Princess Luna had brought the six ponies back, into the catacombs of Canterlot Castle.
They arrived at a grand set of pure white doors. The Princess telekinetically opened the doors to a broad, sterling white room. The room was empty, except for the mirror portal and an identical set of doors at the far side of the room as well as Sweet Tooth, who was too pre-occupied arguing with the guards who had escorted him swiftly and strictly from the party, to notice he now had company.
“Watch the jacket, it’s cotton!” he sneered in contempt to one of them as he was released from their telekinetic grip “You call that a knife!?” he egged viciously at the other.
“That’s enough, sirs. You may go” Princess Luna ordered the guards to stand down. They saluted quickly before leaving the way they came. Sweet Tooth turned to see where the voice had come from.
His eyes widened slightly upon realising the set-up. Twilight did the same.
“You!” they called in unison.
***
“I know that the two of you don’t see eye to eye” Luna started diplomatically, “but we’ve brought you together tonight for a rea--”
“You’ve got some nerve showing your face around here, especially tonight!” Twilight spat with blind outrage.
Luna rolled her eyes with a submissive sigh and allowed the two to get things out of their system.
“Look, I don’t even know what your name is, but—” Sweet Tooth’s attempts to explain himself, once again, went unheard.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle! Disciple of Princess Celestia” Twilight declared planting her hoof down in contempt. “And I don’t know what you were thinking poking around our celebration, but I’m telling you now: nopony is dying tonight!”
“I’m not here to kill anyone” Sweet Tooth waved his hands passive-aggressively at Twilight’s assertions.
“Did you really think a murdering thug like you would be able to lay low among a crowd of innocent ponyfolk!? --Dressed like that!” Twilight mocked in accusation.
Rarity shuffled uncomfortably, deciding not to risk stepping into the crossfire.
“I’ll have you know: I have an invitation!” Sweet Tooth countered, producing the rolled up scroll from his jacket pocket before pegging it at Twilight. She caught it with her magic, unimpressed. She continued to stare at him unamused as she unravelled the scroll, and inspected it like a bouncer with a fake ID.
Twilight discarded the scroll as she turned to face Princess Luna “I’m glad you captured this creep, Princess. Though, I wish you had told me you were going to trap him at the celebration. I could have helped!”
“Twilight, I—” Luna was, once again, cut off by Twilight’s accusations, as she turned her head to glare at Sweet Tooth “After all, I’m sure you’ve heard of how he has tried to kill a number of my friends, multiple times!”
“Hey! If I wanted them dead, they’d be dead!” Sweet Tooth rebuked, stomping forward with an accusing finger.
Twilight ignoring his threats, continued to dob him in to the Princess “Not to mention, all the other ponies he’s more than likely attempted to kill since getting here” Twilight sneered at Sweet Tooth, insulting his recent lack of homicidal prowess.
“I told you: I never miss twice --” Sweet Tooth boomed, logic overtaken by emotion.
“What about your daughter!?” Twilight snapped with smirk.
Her friends’ skin crawled at her egregious degradation.
Sweet Tooth froze in pure rage, his diabolical fury emanated, causing a blanket of terror to descend upon the room. His blood was boiling as his mind offered him different ways he could silence the unicorn, permanently.
***
“That does not sound like the Twilight Sparkle I know” Princess Celestia pierced the scene, rebuking her student.
“Princess Celestia?” Twilight bowed to her teacher. “Princess, I don’t know how much you know about this guy, but he is not one of the good guys!” Twilight explained, waving a hoof at the still fuming Sweet Tooth.
“Have faith, Twilight. I know all about him and what he has done. However, I cannot understand the reasons for your recent actions.”
Twilight looked back and forth from Sweet Tooth to Celestia, stuttering quietly, before staring wide-eyed at Celestia, “Princess...” Twilight implored weakly.
Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow expectantly.
Twilight responded by stiffening her bottom lip and began her prosecution, “This monster has ripped into our world, uninvited--after trying to kill one of our friends” she flung a foreleg at Sweet Tooth in accusation “And then, the first thing he tries to do when he gets here is try to kill another one of our friends!” she continued in a fluster.
When Twilight realised she somehow had yet to convince the Princess, she sought to further incriminate Sweet Tooth “...and, and—he ...and...” Twilight seized slightly, realising she was out of evidence. She huffed and puffed, scanning her mind furiously for something further she could use to validate herself with. Finding nothing, Twilight threw herself at her teacher’s feet and pleaded her case “Please, Princess, believe me. I’ve heard about the awful things he’s done and the cruel terror that he is! He is a: scary, mean, grumpy, awful, heartless troll!”
“All the more reason for you to humble yourself and take a second look at things” Celestia instructed.
Twilight pricked her head up and gave it a quick shake in bewilderment, she opened her mouth and for a few seconds, no words were coming out, “...What are you saying?”
“She’s saying: Don’t judge a book by its cover” Luna answered, stepping forward to unite with her sister.
Twilight’s mouth remained wide open, she tilted her head slightly.
“I remember my descension , more vividly than I would sometimes like” Princess Luna explained, hanging her head solemnly. Celestia extended a comforting wing over her little sister as she continued “I felt I had always lived in the darkness of my sister’s shadow since we were young, I knew her failings-- she was no greater than I was. So, why were things so unfair between us? Our subjects always ignored my beautiful night, but they relished in my sister and her days. I had always lived in the background. What was I doing wrong!? Was my night not good enough for them!? Was I not good enough for them? How could they know!? I have so much I can offer them but it was all going to waste while I was hemmed in behind the shadow of my sister’s light”
Celestia furrowed her brow in guilt.
“ There was always an--invisible barrier that never failed to somehow clip my every attempt to stretch my wings and make a difference for the kingdom I adored” Luna closed her eyes.
Celestia drew closer to her little sister in support as they both mourned over their darkest moments.
Luna let out an anguished sigh “Yes...I lived in the darkness of my sister’s shadow for a long time. And I grew comfortable there, in apathy. Drifting and searching for answers, I was trapped in a hopeless state of mind” she shook her head in regret.
“Until eventually, I realised, I had changed--slowly at first, but always at my discretion. I had let my thoughts wander and linger in narrow-minded pessimism, in my frustration, in my desire to do something more for my kingdom, in my jealousy over my sister’s glory” Luna recounted grimly, “I had decided, that it was time for change, it was time for me take reign over the kingdom I 'shared' with my sister. When I finally decided to jump the threshold, it felt good, exhilarating! Why hadn’t I done it sooner!?” Luna shook her head, sickened at the memory. “Before long, my desire consumed me and I realised, I wanted more than to just share the kingdom... I wanted my sister to know how it felt to be the underling. I wanted to get even” Luna looked to her sister apologetically; her big sister squeezed her tighter. “Before I knew it, I was in over my head. But it was too late for me. My darkness had taken me further and deeper than I had ever bargained for. I was out of control, it was like it had taken me hostage, while it wreaked havoc and desolation on the kingdom and people I loved the most” she hung her head low to the ground, a single tear fell.
Princess Celestia took over “Banishing...my own sister, was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. As her sister, I wanted nothing more than to help her get back onto the right track. But, as a ruler, I realised that my duty was to my subjects first. A good leader loves their people” her voice saturated in conviction as she continued solemnly, “And the greatest expression of love is self-sacrifice.”
She held back tears “I realised that I couldn’t allow my sister to continue to terrorise the Kingdom...I spent one thousand years wondering if I was right or wrong. Was there a better way? I spent one thousand years... wondering if my sister would ever forgive me for what I did to her. ” Celestia looked to her sister compassionately. Luna was smiling back in bittersweet reassurance. The two sisters hugged in a tender display of triumph.
Luna returned to Twilight, “Nobody, just wakes up and decides to become a monster, their perception of what is good and right is just distorted and blurred by fear, lies and hatred, by darkness. Until, all of a sudden, you find yourself asking what you’ve become. And usually... that question comes too late” she concluded.
“That is why it is so important for us to love one another, especially our enemies.” Celestia elaborated “To put others before ourselves. When someone slaps us in the face, to turn the other cheek. To forgive them, as we ourselves have been forgiven. By shining the light of love into their lives we help to reveal to them what is true.”
“Hurt people hurt people” Fluttershy chimed.
Luna winked, “Exactly.”
Sweet Tooth’s murderous rage had subsided. He suddenly felt all of his fear, all the anger fall away. It all became clear to him.
“Twilight, I’m sorry.”
The entire room turned to Sweet Tooth, astounded.
“Please, forgive me. For the ways I’ve tormented you. I realise now that you were just angry and afraid. I know that I haven’t made the best case for myself. I’ve always lived with a... clouded perception. But, your friends-- they got me to see things through different eyes, to think about things in a new light. They taught me that there is a better way and that although the road is narrow and it can be hard, it’s always worth it in the end. And it’s clear to me now, there is a light that never goes out, there is love and I have it in me now. Can you forgive me, please?”
His sincerity caught Twilight completely off guard-- Twilight’s pupils nearly overtook her irises, she gasped steeply. She realised at that moment, how she had acted... she had been so blind the whole time. She shook her head in disbelief.
“Sweet Tooth...I—” for a moment, Twilight didn’t know what to say or what to do. Her heart and mind gave way to so many thoughts and feelings at her realisation before she found the three simple words that summarised them all: “I forgive you.”
Immediately the room was refreshed, as every heart in it soared. The yoke of anger and hate was lifted and shattered.
Twilight continued “And, I’m sorry. For the ways I’ve treated you! I was angry at you for what you tried to do to my friends. They have been telling me that you really have changed. But, after I discovered who you were, I didn’t feel like I could trust you. I realise now, that even then, I should have trusted my friends!” she smiled sheepishly back at her friends, before turning to face Sweet Tooth, she looked down and shook her head “But I refused to believe them or you. I refused to accept the fact that I had misjudged you and your motives because...” she pulled her gaze up and looked at Sweet Tooth with sincerity “...I was scared of you. And, I’m sorry. For refusing to turn from my stubbornness and self-righteous ignorance. I felt I had all the answers, but my pride blinded me. Can you forgive me?”
Sweet Tooth pretended to think for a minute, “...Eeh'yeah. Why not?” he concluded with a shrug.
Twilight smiled as she ran across and hugged him. The rest of her friends followed closely behind her, the resulting group hug knocked Sweet Tooth to the floor.
“Well, I’m glad that you two have patched up your differences. Now, as I was saying when we got here” Princess Luna looked at Twilight in playful irritation. Twilight shrugged and rubbed her neck awkwardly.
“I have brought you all here for a reason” Luna stated earnestly.
The group now picked themselves up and recomposed themselves, eyes glued to Luna in anticipation.
Princess Luna looked to Sweet Tooth “We’ve worked out a way to get you back home, tonight.”
***
“But, it hasn't been thirty days yet!” Twilight protested in horror, stepped in between Luna and her new friend.
Sweet Tooth gently swept her aside, “How?”
Twilight looked to him in shock. He didn’t notice.
“The portal works on a lunar calendar” Luna explained, “So I can manipulate the moon in this dimension to harmonise with the moon in your dimension, thus, opening the portal back to your home.” She hesitated, realising the new circumstances before adding “That is, if that’s what you’d like?”
Sweet Tooth looked back to his four-legged friends; still all dressed up in their gala attires, all smiling at him in warm encouragement. This place, which had started as a prison for him, was now a paradise, where he was free to start over. Here he was: accepted, loved, safe, at peace...
But, as much as he loved it, he couldn’t deny the fact that he simply didn’t belong here.
They were colourful, magical, girly, pretty ponies.
He was a nightmarish man who dressed as a clown and drove a weaponised ice cream truck for a living.
...And he still, really, really missed that truck.
He was torn.
Seconds felt like hours as everything he had been taught and all he had experienced in his time here washed over him.
He’d just gotten comfortable here, he felt a warmth inside that he had never had before, things made sense! And now, as soon as everything had become perfect, he gets offered what he had wanted since the beginning?
He sighed. If only he had known then what he knew now...
He turned to his unlikely friends “Thank-you, for everything. For all you’ve done. You showed me a way I never thought possible. You’ve given me a light and a path.”
He slumped with a quiet sigh as he faced facts. He turned to Luna, “But I can’t stay here. I don’t belong here! I need to go back... home.”
Princess Luna nodded in understanding. Turning to face the portal, her horned flared with magic. Sweet Tooth turned back to face the ponies, he kneeled down to them.
“It’s not that I haven’t appreciated all you’ve done. And it’s not that I don’t want to stay, either” he explained. “But, I’ve got...” he looked away and sighed before concluding “...unfinished business to attend to, loose ends to tie up.”
“It’s ready” Princess Luna gently informed.
Sweet Tooth realised all six of the ponies had tears in their puppy-dog eyes, he elaborated further to comfort them, “I’m still not where I’d like to be, and I know I’ve still got a long way to go. But, because of your help, I’m closer than I feel I’ve ever been before.”
And with that, he got up, turned and walked back through the portal, without so much as a wave.