REPERCUSSIONS

An “Equestria Girls” fanfic

by Erin Mills

I don't believe this. I just... how?! How is SHE getting all this? After everything she did, everybody she hurt, she's suddenly everybody's favorite person and she's EVERYWHERE!

The Battle of the Bands. The Friendship Games. Camp Everfree. And now, she gets a bit part in the new Daring Do movie? Her? The girl who lived for nothing but making everybody who crossed her miserable and ruining them any way she could?

Oh sure, they SAY she's changed, that she's not that girl anymore. And yeah, okay, sure, that MIGHT be true, but that doesn't matter! She's nowhere near making up for everything she did!

What am I going to do about it? Everyone seems to have forgiven her and she and her friends have those magic superpowers now. I suppose I could call the government and report them... No. Even if they believed me, the other six would get hauled off with her. They don't deserve that, even if they have horrible taste in friends.

Maybe I should just let it go. She won, like she always does. And there's nothing I can do to convince anyone else that she still deserves what she has coming to her. God, I'd just love to punch her right in her smug face –

I guess I didn't really need the flashlight. Whatever it is, it's still glowing. Looks like it's in the flowerbed. Let's see here.

Wait, is that...? It is! I thought I lost that pendant months ago! That's right, I was helping weed the flowers when it disappeared. It must have gotten covered over with dirt when we were cleaning up. It never glowed like that before though.

These aren't the clothes I was wearing before! Wait. Am I... taller? What's going on?

Definitely taller. By about a foot. I don't think I'm hurt. Just... tingly. The hairs on my arms are standing on end. My fingernails are longer too. Purple polish on them. What?

Pink lighting just danced across my fingers. Hang on. The mall a few months ago. The kids at school were talking about some giant woman who was running amok destroying everything. HER and her friends were involved in that. One of them, some new girl no one had seen before, stopped her. Everyone said it was more magic.

Sunset Shimmer stretched and pushed her hands into the small of her back, being rewarded with a small pop as her spine went back in place. She let out a sigh of relief and walked back towards the back of the sushi restaurant she worked at.

“Koi?” she called, walking into the kitchen. “I took the garbage out and the floor's clean. Anything else?”

Koi Pond, the woman who ran the restaurant, looked over from where she was doing the dishes. “No, I think that's everything, Sunset. Thanks for staying late to close.”

Sunset walked over to the small bank of lockers where the staff kept their personal belongings. She took out her jacket, putting it on, and pulling her phone out of the pocket.

Hey, Rarity. I'm off work. I'll be waiting by the food court entrance to the mall.

She put her phone back in her pocket and punched out at the time clock. As she put her time card back in its place, her phone chirped and vibrated. Sunset pulled it back out.

Be there in ten minutes! Slight mishap here with Pinkie Pie and some bubble gum. Long story.

Sunset smirked and texted back a quick “I want details” message and put her phone away. “Okay, Koi, I'm leaving now.”

Sunset made her goodbyes, left the kitchen and exited out the front of the restaurant, ducking under the half-lowered security gate that covered the entrance when the mall was closed. She walked through the food court towards the exit. Most of the other eateries had already closed and were dark. She could hear the echoes of the night shift cleaning crew starting their duties coming from the other end of the mall.

As she reached the doors, she waved to Gold Shield, the night watchman who let everybody out of the food court exit when the mall closed. They exchanged a few pleasantries as he unlocked the doors for her, then wished her good night.

The evenings were starting to cool off, so Sunset zipped up her jacket and put her hands in her pockets. She thought about plugging in her earbuds and listening to music while she waited for Rarity but decided against it. She sighed and looked up at the clear night sky, absentmindedly fingering the red geode pendant she wore around her neck.

Things were actually going pretty well for her, all things considered. She was doing great in school, she had landed a pretty decent job at Koi's restaurant, the chill in the air meant the holidays were coming. Sure, there was still the problem of random magic appearing throughout the town, but those incidents had been few and far between, and the last major one had been Juniper Montage's rampage through the mall a couple of months ago. They still had no idea where the magic was coming from or how to stop it, but until they could get some sort of lead, the group had decided to deal with each issue as it came.

Sunset smiled to herself. Bubble gum. I know there's a story there. A good one.

As she amused herself imagining what sort of disaster had happened, someone spoke.

Sunset blinked and she looked to her side. A woman stood there, dressed in a long black overcoat. A floppy brimmed hat obscured most of her face.

“This whole reformed act you have going on,” the woman said. Sunset frowned. Something was off about her voice. It had an odd distortion to it. Not quite an echo, but similar.

The woman began walking towards her. “You have everyone at that school convinced you've turned over a new leaf. That you aren't the selfish, evil little bitch you used to be.”

Sunset's frown turned into a full expression of anger. “I don't know who you are, but I do know that you don't know me.”

The woman chuckled. “Oh, I know you, Sunset Shimmer. I know EXACTLY who you are. You're a mean, petty, vindictive little snot who's managed to con everyone into thinking you're something you're not. You may have all of them fooled, but not me. And I'm here to give you EXACTLY what you deserve!”

The woman thrust out her hand, and a bolt of pink lightning shot from her fingertips. Sunset yelped and dove to the side as the lightning struck the sidewalk where she had been standing. She quickly scrabbled to her feet and began running. Behind her, she heard the woman giving chase.

Need to find Gold Shield, Sunset thought. Most of the mall entrances would be locked, but if she could get around to the far side of the mall, where the parking garage was, she'd be able to get help.

Another bolt of lightning zipped past her, impacting right in front of her, sending up small pebbles of sidewalk in front of her. Sunset skidded to a halt and looked behind her. The woman was gaining and raising her hand to throw another bolt. Sunset threw herself to the ground. The bolt passed over her and smashed against the wall, leaving a huge scorch mark. The woman screamed in rage, giving Sunset a chance to get to her feet and resume running.

“GET BACK HERE!” Another bolt shot through the air, barely missing Sunset. She forced her legs to move faster, trying to put more distance between her and her pursuer.

She rounded the corner of the mall, another bolt shooting by as she cleared the turn. Sunset's lungs began to burn as her pace began to catch up with her. She forced herself to take a deep breath and redoubled her efforts. She blinked and realized there was a gap in the wall ahead of her.

Sunset allowed herself to grin as she reached the small alleyway that led to the entrance to the corridors reserved for mall employees. More importantly, those corridors were where the security and custodial offices were located.

Sunset skidded to a halt as a shadow passed over her, and the woman landed on her feet in front of her, blocking her only way to the corridor entrance. The woman's lips were curled into a sneer of frustration and anger.

“Nowhere to run,” she snarled. “And none of those 'friends' you hoodwinked into liking you around to help. Or are they actually as rotten as you are? Misery loves company, after all.”

Sunset's own expression hardened. She felt her fear turn to red hot anger. She could take it when someone wanted to call her out on who she used to be, but to even imply that her friends were just as bad as she used to be pushed every button she had.

“I know they either have poor judgment or they aren't the paragons of virtue they pretend to be. As a matter of fact, didn't the one with the glasses nearly destroy that school of yours a few months ago? Seems to show why you hang around with her, doesn't it?”

Sunset screamed and threw herself towards the woman. She collided headlong into her, causing the two of them to fall to the ground and roll down the alley. As they rolled, the woman's hat flew away. They came to a stop with the woman on top of Sunset, pinning her to the ground by her shoulders.

“What did I do to you? Why are you doing this?” Sunset demanded, trying to free herself. The woman's grip was iron, keeping Sunset down no matter how she struggled.

“You really don't know?” the woman asked. “You don't recognize me? Did it really change me that much?”

“I've never seen you before in my life!” Sunset bent her knees and placed her feet flat on the ground. She managed to get one hand up, intending to brace herself and use her knees to throw the woman off of her. But when her hand hit the woman's arm, the geode around her neck flashed red. Images and memories flooded her brain.

It only lasted a split second, but it was a bright enough flash to dazzle the woman, who let Sunset go and covered her eyes with her other arm. She broke contact with the teenager and got to her feet. She glared down at Sunset, who sat up and stared at her, fear and regret in her eyes.

Sunset felt tears start to form in the corners of her eyes. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!”

The woman straightened her coat and glowered down at Sunset. Now that she knew who it was, Sunset could recognize her, despite the changes that had happened. She looked down from the woman's face and her eyes widened at the glowing pink pendant that hung from the woman's neck. The light was too bright for her to make out the shape. She looked back up.

The woman's eyes flashed. She raised a hand, pink lightning crackling dangerously around her fingers. “I said... SHUT! UP!”

The lightning exploded into a blinding flash. Sunset closed her eyes and waited for the blow.

Rarity pulled her car up to the curb outside the food court entrance. She looked around, but didn't see Sunset anywhere. She frowned, got out her phone and dialed Sunset's number.

Rarity walked up to the doors, but found them locked. She put her hands on her hips and turned around, annoyance evident on her face. Her foot kicked a rock, which bounced away. Rarity looked down to see what her foot had hit, and her expression changed to puzzlement.

There was a hole in the concrete sidewalk. It was jagged and scorched around the edges, and small chunks of concrete peppered the area surrounding it. Rarity's frown returned and she looked around the area. She saw another scorch mark on the wall further away. She walked over and put a hand on it. It was warm to the touch and she thought she smelled ozone.

Suddenly an explosion of pink light appeared above the mall. Rarity put her hands over her ears as a massive roll of thunder sounded a split second later. When it passed, she opened her eyes and put her hands down.

Rarity dashed around the corner of the mall, trying to locate where the light had come from. It didn't take her long. Smoke drifted from the alleyway. Rarity entered the alley and stopped when she saw the body lying on the ground. She took a few tentative steps forward, then broke into a run when she saw the red-gold hair.

“Sunset? Sunset! Come on, darling, wake up!” Rarity lightly slapped Sunset's cheeks, trying to get her eyes to open. Sunset didn't respond. Her uniform was singed and torn in several places. Blood trickled from small scratches on her face. Rarity frantically put two fingers to Sunset's throat and let out a sigh of relief when she felt a faint pulse.

She was fumbling for her phone, while still trying to keep hold of Sunset when the door leading to the utility corridors opened, revealing Gold Shield. Rarity looked up at him.

Gold Shield quickly pulled out his own phone and dialed 911. “This is Gold Shield at the Canterlot Mall. I need an ambulance here now. Victim is a teenage girl. Multiple lacerations, maybe worse. She's currently unconscious and non-responsive. Right. Thank you.”

Gold Shield put his phone away and knelt down next to Rarity. “The EMTs are on their way. What happened?”

Rarity shook her head. “I have no idea. I just arrived to pick Sunset up from work. There was this explosion of pink light and I followed it here and... found her.”

Repercussions

by shallow15

Clocked Out