Sunset Shimmer is having the worst day of her life. She used to be important. She was the personal student of Princess Celestia. She was a future leader of Equestria. She was the kind of mare that everypony envied.

Today, it's all crashing down around her.

Alternate Universe: What if Sunset Shimmer hadn't gone through the mirror?

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, until Sunset actually read what Twilight wrote in her letter. She'd already said yes to seeing Celestia again, and she wouldn't go back on her word. As long as she remained convinced that this was a good idea and that it would all end well, she could get through it without a problem.

6/21/2016: Now with cover art designed by the very generous Novel-Idea! Thank you so much!