//------------------------------//
// Arc 25-3: No One Should Be Left Behind 
// Story: My Little Pony: One as a Family.  "Trials of Friendship" 
// by SaburoDaimando 
//------------------------------//


No One Should Be Left Behind



The sun was setting in the west, deep within the Carmaneah Walbridle Park.  Sunset Shimmer hid behind a nearby tree deep within the forest, crying her eyes out.  
“I almost ate my sister,” Sunset cried.   “I almost did.  I don’t deserve to be anyone’s sister, or even daughter, right now.  I just want to run away and never see a single soul again.  I don’t deserve anyone.”
“Sunset?  Sunset are you okay?” Sunset Shimmer turned her head to the left to see Twilight Velvet run up to her.  But the only thing Sunset could do is run behind the tree in fear.
“Go away,” Sunset cried.  “I’ll only hurt you.”
“Sunset,” Twilight Velvet said.  “Your friends and family are worried for you.  Especially your mother Princess Celestia.”
“I don’t care,” Sunset cried.  “I almost hurt you all and I almost ate my sister.  I just want to be alone for the rest of my life.”
Twilight Velvet walked around the tree towards Sunset Shimmer, who only backed away the moment she laid eyes on her.
“Sunset, don’t be so frightened,” Twilight Velvet said.  “We know you’ve been suffering from your own curse.  Princess Celestia told us so.  In fact, everyone’s worried about your well-being.”
“Well they should be more worried about my demon form,” Sunset yelled.  “And they should be more worried that I’m a threat to them as long as I live.  Why don’t you see the truth and leave me alone?”
Immediately, Sunset Shimmer got on her four hooves and ran off from Twilight Velvet, only to be held back by the mare’s magic.
“Young lady,” Twilight Velvet said.  “It’s going to be alright.  I’m not going to leave you.”
“LET ME GO!” Sunset yelled.  “JUST LET ME RUN AWAY!”
But Twilight Velvet had none of it.  She pulled Sunset Shimmer over to her and held onto the little filly.  Sunset struggled to break free, even going as far as to light up her own horn.  But Twilight Velvet held onto her.
“PLEASE LET ME GO!” Sunset screamed.  “I WANNA RUN AWAY!  I DON’T WANT TO HURT ANYONE ELSE!”
“And you won’t,” Twilight Velvet said.  “In fact, a lot of ponies would miss you if you ran away.  Your sisters, your aunt, and especially your mother included.”
“BUT I’LL HURT THEM,” Sunset cried.  “I’LL EVEN END UP KILLING THEM!”
“No you won’t,” Twilight Velvet said.  “You still have Princess Celestia to help you out.  She’ll figure out a way to help you and your demon form.”
“And she’s right.”  Flash Sentry flew down from the sky and landed next to Twilight Velvet.
“Flash, what are you doing here?” Sunset said, horrified by Flash Sentry’s presence.
“It was Twilight Sparkle’s idea,” Flash said.  “She wanted to make sure that you’re okay.  Everyone does.”
“Everyone?” Sunset asked.  “Even after what just happened?”
“Yeah,” Flash Sentry said.  “Even though I’ve already met you and after the fact that you became a giant she-demon, I was more concerned for your well-being.  After all, Twilight Sparkle told me about you and the fact that you sometimes transform into a demon.”
“But what if I lose control again?” Sunset asked.  “What if I become a she-demon once more and result in the deaths of so many that I care for?”
“And that’s where we’ll keep fighting to keep that in place.”  Sunset turned towards the forests, where Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, Night Light and the rest of the younglings.  The ones that walked closer to Sunset were Wanda Young, Abigail Albright, Twilight Sparkle, Spike the Dragon, Starlight Glimmer and Misty Brightdawn.
“Guys?” Sunset said.  “Are you really sure about this?”
“We are,” Twilight Sparkle said.  “Even if it does put us in danger, we don’t want you to be alone.”
Wanda walked up to Sunset Shimmer and said “I know you tried to eat me.   But I would be far sadder if you left us.  You’re more important a sister to me than you realize.”
“But Wanda,” Sunset said.  “I almost ate you.  Aren’t you afraid of me, right now?”
“I was,” Wanda said.  “Until mommy was able to transform you back.  Now I’m just worried for you.”
“Wanda’s right,” Celestia said, walking up to her adopted daughter.  “You would be greatly missed if you decided to run away.”
“But what can I do about it?” Sunset said.  “What if you can’t hold my demon form back?  What if I am cursed to forever be a demon?”
Princess Celestia pulled out a jewel box from her mane and opened it up.  Inside was a brightly glowing ring that was large enough for a unicorn horn.
“What is that?” Sunset asked.
“A special ring made of a metal called Equinox,” Princess Celestia explained.  “A fusion of two ores from Evevanya called Mithril and Obsidian.  I had this specially made in order to contain your demon form due to the magic that powers it.”
“If that’s the case, then why didn’t you give it to me earlier?” Sunset asked.
“Because if this ring is attached to your horn, then you will be unable to use magic,” Princess Celestia explained.  “I didn’t want to take away your precious gift, Sunset Shimmer.  It’s your choice whether you want to use this ring, or not.”
Sunset Shimmer looked down at the ring for a moment before looking up at Celestia.
“I’ll take it,” Sunset said.  “If it stops me from becoming a monster even at the price of my magic, I’ll take it.”
“Are you sure about that?” Celestia asked.
“One hundred percent positive,” Sunset agreed.
“Very well,” Celestia said.
With that, Princess Celestia picked up the Equinox Ring before sliding it tightly onto Sunset Shimmer’s horn.  Sunset looked at the ring atop her horn and smiled a bit.
“Now,” Princess Celestia said. “Try to use your magic.”
Sunset Shimmer nodded before she attempted to create a spark on her horn.  But nothing came out of it.
“It’s contained,” Sunset said as she breathed a sigh of relief.  “And I’m going to keep it that way until I can get this demon form extracted from my body.”
“It may not be easy, Sunset Shimmer,” Princess Celestia said.  “But we’re going to support you, one hundred percent.”
As Sunset smiled up at her mother, Starlight immediately grabbed onto her.  Twilight Velvet released her hold from Sunset as Starlight gave her a big hug.
“I’m sorry you had to lose your magic,” Starlight said with a frown on her face.
“It’s okay,” Sunset said.  “As long as I have this on my horn, I’ll be okay.”
“Sunset,” Misty said.  “As long as you have friends by your side, we’ll always be there for you.”
“Thanks, Misty,” Sunset said.  “I’ll remember that.”
“One thing that matters is that you’re still with us,” Golden Lace said, walking up to Sunset Shimmer.  “And even though I have a curse that’s different from you, it’s as if we were truly sisters on the inside.”
“A sister,” Sunset laughed.  “I like the sound of that, Lace.”
With that, Golden Lace and Sunset Shimmer gave each other a hoof bump in respect.

Later on, everyone was at the Ground Bridge portal arch located outside of Vanhoover.  Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, Sunset Shimmer, Shining Armor, Abigail Albright, Spike the Dragon, Wanda Young, Golden Lace, Starlight Glimmer and Misty Brightdawn stood next to the activated arch while Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Velvet, Night Light, Flash Sentry, Timber Spruce, Gloriosa Daisy, Vignette Valencia and Wallflower Blush were on the opposite side.  The portal was already active, ready for Celestia’s group to step through.
“Well,” Sunset said.  “Guess this is good-bye, Twilight Sparkle.
“It is,” Twilight Sparkle replied.  “But it won’t be forever.  I’ll at least see you tomorrow when we come down for school.”
“That’s true,” Sunset said as she and Twilight Sparkle tapped hooves in friendship.
“But don’t expect this to be the last time we’ll be here,” Wanda said.  “We might consider coming back to Vanhoover in the future.”
“Yaaay,” Abigail cheered.
But as Sunset nodded to Twilight Sparkle, Wallflower Blush walked over to Sunset Shimmer and gave her a big hug.
“Wallflower?” Sunset Shimmer said, confused.
“Sunset,” Wallflower said.  “I know we won’t see each other again, and I know you’re still concerned for your well being.  But I want to say…thanks.  Thanks for being my friend.”
“Anytime, Wallflower,” Sunset Shimmer said.
“We’re going to miss you, Sunset Shimmer,” Vignette Valencia said. “But you’re always welcome to come down to Vanhoover anytime you want.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sunset said.
“The same also applies to you, Golden Lace,” Gloriosa Daisy said.  “Even though we had a fallout in the past, we still consider you a friend, and we will miss you.”
“I’ll miss you as well,” Golden Lace said as she gave Gloriosa Daisy a hug.
“But you can always come down if you want,” Starlight Gimmer said.  “In fact, Pinkie Pie’s gonna open the Sugar Cube Corner soon.”
“We might consider it,” Timber Spruce said.  “I heard that the Sugar Cube Corner in La Maresa is famous for its cakes and cookies.”
“From what Pinkie Pie told me, it also has its own dedicated Gluten-Free kitchen for those with Celiac Disease,” Starlight said.
“That’s great,” Timber Spruce said.  “I know a pony who happens to have that.  I’ll let him know.”
But as the group around Twilight Sparkle took a few steps back, Spike ran up to Twilight Sparkle and gave her a big hug, crying right into her chest.
“Oh Spike,” Twilight Sparkle said.  “I’m going to miss you and Shining Armor.  But I know you’ll be able to hold down the fort at Canterlot.  And I’ll come to visit.”
“Twilight,” Spike cried.  “I’ll….miss you.”
With that, Twilight Sparkle held onto Spike for the moment as Shining Armor walked up to her.
“I’ll come to visit, every once in a while, Twili,” Shining Armor said.  “Promise.”
“The feeling’s mutual, big brother,” Twilight Sparkle said.  “The feeling’s mutual.”
As Twilight Sparkle released her hold on Spike the dragon, the bambino jumped on Shining Armor’s Back, who walked back to Princess Celestia’s group.
“Are you ready?” Princess Celestia asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Shining Armor said.
With that, Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor with Spike the Dragon, Starlight Glimmer, Misty Brightdawn and Golden Lace stepped through the portal and disappeared.  Wanda was about to step through with Abigail by her side when she noticed Sunset turning towards Flash Sentry.
“By the way, Mordecai,” Sunset said.  “Make sure you keep Twilight safe.”
“It’s a promise,” Flash Sentry said.
With that, Wanda cracked a smile on her face as she and Abigail stepped through the portal, with Sunset Shimmer following from behind.  Once the two disappeared, the portal shrunk down and expired.
“I’m going to miss having Shining Armor by our side,” Night Light said.  “Along with Spike the Dragon.”
“I sure hope they come back to visit,” Twilight Velvet said.  “Especially Sunset Shimmer.  It doesn’t matter if she has that demon form or not.  She’s always welcomed to our neck of the woods.”
As everyone began to walk away from the portal arch, they noticed shadows forming underneath, as if it were in the shape of pegasi.  They looked up and saw the Wonderbolts fly down to the group, led by Captain Airazor.  Right next to her were Spitfire and Rainbow Dash, all decked out in their junior outfits.
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight Sparkle said.  “What are you doing here?”
“It wasn’t really my idea,” Rainbow Dash said.  “Captain Airazor has something to say.”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Airazor explained.  “Princess Celestia knew that the ponies of Vanhoover would use some security with Gold Banks still at large.  So she called upon us to fly up to Vanhoover just to provide protection.”
“Well that and Airazor wanted to relocate up to Vanhoover for the Wonderbolt squad,” Spitfire said.
“Great,” Twilight Sparkle said.  “But that also means you’re going to miss the ponies in La Maresa.”
“That’s true,” Rainbow Dash said.  “But I promised them I would pay a visit, every once in a while.  It’s gonna be hard.  But I can manage it.”
“Well with me by your side, I think you will,” Twilight Sparkle said.
As Rainbow Dash gave Twilight Sparkle a hug, Spitfire walked up to Flash Sentry.
“You look like a daring pegasus,” Spitfire said.  “Wanna try out for the Junior Wonderbolt program?”
“I appreciate the offer,” Flash Sentry said.  “But I wanna stick with being Royal Guard material.”
“That’s cool,” Spitfire said.  “That’s cool.”
“So now we have Wonderbolts who are going to look after us,” Timber Spruce said.  “Guess this town isn’t so small after all.”
“That’s true, big brother,” Gloriosa Daisy said.  “But at least we have those who will be by our side in case something goes wrong.  And one day, we’ll see our parents once more.”
“I hope so,” Timber Spruce said.  “I still miss them, even to this day.”

Later that night at the castle, Wanda Young and Sunset Shimmer laid down in their bed once more while Abigail slept on her little bed nearby.
“Hey sister,” Sunset asked.  “Are you still worried about my demon side?”
“I’m more worried about you, Sunset,” Wanda replied.  “After all, you are my sister.”
Sunset looked up at the ring on her horn and said “I sure hope the ring that mother placed on my horn will keep my demon form from breaking loose.”
“I hope so too,” Wanda replied.  “But then again, I trust mommy’s words with all my heart.”
“I wish I had your kind of optimism, sister,” Sunset laughed.
“But you do,” Wanda said.  “Even after all you’ve been through, you still have our optimism.”
As Sunset laid back in her bed, she looked up at the ceiling for a moment, only to lick her lips.
“By the way,” Sunset said.  “Pinkie Pie’s gonna open the Sugar Cube Corner’s sister store in Canterlot tomorrow.  Are you looking forward to that?”
“Am I ever?” Wanda replied.  “I can’t wait to try out one of the treats there.”
“The way she builds that place is a miracle unto itself,” Sunset said.  “Even after our time in Daisy Joy Tech, she still knows where to finish what she started.”
“Well she did say she’s the reincarnation of Discord,” Wanda stated.  “So there’s a lot of truth in that.”
With that, Wanda and Sunset burst out into laughter, waking up Abigail.
“Wanda,” Abby cried.  “Noisy.”
“Oops,” Wanda said, petting Abigail on the head.  “Sorry about that.  I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“Anyway,” Sunset Shimmer said.  “We better get some sleep.  Then maybe after our time at the Sugar Cube Corner, we should go for a swim at our pool.”
“That’s a great idea,” Wanda said, reaching her arm up as Abigail fell asleep.  “As a matter of fact, I have my swimsuit laying on the chair.  After all, tomorrow’s going to be a bit of a hot day and we don’t have school tomorrow.”
“You sure have a thing for water, Wanda,” Sunset said.  “I think it’s because of the influence the Hippogriffs and Aunt Novo have around you.”
“Maybe so,” Wanda said.  “But then again, I’m more of a water girl, even with my ability to fly.”
As Wanda and Sunset laid back in their bed, the scene shifted to outside, where Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Eleanor Young watched on from the clouds.
“I heard about what happened at Vanhoover,” Eleanor said.
“Sunset’s demon curse is getting worse lately,” Princess Celestia said.  “I had to show her the ring that you made.  But it was her choice if she were to use it or not.”
“I feel bad for Sunset Shimmer,” Eleanor said.  “She’s burdened by a very demon that’s lived in her since she was born.”
“And yet, none of us know how to tame that beast,” Luna said.
“I think one day, she will have to make peace with the very demon within her,” Eleanor Young said.
“Make peace?” Luna asked.
“I sense a troubled soul within Sunset’s demon counterpart,” Eleanor Young explained.  “As if it’s crying out in grief with a desire for revenge.”
“So you’re saying that Sunset Shimmer’s demon form is her previous incarnation that somehow lost everything?” Princess Celestia asked.
“That’s what I believe,” Eleanor said.  “The only way for Sunset Shimmer to finally take control of her demon form is to find peace with it.  And to do that, I know of a technique that will allow her to explore the galaxy within her cosmic core.”
“Is there any risk to this?” Princess Celestia asked.
“There isn’t,” Eleanor Young replied.  “In Evevanya, this is more of a rite of passage for our people when they reach adulthood.  To find the inner peace within.  One day, I may consider having Wanda do the same thing so that she can find her inner peace.”
“And that I will support you on,” Princess Celestia said.  
Princess Luna yawned as the moonlight shone down on her mane.  She turned her attention towards the tower window that led to her bedroom.
“It’s getting late,” Princess Luna said.   “So I’m heading to bed.”
“Goodnight, sister,” Princess Celestia said.  “Sweet dreams.”
Princess Luna flapped her wings before she flew over to her bedroom window, leaving Princess Celestia and Eleanor Young all by themselves.
“I think when the time is ripe,” Princess Celestia said.  “I’ll allow Sunset Shimmer to undergo this rite of passage, so that she may find peace with her demon form.  Who knows?  It may even unlock something wonderful within her.”
“You don’t need to rush this,” Eleanor Young said.  “After all, it’s going to be her choice when she wants to take on that rite of passage.”
Princess Celestia nodded as she and Eleanor Young flew towards the castle as the moon shone down at the land.
But an hour later, deep within the garden of the castle, Princess Skystar popped her head out of a bush and looked up at the bedroom of Princess Wanda Young and Sunset Shimmer.
“I’m sorry Wanda,” Skystar said. “I know I shouldn’t kidnap you as my mother promised me.  But Queen Chrysalis and Coldnelius Snap are invading Mount Aris, and we need your help, more than ever.”
With that, Princess Skystar flew up towards the castle window, and quietly went inside.


	To Be Continued in…


	Arc 26: Showdown at Mount Aris


	Shoehorned into a New Conflict