A Little Chat
Sunset Shimmer walked down the halls of Canterlot High with a sense of dread growing in her stomach.
For some reason that was beyond her, she had been called to Principal Celestia’s office.
Now, had this been a few months ago, she would have understood this perfectly. It would have meant that someone snitched on her, and that her lackeys would be getting their hands dirty for her.
But now? After all this? After she had helped with the sirens and the friendship games? It’s not like she did anything.
Did she?
As she puzzled and thought, her legs kept moving, walking her through the main building of Canterlot High as she was completely lost in her thoughts. The halls were empty now, her friends were all in class, and she would be too, if it weren’t for this sudden summoning she received.
It just…
She was in front of the Principal’s door.
She stopped, and stared at the door. The word “Celestia” stared back at her, glossy and black against the frosted glass.
When she had arrived here in this world, she had harbored a deep, almost unnatural hatred for the woman. That wasn’t really a surprise though, considering that she was her old mentor’s mirror.
It was somewhat unfair in retrospect, simply because she appeared like her old mentor and the Princess of Equestria was no reason to act like she was the physical embodiment of the plague.
But these days…
These days…
Sunset sighed. “No point putting this off any longer.”
Raising a fist, she gently knocked on the glass, and the aqua green door rattled.
“Come in,” came the Principal’s voice, and Sunset allowed herself one last deep breath before stepping inside.
Celestia’s office always felt oddly familiar to Sunset. Something about the bright, airy space just brought image after image of her old place back in Equestria to mind. The window on her left had neither shutter nor screen, letting light pour into the room, past the bookshelf, and dance along the Principal’s desk.
The Princess-er...Principal herself sat at her desk, toying with her PA mic before her bright, pale magenta eyes widened as they focused on her. “Miss Shimmer! There you are! Thank you for coming.”
“Hello, Miss Celestia, is anything wrong?”
“Actually, I was hoping you could answer that for me, Miss Shimmer.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry I don’t—”
“It’s come to my attention, Miss Shimmer, that I may have been...negligent when it comes to you as my student. So, you and I are going to have a little chat.”
“Miss Celestia,” Sunset began, “this really isn’t—”
“Did I say this was up for debate, Miss Shimmer?” Celestia asked as she pulled a manila folder from her desk.
Sunset’s protest died on her lips, and Celestia stared at her expectantly.
When she offered nothing, Celestia pointed at the chair opposite the desk. “Take a seat.”
Sunset sighed, and sat, squeezing into a chair that seemed far too small. She knew better, of course, this chair was theoretically the same size as every other chair in the school. It just felt smaller, probably because it sat right in front of the principal’s desk. She had a working theory that all chairs became smaller in front of a big desk, but that had to wait, apparently.
Resting her elbows on the armrest, she sighed once more and waited.
Celestia smirked, satisfied before she opened up her folder. “Now let’s see here. When you first arrived, you said that your parents were out of town, and you were staying with relatives,” she looked up from the page with a slight, gentle smile. “Well now, I can say with certainty that this is only half true, isn’t it?”
Sunset squirmed a bit. “N-no...it’s not true.”
Celestia nodded before she took out a pen. “Alright. So, let’s correct this. Where are you currently living and who is your current guardian?”
“I don’t need a guardian,” Sunset muttered. “I’m twenty-four years old.”
“In pony years,” Celestia finished with a smile. “Here, however, you’ve made yourself out to be under the age of eighteen, and therefore need a guardian.”
Sunset gave her a deadpan glare.
“Miss Shimmer, I’m trying to help you here. You must have someone looking after you.”
Sunset sighed once more. “Well, there’s Mr. Side.”
“First name?”
“Sunny.”
“Sunny Side,” Celestia said, as she wrote the name down. “Who is he?” she asked.
“He runs the hotel I’m staying at.”
“A hotel?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. “That seems a little expensive.”
“No, he’s…” Sunset began, before sighing. “When I first got here, and learned that bits might as well be chocolate coins for all the good they do, Mr. Side found me, and...he offered me a place to stay. He and his family run the small hotel down the street, and since I was a ‘poor, helpless child’ he gave me a room.”
“Seems rather generous,” Celestia said.
“Yeah,” she said, a smile growing on her lips, “I will admit that I may have played up the role a bit, but he makes me pay for it by helping his kids and the cleaning lady with the rooms every Saturday. I hated it at first, but I couldn’t really complain, and well...I don’t need to tell you I mellowed a bit.”
Celestia smiled, before turning a page. “Well that’s good to know. I’ll see that you are moved to the National School Lunch Program, because, by the sounds of it, you can’t really afford too many expenses.”
Sunset blinked. “Well thank you, but—”
“We’re not done,” Celestia warned. “I have a few more questions.”
Sunset sighed.
“Enough with the attitude, Miss Shimmer, you’ll be an old woman at this rate.”
She rolled her eyes anyway.
“Now, about your previous education?”
Sunset made a sharp inhale. “That’s a...touchy subject.”
“How touchy?” Celestia asked.
“I...well...you know…” Sunset began stumbling over her words.
Celestia waited.
“I was...a horribly evil student,” she said finally. “Like...like mad scientist levels of evil. And...and…” she stumbled again, staring at Celestia’s waiting face.
“And…” she swallowed. “My...teacher...she…”
Celestia waited.
“She tried so hard...she did everything she could, and I...I threw it back in her face. She gave me opportunities others could only dream of, and…she...she was like a second mother to me. She...she taught me everything I knew about magic, and...and she...she was so patient...” Her fingers were shaking, her eyes went wet, and her voice began to croak. “And all she did, after giving me years of training, and of taking care of me, I just...I...I’m...I’m sorry...just...just give me a second,” she said.
Celestia waited.
Sunset sniffed, trying to keep herself from breaking down.
Why were they even talking about this? Why did she have to ask. How in Equestria am I supposed to explain to Celestia that I betrayed her?
The Principal said nothing, offered no judgment, and gave no comfort.
She’s not the Princess, Sunset. She’s just a person. They’re not...they’re not the same. She just wants to know.
Taking a deep breath, Sunset finally composed herself. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just...I didn’t...I didn’t know what I had, and...and I might never have it again.”
Celestia leaned forward. “Have you ever tried to go back?”
Sunset blinked. “Go back? I...I couldn’t...there...I just...the last time I was there, I tried to steal a magical artifact and put the entire country at risk.”
Celestia raised a hand. “Let me ask a better question,” she said. “Do you want to go back?”
“I…” Sunset began.
Her mouth went dry at the thought.
“Well...I have my friends here,” she said, “and, you know, I should probably finish my studies here, right?”
Celestia nodded. “Those are wonderful reasons for you to stay,” she said. “But that’s not what I asked you. I asked if you want to go back.”
Sunset felt her throat tighten. “I…” she began. “I mean, I don’t know if I can!”
“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.
“I...I’ll have to face Princ—...my teacher! I...I couldn’t do that, not after what I did to her. Not to mention the theft, treason, and who knows what else they could charge me with!”
“You seemed alright facing the students,” Celestia noted.
“That’s different!” Sunset yelled. “They never gave me everything they could, they didn’t sacrifice everything for me. They didn’t...they never...I didn’t betray them like I did her. I just turned everyone against each other here, I didn’t destroy their faith in me, I didn’t destroy their hopes and dreams for me, I didn’t throw her years of sacrifice into their faces. No, no I can’t face her, I can’t.”
“Are you afraid?” Celestia asked. “Are you afraid she won’t forgive you?”
Sunset shook her head. “No! I mean...I don’t know! I…”
Celestia waited.
“I...I don’t deserve to be forgiven…” she said. “I don’t deserve to be forgiven, and I know that...and…”
Celestia waited still.
“...and I’m afraid I’ll get what I deserve.”
“We forgave you,” Celestia noted.
“Yeah! Somehow!” Sunset said. “You forgave me for turning into a she-demon! Sure, fine! You want to forgive me for blowing the school up? Fine! But not her...I can’t...it’s probably better if she just thought I was dead…”
Sunset heard the door open.
“Oh, sorry!” a familiar voice said.
Sunset’s eyes went wide, before she spun around to look at the door.
Celestia stood at the door.
Sunset’s hand gripped the armrests until her knuckles went white. Her heart leaped into her throat.
The new Celestia looked exactly like the one at the desk, from head to toe, and she carried a stack of papers in her arms. None of that was odd, but the guilty look on her face made Sunset’s gut do backflips.
“I’ll come back later,” The new Celestia said, before closing the door behind her.
And Sunset just stared at the closed door.
She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think.
All she could do was turn back to face Celestia.
She stared at the waiting face of the woman who had just been talking to her. She gaped, and stared, and this time, she could see so much more. The smile was motherly and gentle. Her posture was perfect and regal, and the glint of thousands of years of wisdom hovered in her magenta eyes.
And Princess Celestia smiled.
“Is anything wrong, Sunset?” she asked, using her first name, all professionalism gone as the familiarity they shared came to light.
Sunset said nothing, too afraid to say a word.
And then the Princess frowned. She stood, and sighed. “I guess it was still too early…”
The Princess took two steps towards the door. She paused for a second, standing beside the frozen teen. “Sunset,” she said.
Sunset said nothing.
“Sunset, I miss you, your parents miss you, and...and you may want to stay. I can understand if you stay, but I want you to know you are always welcome to come home.” She gave a small, almost sad smile. “And I promise I won’t press charges…”
Sunset said nothing.
Celestia’s smiled disappeared, and she took another step for the door.
“P-p-Princess?”
Celestia stopped. “Yes?”
“Do...don’t...don’t go…”
Celestia smiled. “Do you want to talk?”
Sunset nodded.
“Alright,” the Princess said, before holding out a hand. “Then let’s go get something to eat while we have a little chat.”
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*grins*
That seems like something the Princess would do.
This so needs to be expanded on, this an excellent story.
That was great, seems like something Celestia would do, part trickery and partly just to sound out how Sunset feels. Sunset is definitely repentant, the question is if she can face her past directly.
Aww. That's nice. Have an upvote.
Sneaky-lestia,
s6.postimg.org/5pzpmopep/Pirate_Approved2.jpg
Nice, although a little too easy to guess.
Aren't bits generally considered to be made of gold?
That was a mind-blowing story.
Have a like.
saw the twist coming but still nice story
thoe i honestly cant ever see sunset returning home for more than a visit (not that this story said she would or anything just my 2 cents on that)
and another 2 cents no wait 3 cents from me is i personaly belive celestia is sunsets mother
Unless Sunset murdered a pan and gave it to Celestia, I do believe it would be either a deadpan look or a deadpan expression.
Chat shit, gets banged!
Beautiful
7320672
Lauren said that nor Celestia nor Luna don't have any children.
yes!
yeeeeesssssssss!
That was beautiful. Excellent use of just over two thousand words.
~Leonzilla
PS: 100th up-vote.
Saw it coming a mile away, but still, not bad.
7321067 Quite frankly, anything Lauren Faust said in 2010 or 2011 stopped meaning anything once she left the show. When it comes to a television series, being the creator/developer ceases to have any meaning once you jump ship and let other people take over. If Thiessen, Wootton, or (god help me) Haber suddenly decided Sunset is Celestia's biological daughter, it'd be canon.
? = eyes
Speaking of eyes liquid emotion leaking from mine.
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lr0q5qssbu1r00qjs.gif
7320570 i1.celebixy.pl/cdb46f9cac146f8bf3652d7751ecf87a3a33c44d/jack-gif-gif-gif
7321160
I think that unless show proves that she wrong (already happen at least once) her word at least partially true.
That true but I doubt that they will.
And theory that Sunset are Celestia daughter have too many holes to be true. I fairly sure that Celestia pregnancy would be a extremely big business. Child of beloved princess that, from point of view of common ponies, may be sooner or later inherit the throne. But... no one know Sunset? Don't hear anything about her? Twilight, who spend most of her life in palace, don't recognize the name? Like "Sunset? You mean yore daughter, Princess?". Instead we got "Sunset? Who the hell is she?".
What happened wasn't unexpected at all. But it was a lovely read nevertheless. Reconciliation always brings a smile to my face
7320672
Of course, then you would have to explain who the father is, and what happenend to him.
Except for Scootaloo and Silver Spoon, we have at least heard of the father of reocurring cast members for the most part. And the show seems to shy away from both divorce or having a child out of wedlock
Okay. I'm surprised it took this long for a story like this to surface. Have a fav.
Shoot, I was hoping this fic would be about how Sunset views the human Celestia.
7321289 Please, PLEASE work on improving your grammar. I can tell English isn't your first language, but that entire comment was atrociously painful to read.
And it's not as though they've never suddenly pulled previously unknown relatives out of thin air. Remember Shining Armor? Maud Pie? Zephyr Breeze?
7321160
Not sure why you'd get downvoted, after the second question it was crystal clear that Princess and Principal had swapped places.
If it's someone being defensive, being predictable hardly makes something bad, I thought it was a very good fic.
There's something equalizing about Princess Celestia being sneaky and kinda dishonest to get Sunset to talk to her. It feels very much like something she'd do if she felt it was worth it, even if it's probably not the best way.
7320298 <--- this, so much this.
Great story. Have a fav.
I was suspicious from the start, but I wasn't 100% sure until the part where Tia started to press Sunset on if she ever wanted to go back to Equestria. It was still great when the human Tia came back to her office early, since I'm assuming the two of them planned this out together.
Well-tread territory, but rarely executed so skillfully. Saw the twist coming and still felt it hit. Well done.
Great story, I wonder how both Celestias reacted to seeing each other for the first time.
7321357 show admited apple jacks parents are dead and sunsets parents haven ot even been mentioned my theory is sunset has no father her family has never been mentioned her cutie mark looks alot like celestias and having cutie marks connect is not uncommon for families in MLP
this also explains why there is no human sunset no magic no way for celestia to conseive sunset thus no sunset
plus it adds to the drama of the back story another family member celesta drove away
7321067 and she did not creat the character of sunset shimmer she has no connection to the show any more many things have been done that contradict her original plans for the show
7321672 man I didn't even see it coming until right before she walked in.
7322315
As I say to MythrilMoth - this theory have too many holes. Like - why no one knew about Sunset and no one recognize her name? Entire Equestria somehow missed birth of Celestia daughter? And "Celestia give birth to her in secret" not that good for answer, really.
Beautifully done... though I do hope the Celestias arranged this earlier, otherwise the principal may be in for something of an existential crisis. Still, a very heartwarming scene. Thank you for it.
7322593 who says no one knows it would not be the first time a character was known in universe but not out to us nor would it be the first retcon to the series any ways
WHAT A TWIST!
7322798
Only, you know, even Twilight, who live in the Canterlot castle from small age don't know who Sunset is and don't recognize her name. And we talking about supposed child of Celestia! No one said to Celestia anything like "Sunset? Oh, like your daughter?". And this supposed daughter just gone for years and no one cares.
Celestia/Sunset reconciliation fics are the sweetest thing in the world. Wish it would happen in the frickin' show already...Great fic.
7322918 On the flip side of that; their departure from each other is one of the most tragic and heartbreaking things I have ever read.
Both of these are fine in their own right.
Anyway, the story; short and sweet. No complaints. Have a like.
7322897 and again retcons happen all the time in this series twilights on backstory got a massive retcon with her brother and cadence
hell celestia having a sister was something no one knew about twilight never knows of any of celestas past foes even thoe they are stories that are on the windows all over the palace
here is a fun fact the only conection at all sunset has to eqeuestria is her past as celestias student nothing else about her past has ever even been mentioned
betraying celestia is the only regret sunset ever really dwells on
again her cutie mark looks alot like celestias something that tends to showcase family conections in this series
you are focusing so much on the no one knew who she was thing but ignoring every thing that hints at this conection
the writers never expected sunset to be a popular character but she has become one and is the star of the EG film series now so yes its perfectly logical to just retcon her backstory a bit to make this conection and it works as a easy hand wave on why there is no human sunset
7323015
Uh, no. That not a retcon. Retcon all about changing already established facts. Like "Twilight always been an alicorn". "Twilight have a brother" not a retcon because no one ever said that she don't have a brother.
Because it's happen at best a thousand years ago. And stained glass not a good source for historical information.
And that somehow change the fact that no one knew or care about her? Even though she a "Celestia daughter"? Yeah, extremely plausible. I mean... Who cares about royal heir?
Because she her teacher who put lots of thrust in her.
There is also lots of ponies who's cutie marks have from little to none connection with their parents marks. So "cutie mark connection" are rather flimsy evidence at best.
By this theory she a Celestia! heir! and princess! With far more right on royal title that Blueblood (who a fifty time removed relative). She friggin important! And still no one know or cared about her?
A bit? In my opinion - actually a lot.
Okay, from my point of view this whole theory hold too many assumptions and because of this rather implausible. At least for me. So Occam and his razor told be don't believe in it :). Aaaand I don't think that we able to find a compromise or convert each other to our point of view. So I think that better to "agree to disagree" and stop this whole argument.
I've read this story before.
This is the second time, which should say something.
The question then is, WHY HAVE I NOT PUT THIS ON MY FAVORITES? <3
7323095 twilights backstory was she never had a friend before the mane 6 now she has 2 her brother and cadence that is a retcon
why has no one ever even mentioned sunsets parents hmmm why has sunset never even thought about them as i said betraying celestia is the only thing she has ever dwelled on in the slightest about her past in eqeustria
and as i mentioend the stained glass thing as that is where stories are shown
hell there are books on celestias past yet those where never read by twilight untill its plot relevent
the point im trying to make is in a on going narative things change the show has changed alot in 6 seasons characters histories have clearly changed
season 1 acts like rainbow and flutter shy never spent time together out side of sorta meeting at flight camp now we have proof they are child hood friends meaning that is not true at all
you dont want many long running series do you
7323144
I could pretty much argue about all of you points but it's clearly useless. You want to believe that Sunset are Celestia daughter? Good for you. But at this point nothing support this theory aside from some rather flimsy assumptions.
7323172 you started the argument i just shared my 3 cents on something i like and you felt the need to argue the point
Interesting concept. Could be taken further, but even as a one-shot, it's good.
"And I promise I won't press charges."
Smooooooooth.
This needs a sequel
7321289
I think it's not unreasonable that Celestia hid her in the dark ages. She literally turned her sister into a fairy tale, why not erase a student and a pregnancy?
I like the idea, and the execution was rather good. Bravo, good story, mate.