"The festivity preparations are going very smoothly, Your Highness. Refreshments will be ready to be served fresh on-schedule, there are no reports of any suspicious behavior, and all activities in the city will be ready for the crowds." Kibitz finished his report and looked up at Celestia.

"Marvelous. This may be the grandest Summer Sun Celebration we’ve yet had," Celestia replied. The sun was setting on the horizon and come morning the festival would begin.

"Indeed. And perhaps this year we can get through it without some manner of disaster," Luna said from across the dinner table. Celestia smiled.

"Quite."

The two continued eating as Kibitz read off preparation reports. Then, there was a knock at the door, and one of the two guard ponies pulled it open. A third guard stepped into the room and bowed his head. "Your Highnesses, Princess Twilight and her entourage have arrived at the train station. They will be here shortly."

"Ah, I was wondering if she’d be late," Luna said. "Kibitz, you made the arrangements. What rooms have we put aside for their stay?"

"The west wing, second floor. The large guest room has eight beds awaiting, and I’ve told the chefs to have a meal prepared for them on their arrival."

Luna frowned. "Eight beds?"

"Yes, Your Highness." As Kibitz spoke, Luna saw Celestia stand and walk to the door behind him. "Princess Twilight specified she would be attending with seven guests."

"Seven… oh dear." Luna turned around and headed to the door as Celestia stepped into the hall. "Sister, perhaps we should—" She stopped as the door swung shut on her, golden magic holding it in place.

The hornblowers raised their horns and trumpeted a beat to herald the arrival of the guests at the entrance of the castle. On the grand staircase looking down at them, Luna smiled warmly and bowed her head. The pony at the doorway cleared his throat.

"Presenting, Her Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle. In her company, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, Miss Applejack, Miss Rainbow Dash, Miss Fluttershy, Miss Rarity, and Miss Pinkie Pie. Also accompanying her are Mr. Spike the Dragon, and…" the guard trailed off and frowned as he realized he didn’t know the name of the pony walking behind Spike.

"Guest," she provided.

"And… guest," the guard said.

Luna descended the stairs and stood in front of the group. "Good evening, Twilight Sparkle, everypony. And dragon." She winked at Spike. "My sister sends her apologies for her absence. She is quite busy making sure the Summer Sun Celebration goes perfectly and did not have time to take from her schedule to greet you."

Twilight smiled and bowed her head back. Luna, however, was watching the mare in the back of the group who hung her head at her words. Twilight lifted her head, blocking Luna’s view for a moment. "No trouble at all, Princess Luna. I’m sure there are much more important things than just saying hello to us."

"Quite. We have boarding prepared, or if you’d prefer a meal we have one waiting." Luna nodded at a nearby guard. "Please show Princess Twilight and her friends to the dining area." The guard nodded and turned to lead the group down a passage. As they passed, Luna locked eyes with the eighth member of the group. She turned her head when she realized Luna was watching her, and after only a moment looked away again, hurrying after the group.

Twilight Sparkle, you are either very foolish, or very brave.

Twilight looked behind her as the guard led them through the castle halls. Took longer than I thought. She was all right on the train ride, but now that we’re at the castle it’s going to get tough. She began walking slower. One by one her friends passed her, chatting among themselves, until the last of the group was coming up behind her. Sunset Shimmer looked up and saw Twilight watching her, but kept walking.

"I’m not going to have you walking around the castle looking like that," Twilight said, keeping pace. Sunset shook her head.

"You know why she wasn’t there to greet us. You sent word of our arrival. She knew I was going to be here."

"I’m sure that’s not it."

"Yes, it was."

Twilight sighed. "You told me you could handle this."

"I said I could handle coming back to the castle," Sunset said sharply, looking at her. "It’s going to be hard enough. Who knows how many ponies working here are going to recognize me and start asking questions? I figured Celestia would be too busy and we wouldn’t see her."

"And we haven’t yet, so why are you upset?" Twilight asked.

"Because if she didn’t find out I was coming before, she’ll find out now."

Twilight shook her head and stopped. Sunset took a few more steps before she noticed and turned around. Ahead of them the procession continued on without them. Twilight looked up at Sunset. "You’ve done well these last few months. And I’m going to tell her so, whenever it is I see her. I like to think she’ll be happy for you. Better yet, we can tell her together."

Sunset’s eye twitched and she turned away. She looked down at her neck and flicked a hoof at the anti-magic charm dangling under her face. Twilight frowned at the action. She told me she was going to stop playing with it.

"Can I have some bits, please?

"You are not going home."

Sunset took a breath and closed her eyes. Twilight saw her begin to shake and moved closer. "Please, Twilight. I can’t do this."

Yes you can. You just don’t realize it. That’s the problem, and that’s why we’re here. If there was one thing Twilight had caught on to in the last several months, it was how to handle her charge. "All right. I’ll make you a deal." Twilight put a hoof over her neck. "We’ll go have dinner. When it’s over, if you still want to leave, we’ll discuss it. Okay?"

Sunset gave her a wry smile. "You say that, but when we discuss it after, you’ll still insist on me staying."

"Yup."

"… Fine."

"We have arranged for a private viewing box for you and your entourage, Princess, during the festivities. Until then, all preparations are proceeding as scheduled and I doubt we will require any intervention from you," Kibitz looked up from his clipboard at the seven mares and one dragon seated in the dining room.

"Excellent. Thank you, Kibitz." Twilight nodded at him and he turned to leave. Sunset watched him and saw his eyes dart towards her for a moment before he looked away. She looked down at her plate and sighed.

"All right, here we are, everypony." The others looked up as a unicorn attendant wheeled a cart of food through the door to the kitchens. "We have three types of fruit salad. And for you, Mr. Dragon." The attendant smiled and floated a small bowl of gemstones in front of Spike. "We also have a wonderful assortment of pastries and gelatins waiting for desert."

"Can we skip to that part?" Pinkie asked. Twilight chuckled.

"It looks lovely, thank you," Rarity said. The unicorn nodded and floated the three bowls of fruit salad to the middle of the table. The ponies began helping themselves, spooning heaps of flower petals and fruit pieces onto their plates. Fluttershy looked beside her at Sunset, who had her eyes down on her plate.

"Oh, Sunset, do you need help?"

Sunset jerked and looked up. "Hm? Oh, um, no. Thank you." She looked up and waited for Rainbow Dash opposite her to put the spoon back in the nearest bowl, then reached out to it and lifted a single spoonful onto her own plate. She put the serving spoon back in its bowl and awkwardly took hold of a smaller eating spoon next to her plate.

She’s still having trouble using her hooves. Twilight ate her meal as she watched Sunset eat hers. Her movements were slow, unsure, and she dropped her spoon more than once. But she’s too proud to ask for help. That’s a good sign, means she has pride at least.

Sunset glanced up and caught Twilight watching her, the princess smiling at her. Sunset lowered her gaze and went back to her meal. Twilight’s smile vanished. It’s been months. It can’t be physical inability that holds her back. I made the right choice bringing her here, then.

There was a knock at the kitchen door and the assembled party looked up as the guard at the door pulled it open. Sunset saw who was standing on the threshold and immediately turned her head down again. Twilight noticed, but smiled and nodded at the visitor. "Good evening, Magistrate."

Rosen Cross approached the table and bowed his head. "Good evening, Princess Twilight."

"Girls, this is Magistrate Rosen Cross. I told you about him, right?" Twilight looked over the table. Understanding flitted over their faces and they nodded.

"Care ta join us at the table?" Applejack asked.

"I thank you for the invitation, but I must decline. Princess Twilight, if I could have your company for a few moments?" Rosen looked at her. Twilight glanced at Sunset: she had her eyes locked on the plate below her muzzle and Twilight thought she saw her eye twitch.

"Certainly." Twilight stepped back from the table and followed Rosen into the hall. The door clicked shut behind him and Rosen turned to lead Twilight through the castle. When they were a distance from the dining room doors, he spoke.

"I first must convey my sincerest apologies for what we have been through. I treated you terribly and did not heed your words when you attempted to explain your situation to me. I am deeply sorry."

Twilight looked at him and frowned. "You say that to me. Would you be apologizing if it really was Sunset Shimmer you had been caring for?"

Rosen sighed and nodded. "True, true. I am not fond of her; that is surely obvious to you. Yet, though you may not believe me, I would indeed still apologize to her were it truly her at the time. I allowed my emotions to cloud my judgment and my treatment was worse than warranted."

"Apology accepted. Thank you," Twilight looked forward. Is he leading me somewhere? Or does he just want to talk?

"I trust Sunset has been doing well under your tutelage?" Rosen asked.

"Well enough," Twilight replied. "There are still obstacles to overcome, but in time, she will do just that. We have hit a wall, currently. I keep an anti-magic charm on her neck to restrict her movements and negate her magic, and I’m trying to teach her about friendship. Trusting others, forgiveness, relying on them for help. It’s going well, but I think she’s ready for the next step."

"And what step is that?"

"I know she’s truly repentant and sorry, but do you think I can trust her?"

"I am not the pony to ask. My bias against Sunset is already proven. I can only recommend for you to use your best judgment, a foolish piece of advice itself."

Twilight thought for a moment, lowering her head and bringing a hoof to her mouth. "She still doubts herself, that’s the biggest obstacle to her growth now. I know my friends haven’t completely forgiven her, and that’s understandable, but they keep quiet about it around her. She’s hard enough on herself without others adding to it. Until she overcomes that, I’m not sure I trust her, or else she could relapse again. She might even be a danger to herself."

"Then what is the solution?"

Twilight lowered her hoof and looked up at Rosen. "Push her over that final hurdle and make her let go. She has to forgive herself. But I don’t know how to help her with that. She’s still so full of guilt for all she’s done."

Rosen nodded. "I thought as much. If you cannot assure forgiveness for Sunset from herself, then there is another party that may be of aid."

"You have something in mind?"

"I do."

Twilight tilted her head. "I thought you hated Sunset."

"That is a bit strong a word, ‘hate’. I do not hate Sunset, but you are correct in stating I do not care for her."

"Then why help her?"

Rosen came closer and looked down at Twilight, his eyes stern. "Because there is another mare we both know that is in anguish over Sunset’s actions. I believe that to heal one will heal the other. My affections for this other mare override my distaste for Sunset, and thus I find such a compromise acceptable."

Realization sparked in Twilight’s eyes and she nodded. "Tell me what you need."

Sunset poked a spoon into her fruit salad and picked up a cherry, slowly popping it into her mouth. They’re talking about me. I know they are. Rosen’s probably telling Twilight right now that I’m a waste of time and she should just get rid of me.

"Not hungry, Sunset?"

Sunset looked up and saw Applejack watching her. She swallowed the lump of cherry in her mouth. "Not really."

Rarity nodded. "Don’t worry, dear, we’ll be here all night, and the Canterlot kitchens will surely be happy to oblige."

Sunset looked back at her food and took hold of her fork, spearing several flower petals and stems. She bit into it and chewed slowly.

Spike eyed her as he polished off his own meal. He reached over and tapped a claw on her back. "Hey." Sunset turned to him. "She’s not bad-mouthing you. You know that, right?"

Sunset stared for a moment. "… Of course."

"He means it, Sunset," Fluttershy said. "You know Twilight is very supportive of all you’ve done."

"Yeah." Sunset finished off what was on her fork. She’s right. Twilight is trying to help you. She wouldn’t run off with Rosen to insult you. Rosen will have that covered on his own. Not that he’s wrong. I shouldn’t be here. I have no business being here.

The kitchen doors opened again, and Sunset looked up, expecting to see Twilight returning. Instead, a different alicorn entered the room.

"Greetings again, everypony," Luna stepped up to the table and looked over them. "I trust everything is well?"

"Yup, the food is great." Rainbow smiled and took a large bite of her meal. Rarity grunted in disgust and looked away.

Luna chuckled. "I’m glad to hear it. The ceremony will not begin until the morning, until then you may rest in your quarters. We also have various entertainment acts performing in the courtyard, if you like."

"Sounds swell. Thanks, Princess!" Applejack nodded at her.

"My sister is pre-occupied with the ceremony, so if anypony requires anything at all, ask a guard to retrieve me and I’ll do my best to accommodate you." Luna bowed her head and turned.

"Um… Princess Luna?"

Six pairs of eyes turned over the table and looked at Sunset. Luna looked over her shoulder and nodded. "Yes?"

"May I speak to you? In private, I mean."

"Certainly." Luna gestured her head forward. Sunset stepped away from the table and followed her into the hall. She didn’t look back as she left, but she didn’t need to. They’re watching me. They always are. Like everypony else. Watching, waiting to see if I slip up, if I do something wrong.

When Sunset stepped into the hall, Luna used her magic to click the door shut behind her. "How may I be of aid, Sunset Shimmer?"

Sunset looked at the wall, her eye twitching. "I… Twilight told me what you did. That you knew."

"I see. And?"

Sunset slowly looked up at Luna to see her giving her an impassive look. She gulped. "I just… why?"

"Why?"

"Why did you not tell Celestia? Why did you tell me all the things you did? Why did you try to help me?"

Luna nodded. "I see. Fair questions, I suppose. To the first, for the same reason I indicated to you on your departure from the castle; I wished to spare my sister the pain. She was quite distressed when she found out what had happened through Spike's letter, and I assure you it was not something I would inflict on her on purpose. I thought I could resolve the situation on my own, perhaps even without her knowledge. I was deeply mistaken, and for it endangered my sister's dearest students. I assure you, my sister had numerous choice words for me when we returned to Canterlot." She grimaced and darted her eyes to the side. "I have not heard her use the Royal Canterlot Voice so liberally since before my banishment."

"Okay… I guess that all makes sense."

"To the second and third questions, I wished to see how you took the information. I thought perhaps, with a bit of coaxing, you would confess your crimes and seek forgiveness. You only knew your side of the story, not Celestia’s or Star Swirl’s. I sought to enlighten you to these matters and so allow you to shift your perspectives. Beings that have committed more grievous crimes than yours have sought and found forgiveness before, Sunset Shimmer. I kept an eye on you from afar and afforded you a chance to do the same."

Sunset shuffled her hooves and nodded. "Right."

Luna looked away and let out a long breath. "However, I admit some responsibility for the deteriorating circumstances you found yourself in rests with me. I overestimated your mental discipline, and underestimated the side-effects of Waljiru Stones. They are so archaic I’d not even heard of them before this incident, and surely the dream magic you attempted under my direction only worsened those effects. Harsh truths came with your dreams, and I hoped my aid would allow you to suppress them and come to terms with those truths on your own terms."

"Didn’t quite work out that way," Sunset said bitterly.

"No, it did not. I cannot imagine the agony your mind was put through under this dual strain. I offer my sincere apologies for my misjudgment."

"It's all right. You…" Sunset gave her a small smile. "You were trying to help me."

"Yes, though I did a poor job of it." Luna peered down at her. "You are doing better now, though, are you not?"

"Twilight thinks so."

"You do not."

Sunset bit her lip and batted a hoof at the anti-magic charm, the black stone swinging under her head. "I don’t know. I don’t feel like I’m redeeming anything. Doing good deeds for Ponyville citizens doesn’t fix what I did to Twilight and Celestia. Or my old friends in the other world."

Luna hummed in her throat. "Do you know what I did to atone for my past as Nightmare Moon upon my return?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

Sunset looked up, surprised. "Nothing?"

"My sister told me there was nothing to be done to atone. She only ever desired to see me again, and I had given her that. I came to understand that redemption and atonement are in the eye of the beholder. I am sure some ponies would say that my deeds as Nightmare Moon should never be forgotten or forgiven, just as others would say it is in the past and dwelling on it will do no good."

Sunset tilted her head. "So, what are you saying?"

"I am saying that you are correct; nothing you do will make up for what you have already done. Redemption is not some sort of abstract where doing enough good deeds will wash out the ill ones. Only you can judge when you feel you have atoned for your actions, and others will judge in their own time just the same. Striving to achieve it will only worsen your guilt."

"I see…"

Luna smiled and stepped closer. "I believe a good first step to moving forward would be to reconcile with my sister."

"No!" Sunset shrank back and shook her head. "I can’t."

"Yes, you can. She misses you, Sunset Shimmer. You know this as well as I."

"No. She doesn’t want to see me. You know this, it’s why she didn’t greet us. I’ll just make her angry, or sad. I’ve caused her enough pain already."

Luna frowned. "Celestia, too, is prone to a guilt complex, irrational as it may be to blame herself for so much. Truly, you seem to take after her in this. I know better than most, Sunset Shimmer, that dwelling on one's past will only hinder their ability to realize the future. You will both be subject to this truth if you cannot forgive yourselves and each other."

"I…" Sunset backed away again. "I can’t. I’m sorry."

Luna frowned, but said nothing. There was movement behind Sunset, and Luna raised her head. Twilight rounded the corner and stopped beside Sunset.

"Is everything all right?" Sunset jerked at the voice and looked up at her.

"Quite, Twilight Sparkle." Luna nodded and stepped past them. "Please, the two of you return to your meal." Sunset turned her head to watch Luna go by, then looked to the other side when she felt Twilight’s hoof brush hers.

"Come on. We’ll finish eating and take a look at our rooms, okay?" Twilight said. Sunset nodded and followed her back into the dining room.

Twilight paced back and forth at the end of the hall, her eyes narrow. It’s a good plan, good, good plan. Just do as you discussed, and it’ll be fine… or they’ll come out worse than ever. She stopped pacing and gulped. I guess that’s the risk we have to take. She turned and headed down the hall. The two guard ponies she passed bowed their heads and Twilight stopped at the door at the end. She knocked on the door lightly. "Princess Celestia?"

"Come in, Twilight."

Twilight pushed open the door to Celestia’s room. Celestia was on the balcony, looking up at the moon. "Did I disturb you?" Twilight asked.

"Of course not," Celestia replied, looking at her. "What is it?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see you." Twilight came onto the balcony and sat down beside her. "It hasn’t been that long since the Summer Sun Celebration was held in Canterlot."

"No, but our initial plans to hold it in Appleloosa fell through after a treaty negotiation with the buffalo went poorly. Next year, perhaps."

"That’d be good. My friends and I would be happy to help."

"Excellent. That would be appreciated."

The two alicorns fell silent and Twilight gave Celestia a sideways look. Celestia didn’t notice, and Twilight took a breath and looked forward. "She misses you." Celestia’s face instantly hardened over, but Twilight didn’t stop. "She doesn’t say it, of course. But I can tell. Whenever she’s in my room she looks at the painting of us and gets lost in it."

"Twilight," Celestia said, shaking her head.

"You’ve refused to speak to me about it every time I tried to write to you about it," Twilight replied, speaking louder to drown out Celestia’s protests.

"I told you it is a risk to keep her so close to you. You are putting everypony you love at risk from her, and you ask me to support you in this?"

"I ask you to support your two most faithful students."

Celestia sighed. "Please, not now, not on this night. Perhaps tomorrow, when the celebration is done and we will have time. But I will not speak to you of this now."

"You don’t have to. You can listen." Twilight steeled her nerves in case Celestia kept arguing or turned to leave, but she attempted neither. At least that’s encouraging. "She’s doing well. I’ve retreated the blockades on the castle. She’s free to move about as she wishes save for the alchemy lab, and she goes out into the village to run errands with Spike. She does what she can whenever she can to help those in the village. They don’t know about her past so most of them have welcomed her happily. They just see her as my new friend that likes to be helpful."

Celestia showed no response, so Twilight continued. "It took a while for my friends to get used to her. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie understood, Rarity is at least courteous. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, they’re coming around. They don’t all accept her as a friend, but I think they’re starting to trust her. She’s eager to help them whenever she can, trying to do anything she thinks will help make amends. They let her. I think it’s good for her to do something redeeming, even if she didn’t actually do much to them. She seems to feel better after helping, at least to me."

Twilight looked down and sighed. "The first month was hard on her. There were days when I couldn’t get her to leave her bed for anything, not even meals. I come to see if she’s awake and find her crying and saying she’s wasting my time and she doesn’t deserve our friendship. She doesn’t have those days as often lately, but they happen. Then there are days that start off normal, but then somepony does something or says something, and she begins crying, or just walks away and hides in her room for the rest of the day."

Twilight walked in front of Celestia and looked up at her. "She terrifies me when she has those days. All I want for her is for her to have a normal, happy life, because she deserves at least that. But she keeps having these breakdowns, and when she does, not a book in the library can help me help her. All I know is that when she has one of these days, she shuts everything else out and just huddles in bed feeling sorry for herself. I don’t know why or when they happen, so I can’t stop them, and I can’t figure out how to make her feel better."

"Why are you telling me this?" Celestia asked softly.

"Because she needs you," Twilight whispered, giving her a pleading look. "The only way she can truly begin to heal is if she lets go of her pain. She hates herself, and no matter what I tell her, she thinks we should hate her, too. I can be her teacher, her friend, her confidante. But I can’t be her mother. Seeing as I can’t get through to her, that just leaves you. She needs her mother again."

"She does not need me. She hasn’t for years."

Twilight grunted and shook her head. "Are you sure she’s just your adopted daughter and not your biological one, because you’re both as stubborn as mules. Do you understand what I’m saying? She’s tearing herself to pieces on a regular basis because she can’t forgive herself for what she’s done, and the best way to break her out of that mindset is to set an example. Forgive her, for her own sake."

Celestia didn’t respond, and Twilight peered at her closely. "Unless you don’t feel that way."

"I wish it were that easy, Twilight. If all could be healed with words, Equestria would truly be a utopia. I do not know if I could forgive her or not, and it is not fair to her to make her reliant on words that may come out a lie."

Fine then. Time for Plan B. When it shows up. Twilight glanced at the door to Celestia’s room. After a few seconds, there was a knock, and she smiled. "Come in." The door opened, and Sunset slowly walked in the room.

"Forgive me, Princesses." She stopped and bowed her head. "Princess Twilight, I’m afraid Magistrate Rosen Cross has gotten into a dispute with Rainbow Dash over bedding arrangements. Rainbow Dash is threatening to hurl him out a window, and… used some colourful terms I don’t believe should be repeated in royal company."

"Very well." Twilight nodded and stepped into the room from the balcony. "I’ll go and take care of it." Twilight trotted past Sunset out the door.

"I’ll help you," Sunset said, moving to follow.

"No, no, it’s fine." Twilight stepped into the hall. "You stay here!"

The door slammed shut in Sunset’s face and she saw it glimmer violet afterward. Twilight had cast a sealing spell. Sunset sat down and stared at the door. She heard the muffled sound of Twilight’s hooves head down the hall and realized she had really been left here.

… She knew what she did…

The realization washed over Sunset like a bucket of ice water and she swallowed a lump in her throat. She turned her head to the balcony. Celestia overlooked Canterlot below, her rainbow mane streaming in the air behind her. Sunset took a deep breath and slowly stepped to the doors, her hooves like lead weights hanging from her body. After what felt like hours, though it was surely only a few seconds, she stood on the balcony, only a few hoof lengths separating the two of them.

Sunset kept her eyes trained on the polished stone beneath her hooves, waiting. There was no sound but for her breathing. She darted an eye up at Celestia. The Princess was still looking down at Canterlot, eyes focused ahead. Sunset slowly opened her mouth to speak, but then looked away and closed it. She tried again, but this time no sound came out. She let out a sigh and hung her head. The silence between the two continued to bore into her. Sunset looked up at Celestia, but she was still silent and motionless. Sunset closed her eyes.

"… Please look at me."

At the sound of her voice, Celestia flinched slightly. Her mouth quivered for a moment and she forcibly stopped it. After a moment of mental debate, she turned her head and looked down at Sunset. Sunset cracked her eyes open, and when she saw Celestia looking back she opened them fully. Before she could attempt to speak, Celestia did.

"If there is anything you wish to say to me, you’ll not find a better chance anytime soon."

Sunset nodded. "Yeah. Yes. I…" She tried to sort out her feelings and figure out what to say first. A thousand words were attempting to rush out of her mouth, and they caught in her throat and made her choke. She swallowed them back down and tried again. "I… I know nothing I say can make up for what I did. And there probably isn’t anything I can do, either. But… I’m sorry. For everything." Sunset lowered her head. "I can’t ask for forgiveness, I know that. I have a long way to go before I come close to deserving it. But please… I just…" Sunset sniffed back tears and couldn’t continue.

Celestia watched her former student impassively as she struggled to talk. When she was done, she turned away and fell into thought. Sunset hiccupped, and Celestia looked back at her. She hesitated only a moment before she raised her hoof and came closer. Sunset raised her head slightly as the golden hoofguards and pale hooves stopped in her field of view.

"Do you remember the last words you ever said to me?" Celestia asked. Sunset nodded. "For five years, every time I thought of you, I heard those three words ringing off the halls, and saw you glaring at me. Five years."

"I’m sorry," Sunset whimpered, her eyes tearing.

Celestia shook her head and sighed. "I wish to believe you, and on some level, I do. But in its own way, despair is no easier to be rid of than hate. You spent five years hating me, and I have spent five years mourning you. I did not merely mourn the loss of a daughter and heir. I mourned the loss of a kind, loving pony that I had allowed to become bitter and power-hungry without reigning her in before it was too late."

As Sunset looked up at her, Celestia bowed her head and closed her eyes. "I am sorry, Sunset. I am sorry I could not be the teacher and mother a pony like you deserved. I can only hope now that Twilight will succeed where I failed you."

"No!" Sunset shook her head. "Don’t apologize! You did nothing wrong. You loved me, you cared for me, you took me in when nopony else would. I betrayed everything you taught me, I ran away and left you alone. How can you apologize to me for what I did to you? I made my choices, and they were bad ones."

"Did you? Was it your choice to rarely see me in those final years as I devoted more time to Twilight? Was it your choice to be told about her and so spark the jealousy that would grow and consume you? Was it your choice to be sent away to live with a stranger for years as another student endeared herself to me? I made your choices for you, Sunset, and you paid the price of my mistakes."

Sunset looked away and batted a hoof at the charm over her neck. "Five years since we’ve seen each other. And all we can do is argue over which of us is more to blame for what happened."

Celestia gave her a sad smile. "Then we are truly mother and daughter, that you have taken after me to become so foolish and deprecating."

"We’re not going to get anywhere in this talk if we keep taking the blame for each other. How about we agree we’re both idiots who made bad choices?" Sunset raised her head.

"An acceptable affair. Agreed." Celestia nodded. The two mares stared at each other in silence for several seconds. Then, Celestia’s mouth twitched up. Sunset snorted and giggled, and the two burst into laughter.

"That really does sum us up, doesn’t it?" Sunset said through her laughing. "We’re both fools."

"Truer words have not been spoken for some time," Celestia said. Sunset looked up at her again. Celestia smiled, opened a wing, and gestured her head. Sunset ran forward and wrapped her hooves around Celestia’s front hoof, a new wave of tears falling from her eyes. Celestia gently brought her wing down over her and put her other hoof over Sunset’s back.

Sunset sniffed and hiccupped as her tears stained Celestia’s pale white coat. Her words were barely understandable through her sobs. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ve missed you, I really did, I thought about coming back all the time to see you again, but I thought… I’m sorry."

Tears slowly rolled down Celestia’s face and dripped down onto the wing covering Sunset. "I have missed you as well. Not a day has gone by that I have not thought of you. I did my best to think only of the good times, and you provided plenty of them. You may not have become the princess I thought, but you have always been the daughter I wanted."

Sunset lifted her head from Celestia’s hoof and wiped her face. "I wish I could go back to that day five years ago and redo it all. I wouldn’t argue with you, I wouldn’t leave. I’d change everything."

"Such privilege is denied even to us princesses," Celestia said, kneeling down in front of Sunset. "No power of mine or yours can change what we have already done. But we can do our best to put the past behind us, so we can work together to create a better future. Together. "

"I’d like that." Sunset smiled.

"I love you, Sunset."

"I love you too, Mother."

Sunset hugged Celestia around the neck and Celestia lowered her head to nuzzle Sunset back. As they embraced, Celestia looked up over Sunset’s head. The door to her room was slightly ajar. She lifted her head from Sunset. "Twilight."

Sunset turned around. The door pushed open, revealing a very sheepish looking Twilight. "I’m sorry, I wanted to leave you two alone. But they’re getting ready for the ceremony down at the stage and somepony had to come get you."

"Of course." Celestia nodded and approached her. Sunset began to follow her, but Twilight raised a hoof and shook her head. She frowned and stayed on the balcony as Celestia and Twilight left the room. The door shut behind them. Sunset fidgeted and looked around. After what seemed like hours, the door opened and Twilight came back inside.

"Is everything alright?" Sunset asked.

"Quite." Twilight joined her on the balcony and gave her a smile. "Don’t be nervous, it wasn’t anything bad about you."

"Bad? About me?" Sunset laughed. "Whatever would make you think I was nervous?"

"Your eye."

Sunset put a hoof over her eye and frowned. "I wish it would go away."

"It will in time." Twilight sat down beside her and looked over the balcony at Canterlot below. Sunset glanced at her again.

"Was it your idea to have Rosen pick a fight with Rainbow, or his?"

"His," Twilight said casually. "We needed an excuse to allow me to leave. I assumed Rainbow would do the rest once Rosen provoked her."

"Well, I was there, it certainly worked." Sunset chuckled. Twilight just smiled. Sunset coughed slightly and looked away. "We talked. As you wanted, I assume."

"How do you feel?"

Sunset took a deep breath. "I feel… lighter. Like this tension I didn’t know I was carrying has just left in a rush."

"She forgave you, then."

"Yes and no. We’ve come to an understanding. Dwelling on our pasts will only bring us more pain. It’s time to move on with the future." Sunset smiled. "It’s a curious thing. For the first time in years, I truly feel like I have a future."

"I’m glad you feel that way, because I was talking to Celestia about you in the hallway. I think you’re ready."

Sunset frowned. "Ready for what?" In response, the anti-magic charm around her neck lit up pink and floated in front of her. Sunset inhaled sharply and brought up a hoof to pull it back down. "Twilight, no."

"Sunset…"

"No!" Sunset shook her head. "Please, I’m not ready. Maybe a little while longer, but not yet."

"You are ready," Twilight said, giving her a stern look. "I trust you, Sunset. You’re truly my friend as well as my student, even if you don’t see it that way. My friends trust you and Celestia agreed with my decision to do this. Everypony else has forgiven you. It’s time for you to forgive yourself and let go."

"What if I can’t?" Sunset shook, her eye twitching. "What if I do something to you? To one of your friends?"

"You won’t."

"I might."

"You won’t." Twilight sighed. "But I know I can’t force you to take that step. So, I figured out a compromise." She looked at the charm and focused. The glow over her horn grew brighter, and the stone shone, then dropped down. "There."

Sunset tried to lift the stone in her magic, but only felt a twinge in her horn. "What did you do?"

"I removed the seal that keeps you from taking it off. Wear it or don’t. It’s your decision to make, when you’re ready. But know that I trust you to make that decision on your own. You are your own pony, Sunset, for better or worse."

"I usually end up on the ‘or worse’ part of that saying."

"And this time?"

Sunset looked down at the stone and flicked at it with a hoof. "I guess we’ll see. Eventually." She looked up at Twilight. "I still have a long way to go. Just because I’m forgiven doesn’t mean everything is fine."

"Yes. There’s still many lessons to learn and they’ll only grow harder from here."

"They’ve been hard enough already."

"You’ll face them and triumph as you have so far." Twilight put a hoof over Sunset’s neck. "Remember this, above all else: you’re not alone. We’re each of us all here to help each other, no matter what. Me, Celestia, Rosen, my friends, Luna. We’re all here for you, and we’re not going anywhere. Whatever comes next for you, however much longer you stay with me, and no matter how bad things seem, we’ll always be there to help you through it. You’re a better pony than you realize, Sunset. And until you do, I’ll be right there beside you to remind you of it."

"Right." Sunset looked behind her at her flank. "It’s funny. Celestia said I was always her daughter even if I never became a princess. I always thought my cutie mark was a sign I would get the crown someday. Now I don’t know what to think of it."

"I do," Twilight said, drawing her gaze. "You were the daughter she could never have, the only one she could turn to after a millennium of waiting for Luna to return. Even if you didn’t become an alicorn, you made her realize there were good ponies out there worthy of Star Swirl’s ritual." Twilight smiled.

"You told me you got your cutie mark the day before the Summer Sun Celebration, the day I realized I wanted to be her student. I became the star that united the Elements of Harmony together, that brought forth the power of friendship. I think your sun is a mark of the light of hope. The hope for a new day and a new beginning. Celestia got the hope for a family, I got the hope to become her student. And now it’s the hope for you to experience a new beginning of your own."

"Hope…" Sunset smiled. "When you describe it that way, it sounds good." Sunset stood on her hind hooves to hug Twilight. "Thank you, Twilight. You’re a good friend."

"It is my pleasure, my faithful student."

Author's Notes:

Author notes can be found here