A sharp blade was held in front of Sunset’s face, just inches away from her left eye. Sunset gulped. “I-I apologize, mother,” she said, voice quivering. “I- I will… do… better!” she tried, unable to breathe properly.
Dimming Dusk didn’t back away. She didn’t move at all, keeping the blade as close as humanly possible to Sunset’s eye.
Sunset noticed that nothing was happening, and dared to blink. When she opened her eyes, she saw that her mother had a playful grin on her lips.
“Ha! You should’ve seen your face. ‘Oh no,” she mocked, “mommy’s gonna cut me and ruin my perfect image.’ Honestly, you’re pathetic.”
Ha. Very funny. Sunset let out a breath. “Uh…” Okay, what now? “May, I go?”
Fallen Sun let out a chuckle. “Oh, no, we still have to discipline you. Let’s see… Dim, what’s your opinion on her wearing something that shows off her back?”
“Oh, tops like that are hardly refined! Not at all fitting for someone who wishes to hold this line of blood,” Dimming replied.
Fallen walked closer to Sunset, taking the blade from his wife. “Alright, here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m not gonna be making a lot of marks, like I did on your stomach. Instead, I’ll be making one very long mark. Easy enough to understand, right? Or is it too complex for you to handle? I’d guess so, looking at your failure of a mind. Whatever occurred to Sunset Shimmer? She used to be the daughter of a great man, hopefully to marry a man like him. Perhaps if she learns to be greater, she’ll redeem herself. Seems like a good idea. Why, my father taught me that discipline is a great way to enforce control over someone. Of course, we already know that works for me. But it seems it hasn’t worked for you I’ll just have to try harder.” Fallen turned Sunset around, lifting her shirt up to reveal her back.
He took the blade and lightly pressed it into the very top layers of her skin, making some blood drip slightly. He went in a line, marking her back. Occasionally he would turn the blade or dig it just a little deeper.
Sunset stood, the pain from the sharp bit eventually becoming numb. This is my fault. If only I listened to them, I wouldn’t be hurt. I’m sorry I failed. I’m a failure to this world. I understand that I deserve this.
But can you please stop now?
Sunset sat at her desk, her homework for the day being just completed. This was a rare occasion, as she had nothing to do. She looked at the time on her phone.
6:15
Sighing, she pulled out a notebook from her backpack. On the front page, there was fancy lettering spelling out ‘Literary Arts.’ However, on a page near the middle of the notebook, there was a seemingly complex, but simple when it came down to it plan. Clearing her mind, Sunset began writing.
Sunset was in the school library. Being so close to the end of the semester, only a week remaining, she had to study for her exams during her recess. Not that she would’ve failed if she didn’t review, but her similar-blooded people insisted she got top grades. I mean, I guess it works. I do always get one of the highest grades on my exams. Sunset smirked to herself.
She returned to her notes.
“Hey, Sunset, right?”
Sunset jumped up in surprise. She turned her head around. “Oh,” she let out a breath. “Um, yes. That is my name.”
Twilight chuckled. “Do -uh- you have any tips on what I should -um- study for tests? Or, like… that stuff.” Her eyes darted around, and she fumbled with her hands.
Sunset nodded. “Yeah. Do you want me to do a quick run-through of what we’ve learned prior to when you came here?”
Twilight nodded, then sat next to Sunset.
Sunset took out several notebooks, and one-by-one gave a summary of what she had learned in her core classes.
“...and that’s all I can say for our main classes. I’m not sure about electives, you’ll have to ask your teachers,” Sunset said.
“Alright,” Twilight said.
“Actually, now that I think about it, how come you didn’t ask your teachers in the first place?” Sunset asked.
Twilight looked down. “I just have a hard time talking to people. Especially adults and people I don’t know.”
Sunset stared at Twilight blankly. “But… haven’t you ever talked to your parents? It’s exactly the same thing.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “No… not really. It’s really easy to talk to both of my parents about stuff. They’re not strangers. Why would talking to my parents be a hard thing?”
Sunset looked to the side. I mean I knew that those people are bat-shit crazy, but I’ve nobody I’ve ever known gets along with their parents. That’s weird. Then again, the only people I’ve ever really talked to are my cousins… Crap.
“Sunset?”
Her head snapped up. “Uh, right. I have to go to the restroom. I’ll be right back,” Sunset said as she ran off.
Arriving at the bathrooms, Sunset quickly walked into a stall and shut the door. Hunching over, she tried to steady her quickening breaths. This is way worse than I thought, isn’t it. It’s gotten so much worse…
I need to get out of here.
Dimming Dusk was mad. Not very ladylike of her, she knew that. But she wasn’t in front of anybody, so who did it matter to anyways? Nonetheless, she was furious. She stomped down the long, luscious halls, and reached the main living room of the house, where her husband was.
“Fallen Sun, I demand that you see this,” she said as she walked over to sit on the couch.
Fallen lazily raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“This is no simple manner! I was in our daughter’s room when I found this!” She stuck out a piece of paper.
Fallen grabbed it and chuckled. “Oh, darling. Don’t you remember when we were kids? I would threaten to run away all the time! Actually got quite far once. But I always came back. Do you know why?”
Dimming shook her head.
“It’s pretty simple. I just knew that no matter what I did, I could never survive without my parents’ rule. I knew, deep down, that I was worthless without them. Alas, here I am. Chief of the county sheriff's department.”
Dimming looked at her husband irritatingly. “Yes, I did indeed try to escape my home a few times as a child. But are you sure Sunset knows her place here? I don’t ever recall trying to explain to her why she should stay with us.”
Fallen looked up in though. “You’re right. How about this, you ask her why she wrote the paper. If she doesn’t explicitly say nor imply she’s going to run out, then it’s fine.”
Dimming nodded. “Alright, then. I’ll be in the study.”
Arriving home, Sunset went to check on the people across the hall from her. After knocking on the door and receiving affirmation to enter by the woman in the room, she walked in. “Hello mother. Do I need to do anything this afternoon before I begin my schoolwork?”
Dimming spoke up. “Hello, daughter. I noticed a note on your desk.”
Sunset gulped.
“From what I received after looking at it, it was a plan of things to bring to your locker at your school. Why exactly do you need to bring things to your locker?”
Sunset looked at her mother. “I’ve noticed a change in my hygiene after my Gym class. In order to maintain my image, I need to bring more things into my locker so that it looks like I never even went to the class. But I cannot carry all of that in my bag in one day. I need to bring it in parts,” she explained.
Her mother eyed her suspiciously before dropping her tense face. “Alright. Go do your work.”
Sunset nodded and ran off to her room. Settling herself in her desk chair, she began on her homework.
Sunset needed to edit her plan. Her original plan of escaping the house and coming back to her school the next day was very bad, now that the thought about it. Alright, what can I do?
She sat down in her assigned seat for her fourth period class. She looked at the date on the board, noticing it was getting quite close to the end of the term. Alright then, if I’m gonna use the school as a place to hide, I should think of something soon.
The teacher began the lesson, and Sunset began to take notes down. She was in the middle of a sentence when a paper ball landed on her desk. She opened it.
I’m not really getting the lesson. Could you help me during recess?
-DD
Sunset let out a sigh before brushing the note off her desk. Sorry, would really like to help, but I can’t help “poor people,” according to them. Although, if they go to this school, their families are pretty well off. But I guess if they don’t live in the upper mountains, they don’t qualify. She looked down dejectedly. I do want to help, though.
She sat there, continuing to write, still silently wishing for a new plan.