Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria...
On a warm summer hillside, beneath a shady tree by a lake, a unicorn filly sat reading from a large, timeworn book.
"... two regal princesses ruled together," she read aloud, "creating harmony for all the land. The elder used her powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night."
The filly gazed around at the radiant warmth of the sunlight shimmering on the grass and sparkling on the lake. She loved this old legend... especially how it ended.
"As time went on, the younger princess became resentful. Ponies relished and played in the day the elder princess brought forth, but shunned and slept through the younger one's beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger princess refused to lower the moon. The elder tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed she would shroud the land in eternal night..."
The filly shivered, thinking of the strange, shadowy image of a pony's head visible upon the face of the Moon. Creature of nightmares, bane of restful sleep... Nightmare Moon was scary as they came. A worthy enemy for Princess Celestia!
"Reluctantly, the elder princess harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. With them, she defeated the younger princess, banishing her permanently in the Moon. The elder princess took on responsibility for both sun and moon..."
The amber-coated filly hugged herself with glee as she read the final words:
"... and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since!"
"Wonderful, Sunset!" Her auburn-coated mother clapped her forehooves. Then she fondly stroked her daughter's red-and-yellow striped mane. "I love how your reading is coming along. Your diction is so clear!"
"I love reading about Princess Celestia," Sunset Shimmer replied eagerly. "I want to be just like her!"
Her mother smiled. "You and every other little filly in the land," she said gently but understandingly. Then she looked momentarily wistful. "Even me, once..."
"Do you think if I got really good at magic, the Princess might accept me to her School?"
The older pony hesitated, then smiled. "Don't want to get your hopes up, kiddo. You've got a lot of power in that horn of yours, but... well, if you study real hard and do your best every single day... I suppose you'd have the same chance as all the rest of us..."
But Sunset wasn't really listening. Her thoughts whirled with the dream of learning from Princess Celestia... perhaps one day even being made an alicorn Princess herself, to rule fairly and justly over lands far and wide...
She nodded to herself, making up her mind right then and there.
I'm not just going to do my best every day, she decided.
I'm going to be The Best... ever!
I promise!
A few weeks later, long before dawn, Sunset and her parents were making their way through the herd of ponies gathering in Canterlot's festival pavilion. Finding a spot with a good view of the stage at its eastern edge, they waited in tense excitement as the guard ponies formed up in their rows, the royal staff took their places, and the entire world awaited the arrival of the Princess and the traditional opening of the Summer Sun Celebration.
After a seemingly endless wait, the heralds blared a fanfare. The crowd oohed and aahed as Princess Celestia herself took center stage. The white alicorn was tall, regal, and in total command of the proceedings. She smiled calmly at her subjects, who in return cheered her willingly and at length. Among them was Sunset, yelling her head off ecstatically, even as her parents stared at each other in helpless amusement.
Omigosh! Sunset's mind raced, overcome with joy at seeing her heroine with her own eyes. The Princess! I want to be just like her! I need to be just like her! It's all I've ever dreamed of!
The Princess lifted her head to the brightening sky. Her sword-like horn came alight, blazing with golden fire. Almost unconsciously, Sunset lit her own horn in imitation, feeling it tingle with her amber magic.
Celestia raised her forehooves. Sunset did likewise, unable to contain her excitement. This is it! The Princess is raising the sun!
Surrounded by her corona-like magic aura, Celestia gradually rose into the air, eyes skyward, lofting her forehooves. The Moon steadily sank beneath the horizon. Then the Sun rose, warm and huge, taking its rightful place in the sky. And Celestia arose with it, lifting upwards into the brilliant morning air. She became a golden outline against the blazing glare of the morning sun, a heavenly figure of hooves, wings, and sword-like horn -- invincible, incomparable, absolutely without equal...
Except for me, Sunset Shimmer thought, daring to dream her favorite dream even in the midst of the Princess's big moment. One day, she thought. One day that might be me... oh please, please, please!
She shrieked in delight, overwhelmed with awe at Celestia's glorious majesty...
... and then she shrieked again, in shock, as she felt her hooves leaving the ground. Her magic blossomed around her uncontrollably, expanding into a blazing, thrumming inferno, spitting tongues of flame in every direction. All around her, ponies were gasping and then screaming, hurriedly pressing back away from the second sun blazing in their midst.
And at its blinding, blazing heart, Sunset herself cried out in helpless terror.
What's going on? What's wrong with my magic! Somepony, help me!
LET ME THROUGH.
The words were a cannon-blast, the Royal Canterlot Voice echoing across the Festival plaza. The crowd hurriedly made way. The Princess stepped quickly, assertively, watchfully towards the blazing corona and the small filly struggling at its heart.
"Gently, my little pony!" Celestia called out. "Relax! You can control this."
"I can't!" Sunset cried, near panic. "It won't stop!"
"Listen to me, and trust in me," Celestia said. Her tone was firm, commanding -- yet kindly and comforting at the same time. "It is a magic flare-up. You have it in you to control this. It is your magic... it will respond to you."
Gradually, with agonizing slowness, Sunset felt her magic settling down. The killing blaze roiling around her gradually faded in strength. She saw Celestia step closer, striding right through the wall of flame, unharmed, as if it was nothing at all.
The Princess lifted her nose to gently press it against Sunset's, soothingly and calmingly. "You can do this," she whispered, exuding powerful confidence. "I believe in you!"
Sunset stared at her, astonished.
And her magic suddenly winked out, so fast that she would have plummeted to the ground were it not for Celestia's golden aura swiftly gathering her up and then gently lowering her to her hooves.
"Sunset!" Her mother and father rushed to hug her tightly, relieved and fearful at the same time.
Then both of them stared in awe at her flank.
"What is it, Mom?" Sunset looked herself -- and saw her cutie mark for the first time. It was a flaming orb, a swirl of red and yellow, the same colors as her mane and tail.
"Woah..." she breathed.
And Celestia herself let out a single, shuddering, relieved breath. "Finally..." she whispered, sounding at once thankful... and devastated.
Then swiftly, so swiftly it was as if nothing unusual had happened, the Princess was her calm, regal, imperturbable self again. "What is your name, my little pony?" she asked, peremptorily.
"Um... Sunset Shimmer, Your Highness." Sunset hunched nervously. "And I am so sorry for spoiling your Celebration!"
"You have nothing to apologize for, Sunset," the Princess reassured her. "It wasn't your fault. Your magic was flaring in response to my own. I see unexpected levels of talent within you, as well as unexpected power! You can do great things with that. But first, you will need to learn control of it." She nodded, swiftly reaching a decision. "I think it would be wise for you to attend my School, Sunset... as my personal student."
Sunset stared up at her, wide-eyed and overjoyed.
"That way," Celestia went on, "I can properly oversee your studies, and help set your hooves on the right path." She glanced at Sunset's nervous, cowering mother and father. "If your parents have no objection, of course."
If they did, they wisely kept it to themselves. They bowed deeply in respect to Her Solar Majesty.
"And you, Sunset?" Celestia said. "Do you accept?"
Sunset looked at her flank again, at her cutie mark. A blazing sun, she thought. I have a mark like Celestia's! My dream, it's actually coming true! I'm destined to be just like her!
Sunset stood tall and proud, facing her future with maturity and confidence, as she imagined a future Princess ought to do.
"Yes!" she said, firmly.
"Well, Sunset," her mother said, forcing her voice to remain steady, "this is it, I guess."
"Be a good pony," her lemon-coated father advised, "and a good student. And be sure to do what Her Highness tells you to do."
"I will..." Sunset replied absently, as she gazed around in awe at the grounds of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The School building itself was huge. The gardens surrounding it were a paradise of green lawns, topiary hedges, and innumerable beds of flowers.
"Have no worries," Princess Celestia said to her parents. "Sunset will be in good hooves with my staff here at the School -- and under my direct guidance throughout her studies."
"As you say, your Highness!" Sunset's mother bobbed nervously. Then she looked at Sunset. "Remember to write to us, kiddo," she said. "Tell us all about... well, everything you're learning and discovering here! And remember, do remember, that I'll be thinking about you always!"
The sadness in her mother's voice finally sank in, and Sunset turned to look up at her. "I'll remember, Mom," she said, seriously. "I won't forget. I promise!"
"I know you won't," her mother said, hugging her. "Now go on! Be everything you've always wanted to be!"
Reluctantly, Sunset turned away and trotted alongside the Princess, as Her Highness led the way up to the door of the School and inside.
In the entrance foyer there was another pony waiting for them: a small, pink filly with a tricolor-striped mane.
"Sunset," Celestia said, "this is my niece, Cadance. She's a student at the School as well. I thought the two of you might want to get to know each other, since you'll likely be attending classes together. You'll be able to lend each other a hoof, as you learn your way around the School."
"A pleasure to meet you, Sunset!" Cadance said cheerfully, extending a hoof for a shake. "I've heard so much about you."
Sunset stared, amazed.
"You're an alicorn! Just like Celestia!"
Cadance smiled sheepishly. "Last time I checked... and I still can't believe it myself!"
"That... is..." Sunset struggled for words. "... so... amazing!" She eagerly shook hooves. "Do you have really powerful magic? Can you fly yet? Do you need to sleep? Do you even need to eat? Wow!" She brought herself to a halt. "Oooh, I'm sorry! It's like... too many questions, not enough mouth!"
Cadance laughed. "It's okay. I don't mind! I'm glad to have someone to talk about it with, actually."
"Well!" Celestia said, pleased, "I can see that the two of you will get along famously."
Sunset nodded, in awe. Are you kidding? she thought. I was wondering if it was possible to be made an alicorn... and here's the proof, standing right in front of me! Yes! I wanna know everything!
"Now, Sunset," Celestia said, "I'm afraid that duty will drag me away sooner than I'd like, but I do want to at least introduce you to some of your teachers here at the School. And you and I will begin our formal, private lessons tomorrow, once you're settled in here."
"Of course, Your Highness," Sunset replied dutifully.
Cadance smiled. "Don't worry, Sunset. We'll have so much fun together! I'll introduce you to some of the other students here... while Auntie's away running the country or something!" She smiled cheekily up at the Princess, and Celestia smirked indulgently in reply.
Willingly, Sunset followed along beside them as they led her through a whirlwind of introductions: to her teachers, to other students, to the School itself. At lunch, Cadance introduced Sunset to her own circle of friends, who welcomed Sunset just as openly as she had. And soon all of them were out on the School playground together, chasing around after each other as if they'd known each other all their lives.
Sunset was inexpressibly relieved. She'd worried that the students at the School might be all children of nobility, stuck up, self-absorbed, and unwelcoming to newcomers. If there were any students like that here, she certainly couldn't find them.
She threw herself willingly into the games they played, determined to make friends and be a good friend herself, as she imagined a future Princess should be.
But... in her heart of hearts, she sighed uneasily, knowing the plain and simple fact:
In the end there is, and can be, only one Princess...
A week or so later, there was one of those days, when the weather pegasi seemed to be making up for lost time. It had rained all morning, and rained all afternoon, and looked to be raining all evening too.
Sunset was sitting on the windowseat in the School library, chin on her forehooves, staring out at the gathering gloom.
And trying to keep from crying.
"Sunset? What's the matter?"
Sunset looked up, startled. "Princess Celestia?"
The Princess smiled. It was disconcerting how such a large alicorn could move so quietly, remaining unnoticed until she wished to be seen. "You just seemed so distant at our lesson today. I wanted to stop by and make sure everything was all right."
"I'm fine, Your Highness." Sunset sighed. "I was just thinking about... about home. On rainy nights like this, we'd sit by the fireplace, and Dad would make popcorn and Mom would read a story and they'd hold me close and..."
Her voice caught, overwhelmed.
The Princess moved to sit beside her. Her forelegs folded around Sunset, holding her close, her wings swept forward shelteringly.
"And you miss them," she said gently. "More than there are words to express."
Sunset looked up at the Princess's warm, understanding gaze. And then buried her face in Celestia's soft chest-fluff, and sobbed. She felt the Princess resting her head on Sunset's mane, not saying a word. Just being there, letting her cry it out.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Sunset finally managed to say. "I'm not being very grown up, am I?"
"There is nothing wrong with missing your loved ones," the Princess replied, sounding a little sad herself. "Especially when they've given you so much joy. And it can be difficult at first, living away from home like this. But I want you to know that we're all here for you. The other students, your teachers -- and especially me, Sunset. You're my personal student. Any time you need to talk, any time there's something we can make right, you let me know."
"But what if you're real busy?" Sunset asked. "I mean, being Princess and everything?"
"I would never be too busy for you, Sunset." She sounded amused. "I've been doing this a while -- I know how to prioritize."
"But..." Sunset stared up at the rain-spattered windows. "What if you're far away, and I can't reach you?"
Celestia looked up at the windows herself, but she didn't seem to be looking at the rain. She was looking at something very far away it seemed.
Then she shook her head, and looked down at Sunset.
"I think I might have an answer for that, actually. Something I was going to give you anyway, but now seems like a really good time."
Her horn sang, and in a flash of teleportation, a book fell into Sunset's startled hooves. A heavy tome, with Sunset's flaming sun cutie mark on it. When Sunset flipped it open, she found it was full of blank pages.
"It's a journal," Celestia said. "It's thaumically entangled with one like it in my study. The two are essentially the same book, no matter how far apart they are. Anything written in one appears in the other. I'll keep mine close at hoof whenever I'm away on business. You can use yours to send me a message, whenever you need to, wherever you might happen to be. And I'll write right back to you, help you with whatever's troubling you."
"Kind of like a diary?" Sunset asked, with the beginnings of a smile on her face.
"In a sense," Celestia agreed. "Except it listens, and talks back." She held Sunset close. "And cares very much, about how you feel."
Sunset stared up at her, inexpressibly happy.
And Celestia sighed. "I could never possibly replace your parents," the Princess said. "And I would never want to try. But... I do want you to know, Sunset -- you matter to me. Very much. And I'm here for you. Always."
Dropping the book, Sunset hugged her tightly.
"I love you, Your Highness!"
Celestia paused briefly. Then hugged Sunset even tighter.
"And I love you too, my faithful student."
It continued raining outside, but Sunset no longer noticed. And she never felt homesick again.
"Hey, Sunset!"
"Hi, Sunset!"
"You really killed that midterm exam -- way to go!"
"Yeah! That plant growth spell was amazing... you think they'll make you fix the auditorium ceiling?"
"I bet she could, too! Just a toss of her horn, and bam, done!"
"Could you teach me how to do that?"
Sunset smiled, embarrassed by all the attention, but also pleased, as she trotted along the School's main corridor.
A voice spoke up from right next to her. "I see someone's really popular these days."
Sunset looked up, startled. "Princess Celestia?"
Her Highness smiled. "It's nice to see how quickly you've made so many friends here," she said. "Friendships are important, as I told you, and it's good to see you're taking my advice to heart."
"It feels kinda like hero-worship sometimes." Sunset admitted. "But it's so great, being able to just drop into any group or game, and be welcome."
"That's an attitude I encourage from all my students," Celestia said. "Though in your case, I'm sure it's well-earned. And I'm also pleased by your latest test scores. You're making excellent progress, Sunset. Well beyond even my expectations."
"Wow! That's..." Sunset hesitated. "...um... really kind of you, Princess."
Celestia gave her a knowing look. "You don't feel it's enough."
Sunset paused, uneasily trying to find the right way to put it.
"I'm doing great with my schoolwork. Homework, tests and stuff. But it's... well, easier than I expected. And it's just schoolwork, it's not a real challenge. I wish there was something important I could work on... something that'd be a real test of my magic!"
Celestia eyed Sunset for a long moment. Then the Princess glanced quickly about them... and held out a forehoof. Recognizing the gesture, Sunset placed her own on it...
... and in a flash of teleportation, they were both standing in Celestia's private study.
Celestia's horn sang, conjuring up a sound-cancelling bubble about them. Then she came about to face Sunset, her expression suddenly serious.
"I am very pleased to hear you say that, Sunset," she said. "Because there is something you can work on, something very important. And not merely to me... to all of Equestria."
Sunset stared, wide-eyed. And Celestia sighed, suddenly looking weary.
"I am reluctant to tell this to anyone, but time is of the essence. I need to rely on you to keep it to yourself, Sunset. Tell no one what I am about to tell you."
"I won't, Your Highness!" Sunset agreed. "You can count on me!"
Celestia nodded. "For nearly a millenia, Sunset, our land of Equestria has known peace, prosperity, and the reasonable certainty that both will continue. However, there are dark times ahead. You are familiar with the legend of Nightmare Moon?"
Sunset nodded eagerly. It was like asking whether she knew the sky was up.
"It is no legend, Sunset," Celestia said. "It is the truth. The mare shadow on the Moon... it is Nightmare Moon. She is as real as the room we are standing in, right now."
Sunset stared. "I knew it..." she breathed, entranced.
"The Nightmare was imprisoned by a powerful spell, with a duration measured in centuries. But almost all of that time has now passed. Soon, she will be free again, placing all of Equestria in mortal peril."
"But... the Elements of Harmony --"
Celestia held up a hoof. "They are what imprisoned Nightmare Moon in the first place. But they are not usable now." Celestia sighed. "The way forward at this point is unclear, even to me. And it may be necessary to ask a great deal of all my subjects... most of all you, my faithful student!"
Sunset sat tall and proud, a serious look on her face. "I won't let you down, Your Highness," she said. "I promise! Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. I'm ready!"
Celestia eyed her for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes... I think you may be ready for this..."
Dismissing the shield spell, Celestia led the way over to the balcony -- the same one from which she had performed the Raising and Lowering ceremony so many times, with Sunset watching her in awed wonder.
Stepping to the railing, the Princess lofted her wings. And then looked over her shoulder at Sunset.
Her sword-like horn sang, and Sunset found herself gently lifted into the air by the Princess's magic and lowered onto her back. Sunset had only a moment to grab on tight with her hooves before the Princess crouched tensely and then leapt over the railing. Alternately flapping and extending her wings, she spiralled easily upwards into the sky.
"...eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..." Sunset whispered, eyes tight shut. And then, realizing the warm tingling of the Princess's magic was still holding her securely in place, she risked looking up and around.
Already, the spires and minarets of the Royal Palace were falling behind, as they sped across the sunlit landscape of Canterlot. They passed over the edge of the immense ledge the city was built upon. Below, the ground plunged away dizzyingly, to the rural plains far below.
The Princess banked steadily to the left, heading south, aiming for a broad band of shadowy forest. They passed over creeper-tangled treetops for some time, heading towards no obvious goal that Sunset could see.
And then, leaning around the Princess's flowing prismatic mane, she spotted what looked to be an ancient ruins, standing atop a bare rise of ground in the heart of the forest. As they came closer, she could see it must have once been a castle, expansive and regal, much like Celestia's own Palace.
Sunset thought they would come in for a landing on the stretch of rough grass before the main doors, but instead Celestia continued onward for a short distance, arcing over the wall and down through the missing rooftop. She swung round, and came to a neat four-point landing in the entrance hall beyond.
The Princess's magic smoothly gathered Sunset up and set her back on her hooves. And then Celestia led the way forward, across the broken-tiled floor, toward what at first looked like a fountain or sculpture, standing the center of the hall. Five aged stone spheres, each with a symbol carved on it, rested in sconces on a tree-like stand.
Sunset's mind raced, as she ransacked memories of history lessons, tomes of magic Celestia had assigned her to read, and every scrap of information she'd managed to absorb in her time at the School.
There was only one thing these orbs could be...
"The Elements of Harmony!" she said, her voice small and awed.
"I'm impressed," Celestia said. "Yes, Sunset, these are the Elements that were used when..." She paused, looking forlorn. "... when Nightmare Moon was imprisoned. And having accomplished that task, they were rendered inert, and have remained so, down to the present day."
Sunset looked up at Celestia. "It's that serious, Your Highness?"
"Indeed it is, Sunset." Celestia nodded. "Now, you've read the book I gave you on the Elements?"
Sunset nodded. "Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty... and Honesty." She pointed a hoof to each of the symbols as she named them. "And the sixth... that weird, unseen Element that binds the rest together... Magic..."
"But not simply magic that one can cast," Celestia reminded her. "A magic that comes from within. A magic that is unique to each wielder. So it was for me, long ago. And so also, I hope... it might be for you."
Sunset stared up at her, astonished. "Me?"
"You have a level of power I have not seen in a young filly in centuries. It may be sufficient to reactivate the Elements, and summon them to our defense. This is the task I need you to take on, Sunset. To learn how to wield the Elements, to learn what you will need, in order to call upon their power. This is not something I can tell you or show you how to do. You will need to discover it for yourself... for in so doing, you discover who you truly are."
Sunset took a deep breath, as she stared up at the ancient, chipped and timeworn orbs.
This is what I wanted, she told herself. A real challenge, worthy of my skills. I'm not going to back down now. I have what it takes. I know I can make this work!
"Go ahead, Sunset," Celestia said gently. "Give it a try."
A spark, Sunset recalled from her reading. Only a spark, nothing more. That's all that's needed to summon the element of Magic.
She cleared her thoughts. She lit her horn. She gently cast her magic, holding the thought of the five known Elements clearly in her mind. Surrounded by the corona of her magic, the five stone orbs shone like miniature suns, firey and warm. She saw them glimmer, saw a hint of magic crackling from one to the next...
... and then...
Nothing happened.
Baffled, Sunset tried again... and then again. She tried focusing on each of the orbs in turn, in various sequences. She tried casting her magic in the spaces between pairs of orbs. She tried casting on the sconce-tree itself. Feeling desperate, she tried not casting her magic, simply focusing on the thought of each of the Elements as clearly and sincerely as she could manage, allowing no other thought to enter her mind.
Nothing.
The orbs sat there, inert and lifeless.
No... Sunset thought. It can't be...
She felt Celestia's gentle hoof on her shoulders. "It took me a while, at first," she said. "Give it time, Sunset. You may just need a little more practice, a little more study, a little more time amongst your friends at the School, to find the way... to find your way. Nothing else will awaken the Elements for you."
"I... see," Sunset replied, softly.
"We can try again later," Celestia said. "Whenever you feel you're ready."
Sunset's face fell. Reluctantly, she nodded.
She let Celestia gather her up and place her on the her back again. She held tight as the Princess lifted off again, rising into the air, and swiftly returned them both to the School grounds.
And all the way there, she fought back tears.
I failed, she thought. I broke my promise. I said I was ready, that I wouldn't let Celestia down. And not just Celestia... all of Equestria, too!
I said I was ready -- but I wasn't ready at all!
I'm not The Best...
She shut her eyes, shook her head angrily.
... but I'm going to be!
I promise!
"Sunset?"
Sunset glared furiously at the book on the library table before her, as if she could simply will its contents into her brain.
Cadance looked from the book to her friend, a worried look on her face. "A group of us are going down to the lakeshore to study together," she said gently. "Would you like to come along?"
More like sit around chatting all afternoon, Sunset thought crossly. I've got no time for that now.
"Sorry, I've got way too much to catch up on here," Sunset replied curtly. "Maybe next time."
"Oh. Okay," Cadance said sadly. She nodded, and turned to go. "But if you do change your mind," she called over her shoulder as she went, "you know where to find us, huh?"
"Uh huh."
Sunset flipped a page in annoyance, as Cadance left.
And then Sunset grabbed the book up in her magic, and hurled it across the room.
What am I missing? she thought crossly. What am I not seeing? This should be easy for me! Why is it so difficult? I mean, it should be simple... it would be simple... would be trivial...
... for a true Princess.
Sunset buried her head in her forehooves.
She felt tired, and a little headachy. She'd had the dream again, the night before. More like a nightmare, really. A distant voice, cold and harsh, whispering to her from the darkness, whispering that she would never be good enough, never measure up. That she would never be what Princess Celestia expected her to be, what the Princess needed her to be...
That she would never be acknowledged for who she was...
"Sunset?"
Angered, Sunset lifted her head and shouted. "Cadance, I said I've got too much to catch up on! I --"
Then her eyes went wide. It was Princess Celestia.
Sunset lowered her eyes, ashamed. "I'm... I'm sorry, Your Highness."
Celestia put an understanding hoof on her shoulder. "It's all right, Sunset. You're still hard at it, I see."
Sunset waved a hoof at the books on the table. "I've read everything I can find on the Elements... everything! And I'm no closer to an answer. We've tried again and again with the Elements -- nothing works!"
"There's more to this than study," Celestia advised. "You've been letting your friendships fall by the wayside. Talking with others can help, too."
"But this is important, Your Highness!" Sunset said. "You said so yourself! I have to stay focused, avoid distractions."
"Sunset, I said it was important, yes, but that doesn't mean you have to ignore your friends for this. Even if I can't tell you how you'll find the answer, I can tell you this much: the answer is likely to come from a place you'll least expect it. You need to remain open to all the possibilities around you. To all the things other ponies can show you, and teach you... sometimes without even realizing it."
Sunset stubbornly gritted her teeth and stared around at the books on the table, as if seeking one she hadn't consulted yet.
Celestia smiled, and gently stroked Sunset's mane with a hoof. She could see it would take more than words to get Sunset out of her dedicated funk. "Come along, my faithful and diligent student," she said. "Let's take a break, you and I. There's something I think you might like to see..."
Reluctantly, Sunset got up and followed along beside the Princess as the alicorn strolled briskly out of the main reading room of the Archives, and then down several flights of stairs, and through a number of connecting passages leading under the palace.
Finally they arrived at a nondescript set of doors, hidden down a dark, musty, cobwebbed passage.
"I haven't been here in a while, myself," she said. "So it's high time I made sure the doors still work."
Removing the arcane seals from the doors, Celestia swung them open with her magic and led the way inside... into what looked like a cross between a storeroom, a laboratory, and a wizard's rummage sale.
Sunset stared around. Despite her still-disgruntled mood, the haphazard collection of books, artifacts, magical implements and equipment was firing her imagination.
"Is this...?" she asked hesitantly.
Celestia nodded. "Star Swirl the Bearded's workshop. Or at least, the contents of it. I had them moved here when Canterlot was founded. Hidden away under the Palace, in a secret room down a dark passage, just the way he always liked it. I've found it's helpful, making the trip down here every now and then. It gives me time away from my throne, and the long walk itself helps me sort out issues. Even if, on reaching here, I simply turn right around and retrace my steps again."
She smiled, with a reminiscent shake of her head. "That crazy old pony... he could be so frustrating at times, and yet he taught me so much. He never stopped asking questions, never felt he knew it all." She sighed. "Even after all this time, I do still miss him!"
Pulling herself together, the Princess led the way across the room, to a tall mirror with an ornate, gem-studded, horseshoe-shaped frame.
"And this was one of Star Swirl's final masterpieces," Celestia said. "The Speculum Vacivitas. If I recall correctly, he said your reflection in it shows you whatever you need the most." Celestia laughed. "Whenever I look in it, I only see myself as I am. So... that's a comfort, I suppose."
She looked down at Sunset.
"Go on, Sunset," she suggested. "Have a look. Maybe it will help you with your studies."
Sunset tensed. Is this another test? she wondered. Another ancient relic I'm supposed to master?
Swallowing, she stood before the mirror, staring at herself.
Nothing seemed to be happening. She only saw herself.
Not again, she thought.
Sunset glanced worriedly up at Celestia. Then, peering into the glass, she spoke, uncertainly. "I... think I see myself... saving Equestria from harm."
"Really?" Celestia looked at the glass herself, though it was clear from her expression she didn't expect to see anything.
Sunset glanced at her, then nervously went on. "And then... one day becoming an alicorn Princess?"
"Oh?" Celestia gave her an amused look. "Is that really what it shows? Or is it what you hope for, someday?"
"Um..."
Celestia put a hoof on her shoulders. "Sunset... what do you really see?"
"Oh... myself..." Sunset said forlornly. "Just as I am."
"That's good!" Celestia said. "I thought so. Sunset, you are a very powerful pony, with some very good friends, and the resources of the School besides. You don't need to be an alicorn to achieve your goals. You already possess all the magic you need."
Sunset stared up at her, wordlessly.
"And trust me," Celestia went on. "Being Princess is no bed of hay. If it happens at all, it happens in its own time -- that is, if you do your job a little too well, and then aren't quick enough to get out from under the crown."
Sunset looked at the mirror again, stared at her reflection in it.
Her plain, ordinary, unicorn reflection.
She wanted to throw something at it.
"Yeah," she said. "Okay."
"Come on," Celestia said kindly. "There's an entire bookshelf over here of Star Swirl's old journals. You have to read them with an enchanted mirror which reverses and decodes the text, but some of his observations were astonishingly prescient..."
Sunset followed her, but her heart wasn't in it. She was too stunned.
Celestia never meant to make me an alicorn Princess.
She couldn't believe it. She couldn't accept it.
I won't accept it.
It's always been my dream. I'm not giving that up!
If Celestia wouldn't make Sunset a Princess... then Sunset was just going to have to find a way on her own. Celestia said I have all the magic I need. Let's start putting that to use...
Sunset glared back at the mirror. Its blank surface seemed to taunt her, seemed to sneer at her inability to bend it to her will.
She was going to figure this out. It was important. The mirror might hold the key to unlocking the Elements, which would save Equestria. She was going to find the way to make it work.
Nothing else mattered.
Nothing!
No one could ever fault Sunset for her determination. Having set herself a goal, she made it her entire existence. With Celestia's surprised approval, Sunset was given access to the collection of Star Swirl's journals, including the ones kept in the Canterlot Archives. Ostensibly it was to catalog their contents. But in reality, Sunset was merely skimming through them, looking for any mention of the mirror. And she came up empty. Nothing in the journals spoke of the mirror or its construction, even tangentially.
One morning, feeling supremely bored and frustrated, she found herself trying to decode Star Swirl's bizarre numbering for the journals. She worked out the system of symbols, cast the entire series into a multi-dimensional tabular form...
And saw something unexpected.
There were clear gaps. Some of the journals were missing.
She'd already been up one side of the Archives and down the other, chasing down references for the Elements, so she knew that if the missing journals weren't lost or destroyed, there was only one other place they could be:
The Restricted Section.
Students weren't supposed to know about it, but when you'd explored the Archives sufficiently, it was pretty hard to escape a large unexplained gap in the rear of the lower floors. And there was a hidden panel built into a nondescript section of bookcase that led into it. The panel had a magical lock that was keyed to the Princess's arcane signature, but that wasn't about to stop Sunset.
In an afternoon's heated spell-crafting, she managed to come up with a spell that would fool the lock into thinking she was the Princess. And it wasn't even hard... after all, most magic defenses were predicated on obfuscation, merely making it inconvenient to get in, not impossible.
And that evening, she snuck into the Archives, opened the Restricted Section, and crept inside.
She quickly browsed the numerous shelves, containers, and ancient urns, with her horn gently singing, both to provide light and to feel out thaumic space for the telltale signature of trap wards or alarms. She didn't plan on staying long, just long enough to find the missing journals and sneak them back to her room, before she was discovered.
But then her wandering eye caught sight of a volume's title, on one of the upper shelves. An Analysis of Alicorn Magic, the title read. By Clover the Clever.
In a heartbeat she'd snatched it down with her magic and flung it open on the floor, paging through it. And the more she read, the angrier she became.
Shoving the book into her carryall, she quickly located the shelf containing Star Swirl's missing journals. There were too many to carry back all at once, so she set to quickly searching through them for the important entries. And then she found the one she was looking for.
And sat reading it, mezmerized.
She was still sitting there, reading intently, when suddenly the lights went on. She looked up...
... and found herself facing Princess Celestia. Alone, without her usual guard escort. Almost as if she'd expected to find Sunset sitting there. Perhaps she'd been alerted by some alarm Sunset hadn't been able to detect.
"Sunset?" The Princess sounded more surprised than angry.
Deciding there was no point pretending, Sunset held up the journal she'd been paging through. "What's this?" she demanded. "Star Swirl's mirror... you acted like you didn't know what it does. But it's all here, in the journals that you very carefully hid from me!"
"The Speculum Vacivitas --" Celestia began. But Sunset cut her off.
"-- is more than just a mirror! It's a device for creating a link between our dimension and another. It doesn't just show you a reflection of what you need!" Sunset growled in disgust. "It actually creates a portal to another dimension, an entire alternate world, that fulfills your need!"
Celestia shook her head. "It's a side-effect at best. Star Swirl always said it was too risky to attempt to pass through the portal. Viewing was safe, he said, but interaction far too dangerous."
"But why?" Sunset glared at her. "I might be able to use a world beyond the portal to find a way to reactivate the Elements! Isn't that worth risking?" She smacked a hoof on the floor. "I might even find something stronger than the Elements! Something that could stop Nightmare Moon dead in her tracks!"
Celestia drew back, looking horrified. Swiftly she recovered. "Or," the Princess countered tensely, "we might open a gateway to something even worse. No, Sunset. There are some gambles one simply does not take, no matter what the benefits might be."
"Why!" Sunset tossed her hooves in disgust. "You told me we needed something to fight Nightmare Moon. You asked me to find a way to reactivate the Elements! Because Equestria depends on it, you said! What's more important than that? And why are you hiding things from me that could help me do the one thing you've asked me to do?"
Celestia shook her head.
"I understand you're upset, Sunset. And perhaps you're right -- I have not been as open as I should be. But I'm a little hurt that you felt it necessary to sneak in here. If you have concerns, I would hope you'd feel able to bring them to me openly, so we might discuss them directly."
"And have you simply dismiss my concerns?" Sunset shot back. "The same way you shot down my dreams? With a bunch of bland talk about me already having everything I need?"
"What?" Celestia looked startled. "I never dismissed --"
"You know I've always looked up to you!" Sunset demanded. "You know how much I want to be like you! And you blow that off? Saying it's not necessary? Who are you to decide that?"
"Sunset..." Celestia put a hoof to her forehead wearily. "Look, it's late, and we're both tired, and before either of us says something we shouldn't... I think it would be a very good idea for both of us to return to bed. I promise you, we will discuss this properly in the morning."
"You mean you'll lecture me!"
"I mean we'll talk," Celestia said evenly. "Like we apparently should have done. Because you're right, I should be helping you every way I can. If I'm not doing that, I want to make things right. Will you trust me, Sunset?"
Sunset glared at her, breathing hard.
Then she nodded. "Yes."
"Then we'll say no more about it. Come along, I'll walk you back to your room."
"You don't need to," Sunset snapped.
"I want to," Celestia said. "It's important to me. You are important to me, Sunset."
Sunset shrugged. She shut the journal and tossed it carelessly back on the pile on the floor by the bookshelf. Then she moved to follow Celestia out through the hidden panel.
All at once, Celestia came to a halt. She cast a concerned look at Sunset. "You only came here looking for Star Swirl's journals, correct? You're weren't planning on taking anything else?"
Sunset eyed her. "Uh..."
Celestia's gaze swung to Sunset's carryall. Her horn sang, and yanked An Analysis of Alicorn Magic from the side pocket.
She stared at it, astonished. "Sunset..."
"Give that back!"
"You weren't planning on using this, were you?"
"Well... why shouldn't I?" Sunset snorted. "After all, it's just one more thing you were hiding from me, isn't it?" Sunset pointed to the book. "That spell Clover worked out..."
"Is not to be used lightly!" Celestia snapped. "Or at all! It was a curiosity, a research project at best. Remember what I said, Sunset, about there being some gambles one does not take?"
"I just can't believe you!" Sunset yelled. "There's a spell that could make me an alicorn! And you didn't even consider using it? The extra power alone could help me to activate the Elements!"
Celestia's teeth ground. "The spell merely triggers the uplift! There's little guarantee it would even work... particularly if the pony it's applied to turns out to be unworthy of the change..."
Sunset gaped. "You're saying I'm not worthy to be an alicorn?"
"That is not what I said," Celestia grated, "and you know it, Sunset!"
But Sunset wasn't listening. "After making me your student!" she shouted. "After everything you asked me to do, everything you entrusted me with!"
"Stop it! You're being childish."
"Oh now I'm acting childish, too? Me? Your perfect little student!"
"Sunset..."
"I could be an alicorn! Could have been one all this time! And you've kept it from me! Who are you to decide?"
Celestia's mouth set in a firm line. There was a look in her eye terrible to behold.
"I do happen to be Princess of Equestria, young lady!"
Sunset almost drew back at that. Almost. But she was beyond caring.
"Well!" she said bitterly. "I guess now we know what this really comes down to: you're the Princess. And you need my help to stay the Princess. So you say I'm your student, get me to do all the hard work. And then, when you don't need me anymore, when Equestria is safe... then what? What happens to me? Or did you even think about that part?"
"Sunset," Celestia said, with tense restraint, "You will go to your room, right now." When Sunset didn't budge, Celestia's head tilted, her eye fixing the smaller pony with a hot, angry glare. "Don't make me summon the Guard to escort you!"
Sunset's eyes suddenly filled with tears.
"Prove I mean anything to you at all," she whispered.
Despite herself, Celestia forced back her wrath. "How?"
"Make me an alicorn! I'm willing to risk it. It might solve everything..."
"Sunset... I..."
"... make me your equal... make me an alicorn Princess... show me you've always believed in me!"
Celestia stared.
She didn't have to answer. Her shocked look spoke volumes.
And Sunset went ballistic.
"You're just a selfish old mare!" she screamed, her voice echoing eerily throughout the darkened halls of the Archives. "You've never cared about me at all! You don't really care about anyone but yourself!"
"Sunset!" Celestia thundered, glowering at her, "If you persist in these selfish tantrums, I shall have no choice but to..."
"Kick me out?" Sunset yelled back. "Banish me forever? Fine, go ahead! That would be perfect! I never want to see you again! I HATE YOU!"
Whirling, Sunset left the room at a run, her gasping tears and the desperate clattering of her hooves disappearing into the distance.
And Celestia stood where she was, her mouth wide open, stunned.
Then she lowered her head. And sobbed.
"A thousand years..." she said, softly. "And I've learned nothing. When will I ever get it right..."
Sunset stormed into her room, flung off her carryall, and then threw herself on the bed, crying out her anger.
Then her agile mind swung back into action. Plan B, she thought, scrubbing at her snout with a forehoof. I can't imagine Celestia won't be sending the Guards out to watch me. So if I'm gonna do anything, I need to do it now.
She'd had a really good look at the journal describing the mirror... including the spell used to trigger its portal aspect, rendering it permeable rather than merely an image.
Probably what got it assigned to the Restricted Section, she thought crossly. Well, I got what I was looking for. I'll use the mirror, find something -- anything -- that I can use to activate the Elements or defeat Nightmare Moon. And then I'll come back and show that to her. I'll prove to Celestia that I'm worthy to be her equal, to be an alicorn Princess.
I'll show her!
Putting on her carryall, she hunted through the desk, the bureau, and the closet, collecting a few items she thought she might need. A warm cloak, her bit-bag, a toothbrush... only the essentials.
Then, in a storage box in the closet, she came across the journal. The one Celestia had given her, with Sunset's cutie mark on the cover. Sunset had rarely had a use for it. In a way, having it obviated the need for it: just knowing she could reach the Princess at any time had been a comfort in itself.
Sunset stared at the book, debating. She wanted to just leave it behind. Yet the memory of that one warm, comforting moment of her past --
If I could only have that back again, she thought. When I believed in her, and she believed in me.
Shrugging, she tossed the journal into her carryall. Just in case, she thought. Never burn all your bridges.
Opening the door, she peered out into the hall.
No guards. That was strange.
Not about to look a gift pig in the teeth, Sunset pulled the door shut behind her. And then crept off down the darkened hallway.
Let's see if she's remembered to reset the arcane locks on the workshop door... and if she has...
Sunset grinned. There'd be a way around, she was confident of it.
It'll be simple... no, trivial...
... for a true Princess...
In the morning, Celestia took breakfast as usual, conducted the Raising ceremony as usual, saw to the few administrative issues that always arose during the evening hours.
She knew she was putting off the inevitable.
Drawing herself up, she requested that Sunset Shimmer be located. Located, not summoned. Celestia decided she wanted to go to her student in person, show her that their heated words to each other -- though painful -- would not in any way damage their relationship.
She sees herself as my equal, Celestia thought uncomfortably. And is she so far wrong? I need a pony like her to take up the Elements, to do what I should be able to do to protect my dominion.
It was the way she'd demanded it, Celestia decided. Petulantly, childishly, like a filly demanding sweets, simply because she wanted them. That was improper. The rest... well, they'd talk about it. After a thousand years, Princess Celestia was more than accustomed to finding herself in the wrong and needing to smooth things over as a result.
You wouldn't last more than five minutes in this job, she thought wryly, without that magical skill...
And then word came back through her aides. Sunset Shimmer was nowhere to be found. Not in the School, not in the Palace, not in the grounds, and not in the city, as far as could be determined.
Celestia thought for a brief moment, and reached a horrified conclusion.
In a flash of teleportation, she was standing in Star Swirl's workshop, staring at the mirror.
Which was thrumming, its portal still active, a swirling field of magenta.
"Sunset..."
Celestia went to the mirror, put an armored hoof to its surface. She felt the portal actively resisting her, blocking her from passing through it.
Sunset has created a world, Celestia thought. An entire world, out of the myriad possibilities Star Swirl envisioned, which suits her needs.
And which, apparently, didn't have room for Princess Celestia herself.
She lowered her hoof. And sighed, her heart breaking. "Please come back, Sunset," she whispered. "Before the portal closes. Before you are stuck over there. Before you are lost to me forever..."
There was a clattering of armor outside, and a guard peered in anxiously through the workshop door. "Your Highness!"
Celestia gritted her teeth. Never fails.
Swinging round, she eyed the guard. He hunched defensively at the ferocity of her glare.
"Yes?" she snapped coldly.
"Uhm... you're needed over at the School. Something's gone wrong with the admissions tests for the new students. One of them... her magic's running wild! There's a twelve-story dragon poking its head through the auditorium roof over there!"
"Which student? Do you know?"
"Er... Twilight Sparkle, I think her name was?"
Celestia blinked. But... I thought Sunset...
She grimaced. Well, she'd been wrong before. About a great many things.
She glared at the mirror, and indirectly at her vanished student. Fine, she thought. Be like that. We shall let you see what you may find over there. You believe you're my equal? Consider this your first test. And much good may it do you, Sunset Shimmer!
Turning back to the guard, she came to a decision.
"I will handle the matter at the School. You will remain on guard here. Summon assistance if needed. I want this room watched constantly. No one enters here or leaves without my direct authorization. Understood?"
"Of course, Your Highness! Right away..." The guard's voice ran down, as he realized he was talking to empty air.
The Princess had already disappeared, in a flash of teleportation.
And regret. And a firm personal vow to herself.
I will get it right this time, she thought.
I promise...
To Be Continued...
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, its characters and indicia are the property of Hasbro.
No infringement is intended. This story is a work of fan fiction, written by fans for fans of the series.
Author's Note
A tip of the keyboard to Chengar Qordath's excellent A Moment in the Sun, which presents a grittier spin on the causes of Sunset's anger (as well as taking her future in a totally different direction).
In "Sunset -- Part I", I decided to see if I could tell Sunset's story without the usual explanations: (a) a terrible home life and/or loss of one or both parents, (b) jealousy of other ponies, especially Cadance, or, (c) a fundamentally lousy personality. Sometimes all it takes is a mismatch between anticipation and reality... and a sudden hard collapse of one's personal illusion.
Let me know what you think in the comments!
