The Path
It was very early in the morning when Celestia's and Sunset's night around town had ended. The sun had yet to make its appearance but it was certainly getting close to that point. Most of the other citizens would be sleeping during that time period but not Celestia and Sunset. They were still awake, even after the exhausting night they had, together, a night full of dancing (Celestia demonstrating her talent of tripping over her two left feet), music (everyone's favorite), food (vegetarian friendly), and singing hit songs in an alley with a group of strangers around a little bonfire (that was Sunset's idea).
Celestia and Sunset were walking down the sidewalk together, making their way towards Canterlot High School.
"So," Sunset stared at the institution. "This is the place where your ride is coming to get you?"
"Yes," Celestia nodded. "My transportation will be here soon enough."
Sunset kept looking at the school. "Kind of a weird choice for a rendezvous spot if you ask me."
"*Cough.* Well," Celestia thought quickly. "It's one of the more recognizable places in town. Everyone knows where to find it, right?"
"Eh," Sunset rubbed the back of her head. "I guess. I can't really say. I've only ever been here once."
"You have?"
"Yeah," Sunset turned to face Celestia. "I came here one time to promote one of my shows. I was trying to hang up some posters and tell people to show up, but everyone was just so mean to me. Whenever I tried to talk to anyone, they would just give me a weird look and run away. Never gave me a chance. Heck, I saw a few of them tear some of my posters to shreds!"
Celestia gasped. "Oh, no."
"Right?"
Celestia shook her head. "That is just rude. I have no idea why anyone would just treat you that way."
"You're telling me. After that, I never came anywhere near this place again. Message received."
"I don't blame you," Celestia agreed. "I do not like going here much myself, either."
"You, too? Why not?"
Celestia recalled the first time she had ever crossed over to the human world. Almost immediately after she had arrived, she caught a glimpse of Principal Celestia and immediately dived for the bushes, scratching her face and startling a squirrel in the process. Knowing she had to keep a relatively low profile in the human world to avoid any confusion, Celestia knew that she would have to keep her distance from Principal Celestia and Canterlot High, a stipulation she had followed very well over the past moons. Of course, she could not let Sunset know that.
"Eh," Celestia shrugged. "Just not my place."
"Yet, it is your chosen location for a rendezvous spot?"
"Hey, I didn't choose this. I just accepted the circumstances fate decided on."
Sunset crossed her arms. "Well, sometimes we gotta fight to make things better, even fate, itself."
Celestia looked at Sunset for a moment and laughed. "You're such a rebel."
Sunset chuckled with her. "Well, my mom thinks I am."
Celestia's face softened. "Are you sure everything going to be all right between you two?"
"Oh, no doubt," Sunset replied without the slightest bit of hesitation in her voice. "It's not gonna be forever, and I'm still gonna call her. We just need some time apart for a while. Sometimes, people just need a break from each other. There's no way I'd just completely abandon my mom. I love her."
Celestia smiled. "And I'm sure she loves you, too. She is very fortunate to have you as her daughter."
"Aw," Sunset blushed. "You think so?"
"Without a doubt," Celestia nodded.
"Thanks, Miss Celestia. Speaking of which," Sunset's face then became a little more reserved. "So... how do you think you're gonna be, now, when you get back home?"
"Hehe," Celestia looked over at the Canterlot Wondercolt statue. "That's a good question."
Sunset took a step closer. "You know you shouldn't go back to the way you were treating yourself before."
"Yes, I know," Celestia slowly nodded. "The time we've spent together has... made me rethink some things. I still have a lot on my mind, but I'm ready to approach my problems differently, now. I'll take better care of myself. I promise. I've learned a lot from our talk," Celestia's mood lightened. "You know, you're actually the first person I've ever opened up to. Back home, I really don't have anybody to talk to about these kinds of things, not since my student. I usually only approach people professionally, but now... I actually think I want to make more connections, ones that are more than just professional."
Sunset gasped. "Really? That's great!"
"Yes. Though, I'm not really sure how," Celestia nervously replied. "My position doesn't really allow me to be approached so casually. I'm not exactly a young child on a playground."
"Hey," Sunset placed a hand on Celestia's shoulder. "Don't talk like that. It's never too late to make more friends. The world's full of people. There's bound to be at least six or seven of them out there for you. You'll be fine."
Celestia smiled. "Thank you."
"Which reminds me," Sunset took her hand back and pulled a small napkin out of her pocket. "Here."
"Um," Celestia raised her eyebrow at the napkin. "I appreciate your consideration, Sunset, but I already cleaned my hands since we ate the cheese fries."
"No, no," Sunset chuckled. "It's not for that. Look," Sunset placed the napkin in front of Celestia's face. "See? I wrote my cell number on it."
Celestia stared at the numerals for a brief moment. "But, I told you, I don't have a cell phone."
"I know," Sunset grabbed Celestia's hand and placed the napkin in it. "But that doesn't mean you can't find a payphone or something whenever you're in town. You can figure out a payphone, right?"
Celestia gently closed her hand and smiled. "I can try."
"Ha. See? We'll still be able to see each other. We're just gonna have to put in a little more effort. We can do that, right?"
Celestia nodded. "Of course. I look forward to seeing you again, Sunset."
Sunset winked. "Same here."
"And... Well..." Celestia nervously chuckled. "You know, not every visit to this city has to be for my student if that's okay."
"Absolutely," Sunset playfully punched Celestia's arm. "If you think you can bear that much time with me, that is."
"Hmm. Good point. That might be too much."
Sunset's eyes widened. "Hey, now look who's cracking jokes!"
"Yes," Celestia playfully shook her head. "It appears I might have spent too much time with you, already."
"Well," Sunset shook her head. "There's no going back, now."
"I suppose not," Celestia and Sunset shared a laugh together. "So, what are you going to be doing, now?"
Sunset smirked. "Same thing I always do, Miss Celestia: keep moving forward in this crazy road we call life and keep trying to walk down the path wherever the sun shines."
"That sounds like a nice motto to follow," Celestia nodded. "I admire your enthusiasm."
"People do say it's one of my best qualities, and speaking of sunshine," Sunset pointed to the horizon, where the sun finally made its grand appearance. "It looks like a new day!"
"Looks like it," Celestia stared at the sun. It was odd to see it rise without her assistance, but it still felt warm and was a sight to behold. "It's beautiful. It also probably means I really should be heading back home, now."
"I can wait with you until your ride gets here," Sunset volunteered.
I wish you could. "It's fine. You've done more than enough for me, already. Why don't you head on home? You look pretty tired. You should get some rest."
Sunset placed her hands on her hips. "Trying to get rid of me, eh? Okay, Miss Secretive, I'll get out your hair."
Celestia frowned. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Sunset waved her off. "We all have our secrets. You share whenever you're ready and not a minute before, okay? Good."
Celestia thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure I'll eventually be telling you a lot of my secrets. I feel like I can trust you."
"Smart woman," Sunset joked before she walked up and gave Celestia a hug. "You take care of yourself, okay?"
"Of course," Celestia hugged back. "You, as well."
Sunset squeezed her arms around Celestia. "If you ever need someone," Sunset looked into Celestia's eyes. "Just call me, and I'll be right here," Sunset smiled before releasing her embrace. "Goodbye, Miss Celestia."
"Goodbye, Sunset Shimmer."
With that final send-off, Sunset turned around and began to walk away, with Celestia waving goodbye as she watched her friend leave.
The past fourteen hours or so had been very interesting for Celestia. She had reentered the human world in another attempt to find her student but came across her student's human double, instead. For whatever reason Celestia did not know, the double proved to be far kinder and more supportive than the pony counterpart Celestia had known in Equestria, and, with the double, Celestia spent her day.
It was odd for Celestia to spend a day with someone else, much less a total stranger. Ever since her student had left her, Celestia did not bother to try to connect with anypony else in anything but a professional manner, but the human Sunset Shimmer sparked something inside of Celestia, something familiar, and Celestia could just not turn away from it, so, for the first time in moons, and with a complete stranger, no less, Celestia actually spent a completely cordial night with someone else, and she liked it. It was the best night she had in moons, maybe even centuries.
Of course, Celestia's entire time with Sunset was not all rainbows; Celestia had to relive some painful memories of her past she would like to forget. However, as Celestia stood there near the Canterlot Wondercolt statue, the memories' pain did not seem to hurt as much as they did earlier. The fear she felt whenever she thought of her sister or her student was no longer as haunting. Of course, Celestia knew that it would still be difficult to confront the two, especially in her sister's case, but she was now more willing to confront them and bring them back home.
Celestia was ready for a new day, to see the world with more light. She was ready to try new things when she got back to Equestria, without the burden of constantly punishing herself. Celestia was inspired to bring what she learned in the human world back to Equestria, both figuratively and literally (she was inspired by the cell phone to research new methods of communication and, after remembering an old book she once read, thought that magical dragon's breath might be the way to go). She wanted to become closer to her subjects and walk among them as something other than a princess and perhaps would even consider taking in another personal student.
That was not to say Celestia was wanting to forget about her former student; she could never do nor want that, but Celestia felt that she should pass down the new things she had learned so that it could hopefully be passed down to the other citizens of Equestria for a brighter, friendlier future.
Celestia's time with the human Sunset had been the best time she had in a long while. She actually made a friend. The human Sunset Shimmer was a friend, not someone who wanted power or influence that came with being a peer of Princess Celestia, but a friend, an honest, true friend, and as Celestia stood by the Wondercolt statue, the warm sun rising on her face, she hoped and had faith-
Celestia watched Sunset smile at her, happily waving at her goodbye as she moved farther down the sidewalk. "Stay bright, sunshine!"
-that the pony Sunset Shimmer would one day be her friend, too.
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Will there be a sequel?
I love, love, LOVE this story!
From the get-go, having Princess Celestia traveling into the human world to search for Sunset Shimmer only to run into the human Sunset was a great story idea! What's more, I love your interpretation of the human Sunset! The interactions between the characters was greatly written, the pacing was excellent and it was very heartwarming and bittersweet!
Once again, you've done an amazing job RS-Belle14!
This story earned a like and a spot to my top favorites!
Wow. That was amazing. Heartwarming, a little sad, and just really wonderful. Honestly, I've been having kinda a bad couple of days, and reading this made me feel a bit better.
Thank you.
9790398
Hmm. I'm not sure. I fully intend for stories I post to be complete one-shots. Sequels are hard but never say never.
9790410
Thank you so much, Sonicfan! I have high hopes for this story.
9790466
Thanks! Yeah, you're probably right on that. I guess I should correct that.
9790496
Thank you! I'm sorry to hear you've been having a hard time. I hope things get better for you.
9790502
Thank you.
This was a sweet story, I hope it helped with what you're going through on your side as well!
9790559
Thank you so much. I like Sunset's words, here. You're likes and support really do help out.
Very well done fic! :D I loved the concept of Celestia searching Canterlot High's world for Sunset and finding the Human Sunset instead. Their interactions were well done and you did a very good job writing how Human Sunset would act. :D Definitely a fav! :D
9790597
Thanks again for all your help! Couldn't have done it without you! I'll be sure to take your advice in the future.
9790466
hey wanderer, look up cheer princess. its also a princess Celestia going across the mirror. That other story is about Princess Celestia actually running into the portal right after Sunset, and decide to stay in CHS to prevent Sunset's bullying and her school 'take over' thing
9790648
Sure thing. :) I'm glad you will and I hope it helps you along with future stories. :D
9791039
Sure does. I'll stay in touch.
9791560
I had someone tell me the opposite in proof reading, so I guess I just ask the masses what to do.
9791525
You know it. :)
Quite interesting - a follow-up might be neat.
9792061
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like a lot people want it.
9792199
Well it kind of cries out for one, you know? Not sure when it should be set, though.
9792627
I was thinking for after Celestia reconciles with pony Sunset. Perhaps even tip toeing past Twilight to get to the mirror.
9792199
If you want to write just write. I can't understand why an author with a vision lets another dictate the story.
46 likes to 1 dislike.
Also, I just feel this story wants a sequel to tie things up with pony sunset.
You can do either honestly.
9792627
Well, I suppose I could think of one scenario, but I never did intend this story to have a continuation I guess it's something to think about.
9793054
The two Sunsets should probably meet, at least - with Celestia or without.
9792924
I try to give the people what they want through my view. With this story, I thought I'd show a scenario where Celestia, after years of guilt, learns of lesson of selfforgiveness and love and end the story with an open future as it is her choice as to where to go with this new outlook.
I'm not saying I can't think of a scenario for a sequel, but I'm not sure if it should have one. I never write a story with a sequel in mind.
9792930
With enough requests, I'll consider it. Thanks for the read.
9793064
Like I said, I can think of scenarios, it's just a matter of people or me want to see it.
Yes, this definitely calls for more too it. I'm thinking two follow ups maybe. One where pony Sunset and human Celestia spend some time talking and getting Sunsets point of view on everything, since we got Princess Celestias pov here. And of course an actual sit down between our two pony protagonists where they finally have that long overdue heart-to-heart.
9793078
If enough people want, I'll consider it. Thanks for the read!
9793128
I'd say go for it!
Personally I'd want to see more of this world as well. While not the most polished of works, the heart in it shines through, and it's an interesting premise. I hope life treats you as well as musician!Sunset treated Celestia.
Thanks for writing~
...I think you two just discovered where Celestia's Sunset is hanging out.
9793611
That's one of the jokes/metaphors of this story: the answer is right in front of them, but they didn't notice/explore it enough to see it.
9793570
Thank you so much for the read. I'll try to improve with each story. Thank you.
I loved this so much! I always wondered what this scenario would look like! It's amazingly good. I also loved your version of human Sunset. Everybody gives her a different personality. This was the best, and is definitely one of my favorites.
I wonder if Celestia will ever find her Sunset. Or how Celestia's and human Sunset's next get together would go. Any chance for a sequel? Yet, no problem! It's a beautiful stand alone.
<3
9793671
Thank you so much! I intend for all my stories to be one shots, but if enough people ask, I'll consider a follow up.
This is really nice. Really nice.
Though I half-expected Pony-Shimmer to step out of the bushes at the last second or something. Halfway through I thought it'd turn out this WAS Pony-Shimmer and she was playing a long-con.
9794274
I thought about including Pony Sunset at one point, but I decided against it. This story takes place before the first Equestria Girls movie, and I think it might defeat about the story's purpose if Pony Sunset was already reformed.
Thanks for the read!
9796233
Thanks! Hope you enjoy it.
This story had a wonderful bittersweet ending: one that created hope without feeling completely satisfactory or schmaltzy.
9798751
Thanks! Glad you like the story! Really means a lot to me
Doggone it, RS. As usual, you hit me right in the feels with a story. This time, hard enough to give me heartburn... or maybe that's the coffee. Either way, I absolutely loved this.
9799540
Thanks! I always try put at least some heart into every story. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this one. The message was strong and human Sunset was fun all around. I was kind of hoping for a post Forgotten Friendship epilogue where Celestia uses Pony Sunset’s phone to call human Sunset (maybe even introduce them and reveal a world shattering secret or two to human Sunset).
My one personal annoyance is that this is with pony Celestia. She’s not exactly the type to take the sole blame for anything (at absolute most going 50/50 in some rare occasions) and there’s too many troublesome implications around her and pony Sunset. Especially the lack of any kind of parental figure being mentioned, Celestia’s school being for children, something similar having happened with Luna, how antisocial Twilight was before meeting her predestined friends, and how good Sunset was post Twilight. It’s very hard for me to believe that Celestia wasn’t at least a large negative influence on Sunset.
I would also like to request a sequel. This was amazing and i really want to know how either Sunset would react to the other. Maybe fast forward past the EG movies and have Celestia enter again? And now that the principal knows, what wpuld her reaction be to her counterpart?
9838805
Thanks for the read! I really appreciate it.
Sorry to say, but I really don't follow what you mean in the second paragraph.
9839899
Thanks! Lol, if I had a nickel for every time someone requested a sequel...
Sequels are really hard for me. I try to make every story I write a one-shot because I think they're easier to follow. I just think that is where my strength lies.
That said, if enough people want one, I'll consider making a sequel.
9843393
The idea that Celestia of all characters would entirely blame herself for Luna and Sunset doesn’t seem to fit her, or at least my perception of her in the show. While she did miss both of them, she never hinted that she felt even partly responsible for their actions and rarely takes the blame in the show (and each time she does, Luna takes equal blame). Even Celestia actively trying to help them until the last moment doesn’t seem to line up with the season 4 premier (and we’ve basically got nothing on her relationship with Sunset in animation).
The clash between my reading of show Celestia and this fic Celestia (and the past events in this fic) was kind of distracting and led to some awkward implications (like the lesson of this fic leading to some of Celestia’s more questionable moments in the show, like Horse Play). But that’s also why I called it a personal annoyance, as it’s not an actual problem with the fic, just an awkward clash of my perception of the show Celestia that I felt.
Not a bad story, and an interpretation of Celestia that I can agree with. Wish I'd gotten to it sooner.
This does raise the question of how time flows between the two worlds, however. Drat the writers being vague.
9865087
Thanks! Yeah, the time flow is pretty wacky, isn't it? Celestia and Luna have lived for over a millennia in Equestria yet they are relatively young adults in EQG? Odd and convenient. I decided to just take advantage of the time flow. In the grand scheme of things, I don't think it matters too much.