As Sunset had finished enough of the cookies Cheese Sandwich gave her, she decided to pack the for the trip, before going back to pack the other key necessities. It was already decided that she’d bring her journal, which had a map of Equestria in it. Though, was it really necessary to pack any clothes? Sunset already knew that most ponies don’t really wear clothes, so she saw it more as an optional item. That said, she did need a change of clothes before going back out in public, so she mostly settled on one of her older outfits. It didn’t really matter, as once she entered the portal, she would lose the clothes when she transformed back into a unicorn. As such, Sunset only took her journal with the map, food, a spare copy of her apartment keys, and some leftover bits she left untouched in her saddlebag for a long time. All of these items together didn’t take up much space at all, so Sunset didn’t even need to pack something as large as a suitcase, she really only needed her saddlebag.

On the subject of her saddlebag, Sunset took yet another look at it, which still held the printing of “Solstice” on the bottom. Sunset began to speculate what this could possibly mean.

“This… couldn’t be my dad’s name.” Sunset said to herself. “It doesn’t sound like him at all, and I don’t really believe it’s simply a brand name. There has to be more to it than this. Think, Sunset. Think.”

Sunset began to try her best to reflect how things really were before she went off to magic school. It was admittedly difficult, because all she really remembered was that her father, or at least, whoever had her in custody as a filly, gave her this bag. She really wasn’t particularly close with the rest of her family, as most of her time was really spent practicing magic at home, and boasting about her skills to other fillies. Given how the only legitimate memory of her family she had any recollection on was her father, he was the only lead Sunset had to discover the whereabouts of anyone else she was related to, especially her mom, if she was still alive. Then she remembered what the Twilight Sparkle of the Human World told her earlier.

“Hmm, maybe Twilight’s right.” Sunset began, having an idea on what she might do. “It might’ve been forever since I’ve been to Canterlot, but I still feel like I remember where the magic school for gifted unicorns was. Even if Princess Celestia removed me as a student all those years ago, maybe they still have records on me in the archives. And if they do, maybe they also know of my father’s name. It’s worth a try, and I don’t really know what else I could do to find my parents.”

With that decided, Sunset felt it was time to brush her teeth and hit the hay. She had already finished feeding her gecko, laid out her new clothes for tomorrow morning, and packed all necessities into her saddlebag. She also didn’t have to worry about the house responsibilities, as Pinkie was going to come over to manage everything for her. It was a pretty exhausting day for her, especially after getting into a physical altercation with a mysteriously aggressive girl she had never met before. But this made Sunset suddenly realize something else from earlier today that she did remember hearing while hanging with her friends.

“Wait a minute… is it possible that girl I fought was someone I never met because…?” Sunset asked herself as she was heading over to her bed. “Didn’t Fluttershy mention something about how it was rumored a certain someone broke out out juvey? In fact, was that the Gilda girl they were talking about? I couldn’t help but notice that when she was bullying Lily, it did actually feel like how she would’ve bullied Fluttershy, like I once did…”

Sunset suddenly internalized this, but began to feel she was overthinking things. If it really was Gilda, at least breaking out of juvey would make her more likely to have the authorities be searching for her, and if it wasn’t, that encounter was just one creepy coincidence.

With that said, Sunset shrugged off the feeling and went to sleep. She began to have a dream revolving around graduation, and all the excitement in celebrating her achievements. She began to hear everybody at CHS cheering for her as she walked on top of the stage in the parking lot, wearing her graduation robe and hat, as she approached Principal Celestia.

“And now, give it all up for the most talented student with the highest grade point average of 3.9, Sunset Shimmer!” Celestia announced through a microphone, before letting Sunset speak.

“Thank you everyone.” Sunset said, as she saw everybody she knew at CHS, cheering her on, and creating an overall friendly atmosphere. Sunset had envisioned what kind of speech she’d give, as she did recall that weeks before graduation, she signed up to give an extended speech to reflect on her time at the school. “It’s been really fun to be with you all ever since I began making new friends. I know some of you don’t exactly remember me as the best of girls, especially during the days when I was the biggest bully you could imagine. But that girl is gone, and I’ve demonstrated how far some people can come from what they’ve used to be. I’ve always spread my empathy and kindness as best I could, and I’m rather happy with the results. I do hope to keep in touch with some of you when I do head off to college, but in the meantime, I do want you all to remember, even 50 years from now, the most valuable lesson of all, even if you do forget everything else. Do remember this, three words only. Friendship… is… magic!”

The entire crowd cheered and applauded Sunset, as Celestia handed her the diploma she’s earned from completing all her hard schoolwork. Sunset gave one final soft look to the whole crowd, before walking off stage. Although this was merely a dream, Sunset definitely imagined this is how things would play out during graduation.