When Sunset woke up the following morning, she realized that she was in a bedroom that she did not recognize. She also noted that she had gauze on her back.
Confused, she gazed around the room and noticed that nopony was around her. That was when she remembered the events of the previous night. She remembered a purple alicorn named Twilight Sparkle helping her come home to Princess Celestia from the strange human world.
Slowly getting off the enormous bed, she made her way to the door. The little filly peeked her head through the door looking for any familiar faces. “H-hello?” She called out. When nopony responded, she made her way down the hallway.
The palace was gorgeous. It was filled with beautiful crystals with gorgeous designs on them.
The filly’s thoughts were interrupted when she was knocked down by what she had bumped into. “Oh!” Was all she could say before meeting the gaze of the purple alicorn who gasped.
“I’m so sorry! Are you alright Sunset?” Twilight Sparkle asked her helping her up from the ground, “I should have been watching where I was going.”
The small unicorn said nothing but slowly nodded.
Twilight looked at the filly for a second, noticing that she looked slightly frightened of her. She then remembered what Princess Celestia had said about the filly’s past, and the abuse brought to her by her own parents. The purple alicorn’s eyes couldn’t help but skim the filly’s scars, noting that they were still noticeable, but less visible with her amber coat. Thinking quickly, she added, “Are you looking for Princess Celestia?”
The filly gave her a small smile in return, “Come on sweetie, I’ll take you to her,” Twilight told her as they made their way down the hall.
As they got closer to the dinning room, the hallway was beginning to be filled with the aroma of blueberry haycakes, eggs, and other wonderful things the little filly didn’t know the name of, or how they tasted in the first place.
When the palace guards opened the door, Sunset immediately recognized the white alicorn sitting at the far end of the table. The little filly galloped towards the sun princess who opened up her big white wings to embraced her.
Twilight couldn’t help but smile. Looking over at the rest of the room, she smiled at the colorful group of ponies, “Good morning everypony.”
“Good morning!” They all called back. Well, everyone except a certain pink pony who was busy stuffing her cheeks with haycakes.
“Goush mouarieng!” Pinkie Pie called out, her cheeks stuffed with the delicious blueberry haycakes.
“Pinkie Pie!” Rarity scolded, “Manners!”
“Sawuy!” The pink pony said cheerfully, her cheeks still stuffed with haycakes.
Sunset looked at the group once more. She remembered the ponies, the blue alicorn, as well as the pink alicorn from the night before but she had no idea who they were. The thought brought a chill through her spine, causing her to tremble slightly.
Seeing this, the sun princess immediately embraced the small filly once more, “It’s alright my sunshine,” She began introducing the group to the filly, “I trust them. You don’t need to be afraid.”
The little unicorn simply stared at the group, saying nothing while the group waved at her.
Sunset looked up at the princess and slowly nodded.
The sun princess smiled at that. Good. She thought. She needs to learn to trust again.
After breakfast, Sunset, along with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, took a train ride back to Canterlot while Twilight and her friends went to Ponyville. When they took the train over from a place that Princess Celestia called “The Crystal Empire” to Canterlot, she noted that they were taking the mysterious mirror that she and the purple alicorn came out of with them.
Throughout the whole train ride, Sunset couldn’t help but stare at the magical object. Where did it come from? How is it possible that there is another world in that mirror? How did she even get there in the first place?
A couple days later, the little amber filly was getting used to seeing Twilight and her colorful friends around the castle. Twilight often came to visit the sun and the night princesses and sometimes her friends would come along with her.
There was something that confused her since the day she traveled back from the strange world into Equestria from the mirror: who exactly was the purple alicorn? And when did Princess Celestia get a sister? She couldn’t remember seeing them since Princess Celestia first brought her in. Why are they there now? Did they come to help the princess find her?
Twilight was in her library home after returning from The Crystal Empire. Princess Celestia insisted that the magic mirror should stay with her. Though Twilight was nervous to have the enchanted object in her household, she knew it was for the best. Having the mirror around Sunset may not be such a good idea. She might wander off and history might repeat itself. It would also cause more questions to arise, ones that Twilight knew the sun princess did not want to answer.
Twilight sighed, turning to head to her basement where the mirror was kept. Last time she visited Princess Celestia, the sun princess gave her a brown book with her golden sun cutie mark on the cover. When Twilight asked why she’d given it to her, the Princess told her she’d might need it one day.
Turning on the basement’s light, Twilight walked over to the bookshelf on the left wall. With her magic, she levitated the book down to her. She hadn’t touched the book since Celestia had given it to her. She had no idea why it was so important to the sun princess.
Twilight opened up the book, flipping to the first page. She blinked in surprise to find writing in it; Princess Celestia’s horn writing to be exact.
Twilight quickly shut the book, not knowing if it was her place to read what the princess had written. But her curiosity soon got the best of her, and Twilight found herself opening up to the first page once more.
My Dearest Sunset Shimmer,
I am gifting you this journal so that whenever we are apart and you need to speak with me, you will have a way of reaching me. Use it well my little pony, and know that I will always be here if you need anything.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
Twilight flipped to the next page.
Princess Celestia,
Thank you for this wonderful gift. I will be sure to share with you my ideas and theories through this journal when we are apart.
Your student,
Sunset Shimmer
Twilight closed the book, and walked over to her beat up old couch across the room. Once she got comfortable, she flipped to the next page.
Princess Celestia,
Last night I—
“What are you doing?” A voice asked, startling the bookworm.
Twilight shrieked, sending the book tumbling to the floor. She looked up to find her faithful assistant standing before her. “Spike!”
Spike laughed, “Sorry, I just came to tell you that—“
“Spike look at this!” Twilight interrupted, point a hoof to the brown journal on the floor.
Annoyed, Spike turned to look to where the purple alicorn was pointing, “Isn’t that the dusty old book the princess gave you?”
Twilight nodded, picking up the book with her aura, “It’s a magic journal. Princess Celestia used it to communicate with Sunset when she was still her student! There must be another one some—“
The book then began to vibrate.
Twilight and Spike started at the journal, not knowing why the book was suddenly vibrating.
Twilight opened up the book to the blinking page. She gasped, “Look somepony’s written in it!” Twilight quickly read the page and smiled, “Actually not somepony, someone!”
“You mean the girls from the human world?” Spike said, suddenly interested.
Twilight nodded, “They said they found a journal in Sunset’s locker! They must have found the other one! They’re inviting me to come visit them again for the week!”
“How are you gonna get there? Isn’t the portal closed?”
Twilight’s excitement disappeared, “Oh right...” A light bulb went off in Twilight, “Actually, I might have a way to keep the portal open all the time!”
“That’s great Twilight but a letter came from Princess Celestia.”
Twilight flew up to the castle one afternoon after receiving a message from Princess Celestia about wanting to discuss an issue.
When she arrived in the throne room, she noted that the little amber unicorn was with them. She seemed to be trembling, recovering from crying.
“You needed to see me Princess Celestia?” Asked the purple alicorn concern evident in her voice.
Princess Luna and Celestia, along with the little filly, walked down from their places on the thrones down to where Twilight was.
Sunset seemed to be glued to the back of the white alicorn’s leg. Tears were streaming down her face as she stared at Twilight timidly.
Princess Celestia sighed before taking a deep breath again, “I need to ask you a favor, Twilight.”
Twilight glanced at Princess Luna then at the small filly before finally looking at the sun princess again, “What’s wrong?”
“There seems to be a situation at The Crystal Empire,” Princess Luna began.
Twilight started to panic, “A situation? What does that mean? Are Cadence and my brother okay? Are the—“
“Twilight,” The sun princess stated, slowly shaking her head, “Don’t worry it’s nothing like that. There’s just a small problem there that we need to take care of. Nothing you need to be concerned about.”
The white alicorn took a steady breath, “The thing is, it’s best for only Luna and I to go,” The princess looked down towards the small filly at her hooves, “And I cannot take Sunset with me.”
At that, the little filly began to softly cry, hiding even further from behind the white alicorn’s long legs.
“I need you to take care of her for me.” The sun princess finished.
Twilight looked towards the small filly before looking up at the princess with a smile, “Of course I can!”
The sun princess smiled at that, “Good. Luna and I will be gone for about two weeks.”
Twilight nodded before suddenly remembering something, “Um-I...” Twilight cringed inwardly, mentally kicking herself for quickly accepting a favor before even thinking, “Princess Celestia... I’m sorry I just remembered... I-I recently received a message from the human world. My friends managed to send me a message through on old book they found,” Twilight quickly glanced towards Sunset, “I actually found a way for the mirror to be opened at any time. And I—“
The sun princess smiled, “Twilight that’s alright. I’m sure we can find somepony else to—“
“No!” Came a strangled cry from the little filly. “I d-don’t want to go with anypony else!”
The sun princess knelt down, “Sunset, sweetie, Twilight is leaving town and you know I can’t take you with me. Don’t worry, I’ll leave you with somepony who—“
“NO!” The little unicorn said once more, even louder this time. She began crying even more, as a panic attack arose in the small unicorn.
Princess Celestia slowly embraced the small filly, “Sunset... breathe... breathe... everything is going to be alright... I’m here... I’m here. Come on breathe with me. Deep breath in... deep breath out, deep breath in, deep breath out... Don’t worry. I’m here. I’m here.”
Sunset’s breathing slowly began to slow down, “I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. You don’t have to apologize,” The sun princess told her. She then looked towards the young alicorn, “Twilight?”
Twilight took a step forward, “Princess Celestia?”
Princess Celestia sighed, “Do you think it’ll be alright if you... take her with you? She’s not going to want to go with anyone else.... She trusts you.”
Twilight looked towards the small filly awaiting her response. Her curious cyan eyes were wide, seeming to be silently pleading her. “Alright. I’ll take her with me.”