//------------------------------// // Counterpart // Story: What A Long Strange Trip // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// "Well, you certainly weren't kidding, Miss Celestia. She could be my twin sister," the woman said as she stood up from her chair and turned to Sunset. "Sorry if I don't seem terribly surprised; your principal here has explained the situation quite clearly and professionally. Nice to meet you." As the woman offered Sunset her hand, the CHS senior was still fighting through her stupor, as she took her hand and shook it. "I honestly thought she was you for a moment, until she showed me her ID and proved that she lives 300 miles away," Celestia told them. "Apparently someone requested a copy of her birth certificate from one of our library computers." "Y-Yeah, that was me. I wanted to confirm whether or not I had a counterpart in this dimension. I'm so sorry to make you come so far," Sunset apologized. "Don't be sorry, it's certainly been worth the trip so far. I'm sure you could tell me quite the story," her counterpart replied, crossing her arms. Sunset nodded, figuring her counterpart absolutely deserved to know what had been going on. "Principal Celestia, is there someplace we could have some privacy?" Sunset asked. The headmaster nodded. "Certainly. I can unlock the library, although we may want to take the long way around to avoid the crowds coming out of the gym," Celestia told them. That much was true; the Spring Fling attendees didn't need to see double. Sunset and her counterpart followed Principal Celestia all the way down to D Hallway, taking the long way around to the library, where she slid the key into the door and unlocked it. She flipped the lights on, and stepped aside. "The doors will lock automatically on your way out. Take as much time as you need," Celestia told them, watching as they went over to the first studying table past the first row of shelves, adjacent to the checkout counter, before exiting to return to her office. The counterpart sat down, but Sunset went down to the end of the bookshelf, and picked one out, coming over to the table and sitting across from her twin, taking a deep breath. "Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag. I'm from a mirror dimension," Sunset began, opening the yearbook and slid it across the table to her counterpart, who looked down at the photographs of musical groups on the current page, settling on the band of seven that Sunset's finger rested above, and she read the text below it. 'The Rainbooms' "You're not 18, are you?" the counterpart asked, looking up from the yearbook to her twin. "I... Suppose not. Not by this world's calendar, anyway. I think I'm more along the lines of mid-to-late twenties... Gods that sounds weird," Sunset began, slowly shaking her head. "But these girls have absolutely changed me for the better. When I first got here I was self-centered, egotistical, power hungry... Just all in all, not in a good place..." The counterpart was able to read her body language, and knew her words were sincere. "What about you? I mean, since you're here, I might as well be curious about what this world's version of me does," Sunset asked her. "I own a sightseeing company one state over. Seriously, it's just called 'The Sightseeing Company'. It's usually just taking amateur photographers around to various vistas and spots where they can shoot wildlife. It's an exciting enough gig. What about you? I mean, before this; what did you do in this 'mirror dimension'?" her counterpart asked. "Well, back home I take on a somewhat... Different form," Sunset began, twiddling her fingers a bit. "I'm a unicorn," Sunset told her. "A unicorn? You mean...?" Her counterpart trailed off, pointing to her forehead. "Yup. Horn. Magic. Whole nine yards. I was the protege of a princess," Sunset said. "Wow. I have to imagine this is quite the downgrade." "No. I was horrible. Too power-hungry to see how good I had it. I wasn't the slightest bit interested in making friends, no matter how patient she was with me. I needed something like this to help me open my eyes and become a better... Pony, person, whatever." Her counterpart smiled at her. "So, now what?" She asked. Sunset shifted in her chair. "At the start of school this year, Principal Celestia told me they were going to seal the portal back to my world after graduation. As that is my only surefire way home, I need to make a decision whether I'm staying or going. I searched for a birth certificate because I wanted to know if I had a counterpart here. I'm not sure why I thought I wouldn't; everyone else I've met does. My mentor told me that if we're aware of each other, both of us in the same world could result in... Balance issues, so..." Sunset trailed off, her gaze falling to the table as she pulled the yearbook back to her side of the table, lightly running her fingers across the Rainbooms photo, as tears began to prick the corners of her eyelids. "I'm sorry..." Her counterpart told her, hearing the weight of her twin's words. Sunset took a quiet breath as she continued staring at the picture. "No," she started, looking back up at her counterpart. "Don't be sorry. I've been avoiding and dancing around this decision for the past eight months, and probably would have continued doing so if you hadn't shown up. So, thank you for that. Truly. It's going to hurt like hell, but now I know what I have to do. I have to get ready to say goodbye to them." Sunset took another deep breath. "It's time. It's time for me to go home." Nothing more was said as the two women got up from the table and made their way to the exit. As the library doors shut behind them, they stood together in the empty hallway. "Well, if what you said about 'balance' is true, I should probably make myself scarce. I'll make my way out to my car alone. You deserve to enjoy these last few weeks with your friends. For what it's worth, I'm glad to have met you, 'Sunset'. It's so wild that there's another version of me out there with a completely different set of circumstances. So, best of luck wherever you go in life," her counterpart said, offering her hand. Sunset smiled at her, and accepted the handshake. "Best of luck to you too, Sunset." Sunset watched her counterpart turn and head towards the student parking lot, and she silently turned the other way to make her way towards Celestia's office, feeling a lump slowly grow in her throat. A couple minutes later, she arrived back at the principal's office, and knocked gently. "Come in," Celestia announced. Sunset opened the door, sniffling, and saw that the school's headmaster was putting on her coat, as the Spring Fling was wrapped up and it was time for the remaining administration to head home. "Is everything alright?" She asked her student. Sunset fought against the pressure in her chest to keep herself composed, and she slowly nodded. "I've made my decision, Principal Celestia. I'm returning home after graduation."