Sunset looked up to find herself standing in Canterlot Castle. She felt the familiar sensation of standing on all four hooves again. Her first instinct was to run away as quickly as she could. She hadn't been in the castle since Celestia kicked her out and was afraid that she may be arrested on the spot. The next impulse she had was to try and find Celestia as quickly as possible. She ended up compromising by observing the stained glass windows. The one that caught her eye the most was a depiction of her banishment. You could see Celestia and all of the ponies of Canterlot cheering as Sunset walked into the fading glow of the sunlight over the horizon.
Did they really cheer when I left?
"Sunset Shimmer" A commanding voice declared her name from across the hall. Sunset tilted her head and hunched her shoulders. Ashamed to even be standing in the great hall, she was sure that her incarceration was imminent. She turned and saw the princess standing in the wing. Her mane glowed with the royal translucent effect of a Canterlot Alicorn.
"P-princess luna" Sunset was confused but somewhat relieved that it hadn't been Celestia who had found her. She bowed to the legendary moon princess whom she had never met it person.
"You seem to be quite taken with murals here in the great hall." Luna casually walked toward the trembling Sunset Shimmer.
"I'm sorry for trespassing. I don't even know how I got here. I'll leave immediately." Sunset avoided eye contact with the looming princess standing over her.
"Ah but you see, it is I who is trespassing. For it is not in the Canterlot Castle that we are standing, but rather the very precipice of your own mind." Luna tapped her hoof onto Sunset's bowed head. She took that as a queue to stand.
"My mind? Are you saying this is a dream?" Sunset looked around frantically. "So that means none of this is real?" She turned back to look at her own special stained glass scene.
"Everything in a dream has its own truth to it. A dream is merely the way in which your unconscious mind perceives reality." Luna watched as Sunset put her hoof on the glass menagerie in front of her. "Although, I can assure you that, that particular fabrication does not represent my sister's feelings toward you."
Sunset looked Luna in the eye for the first time.
"Well there has to be some truth to it. You said so yourself." Sunset assumed her old tough girl face as it seemed preferable to crying.
"Perhaps the truth in this window is not about Celestia but rather is meant to reveal a truth about you?"
"Yeah, the truth that I'm awful." Sunset dropped to a sitting position. She drooped her head and let her hair hang over her face.
"Take heart young miss Shimmer" Luna gently placed her hoof under Sunset's chin and and lifted her face. "For the reports of Twilight Sparkle and the words of my sister lead me to believe otherwise."
Sunset gave a rough chuckle and forced a grimace.
"So you've read up on me. That's great. Do I have a stats sheet? My own gossip column?"
Luna sighed.
"You know, I realize how hard it can be to face one's own past. A pony is not the sum of her past deeds, but a representative of who she is now." Sunset set jumped to her feet again.
"Are you kidding me? I am completely defined by my past deeds. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try I cannot get away from my past. Maybe nobody ever really changes." Sunset paused a few moments and held her gaze with Luna. "We just get caught and learn to behave for a while."
Luna sighed again and looked at the floor.
"If you truly believe that, then I cannot help you." Luna started to back away.
"Wait, where are you going?" Sunset stepped toward Luna. Luna's eyes glowed white as she spread her wings and hovered into the air. Her voice boomed across the hall so loud it seemed that all of Canterlot could hear her.
"Sunset Shimmer, your dream will be ending soon. But before I go, I must deliver a message to you."
Sunset covered her face as a vortex of winds emitted from Luna's wings.
"Twilight Sparkle has returned safely to Equestria." Luna's good news finally perked Sunset up.
"She has? Oh thank Celestia. We need her back, the Dazzlings have..." Luna's deafening words cut Sunset off.
“Twilight Sparkle cannot return to the other world”
“What? But she has to, we can’t win without her.” Sunset took a step toward Luna through the gale force winds.
“We are aware of your situation. However, because of dangers beyond our control, we cannot open a portal to the other world.” Luna started to drift away from Sunset.
“Then we’ve lost. There’s no way to beat them.” Sunset reached out her hoof toward Luna. She could still see her but it seemed like she was miles away. Luna’s voice was the only part of her that hadn’t diminished.
“Sunset Shimmer, are your bonds of friendship so weak that they cannot stand up to the smallest gust of wind?” The walls of the great hall twisted and contorted around Sunset until they looked like an abstract painting. Luna thrust her wings one more time and and the dream world was washed away into a wave of white light. Sunset blinked her eyes until the white light took the form of florescent lights on a ceiling.
****
Sunset woke up in the nurse’s office at Canterlot High. She was laying on a firm observation table with a cheap sheet of plastic paper underneath her. The lights from the ceiling were obscuring her view of the person who was standing over her. She seemed to be wearing a nurse’s scrub and had a hazard mask over her mouth. She held a clipboard and had big pink poofy hair.
“Ah, I see that the subject is awake. Better note that in the log.” The nurse scribbled something on her clipboard.
“Pinkie Pie?” Sunset started to sit up but Pinkie gently stopped her with her free hand.
“Subject is over eager in trying to leave, we need run some more tests.” Pinkie continued to write something down.
“Pinkie, what’s going on? Why are you dressed like a nurse?” Sunset’s eyes started to adjust to the light.
“Oh no. There’s an irregularity in her deedle-bob thinga-ma-gig.” Pinkie dramatically pulled down her hazard mask and looked at Sunset like she was seeing a ghost. “If we don’t operate right now, we might lose her.”
“Pinkie, you’re scaring me.” Sunset tried to scoot back on the table and bumped her head into the wall.
“Subject is going into Cadillac arrest. Activating emergency CPR maneuvers.” Pinkie balled her hands into a double fist and held it over her head.
“No, please don’t hurt me.” Sunset covered her face with her arms and braced for impact. She jumped a little when she felt something running along her sides and stomach. It caused Sunset to burst out with uncontrolled laughter and convulsions. “Oh Celestia, oh, no, no, haha, stop it, Pinkie, ah, no, haha, seriously....”
Pinkie viciously tickled Sunset and joined in with her giggling spree. By the time she mercifully stopped, both of them were out of breath and still giggling a little.
“Subject, expected to make a full recovery.” Pinkie jotted her note down.
"You are so weird Pinkie." Sunset grinned a little wider than she had in a while. "Thanks, I think I needed that. So what happened?"
Pinkie put the clipboard down and tapped the pen against her mouth.
"Well, we kinda lost the battle."
"We lost?"
"Yeah, we lost pretty hard too. Our stuff exploded and everything." Pinkie was her usual casually flippant self.
"What about Twilight, wasn't she..."
"She's gone, swept up into a portal to who knows where." Pinkie tossed the pen upward and it wedged into the ceiling.
"I have a feeling she's safe back in Equestria." Sunset dipped her head and grabbed her elbow.
"Well that's a relief. It would be awful if she were to be stuck between dimensions, trapped in the infinite nothingness, screaming constantly without making a sound, never to be seen or heard from again." Pinkie threw her hands up into the air.
"Pinkie, what a horrible thing to even think about."
"Yeah, but it almost certainly probably didn't happen so it she should be fine." Pinkie flipped her hands down.
"Remind me not to get my betting odds from you." Sunset sat up on the table. "How long have I been out? An hour or two?" Sunset rubbed her head.
"Two days." Pinkie said like it was two minutes.
"Two days?" Sunset jumped down from the table. She wasn't prepared for how weak her legs were and nearly lost her balance.
"Yep, two days. You were really out of it.”
“What’s happened in two days?” Sunset supported herself against the examining table as she tried to regain the strength in her legs.
“Well, after you passed out, we wanted to take you to the hospital but Principle Celestia was afraid that the dark magic in you might be released and that could be dangerous.” Pinkie did a pirouette and threw her hands out to demonstrate her point.
“Dark Magic?” Sunset looked confused.
“Yeah, so they brought you back here and had nurse Redheart take care of you. You wouldn’t wake up but she couldn’t find anything wrong with you. Celestia wanted to send you back to your house but I convinced nurse Redheart to let you stay here.” Pinkie’s facial expression suddenly looked a little upset. “You see, they’re thinking about expelling you from Canterlot High.”
“Expelling me?” Sunset stood straight up.
"We got blamed for the disturbance at the battle of the bands. Celestia gave me and the other girls in school suspensions but since you already popped off a giant magical force of evil once before..." Pinkie paused when she noticed the glaring look Sunset was giving her. "Sorry."
"But it wasn't evil, it was the magic of friendship. We were trying to save everyone." Sunset grabbed both of her elbows. It was her go to stance when she felt like the smallest person in the world.
"Well yeah, we know that. But don't you remember the pop singing, the hip swaying, the green smoke, and the engaging stare of seductive eyes that draw you in; defeating your inhibitions until you’re a helpless zombie to their every command?” Pinkie held her hands forward and tilted her head to the side like she was a zombie.
“What?”
“Principle Celestia and Vice Principal Luna are under the Dazzling’s spell” Pinkie threw her hands up.
"Oh of course" Sunset slapped her forehead. "The spell, that's how they're getting Celestia and Luna to think whatever they want. So they want me expelled? Why would they want me expelled?"
"Duh silly" Pinkie knocked on Sunset's forehead like a door. "Cause you're the best chance we have at beating them. You're from the same world as Twilight and you know magic and stuff too."
"I wasn't very helpful two days ago." Sunset folded her arms. "I don't know what to do, I guess I'll just go back to class until they make a decision." Sunset started to walk toward the door but Pinke stepped in her path.
"Um, yeah, about that. You're kinda not supposed to be at the school right now." Pinkie twiddled her fingers in the air. "They kind of suspended you until they make a decision on rather you're expelled or not."
"What? I gotta get out of here, I can't let anyone see me." Sunset paused for a moment. "But if nurse Redheart treated me, don't they already know I'm here?"
"Oh no, you see that's a secret too. Right nurse Redheart?" Pikie ripped the curtain that was dividing the room open to reveal nurse Redheart sitting at her desk shoving a cup cake into her mouth.
"Hi Pinkie," Redheart waved politely to her.
"I had to promise her free cupcakes for a month to get her to keep quiet about you being here." Pinkie bounced in place a few times when she mentioned cup cakes.
"You just keep these coming miss Pie and I won't say a word." Redheart gobbled her last piece of cup cake. "Miss Shimmer, how are you feeling?"
"Uh good, I guess. A little woozy." Sunset teetered a little and re-balanced herself against the table.
"You're dehydrated, you need to drink some water, and a bite to eat would do you good since you've been unconscious for two days." Redheart got up from her desk. She poured water into a plastic cup from the sink and grabbed a banana off of the counter. She handed them to Sunset with a smile.
"Here you go. Try to avoid heavy physical activity or anything overly stressing for a while."
"Thank you." Sunset took the banana and water cup.
“And Miss Pie, it’s cardiac arrest not 'Cadillac' arrest. And we usually refer to our patients by their name not 'subject.'"
"So as long as I stay here I should be fine. I'll wait until after dark to leave. I would hate to get expelled for breaking my suspension." A flash of annoyance flew across Sunset's face as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Even though it's not really my fault that I'm here."
A crackling sound resonated from the PA speakers.
"Sunset Shimmer please report to the principal's office. Sunset Shimmer please report to the principal's office."
Sunset Shimmer froze staring at the PA speaker. Pinkie scratched her head.
"How in the dickens did she find out you were here? Woah, did I just say 'dickens?' Who says 'dickens' anymore?" Pinkie tapped her fingers on the counter. It had been a while since she had played her drums and she was already missing them. The speakers cracked again.
"Also, nurse Redheart, please do not accept food bribes from the students. It sets a bad example."
Nurse Redheart bit her bottom lip.
"Someone must have squealed." Pinkie pointed to the ceiling and pantomimed smoking a large cob pipe with her other hand. "It's a mystery to solve who the squealer is."
"Don't bother Pinkie." Sunset put her hand on Pinkie's shoulder. "They already know I'm here. There's nothing to do but face it. Besides..."
Sunset walked toward the door but turned around before leaving, "You have about 800 viable suspects in this school anyway." Sunset held the door frame and looked down at the floor. Pinkie walked up to Sunset and gave her a big hug from behind.
"Well there's at least five suspects I can eliminate right off the bat."
Sunset looked over her shoulder at Pinkie and gave her a crooked smile.
"I know." She hugged Pinkie back and stepped out into the hallway. Pinkie ran out into the hallway and watched Sunset walk away.
"Don't forget, you're innocent until proven a jerk." Pinkie gave her a thumbs up. Nurse Redheart could be heard from back in her office.
"It's innocent until proven guilty miss Pie."
Sunset took a deep breath and sighed. She'd been in trouble before. Last fall formal was probably the biggest punishment she'd ever received. In the past, when she would walk to Celestia's office, she was always smug and confident. She knew she had the administration wrapped around her finger and could manipulate them to bend to her will. Today she was finally on the receiving end of someone else manipulating the faculty.
Is this how I made other people feel?
The thought wasn't very comforting. Part of Sunset felt that she deserved anything that could be thrown at her, including expulsion.
Sunset paused as she read the door in front of her. Principal Celestia's Office. She wondered if this would be the last time she ever walked these halls again. When Celestia banished her from Canterlot Castle, she didn't stop to think about that at the time. She was just so angry at Celestia for taking from her what she thought was hers.
So what do I do if Celestia banishes me twice?
Sunset chuckled a little bit. Even though this was a different Celestia, it was still a pretty profound coincidence. Sunset opened the door to the principal's office and to her surprise, he was standing there.
"Thank you Flash Sentry, that will be all for now. I appreciate you coming to me with this information." Celestia politely smiled at Flash. He turned around to see a somewhat startled Sunset Shimmer staring at him.
"Heh, 'bout time you got here. We were starting to think you were still trying to hide." Flash buried his hands into the pockets of his lightning jacket. A wave of green light flashed in his eyes and disappeared. Sunset was about to say something but Celestia cut in first.
"Please have a seat Miss Shimmer." Celestia coldly pointed to the chair in front of her desk. Sunset took her seat in silence.
"Don't worry Shimmy, I told her all about what you were planning at the battle of the bands so you don't have to bother with lying about anything." Flash reached for the door. "See ya later babe." He closed the door behind him as he left. Sunset didn’t know what to think. Her stomach was swirling with so many emotions she felt like she might throw up. She took a seat in front of Celestia. She was about to say something but Celestia held her hand up, stopping Sunset Shimmer mid breath. Celestia slowly dropped her hand down to her desk.
“This ends today Sunset Shimmer.”