Bellosh

Oh brother: Sunset Shimmer should have known better than to mumble out loud about Daring Do in front of Twilight Sparkle. “Eh heh heh, that’s quite alright Twi,” Sunset awkwardly attempted to politely refuse her friend’s offer; “I’ve only watched the movie adaptations myself, and they’re only up to Marked Thief of Marapore, as I believe I’ve told you about before. And besides,” the unicorn slyly smirked; “I’m more of a..... Shadow Spade person, myself.”

It was only fitting then that the Somnambula section with its scores of displayed artifacts reminded Sunset Shimmer of a pyramid straight out of a Daring Do film. Of particular interest to the unicorn mare was a cracked emerald brooch and a recreation of a nightmare mummy wrapped in bandages. “Ah, this brings me back,” Sunset recollected; “I challenged one girl to a duel back at Magic School because she said to my face I was too mean or whatever to be Celestia’s pupil. .....That girl was completely right, but to this very day, I don’t understand how she got so happy when that shadowmorph mummy I summoned enveloped her in its arms. Some ponies are just that desperate for a free hug, I guess? Pfft, it was certainly the strangest magic duel I’ve ever won.....”

A displayed pole next to the cracked brooch caught Twi’s eye, who began gushing about it. She had been so loud about it to summon a living legend over to the pair. Somnambula in the flesh; Sunset hoped everybody else in this land was as excited to encounter a Pillar of Equestria as she was now! “My name’s Sunset Shimmer,” the girl kept her cool as she shook Somnambula’s hoof; “It’s an honor to meet you, Somnambula. And I can’t believe all of the other Pillars are also here today!”

Sunset’s gaze momentarily fell on Somnambula’s neckline; “Hey, you don’t happen to have the necklace Prince Hisan gave you handy, do you? Princess Celestia taught my class about the properties of glowpaz, but that gem is extremely rare these days, and she only had dust fragments on hand that day to show everyone.”

Although the ceremony with King Oisin had ended, more internal affairs of state required discussion throughout the rest of the morning. And even after that, one last important matter remained. Long Guo’s delegation to Equestria’s Iron Pony competition had returned to the Imperial Capital bearing the fruits of victory!

Ironically, when Feng was initially chosen to represent the Dragon Kingdom, his superiors never planned on him winning the title of Iron Pony. There were three chief qualities that the Imperial Watch prized in its members: the willingness to utilize ruthless efficiency, the ability to cultivate an aura of fear, and a mastery of the art of going unnoticed without any effort (.....alongside demonstrating an almost fanatical devotion to the Empress). Although it was true that Feng succeeded at every mission and exerted himself harder than any other Watcher, his reputation amongst the ranks... left much to be desired.

Earning a glorious title at a high-profile sporting event overseas was exactly the sort of fame a model Watcher avoided if at all possible... but then again, it wasn’t like Feng could be reprimanded for failing to do bad. After all, the Empress herself chose the longma stallion to represent the Dragon Kingdom, and who in their right mind would embarrass their Imperial Sovereign by deliberately performing poorly? Regardless, Feng Yinhaitao was set to be viewed by the Watch’s leadership with doubt and suspicion for a good while longer.

At least for now though, Empres Yuè could satisfy herself with the sight of her Champion strutting his way towards the Dragon Throne. Were Feng anybody else, the Empress might have labeled him as an arrogant showoff with ulterior motives. Of course, the royal qilin knew who the true Feng really was: a philosophical warrior with a fiery heart of passion and absolute loyalty. Thing was, in a dog-eat-dog environment like the Imperial Palace where servants were expected to know their station, Feng’s devotion could very well one day prove to be his undoing.

So was for that reason that Empress Yuè sent Feng away to Ponyville; that, and to remove him as a mental distraction for a while. Thus it was an even greater irony that her actions had the opposite effect, as the Empress’s thoughts started dwelling on Feng and his well being at a more frequent rate than before. The qilin mare lacked an answer for why she was afflicted so; it wasn’t like something as silly as love could be involved, as Love was the province of those privileged with the luxury of opening their hearts. No; the Empress was sure to find a more probable answer through meditation, no matter how long it took!

Yet it was rather difficult to deny Feng’s allure when adorned with golden medals, wasn’t it?

If Empress Yuè’s emotions were in turmoil, none of it showed whatsoever as she addressed Feng and Yanhua with the utmost professional confidence; “The champions of the Long Sun before us today have brought great honor to the Dragon Nation! Although only one of them could earn the coveted title of Iron Pony, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the achievements of our very own palace chef, Yanhua, who earned the top prizes in the contests of Cupcake Eating and Rock Climbing! Please come forward to be acknowledged!”

As Yanhua obeyed the command, she asked an almost non-sequitur question for this occasion... almost. “Yes we are,” the Empress answered nonchalantly; “It seems word of the Peryton delegation is spreading far and wide. As a matter of fact Yanhua, you shall be meeting with them at tonight’s banquet... to make arrangements for produce shipments from the Velvet Strand to the Palace Cellars. We trust you can carry out this task?”

The situation was going from bad to worse! Yanhua ended up minding Tempest Shadow very much so, fretfully addressing her in particular as she warned her pursuers to back off. Before Sunset Shimmer could respond, the fox creature emitted an ear-piercing scream. Once she recovered from the deafening, Sunset opened up her eyes and saw a most horrific vision: a giant monster of flame ready to burn everything in the vicinity to cinders!

And as if Sunset wasn’t shocked enough already, Tempest was STILL clamoring for her epic showdown! Hey gang, being a friend is boring, so let’s instead risk reducing Ponyville to ashes just so I can get a fight in! The frustration in Sunset’s heart boiled over; her horn erupted with a bright aetherial light almost immediately after Tempest issued her latest provokation. With one swift move, Miss Shimmer furiously turned and fired a burst of dispelling magic straight at Tempest!  

“NO TEMPEST, IT’S NOT YOUR TURN!” Should Sunset’s blast make direct contact with Tempest Shadow, the broken-horned unicorn would find herself incapable of summoning magic for a good half-minute or so. “DO US ALL A FAVOR AND STOP MAKING EVERYTHING WORSE!!! ARRRRRGH!!!!!”

Having sufficiently vented at Tempest Shadow, Sunset Shimmer was able to turn back towards the apparent fire-demon with a more conciliatory expression on her features. In her heart, Miss Shimmer knew that despite Yanhua’s fearsome transformation, the scared vixen didn’t really want to fight. Besides, the unicorn’s six sense was telling her that everything about this scene felt off... but she needed to keep her focus on getting through to Yanhua while she was still stationary.

“Look, Yanhua!” The mare pleaded, taking several steps forward and placing a heartfelt arm on her chest as she stared down the beast; “If you just want some space, fine then...... we’ll stop getting in the way. But I urge you NOT to drive away all those who care for you! I swear Yanhua that everything’s gonna’ get better; whatever you’re going through... you can count on your friends to be there through thick and thin!” Even if Yanhua chose to run away once more, it was at least worth the effort to deescalate the situation before somebody got hurt.....

“Okay Sunset, remember what Twi said; relax, and just be yourself.”

Be yourself. That was the one significant piece of advice Twilight had given Sunset Shimmer when she accepted this position. The unicorn had been prepared to dismiss the saying as generic, only for Twi to go “well, actually” all over her. And Twilight was right; this school would have failed had the Ponyville gang decided to keep doing things by the book. If those girls could transition into professors just fine, so could Sunset!

On cue with the ringing bell, the classroom door magically opened as a fiery unicorn mare sauntered in; “What’s up, everyone?” The new professor’s mane seemingly blew on its own accord as she levitated her cutie marked-saddlebags on the teacher’s desk, exuding a charismatic calm all the while.

“My name is Sunset Shimmer,” the smirking unicorn turned to face her pupils directly, smoothing back her tousled hair with a single elegant flip; “And I’ll be your Defense Against Dark Hearts teacher this year. Like this school’s founder, I too was a personal apprentice of Princess Celestia’s. But as I understand it, I’m the School of Friendship’s first professor to not be widely known first before accepting the job. So if you have any questions about me, feel free to raise your hand and ask about anything!”

Heh, Twilight was really bent on Sunset loving this trip. It was the fact the Royal Pony Sisters picked up on at the castle breakfast earlier this morning, which otherwise went smoothly. It was always nice to see the ole’ mentor again, though it was rather surreal hearing Celestia and Luna discuss retirement plans. The only thing bearable about the duo abdicating their thrones was how they intended Twilight to take their place.

Princess Twilight Sparkle: Ruler of Equestria, Wielder of Friendship, Protector of Harmony. Had a neato ring to it.

Other questions lingered in Sunset Shimmer’s mind. Will ponies and other nations give Princess Twilight the same level of deference as they did the Queen-in-All-But-Name Celestia? Would Twi’s friends pile even more commitments onto their backs by taking on royal advisory duties, or would they all end up having to restructure their close-knit fellowship into something... not as close-knit (which begged even more unpleasant questions about Sunset’s own post-graduation future)? Was Twi’s destiny to... sit on a throne all alone?

Sunset found that last question extremely disturbing for reasons she couldn’t quite articulate. Last time the unicorn visited Equestria, she found a new partner in Long Guo’s rising-star Imperial Watcher, who spoke of how its new empress struggled by herself to carry the burden of her Dragon Throne, least others judged Empress Yuè as unworthy of her crown. Twilight was about to land in that same boat as Yuè; if the Friendship Princess’s other pals can no longer be counted on to always be there for Twi, who will?

Which would make it a huge shame if nopony stepped up to fill those horseshoes. Twilight Sparkle was by far the very best friend anybody can have. No matter the situation (time loops notwithstanding), Twi would drop everything to help you. Everything the mare did, she gave 120%. She was amazing at magic, infected you with dorky enthusiasm, and heck — unlike other appearance-obsessed blowhards — always seemed to look pretty without ever having to try!

.....But Sunset was getting ahead of herself. Right now, she had a museum to attend.....

----------

“...So let your minds be amazed as these tales of hope, strength, beauty, bravery, healing, and sorcery are brought back to the future to inspire the ponies of today!

~A.K. Yearling”

Sunset was finishing reading out loud the celebrity-penned forward printed on her and Twi’s exhibit guide. “Yearling, huh,” she mumbled to herself as an aside; “I wonder if Daring Do is a thing in this world as well.” Miss Shimmer was clearly not well-acquainted with Equestrian non-fiction; prior to finding a new home in the Mirror World, the ambitious Sunset saw fit to label all mass-market drivel as wastes of time.

Anyway, to answer Twi’s question; “Let’s see, according to the guide’s order, it looks like Somnambula is first. I remember she invented Tempus Objectus and the Weather Abjuration spell, although I never imagined her to be a pegasus...” Sometimes, students of unicorn magic like Sunset found it hard to believe that non-unicorns could create spells too.....

Dang it!!! Sunset Shimmer’s lapse in concentration allowed Yanhua to slip right past her! While the unicorn’s feeble attempt to tackle the fleeing fox creature only caught ground, it did allow Sunset to notice the tips of Yanhua’s (eight!) tails were actually made of green flame! What in the world WAS Yanhua?????

.....And then there was Tempest Shadow to make everything worse. Why did she have to treat this very serious situation as a GAME??? “Don’t mind our gung-ho friend, Yanhua!” Sunset shouted a panicked apology as she picked herself up and continued the chase; “I won’t let anything happen to you if you stop running away from us! We just want to help!!!”

*...Most of us, anyway.....*

There were precious few things in Sunset Shimmer’s life she valued as much as the time she spent with her companions back in her Mirror World home. Just about the only item to make the shortlist was the unicorn mare’s version of what some young fillies would call “Twilight Time”. About once every three months, Sunset would return to Equestria to spend a weekend with her adorkable Pony Friend Forever, Twilight Sparkle. Considering the business of their schedules, these get-togethers were really the only opportunities for both mares to share face-to-face fun times together.

Usually, Twilight planned these occasions so that Sunset would get to enjoy aspects of pony culture that she had missed out on in the past. Considering Sunset’s rough foalhood and troubled studies under Princess Celestia, it was quite a shockingly long checklist, but that was no concern to an alicorn princess addicted to making long checklists. Last time around, Twi managed to rope Sunset into participating in one Iron Pony event... which somehow turned into chasing a mythical fox creature? Weird stuff happened in Equestria, sometimes.

But Twilight was really looking forward to this weekend’s excursion. Apparently, the Museum of Equestrian History over in Canterlot was putting on a special exhibit about the Old Pillars of Equestria who lived over a thousand years ago (and are bafflingly quite alive and well today, once again due to the marvels of Equestrian weirdness). But this wasn’t no ordinary special exhibit, because Princess Twilight served as an academic consultant! And Twi, she was always so eager to spread awareness of vital historical figures to ponies lacking knowledge of obscure history.

You know... ponies like Sunset Shimmer.

The Equestrian girl looked on the bright side of things: she could have just as easily been dragged off to a dusty Antique Shop, or to a dry lecture on Paleopony Pottery Symbology. Although the former magic student relished teasing Twi about her nerdy excesses, Sunset confessed to herself that the inquisitive scholar within her wanted greatly to learn more about some of Equestria’s very first heroes... especially Starswirl. And she’d get to have her kick-flank PFF by her side while doing so!  

As the pair of Celestia’s students approached the Museum’s front entrance, Sunset couldn’t have been in better spirits.....

Wait a minute... did the Headmare just imply that Grubber would have to work for his treats? AWW MAAAAAN!!! Even in this place, desserts were earned through honest effort! The hedgehog’s spirits quickly deflated, realizing he was gonna have to come up with an actual game plan if he was to thrive at the School of Friendship. Preferably, a plan that allowed for lots of sweets at the lowest possible cost.

Grubber was pretty sure he could think of something, though! Maybe the hedgehog could sneak off with desserts like in the really old days, before he enlisted in the Storm King’s Armada. Or perhaps he’d find a student or two willing to do the studying and assignments (whatever those weird things were) he’d have to do or whatever. For now though, being able to put his clever mind at work gave Grubber a measure of hope for the future.....

Much has changed for the Hive ever since the downfall of Chrysalis and the crowning of King Thorax. The kingdom of the changelings has become a realm of peace; their insatiable hunger changed to feelings forums, their constantly shifting labyrinths to permanent easy-to-remember hive layouts. Life and greenery are slowly returning to what were once wastelands, although with lusher pastures come more dreadful beasts like the voracious maulwurfs. Regardless, the Changeling Kingdom is nowadays an oasis of Harmony within the mostly uncivilized Badlands.

Transformation for the changelings! Overthrowing the tyrannical Queen Chrysalis by sharing the power of Love, the former outcast Thorax has shown that there is another way to live aside from constant starvation. By freely sharing Love, a changeling can metamorph into beautiful insectoid equines with colorful coats and bodies without holes. When not forced to live as a hive-mind, changelings additionally adopt any combination of horns, wings, tails, or gemstone-encrusted chests. When every changeling in a hive constantly exchanges Love with one another instead of avariciously consuming as much for themselves as possible, nobody ever goes hungry.

It remains to be seen whether other changeling hives — those who never swore loyalty to Chrysalis’s Kingdom — will follow King Thorax’s example.....

Ponyville’s star continues to rise! The magic of the Tree of Harmony has given birth to a crystalline tree-castle growing on the shore of a lake outside of town. Used by Princess Twilight Sparkle as her home and personal archive, the Castle of Friendship shines as a monument to the power of Harmony. Perhaps its more remarkable feature is the Throne Room, where six crystal thrones are gathered around an illusionary map-table of Equestria. It is in this chamber where the Friends of the Round Table confer with one another, and are bestowed Friendship problems to solve by the Cutie Map.

On the opposite side of the lake from the castle stands the even-newer Ponyville School of Friendship. Founded by Princess Twilight, the School’s mission is to pass down the lessons she and her friends have learned to future generations of creatures from all over the world. Unique to other schools governed by the Equestrian Education Association, Friendship professors are given wide latitude to provide non-conventional teaching methods, such the use of live animals or party cannons. Despite initial controversies, the School of Friendship’s proven success in its goal thus far have earned it the distinction of being the only EEA-accredited institution granted the distinction of not having to teach “by the book”.

It is now widely known that in a cave beneath the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters once grew the Tree of Harmony. Planted over a thousand years ago by the Pillars of Old Equestria as a means to defend their land, it was no ordinary plant, its trunk and branches made of living crystal. Infused with the elemental power possessed by each Pillar, the Tree of Harmony gave life to both the Elements of Harmony and — a millennium later — the Castle of Friendship.

While its physical form has recently been shattered, the Tree of Harmony’s spirit endures. It is still very much capable of manifesting itself in both the Material World and Dreamscape, and has used its power — in conjunction with the Magic of Friendship wielded by its Students — to transform its remains into a crystalline treehouse within the Royal Castle.

As for the abandoned Castle itself, restoration efforts are currently underway and have been for some time, although progress has been slow. It does not help that for the most part, the Everfree Forest remains an overgrown, untamed, and monster-infested wilderness.

Sunset Shimmer could hardly believe when her friend, Twilight Sparkle, asked her to come on board as a guest teacher at the Ponyville School of Friendship. Sunset... a TEACHER? How absurd!!! The Equestrian girl hadn’t even graduated from high school yet! How was she supposed to juggle her studies and friendships in the Mirror World with mentoring responsibilities back in Equestria? Was Sunset actually worthy enough to be entrusted with nurturing the next generation of friendships?

Yet Twilight had a plan. She always had a plan. All Miss Shimmer would have to do was convince the necessary authorities to let her leave school early each Tuesday and Thursday to do student tutoring at the (newly EEA-accredited) School of Friendship, alongside the winner of the last Fall Formal. Twi would then take care of everything else!

Although Sunset Shimmer still had doubts, as far as the Princess of Friendship was concerned, the fiery unicorn had proven her worth as a friend and mentor many times over in the Mirror World. In particular, the lavender alicorn believed that Sunset’s unusual background as a villainess-turned-heroine gave her a unique perspective on Friendship matters that most of the other professors lacked. Nopony else had the qualifications to provide lessons in empathy and understanding the nature of lost souls like Miss Shimmer.

Needless to say, Twi won Sunset over to her idea using the alicorn's powers of logical and emotional persuasion. And thus, come the new school year, the students of the School of Friendship found a new twice-per-week afternoon course added to the curriculum; “Defense Against Dark Hearts”, taught by Guest Professor Sunset Shimmer. The other teachers also discovered that a familiar magical mirror — once stored in the Friendship Castle — had been relocated to the Teachers’ Lounge. All so that one guest instructor can more easily reach her classroom on schedule.

With the spotting of Yanhua by Feng, the time for chatter and speculation came to an end. Sunset Shimmer followed behind the longma stallion; again, there was no way a city girl like her could gallop as fast as experienced trackers. The good news was that Yanhua was fleeing in Ponyville’s direction, which meant the pursuit was now entering the cleared lands between the outlying woods and the town proper. Being able to clearly see the terrain in front of her, Miss Shimmer felt she could now deploy her own little tricks to head off Yanhua!

All of a sudden, a bright flash blocked Yanhua’s path of escape. Within a second, the light subsided to reveal Sunset, who had used a teleportation spell to get in front of her. “Yanhua, wait!” the fiery unicorn cried out desperately, only to rear up in astonishment; “WO-AHHHHH!!!!!” Whatever Yanhua had transformed — or more likely, reverted — to, it wasn’t like any fox Sunset had ever seen in her life!

Since when did foxes have four twisty-looking tails!!???