The light of the morning sun shone through the window of Sunset’s bedroom. The warm light hit Sunset’s face, disturbing her peaceful sleep.
“Just five more minutes, mom,” Sunset groaned as she pulled the covers over her head. Just as she was getting comfortable, she felt something was off. It was not bad, just different. Different yet familiar.
Sunset tossed and turned in her bed as she tried to get back to sleep and groaned in annoyance as she realized that she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep because of this odd yet familiar feeling. She threw the covers off as she sat up, stretched her arms and scratched her back. Her hand felt rougher than usual against her fur.
“Wait, fur?!”
Sunset quickly threw the rest of the covers off herself and realized that she was a pony again.
“H-how is this possible?” Sunset questioned as she looked at her hooves. Could she be dreaming?
“I see you’re awake.”
Sunset jumped at the sound of the voice and quickly turned towards the source where she saw a strange pony with mismatched parts standing in the open doorway.
“Who are you?!” Sunset demanded as she jumped off her bed. She stumbled a little as she wasn’t used to her pony body after being human for so long but quickly recovered.
“Is that any way to greet your father?” Discord asked as he chuckled slightly.
“My...father?!” Sunset was shocked to hear this.
“Have you forgotten already?” Discord asked playfully.
Sunset thought for a moment and recalled that when she was trying to get back to Equestria, her mother had suddenly appeared and then she introduced her to a man named Discord.
“Wait a minute! Where’s mom?!” Sunset said urgently. “She was with us and where am I?!”
“Easy there, Sunset.” Discord tried to calm his daughter. “Your mother is busy raising the sun and taking care of some royal duties but she should be back shortly. “As for where you are..”
Discord snapped his fingers which caused a balcony to replace Sunset’s wall.
Sunset cautiously walked out onto the balcony. Her eyes widened when she saw a snow-covered Canterlot.
“I...I’m in Equestria,” Sunset gasped as she took in the beauty of her old home as it bathed under the warm light of the sun. She then turned back to look at Discord who was simply watching her as he leaned his back against the wall.
“I’m guessing you have some questions?” Discord asked.
“Y-yeah,” Sunset replied nervously. All her life, she never knew her father and suddenly there he was. There were a lot of things she wanted to ask him but one question came to mind. “Where were you? Why weren’t you there?”
“Simple answer is I was turned to stone by your mother and aunt,” Discord answered. He felt guilty for not being there for Sunset while she grew up but it couldn’t be helped.
“Why would they-?!” Sunset’s eyes widened as she realized something she overlooked: her father was the bucking Lord of Chaos. She had learned about Discord’s deeds in school and how her mother had defeated him. “So that’s where my desire to rule Equestria came from.”
“Are you sure that’s all you got from me?” Discord asked as he snapped his fingers and made the furniture in the room come to life.
“Your dad is one swell guy, Sunset,” the bed said.
“He sure knows how to liven things up,” the lamp agreed.
“No wonder your mom fell for him,” the dresser spoke.
Sunset giggled at the scene which caused Discord to smile. Sunset’s horn lit up as she turned the whole room and themselves into an old-style, black and white cartoon bar.
“Interesting,” Discord commented. He was dressed in a 1920’s style suit.
“This is nothing compared to what I did to the castle,” Sunset said as she wore a dress from the 1920’s and her mane was done in that era’s style.
“Did you by any chance turn Canterlot upside down?” Discord asked as he summoned a glass of water. Instead of drinking the water, he drank the glass.
“Upside down and inside out!” Sunset said with glee.
The two of them broke out in laughter which was joined by everything else in the bar. Discord was laughing so hard that he didn’t notice the hurried hoofsteps before he felt something collide against him. He opened his eyes to see a trembling Sunset holding him tightly. He could hear her muffled sobs and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as the bar around them disappeared. Discord smiled as tears ran down the sides of his face. He was finally able to hold his daughter in his arms without hurting her.
Sunset felt her father’s arms wrap around her which caused her to cry harder. Finally, after so many years of wondering who her father was and what it would be like to be hugged by him, Sunset had what she had been missing for so long. She felt a very pleasant warmth surrounding her. It felt similar to her mother’s hugs her but at the same time different. Even his smell was different. It was a good kind of different.
Discord pulled back to gaze at Sunset. She truly was a beautiful little mare and his daughter.
“You’re as beautiful as your mother, Sunset.”
Sunset smiled widely at hearing this. She had always heard ponies tell her this but she never truly believed them since they were just trying to butter her up. But hearing it from someone she actually trusted, especially her own father, filled her with happiness.
“You even have her smile,” Discord complimented.
“Dad,” Sunset giggled before she was lifted up and cradled in her father’s arms.
“I promise you, Sunset. I’ll always be there for you from now on,” Discord vowed as he looked into his daughter’s eyes with love and adoration.
More tears of joy spilled from Sunset’s eyes as she wrapped her hooves around her father’s neck. Discord simply held his crying daughter.
He saw Princess Celestia. Tears were spilling down the sides of her face as she witnessed her love and their daughter finally have a proper reunion.
“Hey, beautiful,” Discord flirted, giving Celestia a sly grin.
“Hey, handsome,” Celestia flirted back, giving Discord a flirtatious wink.
At the sound of Celestia’s voice, Sunset’s body stiffened. Sunset slowly turned her head around to look at her mother with wide eyes.
“M-mom?” Sunset nervously said.
“Good morning, Sunshine,” Celestia said as she locked eyes with her daughter.
Discord placed his daughter on the ground and stepped back, giving them some space as this moment was just between the two of them.
Sunset looked into her mother’s eyes with fright. After the way they had parted ways, Sunset had been dreading this moment.
“M-mom..I…” Sunset struggled to find the words to express how sorry she was for everything she had done.
Celestia watched her daughter struggle to speak. She calmly walked closer until she was standing right in front of Sunset.
Sunset looked up at the imposing figure that was her mother. She trembled as she imagined the sort of terrible punishment which awaited her. Her nerves were on edge as she watched her mother lift her right hoof before wrapping it around Sunset and bringing her in for a tight hug.
“I’ve missed you so much, my little Sunshine,” Celestia said as tears started falling from her eyes.
“Y-you’re not mad at me?” a stunned Sunset asked.
“Of course not. I was worried sick about you Sunset,” Celestia said as she continued to hold her daughter.
Tears welled up in Sunset’s eyes before she wrapped her hooves around her mother’s neck and started wailing.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Sunset cried.
Discord summoned a napkin before blowing his nose. This was truly a touching moment.
Celestia was overwhelmed with joy. Her daughter was finally back in her hooves. Celestia pulled away from the hug and sat down as she took her daughter’s head in her hooves. She leaned close to plant a kiss on her daughter’s forehead before nuzzling her. Sunset returned the affection. She felt that familiar warmth that her mother always radiated. It made her feel relaxed and safe. There was the familiar aroma of her mother’s sunflower-scented shampoo. Sunset always loved the smell of sunflowers. Whenever she had a bad day, and especially since the Fall Formal, the smell of sunflowers would always remind her of her mother who made her feel safe and calm.
“Mom?” Sunset asked.
Celestia’s heart fluttered at hearing her daughter call her mom again.
“What is it, my little Sunshine?” Celestia asked.
“I’m really sorry for how I acted before I ran through the portal,” Sunset apologized with great remorse as she remembered the heated argument she had with her mother. “You were right. I was acting like a spoiled princess.” Sunset lowered her head and started crying again. She recalled how she screamed at Celestia that she hated her and the heartbroken look in her eyes. “I didn’t mean what I said. I love you, Mom. I’ve missed you a lot when I was on the other side of the portal, and your counterpart reminded me so much of what I missed.”
Celestia brought her right hoof underneath Sunset’s chin and lifted her head to look at her.
“It’s alright. I don’t blame you for saying what you did,” Celestia said, Sunset was about to speak but Celestia continued, “I won’t lie though. What you said really hurt me, Sunset.” Sunset’s ears fell at hearing that.
“However, I know a way for you to make it up to me,” Celestia said, having a mischievous look in her eyes.
“W-what is it?” Sunset asked nervously, not liking that look in her mother’s eyes. It always meant something embarrassing was about to befall her.
Celestia opened her mouth to speak but a knock on the door caught everyone’s attention.
“Sister, I was told that you were here. May I come in?” Luna’s voice could be heard asking from the other side of the door.
“Of course,” Celestia said with a bright smile as she stood up and faced the door, a wing wrapped around Sunset as she stood by her side.
The door opened to reveal the Princess of the Night as she walked inside.
“I wanted to ask if Sunset is-” Luna cut herself off when she spotted Sunset next to Celestia. Luna’s eyes locked on to Sunset’s and it felt as if she was staring into her own eyes.
Sunset swallowed a lump in her throat as she stared at her aunt. She often wondered what her pony form would look like and was a little surprised that her coat was darker than her human counterpart’s skin tone. Sunset also noted the curious look in her aunt’s eyes, for it was the same look that the Vice-Principal would always give her whenever she saw her. Before Sunset could ponder any further, she was surrounded by a blue aura and lifted away from her mother and into the waiting hooves of her aunt.
“Hello, Sunset Shimmer,” Luna spoke in a very gentle and loving tone. “I’m your auntie, Lulu.”
“H-hi,” Sunset spoke in a nervous tone. She was taken aback by her aunt’s tone compared to the serious tone of her human counterpart. Maybe this was what she was really like around family and loved ones.
“There’s no need to be nervous around me, Sunset,” Luna assured her niece, as she ran her hoof down on top of her head.
“Your mother has told me a lot about you.”
“S-she has?” Sunset asked in the same nervous manner. “Did she tell you about the bad things I did?”
“Oh yes, you were a very mischievous little filly!” Luna teased which caused Sunset to blush. “And before you say anything, I know what you are referring too.”
Sunset averted her gaze from the Lunar Princess, afraid to see the look of disappointment that Vice-Principal Luna once gave her.
“Do not worry Sunset, I myself have made mistakes,” Luna assured her precious niece as she nuzzled the side of her face.
“I don’t hold it against you and besides we’re not who we were before.”
A wave of relief washed over Sunset as she nuzzled her aunt, Luna pulled back and looked at her niece.
“I can’t wait to spend quality time with you!” Luna said glee as she brought Sunset close for a hug. “There’s so many things I want to ask you: What’re your favorite foods? What do you like to do? And what do you think of the night?”
“The night?” Sunset questioned.
“Yes, what do you think of the night that I bring?” Luna asked with a hint of nervousness in her voice.
“I love it,” Sunset said simply as she closed her eyes. “The night is very beautiful, peaceful and relaxing. I love reading under the moonlight from my balcony.”
Luna squealed with joy as she spun her niece around, causing Sunset to laugh.
Tears welled up in Celestia’s eyes as she witnessed her sister finally met her niece and they were already off to a great start. Celestia felt an arm over her shoulder and turned to see a smiling Discord.
“Is this what you imagined it to be?” Discord asked as he watched his daughter and sister start tickling each other.
“No,” Celestia said as she leaned into him. “There’s something still missing.”
“Oh?” Discord looked at her curiously.
Celestia’s horn lit up as she enveloped both Luna and Sunset in her aura to bring them over to them. She wrapped her hooves around them and nuzzled them. Luna and Sunset returned the affection. Discord, not wanting to be left outstretched his arms like rubber to hug the three mares. The family laughed and basked in the warmth of each other’s company.
At long last, they were finally whole.
The school’s auditorium was filled with students, all of which were talking about the identity of Anon-A-Miss.
“I still can’t believe it was three little girls that did this,” Lightning Dust said to Gilda who had her arms crossed next to her.
“What I want to know is how they get their hands on that photo of me,” Gilda growled. She looked around to see the unhappy looks of the rest of the students. “Everyone here looks like they wanna murder those girls.”
“I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes right now,” Lightning Dust said.
Backstage, the CMC and Rainbooms waited for Principal Celestia to start the assembly. They all looked exhausted and Rainbow Dash almost collapsed a few times until her friends convinced her to take a nap. She was currently sleeping in a chair with her head resting on Fluttershy’s lap. The shy animal lover looked at her friend with worry. Princess Luna had told them that Rainbow Dash had suffered a great deal at the hands of her corrupted self, but she assured them that it was nothing serious and Dash just needed some rest to recover.
‘Rainbow, just what did you go through?’ Fluttershy wondered as she could only imagine the kind torture Rainbow Dash had been put through. The sound of snoring broke her train of thought and she smiled upon seeing Rainbow Dash’s carefree sleeping face with a bit of drool on the right corner of her mouth.
“She sure looks peaceful, doesn’t she?” Applejack asked as she looked at her sleeping friend/rival. “Ah could sure use a nap mahself.”
“I think we can all use some rest after what we just went through,” Rarity said as she approached Applejack.
“I sure hope Sunset is resting well,” Pinkie Pie said as she suddenly appeared next to Applejack.
At the mention of Sunset’s name, the Rainbooms went quiet as they recalled what had happened earlier today.
The Rainbooms and the Equestrians were gathered in front of the school.
“So what happens now?” Rainbow Dash asked, her eyelids feeling heavy.
“We take Sunset back to Equestria where we can monitor her recovery,” Princess Celestia answered as she lifted her daughter in her arms.
“F-for how long?” Fluttershy asked nervously.
“It shouldn’t take too long,” Discord said as he was suddenly wearing a doctor's outfit and pressed his stethoscope against Sunset’s forehead. “The worst part is over and she just needs bed rest.”
“Twilight will be sure to stay in touch and will inform you girls when Sunset wakes up,” Luna assured them.
“That’s right. You girls still have Sunset’s journal,” Twilight reminded them. “Like Discord said, the worst is over now.”
“We understand, darling. Please take care of Sunset for us,” Rarity said as she cast a glance at the sleeping Sunset in the Solar Princess’ arms.
“Give her a big hug for me!” Pinkie Pie requested.
“Take care, y’all,” Applejack said as she tilted her hat.
The Equestrians bid farewell as they entered the portal and returned home.
“Sunset is safe,” Rarity proclaimed, her tone was filled with confidence and grace. “It’s as her father said: the worst is over.”
“Yer right; we saved Sunset,” Applejack said with a smile before it faltered. “Now we just have to save them.”
The girls turned to see the nervous CMC as they waited for the assembly to start. They had a right to feel afraid right now. They had caused a ton of trouble with their Anon-A-Miss stunt and nearly caused a tragedy all because of their pettiness. It was only once they realized how wrong they were that they felt guilty.
“Better go make sure they’re okay,” Applejack said as she was about to walk towards the CMC but Rarity’s outstretched hand stopped her.
“Just a minute, darling,” Rarity said as a smile graced her lips. “I think someone has that covered.”
Rarity motioned to Diamond Tiara who walked up to her friends and attempted to ease their worries.
“Diamond Tiara sure has come a long way,” Pinkie Pie noted, remembering how much of a bully the girl had been in the past.
“She’s become a great and supportive friend,” Fluttershy added, a small smile on her lips.
“I’m not sure she’s just a friend,” Rarity said as a coy smile spread across her lips.
“What are yah gettin’ at?” Applejack questioned, not liking Rarity’s smile and what it implied.
“See for yourself, darling,” Rarity said as she watched Applebloom and Diamond Tiara.
“It’ll be okay, Applebloom,” Diamond Tiara assured her friend. “You won’t have to face this alone.”
“Thanks, Diamond Tiara. Ah really appreciate yer support,” Applebloom thanked her friend. “Ah also want to thank yah and Silver Spoon fer savin’ us.”
“I wasn’t going to let anything happen to my friends...especially my girl,” Diamond Tiara said as she reached out to hold Applebloom’s hand.
“Yer girl?” Applebloom questioned, her cheeks turning a rosy color.
“You didn’t think I would give up that easily, did you?” Diamond Tiara asked as she gave Applebloom a wink. “I know that you’re worried about me getting hurt because everyone’s mad at you, but I’ll get hurt regardless when I protect you from them.”
“No!” Applebloom suddenly raised her voice and grabbed on to Diamond Tiara’s hand that was already holding her own. “Ah’m not going to let yah get hurt! Nobody’s hurtin’ my girl!”
Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened in shock as well as those of her friends and the Rainbooms (minus Rainbow Dash).
“Did...did you just call me your girl?” Diamond Tiara asked in disbelief, her cheeks flushed.
“Darn tootin! No one is going to lay a finger on mah girl! Not if ah have anything to say about it!” Applebloom stated with conviction.
“Hey, that’s my line!” Diamond Tiara said, smiling happily as she brought her other hand and placed it on top of Applebloom’s. “The hero is supposed to say that to the princess, remember?”
“Aren’t yah the princess?” Applebloom questioned, smiling cheekily.
“Without a doubt...but…” Diamond Tiara kneeled down before Applebloom, shocking her, their friends and the Rainbooms. “You are always a princess in my eyes, Applebloom.”
Diamond Tiara kissed Applebloom’s hand, just like the knights in the fairy tales. Applebloom’s face turned completely red at this gesture.
Scootaloo’s jaw dropped at seeing Diamond Tiara of all people kneel and call someone else other than herself a princess. Sweetie Belle was overjoyed to see true love blossom. Silver Spoon was very happy for her best friend before she and Sweetie Belle hugged each other in happiness. Rarity was gushing at the scene, her inner romantic screaming at the heavens that she just witnessed a fairy tale confession.
Applejack was very happy for her sister. Despite the mess that she and two of her friends had caused, she still managed to get herself a girlfriend.
Pinkie Pie wept with joy and was already planning to throw them a party. Fluttershy wiped a tear from her eye, the wonderful moment truly touching her heart.
“Alright girls, we are about to start the assembly,” Vice-Principal Luna said as she was accompanied by her older sister.
At the mention of the assembly, the happy mood in the room fell and Rainbow Dash started to stir.
“Time to face the music,” Applebloom said as she turned to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom followed the principals to the stage. As soon as they were in plain sight, the whole auditorium erupted in an uproar.
“You have a lot of nerve showing your faces!”
The whole auditorium became full of angry shouts as the CMC endured the horrible things being yelled at them. They held hands to weather the storm.
“ENOUGH!” Principal Celestia shouted, and the auditorium instantly went quiet. ”I know that all of you are aware that these three girls are responsible for the Anon-A-Miss blog that has been posting everyone's secrets, and they would like to say something to all of you.”
Vice Principal Luna handed Applebloom a mic. The young girl took the mic and cleared her throat before speaking.
“H-hello everyone, me and mah friends are the ones who created Anon-A-Miss and posted yer secrets,” Applebloom confessed nervously. She looked at the angry glares of the students, each one whose secrets they had exposed. “Ah’m so sorry, Ah’m really sorry for hurting everyone.”
“We promise to make it up to all of you,” Scootaloo added, tears in her eyes.
“We also want to apologize to Sunset Shimmer who we framed for the whole thing,” Sweetie Belle cried.
At the mention of Sunset’s name, the Rainbooms felt ashamed for having jumped the gun and accusing their friend. The students’ anger was momentarily quelled as they recalled the live stream and how awful Sunset looked.
“Wait, what happened to Sunset?” Bonbon asked.
“Come to think of it, she hasn’t shown up at school for the last couple days,” Lyra stated.
“She looked a lot worse in the live stream then when we last saw her,” Lightning Dust noted.
Soon the auditorium was abuzz with talk about Sunset, wondering what exactly happened to her.
“Let me assure all of you that Sunset Shimmer is alright,” Principal Celestia spoke in her microphone. “Her friends have informed Vice-Principal Luna as well as I on her condition and she is in no real danger. Her family has picked her up and taken her home to recover.”
Vice-Principal Luna briefly closed her eyes as she recalled how sickly Sunset looked. She couldn’t help but be very concerned for her well-being.
“Back to the matter at hand, the girls will be properly punished as well as those who contributed to the site,” Principal Celestia said.
Most of the students in the auditorium were confused by this while others were starting to sweat nervously.
“As it turns out, Anon-A-Miss had help with gathering the personal secrets from the students,” Principal Celestia said in a disappointed tone as she glared at the students. “I am very disappointed in you and I will hear your reasons for participating in my office.”
The students who sent in secrets gulped nervously. They were screwed and they knew it. They then turned to glare at the CMC. It was their fault they were in this mess and they were going to pay.
In the Castle of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle was having breakfast with her son and marefriends.
“These pancakes are great, Applejack!” Spike praised as he took another bite of his pancakes.
“Appreciate the compliment, Spike.” Applejack tipped her hat in appreciation. “At least Ah know Ah have a leg up on Dash with my cooking.”
“Har, har,” Rainbow Dash mock-laughed before wrapping her wing around Twilight. “Twilight prefers to cuddle with me, though.”
“Yah do have comfy feathers,” Applejack admitted. “Like Twi’s feathers, perfect for snuggling on a cold day.”
“She’s like a warm blanket,” Rainbow Dash teased as she nuzzled Twilight.
Twilight nuzzled Rainbow back before stealing a quick kiss on the pegasus’ lips. Spike rolled his eyes at the PDA but then his body was covered in a purple aura and he was lifted off his seat and onto Twilight’s hooves. The Princess of Friendship nuzzled Spike before planting a kiss on his forehead.
“Who’s mommy’s special little guy?” Twilight asked as she tickled Spike.
“Twilight...stop!” Spike said between laughter as Twilight continued to tickle him.
“Not unless you tell me what I want to hear~,” Twilight said in a sing-song voice as she continued to tickle Spike.
“Okay, okay! I’m your special little guy!” Spike finally admitted.
Twilight stopped tickling him and then brought him in for a warm hug.
“Don’t forget that I’ll always love you, Spike,” Twilight whispered gently.
“Me too,” Spike whispered back as he nuzzled against Twilight’s soft fur. Her embrace always made him feel safe and at ease. “You’re the best mom in Equestria, ever.”
“What a touching moment.”
Discord suddenly appeared behind Twilight and wrapped his arms around them.
“Is there anything more beautiful?” Discord asked with tears in his eyes.
“Discord? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked in surprise.
The double doors to the dining room suddenly opened to reveal Princess Celestia and Luna with Sunset Shimmer riding on the Night Princess’ back.
“Good morning, everypony,” Luna greeted cheerfully.
“Princess Luna? Princess Celestia? Sunset?!” Twilight was shocked to see her friend up so soon.
“Hey, Twilight!” Sunset greeted from on top of her aunt’s back.
Discord disappeared and reappeared next to Celestia. Twilight gently descended back to her seat with Spike.
“What brings yah all here, Your Majesties?” Applejack asked as she bowed before the princesses along with Rainbow Dash.
“We’re just going back to see my friends,” Sunset answered as she hopped off her aunt’s back, receiving a nuzzle from Luna when she did.
“How are you feeling, Sunset?” Twilight asked with concern as she approached the royal family.
“Much better thanks to everypony,” Sunset replied as she pulled Twilight into a hug. “Thanks.”
“Any time,” Twilight responded as she returned the hug.
“Twilight didn’t mention that she’s recruited somepony else into the herd,” Rainbow Dash teased as she and Applejack stood a few feet from Twilight.
“What?!” Twilight instantly broke the hug to look at her marefriends, her cheeks flushed.
“Yah should’ve told us sooner, Twi,” Applejack said with a playful grin. “She’s a real beauty.”
“Oh! Uh...thanks, Applejack,” Sunset thanked while blushing.
“How’d yah know mah name?” Applejack asked, tilting her head in confusion.
“I’m friends with your human counterpart,” Sunset answered.
“Ahem,” Twilight cleared her throat, her cheeks still red. “Applejack, Rainbow Dash, this is Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, these are my herdmates.”
“Herdmates?” Sunset’s eyes widened at this information. “Wow, congratulations!”
“Thanks,” Twilight said, smiling happily as she walked over to her herdmates and nuzzled them affectionately.
“So you’re Princess Celestia’s daughter?” Rainbow Dash questioned as she wrapped a wing around Twilight. “I can see it, but it’s hard to imagine her hooking up with Discord. No offence, Your Highness.”
“Hmph! Well, I have a hard time believing that somepony like you would hook up with an egghead like Twilight,” Discord huffed in annoyance as he crossed his arms.
“Hey! She’s my egghead!” Rainbow Dash responded in a raised voice, her hold on Twilight tightening. “I love who I want!”
“Exactly!” Discord said as he brought Celestia into an embrace, causing her to giggle. “We can’t help who we fall in love with.”
Sunset and Luna looked at each other before giggling softly.
“Are you sure you should be up and about so soon, Sunset?” Spike asked with worry, Twilight had told him about what had happened.
“Don’t worry, Spike. I’m perfectly fine now,” Sunset assured him.
“Besides, we will be with her,” Luna said as she laid her wing on top of her niece.
“It’ll be a nice family outing,” Celestia said. She smiled warmly as she looked at her family. “There is also matters we must discuss with Sunset’s friends.”
“Oh,” Twilight’s ears fell at hearing that. “Well...try not to be too hard on them, please?”
“That depends on what they have to say,” Celestia said simply.
“Likewise,” Luna stated firmly.
Discord simply smiled as he shook his head. He didn’t want to be those girls right now.
Twilight guided the royal family to her private library. After exchanging goodbyes, the royal family went into the mirror.
“Don’t worry, Twilight. Ah’m sure everythin’ will turn out fine,” Applejack assured her marefriend.
“It worked out for us,” Rainbow Dash stated, smiling cheekily.
Twilight smiled gratefully at her herdmates. Normally, she would be a panicking neurotic mess. But, thanks to the love and support of her herdmates, she was sure that everything would turn out fine...maybe. Yeah, maybe it would turn out fine.
She could only hope.
Sunset was the first to step out of the portal. She stretched her limbs before shivering against the cold wind.
“Forgot I don’t have my fur,” Sunset said to no one. She turned to the portal to see her mom step out, followed by her aunt and father. “So that’s what you three look like here.”
“I’m still not used to this form yet,” Luna said as she took a few shaky steps forward.
“Don’t worry, Aunt Lulu, you’ll get the hang of it,” Sunset assured her as she extended her hand out for which her aunt gladly took.
“Let us be off in search of your friends, sweetheart,” Discord said as he helped Celestia by offering his arm for her to hold.
The family began heading towards the front entrance of the school before making their way inside. They wandered the halls and noticed how quiet it was.
“Is it common for schools in this world to be this quiet?” Celestia asked.
“Not unless it’s closed or there’s an assembly,” Sunset answered as she looked inside the empty classrooms.
“Not much time should have passed since we brought you home,” Celestia said. “So classes should still be in session.”
“Then it has to be an assembly,” Sunset rationalized. “The auditorium is this way.”
Sunset led her family to the auditorium and when they reached the door, they could hear loud noises coming from behind it.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Sunset said as she can make out some cursing coming from the other side of the door.
Sunset looked through the window of the door and saw the enraged students and the CMC on stage.
“That explains it,” Sunset muttered. No doubt they were outraged at the girls for posting their secrets.
“They look ready to tear those girls limb from limb,” Discord commented as he saw the murderous intent in their eyes.
Princess Celestia looked at her daughter who watched with a frown.
“Sunset?”
“Hmm?” Sunset turned to her mother who was now looking at the angry students.
“What do you wish to do about this?” Celestia asked, not tearing her gaze away from the scene before her.
“Just watch,” Sunset said as pony ears sprouted from on top of her head, followed by her hair extending out into a ponytail. She started to glow before she disappeared.
Lightning struck the stage, blinding everyone with its bright flash. Once everyone managed to blink the spots out of their eyes, they could see Sunset Shimmer standing before them.
“Hi, everyone,” Sunset greeted the crowd with a smile and a wave.
"Nice entrance," Trixie remarked. If all went according to plan, then she would love to incorporate that entrance into her show.
“S-Sunset?” Applebloom was surprised to see the fiery-haired girl here.
“S-she’s really here,” Fluttershy was stunned. She didn’t think she would see her friend so soon.
“And she looks super healthy!” Pinkie Pie said in excitement.
“Ah’ll say,” Applejack said with tears in her eyes, smiling gratefully at seeing her crush looking better.
Rarity took a napkin and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. She then handed her napkin to Rainbow Dash who wiped the tears off her own eyes.
Sunset Shimmer snapped her fingers, bringing a microphone to her hand.
"OK, you all know why you're all here. The past week has been crazy and chaotic. Sorry about that because I was sick. But it's not that simple, you see. I had a bit of a breakdown and my magic went out of control. I'm doing better now and learning to control it. Anyway, you believe that three little girls are the cause of my breakdown, and you'd be right. Therefore, I will be allowed to deal with them as I please."
The audience remained silent, waiting for what Sunset had to say about the CMC’s punishment.
The principals looked at each other with worry before looking back at Sunset. They witnessed Sunset’s cruel punishment of the CMC but they still believed that she would do the right thing.
"I've decided that these girls have been put through enough by me. Therefore, from now on, they are under my protection," Sunset proclaimed. "Anybody has a problem with that, well, you can sort it out with me." She looked at them, challenging anyone to try or say anything.
The students looked at one another. They saw what Sunset was capable of with her magic and none of them dared to go against her.
“Besides, I’m sure Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna already have a proper punishment in mind for them,” Sunset said as she turned to the two sisters, giving them a smile.
“Quite right,” Vice-Principal Luna said as she stepped up next to Sunset who handed her the microphone. “First off, the three of will receive six months of detention, your use of the school’s computers will be allowed for schoolwork only. Even then your activities will be supervised.” Luna cast a glance at the Crusaders and saw them looking down in shame. “You will also be writing a five-page paper explaining why what you did was wrong.”
"But there's more. All of you added to this problem. Nobody forced you to follow Anon-A-Miss." Principal Celestia spoke to the students sitting in the auditorium. “You fueled the fires and as a consequence, you got burned.”
Principal Celestia narrowed her eyes at the crowd. She noticed some of them looking down in shame. Perhaps there was hope that they would learn from this.
“You can all return to your classes now. I will begin calling your names to the office. Prepare yourselves."
With that said, Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna, the CMC and Sunset walked backstage where Sunset was immediately surrounded by her friends.
“It’s good to see you again, darling,” Rarity said as she dabbed more tears from her eyes with her napkin.
“Glad to see yah looking well,” Applejack said.
“Glad to see you too, girls,” Sunset said with a smile as they all hugged her.
“It’s good to see that our daughter is so loved,” Discord said as he Celestia and Luna appeared. “Don’t you think so, darling?”
“It truly warms my heart,” Celestia responded with a smile, but then it faltered a little. “But recent actions have made me question them.”
The Rainbooms broke their hug from Sunset and turned to the royal family.
“We would like to have a word with them in private if you don’t mind?” Princess Celestia asked her human counterpart.
“Y-yes, of course,” the principal replied, a little shocked to see and talk to herself.
“Thank you,” the Solar Princess thanked the principal.
“We’ll talk in our band room if that’s alright with you girls?” Sunset suggested.
“Of course, darling. It’s no trouble, right girls?” Rarity looked at her friends who voiced their agreements.
“I’ll lead the way,” Sunset offered as she made her way towards the door with her family and friends following close behind. As she opened the door, she turned around to address the principals. “Bye, Mamma, bye Auntie Lulu.”
Both principals were left shocked as Sunset giggled before exiting the auditorium. The Rainbooms and CMC looked between the shocked principals and the retreating Sunset before following after her. Princess Celestia chuckled softly before looking back.
“We’ll be seeing you two later,” the Princess said before she, her sister and Discord left.
The two principal remained frozen in place until Vice-Principal Luna spoke.
“It’s the same,” Luna whispered, a longing look in her eyes. “The way she said it, even my nickname...it’s the same.”
Principal Celestia didn’t say a word. She simply let out a sigh before smiling.