//------------------------------//
// As Family 
// Story: Perspective 
// by Orpheon 
//------------------------------//

	Sunset Shimmer stared at the letter on her bed, a strange sort of emptiness in her stomach.  She frowned as the early afternoon light danced across the floor, her curtains brushed aside by a breeze from the open window.  She'd been in her room for at least an hour, probably more; So much for a quick reply, she thought bitterly.  But then, there had never been a reply to make.  The letter wasn't one you wrote a response to.  She picked up the parchment and examined it more closely, wondering distantly if re-reading the words would help ease her at all.

Dear Sunset:

As you've noted, this letter is meant for you, not Twilight.

I've spoken with Luna, and she has informed me that you and I need to have a serious talk.  I too believe such a meeting is overdue; the last time we sat down to speak, it was for catching up and frivolities, but there are matters that need settled between us in light of things learned and things done.

After dusk falls and Luna takes over for the evening, I will send a chariot to Twilight's castle.  I would like you to come to Canterlot so that we can speak face to face and end this foalish game of secrets before it has a chance to truly get started or cause any more hurt feelings.

This invitation is for you alone, but I am not so naive as to think that you wouldn't consider bringing Twilight along.  I must ask that you do not.  This is a matter between the two of us, and I would not have her dragged into whatever grievances we have with one another.

I look forward to speaking with you, Celestia

Sunset sighed aloud.
An invitation, was it?  She knew better than to think she could decline the 'polite request' on the missive before her.  'Come here, and come alone.'
Luna had apparently kept her word, if she was reading the tone of the letter correctly.  Sunset had a feeling that if Celestia had learned her secret she would have dropped everything and come straight to Twilight's home to confront her then and there.  A small measure of relief came to her as she considered the thought.
It was quashed by the knowledge that it was a reckoning delayed, not averted.  She had hours until she was before Celestia herself and would have to come clean, or try in vain to lie through her teeth to a being that had spent at least a millennium playing political games with ponies of all creeds and many creatures besides.  In the human world she'd had her outstanding grades and excellence at intimidation to thank for the trust Principal Celestia had unjustly placed in her; here she had no such buffer.  
A mote of quiet, seething anger prickled in her mind.  Why should she have to explain anything to Princess Celestia in the first place?  She hadn't done anything wrong!  Her only crime was existing...unless one counted her attempted assault of the Princess and sovereign of the realm.  And theft of a major artifact belonging to another sovereign of the realm used in national defense.  And attempted extra-spacial invasion and murder of the latter sovereign.  Sunset paused, a wry smile on her face as she remembered all that she had essentially gotten away with up to this point, at least as far as Equestrian law would figure.  She'd paid for it in other ways...but still.  
She stopped as a chilling thought struck her:  Celestia could potentially invoke those things as justification for making her talk.  She wouldn't do it, of course, but...
Sunset paced to her window, glancing down at the fields beneath.  She took a deep breath of the summer air and exhaled.
Celestia was many things, but cruel wasn't one of them.  To worry about something like that only showed how bent out of shape she was getting over this letter.
To be fair, her future was potentially at stake here, though.
Sunset returned to her bed and climbed up, seizing the parchment in her magic once more.  She could refuse, she supposed.  That probably wouldn't help matters, though.  If anything it would make Celestia even more suspicious and more likely to come and find out for herself, rather than wait for her or send somepony else to violate her privacy.  Luna had been cordial enough, but the fact of it was that she had pried where Sunset had not welcomed her.  The smoldering anger returned as she considered the thought; so much for the trust Celestia had placed in her.
Another thought hit her: she could go through the portal, but that would be probably be taken as an admission of...something.  Whatever Celestia was implying she was up to.  Then there was that actually going through the portal would be a decidedly unpleasant experience.
A gnawing pain in her temple made itself known.  No matter what she did, she was losing.  She talked to Celestia, the cat was out of the proverbial bag, and it all fell apart from there.  She refused, and Celestia came to her to wring the answers out with her 'polite' non-requests and implied actions.  She fled, and Celestia would see herself as vindicated, and they were right back to not speaking to one another.  Sunset grimaced, rubbing her head with a hoof.  She might have issues with Princess Celestia, but she loved her.  She didn't want to fight with her, or not see her again.
The pounding her in her head magnified, prompting a guttural snarl of annoyance and pain.  To her surprise, a voice at her closed door responded.
“Now that's a tone of voice I know well.  Do you mind if I come in?”
Sunset sat up, agape as Cadance leaned in, a wry expression on her face.
“Cadenza--er, Cadance?  Uh, sure.”
The alicorn stepped in, carefully closing the door behind her and smiling at Sunset.  She took a look around, an appraising look on her face.
“Spartan.”
“I'm not much of an interior decorator.”  Sunset replied, her tone guarded.  “What can I do for you?”
“I don't need anything...but I did come to see if you were okay.  Twilight's been worried about you, you know.”  Cadance's tone wasn't...chiding, per se, but it did carry that unmistakable implication that she'd done something wrong.  Sunset bristled visibly, sliding from her bed and taking an aggressive stance.  Unfortunately, Cadance was easily half-again taller than her and was fixing her with a knowing smile that held some experience Sunset did not.
“Easy, Sunset.  We might not be friends, but I would hope we're not enemies after all this time, are we?  At least, not for Twilight's sake?”
Sunset scoffed, the dismissal not quite sincere as she looked away to hide the conflict in her face.  “It's not...it's not all that. I'm not...”
“You're uncertain, is what you are.”
Sunset whirled on her, shock and anger on her face.  “I'm warning you, if you try any mental manipulation--”
Cadance held up a hoof, an apologetic look on her face.  “Sorry, sorry.  I'm not trying to manipulate you.  I'm the Princess of Love, you see...that means that I have a strong sense for powerful emotions.  You're a powerfully emotional pony, Sunset Shimmer.”
Sunset scowled.  “...what do you want, Caden--Cadance?”
“First, thank you for trying with the name, but if it's troublesome then don't bother.”  Cadance stepped back and sat on her haunches, infuriating smile still present.  “Second, as I said, I came to make sure you were okay because I can still feel Twilight fretting about you from here.”
“...You can really feel that?” Sunset asked, curiosity overpowering annoyance.
“Yup.  It's actually really sweet, you know?  She cares a lot.”  Cadance's smile became nostalgic.  “But enough about that.  My third piece of business is to grill you for details, obviously, on your relationship with my little sister.”
“She's not your sister, though.”  Sunset blurted.
“She IS, by marriage if you're looking for official reasons, but far more importantly, by choice.”  Cadance had a fiery look in her eyes.  “Family isn't something you're born into, Sunset Shimmer.  A family is something you choose.  It's an important distinction that ponies forget a lot.  I adore that pony and I've watched her grow from a bright-eyed, nervous, too-clever-by-half little filly to a smart, strong, successful mare who has found wonderful friends and a town she loves.  I don't know if you know what that's like, but I assure you, she's family to me.”
Sunset was taken aback by the vehemence and certainty in the alicorn's voice; it was as though she were stating natural laws, not a personal opinion.  “S-sorry.”
Cadance lost some of her fury as she gave the other mare a gentle smile.  “Don't be.  It's a lesson that many don't take to heart growing up.  Now, that said...spill it.”  Her expression morphed into an inquisitive stare as she peered at Sunset.
“Spill...what?”
“The juicy details, of course!  How'd your date go?  Did you kiss her?”  She paused as Sunset flushed, a grin on her face.  “Oho, you did.  Did you--well, with Spike in the castle, probably not.  Use soundproofing charms, they're easy and require no upkeep--”
“Cadenza!”  Sunset cried, her face a fine crimson.  “We haven't even been on a second date!  It's a bit too early for all that, don't you think?!”
“You think so?”  Cadance stopped, tapping her chin with a hoof.  “Shiny and I...well, that's fine.  In any case, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.”  She bounced her eyebrows a few times.  “Soundproofing.  Remember it.”
“Ugh, Cadenza!  Were you always this...”  Sunset fished for the words, at a loss.
“Forthright?”  Cadance laughed.  “When you're the Princess of Love, you learn pretty quickly that love takes many forms, and that physical love is one of them.  It's a natural thing that appears in a lot of romantic bonds, so there's no reason to be skittish about it.  We're both grown mares, yes?”
“Y-yes...”
“Well, what are you worried about then?”
“It's--UGH.”  Sunset threw up her hooves and covered her face, the burning seemingly rising all the way to her ears.
Cadance giggled and nudged the smaller pony.  “Look at that, you've already picked up her signature groan of frustration!  That's adorable.”
“Cadance, I--look!”  Sunset stamped a hoof, trying to regain her focus (and dignity).  “I'm not really up to talking about this right now--”
“Because of that letter, right?”  Cadance interrupted, her voice suddenly smooth.
“Yes, because--wait a second, that's none of your business anyway!”  Sunset snarled, standing up as her hackles rose.
“Sunset, relax.  I'm not going to ask what the letter's about.”  The alicorn held a hoof up as if to ward off the other pony's ire.  “You're right that it's not my business.  But if it's got you stressed, then it's going to stress Twilight out through you.  Since it came from Auntie, it must be important, right?”
Sunset hesitated, her stance loosening.  “...yeah.  It's...it's a private thing.”
Cadance nodded.  “That's what I figured.  Does Twilight know about it?”
“She knows, yeah.”
“Have you considered talking to her about it?”
“Of course I have!”  Sunset snapped, a scowl on her face.  “If Celestia hadn't told me not to, I--”  She stopped cold, realizing she had just said too much.  Cadance's face had changed to a sort of knowing pity, which only made Sunset angrier.  “...it's none of your business!”
“I know that, Sunset.”  Cadance rose and paced to the window, the breeze carrying with it the smells of the fields in summer.  She turned back to face the smaller pony, her expression grave.  “I might not know the exact issue you have with her, or she with you, but I can make an educated guess.  Even so...that's between you and Auntie.”  She looked out the window again.  “...You're going to see her tonight, aren't you?”
Sunset sighed; she was getting tired of trying to be cagey and she could see she'd already revealed the most pertinent parts of the letter to Cadance anyway.  Me and my damn mouth, she groused internally.
“Yeah...I am.”
“And Auntie asked you not to tell Twilight.”
“Yeah...she did.”  There was a curious sort of weight lifted from Sunset as she confirmed.  Relief, she supposed.  Being on guard was exhausting and while nopony would ever accuse her of being the most outgoing or open mare she had long come to prefer not scrutinizing everything she said for potential weaknesses to be used against her later.  At least, not to ponies (or people) she cared about.  A wry voice in her head wondered if she cared about Cadance.
She grimaced at the thought.  She might not despise Cadance, but there was still definitely a bitter taste in her mouth when she considered the alicorn at her bedroom window.  While it was certainly muted, there was still a very sticky sort of envy in her mind.
Maybe she could ask the mare herself why.
“I wonder why she would ask something like that...?  Perhaps it's something to do with your initial argument all those years ago.”  Cadance smiled.  “Twilight was just a filly then.  Did you ever see her before you left?”
“I didn't.”  Sunset stated, truthfully.  “If I had, I never noticed her.  Had my nose in the air too much to see others, I think.”
“Hah!  Maybe so.  Maybe so...hm.”  Cadance paused, thoughtful.  “...Do you ever get bitter, Sunset Shimmer?”
“Bitter?”  Sunset repeated, taken aback.  “About what?”
“About Twilight.  Let's be honest:  she has everything you ever wanted, back then.  Prestige, magical might, a crown and kingdom of her own, the love of the masses.  Well, the ones that acknowledge her, anyway.”  She snorted, evidently thinking of some ponies that annoyed her.  “Does that bother you?”
“N-no!  I'm not...”  Sunset balked.  That wasn't quite true.  When she thought about it and the snide voice in her head reminded her how much Twilight had earned in her place, where she had earned only a banishment to an alien world and been deprived of her birthright...there was still a hollow tang in her stomach.  She sat down, rubbing her other foreleg with a hoof.  She looked at Cadance, who held a neutral expression.  She didn't seem to be judging.  Just...waiting.
Sunset exhaled and continued, “...sometimes.  It used to happen a lot more.  Even after she stopped me and I understood how I'd hurt others, I...I'd sit up and I'd cry.  I'd hit my bed, the walls.  I'd scream into my pillow because of how mad I was.  Not at her, though?”  She paused, gathering her thoughts.  “I'm not sure if that makes any sense.”
“I get you.  You were saying?”  Cadance invited her to continue.
“I...I don't know.  The irony of it still hurts, some days.  I think, even then, at how happy she is here in Ponyville, and I do feel envy.  She has...all this.  I mean, the palace specifically, I could take or leave,” she noted with a chuckle, “but the rest?  The good friends, the town she calls home..”  Sunset paused again.  “I have those things.  Good friends.  Friends that are irreplaceable.  But they're in a place I can't reach.  A place I can't be.  Not for long.”
Cadance tilted her head in confusion, prompting her to go on.  
“I was supposed to go home three days ago, I think.”  Sunset smiled wryly.  “I've been putting it off.  I know the longer I take to go, the less I'll want to.  Is that wrong?”
“I don't think so, necessarily.  You've found something worth staying for, haven't you?”  Cadance remarked, smile back in full force.
“Yeah, well...to stay here means I would be leaving that place behind.  Leaving those friends behind.  Somehow I know that if I were to ask, Twilight would let me stay here forever, even if we weren't...y'know.”  Sunset motioned sheepishly, a flush on her face.  She continued after the alicorn's knowing giggle.  “And I...”
She hesitated, but continued.  “...But I love my friends.  I don't want to lose them.  They might be growing up and going in their own directions, but if I were to stay here, I might never see them again.  I love my friends, but their world is one without meaning, without destiny.  I'm a pony; I have a purpose and a gift and a nature, and I can't pursue that or be myself if I stay there.  I can't be the pony I'm meant to be if I stay there.  I can't be with Twilight if I stay there.”  She looked to the other pony, mournful.  “It's selfish.  To want to keep my friends, but also my destiny, and Twilight.  I know I can't have it both ways, but...”
Cadance blinked.  “Do you think that's wrong?”
“Um...yeah.  I'm only thinking of myself.”
“Sunset, it's not wrong to want to keep those you love close.  It is selfish, that's true, but selfishness isn't inherently wrong, either.”  Cadance stated.
“Maybe, but...I've kinda passed the point where that was an option, you know?”  Sunset remarked dryly.  “Ugh.  Just thinking about this is making my head hurt.  And this is without considering that stupid letter!”  She massaged a temple, wincing.  “Either way, the choice is probably going to be made for me after tonight.”
“...why do you say that?”
“Just...a hunch.”  Sunset lied, standing.  She brushed past Cadance to the window once more, noting the afternoon sky starting to redden in the distance.  She propped her hooves on the windowsill and put her chin on her legs, at a loss.
“...Cadance, what would you do?”
“Were I in your situation, I mean?”  Cadance asked, nudging the smaller pony aside gently to take a spot in the window with her.  “That's a good question.  Hmm...”
They stood together in silence at the window for a moment.  Sunset heard something creak; she whipped her head about, but saw nothing, so she shrugged and returned to the window view, waiting for Cadance's answer.
“I think...if I were in your position...well, with the incomplete understanding of the situation that I have, I can't make any promises, of course--”
“Get on with it, Cadenza.”
The larger mare giggled and continued, “I'd have to fight.”
“Fight?”  Sunset looked at her incredulously.
“That's right.  Fight to keep all of the things you want.”
“...Even when I might be fighting Celestia?”
“Will you have to?”  Cadance asked, her expression serious.
“I...I don't know.  Maybe?”
“Do you want to?”
“No!  No, no no.”  Sunset moved away from the window and back to her bed.  “I don't.  I really, really don't.  Not just because I know I'll lose, but...”  She looked to Cadance again, stricken.  “I've had enough of fighting her for my lifetime.  I lost everything because I was bound up in fighting her, because I didn't listen to what she was saying.”  She paused again.  “I lost...a pony that might as well have been my mother.  I lost my destiny, I lost any right I had to anything.”
Cadance smiled.  “Then don't fight her.  Talk to her.  That's all you have to do.  Talk to her like she's your mother.”
Sunset stared at the alicorn, at a loss.  “Is it really that simple?”
“Yep.  You might disagree with one another, you might have irreconcilable points with each other, but that doesn't mean you need to fight.  That just means you need to find a middle ground.  You're family, aren't you?”
“...I want to believe we are.”  Sunset responded with a smile.
“That's all there is to it, then.  Don't look at her as opponent.  Look at her as family.”  Cadance wore a wry smile as she continued, “You and Twilight are alike that way, you know.  You both make things more complicated than they need to be.”
“Yeah, ponies keep saying that to me.” Sunset grinned.  “Maybe that's a sign?”
“Maybe so!  Relationships are a mysterious thing, even to me.”  Cadance looked to the door, a sardonic smile on her face.  “You do know eavesdropping is impolite, even for Princesses, don't you?”
Sunset started as Twilight pushed the door open, a guilty expression on her face.  “Twilight?  How long have you been there?”
“W-Well...I would estimate roughly eight minutes, thirty-seven--”
“How much did you hear?” Sunset cut her off, her voice clipped.
“...enough.”  Twilight said, sorrowful.  Sunset was torn between her anger at Twilight's listening and feeling bad for yelling at her, and incredibly, relief that she wouldn't have to explain herself after everything was said and done.  It was time saved, at the minimum.
“Then you know that I'm going to talk to the Princess.  And that she specifically said not to bring you along.”
“I...”  Twilight inhaled and stood straight.  “I'm going.  What affects you will affect me, too.  Especially now.”  She smiled softly.  “We're friends, and we're...we're...”
Cadance narrowed her eyes expectantly, which made Sunset giggle.  “Say it,” the alicorn muttered quietly.
“...we're...lovers.”
“I'm sorry, Twilight.  I didn't quite hear you!”  Sunset teased, raising a hoof to one ear.
“Yes you did!”  Twilight pointed a hoof, accusatory and grumpy.  “In any case, if you're going I want to go, too.”
Sunset faced Twilight, expression grave.  “That means the world to me, Twilight, but once again, she specifically said not to bring you along.  I won't say no, but the Princess might not be happy if you come along anyway.”
“Th-that's fine.  I'll apologize myself.”  Twilight's face looked considerably less certain, but Sunset was pretty sure she deserved credit for trying.
Cadance stared at Twilight with an expression of surprise that turned into a bursting pride.  She moved quicker than Sunset would have ever thought possible and scooped them both up into a colossal hug, pressing the air out of Sunset with alarming ease.
“YOU TWO ARE JUST TOO CUTE, OH GOSH!”  Cadance tittered as she gave the pair another hearty squeeze, chattering as though a dam had been burst in her self control.  “Oh, this is just the way things went between Shiny and I when we were just starting out and his mother was--”
“What about my mom, now?”  Shining Armor appeared at Sunset's bedroom door, with Spike scooting in beneath his feet.
“What the heck?!  A group hug and you didn't invite Spike the Brave and Glorious?”  Spike cackled and hopped atop the pile before Sunset had any time to protest, only for what breath remained in her body to be wrung from her by Shining Armor as he wrapped his legs about the group.
“This is great!”  Shining noted, a silly grin on his face as he noted Sunset barely able to move in the middle.  “Though, uh...why're we group hugging?”





Sunset sighed to herself again as she waited by the front door.
Dusk was upon them; Celestia prided herself on punctuality and that mean her ride would appear soon.  She paced in a circle, trying to calm herself down.  After Shining Armor and Cadance had left, she'd spent the better part of the hour trying to relax.
Twilight approached, looking as nervous as Sunset felt.  She was about to do something she had spent over ten years never dreaming of even considering, and for an orderly, logical pony like Twilight Sparkle, this was a torturous, terrible act.  Seeing her sweating at even the thought was, in a way, a confidence booster for Sunset.  At least she wasn't as wracked with doubt as Twilight was!
…That was an awful thing to think.  She needed to help Twilight.
“Twilight, it'll be okay.”
“H-huh?  I'm fine!  Everything's fine.  This is fine!  Fine fine fine...”  She giggled nervously.  “Just going to directly go against a direct request from the Princess!  No big deal!”
“Twilight.”
“Yes?”
“Do the stress thing.”  Sunset motioned at her, miming the bit with the hoof.
“Oh.  Oh!  Right, right.”  Twilight performed her strange anxiety exercise, inhale, exhale and wave all exactly.  It was a little surreal to Sunset, who found that her performance was almost to the millisecond the same each time she did it.  Twilight Sparkle was nothing if not precise, she supposed.  When the other mare exhaled one final time and looked to Sunset, sheepish, she grinned.
“Better?”
“A little.  It's still a bit...”  Twilight waved a hoof.
“No, I getcha.  It's a first time thing for you.  It'll be fine.  Probably.”
A knock at the door followed her statement, as if on cue.  Sunset gulped and went to answer.  Of course, behind the door was the armored form of one of Celestia's Solar Guardsponies.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
“That's me, yes.”
“You know why I'm here, I take it?”
“I am.”
“Let's get underway, then.  Princess Celestia was very specific about making this a quick run.  Are you prepared?”
“Yeah...also, Twilight Sparkle is coming.”
The guard hesitated as Twilight stepped out behind Sunset, her shaky expression replaced with something more resolute.  “...Orders were only to pick you up, Miss Shimmer.  That said...”  He looked carefully at Sunset, noting the pleading expression she wore.  “...There was no specific notice about not bringing a second.  The chariot has room for two, after all.”
“Thank you!” Twilight exhaled, releasing a breath Sunset hadn't realized she'd been keeping.
“Yeah, well...I can't imagine the Princess would be displeased to see you of all ponies, Miss Sparkle.”  The guard led them down the steps to the chariot, where his partner stood waiting.  He seemed to take news of a second rider in stride and just like that, they were off.
Twilight shivered as they reached cruising altitude and leaned into Sunset.  She could feel the alicorn's nerves through her skin, her heart hammering in her chest.  If Sunset hadn't known better, she would have guessed Twilight was more worried than she was...but then, perhaps that was true.
It wasn't long before Canterlot, and more importantly, the castle parapets loomed ahead.  Sunset wrapped a hoof around Twilight, giving her what she hoped was a bracing squeeze.  As the chariot wheeled in for a landing, Sunset's stomach flipped as she saw Celestia waiting for them on the platform.  And while Sunset didn't have eagle eyes, she definitely could see that the Princess's face was set in determined neutrality.
Oh boy.
A fleeting wish to urge the chariot-stallions onward struck her, but the sheer stupidity of the idea was lost in that horrible, final moment before they disembarked.  With a gulp, Sunset stepped from the vehicle, and immediately she could feel Celestia's eyes boring into her, flicking to Twilight and hardening in a manner only barely perceptive.
“Sunset Shimmer...and Twilight Sparkle.  This is a surprise...but perhaps this is better.  It will save us time.  Come, I have a room prepared for us to talk.”





The room Celestia had chosen was one of her older conference chambers.  It had all the signs of being recently refurnished; there was even a new-couch smell as she beckoned them take seats near a large, circular oak table that dominated the center of the room.
“Leave us, would you kindly?  I would appreciate if we were not interrupted unless it's a dire matter.”  She said to the guards at the entrance, who nodded dutifully and closed the door behind them.  The latch clicked into place ominously as she settled at the table, a tea set already prepared and waiting for them.
“Have a seat, my former students.  Let's talk.”  Despite her airy tone, Twilight could sense a terrible weight on her words.  This was perhaps the most intimidating version of Celestia, to her; the one that was kindly and patient on the surface but was speaking with an iron force in each syllable.  Twilight settled down across from Celestia, willing her wings to stop fidgeting as she watched Sunset take up another seat not far from her.
“What do you want to talk about?” Sunset asked, her intonation carefully neutral.  Twilight understood why she didn't want to spill the beans immediately, but a part of her wished they could just get it over with and just get their punishment.
“Sunset, please.  Let's not play this game.  Luna has told me we have to have a serious talk, and you know precisely to what she refers.  I don't want to have this run-around with you.”  Celestia's tone was pained, her expression mildly annoyed.  “The sooner this is settled, the sooner we're done sitting and being tense with one another.”  Celestia paused.  “...I don't want to be tense with you, Sunset.  You're precious to me.”
Twilight blinked as she listened.  She knew that the Princess definitely had this habit of playing verbal games with others, but this seemed sincere to her.  It must have seemed so to Sunset too, because she sighed and wore a sad face.
“You're precious to me, too...”  Sunset frowned.  “The way you wrote your letter implied you had something you wanted to talk to us about, too.  What was it?”
“Something I wanted to talk to YOU about, Sunset.  Not you and Twilight.”  She glanced apologetically at the latter.  “...am I to understand that your decisions are now uniformly collective ones or did you bring her for support?”
“I came because I wanted to, Princess!”  Twilight spoke up, her voice quavering as Celestia's piercing amethyst stare shifted to her.  She distantly had the impression of being under the gaze of a predator, but pushed it away as she struggled to continue.  “I...I wanted to stand with Sunset, to help her be less nervous, and I...”  She trailed off, shrinking under the alicorn's eyes.
I can't say that.  Princess Celestia has...has given me so much.  I can't just...  She hesitated as she saw Sunset looking at her with concern.  A knot of self-loathing made itself known in her stomach.  Oh, look.  I came to support Sunset and now I'm the one that needs supporting.  Typical Twilight, in over her head.
The thought sparked something in her mind.  It was a small, ornery thing, but it was very much there and it chose this moment to speak up:  If you don't say your piece now you'll never have a chance.  What's the worst she can do?  Strip your princesshood from you?  Fine!  Then you'll be an alicorn with a gaggle of friends who love you and a beautiful mare who loves you more.
“...I...I wanted to be present, if any decisions are made that might affect her future.  Because they...they affect my future too.”  Twilight stood and moved over to Sunset, the other mare's small smile giving her all the bolstering she needed to quash the screeching anxiety in her mind.  She took up a seat next to Sunset, nearly touching the other mare and putting a hoof reassuringly on hers.
Princess Celestia was silent, her eyes widening only slightly as she took this information in.  Twilight could feel her bravado fading, fear racing triumphantly up her spine as she waited for some kind of reaction from the alabaster pony.
She was shocked when Celestia laughed musically and seemed to deflate, all the menace from her form washed away in a wave of mirth.  Twilight and Sunset glanced at one another and smiled in relief.  Well, that was one big piece of news broken.
“Oh!  Oh, my goodness.  Is this the secret Luna intimated?  My, all this for something so...lovely.”  Celestia graced them with a genuine smile as she paced over to the pair, enveloping the pair in a massive, warm hug as she laughed again.  “Oh, girls...I'm so happy for you.  This is...well!”  She paused as she cleared her throat.  “Strictly speaking, I suppose I should find this a bit strange, as I think of you both as daughters I never had, but...oh, well.”  She gave them one more squeeze and released them, settling down comfortably next to them, instead of returning to her previous spot.
“Gracious, all this uncertainty and tension over something beautiful.”  Celestia chuckled again, raising a hoof to her mouth.  “I feel silly now...and I owe you an apology, Sunset.”
Twilight tilted her head as Sunset nodded.  “Apology accepted...just...please don't do that again.  I don't blame Luna for wanting to help you, but it was very...well, you know.  But there is...one more thing.”
Luna?  What had Luna done?
Sunset looked to Twilight, her expression conflicted.  “...think we should just rip this bandage off?”
Twilight blinked and grimaced, a surge of fresh worry rising.  “Yes, probably.  It'll come out sooner or later.”
Princess Celestia blinked.  “...Girls, I hope you're not about to tell me one of you is pregnant.  I do believe I have already spoken to both of you about the importance of--”
“Wh--no!  No no no no--wait, it's possible?”  Twilight barely registered Sunset's question over her own burning face and pounding heart as the logical chain of events that would lead to such a thing worked out in her mind.
“I kid, I kid.  For now, anyway.  The boundaries of magic are being pushed every day, after all.  Who knows?  Perhaps it will be my own former students who figure out the secret!”  Twilight could feel herself getting lightheaded.  She was going to explode, she just knew it.
“Uh, well, we haven't--THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT!” Sunset roared, making Celestia laugh anew.  “Princess, this is serious!”
“Alright, alright.  I'm listening; what's the issue?”
Sunset took a moment to inhale and gather her thoughts.  She hesitated.  Twilight felt a pang of sympathy and pat her on the back reassuringly.  Sunset glanced at her gratefully and sat up straight.
“Princess Celestia.  I'm an...I'm an alicorn.”


The silence that followed was deafening.
“...Sunset Shimmer.”  Celestia stood, the warmth she had displayed now gone at a dizzying pace.  Twilight felt a cold rush of dread fill her; she leaned against Sunset, wings twitching nervously at her sides.  “Is this true?”
“...It's true.”  Sunset sounded resigned; she seemed to sag against Twilight, as though giving up.  Twilight's heart leaped to her throat.  “I don't look it, but...well, evidence points that way.”
“...we will see.”  Celestia closed her eyes for a moment.  Twilight could feel rather than see a magical probe reaching out in two directions simultaneously, a golden light suffusing the room and making her shield her eyes.  For the first time in her life, the light had none of the comforting properties to it she remembered.
Behind her, a sensation of magical folding and a pop heralded the arrival of Princess Luna, who stood warily away from Celestia.  “Sister...”
“Luna.”  Celestia looked to the other diarch, her expression unreadable.  “Sunset Shimmer claims she is an alicorn.  Is this true?”
“...As near as I can tell, yes.”
“I see.  Let's run one final test, then.  It will be the final proof we need.  Twilight, step away from Sunset, would you kindly?”  Celestia's tone was strangely tired, as though she were suddenly exhausted.  Twilight hesitated, clinging to the other mare.  “Twilight, I won't hurt her.  You have my word.”
“Twilight.  It's okay.”  Sunset brushed her forelimb gently.  “It'll be fine.  We'll talk this out.”
Twilight's desire to trust Sunset clashed horribly with her worry for her...but she decided to relent.  It wasn't like Celestia was going to banish her right here.  That would be...completely out of character.  She paced away, keeping an eye on Sunset the whole way.
“Thank you, Twilight.  Now, shield your eyes.”
“I'm sor--”
Twilight felt before she saw the sudden flow of magical power from Princess Celestia's hooves to her horn, a golden light gathering in her horn in one of the single fastest displays of evocation Twilight had ever seen.  A staggering amount of power in a split second concentrated at the tip of the spiraling point...and just as suddenly, it poured out in a searing ray.
Twilight didn't have time to scream, stunned as the blazing light blinded her momentarily and the deafening roar of so much magic being released at once drowned out all other noises.
And just like that, Sunset was gone, a blackened scorch in the ground with a vague outline of her cutie mark on the floor in the midst of carpet burned away and a good table now charred and smoking.