After finishing up that last exchange with Flash Sentry, Sunset decided to pause her conversation for a while, as it appeared Flash now needed some time to process how he was going to approach his teammates back in Canterlot. Sunset also understood that she was somewhat in the same boat, as far as returning to Canterlot and reconciling with somepony in particular. For the time being, she wasn't entirely sure if she was going to have to confront both Rainbow and Indigo, or just Rainbow by herself. Knowing Twilight at this point, however, it seemed as though she would most likely gather both ponies together in this meeting, as a matter of getting the full extent of the story. Sunset used the remaining time to check her journal again, seeing that she still had around two full days before her graduation at CHS. This let her understand that she definitely still had plenty of time to explore further, and hopefully reconcile with Rainbow. Before long, the train had finally reached Canterlot once more, as there weren't any obstacles or delays this time around.
Thankfully, the red beetles that had been released by Human Sunset were no longer anywhere in Canterlot, since they already searched through the entire city the night before, but found no sign of anypony who resembled her. As a result, they departed elsewhere through Equestria like a convoy, waiting for the perfect opportunity to exact their vengeance. Although Sunset was likely out of harm's way for now by going through Canterlot, the beetles would still pose as a potential threat to anypony else who'd get in their way. As exemplified with Human Sunset's encounter, they were capable of utilizing armor-like shells, breathing fire, and even possessing some form of intelligence that set them apart from other bugs. Not having the slightest clue on this imminent bug problem, Sunset just continued on with her exploration through Canterlot, with the biggest thing on her mind being the confrontation with Rainbow Dash in front of Twilight and the rest of the council.
Stepping off of the train, Sunset accompanied Flash as she began to make her way to the main castle, ready to await the meeting to settle her own unfortunate dispute. Along the way, she saw the statue of a stallion soldier who was depicted in a more heroic light, realizing that this was the first time she had ever taken notice of its existence, after hearing that story Flash shared about his father. She went closer to the statue and read the plaque below, which read 'Sentinel Sentry' on top, and 'A True Hero' on the bottom.
"Ah, yes." Flash acknowledged, whilst momentarily coming up to the statue himself. "I can see that the story surrounding my dad has really moved you?"
"Absolutely, especially since... let's just say I've been the kind of pony who puts others before myself, even to the point of self-sacrificing." Sunset replied, with the most applicable memory being the time she sacrificed her own memories to save her human friends from Wallflower's memory stone attack. "It's a really good feeling to help others, especially once you've understood the pain from being alone and neglected."
"Truer words couldn't have been said better myself." Flash nodded. "Whatever you ended up doing that nearly sacrificed yourself, I'm sure Sentinel would've been proud of you too. Did you by any chance know him?"
"Admittedly, no." Sunset shook her head. "Your story was actually the first time I've heard his name at all, and even when I was living here in Canterlot, I didn't really pay much attention to the Equestrian military. Back then, I was mostly focused on studying magic before... an incident happened, which would separate me from Equestria for quite some time. It's... kind of hard to explain but..."
"Let me guess." Flash began to surmise what Sunset was referring to. "Is this about that crystal mirror that supposedly sends you to another world?"
"Wait... you know about its existence, and the fact that I've been there for quite some time?" Sunset asked with surprise.
"Well, when I've been working alongside Princess Twilight and Celestia for years, it's only expected that I hear a hint of that mirror every once in a while." Flash explained. "Besides, since Princess Twilight herself has mentioned that you're a good friend of hers, you might've also heard from her that she sometimes sees me as... more than just her lieutenant?"
"Oh, interesting to hear you're aware of that as well." Sunset said. "Though, I guess it's to be expected, since... Twilight's written to me from time to time that she never really was good at hiding that from anypony else. In fact, she even mentioned that when she first came back to Equestria after her adventure through the portal, all her friends were able to pick up the hint pretty quickly. You really did remind her of... a certain someone else, let's just say."
"I've been well aware of all that for quite some time now, and although I was flattered, I just don't really see myself as the kind of pony to pursue a relationship." Flash replied. "Princess Cadance may be capable of both ruling the Crystal Empire and being a mother but... not all princesses are cut out for it. I've talked with Princess Twilight before and helped her understand that it's probably for the better, since we definitely both have important responsibilities to fulfill. Coupled with the fact that she's now in charge of all of Equestria, she won't really have time to focus on a relationship or family, never mind with somepony who's already always busy serving their own duties. We came to a mutual agreement we'll only see each other as princess and lieutenant, and that protecting Equestria will always come first. Besides, you can take it from me. Princess Twilight can... really have a habit of getting distracted when focusing her energy toward a silly crush, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I actually know that feeling a lot more than you might think." Sunset reflected, thinking of the various times in the human world where she saw Twilight having this faux crush. "I'm happy to hear that you were able to resolve things in the end without making her glum, since you didn't feel the same way. Pretty responsible and mature of you, and... this admittedly explains why Twilight hasn't really been showing any signs of that former infatuation lately. She's been a lot more focused on serving her duties with all her new added responsibilities, so you've definitely helped her stay on track."
"Glad to hear." Flash nodded. "I was admittedly nervous at first when approaching Princess Twilight about all this, I didn't want to break her heart by simply rejecting her on the spot, you know? But after our long talk about how we both chose a prime responsibility in our lives to protect and commit to, she was able to completely understand where I was coming from. Besides, she ended up agreeing it was pretty silly, considering I'm not actually the same Flash Sentry she supposedly knew. And even if she did want to continue keeping this relationship with that other Flash, we both had a laugh over how absurd that sounded. I mean, a pony princess like herself falling in love with some... human from another world... whom she barely even knew?"
"More or less, especially when you put it that way." Sunset agreed, remembering the time at Camp Everfree when she had no choice but to lay out similar words to the Human Flash. "I remember the first time I was in a relationship, and... everything was far from okay, especially when it came to how it ended. Over time, I've grown more comfortable with just having friends and focusing on my own life, so I definitely understand where you're coming from when you mention wanting to focus on your life's commitment as a soldier, rather than maintaining a relationship. Being in a relationship... is admittedly not for everypony, especially while having major responsibilities. If you're able to do both, like Princess Cadance, that's great, but... can't really say with confidence I'd be in the same boat."
"You and me both." Flash added. "I may not have children or a special somepony in my life, but I've got a team and nation to protect, and that's always been enough for me. Speaking of which, I really do need to return to my team now, so I'm afraid I'll have to cut this conversation short. Thanks for having this talk with me regardless, Sunset."
"Anytime, and understood." Sunset nodded, as Flash began making his way to the main castle. "I hope you'll be able to work things out with them."
Sunset followed behind, and from a distance, noticed that as soon as Flash approached the main entrance, he was immediately greeted and welcomed by Twilight and Pinkie. This gave off the impression that everyone else in the council was already prepared to start off the meeting, including Rainbow Dash. After letting Flash in to reach the rest of his teammates, Twilight then took notice of Sunset, giving her a warm welcome as well.
"Ah, there you are, Sunset!" Twilight greeted. "I was admittedly wondering where you had gone off to, since I didn't find you anywhere in the library this morning."
"Hey, Twilight." Sunset waved back. "The... library? I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're talking about. I went to Silver Shoals to visit Celestia last night, just like you recommended."
"Hmm, I guess that means you did study a little too hard, to where you might've even forgotten that you were doing some late-night cramming." Twilight tried to make sense of things. "It did happen to me occasionally when I was Princess Celestia's student, after all. Wait a minute, but... if you went to see her in Silver Shoals, how did I find you in Canterlot last night too?"
"Oh, wait..." Sunset began to surmise what Twilight was supposedly getting at. "I was briefly at Canterlot last night when Celestia helped me with a magic lesson. She taught me how to teleport long distances, since I was admittedly out of practice with it. I didn't realize you had seen me when we teleported there, but we did manage to teleport back to Silver Shoals successfully. But as for being in the library last night, I'm really unsure of when you thought I was there."
"Well... alright then." Twilight replied, rather confused. "I've studied to the point where my brain becomes too exhausted to remember certain things, so I guess that must be it. But regardless, you must be ready to sort things out with Rainbow alongside the rest of the council?"
"Yeah, for sure." Sunset nodded. "I just hope that we're able to resolve things peacefully, and she won't continue to hold a grudge against me, even if everypony else does end up siding with me."
"I wouldn't really worry about how Rainbow feels if she ends up getting a proper punishment for her actions." Twilight assured. "What mostly matters now is helping Rainbow understand what she did was wrong, since in her eyes, she has a tendency to believe she does no wrong."
Sunset nodded understandingly to Twilight's words, as Pinkie then took notice of Twilight greeting somepony else outside the castle.
"Oh, hey Sunset." Pinkie called out from the front door. "Sorry to hear that you've had a fallout with Dashie, but to tell you the truth, you're not the only one. In fact, the rest of us on the council have had our fair share of problematic experiences with her, even if we do consider her our friend."
"Is that so?" Sunset said, remembering what Twilight had mentioned yesterday before meeting Sunburst. "Well, I've had plenty of friendship related problems in the past, I'm sure we can all figure something out in the end. I just hope we'll come up with a fair compromise when we finish up. Should we go in and start the meeting now?"
"Normally, I would start off things if everypony on the council was already present, but unfortunately, they're not." Twilight explained. "Fluttershy and Applejack are both absent, but they've notified me it's because something incredibly important in their households have gone missing, and it's rather likely they'll be a little late. With Applejack mentioning that Granny Smith had just passed away, I just couldn't say 'no' to them. But don't worry, they assured me that they'll come by to help out with the dispute between you and Rainbow. Plus, we're still pretty early, I wasn't really expecting to start this meeting until at least around three hours from now."
"Alright then, and yeah, I can definitely understand the circumstances with AJ." Sunset replied. "I guess... if we can't start the meeting yet, perhaps I should focus on something else in the meantime? For example, I was looking for work to gather a reliable source of income, considering I'll most likely be staying in Equestria for a while after my graduation at CHS."
"Whatever works best for you, Sunset." Pinkie nodded. "Come to think of it... if you're looking for a job directly here in Canterlot, I vaguely remember seeing The Tasty Treat putting up a 'Help Wanted' sign out front. It's an amazing restaurant with some of the most unique and exotic foods to offer. I even occasionally stop by to try the incredible desserts!"
"I like the food there too, but... I'll refuse to even LOOK at the quesadillas on the menu." Twilight shuttered.
"Well, I do have restaurant experience back in the human world... so why not?" Sunset alluded to her sushi delivery job. "Where specifically is this restaurant?"
"It's right next to the Canterlot residential area, within what I like to call the 'Restaurant Row'." Pinkie pointed in the direction. "The look of the restaurant has a snazzy design, so you can't miss it! Always happy to introduce that restaurant to any new friends, since... let's just say me and Rarity's influence helped turn the owners around in their business. They even almost considered renovating the place to look like those other, ordinary fine dining places here in Canterlot. Who'd wanna eat in a lifeless place like that?"
"Errr... Pinkie?" Twilight tried to remind her Earth pony friend. "Don't forget that Sunset here used to live in Canterlot, and she likely ate at those restaurants all the time."
"Ohhhhh, um... no offense." Pinkie smiled sheepishly.
"None taken, especially since... I agree with Pinkie, actually." Sunset winked. "It's why I've chosen to work at a sushi place with a lot of personality, especially with the uniforms, but that's a story for another day. Well, all right, I guess I could head on over to this Tasty Treat place and see if they'll want me. But Twilight... are you sure that I shouldn't at least talk to Rainbow for a while before the actual meeting?"
"Normally, I would allow it, but I'm just afraid that things could escalate until everypony on the council is here." Twilight replied. "Starlight and I actually had to use our magic to literally drag Rainbow in when we had to fetch her from her home in Cloudsdale, so we might need to wait for her to calm down for a bit before starting the meeting proper."
"Understood." Sunset nodded. "Alright, I guess I'll see you all in a bit. If I do get a position at the Tasty Treat, well, that's where I'll be for the next few hours, but I'll try to at least return on time for the meeting."
Sunset then waved goodbye to Twilight and Pinkie, before making her way to the area of Canterlot Pinkie described. While continuing to trot on, she eventually noticed there was a 'Help Wanted' sign outside of this small but thematic-looking restaurant, which had another sign that read 'The Tasty Treat'. It admittedly looked out of place compared to all the other high class buildings surrounding the area, but something about the vibrant colors and inviting atmosphere drew Sunset in. She knew it was necessary to find a job here in Equestria, mostly to help her get through the rest of her years here. Money would soon become an inevitable issue, so why not seek an opportunity in finding a job, especially one here in Canterlot, where she already lived?
As Sunset entered The Tasty Treat, she noticed that while the indoor decor was absolutely beautiful, the supposed flow of business wasn't. In fact, there was only one pony sitting around who had just finished their meal, seemingly grouchy at the fact she had to wait so long for her food. Although this gave off the impression that the restaurant suddenly wasn't as successful as Pinkie had alluded to, perhaps it was only a sign that they needed somepony new to fill a crucial position. After hearing that Pinkie and Rarity both managed to help the business reopen with high hopes, Sunset felt the inspiration to do the same, though she would definitely need an understanding of the issues, according to the owner. The unicorn trotted over to the front counter and began calling for anypony available.
"Hello?" Sunset called out, whilst ringing the bell on the counter.
"Yes, yes?" Coriander Cumin responded, as he came out of the kitchen. "Oh, good. Another customer. Please, I beg of you to be patient, considering I'm the only one here today."
"Oh, well..." Sunset began, before pointing at the sign on the front window. "I'm not here to eat, actually. I'm interested in the available position, assuming it's still open? If so, could I please speak with the owner?"
"OH!" Coriander Cumin exclaimed with surprise. "Wonderful, well... that would be me, actually. Since it doesn't look like any other customers are coming in soon, we could get started with an interview?"
"Sure thing!" Sunset nodded, as she followed the stallion over to his office.
In the office, Sunset sat in a nearby chair while Coriander went over to his desk. The stallion handed Sunset a menu of all the exquisite dishes the restaurant would be preparing on a daily basis, as she read over them. There were admittedly many foods and dishes Sunset had never even heard of, even if these were technically native to Equestria, unlike the foods she was familiar with in the human world. The second page had a brief listing of job positions available, but the primary two included waitress or chef.
"I'm admittedly a little relieved somepony decided to look for work here in Canterlot." Coriander breathed a sigh of relief. "Most ponies here don't really seek jobs when they already own a lot of money, after all."
"Well... let's just say that I'm different, despite living here in Canterlot." Sunset giggled. "Now... as for the positions you have here... I don't know that I'd be confident in preparing almost 90% of these dishes listed here. I've admittedly never heard of them before, so it seems as though I'd need to go through huge training sessions to properly be a chef here for you."
"That's quite alright, I don't particularly expect everypony here to know the secrets of my family's special recipes." Coriander nodded. "However, being a chef shouldn't be too difficult, if you're mostly assisting me in the kitchen. Unfortunately, it appears that the bigger issue now is that the customers have been complaining that I've been taking way too long with their orders. But there's nothing I can do, especially regarding the situation with my daughter, Saffron."
"Sorry to hear about your daughter..." Sunset's ears went down with sadness. "Do you mind me asking what happened?"
"Business was doing absolutely great when my daughter and I were working together as a team." Coriander began sighing. "Unfortunately, things went downhill for both the family and restaurant a few weeks ago. Saffron and I had decided to go rock climbing during our vacation to Ghastly Gorge, and... the worst possible thing had happened. The safety harness's rope had snapped, sending her plummeting a fair distance down the cliff. She landed pretty hard on her back legs, but thankfully, the rest of her body was unscathed. Despite this, she needed serious medical treatment, and could no longer work alongside myself here in the restaurant. It was especially heartbreaking for her when she realized this, since... The Tasty Treat was always a huge part of her life."
"That's awful, I really hope she gets better soon." Sunset empathized with the stallion. "Has her condition at least been improving since then?"
"Physically, yes." Coriander replied. "But mentally, no. Although I've been struggling to keep the business afloat, she's still saddened by the fact that business has been slowly going downhill ever since I started taking over by myself. With how good the business took off before her injuries, the ponies in charge of the leasing here in Canterlot will automatically repossess our space if we miss even one payment on time. It's a policy here in Canterlot that applies to any business capable of earning more than 1,000 bits per week. Our due date for rent is already next week, and we're still short half of what we need. Meaning... if we can't make it through the next payment date, The Tasty Treat... might be gone for good. And by the time Saffron's legs get better, it'll already be too late..."
"Yeah, I know that feeling for sure, when money comes in between you and what you cherish dearly." Sunset said, remembering how Applejack couldn't afford Granny Smith's treatment before her death. "Well, I don't think I have that much experience with cooking these dishes, but I feel confident in being a waitress for you. I've got good social skills, and have had previous experience serving in a sushi restaurant before."
"Come again?" Coriander questioned. "What is this thing you call 'sushi'? It sounds interesting."
"Oh, uhhh..." Sunset tried to come up with an appropriate response, understanding that ponies don't normally eat fish. "An interesting combination of seaweed and rice, with some other flavorings, all bundled up in a neat roll."
"I'm afraid I have no idea what that is, but I might consider experimenting with that if we can make next week's payment on time." Coriander said, intrigued. "In the meantime, you sound more acquainted to being a waitress, so I'll allow it. Besides, it's an absolute nightmare for me to take other ponies' orders and cook it simultaneously, then getting complaints that I'm purposefully taking too long."
"Alright, so does this mean you'll have me?" Sunset said, rather hopeful.
"Yes, welcome to the team, err..." Coriander stuttered. "Oh, how rude of me. I've been so worried about this business that I never even bothered allowing us to give proper introductions. My name is Coriander Cumin, but you can just call me 'Coriander'."
"Nice to meet you, Coriander." Sunset replied. "Sunset Shimmer, and... thanks for having me. When would you like me to start? If it's right now, then that may be problematic, since I do have a meeting at noon, and..."
"Oh?" Coriander understood immediately. "Not to worry, Sunset. Due to business being more slow than usual, I'll actually be closing at around noon today regardless. This is mostly because I have a meeting to discuss the restaurant's finances, as well as heading over to the hospital to visit my daughter. But yes, today could be considered your orientation day, except that I'll still be paying you once your hours are up."
"Alright then, that sounds wonderful, actually." Sunset smiled, before hearing the front doors to the restaurant open.
"Oh!" Coriander exclaimed. "Looks like the timing was perfect, now I've got a waitress who can help me speed things up. Taking orders and being the chef simultaneously is just intensely stressful."
"I'd imagine so." Sunset nodded. "Alright, so do I have to wear a uniform or anything?"
"Nah, we're not that kind of restaurant, and admittedly... we currently don't have the budget to afford waitress uniforms." Coriander explained. "Though it does sometimes create confusion, like the time some of my customers claimed that they enjoyed the service from their dragon waiter. I've never employed a dragon here before, so I was certainly confused."
"Oh, interesting." Sunset said, wondering if her new boss was referring to Spike. "Alright, I'll head on out and get started."
Going back out into the dining room, Sunset noticed three unicorn mares approaching one of the tables. She wasn't able to immediately recognize them at first, but after a brief reflection back to her days at the School For Gifted Unicorns, she realized that these weren't just any unicorns. They were the same old classmates who had offered to become her friends back then, but were always rudely brushed off, much to Princess Celestia's dismay. It took a while for Sunset to remember their names, but she eventually remembered at least two of them, Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine, respectively. She wasn't immediately sure who the third unicorn was, but she did look familiar. Going off of her last major return to Canterlot, Sunset wanted to say that she briefly saw this other unicorn in the library while seeking Princess Celestia's guidance during the memory stone incident. However, this mystery was immediately answered when one of the other unicorns spoke up.
"So this is that restaurant you like to occasionally have a quick meal at, Moondancer?" Twinkleshine asked. "Even to the point of skipping our book club sessions?"
"Indeed, it's also probably the only establishment here in Canterlot where you truly get your bit's worth." Moondancer nodded. "One of those fine dining places expected me to cough up 28 bits for a grilled cheese sandwich and a glass of water."
"Price-wise, I've heard this place may be better, but... not so much the service." Lemon Hearts chimed in. "In fact, Minuette informed me that she had to wait over a half hour just to get her side dish. I'm willing to give this place a chance on your word, but... I have a feeling I might skip the opportunity if I'm not impressed today. When's our waiter coming out, by the way?"
Overhearing this, Sunset understood this meant two things. Firstly, all three of these unicorns were ponies from her past who potentially wanted to become her friend, but were just rejected on the spot, which encouraged her to see if she could possibly make amends with them, much like she would soon with Rainbow Dash too. Secondly, that unicorn she didn't recognize right away was actually the pony in question, the one Sunset knew she seemingly ended up hurting the most, when she disregarded that old invitation to her birthday party back then. Sunset remembered Twilight vaguely sharing her own experience with getting off on the wrong hoof with Moondancer, and understood that if these ponies wouldn't immediately forgive her, she'd at least make an effort to prove she had changed. After all, with her plan on staying behind in Equestria after her graduation, it'd be likely that she'd see them more often.
"Hello there!" Sunset trotted over to the trio of unicorns, whilst using her magic to hold a notepad and pen. "I'll be your waitress this fine day, what can I get started for you?"
"Eh, just give us the usual, a stack of pancakes, and maybe some-" Moondancer began, before being cut off by Lemon Hearts.
"Wait a minute..." Lemon Hearts chimed in. "Don't we know you from somewhere?"
"Huh, now that you mention it, she does look familiar." Twinkleshine began to parse this unusual feeling.
"Actually... now that I'm taking a good look at her..." Moondancer adjusted her glasses accordingly. "Sunset... Shimmer?"
"Yeah, that's me." Sunset nodded. "You... might remember me from the days where I was so focused at being Princess Celestia's pupil, that I shunned anypony who wanted to be my friend, which includes you three."
"Oh yeah, I vaguely remember our brief interactions back at the School For Gifted Unicorns..." Moondancer began reflecting. "Come to think of it, I remember admiring your skill levels with magic, and sent you an invitation to my very first birthday party here in Canterlot. Though I'm guessing they must've mixed up the mail, considering you never showed up?"
"Or she was too busy getting straight A's." Lemon Hearts theorized.
"Actually... there wasn't a problem with the mailing system at all." Sunset confessed. "The problem was me back then, since I didn't care for anypony other than myself, and only focused on being the #1 student. As a result, I always adamantly believed that I had better things to do than socialize, which... was far from the truth, especially with everything new about making friends I've learned over the years. I'm really sorry for how I treated you and all our other classmates back then."
The three unicorns looked at each other initially, before looking back at Sunset.
"So... what now?" Twinkleshine huffed. "Just because you apologized, we're automatically required to forgive you now?"
"Honestly, that apology just won't cut it if you were always right full of yourself, and treated us like we were uneducated fillies who only got in thanks to our parents paying our tuition!" Lemon Hearts agreed. "How did you even get into that school yourself?"
"As far as I'm aware, she had Princess Celestia paying for everything, like a spoiled little princess." Twinkleshine added. "In other words, why did you believe you were above the rest of us who were also pretty skilled with magic?"
"Because... back then, I was focused too heavily on being the #1 student, and allowed Princess Celestia making me her pupil go to my head." Sunset sighed. "Listen, I understand that the way I treated you girls back then was just not right, but over time, I've genuinely learned the errors of my ways. I made certain that I would never treat you or anypony like that ever again."
"Pffft, sure." Lemon Hearts scoffed. "Just because you say that now, it automatically makes it all better. Listen here, you can't erase literal years of constantly being turned down and rejected as a friend! We were willing to be by your side and even help you study, but you just always blew us off. You always bragged about how Princess Celestia chose you over us, and even flaunted your money at everypony."
"Come to think of it... you think that's why she's now a waitress here?" Twinkleshine smirked. "She obviously needed to find a job, considering Mommy Celestia clearly can't pay for everything she wants now."
"...I did take this job because I needed money, but not because of that." Sunset said with a serious face, realizing that her hope in making amends with these ponies had clearly backfired. "Look, I really don't look fondly back at my past, and can understand where all this is coming from, but I assure you, I'm not that same pony anymore. I'll be sure to do anything I can to prove that to you, but if you're not interested, why don't I just start taking your orders?"
"Why even bother?" Twinkleshine shook her head. "Knowing you, you'll probably just spit in our food before you give it to us, or try charging us for something we never ordered!"
"Yeah, we don't even want to talk to you right now, let alone trust you to bring us our food!" Lemon Hearts snapped. "Surely you feel the same way, Moondancer? Especially considering what happened back then at your first birthday party here in Canterlot."
Moondancer initially looked annoyed after Lemon Hearts said that, which worried Sunset at first. It was just as she feared, she had always treated her old classmates like dirt ever since she became Princess Celestia's pupil, and now she was paying the ultimate price, getting shunned and rejected, much like they had been themselves back then. As Sunset believed that since she had seemingly hurt Moondancer the worst by neglecting to show up at her birthday party, she was almost expecting Moondancer to either explode or really give her a piece of her mind. But as Moondancer finally spoke up, Sunset was surprised at what she had to say.
"Enough of this!" Moondancer slammed her hooves on the table, before turning to her friends. "Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine! You both need to apologize to Sunset right now!"
"What!?" Twinkleshine said, aghast. "After how she treated us all those years back at school? Tell me you're joking right now."
"Yeah, I mean... did you forget how hurt you must've been when she never showed up at your birthday party?" Lemon Hearts reminded.
"Did YOU forget that Twilight did practically the same thing when she didn't show up to my get-together party too?" Moondancer frowned. "But it seems as though you still treated Twilight with respect, despite that."
"Well of course, I mean... she's now a princess!" Lemon Hearts rolled her eyes. "How could we possibly disrespect our royal leaders?"
"Princess Celestia chose her as princess for a reason, and I recall she at least treated us better when we were classmates!" Twinkleshine added.
"...So you're meaning to tell me that if Twilight never became a princess, you'd treat her the same way you just treated Sunset here?" Moondancer asked, rhetorically.
"Why would we treat Twilight that way if she specifically went out of her way to reunite with us all?" Lemon Hearts said, confused. "In fact, you're one to talk about treating Twilight horribly!"
"Yeah, it seems you've forgotten that while she was reuniting with the rest of us, you just constantly gave her the cold shoulder like she was your enemy."
"I know... and... that's why I'm refusing to let myself make the same mistake again." Moondancer said, seriously. "I might've been hurt when Twilight ended up abandoning my party, but that certainly didn't justify my own behavior toward her. Two wrongs don't make a right, just like you both deciding to treat Sunset the same way she treated you back then, despite the fact she's changed now."
"Well how do you know she's not just bluffing or trying to give us a sob story?" Twinkleshine speculated.
"Because... I myself can relate to wanting to become the top student, to the point of pushing away all my friends, including Twilight." Moondancer reflected. "After Twilight hurt me to the point where it all changed, I realize now that I was basically in the same boat as Sunset here, alone and isolated from everypony else. I believed that becoming the #1 student would make me happy, but... it didn't. It never did, and instead, just made me grow more bitter and resentful over the years, which resulted in what happened between me and Twilight after we reunited."
"But I mean... it's at least different with Twilight, don't you think?" Lemon Hearts said. "She never blew us off or treated us like garbage, she was happy to reunite with us when she came back to Canterlot that one time!"
"Well I'm willing to bet all my magic that you girls wouldn't believe that if Twilight never ascended into a princess." Moondancer glared at her companions. "Besides... are you really sure about that? Need I remind you, Twinkleshine, that you yourself once believed Twilight was always more interested in books than friends?"
"Oh... yeah, err... how do you remember things from so long ago?" Twinkleshine smiled, sheepishly. "Alright, I guess you do prove a good point, it's just become hard to remember everything Twilight and the rest of us went through back in school. I mean, I mostly just remember Lemon Hearts getting her head trapped in that beaker."
"And how you would've treated Twilight if she was the same unicorn we knew back in chemistry class?" Moondancer began to finish her point. "Doesn't seem that much different from how you both just treated Sunset here. Just because she doesn't have wings or a title of royalty, it doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings like the rest of us. Twilight's always been the same pony we knew back in school, but you decided to show favoritism toward her just because of her new position. I know that for a fact, because if that wasn't the case, you wouldn't have targeted and bullied Sunset here, even if she did the same to us all back then."
"Adding on, you two don't even know my full story." Sunset began speaking up herself. "I'm well aware of how awful I was to you all back then, but I promise you, those days are over. I'm not taking this waitress job because I was too used to Princess Celestia paying for everything. It's because I'm wanting to start a new life now that I've moved back to Canterlot. And the main reason I wanted to come by and apologize for our past together was not because I was expecting forgiveness right away. It's because I wanted to give you that closure in hearing my words of regret in pushing away all that time we could've spent together as friends, but never did."
"Wow, I... I never really thought of it that way." Twinkleshine said.
"That's pretty noble of you, if what you're saying is true." Lemon Hearts nodded.
"So?" Moondancer crossed her hooves. "Are you two going to give Sunset an apology now?"
"We're... we're sorry for being so rude to you earlier." Twinkleshine lowered her head in shame.
"Yeah, it was pretty rotten, and two wrongs don't make a right." Lemon Hearts said with guilt. "I'm sorry too, and... we also accept your apology for back then. But now we completely understand if you no longer want to take our orders anymore."
"Well I mean, I have to do my job to earn money no matter what, and I appreciate the apologies, so I'll happily still be your waitress today." Sunset smiled. "What will you be having?"
"Let's just each get the usual order of five stacked pancakes with butter and maple syrup." Moondancer suggested, as Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine nodded in agreement. "That'll be all, Sunset."
"Got it!" Sunset finally used her pen to write down the order. "And... thanks for being such an understanding friend, Moondancer."
"Hey, I'm just doing what Twilight once taught me." Moondancer winked.
Sunset finally returned into the kitchen to present the order to Coriander Cumin, who read the paper.
"Whoa, fifteen orders of flapjacks!?" Coriander exclaimed in surprise. "This alone will already make more than I've made during yesterday's business hours! It sounds like to me you're already doing an excellent job as a waitress!"
"Thank you, boss." Sunset nodded, before going back over to the main counter.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Sunset had successfully found a job that would help her earn a steady income, and were able to reconcile with a few of her old classmates from the School For Gifted Unicorns, including Moondancer herself. It definitely sounded like Moondancer truly gave Twilight a hard time back then, but whatever was the case, Sunset was glad Moondancer was able to approach the situation differently this time around. Coupled with hearing that they both had somewhat similar lives as far as isolating themselves from everypony else for the sake of studying magic. While awaiting any further customers, Sunset began overhearing something from the unicorn trio.
"Wait a minute... that's today?" Lemon Hearts said, surprised. "Then that means... wasn't it your birthday a week ago?"
"Yeah, it was." Moondancer nodded. "Didn't really end up doing anything special, I mostly just stayed home and studied biology."
"Well... you had a cake, didn't you?" Twinkleshine asked. "I remember strawberry's your favorite."
"Nah, I didn't have time to go grocery shopping that day." Moondancer responded. "It's fine though. I'm not a filly anymore, birthdays aren't really that important now that I have other things in life to worry about."
Hearing this, it gave Sunset an idea, as she headed back to the kitchen, where Coriander was busy mixing pancake batter. She was wondering if there was any cake available that Coriander was willing to part with.
"Looking for something, Sunset?" Coriander asked curiously.
"Yeah, it's not something they ordered, but... do you by any chance have a cake laying around that you would be willing to give away without extra charge?" Sunset questioned. "It's... for a special occasion, let's just say."
"Well, with business being more slow than usual, I do have a few spare cakes laying around in the fridge." Coriander pointed at the walk-in fridge. "It's probably better I get rid of them, since they'll become stale after we close today. Feel free to do whatever you please with any of them."
Sunset nodded, before going inside and noticing there was one strawberry cake laying around. She grabbed the cake with her magic, began making her way into the dining room, and set it on the unicorn trio's table, much to Moondancer's surprise. Sunset was doing this as a further form of an apology to Moondancer for missing her birthday party back then, and repaying her for her kindness in standing up for her earlier.
"Oh, Sunset, err..." Moondancer stuttered. "I appreciate the thought, but... how much extra will-"
"Don't worry about it." Sunset assured. "It's on the house, and... happy birthday."
Tears of joy leaked from Moondancer's eyes, as she then hugged the unicorn she once saw as an upperclassmare back in school. Happy that somepony was able to acknowledge her birthday, along with providing her favorite cake, it was a beautiful act of kindness that was reciprocated. Feeling that this was a lot to accept, Moondancer made certain to tip Sunset generously once everypony was finished with their pancakes. When that time came, Sunset returned with their order of pancakes, feeling good about this entire experience, despite the rocky start when reuniting with her old classmates. After Sunset presented the bill after the trio was finished with their meals, Moondancer happily took bits out of her saddlebag to pay for everything, along with also leaving behind 40 bits to Sunset as a generous tip.
After the trio had departed from the restaurant, Sunset happily continued doing her job, as more ponies began coming in. She was admittedly unsure if Moondancer had gone out to spread a positive word about the restaurant, or if there were just more hungry ponies today than usual. Regardless, she carried on with engaging in conversation with the various ponies who came flooding in, knowing that at this rate, Coriander would most likely reach his goal to keep the restaurant afloat. Everything seemed like a dream come true, and Sunset smiled at how nicely this morning was already going for her.
However, as it was approaching closing time, Sunset looked toward the front door upon hearing it open one last time. To her surprise, it was Lily, the same little filly that she and Fluttershy comforted and took in that night, as well as Applejack the following morning. While this was admittedly a pleasant surprise, Sunset's eyes widened when she saw who was accompanying her. It was an orange fur pegasus with blonde hair, purple eyes, and green eyeshadow.