While Sunset and everyone else aboard the Endtrak Express were focused on getting back on track to Hope Hollow, an urgent revelation would soon be unfolded, back the School of Friendship. Starlight Glimmer was still patiently waiting in her office for any further updates from either Twilight or the rest of the council. The lingering concern about how much of a threat that Chestnut Magnifico would become with each passing minute, it continuously swam through her mind. After finishing up some further paperwork, she filed the documents into a nearby cabinet, before hearing a knock on her office door.

“Come in.” Starlight called out, trying to sound more composed than she felt.

“Hey Starlight, you got a minute?” Sunburst asked, as he entered. “I’ve just finished up the meeting with that student who thought it’d be cute to play hooky, so my duties at the school are finished for the day.”

“Good to hear, come have a seat.” Starlight gestured to the chair opposite her desk. “I’m just waiting for some word from Twilight and the others about our situation with Chestnut Magnifico. Every moment we spend here is another moment that we’re not out there, trying to stop whatever he’s planning. But unfortunately, as much as we’re determined to be heroes to save Equestria, we’ve still got a job to do.”

“Educating the youth of Equestria also seems pretty essential to make that a reality, especially since… even we have to retire ourselves, someday.” Sunburst shrugged. “Anyways, regarding that Chestnut pegasus who not only stole the Bewitching Bell, but even Sunset’s horn, Twilight just sent me a scroll regarding some new information that Celestia was able to provide for her. After hearing how she hurt my half sister, I’m definitely more determined than ever to give Sunset the justice she deserves.”

“Indeed, Sunset’s always been like a big sister to us both, and I’m sure she’s done an excellent job at protecting those students on their field trip to Hope Hollow.” Starlight nodded. “Now, going off of what you just told me, what new information is this? Did Celestia find anything that could help us track that pegasus down?”

“Well, not quite, at least according to what Twilight wrote.” Sunburst shook his head. “She mentioned that Celestia remembered something hidden within the Canterlot Library’s restricted section, which could help us learn more about another new potential threat. See, although we’ve now protected ourselves from the Bewitching Bell’s effects by using the Dragonstone, she unfortunately learned that activating it… inadvertently released something else.”

“You mean… it was never meant to be activated?” Starlight’s eyes widened. “I mean, all we really know is that Rockhoof hid the Dragonstone on Everfree Island, and we were able to retrieve it. We even used Smolder’s dragon to power it up, so it’s not like it was possessed by outside magic.”

“I mean, it doesn’t sound like a big deal when you put it that way, but Celestia didn’t seem to think so.” Sunburst sighed. “Apparently, when she learned from Twilight that the Dragonstone had been activated, Celestia actually freaked out. She specifically remembered that centuries ago, Starswirl the Bearded had actually instructed Rockhoof to hide the Dragonstone in a deserted place, purely to ensure it would never be activated again. Because Starswirl actually casted a curse on the artifact, meant to eternally weaken some mysterious… fire alicorn. The curse would be broken the instant we activate its power.”

“Fire… alicorn?” Starlight couldn’t believe her ears. “So it’s more than just a simple theft of the Bewitching Bell, it’s like we’ve opened Pandora’s Box, except we have no idea what we’ve unleashed! How powerful and dangerous could this creature even be, that Starswirl had to go through such a length to weaken them?”

“That’s right, and now we’re left to deal with the consequences.” Sunburst sighed. “Twilight’s message didn’t have all the details, but it’s clear that we need to get ahead of this before it’s too late, and that we must meet her in Canterlot right away!”

“In that case, we can’t just sit here and wait for trouble to come to us, we’ve got to understand what we’re dealing with.” Starlight said, determined, before writing a note. “I’ll leave a note on my door, saying that we’ll be unavailable for a while. Oh, and we should definitely also inform Sunset and the rest of the council, once we make our discoveries.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Sunburst said, as he watched Starlight trot out of the office and tape the note onto her door. “It’s crazy to imagine, we were once casual childhood friends back in Sire’s Hollow, and now we’re teaming up to save Equestria. Never would’ve imagined that this is what destiny would bring us together to do.”

“Nor could I have imagined being responsible for helping Thorax and the rest of the changelings accept friendship.” Starlight nodded. “Well, I almost contributed to Equestria’s utter destruction once, so now it’s my duty to save it from whatever these new threats are! Let’s go to Canterlot!”

As Sunburst and Starlight ran from the School of Friendship, not wanting to waste any time, they were unaware that the school suddenly had another unexpected guest. After escaping a horde of angry wasps from Canterlot, Madame Cinch had been hiding behind bushes for a while, as she was still a prisoner on the run. The Madame eventually exited the bushes, growling at the twigs and branches messing up her mane, before looking up at the school that Sunburst and Starlight had just left.

“My, my.” Cinch said, as she admired the school’s structure. “I’m absolutely quite surprised that this literal palace exists in Ponyville, of all places. Where was the palace that I deserved, back in Manehattan?”

Madame Cinch approached the building, before noticing that the front doors were unlocked, and made her way in. It didn’t take long for her to realize that due to the classrooms and chalkboards, she was suddenly in a school.

“I should’ve known, only ponies living in poverty would waste such a pristine palace on something as silly as education.” Cinch rolled her eyes. “But then again, if I had my own school, I could probably make quite the fortune, and better yet, I imagine that I’d make a wonderful school principal.”

“Principal?” A voice said from a nearby hallway, as Cinch’s eyes widened. “So I’m guessing you’re in charge now, since I saw that the school’s headmare has gone out for the day.”

“Erm, yes, that’s right.” Cinch pretended, trying to keep her tone civil despite the bitterness in her heart. “And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with, today?”

“Name’s Sunny Flare, and I just had a question for the headmare.” Sunny Flare replied. “See, I just enrolled at the school yesterday, mostly to improve my social skills and understanding of friendship. Anyways, I was just wondering, would it be all right for me take this one class for only a week, before I head back to my hometown? I still have a business to run, and my hometown’s admittedly pretty far from Ponyville.”

“Ah, yes.” Madame Cinch put on her best smile, though it was forced. “That sounds perfectly reasonable, but of course, education comes at a cost. You’re free to leave whenever you want, but you’ll have to compensate us dearly for helping you secure a brighter future. I’ll take that payment of 500 bits, if you may.”

“500 bits for one week’s worth of classes?” Sunny Flare raised an eyebrow. “That seems a bit… excessive, don’t you think?”

“My dear, when you deal with the finest education that Equestria has to offer, you must understand that such privileges do not come cheap.” Cinch insisted. “Plus, considering that I had to come all the way from Canterlot to personally oversee your education, I would say that’s quite the bargain. But, since you’re new, I can offer you a one-time discount. How does… 499 bits sound?”

“Well, I suppose if that’s what it takes.” Sunny Flare sighed. “Alright, I’ll pay the 499 bits, but I want to ensure that it’s worth my investment. I guess I’ll go and grab my saddlebag from the classroom…”

“If she’s that desperate for a week’s worth of education, she must be quite gullible.” Cinch thought to herself, smirking, before speaking up. “Excellent, Miss Flare. I’ll be waiting here to take your payment, and I’m sure you’ll find the education here… enlightening.”

As Cinch waited in the halls for her easy money, with the only thing on her mind being how she could spoil herself afterwards, she would soon be in for a sudden shock, upon hearing a conversation within the classroom right down the hall. Sunny Flare was already busy at work, counting the bits she had on her, before a familiar pony’s voice became apparent.

“Sunny Flare?” Rarity inquired from inside the classroom, making the Madame anxious as she heard the voice. “What in Equestria are you doing with all that money, darling? This is a school, not a bank.”

“Well, it’s for the weekly class fee that the headmare told me about.” Sunny Flare replied. “She said that 500 bits is standard for students who only want to stay for a week.”

“What…?” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “The School of Friendship’s classes have always been free, and even if they weren’t, we absolutely would not commit such an act of highway robbery! Why would Starlight Glimmer tell you this?”

“Uhh, she didn’t.” Sunny Flare replied. “I was told this by the mare who said she was the principal, since the headmare isn’t in her office.”

“I’m afraid you’ve been misinformed, Sunny Flare.” Rarity said, gently. “The School of Friendship operates on the belief that knowledge and friendship shouldn’t come with a price tag, it’s free for all who wish to learn. Whoever told you such nonsense, I should give her a real piece of my mind.”

“Wha… I can’t believe I almost fell for that!” Sunny Flare felt a mix of embarrassment and anger, as she began to stuff the bits back into her saddlebag. “Thank you for telling me the truth, Rarity. I’ll find this so-called principal and bring her to you!”

Sunny Flare immediately dashed out of the classroom, and right back over to the hallways where Cinch claimed she would wait. Unfortunately, upon hearing Rarity’s voice, and even confirmation that it was her by name, the Madame was already one step ahead, and already reached the school’s front doors, ready to make a run for it. She was already in some hot water from getting caught attempting to scam somepony, but knew she’d have her goose cooked if even Rarity also caught her here, especially after her blackmail back in Manehattan. Sunny Flare sprinted over to the front doors, where she caught a glimpse of the Madame attempting to catch her breath on the stone path near the waterfalls.

“HEY!” Sunny Flare frowned upon seeing the fraudster attempt her escape. “Where are YOU going!?”

“Anywhere to avoid that… MONSTER!” Cinch turned around and snarled. “And I suggest you do the same!”

The Madame immediately sprinted off before she could get caught, as Sunny Flare sighed in frustration, but was at least thankful that she had been saved the inconvenience and humiliation of having her bits stolen. Shortly after, Sunny Flare was accompanied by Rarity, who was already too late at even catching the slightest glimpse of the now escaped Madame Cinch.

“Well, it looks like whoever tried to extort you for your bits is no longer a problem.” Rarity said. “Thank Celestia I was around before you unknowingly got robbed.”

“Yeah, thanks to you, Rarity.” Sunny Flare smiled. “I can’t believe somepony would try to pull something that dirty, especially in a place that’s supposed to be about learning friendship.”

“It’s quite shocking, indeed.” Rarity nodded. “Did you by any chance get a good look at her? She wasn’t an orange pegasus with a blonde mane, was she?”

“Umm, not that I can immediately recall, but I’m pretty sure she was a unicorn.” Sunny Flare replied. “Though she wasn’t Starlight, that’s for sure. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason, I was just curious.” Rarity quickly brushed off. “Well regardless, let’s just hope that whoever that petty thief was, she’ll get exactly what’s coming to her.”

As Madame Cinch had finally sprinted a good distance away from the school, she took another quick break to catch her breath, as she laid low in some nearby bushes. She gritted her teeth, frustrated at how she was this close to getting some easy money to spoil herself, only for her that Rarity to ruin it for her. Despite Cinch’s grudge towards her former employee, she also had just as much of a vendetta for Sunset Shimmer, whom according to Svengallop, was the main reason they had both ended up behind bars.

“Before I potentially get caught and end up behind bars again, I’ll absolutely want to get my revenge on that orange unicorn who helped Miss Valencia destroy my perfect reputation.” Cinch said to herself. “Until then, what else could possibly go wrong, today?”

Soon enough, the Madame eventually heard some hoofsteps, prompting her to duck back into the bushes. Peering from outside it, she took notice of a gray pegasus wearing noise-cancelling headphones, holding a loud lawnmower.

“Well, even though I got fired from my mail job, I’m happy that I found some temporary work as a gardener.” Derpy said to herself, as she turned the lawnmower on.

Cinch instinctively tried to make her escape, but realized that she couldn’t upon seeing her own tail get caught between the bush’s twigs.

“Wait, STOP!!!” Cinch shrieked from inside the bush.

“Hmm?” Derpy blinked, as she looked around. “Did somepony just say something? Could you maybe repeat what you just said?”

“Turn that off, my poor tail’s stuck in this bush!” Cinch ordered.

“Mow that off, there’s a horsetail stuck in that bush?” Derpy attempted to reiterate, but misinterpreted what she had heard, due to her headphones. “All right, you got it, then!”

As Derpy pushed the lawnmower forward into the bush, Cinch immediately felt the machine’s blades slice her tail off, making her shriek at the indignity and humiliation, which prompted her to scurry away through the bushes and trees to avoid being seen. Derpy immediately turned the mower off, before examining her work, and noticing Madame Cinch’s severed and messy tail underneath the bush’s remnants.

“Well, it’s a good thing I was told to trim this particular horsetail, that is one ugly weed, indeed.” Derpy giggled, as she continued to mow the rest of the lawn.

Back on the Endtrak Express, Torque Wrench was almost finished repairing the train’s vital components, making it so everyone would miraculously soon arrive at their destination, despite the Stagma Beetle rush from earlier. While Sunset and the students were enjoying Mr. Ramsay’s sticky toffee pudding, Sunset sat in her train’s cabin with the students, thinking that the activities had kept her quite busy, to where something crucial was slipping her mind. As Yona finished her third helping of dessert, she turned to her chaperone, noticing the conflict in her eyes.

“Everything okay, Chaperone Sunset?” Yona questioned.

“Didn’t you enjoy Mr. Ramsay’s sweet treat?” Gallus added. “I know I sure did!”

“Yeah, I really savored Mr. Ramsay’s cooking, it’s just as good as I remember it.” Sunset nodded. “But despite us being able to overcome those nasty beetles, I just can’t help but feel like something’s been slipping my mind. I mean, I’ve kinda been distracted with all sorts of new things here in Equestria, alongside this newer threat that my friends and I are after, but… I feel like I’ve neglected a promise I made to a friend.”

“What do you mean, Miss Sunset?” Smolder raised an eyebrow. “We haven’t even reached Hope Hollow yet, and even then, we all feel like you’ve given us the best field trip adventure we’ve ever had!”

“I agree with Smolder.” Ocellus said. “You’ve been nothing but amazing, keeping us safe, and showing us the beauty of Equestria. It’s what you promised Princess Twilight, and you’ve most certainly fulfilled that promise, that’s for sure.”

“Hmm, yeah, that’s right…” Sunset pondered. “I made a promise to Twilight, but it wasn’t that. In fact, it’s not even the Twilight from this world, but I know I promised something a few days ago.”

The students all looked at each other in confusion, baffled by Sunset’s choice of words.

“Are you feeling all right, Miss Sunset?” Sandbar asked out of concern. “What other world are you referring to?”

“Unless she’s talking about Princess Twilight having a twin sister who resides in another kingdom?” Silverstream suggested. “Oh, that would be so cool, do you think they’d keep each other updated with what’s going on in their lives?”

“Wait, that’s it!” Sunset suddenly had an epiphany. “You’re… kind of right when you say that, Silverstream. But yeah, I’ve been so caught up with everything going on in Equestria, that I’ve neglected to stay in touch with my friends in this other kingdom, let’s just say. The Twilight of that kingdom actually sent me a message through this magical journal yesterday, and I didn’t even find an opportunity to write her back.”

“A magical journal that lets you communicate with another kingdom?” Ocellus’ eyes widened in a mix of shock and fascination. “That sounds incredible, Miss Sunset! I didn’t know such a thing existed!”

“What is this other place like?” Silverstream leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued. “And who are these friends you speak of?”

“Friends who remind me of your teachers at the School of Friendship, who are also my friends now, too.” Sunset tried her best to explain. “We were originally supposed to be working on a song together for an upcoming big event, but for personal reasons, I decided to take some time off here in Equestria. This other Twilight mostly mentioned that I have an extra day to do anything I need, but surprisingly, no reports on anything troublesome going on. For example, she didn’t even mention that girl named Gilda, whom I’m sure is still out there, somewhere.”

“Gilda?” Gallus spoke up. “I know who she is, she’s the main reason I even got to know my teacher Rainbow Dash, before the first day of school. Sure, she used to be a real grouch back in Griffonstone, but nowadays, she’s pretty chill and makes great scones. What happened with Gilda, did you and your friends get into an argument with her?”

“Not exactly, but at the same time, I’m pretty certain it’s not the same Gilda that you know.” Sunset deduced, as she flipped through her journal. “I mean, I think she is, but at the same time, she isn’t. It’s… pretty complicated, I’ll say that much.”

“This other kingdom sounds pretty bizarre, the way you’ve described it.” Smolder sat back on her cabin bed. “But even then, I certainly wouldn’t mind checking out the place sometime. Maybe even after our trip to Hope Hollow is finished, we could go to this mysterious other kingdom, sometime?”

“Another field trip with Chaperone Sunset!?” Yona sparked with glee. “Yes, yes! Could we, Chaperone!?”

“Well, it’s definitely not something we can do today, but it’s an interesting idea, for another time.” Sunset smiled at her students’ enthusiasm. “But for now, we’ll be reaching Hope Hollow soon, and I’m sure there’s more than enough to keep us busy once we get there. Plus, I wouldn’t want to burden you all with even more responsibilities after this trip, but I do appreciate everything you’ve done to help, it really shows how much you’ve all grown.”

The students all unanimously muttered in agreement and enthusiasm, looking forward to having another potential field trip in the future with Miss Sunset. In the meantime, Sunset began writing a message back for the Human Twilight, trying to get an update for anything else that might’ve happened back in the Human World, while she was away. She knew for certain that it was very likely that Gilda was still on the loose somewhere, and that the graduation at CHS being pushed back a day might’ve had something in connection to Gilda’s misdeeds. All of these thoughts kept swimming around her mind, as Sunset knew she would return to the Human World very soon, but was still completely unaware of certain doppelganger whom also shares her identity…

As this was going on, Human Sunset continued to walk around the desolate streets of Canterlot City at night, as she had already met up with Rolling Thunder and Lightning Dust, back at the hideout. None of the girls had the foggiest idea of where Gilda had gone off to, ever since she got her hands on the Tundra Tiara. It began to enrage Human Sunset internally, that she already had a plan on whom to target next, but Gilda seemed to constantly be slacking off, left and right. This made Human Sunset more determined than ever to find Gilda, and perhaps get a more clear idea on what her true motives were, that would force her to constantly be late to their gang meetings.

“Where could Gilda possibly be?” Human Sunset clenched her fists tightly in frustration, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the dimly lit streets. “I’m beginning to think she’s plotting something behind my back, but I just can’t seem to figure out where she could’ve possibly gone off to. I’ll have to find her eventually, and then she’d better come up with a good explanation on her absence!”

With a newfound sense of determination, Human Sunset picked up her pace, her boots clicking against the pavement in a steady rhythm. Despite it already being nighttime, and many businesses having already been closed for the day, Human Sunset eventually caught the glimpse of a building on the far end of a street, which still had its lights on. She carefully snuck over to the building in question, which was none other than Sugarcube Corner, the regular hangout spot for Pony Sunset and the rest of the Rainbooms. Upon hearing a conversation going on in the café, Human Sunset ducked underneath one of the windows, as she began eavesdropping, noticing five girls sitting at one of the tables.

“Come on, girls!” Rainbow tried to encourage the rest of her friends. “We’ve been at this all day, and we’ve barely come up with anything new for our graduation song!”

“Well to tell you the truth, without Sunset here to help us, it’s been a lot harder to come up with something original.” Fluttershy said. “After all, it was mostly her contribution that helped us win the Battle of the Bands.”

“Adding on, I’m not particularly sure many of us are motivated to prioritize the graduation song, especially with how sad Pinkie’s been acting.” Rarity noted. “In fact, she’s been so sad over ‘Sunset’ supposedly being mean to her, that she didn’t even want to join us to work on the song, even when we offered to buy her an octuple ice cream sundae deluxe! It’s not like her to turn such a treat down like that.”

Hearing this, Human Sunset immediately remembered what she had done that night, and that these girls were specifically referring to her. But not knowing who that Pinkie girl even was, and that she had grown far too bitter at this point to even care about making friends, Human Sunset just shrugged it off and continued listening in for any crucial information, now knowing that these were supposedly Pony Sunset’s friends.

“I reckon she’s just takin’ it pretty hard.” Applejack said, as she finished what was left of her milkshake. “Even then, I can’t help but scratch the feelin’ that something fishy’s goin’ on, we’ve known Sunset for years now, she’s got a good heart, and she’d never do anything to really hurt anyone on purpose like that. I just hope Sunset’s considerin’ comin’ back to our world, sooner than she planned, so that we can resolve everything, and hopefully clear up this misunderstandin’.”

“Well, that’s just it.” Twilight said, as she took her journal out of her bag. “I wrote a message to Sunset earlier, mentioning how according to Principal Celestia, the graduation’s being pushed back a day. However, since I didn’t want to burden her, or straight up accuse her of anything, I specifically left out anything to do with the Pinkie situation, because I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt that she really did anything like that to Pinkie. It really doesn’t sound like her at all, especially given how excited she was to finish writing the graduation song with us all.”

“I figured she’s maybe she’s just really busy with all that Equestria stuff, you know?” Rainbow added. “Besides, it doesn’t seem like Sunset to just come back a few days early out of nowhere, especially without letting any of us know. She told us she was going to return to Equestria for at least a week, and I know Sunset’s a gal who often sticks to her word.”

“But what if something really is wrong?” Applejack spoke up, her voice tinged with concern. “Pinkie’s pretty shaken up, and she’s not the type to just make this up out of the blue. Maybe we should to Sunset about it, just to get an idea on anything suspicious that’s been going on?”

“Better yet, what if it’s that Gilda girl, who simply disguised herself as Sunset, in an attempt to hide her true identity?” Rarity suggested. “We still have no idea if Gilda’s out there somewhere, and she’s specifically plotting something to destroy graduation for us all.”

“I’m not sure if that’s likely, especially since Sunset mentioned that she’s never even met Gilda before.” Fluttershy replied. “I really have to imagine that whatever happened, the Sunset we all know wasn’t involved with hurting Pinkie’s feelings. But I agree with Applejack, maybe we should at least write to her about this, just to get an idea on what’s going on.”

“Well, that’s just it.” Twilight looked at her journal. “Ever since I wrote to Sunset regarding the graduation date change, she hasn’t given me a response. I haven’t really written to her about anything else, since we haven’t really encountered any other forms of suspicious activity lately, other than the Pinkie situation. But I’d imagine that Sunset’s just busy back in Equestria, since we made it very clear that we want her to enjoy her week off in her home world, especially if we haven’t really been dealing with any other forms of major trouble.”

However, just as Twilight said this, she immediately glanced down and saw her journal emit a glow, the exact kind that they had witnessed Sunset’s journal getting, every time she received a message from Princess Twilight.

“Ooh, Twilight!” Fluttershy’s eyes widened in surprise. “It looks like you spoke too soon, let’s see what Sunset has to say!”

“Okay, okay, let me just flip to the most recent page…” Twilight opened the journal and found the newest message on the glowing page, her eyes scanning it quickly. “It’s from Sunset!”

Dear Twilight,

I’m really sorry that I haven’t been around to reply to your message, but something else big in Equestria has been keeping me quite busy. I appreciate the heads up in regards to the new graduation date, it especially seems to work in my favor, since I was getting rather worried about time being tight on my end. For the most part, this whole week in Equestria has been a wild ride, considering how I just helped six students defeat a giant fire rhino monster atop a train. I’ve been meaning to ask, is everything going fine back in the Human World? Have you and the girls been working on our graduation song just fine, any signs of Gilda or any trouble around the corner? Please be sure to let me know, in case something comes up.

-Sunset Shimmer

“Fire rhino monster?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow upon reading this. “Maybe we should have gone back to Equestria with Sunset, that sure does sound exciting.”

“Well that’s besides the point, it seems as though Sunset’s confirmed several mysteries we’ve been pondering.” Rarity inspected the message. “This implies Sunset’s been in Equestria for the entire week, and she has no idea on anything malicious that may be going on behind the scenes. Surely, she wouldn’t just casually write to us about this, if she intentionally hurt Pinkie’s feelings.”

“That’s true, but we can’t just ignore what happened to Pinkie.” Fluttershy insisted “It’s a good thing we didn’t just straight-up accuse Sunset of doing something mean towards her, we wouldn’t want her feeling guilty over something she didn’t even do, and sour her experience in Equestria.”

“Considerin’ what we did back then with the Anon-a-Miss incident, I reckon it’s for the best.” Applejack sighed. “But now that we know something fishy is definitely going on, I say we get to the bottom of this! If we’re havin’ trouble comin’ up with ideas for our graduation song, at the very least, we should do everything we can help Sunset clear her name, especially if she’s bring framed!”

“But how do we even start looking for answers?” Rainbow questioned. “Should we wait for Sunset to come back, or do we start investigating now? I think I’d rather do that, than spend hours on a song, only to come up with nothing.”

“Since the week in Equestria is almost up, I can definitely see Sunset coming back to our world, very soon.” Twilight predicted. “In the meantime, it’s important we keep our promises to Sunset, and stick to our main duties here, mostly in regards to working on the song. We’ve already made a ton of progress since then, so that certainly counts for something. That said, I do think we should keep our eyes open for anything out of the ordinary, just in case.”

Underneath the window of Sugarcube Corner, Human Sunset’s heart raced as she overheard the Rainbooms. Her eyes narrowed at the mention of Pinkie Pie’s distress, as she couldn’t shake the fear that her own actions had somehow painted her doppelganger in a negative light. The thought of facing them with the truth made her palms sweat, even if she wanted to believe it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, since she was now determined to ruin the graduation ceremonies at both CHS and Crystal Prep Academy, and damage had already been done, Human Sunset committed to her original motives, and knew that she had to act fast.

With a deep breath, she straightened her posture and took a step back from the wall, her boots scraping the ground. The light from the window cast a soft glow on her determined face as she turned away from the building, the sound of their voices fading into the night as she retreated into the shadows. It was unfortunate to hear that despite her best efforts, the Rainbooms managed to see through her little scheme, and determine that these strange acts most likely weren’t being committed by the Sunset that they all knew. Human Sunset needed a plan, and she needed it before Pony Sunset inevitably returned to the Human World, which could be anytime soon.

Almost entirely forgetting about whatever Gilda was up to, Human Sunset walked all the way back over to her mother’s old home, believing that she had already spent too much time going on a wild goose chase, and that she needed her energy the next day. At the very least, this crucial knowledge about Pony Sunset and her closest friends at CHS, had given Human Sunset the peace of mind to formulate what her next move was. Unfortunately, as confident as Human Sunset wanted to believe she was, given how easily she had managed to destroy the Canterlot Street Gang and bring them under her control, she couldn’t immediately say the same about Pony Sunset.

Human Sunset already knew how successful, well-respected, and capable her pony counterpart was, but had no idea what she truly was like, personality-wise. She figured that if Pony Sunset was anything like the mean and aggressive girl, whom she herself now was, the thought of confronting her head-on when she inevitably returned to the Human World, it had terrified Human Sunset. Fortunately, since she had some time to regain her energy before facing the unknown, Human Sunset quickly put herself to sleep on her living room’s couch, unsure of when exactly she would have this supposed destined encounter.

Meanwhile, Gilda spent her own time relocating the same cave area she had left a while ago, after coming to a dead end, thanks to the barrier of rocks caving in the entrance. Now with the Tundra Tiara in her hands, she placed it atop her own head whilst driving her truck, feeling as though she’d soon become a powerful queen, thanks to the supposed Sorceress’s magic. After putting her vehicle in park, Gilda got out of the vehicle and approached the pile of rocks obstructing her path. Without hesitation, she followed Clover’s instructions on how to use the magical crown to bypass this seemingly impossible obstacle.

“Frosty shivers!” Gilda reiterated, as the Tundra Tiara lit up, before blasting a magical beam of ice towards the rock pile, freezing them solid.

With a cackle that echoed throughout the desolate forest, she snatched the pickaxe from the truck’s bed and swung it at the frozen obstruction, over and over. The axe connected with a resonant crack, and the rocks shattered into a glittering cascade of ice shards that rained down around her, leaving a clear path ahead. The sound of breaking ice filled the air, mingling with the distant howl of the wind. She stepped over the remnants of her victory, ignoring the new chilly sensation, and continued her march into the cave, carrying a lantern, so she could see through the darkness more clearly.

After what felt like a few hours of falling asleep, Human Sunset immediately woke up to a shattered window in her house. The noise made her instinctively believe it was a burglar, as she kept her guard up, before turning on the lights. To her surprise, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual going on inside the house, other than what looked like a rock on the floor, with a note taped to it. Not thinking anything of it, Human Sunset crouched down and inspected the note, reading it out loud.

“Meet me at the front of Canterlot High at midnight, exactly.” Human Sunset read aloud. “If you don’t show up, I will burn your house down!”

Seeing her wall’s clock already hit 11:44 PM, Human Sunset knew she had to act fast, especially with the threat of becoming homeless. The real question was, who exactly was this person threatening her, had Gilda finally returned from her secret plot, and was now ready to take her on? Even if it was Gilda, Human Sunset wasn’t too particularly afraid, given how she had managed to beat her before in a fair fight. Was it the tattoo shop owner who had been enraged over her and Rolling Thunder’s robbery, and had managed to track her down? These thoughts kept clouding Human Sunset’s mind, but she knew that regardless of whoever wanted to confront her, she had to face the music.

Human Sunset’s heart thundered in her chest as she sprinted through the quiet, moonlit streets of Canterlot City. She had no idea what awaited her at the front of Canterlot High, but the urgency of the note, and the time-sensitive nature of the threat had left her with no room for error. As she approached the school, she saw a silhouette standing in the shadows, the figure’s posture suggesting both confidence and hostility. But as she got closer to this mysterious figure, they immediately hid themselves from view behind the front pedestal. Human Sunset had no idea what was happening, but kept her composure, knowing that whatever this person wanted, she herself had dug her own hole to get into this mess.

“Who’s there!?” Human Sunset kept up a fighting stance, unsure of who was hiding behind the pedestal. “What do you want from me!?”

“What do I want from you?” The voice sneered from a distance. “The real question is, why did YOU take away what was rightfully always mine!?”

Human Sunset’s eyes narrowed as she tried to identify the speaker. The voice was definitely not Gilda’s, nor did it sound like any of the Canterlot Street Gang members she had encountered before. The tone was eerily familiar, yet she couldn’t quite place it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Human Sunset called out, her voice steady despite the racing of her heart. “But if you’ve got a problem with me, you can just say it to my face instead of hiding like a coward!”

“Oh, I’m not hiding, I’m just… observing.” The voice grew closer, the sound of footsteps clicking against the pavement. “You see, I’ve heard a lot about the ‘new’ you. The one who’s been causing trouble in my absence, even though that’s always been my job! How else do you think I managed to get everyone at CHS to respect me, by being nice to them? You’re an absolute joke if you think friendship buys you respect! But I never thought you’d sink so low as to deceive my own friends, let alone ruin our upcoming graduation!”

“You’re… you’re the imposter who came into this world and let me be erased from existence!” Human Sunset finally realized who she was speaking with. “This was always MY home, but you just randomly decided to come into this world one day and make me disappear! Why would you do such a thing, let along during one of the darkest and lowest points in my life, after I dropped out of Crystal Prep Academy, AND lost both of my parents!?”

“Listen to yourself…” Pony Sunset finally stepped out of the shadows, crossing her arms at her human counterpart. “Always making things about you, and not caring for more important people like me! I ruled CHS like a queen, and I’m not about to have everything be taken away, just because you wanted to drop by at the last minute and soil my name!

“You’re the one who’s been ruining things!” Human Sunset accused. “You’re the one who’s been pretending to be me, and got me trapped in a void, simply by coming into this world! I can’t even begin to resent the fact that you’ve become so much more successful than me, despite my stupid dad forcing me to study my brains out, only to still end up with nothing in the end! I swear, you’re just like those arrogant Crystal Prep girls!”

“You know nothing of what I’ve had to endure in Equestria, and the challenges I’ve faced to get to where I am today!” Pony Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Your spitefulness is what got you into this mess, and now you dare to throw your tantrum on the very doorstep of the world that’s offered you a second chance? Now what are you going to do, ‘apologize’ for what you’ve done? Save it, I’ve heard that one before, why should I believe anything you say, now? You’ve already shown us what you’re capable of when you think you can get away with it!”

“I never wanted to replace you, or take anything from you, I just wanted to live my life without being haunted by the shadow of what I could’ve been!” Human Sunset spat. “But instead, you just come back and not even show any bit of empathy towards what you’ve put me through, even though you have your own world to live in! You’re no better than my selfish father, or Principal Cinch, both of whom I wouldn’t hesitate to inflict my fiery vengeance on!”

“You’re unbelievable!” Pony Sunset pointed. “I’ve spent years building up my wonderful and respected reputation, and now here you are, throwing it all back into my face. But enough of this, we’re not here to argue about who’s the bigger victim, we’ll settle this the old fashioned way! Read my lips clearly, because I’m only going to say this once! There can only be ONE Sunset Shimmer in this world, you hear me!?”

“Oh, you want to settle this!?!” Human Sunset challenged. “Then let’s do it, I’m not going anywhere without a fight, especially after learning all about you, I’ve got nothing left to lose, anyways! First I take you down, and then I’m going to get my revenge on every other person in my life who’s ever wronged me! At least we can both seem to agree that having friends is completely pointless, when friendship is nothing but a form of leverage! I don’t have any friends, not now, not ever! But I only know one thing for certain at this point… YOU are my enemy!!!”

With a fiery snarl, Human Sunset lunged at Pony Sunset, her eyes burning with a rage that had been bottled up for quite some time. The two versions of the same being collided with a thud, the sound echoing through the empty schoolyard. Human Sunset’s strength was fueled by her anger and desperation, while Pony Sunset’s reflexes kept her from being easily overpowered. They rolled across the pavement, each trying to gain the upper hand, their grunts and snarls piercing the quiet night. Human Sunset was then thrown to the ground, as Pony Sunset held her down, and was ready to begin initiating a fistfight.

“Friends, schmends!” Pony Sunset sneered, her eyes flashing with anger. “You never knew the true value of friendship! It’s not about trust, loyalty, or caring for each other, it’s about using them to get ahead! But you never seemed to know a single thing about manipulation and deceit, just working hard and being a cheap fool who’s very easily replicable! That’s all you’re good for, and that’s all you’ll ever be! Now then, I’ve had enough of your lies and your games! It’s time you face the consequences for what you’ve done!”