> Empress of flame > by Pathious II > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > A not so clean slate > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset Shimmer would awake with a sudden startle, it was the nightmares again, the ones she had been experiencing for months now. Ever since Twilight Sparkle had left something was not right. She just couldn't wrap her head around it, it was like there was something new. However this new feeling did not feel nice. The dreams were always dark the feeling and emotion horrific. She didn't know where she was, or exactly what was happening. All she could think of, all she could feel. Was hate and anguish. She had this overwhelming feeling to cry. Yet she didn't know why. It was like something was being torn away from her something she held dear, yet it was something she could not quite remember. When she awoke from these dreams / nightmares she would always be so cold. She remembered when Twilight had left. It was a moment she couldn't erase from her head. So many questions she had left unanswered, maybe not for her friends but for Sunset indeed. Twilight had given her new human friends the responsibility of helping Sunset learn friendship. Yet no matter how much they tried, no matter how much they tried to Triumph, they just couldn't. Sunset so desperately wanted to change. She clung to the thought that maybe she could have friends, be able to move on with her life. These dreams on the other hand just would not let her go. It was like an invisible hand preventing her from progressing. As she sat there in bed thinking about everything. she just wanted to feel normal. Her Newfound friends we're great. They made Sunset very happy, she couldn't deny that. There was just that hand that invisible force. It was always holding her there preventing her from progressing, steering her towards leaving. It was in that moment of her Despair and lonely thoughts that her phone buzzed. Her beautiful cyan eyes would glance down at the light that now reflected through out the room. The display showing that Fluttershy had texted her. She blinked momentarily, debating on whether she would pretend to still be asleep or answer. She gave a long deep side as her eyes glanced over once more at the phone. Ignoring her would just make her feel bad, Fluttershy didn't have a bad bone in her body. Her light amber colored hand slowly and steadily reached over and grabbed the phone. She would swipe her pointer finger crossed it's smooth glossy screen to unlock it. She would type in her pin and proceeded to head to her messages. She was still very tired, for her dreams left her very little time to have any comfort. She would be asleep but she would never be rested. Her eyes darted back and forth as she began to read the message. " Hello sunset, I really hate to disturb you. I was just wondering how you're doing? You seem so unfocused at school, you have me very worried. Please respond as soon as possible." Sunset would briefly glanced over this. She was way too tired to even respond. She desperately wanted to, she would hate to make Fluttershy any more worried. On other notes she just wanted to sleep. She would let out one more long sigh as she would roll her eyes. She would click the button on the side of your phone to turn off the screen for now. The light was just too blinding, and her attention span less than a squirrel. She would run her fingers through her Vivid crimson and vibrant yellow hair. Lost in thought as usual. " Get it together Sunset." Sunset Shimmer would say to herself. It was a phrase she found herself using quite frequently." You're just stressed, you just need time. Things will get better." Another phrase she found herself saying more than she would like to. Her own self reassurance just wasn't working anymore, yet she found herself continuing to say it. She would slowly let herself fall back in her bed. Well looking up at her ceiling, hoping that today would go swell. She yearned for a day that she could go to school and be accepted. She wasn't going to deny that she had done some wrong things. She just wanted to be forgiven, if this world wasn't going to give that she didn't know what she would do. She stared up at the ceiling for what felt like forever. Her eyes slowly getting heavy as if weights were pulling them to a close. Her body weak and her mind not entirely there. Maybe this time she would get the sleep that she desperately needed. The world was dark and cold. All Sunset could fuel was a Darkness. She didn't feel alone and she didn't feel hated. However the surrounding area was sick and twisted. Without ever showing a single image. She was alone but not alone. There was a presence but no physical body. There was no pony or anybody around. She was beginning to wonder if she truly was alone. It was in this moment that she heard a voice. The voice was familiar in a weird way. It was like an echo from the past. Something she hadn't heard in a long time. It was familiar, possibly the only warm feeling she had felt in this dream. Sunset Shimmer slowly Rose to her feet. She needed to find what was making this voice. She hadn't felt a warm feeling in years, not since she was young. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around where she at heard this voice. She just knew she had heard it before. She followed it as it continued to call her name. Over and over again, it would just continue to say her name. The more she walked the more I felt like she was getting nowhere. This world was nothing but a black space, a void of nothingness. She felt the need to hold her hands out in case there was some invisible wall preventing her from pushing forward. The voice was getting louder. She had to be getting close to whatever it was that was making this noise. She desperately wanted to see, even feel the emotion that was coming from The Voice. It got to a point that it felt like it was right in her ear yet she still couldn't see anything. She was getting frustrated now as if the right emotion was hiding from her. This was the emotion she should be feeling, yet the voice was only saying her name. It had this warm and friendly feeling. She clenched her Fists in frustration as she just couldn't find the voice. She was aimlessly walking around in darkness looking for something she couldn't find. She closed her eyes as tears begin to swell. Her arms outstretched waiting to feel something in front of her. All she could feel was the tears in her eyes and the cold air around her. The feeling was getting greater again and soon she felt her hands pressed against something cold. She strained to try and open her eyes. She hopes that she would see something good in front of her. When she opened her eyes she was surprised by what she saw. It was the mirror, the portal that had brought her to this world. The warm feeling was coming from the otherside. Beckoning for her to come. Was this her solution, was this the way for her to feel happy again? She didn't know why but this dream felt more real than it ever had. She questioned herself, wondering if possibly going back would be her solution. She couldn't be so hasty she couldn't just leave. Maybe this would become an option. Just maybe this could be her final attempt if all else fails. Sunset would wake once again. However this time she wasn't cold. She was warm possibly even hot. She felt like she was panting as her eyes darted around the room. It was as if she was still looking for that voice, she wasn't she was in her room and she was so overheated. Her eyes felt as if she had actually been crying. Like the tears from her dream had resonated to the real world, she sure hoped she wasn't crying in her sleep. It would have been incredibly embarrassing if she was, luckily for her she never had anybody over. She slowly got up out of her bed. Her legs were aching and shaking as if she had been walking for miles. Her body felt as if it was in total Anarchy like she was on fire. She had to get a glass of water before she passed out again. She slowly made her way to her small kitchen, the Moonlight reflecting off the wooden floor and the fake metal of the sink. It was still this late at night? She could have sworn it was this dark before she went back to sleep. She Shrugged it off as nothing as she opened her cupboard and grabbed one of her many glasses. Water was all that was truly on her mind right now. She held the glass under the sink as the water poured into it the Bubbles as it hit the bottom of the glass would ride up the sides almost overflowing the glass. She shut it off and then quickly drank it down. She would set the glass down and then rest both of her hands on the counter as she let her head hang and thought. Sunset Shimmer was a very studious girl. She didn't like things that she couldn't understand. If she could not put science into perspective of the problem, she would have a hard time making sense of it. She had never paid attention during her friendship lessons when she was Celestia's student. She kind of wished that she had, then maybe she wouldn't be so hardcore on the facts rather than the friendship. She was always so busy studying what she felt was important. She unfortunately at the time did not see friendship as an importance, she had such a hard life as it was bringing others into it was not something she wanted to do at that time. " Oh Sunset, just get ready for school. It may be early but there's no point in going back to sleep." She would slowly raise her head has she spoke finally slipping out of her Focus. She still felt warm but the burning sensation had subsided. It was more of an itch now than it was a burn. She was going to do everything in her power today to make it so that this school day would be good. She had to ignore the dirty looks and the comments. If she didn't she would just make herself more depressed. Sunsets did her usual to get ready. She started with her hair to be not so scruffy. It wasn't the easiest hair to comb. After that she would go for her teeth, healthy teeth means the more she smiles the less people have to cringe at her yellow teeth. Her self-esteem was low and her Pride not what it used to be. She just so hoped that today would be a good day. > Canterlot Rewind > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset Shimmer stepped out into the cool Autumn air. The fall leaves were falling around her in a rain of color. The leaves took many varieties of colors from yellow to red. This was probably her favorite time of the year, the time where the leaves show their true colors. The way that the leaves changed and then fell to the ground reminded her of herself. Much like Twilight had said that night she had shown her true self and there was no way they were just going to let it go. She did her best just to try and ignore that thought. Sure Twilight never did upfront say it would be hard to forgive her. However it was devastatingly obvious. That thought lingered in her mind almost as much as the nightmares did. This walk was a rather nice walk however. The cool air in a slight breeze rushing through her hair. She couldn't help but be tempted to listen to music. She usually did when she walks to school. She used to take the bus all the time, that was back before her defeat. She calmly took out her phone and earbuds. Her cyan eyes looking around at her environment. There Bright and cool blue matching perfectly for the cool air. With two fingers holding her earbuds she calmly placed them in her ears. She would swipe her finger across the screen of her phone as she would then type in her code. She would click the app to play her music as she would listen to some of her favorite songs. Reminiscing in the past as she listens to them. She would softly sing the words to herself as she walked, her voice is soft like an angel. She was not bad at singing in fact she was rather good. Not like anyone would notice, she always walked alone despite her new friends asking to walk with her. It seemed weird to them when she would deny company while walking. She denied it for it was the only time she could be alone not confined to the inner walls of her own home. After about 10 minutes she finally reached Canterlot High. It was a wonderful walk, despite the crippling tiredness that's still consumed her body. The front door of this place still showed of the scars of the Fall Formal. Every time she looked at it she was reminded of The Nightmare she had become. It was weird when she looked back at that night. She remembered doing those things, however she didn't remember having control of herself while she did them. And those scars on the front of the building were just one of many things she remembers doing, without remember having control while she did it. She gave a long sigh as she looked at it. The building almost looked like it was in pain, the new bricks she had laid next to the old ones we're clear and easy to see. " Sunset it's about time you get here!" The voice of Rainbow Dash would ring from the other side of the door as it would swing open. Her vibrant violet eyes looking at Sunset Shimmer. " we were thinking you might not show up today. After you ignore it all of our texts." " Wait I thought I only got a text from Fluttershy?" Sunset would exclaim in a bit of confusion. She would quickly look at her phone and noticed she had indeed missed texts from all of them. " Don't fret about it too much darling. We all have experienced the occasional falling asleep after receiving a text." The voice of the uptight and fashionable Rarity would sound from behind her now. " Rainbow Dash she just likes to make it sound like everything is important. But don't let it rain on you everything is fine." Rarity would say as she put two hands on Sunsets shoulders. Sunset would listen to what Rarity would say. However it didn't exactly prevent her from being in disbelief to the notion that everything was okay. " Well what Rarity had to say probably wasn't important." Rainbow Dash would say teasingly." However I was going to say was totally awesome and I wish you would have responded" she would tease again to Sunset Shimmer now. " I apologize, I haven't been getting a whole lot of sleep lately so I just wanted to rest." Sunset would say with a hint of sorrow in her voice. She would lower her head to look towards the ground. Despite the fact that Rainbow Dash had only been teasing her. This would now cause her friends to have a look of Sorrow as well. Rainbow had never intended to make this a serious matter. Despite that it had turned into one. " Sunset darling, Rainbow Dash didn't mean it. She was just being a tease." Rarity would say immediately trying to clear up the situation. Sunset Shimmer however, just wanted to go inside. So instead of talking out the situation she walked past them before they could continue. She knew it was rude, she just didn't want that conversation to continue. Rainbow and Rarity would proceed to follow her. They did however get the hint that she didn't want to talk. So they kept to themselves talking to each other. Sunset would proceed to her locker. She would have turned slowly to face it as she placed her hands on the lock. With nothing but tedious muscle memory she would turn the knob to unlock it. She closed her eyes as she gave a long and soft sigh. She felt bad now about just walking past Rainbow Dash and Rarity like that. She truly didn't need to learn more about friendship if she was going to be good at this. As she let go of her lock with shaking hands she noticed Fluttershy out of the corner of her eye. This Girl had been a subject of her torment for so long. Sunset still couldn't grasp why she was so willing to give her another chance. She truly was an entity of kindness. She would slowly face Fluttershy with a smile, one of the few people she could face without frowning. " Fluttershy, it's good to see you this morning. You don't stop by my locker that often however." Sunset I would say as she placed a hand on her own locker leaning against it. Her unzipped jacket now angled with gravity. " you're right... I don't. So I take it you fell asleep after getting my texts?" Fluttershy would say in her usual soft voice. She would use her pointer finger to get her hair away from her eyes as it usually hung in front of her. Sunset was so confused as to why everyone was so concerned about whether or not she got their texts. " Yes I did. I was just too tired to answer them at the time. Sorry about that." Sunset would blush and embarrassment as she would attempt to hide her face in her own hair. She felt ridiculous this morning. She supposed that was better than the Casual mornings. The ones in which she would walk into school and that everyone would glare at her. So feeling a bit of embarrassment was probably a good start. " Don't worry about it too much. You need your sleep. I hope you're still at least getting 8 hours of sleep at night that's the proper amount you know... unless of course you think you need more, or less." Fluttershy would say as her voice would get softer as her talking went on. Sunset found it hard not to chuckle at how coy she was. Sunset would quickly glanced over at the clock that was in the hallway. She would take note to the time so that she wouldn't be late for class. Sunset would end up talking to Fluttershy until it was about 2 minutes till class. She wanted to be on time so she couldn't continue the conversation for much longer than that. She would make her way to her first class. The heels on her boots making a clapping sound as it would hit the hard floors of the hallway. She felt desolate and alone, despite her friends walking with her. The sound of the clunking of her boots just echoed, that Echo giving her that desolate feeling. When she reached the door to her first class and she was greeted with the face of none other than Flash Sentry. He was one of many people she assumed majorly disliked her. She had used him for years to gain popularity. She felt so bad now when she thought about it. However she couldn't find the strength to apologize. She walked past him and did her best to avoid any further conversation for the day. She knew it would be unavoidable later on during the day. She could however do her best to avoid it for the remainder of this class. She glanced over at him as she walked by heading straight for her seat. Her friends taking seats not far from her. She was so on edge. The rest of the class silently judging her as she's strided for her seat. She had never sat down so fast. Her rear cutting against the hard seat as she finally sat. The teacher would also be watching her as she took that seat. It was unfair to live in a world where even the adults judged you. Once everyone was done silently judging her. The teacher would break the Silence with a cough. He would look over the class with his Stern and rather cold eyes. This was one of the worst teachers in the school. If you did so much as speak in his class without him asking you to, he may consider sending you to the office. " Alright class if you could so kindly open your books to where we left off yesterday. Then we can get this class started." The teacher would say as he would have start writing immediately on his chalkboard. Sunset would take notice to the lit candles on everyone's desk. " If everyone could please take notice to the candles on your desk we are going to be doing a little experiment today." The teacher would say as if reading her thoughts. And soon after someone would raise their hand. The teacher would not speak he would simply look at them and Nod. "Mister Sombra, what is the experiment if I might ask?" The student who had raised their hand asked. Sombra would look over towards the student. He would give a smile, which was something he did not do often. "All science experiments start with a question." Sombra would state as he now paced back and forth before the class. "What will happen if…?" Sunset would now be listening intently to his voice . The way he was wording this was actually intriguing her. "Today I want you to be applying different questions to burning candles, you as students can experiment with these controlled flames to discover how candles burn and what affects them." "What could we possibly learn from a candle?" Said the same students who had asked the original question. Sombra within look sternly at the student. He clearly had a lot to say to that statement. "How do burning candles affect air quality?" Sombra would state. He would have a grin on his face. He had brought up a question probably a few people have ever thought of. "If you use air testers to measure pollutants before and after burning candles in a closed environment. You may be surprised by the outcome. However considering your attention span, I would consider conducting multiple tests to ensure you get it." The rest of the class would respond with a giggle. They're clearly Sombra had made something humorous happen here. How many teachers insult their students? That was around the time that something weird seemed to be happening. Sunset was finding it hard to hear what everyone was saying. As if their voices were distant and muffled. She tried her best to remain her composure, so that everyone would proceed with their giggles and not pay attention to her internal struggle just now. Using her pointer finger she proceeded to rub the inside of her ear. Was there something blocking her hearing? She would look over at the candle. Her eyes widening slightly as she noticed that the flame looked like it was angling towards her. The light the flame was shining in her eyes as if it was putting her in a hypnotic state. She couldn't help but to continue to stare at it. At this point she couldn't hear anything at all. Everything was silent, everything except the slight crackle of the flame. She felt Frozen in time. She reached out towards it. It felt as if someone was staring down at her now. However she couldn't bring herself to look at who it was. Her eyes just couldn't look away from the flame. When her finger reached the flame she couldn't feel any heat. The flame then proceeded to try and wrap around her finger in an unnatural way. It managed to wrap all the way around her pointer finger before sound suddenly came thundering back to her. It looked as if no one had even noticed what had happened. Sombra was still going on about what the experiment was going to be for today. Sunset didn't even get the chance to hear the exact experiment, only sombras example that he had made towards the student. And now she was not only lost and thought about the flame. She was lost entirely. She looked straight forward towards the teacher acting as if she had been listening this whole time. The thought of the flame continued to enter her mind. How was such a thing possible? Fire does not move that way, not in a way that felt that unique. It was almost like it was dancing with her finger. Sunset looked over to her right. Immediately she noticed that Pinkie Pie was looking at her. Pinkie had a look of shock on her face. Had she noticed the fire? What was she looking at? Sunset tried to Shrug It Off as nothing. However Pinkie Pie continue to just look at her. Pinkie Pie whispered something but Sunset couldn't hear her, she could however read her lips. To a point anyways. Either Pinkie Pie said you should look at this pie or look at your eye. Frankly that notion gave Sunset a startle. There was an observation mirror not far from her. Did she dare look to her left to look in it. Sunset Shimmer could feel fear rushing through her body now. Gripping her desk tightly her nails digging into the soft wood. She would turn slowly towards the mirror. She tried not to gasp as she noticed something was wrong with her eye. The white of her eye was no longer White. It was a dark obsidian black. Along with her pupil this made her I look nothing like it did before. It looked like nothing other than a cyan Halo of blue. Sunset quickly clasped her hand over her eye and made it look like she was intent on thinking. What was going on? > The flame of the past > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Something was clearly wrong. There was no way something like that could just happen. Sunset Shimmer was thinking very intently on the situation over and over again in her head. The way the flame danced like that. She couldn't stop imagining how it had wrapped around her finger. That's something fire just doesn't do, especially without burning the subject. Sunset just couldn't stop looking at the flame now. Her eyes watching it intently as if waiting for it to do something again. However it never acted strange the rest of the time. " Sunset Shimmer, if you could be so kind as to keep your attention on the class." Sombra would say as he sat down at his own desk. He had a look on his face that showed he was rather displeased." I understand you probably have a lot going on in your mind, however that does not change the fact that you are a student here." " I apologize mr. Sombra. I haven't been getting a whole lot of sleep recently so I'm finding it hard to stay focused." Sunset would say as if she was looking for some kind of sympathy from a kind of person who doesn't show it. " Miss Shimmer, if you're having trouble staying awake in my class I recommend you don't come at all. Whatever it is that you're doing all night that keeps you up I recommend you change your habits." Sombra would say as his eyes were fixated on Sunset now. There was more anger in his eyes now. "I...I...I'm" Sunset would try to stutter out a few words. " Unless you're truly sorry Miss Shimmer I don't recommend you finish a full sentence. To finish that sentence would be to lie to me. For I find it hard to believe you would feel any sympathy for such lack of focus in my class." Sombra would say as he now Chris crossed his fingers to hold his hands together as he spoke." I deal with all kinds of students in this room and there isn't a thing that I have not witnessed or dealt with. I recommend you do me a favor of wasting my breath and head to the office and get some rest." Sombras incredibly unforgiving eyes remain fixated on Sunset. " No, no, I promise I can stay focused. Please just don't send me to that office." Sunset would be incredibly frantic when she said this. The amount of sleep she had been missing made her incredibly on edge as was. On mention of the office however she would always become more on edge. That was a place she did not feel welcome the most. Celestia and Luna were there. They were the owners of this school they were the ones who she had caused the most damage to. They had to pay for all that brick and motor that Sunset had to lay to fix the school. It wasn't a small cost or expense to them. The expression on sombras face would suddenly change for Sunset had uncovered her eye. It was in this moment that Sunset Shimmer felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. Flushing through her body like some kind of infection. Her head began to spin and her body began to tingle. Before she knew it she was passed out face first on the desk. she would open her eyes in a dream. She was immediately met face-to-face with the face of a Jack O'Lantern. She stumbles backwards as she was in the dark world she was familiar with. However this time it appeared to have a setting. It appeared to have a Time. Her senses kept on alerting her that something was not right. The air was as it always was in the dream. It was cold, desolate and stale. That same Eerie feeling of being watched lingered in the air. Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but feel a feeling to run. Her eyes however we're fixated on the pumpkins that were around. This was not the same as the other dreams before. Other than the feeling the setting was not exactly the same. She reached out to touch one of the pumpkins. The moment her hand was placed upon it the world began to fade to existence. The cold hard ground formed beneath her feet the walls of Canterlot High rising from the ground in a thundering and Epic climax. People begin to sprout out of the ground walking in a fixated path. The sky was now full of stars. Sunset could see her breath now as she was breathing. She raised her hands to see that they were glowing in a blue aura. As if she was not real while everyone else was. Her eyes would be around looking at everyone who walked by. Everyone was wearing a costume. Her eyes now slowly shifted to the front door of Canterlot High. The door had a plastered poster on it, it read the simple words of Halloween party. Memories began to flood towards her. Canterlot was having a Halloween party this month. However it wasn't for another week, so she knew that she was definitely in a dream. Her feet began to walk and she was stunned for she had no control. Her feet were leading her to the front door forcefully making her enter. It was once the door closed behind her that she had control of her own feet. Frankly she felt like running back outside and away from all these people who had no happiness towards her. Nothing but hate. When she turned around to open the door to leave it didn't budge. It was acting as if it never opened in the first place. Her heart began to beat faster, pounding and pounding in her chest. At any moment it felt like it might explode. " Sunset Shimmer what are you doing out in this hallway?" The voice of Celestia herself rang down the hallway. Sunset was startled by this of course. Why was Celestia asking for her or wondering why she was out here? " You told me and Luna you would be able to handle this event." Celestia's hand would grab sunset by the shoulder and forcefully spin her around. They were now face to face, Sunsets cyan eyes now forced to gaze into the violet eyes of Celestia. " I am, I just, I was only looking for something." Her mouth would move to try and make up some kind of excuse to Celestia. How does one make an excuse when she doesn't even know what she's doing? She closed her eyes waiting for the response of Celestia. A response however was never heard. Sunset slowly opened her eyes to see she was now surrounded by a lot of people. She couldn't hear the music or them until she had opened her eyes. A lights were flashing, people were dancing. Everyone appeared to be having a great time. The music was The Monster Mash of course. Every Halloween party played this song at some point. Sunset was mostly confused. The dream she was having was nothing like the ones before. The farther she dug into it the more she began to realize how different it was. The people rushing by her cause her to roll around here and there till eventually she became face to face, with herself. Her eyes locked with her own and no one seems to notice that there were now two of her. The sunset she was looking at was also wearing a costume. Looking at herself when it was not a mirror was making her head hurt. However there was something wrong with this sunset. It looked like her but the emotion and Spirit In Her Eyes was a not her. " It's about time you show up. We were wondering when you were going to come." Is the sunset in the costume finally expressed some words. Her face remained almost monotone but her eyes still showed so much emotion. The only thing that was moving what's her mouth. " What are you talking about? Who's we? What's going on?" Sunset would say to the mirror image of herself. Upon her response however the sunset wearing the costume did not react emotionally. " It's about time you show up. We've been waiting for you." This Shimmer now had an expression on her face. The expression however was rather horrifying to Sunset. The Sunset Shimmer had a glare is that seemed to stare into her soul. A crooked and Sly Smile Now upon its face. It didn't say anything else it just continue to stare. With shaking knees and trembling hands. Sunset Shimmer felt the need to run. " Everyone please welcome Vesper to the stage. She's about to announce the winner of the Halloween costume event." Celestia's voice would sound around the room. Sunset Shimmer would look over to the stage to see that Celestia was standing there. A girl was standing there next to celestia. Her eyes gazed back towards where the costumed Sunset was standing moments ago. The moment their eyes met this Sunset lunged with sharp teeth biting into her neck. Sunsets eyes shot open. She was breathing heavily and rapidly. Her heart racing and thudding in her chest. Her eyes darted around the room to check her surroundings. The nurse's office appeared to be where she now was. No one was in the room but they must have been nearby. That dream was way different, she had never been attacked in the ones before. Her heart would slowly start to steady it's rate. Her mind began to grasp the fact that it was a dream and it wasn't real. The clock said it was roughly 3 o clock. Roughly 15 minutes till it was time to go home. She had been out that long. 7 hours, it didn't feel like it was that long. It wasn't until now that she realized how sweaty she was. It was like she had just come out of a sauna. The cot she was laying on was soaked. Her fear still resonating in her body causing her to continue to sweat. The moment in the dream where she was attacked continued to resonate in her mind. The way she had attacked herself or it had attacked her wasn't right. " Good to see you finally woke up." The voice of nurse redheart would say as she enters the room. She had a clipboard as she was writing various things on it. Her eyes fixated on Sunset very slightly now and then. "Passing out for as long as you did is very dangerous and can be very harmful." "What happened? Who brought me into this room?" Sunset would say, she was generally curious as to what happened. " Sombra carried you in here himself. His whole classroom was put on hold until he returned. To be honest that's the first time I've seen concern on his face." Redheart said that she would continue to write on her clipboard. " Wait, Sombra brought me in here?" In response to Red Heart Sunset stated this as she looked at her own hands. " Of course I did. Had I not I would have looked like a completely heartless person. Sunset Shimmer you have caused a lot of problems in this school. However this is a certain circumstance where a teacher has to take control. The way you passed out was not healthy and it has me and nurse redheart very concerned." Sombra said is he now entered the nurse's office. He adjusted his tie as he took a seat to not far from sunset. His eyes fixated on her like it was when they were in class. "I haven't done this before. I know I have caused a lot of problems, I regret them everyday but..." Sombra would raise his right hands to interrupt her. " your past is not today sunset. The events at the Fall Formal or not what we are concerned about. As much as you may think that everyone here is against you. I can assure you not every teacher and student is completely that way. This is about you passing out, not you becoming a demon at the Fall Formal. That damage has already been done. He said as he now had a very calm voice. There was not anger in his eyes this time. "I'm sorry, I find it hard to not go back to that night. It's probably the reason I haven't been getting sleep." Sunset responded in a tired and weak voice. Despite all the sleep she had actually been getting, the rest was not efficient enough to catch up with the lack of actual comfort. "Lack asleep is very dangerous Miss Shimmer. It can cause you to hallucinate or even go into a coma." Nurse redheart butted in. " Miss Red Heart here is correct. Sleep is incredibly vital to The Human Condition. I know that you're not entirely human you went over that in the conference we had After the Fall Formal. We even heard a bit from Twilight before she left. That was two years ago but don't think we forgot." Sombra said as his knuckles cracked as he was tightening his fists against each other. "As your science teacher and the principal have went over this incident and we are not sure it's healthy for you to be coming to school if this is going to be happening. We can't stop you however we insist that you stay home and get to that needed rest until you are ready to return." "I can't miss school. I have things I have to learn here, Twilight requested that I learn friendship. I can't have her friends coming over... I can't have my friends coming over every single day to my house." Sunset would respond. Clearly she was not agreeing with their resolution. They wanted to keep her from coming to school if she wasn't going to focus. She didn't feel it was necessary. So she could understand why they were so scared. They may not admit it but it was the Fall Formal indeed that had them all on the edge. Those events were stained in everyone's Minds, as long as they could remember it. The bell rang and Sunset new now was her time to go. No matter how much Sombra and Red Heart wanted to continue this conversation. Legally they could not keep her after school for too long. So with that sunsets stood up and left the room without saying another word. Sombra let out a sigh as she left the room. Either he was upset or frustrated of her ignorance. Sunset desperately wanted to face these issues. However to bring others into it would make her feel like she was doing the same thing she always did. She felt like this was something she had to deal with on her own. In the past she would have made other solve it for her or forced them to do other things to make it end. Or she would use them and some kind of mental punching bag that she could release all of her stress is on. Sunset slowly pulled her phone out of her bag and began to swipe through it. She had zero messages, a thought came to mind, she wondered if her friends have even noticed she was gone. They should have left some kind of concern to her. They were there when she had passed out. It was once she had arrived home that she truly felt alone again. These walls would be the place where her life would probably end without a yell. The end of her existence would more be like a whisper a sound that would barely resonate outside these walls that she called hell. It was dark when she thought about it however was probably true. She desperately wanted to be something else, to be the one that helped everyone not the one that did all the damage. The wrongs of her past constantly resonated in her mind. Eventually she found herself laying in bed again yearning to actually get some rest. She would grab her phone to look through it once again. She had a couple messages this time. One was from Fluttershy, the other from Rainbow Dash. Even one from Applejack. In that moment she contemplated whether she was going to answer them. It would be the nice thing to do, maybe they were worried about her. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. She was beginning to hate this place. The world she had chose to run off to so many years ago. "I just want to go!" Sunset would scream up at her ceiling. Tears swelling in her eyes. Almost immediately they felt like they were burning. She grabbed a hold of her pillow and threw it at the wall. "Why did you have to be so stupid. So selfish!" He was Furious now. Angry at the world, angry at herself. She stood up with a thud. Looking at herself in the mirror she would step closer to it. She would rest two hands on the dresser it sat upon. Her head was lowered looking at the wood. The tears still flowing. Dripping onto the hardwood of her dresser. She slowly looked up again at herself in the mirror. Her hair draped over her face. "I just want forgiveness! I just want this to be over... I just want to be free!" She would yell looking into the mirror. As she yelled at it's a small crack appeared on its surface. There was so much pent-up rage. Her phone began to vibrate adding to her frustration. The vibrating sound just irritating her. All the Rage was just building up. Emotions flowing so hard through her that she felt like it was a fire. One that was completely out of control. The phone continued to vibrate and the tears continue to flow. Someone was calling her, however she didn't want to hear it. But the vibrate slowly turned into a ringtone it was Fluttershy calling her. "Just leave... Me... Alone!" She yelled into the mirror again. Each of her eyes black for a moment. The rage swelled and expanded. To the point that it was going to explode. For two years, she had been dealing with her own torment. Wondering why it would not leave her, wondering what these dreams were. In the end she just wanted it to go away. Desperately clinging to the fact that she could change. She knew she could. She was sobbing now. Rage had enveloped and turned into sorrow. Curled up into a ball on the floor she was just crying. The phone had finally stopped ringing. But as a ringing in her ears just wouldn't stop. Her cries loud enough she couldn't hear herself think. So much stress so much hate. To think she thought today would be different, it was. It was worse than any other day. This world was full of judging and unforgiving creatures. Sunset wanted to leave but she had forgotten how. The thoughts of leaving continue to consume her mind as if something else was trying to get her to go. Nudging her towards leaving everything behind. Would leaving really help? It was possible that maybe she couldn't change in this world. The unforgiving nature of its species just wouldn't allow it. Maybe Equestria would be the better option? Sunset herd what sounded like her phone vibrating again. She sniffled as she raised her head slightly, the sound was not coming from her phone. It was coming from the mirror on her wall. She slowly Rose to her feet. Her eyes shifting to look at her mirror. There was no reflection just a swirling mass of colors now. Was this another dream? Or was this a chance? She couldn't take this chance, how does she know this is even real. Sunset looked away wanting to ignore it. The thought of the costume sunset lingered in her mind once again. That was When the Thought occurred to her. This isn't alternate worlds to the world she was born in. Therefore there were copies of each of everyone she knew from the Pony world here. Was it possible she could find out what was happening to her by finding out more about the version of her that lived here. After all the internet was a valuable resource and nowadays records of families and events were stored there. Especially if anything interesting happened or worth filing. Her eyes looked over at the swirling mass in her mirror once again. It still felt like it was calling to her. She resisted it, she wasn't going to fall to whatever it was. And not yet anyways. Her hand reached down and picked up her phone off the floor. Twilight Sparkle had insisted she learn. She had also said very specifically. Now's the Time to choose your own path or forever be alone, the choice is yours. Sunset wasn't about to be alone there had to be more to this. Or possibly she was overthinking things, it wouldn't be the first time she was in over her head. The dreams didn't make sense and when something didn't make sense she had to solve it. Sunset was used to studying so it was possible she could find a solution fast. However she would have to do her best to avoid distractions, such as her Newfound friends. There's no way they would understand the complications of what was going on in her head. She also just didn't want to get them involved. They could get hurt for all she knew. It was time to go to the library, after all she had never really purchased her own computer. The library on the other hand had computers people would use hourly. You would pay a certain amount and be able to use it for the amount of time you paid. The school was closed so she couldn't use the free to use ones at school. Then again they were restricted to certain sites so they wouldn't be of much use to her anyways. " Alright sunset we're going to figure this out."