Sunset Shimmer sits on a rug within the Royal Canterlot Library. This is where she spends most of her days now, reading books and comics to sharpen her mind. Of course, she is so young that, currently, Harry Trotter was as high as she could go with reading, though the dictionary in front of her should fix that soon. Well, as long as the small filly didn't throw it out due to boredom first.
A slight creak gets Sunset to glance over at the door, and she levitates the book upright, before dashing behind its open pages. She knows she shouldn't fear the larger mare, but with all she had been told by her late mother, and the fact that she had only recently become Celestia’s student, the princess both inspired, and terrified her. She crouched lower when she heard the melodic voice of Celestia’s pierce the silence.
"Now, where could my student have gone? I was told she was in here like normal, but all I see is books." Celestia spotted the slight flick of a yellow and red tail, and smiled. "Well, while I'm here, I suppose I should read up on the newest slang the colts are using nowadays."
Sunset heard the words, and first wondered what slang was. Before she could check in the dictionary that was her minimal fortress, a golden aura surrounded her protective walls. She panicked, and wrapped her hooves around it, closing it, but also failing to keep it on the ground.
Celestia bit back pain that rose in her chest. While she was happy to know that Sunset had the latent ability to be her student, seeing her daughter still cower from her, even after these past few weeks of lessons hurt. She came dangerously close to cutting her cheek open as she reminded herself to think of Sunset as her student, not her daughter. Otherwise, she may slip up.
"Well, there's my student. How are you?"
Sunset shook a bit more, before unsteadily attempting to stand on the book. She wobbled a bit, but Celestia made sure she stayed upright. "Careful little one. You don't want to hurt yourself, do you?"
Sunset shook her head and crossed her front hooves, before undoing that action to stop herself from plummeting the three feet to the floor. "N-no Princess Celestia. I...I'm sorry I didn't hear you. I was busy reading."
Celestia held back another sigh, before nodding and putting the filly and her book down. "Can you guess why I'm here?" She waited to get a small shake from Sunset, before she levitated a box in. "Today is our one month anniversary of being student and teacher. I thought it might be nice to get you something besides these books to play with." She reached into the box and pulled out a single, blue, train. "His name is Thomas. He believes that if you say or think you can do it, then you can! I thought it fit your fiery determination."
She stayed quiet as Celestia laid out more trains for her, staring at the blue engine specifically. Her eyes were wide as she tried to comprehend what was happening. Celestia, her teacher, the one who already had given her more knowledge about magic than any filly her age, and a home, was now giving her toys. And what did she want? For her to play? Sunset blinked for a moment, trying not to cry as the smell of ash filled her nose. "Th-thank you."
Celestia smiled down upon Sunset, gently stroking the filly's mane. "Don't think anything of it. Simply enjoy."
The small filly looked back upon the little blue engine. It was her first toy in a long time, and if the princess wanted her to just enjoy it, that is what she planned to do. So, for the first minute of her time with the train, she simply sat there, staring at it, and trying to enjoy it like some mysterious work of art. During this time, Sunset discovered two chips in the paint, that the wheels could turn, and that this was exceedingly boring.
She scrunched her muzzle, trying to think of something to do with it, before she batted at it with a hoof in annoyance. A small squeak came from the toy's poorly made wheels, and it moved forward. Sunset looked back at it before plodding along behind it, beginning to nudge it along with her nose. As the thing moved more and more, a smile broke out over her face.
The small horn on her head fizzled for a moment, before the golden aura stood fast. She lifted Thomas into the air and said a light, "Choo choo," as she started having it go around her head. If memory served her right though, there had been more. One by one, her army of trains came around her, whizzing about to and fro as she gave commands, naming real and imaginary cities for them to go to.
All of this not only made Celestia, who watched from a crack in the door, giggle, but also took an increasingly high amount of focus for the small filly. While she was trying to regain positioning of her fifth squadron for their attack on the Spinickers, she felt one come out of her grip. She swiftly turned around, hoping to catch where it was going. What she saw instead was a gray, smiling face, and blue body, coming straight for her.
Celestia slammed through the door as Sunset crashed against the ground. The princess held out one wing to protect her student from the trains that were coming down, and her knees buckled as she came close. Sunset whimpered on the ground, but to Celestia's relief, had only suffered a black eye from what she could see. "Are you okay little one?"
Sunset looked up, and her fear was gone, only wanting to be held. Held in a way she had once thought was lost to her. The small filly squirmed closer to Celestia, and began to cry as a wing fully enveloped her in the other pony's gentle warmth. She opened her bad eye for a moment, looking up to Celestia's soft, warm face, and started crying harder. "There there Sunset, it'll be okay, I promise."
The two sat there for almost ten minutes with the small body shaking on the floor, eyes shut as she dealt with the overwhelming pain she felt, and Celestia said sweet nothings in her ear. When Sunset finally opened her eyes, she looked to Thomas, expecting an apology, needing one from him.
All she got was the same, stupid grin.
Fwoosh!
Celestia's eyes widened at the train's sudden immolation, but soon lost interest as she had a daughter to take care of, and her crying had just restarted in earnest.