Summer vacation had finally come to an end; the new school year had begun and brought Sunset and her friends into their senior year. The end of school was in sight, the temperature getting colder, and it was starting to feel much like fall.

With the cooling temperature, Sunset was able to start wearing her favorite jacket again, her friends following suit and dressed in their fall attire. Something about her jacket brought her comfort and security. Perhaps because it was the first thing she donned when she turned over her new leaf.

Sitting across from Rarity at the lunch table, Sunset smiled at the girl as she swallowed a bite of her salad. Applejack had just joined the group, taking a seat directly next to Rarity. “Howdy, y’all! Sorry, I’m late, had to get a new lock for my locker. The one they had assigned me last week wasn’t working so great…”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you didn’t just forget the combination for it again?”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Nah, it was actually stuck this time.”

“Mhm…” Rarity gave a sneer and suspicious expression as she bit into an apple, remembering how frequently Applejack forgot her locker combination.

Sunset directed her attention to a purple-haired girl who approached. She squeezed in next to Sunset with a bright smile before fixing her glasses. “How are you, Sunset?”

“Pretty good, it’s cool that we share a few classes together, huh?” Sunset asked.

Twilight nodded. “Indeed, I also applied for the Canterlot Institute. I must have stayed up for hours preparing the essay, getting my recommendation letter from Cadance, it was... a ton of work needless to say.”

"I thought you were going to a different school, darling?" Rarity asked with a raised brow.

Twilight shrugged. "After hearing about Canterlot Institute I decided to put in an application, it sounds like an amazing school!"

“Guess you're hoping Shimmer sees your name and gives your application a push?” Sunset smirked.

“Hopefully not… I went through a lot of work, I'd like to get in on my own merits...” Twilight blushed and looked down at her tray.

Sunset reached over and placed an arm around the girl, giving her a small hug. “I’m kidding. You'll probably get in from your grades. I mean you’re one of the best students here. You’re smarter than probably the whole school; you’ve got tons of achievements under your belt. It would be insane not to pick you.”

Twilight perked up and nodded as she returned the hug before releasing Sunset. “What about you though?”

Sunset blinked. “What about me?”

“You’re pretty close to the top of the class too, and I haven’t heard you say anything about college… You plan on going don’t you?” Twilight asked with a concerned face.

Sunset shrugged. “Who knows? I’m not sure college is for me… That’s more of Shimmer’s thing…” she lied.

Truthfully, Sunset actually would love to go to college and follow her friends, but she knew it wasn’t likely. Getting in would be tricky; she could slip through the cracks with high school, as Celestia and Luna helped her fill in some of the blanks, but she wouldn’t be able to provide the information needed to apply for college. She lacked a social security number, proof of citizenship, and essentially every bit of paperwork necessary. It was easy enough to fool people who weren't really looking, but colleges definitely were a lot harder to fool. They actively would be searching Sunset's background.

“Speaking of Shimmer, how has she been?” Rarity asked, trying to change the subject, clearly detecting it was bothering Sunset.

Sunset chuckled. “Pretty good. I don’t get to text her too often, but she’s taken anger management pretty well. She’s been in it for close to three weeks, and she says it’s helping a lot. I promised her we’d hang out as soon as we both were free.”

“Oh I wish she went to school with us, I’d love to have someone so fashionable to gossip with at school…” Rarity pouted.

Applejack merely rolled her eyes at her friend.

“I’m sure we’ll all get to hang out really soon,” Sunset remarked.

She was going to comment further on Shimmer’s progress, however, the group fell silent as the voice of Principal Celestia rang over the PA system. “Would Sunset Shimmer please report to the Principal’s office?”

“Busteeeeeed!” Pinkie who had just arrived with a tray stacked with food teased.

“What did you do?” Twilight looked to Sunset with concern.

“Nothing, chances are Celestia is going to scold me about not applying for colleges. We were told to talk to our advisers in the first week about our future plans and I never did… So probably just going to get an earful, no biggie…” Sunset shrugged as she stood up, “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Sunset… Do meet with your adviser at some point though…” Twilight called out to her.

With a sigh, Sunset nodded, merely trying to placate the girl. She had no intention of actually doing so as she knew it was just a huge waste of her time.

Walking down the quiet halls, she contemplated her potential moves. Part of her had accepted there was a real possibility that she might have to return to Equestria at the end of the year. High School would be over, and she couldn’t figure out any further tricks to stay here undetected. Eventually, the law would catch up with her, and it’d get out that she wasn’t documented. Questions of her origin would start to pop up, and she couldn’t afford that. Finding work to pay for her life here would not be easy, and she knew she couldn't count on pulling favors forever.

Dismissing these thoughts, she cleared her head as she reached for the door to Celestia’s office. Taking a step inside, the secretary looked up at her. “Ah yes, Ms. Shimmer. Principal Celestia is waiting for you, do step inside.”

She nodded and went into the office. There Celestia sat with her hands locked together on her desk, Luna leaning against a wall next to her, the same intimidating expression upon her face, an empty coffee cup on a table next to her, which Sunset was sure was probably her eighth cup or so. For a Vice Principal, she certainly was more intimidating than her sister, Celestia. Sunset wondered if it was intentional or if that was just her natural look. Though she knew that the woman could be very caring and sweet deep down.

“Please, shut the door behind you,” Celestia spoke.

Sunset gulped as she nodded and did as she was told. Usually closing the door meant getting yelled at. She braced herself for whatever might await her. Standing up straight, she approached Celestia’s desk. “Ma’am?”

“Please, sit,” Celestia instructed.

Sunset could already tell this would be a very tense meeting as she sat down in the chair in front of Celestia’s desk.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Sunset…” Celestia began as she searched through a file on her desk. “It’s come to my attention that you haven’t met with your advisor at all yet. I also have noticed you didn’t apply for a single college…”

She had called it; Sunset sighed and nodded. “That is correct ma’am…”

“This troubles me because, with your grades, you’re throwing away a lot of potential… Your scores on all the state tests could get you into any school you wanted… Why are you not applying for any though?” Celestia asked.

“Ma’am…” Sunset sighed again and looked up to her Principal with a serious face. “As you might know… I’m not from here, even if I wanted to go to one of these schools, I couldn’t. I’m undocumented, an illegal… I don’t exist on paper…”

She was quite certain that Celestia knew and expected this answer. Celestia’s nod confirmed it. “Yes… Well… If you had a choice, would you go to college?”

Sunset nodded. “Sure. I’m not sure what I’d want to do yet, but I’d love to go. I love this place, I want to continue living here, I want to keep seeing all my friends and learn more about this place. Truthfully... I'm not that eager to go back home... not much is really waiting for me... but that’s not an option though.”

“I see.” Celestia nodded again and placed her finger on an intercom on her desk. “You can send her in now,” she spoke into it.

Before Sunset knew it, the door behind her opened, and in walked a familiar face, a face that she hadn’t seen in weeks, but she couldn’t be happier to see. Thick and wild red and yellow hair bounced in a ponytail behind her as she approached Celestia and turned to face Sunset when she stood behind her desk.

As usual, she was dressed gorgeously, a cute long-sleeved black dress, a red ribbon choker around her neck, and black net gloves without fingertips. In her hands that held a folder tightly against her chest was a file.

“Ms. Shimmer, if you may?” Celestia spoke facing Shimmer.

She nodded and bowed slightly before turning back to Sunset. “Sunset… I am here on behalf of the Canterlot Institute. We have reviewed your grades, test scores, and achievements, and it is my recommendation that you be given a full scholarship to our prestigious institute for the brightest minds of tomorrow.”

Sunset blinked and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. “Shimmer… How though? There’s no way you could have managed to get me in…”

A smirk appeared on Shimmer’s face as she placed the folder on the table and slid it over to Sunset. “That’s why I prepared this…”

Opening it, Sunset started examining the contents. Shimmer began to speak explaining them to her. “Everything you need is in that folder. Birth certificate, social security number, passport, it’s all there. All legitimate too, call up the office of social services and they can verify this is all legitimate.”

“H-how!?” Sunset looked up to Shimmer in amazement.

Adjusting her glasses, Shimmer giggled. “Money can buy a lot of things. It can even make a person exist who never existed previously. Don’t worry; I’ve woven the web so intricately that even a very scrutinizing eye won’t find a hole in it. There is a catch though…”

“A catch?” Sunset’s brow went up as she listened.

Shimmer nodded. “To make it believable and to explain why we look similar, you are my older sister. According to the documents I prepared, you were given up at birth to an adoptive family, said family passed away and we only reunited recently. As for why we have the same name… Coincidence, they just happened to name you Sunset as well.”

A blush appeared on Shimmer’s face as she looked down. “That is… If this is acceptable for you…”

Sunset stood up and placed the file on the table before looking around the room. Resting her eyes on Shimmer, she approached and nodded. “Of course, we’re sisters, there’s no denying that. After everything we’ve been through, we’re family, this just makes it official.”

Shimmer nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “May I?”

Nodding as well, Sunset opened her arms, to which Shimmer stepped into the offered hug and allowed herself to be held by the taller girl. Sunset caressed Shimmer’s hair gently as she held her. This moment was perhaps the happiest she had ever felt to date. She had someone she could call family, someone she could call a loved one, and it meant the world to her.

Shimmer whispered gently as Sunset held her. “Thank you… For saving me…”

Hushing her, Sunset squeezed Shimmer and whispered back. “I’ll always protect you, I promise…”

Celestia and Luna smiled warmly at the two, which only caused Sunset to finally end the embrace realizing they had watchers. Snapping back to normal, Shimmer took Sunset’s hands and giggled. “It’s a good thing you said yes… It would make this next part awkward if you said no…”

“Next part…?” Shimmer raised a brow.

Pulling her into the hallway, Shimmer guided the teen outside the school and into the parking lot. Pulling her deeper into the web of cars, she came to a black and orange motorcycle, with a large ribbon wrapped around the handlebars. Sunset looked in pure amazement. “I-I… Wh-wha?”

Shimmer giggled and released Sunset’s hands. “Now you don’t have to look like such a poser, though this does mean you’ll need to get a real license.”

Sunset grabbed the girl and held her tight, lighting her off the ground in a light twirl. “Thank you! I mean it! This is the best thing anyone has ever given me… Well… Second best…” She replied before setting the girl down.

“Second?”

Sunset leaned in and pinched Shimmer’s cheek slightly. “A little sister would be the first.”

Shimmer wiggled her hips as she stood smiling at her new sister. She could already tell that the two were going to be close, and Sunset could definitely feel it too.

With her hand wrapped around a pen, Sunset sat on Shimmer’s bed in fresh pajamas to the sound of Shimmer clacking away at a PlayStation game. While Sunset wasn’t too familiar with how video games worked still, she found amusement in watching her sister focus on them. Sunset thought about what to relay to her mentor.

Finally, she placed the pen to the paper.

Dear Princess Twilight,

I’ve learned so much about friendship in my time here, a lot of it thanks to you. You took me in and helped me make the best friends a girl could ask for, however, you always knew when to let me lead myself, and it led me to Shimmer.

Your guidance taught me that sometimes the past can’t be changed. Sometimes your shadow that is cast over others will have permanent effects, but you still can’t dwell on the past, or it’ll eat you up inside.

The most important thing I’ve learned about friendship is the importance of sharing it with others.

Thank you for being my teacher, Princess Twilight. You did more than give me another friend through your teaching, you gave me purpose, and more importantly, family. I don't know if I'll ever get as good at this as you are, but you've been the best mentor I could have ever asked for. Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Sunset Shimmer

Shimmer grumbled as she placed her controller on the floor and looped up to Sunset. “Hey, you cool with ordering a pizza?”

Sunset chuckled and nodded. “So long as we can get-“

Shimmer finished her sentence. “Vegetarian, right?”

Nodding again, Sunset felt a smile upon her face. “You know me so well.”

Hey! You made it to the end of Act I! That's awesome! It's been a long 3 months, and I'm actually kind of proud to have made this far completely on schedule. Thanks so much for reading, and if you are new, welcome aboard! Now obviously this isn't the end of Sunset and Shimmer's story, as we have much more to go. Stay tuned for the Intermission chapter next week then Act II.

Behind the Scenes: The story originally was going to end here then be followed with an epilogue.