Sunset didn't know what she was expecting when Celestia had told her she had a friend coming over but the tall woman who was covered in tribal tattoos wasn't it. Something about her unnerved the pony turned human, however, she couldn't put a finger on what that was.
“Sunset, I want you to meet Zecora. She is a healer and unlike Discord, not an idiot.” Celestia commented, earning a chuckle from both the teen and this strange newcomer
“For one who is paid to offer his two-cents, I find it odd that he could be so dense.”
The way that Zecora spoke confused Sunset, though she figured she could ask Celestia about it later, after all, it wasn't that hard to decipher, especially since she had just said Discord was stupid.
“Dense isn't the word I'd use.” Sunset muttered, earning a chuckle
“Yes I assume you would say something much more rude, I, however, do not wish to be so crude.”
Sunset could barely understand what Zecora and Celestia were talking about, the former speaking in riddle and the other being as cryptic as possible but it didn't take a genius to figure out that whatever they were saying, it was about her.
What if Celestia thinks I still have that demon inside of me? What if she hired this person to...Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand taking hers, causing her to look up.
“I'm going to stay right beside you during this but you're going to have to trust us okay? Do you think that you can do that Sunset?” Celestia asked, catching Sunset off-guard.
Do I trust her? I mean...Can I? I thought I could trust Princess Celestia but look where that got me.
She wondered however besides responding she tightened her grip around Celestia's hand.
No, She wouldn't do that to me...She isn't like that. She won't push me away.
Sunset tried to follow the instructions given to her, however, something about the sound of the strange music that was coming from the radio that Zecora had brought with her made her nervous, though she tried to relax as instructed.
“Now once you feel yourself begin to slip you must allow yourself to make the trip.”
Sunset tried not to panic as she found herself in a dark area, the demon standing before her with its arms crossed.
“So you finally decided to face me? Do you finally realize that I am a part of you yet or are you that dense?” It said, black and teal eyes narrowing as it leered down at her.
“I am nothing like you! I would never hurt anyone!”
Sunset argued, earning a scoff.
“really? What about Fluttershy or even Trixie? Or even farther back? You threw a book at the Princess of all people, not that I blame you for that one...She was a complete bitch to you.” The demon spoke, causing Sunset to grow quiet.
Is it really a part of me? What the hell is going on? Is this telling me that I really am evil?
“Haven't you realized it yet Sunset Shimmer? The Element of magic drew me out because I am every lonely night and every bitter thought that you ever had.”
Sunset wanted to speak but found that she couldn't figure out what to say as she watched the bat-like beast land in front of her, its form shifting until it had taken the form of a golden Unicorn filly with a flame-like mane.
“What did you feel back then? Do you remember? Do you remember how you would watch Cadence and Celestia joke around only to have her turn her back on you whenever you tried to so much as to make her laugh? Do you remember the nights you would wake up from the nightmares those stories of Discord and Sombra and couldn't even get someone to come sit with you? You were only a filly of seven years old! You shouldn't have been told the horrors of that nature at that age!”
I do...I remember. I was always so lonely back then...I didn't have a family to turn to except Sunburst but he was busy with his own studies and I didn't want to bother him. My aunt and uncle rarely returned my letters and never visited me at the palace. I just wanted somepony to care about me, about what I was going through. I wanted somepony to care about me, not as a student but as a pony.
Sunset closed her eyes as she fought back the tears.
“I remember. I was always alone then...I felt I had nowhere I could turn to when things got hard.” She confessed, earning a chuckle.
“Yet you trust this world's Celestia? Why? Aren't you afraid that she will abandon you just like the Princess of the Sun did?”
Sunset heard the demon, or rather a younger version of herself demand, causing her to open her eyes.
“I'm terrified that she will! But she's different and even you should see that!”
The figure turned once more into the demon, though this time it seemed to be lost in thought.
“Why didn't she ever hold us like that? Why did she say we were a mistake? We just wanted to make her proud of us.” it finally asked, surprising Sunset by the waver in its tone.
“I don't know...I wonder that too.” the redhead confessed, “I thought that if I could prove myself she would love me the same way that she loved Cadence.”
Celestia glanced at Zecora with wide eyes as she watched as silent streams of tears began to slide down the teen's cheeks. “Is that normal?” she asked softly, afraid to break the trance if she was even louder.
“yes, for the feelings that she must become alert there is always there a bit of hurt.”
sometimes Celestia wished that Zecora would just speak normal English.
“She will be okay when she comes out of this, won't she?”
this earned a nod from the shaman who's only response was
“She has you so that is true.”
“Do you think that Principal Celestia really cares about us or is it just because we are her student?”
The demon had asked minutes before, though Sunset had yet to answer. Did Celestia care about her as a person or as a student? She wondered.
“The princess saw me as her student...And she never once held us, did she? Well...Principal Celestia has...So that means something doesn't it?” she asked, earning a nod before a large, bright light began to fill into the dark space.
“What's going on?” the teen demanded, earning a smirk
“Goodbye Sunset.”