Blue woke up the next day from a beeping noise. She groaned and turned around, reaching for her old phone. She had a new text message:
Be at the statue in front of the school today at noon. I'll explain later. S.
She checked the time and noticed it was half past nine already. Usually, her sister woke her up before she left, but today she only found a note on the kitchen table, saying she would be back late tonight and that she would bring dinner on her way home. Blue rolled her eyes. I'm starting to hate her weekend shifts as much as she does.
With nothing better to do, Blue decided to walk to school to pass the time. She turned her earplugs to full volume and left the apartment.
It was ten to twelve and nobody was at the school. Blue sat on the stairs in front of the statue by herself and bored out of her mind. Why am I even here? I should have called and asked what this is all about. I should have just said no. Maybe if I...
Her train of thought was abruptly disturbed when the statue in front of her suddenly started to flash with bright light. The socket glowed with colourful swirling lights and as Blue stared, a figure appeared from it. Moments later, the lights vanished as quickly as they had appeared and a purple skinned girl with dark blue hair and stripes of pink and purple stood in front of the statue, unsteady on her feet.
She flailed her arms to keep her balance until she suddenly seemed to remember how to stand again
"Phew, didn't land on my flank this time at least."
"Did you just walk out of the statue?"
Blue kept staring as the girl turned around with that big smile Sunset always had
"Oh, hi! You must be Ocean Shore! Sunset said you'd be waiting for me."
"Of course. Sunset told you about me. Uh-huh. So you thought you'd hop through the statue and see for yourself or what?"
The purple girl giggled
"Didn't Sunset tell you about the portal to Equestria?
"Equest... you mean you come from magic pony land?"
"It is called 'Equestria' and yes, I came from there. From Ponyville, to be exact."
"Sure, Ponyville. No offence, but you don't look like a magic pony."
"Neither does Sunset Shimmer, doesn't she? It's the magic of the portal that makes us change forms when we pass through."
"Uh-huh. So if I was to walk through the statue...?"
"You'd be a pony on the other side, yes. Please don't do it though."
Blue just kept staring between the girl and the statue
"Holy shit, you really are from there aren't you?"
"Yes I am. I'm Twilight Sparkle, nice to meet you Ocean Shore."
"The Twilight Sparkle? From the Fall Formal? The one Sunset keeps gushing about? Princess of Friendship and whatnot?"
"Um, yes. But I'd rather not make a big deal out of it, so you can just call me Twilight."
"Uh, sure. I'm Blue."
She extended her hand but when Twilight offered her a fist, she switched to a fist bump instead
"I guess you're here to see Sunset, then."
"Yes, I am. Sunset told me what happened between her and her friends, or rather non-friends."
Twilight frowned angrily as she said that, but Blue only shrugged
"Anyway, Sunset wrote that you could take me to her. Is that right?"
"Yeah, I can take you to the hospital."
"Hospital? Is Sunset injured?"
Blue sighed deeply as the pony princess didn't seem to know as much as she thought
"We'll have to take the bus to the hospital. I'll explain on the way, unless you want to call one of the Rainbooms to drive us."
"I'd rather not. Not before I spoke to Sunset Shimmer first."
"I get that."
Blue walked towards the bus station and noticed that Twilight was shivering from the cold. Her clothes didn't really match the winter weather, so Blue offered her winter jacket to the princess
"Thanks. The portal always sends me in these clothes somehow, I haven't figured out why yet."
"Um, don't mention it. That's our bus."
Lucky for them, the bus to town just arrived and Blue paid for both of them. They took a seat in the back of the bus and Twilight seemed fascinated by every little detail, but forced herself to focus back on Blue instead
"So what exactly happened that left Sunset in the hospital?"
Blue took a deep breath. Oh boy, here we go again.
About an hour, a full packet of tissues and several horse curses later, Twilight and Blue arrived at Sunset's room in the hospital. Blue knocked and to her surprise, Principal Celestia opened the door, again.
The principal looked just as confused, until she noticed the other girl
"Twilight Sparkle, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect you to..."
"YOU!"
Blue took a step out of the way as the princess turned teenager stomped towards the woman with her hands balled to fists and a glare that could melt glass
"You are supposed to protect your students! Why did you let all of this happen? Why didn't you do anything to stop this? Answer me!"
Celestia certainly looked nervous as the angry teen glared her backwards into the room
"Princess Twilight, I assure you that under the given circumstance, I did everything..."
"I don't want to hear excuses! What I want is..."
"Geez, Twilight, calm down. You're giving me a headache."
Blue grinned when she heard the voice from inside the room and in an instant, Twilight Sparkle turned from angry to tearfully relieved and rushed past Celestia
"Sunset! Oh, thank all gods you're alive. I'm so sorry I didn't read your messages until it was too late! I should have come and look after you as soon as you sent the first one! I should have..."
Twilight's voice got cut out as Celestia closed the door to give them both some privacy. She turned to Blue who leaned against a wall with her arms crossed. The student fixed the principal with an appraising stare, which made the woman sigh in defeat
"I suppose you are wondering why I am still with Sunset Shimmer, even after her physical state has improved."
"So?"
"Before I explain, I wish to get your word that everything I tell you remains between us for the time being."
Celestia looked at her, but Blue just stared back and waited
"As a result of all that happened at the Battle of the Bands, I became fully aware of Sunset's unique situation."
"You mean you found out she's a pony from another world."
Celestia sighed
"Bluntly, yes. I also learned that she was living on her own for years and that her financial situation was dour. I made myself a promise to fix this and therefore became Sunset's legal guardian in this world."
Blue waited for something more, but when Celestia didn't continue, she did instead
"So you adopted her?"
Celestia sighed again, full of regret this time, and she closed her eyes
"No, nothing like that, but I know now that I should have. Back then, I was afraid that Sunset would be unwilling to let go of her independence. It was easier to offer her official paperwork and financial assistance at first. I had no idea how damaging it would be for Sunset."
Blue stood straight and uncrossed her arms
"What do you mean?"
"It seems that Sunset believed that I was simply offering her my help to save my position as principal and so I could better hide her from the government. She also thinks I did this so I could better control her and intervene should she turn back 'into a she-demon', as she calls it. That was never the case, of course, but Sunset was convinced of it."
"And when Anon-A-Miss came?"
"When Anon-A-Miss came, I decided to wait and observe before I took any action. Obviously, that only fuelled Sunset's ire belief that I did not care about her at all. If I had shown her more, if I had taken her in, she might have had a refuge from all the troubles at school. She would have had a sympathetic ear to listen to her, a shoulder to cry on. But I failed to give her a safe place in our world, so much that Sunset saw only one way out."
Blue thought of this for a moment, but she shook her head
"I should have stood by her instead of ignoring everything at school. I could have been a friend when she needed one, but I didn't do it. I'm to blame about what happened just as much as you are, or anyone really."
"Ocean Shore, I hope that you are aware that blaming ourselves is not the way. We have to learn from our mistakes and make sure they will not happen again. Sunset has almost given up on friendship, but I hope Princess Twilight will be able to give her some other perspective in that regard."
"So you're waiting at the sideline for someone else to fix it?"
"I haven't left Sunset for more than a couple of hours since she arrived here. It is for Sunset to decide if she will accept this or sent me away and until then, I must be patient."
Blue didn't really agree on that, but she didn't say anything. At some point, they had both heard crying from inside the room, and Celestia struggled to keep herself from running inside. After a while, the door opened and Twilight poked her head out
"Ocean Shore? Sunset would like to talk to you, and so do I. Would you please come inside?"
Blue nodded and after a glance to Celestia who gave her approval, she followed Twilight to Sunset's bed. The girl still looked weak and she had obviously been crying.
"Yo Red. You still look like shit."
"I still feel like it, too."
Blue tried a smirk and looked between her and Twilight
“So, did you talk it out?”
“Yeah. I told Twilight it’s not her fault, but she wouldn’t believe me.”
“And I told Sunset how sorry I was, but she didn’t let me.”
Blue rolled her eyes and took a deep breath
“So what do you need me for now?”
Sunset frowned and whispered
“How are things at CHS?”
“Tense. Everyone is walking on eggshells. They sent psychologists to talk with everyone and stuff. No more phones in school and no internet on any computer.”
“What happened to the others?”
Blue just shrugged
“Didn’t talk to them that much. Couldn’t see any reason why.”
“Oh.”
Twilight Sparkle took the pause from Sunset as her chance to speak
“Ocean Shore, I want to thank you, as a pony who nearly lost her friend, but also as a Princess of Equestria.”
“What for? I did nothing and just tried to ignore this whole mess at first.”
“You did something. You prevented the attack on Sunset’s life.”
“Anyone would have done that.”
“Apparently, not everyone at CHS would have.”
Blue closed her eyes but Twilight Sparkle continued
“Furthermore, once you were aware of Sunset’s situation, you reacted immediately. Thanks to your quick action, Sunset survived long enough to be brought here. As far as I’m considered, you saved her life, Ocean Shore.”
“Not more than Applejack or Pinkie Pie.”
“I beg to disagree. What you did..."
"Save it, Princess."
Twilight's mouth clamped shut as Blue cut her off, probably more rudely than the princess was used to
"You weren't there. You haven't seen anything, all you know is second hand. You don't get to judge me, for better or for worse."
Twilight took a deep breath and looked at Sunset before she turned towards Blue once more
"You're right. I wasn't there myself. But I am now and I can judge on what I see right now."
She looked into her eyes and Blue held her gaze
"You're here now, when all the others are not. Out of all the friends Sunset had, she called only for you. You may be sad or angry or scared of what had happened, but you don't let it consume you like I know it would consume me. Like it does consume me, in fact. And for this, Ocean Shore, I am grateful."
Blue didn't know how to respond, especially when Twilight stepped forward to pull her into a hug. The contact ended quickly, but it was long enough for Blue to believe that Twilight meant what she said after
"As a pony and a friend, I want to thank you, Blue, from the bottom of my heart. And as the Princess of Friendship, I tell you this, Ocean Shore: For your courageous display of true friendship, you have my respect and my gratitude. Should you ever find yourself in dire need of anything, and I mean literally anything, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will come to your help, as you have come to my friend's help. This, I promise as a Princess of Equestria."
Blue just stared, completely dumbfounded
"I, um, thank you, I guess? Um, I mean... I don't know what to say. Am I supposed to bow now? I've never been around a real princess before."
Twilight just smiled kindly
"You don't have to do or say anything, Ocean Shore. But I hope you believe my words and that you will remember them should you ever feel desperate."
The princess turned her head to look at Sunset
"I was not there to safe Sunset when she felt helpless. I won't let that happen again. And I won't let any of Sunset's friends suffer the same either. That's the least I can do."
Twilight reached out for Sunset's hand and squeezed reassuringly. Blue saw that Sunset squeezed back weakly, but she smiled. That was good enough for her
"Thank you, again, Princess Twilight."
Twilight stayed in contact with Sunset, which greatly reassured the recovering girl, in more than one way, so Blue stood beside them a little awkwardly, unsure what to say
“So, what’s going to happen next?”
“Well, obviously, Sunset needs to recover first. Until the doctors say she’s well enough to leave, I will prepare everything for her return to Equestria.”
“Wait, what?”
Sunset jerked her hand out of Twilight’s grip and shook her head
“I won’t be going back to Equestria, Twilight!”
“But, but Sunset. I don’t understand. These girls, the entire school, how they treated you… why would you stay here?”
“Because… because I want to stay.”
“But why?”
Blue watched the two Girls? Ponies? Whatever. She felt out of place, more than ever before. When she changed schools, she was the new girl, and so it was normal that she was odd. She was a rebellious girl, so she was used to sticking out of a crowd. It was normal that people sometimes didn’t get along with her.
That, she always understood. But this here, she didn’t understand at all. Why would Sunset want to stay here? There’s no good reason.
Then she realized something. There was often no good reason behind the things she did as well. But just because others couldn’t get it didn’t mean she was wrong. It just meant that they didn’t get her. I might not get Sunset right now, but as long as she has a good reason, shouldn’t I support her? Isn’t that what friendship is all about, trusting a friend even if she might be wrong?
Twilight still tried to convince Sunset, but Blue hadn’t really listened to their conversation. All she could see was that Sunset looked more uncomfortable with every minute. Blue put her hand on Twilight’s shoulder and shook her head
“If she really wants to stay, would it be fair if you force her to leave?”
“Yes! Yes, if it means she won’t get hurt any more! If it means she’ll be safe, I’d rather have her be mad at me.”
“And who says that she won’t get hurt in pony world?”
“I do! In Equestria, I’ll always be there for her and so are my friends and she can have a room in my castle and…”
“And she’ll feel miserable that you didn’t even try to understand her! And she’ll be trapped in a fancy cell with prison guards who smile and try to be friends with her. You think that won’t hurt her?”
“I want this to work!”
Sunset burst out and buried her fingers into the blanket
“I want to stay. I don’t want to give up, again. And I want my friends back, if they can ever forgive me.”
“Sunset, what should they forgive you? You did nothing wrong!”
Sunset shook her head and tears ran down her cheeks
“Because, what I did wasn’t fair to them. I hate them for not giving me a chance to explain, I’m angry at them because they just sent me away. But now, I made them cry, I made them feel terrible. I hurt them so much, and not just them. I wish I never had done it. I wish I could take it all back.”
Blue took a step towards the door while Twilight watched helplessly. Sunset was bawling desperately, and the pony princess didn’t seem to know what she could do now.
Blue pulled the door open, and as she expected, caught Principal Celestia eavesdropping. She didn’t even pretend anything else. As soon as the door was open, Celestia rushed inside, past Blue and Twilight, and sat down on the bed next to Sunset.
Before Celestia had her arms around the girl, Sunset already leaned against her and buried her head into the woman’s shoulder. She let go of the blanket and her hands gripped on the fabric of Celestia’s jacket instead
“I’m sorry!”
“Sunset, shh.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“I know, I know. I believe you. I forgive you.”
“I’m so sorry!”
Blue stood at the side and looked away, but the room was too small to ignore Sunset’s crying and Celestia’s words of comfort. Twilight Sparkle watched, then looked at Blue, then watched more. Blue couldn’t read her expression, so she just waited.
Suddenly, Twilight knelt down at the bed so she and Sunset were on almost the same eye-level. She carefully reached out for one of Sunset’s hands and twitched when Sunset grabbed on hers immediately, but she took a deep breath and her voice was calm
“Sunset, I’m very sorry. I just assumed things but I never even asked how you feel. Instead of being there for a friend who needs me, all I did was looking for more reasons to hate the others. Some Princess of Friendship I am.”
Despite her tears, Sunset managed a smile. Her voice was a little raspy from all the crying as well
“You don’t have it in you to hate anypony, Princess. You couldn’t even hate me when I was a demon.”
Twilight blushed and shook her head
“That was different. But you’re right, I don’t hate them, but I very strongly dislike them right now.”
Celestia, with her arms still around Sunset, chimed in unexpectedly
“I wouldn’t be unhappy if those girls never came close to Sunset again. I’ve even thought about helping Sunset switch schools altogether. But, obviously, she doesn’t want that and I promised to respect her wishes.”
Twilight and Celestia looked at each other. The former was still angry at the principal, the latter was determined to not back off even against a princess. Blue watched from the sideline and some unpleasant memories came back to her mind. Spring looked just the same back then.
Blue suddenly looked away and shivered. She felt like crap from just watching Sunset and she felt worse for the fact there was nothing she could do. But at least I’m here. What about Applejack and Rarity? They worry as well, but they don’t know anything. I can’t imagine how they must feel.
Taking a deep breath, Blue tried to talk, even if her voice was nothing more than a mumble
“The others, they didn’t hear you out. They didn’t listen to what you had to say. Sunset, you really want to do the same?”
“What?”
Blue finally looked back at Sunset. She was still huddled against Celestia who had her arms around the shivering girl. Twilight was still holding her hand
“They asked me about you, but I couldn’t tell them anything. They are worried too. Despite everything. Even if you’ll never forgive each other, shouldn’t you at least listen to them, just once? Before you decide for them if you’ll ever be friends again or not?”
Blue looked at Sunset, but she was talking to Celestia and Twilight just as much. The principal seemed worried and concerned, but immediately relented when Sunset bopped her head into a nod. The princess who had only learned of everything a few hours ago was still too angry to let herself get convinced
“I want to talk to them first. Each of them.”
Blue noticed Twilight’s angry frown and crossed her arms in front of her chest
“Yeah, because after you chew them out, their talk with Sunset will go so much better.”
“I’m not chewing them out! I just want to make sure they are aware of how badly they treated Sunset and of the consequences.”
“Princess, with all respect and stuff, but they were all there. They saw her when she was barely still alive. You really think they need you to tell them?”
Twilight stomped her foot on the floor, but it looked weird the way she did it
“Well, obviously they do, otherwise things would never have gotten so far.”
“If they need you to hold their hands and tell them what to do all the time, why did you tell them to be Sunset’s friends? Why did you treat them as your friends in the first place?”
Twilight’s head dropped down in defeat and Blue shivered when her voice sounded so broken
“Because I thought I knew them. Because I thought they were just as my friends back in Equestria. But they are not. They didn’t go through all of our adventures at my side. I didn’t realize it until it nearly cost me another dear friend.”
“Twilight…”
Sunset Shimmer grabbed her arm and tried to pull her close, but she was too weak and Twilight was too stubborn
“It’s not your fault! It’s all mine.”
“Sunset, no, I…”
“Enough of it already!”
Blue yelled out in frustration
“We can go on all week blaming ourselves, but that won’t get us anywhere. Sunset, if you want to talk to them, I’ll get them all here by tomorrow. And Princess, you can chew them out all you want after that for all I care.”
Twilight clung on Sunset’s hand and nodded. Sunset’s eyes darted from Blue to Celestia and back to Twilight, suddenly very nervous
“Will you all be there? I don’t want, I want people with me when they come.”
Celestia, who had been quiet for a while now, immediately affirmed. Twilight didn’t hesitate either. Then, all three of them looked at Blue, who didn’t understand at first.
Wait, they want me here as well? Am I even a part of this?
The look on Sunset’s face told her that she believed she was. Principal Celestia had drawn her into her confidence earlier. Princess Twilight had even promised her a favour for her help.
Blue took a deep breath and forced a grin for Sunset
“Just try to stop me.”
Blue arrived at Sunset’s room in the hospital at half past nine in the morning the next day. Twilight had spent the night at Principal Celestia’s and both of them were already there. The Rainbooms shouldn’t arrive until ten, but Blue wanted to make sure she’d be there before them. Pinkie Pie would probably arrive early with some crazy party gadget that would not help at all. Rainbow Dash would be impatient, storm right in before anyone else and do something stupid. Not if I have anything to say about it.
The one who actually arrived first was Rarity. She was still dressed up as usual, but she didn’t carry it at all. Her shoulders were slumped and there was no energy in her step at all. She didn’t wear any makeup either, which would have been ruined by now anyway, as Blue could clearly see the tear stains already.
Rarity cautiously approached Blue, realizing that it was just the two of them yet
“Good morning to you.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Rarity flinched but she couldn’t protest after all
“Shall we go head inside, maybe?”
“No. Sunset wants to see all of you at once. It’s easier for her that way.”
“I understand. But you said Princess Twilight was…”
“Twilight is waiting with Sunset.”
Rarity clamped her mouth shut and nodded. She finally realized that nothing she said could convince Blue right now, but Blue kept glaring anyway.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy arrived together after a few minutes of awkward silence. Fluttershy faced Blue’s glare, even if she looked like crying. Rainbow quickly looked away, towards Rarity, which didn’t make it better if Blue read the expression on her face right
“Um, good morning Rarity.”
“Rainbow Dash.”
Rarity barely acknowledged the other girl’s presence and turned away
“What are you even mad at me for?”
“Isn’t it obvious, Darling? If your almost-sister hadn’t pushed this whole mess the way she did, none of us would even be here today.”
“Say what? At least my sister didn’t steal anyone’s phone and spread a whole bunch of lies.”
“My Sweetie Belle would never do such things if it wasn’t for Scootaloo to…”
“GIRLS! QUIT IT!”
Blue’s eyes opened wide when Fluttershy’s voice silenced the others. She sounded angry and Blue still had a ringing in her ears. They’re at each other’s throats already. Maybe Twilight won’t have anything left to chew out once they’re finished.
She had, however, once again underestimated Fluttershy. The usually timid girl glared furiously at the other two for a minute, then took a deep breath to calm herself. Even though her voice returned to her normal volume, the anger remained as she spoke
“We should count ourselves lucky that Sunset Shimmer is even willing to give us this chance. We clearly don’t deserve it. So the least you can do is taking this seriously and stop bickering.”
Rarity and Rainbow looked away ashamed and nodded as Fluttershy brought her point home
“This isn’t about us. This is only for Sunset.”
This time, Blue agreed as well and they waited silently for the last two.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie arrived on time, but just barely, and Blue could immediately see why. Applejack hadn’t looked well all week long and barely said anything, but right now Blue was glad they were already in a hospital, since Applejack looked like she might collapse any moment. Pinkie Pie seemed to think so as well, because she kept her arm around Applejack to support her as they walked.
Pinkie Pie didn’t have any troubles staying on her feet, but she didn’t look like her usual self either. Her hair hung down very straight without any of its usual bounce and there was no spring in her step at all. She smiled at her friends, but it clearly was forced, as was the “Hey guys!” she pressed out. None of the others replied, so Blue walked up to the door.
Before she opened it, she threw a last glare at everyone
“Sunset is still recovering, so keep it down. If any of you starts to yell or does anything that might hurt her, I’m going to throw you out. The hard way. Are we clear?”
She received a series of nods and only then pushed the door open.
Sunset Shimmer sat on the edge of the bed with Twilight next to her. She had changed the hospital gown against a loose shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her arms were bare and the barely healed cuts stood out against the pale-amber skin. She was still pale and Blue could already see she was holding back from crying as she clutched on Twilight.
The pony princess looked at them with an unnaturally calm expression. Blue knew Twilight was only this calm because Sunset asked her to wait until she was finished. Twilight fixed each of the girls with her eyes, and none of them could hold her gaze for longer than a second.
Blue noticed Celestia wasn’t around, but Blue guessed that she was listening in from somewhere nearby. She had probably taken her position at the door by now, ready to intervene.
The Rainbooms stood in a line in front of Sunset’s bed, Blue stood sideways in between them and Sunset. She had her arms crossed, but she was tensed up, ready to jump in at any point. To the girls’ credit, they didn’t immediately start apologizing or blaming each other. They just waited and Sunset’s eyes darted in between them, unable to speak now that they were so close.
Just as Sunset took a deep breath, probably to say something, Applejack lunged forward from the middle of the group. She was too fast for Blue or even Rainbow Dash to react.
Sunset stared with eyes wide in fear, but Applejack simply wrapped her arms around her, without any of her usual strength. As she clung on Sunset, Applejack started to sob
“No matter how this all turns out, I’m just so glad you’re still here.”
Nobody knew what to say, especially Sunset. Blue had heard some abridged version of the Apple family history, so it wasn’t hard to understand what AJ really meant.
In the end, Sunset just closed her arms around the sobbing farm girl for a quick squeeze, at which Applejack slowly let go
“Sorry, I just…”
Sunset nodded when AJ trailed off, but couldn’t put up the reassuring smile Blue knew she wanted to see right now.
Applejack returned to her spot between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, and this time Sunset started to talk.
Blue stayed and listened for hours, but if she was asked later what they talked about, she couldn’t recall a single word of it. She heard excuses, justifications and confessions, but also apologies and reassurances. If she had to describe how the talk really went, she would later describe Princess Twilight’s expression as it changed.
At first, the pony from another world showed no emotions at all, except some sympathy towards Sunset Shimmer when she recalled why she had done what she had done.
As each of the girls told their stories of what they had seen, Twilight’s eyes softened up slowly.
When each of the Rainbooms had profoundly apologized, each in their own way but all of them tearful in the end, a few tears ran down Twilight’s face as well. When Sunset more or less begged for their forgiveness, she stepped aside so the others could embrace her, just like she had the night before.
Blue didn’t say anything all the while, but she felt drained. All the girls had worn themselves out by crying and Sunset drifted in and out of consciousness from all the emotional turmoil and pain she had to go through. The girls barely even noticed when Celestia entered the room and quietly asked them to leave so Sunset could rest.
Blue waited for everyone else to walk out first, Applejack and Rarity in front. They didn’t look as desperate anymore, but Blue could see they were still far from okay. Rainbow walked behind them, still angry, but now mostly at herself. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stayed for a moment longer, they wanted to make sure Sunset was okay. As soon as Sunset saw the principal, she finally felt safe enough. She closed her eyes and surrendered to her exhaustion. Celestia sat down next to the bed, only focused on the sleeping girl in front of her and completely ignoring the others as they left.
Blue closed the door behind her and saw all the girls in a half-circle around Princess Twilight. They looked like they expected to receive a death sentence or something and the look on Twilight’s face didn’t do much to diffuse that impression.
Blue had not chosen either side during the talk with Sunset, but now she stood next to Fluttershy in line with the other Rainbooms. The others seemed surprised at that, but to her it made the most sense. The five of them had said and done cruel things and she had done just nothing, but it the end it amounted to the same thing.
Princess Twilight accepted this with a nod before she finally addressed them
“What you have done to Sunset was some of the vilest and most terrible things I could imagine. It’s unworthy of friendship and you’ve shown that you are not fit to represent the spirit of harmony the way your pony counterparts are.”
Five heads dropped in shame, and Blue closed her eyes. She couldn’t get much of all this ‘Elements of Harmony’-stuff, but Sunset told her how big of a deal it was in Equestria. Even if it didn’t affect Blue much, it was a blow against the other five even more.
“I trusted you. I asked you to be a good friend to Sunset Shimmer. I know it was a hard task at first, but I believed in you. At the Battle of the Bands, I saw some of the hardship, but it the end I was hopeful that I had chosen right. Now, I realized that I’ve made a big mistake.”
Twilight held her hand up before any of the girls could protest
“I just expected you to be the same as your pony counterparts who had already proven themselves through danger and struggle. But you are not them, and I was a fool to believe so. And my friend Sunset Shimmer had to pay the price for it.”
Fluttershy was already crying again and even Pinkie Pie who tried to console her looked like she was close to tears. Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked even worse, as they felt even more responsible than ever of Sunset’s misery, since it was their little sisters and sister-in-spirit who were behind everything.
“However, I cannot and will not blame you for mistakes I did.”
While the others suddenly looked a little more hopeful, Blue tensed up even further
“I’ve forgotten how young you all still are. You still have much to learn and many mistakes to make so you can grow from them. I just wished that your mistake would not have brought my friend to such a dark place that she saw no other way out.”
Twilight fixed each of them with another glare to prevent any interruptions
“Don’t get me wrong, I am still angry at you, furious even for all that you did and didn’t do. But right now, most of all, I am incredibly disappointed in every one of you.”
None of the girls could stand Twilight’s gaze for long, not even Blue. She knew that Twilight was right, even if a fancy title from another world meant nothing to her, there was no denying what was true.
“I wish none of this had happened. I wish you hadn’t done this. I wish none of us had to have this talk in a hospital right now. So all I can do now is hope and pray that we have learned our lessons from this. You, me and everyone at Canterlot High.
You have already learned some. You came to rescue Sunset, even if it was too late to prevent the terrible thing. You faced her in an honest attempt to apologize. But you must know that it’s still only the first step on a long road to forgiveness.”
Twilight looked at each of them again, but now the anger was gone and Blue saw sympathy instead
“I want to speak with each of you, before I return to Equestria. I will return alone for once, but I will be back in a few days to look after Sunset Shimmer again. I have offered her to return home with me then. If she does or not, that’s something only Sunset can decide in the end.”
The girls seemed shocked at this, but Twilight’s hopeful smile took most of the fear from them. Blue still didn’t react. She didn’t know how to react. She only had met Twilight Sparkle barely more than twenty-four hours ago. She could tell why the others thought so highly of her, but for Blue she was just some girl who didn’t know her.
Rarity finally found the courage to speak up
“If I may make a suggestion? I would like to offer my place for everyone tonight. I know it wouldn’t be a sleepover, but after seeing Sunset… I know I don’t want to be alone right now. I expect I might not be the only one.”
Applejack and Pinkie Pie nodded immediately while Rainbow and Blue just shrugged. Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle didn’t react at all, so Rarity addressed the princess directly this time
“It would also give you a chance to have your private talks with everyone and…”
Fluttershy shook her head vehemently and glared at Rarity
“Won’t Sweetie Belle be at your home as well?”
“Why, yes of course. My parents are watching her right now, we haven’t let her out of our sight ever since the incident.”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t stay in the same house as any of them.”
Rarity took a step backwards like she had been hit, which left her stand with Applejack and Rainbow Dash and the others opposite of her
“Fluttershy, you can’t seriously mean this. Sweetie Belle had never had the intention to let it come this far.”
“Oh, I don’t blame her for all the mistakes we did. But the three of them could have ended this at any time, only they didn’t. Even when they saw Sunset crying and devastated, they kept going. We had already abandoned Sunset by then, which what they said was all they wanted. So they kept posting all this terrible stuff just because they thought it was funny.”
Rarity tried her best to keep her composure
“Fluttershy, you have not seen her. Sweetie Belle has not stopped crying for more than an hour ever since she confessed. I don’t mean to palliate her misdeeds, but I promise you that she is just as shocked as I was and truly, deeply sorry about what she did.”
Twilight stepped between the two groups and held up her hand
“Actually, I want to speak to Sweetie Belle too. And Apple Bloom and Scootaloo if possible. So yes, Rarity, I would like to accept your offer, but I won’t think any less of anyone who doesn’t want to do the same.”
Fluttershy glanced between the others and nodded, but she didn’t look happy
“If you’re all going, I’ll come too. But I’m doing this for Sunset, not for your sisters.”
“And we’d never even think of asking you to do that, Fluttershy, trust me.”
Applejack didn’t look any more happy than her
“Princess, my Granny has Apple Bloom grounded ever since, so I don’t think she’d let her come over tonight. But I could take you to her if you want.”
“Thank you, Applejack. That would be good.”
Blue noticed that Twilight managed to direct the girls rather efficiently without raising her voice or even giving orders. It was like they wanted to do as she said almost completely on their own. Or, maybe they were just all feeling guilty and tried to make up for it.
Applejack and Twilight separated from the rest as they reached the big parking lot of the hospital. They watched Applejack’s truck pull into the street and vanish in the thick afternoon traffic.
As soon as Twilight was gone, Blue could feel the tension building up between the girls again. Rarity looked like she wanted to say something, but Fluttershy turned so she wouldn’t have to look her way. Rainbow Dash stuck with her oldest friend, even if she threw a somewhat apologetic look towards Rarity, which seemed enough for the fashionista to speak up
“If you wish, you could all come to my place right away. Maybe we could, well, talk about it before Twilight returns?”
Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy who shook her head. Blue had seen her get serious or even slightly angry at times, but she had never seen Fluttershy like this and it was getting kind of unnerving.
“I’m going home. I’ll see you all later.”
Rarity pleaded desperately and reached out for Fluttershy as she moved away
“Fluttershy, please! You have not talked with any of us all week! I already almost lost one of my best friends, I can’t bear to lose another.”
Fluttershy jerked her hand out of Rarity’s grip and finally turned around
“Do you know why I didn’t talk to you? Because you still don’t understand. This is supposed to be about Sunset, but all you talk about is yourself! You’re…”
“Yes, I KNOW!”
Rarity cried out suddenly and clutched on Fluttershy’s hand as she started crying in front of the hospital
“I’m a selfish, arrogant, heartless beast and I don’t deserve friends like you. I don’t deserve a friend like Sunset. I can’t stop thinking about it. And I know my sister caused all of this. And I know I should hate her for all of this, but I can’t! She’s still my baby sister and even if I’m angry, I could never hate her!”
Blue, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash held their breath as they watched Rarity crying shamelessly, holding on Fluttershy’s hand for dear life. Fluttershy stared for a minute, but then pulled Rarity against her. Rarity only cried more and Fluttershy’s expression changed instantly, full of compassion and kindness as she whispered to her best friend Rarity and held her.
Blue let out a sigh of relief. At least they’ll save their friendship between them, even if it’s too late to really matter.
She turned around and walked towards the bus stop, but Pinkie Pie rushed to her side. She didn’t stop her, but her hair was almost back to curly and she didn’t look like crying any more
“Where are you going?”
“Home. I wanted to make sure Sunset is alright, but now that it’s over, you don’t need me any more. Plus, Twilight wants to talk with you anyway, so I’ll be out of the way.”
Rainbow Dash was at her other side and she put her hand on Blue’s shoulder
“I’m pretty sure Princess Twilight wants to talk with all of us. That means, you too.”
Blue just shrugged Rainbow's hand off
“And why? I already told her what happened yesterday and I’m not a part of the magic pony group anyway.”
Pinkie Pie shook her head with the ghost of a smile
“Uh, yeah you’re part of us. Why else would Sunset call you?”
“We’re friends, remember? We don’t want to lose Sunset, but we don’t want to lose you either.”
Blue sighed and shook her head
“It’s not up for us to choose any more. Sunset has to decide if she wants to stay friends with any of us, or stay at all. You can choose for yourselves, but you can’t choose for her. Or me.”
She walked towards the bus stop, but she didn’t get very far before another voice from behind her stopped her
“I never thanked you.”
Blue turned around and looked at Rainbow Dash
“That day, at the flat, when you yelled at me. I saw Sunset, and I just froze up. Couldn’t think, couldn’t even move. If you hadn’t yelled at me, who knows how long I would have just stared at her, until it’d been too late. So, thanks. For yelling at me. And for taking charge when we couldn’t.”
“I have to thank you as well.”
Rarity and Fluttershy had caught up to them, and even if Rarity still clung on the taller girl, her voice was clear and strong again
“You ran into me the next day. At the time, I thought you were just angry and rude, but I know now that you had to be loud and talk some sense into me. It gave me the will to start moving through this all and I am deeply grateful for what you did.”
Blue held her gaze and didn’t know what to say, but Rarity’s eyes clouded over again
“And, I also need to apologize. At that same day, all I could think about was how rude you’ve been to me. I could only think about myself. It took me until now to realize how much you must have been hurt as well. Sunset is your friend just as much and you had to see her fall apart just like we did. I never thought about that you might need someone to talk just like the rest of us. You needed help too, but I was too selfish even to offer mine. For this, Ocean, I am very sorry.”
Blue tried to turn around again, but her legs wouldn’t move. She couldn’t even look away, but she barely saw Rarity any more as her vision got blurry from tears. She had been pushing everything away, but now she couldn’t any longer.
She didn’t need to say anything and before she even knew it, Pinkie Pie had her wrapped up in a big hug. Rainbow Dash had her arm over her shoulders. Fluttershy and Rarity joined in and for a moment, the five girls just held on each other as most of them cried.
“We really haven’t been the best friends for either of us recently.”
Rarity stated the obvious. She tried to rub away some of the tears with the back of her hand, her other hand still holding to Fluttershy
“No, we haven’t. But we can learn. I know we will.”
Fluttershy’s timid voice sounded more confident than Rarity’s and all of the other girls nodded in agreement. Pinkie Pie bopped her head up and down immediately, Rainbow looked guilty but determined at the same time. Blue was the last to join in, wiping her tears with a last shaky breath that wasn’t a sob any more
“No time like present, right?”
Pinkie Pie kept her arm looped around Blue as they made it back to the parking lot. The five squeezed into Rarity’s convertible and even though nobody said anything, the silence was far more companionable then it had been all day long.
Rarity’s room was big enough for all seven girls, even if there were only six of them right now. Princess Twilight had moved to the guest room on the other side of the hall, and Sweetie Belle was with her right now. Rarity’s parents had allowed for all of them to stay, after a private talk that ended with Rarity in tears, again.
Blue sat on the floor in the corner furthest away from the door. As Rarity had expected, it wouldn’t turn into a slumber party. There was no music, no video games, barely any conversation at all. Applejack had told them a little about how the talk between Twilight and Apple Bloom had gone, but she was still shaken up by her own talk with the princess during the drive back into town. Pinkie Pie sat next to her on Rarity’s bed and even managed a small smile out of Applejack.
Fluttershy sat on a chair in front of the vanity. She had borrowed one of Rarity’s brushes and worked on her long hair, though even Blue could see she was just trying to calm herself down with the slow steady motions.
Rainbow Dash tapped on her phone, trying to get a hold on Scootaloo’s parents. She couldn’t just call Scootaloo, since the girl’s phone had been confiscated along with her computer.
Rarity was the only one standing near the door, anxiously waiting for Twilight and Sweetie Belle to return. Although Fluttershy had been mad at her, Blue could easily understand that Rarity still cared about her sister despite some mess-ups.
Blue snapped back up when she heard voices from outside the room. The door opened and she saw Sweetie Belle being guided away by her mom, both shaken but not overly angry. That’s good. Family shouldn’t fight with each other.
Princess Twilight walked into the room, but one look of her made sure that Rarity didn’t start questioning her. She looked exhausted, but not as grumpy as she had been in the hospital and definitely not as desperate as Blue had seen her the day before.
“Ocean Shore?”
“Huh? What?”
Blue had been staring at the floor and had not noticed Princess Twilight addressing her, or that the others were watching her as well
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to talk with you last. The girls and I… we have some things to catch up on.”
Blue nodded along. She knew Twilight was talking about magic horse stuff. No matter how close she might have gotten to the girls, she didn’t have that connection they all shared with the pony princess
“Sure, fine with me.”
“Thank you, Ocean. Rainbow Dash, could you come with me, please?”
Rainbow got up from the bed and followed Twilight out. Blue went back to staring at the floor. Then she heard a thud and Pinkie Pie was sitting next to her
“Twi didn’t mean anything by it, you know? She’s not singling you out as last cause you’re less important or anything.”
“Yeah, Pinkie. I know.”
She flinched when Pinkie put her hand on her shoulder and turned her head to look at her. Pinkie Pie didn’t have her usual cheery smile, but she didn’t have it in a while now. Right now, she looked concerned
“You say you know, but you’re still making the face.”
“What face?”
“You know, the face.”
Blue didn’t get it, but Fluttershy kneeled in front of them and tried to explain
“When you first came to CHS, you always looked at everyone like you were about to punch them. Or yell at them. Or do something mean.”
“Oh.”
Blue let her head hang down and closed her eyes. If asked, she would usually describe her mind-set before she met the girls as ‘Whatever, I don’t care’, but apparently she had been far more aggressive than she was even aware.
A hand under her chin directed her eyes back to Fluttershy’s kind smile
“But we barely see you like that any more. And we’re not blaming you for anything. We all didn’t really act very nice either ever since Anon-A-Miss.”
Applejack and Rarity sat down next to Fluttershy
“And we know what it means by now. The face, I mean. We know you better than Twilight does, and you sure as sugar don’t come last for any of us.”
Blue looked around but the others nodded with conviction and Blue felt her lips curl into a smile
“Thanks guys.”
She shook her head and looked away before she started blushing
“Sheesh, last week you were at each other’s throats and now you’re all smiles and sunshine again. You guys are giving me a headache.”
As Blue had hoped, a round of chuckles filled the room. She still couldn’t avoid the group hug initiated by Pinkie Pie. She didn’t mind too much, though.
Blue walked into the guestroom and as usual she scanned her environment closely. Unlike Rarity's bedroom, this room had no personal touch at all. The walls, the bedcovers, the few piece of furniture were all simple and neutral.
Princess Twilight sat on the only chair in the room. From the bedcovers, Blue could see that the others had probably sat there, but she wasn't like them. Stubborn as ever, she remained standing. She leaned against the wall opposite of the princess, with her arms crossed before her chest and her eyes cast down. She shuffled her feet and shifted her weight. She realized that she was getting ready to run for it should things go south. She'd never made any good experiences when talking with figures of authority. The fact that Princess Twilight was from another world wasn't enough to keep Blue's flight instinct from kicking in.
Twilight looked at her and noticed the tensions in the room and her opposite. Blue watched as she touched her chest with her right hand and took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly while stretching her hand away from her, as if she was pushing something from her.
She seemed calmer after that and her voice didn't waver when she finally talked to Blue
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting, Ocean Shore."
"Yeah, it's okay, I get it. I'm not a part of the magic pony band, it was more important you talked to them."
Twilight cringed and shook her head
"That's exactly what I didn't want to imply. I never meant to say you are less important in any way."
"But I am, right?"
Their eyes met and Blue shrugged
"I mean, you never met me until yesterday and you've know the others from before. I'm not involved in your magic adventure stuff, a couple of weeks ago I wouldn't have believed something like you would even exist. You were all friends long before I came along."
"Ocean Shore, I've only seen the others twice before and only for a couple of days each time. I know their counterparts and they are my best friends, but I think it's clear now that these girls are not them, not all the way at least. So I have as much to talk with them as I have with you."
Blue frowned and shrugged again
"If that's how you see it. When I hear the others talk, I got the impression you've known each other for decades."
"Well, we did share the Magic of Friendship. I can't deny that there is a connection. But it's not about this right now, Ocean Shore."
"Then what is it? And for fuck's sake, stop saying Ocean Shore. I hate it when people say my full name all the time. Just call me Blue."
Twilight had the indication of a smile at Blue's little outburst
"Okay. The reason I asked to talk with you last, Blue... it's because I was nervous."
Blue rolled her eyes
"What, the others told you some rumours and now you think I’m going to beat you up or what?"
"No, of course not. But, as it is, I feel conflicted about you, more than the others."
"And why's that, Princess?"
Blue shifted her weight from one leg to the other as Twilight tried to find a starting point
“You see, on one hoof I’m very grateful for what you did. I already told you that. Whether you believe it or not, you saved Sunset’s life in my book. And I will stay true to that promise I gave you no matter what. That won’t change.”
By now, Twilight had enough courage to meet Blue’s eyes again
“But that doesn’t mean you’re innocent either. You could have stepped in earlier. You could have talked some sense into the girls before they cast Sunset out. You could have stayed by her side when she needed you. You just did nothing. Granted, you didn’t join the bandwagon like the rest of CHS, but that’s only a small relief considering all that happened.”
Blue rolled her eyes and tried to sum it up
“So you say you don’t know if it’s right to reward me and instead you should punish me for doing nothing.”
“No.”
Princess Twilight shook her head
“I won’t punish anypony. I want to for sure, but out of respect to Sunset’s wishes, I won’t. If I punished you for just standing by, I would have to punish everpony at CHS as well. I’ve heard from Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna that everybody is very shocked after the revelation. I hope this is enough to get them back on track to friendship, like before.”
Blue rolled her eyes
“Only problem is that people are hypocrites. They had no trouble making fun of Sunset and blaming her for all that shit, and now they are suddenly so sorry. They laughed their asses off with each new post, but now they’re appalled on how anyone could do such a terrible thing, even though most of them posted stuff themselves.”
Blue’s voice dripped with bitterness, so much that even Twilight Sparkle couldn’t downright ignore it
“As much as I wish it was otherwise, I can see that you’re right. Not everyone will forgive Sunset even now she’s proven innocent, and not everyone will see that they were the reason for all that hatred in school.”
“And then there’s people like me who will just say ‘Whatever’, shrug it off and act like thing never happened.”
“Is this what you plan to do, Blue?”
Blue shrugged and sighed
“That would be the easiest way out. Just ignore and maybe nobody will talk about it again. I doubt that’s going to happen though.”
Twilight had a soft smile for her
“I think so too. And I don’t think you will ignore this, Blue. I think you have learned a lot of this, about friendship and about yourself. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have responded to Sunset’s message at all. And you wouldn’t have helped the girls either.”
Blue shrugged again
“You’re the Friendship Princess. You should know everything that is to know, but you feel conflicted when you talk with me. What does that say about me?”
“It says a lot.”
Princess Twilight stood up so she was closer to Blue and looked her in the eyes
“It says that you have friendship in your heart, but it just looks different than what Rarity or Pinkie Pie made you think it should look like. Maybe you’re cynic and sometimes bitter, but I can see you’re honest and loyal in what you do. You don’t have much to give materially, but you’re generous when someone needs advice or an honest word. On the day after, you lashed out, but you also apologized right away and showed kindness even to those who didn’t deserve it. I believe that if you look close enough, you could find the magic of friendship in you as well.”
Blue rolled those words around over and over in her head. To her surprise, Twilight pulled her into a hug, which she returned clumsily
“I see you as my friend, Blue. And I am always willing to do everything I can for my friends. So I’ll say to you the same as I told the others. I’m not happy that what you did led to this outcome, but I forgive you. And Blue, I’m very grateful for you personally because you saved Sunset’s life.”
Blue nodded, floored by the severity behind Twilight’s little speech. She now had a magic pony princess as a friend, for whatever good or bad may come from it.
“Can I ask you a question, Twilight?”
At her nod, Blue bit her lip
“What’s going to happen next? You said the others weren’t worthy of the magic, will you take it away from them? Will you punish the three girls? And what about Sunset?”
Twilight sighed and shook her head
“I can’t just take away their magic, and I don’t think I should. Magic works differently in this world and I’m sure the girls were chosen for a reason, even if I can’t see it yet.”
Blue nodded and Twilight went on
“Also I won’t punish Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom or Scootaloo. They are genuinely sorry for what they did and will get their punishments from this world, rather than mine. Though I won’t invite them to come to Equestria anytime, that’s for sure.”
“And, Sunset?”
Twilight sighed deeply
“I will support Sunset in her decisions. If she thinks staying here is the best for her, then I am all for it. If she says she wants to go home, my castle is open for her and any of my friends. And I will keep the journal around me from now on, so I can respond more timely. That would have saved her a lot of hurt last time.”
Blue nodded and leaned back against the wall, but her eyes stayed on Twilight this time
“And what about you, Blue?”
“Me?”
She hadn’t even thought about that
“I guess I’ll try to go on for now. If Sunset wants to stay friends, I’d like that. But it might take a while until I can forgive the others. Or myself.”
Twilight put her hand on her shoulder and had an encouraging smile for her
“I’m sure you can work through all of this, Ocean Shore. And remember, if anything should happen, I’m just a message and a portal away.”
“Yeah. Thanks Princess.”