Chapter 9: A new day
Sunset stirred but kept her eyes closed. Something was missing. She wanted to stay in the soft pillow, but she started feeling cold. She peeked open a single eyes and noticed. The room was empty, and the voices were gone. She blinked a few times and sat up, then noticed the empty pillow-bed beside her. Princess Celestia was gone and with her, the warmth she had felt all night long went missing too. She sighed and stood on her hooves, relieved to feel her strength back in them. She felt inside her and smiled when the magic greeted her with a warm glow around her horn. It was still there, like a final reminder that it hadn't just been a dream altogether. Or a nightmare.
She jumped startled when she saw a motion to her left. From a pile of blankets, she saw a blue wing poke out and finally she could make out the form of Princess Luna. The alicorn turned around to avoid the rays of sun poking into her eyes through the open door.. Sunset smiled. Seems like I'm not the only one who sleeps in longer. The sun is already rising and...
Sunset opened her eyes wide in realization and rushed out of the door and towards the closest window. With a push of her red magic aura, the window opened and she poked her head into the cold morning air. She could see the gardens under her, but her attention was glued to the horizon. The sun was slowly climbing up, still mostly covered and barely more than a red glow. Sunset smiled when she noticed the sky above her taking different shades of color, from a dark blue where the night was still present over shades of greenish yellow to an bright orange halo surrounding the rising sphere of light. As it rose up, the colors changed again and the rays of the morning sun seemed to bath everything the touched in liquid gold. Sunset could see the trees and hills in the distance sparkle in the increasing light. The sun moved slowly and Sunset almost felt it was only to increase the beauty of the new day unfolding before her eyes. The golden glory shining around her and warmth covering her face, a warmth she also felt resonate deep inside her. She felt a tear in her eyes but was unwilling to blink it away and loose sight of the beautiful light.
Finally, the sun left the horizon and rose higher up, the gold turning into the usual yellow brightness that brought all colors to the world around her.
Sunset sighed deeply and smiled
"I can't believe I almost missed my first sunrise back in Equestria..."
She startled when she heard a voice next to her
"And what a glorious sunrise it is, truly. My sister must be in very good spirits to create such a display to witness."
Sunset turned away from the sun to look at Princess Luna. The mare had managed to step next to her without being noticed, since all her attention had been on Celestia's sun.
She spoke again, this time looking at Sunset
"Should you ever doubt my sister forgiving you... should you ever feel like you're not welcome in her presence... just remember this moment, Sunset Shimmer. Your return gives her hope and happiness strong enough to inspire such beauty."
Sunset found herself lost of words and just turned to watch the sun again, as did the Princess. Sunrises took a lot longer in the human world where the celestial bodies moved by their own pace, so the sun was already high up after only a few minutes.
She smiled and sighed
"I used to watch them every morning in the human world. At first, the only reminded me of my anger on Princess Celestia and each time I watched I felt more eager to get my revenge.
After meeting Princess Twilight, I didn't watch them for a long time. I just couldn't without feeling guilty. In the end, when I got closer to my friends, I started watching them again though. I still felt guilty, but also homesick. And somtimes sad. But most of the time... I was happy."
The dark alicorn nodded
"As the sun gives light to a new day, each new day gives us new chances. New challenges to face, new ways to learn. And new friends to be made. In the silence of night, we tend to reflect and contemplate. But in the light of a new day, we always find hope."
Sunset nodded and thought about these words. New chances, new friends. She'd have a lot of both during the time after the Fall Formal, more than she had in her entire time in Equestria before. After learning the error of her ways, she had to think a lot and shun the sunrise, staying up late and wondering if she'd ever be able to face the world again. Her friends had pulled her back into the light and into hope. As did her new friends here.
She smiled and looked at the sun for a moment longer, before she nodded. She would not loose hope again and she would take any chance to make the most of this new day.
When she turned from the window, she found Princess Luna watching her curiously. When she saw the determination in Sunset's eyes, she gave the unicorn an approving smile and motioned for her to follow. The trotted after the newest of her friends and blinked surprised as the dark blue mare vanished into a wall. She looked closer and noticed a well hidden passage she probably never would have found on her own. Or maybe the passageway wasn't there unless the Princess wanted it to be there? Without hesitation, she followed the Princess and after climbing up a narrow stairway, she found herself in Luna's personal chambers. It was easy to figure out with the prominent crest of the Moon on the doors and the tapestries. The room was held mostly in shades of blue and silver but Sunset almost instantly felt very comfy in here. She had been in Princess Celestia's private chambers a few times, back when she was chosen as her personal student, but when the gold regalia and bright white walls had been impressive, the more gentle colors of this room gave her a very safe feeling right away. She smiled again when she realized the room reminded her a lot of the dream Princess Luna shared with her earlier.
She stepped onto the soft carpets that dimmed all the sounds of her hooves, still taking in the atmosphere when she noticed a glow to her right. Another door was surrounded by a dark blue glow of magic and opened, revealing a spacious bathroom.
The Princess smiled
"Everypony is awake and gathering at the throne room once again, and we should get some breakfast soon as well. But before that, I figured you would like to freshen up a bit?"
Sunset blushed deep red and turned to the alicorn although her eyes were down at her hooves
"Princess Luna... first I keep you busy all night, then I wake you up so early. And now you're even offering your private bathroom to me? This is far more than I deserve..."
The Princess only laughed with mirth and smiled kindly
"I was happy you woke me and I could see Tia's wonderful sunrise. And I already shared a place far more personal with you, Sunset Shimmer. Your presence is not a bother to me, far the opposite is true. So please, feel free to use my rooms as much as you like. There's another day of challenges waiting for both of us."
With that, she motioned towards the bathroom with her wings and then stepped out to the balcony of her rooms. Sunset smiled and nodded as she went to enjoy a quick but refreshing shower. Princess Luna had been very open in her dreams, but now in the day the distance she felt when they first met had returned. As the warm water ran down her body she sighed softly. To some it might come off as cold or uncaring, but after spending most of the night in Luna's dream, she could feel the heartfelt support and compassion behind this distance. It was just her way to deal with the responsibility of being a Princess and the expectations of perfection that came along with this. Sunset remembered Twilight talking to her about the pressure of being a Princess and how it was hard for her to deal with it. Add that to the guilt Luna confessed to her in the dream realm, Sunset found it easy to accept this distance and see the pony behind it shining trough.
After the shower, Sunset's magic took hold of a towel and a brush and she worked through her coat and mane. She looked at one of the large mirrors and blinked surprised. She hadn't had any chance to see her born form fully yet and she ended up staring at herself. Her yellow and red mane was still a bit fizzy from the shower but her coated shined like it always had after brushing. She turned and saw her cutie mark on her flank and couldn't help but smile at the familiar design. She had put it on her jacket and some of her things, but seeing it there on her body just felt right. She flicked her tail which matched her mane and the colors of the burning sun mark on her coat. She reached out for her magic and quickly her mane dried as well with a simple heat spell. Pyromancy always had been her specialty and it still came easy to her. She saw her horn glow in the red magic aura.
So much was as she remembered, but she still couldn't recognize the pony in that mirror. She looked at her face and noticed her eyes. I've never had eyes like that before I went into the other world. They look so different. Nicer? Kinder? I can't even tell.
A soft knock on the door made her snap out from staring at her own reflection and she quickly returned to the main room. Princess Luna was waiting for her, with a silver tiara on her head and silver shoes on her hooves. She nodded and without a word opened the door to the hallways with her magic. She stepped down towards the main castle slowly, expecting Sunset to follow. The smaller unicorn quickly trotted up next to her and the doors closed behind her with another dark blue glow.
They walked silently, only the Princess' hooves clicking on the floor with each step. Luna seemed lost in her own thoughts so Sunset took the change to glance around. She noticed open doors and improvised beds in nearly every room, but she saw no pony as they walked.
They finally reached the end of the hallway and stood in front of a large door. Sunset could hear the voices of many ponies behind it and suddenly felt very nervous. She didn't really feel ready to face anypony yet. What would she tell them? What would they think of her? Would they remember her from the times before she ran away? Could they understand she was a different pony now? She felt the urge of just running away and hide in the bedroom again becoming stronger and stronger with each moment.
"Sunset Shimmer."
Princess Luna took a deep breath while still facing the door as the yellow unicorn looked up at her
"I know you're scared about going inside there. But you must know: No matter what the other ponies decide to think of you, we won't let you face this on your own. My sister and I will stand by you no matter what. Some ponies will not understand right away. Just like they couldn't understand when I returned.
My sister helped them realize I was not the Nightmare they feared anymore. And I promise you now, I will help them see and accept the new pony you've become. So will my sister. And so will Princess Cadance and Princess Twilight, I'm sure."
Sunset closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the display of the sunrise from earlier. She felt the worries melt away from the warmth she felt and the words of the Princess beside her.
Her eyes opened again and she nodded with the same determination. She had faced the students of Canterlot High and succeeded, even made new friends among them. She could do that again, because she had friends supporting her in both worlds now.
Princess Luna saw her nod and opened the door with her magic. The alicorn entered the room without hesitation and Sunset follow right behind her.
Just as the night before, the throne room was crowded and ponies sat together in small groups, colts and fillies running around and playing while the royal staff walked between the groups. As soon as the doors opened, the ponies had fallen silent and turned to watch the Princess enter. Some of them bowed but most ponies just stared at Sunset as she walked in. She could see several unicorns point at her and whisper to the ponies around them. The whispers grew into a constant mumbling but Sunset could see more ponies smile hopefully than frown at her presence. She even spotted Dusty, the earth pony maid, wave at her openly. She smiled back at her and glanced around the room as Luna made her way towards the empty podium.
She spotted Princess Celestia, wearing her golden crown and shoes, mirroring Luna's appearance. She was talking to a few ponies who seemed to be doctors and nurses but looked up to smile to her sister and Sunset, then made her way towards the thrones as well.
Princess Cadance was at the back of the room and giving out some instructions to some guards before she spread her wings and landed next to Celestia's throne with a few flaps and waited for the other Princesses to join her.
Finally, she saw Twilight, this time wearing her crown as well, coming from the main entrance and followed by more ponies. She smiled brightly when she saw Sunset and quickly hurried to take her place next to Luna's throne.
The twin rulers made their way with slow, regal steps across the room and their eyes met all the ponies who looked at them. Sunset was still the main focus of the ponies but more and more they all turned to face the podium with the thrones. The sisters took the last steps and stood before their respective thrones, Luna's expression was calm and neutral, Celestia wore her usual kind smile but Sunset could see from her shining eyes it was honest joy that made her smile.
She climbed up the few steps to stand beside Twilight but Celestia motioned for her to stand between Luna and herself, in the centre. Sunset tried to swallow down the lump that grew in her throat and took her place as ordered, but kept her eyes cast down when she noticed everypony staring at her as the mumbling died down once again.
When every pony was silent again, Princess Celestia spoke
"Good morning to you all, my little ponies. I hope you all had a pleasant night. Today will be full of hard work for all of us, but first, we want to tell you what we've learned so far.
As most of you already expected, the earthquakes were not natural. The were caused by a so far unknown energy that invaded Equestria. The energy's origin is a world behind a magic mirror, once crafted by none other than Starswirl the Bearded himself."
The alicorn stopped and gave the crowd a few moments to process what she had said and the mumbling started again. Of course most ponies knew who Starswirl the Bearded had been, but none had ever heard of other worlds than Equestria.
Before the mumbling grew too much, Princess Luna now took a step forward and addressed the ponies again
"The mirror was unused for centuries but had become more active since recently. Not only did the foreign energy enter our world, but also was the mirror world exposed to Equestrian magic that slipped in. This caused great danger in this world as well, as far as we know not less than what happened here in Canterlot.
Luckily though, some pony in the mirror world saw what happened and acted to prevent even greater disasters to happen. That pony was none other than Sunset Shimmer. She learned about the danger Equestria found itself in and returned to warn us.
Furthermore, she and Princess Twilight quickly developed a spell to send the energies back into their respective worlds. When Princess Twilight almost failed to perform said spell, even with the help of Princess Cadance, my sister and myself, Sunset Shimmer acted once again. She joined into the spell and was able to finish it, with the help of many more unicorns present."
Sunset kept her eyes cast down while Luna spoke, but she could hear excited and surprised gasps and calls, then she heard Twilight
"Not only did Sunset Shimmer save both worlds with that, she even was able to strengthen the barrier separating the worlds to hopefully prevent the earthquakes from happening again."
The calls and mumbling grew more cheerful and Sunset dared to look into the crowd again. She saw mostly relief, but also a lot of confusion and some anger.
Princess Celestia noticed her raising her head and took a step to the side to make sure every pony could see Sunset.
"And now we're proud to present to you this very brave and loyal pony and welcome her back home: Sunset Shimmer!"
She blushed when most of the ponies started cheering and calling her name, celebrating her like she was some kind of hero. She took a shy step forward after a gentle nudge from Princess Cadance and forced an awkward smile to her face as she looked over the crowd without really seeing anypony.
Sunset was wondering if she was supposed to say anything now, when a loud voice called over all the other noises
"Princess, but why was Sunset Shimmer in this other world in the first place?"
Sunset's gaze instantly fell back on the ground between her hooves. Of course some pony would ask those questions. She had only been gone for a few years, there had to be at least some ponies remembering her, being Princess Celestia's personal student had given her some popularity at least in Canterlot and the Royal Palace.
The white alicorn next to her stood tall and faced the pony who had spoken up
"That is a very reasonable question. Sunset Shimmer has spent a few short years in the world behind the mirror. She happened to be present the last time it reactivated and used it to..."
Sunset didn't need to see Celestia's face to recognize the tone of her voice. It was of course the same voice she used often during meetings and audiences and even during their studies, whenever she wanted to avoid talking about something unpleasant.
Sunset frowned when she realized the Princess was trying to cover up for her mistakes in the past. A few years ago she might have felt angry about that, thinking her teacher was deciding over her head again instead of letting her deal with things. A week ago, Sunset would have probably be grateful for getting this kind of help and an easy way to avoid her own guilt as well as the anger from those ponies who knew her old self.
But today, after talking with the Princesses and learning how much Celestia blamed herself, she knew the easy way wasn't right for her. She remembered the night after the Fall Formal back at Canterlot High School and feeling the same, knowing that she had to face the consequences of her actions as herself. Staying true to herself had helped her find wonderful friendships and being helpful to many other people, hopefully it would help her dealing with her pony past as well.
Celestia was still talking when Sunset took a step forward and called out clear and loud
"I was in the other world because I ran away!"
The Princess fell silent and looked at her former student, clearly surprised. Sunset gave her an apologetic look, then turned back to the crowed and explained, her voice filled with determination to not sugarcoat anything that happened
"That night when I vanished from Equestria, I had a terrible fight with Princess Celestia. I was her student and making great progress in my magic studies, but I that also made me arrogant and very impatient. I felt so much better than everypony else and when Princess Celestia refused to continue teaching me what I wanted, I didn't understand. I was too stubborn and stuck up to embrace the wisdom offered to me and instead only got angry. I was hungry for the power I thought I deserved. I ended up throwing everything I learned back into the Princess' face and ran away. The mirror was the way to a new world and I hoped I would find more power there, new ways to prove everypony how much better I really was."
She sighed deeply and tried to calm down as those old feelings rose up from inside her. The ponies stared up at her, terrified by the rage in her voice, but also angry when they learned what she did to their beloved Princess.
The Princesses themselves remained silent, not trying to interrupt her or add something to her story. Only Princess Celestia moved to stand closer the amber unicorn, showing her support. Sunset glanced up to her for a moment and found the usually calm and collected alicorn shoot angry glances at those who started shouting at Sunset.
She took another deep breath and continued
"I found myself in a very strange world, without magic at all. I felt betrayed and even more angry, and all this anger was directed to Princess Celestia. I was convinced this was her fault and that I would get my revenge, but the portal closed before I could return, so I was stuck for now.
I still found power, but that power came from bullying and intimidating everyone in this new world. I learned a lot of differences and similarities between the worlds during this time, but all I could think about was revenge.
Thirty moons later, the portal reopened and I was able to sneak back. I found that my teacher had just replaced me with none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle. I found out she had now all the power and magic I deserved so much more than everypony else. I managed to steal her crown which was also the Element of Magic, and I took it back to the mirror world. I wanted to use its magic to take over that world first and then return conquer Canterlot and Equetria."
The angry shouts grew louder and now Twilight stepped to her other side, putting her hoof on her shoulder and spreading her wings out. Like Celestia before, Twilight faced the anger from the crowd and nodded for Sunset to continue.
The unicorn sighed deeply and smiled
"As you can tell, my plans all failed. Princess Twilight came after me and stopped me, not with magic or power, but with friendship and forgiveness. She showed me the error of my ways, that all my thoughts had been poisoned by anger and fear. She forgave me what I have done and with her help, I found some friends who did as well.
That night, I felt like I was being reborn as a new pony. Today I know I only became the pony I was meant to be and the pony Princess Celestia had seen in me so long ago."
Sunset than felt a wing wrapping around her back and she looked up to see Celestia smiling at her with pride and love and tears glittering in her eyes. Twilight watched and smiled as well and gave Sunset's hoof a gentle squeeze.
The ponies in the crowd had fallen back into mumbling, most of the anger gone and replaced with sympathy. The last doubtful expressions softened up when Princess Luna took a step forward and spread her wings. She didn't say anything, but simply looking at her reminded every pony of the possibility to change yourself and become a better pony. Some ponies who had been shouting even let their heads hang low, remembering the second chances they had received themselves.
Sunset scanned the crow again and found some familiar faces: Guards, staff ponies, even a few teachers and students she'd seen in her classes back at the School for Gifted Unicorns. She gave them each a weak smile and continued explaining.
"I've spent the last few months trying to fix the damage I've caused in the mirror world and to make it up to those I've hurt. With the help of Princess Twilight I learned a lot about friendship, but also about myself.
I know some must still remember me and the way I acted during my last year in Canterlot. I know I was very mean to many of you and I didn't threat anypony with the respect you deserved. It's years too late, but... I'm sorry. For everything I did. I can't make it up to everypony, all I can do is apologize and hope that maybe someday, at least some of you can forgive me."
Sunset hung her head low and her fiery mane fell down, hiding her face as some silent tears fell down on the floor.
The ponies in the crow had mostly fallen silent by now and only a few whispered words were passed between them. Then, a single unicorn started stomping his forehooves on the ground in applause. After a moment's hesitation more ponies joined in, at first those who had seen Sunset help with the spell, then more and more.
Sunset looked up surprised and found herself staring at friendly and honest smiles. She found a few of the familiar faces and saw them nod in forgiveness. She heard the ponies call out her name again, just like they did before.
At this point, Princess Celestia exchanged a glance with the other alicorns, only to find them nodding in approval. The tall white alicorn addressed Sunset again
"Sunset Shimmer, I speak for all of us when I say we're very proud of you. You faced your greatest fears and your biggest regrets for the sake of your friends in the mirror world. But once you arrived, you fought very hard to save Equestria as well. Without your help, we wouldn't have succeeded. For your courageous and selfless actions, we are eternally grateful."
At those last words, all for Princesses bowed deeply before Sunset, Twilight and Cadance even sank down on their knees.
Sunset blushed and noticed the crowd bowing as well and her cheeks turned almost as red as the stripes in her mane
"Please don't do that! I'm not a hero or anything! I couldn't have made it back here without the help of my friends and I couldn't have done anything without the Princesses. I just did what I could do, just like all of you."
She heard laughter behind her and turned her head to see the Princesses smiling at her. Cadance who had been quiet until now walked up to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder
"Your humble words speak for themselves, Sunset. But for us and every pony who saw you do your magic, you made the difference. For us, you are indeed a hero. So you maybe should get used to that thought."
Sunset sighed in defeat but couldn't hold back a small smile when the ponies cheered again and stomped their hooves in approval. She felt another giant boulder lifted from her soul and her smile grew further
"Thank you, everypony."