She should be used to the nauseating feeling when coursing through the glowing tunnel between worlds but Sunset Shimmer cannot help but close her eyes as she falls down through the magical portal.
When she arrives at Equestria her entire body shivers, slowly adjusting to the cold weather in the room. Sunset does some small calculations and deduces that winter has just started in Canterlot. A little ahead of schedule, she thinks. Her body finally acclimates to the sensation of hooves and fur and she takes a deep breath. A feeling of nostalgia overwhelms her, realizing that this will be the last time she will feel this way. She finally opens her eyes and finds herself surrounded by at least half a dozen guards.
Hardly the welcoming she was expecting.
Before she can say anything in her defense, a tall, imposing figure makes her way through the sturdy stallions. Princess Celestia, her mane glowing like northern lights even in the poorly-lighted room, approaches Sunset Shimmer. She stops right in front of her and looks down, disappointment and resent written on her face. She says nothing, she just simply stares at Sunset, scolding her with a simple look like she used to do when Sunset was her pupil.
Sunset keeps quiet as well and bows her head, waiting for the inevitable punishment.
****
The pearly cup of tea floats in mid-air, surrounded by a glowing magical aura. Princess Celestia raises the teapot as well, pouring hot tea into it. The scent is sweet and comforting but neither pony of the table feels relaxed. Celestia places the cup in front of Sunset and takes one for herself. Several seconds pass in complete silence.
"Have you finished your duties in the other world?" Celestia suddenly asks. Her voice is kept at her normal nurturing tone but Sunset shivers anyways.
"Ye-yes. i fixed everything I did...Princess," she answers.
"And how did the inhabitants of that world reacted to the reveal of your true nature?" An honest question but Sunset feels like being interrogated by her executioner.
"They were a little afraid at first but eventually they calmed down and started asking questions about me, where did I came from and how was my world and the like."
Celestia arches an eyebrow, demanding more details without saying it.
"I didn't told them anything important! Just basic stuff about Equestria!" Sunset yells.
"You do realize that now I must implement stronger security measures in case any of the...humans decide to cross the mirror?"
"They still would need magic to activate it! Only a pony transformed into a human can make it through! I made sure of that! I spent months studying the portal before venturing in! Why do you never trust my research? Why do you always think I'm wrong?!"
Sunset finishes her rant hitting the table, causing her tea to spill all over. Celestia struggles to keep her composure but the fact that she put down her own cup betrays her. Sunset comes back to her senses and slowly sits down. Once again, they kept quiet for almost a full minute.
"I´m sorry Sunset, maybe you're right. Maybe if I had put a little more trust in you, you wouldn't have ran away. I failed as your mentor."
Those words hurt Sunset more that Celestia could possibly know. She hungs her head down, avoiding making eye contact with the Princess.
"You will be kept at the Palace for the moment. We will resume this conversation another day. I have some matters to attend. These guards will escort you to your room."
Sunset gets up and slowly moves away from the table. She didn´t turns her head back and misses the sad expression of the Princess.
Sunset walks with her sight glued to the floor, her mind racing with doubt and regret. When she finally reaches her room, she find a guard blocking her way. She glares the orange pegasus, demanding him to move. The guard ignores her threath and with a smile, takes a step aside. Before entering her room, Sunset takes a last look at the guard and asks for his name.
"Flash Sentry, ma'am. I've been assigned as your personal guard," he answers, still smiling.
Sunset stares at him for a full minute, trying to brought down that confident smile but Flash Sentry doesn't bulge. Defeated, Sunset moves inside her room.
"Anything you need, ma'am, just make a call," he says, winking at her.
Sunset gives him a final glare and magically slams the door.
****
"Hey there, new girl?"
Sunset glares at the boy in front of her. She looks at his white shirt with a lightning symbol, her leather jacket and confident smile and smirks,. "Yes," she replies with her arms crossed.
"Name is Flash Sentry. Nice to meet you," he says, never once losing his smile.
"Let me guess, your parents wanted you to be a cop, right?"
"Don't get me started on my old man. So I didn't catch your name."
She smiles again, this time a little more gentler. He was bold, she liked that. "Sunset Shimmer. So tell me, Flash; I take you're in the football team, right?"
"No, I took a chance at the auditions but I'm not made for sports. I'm more of a musician."
Sunset´s smile drops down. She was hoping to meet the captain but was willing to settle with just one of the players. She needed a popular boyfriend and athletes were the best option. Then again, musicians were also popular. Maybe he could work, Sunset thought.
"Say Flash, want to have lunch with me?"
"I was about to ask you just that."
*****
Sunset doesn´t want to get up off her bed. She has spent the last three days locked in her room, only opening the door to grab her meals. Princess Celestia didn't ask for her again and she had no other visitors. The only other pony she interacted with was Flash Sentry and even then, they barely talk to each other. She took her trade avoiding his looks and returned it to him with her head looking away from the door. She could look at him, she couldn't stand that smile.
She heard knocking at her door but Sunset decided to ignore it. She didn't want to talk to anypony.
"Ma'am, you have a visitor."
Sunset rolls in her covers. She wants to be left alone.
"It´s the Princess."
This gets her attention. She teleports next to the door and slowly opens it. She was expecting to see the marble tall figure of Celestia but instead she finds the demure opaque presence of Twilight Sparkle. The young Princess smiles at Sunset, waiting for an invitation. Sunset simply moves back to her bed, not saying a word. Twilight looks at Flash who winks at her and she walks in, her cheeks blushing red.
Twilight walks into the bed and sits next to Sunset. Just like it happened with Celestia almost a full minute of silence passes by.
"What are you doing here, Twilight Sparkle?"
"I just wanted to visit you. Princess Celestia told me you were back. I would have come sooner but I was busy with some business at Ponyville," Twilight explained.
"So Celestia send you to check on me."
"What? No! I haven´t even talk to the Princess yet"
Sunset turns her head away, smirking at Twilight´s sincerity.
Twilight places a hoof on Sunset´s shoulder. "Sunset, I just wanted to see how you were doing. It´s must be very difficult to adjust back into Equestria after being away for so long."
"It´s not so hard. Actually, every thirty moons I sneaked into palace to gather information. That´s how I kept track of you, Sparkle."
Sunset puts on a terrifying smile but Twilight doesn't look intimidated by it, only concerned.
"You miss them, don´t you?"
Sunset´s eyes go wide and she turns her head again, avoiding the question. Twilight takes her hoof from her and waits for Sunset to gather enough courage to answer the questions.
"They didn't want me to leave but I needed to return to Equestria. This is where I belong."
"I´m sure they miss you a lot," Twilight says but Sunset doesn´t reply. "You know, the Pinkie Pie from that world told me that I had a twin sister somewhere in town. Maybe there´s another Sunset in that world too."
"I doubt it. If there is one, I should have run into her at some point."
"Maybe she is from a different school."
"Stop being silly, Sparkle."
"Sorry," Twilight giggles, being just her usual cheerful self. Sunset does her best to ignore it but a gentle smiles escapes from her lips.
"So, how is Flash Sentry doing? I mean the other Flash Sentry from the other world not the one that is at the other side of the door," Twilight asked, blushing and squeaking.
Sunset reaction was to turn and yell at her. "That´s all that you care about? That´s why you came to see me? To ask about my ex-boyfriend, the one you stole from me?"
"Wait, that's not what happened. You broke up with Flash before I even met him and beside-"
"I don't want to hear it! Get out! Now!"
Twilight backs down, recognizing in Sunset the same hate that consumed her back in the other world.
"Is everything okay, Princess?" Flash Sentry asks, entering the room.
Sunset turns her back at them, refusing to give any answers. Flash looks at Twilight, worried about him. She sighs and gets down the bed, moving towards the door. She stops for one second and tries to say something, anything but she knows that no matter what she says Sunset won´t listen. She needs to be alone for now.
Twilight leaves the room and Flash escorts her outside. Sunset buries her face in her pillow, fighting back tears of anger.
****
Sunset has her arms crossed and sighs. Since she gets no answer she sighs again, louder this time. Flash misses it once more and laughs at something that happens in the movie. Tired of being ignored, Sunset pokes him with her elbow.
"Auh! Something wrong, Summer?"
"This movie is boring," she complains and tries to get comfortable in the seat. She hates Flash´s car. She hates all cars in general, she never got used to the fact humans need these tiny carriages to move around.
"Oh come on, it´s funny. Look, the guy got his foot stuck in the toilet! Hahaha!"
Sunset sighs, wondering why she was coping with this guy. He was certainly popular and going out with him her chances at winning the crown increased and Sunset had to admit that spending time with him wasn't that bad. Actually she enjoyed his company.
"Hahaha! He got it out just to got the other one stuck, hahaha!"
She only wished he had a better sense of humour.
"Hey Flash, about the dance next month..."
"Way ahead of you," he says, pulling a tuxedo from the back seat.
She is actually impressed but knows she can't show it. "I wasn't talking about that. I need you to take care of something." Flash puts her arm on the seat over her, looking worried. "There´s one girl that's been bothering me. She thinks she is so popular and made look like a fool the other day at soccer practice."
"You are talking about Rainbow Dash?"
"I don't like her! She is ruining my opportunity to win the crown at the dance, making fun of me and getting all school to go see her game!"
"And what do you want me to do, go punch her?" Flash asks, taking his arm away from her. "Besides, I like Rainbow Dash. She is nice. When my car got a flat tire she helped me and my band carry the instruments. She saved us that day."
"She shouldn't have done that. She is an athlete, not a musician."
"So what, because we do different things it means we should never speak to each other? Is that how things worked in your old school?" Flash ask and Sunset shivers, feeling that question to be too dangerous.
She dodges the question acting hurt. "I just didn't like how she humiliated in front of the entire school in gym class. She was mean to me."
Flash sighs and gives up. Sunset sometimes gets at his nerves but he can tell he has a good heart after all. He puts his arm over her again, drawing her closer to him. "I'll talk to her, tell her to apologize. She can get a little cocky when playing, I grant you that."
"Thanks honey," she says, leaning over his chest.
She grins, feeling like she won but when she starts feeling his warm her smile softness.
****
The Royal Gardens are covered in a soft blanket of snow. The last time Sunset saw snow was in the other world when she celebrated a holiday with Flash, something similar to Hearth's Warming Eve.
Despite being back in a world full of ponies, standing in that snow field, Sunset feels lonelier than ever.
"You're going to get sick standing like that in the open."
She turns around and finds Flash Sentry hovering next to her, holding a scarf in his mouth. She decided to ignore him and turns around, the scarf falling over her head seconds later.
"I didn't ask you to bring me this," she says.
"Told you I was assigned to guard you at all times, ma'am. That means both in and out of your room."
That smile again, that carefree smile that he shares with the Flash from the other side of the mirror. Sunset can feel the same kindness coming from him. He is a little different from the Flash she knows but she can feel the same heart in both.
She wraps the scarf over her neck with her magic and says "Thank you."
****
"Did you just say that YOU are breaking with ME?"
"You heard that right, Sunset! I had enough with you!"
"You can´t leave me! You're my boyfriend!"
"That´s what I thought but apparently I was nothing more that leverage to make you popular enough to win the crown again!"
Sunset backs down, her lies exposed.
"I heard you talking with Rarity!"
Sunset winces, remembering the whole incident. She yelled at Flash once again, scolding him for being late because he had band practice. Rarity was only defending him but Sunset yelled at her and chased her out of the gym. She followed her, making sure that Rarity would never dare to question her in front of the class again but Rarity insisted on being stubborn and during the argument, Sunset let it slip that she only cared for Flash because of his appearance. That he was only using him to be popular and win the crown.
"You don't have anything to say, right?" he asks.
She wants to. She wants to make a lie, to yell at him but no words come from her mouth. What she told Rarity was the truth but at the same time, somewhere inside her, she didn't meant that. She doesn´t look at Flash as just a tool, she actually, deep down, cares about him.
But she can´t say it. She can't admit it because that would mean telling the truth about her. Telling Flash she isn't even a human, that she betrayed her teacher and ran away, searching for the power to enact her revenge.
She can´t say it so she just lies a final time.
"You are not breaking with me. I'm dumping you, Flash. I don't need a boyfriend who can't even get on time for the dance rehearsal."
"If that´s what you want," he says and turns around.
Sunset watches him go, silently asking him to turn around but he doesn´t.
******
Sunset body is burning. Her fever is so high she can't even use her magic to pull the blankets. She feels cold on her forehead and finds a wet towel that wasn't there before.
"I brought you some hot soup, ma'am," Flash Sentry says, using on wings to hold a spoon and the other to cover Sunset with the blankets.
"Stop calling me that," she says.
"How do you like to be called then?"
"Just call me Sunset."
"Roger that. Feel free to call me Flash," he replies, winking.
She tries the soup so she doesn't have to answer to that.
****
"Uh Sunset?" Snips asks while Snails covers behind the door. None of them dares enter the dark classroom.
"What do you two want?" a harsh, cruel voice replies from the shadows.
"We just finished sending those emails you asked us."
"And?"
They were expecting to be praised but it was obvious Sunset was an even worst boss than Trixie. "Uh is there anything else we can do for you, Sunset?"
"Leave me alone."
"Will do," Snips says and both boys run away.
Sunset eyes glow in the darkness. Her rage already dried all her tears. Now she has no distractions, she knows what she needs to do. The thirty moons wait is over and she can make a final trip back to Equestria.
****
"So how is Sunset Shimmer doing?" Twilight Sparkle asks Princess Celestia as they walk the palace hallways.
"Her fever is gone but the doctors say she should remain in bed. Of course, she didn´t listened and insisted to leave her room," Celestia says.
"That´s good to hear but I wasn´t talking about her health. How are things between you two?"
"I haven't talk to her since she returned."
"Why?"
Celestia ponders Twilight´s questions, debating if she should reveal her weakness to her former student. But Twilight is no longer a young filly, she is a Princess just like her and she deserves an honest answer.
"Forgiving Luna was easy for me. First of all, she is my sister and I just can´t turn my back on my family. But when it comes to Sunset it´s not just her betrayal that hurts me. I feel responsible, that if I had payed more attention to her she wouldn't have felt the need to prove herself by committing those crimes. I´m guilty of favouring you Twilight and neglecting my other students like Sunset or Trixie."
"Princess, that's not tru- wait, Trixie was a student of yours?"
"She was a student in my academy for a brief time. She got expelled after cheating on an exam. You two probably never shared any classes together, that´s why you never heard of her before she appeared in Ponyville," Celestia explained.
"I see. No wonder she was so angry at me. Come to think about it, all your students must hate."
Celestia puts a wing over Twilight. "I believe some resent that I spent too much time with you but I assure you, that you are now an inspiration for all of them."
"Thanks, I guess. Actually that feels like more weight for my crown."
Celestia smiles but she is not entirely honest. Her heart still feels heavy even after her confession.
"Princess..."
"Please call me Celestia, Twilight. Remember that we share the same title now."
"Yes, Prince-Celestia. I know you feel responsible for Sunset´s actions but I don't think you should be responsible for her redemption. I know Sunset is sincere in her desire to change her ways but it´s taking her a lot of effort."
"I know that Twilight. You taught me that everypony deserves a second chance. Even someone like Discord found a place in his heart to accept friendship. It will take time but I´m confident I can do amends with Sunset."
This time Celestia´smile is honest and Twilight smiles back. Spike calls for her and she leaves Celestia alone. The Princess of the Sun walks over a balcony and looks at the Royal Gardens.
She finds Sunset sitting in a bench, covered in a coat and scarf. Flash Sentry is next to her, handling him a cup of hot chocolate. They said nothing but Celestia can see in their eyes his kindness and her honesty.
Celestia smiles, happy to have her student back.
****
"Hey there, new girl?"
Flash Sentry looks at the girls sitting next to the school's statue. He looks at her fiery hair and her leather jacket, old feelings coming back. "Yes," she harshly replies.
"Poetry, huh?" he asks, looking at her book. "Yeah, I took that class last semester. It was fun. So, you just read or also write some?"
"Neither. I hate poetry. I´m only taking this stupid class because I failed Gym and I need extra credits but I can´t understand a word of this. Thou hadst stole mine dreams...what?"
"And took thy place inside mine heart. A classic." She smirks, liking his cocky attitude. "This is the final semester, sure you can handle it?"
"I have to. I got expelled from that stupid Baltimare Institute. This is my final chance...why are you looking at me like that?"
"Sorry, it´s just...your remind me of somebody."
"An old girlfriend?" she asks, arching an eyebrow.
"More like my best friend."
She looks at him curious and moves a little, inviting Flash to sit next to her. Flash smiles and sits down, introducing himself. She smiles back and shakes his hand.
In both sides of the mirror, two kindred spirits share this moment in time.
