//------------------------------// // Part II: The Seedling of Redemption || Chapter 23: Sirens' Call // Story: Full Circle // by Sotharan //------------------------------// The next two weeks passed relatively uneventfully. The Rainbooms continued to practice regularly in anticipation of the Musical Showcase, and Sunset began to come to their rehearsals. She was learning how to set up and run the sound equipment, trying to do her part to support the band. When asked (which was fairly often) she would provide her thoughts on how they sounded, always trying to be encouraging and constructive. She even tried her hand at writing, as Applejack had suggested to her, but words just wouldn’t come. No…that wasn’t completely true. She had words. She just figured they were too dark and depressing to share. She was tempted, from time to time, to let Rainbow know that she played the electric guitar too, but then nothing had changed as far as she was concerned. She was still sure that joining the Rainbooms would ensure their permanent ostracism and inviability. She was also secretly afraid that they hadn’t asked her to be in the band on purpose, probably for the very same reason, and that if she asked they would say no. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to bear that. By the end of the third week of October, Sunset’s locker was being left alone and she was not being tripped or bumped in the hallways nearly as frequently as before. The novelty of bullying the bully was starting to wear off, though Sunset was still very careful about going anywhere alone. Her friends continued to keep an eye on her and did their best to make sure she always had a companion, but they could no longer cover her at all times. Their schedules were just too different. Sunset mitigated the risk by keeping to the more well-traveled hallways and staying in common areas. While she certainly had to endure a lot of hard looks and enforced solitude (if none of her friends were with her), there were generally faculty or staff in these places, and almost no one was willing to risk detention or suspension by trying to injure or humiliate her in front of a teacher. Still, even though she was in less fear of actual physical harm, it was a trying time for her – not only because of how bad she felt about herself, but because pretty much all her attempts to apologize and make amends with any of the other students met with failure, often spectacularly. One case in point was her attempt to apologize to Lyra Heartstrings for a number of things (cheating against her to win the Fall Formal in their sophomore year being the chief among them). Their conversation in the cafeteria, if it could be called that, went something like this: Sunset, tentatively: “Uh…Lyra?” Lyra: “OH. MY. GOSH.” Sunset: “…uh…” Lyra: “No, it’s ok, Bon Bon! Sit back down. I can handle this. Sunset Shimmer, why exactly are you talking to me?" Sunset: “Well, I really do owe you a big apology, and…” Lyra: “Save it!” Sunset, pausing, then: “…but don’t you want to…” Lyra: “No. I really don’t. Why, you might ask? Because I don’t believe you!” Sunset: “…I can understand…” Lyra: “Give me one good reason – one – why I should believe a word you say!” Sunset: “…um…” Lyra: “I am not a stop on your ‘apology train’, Sunset! It’s not that easy.” Sunset: “…it isn’t easy at all.” Lyra: “Figured that out, did you? Good for you! But that still doesn’t explain why you're still standing here!” Sunset: “…” Lyra: “Get lost!” And so Sunset, hanging her head, obediently shuffled away. Rarity came walking up to Lyra and Bon Bon at that moment – she hadn’t quite been in time to intervene, having just come into the other side of the cafeteria – but she had heard much of the exchange. “Did that feel good, Lyra?” she challenged angrily. Lyra was in no mood. “You know what, Rarity? It did. It felt great.” “I see,” said Rarity with an air of cold disappointment. “I’m just protecting myself. You’re the one willing to take the risk. She’s going to burn you, Rarity. Just like she’s done before. And you know what? I’ll be the better girl. When she does, you can come crying to me. Because unlike her, I’ll actually listen. I’ll actually try to care!” “You have no idea what you're talking about.” That was it for Lyra, who leapt to her feet. “Rarity, she almost killed you!” Rarity leaned close, almost in Lyra’s face. “Yes, darling, she did. Which means that if I can learn to forgive her, so can you!” Lyra’s eyes got as big as saucers, but Rarity wasn’t finished. “Do you know what she had in her backpack?” Lyra didn’t say a thing. She was still stunned by Rarity’s previous statement. “The crown from last year’s Fall Formal. She wants to give it to you. Formally. In front of the entire school.” Lyra’s eyes widened even further. Bon Bon gasped and looked up at her. “She already offered me the crown from last year’s Spring Fling,” Rarity continued. “Sunset’s not an idiot, Lyra. She knows her word is no good right now. She’s trying to apologize with actions. Maybe you can just give her a chance.” And, without another word, Rarity stormed off in the direction in which Sunset had gone, to try to pick up the pieces. On the other hand, the strength of Sunset’s relationships with Celestia and Luna continued to grow, and this was a source of deep comfort to her. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that before the Rainbow Wave she would have been unable to admit to herself how much she still longed to have a family – the desire to have a mother in particular she had suppressed for years, as an adoption from Princess Celestia had not been forthcoming. For their parts, Celestia and Luna were shamelessly enjoying themselves. It was wonderful to be able to express a desire they had both had for so long, but that had seemed so far from fulfillment. A large part of Sunset’s wonder at her new life situation was simply enjoying how happy she seemed to make her new mother and aunt. There were adjustments, of course. Settling on terms of endearment, for example, took a bit of trial and error, and more than once the two older women discovered that things their parents had called them just didn’t quite work in Sunset’s case. One Saturday in late October Celestia took Sunset to the mall to buy some warmer clothes, as the weather was starting to turn cooler. As during similar shopping trips before, Celestia was nearly beside herself with excitement, which Sunset regarded with a strange sort of grateful amusement. Totally losing herself in the moment as they entered the mall, Celestia turned to the nearest store, extended her hand, and joyfully said, “Come on, lamb!” Sunset froze, wide-eyed. Celestia, noting the absence of her daughter’s hand in her own, turned to look back and found Sunset staring at her with an expression that could best be described as bemused amazement. She immediately blushed with embarrassement, realizing she had made Sunset uncomfortable. It wasn’t that Sunset minded being called something that one usually called a much younger child – in her newfound humility she’d admitted to herself that she kind of liked that, because it made her feel loved. It was more of a…species issue. “Oh…I’m sorry, sweetheart. Um…perhaps where you come from…being equine and all…one doesn’t…” Celestia stuttered. Sunset suddenly burst out laughing, realizing the humor of the situation. As she got herself under control, she reassured her worried mother with a hand on her arm. “No…no…” she sputtered. Finally catching her breath, she explained, drawing closer and lowering her voice. “We ponies don’t generally refer to our foals as baby sheep. It’s not that we dislike sheep, they’re just…really passive." “Ah,” said Celestia, turning even redder. Sunset chuckled again. “You can call me that if you really need to. I know you weren’t trying to offend me or anything.” “Well, it’s just that my mom used to call me that, and Luna too. And for humans, lambs are creatures that represent, well, cuteness and innocence.” Sunset’s face fell instantly. “But I’m not innocent.” Celestia smiled at her kindly. “But you are repentant and earnest, and that is close enough for me.” Sunset’s smile returned, with a blush on her own face this time. “I…guess…” Celestia reached for her hand again, and Sunset allowed her to take it, her blush intensifying. “Perhaps I’ll just refrain from that one, for now at least,” said Celestia warmly. “There are plenty of other options, after all. Maybe you’ll give me some suggestions?” Sunset had no idea what to say to that. She just turned redder still and allowed her mother to lead her to the store. There was one last formal stage to Sunset’s discipline at school. The front door was complete. The suspension had been served. The tutoring of younger students was in progress. But the Friday before the week of the Musical Showcase, Principal Celestia called a special assembly. The student body gathered in the gym, since the funding for an actual auditorium was still only partially available. The whispers and murmurs were louder than usual, largely because no one had any idea what the assembly was supposed to be about – no one except the president of the student body, six members of the junior class, and two more juniors who didn’t know for sure but had a pretty good idea. The assembly was to be the last activity of the day. Behind the curtains, Celestia and Luna stood looking intently at Sunset. “Are you absolutely sure about this, my little sun?” Celestia asked her sadly. “Yes. Yes, I’m sure. Why…why would you ask that? Didn’t you say this was a good idea? Honorable, even?” “Yes, I did say that. But I’m not looking forward to this. Not at all. Can you blame me for that?” Celestia replied, almost morosely. “…No. No, I suppose not,” Sunset agreed, looking down. An alarm dinged from Celestia’s smartphone. She gave Luna, who looked no happier than she, a meaningful look. Thus, at exactly 2:50 pm, Principal Celestia took the stage, accompanied by her sister and, to the surprise of the gathered students, Octavia Melody and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie’s hair was flat and straight and there was no smile on her face. Celestia tapped the microphone, causing a short burst of feedback. “Good afternoon, students.” There was instant silence. The students of Canterlot High respected their principal, and her expression today successfully conveyed the message that trifling with her would be exceptionally unwise. “I know that I am all that is keeping you from the end of your day, so this assembly will be short and to the point,” she began. “Basically, we are here today to observe the righting of two wrongs that happened in the previous school year. It cannot have escaped any of your notice that a certain member of our junior class has been trying to make a change lately, and, as part of that change, she has recently admitted to, frankly, taking underhanded measures to ensure victory at both of the School Dances last year. These measures certainly counted as cheating, and violated a number of school rules, in addition to being mean and dishonest.” “I am not going to go into the specifics of what was done. Suffice it to say the following: first, Sunset Shimmer has come forward voluntarily. I want to stress this. This entire thing has been her idea, and she has not been coerced or forced in any way. Second, while I applaud Ms. Shimmer for coming forward and admitting the mean, nasty things she has done, as the chief administrator of this school I cannot completely ignore them. While what you are about to witness may allow Ms. Shimmer and the two girls she wronged to bury their hatchets, the rest of you may rest assured that Ms. Shimmer will face discipline under school rules that will be in addition to what she has already incurred in relation to this year’s Fall Formal, starting with being banned from participating in this year’s Spring Fling in any capacity. That being said, I have mitigated the additional discipline significantly because Ms. Shimmer has come forward of her own volition.” She paused for a moment to let this sink in. Celestia continued. “Vice Principal Luna is here as Chief of Discipline, and though I have been handling the matter of Ms. Shimmer personally, she approves of these proceedings. Also here to lend their blessing are your student body president, Ms. Melody, and the Head of the School Dance Planning Committee, for the third year running, Ms. Pie.” All three of them nodded at her. “Very well. Ms. Shimmer, you may come forward.” Celestia stepped away from the microphone as Pinkie took her place. There was complete silence. The only sound that could be heard was Sunset’s boots as she walked slowly out from backstage. Her head was down, and she did not look at the gathered students as she carried two large white boxes. She stopped next to Pinkie. “Lyra Heartstrings, Rarity,” Pinkie said into the microphone. “Please join us on stage.” Rarity came from backstage, where she had been waiting with Sunset and their friends. Lyra, now knowing exactly what was about to happen, came warily up the stairs from the gym floor where she had been watching with Bon Bon. The two young women stopped behind Sunset. Pinkie swallowed audibly. “Sunset…do you…publicly admit that you cheated during last year’s Fall Formal and Spring Fling, deliberately sabotaging the efforts of Lyra and Rarity?” she asked unhappily. “I do,” Sunset said quietly. Pinkie took a deep breath. It was obvious to everyone that she was not having any fun at all. “What do you want to do about it?” she asked. Again, in a small voice, Sunset spoke into the microphone. “I want to return the crowns, and I want them to be given to Lyra and Rarity, respectively.” There were a few gasps and murmurs from the students as she said this. “Anything else you’d…like to add?” Pinkie asked almost reluctantly. “Yes.” Sunset turned around and faced Rarity and Lyra. “Lyra, Rarity, I’m very, very sorry. I wish I hadn’t done the things I did to you both. I offer you both my humblest apologies.” Rarity met her eyes and gave her an encouraging smile. Lyra just stared in amazement. Sunset put the boxes down on the floor and opened the top one. There was the sound of rustling tissue paper, and then Sunset brought out the crown from the 2012 Fall Formal and, rising, handed it to Pinkie. Pinkie gestured to Lyra, who came forward, still looking totally stunned. “Lyra, as the Head of the School Dance Planning Committee,” Pinkie said, “I formally crown you the Princess of the 2012 Fall Formal. Your name will be put on the plaque at the front of the school and Sunset’s will be struck from it.” Then, Pinkie put the crown on Lyra’s head and stepped back a bit, indicating Lyra to the gathered students. The students clapped, uncertainly at first, but then with growing enthusiasm. Bon Bon cheered. Lyra looked like she didn’t know whether to smile or cry. After a minute or so, Pinkie led her to step back from the microphone. This was Sunset’s sign to bring out the second crown. Again, she bent down and retrieved the crown from the 2013 Spring Fling and gave it to Pinkie. Pinkie gestured to Rarity, who came forward. Pinkie said the words again, but this time to Rarity. “Rarity, as the Head of the School Dance Planning Committee,” Pinkie said, “I formally crown you the Princess of the 2013 Spring Fling. Your name will be put on the plaque at the front of the school and Sunset’s will be struck from it.” Again, Pinkie placed the crown on Rarity’s head and stepped back a bit, giving Rarity her belated moment in the sun. There was clapping and cheering again. “That’s better!” someone shouted. Rarity smiled and accepted the adulation. As it began to die down, however, she took the microphone. “There’s something I’d like to say,” she stated, looking at Celestia. Celestia nodded her permission. Rarity looked at Sunset. “Sunset…you’re my friend now, and I accept your apology. I forgive you.” And she spread her arms. Sunset wasted no time in accepting Rarity’s hug. It lasted for quite a while, and when the two young women separated, both were wiping away tears. The rest of the students watched in confusion. They didn’t know what to make of this – it seemed unbelievable that Rarity would forgive Sunset and become her friend, given all that Sunset had done to her. Celestia came forward again. “We are almost done – I have one last matter to clear up. I know what many of you are thinking: what about Ms. Shimmer’s win of the 2012 Spring Fling? In addition to questioning Ms. Shimmer herself, Vice Principal Luna and I have conducted an investigation, aided by Ms. Pie. We can say with certainty that Ms. Shimmer won the 2012 Spring Fling fairly, so she will be permitted to retain that crown and title. This concludes our assembly. Thank you all for coming; you are dismissed.” The gym erupted in uproar. Celestia ignored it, turning efficiently and departing into the backstage area with her sister in tow. Sunset fled too, but not without a tentative, pleading look at Lyra. Lyra just stared back – neither angry nor welcoming. Suddenly, she ran from the stage and out of the gym. Sunset sighed heavily, wiped away more tears, and continued backstage as both Pinkie and Rarity caught up to her and walked with her, their hands on her shoulders. The night of the 2013 Fall Formal. Three sweatshirt-clad young women sat at a nondescript table in an average diner in on the wrong side of the tracks in Canterlot City. But these three girls were anything but average or nondescript. Around them, the patrons of the diner argued and yelled at each other. Fist-fights nearly broke out between best friends. The atmosphere was more than tense – it was volatile and unstable. And the three girls sat at their table, the center of the storm, looking…bored. “That was barely worth the effort, Adagio. I’m so tired of ‘fast food’. I need an actual meal!” complained Aria Blaze, her purple and teal pigtails swaying as she shook her head. Adagio Dazzle rolled her eyes. “We’ve been over this so many times. The energy in this world isn’t as strong as in Equestria. We can gain only so much power here.” She turned and looked out the window, her huge mane of orange hair poofing out behind her. Aria slammed her hands on the table, making the silverware jump. “Ugh! I wish we’d never been banished to this awful place!” Adagio looked at her out of the corner of her eyes. “Really? I love it here!” Her voice dripped sarcasm, but, typically, her youngest colleague failed to grasp it. “For realsies?” Sonata Dusk asked with surprise, her high cornflower blue ponytail rising above her head like a question mark. “Because I think this place is the worst!” Aria emitted a deeply frustrated sound. “You’re the worst, Sonata!” “Oh yeah? Well I think you’re…” Sonata tried to retort, but she was interrupted by Adagio. “Ergh! I’ll tell you one thing – being stuck here with you two isn’t making this world any more bearable!” she bit out through clenched teeth. At that moment there was a flash of brilliant light. With a gasp, Adagio leapt to her feet and watched in amazement as two rainbow colored columns of light rose into the sky on the other side of town, wrapping around each other like a double helix. Without a word she ran out the door and stopped on the sidewalk, staring up at the light in wonder. Her two colleagues followed her and stood behind her, watching as well. The rainbow helix suddenly blasted a rainbow light beam down toward the ground, clearly hitting a target they could not see. A tornado of multicolored light rose into the sky above it. The three girls could not know that at that moment, on the grounds of Canterlot High School, before its ruined doors, Sunset Shimmer had met her match. The lights abruptly faded. Adagio turned back to her compatriots, her eyes wide. “Did you feel that?! Do you know what that was?!” Her two “sisters” shrugged their shoulders. “It was Equestrian magic! And some of the most powerful I’ve ever felt!” said Adagio, shaking her head in amazement. “But you just said this world doesn’t have Equestrian magic,” Aria pointed out. Adagio pulled herself up to her full height. She turned around and looked into the now quiet night sky. She smiled, but it was a death’s head smile. “It does now,” she purred. “And we’re going to use it to make everyone in this pathetic little world adore us!” She turned back to her sisters. “Whether they want to, or not.”