When one thought of Crystal prep, one of the most noted schools in the district, one thought of many words to describe it. Prestigious. Refined. Dedicated. Respectable. Intelligent. And yet, to a lot of the people who actually studied, or even worked there, there were actually a number of other words that they usually thought of whenever the school came to mind. Of all of these, the most notable word on anyone’s mind would undoubtedly be oppressive. It was something every student and teacher felt when roaming the halls, a sense of foreboding, like you were being judged for your every action. And while it was safe to say that such an atmosphere had lifted considerably since the recent Friendship Games, there was no escaping the fact that, at the end of the day, Crystal Prep remained a place that, while certainly respected, wasn’t really going to be a place that was outright liked.

For one particular student, this sentiment held true in more ways than one. Sunny Flare, one of the girls who had participated in the school’s team in the aforementioned Games, was walking down the hall, oblivious to any of her fellow students as they passed her by. However, she was not alone here today, as there, walking alongside her, was none other than Sunset Shimmer, from Canterlot High. While it was not technically against the rules for students of other schools to be here, it was nevertheless an odd sight, and as such, many a student gave her odd looks as they walked past. But Sunset was unconcerned, instead keeping her attention upon Sunny, whose expression was of nothing but concern. And it wasn’t hard to see why, as before long, the two girls approached an ornate door, engraved with the words “Principal’s Office”. Looking at it, Sunny began to breathe heavier than before.

“I…I don’t know if I can do this!”

But, a mere moment later, she felt the reassuring touch of Sunset’s hand upon her shoulder, causing her to turn and look upon her warm expression.

“Yes you can. This is something you need to do, Sunny. I know it’ll be difficult, but…you know you need to talk to her.”

Sunny knew she was right, but than certainty made her feel no less nervous about it all. Slowly, she turned to face the ominous door once more, gradually raising her hand and turning it into a fist. For a moment, she hesitated, but after taking in a deep breath, she finally crossed the threshold and gave a single knock. Silence fell afterwards as Sunny and Sunset stood there, staring at that wooden surface. After an unbearably long wait, they finally heard a voice on the other side.

“Enter.”

The tone was direct and to-the-point, and one that Sunny was more than familiar with. She glanced at Sunset for a moment, who gave an encouraging nod, before finally reaching for the knob and opening the door. It creaked open, and the office within was darker than most. Row upon row of bookshelves were there to see, but in the middle of it all, right at the far end, was the Principal herself. Cinch, Sunny’s Mother, who was currently busy writing down notes, not even looking up to see who had knocked. Sunny, seeing this, entered the room, leaving Sunset behind. She had a bad feeling about bringing her here to begin with, and showing her off was not something she wanted right now. Instead, she silently took step after step closer to the older woman, eventually speaking up at long last.

“Um…Principal Cinch?”

At that, Cinch finally stopped writing, looking up to her daughter with some surprise upon her face.

“Miss Flare? I don’t recall you setting up an appointment for today.”

The girl tensed up for a moment, though eventually shook her head.

“N…no. There’s no appointment. I just…there’s something I needed to talk to you about.”

Cinch raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Very well. Take a seat.”

Sunny nodded, approaching the desk. After taking a seat as requested, there was a silence between the two, with Cinch looking intently at her. As one would expect in a situation like this, Sunny found it very hard to get any words out, leading to a look of slight frustration from her Mother.

“…Well?”

Taking a gulp, Sunny finally got her words out.

“M…Mother, I…”

But she was stopped by a raised hand from Cinch.

“As I have said before…when we are on school grounds, you are to refer to me as Principal.”

Yet again, Sunny found herself feeling the weight of her situation.

“Actually…that’s…that’s what I wanted to talk about.”

Cinch took on a somewhat curious look, prompting Sunny to start explaining herself.

“I wanted to talk about…us.”

To that, Cinch gave a slight frown.

“Us? Miss Flare, I trust you realise that school hours are hardly the time for personal talks?”

Looking away, Sunny felt her heart beat more with every passing moment.

“It’s just…I need…I want…to know just…just how you feel…about me.”

For the first time in all of this, Cinch actually looked surprised.

“About you? Wha…what are you talking about? You’re my daughter. How do you think I feel about you?”

Sunny took a gulp, once more finding herself at a loss for words.

“I…I just…I need to know…from you.”

Cinch opened her mouth, ready to give some kind of response, only to stop. For a while, the older woman looked deep in thought over something, though what, Sunny couldn’t say. Then, all of a sudden, Cinch’s eyes started to drift over to the still-open door of her office. In an instant, Sunny froze, as she knew in her heart where this was going. Before long, her Mother spoke, confirming her fears.

“Tell me…are you alone here today, Miss Flare?”

Sunny tried to give and answer, but the piercing gaze of her Mother, was too much for her to stand right now, and so, she simply elected to look away. This, apparently, was all the answer Cinch needed.

“Hmmm, I thought not.”

At long last, Cinch stood up from her desk, now towering over Sunny. Clasping her hands behind her back, the Principal’s eyes were now set squarely on her door, and she spoke up with authority in her voice.

“Whoever is out there…I would ask that you make yourself known.”

Slowly, Sunny turned in her chair, now looking upon the open door. For a while, there was no activity, no sound, and for a brief moment, the girl wondered if her companion would actually do as requested. But, in the end, she did, as Sunset began to make her way into the office, revealing herself to Cinch for the first time in all of this. The moment the Principal caught sight of the Canterlot High girl, she tried maintaining a professional stance, and yet, Sunny noted, just for a flicker of a moment, that there was a degree of suppressed rage from her. But, she stayed silent, watching instead as Sunset drew closer to the desk, stopping just a few feet of it. In the silence that followed, Cinch looked Sunset over for a while before finally addressing her.

“Miss Shimmer, I presume?”

Sunset nodded, but stayed quiet as Cinch continued.

“While I appreciate that you feel the need to aid one of my students, I should remind you that, if Miss Flare has brought you here for what I suspect she has, then this is hardly any of your concern.”

To that, Sunset narrowed her eyes, trying her best not to speak in an overly aggressive manner.

“With all due respect, Principal Cinch…Sunny is a friend, and I wanted to help her.”

Sunny, upon hearing that, looked to Sunset with a degree of appreciation in her expression. As for Cinch, she was less than impressed, adjusting her glasses a little before speaking up again.

“A fine sentiment, but it does not change the fact that you have no place here.”

In response to that, Sunset’s frown deepened, and she watched as Cinch turned her attention instead to Sunny.

“And as for you, Miss Flare, I trust you understand how inappropriate it is to discuss…private matters with others? Especially ones that have actively worked against this school?”

Sunny looked down, still unable to look the older woman in the eye, and Sunset looked from one to the other, practically silenced by just how uncomfortable this whole situation felt. Cinch, still looking down at the young girl before her, let out a sigh, sitting down in her own chair and looking instead to her notes.

“Thank you both for coming. But, if you’ll pardon my bluntness…I have work that needs doing.”

Sunny looked up at her Mother, opening her mouth to speak, and yet, no words came out. She sat there, staring at the woman, at the way she wasn’t even looking at her, and in this moment, she stopped. Letting out a deep sigh, she slowly got out of her chair, turning around and starting to make her way towards the office door. But Sunset, still looking from one to the other, bore an expression of apprehension in all of this. A feeling tugged at her, urging her to step forward, and after wrestling with herself for some time, she finally spoke out.

“Wait!”

Sunny stopped dead in her tracks, but did not turn to look at Sunset, instead keeping her eyes squarely on the door. As for Cinch, she looked up from her work with a raised eyebrow, watching as Sunset took a few calming breaths before looking her right in the eye.

“Principal Cinch…would it…would it be alright if I were to say a few things?”

The older woman regarded her with some curiosity, gesturing to her with a single hand.

“If you must. But make it quick.”

Sunset nodded, which was the only sign of appreciation she was willing to give this woman at this point. Looking briefly to Sunny again, who just kept looking at the door, Sunset gave out a long sigh, brushing herself down for a moment before finally saying what she needed to.

“A long, long time ago…I was a student to someone very special to me. For as long as I could remember, she was the most important thing in my life…she was my life.”

Cinch kept looking at her, a degree of interest now flickering in her eyes as she stayed silent, allowing Sunset to continue.

“I had no family to speak of. And my teacher, she…well…she basically took me in. She raised me, she…she was a Mother to me.”

For a moment, those words caused a brief flicker in Cinch’s eyes, though again, she said nothing.

“Things were good between us. I learned so much and my teacher…she…she seemed so proud of me and what I could do.”

In this moment, Sunset allowed herself a feeling of nostalgia, a smile creeping upon her face as those more pleasant memories washed over her. But, she knew there was a more serious point to all of this, and gradually, that smile faded, replaced instead by a look of melancholy, even regret.

“But…as time went on…things between us began to change. I became…unsatisfied. I allowed many terrible feelings to grow in me. Resentment. Bitterness. Anger. But I never let those feelings get out. In the times I did…well…it didn’t do my relationship to my teacher any favours.”

To that, Sunny, for a brief moment, turned her head, though not so much that she actually looked directly at Sunset. The latter noticed this, but nevertheless kept on speaking.

“One thing led to another and…and the trouble between us reached a tipping point. Things were said and…we parted ways.”

A pained look crossed Sunset’s face as she held herself, not looking at either one of the others in the room.

“I…I haven’t spoken…or seen her since…a very long time now. And for a while…it was my belief that…I never would.”

Hearing that, Cinch, despite her earlier hostility, couldn’t help but display just the tiniest pang of concern over hearing that story. But, as before, she kept her mouth shut as Sunset turned, looking her right in the eye with a look of melancholy.

“When there are people in our lives who truly matter to us…life only gives us a few, precious moments to let them know how we really feel about them. We have to take those moments, to make them matter. Because if we don’t…”

Again, a touch of pain crossed Sunset’s eyes.

“…we spend the rest of our lives regretting it.”

Cinch was lost for words, sitting at her desk in silence at what she’d just learned. Turning, Sunset looked upon Sunny, who had kept her back to all of this during the entire story. But, after a long and very uncomfortable silence, she finally began to move. But, it was not to turn around or return to Cinch, but rather to keep on moving towards the door leading out of the office. Sunset looked disheartened by this, but that was nothing compared to the now-desperate look Cinch herself bore. Seeing her daughter walk away, she found herself getting up from her desk immediately, calling out with a want, a need in her voice.

“Miss Fla…!”

She didn’t finish her words, but Sunny nevertheless stopped, just short of the door itself. In the silence that followed, Cinch looked more than a little hesitant, the flicker in her eyes betraying the conflict that was going on in her mind. A minute passed, then two, then three, before something finally happened. The older woman raised her hand, taking off her glasses and laying them down upon her desk. When she looked up again, her expression was far softer than Sunset could ever remember seeing on her. But, this time, it was Cinch’s turn to speak, and when she did, it was in a hushed, almost pleading tone.

“…Sunny…please…come back.”

At long last, the girl turned, looking to her Mother with clear surprise in her expression. At first, it looked as if she was reluctant to approach Cinch again, but, one look at her face, at the honesty there, and Sunny finally began to move back in her direction. But her walk was slow, tinted with the clear signs of hesitancy on her part, thought Sunset could hardly blame her. In time, she reached the desk, but did not sit down this time. Instead, she kept on standing, looking her Mother right in the eye. As for Cinch, she maintained that uncomfortable expression, looking as if she was having a hard time putting her words together. In the end though, she finally spoke.

“Years ago, when your Fath…when your Father passed on. I was all alone, knowing that you were about to come into my life. I said to myself then…don’t be weak. Stay strong. Stay strong for her.”

Sunny listened to every word, never once showing any kind of reaction. Seeing this, Cinch continued.

“And so…strong is exactly what I aimed to be. When I was raising you, I did everything I could to let you know that I was not a weak person. That I was not a weak Mother. I avoided hesitation, doubt, anything that might have made me less than the role model you deserved.”

Slowly, the older woman turned, looking away from her daughter for the time being.

“But…that was not all I sought to do. I wanted…I wanted to create something lasting. Something I could pass onto you. Something to make you…proud of me.”

To that, Sunny frowned slightly.

“Your legacy?”

Cinch looked back to her, nodding slightly.

“Yes. I have spoken often of it, yes? A legacy that would last long after I was gone. But…I did not seek to make it for myself. I wanted it…for you.”

Placing a hand upon her chair, Cinch let out a sigh.

“So I worked, day in and day out, to make this school what it was. I drilled its students into the elite of academia. I forged a place of learning that, years from now, would still be regarded as something to look up to. To admire. And you…”

Gradually, Cinch looked at Sunny once more, her face softening yet again.

“You would have looked to it and said…she made that…she accomplished all that.”

But Sunny seemed less than enthusiastic, narrowing her eyes at her Mother.

“You…you made me feel like a disappointment. You made me feel like I failed you.”

Hearing that, Cinch looked, of all things, shocked.

“Is…is that what you thought I felt about you?”

Sunny looked away, still looking hurt over all this.

“You never said that you didn't.”

To that, a pained look crossed Cinch’s face, and she closed her eyes, though whether it was to avoid her daughter’s gaze, none could say.

“Sunny…when I brought you up…I always told myself that I would do what was best for you. And that, in my mind…was to make you as great as I knew you could be. So I worked you, oftentimes harder than others, because I knew you could do it. I knew you could be the best that Crystal Prep, that any school, could ever hope to have.”

After a while, she finally opened her eyes again.

“When the days started to come when you were no longer the best…I will fully admit that my attitude towards you was…not what it should have been.”

Sunny looked away, a look of anger now crossing her. But Cinch was not angry in return, and instead let out another sigh.

“But my disappointment, and it was disappointment…was not with you…it was with myself.”

Turning, Sunny looked to her Mother with confusion, prompting Cinch to elaborate.

“When others came who surpassed you at something…or times came when you weren’t the best…it was myself that I felt disappointment in. I felt…like it was I who had done something wrong, that perhaps…I hadn’t taught you or raised you well enough.”

Cinch looked away, a look of shame now plastered all over her face.

“But…instead…I made it so that it was you who felt that sting. I made you think that…that my ill feelings were towards you…when they never were.”

Looking back to her daughter, Cinch’s face continued to soften.

“All I ever wanted…was for you to be the best…and have the best. I wanted you to have a life where all would look to you and know…this is someone to be respected.”

Slowly, she closed her eyes.

“So I pushed you…hoping that would turn you into that person. And in time…I hoped…you would come to see me in the same light. That you’d see me as…one to admire.”

A silence fell between them, during which, Sunny regarded her Mother, looking as if she was seeing her for the first time in her entire life. For a brief moment, she glanced in Sunset’s direction, but the latter had long ago decided that, for the time being, this was between Sunny and Cinch, and so stayed quiet as the grave. Swallowing, Sunny looked back to her Mother, looking as if she was right on the verge of tears. And this was reflected in her voice, which now started to wobble.

“I…I never wanted an idol. I wanted…a Mother.”

At this, Cinch opened her eyes, looking at the distraught look on her daughter’s face, and thus, she too began to look on the edge of breaking down.

“I…I know. I spent so many years asking myself what I wanted you to have in your life. But I never…I never asked what you might have wanted.”

Yet again, her expression became one of near-pain.

“Above all else…I never considered what you might have wanted…of me.”

Sunny looked at her closely, slowly raising a hand and placing it on her Mother’s arm, gaining her attention. A silence followed, but it ended soon afterwards when Sunny spoke up again.

“What I wanted of you…was to just know…that you loved me.”

To that, Cinch’s tears continued to build up, and she looked down to her daughter, raising a hand and gently placing it upon the side of her face.

“Oh, Sunny…you’re my daughter. And there will never be a time…when I stop loving you.”

And with those words, the threshold had been crossed. A tear fell down Sunny’s cheek, and this sight, at long last, caused Cinch herself to break down. Tear after tear came from the two, and without a word, they rushed forward, embracing each other in a tight hug for the first time in probably a long number of years. Eventually, they were so overwhelmed by what they were feeling that they fell to their knees, still holding onto one another, as if they were a veritable lifeline. Through it all, Sunset heard Cinch mutter the same thing over and over again; “I’m sorry I’m so sorry!” It was enough to move her a great deal, and a single sob escaped her. But, as she wiped away the single tear that threatened to fall from her, she looked to the two. These two who had, for so long, stayed silent about how they felt about each other, and what they needed from one another, it was a sight very few would be privileged to see, and she had been the one granted to see it.

But, after watching for a long time, she noticed that Sunny, while still embracing her Mother, turned to look right at her. She stayed utterly silent, save for her gasps of breath during her crying, but nevertheless mouthed the words “thank you” to the girl. Smiling, Sunset gave a single nod, turning from her and making her way out of the room. This was a private moment, that much was obvious, and she was not going to intrude any further. So, she left the room, closing the door behind her so other eyes could stray in their direction. Now outside, she leaned against the wall, thinking over everything that had just happened in there. Thought after thought crossed her mind, and, in the end, a small smile crept onto her face. Taking off her school bag, she rummaged around in it for a while before pulling out as brown book, covered with a familiar sun emblem.

Smiling to it, she opened its pages, taking out a pen and putting it to the paper. After stopping to think her words over for a while, she smiled again, finally writing what she needed to say.

“Twilight…if it’s alright, would you mind…giving your end of the book to Princess Celestia? It’s just…I feel the need to talk to her right now.”