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For years, Sunset had thought she had some shriveled-up, black little heart. It didn’t seem like it worked how it should. She was so filled with hate all of the time. She didn’t trust anyone. She’d become a horrible, cruel person, who would yell at someone before even knowing them.
She hadn’t been like that when she was younger. Back when she was a pony, she remembered being so excited about learning. She’d loved getting to work with Celestia and her goals had been so immense. Then, she’d let everything get so twisted, to the point where it felt like she was a lost cause. All that she wanted was power, and she was okay with hurting others to get it. No one who had a heart would do that.
But then she’d met Twilight. Well, Twilights. There were two of them, the pony and the human. It was hard meeting someone who had flourished where she had failed. The pony Twilight had everything Sunset had wanted. But she was still captivated by her. She was in awe of her skills at making friends, and of course, her brilliant mind. There was just so much baggage between them, both being students of Celestia. Sometimes it felt insurmountable.
The human Twilight was untainted by all of that. She was still brilliant, but reclusive. She wasn’t a living example of how Sunset had failed. And somehow, that made Sunset grow a deep fondness for her. She was able to help this Twilight succeed and be her mentor. But she could also learn so much from her. Twilight helped her to achieve amazing things, but only by working together.
It wasn’t totally easy for both of them to trust each other and get along. Their first meetings had also been pretty rocky, what with the whole stealing magic thing. But Sunset had started to develop something deep within her for this Twilight. A genuine connection. Friendship… and maybe something else. Something that she’d never let herself feel before, out of fear that it would make her weak.
It was a slow and painful process, full of new and scary emotions. But it was also so exciting. It felt like her heart was finally starting to come back.