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// Lost In A Familiar World 
// Story: The Sun Sets at Twilight 
// by ModMCdl 
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Twilight watched as Sunset Shimmer eyed her new wings, spreading them out, and drawing them back in, almost as if she were testing them. It wasn't surprising, as the lavender alicorn could remember doing the exact same thing when she had gotten her own wings. It was quite a shock, she could understand.

Sunset's perspective, for that matter, was a whole different story. Her surprise had been surprisingly brief, quickly replaced with another, darker feeling: power. Sunset could feel the power flowing through her. It was warm, hot with fury. It made her feel strong, and  she loved it. Her gaze left her wings to focus on the princess before her. Her muzzle shifted from the small "o" of surprise to a wicked grin, causing Twilight to shift uncomfortably.

"I did it," muttered the new alicorn softly. "I'm an alicorn." She watched as Twilight's concerned look briefly flashed into a depiction of confusion. Sunset's voice rose. "I can have all the power I want!"

Twilight's face then took on a blatant look of shock. The fiery mare was slipping back into the evil mindset that Twilight hoped and thought she would never see again. She was so shocked, she almost didn't notice that Sunset began to laugh as she powered up her horn. The cackling of magic filled the air, breaking the lavender mare out of her trance, as she watched Sunset start to rise up by her own power.

Thinking quickly, Twilight summoned her own magic, a deep magenta glow overriding the teal around Sunset's horn. The mare cried out as her newly found power started to slowly drain from her, with Twilight dispersing it out into the surrounding air.

"Sunset!" cried Twilight. "Calm down!" She grappled with the furious mare, eventually settling on just yanking her down in front of her by her horn. "Sunset listen to me!"

"No, Twilight, you listen to me," she retorted, her voice slurred with anger and arrogance. "Think of all we could do together! The two most powerful mares in all of Equestria. In all of the many realms!" She grinned and evil grin again. "Think of all the power you could have in the center of your hoof."

"No."

The fiery mare focused her eyes on Twilight's, letting out angry huffs, as if trying to imitate a bull. Twilight just continued to hold her in her magic, calmly staring back into her turquoise irises.

"I know that you're good," said the lavender mare softly as she leaned forward and wrapped her forelegs around the mare. "So stop letting your power take hold of you and just let go."

Sunset's heart shattered as a silky lavender fur made contact with her own. Emotions surged through her: regret, sadness, anger, but most prominent of all, love. Her stance relaxed into the soft hold that Twilight held around her, and her hard gaze softened as the warm body of her love pressed up against her own.

"But..." said Sunset, her voice still gruff with anger.

"Shhhhhhh," a calming hush came from the mare holding her.

"But..." The voice was slightly weaker now, but still coarse.

A lavender hoof wrapped around her back.

"But..." whispered Sunset, finally breaking, with tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "I have all the power I always wanted..."

A soft breath was felt on her ear as Twilight replied, "Then use that power for good."

That was it. Sunset began to sob uncontrollably upon Twilight's shoulder. She felt the lavender hooves tighten around her, trying to comfort her, but they did little to help the conflicted mare.

"I c-can't be good," she stuttered out, crying. "I j-just proved t-that..." Sunset Shimmer felt helpless and corrupted. She felt dirty, as if her soul itself was unclean.

And yet, Twilight's comforting hooves never did leave her. Twilight never left her.

"It was only a relapse," she tried to reassure the fiery mare.

Sunset tried to break away at that. "But what if it happens again?" she cried. "W-what if I can't control myself?" Her voice began to dip into panic.

A calm hoof ran up and down her back, slowly trying to soothe the mare. "It won't," reassured Twilight. "And if it does, I'll help you."

As the lavender mare's words and calming touch worked their magic, Sunset slowly relaxed back into Twilight's comforting hold. It may just have been an excuse to be closer, and to feel the touch of her crush, but Sunset felt as though she desperately needed it at the moment. It was the most welcome thing she had felt in a long time.

"I'm sorry," she finally said, whispering into Twilight's ear. "I-I didn't mean to."

Twilight just continued to rub Sunset's back gently. "I know," she said back in reply, "I know."

The touching moment lasted a little longer, before it was interrupted by Spike banging the door open and rushing into the room.

"Twilight!" he cried, holding up a scroll. "The Princess sent you a scroll!"

Sunset, for some reason unknown to the lavender alicorn, shot away from her, breaking their embrace. "Heh," she chucked nervously, wiping the tears from her eyes. 

Twilight looked at her curiously, before summoning the scroll with her magic, and unrolling it. As her violet eyes skimmed across the paper, reading it over and over again, the got wider and wider. Finally, she shoved the scroll back at Spike and looked up at Sunset Shimmer with a panicked gaze.

"We have to hide you!" she cried, before trotting around the room, looking for possible places to hide an alicorn.

The fiery alicorn raised an eyebrow, taking the letter from the young dragon so she could read it again. "What? Wait, why?"

She too, unrolled the scroll and began to read. 

My Dearest Twilight,

Roughly four hours ago, a large surge of alicorn energy exploded out of the mirror portal in The Crystal Empire. Do not worry, for both Cadence and your brother are fine. However, much to our surprise, Doctor Vu Du, a former member of the Canterlot High Unicorn Assembly who now works as a medical professional in Ponyville Hospital detected a large surge of similar energy coming from the center of town. I will be arriving shortly to investigate this myself, as the magical signature connected to the surge concerns me. I fear that an enemy has returned to Equestria.

Sincerely, Celestia

Sunset's first surprise was the level of formality that Twilight had with Princess Celestia. No titles were used, and the jargon was pretty casual for that of a ruler of Equestria. The second was that her ascension to alicornism was powerful enough to resonate through the portal into the outside world. 

However, she did not see what the big deal was. "So, Princess Celestia is coming to Ponyville to find out why I shattered a few windows when I came out of the portal. What's the big deal?" Sunset turned to the lavender alicorn frantically skimming through '101 Ways to Hide a Pony for Dummies.' "Just tell her I'm not evil anymore, and make some tea or something!"

"Tea?!" cried Twilight. "TEA!" She huffed, her eyes bugging out. "Princess Celestia is coming to my castle to convict a wanted criminal and you want me to make her TEA?!"

Sunset Shimmer grinned nervously. "Uh, yeah?"

The lavender alicorn across from her began to slowly turn red with anger, but just as she was about to blow up, the door downstairs opened and the voice of the sun called up to her.

"Twilight Sparkle?" called Princess Celestia. "Did you receive my letter?"

Twilight visibly paled, the emotion draining from her face. "Shoot," she whispered to herself. She rushed over to Sunset, and tried to drag her over to a nook over by one of the many, tall bookcases adorning the walls of the room. "Quickly! Hide in there!" 

Yet Sunset Shimmer would not budge. "Twilight," she said sternly. "I am not just going to hide from my former teacher." She pushed the lavender mare away. "I deserve whatever punishment she gives me, and knowing Celestia, she will probably forgive me anyways." Sunset flashed a reassuring smile over at Twilight. "Besides, you won't get in trouble. It's not your fault I came back here." 

'As far as you know...' she thought afterwards.

Twilight somehow managed to become even paler as a warm, golden glow appeared over the library doors. And when the doors swung open to reveal Princess Celestia and a dozen unicorn guards with their horns at the ready, Sunset began to doubt her plan as well.

"H-hi, P-princess," stuttered Twilight, stepping out from behind Sunset. "As you can-"

"Sunset Shimmer."

The powerful voice of Celestia rang out across the room, striking fear into the fiery mare's formerly bold heart. "Why have you returned?" The question demanded an answer.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she replied, "I have come back because I feel that I have to amend my past."

To the surprise of everypony in the room, Celestia scoffed at the fiery pony's comment.

"You have returned to Equestria, a land you intended to ruin, and you are an alicorn." She chucked. "Am I supposed to believe you have changed so greatly?"

Sunset could only stand there silently, unbelieving of her own ears. And yet, she shouldn't have felt so surprised, as this was the Celestia that she knew; Twilight said she had changed for the better, but it appeared that she had not.

Twilight appeared to be just as surprised as Sunset at her former mentor's reaction. Letting out a small gasp, she placed a hoof over her mouth in shock as Celestia took a few foreboding steps forward towards the new alicorn.

"You left Equestria with a sure promise to destroy us when you returned.," she said coldly. "What you did here was inexcusable, and I cannot forgive you." Her eyes narrowed as her horn lit up, preparing to unleash some ungodly spell upon the now openly crying gamboge mare.

Letting out another gasp, Twilight could not just stand her and let the suddenly viscous princess unleash her wrath upon the helpless alicorn mare before her. "Wait!" she cried, jumping in between Sunset and the cusp of Celestia's majestic horn. 

The golden glow around the pearl horn cut out immediately as she quickly raised her head to remove the lavender alicorn from her aim of fire. "Twilight!" she cried. "What has gotten into you?"

Breathing heavily, Sunset looked up at her savior with tears in her eyes as she was helped up by tender, purple hooves. 

Twilight turned to Princess Celestia, a steeled look of determination in her eyes as she spoke coarsely. "I, personally, know that Sunset Shimmer has changed for the better," she said. "And even if she hadn't, with the laws that you set into place in this nation, she hold the right to a fair tribunal before all four alicorn princesses."

Celestia stood there, either not knowing how to counter her former student's argument, or just at a loss for words.

"Now," Twilight continued. "As your equal, I am prepared to use my power to grant Sunset asylum in my castle if necessary." At that, the Princess of the Sun opened her mouth to object, but Twilight cut her off. "That is fully within my power," she said. "Do remember that I was the only six-year-old who read the 'Complete Documentation of Equestria's Hierarchy System of Government.'"

Her tone and gaze softening a bit, the lavender alicorn finalized her stance. "You were not there in that other world. Sunset has come to save the day many a times, just as I have with the help of the elements in this world." Her head lifted up a bit, looking Celestia dead in the eyes. "I know that she is kind, and honest, and loyal, and generous, and cheerful, and she definitely excels at magic. I see no reason to incarcerate her for wanting to return to her home after so long a wait."

The speech had attracted the attention of the normally stoic guards as they gazed at the trio in the center of the library. All eyes were on Twilight, as she stood between Celestia and her friend, awaiting her co-ruler's decision.

Minutes passed, with nopony speaking or moving at all, only the rhythmic hums of breathing could be heard. The room seemed so full, yet so empty at the same time, as Sunset Shimmer awaited the annunciation of her fate.

Finally, Celestia gave in. "Twilight Sparkle, I have no reason not to trust you and your judgement. You have always been loyal to me," she said softly. "Therefore I will allow Sunset Shimmer to stay in Equestria, under your jurisdiction."

The two ponies that this applied two turned, and smiled at each other in silent victory, only for their hopes to be dampened yet still.

"But," continued the Princess. "But... as a sort of probation, if you will, I will remove all of Sunset's magical abilities from her for a month."

Truthfully, both Sunset and Twilight were expecting much worse when they heard that "but" come from the alabaster alicorn's muzzle. However, it was still an inconvenience. Unicorns, for their entire life, had used magic to manipulate objects, leaving their hooves with little dexterity. Removing Sunset's magic for a month was going to be a high hurdle to leap over.

"Very well," said Sunset. "I suppose I do deserve a punishment far greater than that."

Princess Celestia nodded in solemn agreement, before motioning for Twilight to step away so she could perform the spell. Her horn powered up, a magnificent golden glow radiating outwards from it in a corona of cackling energy. Just before the spell initiated, Celestia gazed into Sunset's turquoise eyes and muttered one last warning.

"I hope for your sake that Twilight is indeed right about your intentions."

Then, with a swift upward cut of her head, a beam of pure, radiant energy shot out of the solar goddess' horn, and slammed into Sunset Shimmer's, completing the spell, and removing all magical essence from Sunset's equine form.

The entire room was entrapped in a white glow as the spell took effect, and Sunset's magical energy discharged into the surrounding environment. When it finally faded after a few moments, Twilight blinked the flash out of her eyes, and looked over to where Sunset was, checking to see if she was hurt. 

Sunset lay there dazed, and tried to stand, only to fall backwards. Thankfully, she appeared unhurt, but not without obvious physical changes. Ones that made Twilight gasp.

Sunset Shimmer was now an Earth Pony. Her horn and wings were gone, replaced by flawless, golden fur. Tears trickled down Twilight's cheeks as she stared at her friend, the sight so unfamiliar and foreign to her, and so sad...

"You have been stripped of your magical prowess until I feel you are true in your intentions," said Celestia softly. "How long that will be, I do not know."

Sunset Shimmer was feelings very light-headed, and did her best to nod in acknowledgment. 

With that, Princess Celestia motioned to her guards and took her leave. In her wake she left a crying alicorn princess and earth pony. Her only hope was kindled within the fires of her faith in Twilight Sparkle. The faith that Twilight was telling the truth, and that Sunset Shimmer had finally come home.