//------------------------------//
// Homecoming 
// Story: Sunset and the Sun 
// by milesprower06 
//------------------------------//

As Sunset Shimmer walked alongside Princess Twilight Sparkle through the corridors of Canterlot Castle, she couldn't help but remember the last time she had walked these halls. Admittedly, part of her was very nervous about being here, but what she had told Twilight was true.

'I'll do anything to get my friends back.'

After she had returned through the Crystal Mirror in Twilight's castle in Ponyville and explained the situation; how her friends and all of Canterlot High had been stripped of all memory of her redemption, Twilight was flummoxed, and offered to go see somepony who would have more of an idea than she did.

'There is one pony who might be able to help, but I don't know if you two want to see each other.'

Fifteen minutes later the two of them were on a train to Canterlot, and had swiftly made their way to the castle. As they made their way through the courtyard, Sunset's memories began to bombard her of her days studying under Princess Celestia. Even as they walked together through the castle proper, Sunset found herself in the same hall where she made the fateful decision that had landed her a dimension away; the night she jumped through the Crystal Mirror.

Now, they came to the throne room doors, their destination on the other side. Royal schedules, it seemed, were considerably more flexible when another Princess needed some of the Canterlot rulers' time. Sunset felt her throat tighten and her heart beat just a bit harder as the unicorn guard on the left lit his horn up and opened the set of doors for them, revealing the throne room.

There sat Princess Celestia, with her sister Luna on her left. Celestia, who had been conversing with Luna, turned to look at the visitors, and her wings flared up.

Sunset's nervousness grew as she lowered her neck and averted her gaze, but kept pace alongside Princess Twilight, who kept smiling as though nothing was wrong. Sunset's mind replayed their final confrontation with each other in one of the restricted sections of the castle library.

'This is the biggest mistake you'll ever make.' Sunset had furiously spat at her teacher as the guards escorted her out, her trespass having been the final straw after weeks of testing her teacher's patience.

They approached the throne and came to a stop, and with keeping her eyes squarely on the carpet to her left, she didn't notice Twilight nervously smile up at her teacher. She didn't need to, as her voice gave away just how nervous she was too.

"Sooo, Princess Celestia, hehehe, you'll never guess who's back... Actually maybe you can guess 'cause she's right here, but um..."

Twilight tapered off, pausing awkwardly before raising a hoof and leaning over to the amber unicorn's ear.

"Am I helping?" She whispered, the throne room's acoustics however, did nothing to stop that from reaching the two pairs of ears up on the throne platform. Sunset knew she had to break this ice before Twilight's performance became even more laughable. Briefly closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she raised her head and stepped ahead of Twilight, looking up at her former teacher.

"Princess Celestia, the last time we saw each other, I was your snide little pupil who betrayed and abandoned you."

"I wouldn't have said it that way..." Twilight whispered up to her, apparently still not aware of how far the room carried her lowered voice. "What Sunset means to say is-"

"I mean that I come before you a changed pony," Sunset interrupted, raising her right hoof to stop Twilight in her tracks. "Humbly asking for forgiveness, guidance, and knowledge."

Writing it in a letter was one thing. Saying it in front of her was quite another. Princess Celestia's wings folded back to her sides, and her uncertain expression softened just noticeably as she began to descend the stairs. Seconds later, her towering figure shadowed the unicorn in front of her. Now a foot in front of her, Sunset couldn't hide her nerves from her expression as she looked up into Celestia's studying eyes for just a moment before lowering her head again. Celestia had forgiven her in her first letter to her but... Were they ready for this face to face?

Sunset felt Celestia's right hoof under her chin, and it lifted her head to meet her former teacher's gaze again, and her expression went from indiscernible to that gentle, caring look the unicorn remembered from so many years ago.

"I've missed you, Sunset Shimmer." Celestia said before smiling down at her.

Sunset's legs grew weak, her eyes widening as the emotions that had been churning in her stomach since this mess with her friends' memories had begun, now made their way up to her chest and writhed around her heart. As they squeezed around it, a pressure went through her rib cage, up her neck, and found their exit, as tears fell from her eyes.

"I'm... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." The unicorn choked out, taking two steps forward and wrapped her front legs around Celestia's, before breaking down, weeping and collapsing back into a sitting position, and the Princess sat down on the carpet as well, returning the embrace, nuzzling the back of her neck comfortingly as she continued to cry, relieved that the forgiveness expressed in Celestia's first letter was very real.

A few paces behind the duo, Princess Twilight also found herself tearing up at the reunion in front of her. 

'Sunset Shimmer... Is she alright?' 

While Twilight knew that Celestia accepted and respected Twilight's decision to leave Sunset at Canterlot High after her theft of the crown, she was never sure that she had approved of it. It wasn't until nearly a year later, after the Friendship Games, when Sunset wrote a letter apologizing to her former teacher, and sent it back with Twilight. It had been their first correspondence in years, and Sunset had also expressed how she had been becoming homesick on occasion, which had cropped up again worse than ever after she and her friends had attended Camp Everfree, and discovered that she was not the only source of Equestrian magic in the other realm. But Celestia had urged her to stay put for now, reminding her of everything she had accomplished since she had let the magic of friendship into her heart...

...All of which had apparently been ripped from the memories of everyone at the school.

Celestia held her former student for a minute as she let out her relief at being forgiven, and the frustrations of her current predicament, before the unicorn broke the embrace, and smiled up at her former teacher. As she blinked the last of her tears away, Princess Luna descended from the throne platform to join her sister.

"Princess Luna, it is an honor to finally meet you." Sunset Shimmer greeted, giving a bow. She had read the legend of the Mare in the Moon, but she had never met the Princess of the Night, having jumped through the Crystal Mirror years before she had been freed by Twilight and her friends.

"A pleasure, Sunset Shimmer. Princess Twilight has told us nothing but good things since you have redeemed yourself."

"Now, my student," Celestia began, bringing the unicorn's attention back to her. "What help can I be?"