//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Neglected // by FreedomRiders //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer ran. As fast as she could, down the pavement away from high school. The names and jeers filled her head as the rain splashed down, hard. Sobbing quietly as she ran, she felt the tears go down with the rain, as the freezing cold seeped into her skin. "Get outta here! And don't ever come back!" "Worthless bully!" "Yer not welcome here!!" "You’ll never change!!" "You're the same as before!!" After running in the rain for ten minutes, she finally tripped over a wide crack in the sidewalk and tumbled to a halt, sniffling as she curled up on the ground, clutching her bleeding knee. "Dammit..." she hissed, wiping her eyes. The sound of thunder filled the air, and Sunset flinched before looking around. She was at an intersection with several buildings. The streets were nearly empty, and the rain had gone from a slight downpour to raining cats and dogs. As she tried to get up, her knee pulsed in agony, and she fell to the ground again, yelping. Grabbing her backpack, she pulled herself to her feet and limped into an alley, where several dumpsters sat, half empty. Pressing herself between two dumpsters, she rubbed her eyes as she felt herself be surrounded by the odor of garbage. "Stupid Anon-a-Miss...stupid girls...why do I need them?" she muttered as she dug through her backpack. "They said they didn't need me, so why should I need them..." Pulling out her phone, she began blocking all her contacts, grumbling angrily to herself before pocketing her phone, sniffling all the while. "Friendship is magic...like hell..." she whimpered to herself as she huddled up in the rough and rainy weather, the only shelter available being a canopy cover and two dumpsters that did nothing to protect against the cold. "Merry fuckin' Christmas..." - 4 hours later - At the Canterlot Mall, Applejack tossed her empty cup in the trash can, before heading upstairs back to her table. The rest of her friends were cleaning up after eating an early dinner at the food court. "So, we ready to go now?" she asked. "Yup," Rainbow Dash before a loud ping caught their attention. Turning to their phones, they groaned as they read their notifications. "Ugh, Sunset posted another goddamn secret." "I don't understand how she could go back to doing something as horrible as this," Rarity said as she set her smartphone in her purse. "I thought we were really her friends." "Yeah, Ah thought so too...Ah guess we were wrong," Applejack mumbled quietly as she scratched at her forehead under her Stetson. "Can't believe she'd backstab us." "Me neither!" Pinkie Pie fumed, thumping her fist on the table. "I don't know...didn't you see how she ran out earlier? In the rain, no less," Fluttershy said as she picked up her backpack and slung it on. "I don't think she was lying when she said she was innocent." "Come on, Fluttershy. She was obviously acting! You didn't expect her to get away with it with how obvious it was! Who else could've known Applejack's secret at the sleepover?" Rainbow Dash said. "I-I..." Fluttershy said before falling silent, looking down nervously. "Never mind." "Alright, now that that's over with, let's all get outta here before the weather gets worse," Rainbow Dash said, as the girls picked up their empty food trays and headed over to the trash cans. Fluttershy stood there for a few seconds before sighing and picking up her empty tray. As she emptied its contents into the bin, she set the tray on top and looked down. "Sunset...why would you do this to us?" she whispered before hurrying to catch up with her friends. In a nearby restaurant, business was slow, thanks to the rain. Many people stayed indoors, and the only customers were the occasional couple, a few businessmen, and a group of kids from the nearby elementary school. "I'm clocking out!" an employee called from the kitchen. He was a bright young man with short black hair and growing sideburns. He had a light tan and hazel colored eyes. He wore white scratched up sneakers, black jeans and a green shirt under a black chef's coat. His coat had the name tag "Coral" hanging on the right breast. "Alright. You up for tomorrow?" another employee who was scrubbing the work counter said. "Maybe, I'll call in tomorrow morning if I will," Coral said as he pulled on a black hoodie. “If this stupid weather gets better or worse, it might change things." "Got it. See you later, Coral," the employee said, stopping his scrubbing of the counter to wave goodbye. "See ya tomorrow, Bill," Coral said as he hung up his chef's coat on the rack above. "Stay safe, I heard it's gonna rain hard till tomorrow morning!" a voice from the kitchen, the manager, called. "Got it, you too, boss!" Coral called as he left into the pouring rain. He pulled his hood over his head and got to walking to the parking lot a few blocks away. As he walked, he looked up to see the storm not letting up, only getting worse. “Damn, if this wind gets any stronger I’ll end up flying.” “sniff” Blinking, Coral stopped walking. “What the...” he mumbled as he turned around to look for the source of that sound. “sniff” Coral whipped around as he backed towards the space between two buildings. Once he was next to a dumpster, he took his phone out and quickly flicked on its flashlight. “Hello?” he said, waving his flashlight around. "Is someone here?" The sniffling was heard again, and Coral quickly moved towards the dumpster. "Uhh, you're not gonna jump me or rob me or something like tha-HOLY SHIT!!" he cried. He saw a pale girl huddled between two dumpsters, shivering in her sleep. Her hair was frazzled and her knee was bleeding. Canterlot didn't have many homeless people, but she looked well dressed, leather jacket and an orange skirt with boots that looked decently new. "OK, uhh, uhh, uhh, hello?" Coral stammered as he stepped forward while turning off his phone flashlight. The girl didn't move, so he reached over and quickly nudged her shoulder multiple times, making sure not to jostle her too hard. "Hey, wake up!" The girl moaned softly before her eyes fluttered open softly. She had bright colored cyan eyes that seemed rather dim, as if they were lifeless. Her eyes fell upon Coral, and she shivered upon realizing how cold it was. "H-huh?" "Hey, what're you doing here?" Coral asked quickly in concern. "Are you OK?" The girl slowly tried to get up, revealing to Coral her injured scraped knee with dried blood on it. Crying out, she fell to the ground, clutching her knee and sniffling in pain. "I-I need to get home..." she mumbled as she attempted to crawl out of the alley. "Wait, wait, wait. What's your name?" Coral asked before mentally face palming. "Someone's hurt like this, you don't ask their name, idiot!" he thought. "S-Sunset Shimmer. I have to get home, raining hard..." the girl said, shivering as she kept crawling, wincing in pain all the while. "Whoa, whoa whoa, you ain't walking out there," Coral said, taking his phone out of his pocket and quickly switching it on. "What happened? Did someone attack you? I'm calling the police." Sunset panicked immediately and grabbed his arm before he could dial 911. "N-no! No police, no one hurt me, I promise!" Sunset Shimmer said, holding out her hand before breathing in deeply. "Look, I just need a minute, then I'll be able to walk home." "No way you can walk home, especially with how cold it is right now," Coral asserted. "Look, my car's at the parking lot close by, I can get you home." "I...I can make it. It's near the new apartment building that was built a month ago," Sunset Shimmer argued, shivering all the while. "Look, just go back to your car, I-I can make it." "The new apartment building? Shit, that's across town!" Coral said before clearing his throat. "Look, I can take you to my house and get that knee patched up. Walking on it's bound to infect it, and you'll probably die if you stay out in this weather. What do you say?" "Why're you trying to help me?" Sunset said, the question asked in a tone that was so out of nowhere that Coral wasn't able to speak for a few seconds. "Why do you care? Do you want something from me? Do you have some plan to take advantage of me or something?" Despite how hurt and weak the girl looked, Coral felt intimidated. Maybe it was because he was weak willed, or there was something about this girl. "N-no! I'm just trying to help," he said defensively. "I...why?" Sunset said dumbly. "Uhh, would you rather me leave you out here to die?" Coral asked, before thunder boomed through the area. "You're pale as fuck and you have a bad knee. Those are very very bad things." "..." Sunset looked down. "You're not going to do anything to me, are you?" she asked meekly. "What? N-no! I'm not a creep," Coral said before putting his hand up to his face, his face seemingly horrified. "Wait, do I look like a creep? Like a sinister kind of creep? Oh my god, that would explain so much..." Despite the cold and the pain, Sunset giggled, a small snicker that lit up Coral's insides. "OK..." she said, that little grin on her face dropping to a nervous expression. "I-I'll take you up on that offer, I guess." "Great!" Coral said, relieved that she was no longer fighting his offer. "Cuz you look terrible, no offense." Sunset sighed quietly as she attempted to stand. After a minute of wobbling, she leaned against the dumpster on her good leg, revealing her outfit to Coral. Her black leather jacket and orange skirt were stained with rainwater and filth from between the dumpsters, and her boots looked scratched up. Her hair was also messy and jagged as hell. "Umm...how bad does it hurt?" Coral asked nervously. "It's...it's not too bad," Sunset Shimmer hissed as she looked down. "I'll be fine." "Come on," Coral said, pulling her arm over his shoulder and helping her limp out of the alley. As the rain got worse, Coral and Sunset hurried across the street, passing a few people who either looked and turned away, or just watched as the two limped their way by. It was ten minutes of staggering before they eventually made it to the parking lot. "OK...OK, OK, OK..." Coral muttered as he reached his car, a black used SUV. Reaching one hand into his pocket, he yanked out his keys and unlocked the car. Opening the passenger door, he stepped aside. "Here ya go," he said. "T-thanks...I don't wanna dirty your car, though..." Sunset Shimmer said. "I'd prefer that than leaving you to freeze. Plus, I can always get it cleaned later," Coral said, chuckling nervously as he rubbed his chilly hands together, breathing on them. Sunset climbed in slowly, wincing when she had to move her injured knee. "I-I appreciate you doing this..." she whispered. Coral opened the driver's seat door and climbed in. "Don't mention it. Just wanted to help," he said as he started the car and immediately turned on the heating. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he switched on the windshield wipers and sighed. "What were you doing out there anyway?" "I...I was having a rough time so I decided to be by myself," Sunset said quietly, her face growing somber as she looked down at her backpack sitting on her lap. "Rough time? Did anyone hurt you?" Coral asked quietly, sensing how sensitive of a topic this probably was for her. "No...well...not physically anyway," Sunset Shimmer said. "Wanna talk about it? It helps," Coral said as he steered left, pulling through an intersection away from the businesses of the area and towards the suburban houses of the city. "Maybe...maybe later," Sunset Shimmer said. "Not sure you wanna hear my sob story anyway..." "I'm willing to listen over hot food and a sitcom," Coral said. Sunset Shimmer turned to look at Coral with a confused expression, and he turned red. "I swear I wasn't asking you out, I was just offering," he said as he looked away, embarrassed. Sunset Shimmer giggled before sighing. "That sounds nice...I'll pay you back, of course," she said. "No, it wouldn't be nice of me to take your money just for helping," Coral protested. "Trust me, food for two isn't something to fret over...especially since I'm practically a stranger." Sunset sighed quietly. "I don't get why you're being so nice," she said. "Well, mom always said to treat a stranger with kindness. Plus I heard online that...well, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet," Coral said. "Kinda cringe, I know." "No, no it's good advice," Sunset Shimmer said as she looked out the window. "Friendships...they never turn out the way you think they do, do they..." "Yeah," Coral said, Sunset looking to him in curiosity. "They're weird like that. Then again, everything often is..." Sunset and Coral were silent for a bit. "Hey, what's your name?" Sunset asked. "Hm? Oh, Coral," he said, focusing back on driving in this heavy weather. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sunset," Sunset Shimmer said. "Nice to meet you," Coral said back. Slowing down, Coral pulled into a small one story house with black roofing and a green paint job. "Here's my humble abode," he said. "As much as a part time job and college studies can get you anyway." "Huh? How old are you?" Sunset Shimmer asked, as Coral shut off the car and opened the door. Walking over to the passenger's side, he opened it and offered his hand for Sunset to take. "I'm 19. Going on 20 in few months. Why?" he asked. "Well, I figured you were...older?" Sunset asked quietly as she took his arm and heaved herself out of the passenger's seat. "Older? Do I look that old?" Coral asked before taking on a pirate accent. "It's all the stress I tell ye. Class is bad for yer health." Sunset Shimmer snickered as she stood up, one leg bent. "Ha ha, class isn't so bad. Brrr...it's freezing..." she said. "Yeah. Come on, let's go," Coral said, locking the car as Sunset grabbed her bag and closed the door. Helping the girl to the porch, he fished out his house keys and unlocked the door. "Please mind the mess of...well, everything." Opening the door, he revealed a living room with several opened novels, textbooks, and magazines, as well as a closed laptop. The decently sized television was dusty, and the couches were unparalleled to the wall or television. The kitchen and dining area wasn't as much as a mess, but it was still not as clean as other places seen in public. "Yeah...I'm a slob. I usually clean up on weekends," Coral muttered as he removed his his shoes and set them aside. "Uhh, that knee though. We should probably clean that up." "T-thanks..." Sunset shivered, teeth chattering. As she took off her boots, she looked around to see the posters of some musical band she didn't recognize and a shelf holding small plastic robot figurines. The wallpaper was dusty white, and the floor was hardwood. "You should probably take a hot shower after that's cleaned. Not saying you smell bad or anything, but you're really cold. Like freezing cold," Coral said. "I have some hydrogen peroxide in the bathroom, and-" "I know how to use it," Sunset cut off. "I just need to clean my knee and I'll be out of your mane-er, hair." "Oh, OK," Coral said, deciding not to ask about what seemed to be a slip up. "Hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls are under the sink. Bathroom's down the hall." "Thanks," Sunset Shimmer said, as she limped to the hallway with her things in tow. As she locked the door, Coral headed to the kitchen to get started on cooking. In the bathroom, Sunset sat on the closed toilet lid, looking at her scrape. "Ow..." she hissed when she tried to lift it up. When she managed to rest her foot at a reasonable angle on the edge of the bathtub, she opened the sink counter and grabbed a black bottle labeled "Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfectant", and a Ziploc bag of cotton balls. After five minutes of minor pain and the occasional "ouch", Sunset flexed her leg. It still hurt, but she could walk properly without too much issue. As she looked to the bathtub and the shower head, she wondered how long it'd been since she had a hot shower. "Hey, Coral?" Sunset called. "You said I could use the shower, right?"