Sunset Shimmer's life is great. She's starting her career, she has her beautiful girlfriend Rainbow Dash by her side, nothing can go wrong. Until Equestria comes calling again.

Anon-a-Miss has invaded Canterlot High and the girls think that Sunset did it! How can she ever regain her honor?

Mortal Kombat, of course. Equestrian Tradition dictates that challenges are to be issued and duels are to be performed. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack are all well aware of these facts.

The CMCs, however, haven't had that particular Social Studies class, and now they have started to realize what they have unleashed.

Reading by StraightToThePointStudio

Spike now harnesses the bloodstone scepter making him the ruler of all dragon kind. Of course he hands it off as part of an important lesson on friendship, right? Naw. He immediately goes mad with power.

This is the moment that she has been waiting years for.

After all this time, Equestria's new ruler pays a visit to her most valuable prisoner to fully map out her failure. Years of deception, manipulation, and betrayals have led to this one moment, and she intends to savor every look that crosses the Princess of Friendship's face.

And after, when the alicorn truly understands how perfectly she was played, there will still be one final bit of business that needs to be settled...

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My first new story since October 2017, and Day One of the Seventh Anniversary Story Bomb.

You know what would be funny? Robbing a bank. Pinkie's pretty sure of that.

Not like the others have a say in the matter anyway.

Proofread by: Octavia Harmony, Neko Majin C, The Maskedferret, and Abcron.

Special thanks to Selbi and Lucky Roll.

Losing her friends was the start of a self-destructive spiral for Sunset Shimmer. Convinced that she will never escape the echoes of her past, she tries to take her own life.

The attempt leaves her severely injured and she falls unconscious. In her dreams, she is visited by Princess Luna. They have much to discuss, whether Sunset likes it or not.

TV Tropes page
Drawing of Sunset used in cover art is by Xaztein

This story is a sequel to Last Light

"You probably thought the pain would disappear with you, but it didn't. It just passed on to someone else."

Twilight Sparkle returns to the human world following her conversation with Sunset. She's not sure what she's looking for.

Her heart was broken. Her reputation in Ponyville was in ruins. A menace, they called her. Said she wasn't a real hero. Blamed her for the sudden disappearance of their real hero, Mare Do Well. She'd even been abandoned by her five best friends. Everything she thought she could count on was destroyed.

Bent on vengeance and driven by her raw emotions, Rainbow Dash becomes a villain that Ponyville won't soon forget. But she soon finds that not everything in Ponyville is quite what it seems.

Special thanks to DragonShadow, who pre-read and helped me revise this story. Thanks also to JofY, who gave suggestions for the second revision.

The comments are full of unmarked spoilers, so watch out.
Obviously, this contains massive spoilers for the season 2 episode "The Mysterious Mare Do Well," and one must have seen it before this story will make much sense.
Rated Teen for violence and some blood.

There's nothing strange about Alias, except for how awesome and radical she is, and how she totally relates to all today's youths and is not Queen Chrysalis. In fact, she's so definitely not Queen Chrysalis it's bodacious and by the way, what's your greatest weakness?

Lyra Heartstrings, who is not exactly the most responsible adult out there, is driving a train. A train with no brakes, on fire, full of orphans, which is approaching a broken bridge at terminal velocity.

Hmm. Well, at least things can't get worse.

Fair warning: Dark humor ahoy, guys. Horrible things played for laughs.

Proofread by:

• Selbi
• Octavia Harmony