Sunset, clad in her new blue and red school uniform, walked around the halls of her new school, she has just finished moving into her dorm and had some time before classes began...
Wait! Wait! Hold up! Dorm? I thought you lived in Canterlot?
I do and did even back then Rainbow. All magic schools have dorms for students who travelled from far away to attend, couldn't live at home, or wanted focus on their studies in independence.
But darling, you were only just six years old!. Isn't that a bit young to be living in a dorm, even for magic school? What were your parents thinking?
My parents...wanted me to develop an early sense of independence. Never-mind that! So anyway, it was my first day at magic school...
Sunset wandered around the centuries old school full of artifacts and portraits of famous mages who studied there, including the school's founder: Starswirl the Bearded. Sunset continued to wander around, her six year old mind trying to taking in everything around her when she heard a *thud* coming from the next hall. Sunset leaned her head around the corner and saw two girls just a few years older than herself in front a girl Sunset's age sprawled on the floor. From the tears in the younger girl's eyes and the older girl's laughs, it wasn't too hard to figure out what happened.
"Aww look, the poor baby's crying." One of the older girls said in a mocking voice and the younger girl struggled to hold in her tears.
"P-Please leave me alone." She whimpered, struggling to gather her scattered books.
"Oh what was that? Guess I have trouble understanding freaks like you!" Older girl #2 said shortly before she kicked the stack of books and eliciting more tears from the younger girl.
Sunset had had enough and marched up to the laughing girls and yelled at the top of her lungs, "LEAVER HER ALONE!" Startled both girls turned around to see a fuming Sunset.
"What's your problem shrimp?" Older girl #1 asked, annoyed at the interruption.
"My 'problem' is that your picking on a defenseless girl who's even younger than you!" This caused older girl #1 to roll her eyes.
"Well she wouldn't be so 'defenseless' is she used her magic. After all this is a school for 'gifted mages' right? So why doesn't she just use her magic?"
"Maybe she just doesn't want to make you look bad!" Sunset boasted. "Now you leave her alone or else!"
"'Or else' what?" Older girl #2 asked Sunset condescendingly. Sunset smirked and used her magic to cast the illusion of a giant, growling bear standing upright behind her. The older girls' eyes widened and they shrieked and rushed down the hall away from the fake bear. As soon as they were out of sigh, Sunset dropped the illusion and focused her attention to the girl still on the floor. She looked , her violet eyes wide with amazement at Sunset. Sunset helped the girl to her feet and decided to introduce herself.
"Hi, my name's Sunset Shimmer. What's yours?" The other girl quickly realized Sunset was speaking to her and shyly introduced herself.
"I-I'm Twilight. Twilight S-SParkle. This is my first day." Sunset widened her eyes as she realized who she was talking to. "You're Twilight Sparkle?! The one who caused a dragon egg to hatch and grow?" Twilight nodded nervously. Sunset became excited, "We're going to be tutored together! Did they tell you that?" Twilight eyes widened with recognition and nodded again, a small smile forming on her face.
"This is so cool, we are going to have so much fun! By the way what king of dragon did you hatch? Soitheamh or fiadhaich?" Sunset asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Soitheamh. Her name's Morrigan. She's in the dragon stables if you wanna see before class starts." Twilight said, her smile growing. Sunset nodded repeatedly and dragged Twilight towards the stables.
From that day on, a beautiful friendship grew between Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer. They studied together, hung out at Twilight's house and Sunset's dorm, they even had sleepovers. Twilight's family even became something of a surrogate family for Sunset, and they treated her as if they were her own daughter. They enjoyed studying under Celestia and Luna too, with all four becoming quite close. Sunset helped Twilight from bullies and Twilight gave Sunset some stability when Sunset's own paren't weren't around. Because of their focus on studying, they were isolated from the other students and only had each other, but that's all they needed. Twilight held Sunset's hand as they buried Sunset's rat familiar when they were ten, and Sunset hugged Twilight while she cried when her beloved grandmother passed away when they were twelve. Overall, they were the good years. But they all came to an abrupt end when they were thirteen; just about to start high school...
After a few years of magic school, Twilight and Sunset reached the point where most junior magic students decided whether to continue their magical studies there, or try their luck while interacting with regular humans at a regular high school. Celestia and Luna began to worry, lately Sunset had been getting reckless. Asking about dangerous spells and practicing spells that were dangerous even for older mages, and frankly becoming more rude and insulting to her teachers and fellow students. She became isolated from everyone except Twilight. While they began to have doubts for Sunset, they could only hope Twilight wouldn't follow her best friend down the same dark path.
One day while Twilight was studying in the library when she heard something from the forbidden section. She glanced at the librarian, who was sound asleep. Deciding to put aside her desire to follow the rules and investigate, she quietly walked up to the door of the forbidden section. Strangely, the door was slightly ajar. Twilight knew that only certified mages were allowed in there as it contained books and scrolls on dark magic. Pushing the door a little further open, Twilight peeked inside and was stunned at what she saw.
There, surrounded by a pile of open books was Sunset, studying one of the books intensely.
"Sunset?" This caused said girl to look up in alarm, though she calmed down when she saw it was only Twilight. "Oh, hey Twilight."
"What are you doing?! You know we're not allowed in there. Now put those books back and let's go." Sunset however just shook her head defiantly.
"No! It's not fair that they get to hide all this magic from us! We deserve to learn it."
"But Celestia and Luna said we weren't ready for that kind of stuff. Besides, they said the stuff in those books could really hurt people! I don't want to hurt people!"
"But we are ready! Can't you see how they're holding us back? We could be great! There so much knowledge and power here just for the taking!" Twilight was so conflicted, she didn't like arguing with her best friend, but she also knew the dangers of what she was doing.
"I-I gotta go..." Twilight quickly left the library, feeling Sunset's gaze pierce her back as she left.
Eventually Sunset just rolled her eyes and went back to work. Figures Twilight would be too much of a rule stickler to realize her potential. But there was no way she could of predicted what would happen later.
While she was going through another book, the doors slammed open, making her jump with surprise. Standing there, were Celestia and Luna along the headmistress of the school and two guards.
"Sunset Shimmer! Just WHAT in the world do you think your doing?!" Celestia demanded angrily.
"What are YOU dong?! Denying me the knowledge to become great? Keeping all this power to yourselves? You know I'm ready! I deserve to be taught this!" Sunset retorted, her eyes burning with anger.
"You could have been great. I though we saw compassion compassion and sincerity in you, but it was nothing but ambition and selfishness. We have tried to tach you what you need to know, but you have constantly turned away from it. Knowledge and power must be earned." Luna said sternly and nodded toward the headmistress. The headmistress in turn gestured toward the guards and each grabbed hold of Sunset's arms and began to drag her away. As they were leaving the library, Sunset saw a very worried looking Twilight trying to hide behind one of the doors. This caused Sunset to unleash her fury.
"YOU?! You told on me?!" Sunset screamed, feeling betrayed and started fighting against the guards. "I'm sorry Sunset! But you could've been hurt and I didn't know what else to do!" Twilight pleaded, trying to reason with her. But Sunset just continued to glare daggers at her and as the guards dragged her away.
"You'll regret this Twilight Sparkle! You'll see! As soon as I have the power I'm coming for YOU first!" Sunset's threats faded as she and guards lest.
Twilight continued to stand there, tears running down her cheeks as she realized she had lost the only friend she ever had. She continued to cry long after Celestia and Luna came out to comfort her.
Sunset was unceremoniously kicked out of magic school and sentenced to juvenile hall for the next few months to deal with her "issues".
Twilight's parents decided it was for the best that Twilight left magic school and all the memories it held and enrolled her in her older brother's own Alma Mater; Crystal Prep Academy. Sunset herself was enrolled in Canterlot High after she got out so Celestia and Luna could continue to keep an eye on her.
Twilight and Sunset would not meet again until a few years later.