//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - This is all I've ever known. // Story: Coercion // by Howzdozit //------------------------------//     Flinching, Sunset traveled back down the stairway as her parents called her to the kitchen. “Yes, mother and father?” she said with faux confidence.    “Do not speak, Shimmer.” Dimming Dusk said with force. “I recall ordering you to pass with higher than a ninety-five percentage for every class, correct?”     Sunset nodded.    “And I’m correct when I say that you managed a ninety-four-point-ninety-nine for your advanced history class?”     Sunset’s bravado slightly slipped, and she gulped.    “So why,” Dimming narrowed her eyes, orange waves falling in front of her face, “Does my daughter wish to be such a failure?” Dimming’s eyes glowed in anger. She turned to look at her husband. “Get the knife.”     Sunset’s eyes were wide as she recoiled towards the front door to her house. “No.. no… please, n-not again. I- you- I’ll… call the police!” She backed up into a corner and shrunk herself down.      Fallen Sun laughed cynically. “Oh, you stupid, worthless child. If you weren’t such a waste of a human, you would have the basic ability to remember that I am the head of the police department. I am above everyone else, so calling those meatheads on me only helps my cause.”     Sunset fought the urge to cry in fear. “W-why do you- you do this to… to me! I- I never do anything wrong!”     Fallen lifted up the knife, grinned, and said, “Oh, you’ve just made everything so much worse.”     Sunset Shimmer walked out of a high-quality cafe, half of a breakfast sandwich in one hand and a cup of the richest tea around in the other. Continuing on her journey back to Crystal Prep, Sunset took small sips out of her tea and tiny nibbles from her sandwich     She wore the uniform for the female high school students at Crystal Prep Academy, her hair loose and a blue designer backpack draped over her shoulders.     Her “family” always seemed to pressure Sunset to enjoy the color blue. She wasn’t quite sure why. She much preferred the colour purple.     Everything else Sunset was forced into doing had at least some sort of reasoning, the most prominent theme being ‘to gain more power in society.’     Which, to Sunset, didn’t make sense either. Why would those who gave birth to her use her as a means to become more powerful? Wouldn’t becoming more socially powerful propel their popularity, therefore making their abuse blatantly obvious to the world? They probably don’t even care.      Thinking back, the popularity was the only thing her “parents” ever cared, or even thought about. It was like the fame was all they lived for. Huh.     Sunset remembered the tales people would tell of her great-grandfather. He was the legend of his time, being one who controlled all people that dared challenge him. People saw him as a great, legendary man.     Of course, they didn’t know of the pressure he put on his children.     Those who raised her always said that being a tale to tell was the greatest achievement one could ever achieve. Told her that, if she was put beside a legend, she wouldn’t even compare.     She also remembered her ancestors main strategies, to use those below as a step stool. As her aunt had so generously put it, “All of those failures help to fuel our success, like a well thought out game of chess.”     The saying her “parents” always repeated, “You’ve proven to all of us that you will never be worthy enough. You don’t even deserve your title as one of our blood.”     A hint of sunlight caught Sunset’s eye, and she looked up. The tall, wide, glimmering covering over the walls of Crystal Prep reflected the rising Sun’s beams. Sunset shielded her face and walked to the crystal building. Waving hello in a practiced manner to all of the teachers she passed by, she walked over to her locker and took her supplies out of it.     Closing the locker, Sunset noticed a note on it. She took it, and frowned.   Hey there, Sunny. I noticed you being a teacher’s pet. What’s up with that, goody two shoes? Just thought you should know, no one cares about what you do. Nobody at this school cares about you.   -M     I know people don’t care. Stop reminding me. Sunset sighed and crumpled up the paper, stuffing it into a nearby trash bin. As she walked to class, she thought the note over. Trust me, I don’t even have a bit of respect for those teachers. I’ve seen what they do to kids who don’t listen to their every command, though. And that would lead to them telling my… them. Sunset walked to the school courtyard and sat. She watched the elementary kids play in the playground area, the junior high kids chatting in groups, and the high school kids fooling around.     Sunset took out a book and pretended to read it, but thought things out. And we all know how that’ll end. She looked at her sleeve, which was just long enough to cover her noticeable scars. I wonder… what if I just… run away? Escape all my worries? Sunset’s brows furrowed. Escape to where, though. Sunset’s eyes widened in realization. The police station, duh. But… I don’t want to go to some orphanage. Unless… maybe I can ask to simply be adopted out before I go into the system. Sunset smiled to herself. The hope in the girl’s eyes flickered to the front of them, just for a second.     That was enough.      A shrill bell rung, enticing thousands of students to file out of classrooms and buildings. Sunset was among them. It was quite strange, how a single sound could convince so many people to react the same way. Like a voice of someone, someone who had control over all he looked at. Sounds familiar.     Walking out from the sports building on to the high school building, Sunset rolled her thoughts from earlier that day around her head. If I do just run away, I’ll need to know what I’m doing. I can’t just not come home one day. Sunset came up to the courtyard, and saw a girl looking confused.     Ignoring her, Sunset walked on. Then she came up to Sunset.    “Um, sorry if I’m interrupting anything, but do you know where the office is?” she asked.     Sunset pointed up to the top floor of a building. “The stairs are inside, to your immediate left,” she said, putting on her faux accent.    “Thanks. Hey, what grade are you in?” she asked.     Sunset prepared herself for more than five seconds of social interaction. “Tenth. You?”    “Oh, I’m in tenth grade too! I’m Twilight Sparkle. What’s your name?”     Twilight. “I’m Sunset, it’s lovely to meet you!” Sunset put on a smile.      “Hey, are you from here? You don’t sound like the other people that live in this area,” Twilight said.     Sunset fought the urge to laugh. “No, it’s just how my parents make me-” Sunset realized her mistake. “Er, how I talk. Yep! Just how I say things. No other reason,” Sunset trailed off. “Well, I should go now. See you around, Twilight!”     Twilight waved goodbye to Sunset, then went inside the building.     Sunset’s face flushed. Alright. Cool. Now, back to my plan. Sunset let out a snicker. My plan. Oh, it sounds like I’m planning to overthrow an evil queen and king. Which, I mean, seems pretty close to what I’m doing. She filled her backpack with what she would need to complete her homework.     She walked out into the parking lot of the school, then waited for her “father” to pick her up. Hm. What if I… no, that won’t work… maybe if… that works! And then I’ll be able to… yeah! Good. Sunset smiled, that hope in the girl’s eyes becoming just a little less distant each and every minute that passed.     Noticing her “father”’s car pull into the pickup zone, Sunset quickly walked towards it. Here we go again. Sunset put on her accent again and greeted the other in the car, who grunted in response. Better than the knife. Sunset went to reach for her phone, then halted herself. Didn’t turn out so well last time. Sunset’s pupils shrank in fear. No, not now. Her mind didn’t listen to her suggestion, and began to bring forth a memory. Sunset fought to keep conscious until she got home.     Thankfully, Sunset managed to keep her consciousness.     When she got home, though, the first thing she did was race to her bathroom and lock herself away.     No, no. Please, don’t. No.     Unlike when she was in the car, her mind brought the memory forward quickly.     Walking out of the high school building, Sunset noticed her father’s car outside. She walked towards it and sat down.     After they had set out into the road, Sunset saw it fit to listen to music on her phone. She took it out, plugged her headphones in, and leaned back.     Getting home, Sunset turned to go upstairs. She was stopped by a tug on her wrist, followed by a sharp sting on her arm. Oh no.     Slowly, she turned around to look at her father. She gulped, but decided not to say anything in hopes of getting out of this with a few less scars.    “What did we tell you about disrespecting us, Shimmer?!” His eyes flared, and Sunset swore she could see a willingness to kill in them. “Now, you’re going to stay still, and I’m going to pay it back. I’ve had a stressful day, and I’ve been begging for some way to relax.” He smiled maniacally, pushing Sunset against a wall.     Please. I… why? Sunset felt her shirt being pulled up, then a sharp pain on her back. It was then and there, that Sunset could no longer call that man her father. The pain as he dug the knife over and into her skin in multiple places was mind numbing. She looked to her right, and noticed her mother standing in a nearby doorframe, a glass of wine in her hand. She was also holding a knife. No! Not more! Sunset fought tears.     The woman, who Sunset also couldn’t call her mother, stalked over with a predatory smile and joined her husband along with the cutting.     No.. stop.. please.     “STOP!”     Sunset lay on her floor, eyes bloodshot. She breathed in unsteady breaths, unable to quiet the sound of her heaving. She started coughing violently, and doubled over to try and breathe a little easier. Eventually, the coughing stopped, replaced with a strong thirst. Sunset took a glass cup from her cabinet and filled it with water from her sink, gulping it down as soon as it was full.     Her stomach grumbled in hunger. There was nothing she could do about that. When she was thirteen and others focused on her body image, her parents stopped allowing dinners.     Sunset sighed. One of these days. One day, someone will care enough.