• Published 28th Jan 2015
  • 7,300 Views, 70 Comments

Out of the Cold - Test4Echo



Canterlot is experiencing the coldest winter it's had in years. After school, Sunset Shimmer stumbles across one of the Dazzlings, homeless and barely surviving in the frigid weather.

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Chapter 1

The school bells of Canterlot High let loose with their resounding clangour, signaling the end of the day for its students.

Filing out of their classrooms, the murmuring, amorphous mass of students entered the halls of the high school. It was the first day after the Christmas break, and the last couple of weeks of the semester had reviews, tests, and exams in store for the teenagers, who were still more concerned with what they had got for the holidays, rather than the impending crackdown they would have to do to pass the semester.

Sunset Shimmer sighed as she exited her last class. The teacher had droned on about subjects in biology which she had learned and memorized years ago as Celestia's student. But, hey, when you're keeping the guise of a teenager, it isn't particularly prudent to go about interjecting that you could teach the exact same thing, albeit much more engagingly.

As she weaved her way through the crowd of students, she heard her name being called over the din of random students greeting each other and friends catching up on each other's lives.

"Sunset Shimmer!" a high-pitched, overly energetic voice cried. Even with all the students, Sunset could tell the direction of the voice and recognize it as Pinkie Pie.

A pink arm bounced up and down over the crowd of students as Sunset made her way to one of her friends, who was conveniently standing near her personal locker.

Pinkie Pie was standing with the rest of her friends and was fishing through her giant mass of hair. After a few more seconds of searching, she uttered a quick "Aha!" and yanked out a small key, which she then used on a locker near Sunset's.

One of Sunset's other friends sighed at Pinkie's strange sense of storage, her locks of purple hair swaying slightly even after she stopped shaking her head. "Pinkie Pie, can't you just use pockets like the rest of us?" Rarity asked.

"And waste space when I could be storing last week's shortbread?" the pink girl responded, agape at the suggestion. To emphasize, she pulled out a slightly off-color, square pastry from her jacket's inner-pocket, popping the thing into her mouth.

As Rarity gagged, Applejack asked, not one bit surprised, "And how long have ya had that in yer jacket?"

"Since last week." Pinkie replied, completely deadpan.

"Uh, not to change the subject," Rainbow Dash broke in, fiddling with one of the tuners on her guitar, "but what did everyone do for their Christmas break?"

As everyone traded stories of their experiences, and the gifts they gave and received, Sunset quietly opened her locker and started donning her winter clothing, stuffing a few textbooks into the magenta backpack on the floor of the locker.

"Sunset, darling, what did you do for your Christmas break? None of us have really chatted since we got together for Christmas Eve." she heard Rarity ask, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, I mostly spent it catching up on some reading that I wanted to get done, watched a couple of movies, nothing special really." Sunset answered, putting on a dark crimson wool coat. "Well, I did volunteer to play a few carols at a nearby seniors' home for Christmas, but aside from that, not much."

"Well, that's kinda lame." Rainbow Dash stated harshly, ripping a riff or two on her guitar. Somehow, a distorted and amplified sound came from the instrument, despite it not being connected to any amps.

"Didn't you get anything cool for Christmas? Like a new guitar or gaming console?" she continued.

"Gee, I wonder if that's what you got, Dash." Sunset quipped back, silencing the brash girl.

"Didn't you have any family come--" Rarity caught herself as Sunset looked down despondently at the ground as she put on a toque matching her winter jacket.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, dear. I forgot that you're all alone in this world." she apologized.

"That's all right," Sunset muttered in reply, wrapping a red scarf around her neck. Her friends could be insensitive at times, but they meant well. It’s not like they had much more experience than she did with the whole friendship thing.

"You could always visit Equestria for Christmas now that the portal's open!" Pinkie commented, somehow grabbing all of her snow gear in one armful and twirling around to appear fully garbed.

Scratching her chin, she went on, "Although it might be rough going through the first time, those first meetings with the pony versions of us and Principal Celestia would be AWKWARD."

"Thanks for making me feel so much better, Pinkie." Sunset said sarcastically, shooting an annoyed, half-lidded stare at the girl.

"No problem!" Pinkie answered, plastering a giant grin on her face, Sunset’s irritation flying right over her head.

"We're sorry that you were alone on Christmas, Sunset. Next year we'll try and convince our parents to let us visit you." Rarity said, placing a comforting hand on Sunset's shoulder and giving her a sympathetic smile.

"Darn tootin'!" Applejack agreed, rummaging through her locker to find her winter clothes. "Ain't nobody should be alone on that day, it just ain't right!"

"Thanks girls," Sunset replied, giving them a half-hearted smile. "But I know that Earth's tradition is for family to be together on Christmas; I couldn't ask you to do that."

"I'd have been happy to have visited you, Sunset," Fluttershy piped up, the first time she'd spoken the entire time. "One of our family's friends' dog had to be taken in to our vet-clinic; I could have visited you afterwards."

"Thanks, Fluttershy." Sunset replied. "I'm glad you would've done that for me."

The yellow girl smiled softly, brushing a strand of her pink hair away from her face.

Sighing, Sunset picked up her backpack, saying, "I wish I could chat longer, but the physics teacher dropped a bunch of homework on us. I should study if I want to pass."

"Pfft!" Dash chuckled, waving her hand in a downwards motion. "Or you could be like me and take it easy; I know I've got this in the bag!"

"That's because you have phys-ed, two spares, and drama class!" Rarity protested, glaring at her friend. "I don't know how you're going to get into the universities you want if you won’t take school seriously."

"They'll be begging to take me based just on how awesome I am!" Dash declared, Rarity's logic going right through her.

Before the topic could turn into a heated debate, Sunset prepared to leave, looking for an opening in the slowly thinning crowd of students.

Breaking her concentration from Rainbow Dash for a moment, Rarity said, "Do be careful, Sunset. There was an awful cold snap over the afternoon today, are you sure you don't want one of us to drive you home?"

"No, it's all right." Sunset replied, turning around to look at the group again. "My place isn't too far away, plus I could use the exercise."

Rarity stared concernedly at her friend, lifting a finger to hush Dash for a moment. "Very well," she sighed. "Just be careful, no-one should be out in this kind of cold for long."

"Thanks for your concern," Sunset said, taking her chance to slip into the mass of students and to get to the main exit of the school.

Breaking through the students, she burst through the front doors and into the courtyard. Groups of teens were nestled into the corners of the courtyard, a few laughs making their way to her ears.

A fierce gust of wind whipped at Sunset's loose hair, managing to find a crack in her insulation against the cold.

Sunset squeaked and shivered as the icy blast shot down her neck and back before tightening her scarf a bit and pulling it up to her face. Now she knew why the students that hadn't left yet were grouped as close as possible to the wings surrounding the courtyard.

As she passed the statue in the middle of the courtyard, she ran her mitted hand along the edge and briefly knelt down and tapped on the side of the base facing the entrance. Instead of making a hard tap sound against what appeared to be stone, Sunset's fingertips slipped inside the base, ripples forming as she drew her hand back.

"At least Twilight is keeping the portal on." she thought, getting back up from the snow-covered ground.

She was glad that she now had another friend, one much wiser on certain subjects than she whom she could communicate with, even if it was the medieval equivalent of texting. Although she was always dreading that someone would trip or somehow stumble onto the portal leading to Equestria: it would be rather embarrassing if students started disappearing, or worse, became traumatized by such a strange occurrence after returning.

Another gust of wind blew through the courtyard, creating small wisps of snow from the relatively fresh dusting they had received this morning.

Shrugging her backpack into a more comfortable position, Sunset started her trudge towards her small, yet comfortable apartment. Thankfully it was only a ten or fifteen minute walk away.

She waved goodbye to some of the students as she walked out of the courtyard. Most stared awkwardly at her and a few gave a hesitant wave back. The only student who gave a hearty wave goodbye was the strange girl who helped them during the Battle of the Bands a few months back.

"She doesn't say much..." Sunset mused as she passed the girl; the other students had called her Vinyl Scratch. The girl went back to whatever music was on her high-quality headphones, bopping her head to the beat.

The sun began to sink below the skyline of Canterlot, creating mammoth shadows along the streets of the city. A number of homes and business still had Christmas decorations up, the multicolored lights creating bright dots on the road and sidewalk.

The tunnel effect created by buildings along the streets made the already frigid wind even more potent, the gusts able to bite through Sunset's winter gear.

After a few minutes of walking, Sunset spied an open coffee shop and bolted inside, breathing a sigh of relief as the heating began thawing her limbs and hands and the smell of roasting coffee, mixed with other smells of doughnuts, tea, hot chocolate, and other treats filled her nostrils.

Digging through her dark jeans, she pulled out a leather wallet and grabbed a few dollar bills, ordering a hot chocolate and Boston Cream. A short time later, the man who filled her order brought it to her at the booth that she slipped into.

She thanked him and took a sip of the hot chocolate, letting out a soft, contented moan as the liquid helped the heating of the building warm her body. Slipping off her winter jacket and toque, she grabbed her backpack and opened her physics textbook. Might as well get a bit of studying in; it wasn't like she was expected back home, right?

Continuing to sip on her hot chocolate, she worked through a few of the textbook's practice problems in her head, occasionally munching on her doughnut.

Soon the sun disappeared all together from the sky, a few clouds beginning to form on the horizon muddling the last few pink rays of sunlight. As she finished her doughnut, Sunset sighed, closed her textbook and whipped out a notebook, jotting a few things down before putting that back in her backpack along with the textbook.

Leaving a small tip on the table, she moved to put her jacket and toque back on when some movement in her peripheral vision grabbed her attention. In the artificial light of streetlights and store windows, she spied a silhouetted form stagger along the street.

While she would have normally paid it no mind -- probably some poor drunk after all -- she continued to watch while putting on her jacket. The figure reminded her of someone, although she couldn't quite place who.

As the figure turned the corner to an alleyway between a couple of buildings on the other side of the street, she realized why she couldn't place them at first. Despite their disheveled appearance, she recognized the giant pigtails the figure had. It was one of the Dazzlings. But what was she doing heading into an alley, and without the other two with her?

Quickly donning the rest of her clothes, she pulled on her backpack and dashed out the door, narrowly avoiding crashing into someone as she left.

Bolting down the sidewalk, she called, "Hey! Stop!" Her cries went unheard as a strong wind gust blew straight in her face, blowing her voice in the opposite direction.

The Dazzling just continued on down the alley, breaking line of sight with Sunset as they turned the corner.

Running out into the street, Sunset nearly fainted as a car stopped mere inches in front of her, the driver slamming down on the vehicle's horn.

"Sorry!" she cried, raising her hand in an awkward thanks.

With an accident barely avoided, she turned her attention back to the alleyway. Hopping onto the sidewalk, she almost slipped and fell on a patch of ice one of her feet landed on. After a few seconds of steadying herself, she rushed into the alley, the streetlights providing a faint glow to the passageway.

Illuminated by the streetlights were a few garbage dumpsters, one of which the figure she saw was rummaging through. A couple of feral cats hissed and growled, then fled as Sunset slowly approached the former Dazzling.

The Siren paid her no mind, too busy searching the dumpster for possible scraps. Much closer than she was in the coffee shop, Sunset gasped silently in sympathy as she saw the state the Siren was in.

Wearing a threadbare hoodie and pair of sweatpants, the thin frame of the Dazzling member was halfway inside the dumpster. What protection against the elements the clothes provided did nothing to hide the fact that they hung loose on the Siren -- too loose to be healthy.

Sunset cleared her throat, startling the Siren and causing her to hit her head on the dumpster's lid, swearing as she rubbed it. The Siren turned to face Sunset, gasping in anger and fear and backing away like a cornered animal when she recognized who she was.

"You!" she hissed, holding a piece of thrown-away food that she had grabbed from the dumpster close to her chest.

"Isn't it enough that you got rid of our voices and damned us to fight for survival?" Looking down at the scrap in her hand, the Siren cried, "Can't you just let me die in peace?!"

Cautiously keeping her distance, Sunset put down her backpack and sighed, "I didn't know what would happen when our magic defeated you--"

The Dazzling glared at Sunset.

"--but I'm sorry that you lost your singing voices. Where are your friends?" Sunset asked, glancing behind her shoulder.

Sinking to the ground, the Dazzling started shaking -- out of cold, sadness or fear, Sunset couldn't tell -- and whimpered, "They left me."

"What?! I thought Sirens stuck together?" Sunset exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

"Well, we're not really true Sirens now, are we?" the Dazzling snapped back, letting the half-rotten food slip from her hand to the frozen ground, still slowly shaking.

"Do you have a place to sleep?" Sunset asked after a moment of tense silence.

The Siren remained quiet, crossing her arms and avoiding Sunset's gaze.

Sighing and opening her backpack, Sunset grabbed her leather jacket that she always wore around school and slowly stepped toward the girl. Keeping a reassuring smile on her face, Sunset bent down and started to place the jacket on the Siren before she pulled back in resistance.

Her heart slowing down from its startle, Sunset tried again to place the jacket on the Siren. This time the girl offered no struggle, quickly wrapping the jacket around her emaciated body when Sunset let go.

"Come on," Sunset said, holding out an arm for the Siren to grab. "You're coming to my place; I'm not going to have someone's death on my conscience."

Author's Note:

So hey, I've actually returned to the world of the writing.:applejackconfused:

Anyway, I watched Rainbow Rocks recently, since it came out on Netflix (no camcorder quality for me this time!). And I have to say I liked the Dazzlings. It wasn't until that a flux of popular Christmas-y fics that involved them were written that got me to get really interested in them, though. This got me on a fic-reading binge involving the Dazzlings, and I have to say they've surpassed all the characters that I've liked so far on the show.

So, I decided to try my hand at writing a redemption fic involving one them. While Adagio is my favorite Dazzling, I chose Aria because she gets the least love from the fandom (I don't know why; I like the grumpy straightman character trope), and Sonata already has too many (braces for flame war).

Anyway, hopefully you stick around to enjoy the ride.
Rush and Pony on!
T4E

Sunset's winter outfit taken from Harmonizing by SkycatcherEquestria on Deviantart or SkycatcherEQ on Fimfiction. Used with permission.