//------------------------------// // A Great And Powerful Rival! // Story: sPxHoLEic ~ A Great And Powerful Friendship ~ // by MythrilMoth //------------------------------// Twilight bounced out of bed, excited and giddy, as the morning sun shone through her bedroom window, making the beautiful crystal of her castle sparkle in many different colors. "Today's the day!" she sang to her empty bedroom. She opened her desk drawer, levitated out the journal that bore Celestia's Cutie Mark, and hugged it warmly. Tucking it under one wing, she pranced lightly out into the hall. Spike emerged from his bedroom, yawning hugely. "Mornin', Twilight," he said. "You're in a good mood." "I certainly aa~aaam!" Twilight beamed. "Oh...kay..." Spike dug in his ear with a claw. "Why are you in such a good mood?" Twilight giggled. "You'll find out soon enough!" She jerked to a sudden stop, one eye bugging out and one ear flapping. "Twilight? You okay?" Spike asked. "Uhh..." Twilight blushed and took the journal, which was glowing and vibrating, out from under her wing. "That...probably wasn't the best place to put a vibrating book," she said sheepishly. "Oh, a message from Sunset Shimmer?" Spike asked with interest. "Yep!" Twilight held the journal aloft in her aura. "I'll just...be a minute." Spike snorted. "I'm gonna go make breakfast." Twilight shook out her wing, then teleported directly to the mirror room. * * * * * Not long after the Cutie Map had appeared, Twilight had moved the portal mirror to its own room in the castle. She'd mainly done it because the unwieldy apparatus that allowed her to open the portal took up so much space that it got in the way of the piles upon piles of books she, Spike, and her friends had to contend with, but once she'd gotten a sense of just how much empty space she had in the castle, she had decided to give the portal its very own room, sealed by a spell only she could unlock. As the journal vibrated in the air beside her, she unsealed the door and strode in, opening the journal to the newest entry as she did so. Twilight, I'm ready to go! Just let me know when the portal's open. Twilight giggled and wrote back: I'm opening the portal in two minutes. Once her message was sent, she closed the book, then did a quick check of all the magical and alchemical equipment connected to the mirror. Nodding to herself, she gingerly levitated the book into its place of honor and activated the machine. Things spun around and dinged, sheets of magic were pulled through rollers like paper, and the surface of the mirror rippled, becoming a swirling vortex. Twilight stepped back and waited. An amber unicorn with a wavy copper-and-gold mane stepped out of the portal. She smiled warmly at Twilight. "Hey." Twilight engulfed Sunset Shimmer in a hug. "It's so good to see you!" she said. Sunset hugged her back. "Heh...thanks," she said. As the two friends separated, Sunset looked around the room. Her eyes bugged out. "Where...are we?" Twilight laughed. "We're in my castle in Ponyville. I had the mirror moved here back when I got your message about the Sirens." Sunset took a slower look around and whistled. "Wow," she said. "This is fancier than Princess Celestia's castle!" "Yeah, but it's really cold and echoy," Twilight said. "We're still working on it. Oh, but this room is just for the portal, so I'm not putting anything much in here." Sunset turned to look behind her, giving the portal apparatus an appraising glance. "Wow," she said. "I don't think I could've come up with something like this." "Oh, I'd better turn off the portal!" Twilight said. "Better safe than sorry!" Her horn glowed, and the portal shut down, all the little spinny and whirly things on the apparatus stopping. "So what did you want to talk about?" Sunset asked. "It must be important if you wanted me to come back to Equestria." "It is, actually," Twilight said. She sat down and folded back her ears. "Sunset Shimmer...I may need your help dealing with, well...a criminal." "A criminal? And you need my help?" Sunset asked, blinking. "Uhh...aren't you an alicorn princess? And you've got your friends, and, well...Princess Celestia...not to mention the entire Royal Guard..." Twilight sighed. "It's a complicated situation," she said. "There's...there's a unicorn out there named Starlight Glimmer. We ran into her several weeks ago in a remote part of Equestria. Sunset, she...she can remove ponies' Cutie Marks." Sunset gasped, drawing up a hoof. "WHAT?!" "She...she got me and my friends," Twilight said. "She replaced our Cutie Marks with black equal signs that...that suppressed our natural talents. She had an entire village brainwashed into believing that ponies can only be friends if everypony is exactly the same, with no special talents and no Cutie Marks." Sunset paled. "That's...that's sick!" "Well...we exposed her for the fraud she is, and those ponies got their Cutie Marks back and helped us get ours back—it's a really long story—but Starlight Glimmer escaped." Twilight swallowed. "She's dangerous, Sunset. Her magic is on par with mine when I was still a unicorn...probably yours too. And, well...she's unstable." Sunset sat down. "Oh my gosh..." "I'd rather not throw a wall of ponies at her, and involving Celestia and Luna would be a really bad idea. She's...she's too dangerous and unpredictable. I do have an arrest warrant out for her, and word has spread as far as Vanhoover by now, but..." Twilight shook her head. "I don't think anypony short of, well...me...has a chance of actually subduing her." She looked at Sunset. "Or...or possibly you." "That's why you called me back to Equestria," Sunset said. "I can't force you to help me hunt down Starlight Glimmer," Twilight said. "I just...I just hoped you'd—" Sunset smiled and raised a hoof. "Say no more. I'll do whatever I can." She sighed. "I guess...I'll have to cancel my plans with my friends, won't I?" Twilight shook her head. "Until I have news of her whereabouts, there's no point in you staying here indefinitely. I just...I just wanted..." She sighed. "I needed to talk to somepony who really understands unicorns with that kind of power." Her ears wilted slightly. "Some princess I am, huh?" Sunset shook her head. "Even princesses need advice sometimes. Besides, I...I kind of owe you one, you know? You've helped me so much..." She frowned. "But, really? Just the two of us against what sounds like a pony who can create an army to protect her? If I'm understanding what happened?" "Well...it won't just be us," Twilight said, scratching one hoof with the other. "There's...one other unicorn who—I hope—might actually be useful when the time comes to face Starlight Glimmer." "Oh? Who? Rarity?" Twilight shook her head. "Rarity doesn't...have the kind of magic we need." Her ears pinned back nervously. "I've...taken on a student, actually. A unicorn who needs help with both her magic and friendship, but...who might actually turn into a decent pony and the powerful magician she thinks she is." She took a deep breath. "I'm talking about...Trixie." Sunset's eyes bugged out. "Trixie. Trixie." "I know, I know! But I really think...she can be..." Twilight trailed off. "Well, you'll see for yourself when you meet her." "Is she anything like our Trixie?" Sunset asked. Twilight laughed sheepishly. "Well...yeah..." Sunset groaned. "Wonderful." "Give her a chance," Twilight said. "She's...she's making progress." "If you say so," Sunset said dubiously. She popped her back and looked around. "So," she said awkwardly, "what do we do now?" "Well—" The door opened, and Spike's head poked through. "Oh, there you are Twili—" Spike trailed off, jaw dropping. Twilight turned and smiled at him. "Spike? Set an extra plate for breakfast. We have a guest." Sunset Shimmer waved sheepishly, smiling. "Hey." Spike's jaw worked soundlessly for a long moment. "Like your eggs scrambled?" he asked lamely. "Scrambled's great!" Twilight and Sunset followed Spike out into the hall and down the many stairs to the dining room, Sunset gaping around in awe and wonder the entire way. * * * * * Twilight, Spike, and Sunset emerged into the tastefully-appointed dining room to find an annoyed blue unicorn already seated at the table. "At last you show yourself, Twilight Sparkle! Trixie was wondering what was taking you so long." Trixie blinked at the unicorn who trotted a pace behind and to Twilight's right. "Oh? We have a guest?" "Trixie, I'd like you to meet a very good friend of mine, Sunset Shimmer." Sunset eyed Trixie uncertainly. "Uhh...hi," she said. Trixie nodded. "Hello. Are you from out of town?" "You...could say that," Sunset said. "Sunset Shimmer was Princess Celestia's personal student before me," Twilight said. Sunset rubbed a hoof nervously. "Yeah...I learned a lot about magic, but I didn't learn a thing about friendship." She glanced sideways at Twilight. "It took Princess Twilight and her friends to teach me that." Trixie smirked. "Oh? You claim to know a lot about magic?" She tossed her mane. "Perhaps you know a spell or two, but Trixie severely doubts you will impress her." "Trixie," Twilight growled, facehoofing. Sunset leaned closer. "Wow, she's exactly like the other Trixie," she whispered. "Eh, she's not quite as bad," Twilight whispered back. She cleared her throat. "Sunset Shimmer, why don't you show Trixie what you can do?" Sunset smirked. "It's been a while," she said. Her horn glowed teal... She vanished in a burst of light, reappearing across the table from Trixie. She vanished again, walking into the dining room from the opposite door. In another burst of light, she vanished again, reappearing next to Twilight. Trixie's jaw dropped. Sunset flipped her mane. "Still got it," she said. Trixie shook her head. "It was bad enough when it was Twilight Sparkle doing that," she muttered. "Don't you ponies know teleportation is supposed to be one of the hardest skills for a unicorn to master?" Sunset snorted. "Teleportation is easy. I could do it in my sleep." She paused, tilting her head. "Actually, I think I did do it in my sleep once..." Twilight trotted over to the table and sat down. "Sunset Shimmer is my equal in terms of sheer magical ability," she said. "Or at least, she would be if I was still a unicorn." Sunset raised an eyebrow. "That almost sounded like a challenge, Twilight." Twilight gave her a half-lidded look. "Do you really want to go there?" she asked with a teasing grin. Sunset laughed. "Pass," she said. "I've been away from Equestria so long that even just teleporting around the dining room took more out of me than I'd care to admit." She frowned. "I can't believe how out of shape I am." "Well, if you'd come back more often...maybe one day a week? You could retrain your horn, get back in shape..." Twilight's brow furrowed. "I'm sure your friends would understand. Besides, I really do need you in top condition for..." "Yeah," Sunset said. She glanced at Trixie. "Besides, no offense, but if Trixie can't even teleport, it doesn't sound like she'll be much help against this Starlight Glimmer." Twilight made a frantic shushing motion, but it was too late. Trixie's ears pricked up even as she bristled at the perceived slight. "I beg your pardon?" "She doesn't know yet!" Twilight hissed. "I haven't told her anything about that!" Sunset blinked. "Wow. Really? Why not?" "You know what Trixie's ego is like!" Twilight cried, waving her hooves. "If she knew I wanted her help hunting down a rogue unicorn, she'd—" "Yeah yeah, I get the picture," Sunset said, grimacing. She shook her head. "Still..." Trixie cleared her throat loudly. "If the two of you would like to continue rudely talking about Trixie as though she isn't here, Trixie will GLADLY LEAVE!" Twilight and Sunset shared a sheepish glance. "Uhh...sorry, Trixie," Twilight said. "Yeah, sorry," Sunset said. Trixie sniffed. "If you're truly sorry, you will let Trixie in on what's going on here." Sunset glanced at Twilight. Twilight shrugged and sighed. "Okay, Trixie, but settle in, because it's a long story..." For the next hour, Twilight told Trixie all about Sunset Shimmer, the alternate world through the portal, and how she'd been reformed by alternate versions of Twilight's friends...and then helped the same girls and Twilight defeat three dangerous renegade magical creatures from Equestria, while at the same time dealing with the jealous machinations of an alternate Trixie. After that, Twilight told the story of the Cutie Map, and how it guided her and her friends to the village Starlight Glimmer had created, and her horrific power to strip ponies of their Cutie Marks. Once Twilight finished her story, Trixie nodded thoughtfully. "A most interesting tale, and Trixie agrees...a unicorn with enough power to challenge an alicorn princess and win is nopony to be taken lightly." She raised an eyebrow. "Although it does amuse Trixie to hear that the mighty Twilight Sparkle had her flank handed to her several times over." Twilight bristled, her wings flaring. "Only because I didn't understand what I was up against!" she cried. "Starlight Glimmer caught me by surprise!" "Oh, I wasn't just talking about her," Trixie said. "I was also talking about Sunset Shimmer, those Sirens, this other Trixie..." She smirked. "Yes, it rather pleases Trixie to know that somewhere out there, there is another Trixie who has vexed you, Twilight Sparkle." "You really want me to turn you into an orange this morning, don't you?" Twilight said, narrowing her eyes and making a face. "I could go for some orange juice," Sunset said brightly. Trixie stuck her tongue out at them. Spike walked in from the kitchen. "Hey, Trixie! Do your chores!" Trixie groaned in annoyance. "Coming," she bit off tersely, rising from the table and trotting to the kitchen. Sunset shot Twilight a sideways glance. "So. That's your first student." "Yep." "Wow." "Yep." * * * * * After breakfast, Twilight showed Sunset around the castle. Sunset's eyes were wide in awe and wonder as she took in the cavernous crystal halls. "This...this is amazing," she said. "We're still putting in some finishing touches," Twilight said. "Come on, let's go to the library." "Alright." The two headed for a staircase, which they took down to a long hallway. Two more staircases and five more hallways later, they were in a large library crammed full of books, scrolls, maps, charts, globes, ink, and quills. Sunset's jaw dropped. "Whoa." "It's not as cozy as my old library," Twilight said. "I'm still not completely happy with how it's organized." She sighed. "I miss my old library..." At Sunset's questioning glance, she explained, "I used to live in the Golden Oak Library, down in Ponyville. It was a big musty tree full of books, not a whole lot of living space, but it was just right for me and Spike and occasional slumber parties." She smiled wistfully. "It...it burned down." "Oh, Twilight...I'm so sorry..." Twilight shrugged. "I'm...coping. My friends went out of their way to make a chandelier out of the library's roots—you'll see it when we go down to the throne room—and...having a little piece of my old home helps." Her eyes suddenly shone. "Hey! I've got something to show you! Follow me!" She turned and cantered to the door. Sunset followed her. Through more halls and down more stairs they went, until finally they stood in a round, cavernous room with six crystal chairs surrounding a large crystal table. Gnarled old tree roots hung from the ceiling above the table, with tiny shimmering gems suspended from them. "This is the throne room," Twilight said. "Or as me and my friends call it, the Map Room." "The...Map Room?" Sunset trotted up to the table and saw that it was in fact a massive, detailed map of Equestria and the surrounding lands. "Whoa..." "This is the Cutie Map," Twilight said. "Whenever there's a problem somewhere in Equestria that my friends and I need to solve, the Map summons us and shows us where to go." Sunset blinked. "That's...that's magic I've never even heard of!" "Celestia and Luna were surprised too," Twilight said. "The Tree of Harmony's mysteries are boundless..." "There you are, Twilight Sparkle!" Trixie trotted up to them, a cross look on her face. "How long were you planning on keeping Trixie waiting with no company but that irascible reptile?" "Sorry, Trixie, I was just showing Sunset Shimmer around—" "Princess Twilight? Princess Twilight?" a voice called from the entrance hall. Sunset blinked. "I know that voice..." Twilight's ears cocked. "In here, Derpy!" A grey pegasus careened up the stairs, bounced off the ceiling, veered into a wall, then landed on her hooves in front of the three mares. She shook her head, her golden eyes spinning. "Oh there you are," she said. "Your castle's really hard..." Her ears twitched and her eyes stopped spinning. She gasped, focusing her good eye on Twilight. "Nevermind that! Princess, there's a monster in Ponyville! You gotta come quick!" "Ooh, a monster?" Sunset said excitedly, bouncing on her hooves. "Wanna help?" Twilight asked, grinning. "You bet!" Trixie frowned. "Trixie will have you know she has far more monster-fighting experience than the two of you put together!" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Oh you do, do you? This wouldn't have anything to do with Ursa Majors now, would it?" Trixie cringed, a petulant frown on her muzzle. "Must you bring that up, Twilight Sparkle?" Twilight rolled her eyes. "Alright, come on. Besides, you could use the practice." She smirked. "That is, if Sunset Shimmer doesn't beat the monster before you even get to do anything." Derpy tilted her head with a confused frown. "Are you gonna stand around talking all day or are you gonna come save Ponyville?" "We're on our way!" Twilight said. Her horn flared brilliantly... * * * * * "GAH! WARN me next time, Twilight!" Sunset cried. She shook herself down, smoothing out her frazzled mane. "I could've teleported myself, you know!" "Sorry!" "Twilight Sparkle enjoys flaunting her power by teleporting other ponies against their will," Trixie said. "Trixie feels violated every time she is subjected to Twilight's teleportation whims." "Trixie is about to find out first-hoof what poison joke does to a pony if she keeps complaining," Twilight said. "Now come on!" As the three mares approached Ponyville proper, they heard the screams and shrieks of townsponies who were running to and fro in a panic. "The horror! THE HORROR!" Roseluck cried as she stampeded past. Sharing a concerned look, Twilight and Sunset charged in the direction most of the ponies were coming from, Trixie a pony length behind them. In the heart of town, they found Rainbow Dash and Rarity facing off against...a really big, really disturbing thing. Its body was a giant rectangular white block, shiny and jiggly and disturbingly wrong. A big, knobbly pair of scaly bird legs extended from its base, ending in serrated talons. Huge brown wings were spread out at its side, and a broad tail of fanned brown feathers spread from its backside. A long neck with a red wattle extended from its front, ending in a small turkey head with beady eyes and a long, sharp beak. Sunset boggled. "What the heck is THAT?" "I don't know, but I can't shake the feeling the Cutie Mark Crusaders have something to do with it," Twilight said. Trixie frowned. "Perhaps because it's attacking them as we speak?" Indeed, the bizzare monster was spitting tiny, jiggling white rectangular blobs of itself at three fillies, who were scampering around in a blind frenzy. Each rectangular blob that hit the ground sprouted legs, wings, a head, and a tail, resembling miniature versions of the monster; they chased after the Crusaders, pecking the hapless fillies all over. "TWILIGHT!" Rainbow cried, flying over. "Whew, am I glad you're here! Please tell me you know how to stop this thing!" She glanced at Trixie. "And please tell me she's not responsible for it!" "I haven't even left the castle in two days!" Trixie cried, tossing her mane indignantly. "Yeah, well you didn't have to leave the castle to summon that book golem either!" "THAT WAS NOT TRIXIE'S FAULT!" "Umm...excuse me, Rainbow Dash," Sunset said. "What...IS that thing?" Rainbow blinked at her in confusion. "Huh? Who are y—" She paused, her muzzle crinkling. "Wait. I've seen you before." Her eyes flew open wide. "You're Sunset Shimmer!" "Yeah," Sunset said. "But enough about me, what about that...thing?" "It's a Tofurkey," Pinkie Pie said, having suddenly appeared in their midst. "Hi, Sunset Shimmer! I'll throw you a welcome back to Equestria party as soon as we do something about this Tofurkey!" "How do you even know what all these freaky bird monsters ARE, Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow cried. "I've seen many things," Pinkie said sagely. "Many things." Applejack charged up the road, followed by Fluttershy. "Sorry it took so long!" Applejack cried. "Whoa nelly, that's one UGLY critter!" "Pinkie Pie, how do we stop this thing?" Twilight asked. Pinkie shrugged. "Don't look at me. I have no idea how to stop a Tofurkey. Last one I saw was in Hoofston, and I didn't stick around to see how it ended." She tilted her head. "I guess we could eat it...y'know, like when that Turducken went after those fillies..." "Uh-uh," Rainbow said with a shudder. "No way in all Equestria I'm eatin' THAT." "Yes, Trixie agrees. It does look quite...unappealing." Sunset blinked. "Wait. Turducken?" "Yeah, we had a wild Turducken loose in Ponyville a while back," Pinkie said. "Now that was a nasty bird monster." "And this ISN'T?" Trixie cried. "EXCUSE me," a new voice interrupted frostily. Rarity, her mane and tail in complete disarray and her hooficure chipped, trotted briskly up to the group. "If you all wouldn't mind, I seem to be the only one actually FIGHTING THIS MONSTER at the moment!" "Whoops! Sorry, Rarity!" Rainbow said. "Let's truss up this turkey!" Applejack said with a grin. "Tofurkey!" Pinkie corrected. "Pinkie Pie, Applejack, I need the two of you to round up all the little Tofurkeys," Twilight said, conjuring a huge steel cage. "Right!" Pinkie replied, saluting. She charged after the nearest group of mini-Tofurkeys, gobbling like a turkey to attract their attention. "You got it, Twilight!" Applejack adjusted her hat and charged into action, her lasso already swinging. "Everypony else, let's take this thing down!" "I've got this!" Sunset cried. Her horn glowed, and she disappeared in a teal flash. She reappeared on the Tofurkey's back. It gobbled angrily and thrashed around, but she dug her hooves in, grimacing with the strain as a massive pulse of magic built up in her horn. She lowered her head and shot a sparkling pale green beam at the Tofurkey's head. Its eyes glazed over, its neck drooped, and it wobbled on its feet. Sunset wiped her forehead with a hoof. "It's okay!" she called. "My sleep spell's never failed before!" The Tofurkey shook its head violently, craned its neck around, plucked Sunset off its back, and threw her at the nearest house. "GAH!" she cried, shielding herself with her hooves. She disappeared in a magenta flash, soft-landing beside Twilight, who swooped in and erected a barrier between herself and the Tofurkey. Sunset picked herself up, groaning. "Thanks," she said. "Don't mention it." "That was embarrassing," Sunset muttered. Trixie trotted up, a smug smirk on her face. "It looks as though the oh-so-great Sunset Shimmer doesn't live up to her reputation!" "Hey! I haven't had a horn for more than a few minutes in the last few years!" Sunset protested. "What's your excuse?" Trixie tossed her mane. "Watch and be amazed," she said. She strode confidently forward, her purple cape billowing dramatically. "HOLD, foul beast! You stand in the presence of the Great and Powerful TRRRRRIX—" The Tofurkey puked up a slimy, shiny white block of itself, which smacked Trixie right in the face. It slowly slid off her muzzle, landing with a wet *plap* on the ground, then turned into a smaller Tofurkey. Trixie's muzzle worked soundlessly for a moment; she blinked numbly at the monster. A frown worked its way across her face. "That was uncalled for," she said tonelessly. Her horn glowed, and she levitated a large, ripe honeydew melon out of a nearby vendor's cart. When the Tofurkey opened its beak again, she hurled the melon right into its gob. It stuck in the Tofurkey's craw; the monster bird's eyes bugged out as it hacked and hacked, thrashing around and trying madly to dislodge the obstruction. Trixie smirked and tossed her mane. "Voila." "Oh, that poor monster," Fluttershy said sadly. "Wow, Trixie...that wasn't half bad," Sunset said. "Well of course!" Trixie said arrogantly. "After all, Trixie is the greatest unicorn in all Eques—" With one violent cough and a whiplike crack of its neck, the Tofurkey shot the melon out of its craw with the force of a cannonbolt. It caught Trixie right in the chest and sent her flying; she crashed through the front window of the nearest building. "TRIXIE!" Twilight shot a wide purple beam of magic at the Tofurkey, stunning it, then teleported into the building Trixie had crashed through. "You big MONSTER!" Fluttershy let out a battle cry and performed a diving drop kick into the Tofurkey's back. Her hoof sank several inches into its soft, slimy hide. She blinked repeatedly. Rainbow swooped in and caught Fluttershy under her forelegs, pulling with all her might until Fluttershy's hoof came loose; the two pegasi flew out of the way just in time to avoid a savage pecking. A lasso caught the Tofurkey around the neck; Applejack dug in with all her strength and pulled violently, trying to wrangle the monster to the ground. The Tofurkey gobbled angrily and thrashed around, spitting out another rectangular egg-block, which beaned Applejack on the nose before turning into another angry, pecking mini-Tofurkey. Applejack had no choice but to relax her grip on the rope. The door behind Sunset burst open, and a thoroughly disheveled Trixie stormed out, picking dozens of little shards of glass out of tiny bleeding cuts. "Trixie. Is. PISSED," Trixie snarled. Her horn glowed, and she shot a pencil-thin beam of blindingly bright magic right into the Tofurkey's eye. It screeched furiously, thrashing its head around madly. It scrambled up to Trixie, grabbed her by the mane, and flung her high into the air. Rainbow flew up, caught Trixie, and carried her back to the ground. Twilight returned to the battlefield. "This is worse than fighting a Timberwolf," she said. She turned to Sunset. "Any ideas?" "That depends," Sunset said. "Do we want to capture this thing or kill it? Because I can think of like a dozen ways to kill it...I think..." Fluttershy gasped. "It's a living thing!" she cried. "We shouldn't hurt it any more than we absolutely have to!" Rainbow Dash buzzed the Tofurkey; it snapped at her, catching her in her side. She screamed as she went down hard, plowing into the dirt. "Oh, I'm hurting it!" Twilight snarled. Her horn flared, and dozens of glowing magenta chains sprang out, wrapping tightly around the Tofurkey, binding its wings. With a pained grunt of effort, she hauled it off its feet and began slamming it against every solid surface she could find. After almost a full minute, her magical chains snapped, and the Tofurkey flared its wings, screeching furiously at her. Twilight had no time to recover before the Tofurkey slammed into her, sending her flying spine-first into a wall. "TWILIGHT!" the others cried. Twilight sat up, eyes spinning dizzily. "I'm okay," she mumbled. "Alright, that's it," Sunset growled. "Enough is enough!" She planted her hooves firmly on the ground, lowered her head, narrowed her eyes, and gritted her teeth as her horn began to glow brightly. "Sunset, what are you—" Twilight began as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie helped her to her hooves. "Run," Sunset ground out. The air all around them began to heat up, rippling and shimmering. "GAH!" Twilight cried, eyes wide as she retreated from the rapidly superheating air around the Tofurkey. "What is she...?" Trixie wondered. Twilight grabbed her by the tail and dragged her to a safe distance. All around them, the others began to scatter. The Tofurkey wobbled in place, swinging its head to and fro in confusion as the heat intensified. The air itself began to glow red, with white-hot sparks arcing inward from the heated airmass, centering themselves on the monster. The angry red glow of the air pocket cast a blood-red wash over Ponyville, and a low, dangerous hum washed over the town. The superheated air pocket collapsed in on the Tofurkey all at once in a rush, creating a white-hot point just around its body. It held for a moment, still and eerily silent, before... The mass of heated air EXPLODED outward, bursting into flames that rippled across the screaming Tofurkey's body, which began to blacken and blister and melt. Ponies covered their ears as a series of loud explosions cracked out from the epicenter of the blast. The air suddenly, violently cooled, the vacuum filling with a thunderclap. Burnt chunks of Tofurkey rained down on Ponyville. Sunset panted with exhaustion, sweat dripping from her bangs. "Whew." "What. The. HECK?" Rainbow cried, jaw scraping the ground. A trembling Fluttershy, hiding behind Rainbow, peered at Sunset with wide, horrified eyes. "That was scary," she whispered. Trixie stared at Sunset, eyes wide as saucers. "What...what was that?" Twilight crept slowly toward Sunset, a supremely unnerved expression on her face. "Sunset Shimmer?" she asked hesitantly. "Yes, Twilight?" "Was...was that...was that Fusion Flare?" "Yeah." Twilight frowned. "Umm..." She shook her head. "Sorry, I just...why do you even know that spell?" Sunset blew upward on her bangs. "Twilight...my Cutie Mark is the sun. What, you didn't think maybe I might specialize in certain kinds of magic?" She rolled her eyes. "It's just that, well...it's not exactly magic you can use regularly. Or safely." She paused. "Or legally." Twilight took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Right. Okay. Just...please don't ever cast that spell again. I'm serious." Sunset looked away guiltily. "Yeah, okay." "Well...at least we're not gonna hafta eat the monster," Pinkie said after a long, awkward silence. Rainbow trotted up to Sunset Shimmer, a serious look in her eyes. She laid a hoof on Sunset's shoulder. "Sunset Shimmer?" she began. "Yes, Rainbow Dash?" "That..." Rainbow grinned. "...was the most AWESOME thing I've ever seen any unicorn do!" She laughed maniacally. "You totally ROCK!" Sunset rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Umm...thanks?" "C'mon everypony!" Rainbow yelled. "Let's celebrate! First round of cider's on me!" One of the little Tofurkeys ran up to her and pecked her viciously in the knee. The others stared at it. "We...still have a little cleaning up to do," Twilight said. * * * * * By evening, all the Tofurkeys had been captured and caged, and Twilight had summoned the Royal Guard to take them to Canterlot. While Rainbow and Trixie were patched up at the Ponyville Clinic, Twilight had written a report on the incident to Princess Celestia, but had judiciously left out Sunset Shimmer's involvement. An exhausted group of mares gathered around the dining room table in Twilight's castle, where Spike had laid out a simple but filling supper. "Well," Sunset said, "my first day back in Equestria certainly was exciting." "We're all so lucky you were here, Sunset," Twilight said. "Even if I don't entirely approve of how you defeated the Tofurkey, I think we can all agree it would've been a lot worse if you hadn't been there to fight alongside us." "Yeah," Rainbow said. "It's good to have a unicorn around who knows what she's doing and can actually do the stuff she thinks she can!" Sunset laughed self-consciously. "I just..." She looked down at her plate. "I just wanted to help however I could." "Shucks, sugarcube, don't be so modest," Applejack said. "Heck, Ah think you just proved why you were Celestia's student before Twilight came along!" Sunset smiled, but it didn't quite meet her eyes. "Yeah. I also proved why she cast me out." Twilight shook her head. "You used your magic to protect ponies," she said. "To protect your friends. I think Celestia would be proud of you right now." Her muzzle furrowed. "Buuuuut...I didn't tell her you're here, and I certainly didn't tell her about that spell you used." "Thanks," Sunset said. "I don't think I'm ready to deal with...to deal with facing her just yet." She looked up and smiled. "Maybe...maybe next time I'm here." Rarity raised an eyebrow. "You're not...you're not leaving already, are you?" "Huh? Oh...no," Sunset said, shaking her head. "I'm here for the week. Didn't Twilight tell you?" "I didn't tell anypony you were coming," Twilight said. "I wanted it to be a surprise." "Oh, okay." Sunset took a sip of water. "Well, I've got a week to kill before I have to go back—my friends and I rented a beach house in the islands for a couple of weeks." She smiled. "Really looking forward to that. Anyway, I'm also looking forward to getting to know all of you better...I mean, I already kinda know all of you, because you're the pony versions of my friends back home, but..." "That's...still kinda weird to think about," Rainbow said. "That there's two of all of us, I mean." "Well, I certainly hope the rest of your visit is less stressful than today," Twilight said. "I mean, other than the part where we have to talk about..." She looked around the table, took a deep breath, and continued, "Starlight Glimmer." The mood at the table instantly turned tense. "So that's why Sunset Shimmer is here," Rarity said. "Huh?" Rainbow said, blinking. "I don't get it." Twilight sighed. "I've asked Sunset Shimmer to help me deal with Starlight Glimmer," she said. "I thought long and hard about it, and it makes more sense for me and one or two talented unicorns to go after her than it does to send a whole bunch of ponies after her. I mean...you girls saw what she's capable of." "Yeah..." Fluttershy said sadly. "Don't misunderstand!" Twilight said. "You girls are all my friends, and you know I'm proud to have all of you by my side whenever anything bad happens! Together we've faced down Nightmare Moon, Discord, Changelings, and all sorts of other things! It's just..." She trailed off, looking down at the table. "I think this might be the one time..." "Totally get it," Rainbow said. "Fight fire with fire, right?" "Shoot, make sense t'me," Applejack said. "Starlight's like an evil, deranged version of you. Sunset used to be an evil, deranged version of you." She glanced at Sunset. "Uhh...no offense." Sunset snorted. "None taken." "I do suppose it's handy to have another unicorn around as gifted and powerful as Twilight," Rarity said. As the girls continued to talk about Sunset Shimmer, Trixie sat at her place at the table, eyes narrowed, and fumed silently. *Sunset Shimmer...Trixie will prove she is your superior even if it kills her...*