The next morning after eating breakfast, Brian and Twilight headed back to school for what they felt may be the last time in years.

“Sunset’s in her office. It’s this way,” Luna said

She led him down the hall just a short distance from their offices to Sunset’s room. While it was a small room, it was surprising painted red and yellow and had a glass cabinet in the corner. Inside was the black guitar he gave her along with her teddy bear.

“Like the room? I kept everything I needed close by,” Sunset said hugging him

“It's good to see everything here.”

“Could you help me? I want to bring my guitar and bear home with us, along with this,” she said holding her diplomas and the photo from their high school graduation

“Hand it here and I'll store it in the bag. This will keep everything safe. If that's finished, let's head out.”

As they headed outside, Luna and Celestia were standing with all the students who had cards or pictures to give Sunset.

“Goodbye Miss Shimmer,” the students said in unison

“You didn't expect to leave without saying bye to them did you,” Pinkie asked

“Everyone made you something to remember them by,” Celestia said as she and Luna approach holding stacks of souvenirs

“I'll store them in here, if you don't mind.”

“Who are you two? And why do you look like Miss Sparkle,” a student asked

“I'm Brian Dragnov and this is Twilight Sparkle. Both Twilights are twins that have been separated. Before we leave, how's about a group photo? Discord; a moment of your time?”

“Of course. I'll stand on the pedestal to get the shot. Students will be in front while everyone else is in back. Sunset will stand in the middle with Brian and Twilight on either side with the rest of you splitting up. Luna and Celly will be the ends,” Discord said

He proceeded to use Brian's phone and took two photos, the second without the students present.

“Who are you,” a student asked

“A very old friend of your principals’. Discord, God of Chaos. Sunset, may I see your necklace for a moment?”

“Of course. Please be careful with it,” she said

“I have no intention of causing any harm to it,” Discord replied

Sunset removed the necklace and handed it over. Discord made an identical copy and broke it into six parts. Each of them was sent to the other's necklaces as a reminder. After getting hers back, she untied the string before sticking her class ring on there. Discord held it a second after it was around her neck.

“Sorry. I wanted to make sure it made the journey back home,” Discord said

“Goodbye everyone. Thank you for all the memories,” Sunset said “Girls, keep the book. It'll be the only means of communication.”

“Have fun,” Dash said

After one final group hug, the three headed through the portal into Twilight’s castle. Sunset wanted to be last to have one last look at her friends and students.

“Welcome back everyone. Enjoy your stay,” Celestia asked “By the way Sunset, nice necklace.”

“Princess Celestia, it's been a while,” Sunset said hugging her former mentor
“This was the stone I received years ago along with my class ring.”

“It has been some time. I'm sorry for how things ended between us,” Celestia said hugging her student

“I was young and foolish. Thank you for giving me a second chance,” Sunset said

“Of course. You made mistakes, as have I. You've also changed in the almost two decades you've been gone,” Celestia replied

While they were talking, Sunset ended up sliding to the floor before passing out. Brian instinctively checked her pulse and found she was okay.

“Find me a room, please. I'll get her there.”

Brian was careful in levitating Sunset on his back and headed to a spare bedroom. After getting her into bed, he fell asleep at the foot of the bed. The two slept for a few hours with him keeping watch after he woke up.

“What happened,” she asked groggily

“For whatever reason, you passed out. I carried you here so you could rest, although I joined you by sleeping on the floor. I just recently woke up to keep watch.”

“Can we head down and get lunch? I'm hungry. Although, I am going to miss having meat,” she said getting up

“I can help with that. It wouldn't be often. Celestia knows about it as does my family.”

The two headed back down to the dining room when all conversation stopped as soon as they saw Sunset. Twilight decided to break the silence.

“You look different, Sunset. Sleep well,” Twilight commented

“I had the strangest dream, and you were in it, Princess Celestia,” Sunset said “In it, you said something about me being worthy.”

“That was no dream. Look at your appearance,” Celestia said

Brian summoned a mirror for her to look. Staring back at Sunset wasn't a unicorn, but an alicorn.

“H-h-how did I become an alicorn? Why did this happen,” Sunset stammered

“You're a Harmony bearer, human or otherwise. You've proven yourself many times after being reformed. If anyone deserves that honor, it's you Sunset. I'm surprised you aren't suffering from ‘Alicornis Defectis’.”

“What's that mean,” Sunset asked curiously

“The rest of the mane-six and Octavia are alicorns. While they rose to status, the appearance isn't there. We currently have thirteen alicorns; seven true and six not. My best friend and brother Deltorix or Knight Shield can't be counted. He was brought here by Discord already an alicorn.”

“I have to thank you for everything, Brian. If it wasn't for you showing kindness to me after that incident, I don't know where I'd be right now. From the first time I saw you, I liked you. I don't know if that was the demon in me or not, that thought you were a ‘bad boy’ because of you wearing all black. I was just afraid of saying anything after you said you were married,” Sunset said kissing him on the cheek

“I honestly felt the same way about you. When you mentioned the possibility of having another mate, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through with that, until now. Would both you and Vinyl join me in marriage? Vee, you've always been family, this is just making it official.”

“Yes! Thank you Brian,” Sunset exclaimed hugging him

“You know it,” Vinyl said

“Where are we going to have the wedding,” Sunset asked

“Why not here and now? It doesn't have to be elaborate.”

“What about having a best mate? Twilight would be mine, and I'm sure Octavia would be Vinyl’s, but what about you? Wouldn't you want your best friend here,” Sunset added

“Give me a moment.”

Brian immediately teleported to Celestia’s castle. Barely a few seconds passed before Brian returned from Canterlot with both Rose Petal and Knight Shield in tow. Discord also popped up with three rings for the newlyweds.

“If everyone is ready, we shall begin. Brian Dragnov, do you take Sunset Shimmer and Vinyl Scratch to be your mates,” Celestia asked

“I do.”

“Sunset, Vinyl; do you take Brian to be your mate,” Celestia continued

“I do,” Sunset said

“I do,” Vinyl replied

“I now pronounce the three of you married. You may now kiss the brides,” Celestia finished

The three kissed while Pinkie started setting up for a small party. While it wasn't usual for her to make anything small, Pinkie managed.

“You lucky bastard. Three wives? How many kids do you think you'll have,” Knight Shield asked before getting slapped in the back of the head by Rose

“Thank you for that, Rose. You're married too chucklehead.”

“I know. I have to mess with you,” Deltorix replied

“Well, we can try for a kid later,” Sunset whispered

The next day Brian and Sunset decided to take a walk around town so she could readjust. Having been gone so long, everything had changed. Nothing from her original time there was still in existence.

“Pinkie’s bakery is there. Rarity has her boutique, and AJ had the farm, but that's all that I see. Everything else is different,” she said

“Don't worry. Even I don't know most of the places here.”

‘Another princess?’

‘How many does that make, now?’

‘When's her coronation?’

“Just ignore them. It's not worth it,” he whispered

“You're right. I've fought so hard to change from my old self,” she replied “And I don't need a coronation.”

“Let them think what they want. Besides it's up to you if you wanted one.”

The two kept walking until they reached the edge of Ponyville and Brian's castle. Sunset noticed the immediate difference between the stone of his castle and the crystal Twilight lives in.

“That's yours? It's amazing! How long did it take to build,” Sunset exclaimed

“A few days. Discord and I worked on it. I wanted to have a traditional castle versus everyone else's. There are weapons set up for defense. Ballista catapults on the top and archer slots in the towers. Everything has unlimited ammo.”

The two passed through the house and into the castle itself. If Sunset was impressed by the exterior, what she saw here was much better.

“What's that room there? How's all of this possible,” she asked excitedly

“That's the training room. You saw a glimpse at school. Pain can be felt, but no injuries occur. The rest of this was Discord’s surprise. It's a completely endless expanse, limited only by one's imagination.”

“I'm surprised Rainbow Dash hasn't been bragging about being Equestria’s fastest flyer,” she said casually

“That's because she's been dethroned.”

“Who's the fastest now,” she asked

“Me. I told her to keep the title because I didn't want it.”

“How could you not want the title,” she asked dumbfounded

“I'll show you.”

Brian jumped up and decided to show Sunset why he was the fastest. He started to fly around the room to gather up speed. Once he had enough speed, three shadowbooms appeared in his wake as Sunset was left in awe.

“How fast were you going,” she stammered

“Mach 5 to create the three dark rainbooms. Dash’s fastest is Mach 2.”

“Only Rainbow Dash can do a rainboom, right?”

“Actually, Celestia was the actual creator of the technique, having accomplished it when she was a teenager,” he replied

“I shouldn't be surprised. I kind of figured she would do that. When are you going to introduce me to your guard,” she asked curiously

“Right now. Hi dad,” Harmony said “Mom said you'd be here.”

“Sunset, allow me to introduce the Midnight Guard. My daughter Harmony, and Tempest Shadow are the two commanders. Francis ‘Hannibal’ Paine, Lightning Flash Carmichael ‘Sword’ Locke and Selene ‘Shield’ Locke,” Brian said motioning to each one

“Nice to meet you all. I'm Sunset Shimmer,” she said

“Dad's wife. So you've finally married Vinyl after all; huh, dad,” Harmony said

“Making official what we already knew. Tempest, you look good with your hair down.”

“Thank you for everything, sir. After the Storm King was defeated, I didn't know what would happen. I'm glad to have a second chance. My hair being down is another way of changing my past,” Tempest replied “I was the former commander of the Storm King’s army.”

“Everyone deserves a second chance. When I was human, I did some things I'm not proud of. But after Twilight and her friends defeated me, Brian was the first to show me kindness and helped me out,” Sunset said

“Although you initially wanted two of each group, Tempest seems to act more like an earth pony than a unicorn,” Harmony said

“Well, not having a horn for so long makes one have to alter their abilities. Besides, I focused on strength anyways since I hated using magic,” Tempest replied

“How'd you lose your horn, if you don't mind my asking,” Sunset said

“Ursa minor slashed me, cutting it off and scarring my eye,” Tempest said

“Damn. Well, you have a prosthetic horn, now. Discord’s work I guess,” Sunset replied

“It took a while to get used to, but it's great. My magic doesn't release in wild bursts,” Tempest said cheerfully

“Speaking of magic, I want to see how yours is Brian,” Sunset said

“Let's go to the training room.”

The two headed inside as Brian withdrew a few different swords for Sunset to use. They ranged from a set of twin daggers and a katana to a claymore broadsword.

“Pick your blade.”

As usual, he set up a small bubble around himself as she grabbed the daggers. Sunset charged in and tried hitting him with no success. All three blades were used with nothing working.

“I quit,” she said “I couldn't tell you had a shield present. With Twilight, I can see her magic being violet, but nothing from you.”

“My magic doesn't have a presence. Besides black residue isn't good for spells.”

After getting readjusted to Ponyville, Octavia knew he planned to have some time in private with Sunset and left them alone. Vinyl told Brian that she was fine with being an aunt to Harmony and Melody, and honestly didn't want to get pregnant. Sunset agreed as they now had the chance to do what they couldn't do as humans with their friends. After the two had sex, she planned on going to the hospital to get tested.

“Before I get a pregnancy test, there's one place I've always wanted to visit,” Sunset said

“Where's that?”

“The casinos in Los Pegasus. Celestia went there and told me about it, but wouldn't take me because I was too young to accompany her,” she replied

“Funny thing is, that reminds me of a place back home before I was sent here; Las Vegas. My old man took me to a casino for my 21st birthday. The trip ended up taking a few hours from one state to another, while we stayed at a hotel during our time in Vegas.”

“Sounds fun. How's about tomorrow we head there,” she suggested

“Deal. I've never been there anyway. It'll be fun to get away.”

The two agreed to sleep in separate rooms and headed to the train station after breakfast. Everyone else was informed of the plan and the guard was asked to stay behind. He didn't expect anything to happen, but was always prepared just in case.

“Prince Dragnov, what can I do for you,” the conductor asked

“A trip with a friend. If the private car is open, we'd like to use it for the ride.”

“Nice to meet you. I'm Sunset Shimmer,” she said

“Enjoy your trip,” the conductor said leading them to the rear car

“I figured privacy would be best. Besides, there are some who actually resent royalty. For safety, I'm altering our appearances. You'll remain a similar appearance as a yellow pegasus with red hair and mane with a rising sun cutie mark. I'll be a solid gray pegasus with a shield and instrument bows for my cutie mark. It's the look I had during the club massacre.”

“We're still using our real names, right,” she asked

“You are; but you can just call me ‘K-Nightmare’ for the time being. I don't anyone knowing about royalty being present.”

“Alright. This will be fun. If I do get pregnant, what do you hope our child is,” she asked

“I wouldn't mind having a son, but we'll have to see what fate holds in store.”

“True. I don't want to get my hopes up. I guess I'm curious,” she replied

After their conversation, the two had gotten something to eat before they decided to sleep the rest of the trip.

“This is your stop. Los Pegasus,” the conductor said knocking on the door

“Thank you very much.”

“Who are you two,” the conductor demanded

“It's us. I didn't need anyone knowing who we are. Sorry for the miscommunication.”

Once they departed the train the first thing needed was to get a room so they could stay in. With the tourists in the city, their appearances would go unnoticed as they made their way down the street to the hotel.

“Good afternoon, I'd like to get a room.”

“Name,” the desk clerk asked

“Dragnov. Brian Dragnov,” he said in a hushed voice

“Very well sir. Here's the room key for the two of you,” the clerk said handing him the key

“Well, that's done. Shall we head to the casino?”

“Sure,” Sunset said

As they walked in the nearest casino, Brian was reminded of home. While he couldn't remember the casino exactly, this one felt similar. Looking around, he saw roulette tables, and various card games.

“How's about that table? I want to try my luck,” Sunset said motioning to a roulette table “Five bits on red.”

“Five on black.”

As the controller dropped the ball, everyone there was hoping it would land on their chosen number. Both Brian and Sunset knew not to bet on the numerical, but its overall location.

“Black. Congratulations to anyone who bet there,” the controller said

After playing a few more rounds, they decided to hit a card table. Brian wasn't too much of a poker player, so they agreed on blackjack instead. Looking at his first hand, Brian was surprisingly dealt an ace and king, but didn't show any emotion to give away what he held.

“Stay.”

“I'll stay also,” Sunset said confidently
Once everyone's hands were revealed, both of them had blackjack, while the others lost. Deciding they played long enough, both chose to head back to the hotel.

“You! My brother had his arm broke by you,” a stallion said

“He attacked me with a broken glass bottle. I defended myself, simple as that,” Brian retorted

“And that's okay? You could have permanently injured him,” the stallion attempted to argue

“I could have killed him with the bottle. Besides, the prince gave him a walker to use. At least he's mobile.”

“Whenever I see the prince, I guess I could thank him,” the stallion said dejectedly

With no other distractions stopping them, they grabbed some water to drink and finally headed back to the hotel room.

“What happened with the guy's brother,” Sunset asked

“I told you about the club. That happened prior. Simply put, everything I told the guy's brother is what happened.”

“Ouch. I'm guessing it was a compound fracture he had,” she guessed

“Exactly. I broke it to stop him but when he charged me a second time, I ended it by fully destroying the arm. I did at least give the poor bastard a scooter to use to get around.”

“We need to change the subject. The best thing is to not piss you off,” she replied “How long do you want to be here for?”

“I figured a day more couldn't hurt. Besides, I'm not tasked with much.”

With their plan for the next day set up, they decided on having some fun. Sunset agreed about having sex again and promised to get tested once they were back home. Before heading to sleep, he removed the illusion cast over them.

“So, where to first,” she asked as they woke up

“Mess hall,” he said as his stomach growled

“Casinos don't have one,” she replied as he stuck his tongue out at his wife

“Anywhere serving food. Better?”

“I'm kidding. Breakfast sounds good to me,” she said kissing him on the cheek

Before they left, he made sure to reapply the illusion. With his high magic levels, it wouldn't have been a problem leaving it on, but Brian wanted to at least stretch his alicorn wings out. With everything taken care of, they decided to check out of the room.

“Checking out already? I'd figure you'd check out later,” the desk clerk said

“Well, we need to be heading home. I don't like being gone for too long.”

“Very well. I hope you two enjoyed yourselves,” the clerk said

“We did. This was our first time coming here. Hopefully, we'll be able to return,” Sunset said cheerfully

After their conversation, they finally had something to eat at the buffet. Once they had their fill, they figured they would head to the games.

“How's about this, we split up and find games to play.”

“Sounds good. What about our winnings? What do we do with the money,” she replied

“Up to you.”

With that, he spent some time playing blackjack and roulette while Sunset decided on playing poker. The day was going fine until Brian could hear commotion going on.

“Come on, darling. How's about you and I have some fun,” a drunk stallion said

“No thanks I'm married,” Sunset replied

“What's the problem,” Brian asked walking over

“Mind your own business. I'm talking to the mare here,” the drunk said

“That's my wife. How's about this; head to the bar, and I'll pay for your drink. Hell, I'll buy a round for everyone.”

True to his word, Brian walked over to the bar and handed the bartender 375 bits for a round for all the patrons. The drunk attempting to hit on Sunset gladly took the mug and downed it as Brian left wordlessly.

“Come on, I've got something to take care of on the way home.”

Before they could board the train, Brian walked over and donated the earnings to a shelter that on the edge of town. It was for anyone who needed to stay a day or two before heading out.

“Thank you for your donation, mister,” the shelter’s owner said

“You're welcome. I thought it was something that was well worth helping out.”

Once they returned to Ponyville, he donated the rest of the earnings to the shelter that the residents of the club were living in after it was destroyed.

“Thank you K-Nightmare for your donation,” Stardust said

“You're very welcome. I had to help out after what happened with the club.”

“I can't believe the prince was the one to set this up giving us a place to live. Have you ever met him by any chance? I'm Cherry Burst, by the way,” Cherry said

“Can't say I have. From what I've heard, the area where the club stood is doing much better.”

“Why didn't you tell them who you are,” Sunset whispered as they walked away

“They didn't need to know. Besides, I don't need or want to be a celebrity because of it,” he whispered back

“I'll see you later. I've got a promise to keep,” Sunset said heading to the hospital

The mane-six, the Midnight Guard, Vinyl and Octavia were in the center in Brian's castle when Sunset returned from her trip.

“I'm back. I've got two pieces of good news. Which do you want to hear first,” Sunset asked “The good, or the better?”

“Let's start with the good.”

“I'm confirmed to be pregnant,” she said excitedly

“And the better,” Twilight asked curiously

“It's a boy,” Sunset said cheerfully

“I'm going top be a father! Yahoo,” Brian exclaimed

“Congrats, both of you. So, now Vinyl and I are going to be aunts. Have you decided on a name,” Octavia said

“Not at the moment. We'll probably have one after our son is born.”

“This calls for a party,” Pinkie said

“If you don't mind; Twilight, could you please inform Luna and Celestia and by extension; Knight Shield? Apart from them, I don’t want the rest of Ponyville knowing about it right now. We'll head to Canterlot near the last month of your pregnancy or so.”

“Will do. Do you have a scroll,” Twilight asked

As she asked that, a table with a scroll and ink appeared, as did a table with various party supplies on it.

“That's a nice trick. How'd you do it,” Pinkie asked

“This room was created by Discord, remember? At least we don't have to worry about cleaning up afterwards.”

Twilight finished her letter to the princess and Discord popped up in a mail carrier's outfit to take the letter. Once that was done, everyone enjoyed themselves at the party.

● CELESTIA & LUNA ●

“Sister, it seems we have another member of royalty. Sunset is confirmed to be pregnant with a son from Brian,” Celestia said

“That is a blessing for them. I wonder if their son will be an alicorn or not,” Luna commented

“We'll find out when Sunset gives birth,” Celestia said