Everyone is gathered in Applejack’s living room, the CMC was sitting on the sofa while the rest of the girls stood in front of them. Diamond Tiara stood to the side, the girls suspected her of being involved but Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle quickly told them that she had nothing to do with Anon-A-Miss. The Rainbooms had explained to them that their doubles are their counterparts from Equestria who came here to help Sunset clear her name.
“Why?” Applejack spoke in a hard tone as she looked at Applebloom’s phone that was logged on to Anon-A-Miss. “What possessed yah to make this account and frame Sunset?”
“It’s because yah were spending so much time with Sunset that yah barely spent any time with me,” Applebloom answered. “We always do our Christmas traditions but ever since yah did the sleepovers with Sunset yah missed decorating the Christmas tree an’ the house!” Bitter tears slid down the sides of her face. “We were supposed to bake cookies for Santa but yah were busy at Rarity’s house with Sunset!”
“Is that the reason?” Applejack questioned in disbelief. “Yah made us laughing stocks and ruined Sunset’s reputation at school-“ Applejack stopped herself, she glanced at her counterpart and remembered what she had said. “No, it was us that ruined Sunset’s life at school. Applebloom, why didn’t yah talk to me about this?”
“Ah didn’t think yah would listen,” Applebloom answered.
“How can yah know if yah didn’t try?” E-Applejack spoke. “Ah would like to believe that if mah sister had somethin’ important she had to say then ah would drop what ah’m doing and listen.”
Applebloom rubbed her arm as she looked away in shame, maybe she should’ve tried talking to her sister and she could’ve avoided this mess.
“What about you, Sweetie Belle?” Rarity said, bringing everyone’s attention to her younger sister.
“It’s more or less the same,” Sweetie Belle confessed. “Sunset was taking up a lot of your time that you used to spend with me and also… I wanted to get back at both of you.”
“For what?” Rarity asked as she looked to Sunset in confusion before looking back at Sweetie Belle.
“For kicking me out of your room and not letting me hang out with you and your friends,” Sweetie Belle answered before looking at Sunset. “And for what you did to Rarity at the Spring Fling.”
“Revenge,” Sunset whispered sadly.
E-Rarity looked sighed at hearing this, she was sadly reminded of how her sister sabotaged the headpiece she made for Saphire Shores.
“And you, Scoots?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“The same as them, you kept promising to spend time with me but you always broke them because you had to hang out with Sunset,” Scootaloo frowned as she looked at Sunset. “I tried to talk to you but the moment Sunset shows up you forget about me.”
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash felt guilty for ignoring their sisters, maybe if they paid more attention to them then they could’ve prevented this.
“Don’t go thinkin’ this is all yer fault,'' E-Applejack warned her counterpart, knowing full well what she was thinking. “They still made Anon-A-Miss and posted yer secrets.”
“They could’ve stopped when they succeeded in breaking up your friendship with Sunset but they kept up this slander and involved the rest of your school,” E-Rarity added.
“Which only made things worse for Sunset,” E-Rainbow Dash said with a frown and crossed her arms.
“All this because of the slumber parties,” Sunset whispered, if she had never told Applejack that she spent the holidays alone then perhaps none of this would’ve happened. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see E-Fluttershy’s disapproving look.
“Don’t blame yourself either, Sunset,” E-Fluttershy said, which gained the group's attention. “You’re the victim here and not the one responsible for this horrible situation.”
“She’s right, darling,” E-Rarity said before turning to the CMC.
“Sunset, we’re sorry.” Applebloom apologized. “Ah wanted my sister back so bad that ah didn’t even care about what happened to yah.”
“I’m sorry too,” Sweetie Belle also apologized, looking very remorseful. “As much as I wanted to get back at you and Rarity, I felt awful about what I did.”
“Me too,” Scootaloo agreed, looking down in shame. “This whole mess was our fault and despite not wanting it to get this bad we let it happen.”
Sunset walked over to the girls and knelt to look them in the eyes.
“You girls underestimated the problems your blog caused, and revealed some uncomfortable truths,” Sunset said as she glanced behind her to the ashamed Rainbooms. “But you realized your mistake and decided to come clean before we showed up.”
“Ah needed more convincing than Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo,” Applebloom shamefully admitted.
“You have good friends,” Sunset said with a smile. “I accept your apology and forgive you, girls.”
The CMC was shocked to hear this.
“Really?” Applebloom asked, not believing that she would be forgiven so easily.
“Yes, you girls have learned your lesson and I know what it’s like to feel alone,” Sunset said with a smile.
The CMC lunged at Sunset and wrapped their arms around her in a hug.
“We’re so sorry Sunset!” they sobbed.
Sunset hugged them back as they continued to cry, the Rainbooms and Mane 5 watched with smiles on their faces. Suddenly the Mane 5’s cutie marks flashed on their cheeks.
“What the?” E-Rainbow Dash questioned as she and her friends looked at each other in confusion.
“What’s going on?” Applejack asked.
“I have no idea but our cutie marks acted strangely before which lead us to find out about Sunset’s situation,” E-Rarity said.
“Could somepony else need our help?” E-Rainbow Dash asked.
“I’m not sure, perhaps we should return to Equestria and see if they act as they did before,” E-Rarity suggested before turning to Sunset. “Will you be alright without us?”
“Yes, we found out who was really behind Anon-A-Miss so all that’s left to do is tell Principal Celestia,” Sunset explained. “After that, we’ll be picking up the pieces of our shattered friendship. I doubt we’ll be the only ones.”
“Ah have faith yah girls will pull through this,” E-Applejack said hopefully.
“Thanks, Applejack. It won’t be easy but you girls gave me hope that our friendship can recover,” Sunset thanked her fellow Equestrian as she pulled out her journal from her backpack and wrote a message to Twilight.
Twilight Velvet and Night Light are reading a book when they hear a vibrating sound.
“What’s that sound?” Night Light asked from beside his wife.
“It’s coming from that book,” Twilight Velvet pointed to the journal she placed on a nearby table.
“Do you think it’s Twilight’s friend?” Night Light asked as he glanced at a sleeping Twilight and Spike inside a dome of Twilight Velvet’s magic. “Should we wake her?”
Twilight Velvet didn’t want to disturb her daughter’s sleep but she had no choice as this could be very important, so she walked over to her sleeping daughter and gently nudged her.
“Twilight, honey wake up.”
Twilight groaned a bit before raising her head and looking in her mother’s direction her tired eyes opened slightly.
“What is it?”
“Your journal is glowing and vibrating,” Twilight Velvet informed her daughter before pointing at the table.
Twilight’s eyes snapped open and all traces of sleep left her body, she was about to get up but remembered her precious baby sleeping beside her. Her horn glowed as she levitated the journal to her, she read the new entry and smiled widely.
“Did something good happen?” Twilight Velvet asked.
“My friends managed to clear Sunset’s name!” Twilight squealed in excitement. “Their cutie marks are acting up again and want to come back to Equestria.”
Twilight wrote a quick reply and then placed the journal on top of the pedestal near the portal.
The girls are all gathered around the Wondercolt statue, the Mane five are all hugging Sunset while the Rainbooms look on.
“Take care Sunset,” E-Applejack said, feeling a little sad to be leaving her friend.
“Do come for a visit, darling. I would love to make a fabulous dress for you,” E-Rarity said, already planning out what Sunset’s dress will be.
“If you ever need me, just write to Twilight and I’m there,” E-Rainbow Dash promised, in Just a very short time Sunset had become a very important friend to her.
“I’m gonna miss you soooo much!” E-Pinkie Pie said as she hugged Sunset tight.
“I hope you stay happy and safe,” E-Fluttershy said gently, she was happy that Sunset will no longer suffer because of Anon-A-Miss.
“Thank you, girls. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for what you did,” Sunset thanked her Equestrian friends, tears wheeling up in her eyes.
“That’s what friends are supposed to do,” E-Rainbow Dash said as she broke the hug to look at Sunset with a big toothy smile. “They are always there for each other.”
“True friends are generous from the bottom of their hearts,” E-Rarity said as she pulled away and placed her hand over her heart.
“Yah can always count on yer friends, to be honest with yah,” E-Applejack said as she pulled away from Sunset and looked at her with a smile. “The truth may hurt their feelings sometimes but they love their friends too much to lie to them.”
“Friends looove seeing their friends smile!” E-Pinkie said as she squeezed Sunset one more time before backing away. “They do everything they can to turn their frowns upside down! And laughter is the best medicine!”
“Friends are always kind to each other,” E-Fluttershy said as she pulled away from the hug, tears welled up in her eyes before she wiped them away. She was sad to be leaving a friend.
Sunset felt a lump in her throat as her new friends spoke, she could feel the Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, and Laughter emanating from them. This was the Magic of Friendship.
“Friends empathize with one another,” Sunset said with a smile as tears slide down the sides of her face. “They know when the other is feeling sad and know what will make them laugh, they know their friend didn’t mean to hurt them with the truth and are thankful for their honesty; they can feel the kindness and generosity of their friends’ actions, they understand how loyal their friends are when they go above and beyond for them. That’s what makes friendship magical.”
The Mane 5 are touched by Sunset’s words, she truly understood the magic of friendship. Suddenly, they and Sunset are surrounded by a magical aura and pony up. The girls are surprised but laugh at what just happened.
“I guess that’s another thing to tell Twilight about,” Sunset said as she wiped away her tears. The whole group shared one last hug before the Mane five went through the portal.
“Are yah going to be okay, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked with concern.
“Yeah,” Sunset responded as she turned to face the Rainbooms with a smile. “Are you girls hungry? I’m thinking we could order something and play some video games back at my place.”
The Rainbooms smiled at this and agreed with Sunset’s idea, they all headed towards Sunset’s apartment with happy smiles on their faces.
Sunset Shimmer entered The Sweet Shoppe and looked around until she spotted Twilight waving at her, several days have passed since the Mane 5 returned home.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long,” Sunset said as she approached Twilight's table.
“Not at all,” Twilight assured her as she rose from her seat to hug her friend.
“So how’s Spike doing?” Sunset asked as she took a seat in front of Twilight.
“He’s doing great, he’s no longer suffering from Magic Flux but I’m having him take it easy for a couple of days just to make sure,” Twilight answered.
“I thought Magix Flux was a unicorn ailment, how can a dragon get it?” Sunset asked curiously.
“I believed it has something to do with how he was born,” Twilight said. “I hatched Spike with my magic as part of an entrance exam for the School of Gifted Unicorns, I believe my magic that’s coursing through his body is the reason why he got sick and probably why his illness was much worse than mine.”
“If that’s the case then wouldn’t that make Spike your child?” Sunset questioned. “I remember when I was locating your room on the night I came to steal your crown I sensed two similar magic signatures and assumed that you brought your foal with you but I was surprised to find a sleeping baby dragon instead of a unicorn.”
“In a way, he is,” Twilight admitted. “I see a lot of myself in him and I feel this special bond with him that when I explained it to my mother she told me it is the special bond between a mother and her child.”
“Then congratulations on being a mom,” Sunset smirked as she winked at Twilight.
“Thanks,” Twilight blushed before deciding to change the subject. “So how are you and the girls doing?”
“Pretty great,” Sunset said as she smiled fondly. “We’ve gotten a lot closer over the last few days.”
“Did you resume the sleepovers?” Twilight asked.
“Not right away, I felt bad that their sisters had to miss out on their special bonding time so I told them to spend time with them,” Sunset explained. “But that didn’t stop the girls from visiting me and spending what time they had before going back home. Applejack and I had a long talk about what happened and she practically begged me to punch her, I refused and instead told her to better control her anger. She’s been coming over to my house to bring me a homecooked meal and we would eat together.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Twilight said, she recalled the meals she would eat together with E-Applejack when it was their date night.
“Fluttershy would text me every day, wishing me good morning and good night. She would tell me words of encouragement when she visited and asked how I’m doing and even volunteered to cover my shift at work so I can have a day off,” Sunset explained. “I refused and instead I helped her at the animal shelter.”
“Rainbow Dash has been over every day, every chance she got she would spend it with me. We would play video games or I helped her practice with Scootaloo.”
“How are the girls’ relationships with their sisters?” Twilight asked.
“It was strained with their actions but their bond is still there,” Sunset said. “They confessed to Principal Celestia and were given six months of detention, they had to issue a public apology to the entire school and me. The girls and I made sure there wasn’t any retaliation against them.”
“That’s good to hear,” Twilight said, she was glad that the CMC wouldn’t suffer as Sunset did.
“As punishment for humiliating them, Sweetie Belle is forced to be a model for Rarity who used her to sow all my damaged clothing. She even gave me my present early which was a brand new outfit” Sunset explained with a smile. “Applebloom had to do Applejack’s chores so she could hang out with me but later they get to do their holiday traditions, Scootaloo has to join Rainbow Dash on her early morning jogs and helps her walk the dogs from the animal shelter.”
“At least they still get to spend time with their sisters,” Twilight said with a smile.
“Pinkie Pie has been giving me a hug every time we meet and always made sure I went home with a smile,” Sunset said.
“Have you been able to move on from this?” Twilight asked.
“It’s a little early to tell but the pain is starting to lessen with the girls’ genuine effort to make up for what they did,” Sunset answered.
“I’m happy to hear that,” Twilight said sincerely.
“Twilight, I want to thank you for believing in me. If it wasn’t for you I would’ve crumbled under everyone’s accusations,” Sunset gratefully said.
“What are friends for,” Twilight said with a smile. “Speaking of which, the reason I had you meet with me is to give you this.”
Twilight reached inside her skirt pocket and pulled out an envelope which she handed over to Sunset.
“What’s this?” Sunset asked as she took the envelope, it looked fancy.
“Open it and find out,” Twilight said still smiling.
Sunset opened the envelope and read the letter that was inside.
“You are cordially invited to attend the wedding of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack!” Sunset gasped.
“Do you think you can make it?” Twilight asked.
“Are you kidding? There’s no way I’m missing my friends’ wedding!” Sunset said as she pulled Twilight for a hug. “I’m so happy for you three.”
“Thanks,” Twilight said as she returned the hug.