The afternoon had been relatively calm within the town of Canterlot, and a cool breeze ran through its streets. People walked up and down the place like they had not a care in the world. Although, there was one among their number who did look concerned, but about what, none could say. Sunset Shimmer, former student of Princess Celestia, was walking down the sidewalk of the town, passing many a person as she kept her eyes forward, to her destination. It was a small café on the street corner, an unassuming place by all accounts, and yet, it was the place she’d chosen to meet her. When she finally reached its doors, Sunset stopped, looking up to it and letting out a sigh. She was the one who had called her, and yet, both anticipation and dread fought for control within her. In the end, however, she worked up the nerve to take the next step, and reached for the knob.
After entering the café, she was first struck by how busy the place was, with many people both at the counter and around the various booths, filling the air with the buzz of activity. She looked around, searching the place for the one she knew would be here. However, it wasn’t long before she finally heard that familiar voice.
“Sunset?”
Turning, Sunset looked to the furthest booth, right in the corner of this establishment, and here, a smile crept onto her face. For there she was; Princess Twilight Sparkle. Her fellow Equestrian, and, more importantly, her dearest friend. Waving over to her, Sunset made her way closer to the former alicorn, taking a seat opposite the table from her. Twilight kept on smiling at her companion as she got herself comfortable, and only when Sunset was properly seated did she finally speak up.
“I’m happy to see you again, but why did you want to meet? Is something wrong?”
Sunset shook her head a little before answering.
“I don’t know. Maybe, I guess.”
Slumping back into her chair, Sunset’s smile faded a little before she continued.
“It’s just…there’s this big competition coming up at school and everyone's looking forward to it. And I am too…I guess. It’s just kind of…”
Slowly, she placed her hands upon the table, looking down to it with a look of disinterest.
“…ordinary. And not very…”
Still smiling, Twilight nodded a little before finishing Sunset’s sentence for her.
“Magical?”
Hearing that, Sunset gave a nod of her own, letting out a sigh before looking back up to Twilight, seeming more enthusiastic than before.
“After studying magic in Equestria, and travelling to a different dimension and making friends and fighting evil, I kinda need more than…”
Again, her disinterest became more evident upon her face.
“…than inter-school sports.”
Twilight looked to her, listening carefully and taking in every word that was being said. Only when Sunset stopped did Twilight speak up again, her expression one of curiosity.
“Have you talked to the others about it?”
At that, Sunset looked away for a moment, seeming briefly uncomfortable, before looking right back at Twilight.
“Sort of. But I don’t want them to think that I don’t support them, or that I don’t want CHS to win.”
Looking down at the table again, Sunset’s eyes glanced over to a nearby cup of tea that had already been placed here for her, after which she began to absent-mindedly stir it with a spoon, thinking her words over before finally speaking up again.
“It just makes me wonder if there’s…”
Sunset paused, hesitating in her next words, keeping her eyes away from Twilight as she did so. In the end though, she looked to her friend, her expression one of doubt as she finally spoke.
“…if there’s more for me back home.”
Twilight, understandably, looked taken aback by those words.
“You mean…in Equestria?”
Sunset nodded in confirmation, leading to Twilight giving her own thoughts on the matter.
“Well…there’s definitely more magic back there. But…there’s magic here now too.”
Sunset shrugged her shoulders a little and put on a frown after hearing Twilight say those things.
“Yeah, but…I don’t understand it! And even if I did, Vice-Principal Luna wants me to keep it away from the competition as much as possible.”
A pause fell between the two girls, and during this silence, Sunset looked down at her tea, feeling the warmth of the thing as she held it in both hands. Within the tea itself, she saw her reflection, and all the difficulty and doubt she was feeling was there, plastered all over her face. To say she felt like she was in a difficult position would have been an understatement, as it truly seemed like there were no answers for her here, no matter what she said or who she went to. However, as this feeling sank in further for her, she was surprised to see a pair of lavender hands reach forward, gently placed upon her own. Looking up, she saw Twilight, smiling to her with a look of understanding.
“Well…it’s up to you. As long as the portal is open, you can come back to Equestria whenever you want.”
Sunset looked to her for a long time, seeing the friendly way Twilight was looking at her. It was a look that would never have been given to her back in the old days, given the kind of person she was. But now? Now, she treasured such looks as much as anything in the world, and that, coupled with the offer her dear friend had given, was enough to bring a smile back to Sunset’s face. However, before she could reply, both she and Twilight turned to see one of the café’s waitresses arriving at their booth. Smiling at both of them, she set down a small piece of paper before filling up their drinks for them.
Looking down at the paper, Twilight saw that it was the bill for their drinks, prompting her to reach into the pocket of her skirt, after which she pulled out a few coins. Looking at the bits of her native Equestria, Twilight knew already that they wouldn’t be accepted here, but soon looked to Sunset as the latter stifled a small giggle. Before long, the Equestrian exile reached into her own pockets.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got it. You can pay me back when I come to see you in Equestria.”
Looking to her, Twilight regained her smile form earlier.
“Then…you will be coming back one day?”
At that, Sunset reached forward, placing a hand upon Twilight’s, just as she had done for her not so long ago.
“It’s a date.”
