"Come on!" Sunset yelled, pushing the "Jump" button on her controller. She ducked as the boss monster shot three fireballs in the direction of her character. Jumping again, she returned fire and jumped backwards to avoid being hit. But she didn't see the incoming fireball underneath her character, and it struck them, resulting in a "Game Over." Sunset pounded a fist into her couch in frustration.
"This game is ridiculous! How do you beat this guy?!" She set her controller down and buried her face in her hands as she let out a long sigh.
"It's not working," she said. "I've tried everything, and my mind just keeps drifting back to Wallflower. What could possibly be going on with her?"
Sighing again, she checked her phone. 12:33 AM.
I might as well get ready for bed. she thought as she shut off her gaming console and TV. She walked over to her dresser, opened the top drawer, and pulled out a pair of pajamas. She carried them over to her bathroom and set them on the floor by the sink. She threw off her skirt and t-shirt, quickly slipped her pajamas on, and picked up her toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. After brushing her teeth, she opened the drawer underneath the sink and pulled out a washcloth. Stopping for a moment to think, she re-opened the drawer and put the rag back.
I'll shower in the morning. she thought. Putting her toothbrush in a cup, she turned around, shut the bathroom light off, and walked over to her bed. She picked up her clock and turned on the alarm. Setting it back down, she flopped onto her bed. Rubbing her temples, she took a deep breath.
I'm going to figure out what's going on with her. she thought. I have to. Even if it kills me. But once again, have to play it cool.
A bright flash from outside lit up the room, a low rumble following shortly after.
"Yep," Sunset said, shaking her head. "Storm's here. The weather report said it wouldn't stop until tomorrow night. Whatever."
Shrugging, she pulled the covers up to her shoulders and slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Thanks, Granny Smith," Sunset said as Granny put an apple on her tray.
"No problem," Granny said. "Say, ya alright, hun?"
"I'm fine," Sunset said. "Just thinking."
"Well, have a good day!"
"Thanks," Sunset said as she turned to walk towards a table where her friends were seated. Setting her tray on the table, she sat down and sighed as she looked out the window to see the rain hammering the ground outside.
Man, what a crappy day. she thought as she looked back down at her lunch tray.
"Still thinkin' about Wallflower, sugar cube?" Applejack asked, setting her drink down.
Sunset nodded.
"Did you try and talk to her at the club yesterday?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah," Sunset replied. "I didn't want to push her too much, though."
"Well, what did she tell you?" Rainbow asked.
"She said she was dealing with personal issues," Sunset answered. "When she said that, I immediately thought that her parents might've been fighting or something like that. So, I asked her about that, and she said they were fine. They're coming back from an anniversary trip next week. Then I asked her if it was something personal going on with a different family member and she just dropped the subject. I told her if she needed to talk that she could tell me about it. I just decided to leave it there since she said she was kind of tired."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
"I'm not buying it, Sunset," she said. "The way you explained that... she's hiding something for sure."
"W- well," Fluttershy began. "Let's not jump to conclusions, girls. If she doesn't want to talk, that's fine. We don't have to force her."
"I still think you should try and talk to her again, Sunset," Twilight said after taking a swig of water. "You're good at that."
"Yeah, you're right, Twi," Sunset replied, cracking a small smile. "Speaking of which, have you girls seen her at all today?"
Rainbow, Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy exchanged glances with each other.
"I... I haven't seen her," Fluttershy said, placing a hand on her chin. "She wasn't in trigonometry today. Applejack?"
"Nope, ain't seen hide nor hair of her," she answered. She looked at Twilight. Twilight shook her head.
"I don't have any classes with her this semester," Rainbow said. "Sorry."
"You didn't see her in the hallway when you were walking between classes today?" Sunset asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
Rainbow shook her head.
"No," she replied.
Hearing this, Sunset pulled out her phone, opened her messages, and shot Wallflower a text.
'Hey, Wallflower. Are you at school today?'
A response came a few minutes later.
'No. I'm working on a little something-something.'
Sunset replied to her text.
'Working on what?'
Wallflower immediately shot her a response.
'Sorry, that's my little secret.'
Puzzled, Sunset replied.
'Oh... alright then. I might stop by your house after school just to see how you're doing. I'm a little worried.'
Once again, a reply came faster than expected.
'Okay. But you don't need to worry about anything. I'm fine.'
Sunset put away her phone and looked back at her friends. They didn't even have to ask. Her face held the answer.
"Sugar cube," Applejack said. "Ya have to talk to her."
"Believe me, AJ," Sunset said, shifting in her chair. "I'm going to."
"B- but what did she mean by 'my little secret?'" Fluttershy said, her voice starting to shake a little.
"Not sure," Twilight said, placing her hand on Fluttershy's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "But I'm worried about her."
"Don't worry," Sunset said. "After school, I'm going straight to her house."
"You know where she lives?" Rainbow asked.
"Yes," Sunset replied, nodding. "I went there to help her with a class project the day after we destroyed the Memory Stone."
"Oh, right," Rainbow answered. "I forgot about that."
"Want us to come with you?" Twilight asked.
"No, I'll be fine," Sunset said.
*RING!*
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. Sunset and her friends stood up from their seats, threw their trash away, and set their trays on the dish cart by the cafeteria doors.
"Hey, Sunset," Fluttershy said. Sunset turned around.
"P- please make sure she's okay."
"I will, Fluttershy," Sunset said, giving the pink-haired girl a smile. "I will."
"Hey! Taxi!" Sunset shouted, waving her arms in the air. A taxi pulled to a stop by the curb, and she quickly opened the door and got in.
"Thanks," Sunset said, setting her backpack on the floor.
"No problem," the driver replied. "I'd hate to be walking in this weather."
"I know," Sunset said, removing the hood on her windbreaker. "For once, the weather report was right."
"I hear that," the driver said, smirking. "So, where we going?"
"My friend's house," Sunset replied. "The address is 592 49th Street."
"Sure," the driver said, pulling away from the curb.
"By the way," Sunset said. "Do you take cash or credit cards?"
"Both," the driver replied.
"Cool," Sunset said. As she watched the buildings and trees flying past and listened to the rain pelting the roof of the cab, her mind was ricocheting nonstop.
I really hope she's okay. she thought.
About 20 minutes later, the taxi pulled to a stop in front of a pale blue house with a red brick chimney pointing towards the sky and a silver car parked in the driveway. Sunset raised her hood and opened the car door.
"Thanks," Sunset said, turning to the driver.
"You're welcome," the driver answered.
"Hey, would you mind waiting on the corner for me, please?" she asked, stepping out of the car. "This shouldn't take too long. Besides, I'm NOT walking home in this downpour."
"Not at all," the driver said before pulling further up the street. Sunset turned towards the house and walked up the concrete stairs leading to the front porch.
Doesn't look like there's any lights on. she thought, peering through the front door window. She took out her phone and shot a quick text to Wallflower.
'I'm here.'
Several minutes went by, but she got no response. Her instincts kicking in, she knocked on the door. No response.
Her car is outside. Sunset thought, glancing over to the driveway. There's no way she isn't home.
She knocked again. Nothing. She tried the doorknob. To her surprise, it turned without any resistance. She slowly pushed the door open and poked her head inside.
"Hello? Wallflower?" she called. Still no answer. Stepping inside, she saw no one.
"Hello?" she called again as she removed her shoes and jacket. Nothing.
She hung the jacket on a hook next to the door and peered into the living room. For the second time, she saw nobody. She walked through the foyer and looked in the kitchen. Again, nobody. She turned around and walked through the living room into the dining room. Once again, there was no one. Sunset felt her hands starting to tremble. Something was clearly off.
"She must be in her room," she said quietly. "Might as well check."
Turning around, she walked back through the living room, through the small foyer and up the stairs. Reaching the top, she saw that the doors to the bathroom and the master bedroom were open. There were two more doors, one along the wall which was slightly open and the other resting on the far wall which was closed. She slowly walked up to the closed door but stopped herself from putting her hand on the knob.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Sunset thought, taking out her phone to check the time. I should just g-
Her train of thought was broken when she suddenly heard a sharp inhale followed by a heavy exhale. Feeling her adrenaline spike, she turned around and knocked on the door.
"Wallflower? It's me, Sunset Shimmer," she called. No response. She knocked again. Still no answer.
"Wallflower! Open the door!" she yelled, knocking for a third time. "It's Sunset Shimmer!"
She grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and pushed the door open.
"Wallflo-"
As soon as the door was fully open, Sunset's eyes fell upon a sight she was not prepared to see. Wallflower Blush was sitting on her bed, breathing heavily. Her hair was incredibly messy, and her eyes were bloodshot. But worst of all, there were little streaks of blood running down her right arm and Sunset could see a small razor blade in her left hand. Raising her left hand, Wallflower slowly ran the blade across her arm, inhaling through clenched teeth as she did. She removed her hand and watched the blood trickling down her arm. Sunset watched in horror as Wallflower placed the blade in her other hand and began slowly slicing her left arm. She was so shocked that she didn't even feel her phone slip out of her hand. It landed on the floor with a loud thud. Wallflower jumped at the sudden sound and turned her gaze towards the door. Her eyes widened when she noticed Sunset standing in the doorway. And all Sunset could do was stare. She still couldn't believe that this was her friend's "little secret."