"She was right," she wiped the tears away with the back of her hoof. "Of course she was right," she shook her head, an easy to perceive bitterness emanating from her.

"Who was right?" I walked up to the side of my mentor's bed. There was a feeling of reservation in me I couldn't quite shake. I was more than a little afraid as well, but I had to keep going. She was making an attempt to recover. There'd clearly been more tears spilled than she'd ever expected.

"Luna," she laughed bitterly a single time, her eyes rolling in annoyed exasperation. "I really have to stop underestimating my little sister."

"About what?" I asked, beyond curious as to what she could be referring. I climbed halfway onto her bed, my hind legs remaining on the floor. She still had a hoof held over her face, either to hide her expression from me or because she was deep in thought. I waited for her to reply.

...

"Celestia?" I spoke quietly when I couldn't endure the silence any longer.

"Sunset..." she removed her hoof. She looked... detached all of a sudden, almost as if she was now speaking with a complete stranger. The indifference in her was... unsettling. "There's something I have to tell you."

I bristled. The way she said those words combined with the look in her eyes... I wasn't so sure I wanted to hear what she had to say anymore.

Sunset... it's her. You know her.

...

I love her.

"Okay," I replied with as little emotion as she currently appeared to possess. I was too scared to show her how much I cared at the moment, though I'm sure she already knew. I sat down on the floor before her, bracing myself for the coming impact. "What is it?"

...

She continued to stare blankly at me.

...

And then, she finally began to speak.

"When you were born..." Still no emotion. "When you were just a foal." A barely perceptible flinch. A tic in her jaw. "I made the decision to put a mana limiter on you."

...

"You... you knew who I was when I was a foal!?" I was much more surprised finding that out, though I suppose it made some sense. There were very few, if any things, she was unaware of.

"Does that honestly surprise you?" she remained stoic.

"Not... not really, no," I shook my head. She probably knew about every unicorn in Equestria that had been born, especially if she'd been looking for a pupil at the time.

A mana limiter?

I'd never heard of such a thing. Sure, I was aware of mana sealers. Those were typically small rings inscribed with a spell to block all use of a unicorn's magic.

Placed on the horn, obviously.

But that clearly wasn't what had been put on me. I'd felt around my horn countless times and there was never anything there, as far as I could tell.

"Limiter?" my face scrunched up, displaying the internal confusion I was currently experiencing.

"It's a spell placed on unicorns for..." she winced before looking away. "various purposes."

Various purposes?

"From things like raising a unicorn foal whose magic is out of hoof," she answered my thought. "to controlling more... powerful creatures." I flinched at that, but it didn't really make sense.

"Why not just use a sealer?"

"What does that matter, Sunset!? I put one on you!" she shook her head. "You trusted me since the moment we met and before that I-"

"I still trust you, Celestia," I said calmly. My declaration drew her stunned gaze, as if she'd never expected me to say what I had. "Did you think I was lying to you before?" I smiled warmly. "To be perfectly honest, I kind of figured you were the one who'd done it... I just wasn't really sure exactly what the it was that you did."

"You... you knew it was me!?" she was flabbergasted, that much was easy to see.

"No! Of course not!" I waved my hooves in front of myself. "I didn't know for sure. I'd say it was more of a... really strong hunch," I chuckled. "I mean, who else could've done it?" I tapped my chin with a hoof, actually pondering that question for a second. "I guess maybe Luna? But when we were in her realm it definitely didn't seem like she was the one who'd put it there."

"How can you be so lax about this, Sunset?" There was a tinge of frustration in her voice now. It was a tone I didn't hear often, though recently, it was becoming more common. It was one that was reminiscent of our talk in her secret reading room before I'd left for the Empire. It was one I'd encountered after what'd happened in Star's town. "Don't you get it? Don't you understan-" her head fell. "Don't you understand what I did- what I've done to you?"

...

I had to take a moment to compose myself. Seeing her like this again was jarring. I suppose it had to do with our evergrowing relationship, and to perpetuate that, I would go through anything, come Tartarus or high water.

"As far as I can tell..." I sorted out my thoughts before continuing. "You restricted my abilities for some reason when I was younger."

"I purposely weakened you, Sunset," she didn't lift her head, nearly whispering at this point. "I forced you to turn into someone you're not... because I was afraid."

Afraid?

"Afraid of what, Celestia?" I didn't want to ask, but I had to. She clearly needed... something and I wasn't sure what that something was.

She said nothing, getting off of her bed, standing to her hooves, and walking to the center of the room as her horn shined with golden mana. In a moment, the two of us were surrounded by images of various places and events that all appeared to have one thing in common.

"That's... Is that... ME!?"

One image depicted me subjugating a town of ponies, just like Star had. Another showed me colluding with that insect Chrysalis for some reason I didn't know. In yet another I was dressed like a queen, sitting on an elaborate throne. Next to me on his own throne was a dark gray unicorn with a blood red horn and matching eyes. I'd never seen him before in my life. In another, I was walking through a... mirror? or something? I couldn't be sure. There were far too many pictures with different scenes for me to wrap my head around them all.

"One of the greatest failures I have experienced... a failure I have never been able to overcome, is our relationship, Sunset." The screens all blipped out of existence at once, leaving me and my mentor standing face to face in silence.

"Our-"

I was utterly lost, my trembling gaze falling onto the carpet.

What... were those...?

Something deep inside told me that those "pictures" weren't just fantasies or visions.

"Celestia... What did you just show me?" I looked at her desperately only to be met with the same emotionless expression as before.

Surprisingly, she answered me promptly.

"Those were just a few of the choices you have made in the past, Sunset."

"But I-" I nearly collapsed. Her words didn't add up in my mind, but my heart assured me that they were the truth. "When could I have-"

"Further back than you could possibly imagine," she answered. "Further back than anyone in Equestria can remember, save two."

I fell to my rump, doing my best to process the information she presented.

That's... not possible... is it?

...

...

...

It took me several minutes to collect myself. She gave me all the time I needed. I finally managed to arrive at an answer that might be able to explain things.

"You're saying past lives..."

"Correct," she dipped her head once before lifting it back up. "Lives you've already lived and that are long since gone."

"How could-" I felt a tremor run through me. It wasn't fear that had gripped me, it was something else entirely.

Curiosity maybe? Intrigue?

I wasn't sure.

"H-" I felt nauseous as soon as I came to a realization. "Those were... real, Celestia?"

She nodded once again.

...

A second tremor passed through me, ten times as vicious as the first. My vision blurred from the strain it put on my body.

"SUNSET!?"

She was on me in a flash, her spell soothing my body and mind as she held me close. Her direct intervention fought away the dizziness, calming my nerves a great deal and making me feel a whole lot better.

"I'm sorry, Sunset." She was trembling. "I'm so sorry. I just- I couldn't keep the truth from you any longer."

I lingered quietly in her embrace for a bit longer than needed, far too comfortable to ruin the moment for myself.

...

"Why would I do those things, Princess?" I finally asked. "Working with Chrysalis!? Enslaving ponies!? I'd... I'd never do horrible things like those!"

She'd be so disappointed in me if I ever did anything like that.

She turned her head away, tears flowing down her face.

"C-Celestia?" Now, I was afraid. "I'd never do anything like that... right?" She refused to look at me. "R-right!?"

Why!?

I felt tears stinging at the corners of my eyes.

Why would...? Why would I ever...? WHY!?

"No matter what kind of life you've led," she began, still averting her gaze. "You've always ended up becoming one of the most powerful creatures in all of creation, Sunset."

If I thought I was shocked by everything that came before, this tidbit of information sent me completely over the deep end.

That can't be.

That revelation was the first thing she'd ever said to me that I didn't believe. It simply couldn't be true.

"Do you believe I'd lie about something so important?" she asked, having discerned my thoughts.

Would she ever lie to you?

"If I'm being completely transparent, Sunset, you've done things that even I can't replicate," she elaborated, confusing me even further.

How is that possible? I'm just...

I shook my head, doing my best to focus.

"Have you ever lied, Princess?" I asked, genuinely curious. I figured she never had, but hearing confirmation directly from her mouth would change things.

"In all of my existence?" she finally looked at me. No mask, only sincerity. "I have."

I can't say I wasn't more than a little disappointed.

"My sister and I have not always been the infinitely powerful magical creatures you're familiar with, Sunset," she continued, probably because she knew what I was thinking and she'd seen the disappointment on my face. "There have been times that I was forced to do things I am not proud of so that I might protect my sister as well as myself."

The second part I could believe. That was definitely possible.

Maaaaybe.

The first part though? That I could not believe.

"But you and Luna have always been the unchallenged rulers of Equestria." I'd said it, but not with any degree of confidence. She smiled softly in spite of, or maybe due to, my uncertainty.

"Yes, we have," she gently rubbed my shoulder. "But Equestria itself has not always existed, my most faithful student."

...

"Okay, this is getting a little more complicated than I can handle," I confessed, rubbing my aching head with a hoof. It was bad enough I'd apparently been a horrible mare in past lives -- or that I even had previous lives at that -- but now I was learning about the origins of Equestria and my mentor in her younger days? I was not expecting to deal with things like those today as well.

"Forgive me, little one," she chuckled -- though I couldn't tell if it was bitter or gleeful laughter -- before becoming deathly serious once again. "Then I will simply say that what I am telling you is, indeed, the truth."

I looked away from her, focusing on the floor instead. If what she said was really true, -- which, it had to be -- then I had some questions that I needed answered.

...

"If that's the case then why..."

No... I guess that would actually make sense.

I was weak this time, this life, because of the limiter she'd put on me.

Then there must be a really important reason why she did it, right?

...

"Why did you do it?" I was blunt about it. No point in beating around the bush. If she was already revealing things like Equestria's past then she shouldn't have any issues telling me mine. She was quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath to center herself.

"In all the lives we've come into contact with one another, there has always been one consistent event," she made an attempt to smile, but looked downright pitiable.

No...

"No matter the circumstances. No matter what I've done to try to prevent it. In each and every scenario where you and I have become close, you have never failed to betray me, Sunset."

...

...

...

I... betrayed...?

In the past, I'd been ridiculed numerous times. I'd been struck by both hoof and weapon. I'd been placed under excruciatingly painful spells. I'd been betrayed by ponies I thought I could trust. Those experiences all hurt me in different ways. None of that, not a single thing, not every painful experience I'd gone through thus far in my life, could compare to the wretched agony that hearing those words wrought upon my soul.

The devastation was so potent, so debilitating, I nearly vomited on the spot, in spite of her aura soothing me.

"Princess... I..." I had no clue what to say, what to think. There was no reason or excuse I could think of to justify my actions. "I didn't- I don't-"

"Sunset?" she stopped me, laying her head atop mine.

"Y-yes?" It was a battle not to break down and start bawling. I think the only reason I hadn't done so yet was because of her aura.

"In all of history, ALL of history," she emphasized. "Over countless megaannum there is one thing I have never encountered. Do you know what that is?"

A QUIZ!? RIGHT NOW!?

No. It had to be something else. Unfortunately, I had no idea. That was an immeasurable amount of time for someone like me and she was...

...

"Someone as powerful as you are?" I guessed. She giggled as if I'd just told a really good joke.

"Oh Sunset," she kissed the top of my head. "Your faith in me is a blessing I've never deserved."

"Yes, you have," I stated firmly, looking up into her violet eyes. She was surprised, no mask utilized at the moment. "And you do. You deserve loyalty and respect and I..." my head fell. "I failed to give you either. I'm... I'm so sorry, Your Highness."

"Sunset. My beautiful, wondrous, Sunset," she hugged me tightly. "I didn't reveal the truth to you so you'd apologize," she backed up, lifting my head to look her in the eyes. "You've nothing to be sorry for. I told you so that I could seek your forgiveness."

"Then I'd have to tell you the same thing, Celestia..." I placed my hoof on the foreleg she was using to lift my chin, rubbing her gently. "You've got nothing to apologize for either," I smiled in response to her suddenly trembling jaw. "That's why you did it, isn't it? Because you were hoping it would get us here? That's why you took me on as your student?" I threw myself forward, wrapping my forelegs around her. "This is it. This is the only life I haven't betrayed you, isn't it? It's the life I won't betray you. Celestia, I swear to you..."

She was too stunned to reciprocate my affection, but it didn't bother me. This mare. This time. This life. This is where I would show her. This is where the real me existed. The past didn't matter. What mattered was what I chose to do right now, with the life I had been blessed with. I wouldn't squander that opportunity.

"No matter what happens, I will stay by your side."

...

After several moments of silence she wrapped her wings around me, soft plips of moisture falling on my mane.

"I know you will, my most faithful... my most faithful Sunset," she spoke through the tears. "Do you wish to know the answer to my question?" I nodded, not about to let her go any time soon. "The one thing I could never find no matter how hard I searched was another creature that possessed my mana."

"Your mana?" I was a little confused.

"Yes," she confirmed. "The sun magic you've come to utilize isn't a type or element of mana, Sunset. It isn't like fire or ice or light."

"Then... what is it?" I loosened my grip, backing away and looking up at her. I surprised myself, -- letting her go -- but I was just way too curious. She wiped away the tears from her eyes, a smile remaining on her lips.

I'd thought it was a new element she'd mastered at some point in her life. Or maybe a conflux of multiple types of magic. Possibly a mixture of fire and wind, or something along those lines.

"Sun mana... sunlight... is my personal mana, Sunset," she stated as her horn illuminated in said magic. "It is who I am. It is my life, the very essence that makes me me. No other creature, no matter how talented or skilled, can utilize the power of my sun."

But then... how did I-

"Then how can I use it?" I ignited my horn, the spire the exact same hue as my mentor's. She watched my horn, a look of satisfaction mixed with fascination on her that I'd never witnessed before.

"I do not know for sure," she continued to stare. "But if I were to venture a guess, I'd say it has to do with the limiter I placed on you." She lifted a hoof to her chin. "I personally placed the spell on you, Sunset. Using my own mana. I believe in the end, it did more than just restrict your abilities."

"More?" I reached up and touched the base of my horn.

"Perhaps, the mana from the spell I used was gradually accepted by you," she suggested. "By your body, or your mind. And now..." she touched the tip of her horn to mine. Neither aura overpowered the other. In spite of the fact that she was much stronger than me, our sunlight danced together, harmoniously. I could feel the tears coming on as I felt a peace wash over me unlike any I'd experienced before. "We are closer than ever before, my beloved Sunset."

Author's Note

I really like these two together. Hopefully, Sunset abides by her decision.