//------------------------------//
// Endgame-Sunset Shimmer 
// Story: A Sparkling Sunset 
// by Ferhog 
//------------------------------//

The first thing Sunset comprehended as she began to awake was her body's state of complete discomfort. She not only felt weak and sickly inside and out, but at the same time she could also feel the touch of cold air biting at her. Meanwhile, the bed she could feel herself lying in was not helping with her discomfort at all, if anything it was adding to it. The blanket and pillow, while pretty soft, were far from being thick enough to protect her against the cold or prevent her back and neck from stiffening. The mattress was also uncomfortably thin, allowing her whole body to suffer a similar painful stiffness.

Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at a light grey wall in front of her, which was all she could see in her position. As she moved around to get a better look at her location, she felt aching waves of pain pass through her body, roughly informing her that something unpleasant had happened to her.

Taking a look at the rest of the room she was in, she noted the bed she was lying in, a desk, a chair tucked under said desk, and strangely, what looked like a toilet and sink. This was all contained within a small square room that had a light grey colour in its walls, floor, and ceiling, which had a single light attached to it. 

However, what stood out most to Sunset was the fact that there was no fourth wall to complete the other three. Instead, the space in front of her was blocked by a set of metal bars, a barred door built within them. Taking everything she saw in as she fully regained consciousness, Sunset quickly realized that she had in fact just woken up in a jail cell.

And not just any jail cell, she realized. It had been a while since she had seen it, but she recognized that she was in the dungeon beneath the Castle in Canterlot, one of the many places she had become familiar with through her explorations of the Castle when she was Celestia's Student.

But answering the question of where she was only brought up why she was there in the first place. What could she have done to have ended up in here? Was it connected to how her body currently felt?

She looked back into her memory as she tried to recall the last thing she could remember...

And felt a jolt run through her chest as she was hit with the memories of what she had done. Images of Twilight burning up in a green inferno flashed in her mind as the screams echoed in her head. 

Suddenly, the pain she felt in her body seemed to vanish. As a matter of fact, the world around her seemed to vanish. The only thing that existed was herself, and her mind, which she had locked herself in.

'This isn't right...' She thought to herself as her eyes welled up. 'I was trying to protect her. How could I have done this? This was exactly what I was trying to stop.'

'Maybe you weren't meant to stop.' The other voice hissed in her head. 'After all, you seemed pretty content with letting her go. What's the difference in shooting her in the face in the process?'

'Stopping that from happening was the reason I wanted to leave her in the first place! I wanted to keep her safe! But instead I let my emotions get the better of me! Now she's been hurt, or... worse...'

'Oh she's definitely dead. We released a lot of energy in that blast. Enough for it to hurt every time you move. There's no way anyone, Alicorn or not, could survive that.'

'NO! That can't be true! I couldn't... THIS IS YOUR FAULT!'

'My fault? You're the one who insisted on choosing your human family over her. How can I be blamed if you just wanted to take her out of the picture entirely?'

She thought about the Orphanage and everyone in it. Miss Peachbottom, Sweetcream Scoops, Cactus, Salty Haze, Coppermane, Lens Flare, and all the other kids who had treated her like a sister for years. She thought about her friends at Canterlot High. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie... even Flash. She didn't want any of them to suffer the way Twilight did.

'It doesn't matter anymore. It's best they all just forget me. It's not like I deserve them.'

That was the truth that Sunset Shimmer had accepted. She was long past the point of cutting ties with Equestria and trying to stick with her new life in the human world. In actuality, she had gone past that point a long time ago. Her fate had been sealed the second she discovered the mirror. It had turned her into a monster undeserving of the love of someone like Twilight or those she called family back in the human world. The only thing left for her was the fate Celestia would decide for her. And after what she had done to Twilight, on top of everything she had already done, she knew there wouldn't be a shred of mercy left for her.

Exactly what she deserved. 

'So you're just going to give up?' The disgruntled voice said in her head. 'You're even more pathetic than I thought. It's a wonder I ever considered us the same.'

Sunset wasn't listening anymore, though she knew there was no real escape from it. That voice was going to follow her for the rest of her life. Nothing could change that, so why bother? She only cared about one thing now...

A noise that sounded like a mix between a Bang and a Clang suddenly echoed down the halls of the Dungeon, bringing Sunset out of the cave of her subconscious mind. She moved herself out of the bed, feeling an ache pulse up her legs as she hit the floor. Walking over to the border of the bars that kept her from the rest of the world, she was surprised to discover that there had been a Guard standing by her cell all this time. That actually made perfect sense when she thought about it, she was just surprised that she hadn't noticed him. What was even more surprisingly, or more accurately speaking unnerving, was that the sound from earlier had come from the entrance of the dungeon being opened, the one who opened it being another Guard who was accompanying none other than Flash Sentry.

And he did not look happy.

Sunset quickly pieced together what had happened. Royal Guards usually came in pairs, and she understood that the one accompanying Flash must have been with the other one currently at her cell before leaving once it had been noticed that she was waking up. And it wasn't exactly unexpected that Flash would want to be notified of when she was awake.

"Captain Flash Sentry!" The Guard by her cell addressed him. "The prisoner has awoken!"

"Really?" Flash said with sarcastic unamusment. "I'm sorry, I was unable to see her standing right in front of me!"

The Guard looked down in shame. "I apologise, sir."

The attitude that Flash gave the Guard was not something she was familiar with, and the way the Captain quickly looked ashamed of himself made it evident that he felt the same.

"I'm sorry, man..." He said as he put his hoof on the Guard's shoulder. "Let's just say I'm going through a lot right now. I don't mean to start giving off bad vibes to anyone."

"It's alright sir." The Guard responded professionally as he saluted. "We'll leave you alone with the prisoner."

As the two Guards linked up into a side by side formation and walked down the hall towards the entrance, Flash turned to face Sunset. As quickly as he had gone from seemingly frustrated to empathetic, he reverted back to his more malevolent attitude as he stared at her with eyes full of anger, disgust, and sadness.

"Why'd you do it?" He asked coldly as the sound of the distant door shutting indicated the Guards' leaving.

These words hurt a lot more than Sunset expected them to. Though she wasn't too keen to show it, she did care for Flash as quite possibly the first real friend she'd ever known. Hearing him speak to her with such a mix of hatred and disappointment... it felt like something akin to a kick in the stomach, and she figured her bodies' state had nothing to do with it.

"Flash, I... I didn't mean for any of this to happen..." She told him through a broken voice. "I didn't mean to hurt her..."

"Don't give me any of that crap, Sunset!" He raised his voice at her. "I saw what you did! If you think you can try manipulating me like you do with everyone else, you can forget it! I know you and your tricks well enough!"

She figured as much. Flash did indeed know her, which included the fact that she was a skilled manipulator. He undoubtedly saw her despair as little more than an act.

'Why are you even bothering to try and tell him the truth? You've already accepted yourself as a monster and what's going to happen to you. Why not just play the part. Hell, you don't even have to really play it when you can just let me take the lead.'

'I may know what I am, but that doesn't change the fact that I still care about these people. Flash deserves the truth. I owe it to him. Even if my actions overshadow anything I say.'

"Flash you need to understand, I really haven't been manipulating anyone." She explained. "Twilight and I were just... in an argument. Things got out of control."

"Out of control?!" He exclaimed in disbelief. "You lobbed a giant fireball at her! I wouldn't call that 'out of control', I'd call that a direct attempt to kill one the leaders of Equestria!"

Sunset couldn't say she didn't at least try to tell him the truth. She didn't really expect him to believe her, she just wanted the comfort of knowing that what would likely be the last thing she said to her childhood friend wasn't a lie, something she had done too much of in her life. There was only one thing that really mattered now.

"Look Flash, I know you have no reason to believe me, and frankly I don't really care." She told him. "I just need to know... how is she?"

"Princess Twilight?" He assumed. "I got a good look at her when I saw you blast her to pieces and I had to organise the Guards to get her some medical attention. Last time I saw her, she was covered in so many burns she can barely be classified as a pony anymore."

That gut kicking feeling Sunset felt evolved into a sensation as if her stomach was sucking in everything within her body when he explained this to her. Even though she knew Twilight couldn't have taken the blast very well, actually hearing the description of what happened to her was something she couldn't have prepared for, no matter how much time she was given.

"Is she... is she going to make it?" Sunset asked as she felt her composure crumble further.

"Why would you care?" Flash asked cynically. "You're the one who shot her."

"Just tell me if she's going to die!" She practically screamed at him.

Flash stared at her with a look that could only really be described as confusion. With his perspective that Sunset was just a fiendish manipulator merely faking any empathy, such a genuine breakdown would probably leave him confused. 

"My honest opinion..." He began, a deep sadness in his eyes. "Even if she survives... I wouldn't give her much more than a few years. Her injuries just looked way too extensive."

And with that Sunset slumped to the ground. For a second, Flash seemed to briefly move as if to help or check on her, but stopped, possibly because he quickly suspected a deception, or just realised he couldn't do anything from behind a set of metal bars.

Sunset breathed heavily as she lay in a slumped sitting position on the prison floor. She didn't want to think about it, but she knew Twilight would likely die because of what she did if she wasn't dead already. But hearing those words physically hit her ears made her feel like she had been struck by a shower of solid bricks. Actually, she'd rather be hit by thousands of brick showers than hear those words again.

But as with all words, it wasn't the words themselves that hurt, it was the meaning behind them. In her attempt to protect the one she loved, she ended up doing the complete opposite. There was no way around it. She had killed Twilight.

"Flash..." Her cracked voice made out. "Could... you do something for me?"

She looked up at the Pegasus, who looked back at her in complete confusion. He did indeed know her and the vile manipulator she could be, and this wasn't it at all. The unicorn before him was a broken mess, her eyes as red as her hair with tears pouring from them like a stream, and her broken voice shaking as much as her own body. This clear contrast between the attack he saw on the Princess and the genuine despair he saw in his old friend clearly made no sense to him.

"Um... sure..." He responded to her.

"If... if you get to talk to Twilight. If she... isn't dead yet..." Sunset choked up. "Tell her... tell her I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did to her. That it... was my fault that... her life was cut so short. Tell her I'm sorry... that I stole her crown. That she followed me back to the human world. That she convinced me to be her friend. Tell her... I'm sorry that I got to know her. We... we never should have met..."

Sunset found that her clenching throat couldn't speak anymore. At this point, she wasn't just saying these words to Flash so he could pass on the message. She was saying them to her beloved Twilight, even if she couldn't hear them. And she was saying them to herself. A final assurance that her entire relationship with Twilight was the greatest mistake of her life. One of many mistakes and sins that she was finally willing to be punished for.

She let out the last of her sobs as Flash watched from the other side of the bars, completely baffled at what he was seeing, but completely sorry at the same time.

"Sunset... I... what happened?" Flash asked in confusion. "If you really cared about her, why did you attack her? How did you attack her? Just... what happened?!"

Sunset turned her back to Flash and leant against the bars as she spent a moment regaining her composure as best as she could.

"It... doesn't matter how it happened." She sniffed. "What matters is that it did happen. And no one can forgive me for that. Not Celestia. Not myself. Not even Twilight..."

"But Sunset, you shouldn't be punished for this if you didn't mean to do it." Flash tried to convince her. "If Twilight manages to make it through for now she'll forgive you. That's the kind of person she is. And maybe she can convince everyone else to forgive you as well. Heck, maybe we can find a way to save her! We can put this all behind us!"

"I don't want to put this all behind me!" Sunset exclaimed. "I've done too much in my life to be able to forgive myself. If I can't take responsibility for what I've done what worth do I have?"

"You have the worth of being my friend." 

Sunset froze for a second upon hearing his proclamation. It came completely out of nowhere, but for some reason, it actually gave her some comfort within her world of sadness. Maybe it was just the satisfaction of hearing Flash finally come over to her side. She couldn't even understand why she wanted it. Did she want to have one last thing go her way as it seemingly always used to? Did she want Flash to trust her enough so that he could pass on her last message to Twilight? Did she just want to tie up loose ends with her childhood friend? Whatever it was, it didn't matter to her anymore.

"Thank you, Flash. I don't know why, but... I needed that." She told him with grateful sadness. "Now get out."

Though her tone was quite soft, Flash was taken aback by the sudden harshness of her statement. 

"What?"

"I said get out." Sunset repeated. "Leave. You're better off without me... and so is everyone else."

"But..."

"JUST GO!"

Once the echo of her suddenly raised voice faded, there was a moment of silence between the two before Sunset heard Flash walk down the hall of cells towards the exit.

"Goodbye Sunset."

Despite the fact that she wanted him to leave, Sunset felt something inside her empty as she heard the sound of the door shutting. It seemed that even if she wanted it, she couldn't resist the sadness that came with being alone.

Although, alone wasn't exactly accurate.

'Are you sure you want to go through with this? Celestia may not exactly be the ruthless type, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have it in her. There's a good chance she's going to have you killed for this.'

'Is that sympathy I hear? I didn't expect that to come from you.'

'Hey, looking out for you is the same thing as looking out for me.' The other Sunset corrected her. 'But I'm serious. Do you really think you're ready to die?'

Sunset leant her head back against the bars as she closed and let out the last of her tears.

'I really don't care. This world, and the human world... they'll be better places without us... no offence.'

For once her head was truly silent for a moment.

'None taken.'


***


Once word got to Celestia that Sunset was awake, the unicorn's trail was quickly arranged. It was clearly too organised for Celestia to have organised it in just a day though. Sunset figured that Celestia began arrangements as soon as she heard what she had done. Hell, judging by how she had been viewing Sunset before, it was completely possible that she had plans for this for quite a while in case Sunset tried anything that threatened Equestria.

Now, Canterlot didn't normally have trails, and thus didn't have a courtroom. Due to its importance and high security, crime was basically nonexistent, and the cities only threats were usually things on the scale of invasions or attacks by super-powered beings, which obviously normal law couldn't be dealt with. Because of this, Sunset's trial was to be held in the Royal Throne room. The perfect place to demonstrate the power of Equestria's ruler and what she does to those her threaten Equestria or it's people.

The shackles on Sunset's hooves rattled as a whole squad of six Royal Guards, each magically lifting a deadly lance, escorted her to through the halls of the Castle to the Throne room. A single thick metallic ring had been placed on Sunset's horn in order to inhibit her magic, as obscuring a unicorn's horn was surprisingly effective at disturbing the flow of magical energy and disabling magic entirely. It was also possible that the ring had been enchanted to further neutralise her magic. Since from their perspective they were putting a psychotic potential murderer in a room with their leader, it was likely that they would take these measures.

When Sunset finally made it to the throne room she got a good look at the crowd that Celestia had assembled for the event. Behind the protection of temporary metal fences and Royal Guards stood the Nobility of Canterlot on the left and the common folk of Equestria on the right, a lot of them muttering quietly to each other. It was a lot more than Sunset had expected, and it told her that Celestia felt some guilt herself for what had happened to Twilight. She had grown too passive, maybe even too soft. Now she would show as many Ponies as possible that she wasn't as incompetent as some would call her, and that you do not get away with an act of violence against Equestria.

And upon the thrown at the end of the great hall sat Celestia herself, ready to pass judgement. Sunset looked up at her from the other end of the room, and the Alicorn looked back. Though Celestia's face and posture were calm, composed, and commanding, behind the facade she stared at Sunset with pure hatred, disgust, and disappointment.

Sunset averted her gaze from her former mentor, the shame she felt rivaled only by her guilt. Celestia had no reason to hold any empathy towards her. Not after everything Sunset had doen, and after seemingly stabbing her in the back when they had finally begun rebuilding their relationship.

All eyes in the room were on her, except those of the Guards surrounding her. The Ponies to her right stared at her with varying faces. Hate. Fear. Controlled curiosity. To her right the faces of the Aristocrats of Canterlot looked at her with similar emotions, except she also saw the belief that she was mere scum beneath their hooves that she had grown too familiar with during her time living in Canterlot. It wasn't on all of them, but it was there. The feeling of superiority and arrogance that made them dismiss anything they didn't believe in. The thing that scared Twilight so much when she entered her relationship with Sunset. It was one of the reasons Sunset felt she couldn't continue that relationship. One of the reasons she was here.

And now it was watching her like some comedic sporting event. It made her feel sick.

But she knew they weren't nearly as sick as herself.

Of all the faces watching her, the only one showing any sympathy for her was Flash Sentry. He stood by the left side of Celestia's throne, evidently taking part in the trial because he was pretty much the only known witness to the assault, and probably to serve as a commanding figure amongst the Guards at the same time. He appeared to be as composed as the Princess herself, but like the Princess, this was merely a mask hiding the face of his true feelings. And as the only one who had any idea of what really had happened, he felt sorry for Sunset, as the Unicorn could see. But as Sunset had asked, he appeared to hide this and not act on it. She felt grateful, but couldn't help feeling a little sad at the same time.

Once Sunset was brought within approximately ten metres of the Princess, the Guards all halted their march, turned to face Sunset, and pointed their lances at her, creating a ring of deadly confinement to make sure she was kept in check. With a raise of Celestia's right hoof, all chatter died down, leaving the hall in complete silence.

The time for judgment had come.

"Sunset Shimmer, you stand accused of the violent assault and attempted murder of one of the four Princesses of Equestria." Celestia spoke with a commanding tone. "How do you plead?"

Unexpectedly, Sunset suddenly found speaking to be quite difficult. Was it the pressure of being faced with the person she had let down more than anyone else? The discomfort of being accusingly watched by so many? Perhaps it was just the weakness she felt from her drained body and her consuming despair. Whatever it was, it made it a struggle for her to admit what she had done.

"Guilty..." She confessed. "What do you expect?"

The crowds quickly broke into chatter when they heard this. Now Sunset wasn't too familiar with how courts worked, but she was pretty sure Judges usually stopped things like this. However, Celestia ceased to attempt to stop the talking, and Sunset wondered if she was deliberately letting them feed each other's fear and hatred of herself, so that whatever judgment was passed to Sunset would seem like a major act of justice, giving Ponies more faith in the Monarchy.

Eventually, Celestia did once again silence the Ponies with a raise of her hoof.

"Captain Flash Sentry." She said, gesturing towards the Pegasus. "You are currently the only known witness to the attack. If you would, could you please recount your memories of the event."

Flash Sentry stepped forward, his eyes quickly locking with Sunset's. He seemed to be silently asking her what to do, as he clearly didn't want to do this. She hoped that her own eyes told him not to care about her.

Flash cleared his throat and stood up straight before speaking. "At approximately 12:00am Yesterday morning I was checking on on the morning patrols in Princess Twilight's Castle when I heard voices coming from the Library. They sounded like Princess Twilight and Sunset Shimmer, and they appeared to be shouting. I rushed over to see what was going on, and just as I located the two I saw Sunset Shimmer fire an extremely powerful looking energy blast at the Princess. I quickly reacted by knocking out Sunset Shimmer and checking on the Princess, who's body was badly burnt and mildly torn apart by the energy blast. After assembling the Royal Guards, we quickly gave the Princess medical attention before sending her to Canterlot to receive proper treatment. We are currently unsure about what's going to happen to her."

Sunset felt once again like she was being almost literally crushed by her own self-loathing and sorrow for Twilight as she once again heard what she did in more detail. It wasn't helped by the groups of Ponies looking at her with disdain as they heard these details themselves. While she couldn't make out what any one of them was saying over the many talking voices, she could easily pick up the disgust in all of them.

"Thank you, Captain." Celestia silenced the crowd with her voice. "Your help in apprehending the convict, treating the Princess, and assisting in this case are greatly appreciated."

Flash bowed to the Alicorn, before returning to his original position.

"Sunset Shimmer." Sunset froze up a bit as Celestia looked directly at her again. "Would you care to explain your actions?"

Sunset had no idea what to say. She couldn't say the whole truth, revealing her and Twilight's relationship to all these Ponies watching. Keeping the secret was one of the reasons this had happened, and she couldn't let it be in vain. So was simply lying the right option? The last great manipulation of Sunset Shimmer? No. She had no right lying to Celestia after what she had already done. And was it even possible to lie to someone who had over a millennia of knowledge and experience?

It seemed that half-truths were the only option for her.

"The... shouting between Princess Twilight and I... was an argument, as you might have assumed." Sunset told everyone in the throne room. "I... decided that I wanted nothing more to do with her or Equestria. I realised that in my attempt to befriend the Princess and reconnect with my homeland... I found nothing. I just wanted to spend the rest of my life in the Human world, and put Equestria behind me..."

At this point, she felt like she wasn't telling a convincing enough story to explain her actions. It seemed she would have to use her manipulating skills after all. She looked up at Celestia, converting the intense emotions she felt into a facade of bitter hatred that she transferred through her eyes and voice.

"But Twilight didn't like this. She apparently didn't like the idea of one of her little friendship projects ending in failure. She agitated me. I retaliated. A simple natural response."

Sunset hoped that was convincing enough. And the chaotic outcry coming from the crowds of Ponies told her it was. For the first time, Celestia had to forcefully act to make them stop.

"SILENCE!" Her shout echoed across the throne room, successfully putting an end to all talking. "Sunset Shimmer, you mean to say that you assaulted and almost killed a member of the Equestrian monarchy over a mere disagreement?"

While Sunset could hear the slightest hint of anger in Celestia's otherwise controlled voice, it was nothing compared to the fury she saw in the eyes of the Alicorn. Sunset's sight switched to the floor, as she was once again unable to look her teacher in the eye.

"Of course. I'm a monster aren't I?" Sunset quietly declared with conviction. "Hurting people is just what monsters do. It wouldn't be the first time a tried to kill Twilight. Like I said, I tried the friendship approach. I hated it. And I destroy what I hate. All I do is destroy..."

The hall was silenced yet again, but this time, Celestia had little to do with it. Every pony in the room was simply staring at Sunset in horror. Just as they should.

'All I do is destroy...' Sunset thought to herself, hoping no one noticed the thin tears she felt leaking from her eyes.

"Sunset Shimmer..." Celestia began, finally breaking the silence. "I knew you were ambitious. I knew you were dangerous. But at the very least I thought you were sane!"

"WELL THINK AGAIN!" Sunset cried as she threw her head up to face Celestia once again, this time with no intention of looking away. Her movement and loud voice was so sudden that several Ponies in the crowds nervously moved further away from her while the Guards standing by them moved into action positions and the Guards surrounding her moved their lances into a closer distance from her. This was Sunset Shimmer's final push. She was going to make it count.

"Here I am Celestia! The real Sunset Shimmer! The monster who wants nothing more than to have everything she wants and destroy everything she doesn't! I'm a threat to Equestria, aren't I? Then banish me! Imprison me! Execute me! If you hate me so much, JUST GET RID OF ME!"

Everyone looked at her like they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Sunset herself could hardly believe what she had just said. She knew that she was putting all her emotions into trying to convince everyone she was a monster, but she hadn't meant to declare her own loss of self-worth like that. And in hearing herself declare it so passionately...

'Is this really what's best for me? For everyone?' She began to question herself. 'Is this... what Twilight would want for me?'

She looked at Celestia, who seemed almost as shocked as everyone else at Sunset's possibly suicidal behaviour. The Princess looked at her with the same anger that had been there before. The same shame. The same disappointment. But there was something else there as well. A sadness existed in her eyes. A sadness that had undoubtedly come from seeing someone she cared about so much, someone she had so much pride in, reduced to such a low, despicable creature.

"Very well..." Celestia eventually spoke, doing her best to hide her many emotions. "If it's judgment you want, then you can have it. Sunset Shimmer, for the attempted murder of a Princess of Equestria, for the attempt to conquer Equestria with an army of slaves, for the countless crimes you have committed in your life, I, Princess Celestia, sentence you to..."

"STOP!"

Everything did stop. The Aristocrats, the Guards, the Common Ponies, and even Celestia all halted what they were doing, whether it was talking or watching Sunset, and turned to face the source of the sudden shout, eyes wide with disbelief. But Sunset barely noticed this, as she felt that the only thing that had really stopped was her heart as she comprehended the sound of that familiar voice.

She turned to face the direction that everyone else was looking in. 

"Twilight..."

At the end of the throne room the doors had been flung open, and under the threshold stood Twilight Sparkle, somehow completely okay and free of any injury, despite what Flash had told her and what she had seen herself. The sight was so unbelievable, Sunset instantly questioned if it was real. It couldn't be...

Twilight's vision fixed itself on Sunset before she dashed towards the Unicorn. Everyone in the hall was so shocked at the younger Princess's sudden appearance that they could only watch as she ran past the Guards in front of Sunset and flung herself at her, wrapping her hooves around her.

"Sunset..." Twilight whispered joyfully.

Sunset was still staring at the doorway Twilight had appeared from in disbelief. "But... you..."

Twilight stepped back from Sunset, her hooves still holding the Unicorn's neck. "It's really me, Sunset. I'm here."

Sunset stared at Twilight. She was really there. She could really see her. More than that, she could also feel the touch of her hooves. She was right in front of her. Alive. Unhurt. Just as beautiful as ever. Was her hair longer? That was irrelevant. She thought she had lost one of the things that made her feel that her life was worth anything, but there it was.

She might have kissed Twilight right there if they didn't hear Celestia suddenly speak.

"Twilight Sparkle..." Celestia's voice rang across the throne room, causing Twilight to look in her direction and Sunset to turn in the same direction. "How..."

"This doesn't make any sense!" Flash yelled in confusion. "You looked like you were on death's front yard! How are you... not?!"

"I can explain that!" Another new yet familiar voice cried from the doorway.

Sunset turned with Twilight to see that Discord of people... or... Draconequss' was standing within the open doors. The Guard who had been standing by the Doorway, shocked by his sudden appearance, pointed his glowing horn at him defensively.

"Um... I'm with her." Discord said as he pointed in Twilight's direction. The Guard's horn quickly stopped glowing, and Discord turned to face the rest of the Ponies.

"So sorry about being late." He apologised. "I had to bring Twilight Sparkle here back to life, then I had to teleport us here before Sunset could receive whatever unspeakable punishment Celestia was going to give her... it's surprisingly tiring."

Discord certainly did look exhausted, as he wasn't really standing in the doorway so much as leaning against the threshold, his back drooped over as he breathed heavily, dark circles under his eyes on his sunken face. But that didn't concern Sunset as much as that one thing she thought she heard him say.

"Brought you back to life? What does he mean by that?" Sunset asked as she turned to face Twilight.

"Oh yeah, I might have... died... a little bit." Twilight explained. "But I'm better now thanks to Discord."

Sunset now felt as confused as everyone else at this revelation. "Um... okay..."

"Hello!" Flash called from the other end of the hall. "Could we rewind a bit here. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU BROUGHT HER BACK TO LIFE?!"

"You couldn't..." Celestia said in disbelief. "Discord, the consequences you could have suffered..."

"Hey, as you can see, I'm completely fine." Discord declared happily. "No consequences here. Well, aside from the fact that I'm going to pass out in about 10 seconds. Don't mind me though, you Ponies continue. Twilight, you get back to convincing Celestia of your Girlfriend's innocence. Let me know how it turns out."

And with that, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed onto the ground.

Everyone stared silently in confusion at the Spirit of Chaos' unconscious body before Twilight gestured to the Guards surrounding Sunset.

"Don't just stand there! Get him some help!"

While they were just as confused as everyone else, if there was one thing that Royal Guards could do, it was taking orders from a Princess, and they quickly rushed over to Discord, each of them lifting him onto their shoulders and walking off to get him to the Hospital.

"Discord was right..." Twilight said as the Guards left with the Draconequss and she turned to Celestia. "Celestia, Sunset didn't mean to hurt me! I'm fine!"

Celestia, possibly the least confused person in the throne room, quickly got over Twilight's appearance and Discord's collapse, returning to the subject of Sunset's fate.

"Yes Twilight, I'm happy to see that you are alive and well, but this is only because Discord has made a great sacrifice, one that could have been, and still could be much greater. His current state serves as the greatest evidence of what Sunset Shimmer has done."

"But it wasn't her fault!" Twilight responded desperately. "Her magic accidentally erupted because I pushed her too far emotionally! It's my fault I was injured!"

"Regardless of what happened, Sunset Shimmer has is still responsible for killing you as I just heard, as well as trying to exploit the power of Starswirl's mirror, taking control of the minds of several innocents, and attempting to conquer Equestria with an army of these slaves."

"But I stopped her! I taught her what it meant to have friends! I forgave her! And you were going to as well!"

"She stole your element of Harmony, she threatened to destroy the mirror and leave you trapped in her world forever, and she tried to kill you TWICE! And she succeeded the second time! Why are you trying so hard to protect her?!"

"BECAUSE I LOVE HER!"

Of all the times that the throne room went quiet, never did it become as completely silent as it was now. Ponies were staring at them not just with eyes wide but mouths gaping. Sunset herself stared at Twilight with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, completely baffled by what she had just said. Here right in front of Celestia, Flash and countless Ponies, nobility and regular citizens alike, Twilight had just declared her love for Sunset. 

"Ha! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" A random voice shouted from the crowd.

Well, that kind of wrecked the moment.

"Twilight..." Sunset squealed in horror. "What are you DOING?!"

Twilight turned to the Unicorn. "I already told you Sunset. I can't imagine a life without you anymore. I don't care if the Ponies with power try to tear us apart. If they're going to take you, they're taking me with you."

Leaning forward, Twilight locked her lips with Sunset's, kissing her in front of everyone, including the people who had scared her so much after they had kissed for the first time.

With that, the Ponies around them erupted into chaos, countless voices crying countless different messages in response to this new revelation, ranging from supportive to disgusted. Even the Guards, normally so collected and emotionless, started expressing their differing opinions on the matter. At the end of the hall, Flash stood, completely paralysed staring in disbelief at the two lovers.

Once again, Celestia was the most controlled, and was clearly annoyed at the crowd's sudden explosion of chaos.

Her horn glowed a bright gold, and suddenly every Pony in the room was frozen in the same light, excluding Twilight, Sunset, Flash and the Guards, who all froze for a completely different reason. It was quite hard to believe how easy it was to forget that Celestia was someone who was powerful enough to raise the sun each morning, and how telekinetically holding a hall of Ponies must have been a piece of cake in comparison.

"I apologise for this sudden act of force my subjects, but I'd like to remind you that we are still currently in the process of a trial." Celestia told everyone in that commanding tone of hers. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like us to continue in order. If anyone wishes to continue in their reactions to this... unexpected new, they may do so elsewhere."

The Ponies held in Celestia's magical grasp were all simultaneously released. While no more sound came from them, all eyes were still on Sunset and Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle, while I respect your feelings, I can't let them get in the way of Sunset's deserved judgement." Celestia told her pupil. "If you are unwilling to comply, I'd suggest you leave and wait for this trial to end."

"NO!" Twilight yelled defiantly at Celestia, something which shocked Sunset once again in this day full of shocks. She had never seen any Pony openly defy Celestia, except herself.

But Twilight wasn't finished. "This isn't just about Sunset and the things she's done. This is about you! You want to get rid of Sunset because she's your greatest failure! Your biggest regret! You can't stand to look at her, or even think about her, because you can't help but think of her as your failed attempt to create a successor!"

Once again, Sunset found herself confused. Failure? Regret? Successor? What was she talking about?

Celestia seemed similarly baffled. "What makes you think..."

"I know about Sunset's heritage!"

"Huh?" Sunset was really confused now. "What about my heritage?"

Twilight was unresponsive, continuing to glare at Celestia as if trying to break her down and find what was hiding inside her. Sunset turned to look at Celestia as well, and was surprised to see that she had turned white! As in whiter than usual. Her face had paled, her hair ceased it's flowing and she stared at Twilight with wide disbelieving eyes.

"How do you know this?" Celestia asked in disbelief.

"Because I told her!"

Once again, a new but familiar voice rang through the air, this one filled with the same commanding presence as Celestia's. Everyone in the hall turned around to see none other than Princess Luna herself standing under the threshold. With how many people had turned up suddenly with shocking news, Sunset wouldn't be surprised if the damn Smooze suddenly showed up with the revalation that Celestia was actually a robot from the future.

"Luna... how..." Celestia facial expression changed to one of realisation before switching to anger. "You had no right..."

"It doesn't matter whether or not I had any right!" Luna declared as she marched down the throne room. "What matters is that you are about to make the biggest mistake of your life!"

"Do you think you know me so well you can just tell me what I should do with my own responsibilities?!" Celestia asked. "I don't think so!"

"She knows you well enough!" Twilight declared. "And so do I! We both know you don't really want to do this! You just don't know what else to do!"

"What can I do then!" Celestia cried. Sunset watched in disbelief as she heard the voice of the great and might ruler of Equestria begin to shake and her eyes start to water.

"Sunset is your kin and mine!" Luna said as she stopped next to Twilight. "She is no different to me! If you could forgive me, you can forgive her!"

"Wait... what?" Sunset asked, confused as ever. "What do you mean 'kin'?"

If they were going to answer her, they were interrupted by Celestia fully breaking into tears, a sight Sunset was sure very few people must have seen. It's unbeleivability really didn't help with her confusion.

"But how can I forgive myself?" Celestia asked in her broken voice. "After what I did to her... after what I let her become... after I failed her..."

Seriously, what was everyone talking about?

"You can move on, just as she has." Twilight told Celestia. "And we can help you."

"But..." Celestia seemed to be struggling for words.

"You have to be honest with her, Celestia." Luna declared. "You can't hide from this anymore. She's your family."

"OKAY, CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"

All eyes turned to Sunset, surprised by her sudden outburst. She actually felt a little embarrassed for it.

"I'm sorry... it's just... I really need an explanation right now." Sunset admitted.

"I believe my sister can help you with that." Luna told her before facing Celestia with a look of encouragement.

Sunset herself turned to Celestia, seeing her in a way she never had before. Emotional. Weak. And helpless.

But as this state faded from her face, a new one took its place, something Sunset was equally unfamiliar with. It was a look that resembled... love. The kind of love only found in a...

Mother.

"Sunset Shimmer." Said Celestia as she wiped the tears from her face. "There's something I should have told you a long time ago..."