The Talk

by Conner Cogwork

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Luna, Drama, Equestria Girls, Sunset Shimmer, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Main 6
Length: 6055

A month or so after the Battle of the Bands, Principal Celestia calls Sunset Shimmer and friends to her office, for a long-overdue discussion.

A month or so after the Battle of the Bands, Principal Celestia calls Sunset Shimmer and friends to her office, for a long-overdue discussion.

Edited and smoothed over with help from the ever-patient Little Jackie Papercut.

Published 2015-12-17 16:50:03 UTC
Last updated 2015-12-17 16:50:03 UTC

The Talk

The Talk

A month or so after the Battle of the Bands, Principal Celestia calls Sunset Shimmer and friends to her office, for a long-overdue discussion.

"Sunset Shimmer? Sunset Shimmer, please report to my office, if you may."

Sunset cringed at the words. Long had she known the stern tone of her former mentor, signifying that something serious was forthcoming. Even though Principal Celestia was not exactly her mentor, the exact same tone was unmistakable.

Giving a glance to Instructor Doodle, he nodded his acknowledgement, and allowed her to excuse herself from the class, whispers popping up around the students in her wake. What is she in for this time?

Personally, she couldn't help but wonder herself.

She did not run, but she did hurry down the halls towards Celestia's office. So worried she was, she nearly collided with Fluttershy coming from another hall.

"Woah!" the redhead yelped, skidding to a stop and catching her balance. "Fluttershy! I'm so sorry, what's up? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I-I was about to ask the same about you!" The lanky yellow girl grabbed at her bag in worry. "What're you doing out?"

Sunset gave a sigh. "Principal Celestia called me out of class. She wanted to see me in her office."

Fluttershy's eyes widened. "B-But... but she just called me to come meet with her too..."

They stared at each other in silence, a few seconds passing before Applejack materialized over Shy's shoulder. "Hey gals! What're you two doin' out? Make it quick, th' Principal's put th' word out fer me."

They both turned to her. The next words left their mouth in unison as "You too?!"

The farmgirl stared, before standing up straight. "You... you mean she-... oh. Oh, horseapples." She reached a hand up to grasp the brim of her hat. "Ah don't like where this is goin'."

"No, neither do I." Sunset replied, taking to her feet again, with the two falling into stride behind her. "Not one little bit."

That nasty little bubble of suspicion in her gut was proven to be valid, as she saw a certain trio of girls arriving to the Principal's door from the opposite direction. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie.

"Let me guess." she spoke up, as they met right outside the door. "Principal Celestia called you too?"

"She DID!" Pinkie confirmed, vibrating with a nervous energy. "What does she want? What plans does she have!? What does she know?! *GASP* DID SHE FIND OUT ABOUT THE WHIPS?! I SWORE I PUT THEM BACK WHERE I FOUND THEM!!"

"Pinkie Pie, please." Rarity soothed, before turning to Sunset. "This is rather too pat for a normal disciplinary meeting. I have my suspicions... as do all of you, I assume."

"That's putting it lightly." Rainbow replied, leaning against the wall. "They want to know about Twilight, I'm sure of it. Why else would they call all six of us together, at the same time?"

"I don't know for sure..." the redhead mused, stepping up towards the door, staring at it before heaving a sigh. "But there's no use in putting it off..."

A murmur of agreements sounded behind her. With that, she pushed the door open, and stepped in, the rest of the gang filtering in behind her.

The room was brightly lit, large, and spacious, as it had always been. Principal Celestia was seated at her desk, as expected. What was not expected was that Vice-Principal Luna was standing next to the desk as well, eyeing the group expectantly. "Please, shut the door."

Rarity, the last one in, complied. They all approached the desk, only one chair present in front. Celestia gestured to Sunset to take a seat. With hesitation, the girl did so, her expression subdued.

Finally, the woman spoke. "Do you all know why I've called you here today?"

"It's not about the whips, is it?" Pinkie asked, tensed and biting her lip.

"We need to talk. All of us." Luna added, looking over the group. "We have reason to believe, that there really is something... alien, to this world, here at this school. And reason to believe, that you all know about it."

Almost as one, all eyes focused on Sunset Shimmer. She could feel them, not just from the principals, but from behind her, from the girls as well.

The white-skinned elder leaned forward. "Sunset Shimmer?"

Her head shot up. "Yes Princes... Prin-CI-pal, Celestia?"

There was a pause, before she opened her mouth again. "You were about to call me 'Princess', weren't you?"

Now the redhead was really embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed red, as she studiously avoided eye contact.

The darker-haired woman stepped up. "Sunset Shimmer... after thorough investigation of our records, we've come to the realization, that we don't know where you come from. You, or Miss Sparkle. Please... can you tell us, where you are from?"

Several of the girls shifted in place, uneasy. Sunset stared at the floor for a good hard second, before looking up at the two. "... before I answer you that... can you two answer a question for me, first?"

They shared a look, with no exchange of words, but then nodded their agreement in unison. Emboldened, she then leaned forwards, resting her hands on the table. "Tell me... do either of you know who built the statue of the Canterlot Colt, out in front of the school? Particularly, its base?"

Celestia raised an eyebrow in surprise. "... I can't say that I do, right off the top of my head. You have to understand, originally, this school was founded by people long before I was ever around. I inherited the position of Principal, by request of the previous one when he stepped down, Principal Starswirl."

That got a reaction. Sunset shot up from her chair, eyes wide. "S-Starswirl? You... you can't mean Starswirl the Bearded!"

"... that's funny, how you say that." Luna replied, regarding the student's demeanor. "I don't think he ever went by the title of 'The Bearded', but he was awfully proud of that thing. Do you remember, sister?" She turned to her sibling. "He let it grow all the way down to his navel, if I recall."

There was a chuckle. "He did. He was proud of it. In any case, he would have been better able to answer your question than either of us. Though I suppose there's records for it in the assets folio. Would be something to look into, don't you agree, sister?"

She nodded in turn, before returning to Sunset. "The reason that you ask, ties in closely to your answer to our question, I'm assuming."

The girl nodded in turn, looking down again. "It does... I just don't know how you're both going to take it. It's... frankly, it's going to sound ridiculous, no matter how I put it."

"More ridiculous than a winged demon girl, and astral projections of hippocampi monsters flying in the sky?" Celestia asked.

"More ridiculous than a group of seven school girls, who somehow, for unknown exact reasons, sprout ears, wings, and tails whenever they're most needed?" Luna added, planting her own seat upon the edge of her sister's desk.

"Let's not ignore the elephant in the room any more." the principal continued, raising her hands together, steepling her fingers. "There really is Magic here, isn't there? Something that doesn't normally exist in our world. And yet, for some reason, it's manifested here, in our own school. The real thing. Magic."

"And you girls..." her sister spoke in turn. "Sunset Shimmer, and Twilight Sparkle... not only are you aware of the fact, you are able to harness and use it to your own means."

"It's... it's compl'cated." AJ spoke up. "It don't happen 'less we're gettin' down an' into our music. At least, that's how it's been every time ever since th' very first time."

"And it's the only way we've been able to harness it in this world." Sunset added. "It's just not... there all the time otherwise... like it is back home..."

Fluttershy moved up to place a hand on her friend's shoulder. She looked up, and smiled in thankfulness at the gesture. A motion that did not go unnoticed by the school heads. They waited a few more seconds, before Celestia broke the silence. "Are you ready to tell us about it, now?"

The redhead heaved a sigh, and looked back up at the two. Luna's face was a carefully guarded, neutral expression. Celestia's however was more open, her head tilted gently to the side, a smile on her lips. Open, friendly, waiting…

Trusting.

"... Okay..." She gulped down a lump in her throat, before closing her eyes and beginning. "... in the base of the statue of the Canterlot Colt... there is a portal, to another world. A dimension that runs parallel to this one, where some facets are the same, like civilization, schooling, society... and friendship. And yet, some other facets are completely different, like the technology level, widespread presence and use of magic, and... well... the dominant species."

That put Luna on notice. "You... are not human?"

Sunset very slowly nodded. "I was not born like this. The Portal takes it upon itself to shift whoever travels through it from one world's dominant species, to the other's. Where I come from... I was born with four hooves, and a tail."

The women gave each other a glance, before turning back to her. "You're an ungulate?"

There was a laugh. "Here's the part where it starts sounding ridiculous. I read that in this world, humans evolved from apes that developed in the savannah, becoming bipedal and learning to use tools with their hands. Where I come from, there was a population of horses that developed in a great wide desert, similar to your world's Saharah. We developed the brains to predict the weather patterns, and how to best shelter ourselves, eventually moving onto tool use through our mouths. The ambient magic in the world brought later mutations, which eventually led to the three tribes... or at least, that's what evidence we have from the fossil record... " She gave a sigh, before looking up.

"... let me formally introduce myself. I am Sunset Shimmer, Ex-Magic Student from Princess Celestia's School for Magically Gifted Unicorns. I am a Unicorn Pony, Equus sapiens arcana, and citizen of Canterlot, hailing from the Nation of Equestria."

A long silence followed that, as the two proceeded to digest that information, the students shuffling on their feet and looking uneasy. At length, it was Luna who spoke first, jabbing a finger to her sister.

"... she's a princess?"

"Oh, she's not the only one. Princess Luna rules alongside her."

"Oh, well... Good."

Celestia opened her hands. "A 'Unicorn' Pony... Ponies and horses are the dominant species there then?"

"We call ourselves 'Ponies' by and large. There are three particular subspecies to us. The Earth ponies, who are rather like this world's regular horses. The Unicorns, like myself, have horns upon our foreheads that allow us to freely manipulate our world's magic. And the Pegasi, who possess wings and are able to not only fly, but manipulate the weather."

"Manipulating the weather..." The sisters gave another glance to each other at that, before turning to her again. "Something that we've not mastered here. This all sounds rather... fantastic."

Sunset gave a sigh. "You asked. If you don't believe me, well... I can't say I blame you." She slumped in her seat, leaning upon the desk. "I read up on your own world's mythology... there are mentions of pegasi and unicorns, and even dragons and griffons and sirens and centaurs, all creatures which exist in my world... but are only fairy tales here."

The darker-haired of the two gave her a compassionate look. "We're not rejecting your claims, Miss Shimmer. After the events of the past few months, I think I can safely say both my sister and I are more inclined to believe what you tell us, than we would have been before."

The elder nodded her agreement. "There is much we don't know, but we are not unwilling to learn. Please, Sunset... continue. You said that there are similarities as well, right?"

She paused, a little unsure how to advance. "... There are. Even though we walk on four hooves and use our mouths or magic to manipulate things... much of our civilization parallels this one. We have cities. We have schools, post offices, and libraries. We have hospitals, restaurants, boutiques, and markets. Farming is a big industry as well in our world, since the majority of us are vegetarians. What we don't have are computers, phones, and automobiles. Our highest technological accomplishment next to yours is the steam engine, as trains and zeppelins are the primary means of mass travel. For everything else, Magic is what provides. In place of phones, we have a dragon-fire spell, that can instantly deliver a letter or scroll to its intended recipient. This, and dozens of other spells are used as technological analogues."

Some of this was obviously new information for the five friends. Dash was especially agog. "Even the Internet?"

"... Huh." Sunset set her chin in her hand in thought. "Not... not when I left, no. Then again, I haven't been back to really look in a long while... Maybe? And even then, how hard would it be to parse magic signals from a search engine into a networked series of leylines?..."

The women couldn't help but trade an amused look at the girl's sudden lapse into thoughtfulness. A gentle tapping on the table brought her back around, blinking, and then blushing. "O-Oh, sorry... brain got away from me."

"No harm done. It sounds to me, that this... Equestria, is quite an enchanting place to live." Luna tilted her head. "So one raises the question... why are you here?"

The question was one that Sunset had been dreading from the outset. She found it hard to meet the eyes of her former mentor, dimensional differences be damned. She opened her mouth several times to try and start, but it was with surprising mercy that Celestia herself saved her.

"Luna... I think that just might be an extremely personal matter to her. As much as we need to know about the bigger picture, we might be better off to save some questions for later."

She got a long look in turn, but her sister eventually nodded. "If you think so, sister."

The redhead did her best not to sigh in relief, even as the weight was lifted. The principal spoke right up again however.

"The pertinent fact that we need to know... is to what extent the magic from your world, has come to pervade ours?"

Here, she breathed easier, before speaking. "Well... I have a few theories on that. The main one pertains to when the Element of Magic, an artifact of power from my world, crossed over into here. Twilight's crown. I don't know what it is exactly responsible for the parallels, but the crown that had been made for the Fall Formal, was an exact duplicate, of the Element of Magic."

The two looked at each other. "... what happened to the original crown then?"

Sunset bit her lip. "Prooooobably in a trash can in Equestria somewhere. I-I mean, it was made out of tin foil and paper maché, right?"

The darker-haired of the two facepalmed, and let out a quiet groan, to which Celestia patted her back. "Your talents are now known in two worlds, sister. You should be proud."

"I should be proud that a race of talking horses have seen my mediocre attempts at creating faux regalia?"

A number of the girls were now rubbing their heads in embarrassment. "Well... I thought it was an exquisite piece of art." Rarity volunteered.

The principal rolled her eyes, before turning back. "Okay. So the crown, was a source of magic. I had suspected there was more to it, in the end..." she settled back into her chair. "Its presence and use introduced magic into our world. Magic which later, the Dazzlings showed up to take advantage of."

The vice-principal's expression turned to one of distaste. "We now know what you meant, by 'dark magic'. Would it be too hasty to assume, that those three were also from your world?"

There was a shake of the head. "No, it wouldn't. It was a long, long time ago in Equestria, but they used to take advantage of our world's magic, to sow discontent and feed on the negative emotions generated. They were bested though, and were banished... to a world where no magic existed." Her eyes looked up the wall towards the ceiling. "On the supposition that, without it, they'd be unable to cause harm to anyone ever again."

Again, the sisters shared a look. "Well, I feel that we would have words with the one who decided that our dimension fit the bill."

At that, Sunset's expression clouded, becoming unreadable. She sat back her her seat a little, not speaking for several seconds, before asking. "Is he dead?"

This caught them by surprise. "Who?"

"Your Principal Starswirl. Is he dead?"

Now the silence stretched again, uncomfortably. It was Luna who spoke first. "It... has been some years since we heard from him. We have had no news of his death, but we don't know where he's gone to, either."

"Well... Starswirl the Bearded, is dead, by a little over nine hundred years." The equestrian turned her head to the side. "So giving him a piece of your mind is gonna be a real trick, unless you know time magic. And he essentially invented the field."

Fluttershy hid a gasp beneath a hand. The school heads looked at each other again, with even more worried expressions.

“It appears, sister." Celestia started. "That this has been going on for much longer than we thought."

"Indeed. I wonder now if the Starswirl we were acquainted with was really the one native to us, or not."

"More than ever, I think it prudent to find those building records, and track down our old friend, wouldn't you agree?"

"I most certainly do. When our meeting is done here, I will start digging posthaste."

"Excellent. Which brings us now to finish this." The elder of the two turned to Sunset yet again. "I don't suppose you know of any other extra-dimensional threats, lurking about in our world, do you?"

The girl shook her head. "I didn't even know what the Dazzlings were at first. Twilight was the one who had the information we needed. Really... as knowledgeable as I am..." she heaved a sigh. "I didn't exactly finish all my studies when I departed Equestria. I've instead, been spending my time, learning about this world's history and customs. Trying to fit in... trying to make up for things..."

She trailed off, as the girls gathered around her, again placing comforting hands on her shoulders. Celestia and Luna pondered in silence for a bit, before speaking up again.

"Well, we now know how it got here... and it seems, according to your description, that it is not enough to cause any passive trouble. Yet." The darker woman's voice was stern. "I have a feeling, especially after the Battle of the Bands, that magic will become a defining element of Canterlot High, for better, or for worse. We've been lucky so far that it has shown itself to be of positive use. Especially when championed by you six."

The girls all traded enthused glances at that. However, Celestia then spoke in turn. "This is all speaking from inside of Canterlot High itself. Out in the larger world, Magic is still the stuff of fantasy. And if word of this reaches higher governmental orders... well, needless to say, a lot of things can go wrong, quickly."

Sunset could feel the pit of her stomach falling out. "H-how many things, exactly?"

"Oh, we're talking energy forces unknown to human science. Try closure and seizing of the school and its grounds, appropriation of all materials and structures, which would include the statue. Probing and infiltration... interdimensional diplomatic crisis. Ugh." Luna rubbed her head. "And then that's not counting if you and Twilight are caught on this side at the time, in which case we can look at capture, biopsy, interrogation-"

"Luna." the principal cuffed her shoulder. "You're scaring the girl."

Sunset Shimmer indeed did not look too hot, her face a ghostly shade of its former amber hue. Rarity kneeled beside her and grasped her hand tightly, reassuring, before looking to the heads again. "That all sounds positively dreadful... Surely though, it can be avoided, can't it?"

Another exchange of looks. At length, Celestia spoke again."... believe me, even speaking as the head of this school... I think I would rather dissolve the institution itself, before I would allow any of that to come true."

"Of that, we are of one mind, sister." Luna gave her a smile, before looking at the six once more, her expression becoming serious.

"Which is why, as of now, you must keep any mention of magic, inside of Canterlot High itself. Needless to say, Celestia and I are not the only ones here to have caught onto all these events. Your fellow students likely have come to their own conclusions... which we might want to look towards clarifying." She focused on Sunset in particular. "This portal is not common knowledge, I am wagering... best to leave out any mention of it. But of the nature of magic itself, someone will have to step forward and acknowledge it. See if we can't put a spin on it-"

"Oh, a spin? That's no problem." Dash suddenly spoke up, her tone breezy. "It's school spirit. A personal point of pride. A big school secret." Her hands came up together, fingertips dancing. "Every school has one, like how Crystal Prep hones their sporting skills, or how the School of Medicine at Everton University makes those crazy-good tonics. Us? We've got Magic, and nobody else but Canterlot High, has got the Magic of School Spirit."

All eyes turned to stare at her incredulously. Applejack spoke at length. "That sounds like Th' Magic of Friendship under a bigger name, if y' ask me."

"Eh, potato, tomato, they both mean the same thing, right?"

The vice principal hummed in thought. "... that might potentially work... but there will be details still to hammer out. We will have to locally admit to the two major events that happened here, both the Battle of the Bands, and the Fall Formal..."

Sunset sighed. "Not my proudest moment... but it's where everything started. I understand if you need to reference it... Just... I don't consider myself to be that pony... er, person, anymore." Her voice belied the fact that she was not actually that certain.

To her relief, they both nodded. "And so will we consider it as well. You've come an extremely long way, Sunset Shimmer." Celestia beamed a smile at her. "I dare say, you all have become the pride and joy of Canterlot High itself."

At this, the girls standing quietly cheered, smiling at each other and trading handshakes. The redhead however, lifted her eyes up to meet Celestia's, before looking away again, a pained expression on her face.

"... Luna, why don't you take the girls to your office, have them assist with composing our board notice on Magic? Sunset Shimmer and I have a few more details to discuss... in private."

The younger of the sisters glanced between them, before nodding and standing up straight. The five standing parted to let her past, and as she opened the door, they all filtered out behind her. Looking back, Sunset caught Fluttershy's eye, who gave her one more encouraging smile. As the door closed, they could hear Luna's voice sounding out "So Miss Pie... about these whips you encountered..."

Now alone, the equestrian fidgeted in her seat. The Principal watched her for a few seconds, before her expression softened, leaning forward in her own chair, hands crossed upon the table. "... I realize that they are your personal reasons, and yours alone... but I feel that I must ask again. Sunset Shimmer... why did you leave your world? Why did you come here?"

She did not meet her eyes. But some agonizing seconds later, she finally opened her mouth. "... back where I came from... I used to be the personal student of a wise, and powerful pony... her prized pupil. At the time... I was very proud. She taught me things about Magic that nopony else knew, and among unicorns, I alone was able to wield the power effortlessly... needless to say, it went to my head.

"The portal... while it is embedded in the statue base here, in my world, it's embedded in the surface of a large, ornate mirror. This mirror arrived in Canterlot one day... yes, I know." She raised her hand to forestall the question she knew was about to be asked. "Canterlot in our world is not as big as it is here... it's a lot more medieval in architecture too. But it is our nation's capital. And so the mirror was brought there. My... my teacher, she let me look inside of it..."

There was a pause. Soon, the tall woman asked. "What did you see?"

"... I saw myself, as a being in equal standing to my teacher. And I wanted it. She became worried, and forbade me from looking upon it again... but by that time, I was obsessed. I had to know more. I had to have it. There was so much power, right in hoof's reach. I begged with her, pleaded with her, asked her about it constantly, trying to convince her that I was ready for it..."

Celestia gave a slow nod. "... with each repetition that you said you were ready, the more she knew that you were not."

She looked up, her eyes hollow upon hearing those familiar words, before quickly looking away again. "I was being prideful. Arrogant. Stupid... I know that now, but at the time, I felt I was not being treated fairly. So... eventually, I took matters into my own hooves.

"I started researching the mirror. Found out how it was connected to worlds beyond this-... beyond our own. How it had the power to change a pony. This I found in ancient, forbidden texts, in the restricted section of the Royal Library. When my teacher found out... she..."

Here, her eyes teared up. "We fought. I shouted at her, but she never raised her voice. She was upset... enough so, that she dismissed me as her pupil, and had the palace guards arrest me. I allowed myself to be taken by them... but when we passed the room where the mirror was kept, I could abide no longer. I overpowered the guards... it wasn't hard. And with all the knowledge I had gained, I ran in there, and threw myself into the portal... and stepped out the other side..." she raised a hand, and stared at it. "... like this."

Quiet remained for a good deal longer, before the principal spoke again. "Outside, in front of the school?"

Sunset nodded. "In front of the Canterlot Colt... it took me some time, to get used to this world... but after everything that had happened, there was no way I was going back. Not unprepared, at anyrate. I knew she would not order her guards to come after me, if she knew what I had learned... The portal, by default, only opens for three days, once every thirty moons, which translates to about two and a half years in your calendar. For three days. With such a long closed window... I knew I had time to prepare."

Celestia sighed, before nodding. "And so you enrolled at the school."

"It took me a year to get around to that, actually," she admitted. "Took me that long to establish myself... get an ID, register with the local records office, get some revenue, rent an apartment... teach myself how to use my hands, how to hold and write with a pen properly, familiarized myself with the local technology..." She rubbed her cheek. "Thinking back on it... if I hadn't been so... so bitter, I probably would have enjoyed the entire experience a lot more."

The older woman tilted her head. "You didn't seem that bitter when you enrolled... more curious, if I recall correctly."

The redhead nodded again. "... I know the reputation I garnered here was... not the best. But... I want you to know... when I did enroll, I was simply wanting to learn more about this world's science and history, and culture. That very first Fall Formal I participated in? I won that one fair and square. It was... it was a good feeling..." A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips, before dropping away again. "But just like before, once I knew I could have that kind of power... I didn't want to let go of it."

Another quiet extended, as the both of them knew well enough what happened afterward. At length, Celestia raised her head again. "And your mentor? Did you ever see her again?"

"... not long, after I had enrolled at the school... the Portal opened again. I took a chance, and slipped through, and looked about my world again, undetected. I did find her again. But... two years and a half is still a long amount of time..." Her head dipped even lower. "... she had a new student under her wing. One who was everything that I was not. She was patient, and she was faithful. She was humble. And she was powerful. Oh, was she powerful. She had the potential, to attain that which I felt I had been denied... and she was Twilight Sparkle."

"I see..." the tall woman spoke, her voice soft. "... I think I finally see, what happened, at the last Fall Formal."

Sunset looked up, her expression miserable. "That was the last time I ever laid eyes on her. After I returned from that, was when I really became a terror. Yes, everything I had done, was leading up to that Fall Formal. I just... didn't care anymore. About anything, other than what I'd planned to do. That plan being, to steal the Element of Magic, and use it to exact my revenge..."

At this, she dropped her head low, wrapping her arms around herself. A sniffle escaped her nose, as she tried to hold herself back from breaking down. It came to her complete surprise then, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Looking up, she saw that Celestia was now standing beside her, gripping her firmly, before lowering herself down to look her in the eye.

"It's true that these things happened... we would be wrong to deny that they did. But they do not define what you are. That's in the past now, Sunset. That you have moved on beyond those aims... That alone, is a testament to your strength. To your ability to be a better person. A... a better pony."

Sunset couldn't help it, as more tears gathered around her eyes, the words slipping out. "You sound just like her."

She tilted her head. "Princess, Celestia?"

"You have her eyes... I know you're not her but by the goddess it's too uncanny. I'm sorry! I want to tell you that, I want to tell her that, but I can't—!"

The woman shushed her, both hands coming up to rub her shoulders, attempting to soothe her. "Sunset... Sunset. Shhhh... you're okay. I'm not upset. And I don't think she's upset either. Relax, Sunset. Deep breaths."

She did as instructed, eyes closed, slowly but surely regaining herself. When she opened them again, it was to the sight of her mentor's double, offering a handkerchief to her. Accepting it, she dried her eyes, stopping herself just before blowing her nose, and handing it back. "Th-thank you..."

"Anytime. Feeling better?"

"I think so... I'm sorry about that. Been holding it in for longer than I thought..."

The principal offered her a smile, not budging from her spot. "Why haven't you gone back yet? It might be a bit presumptive of me... but I feel she would love to hear from you again by now, especially if Twilight told her about how you handled yourself at the Battle of the Bands."

Sunset drew in a shaky breath, before responding. "I don't deserve to go back. At least not yet. I-I suppose you could call it a self-inflicted exile... besides..." She finally looked her in the eyes, a small smile on her face. "I've made friends... real friends, on this side. Plus, it'd be awful rude of me to just drop out of school before graduating, wouldn't it?"

Celestia tilted her head again, eyes upward in thoughtfulness. At length she looked back and replied with a smile. "There is that."

A nod. "I never finished my studies in Equestria... but I swear, I will finish them here. And only then, will I return to my home world, a better mare than I left it..." She rubbed her eyes again, before giving a gentle gasp. "I've been slipping in my terminology. Sorry about that. I have enough trouble keeping it together normally, even with the fillies—er, I mean the girls, outside."

The principal could not help but chuckle. "No harm done, I think. There are worse things." She finally stood up, and stepped back to allow the student to stand too. "I apologize for having to question you like that. But I felt it better to get it over with sooner, before something else reared its head."

"Mmm... it was due, yeah." Sunset agreed. "For the longest time I was dreading this talk happening... but it needed to. And I'm glad it did." She gave a smile. "I'm just glad that you and Luna were open to what I had to say."

"There are a lot of things, that we're open to." Celestia smiled in return. "Luna especially. She's had her own history, but that's not my place to tell. What I can say... is that it's time to forgive yourself." She again rested her hand on the girl's shoulder. "You're a bright young girl, or filly, with potential still in you. You can't let your demons get the better of you. And I don't think she would want them to either."

The redhead bowed her head, before nodding, her face settling into an expression of resolution. "I won't, Prin... Principal Celestia. I promise."

She nodded in turn, before turning back to her seat. "Go and join Vice-Principal Luna and your friends in her office. I trust them to be able to compile a notice, but a qualified Magic expert in the room might help things along."

Sunset smiled and turned to the door, opening it before snapping back. "Oh! What about our classes—"

"You've all been excused for the day. I'll make sure your teachers know, and give you makeups later. Go ahead, Sunset. Your friends are waiting."

With one last thankful smile, she darted out of the Principal's office, and started down the hall again, her heart lighter than it had been in a long time. She even felt excited, to be involved with Magic matters, in an official capacity again. I wonder, if I can even get permission to research how magic works in this world! There's still the puzzle of why we pony up only with music. So many mysteries still! Oh I actually can't wait to get started!

On her way to her next destination however, it didn't take long for her to spy her reflection in the campus windows, at her same-old attire, the hot pink top with orange skirt. There were many memories with her appearance, both good, and bad. It was her. But at the same time, she realized, she was no longer who she was anymore.

Magic in this world, and magic in my past... but what she said is right. I need to remember... My past is not today...

...Maybe it's time for a little wardrobe change.

-FIN-