Flash Sentry blinked several times when a familiar fiery redhead walked back into his life. She was bad in the badgirl leather jacket, the tight blouse and hip-hugging skirt, and especially those fuck-me boots he and so many others absolutely salivated over. He hopped up disturbing Spike and the Sphinx, running to meet her while Twilight and Moondancer looked on bewildered.

He grabbed her by the waist, lifting her off the basement floor and meeting her scarlet lips with a passionate kiss. Memories of Sunset Shimmer, the woman he loved and who made him who he is today, came flooding back. He withdrew with a husky whisper of, “I've missed you so much,” his eyes locked with her uncharacteristically bashful ones?

“I'm the other one,” said Sunny with a laugh and a small blush.

“O-oh.” He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “So you're...not, uh, crazy anymore?”

“Fit as a fiddle thanks to the real Sunset,” she said with her usual self-deprecation. “I owe you all an apology. But it'll have to wait. Right now the utopia I tried to create is still forming, but the longer you all believe its real, the more solid it'll become.”

“I see,” said Twilight Sparkle as it all started to make sense. “So we have to accept how things used to be?” Memories of her old life were coming back fast, all the contradictions of their current state now becoming much clearer.

“Maybe not everyone wants the old world back,” reminded Moondancer who also stood and folded her arms.

“Yeah, that's the problem,” noted Sunny. “For some people they're much better off this way. But if the vast majority don't accept how things used to be? Well, there'll be no going back to how things really are, or worse, maybe reality itself'll unravel.”

“Come on,” said Twilight who took her old friend by the hands. “Are you really ready to risk it all just to keep me? I'll always love you, no matter what happens. I still care about Sunset, but we're done.”

“Even so...the mind determines reality. What's wrong with a world shaped to suit us? Nothing ever goes my way,” said Moondancer who curled a lip and kicked a table-leg, the beakers atop shaking and threatening to bubble over.

“Could be that winning attitude,” said Sunny with a slight smirk.

“Shut up, you. You caused this, remember?” Moondancer adjusted her glasses with a cold glare.

“Yeah, my bad. Look, I lost my mind a little, okay? Not going to bother with any excuses beyond that.” Sunny had confronted the darkness within her and temporarily lost. Then she'd tried to embrace the light and allowed that to overwhelm her, too. Even now she felt like nothing more than a cheap, defective copy of her counterpart, unable to ever escape her shadow.

Twilight embraced the Sphinx, her eyes watering. “So I guess this means goodbye again.” The feline purred and licked her cheek, gradually fading from her arms as they concentrated on how the world used to be, the basement becoming more rundown to match the damage still there after the machine they'd built had went haywire. “Thanks for everything.”

Spike whimpered as he watched his mate 'die' once more. Shooting the dog a sympathetic smile, Flash crouched down and ruffled his fur, knowing his own share of heartbreak all too well. Before Sunset he'd always worried he'd end up alone!

“So,” said Moondancer. “It's done. At least, in this area.”

However this was merely the start. Would their friends so readily accept a return to their devastated town?

Neon colors reflected off the rain puddles which covered the street before The Hive. With a hand on one hip, Trixie flashed her identification before the stoic bouncer she knew was secretly an incubus, who simply nodded behind his shades and opened the door. She was immediately assaulted by fast-paced music which rocked the floor when she strode inside.

A part of her was tempted to stay in this world, even if it was bullshit. I mean, when was the last time she made it through a day without something going disastrously wrong? It's like she was the universe's buttmonkey!

Seeing the signs that this was a 'clothing-optional' night, and knowing that so long as she didn't die nothing she did would matter much once they set the city right, she shrugged with a snicker and tossed off all her clothes. She took a moment to stare down at her supple flesh in narcissistic admiration, tossing her hair back with a theatrical flourish.

Even better it was apparently amateur pole-dancing night! No doubt part of Rainbow Dash's and Pinkie Pie's sordid fantasies, the pair currently gyrating together on a pole in an incredibly trashy manner, their nude frames slathered in baby oil.

Pacific Glow clapped and whistled while she watched, still naked while she lounged at a table. “Whew! Shake it, babies!”

“Amateurs indeed,” muttered Trixie who talked to the bouncers for permission before she took another stage and bared it all before a number of vaguely familiar faces. It wasn't so different from posing for Equestrian Suicidal Girls, after all. She was certain hundreds of guys and a a number of women had pleasured themselves to her unmatched beauty!

Of course it was hard to compete with two naked beauties, and so she seized Pacific's hand and whisked her her up, slapping baby oil on both of them and rubbing their sensuous forms together. “Not bad,” she mused as their slippery skin connected.

“You too,” chirped Pacific who squeaked when the magician bent her over and spanked her wide buttcheeks.

The crowds jeered and drank from overflowing, foamy mugs, some tossing wads of cash their way. Trixie made the rounds atop the stage's perimeter, stopping to pose in increasingly provocative positions, pausing when she was near Pinkie and Dash. “You know this isn't how things are supposed to be, don't you? Don't you have that Pinkie-Sense or whatever?”

“Yeah, yeah. We know,” admitted Rainbow. “We simply wanted to have some fun first.”

“I figured it out a few hours back,” yelled Pinkie, the audience unable to hear them over the music. She continued wiggling her floppy tits and ample buttocks to keep the onlookers entertained while they chatted. “I'm sure even Limestone's always got a smile on her face in this world!” She missed her sisters, unable to accept a world where they were pretty much brainwashed, no matter how content they seemed. “Just let us finish this dance, and then will move on, okay?”

“Sure. One last dance.” Trixie winked with a swivel of her hips. She watched Pinkie and Pacific lock lips, the former no doubt sad this was the last time she'd see her. For her part she hoped Fuschia and Lavender were okay, but they were her assistants, after all. Surely the duo shared their teacher's resourcefulness? She'd have to visit them once this nonsense was over.

Besides, she couldn't imagine anything more boring than eternal perfection!

Riding her motorcycle out into the countryside, Sunset arrived at the cottage in mere minutes, taking a shortcut thanks to dream logic. She pulled to a stopped and hopped off her parked ride, where a number of her friends were in the midst of a nude yoga session in the middle of the woods. Cautiously she approached, making certain her geode markings were visible on her otherwise bare skin, figuring that a visible cue would help them better recall all that had happened up to this point.

“Hey there,” she called with a wave. “Remember me?”

“Howdy there Sunset,” called Applejack who blinked several times as her memories settled in. Unlike the others she hadn't stripped completely, her stetson still atop her head. “Last thing I remember, you ran off half-cocked again!”

“I knew the vibes in the air were odd,” noted Tree Hugger. “But I couldn't quite understand it, you know?”

Fluttershy bowed her head. She too had sensed something was off, but to her shame she'd tried to deny it, happier and safer here than she'd ever felt before. Wouldn't a world where all their loved ones were still alive be better?

“I should have realized,” admitted Rarity who fluttered her lashes. “It does seem like we've been stuck in a loop?”

“We need to travel around and wake up everyone we can,” said Sunset. “I'm not sure if we can return our city back to exactly how it's supposed to be, but I want it as close as possible. After that, we'll finally be able to end this.”

Of course there was still someone else she needed to convince. A certain friend that was quite a ways apart from civilization, but thanks to the magic of dreams, she could pretty much travel the world within less than an hour.

The scenery seemed to whip by in a blur while she rode all the way to a distant ocean. Cheating a bit she imagined a motorboat would be at the dock near the sandy shores, and she climbed aboard, revving the engine and setting out. The waves crashed upon the sturdy vessel, the scent of saltwater heavy in the air, which whipped her scarlet-and-gold locks about.

Within a short time she spotted the Dazzlings situated upon rocks in the middle of the sea. Their tails swished about, wet skin glistening under the sunlight. Her mouth watered remembering why she'd almost fallen under their spell and become the fourth siren. She stopped the ship some distance away, and used a pair of binoculars to peep on them, a little ashamed of herself as she zoomed in on their lovely assets beaded with water drops which rolled down their luscious curves.

She licked her lips and swallowed hard. Diving into the waters, she swam towards the mermaid-like creatures of pure lust, a scarlet tail suddenly manifesting on her too. She glanced back at how her heart-shaped bottom and vulva remained exposed as her legs were covered in a sheen of armor-like scales that ended in a fin. She really had become the fourth siren, for a time.

Foregoing her geode tattoos for the moment, she smiled and closed her eyes, diving underwater for a moment. Her matted tresses clung to her back. She had to admit the idea of living out here with the Dazzlings was pretty close to her ultimate fantasy. Sadly, it would have to remain just that. It would be so simple to remain here forever, lost in a dream, being accepted as their shared sister and lover. But she couldn't afford to be so selfish. No, she had to do what she knew was right, no matter the price.

She leapt out of the water with a splash and plopped her bottom down on a slippery stone near them. “Sonata, it's time to head home.” She studied Adagio and Aria with a pained expression, like with Inky Rose wondering if this was really their souls they interacted with, or if these were simply constructs created by the collected unconscious of the dreamers. Whatever the case was, she decided to assume it was the former, which at least provided her with some small comfort.

Sunset?! I...” Sonata turned crestfallen, looking aside. In a petulant manner she exclaimed, “I don't want to go!”

“Please, Sonata. I want to put things back how they're supposed to be. Maybe it's partially selfish. I do want to make up for the mistakes I've made the best I can. However, I know this is what I'm supposed to do.” She touched her heart.

“But I'm totes perfectly content here with my sisters! Can't we make an exception?!”

“You know it doesn't work that way.” Sunset took her hands.

“We'll be alright,” said Aria who grinned at them. “You would've made a hell of a siren, Sunset.”

Adagio's eyes grazed over Shimmer with a slow lick of her lips. “Yes, you're somehow more delectable than ever.”

“You too,” admitted Sunny who memorized every curve of the pair, from the lithe-but-toned Aria, to the more buxom Adagio, who still paled next to the curvaceousness of Sonata; a trinity of beautiful perfection. “Sorry I couldn't-”

“We know,” said Aria. “But thanks for trying. It's sweet. Sadly, it's time we went back to sleep.”

“It's been fun,” said Adagio. “But we made our choice and intend to stick with it, no matter how hard it is.” The sisters exchanged drawn-out kisses with Sunset and a tear-stricken Sonata, before with a final sashay of their hips the pair dove into the ocean with a splash. Their fins poked up from the dark waters before they disappeared below for the last time.

Hugging the last Dazzling close to her bosom and stroking her wet hair, Sunset watched the other nameless sirens in the distance blink away. Perhaps the sisters had seen them back in Equestria before their banishment?

Using their chokers Sunset asked everyone to imagine they were back where the portal was situated. With their combined will it wasn't difficult to bend the laws of reality while it remained in this malleable dream-like state. Of course she hesitated to abuse this more than necessary, aware that the temptation to build their own ideal utopia could very well overwhelm them.

Around them the town was shifting back to its original state. They had woken a number of other dreamers who continued to pass the word, led by Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. But with that the rundown state of the city became all the more apparent by the moment. Worse still, the swirling blue portal was tuning back to a hellish red, signifying renewed corruption.

“Last stop,” whispered Sunset to herself ready to cross over and close it down.

However before she could make her move a gargoyle-like creature came screaming out, swathed in gray leather-and-stone skin, jaws open and claws bared as its wings beat in a furious manner. She summoned the white blade which caught ablaze in a white fire and carved through it when the demon dove at her. It screeched and shattered into stones which rolled at her feet.

“More incoming,” she warned as dozens more poured out.

Around her everyone called up their own arsenals, which caught ablaze with a similar holy fire she shared with them, calling on the abilities of their geodes both natural and artificial to assist them. The Rainbooms formed a protective circle around their weaker allies. Despite their situation Sunset was momentarily content, momentarily reunited and fighting side-by-side with her friends. However it was cut short when the invading horde swarmed around them, enshrouding them in dark shadows.

Her main concern was reaching the nexus between realms. She charged into the fray, explosions no doubt from Pinkie erupting around her, while Rainbow whirled around, tossing a series of white-hot javelins that skewered the creatures and pinned their burning bodies to the ground. A boomerang arced by from Sonata, while more of the creatures were telekinetically slammed down by Twilight and Moondancer who worked in tandem, dust clouds kicked up as rock was pulverized into ashy clouds.

Whenever one closed in Rarity would either form a construct that deflected it or crushed it to a fine powder. Her back was watched by Trixie, who tossed colorful smoke bombs when needed, lashing out with the chain whip-like weapon, liberally borrowing the powers of those nearby as needed with her fake geode, her own bombs turned far more dangerous when she used Pinkie's power to make them erupt into small balls of fire, and her melee strokes enhanced by a touch of Dash's speed.

Flash and Hugs aided them in a similar manner with their firearms and false geodes, while Fluttershy loosed a rain of ethereal arrows from her bow which knocked the devils from the sky. More twisted and screamed as they went into a spin, lit up and charred to blackened husks. Applejack likewise put her lasso to use pulling them down and snapping them apart with fists and feet. But no matter how many the party had slain, it seemed even more were quick to replace their fallen brethren.

“I know what you're thinking,” called Sunny who ran up to her double with a similar white sword at the ready. “Don't do it.”

“I have to,” answered Sunset who narrowed her eyes in determination while she tried to push further in. She was so close!

“I can do it. Face it. I'm not as important as you. I-”

“Don't want to hear it. You're important to me. There isn't a 'real' Sunset so far as I'm concerned. Just like all the friends I've made her are equally as valuable as their Equestrian counterparts,” said Sunset who snarled when she carved into another abomination with the cursed sword. It crackled into a dust cloud which swirled around her. “You'll have to carry on for me.”

Sunny shook her head and started sobbing. Grabbing her double by the lower back, she pulled her into a passionate kiss, remembering the time when she'd made love with Sunset before Aria stabbed her to death. She'd taken the fatal blow to save her. And now their positions were reversed. But after absorbing Sunset's powers for a time she too knew there wasn't any other way; someone had to cross into the portal and closed it from the other side unless they wanted this disaster to repeat itself.

For a moment Sunset tried to think up some speed, but after their empathic connection there was no doubt her counterpart would think up something suitable. Her friends would forgive her in time and know she'd always tried to do what she felt was best. What use would it be to say she's sorry another time? Likewise, they all knew how much she loved them.

“Goodbye...Sunset...” Sunny was thankful their allies were able to keep the monsters at bay as not to spoil the moment.

After a final look back with a warm smile, Sunset summoned up a phoenix-like plume she parted, and sailed skywards, tears in the corners of her eyes as she held the alabaster sword aloft. Her skin radiated in an angelic manner and a halo hovered above her dome, crimson-and-gold hair whipping and swirling about her as her face was drawn in sheer determination.

She cut down the gargoyles which hurtled her way. Limbs turned to stone when they were chopped off, or managed to catch ablaze, the holy fires seeming to ignite whatever she wished even if it shouldn't be flammable. When she neared the swirling vortex, she caught a view into its depths, seeing that Tirek and Sombra were trapped within the void. The pair were apparently locked in eternal combat, neither able to ever truly die despite how many times they butchered one-another.

What would happen to her once she too was trapped inside? Would she face a similar fate to Adagio, Aria, and Inky Rose? Or far worse? Perhaps she'd be the plaything of devils until the end of time? But she couldn't back down now.

Once she crossed over, Sunset immediately set to sealing the portal, palms raised while she funneled her power out in a cone of ethereal light. A brilliant aura surrounded her, melting those who were foolish enough to near her, trying to attack her or escape the closing circle. She threatened to burn herself out while she released vast amounts of her purifying energies.

From even here she could witness her loved ones battling to make this possible. The tear between dimensions gradually closed. She'd left a little gift with Sunny, but would it work? Maybe she'd never know. With a melancholy smile she closed her eyes, fading back to nothing more than a normal woman, as a horde of demons beset her from all sides.