Sunset followed Celestia over to the nurse’s office, where there was a bed to lie down in.
She had no idea how long she was there for. Hours, no doubt, went by while Sunset cried until she was too weak to get up. After that, she lay for some time with her head in Celestia’s lap. She had no idea how long she’d lain there, but it was dark outside now.
Sunset thought that having guards chase her down was the worst-case scenario, but now she sincerely wished that’d happened. She realized just how worthless she was to the world.
The pony who loved her the most had so effortlessly and quickly replaced her. All of her talent, her cutie mark, her vision of a potential future, all of that was meaningless. Her world and everypony she knew could just move on without her in a single beat, uncaring and unchanged. How could she believe anything she did mattered?
Princess Celestia, the bedrock of Equestria itself, really was that terrible. There just seemed to be no hope at all, just like Twilight and all the others said. It seemed almost difficult to imagine anypony caring about her at all without some kind of witchcraft to help.
Sunset didn’t speak for a long time, but Principal Celestia remained by her side. Even if this Celestia, deep down, only saw her as having utility, that was still more than Sunset could get back in Equestria.
Finally, Sunset did manage to sit back up and wipe the tears from her eyes.
“There’s just one more thing I need to know,” said Sunset. “Did you know this was going to happen?”
“I told you before that I thought you’d come back eventually,” said Celestia. “I admit I didn’t expect it to be so soon, however convenient it is for me.”
Sunset nodded.
She was too drained, too broken to be skeptical anymore. She just wanted something, anything to cling on to. Believing Principal Celestia, giving in to her paradise would be so easy. Everything could be so easy.
Sunset wasn’t sure why she was even hesitating anymore. Giving up would be so nice. The only people who actually cared about her were all here anyway…
As Sunset rubbed her eyes, she saw Twilight peeking her head into the office. As soon as Twilight realized she’d been seen, she darted back behind the door, out of sight.
“Twilight?” Sunset asked.
“Oh. Hey.” Twilight sheepishly came out from behind the door.
“How long have you been there?” Sunset smiled just a little for the first time in what felt like forever.
“Awhile. We’ve been worried about you,” said Twilight. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Sunset shook her head. “But I - I guess I’ll live.”
“Does this mean we’re not going to Equestria?” Twilight asked.
Sunset shook her head.
“You were right.” Sunset fell back onto the bed. “Everything sucks. My life sucks. Everyone is horrible. I hate everything.”
Twilight didn’t look particularly happy about converting Sunset to her point of view. Could turning someone into a cynic ever be satisfying? But she did take a hopeful step forward soon afterward.
“But then does that mean you’re going to stay?” Twilight tapped her fingers together. “You did promise that if you couldn’t find happiness in Equestria you’d stay here.”
She did promise that. Sunset couldn’t imagine ever being happy again, not in a world where you could be so effortlessly replaced.
The need to resist Principal Celestia’s offer. The need to be skeptical. The need to go somewhere in life. The need to ‘help’ Twilight in some way. The need to get over her pain. All of it seemed like such a burden she wanted to throw off and Twilight just gave her the perfect excuse.
“Yes,” said Sunset. “I did promise that.”
Already Sunset felt lighter like some responsibility had been lifted. She could just simply let go of all of it.
“I’ll take your offer.” Sunset turned to Principal Celestia.
Sunset glanced at Twilight to see her trying to hide her satisfaction.
“You don’t have to decide this right now,” Celestia warned her.
“No. I know what I want now, for real this time,” said Sunset. “I want someone to care about me. If you can promise me that much, then it’s all I need. I don’t even care if I am an object anymore, as long as I’m a treasured one.”
“I can promise you that all of your friends and I will care about you if you stay,” said Celestia. “You will be valued.”
“Alright.” Sunset closed her eyes tight and bowed her head. “Then do it! Just make it quick.”
“Are you sure?” Celestia’s smile was almost teasing now. “You may want to take a few more days to think things through.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for over a year!” Sunset held her arm out like she was about to get a shot. “I want to be like the rest of my friends. I want all of this to be over with! Just do it!”
“I can stop feeding off of you whenever you ask me to,” said Celestia, “but once I’ve done it the first time it will be very difficult to ask me to stop. Like getting out of a warm bed on a cold night. I’ll ask you one more time if you’re sure.”
Sunset nodded one last time.
“Yes.”
Celestia put her hand behind Sunset’s head and pulled her closer. Sunset hugged Celestia, burying her face under Celestia’s chin. Celestia patted her on the back as if giving her one last moment to change her mind, before finishing it.
Whatever fear Sunset had melted away when the sensation of having her potential eaten hit her. She understood instantly why the other students loved doing this so much. It felt wonderful!
An incredible wave of warmth and love washed over her like she was being cradled in a nostalgic memory of Hearth’s Warming Eve. She felt safe, like she was with her mother again. She began tearing up again, remembering at long last what it’d been like.
Her mother and Celestia, both the ponies who made her feel this sort of safety, both left her in the end. In different ways, but they did leave her. But this time it wouldn’t go away - this time she would get to hold on to the love. She knew that in her heart.
Her tears were somewhere outside this bubble of warmth that now surrounded her and Celestia. It was just the two of them. Sunset could feel something being pulled away from her, but she didn’t care. She wanted Celestia to take it away, whatever it was. She loved Principal Celestia so much at the moment she’d give her anything.
Sunset melted into that overwhelming sense of warm love. Her breathing slowed until she hardly remembered it. She slowly fell into the most peaceful sleep of her life.
Sunset may have fallen asleep at one point, cloaked in that warmth and the comfort of relief. When she opened her eyes, her head was on Celestia’s lap. That almost mystical feeling was replaced by a more normal sense of comfort.
She got up slowly and rubbed her eyes, the realization that she’d just sacrificed herself to this eldritch god only now seeping into her. Yet it seemed like such an inconsequential detail. Sunset felt nothing but affection for Celestia, smiled unconsciously when she saw her.
Sunset looked out the window. The sun was rising now.
“How long was I asleep for?” Sunset asked.
“Until the following morning,” said Celestia. “You had a lot of pent-up potential. It took some time. I’ve already grown substantially thanks to you. It really was an immense amount of power you held. I could likely eat another four or five students already.”
Sunset was hardly concerned about Principal Celestia gaining power now. If anything, it sounded like a good thing. The stronger her new god was the better.
“So that’s it?” Sunset asked. “My potential is gone now?”
“Yes. You’re no different than all my other students now.”
“I don’t feel any different.” Sunset looked herself over. She could still think clearly. She could still remember Equestria.
She ran through that test, all the capitals of the world, that she’d practiced so well a year ago. They all came easily enough. She supposed having her memories blocked was a different process and all.
“Well, it’s not going to be that immediate, but you’ll know the difference soon enough.” Celestia stood up and helped Sunset up as well. “You’ll feel it.”
Sunset did feel a certain excitement. She looked around the room for something she could ‘try’ in some sense. To her surprise, what she found was Twilight asleep on the other bed of the nurse’s office.
“Huh? Did Twilight stay here all night?” Sunset asked.
“She was worried about you.” Celestia nodded.
It was nice to know someone cared about her. Great, even!
Sunset smiled wide as she walked over to Twilight’s bedside, giddy with excitement at waking her up. She paused for a moment.
It did feel different.
The chance to get to see Twilight again, talk to her now that they were the same, filled Sunset with a feeling of excitement. It was like she was a kid again and about to open up a present. Her smile became almost mischievous.
“Twilight.” Sunset gently rocked Twilight and whispered to her.
Twilight slowly opened her eyes. Sunset tapped the opposite shoulder, causing Twilight to look in the wrong direction. Sunset’s giggling gave away her real location.
It was such a lame thing! Why did it give Sunset this much amusement?
“Sunset?” Twilight wiped her sleepy eyes.
“Twilight!” Sunset couldn’t hold it back. She hugged Twilight right then. The two of them would get to be friends forever!
“Gah! Give me a minute to wake up.” Twilight was unable to stop from being hugged as she continued to wake up. “Wait. But you really went through with it, right? And you’re seriously going to stay?”
Sunset nodded.
“That’s so great! I’m so happy!” Twilight hugged her back, then pulled back. “But you do feel okay, right?”
“Are you kidding? I feel great!” Sunset stood up. “I want to see everyone else right now!”
“I’m sure the others will come looking for you soon,” said Twilight. “You could call them and let them know you’re awake.”
Sunset looked down at her phone. She had about a hundred texts asking if she was okay, though most of them were from Pinkie. These phones really were amazing. Sunset wanted to reply to every message at once, but stopped short.
She felt more playful now.
“How about we go looking for them?” Sunset asked. “I want to tell them all in person! I want to see everyone and – and try everything! Come on! Let’s go!”
“Wah!”
Sunset grabbed Twilight by the hand and all but dragged her outside, not just out of the nurse’s office, but out of the school itself. It was a bit funny, given that Sunset was normally the more reserved one.
Just being outside in the air felt like being inside a memory of a warm summer day. She understood now why Dash always seemed so happy just to walk around town. The light of the sun really was a miracle, one she couldn’t believe she’d had no appreciation for just yesterday. Everything she passed by was like a miracle in itself.
Looking up at the sky, the clouds were suddenly more than just clouds. The wind was strong today and they shifted rapidly from shape to shape. Watching them morph like that was enchanting. She understood why the others all got absorbed in them from time to time. She felt like she could watch it for hours.
Had she really just gotten bored with it all?
“Yo, Sunset!” Dash ran up to her.
Sunset was brought back down to earth, missing the approach of her friends entirely from being lost in the clouds. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Rarity! Sunset couldn’t tell which she was most excited to see.
Sunset ran over and grabbed Dash in a tight hug.
“Yeah, I can tell you went through with getting your potential eaten, huh?” Dash laughed.
“No, you were right! This isn’t bad at all.” Sunset laughed too.
“Guess that means you’re one of us, now!” Dash gave her a thumbs up. “Gotta say, I love the new attitude! And now that you’ve seen how great it is, there’s no chance of you going back now.”
“No, I don’t think so.” Sunset shook her head. “It’d be too hard to go back now that I’ve seen it.”
“Oh wow!” Pinkie came up to hug Sunset next. “Does this mean you’re really going to stay here forever? Then you’re sure to never forget me! Cause I’ll be right in front of you at all times!”
“Yes!” Sunset hugged her friends tight. “I’m staying here forever. I don’t want to leave anymore.”
“Yay! One of us forever!” Pinkie pulled Sunset closer.
“Well, I won’t ask what you saw,” said Rarity, before anyone could bring it up. “There’s no need for that now. There won’t be any need for you to exile yourself to endless training, either. It will be splendid to be able to take classes with you again.”
“That’s right! I can take classes with the rest of you now!”
The thought of getting to go to class in her new state filled her with such incredible excitement. She felt like a kid again, waiting for a holiday, only it was for school somehow.
“There’s so much I want to do now. Everything feels so different and new.” Sunset looked down at her hands, taking a few steps forward.
“We can do whatever you want,” said Dash.
“What do I even want to see?” Sunset asked herself as she kept walking. “We could go to the arcade or the forest. And I want to try eating something now to see if that’s any different. Or I could try watching Star Wars again and see if it feels any different. No offense, but that did get kind of boring after the fifth time for me. Oh! The ocean! That’s gotta be incredible, right?”
Sunset looked down at her staff, realizing she hadn’t forgotten everything she’d learned over the past year just yet. At least her ability to create portals hadn’t gone to waste.
Sunset turned her staff and drilled a portal to the beach, unable to contain her excitement to get there any longer. She could really see it through this side!
Portals were so cool!
She jumped through the portal; her friends much slower to follow.
Now she stood at the shore of the beach for the first time in just a few months. The ocean was so massive and endless that it gave her a chill. Seeing the crystal blue waters reflecting the light of the sun, feeling the breeze and the smell of salt was all enough to bring a tear to her eye.
She wondered how she could have ever thought such a thing was anything but magic.
As she basked in that mystical feeling and remembered that it would never fade, Sunset was certain she’d made the right decision. She didn’t need anything but this.