Sunset Eclipsed

by EldritchNexus

First published 28th of September, 2013

Sunset Shimmer, purged of her inner evil by the Elements of Harmony, prematurely returns to Equestria. There, she is given the chance to learn the values of friendship first-hand.

One month after the events of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, Sunset Shimmer finds her life in the human world crumbling around her. As a dangerous new enemy begins to show itself, in the form of a powerful terrorist organization known as the Chrysalis Syndicate, Sunset finds herself with no choice but to return to Equestria.

Upon prematurely crossing through the portal, Sunset is arrested for her past crimes and brought to the Princesses. She finds a new mentor in Princess Luna, is reunited with a long-lost family member, and is sent on a mission that would redeem herself in the eyes of the Princesses and the rest of Equestria.

But everything is not as it would seem. Even now when Sunset has come back to Equestria, she finds herself facing great danger, including a sinister villain involved in her past. Will Sunset and her new friends be able to confront this renewed, improved menace?

Table of Contents (For the reader's convenience):
Return to Equestria arc: Chapters 1-2
Mission to Fillydelphia arc: Chapters 3-22
The Weekend Off arc: Chapters 23-37
Vanhoover arc: Chapters 38-65
The Big Night arc: Chapters 66-80
Epilogue chapter: 81

Update: Now has a TV Tropes article, which can be found here. If you happen to be a Troper, please add any trope examples you find in this story to the article.

Current cover art by: mrs1989

The Return to Equestria

Author's Notes:

Update: Here's a song to listen to as you read this chapter. It really goes with the ominous atmosphere of this chapter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDd_n9YFThc

Update 2: Trimmed some dialogue to make the chapter flow better, and edited parts of it to try and make the dialogue seem less mean-spirited.

As you read on, be sure to post some comments, and tell me what you think of my story. I'd really like to hear your opinions on it.

Update 3: Added a prologue that introduces Craw, and sets up later parts of the story.

In a dark underground bunker located beneath a grassy field, two people were sitting in a control room, talking to each other. One was a tall woman in black armor, with a grayish-green complexion and long, straight cerulean hair. The other was a younger man who was wearing kevlar. He had red eyes, grayish skin, and shaggy brown hair with blotches of green here and there.

"So, commander..." said the man, speaking a low, bass voice. "How did your operatives fare in Canterbury?"

“Sergeant Craw, here is our scout’s latest report.” Supreme Commander Chrysalis said, handing her officer a file. “It contains a very interesting account on an incident that occurred at Canterlot High.”

Sgt. Craw took the file, and read it carefully. Inside were snapshots of what appeared to be a demon-like creature attacking the front of a high school. Around it were six teenage girls with equine features, like ears and tails. At least two or three of them even had wings.

“'It was an incredible sight, unlike anything I’ve seen in months'.” Craw read the commentary from the scout. “'This pillar of light rose up from the school, and I had to investigate. Dark clouds were gathering above it, and then I saw a creature like a bat out of Hades itself, bright, red, and crowned with fire. It was attacking the building, and was performing some kind of incantation of some sort on the students there;.”

“'Unfortunately, my recon was inconveniently disrupted by unforeseen circumstances.'” The sergeant paused.

“Continue reading.” Chrysalis told him.

“There was a chaotic mess all over the place, and the demon disappeared in some kind of multi-colored vortex that entrapped it.” The sergeant continued reading. “In its place, it left a crater in the ground. We saw another teenaged girl climb out of it. I’m going to assume that she was devoured by the demon at some point, but somehow returned when it vanished.”

“And I have a profile on the girl in question.” said Chrysalis, handing him a document that looked as though it was copied from a Canterlot High School student’s file.

Name: Sunset Shimmer

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Date of birth: N/A

Place of birth: N/A

Hair color: Red, with blonde streaks

Eye color: Cyan

Address: 202 Dodge Boulevard

Grade: Senior

Height: 5 feet, 8 inches.

Weight: 124 lbs.

Sergeant Craw looked at the featured picture of her. The picture fit the description accurately enough. The girl in the photo was wearing a black leather jacket, a striped skirt, and long black boots with crimson flames along the front.

“She appears to be the most successful student at Canterlot High.” Chrysalis told Craw. “Based on our most recent analysis of the school’s student body, she has the highest grade in every class she is in.”

“Impressive.” said Craw, grinning at the photo. “She’s not only a hottie, but a smart one, too. They really are a dying breed in high schools, nowadays.”

“I want you to investigate this girl closely.” Said Chrysalis. “She must know about the demon, and about the strange pony-girls that fought it.”

“Whatever you say, boss.” Craw nodded. “But how am I going to fit in to this spying business?”

“There is a student exchange program next week.” Chrysalis told her officer. “We have already signed you up to replace one Flash Sentry, who is being transferred to Junction City High.”

“And does this Flash, or Brad, or whatever his name his, have any significance with Sunset Shimmer?” Craw asked.

“Yes, actually. Apparently, Flash is Sunset Shimmer’s ex-boyfriend. They broke up quite recently.”

“If he broke up with her, I ought to blow his brains out for turning down a girl as good-looking as her!” Craw boasted. “Though if she broke up with him, I think I should just rub it in his face.”

“Indeed.” Chrysalis nodded casually. “Are you ready to go to Canterlot High?”

“I sure am.” nodded Craw. “And I promise I’ll have whatever I can find out from Sunset Shimmer before the term’s over with.”

“Very good, Sergeant. The Syndicate is counting on your efforts.”

“But some details on this girl do seem rather vague.” Sgt. Craw said. “It doesn’t list her blood type, her birthplace, or anything that could be more useful. Could it be possible for me to send an agent to hack into the town’s personal records?”

“It would definitely be possible.” said Chrysalis.

"But I would still recommend looking into her a little...closer." said a weak, but intelligent-sounding voice.

Craw turned around. Framed in the doorway was none other than Intelligence Officer Embryo. A miniscule man, hardly any larger than a child, He was also very scrawny and skeletal-looking with wild hair that was the same color as Chrysalis', albeit darker. He also had big bulging eyes, a weak chin, and a long nose. He was wearing a dark, pinstriped business suit, and in his bony hands, he held a silver-tipped cane. It was hard to believe he was actually younger than the supreme commander.

"Closer, sir?" asked Craw.

"Of course." said Intelligence Officer Embryo. "I've decrypted and studied many false documents in the past. So you shouldn't simply trust what you read, but what you see, hear, and so forth. Investigate Sunset Shimmer closely. Watch her every move, but don't give her any reason to suspect you. Try to...befriend her, so that you will earn her trust."

"Well said, brother." Chrysalis said to Embryo.

"So, do I have to relay my information to you?" asked Craw.

"Not yet." said Embryo, stepping into the room. "I have a very special appointment with my associates at Sombra Industries about their new project. He believes it may be able to help me with my...handicaps. Still, you should expect a word from me soon after the matter is cleared up. Until then: Good luck, sergeant. And don't fail me or my sister."

"Thank you, sir." Craw nodded, leaving the room.

"So, what is this project?" asked Chrysalis, once Craw was gone.

"I'm afraid most of it will have to be kept secret...for now." said Embryo. "They call it Project Umbriel. They also have a few more things in store for our organization in the near future. It's quite exciting when you think about it."

He grinned slowly.

APPROX. ONE MONTH LATER...

It was the late evening for the twenty-ninth time since Twilight Sparkle returned to Equestria from the human world. Listening to the sounds of the night, a teenage girl wearing a leather jacket, purple t-shirt, striped skirt, and long black boots sat at the open window of her apartment to look out on the streets below. She looked vigilantly for anything that looked unfriendly. She had a rusty sledgehammer in her left hand, and her right hand was adjusting the dial on the radio. Eventually, the girl stopped it on a station that was in the middle of a news announcement.

"…The reported terrorist activity in the vicinity of Canterlot High School has yet to be verified by the Canterbury Police Department." said a news reporter on the radio. "Until then, these are rumors. Canterlot City officials are doing their best to contain whatever remains of the recent gang war dpwmtpwm, but until then: all listeners at home in the surrounding suburbs are advised to keep an eye out for any suspicious persons wandering the streets, especially in the dead of night. They may in fact be armed and dangerous. Whatever you do, do not…"

The girl flicked the switch on the radio, silencing it. She put the sledgehammer down on the bed, and then took a moment to run her yellowish-tan fingers through her long wavy hair, which was mostly red, but also had blonde-colored streaks.

"Great, now there might be a terrorist group in this town!" said the girl, stressed. "As if I don't have enough reasons for me to get out of here. Okay, let’s try that number again."

She took a cell phone off of her bed, and began dialing. After a few seconds, she seemed to have gotten an answer.

"Hey, it’s Sunset Shimmer--" the girl began.

"Hello, you’ve reached the Craw Residence...at least for the duration of my time at Canterlot High." said a recording on the phone. "I’m sorry that I can’t be here to answer your call, but I’m out hunting at the moment…"

“Hunting? Of all the--" Sunset muttered angrily.

But Craw's pre-recorded voice continued:

"…If you have anything you need me to know, I’ll return later to hear your message. Just leave it after the beep."

When she heard the phone beep, Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath, and spoke with a stressed voice into the speaker.

"Craw, it’s Sunset." she began. "Please listen to me. I don’t know why you ran from me last week, but I need you to just hear me out on this. I’m scared out of my mind right now. I don’t think I can stay in this town anymore. I think someone’s out to get me! I need to leave now! Since I don’t think I’ll ever come back, I want to let you know that I had the time of my life with you. You’ve been nicer to me than any other person I can think of, at least since Flash Sentry. Boy, do I miss him. And I’m going to miss you, too."

Sunset took another deep breath, then continued:

"Oh, and there’s something you need to know. I wanted to keep it a surprise, but since I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to speak to you again, I’ll say it here. I’m actually a--"

But before Sunset could finish, the phone suddenly made a rapid series of beeps.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience, but this telephone’s message box has exceeded its capacity." said an electronic voice. "Please hang up, and try again later."

Sunset Shimmer growled fiercely at this obvious glitch.

"Oh, come on!" she shouted. "I can’t even say my goodbyes to my friends?! Stupid phone!"

Sunset hung up the phone, and chucked it across the room. She then took a moment to calm down. Suddenly, the phone began to buzz loudly: apparently somebody just sent her a text message. She quickly ran over to pick up the phone to see if it was Craw, but instead:

Tonight's your lucky night, Sunset Shimmer. Go to the statue immediately. WATCH YOUR BACK.

-K.N.

"K.N.? Who in the world is K.N.?" Sunset wondered aloud. "And how does this guy know about the statue?"

She sighed.

"Whatever. I’m pretty much doomed, anyway." she muttered to herself. "Time to get out of Dodge."

Sunset Shimmer went out of her apartment, ignoring that she didn't properly shut the door. She went downstairs and passed by the landlord's desk.

"Well, if it ain’t the grand ruler of Room 32." announced the man at the desk. "You’re up awfully late, Sunset Shimmer. Come to think of it, you’ve been up late for every day of this month, so far. Is there something you’d like to share with me?"

"No, nothing at all." Sunset shook her head. "At least, nothing you have to worry about."

"Let me guess: You’re going on a date with somebody, right?" joked the landlord.

"Well, I got some text message from someone with the initials K.N.." said Sunset. "Whoever it is wants me to go to the statue in front of CHS. Said it was my lucky day."

"Sounds like you got a secret admirer." said the landlord, snidely.

"Mr. Flake, do you happen to know anyone with those initials?" asked Sunset.

"Nah." said Mr. Flake, dismissively. "But are you seriously gonna go now, with all that talk about gangs and terrorists up in the city? I heard some of them might be headed outwards to do Lord-Knows-What."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." said Sunset. "If things go wrong, I can handle myself."

"Are you sure, Sunset?"

"Besides, it's not like I'm going out to stir up trouble!" said Sunset. "It's just going to be a quick walk there and back, and nothing more."

Mr. Flake nodded his head.

"Fine, Sunset." he told her, reluctantly. "Just don’t get in trouble with anybody you don’t recognize. It’s bad for business if my tenants get put in the hospital…or the morgue. Well, I’ve got to get myself a little shut-eye. Good night, Sunset."

When Mr. Flake went through a door that led to his bedroom, Sunset Shimmer walked out the front door, and onto Dodge Boulevard. She decided not to pack anything with her, since she believed her belongings would no longer remain of use to her once she went back to Equestria. Instead, she simply wore the same exact clothes she wore when she first came to the human world. Whether it was poignant or not, she didn't care. She just wanted to leave Canterbury, and not look back.

Sunset Shimmer was walking down the street, towards the intersection that led to Canterlot High. She suddenly saw several dark shapes on the road ahead, and heard a loud roaring noise. Her instincts made her think of dragons, but she knew that none existed in this world. Then she remembered what the sound originated from: the engines of a motorcycle. But this was an entire chorus of those engine roars.

"Oh my gosh." Sunset gasped, clasping her hands to her mouth when she saw what the dark shapes were.

Around twenty or thirty people on motorcycles were speeding along the road from the direction Sunset Shimmer was facing. She had never seen so many bikers in one place. She had always marveled at those two-wheeled vehicles like bicycles and motorcycles, and the way that humans rode them as if they were riding on horses. That is, if said horse was a non-living contraption of metal and rubber.

But Sunset couldn't help but feel disturbed by what she saw; she knew for a fact that nobody in their right mind would host a motorcycle rally this late at night in the middle of the sleepy suburbs. For that matter, she didn't recall there being any motorcycle clubs in Canterbury, or at least none that large. She quickly got off the sidewalk, and hid behind a set of garbage cans lined up in front of a nearby bakery called Joe's Donuts. She crouched down, and peered at the bikers as they passed by.

They were all wearing studded leather jackets with the image of a gryphon emblazoned on the back, dark blue denim jeans, yellow gloves, brown hiking boots, and gold-rimmed goggles. Sunset could've sworn she saw a few of them carrying weapons on their belts, but they passed by too quickly before she could verify this. Once the last biker, a woman with short platinum-blonde hair, disappeared into the night, Sunset Shimmer sprinted for the intersection, and stopped to turn around.

"What was that all about?" she said to herself, looking down the other way to see if any more motorcycle-riding thugs--which Sunset Shimmer was certain they were--would be passing by there. "I guess those gangs are spreading outwards! What's going on around here? Where'd those guys--Never mind. I'm not even going to hang around to find out, anyway."

Once again, the streets were stark and silent. Sunset took a quick jog down the road that led to Canterlot High. She stopped at the massive building's front lawn, and went over to the statue that stood in the middle of the front lawn. She looked around again to make sure nobody was following her, then proceeded to bang her fist on the base of the statue that served as the hidden portal to Equestria.

“Darn it, open up!” growled Sunset Shimmer. “I’ve had it here! I wanna go back to my home! I want to return to Equestria!”

Nothing happened. Again.

"Please!" she groaned, desperately. "I don't want anything to do with this place again! If I ever get out of here, I'll do everything I can to learn about friendship! You hear me, Twilight? I'll even follow your example, if necessary!"

But despite the efforts of Sunset, the portal still wasn’t active. Irritated, she kicked the base of the statue with all her might. This proved to be a bad decision. Now her cyan eyes were watery and her booted foot was throbbing in pain. There was a sound of police sirens in the distance.

“And that…is why…I want to go back!” Sunset hissed through her pain stricken face. "Nobody wants me here! Even I don't want me here!"

She did have some friends here in the human world, or at least some classmates that sufficed as friends. Apart from the human counterparts of Twilight Sparkle's friends, there was also Flash Sentry, who was her ex-boyfriend, and finally Craw, the exchange student from Junction City that switched places with Flash earlier in the month.

But Twilight's human friends couldn't truly understand her situation, Flash was attending a high school in a different city, and Craw ran away from her in a fit of rage just a few nights ago. In other words, Sunset was all alone now.

"Why did he run off like that, anyway?" Sunset thought, remembering their last night together. "I couldn't have done anything that offended him! Even if I did, he would've told me what I did wrong!"

“Sunset Shimmer, you aren’t trying to vandalize that statue, are you?” a voice said.

Sunset turned around to find that she was being watched by a muscular man in a police uniform, whose skin was silvery-white and hair was bluish-black.

“No, Officer Armor.” Sunset Shimmer shook her head, with a nervous grin on her face. “I was just…breathing in the night air!”

“At this time?” Captain Shining Armor said. “And why are you clutching your foot like that?”

“I bumped it, duh!” Sunset snapped. “And yes, I’m just taking nightly walks nowadays. Is that too much to ask for?”

“Normally, no.” Officer Armor said. “But I got an enormous report from Lt. Soarin’ about some reports of gang activity around the school. And I've gotta warn you, considering your...reputation around here. If you are involved in any of this--”

“I'm not.” Sunset told him quickly. “And would you people seriously arrest me just for walking around outside?”

“I’m just trying to keep things peaceful around here, Sunset.”

“Well, good luck with that.” Sunset said, flatly.

“Thank you.” said Officer Armor. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to make sure the suburbs don't get torn apart on my watch.”

“Thanks…” Sunset Shimmer said with a grin, before quickly adding before Shining Armor was out of earshot. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know anyone named K.N., would you?"

"Actually, I don't think I've heard of anyone in this town with those initials." said Shining Armor. "Why?"

"Um...no reason." said Sunset. "Well, I'll see you later?"

"We'll see." said Officer Armor, before leaving. "Stay safe!"

As soon as Officer Shining Armor disappeared around the corner, Sunset Shimmer sat against the base of the statue, on the side that she had been pounding earlier. She let out a yawn, and wondered how many more nights she could risk attempting to open the portal and who K.N. was, when suddenly the school’s clock struck twelve, and a streak of moonlight passed over her.

“What in the…?” Sunset jumped to her feet, and turned around to the base of the statue was now shimmering. “I can’t believe it! Is this seriously happening?!”

She distinctly remembered researching that the portal would only open every thirty moons, which meant that it shouldn’t have opened for another two years or so. But apparently, it could actually open every thirty nights.

“Woo-hoo!” Sunset Shimmer celebrated this revelation as loud as she could, as if to happily declare to this world that she would be out of there forever. “Equestria, here I come!”

She didn’t even stop to pay attention to someone yelling “Shut up, you crazy lady!” from their upstairs window across the street. However, she was definitely surprised by a sudden, loud rustling coming from a nearby bush, even if she didn't see the dark figure that jumped out from behind it. She could hear hurried footfalls that sounded like metal on concrete. Sunset Shimmer heard a clicking noise, and something cold and metal jab her in the back of her head: Someone was holding her at gunpoint!

"Don't you dare move, Sunset Shimmer!" said a strange, distorted voice. "Stay still, or I'll pump you full of lead!"

Though she was unable to see the man speaking to her, she could tell that he wasn't a police officer, and the strange filter on his voice ruled out the possibility of him being one of those bikers.

"Who are you?!" Sunset squealed. "What did I do--" she paused. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know anyone name K.N., would--"

"Shut up, you!" the gunman whispered menacingly, moving some kind of mobile phone to the side of Sunset's head. "Speak into it. There's someone on the other end that wants to talk to you."

Scared out of her mind, Sunset took the phone, and spoke into it.

"Hel...hello?" she said.

"Hello, my dear Sunset." said a familiar voice on the phone. "Do you recognize my voice?"

"Craw?" Sunset Shimmer asked, when she remembered the speaker's voice. "Is that really you?"

"That's Sergeant Craw!" Craw said to her in an eerily calm voice. "And how are you doing this lovely, lonely night, my little pony?"

"Craw, please!" Sunset pleaded to her friend on the phone. "You've got to help me! There's a man aiming a gun at my head!"

"Good!" Craw's voice continued to speak. "That's what I sent him to do!"

Sunset Shimmer gasped.

"I can't believe you, Craw!" Sunset whimpered. "You're my friend!"

"Unfortunately, that's not the case." said Craw's voice. "To tell you the truth, I was sent to this town to investigate that little incident last month at the school. I'm sure you know the one. I was told to befriend you, so that you would tell me everything you knew without being suspicious."

"Why are you doing this, though?" asked Sunset.

"Because I found out what you are: Some kind of...humanized equine. You weren't just involved in the incident, you were one of its contributing factors! That's why I'm going to take you somewhere where you and I can have a quiet, civilized discussion about out 'relationship', and you can explain everything to me."

Sunset was suspicious. She knew there was even more to it than what Craw was telling her.

"If you wanna talk to me, then why did you send some whackjob with a rifle after me?" Sunset asked. "This is really pathetic, and you know it."

"Pathetic?!" Sgt. Craw repeated. "Pathetic? I'm just doing my job, woman. Do you have any idea how long I've been scoping out this town? This is just me following orders! I bet you wouldn't know what it's like when--!"

Sunset Shimmer was fuming as she listened to Craw's rant. His hateful words burned deeply into her subconscious. But there was nothing she could do about it. If she tried shouting back, the man would shoot her. If she hung up, the man would shoot her. If she tried running away...

"Yeah, no hope there, either." She thought. "Really, what's going on here? Why would these people be after me for this? I can understand the Fall Formal, but why the fact that I'm a pony? Craw probably doesn't mean this at all. He sounds freaked-out about something. Whatever. I really don't have time for this."

She lowered the hand that held the phone for a moment, only to feel something cold and metallic force it back against her ear. She was subjected to Craw's rantings at maximum volume, and was forbidden from even moving the source of the noise away from her ear. She felt what was unmistakably the butt of a rifle nudge her in the abdomen.

"Keep listening, or you'll just make him angrier." crackled the sinister voice of the gunman behind her.

Heeding his words, Sunset waited for Craw to finish, and then she spoke into the phone.

"Craw, honey?" she asked calmly. "I'd like to ask you something."

On the phone's receiver, Sunset heard Craw's distorted voice groaning.

"Then ask away, my beloved horse-woman." he said to her, through what sounded like barred teeth.

"What are you going to do when you get here?" asked Sunset.

"Nothing nefarious...unless you try running away." said Craw.

"Look, I've really got to leave." said Sunset. "I'm sure that you'll have a lot of fun with me, but I've got a life of my own to get back to. Okay? I'll see you again...never."

"I'm afraid that my organization wouldn't like that, too much." said Craw. "The Syndicate just doesn't like it when its soldiers waste their time on targets. If you want to prove you're not a target, you'll be quiet and do what we say like a good little girl...pony...whatever you are."

Sunset sighed.

"All right." she said. "Just don't keep me waiting, honey."

Craw's voice laughed sinisterly as it crackled through the receiver.

"Okay, then. Consider it a date!" he said, with a sinister edge to his voice. "Hold that thought, sweetie."

"Wait, before you come here..." Sunset said quickly.

"Yes...?" said Craw's voice, wearily.

"Do you know who K.N. is?" said Sunset. "Because I got a message from some guy--"

Suddenly, the phone went silent, indicating that the call was over. There was some static coming from the gunman behind Sunset Shimmer; Craw was relaying instructions directly to his subordinate's headgear:

"I'm coming over as soon as I can, Ghost. I don't know if I'm going to kill Sunset or not. Just keep her where she is. And whatever you do, don't let her escape, or make a scene. So don't hurt her before I come over there."

Then the static faded.

"Alright, pony." the gunman stated. "The Sarge is on his way. You happy now?"

"Yeah, why not?" Sunset Shimmer said, sarcastically. "It's not like I have anything better to do than be interrogated by a bunch of gun-toting lunatics."

The man behind her was fitting armor-piercing rounds into his firearm, which he then jabbed against her back threateningly.

"That's enough out of you, horse-lady." he growled. "Get your sorry flank down to your knees, and stay there. Don't make this harder for yourself than it already is."

Sunset Shimmer voluntarily sank down so that she was on all fours. It had been ten minutes now, and the portal was still seemingly opened, even if the gunman didn't notice. But she had a feeling that it would close very soon.

"If something doesn't happen very soon..." Sunset Shimmer thought impatiently. "I'll never be able to return to Equestria! I need to get through that portal now!"

She was true to her word; No matter what the ponies on the other side of the portal might do to her, she knew that they wouldn't try to execute her in such a humiliating manner. Her prayers seem to have been answered; a police siren was wailing, and a squad car had pulled up on the curve behind the gunman. Three officers climbed out, holding tasers and nightsticks in their hands. One of them called out on the car's megaphone:

"Step away from the girl, sir! Drop your weapon immediately, or we will be forced to use drastic measures!"

"What a good joke, officers." Craw's enforcer guffawed. "Now here's something that isn't a joke: This girl, as you call her, is actually a pony!"

"For your information, whoever your are." Sunset groaned in disgust. "I'm a unicorn! At least, I'm supposed to be one..."

"Keep your mouth shut!" the enforcer hissed through his armored mask, casually treading on Sunset Shimmer's jacket-covered back with his armored boot. "I don't give a rat's behind what kind of magical horse you're supposed to be. Now don't break my concentration again, or I'll turn you into a tub of glue! You're really starting to irritate me."

Sunset Shimmer defiantly spat on the ground.

"You know, if we were in Equestria, and my brother knew that I was in trouble, you idiots would all be dead right now." retorted Sunset, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, people here get obsessed over the dumbest things."

the man with the gun promptly grabbed Sunset Shimmer by her hair, and tugged her back up. Sunset couldn't help but whimper.

"What you fail to understand, my little pony, is that you're at my complete mercy." growled the enforcer ominously. "As long as you're here, you belong to me. Your fate is in my hands. Now keep quiet, or I'll strike you down with more power than you can possibly imagine!"

"I don't know, I can imagine quite a bit." grumbled Sunset.

Then he pressed his foot down harder on Sunset's back even harder than before.

"Just shut up! Keep your freakin' mouth shut!"

He then proceeded to punch Sunset several times in the back. Sunset Shimmer winced in pain under the beating she received, but fought hard not to cry out.

"Enough! We're not joking around!" a second officer shouted. "Stop hurting that poor girl, and step away from her now! Practicing lethal force in public is one of the most serious crimes you could be punished for in these parts!"

"Well, guess what, officers?!" the gunman laughed. "As it turns out: I'm above your petty laws, and I'll prove it right now!"

A loud gunshot filled the night air. One of the officers went back into the car to call the police station for backup, while the other two brandished their Colt .45 pistols and starting unleashing suppressing fire on the enforcer.

Luckily for Sunset Shimmer, the gunman's weapon was simply fired into the air. The confusion gave her enough time to pull off her escape: She bucked hard with her legs in true pony fashion into the gunman's shins, even as he was distracted by the policemen. She quickly jumped to her feet, and turned to see the man who had been troubling her. She saw before her probably one of the scariest things she'd ever seen in her life: The man was wearing skeletal black armor of some kind, and was sporting an insectoid-looking mask on his obscured face.

"Are you ready to see Death itself, pony?" droned the filtered voice of the enforcer.

"No bucking way!" snarled Sunset Shimmer in response, a feral sensation burning in her green eyes. "I'm not afraid of a creep like you! And right now, I'm gonna show you how we handle things in Equestria!"

She threw herself onto the armored man, and who just barely took her weight. The policemen ceased firing their guns, afraid they might hit the brave (or reckless) girl that was now wrestling with the gunman that had her on her knees just seconds before.

"I can't believe this!" said Ghost as he fought Sunset. "You're just an animal...a farm animal!"

"Yeah, well if I'm a farm animal, then you're a stupid barnyard yokel!" Sunset retorted, swiftly kicking Ghost in the shin, grabbing the firearm from his hands, and whacking him across the face with it so that he staggered backwards in a daze. "Yippie-kai-aye, cowboy!"

And then she detached the clip from the rifle, then threw it and the gun back at Ghost in disgust.

"That's it, you're so fu--!" Ghost began.

"Now's our chance, men!" said the police sergeant, who cocked his freshly-loaded pistol. "Let this guy have it!"

The officers crowded together, and began discharging their weapons at Ghost. The sudden attack took Ghost by complete surprise, since he had completely forgotten the policemen. While the bullets didn't harm the enforcer, it did prompt him to turn away from Sunset Shimmer to reload and return fire.

The moment she heard gunfire, Sunset immediately dove away from the ensuing firefight, rolled against the statue’s base, and was relieved that she didn’t crash into it. In fact, she went straight through it, and through the familiar vortex that transported people between the two worlds. Once again, she felt her anatomy shifting about, compressing her chest and limbs and shifting her head into its original equine shape. She felt a horn grow from the top of her forehead, her clothes vanish, and her amber-colored body develop a matching coat of fur. She could also feel something extending from her lower back.

After a minute or two, Sunset Shimmer found herself rolling into the chamber of a castle. The same castle that only a month ago, she had stolen Twilight Sparkle’s Element of Harmony from. After bumping into a closed door, Sunset turned back to where she had entered to gaze into the mirror that acted as that side’s entrance to the portal. She was now looking at a yellow unicorn with a mane and tail that matched the hair that the teenage girl had: Long, curly, and red with streaks of blonde here and there.

Curiously, Sunset decided to test the mirror one last time, to see if it still worked. But she only felt hard glass; Apparently, these thirty-night periods of usage involving the mirror were one-way trips, except after the passing of thirty moon cycles.

Sunset took a moment to think about the events that occurred: The sudden gang activity, the mysterious text message, and above all: the power-armored soldier that just tried to kill her. It was all very strange to her.

"I don't know who this K.N. guy is, but he I think he just saved my life." Sunset said quietly to herself. "But who is he, and how'd he know about the statue and that it would open for me?"

Suddenly, her thoughts were distracted by the sound of hoof-falls outside.

“Who’s in there?” said the voice of a guard outside.

Sunset Shimmer turned around and gasped. All she had on her mind at that moment was to hide, as she wasn’t ready yet to face the Princesses. She galloped up to the side of the doorway, to wait for the guard to enter. When the door was pushed open, an orange Pegasus that seemed oddly familiar to Sunset trotted in, with the handle of a lantern between his teeth.

“Is anyone in here?” the guard said, looking around the room for intruders.

Thinking quickly and desperately, Sunset Shimmer crept up to him, and cleared her throat. She pretended to look happy to see him.

"Hi there." she said. "What can I do for a big, strong pegasus like you?"

the guard turned his head in her direction.

"Wait a minute, who are you?" he asked. "I don't remember seeing you around here. In fact, I don't think anypony's supposed to be in here."

Then the yellow unicorn leaned against the pegasus in a flirtatious manner.

"I'm the mare you always wanted." she answered, nuzzling against his neck.

"You're a lovely lady and all, but you didn't answer my question." said the pegasus guard, trying hard not to seem fazed by the reddish-blonde unicorn's advances. "Who are you?"

"Somepony looking for excitement around here." answered Sunset Shimmer. "I haven't seen another pony in such a long time. I could sure use some...company."

Then the pegasus recognized the mare he was conversing with, then gave her a rather displeased look.

"Sunset Shimmer, I'm placing you under arrest." he said. "Sorry."

Then Sunset pulled herself away from the orange pegasus guard, and quickly pulled off a spell that flooded the room with a bright light. The guard took off into the air and attempted to subdue the unicorn, but failed to hit his mark when she teleported and reappeared behind him. Sunset took the opportunity to escape, and darted out of the opened door. Before she left, she poked her head back through the doorway.

“Sorry, Flash. You just missed me!” she snickered mischievously.

She broke into a mad gallop through the empty halls, and rushed past two more guards. They shouted after her, but she ignored them. Sunset was quietly coughing as she went; Though her body was changed again, she could still feel herself aching from where the armored enforcer had previously hit her, particularly the top-end of her tail, and the sides of her ribs.

“Come on!” Sunset Shimmer muttered under her breath. “The exit has to be someplace around here!”

She quickly turned a corner, to see three guards obstructing her path.

“Who are you, and how’d you get in here?” one of them proclaimed. “Tell us why you’re here, or we’ll be forced to arrest you.”

Sunset then realized that the guards were all earth ponies.

“Oh, please!” She scoffed, raising her head to cast a spell.

She teleported behind the guards, and fled again before they realized where she went. She stumbled onto a low balcony with a twenty-foot drop into a large fountain. She looked up at the sky to see that it was the early morning. She saw various ponies trotting around in the streets beyond the fountain.

“Where am I, anyway?” Sunset asked aloud.

A number of raised voices behind her forced the unicorn to cut her thoughts short. She decided to make a leap of faith into the fountain, not stopping to think about how deep or shallow it might be. She bounded into the air, and splashed into icy-cold water. As soon as she descended, one of the earth pony guards made it to the balcony, just in time to see the silhouette of the intruder fall into the fountain below.

“Captain, she just got away, sir!” he shouted back at the other guards. “Should we go after her?”

“Of course you should find her!” Shining Armor replied, galloping up to his guard. “She’ll probably be the only non-crystal pony in the city at this time of the day!”

“Yes, sir!” the guard said, galloping to reach the main entrance.

Sunset Shimmer was incredibly stressed now. She had barely set hoof outside the castle, and not only was she soaking wet, but she was already undergoing sensory overload from the extremely bright sheen of the ponies around her. Half-blinded by the sunlight reflecting off of the Crystal Ponies, she shouted for them to move aside.

Her ears were still able to tell her that a stampede of guards was in hot pursuit of her, and was running about along every alley and street she could’ve crossed through. Eventually, she wound up colliding with an old crystal-coated stallion that was crossing the main road on his walkers, and lay on the pavement, dizzily lolling about. Soon enough, the guards caught up to her.

“What were you doing in the palace?” one of them demanded. “Were you attempting to rob the Princess?”

“No!” Sunset shook herself back into focus. “I was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.”

Suddenly, a large white unicorn stallion in body armor approached her, parting the crowd of guards in two.

“You must be Sunset Shimmer.” said Shining Armor. “My sister and wife told me all about you.”

“Then you’re Shining Armor?” the mare asked.

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

“You have a lot to answer for, especially to the Princesses.”

“Ugh…seriously?” Sunset growled. “I can’t even set hoof in my own homeland without being officially questioned for something I did a month ago?”

“Unfortunately…” Shining Armor began.

Sunset heard the sound of wings beating overhead, and then hooves hitting the ground hard.

“You can’t.” added the voice of Princess Cadence. “You’re in serious trouble, young lady. I'm sorry, but you'll have to take it up with Celestia and Luna.”

Sunset Shimmer groaned in defeat, and crossed her front legs in a pout.

Forgiveness

On the human side of the portal, Ghost was discharging more rounds in the direction of the policemen, while taking a few bullets himself. Fortunately for him, the experimental Changeling combat armor he wore was highly resistant to small arms. He was able to hit one of the officers in the leg, and another had his gun shot out of his hands.

"Give up, officers." the enforcer casually told them, as he finished reloading his rifle. "Your guns can't hurt me! Don't make me break orders!"

Suddenly, the three cops were swiftly struck down by a series of melee attacks from another figure in Changeling armor, who appeared out of thin air just behind them. The officers lay non-fatally incapacitated on the ground as the two armored men walked up to each other.

"Sergeant Craw, it is so good to see you again, this evening." the enforcer said. "I think we can report to the Supreme Commander that this new armor works well!"

"Corporal, I can't believe you." Sgt. Craw groaned, frustrated. "You disobeyed one of my direct orders! You weren't supposed to engage the police in direct combat yet! How are we supposed to get Principal Celestia to cooperate with our organization if we just start shooting members of the local law enforcement agencies in front of her school?"

The corporal looked over at the statue, in front of which he previously had seen Sunset Shimmer on the ground. But now she had vanished from sight.

"I understand you, Sarge." said Ghost. "But they caught me by surprise, and just when I had Sunset Shimmer right where we wanted!"

"Corporal, where is she now?" Sgt. Craw's voice rose through the black, face-concealing helmet he wore. "I know that you had her here, now where is she?"

"That terrible pony-girl bucked me in the legs while I had her pinned down." the corporal admitted. "Next second, I'm having a bit of a tussle with her by this statue. Then she appeared to be surrendering, when the cops started shooting at me. I had no choice but to return fire. When I looked over to discover where she went, I couldn't find her anywhere. It's like she just...disappeared."

"Then let's send a message to Supreme Commander Chrysalis, asking her for reinforcements." Craw said. "Sunset Shimmer can't have gone far from here. If we hurry, we can have an entire squad of Syndicate commandos in town, and we'll be able to hunt her down by next month."

"Very good, Sarge." saluted the corporal. "We'll get that filthy pony soon!"

They heard the sounds of police sirens in the distance, indicating that the police officers' call for back-up had been successful.

"I know a place where we should be able to catch Sunset Shimmer." Sgt. Craw said. "She has an apartment a couple of blocks from here. Follow my lead."

The two armored soldiers suddenly faded into the surrounding environment, just as a pair of squad cars, an ambulance, and a paddy wagon pulled over across the street. Several policemen climbed out, and started swarming the front yard of Canterlot High. Unfortunately, they were unable to catch the men responsible for the shootout.

Craw and the corporal looked on from down the street, to see the police had dispatched paramedics to resuscitate the wounded officers. Craw made a gesture for his subordinate to follow him.

"The building should be right around the corner." Craw said. "Ghost, cover the rear. I don't want any of those cops tailing us!"

"Yes, sir." acknowledged Corporal Ghost.

They walked around the corner, and entered the apartment building with absolute stealth. They utilized their cloaking technology to sneak past the landlord's desk, and climbed the stairwell to the third floor.

"Here it is: Room 32." Sgt. Craw told the corporal. "If the door's locked, get ready to breach it."

Ghost checked the door, but was surprised to see it was already ajar. The two soldiers loaded their weapons, and pushed the door open, to find that it was unoccupied. They turned the light on, to find that the room was decorated in red and golden wallpaper. There was a small bed with amber sheets in the middle of the room, with a dresser on the front end. There was a TV set and a radio along the wall opposite of the doorway.

"It looks clear, Corporal." Craw said. "Let's get this armor off of us."

He tugged his mask off of his head, toggled off the electronics on his body armor, and stripped down to his casual wear. He piled his gear onto Sunset's bed, and propped his scoped carbine against the wall. Cpl. Ghost followed suit.

"Sarge, do you think she'll come back soon?" Ghost asked, once his armored mask was removed from his sweating face.

"She might." Craw said. "Unless she's hiding in one of the nearby buildings, or she skipped town. Though if she tried that, the Syndicate's satellite network would be all over her."

"Right." Ghost nodded, looking around the apartment. "This really doesn't look too shabby a place to live, once you get over the fact that it probably smells like a petting zoo."

He was sniffing the room cautiously, as if checking the air for the stench of fecal matter, but was relieved that the apartment's owner at least knew how to use a toilet. He decided to look under the bed, and excitedly started digging some objects out from underneath it. Mostly, there were relatively mundane things: discarded clothing, old magazines, empty water bottles, and other things one might find under any normal teenager's bed. Once or twice, Ghost found a sharpened pencil or a dusty-looking notebook.

"Wow, this pony's been studying hard, hasn't she?" Ghost muttered as he skimmed through the various equations and essays written on the many loose pages of the first notebook he found. "My cousin's the biggest math whiz I know, and not even he writes this much stuff down."

He decided to check the magazines, and saw that they were mainly about fashion trends and celebrity gossip that already became irrelevant months ago. Then he reached further under the bed, over what felt like an empty soda can, and felt a large wooden object. He reached in with both hands to try and grab it. Meanwhile, Craw sat down on a bare corner of the bed, turned the television on, and decided to check the news. There was a deadline report from Canterlot High, where a television reporter was broadcasting at the scene of the incident that occurred only a few minutes earlier. This was probably the first time that a news report was made regarding that school since last month, on the day after Sunset Shimmer's battle with Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

"This is Pressure Point, with Channel 15 News." the reporter said. "And we are here on the front yard of Canterlot High, at the aftermath of a brutal shootout between three police officers, and as eyewitnesses claim to have seen, one or two armed suspects in high-tech military armor."

"Well, how'd you like that?" Craw said, turning an agitated face at Ghost, who was still searching under the bed.

"Although no fatalities have been confirmed," Pressure Point continued. "absolutely none of the officers present during the firefight are in any condition to give us a detailed description of what the long-gone attackers looked like. Apparently, all three of them were wounded, and then knocked into severe unconsciousness by what was clearly brute force. One person, on the other hand, claims to have seen the offenders appear and disappear in plain sight of his upstairs window."

"Yeah, that's right." said a tall young man in a leather jacket, approaching the camera. "I can tell you that even though I saw it from so far away, I could hear the guns going off, and lots of shouting. And for the rest, I could tell that there was something more to it than just random gang violence. One took a whole bunch of bullets to the chest, and shrugged it off like it was nothing. The other just popped up behind the cops, and kick-boxed the heck out of 'em! And then I saw both of them vanish from the front of the school just a few minutes later, right when the other police started showing up."

"Were there any other people that you can recall being near the scene?" asked Pressure Point. "Did you see anything that went on before the shootout began?"

"Well, I heard a woman yelling loudly near the school's statue about something, and that woke me up." the witness said. "So I walk up to my window to shout for her to be quiet, and I see some big guy pointing a gun at her head. I would've gone down to help, or got the cops on the phone, but I was too interested in looking at the guy with the gun. He had some pretty cool stuff on him, like he came straight out of a sci-fi movie."

"Sir, can you elaborate on this?" the reporter inquired.

"You know, big bulky power armor, futuristic-looking guns, and cloaking devices!" the young man said. "Like something out of..."

"Sir, I meant the woman in question." Pressure Point flatly corrected him. "What did she look like, and what happened to her?"

"She looked pretty skinny, and had long hair." said the young man. "She was probably in her late teens. I wouldn't be surprised if she was one of the students here at the school."

"Whatever happened to her, though?" asked the news reporter.

"Well, the guy had the girl bend over in front of him, yelled at her about something I couldn't make out, and then the three cops showed up in their car. They were all shouting at each other for a while, and then the man fired his rifle in the air. That's when the shooting began."

"What about the girl?"

"No idea. I saw her kicking her legs back at the guy in his knees, but then I was too focused on the fighting to see where she went after that. She probably made a run for it, though. That's what I would've done."

"And...unfortunately, that's all we have time for." the reporter stated, cutting off the witness. "This is Channel 15 News, advising you viewers at home to keep your eyes open for any further incidents of this sort. If you should become aware of any further sightings, please report to our news station, and to the police department. This is Pressure Point, signing off."

Then the news report cut straight to the weekly weather report. Craw decided to start looking around the apartment for anything that could help them find Sunset Shimmer's whereabouts. He had never been in Sunset's apartment before, though the address did come up in her school files. He noticed that apart from the bedroom, there was also a small living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom interconnected with each other by doors.

In the living room, Craw found various photographs of Sunset Shimmer on the walls, mostly from school. Whether it was posing as the winner of whatever contest she participated in, or hanging around with Flash Sentry, Craw couldn't help but put his eyes on Sunset. He was surprised and even amused to see a small photograph in a stand next to Sunset Shimmer's laptop, from around the time Craw was first befriending her. In that picture, they were affectionately shoving slices of pizza into each other's mouths. He then realized how thirsty he was, having been running around all night.

He decided to raid the fridge of the kitchen, and started chugging down a bottle of soda that he found inside. Craw couldn't help but smile for a brief moment; when they were still friends, Sunset once said she would keep some bottles of Craw's favorite drinks in her kitchen, in case he decided to visit her. Neither of them ever thought it would be for an occasion like this. And then Craw reminded himself that she turned out to be some dimension-hopping humanized pony, and frowned again.

"It never would've worked too well, anyway." Craw thought.

Then he decided to shift his thoughts back to the Syndicate's efforts in subduing Sunset Shimmer.

"It really isn't working too well for us." Sgt. Craw rambled on to himself, once he finished his drink. "At this rate, the entire town will be in chaos before we can even find her again!"

"Sir, I just found something very interesting!" Ghost said, pulling out a box from under the mattress, which he had been straining to pull out for the past few minutes.

"What is it?"

Ghost pulled out a book from inside the box.

"It doesn't look like something you just borrow from the school library, now does it?" he shook his head. "Check out these arcane-looking runes all over them."

Craw decided to check out the box. He pulled out several books and scrolls. He felt like he was opening a humongous birthday present.

"Wow, you gotta check this out." Ghost said, as he was reading a page from the first book he pulled out. "That Sunset Shimmer may be a pony, but you've got to admit that's she's got some complex-looking stuff to read."

"Yeah." Craw said. "She probably brought it over from Equestria, or Unicornia, or whatever that place is called."

"What should we do with all this stuff?" the corporal asked.

"Well, it should be obvious:" the sergeant answered. "We pack it up, and confiscate it for Supreme Commander Chrysalis' archivists to examine."

"Right you are, boss." Cpl. Ghost said. "But what about that pony-lady? What if she comes back, looking for her books?"

"You're right." nodded Sgt. Craw. "We'll stake ourselves out here for the night, in case Sunset Shimmer returns. If she doesn't come by morning, then we'll radio a message to the Supreme Commander...and then..."

"Then what?" the corporal asked.

"We'll request," Sergeant Craw said, as he examined one of the magic scrolls. "that she start deploying Syndicate troops into this town. This is already starting to look a lot bigger than it should be."

Unseen by both Craw and Ghost, a lone man stood on the sidewalk outside of the apartment building, looking up at the window of Sunset Shimmer's apartment. He grinned maliciously, and then turned to walk down the road, disappearing into the night.

In Equestria, Sunset Shimmer was being sent to Canterlot by train. During the mid-afternoon, she was brought to the palace’s throne room, where she was prepared to be questioned and ridiculed by Princesses Celestia and Luna. For a while, she remained quiet, allowing her former mentor and her sister to chew her out.

“Sunset Shimmer, as happy and relieved I am to see you have finally returned to Equestria.” Celestia said. “The things you did before you had done so aren’t what I would have asked of you.”

“You caused much before you came back here.” Princess Luna added. “First, you try to steal the crown of Princess Twilight Sparkle…”

Sunset Shimmer simply responded with a raspberry at Luna’s mention of the name.

“And then you apparently transform into, as Twilight described it, a power-crazed demon, and attempt to invade Equestria with an army of brainwashed humans.” Princess Celestia said.

"I know, I know!" said Sunset, irritated. "Really, It's not like I actually meant for that stuff to happen! I wasn't even in complete control of myself when I turned into that demon!"

“I understand that, Sunset." said Celestia "But even in exile, I expected better to come out of you!”

“Of course you did.” Sunset rolled her eyes, and turned her head away from the two alicorn sisters.

“Sunset, listen to me…please.” Princess Celestia asked, gently. “I know that you wouldn't do such wicked things of your own accord. That's why I am willing to give you another chance to redeem yourself in my and the rest of Equestria’s eyes.”

“Why would you do that, Princess?” Sunset asked skeptically. “What makes you think that I would want to be your loyal subject again?”

“That is why you returned, is it not?” Princess Luna asked the now-fuming unicorn.

“Buck no!” Sunset snapped, indignantly raising her voice at the younger alicorn sister. “I came back here because your sister’s favorite little kiss-up dollface of a student ruined my life!”

Under most circumstances, Luna would've ended such outbursts by shouting back at the offender with the Royal Canterlot voice. But this one was a special case: Sunset Shimmer was not yelling out of anger or vengeance, but from confusion, anxiety, and fear. Since she herself went through such hardships for a while after her own evil was destroyed by the Elements of Harmony, Luna was only too familiar with this.

“Sunset, I understand you are upset…” Princess Celestia attempted to comfort her former student.

“And why wouldn’t I be?” The young mare ranted on, turning her head back to the elder Princess. “Nobody ever took me seriously after that, and even started pushing me around! And that’s not all. Principal Celestia—your counterpart in the human world--suspended me from Canterlot High for two weeks straight, and didn’t allow me to participate in or even attend any competitions after that! She even had the local police force dog me around every other hour of the day to make sure I didn’t do any more harm. And you know what else? This happened as soon as Twilight Sparkle left me to fend for myself, and had been going on for thirty days straight! And that was all before someone I thought was my friend tried to have me killed, just for being a pony!”

Princess Celestia and her sister were taken aback, and felt even more sympathy for the mare.

“And that is when you returned through the portal?” Luna deduced.

"Yeah, only to be arrested a couple minutes later!" said Sunset. "Really, Princess Celestia. If you wanted me to come back here, you shouldn't have let your niece ship me back here like I was going to be on death row!"

"Sunset, I realize that Princess Cadence was a little overzealous with arresting you and sending you here the way she did." said Celestia. "But I trust that it was all a misunderstanding. Cadence is Twilight's sister-in-law, and is very protective of her. And she doesn't quite understand your situation the way that I, Twilight, and Luna do."

"I'll believe that when I see it." said Sunset, rolling her eyes.

“But how were you able to use the portal to come back to Equestria in the first place?" asked Luna. "We thought that it could only open every thirty moons.”

“Well, as it turned out, that’s not always the case.” Sunset informed the two princesses.

She thought for a moment, and decided not to mention the text message or the mysterious K.N.. Or at least not yet, since she felt this would only raise more questions.

“Upon further investigation, I recently discovered that it could also act as a one-way passage to the other world once every thirty nights.”

“Interesting.” Celestia said, exchanging nods with her sister, before turning back to Sunset with a frown. “I’m actually surprised that you only just now made this discovery.”

“You’re what?” Sunset glared furiously. “You mean you could have told me about the one-way portholes when I was still with you, and you never did?”

“Sunset, I didn’t want to tell you, because exploiting those one-way passages could have brought greater imbalance to the two worlds!” Celestia admitted. “I often wish I did, though. I missed you so much these past few years.”

Sunset Shimmer was outright distraught, and was shaking all over. But she managed to choke out a few words.

“And I…” she stammered uneasily, as if her own words were hurting her. “I…missed you, too…Princess Celestia!”

Suddenly, she shook her head bitterly, bowed it in shame, and sniffled loudly. She felt Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her.

“Now, now, my dear Sunset.” Celestia said calmly. “You’re back in Canterlot, safe and sound. You can put all of your cares away until tomorrow.”

"I almost died last night." sniffled Sunset. "And I wouldn't have been in that mess if Twilight didn't make me stay behind!"

"But I'm sure Twilight didn't mean it!" said Celestia. "I'm sure she only left you behind so that you could learn about friendship from her friends there."

"Believe what you want, but it doesn't change the fact that what happened happened!" growled Sunset. "Yeah, I did some bad stuff in the past, but I didn't do anything that warranted almost getting shot by some psychopath!"

"I understand, Sunset." said Celestia. "Just please calm down! I love you, Sunset. I always have, and always will."

"You...you mean it?" asked Sunset.

"With all the honesty in my heart." said Celestia. "If you're still upset at me and Twilight, I understand--"

Then Sunset Shimmer lost all self-control, and began sobbing loudly, with long tears streaming down from her green eyes.

“Shhh…you’re going to be fine, Sunset.” Princess Celestia whispered gently into her ear. “You’re going to be fine. Please control yourself.”

"I...I'm..s-so..."

"You don't need to say it, Sunset." said Celestia. "I know. And I also understand that you're tired and scared. You've gone through a lot before you came back here. Just relax yourself...please."

Sunset Shimmer finally stopped crying, and lifted her head back up with a determined look on her face.

“Okay. I’m ready for anything, Princess!” she said, rubbing the dried tears off her face with her right hoof. “Anything you want me to do, I’ll follow it. Just say the word. Sunset Shimmer’s back in business!”

“Sunset, dear?” Princess Celestia said, raising her head. “I am glad to see you back to your old self. And since Twilight Sparkle has already learned so much from me, I am willing make you my personal student again.”

Then Sunset hesitated, and her face shifted anxiously.

"But what if everything repeats itself, and I turn evil again?" asked Sunset, nervously. "Listen, Princess Celestia. I have a very bad feeling about this. I'm...I'm scared of what might happen if I were to go through the same routine as last time. I want to help you out, for sure. I really do! But is there some other way I can do it? I don't wanna end up turning into that demon again! And I couldn't stomach any more of the pain and torment that I went through when--"

Then Celestia bowed her head, so that she and Sunset were each staring into the other's eyes.

"The choice is yours, dear." said Celestia, with a smile. "If you have any suggestions on how the methods could be changed, I am all ears."

Sunset opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her. She tried again and again to come up with a solution that would allow her to redeem herself in a manner that was beneficial to both Equestria and herself, but she couldn't think of any. She started to sweat all over, and her breathing became heavy. Suddenly, a miracle happened: Princess Luna approached them.

“Pardon us, sister.” Luna interjected to Celestia. “With all due respect, could we perhaps…”

Princess Celestia and Sunset Shimmer tilted their heads curiously towards the Princess of the Night.

“Take Sunset Shimmer as our…my student?” Luna requested, even dropping the use of the Royal “We” for the occasion.

Sunset Shimmer felt her jaw drop.

“I just yelled at you, a Princess, not even five minutes ago!” the unicorn stated with surprise. “And you still want me to hang around with you?”

“Of course, Sunset Shimmer.” said Luna. “I see much of myself in you, actually.”

“You’re joking!”

“I do not joke about matters such as these.” Luna said. “I once fell down the same path as you. Are you at all familiar with the ‘Mare in the Moon’?”

“That was you?!” Sunset quickly deduced, mentally adding the pieces together.

“It was.” Luna nodded. “And it was thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her friends that I was free of the evil that corrupted me for all those years.”

Sunset Shimmer frowned at the mention of Twilight’s name.

“How am I supposed to compete with that, Princess?” she asked. “I mean, they have the Elements of Harmony! I’m just…”

“Hush, Sunset.” Luna told her. “You are by no means inferior to them. I will not hear another word about it.”

Turning to her elder sister, Luna asked:

“May I take Sunset Shimmer under my wing?”

“Why, of course you can.” Celestia chuckled. “You don’t need to ask me about that! Unless, of course, Sunset says otherwise.”

Princess Luna blushed, and sheepishly turned to face Sunset.

“Sunset Shimmer, Will you be my pupil, and follow my example?” the dark-coated alicorn asked.

After a moment looking back and forth between the two Princesses, Sunset finally shifted her undivided attention to Princess Luna with a smile on her face. Not a cruel or sarcastic smile, but a genuine smile that exhibited gratefulness.

“Yes, Princess Luna.” She said at last, with a bow. “I shall gladly do whatever you ask of me!”

Suddenly, Princess Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot voice.

“Huzzah! From this day forth, thou shalt become my personal pupil!” she began, before catching herself, and continued in her normal speaking voice, but with the modern dialect. “And welcome back to Canterlot, young Sunset.”

"Thank you!" Sunset cheered, even louder than Luna. "You're the best, Princess Luna! You're so awesome! You don't know how much this means to me!"

"Slow down there, Sunset." chuckled Celestia. "Let's not get too excited."

Sunset Shimmer blushed, and gave a simple nod.

"So, when can I start training under you, princess?" she asked Luna.

"Well, I suppose we could review a few things that you've learned under my sister." said Princess Luna. "But I must admit that taking on a student of my own is, for the most part, alien to me. So you must forgive me if I neglect to teach you anything new. At least, anything that you might find noteworthy."

"I understand, princess." said Sunset, nodding mechanically.

"But if all goes well, I may have a few sessions of my own for you in the future." said Luna. "But again, I will have to review what you've already learned, so that I don't make you feel as though I were holding you back."

"Well, I'm ready when you are, boss." said Sunset.

Author's Notes:

I'll admit that this chapter's events aren't played out as convincingly as some might've wanted it, but I promise that the later chapters make up for it. If you didn't like this chapter, I'm sure things will make more sense as you continue reading. All I ask is that you give the rest of the story a chance.

Luna's Student

Princess Luna led Sunset Shimmer to the upper levels of the palace, and brought her up a causeway until they reached a large gateway that was built into the mountainside.

"This is the entrance to the chambers of my bat-pony bodyguards." Luna explained to Sunset.

"I heard about those." said Sunset. "I hear they only come out after midnight. Since I often slept through the nights, I've never had the chance to see one. Though, of course, that was when you were still locked up in the moon. So, do you have anything to teach me about them?"

"Being the Princess of the Night, I am able to call upon them at any time I wish." said Luna. "Do you wish for me to demonstrate this to you?"

"That depends..." said Sunset Shimmer. "How do they behave around other ponies? I mean, they're not going to attack me or anything, are they?"

"Not necessarily." Luna assured her new student. "They're very passive, actually."

"Then by all means, I'd love to see you do it." grinned Sunset.

"Then we shall continue." said the alicorn princess.

Luna faced the gate, and unfolded her wings. Her eyes began to glow with a pale white light, and her horn glowed brightly. The large doors were pushed open by her telekinesis.

"Come to me, sentinels of the night." Luna boomed. "Your Princess commands you!"

Her voice echoed through the long dark tunnel. It was soon answered by a flapping of leathery wings and a whooshing of air. Six winged shapes emerged from the darkness, and soared towards Princess Luna and Sunset Shimmer. The dark shapes dropped to the ground in front of the princess and her pupil, and stood in formation. They slowly marched simultaneously into the sunlight, revealing their features. Sunset was astonished by their appearance:

Each of the six were pegasi, and there was no doubt about that. But they had the wings of bats, their ears were slightly longer than the average pony's, and their golden eyes had large slitted cat-like pupils. They were also wearing black and purple armor with finned helmets, bearing Princess Luna's insignia on their chestplates.

One of them opened his mouth to speak, revealing his fanged teeth.

"What are your ordersss, Princessss?" he hissed.

"My new student is in need of a proper training area." Luna replied. "Can you provide one for her?"

"Yes, your majesty." said another bat-pony, with a clear, posh voice. "We have an empty cave in our lair that will work perfectly for you two."

"Very good." said Luna. "Sunset, follow me, if you will please."

"Sure thing." said Sunset.

Princess Luna and Sunset Shimmer ventured into the tunnel, escorted by the six bat-guards. The amber unicorn kept turning her head back, and noticed that the six bat-winged pegasi were gazing curiously at her.

"Princess Luna, why are they looking at me like that?" Sunset asked her mentor.

"I suppose they are surprised that somepony not of their kind is entering their home?" Luna suggested. "Or perhaps they are fascinated by the bright colors of your coat and mane. After all, they are not accustomed to interacting with brightly-colored ponies."

As they traveled further on, the door was sealed behind them, and Luna's horn began to glow with a pale light, so that they could still see their way. They passed more bat-ponies of various shapes and sizes, but most were unarmored. Sunset even saw a few bat-foals amongst them.

"Sunset Shimmer, we are here." said Princess Luna, pointing out a large, spacious chamber filled with various objects.

The alicorn princess and her unicorn student stood in the center of the room, and faced each other.

"Let us begin, shall we?" said Luna.

"Let's." answered Sunset.

For the next two hours, Princess Luna had Sunset practice with telekinesis, barrier spells, offensive spells, and finally teleportation. Sunset Shimmer, despite having been unable to use magic for most of the past two years, excelled at each course. After the session was over, Princess Luna brought Sunset back to the palace.

"You know, I'm still a little nervous about being back in Equestria." admitted Sunset Shimmer. "Sure, you and Princess Celestia are fine with me here, but what if I'm not welcomed back everywhere else?"

"Don't worry, my dear." said Luna. "We shall see to it that you are felt welcome. Tomorrow, we shall throw a feast in your honor."

"Wow, that's just awesome." smiled Sunset.

"And we shall..."

"But Luna?" Sunset interrupted. "I'd rather not have Twilight Sparkle know that I'm here. At least, not yet."

"Understood."

"But, if it's at all possible, could you send a letter to..." Sunset began, surprised she was actually coming to this.

"Yes, Sunset?" inquired the Princess of the Night.

"My family?" finished Sunset Shimmer, after a deep breath. "I really miss my brother. I'd love to hear from him again."

"Were you at all close?" asked Luna.

"Kind of." said Sunset. "It's a complicated story. But I'm still a little tired from the training to explain it any further. Could you send the letter to him anyway? Nothing big. Just tell him that I'm okay, and that I haven't forgotten about him."

"I sympathize with you, my student." said Princess Luna. "I shall see to this. Now good night, Sunset Shimmer."

"Good night, Princess Luna." said Sunset, who proceeded alone to her sleeping quarters.

That night, Sunset Shimmer suffered from a terrible nightmare. She was a human girl again in Canterlot High. But this time, she did not instill fear in the other students around her. In fact, they began attacking her at sporadic moments. She found herself surrounded by faceless teenage masses, all yelling at her for what she had done to them. The danger escalated to a higher level, when one of the larger students seized her, and violently shoved her against a row of lockers.

Sunset sank back against the metal surface, cowering before the insane crowd that was ready to beat her to a pulp.

"Please, don't hurt me!" she whimpered. "I'm sorry about what happened! I've changed now! I promise!"

"Tough luck, you evil little harpy!" one of the featureless students yelled, in a distorted voice. "Now you're going to get what's coming to you!"

"Let her have it, guys!" another student yelled, in a shrill shriek.

The mob of adolescents began punching and kicking her furiously. Those that couldn't reach far enough to hit her just stood back and laughed at her misery. Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard on the intercom. It was the voice of Luna.

"Attention, all students." her voice crackled from the speakers. "This is your Vice Principal speaking. I am reminding everyone that unprovoked attacks on your fellow students can result in suspension from school property."

All the laughing students suddenly panicked and ran to their classrooms, but a few of the more persistent attackers remained behind.

"Might I also remind you, students, that repeat offenders will face immediate expulsion, should they continue their attacks?" the voice of Luna said again.

The attackers cowered in fear and ran away from the bruised Sunset Shimmer. Then, she felt herself being lifted gently to her feet...by Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, the Princesses' human counterparts.

"Are you all right, dear?" Celestia asked. "I just can't believe how students will behave these days. Good thing Luna brought this to my attention when she did, or I couldn't even begin to imagine how much of your body wouldn't have to be placed in a cast."

Sunset Shimmer simply nodded, wiping blood and mucus off of her busted nose with the sleeve of her jacket. She was on the verge of falling over, but Vice Principal Luna caught her in time, and helped her out of the hallway.

"Don't worry, student." she told Sunset Shimmer. "I'll take you to the nurse's office. She'll patch you up in no-time. I won't let anyone bother you without my permission."

Sunset sat recovering in the infirmary, safe from the faceless teenagers. However, there was the sound of a loud bang! outside the room. An armored foot kicked down the door, and in came two men, wearing skeletal black armor with insectoid motifs. One of them approached Sunset immediately, and the two bright points of red light that sufficed for eyes were shining in front of her. The other's eyes had similar optics, except they were blue. There were spiked ridges running up along the brow region of their nozzled helmets. and their ribbed torsos glistened brightly in the light emitting from the hall. It was as though a pair of humanoid mosquitoes were looming over her, with the intention to suck her dry in one go.

"You won't bother anyone, ever again." said the red-eyed soldier, who spoke with a distorted facsimile of Craw's voice. "It wouldn't have worked well between us, anyway."

He and the other soldier slowly brandished pistols, and pointed them straight at Sunset Shimmer's surprised face. The false Craw squeezed his fingers to pull the trigger...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sunset woke up in her morning-lit bedroom in the Canterlot palace, when she heard the sound of hooves pummeling the door to her room. At first, she thought that Princess Celestia had changed her mind about letting her stay in Equestria, and sent her guards to arrest her. But then she heard the sound of voices cheering her name.

“All right, already!” she spoke loudly over the incessant knocking. “I’m up! I’m up!”

She got off of her bed, and trotted to the door, magically opening it to a pleasant surprise.

“Sunset, remember me?” said a unicorn with an orange-red coat and a long orange mane. “It’s me, your dear older brother!”

“Red Dawn?! Is that you?” Sunset exclaimed, tilting her head to take a quick look at his cutie mark; It was a pale reddish-yellow sun rising behind an ocean, just as Sunset Shimmer remembered.

"That's right, little sis!" replied Red Dawn. "The two of us are back together again, as a family."

Sunset Shimmer looked behind her brother, and saw that there was a crowd of unicorns in the corridor outside her room, cheering the two siblings on. Sunset recognized some of them right away, though it took some time for her to remember the rest.

“I really wasn’t expecting company this early in the morning." Sunset said, overwhelmed. "And now, I see you have half of Celestia’s academy in front of me…”

“Do you not like it, my new student?” Said the voice of Princess Luna, who came up to Sunset from the far end of the crowd. “In order to make you feel welcome here, my sister and I decided to send messengers to your former classmates and family members. Sadly, the only family member we could find or was otherwise available was Red Dawn.”

"So even after all this time, my parents still aren't around." Sunset thought, bitterly.

“Hey! Remember me, Sunset?” one of the unicorns attempted to speak over the commotion. “We sat next to each other in Magic Kindergarten!”

“Don’t you remember when you beat me in a hoof-wrestling match?” another said. "How about we have a rematch, for old time's sake?"

“I still practice that teleportation spell everyday, just like you suggested!” A third said, who raised her horn, and suddenly vanished and rematerialized right over Sunset Shimmer, who jumped back just in the nick of time. “I think it still needs work…Ugh!”

Sunset Shimmer barely remembered Celestia's academy, as she was busy having flashbacks to her days at Canterlot High in the human world. Back then, the students never ganged up on her like this. In fact, they were outright terrified of her. Of course, that was all before that incident at the Fall Formal. But this was a somewhat refreshing, albeit still overwhelming thing to deal with at this hour of the morning.

She was beginning to fume again, but repressed it to calmly speak to her former classmates.

“It’s…nice…to see you all again after being gone for so long.” She stated in a low grumble. “But I have important things to do.”

“C’mon, sis!” Red Dawn said, over the others. “What could be more important than walking with your brother around the castle, or---”

“How about something as simple as getting some rest?!” Sunset Shimmer snarled, before using her magic to slam the door shut on the crowd.

She was able to hear some disappointed remarks from the crowd outside.

“Yep, she’s definitely back, alright.” Said the first male unicorn. “Now I remember why we stopped sitting next to each other in class.”

“What a shut-in!” Red Dawn grumbled. “And I’m her brother, for crying out loud!”

“I know, right?” said the amateur teleporter. “It’s like Twilight Sparkle all over again.”

"Hey, don't say that like it's a bad thing!" the hoof-wrestling unicorn said. "Twilight Sparkle was a shut-in, too. But now look at her: She's a princess! Who's to say Sunset won't fare as well?"

"Yeah, and then she'll probably abuse her new abilities to be a stuffy jerk to the rest of Equestria!"

"I'm the brother of that stuffy jerk, you amateur!" Red Dawn shouted back.

"Sure, and I should totally take that 'amateur' comment from the unicorn that couldn't cast a flight spell without making something explode?" the teleporting mare's voice retorted. "No wonder you two are never together: Sunset's probably embarrassed to be in your company!"

"Then how'd you know that?" Dawn argued on. "Have you been talking to her at all recently? Is there even any indication that she didn't want me around her? You're the ones that have been screaming your heads off out here! Maybe she doesn't want you guys around?!"

"Shut up, will you?" the first unicorn said. "You were the one that had us all come up here to begin with! You're just as guilty as us!"

"No, you shut up, Pressure Point!" Red Dawn shouted back. "I wanted to come up here because I wanted to check on my sister's well-being! You and your stupid academy buddies just decided to tag along and harass Sunset for the heck of it with your stupid reminiscing!"

"Dawn's got a point." said the hoof-wrestler to Pressure Point. "Where do you get off? You've been on their case for as long as I could remember. If you weren't such a good doctor and we weren't in the presence of one of the princesses, I'd kick you in the teeth for being such a jerk! And I'm not ashamed to say it, either."

A few voices rose up in agreement, while others argued back. As flattered as she was that there were some in Equestria willing to stand up for her, Sunset Shimmer ground her teeth at the bickering, and shouted towards the doorway.

“Can anypony get some peace and quiet around here?” she demanded, loudly. “I’ll give you all autographs or whatever you want later!”

“Yes, my little ponies.” She heard Princess Luna say in support. “Sunset Shimmer has returned from a long and perilous journey to come back to Canterlot. I would advise that you all refrain from insulting my student while she is weary from her travels. And the same applies to her brother.”

“I'm so sorry about them, Princess.” Said the voice of Red Dawn. “C’mon, everypony. Let’s not deny Li'l Sunny her rest.”

There was a sound of several hooves clip-clopping away from the door, and going downstairs to the banquet hall. The door was engulfed with a glowing aura, as Princess Luna opened it to speak with her student. She strode in, majestically.

“Forgive me, Sunset.” Princess Luna apologized. “I had told them to wait downstairs, but that brother of yours had gotten everyone else so excited when he found out where your quarters were…”

“I understand, Princess Luna.” Sunset said, scowling at the wall in front of her. “I just have so much to get used to around here. When I lived in this room as Celestia’s student, I was usually left alone.”

“Those ponies missed you, dear Sunset. You cannot truly blame them for behaving like that, can you?”

“I suppose not.” Sunset admitted, before turning to face her new teacher. "But still, did you and Celestia really have to invite all my 'friends'--and I'm really using that term lightly right now--from the academy over here? I mean I can understand why you'd invite my brother, but why the others?"

"Because we did not want you to feel as if we had all forgotten about you." said Luna. "Or at least, that is what Celestia told me when I asked her about it."

"Yeah, but I think you and Celestia probably should've been more careful about inviting who'd remember me for the right reasons." said Sunset. "I mean, I actually was a bit of a know-it-all jerk when I was Celestia's student. And some of the comments they made just a minute ago don't make the memories any better."

"I understand, Sunset."

“So, what do you want me to do for you? Is there something you would like me to research? I haven’t been in the archives in ages.”

“Not at this moment, Sunset.” Luna said. “But I do want you to do something that would improve your social behavior.”

“Really?” Sunset asked. “And that would be…”

“To go out, and make friends.” Luna said, simply.

Sunset Shimmer was deep in thought at this task. Luna noticed this, and decided to elaborate.

“Twilight Sparkle had told us that you claimed to be ignorant of the importance of friendship.” She continued.

"Yeah, so she left me to be the lap-dog of the five girls I used to bully." said Sunset, with a hint of bitterness in her voice, before sighing. "Though to be fair: they actually did seem like nice people. They forgave me for the trouble I caused them, and I'm grateful for that. But something just didn't seem right. I felt like I didn't belong with them. I wanted to learn friendship my own way. But my attempts to make other friends in the human world failed miserably. It's one of the reasons I wanted to come back here."

"Then I think you should try again." said Luna. "There are many other ponies in this world that also haven't realized the true values of friendship. I think it should be your place to go out and seek them. By befriending others like you, you would improve not only your own behavior, but theirs as well.”

“Okay, Princess.” Sunset Shimmer decided. “I’ll play along. Let me guess: I’m going to Ponyville, right?”

“No.” Luna shook her head. “I can tell that your relationship with Twilight Sparkle is still very tense. I will be sending you to Fillydelphia, instead.”

“Fillydelphia?”

“Yes. I believe that somepony there is in desperate need of a like-minded friend. One that surely you could offer them.”

“Anypony I already know?”

“I do not believe so.” Luna said. “But she shall reveal herself in due time.”

“Fine, when do I get going there?” Sunset asked.

“At noon, my student.” Luna answered. “It is already 8 o’clock in the morning. I have had the servants prepare a breakfast feast for your return.”

“So that’s what they were all here for?” Sunset deduced, referring to Red Dawn and the other unicorns.

“But, of course!”

Twenty minutes later, Sunset and Luna found themselves seated in the banquet hall, alongside Princess Celestia., Red Dawn, and Sunset’s former classmates. Fortunately for Sunset, most of the ponies were too busy eating to say anything to her. But Red Dawn, who sat next to her, kept pestering his sister about where she was for the past two years. It wasn’t until Princess Celestia gave him a stern look that he finally stopped asking the question.

After the ponies all ate their share of food, Princess Celestia stood up, with her wings expanded.

“Everypony, it brings me great pleasure to welcome back my old student, and good friend: Sunset Shimmer!” she said.

The unicorns all applauded Sunset’s return yet again. But since both of the Princesses were here to restrain them from crowding all around her, it didn’t seem as bad as before.

“Thank you, Princess.” Sunset responded, in her most polite voice possible. “I haven’t eaten food as good as this in ages. I appreciate the effort you all put into welcoming me back to Canterlot.”

“You he’rd that, ev’rypon’!” Red Dawn said, dizzy from all the apple cider he had gulped down during breakfast. “That right th’re is my wond’rfu’ sis’’r, the best unicorn in all of…”

Then suddenly, he leaned too far back in his seat, and clumsily toppled over beneath the large table. Everyone in the room, even Sunset Shimmer, laughed.

“Gee, thanks for that insight there, big brother.” Sunset said, looking down at her brother. “Oh, and don’t forget your drink!”

She magically lifted Red Dawn’s glass of cider, and poured it down into her brother’s lolling mouth. When Red made a loud burping noise from under the table, Sunset dropped the whole thing on his head. Luckily, Red Dawn was able to catch it with his horn.

“Brothers…who can figure them?” She shrugged to the others, with a deadpan expression on her face.

Her fellow unicorns applauded and laughed happily.

Princess Celestia took note of how Sunset Shimmer behaved around her brother, and vice-versa. She and Luna noticed how much of a contrast it was with Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor. As Sunset Shimmer was telling the others a story about how she witnessed a hydra losing a fight against a manticore, the two alicorn sisters conversed with each other.

“Sister, are you sure that Sunset Shimmer will cooperate with you, and be able to appreciate the values of friendship?” Celestia whispered to Luna.

“So then the stupid creature decided that it would be better to have its heads attack its enemy one at a time, instead of all at once. Can you believe that?” The princesses heard one of the unicorns speaking. “I mean, what’s the point of having so many heads if you don’t even have enough brains for one of them? I, on the other hand, have enough brains for many heads! Too bad no hydra will ever get any of it out of me!”

"That's okay with me." said Sunset. "I think I've got more than enough brains of my own as it is."

“I must try, my sister.” Luna nodded back to the white alicorn.

Author's Notes:

Update: Expanded the chapter, to show more interaction between Princess Luna and Sunset Shimmer, while being teacher and student.

The Road to Fillydelphia

Finally, the breakfast feast came to a conclusion. Now, it was time for Sunset Shimmer to get herself ready for her journey to Fillydelphia. After saying farewell to Princess Celestia and her old classmates, she found herself being a given a fond farewell from her brother.

“I wish you good luck on your special mission, Sis.” Red Dawn said to Sunset Shimmer.

“Sure thing, Red.” said Sunset, not really paying attention.

“No, I’m serious about this.” said Red, who was completely straight-faced as he spoke. “Ever since our mom and dad disappeared, you’re the only family I have left right now. And it would crush me if I were to lose you again! So I hope you fare as well as possible, for not only your sake, but for our family’s.”

Sunset found herself flattered by her brother’s comment, and met it with a rare, but welcoming grin.

“Then I guess the feeling’s mutual, Red.” She said, before adding with a soft whisper in his ear: “I love you, big brother. Even if you aren’t the best sibling I could’ve asked for, I still enjoy having you around.”

“Same here, Sunny.” Red smiled. “I’ll see you later, little sister.”

He patted his sister on the back with his hoof, and went back to the other unicorns. Sunset could’ve sworn that she saw his eyes watering. Princess Celestia was positively beaming at the two of them, relieved to see that they at least recognized each other as family.

“Sunset, it is half past eleven o’clock.” Princess Luna said. “You should go back up to your bedroom, and get yourself packed for the journey. I even left a knapsack that you should useful.”

“Right.” Sunset Shimmer replied to her new mentor, before speaking back towards the rest of the room, even as she was trotting towards the staircase. “Thanks, everypony! I’ll see you all when I return.”

Red Dawn and the other unicorns left for the main entrance, leaving the two regal sisters alone in the banquet hall.

“I already have a very good feeling about this, Luna.” Princess Celestia said.

“So do I, sister.” replied Princess Luna.

"But still, I can't help but feel that Sunset's story was...off." Celestia frowned.

"That cannot be." Luna replied. "She made a very good point about that the hydra and the manticore."

"No, sister." Celestia turned her head. "I was thinking about what Sunset Shimmer told us about the human world, and how she became a pariah."

"What of it?"

"From what Twilight Sparkle told me about it, there was no indication that the people residing there were cruel enough to do what Sunset Shimmer told us. And trust me, Twilight would know better than to describe such a place in a biased manner."

"But Sunset wouldn't have lied about it, either." Luna said. "Or she probably would have remained in the human world, trying to make friends there."

"That's just it, sister." Celestia said. "I think that there is something happening on the human side of that portal that Sunset Shimmer couldn't fully understand."

"Do you suggest something...sinister may be at work?"

"I don't know, Luna. But we should find out as soon as we can. Unfortunately, it would take us two months to get the information we need and return, even if the one-way trips through the portals were used."

"I might be able to visit the dreams of someone in the human world."

"Are you certain that your powers can reach that far?"

"I will try." Luna answered. "We might be able to visit our counterpart there: Vice Principal Luna."

"Very well, Luna." Celestia agreed. "But I don't think we should tell Sunset Shimmer that we doubt her until we have further evidence of the dangers she faced. It may hurt her already troubled mind."

"Very well, Celestia. We shall make the attempt as soon as Sunset departs for Fillydelphia."

Sunset Shimmer returned to her bedroom, and put many of her possessions into her leather knapsack. These included quills, ink bottles, rolls of paper, and a few books. She also had a bag of leftover food from breakfast tied to it. After she was all set to leave, an earth pony guard entered her room, and informed her that Princess Luna was ready to see her off.

Sunset trotted out of the open gate of the palace, to find Princess Luna waiting for her.

“Farewell, my student.” Said the alicorn princess. “You shall hear from me again soon.”

“How soon?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “I really have no way to sent instant messages to you. Too bad the Internet doesn’t exist in Equestria…yet.”

“The Internet?” Luna asked, confused.

“Long story, but it’s something I came across on the human side of that portal.”

“I see.” Princess Luna tilted her head down slightly. “But you see, I'm able to enter the dreams of ponies as they sleep during the night, in order to protect them from nightmares they may otherwise languish through.”

“Well, that’s…interesting.” Sunset said, thinking about the awkward implications that could invoke. “So, you want me to report back to you while I sleep?”

“Only if our paths should cross in the dream-world.”

“I see.” Sunset Shimmer acknowledged. “Well, it’s time for me to get going.”

"Sunset, I should inform you that the railroads to Fillydelphia and Manehatten have been under renovations for some time now. The Manehatten tracks are almost done, but something appears to have delayed repairs on the Fillydelphia tracks. To compensate for this, I've taken the liberty of arranging for a pair of pegasus guards to fly you to your destination on a chariot."

"Nah, that won't be necessary." said Sunset. "I'll just travel there by the main road."

"Are you sure, my student?"

"Sure, I'm sure. I wanna get used to having hooves again. Thanks anyway, princess."

"Would you at least like an escort?"

"Princess, I'm just going to make some friends. I don't need a bunch of guards following me around. I want to be able to rely on my own skills and abilities to handle whatever problems I find there. Plus, I'd like to keep a low profile, since I'm not exactly a respected member of Equestrian society and having an escort may draw unwanted attention to me."

"A valid point." said Luna. "But I really don't want to seem like I'm giving you a difficult task."

"Trust me, you're not." said Sunset, jokingly adding: "It's not like you're sending me to fight an army of monsters!"

"Oh, I wouldn't even dream of it." chuckled Princess Luna. "If that were the case, I would've gone with you, myself."

"Well, I'm going now." said Sunset Shimmer. "See ya later, Princess Luna!"

“Until we meet again, Sunset Shimmer.” The princess said, before flying back to the palace.

Sunset trotted down the mountain passage, and passed a pair of stallions that were staring at her with stupid-looking grimaces on their faces.

“I’m worth fifty of you.” She said, turning to look at them. “Now get going, before there’s trouble!”

“Ooohhhh…kay, then.” One of the stallions said, prompting his friend to continue up the path.

“You know, I think that unicorn likes you.” The other jokingly muttered to the first, before shamelessly adding: “And I really like her mane.”

“Yeah, good for you.” Sunset thought aloud once the two stallions were out of earshot. “If there’s anything I’m not in the mood for, it’s having a bunch of half-wit country ponies hitting on me.”

Sunset Shimmer finally came to the bottom of the mountain, and saw Ponyville close by. She skulked about for a few seconds, reading the map of Equestria that was bundled in her knapsack. She could see that the mountain that held Canterlot on its slopes was in the middle, and moved her eyes down the road to the south-east. It apparently split in two separate paths. The northern path led to Fillydelphia.

After an hour or two, she decided to make a stop to lay in a grassy field. She opened up her map again. She looked again at the marker that portrayed Canterlot, which already felt uncomfortably far away. It was relatively quiet, apart from the occasional chirping of bluebirds. This made Sunset relatively happy; now she had a decent place to relax herself without being interrupted by loud, obnoxious ponies bent on invading her personal space.

It was the large, spacious fields around Canterlot that Sunset Shimmer had the fondest memories, out of all the places she had visited in Equestria during her time as Celestia’s pupil. Back then, she could stay out here for hours upon hours, until she would decide to return to the Princess’s side in the throne room.

But the peace and quiet would not stay as such for long, since it was suddenly disrupted by the loud speaking voice of a female pony.

“Ponies of Equestria, you stand before the Great and Powerful Trixie!” said the distant figure of what appeared to be a unicorn standing beside a wagon in the distance. “You see before you only the greatest magic that lesser ponies such as yourselves shall ever witness!”

Sunset expected at any second to hear the loud clamor of cheering for this mare. But when she looked more closely, she saw that nobody else was anywhere near the wagon; this meant that this so-called “Great and Powerful Trixie” was being ridiculously loud and hammy for no clear reason.

“For foal’s sake.” Sunset Shimmer grumbled. “When I get my hooves on that…wait, I think I know that voice! It’s that girl that was always hanging around that vending machine at Canterlot High. It looks like I finally found her Equestria counterpart.”

She got back up, put the map back in her knapsack, and marched towards the unicorn with the wagon.

“Come one, come all, everypony!” Trixie ranted on. “I, the Great and Powerful Trixie…”

“Should really keep her big, fat mouth shut before it gets bucked hard!” Sunset Shimmer yelled from across the field.

Trixie abruptly stopped, and started looking around for the source of the noise. She clearly didn’t expect anyone to actually hear her speeches out here in the vast fields.

“By Celestia, can’t a mare reminisce on her glory days in peace?” She mumbled, taking her pointed violet hat off her head to scratch her silver mane.

She looked west along the road, to see a very angry-looking unicorn with an amber coat and a mane that was streaked red and blonde. Said unicorn was stomping her hooves along the dirt path as she approached the blue unicorn like a wild animal.

“Can the Great and Powerful Trixie help you with anything?” Trixie asked.

“Yes, you can.” Sunset Shimmer answered through clenched teeth. “You can start by stopping that childish showboating.”

“Showboating?” Trixie repeated, offended by the mare’s remark. “Sorry, sister. The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t do that kind of thing, anymore.”

Sunset came to a halt just a few feet from the Great and Powerful Trixie.

“Really?” she said. “Then maybe you can explain that loud rambling that you were spouting a few minutes ago.”

“Okay, stranger. So I’m a little nostalgic.” Trixie admitted. “Is that a crime around these parts?”

“I guess not.” Sunset Shimmer said, calming down. “Which way are you going, anyway?”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie goes wherever the road takes her!”

“Is the road taking you to Fillydelphia?”

“Why, yes it is. Were you going that way, too?”

“Yes.” Sunset replied. “But I thought I’d get a peaceful moment to relax without hearing any annoying ponies blabbing on about their stupid, pointless lives.”

“Well, excuse me!” Trixie said, poking her tongue out. “If the Great and Powerful Trixie wished to be taunted like this, she would have remained in Ponyville.”

“Wait, did you say ‘Ponyville’?” Sunset asked. “Is the name ‘Twilight Sparkle’ familiar to you at all?”

Trixie gasped when Sunset Shimmer muttered the name.

“How do you know about…” she asked.

“Lucky guess!” answered Sunset Shimmer, smugly.

“Yes, I do know that mare.” Trixie replied. “She totally humiliated me last year, and ruined my entire career!”

“So, are you going to do anything about it?”

“I tried to. I even used the legendary Alicorn Amulet, but I still lost.”

“Oh, I bet you really gave them a show!” Sunset rolled her bluish-green eyes sarcastically.

“Enough of this!” Trixie stomped her hoof. “I have gotten over it, and so should you, whoever you are!”

Sunset Shimmer realized she never actually gave her name to the unicorn.

“My name is Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset said. “And I had a bit of a history with Twilight Sparkle, myself. And like you, I am trying my best to get over it.”

“You don’t say?” Trixie asked, tilting her head curiously. “Say, how about we put aside our differences, and travel to Fillydelphia together?”

“Fine by me.” Sunset nodded. “It just means less walking.”

Trixie and Sunset Shimmer climbed into the wagon, and used their magic to roll the wagon further down the road. As they directed the wagon, they decided to continue conversing on friendlier terms.

“So, what’s your story with Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked.

“I tried stealing her crown.” Sunset Shimmer replied. “It didn’t work well for me in the end. I wound up making all kinds of enemies.”

“Her crown?” Trixie asked.

“Yeah.” Sunset Shimmer nodded. “Didn’t you know that Twilight Sparkle became a Princess?”

“She became what?!” Trixie gasped. “You mean that she has wings and everything now?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You must be pulling my leg!”

“Nope.”

“Well, there goes my revival tour.” Trixie said, solemnly. “If my only known rival has surpassed me already, then I don’t think I could maintain the illusion of being a powerful spellcaster for long!”

“So you’re not a powerful spellcaster?” Sunset asked.

“To be honest, I’m not.” Trixie confessed. “The most I’m experienced with are flashy tricks by comparison.”

“Well, don’t worry, Trixie.” Sunset Shimmer said, with an encouraging grin on her face. “I was once a student of Princess Celestia herself. I could teach you some spells that I learned in Canterlot.”

“You’d do that for me?” Trixie asked, surprised.

“Maybe.” teased Sunset. “And maybe not.”

“Please teach me some of those spells!” Trixie whispered desperately.

“Okay.” Sunset Shimmer said. “But it’ll have to wait until we reach Fillydelphia. And you’ll have to do what I tell you to do.”

“That sounds very shrewd, but what the hay! The Great and Powerful Trixie shall be ready for anything you throw at her.”

“Trixie, this sounds like the beginning of-”

“What, a ‘beautiful friendship’?” Trixie moaned. “Even to the Great and Powerful Trixie, that’s a very clichéd thing to say.”

“Actually, I was going to say:” Sunset Shimmer continued, only to be distracted at what stood in the middle of the road before them. “What in the name of Celestia is that thing?!”

A massive creature of some kind was crouching in the road, under the shadow of the surrounding trees. It saw the wagon approaching, and lunged at it with a loud roar. The two unicorns were able to leap out just before the monster crushed it to pieces.

Trixie was absolutely furious about what happened to her wagon, which was her only method of transportation across Equestria. Not to mention, most of her possessions were in there, But now it was all gone because of this behemoth that stood before them.

“You’re totally going to pay for that, you stupid brute!” Trixie shouted, before charging headlong at the creature.

“Gee, I wonder what will happen?” Sunset Shimmer groaned sarcastically.

As if on cue, Trixie was grabbed by the creature, and hurled back down the road. Luckily, Sunset was able to use her magic to catch her companion just before the fall would become fatal. The amber-coated unicorn galloped up to Trixie, who was dazed from the attack.

“C’mon!” Sunset said. “We need to do this together!”

“Right behind you!” Trixie breathed, getting back on her hooves.

The two unicorns’ horns illuminated into twin orbs of light, which blasted magical energy through the air, both hitting their mark on the creature’s grotesque head. As the beast reeled in pain and disorientation, Sunset Shimmer prepared an elaborate set of spells to send it away from them.

Her horn and eyes glowed with a pale light, and a whirlwind blew all around them. Over the loud screeches produced by the rushing air, Sunset’s voice rose up. However, the tone of her voice dropped by five octaves, and blared the following words:

“Leave us now, you abomination!” bellowed the distorted voice. “Or you will not escape my wrath!”

The creature quailed, and disappeared into the darkness under the trees. When it became clear that it was sent away for good, Sunset canceled out her spells, and looked triumphantly on to the open road ahead. Suddenly, she heard the sound of whimpering behind her. Sunset Shimmer turned around to see Trixie sniffling over her ruined wagon.

“Now what am I supposed to do with my life?” Trixie whined.

Sunset looked at Trixie with pity. After pausing to see if the creature wasn't in sight, she trotted up to her companion, and lay down beside her.

“If you’d like,” she suggested, her voice back to normal. “You could stay with me while we’re in Fillydelphia.”

Trixie calmed down, and looked at her amber-colored ally.

“Are you serious, Sunset?”

“Sure, I am. You helped me fight that thing off, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did!”

“Then it should make up for losing that old wagon of yours. You can bunk in with me at…wherever I’m going to be staying.” Sunset Shimmer said.

“You don’t even know where we’re going to be staying?” Trixie scoffed.

“Do you?” Sunset retorted, to a speechless Trixie. “No? Then shut up and follow my lead!”

The two unicorns trotted on side-by-side along the dirt road, each as eager as the other to reach Fillydelphia.

Misunderstandings and Consequences

On the human side of the portal, Sgt. Craw and Cpl. Ghost were still in Sunset Shimmer's apartment. They waited until noon, and then decided she wasn't coming home. Craw activated his portable radio communicator, and sent a call to Supreme Commander Chrysalis' private channel.

"Supreme Commander Chrysalis, this is Sergeant Craw!" he spoke. "We've lost out trail on Sunset Shimmer."

A sultry voice spoke back to him.

"Well, that is certainly unfortunate." said the voice of the Supreme Commander. "Have you managed to acquire any noteworthy intel regarding her status?"

"We have, ma'am." Craw said. "Last night, we saw her outside of Canterlot High. Corporal Ghost was able to subdue Sunset Shimmer for a while, but then he was compromised by the local police, and she disappeared before I could reach them."

"I see." Chrysalis said.

"But Ghost and I are currently staking out her apartment." Sgt. Craw said. "We've found several books and scrolls that appear to be artifacts from her world. We will send them to your archivists, to see if they will fit alongside the ones our Syndicate's already collected."

"Very good, Sergeant." said Chrysalis. "And Captain Umbriel wants to know whether or not that Changeling combat armor has proven itself efficient."

"It certainly has, ma'am." Craw answered. "Speaking of which, I would like to make a request to begin deploying troops into town. I suspect that catching Sunset Shimmer will be much harder than necessary."

"I sympathize with you, sergeant." Chrysalis told him. "But it is Captain Umbriel's word that decides when the Syndicate sends its soldiers into a heavily-populated area."

"But don't you outrank him, commander?" asked the confused sergeant.

"Why, of course I do." she replied, coolly. "But I admit that I am inexperienced with sending out troops in numbers as large as what you suggest. I prefer to consult Umbriel before initiating any Syndicate operation that extends beyond reconnaissance or black ops."

"And why hasn't the captain considered this yet?" Craw asked. "We've already been on this assignment for a month, ma'am. Surely, he'd want to take a more direct approach for a change?"

"His tolerance is thin, but it's still there." said Chrysalis. "He still wants our agents to try convincing Principal Celestia one last time to surrender the pony-girl to us."

"Commander, I seriously doubt that he will be able to just convince her, just like that." Craw argued. "I know that woman. She may have a soft exterior, but she can be hard as nails when it comes to the safety of her students, regardless of who or what they are."

"You have a very good point." Supreme Commander Chrysalis said, softly. "If Umbriel's strategy fails this time, you have my permission to 'convince' Mayor Eve to give our organization a special permit to deploy soldiers at Canterlot High School."

"Why do we need a permit from the city's mayor?" Craw asked, seriously confused. "We don't even answer to the government!"

"Because if Umbriel's men arrive at that school without any permits, the Syndicate may have to fight the local police force, which could draw unwanted attention of the military variety. They may declare martial law and cost us our foothold in that town, which has been over a month in the making. But if Mayor Eve was persuaded to look the other way, then the police can't legally deny us the forces we will need to secure the school. If we secure the school, then Sunset Shimmer won't be able to hide from us any longer."

"But are you still sure that we couldn't just draw her out with a few surgical strikes, here and there?" Craw asked. "I mean, we've staged coups in cities bigger than this one, and won their people over with little effort."

"Those cities were run by corrupt and decadent officials, sergeant." the Supreme Commander replied. "Officials that ran their cities' morale into the ground. They were begging to be cast down in shame. This town, on the other hand, is small, peaceful, and relatively fragile. To bring it down to its knees would trigger a massive outcry across the country, and we would be chased out of here. And remember, dear, that we have only two targets in this town, and we may lose them both if we go overboard with our planning."

"Two, did you say?" asked Craw. "I was aware only of Sunset Shimmer."

"You are not mistaken." Chrysalis told him. "One of the previous calls Umbriel's agents made to Principal Celestia yielded a very interesting subject: a portal of some kind, to another world."

Sgt. Craw's eyes widened with surprise. So that portal did exist, after all. At least he now had an idea of how Sunset Shimmer first came to the human world.

"I understand, ma'am." he said. "Thank you for clarifying this. This is Sergeant Craw, signing out."

Craw deactivated the radio. He turned to Ghost.

"So, are we getting those reinforcements, Sarge?" the corporal asked.

"Only time will tell, Ghost." Sergeant Craw told him.

Later that evening, the streets were quiet. Not even the police were on patrol. In her living room, Principal Celestia was arguing angrily with someone on her mobile phone.

"You are trying my patience, principal." said an eerie voice on the phone. "What happened to Sunset Shimmer?"

"I don't know anymore about her disappearance than anyone else in the entire town." said Principal Celestia. "I...swear."

"You better swear that you aren't lying." said the voice. "I'm giving you one chance, and only one, to prove you aren't all pathetic vermin before I deliver unto your school an unparalleled malice that has not been seen in this part of your world for a very long time."

"My world?" asked Celestia. "What are you talking about?"

Then the caller disconnected.

Vice Principal Luna was sleeping in her bedroom, and was having a relatively mundane dream. Until, that is, she saw something she hadn't come to her mind since she was a little girl: A large unicorn with wings. It was a beautiful sight to behold, with a sleek dark coat, bright green eyes, and an aetherial mane that glittered like a starlit sky. What really caught the vice principal's attention was the crown on its head. But none of this could prepare her for when it spoke to her...with her own voice.

"You are Luna, the Vice Principal of Canterlot High School, are you not?" the winged unicorn asked.

"Yes, I am." the human woman answered, confused by her dream. "What do I have to do with..."

"Thou must listen to me." replied the equestrian creature. "I am thine counterpart, Princess Luna of Equestria."

The vice principal remembered how the one-time student at her school, Twilight Sparkle, was revealed to be a pony princess from a world that paralleled the humans'.

"So, I'm a princess, too?" Vice Principal Luna asked Princess Luna, half-smiling.

"In Equestria, we are." the princess answered. "As is Celestia."

"Very interesting." said the vice principal. "What can I do for my...pony self?"

She tried not to break out in laughter at what she said. But she didn't need to, since Princess Luna began asking her human counterpart questions.

"Vice Principal, is it true that Sunset Shimmer was treated poorly at your school since Twilight Sparkle left?" the princess asked.

"Oh, you mean the girl that tried turning my and Principal Celestia's students into a brainwashed dimension-invading army?"

"Yes, We have heard about that." nodded the princess. "She told us about what happened. I would like you to elaborate on the circumstances."

"Well, I don't understand why it's your business..." the vice principal said. "But if you really need to know, the school faculty did everything they could to keep Sunset Shimmer safe from..."

"From what?" asked the princess. "From the other students?"

"Not necessarily." answered the vice principal. "But strange people have been looking for her all month."

"Did they mean her harm?" the princess asked.

"I'm not sure. I overheard Principal Celestia talking to someone a while ago on the phone. And I've been hearing a lot of names...the Gryphons, the Ram King, the Chrysalis Syndicate..."

"I see." the princess nodded. "What about the accusations of your principal sending people to spy on Sunset?"

"After she came back to school, Principal Celestia and I decided to have our police watch Sunset Shimmer, to make sure that the syndicate or these other people didn't come after her again."

"I see." Princess Luna smiled. "I am grateful that you were able to explain this to me. Now I can understand why Sunset Shimmer went back to Equestria."

"So, that's where she is?" Vice Principal Luna said, relieved. "I thought she tried skipping town."

"Farewell, Vice Principal...Me." the alicorn princess said. "Thank you for your time."

"Bye." said the vice principal. "But in the future, if we ever meet again, could we just call each other Luna? I don't see why we should be so formal with each other!"

"Agreed." nodded the princess. "Good-bye, Luna."

The vice principal woke up suddenly, and scratched her long blue hair. She thought about her conversation with her counterpart, and decided that she would tell Principal Celestia about what she learned, first thing in the morning.

Confessions and Revelations

On the road to Fillydelphia, Sunset and Trixie galloped on. It was nearly dusk, and they were already very tired.

"Trixie, do you feel like stopping at all?" Sunset asked, panting. "I feel like I could fall over if I go any further."

"Yes, we should." Trixie replied.

The two unicorns skidded to a halt on the road, and decided to rest next to a fallen log nearby. Sunset took some fruit out of her bag, and lay them down on a piece of paper on the ground.

"You're probably hungry." Sunset offered. "Why don't you have some of these with me?"

Trixie felt her stomach growl, which she hadn't noticed until now.

"Certainly." Trixie said, hungrily staring at a pear. "Thanks, Sunset."

"I wasn't that hungry, anyway." Sunset Shimmer nodded. "I'm just troubled by so much, that I can't even enjoy eating as much as I'd like."

"Really, what kind of problems?" Trixie asked.

And just like that, Sunset closed her eyes, and remembered what happened back in the human world. She remembered fighting with Twilight Sparkle over the Element of Harmony. She remembered proudly putting the crown on. She remembered the intense pain that she felt as its power surged through her body, transforming her into that vile demon.

"I'm not a monster." She unintentionally said aloud, for Trixie to hear. "And yet, I became one. I can't believe I actually did that."

"Did what, Sunset?" Trixie asked.

"Remember when I said I tried to take Twilight's crown?" Sunset answered, hard-faced. "I actually succeeded. But when it happened, it drew out the evil within me. It...transformed me into a horrible abomination from out of my own nightmares."

Trixie leaned forward, both curious to learn more, and afraid to do so.

"It couldn't have been that bad, could it?" Trixie said. "I mean, you got the powers of the crown, right?"

"I did." Sunset nodded. "But by doing so, it transformed me into a demon. My inner evil conquered me, and drove me to insanity. It filled my being with anger, cruelty, malice, and bloodlust."

"Bloodlust?"

"Yes." Sunset nodded, her eyes watering. "I was driven by those powers to destroy...to conquer...to murder."

"Murder?" Trixie gasped, her violet eyes widening. "Murder who?"

"The pony I tried to murder," Sunset said, taking a deep breath. "...was Twilight Sparkle."

Trixie was horrified.

"And those powers did that to you?" Trixie said.

"Yes! A thousand times, yes!" Sunset Shimmer exclaimed. "Without that power, I couldn't even bring myself to hold someone hostage, let alone kill them. I may have bullied people, but I rarely inflicted physical pain on them. But when all that power entered my body, I couldn't control it. I would never willingly kill someone in cold blood, yet my inner self forced me to try."

Trixie opened her mouth, but found herself speechless. She just stared at Sunset, who was now in tears. It shocked her that the bossy, cranky mare that she had met just four hours ago was now crying her eyes out. It shocked her even more to know why she was crying. It reminded her so much of herself.

"I'm not a monster..." Sunset Shimmer was sobbing to herself, her head facing down so that Trixie wouldn't see the tears on her face. "I'm not...I'm just not..."

Trixie hesitated for a second, then decided to comfort her. She used her telekinesis on the pear she was about to eat to give to Sunset.

"Here, you clearly need this a lot more than me." Trixie comforted her companion.

"No thanks." Sunset Shimmer said, waving a hoof against it. "I'm really not that hungry."

"I understand your problems." Trixie said.

"And how could you?" Sunset turned her head up, as if she was suspecting a lie.

"Sunset, I do feel your pain." Trixie said, her lower lip quivering. "I felt the same when I wore the Alicorn Amulet. It gave me incredible powers, but it drove me mad with power. I couldn't stop it. It turned me into a vain tyrant. Well, more vain."

"At least you had crowds to please with your magic." Sunset said. "The only crowds I ever had around me were all terrified to talk to me. I've never had any friends of my own. I only knew how to tear other friendships apart."

Trixie looked on, understanding.

"That's the reason I've been traveling out here, Trixie." Sunset Shimmer told her. "I wanted to make friends."

Sunset started wailing again. Now that Trixie could see Sunset Shimmer's troubled face for herself, her own eyes were getting watery, too. She raised her front hooves, and hugged Sunset.

"Well, if you'll stop crying..." Trixie said. "I'll be your friend."

Sunset Shimmer's eyes widened, and a smile spread across her face like an inferno.

"Thank you, Trixie!" said Sunset Shimmer, who hugged Trixie back. "You don't have any idea how much this means to me!"

Now the moon was visible in the night sky. Trixie and Sunset Shimmer stopped hugging each other, and looked down at the fruit, and decided that they'd better start eating, before it spoiled. The two mares were both calmed down now, and decided that they both made a great choice for a friend.

Meanwhile, Red Dawn was staying the evening in an inn outside of Ponyville. As he was there, waiting for the train to return him to his home, he decided to guzzle down more apple cider. What had been satisfaction of seeing his sister again after so long had again become bitterness that it didn't last long.

"I can't believe it!" Red grumbled aloud. "I can't believe my own sister could just forget about me like that!"

"Sir, could you please calm down?" said the pegasus innkeeper, who came up to quiet him. "You're really making a scene, and it's embarrassing. Also, I think you've had enough cider as it is. I wouldn't want your bladder to explode all over the parlor!"

"Fine!" the reddish-orange unicorn groaned, rolling his eyes. "Forgive me for not meeting up to social standards, but I didn't really get what I expected out of meeting someone that's dear and close to me for the first time in years!"

"Oh, goodness." the landlord said, taking a deep breath. "Forgive me, sir. Would you like to talk about it? I just can't say no to a distressed patron."

"Thanks." Red Dawn slowly nodded, and began explaining his problems. "So, you see: My name is Red Dawn, and I have a younger sister: Sunset Shimmer, who's been hanging around in Canterlot as Princess Celestia's student. I haven't seen her in a very long time, since I live in a different part of Equestria."

"I see." acknowledged the landlord. "But you're both unicorns, aren't you? Haven't you tried enrolling in Princess Celestia's school, yourself?"

"I tried that..." Red Dawn frowned. "But as it turns out, I'm absolutely terrible at casting any spells more complex than telekinesis. That's all I'm going to say about it."

"Hmm..." nodded the innkeeper. "Could you have at least tried finding a place to stay in that town, so you wouldn't be too far from your sister?"

"I tried doing that, too." Red nodded, gloomily taking another sip from his apple cider. "But I felt I would just be a hazard around Sunset Shimmer."

"Because of your magic skills, or lack thereof?"

"No, because I'm extremely protective of my little sister, and I figure I would've gotten violent and impulsive if I found out if anyone wasn't treating her fairly in Canterlot." Red Dawn explained, before adding with sarcasm. "I bet that worked well for me!"

"But why are you so protective of her, anyway?" the innkeeper asked. "I understand she's your family, but you make it seem as though she were unable to help herself. How old is Sunset Shimmer, anyway?"

"She's about twenty years old, right now, when I last checked her birthdate." Red replied. "Yet she's better at spellcasting than I am, and I'm twenty-three."

"Your sister seems like a capable mare. Why worry so much about somepony that seems as capable as your sister?"

"Sure, she's one of the best unicorns I've even known in Equestria, but that doesn't change that the fact the she's the only family I still have left, or at least, that I know is still alive and well. And words can't begin to imagine how much I've missed her for such a long time. But if she was gone for so long that, if Princess Celestia didn't send messages every so often, telling me that Sunset Shimmer was doing fine, I'd have assumed something bad happened to her, too."

Red Dawn took yet another sip from his drink, and his copper eyes sank into a glare.

"Either way, I've been worried sick about her." he continued, his voice subtly elevating into depression, and then fury. "I tried shaking off my worries by moving on to other things, and by drinking so much apple cider to calm my nerves. Thanks to the long time I waited, all it did was make me a nervous wreck, and a clumsy, dimwitted colt addicted to cider."

Red Dawn snorted loudly, clearly frustrated.

"And you know what else is troubling me right now?! I hadn't seen Sunset in years, and when I finally got to talk to her earlier today at Canterlot palace, she didn't even recognize me until I pointed myself out to her, and then she slammed a door in my face, treated me like some brain-dead oaf during breakfast, and Princess Celestia wouldn't even let me ask MY OWN SISTER where she was for such a long time!"

Now the other customers of the inn were staring at the furiously hyperventilating unicorn. But the pegasus innkeeper was in an understanding mood, and decided to comfort the unicorn.

"I feel your pain, Red." he said. "If you think that Princess Celestia wasn't right in keeping you from asking your sister questions, I'd suggest going back to Canterlot tomorrow, and setting the record straight. But tell me, friend: Did your sister do those things to you on purpose?"

"Well, the Princesses did say that Sunset Shimmer had returned from some long journey that she had left her very exhausted." Red answered. calming down. "'But I won't believe that until I hear it straight from Sunset's mouth. For all I know, Princess Celestia was deliberately keeping her from me!"

"Surely, you don't think that?" the innkeeper asked. "Princess Celestia is a fair and just ruler. She would never keep a family separated unless it was of their own will!"

"I guess you're right." Red Dawn nodded. "But I still think I should have a little chat with our Princesses tomorrow, before I go back home."

"That sounds reasonable, Red." the innkeeper encouraged him. "And just for you, the apple cider you've drunk will be given a 75% discount."

"Thanks!" Red said, leaving the parlor. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get some shut-eye! I'm gonna be a very busy pony, tomorrow."

The Attack on Fillydelphia

Sunset Shimmer and Trixie were finally out of the forest, and within sight of Fillydelphia. The equine city comprised of several houses, with taller buildings in the middle. Earth ponies and pegasi resided here. They made it to the outskirts when a young filly came galloping towards them in a panic.

"Run! Run for your lives!" she was screaming. "The monster's going to eat us!"

"What monster? I don't see any--" Sunset began, when she saw a nearby house collapse. From under the wreckage emerged the same creature that she and Trixie fought on the road, bounding towards the three ponies.

"Not again!" Trixie gasped.

"Does that thing ever give up?" Sunset groaned, preparing a force field spell to repel the creature.

A pair of pegasi flew up to them, trying to intercept the creature's path. Unfortunately, they were both shaken off the creature's armored body. Sunset and Trixie were ready to flee, but the filly just stood there, paralyzed with fear. Trixie already dashed off to the side, but Sunset Shimmer took the time to get the young pony on her back, and carry her to the area opposite Trixie.

"Thank you, lady." the four-year-old filly said.

"Don't...mention it." Sunset Shimmer was breathing hard; She wasn't used to carrying heavy objects. "Now could you get yourself off my back?"

The filly jumped off, and hid next to her savior. They both saw that the creature had cornered Trixie and one of the pegasi in the ruins of the house. Determined to save her friend, Sunset Shimmer rushed towards the monster, her horn glowing along the way. Suddenly, an ear-splitting roar came from the direction of the forest. A massive claw suddenly appeared to Sunset's left, and grabbed the creature. The monster was large, but it was dwarfed immensely by the creature that was now gripping it: The legendary Ursa Major!

Sunset Shimmer and Trixie looked up in horror at the monstrous bear that towered over them all: Its aetherial fur shimmered in the sunlight, as though it were a mirage. Its massive red eyes were glaring furiously at its prey and prey-to-be, and its silver teeth were long and bared. As it continued roaring, massive globs of saliva glistened around its ravenous mouth. Trixie remembered her encounter with an Ursa Minor back in Ponyville. Now she really felt like a fool for confusing it for this mammalian colossus.

"Sunset, do you have any spells for this kind of creature in mind?" Trixie said, panicking.

But she saw that Sunset's mouth was gaping in shock and awe at the bestial leviathan that was the Ursa Major. Not even she, the former student of Princess Celestia, could hope to stand against this mountain-sized beast without a tremendous amount of assistance.

"I can't believe that those things could make it this far without being seen!" Trixie shouted to Sunset Shimmer. "Do you have any ideas how it got here?"

"I don't!" admitted Sunset. "I don't think the voice-distorting spell will scare it away, either!"

"Then what do we do?" Trixie squealed.

"We run away, and think up a strategy!" Sunset shouted back.

The Ursa Major had been digging its claws into the armored monster, and tossed it back into the trees with a screech, when it was unable to penetrate the metallic hide. Now, it looked down at the ponies that were fleeing from it. It bent down, and pursued them on all fours. Bellowing out its ghastly roar, it smashed a pair of houses with one swipe of its claw. Fortunately, nopony was inside those buildings. That did not satisfy the tremendous creature's apparent bloodlust. It actively began attacking the larger buildings, ripping entire towers in half with its long claws, and swinging the broken pillars at the smaller houses.

Trixie and Sunset Shimmer just looked on, horrified by the wanton destruction the Ursa Major caused.

"Come on, I need to think of something!" Sunset whispered to herself. "I think I read a book about dealing with Ursa Majors, but that was about four years ago, and I don't even remember..."

"Look up there!" the filly pointed her little hoof up into the sky. A cyan blur was speeding at an incredibly fast rate towards the Ursa Major; clearly a brave pegasus had decided to rise against the monstrosity that was rampaging through Fillydelphia.

"What is that pegasus doing?!" Sunset shouted, when she realized the trajectory of the cyan defender.

"What's wrong?" Trixie asked, her eyes glued to the sky.

"He's going to ram straight into the Ursa's head!"

"Oh, my..." Trixie gasped.

The bluish-green blur had just collided hard with the Ursa Major's left temple. The beast wheeled around in pain, but the mysterious pegasus was able to bounce off its head, and then slingshot himself into its broad chest. The Ursa Major fell back, crashing into yet another building. The pegasus shot straight up into the air, and came back down at blinding speed, straight into the Ursa Major's snout. Its snout were clearly broken now, and the Ursa Major was howling in pain. It got back up, and attempted to flail its claws at its winged attacker, who was now flying circles around its head.

"That is just incredible." Sunset heard Trixie comment.

The pegasus started bouncing on and off the Ursa's head, and became flying circles at such blinding speed, that a whirlwind was conjured up, lifting the Ursa Major up from the ground. But given its tremendous weight, it only went up twelve feet before its humongous build came down hard along an entire neighborhood.

"So, which one's trying to save the city, again?" Sunset asked, noticing the collateral damage was rising very high.

The Ursa Major climbed back up, and attempted to flee back into the Everfree Forest. But the pegasus still pursued it, even into the trees. It hammered up and down in rapid succession, until the Ursa Major toppled over beyond the trees, unconscious.

The pegasus then flew over to the ruined town square.

"Come on!" Sunset said to Trixie. "Let's see who this winged marauder is!"

The two unicorns ran down the road into the ransacked streets of Fillydelphia, until they found their path obstructed by a crowd of irate ponies. They were all furiously yelling at somepony in front of them all. Sunset and Trixie were able to push their way through the crowd, and saw a young female pegasus with a bluish-green coat and a slicked blonde mane bowing to the crowd, as if they were cheering her on.

"So this is that pegasus?" Sunset wondered.

"Thank you, thank you, everypony!" the pegasus was proclaiming in a dissonant, triumphant tone. "I'm glad to have helped you all!"

"Wow, and ponies say I'm a showoff!" Trixie groaned.

Then a stallion wearing spectacles and a greasy suit was trotting up close to her, an obviously angered expression on his face. The two unicorns guessed that he was the mayor.

"Lightning Dust, as happy we are that those monsters are gone..." he was growling through clenched teeth: "You also caused damage to a significant amount of our precious city with that reckless flying of yours!"

"Oh, that could've happened to anyone." shrugged Lightning Dust. "You're just overreacting."

"No, I'm not!" the mayor of Fillydelphia was growling loud enough for the unicorns to hear. "If you went around the other towns in Equestria, you'd see that whoever keeps them safe would know better than to cause potentially destructive damage to their towns unless there was no other way to do it!"

"Really? There was another way?" Lightning asked. "I just wanted to get rid of that thing as quickly as possible!"

"And you couldn't have tried luring it out of the city first?"

"I didn't want to waste my momentum on the amount of dodges I'd have to do to pull that off."

"Lightning Dust, you seriously need to think about those around you!" the mayor yelled. "If another attack like that happens, and you handle it the same way as this, we'd might as well let the attacks continue on!"

"What are you telling me, Mayor?" Lightning Dust said, now worried.

"I'm telling you to stop flying like a maniac, and either actually help us, or leave."

"Ouch. That's a bit harsh. Could you people at least be grateful I saved the city...at all?"

"Oh, what am I going to do with you?"

Sunset Shimmer was examining Lightning Dust the whole time. She suspected that she was the mare that Luna was referring to, that she would have to befriend in Fillydelphia. She approached Lightning Dust and the mayor, and started speaking.

"Excuse me, Mayor?" Sunset asked. "My name is Sunset Shimmer, and I think I'll be able to handle the recklessness of my colleague, here."

"Colleague?" Lightning Dust repeated. "I don't even know who..."

"I'm trying to help you out here." Sunset whispered, turning to face the blonde-maned pegasus.

"What do you have in mind for her?" the Mayor questioned.

Back in Canterlot, the two alicorn Princesses were sitting in their throne room. A unicorn guard had opened the door to speak with them.

"Your Majesties, the unicorn known as Red Dawn wishes to speak with you two." he told them. "He says that it involves Sunset Shimmer."

"Very well." Celestia said. "Send him in."

The reddish-orange unicorn marched in, with a bitter look on his face. He looked back and forth between the two rulers of Equestria.

"So, how's my sister doing?" he asked. "Is she doing fine? She better be doing fine!"

"I assure you, Red Dawn." Princess Luna told him. "Your sister is safe, and her mission is not a dangerous one."

"What kind of mission is it?!" Red exclaimed. "Honestly, I don't see Sunset Shimmer in three or four years, and you send her off somewhere, and expect me to believe that she'll be okay...just like that?"

"Sunset Shimmer is a superb mare, Radiant." Princess Celestia assured him. "She isn't not the small filly that you were left to raise when you yourself were but a youngster. She is extremely talented in magic, and one of the most intelligent ponies I have ever met in my long years in this world."

"Oh, yeah?" Red Dawn growled. "Well, I'm still worried that I might not ever see her again. I mean, why was she gone for so darn long, anyway?!"

The princesses looked at each other cautiously.

"Radiant, listen to me." Celestia told him. "If you knew the truth about your sister's previous absence, it might...disturb you."

"Well, if she's never around, anyway," Red Dawn retorted. "then I don't see how it could ruin how I feel about her!"

"Oh, dear." Celestia frowned. "You'll have to follow us downstairs."

"Okay, then." Red Dawn said, clenching his teeth. "I'll come along. But please, stop calling me 'Radiant'!"

Red Dawn and the princesses went downstairs to the enchanted mirror. Celestia began to explain its purposes.

"My sister and I decided to bring it back here from the Crystal Empire, shortly after Sunset Shimmer returned to Equestria...from the other side."

"The other side?" Red Dawn asked. "What's on the other side of that mirror?"

"Another world." Princess Luna said. "Inhabited by...humans."

"Humans?" Red Dawn queried, tilting his head suspiciously. "So, if I were to go through there, I'd be trotting about along with a bunch of people with two legs?"

"Yes." answered Celestia. "But based on what Twilight told me, you would turn into a human yourself as long as you were in that world."

"Really?" Red Dawn said. "And Sunset Shimmer went in there?"

"Yes." Princess Luna said. "But she returned much earlier than we could have expected."

"Earlier than what?" Red Dawn asked.

"Well, this portal opens only once every thirty moons, the last instance being a month ago." Princess Luna said. "And Sunset Shimmer was left behind on the human side the last time. Or so we thought. According to Sunset Shimmer, this portal also becomes a one-way passage between the worlds every thirty nights."

"Wait, so Sunset could have been stuck in there for two more years?" Red Dawn said. "That's terrible!"

"I am certain that Princess Twilight Sparkle could explain the rest." Princess Luna told him. "She is currently residing in the library of Ponyville."

"Okay." Red Dawn nodded. "I'll go find her, then."

When he left, Luna turned to speak to her older sister.

"Radiant?" she asked. "So, his full name is...?"

"Yes, sister." confirmed Celestia. "Radiant Dawn is his proper name. It was the name that was brought to me on his birth certificate when he enrolled in my academy, about seven years ago."

"He was one of your students?" asked Luna.

"Yes, sister." said Celestia. "He enrolled at the same time as Sunset Shimmer. But he didn't stay as long as she did."

"But why? What happened to him?"

"It's a very uncomfortable memory for me. Almost as bad as when his sister had that falling-out with me."

"Sister, I would truly like to understand." Luna said. "Could you please try?"

"I will tell you what I remember from that day." said Princess Celestia, reluctantly.

* * * FIVE YEARS, TEN MONTHS AGO* * *
It was noon at Celestia's academy in Canterlot. Sunset Shimmer had already passed her test to become Princess Celestia's student. Now she was ready to see two other unicorns prepare their exams: Pressure Point and Red Dawn.

Red Dawn kept staring at his sister, who was at Princess Celestia's side. He wanted to go over and talk to her; he was afraid that they might be separated, even if he did succeed with his test.

"Pressure Point!" the alicorn called the bluish-white unicorn with the purple mane. "It is your turn to take the test."

"Yes, Princess." the young unicorn said, calmly. "What shall my task be?"

Princess Celestia levitated a stool to her side, opposite of Sunset Shimmer.

"You will cast a flight spell on this stool." she said. "If your spell is cast properly, it will have flown itself in a complete circle for a minimum of thirty seconds. You may begin, but remember that levitation spells are not the same as flight spells. It must move without your direct control."

Princess Celestia and Sunset Shimmer moved away to sit down with the other judges, as Pressure Point took a deep breath, and tilted his head in circles, in order to cast his spell upon the stool. Slowly, it rose up and floated in mid-air. the colt swiveled his head a bit, giving directions to the stool. The three-legged seat flew around him in a perfect 360* radius, for forty seconds straight.

"Excellent work, young one." the princess said, proudly. "You are indeed worthy of remaining at my academy. I see much potential in your services to Equestria."

"Thank you, your majesty." Pressure Point nodded, before trotting over to the other students that passed the exams.

Red Dawn was getting very nervous about the test. His front hooves were shaking with fright, as he waited for Princess Celestia to call his name. He kept looking at his younger sister. He was so happy to know that she had been successful with her own exams. Sunset Shimmer looked back at him, giving him a wink to show her confidence in him.

"Radiant Dawn!" Celestia stated. "It is time to begin your test!"

Red felt his heart jumping up and down, and his face was cringing. The young colt was quivering all over. No matter what would happen here, this was truly the turning point of his life. If he passed this test, he would remain as one of Celestia's students, and thus be able to stay with his sister. He stopped shaking when he realized this.

"I'm on the way, ma'am." he said, humbly. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"Like Pressure Point, you shall perform a flight spell on the wooden stool." Celestia told him. "If it can fly in a circle for at least thirty seconds without relying solely on telekinesis, you shall pass the test."

"Right, then." he nodded, before adding to Sunset Shimmer. "This is for you, little sister."

Radiant stood before the stool. He felt his heart sink, and the whole room fell silent as he attempted to regain his composure. He tried desperately to remember how to perform the spell that Pressure Point cast. He was fumbling about, wincing in fear of what the judges might do if he waited too long. Seconds passed by, minutes fell through, and it was clear that everyone else was growing impatient.

"Master Dawn." one of the judges, a grey unicorn male with a silver mane said to the young colt. "It is time to cast the spell. Are you aware of this or not?"

"Yeah, yeah." Red said, nervously. "Just give me a little breathing room."

He closed his eyes, composing what he believed would suffice for a flight spell in his mind. He could feel the magic surging though his horn. He opened his eyes again, to see that the stool was indeed lifting from the ground.

"So far, so good." Red muttered to himself. "Come on, Red. Don't mess this up! Not in front of your sister! Not in front of Princess Celestia, either!"

Just like that, he felt some kind of blockage in the flow of magic. For some reason, he had some sort of uncomfortable sensation within him, as if his body was refusing to comply with what it was meant to do at this moment. He felt slightly queasy as he tried to direct the floating stool. While it indeed moved about, it did so in a very sloppy trapezoid pattern. He knew this wouldn't be good enough to pass the test. He tried harder...and harder...and harder to focus his magic on the stool.

He knew this might count as cheating, but he felt he had to use telekinesis to manually direct the stool to move in circles. He felt himself sweating all over, and his legs started wobbling. He tried to direct the stool through his magic, but the amount of subtlety it would take to pull it off without being disqualified aggravated him deeply. Every once in a while, he would chime in with his magic, so as to make sure it didn't go anywhere he didn't want it to. The amount of concentration on the spell was being harmed by his constant thoughts about Sunset Shimmer.

"I can't mess this up!" he stammered, painfully. "I can't!"

He tried too hard to keep the stool in check, and a loud boom! erupted from the tip of his horn, and he heard a crackling noise above him: the wooden stool had transformed into a mobile fireball!

Several ponies in the room gasped in horror, as the airborne flame produced smaller explosions all around it, sending red-hot ashes sprinkling in every direction. Red Dawn did his best to stop the fireball, but his stress caused the fire to expand in a burst of superheated air. Several decorations on the walls were set ablaze, and several of the students panicked.

"Help! Save me!" Red heard another of the judges cry out, as she galloped around the room, her mane and tail both on fire.

Princess Celestia quickly took off into the air, and from the top of the high ceiling, conjured a cloud that dropped rainwater down upon everypony in the room. Slowly, the fires were extinguished. She swooped down hard, and landed in front of Red Dawn.
She stared down at him with a vicious glare in her eyes. Even thought she wasn't yelling at him, it was clear to everypony in the room that she was absolutely furious.

"I'm sorry, Princess Celestia!" Radiant Dawn winced, his eyes twitching. "I lost control! I didn't mean to do that! Something happened inside me! I don't know what it was!"

Princess Celestia continued glaring at him.

"I swear that I practiced as much as I could!" said Radiant. "I wouldn't screw up this bad! I swear it!"

"Radiant Dawn, you must understand that if there were a repeat of this incident," the princess told him, with an uncomfortably soft tone in her voice. "you would risk putting those around you in danger?"

"Of course, but..." Red Dawn said.

"Then you must understand that a unicorn whose powers are as unpredictable as yours can do more harm than good?" she said.

"Ye...yes?" Red whimpered.

"And I know that it wasn't your fault." said Celestia. "But whatever is causing this amount of stress will just build up your magic and unleash devastation on this city if you don't leave and meditate on a way to control it."

"Leave?" Radiant repeated. "But can't the school help me--"

His horn suddenly started emitting red sparks, and several white-hot flares blasted forth from it, scattering all over the room. One of them nearly hit Pressure Point, and another two hit the floor on either side of Sunset Shimmer.

"I didn't do it!" he yelled quickly. "I really didn't mean to! I swear!"

Suddenly, he saw the small, familiar body of Sunset Shimmer approaching him. Red Dawn turned to look at her, confused.

"Red, just go." Sunset said.

"Sunny? What--"

"Just get out of here!" snapped Sunset, her own eyes starting to water. "You heard what the princess said! You're too dangerous to be around!"

"I'm so sorry, little sister! I failed you."

He grabbed his sister and started sobbing, as Princess Celestia stood in front of them with a concerned look on her face. After a while, Sunset attempted to reason with her brother.

"Red, you have to listen to me!" Sunset told him. "You don't have to be with me all the time. I can handle myself! I'm already Princess Celestia's star student! I'm here to learn how to handle myself! Do you understand me?"

Red nodded.

"But if you keep acting, you won't be able to help me, even if you did stay here!" she told him. "Please, Red! You'll help both of us if you just leave!"

Red looked at Sunset again, and then to Celestia.

"I promise, young Radiant." she said to him. "I will take good care of Sunset Shimmer. Under my guidance, she will be safe. I promise you."

"Thank you, Princess." he said, choking his words. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! If my sister feels safe here with you, then I won't argue with her. I only want what's best for her. All I ask in return is that you take good care of her!"

"I know you care for me, big brother." Sunset assured him with a smile. "And I love you for it."

She gave him a comforting hug, and slowly went to Princess Celestia's side.

"I love you, too...Li'l Sunny." Red said, turning to leave the academy for good. "I'll miss you so much!"

Then he left the city of Canterlot in a huff, and then departed for the outlying lands of Equestria. He was deeply afraid that this would be the last time he would ever see his beloved sister again. On the other hoof, he did leave her in good company.

"The rest of you are dismissed." Celestia said to the other students and teachers in the room.

They left quickly, leaving Sunset alone with Celestia.

"Why?" Sunset started to whimper. "Why did you have to make my brother leave like that?"

"I only did what I felt was right." said Celestia. "Being a princess isn't always easy, even for me. In order to do what's right, sometimes you have to do something you're not entirely proud of. And I can tell you that from experience."

"Then I just hope that it'll be worth it when I become a princess." said Sunset, under her breath.

* * * THREE YEARS, FOUR MONTHS AGO * * *

In Princess Celestia's class, Pressure Point was talking with some of the other students about Radiant Dawn's incident at the flight spell exam. They were all laughing obnoxiously. Sunset Shimmer glared at them, clenching her teeth as she tried hard to concentrate on her studies.

"Seriously, how dense do you have to be to mix up a flight spell with an incendiary spell?" Pressure asked.

"I heard that he tried cheating, because of how terrible he was at magic." one of his companions said.

"If he can't even get a spell right without it malfunctioning like that," questioned another unicorn. "then why bother coming here? Why couldn't he just admit that he was a lousy unicorn, and pack his sorry flank back where he came from? Was blowing up the stool his idea of an excuse? What a clumsy moron!"

Sunset was now banging her head against her open spellbook.

"And you should've seen it when Princess Celestia was chewing Red Dawn out." Pressure told them. "You could say that he was...red in the face!"

They all burst out in laughter again.

"He must've been so scared of what the Princess might do to him!" the first companion chuckled. "If it were up to me, I would've had that clumsy oaf chucked clean off the mountain for messing up that badly. And family aside, what does Sunset Shimmer see in him? He's useless!"

"Yeah, I bet he won't be invited to any of Sunset's family reunions!" Pressure Point laughed. "If he was my brother, he certainly wouldn't be invited to any of mine. I wouldn't even invite him to attend my funeral!"

"Just shut your trap!" Sunset snapped, letting her quill drop to the ground. "You don't understand what it's like to be my brother! And in fact, I don't think you ever will! Get off his case, you vultures!"

"Okay, okay!" Pressure nodded, gesturing to the rest of his group to sit back down.

Sunset moved away from her study area, and decided to sit beside Princess Celestia, who was overseeing the academy students. The princess, having heard the commotion, attempted to comfort the fuming Sunset Shimmer.

"Dear Sunset, I understand it is hard to deal with your brother leaving." Celestia said to her. "I myself have been forced to go on without my sister Luna for the past millennium."

"I don't care, Princess!" Sunset shook her head furiously. "It really isn't worth the trouble anymore! I don't want to worry about any more stupid attachments! No friends! No family! And no classmates, either! None of that! Just you, me, and your lessons!"

It was official: Princess Celestia was now regretting ever agreeing about sending Radiant Dawn away. But she knew that it was too late now, since Sunset had just declared that she no longer wanted anything to do with him. Instead, she compromised as best as she could.

"Don't worry, Sunset." Princess Celestia told her. "I promise that you don't have to stay here with the other students if you don't want to. From now on, you may take your lessons directly from me, and me alone."

"Thanks, princess." said Sunset, quietly. "The less I think about my brother, the better."

"Sunset, surely you don't mean that?" asked Celestia, shocked.

"I want to prove that I'm better off without him." said Sunset. "You saw what he did! Really, do you think I'd be making more of a difference if I stayed here in Canterlot, or if I went with Red back home to that dusty old mansion?"

"Well..." Celestia tried to counter her star pupil. "Sunset, I understand you're stressed right now. I know that you miss your brother. You shouldn't be afraid to hide your feelings."

"C'mon, princess, don't play mind-tricks on me." said Sunset Shimmer. "Now please, I'd like to go learn my next lesson from you."

"Very well, Sunset." said Princess Celestia. "But I think we should discuss these matters later..."

* * * PRESENT DAY * * *

By the time Princess Celestia finished telling the story to Princess Luna, she had a very depressed texture to her purple eyes. A lone tear streamed down her white-coated face, and she bowed her head mechanically. For a while, she and Luna were silent.

"...And that was the last time she ever spoke to anypony about her brother." said Celestia, finally breaking the silence. "I believe I already told you what happened with Sunset Shimmer herself, and how she ceased to be my student?"

"Indeed, you did." said Luna. "That is what made me so interested in her in the first place. To think that such a proud, clever unicorn like her would have such a depressing background. And I also feel rather badly for her brother. By the sound of things, the two of them seemed inseparable. To bring them apart like that clearly hurt them both deeply."

"I truly am sorry for what I did back then." Celestia said. "But I don't think that Radiant would ever forgive me for banning him from the academy. It clearly ruined the poor stallion's life. And I fear it may have somehow paved the way for Sunset's prideful, antisocial behavior."

"Sister, do you suppose..." suggested Luna. "If Red--er, Radiant Dawn had remained at the academy, anyway, he would have been able to keep Sunset Shimmer from leaving you?"

"I do not know, Luna." Celestia said, shaking her head solemnly. "But knowing how dangerous and unpredictable he was at the time, he could've just as easily joined his sister, or fled to that human world instead of Sunset Shimmer. If that were the case, I fear that he wouldn't have adapted well to that world. In fact, it may have been worse if he went there instead of Sunset."

"Whatever do you mean, sister?"

"He may have become insane within the first thirty hours on that side." explained Celestia. "Let alone thirty moons. The same would apply to if he found out that Sunset had crossed over to that world for so long, before she returned. To know that he would literally be worlds apart from his beloved sister, his only known family, for such a long period of time would drive him over the edge. He could have even died of a broken heart. All because of me."

Then Luna's eyes widened from a revelation.

"Sister, I just thought of something." she said. "He has gone down to see Twilight Sparkle. And when he learns about her previous incident with Sunset Shimmer, do you suspect that he may...?"

But she was afraid to finish her sentence. Princess Celestia, however, knew what she meant.

"He has the right to know the truth, Luna." Celestia said. "We can only hope that he takes it well."

Between Dawn and Twilight

It was the middle of the afternoon, and Ponyville was bustling with activity as always. Red Dawn found himself in the town square, anxiously searching for the library, where Twilight Sparkle apparently lived. He did, at least, take the time to look at the area around him.

"Now, where should I start asking around?" Red Dawn asked, when he felt something bump into his leg.

"Golly!" he heard a small voice say. "Sorry, mister."

Red looked down, and saw a filly with a yellow coat and a red mane looking up at him. She was positively cute, especially with the big, red bow tie on her head.

"It's really my fault, little filly." Red Dawn admitted. "I shouldn't have stopped like that. By the way, I'm Red Dawn."

"Well, gee. I never saw you 'round here, Red." the young filly said. "I'm Apple Bloom, if you're wonderin'."

"Oh, that's the most adorable name I've ever heard in, like...forever!" the orange-red unicorn bent down to smile at her.

"Umm...thanks, Red." Apple Bloom said. "So, did you need help findin' someplace in particular?"

Red Dawn was able to regain his composure, and gave a simple friendly nod.

"Just tell me the place, and I'll try and show you 'round." the young earth pony said.

"Okay, then." Red Dawn nodded again. "I'm trying to look around for the library. I was told Twilight Sparkle would be there."

"Oh, that'll be the Golden Oaks Library." Apple Bloom said. "It's the one built inside a tree."

"A tree?" Red asked. "That's kinda odd, don't you think?"

"Nah, not really." said Apple Bloom. "You get all kinds of strange stuff happenin' 'round here. C'mon, I'll walk you there."

"I'd be delighted to have you do that, Apple Bloom." Red Dawn smiled.

The young earth pony and the twenty-something unicorn trotted side-by-side. As they went on, Red was talking with Apple Bloom.

"You know, Apple Bloom." he told her. "You remind me a lot of my sister when she was a filly. She was so cute and innocent, just like you."

"Well, thankee." Apple Bloom grinned back to the tall, lean unicorn. "And come to think of it, you remind me a lot of my brother, Big Macintosh. You're a lot more talkative, though. Not that there's nothin' wrong with that, of course."

"No offense taken, Lil Apple." Red smiled back. "So what's the rest of your family like?"

"Well, we own Sweet Apple Acres." the filly answered. "We grow lots and lots o' apples for the whole town."

"Mmmm...that sounds tasty." Red Dawn said, licking his lips. "Who else is in your family?"

"Well, there's my big sister Applejack." Apple Bloom said. "Then there's Big Mac, like I said, and sweet ol' Granny Smith. And we've got relatives all over Equestria."

"Really? All over Equestria?" Red Dawn said. "I can say that you guys are lucky."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well..." Red Dawn said, hesitantly. "My family's pretty small, to be honest: Just me and my sister. I have no idea what happened to our parents."

"Awww, that's too bad." Apple Bloom frowned, showing sympathy towards him. "Hey! Maybe you and your sister could visit us, sometime? We have plenty o' room back at Sweet Apple Acres."

"That's very nice of you. But I don't know if my sister likes apple cider that much. And I'm trying to drink less of it."

"Are you sure, Red?" Apple Bloom said. "We have some of the best apple cider in Equestria."

"I said I'd drink less of it, not that I wouldn't drink any at all!" Red assured her. "I don't think it'd hurt to drink some."

"All right." Apple Bloom said, smiling again. "Well, here's the library. I hope you get whatever you're lookin' for."

"Me, too." Red Dawn nodded, as they came up to the tree. "See ya later, Apple Bloom."

When the filly was gone, the unicorn knocked his hoof on the door. After a few seconds, the door was answered when a baby dragon opened it.

"Hello, sir." the dragon said to him. "Are you looking for Twilight?"

"Yes, I am." Red Dawn said bluntly. "I have some...personal matters...to settle with her."

"Well, I think that she's deep in reading a book that she just got, but I don't think she'd say 'no' to a visitor."

"Come in, please!" the voice of Twilight Sparkle called from inside.

Red Dawn bowed himself in, and found himself face-to-face with a purple alicorn whose mane had a red stripe on one side.

"Hi!" She said to him, positively beaming. "Welcome to Ponyville! I hope the town's treated you well, so far?"

"They have." the orange-red unicorn nodded. "The name's Red Dawn. I came here from Canterlot, though I don't live there. I'd like to stay and chat with you about...something."

"Sure, Red." Twilight said. "What would you like to talk about?"

Right on cue, Red Dawn's awkward smile twisted into a snarl. He swiftly leaned his head over the purple alicorn, and started to speak.

"It's about my sister." Red was grinning maliciously. "You know her as...Sunset Shimmer!"

Twilight Sparkle gasped, remembering her. She had no idea that she would have a brother in Equestria, let alone one older and bigger than her. One that seemed like the protective type. Not unlike her own brother, Shining Armor.

"Oh, dear." Twilight Sparkle said, nervously. "I guess you found out that she was left behind in the human world..."

"By you!" Red growled. "What were you thinking, leaving her like that?! Thirty moons, Twi! Thirty! That's how long she could've stayed!"

"Could've?" repeated Princess Twilight Sparkle. "Then she..."

"She was able to come back by sheer luck!" Red Dawn snapped. "Not only for her, but for you."

Red Dawn bent his head down, with a furious expression on his face. Twilight Sparkle seemed surprised and delighted that Sunset Shimmer had found a way to come back to Equestria, but she couldn't help but quiver in the presence of the large unicorn in front of her.

"If she wasn't able to return as early as she did," he said. "I would've gone out of my way to unleash a world of pain all over you, even if you are a princess! But what I want to know is...why did you leave her behind like that?"

"Listen, let me explain everything." Twilight told him.

For some time, Twilight and Red Dawn sat in the middle of the library, facing each other. Twilight told her guest everything she could about the human world, and what Sunset Shimmer did there.

"And then when me and the human counterparts of my friends defeated her demonic form with the power of the Elements," Twilight said. "She was restored back to her normal state. I told her that she could choose to make friends, or forever be alone."

"And then you just abandoned her in a place where everybody was probably going to be hating her guts?" spoke Red, who was upset but not furious at the notion. "You didn't even suggest that she go back to Equestria with you?"

"Well, I did have my human friends promise they'd look out for her." Twilight said. "And when I left her, she seemed alright. She was helping to fix a door that was destroyed in the conflict."

"But did you even consider reminding her of her possibilities after that? Did the thought ever occur to you that you should say 'Hey, would you like to come back with me to Equestria and start your life over again, or stay and get turned into a pincushion by everyone that you've bullied for the past two years'?"

"She..." Twilight began.

"I don't wanna hear it, Twilight!" Red Dawn snapped. "What you did was stupid and heartless. Even if she wanted to stay behind, you should've verified that with her, instead of partying your remaining time away, and leaving her to fix some stupid door that she didn't even mean to break!"

"Okay, I'll admit..." Twilight Sparkle said, sheepishly. "I did get carried away with the dancing."

"So carried away, that you could've had Sunset Shimmer apologize to all those students right then and there, and then brought her back to Equestria." Red growled. "And you still messed that up. You're the worst princess ever!"

"Now listen here, you--" the baby dragon said, but backed off when Twilight looked at him with a stern look on her face.

"Listen, Red. I understand how deeply you missed your sister." Twilight said, turning back to Red Dawn. "I understand what it's like to be unable to be with your favorite sibling for such a lengthy period of time. I have a brother of my own, you see. He's always busy, what with being the Captain of the Royal Guard, and living far away from Ponyville."

Red just nodded slowly.

"And you must understand," Twilight said, her voice shaky. "If I knew you existed when I first went to the human world, I would've done my best to bring Sunset back here, so that you two could be together again...as a family. I understand that you're angry with me. And truthfully, I don't blame you at all. You have the right to be angry at me, just like you have the right to care so deeply about your sister."

she visibly braced herself for his retribution. But to her surprise, Red slowly cracked a smile, and blinked absent-mindedly. He could feel his copper eyes becoming watery, but he didn't cry. In fact, he wasn't as tensed up as he was before. There was a moment of silence, as he mentally formulated what he would say to the small alicorn.

"You know, Princess." he finally said. "I shouldn't stay angry with you. Especially since this whole thing's already been resolved: We've now settled our differences, and Sunset Shimmer's back in Equestria, safe and sound. I think now would be a good time for us to be better acquainted."

"Same here, Red." Princess Twilight Sparkle smiled.

They performed a hoof-bump, and exchanged friendly grins.

"Thanks, Princess." Red told her. "And I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. I forgot that you're new to this kind of thing. You're obviously trying to find out the right and wrong things to do with your royal duties. You're not stuck-up at all. You understand those around you...and I admire that, very much."

"And I admire how much you care for your sister." responded Twilight Sparkle. "You kind of remind me of my brother, Shining Armor."

"So, that's who your brother is!" the orange-red colt exclaimed, as if he just remembered something from a long time ago. "Yeah, I know who he is! In fact, we used to be bunkmates when we were training to be in the Canterlot Royal Guard."

"You were a guard?" asked Twilight.

"Nah, I never got that far into the academy." Red answered, shaking his head. "I was still a cadet when I jumped ship. I wanted to be close to my sister, so I decided to just be one of Celestia's magic students. Right now, I kinda regret passing up that opportunity."

"Why?" asked Twilight Sparkle asked. "What happened?"

Red then told her all about the infamous "flight spell incident", and the immediate aftermath. Twilight just looked at him, half-horrified and half-astonished. It took a few minutes for all of the information to sink itself into her subconscious.

"Wow, that's just..." Twilight attempted to comment, but words failed her. "I don't know what to say. But I definitely bad feel for you and Sunset Shimmer now. I'd probably have been acting the same way as Sunset if I found out that Shining Armor was sent away from me like that."

"I don't think so, Twilight." Red Dawn prompted her. "You would've still had your parents, right? Sunset and I lost ours when we were both very young."

"What happened to them, anyhow?"

"I have no freaking idea." Red Dawn admitted, straining himself. "It was so long ago. I think I was eight when they turned up missing. And I had no other relatives that I would've known about, and didn't know anyone that would take us in, so I had to raise my own five-year-old sister all by myself!"

Twilight Sparkle's jaw dropped.

"That's horrible!" cringed Twilight. "And I couldn't even begin to imagine how badly the stress from that experience must have been!"

"Well, it wasn't too bad." Red Dawn said. "My father was quite the scholar. He had all kinds of books, documents, and stuff that Sunset and I were able to use to learn about all kinds of different things. Of course, Li'l Sunny had to hog them all the time."

He started laughing, and even got a small chuckle out of Twilight.

"And we had a nice remote house to live in on the far side of Equestria, away from obnoxious country-ponies or thieves." said Red. "In fact, I still live there, since Princess Celestia sent me away from her academy. But I tell you, you wouldn't believe how excited I was when I got that letter from Princess Luna telling me that Sunset had come back to Canterlot, and that I was allowed to return there!"

"Princess Luna sent you the message?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah." nodded Red Dawn. "And apparently, Sunset Shimmer is now her student."

"She is?" Twilight asked. "I didn't think that Princess Luna was the type to take ponies under her wing, let alone former students of her own sister."

"And that reminds me of something." said Red. "I'd like you to put in a good word to Shining Armor. I'd like to join the Canterlot Royal Guard...this time, for realsies."

"Why would you want to do that?" Twilight asked.

"Why not?" Red Dawn said. "I don't wanna just trot aimlessly around my house, waiting for my sister to come visit me!"

"But becoming a royal guard is a great responsibility!" Twilight Sparkle pointed out. "I mean, you'll have to go through all kinds of difficult training, long hours of work..."

"Hey, Princess Twilight?" interjected Red. "Can you have your brother tell me that stuff?"

"As you wish, Red Dawn." sighed Twilight Sparkle, before turning to the baby dragon. "Spike, it looks like we have another letter to write!"

"Really?" said Spike, who had just woken up from a nap. "We haven't sent one of those in a while."

Suddenly, there was a repeated pounding on the door. Pinkie Pie burst in, and starting bouncing around Red Dawn.

"It's the new guy, it's the new guy!" She was shouting happily. "I'm just so nervic--"

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight shouted to the pink earth pony.

She suddenly stopped.

"Oh, sorry, Twilight." she nodded. "I just heard that there was a new pony in Ponyville, and I found out that he was visiting you."

"Yeah, and I was actually planning on leaving in a few minutes." Red Dawn said.

"Without having a Pinkie Party?!" Pinkie Pie gasped. "Please, you have to come to Sugarcube Corner with me! I've already thrown a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for you!"

"You what?" Red felt his jaw drop in surprise. "Wow, I don't know what to say!"

"C'mon, c'mon!" she jumped about again. "We've got all kinds of fun games and yummy snacks there! You'll love it!"

"Well, I guess I could spare a few minutes..." Red Dawn muttered. "Okay, then. Lead the way."

And then Pinkie Pie and Red Dawn sped outside quickly. Twilight Sparkle and Spike stayed behind, sighing in relief.

"Well, that was..." Twilight panted. "Rather uncomfortable."

"Tell me about it." agreed Spike. "That guy seemed like a real jerk."

"He's a very troubled soul." Twilight reminded him. "I mean, when you consider what he went through in his life..."

"Oh...sorry." Spike said.

"No, it's alright, Spike. I do agree that our conversations could've went smoother. Anyway, how about we get started on the letter for Shining Armor?"

"Right, boss." saluted Spike.

Enter the Syndicate

It was the early morning on the human side of the portal. Sgt. Craw and Cpl. Ghost equipped their combat gear and armor, and set out from Sunset Shimmer's apartment. They had received word from Supreme Commander Chrysalis that Captain Umbriel had given up on reasoning with Principal Celestia. Now, it was time for the Chrysalis Syndicate to make their move on the town.

The city hall was very quiet. The mayor, a middle-aged woman with short gray hair and blue eyes, was writing a letter to the governor about the rising number of terrorist attacks occurring in her town, and that she needed the Army to come in and chase the offenders out. The speaker on her desk buzzed loudly.

"Madam Mayor, the police captain has just arrived." said the voice of her secretary.

"Of course." the mayor said. "Send the young lad in."

Captain Shining Armor walked in through the door, and sat down in front of the mayor's desk.

"Captain, how's your search for the people that attacked your men?" asked the mayor.

"We still haven't found 'em." Shining Armor said. "Ma'am, has the governor agreed to send soldiers to help us out? I don't think our police officers will be able to handle men with the kind of weapons and technology we've heard they use."

"I'm in the middle of writing the letter now." said the mayor. "What kind of technology did you say they used again?"

Suddenly, they both heard a distorted voice in the direction of the door.

"You can see for yourself." said the voice.

The mayor was flabbergasted as two men suddenly materialized on the other side of the desk, one on either side of Shining Armor. They were wearing skeletal black armor with ridged helmets, and were pointing guns at the police captain, who had his own handgun out.

"Let's not be hasty here." said one of the men.

"What is going on here?!" exclaimed the mayor.

"Tell the police captain to lower his gun, and we'll gladly tell you." said the other man.

"Not until you tell me who you are...and put your guns down."

"As you wish." said the second man.

The two men lowered their guns, and the mayor beckoned Captain Armor to do the same.

"We're members of the Chrysalis Syndicate." explain the second man. "We're an independent military force contracted to hunt down a potentially dangerous fugitive."

"Dangerous fugitive?" asked the mayor. "You mean the gang members that have been roaming town lately?"

"Actually, what we're after is something much more dangerous than anything your police can handle. Send a message to the state governor. You have to tell him that there is a terrorist in your town's midst, and that they are currently planning to launch an attack on Canterlot High School."

"Oh, my!"

"Hold it!" Shining Armor stated. "If there's trouble going on in this town, then my police can handle it."

"You mean like how they handled what happened last month?" said the second soldier. "Or what happened just a few days ago? If your police didn't interfere in our operations when they did, we would've taken that fugitive away from your town long ago."

"You were the ones behind the shootout?!"

"No, your idiotic police officers were the ones responsible. They disrupted our work, and now a criminal is on the loose thanks to them."

"What criminal?" Shining Armor scoffed. "Who the heck are you talking about?"

"We can't say for certain." said the second soldier. "But we believe that Sunset Shimmer, a student at Canterlot High School, is connected."

Two hours later, Fluttershy was standing at the front door to Canterlot High. Since the statue had been barricaded by the police, this was the most reasonable place for her to hand out fliers for the animal shelter. Rarity and Applejack had walked up to her, to speak with their friend.

"Hey, Fluttershy, have ya seen Sunset Shimmer anywhere?" Applejack asked.

"No, I haven't." Fluttershy said, quietly. "Have you two seen her?"

"We haven't found her, either." Rarity said. "I'm really concerned for her, right now. I haven't seen her since three days ago! It's not like her to just skip school."

"Maybe they might know something about it?" Fluttershy asked, pointing down the front lawn of Canterlot High.

Rarity and Applejack looked to see what Fluttershy was pointing at, and were both awestruck at the sight: There were several men charging up to the school from an armored vehicle parked nearby. They were each wearing a full set of shiny black military armor and carrying rifles and shotguns. None of their faces could be seen, as they were obscured by metallic full-faced helmets that resembled the heads of insects, minus the mandibles and antennae. Fluttershy cringed when they came up close to the three girls.

The leader, who was somewhat larger than the other soldiers, wore a unique set of armor that had a helmet with a curved horn-like spike that protruded from above the speaker at its bottom and green lenses with a reddish tint in their centers, sported broad spiked pauldrons on his shoulders, and a ribbed green torso plate. Even though his skin was completely armored, Applejack's friends could already deduce that even without it, he must have had the physique of a very devoted bodybuilder.

"What in tarnation is goin' on here?!" Applejack demanded, stomping up to who she accurately presumed was the leader of the group. "There's no guns allowed in the school! And aren't y'all a little early for Ha--"

But Applejack cut her sentence to the leader short, when the latter threateningly cocked his firearm, which was a fully-loaded M249 Squad Automatic Weapon.

"Out of our way, civvy." the leader said, speaking with a deep, distorted voice. "We have been authorized to do this."

"Do what?" Applejack asked.

Fluttershy and Rarity stared wide-eyed with their hands clasped to each other's mouths, both afraid of what Applejack's answer might be. Suddenly, the leader lowered his machine gun, took his right hand off of the front grip, grabbed the blonde girl by the scruff of her shirt, and yanked her aside, sending her smacking against the wall by the shoulder. As awestruck as Rarity and Fluttershy were by this sudden action, they both felt at least a little relieved that it wasn't anything more severe.

"Don't get in our way again, cowgirl." he said, waving a metal-plated finger at her. "Or you won't want to know what else we're capable of doing."

"Excuse me, mister." Fluttershy whimpered. "Um, that's my friend you just pushed."

"Then maybe you could teach her not to interfere with us again." the leader said.

"What in the world in going on here?!" shouted the voice of Principal Celestia, who had been walking down the hallway. "Who let you maniacs into my school?"

Applejack got back up, and stood silently, as she saw Principal Celestia yelling at the man at the front of the group of soldiers. She admired how this unarmed woman was capable of standing up to a group of heavily-armed and armored men without any negative repercussions.

"Relax, Ms. Celestia." said the leader. "We don't mean any harm to the school, or those within."

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it." grumbled Applejack, who was fortunately either unheard or ignored by the mysterious armored soldiers.

"Again, who allowed you in here?" the principal demanded.

"Mayor Eve has given our organization a permit to garrison troops in this town. And the building we've chosen to base our operations within...is this one."

"What for? Why are you guys so interested in this place, anyway?"

"We have our reasons, principal. Now, I would like to formally introduce myself to you. I am Captain Umbriel of the Chrysalis Syndicate. We are here to catch a dangerous fugitive, and I trust you know who she is."

"I just can't believe this is happening." Principal Celestia groaned, scratching her head angrily.

The sun was setting in Equestria, and Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, and Lightning Dust were talking with each other on the outskirts of Fillydelphia, away from the prying eyes of the angry townsponies.

"So, why are you two here, again?" Lightning asked.

"Well, I'm here on a mission from Princess Luna." answered Sunset.

"And I'm here because I don't really have anything else to do." Trixie said.

"A mission, huh?" Lightning said, with a small smile. "So, were you two here to help get rid of those creatures?"

"Not really." Sunset Shimmer shook her head. "But it does look like something you could really use our help with."

"Me? Need help?" the pegasus chuckled. "I don't need help. I was able to hold my own against that Ursa Major."

"You're underestimating what has been recognized as one of the most dangerous creatures in all of Equestria." Sunset said. "You took it by surprise. You were lucky!"

"Yeah, if that beast knew you were coming, it would've eaten you alive." Trixie added. "Trust me, I once encountered an Ursa Minor, and my magic had no effect on it. What makes you think that somepony like you would stand a chance against the adult without any help?"

"In case you didn't, notice..." Lightning Dust reminded them. "I can fly. And I'm very good at it, too."

"But you don't think about the best way to utilize those skills." Sunset told her. "Trixie and I saw how you handled that Ursa Major, and we didn't see any signs of you putting much thought into what you were doing. You were just ramming into it, flying circles around it, and doing other reckless things that could've gotten you and those around you killed!"

"Okay, okay!" shrugged the blonde pegasus. "So my methods aren't the cleanest. They just get the job done as quickly as possible."

"But if those methods wind up demolishing half a city, then what's the point in using them at all?" Trixie questioned. "I may have boasted about my talents in the past, but I never did anything as insane as what you've been doing! At least, not willingly."

"Okay, do you have any better ideas? I'd just love to hear them!" snarked Lightning Dust.

"Girls, cool it!" Sunset said to both of them. "We're not going to be able to do anything to help this city if we keep arguing like this."

"Sorry, your highness." Lightning said, mockingly. "So, are you guys going to be able to help me with this, or are you two just going to criticize me all night? I already have enough ponies back in town to do that."

"Trust me, we're going to be helping this town." answered Sunset Shimmer. "All three of us are going to do it."

"Wait, all three of us?" said Trixie, surprised. "No, no, no. I don't want anything to do with this crazy pegasus."

"Trixie, please." requested the reddish-blonde unicorn. "I don't think I could do it without your help."

"Are you sure? You seem like a brilliant unicorn on your own."

"I'm sure."

"Fine." Trixie said, rolling her eyes. "I'll do it for you, Sunset. But only because you helped me with that creature on the road. I wouldn't want to cross paths with it again."

"Thanks." grinned Sunset Shimmer, before turning to Lightning Dust. "So, do you know anywhere in town that we could stay for the night?"

the cyan pegasus nodded.

"There's a tavern nearby." she said. "But I think that it'll be overfilled with ponies by now. If it is, you could hang with me at my house."

"That depends..." Trixie said. "What kind of house do you live in? Because if it's up in the sky, I don't know any spells for walking on clouds."

"Nah, don't worry your pretty little head." Lightning Dust assured her. "My house is on an abandoned pasture on the edge of the forest. The farmers left when they couldn't plant anything, so I decided to turn it into my own personal airfield."

"What did they try planting there?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"I think the farmers tried growing apple orchards." Lightning answered. "I think they even made apple cider there for a while."

"There better not be any of it still there." Sunset grumbled.

"Why not?"

"Because I hate apple cider."

Lightning Dust and Trixie started giggling.

"Wow, Sunset. are you serious?" Trixie asked. "You're probably the first pony I've ever met in my life that didn't like it!"

"And I thought I was the only one!" said Lightning. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you two come with me to my house. There's plenty of room for the two of you there."

Sunset Shimmer yawned.

"Go ahead. We'll follow you." she told Lightning Dust.

A Warm Welcome in Ponyville

Radiant Dawn and Pinkie Pie went down the road to a large house that looked as if it was made of candy. When they went inside, they were suddenly greeted by thunderous applause from a crowd of ponies inside.

"Welcome to Ponyville, Red Dawn!" they all said.

Red gave a yelp of surprise, and looked around. He saw that there were many party favors and activities throughout the room they were all in.

"I hope you like it!" Pinkie Pie said, excited.

"Wow, I can't believe you did this all just for me!" Red Dawn said, relatively overwhelmed by everything around him. "I haven't even had birthday parties this big!"

"C'mon, Red!" said the voice of Apple Bloom, who walked up to him. "I'll show you to everypony in town!"

"Um...did you say 'everypony'?" Red Dawn said, clearly out of his element. "I don't know if I'll have time to do that!"

"Oh, come on, Red!" Pinkie said. "It'll be great!"

Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom took turns leading him around the building, and introduced him to the various earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi that were present. When Pinkie wasn't guiding him, she was offering him various treats and drinks.

"I know you'll love these cupcakes!" offered the pink earth pony. "Mr. and Mrs. Cake make some of the best pastries ever!"

"Okay, whatever makes floats your boat." Red nodded. "Lay it on me!"

He raised his head, and telekinetically lifted the cupcake to his mouth. He engulfed it with one bite, and licked his lips happily.

"Wow, that was pretty good!" Red Dawn said. "But what's the occasion for this party? Just entering this town?"

"Oh, it's just what I do around here." Pinkie Pie explained, with a big grin. "I just love throwing parties for ponies that are new to Ponyville! I hope you don't mind!"

"No, not at all. This is probably the biggest party I've been to in ages, let alone one that was in my honor."

"So, yer the fella that was so kind to lil' ol' Apple Bloom earlier today!" said an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and a hat, as she approached him with a smile. "I'm Applejack, by the way. Apple Bloom's my little sister."

"Oh, yeah." remembered Red. "She told me about you. You run the apple orchard, right?"

"Yep. Me and my family!" confirmed Applejack. "And boy howdy, did Apple Bloom just go on and on about you."

"Really?"

"And as a matter of fact, I wouldn't blame her." Applejack said. "And boy, she said you were big. I didn't think you were bigger than Big Mac!"

Red Dawn felt himself blush a little.

"Uh...thanks, Applejack." he said, smiling weakly. "I get it from my mom. She was pretty tall, too..."

Red looked around for the exit. He tried to gesture for his admirers to stand aside, but they were too busy gossiping and whispering amongst each other to heed him. Suddenly, he heard a horn sound off outside. A unicorn rushed into the building.

"Everypony, the Canterlot Royal Guard just arrived!" he was shouting to all the ponies present.

"Oh, boy." Red was muttering to himself. "What could they want?"

Suddenly, a pegasus guard in golden armor marched inside, and stood erect against the doorway.

"We are looking for the unicorn named Red Dawn." he declared. "Captain Shining Armor has requested an audience with him at the city hall."

Red Dawn was relieved to be away from the large crowd of ponies, but couldn't help but notice the shocked and concerned expressions on their faces. As he finally broke free of the partying ponies, Apple Bloom walked up to the guard.

"What's the problem, sir?" she asked, visibly worried. "Red ain't in trouble, is he?"

"I don't know, little filly." he said. "All I know is that the captain received a letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle, and that he wants to meet with Red Dawn."

"Well, then let's get the show on the road!" said the orange-red unicorn, who was eager to get away from the onlooking bystanders.

He followed the pegasus along the street, until they finally reached Ponyville's town hall. Inside were several individuals, waiting patiently for them to arrive. When Red Dawn caught sight of Shining Armor, the two large stallions approached each other with dogged postures and scowling faces, each staring hard and unblinkingly into the other's eyes. They stopped just a few inches from each other, glaring adamantly at one another, but said and did nothing.

"Wow, talk about deja vu." said Spike, who was standing beside Twilight Sparkle, nudging one of her hind legs.

A few seconds passed on before Armor and Dawn's mouths started to quiver, and they suddenly burst out in laughter.

"Radiant, you old dog!" said Shining Armor, half-chuckling. "I haven't seen you since you dropped out of the tryouts!"

"And look at you!" grimaced Radiant Dawn. "A bonafide Captain of the Royal Guard, and probably one of the best that Equestria's ever seen in years! But don't forget: it could've been me!"

He let out a friendly chuckle, before Shining Armor asked him a question.

"So, Dawnie boy." Shining Armor began. "What brought you here to Ponyville?"

"That would be your sister here." answered Red, gesturing with his head towards Twilight Sparkle. "I thought I'd ask her a few questions about...personal matters."

"Oh, you mean about your sister?" deduced Shining Armor. "I know all about it. In fact, my guards had arrested her the day before yesterday, and sent her to Canterlot. I had a feeling you'd be asking around for her, so..."

"I already know about that." said Radiant. "I've already met with her. She's doing fine, I guess."

"So, what did you want from me?"

"I'd like to reapply for the Canterlot Royal Guard." said Radiant Dawn. "I don't want to put myself to waste any longer. I want to be able to do something important with my life."

"I don't know about that, Red." said Shining Armor. "I know about that little incident of yours back in Canterlot. I'm not sure if Princess Celestia would want you prowling her castle after something like that."

"The one when I was at the academy, or my outburst early this morning?"

"What outburst?"

"Never mind. Just tell me what I could do to get back in."

"Sorry, but Princess Celestia's been a little lax with who we let join her Royal Guard nowadays. Ever since that whole Changeling incident..."

"Changelings?!" Radiant said, surprised. "When did that happen?"

"During the day of my wedding." stated Shining Armor. "Canterlot was invaded by-"

"Oh, dude!" said Radiant. "That happened on your wedding? And it was Changelings? I had no idea. I don't really get a lot of news from this far out East--I live in Vanhoover, and news there is sloooooooowww..."

He coughed and took a deep breath.

"Who's the lucky mare, anyway?" Radiant asked. "Let me guess: Spitfire? Sapphire Shores? Octavia?"

"Princess Cadence." said Shining Armor.

Radiant Dawn felt his jaw drop.

"You married a princess?!" he exclaimed.

"Yep, an alicorn princess, too!"

Red decided to steer the conversation back.

"So, anyway." he said. "You said that Princess Celestia's being pickier with who joins the Royal Guard?"

"Yeah. She doesn't wanna risk anyone infiltrating the castle, and doing any more damage from the inside."

Suddenly, the doors to the town hall opened up, and Princess Luna strode in. She was flanked by two bat-winged pegasus guards. She had a vigilant expression on her face, as if she was expecting something to happen.

"Ah, Princess Luna!" Shining Armor said, quickly saluting the alicorn. "I didn't know you'd be here, too! I'm just letting you know that everything's under control, your majesty!"

"At ease, captain." said the princess of the night, before turning to face Radiant Dawn and Twilight Sparkle. "I trust that your meeting has progressed...well?"

"Well enough, your highness!" said Radiant.

Luna scrutinized Radiant's face.

"We trust that thou wishest to speak with me?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am." confirmed Radiant. "I would like to join the Royal Guard...again."

"Why would..."

"I don't want to waste my life away, so I figured I'd do something productive." said Radiant.

"I admire your enthusiasm." said Princess Luna. "But you must understand it's not my place to give you that kind of position. That would be my sister's. And she has become...restrictive with new recruits."

"Oh, yeah?" Radiant Dawn said, suddenly shooting a wary look at the two bat-ponies that silently stood on either side of the princess. "And what about them? They look awfully suspicious!"

Princess Luna, Shining Armor, and Twilight Sparkle just exchanged confused looks, as Red Dawn started marching back and forth between the two guards.

"Okay, let's get started." he said. "I'm Radiant Dawn, and I'm going to be asking both of you some very important questions."

He started to talk to them in a quiet tone, and the bat-ponies answered in turn. The others couldn't make out what he was saying, but whatever it was made the bat-ponies flinch and bow their heads.

"Sound good?" Radiant told them, more audibly.

"Yessss, sssir." one of the bat-ponies nodded with a salute. "Whatever you assssskkk..."

"Good." he said. "You're both great guards. You might even make it as officers someday. Just don't let the princess down."

"Radiant Dawn, that was...incredible." she said. "Very impressive. It's not very often that I've met someone inspire such authority over my bat-guards."

"Yeah!" Shining Armor said, his mouth wide open with surprise. "Not even I could do something like that! Those bat-ponies are the bane of my existence! They used to scare the hay outta me when I was a foal. Even now that I'm a captain, I'm still afraid to look them in the face, let alone give 'em orders. And yet, you were able to break through to them like a cardboard wall! Radiant, what is your secret?!"

"Captain Armor, does Radiant Dawn have any experience with leadership skills?" Princess Luna asked.

"Can't really remember too much, honestly." replied the stallion. "This pony never even became a full-fledged guard! He dropped out when he was still training at boot camp! And I should know; we were sparring partners!"

"Most impressive." said Princess Luna, studying Radiant Dawn curiously. "So what did you say to them?"

"Just wanted to make sure that they weren't goofing around." said Radiant Dawn. "Minced a few words, made my presence known without being too aggressive. Kinda like what my mom would've done. She was a really tough mare, and she used to tell me all these stories about these Saddle Arabian warriors and champions and stuff when I was a little colt. I thought I'd try modeling myself after one, so..."

"Radiant Dawn, I have a propostion for you." said Luna.

"So lay it on me, your majesty!" said Radiant, eagerly.

"I, Princess Luna, wish for you to return with us to Canterlot." said Luna. "I am giving you special permission to stay the night within the castle. I do believe that my sister may find interest in somepony such as yourself, regardless of the jaded history you have with her."

"Luna, are you sure that's a good idea?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "Taking Sunset Shimmer as your student is one thing, but this guy's...well, I just don't know what to make of him! I don't think Celestia might take this too well..."

"Don't worry, sis." said Shining Armor. "I'm sure Princess Luna knows what she's doing. She's very brilliant at being a princess, just as much as--dare I say--Celestia herself."

"I'm grateful for the compliment, Captain." said Luna. "But now, we must return to Canterlot. The sun is already setting, and the Night Court will be in session very soon. As for you, Radiant, would you be interested in coming with us?"

It took a moment to respond, but Red Dawn was able to come to a decision.

"Well, the next train that'll bring me back home won't be at the station until tomorrow." he recounted. "So I guess I could tag along, at least until eleven o'clock in the morning. Of course, that's assuming I don't get the job!"

"Splendid." said the princess, beckoning Shining Armor, Radiant Dawn, and the bat-pony bodyguards to follow her back outside.

As the Night Falls

Sunset Shimmer groaned loudly the moment she first saw the farm where she would be staying for the time she and her companions would spend in Fillydelphia. The barn looked like it would collapse at any moment, the large fields that once held crops were shallow seas of mud and dirt, and the stone-covered path to the ranch house was obstructed by broken-down farming equipment. Sunset shot a frustrated look at Lightning Dust.

"This isn't a farm, this is a dump!" moaned Trixie. "I'm going to take my chances at that tavern."

Suddenly, there was a low rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Oh, yeah!" said Lightning Dust. "I forgot to mention that the town scheduled a rainstorm for tonight. I'd stay here for the night, unless you wanted to catch a cold."

Sunset Shimmer and Trixie gave a collective groan, and followed Lightning down the path. When they got to the wrecked farming tools on the path, Lightning took straight off to the ranch house, leaving the other two unicorns to deal with the obstacle.

"Shake a hoof, girls!" she called out to them from the other side. "Don't keep me waiting!"

"Do I look like a country mare to you?!" Sunset shouted back. "How about you come back and help us, before I use your wings to plow these fields?"

"Cool it, Miss Prissyhooves." retorted Lightning. "You're unicorns, aren'tcha? Why don't ya just use that telekinesis of yours to get rid of that junk?"

"Why don't we get rid of you, too?" Trixie called after Lightning Dust.

"Oh, will you two just shut up?" yelled Sunset Shimmer. "Let's get this over with, before I get rainwater in my mane!"

Her horn shone with a green aura, and the farming equipment was levitated off of the road. She approached the ranch house, with Trixie in tow.

"Uh-uh!" Lightning Dust shook her head. "You two can sleep in the barn."

"This really isn't the time to play games, Lightning." Trixie growled. "It's going to rain any minute, and there's no way I'm spending the night under a roof that looks like it could fall apart at the drop of a hat."

"Oh, that roof's just fine!" denied the pegasus. "I'll show ya!"

She ascended into the air, and landed on the roof of the nearby barn. She bounced on it a few times, before there was a loud crunching sound, and Lightning disappeared from sight with a shriek. There was a series of loud tumbling and cries of pain inside. The two unicorns gasped, and galloped in through the open reddish-brown door. Laying in a corner, under a large hole in the ceiling, was the unconscious Lightning Dust.

"By Celestia!" whispered Sunset Shimmer. "I hope she's okay!"

"Serves her right!" Trixie smirked.

Sunset gave the blue unicorn a very unamused glare.

"Okay, then." said Trixie, whose horn was now illuminated. "Let's go help her."

They formed a makeshift stretcher out of the hay-bales, pitchforks, and burlap sacks that were laying around the barn, and carefully levitated Lightning Dust outside, and into the ranch house. They laid her out on a sofa, and inspected her body for lasting injuries.

"Wow, she really busted herself up here." Trixie said, pointing at the pegasus's left wing, which was bent and bruised. "What should we do?"

"First, we need to clean the wound." advised Sunset. "So that it doesn't get infected."

She conjured up a pair of tweezers from a nearby cupboard. She directed it over the damaged wing, and attempted to remove the broken feathers. Suddenly, the entire wing sprang outward, smacking Sunset Shimmer across the face.

"Yow!" she lurched back, with a jump.

Trixie was laughing loudly, to Sunset's dismay.

"If you think you can do it better, then be my guest." growled the amber unicorn.

Trixie stopped laughing, and nervously took a white cloth off the table, and gently tried wiping the smudges around the broken feathers. The wing snapped back again, and Trixie was knocked off-balance. Sunset Shimmer leaned over to help her friend.

"Looks like it's going to take both of us to do it!" she said.

"Why do I have to do it, at all?" Trixie said, dizzily rolling her violet eyes.

"Because your smart-alecky behavior got her into this mess!" reminded Sunset. "If you didn't make such a big deal about the roof, Lightning wouldn't be in the condition she's in now!"

"Wow, you're right." Trixie frowned. "Sorry."

The two unicorns leaned over Lightning Dust, with the intent to press the wing down. But they pressed the wrong section, and the wing began swatting the two mares in a rapid-fire barrage of feather-lined blows. Giving up, Sunset Shimmer and Trixie backed away, frustrated.

"Why that little..." Trixie snarled, her horn glowing fiercely.

"Trixie, it's not her fault!" clarified Sunset. "It's an involuntary reflex! Most pegasi have them."

Trixie regained her composure, and sighed.

"Ah, yes." she muttered. "Restless Wing Syndrome. Truly, the darkest hour of Pressure Point's medical career."

"You know who Pressure Point is?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"Who doesn't know who he is?" stated Trixie. "He's only the best doctor in Canterlot! He also happens to be my cousin...well, second cousin."

"You don't say." Sunset said, dryly. "Anyway, we're both doing this wrong. We need to tie those wings down. Do we have anything in this place that could bind them together?"

Trixie went out back to the barn, and returned with a long rope. She used her magic to tie it neatly around Lightning Dust's torso and wings, allowing the unicorns to inspect the pegasus's injuries without interference. Sunset plucked the broken feathers apart, and put a rag over the wound.

"There we go." she said. "That wing should be just fine, as long as Lightning doesn't try flying until tomorrow. Now, we should try reviving her."

Suddenly, a bucket of ice-cold water was dumped on Lightning Dust's head, and she began sputtering uncontrollably.

"Yes, ma'am!" she choked aloud. "Lightning Dust reporting for duty! Go, Wonderbolts!"

She rolled off the sofa, got up off the floor, and attempted to open her wingspan. When she realized that her wings were bound to her chest, she snapped out of her dream-like trance. Lightning turned to look at Sunset Shimmer and Trixie.

"So...what just happened?" she asked, putting a hoof against her head. "And why am I aching all over?"

"You fell through the roof of the barn, hit the ground hard, and bruised your wing badly." said Sunset Shimmer.

"No way!" denied the pegasus.

"Follow us." said Trixie.

The trio went outside, and entered the barn. Sunset pointed out the hole in the ceiling, which was the first in a number of similarly-sized crevices that went all the way up to the roof. Lightning's wings quivered, and her golden eyes widened.

"Woah..." she whispered. "I can't believe it. I could've broken my neck, or something!"

"And you're lucky we were here to help you." Trixie pointed out.

"I am!" agreed the pegasus, turning to look at the two mares. "Thanks for helping me. I'm so sorry about how I treated you two. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I can." Sunset said, leaning to comfort the shocked pegasus. "You know, the first step to friendship...is forgiveness. Lightning Dust, will you accept my friendship?"

"Sure thing." nodded Lightning. "You totally saved my life. I owe you one."

"And Lightning?" Trixie approached the two. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. I'm sorry I've been such a jerk to you. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"That's okay. I wasn't exactly a gentle soul, myself." said the pegasus. "If anything, I owe you an apology. So, we're cool now, right?"

"You're not going to burst into tears if I say 'no', are you?" questioned Trixie, darting her eyes at Sunset Shimmer.

"Nah, it's not my thing." said Lightning.

"Then I'd say we're ice-cold." chuckled Trixie.

The three mares laughed heartily together. There was a flash of lightning, which announced that they should prepare for the incoming storm.

"I tell you what." said Lightning Dust. "Why don't you two sleep in the house with me? I'm sure I could make a bed or two out of the couches. By the way, I don't think I ever got your names."

"Sunset Shimmer." said the amber unicorn with the reddish-blonde mane and tail.

"And I am the Grrrreat and Powerful Trixie...Lulamoon." said the blue unicorn with the silver mane.

"Well, it's nice to meet you guys. And I'm so glad that I have friends like you two." said Lightning Dust. "Let's go back inside. I was going to make some grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. You wanna join me?"

"Yes, please!" said the two unicorns in unison, when they realized how hungry they were.

The three mares returned to the farmhouse, just as the rain started sprinkling down.

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Radiant Dawn was brought before Princess Celestia. Shining Armor accompanied him, intending to provide moral support for his former bunkmate.

"Radiant--er, Red Dawn." said the princess. "I trust that you got the information you were looking for from Twilight Sparkle?"

"I did, your highness." he said. "And now, I want to join the Canterlot Royal Guard."

Princess Celestia eyed him uneasily. Red had a feeling that he already knew what she would say.

"Red..." she said to him, gently. "I am not certain about this."

Shining Armor interjected his own input into the conversation.

"Your majesty, Radiant here has the potential to be a great addition to the royal guard." he informed her. "He was able to get Princess Luna's bat-ponies to listen to him, and without any magic or brute force."

"Yes, I have no doubt about that." she said. "But I cannot help but be concerned about how he may adapt to the schedule."

"Schedule?" Radiant asked. "Pardon me, your highness, but don't I just have to stand around, patrol some streets, and maintain law and order in the community?"

"That is correct." said Princess Celestia. "But the only shifts available to new recruits will last twelve hours straight, from sun-up to sun-down. And I understand that you often have trouble sleeping at night, so you may not be prepared for such a demanding schedule, come the morning."

"Ah, I see." said Radiant. "But with all due respect, I would like to check all of my options before I just give up and leave."

"There is also the Night Guard." said the princess, with a sigh. "They watch over the city when the Night Court of my sister is in session. But I fear that it would be a depressing and lonely job for someone as lively as you. Speaking of which, the Night Court will begin in five minutes. We shall discuss these matters in the morning, Red Dawn."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia." said Radiant Dawn, bowing his head. "And good night."

"Good night, young one." the princess called after the orange-red stallion. "May you sleep well tonight!"

"C'mon, Dawnie." said Shining Armor. "I'll show you to your quarters."

The two stallions ventured through the castle together, past the banquet hall, and up the flight of steps. When Shining Armor stopped, he telekinetically opened a door that led into a very spacious bedroom, with a window on the ceiling, looking out into the heavens above.

"I hope you like it." said Shining Armor, before turning his head to the left. "And look! You'll be right next door to Sunset Shimmer! Sure, she's away right now, but it's the thought that counts."

Red turned to see what Captain Armor was looking at. It was indeed the very same door that just a couple of days ago, he found himself standing on this side of, waiting to see his sister again for the first time in years. The door that had been slammed in his face shortly afterwards. Regardless, he couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, my old friend." he said.

"Don't thank me. It was Princess Luna's idea." said the white stallion. "Anyway, sleep tight! I know that I will!"

Author's Notes:

This is easily one of the most light-hearted, if not comical, chapters you'll see in this story, so far. I estimate that it will get even darker from here, at least until the Fillydelphia arc is resolved.

One Night in Fillydelphia

Sunset Shimmer and her friends were eating sandwiches in the ranch house's kitchen, and talking to each other about the attacks on Fillydelphia. Trixie and Sunset both listened closely to what Lightning Dust had to say about the matter.

"I tell ya, these attacks are getting worse, and worse!" said Lighting. "It's like we're fighting half the Everfree Forest. It's just crazy!"

"Lightning, when did the attacks begin?" asked Sunset, after finishing her second sandwich.

"I think about two or three weeks ago." answered Lightning Dust. "I think it started when somepony delivered a carton of eggs to the farmer's market, and it turned out that there were two cockatrices inside. A whole bunch of ponies were turned to stone, and we had to send them off to Manehatten to be revived."

"What did this pony, or whatever it was, look like?" asked Trixie. "The one that delivered the eggs."

"No clue." said Lightning, uneasily. "All I know was that they could fly, since they apparently took off into the air once the cockatrices made themselves known. And it just got worse from there. The day after that, the city hall became infested with giant spiders. And it took eight days and a small army of royal guards to get them all out of there, when some manticores turned up to ransack the marketplace. And just two days ago, some donkeys came into town, rambling on about a large creature with an armored body destroying their wagons."

"That must've been the creature we encountered on the way here." Sunset said to Trixie.

"Wait, so that thing's for real?" asked Lightning Dust. "I thought that was some kind of exaggeration."

"Yes, it's real." Trixie verified. "And we've ran into it twice: Once on the road to Fillydelphia, and again in town, just before that Ursa Major attacked."

"Lightning, why hasn't the mayor sent word to Princess Celestia about these attacks?" asked Sunset Shimmer.

"Because everypony we try to send to Canterlot ends up disappearing on us, getting lost, or being mauled by the creatures. I've never seen so many ponies being placed into one hospital." explained Lightning Dust, who was frowning. "And we're pretty short on magic, since there are only a few unicorns in town, and most of them aren't as experienced as you two are."

"Don't worry." assured Sunset Shimmer. "I have an idea as to how I could get a message through to Canterlot. In case it doesn't work, I say that we start training ourselves tomorrow. Or should I say, that I will be training you two."

"What did you have in mind?" asked Lightning Dust.

"You'll see in the morning." answered Sunset. "Now good night to you both."

Sunset Shimmer went to sleep on the sofa in the living room, while Trixie laid down on a sleeping bag upstairs, and Lightning Dust went into her bedroom. In spite of the sound of raindrops loudly hitting the roof of the farmhouse, she fell quickly into a surprisingly pleasant dream. She was back in the human world, in her humanized body, and was sitting on a couch...with Craw on the other end. She gasped frightfully when she saw him. But Craw looked back at her with a concerned expression on his face.

"Hey, Sunny?" he asked, confused. "What's the matter?"

Then Sunset realized that this dream was some kind of emulation of one of her memories of Craw, from when they were still friends. Craw didn't look angry to see her. In fact, he had the same care-free look he had in his eyes when she first met him at Canterlot High. Craw looked just she remembered him: Tall, buff, a grayish complexion, reddish-brown eyes, and shaggy brown hair with a greenish tint. He was wearing a mustard yellow t-shirt, black tennis shoes, and brown cargo pants.

"Um...nothing." she told him, trying to avoid seeming stir-crazy.

"Well, I'll admit: This is a pretty violent movie." he said, pointing to the TV, which was playing one of the many war films that the two would watch together. "If you don't wanna watch it anymore, I'll understand."

"No, it's...not that." said Sunset. "I'm just so...troubled right now."

"Baby, what's wrong?" Craw asked, gently putting a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "Come on, I'm your friend. You can tell me anything stupid or crazy, and it wouldn't make a difference."

If only. If only.

"I'm so sorry." she said simply, leaning forward to tearfully kiss him on the lips.

Craw just sat still for a second, then slowly got up.

"Um, okay then." he said, blankly. "I think you're a little delirious, Sunset. I'll tell you what. How about I go get you another glass of lemonade? That should calm your nerves."

Craw picked up the remote to pause the movie, and walked out of the room. Sunset got up to stretch, and sat down in front of the television set. She was shaking all over, wondering why the real Craw tried to have her killed just a few nights before. Suddenly, the TV screen began to glow brightly. Sunset felt the need to touch it, and her hand passed through the glass. She thrust her entire body through it, and found herself in a darkly-lit room, and realized she was a unicorn once again.

"Sunset Shimmer, we never thought our paths would cross again so quickly." said a familiar voice. "Turn around, if you would please."

Sunset turned her head, and saw Princess Luna standing over her. Sunset couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, Princess Luna!" she said. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Indeed it is, my pupil." said Luna. "We trust that you have fared well on your journey?"

"Oh, definitely!" said Sunset Shimmer. "I've already made two friends, including the like-minded mare."

"That is most excellent, student." said Princess Luna. "If thou dost wish to return to Canterlot, you may do so. I am certain that Celestia would be glad to review your mission with me."

"Well, here's the thing." Sunset told her. "I'm currently sleeping in Fillydelphia, and the city's been attacked by monsters for some time now. The townsponies have been mostly unable to help themselves, and the attacks are getting worse by the day. They need help from the Canterlot Royal Guard."

Princess Luna had a puzzled look on her face.

"I've wondered why we haven't heard from them recently." she said. "Very well. In the morning, I will tell my sister about this crisis. But now, we must part ways again. But before we do, we ought to talk for a while about your exploits in the human world."

Sunset Shimmer shuddered at the idea, but nodded anyway. Princess Luna informed her of all that Vice Principal Luna had told her when she visited her dream, and Sunset offered her own details.

"So, the Chrysalis Syndicate was the group responsible for making my life on the human side of the portal as miserable as possible?" Sunset concluded.

"I can't say for sure." said Luna. "It was all very vague. There were a number of different parties that might have been responsible. Were you and this...Craw...close at all?"

"Definitely close." said Sunset. "In fact, I think that he had feelings for me, and that I was about to return them just before our falling-out. He was just so sweet to me, when everyone else became too distant from me. I never met anyone as nice to me as he was, except for Flash Sentry. The human, that is. Not the pegasus guard."

"I'm sorry, Sunset." said Princess Luna. "It must truly hurt a lot."

"It truly, truly does." Sunset confirmed. "But I'm not going to give up now. Once the sun rises, I'm going to be doing what I can to help Fillydelphia against the monsters, and my friends will help me. I'm sure I'll be able to do more here than I ever could in the human world. At least I can use magic here in Equestria."

"Sunset Shimmer, I'm proud of you." said the princess of the night. "Take care. I suspect that a certain somepony wishes to speak to me, right now. Good luck, my student."

Sunset Shimmer hugged one of Princess Luna's front legs.

"Thank you, princess." she said, happily. "I'm so happy that I chose to be your student. You're the greatest."

"Likewise, Sunset." said Luna. "I do not think I could have found a better unicorn to take under my wing."

Princess Luna faded from Sunset's dream. She snapped out of her trance on the high balcony of the castle in Canterlot. The night sky was clear, and filled with shining white stars. She heard hooves moving slowly up the stairs. The pony ascending them cast a very large shadow. It was Radiant Dawn.

"Radiant, is something troubling you?" Princess Luna asked him.

"Yeah, princess." He answered, once he reached the top. "I couldn't sleep at all."

Radiant Dawn looked up at the sky.

"Wow, the night is so beautiful....and quiet." he said. "You do a great job, your highness."

"Thank thee, Radiant." Luna told him, grateful that somepony was able to compliment her work. "Even in recent times, the night has not been as appreciated as the day. Though I see that it does have its...admirers."

"Do ponies with insomnia count?" Radiant asked. "Because that's why I'm up."

"Radiant, how was your meeting with Celestia?" asked Luna.

"The only day shifts available to me are twelve hours long." said Red. "But I was wondering if, perhaps, I could join your Night Guard."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yeah, I mean it! My name might suggest otherwise, but I actually like the night a lot more than the day."

"Well, I do admire how you were capable of intimidating my bat-guards." said the alicorn princess. "Very well, Radiant. You may begin training tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, princess." said Radiant Dawn. "But forget the training. I actually finished mine. I just never signed in for the royal guard. The armor they wear is rather...uncomfortable."

"Then fret not." assured Luna. "The Night Guard is not as restrictive with uniform selection as the rest of the Royal Guard. Each member is given a set of armor to wear, but they may choose to wear their own."

"But...I don't have any armor at all."

"But there is a unicorn in Ponyville, who I believe could provide you a uniform. Her name is Rarity. I could have her arrive here tomorrow morning, to make for you the outfit you desire."

"I'd like that very much." said Radiant. "The ponies in that town were so nice to me earlier today. I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

He let out a long yawn, and turned around to trot back down the staircase.

"Well, I'm going back to bed now." he said, even as he left. "I'll see you in the morning...maybe. However your sleeping schedule works, that is. At least the skies are clear tonight."

Then he halted for a brief moment. He lifted his head up, as if to listen to something.

"By the way...did you know that there's a thunderstorm over Fillydelphia?" he turned his head to ask Princess Luna.

"How do you know that, Radiant Dawn?" asked Luna.

Radiant turned to show his cutie mark to the Princess.

"It's my thing." he said. "I can sense weather patterns for miles and miles."

"That is...very interesting." stated Luna. "But is there something about Fillydelphia that concerns you?"

"Well, that's where my sister went, right?" said Radiant Dawn. "It just made me worry about her. I hope she's okay."

"Sunset Shimmer is just fine, Radiant." assured Luna. "I was just speaking to her through one of my journeys through the dream world. She is currently sleeping peacefully, and among friends."

"Did she ask about me?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Radiant scoffed.

"I am certain that she has not yet forgotten about you." Luna said. "But good night to thee, Radiant. Rest well, for you shall meet with the rest of the Night Guard in the early morning."

"Yes, your majesty." Radiant said, proceeding further down the staircase.

Training Days, Part One

The next morning, Trixie and Lightning Dust were sleeping soundly in their resting spots in the ranch house. Suddenly, their ears were blasted by an extremely loud whistle.

"Wake up, ladies!" shouted the voice of Sunset Shimmer. "We've got work to do!"

Lightning Dust was quick to get up, and went out into the hall. Trixie was slow on the uptake, and groaned loudly. The two mares went downstairs, and found themselves looking at Sunset Shimmer, except now she was wearing an entire of ensemble of clothing: a dark green vest, a short lime-green cape, gold bands on her front legs, pale green cuffs on the hind legs, a brown wristwatch, and a pair of shiny black sunglasses. She also had her reddish-blonde mane tied in a ponytail.

"Wow, Sunset." Trixie commented. "I guess you weren't kidding about the whole training thing."

"I sure wasn't, Trixie." said Sunset. "Now come on, you two! Once we're done with breakfast, we're going to start rounding ponies up."

"For what?" asked Lightning Dust.

"We're going to form a militia for this town, and I'm going to train them to stand up against these creatures."

"And what would somepony like you know about training an army out of ponies that have never fought in their lives?" asked Lightning Dust.

"Yeah, Sunset!" said Trixie. "Do you even have experience with this kind of thing? Where did you get an idea like this?"

Sunset nervously rubbed a hoof against her left ear.

"Well..." she said. "From a war movie I watched with my boyfriend, Craw. Well, when he was my boyfriend."

"A...war movie?" asked Lightning Dust, tilting her head curiously.

Then Sunset Shimmer remembered that since these ponies had never been to the human world, they may not be attuned to its technological advances.

"I'll explain it later." she said. "I found some potatoes and oranges in the kitchen. We can have those for breakfast. Unless one of you wants to go to the market, that's all we have to eat for the moment."

"Oh, yeah." said Lightning Dust. "That's what I was going to Fillydelphia for, when that Ursa Major attacked. I was trying to stock up on my food supplies, and got side-tracked. I could fly over right now, if you want me to."

"Yes, please." said Trixie.

Lightning went into her bedroom, and rummaged through her belongings, until she returned with a purse slung on her back.

"I've got about...sixty-two bits on me." said the pegasus. "Do you two want anything?"

"Anything that isn't apple cider." said Sunset, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

"How about some pancakes?" Trixie suggested. "And maybe some peanut butter and crackers?"

Sunset looked at Trixie funny, even taking off her sunglasses.

"On second thought, just the pancakes." hesitated Trixie.

"Okay, then." said Lightning Dust. "I'm going now. See you two in twenty minutes."

She left the house, and flew off down the path, back to Fillydelphia. Sunset Shimmer and Trixie Lulamoon went outside to examine the farm, which was still extremely soaked from last night's rainstorm. There were large puddles scattered throughout the fields, and there was a low, but thin fog all around the house. They went into the barn, to find that the bottom floor was flooded with water, due to the holes that Lightning Dust made when she fell through the roof last night.

"Just look at this mess!" Trixie said. "It's gonna take us forever to clean this all up!"

"Relax, girlfriend." Sunset told her, bumping her companion in the shoulder with her hoof. "We've got plenty to work with here."

"Yeah, like a bunch of dirty, dirty water." scoffed Trixie.

"I remember there being some cleaning supplies in the farmhouse. Let's go get 'em." said Sunset.

Sunset Shimmer and Trixie went back into the house, brought out various tools that they could use to get the rainwater out of the barn. It took ten minutes, but the two unicorns were able to make the floor dry and spotless, if only because of Sunset's directions.

"How do you know so much about cleaning, anyway?" asked Trixie.

"Remember when I was telling you about that whole incident with the demon transformation?" said Sunset Shimmer. "Well, after that, I had to fix a whole bunch of stuff at Canterlot High School. And that included playing janitor for half the building."

"Canterlot High School?" said Trixie. "I don't remember that city having any such school."

"It doesn't. It's in...another place." shrugged Sunset Shimmer. "Another place that I could've been stuck in for more than two years. I still can't believe that Twilight Sparkle just left me behind like that."

"Twilight didn't even bring you back to Equestria?" asked Trixie.

"Nope. She just left me to fix up a building I didn't even mean to damage, while she just partied like a maniac with my ex-boyfriend."

"Wow, that's just..." Trixie attempted to comment, but became distracted. "Wait, so by ex-boyfriend, do you mean Craw?"

Sunset blushed.

"No. My other ex-boyfriend, Flash Sentry." she said.

"I know him. Isn't he the pegasus that joined the Royal Guard last month?"

"Wait, so that really was Flash Sentry? I just thought it was somepony that looked like him! Anyway, it's not the pegasus. It was someone else that shared his name...and looks...and personality. It's kind of weird that way in the human world."

"The human world?" gasped Trixie Lulamoon. "You were in the human world?!"

"You know about it, too?"

"Not really." shrugged Trixie. "I just read about it in a book about seven or eight years ago. I can't remember what it was called, but it mentioned something about an intelligent species called humans, which walked upright like minotaurs. But they haven't been seen in this world in large numbers since three hundred and fifty years ago, or at least that's what I remember the book saying. I mean, I'm sure that the odd one might turn up now and again, but it's very uncommon.
"But if these humans have their own world, that might explain why you don't see them that much here in Equestria; They probably like to keep to themselves."

And once again, Sunset Shimmer remembered the hateful words Sergeant Craw and his enforcer said to her outside of Canterlot High a few nights ago, just before she returned to Equestria.

"Yeah, I think they wouldn't really like to be among us ponies, either." said Sunset. "To them, we'd be a bunch of stupid animals. I can tell you that from personal experience."

"Why? What did the humans do to you?"

"Well, Craw had someone try to kill me, when he found out that I was a pony." said Sunset.

"I can't believe that someone would actually try doing that." said Trixie. "But how did he not know that you were a pony to begin with?"

"The portal used to travel to the human world transforms anypony that passes through it, giving them human shapes as long as they were on that side. They would also be unable to fly if they were pegasi, or use magic if they were unicorns."

"Wow, that's just...disgusting!" said Trixie, with a pained expression on her face. "I mean, what kind of sick, twisted mind would make a portal that would do something that...debilitating? I'd probably go insane as soon as I found out I'd be unable to use my magic while I was there. How were you able to deal with such a disadvantage?"

"Well, I was trying to keep away from Princess Celestia, and I did have something of a terrifying presence at first, when I was there." said Sunset. "Usually, people would just leave me alone when I wanted them to, and I would just take whatever I wanted."

"Yeah, I bet you were quite the role model." said Trixie, sarcastically.

"Well, I'm not like that, anymore." assured Sunset Shimmer. "Now, I'm hoping to be able to make up for the terrible things I've done before. That's why we're going to help out Fillydelphia."

"But I thought you said that we were going to try getting a message through to Canterlot first."

"Already did that, Trixie."

"Dare I ask how?"

"I sent a message to Princess Luna last night."

"Understood, then. So, what are we going to do now?" asked Trixie Lulamoon.

"Right now, we're going to wait for Lightning Dust to..." said Sunset, before looking outside. "Wait, there she is now!"

Lightning was soaring through the air, and landed in front of the farmhouse. She was carrying a large bag on her back, next to her purse.

"Alright, girls!" she shouted. "Here's breakfast!"

Sunset Shimmer and Trixie came outside of the barn to meet their friend.

"What were you two doing in there?" asked Lightning Dust.

"Fixing up the barn." said Sunset. "It was half-flooded when we went inside, thanks to that big hole in the roof."

"Look, I'm sorry about what I did." said Lightning Dust. "But how about I make up for it, by making you those pancakes?"

"Sure!" said Sunset. "But let me help you."

The three mares went inside the farmhouse to prepare for breakfast.

Meanwhile, in Canterlot High, the Chrysalis Syndicate was scouring the building for Sunset Shimmer. Captain Umbriel himself using the sensors in his helmet to scan every locker he passed by, in case she was hiding in one of them, ignoring the students he was passing by. Suddenly he heard Principal Celestia talking to a nearby soldier who was answering back with random strings of sentences that were apparently taken out of context.

"Listen, I don't know if you're trying to speak in code, but could you please stop that? It's really distracting!"

"I don't know anything about Daws Arnold Caros." said the soldier.

"That makes two of us." said Celestia. "Now remember that you and your captain--Ah, Umbriel!-- just who I was expecting."

Captain Umbriel stopped scanning the lockers.

"What is it now?"

"I was just reminding this soldier of yours to at least try not to disrupt anything, since all of you are guests at this building."

"Oh...Glitch." murmured Umbriel, recognizing the strange movement and gestures of the soldier Celestia was talking to.

"Zambini is a great place to visit, captain." said Glitch. "But if you drink anything colored orange over there, a Pacific Islander named Jamie Ray Mitchell will roast a turkey."

"What on earth is this guy trying to say?!" asked Celestia. "I've been talking to him for ten minutes now, and I can't get a word of what he's trying to tell me. It's always something random like 'Hovercrafts are terrible for the soul' or 'if you shake a soda can, monkeys will sacrifice a country singer'. Is he speaking in code or something?"

"No...I'm afraid Glitch is in his own little world right now." said Umbriel. "He suffer from a rare mental disorder where he believes he's in an existential crisis, and the only way to exist is--"

"No, no...you got it wrong, sir." said Glitch. "It's everyone else that doesn't exist. I'm just reminding them that Ringo's flowers are not for sale. Just five minutes from now, I'm about to tell Princess Schoolteacher over here that I didn't want the Springjack Bandits of North Dakota to come to my cousin's barbeque."

He leaned over to tell Celestia:

"Treats..."

"What is wrong with you?!" Celestia facepalmed. "Why are you so random?"

"Well, let's see.." Glitch paused. "Wait, I think a politician just went through the roof."

He pulled out a pistol off of his armor's utility belt. He loaded it, and clicked it.

"You're seriously going to discharge firearms on school property?" Celestia gasped.

"No, I'm about to teach a gas station attendant not to yeh-may-bebebebebebe!"

"Fine." sighed the principal.

Glitch assumed a stealthy, crouching position around the locker. He waited silently for a moment, then suddenly put his foot through the thin metal door. There was a ridiculously loud crash as his armored boot broke through the green-painted aluminum.

"How in the--?" Celestia gasped, breathless.

"The armor me and my men wear makes the wearer stronger than the average man." Umbriel told her.

There was a sound of someone hollering in shock, followed by an even louder banging noise when Umbriel yanked the door off with his foot, even as he was pulling his plated leg back out. He pulled the broken locker door off his leg, bent it in half, and then casually tossed it aside. He turned to look at the occupant of the locker. But to their surprise, it wasn't Sunset Shimmer at all. In fact, it was just a scrawny teenage boy in a hoodie. He was clearly scared out of his wits, and there was a noticeable bruise on his stomach, where Umbriel hit him.

"You know, at most high schools..." Umbriel said, in his usual casual tone. "Students don't usually go into the lockers to get their supplies."

"I'm...I'm sorry, sir." wheezed the boy.

"You better run, small frog, or I'll squash you!" Glitch snapped.

The boy took a textbook from his locker, and ran out with a terrified squeal.

"Glitch!" snarled Celestia.

"He didn't know anything about politics, so I let him go." Glitch assured her.

"Now that I'm taking a moment to oversee your procedures for finding the whereabouts of Sunset Shimmer..." Umbriel noted. "I don't think I ever assigned you to this operation. So why are you here, Glitch?"

"Well, let's see..." Glitch looked around. "What was the other one trying to ask me? Why I'm acting like a spring-loaded circus cow? Well, when I was a kid, I ate a whole carton of Kybana. Later, I was verbally abused by a religious leader. Then my dog attacked him. Then the dog got taken, and got shot because he had rabies, and now I can talk to animals."

The whole school fell silent. Students, teachers, and even other Chrysalis Syndicate soldiers were peeking out of doors, trying to decipher what Glitch just said.

"I think I saw those movies." said Celestia, scoffing.

"What movies?" Glitch tilted his head, confused.

"Glitch." Captain Umbriel said, pinching the nose-guard of his helmet to regain his composure. "I just remembered that I need someone to get me a pizza. How far can you walk from here to...Mission City?"

"On it, sir!" Glitch saluted, then ran out of the building, never stopping.

"Isn't Mission City on the other end of--"

"I know." said Umbriel. "But that should keep him busy for a while."

"Captain Umbriel, just look at this!" Celestia groaned, pointing at the bent locker door. "Is this seriously the cleanest way your men could possibly search for one person, or pony, or whatever Sunset Shimmer's supposed to be?"

"Not at all, ma'am." assured Umbriel. "Here you go."

He took out a huge wad of cash from a tube on his belt, and handed it to Principal Celestia.

"Here. that should cover the damage." he told her. "And I'm paying this out of my own pocket...just for you."

Principal Celestia sifted through the money she was just given, and put it gingerly into her pocket.

"Um...thanks, captain." she said. "I'm going to sign some paperwork. The contractors will want to hear about this as soon as possible."

"And Ms. Celestia?" he called out to her. "Here's a little something extra, for you."

He gave another handful of dollar bills to the principal, who reluctantly accepted the gift.

"I can tell that this is very stressful for you."

"Oh, you have no idea." said Celestia.

"You should be able to get a nice, fancy dinner for yourself with that money." said Umbriel.

"Thanks." said Principal Celestia. "But I think that I'll just order take-out tonight."

When she went down the hallway, back to her officer, Umbriel quickly sent a radio transmission to his men.

"Troops, this is Captain Umbriel!" he said. "I demand a report on Sunset Shimmer's location, and pronto."

"I've searched both the Principal and Vice Principal's offices, sir." crackled the voice of Corporal Ghost. "The pony's not in either room, though I was able to find some freaky-looking pictures of her in Principal Celestia's office."

"I'm checking with all the people that Sunset Shimmer was previously associated with." said Sergeant Craw. "They know nothing about her current whereabouts, but I have reason to believe that at least one of them is holding something back."

"Cap'n, this is Lieutenant Sigma." said a third voice, with a thick accent. "Me and Canopy are still searchin' the boiler room. So far, we ain't found nothin'! No girl, no pony, not even a blinkin' janitor! Also, I just found out from Private Hopper that Proxy Squad's went and done a search of both the soccer field and the gym, and there ain't nothin' pony-related over there, either."

"Thank you, lieutenant." said the captain. "At ease, men! School hours are ending soon. The night crew will be in the building to search the rest of the premises, as soon as the students all leave. In the meantime, I want Sergeant Craw and Corporal Ghost to find the recordings for the school's surveillance cameras; Perhaps they could tell us where Sunset Shimmer went."

"Yes, sir!" said both soldiers through the radio set on the captain's helmet.

Training Days, Part Two

In Canterlot, Red Dawn was being measured by a white unicorn with a swirly purple mane. She was fussing over his large build, and fumbling about with various rolls of measuring tape.

"Red, darling?" asked the unicorn. "Could you perhaps crouch a bit, so that I may measure your back?"

"Certainly, Miss Rarity." answered the orange-red stallion, bending down on his long legs.

"Oh, thank you so much." Rarity told him, measuring him from muzzle to flank. "There we go: Five feet and three inches. Counting the tail, eleven inches. Okay, then. I trust that the uniform will be completed in a few hours. Now, what kind of attire would you prefer?"

"How about..." Radiant meditated on the possibilities. "An all-black ensemble, with some brown and grey?"

"Are you sure about that, dear?" asked Rarity. "You look like you could benefit from some bright colors. How about some gold, or silver, or even green?"

"Miss Rarity, I'm joining the Night Guard." reminded Red Dawn. "I wouldn't look very professional if I went around wearing bright, cheerful colors."

"That's a good point." said the white unicorn. "I am glad to have been given the opportunity to offer my services to you."

"Well, I'll give you the payment when the uniform comes back properly." said the red-orange unicorn. "In the meantime, here's ten bits, so you can get yourself something to drink. The tavern on the way back to Ponyville has some good grape juice, that I think you'll love. And tell the innkeeper that Red Dawn sent you. He'll give you a discount."

"Why, thank you." Rarity said, with a humble bow. "I will return with the outfit, once it is completed."

"Thanks, Rarity." Red said to her with a nod. "Well, you know what they say: duty calls. I suspect that Princess Luna will want me to report to...wherever the Night Guard trains itself."

"Red, could I do something about your mane first?" offered Rarity. "It's rather messy, wouldn't you say?"

Radiant "Red" Dawn's mane was long, wild, and orange, with curls on the side, and red bristles along the back.

"Trust me, Rarity. It doesn't need any changes at all."

"But..."

"Nopony touches the mane!" snapped Radiant, before adding with a polite tone: "I mean, how would you like it if I went over and touched your mane and tried changing it, just because I didn't like it? I wouldn't like it very much. Would you?"

"Well, no." said Rarity. "I just thought that since I was making you an official uniform, I could take the time to straighten your mane a tad."

"My mane doesn't need any straightening." assured Red Dawn. "And I'm a little self-conscious about doing so, too."

"I understand, dear." said the young white unicorn.

"I like your mane, though." said Radiant. "It kinda reminds me of my sister's. Only, yours is somewhat tamer. Well, I've got to go down to meet the princesses."

"Good luck, Red." said Rarity. "And thank you for the compliment."

Radiant Dawn went downstairs, through the banquet hall, and journeyed through the castle in order to reach the throne room. When he went there, the door was flanked by two guards, including the pegasus guard that collected Radiant from Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville.

"Ah, yes. It's nice to meet you again, Red Dawn." said the guard. "Princess Celestia has been expecting you."

"She has?"

"Yes, sir." said the guard. "Princess Luna has informed Princess Celestia that you want to join the Night Guard. Isn't that true?"

"That's right." said Radiant. "So Princess Celestia wants to chew me out, right?"

"On the contrary, sir." said the pegasus. "She is delighted to see you have offered your services in a field you would be suited for."

"You don't have to call me 'sir', you know." Red said to him. "I'm not even on-duty yet. Who are you anyway?"

"Lieutenant Flash Sentry, at your service." introduced the guard. "I am Shining Armor's second-in-command."

"Wow, you're already a lieutenant? You must've been with the guard for quite some time, then."

"Actually, I've only been with my colleagues for a month now."

"Then you're the lucky one. I thought that a guard had to be on duty for much longer than that before they achieved such a high rank. What did you do to give you such a special honor?"

"Well, I'd love to tell you, but Princess Celestia wants you to speak with her immediately, and I'd hate to keep the Princess waiting!"

"All right." said Radiant. "I'll see myself in, then."

"Wait a moment." Flash suddenly interjected. "First, I'd like to talk to you...in private."

"Sure thing." said Radiant Dawn.

The two stallions went to a vacant corner in the hallway, and the pegasus started speaking.

"So, you're Sunset Shimmer's brother, right?" he asked.

"That's correct." verified Radiant, proudly.

Flash started sweating under his helmet.

"Well..." he said. "I'd like to say something about her."

"Yeah?"

"Look, promise you won't laugh, get angry, or start spreading rumors, okay?"

"Fine. Done and done. Now what do you have to say?" Radiant said, urgently.

"I haven't told anypony else about this..." said Flash, hesitantly. "But when Sunset Shimmer returned to Equestria a few days ago, I had an...encounter...with her in Princess Cadence's palace, back in the Crystal Empire."

"What kind of 'encounter' would that be?" asked the tall orange-red unicorn, curiously.

"I mean that she..." Flash Sentry nervously gulped. "She tried to seduce me."

Radiant just smiled down at the orange pegasus.

"Oh, that's just adorable." he said, casually. "My little sister's all grown up, after all."

"Radiant, sir?" Flash said. "I don't think she...actually had feelings for me. I think she just did it so that she could try and get past me without being arrested."

"Sure she didn't." snarked Radiant Dawn, blankly.

"Umm...sir?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking..." said the pegasus. "When your sister comes back to Canterlot from that mission of hers..."

"What?"

Flash Sentry steadily took his helmet off, to shake the sweat off his short, spiky mane.

"I think I'd like to..." he said, now breathing heavily. "Ask her out...on a date. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

Radiant chuckled a bit, and patted Flash on the back with his hoof.

"Sure." he said to him. "You seem like a responsible stallion. I think Sunset Shimmer would just adore you."

"Really?"

"I have no idea." confessed Radiant Dawn with a subtle frown. "You can sure try, though."

"Thank you, sir." said Flash. "I owe you one."

"For the last time, you don't need to call me 'sir'." said Red Dawn. "I'm still off-duty. Now if you'll excuse me, I have that meeting to go to."

"Good luck, Red." said Flash.

Radiant waited outside the throne room, and waited for the doors to open, to find Princess Celestia and Captain Shining Armor waiting patiently inside the royal chamber.

"Ah, I see that the new drill instructor of the Night Guard finally shows his sleepy face." said Shining Armor.

"Sorry, I'm late...wait a minute." Radiant sputtered. "I'm a drill instructor? I haven't even done any work for the Royal Guard, and you're already having me train other guards?"

"That is correct, Red Dawn." nodded Princess Celestia. "Luna and I were discussing this while you were in your quarters. We both agreed that it wouldn't do somepony like you justice if you were to be looked down upon by your peers from the beginning."

"Well, I already told Luna I had finished my training," Radiant Dawn recounted. "so I wouldn't need to go train in any boot camp, right?"

"That's right, Red." nodded Celestia. "And now, Shining Armor shall lead you to the training area of the Night Guard."

"Let's go, Dawnie." said Captain Armor. "I think you'll love it."

In Canterlot High, Sgt. Craw and Cpl. Ghost were sitting about in Vice Principal Luna's office, with their masks removed. They were tasked with reviewing the security tapes they had collected on a small television screen. At the moment, they were reflecting on their last encounter with Sunset Shimmer.

"One thing's for sure..." Ghost commented, with a wicked smile on his albino face. "I'm going to have such a fun time giving the pony-girl what she deserves."

"And what do you think she deserves?" Craw asked his subordinate.

"To be put down like the sick animal that she is." guffawed Ghost. "What else would you have guessed?"

Craw shifted uneasily in his seat. He never really like Ghost, nor his insane methods of dealing with problems. In fact, he was having second thoughts about how he behaved towards Sunset Shimmer during their last phone call.

"You, know..." he muttered. "I'm thinking about how I reacted to Sunset being a pony."

"Yeah?"

"I think I might've...overreacted a bit."

"And I think you gave that freak the what-for, Sarge." sneered Ghost. "I heard every word of your little argument with Sunset 'Shoot-My-Head-Open' Shimmer. And trust me, I loved every syllable and vowel of it."

Craw shot a surprised, somewhat sheepish, look at Ghost.

"You eavesdropped on us?"

"Yep." said Ghost. "I relished in hearing Sunset Shimmer's panicky voice, so I decided to tune-in to your frequency using my helmet's built-in headset to hear what you had to say to her."

"Corporal, I'm honestly surprised at you...again!" groaned the sergeant. "Do you have any idea how many protocols you've violated by intercepting that phone call? I had her speak to me on that phone for a reason, you know!"

"Oh, just cool it! It's not like I recorded it, or anything." Ghost raised his hand to wave it nimbly. "Anyway, how do you think you should have reacted to Sunset being a unicorn in human shape?"

Craw shook his head, nervously.

"I don't know, corporal." he said. "But I kinda wish I found it out a lot earlier than when I did. Before..."

Ghost nodded with a mischievous look on his face.

"Before you started having...feelings for her?"

Craw glared back at him, almost blushing.

"Not necessarily." he shrugged. "In fact, I was considering the possibility of letting her in on my little secret. You know, about the Syndicate."

"Any why do you think that would be better than having feelings for her?"

Now Craw definitely blushed.

"Well..." stammered the sergeant. "I was thinking about...I don't know, perhaps recruiting her into the Chrysalis Syndicate."

"Wow, and this whole time, I thought you had a terrible sense of humor." Ghost burst out in laughter. "I mean, I don't question your decisions if I can help it, but I just have to say: that's probably the dumbest idea I've ever..."

"Sunset Shimmer wasn't your run-of-the-mill high school girl." snapped Sergeant Craw. "I figured that out, even before I found out what she really was! She had the potential to be a great asset to our organization. And now that I lost my temper over her being a unicorn, there's no way she'll work with the Syndicate, even if we do find her!"

"So, Sarge?" Ghost asked. "I'd just like to know...just how the two of you got to know each other."

Craw raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"You know, because I didn't join the operation until a week later." explained the corporal. "It's only fair that I get the full scoop."

"Fine, but I'll only tell you once." said Sgt. Craw. "And only because I want to get it off my mind, to someone I can trust with the information."

The following Monday, Sunset Shimmer was sitting by the statue in front of Canterlot High. She was staring at the crater that was made when she was defeated by the Elements of Harmony. Cement mixers had been refilling the hole since yesterday.

“I can’t believe I actually did that!” she said to herself.

“Are you okay, Sunset Shimmer?” asked Fluttershy, who had come back from passing out fliers for the town’s animal shelter.

“Not really.” Sunset replied. “I keep thinking that I should’ve gone back to Equestria with Twilight.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be fine here…or maybe not.” Fluttershy hesitated. “Don’t worry, Sunset. I’m sure that portal will open again soon.”

“It only opens every thirty moons.” Sunset Shimmer told the pink-haired girl. “That’s more than two years away.”

“Oh, dear.” Fluttershy said. “I forgot. I’m sorry.”

“Just forget about it.” The reddish-blonde girl said.

“Forget about what?” said a voice that came from the left side of the statue.

Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy turned to look at the source of the voice: A hardy-looking young man in gray and blue clothing. He was five inches taller than Sunset Shimmer, and he had shaggy brown hair that had a greenish texture in the middle. He sat down next to Sunset Shimmer, and started eating a slice of pizza that he was carrying on a small paper plate.

“Um, excuse me…mister.” Fluttershy stammered. “We’re kind of not allowed to eat food on school grounds.”

“Hey, I was in a hurry to get here!” the man said, shaking his head. “I had to take a train all the way from Junction City, and it was a very long ride. I also had to get here as early as possible. Therefore, I think I earned the right to eat this pizza!”

“Junction City?” Fluttershy asked. “Then you’re that exchange student that we heard about?”

“That’s right.” The stranger said. “And I’ll introduce myself to you when I’ve been introduced to everyone else. Now leave me to eat in peace, will you?”

“Okay. Sorry for bothering you.” Fluttershy said, walking into the building through the newly-built doors.

“Good riddance!” the man shouted after her.

"You know, I'm really not in the mood to tell you how wrong that was." said the voice of the other girl, gloomily.

Then the man turned to Sunset Shimmer, who was still sitting next to him. She was looking down at the ground, clearly upset about something. The man offered the other slice of pizza on his plate to her.

“You look like you could use something to eat.” He said, holding up the slice in front of her face, as if to hand-feed it to her.

“No, thanks.” Sunset Shimmer said, turning her head away.

“Come on. Try it.” The man said, who was now trying to stick the pizza in her mouth. “Trust me, you’ll love it!”

“If it’ll get you to leave me alone, then fine.” The red-blonde girl said, reluctantly.

He was able to get her to accept the pizza. She bit off the tip of the slice, and chewed it quietly. She took the rest of the slice, and chomped it down.

“Hey, that actually was pretty good!” she said, when she finished scarfing it down. “What was in it, anyway?”

“It’s a three-cheese special thin-crust.” The man said. “I stopped at a pizza parlor on the way into town. They make some of the best pizzas ever.”

“Well, thanks for the food.” said Sunset Shimmer. “So what’s your name? Mine's Sunset.”

“You can call me Craw.” Said the man. “As I was telling that other girl, I came here from Junction City, for that exchange program.”

“Well, Craw.” Sunset said, standing up. “I would like to continue chatting, but I have to get to my class.”

“What would that be?”

“I don’t know. Algebra?” said Sunset.

“Well, how do you like that?” said Craw. “That’s my class, too! We could go there together.”

Sunset Shimmer was usually opposed to being seen in the company of new students, but given what happened with Twilight Sparkle, and Craw’s generous offering of his breakfast to her, she was happy to make an exception.

“Okay, then.” Sunset said, walking towards the front door. “Follow me.”

“With pleasure, Sunset.” responded Craw.

They went through the door together, to see all the students getting supplies from their lockers. Many of them were glaring at Sunset Shimmer. Craw noticed this, and looked back at them with even greater intensity. Given how muscular he was compared to most of them, they backed down, and continued to their classes.

“Have you had any problems with the other students, lately?” asked Craw as they walked up a flight of stairs.

“Well, you could say that.” said Sunset, nervously.

“Well, I sure don’t.” Craw told her, when they reached the door that led to their class.

“Don’t what?” Sunset asked, peering into the room to see if the class was already in session.

“I don’t have a problem with you.” Craw said. “In fact, you seem like a very cool girl.”

“You don’t say.” Sunset turned her head, looking back at him with a subtle grin. “So, do you wanna hang out after class?”

“I don’t see why not.” Craw answered. “Maybe you could show me around the building some time, too?”

“Sure.” She nodded. “Let’s go in. We wouldn’t want the teachers to be mad at us for being late.”

Sunset Shimmer and Craw entered the room together, and sat next to each other at the far end of the class. The teacher noticed them, and gave a clap of excitement.

“Ah, you must be our new exchange student, Mr. Craw.” Said the teacher, Ms. Cheerilee. “And Miss Shimmer, it is so nice to see that you two have already made friends with each other.”

Sunset blushed, and turned her head away, as if to distance herself from Craw. The other students were focused on the new student.

“So, this guy’s here, instead of Flash Sentry?” asked Applejack, who was sitting in the middle of the class. “Well, howdy! Welcome to Canterlot High!”

“I bet you’ll be a ton of fun to be with!” said Pinkie Pie, who was sitting behind Applejack.

“Yeah, that’s nice.” Craw waved them off, before turning to the others in the classroom. “So, what do you guys have against Sunset Shimmer?”

There was an awkward silence emitting from the rest of the class. Many were clearly thinking about some reasons, but were afraid to speak them out.

“Craw, I think that matter should be taken up with Principal Celestia.” Ms. Cheerilee said. “Now please, students, we can’t let what Sunset Shimmer has done in the past prevent all of you from working to earn yourselves good grades!”

The class stopped mumbling, and decided to start taking out their notebooks and textbooks.

An hour later, Sunset Shimmer and Craw walked out of the classroom together. Sunset had a smile on her face.

“Thanks for standing up for me, back there.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Even if they’re right.”

“What exactly did you do that made them all look at you funny, anyway?” asked Craw.

“Umm…it’s kind of complicated.” Said Sunset.

“Well, we have a fairly long break period, right?” Craw questioned. “Why don’t we get to know each other a little?”

“Sure, Craw.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Let’s go to the library.”

They walked into the room together, and went up to a deserted level with a dusty floor. They both sat in some old armchairs in front of a tall bookcase. Sunset took a slow, steady breath.

"So, what's the 411 with those other students?" questioned Craw, trying hard not to sound like he was interrogating her.

"Okay, I'll come clean with you." said Sunset, with a low frown. "I...used to bully the other students here. I did terrible things during my time here at CHS. Stuff that, looking back, I wish I'd never done."

"Really?"

"That's right." nodded Sunset Shimmer. "I've stopped now, but I'm a little uncomfortable about going here anymore. I think that half the school wants to get back at me for the terrible things I've done."

"Did you think about transferring to another school?" suggested Craw.

"Nah." declined Sunset Shimmer. "I'm hoping to return to my hometown, someday. But I have to stay here in order to get the chance to ever go there again."

"Are you sure? I'm sure I could get you a plane or train ticket to get there."

"My hometown doesn't have any airports, nor are there any near it. And it's high up on a mountainside, so trains are out of the question."

"Where do you live, the Himalayas?" joked Craw.

"Very funny..." scoffed Sunset.

"Sorry, Sunny." said Craw.

"Uh, it's alright." said Sunset Shimmer. "It's a long story, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, if you'll excuse me..." Sunset proclaimed. "I have to help clean up the gym. It's still got decorations left-over from the Fall Formal, and I really need to get it all out of there before Phy Ed. starts."

"I bet you could use some help with that."

"Not really. I've got Snips and Snails to help me clean up." Sunset assured him. "Besides, It's just not in me anymore to make the new student pick up after somebody else."

"Sunset, I want to help you." replied Craw. "Honestly, I've done community work in the past. I could use the exercise. And I'd hate to leave a poor girl like you to do all that work."

Sunset smiled again, her green eyes beaming.

"Thanks, Craw!" she happily exclaimed, excitedly wrapping her arms around his strong torso. "You're so sweet!"

Then the tall, muscular young man tapped Sunset's shoulder, beckoning her to step back.

"So, how about I lead you over to the gym?" she said, blushing.

"That would be nice."

The two went back down the stairs, outside of the library, and towards the auditorium.
----

When Sergeant Craw finished telling Corporal Ghost about the story, the corporal started guffawing.

"Wow, Sarge." he laughed indignantly. "I had no idea you were such a casanova!"

"Just shut up and cut the chatter, corporal." growled Sgt. Craw, picking up a gas-powered pistol off of the Vice Principal's desk, and pointing it at Cpl. Ghost's smug face. "Consider yourself lucky that I want her dead as much you do. Otherwise, I'd put a bullet between your eyes for that remark, and lickety-freakin'-split!"

"I doubt that." said Ghost, shaking his head. "I don't think anyone could hate those ponies as much as me."

"You've probably got that right." said Craw, putting the gun back in the holster on his armor. "Now, let's continue analyzing those security tapes, before Captain Umbriel chews you out."

"Chews me out?" Ghost chuckled. "I think he'd like to do the same to you, even moreso, if he found out you were the one delaying the two of us."

"At ease, corporal." said the sergeant.

The two armored men continued checking the playback on the security cameras. Suddenly, they could hear raised voices outside the room, hurried footsteps of someone sprinting past the door, and the sound of lockers being bashed loudly. At first, they suspected that it was Captain Umbriel or one of his men checking the lockers, when they suddenly heard static from their helmets, which were resting on an unused armchair. Craw and Ghost put them back on, and tapped into the radio frequency.

"Attention, all personnel!" said the voice of a Syndicate operative on their receivers. "Be advised: An intruder has been detected in the building!"

"Is it Sunset Shimmer?" Craw asked.

"That's a negative, sir!" said the agent. "We have a man running through the hallways, carrying an unconscious student over his shoulder. This intruder is wearing a bulletproof vest, a blue-gray bandana, and red-rimmed sunglasses."

"Is he armed?" asked the voice of Captain Umbriel.

"Yes, captain." answered the Syndicate agent. "He appears to be carrying a sawed-off shotgun in one hand, and has a sub-machine gun tied to his waist. I suspect he is some kind of militia-type. He's on the main hallway of the first floor. He may be attempting to escape through the main entrance!"

Craw and Ghost both got up, and ran out of the Vice Principal's office. They hurried down to the first floor, and were able to reach the front door, just as they saw a figure running out on the front lawn. As they opened the door, they were joined by six other Syndicate commandos, and the eight all chased after the kidnapper down the street.

Ghost fired his rifle at the runner's legs, and the stranger stumbled over, dropping the student a few inches off the sidewalk. Craw and his men caught up to the wounded man and his hostage. The sergeant, noticing the student's multicolored hair, recognized her as Rainbow Dash.

"Ghost, see to it that this girl gets immediate medical attention!" ordered Sergeant Craw.

"Yes, sir." said the corporal, who was tenderly carrying the teenage girl back to Canterlot High.

Sgt. Craw stooped over the intruder, and seized him by the throat.

"Who are you?!" he angrily demanded. "What were you doing with that student?"

"Nothing that you insipid fools would deem...'inappropriate'." said the man, who spoke very coldly and calmly in spite of his injuries.

"I'm going to ask again, and you better answer me: Who are you?!" demanded Craw.

"Just someone that wanted to test the potential of you, the so-called Chrysalis Syndicate. Though if I were to choose, you could say I'm doing a favor for the Diamond Dog Cartel." the man said, getting back up. "Yes, sergeant. They are here...in this little town."

"Then why take the girl?" asked one of the Chrysalis Syndicate soldiers.

"I have my reasons, and they're reasons you fools would never understand." said the man. "You see, I've actually had my eyes set on this place for a long time, and I don't plan on letting a band of armor-clad ruffians such as yourself take that previlage from me."

"Oh, yeah?" said Craw. "Well, you're going to have file your complaints through us first."

"With pleasure." said the man, grinning maliciously.

He brandished his guns, and opened fire on the Chrysalis Syndicate soldiers. In return, the seven members opened fire simultaneously, discharging a hail of bullets, rounds, and shells into the strange man's body. In four seconds, he collapsed to the ground with the entire front of his body riddled with bullet-holes and puncture wounds. However, to their complete surprise, there was no blood to be seen.

"What in the world is he--" said one of the soldiers,

"Cut the chatter." said Sgt. Craw. "This man's the morgue's problem. Now let's get back to the school, and make sure the girl isn't hurt too severely."

The soldiers all turned around, re-loading their weapons and switching the safety mechanisms back on. As Sergeant Craw turned, the last one to do so, he could've sworn he heard a very faint cackle emitting from the body's direction, but the body had shown no signs of movement when he went over to check. Craw could only guess he was hearing things.

Training Days, Part Three

It was noon, and Sunset Shimmer was now pacing in front of a small group of unicorns, whom had been gathered by Trixie and Lightning in the barn. Some of them seemed rather nervous about being here, but others were enthusiastic about either stopping the invasion of Fillydelphia or having the opportunity to learn more about magic from a professional.

"Alright, everypony." said Sunset, strutting about in her green ensemble. "I suppose you all know why you're here?"

"Yes, ma'am!" said the unicorns in unison.

Sunset turned to look at them all, flaring her sunglasses in their direction.

"Allow me to introduce myself." she continued. "My name is Sunset Shimmer. I am the former student of Princess Celestia, and the current student of Princess Luna. As you'd probably guess, I know quite a bit about magic. And we're here to help you all with those creatures attacking your town."

"It's about time." said a unicorn.

"Yeah!" shouted another in agreement. "This will be the last time that I have to deal with those blasted manticores tearing my stores apart!"

"And we're getting one of the princess' own disciples to guide us, too!" cheered a third. "It's a miracle!"

"Thanks, you're all too kind." said Sunset, before clearing her throat. "All right, everypony! It's time to put your hoof down on these monsters attacking you. While you're here, you will learn how to help yourselves and those around you! And the first thing we will do...is turn this broken-down farm into a training area for the rest of Fillydelphia!"

Two or three unicorns groaned.

"So you want us to do construction work?" asked one of the neigh-sayers. "But I've never done anything like that in my life! I own a flower shop, for Celestia's sake!"

"And would you prefer that those creatures destroy that, too?" countered Sunset Shimmer.

"Well, no..."

"Then I want you ponies to go out into that field, and do something fancy with all that farming equipment out there!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the unicorns said together, before departing from the barn.

For the next two hours, the group of ponies was working out in the fields, using their magic to reverse-engineer the equipment that was initially laid out on the field. In time, there was an obstacle course that all three kinds of ponies could use. There was even a makeshift catapault that pegasi could be speedily launched from.

"Wow, this looks so...cool!" said Lightning Dust, when she saw the course. "It almost reminds me of the Wonderbolts Academy!"

"You were with the Wonderbolts?" asked Trixie Lulamoon.

"Yeah." answered the blonde pegasus. "Well, I trained to be one. But I was kicked out for being too reckless."

"I'm sure you learned from that mistake now, right?"

"I sure did."

"Alright, Lightning!" Sunset called to her. "Your exercise is up now! Don't let me down!"

Lightning Dust flew off to the obstacle course, with her two friends cheering her on.

Meanwhile, Radiant Dawn was drilling the Night Guard in their training quarters, which was built inside a vast cave deep inside the mountain. Luckily, the chambers were illuminated by torchlight, or being able to work in this cavernous area would be impossible for most of the ponies in the Night Guard.

"Listen up, you shut-eyed weaklings!" Radiant said to the other guards. "I have been appointed by Princess Celestia herself to train you all to your limits! As your new drill instructor, I demand only the respect required to cooperate with not only me, but your brothers-in-arms! Do you understand me?"

"Sir, yes sir!" said the various earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns in silver armor.

"Alright, then." said Radiant, easing up. "Now that I've got your attention, I would like to have the pegasi and unicorns pair up with each other."

Quickly, each pegasus guard flew over to a unicorn, and each pair stood apart from each other.

"Very good, my fine stallions and mares." Red Dawn said, proudly. "Now you have found a partner, so you are ready to learn how to work together as a team. The unicorns shall use their magic to detect objects in the darkness, and the pegasi will seek them out. Follow me, everypony."

Radiant directed the teams to a large silver door that led further underground.

"But, sir..." inquired an earth pony guard. "What about us?"

"You are welcome to observe our scouting teams in action." answered Radiant Dawn. "Now come along, if you prefer to do so."

He saw the earth pony guards grumbling in annoyance, so he added:

"Look, it's not that I have anything against earth ponies!" he said. "In fact, one of my best friends back home is an earth pony. I promise that I'll do something for you all next time."

Radiant Dawn and his recruits went through the door, and onto a balcony overlooking an even larger chamber that was mostly unlit. They could barely see a number of openings on the other side.

"I have had Princess Luna's bat-ponies place two-hundred pieces of copper throughout this network of caves." he explained. "You each have five minutes to find as many as you can. The team that finds the most copper, and brings it to me will win. I want one team to go at a time. Remember, the unicorn shall stand here on the platform, and use their magic to find the copper. They will then direct their pegasus partner to retrieve it. Any further questions?"

"No, sir!" said the unicorns and pegasi.

Radiant approached the team nearest the end of the balcony: a male unicorn with a silver coat and black mane, and a male pegasus with a red mane and brown coat.

"Identify yourselves to me, if you would please." he addressed them.

"Silver Shadow, at your service." said the unicorn, with a bow.

"Crimson Cloud, reporting for duty." said the pegasus, with a salute.

"Good." said Radiant. "You two shall go first."

The other teams retired back to the other side of the door, while Radiant Dawn, Crimson Cloud, and Silver Shadow waited on the platform.

"And...go!" shouted the orange-red instructor.

Silver Shadow stood in the middle of the platform, and stroked the air with his horn. Once in a while, his horn would glow with a pale aura. Every time this happened, Crimson Cloud would speed into the darkness, and re-emerge with some copper pieces in his pouch. He emptied them at Radiant's hooves, and then waited for Silver to detect another cache of copper. When the five minutes were up, Radiant had Silver and Crimson count all the copper pieces that they acquired through their teamwork.

"Sir, we have acquired a perfect fifty." said Silver Shadow, once he finished counting.

"Good work." said their instructor. "Now, you are both excused at this time. As you return to the other room, send the next team in here."

"Yes, sir!" said Silver and Crimson together.

They went back through the door, and in came a male unicorn with a dark gray coat and white mane, and a female pegasus with a white coat and orange mane.

"Just to give you two a fair warning:" said Red Dawn. "The first team acquired quite a number of copper pieces already. Make sure that you remain conscious of your surroundings. Now give me your names."

"Night Runner, sir!" replied the unicorn.

"Sky Boom!" stated the pegasus.

"Get into position." said Red. "And...begin!"

Night Runner began searching feverishly through the darkness, straining to detect the copper pieces. Forty-five seconds later, his horn was still unlit.

"Oh, come on!" commented Radiant. "The bat-ponies couldn't have hidden the other copper pieces that well!"

Right on cue, the gray unicorn's horn illuminated with a blue aura. Sky Boom soared off of the balcony, in order to search for the copper pieces that her partner detected. Two minutes later, she returned with a fair amount of copper in her pouch.

"Anything else?" Sky asked Runner, as soon as the pouch was emptied.

"Yep, we've got another one, over there!" said Night Runner, when his horn lit up again. "Quickly, now!"

"On it!"

The pegasus flew into the openings again, and returned almost immediately with another scoop of copper in her pouch. She emptied it, and then flew on again when the unicorn detected another hiding place. She did not return until only twenty seconds remained. Night Runner did not detect another pile until immediately before the time limit expired.

"Count 'em up!" ordered Radiant.

"Twenty-three, sir!" said Sky Boom, after counting them.

"Twenty-four, actually." corrected Night Runner.

"Either way, that is a decent amount." said Radiant. "Send the next group in after you leave."

Next, entered a female unicorn with an orange coat and blonde mane, followed by a male pegasus with a purple coat and bluish-green mane.

"Names, please." said Radiant.

"Crown Jewel." said the unicorn, absent-mindedly.

"Green Aether." said the pegasus.

"Get yourselves in position." said Radiant Dawn.

When the unicorn and pegasus were both standing side-by-side on the edge of the balcony, Radiant told them to start. But for a while, Crown Jewel was unable to detect any copper pieces. After thirty seconds, Green Aether became impatient, and flew off into the darkness without any directions.

"Hey, get back here now!" shouted Radiant after him. "You're not supposed to fly off until your partner's detected copper!"

But the pegasus did not fly back. Meanwhile, Crown Jewel was still searching about with her magic. She detected some copper pieces in the opening opposite of the one Aether flew into. Since her partner wasn't there to collect it, she decided to use her own telekinesis to bring it to her. But Radiant, however, wasn't amused by this, either.

"I saw that!" he snapped. "You're not supposed to collect it yourself! That was your partner's job! Just leave it where it was, and find another area."

"Sorry, sir." said Crown Jewel, nervously.

Green Aether then flew back, and was about to empty his pouch in front of Radiant, when he found himself with several sparks shooting off into his face, due to Radiant's unstable magic. When the sparks cleared, he was looking straight into Radiant Dawn's glaring copper eyes.

"Put...those...back!" growled the orange-red stallion.

"But, sir! I found a whole bunch of--"

"Now!" shouted the large unicorn.

"Right, then..." said Green Aether, flying off in a panic to return the copper to its original locations.

Then Green Aether returned, and he and his partner stood nervously before their instructor, who was ominously looming over them.

"You two are missing the point of this exercise!" scolded Radiant. "It's supposed to be about teamwork! And right now, getting you two to work together is like trying to get a dragon to mate with a cockatrice."

"Eww." moaned Crown Jewel, softly.

"That's right." said Radiant. "That sums up how I feel about this little mismatch of yours. Now unless you can prove to me in the next two minutes that you two can work together, I will personally see to it that you two won't be guarding anything bigger than a three-year-old filly's birthday party!"

The unicorn and pegasus gulped loudly, then assumed their original positions. Crown Jewel was able to detect yet another set of copper pieces, and Green Aether promptly flew into the darkness to retrieve it. He returned, just in time to present it to Radiant Dawn.

"Time's up, my little ponies." said Radiant. "Time to count up!"

Aether emptied the pouch, and counted them carefully.

"We have...twelve." said Green Aether, nervously. "I'm sorry about what--"

"You two are dismissed...for now." said Radiant, in a forgiving tone. "I trust you two have learned an important lesson from this?"

"Yes, sir!" said Aether and Jewel.

"Send in the next team!" Red Dawn called over to the door, after Crown Jewel and Green Aether left.

The hours crawled on, and nearly all the teams had made their attempts. Many fared well, while others did poorly. At five o'clock in the afternoon, Radiant Dawn had the last unicorn-pegasus team (a female unicorn named Moondancer, and a female pegasus named Firefly) count up the huge pile of copper pieces they had recovered through their marvelous teamwork and coordination.

"Well, how many do you two have?" asked Radiant.

"Hang on, sir." said Moondancer, quietly counting the pieces. "Sixty-two, sixty-three..."

Radiant tilted his head to listen. Suddenly, Moondancer cheered loudly when she finished.

"Sixty-seven!" she exclaimed, happily.

"Wow, you two actually beat Silver Shadow and Crimson Cloud's record!" said Red Dawn, impressed. "And Firefly, I am particularly proud of you. Not only were you very quick and agile as you flew through the tunnels, but you're probably the only pegasus on any of the teams to actually give your partner advice on which directions to check when she was trying to detect those pieces. I trust you two will make a fine addition to the Night Guard!"

"Aw, shucks..." Firefly blushed, flattered.

"Okay, you two." said Radiant. "Time for you to come with me, and we'll see your peers."

"Yes, sir!" said the two mares.

Radiant Dawn, Firefly, and Moondancer left the room, and went to meet with the other members of the Night Guard. Radiant stood before them all, and prepared to give a speech. All eyes were focused on him.

"Alright, my fellow ponies." he said. "This was a good session. I am proud of all of you! Yes, even Crown Jewel and Green Aether."

The unicorn and pegasus shifted uneasily in place.

"This was actually a very good start for you all, so that you can understand teamwork. You will see that the night shift isn't as lonely as you may have thought. Even in the darkness, you are among friends and allies. Now, you'd better return to your sleeping quarters. The Night Court will begin in two hours. Princess Luna will want her guards to be up and ready when it happens. You are all dismissed."

The Captain of the Night Guard

Radiant re-emerged from the entrance to the training area, and into the shining daylight. He went back into the palace, and was on the way back to his quarters, when he found Princess Luna and a grayish-white pegasus in black armor chatting with each other out in the hallway. When Radiant approached the two, they both turned to look at him enthusiastically.

"Ah, Radiant Dawn!" said the princess of the night. "It is good to see you have returned at last. I wish for you to meet Star Shield."

The armored pegasus approached the large reddish-orange unicorn. Red could see that he had a tiny scar below his left eye, and that he had a grim, sleepy expression on his face.

"Radiant Dawn, is it?" he questioned, with a firm voice. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Star Shield. I am in charge of the Night Guard. I hear that you're the new drill instructor for our fresh recruits."

"Yes, sir." said Radiant, with a salute. "And I can report that my first session for them was a success."

"Very good." said the pegasus captain. "I was just reciting my scout's report on Fillydelphia to her majesty. I trust that it will interest you, so I advise that you stay out here with us."

"Of course, captain." said the unicorn, with a short nod.

Star Shield turned back to Princess Luna, and cleared his throat.

"Milady, as I was informing you earlier..." he resumed his report. "My scouts have returned from their reconnaisance flight over the city. It would seem that what Miss Shimmer told you was completely accurate. They have discovered several buildings have been destroyed, and signs of the presence of at least two large creatures within the boundaries of the city."

"Thank you, captain." said Luna, solemnly. "How soon can you ready your men to reinforce the settlement?"

"Six hours, ma'am." said the pegasus captain.

"Six hours?!" repeated Radiant Dawn. "What in the name of Celestia would you need that much time for?"

"Sergeant Dawn, I would advise that you refrain from speaking out of turn." said the grim-faced captain. "But if you must know, her majesty's bat-ponies have been known to make an excellent vanguard for countering such attacks, but they refuse to leave their caves before midnight."

"Well, you're their captain!" said Radiant. "Surely, you could tell them to come out a little early!"

"If only that were true." said Star Shield, shrewdly turning his eyes to the side.

"Come on!" complained the large unicorn. "My sister's caught in the middle of that monster madness! There's no way I'm gonna just wait to help her out of that mess, just because some bat-ponies decided to sleep half the night!"

"Forgive me, sergeant." said Star Shield. "But it's just how things work around here. The bat-ponies just do not listen to anyone's commands, apart from Princess Luna's, until the clock strikes twelve. It's as simple as that."

"We'll see about that!" growled Radiant, turning back to descend the stairs.

"Radiant, wherever are you going?" asked Luna.

"You'll see!" shouted back Radiant Dawn. "Just wait here!"

Soon enough, there was a massive clamor of hooves clip-clopping from downstairs. Steadily, Radiant ascended the stairs again, but he was not alone. Behind him, marching in perfect formation, were at least a dozen bat-ponies in full armor. When Radiant stopped in front of Princess Luna and Captain Star Shield, the bat-guards stood behind him, silent as statues.

"Now, what's your excuse?" asked Radiant, staring into the captain's face.

Star Shield's face twisted into an impressed grin.

"Well, how do you like that?" he quietly said to himself. "You, sergeant, have done the impossible. Bravo!"

He clapped his wings together three times. Princess Luna's lips curved into a smile. The bat-ponies did and said nothing, as usual.

"Now I shall be ready to lead a task force to Fillydelphia as soon as the Night Court begins." said Captain Shield. "Radiant, I believe I could use someone with your abilities by my side on the battlefield."

"Do you?" asked Radiant.

"Indeed." said Star Shield. "I'm an old stallion. I have not fought in direct combat against wild creatures in several years. But I trust that with one as young and strong as you, the two of us will bring the Night Guard back to its former glory. I am making you my second-in-command."

"Wow, really?" asked Radiant. "This is...very sudden."

"Nonsense, Lieutenant Dawn." said Captain Shield. "It could not have come at a better time. If the princesses trust your skills, then so will I."

"Well, I'm quite honored, actually." said Radiant Dawn, nervously.

Meanwhile in the human world, Supreme Commander Chrysalis was overseeing the testing stages of a new combat armor, generously offered to her organization by her associate, Mr. Sombra. The two were standing side-by-side, watching a Sombra Industries employee test out the armor in question, via television screen. As they watched, Chrysalis sighed in awe. Sombra noticed that his colleague was impressed by the armor, and decided to cut to business, even as they observed it in action.

"Incredible, is it not?" said Foreman Sombra. "The SombraTech ballistic armor is the most efficient hazard suit ever made. It costs millions of dollars to construct each suit. We have currently fifty-thousand in production, but I am willing to offer the first twenty to your organization, as a token of our...relationship."

The two watched as the employee took dozens of nine-millimeter and ten-millimeter rounds from guns fired by four different people, yet stood still and unfazed.

"Sombra, dear?" asked the leader of the Chrysalis Syndicate. "Don't you think you should display more than just the fact that it can take a few bullets? After all, the armor you already sent to us earlier this month has already proven itself to be quite efficient in battle...at least against handguns."

"I promise you, madam." said Sombra. "Our new ballistic armor will make our previous model of combat armor look like a cheap latex costume."

He put on his headset, and spoke into it.

"Bring out the incendiaries!" he spoke into the microphone.

Suddenly, two other men with flamethrowers appeared on either side of the employee, and each unleashed a bluish-white stream of fire upon his armored body. But the man emerged from the fire, perfectly unscathed.

"This armor will be able to handle all but the most extreme of temperatures." explained the foreman of Sombra Industries. "Whether the wearer finds themselves in a single-digit blizzard, or a triple-digit heatwave, they may work and interact normally with the environment around them, comfortable and safe from the elements. The armor also contains built-in air conditioning units, that adjust to their wearer's body heat, and keeps it at a steady level."

"Useful, if you're tired of having to buy new clothing at the store whenever the seasons change." quipped Chrysalis.

The employee on the monitor grabbed each of the two flamethrower-toting men, and held them up by the necks with only one hand each.

"The armor also has a nerve impulse-directed hydraulics system." continued Sombra. "The armor's built-in computer monitors the wearer's stress level, and its sensors activate synthesized muscle tubes that expand the user's strength tenfold, should they find themselves unable to contend with the task at hand."

"Which should be good for those that are too lazy to apply for a gym membership." commented Supreme Commander Chrysalis, nodding her head slowly.

Suddenly, Chrysalis' portable radio set crackled, and she placed it on her ear.

"Supreme Commander, this is Captain Umbriel." said the voice on the other end.

"Captain, what is your report on Sunset Shimmer?" asked Chrysalis.

"We are still searching the building, ma'am." answered Captain Umbriel. "But it seems that we're not the only ones interested in this school."

"Whatever makes you say that?"

"Twenty minutes ago, an armed man entered the building, and tried to abduct one of the students. Sergeant Craw and his boys were able to save the girl, and killed the kidnapper."

"Do you know who the kidnapper was, or why he tried to capture this student?"

"According to Craw, the man claimed to be a member of the Diamond Dog Cartel."

Chrysalis paused suspiciously.

"So, the Diamond Dogs are there, too?" she inquired. "I thought Craw and Corporal Ghost wiped out their presence in that town two weeks ago!"

"Apparently, the Cartel is too interested in this place to give up, just like that." said Umbriel. "With a high school as big as Canterlot High, it isn't exactly surprising that they might want to exploit its student body for their human trafficking businesses! Plus, ever since that battle we had with them over in San Palomino, They're probably looking for more people to work in their diamond smuggling ring."

"Captain, you shall see to it that no harm comes to the students of Canterlot High, until Sunset Shimmer is found." said the commander. "You have the authorization to bring heavy military equipment into the city to erradicate the Diamond Dog presence. In fact, I will be sending a shipment of this new armor that my good friend, Mr. Sombra, has generously donated to our cause. And of course, the big guns will be sent in, should the situation prove grim."

"Thank you, ma'am." said Captain Umbriel. "This is Captain Umbriel, signing out."

Chrysalis turned her head to Sombra, who was standing proudly as he oversaw the end of the ballistic armor training stages.

"Sombra, dear?" she said, slyly. "I believe that my organization is in need of your resources, on account of Diamond Dog-related activities in a town that some of my men were dispatched to."

Sombra's fists tightened. The Diamond Dog Cartel had plagued Sombra Industries as much as it harassed the Chrysalis Syndicate. He turned to look at Ms. Chrysalis, with a knowing look in his dark green eyes.

"Would you, perhaps, like to have your men...test my newest products?" he asked.

"That would be lovely." said the leader of the Syndicate.

Sunset Shimmer had concluded the day's training session with Lightning Dust and Trixie, and bade farewell to the unicorns that assisted her in refurbishing the farm. The three mares looked over the place, just as the sun went down. The fields were no longer muddy, but neat and plowed. The barn's walls were reinforced, and the hole in the roof became a trapdoor for pegasi to fly through.

"Tomorrow, we'll go into town, and help the rest of the ponies with those creatures." said Sunset. "Are you girls up to the job now?"

"Sure thing." nodded Trixie.

"I can't wait to try out my new moves on those creatures." said Lightning Dust. "Don't worry, I'll be careful not to pull them off in the middle of the city."

Suddenly, a pegasus flew down to them from out of the darkening sky. He was white-coated, brown-maned, and was wearing a ten-gallon hat and plaid ascot. His eyes were obscured by red-tinted sunglasses, even though it was the early evening.

"Howdy, my fine ladies." he said to them, with a thick country drawl. "How's y'all doin'?"

Sunset groaned.

"Great, another country-pony." she thought.

"And what can we do for you?" asked Lightning Dust.

"Nothin' from you, blondie." he responded, before turning to Sunset Shimmer. "Well, if I'll be a mule's uncle. I reckon you're the purdiest lookin' unicorn that I ever did see. Ya know, you never see too many of them in this part of Equestria."

"If you're trying to hit on me, just back away now." said Sunset, narrowing her teal eyes. "I have a commitment to keep if I want to help Fillydelphia with their monster problem. But I'll give you thirty seconds to get your point across, so what do you want?"

"I just thought I'd see how my old farm's been doing." answered the pegasus.

"This is your farm?" asked Lightning Dust. "Funny. I thought a family of earth ponies owned this place, before they moved away. Who are you, anyway?"

"Folks 'round here call me Crazy Graffiti." said the stallion, showing them his cutie mark, which was a spray can. "I'm the town's painter. I specialize in painting the walls of buildings with my art."

"What kind of art?" asked Trixie.

"Murals, of course." said Crazy Graffiti. "Usually, of ponies that have been made famous by some kinda heroic deed, or if they're celebrities..."

"And, what do the three of us have to do with that?" asked Sunset Shimmer. "None of us are really that well-known. Even Trixie over here isn't exactly at the high point in her career."

Trixie Lulamoon shot a look at Sunset, but said nothing.

"Or in some cases, if the ponies are just fine-lookin'. I especially love doin' pictures of unicorns. Why, they're probably the most charming-lookin' of all the ponies...'cept the Princesses, of course."

Trixie took a bow, but Sunset still maintained her gaze on the pegasus.

"I really think that you're in the wrong place, at the wrong time." she said, trying to sound polite. "If you could tell me what you're looking for, I could probably point you in the right direction."

"Okay, my fiery temptress. I'll tell ya what I want." said Graffiti. "I wanna know if I could...perhaps, go and draw a mural of ya. As a way of rememberin' the beautiful unicorn that came and fixed up my farm."

"Hey, this is my farm, buddy-boy!" said Lightning Dust, hovering over the older pegasus.

"Shut yer trap, blondie!" snapped Crazy Graffiti. "I'll settle this with ya later!"

"Oh, you..." Lightning said angrily, about to swoop down on the pegasus.

"Lightning, just wait a moment." said Sunset. "I want to find out who this guy is before you start acting up."

"Hey, sugar?" asked the pegasus in the sunglasses. "How 'bout y'all tell me what city in Equestria produced a foxy unicorn like yerself?"

"What city in Equestria produced a nosy little creep like yourself?" retorted the reddish-blonde unicorn. "But if it'll get you to leave me alone, I'm from Vanhoover."

"Vanhoover?" repeated Crazy Graffiti. "Isn't that the city in the north-west? You don't really sound like you're from there, and I'd have expected you to sound and act a lot perkier if you were. I heard ponies over there are very polite."

"Well, trust me." said Trixie, sarcastically. "Sunset here knows twenty different ways not to be polite."

"Well, I'm not actually from the city!" said Sunset Shimmer. "I lived in a place called Daystar Manor, which is a few miles outside of Vanhoover's boundaries."

Then Sunset Shimmer found herself flashing back to a long time ago. Images emerged from her deep, labyrinthine subconscious. She could remember what it was like at the estate...on the day her parents disappeared.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO...

"Sunny, where are ya going?!" said a young reddish-orange colt, chasing after his little sister.

"I'm goin' out in the woods, Red!" answered the young Sunset Shimmer. "There's a wagon in there, and it's broken-down! Betcha it's got all kinds of neat things in it!"

Red Dawn caught up to his sister, just as the two saw two glowing eyes in the darkness. There was a low growling in every direction, as more eyes appeared left and right. The yellow filly crouched down, shaking all over.

"Red, please make them go away!" she cried out. "I don't want them to hurt me!"

The eight-year-old colt went ahead of his sister, his horn glowing brightly.

"Hey, you beasts!" he shouted to the eyes. "Get your sorry butts away from us, or I'll bust you wide open!"

Suddenly, the eyes approached them, and the growling grew louder. A massive creature with an armored body emerged from the darkness, and began bellowing at the two small ponies with a horn-like call. All around them, black, skeletal pony-like creatures with insectoid wings appeared from under the dark trees.

"What are you two doing so far from home, my little ponies?" asked one of the creatures, with a mocking tone in its raspy voice. "Don't you know it's not safe to walk into the homes of others without their permission?"

"Please, just go away!" shouted Sunset Shimmer. "Leave us alone!"

"You don't understand, do you?" cackled another of the insect-ponies. "You're the ones bothering us! You are intruders! And you will pay the price for setting hoof on our territory!"

"I sense there is much love and happiness in these two." said a third. "Especially from the colt over here."

"Good!" said the fourth. "I haven't tasted brotherly love in the longest time. Let's catch 'em now! Changelings, attack!"

Suddenly, the insect-ponies swarmed around Radiant Dawn and Sunset Shimmer, their wings buzzing loudly. The two youngsters bolted back out of the forest, the Changelings in hot pursuit. They could feel the heavy footfalls of the armored creature rumbling behind them, but they never looked back. Suddenly, Sunset began to lose her balance.

"Red, help me!" she squealed, as the filly collapsed into a small pit in the ground.

Red looked back, and dove into the hole. He found his sister half-covered in a tangling mess of weeds.

"Hang on, little sis!" he said to her. "Big brother's here!"

His horn glowed with a crimson aura, as he attempted to untangle the weeds. The undergrowth broke apart, and the panicking filly was freed. The two suddenly went prone, hearing the sounds of buzzing wings and thunderous footfalls pass by them.

"Where have they gone?" asked the first Changeling.

"They can't have gone far!" said yet another voice, one with a more shrill tone. "Search the surrounding area!"

"Yes, Prince Embryo." said the second Changeling voice from before. "Alright, lads! Let's start with that big house down the road!"

Sunset and Radiant gasped. They were talking about their home!

"C'mon, sissy!" said Radiant. "Let's go back and help our folks!"

"Right behind you, Red!" said the amber-colored filly.

Radiant and Sunset climbed out of the pit, and galloped down the forest path. Six minutes later, the two reached their manor. They found five Changelings dead on the front lawn, but the creature was missing. The front door was blasted open, and several broken objects laid in the doorway.

"Mommy! Dad!" Sunset shouted, speeding into Daystar Manor.

"Sunny, wait!" Radiant called after her. "There could be more of those things in there!"

When Sunset disappeared around a hallway to the left, Radiant felt obligated to go in after his younger sibling. He searched the building for her, half-expecting to be grabbed by one of the monsters. Fortunately, he encountered nothing. Unfortunately, it wasn't what he would've wanted, either. The estate was eerily silent. He searched room after room, and corridor after corridor for another sign of life, until he came to his father's study room. Using his telekinesis to open the door, he went inside to find Sunset Shimmer laying silently underneath a silver-lined table.

"Sunny, are you okay?" Radiant asked. "Did you find mom or dad?"

Sunset simply shook her head, her face emotionless. Radiant didn't like this at all. He went up to her, and laid down under the table to be with his younger sibling.

"They're not here, Red." said Sunset. "They ran away!"

"Why would they do that?" Red asked, trying to sound logical. "They're probably looking for us, right now! They're probably worried sick at this point!"

"No, Red." Sunset said, her voice gradually growing louder. "I looked all over the house. I didn't find any sign of them! Not even a note! Nothing! They're gone! They're not coming back!"

"Sunny, calm down. Please!"

"They're not coming back!" wailed Sunset. "My own family abandoned me!"

"Hey, I didn't abandon you." Radiant said, coolly. "You know why? Because I'm your brother. And it's my job to keep my little sister safe from harm. That's what brothers do. C'mon, little sister. You'll be fine. I promise. I'll always be there for you!"

Sunset tilted her head up to look at him.

"Always?" she asked.

"Always." Radiant answered.

PRESENT DAY...

Always. Always.

Sunset Shimmer's face twisted with pain at this memory: She audibly and visibly cringed, her eyes and teeth were shaking, and her breathing became heavy and uneasy. She was torn between guilt, sadness, and anger all at once.

"Sunset, what's the matter?" Trixie asked.

"I want to be alone!" Sunset suddenly exploded. "Don't bother me! Any of you!"

Her voice shattered the relative quiet atmosphere of the night, and she bolted off. But instead of going into the farmhouse or the barn, Sunset Shimmer began to gallop down the stone path back to Fillydelphia. As she disappeared into the night, Trixie, Lightning Dust, and Crazy Graffiti all remained behind.

"Wow, what was that all about?" Lightning asked.

"Judgin' by her reaction, I ought to assume that Vanhoover must've been a terrible place to live." said Graffiti.

"Why don't you keep your stupid opinions to yourself?" Trixie demanded, irritated. "Don't you see that you were upsetting her? Sunset's gone through a lot in her life, and she doesn't need somepony like you to drag her down any further! Now if you'll excuse us, we have to catch up with our friend before she runs into trouble. Let's go, Lightning!"

"Right behind you, Trixie!" responded the bluish-green pegasus.

Trixie sped along the path, with Lightning Dust flying by her side. Meanwhile, Crazy Graffiti remained at the farm. A malevolent grin spread across his face, as his body was suddenly engulfed in greenish-yellow flames. As his body burned, it compressed into a visceral shape, his wings became transparent and leathery, and his mane became shorter and spiky. He tossed aside his sunglasses, revealing two baleful crimson eyes with slitted pupils.

"Run, run, my little ponies." he laughed, his voice now deep and raspy. "But no matter where you go, I shall still find you. I have not forgotten you, Sunset Shimmer, even after all those long years have passed."

The White Changeling

A division of the Night Guard departed from Canterlot, and was passing on the road to Fillydelphia. At the lead was Captain Star Shield, followed by Radiant Dawn. Unlike most of the pegasi, the captain preferred to trot on the path.

"Captain, sir?" asked Radiant. "I always wondered: Why don't you just fly?"

"I am getting old, lieutenant." said the captain. "I am not that used to flying great distances. At least not as I was twenty years ago."

"And what were you twenty years ago?" asked Radiant Dawn, curiously.

"I was the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard." answered Star Shield. "I was and still am one of the finest guards to have ever served Princess Celestia, and have done my duties for Equestria longer than most guards ever have."

"Why aren't you the captain anymore?"

"Well, I grew weary of the long hours of guard duty during the day." explained Star. "When Princess Luna returned to power in Canterlot after that whole Nightmare Moon crisis, the Night Guard was re-organized. Before this, it was a minimal security force that exclusively patrolled the inside of the palace. But in recent months, its numbers have expanded, and we are nearly identical in numbers to the Royal Guard.

"And so, I surrendered my position as captain to my lieutenant, and intended to retire." continued the pegasus captain. "But Princess Celestia offered me the position of captain for the night shift. I was only too happy to accept it."

"So, would I be wrong if I guessed that this lieutenant of yours was..." assumed Radiant Dawn.

"Shining Armor, yes." answered Star Shield. "I trust you two have already become acquainted with each other?"

"Oh, yeah, We go way back. We used to train together for the Royal Guard. In fact, I finished my training, but turned down the position I was given."

"And why, may I ask, did you turn them down?"

"Personal reasons." said Radiant. "I found out that I would be stationed out in Baltimare, of all places. I didn't want to go too far away from my sister, so I decided to join Princess Celestia's academy for gifted unicorns, where she was a student. That didn't fare too well, either."

"Well, I am glad you are here now." said Star Shield. "You will prove to be a great guard, Lieutenant Dawn."

"Thank you, sir."

A few hours later, and the Night Guard task force was crossing along the forest road to Fillydelphia, and they came across a destroyed wagon. Star Shield did not like the looks of it, and neither did Radiant Dawn.

"Remember, everypony!" said Radiant to the guards behind them. "Maintain constant vigilance!"

Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer was plodding somberly down one of the ruined streets of Fillydelphia. As she passed barred-up houses and shops, she thought about her brother. She felt ashamed to be away from him for so long. Between the academy and the human world, she had been away from him for so long that he had mostly fazed out of her mind. But now, she had all the time in the world to reminisce her time with him.

"I'm sorry, Red." she sniffled. "I wish you were with me right now. I want you here so badly. I don't think I can do this without you. If only I could..."

She felt a chill down her spine, as if something was watching her. She looked around the empty street, but was unable to find any living being in sight. She had not felt this terrified since that armored man held her at gunpoint outside Canterlot High. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest, and her breathing was becoming heavier by the moment.

"Howdy, pardner!" said the voice of Crazy Graffiti.

Sunset turned herself around, and saw the pegasus standing in the middle of the road. This was rather unusual, since she just looked back there and up in the sky just a few seconds before, and saw no sign of anypony to speak of. The pegasus was perfectly erect, and split the road like a statue.

"Oh, not you again!" complained the mare. "Why don't you leave me alone! What could you possibly want from me?"

"Can I interest y'all..." he began to say, before his voice suddenly deepened. "In a melting pot of love and happiness?"

"What in the name of Celestia could you possibly be--" said Sunset, before staring in horror at the pegasus, who was now encased in a layer of green flames.

The fire cleared, and in Graffiti's place stood a tall, pale-bodied Changeling with crimson eyes. He was grinning maliciously at Sunset Shimmer. Slowly, he approached her, his mouth leaking greenish-white drool.

"I am here for you, my lovely little unicorn!" he said, speaking with a shrill, deranged voice. "I've wanted to meet you for the longest time ever! Let's have fun together!"

Sunset's teeth were clenched, and she prepared herself to cast a spell at the creature. Her horn was shining with a teal aura, and she teleported behind the Changeling.

"Oh, look." the Changeling said. "It looks as though you are...right behind me!"

Suddenly, he threw himself backwards through the air, beating his insect-like wings along the way. Sunset Shimmer gasped, surprised by this sudden action, and was knocked off-balance by the backwards-flying albino Changeling. At that moment, another Changeling appeared. The second creature was hovering over her, doing somersaults in mid-air at a constant rate.

"Hey, this looks like something very fun." he was saying as he was somersaulting. "Too bad you ain't an alicorn, or you could do this, too!"

"I'm still better off than...whatever you're supposed to be!" shouted the unicorn. "There's no way I'm going to be beaten by a psycho like you!"

"And now I have to kill you." said the new Changeling in a rhythmic pattern. "And then I'm going to die. I kill everybody. You kill everybody. We all kill everybody!"

"What in the..." sighed Sunset Shimmer. "What are you, the brainchild of Discord?"

"Uh...he's always like that." replied the albino Changeling. "Glitch, what are you doing here?"

"Ghost, I think I...I think I--" Glitch stammered, before letting out a thunderous belch. "Hey, did you catch the late show last night?"

"Shut up, you moron." groaned Ghost.

Glitch darted over to Sunset, and whispered into her ear:

"I secretly eat lettuce when no one is looking." he said to the confused unicorn. "By the way, would you know the fastest way to drink water from a dead tree? By the way, here's some of my special soup. I call it 'Pa'."

Glitch brandished a bowl of soup and fed it to Sunset. Sunset immediately spat the whole thing out due to how hot it was.

"Glitch! Go! Now!" said Ghost. "Go annoy someone else."

Glitch hovered around, spinning in place, before being teleported away.

"Now that we've got that out of the way." Ghost said to "My master wants to meet you right now. I could take you to him now, or keep you entertained until he comes to pick you up himself."

Then he lolled his mouth about loudly, making the most basic of vocalizations. Sunset pressed her hooves against her ears.

"Fine! Fine!" she shouted over the noise. "Just take me to him, and shut your incomprehensible trap!"

"Good, yes? Very good." said the white insect-pony. "Sleep good, because you probably won't sleep good when we get there."

"Why not?" Sunset asked.

Suddenly, the Changeling dropped to the ground, and stood over the downed unicorn with a legitimately threatening expression on his face. His twisted horn glowed with a red aura, and a bright flash of light. The next thing that Sunset Shimmer knew was that she was laying in a metallic cage, suspending from the ceiling of a cave. She could hear the wind blowing cold against her body, and noticed that another Changeling was looking up at her.

"Ah, yes." said the Changeling. "Sunset Shimmer, my darling little unicorn. I do believe we met on the other side of the continent, about fifteen years ago."

"Why would I know you?" asked Sunset. "I'm not even sure what you are!"

Suddenly, the cage was lowered by telekinesis, and the reddish-blonde unicorn was now looking straight into the wicked eyes of her captor. His tall, insectoid appearance reminded Sunset Shimmer of Craw's armored enforcer back in the human world.

"You know very well what I am." said the creature. "I am a Changeling. You and your brother encountered my creatures about fifteen years ago, when you two were both young."

"So, I take it that you're this...Prince Embryo?" asked Sunset, remembering the name.

"Yes, but I now go by the name of Lord Umbriel." said the Changeling.

"What did you do to my parents, you monster?!" the unicorn suddenly screamed out, when she realized what this meant.

"My, my." said the Changeling, with an evil grin. "You are a feisty one. But then, you always were one."

Sunset Shimmer snorted, and then laid down in the cage.

"There, that's better." said Umbriel. "Now, I honestly have no idea where your mother and father went. I can assure you, though, that they put up quite a fight against my Changelings."

"Well, enough of that, then." said Sunset. "What do you want with me?"

"I want you to join my cause." said Lord Umbriel. "I could use a unicorn with your talents."

"Just why would I join you?" asked the mare.

"Well, think about it." said the Changeling lord. "I know talent when it's unappreciated. And you, my dear, are a hidden gold mine of magical wonders that is just waiting to be opened up. With my help, you could become the absolute ruler of Equestria. Princess Celestia could never do you justice, even if you did stay with her. If you do as I say, you could rule over the pathetic ponies of this land with an iron fist before the year's end!"

"I tried ruling over others with an iron fist." said Sunset. "It didn't work well for me. Besides, I already have others here that appreciate me for what I am, thank you very much."

"Yes. For now, they do." nodded Umbriel. "But since--"

"Hang on a minute!" interrupted Sunset Shimmer. "What do you mean, 'for now'?"

"I mean that they won't be able to love you for long. The Princesses, your friends, your brother. All of them will learn to hate you, knowing that they will be destroyed because you refused to cooperate with me!"

"Like you weren't going to do that, anyway!" retorted the amber unicorn. "I can already tell that you're responsible for those attacks on Fillydelphia!"

"Oh, my dear." denied the Changeling. "Whatever gives you the impression that I would be responsible for such...atrocities?"

"Because there was an armored creature that attacked me and my friend on the road to Fillydelphia. The same creature that was there with your Changelings when they tried to take me and my brother captive."

"Oh, yes." nodded Umbriel. "You must be referring to Long Rim."

"Long Rim?" repeated Sunset Shimmer.

"Yes." said Umbriel. "He's a creature that my Changelings came across in one of the lands my elder sister, Queen Chrysalis, plundered when she was searching for a suitable population for our subjects to feed upon. He has proven to be quite an asset to my purposes."

"Had proven to be an asset." smirked the unicorn. "Long Rim's dead. That Ursa Major killed it."

"That's the prime flaw about Ursas. They can be very hard to control once you get them on the move. But Long Rim isn't dead. He was simply stunned."

"Then that thing must be pretty strong, if it could survive being clawed by an Ursa Major." said Sunset Shimmer, astonished.

"Oh, you have no idea." said Umbriel. "You should've been with us last year, when he tore a dragon in half."

"I'd...rather not think about it."

"Well, I have had a great time speaking with you, my dear." said Umbriel, in a gentlemanly manner. "And now, we shall part ways. I will have Ghost bring you back to Fillydelphia."

"Wait, you're just going to let me go?" asked Sunset. "But I didn't want to join you!"

"No, but I wouldn't want to outright kill you, either." said Umbriel. "You are much too powerful to just kill right away. There would simply be no sport in doing this. Besides, I understand you haven't had much room to stretch out with your magic. This will benefit both of us: You will be able to hone your skills, and I will finally get a good fight out of that worthless city."

"Then I bet you'll get the best fight of your life!" said Sunset. "I bet Princess Celestia's already sent an army--no, a legion!--of her best guards to bring you all down!"

"We shall see..." said Umbriel, turning his head. "Ghost! Walk this kind mare back home, will you?"

Suddenly, the albino Changeling from earlier swooped down from the darkness like a great white bat, and dropped on top of Sunset Shimmer's cage. His mouth was slavering, and his horn was glowing.

"Keep your head, missy." he said, feigning concern.

There was a flash of red light, and Sunset suddenly fell hard onto a dirt road, under a starry sky. The yellow unicorn got back up, and found that she was on the forest road to Fillydelphia. There was a thundering of hooves.

"Sunset!" called out a familiar voice. "Sunset, are you okay?"

It was Radiant Dawn, followed by a small crowd of ponies. Radiant galloped up to his sister, and bent down to look into her eyes.

"Sunset, listen." he said. "Are you hurt at all? What happened? Why are you out here all alone?"

Sunset's teal eyes watered, and she rushed forward to embrace her brother.

"Radiant, I never thought I'd see you again." she sniffled. "I'm just so happy to see you."

Radiant was surprised. Not only had he never seen his sister cry in a long time, but she actually called him by his birth name.

"Hey now, little sis." he said. "Big brother's here for ya. In fact, we're all here for ya!"

Then Sunset stepped back to look at Radiant's body for a moment. She noticed that he was wearing some kind of padded black uniform. She also took a close look at the ponies around them, seeing that they were all wearing purple and black armor.

"Radiant, what's going on here?" she asked, confused.

"Well, to make a long story short..." said her brother, with a grin. "I got a job."

"Sunset Shimmer, it is good to see that you are well this evening." said another voice.

A grayish-white pegasus approached the two siblings, giving a salute to the younger of the two. Sunset was able to recognize him, from her days as Princess Celestia's student, particularly when she was living in her palace.

"Captain Star Shield?!" she said, surprised. "Is that really you? I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Yes, ma'am. It is I, still serving Equestria in whatever way I can." said the aging pegasus.

"So, what's with the armor?" she asked. "Did the Canterlot Royal Guard have a change in uniforms while I was out?"

"Actually, I am no longer the Captain of the Royal Guard." said Star Shield. "I resigned from that post years ago. This is the Night Guard. That is, Princess Luna's guard."

"So, my dream-message to Princess Luna worked, after all?" said Sunset Shimmer. "Wow, I can't believe that Luna was actually capable of doing that!"

"Indeed, her majesty is quite powerful, much like her elder sister." said one of the guards around them.

"At ease, Night Runner." said Star Shield to the guard. "Now, we are here to assist Fillydelphia in their current crisis."

"Then I should come with you." said Sunset. "I've just found out who's responsible for the attacks. I'll fill you in on the way."

"Lead the way, Miss Shimmer." said the pegasus captain. "It is our sworn duty to assist Princess Luna, and her personal student, in desperate times such as these."

Sunset Shimmer, Star Shield, Radiant Dawn, and the Night Guard went on down the path to Fillydelphia. They would soon be ready for the battle that would determine their abilities.

Revelations at Canterlot High

In Canterlot High, Rainbow Dash was laying catatonic in the infirmary, with an oxygen mask pumping air into her body. Her eyes were wide open, but she made no attempt to move them, nor the rest of her body. Corporal Ghost and another Chrysalis Syndicate operative were standing guard over her and monitoring her heart rate. The rainbow-haired girl had several bruises on her body, including a black eye.

"So, what's the diagnosis on her, so far?" asked Ghost, his mask removed.

"Sir, the girl's doing fine at the moment." said the other man, who was fully-armored and masked like the other Syndicate commandos. "Not exactly ship-shape, but I'm sure her present condition's nothing she couldn't survive. Heck, this is nothing compared to that lady that my team found back in San Palamino."

"You mean the one that kept puking up that black-and-red bile, and nearly choked to death on it?" said Corporal Ghost. "Yeah, that was some pretty nasty stuff. I can't even begin to imagine how many drugs they must've injected into her bloodstream."

"Quite." said the soldier. "And you have no idea how many more our medics had to put into her to cancel it all out."

He inspected a small puncture mark on Rainbow Dash's neck.

"But that Diamond Dog must've really wanted this girl badly." he commented. "Between this mark and the blank stare in her eyes, I'd say he popped her with some kind of tranquilizer."

"Like a mild sedative?" asked Cpl. Ghost.

"Probably too mild." replied the agent. "Since I have yet to give Miss Dash a blood test, I don't know what the man injected her with, but it probably didn't relax Rainbow Dash too much. In fact, I think it made her harder for him to control. If that bruise on her eye's any indication, he had to punch her out hard."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's a fine way to treat a lady." said Ghost, sarcastically. "But why's she like this, though? I mean, she looks like she recently had a seizure or something."

"Well, it's possible that something was injected in with that tranquilizer." said the Syndicate member. "Maybe some kind of muscle relaxing agent, or...."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come on in!" said Corporal Ghost.

Applejack rushed inside, and knelt by Rainbow Dash's side. Fluttershy stood nervously by the door.

"What in tarnation happened to Rainbow Dash?" she asked, looking at her injured friend's face. "Why's she all buggy-eyed and stuff?"

"Well, that's what we're trying to find out." said Ghost. "My colleague here thinks that Rainbow was drugged by the man that tried to abduct her."

The blonde cowgirl knelt over her friend, and gently brushed her bangs off her cold, sweating face.

"Oh, Rainbow!" she said, worried. "Please tell me she'll be alright!"

"She'll be okay." said the Syndicate commando. "Her heart rate is perfectly stable, if a littler faster than usual. But there's no indication that she will fall into a coma, or anything worse. She's just in some kind of mental stasis. It should wear off in at least half an hour."

"Well, okay." said Applejack. "But I'd like to stay for a spell, if you'd please."

"Fine by me." said Ghost.

Meanwhile, in Principal Celestia's office, Captain Umbriel and Sergeant Craw were speaking with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna.

"Captain, I want you to understand that if anything bad has happened to Rainbow Dash..." she said to Umbriel, warningly.

"I assure you, ma'am." said Umbriel, holding a hand up. "The girl is just fine. I have our best medical equipment and operative keeping her in check."

"But I would like to know the identity of the man that tried to kidnap her." said Celestia. "And why anyone would try to do something like this at my school."

"I can answer that one." said the sergeant. "Before the man was shot dead by me and my men, he claimed that he was a member of an organization known as the Diamond Dog Cartel."

"The Diamond Dogs?" repeated Vice Principal Luna. "I've heard about them, but I'm not familiar with their work."

"They practice jewel smuggling, theft, armed robbery, and human trafficking." said Umbriel. "The Diamond Dogs are pure scum, no matter how you look at them. We suspect they came from the city of San Palamino, since that's where our organization first encountered them. But we've fought them in several other cities since then: Las Vegas, Junction City, Townsville, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Peach Creek, Vancouver, and now here."

"Yeah." said the sergeant. "And they're very hard to remove from a city once they've set their sights on it. Heck, I thought I had already gotten rid of the ones in this town two weeks ago, but they're still showing up!"

"Well, whoever these Diamond Dogs are, whatever their number is..." said Celestia. "I want you and your Syndicate to keep them out of this building, and away from my students. And if your men must resort to violence, keep it off of school property! Our contractors are still reeling from the damage caused last month, during the Fall Formal. They don't need anything bigger than that!"

"That's the plan, Ms. Celestia." said Captain Umbriel. "Once they show their ugly mugs again, we'll have the Cartel out of this town before you know it."

"And I promise that our men won't let anything bad happen to your students while we're on the job." assured the sergeant.

"And who, may I ask, are you again?" asked Vice Principal Luna. "Your voice sounds vaguely familiar."

The sergeant turned his head to Captain Umbriel.

"Go ahead, sergeant." said the captain.

The sergeant slowly pulled off his mask, and showed his face to the two heads of Canterlot High School.

"Craw?!" Celestia and Luna said at once.

"That's right, principals." he said. "I'm with the Syndicate."

"Is that why you were absent for over a week?" asked Celestia.

"That's right." said Craw.

"So were you a member this whole time?" asked Luna. "Even before you came here?"

"Yep." said Craw. "I was sent to infiltrate the school after that little stunt that Sunset Shimmer pulled off at the Fall Formal."

"And you're already a sergeant in the Chrysalis Syndicate?" asked Celestia. "But your file said you were only eighteen! How old are you, really?"

"I'm twenty-two." said Craw.

"That seems about right." said the vice principal. "You didn't exactly look like a teenager to begin with. You almost looked like you should be in college."

"Well, Sunset Shimmer wasn't exactly a teenager, either." said Craw. "Based on a blood test we got out of her, we found out that she's actually twenty years old, though she appeared to be an eighteen-year-old girl. Oh, and that she's a pony!"

He was looking between Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, as if waiting for them to make a confession. Luna slowly nodded.

"Yes, it was only a matter of time before someone found out about her...secret." she said. "I should've anticipated that people like you would go after her."

"So, you let this girl into your school, knowing she wasn't really human?" asked the sergeant. "When did you find out?"

"A few hours after the Fall Formal ended, when Sunset finished laying the bricks for the doorway that her demon form destroyed, she decided to explain what she really was to me. She told me that she was a unicorn, that she came from a world called Equestria, and that she had used a portal to come here."

"You don't say." he said to her. "Then you must know where it is."

"Very well." said Luna. "If you truly want to know where it is, you should come with me."

"Lead the way, then." said Craw, putting his mask back on. "The sooner we find where Sunset Shimmer went, the better."

Luna and Craw walked over to the Vice Principal's office, and sat down at the desk. Luna opened a hidden compartment hidden on the underside of her desk, and pulled out a video tape.

"This is a recording taken from an exterior camera." explained the vice principal. "This was taken on the night of the shootout. I had it...hidden because of the content. I was afraid someone might get the wrong ideas about your organization."

"Then let's go see it." said Craw.

They played it on a TV set. It was an overhead view from above the door. They could make out the figure of Sunset Shimmer standing by the horse statue on the front lawn. She was banging on the side, while shouting words neither could make out. She kicked the statue, then stepped away.

"A little far back, don't you think?" asked Craw. "Never mind. I'll fast-forward."

He sped through the tape, and past the part where Sunset Shimmer was conversing with Shining Armor. He stopped it when he saw the figure of Ghost running towards Sunset, with a rifle pointing at her. He was holding her at gunpoint, but didn't pull the trigger. He handed her a mobile phone, and the girl spoke into it. After a few minutes, her body language became uneasy. She even began shouting into the phone. When the call ended, Ghost took the phone back, and had her bend down on the ground.

The police car came up along the road, and three policemen climbed out. They approached Corporal Ghost and Sunset Shimmer, one of them even speaking on a megaphone. Then Sunset Shimmer and Corporal Ghost began arguing with each other, with Ghost retaliating by savagely beating Sunset Shimmer, even as she was on all fours. Craw felt a surge of anger course through him, but he kept watching the recording.

In the video, the small dark figure representing Ghost began shouting at the police officers, and fired his rifle into the air. The cops promptly opened fire on him, until Sunset Shimmer raised her legs behind her, and bucked Corporal Ghost in the shins. She got back up, and the two began fighting each other for a while. Eventually, Sunset grabbed Ghost's rifle and struck him on the head with its butt (which earned a chuckle from Craw), and angrily tossed at back at him. Ghost was about to get ready to confront Sunset again, but then the cops resumed shooting at him. As Ghost turned to shoot at the police, Sunset dove away, and disappeared into the side of the statue, leaving behind no trace of her body.

Craw turned off the video, and ejected the tape. He handed it back to Vice Principal Luna, thanking her before walking outside the room.

Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer was conversing with Radiant Dawn on the road to Fillydelphia, at the rear of the Night Guard. Radiant had told her about how he came to join them, but his sister had a skeptical expression on her face.

"So, let me get this straight." she said. "You mean to tell me that Princess Luna just let you join her guard, just like that, and that she had you start training the other guards right away? Sorry, bro, but I find that a little hard to swallow."

"To be fair, sis, so did I." said Radiant. "But I guess I just had all that skill welled up inside me for all this time."

"Wow, Radiant." Sunset stopped, to look at her brother with skepticism. "You mean to tell me that you could've used those skills all this time, and yet you turned down your job at the Royal Guard all those years ago to stay in the academy that got you kicked out of Canterlot? C'mon, Red, I didn't need you with me that badly! I mean, who knows? Maybe you'll become a general by next week!"

Radiant simply gave his sister a slightly unamused look, but decided it wasn't the time to argue.

"So, sissy." he said. "What's the scoop on those monster problems?"

"Yes, Miss Shimmer." said Captain Star Shield, who came up to the two unicorns. "If there's any good time to inform us what the situation is in the city, it would be now."

"Okay, here's the situation so far:" said Sunset. "These attacks have been carried out by a variety of creatures, and they were coordinated or manipulated into attacking by a Changeling known as Lord Umbriel."

"I do recall receiving reports about a rogue Changeling being active somewhere in Equestria." commented the captain.

"And Radiant?" Sunset Shimmer said, turning her head to face her brother. "He's the one that attacked us all those years ago. He's Prince Embryo!"

"So, does that mean he's the one that made our parents disappear, too?" asked Radiant, his teeth grinding together. "I think I'll enjoy bringing him down more than I should!"

"Well, he didn't seem to know what happened to them, either." said Sunset.

"That's what they all say. I bet he didn't want to say anything because he knew that you and I would tear that monster limb from limb if he actually told you anything!"

"Red, I'm really unsure about this." said the sister. "But frankly, I'd like to see this tyrant brought to justice. Not just for what he did to our family, but what he's done to Fillydelphia and the other towns in Equestria."

"That's the spirit." said the brother. "Trust me, Sunny. We'll break that freak, even if we two are the only ones left to do it. Umbriel's going down!"

"If we hurry..." said Star Shield. "We will be able to reach Fillydelphia before the next attack starts. Miss Shimmer and Lieutenant Dawn, since you know more about this Lord Umbriel than the rest of us, why don't you two lead the way?"

"Yes, sir!" said the two siblings at once.

Sunset Shimmer and Radiant "Red" Dawn galloped down the road, closely followed by the Night Guard.

Author's Notes:

I edited out the confrontation between Sunset and Radiant, and will save it for a later chapter.

The Battle of Fillydelphia, Part One

Craw was marching down the hallway, scattering students as he went. He was puffing about in his armor. He quickly reached the infirmary, where Corporal Ghost was standing guard over the catatonic Rainbow Dash. He quickly went inside, and marched up to the corporal, who was just putting his mask back on.

"Sergeant, does Captain Umbriel have any new orders?" Ghost asked.

"Ghost, we have business to discuss." said Sergeant Craw. "Let's go somewhere quiet."

"Yes, sir." the corporal replied.

Craw and Ghost went into an empty classroom, where the sergeant suddenly grabbed his subordinate and smashed the corporal's armored face into a blackboard. The corporal promptly slid to the floor, where Craw stood him back up.

"Ghost, you no-good son of a--" Craw growled through his mask, before punctuating his own curse word with a loud punch of his ironclad fist against Ghost's plated torso, and then twisted his arm around his back. "I saw a recording of what you did with Sunset Shimmer on that night. You know the one! I gave you explicit orders not to hurt her until I got to you two!"

"She was asking for it!" rasped Ghost. "That pony-girl kept going on and on! She wouldn't shut up!"

"I will not have any excuses from you, you albino freak." said Craw. "I'm getting sick of you and your raunchy behavior. I wanted Sunset Shimmer to be kept unharmed until I could settle her punishments, and you treat her like a punching bag, and spout out death-threats! Not only that, but you needlessly picked a fight with those cops, and deliberately provoked them into attacking you! I didn't want that, either! If you screw up on following my orders again, I'll kill you where you stand!"

Suddenly, Ghost swung his other arm back, striking Craw in the shoulder. He broke away from his officer's grasp, and grappled with him. He suddenly gripped Craw's mask and yanked it off. He then shoved Sergeant Craw against the closed door. He punched him in the chest three times, and forced the door open by kicking Craw in the stomach.

"Corporal, what do you think you're doing?!" Craw breathed hard. "This is insubordination!"

"You had feelings for her, Sarge." said Corporal Ghost. "Don't hide it from me! You loved that pony!"

"No, I didn't!" stressed Craw, angrily. "But what you did to her was just vile!"

"You don't know what 'vile' is!" retorted the corporal.

He grabbed Craw by the neck, then threw him into a row of lockers. The green doors were crushed by Craw's armored body, and the collision made for a loud, echoing crash. Several students gasped, and ran aside to get away from the two brawling soldiers. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were in the hallway, and recognized the sergeant.

"Hey, leave Craw alone!" Pinkie Pie shouted at Ghost.

"How dare you hurt our friend!" said Rarity in support. "Whatever your problem is, I am certain we could talk this out!"

Ghost then turned his masked head at the two girls, brandished a baton from his hip, and angrily chucked it at them. Pinkie and Rarity were able to duck just in time, as the blunt object hit a locker with a clang.

"You two are next!" screeched the corporal.

He slowly marched towards them, but Craw quickly got back to his feet and tackled Corporal Ghost. Rarity ran to the Principal's office, while Pinkie Pie shouted encouraging words to the sergeant.

"Get 'em, Craw!" the pink-haired girl cheered on. "Show that meanie who's boss!"

But Ghost suddenly wormed his way out of Craw's hold, and aimed a kick for his unarmored head. Luckily, most of the blow was absorbed by a pauldron on the sergeant's military armor. Craw cried out in pain, and then reached for Ghost's head, and ripped his headgear off. Ghost suddenly reached into his holster, and brandished a sub-machine gun.

"I'm gonna enjoy this, you pony-loving sicko!" Ghost shouted, pointing the gun at Craw's face.

Bang!

Suddenly, Ghost's gun was shot out of his hands and shattered apart, while two Syndicate commandos spontaneously appeared and forced him back to his feet. Craw stood himself back up, and found himself being given a hug by Pinkie Pie and Rarity, who had just returned with Principal Celestia and Captain Umbriel in tow. The sergeant and the two teenage girls stayed together in the hall, while the others proceeded across the building.

"Craw, you're not hurt, are you?" Pinkie asked.

"Nah." said the sergeant. "Apart from a stiff neck, I think that I'm unharmed."

"Oh, C-Craw!" Rarity said, whose voice was shaking. "I was s-so scared for you!"

Craw paused to look at the purple-haired girl.

"You were?"

"Yes! Yes! A thousand times 'yes'!" she bawled. "I don't want to see bad things happen to my friends!"

Craw was astonished. Even after all the things he'd gone through and done in the past few days, he still had friends at this school.

"Hey, Rarity, it's okay." he patted the girl on her shoulder, assuming his high school student persona, even though he was still wearing his armor. "I'm a tough guy! I can handle stuff like this!"

"Sorry, Craw." said Rarity, who was now calming herself down and regaining her composure. "I'm just so shocked by all of these recent events. First, you disappear for more than a week, then Sunset Shimmer's being hunted like a common animal by some government task force or whatever, and then Rainbow Dash is nearly kidnapped and hospitalized, and now you show up again, brawling with one of those soldiers...Wait a minute. Darling, whatever are you doing wearing their armor?"

"That doesn't matter right now." said Craw. "What were you two doing, anyway?"

"We were going to see Rainbow Dash." said Pinkie. "Someone tried kidnapping her, and now she looks like a zombie or something."

She stomped around, making weird vocalizations.

"Sounds serious." said Craw. "Let's go check up on her."

Meanwhile on the pony side of the portal, Sunset Shimmer finally led the Night Guard to the outskirts of Fillydelphia. They had arrived just in time, as they could see and hear the signs of a battle on the streets of the ramshackle city. There were screams, rumbling noises, and bright flashes of light rising out of the gloom.

"I just hope we're not too late." said Captain Star Shield, witnessing the fighting.

He turned to his fellow guards.

"I want everypony to maintain a solid perimeter around the city." said the captain. "You shall circle the area, and then close in on the attackers, once you have your sights set on them."

"And what about me?" questioned Sunset Shimmer. "Fillydelphia's my mission, after all."

"Indeed." nodded Star Shield. "I shall have a division of my task force escort you to your destination, wherever it may be."

"That won't be necessary. I can handle myself."

"As you wish." said Star Shield, reluctantly. "But as Captain of Princess Luna's guard, you are by extension, my responsibility out on the battlefield, as long as you are her student."

"Captain, I'm twenty years old." stressed Sunset. "I don't need a foal-sitter."

"And what about me?" asked Radiant Dawn. "Surely, you could use some help from your own family."

"No, Red." Sunset shook her head. "This is my mission. You have yours. Having you dog me around would just mean that we'd be getting in each other's way."

Radiant bowed his head, with a bitter expression on his face.

"But thanks, anyway." said Sunset.

The amber mare approached the large orange-red stallion, and wrapped her front hooves around his.

"It's great to have you back, bro." she smiled.

"Same here." nodded Radiant. "Good luck, Sunny."

Sunset Shimmer turned away from Radiant Dawn and the Night Guard, and galloped down the path to the city. Captain Star Shield turned to Radiant.

"Lieutenant, I would be honored if you were to assist me." said the pegasus captain.

"Yes, captain." said Radiant, turning to his superior.

"And I will need the bat-ponies to follow us." said Star to the rest of the Night Guard. "The rest of you, disperse yourselves across the city."

Several pegasi guards took off towards the city, while their earth pony and unicorn counterparts followed behind. Star Shield and Radiant Dawn went down the path that Sunset Shimmer took, followed closely by the bat-pony guards.

Sunset Shimmer made it to the paved roads of the city, when she suddenly heard a loud roar overhead. She looked up, and saw the large winged shape of a dragon flying over one of the larger buildings. She felt herself shaking all over, but quickly maintained self-control. She took a left turn, and found herself in the middle of a battle between three unicorns, two pegasi, and fourteen Changelings. The insect-like attackers had the ponies routed, but the mare lifted her head to cast a spell.

Boom!

A bluish-green energy field erupted from the amber unicorn's horn, and expanded forwards. The Changelings were blind-sided and scattered by the attack, but a few were able to regroup. They turned towards the newcomer, and prepared to circle her. Their wings were buzzing furiously as they quickly closed in on her. Two of them dive-bombed down on the lone unicorn from opposite directions. Sunset quickly teleported away, and the two Changelings violently collided with each other in mid-air.

"Are you ready to rock?!" Sunset shouted at the others, as she reappeared.

The other Changelings glared furiously at the unicorn, who was standing in front of a battered brick wall. They sped towards her, beating their clear wings. Suddenly, Sunset teleported away again, and the Changelings smacked themselves against the wall. Suddenly, the wall rocked back and forth, before being pulled down on the Changelings by Sunset's telekinesis. There was a series of nauseating crunching noises as the insect-like pony-creatures were flattened. The other ponies cheered loudly.

"Wow, that was so amazing!" said a familiar voice.

Sunset looked down, and saw the same filly that she had saved from Long Rim.

"Kid, I think you need to get out of here." said the unicorn. "This isn't the place for a little filly like you."

"Don't worry, I won't be out here for long. I'm just here to deliver a message." said the young pony.

"What kind of message?"

"It's from the mayor." said the filly. "He's my uncle. He wants every able-bodied pony in the city to meet at the city hall. Could you go and meet him?"

"I'm here to help." said Sunset. "Could you lead me to the city hall?"

"Sure can!" said the filly. "The name's Posey, by the way."

"That's a nice name." said Sunset, with a little smile. "Okay, now. Time to go!"

Sunset Shimmer and Posey sped down the road, followed by a few brave ponies. The city had been plunged into chaos by the invading army of Changelings and other creatures that were now running rampant throughout the streets. Every now and again, they would hear a shriek of terror, the sound of a building crumbling, or a Changeling or unicorn's spell going off in the distance.

Luckily, they were still able to navigate through the streets without engaging in any of the larger battles, since the Night Guard had already entered the fray, and were fighting off the more dangerous creatures. After some tricky maneuvering, Sunset Shimmer and Posey eventually came within sight of the city hall. Fillydelphia's City Hall was built atop a large hill surrounded by towers. It was lined with columns along the front, and was accessed from the rest of the city by a long flight of marble stairs.

The stairs to the city hall were flooded with ponies and Changelings fighting each other. There were flashes of green light, and ponies were sent hurdling up or down the stairs. The black insect-ponies slowly advanced up the stairs, relentlessly pushing back the defenders. Posey started to panic, and hid behind Sunset Shimmer.

"Sunset!" shouted the voice of Trixie.

Sunset Shimmer turned her head, and saw Trixie and Lightning Dust rushing towards her.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" said Lightning Dust. "You had us worried sick!"

"Yeah, and now we've got an invasion on our hands!" Trixie exclaimed. "What are we going to do now?"

Sunset looked at her two friends.

"Simple: We fight them off." said Sunset. "Lightning, do you remember that move that you practiced with at the farm?"

"Yep!" said Lightning Dust. "The Thunderball, right?"

"I want you to use it on that Changeling army ascending the stairs to the city hall." said Sunset Shimmer. "I need you to clear a path, so that Trixie and I can meet up with the mayor."

"Roger that, ma'am." said the blonde pegasus with a salute.

She took off into the air, and performed a series of somersaults as she flew. She spun about across the sky, and her body became a cyan tornado. She began to glow with a golden light, dropped down hard on the Changeling army, and scattered the army in a white-hot electrified explosion. Several Changelings fell down the stairs, their comatose black bodies crackling with electricity. Lightning Dust herself stood triumphantly in the middle of the stairs, and received applause from the remaining defenders.

"Now's our cue!" Sunset told Trixie and Posey. "Head upstairs, immediately!"

The three galloped up the stairs, and were joined by Lightning Dust and the rest of the militia-ponies. They hurried through the main entrance, and worked their way through the building until they reached the door to the mayor's office.

"Mr. Mayor?" Lightning knocked on the door. "We're here for your meeting!"

There was no response from the other side of the door. Sunset knocked her own hoof against the door.

"Sir, it's Sunset Shimmer!" called the reddish-blonde unicorn. "Remember? I'm Princess Luna's student! I'm here with my friends and your niece! I even have the Night Guard out in the city, fighting the creatures!"

"C'mon, uncle!" said Posey. "Please open the door!"

Suddenly, there was a low growling on the other side of the door, followed by a pained shout.

"Help me!" said the voice of the mayor. "Get this monster away from me!"

A blood-curdling screech exploded from inside the mayor's office. Sunset, Trixie, and Lightning gasped, Posey's eyes widened with fear, several other ponies backed away in surprise. Lightning Dust tried to open the door, but it was welded shut. Sunset Shimmer went outside, and came back in while levitating a broken column with her telekinesis. She rammed it into the door five times, and knocked it off its hinges. Sunset, her friends, and a few militia-ponies went in through the door.

"That's close enough!" said a strange, raspy voice, which caused the rescuers to involuntarily halt in their tracks.

Sunset gasped, as she beheld a tall creature that appeared to be a Changeling looming over the injured Mayor of Fillydelphia. His red eyes were glaring furiously at the other ponies in the office. Eventually, he stopped at Sunset Shimmer.

"Ah, yes." the Changeling's voice boomed. "Just the pony...that I need."

The Battle of Fillydelphia, Part Two

Craw, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity entered the infirmary, where Applejack and Fluttershy were leaning over Rainbow Dash. Applejack was sniffling, and Fluttershy was on the verge of tears when she turned to see the people that entered the room. She recognized the man with Rarity and Pinkie.

"C-Craw, is that you?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's right, Shy." answered the young man. "How's Rainbow Dash?"

"I dunno." said Applejack, her voice shaking. "I'm so darn scared about Rainbow's condition, I haven't had the guts to leave her side to go out and ask about why she's like this."

Craw patted the blonde cowgirl on the shoulder, intending to comfort her.

"Why don't you and Fluttershy sit down for a while?" he offered, pointing at two empty chairs.

When all four of Rainbow Dash's friends were seated, Craw sat himself down on the bedside stool, and turned to face them.

"Craw, dear? What was that all about?" asked Rarity. "In the hall, I mean. Who was that soldier you were fighting with?"

"That was Ghost." answered Craw. "He's a corporal in the Chrysalis Syndicate. He's also one of the most despicable people I've ever met in my life, for reasons you couldn't even begin to understand."

"Yeah! That guy was a brute!" Pinkie Pie said in agreement. "I still can't believe he tried to hit me and Rarity with that...nightstick-thingie! So uncool!"

"Ghost did what?" Applejack raised her voice.

"And then he went and pointed a gun at Craw's head!" continued Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy gasped, putting her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from crying out in surprise.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" asked the girl with the yellowish-white skin tone and pink hair.

"Not too much." said Craw, putting his hand on his neck. "But man, do I have the stiffest neck right now! I was getting sick of that psycho's attitude before, but this is really pushing it!"

"My word, not even Sunset Shimmer ever did anything that bad!" said Rarity, before adding under her breath. "Not counting the Fall Formal, that is."

"Why'd he attack you, anyway?" asked Fluttershy.

"Because he's scum." said Craw, bluntly.

"What happened between you two, though?" questioned Rarity.

"That...man...beat up Sunset Shimmer a few nights ago." growled Craw. "I only just found out a few minutes ago, and he never told me what he did to her. Naturally, I lost my temper, and chewed him out a bit. That's when he started attacking me."

The four girls gasped. Fluttershy's eyes widened.

"So, that fight reported on the news...?"

"Yes." said Craw, in disgust. "That was Ghost beating Sunset to a pulp."

"Why would he do something like that, though?" inquired Applejack. "Sunset may have been a jerk in the past, but she ain't like that now! Heck, was Ghost even in town when she...?"

Suddenly, she cut herself off. Apparently, she realized she was about to say too much.

"It's okay." said Craw. "I know all about the demon."

"You do?!" the girls gasped in unison.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and a Syndicate operative entered the room.

"Craw, the cap'n wants you and Ghost to discuss your li'l...mishap." he said. "They're already in Principal Celestia's office."

"Thanks, Lieutenant Sigma." said Craw, with a salute. "I'll be there right away."

Meanwhile in Fillydelphia, Sunset Shimmer and her companions were staring down the large Changeling, who had the mayor at his plated hooves.

"What do you want with me?" Sunset asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself." said the Changeling, with a gruff voice. "I am Synthe, General of the Changelings. Look at my body."

Sunset noticed that General Synthe was half-covered in bits of various substances. The torso of his body was banded with some kind of greenish, rubbery substance, and reinforced by rings of steel that were tightly linked and chained together. His face had several deep scars, and was half-obscured by a metallic mask-like covering.

"Not a pretty sight, is it?" he asked the amber unicorn. "Do you want to know why I am like this?"

"Not really." said Sunset, who was becoming nauseous at the sight of Synthe's body.

"Quiet, if you would please." he said, simply. "I have been waiting for you for some time. You see, my body is in dire need of restoration...or replacement, if necessary."

"Where do we figure into that?!" demanded the mayor, who was irritated by the fact that he was being held hostage over what seemed like a trivial manner.

"I don't know." said Synthe. "But this attack wasn't my idea. It was Lord Umbriel's. I didn't even want to be dragged into this mess, but I suppose it was necessary."

"Why?" asked Sunset.

"Well, how else was I going to get somepony like you in a position to help me in my condition, without drawing the Princesses' attention?"

"Well, you could've asked for help." said Sunset with an annoyed glare.

"I couldn't." said Synthe. "Not after what I've done."

"Listen, Synthe." said the unicorn. "Let the mayor go, and we can discuss your gripes in private."

"Very well, young one." said the Changeling. "The Mayor is free to go. But only if Sunset Shimmer remains with me, so that we can begin our negotiations. The rest of you: Wait outside."

"And could you call of that army of yours?" asked Trixie.

"No. I can't do that." said General Synthe. "That is Lord Umbriel's decision. I can, however, see to it that none of my soldiers attack this building while I am inside."

"Just do what he says, everypony." said Sunset, with an assuring tone in her voice. "I can handle anything this guy throws at me."

"We shall see about that." said Synthe, giving a friendly warning.

The militia-ponies escorted the mayor out of the office, while Lightning Dust and Trixie tried valiantly to stay at Sunset Shimmer's side. Eventually, they left when they realized their interference might disrupt whatever chance they might have to achieve a powerful ally. General Synthe trotted over to the window, and saw a hydra wrapping its many heads around a skyscraper, as it fought off a trio of pegasus guards. There was several flashes of multi-colored lights scattered throughout the cityscape, indicating the battle was spreading like wildfire throughout Fillydelphia.

"Just like the glory days." he muttered, smiling weakly.

"What glory days?" asked Sunset. "What happened to you, anyway? You look like a broken-down operating room."

"It's a long, complicated story." said the Changeling general, shaking his heavily disfigured head.

Suddenly, a slow hissing sound emerged from his head. Sunset noticed that not only was the Changeling's horn broken at the tip, but there was a black breathing-tube running through the underside of his jaw, and curved over his chin. The general bent his lips outward to suck on the tube's end hardily, and shuddered uncomfortably as he did this. Sunset Shimmer also took a look at his back, and saw that his insect-like wings were thoroughly cracked, broken, and covered in dark scabs. She felt herself becoming queasy from seeing this horrible array of disfigurements: Truly, this creature had suffered a fate worse than death.

The unicorn closed her eyes, and turned away, so that she didn't have to see the mutilated Changeling's body.

"General, I want to ask what made you like this..." she said. "But at the same time, I'm afraid to find out. So first, I would like to ask you what you were like before...whatever happened to you."

As the sounds of battle grew louder and louder in the distance, Synthe turned his head to face the unicorn.

"Very well." he said, and began to explain himself to her. "I was once a loyal servant of Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the Changelings. But I grew impatient with her failed efforts to feed our people, so I attempted to overthrow her. I nearly succeeded in doing so, too."

"But you failed, right?" asked Sunset.

"Obviously." nodded Synthe. "And what you see before you is the end result."

"Wow, this Queen Chrysalis sounds like one tough cookie."

Synthe sucked hard on the breathing-tube again.

"Oh, she had nothing to do with this." he retorted, once he finished inhaling the artificial air. "If she didn't summon that alien warrior to our world, I would've beaten her easily."

"An alien warrior?" repeated Sunset. "From what--"

"I won't speak any more about it, Sunset Shimmer!" snapped the Changeling. "The stress from the memories alone is driving me over the edge. I refuse to recount them to you!"

Meanwhile, the Night Guard was routing the Changelings in a war-torn district of the city. At their head was Captain Star Shield and Lieutenant Radiant Dawn. The two coordinated their subordinates in the area to surround and flank the Changelings. The pegasi dive-bombed the Changelings, the unicorns cast their own spells to stun them, and the earth ponies rammed into them with their strong bodies.

Suddenly, the larger creatures began to appear. However, the captain and his lieutenant were ready for them, since Sunset Shimmer told them what to expect Lord Umbriel to throw at them.

"Firefly! Sky Boom!" shouted Radiant Dawn. "Fly circles around that hydra!"

The two pegasi soared in opposite directions around the many-headed beast, confusing it. It tried to intercept the flight patterns of the two winged mares, but its heads collided with each other several times. In two minutes, most of the heads clumsily slumped to the ground, unconscious. The last uninjured head pursued Sky Boom, trailing its long neck around its body until it had tied itself up. With a simple nudge from Firefly, the creature slowly toppled over and fell onto an already ruined house.

"That's my girls!" cheered Radiant, clapping his front hooves at his two trainees.

"You've trained my guards well." said Star Shield, who witnessed this.

"Hey, I can't take all the credit." said Radiant. "My sister gave me the idea, after all."

"What do you mean?"

"Hydra heads tend to work independently from each other. It makes it hard for them to work as a team."

Suddenly, a vast dragon with bronze scales soared overhead, roaring loudly. Several guards and townsponies scattered in a panic.

"Now, it's time to see what this aging stallion can do." said Star Shield, crouching down.

He shot up into the starlit sky, and chased after the dragon. He zig-zagged and spiraled around the reptilian beast, and struck its neck several times. The dragon promptly breathed bluish-white fire in various directions to try and take down the pegasus, but it missed each time. Star Shield was able to mount the beast's head, and steered it away from the city and towards the outlying forest. He pressed down hard on its neck, causing it to fly downwards into the trees. He was able to dismount and hover over the forest just before the creature took a ferocious dive into the trees, and saw it make a loud, painful crash as it plowed through five trees.

"I'm...to old...for this." the pegasus captain panted heavily, turning his head to look back at Fillydelphia. "I wonder how Sunset Shimmer's doing."

The Battle of Fillydelphia, Part Three

Radiant Dawn was directing the unicorn and earth pony guards to round up the remaining Changelings.

"Don't let any of 'em escape." he said. "I don't know what the captain wants to do with them, so try not to kill them until--"

Suddenly, Firefly approached him, clearing her throat.

"Lieutenant Dawn, Silver Shadow's spotted a large Changeling flying through the air, not too far from here." she said. "It appeared to be flying towards the city hall."

"It's Umbriel!" exclaimed Radiant. "Oh, this will be good! I'm gonna go over there, and rip that monster's flank a new one."

"But, sir!" said the pegasus. "We still need a leader, and Captain Star Shield isn't back yet!"

"You're in charge of rounding up these Changelings until I get back." nodded Radiant. "Can you do that, Sergeant Firefly?"

"I'm....a sergeant?" gasped Firefly. "This is just so unexpected. I'm just so honored, sir!"

"Don't get too comfortable with it, though." said Radiant. "It's only temporary. But if you do a good job at handling the creatures while me and Captain Star Shield are away, I might be able to convince him to let you keep it. Now get to work, sarge."

"Yes, lieutenant!" said Firefly with a salute. "One creature round-up coming up, sir!"

Then she took off and flew over the other guards to give them orders. Radiant promptly departed for the city hall, galloping quickly.

In the mayor's office, Sunset Shimmer paced around General Synthe, her horn glowing brightly.

"Alright, general." said Sunset. "Let's cut to the chase. What in Equestria can I do to get Umbriel's goons out of this city?"

"Well, you could try cooking up a protection spell to boot them all out of here." said the Changeling general. " That's how Queen Chrysalis was cast out of Canterlot the last time she tried to attack it. But you probably don't know how to make any on a city-wide scale."

"No...I don't." said Sunset, bowing her head in frustration. "If only I stayed with Princess Celestia longer. I could've sworn that she was about to teach me how to make one of them, but then I got so caught up with..."

That mirror. That accursed mirror! Sunset Shimmer growled angrily.

"You should've brought Shining Armor with you, instead of that old has-been, Star Shield." sneered Synthe.

"Star Shield is a great captain!" Sunset snapped.

"Yes, I'm sure." nodded the Changeling, mockingly. "But when I last checked, unicorns are capable of magic, and not pegasi."

"Ugh!" Sunset groaned, disgusted by the truth. "You've got a point. But my brother's here in town. Maybe he could--wait, I forgot that he's an absolute wreck with complex spells like that! He'd probably wind up setting the entire city on fire if he tried it!"

"Well, he's just as useless in this scenario as Star Shield, then." snarked General Synthe.

Sunset suddenly levitated the Changeling into the ceiling then let him fall hard to the floor. Synthe slowly climbed back to his feet, aching all over. He made a quick check of his body to make sure his life-support wasn't damaged, and then inhaled the air from the breathing-tube.

"Slow down there, unicorn." groaned the general. "I'm only trying to help you here!"

"Well, I'm sick of everypony treating my brother like garbage!" yelled Sunset, who was fuming. "He may not be perfect, but he's the only family I've got!"

"Ah, forgive me." said Synthe, without remorse.

"Look, do you have any ideas at all?" said Sunset, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me. This is your fight. Why don't you figure it out for yourself, genius?"

"How about I just snap you in two with my magic, and call it a day?"

"Because you're not a monster." said Synthe, his scarred mouth twisting into a feral smile. "But in a way, I am."

Without warning, he leaped upon the amber unicorn, and pinned her to the ground. He bent his head down on her, and attempted to bite her flank. However Sunset was able to knock him off with another burst of magic. She teleported right behind the Changeling, back on her feet. She bent her head down in a vigilant manner.

"You know..." she said, lowly. "That really wasn't a nice thing to do."

Synthe turned around, with a wicked grin on his face.

"I'm a Changeling, darling." he said, his voice deepening. "I'm not supposed to be nice."

"That's fine." said Sunset. "I'm not exactly a nice pony, either."

Her horn glowed again, and Synthe was thrown across the room by the mare's telekinesis. He crashed hard into a door, and lay on the floor in a crumpled heap. He began to spit up pale green bile, and choked loudly. Sunset Shimmer approached him, visibly unamused.

"Yes, I sense much love for your brother within you." he groaned. "I am actually impressed by this, considering how you've behaved these past few years. Did I perhaps touch a nerve?"

"I know that your kind is deceitful and treacherous." said Sunset Shimmer. "But what you speak is the truth. I love my brother more than anypony else in Equestria. But no, not like that!"

She stuck her tongue out in disgust at Synthe's perverted snickering.

"And you definitely touched a nerve!" she continued. "If I wasn't trying to be a better pony, I'd kill you right now."

"And why...won't you kill me, Sunset Shimmer?" asked General Synthe, coughing.

"It's because I'm no murderer!" Sunset spat on the covering on his disfigured face. "Look at you! You're a wreck! You look like a fly on a car's windshield if it got put into an emergency room and turned into a cyborg!"

She didn't care if this strange, crippled creature didn't know what she was talking about. She honestly didn't. But it seemed like Synthe didn't care, either.

"I admire your valiance, Sunset Shimmer." he gasped for breath. "...I see a lot of potential for you, should you become a princess. Of course, that's assuming that brutality like this is accepted amongst your peers!"

"Maybe not." said Sunset. "But really, I don't care if I don't become a princess. At the moment, I just want to do what's right. And right now, that's getting back at you Changeling scum for whatever you've done to my family. You obviously had nothing to do with it, but I know that you do know where the one responsible for it is located. So where is Lord Umbriel at this moment?"

"Oh, that fruitcake? That's no secret: He's right behind you!"

Sunset Shimmer gasped, and turned to see the muscular Changeling lord staring her down, with a malicious grin on his face.

"How did you--" she began, before being pushed into a wall by Umbriel's telekinesis.

She slumped against the wall, and felt her eyes rolling dizzily.

"That...was a cheap shot." she droned, clumsily.

"Nothing you wouldn't be accustomed to, though." said Umbriel.

"Go buck yourself in the butt." snarled Sunset, who shook off her dizziness.

"You first." sneered the Changeling lord, whose twisted horn was now illuminating.

Suddenly, the unicorn was lifted into the air, and she felt her hind legs jerking back involuntarily. She felt her back hooves smashing against her backside, and she winced in pain. Sunset Shimmer wound up bucking herself ten times, before suddenly being dropped to the ground. She staggered back up, and responded by blasting Lord Umbriel with a beam of teal magical energy. The Changeling just stood there, relatively unfazed. Sunset's jaw dropped in dismay.

"Did you honestly think I would risked fighting against you if I didn't prepare myself for a unicorn as powerful as you?" he said to her.

"No, you didn't exactly seem the type." glared Sunset Shimmer. "In fact, I could smell your cowardice from a mile away."

"Insolent child!" bellowed Umbriel. "Now you shall die!"

His horn glowed again, and Sunset Shimmer felt her neck tightening. She gasped for breath, but Umbriel's spell was too much for her. She was beginning to see stars, and her vision was on the verge of blacking out. Suddenly, there was a loud crash behind Sunset, and the doors were knocked off their hinges. The familiar mass of a large reddish-orange unicorn stood in the doorway, backed by several smaller ponies. The stallion took a few steps forward, glaring intensely at Lord Umbriel.

"Get...away...from my sister!" growled Radiant Dawn.

"Ah, the elder sibling finally shows his face." laughed Umbriel. "Good! I've always loved family reunions! They're like...all-you-can-eat buffets to us Changelings!"

"You won't be feasting on any more love, Changeling!" snapped Radiant. "You're going to pay for what you did to our parents!"

"Are all you unicorns this stubborn?" queried Umbriel. "I already told your sister that I don't know what happened to your family! In fact, they did more damage to us than I did to them!"

"You still tried to have us all killed, darn it!" shouted Radiant. "And I see you're still trying to kill me and my sister! Hey, what the buckin' hoof are you doing to her?!"

Suddenly, a series of sparks erupted from his horn, and the stallion reared his head into a charging position. He leaped to the side of his sister, and canceled out the strangulation spell that was being applied to her.

"Thanks, Red." choked out Sunset.

"Always glad to help, kiddo." said Radiant, before turning to Lord Umbriel. "It's over now, Umbriel. Your army's been routed. As we speak, the Night Guard's rounding up what remains of your troops, and your creatures have been put out of commission. Even if you kill the two of us, there's still all the ponies in this building you'll have to deal with!"

Lord Umbriel took a look at the ponies standing outside the room, and felt his mouth frothing.

"Drink your fill!" he said.

"Very well." moaned General Synthe, who was struggling to get back up.

"Not you, fool!" said Umbriel. "Ghost, get in here!"

The albino Changeling flew into office through the opened window.

"What...treachery...is this?" strained Synthe.

"I am relieving you of your command for the moment, general." said Umbriel. "Ghost has volunteered to take your place, until you have patched yourself up. This is no treachery to speak of. I simply don't want my most prized champion to die before he can do anything useful."

"But, sir!" said Synthe. "I want to be here, to speak with Sunset Shimmer!"

"You've had your chance, now go!" snapped Umbriel. "I have business to take care of with these two!"

"Yes, my lord." said the Changeling general, reluctantly.

"Now hold still, Synthie." said Ghost, whose horn was now glowing.

In a flash of light, General Synthe was teleported away. Radiant's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Wow, that's the first time I've seen somepony use a teleportation spell on somepony else!" he exclaimed, impressed.

"Isn't it great?" asked Ghost. "I made it myself! In fact, I tested it out on your sister just a little while ago! Don't you remember, dearie?"

"Unfortunately." glared Sunset, before turning to Radiant. "So, which one do you wanna fight first?"

"I'll take Umbriel." said Radiant Dawn. "You take his clown."

"Good! I've always loved rematches!" said Ghost, feigning cheerfulness.

"And I sense an even stronger amount of love and happiness within you, Radiant." said Umbriel. "It will be an honor to drain you dry!"

Radiant Dawn and Sunset Shimmer bent their legs, and charged at the two Changelings, their horns glowing brightly. The ponies outside watched in awe as the two unicorns fought against the Changelings with great intensity. The room shook from the spells being cast between Sunset Shimmer and Ghost, and Radiant Dawn wound up destroying several pieces of furniture during his struggle with Lord Umbriel.

"It's a shame, really." said Umbriel. "You're a unicorn, aren't you?"

"Yeah!" responded Radiant.

"So why don't you use your magic?" asked the Changeling lord. "You're not an earth pony! Start casting some spells, you big oaf!"

"Oh, you want magic?" growled Dawn. "I'll give it to ya!"

Suddenly, his horn glowed brightly, and the mayor's desk was dropped down on Umbriel's back.

"Oh, come on!" complained the mayor, who was watching from outside. "That desk had a mahogany finish, and cost six hundred bits! Did he seriously have to break it?!"

Then Umbriel emerged from under the destroyed desk, his head bleeding green blood.

"Or you know what?" said the mayor, timidly. "I didn't need the desk that badly! Kill that monster, master guardsman! Kill him dead!"

"That's what I'm trying to do, sir!" shouted back Radiant.

Umbriel growled viciously. His horn began to glow brightly, but then it faltered from the head trauma. His eyesight was blotched with red and green from the burst blood vessels in his eyes, but he was able to make out Radiant Dawn galloping towards him, with his head down.

"Oh, for f--" he attempted to curse, when Radiant suddenly bellowed out.

Violently, Radiant Dawn ran Umbriel through with his horn, and held him up over his tall body. He began to shake him up.

"How. Do. You. Like. This?!" shouted Radiant as he did this.

There was several crackling noises coming from within Umbriel's body, as the Changeling began to squirm uncomfortably.

"Please!" he squealed. "Show mercy!"

"Did you show my parents mercy when you attacked them?" demanded Dawn. "Did you show my sister mercy when you tried to throttle her?!"

Ghost was suddenly flung across the room by Sunset's telekinesis, but caught himself in mid-flight before he splattered against the wall. He collapsed exhausted on an overturned sofa.

"Radiant, don't kill him!" said Sunset.

"Why not?" asked Radiant, still snarling at the impaled Changeling. "This guy did something to our parents, and--"

"Because he might know what happened to our parents!" she explained. "If you kill him now, we may never find them! Besides, I don't want you to brutally murder someone like this! You're not a cold-blooded killer, Red. Don't act like you are!"

"Murder, Sunset?" Radiant questioned. "He tried to kill you! He tried to kill me! This is self-defense!"

"Radiant Dawn, put that creature down now!" said Sunset Shimmer with a commanding tone in her voice.

"Okay, okay." said Radiant, turning his head down again. "You're off the hook."

Lord Umbriel slid off the unicorn's horn and dropped to the ground. He began wheezing for air, and wrapping his insectoid wings over the puncture wounds. The brother and sister stood on opposite sides of the wounded Changeling, and stared him down fiercely.

"This...isn't...over!" he snarled at them. "If you think...I'll just give up, you're...sadly...mistaken!"

"Can I kill him now, Sunny?" asked Radiant.

"Not yet, Red." said Sunset. "Umbriel, I want to know what happened to our parents! Tell me, and we'll let you go."

"You two...just aren't ready yet for the truth!" spat the Changeling. "So you think that by defeating me here and now, I'll just open up about everything? You haven't beaten me yet! This was just a setback for me! I'll come back to finish you off! Ghost, send me to my sister!"

"Yes, my lord!" said Ghost, climbing off the sofa.

"Oh, no you--" Sunset shouted, but it was too late.

Ghost's horn glowed, and the injured Umbriel disappeared in a flash of light. Radiant caught sight of the albino Changeling, and tackled him before he could cast the spell on himself.

"Where'd you send him?" said the stallion. "Where did Umbriel go this time?"

"There's really no point, big boy." said the white Changeling. "No matter where he is now, he will have left before you even reach it. That's how we Changelings work! Now, if you'll excuse me..."

There was another flash of light, and Ghost blasted Radiant off of him with a concussive blast of energy. With a third flash, Ghost vanished from the city.

"Sunset, are you okay?" shouted Trixie, who galloped into the room.

"I'm fine, Trixie." replied Sunset Shimmer to her friend.

"Oh, I was so worried about you!" the blue unicorn began sobbing into Sunset's neck.

Sunset gently tried to shrug off the crying mare. Meanwhile, Lightning Dust trotted into the room when she caught sight of Radiant, who was brooding over the spot where Umbriel once laid. She decided to comfort him. She put a wing over his back.

"You okay, big guy?" Lightning asked.

"Yeah." said Radiant, who nodded slowly. "I'm just so...frustrated right now. I failed my family. I failed everyone!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself." said the mare. "You didn't fail everyone. After all, you just saved my best friend. You also saved my hometown. You, sir, are a hero."

"Indeed, he is a hero." said a familiar voice. "As is Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset Shimmer, Radiant Dawn, Trixie, and Lightning Dust turned towards the door. They saw Captain Star Shield standing in the doorway, flanked by Crimson Cloud and Firefly. Radiant stood himself up, nervously expecting his superior to chew him out for running out on his men. But when the captain approached him, he simply put a comforting wing on the unicorn's neck.

"You've done well, lieutenant." he said, giving him a rare smile. "You have averted a great threat by intervening like this. Everypony, look outside, if you would please."

They all went to the opened window, and peered out into the city. Outside, the sun was beginning to rise, and the Changelings and creatures that weren't subdued by the defenders of the city began to flee from Fillydelphia. Throughout the city, the townsponies and guards cheering on their victory over the invaders.

"Lieutenant Dawn and Miss Shimmer." he addressed the unicorn siblings. "This wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the quick thinking and determination of you two. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would be proud of both of you right now."

Lightning Dust and Trixie gave Sunset Shimmer a group hug.

"Way to go, Sunset!" smiled Trixie.

"You rock, girlfriend!" cheered Lightning, blissfully. "That was so awesome of you!"

"Thanks, guys." blushed Sunset. "But I couldn't have done it with my big brother over here."

She turned her head over to Radiant, who was preoccupied by the cheering ponies outside. Lightning Dust glanced between the two unicorns, and squealed.

"Wow, Sunny." she whispered into her friend's ear. "Why didn't you tell me you had such a cool brother? Now I've got to introduce myself to him."

"Be my guest, Lightning." said Sunset Shimmer, with a smile.

Lightning Dust went over to Radiant, and leaned against him.

"So, you're Sunset's brother, huh?" she asked him.

"That's right." nodded the stallion. "The name's Dawn. Radiant Dawn."

"Call me Lightning Dust." replied the pegasus. "So, I was wondering: Are you...taken?"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Radiant.

"Well, I mean do you have a...special somepony?" asked Lightning.

"Not really." said Radiant, who was still looking out the window. "I used to date this gryphon, but it didn't work so well for us."

"Well, honey, I'm sorry to hear that." said Lightning. "So, do ya wanna go somewhere later? I know a place where we can celebrate your and Sunset's victory over that Changeling warlord. Are you two into music or dancing at all?"

"As long as it isn't a square-dance or a hoedown, I'm game for anything." said Sunset, who came over to them.

"Ditto, here." said Radiant.

"No, it won't be anything like that!" said Lightning. "I mean, go out and party! I know this nightclub uptown that plays some killer beats! We could totally swing by there tonight, assuming it didn't get destroyed in the battle, of course."

Sunset found herself smiling. She hadn't been to a dance party in ages. Not since she was in the human world.

"I'd love to go!" she exclaimed, cheerfully.

"Me, too!" said Radiant.

"And I shall send a messenger to inform Princess Luna that this mission was a success." said Captain Star Shield. "I think that I could afford to stay behind to keep an eye on her majesty's student...and of course, keep my potential recruits in line."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Lightning asked.

"You'll see, young one." said the Captain of the Night Guard.