7. Focus
Knowing that she could sync with another pony’s bubble and escape was a major success for Shooting Star. Looking forward, her next major concern was how to handle the matter of Sunset Shimmer. Everything began and ended with Twilight Sparkle. That could not be disrupted. But could she leave Sunset Shimmer to the same fate she had spared Starlight Glimmer and Trixie? No.
But nor could she teach Sunset the safe form of the teleportation spell. Doing so would risk tipping off Princess Celestia. Either Sunset would discuss what she had learned with her mentor, or at the very least, somepony, possibly even Celestia would take notice of Shooting Star in the company of her personal student. This could well have repercussions if a certain unicorn were to reappear, once again cultivating a close contact with another of Celestia’s personal students.
Here then as a human might say, was the ‘Catch 22’: Shooting Star could not in good conscience, leave Sunset Shimmer to the same fate she was trying to save Twilight Sparkle from. Yet, the very attempt to help Sunset could well undermine all of her plans to save Twilight.
What do I do? What is the moral course? Having come this far, is there even a moral course anymore? In her mind, she weighed an infinite sum of Sunset Shimmers and an equally infinite number of Twilight Sparkles. Choose one side and possibly condemn the others?
As she considered this, she hid and watched as a tiny Sunset Shimmer teleported for the first time.
“You can’t save everyone.” A mature Sunset had warned her. Was Shooting Star now witnessing the truth of that statement come home to roost?
NO! I CAN do this! I can and I will! First thing’s first though. With that, she concentrated and teleported into another lonely bubble.
“Hello,” She said as she stood before the gold and fire-hued filly.
“Who are you?” Young Sunset asked with a touch of suspicion. “Where are we? Princess Celestia isn’t going to be happy if you foalnapped me!”
Star waited for the frightened filly to finish before answering her in the calmest tone she could.
“My name is Shooting Star. I know your name is Sunset Shimmer and I need to get you out of this place. We don’t have much time, so, I need you to do exactly as I say as if Princess Celestia herself were telling you”
Sunset looked around with fear and nodded. “All right.”
“Good. Then you need to wrap your forelegs around me as tight as possible.” She waited patiently as the filly did so.
“Luckily, this is the first time you’ve teleported,” Star remarked.
“How do you know that?” Sunset demanded.
“There’s something wrong with that spell. Believe me. If you had done it before, I would know.”
“Princess Celestia taught me this spell! The Princess doesn’t make mistakes!” Sunset angrily objected.
Star smiled gently. It was a lesson both Celestia and Twilight had taught her: That all ponies were capable of making mistakes. But Sunset was still at an age where her mentor was seen as a perfect and infallible being.
“All ponies can make mistakes,” Star replied. “But in this case, it’s not her mistake. She just didn’t know about it There’s no way she could have known. When we get out of here, I’m going to take you to a safe place and I have a few more things to do but then Princess Celestia will explain everything.”
“Okay.” Sunset agreed in a small voice.
Star smiled reassuringly. As with Trixie, she concentrated and did a time displacement and teleported clear. Appearing in front of Miss Trixie and her younger self, Shooting Star breathed a sigh of relief as Sunset let go.
“Sunset Shimmer? Meet the Great and Powerful Trixie! She is going to teach you a new teleporting spell.”
“Wait! Where are you going?”
“I’m going to try and put things right,” Star replied. I’ve tried doing this my way. But my way isn’t enough I guess it’s time for me to make a leap of faith. She realized. Star was actively trying to mold the clay of history Time had only so much stretch before the fabric unraveled completely That said, Star had to make a decision, and that was to stop trying to manipulate time while pretending she wasn’t. There was no more room for foalish games.
“I need to talk to somepony.” Concentrating on the time spell again, she vanished, reappearing just outside Princess Celestia’s study.Gathering all the courage she could muster, Shooting Star firmly rapped a hoof on the door.
After a moment, the door swung open and the towering form of Princess Celestia stood in the doorway. Odd that Celestia seemed much taller than Star remembered or maybe it was that Shooting Star felt a lot smaller than ever as she looked into the curious and searching eyes of the Sun Princess. The tilt of an eyebrow inquiring for answers.
Shooting Star fought the weakness she felt in her knees. “Princess Celestia” She bowed sharply, hoping her legs did not give out on her. “I really need to speak with you.”