//------------------------------//
// Choices Of Grief-Sunset Shimmer 
// Story: A Sparkling Sunset 
// by Ferhog 
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For any normal person, two textbook pages of advanced physics questions would mean countless hours of work and research. But for someone like Sunset Shimmer, who had already known so much about forms of science and beyond that no born human could even comprehend, long before she had even encountered any human education system, it was little more than a short exercise for her mind.

Had Sunset not been the genius that she was, it was difficult to imagine what her current life would have been like. Balancing her life in the human world with the one she had in Equestria was a bit much to deal with without spending several hours on school work. 

She sat cross legged on her bed with her back almost touching the headboard, writing her answers into a book that was resting on her lap. In front of her lay the textbook from which she was reading the questions she was answering. The bed itself was nicely kept, with the sheets firmly stretched over it, but on top of it was a jumbled mess of books, pens and pencils spilling out of her bag. 

This was one of the more common ways Sunset spent her time during the weekdays, when she wasn't hanging out with her friends. She liked to get all her work done as fast as possible, that way there was nothing getting in the way of her being with them and Twilight.

Though despite the relatively short time she was spending on it, she was already feeling discomfort in her seating arrangement. It was strange, since she had never really found her bed to be uncomfortable before.

'I guess it wouldn't feel as comfortable as before when I've been exposed to the beds they keep in the homes of royalty. Heck, I even slept in the bed of a Princess. Of course some cheap bed in an orphanage that has to constantly find ways to save money is gonna pale in comparison to that level of comfort.'

Without meaning to, in thinking about the beds she slept in at Twilight's castle, her thoughts drifted over to the last night she spent there, and how she and Twilight...

A sudden crashing sound forced a quick yelp out of her mouth as she jumped at the loud noise. She looked to the door, which was now wide open. Standing at the doorway was Raspberry Roots, her younger sister Cherry and their friend Fox Eyes standing behind her.

'Oh no...' Sunset thought. It was bad enough that Raspberry had gotten involved in her kiss with Twilight, but combined with these two it made a gossiping trio that could hunt down any dirt on a person. Especially if that person lived in this building.

"This is where you felt the disturbance?" Raspberry asked, scanning the room. She seemed to be asking one of the other two.

"Yes." Answered the voice of Fox Eyes behind her. "There is an aura of thoughts of a sexual nature in this room. Reminiscent thoughts."

Cherry let out an excited squeal.

Raspberry's eyes locked on to Sunset, since she was the only person currently in the room. 

"Sunset. Of course." She said, smirking.

She walked towards Sunset, Cherry and Fox following behind her. They spread out and closed in on her, like a menacing pack of wolves. Or rather, they would be menacing if they weren't just three teenagers curious about her love life.

"So Sunset, busy with homework?" Raspberry asked.

"I guess." Sunset replied. At this point they had surrounded her bed, trapping her within strong walls of privacy invasion.

Cherry smiled sweetly, reaching out a hand which held a small plastic Tupperware box containing her namesake fruit.

"Cherry?" She asked innocently.

Sunset nervously took one. It might have seemed weird that a girl named Cherry Roots always seemed to have cherries in her possession, but since her own friend Applejack was an actual apple farmer it wasn't really something worth questioning.

"Lets just get right down to business." Raspberry began, taking one of her sister's cherries and rubbing it between her fingers. "I believe you heard Fox a few seconds ago when he stated that he sensed a certain... aura of thoughts coming from this room."

It was a pretty... confusing ability that Fox seemed to possess. He was so good at finding out your secrets it was like he could smell them... or... sense them. In full honesty whatever it was defied any known logic.

"There's no mistake here." Fox declared. "I can feel the presence of arguably dirty thoughts. Normal for a teenage girl and her raging hormones of course, but this is different. These thoughts are memories!"

He pointed his finger at Sunset, almost accusingly so.

She knew what they were getting at, and the thought of it was probably making her blush, though it was hard to tell at the moment.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She claimed semi-frantically.

"Please... " Raspberry stated mischievously. She raised her hand near her mouth and popped the cherry between her fingers, the juices flying into her mouth, followed by the rest of it. "I think you know exactly what we're talking about."

Sunset knew that she was definitely blushing now. "I'm pretty sure that's just my business. As in... not your business."

"Oh when is it ever our business?" Cherry squeaked cheerfully. "That just makes it more fun to snoop into."

"So then, are we right?" Raspberry asked.

"Like I'd admit it to you." Sunset proclaimed.

Raspberry's face turned noticeably smug. "Well then, that was more or less confirmation. I mean lets be honest, if someone isn't saying yes or no, they always mean yes."

"Agreed." The other two said in unison.

"But who it was that claimed Sunset's maidenhood is what I really want to know." Fox announced in an exciting and curious tone.

"Oh..." Raspberry smirked maliciously. "I think I know exactly who."

Sunset glared at her in a way that was hoping said 'Don't you dare...'

"Who?" Cherry asked giddily. "WhoWhoWhoWhoWHO?!"

"Sorry." She apologized unsympathetically. "I'm afraid I promised Sunset not to tell anyone who her first kiss was. And that is the person who I suspect our little culprit is."

Cherry tapped her chin while pondering. "Flash?"

"Hell no!" Sunset denied in disdain.

"Come on." Fox pleaded. "We promise we won't tell anyone... that you know."

Raspberry's hand fell on his shoulder.  "Let it be, Fox."

"But sis..." Cherry protested. 

Her spare hand went to Cherry's shoulder. "You too, Cherry. I gaveth mine solemn oath that I was not to tell anyone of Sunset's secret, and so a secret it shall remain."

They both slumped in disappointment. 

"THANK YOU!" Sunset cried in frustrated relief.

Raspberry grinned suspiciously. "Anyway, it has now come to my attention that Sunset straight up admitted to never kissing Flash, let alone letting him anywhere near her junk. Away my comrades!"

Sunset had barely processed everything that had just been said before the three of them went dashing out the room, the door slamming behind them. While there was little to no evidence that they had been there at all, they had left plenty of impact on Sunset's mood, which was surprisingly positive.

She slumped back against the board of her bed, sighing in exhaustion. While the other kids at Miss Peachbottoms's tended to get on her nerves at times, she couldn't help but hold a fondness for them all. They were like siblings in that sense, and she liked to think of them as such. And it was because of this that she felt that her and Twilight's secret was safe with Raspberry, and should they come to know more, Cherry and Fox as well.

'But would Twilight be okay with any of them knowing?' She wondered. 'What would her reaction be if she found out how much those three already know? Would she be mad? She doesn't really know them, and hasn't ever had a relationship with anyone like the ones I have with the other kids here. Is it right for me to allow this secret thats as much hers as it is mine get passed on to these people she has no reason to trust?'

They were just small rapid questions popping in and out of her head, and didn't really bother her on a large scale. 

'I guess she doesn't really need to know if it could cause her to start freaking out over nothing, like she tends to.' She thought amusingly. 

Keeping secrets from her, especially one regarding this subject, may have seemed like a bad idea, but ultimately it wasn't a very important secret since nothing was really at stake.

She thrust her upper body off the headboard and reverted back to her previous sitting position, putting her books back into place and picking her pen back up in order to return to her work.


***


"So what are your living conditions in your new home?" Celestia inquired. "I've been wondering how you might have been able to find a place to live in a world where you previously didn't exist."

Sunset found it strange how casual Celestia was acting when this was the first time they had spoken in years. As a former student of hers, she knew more than most people that there was always more to Celestia than what appeared on the surface, multiple layers that hid whatever she was really thinking. But she couldn't help but feel like something was wrong with this picture.

"I think you'd understand that I spent the first few days on the streets before I was found by the local authorities on the other side of the portal. Since I had no identity there and wasn't giving them any useful information, they sent me to an orphanage. I've been living there ever since."

"I see. Hows that for you?"

"Well its not the first orphanage I've had to live in, as I'm sure you're fully aware. It certainly feels more homely than the first one though, which I suppose can be attributed to my change in attitude on life."

"Who else lives there?"

"It's your typical orphanage set up, with a bunch of other kids living there aside from me. Its all run by a nice woman named Miss Peachbottom."

Celestia seemed pretty interested. "So how do you get along with them?"

"I treated them about the same as I did everyone back in the day, which is to say not very well. After Twilight helped me become a better person, I started treating them better. These days... they're more or less my family."

That last line hurt Sunset surprisingly, and she wondered if it hurt Celestia in any way as well. Before she turned her back on her, Celestia was the closest thing Sunset had to family. In a way Miss Peachbottom and the kids could seem like a replacement for her. But as was to be expected, Celestia gave little visible sign that she was affected in any way.

Why did she have to make it so hard to understand what she was really feeling? Couldn't she just make her real emotions clear for once in her life? Why couldn't they just have a normal conversation where they were fully honest with each other?

Sunset felt a surge of frustration that erupted into burning anger.

'No!' She thought frantically. 'I can't let my emotions run rampant like they did earlier! Not now!'

'Why not?' The voice in her head hissed. 'She deserves nothing more and nothing less than our rage. Our hatred. Why not just give it to her?'

'NO!' She fought back, desperately trying to keep calm while also looking composed in front of Celestia. 'I can't let this rift between us get bigger! Not after all this!'

'She held you back from your true potential. She treated you with motherly affection, but in the end she just threw you out like a piece of trash. In reality you meant nothing to her!'

'Thats not true! I let my own ambition get the better of me! It was my fault!'

'It was because she feared you would rise above her, because you had the potential to. You still have that potential!'

Sunset's thoughts drifted to Twilight, currently resting in her bed after passing out from the stress of trying her hardest to make sure that the relationship between Sunset and Celestia was properly mended. This meant that much to her.

'I can't let Twilight down! I can't let Celestia down! Not again!'

'The only person you're letting down is yourself.'

Sunset tried her best to push back these thoughts that were feeding the influence of her inner devil, immersing herself more in the present moment. It was only then that she realized that Celestia had been speaking.

"...so I do have to admit, I am impressed with what I've heard. And judging from the way you are currently behaving, I have no reason not to not believe it."

Sunset mentally shook off as much of her negative emotions as she could off her mind before fully engaging herself in the conversation again. It was helpful that she was relieved and delighted when she comprehended what Celestia had just said.

"I'm glad to hear that." Sunset replied.

Celestia nodded happily, but only a second later she took on a more serious demeanor. "But as pleased as I am with your change in behavior, that doesn't change some parts of your personality. You still have the potential to hold as much ambition and avarice as you did before. And because of that, you also have the potential to be just as dangerous as you once were."

Inside, Sunset felt like she had just fallen off a building. It seemed like she had come so close to making amends with her teacher, only for her to shoot those hopes down. Had anything really changed between them?

"I... I understand." Sunset answered quietly.

While it was true that she did understand where Celestia was coming from, it didn't change how upset Sunset still was over it. She was trying her best to prove that her darker days were far behind her. Why couldn't she see that?

'See! She's still afraid of you! And she has every reason to be! You could become so much more than she ever was!'

'Thats not what I want!'

Sunset could feel a hard thumping in her chest.

'What you want is your revenge. Give her what she deserves for treating you like she did.'

'I can't! I won't!'

Her heart was beating so fiercely she could hear it.

'Unleash your anger! Show her your wrath!'

'Please, just stop!'

The raging feeling of her pulsing heart was almost painful.

'TAKE WHAT YOU DESERVE!'

"JUST SHUT UP!"

As if the lock of the cage holding her emotions in had suddenly shattered, Sunset's grief, frustration and rage overflowed, gushing out of her body as a bursting flare of opal green energy pulsing from her horn. And with the forward swing of her head she sent it flying towards Celestia.

A deafening crashing noise ripped through the air as the room was consumed iby a blinding white light.

And just as quickly as it had erupted, the explosion vanished, the noise fading into a nauseating ringing sound and the light dimming into a red glow. Where Celestia had previously been sitting, an ebony black scorch mark spread across the sunken floor, blood red flames crackling over them. Any section of furniture that had been standing above it was gone, the remains mostly black and crumbling, while the air was filled with flying embers and countless floating specs of dark ash. An invisible essence of destruction, carnage, and chaos radiated from the fiery remains.

Sunset slumped sideways, collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion and despair. 

She didn't know wether to cry out in anguish or to break down into a flood of sobs. In the end, all she could let out was a weak groan of depression and sadness.

The small red flames burning over the black rubble flared up suddenly, intensifying the crimson glow the lit the room. Sunset was hit with waves of blistering heat and flashing red and white light that stung her eyes as the flames roared like a demonic lion. As the flames reached their peak, they exploded outwards, splitting into smaller and smaller shreds of fire that all died out, one by one.

Sunset's eyes widened in fear and horror. The fires had returned to normal, quietly crackling over the burnt ground. But what she was staring at had little to do with the fire itself. At the centre of the scattered flames stood... herself.

It looked exactly like Sunset, in almost every detail. The same twisting red and yellow mane and tail, the same amber fur and the same sun cutie mark embedded on its flank. The only and very noticeable differences were the eyes. They were as black as night, devoid of light, which contrasted with the irises, which were the same opal green as Sunset's own, only they were glowing menacingly. At the centre of each iris was a tiny dark pupil that seemed to stare at her, through her, and into her.

The mere sight of this caused tears to leak out of Sunset's eyes. She had given in to her own emotions, and now she was paying for it.

"Now, was that so hard?" The other Sunset asked, smiling maliciously.

"No..." Sunset whimpered, not as an answer to the demon's question but as a message to herself. "This isn't me. This isn't me. This isn't me. This..."

"This is the REAL you!" The other Sunset yelled, the flames surrounding her briefly jumping. "The you that you could be! The you that you should be! Why can't you just accept that this is who you are?!"

"NO!" Sunset screamed, throwing her head upwards and sending tears flying through the air. "I'm not a monster! I'm... I'm not!"

The other Sunset gestured to the state of the room around them. "Then why don't you explain this?"

"This is just a dream! A memory! Its not real!"

"Your talk with Celestia was real, so why couldn't the part where you blow her up be real?"

"But I didn't! I wouldn't!"

"But you could."

"How many times do I have to tell you to SHUT UP?!" 

Sunset stood herself up, her horn glowing brightly. She directed the tip towards her demon self and fired a pulse of burning green energy.

The other Sunset casually tilted her head slightly to the left, allowing the pulse to fly right over her shoulder and explode against the wall behind her, causing the room to shake slightly and specs of rubble to fall lightly from the ceiling.

She smiled smugly. "Whats this? I thought you were against shooting people."

Sunset cried out in frustration. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"A lot of people learn the hard way that they can't leave themselves alone." The other Sunset declared. "Besides, if you want me to stop bothering so much, why do you keep coming back to Equestria?"

Sunset was caught off guard. "What are you talking about?"

The other Sunset cackled. "Oh please, its impossible for me to figure something out if you haven't already."

Sunset knew where this was heading, and the thought of it made her feel sick.

"You started to visit Twilight in Equestria, and then all of a sudden you start having these nightmares. Pretty soon you were spending whole weekends there, and your nightmares become more potent. And now, here I am. A manifestation of the darker sides of your personality given life by the magic of Equestria, because you wouldn't stop exposing yourself to it for the sake of Princess Bookworm."

"Thats... thats not true..."

"Equestrian magic is what caused you to transform into a monster in the first place. Did you really think it was just a coincidence that these nightmares showed up and I came into existence when you started spending time in the place where it all came from?"

"YOU'RE LYING!"

She giggled malevolently. "I think you're aware that I couldn't lie to you even if I wanted to."

"No... its... not true. It can't be." Sunset whispered to herself, trembling.

Her visits to Equestria. Her relationship with Twilight. It couldn't be the reason this was happening to her.

But her demon self was right. As another part of her soul, it was impossible for her to lie, which meant that the only way it couldn't be true was if...

"You must really be in denial if you're going to say that I'm wrong. Because if I'm wrong, that means you're wrong. And when have you ever been wrong?"

"You know how wrong I've been over the years."

"Well, thats how you look at it. But as you know, I personally think it was the part of your life where you were the smartest you've ever been."

"I thought there wasn't anything personal when it came to us."

The other Sunset grinned. "But isn't everything personal between us? Like how if Equestria is really whats fueling my existence and causing you to go berserk, maybe you should just cut ties with it..."

"Don't say that!" Sunset cried. It was exactly what she had been fearing to hear.

"Eh, its not like it would have worked out between you and little miss replacement anyway, not with the damage your secret lesbo affair would have inflicted on Equestria. Heck, it already allowed the Griffon Kingdom to get screwed over. And then theres the matter of your life here. It won't be long before your two lives start clashing, and then you'll have to make the choice. Your family and friends here, or that one mare that happens to make your hormones go nuts? I guess the choice will have to be yours."

Everything she had said was exactly what Sunset had been secretly feeling recently, even if she hadn't admitted it to herself. And hearing it said out loud left her paralysed with fear. It wasn't the kind of fear she had felt before when she had faced danger or the unknown, but a fear she felt deeper within herself. A fear for a future poisoned with grief.

Though her body was trembling and her voice was weak, she spoke as strongly as she could. "I won't let that happen."

"And neither will I!" A powerful voice boomed from behind her.

The other Sunset's black wrathful eyes opened wide with terror, a sight which shocked Sunset almost as much as the sudden presence of a third voice had. And the terror in those eyes was from whatever was behind her.

And with the turn of her head, she saw exactly who it was, and the reason why the other Sunset was so afraid.

"Sunset Shimmer." Princess Luna greeted her. "It appears your dreams still won't give you any piece."

"YOU!" The other Sunset called out in as much loathing as there was fear in her voice.

Sunset wondered what business her demon self could possibly have with Luna, since she didn't have any herself.

Then it clicked in her mind. She already knew that Luna had power over dreams, which were intertwined with the mind and the subconscious. She now realised that because of this, to a being that spawned from the mind like her demon counterpart, Luna was nothing less than a god.

And not a very happy god. 

Luna walked forward, each step slow, but powerful and majestic, leaving behind clicking sounds that echoed across the room. She stopped herself between the two Sunset's, looking towards the demonic one authoritatively.

"You are not welcome here!" Luna bellowed at her in a commanding voice. "As Princess of Equestria, ruler of the night, and master of dreams, I banish you from this realm!"

"I'm not gonna be told what to do by any Princess of Equestria. Especially Celestia's inferior counterpart."

"Valuable words coming from an entity that exists as nothing more than fragment of another's personality." Luna responded.

The other Sunset's face twisted into an expression of sheer scorn. "A FRAGMENT?!"

The blood red flames surrounding her spun into a vortex that rotated around her. Then, like iron to a magnet, the fire attached itself to her body, dressing her in a crimson inferno. She crouched for a split second before leaping forward, roaring like the flames coming off her body. But as she came within three metres of the Princess, a white field engulfed her, holding her completely still in mid air.

"I meant what I said." Luna spoke calmly, her horn glowing ghost white. "Now BEGONE!"

Countless streams of white light shot from the tip of the horn, ripping the other Sunset into tiny shreds that faded into nothingness, leaving behind nothing but an echoing scream of rage in the air.

A moment of pure silence entered the room with the other Sunset gone, a void of silence hanging over the two mares standing alone in the ravaged dining hall.

"I have to say, it feels good to be the one doing the banishing for once." Luna turned around, a friendly smile on her face. "So how are you feeling, Sunset?"

In a flash of faded blue light, a tissue box appeared. A pair of tissues were pulled out, glowing the same colour. They levitated over to Sunset's face and gently wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.

It took a little bit of time and effort before Sunset found the strength to speak. "So... is she gone?"

"Not forever." Luna explained. "I believe your talk with Discord confirmed that isn't possible, and could potentially destroy your mind and soul if it was. You won't see her again for the rest of the night, but she will return."

Sunset's heart began to sink at the thought of having to go through all of this ever again, but she quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind in favour of the present.

"Thank you." She told Luna.

"When it comes to something like this, I don't need to be thanked. Knowing that I helped is all I need." Luna looked around, examining the destruction left behind by the other Sunset. "Any chance you'd like a change of scenery?"

"Yes." Sunset replied quietly. "Anywhere but this place."

Luna nodded, her horn once again glowing white. The white light engulfed the room. It reminded Sunset enough of the explosion that had destroyed the dream Celestia to make her shut her eyes and flinch. When she opened them again, she found that they were no longer in Twilight's wrecked Dining room, but a strange spacial void. It was made up of a spectrum of colours that went from white to darkening shades of blue to a dark black. Surrounding them were floating orbs that glowed with bright colours.

"If its not too much to ask... how do you feel about the things you were told?" Luna asked her kindly.

It was true, Sunset didn't want to talk about it. But she knew that there was no point in avoiding to ask Luna any important questions that she could.

"Do you... do you think she's right?" Sunset asked fearfully. "Do you think its Equestria thats doing this to me. Is that the reason she came to life?"

Luna looked like she had already been contemplating this question. "I can't be sure. But I'm not going to deny its certainly possible, and very likely. The element of magic is what created her, and just as it came from Equestria, so did its magic. We have every reason to believe what she said."

It stung Sunset's heart to hear these words, because it meant that everything else her other self had said could be taken to heart.

"So... what do I do?" Sunset asked desperately.

"I hate to admit it, but I don't know..." Luna answered, before looking at her with concern. "I imagine you're thinking about everything else she said. About abandoning Equestria."

"Yes..." replied Sunset. "But thats the last thing I want to do."

"I understand. You don't want to open another rift between you and Celestia, nor do you want to separate yourself from Twilight."

Sunset then realised something. "Um... how much do you know? About me and Twilight? Y'know, since you seem to have heard everything me and my demon self had been talking about. As well as the fact that you can... basically read minds."

"I try to avoid what isn't my business when I'm in someone else's mind." Answered Luna, looking a little embarrassed. "But it wasn't hard for me to see signs of how you feel about her in your mind. I can see that you... care about her deeply."

Sunset sighed. If anyone from Equestria was to find out about her and Twilight's secret, than aside from Twilight's friends, Luna was probably the pony she was most fine with it being. She didn't really know why. She just felt like she could trust her.

"But Sunset..." Luna began. "If you really do have the potential to lose control because of this part of you, cutting ties with Equestria may be the best option for you. Even if it isn't Equestria thats causing this instability, staying away from Twilight and Celestia is the best way to keep them safe."

"I know that." Sunset admitted sadly. "I just... I..."

Luna put a hoof on Sunset's shoulder assuringly. "I know what its like to pose a danger to everyone, or at least... to be seen as such. I'm not telling you its the choice you have to make. Something like this... you're the only one who has any right to make this choice."

"But it doesn't change how right you are. So was the other me. She was right about everything. Eventually I would have to choose between Equestria and my home here. My family here! And... I don't think I could make that choice..."

She thought about the other kids at Miss Peachbottom's. Though she never said it out loud, she loved them all. And as much as she loved Twilight, she couldn't bring herself to just abandon them. And she knew that it may come to that. If she was to keep a more healthy relationship with Twilight than it was hard to imagine that it wouldn't result in a permanent move to Equestria, which would surely cause her to lose her relationships with the others.

Then there was the consequences that their relationship had on Equestria. The Griffons who suffered and may still be suffering in the Griffon Kingdom. Suffering that could have been avoided if Twilight had been in Equestria instead of in the human world with her. And then there was the possibility of what could happen if their secret got out. She couldn't let Equestria fall into chaos because of her.

And then there was the danger she posed to Twilight and the others. Her visits to Equestria were very likely to be causing her to suffer from her sentient dark side. She had to stay out of it in order to just stay sane. And even if that wasn't true, it didn't change the fact that her condition could be getting worse. She was already a danger to Twilight, but that danger could have been getting stronger each passing day. She had already caved in to her emotions and destroyed an apparition of Celestia. If something like that happened with the real Celestia... or with Twilight...

It was then that Sunset made her decision. A decision she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life, no matter how right it was.

If either of them would achieve any happiness in the end, it wouldn't be with each other. 

"I... I can't let this go on between me and Twilight." Sunset declared, though it grieved her to say so. "But Celestia... she..."

Sunset felt the sudden touch of soft paper on her face, and she realised that Luna was once again wiping tears off of it. She hadn't even noticed that she had started crying again.

"If you feel that you don't want to let go of the hope that you can repair the relationship between you and Celestia, you don't have to." Luna assured her. "She does care about you. She just... doesn't show you. She easily succumbs to pride. It runs in the family."

There was something strange about the way Luna looked at her as she said that last sentence. But it quickly disappeared and Sunset hadn't gotten a good enough look at it to give it any proper thought.

"But do you really want to let Twilight go?" Luna asked in concern. "It could heavily affect you both."

Sunset shut her eyes and let out a few more tears as she tried to keep her breathing steady. "Its for the best."

"I know." Luna agreed. "And I promise you that even if Celestia can't forgive you on her own, I'll make sure that she does."

"Thank you..." Said Sunset, her voice cracking.

Luna smiled. It was the kind of smile that a family member would give another to make them feel like everything was all right, and it was certainly effective at giving Sunset a warm feeling in her stomach that made her feel the closest thing to happiness in this blizzard of despair she was making her way through. 

"Now then, I believe I've helped you in every way I can." Luna explained. "And you have been through a lot more than you deserve, and I don't think I'm being too far-fetched when I say you need a rest. A real rest."

Sunset felt like she had used up all the strength she could muster, and all she managed to do was nod in agreement.

Luna gave her that smile again, and Sunset felt like she could trust her with whatever she intended to do.

Once again, a white light began to glow at the tip of Luna's horn. She closed her eyes and bent her head forward. As the glowing point made contact with Sunset's forehead, she felt a light feeling in her head, as if her brain was expanding while splitting into tiny pieces. She felt a surge of weariness hit her, and the only thing she could think about as she fell back into the void of sleep was how hard it would be to break it to Twilight that it was all coming to an end.