Celestia took a deep breath and gripped the door handle. Yes, she had already been inside this room multiple times, but Sunset had been unconscious for all of those times. This would be the first time Sunset would be awake and coherent with her in the room.
Celestia opened the door and entered. Sunset turned her head and looked over at her.
"Hey Principal Celestia..."
Celestia took a seat at the side of the bed. "Sunset...I'm not your principal."
Sunset gave her a strange look for a moment before realization hit. She broke down in sobs before they turned into harsh coughs. Celestia looked worriedly at her.
"Sunset, should I-"
"Water..." Sunset rasped, trying to get her breathing back under control.
Celestia looked around, before spotting a glass of water on the bedside table, with a straw. She took the glass and placed the straw to Sunset's lips.
Sunset drank carefully, before putting her head back against the pillows and looking at her.
"...Is it really you?" She asked quietly.
"Yes Sunset, it's really me."
"...I'm so...so sorry."
Celestia sighed. "Sunset, that was a long time ago. It no longer matters."
"Doesn't it?" Sunset said. "Cause I'm sure still feeling the effects and consequences of coming over here..." Her eyes welled with water.
"Things will get better Sunset. You'll make it through this." Celestia tried assuring.
"...I'm not sure I can." Sunset whispered.
"Sunset..."
"No...I can't. I'm tired of always trying to be the strong one that always gets back up only to be kicked back down. I just...I just wanna go home..." She whispered brokenly.
"Which is exactly where you are going when you are able to leave this hospital." Celestia said determinedly.
Sunset looked back up at her. "...What?"
"I'm taking you back to Equestria Sunset. Even if by some stretch of the imagination you wanted to remain here, I would not allow it."
"...Thank you...Thank you so much..."
They remained silent for a long while after that, before Celestia broke it.
"Sunset...Twilight told me that you had said you wanted the students responsible for this returned here.
"Yes." Sunset confirmed.
Celestia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Sunset...I can't do that. There must be serious consequences for what they did. I cannot...No, I will not dismiss what they did."
"...What about what I did?"
"I...what?" Celestia asked, confused.
"I stole Twilight's crown, and tried to kill her. I tried to kill Equestrian royalty, and they tried to kill a fellow student. Who committed the worse crime?"
"Sunset-"
"There is a thing in this world called the "rule of law". It states that no one is above the law. If you lock them up, you'd have to put me down there with them."
Celestia opened her mouth to protest, but found that she could not argue with what Sunset had said. Everything she had said was true.
Sighing in defeat, Celestia relented. "Alright Sunset, if that is what you really want, then I will have them sent back."
Celestia left soon after, leaving Sunset to rest. It was beyond her comprehension that Sunset would argue her would be killer's case...These students did not know who they were losing.