//------------------------------// // Truth, Broken Masks, and The Pursuit of Normal // Story: A Road To Friendship // by SunTwi06 //------------------------------// When Sunset Shimmer woke up, it was still raining hard outside. Completing her morning routine, she grabs her umbrella and left the house. Sunset knew something was off with Twilight, while she was burnt out from being sad and not knowing why. But today’s the day she settles this matter, once and for all. She walked for what felt like ten minutes, before arriving on campus. It seemed nobody was in sight, but Sunset wouldn’t be fooled this time. She set herself a stakeout, searching for Twilight Sparkle, ready the moment she appears. Twenty minutes later, Sunset finally saw Twilight Sparkle looking outside the classroom window. “Got you!” Sunset said. Sunset Shimmer screamed out her name, Twilight glanced right at her. All Sunset could see is the icy look in her eyes, but Sunset knew if she didn’t do something soon, this pain would never go away. She stormed into that classroom, stopping Twilight before she can say anything. “All right Twilight Sparkle, something’s up with you, isn’t it?!” Sunset yelled, confronting her. “If I did something wrong, just tell me! Whatever I did… I’m sorry, okay?” “What are you talking about?” Twilight mumbled, looking away. “Don’t play dumb with me! I know you’ve been acting rude towards me and I don’t get it! I hate that! Just tell me what I did; I promise I won’t do it again.” “Don’t worry about it.” But the way Twilight said it, so coldly and not even looking back at her. Sunset had all the more reason to feel concerned. Then, Twilight started to leave the room, but Sunset chased after her. “What is your problem?!” Sunset shouted, grabbing her arm. “I won’t be able to help you unless you tell me what I did wrong!” “Shut up!” Twilight yelled, pulling away. “Just leave me alone!” Sunset stopped herself in her tracks, stunned by those cold words. She turned around and had this scared look in her eyes. Several seconds later, Twilight Sparkle was gone, and all Sunset could do is sulk, with no resolve to this issue. But Sunset knew, deep down, Twilight was lying through her teeth. Something made her angry and whatever it was it did it’s job. Sunset walked away, with tears in her eyes, failing to grasp the severity of the matter at hand. Smarts meant nothing to her if she had nobody to empathize with. Quickly wiping away her tears, Sunset went to class. After waiting an hour, the bell went off and everyone entered the classroom. Sunset just sat there, the entire day, reflecting on whatever mistakes she made. All day, Sunset spoke to no one just sat there in silence. By the time that bell finally rang, Sunset walked alone while the rain continued to pour. She felt chilly, isolated, not knowing where she went wrong. No matter how hard she processed it, it was pointless, it all ended the same. She had no idea why a girl like Twilight would treat her like trash. She kept thinking of ways to make up for something she didn’t know. Fifteen minutes later, she entered her house and went straight up to her room. She had locked the door, making it clear no one can speak to her and laid on the bed. All she could do was think of so many things, so many ways to make amends with Twilight. She thought for over an hour, but nothing seemed to add up. Then, Sunset had an epiphany “If I can’t find the problem, I’ll just have to make one!” Sunset thought, to herself. “An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” After all, Twilight refused to say what the problem is and Sunset tried to be nice, so now… She’s getting some payback the hard way. Tomorrow, Sunset would deliver a heavy dose of Karma not even the great Twilight Sparkle can never forget. Sunset closed her eyes in content, as sleep finally washed over her. <> Once again, Sunset awoke at her usual hour, as the rain poured hard during her morning ritual. Grabbing her umbrella, Sunset went off to school, her plan to repay Twilight before getting cold feet was good to go. Of course, the last thing Sunset wanted to do was go against the very person she became. But she figured, if she kept going like this, she would never forgive herself until the end of time. “To be fair, Twilight has been treating me like dirt for too long,” Sunset told herself. “Seems fair to me.” Besides, if she could behave this way everyday at home, this should be a walk in the park. Fifteen minutes later, Sunset Shimmer arrived at school and the first thing she saw was Twilight, along with her little posse. This was the perfect opportunity for Sunset to put her plan in gear. She starts to walk over and put her game face on. “You’re in my way!” Sunset said. “MOVE!” Everybody turned to her in surprise, suddenly worried as they moved aside. She stormed into class, her nose in the air, and they were shocked by her sudden tone and action. While waiting for class to begin, Sunset did her reading. Thirty minutes later, everyone came in as class got started. She kept her eyes glued to her book, but she could feel the fearful gaze everyone gave to her, so she knew it was working. After class, a few girls nervously approached Sunset. “Um, excuse me, Sunset?” One girl asked. “Could you… Help us with this math problem?” “OH! I’m sorry, you must be mistaking me for someone else,” Sunset yelled, obnoxiously. “Why not ask someone else like, oh I don’t know… Twilight Sparkle?! Seems she’s the smart one in this class, but what do I know? I’m probably too stupid to understand anyway, right?!?!” Just like, they all cowered before her and left her desk immediately. Twilight turned her gaze towards Sunset, but she turned the other cheek before she caught a look. So far, her plan was working better than expected. “Is it me or… Is Sunset acting really strange today?” Another student asked. “It seems to be directed to you, Twilight,” One of her friends suggested. “Did you do something wrong?” “Why? Even she has her bad days, I guess…” Twilight answered. “After all, we’re all human.” Sunset continued to act rude and obnoxious for two days straight. If it was getting to Twilight Sparkle, she wasn’t showing it… But Sunset was not finished. <> Two days later… Sunset woke up, did her morning routine, and left the house. The morning sun barely showed, but at least the rain finally stopped. She continued towards the school and in fifteen minutes, she was on campus. She noticed Twilight up front, a book in her hands. She raised her head and, even though her eyes weren’t robotic as before, Sunset was still angry. “Sunset,” Twilight said. But Sunset didn’t answer, she just stared at Twilight and kept moving. After all, if Twilight wished to treat her like trash, Sunset would do it right back. “Fair is fair,” Sunset told herself. “Hey, Sunset!” Twilight yelled. But Sunset just brushed her off and walked no more than three seconds… WHAM! She ran into a wall. Her head throbbed in the main and the moment she held onto it Sunset could hear Twilight laugh. Now Sunset felt humiliated, she goes through all the trouble to get back at Twilight now she was the one getting hurt. Physically… Mentally… Emotionally… Sunset Shimmer just can’t win. “It’s official,” Sunset thought. “I’m a hypocrite and a cop out… Twilight was right.” “There’s just no helping you, is there?” Twilight asked, pulling out a handkerchief. “You can be so stubborn sometimes.” “YOU HAVE SOME NERVE!!” Sunset yelled, blushing. “You ignore me, you treat me like dirt, barely even say hello, and you DARE start giving me attention now… When I am this! Just… Just leave me alone!” Sunset felt another meltdown about to implode, but she didn’t care anymore. All she wanted to do was run away, even if she didn’t know where to go. Yet she couldn’t… All Sunset could do is stand there, trying to fight back tears threatening to fall. Then, Twilight moved close to her and smiled. “Sunset Shimmer… I’m so sorry.” There it was, that same familiar sincere tone she shared several nights ago. That was the Twilight Sunset knew, so why now? “There’s nothing I can do to fix the pain I caused you, but… There’s always time for us to start over.” Twilight held Sunset close, while all the latter could do is cry, just letting all out whether the other students were watching or not. “I never told anyone about this, Sunset,” Twilight spoke. “Back in the day, before I met you, there was a time I never wanted to be touched. But the day of that big exam, when we first spoke to each other, I felt something you didn’t at the time. You were the most bizarre woman I’ve ever met and your family… So bright, so wonderful, and so weird… I loved it. But it’s because I loved it, that I tried to break it off as soon as I could. Nothing against you, this was incredibly different from my environment and I never thought in a million years someone like you could come into my life. “Then I thought to myself, ‘Is this what it means to be normal?’. I’ve kept this secret from everyone for so long, but in spite of my popularity, it was never that way. Before I came here, I was bullied… Badly. I transferred here because of an accident involving my old school. I really loved my family… I never wished to worry them. But at my old school, I was mistreated, my food was stolen every day, and the only reason people talked to me is just to kiss up. They were trash… While I was stolen from and blackmailed, like it’s second nature. And when I did something, when I reached out for help, even the principal turned a blind eye. “Before I left my school, we have this old saying: ‘In the real world, the weak only live to benefit the strong’. Then it hit me: If I wanted to be loved, I need to be flawless no matter the cost. Even if it meant living in misery, I couldn’t afford to show weakness, or nobody would accept me. I put on a mask for years on end. “Then, we crossed paths, and I liked you initially because we seemed so alike and for the first time in perhaps forever after following the leader, I was genuinely happy. But the more we got to know each other, the more I got to know the real you. The girl you met was only a façade; if I loosen up, terrible things happen. I was never supposed to feel this way from the start. But you, Sunset Shimmer, you dissected every last bit of my mask without knowing it. You were the shining sun that lit my dark heart. Even being near you was more than enough to change me. I only wanted to be alone because I didn’t know what to do… And I’m so, so sorry!” Twilight’s voice began to break, and Sunset was left stunned. She expected to hear ‘a’ reason for being so distant, but Sunset wasn’t prepared for Twilight to share ‘everything’. Her past… What she endured… Everything. “Why?!” Sunset asked. “Why weren’t you able to see your true self? Why continue to pretend and be honest with yourself?!” “Because what if the real me is the worst?!” Twilight asked, her voice trembled. “And you got hurt because of me?!” It took a brief second for Twilight to calm down, after some deep breaths she spoke normally. “If I screw up even once or I do ONE thing they liked… Everyone will hate me,” Twilight said, covering her face. “I don’t want to be a disappointment to anyone. Not my parents… Not the school… No one! I fail, I’m dead weight and everyone will see me as weak. My parents have no clue of the real me and if they ever find out… It’s going to hurt.” Sunset smiled, not of spite, but sympathy and compassion. “Wow… You really are selfless, aren’t you?” Sunset asked. Twilight didn’t look back, so Sunset continued as she lightly held her hand. “Twilight, you keep holding onto the past, you will never be free. You taught me perfection isn’t everything; that there’s nothing wrong with making mistakes. At the end of the day, everyone, by that being the people who ‘truly’ know you, they will love you… Flaws and all. That’s what it means to be normal, not weird like me. I’ve had these issues for years; but the day we met, you me what a fool I’ve been.” Eventually, as a sigh escapes her lips, Twilight slowly turns toward Sunset Shimmer so she can have a good look at her face. She wasn’t expecting Twilight to say anything, but Sunset can read her entire story just by looking in her eyes, those beautiful eyes. “This newfound strength she now holds in her heart,” Sunset thought. “This same girl who punishes herself, just to protect the ones she loves. It’s not every day someone like her goes through the grinder, to avoid displaying her flaws and risks everything she can to protect them. I should have picked this up sooner, I just never saw the bigger picture.” “Sunset…” Twilight finally said. Without warning, Sunset knocked her across the concrete. She smirked as Twilight stumbled. As she pushed herself off the ground, she turned to Sunset clearly upset. “What was that for?!” Twilight asked, yelling. “I want to see Twilight Sparkle, the real Twilight I know,” Sunset said, smiling. “There she is.” Twilight looked at her, clearly confused and not catching on. “Twilight Sparkle… You are everything ‘but’ dead weight. I like this version of you better than anything else. Did you really think I was gonna kiss you like those stupid rom-coms at the end?” Twilight grit her teeth, but she knew Sunset was right. “The real you would likely wish to be seen,” Sunset continued. “Your mask is practically coming off, while the real you must’ve picked up on this and left without a trace. You need to believe in yourself more. You’re far better than you think you are. Weird, maybe… But better.” “Then… It’s official,” Twilight smiled, nodding. “I’m done with perfection. From this point forward: It’s a normal life and no more lies. What about you?” “Well… I can’t promise there are things about me you won’t know,” Sunset admitted, honestly. “But if being around you has taught me anything, ‘normal’ is overrated. Why be normal when you can be extraordinary… When ‘we’ can be extraordinary.” “I’m glad that we met, Sunset,” Twilight said, hugging Sunset. “Yeah… Me too,” Sunset replied, hugging back. After that, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle were officially friends, no lies to keep from one another… At least, for now. In the meantime, they were two teenage girls just being themselves not caring what anybody else thinks. Friends and family in a child’s life are ties that bind for eternity. Stress would do them no good if no one is ever happy. At least that’s how Sunset views her life and Twilight’s now. Perhaps someday, friends and foes could learn from another. Forget all their petty grievances they’ve caused for years and remember… They are all human, just as a very good friend said. There was no use denying it: Sunset Shimmer had fallen for Twilight Sparkle and she fell… Hard, even if she wouldn’t admit it. It was days like this her heart would just explode with happiness and she would be content. Sunset regretted releasing Twilight from her hug, but being friends first wasn’t too bad. There was no need to rush in it when there is so much about Twilight to learn about. After all, their lives come first before everything else. But then, as they walked home after school, a thought crossed Twilight’s mind. “There is ‘one’ thing I really love about the real you,” Twilight said. “The weirder you get around me, the more my feelings for you stay the same. After all, I am in love with you.” It was then, for the first time in her life, Sunset Shimmer finally understood what true love really meant. As she looks toward Twilight Sparkle, gazing deep into her eyes, and smiles. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle… Thank you so much, for everything.”