29: Meeting of the Hearts
The memory faded, and Starlight opened her eyes. The two jolted away from each other, catching their breath as the geode sparked between them. Once they recovered, they communicated once more with expressions alone.
Sunset's unmoving, inquisitive look: Did you get all that? Did it actually work?
Starlight's wide-eyed and open-jawed nod: That... was amazing. I can't believe what I just saw. She put her hand to her head. Actually, no, I totally can.
Sunset smiled. "It did work. Oh, wow. This is awesome, it's going to be incredible when I put it into practice! Not to mention tell Twili—" She stopped. "Wait. Did it have audio? That was, like, the most important part."
Starlight nodded. "It did."
Sunset wiped her brow. "Whew, thank goodness. Yeah. Definitely incredible. Thanks so much for helping with that. And..." She rubbed the back of her head. "For trusting me."
"I haven't had any reason not to yet," Starlight said. "But what did I just see?"
Sunset smiled, wide and reminiscing, as she walked back to Starlight. "That was... something that happened when I realized I wanted to be friends to people, after I finally caught the tiniest hint of what that actually meant." She fastened her pendant back around her neck. "But back then, people still hated me for what I did—a lot more verbally than they do now.
"I tried to erase it all by just being 'good'. By helping as many people as I could. Maybe by saving a world or two. And yet, I could never shake the pain or crushing guilt that would overtake me the moment someone reminded me of how I used to be just mere months ago." She positioned herself in front of Starlight, and took both of Starlight's hands in hers. "Sound familiar?"
Starlight nodded, shakily gripping Sunset's hands in return. She didn't want to let go. She refused to let go. Not of the only person she'd ever been able to talk to so far that had so much of a bead on her life and herself.
Why hadn't they done this sooner?
The moon was visible in the sky now, illuminating both girls and the city around them. Sunset closed her eyes, speaking softly, her hair shifting in the light breeze, just like in the memory.
"There are a lot of people—and ponies—who would say that those who've done what we've done deserve to suffer forever. To face 'consequences' every waking moment of our lives, until some arbitrary debt of their choosing is paid."
With a gulp, Starlight nodded.
Sunset opened her eyes, looking moonward, her face as determined as it was was back on Canterlot High's roof. One side of her lips turned up as she scoffed. "Me, I tend not to agree with 'popular opinion' much. And today's no exception. All of the events in my life, all of the mistakes I've made, happened because I thought I was entitled to power, simply by virtue of being brought into the world. And even now, I couldn't tell you why that was. I just... did. And it was the longest time before I was forcibly convinced that the universe—the multiverse—didn't work that way."
Sunset brought her right hand up and cupped Starlight's cheek, meeting Starlight's eyes directly.
"So, from where I stand? Forming values and trying to make life decisions under the unavoidable weight of a lonely, broken heart, is never a 'stupid reason'. It doesn't excuse what you did, any more than I can be excused for what I've done. But anyone who condemns the emotions that led to those actions, or the pony behind them after they've seen her for all she truly is now? Has lost touch with what it means to have a soul. Plain and simple."
Starlight immediately felt weak, inside and out. Her bones no longer existed, her heart skipped several beats, her brain's impulses went utterly on strike. It was a wonder she could still breathe, let alone listen, but she nevertheless resolved to not miss a single word.
"Princess Twilight knew that, too," Sunset continued, stroking her thumb along Starlight's cheek as the latter's breaths shortened. "That's why I got the rainbow laser, while you received empathy, words and direct teaching. I don't know how I can convince you by myself, but you are completely deserving of forgiveness, love and friendship, Starlight. No matter where you've been or what you've done, and especially since you're so committed to setting those things right.
"I was evil. You were misguided and sad. And yet, here we are. We found each other, shared each other, and I couldn't be happier for both. Because I thought I was alone in this. I thought I was alone in being... well, me."
"I thought I was too," Starlight barely croaked, every part of her body still feeling like immobile jelly. She might have fallen over had Sunset not braced her by placing her hands on her shoulders, leaning forward, and planting her lips to Starlight's forehead for an instant, before wrapping her arms around Starlight entirely.
"This is what I'm sure of," Sunset said, before bringing her voice down to the softest whisper in Starlight's ears. "You are a good pony, Starlight Glimmer. Your feelings and emotions are valid. They always were. You always were. Your past actions spoke for one pony at one stage of her life, and your current actions speak for another pony—a pony who has learned a lifetime's worth of lessons in a short amount of time, and a pony who anyone, in any universe, would be proud to know and love."
Starlight lost her ability to stand, falling the rest of the way into Sunset. She had never, ever heard anyone say that before, much less with such conviction. She also had no idea until this very moment just how much she needed to hear someone, anyone, say that.
Because, heck, not even her own father—though he had no idea what was in her heart. It had just... never come up.
"Maybe those two ponies aren't all that different," Sunset said, pulling back to be face-to-face again. "But speaking from experience, you'll have to come to that conclusion on your own. In the meantime, I know for a fact that there are so many people, ponies and creatures who love you." Sunset's eyes sparkled into Starlight's. "Myself included."
For the third time that night, Starlight's eyes may as well not have existed for how waterlogged they were. At the same time, it was impossible to control just and big and wide her grin was.
Amidst the most exhilarating, ecstatic, joyful heartache she'd ever experienced her life, Starlight Glimmer stopped trying to move, stopped fighting her current weakness, and embraced her vulnerability and Sunset in a single move, with a single whispered sentence:
"I love you too, Sunset Shimmer."
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Next up: meeting of the bodies?
Seriously though, a man cannot cross the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man. And since it's already a metaphor anyways, I don't actually have to adjust it for gender or species.
9741403
nah, not here
would love to one day though~
that sounds like quitter talk
Sage words Sunny. Very sage words.
I was… only kinda expecting those last few paragraphs TBH. Whether this is sororal love or romantic love I'm not sure yet, but be it sisters or partners, it feels pretty natural.
Now the only question is where does this go from here.
Do I smell shipping? Because I'm somewhat okay with that.
There's definitely nothing like the love shared between two friends.
Friendshipping (and possibly shipping?) intensifies!
But yeah, that seems to be exactly what Starlight needed to hear, from a pony who's been through it herself. Good job counseling the counselor, Sunset!
Dammit, Bookish, I wanna thumbs-up this story so bad! Y U DO DIS?!
"Well, it's not like she had any Elements of Harmony on hoof—"
"Shush, Starlight, I'm going somewhere with this."
In any case, wonderfully heartfelt moment... which makes me feel especially bad about my story with the cover image of Sunset Batman-slapping Starlight in the Similar column.
9741595
i.kym-cdn.com/news_feeds/icons/mobile/000/025/039/cab.jpg
Love. Friend love, romantic love, the rest is details. But when Sunset knows you as well as only she can, especially with your shared background? And genuinely accepts you and loves you anyway? Wonderful.
And yeah, how much these two get each other and understand that what appear to be trivial or stupid reasons are still important and valid? That forgiveness doesn't come because you've met a checklist or because you deserve it? Important and true.
This is just wonderful and well done.
9741439
The only ship sailing here is the friend ship.
ugh yes just kiss already