Near the rear of Canterlot High stood the utilities building. It formed the base of a horseshoe-shape, with the sides formed by the dumpsters and the activity bus. The bus was usually parked in such a way as to obscure the wall-mounted camera, so it was a popular spot for the “bad” kids to sneak a smoke.
Sunset Shimmer didn’t smoke. She had come here to be away from everyone else.
It’s all over. The journal blew up in my face. It means that despite what Twilight said, Celestia really has cut ties with me. The portal won’t open for another 26 moons. By then the Dazzlings will have taken over the school. They’ll make my friends hate me again. I’ll lose everything. I’ll be really alone, again. I can’t take it again! I wish I could do something. I wish someone would have some good news. I wish my life wasn’t such a mess!
She leaned back against the wall of the utility building and slid to the ground, her face buried in her hands, the sound of the HVAC fans obscuring her sobs. The same fan sounds obscured the footsteps approaching her.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
She looked up into one of the last faces she wanted to see: Principal Celestia. Various expressions tried themselves on for fit on her face: anger, fear, sadness. Sunset settled for confusion as she stood up. Did the Dazzlings send her here? She’s under their control now. Maybe they’re going to lock me up somewhere? Tartarus, I’m not going to do anyone any good anyway. I might as well rip the bandaid off right now. Sunset stood up, fists balled, and glared directly at the taller woman. “What do you want?”
Celestia flinched back slightly, then smiled down at her student. “Ah, you must think I’m still mind controlled.”
“What.” Sunset stared into the principal’s eyes. Her mentor had taught her to see the signs of mind control there, and she’d seen them earlier when she asked that the Battle of the Bands be called off. Now there were the same friendly eyes she normally saw. The same eyes as Princess… No! Stop thinking about that! She sniffed a bit, and rubbed at the dampness around her eyes.
“Sunset, I have to tell you something. I’ve been aware of your true nature ever since the Fall Formal.”
Buhwhaa? Sunset’s face had shifted to a mixture of confused and annoyed. “I… I’m surprised you can believe I’m a magical being from another world.”
Celestia smiled, a big honest smile Sunset had seen her mentor use when revealing a grand jest. “Well, it’s hardly fair for me to not believe you, being a magical being from another world myself.”
What. What. What. “What?!?!?!?! You’re from Equestria? Are you some kind of mirror duplicate?”
The principal’s smile softened and she shook her head. “No. Are you familiar with the Teru Tribe?”
Sunset had to stop and think for a moment. History and geography are the only subjects I couldn’t coast on from what I already knew from Equestria. The Teru… “They’re a, uh, minority population that largely keep to themselves and revere nature or something. They have their own country called Justine across the sea. Some people say they have horns and tails.”
Celestia bent her knees and leaned in. “Please, place your hands on the top of my head.”
Sunset hesitantly reached up, and cupped the sides of Celestia’s head with her palms. She felt something poking her on each side, underneath all the hair. “You… really do have horns?”
Celestia reached out to gently brush away Sunset’s forearms, then stood again. “Yes, and also a small tail, although I’m not going to ask you to feel that.”
Sunset snickered. It almost reminded her of happier times, when she sat at the hooves of… No don’t think about that. She hates you now. You’ll just make yourself sad.
“As for the question of how I broke the mind control, it was quite simple: the same reason you and your friends are not under their control yet.”
“Right, magic protecting us. Then why were you mind controlled earlier?”
Celestia smiled sadly. “Because I’m not as strong as you all.” The smile brightened. “Not on my own, at least.” She reached out her left arm above her, holding out her upper arm horizontally. A red blur shot from the top of the activity bus, and landed on the outstretched arm.
“A dragon?” Sunset stared wide-eyed at the odd creature. It was small and slender, but obviously reptilian, and it had wings stretching from its back. Its colors reminded her of… “Philomena?”
Celestia beamed as the little dragon scampered up her arm onto her shoulder. “Yes. Ordinarily I’d ask how you knew, but I already know the answer.” With her other arm, she retrieved an object from the pocket of her jacket.
“My diary.” Sunset looked at it. The pages seemed sooty towards the center, but it looked otherwise intact. Huh, when it went off like that in the middle of writing to Celestia I thought she’d somehow blown it up.
“I’m sorry, I took the liberty of looking through it. When I heard the bang, I thought Snips and Snails were doing another ‘chemistry experiment’ and daring me to expel them. But what I read was very, very interesting."
Sunset shrugged. “It must seem even more unbelievable, that many of the people we know have counterparts on the other side of a magic mirror portal.”
Celestia shook her head. “I have my own theory on why such counterparts might exist, but if there’s a pony princess version of me, I feel safe to say that she still cares for you. You were once a great student, and a great person, and a little humility seems to have returned you to that position. I’m sure if she could see you now she would be happy to know you’ve made friends and were trying to improve yourself in ways you never thought of before. The book is merely malfunctioning.”
“Thank you.” Sunset’s smile was almost too wide for her face. For the first time in what felt like decades, she was smiling from the bottom of her heart. It didn’t last. “But… that’s all for nothing if the Dazzlings control the school.”
“The Dazzlings.” Celestia’s visage darkened. “I’d prefer to call them Sirens. Their voices will lead not merely our school, but possibly the world itself to doom.”
“The… world itself?” Sunset blanched as the cold sting of realization hit her. The Sol Ciel and Sol Cluster alliances have hated each other for centuries. The current peace is unstable and fragile, predicated on the theory that each side loves living more than it hates the other. If their magic creates negative emotions, it could… “Can’t you just call off the Battle of the Bands?”
Celestia looked down. “It’s not that simple. Vice-principal Luna is a Teru like myself, but from a different lineage.”
“Isn’t she your sister? I heard you call each other that a few times.”
The principal laughed sharply. “No, no. She’s my sorority sister. We’re just very close. But let me continue. Her lineage does not bond with familiars, so she does not have enough power to break the enchantment upon her. If I try to oppose them directly, they may harm her.”
“Of course they would.” Sunset glared at the ground. “So what do you expect me to do about it? I can’t use any magic myself, and I’m not sure my friends can do enough without Twilight, who we can’t contact.”
“My… counterpart had apparently spent quite a long time training you in the art of magic. The Teru have little information about their magic, other than a few things that were written long ago and kept secret. So secret, in fact, that we can no longer read them. I think, however, that you may be able to decode them. If there is some way to use what magic exists in this world to stop the Dazzlings, I believe you will find it. This is my fervent wish.”
Sunset smiled. Just like old times. “I’ll do it.”