Wiping her forehead, Sunset tied off the trash bag and handed it over to the waiting hands. “I appreciate you taking this all to the dump in your truck, Sandalwood,” she told the boy who took the bag from her. “The girls don’t have space with all the instruments, and I didn’t want to leave the place a mess.”

“It’s cool, Sunset. Better to leave the place cleaner than we found it. Dump’s on my way home anyway. Is this the last of it?”

Scanning the amphitheater, Sunset noted where each group of the remaining few dozen teens was at in the clean up process. “Yeah, that looks like the last of the trash. I think you’re good to head out—we can get the rest here.”

Once he walked away, the redhead took a moment to lean tiredly against the stage. Most of her friends were scattered around the area, directing bits of the clean up at her behest. Off to one side, she could see the princess in conversation with Flash, the blue-haired young man sporting that ridiculous grin and flushed cheeks as they talked. Without intending to, Sunset found herself observing them, pondering the alicorn-turned-human. Princess Twilight had clearly discarded any reservations she’d had about Sunset, treating her with the same measure of warmth she offered everyone else after the battle had ended, even hugging her with the same enthusiasm the other girls had.

It had felt nice, Sunset mused, to not have her girlfriend’s Equestrian counterpart staring at her like she was about to turn back into the she-demon, but at the same time, guilt was still poking her. A tiny portion of her mind that sounded suspiciously like her Twilight drew her attention to the fact that despite her strides to improve herself and to help this whole week, Sunset had never actually apologized or cleared the air with the princess.

“…Maybe I should apologize…” she mumbled, chewing on her lip while she watched Flash ask Princess Twilight something with excitement in his eyes. “…but how? Not sure anyone has any good advice on saying ‘Sorry I tried to kill you…’”

At this point, she fully expected Stupid Little Voice to pipe up with its opinion, but that corner of her mind was almost unnaturally quiet and had been since the battle ended. Sighing, she pushed off the stage to pick up a soda can she spotted near the edge of the seat row. “…should I even say anything? Or is it better to just…let it go?” The former unicorn rubbed her forehead, wishing her girlfriend was there to offer advice.

Speaking of letting things go…Blue-green eyes watched with mild surprise as the princess shook her head sadly at a suddenly crestfallen Flash, her hands moving as she explained something. Was Princess Twilight actually turning him down? It made sense if she was, the former unicorn realized when she considered it, though it caused a twinge of sympathy in her heart for Flash Sentry. Humans and ponies alike had difficulties enough with long-distance relationships in a normal situation, and two different worlds across an interdimensional divide was far and beyond the norm, but it wasn’t the human boy’s fault that he developed feelings for a visiting princess from another world.

A visiting princess who would need to return to her home soon, Sunset realized as the pair hugged and separated with what looked like a final, sad goodbye, the alicorn watching the human teen leave with a distinct air of melancholy about her. If she was going to talk to this Twilight, to apologize and set things right between them, she’d need to do it before she lost the chance, even if the thought of it made her stomach twist unpleasantly.

“Hey, Sunset!”

Her attention was pulled away from her observations and her deep thoughts to Scootaloo and her friends, all carrying push brooms, covered in a layer of grime. “What’s up?”

Applebloom gestured to the other two. “We finished sweepin’ off the stage an’ all the stairs an’ stuff. Where do we put these?”

A smile started to creep onto Sunset’s face. The change in the attitude of Scootaloo’s friends was just one example of many among the students of Canterlot High after the spell was broken, as if in breaking the spell, the positive magics of the Elements of Harmony and the Rainbow they summoned had flushed the nastiness and negativity out of the students almost entirely. Most of them were treating her like a fellow classmate instead of a pariah, taking her requests and suggestions with smiles and chatter instead of sour glares and ugly remarks the moment her back was turned.

She found herself pointing to the room that she and the girls had been trapped in all afternoon. “In there, please—be careful, the door locks from the outside and there’s no release on the inside.”

“Thank you, Sunset!” Sweetie Belle chirped cheerfully as the three of them scurried over to follow her instructions.

That problem out of the way, she turned back to the one at hand, smile dropping back into a contemplative frown as she sought the princess with her eyes again. The other pony was now in deep conversation with Spike, the dragon-dog pointing in Sunset’s direction with one paw, which in turn caused purple eyes to meet hers in an awkward stare.

“Yeah…this is…not going to be easy. Or fun. C’mon, Shimmer. You can do this.” Her legs refused to move at first, and she could see the princess starting in her direction. “…It’s the right thing to do, not the easy thing. That’s important.” She forced herself to take a deep breath, exhaling it slowly through her nose to calm her churning stomach.

Princess Twilight half tripped to an awkward halt in front of her, Spike on her heels, and Sunset took her chance.

“Can we talk?” Both ponies in human form had spoken at the same time, in a strange form of stereo, and the whole thing was so ridiculous and right out of a bad movie that Sunset couldn’t help herself. She began to laugh and Princess Twilight joined her, until both of them were holding their sides.

Sunset straightened up, wiping the tears of mirth (and exhaustion) from the corners of her eyes. A glance around showed that more than a few people were watching them, and she tossed her head in agitation. This conversation was going to be hard enough without an audience. “…Twilight?” she asked. “…I…want to talk to you, but…I think it’s a conversation better had in private?”

The princess followed Sunset’s gaze, seeing people look away a moment too late when her eyes fell on them. “…Right. That’s probably a good idea…” She looked down at the dragon-dog. “Spike? Do you mind finding the girls and asking them to meet us by the school in…an hour?” Purple eyes looked to Sunset for confirmation, and the redhead nodded. “An hour.”

“I’ve gotcha covered, Twilight. Number One Assistant on the task!” He trotted off to go find their friends, leaving the two Equestrian natives by themselves.

Sunset beckoned. “Follow me…There’s a coffee shop right across the street over there—it should be quiet.” With the princess at her heels, she headed out of the amphitheater and to the little corner shop, mostly empty despite it being a Saturday afternoon. Settling into a corner booth, the exiled unicorn looked at her hands, unsure of how to start this conversation for real now that she had the princess alone.

“Um…Sunset Shimmer? If this is about Flash Sentry, you don’t have anything to worry about. I have too many responsibilities in Equestria to be able to come here all the time to see him. I told him it was better if we were just friends because of that. I won’t be coming between the two of you.”

Her head snapped up to stare at Princess Twilight, caught in a moment of utter disbelief and more than a little amusement at the sheer irony of it all. Laughing, she shook her head. “No, no, Twilight—it’s not about Flash, I swear!”

The princess frowned. “Oh. I thought maybe it was, since Rarity told me you used to date him? Did I get that wrong? Does that mean something else here?”

“No, you’re not wrong. It means what you think it does, and yes, I did date him for a while.” Fingers rubbed her forehead as she sobered. “Truth is, I never cared about his crush on you…like I told the girls, I never had any feelings for him. I used him as a means to an end and nothing more, for reasons I don’t really have the emotional wherewithal to explain right now…and as it stands, I still wouldn’t develop feelings for him if I wanted to. I’m not particularly attracted to humans, and especially not male humans.” She fought the urge to laugh—a talk about how she was not attracted to Flash Sentry with the Equestrian counterpart of the girl she was dating was not the conversation she expected to be having.

The dark haired figure across from her absorbed her words. “I’m sorry I assumed then, Sunset.” She considered things for a minute. “I can see what you mean about how humans look though. They are kind of funny looking compared to a pony. I guess I’m just used to seeing other species, and with Spike around for so long, bipeds don’t seem all that strange to me.”

Sunset shrugged. “I mean, after five years here, I’m used to humans enough that they don’t look like horrifying monsters the way they did when I first arrived. Mostly. I’m just…not interested in them romantically…but I didn’t really bring you here to talk about my love life.” Definitely not that, she decided, as her thoughts drifted briefly to her Twilight before she jerked them back to the matter at hand.

Princess Twilight tilted her head. “Alright, what did you want to talk about?”

Taking a deep breath, the amber skinned girl gripped her own elbows to steady herself. “…I…I’m sorry…for…well…for everything. I was a horrible pony, and I…blamed you for things that had nothing to do with you. I hated you, hated everything about you and everything that you represented to me, and it…it consumed me. I spent the better part of two and a half years planning revenge for something that was all in my own head…”

“Sunset…”

“No…let me finish. Please. I have to do this.” She took a shaky breath. “I messed up, and hard. I stole one of the Elements of Harmony, leaving Equestria without one of its most important artifacts, I planned to use it for my own gain, without care for what it would do to Equestria if I did…” Swallowing hard, she forged onward. “…and I was so desperate to get it that I crossed so many lines I never should have, lines I didn’t care about because I was so twisted up by my own desire for attention and power. I stripped the student body of free will and their very identities… I was willing to kill you, Princess, without a second thought, you and anyone else who stood in my way.” Shame burned anew. “…and while I didn’t know it at the time, I was willing to threaten the well being of a foal to his mother.”

She met the other’s eyes, not bothering to stop the tears. “…I was a monster as bad as the Sirens. You could have killed me—would have been in your right to destroy the demon I became. Even Princess Celestia wouldn’t have thought twice if you had. Nopony becomes a demon for something small—I was as far gone as you could get…and you gave me a chance to change.”

Her voice trembled slightly. “And…I have changed. I’ve spent months trying to be a different pony…person…to be better, to be someone worthy of the chance I didn’t deserve when it was granted. Part of that…is admitting to what I did…and trying to make things right.” Sunset locked eyes with the Princess of Friendship, putting everything she felt into her words in that moment. “I really am sorry, Princess, for everything I’ve done…to you, to your family, to your friends, for what I almost did to Equestria.”

The alicorn-turned-human watched her for a long minute, quiet and thoughtful, before she rose from her seat and moved around the table to pull Sunset into a hug. “Sunset,” she began, “you were already forgiven for that—it’s why I left you with the girls. If you had truly been beyond hope, the Elements would have done a lot more than cleanse you of the dark magic.” Princess Twilight pulled back, resting her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “And you have changed—you showed me just how much today. I’m glad I could give you a chance to learn how wonderful real friendship can be.” She gave Sunset a tired smile—it seemed that the week was catching up to her as well. “…Seeing you this week, with our friends, watching you today, how you brought everyone back together when I was blind to it all…I would be proud to call you my friend, if you’d let me.”

Sunset brought a hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes. “…I…I think I’d like that…”

The princess gave her another hug before settling back into her own seat. “…I feel like there’s more I should say to you, would say to you,” she admitted. “Things I want to ask you, or talk about, but…” She rubbed her face, pausing to try and collect her thoughts.

“But you’re as drained as I am? Yeah. I get it. I probably overextended myself, but it felt so good to be able to use magic again, and they just made me so angry…” Sunset tilted her head back. “I’ll probably sleep for most of tomorrow morning.”

Princess Twilight scuffed a foot along the floor. “More than just tired…We almost lost today. If it weren’t for you, they would have won, and this world would have been at their mercy. All because Starswirl the Bearded sent them here instead of finding a way to fight them in Equestria.” Her shoulders slumped. “…Starswirl was supposed to be the greatest sorcerer ever. He did so many amazing things, created spells and magical artifacts and is responsible for so much we know about magic…to think that this world almost got taken over by Equestrian monsters because of him…”

The redhead sighed. “…It wasn’t just his fault, Twilight. He sent them here, but they’ve been here for thousands of years without being able to take over. It wasn’t until I stole your crown and used it that they could do anything. They were feeding off the magic left behind at CHS. Magic that is growing, magic that makes the girls ‘Pony-Up’ when they play music, magic that I keep sensing. Magic that I brought here.”

“It’s still Equestrian magic, and ponies brought it here, one way or another, whether it was Starswirl by sending creatures like the Sirens through a portal, or you with my Crown, or any other number of unknown incidents that could have happened in the thousands of years the mirror has been around, opening every thirty moons.” Purple eyes stared at the table. “That makes it our responsibility, Sunset.”

She was right; Sunset knew that as surely as she knew her own name. “…The thing is, the magic here isn’t exactly the same. I’ve been studying the girls’ powers since they showed up, and I can feel it. It’s like the magic in Equestria, but different somehow, and today? Today it was different still. Something is happening, and I feel like I need to study it, but I don’t have access to the tools or books I need. All I’ve got it what I can remember that I learned, and what I can feel.”

The other pony hunched over the table in thought, rubbing her chin with her wrist absentmindedly, forgetting she was in a body with hands. Then she jolted upright. “The journal!” she cried excitedly. “That’s it!”

“Uh…what’s it?”

“I have to go back to Equestria, but I have the journal from Princess Celestia—the one you used to send a message in? It’s how I got the portal to open outside of the thirty moon cycle, but it’s still back in my library,” the alicorn explained. “You have yours, and I have that one, we can work together on this! It’ll be like a research project!”

Leaning back in her seat, Sunset considered the suggestion. “…That…could work. I can look at things here, study the magic with hands on experimentation and observation…”

“While I look for information in places like the Canterlot archives or the Crystal Empire’s library to see if I can find anything on this world, magic from here, humans, or anything else that might’ve been sent here that could be a problem! Then, if you need anything, or if either of us learns anything, we can share it via the journal!” Princess Twilight was practically vibrating with her excitement, making Sunset have to resist the urge to laugh. This was one area where both Twilight Sparkles were the same. Instead, she sat forward again to begin sharing some of the data she’d already gathered in her studies of the girls and their magic, so they could better hash out the details of this ‘research project’ in the time they had left before they needed to head to the school.

The group stood next to the statue at the school, bidding farewell to Princess Twilight and Spike. “Sure wish ya could stay longer,” Applejack told them.

“Me too.” The princess glanced around, then at the statue. “But I have responsibilities in Equestria that I have to get back to. Its citizens need me.” She looked to the girls again, allowing Pinkie the opportunity to stick her face through the portal briefly. The pink party planner pulled back, looking a little frazzled. “But now I can go through the portal whenever I need to. This isn’t goodbye…” Her voice grew softer. “Its just goodbye ‘til next time.”

Her eyes glanced down at Spike. “Ready?”

“Ready!” he replied, already making his way to the portal and passing through.

The Princess of Friendship looked around at all of them one more time, meeting Sunset’s gaze. She gave her the barest hint of a nod, and another of those smiles she had to have learned from Princess Celestia. Then she was gone, the ripple passing over the marble before settling, leaving no sign that anyone else had been there.

The magic of the portal faded away again, leaving Sunset with only the dimmest sense of its potential, deep in the marble plinth. It didn’t bother her quite like it had last time—last time, she’d been broken and alone, exiled to this world with no magic, no horn, and no one to rely on but herself. Now? Now she had people she could count on, and that thought made her feel good inside.
It didn’t stop her from feeling bone-weary and exhausted, however. She felt like she could go home and sleep for a week, and as much as she cared for her friends, she’d spent the last four and a half days in their company with no break. She needed time to breathe, to process…so when Pinkie suggested they go out for dinner, Sunset begged off.

“I’m sorry, girls…I know you want to celebrate, but we almost lost everything today. The Sirens almost won—the world would have been at their mercy, we would likely be dead, and there would have been no one left to stop them… The truth is, we made it by sheer, absolute dumb luck, with magic I still don’t understand, that’s behaving in ways I can’t explain with what I was taught.”

Silence reigned for a long minute as Sunset’s words sunk in, troubled expressions crossing the other girls’ faces. As mature as they were, they were still teens, and for them, the whole week had been an adventure that got them out of that math test more than it had been a deadly fight to save the world from magical slavery at the hands of immortal monsters. The actual stakes had been very far from their minds, and having it pointed out clashed with their initial perception of the events.

“Isn’t that all the more reason to celebrate though?” Rainbow asked, scratching her head. “Even if it was a close call, we still won! We’re basically superheroes—we beat the bad guys in the last few minutes of the movie against all odds, just when it looked like we were done for! That makes us awesome!”

Sunset sagged, pushed almost beyond her endurance. “…Not for me, Dash.” She felt Rarity and Fluttershy’s hands grasp her arms to steady her when she swayed. “…I can’t do it right now. I don’t have anything left in me. I’m sorry…”

“Darling,” Rarity murmured in concern, pale fingers tipping Sunset’s face to look at her. “…When was the last time you ate? You look dreadful, and now that I get a good look at you, I think you’ve lost weight. And that doesn’t even start on the bags under your eyes—I could fit a spring wardrobe in them they’re so large!”

The former unicorn sighed. “It wasn’t a question of eating—it was a question of what I was eating staying in my stomach long enough to do me any good,” she confessed. “…I haven’t been able to keep anything down since the pizza on Tuesday night.”

“Why didn’ ya say nuthin’, Sunset? Ah’m surprised yer still standin’, an’ not sicker’n a dog!” Applejack crossed her arms over her chest, giving Sunset the look she had perfected on her sister.

“…because you needed to focus on beating the Sirens, not on my negative reaction to the dark magic. …I didn’t want to distract you when that was more important…”

“More important? Sunset, darling, I should dare say I speak for all of us when I say you pushing yourself to what looks like the point of collapse is a fair bit more than a ‘distraction’ and far more important than one of our practice sessions that were more argument than practice.” Rarity’s tone was stern, but the tailor patted her shoulder as if to reassure her that it was out of concern, not anger. “…Please, do not do this again. Let us help you too…you don’t have to take everything on yourself like this.”

“She’s right, Sunset,” Fluttershy told her softly. “…We’re your friends, and we worry about you too. You’re just as important as any of us. I’m sorry we didn’t notice how bad it was for you this week…” She hugged the redhead very gently.

“It’s okay, Fluttershy. I…was trying to hide it.” Sunset gave them all a thin, tired smile. “…but…I just don’t think I can keep going anymore without a break. With the way I was reacting to the magic, I’ve not been able to keep food down, and I haven’t been able to sleep right. All of that, plus dealing with…everything that has happened, and the way this week has made me feel…I…I need some time to myself…to deal with all of it…” Words faltered, and she felt Fluttershy hug again.

“We understand, Sunset,” the soft-spoken teen replied. “It’s been a very long week for all of us and there’s nothing wrong with needing some time alone. I think we’re all tired, and that maybe we should put celebrating on hold until we’ve all had a chance to rest. If you want to go home, we won’t hold it against you. We’ll be here for you when you come back.”

“Indeed, darling,” Rarity chimed in, releasing Sunset as the redhead pulled herself fully upright again. “Go take the rest of the weekend and pamper yourself. Perhaps a nice hot shower and a few good meals.” She moved her arm and winced. “…In fact, I may do much the same…now that you’ve brought it up, I realize that I also feel quite…run down.” A curious look crossed her face, as if she recalled something. “Actually, that does raise a question you might be able to answer before you go, Sunset.”

One eyebrow arching, Sunset motioned for her to continue.

“Ah, yes…thinking about how tired and drained I feel right now, I realize I felt much this same way after the formal. Is…is that something to be concerned with, or is feeling like one has worked for seventy two hours straight a normal side effect for using magic?”

Once the words were out in the open, Sunset could see the startled realization and worry appear on the rest of her friends’ faces. Thankfully though that was a fairly easy answer, and she laughed lightly. “…It’s not normal for all magic, or for most magic users operating within their special skills and training,” she explained, “but the Elements of Harmony are not normal, everyday magic. That’s the strongest, most powerful magic in Equestria, and we threw everything we had into that fight—and only Twilight and I had any actual magical training that built up our ability to channel large amounts of power easily. Feeling like you could sleep for days and hurting in places you didn’t know you had? Very normal for massive magical endeavors, especially if you’re not used to it.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “So how do we get used to it? Keep the band going, play more music? Or is there another way to learn to use these powers?” When Sunset stared at her, Rainbow snorted. “C’mon, Sunset, I’ve told you I’m not stupid. Twice in only a few months we’ve had giant magical battles, defending our home from crazy evil magic! If we’re going to be fighting super villains regularly, then we are gonna have to learn how our powers work, instead of just fumbling around. Superhero 101!”

“We ain’t superheroes, Dash,” Applejack pointed out, rolling her eyes.

“...I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Rainbow Dash on this one, darling.” Rarity’s fingertips brushed the farmer’s elbow, easily redirecting her attention. “She has a point. We have acquired unique abilities we have no real grasp on, and those abilities in and of themselves seem to be a magnet for like energies, some of which are in the hands of unpleasant individuals who would use them for nefarious endeavors. Learning how to at least protect ourselves might be a good idea.”

“Besiiiiides,” Pinkie chimed in, grinning broadly. “We all know we’re not superheroes! We’re magical girls! Superheroes fight super villains—magical girls fight crazy angry magic monsters with the power of love and friendship!” As they blinked at her, somewhat dumbfounded, she did this strangely choreographed set of hand and arm gestures that ended with her pointing at Sunset.

“Riiiight...” The former unicorn had no idea what Pinkie was up to, but from the way the other girls burst into giggles, she suspected it was a popular culture reference she hadn’t been exposed to yet. “Honestly, I don’t know how to train you. Your magic isn’t the same as the magic in Equestria. Something about how it works here or works for humans is different enough that most of what i know is a guideline at best. That's why I want to study it—now that I have access to it too, I can run more complex tests, figure out how it works.” A rush of joy went through her at the thought of having her horn on a regular basis again.

“...but that’s for another day, Sunset. You said you wanted to go home. You should get going, before you risk wrecking that sweet ride. Stop talking and go home.” Rainbow gave her a hug that ended in a firm but gentle shove towards her bike. “We can deal until you don’t look like a zombie.”

Sunset exhaled, and knew there was only one place she wanted to be right then. “I’ll see you girls at school, okay?”

“G’nite, Sunset!” Five hands waved at her as she turned to walk away, a bemused smile on her face.

Bruhahah.

So yeah. Princess Twilight's just having all kinds of awkward talks in this chapter, isnt she?

And yes, I do subscribe to the idea that despite being fairly young when she hatched him, Pony Twilight is Spike's primary parental figure. Even if she had help from others in the hard parts of looking after him, he was with her on a regular and consistent basis enough to form that kind of attachment. Its not necessarily a traditional type of parent child relationship, but it is just as valid an attachment. Makes you wonder what else Spike and Sunset discussed, hmm?

Poor Sunset. Everyone assuming she's actually wanting to hook back up with Flash. Well, I guess its good cover for what she's REALLY doing with her Friday nights.

And Yes, Pinkie Pie was doing the Sailor Moon bit--I'm sure anyone who's ever watched it knows the bit, where Sailor Moon does her little threatening speech to the monster of the day? "Ai to seigi no. Seeraa fuku bishoujo senshi, seeraa muun. Tsuki ni kawatte, oshiokiyo! (I'm the pretty suited sailor soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!)" I couldn't resist, because lets face it, Equestria Girls was headed down the route of Magical Girls Show.

Anyone wanna take bets on whether or not Sunset actually goes home just yet? :P