This chapter and the two before it all take place in the same day for those of you that wanted to know. I can't fit it all into one single chapter so I broke up an entire day's events into chapters. I will decide what will happen next during Sunset's time at school in a few days.

While the phone started to ring on the other end, Sunset said, “Shouldn’t we be doing this meeting at school?”

“Sunset, I wanted you to feel safe when talking with everyone, and I believe that my home was a good, private place to have this meeting. Besides, I have today off. Now, I am going to leave you to make your call in peace. You come out when you're ready, dear.”

“Alright, and thank you for everything, including last night."

“It's what I'm here for, dear.”

Cheerilee headed back into the living room to rejoin Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, sitting on the couch while Luna stood in front of the living room window, arms crossed. Celestia was in the kitchen making tea for everyone as they waited to start their meeting with Sunset.

Luna started to pace back and forth, looking down as she said out loud to no one in particular, “I don’t like this at all.” Luna let out a sigh, uncrossing her arms as she continued, “This makes no sense at all. Where the hell did Sunset get the alcohol from? I know the Cakes. They don’t keep stuff like that just lying around.”

“I'm sure we’ll find out once she's done with her phone call. Sit down, Luna. You’ll only wear a hole in my carpet pacing back and forth like that.”

Luna stopped her pacing and looked at Cheerilee, who looked back with concern. Celestia was just coming back into the living room, a tray in her hands with tea cups, saucers and a tea pot full of hot tea.

Celestia set down the tray on Cheerilee’s coffee table, saying as she poured the tea, “I know you're both very worried for Sunset.” Celestia paused as she handed the cups to her two companions. “I'm also very worried. But I think we should wait until Sunset gets here before talking about the alcohol.” Celestia took her cup and sat down on a lounge chair, taking a sip. “In other news, I think I know who Anon-a-Miss might--”

Her words were cut short when she heard, “Dad, I understand, but I really need to do this. They have a right to know why I have it.” The three could hear Sunset pacing back and forth in the guest room as she continued, “My journal should be in my backpack upstairs. I don’t know where my phone is. I’ll pay for a new one somehow.” Sunset could be heard coming out of the room. “Thanks, Dad. How soon till you and Mom get here? Okay, I’ll see you in fifteen minutes then. Thanks again, Dad.”

Looking to her sister with slight confusion, Luna said, “Do you know what Sunset is talking about, Tia?“

Taking another sip of her tea, Celestia looked out the window next to her, then back at her sister as she set her cup down. “I made her a promise not to discuss it with anyone unless she wanted me to.” Celestia looked down for a minute. She swallowed hard before continuing, “I don’t want to go back on my word. It's all she has left to hang onto, now.” Celestia sighed softly as she looked out the window again. She continued, her head hung low, “If last night was any indication of how bad things are for her, can either of you imagine what she would do if she feels like she can’t trust us?”

Sunset entered the living, looking at everyone. She headed over to Cheerilee, saying as she handed her former teacher the phone, “Thank you for letting me use your phone, Ms. Cheerilee.”

Sitting down in another lounge chair, Sunset looked to everyone in the living room, then hung her head in shame. Before she had a chance to speak, Celestia got up and knelt down in front of her, taking Sunset’s hands into her own and saying softly, “No matter what you are going through, Sunset, please know that we are all here for you.”

Sunset slowly looked up, a single tear trickling down her cheek as she said, “I know I messed up badly. I just don’t want you all to think I did it just to get attention. It just hurts so much knowing that none of my friends want anything to do with me anymore and being accused of hurting innocent animals, too.” Celestia wiped away Sunset's tear before taking her seat again.

“Sunset, what are you talking about?” Luna asked, confused. “I don’t recall anyone saying anything about you hurting animals, nor was such information posted on MyStable.”

“I found a cat in a sewer. Some nut called Discord put it down there. He said that he's a therapist and that he did it to see if I was still a bully.” Sunset crossed her arms over her chest, looking down as she continued, “I brought the cat to Fluttershy. I don’t even know how to take care of myself, as you can all tell by my actions last night, much less a cat.”

“And I take it Fluttershy accused you of hurting the cat,” Cheerilee injected before Sunset could get another word in. “That seems very unfair of her.”

Sunset didn’t reply. The look on her face was all Cheerilee needed to confirm that Sunset told the truth. Hearing a car pull into the driveway, Sunset got up and walked over to the window, seeing her parents pulling up to the curb. She felt slightly better by their arrival, but the cold weather outside made her feel sad and lonely. Looking back at the three in the living room, Sunset said, “Why?”

Everyone exchanged glances, and Luna asked while Sunset parents made their way to the front door, “Why what, Sunset?”

Before Sunset could answer, everyone heard a soft knock at the door. Cheerilee got up and answered the door, and Sunset’s parents walked in, taking off their coats and handing them to Cheerilee, who put them into the hallway closet. Mr. Cake handed Cheerilee Sunset's backpack as well, which she placed into the closet with their coats.

Seeing Sunset standing in the living room, Mrs. Cake rushed to her side, hugging the teen tightly in her arms, a bit too tightly for Sunset’s liking.

“Aaaah,” Sunset squeaked, “Mom, too tight! You're squishing me.” Mrs. Cake ended the hug as Sunset looked at her with sadness in her eyes. Sunset had a very weak smile on her face as she continued, “Thank you for coming. I know I'm in trouble for what I did.” Sunset led her mother over to the couch, allowing the older woman to sit down as she continued. “I don’t understand why everyone, including the two of you, are so concerned with my well-being.” Taking a seat, she hung her head and sighed heavily. “Wouldn’t it be easier on you all to just let me slip through your fingers and forget about me?”

Mr. Cake took a hold of Sunset’s hands as he knelt down in front her, saying sternly, “No, it wouldn't be easier on us. You're our daugh--”

Sunset’s head snapped up as she stared coldly back at her father, which froze his words. Then, she slowly lowered her head, saying as she sniffed, trying to choke back her sobs, “But that's just it. I'm not your daughter, and I never will be. I’m...I’m...”

“Hey.” Mr. Cake put a finger under Sunset's chin, raising her head so their eyes locked. “No daughter of mine, adopted or otherwise, will ever talk like that in my presence. We love you too much to hear you tear yourself down. Do you understand, Sunset?”

“Sunset, please tell us where you got the alcohol from,” Celestia said kindly, setting down her teacup. “Please, we need to know who gave it to you. You need to understand that you could have been badly hurt. You could have frozen to death out there if it were not for Ms. Cheerilee.”

“I--” Sunset began clenching her hands into tight fights, gripping her skirt tightly in her fingers. “She’ll be expelled, or you’ll all hate me for just being friends with her.”

Sunset's mother and father both got up, each taking a hold of their daughter, allowing her to feel safe and loved in their arms. Sunset’s eyes watered. She could feel herself breaking down again. Not wanting to let herself cry, she hugged both of her parents tightly in her arms. The sadness and her anger at her former friends were crushing her.

As her tears threatened to fall, she said softly, “Alright, you win. I’ll tell you.” Letting her go and gently taking her hands into their own, Mr. and Mrs. Cake waited for Sunset to answer. “But before I do,” Sunset began, almost above a whisper, “I wanna ask you to go easy on her. I don’t want her to get expelled or hurt because of this.”

Celestia got up, laying a gentle hand onto Sunset's shoulder, saying softly, “Don’t worry, Sunset. No one will be expelled. While I can’t promise there won't be consequences, I can at least promise you that.”

Sunset knew how serious the older woman was about promises. Closing her eyes, Sunset said, “It was Rarity Belle who gave me the Scotch and wine. She only gave me one bottle of the Scotch, though.” Gulping slightly, she continued, “I got the other bottle from...my house. I found it in the refrigerator under a couple loaves of bread.”

Mr. Cake lowered his head as his fear was confirmed, recalling how he had found the open bottle of wine in his daughter's room after going in to retrieve her backpack.

“That can’t be,” Luna protested, looking at Mr. Cake with wide eyes. “I've known you both since I was in the tenth grade. You don’t drink at all. D-Do you?”

Mrs. Cake replied, “No, we don’t. We do, however, use it in our cake batter, specifically for our Scotch crumb cake.”

Sunset kept her head hung low, feeling even worse than before. Although she was relieved to hear her parents really didn’t drink, it did little to assuage her anger and guilt from her actions taken the previous night. Sighing, she was about to get up when she heard her father say softly, “As for you being in trouble about the drinking, we can discuss a fair punishment for it in a little bit, okay, honey?” Mr. Cake knelt down and hugged Sunset warmly, saying gently, “We love you. All of us--”

Mr. Cake's words were cut short as everyone heard a soft, thumping noise coming from a bag in Mrs. Cake's hands.

Luna, Celestia and Cheerilee exchanged confused glances. Seeing their looks, Sunset said, “Thank you for bringing it, Dad. It's time for everyone to know why I have this, and before you say anything, I'm planning on giving it to my frie--er, former friends at school so they can decide what to do with it.”

Mrs. Cake set down the bag, then reached into it, taking out a red, heart-shaped crystal and setting it down on the coffee table in front of her. The crystal seemed to pulse on its own, causing everyone except Sunset to look at it, disturbed. As Luna stared at the heart-shaped crystal in front of her, she said, “What is it? It's...beating, like...like a heart.”

Luna was about to pick it up when she heard Sunset say grimly, “That's because it is a heart, Vice Principal Luna.” Sunset looked right at the crystal, saying, “It's called the Demon's Heart.”

“Okay,” Celestia began with worry in her eyes, “I know you told me about your life in Equestria, but where did you get something like this?”

“I got it from your counterpart.” Sunset turned her attention to Celestia. She looked down and she gulped hard before continuing, “I stole it from...my mother Princess Celestia.” Looking back up, she continued, “I had planned on using it against her to force her into allowing me to rule in her stead. Years ago, before I was born, Star Swirl the Bearded created two mirrors. One was the one that I used to come to this world. The other was a prototype of that mirror.”

Sunset breathed in and out slowly, collecting her thoughts. She continued with a very dark, grim look to her face, “Star Swirl was a bit of a fanatic back then. He wanted to spread the word of harmony to all beings, so he created a mirror that could lead to other Equestria's.” Walking back over to her chair and sitting down, Sunset continued coldly, “He found that his magic was powerful enough to open a gateway into another Equestria. Only, this one was nothing like the one that I come from.”

As Sunset continued to tell her tale, Luna looked at her worriedly.

“Well, my world's Celestia found out about the mirror, and she was none too happy about it, I can tell you that much.”

“What happened?” Cheerilee asked, quirking her eyebrow slightly. “I mean, to want to help others out doesn’t seem too bad to me.”

“Princess Celestia and Star Swirl entered the mirror and found a good, kind-hearted version of King Sombra, who, in my Equestria, was a tyrant. With his help, the two sisters defeated the evil versions of themselves and brought harmony to that Equestria. To thank them for freeing them from their hatred, the now-good Princess Celestia of that world gave my world's Celestia this crystal. Before my world's Celestia took it, though, the other Celestia warned her counterpart that this crystal could bring back the dead or grant unlimited power to anyone foolish enough to use it.” Sunset cleared her throat, then continued bitterly, “The reason that it has the metal on it and that the metal is needle-shaped is because my world's Celestia was trying to get rid of the evil inside of it.”

Luna looked at Sunset with both fear and concern showing on her face as she said, “Well, I am very glad to see that you were not foolish enough to try something that sounds so dangerous, Sunset. But please, tell us why you have this and what you were planning on doing with it.”

“I had wanted to ask my former friends to destroy it, but I doubt they will listen to me now.”

“Sunset,” Luna began, a bit nervous about what she was about to ask, “you say you wanted your former friends to destroy it, but I see little reason why you can't-do it.”

Sunset replied coldly, “I can’t destroy something that is evil. Evil cannot destroy evil, it can only contain it, as is the case with the Demon's Heart.” Looking down, she continued, “I've already tried to destroy it. I nearly killed myself doing it. It is my hope that my former friends will be able to destroy it. I don’t want Twilight getting her hands on it, though; she’ll just want to study it, and that could put both worlds at risk.”

“At risk for what?” Cheerilee asked. “I don’t see what the problem is. You've got it, and I don't think you'd give it to the wrong person.”

Sunset didn’t reply. She instead shot Cheerilee a look that caused the older woman to raise a hand to her mouth, letting out a soft but noticeable gasp of fright. Worried, Cheerilee clammed up, leaving Luna and Celestia to ponder what Cheerilee had figured out on her own. Mr. and Mrs. Cake, having been already told about the Demon's Heart, simply sat in worried silence. Sunset reached out, taking the Demon's Heart into her hand, saying, “I’ll be right back.”

Without another word, Sunset got up and went over to the closet. Sunset placed the Demon's Heart into her coat's right, side pocket, then zipped it closed. Looking at her watch, she saw she had enough time to get to her second-period class and then continue with lunch after that.

“Sunset,” Cheerilee began, a bit nervous at what she was about to suggest as the teen came back into the living room, “not to get off topic here, but what are you planning to do about Anon-a-Miss?”

“I don’t know, Ms. Cheerilee. I don’t know who she is or--”

“I think I know who it is.” Principal Celestia interrupted. All eyes fell to Celestia as she continued, “I think it was Trixie Lulamoon that has been causing all this trouble.”

“Principal Celestia, that doesn’t make any sense at all. Why would she do something like this to our daughter?” Mrs. Cake injected just as Sunset was about to speak. “I know she can be a bit of a handful, but that doesn't mean she'd do something like this.”

“It makes perfect sense to me,” Sunset snarled bitterly as all eyes fell on her. “She hates the fact that my former friends and I beat her at the Battle of the Bands.”

“But even so, why would Trixie do something so selfish and so reckless as to set up the Anon-a-Miss account?” Luna pondered, tapping her chin with her finger. “She may hate you for defeating her, but that doesn’t explain how she got a hold of everyone's secrets. Unless she had help from Lavender Lace and Fuchsia Blush.”

Sunset looked down and sighed, saying, “I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. Whoever Anon-a-Miss is, they're causing all this chaos because they hate me.”

“Sunset, honey,” Mrs. Cake began, “you don’t need to be sorry for this. None of this is your fault.”

“I know, Mom. I just don’t know what to do. I mean, I feel like the only one who has even the slightest idea of what I am going through is Vice Principal Luna.”

Luna smiled lightly, taking Sunset's hands into her own as she said, “It’s going to be alright, Sunset. You’ll see. I know things are bad right now, but just give it some time.”

Sunset got out of her chair. “That’s just it, though. You all say, ‘It's going to be alright,’ but I feel like it isn’t ever going to alright again, even if I do ask for Twilight’s help. I'm afraid that she really will turn on me and put me into Tartarus for all that I've done and for this Anon-a-Miss stuff.”

“Sunset,” Mr. Cake began softly, taking his daughter into his loving arms as she began to cry into his shoulders, “you are not in Tartarus.” Running his fingers through her hair soothingly, he continued, “All of us here with you will help you through this. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Sunset calmed down enough for her father to gently sit her down on the couch next to Cheerilee as he continued, “Why don’t you use the journal now? Ask Twilight if you and I can come over to her world so that we can talk with her together. You'll see that she isn't gonna hurt you.”

Sniffing slightly, Sunset nodded, then said, “Alright, but what about my punishment?”

“Well, I think a two-week grounding is fair, don't you think?”

Accepting her punishment, Sunset headed into the hallway to get her things. Wanting to hide the Demon's Heart further, she moved it from her pocket to her backpack. When she was finished, Mr. Cake took her by the shoulders and said, “I’ll give you a ride to school. You should get there just before the second period.”

“Okay, Dad. I’ll send Twilight a message through the journal. I'm sure she wants to meet you as well.”

The group headed out to their cars and began their trip to school. Once buckled in and ready to go, Sunset looked out the window and waved her goodbyes to Cheerilee. The teacher waved back and went back inside, hoping that all would work out for her former student