//------------------------------//
// Meeting the Elements of Harmony 
// Story: Two worlds colliding 
// by TalkingToMyself 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 10: Meeting the Elements of Harmony


As if Sunset's last words had been a signal, the main doors opened and the ponies of the royal staff entered with large plates of breakfast, bringing with them the scents of freshly baked goods. Sunset sighed, grateful for the distraction that brought her out of the center of attention, and accepted Twilight's offer to sit with the Princesses for the meal.
When a few maids quickly approached the thrones, they found themselves sent back by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The elder Princesses made sure that everypony else was given a meal first before they would accept any for themselves, then sat down.


Sunset sat between Twilight and Cadance, holding a cup of tea in her hooves. She glanced from one Princess to the next before she asked with a timid voice
"So, what happens now? What are you going to do with me?"
Four heads turned to her and looked surprised
"What do you mean with that? Is there something you think we should do with you?"
The amber unicorn glanced down again and tried to hide behind her cup
"I mean, I just confessed several crimes against Princess Celestia and the theft of a magical artifact and most likely attempted treason against the crown. Aren't you supposed to punish me for that?"
Twilight and Cadance just looked at each other and smiled while Celestia fell into some kind of giggle fit. Only Luna managed to remain sort of serious, though Sunset could see a caring smile on her
"I don't think we could punish you harder than you already did yourself. You stayed in exile to amend for your sins long enough and you lived in guilt and doubt far longer than was necessary. Not only that, you worked hard to change yourself and the world around you for the better. That, and considering your very honest confession and the deeds of the last day, I'd say you're fully atoned in my eyes. Please correct me if I'm wrong, dear sister."
Celestia by now had calmed down enough to nod
"Oh, I couldn't agree more with you. But if you still want to do something, I'm sure there's lots of ways you could help us. Twilight?"


The purple alicorn nodded and as horn glowed as she levitated one of her trademark checklists out from behind her
"Right! So here's a couple of things that need to be taken care of. First, the houses and buildings in and near Canterlot must be checked. We need to see if they're safe enough for ponies to return and we need to estimate how many repairs need to be done so that we can get enough materials and all to Canterlot.
Second we should take care of the train station and railway. It will be much easier to get ponies and supplies in and out of town with it working again.
Third would be to welcome the help teams from Ponyville and the Crystal Empire. We know that Cloudsdale wanted to send some pegasi as well and maybe some other towns will join in. We should organize them so help goes where it's need most and I guess we should see if we can find more places for the ponies to rest and sleep.
Last, I guess we could start our research on the barrier between the worlds and how to get back in contact with the mirror world and Sunset's friends."
She looked at Sunset with a sad expression
"I'm sorry to say this, but I think this point should wait until we have all the other things sorted out. The safety and well-being of the ponies must come first. Plus, I'd really like to have at least Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst around before we tackle this."


Sunset frowned but then nodded and looked down at her tea. Twilight's logic made sense to her and since the earthquakes had stopped in Equestria, it was most likely that Canterlot High was safe as well. She just wished she could be sure about it.
Cadance softly touched her hoof when she saw the frown, then she looked back at the list
"I think it'd be good if we cleared out the streets first. It'll make getting around way easier for everypony that way. I could take the guards and any volunteers and start with that."


Celestia thought about it for a moment, then nodded
"I think that's a good idea. I've already spoken some ponies who know about architecture and construction, I'll have them form groups and inspect the buildings. Also, the doctors told me they could use a few more hooves in helping with the patients and making the guest wings more suitable for treatments. It's pretty clear we won't be able to rely on the actual hospital anytime soon."


The Princess turned to her sister and hesitated a moment before asking
"Luna, could you take care of that? I wanted to go and see the state Canterlot is in for myself. And... maybe it'd be best if you stayed in the Palace for today and tried to get some rest. You didn't get any sleep yesterday and last night."


The dark blue alicorn frowned and looked back at Celestia's concerned expression
"I should be the last pony you're worrying about, sister. You know I can go a few days without sleep if necessary."
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"But I see the reason for your suggestions. Very well, I shall overlook the hospital and make sure we're prepared for additional visitors. Under one condition."
She opened her aquamarine eyes and looked at each one of her fellow princesses
"If there is any need of my help, you will call me immediately. I appreciate your concerns for my well-being, but I am a Princess as all of you, I don't wish to be excluded from my duties towards our subjects."


Celestia immediately shook her head and placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder
"Luna, I'm not trying to exclude you from anything. I promise I will call for your help and to keep you informed about anything that happens. But should there be any trouble that requires our intervention, I'd feel much better if you had a least a little rest."
Luna caught her sister's gaze with her own and after few moments of silent conversation nodded, visibly appeased.


While Sunset and Cadance watched the elder Princesses attentively, Twilight was already making new notes on her scroll
"Hm, seems like the train station is left to handle. I'll go there and check what can be done. That way I'll also be able to meet the ponies from Ponyville as soon as they arrive."
She turned to Sunset and smiled
"Would you like to come with me, Sunset? I'd really like to introduce you to my friends when they get here."


Sunset blinked surprised and looked back down at her tea
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan. I'll tag along."
She swallowed down a lump that formed in her throat. Twilight wanted her to meet the other bearers of the Elements, which were also the pony counterparts of her friends back at Canterlot High. Images from last night's dream flashed through her mind and her worries started to nag on her again. Could she really face those ponies without thinking about her friends all the time? How much had Twilight told them about her? Her friends back at home had given her a new chance by Twilight's request, but many those friends of her wouldn't forgive her as quickly.


Sunset looked up again when she noticed Celestia watching her and was greeted by a reassuring smile and caring eyes. Sunset smiled softly and nodded, remembering how willingly she'd been forgiven by her former teacher.
This is Equestria. Things work differently here and ponies seem very nice so far. I shouldn't worry so much, even if I don't make friends with them on the spot.



Princess Cadance was the first to finish her breakfast and stand up again. She said goodbye to Sunset and the others and then flew to the main entrance of the throne room. She quickly explained what she intended to do and then left the palace with a good number of ponies, including most of the guards. 
Other ponies had finished their breakfast by now and headed to the improvised hospital as Luna asked them. 
Celestia nodded to Sunset and then left as well with a smaller group of ponies and the remaining guards. Twilight stood up as well when Sunset finished her tea and together they walked through the room which was now considerably less crowded. As far as Sunset could see only a few members of the staff were present, the rest seemed to be all fillies and colts too young to be sent into the city. She looked back at Luna and couldn't help but smile as the young ponies gathered in front of the throne and asked for a story, some of them even hopping up and down excited and the pegasi fluttering their wings. 
Luna looked surprised and then smiled genuinely and nodded. The foals squeed in happiness and quickly tried to get good spots in front of the throne where the could hear the Princess of the Night. But Luna only laughed and shook her head. She extended her wings and with a single flap hopped over the group of foals and young ponies. At the same time her horn glowed and the pillows and blankets that were spread around in the room lifted up and were placed in a wide circle.


The Princess sat down on one of the bigger pillows and the foals quickly took the remaining seats, now watching the Princess without having to stare up at her. Luna waited until every foal had found a spot, then smiled again and began talking in a very soft voice. Sunset recognized the voice as the one she had used in the dream realm and she smiled at the eagerness of Princess Luna to entertain her young audience. Sunset grinned even more when she realized the few staff ponies also tried to be close enough to listen while doing their work and tidying up.


Sunset heard Twilight giggle next to her and then led her friend down some stairs towards the main entrance of the castle. Sunset could of course still remember the way and she noticed barely anything had changed since she last walked through the hallways. When she stepped outside, she froze on the top of the stairs and took a heavy breath.


She saw the city of Canterlot, or at least what was left of it. She saw big holes in roofs and some buildings missing altogether, broken windows and walls, and streets mostly filled with rocks and debris instead of ponies. She sat back on her haunches and stared, her body trembling as a single thought echoed through her mind:
I caused all of this...


Twilight sighed deeply and sat down next to Sunset and gently touched her shoulder
"I know it looks pretty bad, but it's only material damage. We can fix everything in time."


Sunset shook her head and whispered
"How can they all forgive me all of this? I know I wouldn't."
At that, Twilight shook her head and put her hoof under Sunset's chin to make her look at her
"Sunset, if you hadn't been there to help, it would be far worse. The whole city could have just collapsed completely. Or the mountain could have broken apart and fallen down on everypony. You prevented all of this with your spell."


Sunset didn't dare to look away from Twilight's purple eyes but her aqua eyes filled with guilt
"If I hadn't run through that portal years ago, nothing would have happened at all."
Again, Twilight shook her head and held Sunset's gaze
"You don't know that for sure. The portal could have broken apart anyways. Besides, you only went through the portal twice when it opened on its own. If anyone is to blame it's me!"
Sunset blinked surprised at this
"Your fault? No, never! Without me you would have no reason to go through the portal at all."
Twilight now looked down and her voice sounded like she could barely hold herself from crying
"But I put together that device to open the portal whenever I want. I encouraged you to use your notebook more often. I even went through the portal multiple times just out of curiosity. Or to attend to slumber parties. I risked all of Equestria to have some fun for myself and get away from my duties! I'm the most useless Princess this world has ever seen."


Sunset didn't say anything and just clung her forehooves around her friend as she broke into tears. Knowing her friend as much as she did, Sunset realized Twilight must have pushed all her worries and doubts away so she could focus on the tasks ahead. She could feel the alicorn press her muzzle against her and shiver in sobs. Sunset just held her close and gave her the time to let all her pent up emotions out. When the sobbing started to die down, she gently straightened her friend up so she could look into her eyes
"Now you listen, Twilight. You couldn't have known! Neither of us! And it's okay for you to take some time off duty every now and then. Heck, even Celestia does it! Why shouldn't you? Just remember all the things you did since you became a Princess! You defeated Tirek, you solved all sorts of friendship problems, you found and helped Starlight Glimmer and even made her your student!"
She ran a hoof over her eyes to wipe away her own tears now
"You even saved the human world, twice. And you saved me. Without your help, I'd still be all by myself or even a she-demon. You are a great Princess! And everyone who says something else has to deal with me!"


Twilight looked up and saw Sunset winking at her with her trademark smirk, despite some leftover tears. The alicorn smiled back and hugged her friend again
"I'm really glad you're here to help me, Sunset."
She just smiled and hugged back.


The two friends shared another minute in each others embrace, then Twilight pulled back and looked into the city again. Sunset followed her gaze and noticed some ponies walking through the streets now.
"Well, it seems like Cadance and Princess Celestia are already at work. Let's get to the station. Just follow me."
With that, Sunset heard a familiar pop and when she turned her head, all that was left of Twilight was a small cloud of purple sparkles. She sighed and closed her eyes and focused on her magic. The warm tingling quickly filled her body again as her horn glowed in the red magic aura. It was easy to detect the trail of magic Twilight's teleportation left behind, but it had been years since she last tried a far distance teleport. She remembered the lessons she received from Princess Celestia herself, concentrated on the magic trail and evoked the spell. 


She vanished in a red flash of magic that looked more like flame than sparkles, and within a blink, she stood next to Twilight again who smiled at her
"I knew you could do it! How does it feel to have magic again?"
Sunset just panted a little and shook her head
"It's a little more exhausting than I remembered. I guess I'm still getting used to it."
Twilight frowned
"I'm sorry. I didn't think of it that way. I do this everyday but you haven't had a chance in years, it's only normal you'd be a little out of practice."
Sunset nodded and started breathing normally again
"Let's just get to work here"


Twilight nodded and looked around
"Well, so far the station looks okay, there seems to be no damage to the station at least. We should have the hall checked by an expert though. I guess our best chance is to follow the railway out of the city for now and see if we can find any damage there."
Sunset nodded and hoped down onto the tracks
"I guess that's as good as anything. This is the one leading to Ponyville, right?"
Twilight fluttered her wings and made some altitude to check
"It is. Let's go."


The two ponies walked quietly along the track and Sunset felt some shivers running down her back. To both sides of the track all she could see where abandoned buildings in more or less good shapes. They saw a pegasus fly high above them once, but otherwise they met no other ponies on their way out of the city.
When they reached the outskirts of Canterlot, they saw something big lying on the tracks. Twilight flew up again to get a better view and Sunset ran towards what turned out to be an engine that had been thrown over by the quakes. It now lay on its side across the track and behind it Sunset saw some carriages as well. Fearing the worst, she ran faster and around the engine and called out
"Hello? Is anypony here?"


She approached the carriages when nopony answered her and saw that they were not as damaged as the engine. Only the last one of them had fallen over but from the looks of it, that one had been for luggage only. Sunset climbed up at the side of one carriage and peeked in. She saw bags and suitcases scattered around but no ponies inside. Slightly relieved, she went to check the next and was now joined by Twilight who hovered next to her
"I think this is the train the guards told me about. They got the ponies out yesterday but they couldn't clear the railway. Now I can see why, this engine must weigh a ton."
Sunset nodded and went to check the remaining cars
"I guess we could try to lift this thing up with our magic, but I'm not sure it'll be able to drive. Looks pretty broken to me. Maybe it's better if we just push it off the tracks so other trains can pass at least. If we manage to move it at all."


Sunset nodded and carefully jumped down and stood next to the engine. Twilight landed next to her and began channeling her magic. The purple aura surrounded the train and her horn glowed brightly. To Sunset's surprise, the engine actually lifted up slightly and began moving of the tracks. Sunset looked at her friend, wondering how powerful Twilight had really become, when the alicorn gave out a groan of exertion
"A little help here?"
Sunset blinked and nodded her head embarrassed
"Right, sorry..."
She closed her eyes and called out her magic again. She let the warm tingles grow to a steady burning flame inside her and directed as much as she could towards the spell Twilight had already running. She immediately felt the weight pushing her down but kept going. She wondered if her magic was even enough to help but Twilight sighed in relief and the engine now floated up and was set down on the ground next to the track guided by Twilight's spell.


The purple alicorn smiled satisfied and proceeded with the carts next. Again, Sunset fueled Twilight's magic with her own and smiled. In her days as Celestia's student she barely ever twincasted with other unicorns, mostly because she'd been convinced it was beneath her to work together with someone far less talented than herself. 
Now with Twilight, she could definitely see the advantages her teachers had told her about. The two mares worked along swimmingly and it took them both far less magic than each lifting a cart on their own. It felt almost natural to combine her spells with Twilight and within a couple of minutes, Sunset felt like she'd never done anything else.


The track was free now and Sunset still felt lots of magic glow inside her. She turned to smile at Twilight, eager to get to the next task, but her smile faded quickly when she saw the frown on her friends face
"Something wrong?"
Twilight looked around and canted her head
"I'm not sure. This is far away from the palace or the city center, but these buildings are somehow more damaged than the ones we already passed. And even the train was thrown over."
Sunset looked around and saw the buildings next to her had fallen in mostly and nodded
"Okay. But why is that giving you a frown? I mean, there's lots of damage all over city."
Twilight nodded again
"Exactly. The damage is spread all over town, but it makes no sense these buildings got damaged more than the ones near the palace."
Sunset blinked and tilted her head the other way this time
"I think you lost me."
Twilight sighed and sat down on her haunches for a moment
"Earthquakes usually have an epicenter, an origin from where they spread out. But when the shockwaves spread, they loose some of their force. So the closer you get to the epicenter, the worse the damage should be."
She pointed at the buildings around her again and shook her head
"The epicenter would have been the portal in the Royal Palace. So the buildings closer to the Palace should have been hit far worse than these ones. But somehow, close to the palace there is less damage than farer away. It just makes no sense to me at all."
Sunset sat down as well and thought for a moment, then shrugged
"I don't know, Twilight. Maybe the houses near the palace are just sturdier than these ones. And it wasn't really a natural earthquake either, it was caused by some weird energy we don't understand yet."
Twilight sighed and stood up again
"Maybe you're right. But the longer I think about it, the more it all confuses me. There's just too much that won't fit together."
Sunset walked over to stand beside her friend, staring at the broken houses as well
"We'll figure it out together. As soon as we're done here."


Twilight leaned gently against Sunset for a moment without noticing the slight blush on the amber unicorn, then she jumped into the air and flapped her wings.
"Right. We still have a lot to do. I'll go check ahead and you keep following that track. We're almost out of the city as well so I hope this was the worst already."
Sunset gave her a playful salute and trotted along the track with Twilight circling above her.


Unfortunately, Twilight's hopes found an end when they saw another obstacle. Apparently one of the houses next to the tracks had broken in and most of the walls and the roof had fallen onto the tracks.
Sunset frowned and walked closer as Twilight flew down to join her in staring at the large pile of stone and debris. They looked at each other and two horns started to glow as they called forth their magic again. They tried to lift some of the debris away but as soon as they started, some rocks went loose and fell down towards them.
Sunset noticed too late and tried to jump out of the way, but as soon as she moved a purple barrier surrounded herself and Twilight. The rocks crashed against the shield spell and then fell down harmlessly. Twilight dropped her spell and helped Sunset back on her hooves
"Are you okay?"
Sunset nodded and shook some dust out of her mane
"I'm good. Thanks for the safe."
Twilight just smiled
"Don't mention it."


The two mares climbed around the huge pile of debris and worked to remove it, much more careful this time. Although they worked together as before, they only made slow progress.
Sunset just set aside another boulder when she heard a loud call from the distance
"Hey Twilight!"
She looked up just to notice a blue flash pass by and saw her alicorn friend tackled into a hug by a cyan pegasus mare. Sunset couldn't help but smile as the two hugged tightly and of course recognized the mare before Twilight even said her name
"Rainbow Dash! It's so good to see you. Did you come with the others?"


The pegasus broke the hug and threw her rainbow mane back, her wings flapping and lifting her up into hovering just above ground
"I did! They just reached the outer borders of the city but they couldn't find a way to pass through with the chariots. I was just checking out when I saw your magic sparkles all over!"
Rainbow flew up higher and grinned
"Come on, let's go see them! Fluttershy is still worried sick about you."
Twilight nodded and spread her wings, but then her gaze fell back on Sunset. The unicorn was no longer smiling and instead looked at the ground Sunset couldn't believe how similar that pegasus was to her Rainbow Dash. Their voices, the way they talked, even how they moved and that nervous energy Rainbow always radiated out.
Sunset noticed Twilight staring at her. She motioned for her to follow her friend and turned back at the pile that still blocked the railway. Twilight folded her wings back and walked over to her, then took Sunset's hoof and gently pulled her back towards the cyan pegasus
"Actually, I'd like you to meet somepony first. Rainbow Dash, this is Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset looked up at the pegasus and gave a hopefully friendly smile, but she could feel doubts entering her expression again and the cyan mare just stared at her in a leery way and slowly sunk back towards the ground until she stood before her.
"The Sunset Shimmer? The unicorn who lives in the human world?"
Sunset gulped and nodded and answered in a meek voice
"That's me. Nice too meet..."
She was quickly interrupted as Rainbow went on
"The unicorn who stole Twilight's crown and tried to kill her with its magic?"
Sunset felt like she just got slapped in the face and took a step back, her head hung down and her ears pressed flat into her mane.
Twilight was about to step in but then Rainbow grinned broadly
"The Sunset Shimmer who saved the human world three times by now? And more importantly, the friend who helps my human me be even more awesome?"
Sunset's ears perked up again and she looked up surprised at the mare who now broke into laughter. Twilight rolled her eyes and scolded
"Rainbow, that was very mean."
The pegasus just kept laughing
"But so worth it! You should see the look on your face, Sunset Shimmer."
Twilight fumed but Sunset found herself laughing as well as she replied with a grin of her own
"Your human self is so lucky she already passed that math exam last week. There'd be no way I'd help her now."
Twilight was stunned and blinked but Rainbow and Sunset just laughed on and then exchanged a hoof bump.
"Nice to meet you, Sunset. Sorry for the prank?"
"Likewise. And no harm done."


Twilight shook her head but was smiling again by now
"You two are just terrible sometimes."
Rainbow grinned and winked to Sunset who returned with her trademark smirk. It's been less than five minutes since she met the pegasus but she already felt in sync with the mare, just like at Canterlot High. Teasing human Twilight when she got too worried about grades or something was a common thing for Rainbow and Sunset there as well.
As soon as she had that thought though, a few images flashed through her mind. Rainbow screaming against the storm and struggling to not be blown away. The human girl getting hit by a lightning and bursting into blue sparks while screaming. Her smirk faded away and she shook her head, trying to push those images away.
It was just a dream! Nothing like that happened! She's okay, she's okay, she's okay...



Sunset didn't see Rainbow Dash watch her with an worried expression when her smile vanished so suddenly. The pegasus couldn't know what just happened and decided to better drop the teasing for now. She turned back to Twilight and asked
"So, what are you two doing here anyways?"
Twilight kept watching Sunset as she pointed to the pile of debris behind her
"We were trying to clear the tracks so the trains can get into the city again. But it seems this is too much for just the two of us."


Sunset barely heard any of this as she just stared at the ground and tried to get the nightmare out of her head again. She also didn't notice Twilight and Rainbow Dash approach her until they each grabbed one of her forehooves and started flapping their wings again. The amber unicorn blinked as she was lifted up and her backhooves kicked out involuntarily as she lost touch of the ground.
She looked up and saw Twilight just giggle at her surprise
"Hold still, silly."
Sunset frowned and grumbled as they flew up higher
"I can walk fine by myself, you know...."
"Yeah, but you're waaay to slow and the others are already waiting for us."
That came from Rainbow Dash who just smirked and lead on towards the borders of the city, still gaining altitude.


Sunset just blew her a raspberry at her and looked back at the ground. She smirked and with a glow of her horn and a red flash she appeared back on the ground a good distance in the direction Rainbow was headed. She laughed and began galloping as fast as she could.
The two flying ponies were stunned for a moment, then Rainbow zoomed after the unicorn. She quickly caught up and shouted down towards Sunset
"Fancy magic, but there's no way you're going to outspeed me!"
Sunset gave another smirk
"We'll see about that!"


Another flash and Sunset was way ahead again. Rainbow stretched out her forehooves and dashed after her, dodging some buildings as she caught up once again. She grinned when she saw Sunset heading into a dead end and just flew over the wall. She turned around to throw another taunt at the unicorn, but then her eyes went wide as she saw Sunset being surrounded by a red glow and simply pass through the wall and past her again
"You gotta be kidding me..."


Sunset laughed as Rainbow yelled at her again and picked up more speed while galloping. She just smiled and let her hooves find the right way for her as the air blew through her fiery mane. With four hooves she could go so much faster than with two legs and she enjoyed it, she never even realized how much she missed this, just running for running's sake. Her magic glowed inside her mind like a happy flame and she felt alive, she felt like a true pony and unicorn again for the first time since she returned to Equestria.


Rainbow went ahead again and this time, Sunset decided to let her get a little lead before she teleported in front of her once more. In the distance she could already see a group of ponies with large carts making their way towards a bridge that led into the city.
She focused for another teleportation spell when a blue blurry passed her and reached the ponies first. With a final victory loop, Rainbow Dash sunk down to land next to the group. Sunset smiled and activated her spell and appeared next to the pegasus just a few seconds after she touched the ground.


The two ponies breathed heavy and just watched each other for a few moments, then both smirked and exchanged a hoof bump.
"Okay, I admit, you're pretty good. But you still have to do better if you want to be as awesome as the newest member of the Wonderbolts!"


Before Sunset could reply, Twilight descended and landed softly next to them, her purple wings folding on her flanks
"Are you two done acting like fillies now?"
Sunset grinned and opened her mouth but was once again interrupted by a loud call
"TWILIGHT!"


Sunset smiled when a curly pink pony pounced on the alicorn and nearly threw her over in a cuddly hug. Rainbow just rolled her eyes and Twilight gently picked up Pinkie Pie with her magic and set her down next to her
"It's great to see you too, Pinkie. Let me introduce to a good friend of mine! Meet Sunset Shimmer!"
The pink earth pony had already turned her head when Twilight mentioned a friend, but at the sound of the name Pinkie gasped loud and bounced high into the air. Before her hooves touched the ground again she catapulted herself towards the unicorn and Sunset found herself in a crushing hug and twirled around while being bombarded with happy and unnaturally fast words
"OHMYGOSHyoureSunsetShimmerTwilighttoldmeallaboutyouandyourefromthehumanworldinthatmirrorandyoureourbestfriendImeannotreallyitsthefirsttimeIseeyoubutyourethebestfriendofhumanPinkieandalltheothersandnowyourehereandIfinallygettomeetyouandhearallaboutthehumanmeandIgettothrowyouthebiggestwelcomepartyonlyIleftmostofmypartysuppliesatPonyvillebutwerestillhavingthispartysinceyoureherenowandyoucantjustarriveandnothaveawelcomeparty..."
Sunset just smiled and threw her hooves around Pinkie as tight as she could 
"I'm happy to see you too, Pinkie Pie... may I get some air please?" 
The pink pony giggled and released her
"Silly Sunset! This is Equestria, so the air is free! You don't have to ask for it."
Sunset and the others joining into her giggling and then Twilight's name was called out once more by three new voices.


Sunset looked around and saw three more ponies approach them: A white unicorn with an indigo mane and tail, an orange earth pony with a slightly worn stetson hat on her straw blonde mane and a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane that covered half of her face.
Sunset watched as Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy walked over to each hug Twilight, then they turned back towards her. Pinkie was still standing next to her and bounced on the spot and Rainbow Dash and Twilight stood behind their friends.
Sunset gulped and felt very nervous as the three mares just stared at her intensely. Applejack's expression was wary and stern while Rarity looked her all over in a very taxing way. Fluttershy hid further behind her pink mane and Sunset couldn't tell whether this was her normal shyness or if the pegasus pony was afraid of her.


Sunset endured their stares for moment longer, then took a step forward and waved
"Um, hi... I'm Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you all?"
The three mares just kept staring and Applejack asked 
"We as much figured. How come you're here and not at the other side of the mirror?"
Sunset frowned and took a step back again, her ears flat on her head now
"Well, you see, there was this storm and my friends and I wanted to stop it but..."
Rarity interrupted her before she could finish her sentence
"We know what happened. But we want to know why you are here now?"
Sunset flinched and her ears sunk into her mane. She forced herself to not look away from Applejack's and Rarity's glaring eyes
"My friends needed help and Equestria was the only place where I could find it."
Fluttershy now asked in a quiet but clear voice
"So you came here to save your friends?"
Sunset nodded
"I did."
The three mares exchanged a glance and ignored the huffing from Twilight behind them. They looked back at Sunset
"So you never came here before 'cause you were afraid?"
Sunset blushed but nodded again
"Yes."
"But you faced your fears to help your friends in the other world?"
"Yes."
"You even faced Princess Celestia?"
"I did. For them."
"Just for them?"
"I... no. I did it for myself as well."
"And now you're helping in Canterlot instead of heading home right away?"
"Yes."


The three mares looked at each other again, then nodded. Rainbow stood next to them and Pinkie took the other side. Sunset just glared at them now, getting more and more annoyed by the way those ponies were treating her
"Sounds to me like you're one awesome friend, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset opened her mouth to give an angry response, then blinked
"Wait, what?"
Rainbow snickered again and Pinkie Pie smiled brightly at her. Fluttershy looked like she was about to start crying though and Rarity had the decency to look guilty at least
"We're terribly sorry, darling. But since the last time we met wasn't really that nice..."
"... and with the stories Twilight told us about you being transformed into a demon..."
"...we just wanted to be sure. Twilight told us about how much you've changed but sometimes she's too trusting for her own good. We really didn't mean to offend you, Sunset."


Now it was Sunset's turn to glare which made Rarity look even more guilty and Applejack return the glare in defiance. Fluttershy managed to slip behind the two but Sunset could hear her whisper in a meek voice
"I told you it wouldn't be a good idea."
Rarity let her hang down but Applejack just huffed
"Come on now! You can't just expect somepony to vanish for years, then return and turn into a demon and it's just all gone in one night."


Sunset's anger just vanished instantly and was replaced by a hard and cold feeling inside her guts. Her head dropped down and her legs gave in under her as she slumped back on her haunches. Applejack was right of course. How could she have been so foolish and believe every pony would forgive her, just because Twilight did?


The Princess stepped between Sunset and Applejack and glared daggers from her purple eyes at the earth pony
"I can't believe you'd say such a thing. Sunset came here to save her friends and she ended up saving Equestria as well. Yes, she made some mistakes in the past but she changed for the best! I've told you all about it. And you still can't trust her?"
Applejack shrunk down under Twilight's anger and looked down. With her hat covering most of her face, Sunset couldn't see her expression but she heard her mumble
"Trust is something you need to earn, Twi. It just doesn't come from nothing like that."


Twilight huffed again and stomped her hoof
"You're right. I'll tell you how Sunset Shimmer earned my trust. She saved the humans from the sirens by believing in her friends. She helped my human self when she was tempted by dark magic and she forgave her. And she helped her friends believe in themselves and helped them deal with their new magic. And last night, Sunset had the power of four alicorn Princesses at her hooves. She could have just walked through the mirror and have her way and we wouldn't have been able to stop her. But instead, she used that power to close the portal and she maybe gave up the only way to see her friends EVER AGAIN!"


The five friends stared at Twilight with strange expressions. Fear, worry, concern and guilt all mixed together, most of them coming from Twilight's sudden outburst of emotions.
The amber unicorn took a step towards the raging Princess who kept going on still
"Twilight..."
"Is it really so hard to believe that friendship can help a pony change?"
"Twilight!"
"I mean, you've seen Luna and Discord and even Starlight, why can't you.."
"TWILIGHT!"


Sunset took a deep breath and shook her head
"This is how I expected to be treated. I was so lucky when you and Celestia just forgave me. But I never thought any pony would trust me at all. I was expecting to be accused of something like that."
She looked up and found Applejack's eyes, still misty with tears
"I just didn't expect it to hurt so much."
Applejack flinched at those words and looked at the ground again. 


Sunset turned around and started to walk back towards the city and away from the ponies. She barely made any distance though when she was called back
"Wait! Please..."
Applejack walked up to Sunset with her head hung low
"I'm sorry, Sunset Shimmer. I shouldn't have said those things. We don't know each other, but with all those stories I heard about you, it's hard not to fall into prejudices."
Sunset looked at the mare and noticed the same sincerity in her eyes she always admired in human Applejack. She found the hard lump in her guts soften up some as she smiled softly
"You know, I almost had the same talk with you back in the other world. But it took us nearly three weeks to get there."
Applejack looked up confused, but the returned the awkward smile
"I guess I'm at least getting better at apologizing then..."
Sunset smiled
"You and me both."


Applejack stretched out her hoof and blushed a little
"Let me try again: Howdy, I'm Applejack. Nice to finally meet you, Sunset Shimmer."
Sunset felt the last of the cold feeling fade away as they shook hooves. Rarity joined in quickly after and Fluttershy pulled Sunset into a quick hug.


Pinkie and Rainbow joined them again and Twilight watched them with a relieved and sincerely happy smile. While Sunset answered some questions of the human world, she saw a lavender unicorn approach the Princess and they both meet in a tight hug. They exchanged some words and walked over to Sunset. The lavender unicorn hesitated for a moment but after an encouraging nudge for Twilight she waved to Sunset
"Hi, I'm Starlight Glimmer. I'm Twilight's student."
Sunset smiled wider and offered her hoof to shake
"Oh, Twilight told me about you in the journal. She says you're a genius when it comes to magic spells."
The lavender unicorn blushed and waved the compliment off
"Well, I'm not at Twilight's level but I try to keep up. And as far as I've heard, you're pretty good as well, you were the most talented student in Celestia's school after all."
Sunset giggled and rubbed her neck
"Well, I never really graduated because I... left... a week before the finals. And Twilight nearly broke all my records anyways. And now she's teaching me."


Twilight watched her two students with a smile, then she looked around confused
"So, where's Spike? Didn't he come along?"
Rarity shook her head and explained
"He decided to stay in Ponyville. Mayor Mare is completely over her head with all that's happening and he's helping organizing things. Plus, he said he'd take care of urgent correspondence with dragon breath."
Twilight nodded and smiled with pride
"He's grown up a lot more mature than I give him credit for."
The friends nodded and Applejack turned back to the heavy carts
"As much as I like sharing stories, we need to get those things to the castle. We've been marching all night to get here in time, we can't just give up that close."


The princess and her friends nodded and quickly decided to leave the carts behind and carry their goods by hoof instead, as it would be easier to get through the demolished city that way. The ponies from Ponyville quickly formed lines and loaded as much as they could carry on their backs and into their saddlebacks. 
Starlight Glimmer walked up to a cart with baskets of apples and her teal magic surrounded half of them and made them levitate over her. She then joined a grey earth pony and a light blue unicorn with a white and blue mane. They smiled and made their way over the bridge into the city.
Sunset watched impressed and reached for her magic as well. She took care of the remaining baskets but decided to carry two of them at her saddlebags and keep the others floating above her head. Applejack and Rarity were heavily loaded as well and the three ponies followed the first group down a narrow street into the centre of the city. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow followed right behind them while Twilight stayed behind to help distribute the weights with her magic.


As the street got wider again, the ponies kept walking in small groups towards the castle. Sunset caught up to Starlight Glimmer and the other two, then blinked surprised when she got a view on the blue unicorn's face for the first time
"Beatrice? Is that really you?"
The blue unicorn blushed a little and coughed
"The great and powerful Trixie prefers being called... well, Trixie. Trixie is surprised you'd recognize her after all these years, Sunset Shimmer."
Starlight looked between the unicorns and called out surprised
"Wait, you guys actually know each other?"
Sunset nodded and let her head hang down
"We were in the same class at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns for a while. But when I let my arrogance get the better of me... I wasn't really nice to my class mates. And Bea-, I mean Trixie..."
"Trixie realized her talent for show magic and decided to focus on her true calling instead being stuck in Canterlot. So Trixie went on her way to become truly great and powerful!"
The blue unicorn finished the sentence for Sunset who just closed her mouth again and nodded. Starlight didn't look too convinced but both unicorns decided to drop the topic for Trixie's sake.


Walking through the city took longer than Sunset expected and she ended up in the center of attention again and bombarded by questions about the human world


"So humans were clothes all the time?"
"Yes, it's a really big deal over there. There's malls as big as Canterlot Castle literally filled with nothing but clothes of all kinds and designs."
"Oh, how fabulous! You have to tell me more about that, Darling. I might get some inspiration for my next design line!"


"How was it, not having magic to do things?"
"It was hard at first, having to open every door with your hands and picking up things from the ground instead of just levitating them back up. But I got used to it, and having fingers is actually pretty cool, you can do so much more than with hooves."


"The animals in the human world aren't as sentient as they are here. I guess some species have a higher intelligence than others, but they can't really communicate with humans or vice versa."
"Oh, those poor little things!"
"Well, most can't. You're human counterpart is actually quite skilled in talking with critters, Fluttershy."


"So, humans eat meat a lot. Did you too?"
"Once. Accidently. I didn't know what it was and just thought it tasted strange. When someone told me, I barely made it to the restrooms before I threw up."


"Seriously Starlight? You managed to combine three spells most unicorns can't even perform one by one? That's amazing!"
"Yeah... and then I used it to more or less mind control my friends."
"Ouch. I know how that feels. Still, your hybrid magic sounds very interesting."


The ponies kept going on when a troop of pegasi approached them, led by Princess Cadance. The pink alicorn smiled and landed in front of Sunset and her friends
"Hey guys, it's great to see you all again."
The bearers of the Elements smiled and greeted the Princess like the friend she was, but most of the ponies from Ponyville started bowing down, much to Candance' dismay
"You've all been traveling all night to come help us, I should be the one bowing to you! We've cleared a path to the castle for you, you'll get there in no time at all. Just follow me!"


The Princess turned around and started walking but when she approached a tall building she was stopped by a voice next to Sunset
"You shouldn't go there."
Both Sunset and Cadance turned around and looked at the grey mare who had been silent until now. Sunset saw her neutral, almost bored expression and finally recognized Maud, Pinkie's sister. Cadance smiled nervous at Maud's lack of emotion and asked
"And why do you say that?"
Maud found a small stone and kicked it towards the building. A loud rumble could be heard and walls collapsed, a large pile of debris now in place where Cadance had just been standing.
The alicorn's eyes went wide
"How did you know?"
Maud just blinked once
"It's really obvious if you just watch the cracking in the stone close enough."
Pinkie Pie smiled and called out
"Oh yeah, that's my awesome sister Maud to you!"


Cadance tilted her head curiously
"Miss Pie...?"
"Doctor Pie, actually. But Maud is okay."
Cadance blinked and nodded
"Maud. Do you think you could say if other buildings are in danger of collapsing as well?"
"Of course."
The pink alicorn smiled
"Princess Celestia and her royal architects are having some difficulties with that, to be honest. You'd be a great help to them with your expertise."
The grey mare indicated a smile and nodded
"Okay."
Cadance bowed her head thankfully and instructed the pegasus guards to escort the ponies to the castle before she walked off with Maud.
Rarity smiled
"Oh my, it's really been a while since I saw dear Maud that excited."
Sunset and her friends giggled as she saw the Princess look back and blink confused.


The walk towards the castle continued with no further interruptions but also with less chatting, the long night's walk and heavy burden taking their toll form the ponies. Even Starlight and Sunset who used their magic could feel the strain by now. 
When they finally reached the final stairs leading up to the main entrance, they were greeted by Princess Luna herself
"Greetings my dear ponies. It warms my heart to see so many of you come to our aid in times of need. Please, set down you heavy burdens and join us for a meal before you can take a well deserved rest. We welcome you all to the Royal Palace as allies and friends, dear citizens of Ponyville."


The ponies smiled and entered the castle where the royal staff took care of the goods they'd been carrying. Sunset levitated her share towards some other unicorns who took over with their magic and couldn't help but giggle when she heard a sigh of relief from Starlight as she dropped her baskets as well.
Princess Luna led the ponies into the throne room and as she opened the doors wide with her magic, Sunset's smile grew into a big grin. All the foals of Canterlot were still gathered and greeted them with happy cheers. The little fillies and colts brought bowls of food and guided the older ponies to small isles of pillows they had set up for them. Soon, and with some gentle guidance from Luna, everypony was seated enjoyed a late lunch.


Princess Luna joined the friends from Ponyville and Sunset smiled at her
"It's great to see you give the kids a chance to be helpful."
The Princess returned the smile genuinely
"Everypony's contribution is valuable, Sunset Shimmer. Just because a pony is young doesn't make their deeds less meaningful. I am, however, grateful I can provide them with opportunities to prove themselves."
The alicorn smiled more and watched the fillies and colts quickly run between the group of tired ponies
"And maybe I promised them another story if they did a good job."
The group of friends laughed and finished up their meals.


Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie then went to towards the improvised hospital to offer their help while Applejack followed some staff ponies to take care of the apples they brought. Rarity decided she'd help set up sleeping accommodations for the night. Rainbow approached a guard and offered her help and was quickly sent to deliver a message to the other Princesses. The cyan pegasus gave a salute and zoomed off.


Sunset stayed behind and watched the ponies with some weird mix of happiness, guilt and confusion. During the trip through town, she felt like she knew those ponies all her life and they got along well after the rough start. She realized they didn't know her beyond what Twilight had told them, but they seemed genuinely interested in Sunset. She could really see them as close friends. 


Just thinking this sent a sharp needle of guilt into her heart, remembering the friends she had to leave behind in the human world. How could she just betray them with their pony counterparts? Was she even betraying them? The seemed so similar and Sunset found herself having a hard time to distinguish them from their human selves at times. If there was any difference at all, Sunset thought of the ponies as more mature. There were no teenage girl quarrels distracting them and they seemed so focused on what to do next and how to use their talents for the best. They didn't need a principal Celestia or even a Princess telling them what to do, they just did it.


Sunset found herself envying them for their self confidence and determination even during a crisis. During the confrontation with the sirens, her friends had pulled themselves together once she reminded them of their friendship. Later at the Friendship Games and at the Camp Everfree, the girls and most of school had relied on her judgments and more or less followed her lead. She had felt good back then, needed by her friends. She hadn't fallen back into arrogance or thought her friends wouldn't get through without her. But it felt good to contribute and take charge at times, knowing her friends trusted her enough to follow her. And forgave her when she made mistakes.


Sunset didn't feel like these ponies would really need her, in the end. Maybe they had once relied on Twilight, but right now they could contribute on their own. Sunset was sure they'd accept any help she would give and be thankful for it, but she also knew in the end, her contribution wouldn't be necessary.
Sunset shook her head and scolded herself. Remember what Luna just told you. Everypony's contribution is valuable. Just because you're not leading the pack doesn't mean you can't be a great help.



Sunset found Starlight and Trixie standing next to her and watching her curiously. Sunset blushed a little and Trixie giggled, but Starlight gave her an understanding smile
"I guess it must be strange, seeing your friends but not really being with your friends."
Sunset blinked surprised but Starlight only continued
"I get that feeling sometimes. I'm new in the group and they work together so well, it's easy to just stand beside them but not be a part of it. Not all the time, but... sometimes it hurts."
Sunset nodded softly and smiled as the lavender unicorn analyzed her so quickly
"You really learned a lot about friendship from Twilight. Sometimes I wonder if I should have taken the real course instead of just the telecourse."
Starlight giggled
"You mean your journal. It's strange how we learn almost the same things but in two different worlds. Though from what you and your friends already achieved together, I'd say you're my senior by far."
Sunset put her hoof on Starlight's shoulder
"I wouldn't say so. Sometimes, I just stand next to them and can't believe they really accepted me as their friend, even after all I've done."
Starlight gave a small smile and nodded
"You and me both, sister."
Trixie stepped close and put her hoof on Starlight's other shoulder as well and gave her a confident smile
"Starlight, you just give yourself far too little credit. And don't forget, even if your friends would forget about you, you always have your amazing friend Trixie to rely on."
Starlight Glimmer looked between her two friends and hugged them, to both pony's surprise. Then Sunset and Trixie just smiled and returned the hug with one hoof each while shaking their free hooves. 
Sunset and Trixie just exchanged one look to know they'd forgive their past quarrels for Starlight's friendship. Sunset felt like she was making the far better deal of it, but Trixie had her own package  to carry, at least Twilight told her so.	


The three friends hugged for a few more moments, then shared a slightly embarrassed giggle along with some happy smiles.