What stared back at Sunset wasn't Sunset. it wasn't the demon either. Sunset found herself looking someone that almost looked like her but was different in several ways. The first thing Sunset noticed was that the girl had hair the same color as hers it was straight and tied back in ponytail. The second thing Sunset noticed was that her eyes were a dark blue, while Sunset's were a cyan. Sunset rubbed her eyes, convinced that her mind was playing tricks on her. Nope, the girl in the mirror was still there. The girl in the mirror held up her finger in front of her lips as if to tell Sunset to be quiet.
"MOM!" Sunset yelled. The girl in the mirror seemed to dissolve away, leaving only Sunset's true reflection behind. Celestia burst into the bathroom obviously concerned about her daughter.
"Sunset, what's wrong?" Celestia asked looking at her daughter. Sunset pointed at the mirror.
"There was someone in the mirror," Sunset said as she proceeded to describe what she had seen reflected in the mirror. Celestia was in a state of shock, Sunset had described her deceased daughter, Sunrise.
"Sunset, You couldn't have seen Sunrise, she passed away when she was eight years old," Celestia said, "What you are describing is impossible."
"I know what I saw," Sunset said. Celestia thought a moment.
"Sunset, get dressed, then meet me in my office downstairs." Celestia said.
Sunset did as she was asked. he hesitated outside the door to Celestia's home office though. The room had always been Celestia's sanctuary, and Sunset had never been in the room in all the years that she had lived with Celestia and Discord. After a moment Sunset knocked on the door to the office.
"Come in," Celestia said. Sunset opened the door and quietly entered the room. Looking around she saw several picture of her, Scootaloo and Cadence. There was a set of bookshelves that entirely dominated one wall, another wall had a big screen T.V. mounted to it. next to the T.V. was a high school letterman jacket. Sunset's eyes came to rest on a framed photo on Celestia's desk. The photo showed a younger version of the girl that Sunset had seen in the mirror. Sunset picked up the picture frame.
"This is the girl I saw," Sunset said, "I'm not sure how it is possible, but I swear to Tartarus, that this is who I saw."
Celestia took the picture from Sunset and looked at it before putting it back on her desk.
"She looks just like me." Sunset said after a tense pause.
"Sunset," Celestia said, "Sunrise died eight years ago. What you say you saw is impossible."
"Magical unicorn from an alternate reality remember," Sunset deadpanned.
"Okay, I'll admit that some things that I believed were impossible aren't," Celestia said, "but how could Sunrise appear to you in a mirror."
"I don't know," Sunset said.
"Moving on," Celestia said, she wanted to change the subject from Sunrise, "how did you end up on the front lawn?"
"I don't know," Sunset answered, "I went to sleep in my bed and woke up standing in the lawn. What's wrong with me?"
"Oh Sunset," Celestia said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter, " you've been through a traumatic experience and you're trying to cope on your own."
"You're one of the toughest and smartest students I have ever had," Celestia continued, "you may have been a bully in the past, and there are people who will judge you for that no matter what you do. But if you are committed to being a better person, then I believe you deserve a second chance."
There was a paused Celestia allowed her words to sink in.
"Sunset," Celestia said, "I never asked, but did you know what you would become when you put Twilight's crown on your head?"
"What, no," Sunset said, "I thought that I could control the magic that the crown contained, but the Elements found me unworthy."
Then Sunset remembered some thing the demon had said, I unknowingly signed a contract, Sunset had studied magical contracts when she had been Princess Celestia's student. What have i done?
"Sunset, are you alright," Celestia said, "I lost you for a moment."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sunset lied, I need to talk to Twilight, but the portal is going to be closed for another twenty-nine moons. What am I going to do?
Celestia knew that Sunset was lying, but she knew that Sunset was stubborn enough that she wouldn't be able to pry what was bothering her out of her. Sunset would tell what was wrong when she was ready.
"How did Sunrise die?" Sunset asked, "I never asked."
"She got a bad fever that the doctors could bring down," Celestia said, "you would have liked her, she was always doing her own thing. And she was very competitive. She would likely challenge Rainbow Dash to any and every sport. She was Trixie's best friend and protector."
"She sounds amazing," Sunset said, "I wish I could have met her."
"Even at her young age she had a rebellious streak," Celestia replied, "like you."
Sunset yawned.
"I'm going to try to go back to sleep," Sunset said as she stood up, "thanks for listening."
"Of course Sunset, " Celestia said, "just try to stay in the house this time."
Sunset forced a laugh before turning and exiting the room. As she walked up the stairs she couldn't keep her mind off what the demon had said, or the repercussions of such a contract. Sunset spent the rest of the night and most of the following day scouring the internet for any information that this world had on magical demonic contracts, but all she could find was information about exorcisms.
"Sometimes," Sunset sighed, "I wish that magic really did exist in this world."