>"Sunset, I need you to look at me"
>Sometimes she really did remind you of Princess Celestia
>That tone was uniquely hers, no one else could come close to it
>It was firm, but tender, it told of all the disappointment Celestia felt in you and how it hurt her to be so let down because she could see you had so much more potential
>You hadn't heard those words since you left Equestria
>Now you're reminded of the dread they brought you
>A chill settles over your shoulders like a phantom of your past placing a cold cloak over your back
>Though it is a herculean task, you eventually find the strength to lift your head
>Principal Celestia watches you with a neutral look that belies what sits behind her gaze
>Her disappointment was clear, but what else? Anger? Contempt? Maybe even shame?
>"I'm going to be blunt with you Sunset, when you brought this to me, I had honestly hoped it was a... a sick joke"
>Definitely some contempt
>At least, as much as a teacher was willing to feel for a student
>Not that you didn't deserve it
>This has been... messy, to say the least
>You've spent so long trying to undo all the bad things you did in the past
>And this was probably the worst thing to undo
>It's taken all your emotional and mental strength to not buckle under the stress
>Well, that, and your friends have kept you afloat
>Hopefully you'll still have them after today
>Several months of going through various government channels
>Interviews with police
>Amending statements
>A court hearing or two
>The one silver lining in it all is that Principal Celestia agreed to keep things under wraps
>For as long as she could anyway
>But now things are coming to a head
>"I hate to bring this sort of thing up, usually I find it to be pointless, but in this situation I feel the need to make my feelings clear."
>The principal hides her own nervousness about the situation well, but she has her small ticks, straightening her jacket, running a hand through her hair.
>"To be blunt, had it not been for what I've seen you go through with my own eyes, the Dazzlings, the Friendship Games, Camp Everfree, had I not seen you truly showing a willingness and earnest eagerness to change, you'd already be expelled."
>That makes the rock in your stomach sink to your feet
>"But I have seen you change, and I get the feeling that the new you is going to be tormenting herself enough that any punishment I give would hardly be more than a drop in an ocean." You hear the shuffle of a metal chair on carpet, and the sound of footsteps coming around the desk, but still jolt at her hand on your shoulder. "I'm collecting him in an hour, and we’ll be back by third period."
>"Meanwhile, I," the deeper tone of Vice Principal Luna cuts through the air like scissors through silk, "will be calling in students to inform them of the situation."
>Great, just when you'd gotten to a point where everyone's forgiven you, they're gonna have a new reason to hate you