> My Best Friend: Sunset Shimmer > by PinkieLunaShy > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Her > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pretty Talented Smart If anyone would ask me how to describe Sunset Shimmer, that's what I'd say. From her lightly curled crimson and gold hair to her confident smirk, she radiates natural beauty. Sunny is good at anything and everything. I bet she could be a cheerleader if she wanted to! With a 4.0 average she's easily one of the smartest people in CHS. But... That's how I would've described her before the Junior year Fall Formal. When she was my friend, not a power crazy monster. See it happened when... Actually let me go back to the beginning, when I first met Sunset Shimmer. It was a few years ago... I stared at her, she glared at me. She was just across the cafeteria, sitting alone and glowering at everyone who spared her a glance. She was pretty, but wearing a skirt in Spring wasn't really smart. The weather could shift in the blink of an eye. Then again my own plan of wearing shorts wasn't a genius move either. Anyway, I wonder why she's so angry. I don't know her from Adam, heck I didn't even know Sunset Shimmer was a person. "Plushy? Hello, earth to noob!" Olive Green rapped on my arm, startling me out of my daze. "Did you hear a word I said?" I shook my head, "Sorry, I was distracted." "We could tell." Eve smiled at me, running a hand through his amber hair. "What were you looking at?" He followed my prior line of sight before smiling softly. "Doesn't matter. Anyway, you are gonna time my run against Rainbow today? She thinks she can beat my record on the hurdles." Olive grinned before leaning back in his chair. "Maybe in her dreams she can, but we all know who the fastest freshmen at CHS is." "Indeed we do." Weed Poem agreed, smiling mischiviously, "And its not you." Olive shot Poem a glare before huffing and looking away. "Whatever." I smiled, looking around at my group of friends. Once more my gaze locked on her she looks so angry. How could someone so pretty look so angry. I felt Eve nudge me, causing me to glance at him. With his head he signaled for me to go over to her. I rose to me feet and grabbed my backpack, slinging it over my shoulder. "I'll be back." With that I walked over and sat across from Sunset Shimmer. "Hi, I'm Plushy Star!" "So?" Sunset glared at me, stabbing the food on her tray. "What do you want?" "I just wanted to talk. You seemed kinda lonely." I fished around in my backpack and pulled out a bag of cookies. "Here, my mom made these yesterday. She always gives me a lot more than I can eat so I can share." Sunset reached over for the bag and extracted a single cookie. She took a small bite before setting it on her tray. I watched, waiting for some form of expression to reveal she liked it. Sunset simply glared at me. "I like your hair," I ventured, flicking my hair out of my eyes, "Mine never takes curls, they always fall out." "Hm." Sunset grunted, her glare never faltering. "I also really like your jacket, but a word of advice, don't wear skirts in Spring. The weather always changes so it's not a smart move." I gestured to her outfit. "I'll remember that." Sunset picked up the cookie again. I sighed before digging around in my backpack and pulling out a note pad. I still had some work to do for my next class, and since Sunset wasn't really talkative decided I might as well finish it here. While I worked, Sunset finished eating and got up to clear her tray. I closed my note pad and put it away. At least I tried talking to her. Maybe it'll be easier on her now. I was just about to get up when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Meet me by the horse statue after school," Sunset stated before stalking off to her next class. I wonder why she wants to talk to me now? As I exited the school at the end of the day, I saw Sunset leaning against the statue. I skipped down the steps before coming to a halt in front of the flame haired girl. "So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked, my arms folded across my chest. "I wanted to," Sunset sighed, "apologize for my rude behavior earlier." "Don't worry about it." I gave Sunset a light shrug, "Its not like I'm heartbroken or anything." I glance at my watch, "Is that it? 'Cause I got a race to time and I don't have time to stand around." I turned on my heel and started back up the stairs. "Wait!" Sunset called out to me, causing me to glance back at her. "Nngh, I need your h-help." "What for?" I turned around slightly. "I want to join Track." Sunset looked off to the side. "In my old wor- school, I was pretty athletic." "Fill out a form in the office and we'll get back to you. Make sure you've taken a physical in the last year and you have the gear." I started walking up the stairs again, just for Sunset to call out again. "What gear?" Sunset asked, her impatience growing, "Aren't you supposed to explain all that to me? Isn't that what managers are supposed to do?" I jumped down the stairs, and stood right in front of Sunset, glaring up at her. "All I'm 'supposed' to do, Sunset Shimmer, is point you in the direction of the office to get a form, and then get back to practice. I don't have to stand around and deal with you for the rest of the afternoon Shimmer." I turned on my heel and marched up the stairs, "And with that attitude Coach probably won't let you join!" "Time!" I heard Eve yell from his place beside me as Olive and Rainbow crossed the finish line. Beep! Beep! My camera beeped, alerting me that the picture I had taken of the two crossing the finish line had loaded. Today we were working with the Elementary kids, running and playing different games to get them moving. Rainbow and Olive stood behind me trying to glance at the camera. "And the winner is," I looked at both of them. "Rainbow Dash!" "Aww yeah!" Rainbow cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "No way!" Olive snatched the camera out of my hand. "You guys must have rigged the contest!" Eve shook his head, "No, you tripped over a few of the hurdles. You would have won if it weren't for that." Olive tossed me my camera with a huff. "Whatever, I'll beat you next week Rainy." "Sure you will." replied Rainbow, smirking as Olive folded his arms. Eve nudged me and showed the times the two had run causing me to speak up. "Hey guys? Are you eating or doing something differently?" "Not that I can think of." Rainbow shrugged, "Why?" "Your times are slower than normal. It's kind of odd." I shrugged, "It's not by a lot but its enough for me to let you know." "Wow Rainbow Dash! That was totally awesome!" One of the kids yelled, I think her name's Scootaloo. "One day, I wanna be as fast as you!" Rainbow laughed and ruffled the girls hair. "Keep practicing. Maybe one day you'll be almost as good as I am!" Olive clapped his hands together, causing the small group of children to look at him. "Okay! You guys want to be fast runners?" "Yeah!" came the loud, and slightly squeaky reply. "Well then, you have to warm up! Lets all head towards the jungle gym." Olive and Rainbow led the children towards the jungle gym. Turning off my camera, I slipped it into my flowered jeans pocket and latched my fingers around the plush star hanging from my belt. My dad had given it to me right before his deployment, when he was out of town training. Everyone at my school has a symbol, some call it a mark. It's supposed to be our namesake item. You make your mark during the 8th grade. Principal Celestia makes a long drawn out speech about finding who you are and the importance of a mark. She tells all about how she figured out what her mark was and so on and so forth. It's really pointless actually. I guess its to help us figure out who we want to be when we get older. I suppose I zoned out while thinking about all of this because I didn't hear Eve call out to me. All I remember was something hitting me in the face and then... Nothing. > Helping > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pain. That's what I felt when I came to. My whole head hurt, like I had been punched to many times. My eyes adjusted to the light of the room. I was in Nurse Cadence's office, with a cold pack on my forehead. Someone had pulled my hair back and clipped my bangs to the side. I tried to sit up only for a hand to stop me. "Don't try to move. You were hit pretty hard." Nurse Cadence kept her hand on my shoulder until I relaxed. "Eve, Olive, and Rainbow told me what happened." "Can you tell me what happened?" I glanced at her before letting out a sigh. "I honestly don't know." "Well," Nurse Cadence took a seat in her chair. "Olive and Rainbow were in a friendly soccer competition and kicked the ball a little too hard and it hit you in the face." "No wonder I hurt." I chuckled slightly, clutching the bridge of my nose. "I called your mom already and she should be here shortly." Cadence rose to her feet as I willed myself to sit up. "You need to rest." "I gotta get home. I have stuff to do. I feel fine, a little sore but fine." I shakily stood on my feet only to sit back down. "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that much." Struggling I rose to my feet and stood. Cadence looked at me, her eyes full of concern as I walked over and got my messenger bag and slung it over my shoulder. Removing the bobby pins and ponytail holder holding my hair back, I ran a hand through my hair. I swayed slightly, I did not feel fine at all, but I needed to get home and help my mom, I didn't need her sitting around being worried about me. Nurse Cadence didn't stop me as I waved goodbye and walked out into the hall. When I got home, my mom fused over me. Telling me not to lay down, tell her if I felt worse, and not to worry about my chores that day. So I sat around texting my friends and doing homework. Rainbow and Olive both apologized for the accident and I quickly forgave them. Since homework was light I ended up finishing fairly early. Just as I was about to take a shower I got a text: I need to talk to you. Huh? Who is this? Sunset. My eyebrows furrowed, only my friends, track, and band kids have my number. I don't just give it away. How did you get my number? I asked that kid who manages track with you. Told him I was interested, he gave me your number. I sighed, Eve. Why hath you done this my friend? What do you want Shimmer? Meet me in front of the horse statue in ten minutes. Why? I waited a few minutes for a response and when one didn't come I sighed and grabbed my shoes. I didn't have to go, I mean she wasn't the boss of me but... Why did I feel compelled to? Racing down the hall, I headed for the front door only to be stopped by my mom. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" My mom asked, as she finished washing some dishes. "I promised someone I'd meet up with them to help them get ready for track. A new kid, named Sunset Shimmer." My face contorted when I spoke her name, something my mom noticed. "Is something wrong with her?" My mom leaned on the counter. "Well, no. She just doesn't have any friends and a sour attitude." I glanced at my watch, four minutes until I was late, "I'll be back in a couple of hours!" "Alright. Call me when you get there. Walk safely and be away of your surroundings. Don't put in your headphones and-" "- don't talk to strangers. I know Mama, I know." I rolled my eyes, "I'll be home in a bit. I love you." "I love you too ladybug." With that, I ran out the door and down the street. "You're late." Sunset snarled as I arrived at the statue 8 minutes later. "Oh, fuck off!" I glared at her, "Why did you want to see me?" "I need your help getting some things for track. I thought it would be easier asking a girl." Sunset eyed me up and down, "Although the way you stand and how low your voice is I'm starting to question that." "Hey!" I straightened my shoulders and switched the pitch of my voice, "Just because I prefer to talk low doesn't mean I'm a guy." "Whatever you say." Sunset started walking off in the direction of the mall. "If you're gonna insult me I can go home, you know?" I glowered at her. Sunset sighed, "Fine. I apologize." I snorted, "Whatever. How much money do you have to work with?" "About 1000." Sunset shrugged, "Is that enough?" I stared at her, my eyes wide and unblinking. "Yeah, that's more than enough." "Good." Sunset started walking again and I trailed behind her. We walked to the mall in silence, occasionally sparring a glance at one another. Entering the mall, I lead Sunset to the nearest sports store to find the items she required. And with all that money she had, I didn't go looking for the cheap stuff. All the stuff she got easily breached 500 dollars. I carried some of her stuff while she carried the majority of the load. "Are you hungry?" Sunset asked, glancing at me. "A little." I shrugged. "But I don't have any money, so I'll just wait til I get home." "C'mon. I saw a Chinese food place I wanted to try. I'll pay." Sunset lead the way to the restaurant. "I don't want you to pay for me." I said, shaking my head. "It's my treat, since you helped me out today." I eyed her warily, "You're being awful nice all of a sudden... I think I'll pass." Sunset rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I was just trying to be grateful that you help me." "Well," I snorted, "A simple 'thanks' will suffice, along with a real apology for saying you think I'm a cross dressing guy." Sunset grit her teeth, "Not my fault you look boyish. Probably because you only hang out with guys all the time." I dropped her bags on the ground, spilling the contents, "Bye bitch. Have fun picking up your stuff!" I walked out of my mall, ignoring Sunset calls filled with profanity and curses on my life. I tried to be nice, I really did, but I was sick of her and her bad attitude. I hope she doesn't make the team. When I got home I sprinted up the stairs, took a shower, and went to bed. Before I closed my eyes I realized one thing: I was gonna have to deal with her again tomorrow. > School > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I set my tray down at the lunch table, waiting for the other guys to show up. Poem had an emergency theater practice so he was skipping lunch today. Surprisingly my day was pretty normal, of course Sunset was in most of my classes, but she was cordial. I stared at the food on my tray, the joys of a tasteless lunch. Its supposed to be healthier but it really just tastes bland and cardboardish. Beside me I heard a tray being set on the table, "Hey." I glanced up and saw her. She wasn't wearing a skirt today, and she looked sporty. I fixed my gaze on my food, ignoring her presence. Sunset huffed, "Aren't you going to reply?" I rolled my eyes as Olive set down his tray on the other side of me. He sat down with a huff and slammed his head on the table, nearly missing his tray. Eve set his tray next to Olive's before giving a light wave to Sunset. "Oh, hello Sunset." Eve smiled, "Did Plushy help you yesterday?" If looks could kill, mine would've killed Eve, revived him and killed him again. "She did." Sunset glared at me. "Why are you here?" I asked, pushing the food around on my tray. "Because I wanted to give you something." Sunset set a small stack of clothes with a set of shoes on top in front of me. It was an outfit I looked at yesterday, I didn't get it because it was way out of my budget range. I looked at her, not with awe and gratitude, but with anger. I slid the clothes back towards her, and continued pushing my food around on my tray. "What? Wrong size?" Sunset questioned, "Its my way of apologizing for what I said yesterday." "Its a bribe. I don't take bribes." I replied, opening my juice. Sunset's mouth fell open, "It is not, you ungrateful little brat! I was trying to be nice!" "Go 'be nice' someplace else then." Sunset slid the pile back over to me, "These are yours. They don't fit me and I'm not returning them." I was about to give another retort when Rarity came rushing up to our table, "Oh my! Pardon my intrusion but might those be the sports apparel from that store in the mall? I've been trying to save up for these, but they are just so expensive!" "Yeah. You want 'em?" I asked Rarity, watching as her eyes lit up. "Really? Are you sure, darling? These look like they cost you a lot." Rarity raised an eye brow. "Su-" I started, only to be cut off my Sunset. "No. If you want a set, save up your money and buy them yourself. Those are my gift to her." Sunset glared at Rarity, causing Rarity to recoil. "What Sunset means is, she bought those for Plushy." Eve glared at me, "It must have slipped her mind. Right, Plushy?" "Sure." I replied giving Rarity an apologetic look, "Sorry Rare. You can borrow them sometime if you'd like." "Thank you." Rarity pulled out her glasses and lifted the shirt out of the pile, "I really just wanted to see what it's made of, that way I could make a set out of similar material." "Then go look at them at a store!" Sunset snatched the shirt out of Rarity's hands causing the purplette to jump. "Hey!" I shouted, yanking the shirt out of Sunset's grasp and giving it back to Rarity, "I said she could borrow them if she wanted, they're mine aren't they?" Sunset turned and huffed before stabbing an apple slice from her tray. Rarity looked between the two off us with a slight smirk. I had only know Rarity for maybe a year but I knew enough that that smirk was never good. "Don't you dare say it." I growled, glaring at the now fully formed smile threatening to break Rarity's face in half. "I haven't the foggiest idea what you are talking about." Rarity hummed, slipping her glasses back into there case, "Thank you for letting me take a look at these, darling. I truly appreciate it!" "No problem." I watched as Rarity walked back to her table before looking at Olive, who was still face down on the table, "What's his problem?" "He and Rainbow ran another race this morning through the halls. He got caught by Principal Celestia and now has detention this afternoon given its the third time she's warned him about this." Eve sighed, poking Olive in the shoulder. "How was I supposed to know she'd be coming around the corner right then? And Rainbow Dash fucking disappeared!" Olive sat up, his left eye sporting a blueish purple ring under it. "Good gravy man! What happened to your eye hole?" I turned Olive's face towards mine and looked at the ring, much to his annoyance. "Did I forget to mention he ran straight into Principal Celestia's elbow?" Eve rubbed his chin, "It was an interesting sight." Olive jerked away as my fingers lightly touched the bruise, "I bet Rainbow stopped running cause she knew she would lose!" Before I could retort, the bell rang signaling lunch was over and we had three minutes to get to our next class. Sighing I tossed the clothes in my bag before slinging it over my shoulder and dumping my tray. As I wove between students in an attempt to get to algebra on time I realized one thing. I threw my notebook in the trash while dumping my tray. "SON OF BITCH!" The stare of hundreds of students landed on me, causing a furious blush to appear on my face. I stammered and stuttered trying to fix my embarrassing mistake only to look up when a hand laid on my shoulder. "Come with me young lady." Vice Principal Luna looked down at me before guiding me into her office. Intimidating. That's how anybody would describe Vice Principal Luna. While her sister was fairly warm, even when you got in trouble, Ms. Luna seemed cold all the time. It was like a shark staring at a guppie, you automatically had an urge to start saying "ma'am" and talk with the best grammar possible. "Principal Celestia and I are very lenient when it comes to profanity in school, but we don't tolerate yelling it at the top of your lungs in the hallways." Ms. Luna look at me over her shoulder. "Yes ma'am..." I mumbled, my face heating up again, "Sorry ma'am..." "This is the second time this has happened with you in the past week. Is something wrong Ms. Star?" Luna turned and looked me in the eyes. "No ma'am..." I shook my head softly. "When fortune knock-knock-knocks, It ain't a trick trick trick! And we can live like new as (wow wow) freely tomorrow!" Ms. Luna's eyebrow raised as I dug around my backpack for my phone. Of all the days for my phone to not be on silent. Pulling it out I quickly set it to silent, but not before my eyes read one of the texts from my brother. I hastily closed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. "I have to go!" I knew I couldn't sign myself out, but I needed to go. "What happened?" Luna grabbed my shoulder and turned me to face her. "My mom," I blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, "She's been in an accident!" > Mom! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The drive to the hospital was a giant blur. Ms. Luna was kind enough to drive me to the hospital given my brother couldn't come and get me himself. I always had a fear that one day this would happen, my mom would go out without me and end up in an horrible accident. From what Dusty, my brother, told me the injuries weren't life threatening. As we pulled up to the hospital I hurriedly unlocked the door of Ms. Luna's car, "Thank you." "Hold on." Luna halted my escape by grasping the strap of my bag, "Do you know where to go? Do you have a way to get home?" "Yes, to both questions. Dusty sent me a message saying what floor, he's gonna be waiting for me." Luna released my strap and got out of the car. I quickly got out of the car and shut the door, before breaking into a run. I vaguely heard Ms. Luna call to me as I entered the hospital. Deciding that getting to the third floor would be faster by stairs than waiting for an elevator I ran up the stairs, nearly falling twice. Reaching the top, I pushed a door open to reveal the waiting room of the third floor. "Dusty?" I called to the young man with shaggy blonde and brown hair. My brother turned around, he's a young man in his early twenties. Half of his hair had fallen out of the loose ponytail he had thrown it in and he looked extremely tired. The wrinkled dress shirt he was wearing clearly showed he had just gotten off of work and raced right over. Wrapping me in a hug he spoke. "From what the doctors said, Mom should be just fine. She's got a broken leg though and a lot of scratches and bruises. Not to mention a mild concision." "What happened?" I asked, breaking the hug. "Some drunken idiot ran a light and hit her." Dusty growled, "That guy is perfectly fine, but our mom's stuck in the hospital." "Can we visit her?" I felt I already knew the answer but I needed to ask. Dusty shook his head, the rubber band holding half of his hair falling on the ground, "Not right now, the doctors said she needs rest. How did you get here? Who drove you?" "Ms. Luna did, I was in her office when you message came..." I looked away, smiling sheepishly. Dusty stared at me, "Why were you in her office?" "Well, I kinda-" I looked back as the elevator dinged, revealing Ms. Luna. "Take a seat sis." Dusty lightly pushed me into a chair before walking over to Ms. Luna. Rolling my eyes, I opened my bag and pulled out my phone. 7 new messages, 3 missed calls, a few new emails, and most of them were from... Sunset Shimmer? NEW MESSAGE Where are you? NEW MESSAGE Hello? NEW MESSAGE Answer your damn phone! NEW MESSAGE Fine, call me when you read this. I quickly sent out a text explaining what happened before shutting off my phone and slipping it back in my bag. Dusty and Luna were still talking by the elevators, Luna watching intently as Dusty explained with rather extravagant hand motions. I let out a sigh and leaned back in my chair, why would Sunset care where I was? Especially after I was so short with her all day, she did try to be nice. I bit my thumbnail, I should probably call her back. With my free hand I reached into my bag once more and pulled out my cell phone, only to be greeted with four new messages. NEW MESSAGE Call me. Rising to my feet I headed towards the nearest bathroom before placing the call. Slipping into an empty stall I placed the call, listening as it rang. One, two, three- "Hello?" came Sunset's voice through the phone. "Sunset?" "Yeah. Hey, you okay?" I sighed, "For the most part." There was a light sigh and a pause before Sunset spoke again,"I heard your friends talking about bringing you some stuff later today." "Oh, yeah. That's what they said to me." "Mhm. Hey, are you gonna stay with your brother or stay at your house?" "Probably stay at my house. I'd have to go inner city to stay with my brother and his apartment doesn't allow dogs." I blinked a few times before I registered what I had said, "Oh gosh! Roy! I forgot all about him!" "Your dog?" Sunset asked. "Yeah, he's only a puppy. He'd be eating right now if my mom wasn't... You know..." "Right... Hey do you wanna stay with me? While your mom is in the hospital that is. That way you won't be alone the whole time. My apartment allows animals." Silence passed over the line. Maybe I was really wrong to assume she was just a jerk, "Uhm, I gotta ask Dusty. He'll probably say sure if it's fine with your parents." Sunset sighed heavily, "I'm the only one living there. My parents... they're overseas, for work." "Oh..." "Yeah... Anyway, go ask your brother and text me back. I gotta get to class." "Okay. Bye Sunset." "Bye." I set my phone back into my backpack and opened the stall door. Quickly washing and drying my hands I walked out back into the waiting lounge. "Your brother stepped out on a call." "WAH!" I yelled, startled by the person who spoke to me, "Ms. Luna! You scared me!" "My apologies. I spoke with your brother about your little 'outburst' in the hallway earlier." "Oh.." I glanced down at the floor. "Given the circumstance that has currently befallen you, I will let you off with a warning." Luna's authoritarian tone then switched to one of compassion, "If there is anything you need or are concerned about, please let Celestia or myself know." I nodded and gave a small smile, "I will." Dusty stepped back into the room, his face set in a deep frown as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. The nurse called him over to sign a few more papers before he made his way over to Luna and myself. "So, what are you going to do?" Asked Dusty, "Given you aren't gonna move to the city with me." "Actually, Sunset invited Roy and I to stay with her." I replied, stuffing my hands into my pockets. "Sunset Shimmer?" Luna questioned, slightly frowning, and when I nodded her frown deepened. "Somethin' wrong with her?" Dusty's eyebrows rose. "No." Luna stated slowly, "Nothing in particular." "She can be a B." I said with a wave of the hand. "Plushy!" Dusty scolded, before shooting a glare my way. "Psh, it's true." I rolled my eyes "But, she does want to be friends. I'm really thankful that she offered to give me a place to stay so I won't be alone. So, may I?" Dusty shrugged, "Sure. Just make sure you call me everyday; before and after school. If you go out with your friends let me know; where you're going, who's with you, what you guys are doing, and when you'll be back home." I mock saluted, "Sir, yes sir! I will report to you twice a day, sir!" Dusty rolled his eyes before wrapping me in a hug, "I love you nooblet." I hugged him back, "I love you too egghead."