The swirling myriad of colors finally came to an end, and Cadence felt herself get thrust back out into the real world. She stumbled around, blinded for a few seconds before falling into the ground with a pained cry. She blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus on wherever she had ended up. It was not particularly working though, and the world continued to spin around her.
She brought a hoof up to her head, pressing against the base of her horn. A dull pain throbbed outwards from the area, and she rubbed at the hairless patch. The hairless patch? Cadence brought her other hoof up and slapped it against her forehead, panicking as she realized there was no hair. Her vision cleared and she looked at her forelegs which also seemed to be missing her hair. Nearing a full-blown state of panic now, she desperately looked herself over the best she could. The ends of her hooves split out into five smaller digits as well, not unlike a monkey's. Strange cloths appeared to cover her torso and hind legs, akin to what she would expect to find at a fancy boutique. She started hyperventilating, horrified at whatever disfigurement she had just experienced.
Cadence flung her head around, scanning the unknown scenery for Sunset Shimmer. There was a figure a few paces ahead of her, hunched over. A purple top covered her body but Cadence would recognize that amber shade and fiery mane anywhere. "S-sunset!" she called out, trying to stand up.
The former unicorn in front of her shifted, straightening up on her hind legs and taking a few uneasy steps forward before falling back to her knees. Cadence mimicked her, and after a few tries, she was able to stand up straight. She tried taking a step towards her fallen friend but she quickly lost her balance. Her body felt top heavy, and she was not used to the bipedal form. Giving up, she collapsed to her knees and tried to clear her spinning head.
Sunset raised a hand, pressing it against her forehead as she tried to steady herself and stop the spinning. Unfortunately, it did little to help her disorientation. She heard an echoing voice behind her, yelling something that could perhaps be her name. Some instinctual part of her said that she wasn’t meant to be a quadruped anymore, but she could not possibly shed light on where that intuition came from. She stood on two shaky legs, feeling obscenely tall as she attempted to balance herself again. After a few moments, Sunset finally opened her eyes again.
She was standing in a large plaza before a grand building. The sky was dark and the only light was provided by the glowing moon high above in the sky. Big, bold letters were displayed in an arch across the front of the building, reading out “Canterlot High School.”
Sunset read those words over and over again, playing them in her head. Wherever she was, it too was called Canterlot. Her mind started putting the pieces together, trying to solve the puzzle of where she was. Multiple theories popped into her head, from multiverses to parallel universes, to even pocket dimensions created by Starswirl for his own weird fascination. She took several unbalanced steps forward, eager to explore, but quickly fell to her knees as she was still not entirely used to her bipedal form.
“Sunset!” a voice called out behind her.
The former pony turned to see who was shouting, and saw another bipedal creature crouched on the ground behind her. It did not take particularly long to figure out who it was, as the distinct hair colors cascading around the creature’s shoulders were easily recognizable.
“Cadence?” Sunset asked. She stood again, and unsteadily walked over to her friend. “W-what are you doing here?”
Cadence looked up at Sunset, gladly taking the hand offered to her. “I wasn’t going to let you just run away,” she said, a determined tone in her voice. “Especially not alone.”
Sunset found herself smiling at the words. It meant more to her than she realized that Cadence would follow her through. She had not been expecting it, and certainly not wanted it, but in the end she was surprisingly happy that it did. “Thanks,” she said simply, offering her friend a small smile.
“Where are we?” Cadence finally asked, looking around as well. “Does that sign say Canterlot?”
Letting go of her friend’s hand, Sunset nodded. “Yeah,” she breathed. “I don’t actually know where this is. All Celestia said was that the mirror was a portal to another world. She failed to mention where that world was.”
“Then why did you think it was a good idea to go through?” asked Cadence sadly, looking at Sunset again.
Sunset took a deep breath. She had been waiting for that question, and she had avoided it before by just stepping through the portal. But now that Cadence was here with her, she supposed there was no more running from it.
“There was nothing left for me in Equestria,” she said softly. “My only choice was to leave.”
Cadence grabbed her hand again, and Sunset found herself enjoying the strange feeling of the foreign digits intertwining with her own. “Yeah, that’s what you had said,” the princess replied. “Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth.” Sunset’s words held a sense of finality as she spoke them. “All of the goals I had in that world are now firmly out of my reach. There is nothing left for me there to achieve. I’ve gone as far as I can go there, and it was time to move on,” she explained sadly.
“This is a brand new world for me. There are countless things I do not know.” Sunset swept her free arm out in a wide arc, gesturing to the unknown world around her. “Who knows what I can do here, but at least there is something for me to do. I won’t just be sitting stagnant in a palace for the rest of my life, constantly fighting to gain Celestia’s notice and finally get what I deserve.”
Cadence could tell that Sunset believed every word of what she said. Those were the words of a pony who believed that they had one last choice to make. Cadence hung her head, trying to figure out how to address what Sunset had said.
“But, think of all the good you could do in Equestria,” she countered. “You’re a magical prodigy! There’s so much you could do there! So much you could offer to the world.”
Sunset just shook her head. “There is an entire school full of gifted unicorns, Cadence. Dozens that will eventually be able to do everything I can do. Eventually I will fade into mediocrity. The only thing that could have prevented that was being made an alicorn.” She paused for a moment, gathering her words before continuing. "And I know that sounds selfish and conceited, and maybe it is. Maybe I am a selfish and conceited individual. But I don't know how to be any other way."
"Sunset..." Cadence said softly. "It's okay, you can be selfish sometimes. But... but I think that there are still ways you can move forward in Equestria. There is still so much for you to do there!"
Sunset turned away, looking up into the sky. "Maybe," she finally admitted. "But everypony is just going to keep holding me back from achieving it."
"I'll help you!" Cadence was pleading now, trying to grasp onto anything to make Sunset stay. "I'll help you push through them! I'm a princess, they need to listen to me! Whatever you need to do, I'll be there to help you do it!"
Turning back to face her, Sunset just looked at her sadly. "But that's it, isn't it," she said. "You're a princess. You can just say whatever it is you say, and ponies will move out of your way. That's what I want. I don't want to have to keep fighting just to be heard. I have been fighting for years Cadence. Years. And now, when I've finally reached a point where I thought that I would maybe be recognized for all of my hard work... you came along and all of the recognition shifted to you."
The monotone explanation slammed into Cadence like a runaway steam train. Sunset never had let go of that jealousy towards her and her title after all. That's what it had been about all this time. Cadence had thought that Sunset had moved on, that he two of them had moved past this. But she was wrong, and she felt her heart break at that realization.
"And just so we're clear, I don't blame you or despise you for that," Sunset went on, noticing the heartbroken look in Cadence's face. "You were rightly crowned. You deserve to be a princess. It's my own fault for not pushing hard enough." The former unicorn hung her head. "I wasted my potential there. There is nothing left in Equestria for me now."
Cadence opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She was immediately relieved that she had read the situation wrong, but the underlying sadness was still there. Even though Sunset did not blame her for stealing her crown, she still felt as though Cadence was in the way of her achieving it. She desperately wanted to convince her to stay, but she could not adequately come up with any points to counter that Sunset would believe. Of course, there were many, but she did not know how to word them convincingly, or if they were even possible.
The truth was that Cadence did not know if it was possible to obtain the goals Sunset had set for herself. She did not know if she was actually in the way of letting Sunset achieve hat she wanted. She did not know what Celestia’s plans for the unicorn were, and therefore she could not counter any of the arguments Sunset had put forth.
All of the reasons Cadence wanted to stay were selfish. She did not want Sunset to leave because she would miss her. She did not want Sunset to leave because they had just become friends. She did not want Sunset to leave because she was excited to grow closer to her. She did not want Sunset to leave because when she pictured the palace she pictured Sunset with it. She did not want Sunset to leave because she was falling in love with her.
And so with tears in her eyes, Cadence realized the only thing she could do was beg for Sunset to stay, and the only reason she could give was herself. “Y-you’re wrong,” she said, sniffling. “You’re wrong, Sunset. There is something left in Equestria for you.”
“And what is that?” asked Sunset, surprised by the tears, and not knowing what it could possibly be.
“Me.”
A pregnant silence followed. Sunset just stared at Cadence as the princess cried, not knowing how to possibly reply to that. Cadence looked back up at her, desperately hoping and praying that she, herself, would be a valid reason for Sunset to stay.
“I… I...” Sunset stammered, at a complete loss for words. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything, and just listen,” Cadence said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I don’t want you to go away. You’re one of my only friends in the palace, and I feel like I only just got close to you. I don’t want you to leave me so soon. It’s incredibly selfish of me, but I can’t help it.” She paused to take a breath before continuing.
“And also, we could approach your problems together. I have trouble believing that there is absolutely nothing left for you in Canterlot. And maybe it’ll be hard to achieve your goals, but you don’t have to achieve them alone anymore.” Cadence looked up at Sunset, a bright glimmer in her eyes and a small smile on her lips. “You have me, and I promise I will be there to help you get where you need to go. Even if you don’t ascend, we can still be princesses together, you and I.”
A tear slipped down Sunset’s cheek as she listened to Cadence’s pleas. She felt her heart break as she realized what it was she was actually abandoning. Sunset was not just leaving Equestria behind, she was leaving Cadence behind. And in that moment, with the two of them standing there and with Cadence pouring her heart out, she realized that staying in Equestria together was better than leaving it behind.
“A-alright,” Sunset finally said. She gripped both of Cadence's hands in her own, smiling softly as she looked into her friend’s eyes. “Alright. I’ll go back.”
Cadence let out a gasp of joy, and pulled Sunset forward in a hug. Joyful tears streamed down her face and she buried it in her friend’s shoulder. Sunset’s arms wrapped up around her as well after a moment, and Cadence’s heart fluttered as Sunet leaned into their embrace. “Thank you,” Cadence said softly.
The two stood there in silence for a few moments before Sunset pulled away. Cadence instinctively tried to follow, holding onto the hug, and Sunset laughed softly before gently pushing Cadence out of her hold.
When Cadence went to complain, Sunset said, “We need to go. The portal is closing in a few minutes.” Realization dawned on Cadence’s face, and she backed away from the other girl. Sunset went to go back through the portal until she realized something startling. She could not see the portal anywhere. “Well, horseapples.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Cadence as she saw the worry stretched across Sunset’s face.
Scratching her head, Sunset spun in a circle, trying to find where they came through. Unfortunately, she saw nothing besides the building and an ornate marble horse statue. “Uh, do you know where the portal is?” she asked, an undertone of panic in her voice.
Cadence took a look around as well, realizing their problem. “No,” she said. “We just sorta, appeared here.” She turned back to look at Sunset and froze. The former unicorn raised an eyebrow at the strange look Cadence was shooting over her shoulder, and was about to ask what was up before a voice cut off her line of thought.
“Well, this was unexpected.”
Sunset turned to see a tall, slender woman standing a few paces away. The bipedal form was strange and unfamiliar, but that pale skin and prismatic hair would be recognizable anywhere.
“P-princess Celestia?” Sunset said in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
The Princess smiled at the two, walking past them towards the statue’s base. “I hope I do not need to inform you of the irony in your question, Sunset Shimmer,” she said mirthfully. “But if you must know, I was visiting someone I hold very dear.”
Sunset and Cadence shared a brief look between them, each asking each other the same question. However, there was no time to discuss the matter, and Sunset turned back to ask, "Princess, do you know where the portal is?"
Celestia gave a mirthful chuckle, much to the other two's confusion. She walked past them and approached the massive horse statue, beckoning them to come over. "It's right here, of course," she said, waving her hand through the large marble base. Sunset would have facehooved if she wasn't trying to stay upright. The location of the statue lined up perfectly with where the portal would be. It should have been obvious. "Now come, quickly," Celestia said, waving them over. "We don't have much time."
Sunset and Cadence went over to the statue, and Sunset stepped through first, disappearing through the seemingly smooth face. "Don't have time for wha-" Cadence began, but was cut off as Celestia suddenly pushed her through.
Celestia turned to give one last glance at Canterlot High School, locking eyes with a woman standing in the doorway boasting a wavy mess of midnight blue hair. With a sad wave goodbye, Celestia followed her two fellow ponies through the portal, just as the moon reached it's apex in the night sky.
One by one, the three ponies came out of the mirror, their hooves settling back on solid ground. As the nauseating swirl of colors around them faded, the trio steadied themselves back on four hooves in a familiar Equestrian closet. Celestia seemed to be the least bothered by the transition, stepped away from the mirror, using her magic to smooth out her mane. Cadence and Sunset however, needed a few moments to remember how they were supposed to walk with their center of balance once again shifted back to where it should be.
"Now," Celestia began, turning to face the two. "I'm not going to ask why you two decided to take a trip through the mirror. But I will ask that you not do so again without asking me, first." The alicorn gestured to the mirror with a hoof, and the other two turned to watch as the mirror's face seemed to glow for a moment, before it's magical shimmer faded away. Curious, Sunset laid a hoof on the surface, and found that she could no longer stick it through. Instead, her hoof just rested on the cold face. "However, that won't be for quite some time until the portal opens again," Celestia continued. "Now, seeing that it is past midnight, I suggest we all go and get some rest."
Cadence and Sunset followed Celestia out of the closet, and back towards the residential wing of the palace. They parted ways and shared their good nights with Celestia before heading towards their respective rooms. As they went for their separate doors, however, they paused.
"Sunset?" Cadence asked quietly, turning to face the unicorn. "Did you know that the portal was going to close?"
The unicorn did not turn to face her, and instead leaned forward to rest her forehead against the wooden door to her room. "Yes," came the quiet reply.
The pink alicorn cautiously stepped over beside the unicorn. "But, why? We would have been trapped over there," she said, not quite understanding why Sunset would want such a thing.
"I didn't ever mean for you to follow me," said Sunset quietly. "I chose to leave before the portal closed so that I wouldn't be able to come back, and so that nopony could follow me through." She lifted her head to look at Cadence now, a distinct regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry... and I'm glad that you didn't get trapped there with me."
Unable to hold herself back any longer, Cadence wrapped Sunset up in a tight hug. The action finally broke through everything that Sunset had been holding back and the unicorn began to cry into Cadence's hold, burying her face in the crook of the alicorn's neck. Cadence simply sat there and held Sunset, letting her friend let everything out. Her heart swelled with love and care for Sunset, and she realized that there would be no holding it back any longer.
Cadence added her wings to the hug, and tried her very best to convey that love and affection to Sunset. While it was not the most appropriate time now, the alicorn realized that she would have to tell Sunset about her feelings soon. She was not one-hundred percent sure how the unicorn would take it, but she was fairly confident that they would be accepted, and the hopeful side of her was sure that they would be returned. For now though, Cadence was content to simply hold her and let her know that she was here, and that she would always be here.
As her crying died down, Sunset pulled away from Cadence slightly, rubbing at her wet muzzle with one of her fetlocks. She dried away the tears and she looked up at the alicorn in a silent question. Wordlessly agreeing, the two went into Sunset's room, crawling into the bed together and holding each other tightly. That night, neither wanted to let the other one go. They just wanted to feel each other's presence and know that they were not facing this world alone.