//------------------------------//
// Chapter 57: A Girl and Her Gecko 
// Story: Equestria Girls - The Tale of Two Sunsets 
// by HumanSunset63 
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Back in Equestria, Pony Sunset had just awoken to a new morning in her adoptive mother's home, now fully rested for another day, and completely unaware of what transpired within the Human World while she was asleep. As she got up, she immediately noticed several loose hairs from her mane on the pillow, likely a sign of stress caused to her mental health after visiting her father yesterday. As much as Celestia wanted to convince her that her past decisions had only unintentionally kept her away from Sunspot, Sunset still couldn't help but feel that she was still responsible for her father becoming the kind of pony he was now. Better yet, even if Sunspot wasn't as involved in her life after becoming Celestia's student and pupil, Sunset firmly believed that it was her decision in rebelliously entering the mirror that ruined everypony else's lives back in Equestria, despite her own life getting ironically better there, once she did start embracing friendship.

Going down the list, getting trapped in the human world resulted in Sunspot becoming emotionally broken for losing his daughter, drove Solstice over the edge to abandon the family once and for all, and even caused Princess Celestia to be on bad terms with her dad to this day, despite Sunset being well and accounted for now. It was too late, the damage had already been done, and everypony had to eventually move on after what had happened back then. Celestia's words last night had really stuck to Sunset, specifically when she explained why she was so willing to reconcile with both her and Luna, as she felt she was partially responsible for the incidents leading up to their respective fallouts. Much as her adoptive mother wanted her to not believe she was at fault here, Sunset still stood by her belief that her actions in disobeying her mentor definitely contributed toward Sunspot's life going downhill, even after he had a new son.

Sunset got up from her bed with these thoughts still clouding her mind, and began to make her way downstairs. Much like when she was at Applejack's home the morning before, she began smelling something delicious and heard Luna's voice in the kitchen, likely a sign that her adoptive mother's sister was making breakfast. While thinking of this, Sunset realized that in some ways, Luna was like an adoptive aunt to her. Though since this was technically the very first time she was getting to know her more directly, it did admittedly feel a little awkward to give her that nickname, especially since she hadn't really accepted being addressed as such. Regardless, Sunset made her way downstairs, before noticing the two former princesses greeting her as she came over to take a seat at the dining table.

"Had a good night's sleep, dear?" Luna asked Sunset, as she was flipping pancakes on the stove.

"I sure did, it might've felt like the best sleep I've gotten in a while... but my hair might be telling me otherwise." Sunset admitted, as she ruffled her mane a bit to demonstrate her hair was falling out. "I guess the situation regarding dad is... still taking quite the toll on me."

"I understand, Sunset." Celestia put one of her wings on Sunset's back to comfort her. "I'm not entirely sure how your exchange with him went yesterday, but the fact that he went as far as to claim he put you up for adoption because he never wanted you, that alone most certainly puts things into perspective."

"But after some thinking before I went to sleep last night, I've come up with an idea as to why dad's become the wreck of a stallion he is now." Sunset began explaining her thought process. "From what Sunburst shared with me, just like myself, when I decided to study at the School For Gifted Unicorns, we practically completely abandoned him to follow our dreams, and I just feel as though... having this happen twice made him reach a breaking point. Never getting to see Sunburst or I in his life again, divorcing both our moms... it had to also have taken a toll on his mental health. From what I can remember when I was still living with him as a yearling, I think I can understand what dad truly wanted. He simply wanted to start a family to create a new chapter in his life, and... all of that was just taken away from him. Not just with mom and I, but even with Sunburst and Stellar Flare. After that, he must've felt so alone and began resenting how much of a downward spiral his life had become."

"It's sweet to hear that you still care about Sunspot." Luna set the pancakes on plates before going to fetch the maple syrup. "But after hearing how he treated you, I'd imagine he's a lost cause at this point."

"I unfortunately have to agree with my sister." Celestia sighed. "Although I understand where you're coming from, Sunset, his behavior toward you was completely uncalled for. Losing his family is always something I can sympathize with, but being far from happy at seeing his own daughter return in one piece? On top of that, telling you that he never even wanted you as a daughter, despite you taking quite the effort to have a proper reunion with him, this kind of behavior absolutely sickens me."

"He did also demand bits from me just to talk with me, yelled at me nonstop, and even began threatening me if I didn't leave his home." Sunset recalled.

"Well that most certainly solidifies my point." Celestia frowned. "I'm so sorry to hear he put you through all that, especially since his concerns back then primarily focused on ensuring your safety. I would've believed that if you two had ever crossed paths again, he'd be overjoyed and ecstatic to finally reunite with his daughter. Clearly, I was wrong."

"It also goes without saying that if he hadn't cheated on your mother?" Luna added. "None of this would've happened to him."

"I wasn't given the full extent of what had happened, since names in the court documents had to be blurred out for privacy reasons." Celestia recalled. "But presumably, he was having an affair with Stellar Flare around the same time when you were born, Sunset."

"As a result, even if you did believe he was a caring father to you back then, I do believe that his behavior now exemplifies his true colors, especially if he cheated on Solstice all those years ago." Luna used her magic to levitate the breakfast plates in front of Celestia and Sunset, as Celestia began digging in. "He clearly disowned you as his daughter, meaning that if he is truly this adamant on being alone for the rest of his life, so be it."

"Not to mention, he barely even raised you as a daughter to begin with." Celestia reflected. "That day he insisted on having me raise you as a daughter, I was more than happy to, especially after hearing the circumstances of you not having a mother in your life anymore. But even when I agreed to, he almost never bothered visiting you like a caring father would, and instead decided that his promotion at work was more important. I understand you feeling hurt and betrayed by Sunspot acting the way he did yesterday, but I'm going to have to agree with Luna. We should simply let him internally know on his own now that his current behavior will never be tolerated, and it's going to make him alone for the rest of his life, for better or for worse."

"Mom..." Sunset put her hoof on Celestia's wing. "What about when you told me last night that since you felt that you were partially responsible with what happened with both Luna and myself, it was the reason you were immediately willing to reconcile with us? Unintentional or not, Sunburst and I contributed to our father feeling lonely, so I believe I'd have to take responsibility somewhere. Although it wasn't what you were trying to teach me during the memory stone incident, I've genuinely began showing empathy toward anypony else, even if they hurt me dearly. I truly feel that if I simply give up on dad altogether, I'll never get any closure regarding the full picture. Even if he still rejects me as his daughter when I do further digging, I'll be sad, sure, but at least I won't be spending the rest of my life wondering, what if?"

"Even after how awful Sunspot was to you, dear?" Luna swallowed her bite of pancakes. "You're still willing to go the extra mile to understand why, and take that chance to help him turn his life around for the better? Sister, it seems as if your teachings have truly been rubbing off on Sunset, notably after you reconciled with her when she was seeking for your guidance once more."

"Well... I'm happy to hear that your heart is just that big, Sunset." Celestia said. "It's true that I wanted to reconcile with you and Luna even after everything that happened between us all, but it felt different from this. I saw you two as my family, and believed that since you were both wanting another chance after genuinely atoning for your actions, it'd be wrong of me to deny you of that."

"Sunspot's my dad though." Sunset then began recalling the words she remembered fondly from the Human Applejack. "And a good friend taught me long ago that there's one thing to cherish about family. No matter how big your family is, there's always room for more."

"He may be your biological father." Luna began, agreeing with Sunset's reasoning. "But if he hasn't shown any remorse for not really being as involved in your life, nor shown the slightest respect for you as his daughter, then I don't see a reason myself to forgive somepony who clearly isn't sorry."

"And for that matter, you must also recall one other thing I mentioned last night." Celestia reminded Sunset. "Imperfection makes it so everypony will make mistakes, but it's crucial to recognize who you can genuinely forgive, compared to those who are a lost cause."

"I appreciate the advice and wishful thinking, I really do." Sunset said, as she began finishing one of her pancakes. "But my heart's definitely telling me that it's still wrong of me to permanently cut him out of my life for good, especially since I don't know the full picture regarding what happened to him. It's still not particularly clear whether or not he did have an affair with Solstice, we don't know for certain if there was something else keeping him busy to the point of almost never visiting me in Canterlot, and it's still unclear why he never wrote back to Sunburst, despite wanting to stay in touch with him. He might've been wrong himself with how he treated his own daughter, but two wrongs don't make a right. I still stand by my belief that there's still good in him, but I mostly just need to do some digging to understand the full extent of the situation."

"I must say, I'm really proud to hear that you're being so noble, Sunset." Celestia smiled. "Even if I don't necessarily agree myself, especially after what happened on the day he cut me out of his life permanently."

"Agreed for sure." Luna nodded her head. "He willingly took money from my sister and had her go through the trouble of revoking the old alimony law, but still chose to blacklist her. Then, years later, even when he finally sees his own daughter return, who was the very reason why he did all that back then, he just does the exact same to you. All I can say for certain at this point, Sunset? We won't hold you back if you truly feel like making things right with your father, but we definitely wish you the best of luck."

"For sure." Celestia nodded. "If you're still willing to help him turn his life around, I admire your dedication in going the extra mile. Especially given my experience with him, he can certainly be one hardheaded stallion. Whatever happens in the end, I hope you'll at least have a happier ending with him than I did."

"Thank you both." Sunset said, as she finally finished every pancake on her plate. "Not only for this scrumptious breakfast, but also for the words of wisdom and support in these tough times. If I'm entirely honest regarding this motive, however? You're both right when you mentioned that his current behavior's solidifying himself as being truly alone for the rest of his life. But... given how I went through that rough experience myself by going through the mirror, I know exactly how sad and painful being alone truly is. Ever since I've turned my life around for the better, I've also made it a personal mission in my life to make sure nopony else has to go through such misery, and I'm willing to do that now, especially for my dad."

"It seems as if my decision to reconcile with you has truly inspired you to maintain a heart of gold, Sunset." Celestia said, with a soft expression. "I guess that means my teachings ended up amounting to something valuable after all."

"Are you saying I WASN'T a good student when it came to studying magic?" Sunset asked in an offended tone.

"No no, I didn't mean that at all, I-" Celestia stuttered.

"Gotcha back." Sunset winked, before laughing it off, as Celestia did the same upon realization of her daughter's wit.

"It looks like my sister's teachings weren't the only things that rubbed off on you, Sunset." Luna giggled, before using her magic to put the breakfast dishes in the sink. "But regardless, we hope you'll at least get some form of closure with your father, at least as far as getting to know the full picture."

"Yeah, that's what I'm hoping too." Sunset crossed her hooves in having the smallest sliver of hope that Sunspot could come to terms with her, once she understood the full extent of her father's past. "And if I do reach that point in helping him turn a new leaf, I also want to ensure that he can also make peace with you, mom."

"Oh, that's not necessary at all." Celestia insisted, despite admiring her daughter's selfless intentions. "At this point, I'm just an old, retired princess who's more focused on living out the rest of her days here at Silver Shoals. What really matters is your relationship with your father, and I wouldn't want to jeopardize that for you, especially if you do somehow make amends with him."

"No, I feel like that's the only way I can truly accept him back into my life again, it would be like a final test." Sunset explained. "Even if he ends up reconciling with me, I would still no longer consider him my dad if he also refuses to do the same with you, mom. Why though? Because I firmly believe that at this point, for anypony here in Equestria to be my family, they would have to love and respect both me and my mother. If he fails to do so with you, mom, don't worry. At least at that point, I'll understand the full extent of his past and have that closure. But I'm absolutely sure I'll have no problem cutting him out of my life for good if he refuses to make amends with you, because I truly love you that much."

Celestia felt so touched upon hearing this, that she opened her hooves, which signaled Sunset to come to her adoptive mother to embrace her parental love. They both hugged it out upon having this nice moment together.

"You... truly are the best daughter a princess could ask for." Celestia said, as tears of joy slid down her eyes.

"Thanks mom." Sunset said, as she continued embracing her adoptive mom's hug. "I just wish I could've been that for you years ago as your pupil."

"I understand the feeling for sure." Celestia replied. "I'm so glad that you decided to drop by to visit me, even though Luna and I are no longer the princesses of Equestria. Thank you so much for taking the opportunity to spend time with me, especially given our past together."

"Anytime, I'm glad that we've been able to connect, especially since I've begun understanding how important you were as part of my life, mom." Sunset said, as she finally finished hugging it out. "I don't think I've mentioned this to you yet , but I have considered the possibility of taking an extended stay in Equestria, more for the sake of wanting to relearn the magic I've been out of practice with, thanks to becoming a human. This means we'll likely get to spend more time together from now on, which is great, since even after our last reunion back at Canterlot, I still felt like I didn't get enough time with you."

"I'm happy to hear that, since I definitely missed you dearly back then as well." Celestia smiled. "I'll be looking forward to whenever you decide to stop by again. But for the time being, what about your graduation back in the other world?"

"Oh yeah." Sunset recalled. "I'll be heading back to the human world to attend that once my week here in Equestria is up, since I've already finished finals, and this last week is more of a break for us seniors. After the graduation's finished, I'll most likely be sticking around Equestria for a while, and of course, I'll be arranging for ways to keep in touch with my human friends, especially since the portal's always going to be open, thanks to the old journal. Speaking of which, are you sure that there was never really anything that entailed a being from Equestria upsetting the balance between the two worlds by going through the mirror?"

"I'm still drawing a blank on that, since I remember that for one reason or another, I specifically wrote that down in my first journal, dating all the way back to when Luna and I first started ruling Equestria, after Starswirl the Bearded had made us artificial alicorns." Celestia recalled. "I don't know whether or not somepony knocked me unconscious or gave me amnesia, but the truth of the matter is, it seems unlikely that I would write something like that down if it wasn't true. However, given how both you and Twilight have been in that world and returned without any negative effects, it might be reasonable to surmise I was wrong all this time. Twilight's even mentioned that Starlight has safely gone through the mirror with you as well, so I'm willing to believe that a supposed inbalance effect never existed."

Hearing this, Sunset was then able to assume that the weird dream both she and Starlight had on their third night during their first visits to the human world was nothing more than a creepy coincidence. Unfortunately, completely unknown to her, this was far from the case, given everything that had transpired in both worlds during the hours she was sleeping peacefully here at her adoptive mother's home. Moving past this, Sunset felt like elaborating her plans for her remaining time here in Equestria before graduation.

"Well, I guess that's a relief then, especially since Starlight did share some rather unsettling detail that she and I both went through during our time there." Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. "Whatever, it's not really important anymore, especially since I'm planning to spend more time in Equestria now anyways. As for the rest of my week here, well... other than reconciling with a friend I had a major fallout with, I'm not entirely sure what else I'll be doing here during my time off from the human world. Perhaps practicing magic or exploring more of Equestria, but that's really just wishful thinking on my part."

"Oh?" Celestia said with curiosity. "Sorry to hear you had a fallout as well. I hope you'll be able to smooth things out with them when that time comes, and of course, the same goes for your father."

"Thanks, mom." Sunset smiled. "On the subject of magic, I'm also willing to relearn the skills I had forgotten during my time at your school, so when I'm ready, I was admittedly wondering if I could ask you for something?"

"At this point, I'm willing to give you anything, Sunset." Celestia said, proudly. "Even fulfilling your past wish in making you a princess. No, seriously, there actually is a spell that can give you wings, but it's only temporary."

"Well, that's something I certainly wasn't aware of, but as nice as that sounds, I think I'll pass, just like the princess dream being more of an afterthought." Sunset giggled. "No, what I was going to ask was, once I'm able to remaster my skills in magic to properly earn my degree, would you and Luna come back to Canterlot for a while to watch me officially graduate?"

"Is that even a question?" Celestia snickered. "Come on, Sunset, you should definitely know the answer to that. It would be an absolute honor, especially now that I know for sure a magical mirror won't come between us this time around."

"We may be retired now, but that doesn't mean we're not willing to go back to Canterlot." Luna added, as she just finished washing the breakfast dishes. "It'd be nice to take a trot down memory lane, especially since this means you'd be fulfilling a memory that was never achieved, if that makes any sense?"

"Yeah, if it wasn't for that mirror, mom could've at least seen me graduate at the top of my class while I was still her pupil." Sunset surmised. "But then again, that mirror was also the main reason I was able to correct for my stinky behavior and attitude. It was also a pretty life-changing experience for me, so... I'm still happy that things worked out for me. But of course, since it was the complete opposite for both you and Sunspot, mom? That's why I felt it's now my responsibility to make things right. The past is in the past, but now we have a chance in the present to create a positive and happy future."

"I couldn't have said things better myself, Sunset." Celestia agreed. "Will you be leaving Silver Shoals now, since you have a friendship problem to solve? I certainly wouldn't mind having you around a little longer."

"It might be for the better, since I can't really be late for this meeting, let's just say." Sunset said.

"Very well, I understand then." Celestia nodded her head. "But before you go, I would at least like to show you something special, if that's fine?"

Sunset looked at a nearby clock and saw that it was only about 8:30 AM, meaning she still had several solid hours before the meeting with the rest of the council to settle her and Rainbow's dispute would begin. And in the worst case scenario of her train being late, she now had the proper knowledge on how to teleport back to Canterlot, if necessary. As such, Sunset nodded in agreement to Celestia's request, before the former princess left the dining table to fetch something upstairs.

"I'm going to head off to the Silver Shoals gym for my daily routines." Luna said, as she grabbed her gym bag. "It was nice seeing you and catching up, Sunset. And remember, never give up on anything you believe in, whether it'd be reconciling with your father, or fighting off that treacherous faculty lot!"

"Will do, Luna!" Sunset said, as she waved goodbye to her metaphorical aunt.

A few minutes later, Celestia returned back downstairs with a cardboard box. Sunset was rather curious at what her adoptive mother wanted to show her, as she shifted her eyes toward the former princess. Just then, Celestia finally set the box on the floor, as Sunset looked down and noticed what looked like a yellow toy within. However, taking a closer examination, Sunset began realizing that this was no ordinary toy, as it looked rather familiar to her. More specifically, it looked like a toy from her childhood, one that she supposedly always cherished, but had forgotten about.

"Go on, take it, dear." Celestia insisted. "It was technically already yours, but I still held onto it all these years after you disappeared into the mirror."

Sunset picked up the toy and realized it looked like a cotton plush of a leopard gecko, just like her pet back in the human world, whom she named 'Ray'. She then began to remember why this particular toy was always her favorite back then, and why she seemingly grew a huge fondness toward leopard geckos later on in her life.

"I... I remember now!" Sunset said, as she snuggled her old plush. "This was based on that old puppet show I used to watch all the time in Canterlot as a filly! Señor G. Echo, the superhero leopard gecko!"

"That's right, I remember even watching a few episodes with you when they also brought that show to Canterlot's theaters." Celestia recalled. "But there's two main reasons why I wanted to show this to you. Last night, you reminded me of your love for this show, after you vaguely mentioned you had a pet leopard gecko in the other world. Secondly, like I mentioned earlier, I was still finishing unpacking Luna and I's belongings from Canterlot, and I was continuing to do so this morning. That's when I found this in one of my room's cardboard boxes, and it reminded me that it might cheer you up a bit, especially given what you had already shared regarding Sunspot."

"This certainly does bring back the memories, for sure!" Sunset continued to show affection to the plush, as she began to almost grow attached to the old toy again. "I remember what that show was like. Señor G. Echo was a kindhearted leopard gecko who always fought crime, put others before himself, and made certain that justice would be served. I'll also never forget his famous catchphrase, 'Evil will always be spotted, amigo!', I used to say that all the time whenever I believed I was doing something heroic, even though it was mostly an act."

"Doing something heroic, you say?" Celestia reiterated. "Sounds like a certain somepony I know, given what Twilight's reported to me of certain events that have occurred in the other world."

"Hehe, yes." Sunset blushed. "It would've been hard to imagine back then, but being the leader of my human friends has actually made me a superhero myself, especially during the times where they needed my help to defeat certain evils that they couldn't handle on their own. Heck, when we powered up, we even got unique-looking, superhero-like outfits to go with it. I'm sure Señor G. Echo would be proud of me now, especially when it entailed literally saving both worlds from certain destruction."

"You mean like the time the Twilight Sparkle native to that world almost ripped through the fabric of time between both worlds just to understand magic, based on what our world's Twilight had reported to me?"

"Precisely." Sunset said. "Though it's admittedly ironic to believe that I idolized this little leopard gecko guy for so long, yet I never really bothered to embrace the values and morals he presented to the audience. As for my pet leopard gecko, I named him Ray, or more specifically, my little Ray of Sunshine, just like what dad used to call me. He's such a sweet little angel who's helped me through the toughest of times, and so adorable too. I remember when the Human Fluttershy encouraged me to get a pet like the rest of our friends, and I gazed in absolute awe at Ray. At the time, I admittedly didn't quite understand why I felt so connected to a leopard gecko out of all the other pets, but I guess I have my answer now."

"It appears that no matter how much you change, there's always a fragment from your past that remains consistent, one way or another." Celestia giggled. "Much like how Luna occasionally brought up how I accidentally ate the cake in the fridge that was meant for her birthday. I just didn't think much of it, since I've always had this sweet tooth, even before I became a princess. Luckily, it seems as if Luna's forgotten about it, as she hasn't really brought it up lately."

"You wanna bet?" Luna said, as she came back into the house, having Celestia realize that her little sister had overheard that last statement. "I just came back to pick up my gym membership card, but thanks for reminding me that you still owe me a replacement cake for my next birthday. You're over 1,000 years late, but I'll happily remind you of that until you decide to actually replace it."

"What do you mean, Luna?" Celestia said, rather confused. "I bought you a cake last year, didn't I?"

"Well, it was okay, but it still wasn't the Black Forest Caramel Marshmallow Supreme cake that I never got one bite of thanks to you." Luna reminded. "I'll happily continue to remind you until you remember to actually replace that exact cake, sister. In the meantime, I'm off to burn a few calories."

Luna then left the house with her bag and membership card, as Celestia rolled her eyes.

"Unfortunately for Luna, she just remains in denial that nopony makes that cake anymore, especially after the recipe was lost, sometime after I banished her to the moon." Celestia reflected. "Even 1,000 years later, some things really do never change, do you see what I mean now, Sunset?"

"For sure, mom." Sunset said. "I hope that this cake hasn't torn you and Luna apart over the years?"

"Maybe back then, but not really as much after I reconciled with her." Celestia clarified. "The cake incident was primarily just something she wanted to remind me of from time to time, whenever I insisted that I should get the first helping of dessert, but it hasn't really hurt our relationship. To this day, I do wonder where I could even find that exact cake recipe, since my personal recreations of it weren't enough to satisfy Luna. This aside, going back to the leopard gecko toy, I mostly wanted to return it to you, since I knew you definitely loved it as a filly. And since you decided to drop by, I thought it was at least a perfect opportunity I couldn't waste, especially after I found it again."

"I'm thankful that you decided to give this back, and allowed me to understand where my connection with leopard geckos had originated from." Sunset said, continuing to hold her plush. "Speaking of which, the cake story revolving around you and Luna certainly intrigued me, it's nice to hear so many different stories from the past that give some solid answers to the present. I got a little more time before I need to catch my train, do you think you could share the story of how I got this lovable plush of Señor G. Echo?"

"Oh yes." Celestia obliged to Sunset's request. "I remember that story quite fondly."

Celestia began sharing a flashback of when Sunset was now a few years older than she was as a baby, around the same age where Sunspot would've originally felt more comfortable in letting his daughter go. Princess Celestia was taking her to an arcade with a foal's play area in Canterlot, since it was Sunset's birthday. This was long before the young unicorn felt egotistical and self-centered, as her adoptive mother had not made Sunset her pupil yet. As such, she appeared to get along with the other colts and fillies rather well, but her primary focus was playing games to earn enough tickets to cash in at the prize counter.

Sunset continued to persist through all of these games, as nearby fillies commented how much they admired her skills. All the while, Princess Celestia was sitting back, watching her adoptive daughter impress the whole crowd whilst keeping her birthday pizza warm. The princess didn't think much of it at the time, but it was entirely possible that letting Sunset enjoy the spotlight might've contributed to her behavior later on in life. Regardless, she only wanted to see her adoptive daughter happy and confident, especially if she were to one day consider making Sunset her official pupil in magic.

Eventually, after a day's of hard work in winning practically every game the arcade had to offer, Sunset then brought a huge wad of tickets over to the prize counter, ready to claim whatever treasures she could possibly get her hooves on. Unfortunately, while the young unicorn was believing she had reached the climax of her birthday as far as being rewarded for her efforts and gaming skills, she was about to be in for a real surprise, thanks to the pair of young stallions running the prize booth.

"Well, hello there, little filly." Flim said, whilst winking to his brother.

"That's an awfully huge wad of tickets you've accumulated over a day's worth of minigames." Flam added. "Now, I suppose you'll want a good reward?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Sunset nodded her head in excitement, as she handed the stallions her tickets.

"Well, you may have enough tickets to obtain some of the fancier prizes, like this water gun or skateboard, but what if I told you that there's even more luxurious prizes than even those?"

"There... there are?" Sunset asked with curiosity.

"Right you are!" Flam said to his brother, before moving out of the way to show Sunset other items on the wall that looked absolutely stunning.

Sunset saw what looked like a guitar with a flame pattern on it, a real diamond-studded collar, and a leather jacket. All of which looked amazing to her, and fittingly enough, were items that she'd one day end up owning for herself in the human world, once she began exploring her tastes and fashion senses. Unfortunately, these items appeared to only be as good as those that were purely for display, after Sunset had read the prices on those prizes. They costed 10 million tickets each to obtain, and Sunset's day of work had only gotten her around 2,000.

"They look so cool, but... I don't have enough tickets." Sunset said, innocently. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, not to fret, these prizes are extra special, but more meant to show off what the prize booth has in store for anypony truly dedicated enough to earn that many tickets." Flim explained. "However, after realizing that it may not be fair to tease everypony with such wonderful prizes, my brother and I have come up with a good compromise."

"That's right." Flam continued. "Now, how's about this as a proposition, young filly? For the price of all these tickets you have now, you have one chance to make a shot with this basketball into this small hole here behind us. If you can get it in, any one of those fabulous, super-prizes is yours. But if you miss, your tickets are all ours, and there are no refunds. What do you say?"

Although still rather young, Sunset understood the risk and reward factor of what she was just proposed. It sounded absolutely tempting, a chance at winning a prize that no other foal would realistically be able to get on their own, especially due to tickets having expiration dates. Thinking that the minigame she was asked to participate in felt no different to the skeeball games she had obtained plenty of tickets from, Sunset accepted the proposition, shaking hooves with one of the stallions.

Flam handed Sunset a mini-basketball, as the filly began to concentrate. All her tickets were on the line here, so she kept thinking to herself that she was not allowed to lose. After having enough confidence in her throw, she finally did so at an angle in which it looked like the ball would make its way in without any issue. Unfortunately, Sunset was in for quite the surprise when she saw that the ball was somehow repelled away from the hole, in a way that just seemed impossible. As the ball fell onto the arcade's floor, Sunset felt completely exasperated at what had just happened.

"Awwww, too bad." Flim teased, as he took Sunset's tickets away and locked them in a drawer. "Better luck next time, but remember, you agreed to our little game, so I'm afraid there's no refunds or second chances."

Sunset felt absolutely cheated at this point, since it appeared that the game was somehow rigged. There was just no way the ball should've been repelled away from the hole if she had truly missed, and now those stallions had taken all her tickets too. The tickets she was originally planning to use to obtain some of the more medium-cool prizes, but now she had nothing. The young unicorn felt heartbreak so severe, she began crying rather loudly, that it got the attention of everypony else in the arcade.

Princess Celestia was the first one to take notice of this, and immediately went over to the prize booth, to see her adoptive daughter truly heartbroken. She had never heard her cry like this before, making the princess realize something really bad must've happened. Celestia turned to Flim and Flam, demanding an explanation.

"What in Equestria happened here?" The princess asked, rather sternly.

"Hey, princess." Flim attempted to defend himself and his brother. "It's not our fault this filly here is a sore loser."

"Yeah." Flam agreed. "She agreed to hand over all her tickets if we gave her a shot at this bonus minigame behind us, that would've allowed her to get any of the three exclusive prizes on top. And hey, we do have a sign here that states are policies upfront, 'First Come, First Serve', and 'No Refunds', respectively."

"...That filly there is my daughter." Celestia huffed. "And what is the meaning of this? What kind of operation are you running here to allow something like that? This sounds like nothing more than a shady scam you two are pulling right now."

This was 100% the case, as Flim and Flam's original plan was to scam any unsuspecting foal who had accumulated a large number of tickets. They had rigged the skeeball game and basketball with magnets, ensuring that no foal would ever have a chance at getting the ball into the hole. After scamming the foals out of their tickets, they would then attempt to sell the extra tickets to other unsuspecting foals outside of work, earning them extra money even when they weren't assigned bonus hours.

"Hey, she agreed to our little proposal because she wanted the prizes really badly." Flim insisted.

"He... he's right, mommy." Sunset teared up. "I made a really dumb decision, let's just go home now."

"Hold it, Sunset!" Celestia stopped her adoptive daughter from trotting outside the arcade, before turning back to Flim and Flam. "So, am I to understand that you have permission from your boss to instill this kind of operation into the business?"

"Of course we do, we wouldn't want to be dishonest to innocent children, after all!" Flam claimed.

"Really?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "In that case, may I please speak with your boss to confirm this?"

"Errr... maybe not today, since our boss is unfortunately out with the flu." Flam fabricated. "He... doesn't really like talking to ponies outside his office anyways."

"Oh, okay." Celestia replied in a sarcastic manner. "That's perfectly fine then. But before we decide to leave, are you sure that this game is not rigged in any way?"

"Of course it isn't!" Flim quickly blurted out. "What kind of disreputable business ponies would we be if we did that?"

"Fascinating." Celestia said, before using her magic to levitate the same basketball Sunset had dropped on the floor earlier, and put it in Flim's hoof. "Then prove it to me. If you can make this shot right now, then I'll directly head on home with my daughter, no questions asked."

Everypony else in the arcade gasped upon hearing the princess challenge the stallions managing the prize booth. They all began to watch closely, as Flim gulped and nodded his head in agreement to the princess's proposal. He got up from behind the counter and went to the other side, with the ball in his shaking, nervous hoof. In fact, his shaking got so bad, that instead of getting a chance to throw it, he just dropped the ball directly on the ground, as everypony around saw this, and began booing the two stallions, after it appeared to be proven that they were running nothing more than a scam.

The adult ponies began leaving the arcade with their foals, and even the foals themselves were disgusted to the point of not wanting to stay longer in this arcade, after realizing how the prize booth was managed. Flam put a hoof on his face at his brother blowing it big time, as Flim quickly went behind the counter, feeling both he and Flam were now at the mercy of the princess before them.

"Well, that was certainly interesting." Celestia said, rather amused. "I guess you couldn't do it, could you?"

"Listen, please don't tell our boss about this, we really need this job!" Flim begged.

"What do you want from us, bits, candy, toys, just name it!" Flam proposed.

"I suppose I could be a little more lenient, as long as you apologize to my daughter and give her something that she rightfully deserves for her tickets." Celestia said with a serious tone.

"We're so sorry, little filly!" Flam quickly said, albeit insincerely. "Please forgive us!"

"A-And as for giving her something she truly deserves, we can't afford to give her any of those luxury prizes we proposed, but... how about this!?" Flim added, nervously, before taking out a pile of plush toys from behind the counter, and setting them in front of Sunset. "You can take one... or two...? Better yet, how about you take them all?"

Sunset looked at the pile of plushes in front of her, but for the most part, they didn't really seem as interesting as the leather jacket or diamond collar. However, after rummaging through the pile, she found one toy that truly resonated with her. Sunset quickly grabbed this plush that looked like a leopard gecko, which made Flim and Flam's eyes widen with shock at their big mistake.



"Oh, this one! This one! This one!" Sunset said, over and over, as she began hugging the plush. "It's Señor G. Echo, my favorite superhero! I've never seen any toys of him in any store before, so I'll take this one! I love him, I love him so much!"

"That's because... it's the limited edition Señor G. Echo plush we managed to snag at an auction!" Flam said with horror. "D-Did we say you can have the whole pile of plushes, I-I meant that you can have them all, except for that one!"

"No!" Sunset insisted. "Those all look cheap and boring! I want this one, and this one only. You can keep the others."

"Well, my daughter's spoken, and like you've said yourselves." Celestia began reiterating the shady business ponies' mentality. "No refunds, first come, first serve."

"Please, it's said that there's only 10 of those in existence, and they're absolutely valuable no matter where you go!" Flim begged. "They're so valuable ever since the merchandise company for Señor G. Echo went out of business, and they became priceless collectible items! We actually had to pay 100,000 bits for that plush at an auction! Honestly, Flam? How did you manage to mix up that plush with the rubbish knockoff toys we give away here!?"

"You two con artists probably should've thought about that before you decided to scam my daughter." Celestia frowned. "Let this be a lesson to you, especially since that guitar, bracelet, and leather jacket are so much more valuable to you."

"They really aren't, compared to that plush!" Flam insisted. "Tell you what, we'll give you all three of the top prizes right now, if you give up that Señor G. Echo plush."

"N-No!" Sunset refused. "I-I don't w-wanna!"

"All right, then in other words, you'll get nothing, and like it!" Flam snarled, before snatching the Señor G. Echo plush back from Sunset, and getting ready to make a run for it.

Sunset began crying even more severe tears of heartbreak at this action, which only enraged Celestia further. As the princess realized that these con ponies were attempting to escape, she quickly used her own magic to seal off all the doors and windows in the arcade, trapping them in. Flim and Flam continued to try finding places to hide, but it was no use, as Celestia managed to eventually trap and corner them, ready to blast magic at them for their heinous crimes.

"Nopony makes my daughter cry, you hear me!?" Celestia shouted to the two stallions, now scared for their lives. "Hand over that leopard gecko plush, or else!"

"I-If you come any closer, I'll just rip this plush up with my horn!" Flim threatened.

"Flim, no!" Flam snatched the plush back from his brother, outraged at what he was about to do. "I'll never forgive you if you do that, especially after how much we paid for it! Look, we'll just try and find another one of these from an unsuspecting seller one day, and go from there! I'm not willing to let this plush cost us our lives now!"

Out of pure fear that they were about to be obliterated by the princess, Flam nervously handed the toy to Celestia, who then stopped charging up her magic and went back over to Sunset.

"Thank you." Celestia said sternly to the brothers, before handing the plush back to Sunset, who was now overjoyed.

Flam went back into the corner to accompany Flim, now disgusted at his brother's actions.

"This is all your fault, you're the one who insisted we get into the arcade business!" Flim scoffed. "If we had gone with my idea to invest toward a deluxe apple cider machine, we'd be making so much more money!"

"Relax, Flim." Flam frowned. "At least we're alive now, and don't have to worry about losing our jobs anymore."

"Ohhhhhh no." Celestia said, as she was about to exit the arcade with Sunset. "Don't think that I won't be having a word with your boss about all this. Better yet, you both are also banned from Canterlot from now on, so I don't believe you'll be scamming anypony around here anytime soon."

"What!?" Flim shouted with outrage. "B-But, I thought you said you'd be lenient with us if we gave up that Señor G. Echo plush!"

"What's wrong?" Celestia asked, rhetorically. "Not throwing you in jail or better yet, banishing you to the moon sound better? Would you really like to bargain again for your punishment?"

Flim and Flam's eyes widened, before adamantly shaking their heads 'no' out of pure desperation.

"That's what I thought." Celestia said, rather satisfied, before turning back to Sunset with a soft expression. "And... happy birthday, Sunset."

"Thank you so much, mommy!" Sunset hugged her adoptive mother tightly before showing her enthusiasm to her new Señor G. Echo plush. "I love you so much, mommy, and I also love you, Señor G. Echo. I hope that I can one day grow up to be just like you, a superhero who always puts others first!"

"Well, as long as you follow Señor G. Echo's examples, I'm sure you can be like him in no time!" Celestia encouraged her adoptive daughter.

"Actually, I was talking about you, mommy." Sunset said. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know what I would've done with those mean stallions."

"Oh, alright then." Celestia giggled at her daughter's wit. "What kind of a mother would I be, had I not? Alright, Sunset. Let's head back on home."

"Yeah!" Sunset exclaimed with enthusiasm whilst snuggling her Señor G. Echo plush. "This was the best birthday ever!"