Well, this escalated quickly.
Twilight, Starlight, Spike, Sunset, and I were in the throne room in Canterlot Castle. Sunset was finally ready to make up with Princess Celestia.
Unfortunately, Celestia, with her wings spread out, was staring daggers at Sunset, and I held one of Sunset’s hooves with both hands. I was so hoping that Celestia entered “Trollestia mode” and was just messing with us, and we would soon get a “gotcha”.
But there was no “gotcha”. The Princess of the Day didn’t appear to be trolling us this time.
My siblings, girlfriend, and I looked at each other, silently asking who wanted to say something first.
Big sis Twilight “agreed” to be the one. With one of her big nervous grins, Twi looked to Celestia and greeted, “Uh, hi, Princess Celestia. Beautiful day, isn’t it? Not that any other day is bad because it’s not like you ever mess up raising the Sun, right? Ha, ha, ha?”
Celestia’s face didn’t change one bit. Guess she was immune to Twilight’s adorkableness today.
“But guess...*gulp*...who came to visit you, Princess Celestia? I’m sure you remember Sunset Shimmer, right?” Starlight asked. That was obviously a dumb question, but nerves can do that to you.
I said, “Yep! She finally wanted to see you again! It’s been a while, right?”
Spike reminded, “And sure, she once rejected your lessons, ran off, and came back to steal Twilight’s crown, but that’s water under the bridge, right?”
Not one of Spike’s better efforts to ease a tense situation. I facepalmed with my left hand, but kept the right one on Sunset’s hoof. Way to make Sunset look good Spike.
This was going nowhere fast. No, not even that well.
I turned my head to Sunset. She had her head down, and the hoof I still held shook slightly. That was it: I had to suck it up and say something that could actually help. Knowing Twilight, she was about to give it another go but this time, I wasn’t going to wait for her.
“B-But Sunset wants to make up with you, Princess Celestia, and she’s not how she used to be, I promise.” I put my left hand back on Sunset’s hoof, rubbed it with both hands, and whispered, “Okay, Sunset, you’re up. Remember, we are all here for you.”
Sunset’s hoof stopped shaking. She raised her head to me, nodded, and turned to Celestia, wearing a more determined frown. “Princess Celestia, I-I know how horrible I was to you. You took me under your wing, tried to help me grow into the best pony I could be, but my impatience, arrogance, and thirst for power blinded me. But, with the help of Princess Twilight and my friends in the world on the other side of the portal, I have learned the errors of my ways. I have done my best to change, make up for my mistakes and to help others, like you and Princess Twilight do. I learned the magic of friendship, made wonderful friends, and I even have an amazing boyfriend in Eric Reed, who I love with all my heart.”
I couldn’t resist smiling at the part about me. Even had to fight the urge to kiss my girlfriend. Not to mention I was proud of her to boot.
“Now, I have come to mend our relationship, and hope that we can start over. I am so sorry for all the wrongs I have committed, but I know a simple apology can’t fix how I broke your heart.” Tears formed in Sunset’s eyes. With her voice breaking, she begged, “Still, please, Princess Celestia, give me…*sniff*...another chance to be your faithful student, I beg of you. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? That’s all I want right now.”
Princess Celestia’s scowl weakened. Was she forgiving Sunset, or would she refuse to forgive somepony that’s sorry for once? Or was she merely milking it to mess with our heads?
I wasn’t taking any chances, so I said, “Yes, Princess Celestia. Even when I was in my world, I saw Sunset atone and grow into not a good, or great, but an amazing pony, or person. She even gave me the strength to heal from my own past, never wanted anything in return, and I'd do anything for her.”
Twilight chimed in, “And I will vouch for Sunset too, Princess Celestia, and once, she taught me a friendship lesson. If I had to pass my title of Princess of Friendship to somepony, Sunset Shimmer would be one of my first choices.”
Starlight and Spike nodded their heads in agreement.
Celestia still said nothing, but folded her wings and walked toward us, or to Sunset. I felt my heart rate speed up, and I know Sunset’s heart did too. I instinctively pulled my girlfriend closer and tightened my hands’ grip on her hoof. Not that I could do a thing against Celestia if it came down to it.
After about five seconds, Celestia towered over Sunset. Since I was so close to Sunset, she towered over me too. When we’re both standing, I come up to Celestia’s chest, so Sunset and I had to look up at her face. It still had a serious frown, though less intense than before. Even so, Princess Celestia had never felt so powerful and intimidating, and I even needed to mentally remind myself that she’s a benevolent pony.
I looked to Twilight and Spike, then Starlight, and all three were biting a hoof/claw.
Sunset looked down and sadly suggested, “Or, I can leave and never come back?”
Please say “gotcha” please say “gotcha”.
After a tense as buck couple of seconds, Celestia’s frown flipped into a smile. She slowly moved her wing to Sunset’s right cheek, making her lift her face again.
In a gentle voice, Celestia said, “I have waited so long to hear those words, Sunset Shimmer, and of course I forgive you. Welcome back, and I have missed you so much.”
It wasn’t a “gotcha” but I would have definitely taken it! I let Sunset’s hoof go and took a few steps back, knowing what was coming.
Sunset whimpered, “I’ve missed you too, Princess Celestia. I’m sorry. I’m so--”
Celestia slid the wing on Sunset’s cheek to her mouth, like a mother would, then wrapped a foreleg around her in an embrace. Sunset returned the hug with both forelegs, and tears flowed from both mares' eyes. Saying it was a heartwarming scene would be a colossal understatement, and I had to fight back tears. Sunset and Princess Celestia had finally made up!
However, something ended the moment: A thud from my right. We all looked to see what it was.
Lying on the floor was an unconscious purple Alicorn. I took it that said Alicorn was more nervous than I thought she was, and the relief she felt made her faint.
Spike remarked, “I’m surprised she lasted this long before fainting. I’d say she’ll wake up in ten minutes."
Starlight chuckled and said to Sunset and Celestia, “Maybe you two should have hugged sooner.”
“And I knew we should have brought a pillow so Twi would have had something soft to land on,” I joked, forcing chuckles from all of us.
Celestia commented, “And I know Twilight’s rubbed off on you, Eric, but I would guess that your sense of humor didn’t come from her.”
After we had more chuckles, Sunset and Princess Celestia talked for a while. The rest of us thought it best to leave and go into the main hall of the castle, so those two could be alone; they had some catching up to do. Twilight was still out cold, so Starlight carried her out of the throne room with her magic. If I had a pin, I would have been tempted to draw a mustache on Twi’s face.
After around a half-hour after Sunset’s and Princess Celestia’s long-awaited reunion -- and about twenty minutes after the Princess of Fainting woke up -- we were in the main hall of the castle, sitting in chairs by one of six tables in the room. Five ponies, all Unicorns, walked around some of the tables that were covered with a white table cover.
A door opened, and a giggling Sunset and Celestia walked through it and down some stairs in front of the door. The smile on Sunset’s face was unlike any I’ve seen from her. If she wasn’t at peace and kept it to herself before, she sure was now.
Twilight called out, “Are you two all caught up now?”
Sunset and Celestia walked up to us and Celestia answered, “Not completely. A lot has happened since she left Equestria, but we’ll get there.”
“And thank you all for coming to be there for me. I could not have done it without you.”
“Ha, we didn’t do much, and it was your choice to come, so you should take all of the credit, Sunset,” Twilight said.
“And I’m just glad you two are friends again,” I said.
Sunset giggled and looked to Celestia. “See, Princess Celestia? I told you they would say something like that.”
“And you know how stubborn they can be, so let them think they don’t deserve any credit,” Spike said.
Twilight and I chuckled. That was a bull’s-eye, and we all knew it.
“If you insist. But, Eric, I must say from what Sunset told me, in her words, you are an amazing boyfriend. And you know, in some ways, I think of Sunset not as a student or even a friend, but a daughter. I think that was the reason it hurt so much when she left.”
Sunset frowned and looked down. “Yeah, and I’m so--”
Celestia set a wing over Sunset’s mouth to hush her and again looked like a mother, complete with a motherly smile. This time, I felt a wave of nostalgia because it made me think about my mom doing it to me. In fact, Twilight did this to me a couple of times in her “Momlight” moments.
“Oh, Sunset, you don’t have to apologize anymore. It’s all in the past, so we should look forward. Besides, if I could have been a better teacher and been there for you better, maybe you wouldn't have gone down the dark path you did or was driven to leave.”
Sunset nodded her head, and Celestia moved her wing off Sunset’s mouth.
Celestia looked to me. “Anyway, as I was saying, Eric, Sunset is like a daughter to me. That means someday, you might have to call me mom,” Celestia said with a wink.
Both Sunset and I knew what that meant, and we both rubbed our necks and she blushed. Guess I did too because my cheeks warmed up.
The others giggled, and I should be glad Celestia didn't joke about wanting grandfoals. If she did, I might have pulled a Twilight and fainted!
But before we did or said something else, a yellow Unicorn mare in the hall said something, but we barely made it out.
“I still don’t know why the Princesses are so nice to that whatever he called himself. Pink Heart of Courage or not, I wouldn’t let that weird-looking thing come anywhere near my mansion.”
Guess she was one of those particularly snobbish Unicorns, and even Rarity can’t stand them. One thing Diane Heart never did was think of me as a “thing”, but just “looked weird”.
Twilight, Spike, and Sunset gasped, surrounded me and put a comforting hoof/claw on me. Starlight glared at the mare and growled. Even Princess Celestia gave a sympathetic frown.
But, this time, while hearing somepony call me a “thing” hurt, it only hurt a little. Something I can more than handle after all the stuff I’ve been through, and looking “weird” didn’t stop me from getting a girlfriend and an amazing one at that. If I still needed it, this proved I was over my past. I even let out a chuckle.
“You know what? Let that snob think that. I have not just a Pink Heart of Courage, but three of the most amazing mares ever as either my girlfriend or big sister, one’s even a princess, five of my friends are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and the best Dragon ever as a little brother. If she thinks there’s something wrong with me, that says something about her.”
“You promise?” Twilight asked in a soft voice. “Of all ponies, I know how you try to hide it when you’re hurt.”
“Not this time, Twi. I promise.”
Twilight smiled and said, “Wow, I’m proud of you, little bro. You have grown in the last month.”
Starlight stared more daggers at the snob, then looked back to us. “But I still hate that a pony would think that about you. You're not a 'thing', and it makes me so mad hearing somepony talk that way about you.”
I was about to tell Starlight that it was okay, but before my mouth opened, Celestia said, “Uh, I’m afraid I must take my leave, but I’m happy to have seen you all.”
The rest of us said, “Okay, Princess Celestia.”
“And, Sunset, you can come to see me anytime you need me, or just want to, okay?”
“I will, Princess Celestia,” Sunset responded.
After Celestia went through a door to do whatever she needed to do, we left the castle through a different door, with me holding Sunset’s hoof.
Though, right after we walked out of the castle, Twilight said she needed to go back inside for a minute, and sped back in. After doing something, she ran out with an almost smug smile, but told us that she was thinking about something funny.
Before we got far from the castle, that mare that said I looked weird screamed, then yelled that whatever she bit into was hot. No idea what was going on, but it made Twilight chuckle. Heh, guess she was more mad at that mare than she was putting on to do that.
We had some time before it was time to go to the train station, so we walked around Canterlot for a while. I’ve hardly been out here in Canterlot, and Sunset hasn’t been back in years, so we both wanted to explore it. Once it was time, we boarded the train and returned to Ponyville.
When Twilight ran back into the castle, she levitated a bottle of hot sauce that sat on one of the tables. With a mischievous smile, she poured some into a half-eaten hayburger the mare that called Eric strange was eating. All the ponies in the room were facing in another direction, making them all unaware of Twilight’s actions. With a satisfied smile, the Princess trotted out of the castle once again. The big sister in Twilight Sparkle overrode how she should act as the Princess of Friendship.
That will teach her to call my little brother “weird” or a “thing”.
After Twilight left, Princess Celestia secretly returned to the room, holding a bottle of extra spicy hot sauce in her magic. She repeated what Twilight did with the “normal” hot sauce, also unseen. With her “job” done, with a chuckle, Celestia left the room in earnest with a content smile.
Even out of the room, Princess Celestia heard the snobbish Unicorn scream from her burning mouth and tongue.
“Gotcha,” Celestia quietly said to herself with a giggle.
Back in Ponyville, in the library in Twilight’s castle, Sunset and I were sitting beside each other on a couch. Twilight was in her room and she said she needed to rest, Spike felt like going to visit Thorax, and Starlight decided to hang out with Maud for a while. Bet you thought it would be Trixie that Starlight went to, didn’t you?
“So, Sunset, this was a day for you to remember, I’d say.”
“Yes, it is. After all these years, I still can’t believe Princess Celestia and I have made peace. It’s almost like I’m dreaming.”
“Well, you could try pinching yourself, uh, wait, you can’t really do that with hooves. Maybe bite a hoof instead?”
Sunset actually did it, yelped, and said, “That hurt, so this is real.”
“Well, now you know for sure this isn’t a dream.”
Sunset leaned into me and wrapped her forelegs around me. Her grip was tighter than usual. Before I could ask why, she told me, “Eric? Thank you. You inspired me to make up with Princess Celestia by getting over your past. If not for you, I might not have ever faced her.”
“I did? But...oh, I think I get it. Till now, you didn’t think you totally got over your past, and is that why you suddenly wanted to go to Princess Celestia?”
“Yeah. I’ve always wanted to see her, but when you said you got over your past, and Erica said you sounded different, it made me realize that I didn’t truly do it. If I didn’t meet Princess Celestia and prove to myself otherwise, I would have felt like a fraud.”
I was surprised, but I also felt pride, knowing how I helped Sunset reunite with Princess Celestia without even knowing, and I wrapped my arms around her to return the hug. But when we broke it up, her necklace caught my eye. I felt some shame and it made me rub my hands in disappointment in myself. It was time to fess up.
“Wait, I have a confession myself. I didn’t actually get you that necklace.”
Sunset looked to her necklace, then to me with a puzzled frown. “Huh? If it didn’t come from you, where did it come from?”
“From Pinkie Pie, or the Pinkie in your world and don’t ask how she knew to help, because I don’t either. I...forgot to have somepony get you something for me when I was in the hospital, but I didn’t want you to think that I thought our one-month anniversary wasn’t important. But I’m going to get you something else to make up for it later, I promise!”
I thought -- or hoped -- Sunset would say it was okay and she wasn’t mad. But instead of saying something, she full-on laughed. I was confused, but not enough to fail to see how cute she looked.
“What? What’s so funny?”
Sunset calmed down the laughing and explained, “That. How you can do something for me but don’t see how important it is. And before you ask, I meant that you already made up for it by being by my side when I faced Princess Celestia.”
I wanted to say it wasn’t too big a deal, but I knew Sunset wouldn’t buy it, so I simply kissed her.
“You’re getting too good at shooting down my arguments, you know that?”
“Yep,” Sunset answered in a cute, playful voice.
“But from what you said earlier, we helped each other without knowing it. And like I said before: we make a good team.”
“No. We make a great team, Eric.”
A voice commented, “Yeah, you two are. I'm almost jealous.”
Sunset and I turned our heads to one of the library’s doors. Twilight was walking in, wearing a pride-filled smile.
“Oh, hey, Twi. What’s up?” I asked.
“I just wanted to say how proud I am of you two.”
Sunset asked, “What do you mean?”
“First, Sunset, you have wanted to see Princess Celestia for a while, but couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Now, you finally have, and you went to her on your own accord. And, Buggie, you took charge and stood up for Sunset, and I couldn’t have said what you did any better. You two have grown more than you know.”
Even though Twilight Sparkle does not hesitate to give her friendship speeches or praise, she doesn’t just “give” them. There’s meaning to them, so hearing it made a warm feeling go through me. Sunset formed a bashful smile.
“Thanks,” Sunset and I both said at the same time. Yep, we’re still doing stuff like that.
“In fact, if I knew you two had grown so much, I would have let you go in Princess Celestia's throne room on your own, but I thought you would need me. Especially because Celestia was still a little mad at you, Sunset, but it--”
I gasped. This just got more interesting. “Wait, hold it! Go back to that last part, Twilight.”
“What part?”
“The part where you said that Celestia was still mad at Sunset.”
Twilight gasped and formed one of her nervous grins again. This time, I was immune to her adorkableness. “Oh, that? Well, y-you see--”
I interrupted, “In fact, was that why you were so nervous before we went?”
Twilight rubbed her neck as she stuttered, “Uh, well, I-I thought that m-maybe if s-she saw Sunset, she would have--” Twilight looked at the side of her hoof “--oh, look at the time! I--”
“Twilight? That trick won’t work, because you never wear watches,” I pointed out in a serious voice.
“I-In that case, bye!” Twilight fled out of the library at a speed she hardly uses, and it even had an audible zip. I couldn’t believe she didn't tell us that! Then again, maybe she thought that if she did, Sunset wouldn’t have tried to go, but thought everything would work out. I guess.
“Well, that happened,” I remarked.
“It might have been for the best that she didn’t tell me before we went. And, there’s one more thing I should tell you.”
“Okay. What is it?”
Sunset frowned and rubbed her hooves as she said, “You told me that you thought I was amazing even before you left your old world. Now, I can’t believe I missed seeing just how amazing you really are sooner, Eric. I’m sorry I did.”
“It’s all right. I’m just glad you think that at all. Oh, and aren’t you glad now that I never took your and the other girls’ suggestion to try and ask out Princess Twilight?”
Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, and I’m glad you kept refusing to listen to us. And...the next time I’m back in Equestria, maybe we could finally…?” Sunset blushed and made circles on the couch with a hoof. It reminded me of how she did it when she wanted to ask if she could spend the night after our date. Just like back then, I knew what she was thinking, but I wasn’t shy about what she wanted to do this time.
“Oh! So you’re ready. In that case, when you come back, I will definitely have that ‘Do Not Disturb!’ sign on my door for it!”
Sunset grinned, and we leaned in to kiss as a small preview of what was coming. I couldn’t wait for when Sunset came back, and it was going to be a magical time. Not even two months ago, thinking of simply kissing a mare on the lips felt weird as buck, let alone...that. Guess I’ve changed more than I thought over the last couple of months.
And yep, according to “the book”, it is possible after all.
But that aside, I could only wonder what would happen next in my relationship with Sunset Shimmer, even if I’m more of an “in the now” kind of guy. However, there were a couple of things I knew.
One is that, with me finally over my past, I’ve never felt so much at peace. Not that I wasn’t already, but still. And two, when dating a Sunset Shimmer, or the Sunset Shimmer, things are great.
Unless I do something to screw this up!
And, maybe I should ask Twilight if she’s hiding anything else from Sunset or me.