It was break time for the students of CHS. The break sent some students speeding down the halls to get to the vending machines for 'breakfast' before their choices ran out. The other students went to their lockers or their usual hangout spots at the time. One group, in particular, was meeting at an apple farmer's locker.
They all rushed to get to their friend's locker for there was an emergency. When they reached the locker, they saw the farmer glaring at the locker beside hers. They soon recognized what the problem was when they took a closer look at the locker that had Applejack's attention. Their reaction varied after taking a closer look.
Fluttershy hid her tears with her hair after reading the graffiti. Rarity looked on in disgust and a lady's fury. Pinkie had a magnifying glass, trying to see if she recognized some of the handwriting. Applejack had her arms crossed as she read the words as a frown deepened on her face. Rainbow Dash growled with clenched fists, making the other students keep a wide distance away.
"Who would do something like this?" Rainbow growled.
"I don't know, darling. But this is simply the most unforgivable act I've seen," Rarity frowned, reading some of the graffiti.
"It's a good thing that Sunset had that extra lock. I don't want to think what could've happened without it," Fluttershy commented.
"I'll say. Sunset got an industrial-style lock. Them metal bits there make it near impossible to cut the shackle with bolt-cutters. Heck, you need the key just to open the passcode panel." Applejack stated.
"So, wait, you mean it has a key and a password? It seems a little overkill for a school locker, don't you think?" Rainbow questioned.
"We can always ask her when we go to see her later today." Pinkie Pie pointed out.
"Are you here to add to the masterpiece," a voice called from behind.
The group turned to see a boy with marshmallow-colored hair with chocolate-colored skin. A sinister smile crept across his face, making his blue eyes sharp with gleeful revenge. Rainbow straightened up as the muscles in her arms tensed. She was grinding her teeth as Dumbbell moved through the small crowd that was forming.
"Dumbbell," Rainbow gritted.
"Hey, it's our favorite soccer fail Rainbow Crash, did you score any goals on your team? Hahaha," Hoops laughed.
"I was six then," Rainbow grumbled.
"That doesn't mean anything, Crash. We know how you act when you're under pressure. Though, that doesn't matter right now. You want to add something we have a sharpie right here for you," Score pulled a sharpie out of his khaki pants.
"No, we won't take part. It's mean, and it can really hurt someone's feelings," Fluttershy said in a small assertive tone.
"Who's feelings? Do you mean Sunburn? Ha, the raging she-demon will be expelled by the end of today. We just want to send her a farewell gift. Besides, she's the demon bitch. I doubt she has any feelings anyways." Dumbbell chuckled darkly.
"This locker is a message to that manipulative monster. That she's just a waste of space." Score scoffed.
"Yeah, that bitch would be better off killing herself. Though, seeing how much of a cry baby she is, I doubt she could actually do it. She'd probably try to jump into traffic."
Rainbow Dash tried to make a move on the pair of bullies, only for Applejack to stop her. "Now, you listen here. Sunset may have done wrong in the past, but she don't deserve to die. No one does, how are they suppose ta' make it up for those they wronged if they died?" Applejack said while keeping one arm on Rainbow's shoulder.
"That's easy. They wouldn't be bothering them anymore. It'd stop them from ever committing the same mistake again," Dumbbell said, absently, brushing his hair out of the way.
"But that's wrong! Everyone deserves a chance at life," Fluttershy said near tears.
"Ya, besides, Sunset has been punished enough as it is," Rainbow said, jumping in the argument.
"You do realize that you're defending Sunset Shimmer, right? The very girl that you were all enemies with last week?" Sandalwood joined the argument, standing by the other three bullies.
"Yeah, what's wrong with all you?" another student asked.
"Come on. I mean, sure, Sunset was a meanie weenie, but she's changed. Let's all take a breath and calm down. One day, we'll look back on this and laugh," Pinkie said, trying to stop the situation from getting worse.
"Oh, go shove a cupcake up your ass. You probably do that already. You hyper freak," Score glared at Pinkie with disgust.
Pinkie flinched back, and her hair went straight. She backed up with tears brimming. As Fluttershy comforted Pinkie, Rarity stepped forward, but before she could speak, a voice called out behind the forming crowd.
"Shut up, you heathens. You have no room to talk, you've bullied just as much as Sunset did in the past." a black haired girl with grey skin walked in front of the group of friends. With her a white-skinned girl with blue gradient hair.
"I have to agree, she was a bitch, but that doesn't mean anything. If Celestia and Luna gave me a chance, then why shouldn't Shimmer have one? I stole and beat other students up, but they gave me the chance to make up for it. They found me a good place to get away from the negative shit that was going on in my life." Gilda pointed out.
"Gilda is right. Wow, that's a line I never thought I'd say," Flash muttered.
"What was that?" Gilda glared at Flash.
"Nothing," Flash answered while edging away from her.
Gilda shook her head. "That's what I thought, dweeb."
"Why are you all defending that poisonous snake with your sweet words? It's not like she'll be here any longer, others have been expelled for much less." Dumbbell shouted.
"That is because those students were, regrettably, deemed un-savable," a stern voice explained. "Much like I find you three being right now."
Everyone turned to see a dark silhouette standing in a darkened hallway. Their eyes seemed to glow with cyan color. They stepped out into the light hallway, they looked back, muttering something about getting the light fixed.
The Rainbooms looked baffled.
"Vice Principal Luna? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Sunset." Rarity asked.
"Sunset wanted me to get... a drink. I thought to come in to see how everything was running," Luna explained.
"Oh, you mean the SunShim Special? Where you put that into there with a little of this and a lot of that with granola and a cherry on top?" Pinkie burst into the conversation while making a SunShim Special with drink items that appeared out of nowhere.
Luna blinked before stuttering out a reply. "I-yes. Anyways I believe I was speaking to the students that will be suspended for the rest of the week." Luna said, steering the conversation back to the original topic as she looked at Score, Hoops, and Dumbbell.
"WHAT?!?!"
"Do raise your voice at me. You are getting off lightly. For the remainder of the week, you will be in isolation. You will report to Principal Celestia's office every day. Each day you miss two days will be added to your time. One to make up for the one you skipped, and another as punishment. You will be excluded from your clubs until the week is done. You will all go to different testing rooms and will be watched by Miss. Cheerilee." Luna basically recited.
"You can't do this to us. We didn't do anything wrong," Hoops exclaimed.
"I can and I will, you admitted to your crimes. Those crimes being vandalism of school property, destroying student property, talking back to an authoritative figure, using profanities, and saying things like 'she should kill herself.'"
"But-"
"Butts are for sitting on," Luna interrupted. "Count yourself lucky that I'm not your parents. If I were you wouldn't even be able to sit, now head to the office."
"Vice Principal Luna-"
"OFFICE. NOW," Luna spoke in a deadly tone as she stared at the three quivering teens.
The three made their way to the office, with Luna glaring at them as they went. When they rounded the corner, the air that was as thick as butter vanished, and Luna sighed. As she stood in silence, the student's regular traffic began again.
The ones that supported the actions of Hoops, Score, and Dumbbell slipped out of the hall before Luna's anger was directed at them. Only the supporters of Applejack and her friends stayed behind. Gilda was the first to move. She walked into the nearest classroom.
"Thank you."
The group looked at Luna as she turned to face the group, "Truly, you all have my gratitude."
"T'was nothing Vice Principal Luna." Applejack smiled.
"It was not nothing, Applejack. You and your group of friends have been so good to Sunset in such a short time. So many people are focused on the past and what happened. They never consider the future and what it could hold. They never think to consider that people can change if they have the right hand to lead them. They only need a chance to move in the right direction. I want to thank you all being those that give those people a chance."
"You're most welcome, Vice Principal Luna," Rarity took over the conversation. "It was our pleasure to stick up for our friend. Oh, I have something for you to give to Sunset. I stayed up last night to finish the repairs, but I believe that I've done a smashing job fixing it up. I was going to give it to her myself, but I feel like it will have more meaning coming from you than it would me."
Rarity pulled a familiar looking leather jacket from her purse. It looked brand new in a way that seemed to aim for worn-out. The damage from the transformation was fixed with the scruff marks looking intentional to the design. She passed it to Luna, who handled it like it was made of glass.
"Your generosity knows no bounds, Rarity." Luna admonished.
"Please, helping people look chic, unique, magnifique, is my pleasure. Oh, that's good. I should keep that."
"So, are we just going ignore the unexpected help we got?" Rainbow asked.
"Huh, what do you mean, Dashie?" Pinkie said while slurping her drink, with a look of ecstasy.
"What I mean is that I get why we stuck up for Sunset, but why did you all stick up for her?" Rainbow clarified.
"I found out what happened to Sunset through Octavia," Flash admitted.
"I learned it from Vinyl. She saw Luna talking with Mrs. Cake and some other lady about it," Octavia explained.
"How did she do that?" Luna questioned Octavia.
"Well, you know that Vinyl is selectively mute, and with her always listening to music, she's learned to read lips. She likes to see what people are talking about, so she unconsciously starts to read people's lips. Derpy and a few others have heard about it as well. Is it true?"
Luna frowned. "Unfortunately, Sunset is paralyzed from the waist down. It would also seem that there was more nerve damage than they previously had thought. The areas around her back have been damaged to the point that they are incredibly sensitive. She also has nerve damage from her elbow down, this will make holding objects harder, taxing to hold anything for extended amounts of time."
"Wow, I didn't think that she was hurt so much," Flash spoke, after digesting the news.
"The next couple of months will be tough for her," Luna said, but it seemed more directed to herself than anything else.
"I can't imagine what she must be feeling right now. She was so independent before, now she'll need help with everything. This must be so hard for her," Fluttershy quietly spoke.
"Well, I must be getting back to Sunset. Are any of you coming to the hospital later today?" Luna asked.
"I think all of us were going to head over after school. 'Parently, Pinkie here has a surprise activity that everyone can take part in," Applejack answered.
"It'll be so much fun. I have to go before I spill the beans. I'm not good at keeping secrets. I mean, I can't go telling everyone Shining Armor and Cadence are going to have an alicorn baby named Flurry Heart now can I? Bye," Pinkie said from the hallway corner.
Not a second later, Gilda walked back from the class, with a spray bottle and a worn-out rag. She proceeded to spray the locker before cleaning the graffiti that covered the green surface.
"G, what are you doing?" Rainbow asked.
"I'm part of the janitor crew. I help them clean the school grounds after school. As a way to repay Vice Principal Luna and Principal Celestia for helping me escape the dump that I lived in before," Gilda said. "We usually keep the supply refills in the chemistry rooms."
"Here, why don't I help you, um if you don't mind that is?" Fluttershy said uncertainly.
Gilda glanced over before handing Fluttershy the rag she was using. She walked back into the class before returning with another rag. She and Fluttershy both began to clean the locker together. After watching the scene, Fluttershy's friends went and grabbed a rag to help clean the locker. Luna smiled at the scene before she made her way to the office to tell her sister what had happened.
Sunset was zoned out when Luna entered the room. She had eaten very little of what the hospital staff delivered. Granted, most of the meal consisted of meat, which Sunset refused to eat unless it was absolutely necessary. She was lost in thought, comparing Luna's actions with all those that had betrayed her trust.
Luna had been supportive of her at every turn, but so had Princess Celestia. Sunset had already let her hope get smashed twice. She didn't really know if she could handle a third. On the other hand, all Luna asked was a chance to show her that she cared for her. Plus, all she had to do was talk with her when she felt uncomfortable with something.
Sunset had been asked to do more by her biological mom and the Princess. All Luna wanted was to make her comfortable. Luna always checked on her when she came back to school from being sick. Luna gave Sunset the slightest flicker of hope, and while she was terrified of having her heart completely broken. Sunset couldn't help but feel like this time it would be different. Maybe even better than it had ever been.
"Here you go, Sunset. I have your drink."
Luna's voice snapped Sunset out of her thoughts. She looked to see Luna handing her a tall drink, steam wafting up from the hole in the lid. She took the offered drink, with shakey hands. Before she could bring it to her lips, Luna slid a long straw into the hole. Sunset looked at her quizzically.
Luna smiled when Sunset looked at her, "So you don't have to hold up to get a drink."
Sunset blinked before saying a quiet 'thank you'. She was about to drink some of her beverage when she saw Luna give a hesitant glance at her own drink. It was only then that Sunset saw that Luna had gotten two SunShim Specials.
"Why did you get two?" Sunset asked curiously.
"Well, I thought that since you like the drink, I would try it too." Luna smiled.
"You didn't have to do that," Sunset countered.
"But I wanted to, Sunset. You like this drink, and as someone that wants to get to know you better, that means trying the things that you like, even if I question how good this tastes."
"...You still don't need to try it. I don't want to make you regret trying something of mine." Sunset muttered.
"Yes, I do. You care about this. That means whether I like it or not, I will automatically care about what you like. So long as you don't get hurt, I don't see any reason why I should hate it."
"...Okay."
"Well, then, time to experience the SunShim Special," Luna said while hesitantly looking at the travel mug in her hand.
Sunset watched Luna worked up the courage to drink it, and before she could say anything else. Luna threw the drink back like it was a shot glass. The reaction was immediate. Luna's cheeks puffed out as she struggles to force the sugary beverage down. Her eyes watered as the scolding, sugary drink sat in her mouth.
Sunset watched in fascination as Luna made a momentous attempt to swallow the drink. After three gulps, Luna was finally able to open her mouth only to pant like an Olympian sprinter. Sunset was silent for a moment before a quiet sound escaped her.
"Pfft." Sunset chuckled. "What was that? You're not supposed to chuck it down like cider. Hahaha, this is a sipping drink. You only drink a little at a time. Hahaha!"
"Why didn't you tell me before," Luna said with a pout.
Sunset broke into more laughter, and Luna joined her seconds later. It was minutes before their laughter died down.
In Equestria
Princess Celestia sat upon her throne. Her mane flowed breezily behind her. Her eyes had the thousand-yard stare. It had been four days since Twilight returned from the other world. She was taking the injuries that she inflicted on Sunset hard. It had only been yesterday that she had finally convinced her to return to Ponyville with her friends.
Celestia herself was taking it hard herself. She didn't know what to think. It was like a cruel joke the universe wanted to constantly play on her. It was Luna all over again. Only now she couldn't help but believe that it was too late to make amends. She didn't have a thousand years to think of how she was going to make it to Sunset.
While she was lost in her self loathing, a guard walked in and approached the Solar Princess. He bowed before her and waited for her approval to stand. When no command was given, he risked a glance up to see her not paying attention. He quietly cleared his throat, catching her attention.
"Oh stand," She beckoned with her hoof.
Once he was upright, he monotonously said, "Your highness, an earth pony is looking for her daughter."
Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly. "Who is this pony?"
"She says her name is Snare Flare, and she is looking for her daughter Sunset Shimmer."