//------------------------------//
// It always will be the world that she sees 
// Story: Music Box Blues 
// by PrincessColumbia 
//------------------------------//

Celestia woke with a start as she felt a hand shake her awake. Disoriented, she worried she would find herself in yet another universe, but blinking her sight clear revealed only a concerned Sunset, assistive phone in hand, and behind her the open door of her sister’s bedroom, Luna standing in her pajamas with a concerned look on her face.

“What,” began Luna, “Are you doing sleeping on the floor?”

With a rush, she remembered the nearly frantically spent hours after her final return home last night...or rather this morning. How she had nearly immediately pulled out her computer and began pulling up websites, horribly abusing her status as a high school principal to find, alter, and even flat out create records. Using her knowledge and skills she picked up from watching her counterparts from across the multiverse and even a few that she’d learned as a college student that she hadn’t used since that could very easily land her in legal trouble if anyone ever found out. Of calling Chrysalis at 2:30 in the morning on Hearth’s Warming Day and allowing the surly federal agent the chance to vent about being woken up by her old college roommate at un-GOD-ly hours on Freaking Hearth’s Warming and, “Do you know how little sleep I get running a branch of the F.B.I.?” Of swearing under pain of every law she had broken in the previous 2.5 hours to come to the attention of the absolutely worst possible authorities if Celestia ever revealed what Chrysalis was about to do for her to anyone that she would owe the woman a favor at a later date (as long as said favor wouldn’t result in Celestia having to injure or kill someone, the principal was firm on that).

“SUNSET!” Celestia gasped and grabbed the girl firmly into a very strong, very affectionate hug. The poor girl was pulled out of her crouch and squished awkwardly, her face buried in Celestia’s hair and shoulder. After the initial flailing about, the girl hesitantly patted the principal on the shoulder with one hand while gently pushing against the floor with the other, her pajama-clad rump at an embarrassing angle as she tried to keep her body from folding in ways it wasn’t supposed to from the surprise fondness.

Only Luna’s snickering brought her sister out of her reverie, “Right...sorry, Sunset.” She released the girl from the hold and let her back away. A confused but not unhappy look on her face told Celestia that she was on the right track with the gift she had thrown together in the wee hours of the morning. She picked up the packet next to her, looking no more impressive than an inter-office mailer envelope, though perhaps a little impressive in its thickness due to the contents. She handed it to Luna before heaving herself off the floor. “Sorry if I worried you two, a LOT happened last night after we all went to bed, and I wanted to make sure you didn’t go opening presents or anything before I could tell you what happened.” She swayed a little on her feet, her words clearly doing nothing to assuage the concerns of the other two women. “Listen, I’ve had a much longer night than is actually possible under most physics models and I need some coffee in the worst way. I will tell you everything I can…” she was interrupted by her own yawn, “...over breakfast.” So saying, she stumbled her way to the kitchen.

The other two watched her go, not moving until they heard the sounds of cupboards opening and the coffee grinder being used. Luna and Sunset turned to look at each other, “...’most physics models’...?” she parroted in confusion.

Sunset only shrugged.





Celestia was nursing what was perhaps her fourth cup of coffee since being woken up, her very hearty breakfast of the biggest omelet Luna could remember her ever having long since greedily devoured. The tale had been bizarre and honestly unbelievable, even for a pair of women who’d taken a former unicorn into their house. Only the fact that Celestia was able to take the belt off and drape it over the back of her chair lent full credence to her story.

“...and so after that last jaunt into the multiverse, I had Alice drop me off here and got to work on this.” She patted the envelope she had woken up with. Save for when she had first stumbled into the kitchen, she had refused to part with it once Luna had joined her and relinquished the packet back to it’s author’s custody.

Sunset was looking pensive. She had spent the entire time of the story listening carefully and reacting...enigmatically. During the retelling of the scenes from her filly-hood, she clammed up. For all the responses Celestia expected, that was the one she’d been dreading. It meant that her youth was where the pain was, and with a full night’s sleep, the girl was unlikely to be as open emotionally as she had the day before. Well, she thought hopefully, Maybe I was able to figure out what she needed for a gift and that pain will be healed, at least a little. 

Once they got past that portion (with Luna cackling in appreciation at the mention of Cadence also being a “pretty pony princess”), Sunset had been vacillating from incredulous to angry to near tears at the full story of the Anon-a-Miss incident.

“To think such a thing could be happening under our very noses and we wouldn’t notice until such...damage was being done.” Luna had said, shaking her head.

“I know,” replied Celestia, “But we both know that often the teachers and administrators are sometimes the last people to know when something’s happening in the student population. At least I know the staff is ready and able to deal with it when such a crisis does occur.”

Luna nodded, “And you think this won’t happen here? Because…?” she took a sip of her own coffee.

Celestia tilted her own head at Sunset, who was clearly processing what had happened to the other versions of herself during the holidays, remaining quiet and poking at her breakfast cereal, “Because of something Bori said. When I watched Sunset be rejected by her friends that first time, she said, ‘Celestia never needed to take in Sunset after the fall formal,’ or something like that. I don’t think she would have said that if our Sunset were following the same events as those others.” Sunset looked up, startled at the possessiveness that Celestia had pronounced the girl as ‘our Sunset.’ Celestia just smiled warmly at the former unicorn and continued speaking, “I think that whatever happened with the Elements that forced this different outcome made it so the circumstances of Anon-a-Miss would happen in all those other universes would never happen here.”

From there, the tale had taken a turn for the weird that finally drew more than just incredulous scrutiny. When the story of her ‘leaping’ from one possible future to the next began, both Sunset and Luna leaned forward. Save for nearly absent bites of their breakfast, they nearly forgot their food as the most incredible part of the tale was spun for them. Luna and Sunset both cackled with merriment as Celestia explained how they were to be married in one universe, marveled wide-eyed at that tale of the millennia-old vampire and her recently turned daughter. It was only when Celestia started describing being a vampire hunter that Luna grew incredulous again, but this time more from shocked disbelief at the behavior of the alternate versions of the other members of the staff, especially Cheerilee.

“Remind me never to let that woman convince me to take her to a disco again, she’s clearly still stuck in the 80’s.” she had said with a shake of her head.

Sunset had impressed them both by using the digital assistant built into her phone to catch a sound clip of Celestia explaining that Harshwhinny had been a model, then fed the clip into the search function to find that, yes, Nagatha Harshwhinny had indeed been a model; an underwear model.

All three of them were in hysterics over that revelation.

When the wild ride was finally over, Sunset had taken a moment to go into the living room and touch the wall where Celestia had said the doorway had appeared. The two older women weren’t sure what she was looking for, and since she couldn’t tell them, by unspoken agreement they chose to let it be for the time being.

So they now sat at the dining island, and for a moment silence reigned. Celestia took another sip of her coffee and put down the cup. She braced herself, then stood. With deliberate ceremony, she picked up the envelope and rounded the table the short distance to stand next to Sunset. The girl, clearly sensing the import of the moment from Celestia, pushed her chair out slightly and turned in her seat to face the woman.

“Sunset Shimmer,” began Celestia as she handed the envelope to her student, “I know...I know you never felt like you had a home growing up.” Sunset took the envelope and, at Celestia’s nod, opened the flap and pulled out the packet. As she started reading the top of the first page, Celestia continued, “I want you to be aware that this is only a formality right now. I don’t want to make you feel like you’re being pushed into something you...you may not want.” Celestia felt her eyes grow damp, realizing suddenly that she had put quite a bit more emotion into this than she had expected. She’s just another student with a unique background. Just like all the rest...no, that’s a lie I don’t have the luxury of anymore. She’s my daughter in my heart. Whether she chooses to be when she can speak again or not, that will be up to her. It’s no different than any other parent getting their teen ready to face the world.

She squared her shoulders and looked Sunset, who had just finished skimming over the first page of the packet and looked up at Celestia in shock, in the eye, “You...I know you have a homeworld to go back to. You could probably go back at any time and there’s nothing that I or my sister could do to stop you...and if that’s your choice, I’ll support it fully and you won’t hear one complaint from me,” she reached up and gripped Sunset by the shoulders, “But Sunset, sweetie, if you do that and want to come back, or if you choose to stay in this world...whether you want to stay with Luna and I or you want to figure out how to go it on your own, you will always…” Celestia’s throat tightened up, she sniffed to hold back some tears that were threatening to spill and realized she was hearing a second sniffle, probably from her sister, “You will always have a home with me.”

Sunset was trembling, alternating between glancing down at the paperwork and back up to Celestia, her own eyes threatening to spill tears, a question reflected with the holiday lights on the tree behind the wetness.

Celestia nodded, “Yes, they say I’m your mother. I had to make a deal I’d rather not have and break a few laws, but it was to make sure you would have a paper-trail. You don’t have to treat me like I’m your mom if you don’t…”

This time she was interrupted by the packet practically being thrown onto the dining island countertop and Sunset lunging out of her chair and into Celestia’s arms, clutching the older woman in a bear hug that was so tight Celestia was seeing spots. Sobs that were the sound of a heart both rending and mending were muffled by Celestia’s shirt, Sunset having buried her face in Celestia’s collar again, this time by choice.

Luna was sniffing and blinking rapidly. “I’ll just make sure the papers don’t get covered in breakfast leftovers…” she said as she tried to beat a retreat. A retreat which took her past the epic hug, which was, it turned out, an Epic Hug Vortex as the bawling Sunset Shimmer reached out to pull Luna into the hug as well.

Several hours and one power-nap later, Celestia sat on the couch between her sister and the girl who was now (on paper, at least) her daughter. Her arms were draped over the pair of them, and they were all in the blissful stupor of post-holiday celebration that overcomes those who poured everything they had into enjoying the few hours of a holiday and didn’t regret a moment of it. The television was on next to the TV displaying the annual eight-hour Hearth’s Warming log burning. The sound turned down so only the occasional pop and crackle of the sound of a burning fire could be heard. The afternoon was stretching on, and Sunset was reading a copy of Dead Librarians are Not Easy, a book that Celestia had read a bit of at her sister’s recommendation and found it to be a little...frivolous for her taste. Well enough written and amusing at parts, but not on the level of the epic fantasy that Celestia preferred to read about...or would she still want to read it now that she’d lived it? The book had been one of Luna’s gifts to Sunset, who for all Celestia didn’t like the work Sunset seemed to be devouring it with great relish.

Actually, I might find stories of a vampire librarian in a modern world more interesting now that I’ve been a vampire, mused Celestia.

Luna stirred from her hot-cocoa-induced stupor enough to hum, a behavior that Celestia knew meant her sister had been silently ruminating on something and now had something to say about it. Sunset seemed to pick up on this, too, and lowered the book enough to look at her new aunt.

“You mentioned a world where there was no magic and the Sunset there was spiraling into depression as Bori pulled you back here right after saying that it was the most important stop she was going to have you make. Given how much else happened last night for you, why was that your most important stop?”

Celestia smiled, both with a hint of mischief and something else the other two couldn’t quite place. Of course, if they’d met the three reindeer, the Sunset who ran the inter-universal bar, or even just that Sunset’s friend Sam, they would have recognized the hint of otherworldly knowing that they had all had, and now Celestia had it as well. “It wasn’t my most important stop. Or rather, it wasn’t the most important stop for me.”

Sunset tilted her head in inquiry and Luna provided the actual question, “What does that even mean?”

“Remember that one last stop I had Alice take me on? The one I didn’t tell you any of the details about?” The other two nodded, “I don’t know how Bori knew or how Alice didn’t, but it turned out that I was the one that could help out Sunset the most...both of me.”

Celestia just giggled at their confused expressions before she finally told them the last bit of the story of Sunset Shimmer’s Best Gift Ever.