To start over

by Midnight_Song95


Chapter 39

Luna groaned aloud as she fished a bottle of Advil from her pocket, taking two without water before collapsing down on her couch, wishing that the holidays would hurry up and come so that she could take a break of all the craziness that had been a part of her job since the fall formal. Luckily most of the seniors don't give a damn about the rumors and gossip and are trying to keep people civil about it. Though I think we have Spitfire and Soarin' to thank for that. She thought with a sigh as she flipped on the TV, trying to drown out her thoughts. Though the only thing the documentary that was playing managed to do was make the vice-principal drowsy.

However just as she was dozing off the sound of her phone woke her up, electing a curse from her as she stumbled to hit the talk button. “What is it?” she practically growled into the speaker.

“Luna, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to come to take a prescription to be filled, I would but Sunset doesn't need to move around much with those bruised ribs.”

Luna sighed as she leaned back against the couch.

“First you leave me to deal with not one but ten teenagers, one which finally told the truth about what happened in the gym by the way and now you want me to play handmaiden to you?” she asked then sighed again “Of course I'll do it, how is the kid anyway? You practically tore out of there like a bat out of hell."

Luna asked, recalling how worried Celestia had seemed when she practically burst into her office.

“In pain and slightly out of it due to the pain medication that they gave her at the hospital. Did you find out anything?” Celestia responded with a groan “Why is it that everything crazy happens at our school?”

Luna burst out laughing at that question as she managed to reply “Not counting that an egotistical, manipulative unicorn brought a talisman into our world from hers? I'd say it was because of all the shit we did...They do say that Karma comes around twice.”


Sunset knew that she probably should be on that website, though she couldn't resist, she wanted to know what exactly was being posted, especially since she was being blamed for it. But it wasn't the posts from Anon-a-miss that bothered her, no it was the comments left on the posts.

People like you make me sick! You should be locked away somewhere and forgotten about!

Do you think you'll ever gain power again? Not gonna happen! No one is dumb enough to fall for the tricks of a demon!

Why do you even bother showing your face? No one wants you here! Why don't you leave? Or better yet, do the world a favor and kill yourself!

No one likes you! I bet those people who do let you hang around just does it to make sure that you don't turn into that monster again!

Go back where you came from!

You'll never belong here! Go back to where you came from! Or did no one want you there either?

Without even thinking about it Sunset tossed the phone across the room, the sound catching the attention of Celestia who rushed in not even five minutes after.

“Sunset? What happened?”

Sunset didn't respond as she tried to keep the emotions that she felt from consuming her. However when the pastel haired woman picked up the phone—which was miraculously was still intact after bouncing off the door—she got all the answer she needed.

“How long has this been going on?” Celestia asked her voice low but holding no room for argument as she moved to sit beside the girl on the bed.

“Since the fall formal. I mean I deserve it because I was such a terror but...” Sunset trailed off, feeling the knot forming in her throat.

“You may deserve the fact that not a lot of people trust you or want to hang around you because those are the consequences directly linked to your actions, however this is just as bad, if not worse than what you have done. This makes them no better than you were.” Celestia answered, reaching over to take her hand gently.

“Who or what exactly is Anon-a-miss?” she asked after a few minutes, unsure how to approach this whole mess.

“I don't know but everyone thinks it's me. I mean, Applejack and the others have given me a second chance when no one else would. Why would I target them for anything like that? Why would I jeopardize my friendship with the girls or....” Sunset trailed off as her eyes welled with tears, her mind finishing the part of the sentence that she didn't dare say out loud:

Or with you and Luna...I know you said you loved me but...I thought the others did too...and look where that kind of hope and trust landed me. I don't want to risk doing something that will prove to you that I'm not worth it.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by an arm snaking around her shoulders, pulling her against Celestia's side.

“I promise I'll look into this and see if I can't find out who it is behind it. This is the type of behavior I won't tolerate. I didn't tolerate it from you when you managed not to make it seem like someone else did it and I won't tolerate it now.”

Sunset hung her head at that reminder, though she knew she deserved the reminders of just how bad she had been at one point. However, a sudden light nudge against her uninjured side caused her to look up.

“Sunset, just because you have done bad things doesn't make you a bad person.” Celestia pointed out though the redhead shook her head.

“How can you be sure? I mean when I was put into that trance-like thing by Zecora's guided meditation the demon said it was a part of me! What if I really am a monster?”

She demanded, earning a sigh.

“Sunset Shimmer, what I see in you is a misguided individual who was so ruled by her bitterness, anger, and desires that she saw and felt nothing but a greed for power. You said the night after the fall formal that you didn't know there was another way. What did you mean by that?” Celestia asked in a voice that reminded the former unicorn of the princess.

“my body may have been on autopilot but I could see everything that was happening. I saw how those girls, despite having only known Princess Twilight for such a short time was willing to sacrifice themselves to protect her. I never knew that anyone could care about someone they just met that much...Nor did I think that friendship could make the magic that powerful.”

Pausing to take a breath Sunset glanced over to where the journal she had brought from Equestria sat on the table.

“I mean, not even the princess of light would act like a friend when I needed one and no one wanted to befriend the showoff orphan who didn't deserve to be the princess's personal pupil. It doesn't excuse what I've done because those where my choices, but I can honestly say I didn't intend to hurt anyone that night...and I would take back everything that I've done if I could.”

Celestia was amazed by the maturity that the girl showed at accepting responsibility for her past actions.

“And that Sunset, proves that you're not a monster. You'll have to talk to Zecora about this but I think that demon meant something else when it said it was part of you...Though I'm not as good at these kinds of things as Zecora.”

Sunset didn't look convinced as she pulled her knees up to her chest with a wince though she didn't pull away from Celestia.

“But what if she is? What if I get jealous or angry again and I turn into that....devil bat again?”

Celestia chuckled lightly at the question and lifted Sunset's chin so that she had to look at her.

“Sunset, if Jealousy and anger make someone a monster then everyone is one. I myself have been angry and even a few times jealous. Do these emotions sometimes make you do things you regret later? Yes, but that doesn't make you a monster...it makes you human.”

Sunset scoffed at that last statement.

“Yeah well, I'm not human,” she stated, glaring at nothing though to her annoyance and surprise Celestia chuckled again. Great now she is acting like the princess. Sunset thought though the principal's next words surprised her.

“Perhaps not but from what I have seen with both you and Princess Twilight and that is that our races really aren't all that different. Sunset, despite what everyone is saying you do belong, maybe you weren't born here but home isn't always where you're born or where you live. To many people home is where family is Sunset and you have that. Here with us.”

Sunset was about to respond when the sound of a car honking outside drew their attention away from the conversation. “that would be Luna, she went to pick up your prescriptions.” explained Celestia, earning a nod.

“You better go let her in or she may just drive through the door.” Sunset commented, hoping that the joke hid the emotion in her tone.

“You're right. How about you pick some movies for us to watch. I'll invite Luna to stay and we'll just relax for a while, okay?” her guardian offered, leaning close to press her lips against the girl's temple though this caused Sunset to go rigid as her mind flashed back to a time when someone had done something similar in the past.

Sunset closed her eyes as soon as she heard the door shut behind her guardian, trying to make sense of everything that she had just heard.

She said we're family but what exactly are we? The day that Luna brought those papers she looked angry...and she keeps reminding me that nothing between us can change. How can she keep doing things like this and not expect things to change between us? I...I wish...I wish that I could just ask someone about this but who could I ask. I can't risk offending Celestia and I'm not sure I can talk to Luna about this.