Sunset Shimmer walked down the halls of Canterlot High with a sense of dread growing in her stomach.
For some reason that was beyond her, she had been called to Principal Celestia’s office.
Now, had this been a few months ago, she would have understood this perfectly. It would have meant that someone snitched on her, and that her lackeys would be getting their hands dirty for her.
But now? After all this? After she had helped with the sirens and the friendship games? It’s not like she did anything.
Did she?
As she puzzled and thought, her legs kept moving, walking her through the main building of Canterlot High as she was completely lost in her thoughts. The halls were empty now, her friends were all in class, and she would be too, if it weren’t for this sudden summoning she received.
It just…
She was in front of the Principal’s door.
She stopped, and stared at the door. The word “Celestia” stared back at her, glossy and black against the frosted glass.
When she had arrived here in this world, she had harbored a deep, almost unnatural hatred for the woman. That wasn’t really a surprise though, considering that she was her old mentor’s mirror.
It was somewhat unfair in retrospect, simply because she appeared like her old mentor and the Princess of Equestria was no reason to act like she was the physical embodiment of the plague.
But these days…
These days…
Sunset sighed. “No point putting this off any longer.”
Raising a fist, she gently knocked on the glass, and the aqua green door rattled.
“Come in,” came the Principal’s voice, and Sunset allowed herself one last deep breath before stepping inside.
Celestia’s office always felt oddly familiar to Sunset. Something about the bright, airy space just brought image after image of her old place back in Equestria to mind. The window on her left had neither shutter nor screen, letting light pour into the room, past the bookshelf, and dance along the Principal’s desk.
The Princess-er...Principal herself sat at her desk, toying with her PA mic before her bright, pale magenta eyes widened as they focused on her. “Miss Shimmer! There you are! Thank you for coming.”
“Hello, Miss Celestia, is anything wrong?”
“Actually, I was hoping you could answer that for me, Miss Shimmer.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry I don’t—”
“It’s come to my attention, Miss Shimmer, that I may have been...negligent when it comes to you as my student. So, you and I are going to have a little chat.”
“Miss Celestia,” Sunset began, “this really isn’t—”
“Did I say this was up for debate, Miss Shimmer?” Celestia asked as she pulled a manila folder from her desk.
Sunset’s protest died on her lips, and Celestia stared at her expectantly.
When she offered nothing, Celestia pointed at the chair opposite the desk. “Take a seat.”
Sunset sighed, and sat, squeezing into a chair that seemed far too small. She knew better, of course, this chair was theoretically the same size as every other chair in the school. It just felt smaller, probably because it sat right in front of the principal’s desk. She had a working theory that all chairs became smaller in front of a big desk, but that had to wait, apparently.
Resting her elbows on the armrest, she sighed once more and waited.
Celestia smirked, satisfied before she opened up her folder. “Now let’s see here. When you first arrived, you said that your parents were out of town, and you were staying with relatives,” she looked up from the page with a slight, gentle smile. “Well now, I can say with certainty that this is only half true, isn’t it?”
Sunset squirmed a bit. “N-no...it’s not true.”
Celestia nodded before she took out a pen. “Alright. So, let’s correct this. Where are you currently living and who is your current guardian?”
“I don’t need a guardian,” Sunset muttered. “I’m twenty-four years old.”
“In pony years,” Celestia finished with a smile. “Here, however, you’ve made yourself out to be under the age of eighteen, and therefore need a guardian.”
Sunset gave her a deadpan glare.
“Miss Shimmer, I’m trying to help you here. You must have someone looking after you.”
Sunset sighed once more. “Well, there’s Mr. Side.”
“First name?”
“Sunny.”
“Sunny Side,” Celestia said, as she wrote the name down. “Who is he?” she asked.
“He runs the hotel I’m staying at.”
“A hotel?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. “That seems a little expensive.”
“No, he’s…” Sunset began, before sighing. “When I first got here, and learned that bits might as well be chocolate coins for all the good they do, Mr. Side found me, and...he offered me a place to stay. He and his family run the small hotel down the street, and since I was a ‘poor, helpless child’ he gave me a room.”
“Seems rather generous,” Celestia said.
“Yeah,” she said, a smile growing on her lips, “I will admit that I may have played up the role a bit, but he makes me pay for it by helping his kids and the cleaning lady with the rooms every Saturday. I hated it at first, but I couldn’t really complain, and well...I don’t need to tell you I mellowed a bit.”
Celestia smiled, before turning a page. “Well that’s good to know. I’ll see that you are moved to the National School Lunch Program, because, by the sounds of it, you can’t really afford too many expenses.”
Sunset blinked. “Well thank you, but—”
“We’re not done,” Celestia warned. “I have a few more questions.”
Sunset sighed.
“Enough with the attitude, Miss Shimmer, you’ll be an old woman at this rate.”
She rolled her eyes anyway.
“Now, about your previous education?”
Sunset made a sharp inhale. “That’s a...touchy subject.”
“How touchy?” Celestia asked.
“I...well...you know…” Sunset began stumbling over her words.
Celestia waited.
“I was...a horribly evil student,” she said finally. “Like...like mad scientist levels of evil. And...and…” she stumbled again, staring at Celestia’s waiting face.
“And…” she swallowed. “My...teacher...she…”
Celestia waited.
“She tried so hard...she did everything she could, and I...I threw it back in her face. She gave me opportunities others could only dream of, and…she...she was like a second mother to me. She...she taught me everything I knew about magic, and...and she...she was so patient...” Her fingers were shaking, her eyes went wet, and her voice began to croak. “And all she did, after giving me years of training, and of taking care of me, I just...I...I’m...I’m sorry...just...just give me a second,” she said.
Celestia waited.
Sunset sniffed, trying to keep herself from breaking down.
Why were they even talking about this? Why did she have to ask. How in Equestria am I supposed to explain to Celestia that I betrayed her?
The Principal said nothing, offered no judgment, and gave no comfort.
She’s not the Princess, Sunset. She’s just a person. They’re not...they’re not the same. She just wants to know.
Taking a deep breath, Sunset finally composed herself. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just...I didn’t...I didn’t know what I had, and...and I might never have it again.”
Celestia leaned forward. “Have you ever tried to go back?”
Sunset blinked. “Go back? I...I couldn’t...there...I just...the last time I was there, I tried to steal a magical artifact and put the entire country at risk.”
Celestia raised a hand. “Let me ask a better question,” she said. “Do you want to go back?”
“I…” Sunset began.
Her mouth went dry at the thought.
“Well...I have my friends here,” she said, “and, you know, I should probably finish my studies here, right?”
Celestia nodded. “Those are wonderful reasons for you to stay,” she said. “But that’s not what I asked you. I asked if you want to go back.”
Sunset felt her throat tighten. “I…” she began. “I mean, I don’t know if I can!”
“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.
“I...I’ll have to face Princ—...my teacher! I...I couldn’t do that, not after what I did to her. Not to mention the theft, treason, and who knows what else they could charge me with!”
“You seemed alright facing the students,” Celestia noted.
“That’s different!” Sunset yelled. “They never gave me everything they could, they didn’t sacrifice everything for me. They didn’t...they never...I didn’t betray them like I did her. I just turned everyone against each other here, I didn’t destroy their faith in me, I didn’t destroy their hopes and dreams for me, I didn’t throw her years of sacrifice into their faces. No, no I can’t face her, I can’t.”
“Are you afraid?” Celestia asked. “Are you afraid she won’t forgive you?”
Sunset shook her head. “No! I mean...I don’t know! I…”
Celestia waited.
“I...I don’t deserve to be forgiven…” she said. “I don’t deserve to be forgiven, and I know that...and…”
Celestia waited still.
“...and I’m afraid I’ll get what I deserve.”
“We forgave you,” Celestia noted.
“Yeah! Somehow!” Sunset said. “You forgave me for turning into a she-demon! Sure, fine! You want to forgive me for blowing the school up? Fine! But not her...I can’t...it’s probably better if she just thought I was dead…”
Sunset heard the door open.
“Oh, sorry!” a familiar voice said.
Sunset’s eyes went wide, before she spun around to look at the door.
Celestia stood at the door.
Sunset’s hand gripped the armrests until her knuckles went white. Her heart leaped into her throat.
The new Celestia looked exactly like the one at the desk, from head to toe, and she carried a stack of papers in her arms. None of that was odd, but the guilty look on her face made Sunset’s gut do backflips.
“I’ll come back later,” The new Celestia said, before closing the door behind her.
And Sunset just stared at the closed door.
She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think.
All she could do was turn back to face Celestia.
She stared at the waiting face of the woman who had just been talking to her. She gaped, and stared, and this time, she could see so much more. The smile was motherly and gentle. Her posture was perfect and regal, and the glint of thousands of years of wisdom hovered in her magenta eyes.
And Princess Celestia smiled.
“Is anything wrong, Sunset?” she asked, using her first name, all professionalism gone as the familiarity they shared came to light.
Sunset said nothing, too afraid to say a word.
And then the Princess frowned. She stood, and sighed. “I guess it was still too early…”
The Princess took two steps towards the door. She paused for a second, standing beside the frozen teen. “Sunset,” she said.
Sunset said nothing.
“Sunset, I miss you, your parents miss you, and...and you may want to stay. I can understand if you stay, but I want you to know you are always welcome to come home.” She gave a small, almost sad smile. “And I promise I won’t press charges…”
Sunset said nothing.
Celestia’s smiled disappeared, and she took another step for the door.
“P-p-Princess?”
Celestia stopped. “Yes?”
“Do...don’t...don’t go…”
Celestia smiled. “Do you want to talk?”
Sunset nodded.
“Alright,” the Princess said, before holding out a hand. “Then let’s go get something to eat while we have a little chat.”
