In Princess Twilight's castle, five young mares and a baby dragon wait in front of a mirror connected to a strange machine, their expressions worried and anxious.
Rainbow Dash constantly shakes her head, trying to dispel any negative thoughts. Beside her, Fluttershy has her head down, but she stares unblinkingly at the mirror. She huddles next to Rainbow, the braver pegasus covering the shyer one with a supportive wing.
Applejack keeps fidgeting with her hat, her eyes darting around the room as she tries to find something to occupy her thoughts. Wanting to ease her friend’s nerves, Rarity uses her magic to wipe the farmer’s sweating brow with a handkerchief, winning a grateful smile from the Apple.
Pinkie stays right in front of the mirror, a little ahead of the others, sitting on her rump with her hind legs outstretched, looking with eyes both worried and excited at her reflection in the mirror.
Spike paces back and forth, eyes on the ground, occasionally chewing a claw. Every now and then, he pauses, his gaze rising to the book atop the machine, before going right back to pacing.
Finally, the machine starts to come alive, drawing everypony’s attention as the energy distributes to and fro throughout the mechanisms, before there’s a bright flash of light, the mirror’s reflective surface replaced by a spiraling pattern of light.
Nopony talks. They just look at the mirror, waiting.
After what seems like an eternity, the spiral brightens, and a familiar shape emerges from the portal. Pinkie and Rainbow seem to race to reach her first, but within a second, Twilight is overcome by a group hug.
"TWILIGHT!" everypony exclaims, faces filled with joy. However, Twilight doesn’t respond either to her name or to the hug, and faces of concern slowly replace the smiles.
"Twilight?" asks Pinkie.
For a moment, Twilight says nothing. She just lies her head on her pink friend's shoulder.
Soon, the gathered ponies begin to hear soft crying.
Spike panics, asking, "Twilight! What's wrong?!”
There is no answer except for the princess's sobs.
"Twilight, dear, what’s wrong?" Rarity tries.
"Are you okay, sugarcube?" Applejack asks, immediately feeling dumb as soon as the words leave her lips.
"No..." Twilight finally answers, her voice a soft whisper that the others only hear thanks to the silence of the room.
Pinkie reacts by reflex, tightening the hug. The princess's crying only returns and intensifies, however.
Rainbow swallows her pain and fear to speak. "Twilight... what happened...?"
For several seconds, Twilight doesn’t respond, but soon, she pulls away from her friend's shoulder, before slowly separating from Pinkie, answering without looking up in a cracking voice. "I… couldn't help her... I ruined it... I ruined everything! Sunset, forgive me!"
She sinks to the floor, sobbing aloud. None of them completely understands what happened, but they don't care. Spike runs and hugs her, and Twilight readily returns the embrace. The others quickly join in, trying to comfort the sobbing princess with their love.
Eventually, Twilight’s sobs quiet, and although her crying doesn’t cease, she does begin to calm down.
*S*A*S*
The blanket is wrapped by a blue light as Rarity gently places it on the princess’s sleeping form. The dressmaker delicately fixes the blanket and gives one last look to the sleeping princess. Rainbow touches her shoulder and gives her a sad look, and Rarity sighs, leaving the room with the others.
They walk a little down the hall, none sure of what to think or feel.
Applejack is the first to ask, "Spike, what happened?"
The little dragon stops walking and looks at everyone. "I don't know... Sunset Shimmer sent me a message through the book, and—"
Rainbow interrupts the explanation. "I thought the book didn't work anymore."
"I thought so, too," answer the little dragon. "But... I don't know, she just wrote to me and told me to look for all you to open the portal… then... I just..."
"Oh, what could have happened to our dear Twilight over there?" asks Rarity. "I can't imagine it..."
Fluttershy, worried, pipes up and says, "And... Sunset Shimmer...?"
Rainbow nods. "Yeah, didn't Twilight say she had a problem with the school there?"
"I don't know anything about that..." the dragon responds, grabbing his tail to soothe his nerves. "Sunset just told me that she was going to send Twilight back home..."
The answer doesn’t really satisfy anyone. After a few seconds, Spike says, "Girls, I have to send a message to Princess Celestia. She’ll want to know that Twilight returned."
"Go ahead," the farmer responds. "We’ll take care of Twilight."
"Thanks," the dragon responds with a small smile before quickly departing. When the dragon leaves, all the ponies look at each other, eyes full of worry.
*S*A*S*
The young scientist lies face-up on her bed, running the day’s events over and over in her head. The meetings with Lightning Dust and Jet Set. The arrival at Canterlot High School. The moment where all her companions and the princess arrived.
A sigh escapes her, remembering the way Sunset helped the princess, and a chill runs down her back as she remembers the moment the princess asked Sunset to leave with her.
Twilight puts both hands on her chest, feeling very cold.
Her heart almost broke at that moment. If Sunset left...
She shakes her head hard.
She didn't want to think about that. The thought of it destroys her inside.
She didn't want to lose Sunset. She owed Sunset so much.
Memories of Sunset bubble up into her mind. Their first meeting, meeting Sonata, the times Sunset protected her, the concert.
Sunset had changed her life in a way that Twilight herself didn't know she could or even wanted.
After remembering all the moments with Sunset, Twilight makes a decision. She gets up and goes to her computer.
Her little Spike, seeing his owner move, gets up and approaches her curiously.
Twilight connects a flash drive to her computer and loads it up with information from her computer. Finished, she takes a black bag and fills it with documents, a notebook, and finally, a newpaper clipping. Grabbing the flash drive, she leaves the room, her little dog following her.
Outside, she removes the lid of her garbage can and drops the bag in it. She holds up the flash drive and stares at it. After a moment, she notices the curious look of her puppy. "Spike, there are more important things than science."
The little canine seems extremely surprised by that phrase, though Twilight doesn't notice, still staring at the drive before dropping it into the container. She replaces the lid, and with a sigh, she goes back inside.
Spike watches her for a moment, then looks at the container, and finally follows her hurriedly.
Everything is silent except for the sound of the approaching garbage truck.
*S*A*S*
It's a new day in Crystal Prep, and in one of the school halls, two students stare at one of their phones, semi-hidden next to some lockers.
"Wait, wait, my favorite part is coming,"Indigo announces in a hushed voice to Lemon.
"One day, I will be above you, and when that day comes, I will make you shine my shoes with YOUR REPUGNANT TONGUE!"
"Look at Cinch's face!" Lemon exclaims with a cackle. "It’s like she’s afraid Sunset will eat her!"
Both continue to watch the phone, oblivious of the angry presence standing behind them. After a few moments, a chill runs down their spine as they finally hear, "Turn. That. Off."
Both girls freeze. Neither Indigo nor Lemon dare to turn or even move.
"NOW!"
The two girls panic, fumbling the phone between their four hands before one finally manages to catch it and close the video. They turn and stare in terror at the enraged girl behind them.
"H-Hey, Sunset..." says Indigo, trying and failing to be calm. "Uh... nice day, right?"
Lemon makes no attempt to hide her fear and instead uses her athlete friend as a shield. "Forgive me and spare my life, demon queen! I offer this virgin as a sacrifice in exchange for your mercy!" she screams with fear, pushing Indigo forward.
Indigo turns, blushing and extremely annoyed. "What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"
"What are you two doing?" Sunset demands loudly, prompting the girls to hug each other in terror. "Why do you keep watching that stupid video?!"
Indigo overcomes her fear to answer, "It's just, you look super epic, Sunset!"
"Yeah!" seconds the rocking girl. "I've never seen anyone talk to Cinch like that! In fact, I've never seen anyone talk to her at all! Everyone is always too scared to say a word when she talks to them."
"Yeah, and now, because of that, I have detention for three weeks..." complains the former Equestrian. “But I guess I’m not expelled, so there’s that…”
"You could intimidate the dean like you did with the principal," comments Indigo.
Sunset just frowns. "I will not go around intimidating people. I’m not that person anymore."
Their talk is interrupted by some students passing by.
"Looks, there’s Sunset!"
"Hey, Sunset!"
"We saw you in that video!"
"You're my hero!"
"You showed Cinch who's boss!"
Sunset just groans, hiding her irritated face in one hand. "I can't believe you put that on the internet..."
"Oh, come on!" Indigo says. "Haven't you seen the comments?! Everyone loves you!"
"I don't want everyone to love me!" Sunset complains. "I want them all to forget about that damn video."
"Don't play queen against me, Cinch. Because Iwill dethrone you."
Sunset shudders upon hearing that, looking a short distance away. Sunny Flare is standing in front of her locker, watching her sideways phone propped against some books. A dreamy smile and a blush are on her face, an intense glow in her eyes.
"SUNNY FLARE!" Sunset suddenly shouts, next to the lilac-haired girl in an instant, making her scream in fright and slam the locker door shut. "You, too?!"
Sunny seems to want to answer, but the only thing that comes out of her mouth is babbling.
"Why are you watching that?" Sunset asks again, more calmly this time.
Sunny is embarrassed to the point that her cheeks turn totally red. After thinking about it a lot, she can't find a good excuse. "I can't help it, Sunset. It’s just that... you look so..."
"I look so what?" Sunset asks with some impatience.
"You look so sexy, okay?!" Sunny exclaims, ashamed.
Sunset’s face explodes into a blush. "Wh-What?!"
Sunny Flare's face lives up to her name, as it turns so red that it seems to glow. "I'm sorry. I know it sounds bad, but the way you faced Cinch... You look so powerful and awesome that I can't help—"
"Please! Stop..." Sunset says, covering her face with her hands and trying to hide her own blush. "Please don't say things like that out loud."
Lemon wraps an arm around Sunset’s neck and pulls her close. "Come on, Sun-Shim! You’re the most popular girl in school right now!"
Annoyed, Sunset gently pushes the green-haired girl away and stands straight. "The days when I was interested in being popular are behind me. Far, far behind me." All of them see another group of students approaching, who greet Sunset in a manner similar to the first group, just frustrating her more. "Ugh! Guess I can kiss my dreams of anonymity goodbye…" She’s silent for a second. "What am I even complaining about? I can't even stay at this school anymore."
Sunset’s words stun her friends.
"What do you mean?" Indigo question first.
"Do you plan to transfer?" Sunny asks with worry.
Sunset looks at them all with an incredulous face. "Please, girls. After what I did yesterday, Cinch will storm over and tell me I’m extraexpelled, and not just from this school. Probably from every other school and university in the city."
The girls exchange worried glances, clearly not having thought of that.
Indigo rushes to protest. "But... But we can't let her do that!"
Lemon supports her. "Yeah, Sunset! Do the Demon Queen thing again and force her not to expel you."
Sunset rolls her eyes. "No way. I got carried away yesterday, but I won't be what I was in the past."
"But we must do something!" Sunny exclaims, forgetting her embarrassment and replacing it with concern. "We can't let her—"
Sunset interrupts her calmly. "Look girls, it's not that bad. I'll find out how to continue studying. There are online courses and stuff."She takes a moment to take a deep breath. "And even if I'm not here, it doesn't mean we stop being friends."
She gives everyone a smile, one that causes everyone to remain silent.
The bell signaling the beginning of class rings. "Time to get to class. See ya, girls." Sunset waves farewell, and the others sullenly return the wave, watching their friend head to class before exchanging extremely worried looks.
*S*A*S*
During the rest of the morning and even in class, Sunset received greetings and smiles from almost every student she passed.
It was strange to see those young people, before so cold, greeting her cheerfully as if they were all her friends.
It was a strange feeling, but at the same time, it was nice.
At lunchtime, Sunset sits with her usual companions Twilight and Sonata. However, the two girls notice a certain expression in their equine friend.
"Is something wrong, Sunset?" Twilight asks softly.
Sunset takes a second to respond. "It’s nothing."
Sonata shakes her head. "Nope! Don't try to deny it, Sunsite! I've known you for over seven hundred hours! And in that time, I learned how to read you, and I know that face. Something’s bugging you!"
Twilight takes a deep breath. "Sonata’s right. Something’s bothering you. What is it?"
Again, Sunset tries to speak, but she stops and just sighs. Then, she finally finds her voice. "I'm just tired... This month has been anything but what I expected..." Sunset rests her elbow on the table, her head in her hand, and takes a bite of her salad.
Her friends watch her, somewhat worried. "And... what did you expect, Sunsite?" the siren finally asks.
"Mainly to forget about Canterlot and have a quiet school life, with no one paying attention to me," the fire-haired girl responds.
"Um, I don’t think your plan worked out very well," Sonata comments.
"Really? You think?" Sunset spits sarcastically.
Missing the sarcasm, Sonata responds, "Well, yeah, because now, you're, like, the most popular girl in school."
There is silence while Sunset gives Sonata a frustrated look. "... You're lucky I can't get mad at you, Sonata."
"Thank you!" the girl chirps with a big smile.
Twilight tries to resume the conversation so as not to cause her best friend any more trouble. "Well, in my opinion—and even if it's not what you wanted, I have to say it—everything’s… better because of you, Sunset."
The former pony raises a silent eyebrow at the scientist while putting another forkful of salad in her mouth.
Twilight decides to keep going. "I mean, it sounds weird, but school feels different since I met you," she says with a soft smile, looking around the cafeteria.
Sunset follows suit, looking around, noticing that Twilight isn’t wrong. The students around the room are eating, laughing, smiling, and talking to each other animatedly. As if they were friends.
When Sunset arrived at Crystal Prep, everything was so cold and numb. That had been the reason why she had come to the school in the first place: so that she didn't have to interact with anyone and could be alone.
But today, she had felt warm and loved all day.
Returning her gaze to the front, Sunset sees her purple-haired friend smile at her, her blue-haired friend having gone back to her lunch, paying the two no more mind. But before she can say anything else, she sees Sunny Flare in the corner of her eye.
"Sunset, honey," the girl speaks when approaching the table, a soft blush still on her face.
The three friends turn to see her. "What's up, Sunny?" Sunset asks.
"I have some… important information."
*S*A*S*
"Oh, what a lovely surprise~!" Sour Sweet sings with an extremely bright smile and voice. "What do you want now?!" comes the expected other side of the coin.
Sunset, Sunny, Twilight and Sonata sit around the round table in the student council room with Sour Sweet, each girl skipping lunch to have this impromptu meeting.
"Suri Polomare spoke to me today in class," Sunny explains.
Sour Sweet rolls her eyes. "The shrimp? So what?"
"She is going to tell us the identity of the real user behind the blog that defamed Sunset."
"Oh, how interesting~" Sour begins excitedly, before her face instantly changes to a scowl. "Why should I care about that?"
Sunny pauses a moment before explaining, "Well, Sunset suggested we let you know."
The freckled girl glares at Sunset, who explains after a moment of doubt, "I thought you would like to know. You wanted to find the culprit to look good to the principal."
Sour Sweet raises an eyebrow, giving it some thought, but before she can say anything, a ruckus is heard on the other side of the door.
A male voice is heard in constant complaint, as well as grunting from a female voice and what sounds like a fight. There’s suddenly a loud thud on the door, and before anyone can react, it opens with a clatter, and a boy falls to the ground, a girl falling on top of him.
"Hah, beat by a girl! How pathetic!" Suri Polomare announces from atop the boy’s back, remaining sitting on him to keep him pinned.
After a moment of silence, Sour Sweet is the first to speak. "What the hell is going on?" she snaps.
Suri looks up at everyone present and smiles at them. "Hi there! I brought the bastard! This is the one who started that blog!"
The culprit, a boy with pale skin and white hair, growls, "Get off me, you little—Argh!"
His sentence is cut off with a yelp as Suri jumps on his back. "Shut up, you jerk!"
Sunset, as confused as all the others, decides to just ask, "Suri… what are you doing?"
"Miss Shimmer!" Suri exclaims with a big smile and a sparkle in her eyes. "I wanted to come and tell everyone who forced me to make that blog. Sunny told me to find all of you here, and while I was coming, I found him and decided to bring him to meet you."
"Get off of me, you fat pig!" he yells.
Suri growls and turns around, grabbing his legs and pulling them back, forcing a yelp of pain from her captive. "Call me that again! I dare you!"
Sunset decides to intervene before things get worse, pulling the girl off the boy. "Suri, calm down."
"You're lucky that Miss Shimmer is nice, you bastard," Suri announces without opposing Sunset.
Sunny decides to take the floor, clapping her palms. "Alright, alright, let's calm down. Suri, can you explain the situation please? Calmly?"
"With pleasure," the youngest responds, clearing her throat as Sunset releases her. "Yesterday, after watching the video of Miss Shimmer facing Principal Cinch…" She interrupts her own story to look at Sunset with stars in her eyes. "You looked fabulous, Miss Shimmer. A great example of strength and courage!"
Sunset pinches her forehead in irritation. "Thanks…"
Suri continues her explanation. "That inspired me to do what I owed. I realized that I didn't have to be afraid of a dumb, ignorant, bullying—"
"We get it!" Sour snaps. “Get on with it!”
Suri clears her throat again. "R-Right. And when I had class with Sunny Flare, I decided that I should reveal who he was."
"You're finished, twerp," announces the boy in question. "Say goodbye to school and your future."
"Shut up!" Suri snaps. "I don't care what you say anymore! Miss Shimmer has inspired me. I'm stronger than you think, and as of today, I won't let you or anyone else trample me!" she announces, but soon, her scowl changes to a blushing smile as she clings to Sunset's arm. "Except Miss Shimmer. She can trample me anytime."
Sunset’s eyes widen with a bright blush. "Wh-What!?"
Ignoring the scene, Sour Sweet decides to get up and walk to the girl. "Very nice speech, shrimp, but do you have any proof? Because as far as I can see, you're still the creator of that page, so you're still guilty."
The white-haired boy smiles confidently at that. To his surprise, Suri just smiles and turns away from Sunset to search his pockets.
"The evidence is right here." Suri takes a digital camera out of one pocket and giving it to Sunny Flare, the photo album open. "This is the bastard's camera. The idiot kept the photos he took of Miss Shimmer since all this began."
The group looking with curiosity at the photos, confirming that they indeed match the ones on the site as the white-skinned young man growls in annoyance.
“And since you can see some other photos of him with friends and stuff, it proves this is his camera!” Suri proclaims. “You’re finished, jackass!”
The young man growls in rage.
Twilight watches the boy and hesitates, but she eventually asks, "Um, is that true then? Was it you?"
After being allowed to stand, he adjusts his jacket and snorts in annoyance. "It seems I can no longer hide it. Yes, I started that blog to ridicule Sunset Shimmer before the whole school and make her pay for what she did to me."
They all show some confusion, Sunset more than anyone.
"I bet you never expected me to be behind this," the boy announces. "Right, Shimmer?"
There is no answer as Sunset stares at him a while. "Um, no... I had no idea, um... Who are you, again?"
The boy snarls in rage. "Who am I? Who am I?! I am Winter White the Third! Firstborn of the Winter family and future president of the largest financial company in the city!"
Sunset just looks blankly at him.
"Sunset Shimmer!" he exclaimed again. "You ruined my perfect academic record!"
Sunset stays silent for a bit before asking, “How…?”
Twilight approaches and whispers to her friend, "He wanted to copy off my exam, but you stopped him."
Sunset just replies, "Oh..." racking her brain for the memory. Finally, it comes to her.
Sunset rummages through her locker, getting ready for her afternoon classes.
"Sunset Shimmer!" Sunset turns to find a young man with extremely pale skin and even whiter hair stomping toward her. "I finally found you. Have you any idea what you've done?!" he demands as he reaches her.
Sunset looks at him strangely and says, "Um... And you are...?"
He looks scandalized. "You don’t know me?! I am Winter White the Third, firstborn of the Winter family and future president of the largest financial company in the city!" he exclaims with something akin to pride.
Still confused, Sunset says, "Uh... A pleasure."
"The feeling is not mutual, Sunset Shimmer! You've ruined my academic record!"
"... I did what?"
"Because of you, I have failed last week’s exams!"
"Why? What did I do?" Sunset demands.
"What did you do?” Winter repeats as if the answer is obvious. “If you had not meddled, Sparkle would have helped me pass each test with excellence, as is only right and proper."
Sunset snaps her fingers. "Wait, I remember now. You and another guy were harassing Twilight that one day."
"And because of you, I could not use her to pass! You have cost me my perfect record!"
Sunset shrugs. "You should’ve studied.”
"Who are you to tell me what to do?" he demands, even more annoyed than when he arrived. "Because of you, I must now waste my time with a tutor, and my parents have banned me from all recreational activity until I pass next month’s exams! You ruined my life! Which is why I decided that I would ruin yours, leaving you a laughingstock before the whole school!"
Sunset just stares at him, only half-listening to his tirade.
“But why use her?” Sonata asks, pointing to Suri.
"Simple, you twit; I needed a scapegoat!" the young man explains. "I also don't like her."
Sour Sweet decides to end the matter. "Anyway. We have the culprit, the evidence, and the confession. We just need to take it to the principal. And no soft-hearted losers are going to stop me this time!”
Sour and everyone else turn their gazes to Sunset, who suddenly feels nervous. She thinks about it carefully.
The issue of being defamed on the internet was never of great interest to Sunset. After all, she never sought to make a good reputation at this school.
On the other hand, this was not just the blog. This guy, Winter White, was more than just a slanderer. He didn’t just involve Sunset.
Suri had been dragged into it and used to fulfill his purpose. He took advantage of his older age and his school status to force a younger student to participate in these actions.
Worse still, he had used her as a scapegoat and forced her to create that page so that if it were discovered, she would be charged and punished...
"He reminds me of myself..." she thinks sadly.
After being silent for another moment, she sighs through her nose and prepares to make a decision.
It wasn't right... Someone like him... couldn't get away with this...
"Do it, Sour Sweet," she finally says, to freckled girl’s surprise, "Take it, and tell the principal what he did."
Sour Sweet pauses a moment but responds, "Well, you're finally doing the right thing."
Winter White exhales a growl in his throat.
"Alright, pal, the principal will want to see you," the student president announces.
*S*A*S*
After several minutes of waiting outside Cinch’s office, the door opens. Winter White leaves the place growling, and behind him, Sour exits with a smile of superiority.
"Well, what happened?" Sunny questions.
The only answer is Winter walking down the hall. He pauses for a moment and turns around, glaring at Sunset. "This isn’t over, Shimmer. I am Winter White the Third! I assure you that you will regret this!" With that statement, he stalks away quickly.
All the girls watch him leave before turning back to Sour. "So… what happened?" Sunny asks again.
"What do you think?" Sour Sweet replies. "I showed the principal all the evidence, and our pale friend was expelled. And she rewarded me with an admission at my dream university. What a beautiful day~"
Sunny smiles at the news, as does Twilight, while Sonata and Suri jump for joy.
Sunset, on the other hand, stays calm, even finding herself worried. "Was that really the right thing...?" she wonders.
The group remains lively as they walk down the hall. No one notices as the office door opens and Cinch walks out, watching Sunset leave.
*S*A*S*
The last bell sounds, signaling the end of class.
Sunset closes her locker, letting out a small sigh as she walks towards the exit.
She freezes in her tracks when she sees Principal Cinch standing in the middle of the hall.
The woman looks at the girl directly, without paying attention to the gazes that all the other students direct at her.
Sunset keeps her gaze on Cinch, and after a moment of mental preparation, she walks forward until only a few meters separate them.
Cinch remains silent for another moment before finally saying, "Miss Shimmer."
"Principal," Sunset responds dryly.
"How has your day been today?" Cinch asks casually but with a sinister tone under her voice.
Sunset shrugs slightly, acting casual. "Pretty good. Crystal Prep’s a good place. Clean, tidy, and although I didn’t think I’d fit in at all at first, I must say that lately, I feel like a real part of the school."
"Of course," replies the woman. "Crystal Prep prides itself on its title as the most prestigious school in the city, and we strive day by day to honor that."
"I can imagine," Sunset speaks in an even, disinterested tone.
Cinch soon changes her calm attitude to her usual intimidating one. "Unfortunately, it is impossible to prevent certain people who do not agree with our institution from walking through our doors from time to time."
"Yeah, well, no matter how clean a kitchen is, there will always be flies," Sunset says without breaking her own facade.
There’s a tense silence. The students around had, by this point, all stopped what they were doing and pay their full attention to the scene.
Cinch keeps her grave expression while Sunset stares back, undeterred by the woman's gaze. Finally, a bit tired of the unnecessary silence, Sunset decides to speak. "Do you have something to tell me, Principal?"
There is no response from the principal.
Sunset knew what was about to happen. She had been waiting for it all day. Maybe Cinch had let the classes end beforehand just to give her a real 'last day'. Or maybe, she wanted to see if Sunset would come beg for forgiveness. Or maybe, she just didn't have time to do it earlier, given how busy she must be.
Either way, Sunset knew what was coming.
Cinch opens her mouth to speak.
"NO!" A sudden shout is heard that startles everyone around. Even more surprising is when Twilight comes running down the hall and hugs Sunset tightly.
"Twilight?" Sunset asked, stunned.
"Miss Sprakle!" the principal exclaims, bothered by such an interruption. "What are you doing?!"
Twilight holds on to Sunset but looks toward the principal. "You can't expel Sunset! I won't let you!"
"Miss Sparkle, this matter does not concern you. Leave us be," Cinch orders, trying to remain calm.
Twilight does the opposite, clinging more tightly to Sunset. "It does concern me! Sunset is my friend, and I won't let you hurt her!"
"Twilight..." Sunset mumbles in surprise, looking at her friend with trembling eyes.
Twilight looks up into her best friend’s eyes. "You've protected me since you got here... Now, it's my turn to protect you."
Whispers and comments start filling the air from the surrounding students.
The principal's impassive countenance breaks, showing her clear irritation. "Miss Sparkle, I order you to leave us be, lest I levy punishment against you, as well."
"Punish me however you want!" the scientist responds without a trace of fear in her voice. "I don't care! I won't leave my friend alone!"
Sunset can't help smiling, her eyes quivering at what she hears.
Twilight lowers her voice softly, but she still sounds sure of herself. "Sunset is the best thing that has ever happened to me." She raises her voice again. "And if you want to expel her, then... you’ll have..." She thinks for a moment, but without ever losing her sincerity, she finishes, "Then you’ll have to expel me, too!"
Everyone in the place gasps. Even Cinch pauses, surprised. "Miss Sparkle! What are you saying?!"
"You heard me!" she snaps. "If Sunset leaves, I leave! Say goodbye to your best student, Cinch! Because I won't stay in a school without my best friend!" Twilight lays her head on Sunset's shoulder while looking gravely at the principal, showing in her eyes that she’s dead serious.
Sunset, after getting over her own shock, can only smile brightly, pulling Twilight into a hug of her own.
Cinch clenches her teeth, but as she opens her mouth, she’s once more interrupted. "You rock, Twi-Twi!" Sonata cheers, rushing over and standing by Sunset’s side. "Adagio will yell at me, but this school is boring! Only Sunset makes it fun, so expel me if you want, too!"she screams with enthusiasm.
The three friends look at each other, smiling. Unlike Cinch, who looks angrier with every passing second.
"This is crazy! And I love it!" calls someone else, who joins the group.
Sunset smiles at her. "Lemon Zest..."
"We're a team. Sunset Among Shadows! United to the end!" Lemon exclaims.
Cinch bites her tongue in an attempt to keep the little calm she has left. "Enough! I will not tolerate this kind of behavior."
Sunny Flare snorts with disinterest and soon also approaches the group.
"Sunny Flare?" Sunset asks, a little surprised but nevertheless happy to see her.
The elegant girl only gives a wink and a smile as she joins them.
Cinch continues to fight her inner anger. "This is too much. All of you are in serious trouble."
Indigo appears and smiles mockingly, joining them and high-fiving Sunset. Suddenly, to Cinch’s immense surprise, the entire soccer team joins the small group.
"If you are looking to do something to Sunset or our captain..."
"You’ll have to get through us, first! "
"Yeah! We're a team!"
"LET'S GO SHADOW BOLTZ!"
One more little voice is heard. "Oh, get off my way!" Suri pushes herself out of the crowd and runs to Sunset and, just as Twilight did, hugs her too.
"You too, Suri?" Sunset asks.
The little girl's answer is just a smile.
The students around smile at the whole scene, and soon, several students begin to walk. Without any doubt in their postures, they approach and remain near or behind Sunset and her group. They smile at each other, confident, supporting each other. Notably, Sour Sweet doesn’t join them from one end of the corridor, nor do Sugarcoat, Trenderhoof, or Fleur de Lis, the trio standing on the other end. They just watch with curious expressions.
Soon, dozens of students gather with Sunset, shaking hands with each other, more than one patting Sunset's shoulder or back and greeting their classmates with friendly smiles.
The principal, on the other hand, stands alone and angry.
One last student approaches Sunset, surprising her more than any other. "Lightning Dust?"
The blonde girl doesn’t respond at first, staring at Sunset with a serious expression, but she soon gives a small smile. "School’s more fun since you showed up."
Sunset smiles again, and the group turns to face the principal, confident and determined. There is not a hint of fear in their eyes.
Cinch doesn’t react, her face completely impassive. Silence fills the whole hall, the whole school.
After what seems like hours, Cinch takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. "It will be like that then." She says nothing more.
Cinch begins to walk towards the group with a firm, straight step. Sunset sees her approach but notes that Cinch is not paying attention to her or anyone else. Sunset separates from Twilight and Suri and moves to the side, letting the woman move forward. The entire group separates, leaving a path for the principal, who pays none of them any attention.
After a few more steps, she stops, her back to Sunset. "Miss Shimmer, compliance with school hours is valuable. I hope to see you in homeroom tomorrow by the time the bell rings."
Everyone suddenly shouts with joy and excitement. Sunset stays calm, but smiles with satisfaction. "I warned you what would happen."
Cinch turns her head slightly to stare the girl, her face as expressive as a stone.
Without erasing her smile, Sunset continues, "I’ll be here bright and early tomorrow, Principal. You have my word."
Cinch takes a few seconds before speaking. "Alright, then."
The woman says no more. She simply continues on her way down the hall, ignoring the shouts and celebrations and mockery from the students.
Twilight embraces Sunset again, followed by Sonata. On the opposite side of the hallway, Sugarcoat keeps her neutral expression, while Fleur and Trenderhoof smile in apparent relief.
Sugarcoat says, "Let's go. There are issues to attend to before our next meeting." With that said, she begins to walk away, the two following.
Sour Sweet wears her own smile before departing to get back to her own work.
Eventually, Sunset leaves school, followed by her closest classmates, everyone beaming with joy. While they chat animatedly, making plans and enjoying their small but significant victory, Sunset turns once more to gaze at the imposing and elegant building. "You know something?" She turns again and notices the gaze and smiles of her friends. "This place is starting to grow on me."
With that, they all go their way. A moment passes, but suddenly, the front doors fly open, and the Dean Cadance rushes out of the place.
"Sunset Shimmer! You still have detention! Sunset!"
However, the girl was already too far away to hear her. Cadance can only cross her arms and sigh.