"P... Princess?" was all Sunset could say, as Celestia and Twilight began to approach her. Both with warm smiles.
"It's good to see you again Sunset." Celestia said as she came closer. "It's been so long."
Sunset was at a complete loss for words. "I... What are... Why are..?"
Celestia knelt down and gave Sunset a hug. "It's okay, I'm not angry at you." she said softly.
Sunset returned the hug, and began to beg her forgiveness, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Everything I did... The way I treated you... Treated your teachings. I... You didn't deserve it. I know I was horrible to you, but I've changed!"
"Sunset?" Celestia said worriedly.
"I know I was wrong! Everything I ever did was wrong! But I've been trying to do something right, I swear..."
"Sunset please, calm down."
"Please, I'm begging you! Give me another chance..." she cried.
"Sunset!" Celestia said again, louder this time, as Sunset froze mid sentence. "I told you, I'm not angry." She pulled back from their hug, "We're here to bring you home Sunset."
"We?" In her blind panic to apologize, Sunset had completely forgotten Twilight was standing just behind Celestia.
"I'd like you to meet somepony." Celestia steped back, and let Twilight step forward.
"Hi, I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle. It's nice to meet you." she said kindly.
"Twilight!... there's somet-" the three of them heard movement down the corridor, Trixie's performance had ended with some time still left for lunch, cutting their reunion short.
"Sunset, we need to go now," Celestia began, "we can talk about this later, but right now we need to go back to Equestria. I never should have come here myself."
"I can't go..." Sunset sighed as she wiped her eyes clean of tears.
"Why ever not?" Celestia asked, with a worried look.
"I... I just... Can you meet me outside in two hours?" Sunset asked. "I'll explain everything, I promise."
"I..." Celestia knew she couldn't be seen here, and the look in Sunset's eyes told her she wasn't going back with her. "Very well." she said as she and Twilight walked towards the school doors, and left the building.
When they were out of sight Sunset turned around and was about to head to the cafeteria, only to run into the real principal Celestia. "Sunset. Who was asking for you over the schools intercom?" she asked, "There was no one in my office."
"Beats me. whoever it was, she didn't turn up."
Celestia noticed the tear marks around her eyes, "Sunset, are you alright?"
"Fine! What does it matter?" Sunset replied rather defensively as she walked past her, not wanting to answer anything.
"I... see."
An hour after school had ended, Sunset was standing next to the portal, waiting for Celestia and Twilight. Should I tell her the truth? About me and Twilight? Maybe she doesn't need to know. But I can't lie to her. Oh what do I do?
Before she could answer herself, Twilight came through the portal. Quickly, but clumsily, she stood up, shaking a bit, Sunset could tell she clearly wasn't use to being on two legs. "This is weird, how do these ponys... Oh, hi. Princess Celestia will be through in a minute." Twilight said when she noticed Sunset watching her.
"Good to know. But why did she sen-" Just then, Celestia herself came through. Just as Twilight did, she immediately got up, however she was nowhere near as clumsy as Twilight. This is it. Just stay calm.
She quickly turned her attention to Sunset. "Sunset, what did you want to talk about?" Celestia asked.
"I'll tell you in a minute, just follow me a sec." Sunset walked up to the school, and pulled out a set of keys to open the school.
The two princesses followed behind her, both confused and rather curious, into the school. Sunset locked the door behind them. "Sorry about this, but I needed to speak with you, and here there'll be no one to interrupt us." Sunset looked around at Celestia, who just listened, she thought she would've interrupted her by now, demanding to know what was going on. But she didn't, she simply followed, and listened.
Sunset took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I know I've been horrible, and that I don't dese- That I'm so pathetic, and..." She had been thinking about what she was going to say to Celestia since she travelled back in time a week ago, but even with all that time, she just didn't know what to say. "I know I'm just a waste of time to you, and that you must hate me no-"
Sunset was cut off by a hug from Celestia. "That's enough."
"P...Princess?"
"It's okay Sunset, I forgive you."
"You... How can you say that? After all I've done, all I've said, how can you not hate me?"
"I never hated you Sunset." Celestia replied, trying to hold back her tears.
"R... Really?" Sunset couldn't believe it. After everything she had done, the way she had treated Celestia and her teachings, and how she thought nothing of her, she was willing to forgive her unconditionally.
"Really. Now please, let's just go home now. We can sort everything out there." Sunset quickly pushed Celestia away in shame. "Sunset? What's wrong?" she asked, wiping her tears.
"I... I told you, I can't go home yet, I'm sorry you came all the way here to see me, and to bring me back to Equestria... " she walked back over to the front door and unlocked it, "...but I can't go back home."
"Why not?" Twilight asked. "Is there something here you don't want to leave behind?"
Sunset sighed, I guess i need to tell them. "You see, over the last three years, I've done nothing but cause pain and misery for everyone here, and now I need to fix as much as I can." she looked back at them both. "The portal is open till Friday, I promise, you'll see me again."
Celestia took a moment to take everything in. "Sunset... I..." she sighed, "I... I understand." she eventually said. She walked past Sunset, and outside, towards the portal. "I wish I could stay, but I must return to Equestria. Please, take care, and know that I'm here for you Sunset, I always was."
"I'll stay with her." Twilight said, much to the surprise of Sunset.
"Wha- Twilight? Why?" she asked.
"Princess Celestia, tell the others I'll be back Friday." she said, completely ignoring Sunset's question.
"No, you need to go home!" Sunset replied, Twilight didn't respond.
"Take care of her Twilight. Promise me you'll take care of her." Celestia said.
Twilight nodded. "I promise you she'll be fine. Don't worry."
Celestia smiled, and headed towards the portal, eventually going through it. "Why?" was all Sunset could ask.
"Because I want to help you. Celestia's been worried about you for days, you have no idea how much she wanted to stay here with you, but her role in Equestria is too important for her to leave." Twilight replied.
"And what about you?" Sunset asked, "Aren't you also a princess?"
"Yeah but, well I don't exactly have a role in Equestria yet, I'm still new to being a princess if I'm honest, and I jus-"
She was interrupted by a rather tight hug. "Thanks Twilight! You don't know how much I appreciate this!" Sunset said.
"D-don't mention it." She replied.
Rainbow Dash walked into Sugarcube corner, and had a look around at the tables. Her and the others had decided to meet here after school, so they could talk things out. She noticed the four of them already seated next to a window, each with a drink, and walked over to them. "Hey, sorry I'm late."
"No problem Dash, You alright?" Applejack asked as Rainbow took a seat next to her and Fluttershy.
"Fine, I guess." Dash looked around at each of them, the initial spark they all felt earlier when Sunset had confessed to them had gone, and it seemed like no one knew what to say to each other now.
"Here." Pinkie handed a glass of chocolate milkshake with a straw in it to Dash, even she seemed surprisingly off right now. "It's on the house."
"Thanks." Dash replied as she took a sip from the straw.
"How have you been?" Fluttershy asked, "You know, over the last couple months."
"Things have been, fine, I guess. You?"
"Well, I guess things could've been better, but hey, I'm ok." She replied with a slightly forced smile.
"What's on your mind Dash?" Applejack asked, noticing something was wrong with her.
"It's just... I just don't get it." she replied. "That whole thing earlier just, doesn't make any sense."
"Rainbow dear, this isn't the time to be talking about her." Rarity replied.
"I know, but I'm still curious."
"We're all as curious as you are about this," Applejack began, "but we can talk to her about it tomorrow."
"Sorry." she took another sip of her milkshake.
"She definitely seems nicer, that's for sure." Pinkie said. "Hey, did you know that apparently it's all cus of her that Trixie was able to put on that show?"
"Really?" Aj asked, "She was helping her with that?"
"Yeah, although she never told us why she wasn't running herself." Rarity answered.
"I know why." Fluttershy said, as the other four turned to her. "She told me yesterday that she was leaving, and that she wouldn't be here for the Formal. Among other things."
"Other things?" Aj repeated, "Like what?"
"She said if I needed her help with anything while she's still here, she'd help me out anyway she could."
"She told me the same thing." Pinkie said, "Heck, we're besties now! Or, we were, but, maybe we still are? I hope so, I really liked the nice Sunny."
"Hey, there she is!" Rarity pointed out the window, Sunset was walking past, with a girl she didn't recognize at all. "Who's that with her though?"
Pinkie got up and knocked on the window, "Hey! You ok?" she asked with a wave. Sunset looked up at the window, "Who's your friend?" she turned away almost immediately, "Sunny?" The stranger seemed rather shocked at first, but then returned Pinkie's wave, and gave her a nice smile, before turning to Sunset and putting her arm around her shoulder. "I guess we aren't friends anymore." Pinkie told herself as she sat back down in her seat.
"You know her Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked, "I've never seen her before."
"I think I've seen her before somewhere, but I'm not too sure." Pinkie shrugged, "Maybe she's from out-of-town."
Dash had been silent for a short while now, as she thought about the event between her and Applejack so long ago. "Hey Aj, I... I wanna say sorry. About what happened two years ago." she said.
"Hey, that wasn't your fault." she replied.
"Well it, actually kinda was." Dash replied.
"What're you getting at?" Aj asked concerned, "That was all Sunset wasn't it?"
"Yeah but... I was stupid. If I had talked to you after the whole thing instead of just, hating you like I did, then we could've worked it out before it even became a problem." she sighed and put her head on the table, "If I had only talked to you... This wouldn't have ever happened between us. So it kinda is my fault."
"Hey." Applejack put her hand on Dash's shoulder, "If that's the kinda logic you're gonna use, then it's just as much my fault for being too stubborn to go confront you on it myself."
"I guess you're right." Dash lifted her head off the table, and was given a smile from Aj.
"No hard feelings?" she asked.
"No hard feelings." Dash repeated as she pulled Aj in for a hug.
"We know how you both feel," Rarity began, "we're all in the same position as you two."
"Yeah," Pinkie threw her arms around Rarity and Fluttershy's shoulders, "we know we could have done somehing back then, but we were all too mad at each other. So... what could you do really?"
"There's no point in holding onto the past Dash," Fluttershy continued, "all we can do about it now is to just put it behind us and move on."
"Put it behind us and move on?" Dash looked out the window, "Maybe that's what she wants to do. To move away from here and... try again."
"Maybe." Aj said, "We'll talk to her about it tomorrow. Together, alright?"