//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Donuts // Story: Sunset Past the Horizon // by Ponealone //------------------------------// Sunset leaned against the side of Flash’s red convertible with her arms crossed. “She’s still not here. Maybe she’s not gonna show up.” “Hang on, let me send another text.” Flash began typing on his phone. “I wonder if Fluttershy wants to come. I still haven’t told her about the new Twilight.” Sunset tapped at her phone. Sunset’s phone buzzed immediately. “Oh, Fluttershy can’t make it. She has volunteer work at the animal shelter.” “What’d she think about Twilight?” “No way am I gonna tell her over text. I wanna see her face in person when she finds out.” Sunset grinned at the thought. Sunset’s phone buzzed again. A picture of Fluttershy cuddling a bundle of tiny calico kittens appeared on the screen. The kittens were batting at her pink dangling bangs while she laughed with an overjoyed expression. Fluttershy followed up with an explanation, “One of our mommy cats had her kittens last week!” There was no way Sunset could keep a straight face. She burst into laughter. “Hey Flash look at this.” She showed him the picture. “Ha ha, that’s cute.” “I know right? Fluttershy is just too precious. Looking at her adorable little smile makes me wanna…” Sunset was interrupted by a blue blur followed by a low metallic thud. “Heyy Shimmy!” said the girl laying collapsed on the hood of the car. “Gah! Sonata! You scared me, are you alright?” “Yeah, I’m good. I just tried sledding down some stairs with a lunch tray. It was fun until I went over the curb.” She rubbed her sore forehead. “You didn’t dent my car did you?” Flash examined the hood. “Psh, nah. Adagio says my head’s fulla air.” “So why exactly were you sledding on a lunch tray?” Sunset asked. “Cuz I don’t have a snowmobile, duh!” Sonata clanged her lunch tray against her head. Sunset swore it sounded hollow. “CPA has snowmobiles in the storage building by the field. I saw them during PE today.” Flash said. Sunset face-palmed. “Don’t encourage her.” “Wow really? I gotta go borrow one right now!” “They’re locked down when they’re not in use. But, come to think of it, I wonder if they’ve ever been used?” “Yeah, I still haven’t gotten used to that. This is totally the kind of school that buys things because it can.” Sunset smirked. “Those poor snowmobiles! Locked up with nowhere to run… We have to save them!” “Uh, good luck, but we’re staying out of this.” Sunset said, Flash nodded. “You’re gonna be on the wrong side of history guys! Snowmobiles need big wide open spaces to roam, it’s just not right keeping them caged up like that. I’m gonna go free the sleighs! See. You. Later!” Sonata ran off miming handle bars and making motor noises. “Well alright then…” A bespectacled girl came running and apologizing. “Sorry I’m late! I just had to check on my research one last ti—” Twilight shrieked as she slipped on a forlorn lunch tray. “Whoa! Twilight!” Flash managed to grab her before she hit the frozen ground. “You okay?” Twilight blushed. “Y-yes thanks.” Sunset grimaced. “We’re glad you made it Twilight, and even though you’re late I’ll let you have my super special seat in the front next to Flash.” “Oh no, y-you don’t have t—” Twilight stammered. Flash chuckled. “Take it easy Twilight, Sunset’s just messing with ya. Come on girls, lets go.” Twilight adamantly insisted that she should sit in the back. Sunset chuckled and took her usual seat in the front. While waiting for everyone to get settled, Sunset caught a glimpse of motion by a cypress tree but figured it was nothing. “Wow, I’m really hanging out with my classmates after school. I never thought I’d ever get the chance.” Twilight said. “Correction, you’re hanging out with your friends after school.” Flash said, twisting around to back out of the parking space. Twilight beamed. “So what were you up to that took you so long?” Flash asked. “Oh um, I was just waiting for my computer to finish crunching some data from an experiment. It’s been running all day and I really wanted to see the results.” “Were they good?” Sunset asked. “It’s… complicated.” “Of course.” Sunset smirked. “Wow, so you’re like a real scientist. That’s so cool.” Flash said. Sunset rolled her eyes. Twilight blushed hard, “Nobody’s ever said that about me before.” Flash raised an eyebrow. “Really? I thought CPA valued brains.” “They do, I think they value it too much actually.” Twilight twiddled her thumbs. “Too much?” “I think a lot of the other students are jealous of me. It doesn’t bother me though, I’m too busy most of the time to notice them.” “Well, I hope you won’t be too busy for us, Twi,” Flash said. Sunset groaned under her breath. “O-of course not!” She stammered. “Hey look! We’re here!” Flash pointed at the donut shop on the side of the street. They parked the car and entered Donut Joe’s. Glossy wooden tables with matching chairs were spaced out on the clean white and teal checkered linoleum floor. A row of seating booths occupied the space along one of the walls. In the front of the shop was a glass display case filled with every type of donut imaginable. A plain looking man wearing baking attire stood behind the counter taking orders from the line of customers. “Donuts are on me, you guys find a table,” Sunset said as she got in line. Though, she didn’t really have an appetite at the moment. “Cool, get me some glazed. What do you want Twi?” “Um, glazed is fine for me too.” “Got it.” Sunset said, arms crossed. Flash and Twilight wandered away. Flash seemed a bit too comfortable with Twilight, she thought. And what was with that stupid nickname? Twi? Flash never calls her by anything cute, or at least not in ages. Why does Twi get special treatment when they’ve barely known each other? Sunset squished her face into her palms and tried to push it all out of her mind. Lighten up damn it, today is supposed to be fun. * * * “I think I see an empty booth over there.” Flash started towards the table and Twilight followed. While Flash turned to sit down he noticed that Twilight had stopped walking and froze in place next to the table. “Twilight? You okay?” He asked. Her hands covered her face with her fingers under her glasses. “Twilight? What’s wrong?” He rushed over and rested a hand on her shoulder, giving her a look of concern. “N-nothing’s wrong.” She sniffled between words. “Twilight, it’s okay. You can tell me if something’s bothering you.” “I’m sorry, I’ve been holding this in this whole time so I don’t look like a weirdo, but I totally look like a weirdo right now don’t I?” She rubbed her face and looked up with moist eyes and a genuine smile, “It’s just that I’m so happy I get to finally have friends like you.” Flash smiled and chuckled. “You’re not a weirdo Twilight.” He took a seat. Twilight’s weak knees gave way and she plopped onto the cushioned seat opposite of Flash. “You know, ever since I was a kid I thought making friends was a waste of time especially when I could be reading books and learning instead. I was fine being by myself for years, but lately I’ve been feeling really lonely. I thought that if I could keep myself busy then I would be okay, but… It’s been tough, and the bullying wasn’t helping.” Flash smiled and held her hand from across the table. “Everything’s okay now Twi.” Twilight smiled. Sunset approached carrying a flat box filled with sugary treats. “Hey guys do you think a dozen is too ma—” Sunset’s eyes grew wide and she paused for a moment when she caught Twilight’s hand darting away from Flash’s. “Um, here’s the donuts,” she sat the box down on the table and slid into the booth next to Flash, “so… what’d I miss?” As Flash opened his mouth to answer Twilight interjected, “Nothing!” “Oh, right, okay then.” Sunset turned to the box of donuts, “Y’know, I’ve somehow never been to this shop before even though it’s right across the street from my place.” Sunset opened the pink pastry box and picked a chocolate donut. “Really? You’ve never been to Donut Joe’s? If I knew I woulda taken you during break.” Flash picked out a glazed donut. “You say that like you bring a lot of girls here.” Sunset bit aggressively into her donut. “Just you two so far actually.” Sunset grinned. “You hear that Twilight? We’re Flash’s first date at the donut shop.” Flecks of pastry flew as she talked. Twilight blushed and squirmed. “Is it really?” Sunset laughed. “You’re so easy to mess with Twi. You’re turning red. What’s wrong Twi? Never been on a date before?” Twilight struggled to answer before being cut off. “You don’t need to say anything Twi everyone knows you’re a sad little nerd.” “Sunset, that’s enough,” Flash said. Sunset instantly regretted everything, but why did it feel so good to say? Twilight looked at Sunset with the same expression she had when she was bullied in the hall the day before. “Oh no, Twilight I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I’m just uh… kinda stressed right now. I got an… essay due tomorrow that I haven’t started yet ha ha!” Sunset’s laughter wasn’t very convincing. “It’s fine.” Twilight mumbled. “I should go… and do my homework. I’ll see both of you tomorrow,” Sunset said. Flash rose an eyebrow. “Sunset? Is everything okay?” “I’m fine Flash, just fine.” “Um, okay Sunset if that’s what you want. You need a ride home?” “N-no thanks, I uh live just across the street from here but thanks for offering, you’re so considerate, I really lov— I mean like that about you. Um, see you tomorrow.” Flash watched Sunset scurry away while wondering what was really going on. * * * Sunset flopped on her poofy bed sheets and groaned. “What the hell is wrong with me?” She rolled over and starred at the ceiling. Was running away really the best decision? Flash and Twi were probably hitting it off on what could actually be considered a date now that they’re alone together. The thought twisted a knife in her gut. What could she have done instead? She definitely would have hurt Twilight’s feelings even further had she stayed. Sunset groaned and rolled onto her side curling around her pillow. Taking out her confusion on that poor girl wasn’t right, especially considering how fragile and mousy she is. Sunset didn’t want to hate Twilight, but her feelings of jealousy were overwhelming. “Jealousy? Am I jealous?” She wanted to deny it, but knew in her heart it was true. It makes sense. Loosing Flash to another girl wouldn’t be something she could cope with. He’s her closest friend. During her exile he was the first one at school who believed her, and until recently he was the only one she had in the whole world. Sunset rolled onto her back. Flash was simply too dear to her to lose to anyone or anything. If he really did end up falling for someone else, then she wouldn’t even be able to think about him ever again without her heart aching. It would make keeping him in her life impossible. The longing would simply be too much. Their friendship would suffer, it would eventually fall apart, and he would be gone. “What happens if I tell him?” She asked herself out loud. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? Sunset recalled back when everything started behind CHS Flash told her that he felt guilty about not helping her. What if all this time he was just sticking around out of a sense of guilt? He would have asked her out by now if he really did love her. Maybe he didn’t because he already knows what it’s like to date her. She was a terrible person and a worse partner, why would he want to subject himself to that again? Of course she’s grown a lot since then, but the earlier incident with Twilight casts doubt on that. Could there be some demon left in her? Tears ran out the corners of her eyes and seeped down past her ears onto her sheets as she starred at the ceiling. “What should I do?” Sunset spaced out hoping the answer would call out to her when she heard her phone buzzing. She quickly wiped her tears away and scrambled for her phone. “Hello?” “Sunset! Something terrible has happened!” The voice was Fluttershy’s. “Fluttershy? What’s wrong? What happened?” “It’s Sweetie Belle! She got hurt really bad. Applejack drove her to the hospital.” Sunset gasped. “What happened to her?” “We think she fell out of the tree house and hit her head.” “You think?” “Nobody saw it happen but, Applejack found her by the tree house and the doctor said her head was injured. I don’t know how accurate that is though, it’s just what Pinkie told me.” “Pinkie told you? I thought the girls were giving you the cold shoulder.” “Pinkie’s been willing to talk to me, but she’s been so sad lately. I think out of all of us Pinkie has been taking your situation the hardest, and now this happens…” “Well, I don’t think they want it, but give Rarity and everyone my condolences anyway. Hey, while you’re at it, tell Pinkie that Sunset says to cheer up. Okay?” “Okay.” “You be sure to be there for Rarity, she’s your friend even if you disagree with each other about me. There’s no room for stupid drama in an emergency like this.” Especially my stupid drama. “I will. I was feeling so anxious about that but, not anymore. Thanks Sunset.” “No problem, now go. You’ve got phone calls to make.” She hung up. What a terrible time for something like this to happen. She thought about telling Fluttershy about her problems, but was worried that Fluttershy would think less of her talking about something so petty with the current crisis going on. Why are those brats still causing her so much grief? “What a mess.”