at this pony who resembled Sunset. However, she didn't even get the chance, as it already began leaving the station to Manehattan, leaving her puzzled as to what was going on.

"That couldn't be Sunset if she has a horn." Pinkie said to herself. "What could this be a case of? A twin sister? Did Sunset discover the Mirror Pool? Is that just Ocellus playing around with Party Favor?"

Pinkie then considered another entirely plausible explanation, given the clever joke she had played on Sunset for years, as far as switching back and forth between Equestria and the human world.

"WAIT!" Pinkie's tail twitched. "Could that be the Sunset native to the human world, who just discovered the portal into Equestria, and is seeking revenge on Sunset for stealing her life, given how well known she is at CHS?"

Pinkie gave a hard stare at the train that just departed, before shaking her head and dismissing the idea.

"Nah, that's probably not it." Pinkie deduced. "I'm just overthinking things, given how our Twilight didn't seem to affect the life of the other Twilight, who wears glasses. Even then, it's probably just Ocellus. She and Party Favor had been getting along pretty well at the School of Friendship lately."

As Human Sunset and Party Favor were now on their way to Manehattan, Pinkie simply shrugged and continued bringing the snack cart back over to her friends at the harbor. She didn't think much of it at all, but was completely unaware of the fact that her last theory was entirely plausible. In fact, Pinkie had barely guessed at the idea of Sunset's human counterpart wanting revenge of all things, since it seemed rather silly. No one would've ever considered the possibility that Sunset living a life in the human world would've resulted in the world's native Sunset to go through what she did. But now, revenge seemed to be the only thing Human Sunset was after, and she didn't really care who she had to hurt to get it...

Back on Captain Spruce's ship, Sunset had just served a batch of curry to the pirate gang, who all sat together at a table, ready to dig in. They didn't seem to mind the fact that Captain Zest had spat in the curry and added large amounts of jalapeño sauce, as they believed it only added flavor.

"That so-called captain mare may stink at being in charge of a ship, but she sure makes a good chili-like curry." Rogue said. "But seriously, could you tell her to hurry up with the dessert? I still want those waffles! You can't just promise a stallion like me some waffles, and then not give us any!"

"I heard you the first time, you sack of blubber!" Lemon Zest opened the cabin door, her eye twitching. "Jeez, does this guy want to get married, just so he can have a wedding cake made of waffles or something!?"

"Ye watch yerself, missy!" Timber pointed at his new cook. "I'll be havin' no disrespect on me ship, now get started cookin' those waffles! Nothing but the best for me crew!"

Lemon Zest simply narrowed her eyes at the pirate captain, before closing the door and continuing to make those waffles against her will. As Sunset noticed the pirates were busy devouring the curry from before, she saw an opportunity to bring those mysterious containers to Twilight for inspection.

"Captain Spruce, sir?" Sunset addressed the pirate captain. "May I have permission to help Twilight and Rainbow down in the cabin under the deck?"

"Whatever works for ye, our little friend in the kitchen be doin' Gourmand Ramsay levels of cookin' anyways." Timber simply continued enjoying his meal, barely paying any attention to Sunset.

As a result, Sunset turned around and began making her way to the trapdoor near the bow, climbing a ladder down to find Twilight and Rainbow. Flash continued doing his job of keeping watch up on the crow's nest, before alerting the pirate captain of a potential threat.

"Captain?" Flash looked through a telescope. "There may not be any ships around us, but I spot a flock of seagulls headed our way. Hopefully you're prepared for them, they look pretty starved."

"I ain't scared of no seagulls, servant boy!" Timber scoffed, as he continued eating his curry. "Don't ye be quittin' yer dayjob!"

Just then, the seagulls were drawn to the aroma of curry aboard the ship, and began diving toward the dining table. They were hungrier than ever, especially after not eating for several days. The flock landed all over the table, bowls, and even on the pirates themselves, who began freaking out and trying their best to shake them off.

"Ahhhhhh, get these winged rats off!" Withers frantically waved his hooves at the air.

"Ow, OW!!!" Biff shrieked in pain. "These little buggers are pecking at me!"

"Mine, mine, mine!" The seagulls chirped, trying to scavenge any bit of food they could get their beaks on.

Having enough of this nonsense, Timber brought his sword out and began swinging at the seagulls, viciously trying to slash them away, until the flock eventually decided they had enough, and swiftly flew off together. Timber's crew then looked at their bowls on the table, frowning at how empty they had become.

"Those dumb birds." Biff snarled. "They took our food, those greedy squawkers."

"Not scared of some seagulls, huh?" Flash reiterated from above. "I told you, I know from experience, they can be pretty aggressive when hungry, but you didn't listen, did you?"

"Shut yer trap and just do yer job like a respectable servant boy!" Timber growled.

"Hey, Captain Obvious!" Flash ridiculed the pirate captain. "I WAS doing my job, in warning you of upcoming dangers, thank you very much. Maybe you should do your own job too, instead of being a lazy slob, who can't even be bothered to cook his own food!"

As this was going on above the deck, Sunset trotted through a large corridor underneath the ship, almost reminiscent of the yacht she and her friends were on during their spring break cruise. After turning a corner, she had finally met up with Twilight and Rainbow in the ship's cabin below. The two ponies were both doing maintenance and janitorial labor, but stopped as they noticed Sunset approaching them.

"Hey, Sunset." Rainbow greeted her friend. "Been handling your duties well? If so, can't say the same for us."

"I may have knowledge on mechanical engineering, but I'm not really the kind of pony to work in such a grease and lubricant coated environment." Twilight sighed. "Anyways, what's up?"

"Well, Captain Zest and I have already fed those ungrateful pirates." Sunset reported back. "But most importantly, while we were cooking, I found two containers with what I thought was salt. But after getting a closer look, I might have reason to believe this could be something... magic related?"

Sunset took the containers out of her mane and handed them over to Twilight, who began analyzing the samples closely. It was puzzling at first to identify what kind of substance Sunset had found, even with the princess's many years of studying magic and potions. However, while fidgeting around with the container above her head, the lid had loosened, spilling the contents onto Twilight's face, with some even getting in her mouth.

"Bleh, ptui!" Twilight spat the substance out of her mouth in disgust. "Well, you're certainly right about it not being salt, I wouldn't put that on a quesadilla, because I'd actually feel bad for the quesadilla."

Just then, as Twilight was thinking about quesadillas, her horn suddenly lit up. In the kitchen above, Captain Zest had finished preparing a waffle covered with melted cheese on a plate.

"Who puts cheese on waffles of all things?" Lemon Zest questioned Rogue's request, before getting ready to take the meal out.

But to her shock, before the captain could even pick the plate up, it somehow poofed and vanished out of thin air.

"What the!?" Lemon Zest's eyes widened, completely baffled at what just happened.

Suddenly, the cheesy waffle appeared above Sunset, Twilight, and Rainbow's heads, which immediately fell down onto the cabin floor. It may not have actually been a quesadilla, but it was reminiscent of one, enough to freak Twilight out.

"Ahhhh, ewwww!!!" Twilight revolted at the sight of the cheesy cuisine. "Get it away, so cheesy, so... wait a minute. Where did that thing even come from?"

"Your horn lit up for a second, so I guess you made it appear with magic?" Rainbow replied.

"Oh, well I guess that makes sense- wait, WHAT!?" Twilight suddenly realized. "I can use my magic again? If so, maybe I should check and see if I can teleport myself."

Twilight closed her eyes and visualized Canterlot, just to test and see if she had a way of conveniently escaping the pirates' ship, and returning home after obtaining the Dragonstone. But no matter how many times she tried her best to pull off the teleportation spell, it kept failing.

"Hmm, alright, so let's see..." Sunset began jotting down her observations on the substance's effects. "This looks like the same plate those pirates had in the kitchen, while I was helping Captain Zest. In that case, it sounds like you might only be able to teleport objects that are nearby, but you're not able to teleport yourself, especially over long distances."

"Hey, how about your wings?" Rainbow reminded. "If you got your magic back, maybe you can fly now, too?"

Hearing this, Twilight took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused on her wings. She felt a new form of control through them, and slowly, ever so slightly, they began to carry her up several feet above the floor. To her amazement, they actually did work again!

"Oh my gosh!" Twilight exclaimed, flapping them gleefully. "They're back! I can fly again! But the question is... for how long?"

"Well, that's just it, I've never seen... whatever that substance is, even back when I was Princess Celestia's student." Sunset said. "But if I were to make a guess, perhaps it's the powdered form of some kind of magic enhancing serum?"

"Magic enhancing serum..." Twilight reflected upon her studies back at the School For Gifted Unicorns. "The closest thing that comes to mind is an Enchantment Tonic. From what I can understand, it'll allow us to use our magic again, even if it was somehow depleted or drained."

"So does that mean... Sunset could get her horn back if she took one?" Rainbow questioned.

"I remember reading that it would only grant you magic, based on which attributes you already have." Twilight recalled. "Meaning, if Sunset took these, it'd only give her Earth pony strength, since she doesn't have a horn anymore."

"Well, at least it's still something useful." Sunset said. "Are there any effects from taking these?"

"I believe that the main drawback is... the enchantment itself is only temporary." Twilight replied. "As for what side effects could come up after taking them... I'm not entirely sure."

"If there's side effects after the potion wears off, then we definitely have to use them wisely." Rainbow added. "I know from experience. Let's just say... I had a bad dream once, where I recklessly took a speed potion and did a Double Rainboom, destroyed Ponyville, and... actually, never mind, I think you get the idea."

"Uhh, right then." Twilight said, rather unnerved by the thought. "But good point, in the sense that... we must use what's left of these enchantments wisely, especially if our artificial magic is only temporary."

"It's better we have some form of insurance, even for a little while." Sunset insisted. "We should hold onto these for now, I'm sure they might come in handy later."

"Sounds like a plan!" Rainbow nodded. "Though perhaps it could be useful now, if we have no other choice but to escape the pirates. I'd never trust conniving crooks like them, they clearly never change. Oh, uhh... I didn't mean you, Sunset, given you stole Twilight's crown once, no offense."

"None taken." Sunset replied, feeling like it was the thousandth time she had said this in her life.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Twilight assured. "We made a deal with them, and they promised us a lift to Everfree Island in exchange for some manual labor. If we were able to trust Captain Celaeno, I'm sure we can trust Captain Spruce as well."

Just then, two cries for help came from above the ship, loud enough to where the trio were able to overhear it down in the cabin. It was Captain Zest and Flash Sentry, who sounded like they were in real danger.

"Looks like you spoke too soon, Twilight." Rainbow sighed, knowing that she was right to trust her instinct.

The three ponies ran from the cabin, hurrying up the stairs, until they finally made their way up to the ship's deck. To their horror, they saw Captain Zest and Flash tied up with rope, with the pirates surrounding them. The pirate captain and his crew turned around, before getting ready to explain what was happening.

"Well, how nice of ye to join us." Timber sneered at the trio. "Unfortunately, yer crewmates have been goin' against me orders."

"Going against your!?" Flash snapped in outrage. "I did my job, as far as warning you about upcoming threats!"

"But ye be sassin' and pokin' disrespect toward me, yer captain!" Timber frowned. "That'd be enough to sentence ye to walk the plank!"

"Excuse me, but... what are you salty pirates tying me up for?" Lemon Zest questioned. "I was in the kitchen the whole time!"

"And you never came out with my cheesy waffle, even though you said it was almost ready!" Rogue hissed. "Which tells me that you ate it yourself! That's so much more unforgivable than what our servant boy did!"

Hearing this, Twilight winced for a moment, realizing that her teleportation spell had gotten Captain Zest in quite a pickle.

"Now, listen here!" Timber demanded. "We're currently over shark-infested waters, and havin' these landlubbers walk the plank! And if ye ponies are to question our decisions to punish yer crewmates for treason, perhaps ye'd like to join them!?"

"Treason!?" Flash said with outrage. "Since when do pirates believe the law exists for them?"

"When I'd be makin' the laws of me ship, servant boy!" Timber sneered. "Now, any last words before yer crewmates be shark bait!?"

Sunset, Twilight, and Rainbow all looked to one another, understanding that they were all likely thinking the same thing, now that Twilight had part of her magic back. There was certainly no use in trying to negotiate with the pirates now, especially not at the cost of Flash and Captain Zest. Internally, Sunset began to come up with a plan, before motioning out what everyone would need to do. She pointed at Rainbow and herself, then pointed at the pirates, hinting that their role would be to distract the pirates long enough to give them an advantage. There was even a barrel of swords nearby, which they could use to defend themselves. With Rainbow's speed and Sunset's quick thinking, along with both of their combat experience, it was their best chance.

Sunset then looked at Twilight, before pointing at the trapdoor of the ship. She swiftly moved her hoof in a wavy motion, subtly conveying that Twilight would need to find a potential raft or lifeboat, something that could help them all escape the pirate ship, before it was too late. After a few moments, Twilight and Rainbow looked at one another, before nodding and winking, feeling that they had a rough idea of Sunset's plan. Sunset then gave an expression of confidence, especially given how this wasn't the first time she's had to improvise to help her friends get out of tough situations.

"Alright, Captain." Sunset turned around and addressed Captain Spruce. "I don't believe it's right of you to make Flash and Captain Zest walk the plank under such silly and childish circumstances. So if you must, go ahead and make me walk the plank too."

Captain Zest and Flash gasped upon hearing this, but the pirates seemed more than happy to oblige to Sunset's proposal.

"This landlubber be havin' nerves of steel." Captain Spruce acknowledged. "However, we'll just see if she still does after we turn her into shark bait!"

Rogue, Withers, and Biff all trotted over to Sunset and grabbed her, before dragging her over to the ship's opening, where a plank began to extend outward. Biff grabbed his sword, forcing Sunset onto the plank of wood, before she began to look down with anxiety. She could already see several shark fins poking out from the surface of the water, meaning that if she fell in, she'd be a goner. Flash and Captain Zest continued looking on in concern at this predicament, but Sunset kept herself confident and determined. The former unicorn looked back at Twilight and Rainbow one final time, before nodding, and noticing that they did a subtle nod back.

Biff began poking his sword closer to Sunset, making it clear that if she didn't jump, she'd get stabbed. With a deep breath, Sunset prayed internally that her plan would work, since this was life or death for her. She voluntarily jumped off of the plank, which immediately made Flash and Captain Zest gasp in horror. However, moments later, Sunset used her front hooves to grab ahold of the plank, springing her high up into the air, and making her land back onto the ship's deck. With the pirates caught off guard by this sudden move, Rainbow quickly trotted toward Rogue and Withers, stunning them temporarily with a swift kick to their faces. She then set her attention to the barrel of swords behind them, grabbing a sword for herself, along with another sword, which she threw to Sunset.

"Hmph!" Timber glared at Sunset and Rainbow. "Looks like we got us some traitors, don't we, boys!? I never would've expected ye to pull off such a dirty trick like that!"

"Well, lucky for me..." Sunset began giving an explanation of where she learned such a trick. "I watch way too many sci-fi films in my free time."

"That's enough talk from ye!" Timber snarled, before pulling his sword out. "Now ye traitorous landlubbers be payin' the price!"

As Rogue and Withers began to slowly get back up, Biff joined them, all with swords at the ready. But while this was happening, Rainbow used her sword to slash apart the ropes holding Captain Zest and Flash in place, before giving them swords as well. Twilight then saw this as the perfect opportunity to go into the ship's cabin, finding anything along the lines of a raft or lifeboat. The pirates took no notice of this, as they mostly focused their attention toward the four other ponies, who all held their swords in place. The two groups of ponies stared each other down, the wind blowing at each of their manes, ready for the battle of a lifetime. As the clashing was about to commence, Twilight realized she had to find something fast, as she knew her friends wouldn't be able to hold off those pirates forever.

Party Favor had just arrived in Manehattan, accompanied by his new friend, Human Sunset. The two had gotten closer with one another during their train ride, to where Human Sunset almost began to forget the reason why she was here in the first place. However, stepping off of the train, as soon as Party Favor mentioned Rara, the motivation became clear once again, in the sense that she was here to nab the Tundra Tiara for Gilda. The two began to banter over their plans in Manehattan, before getting ready to part ways.

"Well, it sure was nice to meet you, Sunny." Party Favor smiled. "Pretty cool how you live in Canterlot too, I don't really know many ponies who can afford that kind of lifestyle. But unfortunately, like I said, I have to go visit my nephew right now. Have fun seeing Rara at her meet and greet."

"Thanks, Party Favor." Human Sunset said, somewhat saddened at her newest friend leaving her. "I kinda hope we'll get to meet again soon?"

"Same here." Party Favor nodded. "Tell Rara I said 'hi'."

The stallion then waved goodbye, as Human Sunset knew she was now on her own. Finding this Rara pony seemed simple enough, given how well known she appeared to be. Being able to get her hooves on the Tundra Tiara on the other hand... not so much. Regardless, Human Sunset knew she had to improvise, before trotting around the city, looking for any leads or clues of where this meet and greet was taking place. She knew that she shouldn't be here longer than she needed to, knowing she still had unfinished business back at Crystal Prep Academy. Eventually, after some thorough searching, Human Sunset noticed a poster on a nearby building, the same building where Madame Cinch held her beauty pageant, before being sabotaged by Rarity, Vignette, and Pony Sunset.

This poster appeared to have a female mare on it, who was also wearing a crown that strongly resembled the Tundra Tiara. Human Sunset took out the photo Gilda had given her, and it was an exact match, down to every little detail. This had to be it, the location where this Rara pony was holding her meet and greet, and Human Sunset wasn't too worried at the possibility of needing to pay for admission, given how Party Favor mentioned it was a charity event. However, she knew that snatching the Tundra Tiara wouldn't be an easy task, especially with the risk of getting in trouble for theft. Being able to make it all the way back to Canterlot would be crucial for her plan, so Human Sunset knew she had to be crafty. She was ready to make her way into the building, but was caught off guard by a nasty surprise, the front doors were locked.

Human Sunset decided this wasn't anything new to her, and simply looked all around the building, trying to find any open windows or unlocked doors. There unfortunately wasn't anything like that, leaving her feeling uncertain on how to get inside without drawing attention to herself. However, she soon heard hoofsteps coming from around the corner, and they were getting closer by the second. Human Sunset quickly dove into a nearby bush, hiding from who she believed was likely a security guard. Peeking from the bush, she saw a white fur stallion with a blue blazer and pants, holding keys to the building. The stallion unlocked and opened the back door, making his way inside. Human Sunset quickly used her hoof to block the door from closing, giving herself an opening to get inside.

She followed closely behind the stallion, trying to find this Rara pony, wherever she was. Most of the rooms appeared to be completely empty, making Human Sunset question what this stallion was trying to accomplish by being here. She presumed that he was either the building's owner, or a security guard. However, she would soon get a clear answer, once the stallion opened the door to the dressing room, where Rara herself was currently at. She snuck behind a potted plant in front of the door to eavesdrop on what was happening, much like she did with the Dazzlings earlier.

"Excuse me...?" Rara sighed, as she was in the middle of doing her mane. "The meet and greet isn't for another two hour-"

She immediately went silent and frowned, upon seeing who was interrupting her preparation. A familiar stallion who was once her flamboyant and abusive manager, who exploited her fame for personal gain.

"So, the rumors were true." Svengallop spat. "You think you can do a silly charity event in this building without an approved permit, huh?"

"Nice to see you too, Svengallop." Rara said, sarcastically. "Ironic how we're both in the same place where it all started, when I was nothing but that 'Boring little Rara you met back in Manehattan'?

"Don't you dodge the question, Countess!" Svengallop huffed. "There's no way you're hosting a volunteer meet and greet in this building, not without legal consequences!"

"What are you blabbing about?" Rara raised an eyebrow. "I booked a reservation for this building weeks ago, with an approved document signed by the building manager, Miss Valencia herself!"

"Well, that would be fine and dandy..." Svengallop began to smirk. "If not for the fact that Miss Valencia recently left management. Her resignation letter firmly stated that she's now working for some new business, known as Pommel's Piqué. So, according to Manehattan's law, if you don't have a permit with an active staff member of management, you're in big, legal trouble."

"Wha-!?" Rara gasped, shocked upon hearing this. "That's not fair! I waited weeks to book that meeting, and to get it approved by the city staff and management!"

"Life's not fair, Countess." Svengallop cried fake tears. "We all want things, but don't always get our way, do we?"

"Quit calling me 'Countess', I no longer associate myself by that title!" Rara exclaimed, before lowering her head, feeling defeated. "Alright... fine. I'll move my meet and greet somewhere else, and let the fillies know I'll have to reschedule at the very last minute."

"Oh... sorry." Svengallop grinned. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. According to Manehattan law, whenever you violate these rules and regulations, I have the right to issue you a fine."

"What are you even talking about?" Rara brushed off the threat. "You're not a lawyer or authority figure. What makes you think you can fine me?"

"On the contrary." Svengallop said with confidence, before pulling the deed of the building out of his suit. "It says here, I own the building, after I outbid this poor sucker at an auction. I was always fine with letting other ponies rent out the spot. Keyword, rent. So when word got out that this was a charity event, and thus, would not be generating any profit to pay off the rent, that's when I decided to drop by and pay you a little visit."

"This... This is the mayor's signature!" Rara looked over the document, her eyes widening.

"It sure is." Svengallop replied, before dishing out his punishment. "Now then, the Manehattan lawbook specifically states, as the building owner, I may issue a maximum fine of 25,000 bits, which... I have no problem fining you with."

"25,000 BITS!?!?!?" Rara began hyperventilating. "I... I don't have that many bits!"

"Well, isn't that surprising, considering you've always been a pony who loves wasting her time doing silly charity events, instead of reaping profits, like myself." Svengallop rolled his eyes, before writing up a ticket.

"Why are you doing this...?" Rara began to tear up.

"Oh, I don't know... maybe because you ruined my career as a manager?" Svengallop sneered. "After you spread a bad word about yours truly, nopony in Equestria would hire me. I even tried to become management staff for this Postcrush duo recently, only to get rejected before I even got a proper interview! They decided to hire filthy diamond dogs over me!"

"You know what you did wrong when you were my manager, back when I was Countess Coloratura!" Rara screeched. "It's a good thing that you can't get another management position, if the only thing you're able to manage is your selfish motives!"

"Watch yourself, sweetie!" Svengallop took a stance. "You want me to add assault and battery charges to your fine? One little scratch on my hooves, and I'll be happy to oblige."

"Just... leave me alone..." Rara began sobbing, knowing she now had a 25,000 bit debt to pay off. "You've already won, there's no need to kick me when I'm down..."

"I haven't won yet." Svengallop shook his head. "I'll only win once I see you living out on the streets, jobless, and unable to sustain an affordable life in Manehattan. But don't worry. I'll bring you a little cupcake every so often, just so you don't starve to death. Now, if you excuse me, I'm heading to the building's office to print out the legal document for my lawsuit against you."

Svengallop began emitting an unpleasant laughter, as he finished writing up his ticket, and planting it on Rara's desk. He then made his way out of the dressing room, heading toward the office. Human Sunset was still hiding behind the potted plant, as she overheard the entire thing. Although she didn't know this Rara pony at all, her teeth gritted when overhearing how abusive and calculated this Svengallop pony truly was. He seemed almost as ruthless as Principal Cinch, and everything he was about to do to this Rara pony, it felt just as relatable from her experience at Crystal Prep Academy. Human Sunset went out of hiding and entered the dressing room, ready to chat with the now distressed Rara.

"Hey there." Human Sunset addressed the event host, before noticing the Tundra Tiara on her desk.

"Who... are you?" Rara asked, curious about the pony standing before her.

"Name's Sunny." Human Sunset introduced herself. "I was walking by, and... that Svengallop pony seems really unjust about this whole thing. I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone."

"W-What do you mean?" Rara responded, rather confused.

"I've been in a situation like this before." Human Sunset reflected her past. "That Svengallop pony sounds like the absolute embodiment of narcissism, greed, and selfishness."

"Definitely well aware of that." Rara sniffled. "But what can I do? I saw the legal document, it was a legitimate signature from our city's mayor."

"There's always a way to fight back against injustice." Human Sunset encouraged. "I know it's easier said than done, but trust me, it's worth it."

"But how?" Rara asked, genuinely curious. "I mean, he has all this evidence against me, and now I'm stuck here, helpless and in debt..."

"Well, I think I got an idea." Human Sunset said, before she left the room. "Stay here, maybe I can convince him to change his mind."

Human Sunset then exited the room, and had gotten a quick glimpse of which room Svengallop had entered, rather far away down the halls. She quickly sprinted over to the office, where the calculated stallion was in the process of printing a document to present to the court. The stallion turned around upon hearing the door open, seeing Human Sunset entering the office, and giving him a dirty look.

"What the-!?" Svengallop was taken aback at this. "How'd you even get in here!? The building's locked!"

"Oh, you know, just a little backdoor that I found." Human Sunset grinned, confidently. "Look, I just wanted to talk to you about what you're planning to do to that Rara pony. You understand that you don't have to be so cruel, right? You could just as easily let her off with a warning, or something."

"What do you care?" Svengallop crossed his hooves, unconvinced by Human Sunset's attempt to reason with him. "You're just some nobody, and she was the one who crossed me, not you. Besides, I don't take advice from some filthy commoner like yourself."

"Filthy... COMMONER!?!" Human Sunset took great offense at this statement, as she began to shake with rage. "You realize you're about to ruin somepony's life, don't you!?"

"Ruin?" Svengallop laughed. "Sweetie, Rara's life is already ruined, all I'm doing is finishing the job. She did this to herself, especially after giving up being Countess Coloratura. Besides, it's not my fault she's so dumb and uneducated regarding Manehattan's law."

"You disrespectful, disgusting pony!" Human Sunset grimaced. "You're nothing but a selfish, cold-hearted monster, and I won't just stand by and let you do this!"

"And what would you know about having a ruined life, hmm?" Svengallop sneered. "Besides, you're just a worthless piece of trash, and I could care less about your opinion."

"You don't know the first thing about me, let alone understand everything I've been through!" Human Sunset snapped. "And you'd better change your attitude right now... OR ELSE!!!"

"Or else what?" Svengallop challenged, a smirk forming on his face. "You're just a commoner, and you have no power. I'd also be more than happy to sue you for assault, if you really want to test me."

Human Sunset narrowed her eyes, before slamming the office door shut, and locking it. She then pounced onto Svengallop like a lion hunting its prey, before grabbing the stallion by the neck, and slamming his head into the floor, multiple times. This kind of corrupt behavior was exactly what she always resented about Principal Cinch. But unlike Cinch, who actually managed to end up winning and taking everything from her, Human Sunset finally had the opportunity to retaliate against a similar corrupt figure. The absolute amount of disrespect and ridicule toward her moments ago, she made certain that she would not hold back. What Svengallop was about to do to Rara, it exemplified everything about these rich and snobby authority figures that enraged Human Sunset.

"Agh! Let go of me, you crazy mare!" Svengallop shrieked. "I'm wearing glasses, too! You wouldn't hit a pony with glasses, would you?"

Human Sunset snatched the glasses off of Svengallop's face, before throwing them hard onto the floor, shattering the lenses. It almost reminded her of the time she destroyed her own glasses, along with Indigo Zap's goggles.

"You were saying?" Human Sunset growled, before giving Svengallop a hard shove, sending him tumbling across the room. "Now, are you going to forget about the fine, or am I going to have to get more... forceful?"

"You crazy psychopath!" Svengallop screamed, struggling to regain his footing as he scrambled back across the floor. "Let me go this instant! I'll have your hide for this!"

Human Sunset frowned, before grabbing a nearby chair and breaking it over Svengallop's head. The blunt force gave him a severe bump on the head.

"Gah! You stupid cow!" Svengallop groaned, holding his head as he tried to stand up. "You're... not getting away with this!"

"I was once a Straight-A student..." Human Sunset gave a dark glare towards Svengallop. "The last thing you want to do is call me stupid!"

Human Sunset used her strength to pick up Svengallop's body, before throwing him against the printer and office supplies. The table instantly broke, as a nearby shelf collapsed, sending some heavy boxes plummeting onto Svengallop's head. She then picked up a pair of staplers, ready to get even meaner than she already was.

"These staplers really want to meet your face." Human Sunset threatened, as Svengallop's eyes widened. "You want me to invite them over?"

"No, NO NO!!!!!" Svengallop held his hoof out, surrendering, and getting ready to beg for mercy.

"Good, that's what I thought." Human Sunset said, before dropping the staplers. "Now, you're going to do exactly as I say, or you know what happens. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am." Svengallop managed to squeak out, still lying on the ground, cowering in fear. "What do you want me to do?"

As Rara was still sitting in her chair, she was still unsure of what Sunny had in mind. Moments later, she turned to look at the door opening, seeing Svengallop, all nervous with a messy mane, and his suit ripped up. Unknown to Rara, Sunny was standing outside the dressing room, ready to strike, should Svengallop decide to weasel his way out of this.

"Errr, Rara... sweetie?" Svengallop trotted over and picked up the ticket he wrote. "I've been thinking, and... this seems remarkably petty and unfair of me. So... why don't we just forget about that fine?"

The stallion ripped up the ticket and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing it. He then took out the deed to the building he had shown Rara earlier, before explaining himself.

"Oh, and... this deed?" Svengallop began confessing. "I actually stole it from the original owner, put white out on the names, and signed my name instead. I was going to print a new copy, so that the judge wouldn't get suspicious."

Rara simply frowned upon hearing this, enraged at the fact Svengallop went through all this trouble just to scare her. It definitely worked, but she then realized something crucial. The dressing room had a working security camera in the corner, meant for keeping watch on intruders.

"Well, I'm glad you confessed everything." Rara grinned, before pointing at the security camera. "Because now I have evidence to present to the judge, myself."

"W-Why do we have to go there!?" Svengallop began pleading. "You've already won, why continue to kick me when I'm down...?"

"I'll only win when I see you behind bars." Rara replied, coldly. "You've always brought this upon yourself, Svengallop. We could've been an amazing duo who brought joy and positivity to the ponies of Equestria, but no, you chose this path, and now you're going to have to pay the price. Now get out of here."

Svengallop's eyes widened, realizing that he really dug himself into a hole this time. He turned around and ran out of the building, desperate to flee the city before he was about to get caught red-handed. Shortly after, Human Sunset entered the room, giving a soft smile toward Rara, who did the same.

"Well, whatever you did back there, you've saved my life and career." Rara said. "Thank you, Sunny."

"My life was ruined long ago because of somepony like that." Human Sunset reflected. "So it was definitely satisfying to put him in his place."

"I owe you everything." Rara insisted. "Please, how can I ever repay you for your kindness?"

The feeling of triumph and justice being served, it admittedly felt satisfying enough of a reward for Human Sunset. However, she suddenly remembered her initial motive upon hearing Rara ask this, which was to get the Tundra Tiara.

"Well, I do like that tiara you have." Human Sunset pointed at the crown, still sitting on Rara's desk. "Do you think...?"

"Oh, certainly!" Rara happily grabbed the tiara and placed it on Human Sunset's head. "I've been wearing this for a while now, but I'd be more than happy to gift it to you. It looks pretty nice on you, too."

"Yeah, it sure does." Human Sunset grinned, looking at herself in a mirror. "However, I'm not quite sure how I'll head home. I don't have any bits on me, so I can't take the train."

"Not a problem, Sunny." Rara replied, before she took her own saddlebag, and handed Human Sunset enough bits to purchase a train ticket. "After what you did to help me, it's the least I can do."

"Tell me, Rara... right?" Human Sunset began, as she took the bits.

"Mhm?" Rara nodded her head, ready to listen.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Human Sunset questioned. "I mean, I'm just a total stranger to you, and here you are, willing to fix my personal problems."

"Oh, I don't know." Rara smiled. "I suppose it's just in my nature to be helpful and kind to others. It's why I hold these charity events, as well as these meet and greets. My goal is to spread positivity, and to teach everypony to be selfless. Making a positive influence in the world, it feels so much better than... what Svengallop would do on a daily basis. Besides, those bits are nothing compared to your priceless kindness, Sunny."

"Thank you, I... I don't know what to say." Human Sunset replied.

"You extended your kindness to me in my time of need, so it's only right that I return the favor." Rara said. "I'm going to have to get ready for my meet and greet soon, but I won't forget this! I'll see you around soon, Sunny?"

"Yeah... I hope so too." Human Sunset replied, before waving goodbye and eventually exiting the building.

Human Sunset eventually trotted all the way back over to the Manehattan train station, ready to make her journey back to the human world. It was quite the hassle to get this crown for Gilda, but at the same time, the experience getting to this point was not something she had expected at all. She had made... friends? With both Rara and Party Favor? The very first legitimate friends she had ever made in her entire life, and this unusual new sensation she had in her chest, it was... genuine happiness? Human Sunset knew for certain that she definitely didn't feel anything close to this before, when she vandalized the Rainbooms' musical instruments at CHS.

Was it entirely possible that... getting revenge against those Crystal Prep girls would give her the same result? She had felt bitter, resentful, and unhappy for most of her life, especially since Solstice passed. But this new experience kept telling Human Sunset at the back of her mind... was this really the route and life she wanted to go down? She overheard Rara's words to Svengallop, which seemed applicable to herself as well. If she chose to continue going down a wrongful path of sabotage, framing, and selfishness, would she herself eventually regret everything, and end up facing major consequences? She internally asked herself this, as she used the bits to purchase a train ticket back to Canterlot.

While awaiting the Manehattan train, she stared down at the Tundra Tiara in her hooves. The thought of giving it to Gilda, it seemed to completely go against Rara's philosophy, given Gilda's selfishness. This was a genuine reward and gift from a friend, so why just give it away to somebody as selfish as her? At the same time, Human Sunset reminded herself that she already went through a lot of trouble to get this crown, so she might as well go through with the original plan. After all, she still had yet to get her ultimate revenge on Crystal Prep Academy, which was one of her main desires to accomplish, upon coming back into existence.

The train eventually arrived, prompting Human Sunset to board it. As she took her seat, she kept getting this strange feeling that giving Gilda this tiara would be a big mistake. She had no idea why Gilda wanted this crown so badly, but guessed that she most likely wanted to sell it at a nearby pawn shop to earn a quick buck. Human Sunset didn't seem to care, knowing that she had already finished her work here in Equestria, and it was time to head home. The conflict appeared to be stirring within her, but her motivation to continue her revenge paths kept outweighing everything else, since without guidance, she felt it was too late. The damage at Canterlot High was already done, and she felt like she didn't have much to lose.

As Human Sunset kept clouding her mind with these thoughts on the train, Svengallop was still running frantically around Manehattan, ready to make a run for it. Just as he was about to exit Manehattan, he was stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hey, there he is!" Vignette Valencia pointed at the stallion, which caught the attention of the police stallions nearby.

"Wha-!?" Svengallop gasped. "What did I do?"

"You stole the deed to the Manehattan Pageant Theater, which I paid for at the auction, yesterday." Vignette replied. "You also stole my keys, too!"

"No... I think you have the wrong pony..." Svengallop insisted, before accidentally dropping the stolen building key from his ripped suit pocket.

"Do we really?" Vignette crossed her hooves.

"But... you're Miss Valencia, right?" Svengallop tried to defend himself. "I heard that you quit management recently. So you couldn't possibly own the building!"

"You're right, I quit management, because I bought the building with my life savings." Vignette explained. "Things like that become affordable once you find a stable source of income. I got a new job recently, after all."

"Now then, anything more to say before we take you to jail?" One of the stallion officers asked. "We already got a phone call reporting solid evidence and a confession of you forging that document."

Svengallop continued to stay silent, unsure of how to proceed. He was hoping that he could make a quick break for it, as this was his only opportunity to escape. The conniving stallion pretended to come up with an explanation, before attempting to run past Vignette and the officers. To his dismay, the officers were swift enough to restrain the stallion, before putting him in hoofcuffs. They eventually dragged him over to a police carriage, before taking him to the Manehattan jail.

As Svengallop had his mugshots taken, he was escorted into one of the cells in the Manehattan prison. The bars closed up, leaving him encased in a cage of consequences, as a result of his life's decisions. He didn't feel any shame or remorse, and merely stared on through the bars with an empty and soulless expression. However, as the prison guards had left, Svengallop's eyes widened when he noticed who was sitting in the cell directly across from him.

"Svengallop, dear?" Madame Cinch called out from her cell. "Is that you?"

"Well, what are the odds?" Svengallop looked toward the mare in front of him. "Who knew that my wife and I would both end up together in jail?"

"Oh, hush you." Cinch rolled her eyes. "I'm not your wife anymore, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread those ridiculous rumors. What are you in for, anyways?"

"Some orange unicorn with a red and yellow mane." Svengallop described. "She made me confess to my latest scheme, let's just say."

"Heh, that's rich." Cinch sneered. "I take it you're here for the same thing, then. I have no idea who that mysterious unicorn was, other than the fact she somehow convinced my staff to stand up against me. Now's she's exposing you and your schemes? She must be some kind of self-proclaimed vigilante."

"Whoever she was, she's got some guts, that's for sure." Svengallop sighed. "But don't worry. We'll be out of here soon enough, and then we can get back to our old ways. Just you and me, like old times."

"Hmm, that reminds me..." Cinch began pressing. "Do you still have that diamond I gave you for our wedding?"

"Why, what do you need with that now, dear?" Svengallop raised an eyebrow.

"For our escape, of course." Cinch replied. "Diamonds can cut through almost anything, even iron bars like these."

"You don't say?" Svengallop considered the plan. "Well, I suppose I could spare it. Just promise me you'll use it to help us both escape, and not just yourself."

"I promise." Cinch grinned, as Svengallop took the diamond out of his pocket and tossed it into his ex-wife's cell.

Chapter 83: Hero's True Strength From Within

A battle was about to commence within Hope Hollow's arcade area, with a pair of vengeful brothers who were completely bent on settling some unfinished business with a certain somepony who took their most prized possession, many years ago. The FlimFlamtimus Prime ended up scaring away most of the arcade's guests, much to Flim and Flam's delight, as they knew full well that Celestia wasn't around to intervene this time. Better yet, by the time the former princess would even know of her daughter's predicament, they were most likely going to be long gone, imagining the Señor G. Echo plush as their meal ticket to afford every necessity, allowing them to be set for life. It was only a matter of defeating this pesky Sunset Shimmer once and for all, and the brothers had heavy machinery on their side as a huge advantage.

"You think you're so clever, don't you, Sunset Shimmer?" Flam announced, as the robot's legs began to move towards her, looking like it was going to crush her at any given moment. "But let's see how clever you are when you're face to face with the might of the FlimFlamtimus Prime!"

"And don't even think of trying to call your Mommy Celestia for help!" Flim added. "We're settling this one way or another, but your Señor G. Echo toy holds the very key to our retirements! When we take that thing to an auction and get our hooves on millions, you'll be sure that we'll end up having the last laugh in this so-called arcade saga!"

"Alright, time out." Sunset said, as she moved out of the way to avoid getting crushed. "Before you decide to end me like the psychopaths you are, can I just say one thing?"

"Fine, it'll be nice for us to at least enjoy this moment while it lasts." Flam grunted. "What are your last words before we crush you into dust, hmm?"

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere, I assure you on that." Sunset's eyes narrowed. "But I do have a proposal for you two, since you both seem pretty quick in resorting to such extreme measures. I know you're not foolish enough to think you can just get away with this, not in a town like Hope Hollow."

"Sunset's got a point there!" Babs nodded. "Ponies from all over Equestria have been visiting Hope Hollow, including Manehattan!"

"It'll only be a matter of time before word of this incident gets out to Celestia!" Sunflower added. "She may be a retired princess, but she's still more than capable of tracking you con artists down, no matter how rich you think you'll be!"

"You think we're actually afraid of Celestia after all we've been through, that's your best shot?" Flim scoffed. "But alright, Sunset, we'll entertain your little proposal. What do you suggest?"

"Before I decide to put everyone's lives in danger because of your inability to let go and just make an honest living for a change, how about this?" Sunset said as she trotted towards her saddlebag, pulled the Señor G. Echo plush out, and brought it back over. "So, you just want this, is that correct? No beating around the bush or speaking in riddles, you only want this toy, plain and simple?"

"Yes, yes, give us Señor G. Echo!" Flam's face expressed obvious greed at the sight of the plush. "With this, we'll be set for life, and you'll never have to see us again, it's a win-win for everyone!"

"Alright, but before I give him to you, answer me this." Sunset continued on. "It just occurred to me that you two were behind the nonsensical tonic scheme that Twilight wrote to me about. In fact, she's even written to me about the other shady operations you two have done over the years, including a Friendship University."

"Blah, blah, blah, you don't need to keep yapping about our past failed investments, we're already well aware, thank you very much!" Flim groaned. "Could you quit stalling and just get to the point?"

"The point being, if I give you Señor G. Echo, am I to understand that you won't be a nuisance around Equestria ever again, nor cheat innocents out of their hard-earned money?" Sunset asked, sternly.

"Look, Sunset..." Flam began, his voice a mix of desperation and arrogance. "We've learned from our past mistakes, and we're willing to make an honest deal this time around. Give us Señor G. Echo, and we promise to leave Equestria for good, never to swindle another pony again. We've got a score to settle with you, sure, but we're not monsters, we just want the finer things in life, and if that means leaving your precious Equestria behind, then so be it."

"Well, if this was the very first time we've ever crossed paths, I'd be willing to take your word and give you a fair chance." Sunset kept pushing on. "But tell me, after everything you just tried to pull on us here in the arcade, why should I take your word now? How do I know that one day, you're not just going to weasel back into Equestria under new identities, and continue your conniving ways?"

"Can't really argue with that, I'm afraid." Juniper Montage frowned. "Especially since you two HAVE been pocketing my tips, even though I practically rely on those to pay my rent!"

"Hmm, but what if they're telling the truth this time?" Silverstream pondered. "After all, didn't those two stallions also participate with everyone in the battle against Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow?"

"See, the bird creature seems to understand us." Flim nodded with approval. "We're willing to do whatever it takes to make this right, and we promise, if you give us Señor G. Echo, we'll immediately leave Equestria and start fresh!"

"As much as I'd want to believe you're being genuine, I'm not buying it." Sunset narrowed her eyes. "It would certainly be a huge service to everyone in Equestria if that were the case, especially for my friend, Princess Twilight, given how much history she and her friends have had with you. But knowing you two, all I hear is an empty promise from a pony consumed with greed."

"I'm with our chaperone on that statement." Smolder agreed. "Knowing what natural greed can do to a creature, they'll probably just get their fortune, blow it all on a casino or dumb purchases, go broke, and the cycle will start all over again."

"In other words, we can't trust them!" Gallus added. "They even almost tricked us to go to their Friendship University once, which would've certainly depleted our life savings!"

"I myself may've always been a boastful showoff, but I still work hard to get by!" Trixie added. "Whether it'd be performing my tail off, or looking after somepony's foals, that's still more respectable than... whatever you morons do!"

The rest of the group all chattered in agreement, protesting against Flim and Flam's claims about changing for good, especially when many of their recent actions had contradicted their claims. Sunset in particular was all for giving second chances, much like she did with Sour Sweet or Sunny Flare, but it was different with these two stallions. Her intuition and experience with them had told her everything she needed, knowing for certainty that the sacrifice of her fillyhood's most cherished toy would be all for naught, and Equestria would live on with these two never learning their lessons.

"Alright, and now that I've proven my point, here's the last proposal I'll give you both." Sunset called out, her voice echoing through the arcade as she held up Señor G. Echo. "You say you want to leave Equestria and never return, that you've learned from your past mistakes. But the truth is, I can't just hand over what's rightfully mine, in the hope that you've suddenly seen the light. If there's a shred of decency left in you two, I need a real guarantee. I want you to dismantle your machine there, return the waitress's stolen tips, issue a public apology in regards to threatening all those poor guests who fled the arcade, and paying a large sum of bits in damages."

Hearing this, everyone else in the arcade gave gestures of approval towards Sunset's proposal, feeling like everything she listed would be an incredibly fair and fitting punishment. Flim and Flam meanwhile simply expressed disgust at Sunset's conditions, but realized that if they could potentially earn back the Señor G. Echo plush, it would all be worth it. The brothers huddled together to discuss their next move, before coming to a mutual decision.

"So, if we follow your demands there, you'll give us what we want?" Flim questioned.

"Correct, fulfill these conditions, and I'll consider giving you Señor G. Echo." Sunset's gaze remained steadfast on the brothers. "It's a small price for the chaos you've caused, but remember, this isn't just for me, it's for all the ponies here in Hope Hollow who've suffered from your greed, and everypony else you've ever scammed. Show us that you've changed, otherwise, we stand our ground."

"Fine, if that's what it'll take for you to give us what we want, we'll do it." Flam's expression grew darker, his greed momentarily overshadowed by the anger at being outbargained. "At least when we have that plush once more, we'll never have to look back on all our previous failed investments..."

"Wait just a minute, brother!" Flim said, abruptly. "How do we know we can trust Sunset Shimmer, exactly? What leverage will we have on her if she's holding all the strings? She's refusing to accept this promise in keeping our word, yet expects us to make an exception with her on promise?"

"Ugh, are we really going to go there, now?" Smolder put a claw on her own face. "It's so frustrating to think, we could all just walk away from this arcade without anyone getting hurt, and yet those two are just way too stubborn to do something logical for once..."

"Just so you know for the record, Sunset good friends with Cousin Applejack, and we've certainly seen how much she embodies her honesty and honor!" Sunflower stated. "You can certainly be assured that she'll keep her word."

"Brother, perhaps we should actually consider... especially if it means she'll honor her word on giving us the millions we need to afford that dream life we've always wanted!" Flam insisted. "It's just like I feared earlier on, she was able to outsmart every one of our little schemes, and I'd actually believe she'd do so again, should we continue this path."

"Speak for yourself!" Flim refused. "We managed to outwit Gladmane that one time, which allowed us to take over Las Pegasus and start our Friendship University! Even if that particular scheme was short-lived, we were specifically chosen to trick somepony, which was a success! That means we've still got it in us to do whatever we need to come out on top, especially getting our satisfying revenge on the Princess's girl there!"

"Yeah... you're right!" Flam immediately changed his mind. "If we could successfully overthrow Gladmane like that, we'll very easily do it again! Besides, Sunset here was technically always responsible for us having to resort to various other failed schemes, putting us in tremendous debt over the years!"

"You simply can't put a price on sweet revenge, not even millions of bits!" Flim grinned with malice, as he stared at Babs and Sunflower. "Even though that pesky Applejack isn't here, we at least have an opportunity to have some fun with her extended family, down there! What do you say we show them what this bad boy is capable of?"

"What the hay do you two think you're doing?!" Babs stepped in front of her big sister, her eyes blazing with protective rage. "You've gone too far with this! After everything you've done, Sunset's willing to give you a fair chance, and this is how you repay her?!"

"We're not asking for much, just our rightful property, considering we were the ones who BOUGHT that toy at an auction in the first place!" Flim reminded. "But if you won't budge, and insist that we have no other choice but to pry it from your hooves, then we'll play your little game! We're in an arcade anyways, so we might as well make this interesting!"

"Well that's just too bad." Sunset's eyes narrowed, as she put the Señor G. Echo plush back into her saddlebag, before strapping the satchel on. "You could've had this toy so easily if you did the right thing, and now it seems like we're going to have no choice but to teach you yet another lesson..."

"Think you can intimidate us with mere words like that, huh?" Flam's voice echoed through the robot's speakers, as he maneuvered the FlimFlamtimus Prime towards Sunset. "We're going to take what we want, and there's nothing you or your little friends can do to stop us!"

"If you don't hand over that plush right now, we're going to turn this entire place into rubble, and leave you to suffocate under all the debris!" Flim threatened. "Is that what you want, or are you going to actually comply?"

"Oh, so now you're threatening innocent lives just for a plush toy?" Trixie's voice grew stern. "Your eternal greed has truly made you bozos absolutely despicable, but you're forgetting one thing... right, Sunset?"

"Ugh, dare I ask what that even is, or are you going to do nothing more than talk our ears off for a while?" Flam rolled his eyes.

Sunset felt the confidence and familiarity filling within her, as this scenario almost reminded her of what she herself had done at the CHS Fall Formal, back then. She ended up becoming a horrifying she-demon, and was threatening to end Twilight and her friends, much like Flim and Flam were currently doing. But this time around, the tables had turned, and she was the one determined to not give these con artists what they were after, much like Twilight did, when Sunset was selfishly trying to get her hands on the Element of Magic.

"You're forgetting that in Equestria, friendship is magic!" Sunset announced to the brothers. "And I've got friends here who are more than capable of handling your little robot toy, friends who have faced far worse than you two have ever dreamt of, and have come out even stronger in the end! So go on ahead and make your move, you are NOT getting this plush!"

"Hmph, it's no wonder you're friends with the very same ponies who've destroyed our plans to thrive here in Equestria!" Flim snickered, his grip on the robot's controls tightening. "Well, we've got something better than friendship, we've got power, and with this robot, we're unstoppable!"

"So far, you're not really impressing us!" Gallus scoffed. "Looks like you're just riding around in a slow and clunky robot, while we could very easily fly up there and kick you out of your seats!"

"I told you we should've given this thing a test run before we went through with this plan!" Flam groaned. "We'll never catch anypony at this rate!"

"Relax, it's only warming up since the activation, before we can make this animatronic move at turbo speeds!" Flim winked, as he pushed a button to enable enhanced reflexes, allowing the robot to quickly stomp near Sunflower and Babs, almost crushing them.

"Jeepers, not even the bullies at my school wanted to injure me this fast!" Babs stared up at the robot. "You two need serious help!"

"You've got that right, Babs!" Sunflower added, her eyes grew wide as she took a step back. "Those stallions have gone bonkers over a toy, so it seems like we've got no other choice but to destroy that machine before they become even more delusional!"

Sunflower, driven by her protective instincts and a touch of annoyance at the brothers' audacity, ran over to the robot with surprising agility and determination. She reared back and slammed her back hooves into one of its clunky legs, almost as if it were an apple tree during harvest season. The sound echoed through the arcade, and a shower of sparks shot out from the robot's knee joint. The FlimFlamtimus Prime wobbled slightly, but remained standing, resulting in Flim and Flam looking down from their cockpit, their expressions a mix of shock and amusement.

"Is that the best you've got, darling?" Flim sneered, his voice metallic through the robot's speakers, before getting ready to press another button. "We've modified this baby to handle more than a simple kick! In fact, now that we're at full power, why don't we show you what else this brilliant contraption can do! Ah, the sweet taste of victory, quite literally!"

Suddenly, the FlimFlamtimus Prime began to activate its arm cannons, and aimed them at the ponies in front. After a few moments, the cannons fired a glob of thick, sticky peanut butter at Sunflower and Babs. The two siblings did their best to leap out of the way, but the sticky substance was way too fast to see coming. The peanut butter hit the wall with a wet smack and expanded into a large sticky blob, trapping the two. Babs and Sunflower struggled to pull free, their eyes widening as the sticky goo held them in place, but it simply wasn't enough.

"Ack, what in tarnation is this stuff!?!" Sunflower continued struggling.

"Is that... peanut butter?" Babs recognized the substance's aroma. "Whatever this stuff is, we can't break free!"

"Not to worry!" Trixie assured, as she ran over to the two. "The Great and Powerful Foalsitter will save you from that delicious trap!"

Trixie immediately clung herself to the wall and began devouring away the peanut butter, which seemed like no real challenge, given how it was one of her all-time comfort foods. Under her watch, she wasn't about to sit back and let all this perfectly good peanut butter go to waste.

"Mmm, I sure wish I had some crackers to go with this!" Trixie savored.

"Come on, Trixie!" Babs encouraged. "Eat faster!"

"Haha, with those three busy for a while, we can now focus directly on what we're after!" Flim smirked, as he turned his attention towards Sunset. "Señor G. Echo, we have you now!"

But just as Flim and Flam were about to advance the robot towards their grand prize, they immediately felt a projectile bonk their machine's cockpit from behind, prompting them to look over, only to see Juniper Montage, alongside Gallus, Silverstream, and Smolder, all holding plates.

"You really thought you could get away with stealing my server tips, huh!?" Juniper spat, as she and the three students began lobbing a volley of plates and utensils at the robot, making it stagger back and forth. "Well here's a tip for you, instead! Want to make a good living, then don't steal from the ponies around you!"

"Alright, you want to play rough, Miss Waitress?" Flim's eyes narrowed as the robot began getting dents. "FlimFlamtimus Prime, activate Sneaky Salsa mode!"

The robot's colorful lights flickered as it switched tactics, and began superheating salsa within mere seconds. Suddenly, jets of sizzling hot salsa shot out from various nozzles scattered across its body. The heat was intense, forcing Sunset and the others to dodge and weave through the scalding barrage, as the air filled with the pungent aroma of peppers and tomatoes.

"Ah, the sweet taste of victory, or in this case, victory in the form of salsa!" Flim smirked, whilst licking his own lips.

"Careful now, brother!" Flam warned. "We ought not care for what happens to the rest of these guests, but we must take caution to avoid spewing Sunset with this stuff! Last thing we want is collateral damage to that toy!"

"I hadn't thought of that, thanks for the reminder." Flim nodded, as he went less crazy firing the jets of salsa towards the aforementioned mare. "We need that plush in mint condition, if we want to stand a chance at snagging at least a few million bits from an auction!"

The robot's movements grew more erratic as it spun around the arcade, trying to avoid hitting Sunset while keeping the others at bay. But overhearing this, Sunset's mind raced for a strategy, as the waitress and students did their best to avoid the robot's nozzles, before they were covered in broiling hot salsa. Sunset knew that the brothers wouldn't dare harm her with the toy in her satchel, which meant she had an open advantage that the others didn't. Seeing how Flim and Flam were busy focusing on Juniper, Silverstream, Gallus, and Smolder, Sunset quickly used this distraction to sneak over to the prize booth, and ducked behind the counter.

While Flim and Flam were focused on attacking everyone else, Sunset's eyes scanned the prize counter for a flicker of inspiration. Her gaze fell upon a batch of plush toys, and she spotted a yellow lizard plush that looked remarkably similar to Señor G. Echo from a distance. Seeing this, she hastily switched her cherished plush with the generic lizard toy, whilst tucking Señor G. Echo safely under the counter. The brothers had primarily drawn their attention towards the waitress and students, giving her the perfect opportunity to slip away, unnoticed. With this quick thinking and clever improvision, Sunset already knew that she had an open advantage on the stallions, despite their confidence with the FlimFlamtimus Prime.

"Look at you two, willing to harm others just over a toy!" Sunset called out from a distance, prompting the brothers to turn around in their machine. "Have you no shame or conscience, whatsoever!?"

"Spoken like a true friendship believer, those are words for the weak!" Flim scoffed, as the robot took a few wobbly steps towards her. "Besides, we're just giving you all a show in this here arcade for your bit's worth, but if you really want to engage in some combat, we can do that too! The FlimFlamtimus Prime is out of salsa, anyways!"

As the robotic arms of the monstrous contraption lunged towards Sunset, she didn't flinch. Instead, she braced for impact and dodged, her eyes gleaming with the fiery determination that had once been her downfall, but had now become her greatest strength. Juniper and the three students watched from the sidelines, their hearts racing as they all saw that Sunset was in huge danger now. Despite the situation appearing dire, Sunset could feel a sudden spark in her eyes, a familiar feeling she hadn't felt since the Battle of the Bands. It was a spark that told Sunset she wasn't just going to fight, she was going to win.

"You think a robot and a few servings of salsa scare me!?" Sunset yelled, her voice filled with contempt. "I've faced much worse than you two ever could imagine, and I'm not about to sit back and watch you hurt my friends, or terrorize Hope Hollow!"

"So you think you're going to be the hero now, huh?" Flam's voice taunted over the robot's speakers. "How typical that you believe the magic of friendship mumbo jumbo is going to save the day, when in reality, the only way you'll ever win is by coming out on top, no matter the expenses!"

"Friendship isn't about coming out on top, it's about supporting each other through thick and thin!" Sunset retorted. "Being there for one another, not using others for your own selfish gains! But I don't really expect either of you to understand this, maybe you SHOULD have studied at Twilight's School of Friendship! At least she wouldn't have tried to take your money, like you always have!"

"We could sit here all day and discuss how we'll always be more intellectually superior to make it big in this cruel world of competition, but you've already wasted enough our time!" Flim growled, as he motioned for the robot to stomp on Sunset, but only ended up crushing tables. "You can't keep this up forever, you know! There's just no way you can compete with heavy machinery once you start getting exhausted!"

The FlimFlamtimus Prime's mechanical limbs thrashed and smashed through the arcade games and decorations, sending wires and debris flying, as Flim and Flam relentlessly pursued Sunset. She could feel the chase becoming more intense by the minute, the sounds of clanking metal steps echoing through her mind like the ticking of a doomsday clock. Sunset eventually found herself cornered between a couple of skeeball minigames, her eyes darting around nervously for a way out. Unfortunately, Flim and Flam were already one step ahead, and coated the rest of the area with sticky peanut butter to prevent a swift escape.

"You know something, since that toy is in a saddlebag, we'll risk a little collateral damage if it means we can finally have what we truly deserve!" Flim grinned, as he readied the robot's cannon to shoot another peanut butter blast.

Just as Flim felt confident that he could blast Sunset down without any issue, the FlimFlamtimus Prime suddenly stumbled back from a plate hitting it. The moment before Flam pressed the fire button, the robot ended up veering slightly towards the left, resulting in the projectile being fired directly at the wall. The peanut butter blast had made the nearby wall crumble apart, creating an open hole to allow Sunset to escape. Sunset immediately did so, as Flim and Flam turned around, only to see Trixie, Juniper, Gallus, Silverstream, and Smolder, alongside Sunflower and Babs, who had been freed from their peanut butter trap from earlier.

"Nopony hurts The Great and Powerful Foalsitter's friends!" Trixie pointed up at the brothers.

"Sunset's a part of our family now, too!" Sunflower reminded. "Even if she's not directly related to us!"

"You mess with one Apple, you mess with the rest of the extended family, you hear!?" Babs added.

"Oh, so now we're getting all personal, are we?" Flam spat. "Brother, never mind these simpletons who'll simply do nothing more than slow us down! The quicker we get that valuable toy, the sooner we can book a vacation at a luxury resort outside of Equestria itself!"

"That's what you think!" Smolder announced, before Gallus and Silverstream flew over with some arcade cabinet wires.

The griffon and hippogriff quickly wrapped and circled the wires around the FlimFlamtimus Prime's legs several times, until they were tight enough. Gallus quickly tied a knot, seemingly making the legs become stuck together.

"Let's see you try to walk up some stairs when you're all tied up like that!" Silverstream said, satisfied with her and Gallus's work.

"Looks like you two should've grown up, instead of relying on toys to do your dirty work!" Gallus added.

"Might as well surrender right now, while we're still a little merciful!" Juniper insisted. "Give me back my stolen tips, and I'll consider calling it even!"

"You think you've won, do you?" Flim's voice grew cold as the robot began to glow with a sinister blue light. "Well, we've got a little surprise for you all! FlimFlamtimus Prime, deploy the Elemental Cannons!"

Cannons on the robot's shoulders emerged from their compartments, becoming active, as the blue energy grew brighter, coalescing into orbs of fire and ice. The robot began spraying an ice beam at the wires, coating them with a thick layer of frost. Suddenly, the other shoulder cannon emitted a blazing flame, burning through the wires swiftly, and causing them to snap apart. The brothers' mechanical monstrosity regained its full mobility, with the smell of burnt plastic and metal lingering in the air.

"Looks like you've just earned yourself a taste of our true power!" Flam grinned, getting ready to use the peanut butter cannons again.

"Never mind them, brother!" Flim insisted. "We have to catch Miss Princess's girl before she gets away with our retirement funds!"

"Quite right, but just to make sure we have no further distractions..." Flam put his hoof on the cannon lever.

Flam's eyes gleamed with malice as he fired a massive glob of sticky peanut butter from the robot's cannon, the thick substance arcing through the air with surprising speed. Juniper, Gallus, Smolder, and Silverstream couldn't react in time, and found themselves entangled in the sticky mess, their wings and limbs bound tightly as they struggled to break free. Babs and Sunflower weren't as lucky either, getting hit and stuck to the wall again, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief. But Trixie instinctively used her magic to teleport a shield in front of her, miraculously avoiding the peanut butter from splattering all over her. Seeing this, the Flim and Flam began marching outside of the arcade through the hole they created, ready to snatch their prize, even if it meant the destruction of Hope Hollow itself.

"Awwww, not again!" Trixie groaned at the mess she needed to clean up to free everyone. "There's still peanut butter all over the place, but I can't eat anymore of it! My stomach's rejecting the idea of ingesting one more spoonful of this spread, what have I become!?"

"Don't you worry, Trixie, we'll all have to eat together!" Sunflower assured up, her eyes glinting with determination.

"I don't even like peanut butter to begin with, but I'll show those two rascals what happens when you mess with a hardworking waitress's pride!" Juniper said, as she angrily ate away at her peanut butter cocoon.

"I'm not sure I'll want to eat peanut butter ever again after this..." Babs gulped.

Outside of Hope Hollow, Flim and Flam were hot on Sunset's tail, no longer holding back or willing to negotiate with the mare that held their key to a luxurious life. Many of the town's residents panicked and screamed upon seeing the metallic monstrosity on the verge of a seeming rampage, despite the fact the brothers were only targeting one individual. The townsfolks had ended up barricading themselves into their homes, while others were coming out to check up on what all the commotion was about.

"What in Equestria...?" Sunny Skies exited Hotel Hope, as his eyes widened upon what he was witnessing in the distance. "Say, isn't that one of Torque's animatronics from Slice-N-Shake? What's that doing, terrorizing the town!?"

"Cool!" Pickle Barrel came out to observe the madness. "A big, awesome robot smashdown show! I've never seen one in real life!"

"Could we go and get a closer look?" Barley Barrel asked. "We'll be good, we promise!"

"I don't think this is a show, either the animatronic's gone haywire, or it's been hijacked, and the town's under a serious attack!" Petunia deduced, as she escorted the foals and her husband back inside. "Quick, we must contact the authorities before things get even uglier!"

The chaos grew more as the FlimFlamtimus Prime tore through the town of Hope Hollow, its metallic hoofsteps echoing through the roads, much like the Stagma Beetles had done atop the Endtrak Express. Panic had set in, and the town's remaining residents ducked into their homes and shops, hoping to find safety from the madness that somehow entered the once peaceful town. As the robot continued its relentless chase upon Sunset through Hope Hollow's market square, it caught the attention of a few more familiar faces, who were momentarily just enjoying a town tour. Kerfuffle, standing outside her clothing shop, watched in horror as the robot barreled closer, as did Sour Sweet, Sandbar, Yona, and Ocellus.

"Stack my pancakes, what's going on right now!?" Kerfuffle exclaimed, aghast at the situation.

"First a giant bug infestation aboard the Endtrak Express, and now a rampaging robot!?" Ocellus observed. "Makes for an exciting field trip, I suppose, but this isn't good!"

"This is definitely not part of the tour, it looks like Sunset needs our help!" Sour Sweet insisted, as she fanned out her wings in hostility.

"Mean metal machine not going to hurt best field trip chaperone!" Yona snorted. "Yona's family has history of smashing things when we not pleased!"

"Hang on, Yona." Sandbar held the yak back. "Just like Miss Sunset told us before, we can't just charge in there without a plan, much like when you tried to do the same with the Stagma Beetles. Surely we must at least try and figure out a weakness?"

"Who would we even ask, though?" Sour Sweet pondered. "I know nothing about how to deal with a machine like that, we typically don't combat those things back in Canterlot!"

"Wait, if I remember right, I know who can help us!" Kerfuffle insisted. "We could ask Torque Wrench, she's the one who created that animatronic for Slice-N-Shake!"

"Hmm, alright, sounds like we can work with that!" Sour Sweet nodded. "Yona, Sandbar, Ocellus, could you three find Torque and get an insight on how we can deactivate that machine? I'll need to help Sunset fend that thing off for a while!"

"Good idea, we're on it!" Sandbar nodded, as he and his classmates ran away. "Stay safe, Miss Sour Sweet!"

Sour Sweet swooped towards the direction of the metallic menace, her eyes focused and determined. She had always had a knack for protecting others like a good royal guard would, but this time for all the right reasons. This was a battle for the very heart of Hope Hollow, and her new friend who had showed her compassion and understanding. Watching the intense chase from a distance, the pegasus immediately saw the fear in Sunset's eyes, and knew she couldn't let her down.

"Hold on, Sunset!" Sour Sweet called out, her voice ringing with confidence. "I've got this!"

Sour Sweet streaked through the air, her eyes focused on the robotic beast. She knew she couldn't match this metal monstrosity in brute strength, but had agility and speed to her advantage. Diving and weaving, she aimed for the robot's more vulnerable areas, including the joints and sensors, using her hooves to strike with precision. Her hits weren't enough to cause any significant damage, but they certainly got the brothers' attention, as they momentarily ceased their pursuit on Sunset.

"What's with you ponies, can't you just let us have our little trinket?" Flim grumbled as he worked the robot's controls, trying to swipe at Sour Sweet like a mosquito. "You think you can just drop by and interrupt our quality time with our old friend here?"

"Funny how you call her a friend, considering she's also the main reason we lost our first jobs and got banned from Canterlot." Flam reminded. "Just imagine how many gullible rich suckers we could've made a fortune from, had it not been for that Mommy Celestia of hers!"

"I don't remember specifically doing anything back then, aside from watching you both reap what you sowed!" Sunset paused, as she tried to catch her breath from sprinting around town. "You two have lost any shred of decency you might've had, chasing after your own greed, metaphorically and literally! Sour Sweet, these two are the Flim Flam Brothers, and they're after a toy that they rightfully gave me when I was a filly, you know who they are?"

"I've heard of them, mostly thanks to Princess Twilight and Celestia!" Sour Sweet replied, as she continued slowing the robot down. "They're quite the notorious pair in Equestria, known for their clever, yet underhanded schemes. But why are they going through such extreme lengths for a simple toy?"

"Simple toy!?" Flam remarked, insulted by Sour Sweet's comment. "Señor G. Echo is no mere plaything, he's a rare, limited edition collector's item that can fetch millions on the black market!"

"After the way Canterlot's treated us, we're entitled to that kind of fortune!" Flim added. "So I insist you keep to yourself and let us pound Sunset here into applesauce! We won't hurt you or anypony else, as long as we get our hooves on that leopard gecko toy!"

"Oh, please!" Sour sweet retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm, as she bucked the robot's knee joint, making it wobble slightly. "You expect me to take your word on such an empty statement? Even if that toy is worth that much, I'm sure there are better ways to earn your fortune than by terrorizing the town! Why don't you join us in the real Equestria, where friendship and compassion are more valuable than any treasure you could imagine?"

"So typical, you're another one of her pathetic friends, I see." Flam rolled his eyes, before giving Sour Sweet a swift kick with the robot's leg, sending her crashing in the distance, and injuring one of her wings.

"You'll... regret... that!" Sour Sweet gritted her teeth, trying to push herself back up, but her wing was too damaged to allow flight.

"That was just a little demonstration and preview for our product of pain, which we'll soon deliver towards our old friend over here!" Flim grinned, as he turned back to Sunset. "Speaking of which, you've proven to be quite the nuisance by being able to outrun our little contraption, but you certainly can't compete with a machine! Once you're out of breath, we'll pulverize you into pieces and take back what was always ours! We already gave you a fair negotiation earlier, but you refused, so we're no longer going to play nice, you hear!?"

"Well that makes two of us!" Sunset spoke back. "Or... three of us? You get what I mean, and either way, your greed is going to be your downfall! Just look at yourselves, wreaking havoc upon Hope Hollow for a toy!"

"Sunset!" Sour Sweet announced from a distance, as she slowly got up from her injury, and directed Sunset over to a nearby bush. "While I was doing my best to damage that thing, I think we have a good chance at destroying those joints and lights!"

"Pfft, with what exactly, dear?" Flam snickered at the idea, as the FlimFlamtimus Prime had barely sustained a metaphorical papercut from the attacks. "You think your soft and weak hooves can penetrate the might of solid steel and titanium!?"

"Maybe not, but can you really say the same about some good old fashioned rainbow rocks?" Sour Sweet replied, as she and Sunset emerged from the bush, holding various multicolored stones in their hooves.

"You can't be serious!" Flam sneered, raising an eyebrow at their supposed weaponry. "You think those glittery pebbles will stop us?"

Sunset and Sour Sweet began chucking a barrage of rocks and stones at the FlimFlamtimus Prime, dealing continuous damage upon the robot's joints, sensors, and outer components. Flim and Flam began to panic within the cockpit, realizing that the projectiles were surprisingly effective, and slowly chipping away at the robot's defense.

"Come on, do something!" Flam began freaking out upon hearing an alarm sound from critical damage. "If the FlimFlamtimus Prime goes down the drain, much like all our other failed investments, this'll be the final nail in the coffin for us! We'll likely end up in prison, or even worse, Tartarus!"

"We surely can't let them ruin our perfect plan, and I believe I remember how we can combat these projectiles!" Flim looked at the robot's controls. "I seem to remember, one of the functions on the control panel can deploy a durable armor coating to deflect what would otherwise be pathetic pebble attacks, but..."

"But what, brother!?" Flam snapped. "If we don't get that armor up soon, we'll be sitting ducks to Sunset and her Hope Hollow friends!"

"We have to input a passcode in the prompt here to deploy it, and I may or may not have forgotten the passcode...?" Flim grinned, sheepishly.

"YOU IMBECILE!!!" Flam screeched, as he desperately started guessing random four-digit codes. "Why are you wasting time instead of guessing what the code is!? It's only a matter of time before our brilliant contraption is on the ropes, and we get sent to jail!"

As Sunset and Sour Sweet were persistently finding rocks to throw at the FlimFlamtimus Prime, they both noticed that the robot was starting to show noticeable signs of damage from their combined efforts. It became clear that they needed to stall for as long as possible, on the chance that Flim and Flam would deploy their armor. While this was happening, Ocellus, Yona, and Sandbar were desperately looking around Hope Hollow for Torque Wrench, hoping that the creator of the animatronic could give them some insight on how to deactivate it. The trio finally entered Slice-N-Shake, but were only greeted with the rest of their classmates, all stuck in a sticky peanut butter mess.

"Whoa, what happened with you all?" Ocellus's eyes widened upon seeing the arcade's state.

"Don't ask, just please, help us get free of this gunk." Gallus continued struggling. "Even worse, some of us are getting pretty sick of peanut butter."

"I have no idea how the mare in the hoodie could eat so much of this stuff, I feel like I'm going to vomit at any moment!" Juniper Montage gagged, feeling sick and nauseous from the forced consumption.

"Perhaps I've just got a magical stomach, or always enjoyed peanut butter crackers as a filly." Trixie replied, as she continued using a tool to scrape away the now hardened peanut butter.

"Guidance Counselor Trixie?" Yona said, rather confused. "What she doing here when school professors said she was ditching school duties?"

"Oh, uh, don't worry about that!" Trixie's eyes widened. "I'm here on a... special assignment for Princess Twilight, but for now, we've gotta free every creature from this tempting yet now repulsive peanut butter spread. It's a shame to think we'll have to let most of this peanut butter go to waste, but... think you can help us out here?"

"I guess I could give it a go, even though I typically prefer marmalade or honey as a spread." Ocellus shrugged, before she morphed her appearance into a dragon and flew up to reach the peanut butter trapping Babs and Sunflower.

"Yona actually hate peanut butter, but Yona hate seeing friends stuck and unhappy even more!" Yona replied, as she began devouring away at the peanut butter around Gallus and Smolder.

"Hehe, not there, Yona, that tickles!" Silverstream shrieked upon feeling the new sensation.

"Well, it's a good thing we know a bighearted yak with just as big of an appetite." Smolder chuckled to herself.

Trixie and Ocellus eventually freed both Sunflower and Babs Seed from the peanut butter with their teamwork, but Ocellus knew that her job wasn't done yet, and headed over to assist Yona. The Apple siblings then approached Sandbar, trying to get some insight on what was now happening out there.

"It's certainly a good thing that hospitality is a common trait for the guests of Hope Hollow." Babs said, before turning her attention towards Sunset's situation. "Unfortunately, two certain stallions seem way different in that respect."

"I'm pretty worried what they could be doing to the rest of Hope Hollow right now." Sunflower took a glance outside the arcade. "Do you have any idea where that giant robot thing went?"

"Last I saw, it was tearing through the town square, chasing our field trip chaperone, Miss Sunset." Sandbar replied. "She's with our other chaperone right now, trying to hold that thing off. I was told that we must find Torque Wrench, since she might know how to shut that thing down, given how she built it! Problem is, we've looked all over, and we have no idea where she is!"

"Did you say you needed to find Torque?" Gallus remembered a crucial detail from earlier. "She told us that she'd be fixing up the Endtrak Express's interiors, shortly after we got off the train! Chances are, you'll most likely find her there!"

"Alright, thanks for the info, Gallus!" Sandbar nodded. "I'll go find Torque and put an end to this robot nightmare, while Yona, Ocellus, and Trixie free the rest of you!"

"We'll come with you." Sunflower began trotting towards the hole in the wall. "You might also need somepony to explain what just happened here in the arcade, since we both witnessed everything."

"Yeah, I'm not going to miss this for the world." Babs added. "Sunset's a part of our family now, and if Cousin Applejack's taught me anything, it's only natural for an Apple to get their payback on Flim and Flam."

Sandbar, Sunflower, and Babs all raced out of the wrecked arcade, their hearts pounding with a mix of fear and determination. The trio didn't waste a moment, their eyes scanning the horizon for the location of the Endtrak Express. After spotting and sprinting towards the train, it was only a matter of locating the repair pony, who had proficient experience in mechanical work. The interior of the train had seen better days, but Sandbar knew she'd be here, working tirelessly to fix the damage from the Stagma Beetles. The group navigated and searched through the coaches, calling out her name.

"Torque, Torque Wrench, are you around!?" Sandbar's voice echoed through the train. "It's an emergency, we really need your help!"

Finally, the trio heard a sudden clang, followed by a muffled groan coming from one of the compartments. From a distance, Babs took notice of a pony stepping out of a hole in the train's floor, facing the opposite direction. To Babs, this pony looked quite familiar, and it almost seemed quite surprising to actually find her here.

"Applebloom, is that you?" Babs began approaching the pony. "Jeepers, I never could've imagined that you'd get into mechanics instead of apple bucking, congrats on getting a job here in Hope Hollow!"

"Uh, excuse me?" Torque Wrench turned around, feeling rather confused. "Do I know you?"

"Oh... sorry, I thought you were somepony else." Babs grinned, sheepishly.

"Just so we're clear here, you're Torque Wrench, right?" Sandbar questioned. "You're the town's repair pony, and you built the animatronics from Slice-N-Shake, is that correct?"

"Yeah, that's me, alright." Torque replied as she took off her noise-cancelling headphones. "I'm a little busy welding the interior of the train, but I believe she'll be good to go for the return trip. What can I do for you folks?"

"Torque, it's not just the train that needs your help, it's the entire town!" Sunflower pointed out the train's window, as the repair pony got a good glimpse of the situation over by the town square. "Flim and Flam are using your animatronic to cause chaos in Hope Hollow!"

"They've coated us with globs of sticky peanut butter, vandalized the arcade, and are threatening to hurt somepony in particular!" Babs recapped. "We need to know how to shut it down!"

Torque's eyes widened in shock as she took in the scene outside, she had never intended for her creation to be used for such malicious purposes.

"What have they done with Optimare Prime!?" Torque exclaimed, her tools clattering to the floor. "I never even got a chance to test drive her, only engineered the inner components! Certainly never designed her to spew peanut butter or deface Hope Hollow property!"

"Torque, please, we need to shut it down before it causes any more damage or harms somepony!" Sandbar insisted. "We've all got a bad feeling that if we don't do that soon, Hope Hollow will never be the same again!"

"Follow me, I know exactly what to do!" Torque led the ponies over to her workshop, analyzing the robot's blueprints. "The main power source is in its chest, but we can't just rip it out without disarming her first. She's got a manual override switch, but it's a bit complicated to reach, given how high up it is. If we can get to the control panel on her back, we might be able to shut her down temporarily."

"Alright, so we need to distract it long enough for one of us to climb on its back." Sunflower began formulating a plan. "I've seen how it moves, and I've had plenty of experience climbing apple trees. But we need to be careful, that animatronic can still be quite unpredictable."

Knowing this, it practically seemed trivial to foil Flim and Flam's plans, but the trio knew that Torque had brought up a good point, approaching the robot itself would certainly pose a challenge. Sunset and Sour Sweet were still doing their best to hold off the FlimFlamtimus Prime, but their stalling would inevitably come to an end. Flam eventually guessed the correct passcode, prompting the machine to arm it's vulnerable components with a much more durable alloy coating.

"Are you kidding me, the code was seriously '1-2-3-4' the whole time!?" Flam bonked his brother on the head for his idiocy in forgetting such a simple code.

"Well come on, you could've guessed that sooner, and besides, does it really matter now?" Flim turned his attention towards Sunset and Sour Sweet. "Now that your pitiful rocks are no longer a hindrance, it's time you face the reality, Sunset! We'll tear Hope Hollow apart, piece by piece, if it means you give us that leopard gecko toy!"

Knowing that the brothers weren't playing around, and that she was already one step ahead of them, Sunset took the generic yellow lizard plush out of her saddlebag, which Flim and Flam seemingly mistook for the real Señor G. Echo toy. Sunset winked to Sour Sweet, giving the pegasus a hint that she knew exactly what she was doing, and that the two stallions would soon be in for a real surprise.

"Alright, if that's really how you want to play, I suppose we could also reflect on what brought us to this very moment." Sunset began playing along. "Don't you remember how Princess Celestia cornered you in that arcade, and that out of a cowardly instinct, you threatened to rip Señor G. Echo apart?"

"Just because my brother thinks more with his paycheck than his brain, doesn't mean you get to keep stalling!" Flam started becoming impatient. "Are you going to hand over that plush, or will we have to teach you a real lesson?"

Sunset took a deep breath, and with a swift motion, she began ripping the decoy lizard plush apart with her hooves, mimicking the very threat that Flim had used against her, many years ago. The brothers' eyes lit up with horror and disgust, completely mistaking the fake toy for the real Señor G. Echo. Sour Sweet caught on to her friend's ploy and quickly followed suit, both of them shredding the toy before the stunned siblings. What remained of the plush fell to the ground, nothing but fabric and stuffing in their hooves.

"Where's your so-called fortune now, huh?" Sunset challenged the brothers, as she knew exactly how this would make them feel.

"HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!!!!" Flim's face became red with rage, now believing that he and his brother had done all this for absolutely nothing. "THAT DUMB TOY WAS WORTH MORE THAN A HOUSE'S MORTGAGE!!!!!"

"YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR, SUNSET SHIMMER!!!!!" Flam exclaimed, furiously. "IF YOU'RE GOING TO DESTROY OUR FUTURE AND RETIREMENTS, YOU'LL BE GOING DOWN, ALONG WITH IT!!!!!"

"Look at what your greed has cost you, Flim and Flam." Sunset continued her plan. "You've lost everything you thought you had, but the real question is, am I really to blame? After all, didn't one of you almost go along with my proposal, only for the other to change his mind at the last second, because he thought I was untrustworthy?"

"She... she's got a point, actually!" Flam paused, as he gave this some deep thought. "I actually considered doing the so-called honest way, but you convinced me to weasel out of it at the last minute, brother! If anything, I should probably be more furious at YOU, than her!"

"Well, I just didn't want to lose the only thing we had going for us, you know!" Flim continued. "Surely you understand as well as I do, that nopony would ever believe that we genuinely had a change of heart!"

"You're just making excuses again!" Flam snapped back. "It's because of your indecision, that we're in this mess! We could've already left Equestria long ago with our meal ticket, but you had to go and ruin it with your greed and paranoia! Perhaps you deserve a good thrashing for this!"

"Perhaps... if that even WAS the real Señor G. Echo plush in the first place!" Flim finally broke out of his act, as did his brother, much to the horror of Sunset and Sour Sweet.

"Wha...!?" Sunset's eyes widened with shock and disbelief. "You mean... you knew the whole time!?"

"Please!" Flam scoffed. "We may've been ignorant and careless back in the arcade, but we're not blind! You really expected us to fall for the old switcheroo trick, especially for a generic lizard toy that we're already well familiar with, given how we RUN Slice-N-Shake's prize booth!?"

"B-But...!" Sunset gulped, shocked by how the brothers had turned the tables, and were instead one step ahead of her. "I'm so sorry, Sour Sweet, it looks like we're in some real trouble now..."

"Don't worry, we've dealt with worse back on the Endtrak Express." Sour Sweet panted, trying to keep her sweetness and positivity. "Even though we can't damage that machine anymore, we can still figure something out."

"Like that'll ever happen!" Flim cackled, as he maliciously advanced towards the two exhausted mares. "It's funny how you came to Hope Hollow for fun and games, but it finally looks like you've officially gotten your first game over!"

"We're done playing games as well, they certainly never did much for our career choices!" Flam added, as he was getting ready to stomp on both ponies. "First, we turn you two into a pair of pony pancakes, and then we'll enjoy the finest and most luxurious cruise outside of Equestria! Too bad you're not invited, as much as we would love you to join us... as our servants, that is!"

The brothers laughed maniacally, as they prepared to go through with what they described. But just as Flim controlled the leg's movements, ready to crush Sunset and Sour Sweet into smithereens, the FlimFlamtimus Prime had mysteriously stopped. The brothers both continued to work the controls they were accustomed to, but to no avail, and the animatronic remained immobile.

"What the...?" Flim looked at his brother, incredibly confused. "This isn't supposed to happen!"

"Are you kidding me!?" Flam groaned, this time genuinely angry with his brother. "I specifically said that we should've given this thing a test run, given how it actually malfunctioned last time, but you don't listen to me, do you!?"

"Actually... Optimare Prime has always performed her very best, and if there were ever any supposed malfunctions, that'd be the fault of the ones operating her." Torque Wrench approached the robot from behind.

"Did you miss us?" Babs Seed accompanied Torque. "We Apples have always been keen on attending our family reunions, and now it seems like a family tradition to foil your schemes!"

"You really thought you were outsmarting everyone here, but the truth is, you both totally just got schooled!" Sunflower announced, as she had successfully climbed up the robot's back and flipped the switch, while the brothers were distracted. "Don't think you've got the upper hoof, especially when your opponents are able to consult the pony who built the contraption!"

"Thanks for the save, Sunflower." Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. "Sour Sweet and I really thought we were goners there."

"Anything for an Honorary Apple, but my work ain't quite done yet." Sunflower said, as she trotted over to the animatronics' leg and gave it a hard kick, sending the whole thing crashing down from the lack of balance, and causing Flim and Flam to fall out of the cockpit.

"I'll go get the mayor, Sunny is certainly not going to let these troublemakers off easy, after everything they've done!" Torque glared at the brothers, as she trotted over to Hotel Hope.

Now sitting outside their broken machine's cockpit, Flim and Flam were surrounded. Sunset and Sour Sweet both gave the brothers a cold glare for their misdeeds, and they were soon accompanied by Babs, Sunflower, Trixie, Juniper Montage, the six students, and the various residents of Hope Hollow, all with expressions of anger and disgust towards the two stallions. Flim and Flam nervously looked around the angry mob, the fear of being torn to shreds had amplified even further than getting sent to prison.

"Um, hey, listen, Sunset Shimmer..." Flim began nervously, as he saw Sunset approaching them. "We're uh... so very sorry for all the trouble we've caused, we completely understand if you want nothing more than for us to leave Equestria for good..."

"Uh, yeah, that's right..." Flam added on, before he reached back into the cockpit. "But to show you how very sorry we are, we'll give you a little prize instead, for your efforts in truly helping us learn our lessons. How about you just take a parakeet and go home?"

Sunset looked at the parakeet plush Flam took from the cockpit, staring on with slight amusement, given how she had once experienced a similar scenario with a different Flim and Flam. As a way of humorously repeating her own history from the Human World, she went right up to the brothers and replied with the only thing that seemed like an appropriate response.

"It's not about the parakeet." Sunset replied, coldly, as she slapped the toy from Flam's hooves. "In the words of Señor G. Echo himself, evil will always be spotted, amigo."

Suddenly, Mayor Skies and Petunia Petals approached from the sides, both with equally furious expressions as the rest of the crowd.

"Flim and Flam, when my husband and I decided to give you a fair chance at making Slice-N-Shake a wonderful experience for Hope Hollow's guests, we most certainly were not expecting this unacceptable behavior!" Petunia frowned. "Your actions today have endangered not only our town, but our trust in you both!"

"I'm absolutely appalled, you two!" Mayor Skies stomped his hoof. "I thought you two would actually commit to your jobs, but very clearly, I was wrong! Never in all my years of being the mayor have I ever had to do this, but it's clear now that you've left me with no choice! You're both hereby banned from setting a single hoof in Hope Hollow, ever again!"

"We can certainly also assure you, that this isn't the first time they've tried to pull a scheme like this." Sour Sweet added, her eyes narrowing at the brothers.

"I've seen what greed can do to somepony, and I've faced it in myself." Sunset sighed, but knew that after all this madness, what she had done back then simply couldn't compare to the brothers' everlasting greed. "It's time for them to face the music, or in this case, the law."

"L-Look, we can make this right!" Flim stuttered. "We've got connections, we can fix all the damage we caused, just don't turn us over to-"

"Not a chance." Petunia shook her head. "We've already contacted the authorities long ago, and they should be here any minute now. I sure hope you slimy stallions know a good lawyer, because it looks like to me, we have a ton of witnesses to testify against you!"

"None of us are going anywhere until we see you both get cuffed and arrested." Juniper added. "You petty crooks are certainly going to do some hard time behind bars after this fiasco!"

"Alright, so that's how you want to play, is it?" Flim shot up from his position, now knowing that begging for mercy was out of the question. "Well unfortunately for you all, Torque's not the only one who knows how to reverse engineer a contraption! How do you think we came up with the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000!?"

"That's right, brother!" Flam cut his act as well. "You all think you're clever surrounding us like the peasants you are, but in the chance that even our last resort would fail, we came prepared for that, as well! Quickly, into the escape pods!"

Unaminously, the brothers climbed up into the animatronics' ears, and set a course for a destination far away from their current predicament. Shortly after, the FlimFlamtimus Prime's ear segments had transformed into rocket-like escape pods, expelling a flame from underneath, and sending the brothers flying away through the sky.

"They're getting away, let's go after them!" Smolder fanned out her wings, ready to give Flim and Flam everything they had coming to them.

"No need to worry about them now, let them go." Sunny Skies sighed upon seeing the brothers' escape. "I think it's fair to say that after this whole fiasco, they'll never find a job in Equestria again. We'll certainly be reporting everything to the local news station."

A majority of the crowd shrugged and agreed with the mayor's reasoning, as they slowly trotted back to their homes and shops, thankful that the main threat to their town had been dealt with. As the crowd dispersed, the only ones who remained at the town square were Sunset, Sour Sweet, Trixie, the students, Babs Seed, and Sunflower.

"Well, that was certainly quite the adventure, who knew that an innocent arcade vacation would lead to all this chaos?" Sunflower giggled. "This'll definitely be one of our most memorable vacations, don't you agree, Babs?"

"Absolutely, but we certainly also owe it to Sunset here for making it possible!" Babs nodded. "If it wasn't for her, we'd probably already be back in Manehattan, feeling disappointed at this entire trip being a waste."

"Well, I've learned all about hospitality from a good friend." Sunset looked around at her friends and students, feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction that they had all come together to stop the notorious brothers. "Even if we couldn't bring those two to justice, I'm just happy that everyone's safe, and we can get back to enjoying Hope Hollow."

"As much as I'm sure we'd all like that, I'm afraid we're right on schedule." Sour Sweet gave a reminder. "According to the town's clock tower, our three hours in Hope Hollow are pretty much up. The Endtrak Express is going to take off for its return trip in about 15 minutes."

"Ah, you're right, thanks for reminding me." Sunset nodded upon looking at the clock, before she turned to Babs, Sunflower, and Trixie. "We've got to get going, but before we do, I want to thank all of you for sticking with me through this."

"Hey, I couldn't forget the very pony who helped encourage somepony as great and powerful as I to get into foalsitting." Trixie recalled. "Besides, nopony makes ME sick of peanut butter crackers, but it really is a shame that we'll just be wasting all that leftover peanut butter at the arcade. I sure do feel sorry for whoever's going to have to clean all that up. Either way, I can certainly see why Starlight likes you so much, Sunset. If we ever cross paths again, I could certainly consider bringing you to my next foalsitting gig."

"Speaking of which, Babs and I have seen your potential in being both protective and entertaining, especially after all the help you did to get us free from the peanut butter, Trixie." Sunflower reminded. "Most other sitters likely would've fled and bailed when such a situation arises, but you really cared for our well-beings. So I'm proud to officially say, you've passed your orientation day. When we get home to Manehattan, we'll be sure to give a good word to the rest of the family, and make sure you get a call whenever they need a foalsitter."

"Wow, it's such an honor, thank you, Sunflower!" Trixie said with glee. "Don't you worry, I'll be ready to face any challenges that come my way in the future, no task will be too difficult for somepony as great and powerful as... I mean, thank you, I won't let your family down!"

"Anytime, the Apple Family's always had a long history of understanding what it's like when business is slow." Sunflower winked. "Speaking of family, like I've said before, we'll always consider you an Honorary Apple, Sunset, for everything you've done for not only my sister and I, but even Cousin Applejack. I wish we could give you a nickname to remember you by, if we ever cross paths again."

"How about 'Sun Sister', that has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Babs suggested.

"If it'll help you remember this whole memorable experience, I say go for it!" Sunset giggled.

"Alright then, you got it, Sun Sister." Sunflower replied, before turning to Babs. "This'll be goodbye for now, we really should head back to Hotel Hope and wash this peanut butter from our manes, but until next time, may the rest of the family smile down upon you for all your good deeds!"

"Thank you both for being here, always been a pleasure to meet AJ's relatives." Sunset waved goodbye to Sunflower and Babs, as she turned to her students. "I also know I couldn't have done this without all of you, seems like Twilight's been teaching you all about friendship and teamwork for us to prevail in the end."

"It's all thanks to you, Miss Sunset." Ocellus said, her voice filled with admiration. "Your guidance and belief in your students definitely brought out the best in us."

"We couldn't have asked for a better experience than saving Hope Hollow from those two scoundrels!" Silverstream added.

"Certainly hope to have you as a field trip chaperone another day, you're like the very first one who's never bored us, or caused any problems to affect our... education, so to speak." Gallus snickered.

"Yona still can't get nasty peanut butter taste from mouth, but bad taste worth it for friends!" Yona grinned.

"Well I'm sure on the return trip, you could wash it down with more of Mr. Ramsay's sticky toffee pudding." Sandbar reminded.

"Sounds like everyone's had their fun and games on this field trip, but unfortunately, we really have to get going to the Endtrak Express if we want to get back to the School of Friendship." Sour Sweet instructed, as she guided five of the six students over to the train, before turning around. "Sunset, Smolder, you two coming?"

"I'll catch up with you momentarily, there's still one last thing I must go fetch before I depart." Sunset replied, knowing she wasn't about to leave behind a cherished fillyhood toy.

"I guess I'll go with Miss Sunset for a bit, then we'll all meet back on the train." Smolder went off with her chaperone.

Sunset made her way back over to Slice-N-Shake's prize booth, and retrieved her Señor G. Echo toy, which she had hidden away under the counter, on the chance that the Flim Flam brothers were able to get their hooves on her saddlebag. Luckily, everything had already worked out in Sunset's favor, and both this cherished toy and Hope Hollow itself were safe from the brothers' greed and shady schemes.

"So that's where you hid it." Smolder folded her arms at her chaperone's ingenuity. "Good to see you've not only been an awesome field trip chaperone, but even a clever one, at that!"

"Had a ton of experience over the years, that's for sure." Sunset replied, as she put the toy back into her saddlebag. "You never know when you might need a little trick up your sleeve."

Sunset and Smolder then left the arcade, ready to head back to the School of Friendship. The dragon herself was certainly looking forward to sharing her experiences in Hope Hollow, and everything she and her friends had been up to, as it was all made possible, thanks to their new chaperone. While Sunset had similar ideas on her mind, she still knew that despite these recent adventures, there was still the matter of finding and defeating Chestnut Magnifico, and getting the Bewitching Bell back. However, these thoughts were suddenly derailed when the duo passed by one of the houses in Hope Hollow, and heard some crying in the distance.

The pony and dragon deviated from their original path to the train to check this out, as the crying sounded like it was getting more severe. After checking around the back of the house, Sunset took notice of the Barrel twins, with Barley Barrel looking severely heartbroken. In fact, Sunset could almost feel exactly what the filly was seemingly going through, as she herself had once experienced a similar emotion, when she first met Flim and Flam. Trixie was also nearby the twins, also trying to figure out what was upsetting Barley.

"I heard the crying from back here and wanted to see what was happening." Trixie explained. "That filly looks so sad and lost, but she's refusing to talk about it..."

"Hey there, Barley Barrel, right?" Sunset approached the broken filly, her voice soft and compassionate. "I can see something's severely troubling you, may I ask what's wrong?"

"You'll... you'll laugh at me." Barley Barrel refused. "It's something so silly for me to cry about, and I just know you won't understand..."

"Come on, Sis, please don't be like that. "Pickle Barrel tried to cheer his sister up. "That's the same mare who helped and rescued us from those nasty bugs on the Endtrak Express, I'm sure she's willing to lend an ear."

"I promise I won't laugh, sometimes the smallest things can mean the most to us, especially when they're tied to something much larger." Sunset assured and got down on Barley's level. "What's got you so upset?"

"This doesn't have anything to do with that giant robot attack by Flim and Flam, does it?" Smolder questioned.

"Well... no, actually." Barley Barrel finally began opening up. "I was real excited at Hotel Hope earlier, but... you know how I was saving my allowance for months, and I gave it all up for this reward that was supposed to arrive in our mailbox today?"

"Hmm, yeah, that rings a bell." Sunset nodded. "Your parents got it for you as a reward for a great report card, I believe. What happened to your reward?"

"I saw an ad in the mail that mentioned somepony was having a yard sale for a bunch of old toys, and that I could get any of their items, as long as I mailed them their money." Barley continued. "It claimed that the seller had a Señor G. Echo toy for sale, and that because of how rare these toys were, it'd be a pretty hefty price, as there's supposedly only ten of those in existence..."

Sunset listened on, but by this point, her eyes widened, as she began to immediately deduce what must've went wrong for the poor filly.

"The seller wanted 500 bits, so I patiently saved my allowance for months, hoping to finally own some official merchandise of the very leopard gecko who inspired me to start the Rainbow Dash fan club." Barley further elaborated. "When I finally saved enough and ordered it through the mail, I checked the mailbox today, only to find this, a plain yellow lizard doll with a cheap hat stitched onto it. I'm so sad, I got cheated in the worst possible way!"

Sunset examined the doll Barley showed her, as she realized it looked just like the knockoff toy she had done a switcheroo with earlier, in an attempt to fool Flim and Flam.

"That's awful!" Trixie exclaimed. "As somepony who's had her fair share of run-ins with scammers, I know exactly how she's feeling right now."

"I've tried doing everything I could to cheer my sister up, even offering to give her some of my allowance, but no dice." Pickle Barrel sighed. "I've never seen her like this before, she's even refusing to fly with me now, because she's so upset."

"Practicing to become a future Wonderbolt means nothing to me anymore if I'm such a gullible idiot..." Barley sniffled. "Just... leave me be."

"We'll... see what we can do to resolve this." Sunset said, as she contemplated making the ultimate sacrifice.

Sunset trotted back over to Trixie and Smolder, setting her saddlebag down besides them. She then fished through her belongings, as she was about to take her own Señor G. Echo toy out, almost as if she was going to give it to the broken filly. The unicorn and dragon's eyes widened upon seeing what Sunset was seemingly about to do, and they felt the need to ask Sunset why she wanted to do this.

"Sunset, wait!" Trixie stopped her friend for a moment, before whispering. "You're just going to... after everything that happened with Flim and Flam?"

"Are you sure about this, Miss Sunset?" Smolder whispered in disbelief. "For some filly that you've hardly even met?"

"Don't worry about this." Sunset said under her breath, as she began reflecting her entire journey up to this point.

When she decided to take this extended return to Equestria, Sunset had done so much more throughout this entire week than she had initially envisioned. Her adventures consisted of getting chased by security guards, helping save Rainbow Dash's reputation with the rest of the council, fighting pirates through a difficult expedition to Everfree Island, encountering a vicious horde of Stagma Beetles atop a train, and now defeating the FlimFlamtimus Prime, operated by the same scoundrels who had cheated her in her youth. Sunset realized that she went through all these adventures with her new changed self, and that she inadvertently fulfilled Señor G. Echo's philosophies, in being a hero and friend for those in need.

"Even though I hadn't really thought much about Señor G. Echo, up until my recent stay in Equestria, I realize that he, in some ways, inspired me to explore and become a hero." Sunset began explaining to Trixie and Smolder. "But... I've come to accept that I don't need him anymore, especially after what we witnessed with Flim and Flam. Think of everything we've been through on this entire field trip with your friends, Smolder. Solving mysteries on a train, exploring Bridlewood Station, and even defeating a big red beast formed by the Stagma Beetles."

Smolder reflected on the whole field trip and teared up a bit, now understanding where her chaperone was coming from.

"We did all those things together, and they were real adventures that we can always reflect on, years from now." Sunset continued. "We've... even surpassed Señor G. Echo as far as being true heroes of Equestria, in a sense. So with all this in mind, I believe in my heart that... it's finally time that I pass this toy down, so that a filly like her can be encouraged to follow her own dreams and endeavors, much like I once did when Celestia gave me this cherished toy. It'll be important for her to understand that not everyone in Equestria is out to cheat her, that there are still good ponies who'll fight for what's right. Plus, it's a small price to pay for all the wonderful new friendships we've made here in Hope Hollow..."

"That's... that's incredibly sweet of you, Sunset." Trixie began tearing up at her friend's selfless act. "I-I think I'm gonna cry great and powerful tears!"

"I'm so proud to hear you say all that, Chaperone." Smolder nodded. "This is probably the most generous act I've ever witnessed..."

Sunset trotted back over onto the Barrel twins' house porch, as Trixie and Smolder followed, ready to watch this immensely meaningful act of kindness.

"Barley Barrel?" Sunset slowly approached the filly, holding the Señor G. Echo plush in her hooves. "This is for you, please take it."

Barley looked up, clearing the tears from her eyes. She stared at the plush in Sunset's grasp, her heart racing. The plush looked just like the one she had envisioned of her superhero idol, the one she had worked so hard to save up for. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief, as she instantly grabbed the toy and began hugging it.

"NO WAY, AN ACTUAL TOY!?!" Barley became extremely chipper. "An actual Señor G. Echo toy, I never thought I'd actually hold one of these!"

"Whoa, you actually found one of those!?" Pickle Barrel became equally surprised. "I'm even more speechless than the time we met the actual Rainbow Dash!"

"Is... is he really for me?" Barley looked up at Sunset.

"Yes, he's all yours now, Barley." Sunset nodded. "I certainly understand how much he means to you, and I want you to have something real to keep the spirit of hope alive in your heart. Let's just say, I also understand myself, how jarring it felt to be cheated as a filly. Please remember, friendship is more important than any toy, and you've got friends here in Equestria who will always have your back. As long as you keep that philosophy for the rest of your life, I promise you that you'll become as heroic as Señor G. Echo himself one day."

"How much was the toy?" Pickle Barrel felt the need to compensate Sunset. "I think I've got my allowance up in my room, so I'll gladly pay whatever you spent on it. You have no idea how much this means to Barley and I."

"Let me get what little allowance I have left too, it's in my piggy bank!" Barley Barrel insisted.

"No, no, please, there's no need for that." Sunset's smile grew warmer, her eyes gentle. "This is a gift from me to you, Barley. Think of it as a token of friendship, a reminder that there's always hope, even when things seem bleak. You already got cheated by a shady seller, so I would much rather have you save your allowances to purchase other necessities."

"Wow, is Starlight not the coolest mare you've ever met, Sis?" Pickle Barrel turned to his sister. "First she saves us all from those nasty bugs atop the Endtrak Express, and now she made your biggest wish come true!"

"I... I don't know what to say." Barley Barrel stammered. "Thank you so much, Starlight, you really are as amazing as Mayor Sunny Skies said."

"Huh...?" Trixie raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Err, so sorry to interrupt such a sentimental moment, but... what are you two talking about? I don't see Starlight anywhere, you're talking to my friend Sunset over here."

"Wait, really?" Pickle Barrel replied, equally confused. "But we distinctly remember the mayor calling you 'Starlight'."

"Yeah, about that, he... really seems to believe I'm Starlight over a misunderstanding, and I'm afraid Starlight's actually somepony else entirely." Sunset tried her best to explain. "My name's Sunset Shimmer, and I hope this gift will help you both remember a hero's true strength from within."

"We'll remember this forever, Sunset!" Barley Barrel continued showing the plush her affection. "I promise to take good care of him for the rest of my life!"

"Words can't describe how grateful we are for your good deed, Miss." Pickle Barrel added on. "It's certainly not everyday we meet such kind ponies like yourself."

"It was nothing, really." Sunset assured, as she trotted back over to Trixie and Smolder, and strapped her saddlebag back on. "We have to get going now, however, since the train's leaving soon. Hope you enjoy Señor G. Echo, and all the delight he'll bring to you."

Sunset waved goodbye to the twins, as she began trotting away, accompanied by Smolder and Trixie. It was time to finally return to the School of Friendship for the conclusion of this field trip, and that last-minute deed made Sunset feel incredibly warm inside, watching Barley Barrel flare up with genuine happiness like that.

"It's pretty ironic in some ways, how someone once claimed that money can't buy happiness." Smolder reflected on what she just witnessed.

"Well in some ways, it kinda depends on how you interpret that saying's meaning." Sunset giggled. "Friendship and kindness are priceless treasures, so I wouldn't just take that saying in the most literal way."

"I for one am extremely proud of seeing your good deed, but just for the record?" Trixie joined in on the conversation. "The actual Starlight never had a secret kite club at all, did she?"

"Yeah, sorry about the confusion, I know Gallus and Silverstream like to play around like that." Smolder explained.

"I... knew that this whole time, anyways." Trixie claimed. "And it's such a relief anyways, since I find kite-flying pretty boring, regardless. Well, I'll be staying here in Hope Hollow for a while, but I wish you and the students the best of luck at following your dreams and passions! Where there's foals in need of a sitter, there's somepony great and powerful for such a role!"

Trixie immediately trotted off in the distance, as Sunset and Smolder waved goodbye as well, before finally approaching Hope Hollow's train station platform. The mayor was also awaiting Sunset near the train's entrance, ready to give her a formal goodbye.

"Have a safe trip back, Starlight!" Mayor Skies tipped his hat. "The residents of Hope Hollow will remember you fondly for all you've done for us!"

"Thank you, Mayor, I'll never forget the friendships we've all made together here." Sunset stepped onto the Endtrak Express, followed by Smolder, before the door closed.

"Well, he still called you 'Starlight', even after the field trip's over." Smolder noted. "Sounds like to me, Gallus lost the bet, and he owes me one of his prizes. Oh wait, we technically never got an opportunity to cash in our tickets at the prize counter, did we? Well that's no big deal, it was still the best field trip we've ever had, so I'm more than satisfied with our experience."

"I suppose being mistaken for Starlight isn't so bad when it comes with such warm farewells." Sunset mused, as she began making her way back to her cabin. "And yes, this trip has certainly been unforgettable, I'm sure we'll have some good stories to share when we return to the school. I think I hear Sour Sweet and the rest of your classmates over there, shall we entertain ourselves on this return trip?"

"Sounds like my kind of language, Chaperone!" Smolder nodded with approval. "Hey uh, Miss Sunset? Just more out of curiosity, what do you think will happen to Flim and Flam, after they made their escape?"

"Well Smolder, it's really hard to say where they've ended up, but it's definitely a pretty good bet that struggling to make end's meet will be next to impossible for those two now." Sunset surmised. "Wherever they'll end up, we can only hope they'll genuinely learn that their actions will have consequences..."

Meanwhile, Flim and Flam had once again narrowly avoided the clutches of the law, this time escaping from the disaster that awaited them from the residents of Hope Hollow. The brothers exited their escape pods, which finally crash landed on what looked like the jungle of a desert island. Although they had managed to evade getting arrested or torn to shreds from that angry mob, the Flim Flam brothers suddenly made their realization that they had another new problem.

"Brother, now I know it was your idea to install those escape pods in the FlimFlamtimus Prime, but... did you ever at least consider how exactly we could return to Equestria?" Flam questioned, now realizing their fatal error. "Our escape pods are now out of fuel!"

"We ought not worry about that now, we're unscathed and free from prison, aren't we?" Flim reminded. "Now we don't have to worry about the fierce competition of entrepreneurship, and can live the rest of our lives here on this luxurious, tropical island. A vacation was most certainly well overdue for us, don't you think?"

"Luxurious?" Flam scoffed. "This place looks absolutely atrocious, and where's the nearest five-star hotel!?"

"I'm sure we can slowly get familiar with the island over time, besides, now we kinda have no choice, do we?" Flim encouraged. "Come on, let's explore this uncharted territory without the fear of the law catching up to us. According to the escape pods' coordinates, we should be on a locale far away from Equestria itself."

"Alright, if you insist." Flam groaned. "But the first thing we have to do is find where we'll sleep tonight, I'll be sure to crack a coconut over your head if we have to sleep on a solid rock. How about that shiny cave over there, strangely hidden behind that waterfall?"

"Now that's the spirit!" Flim clapped his hooves together, enthusiastically. "Who knows, that may even be where the hotel you're looking for is located!"

Flim and Flam trotted through the dark and mysterious cave, unsure of what to expect. The brothers had become mostly relieved that being stranded on this seeming island appeared to be inconsequential, as this locale already seemed to have promising options in providing food and shelter. After traveling long enough, the two curious stallions took notice of a more lit-up area, and resting at the center was what appeared to be a huge pile of treasure. A plethora of doubloons, jewels, and ancient-looking artifacts were scattered in front of the brothers, making their true colors show, once more.

"Well would you look at that!" Flim whistled upon seeing this massive fortune. "It seems we've struck it rich, and there's nopony around to stop us!"

"We're not here to build our wealth again, remember?" Flam rolled his eyes. "What are we going to do with all this treasure if there's nothing on this desert island to purchase it with?"

"Ah, but think of the luxuries we could afford back in Equestria with this... once we find a way home." Flim insisted. "We could consider building a boat and sailing away with this loot! This amount of wealth would even make Celestia jealous!"

"I guess you're right, brother!" Flam finally felt his motivation return. "You know something, forget that dumb Señor G. Echo toy, we didn't even need it anyways, we have all we need, right here! We'll have to work as a team to make a fortune off of all this, so how's about you start carrying the wealth outside the cave, while I construct a boat for us to sail back to Equestria with?"

"Smashing idea, I'll get to work on the treasure extraction!" Flim chuckled to himself, grabbing a gem from the pile. "Now remember, we must divide this treasure equally, it's only fair, and I've got a keen eye for these gemstones. Imagine the looks on everypony's faces when they see us return as the wealthiest stallions in all of Equestria, but for now, let's get this goldmine out of here and find somewhere safe to store it!"

"OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo..." Gaea Everfree began making her presence known.

"Uh, what now!?" Flam's eyes widened, unsure of what was happening. "Brother, what did you just do by touching that treasure!?"

"I-I don't know, i-is this a ghost or a c-c-curse!?" Flim began freaking out.

"How typical..." Gaea Everfree materialized behind the brothers, as they turned around in horror. "Greedy and selfish mortals drop by Everfree Island in the hopes of stealing my treasures and riches like a bunch of conniving pirates! And this time, I overheard everything to know this isn't a simple misunderstanding, and that my wealth truly is at stake!!!"

"You STILL think we wouldn't have been better off, had we surrendered and turned ourselves in, back at Hope Hollow!?" Flam yelled at his brother.

Gaea Everfree suddenly used her magic to block off the exit to the grotto with her vines, as she began approaching and cornering the brothers with a stern expression, their fates now being sealed from what their lifelong greed had turned them into. Everfree Island's enchanted spirit began wrapping her vines all around the intimidated stallions, until they could see nothing more than darkness within their vine cocoons.