//------------------------------// // Will happen, happening, happened // Story: Who we really are? // by FieryUnicorn42 //------------------------------// Was an exhaustive week, five days of meetings with yaks and griffons trying to adjust a mutual trade contract with almost no success. If there's something that never changes is that negotiating with them is pain on the flank. Celestia thought that after a few centuries and with her most faithful student helping this will be easier, but she was wrong. Five whole days until an agreement that allows Griffonstone and Yakyakstain to export their products to Equestria with low boundary taxes, which don't benefit so much Equestria but are good for diplomacy relations. “There’s something in my schedule yet?” Asked Celestia to Raven while stretching her legs and wings before setting the Sun. “No your highness, that was the last one.” Said Raven Inkwell. “Well, I think we’re done today” spoke Celestia while the Sun lowers on the horizon. “Yes, your highness” Said Raven. Celestia began to walk in direction of her bed-chambers, but before leaving the room, she spoke to the other mare again. “Raven?” “Yes, princess?” “This week was long and exhaustive, take the weekend off. I see you on Monday morning” “Oh, thank you, princess.” Said Raven while Celestia walks through the hallway to her bedroom. Is almost 01:00 AM and Celestia still working, even after finishing her turn as a princess of the day, there’s a lot to do. She’s tired and looks to a pile of papers on her desk that demands her attention “Isn’t nothing so urgent that can’t wait until morning.” She thought while leaving the desk in direction of the bathroom. After a relaxing warm bath, the princess walks to her bed. Laying in bed, she thinks "How things could change but stay the same?" She lived long enough to see a pattern: Sooner or later, what happened once will happen again. She thinks about her life, how many ponies she meets in all those centuries, who were her friends when she was just a common mare. She remembers her early years when she was only a young pony with nothing to worry about when her only responsibility was her young sister Luna and not a kingdom with so many ponies that she can’t even count. "Oh Luna," she thinks about all those centuries of solitude after banishing her sister to the Moon “I can’t even imagine how you felt, alone in that place for a millennium. How I could be so blind, how I could ignore you and makes you feel that you weren't loved? How I could banish you, the pony I loved more than myself?" For a thousand years, she thought every night about it: "Does I do the right thing? Being the judge, jury, and executor for my sister? Banish Luna without offering her a chance to redemption?" Through this pain, she remembers all the joyful moments that she had, all the ponies who helped her in more than a millennium of life, and thinks about that one who used to be her most talented and loved student. Using her magic, she grabs a photo on her nightstand desk, is an image of her and a young unicorn, both are smiling. A lot of memories came to her mind, they soon transform into tears of pain and sadness in her eyes. “I miss you so much my little sunshine," she said to herself gently touching the photography with her hoof, "and hope you come home soon and maybe someday you can forgive me for my mistakes”. She embraces the photo and sleeps. In her dreams, Celestia was in a shade of a tree, seeing some young ponies playing ball together in one of Canterlot's gardens, her attention is caught by a yellow unicorn filly with a fiery mane who is running and laughing with the others. The little pony, like many of the other ponies here, is only three years old, and while is running, she falls, hurts her left foreleg, and cries. "Don't cry my little sunshine" Saying this the princess lands and sat on the unicorn side, grabs the little filly's foreleg, and looks at the injury. "It's only a scratch, nothing serious", she said with a calm tone, while grabbing a first aid kit with her aura and putting a bandage on the injury. "Thank you, princess." "You're welcome. Be more careful next time." Said Celestia wiping the unicorn's tears with her wing and planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be." The unicorn starts running again and plays with the other ponies. The princess walks back to her spot and when she sits, an old mare approaches, sitting on her side. "You're so gentle with those foals princess." "I need to be, my dear Lavender. They can't have a family yet, but this does not mean they don't deserve love. Most of them came from broken homes or were undesired. Equestria can look like a paradise, but I know from the first hoof that isn't. There are a lot of problems and unfortunately, many of my subjects prefer don't see it, but as a princess, is my duty to assure that these kids can grow safe, healthy, and most important, happy." The image changes, the young unicorn is now a teenager, her pupil, the princess sees a shadow cross the unicorn’s eyes but she ignores it. Now she and the young unicorn are in the castle library, the girl fights against the princess and shouts with her, there’s no sound, but this is unnecessary, Celestia had those words carved deep in her heart. The unicorn has gone and now there's only darkness, the only light in the room comes from Celestia's horn. She's sat in front of a mirror, the same that years ago the young unicorn crossed, the last words they talk echoing through the empty room. “She will never come back, why I expect she will? Maybe she is better in that place than here, at least she's happy now. There’s nothing that I can do to make her wish to come back to Equestria. I've messed all up, and she is better without me in her life” The princess looks to the ground and close her eyes when feels a touch on her shoulder. She turns her head and sees the princess of the night at her side. Luna sees a deep sadness in her sister's eyes, unfortunately, this is not the first time she found Celestia this way, she has this same nightmare at least once or twice a week. Seeing her sister living this, again and again, hurts deep Luna's heart. She sits and places a wing over Celestia. “This dream again sister?” Said Luna dissolving the image with her free wing. “Tia, to this nightmare, have an end, you both need to talk and move on with your lives, even if apart” Luna's voice is firm, but kind at the same time, she knows Celestia still blaming herself, but for her own experience, she also knows that forgive herself is one of the most important steps to left the past in the past. Celestia said nothing, she looks to the ground and let a long sigh escapes. “You’re right Luna, if I don't talk to her, I'll regret it for the rest of my life," Celestia spoke with a bit of sadness in her voice. "Now sister is time to have a good dream since you have to rise the sun in a few hours." Said Luna leaving Celestia with a kiss on the cheek and a dream full of cakes. Meanwhile, on the other side of the mirror, is Saturday, 01:30 AM Sunset Shimmer is awake in her apartment while the girls are sleeping after the sleepover. She grabs her journal and writes to Twilight. Dear princess Twilight, Hope I won't wake up you with this message. How are things back in Equestria? A lot of friendship problems to solve? Here in Canterlot City is everything ok, no one was affected by equestrian magic. Our new magics become better day after day, I think at this point here and in Equestria magic works the same way, more practice, more control. Changing the topic, I want your opinion about a thing. I was thinking a lot about going back to Equestria, I mean, I've been there twice before, but this time is different. I want to apologize to princess Celestia, when I leave Equestria, say awful things to her. There are so many things I need to speak to her about, and I'm not sure if I had enough courage to face her after all I did, but every time I see principal Celestia, I feel so bad and small not knowing what the princess thinks of me. I need to talk to her to move on, turn this page of my life, I know this sounds (looks?) selfish and maybe are, but I can't still live without saying to her that I'm so sorry for all things have done before. Some minutes later, Sunset's journal starts to glow, she's received an answer. Sunset, I already said you don't need to call me princess, we're friends, there's no need for all this formalism. I'm happy with your progress with the geode's magic, even not knowing how they arrived on the crystal cave near the Everfree camp. I presume they work like the elements of harmony here from Equestria, so there are elements in other worlds? I don't know but can be, right? Unfortunately only Starswirl knows how the mirror works and I don't think he would be happy with us jumping through the worlds. Sometime ago Equestria and another mirror world almost were destroyed by this, but this is a story for another moment. Anyway, I will be more than happy if you come here, after all on your last visit we can't talk. I'm sure Princess Celestia will be happier than me meeting you, every time we meet she asks about you, she misses you badly, Sunset. If you want, I can arrange a meeting for you two. Say to the girls they will be welcome if they wanna come, I guess Rarity is dying of curiosity to see the castle, and I want to talk with your world Twilight Sparkle, I think we have a lot in common. Before Sunset could answer, she receives another message. Why don't spend the weekend here in Equestria? So we can see princess Celestia tomorrow afternoon. Sunset looks to the text in her journal for some seconds before answering. I'm not sure if I'm ready Twilight. You know what? I'm going to Equestria to face the princess! I would have to do it sooner or later. Just don't forget, if she burns me until ashes, I'll blame and spook you every night for the rest of your immortal alicorn life ;-) Jokes apart, I'll ask the girls if they wanna go with me. G night Twilight, see you later When Sunset dropped the pen, Pinkie touched her back and said: "I'm in". In another situation, this could be weird, but is Pinkie, thought Sunset, so she just tilt her head. In the morning, after the girls awake, Sunset talks about princess Twilight invite, while she talks, Pinkie sat on the floor, holding her backpack waiting for the talk to end. The girls agree this is so sudden, but would be impolite if they don't accept. "I don't know if is a good idea to change our weekend plans this sudden. What I would say to my parents? I can't tell I going to the magical land of talking ponies, this sounds crazy, well my life was been quite crazy for the last months" Said Twilight. "Just say that you are going to visit a friend who lives outside the city, darling." Pointed Rarity. "But it's a lie" Said Applejack "Not really, my dear Applejack. It's just a half-truth. Princess Twilight lives in Equestria, which's technically outside of our city, so if Twilight here says we are visiting a friend who lives out of Canterlot city, is true." "You must admit she has a good point here". Said Pinkie to Applejack "I won't agree but is fine for me." Said Applejack. Sunset sees that Twilight isn't saying anything. She touches her friend's shoulder. "What's the problem Twilly, something worries you?" "I'm don't know if I must go. Princess Twilight and I barely know each other, we just talk for a minute or two the last time we see, not to mention is quite strange to talk to her, since we look very similar and we are alternate versions of one of the other. She's a magical and powerful pony princess for another dimension and I'm just a girl who looks like her". Sunset gives a sweet smile to the purple girl. "Twilly, she asks you to goes to Equestria just to talk to you, she wanna be your friend, like us." Twilight sighs and looks into Sunset's eyes. "Fine, I go. This could be fun right? And maybe I can write an essay about that place" "I'm pretty sure princess Twilight did the same when she came back to Equestria after the two times she came here" "You and the princess have a lot in common Twilight. You both are egg heads" “When you say something like that, I wanna so bad punch your teeth Dash. Luckily to you, I'm not a girl so bad anymore" Said Sunset with a mischievous smile. "Gee Sunset, I was just kidding" "So as I. Anyway, I guess you girls should go back home and pack your things. I'll be waiting for you in front of the portal in one hour"