“Hand me that bag, would ya? It's got Pinkie’s s’mores stuff in it.” Applejack leaned off the side of the hay filled trailer, holding out a tanned hand.

Sunset grabbed the bulging duffle bag, hefting it up high enough for the farmer to take it. “That’s...a lot of s’mores stuff.”

“It’s Pinkie. Are ya really that surprised? Grab those blankets an’ hop on in. Need an extra set of hands ta spread them out, so nobody gets hay stuck in their britches.” AJ shuffled several long hay bales around.

Old blankets in hand, Sunset climbed up into the trailer, surrounded by the familiar and nostalgic smell of fresh hay, her mouth watering as it called to mind her favorite loaded hay fries platter from the palace kitchens. She inhaled deeply through her nose, savoring an odor that she could only really enjoy at the Apple farm. It was moments like this that made the sharp sense of homesickness worse, because it was a reminder of how far away home really was.

Applejack helped her unfold the blankets, and they began spreading them over the bales, creating a padded surface to sit on that wouldn’t itch, with extra blankets on hand to fight the winter chill. “Ya doin’ okay, Sunset? Ya looked a little spooked earlier. Hope we didn’t make ya uncomfortable.”

The redhead sighed. “I’m fine, Applejack. I just got a little...emotionally overwhelmed, and I needed a chance to work through it. I’m still getting used to friendship, and you girls are great, but it can be...a lot to handle sometimes. Especially for—”

“A recovering megalomaniacal wanna-be tyrant with trust issues?” Rainbow jumped into the trailer with ease, holding another duffle bag.

“Rainbow!” Applejack barked, scowling disapprovingly.

“Relaaax, AJ. Sunset gets it.” The athlete turned her attention on the former unicorn.

It didn’t sting so much that time—maybe it was the playful, teasing affection she could detect in Dash’s tone, or the broad grin on her face, or the way that, despite her words, the hand that squeezed Sunset’s elbow communicated actual concern under the obnoxious attitude. “Yeah, I do. And...you’re not wrong. Trust isn’t...it isn’t always easy for me. I had to work through some unhealthy paranoia before I left home earlier.”

“Don’t sweat it,” the colorful teen told her, an arm draping awkwardly over her shoulders. “Everybody’s got hang ups, Shimmer. Not a single person in the world is flawless—even someone as awesome as me.”

“Like that ego ya keep tryin’ ta choke us with, Dash?” Applejack deadpanned, one brow arching.

“You’re just jealous,” came the retort, though it lacked heat.

“Sure Ah am.” The farmer hopped off the back of the trailer, and a moment later, they heard Rarity’s sound of surprise as Applejack scooped her up and lifted her up to where Sunset and Rainbow were. “Up ya go, Rares. Ah’m gonna go help Granny—her blanket’s already up there with her foldin’ chair.”

Blue eyes watched her partner head back inside, lingering in ways that were more than a little obvious. Rainbow snickered, nudging Sunset and making exaggerated eyebrow wiggling motions. Without looking their way, Rarity said, “Rainbow Dash’s obnoxious bragging aside, she is right, Sunset. All of us have our own problems and things to work through, and we are not going to be upset if you have to take some time to compose yourself.” Turning away from the farmhouse, she settled easily onto a seat. “Our friendships are made of much sterner stuff than that, and so are we.”

Sunset felt a smile quirking at her lips. “I’m learning that.”

“I feel I must ask though, are you having a good time tonight?” Rarity watched her intently for a long moment. “We all tried to think of activities you would enjoy, but given our want to surprise you, we couldn’t exactly...vet them with you.”

Sunset stared down at her hands for a long moment, sitting down on a bale. “I’ve really had a great time tonight—you girls really have made me feel...included. I truly feel like part of the group, and that’s...it means a lot to me, really.”

Rainbow reached over and slugged her shoulder lightly. “Duh—you are part of the group, Sunset! You belong with us, and we’re gonna make sure you believe it!” She plopped down next to Sunset.

“Believe what?” The rapid thud of footsteps and sudden arrival of Scootaloo dropping to the seat between Rainbow and Sunset jolted the former unicorn, her back straightening as she took in her surroundings. Applebloom was reaching a hand down to help Sweetie Belle and Gabby up, and the three of them plopped down opposite Sunset with broad smiles.

Rainbow shrugged, her tone characteristically insouciant, "That Sunset is one of us now."

Scootaloo blinked, then matched her shrug perfectly, right down to a miniature copy of Rainbow’s expression, "Yeah, well, of course she is." As if announcing some fact that was so well known, it didn't need to be stated, the girl looked over at her friends, "Hey, did anyone remember the candy?"

“Sure did,” Applebloom affirmed, hefting a backpack.

Pinkie bounced onto the trailer. “And I brought all the stuff for s’mores!” She giggled, hugging Sunset before sprawling comically on the seat next to Sweetie Belle. “Enough for everyone to have as many as they waaaaant!”

The former unicorn found herself smiling as the rest of the group loaded up into the trailer, including Granny Smith, all of them laughing and talking. The air was charged with excitement and good cheer, seeping into her and driving away the chill of the winter night, and she found herself settling back against the blanket covered hay, letting the feeling wash over her as Big Mac started the tractor. The trailer jolted a little at first, but turned into a fairly smooth ride down the dirt paths that divided the various sections of orchard.

It was too dark to see—or it should have been, once they were away from the lights of the house and barn—but Sunset found that, just like when they were trapped under the stage, she could see almost as well as she could in daylight. It had slipped her mind in the chaos of the Battle of the Bands—having to save the world from the Sirens was something she considered a higher priority at the time—and given the amount of twenty four hour illumination in the places she spent most of her time, she’d almost forgotten about it. Here though, miles away from the bulk of the suburbs and the nearby city, traversing the back half of a large farm at night, Sunset couldn’t help but notice how sharp and clear everything was, even if the colors were washed out.

It was a new development—for the entire time she’d been in her human body, she’d been as night-blind as any of them. She wasn’t even sure when that had changed because she simply hadn’t noticed it until they’d been trapped in the dark by Trixie. Running her fingers through hair that had been left silky and bouncy from Rarity’s earlier brushing, Sunset considered potential sources for the change. Magic had to be the culprit, but how, and when?

Only two real choices resolved themselves as potential answers. Either her new night vision was a result of the growing magic she’d harnessed, or it was a side effect of her demonic transformation and subsequent magical scarring from the Fall Formal. Both were worrying in different ways, and Sunset resolved to do some tests and mention it to Princess Twilight when she wasn’t involved in a slumber party with her friends…

Mentally, she sighed, scolding herself for dwelling on it. Just relax and enjoy tonight, Shimmer. Worry about potential side effects from magical overload and transfigurations tomorrow. For a moment, she found herself missing the sarcastic voice in the back of her head, and found found herself trying to fill in for it with her own brand of sarcasm, telling herself to worry more about how she was going to survive Pinkie’s attempt to put them all into sugar shock with the sheer volume of candy and sweets that she was bringing with them…or the way Rainbow Dash had gotten a devious look on her face and what prank the athlete was considering next…but in the end, it fell short of the feeling of the snarky voice that had been silent for several weeks now.

As she watched, Rainbow surreptitiously lifted a wadded ball of hay, showing it to Scootaloo. The younger girl stifled a giggle as the soccer star tossed the hay up in the air, caught it, then with a flick of her wrist sent it sailing across the trailer to peg Applejack right in the nose. The farmer, who had been murmuring softly to Rarity in a quiet, intimate way as the tailor was curled up against her side, leaning against her for warmth, jerked, whipping her head around to glare at Dash. One fist curled around the ball of hay that had fallen into her lap, but the sound of Granny Smith clearing her throat stopped her from returning the gesture…or instigating a back and forth that would end in Rainbow being tossed out of the trailer. Applejack made a rude gesture at the athlete before going back to resting her cheek against the top of Rarity’s head.

Tipping her head back, Sunset found herself gazing heavenwards at the stars, and her breath caught. The clear, cold night was free of clouds, and with the moon’s waning face not drowning out everything, she could see the night sky in a way she hadn’t observed with her own eyes since she’d left Equestria. Without the light pollution, the view was incredible, filled with points of light and a brilliant dusty band—the Milky Way (but not the candy bar)—Twilight had shown her pictures of. Her heart twinged, and for a moment she ached to have the other girl tucked warmly against her side, marveling at the panorama above them. It would have been the perfect addition to the night, the two of them being able to stargaze in a place like this, stealing kisses in between Twilight showing her more of the human celestial sphere.

Sunset couldn’t help but ponder what her girlfriend would think of the stars studded heavens in Equestria, with completely alien constellations, foreign nebulae, of a blazing sky full of stars with no light pollution to drown out the majesty of the night. What would she say to the magic that meant even a humble telescope owned by the average astronomy enthusiast compared to some of the lower end observatory telescopes in magnification and clarity? Or would her eyes light up the same way when it was Sunset regaling her with the stories behind the constellation—the Phoenix, with its tale of death and rebirth, the Manticore, forever chasing its prey, the Storm Serpent and the Fox, forever caught in their playful dance, or even the rare conjunctions and formations that only happened periodically on certain nights in a year or a decade or century. The former unicorn swallowed hard, pushing down the sudden longing in her heart for something she couldn’t quite bring herself to hope for.

Her eyes lowered from the starry sky to gaze over the orchard spread out before her, winter bare trees with skeletal branches stretching in all directions, the sounds of night animals just at the edge of her hearing, the occasional bit of movement catching her attention. There was a strange, almost magical quality to it, something that reminded her of Equestria, of home, a peace and natural beauty Sunset had thought alien to the human world...one that all this time, had been within driving distance of the portal. She wasn’t quite stricken with homesickness, but that wistful longing and a sense of nostalgia continued to bubble up inside her.

The feeling persisted through the rest of the ride, it lingered while she helped her friends unload their snacks, drinks, and folding chairs, and it was still present once Applejack got the big fire going in the prepared fire pit.

Blue-green eyes studied the metal skewer Pinkie was holding out to her. “Okay...explain to me how this works?”

Pinkie bounced in place. “You put some marshmallows on the end, and you use the fire to toast them—they get a little toasty crust on the outside but the inside gets all melty and gooey! And that’s when you make a little sandwich with the marshmallow and a piece of chocolate between two graham crackers! It’s delicious!”

Brows furrowing, Sunset impaled a marshmallow on the skewer. “Huh. I always thought ‘s’mores’ were something way more complicated.”

Fluttershy giggled behind one hand as Rainbow caught her marshmallows on fire. “The hard part is avoiding that,” she pointed out. “Sugar burns so easily.” Her own treats were held carefully a good distance from the flames, but Sunset could see the faint hint of golden brown appearing on them from the heat. The former unicorn attempted to mimic Fluttershy, making small adjustments until she had it in just the right spot. She had no interest in blackened, charred lumps like Dash had, but she wasn’t inclined to eat them out of the bag like Pinkie was.

Once she deemed hers dark enough, she attempted to put together her first s’more. It was a messy but delicious disaster, one that left everyone around the fire giggling, including the younger girls. Sunset licked her fingers clean and went for another marshmallow. She’d get it right this time!

Three or four messy s’mores later, and she thought she might be getting the hang if it...but she was also coming up on her personal limit for the sickeningly sweet. She set her skewer down, and blinked when Rarity offered her a package of wet-wipes.

“Never hurts to be prepared, darling,” she said with a soft smile, leaning more against Applejack’s side on the broad wooden bench they were sharing.

Hands clean once more, Sunset sighed contentedly, enjoying the sounds of the night, the crackle and heat of the fire, and that soothing sensation of relaxed togetherness that hung over the group. “This...I’ve had a great time tonight girls,” she confessed. “I never imagined any of this whenever I heard people talk about slumber parties or saw them in movies...thanks for doing this for me.”

“Awesome! Score one for team human against magical talking ponies!” Rainbow Dash pumped her fist in the air.

Pinkie, meanwhile, leaned close to Sunset, grinning like a maniac. “Does this mean what I think it means? Regular Rainbooms Slumber Parties?!” With so much sugar and excitement running through her, the party planner was practically vibrating in place.

“Yes, Pinkie,” Sunset replied with an amused chuckle. “I’d be up for regular slumber parties with you girls.” She paused as something occurred to her. “Just not on Friday nights—I have a commitment I can’t get out of on Fridays.”

“That’s okay! Saturday Slumber Parties are even better! Right girls?!”

“Sounds mighty fine ta me,” Applejack drawled, saluting with her bottle of cider. “Ah’d be up fer it, at least a couple times a month.”

The pale skinned tailor at her side made a delighted sound. “Oh! We could even switch off whose house it’s at so no one person is always hosting the sleepovers! Think of it, darlings! It would add a little variety!”

Fluttershy made a small sound of agreement, and Rainbow squinted. “Okay, but I reserve the right to kick Zephyr in the balls whenever we’re over at Shy’s.”

The animal lover sighed. “I don’t normally condone violence,” she muttered with more than a tinge of testiness, “and I love my little brother, I do...but he does not quite understand boundaries.” She made a face at Rainbow. “Please try not to actually hurt him?”

“No promises,” Dash grumbled, crossing her arms. “Last time I spent the night he tried three times to ‘accidentally’ walk in on me in the bathroom. Good thing I was smart enough to lock the door.”

Sunset’s gaze flicked between the pair, before she turned to Applejack and Rarity for clarification. AJ rolled her eyes. “Zephyr Breeze has this huge thing fer Rainbow, an’ at fourteen he’s...feelin’ his oats, iffin ya get what Ah’m sayin’.”

Wrinkling her nose in displeasure, the former bully made the connection. “Zephyr Breeze...he’s not the eighth grader last year who got caught multiple times trying to sneak into the girl’s locker room and almost got expelled for it, is he?” Her eyes widened as everyone nodded, and she turned towards Fluttershy in disbelief. “That’s your brother?”

With a slight frown, Fluttershy answered without missing a beat, “There are days I wish he wasn’t. I keep hoping I’ll find out he’s adopted.”

Sunset shook her head, not sure how to respond to a statement like that. She settled for sipping on her own bottle of ice cold cider, watching the group for a long minute. The four younger girls had gotten their fill of snacks and were running around the open area some distance from the fire, laughing and having fun. Granny Smith was seated next to Big Mac in a lawn chair, a warm blanket chasing off the night’s chill and a cup of something hot steaming in her hand. It left her and her friends with time to themselves for the moment, conversation exchanged for comfortable, companionable silence.

The whole while, the matter of Zephyr Breeze bothered her—there was something unsettling about the way his persistent behavior was laughed off, even the fact that violence was Rainbow’s go to answer to him. It felt...wrong, in so many ways, dredging up memories of her own encounters with boys who didn’t respect boundaries, which in turn brought to the forefront Twilight’s panicked form practically crawling inside her skin the night they met. The redhead found herself gripping her cider bottle in both hands to stop them from trembling. Was that how it had started for Sparky’s attackers? Childish antics ignored by adults because they felt it was ‘just how boys were?’

Sunset sucked in a deep breath, trying to stop her rising temper. This wasn’t the time or the place to blow up about something she was still struggling to understand the intricacies of, and...as much as she trusted the girls...this was something she needed an adult human perspective on. Perhaps Cadence, the next time she had a chance to get the woman alone, or barring that, maybe Miss Luna could offer some wisdom.

Another breath, and the former unicorn unclenched her fists, shaking them out. At the very least, she knew she wouldn’t sit idly by if Fluttershy’s brother harassed her friends—she’d drive home the understanding that they were off-limits if he didn’t want to have an unpleasant date with her favorite boots.

It was in this quiet that Fluttershy startled her by pressing a thickly stuffed envelope into Sunset’s free hand. The redhead looked down to find herself holding the envelope she’d decorated with her cutie mark and Philomena earlier that evening, except it had a number of things tucked inside it.

“I brought these with me, so we could enjoy them,” Fluttershy said with one of her gentle smiles. “And so we could enter the New Year knowing how much we mean to each other.” She handed out the rest of the envelopes before returning to her seat.

Sunset hoped her friends would like what she had done. They weren’t much: quick colorful sketches of her friends both as they were and a fair approximation of what they would look like as Equestrian ponies, along with a short note talking about what she’d learned from each of them and how they made her a stronger, better person. She hadn’t been able to come up with anything better, though not for lack of trying, and she had stashed the extra two drawings that she’d felt compelled to draw among her things. She wasn’t ready to explain why her version of Twilight Sparkle was wearing glasses and flushed cheeks...and conspicuously missing a pony version, and she certainly didn’t want to hear the comments on her own pony self, or about the winged shadow that lurked behind her in the magic mirror she’d sketched from the memory of a night so long ago.

She began looking through what had been tucked in her envelope, starting with a little shape of folded paper almost the same color as her skin, one that she realized after a minute was shaped like a unicorn, two short sentences written neatly on its belly. “Be yourself. Your friends love who you are.” The little paper unicorn was followed by a collection of other folded paper creations, each with its own message. There was a tiny paper motorcycle, a curiously well made copy of her cutie mark, a little electric guitar, and half a dozen other shapes that evoked images of her friends...and at the bottom of the stack of folded paper shapes, one in harsh black and blood red paper that resembled her demonic transformation, the message written in gleaming white: “Without darkness, we cannot truly value light.”

Blue-green eyes flitted up to meet dark blue across the fire, and Rarity responded with one of her enigmatic smiles. Sunset swiped away a tear, carefully retrieving the rest of the envelope’s contents and tucking the little paper figures back inside it so she wouldn’t lose any of them. Looking through the rest of what her friends had given her, she found a lengthy letter in Fluttershy’s handwriting, a goofy, colorful page made of colorful images, glitter, and words cut out of an old magazine from Pinkie (along with a recipe for her favorite flavor of cookie), a short, succinct note from Rainbow Dash covered in lightning bolt stickers, and...nothing from Applejack.

Sunset turned her attention to the tall girl, hurt twisting in her heart, only to realize everyone but Rarity was staring at Applejack with similar hurt and confused expressions. Guilt flashed in AJ’s eyes as she sat up straight, pulling her hat off her head to twist its brim between her fingers. “Look...it's not what y’all think. Ah just don’ work so good with fancy-schmancy words. Don’ mean I ain’t got somethin’ important ta say.”

She faltered, and Rarity pressed a hand to her knee. “Go ahead, darling. We’re listening to you.”

The air tingled with a breath of magic centered on the farmer, which made Sunset sit up even straighter. There was no pony-up, no visible effects, but there was no mistaking what she was sensing. The magic was Applejack’s, a refreshing sense of strength and power contained within a comforting, familiar form, and Sunset found herself starting to relax.

“Look...Ah...We’ve been through a lot, good’n’bad, all o’ us. Truth is, our friendships have been tested, broken, twisted, an’ repaired, an’ now we’re stronger together than we’ve ever been.” She took time to look at each person in turn. “That’s how Ah know it’s real, an’ it’s gonna last—cuz no matter how bad it’s gotten, we’re still here.” Tanned fingers dropped to grip Rarity’s hand, a silent conversation passing between them with a single glance, the love and trust and a million truths between them blazing hotter than the fire and registering with Sunset’s senses as part of the magic in the air.

Then forest green orbs were pinning her with that powerful gaze, and she could feel the soul being laid bare. “Ah...wanted ta thank ya, Sunset, fer everything you’ve done, an’ that includes breakin’ apart our friendships.”

It was like being punched, all the wind coming out of her in a rush as sounds of indignation and disbelief echoed around the circle—except, once again, from Rarity—and the redhead found the question falling from her lips before she could stop it. “What?”

Applejack held up a hand to forestall further comments. “Hear me out. Ah’m thankin’ ya, Sunset, because o’ what breakin’ us apart taught us.”

“Family means a lot ta the Apples. Not just who yer blood ta, but the people that matter in yer life. An’ sure, ‘fore ya came, we were friends. We laughed, we talked, we enjoyed spendin’ time together...but Ah’m not sure how long that woulda lasted. People grow an’ change, an’ they drift apart. We mighta found other friends an’ other interests in our own time, an’ come graduation time, whose ta say if we’d ever contact each other again. Happens with high school an’ childhood friendships: ya grow up an’ move on.”

The farmer rubbed her neck. “But...then...Sunset Shimmer happened. Ya went outta yer way to break us apart, ta drive wedges in cracks we didn’t even know were there. Ya spun us up so bad we barely knew which way was up, let alone who to trust. We spent over a year mad at each other, filled with ugliness and hate and meanness...an’ thats on us. Sunset Shimmer may’ve started the whole mess, but we perpetuated it. We were the ones who didn’t value each other enough, who didn’t trust each other enough, an’ so we stayed apart. We weren’t really good friends ta each other then, cuz if we were, nothin’ ya coulda done, Sunset, woulda worked. After all, Rares an’ Ah were never on the outs, an’ we fight ten times worse than Ah’ve ever fought with the rest of y’all.”

Applejack paused for a moment to take a long drink of cider, and the ensuing moment of quiet was an introspective one, judging by the expressions on the girls’ faces. Sunset herself wasn’t entirely sure where Applejack was going yet, so she stayed silent, waiting.

Clearing her throat, AJ kept going. “It took a stranger from another world ta make us see what had happened, an’ it took magic, almost dyin’, an’ a fight against the Sirens fer us ta finally start fixin’ those cracks...but...Ah learned somethin’ Ah don’t think Ah ever woulda learned without it. It took losin’ mah friends an’ findin’ y’all again ta realize how much ya mean ta me.”

Her voice had grown thick with emotion, and in the light of the flames, her eyes gleamed with wetness that refused to fall. “Yer mah family, all o’ ya, just as sure as Mac’n’Granny’n’Bloom, and Ah love y’all. An’ that includes you, Sunset Shimmer, cuz just like ya talked about the things ya learned ‘bout friendship from us, ya taught me the most important lesson Ah’ve ever learned about it, even if ya didn’t know it.”

The Truth rang through the night like a bell, magic thrumming in Sunset’s bones. Wetness dripped onto her hand, and she realized she had started crying at some point—and she wasn’t alone. None of her friends were dry eyed from Applejack’s heartfelt speech—even Rainbow was blinking back a few tears as much as she tried to hide it. Pinkie’s eyes were wide and the grin she wore took up more of her face than Sunset would have thought possible, Rarity simply slid an arm around Applejack to hug her, face pressed briefly into one broad shoulder, and Fluttershy’s tears flowed freely.

It was Rainbow Dash who spoke first, coughing to hide the way her voice broke on the first syllable. “Dammit, Applejack. I know you’re right, but do you have to make me have feelings in front of everyone?!”

Laughter rippled through the group, and before she could even comprehend her actions, Sunset found she was moving around the fire to hug Applejack. Amidst the giggles, she heard Pinkie exclaim, “Sunset’s got the right idea! Group hug!” Chairs scraped along the ground and more bodies pressed close to join in on the emotional embrace, surrounding Sunset with the sense of love and friendship and joy.

As the hug broke apart a few minutes later, Pinkie poked Applejack in the shoulder. “Does this mean all of our friends get to come to the family reunion next year?!” The delight in her eyes was almost terrifying to behold.

“If they wanna, then Ah’m invitin’ them. Family is family, an’ that means a place at the reunion, just like you get, Pinkie.” At the somewhat blank stares, Applejack sighed. “Y’all did know the Pies an’ Apples’re kin by marriage, right?”

“Huh...” Rainbow went a little cross eyed. “Wow. Did not know that. That explains the reaction to the rumor about Marble having a crush on Big Mac back in middle school make way more sense now...”

Applejack hauled herself up. “Yeah. We get enough shit jokes cuz we have the farm an’ there's a lotta Apples from the sticks. An’ speakin’ of Mac, Ah think he needs a hand settin’ up the fireworks. Rares, kin ya help put the fire out while I do that?”

“Of course, darling,” Rarity responded affectionately, pale fingers squeezing tanned ones before letting go. “Rainbow Dash, be a dear and help dump that buck of dirt on the fire, would you?”

Sunset helped Fluttershy gather up the trash and return the remaining snack supplies—as well as most of the chairs—to the hay trailer, while Rainbow and Rarity smothered the embers of their fire with earth and water, and Pinkie took it upon herself to chatter happily with Granny Smith. From what little Sunset overheard, she was trying to persuade the elderly woman about the merits of adding marshmallows and sprinkles to the hot drink in her hands. In short order, they all met back up next to the elderly woman’s seat, drinks in hand as they waited for the midnight hour.

The heavens’ majesty beckoned for the former unicorn’s attention once more, and she found her eyes drawn upward again, her thoughts turned inward. At first glance, the human world and Equestria were only superficially similar, a fact which Sunset had considered an immutable, hard fact for years. This world of technological marvels and humanity’s horrors were impossible to reconcile with the world of magic and mythic creatures she’d grown up in.

Yet...standing here, with Pinkie squashed against her on one side and Scootaloo beaming up at her on the other, the scent of fresh hay and wild places in her nostrils, and the panorama of the cosmos in all its glory, it felt more like Equestria than Equestria had felt in her last few years there. She felt more alive and energized than she had since she was a filly, and for the first time in her life, she had those who welcomed her with open arms, who called her family, who wanted her because she was Sunset and nothing more...

She had friends who accepted her without reservations. She had a girlfriend who she cared about more than she could put into words. She had family in an extended mix of individuals who cared because they wanted to. She had the respect and trust of those who she respected and trusted in turn. She was loved...and because of that, the human world felt more like home than Equestria ever had.

The first set of fireworks went off with an explosion of light and sound, even as the realization rocked her to her core. This world wasn’t the world she’d known, the world she’d longed to be able to return to...but it wasn’t the nightmarish hellscape she had felt it to be, just a few short months ago.

Maybe, Sunset realized tentatively, if she tried, this world could be more than just the place she lived out her exile in. Maybe...maybe she didn’t need Equestria to be happy. Maybe this world had room for Sunset Shimmer to make it her home.

*sips cocoa*

*pauses.*

*sets the mug down*

Okay. So yeah. That's the official end of the first Arc and the Winter Break Bridge between Arc One and Arc Two. Sunset's found some measure of inner peace, and a place with her friends...at the same time, there are more questions than answers for everything else. This chapter was a fun one, and I hope everyone enjoyed it.

Yes, Rarity has a side hobby of making origami figures. I thought it was a neat, creative, but relaxing hobby that allows her to make pretty things with no real mess.

And no, Fluttershy is not a huge fan of her brother. I don't blame her. Sometimes I wonder if Zephyr is the reason Pony Flutters can handle the damned devil rabbit and Discord.

There are two more "chapters" i intend to post before Rubicon is going on hiatus while I finish Arc Two. One of them is an Interlude involving Shining Armor, and the other is another Correspondence chapter between Sunset and Princess Twilight.

During the hiatus, I do intend to post a handful of one-shots and side stories that I can knock out in an hour or two between chapters. I'll also try to do updates on progress so that you guys aren't languishing and wondering for weeks on end.

I thought about doing some kind of postscript/blog/Q&A thing about Arc one and the bridge--AKA "The Story Thus Far", but I wasn't sure how many people might be interested in that. Let me know?

From the guts of Chapter Sixty Nine,
A Somewhat Tired Author