//------------------------------//
// Decision, Discussion 
// Story: Perspective 
// by Orpheon 
//------------------------------//

	Morning found Sunset and Twilight sitting blearily in a smaller dining room with Celestia, a modest breakfast of bran muffins before them.  Sunset yawned, her jaw stretching so far that she felt it pop uncomfortably; she paid it no mind as she gingerly nibbled at the pastry she could only barely see with eyes open just enough to get a vague sense of what was before her.  Twilight sat opposite her, practically slumped on the table.  Sunset stifled a chuckle; it seemed even the prospect of sitting with Princess Celestia wasn't enough to conquer her incompatibility with early starts.
The eldest alicorn for her part seemed to be quite ready to face the day, immaculately clean and regal before she even had anything on her schedule.  Sunset wondered distantly if being the keeper of the sun at all affected Celestia's circadian rhythm; it wasn't inconceivable, after all.  She sat up as the facts she knew started returning to her, the mental exercise helping her wake up faster.  In all the time she'd known the Princess, she'd never seen her ever display anything like Twilight's lethargy, at least not during the morning.  Her mind spun, numbers and calculations coming to her despite her sleepiness as she put a hoof to her chin, considering...and then she noted the mare herself giving her a quietly amused look.
“....what?”  Sunset flushed, the sensation of having been caught dancing badly coming to mind.  Celestia raised an eyebrow, smile still present as she asked,
“Something on your mind, Sunset?”
“I...uh...well...”  Sunset blinked slowly.  A dawning (and awkward) realization hit her:  Celestia was right there.  She could've just asked her.  She winced visibly as she replied, “N-no...nothing.  Just remembered something embarrassing.”
“Oh?  Do tell, I would love to hear more on your time in--”
A high-pitched keening from the other end of the dining hall interrupted her as a fiery blur swooped into the room, making a beeline right for the eldest Princess.  Sunset noticed Celestia roll her eyes, an unusual gesture of open exasperation.
The shape resolved itself into a sleek avian profile, landing on the table before them with a final flap of its wings sending a wave of warm air over the trio.  A pair of narrow, shining eyes peered inquisitively behind a proud hooked beak, a thin crest flaring slightly as the bird took in Sunset.  
Sunset blinked, a disbelieving smile splitting her face as the bird awkwardly trundled over her plate of muffins and warbled at the pony cheerfully.
“Is that Philomena?”
Celestia allowed herself a chuckle as the phoenix gave an impressive hop, landing atop Sunset's heretofore orderly mane and whistling a song with no rhythm as she rubbed her beak all over the pony's head.  Sunset giggled, raising a hoof to gently pet the bird.
“I missed you too, girl!” Philomena squawked as she craned her head down to look Sunset in the eyes, tilting her head and nipping gently at her snout.
Twilight seemed to have roused herself at the sight of the phoenix, rubbing an eye and turning to Celestia.  “I guess it would make sense that Sunset would know Philomena...how long have you owned her, if you don't mind me asking?  Is she older than either of us?”
“Oh, Philomena isn't quite that old.”  Celestia replied airily, crossing her hooves before her with a mysterious smile.  She enjoyed the sudden furrowing of Twilight's brow as the lavender mare began thinking.  “Ask Sunset.”
Sunset started as Twilight turned to her, stopping mid-stroke as she ran a hoof down the bird's back while she crooned contentedly.  “Eh?  Oh!  Ah, yeah.”  She smiled softly, a wistful, nostalgic look on her face.  “When the Princess made me her student, one of the first tasks I was entrusted with was the care of a phoenix egg, to help teach me responsibility.”  She giggled as the phoenix cooed at her, perhaps smugly.  “The egg hatched into Philomena here...Celestia let me keep her, so long as I took care of her.  Let me tell you, the first time she molted was terrifying.”
Sunset paused, looking to Celestia with an unreadable expression.  “You kept her?  All this time?”
The question apparently took the Diarch aback, surprise registering in her slightly widened eyes.
“Of course I did, Sunset.  Why wouldn't I?  It wasn't as though she would be at all to blame for any of our disagreements, and I was sure you hadn't meant to abandon her.  I had hoped that you would return eventually.  And you did!”  Celestia smiled, looking to the bird.  “She's been a dear friend, though she is a bit of a prankster.”
Sunset's face was pensive as she looked down at Philomena, who fixed the pony with an expectant look.
“Thank you, Princess Celestia.”  Sunset felt a knot in her heart, a fresh locus of guilt forming.  It was overridden with a tingling warmth that had only partially to do with the phoenix currently cuddling up against her chest.





The light of day made the conference room seem somehow less intimidating, Sunset found.  The fact that they were coming in with all the cards on the table probably helped, she mused.  It was a weight off her shoulders.  The problem with keeping secrets was that even a single one could stretch out into a long, extended web if the situation turned unfavorable and you weren't consistent with whom you told or didn't tell.
Sunset noted the blackened table and hole burned in the carpet where she'd stood and winced...but in her defense, that had been the Princess, not her.
Twilight took up a seat next to her and inhaled, seemingly gathering her mind.  Sunset smiled wryly as she recognized the nervous energy coursing in her form, all fidgety and looking about for something, anything to distract her.
“Bit for your thoughts?”
“Eh?  O-oh, I'm just...”  Twilight paused, trying to find the right words.  “I'm trying to prepare myself, I guess?  I mean, even though we discussed this, it doesn't change that nothing's really set in stone until everypony is in accord.  I just hope Princess Celestia is agreeable, though I don't see why she wouldn't be.”  She hesitated before speaking again.  “...Sunset, are you sure?”
Sunset grinned, displaying a confidence that she did not at all feel inside.  “I'm...I'm sure.  I've made my decision.”
“If you want to change your mind, I won't judge you or be mad, Sunset.  I want you to be happy.”  Twilight said, her face conflicted.  “I...I know I don't seem like it, but I really will respect your decision, if it's what you really want.”
Sunset's heart swelled, but a tang of guilt seemed to cling to it at the idea of making Twilight sad.  “Trust me, Twilight.  This is...well, I THINK this is the right decision.”
“You THINK?”  Twilight cupped her own face in her hooves, anxiety coming to her face.  “Oh, Sunset!”
“H-hey!  Relax!  I've thought about this really hard, we talked about it!”  Sunset raised a hoof placatingly.  “Please, Twilight.  Just...trust me, okay?”
Twilight's agonized expression didn't really do anything to reinforce her nod.  Sunset swallowed involuntarily;  I shouldn't have said anything, now I'M nervous.
The door opening behind them grabbed their attention.  Princess Luna walked in first, nodding to the pair cordially.  Sunset noted that she seemed more tired than normal; the princess of the night didn't have quite the usual hawk-like alertness she'd come to associate with her.  With a soft sigh, Luna settled down across the table and closed her eyes as though listening for something.
A moment later, Celestia appeared, her expression set in the usual polite interest that she favored when she wanted to keep a straight face (which was all the time, Sunset remembered).  She glanced at her guards, who nodded respectfully and closed the door behind her, presumably taking up positions outside.  The Diarch herself settled down in the same place she had been in the previous night.  Again, Sunset was struck by how different the chamber was during the day when the occupants weren't anxious.  She didn't seem at all fazed by the blackened wood only a few inches to her side, tenting her hooves thoughtfully as she closed one eye.
“Well, here we are again.  I believe that there's much to do, so perhaps we should dispense with pleasantries and get down to the brass tacks, as it were.”  She looked to Sunset as she placed her hooves back on the floor, an expectant look in her eyes.  “Sunset, you have the floor, as its your decision that we're here to...hear.”  Celestia allowed herself a small smile as Luna rolled her eyes.
Sunset nodded, taking a shuddering breath.  Her heart felt queasy, if that was the right word for it.  It was as though her stomach could drop to her hooves at any moment.  She could feel Celestia's eyes boring into her.
No turning back, she thought to herself.  This is the choice you've made.
“I...I want to stay.”
The Diarchs before her sat up, Celestia's polite smile becoming more genuine as she exhaled softly.
Sunset paused a moment, taking a breath, and continued,
“I want to stay in Equestria...but I don't want the portal to be closed.”
Luna's expression became inquisitive as Celestia's eyes narrowed only very slightly.  The bizarre sensation of abandon that came from having already said too much came far too early for this conversation, Sunset mused internally, but here they were anyway.
“The portal should be watched over, that much I can agree with.  But I don't want the friendships I have, the memories we've made together, to be ignored in that figuring.”  She found herself speaking with a conviction she wasn't sure she was showing on her face.  “I do want to stay in Equestria if you'll allow me to, but not at the cost of never seeing my friends again.”
Celestia was silent for a moment, her eyes never leaving Sunset as her words were digested.  Sunset decided to try to preserve what momentum she had, continuing,
“My friends might be a world away, but they're amazing ponies--er, people.  Yeah, we had a rough start,” she allowed, a sardonic smile on her face as Twilight grinned at her, “but we came so far together.  I'll allow going through the motions of school again wasn't very exciting, but it was still a new experience, having po--people who cared and who I cared about.  I'm not going to throw that away.”
Sunset glanced to Twilight and back to Celestia, her jaw set.
“It flies in the face of friendship.  I won't do that, wings or not.  It's not worth it.”
There was a yawning silence.  Luna tented her hooves, a smile behind them as she scrutinized Sunset.  For some reason, this smile made her as nervous as Celestia's naked disapproval, but she wasn't entirely sure why.  The elder alicorn inhaled, her expression pensive as she thought.
“...A fair point, Sunset Shimmer.  It wouldn't be in keeping with friendship.  But how can you be sure the portal will be safe?”
“I can't.”  Sunset responded simply.  Celestia's face turned stony, as though she had expected that answer.  “There's no way of guaranteeing something bad doesn't happen and the portal doesn't end up being found out by someone as inquisitive and less kind than Twilight Sparkle.  The human world's instance of her, I mean.  But it's been there, opening once every thirty moons for as long as the statue has been there, at least.  You've had it for at least since I was a student of yours, and according to Twilight that would have been ten-ish years ago in Equestria.  Did anything bad come out of it since I went through it, or before I went into it?”
“..I would not say so, no.”  Celestia responded.  Sunset furrowed her brow at the noncommittal answer, but nodded and continued.
“Alright then.  So why close it now, when it could be better protected than it ever has been?”
Celestia didn't respond immediately.  Sunset felt a growing nervous gnawing in her stomach as the Princess seemed to stare right through her.
“Ignorance is a protection all its own, Sunset Shimmer.  Sometimes putting something under guard only serves to illustrate that it's worth guarding.”  She spoke with the confidence of long experience as she continued, “After so many have been witness to the portal and the creatures that come from beyond it, after all that has come from it and the crises that rose from it, can you say it will go untroubled?”
“The only person who came inquiring after the Battle of the Bands was Twilight and we definitely weren't at all low-key about that particular fiasco.”  Sunset countered.  “The Friendship Games were a competition between two schools and any damage therein was limited to school grounds.  If we didn't get more scrutiny after the the Sirens came calling then we're probably fine.”
Twilight chose this moment to interject, saying, “It really was pretty...ostentatious during our battle with them.  It's hard to really explain in words.”
Celestia closed her eyes, a hum of thought in her throat.
“...so, you won't stay unless the portal stays open?”
“I didn't say that.”  Sunset answered, a smile on her face.  “I want...I want you to trust me.  If you want to trust me with a crown, I'm asking you to trust me with that door.”
“It would be quite odd for you to trust me, of all ponies, with so much as soon as I had returned with my first act being one of imprisoning you and attempting to cloak Equestria in night eternal,” Luna remarked dryly, “And not extending the same courtesy to your former student.”
Celestia frowned as she looked to her sister.  “Luna, that's a different matter...”
“How so?”  Luna pressed, her eyes hard.  “You place great stock in assessing a matter as is; the only real difference between us is the scale of our offenses.  Truly, one might accuse you of being too quick to overlook my actions, for which I am grateful.”  her gaze softened for a bit, a smile gracing her features, before turning cold again, “But it does not change my actions or exonerate me that you are my sister.”
“Princess Celestia...I know you didn't want me to come with Sunset to this meeting, but I did it anyway.  I think that's...well, it's one of the few times I think I've ever disobeyed a direct request from you.  At least deliberately.”  Twilight chuckled nervously.  “But even I find your reluctance to keep the portal open a bit strange.  You've allowed me to keep it in my home, to experiment with it and examine it.  If you thought it was so dangerous, why did you allow me to do that?”
Celestia turned to Twilight, a note genuine surprise on her face as the smaller mare spoke.  “I...”
“Princess.  Please.”  Sunset pleaded, her heart warming at the support from the other ponies.  She could see Celestia's indecision as she thought; she wasn't used to being argued with, it seemed.  Sunset wryly noted in a corner of her mind that in the ten years since she had gone there might not have been many ponies who openly questioned her to her face.  Anxiety swelled again as Celestia closed her eyes and breathed in, at this point her obvious re-centering gesture.
“...I...I will trust you, Sunset Shimmer.”  Celestia answered.  A wave of relief crashed on Sunset, making her settle on to her cushion and beam at the alicorn.  “It may be that my remark to you last night about being too controlling still stands.”  She noted, amusement in her voice.
Celestia cleared her throat and added,
“I must ask that you at least let us know when you decide to visit the other world.  Please.”
Twilight and Sunset shared a look, a wry smile on the former's face.  Sunset grinned in response.
“Well then!”  Luna said loudly, conspicuously stifling a yawn as she did, “I would hazard a guess that our most pressing issue is then solved.  Perhaps now we can adjourn?”
“Not yet, Sister dearest.”  Celestia responded, her voice saccharine in a way that made Sunset feel a kernel of nervousness in her heart.  “There remains much to decide.”  There was something distressing about hearing the Princess speak in antiquated linguistics, but that could perhaps be attributed to only hearing her speak that way when she was upset.
Luna grimaced.  “But Sister, I truly am tired.  Can we not settle these things closer to nightfall?”  The younger ponies glanced at one another, taken aback by the sheer...petulance of the lunar Diarch's voice.  Sunset wondered if the sheer reverence Equestria had for their rulers wasn't very, very misplaced some days.  She was torn from her wonder when Celestia spoke authoritatively,
“No, Luna.  The sooner these things are arranged, the sooner they will be done.  There's no need to dawdle about when we're all present and awake.  Mostly.” She amended with a small smile to Luna, who was giving her a dark look.  “Now then, about the ceremony itself...”