(keep in mind: Sunset = the girl we saw in EQG and Shimmer = the counterpart to the EQG one who is residing in Equestria)

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Nine months after Equestria Girls, within the human world….

Seventeen-year old Sunset drove her motorcycle through the streets, feeling very ill about a tragedy that occurred not so long ago.  

That tragedy still lingered in the cloudy sky of a coming summer storm and in the grayscale town around her.

“Dammit, you guys just had to…go…?” Sunset wept to herself.  Parking her motorbike along the sidewalk she removed her helmet. After throwing up the kickstand, she tried to think clearly about where things went so wrong.

It was two days ago.  Two people almost died.  Both were in the hospital. Both were Sunset’s best friends. Both….

An arc of lightning streaked across the sky, with thunder booming with it. Simultaneously, rain drops bombarded Sunset’s clothing, causing her to leave her motorcycle where it was, and rush into Smoothie Cube Corner.

Behind the counter were Mr. and Ms. Cake.  Both looked depressed too.

“Morning…” Sunset greeted, holding off on saying ‘good’ morning.  

The Cakes both return the greeting. “How are you doing, dear?” Ms. Cake asked.

Sunset shrugged “A little…down...but I’m ready to work.”

Knowing what was bothering Sunset, Mr. Cake asked “How are they doing?”

“They aren’t coming out of the hospital any time soon.” Sunset noted. When no one said anything else, Sunset got into her uniform for the work day.

There weren't that many customers today and more customers would have helped distract Sunset.  She was almost done with her shift when a lady who covered herself in a long aqua rain coat strode up to the counter.

“Just a strawberry smoothie, please. Nothing else.” The lady requested, holding out a dollar and fifty cents.

Once Sunset had placed the smoothie in front of her cloaked customer, Sunset studied the customer’s pink face.

“Do I know you?” Sunset asked.

The lady replied “Of course you do.  I’m Ms. Amore Cadenza…The music teacher at the high school.”

Sunset nodded. “Ah, I remember…”

Cadenza, who usually addressed herself as ‘Cadence’, was Twilight Sparkle’s former babysitter, her brother’s fiancée, and principal Celestia’s niece.

“It was pleasure having you, Twilight, and Flash in my class before you all graduated from junior year.” Cadenza noted.

“Best first period I’ve had…” Added Sunset, still thinking of what had happened not so long ago. “Cadence….you’re not mad at me, are you? For what happened to Twilight?”

Cadenza paused and then placed a hand on arm “I know…I said some things that I shouldn't have said. In fact, getting mad doesn't help anyone. I’m sorry, Sunset.”

Tears started to surface from Sunset’s eyes, but she rubbed them away. “Had I know they were in a trouble sooner…maybe they wouldn't be is hospital for so long…”

Cadence hugged Sunset, as if giving the same sisterly hug she would have given Twilight.  “It’s okay Sunset…there is still a chance they can make it…You need to believe in it.”

Sunset didn’t want to turn to believing, even if it was the only solution left. To her, the best thing to do was trying to push it away and move on with life.

“Are you planning to retake music for senior year?” Cadence asked, wanting to move the conversation away from troubling thoughts.

Sunset knew that there was possibility she would be the only one to return out of Cadenza’s favorite three students.

“Yeah.” Sunset replied

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Nine months after Equestria Girls, in Equestria….

“It’s true you don’t see many male alicorns…” Twilight said to Flash Sentry as they took a peaceful stroll down the gleaming Quartz Garden located within the Crystal Empire.

“Really?” Flash wondered “I always thought there were females only.”

Twilight chuckled “There are males, Flash, but they look so handsome, so eye-catching, and so stunning, that often they are mistaken for female alicorns.”

Flash tore off a crystal flower from a bush with his mouth and placed it behind Twilight’s ear, its blossom blooming next to the magenta jewel on her crown.

“Honestly, how does one become an alicorn?”

Twilight immediately answered “Well Flash, One does not ask for it. I was turned into one after I had earned it.  The same went for Cadence.”

“So what about Celestia and Luna?” Flash wondered.

“They were born as alicorns, the daughters of two entities called ‘Craigasus’ and ‘Fausticorn’. However, Celestia and Luna are really different compared to other alicorns. They both have lived quite a long time and have a higher level of magic than anypony in Equestria.”

“Talk about being born to rule….” Flash chuckled. “There’s also something else I wanted to ask.”

“Fire away.” Twilight replied

“Why did the Elements of Magic turn Sunset Shimmer into that demon? That doesn't seem…harmonic….”

Twilight thought about it for a moment “The Elements of Harmony…I really don’t know how or why the Element of Magic turned Sunset into that…thing.  All I know is that they reflect who we are inside, like Rarity is generous and Applejack is honest…”

“So Sunset was like some demon-figure on the inside. Yeah, I get that. But if the Elements of Harmony can’t do anything harmful to anyone… why did they harm her?”

Twilight seemed puzzled “What do you mean?”

“As you recall…she was just wicked for a few moments and then was on her knees the next.  It looks to me that the Element of Magic....or the Elements...did something to her.” Flash stated.

Twilight shifted an eyebrow “Why is this so interesting to you?”

“How the Elements of Harmony work is one of the great mysteries of Equestria.  And I’m just curious.” Flash admitted.

Twilight sighed, wanting to move the topic away from Sunset Shimmer.  “Maybe once the elements showed Sunset who she was on the inside, it broke her heart. And if I was Sunset…I’d be crying, too. I really wished I could’ve have convinced her to come back to Equestria.”

Flash looked away for a moment “Why did she stay?”

Twilight whispered “Sunset Shimmer was too angry to see that this was her only chance back home. I tried to reason to her, but she hated me for what I had done to her.”

Flash sighed “Just like my old drill sergeant told me, Sometimes we have to live with the choices we make without ever going-”

In mid-sentence, Flash’s keen eyes caught slight shudder in a nearby crystal bush.

“I’m…sure it’s just the wind, Flash.” Twilight remarked.

But Flash crept to it cautiously, his royal guard instincts taking over.  “This is not a trick of wind - Its poor infiltration.”

The guard marched over to the bush and jabbed his forehoof into it.

“Hey! Wha-” a familiar voice cried out, only to have its small owner plucked out of the bush by Flash and dropped in front of Twilight.

“Spike! Were you spying on us again?” Twilight shouted, irritated with her ‘number-one assistant’.

“What – No, of course not! I just got bored back at the castle and thought I might, uh, help out with...um….” Spike stated.

“…with Prince Shining Armor?” Flash Sentry interrogated.  Twilight’s brother had been caught snooping into her love life six times since Twilight and Flash started dating

“Yes - I mean no, no, no, no, no!” Spike panicked, until Flash held his hoof up.

“One no would have been enough.”  Flash murmured.

“I’m so sorry Flash. I didn’t think my brother would send Spike out to spy on me.” Twilight said, shooting spike a disappointed look.

“I’m not here to spy on you, Twilight! I’m here to tell you Shining Armor told me that Princess Celestia would like to speak you. C’mon.” Spike informed.

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In the same room where Twilight and her friends had made plans to work on a crystal fair, Cadence,Luna, Celestia waited for Twilight and Shining Armor to arrive.

“Doctor Heartstrings say that using the portal is very risky, you highness.” Cadence uttered. “Recently, a test subject was electrocuted when attempting to go through the portal.”

Celestia looked away from outside window towards Cadence “We will not discuss about any matter regarding the portal until Twilight is here.”

“Well…we’re here now.” Shining stated, bringing Twilight, Flash, and Spike into the room.

Flash bid farewell to Twilight. “Meet me down at mirror room once you are done.”

“Will do,” Twilight replied. Shining hid his disgust for Sentry and stomped silently into a corner.

Seeing that she had gathered four of Equestria’s princesses and Spike around a table, Celestia announced:

“Welcome, my fellow princesses. Today I have to share a secret that I have been keeping from all of you…I have taken a private student for nine months, and her name is…Sunset Shimmer.”

That made everypony look at Celestia as if she suggested in giving up her throne to the griffins or changelings.

Twilight was the most bewildered out of all of them “How can that be possible?! Sunset Shimmer never came back through the portal.”

“Remember you said that in the world beyond the magic portal, there was human that mirrored everypony this world? This Sunset Shimmer was not my former student, but rather the one who originated from the human world.” Celestia explained.

“Why not send her back while the portal was still open?” Cadence asked.

Celestia shook her head “I presumed that if I took this Sunset Shimmer under my wing, I could educate her better that the Sunset Shimmer that was left in the human world.  However, the greed and the lust for power in Sunset, my ex-student, are also eminent in this  Sunset Shimmer, and Shimmer appears to be up to something not good.  Currently we have a team of expert scientists trying to open the portal manually so I may send her back home. Leaving Shimmer here could endanger all of Equestria.”

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“Run the test again!” Lyra Heartstrings barked, bashing a smoking generator with her backleg.

“Sorry, ma’am.” Sunbeam noted, poking his head into a side compartment of the generator. “This machine has short circuited for good.”

A look of defeat hung on ten snouts of scientists and technicians in the magic mirror room. That was the last spare generator they had been given.

“Well, what in the hay are we going do?!” Lyra shouted “As a student from Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and as head for Project Portal, I declare we should not give up!”

“No one has given up for nine months ma’am,” Seaspray added “But no matter how far we go in progress, we are always pushed back to the beginning. And our budget is lower that depths of Tartarus.”

Lyra slammed her head on the generator. Never had her colleagues seen her so upset.

“Maybe I can provide some help.”  Said a sly voice within the crowd. It was orange unicorn with fiery mane. None of scientists seemed to be familiar with her.

Lyra stomped up to the  unicorn, stopping inches from her snout. “Where did you come from?”

“What? You don’t recognize your old pal, Sunset Shimmer?”

Lyra was surprised that her former colleague had reappeared after three years but she wasn’t in mood to properly greet somepony, especially if it was Sunset Shimmer. “Whatever – are you here to help or gloat?”

“I’m here to help myself to your project.” Shimmer sneered. “Tell your co-workers to move all these old-fashioned computers off to the side.”

Lyra cocked an eyebrow “What’s…a computer? These are generators, seismographs and -”

“Just move it.” Shimmer demanded.

Knowing that if Shimmer had the potential to help greatly (the pompous mare was renowned as a high level unicorn, after all), Lyra directed her team members to disconnect all the equipment from the portal.  The crowd of curious scientists huddled behind Shimmer, who faced the Mirror.

The orange unicorn closed her eyes and concentrated on her magic, her horn glowing in an emerald aura.

Then the aura change from emerald to violet.  Sunset closed her eyes as a shadowy mist was leaking from her eyes

When she opened them, they were entirely black. Then she projected a bolt of magic from her horn at the mirror.  Upon impact, ripples were sent through the mirror and fingers of lighting started to creep out from it.

Then the mirror calmed down into the state of an inanimate object.  Sunset Shimmer’s horn also calmed down as well, a stream of black smoke rising up from it's tip.

Everypony, including Lyra, were blown away.

“How the hay did you do that?!” She shouted, her previous bitterness to Shimmer vanishing.

“Why during my absence, I looked for answers…” Shimmer boasted, her horn glowing again “…And I found the ones I was looking for.”  

If Lyra’s attention hadn’t been distracted from Shimmer’s comment she would have noticed that the orange unicorn’s horn was glowing again

The magic from Shimmer's horn began to affect the other ponies in the room. First their eyes started to turn into a sick green.  Then they began to groan unconsciously.

“Good – Now get outta here and take these machines out too. And then hide yourselves.” Shimmer ordered.  

Once all the ponies obeyed her command, Shimmer faced the mirror again.  “Ah…I see a beautiful person with power and potential trapped in the body of some horse with a magic wand on its head….”

She placed her hoof in the mirror to check if it was working. When her hoof went through and materialized into a hoof, it confirmed that her spell was a success.

“…who wasted her life as some pawn to the dull-minded and dogmatic in human world…who knew that she should ascend to something higher…”

The mirror soon displayed Shimmer on the crystal throne. Shimmer could see herself wings, Celetsia’s crown on her head, and was grinning from ear to ear.

“Hmmm, I like the way you think.” Shimmer replied to magic mirror and teleported herself away from the mirror room.

Little did Sunset Shimmer know that a Royal Guard had witnessed all that had happened from around a corner.

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“Shimmer was seen in the Castle of the Royal Sisters on the day I sent her to spend time with you, Twilight. When Shimmer returned she was more powerful than any other pupil at the academy.”

“Dangerously powerful, if you ask me.” Cadence noted.

Luna nodded. “The Castle of the Royal Sisters holds many secrets that were meant remain buried and hidden from the face of Equestria.”

“What kinds of secrets?” Twilight asked.

Luna looked to Celestia and Celestia looked back at Luna.  It was if it was secret that had to be safeguarded and only revealed with each other’s permission.

“Dark Magic” Luna explained.  “A whole underground level of the Castle is dedicated to it. Back when the Castle was still functional, unicorns living in the Everfree were mastering it when we took over.”

“And they ended up using it for the wrong purposes.  One unicorn tried to launch an uprising with brainwashed Ursa majors.  Another one transformed his followers into a horde of draconequi for short time.  Somba was known to spread teachings of this magic before he took over the Crystal Empire.  Even Luna used it on herself and became Nightmare Moon. And since her return, we swore never to cast, reveal, or study deeper into such magic, for the safety of Equestria.” Celestia finished.

“What kinds of spells could this Sunset Shimmer have learned?” Spike asked.

“Various.” Celestia warned “Age-chaining, transformation, telekinesis on celestial bodies, mind control…

“Princess! Princess!” Flash Sentry cried, blasting through the doors, and galloping back into the chamber.

“Soldier. You are supposed to be guarding the mirror room.” Shining Armor informed, Causing Flash to skid to a halt.

“Uh…about that…I was on my way there, when-” Flash began nervously.  

Shining continued “And you were not summoned to this court nor did you bow before the princesses.  Lieutenant Sentry, I am very-”

“Thank you, Shining.” Twilight interrupted, the softly spoke.  “Flash, what’s going on in the mirror room?”

“Doctor Heartstrings and her group just left with all the equipment. I asked why but they just moaned unconsciously with…these green eyes. And there was an orange unicorn that just opened the portal. With her magic!” Reported Flash.

“Was this an orange unicorn with a fiery mane and emerald eyes?” Celestia asked.

“Yes your majesty… ” Nodded Flash “…You know this mare?”

“Heck yeah, she does.  Or as you horses would say…Hey yeah…”

The voice of Sunset Shimmer echoed throughout the walls promoting everypony to search of the voice in wall and ceiling.

“Sunset Shimmer, Show yourself!” Luna boomed.

“Uh…what if I said ‘no?’  After all I ‘illegally immigrated’ into your world and I have started to cast and practice dark magic spells under your nose for years’. So why should I suck up to the laws of a foreign ruler?”

“Under her…nose? You mean a muzzle or a snout right?” Spike corrected.

“Yeah, whatever…anyway I would like you all present in throne room for my…coronation…” Shimmer chuckled.

“Let’s make haste and take extreme caution!” Ordered Celestia.  “Twilight – hide your crown in your room!”

-------------------------------

When the group galloped to the throne room, Sunset Shimmer relaxed comfortably on the crystal throne.

“Sunset Shimmer, What is the meaning of this?”  Celestia demanded. “You were trusted!”

“You trusted me?  Then why did you plan on sending me back through the portal? Was it because I was a disappointment to you? Or because I’m stronger than you?” Shimmer shot back.  “You planned to ditch me as you had done with that other Sunset Shimmer! What kind of ruler does that?”

“That’s it – Dungeon or deathbed for you!”  Shining roared and charged at Shimmer.

A violet mist seeped from Shimmer’s glowing eyes. Her horn flashed between violet and emerald auras, like giving out a warning.  Shining kept galloping at her, but Sunset Shimmer unleashed a bolt from her horn, exploding upon hitting the stallion.

When the smoke cleared, all that was left was Shining’s personal guard’s pony saddle.

Everypony gasped. Tears escaped Cadence’s eyes.

Twilight gasped “Dark magic can do that!?”

“Of course, Twilight Sparkle. Have you lost your hope, already?”  Shimmer sneered triumphantly.

“Hey! It’s dark in here!”

It was Shining’s voice coming from the saddle. Soon, a small colt crawled out of the Saddle.  He looked like a miniature sized version of Shining.

“Oh, Shining you are alright!” Cadence cried.

“Of course I am!”  Huffed Shining, “Why do you all look surprised?”

“Shall I get a mirror for you, Sir?”  Flash Sentry snickered, unsure of what to say.  Spike was having trouble holding his laughter.

“Why?”  Shining wondered, noticing a change in his squeaky voice.

“…’Cause you turned into a kid when you should have been reduced to ashes!” Sunset Shimmer shouted.  Shining looked at himself, shocked by his own transformation.

Celestia whispered to Twilight, “Well…thats a relief; it looks like Shimmer hasn't master all of the spells properly. ”

“Oh well…who says I can’t try again?” Sunset stated, charging up another magical blast and aiming it at Shining.

“No!  My Shining!” Cadence cried, rushing forward, against Celestia’s orders.  Shimmer could see Cadence coming for her husband and blasted a magic beam right at her muzzle.

“Yeah! headshot!” Shimmer cheered.

Cadence, was thrown back to hooves of Twilight, Flash Sentry, Celestia, Luna, and Spike. She too was reduced to a filly, and was unconscious from the blast.  Shining armor galloped over and helped his spouse up.

“Two down and five to go.  Anypony care? If not, I would glad to take this Empire from your hooves without further commotion.” Shimmer taunted. She didn’t seem to care that she was getting the vaporizing spell wrong but would enjoy intimidating her adversaries with it.

Luna whispered into Flash’s ear.  “Tell the guard to begin civilian evacuation.”

Flash gave slight nod and ran in the opposite direction with Spike cowardly in tow behind him.  That only left three alicorn princesses facing the orange unicorn mare.

“Tsk, tsk…it’s hardly a challenge now.  But I’ll get this over with.”  Shimmer stepped off her throne and used her dark magic to envelope Celestia and Luna into changeling cocoons. The sisters didn’t have even a second to react.

Shimmer charged up another bolt from her horn “How would you like it if I sent your sister back to the moon and you to the sun, Celestia? You should consider seeing things from your sister's perspective!”

“No!” Twilight panicked.  She teleported behind Shimmer and began to wrestle with Shimmer’s horn with her forehoves. Doing so broke Shimmer’s concentration and the bolt of energy struck the ceiling, causing the cocoons holding the princesses to fall and break open.

Yet Twilight noticed that as soon as she gripped Shimmer’s horn, she was losing strength while Shimmer seemed to be getting stronger.

“What’s happening?” Twilight croaked, noticing a pair of wings growing from Sunset Shimmer’s back. She lost her grip and collapsed

“See for yourself, Princess.” Shimmer replied, magically throwing Twilight into a wall.

Recovering from the impact Twilight felt that something was missing on her back.  Then she could see that Shimmer had ‘absorbed’ her wings.

Defenseless, Twilight started to gallop back to Celestia and Luna only to have Sunset Shimmer teleport in front of her.

“Tell me, and I will let you live: Where are the Elements of Harmony?”  Sunset asked, her voice sounding demonic.

“What in the wide, wide world of Equestria makes you think I’ll just tell you?”   Twilight asked back.

Behind Shimmer, Luna was captured in the emerald glow of Shimmer’s magic and was reduced to a filly, then placed alongside with Shining and Cadence.

“Well this sucks.” Shining grumbled, upon seeing Luna.

“At least we aren’t babies.” Cadence replied.

Shimmer kept her emerald eyes fixed on Twilight.  In her demonic-voice, Shimmer shouted. “Tell me so that I may be the sole princess of Equestria! A Destiny that has yet to be fulfilled.”

Then Shimmer ensnared Twilight Sparkle in a violet aura. “And I’ll make an example of you to the rest of the world unless you decide to cooperate, Twilight!”

Just then, Celestia fired a beam of golden pure energy from her horn, which spiraled into Sunset and knocked the fiery alicorn away.  The Shimmer collided into the throne’s base and groaned in pain.  

Seeing that Shimmer was knocked out for a while, Celestia helped Twilight up.  

“I’m sorry I didn’t do that sooner, Twilight.  But I needed some time to charge enough energy to even have any effect on…whatever Shimmer is has become.  I shouldn't have taken this former-human as a student."

"With all due respect...Why did you?!" Twilight shouted, half-angry.

If Celestia wasn't a princess she would have cried in front of her student, or paused to give into the shame present at her. But the imposing alicorn stood over Twilight, ready to make a defense on her point.  " I wanted to give Sunset Shimmer another chance…”

Twilight stated “That’s not Sunset Shimmer – not the one you and I know who has changed. We need to stop this abomination!”

“But how?  The rest of the elements aren’t with us, Luna is too weak assist, and I can’t hold out on keeping Shimmer down forever.” Celestia warned.

“Then I should use the crown. It’s the only way!” Twilight stated.

“Are you willing to risk it? What if Shimmer gets a hold of it?” Celestia reminded.

Twilight looked between Shimmer and her mentor, sweat beading down her forehead “Well… I should do something! Otherwise, Sunset Shimmer has won...”

“Is that going to be problem?” Coughed the demonic-sounding, Sunset Shimmer that was starting to get back up.   Sunset was also using her magic to transform her height and size similar to Celestia's

Celestia commanded to Twilight “Get your crown! Now!”

Twilight and the foals were then teleported away from the throne room by Celestia.  

Shimmer hissed, “You know all you can do is buy your number-one-student some time, Celestia.”

Celestia readied herself for an intense battle. “This isn’t the first time in my life that I have met my match, Shimmer – and it will never be the last.”

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Twilight crashed snout first into the floor of her quarters, with Shining, Cadence, and Luna beside her.

“What was Princess Celestia thinking?!” colt-Shining asked.

"That if she can give me time to get my crown maybe we can-"

Twilight paused as she drew the crown from out a drawer.  To her surprise, the magenta jewel now was replaced with an emerald of a shimmering Sun. The emerald matched the color of Sunset Shimmer' eyes.

“What…happened to my crown?!” Twilight panicked.

Luna gasped “Twilight Sparkle….I…fear…that when Shimmer absorbed your alicorn wings, she also absorbed your link to your element.”

Twilight asked "Why don't I use it anyway? Sunset - the other Sunset, not Shimmer - still was able to use my element..." Twilight slowly levitated the crown onto her head....

"NO!" Luna warned, prompting Twilight to drop the crown onto the floor "Its' possible that Sunset was corrupted by the dark magic pulsing from the element when it did not recognize its bearer! Its not worth using it if we are going to lose you."

"There has to be a way we can use it! Its still an Element of Harmony!" Twilight refuted back at the indigo alicorn filly.

"That's the problem, Twilight. We can't use this Element of Magic or interfere with its link to Shimmer.  Me and Luna are foals. You're not alicorn. And Celestia has cut her link with it long ago." Cadence reminded, softly. "It's Shimmer's Element of Harmony now."

Twilight began to breathe rapidly “Who can else use it then!?”

Luna sighed. "No pony can."

Twilight dropped her crown on the floor, causing it to bounce lightly as if it hollow. She sat with her back against the bed and threw her hands to her face

“It’s over….” She sobbed in front of three foals looking up at her. “It’s…over…”

“C’mon, Twily!” Shining comforted "Its never over until you have a solution!”

Twilight remained in her position as she continued to cry.  She was crying just as hard as….

“Sunset….” Twilight whispered. She slowly raised her head and looked to her crown. Her eyes widened in realization.

Placing the crown in a bag, she whistled “Pony up, fillies! We are going into the human world!”

“What? Why?” Cadence wondered.

“To get someone who can help us!” Twilight declared. “Sunset Shimmer!”

“Well…I hate to say this but how do we know for sure Sunset will help us?” Shining asked.

“She will.” Twilight settled. “Equestria is her homeland. And this-” she magically floated the crown out of her bag "- is her Element!"

Twilight had expected some objections, yet the fillies in front of her remained silent.

“…so…no one is worried about it?”

“Just one thing, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna began “Equestria will need its Prince and Princesses, even if they aren't in their…prime. It is you alone who must take the crown back through the mirror.”

Though she wanted to stay too, Twilight nodded “I understand...”

“Very well.” Luna replied. “Cadence, Shining, and I will depart Canterlot with the help of the guard. Good luck Twilight Sparkle….”

Then Luna used her alicorn magic to teleport herself, Candace, and Shining away from the crystal Empire.

Twilight kept starring at where they had disappeared, suddenly amused at the thought of two alicorn fillies and unicorn colt at Canterlot Castle warning about the disaster yet to come.

Then Twilight raced out of her room without another thought , with The Element of Magic in her saddlebag.  

The emptied halls of the Crystal Empire yawned before her, as she searched for the mirror room.

-----------------------------------------------

“Do you think it was the right idea to leave Twilight back there with that monster?”  Spike asked Flash Sentry who was directing crystal ponies to evacuate in different directions.

“No, but I’m trying not to think about it. I have orders.  You should have stayed with her if you wanted.” Flash Sentry stated, not paying his full attention to Spike.

“But this is a huge crisis! You saw what that monster-Sunset-Shimmer did do Shining Armor and Princess Cadence! What if Twilight is filly? Or worse? What if she exploded?! Or-or- ”

Flash Sentry violently put a hoof over Spike. “I. Am. Trying. Not. To….” Flash Sentry took a deep breath understanding that Spike was worried sick for Twilight as a son would be for his mother.

Flash hugged Spike and said “I doubt she can do anything too horrible to Twilight.”

Right there and then, an explosion flowered out of the Crystal Tower, causing everypony in the streets to pause and stare at the smoke rising from the side of the Tower.

A fiery-themed alicorn soared in the sky, announcing in a demonic voice. .“Citizens of the Crystal Empire!  I, Princess Shimmer, declare myself as the new queen of the Crystal Empire. All your previous princesses have fallen and abandoned you. BOW BEFORE ME!”

That sure left Spike in fear and in tears as he gripped Flash Sentry's. Meanwhile, panicked citizens began to either bow  gallop away from the tower.

In the midst of the chaos, Flash Sentry tugged a pegasus guard close to him.  

“Sir?” The guard questioned.

“Soldier, tell the here guard to evacuate all what they can! Tell the superiors at Canterlot to send warnings to other areas of Equestria, and calls for help to every species. Make sure the rest of the Elements of Harmony and their bearers are safe and far away from that Alicorn. Clear?” barked Flash Sentry.

The guard shivered but gave a quick nod. “Y-y-yes, sir!”  And then he flew off.

Flash Sentry looked to the Crystal tower again.  This time, he could see a white alicorn zip out from the smoke and slam into Shimmer.  Pretty soon, the two Alicorns engaged another in an aerial fight, flying hurling bolts of magic faster than the eye could track

“C’mon Spike!”  Flash Sentry beckoned “We have to see if Twilight is safe!”

Spike wasted no time leaping on Flash’s back as he galloped in the opposite direction of crowd.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight galloped down the hallway until she ended up at the doors to what she assumed was the mirror room.

The unicorn was prepared to open the doors with her magic but they were sealed shut with counter-spell.  Then Twilight tried pushing them open but they seemed locked.

“Oh sweet Celestia! What am I going to do?” Twilight worried, only to hear the sound of hooves galloping towards her.

Flash Sentry and Spike came over to them, surprised that twilight was missing her wings.

“Please tell me you have the keys to open these doors, Flash.” Twilight pleaded.

Flash looked through the hidden pockets on his saddle. “Dang! I must have dropped it!”

“Dropped them!?” Twilight shouted “How could you have dropped them!”

Flash sheepishly looked away “I….Uh…was in a hurry?”

“Great! Could this get any worse?!” Spike wailed.

In response to the dragon’s rhetorical question, Celestia crashed through the ceiling and into the hallway. Resting in front Twilight, Flash, and Spike.  She was still as stone and was hardly breathing. Her white coat was bruised, burned, and scarred.

“Princess Celestia?” Twilight cried.  No response from the white alicorn came.

Shimmer had glided through the hole in the ceiling, triumphant that Celestia seemed defeated for good and the ponies were cornered.

“Plot Twist: I knew all about Celestia’s plan to gather the princesses here after she left me back in Canterlot without notifying me.  So I followed her here….and now I will finish you off, Twilight Sparkle, once and for all if you don’t give me that crown!”

“Never!” Twilight stated, spreading out her legs and pointing her horn at Shimmer “Didn't you at least learn from the mistakes of the other Sunset Shimmer?”

Shimmer grinned “I’m no pathetic Sunset Snivel! I’m better!”

Lightning erupted from Shimmer’s horn and targeted Twilight’s position. Twilight rolled out of the way as the bolt blasted into the door.  It created a hole, with the magical mirror on intact on the other side.

Shimmer was about to strike again, yet Celestia had recovered and launched herself at Shimmer, pinning the fiery alicorn to the ground

“Princess Celestia –I need to get to Sunset Shimmer – the other Sunset! My link to element has been cut!” Twilight explained.

“Go, then! Go through the portal!” Celestia commanded, before Shimmer lunged a hoof at the white alicorn’s snout. Celestia would have given a thought about it but she was too busy to debate.

Flash, Twilight, and Spike jumped through the hole in the doors and approached the mirror.

Twilight took one look back, no wanting to leave her wounded mentor behind as she brawled with Shimmer.  However Flash and Spike dragged her in, before she could have a second thought.

In a flash, the two ponies the baby dragoon were gone.  

----------------------------------------------------

Celestia took a glance at the portal, seeing that Twilight's small group had made it.  Then, in the midst of a horn-lock with Shimmer, she used her magic to blindly teleport the magic mirror away.

“Curses!” Shimmer shouted breaking the horn-block and backing away from Celestia, panting.

Celestia also panted as well, taking a moment to study Shimmer though her ruined mane. Shimmer definitely mirrored the alicorn in Sunset’s vision.  Only she was taller than Celestia and Luna.  And eyes were starting to turn black, holding only two emerald irises.

“I blindly teleported the mirror, Shimmer,” Celestia breathed. “Even if you torture me….you will never find it.”

“What about the other royals?!” Shimmer demanded.

Celestia panted “They are…far from you….warning Equestria about you…”

Shimmer didn’t say anything, using her magic to levitate an object from the rubble. It was Celestia’s crown.  “If there is one thing we can agree on, Celestia, Equestria must be ruled by a princess….”

Shimmer then used her magic to don disguise similar to Celestia’s, except she had created a few scars on her coat to display signs of battle.

Then in Celestia’s voice, Shimmer continued “…a princess who is powerful and will not let anything stand in her way of achieving her goals. A princess who dreams big.  Not a princess who holds herself or others back.”

Staring at the Celestia-disguised Shimmer before her, Celestia breathed. “…I...never held myself back from giving you a chance…otherwise I would have left you chained to that cell…”

“What a dear mentor….now it’s time to learn from that mistake…And I know just the place.” Shimmer said, giving a sly smile in her Celestia disguise.

Celestia was surrounded by violet magic aura, with Shimmer grinning back wickedly in her disguise.

The aura blinded her vision and Celestia could smell the scent of a forest around her.

---------

When the aura cleared Celestia was standing within a tower of the Castle of the Royal Sisters, overlooking the vast frontier of the Everfree Forest.

Celestia began to move toward the window to take one look at Equestria in its peaceful state.  The soft click of a chain prompted her to see that her hooves were restrained to the ground.  Her wings were bound tightly to her sides by an elastic material and her horn was coated in dark crystals.

“Wherever you are Twilight… please hurry….” Celestia begged before collapsing into exhaustion onto the stone floor.