Ever since that fateful encounter with Superintendent Neighsay and the revelations he had disclosed, Sunset Shimmer's life had settled into a routine that seemed unlikely to be altered until at least after her inevitable graduation. It still felt weird to think that she had come to Canterlot High and to this world as a stranger, a refugee from her own world as a result of a rash decision on her part. And in the span of only a few years she had gone from she demon incarnate to one of the finest students Canterlot High had ever known.
Graduation was a certainty at this point, she'd kept her grades up very nicely. And she had saved up plenty of money to enroll in the college of her choosing, even though her exact career path was still somewhat of a mystery to her at this point. She didn't feel too worried about that though, she'd been told it was perfectly natural not to have pinned down your dream job or career in high school. College would help her narrow down her interests, separating what she was good at to what she was really great at and really liked doing.
So the soon to be graduating senior was enjoying her final spring break. Compared to last year and the year before that she had opted to go absolutely nowhere. To her great relief there had been no more outbreaks of Equestrian magic anywhere in the world, and Princess Twilight had confirmed that no magical artifacts from long ago were unaccounted for or had mysteriously gone missing. Everything was as it should be.
Thus Sunset was spending her free time over the break catching on a very important matter, her video games. She had obtained a few must have ones over the holidays, but school work and midterms had cut into the time she would've devoted to playing them. Now, however, she had all the free time in the world to just sit on the couch and focus on the images displayed on her t.v. screen.
At least that's what she wanted to do, before a faint but familiar buzzing noise reached her ears. Sunset Shimmer groaned. "Typical. Always when it's most inconvenient. Just when I least expect it." She thought to herself as she paused her game, carefully set her controller down, and got up. The buzzing noise could only be coming from one source.
Sunset strolled across the floor of her apartment. An old looking book with an unusual drawing of a sun rested on a nearby counter top, and not only was it buzzing but it was also flashing. It was her magic journal which served as a source of contact with the world she'd once called home: The magical land of Equestria. A land she hadn't been back to since before Princess Twilight had opened up her own school.
The teenage girl flipped open the book. What could Princess Twilight possibly be writing to her about now? Well, there was only one way to find out. She picked up the book and her moderate cyan eyes began to scan through its pages:
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
Sorry to drop this on you so suddenly, I meant to write to you sooner but you would not believe how crazy life's been for my friends and I.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna finally got around to retiring, and they made me the new supreme ruler of Equestria. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows though, because while I won't name names 'someone' thought it would be a good idea to bring back a few old acquaintances as a final test for me. I passed, obviously, but it was insanely chaotic and for a while I was afraid Equestria might be doomed.
Anyway, I just wanted to write again and say congratulations on your upcoming graduation. I was thinking of stopping by for the celebration, but I wanted to know when it would be. Now that I'm living in Canterlot I can't exactly fly back to my old castle in Ponyville out of the blue, not unless I want the paparazzi to have a field day. I'll have to find some way to sneak back and access the portal so they don't find out.
I hope you'll come back to Equestria sometime after you graduate. A lot's changed since your last visit and there's so much I wanna tell you about.
Sincerely,
Your friend, Supreme Ruler Twilight Sparkle
P.S. Technically I'm a queen now, but it feels so weird calling myself that when I don't have a king.
P.P.S No, I haven't got a flowing mane like Celestia and Luna. Not yet anyway, I'm looking into that as we speak.
Sunset blinked. No, she hadn't misread, the words were there plain as day. Princess Twilight was now Supreme Ruler Twilight, or Queen Twilight as others might call it. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were not princesses anymore.
She hadn't really kept in touch with Equestria all that much since visiting it during last year's spring break, but she had known enough to know about Chancellor Neighsay, the EEA, and Twilight's School of Friendship. Apparently there was a lot more she had missed than she might have thought earlier.
But in that current moment, even with dozens upon dozens of thoughts swirling around in her mind, the red and light green haired girl could think of only one thing. There was a pony, no, two ponies that she had to see again! Ponies who were a lot like the principal and vice principal at her school, except much older and much more knowledgeable about her past transgressions.
So Sunset grabbed the pen she'd left next to her enchanted journal and began to write a response:
Dear Princess Supreme Ruler Twilight,
Sorry, that's gonna take some getting used to.
Anyway, congratulations on your promotion and coronation! If anypony can lead Equestria after Celestia and Luna stepped down, it's totally you!
Speaking of Celestia and Luna, do you know where they are now? I'd kind of like to see them again if that's not awkward or anything. Don't worry about me, I'm currently on spring break so I've got nothing but time on my hands.
I really wanna speak to them one last time, just to make sure everything's in order. It's not every day that you learn that centuries old rulers have retired out of the blue.
I assume I just come back through the portal and go from there? It's still at your castle in Ponyville, right? Or did it move to Canterlot with you?
Please let me know as soon as possible,
Sunset Shimmer
Sunset got a reply only about a minute or two later:
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
Yeah, the portal's still in Ponyville along with my castle. Starlight's in charge of it now even though she's not a princess.
As for Celestia and Luna, they're at Silver Shoals which is a popular retirement community for ponies. My favorite librarian actually lives there now.
I'll let the pr royal sisters know you're coming. And I'll have Starlight waiting at the portal to give you directions to Silver Shoals. I'd do it myself but I unfortunately can't go back to Ponyville whenever I want to, at least not yet. I'm still figuring out how to manage all the little details as Supreme Ruler.
Be sure to tell Celestia and Luna I said hello. I hope they're enjoying their retirement.
Twilight
No matter how many times she made the trip through the portal, Sunset Shimmer always felt a bit disoriented going from two legs to four legs. But the disorientation wore off quickly for the human turned unicorn, and then it was just a simple matter of obtaining a train ticket and some bits for her to set off for Silver Shoals.
Silver Shoals was a lovely little community set along a gorgeous coastline. There was a small dock stretching out towards the sea itself, while the shoreline was dominated by ponies participating in a variety of sporting activities or just relaxing on the beach.
It didn't take long for Sunset to spot the royal sisters, them being the only alicorns in all of Silver Shoals made them easy to spot. The unicorn strolled right to them as Celestia was currently re-applying sunblock to Luna's dark blue coat. "We wouldn't want sunburn again, now would we?" Celestia seemed to be teasing her sister as she rubbed the sunblock in.
Luna frowned through her sunglasses. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"
"It's what big sisters do," Celestia replied with a wink. "Besides, your dark coat absorbs a lot of sunlight."
Sunset Shimmer cleared her throat, alerting both alicorns to her presence. "Um, excuse me?" She reluctantly greeted, unsure of what else to say.
Celestia and Luna both smiled as the former sun princess was the first to trot forward. She embraced her former student in a hug, nuzzling her slightly. "Sunset Shimmer, how lovely to see you again. Twilight told us you'd be coming."
"Oh, she did, huh?" Sunset blinked and then commented under her breath. "That doesn't surprise me, I should've seen that coming."
Celestia flashed a warm smile. "I heard all about your upcoming graduation from high school, Sunset Shimmer. Congratulations! I'm sure that wherever you go next you'll do great! You've already done so much for that other world and for Equestria."
Luna nodded while sitting down in a beach chair, adjusting her sunglasses. "Obviously, Twilight told you about us, about how we're retired. Bet you're wondering why we decided to do it now."
"The thought had crossed my mind." Sunset admitted in a somewhat sheepish tone.
Luna just replied in a warm and friendly tone. "You don't have to be nervous, we really don't mind the question. My sister and I just decided that it was time for a change and that somepony else had to take the reigns. Since Celestia's adopted nephew and niece both declined or were passed over upon consideration, Twilight was the natural next best choice. And after months of preparation and grooming, I think she's taken to the role of supreme ruler quite well."
The unicorn nodded even while she couldn't help but remark. "It's so weird to see you without your crowns or horseshoes on anymore. You look... well... naked."
Celestia snickered. "What do you mean, Sunset? Aren't we already naked? After all, ponies don't usually wear clothes."
"I know, I know, but you just look so... normal without them." Sunset clarified.
Luna nodded her head. "Glad you think so, Sunset. We really want to be just like everypony else when they retire here. It's not always easy though. I think many ponies are still not used to looking upon as equals instead of seeing us as their superiors. It's like when I got back from the moon after a thousand years."
"The closest thing we have to that in the other world is Vice Principal Luna and Principal Celestia not speaking to each other for a thousand weeks," Sunset Shimmer commented. "Apparently, that world's Luna used to work at Crystal Prep. She doesn't talk about it very much though, three guesses as to why."
"Yes, yes, Twilight made sure to keep me up to date on all of your exploits," Celestia informed her once prized pupil. "That's why I was ready to forgive you when you finally came back to Equestria on your own. But you were obviously just joking when you said I was your second best teacher, right?"
Sunset stumbled back and stuttered. "U-um...."
The alicorn with a majestic white coat just winked. "Oh, Sunset, how have you still not learned to anticipate my sense of humor yet?"
The unicorn blushed. "I guess it's just so hard to imagine that the same pony who chewed me out for illegally studying advanced magics could have a sense of humor. From what I could remember of our time together, you were always either really proud of me or really disappointed in me. There were never any in betweens."
Celestia gave a sigh. "That is one of my regrets, Sunset Shimmer. I was not fully ready for a student when I took you under my wing. I foolishly thought that I could groom you to become what you were destined to be, and that any faults you had could be overlooked if you were given time. I failed to realize that I didn't take the time to get to know you personally, treating you as my student first and as your own mare second," Her somber mood quickly faded. "But that's all water under the bridge now. I've very proud to see the fine young miss you've turned out to be. Perhaps it was always meant to be for you to run away."
Luna couldn't help but tease. "Come now, sister. Must you always be so sentimental and poetic? Where's that kind of performance in the theater troupe?"
"I'm not much of an actress, it was just never in the cards for me," Celestia responded as she brushed her sister's comment off. "I much prefer the exciting stuff: Zip-lining, parasailing, surfing, all that good stuff."
The former night princess just sighed and shrugged her hooves. "You do what you like and I do what I like," Then she looked at Sunset Shimmer. "But something tells me you didn't come here just to catch up on what you'd missed. Your visit here today had a second purpose, didn't it?"
Sunset nodded ever so slowly even while she whispered. "Yeah, but could we maybe go someplace a little more quiet? Preferably someplace where there's not so many ponies around?"
The former princesses decided to oblige their guest on her request, especially since for Luna it would mean going someplace where the sun's rays did not shine down on her so harshly (thus reducing her chance of sunburn).
The conversation between the three ponies moved to the entrance of a small cave further down the beach. It was then that Sunset confessed with a longing sigh. "I know you said I was forgiven. I know you believe that I've changed for the better now and that I'm not who I used to be. But I need to know that it's sincere, that you weren't simply saying it because you wanted to put it all behind you."
"Sunset, why would you think I would do something like that?" Celestia questioned her former student.
"And why would I have any reason to judge you for your past when I myself have struggled with the exact same problem?" Luna pondered.
The unicorn explained. "I don't know. Since my graduation starting creeping up I've started to become nervous. And when I learned that you two had retired I had to make sure that I'd tied up all the loose ends while I still had time. I don't know if I'll be able to come back to Equestria after I graduate. I still haven't fully figured out what I want to be or what I'm meant to do with my life. I know I'll figure it out eventually, but there's a part of me that worries I might not."
Celestia responded by draping a wing around Sunset, pulling her close. "Sunset Shimmer, your concerns remind me a lot of the concerns Twilight had when she ascended to alicornhood, and when she became supreme ruler. Life is a constantly changing experience, it's something you figure out for yourself as you go along."
Luna added. "And of course it's about making mistakes and learning from them. Even for ponies like my sister and I, despite how old we are we've made plenty of mistakes. We've done things that we regret. And Twilight would tell you the same if you asked her."
The alicorn with a majestic white coat then declared. "But wherever life may take you, there will always be an Equestria for you to come back to if you really want to. If you must come back for any reason you'll find a way, we'll find a way. Don't ever doubt that."
And with a firm nod Luna chimed in. "Retirement has given my sister and I opportunities we've long been denied. We were forced to take the throne before we were ready. So you should be thankful that you still have time to decide for yourself what your life will be. You never know when something will change unexpectedly. Years from now you find that you'll cherish this time of great opportunity and freedom, a time when you could still figure things out for yourself and come to decisions freely."
Sunset wiped a lone tear from her left eye. She hadn't been anywhere close to crying, but the royal sisters statements still touched her on a personal level. "Thank you. Even now that you've retired, you're still as wise as you've always been."
"It's all a part of growing up, Sunset Shimmer," Celestia wisely commented. "Though you have already displayed a great deal of wisdom since your change of heart."
Then Luna suggested. "Feel free to come back to visit us anytime, even if it's just to chat," Then she got an idea. "Say, do you think it would be alright if we were to show up to your graduation party? You are going to have one, right?"
"Knowing Pinkie Pie, she'll want to throw one for all of us regardless of whether we want to or not," Sunset nodded. "Though you may have to sneak in after dark and in disguise so you don't get mistaken for the other world's Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna."
Celestia just grinned. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure we'll find some way to work it out. Twilight will see to that."
Author's Note
This was partially inspired by a suggestion from Comickook in the story is a semi-sequel to. But I also think it's nice to have Sunset return to Equestria just to learn what has changed.
