“She’s opening her eyes!” Was the first thing Sunset Shimmer heard. It sounded distant, like someone was shouting it at her from the other end of a tunnel. Her vision was blurred, but things slowly cleared up. The white ceiling of the infirmary greeted her, followed by pink hair strands that belonged to Fluttershy.
“Oh, thank goodness. Can you hear me? Are you in pain? How many fingers am I holding up?” Fluttershy bombarded her with question.
“At least let her fully wake up before overwhelming her.” Twilight said as she pulled Fluttershy away from the Equestrian.
“S-S-Sorry…”
“Wha… What happened…?” Sunset asked. She tried rubbing her head, but her arm wouldn’t obey her. She tried sitting up, but the moment she moved she felt so much pain in her stomach that she gave up immediately. “How did I get here…?”
“That was a nasty spill you took.” Another woman in the room spoke. She was a tall woman with alabaster skin, pink hair bun and blue eyes wearing a nurse uniform, cap with red cross included. “Nothing too serious, but I strongly caution you to think twice before skating near stairs again.”
“Skate? Stairs? What are you--”
“That’s what the official medical report says, anyway.” Twilight explained. “Remember when I promised to take care of your medical expenses? I suppose it included bribing Nurse Redheart so that she won’t tell Principal Celestia you actually got into a huge fight with the soccer team.”
“I… What? What happened? How long was I out?”
“Just a couple of hours. Ish!”
Sunset looked at the wall clock: 8:47 AM. “Ish, huh? I can’t remember a thing... What did I do?”
Twilight looked at Nurse Redheart, who shrugged.
“I’m going to the bathroom. Watch the place while I’m gone, m’kay?” The woman said as she walked out of the room.
“Well, if things were according to how you planned then you squirted super glue on the benches, sprinkled marbles on the field, filled their water bottles with…” Fluttershy flinched – she didn’t want to say the word. “The point is, you wanted to give them a lot of trouble, and it looks like they weren’t happy about it. By the time I got there you were already face down and unconscious on the grass.”
“Well, at least they were smart about it.” Adagio, who was standing by the door, commented. “They didn’t punch you in the face. They knew that if you showed up to class with a black eye you would get into trouble, but they would as well. I guess not all of them are the meatheads I thought they were.”
“Thank you for your input, Adagio.” Sunset commented, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Hey, how about showing some fucking gratitude? I helped carry you back here. I could have left Fluttershy to do all the heavy lifting, but I didn’t. I expect a ‘thank you’ in the next ten seconds, if you don’t mind.”
Sunset Shimmer grumbled. “Thank you, Adagio.”
She smirked. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
“And look on the bright side: at least now you own a skateboard!” Twilight said, showing her a skateboard that looked brand new. “We had to get you one to validate your alibi. My big brother gave it to me a long time ago, but I never needed one until now. Take good care of it, alright?”
“How’d the speech go? Am I getting paid?”
“Things went south on your end, but at least I managed to say everything I wanted to say – some of them even looked interested. I think I may have won at least a few votes!” She reached into her pocket, pulled another fifty-dollar bill and stuffed it inside Sunset Shimmer’s pocket. “You more than earned your payment.”
“Spectacular.”
“I should be going. The first bell is about to ring and I have some things I need to do before class. You’re an ok girl, Sunset Shimmer. Well, as ok as a bounty hunter with no true loyalties can be; a solid chaotic neutral. If you ever find yourself in need of help, just contact me!”
“Sure, whatever.” Sunset tried getting up once again after Twilight left the room and the nurse returned. Fluttershy placed her hands on her shoulder, stopping her. “Uh, what are you doing?”
“What are you doing? You’re injured!”
“I’ll be fine. You heard her, the first bell is about to ring.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you. Please, just rest for a little bit longer. I promise to make notes on everything the teachers say for you, alright?”
“But--”
“You should listen to your friend.” The returning nurse commented while looking around for something. “You’re not seriously injured, but you should still take it easy. You don’t just sleep off a beatdown.” She cleaned her throat. “I’m sorry, I meant to say ‘fall’. But this is just a suggestion; if you want to get up and leave, I’m not gonna stop you.”
Sunset looked into Fluttershy’s big pleading eyes and sighed. “Alright, fine. But I’m not staying here another day. I’m going back to class tomorrow, and that’s final.”
Fluttershy smiled. “I can agree with that. I’ll come see you later.”
She left the infirmary, soon followed by Adagio. Sunset closed her eyes in an attempt to take a nap.
A couple of days passed and Sunset Shimmer’s injuries had mostly healed. Nothing eventful happened in that period, other than the odd job here and there for the nerds and some outcasts. That is, until one night, when Adagio shook her awake.
“Come on Sunny, the wicked don’t get to rest. Now wake up and smell the soda, we got business to take care of.”
“What gives you the goddamn right to interrupt my well-deserved rest, you bi--” Sunset’s half-asleep rant was interrupted by Adagio placing her index finger on her lips.
“Watch the fucking language, missy. Now get up and wear something presentable, I need you to come with me.”
“Give me one good reason to do as you say and another good reason to not break your knees before doing so.” She threatened as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.
“The only thing that seems to motivate you is cash, so come with me and you’ll get your cut. And if your performance is deemed acceptable you’ll get mad respect from some powerful players in this game. That sounds like fun, right?”
“I stopped paying attention when you said I was getting a cut. Toss me my vest.”
Adagio did just that and in a matter of minutes Sunset Shimmer was wide awake, wearing her uniform and ready to go out. They left the dormitory and snuck around campus – after all they were violating curfew and the prefects were still patrolling.
“Ok, so what’s the plan?” Sunset whispered.
“I’m not so sure myself, to be honest.”
“Really? You drag me out of bed at this ungodly hour and you don’t even know what we’re doing?”
“Relax, I know what we’re dealing with here. This is a safe bet, trust me.”
They quietly headed towards a small door on the side of the main building which read “boiler room”. The inside was exactly as advertised: pipes, valves, panels, a toolbox with some tools lying around it, there was nothing out of the ordinary; nothing aside from the vent Adagio had pried open and was currently crawling through.
“You coming or what?”
Sunset sighed before following her. “If a spider crawls in my hair I’m gonna make you swallow it.”
“Duly noted, now keep moving.”
The vent led to a corridor Sunset Shimmer had never been to before, and she had explored the building thoroughly. She let out a whistle.
“Hidden passages, huh? CA suddenly got a lot more interesting!”
The corridor only had one door, a door that led to a big, round, empty room of pure concrete, save for another door on the other end of the room and the large octagonal hole between the two. There were tall chain link fences on all sides of the octagon, with a gate directly in front of each door. With a smirk on her face, Adagio opened the closest gate and stepped aside.
“Take a look down there.” She invited, her voice a low purr; whatever was about to happen, it excited her.
Throwing caution to the wind, Sunset approached the open gate and looked down. “I don’t see anyth-- Whoa!”
While Sunset was bent down, Adagio planted her foot between the girl’s buttcheeks and pushed, causing her to fall into the pit. She immediately closed the gate and rushed to the other side.
“Hey, what’s the big idea?!”
“In a moment!” The poofy-haired student then opened the other door. “Alright everybody, the guest of honor has arrived!”
A couple of students came into the room from the other door, which also appeared to lead to another corridor – there weren’t too many of them, but definitely enough to be considered a crowd; some of the faces that poured out of the room were familiar, some were not, and some were more than familiar.
Fluttershy looked as surprised to see Sunset Shimmer inside that hole as Sunset Shimmer looked surprised to see Fluttershy in that place.
Rainbow Dash, captain of the Wondercolts and person who delivered the final kick that knocked her unconscious days ago, simply crossed her arms and leaned against a wall, looking unimpressed.
The last person to come out of that room was Derpy, who seemed both angry and joyful to see her nemesis.
“Ladies and girlies!” Adagio announced. “It’s been a while since a worthy contestant has been lured into The Pit like a dumb little cow straight to the slaughterhouse. I present to you the newcomer that’s been causing trouble since she first stepped foot into this dump, will do any dirty deed if the price is right, survived a beating from the soccer team and took one of Derpy’s signature headbutts and lived to tell the tale. On the east end of The Pit, the unscrupulous mercenary herself, Sunset Shimmer!”
As the crowd cheered, Adagio opened the other gate.
“And on the west end of The Pit; you may love her, you may hate her, but you won’t cross her, otherwise you get the business end of a mean skull bash. Ladies and girlies, our undefeated champion, Hammerhead Derpy!”
The students above cheered. Derpy didn’t even bothered using the ladder, she simply jumped into the hole.
“I’ve heard them all.” The cross-eyed girl said. “Ditzy Doo, Bright Eyes, Cross-Eyed Freak… Eventually I learned to ignore them. People are mean to those who look different, I came to accept that.” She then cracked her knuckles. “But the things you’ve said about my friends… You have a problem with me, I know that, and the least you could do was keep it that way and leave my friends out of this. But no, you had to say mean things about them. You had to spread nasty rumors. If you are not going to play nice, then someone has to teach you some manners. It may as well be me!”
“What are you talking about?”
“DON’T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!” She yelled. “Adagio told me everything. Lying is not going to help you anymore.”
Sunset looked up at Adagio, who shrugged with an amused look on her face.
“I’m so sorry, Sunny, but you were out of control, I had to tell someone!”
“You’re behind this, aren’t you, you lying, conniving sack of shit!”
“Enough chit-chat, girls. All bets are off. Two people go into the pit, only one of them leaves with her consciousness and her dignity. Begin!”
Before Sunset could register what was happening, Derpy had already lowered her head and charged towards her. In a moment Sunset was pressed against the “hammerhead” and a concrete all, and it hurt on both sides. Thinking fast she brought her hands together and slammed them on Derpy’s back. The assailant fell down, giving the Equestrian an opportunity to move away from the wall and avoid being pinned down again. The crowd cheered, with the exception of Fluttershy, who looked horrified.
Derpy quickly got back on her feet and Sunset tried punching her in the face, but the girl barely flinched.
“That’s not gonna work on me!” She said with a smile as she knocked on her own head. “As a child my parents dropped me on my head so many times that I’ve developed a resistance.”
“That makes no sens--” Sunset couldn’t even finish her protest; Derpy placed her hands on the back of her opponent’s knees and pulled, causing the sophomore to fall on her back. Derpy straddled her and grabbed her by the collar.
“Now apologize for what you said about my friends.”
“I don’t know what--” Derpy punched her in the face.
“Apologize!” She repeated.
“I did not--” Another punch.
“I will force that apology out of your mouth sooner or later. Might as well do it now while you’re still conscious, or this will happen again and again and keep happening until I hear you say it.”
“I don--” Derpy got up and pulled Sunset to her feet. She clenched her fist, ready to deliver the biggest blow of the match, when Sunset Shimmer placed her hands on the back of Derpy’s head and pulled her, delivering a fierce headbutt to the bridge of her nose. Derpy let go of her collar and covered her nose with both hands. “It’s no use, you’re not going to listen to reason, are you? That’s ok, once you’re on the ground with your consciousness fading away I will make you listen.”
With a bloody nose and a scowl, Derpy charged towards her again, but this time Sunset was ready. With a quick sidestep, Sunset grabbed Derpy on a headlock and dropped to the smooth concrete floor; she landed on her butt while Derpy landed on her face.
Fluttershy covered her face; she could no longer watch such senseless display of violence. All she could hope at this point was that none of them came out seriously injured.
The fight was evenly matched as they traded blows, but Sunset got the upper hand when she faked a punch that Derpy prepared to counter, only to stop at the last moment and kick her in the stomach. Derpy leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her stomach in pain, only to see a knee approaching faster than she could move. The knee connected with her chin and she fell backwards. She tried getting up, but was too disoriented to do so. Sunset Shimmer placed a knee on her back and whispered in her ear.
“Say it.”
“I… I…” Derpy sighed in defeat and rested her cheek against the floor. “I give up…”
The crowd cheered even louder. The former unicorn could see money trading hands, Rainbow Dash leaving, soon followed by others, Fluttershy’s look of relief and Adagio’s resting bitch face.
“You set me up Adagio.” She accused. “Why’d you do it?”
“Because you are so goddamn stubborn! When I put you down, you’re supposed to stay down!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Did you really think the jocks were planning on ruining Sparkle’s speech? That was all a lie, a rumor I spread with the intent of reaching her ears. I tricked her into hiring you as a distraction because I knew they would kick your ass, but you just bounced back up. You’re like a cockroach, in every sense of the word!”
“Answer the question! Why?”
“Because I want to break you, Sunset Shimmer! There is nothing I want to do more than to see your defiant self shatter into a million pieces and become another moron eating out of the palm of my hand, just like everybody else!” She took a deep breath to calm down. “But it doesn’t matter. This was just another setback. There will be plenty of opportunities in the horizon, I’ll just have to seize them when the time is right.”
She turned around and walked towards the exit. Fluttershy opened the gate and offered a hand to help Sunset Shimmer up. Adagio scowled at her and shoved her into The Pit with both hands. Fluttershy yelped as she fell, but Sunset grabbed her before she landed on the concrete floor. “There, now all the biggest losers in this place are sharing the same grave. Fucking perfect!” She finally left the arena.
“I-I’m so sorry, Sunset. I-If I knew this was going to happen I would have warned you. Adagio told me to come because you were going to be here, I didn’t know--”
“It doesn’t matter.” Sunset interrupted as she put Fluttershy down. “It’s over.” She turned to look at Derpy, who had sat up, but still hadn’t gotten up. She walked up to her and offered a hand to help her up. Derpy flinched at first, thinking she was going to finish the job, but accepted the help once she realized the girl had no malicious intentions. “That was all bullshit! I never said anything about you or your friends nor have I spread any rumors about anyone in this place. Adagio fed you lies so this could happen, and you ate it all up.”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that out when she started monologuing. My bad!”
“And that time with the other girl, she slingshot me from behind. I was just trying to disarm her when you jumped in.”
“Lyra told me about that. I’ve been meaning to apologize, but then Adagio told me all those lies and I just… I just lost it, you know?”
“So it’s all cleared up, right? You’re not my enemy and I’m not your enemy. If anyone here is the real enemy then it’s Adagio, and she’s going to pay for what she did to me. What she did to us!”
“I just don’t know why she did that. She was my friend. I’m everyone’s friend!”
“Well, Adagio is nobody’s friend. And once I get back to our room, things are going to get ugly. Let’s go, Fluttershy!”
“R-Right!” The shy girl nodded and started following Sunset.
“Wait!” Derpy called as Sunset was about to climb out of The Pit.
“Hm?”
“What about you? Are you going to be my friend too?”
Sunset shrugged. “Well, if it means you’ll help me take down that whore, then--” Before she could finish that sentence, Derpy wrapped her in a tight bear hug.
“Awesome! I love making new friends.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Sunset gasped those words, having trouble breathing.
After Adagio’s betrayal in The Pit she physically vanished from Canterlot Academy, leaving all her belongings behind in the dorm room – only clothes and spare uniforms; Sunset Shimmer thoroughly checked her things for clues.
The next morning, when she came back to the room after brushing her teeth, she saw Fluttershy sitting on the bed, hugging her knees, staring at the wall.
“You seem troubled.” She commented.
Fluttershy sighed. “Before you, Adagio was the closest thing I had to a friend after coming to CA. She wasn’t the best of friends, but at least she was someone I could talk to. And then she just stabs you in the back and leaves to God knows where…” She turned her head to look at her roommate. “Are you going to ditch me once I outlive my usefulness too? Am I… Disposable?”
Sunset didn’t know how to respond. When they first made that agreement in the school cafeteria that was exactly what she was planning to do; once all the pieces were in place and she set her master plan in motion, she would move on and leave them all to rot. But after weeks of getting to know this girl, learning from her how to defend herself and just spending time with her in general, all things she didn’t get to do back in Equestria, this friendship thing was definitely growing on her.
“Your silence says everything I need to know…” Fluttershy then crawled back under her blanket. “I’ll just go back to sleep.”
Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath and pulled the covers off her friend.
“Come on, Shy! It’s a bright Sunday morning, I’m not gonna let you sleep in. Let’s go to town and do something, what do you say?”
Fluttershy’s expression was a mix of surprise and confusion.
“To town? I haven’t seen you leaving school grounds since the day we met.”
“Exactly! I need to stretch my legs and see what Canterlot Town has to offer, maybe buy some new clothes since I only have one set of clothes that isn’t part of the uniform. Seeing how I’m new around here I’m gonna need a guide, and I can’t think of anyone better than…” She extended her hand. “…my friend!”
Fluttershy grabbed her hand and squee’d. Sunset Shimmer pulled her out of bed and they walked out of Canterlot Academy together.