//------------------------------//
// Two hearts colliding 
// Story: Two worlds colliding 
// by TalkingToMyself 
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Chapter 6: Two hearts colliding

Sunset Shimmer remained standing for only a few seconds before her hooves just caved in under her own weight. She fell back on the floor and found herself panting and feeling dizzy.
"Wha-... What's happening?"
Twilight and Cadance were at her side ride right away as she tried to stand up again, only to find her forehooves trembling and unable to push her off the floor. She slumped back again and tried to catch her breath, she felt like she'd just run a marathon or something.

Twilight's face appeared before her and with some effort, she could focus on her
"Sunset, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
She shook her head and mumbled
"No... don't think so... feel dizzy..."
Twilight gently placed a hoof on her forehead but Cadance just shook her head
"Sunset, I think the exhaustion is catching up on you."
She turned her head towards the pink alicorn as the princess continued
"Strong emotions tend to wear down your body as well. The sadness you've experienced would bring down anypony. Add the fact that you've also channeled the magic of four alicorns and the energy from a different world through yourself, it's understandable you'd be tired."
The princess smiled softly which made Sunset suddenly imagine her as a mother
"Sunset Shimmer, you desperately need some rest. And that's what you're going to get!"
Cadance giggled and conjured a big pillow with her magic, then carefully lifted Sunset up a little to place it under the unicorn. Sunset tried to say something, but then she just sighed and sunk down on the soft pillow. She gave the princess a timid smile and mumbled 'Thank you', but Cadance just nodded
"That's what friends are for."
Sunset took a deep breath and sighed. Friends How long will it take before it hurt hearing that word?

Before she could fall back into depressing thoughts, they heard something in the hallway behind the doors, a large number of hooves passing by and the voices of concerned ponies. The princesses looked at each other and exchanged some nervous glances and stood up. Sunset frowned and buried her face in the pillow.
"You are Princesses! You should be out there fixing problems and taking care of your kingdoms and such. Instead you sit here with me and watch me being a sobbing mess. Congratulations Sunset, you found the one way you could still mess up."
Twilight frowned and shook her head
"Don't say that! We both chose to stay with you like we would with any friend in such a moment! I'm sure Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have everything under control already. I mean, they would have called if they needed help... right?"
That last question was directed to Cadance who nodded but looked just as worried as Twilight now
"Right. And besides, our kingdoms are far away, it's possible nothing even happened there... somepony would have told us if there had been anything wrong, right?"
Now it was Twilights turn to nod without any conviction
"I'm sure the Crystal Empire is safe, it's so far north the earthquakes couldn't have possibly reached that far. And I would have gotten a letter from Spike if anything went wrong in Ponyville.
Unless...," her ears flopped down at the thought, "unless something happened to him...?"
Cadance quickly shook her head
"I'm sure he's fine! He's with your friends after all, you know they can handle almost anything. Just like... Shining Armor and Flurry Heart..."
Both alicorns' heads hung low now and Sunset shook hers angry now
"Go! You have ponies to check on and things to take care of and a city to save!"
They looked at her and Twilight wanted to say something, but Sunset just looked at her with pleading eyes
"Please. I'm perfectly fine and... okay, maybe a little tired, but I can manage by myself. I promise. You don't need to worry about me."
Twilight sighed and Cadance slowly stood up
"Are you sure, Sunset Shimmer?"
She nodded
"I'll just stay here and rest as you said, then I'll see you later. Once you made sure everything's fine."
Twilight still hesitated but Cadance gave her a thankful nod. Twilight then sighed and gave her another hug
"I'll go check things in Ponyville but I promise I'll be back as soon as I can." She turned to Cadance "I'll see if I can organize help from the other cities as well."
The pink alicorn nodded
"I'll send a message to the Crystal Empire and then see what I can do to help here. We'll meet again with the others at sunset lastest."
Twilight nodded and the both shared a quick hug.
"Take care, Cadance."
"You too, Twily."
Twilight smiled and then vanished with a loud pop, leaving behind only a small cloud of purple smoke and the faint scent of ozone as she teleported away.
Cadance smiled to Sunset once more before she went for the door.
"You take care too, Sunset. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call for me."
Sunset just nodded. She heard the excited voices of ponies as the door opened, but she couldn't see anything from where she was sitting. The door closed again, and the room felt silent. Sunset sighed deeply and sunk back into the pillow, only now allowing herself to relax and rest a little as she promised.

Sunset had just closed her eyes when the door opened again. The tan earth pony from before stepped in and asked
"Miss Sunset? Do you need... dear Celestia. This room is so messy."
She blinked and looked around. The remains of Twilight's portal machine were scattered at one side of the room. Most of the floor was covered in furniture that had fallen over and several books from a large bookshelves were spread around the room. The earth pony sighed and actually started picking up a small table and what might have been a vase before, making Sunset blink again
"Um, Miss Dusty? It's okay, really. You don't have to..."
"Nonsense! I can't let any friend of the Princesses stay in such a mess!"
The earth pony cut her off with a giggle and started to pick up things at one side of the room. It was clear that she wouldn't stop until she was satisfied.
Sunset sighed and thought about helping, but she still felt too weak to get up on her hooves again. Still, there might be another way to help her. She closed her eyes and felt inside her like before. The familiar warmth of her magic greeted her instantly again, just waiting at the edge of her awareness to be called and used. This time, she allowed herself a small smile and embraced the unicorn magic inside her again. She opened her eyes and saw a heavy table which lay on its side. She focused and the table was covered in a feint red aura of her magic, then was lifted up and set straight again. Sunset smiled more and lifted up the large bookshelf again, surprised how easy it was even though she hadn't used any magic for years. She looked around the room and the red glow around her horn grew a little brighter as every scattered book was lifted up and floated towards the shelf. She saw the maids appreciative smile and concentrated a little to put each book neatly to its place. 

She had just put in the last one when a voice from behind startled her
"You always had this radiance around when you used your magic. It's good to see some things stay the same despite all the change we go through."
Sunset froze in surprise and a touch of fear as well. She didn't have to turn around to recognize that voice, not did she dare at the moment. She saw the maid stop and bow down before the tall white alicorn who had just entered the room. The voice spoke again with that soft familiar tone
"Thank you, Dusty. You should try and get some rest now. I promise I'll take good care of our guest."
The maid nodded and with a shy smile to Sunset quickly left the room. The unicorn flinched a little when she heard the door close and slowly turned around. The Princess of the Sun was standing in front of her now, looking down at her former pupil. Sunset couldn't read her expression at all. She could not see the anger she expected and feared, but she looked away quickly anyways.
Princess Celestia took a deep breath and when she started talking, Sunset was completely surprised again. There was a softness in the alicorns voice she barely ever heard before.
"Sunset Shimmer... I'm so proud of you. You saved us all today, and you risked everything for the sake of two worlds. I can't even say how happy I am to see you again, even if I wished the circumstances would be less grave."
Sunset wouldn't believe her ears and slowly sat up and looked at the white alicorn. Her voice still refused to work but she let out a loud gasp when she saw tears in Princess Celestia's eyes.
"I know there was a lot of quarrel between us, especially in the weeks before you... left. And I know about the rage and frustration you must have been trough, all alone in a foreign world and nopony who understood you in your own world either. 
I know I don't deserve to say this, but... I hope someday you can forgive me for all the pain and struggle I caused to you."

Sunset shook her head and looked back at the floor, feeling tears building up inside her and feelings she had pushed back for years boiling up.
"You..?"
Celestia closed her eyes as she saw Sunset turn away from her, the alicorns voice nearly breaking as she continued
"I failed you, Sunset. As a teacher and as a friend. I thought my way was the right one, the only one. I was too stubborn to see it was not the right way for you. I should have spent more time with you. I should have listened more to the things you had to say. I should have taken your words more seriously instead of just shoving them away. I thought I was trying to protect you at the time and I learned too late that I was only driving you further away.
I failed you in the most terrible way, Sunset Shimmer. You may never forgive me, but... I'm so sorry Sunset..."
Princess Celestia, the bearer of the sun, ruler of Equestria for a thousand years, bowed her head to the ground, apologizing and crying.
Sunset saw those tears and the dam inside her broke down as her own tears started to flow. Her voice was loud with anger
"Why are you saying this? You're the Princess, you know everything and you wanted to teach me but I didn't listen! I didn't listen and I didn't even try to understand! You showed me those things and I didn't care, I just wanted more and more power. You should be angry! You should hate me for what I did! I went to find a way to overthrow you and I humiliated your student just to hurt you! Why should you ever forgive ME?"
Sunset fell back on her pillow as her rage burnt out, crying openly now and her words interrupted by loud sobs.
"I didn't listen... I couldn't understand what you meant... you tried to show me but I just... and I failed to learn your lessons... I just ran away and... I did all those horrible things... I threw away all you showed me and... I was selfish and arrogant and stupid and wrong... and I just ran away and... and... and..."
Sunset sobbed and cried out the next words
"I'm so sorry Princess! I made so many mistakes and caused so much trouble and you have every right to be furious with me and hate me and...  I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"
Sunset cried and tried to get up and run away, but she gasped when she found herself being pulled into a tight hug. She was confused, she wanted to know why, how, but all she could do was burry her face against the Princess and cry as all the guilt of the past years overwhelmed her. The white alicorn only held her tighter against herself and Sunset felt Celestia's tears on her coat as well.

The princess held the sobbing unicorn in her hooves for a moment before she finally spoke again in that soft voice she used so often when she took the unicorn filly in all those years ago
"I was never angry at you, Sunset. I was angry at myself, for not being the teacher you needed. And I hate myself for running after you before the portal closed, for not trying to be there for you. I was worried about you every day. I wouldn't speak to anypony for almost a month after you left. I felt so guilty for abandoning you. I was worried about the dangers you had to face behind the mirror. I was sad I'd never found the right words for your questions. But in all those days, I never felt hatred for you even once."
Sunset sobbed again and clung on her teacher who wrapped a soft wing around her.
"I'm so sorry Princess! I wish I could just go back and turn everything right again. I'm sorry..."
Celestia sobbed as well but Sunset could hear the warmth filling her voice again
"Nopony can make things undone, as much as we wish sometimes. But you did even better, Sunset. You realized your mistakes and you learned everything by yourself, everything I couldn't teach you, and you've done so many wonderful things since then! In the end, you managed to do so on your own. I'm so proud of you Sunset, my dear student. So very, very proud."
Sunset just pressed into her teacher and felt her tears change, all the guilt and fear she had hidden and carried around for so long, forgotten within Celestia's embrace.

They held each other for a while until their tears finally stopped. Celestia took a step back and looked at Sunset, her eyes shining with care and her smile happy, but her stance still had a trace of the same insecurity Sunset failed to notice before. 
The yellow unicorn smiled back and she nodded. She knew exactly how the princess felt. She felt the same relief, all those words and feelings inside her now finally out, she felt like a ton of bricks being lifted from her soul. And mixed in this was soaring happiness as all her fears had just been blown away and replaced with forgiveness she had never even dared to hope for.
Celestia looked away shyly for a moment before she spoke again
"My dear Sunset, I'm so happy to see you again. I don't think I have the right to call you my student anymore since you surpassed me in many ways already. But I hope you can accept my forgiveness, and my friendship instead."
This time Sunset was the one who went in for a hug and nodded
"You have nothing to be sorry about, Princess. But I forgive you."
Celestia returned the hug and nodded thankfully and Sunset smiled, knowing that her teacher needed to hear those words from her
"I would be honored to be considered your friend. And I'd also still love to learn from you. In the human world, it was my friends who actually taught me the most."
Sunset felt those words sting again inside her heart, but Celestia just held her close
"Then I hope you will teach me as well, Sunset Shimmer, my friend. I wish it would be on a more cheerful occasion, but... welcome home."
Home. Sunset sighed again and sat down beside the alicorn. Home is where the heart is. Princess Twilight had once told her those words during a visit. Sunset had dreamed of coming back to Equestria more than once, but shame and fear had stopped her from ever asking Twilight for taking her back with her. Now that she was here, she couldn't stop thinking about the human world. Can your heart be in two places at once? Celestia saw the expression and gently wrapped a wing around the smaller unicorn again. She didn't say anything but like Twilight and Cadance before, she shared the pain of loss silently with her friend. Sunset was thankful for that and they shared another few minutes in each others presence.

Then Celestia closed her eyes. 
"My sister just raised the moon for the night. We've gathered all the ponies of Canterlot in the castle and the other Princesses and I need to tell them what happened."
She looked back at Sunset who just shook her head
"I don't even know what happened. I saw the energies invading both worlds and I saw the catastrophes they brought. But I don't know why the veil between the worlds broke down so suddenly."
Celestia had listened attentively, then nodded.
"We will find it out together, then. And we will look for a way to get in contact with the other world if possible. But for now, we should tell everypony that we're safe for now at least. And show them the hero who saved them all with her brave actions and extraordinary magic skills."
Sunset looked up at those words, then just shook her head
"I... I'm not a hero, Princess. I can't go out there and have ponies stare at me when I don't know if my friends are well in the other world. And most will still have mixed feelings about me running away and disappointing you so much. More so since I'm most likely the reason all this has happened. I mean..."
She didn't get to finish her sentence because Celestia shook her head and pulled her closer with her wing
"Don't take this burden on yourself, Sunset. You did not disappoint me, ever. And you did not cause what happened to Canterlot today."
She squeezed the unicorn gently and Sunset closed her eyes with a sigh but nodded. She wanted to believe that too, but she couldn't convince herself as easily as the princess.
"However, I understand your wish to not face any crowds today. You've been through a lot in a single day, more than some ponies need to go through in a lifetime. 
I'll go and meet the other Princesses, but I hope I may return later? I would love to hear how you have been during your time behind the mirror."
Sunset blushed and nodded
"Those aren't all happy stories, but I guess I can tell you some of them. I guess I'll just wait here for now then."
The tall alicorn nodded and looked around the room, then smiled.
"I will be back as soon as I'm done talking to everypony."
She smiled and hugged Sunset once more
"I'm so glad to see you again, Sunset. And I'm very proud of the pony you've become. Whatever happens next, I'm sure we can make it through together with our friends."
Sunset looked up at the princess and nodded, then watched her leave before she lay down on the pillow, quickly losing herself in thoughts again.