Twilight stepped through the portal to the other world and quickly felt a chill in the air. Her eyes moved up to the sky and saw the flurries of white falling to the ground in a gentle waltz. She looked down to the school outfit that the portal graciously provided her, and couldn't help but wonder if it would have killed the magical portal between worlds to think of throwing in a scarf. She huddled her arms closely to her and saw as her breath formed warm wisps of vapor in the air.
Without taking a moment to examine the school in front of her, she quickly ran up the front steps and threw open the front door. The warm air was instant refreshment to the princess who could badly use a pair of leggings or stockings or something. Skirts in cold weather? Sheesh.
She took a moment to look around at the empty halls of Canterlot high, and her ears were at attention for any form of sound. She pulled her backpack off her and looked inside.
Luckily, the items from her saddlebag managed to carry over into this world. She smiled at her fortune as she slung the bag over her shoulder.
She walked through the halls, now empty of its usual students. She knew that the other teens were all likely off school for a holiday break, with the exception of one.
"Sunset?" the teen called through the school. "Are you here?"
The doors to the school were open, so Twilight deduced that she must not be alone in the building. The other simple fact was that Sunset didn't have a family here. She was originally an Equestrian. This school is her new home. And that was exactly why she was here.
Then, her ears caught a faint sound in the distance. Her head turned, and she honed in on a sound down the hall toward the music room. Twilight smiled, straightened herself, then jogged down the hall.
When she reached the door, she placed a hand on the knob and paused to look inside. There she saw Sunset, smiling to herself, carefully picking away at the strings and singing gently to herself. Twilight turned the knob slowly and pushed it open to listen without disturbing her.
When she paused, letting the last note ring out, then Twilight stepped forward to speak.
"I'll never understand how humans can get such dexterous fingers."
Sunset leapt to her feet, nearly dropping the instrument in hand.
"Oh god how long were you watching?" she asked in a panic.
"Long enough," Twilight said with a smile. "Happy Hearth's Warming."
Sunset stared for a moment at her purple friend, then her eyes widened.
"It's been a long time since I've heard that," she said with a smile.
"I guessed as much," the princess responded as she took off her backpack. "I thought I'd come by and try to bring you a bit of Equestrian cheer."
Twilight reached into her backpack and pulled out a small, red wrapped box with a golden bow on top.
"Oh, Twilight," Sunset said, her tone softening, setting the guitar down and moving toward her friend. "You shouldn't have done this. I don't have anything to give you."
"That's how surprises work, silly," Twilight said, holding the gift in outstretched hands.
Sunset took the box, and looked down at the box with confusion. She looked up to her friend one more time, as if silently asking permission to open it. The princess of friendship nodded to Sunset and leaned against a near table as she watched the covering of the package fall to the ground. Sunset unfolded the flaps of the box and looked inside.
There at the bottom were 8 cupcakes. Sunset couldn't help but snicker at them.
"Oh great. These are going right to my hips."
"Each of us decided to make one for you. We thought it was the least we could do. Especially with what you've done to protect the portal between our worlds."
"Each of you?" Sunset asked, looking back down into the box.
Sure enough, as she examined the sweets closer, she saw one with purple frosting with the outline of a pink star, as well as a pink one with way too many sprinkles. There was a purple one with gemstones on top, a white one with light blue frosted gems, and another that seemed messily put together with all the colors of the rainbow. Yet, as Sunset examined the cupcakes that each of her friend's Equestrian counterparts made, she couldn't help but pause as she pulled one out of the box. This cupcake made of a light angel food, covered in a white icing, and had a yellow sun drawn on top.
"Was this from-"
"Celestia," Twilight said warmly, pulling a scroll out of her bag. "And she wanted me to give you this."
Sunset froze as she looked at the parchment in front of her, carefully tied with a red ribbon, and sealed with a yellow wax seal of the sun. She set down the cupcake then took the scroll from Twilight. She undid the seal and unraveled it. Sunset raised a hand to her mouth as she read the contents.
"I remember when I got mine," Twilight said with a smile. "It was the happiest moment of my life."
"This is..." Sunset murmured. "A diploma. Made out to me."
Twilight nodded to her friend.
"You're now an official graduate of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. According to the Princess, it was long overdue."
Sunset paused, holding the paper firmly in her hands.
"I don't... I don't deserve this," Sunset said. "I ran away from Equestria. I defied Celestia. I tried to steal your crown."
"And then you changed," Twilight said happily. "And now you understand the final lesson that Celestia was trying to teach you. The power that others can bring out in you. The power of friendship. Now you're a guardian to our world. You protect us. It honestly doesn't seem like enough."
Sunset set down the diploma and closed the distance with her friend. She wrapped her arms around the Princess and pulled her closely.
"Thank you, Twilight. I... I didn't know I wanted this, but I did."
"You're always welcomed and loved in Equestria. Never forget that, Sunset. Happy Hearth's Warming."
Twilight chose to ignore the dampness she felt from Sunset's cheek as her friend broke the hug.
"Happy Hearth's Warming," Sunset said. "Now I feel really bad that I don't have a gift."
"If it's all the same to you," Twilight responded. "I'd love to see what other songs you know on that guitar."
Sunset smiled as she picked up the instrument. And so Sunset sat back down, setting the instrument across her lap, and her fingers began to move over the strings.
"There is this one I've been working on. You might have heard of it. Maybe you can help me with a few of the rough parts."
Twilight felt warmth spread within her. There is a certain pride one feels when being able to give the perfect gift. And she knew that she had done just that.