"Shining Armor finally asked you out on a date?"
"Yes! It's been forever! I had to go with this jerk to the parties and all that. I've waited so long and now he finally has the guts to ask me out!"
Celestia placed a hoof to her mouth to stifle a giggle. The two princesses were walking outside the Grand Royal Palace's walls, enjoying the lovely day in the vast gardens that surrounded the royal abode. The Princess of Love was holding a parasol in her right wing, a habit she still retained from being a pegasus. Celestia was welcoming the sun's rays instead, being fully uncovered and letting the bright light reflect off her white coat.
"You do know he's trying for Captain of the Royal Guard, don't you, Auntie?" Cadance asked from underneath the parasol.
"He spoke to me about it, yes. I am skeptical about it, but I do believe he contains the leadership to be placed in such a position. I would give him five years at least. He's still too young and inexperienced."
"Yes, that's true," Cadance nodded. "I saw Twilight again the other day. Still cute as ever."
"Aaaannnd?" Celestia sang the question expectantly with a broad smile.
Cadance rolled her eyes. "Aaannnd she's getting better with her magic. I saw her do origami like it was nothing and that was when she was half-awake."
The Princess of the Sun seemed satisfied. "Intriguing."
Could she be the one? Celestia looked in front of her in absent thought. Ever since Cadance first reported her skill, I have had the feeling she is the one. Oh, let my feelings be true. The sound of their hooves stepping on the cobblestone path was lost in her mind. Maybe I should start them young? The two made their way a little longer before Cadance woke her from her thoughts.
"Celestia? No, she is not the one..." Cadance rolled her eyes.
"What?"
Cadance continued. "I know what you're thinking. Every colt or filly that comes your way, you instantly think they are going to be your next pupil. I think you're starting to become impatient. Twilight is not going to be your pupil; she'll be just like all the others."
Celestia snorted in disapproval. "Well, how do you know? Hm? She could be. I will not skip her just because you don't believe in her."
"Oh, yeah. Because it went so well with Sunburst, didn't it? I think you traumatized that colt."
The Princess of the Sun stopped. "He...did not fare as well as I hoped. I just thought that somepony who earned his cutie mark at such an age would surely be a prodigy in the making. My school still did him wonders and you know it. You did not socialize with him at all, either. I thought you were going to aid me in this?"
"I am, but it's just...Auntie, you're not good at this. It's been over a year since Sunset left us and we have no idea what's going on in her new world. Every colt and filly that we think is going to be as powerful as Sunset or at least, more brave than Sunset, have not worked out. I don't think this plan is going to work."
Celestia sat down on the cobblestone and considered the young mare's words. She did not appreciate the words, but she saw the truth behind them. Her lower jaw moved side to side in thought. Cadance looked back at her with an expectant expression, as if wanting Celestia to prove her words wrong.
"I see," Celestia finally nodded. "However, we need this pony. We must be ready for this pony. You and I will need to use all our resources to bring this pony up. We must keep up our examples of leadership and be ready to teach and train."
Cadance remained unconvinced. "Celestia, these unicorns you have picked have done some good magic, but that won't make them like you. Magic will not make them a leader."
Celestia nodded at this as well. "Yes, I know that. This pony will need determination, ambition, and friendship."
"Sunset didn't have that third one..." Cadance remarked.
"No, and we should consider it the most important. Iron sharpens iron, Cadance. You and I are not going to be the sword; we are going to be the grindstone. Well, you can be the grindstone, I'll be the forge."
Cadance blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
Celestia waved a dismissing hoof. "Never mind."
Celestia stood up with a sigh and continued through the garden. "So," she started. "Where is Twilight at the moment?"
"Well, she's actually taking the entrance exam for your school as we speak. She's been studying for basically all her life for this moment."
"It would be unfortunate if she failed. After you first reported her magical talents, I set all this up so well."
"Yeah, and she will fail, trust me. You're a jerk for making Twilight hatch the dragon egg. Not even the professors could do that, I bet."
"After Sunburst, I thought I would make absolutely certain the student has what it takes before throwing myself in," Celestia stated.
"It's a bit harsh."
"Well, what else would I do with the dragon egg?" Celestua questioned. "I mean, really! Find an egg dumped on the side of the mountain and I simply could not let it sit there and die. If Twilight does hatch this dragon, she'll have a lifelong friend instantly! It's brilliant."
"No it's no-"
Cadance was cut off by a loud ringing sound that soared through the air with a thundering slash. Her wing dropped her parasol, which promptly flew off in a weak blast of wind that took both princesses by surprise. Both of them looked up at the sky to see a blast of rainbows fly through the sky with tremendous speed. It was a terrifying yet marvelous spectacle.
"What in Equestria is that!" Cadance yelped.
"Actually, it's a-" Celestia was about to answer.
Another report was heard, but this time, the booming sound came from one of the palace towers. Stone and pieces of rooftop fell to the streets below as a massive purple dragon broke its head free from the white structure. The giant dragon did not roar, but remained completely complacent as it stood there with its limps crumbling the sides of the tower.
"That's the tower that Twilight is taking her exam!" Cadance screamed. "That's the dragon she hatched! By the stars! Twilight is dead!"
"Calm yourself!" Celestia stuffed her hoof into Cadance's gaping mouth. "Don't you see? Twilight passed my test! Haha! You doubted her, you little pessimist. She passed!"
Cadance moved the hoof away. "Auntie, don't you see that we have a giant dragon in our capital? He could start destroying things any second!"
"I know! Isn't it beautiful?" Celestia was about to tear. "Such devastation to end the mundane lifestyle. Twilight's the one, she has to be. The rainbow, this, both are no coincidence!"
"Aren't you going to do something?"
"What?" Celestia blinked. "Oh! You're right; I should fix what's happening over there. I'll do it in a second. Listen, Cadance, remember that you are going to help me in this..."
"By Tartarus no!" Cadance protested. "If Twilight can do that, she's a monster in the making. You're on your own."
"You're going to foalsit her."
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are. You promised me."
"Fine!" Cadance lowered her head in defeat. "I better get my own castle and nation for this!"
Celestia laughed and spread her wings to fly. Let's do this. With little salute, she soared into the sky and flapped her large wings. The dragon was now yawning, even though it was larger than the palace itself; it obviously still retained the mind of a newborn. There was nothing that could hide her enthusiasm at seeing a unicorn succeed. In her mind, Twilight was undoubtedly the one to follow her. The rainbow that now had faded was a sign to confirm this. A leader for this nation was in the making, and it started here.
"Twilight Sparkle, personal pupil of Princess Celestia," Celestia said with bliss. "And perhaps, Sunset's savior."
~After Friendship Games~
Sunset sat on the cobblestone sidewalk in front of a large white building. Her eyes were watery, but she was not crying. Her unicorn magic was holding up a small bouquet of pink flowers. In her state, she did not know what to do with the flowers, so they remained floating by her side. Her eyes wandered around the building, seeing every corner, every golden line, and its modern doors that collided with the more traditional structures that surrounded it. It was clear this building was new and its contemporary architectural style made it unique from the rest.
She wanted to say something, but nothing would come up. The warm sun shined on her, but she didn't mind it. She liked the warmness. It comforted her like the small flames used to. No matter how interesting the building seemed, her eyes would always return to the small white sign in front of it. It was a square sign with blue letters that said "DAYSHINE ORPHANAGE" with boldness like no other.
"Can I help you?" a voice asked from behind her.
"Oh?" Sunset turned to see a middle-aged mare smiling at her. "Oh, um, no not really."
"Are you a relative to one of the children?" she asked with a Manehatten accent. "We usually would like an appointment to be made, but no matter."
"What?" Sunset raised a brow. "Naw, I'm not a relative to any of the orphans. You see, I used to live around here and I haven't been here in a long time, so this orphanage wasn't here when I left. I like how it looks. Looks good."
The mare came closer. "Ah yes, this orphanage is quite new, yeah. Used to be an ugly old house here. It burned to the ground in some wild accident I hear."
"Yeah, that's what I've heard too," Sunset rubbed the back of her neck.
"Well, have a nice day," the mare smiled. "I need to get inside."
The mare walked away and entered the oddly shaped doors. Sunset now returned to her former state of simply inspecting the place. She realized her actions could be taken as creepy, but she did not care. Part of her wanted to scream out and cry. She kept that side contained though, and sat there in silence.
"When Twilight told me you were visiting Canterlot, I knew you would come here first," a familiar voice said.
Sunset's heart leaped from her chest and she jumped to her feet. Celestia was flying towards her and landed majestically on the grassy lawn. Just like Sunset, it was clear she was holding back her emotion. Her face would twitch some and she held a bright, motherly smile to her former student.
"I told Twilight not to tell you," Sunset said. "Guess she didn't hear that part."
"You were not going to visit me?" Celestia raised an amused brow.
"I am not ready," Sunset backed away. "You don't know how much I took advantage of you when you let me free. I made more and more mistakes than you can imagine. I've hurt people, ponies, and I lost myself completely. I-"
Celestia silenced her with a lifted hoof. "Please, keep that to yourself. None of that is important anymore. You are a new pony, that's what matters. Twilight has told me about how you changed. It is truly wondrous. I lost faith in you, and when you stole Twilight's crown, I was devastated to know that you were no different than when you left. However, she did as I hoped she would. Twilight, as I once intended, but forgot, saved you from yourself. It is all in the past and our discussions of it should not be so heavy. Let us instead talk about other things," she said as she gestured at the orphanage. "It was Cadance's idea, I must say."
"Why an orphanage?" Sunset asked.
"You opened my eyes to see that my city is not as healthy as it appears. The fact that you and Dayshine existed as street orphans in my grand capital haunted me. How many like you were there? One is too many. So, we made this orphanage to be a shelter for ponies like you. I help run it myself, and my sister Luna has chipped in as well. We try to give these unfortunate children education, love, and healthcare as it also operates as children's hospital."
"That last bit really hurts me," Sunset sighed.
"I knew the irony would, but I believe it would be what Dayshine would want."
"Did you bury her?" Sunset began to falter. "The ashes, at least?"
"Yes. I have her ashes in an urn in my chambers. You may take it with you if you wish."
Sunset composed herself with a nod and a deep breath. "Thanks..." she uttered. With much effort, she walked over to the front of the building and placed the pink flowers on the stone. It was this final action that made her collapse into tears. She covered her face with her front legs and began to cry a quiet sobbing. Celestia rushed over to her and let her wings wrap around the mare.
"Let it out, don't be ashamed," the princess said motherly.
"She's my sister," Sunset cried. "She's my sister and I gave her up!"
"Shh, shh," Celestia soothed. "The past is unchangeable, no matter how hard we believe otherwise. There's nothing more you can do but forgive yourself."
"I know...I know..."
"Do...erm, would you like to retrieve her ashes?" Celestia offered.
"Yeah..." was the pathetic answer.
"Then let us go. Your sister is watching us, Sunset, and she is proud that you are new. Trust me, she is.
"Yeah, I guess," she wiped the tears away. "I guess we can go..."
"Nothing has really changed," Sunset remarked as they walked through the palace.
Celestia looked around with the former student. "Nothing has changed extremely, but some things are changed. You may not have noticed, but the throne room has several new windows. Twilight and her friends have made these past few years exciting. Equestria has been invaded by changelings, terrorized by a giant centaur, and the Spirit of Chaos has been doing his thing as well."
"Sounds like I've missed some fun," Sunset tried to joke.
"Indeed."
They finally reached Celestia's chambers. It was also not much different than how Sunset remembered. The bed was still there, the desk, the books. She was surprised by this and sat down right in the doorway.
"I burned all this..." she muttered.
"Some ponies are quite fantastic at restoring rooms from disasters," Celestia explained. "The books have been replaced. They were original copies, but now new modern versions have taken their places. The bed was also replaced. They apparently mass produce that kind of bed, so it was not hard to find. The hardest part was cleaning up all the burn marks."
Celestia went by Sunset and towards the far wall. There, on a shelf, was a golden urn. With her yellow magic, she picked it off the shelf gently. The urn was decorated and a carving of Sunset's cutie mark on its front. The princess looked at this before giving it to Sunset, who took it with her own magic.
"Since Dayshine did not possess a cutie mark, I marked it with yours," Celestia said.
"Thanks," Sunset took a deep breath. "I recently got a place back in the human world, so I know just where to put my sister," she took another breath. "Celestia, what happened to Wing Beat? Is he still alive?"
"No he is not. He passed away almost nine months ago. Soon after you left, he turned himself in and wanted to be charged for the murdering of Dayshine. We tried to convince him that he did not kill her, but he refused to accept any of our reasons. He was imprisoned for all his counts of theft and robbery. However, he never complained about his lot. I spoke with him almost biweekly about his life and mine. He accepted my apology for not honoring his sacrifice and he apologized for any hurt he gave me. During his imprisonment, he became a wise stallion. Shining Armor and Whiplash were told stories and manners of military conduct from him. I can say that he learned from his own mistakes and died with peace in his heart. We buried him in the hills under Cloudsdale."
Sunset nodded her head in understanding. "So everything's gone full circle I guess. Wow, I never thought it would. After Twilight saved me, after I finally saw what I was doing wrong, I never thought I could recover. I felt like I was trying to free myself from all this weight and insecurity and, and...I only trapped myself. I pushed everything that was to help me away. Everything. Everything."
Celestia drew close to the unicorn. "I understand. I understand very well. I had my doubts I would ever see you again. I had doubts that I could do anything right again after you. However, our doubts have been crushed. We have both moved on, learned from our pasts. Take care of your sister, for she is proud of the mare you've become. Wing Beat is also proud, I know it. However, know that I am proud of you. The obstacles you have overcame are nothing to forget and you have done something only a couple of ponies have ever done. You changed me. You changed how I perceive the world in my old years. You've done it, my little Sunset. You've have resurrected from the ashes as a new pony, a new human with friends and mentors to help guide you to success."
The two embraced and held each other tightly. Tears ran from their eyes as they relished in their new found lives. At this moment, neither was there a princess nor a thief present. The two were something far beyond any labels or titles they earned in their respected lives. They were friends who were now closer together through the trials they faced. Too long was the wait, but with the end, there was nothing sweeter. For hours they could sit in this position, for every minute was worth it. Every moment was leading to this. Nothing could be sweeter. I'm so proud of you, my friend.
From the balcony was the phoenix, watching in her usual way. Unlike all the other times she had seen Sunset, this time she was smiling as well she could. Her master was pleased and everything was well. With a few more moments, she watched them. No worry was found, no sadness was present. She spread her fiery wings out and with a call, flew off from the balcony to fly over the city.
~~The End~~