Sunset Precedes The Dark

Sunset Shimmer walked along the busy streets of Canterlot, her hooves rhythmically clip-clopping along the cobblestone roads that she remembered so clearly from her childhood. It had been so long since she had seen the towering buildings and ponies of the capital of Equestria, and it felt strange to be on four hooves instead of two legs.

All around her were the sights, smells, and sounds of her homeland. The beautifully vibrant colours and stunning architecture was unlike anything she could see in the competitively drab human realm. The wafting scent of freshly baked pastries and robust aroma of vintage liquors mixed together between the restaurants, threatening to overwhelm her senses as she trotted along. The cheerful chatter of ponies living their lives rang all around her, intermingled with the harmonic melodies of music that was playing through a nearby radio.

Everything and everyone was so full of life, brimming with the unique charm and magic that only Equestria could ever truly have. She felt so much more alive in Equestria than she ever did on Earth. Of course she did, it was her birthplace, where she belonged. It was a longing that had been aching in her heart so long and so deeply that she had almost thought it was just a part of her. She didn’t belong amongst humans. She belonged here.

Sunset’s dream was cut short by the blindingly bright light of the morning sun suddenly engulfing her face, jolting her awake with a surprised yelp. With squinted eyes, she could barely see the silhouetted figure of her girlfriend standing beside the window, pulling open the blinds to wake her in the least subtle way possible. Whatever Sunset had been so blissfully dreaming about just now, the memory of it was quickly melting away.

“Good morning, Shim-Shim. Time to get up, sleepy head.” Twilight giggled to herself as she watched Sunset struggle to remember how to exist so early in the day. “It’s eight-thirty, and I already made breakfast.”

Holding up a hand to block out the sun in her eyes, Sunset glared at Twilight through her lingering sleepiness, half-heartedly pouting. “You’re a demon, you know that? I don’t know how or why you wake up so early on weekends.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, amusedly smiling down at Sunset. “Waking up early means you get more done. Come on, you’ll feel better with some coffee in you.” Without giving Sunset a chance to retort again, she moved to the door and out of the room, leaving the still-groggy woman at the mercy of the daylight.

Sighing in defeat, Sunset decided that she might as well get up now that she was at least partially awake. Rubbing the sleep crust from her eyes with one hand, she threw the covers off of herself with the other. Swivelling off the bed, Sunset stood up and staggered, her sense of balance still swimming with her other senses. I hate mornings, she bitterly thought to herself, That’s definitely one thing Twi and I will never agree on.

As she made her way to the door, she stopped to steal a glance of herself from the vanity mirror in their bedroom. Her hair was, as it usually was in the morning, a complete mess. The normally flowing streaks of red and yellow were currently tangled and jutting out in random directions, making it almost look like she had just been struck by lightning. Her violet pajamas were similarly disheveled, and after a few seconds of contemplation, she shrugged and stepped out.

As she crossed the threshold, Sunset caught a whiff of the promised breakfast, or more specifically, the fresh pot of coffee that was made with it. Rubbing her eyes again, she stepped up beside Twilight who was pouring a mug of the heavenly mixture and gave bespectacled beauty a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, babe. Can you pour me one too? I’m definitely going to need it if I’m going to stay any kind of conscious today.”

Twilight snickered, and passed the mug to Sunset as she returned the kiss. “I was actually pouring this one for you, I already have a cup. Pancakes and sausages are on the island when you’re ready to eat.”

Holding the warm mug delicately in her hands, Sunset took a mouthful of the coffee and relished the hot bitter brew for a moment before swallowing. As the warmth spread through her body, she immediately felt more awake and alive, ready to face the day.

“I told you you’d feel better with some coffee,” quipped Twilight as she moved past Sunset, sitting down on a stool at the kitchen island that doubled as their dining table. “How did you sleep, anyway? You looked like you were having a pretty nice dream.”

As Sunset sat down beside her beloved, she searched her memory for traces of the dream that had all but completely faded away. “Yeah… It was nice. I think I was dreaming of Equestria again. I can’t remember exactly what it was about, but I was on four legs at least.”

“Another Equestria dream, huh?” Twilight gave a snort of amusement, shaking her head. “I still sometimes forget that you’re actually a magical pony from another dimension. You make a very convincing human at this point.”

Sunset rolled her eyes as she poured syrup on her steaming stack of flapjacks. “Oh, I guess I missed my true calling as a changeling infiltrator. I’m glad I’ve instilled an illusion of normalcy in our lives.”

As if to challenge Sunset’s jest, Spike padded his way into the kitchen, announcing his presence with a loud greeting. “Morning, ladies! I smell pancakes, and I’m hoping that there’s still some for me.”

The two women exchanged a sideways glance with one another before breaking out into a fit of giggles together. As she recovered from laughing, Sunset sputtered out to Twilight, “I take it back, normalcy is completely beyond us at this point.”

Hopping up onto the stool next to Sunset, Spike just looked between his housemates, frowning in annoyance. “I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m the butt of a joke right now.”

“It’s nothing like that, dude,” answered Sunset, “You just had some pretty good timing just now is all.” Twilight nodded in agreement as she stacked up some pancakes on a plate and pushed them across the counter to Spike. The dog gave the two women suspicious glances before shrugging and digging into the fluffy pile in front of him, deciding that he didn’t care enough to pry further.

Likewise, Sunset started to use her knife and fork to cut up her pancakes and eat them slowly, savouring the sweet flavour of the buttermilk mixing with the syrup. Twilight sat idly by, watching the two enjoy her cooking. The two lovers exchanged the occasional glance, but sat in undisturbed silence for several moments as Sunset ate. That was until she took a moment to sip her coffee again, in which Twilight spoke up again.

“Sunset,” She asked with an even, subdued voice, “Do you want to go back to Equestria?”

The question caught her by surprise, nearly causing her to choke on her coffee. Setting down her mug, Sunset scanned her girlfriend’s face carefully, looking for any signs of concern. Unfortunately, Twilight was very good at hiding her emotions when she wanted to, and her stony expression was giving away nothing.

“Where’s this coming from? What makes you think I want to leave?”

“I never said that, I was just asking if you wanted to go home. You’re the one who said leave.” Somehow, the perfectly calm words cut deeper than if they were anything but.

Sunset was far less skilled in the art of disguising her feelings, and her expression quickly soured at the implication being posed to her. “Are you saying that this isn’t my home? I’ve been living here for nearly a decade, why would I leave now?”

Spike, sensing an incoming argument, swiftly decided that he wanted no part in it. “You know what? I think I’m gonna take this pancake with me to my room. Let me know when you two are done fighting.” Before either of them could stop him, Spike grabbed a pancake in his mouth, hopped down from his seat, and padded away back to his room. The two women could hear the ‘click’ of his door being pushed shut, leaving them alone together.

Sunset looked back at Twilight, frowning. “Great, now Spike thinks we’ve got relationship issues.” Sunset was only being half-serious as she said it, but suddenly regretted her words when she saw that Twilight’s stony facade had cracked to show worry hidden in her eyes.

“Is there an issue, Sunset? Because… I can’t tell. And that scares me.”

Sunset reached out to Twilight to comfort her, and hesitated. She wasn’t even sure if there was something wrong either. She certainly liked living here, and she loved Twilight. If it were that simple though, why would she still be dreaming of Equestria, all these years later?

“I don’t want to see you go,” said Twilight, interrupting Sunset’s thoughts, “But if you really do want to go back home that badly, I could never stop you.” Unflinchingly, Twilight reached out to Sunset’s still outstretched hand and grasped it tenderly in both of her own. “If you’ll be happier in Equestria, then I’m ok with that. I just need to know.”

Sunset’s heart was pounding, and she wasn’t even sure why. She felt it in her throat, and she couldn’t find the words to say. She wanted to reassure Twilight that didn’t want to go back and that she was perfectly happy living here, but even now, those reassurances felt like lies. She couldn’t promise any of it, and that realization felt like a lead ball in her gut. She did know one thing for certain, however, and she swallowed hard before finally responding.

“Twilight. I love you, more than anything in this world, or any other. You are the best thing to ever happen to me, and I wouldn’t ever want to leave you.” No matter what, she would never leave the side of the woman she loved. That much was true.

Twilight’s expression didn’t shift for several seconds, her furrowed brow showing just how deep this worry ran for her. Then she took a deep breath, exhaled and smiled.

“Ok, I’ll trust you. I just wanted to check, that’s all. To be perfectly honest, I’ve always worried about you needing to move back to Equestria for one reason or another.”

Relaxing a little, Sunset allowed herself an amused chuckle. “I can’t imagine any reason why I’d have to move back. It’s not like I have family waiting, and I pretty much cut all ties when I was originally banished in the first place.” She paused, considering the times where she had to return for emergencies over the years, before adding, “I mean, occasional visits are probably going to happen, but not too often.”

Twilight blinked curiously as she tilted her head slightly. “Wait, you don’t have any family in Equestria? What about your parents?”

Sunset just shook her head grimly. “Nope. Both of my parents died when I was younger. We were really poor before I got into the School for Gifted Unicorns, and my mother worked herself to death to help provide for us. My father was crippled in an accident before I was born, and later died of illness right after I got accepted into the school. Haven’t I told you all of this before?”

“No, you never have,” responded Twilight as she gently squeezed Sunset’s hand. “Whenever I asked about your family in the past, you’d deflect the question. I didn’t know you were an… orphan.”

Sunset shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s not a big deal. I was really young, and barely remember them. I remember my dad being really uptight, and I remember my mother even less. I was mostly just glad to have a home with Celestia in Canterlot. Ancient history by now.”

Twilight wore a skeptical frown, clearly unconvinced or satisfied with the answer. Before she could pry any further though, Sunset abruptly changed the subject.

“Hey, that reminds me, Twilight. What did you want to do for our anniversary tomorrow?” Sunset flashed an innocently positive smile, shifting her attitude away from the glum expression she wore only a moment ago.

Deciding to abandon the subject instead of risking any other conflict this morning, Twilight played along for the moment. “I haven’t actually given it any thought. I’ve been so busy at the lab that I completely forgot that our anniversary was coming up.”

“I guessed as much,” said Sunset with a smirk. “So does that mean it’s up to me to save the day with a date plan?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, unable to help herself from smiling at her partner’s enthusiasm. “Sure, of course Sunset. I totally trust you with your track record. Which restaurant are you planning on burning down this time?”

Sunset crossed her arms defensively, wearing an exaggerated pout. “Hey! You don’t get to blame that on me. It’s not my fault that restaurants seem to burn down every time I plan a date night for us. It always turns out for the best anyway, doesn’t it?”

“If by ‘turns out for the best’ you mean ‘we order fast food and then come home to make love until we pass out,’ then yes it always turns out perfectly.” Twilight was laughing now, having seemingly already forgotten about the awkwardness from a moment ago.

Sunset couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her girlfriend laughing, but ultimately couldn’t help but agree with her. They’ve been on lots of dates together over the course of the year, and it always seems to invite disaster when she tries to be fancy or romantic.

“Jokes aside, you might have a point, babe. I tend to have pretty terrible luck when trying to take you out around here. Maybe we could try something different?”

Twilight stifled her giggles long enough to hear Sunset out. “Different? Like what?”

“I don’t know… Maybe we could go on a trip somewhere? Get away from everything for a little while? Maybe we can take a romantic vacation to Europe or something like that.”

Twilight gave a tentative smile, shaking her head. “Sunset, we both know that we’re too busy for that. I work at the university lab, and you’re a manager at that sushi bar now. Even if we had the time, I don’t think we have the money for it.”

“Oh, yeah… I guess you’re right about that too. Damn.” Sunset frowned as she stuck another forkful of pancake in her mouth. By now, they had grown soggy and cold, but she still enjoyed them regardless. It was still Twilight’s cooking.

The two of them sat together, not speaking for the next few minutes as Sunset finished eating, the clicking of her cutlery being interspaced with occasional sips from her still-warm coffee. Finally, as she finished chewing her last bite, Sunset spoke again.

“So I guess tomorrow we’re just going to stay in and watch a movie or something?”

Twilight gave a half-smile and a shrug. “Seems like it. That’s not so bad, right?”

“I guess not,” replied Sunset, with a small frown, “But it still feels like a wasted opportunity. Our first anniversary should be something special. Or at least I thought so.”

Twilight took Sunset’s empty plate and gave her a kiss on the cheek as she got up and placed the dish in the sink. “That’s just reality, unfortunately. We may have magical superpowers, but at the end of the day, we’re just people with jobs and responsibilities. Maybe next year, Shim-Shim.” She gave her girlfriend one last smile before beginning to wash the dishes.

Sunset bit her cheek in annoyance, but chose not to say anything. As much as she hated to admit it, Twilight was right. Between their time and finances, there were really no good options for them right now. Sighing in defeat, she stood up and started for the bathroom to finally take her morning shower.

As she waited for the water to warm up, Sunset looked at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. It wasn’t the first nor last time that she found herself staring into her own eyes, thinking of her past, and of her future. She thought about the lies she’s told over the years, and the regrets she’s worked to bury. She thought about the retribution she’ll inevitably face for her past mistakes. She thought about the happiness she has shared with Twilight, and the joys they have yet to explore together. She thought about the world she had to leave behind, and everything in it, and the dreams she keeps having of the life she could have led there.

Sunset snapped out of her daze long enough to test the water with a hand. Finding the temperature suitable, she stripped out of her clothes and left them on the tiled floor, stepping into the shower to let the steaming hot water wash over her. Breathing slowly, she let the feelings weighing on her shoulders roll off her body, at least for now.

Sunset’s primary concern right now was figuring out what to do for their anniversary. Although she outwardly agreed with Twilight, it doesn’t mean she accepted that reality. She was determined to figure out a way to give them both a magical experience that they would never forget. Something to make up for all of the failed date nights up to this point.

She knew that time and money was an issue. She could probably take a vacation from the sushi bar that she worked at, but Twilight’s lab was less likely to excuse her for an extended period. It was obvious that they didn’t like her taking weekends off in the first place, but she couldn’t blame them either. Twilight was easily the brightest mind there, and losing her for a vacation would be like losing an arm.

Sunset sighed deeply as she began to wash her hair. Am I trying too hard? Maybe Twilight is right. It doesn’t feel right, though. She means the world to me, and there’s just something wrong about not doing anything special for tomorrow.

Despite the flurry of thoughts spinning in her mind, Sunset managed to finish washing herself within a reasonable time frame. Still, she stood in the shower for a minute longer than needed, just taking in the feeling of hot water on her body. She enjoyed feeling warm like this, because it reminded her of nights spent together intertwined with Twilight. Still, she needed to get out eventually, and so she begrudgingly shut off the water and clambered out before Twilight got worried about the holdup.

Going through the motions, Sunset dried off her body, then soaked up as much water as possible from her hair. Then she slowly began to brush and blow dry it until it began to look somewhat normal. When she was finally satisfied, Sunset took another look at herself in the mirror. She wore a tired expression, her corners of her mouth turned down in a sad frown. Taking a deep breath, Sunset puffed out her chest, and put on a brave face, hoping that if she smiled hard enough, she might actually feel like she earned it for once. Were it so easy…

Sunset wrapped herself in her towel and stepped out of the bathroom with her clothes bundled up in her hands, feeling at least cleaner than she did when she entered. So far, her morning was proving emotionally exhausting, and neither coffee nor a hot shower was helping her much. Of course, much of the stress was self-imposed, but she wasn’t quite ready to let go of it yet.

She dumped her dirty laundry in the hamper that she shared with Twilight, and began to look in their closet for something clean to wear. She collected a fresh pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and proper undergarments. As she dressed herself, however, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye that she may have missed had she not already drank her morning coffee. A small glimmer of a reflection from some of the early morning light still coming in through the open window.

Curious, Sunset knelt down and pushed aside a small stack of old clothes to see that resting just behind them was the all-but-forgotten journal that was gifted to her by her old friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle. The light was glinting off the surface of the gemstone embedded in the journal’s cover, which showed both Sunset and Twilight’s cutie marks merged together as one, a symbol of their friendship and entwined destinies.

“Oh, hey. It’s my old journal. Heh.” Sunset picked it up and turned it over in her hands, gently brushing the dust off of its surface. For a moment, she lost herself in the old memories attached to the red book, remembering the adventures of her high school years. Skimming through the pages, she looked over the conversations she had with Princess Twilight, nostalgia warming her. It wasn’t until she reached the end of the conversations that the feelings of warmth began to evaporate.

“Wait, this last message was during the Starswirled Music Festival. When was that again?” Sunset began counting on one hand, trying to remember just exactly when that took place. She paled slightly when she realized that it was the summer between her junior and senior years of high school, just over three years ago.

Sunset’s breath caught in her throat. Has it really been that long? Did I really never speak to her since then? Not once? Did I actually forget the first friend I ever made? She swallowed loudly, her ears burning in shame as she stared at the thing in her hands, the bound journal suddenly feeling much heavier in her grip. She never messaged me either. Did something happen to her? Is she just too busy to bother? Or did… Did she forget me too?

Through the closed bedroom door, Sunset heard Twilight talking with someone in the kitchen, and assumed it was probably Spike. She considered bringing the journal out to show her girlfriend and ask her opinion, but stopped herself. After breakfast, it felt like a bad idea to start another discussion about Equestria and her past. Still, Sunset felt like she couldn’t just ignore this now that she had rediscovered it.

Stepping over to the nightstand on her side of the bed, she retrieved a pen from its drawer. She opened the book back up, and stared for a moment at the blank page, wondering what to write. She felt like if nothing else, she owed the Princess an apology. And so, Sunset began to write slowly and carefully.

“Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I’m sorry for not keeping in touch all this time, life here on Earth has been pretty crazy these last few years. I finished High School, and now I’m a manager at my favourite restaurant. I’ve fallen in love, and moved in with the girl of my dreams.” Probably not a good idea to mention that it’s Twilight, at least not yet. My life is better than I probably ever deserved, and it’s really all thanks to you. If you never showed me the Magic of Friendship, I probably never would have gotten this far. No, I definitely wouldn’t have. I owe my happiness to you, Princess, and I’m so sorry for not keeping in better contact. I hope you can forgive me for falling out of touch for so long, and I hope that we can start speaking more regularly, going forward.”

Looking over her words cautiously, Sunset nodded to herself and closed the journal to send the message. Then she waited. She waited for a minute, then two. When she didn’t receive an answer, she sighed loudly and set the book aside. Although Princess Twilight tended to respond immediately, it was perhaps just a little too hopeful to expect that to be the case now. It would likely be several more hours before the Princess had an opportunity to see, read, and respond to Sunset.

For the time being, she decided to take the book back into the closet, wrap it in a few layers of old clothes, and place it back where she found it. She didn't want Twilight to accidentally discover it if it randomly started buzzing and glowing, but she also wanted it out of her own sight for the time being. She still wasn't sure if she ever wanted a response or not. For years now, Sunset had been content with leaving Equestria behind, and now she officially put one foot back into it again for better or worse.

“Shim-Shim?” Sunset jerked up at the sound of Twilight speaking to her from the door. “I just got a call from the lab. Apparently something came up and they need me there today. I’m going to get going, and I’ll try to be back in a few hours, ok?”

Sunset responded as cheerily as possible: “Alright, babe. Be safe. I’ll see you later.” As soon as Twilight's face disappeared back around the corner, Sunset breathed a sigh of relief that the journal wasn’t discovered.

When Sunset left the bedroom, Twilight was already gone, and Spike was sitting on their couch, watching something on the TV. It looked like one of the cartoons that Fluttershy was fond of, specifically the one with the creepy-looking giant robots. At the moment though, the name of the show was escaping her.

“Hey, Spike. Watching that DVD that Fluttershy lent us? How is it?”

Spike peeled his eyes away from the screen to face her, an unusually thoughtful look on his face. “The show is actually really good, but not at all what I expected from Fluttershy. A lot of extreme violence, heavy topics, and disturbing imagery. I’m definitely going to have to talk to her about it next time I see her though, because to be honest, I don’t understand half of what’s going on. I can’t tell if it’s my short-term memory at fault, or if this show actually makes no sense.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow, now slightly more curious about the show that she previously had next to no interest in. “You don’t say? That is pretty weird for her. Maybe there’s a side to her that I haven’t seen. I might have to check this out now.”

Spike shuffled over on the couch, making room for her. “Did you want to watch some with me? I’m only a few episodes in, and I wouldn’t mind restarting.”

Sunset considered it for a moment, before shaking her head. “Nah, I probably shouldn’t. Gotta go to fencing practice soon. Don’t want to miss my lesson.”

Spike gave her an amused grin. “Did you forget that you woke up early today? Your lesson isn’t for another three hours, Sunset.”

“Oh. Right.” She frowned in annoyance, looking at the clock on the wall in the kitchen. It was only just past nine-thirty, still far too early for her to leave. While she was up, she might as well spend some time with Spike. “Yeah alright, why not? Let’s see what’s so great about this show.” Sunset took a seat next to Spike on the couch, getting cozy as he restarted the DVD from the beginning.

As they sat and watched, they bantered back and forth over the next two hours to each other about the impressive visuals, the baffling storytelling, and the unsettling themes that were depicted. Sunset felt more at ease now than she had all morning, despite the difficult to swallow content of the show in front of her. Waking up early was never easy for her, nor was Twilight’s earlier line of questioning.

Sunset found that it was easiest to live on Earth when she completely shut out Equestria from her mind, and focused on the day-by-day moments of human life. Whether that be stressful days at work or blissful nights with Twilight, it was focusing on the experiences unique to this world that helped her ignore all that she was missing from her birthplace. Although she couldn’t help her subconscious occasionally reminding her of Equestria, she wished that Twilight wouldn’t ask so many questions about it.

“Hey Sunset,” Spike said abruptly, during a particularly quiet moment in the show. “Ever consider taking Twi to Equestria?”

Sunset looked at him sideways, her confusion clear. “What are you talking about? I’ve taken her to Equestria before.”

He gave her a skeptical raise of his eyebrow before pawing the remote to pause the show. “C’mon, don’t play coy. You know what I mean, Sunset. As far as I’m aware, you’ve been to Equestria together once, for like an hour, by accident. I’m talking about an actual trip where you can show her the sights.”

Sunset crossed her arms defensively, glaring at the dog next to her. “Why would I? We’ve got everything we need right here on Earth.”

Spike however, looked completely unimpressed. “Why? I don’t know, maybe to show her some of your homeland’s culture? Let her get to know you better? You’re literally an alien, and Twi is a massive nerd. I don’t think you realize how much fun she had there, and how much she wants to go back.”

It was Sunset’s turn to look skeptical. “What are you talking about? She’s never mentioned wanting to go back before. I feel like if she really cared that much, she would have brought it up at some point in the last few years.”

Spike face-pawlmed and sighed, shaking his head. “You can be real thick sometimes, you know that Sunset?” He looked up at her, narrowing his eyes at her as he continued, “Twilight hasn’t asked because every time she tries to talk to you about Equestria, you shoot her down. She’s been trying to get you to open up, and you’re so wrapped up in yourself to notice. This is probably why it took you two so long to hook up in the first place. You two suck at communicating your feelings.”

Sunset recoiled slightly, taken aback by Spike’s harsh words. She couldn’t help but agree, either; he was completely right. It had never even occurred to her in all this time that Twilight’s interest in Equestria was an attempt to get to know her better. The fact that she confided this in her dog instead of telling Sunset directly was just proof that their communication skills were severely lacking, even after a year of dating.

“Crap… I guess you’re right, Spike. I’m starting to think we need couple’s therapy.”

Spike rolled his eyes with as much sass as he could muster from his tiny body. “No, you need to learn to open up and be honest with each other. Heck, maybe you can bring her to Equestria for your anniversary. That’d be a vacation to remember.”

Sunset raised a finger to retort, but couldn’t think of any counterargument. “That… is actually a good idea, Spike. I didn’t consider that.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious at this point. Need any more relationship advice from a dog today?” Sunset shook her head slowly, prompting Spike to finally smile and paw the remote again. “Good! Then let’s keep watching. You’ll have plenty of time to talk things through with Twilight when she gets home. I want to see how these two use coordinated dance to win this fight.”

“You know what, Spike? You keep watching. I need to check something real quick. Don’t wait up on me.” He just shrugged in response, his eyes glued to the screen.

Sunset got up from the couch, and walked back into the bedroom, curiosity guiding her movements. She found that her decision to check on the journal was immediately rewarded, as when she opened the closet again, she discovered that the book was obviously glowing and vibrating in the back of the shelf that she left it despite her attempts to disguise it.

Pulling it out of its nook and unwrapping it from a few old shirts, she opened it and quickly turned it to the most recent page that contained fresh words, happy to see that although it took a few hours, Princess Twilight did in fact answer her:

“Dear Sunset Shimmer. It’s wonderful to hear from you again after all these years! I don’t blame you for not keeping in touch, in fact I’ve been very busy as well! A lot has happened in Equestria since we last spoke, and I’m glad to hear that you’ve been doing well for yourself on your own. Even better, you’ve found a special someone to live together with! I hope to someday meet them, if you ever decide to visit again. And Sunset… Please try to give yourself more credit. You’re a wonderful pony who deserves all you’ve earned. I only showed you the way, but you’ve worked hard to get where you are today. I hope to hear from you again soon.”

Sunset smiled, looking down at the freshly-inked page for a moment to drink in the words from her long-lost teacher. Feeling better already, Sunset made her way to her nightstand and collected her pen again, quickly jotting down a response:

“I’m happy to hear you say that, Princess. I’m glad you’re doing well, even if you’re busy. It’s also funny that you are interested in meeting my girlfriend, because today I was actually considering just that. What do you say to me and her coming to visit you in Equestria sometime soon?”