//------------------------------// // Ch. 9: The Fallout // Story: Rekindling the Flames // by CoJoThom98 //------------------------------// Sunset walks down the street with a slight skip in her step. Today is a great day; there’s not a cloud in the sky and the temperature is comfortably cool today. She even feels happy today, so much so that she decided to wear one of her favorite outfits. Her sky blue blouse, blue jeans, and high heel boots. No leather jacket this time around, the weather is just too perfect to be wearing long sleeves.  As she walks, her elation grows with every step she takes as she gets closer to her destination. She’s heading to the Pour Jon’s coffee shop to meet up with Flash Sentry, her now-boyfriend. Ever since they decided to give dating another shot, the two have never been happier in each others company. Even though this isn’t a first date, she can’t help but feel excited every time she gets to spend the day with her man.  Sunset turns a corner and sees Flash off in the distance, standing outside the coffee shop, patiently awaiting her arrival. Deciding not to let him wait any longer, and allowing her excitement to take a hold of her, she quickens her pace to a jog for the final stretch of her journey. When Sunset gets to Flash, she wraps her arms around him but the momentum from her speed causes Flash to stumble a bit. Startled, he regains his footing and looks over to see Sunset embracing him. She looks up at him with starry eyes and a wide smile.  “A little excited today, aren’t we?” he jokes as he shifts his body to return Sunset’s embrace with one of his own.  “Why shouldn’t I be?” Sunset asks teasingly. “We’re just getting coffee and going for a walk,” says Flash. “It’s not like we’re going to the moon or anything.”  “Yes but I’m doing all of that with you,” she says as she taps the tip of his nose.  Flash gives a small chuckle as he leans his head forward and gives Sunset a small peck on the lips. The kiss fills Sunset with an abundance of elation. Who would’ve guessed that she would end up with the best kisser in the world?  Flash pulls away from his kiss and looks at her. “You are too adorable,” he comments, causing Sunset to giggle. “Come on, let’s head inside.” They walk side by side to the door. Sunset embraces Flash’s arm, nuzzling her cheek against it. When they get to the door, Flash leans forward and holds the door open for Sunset. “After you my lady,” he says in a jokingly English accent.  “You are too much of a gentleman,” Sunset comments as she walks to the doorway, causing Flash to grin.  She walks through the entryway and finds herself facing… a parking lot? She looks at the lot perplexed. What happened to the coffee shop, she thinks. Sunset turns back around to face the entrance but can’t see the doorway anywhere. Instead all she sees is the back side of Canterlot High. What am I doing behind CHS? How did I get here? She takes a few steps back but she stops when she walks into something, or someone. She takes a step forward and turns around to see Flash standing before her. A wave of relief comes over her.  “Oh thank goodness you’re here,” she says with a sigh, initially failing to notice the scowl on his face. When Sunset approaches him, he crosses his arms and she finally notices his cross look and demeanor.  She becomes confused and worried. “Flash, is something wrong?”  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Flash scorns with a disgusted tone. His words cut deep into Sunset.  “Um okay, let’s calm down for a bit,” says Sunset. “What’s going on?” She tries to reach out her hand to him but he whisks it away.  “I heard about what you did at the Fall Formal,” he says. “Wh-What are you talking about?” she asks. Sunset feels her heart begin to sink; something about this scene feels familiar.  “Threats of blackmail, manipulating voters, tampering with the final vote, and all to win some stupid crown!?” Flash shouts, his anger growing with every point.  “Flash, I-I,” Sunset tries to say something but she becomes choked with emotions of sadness, guilt, and fear.  “And to top it all off, I’ve realized what I am to you,” he presses on. “I’m not your boyfriend; I’m just an… an accessory to make you more popular! You’re always lying to me, you always make my decisions, you use my own reputation to get what you want!”  “Flash I’m not like that anymore,” Sunset pleads. “I’ve changed, I do love--” “I don’t want to hear anymore of your excuses,” Flash says cutting her off. “I’m done with the lies, the manipulations... and I’m done with you!” Sunset’s eyes widen and tears swell up and trickle down her cheeks. “We’re through Sunset, go find yourself another boy toy to use as your pawn.” Flash turns his back to Sunset and stuffs his hands into pockets as he walks away.  Sunset falls to her knees, weeping streams of tears. This was a moment she hoped to have never relive again, yet she just did. As she weeps, a voice calls out to her. The voice is strange, yet familiar. “Oh poor little Sunset,” the voice mocks. “What makes you think you possibly deserve him after what you did?”  Sunset’s eyes shoot open and she sits straight up in her bed. Beads of cold sweat dot her forehead, her breathing is heavy, as though she just ran a 5k. What the hell was the dream about? she thinks as she wipes the sweat from her forehead and rubs the sleep out of her eyes. She looks around her loft and notices how dark it is. She pulls off the covers, turns around, and opens the curtains above the head piece of her bed. The morning sun causes her to wince. She blinks a few times to allow her eyes to adjust to the light. Well, might as well start the day since I’m up.  She gets out of her bed, grabs her phone sitting on the nightstand, and walks down the stairs of her loft. She walks into the kitchen and heads over to the coffee pot, which had just finished brewing. She pours herself a cup and sits over at the kitchen table. Sunset scrolls through her messages as she sips on her coffee; there are quite a few messages from her friends. Every message revolves around a similar theme.  “Hey Sunset, checking in to see if you’re doing alright after last night. -- Rainbow Dash.” “Sunset darling, are you ok? Do you need someone to talk to about last night? -- Rarity.”  “Sunset, it’s Soarin. Listen, I talked to Flash last night and he told me what happened, I wanted to see if everything is going okay. He’s a little shaken up, so maybe give him a call or text or something? -- Soarin.”  “Is everything ok? Your friends are here for you if you need someone to talk to. -- Twilight Sparkle.”  “Hey sugarcube, I heard last night was rough. Do you need anything? -- Applejack.”  Searching through the messages aroused fresh feelings of guilt within Sunset. She tosses her phone halfway down the table and rests her forehead between her right thumb and index finger, closing her eyes and slowly shaking her head. She moves her hand down to cover her mouth as she stares off into the distance. She begins to choke with guilt and sorrow as she recalls last night on the bridge.  How could I have done that to him? she thinks. He pours out his entire heart before me and I just… push him away. What is wrong with me? A lump grows in her throat as a single tear streams down her cheek.  As she recalls the events of last night, she thinks about what lead up to that moment. She thinks about that one particular question. “‘What are your true feelings about me’?” she mutters, reciting Flash’s question from last night. I might as well answer this question to myself. Okay Sunset, think back to every moment you were with him, what did you feel? She first recalls back to their meeting at Sugar Cube Corner, the one where they decided to start over again as friends. While it may have started out as awkward and uncomfortable, the two were able to hit it off almost instantly. It was like a switch inside me was suddenly flipped. I was enjoying his company, and afterwards, I felt… a strange euphoria. She ponders what those emotions could have meant. Was it a sort of “love at first sight” kind of deal? No, that’s ridiculous. That sort of thing isn’t possible. It could’ve just been new friend energy, or something like that.  But it... wasn’t exactly first sight… Maybe ‘starting over’ is the wrong phrase when you already know the person.  The next memory Sunset recalls is from several weeks ago, when she and Flash worked on her Statistics project together. She remembers feeling comfort, enjoyment, and a sense of belonging. She felt like she could be herself around him and not worry about dampening any part of her personality. The time she spent with him felt like they had been friends for years. Then there’s the memory she saw of the first time they met. An unintentional reminder of his kind and friendly nature, something she admired about him that day. It’s hard to not like someone whose first instinct towards people is to make an offer of friendship. With all the jerks out there in the world, what girl wouldn’t find genuine kindness attractive?  The final memory she recalls is from yesterday. Not wanting to focus on that particular event, she focuses on the events leading up to then. She remembers their walk to her class, how she was freaking about her project. However, his embrace made her feel safe and made her still. She was becoming a nervous wreck over a five minute presentation, but him simply wrapping his arm around her removed every bit of anxiety she had. His words of encouragement also gave her the boost of confidence she needed in that moment. Sunset also remembers their hug outside her classroom; she’s not sure what came over her but in that moment of pure gratitude, she remembers feeling something light up inside of her. Then, of course, there’s that moment on the bridge. She tries to remember what came over her up until the moment she stopped him. It felt like there was nothing holding me back. Like there was something inside that desperately wanted this but, at the same time, it didn't.  Sunset sets her coffee cup on the table and rubs both of her temples with her hands. This is all making my head hurt. There’s gotta be someone I can talk to about this? She looks up at her phone sitting half way down the table. She briefly contemplates asking one or all of her friends for help but decides against it. They’ve been wanting to see me and Flash get together for a while. Any advice I get from them is going to be heavily biased. She then remembers that she can talk to Heartsong, Flash’s mom. She’s always been a mother figure to her, perhaps she could offer some helpful advice. No, Flash is her son. Bias is definitely going to play a factor. I need a neutral party, but who? She slams her head against the table in frustration and she lets out a heavy groan.  As if waiting for its cue, a vibrating sound appears. Sunset looks up at her phone but the screen is still black. She hears the sound again and realizes where it’s coming from. She gets up from her seat and walks into the living room. On the coffee table, her message book to Princess Twilight is lighting up and vibrating, indicating that the Princess is writing Sunset. She takes a seat on the couch, grabs the book, and opens it up to see the message.  Dear Sunset Shimmer, The coronation was… interesting, but things have been pretty slow since.  It seems a big part of being a good ruler is knowing what to delegate to whom.  Anyway, now that things have calmed down, I thought it was time I see how one of my favorite students is doing.  How have you been? How are the girls on that side getting along? Your teacher, Twilight Sparkle Sunset grabs the pen sitting on the coffee table and is about to write back. She stops herself as the head of the pen hits the page, an idea popping into her head. I could ask Princess Twilight for advice. She’s always been able to help me, and she can provide an outside voice and neutral advice. She begins to write. Dear Princess Twilight, Relatively speaking, things are pretty quiet over here as well. There hasn’t been any Equestrian magic to worry about recently. However, I could use some advice about a certain matter and I think you’re the only one who can help me.  Your student, Sunset Shimmer A few seconds pass before the pages light up again with Twilight’s response.  Certainly, I will help in anyway I can. What seems to be the problem? A new student who’s hesitant to try friendship? Is your worlds Celestia and Luna not getting along? Do you need advice on how to end the rivalry between CHS and Crystal Prep? To answer in order: no, not as far as I know, and that’s not going to end any time soon. I actually need advice about one of my friends. Do you remember Flash Sentry, human Flash? Of course I remember. Kind of hard to forget him now that his pony counterpart and I are dating.  Sunset’s eyes widen when she reads that last message. “Well that’s news, since when!?” she exclaims. She’s about to ask Twilight but quickly brings herself back to the task at hand. “Focus Sunset, one thing at a time.” She continues to write to Princess Twilight. I’ll want to hear more about that later. Anyway, Human Flash and I started over as friends a little over a month ago, wanting to put our shared past behind us. But I’ve recently had some… conflicting feelings about him. What sort of conflicting feelings? Are you saying you’re starting to like him?  That’s the thing, I don’t know. I want to say yes, but I also want to say no. I would go to my friends but they’re pretty adamant on seeing me and Flash become a thing. I need some advice from a neutral party. I know this isn’t the usual kind of life or death scenarios or friendship problems you’re used to dealing with, but I could really use some help.  A few seconds pass by, then a few more seconds pass. It begins to seem that Twilight is not going to write back. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Sunset mutters to herself. She places the pen on the page and is about to tell Twilight not to worry about it. But before she can begin writing, the pages light up.  Sunset, whatever is important to you is important to me too. You need help and so I will help you.  Sunset feels her heart leap with joy. She begins to write back.  Thank you Princess Twilight! I’m so happy you are willing to help me.  I’m happy to help you, but this is something we’ll need to meet in pony for. I would come over to your world, but I’m now the Princess of Equestria, and my interdimensional travel opportunities are pretty limited. Why don’t you head through the portal yourself? I just got the mirror set up in my office in Canterlot. Plus, it’ll give us an opportunity to do some catching up.  Certainly, I’ll head over as soon as I can. Just one more thing: when did you become the ruler of all of Equestria? Oh, right, I haven’t told you about that yet.  It’s a long story, I’ll tell you about it when you come over. I’ll see you soon.  Sunset closes the book and sets it and the pen back down on the coffee table. A surge of energy reignites her drive, and it’s not the caffeine that’s causing it. She gets up from her seat and makes her way to the bathroom to get a shower and to get ready to head back to Equestria. Finally, I’ll get some good answers and a solid direction. Flash walks down the sidewalk towards Sugar Cube Corner, his pace slower than usual. His head hangs low, his face is mellow, and his hands are stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie. It’s not been a good morning for him: he still feels the effects from last night. He feels empty inside, like something that used to be there is gone. He’s hoping a coffee and donut will make him feel better. He knows that it’s not going to be enough, but it’s better than nothing. As his mother would say, “a little comfort food can help ease a hurting soul.”  As Flash walks, he replays the event through his head, trying to figure out where things went wrong. He pays close attention to every action made and every word said. Was it something I said? Did I push too hard? But with every replay he’s left with more questions and no answers. Everything was going perfect, then it all went to hell. Where did I go wrong? He can feel his frustration beginning to grow. He does his best to put a stop to those thoughts as he reaches Sugar Cube Corner. He walks through the front door entrance, not paying much attention to the store environment, instead focusing on the cashier. He walks up to the counter and is greeted by Mrs. Cake, who is in a chipper mood this morning.  “Good morning Flash!” she exclaims. Flash doesn’t say anything in response, just a strained smile and a polite nod. Mrs. Cake softens her positive attitude when she notices the glum look on his face. “Oh my, having a rough morning dear?” “You could say that,” Flash says as he pulls out his wallet. “Can I get a small drip coffee and a glazed donut?”  “Certainly, dear,” Mrs. Cake responds as she rings up his total. Flash hands her his card. She applies the charges and hands it back to him. Mrs. Cake then walks over to the display case and pulls out a glazed donut, using a piece of wax paper to grab it. She places the donut into a bag and sets it on top of the display case. She then walks over to the coffee pot behind her and pours some coffee into a small to-go cup. Mrs. Cake places a lid on the cup, grabs the donut bag, walks back over to the cashier counter, and hands the items over to Flash. “I hope your day gets better, dear,” she says with a motherly smile. Flash thanks her and walks back towards the entrance.  “Hey Flash,” a voice calls out to him. He stops in his tracks and looks over to his right. He sees Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack all waving him over to an empty seat in their normal area. He hesitates for a moment, but decides it would it be rude to just ignore them. Perhaps it would help to talk to them. Flash thinks as he takes the empty seat pulled up to the end of the booth.  Applejack is the first to speak, “How’re you doin’, sugarcube?” she asks.  Flash takes a large swig of his coffee before he answers. “Well, considering how I just got my heart broken last night for the second time by the same girl, I think I’m doing just fine,” Flash responds facetiously, causing the girls to cringe in discomfort. Flash places the cup and bag on the coffee table and leans forward with his head in his hands, staring at the floor. “Sorry, I shouldn’t take it out on you.  I’m still getting over last night. I’m guessing you girls heard what happened?”  “More or less,” Applejack says as she winces at the other five girls who are donning guilty looks.  “W-Why don’t you tell us what happened, from your perspective,” Twilight suggests.  Flash sits up in his chair and proceeds to tell them everything that happened that night. From right after his talk with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, to the drama that happened on the bridge. He initially intended to summarize, but once he starts talking everything comes out.  Maybe they can see what went wrong, he thinks. “When I got up off the ground, she was gone,” Flash says. “I tried looking for her, even calling out her name, but I couldn’t find her. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to figure out what went wrong, but I’ve got nothing.” He leans forward again and looks back at the ground with a groan. “Everything was going perfect, right until that very moment.” Flash feels a hand landing on his back. He looks to his left and sees Rarity giving him a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry this has happened to you, darling,” Rarity says. “Sometimes, things don’t pan out the way you want them to.”  “Even if we account for everything we know about, there will always be hidden variables that can easily subvert the predicted outcome,” says Twilight. “But the important thing to remember is to keep trying,” Fluttershy adds. “That’s right!” exclaims Rainbow. “You may have lost this battle, Flash, but the war has just begun. You just gotta keep fighting!”  Flash sits back up, his face unchanging. “I appreciate the rally cry, but I’m not sure if trying again is the right way to go,” Flash admits. “The first time I told her, I got my head bitten off. This time, she was pretty clear that it wasn’t going to work. And even if she hadn’t been, I don’t think I can take a third hit.” He crosses his arms and leans back in his chair.  “You don’t have to try again right away,” says Applejack. “Give it time and be patient. If you came that close to hittin’ things off last time, then I’m sure she’ll come around eventually. Just give it time.”  “Well,” Flash sighs, “if I ever do consider trying again, I’m making sure I have you guys nearby for support. Things probably would’ve progressed differently if I had you girls there to help.”  “Well, we thought about intervening while we were watching you guys last night,” Pinkie Pie says, causing the other girls faces to drain of color and causing Flash to look up at her in confusion.  “PINKIE!” Rarity hisses.  Pinkie’s eyes widen and her face drains of color as well, realizing she wasn’t supposed to let those words slip from her lips. “Oops,” she squeaks as she covers her mouth with both of her hands.  “What did you just say?” Flash asks, his eyebrows furrowing.  “Nothing!” Rainbow Dash exclaims, extending her arms and displaying her palms. “She didn’t say anything! What she meant to say--” “You were watching us?” Flash asks in disbelief, he feels his blood begin to boil.“So that was Pinkie’s hair I saw at the festival last night!?” Pinkie, recognizing his growing anger, slowly nods and holds her hands up in defense. “How much did you see?”  “That’s not important dear, now let’s try to calm down now,” Rarity says, trying to ease the tension.  Flash collapses back into his seat and looks up at the ceiling, unable to keep any energy going.  “Just tell me,” he says in resignation. All six girls cringe, hesitant to answer. Fluttershy speaks up while hiding behind her hair. “We were watching you two for the entire evening,” she confesses in a very meek tone.  Flash faces forward and rubs his forehead. He feels like he was just shot in the gut. He can’t believe it; these friends he thought he could trust, just watched him make a fool of himself. “And you didn’t think THAT was the time to say something?  What, did you think it was funny?” His anger is starting to rise again. “And after you tore up the notecards!” he says, looking at Rainbow Dash, jabbing his index finger in her direction. Twilight’s eyes widen in shock. She turns her head to face Rainbow Dash, “You did what!?”  Rainbow Dash holds up her hands in a firm defense, concern comes over her face. “Whoa, Flash, calm down!” she says. “That’s not why--” Flash cuts her off and turns to Rarity, pointing an accusatory finger at her. “The things you told me about Sunset during game night, was any of that true?  Or is this some sort of game to you!?”  Rarity tries to respond, but fear and concern have a tight grip around her tongue. She has never seen Flash get this angry before. She looks away, at which Flash’s face tightens.  Thankfully, Applejack comes to her rescue. “Okay, let’s simmer down partner,” Applejack says placing a hand on his shoulder and gently turning him around to face her. “Everything she said then was true.  They honestly thought they were helpin’ the pair of yah’. Now let’s take a deep breath…” “So what, are you saying you weren’t involved?” Flash says, nearly in a growl.  His arms are now crossed and he looks almost pouty. Applejack looks him directly in the eye. “No, I didn’t help them,” Applejack says. “But… I did know about it and I didn’t stop ‘em.” “Applejack is innocent, Flash,” Twilight speaks up, causing Flash to face her. “She wanted to be more hands-off, only helping when either you or Sunset wanted help. The rest of us… we wanted to be more involved.” The remaining four girls nod in agreement.  “Now thanks for sayin’ that, girls,” Applejack says, “But I didn’t try to hard to stop yah either, so Flash’s got every right to be mad at me, too.” Fluttershy quietly chimes in.  “We just wanted to make sure everything went well, but we didn’t want to take away, what should’ve been, your victory. We were as stunned as you were, or we’d have done something then.” “It was wrong of us to just sit on the sidelines and watch you fumble,” says Rainbow Dash. “I should’ve, I dunno, gone after Sunset.  I mean, it’s not like I couldn’t have caught up to her. But…”  “But I said she looked like she needed to be alone,” Fluttershy says, hanging her head “I’m sorry, I… we should have said something to you then.” “I was worried we’d make it worse,” Rarity says.  At a look from Applejack, she adds, “Well, no, I’m not being entirely honest.  I was worried you’d be mad at us for spying.” “I guess this isn’t any better,” Fluttershy says quietly. “I deserve some blame for the spyin’, too,” Applejack admits as she takes her hat off, holding it with both hands in front of her chest. “I knew about their little stakeout,” Applejack says as she looks at Flash with guilty eyes. “They even asked me if I wanted to join. I declined because it didn’t seem right to me. But I didn’t say anything to you or Sunset, either. I didn’t even raise much protest. I guess I thought everything would be fine and there wouldn’t be much harm in them wanting to be an audience. None of us expected things to turn out the way they did last night. When I found out what had happened, I felt horrible for allowing them to go in the first place. Even if things had gone well, y'all shouldn't had an audience.  In truth, we’re all to blame for something.”  Flash is about to say something when he suddenly feels a force come up from behind. He looks behind him and sees Pinkie Pie wrapping her arms around his mid-torso, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. “Please forgive us Flashy,” Pinkie says in a sorrowful tone. “You’re our friend, and we would never do anything to hurt you.”  Flash looks around at the other five girls. The looks on their faces reflect genuine emotions of guilt, regret, and sorrow. It is abundantly clear that they are sorry and truly seek forgiveness. Flash’s anger subsides, replaced with more hurt.  Flash lets out a heavy sigh. “Listen girls, I can tell you regret what you did. I know you would never intentionally hurt me, whatever I might have said before. And I want to forgive you… but I can’t.” Each of the girls feels a knife hit their hearts. They each look at him in shock and disbelief. After a pointed pause, Flash continues, “I guess, maybe eventually, but… the fact that you spied on me and… on me, the fact that you just sat there and watched when I was hurting, the fact you, Applejack, didn’t do anything to stop them… that’s not something I can forgive just like that.” He pries Pinkie’s arms off of him, grabs his coffee and donut, and gets up from his seat.  He walks towards the entrance, but stops before he exits and looks at the girls. Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity look at him, covering their mouths, eyes swelling up with tears. Applejack remains standing, looking down at the ground and kicking her foot in disappointment. She places her hat over her face.  A tear slips past it and down her cheek. Rainbow Dash crosses her arms and steadfastly refuses to look at him, but even in profile she looks ashamed. Flash looks away from them and places his hand on the door. “I’m sorry,” he mutters as he walks out of the shop.