Everything

Home sweet home.

Despite everything, it was still her home. She could tell, even now. She limped with every step, and one of her wounds was likely still bleeding– Her back full of stitches, bandages and cauterized burns– But even now, she couldn’t help but smile.

Stepping through the portal, she could guess where she was– But it was still strange.

They were in the basement of their Community Center, but it was warped nearly beyond recognition– Incredibly advanced technology filled the walls and corners of the room, and yet it was not messy– It was slick, incredibly streamlined, (Outside of papers and annotations and black boards littering the corners, of course.) It reminded her of what she had seen when she had fought Hermes– But only slightly.

There was a new magical mirror on the walls, a powerful conduit crystal connected to perfection in a corner, and she even came out of what seemed like a slick, technomagic gateway. Plenty of papers were stacked around tables and workbenches, and there were consoles with controls, switches and buttons– Even what seemed to be a screen with data– She had only seen something like this once before, technology beyond what she imagined..

The portal shut down behind them with a whirr and glow, perfectly stable.

There was family in the room waiting for her– And even more people giving her privacy, but she had to turn to her wife first.

“W-wow. This is nuts, Sparkles. I figured you’d use the lab upstairs…!” Sunset whistled with pride and surprise, looking around.

“Oh, we did! But, um–” She bashfully smiled. “I kind of, um, trashed it fighting another version of myself. Long story.”

“A-another version of– Sheesh, I figured this technology would be messy, but– What the hell–”

“--You’re here now.” She was nuzzled affectionately. “That’s all that matters– I’ll take you to meet the others upstairs when we’re done here–”

“--Sunset Shimmer.”

“Hey, kiddo.”

Queen Celestia and Flare Shimmer were side by side, smiling proudly at the sight of her.

“H-hey, mom!” She spoke vaguely, looking between the two of them. “Wow, am I happy to see you two…! Out there, in the multiverse, I–”

It was too late, she was pulled into a hug by the two of them, one she cherished, but couldn’t help but wince at the pain. She endured it, though– She endured it for the sheer joy of hugging her mothers.

“What did I tell ya?” Flare grinned proudly. “I told you she wasn’t going to break. I told you she’d be fine.”

“We’ve been worried, little one.” Celestia murmured, unable to stop smiling out of relief. “We’ve been so worried– These weeks have been difficult…!”

“Y-you’re telling me! Also ow, ow ow, you two are squeezing a bunch of really bad wounds–”

She was shushed into accepting the hug even further.

“We will provide you with extensive medical attention as soon as possible, little one.” The Queen affirmed with care, undoing from the hug. “As well, of course, as providing you with privacy with Twilight and more than enough time for you to rest and recover…!”

“Get frisky, Mustard. You earned it.” Flare elbowed her with a wink.

“I don’t think I’ll be getting frisky anytime soon– Have you seen me?” Sunset grimaced, still barely able to walk, demonstrating her torn wings. “B-but yeah. You don’t know how much I miss a full night of sleep. I had to get a Luna to curse me into going comatose a few weeks ago…! Speaking of Luna, is she…?”

“She is sorting out certain… Troubles with the Canterlot elite currently.” Celestia omitted. “Nothing you should worry about at the moment!”

“We’ll sort everything out in due time! We have time.” Twilight assured, kissing her on the cheek.

“Of course, Sparkles.” She snickered mischievously, kissing her back. “Where is everypony, anyways?”

“Well, we didn’t want to overwhelm you, so I limited the number of people that could be down here when we finally got you back…!” Twilight smiled awkwardly. “There's, um, kind of a crowd upstairs. And not just due to our friends.”

“Oh.” Sunset couldn’t help but feel giddy.

“Nonetheless, little one…!” Celestia came closer, smiling warmly. “I imagine you’ll want to get caught up on what has happened in your absence…!”

"Oh, wait till’ I tell YOU what I've been up to the past weeks. You won't fucking believe it." She couldn't help but chuckle lightly, shaking her head. "You all seem to have figured everything out here pretty fine! The wait time wasn't that rough on me– Mostly."

"A month, three weeks, five days and fifteen hours...!" Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. "...But who's counting?"

"I'm here now. I'm here." The Princess of Hope assured, nuzzling her, holding her-- They were near each other enough to touch the entire time. "...Well, it's good to see you two got along better in my absence, at least…!"

"Yes, indeed, well...!" Celestia murmured, suppressing something. "Flare and I have more qualities in common than we'd admit, on occasion...! Your absence allowed us to bond and discover more things about each other."

"Oh yeah. We discovered all sorts of things. Got along veeeeeeery well." Flare grinned knowingly.

Sunset blinked.

Sunset glared at her.

Sunset stepped forward.

"...Mom please tell me you didn't fuck Celestia while I was out. Mom, I've been out for a month. Please tell me you didn't fuck Celestia in that time. Mom, please."

More silence.

Celestia, flustered, ashamed, looked away.

Flare grinned.

"MOM!"

"What?! You told me not to tell you!" She stuck her tongue out, suppressing laughter. "Excuuuuse me, did you think you’d be the only member of our family that gets to deflower an alicorn? I don't think so!"

"BARELY TWO MONTHS, MOM! BARELY TWO MONTHS!"

“Sunsun, don’t overexert yourself, you’re wounded enough as is…!” Patting her gently with an apologetic smile, Twilight giggled. “Yeah, um, there’s a lot that happened in your absence.”

“But we can talk more about me and Celestia pounding it out if you’d like, sweetie.”

“NUH UH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“L-look, you must understand–” For once, the Queen of the Sun stammered slightly. “--It was a stressful few weeks for all of us. We bonded over raising you, over caring about you, we got, well, a bit drunk after attempting to compartmentalize the fact that Twilight has abandoned the crown, and well, one thing led to another–”

“You what–” Sunset’s gaze shot to her wife, who continued to smile awkwardly. “You abandoned the crown? W-what?!”

“Oh gosh, there’s a lot to explain…!” Bashfully, she snickered. “Well, it’s pretty simple. I wasn’t mentally up for taking the throne without you. And the royals and chancellors were demanding it… So I made a show of it. Dropped my crown and everything…!”

“O-okay. Okay. I mean, I’m really happy you prioritized your mental health, Sparkles. I am. But wow, this is a lot to take in.”

“We will figure it all out in due time, little one– Please, breathe. There is plenty we need to catch you up on…”

“I mean, if you want details on how me and Celie got it on–”

“--MOM–” Sunset took a deep breath, shook her head, then looked up at the Queen. “Celestia. In a universe, I met a Valkyrie named Faith. Is that name familiar?”

“F-Faith?!” Her eyes widened, incredibly attentive. “Faith, Faith Stem, Faith?!”

“Yep! I know where in the world she might be comatose, too. She might be alive in this universe.” Her eyes were serious, she briefly glared at her mother. “Isn’t that nice?”

Shamefully, quietly, the Queen took a single step away from Flare Shimmer.

Sunset’s mother groaned. “Hey, c’mon, what am I, chopped liver? Bah.” But then she grinned again, shrugging. “Hey, whatever. If she gets a Valkyrie girlfriend, I can work with that too.”

“O-oh, for the love of– Mom, give me a break, please, I’m at death's door enough as is.”

“Ketchup.” Flare finally put on an earnest smile. “I’m so happy, and so proud of you. And above all, I just don’t have any regrets. Accept or don’t that you have two moms, sweetie. No matter what, I’ll be happy and proud. And she will be, too.”

“Y-you–” The Princess of Hope’s gaze switched to Celestia, who seemed hesitant, fearful. “...Celestia, do you mean–”

“...Only if you are okay with it, little one.;;? Flare and I don’t plan to live together or even spend… Any longer together than we have to. B-but I… I’ve always cared so much about you. I know… I know I wasn’t all you hoped I would be–”

Sunset interrupted her with a hug. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how exhausted she was, she felt nothing but relief. “It’s okay, mom. It’s okay. It took us a while, but we figured it out.”

“W-we did, my little sun. We did.” She shuddered with an incredibly warm smile, hugging back tightly.

“Welp, this has been great–” Flare grinned once more, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek, and making her way to the stairs. “But it’s about to get pretty crowded here. If you need me, I’ll be upstairs with the other Sunsets.”

“Other… Sunsets plural?” With an eyebrow raised, the alicorn tilted her head. “...I thought you brought like, one or two here?”

Twilight’s smile became incredibly awkward. “...Right. So, here’s the thing–”

From the corner of the room, having been hiding behind machinery since Sunset had arrived, Spike complained. “Hey! Can we come out now? We’re getting tired of giving her privacy over here!”

“Spike, is that you? Nice!” Sunset smiled with excitement. “Who else do I need to meet?”

“Oh dear.” Celestia shook her head, letting out a weary, joking sigh. “She has no idea.”

“Let’s just rip the bandaid off.” Sunset Six walked from behind the machinery. “Hey, other me. Yeah, we’ve met. Twilight brought like a dozen Sunsets to this world, they’re all upstairs.”

“A DOZEN?!” Her jaw dropped, and she quickly reigned it in, breathing deeply. “Okay, sorry, but, which me are you?”

“...The Princess of Friendship in my world is Starlight Glimmer.” She murmured in annoyance. “Does that narrow it down?”

“Probably not, hah!” Spike joined them, scratching himself awkwardly. “Hey, Sunset! It’s really good to see you again– Twilight was going pretty nuts without you.”

“I can imagine. I’m glad you were here to help, Spike.” She smiled incredibly warmly.

“Hey, it’s what I do! I really miss the Dragonlands though– I hope Ember isn’t going nuts without me, too, heh. Oh! Here!!”

The little dragon waddled behind the black board he had been hiding on, and opened a cage.

Owlicious flew out of it, carrying Ray with him.

Sunset smiled incredibly excited as her fire salamander was plopped onto her muzzle, where it blinked slowly and stuck its tongue slightly out.

“Hey little guy! Oh, I missed you too…!” She murmured with a grin.

The owl hooted gleefully from atop Twilight’s back.

“I think he recognizes you– Must have been confusing, this entire time…!” Her wife smiled warmly.

“...Theeeere’s more where that came from. A lot more, actually.” Spike snickered. “Hey, you two, come on out now!”

Sunset’s ears twitched and her hide shivered as she saw a demon counterpart and another Twilight Sparkle emerge from the shadows.

“...You–”

“You’ve met us.” The demon spoke simply, hesitantly, with a similar weary stance as the alicorn had. “...You fought me, remember? It was pretty touch and go.”

Her own wife snickered, shaking her head. “...No, Sunny Bunny. She beat you pretty decisively.”

“Oh. I know who you two are.” Her teeth gritted slightly, she couldn’t help but feel tense. “...So you didn’t get caught or own up to your mistakes, huh. You just wound up… Here.”

“They’ve been wonderful help on this whole crazy process!” Her wife justified, with faith in them. “They can be trusted, Sunset. Don’t worry! The demon does anything her wife says, and she wants to help.”

“Y-yes!” The other Twilight nodded emphatically. “And we’re planning on trying to fix our world when we return, don’t worry. W-well, or simply face the consequences for our actions…!”

“Any second now, by the way.” Sunset Six groaned slightly. “Can we move this along, please? I want to go back home– My Twilight’s been in the dust for long enough– We have the technology.”

“She’s just grumpy because us Sunsets wanted to see you again before we all returned to our worlds, heh.” The demon snickered, shrugging. “To say… Well, thank you. For meddling.”

Her wife nodded, coming closer with a thankful smile. “...It might have felt like an intrusion, at first– But I’m fairly sure not one of us regrets your visit to our worlds…! Thank you. From all of us.”

“...Heh, yeah. At least we’re still together.” The demon nuzzled her Twilight affectionately, then snickered. “Also, if you’re worried about a Sunset being a threat, just wait till you visit our previous lab.”

“...What’s in the previous lab?” She raised an eyebrow.

“...You’ll see. Let’s just say some stuff happened.” Her wife grinned awkwardly.

“...Please, let’s keep moving with this.” Sunset Six mumbled. “Hermes! Come on out right now! Let’s rip this bandage off!”

“Hermes?” The Valkyrie’s expression hardened as her eyes narrowed.

Hesitantly, fearfully, the unicorn scientist manifested from behind a console.

And the entire time, Sunset watched his every movement, she glared at the reason this all had happened in the first place.

“Um… Hello. Hi.” He waved shily, sweating, as she towered over him. “Um… Remember me?”

“Yep.” She responded curtly, gritting her teeth. “Yep.”

“S-so, um let me preface any rash action of yours by saying that I’m, um, so sorry for what I did to you. To all of you, of course, but especially you!” He nodded nervously, almost bowing. “I, um, this technology, well… It’s not as useful as I had presumed it was. It doesn’t have that many practical uses, and well, I acted rashly–”

“Shut up.” The Princess of Hope commanded simply. “I’m alive. Despite what you did to me, I’m alive. I endured fucking hundreds of universes hoping that my wife would find me before I croaked. The curse you gave me? I wouldn’t wish it on my worst fucking enemy.”

“Y-yes, of course, and I’m sor–”

“I’m not done.” She stomped a hoof on the floor. “I survived fucking everything through the skin of my teeth. I fucking held on. And you know what…? I’m stronger for it. I’m stronger than I ever was before. I saved worlds. Billions of goddamn lives. I made myself useful, tried to use my time cursed by you well. Do you even understand what that is like? I presumed with absolute fucking justified certainty that I was going to die. And I still tried to use that time helping people… And I did.”

“...Yeah. She did.” Sunset Six noted quietly. “She really did.”

“I survived in spite of you and what you did to me. I survived in spite of the multiverse’s best efforts, Hermes. You have no idea.” The Valkyrie towered over him, glaring fiercely. “And if you helped my wife bring me back then, well… That’s good. You’re not the worst Hermes out there, I can say that with confidence, at least.”

Silence. The entire room was quiet with the surprise that the Princess of Hope wasn’t simply killing him then and there.

“...Oh!” He blinked in surprise. “Um, wow. A few of the Sunset’s were making bets that you would at the very least attack me. Wow. I’m, um, I don’t know what to say…!”

“I owe Sunset four thirty bits. Damnit.”

“Say sorry. And help us clean this mess.” she responded curtly. “And above all, above fucking everything, for all our goddamn sakes, never mess with technology you don’t fully understand ever again.”

“O-of course! Why would I!” He snickered nervously, but incredibly relieved. “Frankly, I’ve discovered all I wanted to– I’m fairly satisfied– N-not that this technology is more important than your lives, of course! I just mean, well– I just mean…”

The Princess of Hope raised an eyebrow.

“...I just mean that I am sorry. This technology’s utility is dubious at best, and I was wrong. No matter how innovative it is, it simply isn’t necessary. Our world has all we could possibly want in it– I no longer believe we need anything more…! A-and again, I am so, so sorry for what I did.”

“Good.” She nodded quietly, relaxing her posture. “...If nothing else… I got to help other worlds, because of your curse, despite everything…. Silver linings, at least.” She sighed and groaned, briefly turning to her wife. “...Of course you’d find a way to befriend him, heh. …I’m surprised you didn’t keep him locked up or something.”

“Oh! Hah!” Spike slapped a knee. “She totally did! In those first weeks he was in a cage that’d be considered small by Owlicious standards! She threatened to obliterate his limbs, even!”

“W-well, um, I deserved it!” Hermes chuckled, adjusting his glasses. “I imagine that Canterlot prison will be more comfortable… If that’s where I’m going, I suppose.”

Sunset and Twilight exchanged looks, ones that involved quick deliberation.

“...We still need to bring all the other Sunsets home.” Twilight affirmed simply. “So we’ll decide what happens to you after.”

“Excellent!” He smiled hopefully. “W-whatever it is, I understand. Thank you for not crushing my head like a soda can, haha!”

“I’m mulling it over.” The Princess of Hope spoke with narrowed eyes, studying him. Truthfully, the unicorn before her seemed utterly harmless. He was nothing like the counterpart that she had killed.

He seemed… Normal. A person that made mistakes and regretted them.

And she could write a book about that.

“Hey, um, before you head upstairs, well…!” Curiously, he tilted his head. “...Did you meet any other mes out there? I can imagine that in some other world, I might have studied multiversal travel as well– I couldn’t help but hope that well… Maybe we’d meet one!”

“You nearly did.” Her expression was hardened, unflinchingly. “Be careful what you wish for.”

“I’m… Not sure what you mean?”

“I’ll explain it later. I’m not in the mood for it right now–” She sighed, shaking her head. “I went through a lot of shit this past few weeks, let's leave it at that– There’s a lot I need to tell all of you.”

He nodded, wondering what she meant, and Twilight placed a wing over her. “...Let’s just go upstairs, my sun. Everypony is waiting, and the sooner we get you medical assistance the better…!”

“Of course! Let’s go!” She smiled warmly, and they walked side by side, followed by Celestia and Spike, while the others remained, leaving their pets behind as well.

She couldn’t help but irk at the sight– There were several Sunsets idling and chatting, even a few citizens of Ponyville, who cheered at her approach. She even spotted some friends, but they purposefully allowed to talk to her counterparts first.

“Twi, what the hell.” Sunset suppressed a chuckle. “Why are there so many mes here?! Were you holding out auditions for a replacement or something? Hah!”

“W-well, um, you see–”

Spike interrupted her, with justified annoyance. “She messed up while being too desperate to get you and brought a bunch of Sunsets here by mistake. And yes, if you must know, they’ve been here for weeks.”

Rolling her eyes and letting out a sigh, Celestia shook her head. “Well, it certainly could have gone a whole lot better… I suppose I am guilty of enabling her out of the same desperation– Luna was right and wise to vouch against this.”

“We fixed it! We’ll fix it!” The Princess of Harmony smiled awkwardly, but spoke with truthful certainty. “I-I wasn’t thinking straight without you around, I made mistakes– But we have the technology to send them home now! And we will!”

“...Alright, alright, just as long as we put them all back where they belong.” Sunset let out a sigh. “I like– Kind of sort of set up a lot of these Sunsets with their respective Twilights, actually, so it’s pretty disheartening to see you tore them from their homes before they got a chance to– Hey, didn’t I kill the Storm King for you?!” She couldn’t help but smile, seeing a familiar face.

“You sure did, man! Hey! Three cheers to the Sunset of the hour, eh?” Together, the Sunsets all cheered and clapped at the sight of the alicorn. “Took you long enough, huh? It’s nice to see you again, other me!”

“It’s good to be here! Hey, how did the whole ‘taking credit for me killing the Storm King thing’ go for you, anyways? I hope Tempest managed it fine!”

With an awkward smile, the Sunset with burn marks in her hide snickered. “Well, thing is– You’re here now, and I’m going back home soon– So you two are absolutely going to come over and help me explain what really happened, alright? Because I have no plausible or believable excuse for disappearing for two months.”

“It would be our pleasure, Sunset.” Celestia smiled warmly.

“Y-yeah, don’t worry!” Twilight nodded emphatically. “We’ll help explain to all your friends and families why you vanished– Hopefully help ease the transition back home.”

“You better.” The Mysterious Mare Do Well approached while shrugging. “Maud is gonna kill me for ghosting her like this– I’ll need you two to be there as shields.”

“...Holy cow, it’s the hero me– Damnit Sparkles, it was so hard getting her out of her shell, she was going to have a threesome and everything and you pulled her here?!”

“I’ve apologized to all of them, if it makes you feel better!” She let out a bashful smile. “But hey, it’s like you always say, apologies aren’t worth much, but actions are! We’ll get them home and make it right!”

“Again, you better.” The Hero of Ponyville groaned again. “I was finally done being in the shadows thanks to you, other me. I was so ready to try things differently– Hell, working with Twilight instead of in spite of her, I just–”

“--I’m really glad you made it work.” The Princess of Hope smiled warmly. “This is only the beginning of your legend, man. What kind of hero will you be now that you’re honest with yourself, huh?”

“...I don’t know.” She smiled confidently. “But I’m excited to find out.”

“Hey dudes. Quit stalling.” The Rockstar Sunset approached them. “Yo, other me. Remember me?”

“Kind of hard to forget. That show we played was legendary.” The Valkyrie winked. “...So my wife pulled you here during your tour…? I’m sorry, man.”

“It’s fine. It’s fine. I’m considering this an early vacation!” She grinned, bowing. “Oh, BTW, your Pinkie might have the hots for you now because of me. You’re welcome.”

“...You fucked my Pinkie, didn’t you.”

“We did a lot more than just fuck.” She grinned madly, putting her sunglassed back on. “Like I said. You’re welcome.”

“Oh my god–”

“We’ll sort it out later, Sunsun.” Twilight assured quietly. “Me and Pinkie, well, we talked a bit about it, and…!”

“I’ve got enough bombshells on me right now– do you mind if we discuss this when I don’t have semi-open wounds, Sparkles?” She smiled apologetically, flustered. “I can barely walk, I don’t think I’ll be able to handle Pinkie Pie having a crush on me.”

“Oh, it’s a lot more than a crush.” The Rockstar suppressed laughter. “Again, you’re welcome! Call me when you’re ready to send me back to my home– Oh and you two are absolutely going to explain to my Pinkie why you ruined our tour.”

“Fine by me.”

“Sounds fun, even!”

“Move the line along, please, I’m about two months late for a date.” One of the Sunsets mumbled in annoyance. “Hey, other me.”

“...Okay, work with me here. Have we met?”

“Oh. I’m not wearing my armor.” She noted, in quiet annoyance. “My Princess of Friendship is Moondancer. Your meddling set me up to be Celestia’s pupil again, and Moondancer even wanted to study close to me– And you’re going to explain to her and my Celestia just why I’ve been gone for so long, yeah?”

“Oh dear. This is going to be a whole thing, isn’t it?”

“You bet your ass it is.” The Vampire Sunset chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Hey, it’s been nice to meet our other selves, get perspective– But we’re just about ready to go home. And well. You two got some explaining to do to our friends and families.” She paused for a moment, shrugging. “...Though for the record, you don’t have to do it for me. I don’t have either.”

“Not if we got something to say about it.” The Princess of Hope grinned. “We’ll set you up when we’re there.”

“Hooray…!”

“H-hey! Um, hi. Remember me?” One of the Sunsets waved a bit shily.

“...Sorry, you’ll have to be more specific, I’ve met hundreds of me by now...”

“Yeah, I’m the only Sunset here with no experience at magic, basically– It’s weird for me too.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I’m from the world that has the Power Ponies. Oh, not as just a comic.”

“Oh! Shoot! Yeah!” She nodded along. “That world was super weird. …How have you been enjoying this one?”

“It’s great! A bit of a lot to get used to, especially with the whole magic nonsense– But I’m glad I’m here– Even if only for a moment. I learned a lot! It sure beats an office job, too.”

“...Well I’m glad not all these other mes got majorly inconvenienced.” The Valkyrie let out a weary sigh. “It’s good to see you again.”

“...Yep! Also you’re absolutely going to tell my Twi why I disappeared. I don’t imagine a superhero is going to handle her crush being missing for two months very well– And well, she’s already met you, so…!”

“True, true, we’ll take care of it…!” She snickered.

Spiked walked back into the room, waving. “Hey, um, your friends are getting impatient. I told them they can’t group hug you too hard, though!”

“T-thanks, Spike. Let’s go see them!” She limped forward, and her wife followed along gleefully.

Twilight helped her up the stairs, where she struggled and limped through them– Even offered to teleport them if needed, but Sunset wanted to walk.

Waiting for them was Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy– They waited with absolute excitement and joy, and ran to her with glee when she arrived.

“Easy on the hugs! Easy!” Twilight warned, but couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of their friends embracing her wife so lovingly.

“WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!” Pinkie blurted out through tears. “W-WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH SUNSET, WE WERE SO WORRIED!!!”

“I’m here, Pink. I’m here!” She laughed wearily through their embrace. “I’m okay, everypony.”

“Holdin’ the fort without ya’s been rough, partner!” Applejack hugged her tightly. “Equestria needed you back somethin’ fierce!”

“Oh, Equestria is one thing, darling. But Twilight?” Rarity snickered. “You’ll be proud to hear that after a few unravelings, she managed to compose herself quite well in your absence.”

“And we’re all very proud of her!” Fluttershy noted truthfully. “We love you both– And it’s so nice to know this whole ordeal can be put behind us…!”

“After some major cleanups, hah!” Rainbow Dash snickered. “But spill, dude! You’ve been to a bunch of universes, right? What other crazy versions of us did you meet?? There’s gotta be some awesome stuff you’ve seen!!”

“Well…!” She hesitated with a smile– There was a lot that came to mind, a whole lot. From worlds where her friends were evil, to not heroes, to living their fondest dreams, to enjoying normal lives– They generally had it good, out there. That seemed to be constant.

“...Well, Pinkie was a rockstar in one, and in another, she became an alicorn– I kind of helped her steal Discord’s powers, it was pretty crazy.”

“W-woah!! I became an omnipotent superbeing!!” Pinkie gasped. “That sounds about right!”

“I did see a universe where Applejack was a sheriff– Oh, and one where she was a vampire hunter. I didn’t really get to meet many of you, because my counterparts were, well… Usually far.”

“Oh yeah. The vampire world. We been told!” Applejack snickered, shaking her head. “C’mon, I’m sure there’s crazier than that!”

“Well, Rarity was the vampire queen in that world, that’s something!” Sunset chuckled. “And in another, she ruled as Nightmare Rarity– But, um, was distracted. By Applejack.”

“That checks out, darling.”

“I did see a world where Fluttershy was the sole survivor of the Everfree forest covering all of Equestria…” Sunset’s expression softened. “Well, the forest didn’t harm her, and she–”

“--It’s okay, Sunset.” The shy pegasus smiled warmly. “I don’t need to know about other mes. I’m pretty happy as I am!”

“Dude, dude, dude!” Rainbow Dash, emphatically, gleefully flapped her wings. “You’re mulling over too much of the easy stuff! Get real, c’mon; What’s the craziest, weirdest universe you saw!?” She grinned expectantly.

“Oh.” The Princess of Hope let out a chuckle. “That one’s easy.”

“W-what the hell are these things?! Why am I wearing so many clothes, what the fuck are YOU?!” The Princess of Hope bellowed in disbelief as she was sitting on the floor of Sunset Shimmer’s apartment. “What the hell is wrong with this universe– A-are you some kind of hairless ape impression of me?!”

“C-calm down, calm down, breathe!” Her human counterpart had her hands up as if surrendering, being as confused as her other self was. “What you’re talking about is fingers! You have fingers now– Slow down, and just wait a second– Wow, you are super jacked–B-breathe, I’m not an enemy!”

“W-what the fuck, what the fuck–” She struggled to sit up, moving her strange limbs, feeling the hard floor, glancing around carefully. “Where’s my horn. WHERE’S MY WINGS?!” She demanded.

“W-wings?!” Her counterpart recoiled. “Y-you have wings?!”

“I… I can barely feel magic!” The alicorn turned human complained, getting on all fours. “How are you walking like that?!”

“Easy. Easy!” Sitting down before her, her counterpart extended a hand. “...Look, I’m going to read your memories, okay? That’ll help me understand what’s going on with you.”

“You can read memories too? How–”

The Valkyrie grabbed her wrist before she could extend a hand– Both their powers working as intended, triggering simultaneously as they cycled through each other's memories– Only to let go and both fall on their backs in shock.

“...Friggin figures!” Sunset Shimmer let out hearty laughter, covering her eyes with a hand, turned to the ceiling. “Figures, I had a weekend off away from Equestrian magic acting up, then you’d show up and wreck my afternoon…! And you’re an alicorn. Of course you are.”

“So… This is a mirror dimension.” The Princess of Hope murmured, observing her calloused hands, the strange clothes she wore, her new skin, the strange architecture around them, and even hearing the noises of the city outside, considerably calmer now. “...I’ve seen worlds that change the rules, but– This is so strange…!”

“You’re telling me, man.” Her counterpart groaned. “I’m used to seeing weird things, but– This is a weird one, even for me. The girls aren’t going to believe this crap…!”

“...There’s an Equestria, one you’re from, but you’re not there. You’re not native to this mirror world.” She mumbled, narrowing her eyes.

“...Yeah. And you have the same powers as me– Despite not having a geode…”

“...You’re a runaway.” Grunting, the alicorn covered her face in frustration. “You ran all the way to a different dimension, too– I swear, the fucking lengths the other mes will go to–”

“Now, hold on.” Her counterpart sat up, leaning on one knee. “That’s unfair.”

“Really?” Raising an eyebrow, the Valkyrie mimicked the same motion. “Prove it.”

“Look deeper. Look at the now.” Her other self countered, coming closer, extending a hand. “Look at my present. Not just my past.”

The Princess of Hope accepted it, coming closer.

They held hands again, and looked through each other’s memories without judgement.

A lifetime of failures, only for her to find her place where she went to escape.

She had been forgiven, then she had redeemed herself, she had managed to find her worth, find her place.

Her place with six very important girls.

And one of them mattered above the rest.

I am Sunset Shimmer.

I ran away. And I wanted to steal a crown– I was rightfully punished for it, too. I was beaten down into the dirt, I showed my true colors, I tasted all my failures.

And I got back up.

They helped me up.

I tried again and again. I did better. I became better. I surrounded myself with friends, with allies– I became a leader. The leader I never understood I needed to be– Even better than the leader I had always hoped I could be.

I don’t need anything more or anything less than this.

I am Sunset Shimmer.

And I am home.

Sunset Shimmer smiled.

Above everything, despite everything, there was a place in this world for her.

“...My past is not today, huh?” The Princess of Hope grinned, nodding, letting go of her hand, understanding it after all. “...Look at you.”

“...Look at me!” She grinned in response. “C’mon. If you only have one hour here, I want to at least teach you to walk– In case you wind up in more human worlds out there.”

Carefully, she helped her muscular counterpart up, even struggling with her weight– And helped her walk, one step at a time.

It took them some time– But the Princess was a quick learner.

She moved a few times carefully, and then got daring, shifting her weight, waving her limbs, fidgeting with her fingers, beholding her body on a mirror.

“...Arms are so weird. Why are mine so big?” She murmured, waving them around in weird angles, trying to get a grasp on them.

“...Totally an alicorn thing, I’m sure! You’re a warrior, after all.” Her counterpart shrugged awkwardly. “...Definitely not an indicator that I need to work out more.”

“From where I’m standing, every Sunset needs to work out more.” She crossed her arms, and marveled at how natural the motion was– Then extended them to try punching the air. “Maybe you just need the incentive? Don’t you ever get into fights?”

“Meh, most of our fights are won just by friendship lasering our enemies.” She shrugged and tossed an apple at her counterpart. “Here, you must be hungry–”

The Valkyrie grabbed it mid air by instinct– And squeezed so hard it popped.

“...Oh. Are hands supposed to do that?” She looked at the mush in her palm.

“Nope. Wow, fuck.” Her other self affirmed with disbelief, watching the mush drip to the floor. “Okay, here comes another apple, don’t squeeze this time.”

This time she succeeded– But her other elbow shot back, piercing the drywall behind her. Then by turning too fast in surprise, she knocked a lamp over with her shoulder that crashed on top of a shelf and tumbled several books over.

“S-sHOOT, STOP MOVING!”

“...Human homes sure are fragile!” The Valkyrie looked around in confusion. “Here, let me help–” She noted before almost knocking the entire shelf over.

“Nononono stop, stop, just stand over there, I’ll fix it–” Her counterpart ran over. “Damnit, my landlord is gonna be so pissed, how am I going to explain this– Hey sir, a super buff counterpart of mine from another dimension was basically a big horse in a china shop and wrecked everything.”

“Sorry. This body is really weird.” She tried standing normally while taking a bite out of the apple, only to drop it after. “Shit–”

“--Yeah, when I first came here I dropped things all the time too– It’s hard not to, we’re so used to making things float…”

The alicorn had to bend down and grab the apple, with it accidentally knocking a chair over.

The Valkyrie tried helping to reorganize the apartment, with questionable success.

…Then a question came to mind. One that was pretty obvious in retrospect.

“...So. Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yep.” Her other self continued to work absentmindedly. “What about her?”

“...There is one in this world. You work together, don’t you?”

“Not ‘work’. We save the world together and are in the same school. We’re friends.”

“Friends.”

“Yep. Just friends.”

“Yep. Just friends.” She narrowed her eyes judgmentally. “...I looked into your memories. You can’t lie to me.”

“She has a boyfriend.” her other self tensed, standing up. “Don’t even go there.”

“A boyfriend, of course.” She groaned, rolling her eyes. “Who is it?”

“Some guy. You don’t know him, I imagine.” She shrugged, turning back to work. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t, mostly. So you shouldn’t either.”

“You don’t, ‘mostly’?”

“It’s not my business to call out my friend's partners for dubious behaviour, alright? That’s all.” She huffed, trying not to get riled up. “I’m a shoulder to cry on at worst. Supportive friend at best.”

“...Some guy.” The alicorn judged her silently. “Twilight Sparkle is dating some guy. And you let her slip away?”

“Oh my god, I didn’t let anything ‘slip away’– Give me a break, alright?! She can do whatever she wants!” She turned to her other self angrily. “It’s not like I made a move on her! I don’t even know if I like her like that!”

“Yes you do.”

“Okay, it’s easy for you to judge me from your happily married soulmate high horse, but–”

“--High horse? What?”

“It’s a human expression, sorry.” She facepalmed. “Look, what I’m trying to say is– If there’s one thing I care more about my feelings for her, it's her own happiness. She can–”

The doorbell rang. Both of them took instinctive attentive battle stances.

Sunset inhaled sharply, shaking her head– Quickly, frantically checking her phone, and letting out an exasperated yelp. “S-shit, I forgot! I forgot to check my messages since you started wrecking everything–”

“--What’s that?” Arms crossed, the Valkyrie narrowed her eyes at the phone.

“It doesn’t matter– What matters is Twilight is coming to show me one of her favorite shows and I don’t need you here wrecking everything–”

The doorbell rang again.

“I’ll get it.” Passively, the Valkyrie walked forward towards the door. “How do you open this?”

“It’s a pull door! Look, let me just–”

Twilight Sparkle, who was expecting to have an entirely normal evening with her best friend, was greeted to a bizarre sight.

Her best friend, significantly taller, considerably more muscular to an awe-inducing degree, covered in scars, and above all, having accidentally ripped off the door to her apartment right off its hinges.

“S-Sunset?! Sunset?! What?!?”She stuttered and gasped, face reddening instantly.

“Your door is really fragile!” The Valkyrie complained to her counterpart deeper in the apartment, dropped said door onto the floor with a slam, then turned to the girl before her. “...Hm. I guess you do look like a hairless ape Twilight Sparkle.”

“W-what, huh, Sunset, what happened to you–”

She stepped closer, and sniffed the air. “...You kind of smell like Twilight Sparkle, too.”

“Smell????????”

“HEY HI SORRY!” This world’s Sunset quickly tried pulling her counterpart aside with questionable results. “This is another Sunset from another universe! She won’t be bothering us for long! Don’t worry about it, I have everything under control!”

“Less than an hour.” The Valkyrie muttered simply, as she studied this world’s Twilight with her gaze. “She’s really small.”

“Actually, you’re really tall!” Her counterpart complained. “Please, come inside! Sorry, sorry Sparky, I didn’t see your message. I was distracted, as you can see.”

“U-um… Yes.” She affirmed quietly, as she walked inside the apartment, giving the valkyrie an analytical side eye. “She, um, why does her body look‘different’…?”

“She’s an alicorn, don’t worry about it. L-look, she’ll be gone soon, then we can go watch that show you wanted, alright? Hangon, I still have to tidy up the mess she made–”

Clumsily but easily, the Princess of Hope picked up the fallen door and placed it in front of the door-less hole before them.

Frantically, the other Sunset tried fixing the room, all while Twilight slowly inched closer to the Valkyrie.

And before she could notice, the Princess of Hope took a step forward and was right before her. “...I’ve never been to a human dimension before. It’s strange.”

“W-what's strange? N-nothing’s strange!!” Twilight’s voice squeaked in surprise as she desperately tidied up her glasses, trying and failing not to study the Valkyrie’s body with her gaze.

“Everything, kind of.” She shrugged, but extended a palm. “...Hands are weird.”

Carefully, Twilight extended a hand to meet hers.

“...May I?”

“...Sure.”

“...Fingers are a bit more delicate than hooves, I-I guess…!” The human murmured, while handling the Valkyrie’s hands carefully. “...But they’re pretty useful for more delicate, direct tasks…!”

The Princess of Hope watched in surprise, how easily fingers interlaced together.

Shily, Twilight inspected the Alicorn turned human’s fingers, the roughness, the scars that extended from her forearm to her biceps.

And all throughout, The Valkyrie stood still, feeling her small fingers run over her skin.

“...Your scars, you…!” Slowly, Twilight moved a hand to cup the alicorn’s cheek, brushing a thumb over the bridge of her nose. “...What happened to you…?”

Sunset closed her eyes, and let out a weary sigh, feeling the fingers brushing the side of her face, the static that came with Twilight Sparkle’s love for Sunset Shimmer.. “...I changed my mind. I like hands now.”

She would have to go soon.

In the lives of these two, this would be another footnote, another strange happenstance.

Hours later, when they tried pretending everything was normal, long after Twilight had regretted not asking the Valkyrie a million questions about multiversal travel, she would come to a startling realization.

“...Sunset?” She asked quietly, huddled on the couch, sitting next to her best friend at a distance she now wanted to close.

“...Yeah?” The unicorn turned human raised an eyebrow, pausing the show they were watching. “What’s up?”

“Um…” She danced around the words, interlocking her fingers together, looking away, cheeks red. “...What’s that word for the thing you said you are…?”

“...Unicorn?” She raised an eyebrow.

“N-no, no, not that…!”

“Punk?”

“N-no, not that either–”

“You’re gonna have to be a lot more specific, Sparky.”

“It’s, um, well, you’re attracted to boys and girls, right…!?”

“Oh. You mean bisexual.”

“Y-yes! Yes. Yes, sorry. That.”

“...Yep. What about it?”

“...I, well… I think I…!”

“...Yeah?”

“...I think I might be that.”

“...Oh.”

Sunset had to contain her laughter– she had to suppress the desire to express the irony of another version of herself being responsible for this awakening, and what it could mean for their future.

After all, they were having a simple normal evening now, just as friends.

But what could tomorrow bring?

…She was excited to find out.

“...Good for you, Sparkles.”

“...Captain Shimmer? Damnit, my wife brought you here too?!” The Princess of Hope groaned as they reached the last floor and saw her counterpart sitting diligent by the door of their old lab.

“Indeed she has. And now she got you back too. It’s good to see you’re still drawing breath.” She grinned slightly, nodding.

“It was touch and go.” Her expression softened, as she tilted her head. “…So, did you work things out with your Twilight…?”

“I did. Incredibly.” Her smile widened even more, but she remained professional. “...Of course, now she must think I’m dead or ran away from her for nearly two months. Which is why you’ll both be present for explaining both to my Twilight and my Celestia why you kidnapped me.”

“Of course! Of course.” The Princess of Harmony assured. “A-and again, I’m so, so sorry for ever inconveniencing you like this– We’ll bring you home as soon as everyone is ready, okay…?”

“Actually I don’t mind being at the bottom of the priority list.” She muttered, looking into their old lab. “...Not only due to the fact that you should prioritize moving certain more dangerous versions of us, but– Well, I’m–”

“--You’re nervous, aren’t you…?” Softly, gently, the Princess of Hope suggested. “...I get it.”

“...Yes. Honestly, I was making peace with dying in this world far from home. I was honestly getting ready to submit my application for captain of this royal guard.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I… Didn’t think we’d win.”

“Get used to it, other me.” Sunset smiled confidently. “You’re going to keep winning in your world, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She grinned, matching her confidence. “I am.”

“Good.”

“Well– If you two are going to watch those two, I’m taking a break.” She shrugged and smiled, making her way down the hall. “Try to get some rest, other me. Your world still needs you.”

“Likewise.”

Together, they watched the Captain leave, and Sunset let out a sigh. “...Are we close to done? I’m so tired, honestly, I’ve been thinking about our bed since I got here– Getting some professionals to look at these wounds would be nice, too– I know it’s only been a little bit since I arrived but–”

Her wife silenced her with a kis, and spoke gently. “...Only two more. Then we’ll rest as much as you need, okay…? You can stay in bed for months if you need to, I don’t care.”

“Okay. Two more.” She smiled warmly, kissing back, then making her way inside the room. “I’m kind of curious, though. I wonder who could possibly–”

She stopped.

The room had been repaired recently, she could tell clear as day how much damage had been done here before. What was most surprising, of course, were the two residents of the room.

There were two cages, made comfortable, but incredibly secure.

One housed the Undead Valkyrie, who stood up as soon as she saw her counterpart– She had a cuff around her horn, but it was only a formality, no chains bound her, and this cage couldn’t hold her. She was there for this world’s safety by choice.

The other housed Twilight Sparkle. Another Twilight Sparkle. One chained by the horn and neck, movement limited– The horn cuff was incredibly secure, the cage had dozens of magic nullifying runes. She gasped at the sight of Sunset Shimmer, her eyes held tremendous sorrow.

Sunset noted that her wife placed a careful wing over her upon entering the room, coming even closer than she previously had been.

“H-holy shit– That other me, she–”

“...Yes. She’s an alicorn.” Her wife came closer, bringing her with her, perfectly calm, perfectly comforting. “...She comes from a dimension where you died in the war against the Argent. She and her Twilight, well… They’re both like this.”

“...Fuck.” The Princess of Hope murmured, watching the undead monster that watched her. “...She seems… Surprisingly tame.”

“She can understand us– She’s still Sunset Shimmer.” Twilight smiled, tapping the cage lightly. “We’ve had to feed her fish– But she’s helped us too– She’s as interested in going back home as any other Sunset.”

Slowly, the undead alicorn placed a hoof outside the cage, extending it to her counterpart.

Hesitantly, Sunset touched it.

Don’t waste this gift.

Don’t waste your life.

Just like I haven’t wasted my death.

Twilight Sparkle is a gift.

Living with her is a gift.

Cherish her. She is–

“--Everything.” The Princess of Hope completed, nodding. “...Don’t worry. We’ll get you back to her, too.”

The zombie recoiled, nodding in agreement, sitting obediently– Pointing to the side, to the other cage.

“...And why is she… In a cage?”

Inside, was a Twilight Sparkle, one that regarded her with infinite regret.

“H-hello, my sun…!” The caged Twilight murmured with saddened eyes, and still, she couldn’t help but smile apologetically. “...So, um, remember when I said I couldn’t move on…?”

“N-no– Don’t tell me– Oh, damnit–”

“This Twilight Sparkle met you, and she was already mourning her version of you.” Her wife spoke somberly by her side, with a wing over her. “...And meeting you made her want to come here. To try her chance at meeting you again. By any means necessary.”

“W-when I begged you to move on, I didn’t mean another world, Twilight!” The Valkyrie muttered in disappointment.

“I-it’s over already. It’s over. Let’s not discuss it…!” The caged Twilight murmured looking down in shame. “I’m just happy I got to see you again…!”

“She wanted to replace me.” The Princess of Harmony muttered, with eyes narrowed. “I didn’t let her.”

“I-I’m sorry…!” Her counterpart looked right at what could have been her wife. “...I’m so sorry, Sunset…!”

“...We’ll… We’ll help you. We’ll fix it.” The Princess of Hope tried assuring. “When we take you back to your world, We’ll– we’ll think of something.”

“T-there’s only one thing I need…! You know that.” She muttered quietly, shamefully.“But… Thank you.”

“I already talked to her about acceptance– She has to be able to do what she can with the life she was given.” The Princess of Harmony shook her head. “...And if she wants to fight against natural law, the least she can do is, well…” She shot a quick glance towards the undead Valkyrie. “...Try to keep casualties to a minimum.”

“I’m… Shit, I’m sorry.” With a resigned sigh, the Princess of Hope looked down. “I… I was just trying to help, w-when I met you, I…”

“--You probably shouldn’t have kissed her.” Her wife raised a smug eyebrow. “...But I digress. Over here…!”

Gently, she led Sunset to the balcony, with her wife muttering one final apology to the Twilight behind her.

Together once more, alone at last, they sat together, bathed in the light of the setting sun, behind the distant mountains, and below them, Ponyville was as lively as it had ever been.

A few of the Sunset Shimmers peeked curiously from the door to the lab, from afar– Poorly concealing themselves.

“...I’m sorry that she, well– I’m sorry that my influence made her cause some trouble…!” Sunset murmured as she looked at the Everfree forest, which would need to be regrown, with ponies working there even now. “S-seeing a version of you that l-lost me, I– I couldn’t–”

“My Sun…!” She spoke incredibly gently, her expression softening. “...It’s okay. I can’t blame her for wanting you…! After all, she’s me…”

That resulted in a chuckle from the Princess of Hope, who brushed muzzles with her wife, incredibly close. “...Y’know, if there’s one upside to these weird months…! Is that I got to meet other versions of you. I got to help other versions of me feel the same way I feel about you…! I fell in love with you in every universe I saw.”

“Hihihi…!” Kissing her softly, suppressing her giggles, her wife raised an eyebrow. “...You were planning to use that line for a while, weren’t you?”

“Depends. Did it work?”

Her response was a passionate kiss.

They remained that close for a moment– Simply enjoying each other’s embrace, a respite that had been long overdue.

Sunset couldn’t help but laugh. Laugh at her fortune and misfortune, laugh at everything, laugh weakly, simply, laugh genuinely.

Her gaze moved to her counterparts, who even now watched her from the doorway in the distance– Curious at how their love was up close.

“...You know, it’s funny. With all these other Sunsets here, you could have easily replaced me.” She turned to her wife with a joking grin. “How many mes are worth me, heh?”

“Sunset. Look at me…” Twilight’s expression became serious, but nonetheless entirely filled with love, with its multitudes towards the Princess of Hope– And she spoke earnestly, genuinely, speaking words only the luckiest Twilight Sparkles got to ever mutter.

“...I wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world, in any world.”

Sunset had no response. There were no words left to be said except the simplest ones, the ones that meant the most.

“I love you, my Star.”

“I love you, my Sun.”

And there they remained, as loving as they had ever been, until it was time.

After all, there always came a time.

For Sunset… That time was a single hour.

A strange light began enveloping her, one she had come to know intimately, and her eyes widened, she dreaded what was to come– The realisation set in incredibly fast, and acceptance came even faster.

“O-oh no, oh no…!” Twilight took a step back, realising just as fast. “T-the curse! We didn’t break it! N-no, I just got you back, I-I–”

“Twilight.”Sunset spoke incredibly calmly, with an incredibly warm, loving smile. “...Find me again, will you?”

Tears in her eyes, smiling with desperation and love, the Princess of Harmony came closer. “I-I will! I promise! I’ll find you again– As many times as it takes!!”

For as long as they could, they kissed- there were no words needed to be exchanged. Their promise was sealed with a kiss, as was their fate– They would be together again.

Only when she was gone completely did Twilight open her eyes.

Once again, Sunset had been taken from her.

Once again, Sunset had been taken from her world.

But this time… She had not taken hope with her.

And there, bathed in the light of the setting sun, shedding tears, the Princess of Harmony smiled.

She turned to the other Sunsets in the room– The ones that watched hesitantly.

And she smiled even more, heart as full of hope as it had ever been.

“...Well? What’s everyone standing around for? Let’s break this curse and bring my wife back!”

Author's Note

~The End ~

...So I kind of want to write an epilogue.

I know, I know, damn, so close to the finish line and I move the goal post, heh. This is the official ending, its what I had always planned to be! And I'm so, so satisfied with finally seeing it done.

...But I want to write an epilogue where together, Sunset and Twilight Prime send all of their multiversal visitors back to their homes, give them their final advices, and then just go back home to take a huge breather. So y'know what, I'll do that next.

...Still though! I hope this enormous fic was satisfying, engaging, fun, and resonated with you somewhat. I started this a year ago when I was still getting used to writing, and finishing such an enormous project feels so, so damn satisfying. I am taking a BREAK after this, fr.

The saddest loss in this whole fic... Sunset's armor got busted
I had an idea for the next design tho, the next armor she'll have made for her-- It's a mixture of gold, white, and some parts, like the feather guards are rainbow colored, heh. But I probs won't draw it because it's HARD

Speaking of taking a break-- The Prime universe is probs gonna force Sunset to be bedridden for a while. her wife and Celestia are just going to make SURE she heals from all those wounds correctly even if they have to tie her to the damn bed.

But, well, as soon as she can move properly, the inheritors of night and day are getting frisky.

I am reminded strongly of these images, lmao.

It's worth stating, this ending is definitively happy. There's no approaching subversion or new threat after this, or rather-- There's absolutely nothing that these two together can't outmatch. They've become some of the strongest versions of themselves they possibly could be in the multiverse, and that will reflect in the future of their world.

Like. Opaline? You're joking, right? She wouldn't stand a fucking chance.

I strongly believe Opaline only won because of how much in a bad space the finale of G4 left things-- Twis friends are growing older and will die, she's utterly alone, and racism is simply one nudge away from returning. Twilight might as well have thrown the match, she took all the magic with her, too.

And meanwhile, when Twilight actually has everything that a solo ruler lacks, love, hope, and companionship through all hardships, she's unstoppable.

They would dunk on her like she's NOTHIN.

This is my definitive good ending. This is not only the strongest versions of these characters I could possibly come up with, but its also the happiest, I'd say. And I'm so proud of what I did here. God I love these two characters.

...One final aside: Equestria girls. That one scene where Sunset Prime drops in the human world, that was a flashback to the first experience she ever had with it!

This is just my own little cheeky note, but personaly, that is the world from 'canon', one in which Sunset stayed in the human world, as far as we know-- The same canon that supported her bi identity, and had Twilight with Timber by the end.

...But hey, even the artists of the show were drawing Sciset stuff in the background. I have no problem at all considering it canon, and hey, if a certain Valkyrie helped it happen, all the better, heheh.

...And talk about an awakening, huh. Twilight thinks she's straight and then meets an amazon version of her best friend who straightup tells her she smells nice and lets herself be touched.

I joked with one of my proofreaders that this would make scitwi try to subliminally get her Sunset to exercise-- An effort she would barely need to make after that Sunset saw how she could look if she put an effort lol.

Behold, the happiest Twilight in the multiverse.

...Ah, this gets me itching to write more Equestria girls stories proper. Soon, soon.

Sunset Shimmer... This character has permanently altered my psyche. This is a honor few can achieve, and the damage is irreversible. My god, it feels good to be so creatively charged, even if its for the sake of a pony show for little girls, lmao. I regret nothing 👌

Either way. I hope you've enjoyed this crazy, crazy ride through the multiverse.

More will come.

See you at the epilogue, 'Dear Sunset Shimmer...' ✨☀️