Sunset Shimmer let out a deep sigh when she finally left Crystal Note’s bedroom. It had taken the mare hours to get back on her hooves. By the time, the moon was up for a while already, so Sunset had taken her to bed right away. Crystal Note couldn’t take the dark, empty room, so Sunset stayed with her. Whenever Crystal Note closed her eyes, she whimpered in fear, so Sunset Shimmer could not leave her. In the end, the crystal pony had begged Sunset Shimmer to put another sleep spell on her. Sunset had reluctantly done so, mostly because she didn’t see any other way for Crystal Note to get any sleep either.
Just outside the room, Princess Celestia was waiting for her. The tall alicorn looked down at her with a concerned expression
"How is she doing?"
Sunset sighed deeply and slumped into sitting on the floor
"She's asleep now, but it's not any better. She's scared by something big, but she can't remember what it is. It's frustrating!"
She snorted out in anger, not at the crystal pony but at whatever caused this situation. Princess Celestia nodded and sat down beside her student, unconcerned by the cold floor
"What brought this on to her?"
Sunset Shimmer explained about the tune and how Crystal Note was able to sing it. At some point she started to shiver, both from the cold floor she sat on as well as the memory of that moment. She had never seen that kind of fear and desperation ever before.
She didn't notice that the princess moved until a white wing wrapped around her and shared warmth with her. Sunset looked up and Princess Celestia looking at her with that same expression as the other night.
Sunset Shimmer understood what this meant right away
"You know what she saw, don't you?"
"I don't know for sure, my talented student, but I have a very good idea."
Sunset Shimmer blew her breath out through her nose
"That's the best I'll get, right? I have to figure out myself and until I do, Crystal Note has to suffer on her own."
Sunset knew this was unfair, to Princess Celestia and to Crystal Note. The princess didn't know any more about this curse than she did and Crystal Note would never blame either of them for her nightmares. Lashing out just made her feel better for the moment and gave her something else to thing about. Otherwise, she would still mull about the fact that she didn't have a clue on what to do.
"Sunset Shimmer, you are fortunate. You have seen tragic and suffered pain when you were very young, I know. But you have never witnessed times of misery or famine. You didn't have to see war or what it can do to a pony."
"I'm seeing it now."
Sunset Shimmer's voice was even, compared to Princess Celestia's voice who sounded troubled
"What you see is only an echo, Sunset."
"I've seen how messed up she is! I've been in her mind, remember?"
Celestia sighed and the wing around Sunset Shimmer tightened into a little squeeze
"I do, although I wish you would not have done that."
Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. They already had had this discussion and Princess Celestia had promised to teach her again, so she could let this pass.
Instead, she focused back on what had happened earlier
"Do you know what happened to Crystal Note today, Princess?"
Celestia nodded and her voice was calm as she replied
"I did. The song made her suddenly remember a buried memory, but it was disconnected and so she could not grasp it. Then she was overcome by a sudden surge of emotional stress. Such an event is called a flashback."
Sunset eagerly absorbed the offered information and followed up
"Is it always this painful?"
"I suppose it depends on what kind of memory triggers the flashback. So far, fear has shown very dominant in Crystal Note's behaviour and she told me of nightmares."
Sunset Shimmer sighed and nodded
"I know. I was thinking of using a stronger slumber spell for that or maybe mix up a sleep potion since she doesn't like magic."
"That would treat the symptoms, but not heal the ailment, my talented student."
"I know that! But what else can I do at the moment?"
Celestia shook her head
"I am not sure, Sunset. With so much fear inside her, I cannot help but wonder of the source of it. King Sombra tortured the crystal ponies for his amusement when his insanity reached its peak. We don't know how close Crystal Note was to the king, but we have to consider the possibility, my student."
"What possibility?"
Sunset Shimmer looked up and Celestia met her gaze with sorrowful eyes
"It may be so that Crystal Note does not want to remember the horrors of what happened. Maybe she could not bear it any longer. The fear we see in her might be a defence-mechanism of her mind to protect herself."
Sunset frowned as she began to understand
"So you're saying...?"
"I'm saying that maybe her memories best stay forgotten, my talented student."
"No! We can't do that. We can't just let her suffer through this by herself."
"I don't intend to abandon her, Sunset Shimmer. But perhaps instead of searching for her old life, it would be better to help her find a new one instead."
"But Princess!"
Sunset Shimmer jumped on her hooves in sudden agitation to face her mentor
"If we don't get her memories back, we won't have any clue on what really happened in the Crystal Empire back then! All that knowledge would be lost! We might never find King Sombra's power source!"
Princess Celestia furrowed her brow, but Sunset didn't see it. A shiver ran through her body and her voice shrunk into a whisper
"It means Crystal Note would never get her family back."
Immediately, Celestia's expression softened up. Any anger she had felt on her student’s selfish reasons dissipated at the last whisper. While Sunset’s first few reasons followed a cold, cruel and downright worrying logic, those whispered words held a heartfelt compassion. Those words made any prior statements shine in a new light. Wouldn’t it be wise to learn all that happened, so it may never happen again? Shouldn’t the source of power Sombra misused be found, so it would never hurt anypony again?
Sunset Shimmer had slumped down on the floor again, lost in a glower that was as much anger as it was confusion. In her heart, Princess Celestia sighed deeply. As hard as she might try to fight, Sunset was beginning to change. Celestia knew from centuries of experience that change never came easily. Although she longed to do more, tell Sunset that everything would turn out right if she was just patient, Celestia did none of it. She was a teacher and Sunset was her student, so she could only offer guidance as was expected. She pushed back the part of her heart that begged to do more and forced her features into a neutral expression. She moved so she could sit next to her talented student again and once more, her great wing wrapped around Sunset. This much comfort, she could offer.
Sunset and Celestia stayed like this for a few minutes in silence. Sunset’s angry expression never faded. Princess Celestia knew the best way to pull Sunset out of her anger was to give her another task to focus on, another riddle to solve. Ever since Sunset Shimmer had lived with her in the palace, this had always worked
“If Crystal Note cannot face her fears right now, perhaps there is a way to go past them.”
Sunset’s ears perked up and when she turned her head to look up at the princess, she had that eager and curious light in her eyes again
“But how can we do that? She’s just afraid of everything.”
“That seems true. One thing we can do and have done is show her that she doesn’t have to face her fears all alone. Most of all, you need to show her that she is not alone, Sunset Shimmer.”
Sunset sighed deeply but accepted the truth now that she heard it from Princess Celestia as well
“I know. She thinks I’m her guardian or something.”
She felt the wing that held flex for a soft squeeze
“I am aware that this is not what you had hoped for, Sunset. But after today I am more certain than ever before that only you can help her, my talented student.”
Sunset nodded with grim determination as she repeated in her mind what she had been telling herself for a long time now. If anypony can do it, it’s got to be me.
Like a gear slipping back into place, Sunset’s mind started running and analysing everything that happened. She would find a way to finish this mission. She would prove to Princess Celestia that she was ready for bigger and better tasks. She would exceed any expectations, as usual. But this time, there was another thought that slipped into her usual mind-set. I will help Crystal Note no matter what.