Sunset Shimmer stumbled out of the portal. The first thing she noticed was that her chest didn’t hurt. She felt no need to double over in agony.
She chuckled in astonishment. It felt nice.
Sucking in a breath, she adjusted her jacket and stumbled across the sidewalk. Canterlot High School formed a horseshoe around her, with its red brick broken by the occasional window. A large dome sat atop that, its glassy exterior sparkling in the sunlight.
She shuffled up the stone steps, feeling their hardness underfoot, and reached the line of glass doors that served as the main entrance to the school. She could feel her heart pounding as she pulled the doors open and stepped inside.
The foyer itself was a circular room two floors high, sporting balconies and two sets of staircases that flanked the front entrance. Sunset stopped for a moment to examine the flags and banners that hung from the upper railings as well as the trophy cases recessed into the curves of the wall.
It was all there. It was exactly as she remembered it.
She had to remind herself to breathe. She had to remind herself that this place was not her imagination; this place was real.
Right?
Her eyes fell on some doors directly across from her. They had been boarded up for repair when she had last left this place. Now they stood with shiny new glass in the wooden frames. These doors led to the cafeteria.
She heard familiar commotion on the other side. Shakily, she walked up and rested her hand on the metal handle. It felt real at her touch. She then pulled the door open.
The cafeteria itself opened up to her. Scores of students at a large handful of tables spread about the room. Countless conversations blended with the pwops of plastic trays hitting wooden tables. The steamy smell of fried chicken and mashed potatoes filled her nostrils.
As Sunset glanced around, she spotted a few familiar sights; Flash Sentry and a few of his friends strummed on their guitars at their table in one corner of the room, and the Crusaders sharing a giggle over something on their phones. She spotted Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna on the far side of the cafeteria watching the food line very closely as they conversed in evident whispers.
She spotted Wallflower Blush at another table surrounded by classmates from a variety of cliques. They sat entranced as she seemingly wove a tale for them, likely telling them about what she had experienced in Equestria. While she spoke in a somewhat hushed voice (such that Sunset couldn’t even hear what she was saying), and while she sat somewhat shrunken, Wallflower spoke, and she spoke without stopping.
They were all here. They were all okay.
And then she spotted Twilight Sparkle, this world’s Twilight Sparkle, complete with those bulky glasses of hers, entering the room from the complete opposite doors. And Sunset froze. Twilight initially glanced at a table toward the side of the cafeteria and smiled before she started down the aisle to get to that table.
Twilight made it a few steps forward before she finally looked ahead, saw Sunset, and froze herself.
Sunset hazarded a few steps forward, a movement which Twilight reciprocated. She picked up speed. Twilight made a shrill cry and broke into as fast a sprint as she could muster. Sunset also broke into a run, ignoring the bodies lining her path that now turned to face her and gasped. She even saw a few of them stand up and give their own joyous shouts. They looked like blurs to her; all that mattered now was getting to her friend.
They collided. Sunset wrapped her arms around Twilight as tears started forming in her eyes. They wobbled about for a moment from the impact but managed to remain standing upright, and Twilight found herself able to return the embrace, already crying her eyes out.
Rainbow Dash zipped up at that point and threw herself onto them, wrapping her arms around Sunset (but also somewhat Twilight as well). The others thundered up shortly after, similarly throwing themselves onto her while giving jubilant shouts and exclamations that carried the characteristic quiver of a cry. Fluttershy practically pressed her full self into Sunset, and Applejack laid a hand on Sunset’s head and leaned in close, while Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but jump around as she hugged them all, squeezing with glee. And Rarity, who sobbed through wide smiles, procured a tissue to catch the makeup already running down her face.
They were here, her friends. They were here, with her.
And she was here, with them. This was real. Everything was real.
She was home.
Sunset allowed herself to bawl her eyes out as she held onto them for dear life, and yet there was nothing in the world that could prevent her hearty laugh and wipe her silly grin from her face.
* * *
The skies above had turned a golden color. The few clouds in the sky had gained a dark tone to them with some bits of that same golden trim to them. The sun itself sat low in the sky now, just about to disappear behind some mountains in the distance.
Sunset sat on the front steps. Thankfully, the building did not obscure the sun at its angle, so watching from here would work just fine. A cool breeze swept through the area, nipping at her uncovered parts of skin. The orange shirt underneath her black leather jacket bore the symbol of her cutie mark. Her purple skirt completed the ensemble.
A large statue of a horse in a rearing pose dominated the front lawn. She glanced up at it. The base was a portal to Equestria, a land of magic and ponies and friends. She would be princess of that land on the other side of the portal someday.
But not today. Today, life was here, in this world of humans. Here, just for a while, was peace and calm.
The base of the portal shimmered, and a girl stepped out. She had long, sapphire blue hair with a purple and raspberry stripe. She wore a light blue button-up shirt and her starry cutie mark sat emblazoned on her purple skirt. Princess Twilight spotted Sunset, smiled, and silently walked across the lawn.
Sunset grinned back as Twilight reached her on the front steps of the school and sat down right beside her. They looked at each other for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes. And then Sunset grew a devilish smirk, reached forward, wrapped an arm around Twilight’s head, and pulled her. Twilight toppled into Sunset’s lap amidst a yelp.
Sunset laughed and looked down. Twilight glanced back up, eventually laughed back, and adjusted herself so that she comfortably lay there. Sunset reached down and took hold of Twilight’s hand. Twilight adjusted her grip so that her fingers mingled with Sunset’s, and then she held Sunset’s hand against her chest.
Twilight Sparkle sighed wistfully and turned her eyes toward the horizon where the sun would soon disappear.
Sunset Shimmer smiled and reciprocated the sigh before she too turned her gaze and fell silent as well.
And so the two of them stayed, content to watch the sunset together.