“I can do this…” thought a young unicorn filly with a green coat and violet eyes as she concentrated on her task: levitating an unmovable object that lay in front of her, and it was a cactus in a pot, “I can do this…”

She was concentrating too hard, and her violet magic aura seemed to not be able to lift the cactus from the floor of the classroom in the School of Gifted Unicorns. Unable to levitate the cactus, she stopped what she was doing and gave a deep sigh.

One of the teachers shook his head in dismay, while the unicorn filly was feeling defeated before she trotted away from the stage.

The teacher, Star Saddle, cleared his throat and he was about to make a short speech.

On the back of the stage, a yellow unicorn filly with a sun-like mane and tail was standing with her head held high while the other fillies were frowning at her. The cutie mark on her flank was a shimmering sun.

Sunset Shimmer, the prodigy student in the School of Gifted Unicorns. She was one of the most talented fillies in the whole building, and she smugly proclaimed her to be the protégé of the Princess herself, even if she was not it yet.

“This will be a very easy task,”Sunset thought while looking at the stage in front of her. “I can clearly see myself on top of the students already.”

“Next up: Sunset Shimmer!” Star Saddle called from his seat at the stands. “Please come out, young one.”

Star Saddle was a white unicorn with a black mane and tail. His eyes were a reddish brown color.

Sunset briefly looked at the fillies who were with her with a hint of victory. She trotted out of the back and onto the stage.

“Alright, Miss Sunset,” Star Saddle spoke up in a clear voice. “Let us see if you can levitate that same cactus like the young filly before you couldn’t manage to do.”

Sunset looked at the cactus in question with a smug and prideful expression. “This will be very easy,”she thought.

As she was called to begin the task, her horn started to light up in a warm amber magic aura, and the cactus was as well. Effortlessly, the cactus was easily levitated above the floor, high and was then placed in that exact spot while Sunset’s horn was still lit with the aura.

Star Saddle and his fellow unicorn teachers mumbled between themselves while the cactus was lowered to the floor again.

Sunset looked proudly in victory, and her inner proclamation of the winner to the task was decided on her.

“Well…” Star Saddle started to say. “That was something. However, before the task’s winner is declared, we shall continue with it until further decisions are made.”

Sunset gave him a single nod before trotting off the stage. She looked back at the stands to find her parents smiling proudly at her from their seats. Seeing this, Sunset gave a prideful smile and trotted away from sight.

“Let us continue!” Star Saddle called out.

An hour later, there was a line of both fillies and colts standing on the stage as Star Saddle was making his decision on choosing the winner of the levitation exam. Sunset was among those young ones, and she was internally declaring her the winner before the true declaration for a winner was decided by Star Saddle.

“As there has been a bit of a discussion between the teachers and myself,” the white unicorn started to speak up. “I’ve come to the decision that three of you young ones will declare winners of the levitation exam. Third place, Rose Twinkle. Step forth, young filly.”

A rose red filly with amethyst eyes stepped forth and she was nervously looking at Sunset, who was smiling at her in a reassuring way.

Despite her reluctance to accept friends, Sunset was willing to step up to the young Rose that appeared to be very shy around other ponies.

“As a token of your third place, Rose Twinkle,” Star Saddle spoke to the young filly, “you will be given this fine present for participating in the exam.” He levitated a red and white colored box that was then surrounded in a red magic aura by Rose Twinkle.

Rose Twinkle bowed respectfully to the teacher before returning in line with the other students.

“Second place, Lunar Shadow!” Star Saddle spoke as a black unicorn colt with a grayish mane and tail stepped forth. “Well done, Lunar Shadow. Your talent is clearly shown by your willingness to partake here.”

The black colt smiled as he was also given a box. He returned to the line afterward.

“First place...” Star Saddle looked at the other students. His eyes fixed on a certain yellow unicorn. “Sunset Shimmer.”

“Yes!”the filly thought victoriously. “I knew it had to be this way. After all, I am the best student here.”

Sunset stepped forth as she received a gift by Star Saddle, who congratulated her for her showcase in the levitation exam.

Once she was back in line, Star Saddle cleared his throat. “I would like to thank all of you young ones for participating in this exam. I am proud of all of you.”

Sunset felt a sense of pride in her rise as she smiled happily to her parents, who were both smiling her way. “I want to see what the Princess herself thinks of me now,"she thought, having a clear image on what Princess Celestia would say to her.

Star Saddle’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “This concludes the exam for today. Have a good weekend, everypony!”

Sunset trotted up to her parents, who happily embraced her with warm hooves.

“Well done, Sunset,” her mother, Aurora softly spoke to her in a voice that sounded motherly. “We’re proud of you.”

Aurora had pale pink coat with a bright red mane and tail. The main streak of her mane was yellow, with the middle streak being orange.

“Thanks, Mom,” Sunset thanked her.

“You sure are my little sun,” her father, Solar Blaze smiled at her. He had dark gold coat, and his mane bright gold with his tail.

Sunset gave a small blush.

While the family of unicorns was about to leave, Rose Twinkle sighed deeply in sadness. For a moment, she thought she saw a shine in Sunset’s eyes when she was with her parents. This saddened the young filly, and she lowered her head before turning.

“Excuse me, miss?” Solar Blaze spoke to the flinching filly. “Sorry about startling you, little one. But, if I may ask you, how would you like to join us for the weekend?”

“Dad?” Sunset looked at him in wonder.

Rose Twinkle’s eyes gave a sparkling shine when she saw Solar Blaze smile down at her. “R-Really? Y-You want m-me for that?” Her voice was sounding incredibly nervous, but the adult smiled gently to her.

“Of course,” he nodded. “After all, you’re friends with Sunset, aren’t you?”

Rose’s eyes shined brightly, and for a moment Sunset saw them, they appeared to be teary here.

After accepting Solar Blaze's request, Rose Twinkle was happily trotting beside Sunset as they were making their way home to the unicorn family’s house.

The building soon came into view, with the white stone tower house on its ground in the sector of Canterlot.

The unicorns trotted up the stairs to the door, and Aurora opened the wooden door with a bright amber magic aura as the four trotted inside.

“So, here’s where you live, Sunset?” Rose asked her friend.

“Yes,” the unicorn nodded. “Make your stay comfortable, Rose. Because this evening, I’m going to be seeing the Princess herself after dinner.”

“Wow, you’re so lucky,” Rose looked at Sunset with shining eyes. “I wished I could’ve seen her. She is incredible.”

“Indeed she is,” Sunset agreed. “Let me show you my room.”

The two fillies soon came up to Sunset’s room, and it was filled with books about harmony and peace, among some other titles, Rose noted. There was a bed at the back of the room, near a window, and there was a balcony on the right side as well, overlooking the city below.

Sunset was smiling at her friend as Rose was trotting around her room. The little filly then stopped before a book which found her interest.

Humming, Sunset trotted up to her and asked, “Did you find something?”

Rose nodded. “Yes, a book that is titled: The Two Sisters. Who is the other sister? I thought there was only one.”

“That’s only a fiction book,” Sunset chuckled. “There isn’t another sister. It is written by an author who took inspiration to write it.”

“Oh,” Rose flushed.

“If you’d like, I can read it to you tonight once I’m home from the visit to the Princess,” Sunset offered the filly, who smiled brightly.

“I’d like that,” Rose said in response.

After a while of chatting, an early dinner was served to the two fillies before Sunset needed to go outside and wait for a pair of royal guards that was to accompany her to the castle.

Sunset trotted alongside the two white pegasus guards who were clad in golden armor, and she was getting a suspicion it was about her talent Princess Celestia wanted to ask her about.

“Here, Miss Sunset,” the pegasus guard to her left spoke up, interrupting her thoughts as he opened the door to the throne room with a hoof. “Her Royal Highness is waiting.”

“Thank you,” Sunset thanked him before trotting inside the throne room as the door closed behind her. Sitting on the throne was the Princess herself.

The majestic white alicorn had a floating multicolored mane and tail, and she was smiling warmly down to the unicorn filly. Her golden collar hung around her neck to her chest, and the crown on her head was a sign of her status.

“Sunset Shimmer, how lovely it is to see you,” Princess Celestia spoke with a calm, motherly tone in her voice.

Sunset gave her a bow of respect before sitting on the red carpet under her. “Princess, what is it you’d like to see me for?” she asked.

“Ah, straight to the point, I see,” the Princess chuckled heartily. She stood up from the throne and made her way down to the filly. “You see, Miss Sunset, I am intrigued by your knowledge and magic. The way you easily were able to levitate things, how you’re able to see through to your clear victories, I am interested in them.”

“Well,” Sunset played a bit with her forehoof. “I did read a lot of magic and its capabilities. So, how can I not be that?”

“Hmm,” the alicorn hummed. She looked up to the roof for a moment of silence.

Sunset was waiting patiently for her to turn her gaze back to her, which she did after the silence.

“I’ve been meaning to have a student under my wing,” the alicorn spoke softly to her. “If you’re able to accept such a request, after your next exam, then we may just be able to do something about it. After all, not everypony has a chance of becoming a Princess’ student directly by herself.”

Sunset’s eyes shined with a desire. “Of course, Princess Celestia,” she bowed respectfully. “I’d be honored.”

The Princess smiled sweetly to the filly. “Then, we just need your next exam next week to be ready,” she spoke. “And I have just the right thing in mind on what that will be,”Celestia thought.

Sunset stood up and smiled at the alicorn. “I won’t take long on this, Princess,” she told her. “I promise.”

“That’s good,” the alicorn smiled as well. “Run along now, I need my royal duties for today and start tomorrow's.”

Sunset nodded before trotting out of the throne room, and she had the two same guards accompany her home.

Princess Celestia looked out of the window. “Soon I won’t be feeling alone,”she thought. “I may just be able to do the right thing after all these years.”

She sighed and prepared herself to a long weekend of duties.

Author's Notes:

Edited some grammar and spell checking with my editor, Arvers1987, so the grammatic was corrected.