Assaulted

“Princess!”

Celestia stopped and listened to the room she was quickly passing as she went to see her sister in her own hospital room.  Her mind was still distracted over what had happened few moments before.

“Princess Celestia?” Sunset called.

Rubbing her head below her horn she turned and walked into the room. “Yes Sunset?”

“What happened? I heard, what I am assuming, was a fight: and then saw them taking Princess Luna into another room on a gurney,” she explained with unease.

“We had a little incident, but it’s taken care of.  Another patient had a magic surge.”

Sunset started unconsciously rubbing the base of her horn. “I hate those,” she said before she laughed a little, remembering the last time she had a massive magic surge, while still Celestia’s student, and how she ended up turning Celestia Pink.

“Sunset...” Celestia let out a small sigh, knowing that this wasn’t going to be easy. “May I have a word?”

“Why? I already know what you’re going to say.”

“Is that so?”

“You’re going to tell me that I’m in huge trouble, and that after I’m released from the hospital you are going to banish me before I can run away, again.”

Celestia couldn’t help but smile.  Her two students were so different, but their similarities were so similar that it was laughable. “And what would make you think that?”

“Gee, I don’t know,” Sunset snarled, “maybe because I was banned from the castle, but yet, here I am. I yelled at you and tried to hit you with a stun spell... Not to mention how I had abandoned everypony, along with committing assault, treason, and possible terrorism. I conspired to become a dictator over Equestria and I know you’re still upset with me for running away the other side of the mirror.  So, yes, I know you will banish me.”

Sunset turned away from Celestia and started stroking her tail, trying to calm herself down. “I’ll leave forever, that way,” she sniffled, “you won’t have to see me again.”

“Is that really what you think I would say?” Celestia asked, concerned at her former students current mental state and thoughts.

“I know it is. You gave me everything I could ever hope for. Then I went and acted like an arrogant, selfish, hate filled little foal.”

Celestia bend down and nuzzled Sunset. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll just pack my… wait,” Sunset’s eyes widened, “y-you’re sorry?” The fiery haired mare asked very confused as she looked into the face of her former mentor. “I was the one who did all of that stuff, the bad stuff.  I was evil, I should be apologizing to you.”

“Sunset.” Celestia took a deep breath and leaned her forelegs against the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry, because I fed you false hope. You were everything that this cruel world needed more of. Gentle and kind, but still hard headed and stubborn. I had believed that it was your destiny to become an alicorn one day.  But, before I could tell you and begin your training you had started changing.”

Looking out the window, the memories started coming back. “You had started to become

rude and arrogant. Thought that you knew everything that you needed to know, and that nopony could touch you, you were my student after all. You then started bullying, and even got into a couple magic battles that weren’t evenly matched. Not to mention a couple actual hoof fights. I doubt any of that would have happened if I hadn’t begun to press upon you the importance of your tutelage.”

        Putting her hoof over Celestia's, they sat there for a moment, taking in what was just said.

“It wasn’t your fault, Princess, it was mine.” Sunset rolled away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

        The mare started trembling, as she attempted to keep her voice from cracking further. “The other students reported me for bullying because I wouldn’t stand down, and I was terrified that they would get me kicked out of the school, thrown aside by you.  I had confronted them on it. I told them that whatever they had against me was none of their business, and to…” Sunset trailed off, then felt a hoof on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw the same comforting smile she loved as a foal.

        “I told them to do what they wanted to me,” Sunset continued, “and I began to challenge them with the skills you taught me, but on the condition that as long as I won they wouldn’t interfere with my schooling.  They had no right, and there had been a chance that they could ruin my future.  After that they had started beating me up, battling me as a group.  I finally broke. I started fighting back at a real level.

“Afterwards, everything started going downhill.”

        Walking around to face the young mare, Celestia tried to process what Sunset had just confessed. “Oh, Sunset, why didn’t you tell me all of this before?”

        “I thought that I finally had everything under control.  Then part of me realized that if everypony was scared of me, they’d respect me; then no one could hurt me anymore. I guess I let the power get to my head. Then I get a second chance, and I have to go and make the same mistake again!” she yelled to herself through clenched eyes, tears soaking into her pillow.

        Celestia shook her head in disbelief. “You should have never had to go through any of that.  I’m so sorry, Sunset, I should have seen it. If I had any idea…”

“Then it would have only made it worse,” Sunset interrupted, turning her face into her pillow.

“You don’t know that.”

“It’s the way it always works out.

Celestia knew what to say but chose to say nothing.  This was a time a foal needed comforting, not knowledge.  With a slight tug with her magic, Sunset was pulled into an embrace with Celestia.  An embrace the young mare needed more than she knew.  Floodgates were opened and for the next several minutes, Sunset Shimmer cried for all her mistakes and regrets.

        “I thought that you didn’t want me anymore,” Sunset whimpered when she’d calmed down, “I wanted to turn around and go back to you.  To Equestria so badly. I kept telling myself that I wasn’t welcome here anymore. That I couldn’t go back.”

        “I guess we both made mistakes.” Celestia sighed, only for Sunset to start laughing.

        “Some more than others.”

        “Very true,” Celestia chuckled softly.

        “Twilight was explaining to me about how she used to do reports on what she learned about friendship.”

        “That is correct.  After she moved to Ponyville I had her do the reports to finish her schooling.  But between the two of us, I knew she’d be so busy learning about friendship and comparing the living standards between Canterlot and Ponyville, that I’d never have heard from her otherwise.”

        Sunset nudged the alicorn with her shoulder softly as she lay back; the fur on her face matted from tears. “Just like an overprotective mother.  Is living in Ponyville really that much different than Canterlot?”

        “I am assuming that you have never been to Ponyville.”

        “No.  I never had a reason too.”

        “After you get out of the hospital I’ll take you there. As you know that is where Twilight and the other girls, the elements of harmony… well former,” she tittered, “live, so I’m sure they would all be more then happy to show you around.”

        Celestia started to giggle as Sunsets face paled. “I’m scared to ask.  Just, tell Pinkie that I want no party, please. If she is anything like her human counterpart...” She let out a small shiver, and both of them giggled. “And since we're talking about learning… I was wondering if it would be possible to write to you about what I learn. I mean, I’m already writing to Twilight and I am having fun annoying her, but you’re…”

        “I think that is a wonderful idea, my dear student.”

“Former student,” Sunset corrected.

“If you wish, I would be honored to be your teacher again. Finish school over there, then when you graduate, come back here. It’s entirely up to you, though.”

“I’d like that, but after everything I did…”

“No charges were pressed against you. There aren’t any on your record in all of Equestria.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Sunset wrapped a foreleg around her teacher as far as she could manage. “Thank you.”

“Want to start now?”

“What do you mean?”

“What did you learn about friendship since you left?”

“Can you get me  scroll and quill please?” Sunset asked.  Releasing her student, she levitated a blank scroll and inked quill over; Sunset gratefully took them. “Thank you.”

Dear Princess Celestia,

        I have learned something very importeant.  I have learned that even if you turn into a evil she-demon bent on world domination, true friends will always be there to kick your ass to tartarus and back with a rainbow superlaser. Then they help you through the days afterwards, and show you that there is a new way of doing things, that doesn’t risk people's lives, and blow up a school.

        -S.S.

Sunset rolled the scroll up and passed it to her teacher. “My first official report.”

Reading the letter, Celestia couldn’t help but smile. “This is exactly the kind of report I’d expect from you. Although you misspelled important..”

         “Here, I’ll fix it.”

        “You know the rules. Not taking back your work after you already turned it it.”

        “Yeah, I forgot.” She smiled sheepishly. “Um, Princess?”

        “Yes?”

        “Now can you tell me why I’m in the hospital, in Equestria?”

        “Trust me when I say... that it’s best for you to not know at this time.”

        Sunset huffed and pouted before sighing in defeat. “Alright, I trust you. Can I at least talk to Twilight?  I’m sure she would appreciate knowing that I’m here.”

        “She’s a little tied up right now, but I will be sure to let her know.”

        “Okay, thank you,” it was obvious that Sunset was upset she couldn’t see Twilight for herself, but Celestia knew how to get her mind off it. Pulling two cups from a tray a nurse had brought with her magic, Celestia poured them both some tea.

        “Why don’t you tell me what happened after you left for the human world? What did you do?”

        “After I arrived I had no idea what I was going to do, much less how to walk,” she giggled in memory of crawling in her knees and elbows at first, ”after a few days of living in a park a police officer had found me.  I pretended to have amnesia and that I only knew my name.  When they found the me from that world I passed myself off as her twin sister and got settled in.

“It took a couple days for me to convince the family that I was a long lost member of their clan, but they welcomed me.  When I got settled in, they helped me with the paperwork I needed, and I was able to get a I.D and, shortly after, a small room of my own in their house.

        “After my new life was finalized I went to a different school from their Sunset Shimmer and then I made a plan to take over the world…

        “There is a little more, but that is the gist of it.”

        Celestia sipped her tea, she took a deep breath, taking in the warm aroma. “Sounds like you had a very eventful time.”

        “It was. I learned so much more about being a teenager and adult, and growing up over there, then I think I would have over here. Over here, I had an escape in you, over there I had to actually fend for myself.  I couldn’t rely on anypony.  I will admit that I still feel very guilty about what I did at school.  I was a monster.”

        Celestia lifted Sunset’s chin with a gentle hoof, until they made eye contact. “Keyword there is ‘was’.  Sunset, I am so proud of you. Everything that you have accomplished has left you wise beyond your years.  Even the mistakes you made, you still turned into lessons, and that made you a better and stronger pony. Or human, as you would now call it.”  Taking the cups in her magic, Sunset put them on the tray next to her bed.

        Knowing that their talk was finished, Celestia decided to just hold her student again. Both mares were quiet, just enjoying each others company. After a little while, Sunset had fallen asleep.

Carefully, Celestia laid Sunset back down and covered her with the blanket.

        “I’m still so sorry, Sunset,” she whispered before kissing her students forehead.

        “I love you, mom,” Sunset mumbled in her sleep.

        “I love you too.”