Sunset remained frozen in place as her former mentor held Twilight in her magical aura, Twilight smiling sheepishly from inside. Sunset couldn't even bring herself to speak, her entire body trembling on the spot.
Princess Celestia released Twilight, gently placing her behind her, and stepped forward to Sunset. Sunset's first instinct was to back away in tandem, but her legs remained glued to the floor. She could only watch as Celestia approached, and Sunset resigned to lower her head away from her mentor's gaze.
She knew it was still there, still on her, silently judging her. Why else would Celestia go out of her way to find her?
She felt a hoof gently lift her chin, bringing her eyes back up to meet Celestia's. The princess's face was not one of malice or prejudice, but of great sorrow, which did little to ease Sunset's guilty conscience. She once again opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came through.
Sunset suddenly found herself embraced by her mentor, which somehow managed to stupefy her even more. Only when Celestia spoke did the fear in her heart start to crumble.
"I have missed you so much."
Sunset's shock at those words gave way to a waterfall of tears as she buried herself in their embrace. Twilight, like Sunset before, stood rooted to the spot, staring at the spectacle taking place before her. She even noticed a few tears from Celestia as well.
As Sunset calmed down, her biggest question managed to slip out. "How did you know I was here?"
Celestia gave a small smirk. "Oh, I have my informants." She casually glanced behind her to watch Twilight connect the dots and suddenly run off further into the castle.
"SPIKE!!!!" was all that could be heard as she galloped away.
Celestia chuckled softly to herself before returning her attention to Sunset, watching as the young mare heavily debated what to say or do next. Before Sunset could say anything, however, Celestia decided to give her some reassurance.
"I know you've been afraid to face me again, but I want you to know that what happens here is up to you. I only wanted to be able to see you face to face again. If it's still too much for you, you are free to walk away." To prove her point, Celestia stepped away from Sunset, allowing her an unobstructed path into the castle's chambers.
Sunset's hooves still refused to carry her anywhere, the typhoon of emotions swirling inside her trapping her nerves and muscles in stasis. The very moment she had been dreading for the past year was upon her, yet she didn't feel frightened; she wasn't really sure how she felt. She completely forgot that Midnight was still standing behind her ,who had decided it better that she not intervene in the situation.
The sudden decision thrust upon Sunset didn't help to calm her nerves. Both Celestia and Midnight were waiting on her to decide if this was to be just a simple hello, or a chance for her to lift the thousand ton weight off her chest. She certainly wasn't confident that she could possibly convey everything that she needed to, but she was here; might as well at least try.
With her course set in mind, she very slowly took a single step towards Celestia and took a deep breath, still averting her gaze from her mentor.
"When I was you student... I can't imagine I could've been more disappointing. I was arrogant, selfish, and so caught up in my own ambitions that I never really took in what you were trying to teach me. You saw it, and you tried to make me better, but I still never listened. I dreamed of things far beyond what I deserved, and I've done a lot of terrible things to try and make them happen."
Celestia didn't say a word, instead opting to let her former student say all she needed to.
"Then... I abandoned it all. You dismissed me from my studies with you, and I betrayed what little trust you might have still had in me. I came here and ruined the lives of anybody and everybody I came into contact with. I became exactly what you were trying to teach me not to be."
"Then I stole the crown, and Twilight, who is everything you wanted me to be, had to come and put an end to my reign of terror, and I made her go through hell for it. I did whatever I could to try and take that crown for myself, and when I finally had it, I thought it would give me everything I wanted."
Tears began to wash down her face as the memories resurfaced. "I was wrong. The crown warped me, it made me into something worse than I already was. I was terrified when it began, and only then did I realize where my path had taken me, but I couldn't stop it. When I wore that crown, it felt like I was a spectator in my own body, and Twilight had to literally blast me into the ground to save your home."
She finally managed to look up at Celestia, her eyes red and puffy from her crying. "I was so ashamed of myself for all I had done. Since that day, I've been trying so, so hard to make up for everything that I had ever done. I took it upon myself to help fend off the magic that I had brought into the world. I feel responsible for every disaster that my friends go through. I've been through so much, yet I still feel like it's not enough. I've repaid the debt I owed in the human world, but I couldn't begin to imagine how much I have to do to even come close to having a place back here."
Celestia gave her a sweet smile, one that Sunset herself hadn't seen since she first became her prodigy. "You have already done enough, Sunset. Some loose ends to tie up here remain, yes, but you have redeemed yourself, especially in my eyes." Celestia leaned down to her, placing her wing across the young mare's back. "You haven't yet mentioned all the good you've done across the mirror, and I think it's a wonderful idea for you to indulge in those memories for a little while."
Sunset was beside herself at how quickly Celestia seemed to have forgiven her. Surely her crimes warranted more disappointment than that? Unless what she had done was really important in Celestia's eyes. "How... How much was enough?"
Celestia still held her warm smile, despite Sunset's frankly unnecessary query. "Twilight told me much of what you did. Saved another realm at least three times, showed another the very same kindness that was given to you"- Midnight blushed at the mention- "and constantly showed that you were willing to right your wrongs." Celestia paused for a brief moment before continuing, "all of which was just icing on the cake."
Sunset was completely dumbfounded. How was all that just extra? Nobody else was convinced by her sudden penance after the fall formal; surely Celestia wouldn't have been either. "So what changed your mind?"
"An attitude that you have demonstrated every day since Twilight returned after her first trip. Where once you were driven by selfish desire, you now hold the fear of 'letting everyone down', as I believe."
Sunset remained silent for a few moments, the conversation she held with Twilight in Pinkie's kitchen replaying through her mind at the mere mention of the words. On the one hoof, she found it hard to believe that such a simple conversation could've changed Celestia's opinion, but on the other, it somehow... made sense. That night she had nothing to hide; she poured a little of her heart out to Twilight, and they found a new appreciation of each other because of it. It was likely that description alone coming from Celestia's prized pupil that made her truly believe Sunset had changed for the better.
Celestia turned and began to venture further into the crystalline halls. "I suppose we should find Twilight and Spike before she does anything rash. Perhaps you'd like to catch up some more along the way, Sunset? Maybe introduce me to your starstruck friend there?"
Only now did Sunset remember Midnight had seen and heard everything, which brought a fresh wave of red to her cheeks. "Oh, right, of course!"
They found Twilight giving Spike quite the earful in the map room, Spike hardly listening as he could tell by the way they walked in that he had made the right call.
"I told you things would be fine, Twilight. Geez, cut me some slack sometimes," he said as he strolled out of the room.
Twilight looked at Celestia and Sunset surprised. "Wait, so are..."
"Yes, everything is settled Twilight. Although,"- Celestia put on a mock authoritarian visage- "it is rather disrespectful to abandon your company in such a manner."
Both Sunset and Celestia chuckled as Twilight fell into old habits and started both profusely apologizing and panicking. After realizing the joke at her expense, her face turned extremely red. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night."
"Not yet, Twilight. We were hoping you'd join us for a conversation. I'd love to hear more about your own misadventures as well as Sunset's."
Twilight sighed and sat at her throne, knowing all too well that denying such a request would be nigh impossible. She couldn't say she didn't enjoy herself, though, especially considering Midnight's reactions to most of the tales they told.
Sunset was enjoying it even more. She couldn't remember the last time she simply had a friendly chat with Celestia, let alone one that had the royal so invested. She seemed very intrigued by every detail Sunset could spare, even pointing out some embellishments made by Twilight during her own recounts, which Twilight vehemently denied. She also saw a rather odd glimmer in Celestia's eyes when she mentioned that Midnight was, in fact, the human Twilight that she had saved and cared for throughout the past six months. Something I'll have to ask about later.
As the hours waned, Celestia decided it was time to return to Canterlot and retire for the night, giving Sunset one last note of assurance before she left.
"You can always come by the castle if you wish. I'll inform the current guards of your name, and they will let you in. I'd love for you to visit more often."
"I'd love to," Sunset replied, the biggest grin stretched across her muzzle. With one last hug, Celestia took off into the night sky.
Sunset couldn't be happier.