Normally, Sunset would be thrilled to be hanging out at the beach with all her friends. Sunset loved the beach. The breeze flowing off the water, the sand between her toes, getting to dress like she just stepped out of Bay Watch, Sunset loved it all. It was warm out for November, surprisingly. Like, August warm.
But today something else was on her mind.
She was lounging on a towel under a beach umbrella watching Rainbow absolutely destroy Pinkie and Fluttershy at volleyball. She was holding a magazine, but she hadn’t even taken a glance at the pages for the past ten minutes. She was staring out at the ocean, lost in thought.
Rarity all of a sudden waved a hand in front of her face. Sunset snapped out of her trance.
“Are you okay darling, you haven't touched that magazine in ten minutes?” the white skinned girl asked, looking at her friend with eyes filled with concern. Sunset nodded.
“Yeah, it’s just kinda boring.” Sunset closed the book, reaching over to toss it back in her bag. As she was setting it down, her hand brushed something rough and leathery. Her journal.
Sunset sighed.
Journaling always helped her clear her mind, even if her letters weren’t always cohesive. She pulled it out and dug around the bottom of her bag until she retrieved a pen.
Sitting with her knees pulled up in front of her, she rested her journal on her thighs and clicked her pen open. She began to write.
November 12th
I normally love going to the beach, it always reminds me of Equestria, back when I would play with my little brother by the shore just outside our little village. Back before I picked up and moved away to Canterlot only to throw away my dreams when I didn’t get what I wanted fast enough.
Wow, I was really just a little brat, huh?
I miss our little village. Everypony knew everypony and everything was always so bright and cheerful. I may have lived a modest life, but it was better than my situation now.
Being homeless is definitely no fun. The winter here in this world's version of Canterlot is always brutal. We get maybe two or three warm days each fall and even less the closer we get to the holidays.
The holidays are another thing I miss about home. I always spent them with my parents and little brother, Sunburst. Even when I was Celestia’s student, she always let them come stay with me in my suite for Hearth’s Warming.
But now I’m all alone for the time of year you're supposed to spend with all your friends and family. I already know I’ll spend it trying not to freeze to death and by myself.
I’ve been lucky enough to befriend some construction workers, who helped me fix up an old abandoned warehouse so I at least have somewhere to stay and don’t have to sleep on the streets.
It’s not much, but it’s all I have, so I have to make it work.
The girls absolutely can’t know about me being homeless at any cost. They would make fun of me and probably drop me as a friend. I look forward to their sleepover a lot, because sleepovers mean that I have a guaranteed meal and a warm place to sleep for the night. If they knew that I didn’t really have a place to live, they would for sure never want to still be friends with me.
I don’t know what I’m going to do after high school, really. I don’t have the proper paperwork to even be a legal citizen, no less apply to college. I’d like to further my education, but I know that’s not how it’s going to work out.
Maybe I’ll end up back in Equestria, I don’t know. I don’t really see another choice. If I’m not going to be locked away from commiting treason the second I step through the portal.
Hopefully I can figure it out eventually, but all on my own I don’t know if I can. For now, I just need to push through, no matter how scared or lonely I may get.
- Sunset Shimmer
Sunset let her pen fall down onto her letter, a small splash of ink hitting the lined paper and staining it black. Sunset set the book and placed it on top of her back. Slowly, she twirled her pen around in her fingers a few times.
“Uh Sunset, are you listening to me?” Sunset startled, looking up to find a familiar mop of pink curls in her face.
“Oh, um sorry Pinkie, what’s up?” Sunset felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment.
“I asked you if we could have a sleepover at your place,” Pinkie looked a little annoyed as she blew a curl out of her face, leaning back, a decent distance away from Sunset but still definitely within her personal space. Sunset froze.
“Um, I don’t think that’s a very good idea, Pinkie.” Pinkie bit at her bottom lip
Pinkie couldn’t know. None of them could know.
“We’ve never been to your house Sunset! Please…” Pinkie was giving her the puppy dog eyes look, but Sunset wasn’t going to budge.
“It’s just, the place is kinda messy right now. Not really in good shape for guests.” Sunset reached down to put her pen in her bag to distract herself from the conversation she had somehow ended up in.
“Come on darling, you’ve seen Pinkie’s room and we have sleepovers there all the time. We wouldn’t mind a little mess.” Rarity spoke up from her lounge chair next to Sunset. Sunset wanted to send her a nasty glare, but refrained.
“Just- uh- tonight’s not a good night. Maybe in a week or so?” Sunset bit her lip again, hoping the girls would take it. They were now all crowded around her, waiting to hear her response. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh.
“If you say so…” she mumbled, bouncing the volleyball on her knee like a soccer ball. The rest of the girls all looked mildly disappointed, but Sunset was grateful for getting another week to come up with a good excuse on why they couldn’t have a sleepover at her place.
Everyone went back to what they were doing, bouncing back to their regular selves. All but Sunset, who sat on her chair staring out at the ocean, worried out of her mind without letting any of it slip into her peaceful expression.