"...Beautiful."

Though her life had taken her to many places and enabled her to encounter many wondrous sights, there was nothing that truly captivated Twilight's eyes quite like the sunsets of her beloved home town, Canterlot. The sheer gorgeousness of all those reds and yellows and oranges as they bathed the innumerable buildings of the city created a tapestry of beauty the likes of which was simply unmatched by any other place in Equestria, at least as far as she was concerned. It was good to be home, or so the old saying went, and she took in a deep breath of the familiar air of her birth-home. Things were calm here, for now at least, and though her invitation back to the palace had been unexpected, she wasn't about to pass up the chance to come out here to one of the great balconies and see one of her favourite sights. But, her solitude here was not to last, as very familiar hoof-steps were heard approaching from behind. A warm smile crept onto the young mare's face, however, and as the sounds ceased, she finally spoke.

"It's good to see you again, Princess."

Celestia smiled back to her favoured student, resting her hoof upon her shoulder.

"And you, Twilight."

Though they enjoyed the silence between them, it did not endure, as Twilight eventually turned to her beloved mentor in earnest.

"So...how go the negotiations?"

Celestia sighed.

"Slow...but that was to be expected. A gathering of so many nations was never going to be easy, but the stubbornness of some of these leaders can get under even my skin."

Twilight giggled.

"I take it Rutherford and Thunderhooves are still butting heads over that trade deal of theirs?"

Celestia nodded.

"You know, I honestly can't tell which is the more bull-headed of the two. At the very least, Thunderhooves is quieter, I'll say that much."

The two shared a laugh, but that too was short-lived, as Twilight gained a more concerned look to her.

"And...your sister?"

The white alicorn frowned.

"She remained as difficult to read as ever. She has watched and listened to much of what has been happening, but she has rarely added her own voice to matters."

She narrowed her eyes as she looked out to the great Forum in the distance.

"That may change soon though."

"You're not wrong on that, Princess."

Celestia's face, if possible, went a shade paler than it already was, and she, along with Twilight, slowly turned to the one who had spoken. It was Sunset Shimmer, who maintained a serious frown as she regarded the Princess whom she used to call "teacher". Silence passed, and Twilight nervously looked from one mare to the other, utterly uncertain as to how to react to this unexpected arrival by her predecessor. After a time, however, Celestia looked down to her pupil, putting on a smile, for her benefit if nothing else, and giving her a quick pat on the shoulder.

"It's alright, Twilight. Go. I'll join you for our dinner together later."

Twilight was, understandably, hesitant to just leave her teacher alone with Sunset, and yet, she also knew that, whatever was to happen here, it was between the two of them, not her. So, sighing, she nodded, beginning to make her way back into the castle proper. But, as she passed Sunset, the latter glanced in her direction, keeping her voice to a whisper.

"...Our offer still stands."

Twilight's face remained stoic, and she did not even look at her fellow unicorn as she responded.

"...As does my answer."

Sunset chuckled, watching as Twilight moved away from her. The two remaining mares waited for Twilight to leave completely, and once she had done so, Sunset started to walk closer to Celestia.

"My Queen wishes for me to inform you that she wants to discuss the issue of the Followers of the Sun."

Celestia raised an eyebrow.

"We are dealing with that matter as best we can."

The tone was formal and to-the-point, and yet Sunset shook her head all the same.

"Oh, I've no doubt. But given that you've failed to make any progress in finding any of their members, Queen Moon has requested that future efforts against that group be made jointly, with both Equestrian and Lunar soldiers involved."

Celestia frowned.

"I will not have Lunar soldiers operating within Equestrian borders."

Sunset turned, looking over to the Forum far away from them.

"Just so you know...the Queen is prepared to put this matter to the Concert as a whole, and see what their perspective on things will be."

The older mare struggled against the urge to frown, keeping with her famed look of reserve. But Sunset, who had spent most of her childhood with this alicorn, could see her frustrations, even smirking as a result of that perception. After a while, however, Celestia sighed.

"Tell my sister...I will speak with her and the other delegates about the matter."

Sunset gave a bow of her head, but it was clearly out of obligation rather than any real desire to do so.

"I will give her the good news."

She turned, and so began to go back the way she came, back inside the castle. Celestia watched her, and after being wracked with hesitation and doubt, she finally spoke up.

"Sunset..."

The unicorn stopped, though she kept her back to Celestia as the latter spoke.

"We...we have not spoken in quite some time."

Slowly, Sunset turned, looking her old teacher in the eye.

"...There hasn't been any reason to."

Celestia hung her head, shaking it briefly.

"No...I suppose there hasn't been."

Lifting her gaze up again, the Princess took a single step forward.

"I want you to know...not a day went by when I didn't think of you. Ever I wondered how things might have been if I had done things differently. If I had been honest with you."

Sunset frowned.

"I wondered the same thing. But...it doesn't make any difference, does it? You made your choice...and I made mine."

She grimaced, looking away from her former mentor.

"I've spent years being able to do things I would never have been permitted to do had I remained as your student."

She paused, but only briefly.

"Your sister gave me opportunities the likes of which I would never have had...if I'd stayed here."

Finally, she looked back to Celestia.

"Even if you hadn't lied, even if you hadn't undermined my teaching...I still wouldn't be as good with magic as I am now."

Celestia, who had simply stood there and allowed Sunset to get all of this off her chest, gave a single nod.

"You're right. I...I did lie to you. I did try to hold you back. You placed your trust in me, both as your teacher and..."

She winced, doing her best to try and avoid letting out the tears that so threatened to emerge from her eyes.

"...and as the closest thing you ever had to a parent."

Sunset looked away again, though whether out of anger or out of some similar need to hide her unhappy feelings as Celestia was, none could say. They remained quiet, those two mares, letting the sheer discomfort of this encounter sink in for them with every passing moment. But, after a long time, they could be silent no longer, and Celestia carried on with what she'd been saying before.

"I betrayed the trust you gave me, and ever since...I have considered that to be the greatest mistake of my entire life."

Slowly, Sunset's face started to change. It became, rather unexpectedly, softer. There was a moment of something else mixed in there, amidst all the bitterness she'd built up over the years. And whatever it was, it caused her to look back to Celestia.

"There are days...when I wish I hadn't run away."

Celestia looked to her, surprised, but saying nothing as her old student continued.

"I wanted to go back...to have you as my teacher again. I wanted things to go back to the way they were."

But, her softness faded, and harshness returned.

"But choices...can't be taken back. You can't undo your mistake...and I can't undo my going to Moon."

She took a deep breath, then sighed.

"Our paths are set...and they have been for a very long time."

They stared at one another, but beneath, they could each feel the longing that the other was going through. The overwhelming need to turn back the clock to the days when they were happy with each other. But that feeling was crushed under the weight of the realisation that those days were gone, and weren't coming back. Many minutes passed, and Sunset, perhaps thinking that continuing to be here wasn't doing her any good, turned away, and began to walk back into the castle.

"I thank you for your answer before, Princess Celestia. I'm sure my Queen will appreciate your willingness to negotiate on this matter."

Then, before she reached the door, she halted, and after a full minute of hesitation, she looked over her shoulder.

"For what it's worth...it was...good...for me to see you again."

Celestia, utterly startled at those words, finally let down her defences, and a single tear flowed down her cheek.

"And I you...my student."