//------------------------------//
// A Sunset Face Off 
// Story: Flash Sentry Chronicles: EQG 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

As Flash followed Twilight through the school, he soon caught sight of who had captured Spike. It was Sunset's goons Snips and Snails, both of them running just a bit ahead of Flash and Twilight. Despite their clumsiness and shorter height of the two, they easily evaded the duo as they ran though the hallways.

And as Twilight and Flash started to get close to them, the boys turned a corner, causing the duo to crash into some lockers. With a resounding 'clang', both slumped over before Flash quickly tried to recover, pulling Twilight up with him. "Those two are slippery." he commented as they both got back into a sprint.

"I know! But they got Spike, so we have to-huh?"

"Don't slow down ya'll!" said a new voice, the two now seeing their friends running beside them. "We gotta save 'em!"

The two glanced at each other, smiles on their faces before turning serious as they looked back at the running dognappers. They soon pushed themselves to their top speed, slowly catching up to the boys as they passed by a girl who looked a lot like their friend Trixie.

Eventually, the two arrived at a doorway leading outside. One slam through the doors later, the whole group ran down the opening's stairs, soon coming to a halt as they now saw both Snips and Snails. Spike was squirming in one of their arms, causing Flash to let out a low growl. "Let him go! NOW!"

"You heard him! Give me back Spike this instance!" Twilight added, pure fury now present on her face. "DO IT!"

Snips and Snails exchanged glances before slightly backpedaling, only for a new voice behind them to yell out, "That's close enough!" It was Sunset, and she was now wielding a large sledge hammer that was menacingly pointed at the statue with the portal. She was also wearing a huge grin as the seven teens came to a stop, Twilight and Flash now showing expressions of true worry.

"Twilight! Help-mmph!" Spike cried out as he squirmed again, only for a hand to clamp his mouth shut.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Twilight yelled as she pointed her palm at the bullies.

Flash on the other hand just pointed at Sunset and growled, "Sunset! If you know what's good for you, you'll let him go and step away from the portal! Its over, and you've lost!"

Sunset let out a hissing laugh, "HA! I'd hardly say I've lost. Far from it actually. But don't worry, I'm not a monster." She motioned to Snips and Snails. "Let him go." Snips and Snails shot her a confused look, but did as they were told. As soon as Spike was on the ground, he rushed over to his friends and jumped into Twilight's warm embrace. "You don't belong here," Sunset went on as she held out her hand. "Give me the crown, and you can go back to Equestria tonight."

"And if she refuses?" Flash asked with crossed arms.

Sunset's smile turned into a dark frown as she raised her sledge hammer. "Then you can keep it and never go home." Twilight gasped as everyone else tensed up. Flash growled at the sight, his fists gripping as he started to measure the distance between him and Sunset. That is, till Sunset continued, "Tick-tock, Twilight. We haven't got all night." She pointed up at the sky, everyone looking up and seeing the moon was almost at its highest peak. "The portal will be closing in the next hour. So, what's your answer?"

The question made the princess shiver, causing Twilight to take off her crown and stare at it. Thoughts about everything that was waiting for them back home entered her mind, their friends, family and the many dangers that were there. But as she stared at the Element of Harmony, she looked back at her friends in this world. She saw a variety of anger, fear, disgust and...worry on their faces. The sight alone made Twilight look back at Sunset, now seeing the devilish, malevolent expression she was displaying.

Blinking at this, she looked down at Spike, the dog staring up at with an expectant look. She then turned to Flash, her eyes seeing her bodyguard glare daggers at Sunset. His hands were gripped into fists, a look of pure anger on his face. It had been a long time since she had seen him this angry despite the obvious determination on his expression. That is, till he shifted his vision to Twilight, soon shooting her a confidant smile and nod. That gesture alone was him saying he was with her no matter what she decided.

With that last piece of support, she turned to glare at Sunset. "No! I'll never give you this crown!"

Sunset's expression turned to one of shock and horror. "What?!" She stomped her feet, swinging the hammer threateningly close to the portal. "But what about Equestria?! Your friends?! They'll be lost to you forever! Don't you see what I'm about to do to the portal?!"

"Yes, I see it. I know what you're about to do." Twilight replied as she stood up, Spike now leaping out of her arms as her friends started to line up around her. "But I've also seen what you've been able to do in this world without magic." Twilight then looked back down at the crown again, "I know that this crown is important to Equestria, and its needed to help protect it...but I also know that Equestria will find a way to survive without my Element of Harmony." She glared back at Sunset, "And I know now that this world might not survive if I allow my crown to fall into your hands." They all then saw Sunset begin to show signs of panicking, her feet slightly backpedaling as she tried to make sense of Twilight was saying.

Then, Twilight gave Sunset a glare of pure determination, one where hope could not be destroyed as she said, "So go ahead Sunset, destroy the portal! It won't matter no matter what you do..." Twilight lifted the Element of Magic above her head, "You are not getting this crown!" With that, she placed the Element back on her head, the crown letting out a long flash of light.

Sunset and Twilight glared at each other, time going to a crawl as they continued. And as it went on, Sunset's vision turned to the other six humans ready to fight against her, now seeing nothing but anger and determination in front of her. Seeing this, the bacon-haired girl let out a long sigh, "Fine...you win." With that, she tossed the hammer towards the ground and crossed her arms.

Twilight and Flash's eyes went wide in shock, only to feel the others hugging them, Rainbow cheering, "You...are...so...awesome Twilight!"

Applejack then friendly punched Twilight in the arm. "I can't believe you were gonna do that fer us!"

Rarity nodded in agreement. "Its no wonder you're a real live princess!"

"Oh yes, she's so very special!" Sunset screeched, causing everyone to turn and see her leaping towards Twilight. Before they could do anything, the two girls collided in a tumble, Twilight's crown flying off through the tackle. Sunset then pinned Twilight into the dirt, the princess yelping as pain surged through her body.

"Aaahhh!"

"Twilight!" Flash yelled. "Hang on, I'm-"

"The crown!" His best friend replied, causing him to turn and see the Element roll away.

But as he started to go after the accessory, Sunset screamed, "GET IT!" On command, her lackeys tried to get the crown, only for Flash to get it first.

But as he did this, Snails and Snips cut off his way back to his friends, Snips pointing at Flash with a glare. "Give it up! Its two against one, and we've already won!"

"Congratulations, you can count. And they say the education system's dead." Flash joked as he cricked one of his fists, "Well? You said you've already won, right?" He then motioned a 'come on' gesture. "Bring it on."

"Get him!" Snails yelled as he and Snips tried to tackle him, Flash easily backpedaling away from their attack.

"Flash!" said a new voice, causing Flash to notice Spike running towards him, "Over here!"

"Catch buddy!" Flash threw the crown at the dog, the drake quickly grabbing it in his mouth.

"What are you-GRAB HIM YOU FOOLS!" Sunset screeched as she pushed Twilight away, her goons now chasing the dog.

Spike ran as fast as he could, Snips and Snails right on his tail, only for Sunset to push past the two as she tried to grab him. Everyone else was not far behind, but they were too late, as Spike now found himself at the school's front door. But as he found out that his little paws couldn't open the giant metal frames, he turned to see Sunset glaring down at him. "Uh-oh..."

"SPIKE!" yelled another voice, causing Spike to see Rainbow right behind Sunset, waving her arms in the air. Instantly catching on, he jerked his head back, quickly tossing the crown between Sunset's legs. The athletic teen caught the accessory with a swipe of her hand, only to see Snips and Snails rushing up to her. She backpedaled from the two, dodging both of their attempts as she then noticed Sunset about to get to her. Rainbow jerked her head left, seeing another friend and yelled, "Fluttershy! Catch!"

"Eep!" Fluttershy yelped as the crown suddenly landed in her hands, causing her to hop in place. But as she tried to secure her grip on the crown, she looked up and saw Sunset and her toadies racing towards her. The sight alone made her scream, "Help!"

"Hang on Fluttershy!" Applejack said as she pulled a lasso out of nowhere, the rope instantly tying the girl up and pulling her away. But as she was yanked away, the crown slipped out of her hands, now flying through the air.

"I got it! I got it!" proclaimed Snips as he grabbed the accessory, "Ha! Now-huh?!"

A pink blur snagged the crown from his fingers, revealing it to be Pinkie. Snails quickly reacted and tried to tackle her, only for the party girl to dodge and then throw the crown to Applejack. The farmer instantly snagged the crown, but soon saw Sunset running towards her. Reflexes kicked in, causing her to throw it to Rarity. The fashionista immediately spun around, tossing the crown to Twilight. Twilight gripped her crown, only to see Snips and Snails rushing towards her. Instinctively, a small yelp escaped her mouth as she threw the crown up into the air, causing another to grab it.

"Got it!" Flash called out as snagged the Element of Magic. But in the moment he grabbed the accessory, his reflexes told him to turn around. He instantly did so, only for an end of a sledge hammer handle to be thrust into his gut. "AUGH!" he cried as he staggered back, the crown falling out of his hands as his legs started to wobble like jelly.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" mocked one Sunset Shimmer as she put the sledge hammer down.

"Not...as much...as-" Flash tried to say, only to see Sunset walk up to the crown. "No, wait-"

"I'll take that," evilly chuckled Sunset as she picked up the crown and lifted it above her head. "At last...more power than I could ever imagine!"

Everyone rushed after the girl, ready to stop her. But as soon as the crown was placed upon her head, everyone came to halt. The stolen Element of Harmony began to glow, shining a light that made everyone backpedal. And as it did this, a ring of black and blue energy appeared, encircling the girl. Sunset felt the surge of energy consume her, causing her to open her eyes as light devoured her. While this happened, everyone had shield their eyes as the light continued to grow, soon becoming a pillar of bright shining light.

Everyone watched this event in horror, fear and worry on their faces. It was in this moment that the rest of the school's population walked out of the front doors, Heather, Iron and First at the front as they all stared at the pillar of light. Grand was next, shock on his face as he stared at the sight, the lights in the pillar now spiralling, magic now consuming Sunset. She could feel the magic of the Element flow through every single cell in her body, her eyes now closed as tears started to leak out. Pain shook her body, only for the tears to evaporate as she reopened the eyes as they revealed pure white voids.

Then the light from the crown exploded around her body, causing her to combust into a flurry of black and blue flames. When the flames faded, everyone gasped as they saw the being that revealed itself from the light. It was Sunset, and her skin was now dark red, almost pink while her hair was shorter and spiked up to resemble fire. She now wore a dress that was the same color as her hair, complete with a black section around her waist while wearing black high heeled boots with red on the top, a red and yellow tail sprouting out of her rear. The final piece of her new look involved a pair of black bat wings with red inner membrane, all of it protruding out of her back.

Everyone continued to look up at Sunset in horror as Flash glanced between her and Twilight. "Could your Element always do that?"

Twilight didn't tear her eyes away from Sunset as she replied, "The element must be conflicting with this magicless world. I'm guessing that probably changed how its magic works."

"But it didn't do that to you when you wore it!" Spike, who was cowering in her arms, told her.

"I guess her dark heart must have reacted with the Element's changed magic," Twilight commented as she slightly backpedaled. "Though I have to say, I never expected her to change that much."

At the same time, Sunset stared at her new form, feeling her new power course through her veins. She then let out another psychopathic laugh, "AHAHAHAHA!!!! YES! Yes...true power, and its mine! ALL MINE! AHAHAHA!!!" Sunset exclaimed before looking down at her goons, a blast of energy firing out of her fingertips at the duo. Snips and Snails were struck instantly, transforming into blue and orange versions of whatever Sunset had become.

The two started giggling as Snails hissed and Snips said, "This is gonna be so cool."

"No, its not." Flash growled as he cricked his neck, stepping between the two and his friends. Snips just hissed at him before swiping a claw, causing Flash to hop back before tripping over his own feet. "Ack!"

"Not so tough now, are ya?" Snips retorted, chuckling.

"Still tough enough to beat you!" Flash yelled as he swung his leg, tripping both as Flash hopped back up. Before they could do anything else, Flash grabbed the sledge hammer Sunset had been using, causing them to whimper as they picked themselves up. "Ready to rumble, you idiots?!" Flash smirked as he gripped the hammer, "Cuz I know how to use this thing!"

The two glanced at each other, nodding before flapping their wings as they took to the sky. Flash saw this and sighed, "Oh yeah....they have wings now. Dang it."

Snips and Snails then flew over to Sunset, who was just staring at the school and its students. Seeing this, Grand yelled, "Everybody inside! Now!" Hearing this, Iron, Heather and First began pushing the students back into the school before Grand closed and locked the door.

Sunset just laughed at the sight. "AHAHA!!! I've had to jump through so many hoops tonight just to get my hands on this crown, and it really should have been mine all along!" She then growled at the school, a fake smile soon following, "But let's let bygones be bygones. After all, you were influenced by someone to no longer fear me!" The crown on her head began to glow as both her hand and the school's entrance did the same. "I am your princess now, and you will be loyal...to ME!" She balled up her hand, causing the entrance of the school to break off, a huge chunk of stone now levitating over the building before being thrown away.

The students all began to scream as they tried to run away, only for Sunset to fly into the school with a huge grin. Once in the center of the foyer, she closed her eyes before opening them to show a pair of hypnotic swirls. The swirls quickly flew out of her eyes, hitting the students one by one. And as soon as they were hit, the students all stood swaying on the spot, moaning as their eyes opened and showed a disgusting light green color.

Sunset then landed and looked around, smiling happily at the sight before turning to Snips and Snails. "Round them up and bring them to the portal." With that, she flew back outside and looked down at Twilight. "Spoiler alert! I was bluffing when I said I was going to destroy the portal. I don't want to rule this pathetic little high school, I want Equestria! And with my own little teenage army behind me, I am going to get it!"

Flash and Twilight growled at this, only to gasp when they spotted Grand and the Royal Knights stepping into view as hypnotised zombies. Twilight glared up at the she demon as she placed Spike on the ground to go, "No...NO!" she stood back up, "Do you hear me Sunset?! You won't win! Equestria is not yours!"

"I couldn't agree more!" Flash added as he pointed at Sunset, "Even if you do manage to beat us and head to Equestria, you'll still have to take down three princess, the Royal Knights and our friends. One blast from the Crystal Heart and you're dust!" The statement made Sunset let out a loud screech, causing Flash to cross his arms in smirk, "Aww...what's the matter?! Just realizing how stupid your plan is?! I mean, you're facing a force that's beaten countless magic evils with a bunch of high schoolers. How else is it gonna end?!"

"SILENCE, YOU WORM!" Sunset screeched as she fired a blast at the two, only for Flash to push Twilight out of the way.

"Twilight, watch-AAAHHH!" He cried as the blast sent him flying back.

"FLASH!" Twilight screamed as she and the others rushed over to him, the knight letting out a low moan.

"Some ponies just can't take criticism..." he whispered as Twilight started to help him up. "Ooohhh...that hurt."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Flash grumbled as he fully got up and stared back at Sunset, "What's the matter?! That all you got? If it is, you'll get your flank beaten in two seconds in Equestria, you-"

"ENOUGH!" Sunset interrupted as her fist turned into huge fiery blazes of magic. "Equestria will fall to me! ME! I will be its princess, and there is nothing you can do to stop me! I have magic, and you have NOTHING!"

"They have us!" Rainbow yelled as she and their other friends stood beside Twilight and Flash.

Sunset saw this and, while a little surprised, she simply laughed once again. "Gee, the gang really is all back together again! And they think they can stop me, HA! That's so cute!" Her laughter grew as the flames began to grow in her fists again, "Now, step aside! Twilight has tried to interfere with my plans one too many times already! She needs to be dealt with!" A miniature sun then appeared in one of her hands before she tossed it towards the princess.

Flash quickly pushed Twilight behind him, crossing his arms as he expected to once again take the full force of the attack. But as he did this, the rest of their friends all huddled around them like a shield, causing him and Twilight to be pulled back in surprise. And as the sun struck, a massive explosion shook the earth, a pillar of smoke instantly covering the area as Sunset laughed at the sight. "AHAHAHA!!! I've-WHAT?!"

As the smoke cleared, the seven opened their eyes and saw a purple light surrounding them. Flash turned back to his friends, now seeing all his friends consumed in the purple glow. It encompassed them all as Twilight then opened her eyes, seeing the light and knowing what to do. But before she could do anything, Sunset screamed, "What is this?! What is that light?!"

She looked up at Sunset and smiled. "Its our magic! The magic of the Elements of Harmony!"

"WHAT?! But....but that's impossible!" Sunset screeched as she pointed to the crown, "This is the Element of Magic! All its magic is in me now!"

Twilight shook her head, "No...the magic contained in my Element was able to unite with those that helped create it! That is its true magic!" As soon as she said that, Sunset suddenly felt the crown's power surge once again. Only this time, it shot out a beam of pure untainted light that flew towards the seven teens, seemingly causing them to fly into the air.

One by one, the teens felt themselves be filled with the magic that they represented and began to change. "Honesty!" Applejack's ears grew and moved to the top of her head as her hair lengthened into a tail like extension, strength now pouring through her muscles. "Kindness!" Fluttershy's ears and hair also changed as a pair of wings appeared on her back. She could feel a flood of memories, all of them being with her animal friends as she could feel what they were truly saying. "Laughter!" Pinkie flicked her new ears and looked down at her tail, cheering as new ideas for parties began to fill her brain. "Generosity!" Rarity marvelled as she saw her ears and hair grow, her mind also bursting with innovation. "Loyalty!" Like Fluttershy, Rainbow gained a pair of wings along with new ears and a tail, her body now feeling like the speeding wind. "Courage!" Flash felt his ears and hair grow, only unlike the girls, his tail only went down to the middle of his back. He also felt his wings return, causing him to let out a sigh of relief as he flapped them. "Magic!" Finally, Twilight gained her own ears, tail and wings.

The seven transformed teens looked down at Sunset, who was completely horrified by what she was seeing. "No...I..." the magic fire in her fists began to flicker, their flames now shrinking as she stared at them. "No...no! What is happening?!"

But as she asked this, Twilight continued, "Together with my crown, they create a power beyond anything you could ever imagine! But it is a power you don't have the ability to control! The crown may be upon your head, Sunset Shimmer, but you cannot wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all" Twilight grabbed Rarity and Flash's hands, the two grabbing the others' hands and flew into a heart formation in the sky. "The magic...of FRIENDSHIP!" With that final decoration, a rainbow beam of light exploded out of them.

The rainbow spiraled up into the air, then shot straight down at Sunset Shimmer. "No! NO!!!" She screamed as the rainbow hit her before spiraling around her body. "What...is...happening?!" Soon enough, she was consumed by the tornado of colors as the power she once wielded wildly shot out of the top of the pillar of magic and into the horizon.

"Here and in Equestria, it is the only magic that can truly unite us all!" Twilight declared as they unleashed one final blast of magic, this one covering Grand and the others students. It also struck Snips and Snails, reverting them back to their human forms before covering the entire school in a veil of light. When the light faded, everyone now saw that the school's entrance was thrashed, along with a massive crater in the school's front yard. Also scattered around the edge of the crater were the seven heroes, all of them laying in the grass.

The first to recover was Flash, who sat up before looking around. "Everyone okay?" He got five different moans in response, "Good." He then realized he was a moan short and looked over at his best friend, "Twilight?" He crawled towards her and turned her onto her back, breathing a sigh of relief as she gave him a small smile. Spike then rushed out from his hiding spot and began to lick her in the face, causing her to laugh as pulled him and Flash into a hug as she stood up.

Once the hug was over, she looked back at the crater. There, Sunset Shimmer laid in her human form, consumed by smoke. She tried to pick herself up, but found her body had taken too much damage, causing her to crawl her way out.

"You will never rule in Equestria," the girl looked up to see Twilight and the others glaring down at her. "Any power you may have had in this world is gone." She pointed around the edge of the crater, allowing Sunset to see Grand and all the students staring down at their defeated tormentor. "Tonight, you've shown everyone who you really are. You've shown them what is in your heart."

Sunset looked back on all she had done as something inside her began to crack. The Magic of Friendship had torn the darkness out of her heart, causing guilt began to pour in as she started crying. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know there was another way."

Twilight shook her head at this. "The magic of friendship doesn't just exist in Equestria, Sunset Shimmer." She turned to smile at her friends, both new and old, "It's everywhere. You can seek it out, or you can be forever alone. The choice is yours."

Sunset finally found the energy to pick herself and climb out of the crater, now at Twilight's feet. "But...but all I've ever done since getting here is drive everyone apart. I don't know the first thing about friendship." She looked down as more tears spilled out of her eyes, only to feel two hands grab her shoulders.

She looked up and saw Flash and Twilight both holding her, then helped pull her up onto her feet. "I bet they can teach you," Twilight pointed towards her friends.

"And when you've learnt what you need to," Flash pointed to the rest of the school. "You can start making amends. Only then will you be able to not let your past define you."

Sunset looked between the two, then towards everyone else. For the first in a very long time, she felt like she could truly see and think clearly. She wanted to know, everything there was to know about the Magic of Friendship. And so, she nodded as more tears began to flow.

"All right! Those are my girls!" Spike cheered with a clap. "And Flash, Woo-hoo!"

The students all looked down at him in surprise as one of them spoke up. "Did that dog just talk? Whoa! That's...weird."

Spike shot him a raised eyebrow. "Seriously? The talking dog is the weird thing about all this?"

Rarity laughed as she picked him up and started scratching him behind the ear. "I, for one, think you're adorable."

"Oh yeah...." Spike moaned at the scratching.

Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna and Grand then stepped towards the group, Celestia carrying Twilight's crown as Grand asked, "So kid, wanna explain what just happened?"

Flash began scratching the back of his head, nervously chuckling as he did so, "Not really. Besides, I doubt we have enough time anyway. Sorry Grand." He turned and pointed to the rest of his friends. "Though they can give you the run down."

"Oh sure, you have all the fun and leave us to do the clean up." Iron grumbled, only to get a nudge from Heather.

"Oh stop it! What are friends for but to help each other Iron!" Heather said while nudging him again.

"Indeed," First added.

Celestia stepped over to Twilight and held up her crown. "I believe this belongs to you." Twilight turned to her mentor's doppelganger and kneeled down. "A true princess in any world leads not by forcing others to bow before her, but by inspiring others to stand with her." She placed the crown on Twilight's head as she looked over at the friends she had managed to reunite. "We have all seen that you are capable of just that. I hope you see it too, Princess Twilight."

She kneeled down and raised Twilight's head so that their eyes locked. Twilight, after so much doubt and fear, finally felt like she was worthy of the position that had been thrusted upon her. "I do."

Celestia smiled as they both stood up while the students and faculty all cheered happily. Flash then patted Twilight shoulder, "Not bad eh? Looks like your magic saved the day again."

"Yeah...it did."

"Hey Sentry." Iron chimed in, "Does this mean you guys have to leave now?"

Flash and Twilight shared a worried glance, only for Flash to smile. "Sunset did say the portal would remain open for about an hour or so."

"And that was only ten minutes ago," Pinkie added.

Twilight let out a giggle, "I guess we can stay a little while longer."

This caused everyone to once again cheer, all of them running back into the gym. And as they arrived, the school's DJ took the stage so the Royal Knights got a chance to party. Fluttershy, Iron and a few more of the less social kids stayed near the edge of the hall, enjoying themselves while keeping away from being the center of attention. Applejack, Heather and First were closer to the center, Applejack dancing beside her brother while First and Heather did the same. Rarity was leading a conga line, with Pinkie at the back bouncing on her feet. Rainbow Dash was now enjoying the use of her new wings as she flew around above the other's heads. She then reached down and plucked the human Scootaloo up before throwing her onto her back, the two shooting off around the gym.

Finally, in the dead center of the room, Flash and Twilight were dancing below the disco ball. Flash was starting to get the hang of dancing as a human, but one look over at Twilight, and he saw her dancing the way she did in Equestria. He quickly saw the others staring at them, but shrugged and decided to show them how it was done in Equestria before getting down on all fours.

Once that song was over, they noticed a girl carrying a camera step up and offer to take a photo for them to remember. They all agreed and grouped up, Spike and Twilight in the middle with the four of girls around them while Flash and Rainbow stood behind. Once that photo was taken, Flash was pulled away for another one with the Royal Knights.

Soon enough, it was time for Flash, Twilight and Spike to head home. They and their friends left the school, Twilight pulling the girls into a tight hug while Flash fist bumped with the guys. And as soon as Twilight got out of the hug, she spotted Sunset Shimmer hanging around the destroyed school building. "You'll look out for her, won't you?"

"Of course we will," Rarity said with a small wave. "Although I do expect some sort of apology for last spring's debacle."

"And she'll need to confess to getting Lightning kicked out of school," Heather added. "Maybe we can still get him back..."

Twilight nodded as she spotted Luna step up to Sunset with tools, obviously expecting her to repair the school's opening along with Snips and Snails. "I have a feeling she'll be handing out a lot of apologies."

"We'd better get going then," Spike told them.

Twilight nodded before turning back to the group. "I know we've only been friends for a short time, but I'm gonna miss all of you so much."

Flash chuckled at this, "Yeah. You all might look, sound and mostly act the same as our friends back in Equestria, but don't you ever feel like we see them as replacements for you. Even if the differences are barely noticeable, we can see them." With that, the trio began to walk towards the portal.

As they did this, Spike looked up at his caretaker and smiled. "That crown really does suit you, Princess Twilight."

Twilight smiled as she looked up at her Element of Harmony. "You know, I think it does. Heck, I think I'm finally starting to feel a little more comfortable wearing it."

Flash shined a devilish grin, "What about the wings?"

Twilight turned to smirk back at him. "I've been walking on two legs and picking things up with these!" She held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. "Wings?! I'm thrilled that's all I'll be dealing with back in Equestria!" With that, she and Spike stepped through the portal.

Flash stepped up to it and took one last look at the place he barely knew but would happily risk his life for again, only to spot a particular person standing a ways off. Grand smiled at Flash before giving him a two fingered salute, which Flash mimicked before stepping into the portal, ready to go home.





Back in Equestria...

The three princesses and five remaining members of the Mane Seven were still in the throne room. They had been waiting there for three days, waiting impatiently for their friends to return. Rainbow was pacing in front of the mirror, having had to be restrained from jumping into it herself while the rest of them sat or laid on the floor waiting.

"Grrr….why is it taking so long?! Their time is almost up!" Rainbow complained, only to get a shake of the head from Fluttershy.

"Rainbow, we have to wait on them." She then patted Rainbow's shoulder, "Remember, this is Twilight and Flash we're talking about. They can do the impossible."

"I know, its just-wait! Look!" Rainbow exclaimed as she pointed at the mirror. Its surface started to wobble and shine, causing everypony to stare at the object. Before anything else could be said, Twilight and Spike flew out of the mirror.

"Aaah!" she yelped as she walked through on her back legs, quickly falling to standing pony position. "Oh...right. Four legs now. Just like its supposed to be."

"You're one to talk." Spike grumbled as he put himself into a bipedal position. "Ahhh...that's nice. No more hot fur or itchy ears."

Twilight was about to respond as she walked away from the mirror, only for it to wobble again as a certain orange pony exited it while on two hooves. The pony quickly exclaimed as he took to the air, "YES! Finally...we're back to normal!"

"Tell me about it," Twilight groaned as she shook her head. "No more-"

"Twilight! Flash! You're back!" yelled their friends as they tackled them into a series of hugs.

"You've got your crown!" Rarity cheered as she tapped the accessory. "Wonderful!"

Pinkie then tightened the hugs. "I knew you could do it!"

"Ugh! Too tight!" Flash croaked, "Can't breathe!"

"Oh, we were so worried." Applejack spoke up as they were released. "Thank the stars ya'll are okay."

Celestia then stepped up to them, a worried look on her face. "Sunset Shimmer, is she alright?"

Flash and Twilight both smiled and nodded at each other as they looked back at the Princess of the Sun, "I think she's gonna be fine. We left her in good hands."

This got a confused look from everypony as Rainbow asked. "What are hands?"

Flash chuckled at this. "Pinkie, get the popcorn. You girls are gonna love this story."

Twilight, Flash and Spike then told them everything they could think of. They went over how they had transformed into the strange beings called humans, found themselves in a school which had a version of almost everypony they knew and how Sunset had turned the place upside down. They were only half way through the story when Twilight let out a yawn, causing Celestia to tell them to go to bed and continue the story tomorrow. But as they headed off to their rooms, their friends still wanted more info.

"Where did you stay?" Fluttershy asked.

"What did they wear?" Rarity added.

"Did ya have fun?" Guess who asked that.

"What'd ya'll eat?" Applejack continued.

"Would ya say she's just as awesome as me? No wait, don't tell me. I already know who's more awesome." Again, guess who asked that.

Twilight sighed as she tried to keep her eyes open. "I wanna tell you all everything, I do, but I'm just so exhausted from all the dancing."

"DANCING!?" The others exclaimed as Cadance shined a greasy smile. "Okay, this can not wait until tomorrow."

"It can if you want a proper explanation instead of a tired, rushed tale..." Flash replied before yawning as well. "Not only that, I need to...wait." He then blinked before tapping his sides, soon poking his wings as well, "Oh no...its gone!"

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked as she blinked at him before glancing at her crown, "We got the crown Flash. I don't think we left anything else in that world."

"But we did!" Flash replied as he glanced all over himself before his eyes started to tear up, "No...I left it in that suit and it didn't come back with us!" He then turned to Twilight and pointed at her sides, "Just like your saddlebags, its gone!"

"I...oh yeah." Twilight remarked as she looked at her sides. "Huh. My saddlebags did disappear, didn't they? Wonder where they went..."

"That's not important! What's important is that I lost my notes that I put in my suit!" Flash exclaimed before rubbing his head in frustration, "No! All those cool ideas of that world! Video games, cars, computers, those awesome comics....they're all gone!"

Twilight just shook her head, soon patting Flash's shoulder, "Its okay Flash, we can always go back the next time the portal opens, right?"

"Yeah...you're right." Flash grumbled as he slumped over, "Guess we should get to bed then."

"Amen to that." Twilight added as they continued to walk down the hallway. But as she did this, her exhaustion began to settle in, causing her to trip. Flash quickly reacted and grabbed her wing, managing to pull her towards him. Twilight felt herself fall into Flash's chest before looking up at him, the two locking eyes. And as they did this, the two remembered what had happened earlier that night, causing them to blush as they stepped away from one another, Twilight hastily saying, "Anyways! Like I said, I'll tell you girls the rest tomorrow."

"Yeah...I need a serious shower and a proper bed." With that, the two continued down the hall while not looking at each other.

And as their friends saw this, they all smiled as they wondered what might have happened between the two in the other world. That is, except Cadance. Her skin was a furious red as she whispered, "It finally happened....it finally happened!" She then rubbed her hooves into her head, "AUGH! Why did it take so long?! WHY?!"

"Um...Princess Cadance? Are you alright darling?" Rarity asked as she saw Cadance's frustration consume her.

Cadance then turned to her, her left eye twitching while the right started to form tears, "No, I'm not. I feel like I just wasted over half a decade over something that ended up getting solved because those two went to another world!" She turned around, walking away from the group in a huff as she muttered to herself, "What is wrong with me?! I'm the Princess of Love, and yet I couldn't make them even remotely realise anything?! Augh!"

As the group stared at the fleeing princess, Flash and Twilight turned a corner and spotted two more ponies walking towards them. It was Shining Armor and Ruby Scarlet, both looking particularly tired as Flash spoke up, "Hey there, heard you two went yeti hunting."

"Yes...and it turned out to be a complete waste of time." Ruby grumbled before looking Flash and Twilight over, seeing the exhaustion on their faces while Flash had a few scrapes on his body. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, you look like you've been in a battle of some kind." Shining added as he looked his sister over, "Did something happen while we were gone?"

Flash and Twilight both glanced at each another before turning back to them, Flash shrugging. "Eh, nothing out of the ordinary."