Twilight stared at the massive doors in front of her, straining her neck to see the top of them. As if the guards on either side weren’t impressive enough, the doors themselves were massive.
Next to her, Sunset had her eyes closed and was taking one deep breath after another. Fearing that she might be approaching a panic attack, Twilight nudged her gently on the shoulder, surprising the other mare.
“Hey. You’re gonna be fine, Sunny.”
Sunset smiled at her. “Thanks, Sweetie.” On her other side, Princess Twilight took a few steps forward, greeting the guardsponies with a nod.
“Are you ready, Sunset?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at them.
Sunset gulped, but nodded. The alicorn turned back to the guards, who in in turn, opened the great doors to admit them.
The throne room was just as massive and impressive as the doors leading into it, if not more so. On the far side, Twilight could see a large, golden throne and a familiar figure sitting upon it.
The trio made their way up the red carpet leading to the throne itself. Looking around, Twilight spotted a number of stained glass windows to either side, depicting sun and moon motifs.
She brought her attention back to her girlfriend. Sunset had her eyes locked on the floor, and appeared to get increasingly nervous with each step she drew towards the solar alicorn. Twilight's counterpart looked to be getting a little tense as well. Twilight wanted to say something to Sunset, to whisper comforting words to her, but a glance at the imposing, stoic Princess sitting upon the throne stifled those words.
Princess Twilight came to a halt in front of her fellow Princess, Sunset and Twilight following her lead. The amber unicorn’s eyes still locked on the floor.
“Sooo, Princess Celestia,” Princess Twilight giggled with a too-large smile plastered on her face. “You'll never guess who's back. Actually, maybe you can guess, cause she's right here. But, uhm...” she trailed off. Apparently she wasn’t much better at dealing with tense situations than Twilight herself was.
Sunset took one more calming breath before stepping forward to address the Solar Diarch.
Twilight followed her gaze, taking in the full appearance of the royal alicorn who stood up from her throne. Her stoic expression showed the barest hint of shock.
“Princess, I know you must have mixed feelings about seeing me. The last time we saw each other, I was your snide little pupil, who betrayed and abandoned you. But I want you to know, that I come before you, a changed pony. I am so, so sorry, Princess. I am so sorry and ashamed of what I did. I don’t know how I can ever make it up to you. But I-”
She was cut off, as Princess Celestia pulled her into a tight hug, wings and all
“How can you forgive me so easily?” Sunset sobbed into Celestia’s fur. “I thought you’d be furious with me.”
“Oh, Sunset,” Celestia responded softly. “I was never angry with you. I was sad, because I thought I had lost you.”
“I’m so sorry,” Sunset wailed, pulling out of the hug and wiping her eyes.
“I forgive you, Sunset,” Celestia beamed. “And I am so very proud of you. Don’t think I haven’t heard of your exploits in the other world.”
Sunset didn’t respond, instead, simply smiling sheepishly at her old mentor.
Both of Sunset’s companions found themselves wiping tears from their eyes, though Twilight had some trouble with her inexperienced hooves.
“Why don’t we take this conversation somewhere a little more cozy, and you can introduce me to your new friend,” Celestia continued, nodding her head in Twilight's direction.
Sunset nodded in response, and the Princess lit her horn.
Twilight felt a familiar jolt as she was teleported for the second time in her life. She closed her eyes to try and suppress the dizziness. After a few seconds, the sensation lifted and she opened her eyes again.
The four of them had all been transported to a much smaller room. One of the walls held a lit fireplace, and another was filled with bookshelves.
The other ponies were all making themselves comfortable on various cushions cradled in front of the fireplace. The two Princesses sat next to each other and across from them, Sunset had picked out a pillow large enough for two and was looking expectantly at Twilight. She quickly closed the distance between them and snuggled up close to her girlfriend.
“So then.” Princess Celestia continued. “Who is this lovely young mare you’ve brought, Sunset?”
Twilight felt herself blush at the comment.
“Well, Princess, this is my friend from the other world, Twilight Sparkle,” Sunset answered, looking at Twilight.
“Uhm, hello,” Twilight said, barely audibly. The solar alicorn certainly was a sight to behold, and when her full attention fell on her, Twilight felt herself tense up.
“Twilight Sparkle, you say?” Celestia asked, glancing at the blushing alicorn next to her. “I’m afraid you’ll have to provide a bit of an explanation.”
“I’m Princess Twilight’s counterpart from Terra,” Twilight explained. “We dyed my coat, mane and tail so I wouldn’t draw unwanted attention.
“Fascinating,” Celestia said, staring intently at her. “Ah, yes, I can see it now. You have the exact same eyes as my student. “
Twilight nodded, squirming a little under the alicorn’s scrutiny.
“You two seem very close,” Celestia observed, turning her attention onto Sunset. “It makes me happy to see that you’ve found good friends in your new home.”
The smaller alicorn giggled. “They’re more than friends, actually,” she said, giving Sunset and Twilight a mischievous smile.
“Really, now?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow at Sunset.
Sunset’s hoof traced circles in the carpet. “Uh, yeah. She’s kinda my… marefriend.”
Celestia smiled brightly. “That’s wonderful to hear, my little pony. I worried about you, after my methods to get you to reach out to others failed.”
Twilight heard a stifled gasp emanate from her counterpart.
“You’re methods weren’t the problem, Princess,” Sunset murmured. “I was.”
Celestia hummed. “And yet, here you are, a changed pony, in your own words. You have managed to bond with others without my interference,” she waved a hoof meaningfully at both Twilight and her counterpart.
“Only after the Elements of Harmony curbed my jealousy and anger,” Sunset grumbled.
“None of us are perfect, Sunset. And some of us need a little help, even if we don’t want to admit that we do. Isn’t that right Twilight?” Celestia glanced at the younger alicorn.
Princess Twilight blushed and nodded. “I’ve had to learn that lesson firsthoof. And secondhoof, too, a few times.”
Celestia looked back at Sunset. “Twilight here has told me what happened across the mirror on both occasions she visited, but why don’t you tell me how things have been for you since I last saw you?”
Sunset exhaled heavily. “That would be a pretty long story, Princess.”
“For you, Sunset, I have all the time in the world,” Princess Celestia replied.
Sunset beamed at her. “Well, okay then.” she launched into a brief overview of her time spent on the other side of the portal. The solar Princess would occasionally interject with a question or comment. But for the most part, Sunset held the floor.
Twilight listened to her girlfriend’s story, some of which she had already heard, but much of which was new. It hit her just how much Sunset had changed before she met her.
“At first, I was so scared,” Sunset continued after describing being hit by the elements. “I didn’t know how I was supposed to act, or what I was supposed to do. After so many years of treating others as little more than tools, and thinking of myself as better and more important, it was a huge change for me. But those girls, my friends at the time,” she admitted with a sigh, “accepted me into their group, and showed me a way to be better."
Sunset repeated much of what she’d talked about back at the party last night, this time with less anger, and more melancholy.
“Then, after the battle with the sirens, I felt like I had redeemed myself. People no longer avoided me at every opportunity, or whispered behind my back.” Sunset’s face fell as she continued. “But that didn’t last very long. Someone started spreading rumors and bile among the students, making it look like I was the one doing it. And before long, I had lost every one of my friends there. If it hadn’t been for Princess Twilight and Mom, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
Sunset’s eyes widened as she realized her slip.
“’Mom’?” Celestia perked up. “Now that’s something I’d like to hear more about.”
Sunset blushed. “Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that. Uhm…” She took a couple moments to gather her thoughts. “When I first got there, I was living alone. It was tough, but I got by. Until one day, I was taken in by the school’s principal. She gave me a place to stay and good food. Eventually she formally adopted me.”
Celestia tapped her chin in thought. “Twilight,” she looked over at the young alicorn on her side. “Didn’t you say that the principal in that other world was my own counterpart?”
Twilight nodded, giggling. “That’s right.”
Sunset groaned, burying her head in her hooves.
The others shared a giggle at her display, before Celestia spoke up. “It is rather fitting though. I always thought that, if things had been different, I could have been a mother too you. Alas, my duties as Princess would have left me with too little time for you,” she finished solemnly.
Sunset peeked out from behind her hoof. “Thanks, Princess. It still feels kinda weird to talk about her with you, to be honest.”
Celestia shrugged. “Then perhaps we could change the subject back to the other doppelganger in your life.”
All eyes turned to Twilight, causing her to instinctively wilt and press closer to Sunset.
“I’m quite curious to hear how you two met,” Celestia continued.
“I’ve been talking almost non stop for a while now,” Sunset said. “Why don’t you take over here, Sweetie?”
Twilight gulped. “Uhm, sure.”
She wracked her brain for where to start, and cursed the fact that she hadn’t gotten an opportunity to prepare.
“We met at school,” Twilight started. “After Sunset transferred, I mean. I-I helped her with some of her studies, and we just kinda got along really well.”
Both princesses watched her expectantly.
“There was some drama with a bully, too... Sunset sung me a beautiful song... We went to the mall once," she knew she was grasping at straws at this point and decided it be best to just stop. "That’s more or less it,” she finished with a nervous smile. She turned to look at Sunset, lowering her voice to a whisper. “You’re way better than me at telling stories.”
Sunset’s only response was to chuckle and nuzzle her.
“Anyway, since I’m here,” Sunset said, turning her attention on her former mentor. “I wanted to ask for your advice on something. Just before we came here, my old friends came up to me and offered an apology, saying they wanted me back. I’m not sure whether I want to forgive them or not. At first, when they turned against me, I wanted nothing more than to get them back, to undo whatever had come between us. But, after a few weeks, I guess I became bitter towards them and wanted nothing to do with them anymore. Now that they've offered an apology, I don’t know what to do.”
“I think you should forgive them.” Princess Twilight chipped in. ”I know those girls have a good heart. They just made some mistakes. Besides, remember how much fun we all had at the party yesterday?”
“Yes, but those are your friends,” Twilight retorted, her temper rising. “These girls aren’t like the mares that you’re so close too. They betrayed Sunset’s trust, and trust is not easily regained.”
The purple alicorn ruffled her wings and her voice filled with agitation. “But Sunset could at least give them a chance to regain her trust, rather than block them out completely.”
“What if Sunset doesn’t want to give them another chance?” Twilight snapped angrily. “What if she’s happier now than she ever was with those self-righteous blowhards?!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. As did the others’. She looked around when she felt Sunset’s hoof on her withers.
“Calm down, Sweetie.” Sunset’s soothing voice mixed well with her calming strokes. “What’s got you so angry over this?”
“Sorry,” Twilight said, her face blushing and her eyes downcast. “I may have gone a bit far, there.” She cleared her throat, “But that still doesn’t mean that I don’t have a valid point,” she added, defiantly. “If you ask me, the only reason they apologized was to clear their own collective conscious. They seem to think they're such amazing friends, and abandoning Sunset must’ve been a blow to that self image.” She shot a glare at her counterpart. “Perhaps someone put delusions of grandeur in their minds.”
“What?!” Princess Twilight shrieked, her wings snapping to their full span, as she stood to her full height. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You remember what Sunset said,” Twilight raised herself to her hooves. “Those girls were forgetting that she even existed while writing songs about how great they all are! You can't honestly tell me that's not a little narcissistic.”
“They were learning to be better! They just made some mistakes!”
“That is enough,” Celestia spoke, not with force but with a note of finality. The smaller alicorn dropped back to her barrel in an instant, and Twilight followed at a slower pace.
“I’ve never seen you get that worked up before,” Sunset smiled at her. “Seems you can be pretty fierce when you want to.”
Twilight hung her head sheepishly. “I just really don’t like what those girls did to you.”
“But they made me happy, too,” Sunset replied. “Even if it wasn’t all the time.”
“Hm,” Twilight mumbled noncommittally. She still felt a little sulky, but decided to keep it to herself for now.
“So,” Celestia spoke up, gazing playfully at Sunset. “Now you’re wondering whether or not you can forgive you’re old friends after they betrayed and abandoned you?” Celestia tapped her chin. “Sounds somewhat familiar.”
Sunset froze, her eyes widening. “Oh. I never really thought about it like that.” She thought it over for a moment. “A-and you accepted me back, even after everything I did to you. Does that mean…”
Celestia shook her head. “I am simply pointing out an interesting parallel. Just because I decided to accept you back into my life, does not mean you must make the same decision for them.” The princess sighed. “When you left, it hurt me. And if you had come back to me a mere month later, claiming to be reformed, asking me to forgive you and take you back, I might not have been able to do so, yet.”
Sunset wilted at the words. “You haven’t really brought me any closer to an actual decision, you know.”
Celestia giggled softly. “My advice would be to talk to them. Tell them how they hurt you, and go from there. You may find it easier to decide what to do.”
Sunset smiled. “Yeah. I… I can do that. Thanks, Princess.”
They all lapsed into a brief silence.
“So,” Celestia spoke up. “How has your stay in Equestria been, so far?”
The trio walked from the castle to the library in amicable silence. Twilight had never seen Sunset look this content since she met her, and she didn’t want to say or do anything that might ruin the moment. She still felt a bit of animosity towards her counterpart, but that feeling was slowly morphing into guilt as time passed.
When they entered the Royal Library, Twilight gasped at the sight. “This… this is amazing!” she gushed.
The library was massive. Even more so than her counterpart’s private library was. Row upon row of ancient, intricately crafted bookcases lined each side of a central walkway. Here and there throughout the shelves were small reading areas with plush cushions of various sizes.
“Pretty impressive, huh?” Sunset said smugly.
“Yeah,” Twilight replied, staring in awe.
The Princess led them to a map near the front, which showed the different sections of the library.
“Hey, there’s the section on advanced magical theory,” Sunset pointed. “I was hoping to maybe find something there that could help us figure out more about the portal. Hmm, was there something in particular you wanted to see, Sweetie?”
Twilight read the various section titles on the map. “Magical creatures sounds interesting. That’d be dragons, hydras and other creatures like that, right?”
“Yep,” Sunset frowned as she looked back at the map. “They're pretty far apart though.”
“I know!” the princess piped up. “You can go to the advanced magical theory section and find what you need there, and I can go with Sweet to help her navigate the magical creatures section. Then we can meet up in this reading area,” she concluded, pointing at a spot on the map.
“Yeah, that works,” Sunset smiled.
Twilight inwardly wilted. “Yeah, sure,” she said with a forced smile directed at her counterpart.
“Okay, great!” the alicorn cheered, prancing off in the direction of the magical creatures section.
Sunset leaned in to give Twilight a small kiss on the side of her muzzle. “See you in a bit, Sweetie,” she said as she went down the opposite way.
Twilight sighed, following after her doppelganger. She caught up to the alicorn quickly, despite her sedated pace.
“Look, I know you’re mad at me,” the alicorn said in a soft voice.
Twilight flinched. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get so… aggressive earlier.”
The princess said nothing, simply keeping her pace down the aisle of books.
“I’m not angry at you though,” Twilight continued with a sighed. “Not really. I just… I want Sunset to make the right choice.” She chuckled humorlessly. “I don’t even know where all that anger came from. It’s really not like me.”
“I may be able to provide some perspective on that,” the princess said with a proud smile.
Twilight raised her eyebrows in curiosity. “Alright. Go ahead, then.”
“You’re aggression comes from a desire to protect your friend. When one of my friends is being harassed, I can get a little crazy, too.”
“Is that why you keep taking their side?” Twilight asked, a little more bitterly than she intended.
The princess sighed. “I spent enough time with those girls to call them my friends, and I want to believe that they’re good people.”
“And I don’t want them to have another chance to hurt Sunset,” Twilight replied.
“What makes you so sure they will?” the alicorn asked, giving her a meaningful look.
Twilight frowned. “Because they’ve already done it before. And frankly, I’m not convinced that they actually want to change.”
“I believe that they will want to change if they understand exactly how much they hurt Sunset,” the princess replied. “I truly think they didn’t know the significance of their actions."
Twilight didn’t have a retort for that. Instead, she trotted along in silence until they reached their destination.
Twilight gave a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry about antagonizing you. I know you’re just trying to help Sunset. But, I shouldn’t have shouted at you like I did, so, I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” the princess smiled. “And, I’m also sorry for shouting back.” She looked up at the towering shelves next to them. “So, what did you have in mind?”
“Something with illustrations. I want to know just how similar these creatures are to our myths.”
The princess levitated a book from one of the shelves. “I’d recommend this one. It’s written for younger ponies, but it provides a basic understanding of how magical creatures work, without getting bogged down by the details. It makes for a good introduction, while also giving a comprehensive overview. It was one of my favorites when I was a filly,” she added, her expression turning sheepish. “Not that I’m trying to imply anything by that.”
Twilight just giggled. “Hey, I did ask for something with pictures, so I really should have expected this.” She took the book in her own aura and took a closer look at the cover. “It looks good enough for me. Let’s go meet up with Sunset.”
A short trot later, and Twilight caught sight of her girlfriend sitting at one of the reading tables.
“Find something good?” Sunset asked as Twilight took a seat next to her.
“Yup,” Twilight chirped, showing the book to Sunset. “It’s one that the princess really liked when she was younger, so I guess I’m obligated to like it, too,” she joked.
“That’s not what I said!” the princess protested as she took a seat opposite the other two.
“So, Twilight,” Sunset said. “You sure you don’t mind me and Sweetie leaving you after this?”
The alicorn waved her off. “It’s totally fine. I already have some plans of my own for tonight.”
“Oh?” Sunset asked, her interest visibly peaked. “What plans may I ask, and with whom?”
Twilight tilted her head questioningly at her blushing counterpart.
“I’m going to be spending time with Princess Luna,” she replied. “And I’ll probably stay until really late, so you’ll have to take the train to Ponyville by yourselves.”
Twilight gave her a curious look, but didn’t say anything.
Sunset, meanwhile tilted her head in confusion. “Oh, you mean because Princess Luna is nocturnal, right? So she’ll only be getting up around dinner time, I guess?”
The princess gave a nervous smile. “Yep. That’s exactly the reason why.”
“You know, I actually kinda forgot about her,” Sunset said, rubbing her neck sheepishly. “I feel kinda bad about that. Maybe we could come with you and I could at least meet her?”
“No!” the princess said instantly. “She’s, uhh… She’s pretty shy, and I wouldn’t want to, y’know, bring extra guests without giving her a warning first,” she chuckled nervously.
“You mean like you did with Princess Celestia?” Sunset quirked an eyebrow.
“Don’t worry, Sunset,” Twilight nudged her comfortingly. “I’m sure we’ll get to meet her some other time. Right, princess,” she added, throwing a teasing grin at her counterpart.
The princess coughed into her hoof. “I’m sure that could be arranged. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find something to read.”
She got up and rushed out of sight before either unicorn could reply.
“Is she acting kinda weird to you?” Sunset asked.
Twilight smirked at her. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sunny.”
Sunset gave her an inquisitive look, but Twilight simply ignored her and turned her attention to her book.
By the time the princess returned, both Sunset and Twilight had immersed themselves in their respective reading material.
Twilight stuck her tongue out in concentration. Slowly, but surely, the page flipped to reveal the next magical creature.
“So…” the princess spoke, drawing both unicorns from their respective books. “Meeting Celestia again wasn’t so bad, was it?” she asked, looking at Sunset.
“No, it wasn’t,” Sunset chuckled, her earlier happiness making a return. “I honestly didn’t realize how much I needed that. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my withers.”
“Does that mean that you’ll visit more frequently?” the alicorn continued, eyes shining with hope.
“Yeah, I think so,” Sunset nodded. “What about you, Sweetie? Would you want to come here more?”
Twilight snorted. “Of course I would! This place has magic, actual magic!” she levitated her book for emphasis, delighting in the sensation despite her struggling.
“I’m glad to hear that,” the princess said. “Oh, and by the way,” she added with a smirk. “I told you so.”
Sunset chucked a cushion at her with her magic. “Yeah, yeah. You did,” she said, rolling her eyes.