From the Notebook: EQG Flash Crossover Experimental Scene 1

Hey, everybody. Another one of these posts. I’m in something of a jittery mood at the moment, and I had the sudden impulse to write something here. Maybe it’ll help work off the nervous energy, and hey, hopefully, you guys will get enjoyment out of it.

This is related to that EqG/Flash crossover concept I mentioned here and here.

What I’m going to write here is a prototype scene. Don’t expect it to be fantastic. After all, I’m writing a scene disconnected from its context.

SCENE: DECISIONS

After dinner, Sunset found herself pacing around the little guest room.

Maybe it was her emotional state, the ache in her chest whenever she remembered the way Sugarcube Corner had been trashed, or the looks on the Cakes’ faces. Or maybe it was the strange new magic pulsing just below the surface. Sunset wasn’t sure. But it was funny, the room didn’t seem quite so cramped as it had before. Now that she wasn’t bound to a wheelchair or crutches, there was just so much walking room. And yet, it still seemed too small. Her newly healed body ached to be set loose.

There was a knock at the door. “Sunset?” called Principal Celestia. “May I come in?”

Sunset froze in place. “Uh...sure.”

Quietly, the principal slipped inside. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.” She frowned, studying Sunset’s face. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Sunset answered quickly. “Just...a lot on my mind.”

Celestia took a seat at the edge of the bed, gesturing for Sunset to join her. “I know you must be upset about what happened to Sugarcube Corner. I went there all the time myself. But I’m sure things will pull through.”

“Not if the police don’t catch the gang,” Sunset muttered.

“We have to trust that they will,” answered the principal with a soft smile. “Now, there was something I wanted to give you tonight.” Getting up and retreating back to the hall, the pale woman returned with a small box. “Here.”

The former unicorn accepted the box clumsily, staring at it in non-comprehension. “I don’t understand,” she said flatly.

Celestia pushed the box toward her. “It’s a present.”

“B-But...” sputtered the teen. “But I don’t...I don’t deserve this. I was a terrible po...person. I--”

“Sunset.” The harshness of the response forced Sunset’s mouth closed. “I know you’ve had your struggles, and yes, perhaps it took a literal bolt of lightning for you to see it, but I see a girl that’s made tremendous progress. As far as I’m concerned, you deserve this.”

Warmth tingling in her chest, Sunset looked down at the box and carefully lifted the lid. The first thing she saw was scarlet red. Her fingers reached in, resting on the leather.

“I know your jacket got destroyed in the accident,” explained the principal. “And I could see how much that hurt you. So I got you a new one.” She smiled teasingly. “And I think it’ll go well with the boots Pinkie Pie got you.”

Sunset lifted the jacket out of the box, admiring it from every angle. She blinked away the tears that lingered in the corners of her eyes. “I love it.”

“I’m glad. Now, don’t stay up late, you hear me? Tomorrow might be Saturday, but you still need your rest.”

Sunset nodded. “Sure thing. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Sunset.”

Once the door was closed, Sunset leaned back on the mattress, hands propped between her head and the pillow. Sleep, she found, was hard to come by. No matter how she tried, the events of the day kept coming back.

”If I could find those jerks, I’d make them stop,” Rainbow had said.

They’d all been so devastated, especially Pinkie Pie. And the Cakes. Sugarcube Corner was as much their business as their home. And now that home was under threat by a bunch of thugs who didn’t think twice about destroying businesses that didn’t give them whatever they wanted. Sunset knew the type. She’d been the type. The chance that these guys would stop at small time demands was slim. And the gang was so large now.

If somebody could just find out their headquarters, maybe they could be taken down. But the police had been trying for months to contain these guys, and they hadn’t had any luck. But then again, a tiny voice in the back of her mind pointed out, they didn’t have magic.

“I can barely control it,” she muttered back. “I barely understand it. What, am I supposed to go out there and round them all up? I’m not a city guard. I wasn’t a trained fighter.” It was true. She wasn’t some battle-ready sorcerer. But...she had gotten into a few scrapes, even in Equestria. A few errand monsters on a trip. And she had dealt with some muggers before in her time here.

A light buzz went down her legs, magic itching for release.

She didn’t have her horn, or her magic. She couldn’t create shields or teleport or perform any spells. But Sunset was fast. Ridiculously, inhumanly fast. And she had a strong grasp of physics and motion. If she could just learn to handle it, she could potentially take down the entire gang. And if she did...

If she did that, the Cakes would be safe. Every business in the neighborhood would be safe. Pinkie would be happy. The girls would be happy. They had no reason to help her, not after what she’d done to them. But they’d taken pity on her. Helped her. Encouraged her to keep going with therapy. They helped her literally get back on her feet. And now, she had a chance to pay them back, and more.

As the waxing crescent moon rose higher into the sky, Sunset Shimmer made a decision. Pressing her ear to the door, she listened for the telltale lack of sound that indicated Celestia and Luna were asleep. That done, she quietly changed clothes. If she was going to do this, she’d need to hide who she was.

She’d exchanged her skirt for blue jeans, and slipped on the red boots Pinkie had gotten her, appreciating even more how they lacked the heels her other pairs had possessed. So much better for running. She found a pair of gloves easily enough, and slipped her new jacket over her shirt, zipping it up all the way.

The former unicorn took a moment to admire herself in the mirror, turning herself left and right. “Not bad,” she said. Red leather was definitely an odd choice, but on her, it really came together. Finally, she picked up her old motorcycle helmet, tying up her hair to fit completely inside it.

Silently, she opened the window, slipping out onto the darkened lawn. She took one last look back at the house. “Sorry, Principal Celestia, but I’ve got to do this.” Hopefully the woman would forgive her. Or ideally, never find out.

Sunset turned her attention to the open road, and with an internal whoop of joy, let loose the magic pent up inside her, rocketing into the night.

It was time to go shark hunting.

END SCENE

There’s the prototype scene. What do you guys think?