It had been well over an hour since the unexpected mind attack encounter with Adagio and Cinch, who had infiltrated into Twilight and Sunset’s minds using power from the dark crystal. When doing so, Cinch would reveal that the cause of Twilight’s device going haywire, and later turning into Midnight Sparkle at the Friendship Games, was all because of Sunset’s magic! Many of them wondered if she was lying to them so they could make Sunset the bad guy. But sadly, it was true. Twilight remembered the exact moment playing in her mind when the magic got absorbed into her device.
Following the mind encounter, Twilight fought with Sunset, telling her to stay away from her, regretted everything that had happened since she came into her life, ruining it, and lastly, calling her She-Demon! She regretted saying all of it and ended up making Sunset run away in tears, just like what Twilight experienced at the Tri-Coss Rally back at the Friendship Games when Sunset ragged at her about magic.
As a result of the fight, the girls decided to split into groups of two to try and comfort their friends, following Cinch's surprise attack.
Moondancer, Fluttershy, and Rarity went with Twilight, who had decided to stay at her parent's house for the night, while Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight Glimmer stayed with Sunset.
None of them wanted to do this but had no other choice. Twilight was already disappointed in herself she hurt Sunset’s feelings, and now started to regret the things she said to her, all because Sunset’s magic was the cause of her turning into Midnight Sparkle. She worried if Sunset wanted to continue being in a relationship with her as she hadn’t seen her girlfriend like this since a week after the events of the Memory Stone incident nearly one year prior.
And now, Twilight wasn’t sure what she was going to do to fix this, now that she had broken Sunset’s heart.
After Twilight and the others left, Sunset managed to calm herself down a bit as she sat back down in her living room. Her remaining friends were there to help support her, after the sudden mind attack from Adagio and Cinch.
“This is all my fault! How am I ever gonna get Twilight’s trust again? What am I going to do to solve this crisis I’ve created? She must hate me now, even though she made me cry! Why can’t I-”
But Sunset never got the chance to finish her sentence, as she was met with a slap in the face by none other than Rainbow Dash. While she was pretty pissed Rainbow did that to her, she understood exactly why her friend did it.
“Sunset, you need to calm down. Pull yourself together!”
“Dashie's right, it wasn’t your fault. We couldn’t control our magic back then before we got our crystals. And besides, Twilight wasn’t our friend back then, she was still a student of Crystal Prep. You can’t let all those negative thoughts take over you. You're just gonna make yourself even more upset! We know you didn’t do it on purpose Sunset. You're not the girl people think you were, because you’re our friend!” Pinkie Pie shared, whose hair was no longer in its puffy state.
Sunset didn’t know what to say back and decided to just let each of them try and comfort her in any way possible.
“Just give it some time and things will likely come around. While it's a lot to take in, I’m sure Twilight will come to her senses and apologize for her behavior. Eventually…” Shared Starlight.
“And the same for you Sunset.” Finished Pinkie Pie.
Sunset let out a little sniff after hearing that before Starlight came in to hug her.
“Yeah, you're right. Sure, I’m pissed as hell Cinch told us this, you all still have my back, and that’s what matters!”
“There’s the girl we all know well!” Said, Rainbow Dash.
“It’s what we do for our friends, Sunset, and we're not giving up on this until both you and Twilight get better. We promise!” Explained Pinkie Pie.
“Sniff Thanks, girls. I appreciate your never-ending support.”
As the three girls continued to help Sunset, Applejack was sitting on Sunset’s balcony on the phone talking with Rarity about how things were going with Twilight.
“Uh-huh. I see… Well, thanks for the update Rarity. I’ll make sure to tell the others. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.”
Applejack went back inside soon after to tell everyone the news on Twilight’s current status, following her phone call with Rarity. Already, she was not feeling up to sharing it.
“I just got off the phone with Rarity, and it seems like things aren’t going well for them either…”
“How so Applejack?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Twilight seems to be both in an upset/break-up mood at the moment. She doesn’t know how to handle the fact Sunset’s magic was responsible for her turning into Midnight Sparkle. Not only that but she yelled it at Sunset before she ran off crying.”
“Poor Twilight…” Said, Rainbow Dash.
“Do you girls think she’s taking this, I don’t know, a bit too seriously? I mean, I don’t blame Twilight’s reaction. But yelling it at Sunset, after all, they’ve been through together, that’s just fucked up,” Starlight replied, in a worried state.
“Your question is as good as ours Starlight. For now, until we can figure out what Cinch’s next move is, we’ll do our best to comfort our friends.” Shared Applejack.
Sunset appreciated their help very much, but what she wanted right about now, was to be alone.
“You girls are very kind, but I think you should go home for the night. Let me have some alone time so I can think…”
“Nonsense Sunset! We’re not gonna be leaving you tonight. So whether you like it or not, the three of us will be staying with you and Starlight for the night, right girls?”
“You betcha.” Said Applejack.
“Of course!” Replied Pinkie Pie.
Sunset didn’t know what to say about the kindness they were giving her. She felt like crying over the happiness she began feeling, knowing that she can get through this in the end.
“Oh don’t cry Sunset. Bring it in.” Said Pinkie Pie.
The five friends soon came in for a nice group hug just as Sunset let out another dam of tears she had been holding. The fight she had with Twilight was hard, but she knew she'll be able to get her back in no time.
“It’s ok Sunset, everything’s gonna be alright.” Shared Starlight.
While Sunset was happy that she didn’t have to spend the night alone, she was still pretty sad Twilight had broken her heart. However, deep down, she knew she had to figure out something to fix her relationship with Twilight. She was still technically the blame for starting it in the first place. But she didn’t know how.
…
Sunset found herself sitting on her balcony all by herself, looking up at the stars. Not long after she managed to calm herself down, her friends each left to go home to grab their pajamas and sleeping bags before returning to spend the night.
Sunset didn’t know how to explain it, but something about stargazing just made her feel so relaxed and happy. The best she could think of was when she was a filly, her mother used to take her and her siblings stargazing on special occasions.
Even after she learned of her family’s passing, and eventual reunion with her father, Sunset still felt the littlest bit sad that she didn’t have anyone to share it with. Only Twilight had spent a lot of time stargazing with her since they started dating. And it didn’t feel the same without sharing it with someone.
“Sunset? Where are you?”
Sunset snapped out of her daydreaming when she realized the voice was Starlights. She was looking for her and called her over from where she was on the balcony.
“You doing ok?”
“A little, I’m still down in the dumps with how Twilight acted to me earlier. It made me feel so emotional. Kinda like how she acted to me during the Memory Stone incident last year when I stepped on her drone. While it was only an accident, the response she said to me just cripples my heart when thinking about it.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“It’s fine Starlight. Water under the bridge. So did you need something?”
“I came to ask if you were hungry. I made dinner.”
“Thanks, but I’m not feeling hun-”
Sunset soon froze in realization when she took a glimpse at Starlight's attire. Instead of wearing the clothes she normally wore, she was wearing the outfit that belonged to her counterpart.
“Starlight? Why are you-”
“Oh, these? I got my clothes dirty while I was making dinner. And, that is why the kitchen is in a bit of a mess too. So sorry about that…”
Sunset wasn’t sure if she was serious or not til she took a glimpse of her kitchen from the balcony. It was indeed messy alright, but she decided to save that argument for later.
“I didn’t have any other clothes on me, so I went through your closet to see if there was something I could borrow. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Your fine Starlight, no need to worry.”
“That was when I found this outfit you had, alongside this beanie and watch I found in the pockets. I happen to like this beanie a lot. Pink is one of my favorite colors, though purple is my actual favorite. I hope you don’t mind if I borrow it.”
“Actually Starlight, you can keep it if you’d like.”
“Really? But, isn’t this yours?”
“That outfit belonged to your counterpart. She let me keep it during her last visit after she got herself a new one. I’d explain the rest, but it's a long story. It also suits you pretty nicely. I just wish I knew how to make up with Twilight though…”
While what Sunset said was unfortunately true, Starlight knew there was still a possibility to fix their broken relationship and get them back together again.
“Just because someone you love does a bad thing, doesn’t mean you automatically stop loving them. I’m sure that’s how Twilight is feeling.”
“Yeah but, was this supposed to happen? My destiny? Should I have even come to this world in the first place, taken over a high school, gotten friends who mean the world to me, and fallen in love with a human?”
“Ok, now you’ve got me lost here.”
“I mean... I do love her. But, it’s my fault for causing so much to happen in both her life and my friend's lives too. I’ve caused so much trouble to happen. I’m not even sure they want to continue being my friend.”
While Starlight was surprised by Sunset’s words, she, fortunately, knew a way to help her friend.
“While I haven’t known you for a very short period, nor have given you the help I offered, and know very little about friendship, maybe it was supposed to happen? You come to this world, becoming friends with those girls, and falling head over heels for Twilight.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Look at me for example. I never knew what I wanted to accomplish in life. Mine took a tragic turn after I lost my parents and had no clue where to go from there. Sure, I have changed a lot since that day, but there’s always a moment in someone’s life where the unexpected change will lead to a possible happy life.”
That just made Sunset feel even more confused.
“Ok? So, how does this relate to my problem?”
“Destiny is a gift. Some go their entire lives. Living existences of quiet desperation. Never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders, is actually, a sense of purpose, that lifts us to greater heights! Never forget, that fear is but the precursor to valor, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear, is what it means to be a hero. Don’t think Sunset. Become, and use that fear inside of you, becoming one with your true self! But, only you, will be able to harness it, if you can let go of the past guilt you hold onto.”
“But why?”
“Because sometimes the greatest power, can come deep from within us.”
That made Sunset feel completely blown out of her mind hearing this coming from Starlight of all people.
“Wow. Where did you hear all that from?”
“My Dad. He told me this not long after Sunburst moved away.”
“Moved away?”
“Oh, right, I never got around to telling you. Sunburst got accepted into a school a few months before the disaster happened. His family had to move away because of it, and I was very sad to see him go. He was the only friend I had ever had. Not including your counterpart for obvious reasons.”
Sunset understood what Starlight was feeling as she had been there once before.
“I know that sensation. I felt the same when I moved to Canterlot for my studies at Princess Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. I was sad I had to leave my family. They couldn’t come along with me. We didn’t have the money to move to Canterlot, and I had to leave them behind in my hometown. Which would be the last time I'd see them all. Except for my dad who I reunited with two days ago…”
“Whenever I look back at that moment, a part of myself wonders, was it supposed to happen?” Starlight wondered.
“I think it was. As you said, whoever's destiny it might be, it's a gift. Sure, there will be tough moments in our lives we wish won’t give us pain, but they’re also the strength to help us carry on for our futures ahead of time.”
“See. If you can use that fear inside of you, you can make things right with Twilight! You might even be able to fix your broken relationship. But, it’ll be up to you to do that Sunset. The true strength only comes from within.”
“I know… But, thank you Starlight. I appreciate the advice.”
“No problem. As you said, it's what friends do.”
Sunset smiled at Starlight before embarrassing her in a hug. Starlight couldn't remember the last time she helped someone outside of Sunny, but it felt good to be doing so.
“While you may be my friend, you feel like a sister to me Starlight.”
That made her feel very happy. Because deep down, Starlight felt the same. Sunset felt like an older sibling she thought she’d never had, hoping whatever happens, they can continue beings friends.
As the remainder of the evening progressed, Sunset was showing signs of recovery. She still wondered to herself how Twilight was taking this compared to how she was, and that answer was not a good one.
Unlike Sunset, Twilight spent most of the night crying in her room. She somehow was able to scarf down a container of strawberry ice cream while she cried away her feeling. She refused any help from her friends and parents making them feel even more worried. Although it was just an accident, Twilight could still hear Cinch’s voice echoing through her mind. While she had every right to be pissed at Sunset, she was still very disappointed in herself. She had broken her girlfriend’s heart. Their relationship might be in jeopardy because of her foolishness. And lastly, it could mean an end to their friendship for all she knew.
Her mother Velvet was able to help calm her down later that night and even sang to her the song she’d sung back when she was a little girl. Despite the fact Twilight was eighteen and a young adult now, the song surprisingly still worked on her, which made Velvet feel a sign of relief. She understood the pain her daughter felt for Sunset, but from the time she’d spent with her, she knew Sunset would never hurt Twilight. She hoped they’d work things out somehow, even if their relationship would end.
Velvet kissed her daughter goodnight, and went to inform Twilight’s friends to let her get some rest following the long day she had. They understood entirely before they all bid goodnight.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Velvet decided to call it a night.
Ever since she first learned Twilight was dating Sunset, it had made her very proud of her daughter founding love like her son. But just like most couples, she should have seen at least one fight come at some point.
Looking at her son’s relationship with Cadance, they never fought with one another until they got married, and eventually had a child of their own.
As she got into bed and grabbed her book, she glanced at the photo she had on the side of her bedstand.
It was taken the previous Christmas when Sunset joined them for the holiday season. Velvet didn’t regret a single moment she had bonded with her. Just looking at the happy memory made her hope Twilight could fix her relationship with Sunset. She didn’t have the heart or wanted to say goodbye to such a wonderful girl. She'd come to like her, almost as if she was her actual mother. But at the same time, a daughter-in-law in the possible future.
But as sleep started to take over, Velvet let it wait for tomorrow.
After putting her book on her bedstand she did a prayer, wishing her daughter would find that missing love she had for Sunset, so things could go back to the way they had been in their relationship. But if she wanted it to come true, then it would be up to Sunset and Twilight to do it themselves.
After the encounter with her human counterpart, Sunset realized that all this time, she’d made life difficult for her counterpart. Practically taking everything from her, including her identity, life, and existence.
So to fix this imbalance, Sunset would ultimately come to a scene like this, where she may contemplate making the ultimate decision.
It was her selfish quest for power that led her to the human world in the first place, meaning it wouldn't be fair for her to force her human counterpart to forever live in Equestria to resolve the imbalance.
No, by now, the human world's taught and given her everything she needed to know about friendship.
It was now time for her to make the ultimate decision.
After learning the danger she’d put her human counterpart through by being in the same world as her and upsetting the balance, Sunset makes the noble and ultimate sacrifice, believing everything she's learned from friendship and her friends.
Writing to Princess Twilight, they agree to let her return to Equestria and permanently close the portal for good.
With the last few days spent with her friends, we are brought to this scene upon us before Sunset's gone for good.
After saying goodbye to each of the friends she’d made since she first came to this world, it was time to say goodbye to the one person she’d always loved.
Sci Twi. Better known as the human counterpart of Twilight Sparkle.
“Well Twilight, this… this is goodbye. I’m really glad I met you back at the Friendship Games. We’ve come such a long way. I’m gonna miss you.”
“I will too, Sunset.”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure the journal will work once the portal is closed. But if it still does, you can message me whenever you’d like.”
“So, does this count as a goodbye?”
“I don’t know. I won’t be able to get another journal once you get to the last page. So use it wisely before they’re all filled up.”
“Don’t worry Sunset, you're in good hands.”
That made Sunset feel relieved and less stressed for her to worry about now.
“Since this will likely be the last time I will ever see you, I want you to have something to remember me by,” Sunset says as she proceeds to remove her leather jacket and folding it up, and presenting it to Twilight.
“Your leather jacket? But, it means a lot to you?”
“It does, but when I return to Equestria, I won’t have it anymore. So, I’d like you to have it.”
Twilight didn’t know what to say. She didn’t think she truly deserved it, even if it belonged to one of her dearest friends.
“No, I don’t know if I should take it…”
“I’d think you're the best person that should have it, Twilight. It’ll be a reminder of the relationship we had. You wouldn’t have accomplished so much if it wasn’t for our encounter at the Friendship Games. And later learning how special the magic of friendship can be.”
Twilight wasn’t sure what to say about it, but what Sunset shared was true. And so, she accepted the offer of Sunset’s jacket.
“Thank you Sunset.”
Twilight proceeded to put on the leather jacket as she slid her arms right into the sleeves of it. She didn’t realize till that moment how soothing it felt, and that it now belonged to her.
“It’s nice. I think I can get used to wearing this.”
“I’m glad.”
The two friends gave each other one last hug goodbye before it was officially time for Sunset to depart.
Sunset waved to Twilight goodbye, as they both shed tears of sadness over this very moment upon them.
But when Twilight realized what was going on, she had to stop Sunset from leaving!
“Wait. Sunset, stop! Don’t go! You can’t go back to Equestria!”
But Sunset didn’t hear her. And before Twilight knew it, she was too late!
Sunset stepped through the portal just seconds later and was on her way back to Equestria. But then, something odd happened.
She looked up at the sky, seeing it had turned into a dark shade of purple, with thunder clouds accompanying it.
“What’s going on?”
“Tell me Twilight. Do you feel happy that Sunset is gone?”
Twilight recognized that voice as clear as day. She had only ever heard it in her nightmares.
She slowly turned around to see who it was, and immediately dropped Sunset’s journal when she realized who it was.
“No. It can’t be!”
“Yes it is Twilight, yes it is!”
What Twilight saw with her own eyes was someone she’d thought she’d never see again.
Midnight Sparkle!
“How is this possible? You were defeated? How are you even here?!?!”
“Haven’t you forgotten? I’m still a part of you Twilight. And for the record, while you still defeated me, I can still take control of you if I wanted to. And that’s exactly what I feel like doing now!”
Before Twilight knew it, the ground beneath her started to shake and crack in the process.
Midnight Sparkle grabbed ahold of her as she strapped Twilight to the ground. In the process, it caused her glasses to fall off, and her hair came undone from her ponytail.
“Help! Help! Somebody, anybody, please help!”
“No one is coming to save you Twilight. You are nothing but the monster we are! You broke Sunset’s heart by blaming her for my creation, and now it's your time to get what you should have gotten long ago!”
Midnight Sparkle soon flew straight towards her from where she was above and immediately began taking over Twilight’s body!
“No, not again! I don’t want to go through this again! Sunset I’m sorry! Please forgive me! NOOOOO!”
“Twilight, wake up! You're having a nightmare!”
“Twilight, please! You’ve got to wake up!”
Twilight soon found herself back in her room with Fluttershy and Spike by her side.
“Where am I? Is Sunset in Equestria? Has Midnight taken over me? Is the Rock president!?!?”
“Twilight, calm down! You're safe and sound with us.” Said Fluttershy.
“I-I am?”
Just then, her bedroom door slammed open to reveal Rarity, Moondancer, and her mother Twilight Velvet.
“What’s going on?”
“Is everything alright?”
“I heard a scream! Twilight are you ok?”
“I’m fine, it was just a nightmare…”
Rarity offered Twilight a glass of water sitting right next to her bed and drank it all in one gulp. The water managed to help cool down her body, but she was still in a sorry state from the nightmare. Everyone was very fortunate she was ok, but it was not hard to tell Twilight was still refusing the help they offered.
She then looked away from them, feeling upset with herself she had caused a serious problem, once again.
Velvet decided to sit on the side of Twilight’s bed, looking into her daughter’s eyes and sweeping a bit of her hair behind her ear.
“Honey, I know you haven’t been doing well after yesterday, but we're here to help you. Please, if you want to get through this, you need to trust us.”
Twilight knew her Mom was correct, but she thought she didn’t deserve it.
“I told you, Mom. I’m fine. I can do this on my own...”
Velvet was ashamed her daughter still wouldn’t let them help, but knew this wasn’t gonna be getting them anywhere if they tried hard enough.
“Alright Twilight, if that’s what you want dear.”
Velvet headed back downstairs to get started on breakfast, leaving Twilight and her friends in silence.
Twilight wasn’t sure she wanted to go to school today and possibly encounter Sunset again. But with graduation just twenty-four hours away, she had to at least try and make things up with her girlfriend. Her feelings for Sunset hadn’t gone away, so there was still a chance she could fix it.
“We’ll be here to help you every step of the way darling,” replied Rarity.
“I don’t like seeing any of my friends this way. Especially with the state you're currently in. You have our support Twilight,” shared Fluttershy.
“And I’m not gonna leave one of my oldest til you're feeling the slightest bit better, got it Twi?” Said Moondancer.
“Thanks, girls. Thank you for not losing hope in me.”
“Anytime Twilight, anything for a dear friend of mine.” Shared Moondancer.
“And you too Spike.”
“No problem Twilight!”
Spike then jumped onto her bed and gave her several slobbery kisses to help cheer her up. Twilight was disgusted at first, but since Spike was doing it to show he cared about her, she let him go at it.
Twilight began feeling a little relieved now, thanks to the help her friends had given her. She had even started to have some faith she could mend her relationship with Sunset! Though she still was upset magic was the cause of her turning into Midnight Sparkle, she instead decided to let it be pushed to the side and get the day started.
“You girls go on ahead. I better get cleaned up and changed out of my pajamas.”
“Sure thing dear. We’ll excuse ourselves so you can get dressed. Come along girls, breakfast awaits us.”
After her friends headed downstairs, Twilight took a quick shower and changed out of her pajamas into her normal attire. When finished she went to have breakfast with her friends before leaving for school, except for Moondancer. She was already on summer vacation and decided to spend the day catching up with Twilight Velvet.
When Twilight arrived, she was looking a lot better. When she sat down to have her breakfast, Rarity began staring at her. Twilight wasn’t sure why but figured it was because her hair wasn’t a total mess.
“I do hope you continue to style your hair like that, Twilight. You just look so much better appearance-wise with it down as opposed to a ponytail. Especially with that purple hairband, you have on. Something about it just makes it more like you. I honestly don’t know why. I mean, you still look fabulous with the way you style your hair. I always prefer having it down all the time. No offense darling.”
“None took Rarity, but thanks. I'm thinking of doing it more often.”
“That's wonderful dear!”
As the day progressed at a steady pace, Twilight and Sunset seemed to be doing a lot better. But neither of them had found the time to discuss what happened yesterday.
Following lunch, they were in the girl's locker room changing into their P.E. clothes for their last day of gym class. They each had left their geodes in their respective lockers, as they wouldn’t be needing them until after class. And what was more strange was that none of them had decided to put locks on them. This was gonna make it even easier for some uninvited guests that let themselves in not that long later.
“Is this the place?” Asked Sonata.
“Yep. Spread out, girls. It’s time to search for those crystals!”
Cinch had assigned the Sirens to sneak into CHS while the girls were at P.E. so they can swap out the crystals with fake duplicates.
Cinch had become very interested in them after learning about them. She tasked Sunny and Starlight to spy on them to get her info for an idea she was planning. Since the crystals were the same as the dark crystal, she figure she can somehow harness them all at once. Once she can, she’d be unstoppable!
As the hour proceeded at a very slow pace, the Sirens had managed to replace five out of the seven crystals with their fake lookalikes.
All they had left was to switch Twilight and Sunset’s crystals and bail out before someone caught them.
But time was not on their side. By the time Sonata was swapping the last two crystals with the fakes, the bell went off signaling that the period was over. This startled the youngest Siren in the process while the crystals flew into the air. Sonata managed to catch them but realized she had no idea which ones were which.
"Uh oh," she whispered.
“We got to get out of here!” Yelled Adagio.
“Quick Sonata, swap those damn crystals now!!!” Said Aria.
Sonata didn’t know what to say in response. She had no idea which crystals in her hands were real or fake. So she went with her gut and chose the ones she had in her right hand as opposed to her left. After returning the crystals to the lockers she followed her sisters out of the room just in time.
While the Sirens managed to succeed with their mission, they were already in some serious hot water.
Unbeknownst to Adagio and Aria, Sonata didn’t swap out Twilight’s and Sunset’s crystals with the fakes. She had left the real ones behind and only had five out of the seven harmony crystals. This meant they had the last two fake lookalikes with them. It was a sign Cinch was not going to be happy!
“This way and we’re home free!” Said Adagio.
And good timing too, as the girl's locker room, began filling up with students.
“So, how were things with Sunset last night?” Rarity asks while changing.
“She was a little emotional at first but managed to do well as the night progressed. How was Twilight?” Applejack asked while putting her cowboy boots on.
“She was mostly alone in her room all night, crying and eating ice cream. She had a nightmare before waking up this morning too, which seemed to scare her. She's doing better now. But I have stopped worrying all day now,” Fluttershy shared while packing her gym clothes away.
“That’s just terrible! Have they even tried to sort things out?” Pinkie asked while putting her tank top on.
“Negative. We only got a few hours left till graduation, and we're losing time by the minute!” Said a now worried Applejack.
“I hope they don’t decide to break up. This has gone far worse than I imagined,” Fluttershy said worriedly.
“Don’t come to terms yet Shy. We’ve still got time. Hopefully, those two will talk to each other before the day's over. Knowing those two, they’re gonna try and fix this.”
While Rainbow wasn’t the best person when it came to romance, love, or dating for that matter, as the element of loyalty, she hadn’t lost hope for her two friends making up with each other. And as she looked over to where they were on the other side of the room, she hoped they were going to discuss their current situation sooner than later.
The last class of the day was just about over. Once school would be out for the day, last-minute preparations for the senior graduation were to begin shortly.
Just as the girls had left the locker room, an unexpected announcement came from the PA System.
“Sunset Shimmer, please report to the Principal's office.”
“Huh, that’s odd. I wonder what's all about?” Wondered Applejack
“Whatever it is, I better get going. I’ll catch you, girls, later.”
Sunset hurried along down the hallways to the Principal’s office until she felt someone bump into her causing them to fall onto the floor. When she got back up, she realized it was Twilight who had run into her. Sunset was presently surprised by
this as she didn't expect to run into her girlfriend on her way to Principal Celestia’s office.
They soon gave each other odd looks before deciding to begin the discussion they’d been meaning to do.
“Hey…”
“Hey…”
Silence arose before them once more, til Sunset asked Twilight why she was following her.
“Was there a reason you were following me, Twilight?”
“Huh? Oh yeah. Do you have a moment? I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
“Well, I am in a bit of a hurry. But, I guess I can squeeze in a quick conversation. What’s up?”
“I wanted to apologize for yelling at you yesterday. I know what you did was an accident, what I did to you was wrong. So, I’m sorry. I still care for you Sunset. My love for you has not faded, even after I called you a monster and a She-Demon. So, I was wondering… Can you, give me another chance? Please?”
Sunset wasn’t sure what to say about this but knew Twilight was serious. She knew her well and lying was the last thing she'd ever to do her.
“Of course.”
“Really! Oh, thank you so much, Sun-”
“On one condition.”
Twilight’s hope soon disappeared the moment Sunset responded, but figured the reason was serious.
“Can we just take things easy, just for a while?”
“Really? But why?”
“I still love and care for you Twilight. But after seeing how you acted to me yesterday, it broke my heart. So for the time being, I’m gonna need some space, alright?”
Twilight was sad about this but understood how her girlfriend felt.
“That’s fine. I believe I should too.”
“Thanks.”
The two girls shared a quick hug before going their separate ways.
After finally reaching the Principal’s office, Sunset was already worried about what she was called in for.
“Sorry, for the wait Principa-”
But the second Sunset entered the office, she realized she wasn’t the only one present. Vice Principal Luna was there, but so was her father Brightfire, and Princess Twilight to her surprise.
“Dad? Princess Twilight? What are you both doing here?”
“They’re the reason you were called Sunset. We have some serious news to talk with you about,” shared Principal Celestia.
“If this is about the incident a few weeks ago with Micro Chip’s robot, that wasn’t my fault!”
“That’s not why we called you Sunset. It's about the portal to your home world,” explained Vice Principal Luna.
“The portal, what about it?”
“Your father Brightfire here has managed to figure out how magic has been leaking into our world. And… it's not good at all.”
Sunset didn’t understand why Principal Celestia thought it was a serious matter until her father showed her a picture he had in his hand.
After taking a good look at it, fear began flowing throughout her veins.
After all this time, wondering to herself where the source of the equestrian magic was entering their world, Sunset couldn't believe it was happening right under their noses!
“All this time, the magic has been leaking from the portal! How have we managed to miss that!?!?”
“We don’t know. No one kept a close eye on it after the Wondercolts statue was destroyed back at the friendship games,” said Vice Principal Luna.
“That is why we called in Princess Twilight to inform her about this serious matter. She’s already come up with a possible solution on how to fix it,” shared Principal Celestia.
“Really, how?”
“If my assumption is correct, the more magic slips through into the human world from that crack, then our worlds are in danger of possibly merging.”
“They’re trying to merge!?!?”
“I’m sorry Sunset, but it's true. This can’t go on any longer. It just can’t!”
“She’s right. I’m afraid dark times are coming if this gets worse. Times of desperation, of fear!”
“But, how are we supposed to fix this?”
“That is something only you can answer Ms. Shimmer.”
“Me? Why me!!?!”
“This is the path you choose. It’s your fate. You can’t escape it,” said Vice Principal Luna.
“But why now? I already have enough problems to deal with at this very moment! Twi- the human Twilight is trying to recover from the fact my magic was responsible for turning her into Midnight Sparkle, graduation is hours away from now, and I got a speech to do in front of every one of my time here at CHS, my friends are all going to college three months from now, and my counterpart is helping Cinch to get revenge on us!”
Sunset couldn’t control her breathing now. She had released all the thoughts she had flowing through her mind and started to tear up.
Both principals were curious as to what Sunset was talking about regarding Cinch but agreed to ask later. They had another situation to deal with in the present and they had no time left to waste.
Princess Twilight understood the stress Sunset was having lately but was disappointed she hadn’t informed her of this til now.
She came over to wipe away a tear off Sunset’s face, before hugging her friend.
“If you want to get your girlfriend’s trust, you have two options Sunset. Either make it up with her and hope she forgives you, or let go of all that guilt you’ve been carrying since the Fall Formal.”
“Sniff Do I have to?”
“You’ve been blaming yourself for too long now. Especially in regards to my counterpart.”
“But-”
Twilight placed her finger on Sunset’s lips as she locked eyes with her friend.
“It’s time to let go.”
While it was something she didn’t want to do, Sunset knew she had no other choice. Sunset could either make things right with her girlfriend or stop holding onto her past guilt to make things right!
“I don’t know how. I’m no leader Twilight. I’m a girl who outright abandoned her home world, and brought danger to another…”
Twilight knew this wasn’t getting her anywhere, so she gently took a hold of Sunset’s neck and moved it to face her.
“It’s not who you are deep down inside. You might have had a difficult past, but you’ve shown everyone with the power of empathy, they can have a better future. Guiding their way to a happy life. Just like it did for you.”
“Even if I could, how will it fix everything I’ve done?”
“You already have. Even with me at the battle of the bands. So, if we want our worlds to be safe, we must make this decision. For the sake of our worlds.”
That was when Brightfire came over and kissed his daughter’s forehead before sharing how this made him feel.
“We need you Sunset. Your friends need you. I need you. Your girlfriend needs you. That’s why I’m not giving up on you. I've been separated from the last member of my family long enough, and I'm not losing hope til things are right.”
“You're still here with us and our support. We have your back Sunset,” shared Princess Twilight.
Sunset knew they were right. She had forgotten how much she’s done since being shown the path of friendship. If she wanted to make up for her past mistakes, she'll need all the help she can get. And there was no better time than the present!
“Sigh Alright then.”
“Good. Now, I have a potential idea of how we can fix the portal’s crack. But, it’s risky.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Well…”
Following a bus ride to Cinch’s hideout, the Sirens arrived with the crystals in tow.
“Well, did you get what I asked for?”
Aria slid the bag across the dining room table over to where Cinch was sitting. Once the bag was in her hand, she opened it up to reveal seven crystals inside.
“Excellent! I knew I could count on you three!”
“I still don’t think they can be trusted,” replied Sunny, who surprisingly had been gone for several hours withou5 Cinch’s notice.
“Where have you been? I gave you explicit instructions to not leave this place without my permission. And where did you get those clothes?”
“What? We're about to go face my counterpart and her friends. You're saying I can’t do it in style?”
“You know what, I don’t even care for that matter. Because right now, these crystals are calling my name!”
“And unlike you Shimmer, we managed to do this without getting caught, getting all seven crystals in the process, while you were out shopping!” Shared Adagio.
The two began giving each other meaningful looks, betting one another they were better than the other person. But that was when Cinch realized something was wrong with two of the crystals.
“Wait a minute… You girls only have five of them!”
“What?!?!” Said Aria and Sonata.
“Tell me you're just doing this to make me look bad in front of her, Abacus?” Adagio asked concerned.
“No, because these two are fakes!” Cinch said, demonstrating by smashing them with her bare hand, revealing the remains of the fake crystals.
“You fools! How could you let this happen!?” Cinch said angrily.
It was then realization hit Adagio and Aria as they looked over toward the one responsible for swapping out the last two crystals, munching on a taco.
“What? Did I spill salsa on my taco dress?”
…
“Oh, you are so dead!”
Before Sonata knew it, Aria tackled her sister to the floor, giving her punches to the face, before Adagio stopped them from trying to kill each other.
“Why do I always have to do all the work…” Adagio groaned.
“This is all your fault, Sonata. Thanks to you, we only got five crystals!”
“Well excuse me, that bell just had to ring Aria. Causing me to get startled and leave the last two crystals behind! But no, nobody warned me we were running out of time. If I were told as soon as possible, then I would have likely not left them behind. Then, we wouldn’t be in this mess, to begin with!”
“Enough!”
The two sisters alongside Adagio and Sunny faced their leader after managing to stop their fight from getting worse.
“While I did ask you three to get me all seven crystals, these five will do nicely.”
“But how? They only work if you wear all seven of them at once! Just like that crazy camp owner did when the girls first got them!” Explained Adagio.
“Wait, that’s why she wanted the crystals?”
Aria facepalmed when hearing her sister saying it out loud.
“This is what happens when you get distracted by your tacos.”
“I can’t think on an empty stomach!”
“Unlike Gloriosa Daisy, I have the eighth crystal those girls have been searching for. With all their power combined, I will be the most powerful villain they have ever faced. And there will be nothing that can stop me!”
Cinch felt like this was the perfect time to let out an evil laugh right now, as the rest of her team joined in on the fun. Except for Sonata. Who for once, wasn’t excited about it.
“Lookout Rainbooms, your graduation will be a day you’ll never forget!”
The day was finally here. Graduation Day.
Sunset was alone in her apartment this morning. Starlight had spent the night at Rarity’s place. What for? She needed something to wear for the graduation. Rarity was kind enough to invite her over to make one and let her spend the night. She’d also had to get one for Princess Twilight, as she was gonna be attending the graduation as well.
Sunset wanted to be excited about today, but when waking up that morning to not see her girlfriend next to her, it was hard to stay positive.
After turning off her alarm clock, she got out of bed to get ready for the big day. She took a quick shower and cooked herself up some oatmeal before deciding on what to wear for graduation.
Rarity had wanted them to wear something formal that would comply with the graduation itself. So, Sunset decided to wear the outfit she wore during the welcome party for Crystal Prep at the Friendship Games.
While looking at it on the hanger, she felt a bit of guilt deciding to wear it. She last wore it when she encountered Twilight at that party when she was still a CPA Shadowbolt. While she did wear it at another party a few months prior, the things going right now with Twilight were making Sunset think back to when they weren’t on good terms. Nor were friends, or in a relationship.
But that didn’t matter at the moment.
She soon got dressed, grabbed a pair of black pantyhose to wear with her outfit, and put on the matching red heels she wore with it. She then put her crystal around her neck, before grabbing her purse and departed for CHS.
After locking her apartment up and starting her Camaro’s engine, Sunset let out a quick sigh. It was time to get this over with and didn’t want to be late for the big day.
“No turning back now…”
To be Continued…
