Not Fully Forgiven

by smirker

Day 1

Twilight Sparkle was busy packing up and getting ready to head to Canterlot to rule Equestria, knocking is heard at her door and she opens it, she sees a mare in front of her, she was a unicorn, she had a light blue coat just a little lighter than Trixie's, her mane and tail were long and wavy, they were a slightly dark yellow color, she had bangs across her forehead as well, her eyes were a strong purple color, and her cutie mark could not be seen because she was wearing a blue long-sleeve lace dress with flower patterns on it and a white long-sleeve dress under it, the dress was closed in front of her hind legs, and she was wearing black high heel shoes on all four of her hoofs,

"Hi, sorry to bother, but do you have a mirror that can go to another world?" the unicorn asked, she had a soft voice,

"Yes, why?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Oh, sorry for dropping by like this all of a sudden, I'm an old acquaintance of Sunset Shimmer." the unicorn replied,

"Really? That's amazing, I'll write to her to let you know you're coming." Twilight Sparkle said,

"No, that won't be necessary, I wish to see her in person." the unicorn replied,

"Oh, alright, this way then." Twilight Sparkle said, and she leads her to the mirror,

"Sunset is on the other side, you'll be at a school when you enter, Sunset goes to that school." Twilight Sparkle said,

"Alright, thank you." the unicorn replied, and she goes through the mirror.

---

The unicorn arrives on the other side of the mirror and looks at herself, she was still wearing the same outfit as before,

"What the?" the unicorn asked as she looks at her hands, she sees herself wearing black high heel shoes on her feet, she walks forward while wobbling a little,

"Oh, bipedal, just like a dragon." the unicorn said, and she walks around while wobbling a bit. The unicorn walks around and sees no one around, so she enters the school, she sees the classrooms were empty, the bell rings and everybody comes out, she walks around slowly and sees the closest human to her, it was Sandalwood, she walks to him,

"Um, excuse me." the unicorn said, and Sandalwood looks at her,

"Do you know where Sunset Shimmer is at?" the unicorn asked,

"Sure, let's look for her." Sandalwood replied, and they walk around the school, they eventually go outside,

"That's her right there." Sandalwood said as he points at her, they see her walking home,

"Thank you." the unicorn said, and she follows her while Sandalwood goes back to the school, she follows Sunset Shimmer and goes to her home, she hides and waits until it was dark.

Night time comes and the unicorn enters Sunset Shimmer's home since the door was unlocked because her friends just left, she hears the toilet flush and sees Sunset Shimmer in her pajamas. Sunset Shimmer looks and exclaims with surprise when she sees the girl,

"Um, can I help you?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"It's been a long time." the unicorn said,

"Wait, what?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Don't you remember me, Sunset Shimmer?" the unicorn asked,

"Um, no, I can't say that I do." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"My name's Arcana, does that ring any bells?" the unicorn asked,

"Arcana... Arcana... No, it doesn't." Sunset Shimmer replied, Arcana scoffs,

"Hold still for a minute." Sunset Shimmer said, and she touches Arcana's right shoulder and sees her memories.

---

Sunset Shimmer sees the inside of Canterlot Castle, she sees a lot of unicorns there, along with herself, they all see Princess Celestia,

"I am grateful you all came, but before I can choose my pupil, I need to see what you all can do." Princess Celestia said, and the unicorns cheer. The vision changes and the unicorns all meet one another and Sunset Shimmer introduces herself,

"Sunset Shimmer, which you all probably know by now." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Um, who?" Arcana asked while eating grapes,

"Sunset Shimmer, best magic user in Equestria?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, never heard of you." Arcana said,

"Well, you all might as well give up now, because I know you all are going to lose to me." Sunset Shimmer said, Arcana just sits and listens to the others. The vision changes and everypony did magic competitions, everypony did something different, Sunset Shimmer fuses a tiger and lion together to create a liger while Arcana makes fire, water, rocks, and wind float around herself, everypony looks at Arcana with surprise, her magic aura was four different colors, they were red, blue, yellow, and green, Arcana wins the contest while Sunset Shimmer gets second place, she growls at the fact that she lost. The vision changes and Sunset Shimmer and Arcana were the only two left before Princess Celestia chooses her pupil, the two had to do a project to impress her, Arcana was working late at night and working with unstable chemicals, Sunset Shimmer looks and sees Arcana was creating some kind of chemical, Sunset Shimmer smirks while she uses her telekinesis to add a chemical to the bubbling chemical, it reacts violently and an explosion happens in Arcana's room and she screams. Sunset Shimmer's vision changes and she sees Arcana being taken to the hospital the next morning, Princess Celestia was standing to her right,

"I know what you did last night, Sunset Shimmer, you're disqualified." Princess Celestia said,

"What?! Arcana wins?!" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, I'm going to look into your backgrounds and decide which one of you two will be my pupil when she recovers." Princess Celestia said, and Sunset Shimmer glares as she looks on. Sunset Shimmer's vision changes and she was standing to Princess Celestia's left,

"I have decided, Sunset Shimmer will be my pupil." Princess Celestia said,

"What... but, Princess Celestia..." Arcana said,

"I'm sorry, Arcana, but you're just not what I'm looking for, head on home now." Princess Celestia replied, and Arcana walks home with her head down while Sunset Shimmer smirks at her.

---

Sunset Shimmer's visions end and she lets go of Arcana,

"Wow, I can't believe it's been that long, how you've been, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked, Arcana grabs her neck with her right hand and chokes her,

"Waited a long time for this." Arcana said, and she throws Sunset Shimmer back, she screams and lands on the table and it breaks. Sunset Shimmer tries to get up but Arcana picks her up and begins punching her in the face, she does a hard punch with her right hand that sends Sunset Shimmer back onto the floor, she exclaims when she falls,

"Look, I'm sorry you didn't become Princess Celestia's pupil." Sunset Shimmer said,

"That's not it." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer's attention is caught,

"You caused a lot of pain to me when you played that prank on me and sent me to the hospital, now, feel the exact same pain I felt." Arcana said, and she grabs Sunset Shimmer's hair and begins bashing her face on the floor, she stops after a minute and Sunset Shimmer pants while in pain. Arcana goes up the stairs and takes one of the guitars off of the wall, she goes back down and begins hitting Sunset Shimmer on the back of her head with the guitar, she exclaims when she gets hit, Arcana turns her around and hits her across her face with it so hard, the guitar snaps in half, Arcana looks at it and then throws it at Sunset Shimmer and hits her in the face with it. Arcana picks up Sunset Shimmer and throws her head into the TV, breaking it, Sunset Shimmer groans and falls to the floor, Arcana begins to grab and twist Sunset Shimmer's fingers, she screams from the pain, she twists all eight of her fingers and breaks some of them, Arcana turns her around again and begins punching her in the face again, she stops after a minute and turns her around again, she stands up and walks, she picks up the amplifier behind Sunset Shimmer's sitting chair, she goes to her and drops the amplifier on Sunset Shimmer's head, she screams in pain. Arcana throws the amplifier off of her and picks her up again, she carries Sunset Shimmer to the area under her bed and throws her head into the microwave, breaking the glass, she pulls her out and throws her, Sunset Shimmer screams, she lands on the wooden floor and it breaks where she lands. Sunset Shimmer cries and crawls away while Arcana walks to her,

"Please, I've reformed, I've changed my ways." Sunset Shimmer said tearfully while looking over her own left shoulder,

"That doesn't mean you're forgiven." Arcana replied in a cold tone, and she proceeds to punch Sunset Shimmer with her left fist, Sunset Shimmer screams and her vision goes black when she gets hit.

---

Sunset Shimmer groans and opens her eyes,

"Sunset? Sunset." Sunset Shimmer hears Fluttershy say, her voice sounded far away, she looks and sees Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack looking at her with worried faces, she also sees herself in a bed with bandages on her abdomen and arms, she sees the mirror behind her friends and sees a bandage was wrapped around her head,

"Where am I?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"You're in the hospital." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"Oh, right, I got a visitor last night." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Last night? You've been unconscious for a week." Rainbow Dash replied,

"A week? Has it really been that long?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Yeah, and we put all of your schoolwork in your home." Pinkie Pie replied,

"What happened in there?" Applejack asked,

"I... had a visitor." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"A visitor?" Rarity asked,

"Yeah, a unicorn from my world, it was someone I've actually forgotten about." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Wait, it's someone you know?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"Yeah, her name was Arcana, before I became Princess Celestia's student, I had to compete with the others for the title, Arcana was my biggest rival, I pulled a prank on her that hurt her and sent her to the hospital, she was bitter about it all this time, and came to my home and gave me a beating, she wanted me to feel the same pain she felt from that mean prank I pulled on her." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Why didn't you tell her you changed your ways?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"I did, she said that doesn't mean I'm forgiven." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"So, what are ya gonna do?" Applejack asked,

"After I recover, I'm going to Equestria and try to make amends with her." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Aren't you going to tell Princess Twilight?" Rarity asked,

"No, I have to do this alone, Princess Twilight doesn't know Arcana." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Well, hope the best for ya, Sunset." Applejack said,

"Thanks." Sunset Shimmer replied, and her friends leave, Sunset Shimmer lays in bed for two more days and was able to leave.

---

Sunset Shimmer walks home in her hospital garb and enters her house, she sees it was still trashed from when Arcana beat her, Sunset Shimmer changes her outfit and wears her usual outfit,

"Huh. I'm surprised she didn't trash my house." Sunset Shimmer said, and she looks around and mourns her destroyed guitar, destroyed TV, and destroyed microwave, her amplifier was undamaged, she goes to her school and goes to the statue and enters her home world. Twilight Sparkle walks around and Sunset Shimmer comes through the mirror,

"Twilight!" Sunset Shimmer said happily, the two hug one another,

"Did things go well with that unicorn from last week?" Twilight Sparkle asked,

"She didn't tell you?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, she just thanked me after coming back and left." Twilight Sparkle replied,

"Oh, I see, well, I have to see Princess Celestia, it's a bit of a personal reason." Sunset Shimmer said, and she leaves.

---

Sunset Shimmer goes to Canterlot on her own and enters the castle, she sees the ponies were preparing for Twilight Sparkle to be the new ruler of Equestria, she enters the throne room and sees Princess Celestia there,

"Sunset, this is a pleasant surprise, are you here to see Twilight's coronation?" Princess Celestia asked,

"Actually, no, I'm here for a personal reason, Arcana visited me last week." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Arcana paid you a visit last week? I remember before I chose you as my student, you and her had the biggest rivalry out of all of the unicorns, have you two caught up?" Princess Celestia asked,

"No, she's still mad at me for who I was back then." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"How mad was she?" Princess Celestia asked,

"Very mad, she gave me a beating that sent me to the hospital." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"*gasp* A beating?" Princess Celestia asked,

"Yeah, she said just because I've changed my ways doesn't mean I'm forgiven." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"I see, I think I know why you're here, you want to know where she's at so you can make amends with her, correct?" Princess Celestia asked,

"Yes." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Alright, Arcana lives in a village called Dreaming Paradise, it is an isolated village in the forest north of here, that village has a caste system of its own, each pony is divided by type, so there are three different classes. Arcana and the other unicorns are the magic users of the village, their caste title is Magicians, the earth ponies are militaristic and trained in combat, their caste is called Soldiers, and Pegasi are trained in stealth and concealing weapons, their caste is called Assassins, even though they are divided, each title is equal to one another, there is no superior or inferior caste rank." Princess Celestia said,

"Are they mean to visitors?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, and me several others have been there before, they are very welcoming and friendly people." Princess Celestia replied, Sunset Shimmer smiles,

"Also, be careful, that village also has three amulets, the Amulet of Magic, the Amulet of Combat, and the Amulet of Stealth, the Amulet of Magic increases one's magic and allows them to use spells that shouldn't be possible to cast, the Amulet of Combat turns your body into stone and increases one's physical strength and endurance, and the Amulet of Stealth allows you to become one with the shadows, they can disappear into them, and create doppelgangers of themselves, the amulets are given to whoever gets the highest scores on their tests, Arcana is current wearer of the Amulet of Magic, her two childhood friends have the other two amulets." Princess Celestia said,

"Oh, so I'll be dealing with three of them." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Not exactly, they mostly act alone, anyway, I'll let you go to Dreaming Paradise now, be careful in the forest around the village, and if you do get to the village, Arcana should be easy to find, she runs a winery there as her job, her wine is famous throughout all of Equestria, it's simply called Arcana's Winery." Princess Celestia replied,

"*chuckle* I should've guessed, Arcana ate nothing but grapes when we were here." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Yes, that's true, she did, I wished she would eat something else every now and then, you should go now, it's probably still open and can you tell her I said hi?" Princess Celestia asked,

"Sure." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Alright, good luck, Sunset." Princess Celestia said, and Sunset Shimmer leaves.

---

Sunset Shimmer heads outside and heads north, and enters the forest, she sees a wooden sign that points to where Dreaming Paradise is at, she begins to head there but stops when she hears magic being cast,

"Huh?" Sunset Shimmer asked while she looks to her left, she sees red, blue, yellow, and green auras, she trots there and sees Arcana sitting on a tree branch, practicing her magic and reading a book at the same time,

"Arcana." Sunset Shimmer said, Arcana puts the rocks down and closes the book with her magic, she turns around and sees Sunset Shimmer,

"You already recovered. Princess Celestia sent you?" Arcana asked,

"Um, yes and no, I kind of came here on my own accord." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"What do you want?" Arcana asked,

"I want to make amends with you, I want your forgiveness." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"My forgiveness? Why do you want that?" Arcana asked,

"Because I had to make amends in the world I'm staying in, you showed me that I have to make amends with the people in this world as well." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"The people in that world forgave you?" Arcana asked,

"Yeah, it wasn't easy, though, but I had friends to support me." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Who? People who didn't know what you did?" Arcana asked,

"No, the ones who I directly bullied and destroyed their friendship, they were the first ones to forgive me." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"I see, so that world has that problem, too." Arcana said,

"What problem?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"You all are too forgiving, there are some things that cannot be forgiven." Arcana replied,

"Arcana, please, give me a chance, I want to show you I have changed." Sunset Shimmer said, Arcana glares and fires a beam from her horn, Sunset Shimmer jumps back and the beam hits the ground and changes to a pillar of fire, it goes down after a few seconds,

"Like I'll ever make amends with you." Arcana said, Sunset Shimmer looks and sees something on her neck, it was an amulet, it was a silver amulet with a dark blue sapphire on it with a silver chain, Arcana was wearing it like a necklace,

"Wait, that amulet." Sunset Shimmer said,

"It's the Amulet of Magic, one of the three treasures of my home, it was given to me since I am currently the village's most powerful magic user." Arcana said,

"Wait, you wore it when you and I were rivals, you just hid it, you did cheat!" Sunset Shimmer said,

"No, I didn't, did you see the amulet when you looked into my memories?" Arcana asked, Sunset Shimmer becomes speechless for a second,

"No... I didn't." Sunset Shimmer said,

"See, there you go, I didn't bring it to Canterlot, that would've cheating if I did use it." Arcana said,

"Then why is your magic aura four different colors?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Because I control the four elements of nature, there are more elements than the Elements of Harmony, Sunset Shimmer." Arcana replied,

"Oh. Well, I'm not going anywhere." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Fine." Arcana said, and she jumps down from the tree branch,

"Defend yourself, Sunset Shimmer." Arcana said, and Sunset Shimmer gets defensive.

---

Arcana casts telekinesis and throws things at Sunset Shimmer, she puts them down with her telekinesis and Arcana makes vines grow out of the ground and they wrap around Sunset Shimmer's horn, she exclaims and tries to break free, Arcana casts a spell and sets Sunset Shimmer on fire, she screams and rolls around, she fires a beam at Arcana and she teleports, Arcana appears behind Sunset Shimmer and uses her magic to create rocks around Sunset Shimmer to trap her, Sunset Shimmer teleports out and reappears, she fires a beam at Arcana and hits her, she grunts loudly and slides back. Arcana focuses and shoots a red, blue, yellow, and green beam out, Sunset Shimmer shoots a beam out of her horn and they enter a deadlock, but Arcana easily overpowers her when Sunset Shimmer sees Arcana's magic beam was four times bigger than her own, she gets hit and Sunset Shimmer screams, the red parts of the beam burn her, the blue parts fill her body with water, the yellow part has rocks hit her, and the green part has gusts of wind cut her, the beams disappear after a few seconds and Sunset Shimmer grunts while she falls,

"*pant* *pant* That amulet sure is strong." Sunset Shimmer said,

"I haven't used it, yet." Arcana said,

"What?!" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"That's right, this is my natural magic." Arcana replied, and she casts a spell that makes four rocks appear around her and catch on fire, Sunset Shimmer sees they were meteors, they fly to her and Sunset Shimmer exclaims while she gets on her stomach to dodge the four meteors, they hit trees and set them on fire. Sunset Shimmer gets up and sees Arcana casting another spell, she makes tornadoes appear in the forest and she casts another spell to add fire into the tornadoes. The tornadoes move around the forest and Sunset Shimmer teleports around to dodge them, she sweats from the heat and with fear while she watches her surroundings, the tornadoes disappear and Sunset Shimmer sees black spots everywhere, she teleports to Arcana and fires a beam at her, she grunts loudly and slides back again, Sunset Shimmer fires another beam and Arcana grunts loudly again and falls onto the ground and pants,

"Wow, for a powerful magic user, your physical abilities don't seem very good." Sunset Shimmer said, Arcana glares at her and she casts a spell, she heals herself and stands up, she runs to Sunset Shimmer and tackles her down, she tries to strangle Sunset Shimmer but it did nothing,

"Hmm, it seems that strength from that world was only natural for that species, I lost it when I came back here." Arcana said,

"You never were an athlete, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer said, she looks at her with surprise and Sunset Shimmer punches her with her front right hoof, Arcana grunts loudly and pants while Sunset Shimmer stands up. Arcana pants heavily and stands up slowly,

"I didn't want to do this, but I have to use my amulet against you." Arcana said,

"Like what kind of spells does it grant you?" Sunset Shimmer asked, Arcana casts a spell and the sapphire on her amulet glows dark blue, Arcana grows Pegasus wings,

"What the?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"This is only one of the spells." Arcana said, and she flies to Sunset Shimmer. Sunset Shimmer fires a beam at Arcana and she flies around to dodge it, she tackles Sunset Shimmer down and she sees she now had the strength of an average earth pony, Sunset Shimmer shoots her away and Arcana stands up, she casts another spell and the amulet glows, she divides and Sunset Shimmer sees three Arcanas, a unicorn, a Pegasus, and an earth pony. Unicorn Arcana fires a beam at Sunset Shimmer while Pegasus Arcana flies to her and earth pony Arcana runs to her, Sunset Shimmer casts telekinesis on herself to dodge the beam, she is grabbed from behind by Pegasus Arcana and tries to restrain her,

"You're actually pretty weak." Sunset Shimmer said, and wobbles around and breaks free easily, earth pony Arcana jumps and knocks her down, she was on the ground again and earth pony Arcana begins to punch her with her front hoofs,

"That barely stings." Sunset Shimmer said, she shoots her with a beam from her horn, earth pony Arcana grunts loudly. Arcana casts a spell and her Pegasus and earth pony selves disappear, she casts another spell and the amulet glows, she changes to a dragon,

"What the?!" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"The amulet also allows me to use changeling magic." Arcana said, and she breathes fire out, Sunset Shimmer ducks and shoots another beam at Arcana and hits her in her abdomen, she grunts and changes back to a unicorn, she casts another spell while her amulet glows and Sunset Shimmer becomes an elder. Sunset Shimmer tries to move but was at a snail's pace,

"Arcana!" Sunset Shimmer said with a raspy voice, Arcana shoots a beam to knock down Sunset Shimmer while restraining her laughter, she falls over and she shoots a beam at Arcana's amulet, she exclaims when it gets hit and it undoes the spell and Sunset Shimmer was back to her normal age. Arcana gets ready to cast another a spell and Sunset Shimmer gets ready to shoot her down, but a yellow beam lands between the two and catches them off guard,

"Enough! Sunset Shimmer, Arcana, stop fighting." Princess Celestia said, the two look and see her walking to them,

"Arcana, I know you're still mad at Sunset, but she has changed and is no longer the pony she once was." Princess Celestia said,

"Why should I forgive her for what she did?" Arcana asked,

"Arcana, Sunset has truly changed, I want you to give her a chance so she can show you how far she has come." Princess Celestia replied,

"Why?" Arcana asked,

"I want you and Sunset to be able to make amends, too, I want you to be able to forgive her." Princess Celestia replied,

"And let her get away with her actions scot-free? Not a chance." Arcana said,

"What are you saying, Arcana?" Princess Celestia asked,

"You ponies are too forgiving, they're our enemies, they shouldn't be forgiven." Arcana replied,

"Do you have another suggestion?" Princess Celestia asked,

"Kill them on sight." Arcana replied,

"No, we are not allowing the death sentence in Equestria." Princess Celestia said,

"Then have them imprisoned and tortured." Arcana replied,

"No, I believe their ostracizing from society is punishment enough." Princess Celestia said,

"As mental punishment, they need physical punishment, too." Arcana replied,

"Well, if that's what you wish for, then you can have Sunset make amends by having her do manual labor." Princess Celestia said,

"You mean to be my slave, right?" Arcana asked,

"No, just have Sunset Shimmer do some physical work, and let her work and devotion show you how much she has changed, I think you will be impressed." Princess Celestia replied,

"Please, Arcana? I'm begging you, I want to make amends." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Hmm, well... I can always use an extra hoof picking grapes, alright, this afternoon, you're my slave." Arcana replied,

"Servant, Arcana, you still need to feed Sunset Shimmer for the work she does, and she has to go back to her world eventually." Princess Celestia said,

"Very well, hold on, I'll go open up my shop, wait here." Arcana said,

"Thank you, Arcana, I think you may be able to forgive Sunset." Princess Celestia said,

"Wait, before you go, and while you're here, why did you choose Sunset Shimmer over me as your student?" Arcana asked,

"I was hoping I could teach Sunset about friendship, since she didn't know what it was, but you did." Princess Celestia replied,

"And you failed." Arcana said,

"I need no reminder, Arcana, I'll be going now, I wish you two good luck." Princess Celestia said, and she flies away,

"Wait here, I'll come get you when I open shop." Arcana said, and she walks away.

---

Sunset Shimmer walks around the forest while bored and waits for Arcana to return, she walks around and she gets tackled down from behind, Sunset Shimmer grunts and falls over, she looks over her left shoulder and sees a pony covered from head to hoof in a dull gray suit of armor, the pony had a sword sheathed on its left side and a kite shield on its back. Sunset Shimmer stands up and the pony in the suit of armor begins to punch her, the pony moves slowly and Sunset Shimmer dodges the punches easily, she turns around and bucks the pony, she hits the metal and it does nothing, the pony turns around and bucks her, Sunset Shimmer screams and falls and slides across the ground,

"That hurt." Sunset Shimmer said weakly, she groans while she hears the suit of armor walking towards her, Sunset Shimmer looks over her own left shoulder and shoots a zap from her horn, she hits the helmet and the pony grunts, she realizes it was a female, Sunset Shimmer uses telekinesis and tries to take the pony's helmet off, she gets it off and sees the mare, she had a bright red coat, a long straight orange mane, and pink eyes, she had two scars on her left eye, she walks slowly while Sunset Shimmer's body takes time to recover,

"Come on, body." Sunset Shimmer said with strain in her voice, she sees the pony in the suit of armor walking towards her slowly, she shoots beams at her, but the pony in the suit of armor did not flinch at getting shot. Sunset Shimmer recovers and looks, she sees an amulet around the pony's neck, it looked just like Arcana's amulet and was also silver, but it had a red ruby instead of a sapphire. Sunset Shimmer looks on while speechless and she hears running behind herself, a garotte gets wrapped around Sunset Shimmer's neck, she screams while struggling to break free, she uses telekinesis to throw whoever was behind her over herself, the person stands up and turns around, Sunset Shimmer sees it was a female Pegasus, she had a bright green coat, a long straight light sky blue mane and tail, and yellow eyes, she was wearing a black leather tricorne with one corner facing forward and the other two corners to the sides and behind the Pegasus' head, she was also wearing a black leather waist-length coat with three gold buttons and gold trimmings around the button holes, the coat was open, the Pegasus was also wearing a black vest with three black buttons to keep it closed, a white cravat that was tied to have three layers, a light brown leather belt with a gold buckle, white pants, and light brown mid-calf length leather boots on her hind legs. The Pegasus reaches into her coat and takes daggers out, she tries to stab and slash Sunset Shimmer with them, she moves back and fires a beam at her, she grunts and falls over, she gets back up quickly and flies to her, she tries to slash Sunset Shimmer with her daggers, Sunset Shimmer just holds her back with her telekinesis, she looks and sees her amulet, it was also silver, but it had a dark green jade. The pony in the suit of armor runs very slowly and tries to ram Sunset Shimmer, but she casts telekinesis and struggles to hold up the pony in the suit of armor, the Pegasus flies to behind her and wraps her arms around Sunset Shimmer's neck, she grunts and throws the Pegasus off with her telekinesis. Sunset Shimmer watches and sees the two were about to attack her again, they go towards her again while Sunset Shimmer gets defensive,

"Paladin, Robin, stand down." Arcana said, the two turn around and see her walking to them,

"She attacked you earlier, we're just dealing with her for you." the mare in the suit of armor said,

"It's alright, I can deal with her on my own." Arcana replied,

"Oh, come on, Arcana, you know what we said when we were kids, all for one and one for all." the Pegasus said,

"It's fine, Robin, I can handle her." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer deduces that the pony in the suit of armor was Paladin,

"Who is this anyway?" Paladin asked,

"I'm Sunset Shimmer, I was Arcana's biggest rival when she and I were trying to become Princess Celestia's student." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Wait, you're Sunset Shimmer? We've heard about you, you sent our friend to the hospital." Robin said,

"Yeah, sorry about that, I'm here to make amends on that." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"You think we'd just apologize for that?" Paladin asked,

"That's why I came here to see Arcana, I'm here to do what she says and prove to her that I have changed." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Well, my shop's open, let's go." Arcana said, and the four head to Dreaming Paradise.

---

Sunset Shimmer walks behind the three mares and looks at them, she sees that Arcana was taller than Robin but shorter than Paladin, and Paladin walks with her helmet in her front right hoof,

"What are you going to have her do, Arcana?" Robin asked,

"Simple things, you know, things like pick the grapes for my drinks and maybe clean my home a little, I might have her serve me food for tea time as well." Arcana replied,

"I'll do anything you say." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Anything? Well, if you say so, let's keep going, Dreaming Paradise isn't too far from here." Arcana replied, and the four keep walking,

"Say, Arcana, why didn't you go back to Princess Celestia after I left?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"I was going to, but she already decided to take Twilight Sparkle in as her student." Arcana replied,

"Oh. Are you the leader of the three, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, all three of us act together, but if I had to say there is a leader between us, it'd be Paladin." Arcana replied,

"Why her for?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Because I'm the oldest between us three." Paladin replied,

"And you're the youngest, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, I'm the middle pony, Robin's the youngest." Arcana replied,

"We're still mostly the same age, Paladin's older than me by three years, and Arcana's older than me by one year." Robin said,

"Oh, it's not that big of an age gap." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Exactly." Robin said,

"Well, come on, our village is right there." Arcana said, and they arrive at Dreaming Paradise.

---

Sunset Shimmer looks at Dreaming Paradise and sees it was unique, the village was divided into three places, the left side of Dreaming Paradise had blue towers and unicorns in groups and casting magic together, the unicorns control fire, water, earth, and wind, the unicorns also meditated to make their magic stronger, the center area had red fortresses and earth ponies wearing suits of armor and marching, there were also earth ponies dueling with swords and jousting, some groups also practiced hoof-to-hoof combat, and some groups meditated in order to stay calm and not panic during battle, and the right area had green huts and the Pegasi were being trained in how to sneak around and conceal weapons in their outfits, they were also being taught how to hide their things in the ground and how to bypass securities. Sunset Shimmer looks around and actually liked Dreaming Paradise,

"Wow, it's like something out of a book." Sunset Shimmer said,

"You never were much of a reader, though." Arcana replied,

"Yeah, I learn better through experience than reading." Sunset Shimmer said,

"You're just like me, then." Paladin said,

"Well, judging by their outfits, I assume you're an earth pony." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Can't you tell by looking at me?" Paladin asked,

"Actually, most suits of armor like yours tend to hide the wings." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Oh, I see, that's not the case here, if I was a Pegasus, there would be holes on the sides of my armor to expose my wings, same if I was a unicorn, there would be a hole in my helmet to expose my horn." Paladin said,

"Ah, makes sense." Sunset Shimmer said, and she continues to watch the ponies, she sees the female Pegasi hiding small knives between their hind legs',

"Oh, that looks painful." Sunset Shimmer said,

"It is, we are taught to hide weapons in our lady parts as a last resort." Robin replied,

"Say, Robin, do you..." Sunset Shimmer said,

"No, I don't, I find it to be very uncomfortable." Robin said,

"Oh, well, I'm ready to work, where's the winery?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"This way." Arcana replied, and Sunset Shimmer follows her.

---

Sunset Shimmer goes to the left side of Dreaming Paradise and the unicorns look at her and Arcana,

"Um, hi, just a pony atoning for her past actions." Sunset Shimmer said while sweating,

"This way, Sunset Shimmer." Arcana said, and she walks with her, Sunset Shimmer walks around and sees the unicorns casting spells she has never seen before, she sees several ponies casting fire, water, earth, and air spells together, their magic auras were two, three, or four different colors, she also sees the meditating unicorns,

"What's with the meditation?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"A clear mind and a calm state allows you to control your magic better, while your emotions do affect how powerful your magic is, out of control emotions tend to cause massive destruction when one is casting magic, meditation is to allow us to stay calm." Arcana replied,

"Oh, now that you mention it, I think Princess Twilight once wrote to me about Starlight Glimmer channeling her emotions into her magic." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Yes, the meditation is supposed to teach us how to control it, basically, channel your emotions into the spell, but have control over it, since acting on impulse can make a spell very destructive." Arcana replied,

"Maybe I should try meditation, I still have a bit of bad temper." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Well, control it when you start working, the last thing I need is you losing your patience and begin messing up my grape field." Arcana replied, and they walk together and Sunset Shimmer sees the unicorns casting magic to change objects into other objects, casting wings onto themselves, freezing ponies in place, and creating shields around themselves,

"Say, Arcana, are you a teacher?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Sometimes." Arcana replied,

"How much farther till we get to the winery?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Just up ahead." Arcana replied, and Sunset Shimmer sees it, it was a wooden building shaped like a rectangle, she sees the name Arcana's Winery at the top of the building,

"You really did name it after yourself." Sunset Shimmer said,

"That's because I'm the one who opened it and I run the entire business on my own, a common mistake people make is they think I named it after myself because I'm an egotistical person, come on, Sunset Shimmer, let's get you to start working." Arcana replied, and the two enter.

---

Sunset Shimmer enters Arcana's Winery and sees barrels of wine everywhere,

"Wow, you seem busy, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer said,

"I am, come on now, let's get you started, I got a lot of grapes to pick outside today." Arcana replied, and she gives Sunset Shimmer an empty plastic bottle,

"Um?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"That's your pee bottle." Arcana replied,

"Seriously, Arcana? Why can't I use the bathroom like a regular pony?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Because relieving yourself with that is faster, anyway, here." Arcana replied, and she gives Sunset Shimmer a white bucket,

"That's your fecal bucket." Arcana said,

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sunset Shimmer asked, and Arcana gives her a roll of toilet paper,

"Well, go on and pick some grapes, they're through that door behind you." Arcana said, and Sunset Shimmer heads outside.

---

Sunset Shimmer goes outside and sees purple grapes everywhere, Sunset Shimmer trots and begins picking the ripe ones by hoof,

"Um, Sunset Shimmer." Arcana said, Sunset Shimmer turns around,

"You don't need to pick them by hoof, you can use your magic." Arcana said,

"I want to do it this way, it'll make me feel happier about myself." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Okay, but don't push yourself, I'll come out to pick my own grapes after I finish my studies." Arcana said, and she heads back in. Sunset Shimmer picks the biggest and ripest grapes in the grape field and put them in a silver metal bucket that Arcana had at the door, Sunset Shimmer carries her bottle, two buckets, and toilet paper with her telekinesis while she picks the grapes with her hoofs, she fills up one bucket with grapes and goes back into the winery and sees Arcana practicing a spell,

"The bucket's full, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Oh, just lay it here beside me and get another bucket." Arcana replied, and Sunset Shimmer does. Sunset Shimmer picks more grapes and uses the bathroom in her bottle and white bucket, she continues picking grapes and fills up another silver bucket, she gets a third silver bucket and picks more grapes until it was afternoon, Arcana comes outside,

"Sunset Shimmer, take a break, I have another task for you." Arcana said,

"What is it?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"It's almost tea time, and I would like for you to serve the food to me." Arcana said,

"Doesn't sound too hard." Sunset Shimmer said,

"It's not, come on, follow me." Arcana said, and the two leave.

---

Sunset Shimmer goes to the back of Dreaming Paradise and sees everypony sitting at tables and conversing, Sunset Shimmer carries grapes with her to the table Arcana was at, she was sitting to the left, Paladin was in the center, and Robin sat to the right,

"Thank you, Sunset Shimmer." Arcana said, and she stands by. Sunset Shimmer looks and sees Arcana eating nothing but grapes, Paladin was eating only watermelons, and Robin eats only pineapples, the three also drink juice that was the flavor of the fruits they were eating,

"Still only eating grapes, I see, Arcana." Sunset Shimmer said,

"You got a problem with it?" Arcana asked,

"It's just I thought you'd be eating more than just grapes after so many years." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"No, I've always liked grapes ever since I was a kid, it's always been my favorite." Arcana said,

"Haven't you ever tried something else?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, why?" Arcana asked,

"Eating too many of one thing is bad for your health." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"I've had no health problems so far." Arcana said,

"What about you two?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Mm-mm." Paladin said while shaking her head,

"Nope." Robin said, and Sunset Shimmer stands by and gives Arcana more grapes when she was done with her servings,

"Did you bring any food on your own?" Paladin asked,

"No, I didn't." Sunset Shimmer replied, and the three continue to eat fruits and drink fruit juice,

"What do you two do for a living?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"I'm a hired bodyguard for the people outside Dreaming Paradise, me and the other earth ponies also serve as a PMC for when the royal guards aren't available." Paladin replied,

"I'm an appraiser, you bring any ancient artifacts to me and I'll examine it and tell you if it's real or not." Robin said,

"Wow, you three sound busy." Sunset Shimmer said, Paladin, Arcana, and Robin nod while smiling and they finish their meals,

"Here, you can have the leftovers." Arcana said, and the three leave,

"Oh, thanks." Sunset Shimmer said, and she eats the grapes, watermelons, and pineapples, they were all sweet, she drinks the grape juice, watermelon juice, and pineapple juice as well, they were all sweet and delicious,

"Sunset Shimmer, if you're done, I need you here." Arcana said from afar, and Sunset Shimmer runs to her.

---

Sunset Shimmer stands in front of Dreaming Paradise and sees the ponies getting ready for what appeared to be a march,

"What's going on?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Afternoon training, we all gather together and train together after tea." Arcana replied, she looks and sees three stallions that catch her attention, they were a unicorn, a Pegasus, and an earth pony, the unicorn had a dark blue coat, a long white mane and tail, a long full beard, and purple eyes, he was wearing a blue wizard's hat, a long blue robe, brown knee-length gloves on his front legs, black mid-calf length boots on his hind hoofs, and a blue cape, the Pegasus had a dark green coat, white shoulder-length mane and a short tail, and yellow eyes, he was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants, black knee-length gloves on his front legs, black knee-length boots on his hind legs, and a green cape, and the earth pony had a dark red coat, short white mane and tail, and orange eyes, he was wearing a dull gray and battered suit of armor that covered his entire body except his head, his helmet was behind him, he had a sword sheathed on his left side, a shield on his back, and was wearing a red cape,

"Who are those three?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"They are the village elders, they rule the entire village, the unicorn is Archmage Astral Plane, the Pegasus is Master Nocturne, and the earth pony is Commander Lionheart." Arcana replied,

"They just become the elders by being the oldest?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"There's more to it than just age, they three have to lead an example for us, these three are looked up to more than most elders because all three once wore the amulets, the main reason they became the elders is because of their previous experiences from when they were younger." Arcana replied,

"Oh, I get it, they became the elders because of their wisdom." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Yup." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer smiles,

"Alright, everypony, afternoon training, fillies and colts, you all will go first, you will be put into groups of three, show us your growth." Commander Lionheart said, and the colts and fillies were put into groups of three consisting of a unicorn, a Pegasus, and an earth pony,

"What's the point of this?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"To teach teamwork, and that every part of a team is vital." Arcana replied,

"Alright, for you first timers, you all have three in your group, a Magician, a Soldier, and an Assassin, you all are to work together, you all know your strengths and weaknesses, your goal is to take out all three members of the rival group." Master Nocturne said,

"For those of you that fail, you will receive extra training to improve yourselves, let us begin." Archmage Astral Plane said, and they do. Sunset Shimmer watches and sees groups of three together, there were two groups, she watches and sees the earth ponies fight one another directly, the Pegasi using concealed weapons to fight another, and the unicorns in magic duels,

"Typical newcomer behavior." Arcana said,

"Huh?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"The goal is not to beat your own kind, it is to switch around and exploit your opponent's weaknesses to win." Arcana said, and Sunset Shimmer watches and see the six foals in deadlocks,

"That looks kind of fun." Sunset Shimmer said,

"It can be." Arcana replied, Sunset Shimmer watches and sees the older foals overpower the younger ones after a while,

"Next group." Archmage Astral Plane said, and the next older foals go up next,

"How does this work?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"We are chosen by age, youngest goes first, and go up the age group as training goes on." Arcana replied,

"You're already the strongest magic user in the village, right?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Yeah, why?" Arcana asked,

"Isn't your training complete?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, of course not, we train for life." Arcana replied,

"Oh." Sunset Shimmer said,

"That's one thing I don't like about places outside of Dreaming Paradise, you all don't bother training after you're done to reach new heights, I wish Princess Celestia would've allowed that and meditation." Arcana said,

"Well, not everyone wants to train for life." Sunset Shimmer said,

"True." Arcana replied, and they watch the trainings go on, Sunset Shimmer watches with a smile on her face while the ponies of Dreaming Paradise remain stoic,

"Wow, this is amazing." Sunset Shimmer said, the others stop and look at her,

"Who is this?" Archmage Astral Plane asked,

"I'm Sunset Shimmer, I'm here to make amends with Arcana." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Where is she from, Arcana?" Archmage Astral Plane asked,

"She was my biggest rival when I tried to become Princess Celestia's student." Arcana replied, the ponies murmur,

"Hold on, everypony, stop training, let's have her and Arcana face off against one another." Archmage Astral Plane said,

"Let's go, Sunset Shimmer." Arcana said, and the two walk forward.

---

Sunset Shimmer and Arcana stand distant from one another and the two were ready while the ponies of Dreaming Paradise watch, Sunset Shimmer casts a spell to shoot fire out of her horn, Arcana casts a spell to make a shield of ice appear in front of her, she teleports and appears above it, she casts a spell to make boulders grow around Sunset Shimmer to entrap her, Sunset Shimmer teleports and shoots a beam at Arcana, she hits her, but Arcana was unfazed, she sees Arcana cast another spell and gusts of wind appear, Sunset Shimmer grunts as she tries to stand on her hoofs, Arcana casts another spell and small pieces of rocks appear in the wind, they cut Sunset Shimmer and she yelps from the pain, she teleports and appears behind Arcana, she shoots a beam at her, but a red, blue, yellow, and green shield appears behind her and the beam gets deflected,

"What the?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"You've never seen a full shield before?" Arcana asked,

"What? No." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Shame, it'd be helpful if you outsiders learned it." Arcana said, and she disappears. Sunset Shimmer looks around and Arcana appears behind Sunset Shimmer, she turns around and sees Arcana cast a spell that makes crystals float around herself, Sunset Shimmer watches and Arcana shoots the crystals to her, Sunset Shimmer jumps to dodge them but Arcana casts a spell and freezes Sunset Shimmer, she falls and Arcana sends the rest of her crystals to her, Sunset Shimmer gets hit and falls. The sun melts the ice and Sunset Shimmer growls,

"Why so mad, Sunset Shimmer?" Arcana asked,

"I don't like to lose." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"You always were a sore loser." Arcana said, Sunset Shimmer growls and fires a big beam of fire out of her horn, she stops and sees water on the ground, she looks and sees melted ice in front of Arcana, and she was unharmed. Sunset Shimmer growls and fires a beam at Arcana, a blue force field appears and deflects Sunset Shimmer's beam back to her, she exclaims in pain and falls over,

"Is this really the best Arcana's rival can do?" a female unicorn asked, the others murmur. Sunset Shimmer gets back up while angry and remembers her previous fight,

"Wait, that's it." Sunset Shimmer said, and she runs. Sunset Shimmer runs to Arcana and she fires a beam at her, Sunset Shimmer casts a spell to disappear, she reappears to Arcana's right and kicks her in her right jaw with her hind left hoof, Arcana grunts loudly and falls over and slides on the ground, she gets back up and coughs a little,

"You never were good at anything physical, Arcana." Archmage Astral Plane said while looking down with his eyes closed, Arcana struggles to stand up and grunts, she tries shooting beams at Sunset Shimmer, she runs around and dodges them while she runs to Arcana, she punches her in her right jaw with her front left hoof, Arcana grunts loudly and falls over again, the ponies of Dreaming Paradise gasp. Arcana coughs and pants from the hit, she gets back up but struggles, she could not stand up straight, Sunset Shimmer turns around and bucks her and hits her in her chest, Arcana screams and falls over. Arcana groans loudly while she was on the ground, she could not move,

"So that's why she was Arcana's rival, while Arcana has the better magic, this pony is more athletic." Commander Lionheart said,

"Permission to engage." Paladin said,

"No, I don't think Arcana's done yet." Master Nocturne replied, they look and see Arcana struggling to move,

"Yeah, she's still standing, barely, though." Robin said, Sunset Shimmer sees Arcana cast a spell, her wounds heal and she gets back up,

"Oh, right, healing spell." Sunset Shimmer said, Arcana casts a spell and changes herself to a mosquito. Arcana flies to Sunset Shimmer and begins biting, Sunset Shimmer exclaims when she feels the bite appear on her, she casts telekinesis and gets Arcana off of herself, Arcana changes back and casts telekinesis on Sunset Shimmer, she begins to pull Sunset Shimmer's legs and she exclaims with pain and drops Arcana. Arcana casts a spell and her amulet glows, her body changes to a plant and she fuses with the ground, vines begin to grow out and tangle around Sunset Shimmer, she grunts as she tries to break free, Arcana makes a vine wrap around Sunset Shimmer's horn, she shoots fire out of her horn and burns the vines, she also shoots fire at Arcana, her amulet glows and Arcana changes back and casts a water spell on herself to douse the flames. Arcana casts a spell and her amulet glows again, the ground erupts and lava comes out, Sunset Shimmer exclaims while she casts telekinesis on herself to make herself fly, Arcana casts another spell and makes the lava erupts from the ground like a volcano, Sunset Shimmer flies and teleports around while Arcana continues to cast the spell, Sunset Shimmer goes to her right blind spot and shoots a beam at her, but it gets deflected and shot back at her, Sunset Shimmer gets hit by her own beam and yelps while she falls. Sunset Shimmer teleports and appears behind Arcana and bucks her, she exclaims and falls over while the lava stops erupting. Arcana casts a healing spell on herself while struggling and gets up,

"Ready to give up?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No." Arcana replied while she got up, she turns around and sees Arcana casting another spell, there was a purple haze around her horn, and her eyes glow green with purple mist coming out of them, Sunset Shimmer realizes Arcana was casting dark magic and gets defensive. Black crystals come out of the ground and Sunset Shimmer walks back, Arcana's amulet glows and her body becomes made out of the dark crystal, she then shoots the crystals out of her horn. Sunset Shimmer ducks and was careful not to have the crystals hit her horn, Sunset Shimmer teleports around while sweating with fear at the thought of having dark crystals in her horn, she teleports to behind Arcana and bucks her, she grunts and falls and changes back while the dark crystals disappear. Arcana pants while on the ground and Sunset Shimmer looks at her,

"That's enough, I can see why she was your biggest rival, Arcana." Archmage Astral Plane said, Arcana sighs and casts a healing spell on herself, she walks back while Sunset Shimmer looks around with a smile,

"Who wants to go up against me next?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"You go back, too, we have to see the growth of the others." Master Nocturne replied, and Sunset Shimmer walks back to the other unicorns.

---

Sunset Shimmer walks back to where she originally stood and watches the other unicorns, Pegasi, and earth ponies train,

"I actually beat you." Sunset Shimmer said,

"That's because I held back." Arcana replied,

"You're lying, right?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No." Arcana replied,

"Wow, I'm surprised you're taking losing pretty well." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Some, you win, some, you lose." Arcana replied, and they continue watching, the older ponies did not attack the pony who was the same type as them, they switched around, they all fight one another and the fights between the adults last much longer than the ones between the younger ponies, they finish after some time while Sunset Shimmer watches with surprise at the fact that nopony was mad over losing, and those that won did not celebrate,

"That is all, we'll continue training tomorrow, you all may pursue your hobbies now." Commander Lionheart said, and everypony heads home,

"Come on, Sunset Shimmer, I have a chore for you to do." Arcana said, and the two head back to the winery.

---

Sunset Shimmer enters the winery and Arcana comes back with a wooden bucket and casts a spell to put water in it, she takes her four shoes off and sets them aside, she takes her lace dress off first and then her white dress,

"I need you to wash these two, and be careful with my lace dress, its easy to damage." Arcana said, Sunset Shimmer looks and sees Arcana's cutie mark, it was a black pentagram with a black tome in the center of it,

"How did you get your cutie mark, Arcana?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"I just performed a powerful spell, and it came, I was only four when that happened." Arcana replied,

"Wow, me too, I always had a natural talent in fire magic." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Good to know, well, go on and wash my dresses." Arcana replied, and Sunset Shimmer does. Sunset Shimmer washes Arcana's lace dress first and looks at the flower patterns, she chuckles and keeps washing, she looks and sees Arcana taking some kind of medication, she takes her medication and begins reading a book while eating grapes. Sunset Shimmer finishes washing the lace dress and begins washing the white dress, she stops when she hears music,

"Huh?" Sunset Shimmer asked while she listens to the song, she heads outside for a moment,

"What is that noise?" Sunset Shimmer asked, and she looks to where the earth ponies were at while Arcana steps outside, they all look and see the earth ponies marching while some of them were playing instruments, Sunset Shimmer listens to the music and tries very hard to resist dancing to it,

"*chuckle* I have a hard time resisting the urge to dance to that tune, too." Arcana said, and she goes back in while Sunset Shimmer stays outside and listens to the song more,

"Sunset Shimmer." Arcana said, Sunset Shimmer jumps while startled and goes back into the winery. Sunset Shimmer washes Arcana's white dress and sees Arcana was still reading a book and eating grapes, she hears the marching music outside and barely resists the urge to dance, she also could not help but imagine Pinkie Pie playing the music, she finishes washing Arcana's dresses,

"Done." Sunset Shimmer said, and Arcana trots to her, she examines her dresses,

"Not a single stain, good job." Arcana said, and she puts her two dresses and shoes back on,

"Anything else for me to do?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, go ahead and call it a day. Do you have to go back to that other world tomorrow?" Arcana asked,

"No, today's Friday, so I have no school for two days." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Okay, I'll have more tasks for you tomorrow, you can stay here for the night." Arcana said,

"You don't live here?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"No, I live in a tower, make sure you close up the shop." Arcana replied,

"Okay." Sunset Shimmer said,

"I'll be back, I'll get you a blanket and a pillow." Arcana said,

"Alright, thanks." Sunset Shimmer said, and Arcana walks out. Sunset Shimmer looks at the barrels and bottles full of Arcana's wine, she sees the price tag and sees one bottle costed a hundred bits, she then looks at a book that Arcana kept on her counter, she looks and sees it was a spellbook. Sunset Shimmer reads the book and sees Arcana was reading how to cast physical enhancing spells, she sees spells on how to enhance one's own physical strength, speed, stamina, and endurance, she also sees mind control and emotion control spells. The door opens and Sunset Shimmer sees Arcana come in with a blue sleeping bag and a white pillow,

"Taken an interest in studying?" Arcana asked,

"No, I was just curious." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Oh, well, sorry to say this, but I need to take it home and study." Arcana said, and she uses telekinesis to take the spellbook and gives Sunset Shimmer the sleeping bag and pillow,

"Here you go." Arcana said,

"Thanks." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"I'll be heading home now, make sure you close up the shop." Arcana said, and she heads home, Sunset Shimmer closes the shop and goes to sleep.

---

Sunset Shimmer sleeps but wakes up in the middle of the night to what sounded like opera singing, she also hears an organ playing, she goes outside and sees a lit fire at where the Pegasi were, she looks and sees Robin singing, Sunset Shimmer listens to the song she was singing. Sunset Shimmer listens and could not help but wonder what song she was singing, the Pegasi clap at her singing and they all go back into their huts. Sunset Shimmer goes back into the winery and decides to look around to see if there was anything to do, she listens and hears Robin singing the same song outside,

"Why is she singing this late at night?" Sunset Shimmer grumbled, and she looks around the winery and finds nothing, Arcana appears in the winery, she was still wearing her usual outfit,

"What are you doing?" Arcana asked,

"Your friend woke me up." Sunset Shimmer replied,

"Sorry, Robin's just singing a lullaby to make the foals sleep." Arcana said,

"A lullaby?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Yeah, some foals have trouble sleeping." Arcana replied,

"Now that I think about it, you were always up late at night." Sunset Shimmer said,

"That's because I can't sleep." Arcana replied,

"Was that what that medication earlier was?" Sunset Shimmer asked,

"Yeah, they're sleeping pills, I have insomnia." Arcana replied,

"Oh, I thought you were asleep." Sunset Shimmer said,

"No, I'm awake, it takes a while for the sleeping pills to work." Arcana replied,

"Oh." Sunset Shimmer said,

"Well, sorry Robin woke you, try to sleep again if you can." Arcana said, and she teleports out, Sunset Shimmer tries to sleep but could not, so she lays down and closes her eyes.