Make My Way Back Home

by TempestDash

Chapter 3: The Friendship Brigade

Years Earlier…

Flash Sentry stepped carefully as he followed Sunset Shimmer through the doorway. It looked like he was entering an abandoned office building, but somehow Sunset had a key and she claimed she lived there. It was more than a little unsettling.

It was clean inside, much to Flash’s surprise, who was expecting more a dusty old warehouse. And as they ascended the stairs to the second floor, he noticed it was decorated. Nothing personal or fancy, but curtains had been hung over doorways that were not being used, windows had been colored on. Some rugs had been laid out between a large office, the kitchen and the bathroom.

It was almost homey.

“Wow, Princess, you really do live here,” said Flash as they entered the ‘office’ to discover a bed, several desks, and some cushioned chairs. Books lined the walls neatly in bookshelves making it almost look like a library.

“I told you that,” said Sunset, in that irritated tone she used with everyone who wasn’t a teacher. “You didn’t believe me.”

“I was,” Flash struggled with diplomacy. “Skeptical.” He unslung his guitar case and leaned it against the wall, then put his backpack next to it. “It really is nice, though. I wouldn’t have thought so from the outside.”

“Thanks, I guess,” said Sunset.

Disappointment now. That was how she reacted to anyone being nice to her. It was like she had decided the whole world was only enemies and anything that threatened that vision was treated with contempt.

“What did they make here?” asked Flash.

“Perfume,” said Sunset. “Some of it is left, actually, but it’s starting to become water more than anything else. It helps with some of the stale air sometimes.”

“Does it get hot without the air conditioning working?” asked Flash.

“Dunno,” said Sunset. She sat down on a chair and looked around. “This is my first summer.”

Flash sat down next to her. “Where were you before that?”

Sunset shrugged and looked away. She bit her lip as her foot bobbed in the air for a minute. She was clearly trying to figure out if she was going to actually answer Flash or just give him her standard curt response.

“I moved around a lot,” she said without looking at Flash. “Lots of foster parents, lots of homes. Lots of places like this when I ran away from them.”

“You didn’t find anyone you liked?” asked Flash.

Now Sunset looked at him. “I’m not interested in a family,” she said. “I just wanted people to stay out of my way. It took me a long time to find a pair in the foster system that was willing to keep their distance.” She sighed and looked away.

“When did you see them last?” asked Flash.

“Couple days ago,” she said, resting her chin on her palm and looking out the windows. “I still spend a couple nights a week with them, and any time there is a chance an inspection will occur. We don’t talk though. They lie to the state and say I live there; I lie to the state and say they’re great parents. They leave me alone to do my thing and collect the money for caring for me. It’s mutually beneficial.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it that,” said Flash. “Maybe mutually exclusive.”

“That’s not what that term means,” said Sunset with a sigh.

“I just mean I don’t think you’re benefitting from being by yourself,” said Flash. “Do any of your friends visit you here?”

Sunset glared at Flash. “You’re here.”

“Yeah, but I had to ask like a hundred times and it took you four months to say yes,” said Flash. “Did anyone else get through that gauntlet?”

Again she looked away. “I like my peace and quiet.”

Flash looked around the room. “What do you do with your peace and quiet?”

Sunset waved her arm languidly towards the shelves. “I read.”

“All of this?” asked Flash.

Sunset nodded.

“You’ve read all these books?” asked Flash.

Sunset turned her head towards him and then deliberately nodded.

“Wow,” said Flash. His mouth hung slightly open. There had to be at least a couple hundred books in this room. “I never thought of you as such a nerd.”

Sunset punched his arm and then stood up. “Don’t call me that,” she said. With a flick of her hair she walked over to one of the bookshelves. It was one of the few that weren’t completely full. She picked up a book and opened it to where a paper bookmark shaped like a sun fell out. She glanced at it but then looked back at the page.

Flash got up and walked over to pick up the bookmark. He turned it over in his hand. It was colored like the symbol on Sunset’s shirt, a red and gold sun with the center colored half of one color and half the other. It was pretty cool and he had noticed it on much of her things.

“You dropped this,” he said as he held the bookmark out.

“I know,” said Sunset without looking up.

Flash raised his eyebrows, then he bent his head to see the cover of the book. It was beaten up and discolored, as if it had been salvaged from a dumpster, but it looked like a textbook.

“What are you reading?” he asked. “Is that a school book?”

“It’s a graduate text on astrophysics,” said Sunset. “I’ve been researching the moon’s effect on the Earth and other planets.”

Flash blinked. “Why?”

Sunset looked up. “Why not?” she asked.

Flash started to smile. “Nerd.”

Sunset quickly closed the book and then smacked him in the shoulder with it. He toppled to the ground and laughed.

“Don’t mock me,” Sunset said with a wave of her finger. She put the book on the shelf then looked down to see Flash quietly giggling. “Stop that!”

Flash put a hand over his mouth as he got to his feet. He occasional shakes betrayed his efforts to hide the laughter. He took a deep breath and put has hands on his hips. He was still grinning.

“Or what?” asked Flash.

“Or I’ll,” Sunset started, then paused as her eyes drifted up briefly. “You like that band of yours so much, I’ll make sure they—“

“Stop.”

Sunset hesitated and looked to see Flash’s neutral expression. Her mouth was slightly open, ready to say whatever word she had planned on next, but unsure of when.

“You don’t have to hate everyone, Princess,” said Flash.

“I hate you,” Sunset said quickly.

“No you don’t,” said Flash. He shook his head.

“Oh, who are you to tell me—“ started Sunset, but Flash interrupted her again.

“You hate that you don’t hate me,” said Flash. “And that’s okay, it’s a start.”

“You’re certainly annoying,” grumbled Sunset.

“I’ll not deny that.” Flash’s grin returned.

Sunset looked angry but seemed unable to speak while staring at Flash. She turned away and crossed her arms. “Why don’t you hate me?”

“Do I have to?” asked Flash. He shrugged. “You seem to be trying to get everyone to hate you, and I don’t know why. But I don’t hate you. I think we made a good team on the yearbook committee, and you’re certainly one of the most interesting people I’ve met here.”

“You chase interesting people around all the time?” asked Sunset.

“I’ve never had to do quite so much chasing before, honestly,” said Flash.

“Well, give it up, I don’t want to be chased,” said Sunset. “I’m not interested in being your girlfriend.”

“Okay,” said Flash, raising his palms. “But how about just a friend?”

“I definitely don’t want that,” said Sunset. She turned around and glared back at Flash.

“Are you sure?” asked Flash. “Why did you let me come here?”

“Because you wouldn’t stop asking,” said Sunset.

“Why do you sit next to me at lunch?” asked Flash.

“You sit next to me, I just don’t move away.”

“What’s so bad about having me as a friend?” asked Flash.

“Because you didn’t—“ started Sunset but she stopped as if she’d tripped on her tongue. She shook slightly. “And you never stopped—I can’t just – I don’t want friends!”

“Why not?” Flash waved his hand at the shelves. “What are you afraid of? That someone will run away screaming because of where you live or what you like to do or who your parents are or aren’t? I’m still here. I’m not scared.”

“Why not?” Sunset burst out. “You should be!”

“Because I don’t think these things are you,” said Flash. “I think you don’t like the things you do, but for some reason believe there’s no other way.” He gently dropped his hands to his sides. “There’s another way.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sunset said.

“Only because you haven’t even tried to explain it,” said Flash. “Let me help you. Or at least, let me be someone you can relax around. You don’t have to hide any of this from me anymore, so at least take a break with someone.”

Sunset looked away. “I don’t need help.”

“Then at least relax,” said Flash. He looked over at the corner. “Here.” He walked over to pick up his guitar case and laid it out on the floor. He undid the latches and pulled out his guitar. “This always helps me feel better.”

Sunset shook her head. “I can’t play that.”

“I’ll teach you,” said Flash. He gently played a few chords.

Sunset held up her hands. “There’s no way I can make these hands do that.”

Flash stopped playing and beckoned her closer. “Everyone says that. You just need to learn.” He looked at the shelves again. “You don’t seem to have a problem with learning new things.”

Sunset looked away again.

“I’ll tell you what,” said Flash. “I’ll stop asking you why you want everyone to hate you, if you let me teach you how to play the guitar.”

Sunset looked over her shoulder at Flash skeptically.

“Promise,” said Flash. He held his hand up and crossed his chest with his finger.

With a groan, Sunset turned fully back and walked over to him. “Fine. But I’m not going to be any good at it.”

“That’s alright,” said Flash with a smile. He pointed at the floor in front of him. “Here, sit down.” He held the guitar to one side.

Sunset kneeled down and then sat in front of him. She paused as she was turning. “You just want me to sit back against you.”

“It certainly is a benefit, but this is how you learn,” said Flash.

Sunset rolled her eyes but then continued to sit down. Flash moved the guitar in front of her. “You hold it up at the neck and press the body against you with your arm.” He gently took her hands and moved them into position.

“Uh-huh,” said Sunset, skeptically.

“Pay attention,” said Flash softly, but while smiling. “I don’t have any music with me so just follow along.” He paused. “Can you sing at all?”

“Little bit,” said Sunset.

“Great, you’re not starting from scratch,” said Flash.

Sunset groaned noticeably but still let Flash move her hands around the guitar.

*** ( MLP ) ***

The Present...

Sunset Shimmer desperately wanted to just go back to her place and skip the day. She absolutely had to avoid Rarity – had to! – and she couldn’t do that while the rest of her friends were essentially forcing themselves into Sunset’s life. She could run the other direction when she saw them at school, but Pinkie’s ability to appear in front of just about anyone meant it wasn’t likely she’d escape the obsessive pony.

She couldn’t skip any classes though, thanks to the stupid rules Luna gave her. She had to go to each class and she had to go to detention this afternoon. At least at detention, Pinkie – or any of the girls – wouldn’t be able to follow her.

Unless they intentionally did something to get detention too, which was a crazy enough idea that she wouldn’t put it past Pinkie.

She took her time walking back towards the school, choosing side streets and going out of her way to stay clear of Fluttershy’s house in case Pinkie was waiting there already. With careful pacing, she arrived just in time for the first bell and headed right to her class. No time to chat or be dragged into activities by the Friendship Brigade.

There was another factor she hadn’t considered in her avoidance plan, however: Flash Sentry was in her first period calculus class. She’d been too involved in her misery yesterday to remember it, but there he was, and worst of all he came right up to her as soon as she sat down.

She hadn’t prepared for how to deal with Flash. She didn’t actually dislike him the way she disliked most people. He had been a good guy, an excellent partner for the year or so they were together, and she had – she now realized recklessly – tossed away his presence because she thought she’d would be getting back to Equestria last week.

She reluctantly looked up at Flash as he came over. The teacher was still getting her things together even though the bell had rung so the students were all still talking. At least the ones who weren’t staring at her with daggers in their eyes. She was bound to have an even more exciting day today.

“Hey Princess,” said Flash, then he looked a little surprised at his own words and muttered quiet. “Sorry.”

Sunset felt a strange tightness in her heart at the nickname that’s time had passed. It was a combination of simultaneous comfort and loss for things she had but decided to destroy. She breathed a calming breath in response and pushed all the feelings aside. They weren’t useful anymore.

“Hi Flash,” said Sunset. She wasn’t sure what she should say to him. She felt like she was confronted with an alien for as much as she knew how to interact with her ex-boyfriend. “Sorry about the mind control thing.” She mentally stalled and slapped herself. Why in Equestria would she bring that up?

“Huh?” Flash said, distractedly. “Oh, uh, yeah, it's okay, I guess.” He looked to the side and made an uneasy face. “So, do you have some time to talk later? Like lunch time?”

“Yeah, I’ve got time,” said Sunset. “Probably not going to eat much.” She shrugged. At least if yesterday was any indicator, she was going to have to find a way to bring her food in. And put it in a locked chest.

“Can you meet me by the fields? We’ll walk around the tennis courts like we used to.” Flash looked back at her. Just by the words, Sunset could have imagined he was trying to ask her back out on a date. But his body language told a different story. He was uneasy and hurried, like he was embarrassed by something. Whatever was going on, he wanted something from her and it wasn’t romantic. She started to think many horrible thoughts.

“Flash,” started Sunset. “You were always a much nicer person than me. I could count on that when I was--uh, I would hate to think that you’re going to ruin all that by luring me somewhere… unsafe.”

Flash stared at her, looking suddenly panicked. “What?” he said.

“I had a rough Monday,” Sunset admitted.

“Y-you think I would—“ Flash started. He shook his head. “No! Uh, no, I just wanted to ask you a question. Honest. I would never do something mean to you.”

Sunset nodded mutely.

“Look, Sunset,” said Flash. “I’m not happy about the Fall Formal, but I have always believed you’re better than that. Deep down, you are a much nicer person than you show. You should stop trying so hard to kill that part of you.”

“It’s not that—“ started Sunset but she couldn’t finish.

“Alright class, let’s get back to our seats,” said the teacher at the front of the room.

“At lunch, please, Sunset?” said Flash as he walked away.

“Yeah,” said Sunset too softly for him to hear. “Okay.”

*** (MLP) ***

After second period, Sunset came back to her locker to find honey inside. It had apparently been poured in through the top vents and had covered the inside of the door and much of the first third of the bottom of her locker. Books were stuck along their base to the shelf and her backup makeup was now sealed and impossible to open, but at least nothing important had been damaged. It was just a gross mess and she had to notify a janitor to help. In the interim she was forced to carry her stuff with her, which was unwieldy but not impossible.

During this escapade, she was unable to avoid Fluttershy, who appeared minutes after the sticky discovery.

“Do you need help carrying those?” asked Fluttershy after a minute of quiet watching Sunset shove things into her backpack.

“No,” said Sunset. “I’d rather keep all my stuff within reach for the time being. Safer.” She paused when she pulled out a dusty leather book with her cutie mark on the cover. She had forgotten she still had this book. It was one of the few she hadn’t sold when she arrived. Why had she kept it? Was there any value in still keeping it?

She was never going to get back home at this rate, and even if she did, she wasn’t Celestia’s student anymore. She considered just leaving it in her locker and letting the janitor dispose of it but immediately felt that tightness again in her chest as she did.

“Are you feeling alright?” asked Fluttershy.

Sunset quickly shoved the book into her bag and looked at Fluttershy. “This really isn’t the best time to ask me that. My locker was turned into a beehive.”

Fluttershy looked around. “The janitor will fix it.”

“Until whatever happens next,” said Sunset as she tried to zip close her bag to no avail. It was simply too packed to get closed. She hefted it onto her back and staggered slightly under the weight. “Ugh, I wish we had smaller textbooks.”

“You can probably leave most at home,” said Fluttershy. “We rarely need our math books except for homework.”

“You’re probably right,” said Sunset. She started walking towards her next class. Fluttershy took up step beside her. “Still following me, huh?”

“Keeping you company,” corrected Fluttershy. She reached into her pocket and pulled out baggie with some vegetables inside. She pulled out a leaf of lettuce and fed it into the slightly open zipper on her bag. Something inside took it and began munching.

Sunset looked at that slightly moving bag. “You probably shouldn’t, you might get caught in the crossfire.” She looked ahead. “You don’t need to get hurt because of attacks on me, and you have more to lose.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “You don’t think people being bullied should have friends?”

“Not if they don’t want them to get hurt,” said Sunset. “You’re better off staying clear. This is the natural order of things. You act out and you get punished. I did something stupid and these are the repercussions.”

“That’s not fair,” said Fluttershy.

“Do you think people are fair to you?” asked Sunset. “Life isn’t fair.”

“How is this supposed to make you better?” asked Fluttershy. “It’s just mean.”

Sunset stopped and turned toward Fluttershy. “Nobody wants me better. They want me hurt because I hurt them. That’s your balance. The attack and counter-attack. Eye for an eye.”

“Doesn’t that leave everyone blind?” asked Fluttershy.

“There you go,” said Sunset. She started walking again. “Balance.”

Fluttershy was silent for a dozen steps. “I want you better,” she then said.

“You’re – well, you and your friends are strange,” said Sunset. “Everyone else just wants me gone.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” said Fluttershy with a firm shake of her head. “What people do and what they want aren’t the same thing. You’re right, when someone gets hurt they can do mean things in response, but that’s just lashing out. The animals I take care of sometimes do that. But what they want, what they really want, is to get along. To be pet or fed or played with.”

“People aren’t like pets,” said Sunset. “And once you attack nobody cares that you weren’t thinking when you did it. You can’t take the attack back and that’s all that matters.” She sighed. “And after that it never ends unless you’re strong enough to make every possible attacker think twice.”

Fluttershy looked at Sunset. “You can care. You can choose to not to attack back.”

“I have been, in case you hadn’t noticed,” said Sunset. “But it won’t make it stop.”

“You can find out why they’re upset and help them,” said Fluttershy.

“I know why they’re upset,” said Sunset. “I destroyed their friendships and then blew up the Fall Formal and turned them into my zombie army.” She shook her head. “Ugh, even I hate me when I say it like that.”

“Then try and fix it,” said Fluttershy.

“It’s not that easy!” Sunset shouted and then put her hand over her mouth. She lowered her voice. “Don’t you think I’d fix it if I could? I can’t undo several years overnight.”

“You can try and undo one night,” said Fluttershy. “And that would be a good start.”

Sunset frowned. “It would take forever to fix what I did.”

“That’s not really a reason not to do it,” said Fluttershy. “The whole school isn’t one person, but helping just one person could make the whole world of difference for them.” She smiled at Sunset. “Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness.”

Sunset looked up to see the door to her physics class. “I’m not sure I know how to be kind.”

Fluttershy touched Sunset’s arm before the latter could step into the classroom. Sunset looked at her.

“Why didn’t you want me to walk with you?” asked Fluttershy.

Sunset stumbled on her thoughts for a moment. “So you wouldn’t get caught in the attacks aimed at me.”

“Why would that matter?” asked Fluttershy, sounding sincere.

“Why would what matter?” asked Sunset, flabbergasted. “You’d get hurt, that’s why.”

“So you want to keep me from getting hurt,” said Fluttershy. Sunset opened her mouth to reply but Fluttershy cut her off. “I think you know how be kind, you just don’t want to believe it.”

Before Sunset could say anymore, Fluttershy smiled and walked off into the crowd of students.

*** (MLP) ***

At lunch Sunset simply skipped the cafeteria – she still didn’t want to face Rarity – and headed straight for the fields. With the front of the school off-limits while construction personnel rebuilt what she had destroyed last week, more of the students were sitting around the rear of the school in the cool fall weather. Games of catch or Frisbee or tetherball were being played on the courts while more organized games of soccer or football were being played out on the larger fields.

Sunset found herself on a worn dirt path that wound its way around the football fields, between the tennis courts, and around to the track and field stadium. It was a path she took often during lunch when hanging out with Flash, and felt nostalgic for such comparatively calmer days.

She found Flash by the tennis courts, idly watching some students play during lunch. He looked towards Sunset as she approached.

“You got out here quick,” said Sunset. “I thought I was the one avoiding the cafeteria.”

Flash frowned. “Why are you avoiding the cafeteria?”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Sunset. “So what’s got you so serious?”

Flash looked at her for a moment. “What did you mean you had a rough Monday?”

Sunset blinked. “That’s what you wanted to ask me? Really? Have you joined forces with the Friendship Brigade too?”

“What?” asked Flash, looking genuinely confused. “Who are the Friendship Brigade?” He shook his head. “No, I have something else ask you, but it bothered me that you said that this morning. Did someone try to attack you?”

“It’s none of your business,” said Sunset. “I have more than enough people trying to help me and I honestly want no one to help, so I’m full up on heroes right now. Check elsewhere.”

Flash stared, looking upset but saying nothing.

“What did you want to ask me?” asked Sunset.

“Are you from that other world?” asked Flash. “The one Twilight was from?”

“Oh,” said Sunset. She looked around and found a bench to sit on. She sat silently while Flash watched. “Yeah. I am.”

“But you came a long time ago,” said Flash. “Can anyone cross over?”

Sunset shook her head. “It’s a limited portal, only open for brief periods of time.” She looked at his face. “It closed right after Twilight went through again, it... won’t be opening for a long time.”

“How long?” asked Flash.

Sunset hesitated. “I’m not sure I want to say, it really shouldn’t be used.”

“But—“ started Flash.

“Hang on,” interrupted Sunset. “I’m sure it looks like I’m the last person to be talking about this, but magic is not as great as it seems. There is formula behind it. It is dangerous to cross worlds without knowing what’s on the other side because you don’t know where the balance point lies. I didn’t come here intentionally, and I lost a lot in the process as a result.”

Flash seemed taken aback. “What did you lose?”

“Most of my magic,” said Sunset. “But I had a lot to lose. I don’t know what would happen if someone like you crossed or any of the people who would follow you as soon as they knew it was possible. It could hurt my world or this world, and if something bad happened the best case would be that it would only hurt you.” She shook her head. “I’m not comfortable telling anyone about that portal.”

Flash nodded. “But it’s in the statue in the courtyard.”

Sunset glared at him.

Flash smiled. “Just kidding.” He sighed loudly then came and sat down on the bench. “Can you tell me about it?”

“Flash—“

“Not the portal,” said Flash. “The other world. The one Twilight and you came from.”

Sunset creased her brow. “You really liked her, didn’t you?” she said softly.

Flash looked away.

“It’s called Equestria,” said Sunset. “And we – Twilight and I – were unicorns there.”

“U-unicorns?” said Flash, looking back. “Like, horses with horns?”

Sunset nodded. “There are no humans on the other side, I’d never seen one until I came here and suddenly became one.”

Flash had a look of inspiration on his face then laughed. “Oh, man, that makes a lot more sense now.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow.

“That bizarre dancing that Twilight was doing,” said Flash. “She was trying to dance like a horse!”

“Pony,” said Sunset. “We were ponies.”

Flash chuckled. “Ponies.” Then his eyes went wide. “And you! You were always complaining about your hands like they were alien objects. You threw my guitar across the room because of it. I thought you were insane.”

“I hadn’t had my fingers much more than a year when I met you,” said Sunset with a frown. “You should see how well you do when your limbs are replaced after most of your life.”

Flash had a grin as he looked at Sunset.

“I’m not going to tell you how to use the portal,” Sunset said.

“Okay,” said Flash. “So, ponies then. So what is it like? I guess you can talk, you didn’t have any issue with that. Did you even have homes or just stables?”

“Whatever you think about your ‘domesticated’ animals, forget it,” said Sunset. “Your ponies and horses and everything are an order of magnitude less advanced that we are. In fact, in most ways we’re more advanced than humans.”

“Even without opposable thumbs?” teased Flash.

“Oh, how smug you are,” said Sunset. “Like you need these stubby things to have culture.” She waved her thumbs around.

“Helps picking things up,” pointed out Flash.

“Not when you have magic,” said Sunset. “Which doesn’t even exist here. If I had to choose between thumbs and magic, I think magic wins.”

“I don’t know, seems like it has its own share of problems,” said Flash.

Sunset grunted. “It does, but I’d give anything to have it back.” She stared at her hands. “It was sometimes a burden but I was so good at it. It made me special.” She squeezed one hand with the other. “I could have been the best in all of Equestria if I hadn’t…” she went quiet.

Flash watched her. “You didn’t mean to come here,” he said.

“Yeah, I that’s what I said,” Sunset said.

“What were you trying to do?” asked Flash.

Sunset frowned deeply. “Escape my teacher. She was holding me--“ She stopped and then said nothing for a nearly a minute. “I don’t even know anymore.”

She leaned back against the bench, put her palms to her forehead, and stared into the sky. “I swear I had a good reason. I wasn’t trying to conquer or control anyone! It... just all got tangled up in the excuses to get revenge.”

“If you know they’re excuses, why not stop using them?” asked Flash.

“Because I forgot what they were hiding!” said Sunset. She closed her eyes. “I was just a child but I had ideals, I’m sure of it. I just don’t remember what they were.”

Flash shrugged. “You’ll find them again. It’s not too late.”

Sunset laced her fingers behind her neck and then shook her head. “That’s so easy to say.”

“I can help,” said Flash. “I’ve been trying to figure you out for a long time, I’m somewhat of an expert at this point.”

Sunset laughed. She looked at Flash. “I was such a jerk to you, why help me at all?”

Flash blushed slightly. “We can call it a trade, in exchange for telling me about Equestria.”

“You mean tell you about Twilight Sparkle,” said Sunset. She raised an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t object to that,” said Flash. He made a small smile.

Sunset laughed again. “I’ll tell you about Equestria regardless,” she said.

“Thanks,” said Flash.

Sunset nodded. Then she put her hand on her chest for a second and appeared concerned. She looked at Flash. “Will you be my friend again? After all I put you through?”

Flash smiled and opened his mouth but then froze before a sound came out. He looked at her a little skeptically, and finally spoke. “First you have to tell me the truth.”

Sunset blinked. “Okay.”

“Did you really hate my music?” asked Flash.

Sunset looked at him warmly. “Flash, you’re a great musician, and I loved listening to you play. I only said what I did because I was angry and I was trying to be hurtful towards you.” She nodded and wore a frown. “It was mean and petty but not a word of it was true. I’m very, very sorry for everything.”

Flash smiled and his eyes sparkled slightly. “Thank you,” he said. “And I forgive you, Princess.” He reached out and took Sunset into a hug.

Sunset stiffly leaned into the hug but eventually rested her head on his shoulder and slowly breathed in. After a moment the hug was over and she sat back. Her eyes glistened as she checked her phone.

“Time to go?” asked Flash.

Sunset made a wide smile. “Not yet,” she said. She folded her hands on her lap. She cleared her throat. “Twilight Sparkle – back in Equestria – is the personal student of Princess Celestia, who is an alicorn.”

“Celestia?” asked Flash. “Like the principal?”

“Well, yes, but things are a little different there than here,” she said. “Princess Celestia presides over all of Equestria and each morning her first duty is to raise the sun.”

“T-the sun?” asked Flash. “It doesn’t rise on its own?”

“Not in a thousand years,” said Sunset. She hesitated. “Well, there have been a couple hiccups in that time…”

*** ( MLP ) ***

Sunset returned from lunch in a better mood than she’d felt in awhile, even before the Fall Formal. She was trying to figure out why that might be through most of her post-lunch periods. In fact she didn’t stop thinking about it until she was on her way to her last period and tripped walking down the hall. Her bag hit the floor and her books went flying.

Sunset admonished herself mentally for obsessing again and not paying attention to where she was going. She got back onto her feet and began looking around for whoever or whatever it was she’d run into.

Instead she found herself looking at Trixie Lulamoon who had one of her books under her foot and was looking angrily at her.

“Were you smiling?” asked Trixie. She looked to a couple other students on either side of her, all staring towards Sunset. “I don’t think that’s allowed.”

Sunset quickly glanced around her and found several of her books being held by students in the hall, all of which had their attention on her. She grabbed her bag quickly and was dismayed to find only a third of her books remained inside.

“What do you think, girls?” asked Trixie to two similarly dressed girls behind her. “She must be planning something truly awful to be that happy after her impressive rage-fest last week.” She shook her head.

“I’m not planning anything,” said Sunset. Her gaze leveled on Trixie. “Give me my things back.”

“Oh, like we can trust you,” spat Trixie. “Nothing but lies ever came from your lips.”

“I’m not lying now,” said Sunset. “I just want to get to class. There doesn’t need to be a war between us.”

“There was always a war here,” said Trixie. “It was between you and everyone else. But somehow you lost and avoided getting expelled.” She smiled. “That just won’t do.”

“Celestia and Luna know what I’ve done,” said Sunset. “You can’t get me expelled if I don’t do anything to warrant it.”

“Perhaps,” said Trixie. “But do they really know? They can’t be watching everything.” She stepped forward and began slowly walking around Sunset. “They must be wondering, thinking, about what is going on in these halls, in their classrooms, just as soon as they Turn. Their. Heads.”

With the last word, Trixie reached out toward the crowd of students and gently pushed on the shoulder of a girl with olive hair, pinkish skin, and a fraction symbol with five lines behind it on her blouse which was probably her cutie mark. Over-dramatically, the girl fell backwards and dropped her purse, spilling some makeup on the floor.

Trixie put her hand to her mouth. “Did you see that? That girl just got pushed over!” She stepped closer to the fallen girl and knelt down on one knee. “Who just pushed you, Quarter Time?”

Quarter Time looked at Trixie and then at Sunset. “Sunset Shimmer did!” she said.

Trixie looked shocked. She stood up. “Did you hear that? Sunset Shimmer! Up to her old tricks again.” She folded her arms and looked at Sunset. “Better leave school now, it’ll save everybody time.” She put her foot on a red and black cylinder that had rolled out of the purse.

“I’m not afraid of you,” said Sunset. “I won’t be pushed out of the way.”

“You should be,” said Trixie. “Your screw-up left a power vacuum behind, one just waiting for the great and powerful Trixie to take on.” She stomped down and crushed the cylinder under her heel, sending mascara spitting across the floor.

Trixie laughed and then walked off into the crowd of students. They took that cue to begin to disperse and soon the only sign of the fight was black makeup streaking down the hall.

Sunset picked up her books where the students dropped them and hurried to her last class.

*** ( MLP ) ***

After English class, Sunset had only a few minutes before she had to get to Luna’s office for detention, which only gave her a few minutes to figure out how she was going to handle the declaration of war from Trixie Lulamoon. As such, she had little patience for the Friendship Brigade’s instant intervention.

“What in tarnation did ya do?” said Applejack as she very quickly walked up to Sunset in the halls. She was flanked – a few steps behind – by Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

“Nothing,” said Sunset curtly to the girl. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Nothing? I heard that you—“ started Applejack.

“It’s not true,” interrupted Sunset. “Just more bullying. I’ll deal with it.”

“How, exactly, are ya gonna deal with it?” asked Applejack.

“I don’t know,” said Sunset. “I was trying to think about it before this inquisition showed up!”

“Half the school’s talking about it,” announced Pinkie Pie.

“Great,” said Sunset.

“Are you sure you didn’t do anything?” asked Applejack.

“Yes, I’m sure,” said Sunset. “What a preposterous question, why would I lie then recant in nearly the same breath? I didn’t do anything, it’s a setup, I’m sure Luna and Celestia will see reason.”

“Uh, just for clarity, what sorta reasoning are you going to use?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“The truth,” said Sunset. “I was there, I know what really happened.”

“And there aren’t other people who were there that will agree with you?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Sunset sighed. “Probably not. They might even lie too.”

“Ah don’t think this is going to work out so swell for you,” said Applejack. “Regardless of whether you did anything.”

“I didn’t do anything!” said Sunset.

“Okay, okay,” said Applejack.

“So who’s doing this to you anyway?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Is it those two baseball players from yesterday?”

“I will handle this,” said Sunset. “I don’t need you to get in the way.”

“Who’s getting in the way?” asked Rainbow Dash. “We’re just trying to help.”

“I can handle this,” said Sunset.

“Maybe you can,” said Pinkie. “But you don’t have to. You have us!”

“But you don’t believe me,” said Sunset. “It’s all great to be assigned to be my friends by Twilight, but you aren’t, and you’re just as skeptical as everyone else.” She put her hands on her hips. “Admit it. You think maybe I did do it. You think the bullying got so bad I just took it out on someone, anyone, just so I could have power over them and not feel so useless all the time!”

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie looked at her wide-eyed. Applejack looked a little ashamed, Rainbow Dash seemed annoyed, and Pinkie was, well, she was at least half-smiling and seemed not even to be looking at Sunset, but instead watching something going on behind her. But her head was always in the clouds, so that could mean anything.

“Well, I didn’t!” Sunset scolded. “I thought about it. I’m always thinking about it! But everyone keeps telling me that doing the easy thing is wrong, so I’m not doing it. It would be easy. I did it for so long it’s all easy. Making everyone miserable is almost second nature to me.”

She felt her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She was just so fed up with the last two days. “But I’m not going to,” she said. “After last week I have nothing but my dignity left, so I won’t bow down and I won’t give in to their threats and their attacks! I won’t let them win doing all the things I used to do! It was wrong for me to do what I did and I won’t let them think it's right for them! I don’t want to be that person anymore!”

She breathed heavily, unsure why she was shouting so loudly anymore. She wondered if she’d even ruined her own argument by acting out. She could almost hear the demon encouraging her, telling her this exercise was pointless, she was going to return to her old self eventually, she shouldn’t bother waiting. It would be easy, after all. There was power out there just waiting someone like her to--

There was a gentle cough behind her. “Miss Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset turned stiffly around and saw Vice Principal Luna standing here with her arms crossed. Fluttershy was standing beside her.

“Uh,” said Sunset, and then couldn’t think of a single appropriate thing to follow that up with.

“Please come with me,” said Luna.

Sunset nodded mutely, and followed along when the Vice Principal and Fluttershy turned to walk.

*** ( MLP ) ***

The office was dark, as it always was. Sunset remembered being in here before and wondering how much of the Equestrian Luna influenced the tastes and habits of this version. It had to be more than a little bit,what with all the crescent moon symbols and prominent blues. It was dramatically different than Celestia’s more contemporary office. But how that influence actually worked was a puzzle.

Fluttershy sat in the chair next to Sunset, looking intimidated, but that was hardly surprising given the frustrated expression on Vice Principal Luna’s face as she sorted papers on her desk.

“There are three accounts here, girls,” said Luna. “And they don’t reconcile. So at least two of them are false.”

Sunset swallowed. “I did nothing.”

“I haven’t even accused you of anything yet,” said Luna.

“Still, I did nothing,” said Sunset.

“You mean nothing recently,” said Luna.

Sunset fixed her gaze on Luna.

“Two of these students say you knocked over Quarter Time in a fit of rage,” said Luna. “But how and why you did that is wholly incompatible. One says you pushed her directly, another says a bag was involved, then there is the matter of the fight over popularity, and the gloating over not being expelled. Their stories don’t match. But that isn’t uncommon in fights like this; students are always embellishing or omitting details.”

“There wasn’t a fight,” said Sunset.

“Oh, I’m wholly certain there was a fight,” said Luna. “There are more than enough details beyond these accusations to show you had some sort of an interaction with Quarter Time. The nature of that conflict, however, remains a mystery to me.”

Sunset shook her head. “I have no problem with Quarter Time, and I did not touch her at all.”

Luna nodded. “Interesting that you pick these two details to explain.”

“They are the only ones that matter,” said Sunset. “You can’t possibly be upset that students are yelling at each other in the halls, it happens daily.”

“I actually do worry about that,” said Luna. “But you’re right that it isn’t part of this matter. What I am curious about, is why multiple students would come to me and accuse you of fighting if there was no fight and you have no reason to fight Quarter Time?”

Sunset looked away this time. She didn’t really want Luna to get involved, she would handle Trixie on her own. Getting the Vice Principal to fight for her would just be cowardly. She wouldn’t hide from her own problems.

“I don’t know,” said Sunset.

“You can’t be completely in the dark,” said Luna.

Sunset looked back. “I don’t know,” she repeated.

“Sunset,” said Fluttershy quietly.

“No,” Sunset said. “If people want to lie about me, fine. But I’m not here to talk about anyone who may have legitimate reasons to hate me. If that means you believe those lies, then, all right, I guess I’ll take my things home.”

Luna stared right back at Sunset for several seconds before looking down and stacking the papers in front of her again.

“There is this third account,” said Luna.

“I didn’t do anything,” said Sunset again.

“This one tells me that yesterday a number of students ruined your lunch, knocked you onto the floor, and then attempted to hit a softball into your head,” said Luna.

Sunset was surprised and her jaw hung slightly open.

“Did these things happen to you?” asked Luna.

“Who—who told you that?” asked Sunset.

“Please, the anonymity of all of these accounts is important,” said Luna. “I just need you to answer the question.”

Sunset wasn’t sure which of the many meddlers in her life decided to tell Luna about those things, but it was a bit of a surprise. She didn’t want to outright lie to Luna, but she had to get her to drop this so she could deal with Trixie without anyone else getting in the way.

“I’m not complaining,” she said, going for a grayer middle ground.

“That’s not my question,” said Luna. “It doesn’t matter if you care or not, these are serious concerns. You simply do not have the authority to choose to deal with this on your own. The safety of my students is at stake.”

“These could have been accidents,” said Sunset. They weren’t, of course, but it wasn’t factually incorrect to say they could have been. The softball in particular could have been a terrible coincidence. Though she doubted it.

“That’s your claim, these were accidents?” asked Luna. “And Quarter Time was an accident as well?”

“I never touched her,” said Sunset. “There was no accident because I didn’t do anything to her today.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Today,” she repeated.

Sunset said nothing.

“All right, girls,” said Luna. “At this time I have no more questions about these statements. Fluttershy, you may go. Sunset, please wait outside and I will come get you for your detention, I need to make a phone call.”

Sunset stood up, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door. She said nothing as she held it open for Fluttershy and then followed her out. She closed the door behind her.

Outside of Luna’s office, Sunset turned to Fluttershy. “So, obviously, you are the source for the third account. I can’t figure out any other reason why you were there.”

“I was—“ started Fluttershy, but Sunset waved her off.

“It's fine, I get it,” said Sunset. “You wanted to help. Just don’t. I don’t want it.”

Fluttershy looked at her shoes for a moment, then rose her eyes to look directly into Sunset’s. “No, I have to help.”

Sunset blinked. “Why?”

“Because you won’t help yourself,” said Fluttershy.

“I am working through this in my own way,” Sunset said.

“You’re letting them hurt you because you think you deserve it,” said Fluttershy.

“I can endure it,” said Sunset, though that statement seemed less true by the day. “They’ll get bored eventually when they realize I won’t react.”

“And in the meantime you’re being abused,” said Fluttershy.

“So what?” asked Sunset. “I don’t care, and it’s my life.”

Fluttershy shook her head firmly. “It’s not just you that is getting hurt. Don’t you think it’s painful for me to watch you get hurt? I don’t want to see you go through this.”

“Why?” asked Sunset. “Of all people, you had it the worst from me. I don’t get why you don’t just stand back and let me get my just desserts.”

“Because nobody deserves to be hurt like that,” said Fluttershy firmly. “And I don’t ever want to see my friends get hurt, including you.”

“I’m not your friend,” said Sunset dismissively. “I’m just an assignment.”

Fluttershy stared at her in utter shock. Sunset watched as her eyes began to water, and then in a flash she was gone, hurrying through the offices and out the door.

Sunset was a little stunned. Did she just get upset that Sunset knew the truth?

Or did she really think of her as a friend? That seemed impossible. Even Sunset knew she had been a demon to Fluttershy long before she got the Element of Magic. How could she so quickly change her attitude? It was ludicrous.

Luna’s door opened again and the Vice Principal gracefully strode out. “Thank you for waiting,” she said. “Come back in and we’ll talk about the structure of this week’s detentions.”

Sunset wordlessly followed Luna back into her office, but stopped before sitting.

“Vice Principal,” said Sunset. “I know Fluttershy was that last account, when did she come to you?”

Luna raised her eyebrows as she sat down. “As a point of fact, she was not the source for the last account I read to you.” She shook her head. “But she came to get me just after last period, almost immediately after the first two reports of fighting reached me. She told me that someone was spreading lies about you and that I should talk to you directly before making any assumptions.”

Sunset frowned. “She did?”

Luna nodded. “Indeed. Though you were less than forthcoming, I understand, to a degree, what is going on now.” She pushed a folder into her desk drawer. “But that is not what we’re here to discuss.”

Sunset looked over her shoulder and through the open door. Fluttershy was long gone, she wasn’t even sure why she checked. Maybe it was the strangeness of this week but some part of her was hoping she had come back. No such luck.

“Sunset Shimmer?” asked Luna.

Sunset turned around and then finally sat. She sighed, her shoulders sloping downward. “The others asked me if it was true,” she said. She looked up at Luna and felt that tightness again in her chest. Warmth and loss, all in one. “But she didn’t. She just assumed it was lies.”

Luna’s expression softened. She nodded. “It’s nice to have friends.”

Sunset just put her face in her hands.

“What a mess.”

*** ( MLP ) ***

It was late when Sunset got out of detention. The days were starting to get shorter and the sun was already dipping below the horizon as she exited the offices. As the month-long punishment dragged on it would be darker and darker when she finished. Still, she turned down the offer of a ride from Luna, and exited the school on foot.

Her detention had been, all things considered, mostly just boring. She had been assigned to putting together a packet of papers with binding to hand out at the school assembly tomorrow. A mere five pages with a cover, a flyer for some after school programs, and a staple in the corner. There were nearly eight hundred to assemble, so it took a while, but it wasn’t difficult or painful in any regard.

Luna spot checked every twenty-five or so to makes sure Sunset was doing it right, but she had done them perfectly. She may be officially a delinquent now, but she refused to do a bad job at a task when she could otherwise do it well.

To her credit, Luna made no effort to engage Sunset in conversation about the bullying or anything other than the assembly on the next morning. It made the task all that much quieter and mind numbing, but it also meant Sunset didn’t have to dance around attempts to weasel names out of her.

Around an hour into the task, Principal Celestia showed up as well. She was her usual optimistic self, and even Luna appeared to modulate her tone when her sister was around. Celestia thanked Sunset for coming to her assigned detention and assured her that eventually everything would settle down and get back to normal.

Normal, Sunset remembered ruefully. What a foreign concept. She had no idea what ‘normal’ even looked like anymore. Was normal a peaceful life as a Canterlot High student, laughing with friends, anxiously filling out college applications, and worrying about the future? Or was normal being a protégé of Celestia, conferencing with unicorns in Canterlot, mastering unknown magics, and fighting off the evils of the world? Was there room, at all, for something in between?

She didn’t know. She really wanted to, though. That feeling of warmth but emptiness was eating at her, nostalgia for something she loved but no longer had.

Once upon a time she had a purpose, a drive and directive, motive for her actions that had slowly crumbled beneath her in – to be honest with herself – the last six months, even before the Fall Formal. When she saw Twilight through the portal becoming confident and strong, mastering magics, doing all the things Sunset should have been doing, she realized it. She wasn’t nearly as pivotal to the future of Equestria as she thought she was. And now, in this world, she was even less. Just a target to make moves against and laugh at the futile attempts to fit in with a world she barely understood and only remotely liked.

Stealing the crown had been a desperate act to cling to the dream that had long dissolved into mist, she realized. That was probably why it went so terribly wrong.

Sunset stopped at an intersection and looked both ways down the streets. What now? She thought. What did she need to move forward after waking from her dream? Where was her place now and where should her place be in the future?

Looking down the darkened road toward the bridge over Lake Aquinas and on towards the industrial park, she couldn’t help but feel the emptiness in her widening. She was adrift, and isolating herself in an empty place that’s been forgotten might not make that better. She needed something warm. Even if it was the tiniest ember left behind in the ruins of a fire.

She turned away from that street and headed towards the well lit roads leading to the suburbs. It was a comparatively shorter walk and less than an hour later, well into the night, she arrived in front of a small house on a tightly packed street. She walked up to the porch and pulled a very infrequently used key out of her pocket and unlocked the door.

Inside she was flooded with the warmth of the house compared to the cool outdoors, and hit by the smell of cooked pasta. Her stomach immediately groaned in anticipation as she closed the front door behind her.

Sea Spray walked quickly into the living room from the kitchen and stared at Sunset, clearly confused and a little annoyed. She put her hands on her hips.

“She returns,” said the woman archly. “Get expelled this time?”

“Honey,” said a warning voice from behind her. Auburn Storm stepped out and stood next to his wife. “That’s not nice.”

“Hmph,” said Sea Spray, and kept her eyes on Sunset.

Sunset remembered all the reasons why she originally liked this foster family, the disinterest in her, the greedy focus on the government issued reimbursement, the aggressively dismissive attitude, and was stunned at how well she’d engineered a terrible life for herself. She actually searched for a family that didn’t care.

“This was a bad idea,” said Sunset. She started to turn and leave.

“We just started dinner,” said Auburn quickly. “Would you like to join us?”

Sunset hesitated, her stomach aching at the thought of getting fed a real meal instead of what she’d have to scrape together that hadn’t been sullied by Trixie and her followers.

“It's pasta and meatballs,” said Auburn. He shrugged. “You don’t have to eat the meatballs.”

Sunset swallowed. Pasta sounded wonderful. Company sounded wonderful. Maybe she could endure this too?

“Okay,” said Sunset.

Sea Spray rolled her eyes and brushed past her husband to head back towards the kitchen. Auburn Storm just smiled and motioned for Sunset to come along. She stepped away from the door and followed Sea Spray.

The kitchen table was set for two, but Sea Spray quickly put out a third plate and silverware. In the center of the table was a fairly large bowl of spaghetti, quite a bit for only two people to eat. She wondered if somehow they knew she would show up today, or if she had been lucky. A simple salad sat on the table as well, just lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and carrots, but complete enough.

Sunset sat down at the newly created place setting and immediately began serving herself some pasta. Her hunger drove the speed and efficiency of her actions as she covered the plate with noodles and then poured on the sauce, careful to keep any meatballs or remnant of meat off her plate.

She dug in voraciously and her belly savored every bite. At some point a glass of water appeared next to her plate and she drank that too. The whole meal seemed to go by in a blur as she ate her fill and found herself just a little bit more sated than she had since last week.

During this time, Sea Spray regarded her cautiously and made no effort to talk. Auburn Storm asked some basic questions about health and the weather, and Sunset answered them just as simply. It wasn’t until she put down her fork for the last time that he asked any question of weight.

“So, were you just hungry or did you want to stay for a while?” he asked.

Sunset looked at him, seeing him focused on her and curious, and felt guilty that she didn’t have a better response. “I dunno,” she said. “I was hungry, but that’s not why I came here.”

“Then why?” he asked.

Sunset looked at her plate, the remnants of pasta sauce in trails across the surface where she’d run her fork along. “I’m –“ she started, but stalled.

She looked up at her foster parents. One interested, one tolerant. One engaging her, one trying her best to distance herself. They both had every reason to regard her as a stranger, but even Sea Spray – whom had always been disappointed with Sunset – was trying to be civil. Was her distance just a defense, though? Why try to be close with someone who was clearly just looking for a stepping stone to someplace else.

But those were old motivations, old desires, blasted away by the power of a rainbow-colored ray of magic.

“My home is gone,” Sunset started quietly. “My first home, I mean, where I came from. I can’t go back there again. And it’s--” she struggled to give voice to words that troubled her so. “It’s destructive for me to continue trying to get back.”

Sea Spray and Auburn Storm were silent, waiting. They weren’t even trying to interject. They were letting Sunset speak at her own pace. She was both thankful for the respect, and angry that they weren’t even trying to help her say these things.

“I don’t want to keep trying,” Sunset continued. “But I don’t know how to feel differently. I want to feel like this is home. I don’t want to be by myself anymore. But I don’t know if there is a place for me. I don’t even know what my destiny is anymore.”

Sunset pushed her plate to the side and rested her hands on the table. “I can’t change very quickly. At least, I haven’t before. But I want to feel something other than anger at myself. I want to be worth something for once.” She looked up slowly from the plate and met Sea Spray’s eyes.

She wasn’t looking quite so disinterested anymore.

“Can you help me?” asked Sunset.

Auburn Storm’s hand suddenly was on top of hers, holding them softly. He smiled at her, like it was the easiest thing in the world. She envied that.

“We can try.”

Comments

[Alexander The Godslayer]

I really didn't think that I'd have more to talk about so soon after, but here we are, and I'm afraid part of it is gonna be a bit of a rant, though most of it isn't even directed at the fic itself.

But let's get down to the point: Flash. Motherfucking. Sentry.

But before I talk about my problem with him in this fic, I need to talk about my problem with him in the movies. See, first time I watched Equestria Girls, my reaction was about average. Nothing as bad as what some were expecting, but nothing ground breaking either. It was just something that happened, was interesting, and left. Granted, then Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games came about and THOSE movies were really good and more than made up for the first movie's lacking points, but aside from all that, I always found Flash to be the worst element of them all, and most annoying in the first one. Why, you may ask?

When I stopped to think about it, and after getting the opinions of others, I realized that I didn't actually dislike Flash for himself. The guy was just too bland and stereotypical (or as a certain reviewed put it, such mash up of three different stereotypes for male love interests that it's a wonder he hasn't imploded from the convergence) that I can't dislike him for what he is, or even feel like he's deserving of my hate.

So what is it about him that ticks me off? Simple... well, not so much, but I'll explain myself, don't worry. See, I don't hate Flash, I hate what he represents. And what does he represent? A checklist.

He is the most crystal clear evidence that like it or not, Equestria Girls, the first one at least, was made with a checklist at hand or in mind, a checklist of high school cliches to cover. And there's what pisses me off: That someone decided the movie just couldn't be complete without featuring a clichéd male love interest, and they put THAT above other things such as Twilight's characterization. Okay, that may be a rather arrogant of me to say, but as someone who enjoys Twilight for her smarts, it feels disappointing to have the first time she shows attraction to anyone be based on appearances before anything else, and downright seems to contradict previous canon considering Twilight has been shown to interact or be in presence of a few male characters that were suggested to be handsome by Equestrian standards (best example that comes to mind being Big Mac), yet she's never displayed any of this attraction, so this feels like another thing forced into the movie for the sake of the aforementioned checklist.

And if you need anymore evidence to be convinced of what I'm saying, I can provide. And if you don't... well, I'm gonna anyways because goddammit, when I make a point, I gotta make it throughout! If you feel this is excessive, just skip the next five paragraphs.

To start with, it's the fact that he's in this movie for no other reason than to fill in that point in the checklist. And this expands in two ways.

First, that you could cut him out of the movies and nothing would need to change. His presence and role in most of his scenes could have easily been replaced with that of other characters like the Humane 5, and heck, it might have even helped expand them more!

Second, in case you wonder what other purpose he could serve, it's simple: To sell toys. After all, many times the producers have shoehorned stuff into the plot or forced it upon the writers for the sake of selling toys, like the most controversial one of them all, turning Twilight into an Alicorn. But here's the thing: By the time of the first movie, there was no Flash Sentry toy! Neither human, nor pony. They did eventually make one of him, but only for some set of the THIRD movie, so even then, that argument doesn't hold because clearly nobody was thinking that by the time.

And the last nail on the coffin is that infamous line from Rarity in the first movie revealing that he's Sunset's ex-boyfriend. Again, WHY is that in the movie? It serves no purpose, it never comes into play, let alone have any consequences. So again, why? One word: CHECKLIST! Because in a clichéd high school movie with a female protagonist, her love interest being the alpha bitch's boyfriend or ex is yet another known cliche in the genre, and they decided to throw it in. It's the only reason that makes any sense as far as I can grasp.

And okay, I guess one could argue that hey, maybe someone in the staff actually wanted to explore the romance angle, right? But... if this is what they can bring to the table, I'd honestly rather they just didn't try at all.

So, that more or less covers my beefs with Flash. The question now is, how does that relate to Flash in this fic?

Well, partly because I think that you fell for many of the same mistakes. Expanding on Sunset's background with Flash and making her reconcile with him is something I've seen in EqG fics before, and at this point, they've become two points in a checklist that seems to pop up in the minds of many fanfiction writers wishing to explore Sunset Shimmer's character.

So yeah, we're back to a checklist, but on top of that, it honestly feels like his scenes here, much lime his presence in the movies, just wasn't needed, and to top it off, they don't contribute to much either.

The first scene, the one that's a flashback, was just... I'm sorry to say, but it was mostly boring, and when it wasn't boring it was uncomfortable to read. It's just two characters in a room being so awkward with one another, and one of them so difficult to communicate with, that at one point my mind went: "I really hope this isn't trying to explain how these two ended up dating because this lack of chemistry is instead making me question why these two even bother giving one another the time of day."

And the scene quickly overstays its welcome. By the time it's over and the conflict with Rarity from the previous chapter is brought up, I was cheering! "Yeah, let's go back to the interesting stuff!", I thought to myself. Imagine my disappointment when instead, the focus soon returns to Flash.

Now, the next big scene with him, when he and Sunset meet during lunch, is admittedly not a bad scene on itself, but it presents the same question as his scenes in the first movie: Why Flash?

Thing is, this scene is only interesting because of what it does for Sunset's character and development, helping her realize that not only she's lost in her current situation, she's also lost whatever idea of purpose she once had. Plus, it serves to cheer her up so Trixie may attempt to bring her down later on. And that's great and all, but Flash being there doesn't help at all.

I bring this up because so far, this fic has been doing a GREAT job at creating unique relationship for Sunset with some of the Humane 5, mainly Rarity and Fluttershy, with Dash having already given hints of how things will be with her since she blocked that ball aimed at Sunset's head. At least, that's what it feels like to me.

Bottom line, instead of this scene with Flash, it could have been something to start something unique with Applejack, Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash. I personally think Applejack would have been great for it for two reasons, one being that she's been lacking in screen time the most so far, and second, that she feels just right for the moment. She could have engaged Sunset in a "total honesty" conversation, given her element, and could even have done something for her like bringing apples for Sunset to eat, since she knows the girl has been having such troubles at the cafeteria that she might as well stay out. AJ's direct honesty might have compelled Sunset to reply in the same manner, and get out of her the same answers to Flash's questions that helped Sunset come to her own realizations.

Now, all that said, I should mention that I generally don't mind Flash popping up in EqG fics that aren't about him, but it's usually because they do one of two: Either they keep his presence short and to the point, OR they expand his character beyond what the movie did.

Sadly, this chapter does neither. Like I've said before, I really felt like he overstayed his welcome, and on top of that, by the end of it all, I don't feel like I've learned anything new or interesting about Flash at all. Everything that happens with him still retains him in the painful, generically nice "goody two shoes" role that the movie made for him, leaving him as the same character that I don't hate for itself, but I can't find absolutely anything interesting about either.

And on top of that, I feel like this chapter committed yet another mistake of the movie in regards to Flash: That it tries to sell him like there's some worth to him, but asks me to just take their word for it rather than actually show it.

Namely, the thing that was alluded to more than once about Flash having always been able to tell that there was more to Sunset than it what she showed in the surface. I'm sorry, but... WHY? None of that has been shown! Maybe now, but definitely not before. There's no evidence that Sunset occasionally did something nice for anyone before the events of the movie, and I can't recall any hint either other than Flash's word for it. And personally, it's kind of really frustrating as a reader to be told to accept something that not only I haven't been shown in the slightest, but it also seems to contradict everything I've been shown so far.

And honestly, if you wanted to do something like that, i.e., show Flash as a perceptive guy, there's better ways to go about with that. For example, you could, instead of having Flash just see something in Sunset just cause, have him recognize certain patterns of her attitude and mannerism as not inherent meanness, but as characteristics of someone's self defense mechanism, which he can recognize because, as he could confess to Sunset with a hint of regret, he's seen such traits before, and he didn't want things to "end like last time", what could that mean, you ask? Did Flash have a certain someone in his life that he didn't help when he could? Did he lose them because of it? Does he hold some deep regret that he hides under a mask of easygoing cheerfulness? Doesn't matter which it is, because any potential answer alone can make Flash a more interesting character, and thus the question alone helps building upon him.

Because see, even if you feel like, "Yeah, he may be a point in a checklist, but it's one I consider important for Sunny to go through", then by all means, go right ahead, just please either keep it short, or do something, anything different with Flash, because as he is, he's just about the least interesting character that the show ever produced.

But okay, okay, I've gone long enough on this rant, when really, it's largely my pet peeves and even though I know Flash isn't a popular character, I doubt anyone's bothered about this part of the fic as much as me. Besides, for all I know, I just might be wrong and this all might actually be leading to something bigger. I doubt it, but I can't really say that I know ahead of what I've read. But I've dwelled on this long enough, and probably making this chapter sound far worse than it really is, and that's without even getting to the good stuff about it, which is much.

First of which, I gotta say: I love your Fluttershy. Out of the Humane 5, she's definitely standing out the most and sweet Celestia,you're doing an amazing job at displaying that amazing courage that she hides within. Good grief, between this and Flutter Brutter, my opinion on 'Shy's escalating exponentially! Don't know how much role she'll have in the future, but so far, it's been an amazing ride with her.

And relating to that, gotta say, I love that you're working on bringing up Sunset's good traits in subtle manners to the point in which even she doesn't realize them at first, just as her way to "protect" Fluttershy. Basically, development has been great so far, so keep it up! :D I kinda do hope we eventually see more of her original motivations and how her past shaped her into who she is. It's another element that has been handled really well so far, so yeah, I get that it can only be taken so far, but I can't help but to hope for more.

Another thing I oughta talk about is the part with Trixie. Basically, I just gotta say that that whole scene is just wonderfully set. One can totally feel the tension in the air during those parts and boy, is it immersive. I don't know if it's the build up so far or just a really well set atmospheric situation, if not both, but that whole part outright shines for its tension and how much it grabs you. At least, it did so for me.

So, that covers more or less the whole chapter. I wanna reiterate that I don't think that the scenes with Flash are that much of a big deal. The reason for which I went into so much detail about it was because I wanted to explain everything properly, but more importantly, it's because everything with Flash has been stuff I've found to be about just average, while near everything ELSE in this fic has been above average if not downright great, so I honestly think you can do much better here, and if I can help with that, well, awesome!

So, sorry if I've sounded harsh at any point, but I really just want my criticism to help this be a better fic. That is, so long as it fits your vision of it, at least.

So, without dwelling any further, see you in the next review! ^^

Yours, “Took Forever To Write This” Alexander, the Godslayer.
Toddles!

[John Tannius]

7337455

No, tell us how you really feel.

Seriously though, I think you've summed up pretty much every point I've heard about Flash 'bucking' Sentry. As for fannon cliches, I guess they're cliches because they work. Most fiction I've read here give the character much more depth and development than Hasbro ever thought to. I've even read a few that almost make him a likeable character. The old standby being that he taught her guitar makes more sense than anything else I could think of other than Sunset wanting to learn to use her fingers and thought it would help.

The other part of this story really show some depth and feeling. That gap between the first and second movie seemed real jarring. Suddenly everything is great and Sunset has great friends. After the bitch she started out as, she would need to go through a crucible like this to be reborn like the phoenix they tried to portray in her music video.

I'm enjoying this story very much and am wondering why there aren't more reviews. Is it because of the rewrite?