It was dark, darker than it should be even for a moonless night. And yet, Sunset Shimmer knew she was outside.
The wind blew past her and she felt the cold slice through her mane. The magic in her body was restless and uneasy, and the warmth she could normally draw from it seemed to have been sucked out with all the light.
Sunset knew she was surrounded by trees, but their leaves made no sound, even when the wind swept through the branches. Something inside her told her that the wind was not natural and that whatever was causing this was the cause of this eerie darkness.
Trying to harness her restless magic, Sunset attempted to shine a light from her horn, but the effort only served to make her magic even more restless and she couldn’t manage to rein it in.
Shivering, Sunset began to walk in the direction from which the wind was blowing. She walked slowly, making sure not to bump into any trees. The forest floor, like everything else around her, felt unnaturally cold and hard.
Sunset pressed on through the trees, pushing through some bushes, which cracked as if made of brittle glass. Up ahead, a light shone through the trees. It had a magenta color, a color Sunset felt she’d seen before, even though she couldn’t seem to recall where.
Rather than reassuring her, the light frightened her more than the darkness had done. The tree trunks were eerie in the light, and they seemed to be made entirely from crystal, including the leaves which scattered and refracted the light.
Sunset’s magic strained inside of her, desperate to meet the source of the light and join with it. It was madness to press on, but Sunset knew she had no choice. Like her magic, she felt compelled to continue in spite of her fears.
She walked on, glancing over her shoulder every now and then even though she knew she was alone. As she neared the light the temperature got lower and lower. Just another small thing that added to the uncanniness that emanated from this strange place.
The trees ended. Sunset entered a clearing and at last she could see the source of the light and the cold wind. Her breath caught in her throat.
In the very center of the perfectly circular clearing, she saw five ponies surrounding the source of the lights. They were standing completely still and the light shone through their bodies. They were made of crystal, just like everything else.
Their faces were still locked in an expression of utter shock. Their wide eyes saw nothing, but it was clear the last thing they’d witnessed had caught them completely off guard. That sight alone was shocking, but even more so was the realization that Sunset knew these ponies.
And if they were who she thought they were, then the source of the light could only be…
“Twilight!”
Sunset broke into a full gallop as she pushed her legs to limit, trying to reach her friends…and then she felt the magic inside her finally react with the unnatural force around her.
She couldn’t move. Her magic exploded into every part of her being, into the core of her very soul, and she faintly felt her hooves beginning to turn into crystal…
With a gasp, Sunset Shimmer sat up in her bed. She looked around the room. Her alarm clock showed that it was 3 AM. Her pajamas were soaked with sweat. She groaned. This was the third night in a row she’d had that nightmare.
It didn’t make sense. She wasn’t even in Equestria, and even though this world now had some of its magic as well it was still a far cry from her home.
‘My old home,’ she corrected herself.
She’d lived here for so long now it was as much a home to her as Equestria had ever been. She even had friends now and played in a band. Much different than how it had been when she studied under Princess Celestia in Canterlot.
She’d been arrogant and vain, always certain she’d achieve greatness and leave everyone else in the dust. All that had ended when she had used the stolen crown of Twilight Sparkle, the trigger of the Elements of Harmony, to take control of all the students of Canterlot High.
Twilight and her friends had used the Elements on Sunset and shattered her demonic force. More than that, it opened her eyes to the person she’d been nearly all her life.
Ever since then she had tried to make amends by being a nicer person. It was only after she and her friends defeated the evil Sirens that the rest of the school began to accept her, however.
She changed into dry pajamas and got back into bed. With a bit of luck, she’d be able to sleep peacefully until morning.
“Hey, Earth to Sunset! Are you awake?!” Rainbow Dash asked with what she’d describe as ‘slight annoyance’ in her voice.
“Uh, yeah, sorry Rainbow…I just, um, spaced for a second,” Sunset said.
The Rainbooms were having a practice session and she’d missed just about every note it was possible to miss.
“A second? You’ve been out of it for days! What if you get like this when we’re on stage? You’d ruin my chances of becoming a superstar!” Rainbow went on.
“Whoa there, Rainbow, take it easy,” Applejack stepped in. “I’m sure Sunset has a good reason to be distracted. Besides, we’re just practicing. I hope I don’t need to remind you that you not only showed up an hour late last week, you also forgot to tune your new strings. Everyone has off days.”
Rainbow Dash grumbled something, but she kept quiet.
“You do look like something’s bothering you, darling,” Rarity said. “Did something happen?”
Sunset looked at all of them and sighed.
“I’ve been having bad dreams for a couple of days,” she admitted, “and I haven’t heard from Twilight for a long time. I…I guess I’m a bit worried about her.”
Her friends smiled at her and stood closer to her.
“Are your bad dreams about Twilight?” Applejack asked.
Sunset began to shake her head, but then she said, “I guess in a manner of speaking they are.”
She told them about the dream, how her magic went wild and everything was cold and lifeless and crystallized, and how Twilight was at the center of it all.
“I don’t know why I’m having this dream, but I can’t help but think something bad is happening in Equestria,” Sunset finished her story.
“But darling, why didn’t you say so sooner? You should go there and make sure everything is okay. It is your home world, after all,” Rarity said.
“Yeah, and Twilight has helped us when we needed her too. If she needs us, we’ll be there to help,” Rainbow Dash said.
Sunset smiled at her friends. Even though she was beginning to understand more and more about the magic of friendship, things like this still gave her a warm feeling inside.
“It wouldn’t be smart for you to go to Equestria. There are other versions of you there, and it wouldn’t be good if you meet your other selves.”
“But you and Twilight came here and nothing bad happened-” Applejack began.
“Except for that one time Sunset became a demon and tried to take over the entire world,” Pinkie piped up.
Her friends sent her an angry glare, but Pinkie ignored it.
“Anyway,” Applejack went on, “You didn’t cause the world to explode as soon as you came through the portal or something. And you and Twilight should have counterparts here too, right?”
Sunset bit her lip. “Yes, but while we were fortunate enough not to run into them, we still brought Equestrian magic to a world that isn’t supposed to have any. You saw what the Dazzlings could do; what if there are others who were once banished here and can now regain their powers? We can’t let the worlds become more connected than they already are. I think that’s the lesson Princess Celestia tried to teach me before I…”
Sunset fell silent and guiltily looked away from her friends.
“We understand, Sunset,” Fluttershy said softly. “If you need to go back to Equestria alone, that’s what you’ll have to do.”
Sunset shot her a brief smile, but then she got an anxious look again.
“What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked.
“It’s just that…I haven’t been in Equestria for so long. I don’t have that many good memories of the place and I certainly don’t have many friends there. What if…what if Princess Celestia sees me and banishes me again?”
Applejack put her hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “She won’t. Twilight will have told her about you, won’t she? I’m sure the Princess will know you’re a much better person now.”
Sunset smiled gratefully. Applejack was right. She didn’t have anything to worry about, and if it turned out that everything was okay she’d be able to come back quickly. Even so, the thought of returning to Equestria scared her almost as much as the eerie light in her dream.
The sun shone brightly over Canterlot High. Sunset and her friends were gathered around the statue that concealed the portal to Equestria. Sunset hugged each one of them in turn.
“You be careful there, you hear? We want to see you back in one piece,” Applejack said.
“Yeah, I don’t want the Rainbooms to be short a rhythm guitarist and backup singer,” Rainbow added.
“Do say hello to Twilight for me, darling,” Rarity said.
“If you meet any animals, just stay calm and friendly. They don’t want to hurt you,” Fluttershy advised her.
“And most importantly of all: don’t forget to PARTY!” Pinkie shouted, startling everyone.
Sunset looked fondly at them all. She had the backing of all her friends. With their support, there was no way she could fail.
“I…I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I’ve left my book in my locker so I can stay in touch if it takes longer than expected,” Sunset said.
“Don’t worry. Take as long as you need to help Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. “We’ll be waiting for you.”
With a final wave, Sunset turned around and stepped through the portal.
Pink and purple light filled Sunset’s vision momentarily and she felt a sense of vertigo washing over her as the portal transported her to Equestria. Then she felt ground under her hooves and she knew she was back in her own world.
Almost immediately she felt a warmth in her body that was familiar and yet somehow foreign. Her own magic finally coursed through her again and despite her discomfort in returning here it soothed her. At least it was as calm and warming as it had ever been, not restless like it was in her dreams.
Sunset looked around to see where she had emerged. Six ponies looked back at her from a circle of thrones in the center of the room. Although Sunset had only ever met one of them, the others were every bit as familiar as the purple alicorn now approaching her.
“Sunset Shimmer? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked with a surprised voice.
For a moment, Sunset was too overcome with joy and relief that her friend was okay that she couldn’t speak and just stared.
Then she recovered and said, “I hadn’t heard from you in such a long time and I’ve been having bad dreams so I was worried…”
Even as she said the words she felt childish. Of course Twilight was okay. She’d just worried her human friends for nothing and made a fool out of herself in front of Twilight’s pony friends. What Twilight said next, however, wiped away any joyful awkwardness.
“So have I…what have you been dreaming?” Twilight asked as she and Twilight walked into the circle of thrones.
Twilight took her place on her throne, next to which was a smaller throne for Spike. The other ponies hadn’t spoken yet. They seemed to be eager to hear Sunset’s story.
Sunset shot Spike a quick smile and then faced Twilight again. She told her about the dream, and how Twilight was the source of the eerie magic in it.
“…and it ends with me turning into crystal as well,” she concluded.
Twilight remained silent and looked around her group of friends.
“That sounds quite similar to yours, Twilight,” Applejack said.
“Kind of suspicious if you ask me,” Rainbow Dash said, giving Sunset a mistrustful look.
“I don’t think Sunset is to blame for this, Rainbow,” Twilight said.
She faced Sunset. “Like you, I’ve been dreaming about a forest, but in my dream it’s not crystallized yet. I’m in the clearing you described, but I’m alone. I hear a voice saying my name, but it’s more sinister and cold than I’ve ever heard. My magic…my magic rebels against me and I can’t control it. It lashes out at the sinister power and I feel my body turning into crystal.”
Twilight fell silent and smiled sheepishly.
“I apparently blasted my whole bedroom to bits in my sleep. You should be glad you were in the human world where there is less magic,” she went on.
“But that’s not all,” Rarity said. “Three weeks ago Princess Celestia came here to talk to us. Apparently there is a dark force at work in Equestria. She says that with Twilight’s new power, it might be possible to defeat this force and create a world of everlasting harmony.”
“The only problem is we don’t know what this force is called or how it operates. Not even Discord knew its true name. All he said was that it was a force older and more powerful than him. Sometimes it worked with him, sometimes it worked against him,” Twilight took over again.
“Discord told me the dark force worked with him whenever he was particularly destructive,” Fluttershy said softly.
Sunset frowned. “It’s not a force I’ve ever heard of either, even when I was searching all sorts of forbidden knowledge as a student of Princess Celestia’s,” she said.
She felt her cheeks burn as she admitted to some of her old betrayals, but the others thankfully didn’t mention it.
“If we only knew what it was, we could simply use the magic of our friendship to kick its flank,” Rainbow Dash said.
Sunset shook her head. “In my dream my magic rebelled against me. Twilight had the same problem. What if that magic goes out of control as well?” she asked.
“You worry too much. Our friendship has never failed,” Rainbow Dash said cockily.
“What about that time Discord hypnotized all of us to be all mean and nasty? Or when Tirek took all of our magic?” Pinkie Pie asked innocently.
“If you’ve noticed, we came out of both those things stronger than ever!” Rainbow Dash protested.
“Pinkie Pie is right, Rainbow. Our magic has been used against us before and we can’t rely on raw power without knowing what we’re facing. We could end up doing more harm than good,” Twilight said.
“Then what do you suggest we do?” Rainbow asked, throwing her hooves up in exasperation.
Twilight didn’t respond immediately, so it was Sunset who replied, “I…I think we should talk to Princess Celestia. Even though she knows about the situation she might have gained new insights since the last time you spoke. Also…well…I haven’t seen her in so long. I think it’s time for me to make amends for what I did.”
Sunset fidgeted a bit. If she’d still been human, she would have been playing with her hair. The thought of meeting Princess Celestia again after all she’d done scared her, but in a way she wanted nothing more than to see her old mentor again.
“I think that would be a smart idea. If you’ve been having these dreams even in the other world the forces at work here might threaten that world as well,” Twilight said.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get to Canterlot!” Applejack said. She jumped up from her throne and looked at the others, who followed suit.
Only Twilight remained seated a moment longer, lost in thought about something.
“Um, Twi? Are you coming?” Applejack asked.
Twilight blinked a couple of times, looking like she’d just woken up.
“Yeah…I’m coming. Let’s go,” she said as she got up.
Twilight waited until her friends had left the throne room before turning to Sunset.
“I know how hard it is for you to face Princess Celestia. I think you’re doing a really brave thing,” she said.
Sunset felt her cheeks flush and she looked away. She didn’t feel like she deserved any praise for doing what she should have done long ago. Still, she felt somewhat reassured as she followed Twilight out of the throne room.
The royal palace in Canterlot still looked as majestic as Sunset remembered. Now, though, it also had something intimidating. Within those walls the pony she’d betrayed was waiting for her. Twilight had sent Princess Celestia a message even as they were on their way to Canterlot. She’d received a response mere minutes later.
“Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
It’s good to hear that Sunset Shimmer has returned, even though the circumstances are dire. Princess Luna, Princess Cadance and I will be waiting for you in the palace in Canterlot.
Princess Celestia”
The seven ponies and Spike entered the palace and were greeted by two Pegasus guards.
“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” one of the guards said to Twilight as she approached.
“Good afternoon. Princess Celestia is expecting us,” Twilight said.
The guard nodded. “I’m aware. Please, carry on,” he said.
Twilight thanked the guard and as they walked on, Sunset began to feel more and more nervous. Years ago she’d walked along these hallways confidently, arrogantly, even. Now she tried to make herself smaller as if the very walls of the palace might reject her otherwise.
At last they reached the throne room, where the three other Princesses were already waiting for them. After a short greeting, Princess Celestia looked at Sunset Shimmer, who was visibly trembling now and looking at the ground.
Suddenly Sunset felt something warm and soft touch her shoulders and she looked up to see Twilight smiling at her, one of her wings extended to touch Sunset.
Sunset smiled back weakly and took a deep breath. It was only then that she dared to look into Princess Celestia’s eyes.
“Sunset Shimmer,” the Princess began. “It’s been many years since I last talked to you. You’ve done many things I find it hard to forgive you for…”
Sunset shut her eyes firmly because the Princess didn’t sound angry, merely disappointed. Once that wouldn’t have hurt her at all, but now the words pierced her more than outright anger could and it was all she could do not to burst into tears.
When Princess Celestia spoke again, however, her voice was warm and gentle. “However, I have heard from Twilight Sparkle that you’ve seen the error of your ways and that you have witnessed the magic of friendship.”
Sunset looked up now, her eyes wide with surprise. Princess Celestia smiled warmly, and when Sunset looked at the other princesses, they too, smiled at her.
“Does this mean…you forgive me?” Sunset said with disbelief in her voice. “After all I did…you won’t punish me?”
Princess Celestia sighed. “I think you have suffered long enough in the other world. You have proven yourself to be a loyal friend, and that’s all I wanted for you to begin with. That you’d learn the true power of friendship. I do have one last request for you, however.”
Sunset stood up straighter and Twilight withdrew her wing. Sunset shot her a grateful look, before turning back to Princess Celestia.
“I will do anything you ask of me, Princess,” she said.
Princess Celestia inclined her head. “Thank you. I want you to aid Twilight Sparkle and her friends in the quest I’m about to send them on.”
Sunset was at a loss for words and looked at Twilight and her friends, who seemed equally stunned.
“The timing of your visit could not have been more perfect,” Princess Luna said, walking closer to the group. “We’ve been searching all over Equestria to find out more about the dark force that is taking hold.”
“We haven’t been able to find out much, but we have been able to determine one thing,” Princess Cadance took over the story. “It was almost destroyed on Equestria ages ago, when the Elements of Harmony were created.”
Twilight took a step forward with a slightly manic expression.
“Created? Who created them?” she asked.
Sunset smiled. Even in a crisis Twilight was still eager to learn. She’d be lying if she’d said it didn’t interest her too, however; she was just better at hiding it.
“We don’t know. Even Star Swirl the Bearded wasn’t around yet when they were made,” Princess Celestia said.
“We do know, however, that it was a large undertaking by many settlements. The forges they used exist to this day, although we only know the location of two of them,” Princess Cadance said.
“I’m sure you know one of those locations,” she went on, looking at Twilight.
Twilight thought for a moment, but before she could say anything, Sunset said, “The Everfree Forest.”
Twilight shot her a surprised look, one Sunset returned with a small smirk. Twilight wasn’t the only one who had studied under Princess Celestia, after all. Besides, this was easy.
The Everfree Forest was unique in all of Equestria because it wasn’t maintained by ponies. It had resisted all attempts at magically cultivating it and it didn’t seem to need anything tending to it. Sunset had often wondered why the forest hadn’t spread out beyond its borders.
“Correct,” Princess Celestia said. “The Tree of Harmony that keeps the forest in check isn’t the location of the Forge of Magic, however. The Forge itself lies deeper into the Earth, protected by magic more ancient than any other magic I know of.”
“Does that mean we can’t get to the Forge?” Applejack asked with a frown.
“Not directly,” Princess Luna replied.
She saw that Applejack wanted to interject, so she raised up a hoof.
“We think there is a way, however. If you can locate and activate the other five Forges, the magical resonance might activate the Forge of Magic as well, or at least open up the barrier surrounding it.”
“Maybe I’m missing something, but why would we want to activate the Forges?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Can their power defeat the dark force?” Twilight asked.
Princess Celestia looked around the throne room at the stained glass windows before answering.
“We believe so. In the past, the Elements were used to all but eradicate the dark force from Equestria, but they were unable to clear up the final remnants, in the Everfree Forest. That is the reason it is unresponsive to our magic, and why the Elements had to be locked away in the tree. We think that the Rainbow Power you now possess is some transcended form of the Elements, perhaps the true form of the power.”
Twilight frowned, but Sunset said, “That makes sense, actually.”
For the second time, Twilight gave Sunset a look of surprise. This time Sunset didn’t smirk, however.
She looked at Twilight and said, “When I stole the crown from you, you were still able to activate its power and even channel the other Elements without them being physically present. If you think of the Elements as mere catalysts that channel the power that is already present inside of you, that reaction was not impossible. All it needed to be triggered was Equestrian magic, and the crown has always been one of the most powerful magical artifacts in existence.”
When Sunset finished speaking everypony except the four princesses was giving her slack-jawed stares and she blushed lightly. She’d done a lot of research on the crown before stealing it, by sneaking a few of her magic and history books with her when she first went through the portal.
She went on, “It’s possible the Rainbow Power is indeed the final level of power the Elements were supposed to grant. I also think that anyone who has drawn power from an Element, or embodies one, can use the Rainbow Power, since I transformed when we battled the Dazzlings in the other world. Maybe the presence of the ‘true’ elements can trigger a similar reaction in others if their hearts are in sync with each other.”
“Soooo…if we’re close enough as friends with other ponies they can be just as magical as we are?!” Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down from the exciting prospect of befriending everypony in Equestria.
Sunset shrugged, which she noticed was much more difficult now that she was no longer human. “I think they could, yes. But only if your hearts are in perfect sync with one another, or if they have drawn on the power of the Elements before. I think the process without the Elements might take much, much longer.”
Princess Celestia stepped forward and looked proudly at Sunset. “You really have learned much about the magic of friendship, Sunset Shimmer. I can’t express how happy I am to hear you talking like this.”
Sunset bowed her head modestly. “I’ve done some pretty terrible things…I want to make up for the mistakes I made back then,” she replied.
“Wait a minute,” Applejack said. Everypony turned to look at her. “If our Rainbow Power was supposed to be the final step in the transformation, why did we need to unlock it from the chest first?”
This time it was Twilight who answered. “The Rainbow Power is a manifestation of friendship and harmony. Only those who understand those things on a deep level can wield it. The objects that became our keys were tokens, signs that we were getting closer to understanding.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “How do you explain Sunset, then? She didn’t have a key but she did have Rainbow Power in that other world. Right?” she asked, looking questioningly at Sunset.
“Well, like I said, I think the Elements were only catalysts to obtain the real power, the Rainbow Power. Once that power has been reached, it can be passed on through strong bonds with one another. I had trace magic of my misuse of the crown left, so the magic within me resonated with the others. At least, that’s what I think. Magic is difficult enough in Equestria and that other world was never meant to have magic at all. There could be other reasons,” Sunset said.
“In any event, we believe that the Rainbow Power will enable us to eliminate the dark force’s power on Equestria forever and create a world of everlasting harmony,” Princess Celestia said.
She looked around the group of ponies. “What we want you to do is to locate and activate the six Forges of Harmony. That should cause a magical resonance, which should in turn grant your Rainbow Power the ability to touch the hearts of other ponies all over Equestria. Twilight Sparkle, you, as the Princess of Friendship, are the one who can pull this off and bring harmony to Equestria once and for all. Of course,” she added with a smile to the other ponies, “your friends will help you in this task. In fact, you could not do this without them.”
Sunset felt her heart thundering in her chest. This wasn’t a small task that would be completed within a day. This would be a quest worthy of the Old Times, when ponies had just begun exploring Equestria. They wouldn’t know from the start where their goal was, or if it was even possible.
And even now, there was the matter of her and Twilight’s dream. She realized that they hadn’t talked about that at all and frowned. Princess Celestia hadn’t even asked why Twilight had called such an urgent meeting.
“Princess Celestia?” Sunset said, still nervous to address her erstwhile teacher.
“Why didn’t you ask for our reason to be here? Why didn’t you ask why I returned here?”
Princess Celestia looked at Sunset with an expressionless face. She kept staring and Sunset feared she had offended the Princess somehow, but then Princess Celestia sighed and turned away.
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to explain it,” she said softly, and a collective gasp went through the group.
Sunset noticed that the other princesses were looking at the ground as well. “Princess Celestia…what do you mean?” Twilight asked.
It was silent for a moment. Princess Celestia and the other princesses were still looking away. The silence went on. Twilight’s friends were looking at one another, and Twilight and Sunset were shooting each other uncertain looks.
“We have been having the same dreams,” Princess Luna said eventually. “It’s a dream shared by all the princesses…and those who were once destined to become princesses.”
As soon as Princess Luna had said those words, Sunset realized that what she had seen in the mirror all those years ago had been a glimpse of the future. The use of the past tense, however, clued her in on the fact that that particular destiny would not come to pass now.
The resentment that had led to her mutiny flared up inside her again as she realized that Celestia had withheld information from her even now. She tried to keep her voice neutral when she said, “Could you please explain what you mean by that?”
Sunset winced when she heard how icy her tone was. So much for keeping her voice neutral.
“Look at your cutie mark, Sunset Shimmer,” Princess Celestia said. “How did you get it?”
Sunset frowned, but thought back to the day she got her cutie mark.
The sky had been cloudy for days. The Pegasi in charge of the weather had a disagreement with some politician in Canterlot and they were refusing to grant the town a sunny day until that stupid stallion revoked his words.
Sunset was a filly who loved the sunshine. She adored its warmth and she’d often sat out in the sun doing small spells. The sunlight gave her enthusiasm and it seemed like everything she tried went much better when it was sunny outside.
Her parents sometimes jokingly called her a plant whenever she said the sun made her strong. The favorite moment of Sunset’s day was, as her name so plainly stated, the sunset. The sky would turn all red and above the horizon the heat would cause a beautiful shimmer.
Her parents had named her after that very thing because of her blazing mane and tail. It was like it was her destiny to enjoy that moment.
Now, however, she hadn’t been able to see the sunset shimmer for days. Each day the sun refused to make an appearance, she became angrier. She asked her parents why the Pegasi wouldn’t just talk about their problems instead of ruining everypony else’s day, but they hadn’t been able to answer her.
After a week of gloom, Sunset had run into the Pegasi and the politician late in the afternoon as she was walking home from the library. The politician in question had been trying to avoid them, but now they had him surrounded in the street.
Apparently he had said that Canterlot could do with a lot fewer Pegasi to handle the weather, and he’d done so in a way that insinuated that weather management was a trivial and rather useless job.
Sunset could hear the heated discussion as she came closer, and just when she could make out the words she heard the end of the argument.
“You’ve clearly learned nothing yet. I guess we’ll just have to make you understand,” the leader of the Pegasi said.
The five flew up through the deck of clouds and soon after the gloom intensified. Rain began to fall and the clouds flashed and rumbled. The politician looked scared and trotted away, but Sunset stayed where she was and looked up.
She felt the static in the air, and then, she felt her magic reacting. A bright flash illuminated the streets of Canterlot, but it wasn’t lightning.
It would have been, but Sunset’s magic responded the moment it happened. A ray of pure sunlight drilled through the clouds and hit Sunset, who lost herself in the raw power the sun gave her now that its light was so focused.
Without knowing how, she widened the beam, burning away the clouds wherever her light touched them. By all rights, the heat should burn down all of Canterlot, but it didn’t.
Somehow Sunset was harnessing the awesome power of the sun without burning anything or anypony. Only the clouds evaporated and Sunset finally saw it again, the shimmer in the air for which she’d been named.
Her heart jumped for joy when she saw it, and she felt the magic rush through her in response. She didn’t even have to look to know that her flank was now adorned with a shimmering sun.
Back in the palace, Sunset smiled. After her display of magic, the Pegasi and the politician had worked out their problems in private, without involving everypony else in it. It had also made Sunset realize that if she wanted something, she’d have to make it happen by herself.
“That day, you performed magic no other unicorn could have performed – no other unicorn, except for me,” Princess Celestia said.
“Princess Luna and I control solar and lunar magic, respectively, and we do so until the day our successor rises from the population of Equestria. Your magic is the magic of the sun itself, and it was your destiny to one day succeed me as the ruler of the Sun,” she went on.
Sunset cocked her head. She had a feeling she wouldn’t like what was going to come next.
“By showing you the mirror, I hoped you would see your destiny as a Princess and realize that you still had much to learn. I was wrong, and because I tampered with the laws of time itself your destiny was changed. You sought the power too quickly and ended up in another world, where the magic needed to fulfill your destiny was not available. The thread of fate that marked you as my successor faded away. When you stole the crown, a part of that magic returned. It was enough to let you experience that dream. Maybe, in time, you might realize your true destiny after all, but I dare not say if it will happen.”
Tears appeared in Princess Celestia’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, Sunset Shimmer. I did take away what was rightfully yours that day, although I only realized it later. Star Swirl had warned me, but I was foolish. I’ve made too many mistakes.”
Sunset felt torn seeing Princess Celestia like this. On the one hoof, she felt angry that her original destiny had been taken away from her, but on the other she understood why the Princess had done what she did.
In the end, that decision had made her a much better pony. Whether she became a princess or not was irrelevant. She had made friends and found a better reason to live than just for power.
“I’m not angry,” she said, and this time her voice was warm again. “You made the decision not for yourself but for me. You wanted me to learn what friendship was, and it has proven to be the right decision. If not for that moment, I might have become a tyrant. If I truly have the power of the sun in my hooves, I could have done a lot of damage. I was not ready to command such an awesome force and you protected everyone by doing what you did.”
Tears still streamed down Princess Celestia’s face, but she smiled nonetheless.
“You have no idea what it means to me to hear those words from you, Sunset Shimmer,” the Princess said softly.
“Princess, does this mean that there is another unicorn somewhere who possesses the power of the moon?” Twilight asked.
“That, I do not know,” Princess Luna answered. “I have searched for her, after learning of Sunset Shimmer, but to this day I have not found her. It’s possible that my banishment has extended my time here. If that is the case, it would take close to a thousand years for my successor to appear.”
“Um, I’m not trying to be rude, or anything, but shouldn’t we be out saving the world right now?!” Rainbow Dash interjected.
Princess Cadance nodded. “Yes. We can talk about destiny later. Aside from the Forge of Magic in the Everfree Forest, we only know the location of one other Forge.”
Princess Cadance motioned with her head and the others followed her to a large table in front of the throne. On it lay a map of Equestria.
“The Forge of Generosity is located in a mine far in the east. The miners accidentally stumbled upon it when they searched for gems,” Princess Cadance said, putting a small purple flag into the map in a mountainous area in the east of Equestria.
“Apparently there is magic surrounding it, but it seems to have faded over time. We believe you will be able to enter the Forge. We hope that inside, you will be able to discern the locations of the other Forges. Perhaps you can pick up traces of the old magic there that will point you in the right direction.”
Princess Cadance fell silent for a moment and looked at Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. She looked directly at Twilight when she continued.
“We don’t know what you fill find in the Forge, or even what the actual Forge looks like. This could be a dangerous undertaking.”
She walked over to Twilight and hugged her.
“Please be careful,” she said softly.
Twilight gave her an encouraging smile and looked at each of her friends in turn.
“You can count on us,” she promised.
It sounded so simple that Sunset almost believed it. But in the back of her mind, she still saw the crystal forest and the eerie light, spiraling from Twilight’s crystallized body.