All That Shimmers

by Justice3442

Chapter 18: Bad Habits

I take a long hard drag out of the cigarette in my mouth and breathe out the smoke slowly. While I’m not usually one to give into vice unless said vice furthers my cravings for adoration and attention and cigarettes don’t really further that goal, they do help keep tiredness at bay somewhat.

“Wow… I had no idea you took up smoking.”

I shoot an annoyed glance at Flash Sentry, who wanted to talk to me alone and probably thinks he has some ex-boyfriend wisdom that’ll help me here. Given that my bathroom is currently occupied by three teens giving a much-needed bath to a demon-blooded goblin and my bedroom might give Flash some unwanted ideas, my patio seemed the best bet. Of course, I knew lighting up would invite this kind of irritation, but the ashtray and cigarettes were right there and not passing out from sleep deprivation also seemed like a good idea.

I lean my back against the railing and take another long drag then let it out. “Let me guess… I shouldn’t smoke because it’s bad for me?”

“Well… it is…” Flash says sheepishly.

Considering our past, I feel a bit bad for luring Flash into a situation where I yell at him, but I really need to let out the pressure of all the anger that’s built up over the last few days and getting snippy with Gaaabooo just seems to invite injury upon myself. “Hey! Guess what ELSE is super bad for you?!”

Flash sighs and crosses his arms across his chest. “Transforming into a demon,” he answers.

“TRANSFORMING INTO A DE…” I clamp up and fix Flash with another irritated glare. “YES!” I take a short drag and let it out in a snort… Oh, hello stinging nostrils! “Look. I’ve been operating off very little sleep and caffeine and nicotine have been my only friends the last few days.”

“What about, uh…?”

“Gaaabooo?!” I spit out. “I’m pretty sure I’d have an easier time befriending an angry grizzly bear.” I take a drag and breathe it out. “Probably hurt less, too…” I mumble as I run my free hand over a sore spot on my right hip.

“Well, even if you didn’t want to talk to me…”

“I didn’t. I don’t.”

Flash rolls his eyes. “You could have at least talked to the girls.”

My turn to roll my eyes. “Yes, I’ve only tried to kill them twice. I’m sure they’re practically jumping for a slumber party and a chance to talk about our feelings.”

Somehow Pinkie Pie sneezes so loud we hear her all the way through the bathroom AND the sliding glass doors.

“Okay… Well… Snips and Snails?” Flash asks.

“They’re not really the ‘talk about feelings’ or reading type, Flash.” I shake my head. “Plus having one or both of them around with all this demonology material seems like a good way to get a demon summoned.”

Flash smirks and nods. “A lot of that going around.”

I jab the cigarette butt in the ashtray filled with cigarette butts and fix Flash with stare that might even top any of the hundreds I gave him while we were dating, I can only imagine that the dark circles around my eyes help accentuate the glare.

“Okay, not funny,” Flash admits.

I nod, letting my eyes relax a little. “It really wasn’t.”

Flash scrunches his lips. “Principal Celestia, then?” He’s clearly grasping at this point.

“If I needed someone to silently judge me all the time, she’d be right at the top of the list!” I look through my sliding glass window and take note of Celestia who is, in fact, looking back and forth between me and my ashtray disapprovingly while Rainbow Dash, Snips, and Snails seem more focused on the bathroom door and Fluttershy looks at my couch as if she thinks she has a reasonable chance of hiding under it. “THERE! Like THAT!” I say, motioning to Celestia. “Exactly like that.” I feel my rage start to boil over and I don’t really feel like putting a lid on it, so instead, I grab the handle on my glass door, slide it open, and storm inside. “What?! WHAT?!” I yell at Celestia. “Afraid your student is slipping down a dangerous slope that will lead to injecting the weed?!”

Celestia seems moderately surprised by my outburst but stands firm. Most the others in the room take their focus away from Gaaabooo’s screaming and splashing coming from the bathroom and turn to Celestia and me.

I decide to turn up the heat.

“Afraid I’m going to start hanging out with the wrong crowd?! Oh no!” I say placing my palms against my cheeks. “I’ve already made friends with a demon-blooded creature! Soon I’ll be texting Balrog’s and inviting the devil over for sleepovers!”

Celestia just sighs. “Sunset…”

I throw up my hands in the air. “Next I’m going to have a Rosemary's Baby situation on my hands, or more accurately, in my belly!”

“Sunset,” she repeats.

“Better sprinkle some Chick Tracts all over my apartment! Or heck… Maybe you and your sister can put on some priest outfits and just exorcise the demon inside me! Oh, except, spoiler alert, Gaaabooo already told me that won’t work.”

Before Celestia can answer, the bathroom door opens up and Applejack walks out. She’s soaked to the points where the white of her shirt is clearly clinging to the bottom of her bra and her face is sporting a few scratches around her orbital sockets and a bruised cheek and clearly the girl had has taken liberal use of the first-aid kit in my bathroom with the reddened gauze and bandages wrapped around her forearms. She walks straight up to Rainbow Dash and puts a hand on her shoulder. “Tag out,” she says.

“Huh?!” Rainbow Dash replies.

“Tag out!” Applejack repeats. “I need a break from that weird little critter otherwise someone is gonna end up dead, either him or me.”

Rainbow Dash holds her hands palms up and frowns heavily. “But… but… It was starting to get good out here!”

Applejack shakes her head. “Don’t care. Rarity and Pinkie still need help!”

Rainbow Dash looks around. “Why can’t Fluttershy, go?”

Fluttershy lets out a nearly inaudible response that’s little more than a terror squeak with an expression to match.

“… Okay… Just forget I said that,” Rainbow Dash says. “How about Flash or Snips and Snails?”

“‘Cause with all the splashing it looks like a wet t-shirt contest in there!”

To his credit, Flash only looks up from the sliding glass doorway with mild interest. Snips and Snails show nowhere near as much decorum.

“We don’t mind!” Snips says. “We’d be happy to help!”

“Yeah! Happy!” Snails chimes in.

“No!” comes the resounding reply from most the females, including me.

Rainbow Dash lets out a defeated sigh. “I’m going. I’m going…” she says as she opens the bathroom door, immediately gets hit in the face and the chest with a bunch of water as Gaaabooo cackles maniacally. Rainbow Dash lets out a snarl, quickly storms inside the bathroom, and closes the door behind her. The muffled sounds of Gaaabooo’s struggling, Rarity’s commands, and Pinkie’s giggling continue.

“So, uh…” Applejack pipes up. “What’s this hullaballoo about in this part of the apartment?”

Without missing a beat, I reply with, “Just wondering when someone is going to try and fix me through ridiculous religious pamphlets and dumb comics. You wouldn’t happen to have some would you?” I wave a dismissive hand about. “Oh silly me, why’d I even ask?! Dumb hillbilly like you, of course you do!”

Flash cringes, Snips and Snail snicker, and Fluttershy seems to start looking for a place to hide in my small apartment.

Applejack’s face tightens. “Now wait just a cotton pickin’ minute!”

I smirk. “You mean ‘apple’ picking moment, right? Look, I hate to interrupt your busy day of brainless labor by making you take time to educate a heretic city gal.” I put on a skin-crawlingly bad southern accent and swing a fist in front of my chest. “But Ah guess when that ther demon fellow is done with his bath y’all can prep it for a good ol’ fashion baptism!”

Applejack grits her teeth hard and takes a few deep breaths. “If Twilight didn’t tell us to be friends with you…”

I smile wide and stupidly. “Is it time ta get yer lynchin’ rope?!”

Fluttershy lets out a tiny squeak of terror and hides behind Flash while Snip and Snails seem unable to contain their giddiness as to what is assuredly going to be a ‘cat fight’. Except Applejack doesn’t look like the hair pulling, slapping type.

Good. Neither am I. In fact, a little smashing someone’s face in seems to be just what I need right now.

Applejack’s face loosens well past anger and into a state where it’s clear she’s about to take a swing. I clench my fists, glance at my desk, then back at Applejack and prepare to break a few bones.

“Sunset, I can really use a cigarette,” Celestia says.

And just like that, everyone brains clearly short circuits, including my own. All eyes turn to Celestia. Perfect Principal Celestia and she’s just looking back at me as if she said nothing more innocent than asking where the bathroom is. She might as well asked if I had any spare children she could devour.

“So, er… Should we come inside, or…?”

Flash Sentry, everyone. Master of timing.

Wordlessly, I shoot Flash an irritated glance that gets him and Fluttershy moving. Fluttershy clenches the back of his jacket tightly, her face pressed hard against his jacket as she follows him inside. Celestia and I make our way to the patio. I slide the door behind us, produce a half-full pack of cigarettes from my jacket, and momentarily wonder if ‘half-full’ in this case makes me an optimist or a pessimist. I take out a cigarette out of the box, stick it in my mouth, then pull a lighter out of my jacket. After lighting the cigarette, I take a quick puff and pass both box and lighter to Celestia. “So this is the part where you partake in some reckless teenage behavior and tell me you were young once,? That way I’ll stop seeing you as a boring, old authority figure and think you’re cool, right?”

“Kindly f*%# off, Sunset Shimmer,” Celestia answers as she places a cigarette in her mouth and lights it.

I clearly was not prepared for today. Judging by the looks on the faces on the other side of the glass, no one else was either.

For a little bit, neither of us say anything. Celestia stares out at my limited view, little more than a pathway of grass in between other apartments. I watch as she takes a few puffs of her cigarette. She clearly tries and fails to hold back a cough here or there, but to her credit she doesn’t double over or anything in a fit or anything like that. Eventually, I too settle for staring out at the grass.

“I have no idea what to do here, Sunset,” Celestia admits once I start to feel like I’m settled a bit. “I mean, not really. Sure, I’ve had plenty of experience doing stupid teenage stuff when I was younger or dealing with a student who seemingly rather be interested in anything else than going to school… But I didn’t come here to pretend I’m used to having a student who’s from another world and can transform into a demon.” Celesta turns to look at me. “I honestly thought things couldn’t get any weirder than after the night of the Fall Formal, and hopefully you thought the same, but it sounds like things have gotten pretty f*#%ed up and I just don’t know what to do.”

I don’t know if Celestia showing some vulnerability here is a calculated attempt to get me to let my guard down, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t working.

… That was a poor choice of words.

I let out a sigh. “Look… I’m sorry I’m not going to school, but—”

“Please don’t insult me by suggesting I came here to drag you away from trying to fix your demonic issue because you’re missing some algebra and dodge ball.”

I glare daggers at Celestia. “Calculous. I’m in Calculous and only because that’s as high as math goes at Canterlot High. I’m not stupid, you know.”

“I know! I know!” Celestia exclaims as she waves her hands about. “You’re bright, Sunset. Probably the smartest student at school. Maybe even the smartest person at school.”

I frown slightly. “Not being a person originally, I’m not sure how to take that.”

Celestia leans on the railing and turns away. “This is where I start going all after school special on you.”

I sigh again. “Well… At least your cognoscente of it… Let me have it.”

“You’re smart, but for someone who prides themselves on manipulation, you’re sure being dumb about this whole thing.”

I… just… what? “… Okay, you’re going to have to explain that. If you think staying in a small apartment and spending lots and lots of time is some sort of ploy by Gaaabooo, then, well… You should try spending some time with him and see how much he seems to enjoy it.”

Celestia shakes her head. “I doubt very much this is some sort of strange ploy from your, er… new friend.”

“Well… What then?” I narrow my eyes. “You think trying to figure out a way to get rid of this thing inside me is what it wants?”

Celestia looks back at me and shakes her head. “I didn’t say that, but I’m going to hazard to bet you're unwittingly doing its work for it.”

I fold my arms in front of my chest and glare at Celestia indignantly. “Oh, really?! Since Gaaabooo and I have started this I haven’t had any crazy nightmares about it or transformed or anything!”

“Have you even tried sleeping?”

“I, uh… I catch a little bit here and there…”

Celestia sighs. “Let me guess… You pass out while you’re working and wake up and just keep on going.”

“So what if I do?! How the hell would you know if that’s what the thing is after?”

“This is just a guess, mind you, but as far as I can tell, you’ve alienated yourself from your friends and kept yourself up long enough that you’ll snap at the slightest provocation.”

I roll my eyes. “So, I’m acting exactly like I usually do?”

“Yes, damnit!” Celestia exclaims. “You’ve fallen into the same bad habits that lead you to destroy the school entrance and try to take over an entire planet… Which is a sentence I never dreamed I’d say out loud… The point is before you were trying to be a better person and now you’re… well… not.”

I take a few deep breaths and stare hard at Celestia, my emotions swirling around like they’ve all been thrown into a blender. I want to scream at her, break down and start crying, and hug her all at once.

...Really wish that was unusual for me dealing with the ol’ Princi-pal.

Celestia doesn’t give me a chance to pick one of the options. Instead, she puts out her cigarette and continues, “You’re more than just irritable, Sunset. You weren’t just trying to start a shouting match with Applejack in there. I saw the look in your eyes right before I asked for a cigarette. You wanted to fight her… No… You wanted to hurt her… bad. You were going to smash her head into your desk, Sunset! You planned to hospitalize Applejack, if she was lucky. Now, I know you’ve done some pretty unkind things, but I’ve never known you to physically injure another student.”

The breath catches in my lungs and feel my blood go cold. At the time, the thought of beating Applejack into a bloody pulp felt so natural I didn’t even think twice about it, but Celestia’s right. I’ve blackmailed and manipulated plenty of students, but I’ve never had to lay a hand on them.

I put out my cigarette and lower my head. “So… What…? I should just take a nap?”

“Take a nap, even sleep for an entire day. Spend some times with your friends… Apologize to Applejack.”

I groan. “Those last two really do sound after school special.”

Celestia opens her mouth to respond.

“Which is why you’re probably right,” I respond in an irritated fashion. “I’m sure demon-me hates this cheesy garbage even more than I do.”

Celestia closes her mouth into a small smile which makes me angry, but it’s a familiar anger that I know exactly where it comes from. “Oh don’t give me that look!” I exclaim.

“What look?”

“The, ‘I was right all along’ look.”

“Sunset, how can you possibly—”

“I just do, okay! Just… Magic pony stuff, alright?”

“… Fair enough, I suppose…”

The sound of a door being slammed open followed shortly by the nasally cries of Gaaabooo suddenly intrude upon my heart to heart with Celestia. Honestly, I’m not sure if this is a welcome or unwelcome development.

“I will rip open your bellies and start juggling with your organs while you all watch!”

However, it certainly sounds like Gaaabooo has caught his second wind and it’s a development that requires my attention. I open the door and step into the crowded living room area as Gaaabooo is brought kicking and screaming, a towel expertly tied around his waist. Holding his arms are Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, wet towels wrapped around their chests. Rainbow Dash has seemingly avoided Gaaabooo’s nails and fists a bit better than Applejack did, but she still has the odd gauze wrap and blood stain on my towel. Pinkie just looks wet and slightly bruised. Rarity takes up the rear of this soaking wet and blood splattered possession. Seemingly having avoided any injury, but the towel around her chest and state of her clothes clearly show she hasn’t avoided the water.

Rarity sighs and looks at me apologetically. “I’m sorry Sunset, I’ll make you some new towels. I promise.”

“This isn’t helping my stress levels!” I shout.

“Your stress levels?!” Hisses Gaaabooo. “To Hell, literal fiery Hell, with you and your problems, lady! Your very lumpy friends here just violated me!” he says as he struggles in Pinkie and Rainbow Dash’s grip, even going so far as to try scratching them with his toenails, which I note, have been trimmed and polished.

I level an accusatory index finger at Gaaabooo. “You especially!”

“GOOD!”

I shake my head. “Not good! I was ready to smash Applejack’s face against my desk until her skull caved in.”

I can practically feel the tension in the room thicken with that line, but Gaaabooo simply replies with, “AGAIN, GOOD! WE CAN TAKE TURNS!”

“No, Gaaabooo! I think… I think this is uh… Pushing me to the dark side, if you catch my meaning.”

Gaaabooo stops struggling and looks at me quizzically. “Explain… And this time do it without making a bigger ass of yourself than you already are.”

I huff out a sigh. “This staying up… Getting angry… Wanting to hurt people…” I close my eyes and take another breath. “I think the demon inside of me wants all this and… well… I don’t think that’s good for anyone here… Even you.”

Gaaabooo puts on a ponderous expression then glares up at the girls holding him. “Put me down!” he orders.

Rainbow Dash glares down at Gaaabooo. “Not until you prom—”

“Okay!” Pinkie replies cheerfully as she simply lets Gaaabooo down.

“Pink-AH!

Let loose by Pinkie, Gaaabooo swings towards Rainbow Dash, opens his mouth, and bites her mid-section. Thankfully, because she’s wearing a towel it looks like the hard bite will leave little more than tooth shaped a bruise.

Ouch though.

Rainbow Dash releases Gaaabooo and he takes a few steps towards me, taking care not to step on any of the books on the ground. “So… What? You’re just going to give up?”

I swing my right fist into Gaaabooo’s face with a force I didn’t know I had… probably more force than I should have. He reels backward slightly as practically everyone lets out audible gasps. Admittedly, it felt good, real good, to let Gaaabooo have it after days and days of his abuse, and right now I want nothing more but to keep hitting him until he never hurts me or misspeaks to me again.

But I push past that feeling and lean down, putting my face right in front of Gaaabooo’s before he has a chance to hit back. “Don’t you ever suggest that I’d just give up ever again!”

Anger flashes through Gaaabooo’s eyes and for a moment, I think he might hit me back…. Or worse… However, the moment seems to pass and instead he gives me a smile that’s all shark teeth which are also a couple inches from my face.

I stay in place. Hopefully, a little show of force will impress Gaaabooo and I won’t get my nose bitten off.

“Alright, Sunset Shimmer,” Gaaabooo practically coos out. “So if you’re not giving up, what’s the plan?”

Thank you, merciful God!

… Did I really just think that?

I turn to face the others, “First, I owe Applejack an apology.”

“This plan is stupid and you ar—”

“Shut up, Gaaabooo!” I reply without turning. “This doesn’t concern you.”

Gaaabooo falls silent.

“Applejack? I’m sorry,” I say, hopefully sounding sincere. “I’m just… I’m a bit messed up right now, alright? Still, that doesn’t give me the right to say what I said.” I swallow. I’m really putting myself on a limb for this next part… but with Celestia here… I mean… Applejack probably will be okay after that apology… I hope. “That wasn’t something a friend should say to another friend and again… I’m sorry.”

Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation, the anxiety, or the demon blood in me, but I feel my stomach do some pretty crazy somersaults at the end of my apology.

Thankfully, Applejack just smiles and nods. “Sure Sunset. Yer forgiven. I reckon a little rest and you’ll be right as rain.”

“Except for the demon inside her,” quips Fluttershy.

Everyone turns towards Fluttershy who looks like she’s trying to pull herself into some sort of yellow, quiet singularity.

“I’ll just go back to not saying anything…” Fluttershy says.

“Are you done?!” Gaaabooo’s nasally voice cuts in. “Because that took forever.”

I turn back to Gaaabooo. “Second part of the plan is I get some sleep.”

Surprisingly, Gaaabooo lets out a yawn himself. “That part’s not bad, what’s next?”

“That depends,” I say, “Does Celestia have a stupid ‘I was right all along’ smile on her face?”

Gaaabooo leans to the right and frowns slightly. “Which one is Celestia?”

“The tallest one.”

“Yes,” Gaaabooo answers with a nod. “Yes, she does.”

I nod. “Okay, if she doesn’t stop smiling in the next few seconds, you have my approval to savagely maul her a little bit.”

Gaaabooo’s frown only deepens. “She stopped smiling,” he says, adding “shoulda just asked me to attack her…” in a mumble.

“Good. Uh… I guess the next part of the plan is I hang out with my friends a little bit? Then we can keep on researching here.”

“… Do I count as a friend?” Gaaabooo asks.

I narrow my eyes. “Still thinking that one over, but I’m going to say ‘no’ for purposes of this conversation.”

“GOOOOOD!” Gaaabooo replies without the least bit hint of disappointment in his voice.

“Yay!” Pinkie cheers happily. “That means you can come to the bake sale!”

I stand up and turn towards Pinkie. “What?”

“We came to invite you to help us at a bake sale we’re running tomorrow!” Pinkie says in her typically bubbly tone.

“Ugh… Hard Pass.” I reply.

Without missing a beat, Celestia sun-butts in. “It’s to help raise money to repair the front of the school.”

I raise a finger and open my mouth as if to protest, but no sound comes out. Instead, I just find myself glaring at Celestia. “Damn you…”

Celestia narrows her eyes slightly. “Language, young lady. And, yes, I’m aware of the hypocrisy!”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not as young as you think and also this is my house you’re standing in.” A wicked grin spreads across my face. “In fact, I feel it’s about time for a case of Tourette's syndrome, sailor edition!”

“You tell her, Sunset Shimmer!” Snips exclaims, pumping a fist into the air.

“Yeah!” Snails chimes in. “Tear that b!%@# a new one!”

Everyone’s eyes go wide and turn to stare at Snails. Slowly, the exuberance drains from his face and he shuffles behind me.

“Aaaaaand moment’s past…” I say.

Celestia raises her voice slightly. “All three of you bear partial responsibility for what happened to the school. I don’t expect you all to do any more masonry, but you can at least help raise some funds to make up for the damage you caused.”

I snort. “Right, because raising a few hundred dollars should just about cover the utterly destroyed doors and stonework of the crushed entrance!”

Celestia just scowls at me and folds her arms across her chest. The look dredges up many unpleasant memories from somepony else who’d give me that exact look when it was clear I was in the wrong. This, in turn, gives me a great urge to start screaming, maybe even throw some things… Then maybe I’ll rip off a few faces with my bare claws and laugh to myself as everyone screams and screams but instead, I throw up my hands and say, “Fine! I’ll go!” because what the frickin’ HELL?! “Now if you’ll all excuse me, I guess you can figure out who's staying to stand watch while I get some sleep.”

“... the heck would we need to do that, for?” Rainbow Dash asks.

“Because I just punched Gaaabooo in the face and want to make sure he doesn’t try to immolate me in my sleep.”

Gaaabooo looks up at me. “Are you trying to earn my respect?”

“N-”

“Because it’s working…”

“… Whatever…” I look around the rather cramped apartment. “Uh… I don’t suppose you could, uh, just teleport in your own bed? I mean… People probably need the couch for—”

Gaaabooo suddenly turns and walks into my bedroom. For a moment, I think he’s going for my bed and that he and I are about to have a few more words or physical blows over who gets to sleep where, but instead, he slides open my closet, nabs whatever shirts, pants, and frickin’ dresses I have hung up, and unceremoniously throws them to the ground where he decides to collapse on the pile.

Rarity lets out a squeal of distress at the mistreatment of my clothing which probably mirrors how I feel except I’m a lot more pissed off. Still, I’m opting out of listening to whatever it is inside me that’s telling me to pummel Gaaabooo and instead walks into my bedroom and fling myself face down on my own bed.

“Albino pampering servant girl!” Gaaabooo calls out.

“I beg your pardon?!” Rarity replies.

“Get me some furs or something to cover myself up with!”

“Now see here! I will not—“

I intervene, “Just grab my spare sheets and throw them on him or something, Rarity.”

“But—”

“You forced him to take a bath and obviously subjected him to a few other hygienic practices he didn’t want. I think you owe him this at least.”

Rarity sighs. “Oh… Very well,” she says begrudgingly.

Whatever happens next must placate Gaaabooo because he shuts up. I take off my boots and jacket then crawl under my covers, passing out almost immediately.