Twilight was in a deep slumber. Soon she started dreaming about being on a boat. It was her and Flash. The water was calm and the sky was blue. The boat was a row boat but had no oars. It drifted on the waves, lose and free. All around them, as far as the eye could see was open water. They were both in human form. Flash leaned over and kissed her. When he pulled back, he gasped in horror as Twilight was now in pony form. The water became choppy, the sky darkened, and a storm rolled in. The boat kept rocking harder and harder. The she heard a voice call out.

"Twilight. Twilight, wake up. Twilight! Wake up. It's important." Sunset busily tried to wake Twilight.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes to see that Sunset Shimmer was rocking her back and forth and calling her name. "What is it? What time is it? Is Flash here?" She was confused. Sunset's voice sounded so urgent; but what could be so bad or important that she was shaking her awake so.

"It's the Sirens. I met the leader last night. She's looking for the portal to get back home Twilight!" Sunset said hoping the importance of what she was saying would sink in.

Twilight sat up and looked at Sunset. "So?" she said and shrugged. "Their pendants were destroyed. They're harmless now. If they want to go back to Equestria; what's the problem? They can't do anymore damage or hurt anyone. At least not with magic."

Sunset stared at Twilight not believing what she was hearing. How could she not grasp the consequences on the Sirens crossing back over. "Twilight, I know you're a bit, um, boy blind, at the moment; but think! If they cross back over, they could find more stones like they had or something else far worse. They would have access to Equestrian magic. They could use that to seek revenge on both our world and this one. In fact, that's exactly what the leader told me they were going to do."

"Whoa, wait." Twilight shook her head confused. "Why would the leader tell you that? I mean bad guys only spill their secret plans in movies, tv, and comic books. That makes no sense."

Sunset looked down. "She was trying to recruit me. She wanted me to join her. And I got to admit, she gave one heck of a sales pitch. As I said that night in Pinkie's kitchen; reforming has been hard. And she was hitting all the main points. I hate to admit it, but for a second there I actually seriously thought about it. But I realized I have it much better now than back in my "she-demon" days. That and I don't like Birkenstocks."

Twilight tilted her head to the right. "Birkenstocks?" she asked even more confused.

Sunset shook her head. "Human reference, I'll explain later. Besides; it's not important now. We know what her plan is. And as long as you are here, the portal remains open. You got to go back and close it. Lay low for a while. They'll grow tired of looking after a while, maybe three months or so. Then you should be able to come back safely. Come on. Get dressed and I'll take you back." Sunset started to get up to leave.

"No."

Sunset spun around in shock. "What did you say?"

"No. I'm not going. At least not now; not without saying bye to Flash. And there's no way I'm staying away for three months. It took all I had to stay away for a week. No. You're being too paranoid about this whole thing. Besides I have done so much, for so many. I saved this world twice and Equestria more times than I care to remember. I have faced monsters and demons. I have given of myself until I had nothing left to give and let myself be used so others could feel important. It's my time now. I just want a normal life. I have never dated, been in love, or kissed a boy before. I want, I NEED those things." Twilight was angry and fed up. So many times before, circumstances had come in and ruined things for her. Heck, they day of her brother's wedding, she had to fight a demon queen. She was done with it. All of it. She needed a break and that was it.

Sunset went from being shocked to being furious. "You are a princess Twilight. You don't get to take a holiday whenever you feel the world has been too tough on you. The pampered aristocracy of this world, sure, they get to do that; but not you, not in our world. Life is unfair Twilight, especially to those who do the most good, or try to at least. But it doesn't matter. You have a job to do. And if the Sirens get back and harm anyone, it'll be on your head and in your heart forever. You can't risk it."

"Don't tell me what my responsibilities are! You have no idea what I've been through! You were here nursing a fractured ego and ruining peoples lives while I was saving our world from countless monsters and threats. Besides, how do I even know you're telling me the truth? This could all be a lie to get me out of Flash's life and you could have him all to yourself again."

Sunset sucked in her cheeks and slowly shook her head. So this is how it was huh? The person who she looked up to the most since Celestia, the one who first introduced her to the power of friendship and forgiveness, was now throwing her past up in her face and accusing her of ulterior motives. Maybe she had chosen wrong. Maybe the Siren leader was right. Maybe there was even still time to go back and say she's in. It all seemed not worth it anymore.

"Do what you feel is best. I'm going to the kitchen to make breakfast." Sunset turned around and started to walk out.

Twilight's anger subsided and turned to shame. She couldn't believe what she had done. Here she was, "The Princess of Friendship" and she was anything but. It was unfair, but Sunset was right; life wasn't fair and she had no business bringing Sunset's past up or accusing her of duplicitous means. "Sunset, you're right. I'm sorry and I'll get dressed."

Sunset stopped but didn't turn around. She took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. She then continued walking out.

****************************************************************************************************************

Adagio held the piece close to her face, still not believing it. They had searched this area before and found nothing. Why now? Then an idea hit her. What if it was the portal? The portal was opened now, slowly leaking Equestrian magic into the area. What if that had reinvigorated this piece? Some how charged it up like a reusable battery? What if she could use it to find the portal?

She walked out of the stadium to see if she could feel any fluctuation in it's energy levels. The piece hummed slightly in her hand. As she got to the exit, it was humming less. She then started to her left and it hummed even less. She turned to her right and it started humming more. She walked in this direction and that, feeling the intensity of the fragment's hum until she was standing in front of the horse statue in the main court yard of the school. There it almost leapt out of her hand. She walked over to it to touch it and her hand went through. This was it! This is what she had been searching for.

She stuck her hand with the fragment in the portal and held it there. Then she pulled it out. It glowed with a bright red fire. Adagio closed her eyes, cleared her throat, and let lose with a voice that would make an opera singer green with envy. A huge, sinister smile came across her face. With this little fragment alone, exposed directly to Equestrian magic, she had her voice back. This was good. This was really good. It was time to call the girls.

************************************************************************************************************

"I'm ready," Twilight said quietly. She had her school uniform back on and the clothes she had bought were put back in the shopping bags. She figured if she ever did come back, she wouldn't be staying here.

Sunset looked up from her coffee. " I called Flash. He'll meet us there." She then stood up and got her keys.

"Thank you Sunset. And I'm so sorry." Twilight was nearly in tears now. She felt so bad about how she behaved. It was uncalled for and beneath her.

"I'm coming with you," Sunset simply said.

"What!"

"Equestria is home. I belong there. And it is unfair you have to give up on something, some one, you really want. And you were right, I did come here to nurse my ego and more. That's over now. It's time to go back and complete my studies." Her tone was still flat with an under current of sadness.

Now the tears ran down Twilight's cheek. She ran over to Sunset and hugged her. "You can stay with me. I could use a roommate."

Sunset stood stone still for a while, then slowly, returned Twilight's hug.

**********************************************************************************************************

Adagio watched with a combination of amusement and revulsion as the car driven by Trixie swerved and bumped into just about everything in sight. She really didn't know how to drive. The car came to a screeching halt and Trixie and Aria raced out. Adagio pointed to the statue as soon as they got there and said, "Here it is girls. Our way back home. Well, Aria's and mine home anyways."

"How'd you'd find it?" Aria asked breathlessly.

"With this." Adagio opened her hand to reveal the glowing fragment. "The magic coming from this portal was enough to make this little piece spark back up again. Are we all ready?"

"Hey, you there, Trixie?!"

They turned toward the sound of the voice; it was Flash. What was he doing here? Probably seeing Twilight off. No matter. Adagio looked over at the other two. "Link hands girls and then belt one out like your life depended on it; because it does."

"What?" Trixie asked.

"Just do it!" Aria said.

Aria took Adagio's left hand and Trixie's right. Flash was running up to them. Adagio counted to three and all three opened their mouths and let out a sound that was so strong, pure, and powerful; it sent Flash flying through the air and crashing twenty-five feet away.

"FLASH!" Twilight called out. She and Sunset had arrived just in time to see him go flying.

"Well, well, the gang's all here. Through the portal girls, quickly!" Adagio ordered.

Sunset and Twilight rushed over to the portal as fast as they could but the others were too close and ran through before they got there. Twilight and Sunset rushed and jumped for the portal only to find to their painful horror it was already closed. In vain the two girls pounded at the statue and found only concrete meeting their fists.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Twilight screamed and started crying.

Flash slowly made his way over to the statue. Every muscle in his body hurt and blood trickled from his nose. "What happened?" he asked.

Sunset stood up and looked at him. Her eyes were saucer sized expressions of terror. "Quite possibly the beginning of the end."