//------------------------------//
// Ascension 
// Story: Twiset Shimarkle 
// by 20thCentury Brony 
//------------------------------//


  Scene Thirty-Two: The Dawning of Another


Ugh, what the heck, Sunset thought as she regained some consciousness.

Waking up with a splitting headache, she was left wondering exactly what happened. She only managed her eyes opened slightly before they were assaulted by a bright glare that forced her sight back shut. She brought her hands to her eyes and them back to adjust to the new light. When her face and arms made contact, however, she soon made out the difference in her limbs as she could feel no fingers. Creaking her eyes open slowly, she looked down at her hands, only to find… hooves?!

Albeit taken aback by the physical change, she was quick to conclude that she returned to her Equine origins as she looked up to see her horn protruding her peripheral vision. However, her mild shock was rendered irrelevant as she looked around her surroundings and found herself standing within an endless light blue void with stardust and stars, shooting stars dashing from above. And she was all alone. 

Nopony, nobody was in her miles-long sight as she scoped the landscape for any other signs of other life. Sunset was left wondering exactly where she was. Could this be sort of space with no time or life? Could this be another dimension? Could this be… the afterlife?

Her internal thoughts were on halt when she trotted forward and found a glow beneath her. She looked to see a path of stardust leading straight forward for miles and miles into the distance, all blinking faintly, as if directing the teacher to follow the path. Seeing no other choice, she took it down.

As she made her way down, Sunset couldn’t help but continue her search for life. She repeatedly called out for her friends, screaming them louder with every couple of feet as her head rotated repeatedly for any figure in the distance. This couldn’t be the afterlife. She always thought it be some sort of natural landscape where everypony could just-.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of a trio of ponies in the distance just where the stardust path seemingly ends. Happy to see some other ponies with her, she ran full tilt towards them, wanting answers.

As she inched further and further towards them, Sunset could make out some significant details on three of them, the most common being them all alicorns. The smallest of the three was cerise coated with a moderate violet mane streaked with rose and gold and silver for her aged appearance, matched by the wrinkles under her eyes, and a crystal heart cutie mark bearing her flank. The second tallest was a mare with a dark blue coat and sapphire blue mane and was marked with a crescent moon. The tallest and most easy to identify was an alabaster alicorn her mane and tail in multiple streaks of light colors of cerulean, turquoise, cobalt blue, and heliotrope, her sun cutie mark emblazoned on her.

Sunset Shimmer was beyond confused. What were the princesses of day, night, and family all doing in the same void? She was going to get her answers soon enough as she skidded to a stop just before them. She looked up at them as they turned their collective attention to her. They greeted her with warm smiles that contradicted from Sunset’s confusion.

“Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia was the first of them to speak as she wrapped a foreleg around her former student, who hesitantly but warmly returned the affection. After some moments, they pulled apart as they returned to their original positions. Shaking her head slightly, Sunset quickly got down on a leg and bowed before the royalties. 

“Your Majesties,” she formally acknowledged before she got back up on all fours. “Why are we all here? Where is here? Is everypony okay?”

“Don’t fret, Miss Shimmer,” assured Cadance. She then projected a number of screens that showcased her following statements in the moment. “Everypony both in and out of Equestria is alright, Grogar’s magic is gone, and the Tartarus inhabitants are free of him and returning home, all thanks to you and your friends.”

“And we are here to celebrate your long-awaited accomplishment,” Luna then clarified. Sunset’s only response was a mere eyebrow raised as she looked at the younger royal ruler. What accomplishment could she have achieved other than defeat Grogar? Did it actually qualify as such or was it something else?

“What accomplishment?” Sunset simply asked, “I don’t think Grogar-.”

“Not him,” Celestia giggled with a hoof over her muzzle. She looked at Sunset with proud and teary eyes. 

The ex-student only looked more puzzled, especially when the oldest princess ignited her horn and projected three screens surrounding the teacher. She looked at each screen at a time, noticing that they all projected certain moments of her life simultaneously. One screen projected her earlier years as Celestia’s student, the next one showcased her times at Canterlot High both bad and good, and the last one was just blank. The action only confused Sunset more by the moment.

“From the moment you were born, and I took you in,” Celestia began as she moved to Sunset’s side, placing her hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder, “I had high hopes for you and your future. Even after your transgressions towards me, I still held on. Then when Twilight followed you and saved you from the dark, it was then and there I realized that you were in the right hooves and heading towards the right path. And I couldn’t be prouder to call you my daughter.” Being the adopted mother she prided herself to be, she again embraced her student in another embrace. As she registered her mentor’s word and returned the embrace again, Sunset was still curious of what the fuss was over. Her answer came soon enough when Celestia spoke again. “From then on, you’ve been showcasing all of the six Elements while displaying your own towards those who would need it. Your Empathy and your compassion has molded you into the perfect pony for your new title, that of a princess.”

Princess, that word echoed into Sunset’s mind when she heard it. Her? A princess of Equestria? Was it true? She couldn’t believe it nor could she believe herself worthy of such a title after what she did. Her past actions were all just selfish, petty means of getting power. And after all of her efforts to turn over, she didn’t feel like she deserved it. But now? This was… wow.

“But… I don’t deserve it,” she simply claimed as she pulled away from Celestia. She looked at the three princesses with forgiving eyes before she went on. “Your Highnesses, it’s not that I’m unappreciative about such an honor. I just don't feel worthy after-.”

“Sunset Shimmer,” a voice behind the new princess called out, a very familiar voice belonging to a sweet bookworm. Turning to whoever called her, Sunset looked to see Twilight and Flurry Heart both approaching her, back to their Equine origins. 

Sunset was in awe over herself now. Five of Equestria’s most powerful figures were standing before and around her, clearly here for a reason. She wouldn’t consider her current predicament of such importance if all of Equestria’s alicorns, three of which she knew so well, weren’t gathered around. But there they all were, gathered around a lone unicorn who had just beaten the vilest of the vile of Equestria and were about to bestow the title of princess upon her.

Nopony did anything for a while as Shimmer herself studied her surroundings, seeing their proud reactions as if they figured she deserved it. However, she was quick to doubt herself and was about to voice them again when Twilight approached the mare with her own hug, wrapping both forelegs around Sunset’s fiery hair. With the Princess of Friendship pressing herself onto her in an embrace, the teacher could feel her face light up bright and hot and couldn’t resist wrapping her own forelegs around Twilight’s sparkling mane. Unlike the two she recently shared with Celestia, this one with the crush of her dreams felt and held on longer and warmer than ever before they pulled apart and returned to each other’s eyes. More silence passed until Twilight spoke again.

“You may not think you deserve it, but I believe in you. You do deserve the title because of everything you’ve done since I’d stopped you. From then on, you’ve been one of the most caring and empathetic people I’ve met. While you still have some slivers of your past, you’ve moved on from your demons entirely and brought out the real you. You’ve reached out to people who’d need your guidance and brought others’ needs before your own and learned so much to be worthy enough of the princess title. Anypony would be foolish to not look past your… past and embrace your new life. And if I’m encouraging you to take my word on this matter, it’s because I know you do deserve it and also because… .”

Twilight trailed off in her encouragement when she felt Sunset’s hoof pressed against her muzzle. She looked to see her crush’s tearing up eyes, who was clearly touched by the sweetness from her lavender love’s sweet voice. As her tears ran down her cheeks, Sunset barely managed her take on one of the cheesiest lines she could think to say: “You had me at ‘I believe in you.’”

Now it was Sparkle’s turn to form tears and blush at the tenderness. The princess didn’t need to continue on as she interpreted the message behind those teal eyes and started her own tears. Wanting to solidify the moment, Sunset and Twilight embraced in the most loving and adoring hug yet, clearly happy in each other’s grasp and never wanting to break apart. In a unique way when thought over, Sunlight has finally come open with their feelings with one another, just not outright. The other princesses couldn’t hold back their silent excitement as they observed the moment, Flurry obviously the happiest as she contained her squeals. 

Finally, feeling confident about her fate, Sunset pulled from her Twilight’s forelegs and smiled the most loving smile she could muster towards the ruler of Equestria, to which the aforementioned ruler returned sweetly. Shimmer then turned to face the princesses as they soon gathered around her, happy with herself.

Needing no other signal to proceed, the five princesses expanded their wings and ascended themselves slightly off the invisible ground of the infinite ocean above the Equestria Girl. Sunset could not have been feeling prouder of herself than ever before. She was ascended into a position of royalty that she once tried to get through dishonest means before rejecting any intents for it. All she needed was encouragement from her master and her best friend/crush to feel that she deserved it. She looked to see the princesses’ horns all igniting in colors and sending small pockets of the magic straight into her own horn. Feeling a slight tingling sensation creep across her body, Sunset soon found a tiny piece of her magic slip from her own horn and make its way straight into her chest. Then it happened. She felt herself being lifted up to the princesses’ level as red magic swirled around her body, completely engulfing her in it.

And then, again, her world whited out.


  Epilogue: Happily Ever Afters for All (Mostly)


The destroyed Canterlot City street was in solemn moods in the rising day.

When Sunset suddenly whited out, the Rainbooms finally ceased their seemingly ruthless fire upon the King of Monsters, leaving him in a massive smoking crater unconscious from the full force. Once they descended back to ground level, the Rainbooms and Fellowship were in an initial state of celebration until they noticed Daydream Shimmer’s unconscious body. Rushing to her side, her bestest friends immediately got down on knees, trying and hoping in vain to wake her up. However, their situation seemingly worsened when they founded the bodies of Celestia, Luna, Flurry, and Princess Twilight to be sharing her fate. And none of them seemed to have been wanting to wake. 

Once gathering the five unconscious women together, the heroes of both worlds went in disorder, trying to help the quintet of women. Sci-Twi, the pair of Spikes, and Starlight were hitting the spells like crazy with Scorpan’s aid. Rainbow and Discord sought to comfort a sobbing Fluttershy however they could, from comforting words to head rubs that failed in vain. Applejack and Rarity sulked elsewhere together with the farmer trying to comforting the fashionista as she feared the worst. Adagio and her Siren sisters distanced themselves from the heroes, thinking they want nothing from a trio of banished creatures in silence as Captain Tempest and Trixie watched them with a mix of solemnity and distrust. And Pinkie Pie sulked in loneliness at the possibility of losing two of her best friends.

Nothing seemed to brighten their hopes. That is, until, before the eyes of her bedside nurses, the unconscious body of Daydream just ascended from the ground. Everyone was in surprise at the sight, wondering what was going on. Then suddenly, she went up in a bright flash of sunlight that soon engulfed her whole body in the form of her sun cutie mark. It blazed high above the street and chased away whatever remained of the twilight night sky along with the sunrise just as the rest of the princesses awoke from their own comas. After a short period of time, the sun finally came down to the street and subsided to reveal the leader of the rebellion against the dreaded Grogar.

“SUNSET!!!” the six Equestria Girls cried, happy to see their best friend alive, and immediately rushed to her. They however stopped three feet away from her when they found her more… different. They were in shock to see their friend in such a way. The teacher herself shook the daze out of her before gazing at her friends’ starstruck expressions. She simply gave off a confused expression. Seeing it, Rarity quickly used her Gems to conjure up a mirror for Sunset to see for herself.

She took one complete look at herself and was equally awestruck as her friends. She, like them, was ponied-up in ears and ponytail and sporting a cyan suit of armor that bared her cutie mark on the chest plate. But the most distinguishing feature was but a pair of wings upon her back! She twirled around to see them in her sapphire reflection and was still in awe. Before she knew it, however, she found herself quickly surrounded by her best friends as they gushed over her new features.

“Another sweet set of wings!!” Rainbow gushed excitedly as she used her good arm to study one of Sunset’s wing.

“Darling, you simply look divine!!” Rarity squealed over Sunset’s new appearance.

“Sugarcube, Ah just don’t know what ta say!” Applejack confessed, taking off her stetson.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re an alicorn now in Equestria.” Sci-Twi simply hypothesized as she looked her best friend over.

“That’s because she is,” Princess Twilight simply stated as she walked to the septet of heroes. Seeing her approaching, the girls politely (but not needed) stepped themselves aside for the Princess of Friendship to approach the new princess herself. “Sunset Shimmer here has proven herself worthy of the title Princess of Empathy for her selfless efforts of steering many misguided people straight with her own experiences and saving us all from Grogar. She is an inspiration to all around her.”

She then bowed in respect towards the Princess of Empathy, recognizing her royal status with great pride. Soon, the Rainbooms followed the Princess’ example and bowed as well, the Fellowship, Scorpan, and the princesses doing so shortly afterwards. Sunset was flattered that her friends would bow before her despite knowing each other for so long, but it was customary to bow before royalty. 

Her eyes were then fixed on the trio of Sirens standing afar from the heroes, distant over recent events. She looked at them with slight gratitude in contrast to their scowling faces deepening upon their faces, minus Sonata as she absently bowed before the new princess. While she was still displeased with them helping Grogar and nearly ruining her friendship with Twilight, she was satisfied that they have helped them all in the nick of time. And she wanted to offer them the same chance her princess crush had given her so long ago. But before she could attempt to do something for them, she saw them walking away from the street with Sonata in dragging tow. Her gaze slowly downcasted briefly before it was replaced with joy as her friends entrapped her in another gush over her ascension.

As they walked, Adagio couldn’t help but look back at the gathering of heroes. She and her sisters had just helped them. So why didn’t she stay for a chance adoration from them? She wasn’t sure exactly why, but they just weren’t worth it for her or her sisters. All she wanted right now was to just be alone and leave them to their lives…

… before her eyes found her former master climbing out of his crater, stopping her in her tracks. Noticing their leader standing still behind, Aria stopped dragging Sonata and they both gazed at what their sister was eyeing as well. From their current position, Grogar was burned, bloodied, and extremely peeved, glaring wrathful bloodlust at the heroes, Sunset particularly. Holding his depowered Bewitching Bell in one hand, he pulled out a small knife from one of his robes pocket as he eyed the recently-made princess with wrath through the wall of friends. As he got out of the crater and slowly made for the subject of his wrath, Adagio felt her instincts kick in.

She didn’t know why but the lead Siren felt that she had to do something against the new subject of her wrath for what’s he’s done to her. So she ran past her sisters towards the Father of Monsters. Just as he got a running start towards the heroes, Adagio immediately sang a few chords in his direction. Hearing them, Grogar turned to see them barring their way towards him before they missed and exploded right between him and the Rainbooms. The resulting explosion sent him flying backwards and at Adagio’s feet. Groggily opening his eyes, he found the lead Siren standing before him. Angered for her interference, he rushed to his feet at her, only for the Dazzling to place his foot on his throat. Now with both of them looking each other dead in the eyes, they could see all eyes glued on them, waiting for what would happen next. As she sneered at her subject of wrath, she slowly placed her hands on her lips and blew the King a magic kiss that descended onto his struggling figure. He struggled on and on until the kiss contacted his eyes.

Removing herself from her ex-master, Adagio smiled in satisfaction as the anthropomorphic ram slowly rose and faced her. But it wasn’t with a look of disdain and hatred. Instead, it was of fear.

Grogar looked dead at the creature he was seeing and… it was beyond his own darkest nightmares. Before him stood a pony figure of complete shadow minus her wavy orange hair. She bared sharp teeth, her eyes were dark magenta, and she stared at him with sadism. He backed away from the figure before he simply turned tail to run, only to find the same creatures in his direction. Except one’s eyes were raspberry with arctic blue hair, while the other had mulberry eyes and purple hair. While slightly different, their eyes held the same sadism from their predecessor. He was wobbling on his legs as he moved to escape these demons before he tripped onto a stone that brought him down… to the feet of more creatures. He slowly gazed his attention up and his entire body froze up at the sight. Standing before him was a small army of shadow ponies that bared different mane colors and styles while their multi-colored eyes still bared the same sadism. Before his eyes, the ponies suddenly grew into gigantic feet, turning him into the ant that he refused to imagine himself to be until now. They then broke into coldhearted and cruel laughter as the shadow with teal eyes and blazing wings and hair lifted her hoof to squish him. As he hopelessly held his hoof up for defense,…

… Grogar screamed in utter horror at nothing. Everybody surrounding him, minus the Dazzlings, merely looked at the tyrant with confused and puzzled eyes, wondering what was going on with him. All they knew was Adagio blowing some sort of magic kiss at him, which then sent him spiraling in-. 

Suddenly, that thought crossed Sunset’s mind when she reminisced on the spell Adagio placed on her back at the Tasty Treat. She looked at her so-far acquaintance with slight apprehension.

“That spell you used on me back at the Treat?” she asked the yellow Siren, to which she nodded her head in confirmation.

“Not only can I manifest desires,” she then explained to the lead Rainboom, “I can also do the same with their greatest fears.” Before she could continue on, Grogar suddenly screamed louder as he jolted himself up and quickly turned tail, hoping to get away from whatever demons were frightening the once great King. He didn’t make it to three feet as Aria quickly came to his side and sucker-punched him right across the face, sending him, tumbling down onto the sidewalk where his head hit the concrete hard. His grip on both his knife and his Bell ceased on the way down, lying just next to his down figure. Everyone continued to gaze at the now unconscious Grogar as he laid stiff for a few moments before he spasmed and hugged himself tightly, whimpering in fear and curling into a small ball.

Everybody was in awe at the sight. Grogar, the Father of Monsters, the First Emperor, was now at their feet groveling, unconscious, defeated and humiliated for them to see. Sunset and Twilight turned to face Adagio again, who merely looked with pleasure.

“Grogar left us defenseless while he basked in power,” she explained with a mix of pleasure and hatred. “Now he’ll know our pain for as long as I allow it.”

“And ya ain’t gonna stop by a long shot, are ya, Dazzle?” Applejack inquired with an expression and tinge of deadpan as she was certain to know the answer already. She rolled her eyes when she saw Dazzle crack a small smirk and shook her head no, wondering why she bothered asking.

As the unconscious tyrant squirmed in fear, Sci-Twi moved forward to him with her Spike companion by her side. As she knelt down to grab the I.D.O.B. from Spike open pack, she brought the Bewitching Bell in her hand via telekinesis before placing it on top of her transportation device. Once placing both hands on the box, she concentrated hard until the box’s energy glowed and released a small wormhole in front of her. Seeing her success, Sci-Twi grabbed the Bell by the link and merely tossed it into the wormhole closing it afterwards. Patting her hands together at a job well done, she turned to see her friends looking at her with dumbfounded looks.

“What?” she simply asked them before presenting the box to them. “If desired, the box can also open a wormhole to the selected dimension and location.”

“Oh, that’s cool to hear,” Rainbow sarcastically mentioned before shouting with incredulous: “I just think it would’ve been cooler if you had told us of this before we warped to Equestria!”

“Hey, I told you it was its first time being used. You can’t be expected to test all of its functions on the first go, can you?”

Rainbow merely gave a look of defeat at Sci-Twi’s enthusiasm. 

“Well, if you’re all done with the ‘Siren Trump Card,’” Aria suddenly stated before she returned to grabbing Sonata by the arm, much to her displeasure, “we’ll be going now.” She looked at Adagio for a brief moment before moving on, thinking her sister’s made up her mind. But when she didn’t, the older Siren stopped.

Instead, the lead Siren looked at the new princess of Equestria, something in the back of her head scratching her to do something else. Sunset looked at Adagio with uncertain eyes. If she were planning something against her, the teacher had to be prepared and was relying on her friends for backup. Her eyes furrowed when she saw the Dazzling make the first move.

“Sunset Shimmer,” she began, her words practically choking on her words as if she were gonna get sick for speaking so kindly to someone she’s been hating on for so long. “I’ve been thinking lately. And I think… I think I’m done feeding on negativity just to live. My sisters and I’ve been alive for thousands of years and lived among this world that’s recently been against us. But while you girls probably feel no different-.”

“Adagio,” Sunset suddenly interrupted. She then placed her two hands onto the Siren’s shoulders, looking at her with acceptance, much to Dazzle’s surprise. “Princess Twilight once told me that the Magic of Friendship exists in any world and you can either seek friends out or be alone. But I promise, if you choose the former, you’ll have a plentiful of friends waiting for you.” She then gestured to everybody else surrounding them. She was ready to speak again when she saw Scorpan approach her from the left, deciding to let him take the lead. She then turned Adagio’s entire body to face the Traitor of Tirek.

“And you can start amending your villainous ways by living under my wing,” he offered, “where Zecora and I will provide you and your sisters with your first steps to regaining people’s trust.” He then offered his hand out for Adagio to take whenever she wants. She looked hesitantly at him, wanting to do something that benefits her and her sisters. She then gazed at her sisters who, too, looked to be considering the gargoyle’s offer before they locked eyes with her. They exchanged some in-depth thoughts that seemed to have stretched for hours until Aria’s hardened expression melted into a warm one, thinking Scorpan’s offer to be the right thing, Sonata following soon afterwards. With their expressions, she took them as a “yes” and reached for Scorpan’s hand. Once the two locked hands with each other, she slowly shook her hand in tandem with his as her worries slowly faded into a small smile, finally accepting the new life awaiting her and her sisters.

As she watched one of her oldest enemies fully reform herself, Rarity couldn’t help but reminded herself of how close she was to Applejack. And nelly, did she look beautiful in the early morning sun. Her silky soft blonde hair, her smooth orange skin despite the labor she puts herself through, and of course, her dazzling, sparkling emerald green. Memories of her dressed in western chic at the get-together flashed before her, reminding her why she did it. And after everything that just happened, from the invitation to Equestria to defeating Grogar, now was as good a time as any to make the move. So with a throat clearing, she interlaced her fingers with AJ’s own and gazed at her farmgirl. 

Feeling her fingers interlaced around her own, Applejack turned her head to come face-to-face with Rarity with bedroom eyes. Seeing her love so up close to her caused the farmer to feel her orange cheeks starting to burn at seeing the seductive look Rarity was giving her. Like her, Applejack have been lost in the beauty that the fashionista offered in the rising sunlight. Her long, curled violet hair, her dazzling sapphire azure eyes, and the soft cheeks so soft they had to have been marshmallows. And if Rarity were giving her such a look, it could only mean one thing. And she got her answer in a few silent seconds.

“Sugarcube,” Rarity broke the silence with. Using AJ's common name for everyone around her caused the fashionista’s cheeks to burn slightly when she saw the wide-eyed and slight red cheeks on AJ’s face, silently berating herself for her lack of subtly on the icebreaker. So, throwing it out the window, she just decided to wing it. “I’ve been thinking lately about s-s-s-something, and if,- only if – you’re interested, ma-ma-maybe we could give ourse-se-selves a-.”

Her stammering was interrupted when she noticed Applejack removing her stetson. Before she knew it, Applejack tossed it aside, grabbed hold of her with her strong hands, dipped her low with a raised leg, and planted her lips onto her delicious marshmallow lips. The feeling of Applejack’s apple-tasting lips pressed against her caused Rarity to squeak for a few moments before she slowly succumbed to it and pressed her lips back, furthering fueling the lust between Rarijack. Nothing seemed to matter to the two of them as they continued on with their moment, not even the cheering and aweing of their onlookers. Finally, their need to breath caught up to them, forcing them apart as Applejack lifted Rarity back up onto her feet. The two of them looked deep into each other’s diamond eyes before Applejack broke the silence against them.

“Ah wouldn’t mind the next step at all, darlin’,” Applejack slurred seductively, causing Rarity to give a cute sly smile and sequel that drove her into another passionate kiss with Applejack. Everyone else merely watched with happy cheers and applause for the subtle proposal.

Watching just two feet away, Pinkie and the now-bandaged Rainbow courtesy of Discord and Fluttershy were watching Rarijack. Once her arm was fully casted and assured by Discord that Zecora would fix her injuries, the rainbow-haired athlete turned to her pink party-planning friend with a small smile, elbowing her for attention.

“So, are you still concern over changes or are you over it?” she asked her with some hesitation, worrying that her friend would erupt into tears like in the catacombs. Luckily for her, Pinkie merely gave that million-dollar, adorable smile she loved to see on her wacky friend. Before she knew it, she then engulfed in a massive bearhug, crushing her nonbroken bones while her already-broken ones screamed in pain and squeezing her life out of her lungs.

“Nope!” Pinkie chirped as she hugged tighter. “I am just gonna go with the flow and be happy along the way as long we are all together!” She waited for Rainbow to respond back, only for strangled grunts to enter her ear. She looked to see Rainbow’s blue, pained face turning purple for the lack of air. Seeing the pain she unintentionally caused her friend, she slowly let go of her broken friend, letting air return to her body. She gave RD a small, sheepish smile for apologies. Fluttershy soon joined her girlfriend’s side as she regained her composure while rubbing her casted arm before they both looked at Pinkie’s sorry expression.

“It’s okay, Pinkie,” Dash assured her worried friend, whose face returned to its natural state of bubbliness before she turned to her girl of her early dreams, holding one of her sweet and delicate hands in her uninjured one. “Reason I asked is because of what I’m about to do now.” 

Flutters looked in slight confusion at what her girl was talking to. She, however, got a clear idea of what when she saw the ever bold RD get down on her good leg while her broken one screamed in pain. Before she knew it, she pulled out of her knight pocket a small box that made her teal eyes widen and fill with tears. Finally, with enough courage, Rainbow brought her casted hand to open the box and reveal a rainbow-diamond ring in the shape of a butterfly. She looked up at her veterinarian love with hopeful eyes as she gazed upon her shocked face. Seeing it, Rainbow began to panic, sweat coming down, thinking she did something that was too much for Fluttershy’s sweet and fragile heart. She was ready to pull away when she saw Fluttershy drop to one knee as well and pulled out a box of her own. With teary eyes and a shaking hand, she pulled it open to reveal a teal thunderbolt cloud towards her bestest friend in the world, who was now building up her own tears as she gaze at the grand gesture her timid girl was able to pull for her. Both women were in a state of frozen shock with everyone around them gazing with awestruck eyes, just waiting for one of them to make the move to break the tension.

Suddenly, before their eyes, both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy bolted for each other, wordlessly crying out "yes" as they hugged each other with all of their might, accepting their upcoming matrimony as they began to kiss. The Fellowship soon erupted into cheers and congratulations for the happiness the two were experiencing at the moment.

As she cheered for her friend’s engagement, Sci-Twi couldn’t help but look at Sunset with some concern. She wanted everyone around them to have happy endings, but she couldn’t help but feel worried over Sunset’s future now that she was a princess. She didn’t want to ruin the happy atmosphere among everyone, but the question was begging to be heard aloud for everyone to hear. So, she moved to Sunset’s side as she gushed over Flutterdash. A small tap on the teacher’s shoulder broke her attention to the alchemist. Her joy diminished when she saw the downcast upon her friend.

“Is something wrong, Twilight?” Sunset wondered cautiously.

“Well, I don’t want to be the killjoy here, but…,” the alchemist began to explain before she trailed off, directing her attention away from her best friend. She could only sense the bad aura her friend’s concerning gaze was throwing off. When she turned to face her again, she winced at the sight of Sunset’s own concern as she slowly realized what the human half of her crush was thinking. And what was she going to do now? She loved both Princess Twilight and her friends, but she never thought she had to choose which of them to live with. She looked to see everyone’s joy and she was soon conflicted with the inevitable choice of-.


  *


“Flurry Heart, are you telling my kids my love story again?”

Flurry flinched at the sound of her aunt as she approached her children’s bedroom.

Four years back, when Sci-Twi asked her of her new life arrangements, the new Princess of Empathy worked out through some things and, with Twilight’s understanding and compromise, was able to balance out her life by staying and watching over the human world for any more rogue magic and visiting Twilight once a month for some time together. Happy with it, Sunset finally worked the courage to say “I-love-you” to her crush, which the Princess of Friendship happily reciprocated. Finally happy with that phrase out of the way, the two rulers of two worlds happily sealed their declaration with a big, passionate kiss that lasted for a full three minutes, much to the joy of most of their friends. In the following years, Sunset, accepting Luna’s offer to be principal of CHS, and Twilight would find a day off and either one of them would jump from their kingdom to the other and spend time with each other in romantic and adorable bliss. A year into their relationship, Sunset worked the nerve to propose to Twilight, who ecstatically accepted. Not long after the marriage with their closest friends and relatives did the princesses expect their first children, with Twilight giving birth to a colt and filly they named Dusk and Dawn Shimmer, respectively. Balancing their royal duties and family time was no worry as well, because with friends like the ones they got, nothing was too great for the Princesses of Empathy and Friendship.

As for everyone else, they, too, got their happy endings. Sci-Twi and doggy Spike returned to Timber Spruce and developed a radio-like system that could pinpoint all of the shattered pieces of the Crystal Mirror in the human world, finding one to the Canterlot Castle throne room from Sunset’s principal office’s window. Rarijack managed to actually marry each other on the same day and location as Flutterdash, who survived a few hiccups on the way to their marriage. Pinkie remained mostly the same as she went with the flow. All of the heroes from Equestria returned to repair the damage done to Canterlot and returned to their own lives. Spike remained the Royal Advisor to Twilight and often watched over the twins for her sister, Starlight and Trixie continued their lives at the School of Friendship, Flurry and Tempest returned to the Crystal Empire, Discord returned to his beloved Fluttershy, and the Two Sisters decided to make a new castle for themselves not too far from Silver Shoals. As for the Sirens, Scorpan and Zecora took them in as promised and, with enough time and effort, were finally able to move on from their pasts and be fully reformed. And last, but certainly not least, Grogar was returned to Equestria and petrified by the Two Sisters and Discord for his crimes against the multiverse before locking him away to Tartarus forever. 

And now, today was Twilight’s turn to visit Sunset with their kids, and she had to leave them in Flurry Heart’s care while she and the Mane 6 dealt with a rogue Nirik. And the ruler of Equestria was talking down to her niece for telling her love story for the umpteenth time with her sketchbook from her friend-turned-aunt.

“Aw, come on, Aunt Twilight,” defended the Crystal Princess as she continued to scribble into her book. “Do you know how much babies forget their early childhood? If I tell Dusk and Dawn your story with every opportunity, they’ll never forget to embrace the lessons we’ve learned those four years ago.”

“And do you realize that if you do keep telling them that story,” Twilight countered with wise-rump sarcasm, “they’ll get so sick of it that they’ll not want to hear it from their own mothers?”

“Well, when you put it that way.” Flurry then gave off a deadpan pout that made her aunt snort in amusement before she finished scribbling, closed off her book, and levitated her aunt’s saddlebags over to her, to which the ruler accepted gratefully. She then materialized a duel carrier just for her twin unicorn foals, sat it down, and placed them within their seats. Once making sure they were secured, she turned to face Flurry. 

“Thank you again for watching them, sweetie,” she expressed to her niece with a hug and kiss to the forehead. Once the two drifted apart, Twilight grabbed her babies and began to trot out the door when her left hind leg was suddenly stopped in magic. She looked behind to see Flurry holding her leg and a sheet from her sketchbook in magic. She released the leg, but held onto the paper as she levitated to Twilight’s face. Accepting it in her own magic, the princess unfolded it and was immediately shocked to see what her niece managed to detail upon it. She turned to Flurry with a teary-filled face of joy.

“It’s just something I couldn’t resist making,” the younger princess could simply defend, not looking away in shame or regret. “I just hope Aunt Sunset will like it.”

“Sweetie,” Twilight choked through her joyous tears as she placed it in her saddlebag, “your aunt is going to love it.” Feeling grateful, Twilight gave her niece another loving embrace before she parted for the throne room’s stained glass window of Sunset’s ascension.


  *


Principal Sunset Shimmer waited patiently for her wife and children to come through the window behind her desk as she reminisced on how good her life has turned out. She has fully moved on from a past that consumed her, she’s made the bestest friends anybody would die to get, and she was married to the most beautiful Princess of Friendship the universe could have possible fathom and, of course, a lovely family. She would never have thought this life to be her own. She was once a fiend seeking power before she turned over to be one of the most caring and understanding people she knew. True, there were still bumps along the way, but not so big that she would question her good nature or existence. Any doubts had faded away for good after Grogar’s defeat. As long as she had her family and friends by her side, nothing would break her spirit ever again.

Her joy was interrupted when she heard the hum of the portal behind her and smiled knowing just what was coming. Getting up out of her chair, she stood in front of the portal and held her arms out for her family. Within a few moments, Twilight came bursting through the warbling portal, the occupied carrier in hand, as she fell into Sunset’s grasp as she twirled her around for just a moment before setting her back on her human legs.

“Hey, cuteness,” the Princess of Empathy quipped as she moved a lock of hair out of Twilight’s sparkling, violet eyes as her cheeks burned slightly and she giggled. She nuzzled into her slightly older wife’s chest.

“Are you referring to me or the babies, beautiful?” the younger woman quipped back as she looked to see Sunset’s own teal eyes shimmering with her burning cheeks. She then pulled apart and laid the carrier onto the desk before presenting the kids. 

Two years after their birth and Sunset and Twilight could still not believe the beauties before them. Their colt Dusk glowed in his grayish azure color that matched Twilight’s father Night Light’s coat as his darker azure hair barely covered his lavender eyes. Dawn the filly was slightly brighter in her yellowish-orange aura that matched her entirely red blazing hair and dazzling aqua eyes. Those two Shimmer children were quite the greatest pair of bundles of joy that anypony (anyone) could ever ask for. Sunset couldn’t resist the urge to pick her kids up and shower them with all the love she could possibly carry within her, small snuggles and kisses all over them, much to Twilight’s viewing enjoyment. Once out of her system, Sunset placed her children back in their carrier before turning to her wife.

“The girls are all hanging at the Wondercolt statue if you’d like to spend your time with them,” Sunset explained before her sincere gaze turned sultry with a sultrier tone, “or we could go to my new house and get cozy?”

Twilight giggled at her wife’s flirting, clearly getting the idea. She then moved to Sunset’s ear, breathing slightly into her ear. “How about the girls first and then your house?” She then placed a small kiss on her wife’s sunny cheek, invoking a chuckle from her. She turned away to see Sunset giving off bedroom eyes as she grabbed her hand.

“As long as I’m with my friends,” she then nuzzled into Twilight’s hair, who responded in kind, both of them humming tandem. After a moment of embracing each other, the princesses pulled apart. Sunset collected her satchel over her shoulder as Twilight grabbed hold of the carrier while adjusting her bag straps. And with that, the married pair made their way out of the office to where it all began.

Both princesses and their babies had an eventful night ahead of them as they walked down the hallways. First, they would hang out with the Rainbooms before they proceeded to Sunset’s new house and enjoy themselves with a nice dinner that would then culminate to a night of passion on the sofa. Twilight, meanwhile, had the paper Flurry gave her before she left Equestria to show Sunset. The Crystal Princess took the time to sketch a very detailed description of the Sunlight pair. She started with detailing their numerous obstacles and struggles from their redeeming efforts to proving their princess worth, continuing with the numerous friends and villains they’ve made over the years, before capping off with the most important aspect of their stories: their friends. They were the very best things to have ever happen to the two mares. They taught them both of the very best elements of friendship, proved themselves to be there for them whenever they were needed (with a few exceptions), and were practically the closest thing they had to sisters outside their families.

While both students of Celestia took very different paths in life that changed them in unique ways, their journeys ended in the same way: as benevolent rulers of their worlds, passing down their teachings to others who will need it, and with each other. Unlike most pairings, the passionate pair of Sunlight was destined to benefit the worlds around them, bonded in matrimony, empathy, magic, logic, and of course, the greatest value among them, Friendship.






  THE END