To say that Sunset lived well in this universe was an understatement. She appeared to have all the latest technology, including a massive built in wall-mounted television, a PS3, an Xbox 360, a Wii, and a Blu-Ray player and VHS/DVD combo. The room itself was lit up with a few strands of white strands of warm white Christmas lights which were hung around the walls.

The interior had something of a postmodern look to it, with a slim black staircase that had a glass barrier between it and the first floor. I had no idea what was going on upstairs, but it didn't really look all that homey. Neither did the large set of white couches in the living room where we sat. In all honesty, this house looked like a stock photograph for a house. Nothing in it screamed home, just a sterile house.

"You'll forgive me if I don't offer you any refreshments," Sunset said as we all sat in her living room.

I nodded. "Understandable," I said.

"So, what do you three want?" Sunset asked, giving us a cool glare.

"Princess Celestia wishes to see you once again," I stated without preamble.

Her expression hardened as she faced me. "Yeah…go tell that stuck up bitch to go fuck herself."

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm afraid that's not possible. She is quite insistent on seeing you."

"If she was that damn desperate, she could have come through the mirror herself," Sunset sneered. "But what does she do? Send three Ponies through to do her bidding." She snorted. "That's just like her. Thinks she knows everything. Psh. I bet you're just her lackeys, thoughtless drones that you are."

I returned Sunset's snide stare with a calm one of my own. "Is there a point in staying here? It's not as if you can conquer Equestria sitting on your couch interacting with these humans and using…whatever it is these strange devices are." I gestured towards her gaming consoles that lay on the stand before the TV.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Has your precious princess been keeping tabs on me all these years?" She sounded more suspicious than anything.

"No. We've just been here a while and done our research," I replied.

She snorted. "I seriously doubt that."

"Believe what you wish, Sunset Shimmer," Zecora said. "Just believe us when we say that the Princess does indeed wish quite strongly to see you. She would have come herself but her royal duties prevented it."

Sunset laughed. It was a harsh and bitter laugh. "Is that what that bitch told you? Is that the lie you believe?"

"The Princess wouldn't lie like that," Scarlet said, sounding frustrated now, although whether that was manufactured or genuine was difficult to determine.

"Are you planning on dragging me back by force?" She held up a smartphone. "I'm only one call away from calling the police and telling them there are intruders in my house. I have a security camera in my window, too, so they'll know your faces. But since I'm feeling so generous, I'll let you go back home. Get out of this world."

The three of us looked at each other. The plan had originally been to act as Ponies turned humans so as not to tip my hand as being a human turned Alicorn, but since Sunset had been in this world for at least ten years, she'd had plenty of time to acclimate. She knew enough about the world to apparently get a nice house and a decent understanding of how Earth worked. I sighed, then turned back to Sunset, who still held up her phone in a triumphant manner. I decided to drop part of the pretense. "And if we were to call the cops and report cyberbullying on those humans back at Camelot College, the police would investigate you. And if we went to the FBI and reported an illegal alien, what then? Unless you know somebody who could forge perfect IDs, you'd be outed as a persona non grata. I doubt they let you play Halo 3 or Call of Duty in prison. Better not drop the soap, Sunset." The more I talked, the darker my expression became.

Her frown deepened. "Interesting…it seems you know more than you let on, mister…" she let the question hang in the air.

"Bethridge. Jethro Bethridge," I replied.

"So you're not a Pony," she said. "That's a human name."

"It's a long story, and not one you need to know at the moment," I said. "Suffice to say I've been sent here to try and bring you back to Equestria."

"And what's the motivation? What, is the queen bitch of the universe going to start teaching me again, or hold me back from my true destiny?" She steepled her fingers and stared at me. "Well? What does she want?"

"That's not for me to say," I said.

"Then get the fuck out of my house," she growled angrily at me. "I'm not at that cunt's beck and call anymore! She's probably already replaced me anyway!"

"Nopony could replace you in her heart. The princess regrets your time apart," Zecora said, slipping back into her rhyming.

"Pfff! Oh yeah, right! That's rich coming from her. The only regret she'd have was not finishing that last slice of cake!" Sunset sounded amused now. "Fatass."

Being exposed to human culture has definitely changed her, I thought. Or perhaps this version was always this vindictive. "Very well. You wish to know the real reason?" I growled angrily. "She misses you and wants to rebuild the trust she feels she broke!"

I wasn't meant to tell her this unless I had no other choice, or so Celestia, Luna and I had planned. And I felt like there was no other choice. But at the brightening of Sunset's eyes, I wondered if it had been the right choice. Her smile formed into a malevolent grin as she began to chuckle. I continued watching as her laugh became maniacal. She threw her head back, roaring in laughter and slapping the couch. She leaned forward after a while, wiping her eyes. As she began to slowly calm down, she looked up at me. "Hah…haaah…after…haah…all these years…and she finally wants to patch things up, huh?"

Her smile started to vanish, and she added, "And where has she been every time the portal opened, huh? Every thirty moons since I came here, she never came here. She never once bothered. Fucking hell, she didn't even pick up the journal I brought with me. She's not worthy of the title princess."

I wasn't sure what to say, here. She was obviously in a volatile state, and anything could set her off worse than before. Scarlet, however, had to open her big mouth. "Didn't you hear us? She had a lot to attend to-"

"Keep your mouth shut before I sew it shut and toss you out," Sunset growled angrily. "You know, that worthless fuck-up once told me that if there was something important, you make the time for it. Since apparently, I'm not important enough for her, then perhaps she's cast me aside from a new more promising student. Tell me I'm wrong." She leaned forward, glaring at me.

"That's not for me to say," I said. "She just wants to apologize and try and-"

"That's too little, too late," Sunset snapped back. "Now, some free advice from me. I don't know how a human got into Equestria, and quite frankly, I don't care. But I should warn you that I've learned a lot about humanity from my time here. Your kind are easy to manipulate, so very easy. The so-called Princess of Equestria you seem to be following blindly? The motherfucking mistress of manipulation. She would use anypony, or anybody in your case, just to get what she wanted."

For a brief moment, the briefest of moments, a still, small voice in my head whispered Maybe she's right about Celestia. I shook my head, steeling myself against her words. She's hurt, I reasoned, she's lashing out. She came here as a teenager, so it's only reasonable that she'd feel betrayed. "I'm my own person," I replied coolly, "and Celestia has proven that she is very much worth my respect. Nobody's denying she's imperfect, but-"

"Spare me your worship of her," Sunset scoffed. "She's obviously gotten to you."

Just then, something in me snapped. Without thinking, I opened my mouth and spoke. "Perhaps the Elder Tree was wrong about your potential," I said nonchalantly. "Perhaps you don't have what it takes to be a princess, after all."

She stiffened and I knew right away that was the exact wrong thing to say. I couldn't help myself, though. Before I could even apologize, Sunset's face contorted into rage. "Get out of my house. Now!" From the couch she pulled out a gun and aimed it at me. "I have nothing to lose by using this, so leave!"

I raised my hands, slowly standing. She made sure to be out of range of my arms before I did so. Zecora and Scarlet also stood, moving slowly away. "Easy, no need for that," I said in as calming a voice as I could muster. Of course, inside, I was shaking. I had a gun in my face, and she was aiming directly at my head. "We aren't lying to you. Celestia really does want to mend your relationship."

"Fuck that!" she bellowed, pulling the hammer back. Her eyes narrowed at me and she snarled, "Get out of my house."

Knowing a lost cause when I saw one, I nodded and slowly walked to the door. Opening it, I motioned Zecora and Scarlet through. I gave her one more look, then stepped out and closed the door. When I stepped back, I heard the door lock and the bolt thrown. I turned to the other two. "Well…that was a bust. Let's go back to the hotel."

The journey back to the hotel was one of complete silence. As we walked back to the train station, the sun began vanishing behind a thickening blanket of clouds that threatened precipitation, but never did, at least, not until we finally reached our hotel about an hour later.

The mood in the hotel room was completely gloomy. I sat at the desk, while the two women sat on the edge of one of the beds. The mood outside perfectly matched the mood inside. Dark. Dismal. Dead.

I barely had the energy to send a message to Celestia, and she had not yet replied. I spared no detail despite my lack of energy. My head felt like it was made of lead. My heart felt like a black hole, unable to be filled by anything, even the light of friendship and love.

I didn't know what to do. If this had been the Equestria Girls universe, maybe I'd be better prepared, but I couldn't think of anything. This version of Sunset was more full of hatred than the one I knew from the show. No, it was more than that. She was full of hate because of a perceived hurt and slight She was even willing to kill. Or at least, threaten me with a gun. I knew Sunset had done wrong by this world's standards, but Celestia had been no saint either. Even so, I could tell this was eating the ancient Alicorn up, and she was beginning to take somewhat more direct action than she ever had in the show. Her vulnerability towards me back after she watched the Sunset Shimmer video was enough for me to want to help.

"What…do we do now?" Scarlet asked. Scarlet had been desperately trying to come up with ideas, all of which we shot down. I appreciated her effort, but I was emotionally drained. I couldn't think of anything.

"We cannot give up just yet," Zecora said.

I closed my eyes, sighing. "I don't plan on that, either," I said, "but right now, I can't think. I don't know…I think I'll go down to the pool and take a swim. Maybe that will help clear my mind." I stood and went to grab a pair of shorts I'd bought from the Target the night before.

After changing into it and throwing on a light red t-shirt, I made my way towards the door when Zecora put a hand on my shoulder. I looked back and saw that she'd changed into some shorts and a t-shirt as well. Behind her, Scarlet was once more on her phone, earbuds in and watching something. "Love, what happened back there?" she asked softly.

"Back where? At Sunset's house? What do you mean?" I asked, but I had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what I meant.

"Your last words to Sunset Shimmer," she said, confirming my fears. "You egged her on, as you would say."

I shook my head. "I…don't know. I think it was just my nerves getting the better of me," I said. "Like I said, a swim in the pool should do me some good."

"I'm coming with you," she said with an insistent tone. "And do not even think about saying no," she added, poking my chest insistently.

I smiled a bit despite my mood. "You've got me wrapped around your new finger," I said, taking her hand and kissing it tenderly. "I know better than to say no when you're this insistent." I turned to Scarlet. "Scarlet, you wanna go swimming with us?"

She shook her head. "Can't. Watching Smosh. You two have fun, and don't be back late."

"Yes, mom," I snarked as I took one of the card keys from the table and grabbed the door handle. "Come on, love. Let's go swimming."

The pool for this hotel was empty when Zecora and I entered. The hot tub was off, but I still saw steam rising from it as I removed my shirt and set it on one of the chairs. Zecora herself removed her shorts and t-shirt, revealing the black bikini she'd bought for some unusual reason (she insisted it was because she wished to learn to swim in her Anthro form when this was all over and needed a human styled swimsuit).

The pool room was well lit and was walled off save for one massive window-wall that looked out into the city, albeit with a great view of the western horizon, which currently was covered by clouds. I could see some sort of precipitation coming down, but I couldn't tell what. It definitely wasn't snow.

Zecora had already made her way to the shallow end of the pool whereas I made my way to the small diving board over the twelve foot deep end. She watched as I bounced a bit on the end, before jumping off and finally diving head first into the pool.

The sound of the fans from the room vanished, only to be replaced with the sound of a splash, then the semi-quiet of being underwater. I allowed myself to go limp, blowing air out of my mouth and nose to keep me from rising temporarily. I floated in the pool, letting myself get lost in the water's cool embrace.

I was brought out of it by the panicked screams of my marefriend calling my name. I moved up and broke the surface, taking in big gulps of air. Zecora was looking at me wide eyed as I made my way towards the shallow end. She grabbed me the moment I was in range and pulled me close. "What were you doing?!" she shouted at me in concern.

"Zecora, I didn't mean to frighten you," I said. "I was just relaxing."

She frowned, then pulled me close, holding me tightly. "You scared me," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," I replied honestly, putting my arms around her. "Floating in water always relaxes me."

She took a deep breath, then kissed my cheek. "Just…warn a mare next time, alright?"

I smiled and kissed her cheek back. "I promise." I broke the hug and looked at her. "Well, since we can't really do anything else today, why don't I teach you a bit on how human forms swim?"

Zecora's smile sent my heart racing. I really do love her, I smiled. She's beautiful in every form I see her in. "Please. It would be a pleasant distraction."

"Sweet. Well, let's begin, shall we?"

Bright red sunlight hit my eyes as I slowly woke up. Opening one eye, I saw that I was still in the pool room. The water in the pool was hardly moving, so it was obvious nobody had been in it for a while. I was sitting on one of the reclining pool chairs, with a warm, soft, but strong body wrapped up next to me underneath the white towels the hotel provided. I looked down to see the tired Zebra-turned-human.

The two of us had spent time in the shallow end, me helping her to get used to some of the basics of swimming in this form. She was a quick study and soon was doing laps in the shallow end before she tried the deep end. After an hour or so, she was practically swimming circles around me, and we were both laughing and splashing each other, letting the stress of the encounter with Sunset Shimmer fade away.

After that, the two of us had relaxed in the hot tub, Zecora sitting on my lap and holding me close just as I held her close. We hadn't said anything, just enjoyed the intimate moments together for a while.

When we both started getting too hot, we'd both gotten up and sat in one of the pool chairs, snuggling up close to each other. I must have dozed off because it was only mid afternoon by the time we'd gotten out of the hot tub. Now, the sunset was peering through the clouds and shining its rays through the window.

My stirring must have woken Zecora, because the next thing I knew she was sitting up and rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Nnng…did we…fall asleep?" she asked with a yawn.

"That's what happens when you relax in a hot tub," I said as I sat up as well, pulling off my towel and grabbing my t-shirt. I stood and stretched, then looked back at my marefriend. "You ready to go get something to eat before bed?"

She nodded. "I am feeling peckish."

I snorted. "What are you, British now?"

She giggled. "Come, love. Let's go. Scarlet will be waiting."

"Coming."

As we headed towards, I took one more look out at the sunset. Facing the sunset. I took a deep breath. Just…don't do anything foolish, Sunset. Please…