//------------------------------// // A Shimmer in the Distance // Story: Stardust in the wind // by StarDustShine //------------------------------// Ok, so quick recap. Boy goes to town, boy goes to school, boy meets very hyperactive person, boy makes hyperactive person cry, boy goes to class, boy meets fashionista, boy hates fashionista. Overall not the best start. Although the next few hours were significantly better. He went through his next three classes with everyone blatantly ignoring him which he was fine with, then after that it was time for lunch which he should have no trouble with. Stardust made his way to the lunchroom, which was easy to find considering the posters depicting food all around the entryway, inside it looked pretty normal. Tables and chairs set around for people to sit and eat, an area at the front for students to get school lunches, windows opposite the front area, and people about the place some eating school lunches, others eating lunches brought from home, some not even eating. Stardust was one from the middle. Although, for him, it wasn't exactly a lunch rather just an Apple he picked from a nearby apple tree. It might not have been a lot but it was all he needed. Stardust looked around the room and saw a table right in front of the window that no one was sitting at. It made sense considering it was still summer and the sun was shining right through the window, regardless he made his way to table and sat sideways in a chair at the edge of the table that was facing its back toward the window and pulled the apple from his backpack and started eating. For some unexplained reason while he was eating his mind started wandering back to that girl he met in his first class. "Maybe I should have told her, she looked like the kind of person who would be able to help with this, but if she couldn't help that would just bring me back to square one... except worse. In the long run it's better I didn't tell her so it's easier to keep my mind off it... he thought while his mind was on that exact thing." his thoughts were quickly interrupted as he was pulled back to reality by a slightly shrill voice. "Excuse me," Stardust heard a voice from the side and looked over to see who the voice belonged to. A girl, who appeared to be a bit taller than him, with light orange skin and teal green eyes, she wore a purple shirt emblazoned, pun intended, with a red and yellow depiction of the sun covered by a black leather jacket, her skirt was mostly orange with a stripe of light yellow and purple down to one corner, finally she wore black and purple high heeled boots. The last thing Stardust noticed, surprisingly, was her hair. Much like the emblem on her shirt her hair was colored red and yellow, the colors of the sunset. Already he could tell he might end up liking her much more than anyone else he's met. Anyway she continued on "is it alright if I sit here?" She asked politely. "I don't see why not, besides it's not like there's any way I can stop you. By the way, I like the red in your hair," he said taking another bite of his apple. "Oh thanks, I like the many reds in your hair," she smiled as she sat down "you must be new here," "What gave it away," he retorted "I mean I can imagine that I stand out amongst every other weirdo here but I mean other than that," he said with a sort of sarcastic tone. "Call it a hunch," she responded in a snarky tone, "but if you are new then let me be the first to welcome you to Canterlot high," she was going to say more but was then cut off. "Yeah, I hate to burst your bubble but you're a little late for that band wagon. Two other people have already 'welcomed' me" Stardust didn't look at her while saying this. "Oh, well then that brings me to the next question," she leaned on the table with her arms crossed in front of her, "tell me, why did you come to Canterlot High? If you don't mind me asking," she asked apparently not knowing how to sit down and be quite. Stardust sighed, "It seemed like a good way to forget the past," he closed his eyes and took another bite of his apple, "by the way I don't think you've yet stated your name," "Oh right, my name's Sunset Shimmer and I don't think you've said your name either," she gave a look that just said 'you're one to talk' "I've given my name out today twice and both times I regretted it, I apologize if I'm not too eager to tell you," he turned to look at her, "Although if you wanna know, my name is Stardust Shine or Star for short" "Well it's nice to meet you Star," she smiled "let me just say, if you're trying to avoid the past this is a great place to do it. The students aren't going to know you for how you acted in the past but rather for attitude in the present," her smile quickly faded and looked down at her hands "but that is only if they don't know about your past," Stardust turned around to look out the window. "You'd know running from the past better than most, wouldn't you?" he turned around once more to look at her. "Huh?" Sunset's face transitioned from sad to confused very quickly, "What do you mean?" her face then turned to that of worry. "About a month ago, before coming to this town, I read stories in the news about a 'demon-girl' that nearly destroyed this school," he closed his eyes "that demon... it was you, wasn't it?" "Wha," the worry in Sunset's face deepened as her fear had been realized, "but how did you..." she was cut off. "There are ways to look at someone beyond what is immediately visible from there outward appearance. But you need not worry that I know what your past holds, I don't care about what you did," Stardust looked up towards the ceiling "I've done something much worse," this last part was spoken barely above a whisper. "What do you mean something worse?" Sunset asked, although her thoughts asked a much different question "what could he have done that was worse than what I did? It could be... no it can't be that! Could it?!" she looked straight at him trying to wear a more cheery face then stated sarcastically, "I can't of anything much worse than turning into a demon, enslaving everyone at the school, then using everyone to try and take over a different dimension," "I'm not able to disclose that to you, so if we could please get off that subject," Stardust replied to her with a solemn look planted on his face. "Well it doesn't really matter what you did cause I'm sure you can find some friends can help you through it, at least, that's what my friends did," Sunset smiled, hoping to make the situation a bit more cheery. "Friends, huh... these friends of yours, would one of them happen to be a pink lunatic and another a purple haired fashion freak?" Stardust asked, his tone being a bit on the sarcastic side. "Oh, so you've met them?" Sunset was finally relived that the conversation was going a brighter direction. "More or less," Stardust said with a shrug, "but be honest, when things were at their worse were your 'friends' there to help you or were they just part of the problem?". Sunset was utterly confused about this question. "Umm, what do mean? My friends were never a problem," she said with a look as telling him that he was insane. "Think about it, were they really never an issue?" this time Stardust had an more solemn look about him. Now this made Sunset think harder about his question which ended up leading her mind to an incident involving a certain Anon-a-Miss. "Well... I guess they were a problem sometimes, but that doesn't..." Sunset was going to say how it didn't change anything before she was, once again, swiftly cut off by Stardust. "When these so-called friends became the problem, what was the solution?" Stardust was clearly losing his patience. "I guess the solution was getting them to be my friends again, but I don't..." again being cut off by Stardust she was going to say that she didn't see how it related to their current situation. "That's my point," Stardust stood, "I'll agree that friends can help you through some situations but in the end they end up causing more problems than they fix," he turned once more to look out the window "You have to be careful Sunset, choose your friends wisely. Very few can be there forever, most will turn their backs to you or stab you in back and most of the time leaving you with a scar, a horrible reminder of your mistake," he grabbed his bag that had been placed on the floor next to him and turned toward the exit, "No one can be trusted, remember that Sunset... remember that," Stardust started walking off to the exit before being stoped once more. "Wait!" Sunset practically yelled this in the overly loud cafeteria and luckily it was enough to get Stardust's attention as he stopped but didn't turn to look at her, "I'll agree with you that your friends can't always help you, and will often times cause problems for you, but I really think that people like me could be your friend and help you with your problem, whatever it may be. Please, just let me help," she said these last words with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I don't think you get it Sunset," Stardust looked down, "What I've done, what's happened to me... it can't be helped. I'm sorry, I really appreciate what you want to do, but I don't want anyone else being hurt because of my incompetence," he turned to get one last look at Sunset, "goodbye Sunset," he continued walking and exited the cafeteria into the hallway leaving Sunset with a feeling of loneliness, a feeling that both her and Stardust knew all to well.