"Twilight..." "Sunset..."
"Sparkle..." "Shimmer..."
"I can't believe it myself." "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it."
"Reform."
"I've--" "You've--"
"Changed."
"Everything you said--" "What I told you--"
"Was true."
"Someone can change..." "Everyone has the magic inside of them..."
"With the help of friends."
"I can't even feel my hate anymore..." "I saw so much peace inside of you..."
"For once, after so long, I feel peace." "When you spoke, there wasn't any hate."
"I'm so happy."
"Because you gave me a second chance." "Because you allowed yourself another chance."
"These past few years..." "You're everything I knew you could be and more..."
"...Have been the most wonderful and enjoyable moments of my life." "I'm so proud."
"I'm beyond words." "You remade yourself into the image Celestia knew you could be; for yourself."
"It's a miracle."
"And yet..."
"I know there's something I have to still do..." "You'll be coming to see me again very soon..."
"Because I'm not you." "Because you aren't me."
"Some time ago--" "I remember when--"
"You offered to me---" "I gave you that---"
"Final choice."
"And now..."
"I want it..." "You can have it..."
"Not because I want to come back."
"Not because you really want it."
"But because..."
"There's something to prove."
"Something to prove... In this one final act."
Many gifts were presented to Princess Twilight Sparkle upon her coronation; but even more splendorous gifts were given to her shortly after her very own castle came sprouting out from the decimated wreck that was once her library. One such gift given to her was the Crystal Mirror from her sister-in-law, Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire. The mirror (though at first given to Cadance by Princess Celestia as a sort of wedding present) had a closer connection to Twilight after the first night it was given to Cadance; leading to the princess' decision of re-gifting the mirror to Twilight for her own castle. A gift that Twilight eagerly took a great interest in. The mirror -a gateway to another world- held many secrets and possibilities in her mind. And, thinking on it, if she hadn't taken the mirror into her own care, there was no telling how her friends beyond the mirror would have dealt with their siren problem.
The aftermath of her second visit to the world beyond the mirror also resulted in the mirror's gateway to remain permanently linked; instead of the period of thirty moons being between the points that the gate could be used. Since that day, Twilight had waited for a certain day to come. A day she did not live in fear of, but rather anticipation. A day she knew now was on the horizon. A gift from Princess Celestia -her mentor and idol- served as the messenger of the day she waited for. An otherwise simple brown book with an unusual spell placed upon it. What's written in the book becomes visible in the other book that shared the spell. That other book being the one given to Princess Celestia's student before Twilight: Sunset Shimmer. For some time, Twilight had been using the book that was linked to Sunset Shimmer's book to bridge the void between her world and the other. But, with the familiar vibration and glow that emanated from the book she used as a catalyst, it was time to bridge the gap to bring someone from the other side here.
"Dear Princess Twilight,
"How have you been? I'm guessing good since you haven't had any crazy monsters or cooks flying through the portal to do some sort of evil magic here. At least that part of your life is okay, right? As for me, things are the same here. Life moves as slowly as ever, just the way you'd expect it. Peaceful, calm; my sort of speed. The Rainbooms have really been picking up if you're interested; we've added a few more of Fluttershy's songs into our regular set. She's pretty meek about it, but I can tell she's overjoyed about it. And I'm pretty happy about it too. I'm actually happier in general lately. Thanks to you, I guess.
"Anyway, I'm sorry to say that I'm not writing you just to be nice or give you an update about what's going on. Really, I wanted to ask you something. I know we both talked about it, we even took it off the table... But, I'd like to make a ~~small~~ huge request. Can we talk about me possibly becoming your student so I can reach princess-hood? No. Not because I want to come back to Equestria and stay. But... Look, you're a lot like me, Twilight, so I'm sure you understand what I mean. I just want to do this to prove to myself that I could have done it if I hadn't left. I already told the others about it, and they gave me the okay. Rarity said she'd cover for me in class... I didn't ask how she would do that, but I thought I would be better off leaving it to my imagination.
"But, it all rests on you in the end. Is the offer still open to me? If it is, I'll see you this afternoon at the mirror for your answer. I realize the offer was made as a one time thing... But, how about a second chance, Twilight? One last time.
"Your friend, Sunset Shimmer."
Twilight stood there before the mirror, listening as the minutes -seconds- ticked by in her glittering castle library. This was a chance at redemption for a new, close friend. Someone that reminded Twilight so much of herself; to a frightening degree at times. Still, this was the hour she waited for. She did not dress up for this occasion, against to her friends' urges when she told them about what she was doing today. However, before she slipped into the room where she kept the mirror, Rainbow Dash had managed to toss Twilight's Element of Harmony atop of the princess' head before Twilight could protest. In the end, she stood there, crown upon her head and wings furled against her side; though her feathers stood on end. She was beyond nervous for what was going to happen; though she waited for Sunset to appear beyond the mirror.
After awhile, the mirror's reflective surface became slightly warped, much like a pond when a stone is tossed against the water. The mirror rippled for a moment, distorting the image of herself that Twilight Sparkle saw in it until the ripples slowed and dissipated. Now, Twilight saw in the mirror -a gateway between two worlds- not her own reflection, but the image of somepony that was once her enemy. The yellow mare smiled at her purple human friend she saw from her side. "Hey, Twilight... Nice crown."
