The Student and The Princess

by ModMCdl

4. Visions of the Future

The light of the morning sun streaming through the window roused Sunset Shimmer from her sleep. The warm beams draping across her face caused her to scrunch up her muzzle and squeeze her eyes tighter, desperately trying to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep. Unfortunately, like most mornings, her efforts were in vain.

Reluctantly, the unicorn opened her eyes and lifted her head off of the desk it was resting on. With a groan, she twisted her head around, trying to rid herself of the soreness in her neck caused by her odd sleeping position. There was a satisfying crack and she sighed in relief, relaxing herself once more.

The relaxation only lasted a few minutes however, as Sunset remembered where she was. Suddenly completely awake, the unicorn bolted upright in her chair, magically steadying it so that she didn't accidentally knock it over. She took a moment to gather herself, before she turned to face her new suite mate.

The sleeping princess was snoring ridiculously loud, her mane erratically splayed out around her head. There was a distinct absence of grace about the scene that Sunset found vaguely charming, but she refused to let the sentiment get into her head, pausing only for a moment before violently tearing it from her psyche. So she threw a book at her instead.

The leather-bound tome landed on Cadence's exposed belly, and the alicorn let out a very undignified "urp!" before bolting upright in confusion. "Whazzat?"

Sunset merely rolled her eyes as she crossed the room before opening the door to her own half of the suite. "It's morning. I have work to do. Get out." The words were curt and quick and Sunset was out of the room before Cadence could even process what she said. She closed the door behind her, cutting off the mumbled "O-okay" before collapsing face first into her own bed.

The unicorn pulled a pillow to her muzzle, and screamed into it. Everything about this situation was wrong. She was supposed to be the one sleeping in and getting to be all cute with their snoring and their wings and their messed up mane. Instead she was stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of tutelage towards Celestia and- wait did she just call Cadence cute?

All of the processes in Sunset's mind simultaneously stopped and she rose her head, stunned at her own thoughts. "Where did that come from?" she muttered to herself. She pondered on the source of the thought briefly before shaking her head to try and clear it from her mind. Cadence was a stupid pony who just happened to have a nice mane and nice wings that Sunset desperately wanted. It was probably logical to think they looked "cute." Probably. Maybe.

Sunset was pulled from her thoughts by a light knocking on her door. Thankful for any distraction before she could continue down that current line of thought, she stood from her bed and quickly made her way to the door. She was both surprised and slightly disappointed to see Raven standing there, hoof poised to knock again.

"Oh, uh, good morning, Sunset," said the unicorn, shuffling her clipboard in her magic. "I've come to let you know that the Princess would like to talk with you after breakfast!"

"Which one?" Sunset deadpanned, already knowing the answer but still wanting to emphasize her irritation at that even being a question she could ask. Raven did not catch onto the sarcasm.

"What do you mean which one... oh! Why, Princess Celestia of course!" came the stuttered reply.

Sunset took a minuscule amount of comfort in the fact that Cadence's ascension was not immediately present in another's mind, before huffing and turning to close the door.

"Very well. Tell her I'll be ready after breakfast," she replied before closing the door on whatever Raven's response might be. She was not in the mood for any form of conversation, and that included listening to whatever Celestia's mouthpiece had to say.

Breakfast itself was an uneventful affair. She sat alone in the dining room, idly munching on some fruit that the kitchen staff had provided while continuing to read "Advanced Arcane Solutions to Otherwise Ordinary Problems." Cadence had stumbled into the room briefly, questioning whether or not this was where she ate before she was quickly ushered out by a waitress directing her to a more "regal setting."

Sunset rolled her eyes at that. Of course she would be eating in Celestia's dining room. No need for a Princess like her to mingle with the peasants. Maybe she could bring that very point up with the Princess later when questioning her as to why they were even rooming together.

The unicorn was pulled abruptly from her thoughts for the second time that morning when Princess Celestia walked through the doors that Cadence had just been escorted through only moments earlier.

"Good morning, Sunset," she said warmly, seeming to forget the fiery unicorn's outburst the previous day. "How are you this morning?"

Sunset sighed, closing her book and putting on a comically fake smile. "Oh I'm just chipper, your highness! Can't wait to see what this wonderful day has to bring."

Celestia shook her head in response, an eyebrow arching upward at the obvious sarcasm. "Now now my dear student, there is no need to be so sarcastic. I have something exciting to discuss with you today."

"Oh and what might that be?"

The alabaster mare sat on the cushion opposing Sunset, opting to snag a banana and peel it as she spoke. "Today, Sunset Shimmer, we will discuss your future as my pupil," she said, before biting into the yellow fruit.

Now she had Sunset's attention. The unicorn straightened up in her seat and gave all of her focus to Celestia. "What do you mean?" she asked, a small part of her worried that the Princess was more upset about yesterday than she had let on. She wouldn't let her nervousness show, though, and continued to watch the princess eat the banana, outwardly displaying only a mild interest.

Celestia swallowed her bit before continuing. "As you well know, and like to often point out, you have been my personal student for quite some time," she began. "You are certainly an exceptionally powerful unicorn, Sunset, I will not deny that. You have come very far in your tutelage, and I am very impressed by your drive and continued motivation."

Sunset beamed at the praise. Celestia often mentioned how she impressed her, but it was rare to get such unfiltered compliments. A small smile began to creep onto her muzzle.

"But," Sunset's smile instantly vanished. Of course there was a but. "Your maturity and compassion has not seen the same improvements. The lessons of friendship and empathy are just as necessary in my teaching as that of the magical arts." Another pause, and another bite. "One might even say that they are lessons in a magic of their own."

The unicorn slumped down into her cushion, replying "I am mature, though." It was a weak counter-argument, and she admitted it to herself. But Sunset did not know exactly how to respond. Friends and feelings and all of that junk would weigh her down, take up precious amounts of her time that could be devoted to mastering a new spell. She had argued this point with Celestia many times before, but this claim that Sunset was not mature was a new talking point.

The last bite of banana vanished and Celestia gracefully folded the peel before placing it on a discarded plate. "Are you?" she asked. "Throwing a fit at some other pony's great accomplishment is not a sign of maturity, Sunset. Screaming in rage at myself and my aides because of an inconvenient, yet small change in routine is not a sign of maturity." The large mare leaned slightly closer to the unicorn. "You need to learn to take things as they come, and understand why they are happening. You need to be less selfish, and congratulate others on their success. And most of all, you need to learn to simply be nice to everypony. Be the bigger mare. Showing some humility from time to time also wouldn't hurt."

Sunset was very quickly getting angry. Now Celestia was accusing her anger of being unjust. What was unjust about another pony swooping in on her stupid wings and stealing the crown away from her? In her own mind, Sunset had every right to be angry, and that anger was validated by this nopony from some stupid fishing village stealing her hard-earned glory. Before she could speak any of these points aloud however, Celestia stood and let out a sigh.

"Follow me, Sunset," she said, beckoning towards the door with a nod of her head. "I have something I would like to show you."

Still seething with anger, and annoyed by her inability to counter any of her teacher's claims, Sunset stood and followed. Celestia led her out of the dining room. The two walked through the halls silently, heading towards Celestia's private wing of the castle. Sunset had been here before, of course, but it was still a rare occurrence for anyone outside of the Princess' personal staff and guard to be in this area. Curiosity slowly replaced her anger, and she tried to figure out where they were going.

Eventually, Celestia came to a stop outside the door of a room that Sunset had never been in. It was a fairly ordinary door, but what stood out was the lock that adorned its otherwise plain wooden front. Celestia leaned down, and slid her horn into the lock, sending a surge of magic briefly before the door's lock slid open, and the door cracked ajar.

Celestia straightened back up, and pushed the door the rest of the way, nodded to indicate that Sunset should enter. The unicorn hesitantly stepped forward into the dark room, Celestia following right behind. Sunset jumped as a jet of fire erupted from Celestia's horn, fanning out and lighting the chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling.

With the room now lit, Sunset could actually see that they were in what looked like an ordinary storage room filled with junk. "You took me to see a closet," she said, unimpressed.

To her surprise, Celestia replied with a light chuckle. "Mmm, not quite." The alicorn walked around the stationary unicorn to a tall object in the corner of the room. "I brought you here to see this."

Celestia's magic gripped the edge of the cloth covering the object, and yanked it to the side. Decades, if not centuries worth of dust flew into the air and she pulled her head back as to not get suffocated by it. When the cloud of particles finally settled, the object of interest was finally revealed to be a tall, ornate mirror. It's frame was carved from a translucent crystal, and various small gems adorned its border.

Sunset gazed into her own reflection, still not impressed. "It's a mirror," she said, wondering what mind game the Princess was trying to play with her.

The alicorn raised a hoof to her. "Step closer," she said, and Sunset hesitantly complied. "Look into the mirror and tell me what you see."

The unicorn gazed back into her own reflection. Her own teal eyes stared back at her, a perfect replica. After a few moments, she sighed. Mockingly, she said, "I see a beautiful pony with nothing but power and potential."

"Look closer. With some of that humility we spoke about this time."

Her annoyance growing, Sunset continued to stare at herself. Much to her surprise, after a few moments of stillness the image began to shift. Her horn began to grow longer and a pair of bright wings unfolded from behind her. An aura of magic began to encompass her entire body. "I see a pony who could be more powerful, who hasn't yet reached her full potential," she muttered, almost to herself. "I see a pony that could rule Equestria." The image continued to shift, and the magic around her grew brighter and brighter until her wings began to burn with bright flames. The fire spread and soon everything in the room was on fire. Sunset's eyes grew wide as she watched her fur burn away completely until she was staring into the empty eyes of her own charred skull. "W-what is happening?" she almost screamed. "What's going on?"

Then, as if a switch was flipped, Sunset was back in the storage closet with Celestia staring into the same two teal eyes that greeted her in every other mirror. "Sunset, are you alright?" the alicorn asked, concerned.

Sunset took a few moments to respond. "Yes, sorry," she said softly. "I just... I thought I saw... nevermind..."

Celestia looked down at her, her mouth frowned with concern. "Maybe it's best if we move on to today's lesson," she said softly. A hoof was placed on Sunset's back and gently guided her back towards the door.

The unicorn pulled herself away from the mirror, and followed her teacher back into the hallway. The door was pulled shut behind them, and Celestia resealed the lock before looking down at her once more. "Are you sure you're alright, Sunset?"

Sunset nodded, finally looking up at the Princess. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry."

Celestia raised her eyebrow, not totally believing what she heard. However she didn't pry, and instead chose to start walking back towards the more public area of the castle. "Alright then, if you'll follow me we can get started on your lessons for today."

Sunset trailed behind the alicorn as they headed towards the library. The entire time, her mind was focused on that mirror, and what she saw. What did it mean? She saw herself as a princess, and then... what happened?

"Princess," she asked as they approached the large doors of the library. "What was that mirror?"

Celestia paused in opening the doors and let out a deep sigh. "The mirror posses a magic far beyond that of even my own, Sunset. It can gaze into a pony's soul, and project the path they might take." She turned to look down at the unicorn. "But you must know that the mirror is not always right, and often times what it shows is a warning just as much as it is a prediction."

She could tell that Celestia was trying to be comforting, but for some reason, the words sparked a new anger in her. Suddenly the mirror's message was quite clear. Cadence had stolen that crown from her. Those wings were rightfully hers, and she would have to burn a path to get them back.

Comments

[redandready45]

I wonder what Sunset would do if she couldn't get through the mirror.

[aceina]

glad to seea update after so long

[ModMCdl]

10349784
I'm trying

[diablo4000]

10349782
Still hopings he does but is followed by Cadence or Cadence joins her to keep her from going down a further path of Darkness.

[Happy2343]

I am glad to see this story is continuing

[Rhawkas]

Don't know how she got that message from what she saw. Seeing herself become an alicorn only to burn up from her own magic seems more like a warning than a suggestion of what to do.

[ModMCdl]

10350201
The original source comic had a similar visual, representing her dreams burning away because of her greed. In this situation, Sunset is already angry at Cadence, so she's projecting her anger and failure onto her in any way she can.

[ForSpite]

Celestia is right that Sunset is being a total brat but she doesn't seem to have put any effort into understanding what it is that's setting her student off.

I think that might be her greatest weakness, for all that she preaches understanding, I've never seen much evidence that she really gets other ponies.

[ArgonMatrix]

"Advanced Arcane Solutions to Otherwise Ordinary Problems."

That sounds like a fantastic book. I love little worldbuilding details like this!

Interesting to see the story coincide with—and diverge from—the mirror comic. Sunset's interpretation of the mirror's warning is definitely not a good sign for her future, but the seeds of goodness are still there within her. Hopefully those seeds will bloom with time—and maybe with a little help from a certain pink alicorn, who can say? All I know is that sometimes you need to walk through fire before you can really grow.

Looking forward to more!

[The Weaver]

10350414
Indeed. Celestia displays her usual lack of empathy. Let me rephrase; she displays the same lack of empathy that ponykind seems to share for anycreature whose reactions fall outside the status quo.

[Razoreliza]

It’s rad to see you continue this story, especially after reading your most recent blog post. Hope everything’s going good!

[ModMCdl]

10351021
Some of the more recent changes have made me more comfortable with continuing to have my name associated with this site. I decided against making another blog to try and avoid drawing the wrong kind of attention to it.

[ModMCdl]

10350906
Is this from something? I vaguely recognize the last part of that quote and have been racking my brain trying to remember

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

10350414
Bingo. She can see an issue and not the cause. Seriously Celestia, just dropping Cadance into this was rubbing salt in the wound.

[Vaguely Demented]

Odd interpretation.

[Bicyclette]

The sleeping princess was snoring ridiculously loud, her mane erratically splayed out around her head. There was a distinct absence of grace about the scene that Sunset found vaguely charming, but she refused to let the sentiment get into her head, pausing only for a moment before violently tearing it from her psyche. So she threw a book at her instead.

Now THIS is shipping! It's a nice perspective shift, with this crush fitting neatly into the whole "do I want to be her or date her" phenomenon we all know and love. I was so lost before, but I understand it now.

"Which one?" Sunset deadpanned, already knowing the answer but still wanting to emphasize her irritation at that even being a question she could ask. Raven did not catch onto the sarcasm.

gottem

Then, as if a switch was flipped, Sunset was back in the storage closet with Celestia staring into the same two teal eyes that greeted her in every other mirror.

Great stuff with the mirror here, and establishing bits of this story's alicorn lore. Echoes of the scene in the comic canon, though thankfully subtler and more intriguing.