Who was that?

I kept my mouth shut, my mind still reeling from the short encounter with the alien creature.

"I can see from your expressions that you're going to need a little more information on Discord," her mentor covered her mouth to stifle a quiet laugh.

"Maybe more than just a little," Twilight nodded as the two of us trotted up to the princesses. My mentor was lying on her bed, a position she typically took up while in her room. I tended to assume it was because it was one of the only times she actually got to rest. Princess Luna was sitting next to said bed, a grin on her face.

I always wondered if they ever joined each other in bed. Not for romantic reasons or anything dirty like that. Just to... relax. Maybe snuggle? To stare up at the ceiling and talk about their day like any normal sisters would. Then I remembered they were immortal goddesses who'd been alive for thousands of years and the very idea that they'd do something so mundane fell to pieces.

"First things first," Princess Luna was next to Twilight before I could even perceive any movement from her. "I've missed you so, my dearest." The pair embraced one another, bringing a smile to my mentor's face as well as my own.

"Sunset?" Celestia looked at me expectantly as she patted the mattress next to herself. I got onto the bed without hesitating, lying down right next to her. She was like a furnace. The most comfortable furnace that'd ever existed.

"Welcome back, my most faithful student," she said quietly as she nuzzled into me. "It's good to see you home safe and sound."

"It's good to be back," I returned her affectionate gesture. I was glad. I'd thought she might try to keep things professional because Twilight and her sister were present, but she didn't. If anything, we were giving the Princess of the Night and her pupil a run for their money on who could show more affection to one another.

"My dearest?"

"I hate to be a wet blanket," Twilight spoke up, surprising me and drawing attention to herself. She'd backed away from Luna, a sad look on her face and one of concern on the Night Princess. "But we have a lot to talk about. We should probably save the mushy stuff for later."

"I have to agree with Twilight," Celestia wrapped a wing around me, letting me know she had no intention of either of us moving from our spots. I snuggled deeper into her, closing my eyes and getting even more comfortable. "So... why don't you start, Twilight? Wherever you'd like is fine."

My eyes shot open, my body going rigid as I looked to my friend.

"I can-"

"It's okay, Sunset," Twilight smiled weakly at me. "I wouldn't have made the suggestion if I wasn't ready to talk."

"It's okay, Sunset," Celestia kissed me on my head, calming me several notches. "This isn't an interrogation. My sister and I simply want to hear about your exploits in the Empire. Nothing more."

I knew what she said was the truth, but it didn't seem like it was. Way too much had happened in the Crystal Empire for this to just be a casual chat.

She doesn't lie, Sunset.

My mind -- as well as my heart -- insisted that was the truth, but something felt... different. Something felt off. Knowing Celestia as well as I did, I figured she already knew most of the details of our trip. If anything she probably just wanted to hear our perspectives on the events.

But...

"It doesn't really matter if it is an interrogation," Twilight drew our attention back to herself, a look of fierce determination on her face. "That's what would happen to a criminal if they stood before you. Right, Your Highness? They'd be interrogated?"

"My... my dearest?" Luna reached out to her pupil but stayed anchored to the spot several feet behind her.

"That is indeed what would happen were a criminal standing before me, Twilight," Celestia stared at the violet mare, her expression neither soft nor hard. "Why do you ask such a question?"

...

"I conspired with an enemy of Equestria," my friend stated, her visage expressing the same sense of morose as her voice. Celestia didn't react to Twilight's confession. Luna covered her mouth with her hooves, an audible gasp escaping her muzzle. The look of shock and horror on the alicorn's face was something I didn't ever think I'd see on the Night Princess. "I am guilty of treason, Your Highness," the unicorn lowered her head submissively.

TWILIGHT WHY!?

My mind wasn't processing well enough to fully comprehend what she'd said. It was trying it's best to find a reason as to why she'd say such a thing. There was only one logical conclusion.

Is this your way of trying to pay for your mistake?

If she was punished for her betrayal then maybe she thought she could find redemption.

But that's so...

"Stupid," I spoke out loud. Twilight looked up at me, as did her mentor. "THAT'S STUPID, TWILIGHT!"

In spite of my proximity to my mentor, -- the most soothing creature I'd ever been around -- I felt an unbridled rage rise up inside of me.

"Maybe it is," Twilight's expression hadn't changed one iota. The look in her eyes said only one thing to me: Please. Let me do this. "But it's the truth. Let me pay for what I did, Sunset." Her look amplified. Please?

My heart ached as I lowered my head, unable to look at her any longer.

"Treason is a very serious crime, Twilight," my mentor spoke evenly, a hint of flint now in her voice. "What is it that you did exactly?"

Twilight lowered her head once again.

"I willingly assisted Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings, in her attempt to overthrow Queen Cantata, Princess Cadenza, and the Crystal Empire, Your Highness."

WILLINGLY!? I bristled, but somehow managed to remain silent. My mentor immediately rubbed my back with her wing, calming me more than I thought possible at the moment.

"T-Tia!?" Princess Luna was on the verge of tears.

"So those abhorrent creatures have finally made their move..." Celestia lifted a hoof to her chin in contemplation.

"You would never do such a thing, my dearest!" Luna was finally able to find it in herself to move, now right next to Twilight once again. Unfortunately, her spirits hadn't improved one bit. "Surely this is all just a misunderstanding! Changelings are notorious for their deceit!" she looked my way, begging me as well. "That is the case, is it not, Sunset!? Please! Tell us the truth!"

It was a terrible position to be in. Twilight didn't want me to interfere and I was the only hope Princess Luna had. And she was right, of course. Twilight really had been tricked, and the alicorn had deduced the truth. Thankfully, Twilight removed me from such an unenviable position.

"That is the truth, Your Highness," she covered her face with a hoof as her tears began to come. "Chrysalis posed as my brother." Both Celestia and Luna visibly angered at that revelation. "I believed her..." she was fighting not to begin sobbing outright. "I attacked Starlight and... I was going to fight Sunset." Both princesses looked at me in disbelief. "I... I even forgot..." She couldn't hold it in any longer. Luna wrapped her forelegs around her pupil, holding her up and preventing her from collapsing.

"My dearest..." Luna joined her student in her grief, tears falling from her own eyes. I would have done the same if I was closer to them, though I did begin to cry where I was.

Celestia...

My mentor. She watched her younger sister and her protégé with a look of disappointment on her face.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

"She tried to protect me from Chrysalis and..." Twilight looked directly into Celestia's eyes. Luna was standing as close to her pupil as she could get. I was still comfortably nestled under my mentor's wing, doing my best to keep my mouth shut and let Twilight handle things. "And I... When she wasn't looking at me, I blindsided her."

I winced. Princess Luna somehow drew closer to her student. Princess Celestia continued to stare. Twilight had explained everything from the very beginning.

Arriving at the Empire. Meeting with Sunburst. Seeing her brother for the first time in years. Getting instructions from the queen and Cadenza. Helping her brother train their soldiers. Fighting with Star over him. Trusting him. And then...

Why won't she mention that snake!?

I couldn't understand it. This was all her fault, wasn't it? I knew she blamed herself, but anypony with half a brain could see she'd been used.

"I believe I understand what's going on," Celestia sighed, rubbing a hoof against her face before sweeping it through her mane.

"S-Sister?"

I think Luna was more afraid for Twilight than the unicorn was for her own safety. More likely, Twilight wanted it. She wanted to be disciplined.

She must think-

"I'm sorry, Twilight," my mentor interrupted my thoughts. Her apology thoroughly confused the three of us, though none moreso than Twilight.

"Wh... WHY!?" she practically demanded, her previous bewilderment almost instantly shifting to outrage.

"My dearest, please calm y-"

"WHY WOULD YOU APOLOGIZE TO ME!?" Twilight was so angry she hadn't even heard her mentor. "I'M THE ONE WHO-"

"Twilight." Celestia's voice hadn't been loud or commanding. She didn't even raise it. It was calm yet firm. Twilight waited. We all did. "There is nothing I can do to punish you that will change how Starlight feels."

Twilight's narrowed eyes widened, a look of terror coming to her face.

"B-But... but..." She fell to her haunches, her head falling as she stared at the carpeted floor.

Twilight...

"Do you honestly believe a mare like Starlight Glimmer will forgive you for betraying her even if I were to have you flogged?" my mentor continued. "Do you think she's the type of pony who'd let such a thing go so easily?"

"I..."

She had no response.

Princess Luna was back to her distressed state, unsure of whether she should try to do something or hold her peace.

"I assure you, Twilight, she is not." She was unrelenting. "Your attempt at restitution is a clever thought, -- at least, in theory it is -- but it is also something only a truly pitiful creature would attempt."

Twilight's head lowered even further.

"Tia... please."

"You know in your heart what the correct path to take is, but you are too much a coward to venture it." Not even her younger sister could stop her. I nuzzled my mentor, begging silently with my gesture. She sighed, my plea apparently having a slight effect. "So I am sorry, but I will not have you punished when it will change nothing."

...

...

...

"Very well, Your Highness." Twilight stood to her full height, bowing her entire body to the diarch. "Please forgive my impudence."

I nuzzled harder.

"Please, Celestia," I whispered to her.

...

"Speak with her, Twilight." Her words caused a raising of the unicorn's head. "If she is truly important to you... if you wish to know if you ever meant anything to her... speak with her. I'm certain that is the correct choice."

I smiled, knowing that was exactly what she needed to do as well. The violet mare was quiet for several seconds, not reacting at first. She took a deep breath before raising herself up again and speaking.

"You're right, Your Highness. I..." she smiled, bowing her head respectfully. "I'll speak with her. Thank you."

++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I felt something... break," I said, lifting a hoof to my horn. "Like... glass? I'm sorry. I'm not really sure."

My mentor, Princess Luna, and Twilight stared at me as I continued my story. They'd waited with bated breath as I explained what had happened in my confrontation with Chrysalis. I hadn't received any questions, though it was obvious at several points that Twilight was practically itching to ask several.

"Glass?" Luna asked, though it probably wasn't exactly a question and more an observation. She looked at her sister who kept a mask of quiet serenity on.

"Maybe it's better to describe breaking glass as the sound I heard when it happened," I sighed. "I think it might've been because of you, Your Highness," I smiled at the Princess of the Moon.

"M-ME!?" She was clearly caught off guard by that.

"Uh-huh!" I nodded once. "I remembered what you had said back in your realm when it happened." The dark Alicorn tilted her head slightly. Twilight looked at her mentor, a look of confusion coming to the unicorn's face.

"What Luna said?" Celestia raised a curious eyebrow as she stared at her little sister.

"She told me not to hold back, so I didn't," I chuckled, bringing a smile to the Night Princess' lips.

"I'm glad I could be of assistance, Sunset," she said with a hint of pride. Strangely enough, Celestia didn't seem all too pleased by my explanation, though it could've just been the mask she was currently wearing. "And then what happened? Surely you gave her what for."

"After that, Chrysalis was a pushover," I smirked, feeling just a little bit cocky as I reflected on my exploits.

"Truly!?" Luna asked, clearly surprised by my claim. "That insect is quite powerful for a mortal. You bested her so easily?"

"I sure di-"

"Luna?" Celestia cut me off, drawing her sister's attention as well as mine and Twilight's.

"Yes, Tia?" the Moon Princess asked.

"Do you mind giving me and Sunset a little... privacy?" The mask Celestia was wearing was way too complex for me to discern her feelings. That fact made me slightly uncomfortable. I wasn't sure if she was being so reticent because of the others, or if she was hiding herself from me. "There's something I wish to discuss with my pupil... alone."

Alone?

I wasn't expecting that. If this really was just a "friendly chat", why had it taken such a weird turn. And why had that sounded so... ominous?

"Just for a few minutes?" Celestia smiled, though I could tell it was an artificial one.

"Of course, Sister," Luna didn't hesitate to answer nor did she question Celestia. The dark alicorn stood to her hooves. "Come, my dearest. To my quarters."

"O-of course, Your Highness!" Twilight stood as well, standing next to her mentor, though it was easy to see she was just as confused as I was.

"I'll call you back as soon as we're finished," Celestia assured the pair. In a flash of Luna's dark blue mana they were gone and Celestia and I were alone, just as she'd wished. I can't say why for sure, but for the first time since I could remember, I felt uncomfortable around her.

"What's going on, Cel-"

"Show me, Sunset." She didn't look down at me, she only lifted her hoof and pointed at the floor in front of us as she removed her wing from around me. When I tried to catch her gaze -- to look into her eyes -- she turned her head away to avoid me.

Celestia?

My heart raced. I had no idea what she was thinking or feeling and her evasiveness terrified me.

"Pr-Princess?" I scooted off the bed, looking at her all the way before moving to stand in front of her.

"Sunset." Still, she refused to lock eyes with mine. "Show me how strong you've become."

"O-okay," I tried to calm myself, but failed. I took a deep breath in to soothe my nerves, but the exhalation was just as shaky as my body. "Can I... just ask one thing, Princess?"

She continued to look in my direction but not at me.

...

She remained silent for a minute before finally replying.

"Do you trust me, Sunset?" she asked calmly.

"Always, Princess." It was an easy question for me to answer.

"Would you still trust me even if I did something terrible to you?" she finally looked into my eyes. I wished she hadn't. There was no sadness or remorse in her and it wasn't because she was utilizing a mask. It was simply a pure and honest question. The most terrifying I'd ever been asked by her.

Something...

It didn't make any sense to me whatsoever.

She would never do something terrible to me.

I knew that for a fact.

The only way that would make any sense would be if...

"If you did something to me that I initially perceived as terrible... I'd inevitably come to the conclusion that I am the one who is incorrect," I stated simply.

She tried to hide her reaction from me, but I saw the slight tremble of her jaw.

"...Is your faith in me so impervious to doubt?"

Another genuine question. I smiled.

"It is," I nodded confidently. "And it always will be."

She covered her mouth with a hoof and turned away, unable to hide her reaction this time.

...

"Celestia?" I took a step toward her.

"You were going to ask me why I wished to see your new power, were you not, Sunset?" She turned back to face me, a mask of calm serenity now firmly in place on her face.

"I... was," I confirmed.

"I need to see it for myself, so I can find out if I did do something terrible, Sunset," she stated. "So please... show me."

I'd been afraid to show her before. I'd stolen it from her, after all. It wasn't mine. It was her power. I was simply using it. Borrowing it.

But now...

Now, I wanted her to see. I wanted her to see just how much I needed her. I wanted her to understand just how much I loved her. Without saying another word, I summoned the mana, my horn surging in a blindingly powerful display of her sunlight.

I didn't have to show her everything, just enough to let her know that she was my beloved mentor and that would never change. As I elevated the levels of my mana I kept my eyes locked on hers. In spite of the blinding light my horn was giving off she didn't look away. She didn't even squint. She endured the luminescence. And then, ever so slowly, she smiled as tears began to fall from her eyes.

Author's Note

Twilight still feeling guilty. What's up with Tia though?