Author's Note

Once again, inspiration comes from Scootabom1, who proposed the idea of Sunset Shimmer with Moondancer as a caretaker. The idea being that it's a book Sunset made for a project found among some old stuff from when Sunset was young, culminating in a snowmobile chase and a rocket launcher, and then Sunset in either a bouncer or a highchair with a messy face, telling Princess Celestia how she did. And he specified that it would be done through Hayscartes' Method.

I also borrowed a bit of headcanon from Latecomer regarding Sunset's family situation in Equestria, namely who Sunset's mother was. And I also lifted a scene from Sunset's prompt in "Potty Training Tales".

Last but not least, this chapter is a very indirect tribute to Britt Allcroft, the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, whose death was announced just days ago. The indirect dedication here is because this chapter involves a story and a world created by characters through magic, and Britt was very much a powerful story teller through the creative talent she assembled to work on the original model series.

As always, feel free to pitch not only suggestions for playmates but also what these playmates can do with Twily.

Characters ineligable under any circumstances:
Starlight Glimmer
Discord
Trixie
Sunburst
Cutie Mark Crusaders
Flurry Heart
School aged or younger children (i.e. Cake Twins)
Characters introduced after Flurry Heart (Starswirl the Bearded, the Pillars, Star Tracker, Mudbriar, etc.)
Equestria Girls characters other than Sunset Shimmer/the Dazzlings
Princess Celestia

Characters that can only be done in group pairings:
Mane six
Princess Cadence
Princess Luna
Octavia and Vinyl Scratch
Twilight Velvet
Spitfire (with or without Wonderbolts)
Lightning Dust
Maud Pie (without Mudbriar)
Moondancer
Cheerilee
Lyra and Bon Bon (separately, or together)
Coco
Limestone Pie
Prince Blueblood
Marble Pie
Soarin (With or without Wonderbolts)
Sunset Shimmer

Characters that can only be done in specific group pairings:
Spike (with mane six, Princess Cadence, or Sparkle family)
Shining Armor (with Princess Cadence, or Sparkle Family)
Rainbow Dash (with Spitfire, mane six, or any Wonderbolts besides just Soarin)

Characters previously voted on:
Derpy - One vote
Sassy Saddles, Fleur De Lis, Party Favor, Flutterbat - One half vote

Little Sun Bun (Sunset Shimmer)

"Guess what, Twily?" Princess Celestia said the next morning as she came cheerfully trotting into the bedroom to check on her fellow princess, already all padded up. "I have a special surprise for you. And it all has to do with your next playmate."

Twilight let out an excited gasp! "Who is it, Mommy?! Who is it?!"

The sun princess chuckled. "You'll see," She flashed a knowing wink and then turned to the bedroom door that was flung open. "You can come in now," She called out to the distance. "I trust you brought everything needed?"

A familiar feminine voice called out. "You bet I did. I knew that once I found it, I had to bring it to your attention." And in strolled none other than Moondancer. Compared to last time, she was wearing her usual black jacket and had let her mane and tail be styled back to how they'd been since Twilight had gotten back in touch with her. She was also wearing a cream colored onesie that matched her coat perfectly (though still with a telltale bulge that indicated the presence of a diaper). Held aloft by the light pinkish-gray glow of her horn was a very old, very dusty chest a faded shade of red. And it had clearly seen better days. It seemed like it had not been touched by anypony in years.

The padded princess blinked slowly, trying to process this development. "You're my playmate again, Moondancer?" She asked the cream colored unicorn.

Moondancer shook her head from side to side. "Oh no, not this time. As tempted as I might be to join you and Smarty Pants in another playdate with Mommy," She briefly looked across to Princess Celestia. "I've been too busy studying Hayscartes' Method to even think of taking a break. I'm really close to getting it down pat. And now, Princess Celestia has given me the perfect opportunity to demonstrate just how much of it I've really learned."

"So, where's my playmate, then?" The diaper wearing alicorn questioned as she looked all around.

Smarty Pants looked too. "I don't see anypony, Twily. Maybe they're invisible?"

But Celestia playfully chuckled as she shook her head in retort. "Oh no no no. Don't be silly. Your playmate isn't invisible. And they're not running late either," She gestured to the chest Moondancer was holding up, explaining. "Your playmate is right in here."

Twilight stepped back and blinked, trying hard to process the information. There had to be something about the chest that would tell her the identity of her next playmate. "Inside the chest?" She asked, and received a confirming nod. With some hesitation, she then waddled towards the chest for a closer look as it was set upon the bedroom floor with an audible thud (a small cloud of dust being kicked up as a result). If she squinted just right, Twilight Sparkle was certain she could make out the carving of what appeared to be a shimmering sun. Where had she seen such a symbol before?

Princess Celestia and Moondancer opted not to say a word, content to let the padded princess in their midst figure out this little mystery all on her own.

Twilight walked all around the chest, deep in thought. "Smarty Pants, help me out here," She said to the old doll. "I swear I've seen that symbol before somewhere. It looks like Mommy's cutie mark, but I know it's not."

"What do you mean, Twily?" Smarty Pants babbled. "It's a carving of a sun. And Mommy's cutie mark is the sun."

The padded alicorn shook her head and replied. "But it's not a shimmering sun. Plus, why is it red? Mommy is white, like my diapers." She then sat down on her padded haunches, putting a hoof to her chin as she tried to think. Why was this so hard for her to figure out?

The sun princess had to hold back the urge to chuckle. "Give up, Twily?" She asked her charge.

But the diaper wearing princess didn't reply. She thought, and thought, and thought some more. Then, suddenly, like a lightbulb that had been switched on, it came to her! She stood up and proudly declared! "I've got it! I know who this chest belongs to! It belongs to Sunset Shimmer!"

Celestia and Moondancer both clapped their hooves in approval, applauding Twilight's discovery!

"Sunset Shimmer?" Smarty Pants pondered aloud. "Isn't she that pony who tried to steal your crown at the Crystal Empire, Twily?"

Twilight playfully giggled. "Smarty Pants, you know she's not that same person... er pony anymore. She's changed. I've seen it with my own eyes," She then commented. "But I wasn't aware she was coming here to play with me. She never mentioned anything about it in the journal we share."

At that, a faint hint of sorrow and regret crept into the elder alicorn's tone of voice and she spoke slowly. "Well... I was hoping to have her here. I even wrote specifically to her like you told me to. Alas, I never received any sort of reply. I guess Sunset is still afraid to come back and show her face to me after the way we parted. I had hoped we could reconcile the way Luna and I did after she stopped being Nightmare Moon. But it seems Sunset isn't quite ready to be anywhere in my presence just yet. A shame, really. Even if we weren't as close as you and I are, Twily, I still came to regard her as family." She struggled not to shed even a single tear.

The padded princess trotted over, hugging Celestia tightly. "It's okay, Mommy. I'm sure you'll see Sunset Shimmer again someday. She just needs time."

Moondancer then cleared her throat. "Yes. And in the meantime, that is where I came into the picture in regards to this playtime," She pointed a hoof to the chest as she explained in detail. "You see, while I was studying Hayscartes' Method more in depth, I made a lot of journeys to the royal archives and to Starswirl the Bearded's former study. While I was on my way back from one such journey, I took a wrong turn and stumbled across this old chest by pure chance. Upon examination, I quickly deduced that it once belonged to Sunset Shimmer. And it features many things from her earliest years under Princess Celestia's wing."

The sun princess then focused her magic on the lock holding the chest shut, slowly undoing it. "Moondancer was kind enough to bring it to my attention and allow me to examine its contents personally. Inside of this chest, I discovered something that would allow everypony to get what they wanted: Moondancer could demonstrate how much she's learned about Hayscartes' Method, I would get to see Sunset again, and you would have another playmate, Twily." Seconds after she had finished speaking these words, she fully undid the lock on the chest and opened it all the way.

Once opened, the chest's contents spilled out onto the floor in noisily, disorderly fashion. It was mostly the stuff you'd expect a little filly to have: Stuffed animals, crayon and colored pencil drawn sketches (some depicting a crude image of Sunset herself, others a crude image of Princess Celestia or other ponies of importance), a copy of various grade reports or papers that were worth bragging about, and several books and scrolls. The books themselves were almost all childish and foal like in their presentation and subject matter, though surprisingly there were a few of the early Daring Do books mixed in even though that wasn't really a series that foals were usually into (the junior book Daring Do and the Temple Toilet being the exception).

The elder alicorn couldn't stop herself from giggling with giddy excitement when she observed all the things that now lay scattered on the floor. "My goodness, I'd forgotten how messy and disorganized Sunset could be. Ironically, she was the daughter of one of the best maids in the castle: Sunbeam. Yet it would seem Sunbeam's dedication to keeping things neat and tidy did not rub off on Sunset. Even in her later years, she was not one for organization."

"Was she in diapers when you met her for the first time, Mommy?" Twilight asked, somewhat curious.

Celestia chuckled a bit as she tried to regain her composure. "Oh no, she had long since graduated from them. She'd even gotten her cutie mark before I'd even thought of taking her under my wing. But I do remember that, at least at first, she would look up to me and admire me. I suspect she saw me as more of a mother than her actual mother, likely because Sunbeam was always so busy," She then began examining the books on the floor, picking them up one by one and glancing over their titles before carefully setting them aside. "Now, I know that somewhere in this clutter lies a very special book that Sunset wrote entirely herself as part of a class project. It was what first made me take notice of the potential she showed."

Moondancer cleared her throat, holding aloft a bright red book with what appeared to be a black and white image of a giant ram wearing a large collar. Directly underneath the ram's gaze was a hastily sketched image of a filly Sunset Shimmer. "I believe this is the book you're looking for, Princess Celestia." The title of the book read as follows:

How I Saved Hearth's Warming

By Sunset Shimmer

The sun princess immediately rushed over, clearly excited by the discovery! "Ah yes, that's the one!"

At that, the padded alicorn adopted the most perplexed look as she sat upon her padded posterior. "Isn't there already a book about saving Hearth's Warming? I know it's not A Hearth's Warming Tail. But I feel like I've read a book like that one before."

Princess Celestia nodded and smiled as she carefully took possession of the old book. "It is an adaptation of a beloved children's classic How Gusty the Great Saved Hearth's Warming, itself believed to be a Hearth's Warming version of the story of Gusty the Great's battle with Grograr, which apparently took place very close to Hearth's Warming Day eons ago. From what I was told after Sunset wrote this book and submitted it to her class, she wanted to create a more 'awesome' and 'epic' version of the story, and put herself into the lead role."

"Sounds a lot like that unfinished novel Rainbow Dash said she was working on once." Smarty Pants remarked.

Twilight made a shushing motion to the old doll. "Smarty Pants, you're not supposed to tell other ponies about that! Rainbow Dash wanted it to stay a secret."

At that, Moondancer couldn't help but blush. "W-well, she's not the only one who wanted to write stories about herself as a hero. I did that too..." She coughed into a hoof and quickly corrected. "Er... o-only as a way of testing Hayscartes' Method, of course."

Celestia then smiled as she approached Twilight and explained. "I'm sure you must be very curious as to how Sunset's story plays out, Twily. Well, with help from Moondancer, you're going to experience it first hoof. You will be joining Sunset within the contents of the book. But don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe. After all, you know that children's stories must always have a happy ending."

"But she'll see in diapers!" The padded princess exclaimed! "She'll make fun of me for sure!"

The sun princess reassured her troubled fellow alicorn. "No she won't, Twily. She's part of the book, she won't really have a mind of her own. Hayscartes' Method will make it seem like you were always part of the story, and she will react like you've always been there. Only Moondancer and I will know the truth," She then leaned close and whispered. "Although, I do have one request I must ask of you."

The diaper wearing alicorn asked without hesitation. "What is it, Mommy?"

Her cheeks flushing and turning a bright hue of pink, Princess Celestia all but whispered. "Could you perhaps, after the story is done, convince the Sunset within it to come back with you? Since Sunset herself isn't here, a version of her contained within the book is the next best thing. And I'd really like a chance to be able to do with her what I've done with you," As a lone tear came into her eyes, she explained further. "I've always felt that if I'd just been more open with Sunset like I've been with you, we wouldn't have had our time together come to an end the way it did. Knowing since that Sunset Shimmer saw me as like a second mother, I'd really like the opportunity to treat her as if she were my foal."

Twilight listened to the request in full, then gave a firm salute and promised. "Don't worry, Mommy. I'll bring her out of the book for you! I won't let you down, I promise!"

The alicorn mare with a majestic white coat smiled and beamed happily. "Thank you in advance, Twily. I knew I could rely on you," She then carefully eyed her charge and asked her. "But before you dive in, do you perhaps think you should try to use the potty? It may take a while for you to get through the book. Once the story starts, you can't leave until it's finished. That means you won't be able to take a break for anything."

The padded princess shook her head and dismissed the suggestion. "I'm good, Mommy. I don't need to use the potty. I'll be fine until I can make it out of the book. And even if I do end up going potty in my diapers, you'll just change me like you always do, right?"

"Of course, Twily," Celestia nodded back. "Should that happen while you're in the book, you needn't worry. Only you will know you've gone potty." She then released her hold on her fellow alicorn and trotted over to where Moondancer was standing. Yet in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think. "Twilight's not making as much of an effort to use the bathroom like a normal pony. I know she's getting more and more comfortable using her diapers, but she's not actually giving up on using a toilet all together is she?" The alicorn opted to dismiss those concerns, at least until she could have another talk with Luna and see if these concerns were valid and worth worrying about.

Moondancer, meanwhile, eyed Twilight in all her diapered up glory and simply asked her. "Are you ready to begin, Twily?"

Twilight nodded, holding Smarty Pants tightly in her hooves. "I'm ready! I can't wait to see how this all plays out! This is going to be so much fun!"

The glasses wearing unicorn mare then instructed to Princess Celestia. "Okay, we're all set and ready to begin. Please set the book down and open it to the first page. I'll take it from there."

The sun princess obeyed, carefully depositing the old book onto the bedroom floor and flipping it past the cover to the very first page. It showed an image of what appeared to be a small village occupied by earth ponies, pegasi, and even unicorns.

Moondancer then shut her eyes, concentrating deeply as sparks began to fly from her horn! She slowly but surely enveloped Twilight and Smarty Pants within light pinkish-gray tendrils, pulling them towards the book. Then, with a blinding flash and a poof of smoke, both alicorn and doll disappeared from sight, only to reappear inside the book's first page! Moondancer slowly opened her eyes, breathing deeply and wiping the sweat from her brows. "It... worked." Was all she could bring herself to say, as she then moved to sit down (causing the diaper in her onesie to give itself away with an audible crinkle).

Twilight and Smarty Pants slowly got their bearings, taking in the sights as they now found themselves within the village in the book. They could see the three pony tribes, all depicted in inky sketches of black and white, and all of them gathered around a tree in the middle of the village. They appeared to be singing a song of some sort while presents rested underneath the tree, but the song itself was impossible to make out. It was as if the ponies were singing in a language that only they could understand.

Just then, who should come trotting up to Twilight and Smarty Pants but a unicorn filly with an unmistakable cutie mark depicting a shimmering sun? "Hi," She spoke in a cute, high pitched tone of voice. "My name's Sunset, but you can call me Sun Bun."

"Hello, Sun Bun," Twilight greeted the filly, surprised to find that she had herself shrunk down quite a bit to be the same size as Sunset Shimmer. "I'm Twily. And this is my friend, Smarty Pants," She made the old doll wave and then whispered. "She's not much of a talker."

Sunset Shimmer just giggled. "That's okay. I'm glad I got to meet you, Twily. You're just in time."

The alicorn princess blinked. "In time for what?" She questioned. She had a pretty good idea of what Sunset was talking about, but decided it best to play along for the time being.

As if in response to that question, there came a frightening roar! The three pony tribes that had just a moment ago been standing and singing beneath the tree now scattered in every direction, and not one of them thought to grab the presents! All the while, it was possible to hear a voice speaking above the chaos. "It is said that everypony in the newly established land of Equestria liked the holiday of Hearth's Warming a lot. But the evil Emperor Grogar, father of monsters, did not. He hated Hearth's Warming with a passion, though no one quite knows the reason why."

Suddenly, as if a page had been turned, the scene changed! The very ram that had been depicted on the book's cover now appeared, rendered in the same art style as the ponies. He moved quickly to snatch up the presents, and then touching a hoof to his collar he shot out an orb that set the tree alight! In seconds, it had burnt down to ash. "I am taking away these silly presents!" The ram roared. "I, the mighty Grogar, am taking back what is mine. You ponies will rue the day you thought you could take over my domain uninvited!" He promptly floated the presents into a large sack, and then ran away with the sack being carried behind him on his back.

As Grogar turned and fled, the voice from before stated simply. "Whatever the reason for his hatred of the season, Grogar swept down upon the village and ruined its Hearth's Warming celebration. Yet as he turned and fled from the scene of his crime, his stolen presents in tow, one brave little filly decided to take a stand."

Sunset Shimmer then trotted toward the charred remnants of what had been a splendid tree and stood before it. With a look of fiery determination, she vowed! "I'm going to get back all the presents that were stolen! I'm going to save Hearth's Warming from that nasty old ram!"

"So it was that little Sunset Shimmer, herself just a child, set off alone on a most daring adventure with her goal clear in mind." The voice narrated as the page turned, showing the filly trotting through heavy snow and leaving tiny little hoofprints behind with every step she took.

Twilight and Smarty Pants followed the action close behind, trotting after Sunset and trying to call out to her. Yet they received no reply, either because of the strong winds or because they had to go along with the book. Yet they would not be deterred, they were determined to help their new friend face a foe that would make even the bravest of hearts tremble with fear.

As for the filly herself, she bravely pressed on despite having nothing on her to protect her from the harsh winds and the blinding snow. Fortunately, she easily kept herself warm by lighting up her horn, casting a spell that melted the snow around her.

In the blink of an eye, the unicorn filly had made her way up the side of a huge mountain. Accompanying her movements, the voice from before narrated. "Following the fearsome Grogar's hoofsteps, brave little Sunset, now calling herself Sun Bun, ascended the mountain the evil goat called home. She eventually found that he had nestled in for a long winter's nap deep inside a cave at the very top of the mountain." And then the scene changed as Twilight and Smarty Pants found themselves moving along with Sunset Shimmer, who was gingerly tiphoofing her way through the dark, dimly lit cave.

Trying hard not to make a sound, Sunset made a shushing motion with her hooves and whispered. "I must be very, very quiet. I don't want to wake up Grogar." As she spoke, it was possible to hear loud snoring echoing through the cave, adding to the eerie, ominous atmosphere.

Twilight shuddered with fear in spite of herself. "Everything I've ever read about Grogar tells me that he's too dangerous to even go near." She murmured, now regretting her earlier decision not to go to the bathroom before starting the story. Alas, she knew it was too late to back out now.

Fortunately, the voice narrating the story (which sounded a lot like Moondancer's voice) said in an upbeat and cheerful tone. "Sun Bun knew she had to move fast if she was to get back the presents and leave before Grogar woke up. Fortunately, she found the sack with the presents inside laying in a corner within a crevice where Grogar lay fast asleep. She crept towards the sack as she floated it over through the use of her horn, struggling not to drop it when she felt how heavy it was."

Sure enough, the filly groaned and grunted, and her horn almost twitched. The scene she was in now played out with her slowly dragging the heavy sack of presents along the floor of the crevice, all the while Grogar himself could be seen sleeping upon the ground. His eyes were shut tight, his snoring was so loud it made the whole cave shake. Yet he didn't seem to wake up, he appeared to be in a very, very deep sleep.

"Oh, I hope Sun Bun can make it out of there okay!" Smarty Pants nervously whispered. "If Grogar wakes up and finds her here, he'll surely capture her and keep her prisoner forever!"

"Smarty Pants, not so loud!" Twilight frantically whispered back!

Yet Sunset Shimmer didn't seem to acknowledge the noise or the commentary from the others, at least not until she was already nearing the cave entrance. "Hey, new friends, why are you here?! Did you come to help me save Hearth's Warming?"

Both alicorn and doll nodded, and Twilight Sparkle declared. "Yes, we're here to help, Sun Bun. We have to get out of here before it's too late."

The filly Sunset groaned. "Duh, you think I don't know that? If I could just teleport like all the great sorcerers, this would be a piece of cake. Now stop talking and start helping me with this sack, it's so heavy!"

Twilight and Smarty Pants followed Sunset, pressed into service as they trotted behind her to ensure that no presents fell out at any point. Slowly but surely, the cave entrance and the light of the outside drew near to them. They were almost out!

But then, suddenly, the whole cave started to shake and rumble ominously, as the voice from before declared in a dramatic tone! "Sun Bun was almost out of the cave, when suddenly she felt a rumbling, tumbling sensation that she knew wasn't coming from her! That meant only one thing: Grogar was waking up, and he was finding out that the presents he'd stolen were not where he'd left them. And mean old Grogar wasn't about to let this little thief get away, not if he had anything to say about it."

With a strangled, frantic "Eep", Sunset Shimmer made a mad dash for the cave entrance, the sack dragging behind her and bumping against every jagged rock or rock formation it came into contact with! Every bump caused small scratches to appear that gradually morphed into holes. The whole sack threatened to rip open and spill its contents at any moment!

All the while, a voice cried out from afar, sounding deep and menacing! "Fee, fy, foe, thumb! I smell the blood of ponies! Be they alive or be they dead, I'll grind up their bones to make my bread!" There was no mistaking who it belonged to, it was from Grogar himself! And it sounded like he was drawing nearer with every breath!

Luckily, just before Grogar could reach the thief making off with his sack of presents, the page turned as the brave (yet terrified) little filly managed to escape from the cave. Yet she now found herself facing a dilemma: How was she going to make it back down the mountain with the presents before Grogar could catch her?

Twilight and Smarty Pants were right on Sunset's tail, and they joined her in quickly looking all around to find the fastest way to get down the mountain. They knew they couldn't just walk down: Grogar would easily overtake them. They needed to find some other means of transport, and fast!

The dramatic voice continued to state aloud. "Sun Bun had escaped Grogar's clutches for the moment. But she knew she had to find a faster way to get down the mountain, or else her hard work would all come to naught. She looked all around, searching high and low. And that's when she spotted it, right out of the corner of her eyes."

Sure enough, just as the voice had finished speaking, little Sunset let out a gasp and pointed a hoof! "There it is!" She ran over to what could best be described as some kind of motorized vehicle that had giant skis and a large wheel-like thing underneath its body. "With this self-propelled snow thingy, I'll escape from Grogar!" She jumped onboard, quickly strapping on a pair of sunglasses. "This is gonna be fun!" She said with a smile and a grin. Then using her magic, she turned a knob, and the vehicle's engine began to rev up.

"Wait, don't leave us behind!" Smarty Pants and Twilight both yelled as they frantically ran to and jumped onboard the vehicle just as it began to speed away! With snow flying all around them, they were quickly given matching pairs of sunglasses by the driver of the vehicle, and slipped them on.

"The little filly had just started her descent, still holding onto the presents so tightly," The voice continued to narrate. "When suddenly, who should come gliding down the hill after her but the mighty Grogar himself?! He was getting closer and closer with each passing second!"

And indeed, Grogar was fast catching up to the little vehicle, even as it was clear that said vehicle was going as fast as it possibly could! "You foolish ponies! I am Grogar, I am all powerful! No one is stronger than me! No one! You fools have only earned the fate of being crushed by my incredible power!" He roared as he began building up power through the orbs on his collar, and as a bell hanging from his neck began to glow brightly and ominously.

Yet where one would've expected the little filly in the driver's seat to be afraid and frightened, crying for her mommy, Sunset Shimmer was brave and defiant. She didn't seem the least bit worried. "You're just a big meanie, Grogar! It's time somepony taught you a lesson!" She declared whilst sticking out her tongue.

"Insolent child!" Grogar bellowed! "Your disrespect and defiance will cost you dearly! Once I destroy you, all will bow before me!"

"And what happened then?" The dramatic voice seemed to ask as the story seemed to pause right where it was. "Well, in Equestria they say: Little Sun Bun had a very big idea that day."

That is exactly what was happening to the unicorn filly, as she by chance noticed something sticking out of the sack and poking its way up through one of the wrapped presents. She pulled it out and examined it with her magic, smiling as she realized what it was. It was almost like a cannon, except instead of heavy metal balls it was clearly intended to shoot off rockets, like the kind of rockets that were used to launch fireworks into the night sky. Holding aloft the weapon with her horn, she pointed it towards Grogar. "Hey, Grogar! I've got a present for you!" She roared in defiance!

Suddenly, the fearsome, evil ram froze right in his tracks! He took one look at the weapon and immediately became filled with dread. "N-no, wait!" He desperately tried to plead. "I... I was wrong. I see that now. I just... just..." He began to trail off, appearing to get lost in thought.

"Too late, Grogar!" Sunset replied as she took aim with the launcher, pressed a button with one of her hooves, and shot off a single rocket. The rocket whizzed through the air, making a great deal of noise in the process.

Yet to the surprise of Grogar, the rocket flew right past him without so much as grazing a single fur on his body. "Ha, you missed!" He wickedly laughed, now confident of his victory.

The little unicorn filly only flashed a knowing smirk as she simply replied. "Wasn't aiming for you."

The evil ram was silent and puzzled for a moment, before a terrifying realization hit him square in the muzzle! "No... you didn't..."

"... I did!" Sunset grinned. And it was the last thing she said before the rocket reached its intended destination. With a bang, it impacted a large plume of snow that had piled up on the mountaintop. The explosion disturbed the delicate balance, causing the whole snowbank to tumble downhill! Sunset didn't stick around to wait for it to catch her, she just started up the motorized vehicle again and sped away as quickly as she could.

Grogar, for his part, could only scream in horror as the avalanche overtook him and buried him completely! "Nooooooooo!" He bellowed, up until the snow covered him and cut him off. All that managed to poke its way up was his bell.

"Hey, nice bell you got there, Grogar!" An unfamiliar, heroic voice called out from above. "Hope you don't mind if I hold onto it for you. You won't be needing it where you're going." A pegasus pony then swooped down, snatched up the bell, and flew away towards the highest peak she knew of.

"And so, Gusty the Great took Grogar's bell to the peak of Mount Everhoof," The dramatic voice narrated. "Ensuring it would never see the light of day again. And without his bell, Grogar was weakened, no longer able to terrorize the innocent ponies of Equestria. Just like that, the holiday of Hearth's Warming was saved, all thanks to Sunset Shimmer. And she returned to the village with a hero's welcome, and a hero's feast."

As the page turned for one last time, Sunset (along with Twilight and Smarty Pants) found herself practically bathed in the village's adoration and admiration. "Hip hip hooray!" They chanted over and over again, praising the hero who had brought back their presents and defeated an evil none of them could've ever hoped to have even faced.

"And they lived happily ever after." The voice declared, bringing the story to an end.

Upon hearing those words, Twilight knew what she had to do. She waited until the villagers had finished celebrating Sunset Shimmer's victory over Grogar (complete with a feast of the most delicious foods one could imagine), then turned to the little filly and asked her. "Hey, Sun Bun?"

Giggling and licking her lips, Sunset replied with an innocent tone of voice. "Yes, Twily?"

The alicorn princess cleared her throat and made the proposal. "Why don't you come back with me? There's somepony who'd really like to see you. Somepony very important."

The little unicorn filly didn't hesitate to agree! "I bet they wanna shower me with praise too for what I did! I'll go anywhere you go, Twily. I'm ready."

Satisfied with the response, Twilight waited as she then felt a tingling sensation that signaled that Hayscartes' Method was being used to bring her, Smarty Pants, and this book's version of Sunset Shimmer out of the book.

After another puff of magic smoke, Twilight found herself back to her normal size and still in diapers. Her diaper was now a bit stained with damp patches, yet she wasn't worried. Smarty Pants was safely with her.

And there was Sunset Shimmer herself, regressed in stature and appearance to how she had appeared in the book. All that was changed was that she was now wearing a diaper as well, and was currently sitting in a bouncer whose colors perfectly matched her mane and tail colors. She was now excitedly babbling on and on as Princess Celestia stood by her, looking on with fondness and amusement.

"Oh, is that so? You had quite an adventure, didn't you?" Celestia cooed as she used one of her wings to tickle her new charge under the chin. "Yes you did. Yes you did."

Sunset giggled, kicking about. "S-top it, Mommy!" She tried to protest. "I did such a good job showing that poopy head Grogar who's boss!"

"Oh, he was a real meanie, wasn't he?" The sun princess retorted with a cheeky grin. "And to think, you defeated him all by yourself," She paused to wipe away a lone tear. "Oh, Sunset. You're growing up so fast. It seems like only yesterday you came into my life. And now look at you, you're getting big enough and brave enough to take on the world."

"Mommy, don't call me Sunset, call me Sun Bun!" The now diaper wearing filly pointed out. "And I'll always be here for you, no matter how big I get. I promise."

Moondancer, meanwhile, turned to the alicorn mare with a majestic white coat and asked her. "Princess Celestia, is it really okay for you to bring a fictional character into the real world? I don't know if I'm skilled enough to send her back into the book when all's said and done."

But Princess Celestia turned ever so slowly with a knowing wink. "Actually, Moondancer, I must confess to a little secret I had when I was setting all this up," Turning back to Sunset Shimmer, she explained. "This isn't the fictional Sunset from the book. It's Sunset Shimmer herself in pony. We arranged this all the moment I decided she should be Twily's next playmate."

"Really? You did this all for me, Mommy?" Twilight asked.

Celestia nodded. "Yes, and I will tell you more once we've changed your soggy diaper. It seems that even though he was only in a book, Grogar was enough to make you pee-pee yourself."

At that the diapered alicorn blushed bright red with shame and embarrassment as she felt herself be lifted into the air by her fellow princess' magic. "I... I didn't mean to." She insisted.

Sunset Shimmer couldn't resist making a teasing remark. "How is that I have more self control than you do, Twily? I may be back in diapers, but I haven't had an accident in them. I haven't wet the bed since I was three. Ask Sunbeam, she'll tell you. My potty training was smooth sailing all the way through."

"Oh really?" Princess Celestia seemed to playfully retort. "And just who was it, Sun Bun, who had to be re-trained with a proper toilet when she moved in to study with me? Or the one who flushed my crown down the toilet once out of curiosity?"

Sunset wined. "You're still mad about that? I said I was sorry. I only did it once."

The sun princess snickered. "Well, think of this as your long overdue punishment for such a naughty deed," After she had changed Twilight into a fresh diaper, she then trotted over to Sunset and said with a smile. "In all seriousness, though, I'm glad you agreed to come back. And that you agreed to take part in this little secret. I'd held onto that book of yours for so long. But I never imagined you'd want to be part of it."

The diaper wearing unicorn mare sheepishly replied. "Well, what can I say? You were very convincing," Then she asked. "You're sure this will just stay between you, Twilight, and..." She eyed the glasses wearing unicorn and frowned. "Moondancer, was it?"

Moondancer nodded. "Yes, that's me. And don't worry, tomorrow you'll be back to normal and back in that other world, and it'll be like none of this ever happened. But you can just name whatever it is you want as a reward from Princess Celestia."

Sunset Shimmer replied with a smile. "Honestly, just knowing that Princess Celestia isn't mad with me and still loves me after how my studies with her ended, that's enough of a reward for me."