Sunday, PM: The Silent Wings You’ll Fly Away On
As unicorn and earth pony stood among roses and headstones, Sunset Shimmer stared at her host in ever-increasing disbelief. It wasn’t every day a pony learned that the existence of werewolves was one of Equestria’s most closely guarded secrets. First created by King Sombra one thousand years ago, the blight that was the werewolf curse lingered throughout the ages. Lycanthropes lurked in the shadows of the history books for a millenium.
As Applejack went on to explain, her parents had both been infected and subsequently murdered by a pair of werewolves. But what caused Sunset’s mouth to drop open was the reveal that Applejack herself had been afflicted by the very same curse, passed on to her by the very same werewolf that did her parents in. Seeing Sunset’s wide-eyed expression, Applejack laughed.
“Don’ worry, I ain’t a werewolf anymore. I’m cured. Twice in fact,” she said.
“Okay, this is fascinating and all, but I don’t really see what werewolves have to do with anything that’s happened recently,” Sunset said, letting out a breath now that she was relatively sure Applejack wouldn’t maul her come the next full moon.
“It’s why the girls an’ I put so much trust in Razz,” Applejack glanced over at the pair of marble headstones. “If it weren’t for her, there might be more graves out here.”
“Does this have to do with the incident on Nightmare Night a year ago?”
Applejack nodded. “Eeyup. The same night Razz was exposed for what she really was, she managed to save Apple Bloom from another werewolf; an undead one at that. Turns out my sister was havin’ a hairy problem of her own. One she’d contracted from me somehow.
“In the end, Razz was able to use her dark magic to cure everypony of lycanthropy for good. She even quite literally risked life and limb to stop that undead werewolf once and for all!”
That would explain the leg brace, thought Sunset, still feeling some guilt over nearly breaking Raspberry’s leg completely.
“As you can guess, I feel I owe Razz a lot for everything she did,” Applejack’s gaze grew distant, and all of a sudden she seemed to be reliving it all over again. “Being a werewolf was hard. I suddenly had all of these… urges to do things I would never have even considered as a regular pony. What was worse, I was afraid to let my friends and family know about that side of me. Do you know what that’s like? To hide such a big part of yourself from those closest to you?”
Seeing that Applejack was working herself up, Sunset gave her a reassuring smile. “More than you know.”
Applejack managed to return her smile. “Of course, I coulda saved myself a lotta trouble if I’d just come out with the truth right away. Word of advice: honesty is the best policy!”
Sunset’s smile started to crumble. If only it were that easy, AJ. The two mares stood quietly in the patch of roses for some time after. Applejack stared at the two marble headstones with a distant look.
“Hey, Sunset?” Applejack asked, finally breaking the silence. “Do you know them? Their human versions, I mean.”
“Oh. Um, not really; I met them the last time I slept over at AJ’s place. But I’ve talked to your human counterpart, and…”
“How are they?” Applejack asked, suddenly turning to look at Sunset with a face full of fragility. To see the hard exterior of the pony version of her friend start to crack was jarring. “They doin’ well?”
Sunset thought about Applejack’s parents back in the human world. She knew that Applejack’s mother was in a wheelchair because of the accident, and that for a long time she held herself responsible for the death that it caused. But she also remembered the time Applejack visited her at the Sugarcube Corner Cafe to tell her about her mother’s meeting with the victim’s wife.
“They’ve moved on from the car crash,” Sunset said. “They’re doing well.”
Applejack smiled, and her eyes glistened a little. “Good.” She then chuckled a bit. “Did you say ‘car?’”
“Yeah, why?”
Applejack just chuckled some more before glancing back in the direction of the barn. “Nothin’. Jus’ a funny coincidence.”
Sensing there was a story there, Sunset smiled. “Care to elaborate?”
“I’ll do ya one better,” Applejack said, turning toward the barn. “Follow me.”
“Oh, wow, um…” stammered Cadence as she watched Raspberry and Twilight levitate the ancient mirror out of her safehouse. “That is most certainly Sombra’s magic I can feel from that thing.”
“Cady….” groaned Shining Armor.
“What? I’m not going to throw myself at it like I did with Sombra’s little sanctuary back in the castle!”
“Smart decision,” said Razz, whose focus was mostly directed on the mirror she was moving out into the square. “The connection through this mirror to its human counterpart is distorted enough as it is, the last thing anypony needs is for you to make it worse.”
“Um, is moving it out of there really a good idea?” asked Luna, nervously eyeing the engraved gem representing her corrupted self. “After all, while I don’t mean to suggest fault on your part, Raspberry, but even you have said this mirror isn’t functioning to its full capacity. Thus I must question the thought process behind taking it out of its containment.”
“Nothing is going to come through it, if that’s what you’re worried about, Princess Luna,” grunted the dark magic expert as she set the mirror down in the middle of the decaying town square. The ancient relic now served as the centerpiece to the rest of the old capital’s ruins. “In fact, it’s going to be a one-way ride for whoever goes through this next.”
“But you’re sure Sunset will make it through okay?” Twilight inquired, a touch of concern in her voice.
“Yes, she will. Really, the mirror will function exactly as it will need to. In fact,the only reason I wanted it brought out was so everypony can see Sunset off.” While what Raspberry had said was true, for anypony larger than Twilight couldn’t fit in the ancient cottage, it was clear to all those present she’d meant Celestia above all others.
“Do you know how much longer Sunset has before she misses her window?” abruptly asked Celestia, clearly nervous despite her best attempts to keep up a facade of calm.
“At least several more hours, so there’s plenty of time for Rarity to come back with the others and for all of us to say our goodbyes. It won’t matter if Sunset went through now, or at the last possible second - trust me on that.“
Whatever the unicorn was going to say next was interrupted by the sound of multiple ponies approaching. Twilight looked down the old street to see four of her friends approaching.
“Hey, girls. I trust you had no problems getting here?” Twilight greeted.
“No,” Rarity answered. “As much as I hate to say it, we’ve all become quite familiar with this wretched forest.”
“And do you all have your letters?”
This question was met with much more enthusiastic nods from the four ponies.
“I gave my counterpart all kinds of pointers to help her be more awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, hovering in place. A contemplative frown brought her back to the ground. “Based on what Sunset told me, she’s going to need them.”
“Where is Sunset, anyway?” Twilight asked, before noticing only four of her friends were present. “For that matter, where’s Applejack?”
“I think Applejack asked Sunset over to the farm early this morning,” Fluttershy said. “I saw them going towards the barn where they keep that truck thing stored.”
“Really? What does Applejack want with Sunset?” asked Shining.
Rarity shrugged slightly. “I think we can make a good guess.”
The next fifteen minutes were the bumpiest and most uncomfortable quarter hour Sunset Shimmer ever had. The lack of seatbelts had been an early warning sign, but evidently the truck also lacked a suspension system designed to handle off-roading.
“Yeeeee-hah!” shouted Applejack, who was actually enjoying this much to Sunset’s shock. “Normally Ah don’t drive this thing around, but this is sort of like one of those fancy whirlin’ ride machines they have at the county fair!”
“Y-y-y-ou don’t sa-a-a-a-ay!” stammered Sunset, her entire body reverberating from trying to secure herself to the seat. To say that when the truck stopped, it couldn’t have come soon enough for the rattled unicorn, who actually didn’t realize it was stationary until five minutes after it had stopped moving.
“You alright there, sugarcube?” chuckled Applejack.
“Let’s not do that again, please?” was all Sunset could say in response.
“Fair enough, though it’s yer loss.”
Sunset ignored the suggestion such a thing as the last fifteen or twenty minutes could be considered fun enough to do again, instead concentrating more on keeping herself upright. It felt awkward to her having to experience all her limbs rendered into jelly, given she’d felt the same as a human after her first time riding with human Applejack in her family’s delivery van. I can’t believe I forgot Applejack drives like a wannabe NASCAR racer!
As her legs gradually returned to normal, Sunset took in the sights around her. When she’d first arrived, she’d beat a hasty exit towards Ponyville, the only thing on her mind being to end whatever was hurting Twily. But now she had the chance to marvel at the decrepit ancient capital, which looked majestic and grand even though its prime had been centuries ago. What had once been common pony homes now lay as broken shells, surrounding the half-hollowed remains of Castle Everfree.
And then she saw the the mirror standing in the center of town square, with all the ponies around it.
“Ah, here’s the pair we’ve been waiting for!” announced Raspberry. “Took you two long enough, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, yeah, if yer gonna blame somepony, blame it on me!” retorted Applejack. “Thought Ah’d take the chance to have a little talk with Sunset so she understands what we were all bein’ so secretive about.”
“And you brought the truck?” asked Rarity, eyebrow raised. “We could hear the screaming from here.”
“Ah, she loved it!” laughed the farmer, reaching over and dragging Sunset into a surprise side hug. Rarity paid more attention to the furious shaking of Sunset’s head indicating the truck ride had been anything but “loveable” to her.
“So,” interrupted Cadence. “This is the mare who was causing Twilight so much trouble last year?” Sunset immediately paled, realizing who was speaking…or rather who her human counterpart was. While Sunset had never seen Cadence in court, she most likely was about to find out what it was like to be at the wrong side of her wrath.
“Sheesh, at this rate Cady’s looking more like the protective big sibling than you, Shiny,” snarked Twilight. “Though, I think Sunset has both of you beaten on that front.”
“Hey!” angrily retorted the one male in the assembled group, “Twilight is perfectly capable of protecting herself. Cadence, though, is the one who constantly needs saving.” He then gave a smug look to his wife, getting a chuckle out of everypony except her.
“Oh, ha ha,” said Cadence in a falsetto laugh, before leaning in close to Shining to whisper, “I’m totally making you pay for that later.”
"With interest, I'd imagine," Shining said flippantly, before he paused in thought. A second later, he added, "You are joking, right?"
Cadance just fixed him with an even look.
"Oh. I'm in trouble now, aren't I?"
"Yes, dear."
"Couchable offense?"
"For the whole week, dear."
Shining sighed. "Crap."
Everypony else laughed again.
“Though speaking of ponies in trouble,” said Celestia, suddenly fixing Sunset with a cautionary glare. “Twilight mentioned something to me about you showing off your human form to a few ponies.”
Oh shit! thought Sunset, having forgotten all about the moment she’d unintentionally transformed in front of Lyra, Sandalwood, and Octavia. How did Twilight find out about that?
“Lyra and Sandalwood are probably the two most trustworthy ponies in Ponyville outside of my friends,” Twilight explained, figuring out what Sunset was thinking. “Octavia, though, is another story.”
“Rest assured, we explained the situation to her, and Miss Melody has agreed to an oath of silence on the matter. In light of that, and the care you have otherwise put into keeping your secret, I’m willing to let the incident slide this time,” Celestia stated, allowing Sunset to relax. It was then that Celestia’s stern demeanor dropped away. “However, I must ask: can you do it again?”
Sunset blinked. “C-come again?”
“I don’t want to make any unreasonable demands of you, Sunset, but I would like to see the form you’ve chosen to take in your new life directly, not through a mirror.”
Murmurs of interest and curiosity sprouted up, to which Sunset had no choice. “Uh, I can try, though that previous time was an accident.”
“Surely your magic hasn’t decayed that fast, has it?” Luna commented with a smirk.
With an annoyed huff, Sunset fired up her horn, intending to prove the night princess wrong. The problem was, as Sunset proceeded with the spell, she found it harder to deny the truth: her magic was definitely weaker than it was when she first left Equestria all that time ago. Like before, she felt her magic begin to go elsewhere when she began casting the spell, but she was ready for it this time. Even so, holding on to so much unstable magic was incredibly daunting, and Sunset gritted her teeth as her head started to throb.
But a few moments later, the spell was complete, and Sunset stood on two legs again, panting from exhaustion. A glance at Sombra’s mirror indicated she was wearing the same clothes as she had when she left the human world, and she even had her proper skin tone this time. She was pure, one hundred percent human.
“Wow!” remarked Pinkie. “You’re really tall!” Indeed, Sunset in her human body towered over everypony else, with Celestia being eye level with Sunset for the first time ever. Curiosity taking over, Celestia took a step forward and cautiously raised a hoof, putting it on Sunset’s cheek.
“Yeah, it kinda sucks not having fur to keep me warm,” admitted Sunset. Celestia didn’t hear, too busy looking her former student over in her adopted body, which after a few seconds made Sunset feel uncomfortable.
“And what about you, Twilight?” Celestia asked. “Would you mind as well?” Without even answering, Twilight charged her horn, ready to cast a shapeshifting spell.
“Um...no offense, Twilight,” Sunset said in a choked voice, “but I’d rather you didn’t. It...it would be too painful for me right now.”
Seeing the flicker of pain in Sunset’s eyes, Twilight nodded, dissipating the spell. “I understand. You must really miss her right now.”
“She’s my sister,” Sunset replied. No more needed to be said. The fragility on the human girl’s face was clear as day. It was proof enough that the Sunset Shimmer that stood before the group of ponies now really had changed. Even Rainbow Dash would agree that she wasn’t a bad person after all.
“Sunset…” Celestia started, looking at the girl uneasily. “I know things have been… difficult between us. Thus, it would be completely within your right to say ‘no’ to what I would ask of you. Nevertheless, I want you to at least hear me out.”
Sunset nodded slowly. “Okay…” Sunset’s apprehensiveness was fueled only by Celestia’s own. Such nervous uncertainty was unlike her. Sunset was the one who had cruelly betrayed her. So why does she look so guilty?
“It has recently come to my attention that there may be more linking our two worlds than it might appear,” Celestia began.
Raspberry took the opportunity to step forward. “The connection between Sombra and Calvacanti’s mirrors is distorted. Something or someone traded places between the two worlds. Permanently. Sunset, we must know: have you seen any indication that you aren’t the first pony to take on a human life?”
“Yes,” Sunset answered gravely. “I didn’t mention anything earlier because I have no solid evidence to go on, but I think an ancient musician called Musica Allegra might have been a transplanted pony. I would have looked into it more, but my priorities shifted once Twily started having her nightmares.”
“I would like you to resume that line of investigation when you return,” Celestia said, maintaining a carefully guarded demeanor. Too carefully guarded. “Additionally, I would like you to be the eyes and ears of Equestria in the human world.”
“Wait, whoa whoa whoa,” Sunset exclaimed, waving her hands back and forth. “Are you saying you want me to spy on humanity? On my own family?!”
“Spy isn’t exactly the right word,” Celestia said carefully. “‘Evaluate’ is more what I had in mind. You see, despite our current theory regarding Allegra, you are the first known pony to have integrated into human society. Thus, you are in the ideal position to evaluate whether Equestria should… reach out to them.”
Sunset nodded, beginning to understand where this was going. "You mean, First Contact?"
"First Contact?" Sunset explained what the term meant and as soon as she was done, Celestia nodded. "Well, I wouldn't think it so dramatic...just don't expect me to play a xylophone at this 'Devil's Tower' place."
“And this wouldn’t prevent me from living my life as I’ve come to know it?”
“All you’d need to do is just send letters and stuff,” cut in Twilight. “We’ve found a way to remove the time lock on Platinum’s mirror. As long as you retain control of Equestrian magic, you should be able to step through any time you want. Additionally, I found a spell that Star Swirl created. One that supposedly allows for communication across the borders of reality without the need of going back and forth through a portal. He called it a ‘dragonfire candle’, so I made one for you. It’s in here.” Twilight then levitated a bag that had been tucked out of sight and flew it over to Sunset.
“Regardless of whether or not you accept this responsibility,” said Celestia, “I had Rarity make these saddlebags for you so that no matter where you go, you’ll have more means to support yourself then you did the first time you left.”
Sunset blushed, then opened the bag. Immediately, she could detect the powerful magic within. “Subspace storage?” she said, surprised that something requiring such a rare magic was being given to her as a gift. In her hooves was a bag that was magically enchanted to have an infinite ability to hold anything. Just looking at it wouldn’t suggest anything more than a typical pouch, but if it could fit through the opening, the only limit to what could be carried was the strength of the user, as the combined weight of all the items inside still applied. Such bags were of course normally banned for the ease of which they could be used to hide dangerous materials, but for Celestia to have such a thing made for her? It suggested that the princess had an incredible sense of faith in her former student. “I...I’m not even sure I know what to do with portable hammerspace.”
“Hammerspace?” Twilight asked, curious.
“It’s a...human term for the same thing.” And I really am not in the mood to explain the cultural values of Ranma ½ right now, the flamehaired girl mentally added.
“Regardless, you may have need of it,” Celestia said, “and I cannot think of anypony I could trust more with it.”
“I…I don’t know what to say…” Sunset said, rummaging through the bag with her magic. She found the dragonfire candle that Twilight mentioned, along with several sealed envelopes. “ Wait, why are there a bunch of letters in here?”
“Oh, those?” answered Rarity. “We all decided to write letters to our counterparts!”
“Er, I never told them thatthey have pony counterparts,” pointed out Sunset “Honestly, I think they’re still kind of getting used to being friends with just one unicorn.”
“Well, in that case,” said Rarity, “we’ll leave it in your hooves to decide the proper time to give the letters to them.”
“And please, Sunset,” began Celestia again, “regardless of whether you agree to my request, I would like you to keep in touch with me. I believe it would be beneficial for us to stay in contact. We both made the mistake of not talking to one another and I don’t wish for a repeat of where that landed us years ago.”
“It’s okay, Princess. I can keep an eye on the human world for you,” Sunset replied after some thought. “It’s the least I can do after all I’ve done. Besides, I’m already keeping the truth about my origins from my family,” Sunset tried to give a light-hearted smile, but it just looked forced. “What’s one more secret?”
Oddly enough, Sunset could see no joy in Celestia’s expression at her answer. Only grim resignation. “Very well. I suppose that brings us to the heart of the issue.”
Looking around, Sunset spotted the same uncertain looks on the other princesses as Celestia. “What’s do you mean?” Sunset asked.
“Sunset, haven’t you ever wondered why your magic has been far weaker ever since you first left Equestria?”
Sunset gave Celestia a quizzical look. “Well… the human world doesn’t have Equestrian magic, right?”
“Normally that’s true. However, when Twilight used the Element of Magic to defeat you, it should have filled the human world with enough Equestrian magic to bring you back to your full power.”
Sunset was silent for a moment. “So… why didn’t it?”
“For the same reason your magic hasn’t been working fully since you arrived back,” Celestia explained, barely meeting Sunset’s eyes. “Sunset, I... I stole your magic!”
A second passed. Then another. “...Um, what?”
“More specifically, I bound your magic; cut you off from most of your reserve. It’s something I must do sometimes with young ponies whose magic is too great for them to control.”
“She did it to me the day after I passed my entrance exam,” Twilight added. “I had turned my parents into potted plants during the exam, so it was good that she did. Of course, my parents gave their consent, but since it looks like this is the first you’ve heard of this…”
Sunset looked at her former mentor in disbelief. “When… when did you do this?”
Celestia just sighed. “The day you first left. I had been aware of your mad ambitions, and hoped that binding your magic would keep you from trying anything dangerous with it. You wouldn’t have even noticed unless you tried any really advanced magic. I was going to tell you later that night, but… well, I’m sure you remember how that went.”
Sunset didn’t know how to feel. A small part of her felt betrayed and angry that Celestia had taken such an integral part of herself without telling her. But on the other hand, Sunset knew she had more than earned it.
“Don’t worry about it, Princess,” Sunset said with a smile. “Water under the bridge and all that, right?”
Celestia returned her smile and took a step forward. “Now the time has come for you to regain the power you are meant to have, Sunset,” said the alabaster alicorn. Celestia’s horn shone brightly, as blinding as the sun, before she lowered it and touched its tip to Sunset’s forehead. In an instant, Sunset felt every atom in her body ignite with power, washing over every single speck of her existence. Had she been the Sunset Shimmer who had wanted this power, she surely would have wasted no time in plotting to abuse it. But now? This was just allowing her to use magic as a mere tool for her needs when they arose. And she smiled, for it was not power that brought her happiness now, but the idea she could protect those that made her happy.
Just as quickly as it had started, the moment ended, and it was as if nothing had happened. But Sunset knew the truth. This was her second chance. Celestia was taking a big risk in relying upon her former student, one who had committed acts of borderline treason. But that was because she believed Sunset had become the pony she was meant to be after having shed the skin of the cruel, selfish individual she’d been turned into. “Thank you, Princess,” said Sunset, her eyes watering, “I won’t fail you this time. I’ll make you proud of me.”
“As cheesy as it sounds,” admitted Celestia, “you’ve already made me very proud.”
Taking a step toward Sunset, Celestia spread her wings and wrapped her former pupil in an embrace, holding her tighter than she had when she first took the small filly home from the orphanage. “I should have told you this so many times, so long ago, but…” Celestia’s voice trembled. “I love you, Sunset. You’re the daughter I could never have.”
“And you’re like a mother to me, Celestia,” Sunset replied, only barely holding herself together.
“All this time, I thought of Celestia as a second mother,” Twilight muttered as she and the others watched the pair hold each other. “But I never realized: Celestia was Sunset’s only mother.”
Celestia pulled back as something Sunset said then clicked. “Like a mother?”
Sunset looked down. It was something that had been on her mind since she and Celestia reconciled the other day. “I’ll never forget the role you played in my life, Princess. You’ll always have a very important place in my heart. But my family’s in the human world. Twilight Velvet is my mother now.”
“I see….” Now it was Celestia who looked at the ground, and for a moment Sunset was afraid she’d broken her heart all over again. Instead, the princess gave her a teary smile and another soft embrace. “Good. I’m glad you’ve found people who love you like I do.” Despite her words, Celestia held on a little longer, unable to let go just yet, and Sunset felt the princess’ tears on her hair and face.
“Ahem?” interrupted Raspberry. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I would like to shut this mirror portal down as soon as possible and if you keep dragging this teary moment out, Sunset’s never gonna leave,” Raspberry then dropped the serious tone and gave the pair a warm smile. “Besides, you know this isn’t goodbye.”
“She’s right, you have finished your business here in Equestria, and it is time for you to go.”
Sunset nodded, and turned to face the mirror, looking confidently at the human girl shown in its reflection.
“I’ll keep a grip on it from here,” said Raspberry, lighting up her horn in its dark magic fog for emphasis. “Come hell or highwater, you’re going home. Though...I’d recommend changing back to normal, so there’s no chance of latent magic interfering.”
“But I am as norm…oh.” Sunset blushed slightly as she realized her faux-pas. Fortunately, nopony gave her grief on it, and a second later, as Sunset returned to the form she’d been born in, there was nothing but smiles all around. “Better?”
“Yeah.” Raspberry stated, before her ears suddenly pointed up. “Oh! There’s something I forgot to mention. There may have been a slight… temporal discrepancy when you came through the mirror at the beginning of the week.”
Sunset tilted her head. “Will it be a problem?”
“Nope. In fact…”
“Good,” the maize unicorn interrupted, anxious to get back home. She then turned to see everypony else watching. “Thank you, everybo-no, everypony. This week’s been one hell of a ride, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world… both of them!” With one last smile, the unicorn turned to the mirror and leapt right into it.
“Phew!” exclaimed a distinctly Ozark-accented voice. “That thing was heavier than it looked!”
“You can say that again!” agreed an equally exhausted chirpy tone. “Sunset made it look so easy when she used her magic hands!”
“Let’s just hope we’ll see those hands again, with the rest of her in tow,” said a third, quiet note. All those who had seen Sunset jump through a mirror into what she had described as almost certain death voiced agreements that they hoped their friend – or in the case of Celestia and Luna, their friend’s daughter – would return soon.
But no sooner than had the last of them turned their backs to the mirror, than did it emit a bright light.
“What in the-“ sputtered Applejack, turning with the rest of the humans to see what was going on. Her jaw dropped at the sight, as did the rest of the group. Fluttershy almost screamed, but quick action by Pinkie muffled the chiffon-haired girl in time. After all, they didn’t want to alert anybody else in the museum to the mirror’s self-illumination. Or the dark, translucent tendrils emerging from its back that seemed to wrap themselves around the protective screen in front of the mirror.
But when it looked like the ghostly appendages were going to easily crush the pane, they instead lifted it up as if it were a feather. There was now nothing between the humans and the mirror, letting them see its surface unobstructed. To their further surprise, the shape of what looked like a unicorn seemed to be approaching them. Only, as it drew closer, its shape began to twist and morph, until finally it no longer resembled a unicorn but instead…
“S-Sunset?” stammered Rarity, as the red-and-yellow haired girl stepped out of the mirror, looking exactly like she had when she had gone through the mirror, except for the addition of a backpack she’d somehow gained.
“Oh, hi, everyone!” happily greeted Sunset, who then looked up and saw the pane of bulletproof plastic being held above her head by dark forces. “Oh, better let Razz put that back down,” she said to herself, walking forward to rejoin the group and turning to watch as the mirror’s appendages gently lowered the screen until it was back in place. As the tendrils retreated back into the mirror, one of them seemed to wave to Sunset as it sunk back into the ancient looking glass, to which the girl waved back.
“Okay, what the fuck just happened?” asked Rainbow, voicing everybody’s confusion over Sunset’s sudden return. “Like, we barely had enough time to move that thing before you show back up and the mirror is suddenly your bestest buddy or something!”
“Good to see you, too, Dash,” laughed Sunset, before being promptly assaulted by a Pinkie hug. “And everybody else as well.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as she realized what was wrong with this picture. “Wait, what are you all even still doing here? Don’t tell me you’ve been waiting for me all week!”
“A-all week?” Fluttershy trembled.
“Sugarcube, you’ve only been gone for about five minutes!” Applejack exclaimed.
At this, Sunset looked over at the mirror and gave it a knowing grin. “Temporal discrepancy, huh?”
“Regardless, we’re just glad that you’re back safe and sound, Sunset darling,” Rarity said.
“Indeed, you have no idea how relieved I am Luna and I don’t need to explain to your mother that you’re actually a horse-like alien,” said Celestia.
“Ooh! I bet you have some crazy stories of your adventures in Ponyland!” Pinkie exclaimed, jumping up and down. “Did you make peace with your mentor? Did you make cupcakes with a pony that kinda looks like me? Did you do battle with a pony that kinda looks like a dark version of you?!?!”
“Lower your voice, Pinkie,” Rainbow stated calmly, grabbing the bubbly girl’s arms, effectively stopping their windmill-like rotations.
“I’ll explain everything later, but I’m happy to report that I managed to figure out what was hurting Twily. My sister’s nightmares are finally at an end.” Sunset knew her own problems weren’t quite over, however. There was always the risk of the real Sunset Shimmer returning to find another having taken up her abandoned identity. There was the chance somebody would discover she was really a pony with magic powers. She still needed to uncover the true depths of the connection between the human world and Equestria. And of course there was the most problematic issue of all: summer school.
But to that, Sunset just smiled. She could handle those problems. Bring what they may, she knew that she stood strong with her friends and family; she had a foundation to stand on. She wasn’t Sunset Shimmer, the angry pony whose own ego had nearly cost her everything. She was Sunset Shimmer, the child of two worlds, and she had every reason to take pride in what she had accomplished.
TO BE CONCLUDED