//------------------------------//
// ...Dipping Below The Horizon 
// Story: The Last Rays of Light 
// by milesprower06 
//------------------------------//

Sunset found herself on the front steps of Canterlot High. The sun began its final descent towards the horizon, and its journey cast a shadow over the remaining base of the Wondercolts statue, a shadow which was now beginning to engulf the young woman's seated position on the stairs, beckoning the chill of the late evening air. She gazed at her reflection in the base's north face, which contained the magical portal to Equestria. At one time, the portal was only largely active for only three days every two-and-a-half years. But due to the combined ingenuity of Equestria's Princess Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie, they had figured out a method to maintain the portal, and it was now an avenue to come and go at any time, save for the day of the Friendship Games, when this world's Twilight Sparkle unwittingly captured the magic that kept it open.

After the Games, Princess Twilight came through again, belatedly responding to Sunset's pleas for help, and meeting her human doppelganger; a new transfer from Crystal Prep, who was just taking the first steps to learning about the Equestrian magic she had discovered. It was the Princess' fourth trip here; only a few weeks after her third.

Between the Battle of the Bands and the Friendship Games, Princess Twilight had made a short day trip through the portal, at Sunset's request. She met her at a small diner in town, where Sunset shared her thoughts, and her then-lack of enthusiasm for the Friendship Games.

"It just makes me wonder if there's... More for me back home." She had said.

Back home...

Was Equestria still her home? She had been here for just about two-and-a-half years now, and still, more than half of that was for rather nefarious purposes.

"Well, it's up to you. As long as the portal is open, you can come back to Equestria whenever you want."

But she couldn't, and she had said so in a letter to her old mentor and teacher, Princess Celestia.



...as badly as I want to go home sometimes, I can't. Equestrian magic is here because of me, and because of the circumstances that caused me to be here, I was here to protect this school and its students from those who would have used that magic for their own purposes, after myself. As long as the magic is still here, I feel it's my responsibility to protect this place, and the people I've endangered.



But at camp, she had experienced a revelation. It turned out that stealing Princess Twilight's crown and bringing it through the portal wasn't the only source of Equestrian magic. She still knew very little about the magic geode from the crystal cave that now resided around her neck, but it was safe to say that it didn't come from the Element of Magic.

'So if Equestrian magic being in this world isn't entirely my fault... Is it entirely my repsonsibility?'

Indeed, not long after she had this revelation, her longing for Equestria, for her family, had returned. She glanced down at the open book she held in her lap, to one of the last correspondences she had received; a reply from Princess Celestia.



You have a friend in me, Sunset Shimmer. I am very proud of you, and I hope I can see you again soon.



Her former teacher now supported her decision to remain in this world, but now that it wasn't her burden to bear, could she return home? Even for just a day? But what if something happened when she was away? How did Princess Twilight get over these concerns? Did she even have them?

Of course she did.

'I have responsibilities in Equestria. Its citizens need me.' She had answered when her friends here had asked her to extend her visit.

Sunset remembered how she had cast aside her responsibilities, along with her patience, when she was under Princess Celestia's tutelage. It was how she had ended up here in the first place. Unwilling to wait until the proper time to know more about the magic mirror, Sunset had broken into a restricted section of Canterlot Castle's library, and was subsequently caught and expelled. It was the perfect coincidence that the portal to this world was open when she decided to see firsthand what Princess Celestia wanted to keep from her.

It was the perfect set of circumstances, and she had come to have a new set of responsibilities here now, and that had been the last line of defense against her impulses. She felt abandoning her responsibilities again, here, would be a grave error. If anything had happened here; to her friends, to the school; while she was away, she'd never be able to forgive herself. She couldn't undo what she had done. If she had never abandoned her studies and gone through the portal, Princess Celestia would have never taken Twilight as a replacement student, and her actions and those of her friends had been Equestria's last line of defense on multiple occasions.



I had hoped to augment your ambition with compassion, but with the way events have played out, I've accepted that perhaps it wasn't my place to do so.



Sunset turned to the next page as the temperature continued its slow decline as the night approached. A letter to Princess Twilight, written just an hour ago; sharing her concerns about the other sources of Equestrian magic, as well as her repeating desires to return home. She had yet to receive a reply, and this was what she was impatiently waiting for. She had written the letter just after returning from Camp Everfree. She had helped her friends put away their band equipment in the band room before they all went their separate ways to go home for the night. Sunset didn't live far; easily within walking distance, so she sat down on the stairs and shared her thoughts with her new mentor. Her jacket fought off the increasingly chilly night air, but pretty soon, she was going to have to stop waiting and start walking home. Twilight had said she'd try her hardest to reply more quickly to her letters; a time travel loop had prevented her from doing so last time. Sunset was about to give up hope for a reply tonight, and started to get to her feet when the book began to glow and vibrate. She turned the page again, to one that was currently blank, and the glow around the book ceased, as a smaller glow took to the blank page as ink magically began to appear as a message was relayed from the other side.



Our dearest Sunset,

Your father and I were overjoyed when Princess Celestia told us that you were alright. She told us that you wanted to make sure that we never blamed her for what you did. We want you to know that while we were worried sick, we never did.

Sweetheart, we all make mistakes, some bigger than others, and the important thing is that you learned from them. We miss you like you wouldn't believe, but Princess Celestia summoned us for an opportunity to write to you, and told us the things you've accomplished there, and while we'd like nothing more than to see you again, we can't help but feel that you're there for a reason.

You've made us proud, Sunset, and we love you more than anything. Never forget that.

Love,
Mom and Dad



Sunset found herself failing to stop the torrent of tears that fell from her eyes. Her heart ached as the conflicted emotions clashed inside her; happiness and relief that her parents understood her situation and approved of her decision to remain here, and grief that she couldn't be there with them right now.

Her determination showed cracks again as she ran her fingers over the magical ink that had just appeared. This had just been written; she fought the urge to leap up from the stairs and run through the portal right now. The gratification wouldn't be instant anyway; the portal now lead to Princess Twilight's castle. Canterlot would be hours away as it was.

Still...

Her entertaining of these thoughts was interrupted as the next page of her book began to glow. Swallowing, she wiped her eyes, and then slowly turned to the next page, where glowing calligraphy began to appear, in a style she recognized all too well.



My dear Sunset,

Twilight informed me of the letter you sent her, and the concerns of yours that it contained. I thought it would be a good opportunity to invite your parents to write to you.

I know you miss home. But I implore you, please don't underestimate the potential importance of where you are right now. If your actions were not the only source of Equestrian magic in that world; in the future, like the sirens, it could be something with far worse machinations than you had envisioned in your quest for vengeance. Something that perhaps only you and your friends can stop.

Stay strong, my former student, for one day you, Sunset, may be the last ray of light that stands before the darkness.

-Princess Celestia