Once the dancing was done, Rachael handed Sunset a wrapped box.

“What’s this?” Sunset asked.

“A little something that the girls and I wanted to give you for your birthday,” Rachael explained. “Unfortunately, you were missing all year. You can use it to remember us until we hopefully meet again.”

Sunset opened the present and saw that it was… “An iPad?!” she exclaimed. “Thanks, girls! This is so thoughtful!” She hugged them gratefully.

“Twilight, Spike!” Pinkie called. “Get in on this group hug, too!”

They did so with Spike being between Rachael, Fauna, Sunset, and Twilight. After they broke apart from the group hug, they smiled at each other.

“We promise we’ll look after Susan,” Ashleigh said honestly.

Sunset nodded and looked back at Susan, who was looking back at her from the torn school entrance.

“...I'll be right back,” she said before she ran over to Susan and gave her a gentle hug. Susan was utterly confused by this action. “Here’s to hoping you get the better life you truly wanted.” The other girls overheard and were as confused as Susan as Sunset headed for the portal.

“What do you mean by that?” Rachael asked.

“I think it’s best you let Susan know she won’t need to live in a constant struggle anymore,” Sunset answered. “Come on, Phoebe. We’re going home. Hopefully, I can stay in Equestria long enough to turn 22 on my next birthday.”

“We should go, too,” Spike said, notioning Twilight to the portal.

“I know we’ve been friends for a short while,” Twilight said to the human girls. “But, Spike and I are going to miss all of you so much.”

“We’ll miss you both, too,” Fauna said kindly.

“Yeah!” Roxy said before something occurred to her. “Wait, what was that last thing Sunset said?”*

Twilight and Spike then turned and walked towards Sunset, Phoebe, and the portal.

“So, Mom,” Spike asked Twilight. “How do you feel about wearing your crown?”

“To be honest,” Twilight replied. “While I would prefer to wear this on special occasions, I am starting to feel more comfortable with wearing it.”

The quartet stepped through the portal just as it closed. Once the magic stopped, the pony ears, horns, wings, and tails disappeared from the transformed humans.

Back in Equestria, Twilight and Spike came out of the portal first. Twilight was a pony again while Spike was a dragon again. Their pony friends saw them and embraced them.

“Twilight!” Fluttershy said happily. “Spike!”

“You’re both back!” Rainbow smiled.

“And you got your crown back!” Pinkie said happily.

“We were so worried!” Applejack said.

At that moment, Sunset emerged from the portal looking like the unicorn who stole the crown in the first place and Phoebe came after, regaining her phoenix appearance. She looked similar to Philomena, but, she was smaller and had sapphire blue eyes. Sunset was a bit disoriented from the bright lights of the portal.

“I forgot how bright the portal was,” she said.

“Sunset!” Wallflower said, tears of joy welling in her eyes.

“Big sister!” Sunburst said, tears of joy welling in his eyes. “Is it really you?”

Sunset’s vision cleared and she saw Wallflower and Sunburst. Tears of joy welled in her own eyes as she recognized them.

“It’s really me,” Sunset sniffled. “Sunburst, Wallflower, I missed you both so much.” The three ponies gently yet affectionately hugged each other. “It’s been three years.”

“Three?” Wallflower asked. “You were only gone for two and a half.”

Princess Celestia approached Sunset cautiously. Sunset noticed and quickly got on all fours.

“I know what you’re planning, Princess,” she said. “I’m prepared for whatever punishment you have in mind for not only my failures, but, thinking I could get away with them.” She braced herself for the worst, but, nothing came, leaving her confused. She opened one of her eyes to see Princess Celestia. “Aren’t you going to arrest me? Beat me until I bleed? Use your magic to make me experience the agony of being crushed by a ton of bricks?”

Princess Celestia gently placed a hoof on Sunset’s haunch. “I have missed you, Sunset Shimmer,” she said gently. “I had no such punishment. I only wished to see you back home safe and sound. Honestly, I’m shocked you think I’d even consider such things.”

“You banished your own sister,” Sunset said.

“Yes, I can’t deny that,” Princess Celestia admitted. “But, immediately afterward, I regretted it and stopped the idea of banishment.”

“But, what about all the other things you sent Moonrise to do on your behalf?” Sunset asked as she showed the scroll. This time, the only one who wasn’t shocked was Wallflower.

“By my grandparents!” Princess Celestia gasped in a horrified tone. “What sort of creature would even think of doing such things?! And why would you think I sent somepony else to do them?”

“Wait,” Sunset said. “You really didn’t know about any of this?”

“No,” Princess Celestia admitted.

“But, Moonrise told me you know literally everything,” Sunset replied. “When I’m sleeping, when I’m on the can, and that your eyesight spreads all across the land.”

“Those are grave exaggerations,” Princess Celestia said. “If I knew literally everything, I wouldn’t need you to send me reports of what you learned, now would I?”**

Sunset took all of this information in quietly. The thought had never occurred to her before.

“So,” she asked. “Moonrise wasn’t punishing my failures at creating my own Elements of Harmony?”

“You tried to make your own Elements of Harmony?” Celestia asked in surprise.

“You didn’t know about that, either?” Sunset asked, more surprised.

“I didn’t,” Princess Celestia admitted.

“Sunset did,” Twilight added. “She was able to wield one when dark magic overtook a girl and my new friends, Sunset, and I were able to help her.”

“That unicorn thief who stole the crown?” Sunburst asked.

“Did she look just like me?” Sunset asked.

“Sounded like you, too,” Wallflower said. “Though, she was much cruder and her aura was a different color.”

“That was Susan Shoichet,” Sunset explained. “She’s a human native to the world on the other side of that mirror.”

“What’s a human?” asked Wallflower.

“Well,” Sunset said. “You know Megan from the story of how Equestria was founded?”

“Yes,” Wallflower said.

“I believe she was basically one of those,” Sunset said.

“Ah~” Wallflower nodded.

“So,” Rarity said. “You must be the Sunset Shimmer we were told about.”

Sunset looked at the other five Guardians of Harmony and was reminded of her human friends. She looked at each of them and recalled the names of their counterparts.

“Rachael, Ashleigh, Fauna, Roxy, Pinkie…” Sunset said wistfully.

“Actually,” Pinkie corrected. “We’re Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pin-” she started, but, then stopped. “Actually, that last one you got right.”

“Those were all the nicknames I gave my human friends!” Sunset exclaimed. “I had human friends that the five of you remind me of.”

“Though,” Applejack said. “How’d ya know what ta call them if ya hadn’t met us ‘til now?”

“I just came up with them based off of their personalities and regular names,” Sunset explained. “Ashleigh’s full name was Ashleigh Jacklyn Apple, so, I nicknamed her Applejack.”

“Ooh~” Pinkie said intrigued. “Nifty!”

“Roxy is a rainbow-haired athlete,” Sunset continued. “That, combined with her full name of Roxy Dodgers giving her the initials RD, led to me nicknaming her Rainbow Dash. Rachael is a fashionista with a love for rare gemstones, so, I nicknamed her Rarity. Fauna Stein is a shy girl who wears butterflies on her clothes, so, I nicknamed her Fluttershy. And Pinkie Pie is still Pinkie Pie. I didn’t give her a nickname because her name already sounded like one that could come from here.”***

“That is creative,” Fluttershy said. “And clever.”

“Susan and I,” Sunset continued. “Looked so similar to each other that others thought we were twin sisters, which I could conveniently use as a cover.”

“I can see that,” Pinkie said.

“She gave me the pseudonym of Sally Shoichet,” Sunset chuckled. “I used it every once in a while, but, I did tell my close friends to address me as ‘Sunset Shimmer’ as a nickname I preferred over my real one.”

“So, where’s this Susan now?” Celestia asked.

“She’s been left in very capable hands,” Sunset answered.

“What are hands?” asked Rainbow.

“Well,” Sunset explained. “You know Spike’s—” She stopped as she finally saw what Spike looked like in Equestria.

“Claws,” Spike finished.

“Whoa!” Sunset exclaimed in surprise. “Spike, you really are a dragon!”

Spike grew a bit dismal. “And here comes the judgment.”

“I’m not going to judge you,” Sunset reassured. “I admit, I may not be completely used to dragons or know much about them, but, after meeting you in the human world and seeing what you do for Twilight, I do know that you’re a good boy. Anything else is irrelevant.”

Spike was touched by such a wise and generous statement that he instinctively began hugging Sunset, who was taken by surprise as she felt tears come out of his eyes.****

“Uh,” Sunset asked. “Did I say the secret word or something?”

“No,” Twilight explained. “He just heard some kind words from someone who wasn’t completely prejudiced about dragons. He grew up around a lot of ponies who hated him just because he was a dragon. So, naturally, he softens up when shown even the tiniest bit of compassion.”

“Oh~” Sunset said, understanding the situation. She couldn’t help but feel upset for Spike’s situation, but, she promised him that she wouldn’t be like that.

“Elephant in the room,” Rainbow said. “How did she know about the Elements of Harmony?”

“I came across them in the story of the Two Sisters on the 998th Summer Sun Celebration,” Sunset explained. “My 16th birthday.”

“N’,” Applejack asked. “Did ya also read a copy o’ Predictions n Prophecies r’ the Elements o’ Harmony reference guide?”

“Both,” Sunset answered. “I figured looking for the real ones would be too difficult and dangerous, so, I decided to try making new ones.”

“Truly inspired,” Princess Celestia admitted.

“But,” Sunset said. “I kept failing for two long years. Each time I did, Moonrise came and did one of the things on that list.”

“I sent her to you to help lift your spirits,” Celestia said. “I never imagined she’d do those things in my name.”

“The list doesn’t even cover the worst thing she’s done,” Sunset said. “One time, she took me underground and [MASSIVELY CENSORED] coat hanger [MASSIVELY CENSORED] shoved me in a harness [MASSIVELY CENSORED] down [MASSIVELY CENSORED] across [MASSIVELY CENSORED] up [MASSIVELY CENSORED] inside [MASSIVELY CENSORED] for about 20 minutes [MASSIVELY CENSORED] railroad spike [MASSIVELY CENSORED] stag beetles [MASSIVELY CENSORED] through [MASSIVELY CENSORED] jamming it in my [MASSIVELY CENSORED] diagonally [MASSIVELY CENSORED] raining stallions [MASSIVELY CENSORED] rock tumbler [MASSIVELY CENSORED] lamp post [MASSIVELY CENSORED] and slapping me with a [MASSIVELY CENSORED] river trout [MASSIVELY CENSORED] until golden brown [MASSIVELY CENSORED] extreme [MASSIVELY CENSORED] shoving things in [MASSIVELY CENSORED] 30 or so years ago.”*****

Everyone, sans Wallflower, was completely shocked.

“YIKES!” Applejack exclaimed. “That is all kinds o’ twisted! N’ ah don’t care what anypony says, ah know fer a fact that that does NOT bend that way! None o’ y’all ask how ah know that!”

“Had I know Moonrise did all of that to you,” Princess Celestia said. “I would have expelled her years ago.”

“So, Moonrise wasn’t acting on your behalf all this time?” Sunset asked.

“No, she wasn’t,” Princess Celestia answered truthfully.

This made Sunset grow increasingly angry. “I can’t believe it!” she shouted. “All this time, she’s been the Dio Brando to my Jonathan Joestar!”******

“The what to your what?” Fluttershy asked, unfamiliar with the names Sunset mentioned.

“Basically,” Sunset said. “She’s been trying to break my spirit as well as some of my bodily parts so that she could come out on top! Turning any friend I made against me by spreading lies about me, too! All she needs is a charge of poisoning her own father, kissing the love of my life before I have a chance to, burning my pet alive, and becoming a vampire and she won’t just be taking a page from Dio Brando, but, she’ll be writing a sequel to his goddamn book!”

They admitted they didn’t completely understand what Sunset was referencing, but, they did know that this Moonrise was trouble.

“I suggest you get a good night's sleep,” Luna suggested. “You’ll need it to relieve yourself of all this negativity.”

Sunset took a deep breath and exhaled. “Yeah, you’re right,” Sunset said.

“Would you like Essense of Lavender?” Wallflower asked.

“No,” Sunset said. “That doesn’t do anything for me anymore. Susan had been slipping it into my morning tea every day for a year and I had grown immune to it.”

“Did I miss the summit?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Cadance answered. “We waited until you got back.”

“Though I will say after we have it,” Princess Celestia said. “I think I’ll want to have a word with Moonrise Dazzle.”

As they headed back to their rooms, they saw Sunset struggling to open a door with her magic, her moderate amaranth aura flickering in and out of existence while making electrical crackling sounds.

“It looks like you’ve been in the human world for so long,” Twilight noted. “Your magic has weakened.”

“Kind of a letdown after all the hype,” Rainbow commented.

“Rainbow, hush,” Applejack said.

“She only just got back home and reunited with her friends after so long,” Fluttershy said. “We should be welcoming towards her.”

“All that dancing probably didn’t help, either,” Twilight said.

“Dancing?” the other Guardians asked.

“It’s a long story,” Twilight said. “We’ll discuss it later.”

“Hey, I just realized something!” Spike said. “Tomorrow morning’s Hearth’s Warming!”

Twilight gasped. “Oh, my gosh! I was so focused on my task to get my crown back that it completely slipped my mind! Oh, Spike, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay, mom,” Spike said. “The mission was important. Besides, you know I don’t want presents for my birthday or Hearth’s Warming anymore. Not after what happened the day after my 12th birthday.”

“Can we get to sleep now?” Pinkie asked. “It feels like we’re dragging it on.”

“Oh, right,” Twilight said sheepishly. “Goodnight, everypony. Goodnight, Spike.”

Author's Note

Here's the penultimate chapter.

*Bit of humor.

**An excellent point.

***Origins of the nicknames.

****WHOLESOME!!!

*****A humorous yet terrifying reference to this:

*****

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