Chapters Sunset gazed at the students in front of the portal. Lyra bouncing up and down eagerly, Bon Bon trying(and failing) to calm her down, Berry sitting next to her.
"You nervous?" Berry asked knowing her answer.
"Yes." Sunset admitted. Her journal vibrated and she quickly read it.
"Alright, Twilight says it's approved for the field trip. Princess Celestia is eager for it happen." Sunset announced. "I'll go first, just to assist everyone getting used to hooves and not feet." With that said, she jumped through the portal. She smiled as she felt the magic rushing through her horn. I'm home, she thought as she inhaled the fresh Canterlot air. She stepped aside as a bunch of students tumbled through and expectedly, Principal Celestia, Luna and Cheerilee followed next.
"Uh Sunset darling, you're naked. We can see your, well everything." Rarity pointed as a bunch of people looked around. When some noticed the naked unicorn in front of them, they looked away blushing.
"You're also short." Scootaloo called out.
Sunset snorted and rolled her eyes.
"You guys are naked too-" She was cut off she stared up in shock. "Why are you still humans?"
"Aren't you the magic expert?" Flash Sentry asked.
Sunset rolled her eyes.
"Yes but this shouldn't be possible." She groaned. Fluttershy squeeled and picked her up.
"You are so adorable. What is going through your mind right now?" She shoved her face into Sunset's.
"That I want down or I will teleport you to the Neighalayas." Sunset grumbled.
Shoeshine snickered.
"The Neighalayas?" She questioned. Sunset rolled her eyes as she was put down. Sunset's eyes widened as she felt a build up of magic. She used her magic to make a bunch of glasses appear and put them on her classmates faces. A loud pop and a flash of light blinded her for a second. She let out a frustrated groan as the spots left her vision.
"I really should have teleported some glasses for me." She groaned, rubbing her eye with a hoof. Fluttershy quickly put her down and Sunset grinned as she saw who was in front of her.
"Discord!" She eagerly hugged him. "Hi, it's been a while."
"What is that?" Watermelody demanded as she stepped back.
"He's a draconequus." Sunset explained. "He's also a God. Lord of chaos and disharmony. He once ruled Equestria but was turned to stone as a punishment."
Discord chuckled.
"Hello my dear Sunset. How did you get humans in Equestria?" He asked.
Sunset shrugged and Fluttershy let out an aww at the gesture.
"Buck if I know dude. It just happened, I guess. They were supposed to be ponies." Sunset mumbled.
"Oh. Princess Celestia is looking for and hoping to speak to you." Discord leaned in conspiratorially. "You should really talk to her, she misses you and wants to fix your guys relationship."
Sunset frowned. "Tell her I'm sick and didn't come. Please." She begged. "I'm not ready for that yet."
Discord shrugged. "Too late, because here she comes." He smiled. "You got this." Right after he said that, the door opened. A white alicorn entered the room followed by a dark blue one, a pink one and Twilight.
Sunset bowed and the students shifted nervously. They could feel the power radiating off the four alicorns.
"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight. It's good to see you again, Twilight." Sunset said nervously, eyes flicking to Celestia.
"Hello, my dear pupil. You don't have to bow to us." Princess Celestia stated warmly.
Principal Celestia flinched at the sound of her voice coming from the pony.
"Hello Sunset. I've missed you." Twilight hugged her smiling and Sunset eagerly returned it.
"Why are they still humans, Twilight? They should be ponies." Sunset questioned.
Twilight gave a sigh and waved her hoof.
"When information about the portal became public knowledge, our world's Lyra wanted to meet a human. She asked me to cast a spell over it to keep them as humans if anypony ever crossed over." Twilight explained. "You're a pony because you are from this world, you were exempt from the spell. The spell will last because the portal was altered temporarily. Easy fix after our Lyra meets a human."
"Me and Tia are princesses here?" Earth Luna asked, blushing slightly at the focus she got.
"Yes, and she can raise the moon. Celestia raises the sun, Cadence makes sure everypony stays in love with their partners and Twilight makes sure everypony stays friends." Sunset explained.
Princess Celestia stepped in front of Sunset and she flinched at the gaze of her former teacher.
"Sunset Shimmer. You broke Equestrian law when you stole the crown. I'm sorry for my actions that lead you to this. I cast you out after you telling me what you saw in the portal. It wasn't very Princess like of me and I should not have done it. I hope you forgive me, my little pony." Celestia said sorrowfully.
Sunset nervously looked around. Berry nodded encouragingly, even Shoeshine appeared to encourage her. Roseluck smirked at her and gave a thumbs up.
"I'm sorry too. Nothing I can say will justify what I did. It was wrong." Sunset admitted softly. She stared down at her hooves and sighed. She felt a pair of white hooves embrace her and she stared up in shock. Princess Celestia hugged her and smiled down.
"I've missed you so much." Celestia sighed. "We have some dignitaries to take care of in the Crystal Empire. After we are done there, we were gonna take you and the students to Ponyville for the remainder of the visit."
"Uhm, how would we even get there? We're kinda big and trains won't fit us all." Sweetie Belle asked.
Princess Celestia smirked at the young girl.
"You realize you're standing in a supply closet with five powerful unicorns, don't you?" She teasingly asked.
"You might wanna cover your eyes. It's about to get very, very bright in here." Sunset warned. A loud popping sound and a bright light filled the room.
"It's absolutely gorgeous!" Rarity gushed as she took in the sight of the Crystal Empire. The other students made murmurs of awe as they looked around.
"Celestia kill me now." Sunset muttered as both Celestia's looked at her with raised eyebrows. "That might have not been the greatest thing to say, given present company." She gave a nervous laugh.
"We will leave you here Twilight, looks like your friends are here and might have questions." Princess Celestia said with a smirk. Sunset followed her gaze and saw the pony versions of her human friends.
"Hello darling." Equestrian Rarity greeted Twilight. Twilight smirked.
"I have a few people you should meet." She replied. "Sunset? Bring them here please."
Equestrian Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes.
"Sunset? As in Sunset Shimmer? The one who stole the crown?" She demanded. Sunset rolled her eyes in exasperation as she brought the human versions to the front.
"Yes, that is me. Glad you remembered." She said dryly.
Human Rainbow Dash circled her pony counterpart.
"This is the probably the weirdest thing to ever happen to me." She announced.
Equestrian Rainbow snorted.
"Seriously? This is like, bottom of the list for me. I fought a dragon off, fought Nightmare Moon and totally kicked her sorry flank." She bragged.
"There was a bit more to it than that, sugarcube." Equestrian Applejack rolled her eyes as she stared at her human counterpart. "Howdy." She tipped her hat.
Human Applejack returned the gesture.
"Howdy there." She greeted.
"Quite distasteful of me to be running around naked." Human Rarity scoffed as she over looked her pony form. "Though the mane is quite adorable."
"Quite adorable, yes." Equestrian Rarity agreed. She examined her counterparts skirt and shirt. "Quite the eye fetching outfit, darling. You must stop by my boutique later."
The two Fluttershy's stared at each other before hiding behind their respective Rainbow Dash's.
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie." The human Pinkie grinned at her pony equivalent.
"Oh my gosh! Me too. This is so cool." Equestrian Pinkie screamed.
"Maybe we should keep the two Pinkies apart, the two of them could tear apart worlds together." Sunset mused. Twilight giggled at that.
"Too late now, but they could rule the world if they wanted." She agreed.
"Seems like just yesterday I was saving this place from being totally destroyed." A familiar voice cut in. A baby dragon waved his hand as he walked up. "Hey do you guys remember that?"
"A dragon!" Lyra cried. "Look Bonnie, an honest to God to dragon!"
Bon Bon rolled her eyes.
"Yes Lyra, I see him." She replied.
"Spike darling, you are here too?" Human Rarity asked as she leaned down to pick him up. A flash of yellow knocked her down as human Fluttershy picked him.
"A baby dragon. So adorable." She rubbed his head affectionly. Spike stared in shock.
"I forgot they were coming here. Great, two Rainbow Dash's was exactly what Equestria needed. Because that totally doesn't spell disaster." He commented sarcastically.
"Hush it Spike. And yes we were there Spike. You only mentioned it about fifteen times on the train here." Equestrian Rainbow grumbled.
"Yes, and we never hear a peep out of you about your exploits." Equestrian Rarity pointed out.
Equestrian Rainbow let out a sheepish chuckle.
"Point taken." She conceded.
Twilight faced the pony versions.
"I'm glad you all came, but I don't think it's gonna be that exciting. I pretty much just have to smile and wave as the dignitaries arrive." Twilight grumbled with a wave of her hoof.
"Yes, but you get to smile and wave as a princess." Equestrian Rarity piped in with a smile.
"Exactly darling." The human Rarity agreed.
"And how exactly is that smiling and waving like not a princess?" Equestrian Applejack questioned.
"It isn't." Twilight said softly.
Sunset frowned at that as she listened to them talking. The ponies looked to each other confused before Fluttershy spoke up.
"What's wrong, Twilight?" She asked.
"Why the loooooong face?" Equestrian Pinkie asked as she popped in front of Twilight and pulled on her face.
"Dear god." Sunset mumbled as Shoeshine snickered.
"How often do you think she does?" Shoeshine wondered aloud.
"Trust me, ya don't wanna know." Equestrian Applejack stated.
"I just haven't been sure about things lately, it seems like my new role as princess doesn't equate to that much." Twilight answered.
"That's just silly." Equestrian Applejack retorted with a wave of her hoof. "You got a real important role in Equestria."
"Princess Celestia wouldn't have asked you to come today if she didn't think so." Equestrian Fluttershy piped in.
"She's right. Without you keeping everypony staying friends, Equestria would fall into a disarray on that front." Sunset agreed.
"I guess you're right." Twilight admitted.
"Of course we are, now hurry along. You don't want to risk having that important role diminished because you're tardy for your royal meet and greet." Equestrian Rarity pointed out as she trotted forward.
"You guys can explore if you wish, or you can come to the castle. Just stay out of sight if you do please. I don't want to get sent to magic kindergarten or something if they see you." Twilight said, smiling at the students and Sunset. "Sunset can show you around, she came here on winter break for the first time."
Sunset clapped her hooves together.
"We can go to my favorite place here." She grinned. "The library!"
Equestrian Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"Great, we got two Twilight's around essentially." She grumbled. Sunset snorted and levitated a pillow in her magic. She threw it at the pegasus and sent her flying to the ground.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to throw it that hard." Sunset apologized as the pegasus stared her in the eyes.
"Me and you, pillow fight later tonight." Equestrian Rainbow growled.
Lyra giggled.
"Is that what we are calling sex now?" She teased. Her expression turned to a grimace as Bon Bon elbowed her in the ribs hard. Sunset turned and looked at her and gave a grin.
"At least I get sex, Lyra." She teased. Berry turned a bright shade of red and hide her face in her hands. Shoeshine and Sea Swirl noticed this and both grinned wickedly.
"Stepping things up a notch I see." Shoeshine whispered.
"Are we seriously going to a library?" Rainbow demanded.
"For a moment. I need to return a book I borrowed last time I was here." Sunset admitted as she patted her saddlebag with a hoof. "Might have to pay a fee so I brought some bits with me."
"What the hell is a bit?" Thunderlane asked. Sunset quickly levitated a gold coin for everyone to see.
"This is a bit." She announced.
Bon Bon made a gasping sound.
"You're telling me you pay with gold coins?" She demanded.
"Well yeah. It's Equestria's currency. They're very common." Sunset explained, snickering at a few of her fellow classmates expressions.
"Right this way and we can get this underway." Sunset stated as she trotted forward.
"This world is weird." Vinyl muttered.
"A tad bit. It has a charm to it though." Octavia pointed out.
Author's Note
This isn't gonna follow shows canon for the record. It's following mine because fuck it why not
"That's seriously all they had her come here for?" Shoeshine snorted as they observed Twilight unfurl a banner and wave down at the dignitaries.
Sunset frowned slightly.
"I guess so. Apparently having all four princesses present for their trip here makes it feel like an important one to them. The Duke and Duchess of Maretonia are fairly egotistical, but don't tell anypony I said that." Sunset stated. "I've only ever met them once and that was at the Grand Galloping Gala one year."
"The what now?" Rose asked.
"It's a yearly party for the upperclass ponies in Canterlot. It's really boring and stuffy. Only real upside is the alcohol to be honest." Sunset explained.
"Aren't you a bit young to be drinking?" Lightning Dust pointed out.
"Nah, drinking age in Equestria is sixteen. Speaking of which, I'll be right back." She trotted over to a stand and talked to the salespony for a few moments. Berry watched as she and the pony shared a quick laugh and Sunset levitated some bits her way. Sunset levitated a cup to her mouth and took a long sip before throwing the cup away and stumbling back to the group.
"That was a bit stronger than expected." Sunset admitted with a giggle. "Been a long time. Crystal ponies don't mess around with their drinks."
"Wait, you're an upperclass pony?" Sea Swirl asked Sunset. She quickly shook her head.
"No. I'm from a tiny village called Shady Oaks. Dad is a miner, mom is a book keeper. We didn't always have a lot, so moving to Canterlot and being Celestia's student was a change. A big one. I got pretty used to stealing food back home for my siblings and mom. Dad typically skipped dinners so we had enough. Kinda hurt really seeing that. Main reason I left home and came here, one less mouth to feed." Sunset admitted sadly as she stared down at her hooves.
Berry frowned and absentmindedly reached down and scratched Sunset's ears.
"Be careful, those are sensitive." Sunset said as she leaned into the scratching and let out a mewing sound. Berry quickly pulled her hand away.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled.
"I didn't say stop, Berry." Sunset pointed. "Just to be careful. At least I'm not a pegasus."
"Uh, why not?" Raindrops asked. Sunset stared up at her.
"Wings are sensitive. Very sensitive, I once had a pegasus friend who loved getting her wings stroked." Sunset smirked. "It turns pegasus on."
Raindrops turned a bright shade of red.
"Oh." She answered simply and stepped back into the group of students, red faced. Sunset pointed a hoof at a spinning heart.
"That's the crystal heart, it keeps the empire safe. It gives the crystal ponies their shiny look. But don't touch it." Sunset warned. "Oh and there's a random statue of Spike over there. Bigger than anticipated, to be honest."
"That's what she said." Shoeshine mumbled, snickering. "Ow!" She rubbed the spot on the back of her head.
"I heard that." Sunset called out, smirking. She tossed the stick to the ground and sat down.
"We don't have our phones. What time even is it?" Sweetie Belle asked. Sunset gave a quick look at the sun setting.
"Considering Celestia is lowering the sun at the moment, seven thirty because of where the sun is." Sunset shrugged. "We should probably get back to the castle. Twilight is probably gonna be disappointed about just waving and unfurling a banner."
"At least it isn't a far walk." Bulk Biceps commented.
Sunset smirked and tapped her horn.
"Why walk when we can teleport?" She asked as her horn started to glow. A few seconds later, they were standing in a small hallway with Twilight.
"I'm gonna puke." Derpy groaned, looking green. Sunset levitated a trash can to her.
"Here. Use the can." She told the grey girl. Derpy quickly held the trashcan to her mouth for a few moments before turning back to her normal color.
"I think I'm good for now." She mumbled.
The door swung open and Sunset quickly teleported her classmates into the room next to them. She and Twilight quickly bowed as the Duke and Duchess approached.
"Your Highness, thank you for understanding our desire to keep the number privy to these confidential meetings to a minimum." The Duke stated after being slightly."
"Of course." Twilight answered as she stood back up. The Duchess gazed at Sunset.
"Hello again Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you again. Shame you abandoned your studies when you did, you would probably be in Princess Twilight's spot." She said calmly. Sunset gave a soft growl and Twilight subtly nudged her.
"Easy, Sunset." She whispered. In the closet, Shoeshine looked like she was about to explode.
"Who the hell does she think she is talking down to Sunset like that?" She fumed.
"Honestly. So rude, Sunset was right about them." Octavia agreed.
Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadence entered the room followed by the human versions of Luna and Celestia.
"Those rude arrogant bitches." Sunset growled. "Should have turned her into a chihuahua with all her goddamm yapping."
Shoeshine snickered at that as she exited the closet.
"She was pretty rude." She agreed.
"Is there anything else I can do to assist with their visit?" Twilight asked. Cadence frowned slightly.
"I'm sorry Twilight but their visit is already over." Cadence told the younger alicorn.
"Oh." Twilight said as she lowered her head.
"Something wrong?" Princess Luna asked.
"I guess I just don't really understand why I'm here." Twilight admitted. "Couldn't one of the Royal Guard have unfurled the banner?"
"Having all four of us in the Empire to greet them let's the dignitaries know that their visit is considered an important one." Princess Celestia explained.
"Told you." Sunset whispered to Shoeshine.
"Plus, it gives me an opportunity to see my favorite sister in law." Cadence smiled as she wrapped a hoof around Twilight's neck.
"And I'm happy to see you, all of you." Twilight smiled back.
"But?" Cadence asked as she lifted Twilight's head with a hoof.
"But I- well it's just Princess Luna raises the moon, Princess Celestia raises the sun, you protect the Crystal Empire and all I seem to do is smile and wave." Twilight grumbled. She walked to the balcony and rested on it.
"It's not that I'm ungrateful for all the things that I've earned, for all the journeys I have taken, all the lessons that I've learned. But I wonder where I'm going now, what my role is meant to be. I don't know how to travel to a future I can't see." Twilight softly sang.
"Is she really singing now?" Shoeshine mumbled.
"I guess so." Lily whispered. Twilight faced Sunset and the princesses.
"I have my wings, I wear this crown I'm a princess, this is true. But it's still unclear to me just what I am meant to do. I want to have a purpose, want to do all that I can. I want to make a contribution, I want to a part of the plan." Twilight sang.
"She has a good singing voice." Sweetie Belle mumbled as Bon Bon nodded.
"Indeed." She concured.
"Just wait." Sunset smirked knowingly.
"Your destiny is uncertain and that's some times hard to take. But it'll become much clearer with every new choice you make." Celestia placed a hoof on her back and smiled. Sunset took a deep breath and stepped forward. She never heard this song before but part of Equestrian magic was you automatically knew lyrics even if you never heard the song before.
"Patience is never easy, I understand wanting more. I know how hard it is to wait to spread out your wings and soar." Sunset and Princess Luna sang in unison.
"I never knew our principals could sing." Lyra said in awe. A general consensus echoed around her.
"I never knew Sunset could sing." Fluttershy mumbled.
"But you stand here for a reason, you are gifted and you are strong. That crown is upon your head because you belong." Cadence sang as Twilight blushed softly.
"Know that your time is coming soon, as the sun rises so does the moon. As love finds a place in every heart, you are princess you'll play your part." The four sang.
"We understand you wanting more." Princess Luna started. "A chance to shine, a chance to soar." She continued as she took into the sky.
"Soon will come the day it turns around." Cadence finished singing as Twilight gazed up at the three alicorns flying above her and quickly smiled at Sunset standing in front of her.
"Know that your time is coming soon, as the sun rises so does the moon. As love finds a place in every heart, you are princess you'll play your part." The four sang again. Celestia placed a hoof on Twilights shoulder. "You are a princess, you'll play your part." She finished singing softly. "Your time will come." She told Twilight as she pulled her into a hug. She glanced at Sunset and smiled proudly.
"I've missed your singing, Sunset." She said warmly. Sunset turned a bright shade of red at the compliment. She was picked up and hugged.
"That was amazing!" Berry gushed as she hugged Sunset.
"Where did you learn to sing like that?" Sweetie Belle asked, an eager look in her eyes. Sunset shrugged as best she could given her current circumstances.
"Practice. I've never even heard that song to be honest." She admitted. Rarity raised an eyebrow.
"Then how did you know the lyrics, darling?" She questioned.
"Equestrian magic." Twilight answered as she smirked up at Sunset being squeezed by Berry. "We automatically know lyrics to songs even if we never heard it before. Helps with town sing alongs. Winter Wrap Up, Hearths Warming Eve. You get the point."
"Where's the pony versions of Rainbow and the others?" Sunset asked.
Twilight snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Applejack and Rainbow are hitting up the bars. Some competition or some nonsense. Fluttershy went with to keep them out of trouble, but we will probably have to carry their drunken selves back to the castle. Spike and Pinkie are at Donut Joe's right now with Minuette, Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine. Rarity is looking at dresses I believe." Twilight explained.
Sunset smiled.
"I haven't seen Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, Minuette or Lyra in years." She admitted.
"Uh, I'm right here." Human Lyra raised a hand. Sunset rolled her eyes.
"I meant your pony counterpart. We went to Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns together. Sure, I was a few classes ahead of her but we were cool. I remember Moondancer a little. She was rather reclusive for a bit." Sunset told the mint human. Twilight chuckled.
"I think Spike has a crush on Minuette." She said, grinning. Sunset raised an eyebrow and tried to look down at her.
"What happened to him having the hots for Rarity? Wasn't that a thing that was going on for a while?" Sunset asked confused. Human Rarity choked on air.
"Spike has a what on me?" She demanded. Twilight quickly waved a hoof.
"Not on you, on my worlds Rarity. And I'm not sure, he moved on I guess. I do ship him and Minuette a bit. He could go well with Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine too. You remember when Minuette had her phase when she wanted to be called Colgate because she wanted to be a dentist?" Twilight laughed.
Sunset burst out laughing and wiped a tear out of her eye.
"I remember that, that was hilarious. Remember when Twinkleshine got voted most bangable pony in that secret poll going around?" Sunset chuckled.
Twilight fell over laughing.
"I'm surprised you didn't make it on that list, Sunset. There was a lot of colts interested in you." Twilight recovered and stood up. Sunset shook her head.
"I'm not that attractive, Twilight." She admitted. "Ow!" She rubbed the back of her head with a hoof where Berry smacked her.
"You are gorgeous, don't ever say that again." Berry said sternly. Shoeshine laughed and Berry stared.
"Finally! Someone other than me getting hit on the back of the head." Shoeshine smirked.
"That can quickly change, dear." Sea Swirl said, smirking. "You have a way of speaking before thinking."
"All of your rooms have been outfitted with beds for your body sizes. A normal ponies bed wouldn't fit a human so we changed them with spells. They're all in that hallway. It'll have your names on the doors on cards." Twilight interrupted and yawned. "I have to go check up with Fluttershy real fast, see how drunk Rainbow and Applejack are. Hopefully this time I don't need to speak to the Royal Guard and get them out of a jail cell. Goodnight everypony." Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled as she quickly teleported away.
"Can every unicorn teleport?" Lyra wondered aloud.
"Yes." Sunset immediately answered. "You've seen me teleport all over today. It takes a lot of energy and strength though so most try to avoid doing it for long periods of time."
"Is that all you can do?" Lyra continued.
"No. I can turn items into other things, use spells, walk on clouds with my magic, use it to find gems and other minerals. That spell isn't as strong as this world's Rarity because that's her special talent. I can also use my magic as a weapon for self defense or offense." Sunset explained.
"Like to hurt people?" Octavia nervously asked.
"It can be, but I've never used it to harm or kill other ponies. Even when I was evil and running the school, I never physically hurt anyone." Sunset told her and Octavia seemed to calm down.
"You hurt us." Hoops called out and Sunset's eyes narrowed.
"I forgot you three were here, come here. And you guys deserved that for insulting Berry." The three nervously approached her and her horn glowed as she shot a beam at them. In their place, three potted cactus' sat and Octavia made a gasping sound.
"Sunset. Turn them back." Princess Celestia said sternly and Sunset rolled her eyes.
"Fine, fine. You're no fun." She grumbled as she shot another beam at them and three boys were curled up in a ball shaking. "Should have turned them into dildos for what massive dicks they are."
Shoeshine snickered and gave Sunset a hoof bump.
"Good one." She smirked.
Octavia gave a loud yawn.
"I'm going to bed, goodnight." She mumbled as she headed down the castles hallway.
Sunset rested on the bed, her hooves behind her head as she watched Berry fluff a pillow.
"Do you three like it here so far?" She questioned.
"I love it. So many mythological creatures. Like I'm currently talking to a living, breathing unicorn. This was my dream for years." Lyra gushed. Bon Bon rolled her eyes as she laid on the bed.
"Ever since you offered, she's been talking about this trip nonstop." Bon Bon smiled. "I like it here. The cupcakes are surprisingly good."
"It's beautiful, I've never seen a building made of crystal's." Berry admitted. "I don't like you drinking earlier, I've been sober for months now. You taking a drink is making it harder for me to not get drunk right now."
Sunset frowned.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again." She promised. Bon Bon and Lyra looked to each other nervously and Bon Bon opened her mouth to speak when a loud scream stunned her. Sunset shot up and stared at the door.
"What the hell was that?" She demanded.
"Stay here, I'm gonna go find out." Sunset ordered as she trotted out the room. "Sounded like Princess Celestia." She ran down the hall as fast as her hooves could carry her. As she did, others door opened. A tired Vinyl rubbed her eyes.
"Sunset? What the hell was that?" She asked sleepily.
"No clue. Stay in your rooms. I don't know what's going on, if it isn't safe don't make yourselves targets." Sunset demanded. Octavia nodded and yanked Vinyl back in the room and locked it.
"Princess Celestia?" Sunset called out as she entered her room just as Twilight did.
"Tirek has returned." Luna said simply as Celestia paced in the corner. "We believe he escaped Tartarus when Cerberus abandoned his post."
Twilight frowned.
"That was a long time ago, why is he just now starting to steal magic?" She asked. A crashing sound at the door got their attention and Luna opened the door with her magic. Three girls and Vinyl fell into the room.
"Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Vinyl. Didn't I tell you to stay in your rooms?" Sunset said frowning.
Vinyl rubbed the back of her head.
"I caught these three sneaking out and figured to tag along. At least I could keep them out of trouble but we overheard you." Vinyl mumbled.
"What the hell is a Tirek?" Scootaloo demanded. Celestia sighed and levitated a book to the table in front of them and opened it.
"Tirek and his brother Scorpan came here from a distant land, intent on stealing Equestrian magic. But soon Scorpan came to appreciate the ways of Equestria. Even befriending a young unicorn wizard." Celestia explained and paused.
"Scorpan urged his brother to abandon their plans. When Tirek refused, Scorpan alerted us to his intentions. Scorpan returned to his land and Tirek was sent to Tartarus for his crimes." Luna picked up and finished.
"But it appears he has found a way to escape." Celestia told her. Luna sighed and levitated the rest of the students in. Lyra fell on Berry and rubbed her head sheepishly.
"Sorry." She mumbled as she stood up.
"His time in Tartarus left him very weak. He's just now gained enough strength to use dark powers." Celestia admitted.
"With each passing moment, he grows stronger still." Princess Luna shook her head.
"And I know just the princess who can stop him." Cadence said smiling.
"Yes. I'll find him and-" Twilight raised a hoof and spread her wings out.
"No, Twilight." Celestia interrupted her firmly. "I'm afraid I must call in another to stop Tirek. Discord." Luna, Cadence and Twilight gasped at the same time.
"Maybe we should head home." Principal Celestia mused.
"No." Princess Luna shook her head. "Tirek doesn't know of the portal. If he found out it existed and somehow got to that world, who knows what damage he could do. It would mean the end of your world. Especially if he succeeds in stealing all of Equestrias magic."
"I'm afraid my sister is right." Princess Celestia agreed. "If he found out there's more worlds than just Equestria out there, the damage he could do would be irreversible."
"So we just sit here?" Principal Celestia challenged.
"No." Cadence shook her head. "We will be sending you to Ponyville with Sunset. It's only logical that Tirek's first place to go to would be here. To steal mine and the other princesses magic. We need to send you and the group far away from here."
Princess Celestia nodded.
"I have full faith in Sunset. Listen to her and stay close. She will watch over you till Discord defeats Tirek." Celestia nodded at Sunset. "Stay safe, my friend."
"You too Princess. Nothing will happen to them." Sunset promised.
"We must get prepared for the worst." Princess luna announced. Sunset nodded and her horn glowed in preparation to teleport.
"Sunset?" She turned around and faced Celestia. "I'm proud of you." Sunset nodded again and smiled as she disappeared from the room with the others.
A bright flash of light illuminated the library and a bunch of people tumbled to their knees.
"Does that ever get any less disorienting?" Daisy groaned. Sunset shook her head and fell over.
"Sunset!" Berry called as she picked her up. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just tired, magical over exertion. I've been doing a lot of teleporting recently. Normally just me is fine but I have a big group of people to teleport with me. Puts more of a strain on my magic the more I do it." Sunset yawned. "I just need a nap and I'll be fine." She jumped out of Berry's arms and curled up in a ball in the corner.
"Wake me up when the sun comes up." She yawned and closed her eyes. Quiet snoring came from the corner and Berry giggled.
"Even as a pony she snores." She mused.
"So what do we do now?" Raindrops asked. "There's a magic stealing freak on the loose."
Cloudkicker shrugged.
"Just sit and wait till it blows over I guess and then go home." She sat down and picked up a book from a shelf. A bright light blinded her as Twilight appeared in the library.
"Sorry." She apologized. "Forgot about you guys being here."
"How are we able to fit in here anyway?" Thunderlane asked.
"We have big creatures in this world. Griffins, Sea creatures and dragons. We need massive rooms and ceilings if they come inside. A added benefit right now." Twilight explained. "Where is Sunset?"
Shoeshine pointed to the corner.
"She's over there asleep. Something about magical exertion." She explained.
Twilight rolled her eyes.
"She always was a stubborn pony. Kind of like Applejack, never asks for help with anything." She grumbled.
"Ah'm right here ya know?". Human Applejack folded her arms.
"No. No, leave me alone!" Sunset screamed and shot up, panting.
"Sunset, what the hell was that?" Berry demanded. Sunset realized she was still in a room full of people and took in their nervous looks, she turned bright red.
"It was nothing." She mumbled.
"It didn't look like nothing." Twilight stated as she stared Sunset down.
"Fine, I've been having nightmares after the Fall Formal." Sunset admitted. "Turning into that thing again."
Twilight plopped down next to her and wrapped a wing around her.
"That wasn't you. That was the crowns fault. You aren't that pony anymore, you're something better." Twilight said reassuringly.
"Am I?" Sunset asked softly. "Ow!" She rubbed her head and glared up. Shoeshine sat back down and grinned at Sea Swirl.
"Now I know why you hit me all the time when I'm being stupid, it's quite therapeutic." She closed her eyes.
"How long should it take Discord to capture Tirek you think?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Not long. He can sense a magical imbalance, when Tirek steals magic he will be there to catch him." Twilight explained.
"Yes, it will be quite the easy undertaking." A miniature Discord popped out of her mane.
"Gah!" Twilight screamed as she jumped to her hooves and shook her mane. "Discord! Get out of my mane and never do that again."
Discord snapped his fingers and appeared full sized.
"Shouldn't you be busy right now?" Twilight demanded. Discord snapped his fingers again and appeared in a military uniform, pacing back and forth.
"Yes, yes. Just preparing for my important mission. It appears I have quite an important role in Equestria now. Maybe they should make me an alicorn princess." He snapped again and had pink wings with a crown and horn.
"Mwah! Mwah!" He blew kisses with his hand and threw fake flowers.
"In your dreams." Twilight rolled her eyes.
Discord thread the wings and crown off into a trashcan. He flattened the horn into his head and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, I don't dream of such things. Ask Princess Luna." He smirked. "I'm certain you all know I've been tasked with capturing a certain escapee."
"Big deal." Spike crawled out from under a pile of books, startling Starlight.
"You're right Spike. It is a big deal." Discord agreed as he blew a bubble from a pipe around Spike and he started floating till it popped. Human Rainbow caught him and set him down.
"Anyways," he continued. "I noticed Twilight hasn't opened her little box back at the Tree of Harmony. I only bring it up because what if something inside it will help her prove her royal worth. I only mention it because she was feeling like her role as princess doesn't equate to much."
"How do you know what she was feeling?" Equestrian Pinkie screamed. Flitter jumped.
"Gah! Where did she come from?" She scooted back against a wall. Twilight rolled her eyes.
"It's Pinkie, don't ask." She warned. Discord leaned against a wall and threw his head back.
"Oh, is eavesdropping not the way to find out what your best pals are feeling? Oh woo is me will I ever learn the intricate nuisances of being a good friend." He sat up and grinned. Twilight raised an eyebrow and glared at him. He quickly coughed into his fist.
"Anyway, I suppose now is as good time as any to make my exit." He sat on a moped and teleported.
"Where the hell did he get a moped?" Watermelody wondered. A popping sound filled the room as Discord reappeared.
"Oh, I almost left with the journal you and the pony versions of them," he gestured at human Rainbow and the other counterparts of the elements. "Have been keeping. Such a fascinating read, you girls have learned so much. I've marked some interesting passages you really should read." He balanced the book on Twilights horn and smirked. "Now, I must be going. Fluttershy asked me to pick up some cucumber sandwiches after I singlehandedly defeat Tirek. Toodles!" He opened a door out of nowhere and walked through it, slamming it behind him.
"Good riddance!" Twilight yelled after him. "Let's show you guys around Ponyville, shall we?"
"That Discord guy is annoying." Human Rainbow grumbled.
"I'm gonna go to the castle of the two sisters, maybe I can find something to read about how to open that damn chest." Twilight growled. "Be on the lookout, who knows how far Tirek is. Last I heard he was in Manehatten and the Pegasi were headed there with the Wonderbolts to stop him."
"Why is our soccer team in Equestria?" Lily asked.
"The Wonderbolts, not Wondercolts." Sunset corrected. "The Wonderbolts are the most experienced fliers in all of Equestria. They are like the air force. They mainly do air shows now, but can be mobilized for military action on order of any of the princesses if the situation demands it."
Sunset trotted off to a bakery looking building in the distance.
"And that concludes the tour of Ponyville." Sunset announced as she approached the door of the library. They had been out all night and were exhausted. "Huh, the sun should be up by now." She and the others observed the sun shakily rise and then fall following the moon before the sun took it's proper place in the sky.
"What the heck was that?" Human Rainbow wondered.
Sunset rubbed her chin. "I have no idea." She admitted. Her horn glowed as she prepared to open the door when it exploded.
"Jesus!" Sunset hit the ground as pieces of wood flew over her head. She shot to her hooves and stared Twilight in the eyes.
"A little warning next time, please. Are you feeling alright, Twilight?" Sunset asked as Twilight twitched and teleported.
"I'm fine." Twilight stammered as she spread her wings. "Tirek is close, get to safety. He has the ability to steal flight as well now. Rumor is he's gone after earth pony magic too now. Without the pegasi, there won't be any rain. Head to town hall, it's big enough to keep you all hidden." Twilight pointed a shaking hoof as she twitched again. "I need to get ready in case this goes south." She took off into the sky and left a crater where she has been standing with a purple trial following her.
"Waaaah!" Sunset could hear Twilight screaming in the distance.
"You heard her, let's go." Sunset teleported them all to the town hall and used her magic to lock the door. She jumped when she heard a roar in the distance.
"What the hell was that?" Lily stammered. Sunset pulled the blinds down and froze.
"Tirek." She whispered as she stared at him draining an old mare of her magic and tossing her aside. Rose knelt down next to her and peered out the window.
"He's scary than I thought. What is that?" She wondered.
"A centaur." Human Lyra said helpfully, her eyes wide as she watched him suck magic out of pegasus who crashed to the ground. Some of the other students shivered at Sunsets fearful demeanor. Anything that had her afraid must be awful, they reasoned. A loud popping sound echoed the room.
"Hello, Sunset." Discord said coolly. She spun around to face him.
"I see you failed at capturing him. At least he hasn't taken your magic so you can fight him." She said as she gave him a quick hug. She stared up at him confused when he shook her off. "Did you get the hamburgers and such for them as I asked? They can't really survive on pony food."
"I did." He held up a plate and dumped it on the ground. "It'll be the last decent meal you all will have for some time." Sunset stared at him with growing confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Cloudchaser asked nervously. Discord snapped his fingers and Sunset was suddenly wrapped in chains to a chair behind her.
"Hey! What are you doing?" She demanded as she struggled against the chain's. Discord rolled his eyes at her.
"Discord! Is there any pony in there?" Tirek shouted.
"Just one." Discord called out cheerfully as Sunset's blood ran cold.
"What have you done?" She demanded as she kept struggling. "We are friends, you idiot."
"Oh we were. Tirek offered me so much more than friendship and tea parties. Surely you saw my betrayal coming?" He asked as he took a step toward her.
"You do realize the others of the Mane Six will stop you, right?" She questioned. Discord chuckled and waved a claw.
"The pony versions of Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy have already had their magic drained. They aren't a problem." He declared.
"Well, Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadence will intervene then." Sunset retorted desperately.
"They have been banished to Tartarus after giving their magic to Twilight." He patted her head. "Wait here while I talk to my partner." She gave a unponylike growl as he teleported out the building.
"What are we gonna do? Our principals are banished, the elements are defeated." Flash Sentry asked nervously.
"Soon enough,there won't be an earth pony, pegasus or unicorn who can stand up to us." Discord announced eagerly.
"Us? Who said anything about us?" Tirek said as he levitated Discord.
"You did?" Discord pointed out.
"What is happening now?" Sunset asked as she tried and failed to look out the window. Berry and Mystery Mint were busy tugging on the chain's trying to set her free. Watermelody knelt down and looked out the window.
"Currently, it appears Discord is getting betrayed like he betrayed us." She informed the group.
"Does no one here know loyalty?" Rainbow fumed.
"You helped me grow strong and given me the means to take Princess Twilight's magic. You no longer have any use to me." Tirek told the floating Discord. He opened his mouth and sucked the magic out of Discord. As he did so, the chain's around Sunset disappeared and she jumped to her hooves off the chair. She used her magic to unlock the door to town hall and flung it open. She stepped into the doorway and glared at Tirek. She crouched low into a fighting position and her horn started to glow.
"You said this medallion was given to you by someone close to you. That it was a sign of friendship." Discord mumbled from the ground. Tirek glanced down at him and narrowed his eyes.
"My brother who betrayed me. You're as worthless as he is." Tirek snapped as he focused back on Sunset.
"That was cold." Vinyl muttered.
"Sunset darling, what are you about to do?" Rarity demanded. Sunset glanced back and took in the sight behind her. She saw her classmates huddled up in the back, fear on their face and eyes. Sweetie Belle was hanging on to Rarity and Blossomforth was hiding behind Cloudkicker. Sunset tore her look away and continued to glare at Tirek.
"Get behind me."
"Get behind me." At that, Sunset launched herself out the door like a bullet from a gun. She launched a beam of magic from her horn that hit Tirek in the face.
"Argh." He grumbled as he shoved his hand in front of the beam and shoved it aside. He launched a ball of fire at her and she quickly teleported away to avoid it. She reappeared in the air above him and launched a magic beam that hit him in the back and sent him tumbling to the ground.
"You will pay for that." He growled. He got to his hooves and levitated Sunset with his magic and started to swing her around him before sending her flying.
"Waaaah!" Sunset screamed as she flew into the town hall and slammed into a wall.
"Sunset!" Berry screamed as the unicorn appeared dazed and grunted.
"Gonna feel that in the morning." She mumbled as she shakily got to her hooves.
"Are you seriously going back out there?" Flitter demanded.
"Step aside please." Sunset asked with an edge to her tone and Flitter reluctantly complied. She stepped to the door and started pawing at the ground.
"You're joking, tell me you're joking." Tirek laughed. Sunset shook her head and snorted, steam coming out of her nose. She shot him a angry glare and a few students stepped back nervously. They all recognized the look of an angry Sunset. She teleported out the room and appeared behind him. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her spell. When he turned around, there was ten copies of Sunset in various locations.
"Okay, that's cool." Rainbow admitted.
"Damn right." Scootaloo agreed and Rainbow shot her a look.
"Don't cuss, you're not old enough." Rainbow lectured as Scootaloo rolled her eyes.
"She's doing a mighty fine job of whooping him." Applejack agreed.
"Are we seriously just gonna let her fight him by herself?" Watermelody demanded as she watched Sunset blast Tirek with a magic beam.
"We have no magic or anything here like she does. Besides, she appears to have things under control." Thunderlane said nervously.
"She's my friend. I'll be damned if she does this alone." Rainbow snapped as she stood up. Applejack grabbed her shoulder and gave her a nod.
"Ah'm coming with, ya ain't goin alone." She stated firmly. They stormed out the building and stared up at him.
"He's even uglier up close." Rainbow commented.
"Agreed." Shoeshine said from her left and Sea Swirl nodded.
"Hey ugly, down here!" Rainbow shouted as she ran to his right. He glared at her and launched a beam at her and she easily sidestepped it, smirking. He rolled his eyes and glared at the Sunset copies and launched a fireball that made them flicker and disappear.
Sunset grimaced at that and kicked him in the leg, making him buckle down and collapse on the ground. He swatted at her with a hand and she jumped over it.
He slowly got to his hooves and slammed one to the ground, making a rock spike up under her and she fell off it. She quickly shot it with a laser and teleported away.
"Coward!" Tirek shouted as a rock hit him in the head. Sunset reappeared in the town hall and smirked. She took off galloping and jumped off the stone pillar she had destroyed and punched him in the face with a hoof, making him bleed from the mouth. She landed on his back and jumped back, shooting a large laser into his back. He disappeared below the ground and Sunset panted as she stood on top of it.
"That was awesome." Scootaloo mumbled in awe.
"Uhm, are you okay Sunset?" Fluttershy nervously called out.
"Yeah, I'm good. That spell took a lot of energy is all." Sunset called back, still panting. A red beam shot up around her and she looked around nervously. Tirek stood up holding the ground he just carved off him and threw it.
"Oh fuck!" Sunset yelped out as the ground slammed her into a random house. She shot back to her hooves and used her magic to propel her through the sky at Tirek. She slammed her back hooves into his head and he grunted as he grabbed her tail and flung her to the ground.
Apple Bloom winced.
"Ah reckon that hurt." She mumbled as Sweetie Belle nodded her agreement.
Shoeshine kicked him in the back leg a few times and got kicked back by him into a wall. She rubbed her head in confusion and saw a glow of orange magic around her. Sunset carefully set her down as she grunted, standing up.
"I wish I had my phone right now." Lyra announced.
"Why?" Bon Bon demanded as she stared at Lyra. Lyra gestured at the fight in front of them as Sea Swirl threw a bucket at Tirek.
"We are watching our unicorn classmate currently fight off a magic stealing centaur and winning. That doesn't happen everyday." Lyra pointed out. Sunset teleported Rainbow, Applejack and her two other friends back into town hall as she launched another large beam at Tirek and he launched his at her. The two beams met in the middle and exploded with such force that Sunset went flying back into a tree and Tirek skidded backwards. The people in the town hall were pushed back against the wall.
"Jesus Christ." Daisy muttered.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but Sunset is kinda cool." Lily grudgingly admitted and Octavia nodded.
"She's very brave, rushing out there like that to keep us safe." She smiled as Sunset got to her hooves.
Rose grinned at her sister.
"She's pretty powerful and strong as a human, makes sense it transfers to her unicorn form. If anything, I'd say she is more powerful as a unicorn." Rose pointed out as she stepped forward and away from the wall.
"No kidding." Vinyl muttered in awe.
"We are at an impasse it seems. What about a trade?" Tirek suggested as Lily and Berry were dragged out of the building and into the sky around him. "Your magic in exchange for these weird monkey creatures."
"Don't do it, Sunset!" Berry begged. "We will be fine."
"Lily!" Rose screamed as she saw her sister levitating in front of her.
Sunset narrowed her eyes as she took in the scene in front of her before looking down at her hooves. She looked back up and sighed.
"I will give you my magic, for them." She announced. Berry gaped at her in shock.
"Magic first." Tirek growled. Sunset gave a tired smirk and shook her head.
"I'm a lot of things but stupid isn't one of them. Give them to me first, then magic." She demanded.
Tirek chuckled.
"You are a smart one, for a pony." He tossed them to the ground and Sunset caught them in her magic, carefully placing them in with the the rest of the people she came here with. Rose and Daisy tackled Lily in a hug. Sea Swirl hugged Berry and looked outside.
"Now. Give me your magic." Tirek demanded as he held Sunset's muzzle shut and shoved her head down. The magic flowed out her horn in a bright orange light.
"I can't watch." Berry mumbled as Sea Swirl tightened her grip and angled Berry's head away. Fluttershy stared and covered her mouth, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she watched Sunset's legs begin to wobble. A pained grimace formed on her muzzle as Tirek let go and kicked her into the town hall. She slammed face first into the same wall and fell backwards onto her side. Octavia and the others stared in shock as Sunset's cutie mark faded off her flanks and her eyes glazed over. She closed her eyes and passed out.
Sunset opened her eyes and immediately slammed them shut. Her head was pounding and the base of her tail hurt. Everything hurt, actually. She slowly opened her eyes again and was greeted by a bunch of concerned faces shoved up to hers.
"What happened?" She groaned out. She felt a wet wash cloth on her head.
"Sunset!" Berry announced and hugged her tightly, dropping the washcloth. She quickly kissed her and pulled away, red faced. Sunset winced at the loud outburst.
"I love you Berry, but can we please try to not scream? My head is pounding and everything hurts. Mainly the base of my tail and my head. What happened?" Sunset groaned as she felt Berry's hand gently stroke her mane.
"You fought Tirek, were winning for a bit till he cheated and used Berry and Lily to force you to give up your magic. Which you did by the way." Starlight said helpfully. "Very courageous, by the way."
Sunset shot to her hooves and stumbled, collapsing.
"What happened to Tirek?" She asked tiredly.
"First off, you expelled a lot of energy in the fight so don't walk, secondly Twilight shot him in the side with a magic beam. The other princesses apparently gave her their magic so he didn't get it. She gave you a spell to help you heal faster. You look rough." Lavender Lace told her. "If you listen close, you can hear explosions of magic in the distance from their current fight. There was a really loud explosion earlier while you were out."
"How long was i out?" Sunset asked.
"We honestly don't know. We don't have watches or phones, we had to leave them at the school." Fuschia Blush admitted. "You're the only one who can tell time by sun." Sunset nodded and squinted at the sun.
"I was out for thirty five minutes." She told them. "It's about two thirty right now."
"Sunset can I-" Berry started to speak.
"Carry me around town?" Sunset finished. Berry sheepishly nodded.
"I assume you were gonna say no, it's fine if you don't want me to." Berry mumbled. Sunset nudged her with her head, careful to avoid hitting her with her horn.
"I was actually about to ask you to carry me, my hooves hurting. Probably for punching and kicking Tirek." Sunset admitted, smiling. "It felt good. Especially since he probably took my moms and sisters magic."
Berry smiled eagerly.
"Thank you for letting me carry you." Berry admitted as she stood up with Sunset in her arms. "Rainbow recommended tying you with rope because she figured you would say no."
"Figures." Sunset rolled her eyes. "How bad do I look?"
Bon Bon gave her a quick once over.
"You have a few cuts and scratches. Your butt tattoo is gone and your eyes are like glazed over." She told Sunset. "Also, how the hell you didn't die is beyond me with all those hits you took to the head."
"Ponies bodies are naturally strong. Mine is extra strong because I got mom's earth pony strength. And dads speed because he's a pegasus." Sunset explained.
"Then how are you a unicorn?" Vinyl asked.
"Distant relative was a unicorn. Typically ponies take after their mom or dad's race, but there's an equal amount who take after dead relatives." Sunset told the girl. "I need a quill, can you carry me to Twilight's library? She has to have one there." Sunset noticed a rising plume of smoke in the sky.
"What's that?" She asked.
"We don't know, we stayed with you. It happened right after the big explosion I mentioned." Lavender admitted.
"Interesting." Sunset mused. "How the hell are we almost there?"
"Humans have longer strides than ponies. Longer legs and all, makes getting across this town easier." Rainbow told her with an eyeroll. Her eyes widened as the large group stood in front of the smoking remains of a library, pages from books still falling.
"Good God, what happened here?" Lyra asked. "Is Twilight even alive?"
Sunset stared off into the distance and saw a small flying purple dot, launching magic at a bigger red dot. She shakily pointed a hoof.
"She's right there, fighting Tirek. She's probably the last line of defense for Equestria at the moment." Lyra followed Sunset's shaking hoof and nodded when she saw the purple dot again.
"You are so awesome." Scootaloo squeeled as she leaned up to look at Sunset. "You're cooler than like anybody I know." Rainbow gave a soft scoff at that and folded her arms, looking away.
"What happens now? With Equestria having no magic if Twilight fails?" Sweetie asked. Right then, a loud roar got their attention and they all looked to where Twilight had been fighting Tirek. Her eyes widened in fear as Tirek grew in size bigger than the tree line and seemed to get closer.
"Holy...." Vinyl stammered, her glasses sliding down to show her wide red eyes.
"Now would be a good time to do a tactical retreat." Sunset admitted. "And to answer your question, without earth pony magic, the earth ponies won't be able to grow enough food for everypony. Without the pegasi and their weather management, Equestria will fall prey to random storms and tornadoes. Without the unicorns magic to help either race and magically make defensive artifacts, their might be more monsters escaping Tartarus or coming from far lands."
"Uhm and what then? Yall defeat em, right?" Apple Bloom nervously asked, looking around.
Sunset shook her head.
"Equestria will die. Especially with a lack of food for the population, slow death. Or slavery." She explained as the seriousness of the matter settled into the group. "Anyway, we should probably keep moving." A flash of movement caught her eye and she pointed to it.
"What was that?" She asked aloud. A small pink pegasus filly with light blue curls approached the group after coming out of an alleyway. She flopped down and started sobbing. Berry knelt down so Sunset could lift the fillys head up.
"What's your name?" She asked.
The crying filly looked up at her.
"Golly, Miss. You're the most friendly pony I've ever met. I'm Cozy Glow."
"Why exactly are you crying?" Sunset continued prying.
"Well you see, I can't find my grandma anywhere. Especially with that awful magic stealer around, I'm worried miss. Golly, do you think something bad happened to her?" Cozy Glow sniffled and hid a sly grin behind her hoof. Octavia and Vinyl glanced at each other in confusion. Sunset raised an eyebrow.
"She looked like me, but older. She was an old mare. Last I saw was by town hall and then we got separated." Cozy explained. Sunset was till taken back by the accent, she never heard it before. She thought back to the old mare she had seen get her magic stolen and thrown. She quickly realized that she had looked an awful lot like the filly in front of her.
"One second." Sunset said as she gestured for the students to gather around a few steps away from the filly. "Did anyone check on that old mare?"
"I did." Human Lemon Hearts admitted. "She was dead." She whispered the last part and shuddered.
"I'm assuming getting the magic drained out was too much for her old body to handle." Sunset mused. "Okay, can you set me down?" Berry knelt down and placed Sunset down.
"None of us have seen your grandma, I'm sorry Cozy." Sunset lied and Applejack narrowed her eyes at the unicorn.
"Oh that's just awful." Cozy shuddered and stared up at the older mare. "I guess I just have to stay with you guys till we find her." She focused on the humans behind Sunset. "I'm impressed you managed to get a bunch of monkeys to follow you."
"We aren't monkeys." Fleetfoot pointed out. Ignoring her, Cozy kept talking. Berry picked Sunset back and idly scratched her ears.
"I would do anything to have a bunch of monkeys enslaved following me around doing my every bidding. Golly, that sounds exciting." Cozy said with a distant dreamy expression on her face.
Lemon Hearts glanced at Minuette nervously. Cozy jumped at seeing Sunset's concerned expression.
"I mean, having a bunch of friends like you do would be just spectacular. You're so lucky, Miss." Cozy hastily said. She quickly trotted off.
Sunset shook off her confusion. Strange filly, she mused. She jumped down out of Berry's arms and yelped out.
"Fuck." She whimpered. "Farther down than I thought." She took a step and fell over. Berry rolled her eyes and scooped her up.
"You hurt your leg, I'm carrying you. End of discussion." Berry told her.
"There is something wrong with that Cozy Glow." Bon Bon mumbled to Minuette who quickly nodded her agreement.
"I fucked up man. I fucked up so bad." Sunset groaned. "I should have just told her that her grandma was dead."
Berry rolled her eyes. "Telling someone that isn't easy. It's a human or well pony instinct in this case. I would have lied too."
Sunset glanced ahead and saw Cozy trotting up to a random house. She tapped on the door a few times with a hoof.
"Something about her bothers me." Bon Bon announced quietly.
"Like what?" Lyra asked, looking around at the few ponies out in the street. The group noticed they looked just like Sunset and Cozy, glazed eyes and lack of cutie marks. A pegasus flapped her wings and got a couple inches off the ground before falling onto her stomach. A unicorn with a lilac coat trotted up to them.
"I'm looking for my marefriend. Have you any of you seen her?" the unicorn asked. Sea Swirl stared at her in surprise.
"You sound just like me." she mumbled. The unicorn raised a brow and trotted around her.
"Huh. Humans I assume. Fascinating development, lack of a coat. No wings or a horn either." she stopped trotting and shoved her head against Sea Swirl's hand. "Lack of hooves too. Must be claws, potentially for grabbing things or ponies. I'm Sea Swirl, what's your name? Do you have a name?"
"So. This is gonna be crazy, but I'm Sea Swirl too." the human version mumbled.
The unicorn nodded. "Makes sense. Considering what has happened to Ponyville in the past and right now, this is nothing. Have you seen Shoeshine anywhere?"
A blue earth pony stumbled up to them.
"Sea Swirl! I've been searching all over Ponyville for you." the blue earth pony tackled the unicorn in a hug.
"Oh thank Luna you're okay. Some mare got killed because Tirek destroyed her house and it collapsed on her. I was worried you died too." Equestrian Sea Swirl quickly nuzzled her.
Equestrian Shoeshine sighed.
"I think I saw the mare you're talking about. Or well, what remains of her. I didn't look too close, didn't want to vomit." She looked up at the group and screamed, hiding behind Equestrian Sea Swirl.
"For a little pony, that is a loud scream." Rainbow muttered, covering her ears.
"You should hear her in bed." Pony Sea Swirl agreed and the human versions turned red. "At least she's not like Lyra and Bon Bon. Those are some loud ponies."
"We have more friends, yay." Cozy cheerfully called out as she trotted up. "I figured we would want some food because of us getting our magic stolen. Golly, we sure are lucky to have all these friends." She gestured to the house where a white pegasus with a watermelon mane waited.
Sunset sat on the floor, curled in a ball snoring softly.
"How can she sleep at a time like this?" Blueberry Cake questioned. The same pegasus grimaced.
"Getting our magic drained is a taxing and quite frankly a painful experience." She explained.
Human Blossomforth knelt down and looked her in the face.
"Huh, I'm a pegasus here. Cool." The pegasus shot a smirk her way.
"You also live in a cloud house. I'm just watching this for Cloudkicker till she gets back. She was one of the Wonderbolts sent to stop Tirek in Manehatten." She gave a shudder. "Hopefully she's okay. There's been a lot of missing ponies. He just started throwing ponies aside. Me and Flitter found a mare with her hoof sticking out of some debris."
"What's Flitter like here?" Thunderlane asked.
"She's a bitch. Mainly a bully, especially to Fluttershy. Cloudchaser too. Made her run away during tornado duty when she didn't get a high number of wingpower." Pony Blossomforth snarled out a cuss word as she tried to pick up a pan and burnt her hoof accidentally. "Sweet bucking Luna, that hurts." She whimpered and Fluttershy scooped her up.
"You poor thing. We must get you fixed up." Fluttershy rushed to a bathroom till she found a first aid kit. Human Blossomforth knelt down at a machine in the corner and started idly working on it.
"What is she doing?" Dizzy Twister demanded.
Cloudkicker waved a hand dismissively.
"Leave her be, building machinery is her hobby. If anyone here can understand what the hell that is, it's her and her pegasus double." She reassured the other girl. Sunset woke up with a start when the ground started shaking.
"W-what's happening?" Flitter nervously asked, hiding behind Cloudchaser.
"I'm not sure. We should go outside, maybe we will see something." Sunset and the pony Blossomforth nodded. The group quickly went outside and watched a rainbow slamming into the ground and a castle growing out of the ground.
"What the actual fuck." Shoeshine commented in awe as she watched. Sunset gave a dry laugh.
"Welcome to Equestria."
"Where the most weirdest stuff happens." Blossomforth agreed, observing her bandaged hoof. A rainbow flew over their heads.
"Huh strange." Rainbow muttered. Berry gave a gasping sound as she pointed at Sunset and Blossomforth. Their cutie marks reappeared and their eyes cleared up. Sunsets horn glowed orange and she smiled. The humans observed a bunch of other ponies getting their magic as Twilight flew past.
"Her mane looks awful." Rarity shuddered. The crowd of ponies cheered as they flew or teleported to the castle.
Sunset smirked as she rubbed her forehead against Berry's hand. Equestrian Sea Swirl was dragging the pony Shoeshine up to their doubles.
"Has anyone seen Cozy Glow?" Bon Bon quickly asked, looking around. She didn't see the small pegasus anywhere. Sunset shrugged as she teleported herself and the others to the castle.
"Sweet Celestia. Are you all seeing what I'm seeing?" Both Rarities mumbled.
"But who's is it?" Twilight questioned.
"I believe it is yours, Princess Twilight." She spun around at the voice and saw the princesses along with their human counterparts and Spike. Sunset narrowed her eyes at Discord as she and the other ponies knelt down and bowed. Celestia teleported the elements inside and Human Rainbow groaned.
"Why them and not us?" She groaned.
Sunset shrugged.
"Probably secret conversations, who knows."
The doors swung open and Twilight stood in the doorway with her wings flared out.
"Each one of us has something special, that makes us different, that makes us rare." She sang and Shoeshine rolled her eyes.
"Here we go again." She mumbled softly.
"We have a light that shines within us, that we were always meant to share." Fluttershy picked up singing as she flew in with Rainbow.
"And when we come together, combined with the light that shines within there isn't nothing we can't do, no battle we can't win. When we come together, there'll be a star to guide the way. It's inside us everyday, see it now." The group sang and human Fluttershy hid behind Rainbow Dash. A rainbow shot out from the throne floor and into the ceiling.
"Let the rainbow remind you that together we will always shine. Let the rainbow remind you that this will always be our time." Sunset scoffed as Discord handed Princess Celestia and Principal Celestia flowers.
"Let the rainbow remind you, that we will always shine." Twilight sang softly as she dragged Sunset and the others for a picture.
"Wait a minute, where's my throne?" Discord complained. Sunset growled softly and Sea Swirl held her back.
"Easy, girl. Pick your fights." She whispered and Sunset nodded.
"I don't think you're quite there yet." Fluttershy hovered next to him.
"Maybe you're right." He mused as he cautiously approached Sunset.
"Sunset? Uhm can we talk?" He nervously asked and she glared at him.
"No." She said simply. Twilight prodded her with her magic.
"Talk to him. As the Princess of Friendship, I must do everything I can to make a friendship last." Sunset rolled her eyes and trotted to a secluded part of the throne room, gesturing for Discord to follow her.
"What do ya think they're talking about?" Raindrops asked.
"I have no idea, but hugs! Hugs are good!" Both Pinkies exclaimed as Sunset gave Discord a hug.
She quickly trotted back.
"We should get back to our world now, people are probably wondering where we are." Sunset mumbled.
Princess Celestia nodded as she trotted to them.
"Do come back for a visit, my dear student. I've missed your company. We have so much to catch up one." Celestia gave a laugh. "Like how Cadence got replaced by the changeling queen at her own wedding and Twilight was the only one who knew something was wrong."
Cadence turned red.
"We don't need to talk about that." She mumbled.
"We should probably say goodbye to ponies." Fluttershy muttered.
Sea Swirl knelt down in front of her and Shoeshine's doubles.
"We will be back." She promised. "Keep Shoeshine out of trouble. I'll try to do the same with mine."
"You did good with that washing machine." Blossomforth hovered next to her double. "Come back whenever you want and we can work on some other projects together. Got some cool blueprints lying around at home."
Fluttershy squeezed her double in a tight hug.
"Stay safe."
Sunset teleported to the mirror with the others. Sighing, she jumped through. Cherry Berry jumped when she felt the statue she was leaning against vibrate. She backed away nervously staring at it. Her eyes widened when Sunset and Berry flew out of it.
"No way." She mumbled. "You guys were telling the truth."
"Well duh." Berry rolled her eyes.
"Thank God it's just me here." Cherry grunted. "Other people would lose their shit and assume they are on drugs." Her eyes lit up. "What did you all get up to?"
Berry and Sunset looked at each other and laughed.
"It's a long story." Berry admitted and Sunset nodded.
"Well you see, there was a lot of fighting going on." Sunsets voice faded as she and the other two walked away to the car. Octavia watched them leave with curiosity and raised an eyebrow.
"We owe her a lot. She kept us safe during the whole Tirek thing, even though she knew most of us didn't trust her." She mused and Vinyl nodded. "We should probably talk to her more."
"She's good in my books." Derpy announced and Lyra nodded.
"Absolutely." Raindrops agreed. "She did really good helping stop the Sirens too at the Battle of the Bands."
"I wonder what happened with that Cozy Glow and where she disappeared to." Bon Bon mused, shakily standing.
Cozy slammed her hooves into the mattress she had stolen and growled, looking around her cave.
"I was this close! This close to getting close to the Princess of Friendship and using her unicorn friend and her weird monkeys to do my bidding and be my friends. And then they all just disappear to Celestia knows where!" She picked up a young ponys skull. "It's not fair, is it Speed Well?" She moved the jawbone and made it appear like the skull was talking.
"No, not at all." She growled in a gravelly voice. She tossed it carelessly where she picked it up and it bounced.
"I'll just have to double my efforts." She grinned at her reflection.
Author's Note
To increase my other stories getting attention, I'll post one upcoming chapter. This is for Diving Deep and it's part of this universe. It also features the Rainbow Rocks events. Takes place before this one and after the first Berry's Sunset. It is not complete yet, so youll have to read the actual story to get the full chapter.
Update (sorta)
I slumped on the bleachers and watched Snips and Snails performance. Worst thing I've ever seen. Can't even remember their own lyrics.
"Like an orange, yo!" I rolled my eyes and smirked at Lavender Lace hiding a giggle behind her hand. My eyes flicked to Pinkie bobbing her head enthusiastically.
"How can she like this?" Sea Swirl asked, following my gaze.
"Fuck if I know." I shrugged and Berry giggled.
"This so awful." She mumbled and Banana nodded.
"You're gonna mess up your back if sit slumped like that all the time."
I gave Banana the middle finger and she laughed.
I watched Snips and Snails exit the stage and say something to the Rainbooms.
"Why the hell are they excluding Sunset? I angrily demanded as I pointed a finger where Sunset was waiting off to the side with a dog. I waved to her and gestured for her to come sit with us. She quickly bounded down the stairs and over to us, holding the dog.
Berry gave her a kiss as she sat down and we watched the Rainbooms performance.
I sighed as I picked up my guitar. We had just knocked out Bulk Biceps, so we were feeling pretty good. Sunset had to go back and babysit the Rainbooms. Currently, Trixie was up on stage and finishing her song. Apparently the Dazzlings were next. I still don't know their names, I don't think anyone does.
"I kinda hate how good Trixie sounds." I grumbled.
"Yeah, me too. As if she wasn't arrogant enough." Sea Swirl agreed.
"At least Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon didn't make a band. Their egos are already inflated enough as is."
Berry snorted.
"Please, their mom's would pay off Celestia and Luna to have their daughters win." Berry scoffed. I had to agree with her there, that's exactly something their moms would do.
"We've got the song that makes you move, got the song that makes you lose it. We say jump, you say how high. Put your hands up to the sky."
"When did they even start singing?" I asked, feeling my head swaying.
"I....don't know." Sea Swirl admitted, her body doing the same as me and Berry's. I don't even know when we got to the gym floor. I felt the typical anger and competitiveness I've been feeling since they arrived.
"I hate you!" I heard Starlight scream at Flash. A tap on the shoulder got my attention and I spun to Blueberry Cake standing there. I shoved her hand off.
"Get your dirty hands off me." I snapped and she smirked.
"Aren't you the definition of dirty? Considering what you did to the school, you're the worst part of this school." She taunted and now I was behind angry. "Surprised Sea Swirl still cares about you."
I swung a fist and connected with her stomach. She staggered back in shock and I felt two pairs of hands grabbing my shoulders.
"She ain't worth it, Shoe." Berry grunted out as she held me back.
"Yeah, fuck her. She's just mad her sister died from an overdose." Sea Swirl snapped as she held my other shoulder. My legs kicked out as I struggled to get away. Looking across the gym, I could see Lyra and Bon Bon holding Derpy back from attacking Bulk Biceps. Bon Bon had a terrified expression on her face and Lyra appeared to be gritting her teeth. I've never seen Derpy that angry before. Glancing back, Sea Swirl had the same scared expression Bon Bon did. Blueberry glared at us and Banana kicked her in the knee. Blueberry took off after seeing she was outnumbered.
