//------------------------------// // 9- Among Them // Story: The Trick to Growing Up // by Hakuno //------------------------------// Chapter 9: Among Them Sunset merrily crossed yet another hallway. She was so close to creating a new enchantment! Sure, transmogrification spells did not hold well in enclosing cages of less than sixty-four nodes, and growth spells were not terribly helpful with intricate structures. But Sunset was sure she could make it work. She just needed another batch of hexagon-cut garnets. So she made her way to Princess Celestia’s personal study room. Not many ponies were allowed there, not even maids, but Sunset was the exception. Celestia herself had given Sunset full permission to enter so long as she made her presence known. What would the princess say when Sunset managed to complete her project? Creating new spells was not something ponies did on a daily basis, after all. She was sure that, with this, Celestia would have no choice but advance at least three, no, four levels in their personal training! With a huge grin on her face and a little song building in her heart, Sunset reached the study. As always, there were no guards stationed outside. However, the door was just slightly ajar. Odd. Sunset made her way there, but before she could knock, she heard voices coming from inside. She stopped herself and carefully lowered her hoof down. “... only a few more years,” was somepony saying. Was that… Captain Starfall Whisper? What was he doing in Princess Celestia’s study? “I am aware, Starfall,” Princess Celestia replied. Sunset suppressed a gasp and leaned in. “Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like she’ll have to do it alone.” There was a long pause. “Does that mean…” “Yes,” the princess said. Her voice was calm, but there was something in her tone… Something Sunset did not recognize. “Archmage Stellar believes she found somepony who fits the prophecy… better.” “Your majesty,” Captain Starfall said. Sunset carefully placed her ear right in the slight opening between the double doors. “You are already spread thin as it is. With all due respect, getting another-” “Captain,” Princess Celestia interrupted him. She didn’t sound displeased, more like… amused? “I understand your worries. However, I think we should discuss this at a later time. It appears I have a guest.” Sunset gasped as the door was engulfed in Princess Celestia’s golden aura and pulled open. The princess looked at Sunset with a knowing smile, and Sunset entered with as much grace as she could. She wanted real bad to know what had this conversation been about, but if she asked, it would be admitting she’d been eavesdropping. She suspected the princess knew already, but she would not give her the satisfaction. So she simply cleared her throat and began explaining her project. It didn’t matter. She’d know sooner or later. ~~~~~~~~ Principal Ink Statement had decided to release Sunset from detention, but he had called Dandy to let her know what had happened. So, when she returned home, she expected to be scolded for fighting. Instead, Dandy rushed to her with a worried expression. “Are you alright?” Dandy asked as she tenderly cupped Sunset’s jaw. “I knew that Rainbow girl was bad news, but I didn’t think she’d beat up a new student! I’ll have to have a word with her mother!” Sunset flinched slightly at the touch. Her face was numb, but she still could feel pain. She resisted the urge to voice her discomfort. Dandy huffed and stood up. “Well, I have to return to work. I’ll be back at ten.” And with that, Dandy left the apartment. “Are you ok?” Trixie asked. She was sitting in the living room, hugging her legs. Sunset shrugged. “I guess. At least now the principal and the teachers know I’m not a bully.” She walked up to Trixie and let herself fall on the couch with a heavy sigh. Her arms were still very sore. “Well, you are the first one to approach Fluttershy with no ill intentions,” Trixie said, then continued in a much lower tone. “She at least got herself a bodyguard.” “That’s because she most likely never fights back,” Sunset replied. “If you let others step on you, they will keep doing so.” Trixie huffed. “Yeah, and if you do fight back, you end up with a broken nose and a black eye.” Sunset smiled. “Yes, and it will send a message. It doesn’t matter if they are bigger or stronger, I will fight back.” She lifted her hand and looked at her nails, which had faint traces of reddish black. It was well after she had left the infirmary when she noticed her nails had been bloodstained. Apparently, she had pressured a bit too much on Rainbow’s neck. “Bullies will think twice before messing with me.” “If you say so…” ~~~~~~~~ The next day, Sunflower informed Sunset that Rainbow Dash had been suspended for a week. And despite her brave words to Trixie, she felt a weight disappear from her shoulders. She had been prepared to keep bucking legs with the girl, but she had to admit she was glad it would not be the case. At least not for a whole week. “So, how are your arms?” Sunflower asked. They were sitting in the classroom, next to each other, waiting for the teacher to arrive. Sunset pulled the sleeves of her jacket to show her bruised arms. The purple had almost completely vanished, but it only meant her arms were now a sickly yellowish-green with some faint violet mixed in. Sunflower seemed to have lost her inner battle not to put on a disgusted face. “They only hurt if I put pressure on them now,” Sunset said as she covered them again with the sleeves. She wished she could cover her black-green, really- eye and the huge patch of purple around her nose. “I think they kinda look cool on you,” Sunflower said. Sunset raised an eyebrow at her, and the girl smiled nervously. “Uh, y’know… You have that black jacket, and… thu- the, y’know, fire hair and the, uh, battle injuries! They add to the, y’know, bad girl vibe?” Sunset considered this. “I can see your point,” she said and saw Sunflower visibly relax. “But I prefer my skin to be spotless.” “Right!” Sunflower agreed. “You have beautiful skin! I was just, uh, y’know!” Sunset didn’t know, but she nodded regardless. Sunflower had tried to stop Rainbow Dash from beating her up. That alone was reason enough for Sunset to give the girl more leeway. “Yo, Sunset!” Zephyr Skies called. “I heard you beat up Rainbow Dash? How’d that happen?” “What?” Sunset asked. Zephyr sat in front of her and had a wide smile. “Everyone’s talking about it! How she was about to beat up Sunflower and then you tackled her and started choking her!” Sunset blinked. “That is… not exactly what happened.” She then proceeded to describe what had really happened, except, of course, the little detail of her being responsible for Rainbow’s dive into the mud. “Well, I still think it’s badass,” Zephyr said. “Wish I had seen it.” At that moment, Professor Count Up entered the room, and Zephyr stood up to go to his seat, but not before turning one last time to Sunset. “You’re cool, Sunset.” Unfortunately, Sunset found herself explaining several times over that she had not, in fact, beaten up Rainbow Dash. How could they think that? Sunset was a lanky girl in comparison to Rainbow! Was it because of her new clothes? Was the ‘bad girl vibe’ Sunflower kept mentioning the reason why she was gaining this new reputation? As lunchtime rolled around, Sunset realized that practically all the school thought she had ‘heroically’ put Rainbow Dash in her place. How had that happened? It wasn’t like she had started any of the fights, nor had she openly insulted Rainbow Dash. She and Sunflower sat at their usual spot, and Sunset noticed the furtive glances the other students gave her between hushed conversations. “Why is everyone so gullible?” Sunset asked. Sunflower only shrugged as a response, which made Sunset sigh as she poked at her salad. “I mean, I think I can see how it happened… They all saw Rainbow throw a ball at my food yesterday, and next thing they know, we were fighting.” “Everyone likes fights,” Sunflower said. “Like that one time Rocket League beat up Jet Fuel in the gym. Everyone talked about it for weeks!” Sunset didn’t know who either of the people mentioned were, but she supposed Sunflower was right. The most exciting thing these humans did was probably watch T.V. or play video games. Without the wonders of magic, they had to turn their entertainment-hungry minds with more barbaric things. Sunset only hoped she would not be involved in fights again. “So… you’re Sunset Shimmer,” said a new voice. Sunset looked up to see a girl standing in front of her. She was wearing the cheerleaders’ uniform, and her long golden hair was bright and looked like silk. “Who’s asking?” Sunset asked. The girl raised an eyebrow and looked sort of offended. “Uh, hello?” There was a pause, and when Sunset didn’t say anything, the girl rolled her eyes. “Well, I do suppose you’re new in this school.” She clicked her tongue. “Diamond Rush, your pleasure.” Sunset frowned. Only two minutes in and already she hated the girl. “Whoa, no need to get angry at me,” Diamond said. “I just want to thank you on behalf of, like, everyone.” “Thank me?” Sunset repeated with a monotone voice. Diamond sat down. “Yes. See, that Rainbow brute only searched for excuses to beat people up.” Sunset found herself nodding. “Why, she started pushing me this one time I was trying to have a conversation with Flittershy.” “Fluttershy,” Sunflower corrected. “Whatever,” Diamond said with a wave of her hand. “My point is, you put her in her place.” Sunset crossed her arms. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I didn’t beat her up.” She honestly didn’t care what this snob girl thought, but Sunset was getting tired of the story getting warped like that. It could get her in trouble with the teachers! “Oh, I know,” Diamond Rush said with a small smile. “Despite your looks, you don’t look like the kind of girl who would spark trouble. You were just defending yourself, isn’t that right?” “Yes,” Sunset said. It surprised her that it had to be this girl, the one that actually cared to have her facts straight. “I think that was brave of you. Not many people are willing to stand up to bullies,” Diamond continued. She paused, then gave another good look at Sunset. “Say, wouldn’t you be interested in trying out for the cheerleaders?” Sunset raised her eyebrows. Then immediately narrowed her eyes. What was this girl’s game? Why would she invite her to join their team? Sunset had always been wary of the popular kids and their back-stabbing mindsets, and this Diamond Rush girl raised all the red flags of a problem in the making. “I…” Sunset said, but then closed her mouth. She wanted to reject the ‘offer’, but even she wasn’t naive enough to do it outright. Back in Equestria, she had practically been royalty, but even without her title, she still was the most powerful unicorn, so she had never feared to speak up her mind. But she was currently in a different world, without magic nor status. And her face still hurt when she spoke. If she wanted to avoid making even more enemies, she’d have to be smart about this. “I appreciate the offer,” she finally said. “But I’m really clumsy. I can barely climb up stairs without falling down. I’d only be a hindrance to the whole team.” A half-lie, really. She was a bit clumsy, but only because she still wasn’t completely used to her human body and the new height at which her head raised from the ground. Diamond’s smile became a faint pout. “A pity. You’ve got the body and the face. Without the bruise, of course.” She then reached for a pocket inside her skirt and produced a small piece of paper. “In any case, you seem like a cool girl, so why don’t you hang out with us?” She offered the paper to Sunset. “This Saturday at Sugarcube Corner. This is my number. Call me to confirm.” When Sunset accepted the paper, Diamond Rush stood up and waved her farewell before returning to her group of friends at the center of the cafeteria. “Whoa, you’re so lucky!” Sunflower said, making Sunset flinch. She had forgotten the girl was there. Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I thought you called them ‘mean bullies’.” Sunflower nodded. “I mean, yeah, but that was Diamond Rush! The Diamond Rush!” She said in a tone of obviousness as if Sunset was being stupid for not knowing. “She’s the most popular girl in school! I heard she lives in a mansion and her mom is the president of Orange corp.” “Orange corp?” “You know, they make smartphones!” Sunset gave Sunflower a flat stare in response. “Right. Why should I care again?” Sunflower rolled her eyes up, with an expression that said ‘I can’t believe I have to explain this’. “She invited you to hang out with her and her friends! She never invites anyone! Sure, they can be bullies, but if you hang out with them, you’ll be one of the popular kids! Your social status will go through the roof!” “You’re not really selling it,” Sunset said. She had never cared about social statuses, only practical ones. Why would she want to waste her time with a bunch of airheaded snobs when she could be studying? Besides, she still had a lot to learn about this world, and she only had so much time to prepare her report. She frowned. But wait, this could be a good opportunity. She could attend their gathering and study the way they socialized. She needed to study humans, after all, and societal behavior was an important part of her research. Then again, she really didn’t want to be with them. She had always hated rich snobs and had avoided their bratty offsprings as much as it was physically possible. On the other hoof, her research… She looked at Sunflower and an idea formed in her head. “Yeah, I think I’ll go. If you come with me.” Sunflower paled and gaped for a full ten seconds. “What? No, no, no. I can’t go! I wasn’t invited!” “Who cares?” Sunset said. “She didn’t say I had to go alone.” Besides, she just wanted somepony to be with her, so she wouldn’t be entirely surrounded by idiots. Sunflower, fortunately, had proved to be quite the studious girl that had only needed a small nudge. Sunset was sure she could still make a scientist out of the girl. “But… what if they make you choose?” Sunset rolled her eyes. “I have never, in my life, let anypo- anybody make me choose. I have always done whatever I want,” she said. “If they really want me to hang out with them, then they won’t have issues with you being there. If they do, then I don’t want anything to do with them.” She’d rather lose her chance of studying a small part of human group-oriented society than tolerate the bunch of them on her own. She still wasn’t ready to go insane for knowledge’s sake. Sunflower smiled, and her cheeks became a soft shade of red. “That’s… You’re a really good friend!” Then she proceeded to hug Sunset. Sunset was about to yell at her not to invade her personal space but stopped herself. Hugging was a thing friends did, and she still needed to study firsthoof how human friendships worked. She stifled a groan as she let Sunflower hug her and giggle. She just hoped this wouldn’t take too long. ~~~~~~~~ There was something about meeting up with people that felt unreal to Sunset. She had ever only cared about appointments that had an immediate and practical purpose. Exams, training, reading, learning. She had always declined any invitations that were purely social. The mere thought of wasting her time in senseless interactions made her very skin itch. And now, she couldn’t help but scratch her neck as she donned her jacket. Despite repeating over and over in her head that this was just so she could advance in her research, she was not looking forward to being surrounded by the very kind she had always avoided. Those that cared nothing for knowledge, that disregarded studies in favor of frivolous affairs. Those that thought themselves superior simply by having economic or social status. They had not earned those statuses. They had been given everything they had on a silver platter. They were lazy and selfish and weak. They did not understand what it was to struggle, to fight, to fall, and then raise. They had no right. Sunset got out of her room and made a beeline to the front door. “Are you going out?” Trixie asked. Sunset turned to see the blue girl sitting on the couch, wrapped with a blanket. “Yes,” Sunset replied. “This Diamond Rush girl invited me to hang out. I might…” She got silent when she saw Trixie’s surprised expression. “What?” Trixie flinched and looked away. “You... Are you friends with Diamond?” Sunset cocked her head. “No,” she said. “She wants me to hang out with her and her group. I only accepted because it’s a good opportunity to study human socialization.” “O-Oh…” Trixie said with a low voice. “I see. Have fun, then…” Sunset frowned. What was wrong with Trixie? She always acted weird at the most random times. Sunset rolled her eyes and went out. Once outside the building, Sunset noticed the warmth of the sun. It was growing weaker by the day. Winter was just around the corner. As she made her way to the meeting point she had decided with Sunflower, she wondered what kind of holidays humans had, if any. She then shook her head, feeling stupid for only thinking about holidays now. She’d have to ask Trixie or Dandy later. It took her only fifteen minutes to reach the designated location: a bus stop. Sunflower hadn’t arrived yet, so she sat down to wait. She took notice of a house across the street. It was a two-story-high green house, it wasn’t exactly what one could call strange, but it had a beautiful garden that awed Sunset. Whites and blues and reds mixed with green. Sunset let herself smile as the garden reminded her of one of the Royal Castle’s many gardens, tended only by the very best gardeners. Then she pouted. She wondered what was going on in the castle. Sure, Princess Celestia had pushed Sunset into crossing the portal with the hidden intention of studying the world beyond, but the rest of the palace would still think of her as a runaway, wouldn’t they? Not that Sunset cared, but she didn’t want her spotless reputation ruined. She wondered if the princess would have cleared it up so her return would go swiftly. As she pondered, she spotted movement in the beautiful garden. The fence opened, and out came Sunflower Dust. Sunset blinked, surprised. She didn’t move until Sunflower had crossed the street and was in front of her. “Hey, Sunset!” Sunflower said with a bright smile. “Sorry for being late, I got held up by my siblings.” Sunset blinked again. “Uh, yeah, it’s ok,” she said. “Well, let’s get going. The sooner we start, the sooner it’ll be over.” Sunflower cocked her head. “You sound like you don’t want to go.” “I don’t,” Sunset replied through her teeth. “Then why are we going?” Sunflower asked. “I thought you only did what you wanted?” Sunset sighed heavily. “Because I’m…” She looked away. “Because I’m doing a personal research paper on social hierarchy in school settings,” she said. Sunflower hummed. “So you’re studying the popular kids?” “Yes,” Sunset said. “Huh,” Sunflower said. “Interesting.” Sunset nodded, then stood up. “Just don’t tell them. The whole purpose of going is for them to think I want to be part of their group. If they know I’m studying them, they will stop acting like they normally do, and the data will be useless.” “Sure thing,” Sunflower said, then turned around to lead the way. ~~~~~~~~ Sugarcube Corner did not look like a sugar cube. That much Sunset had guessed. It certainly shared the same architecture as the same buildings, but it was a bright white with pink details. With only those two colors, it managed to stand out. That, and the huge letters spelling the name of the establishment along with the tables and chairs outside. “I love Sugarcube Corner,” Sunflower said giddily. “They have the best smoothies ever!” Sunset doubted that. There were no better smoothies than those served at the royal palace. Head chef Pudding Strike was the best pastry maker in all of Equestria. It didn’t matter that she was in a different world, there just was no way a simple human business could compare to anything done in Canterlot. They entered Sugarcube Corner. The interior was very much like the facade. Simple but bright colors. There were many people inside already, enjoying various pastries of many different colors. “Sunset, over here!” Sunset raised her head towards the voice, and spotted Diamond Rush sitting at the far corner. There were four other people with her already. Stiffing a groan, she made her way there. “Hey,” Sunset said. Unlike Diamond, who was beaming, the other students seemed mildly annoyed. “You’re punctual, I see. I like that,” Diamond said. She then noticed Sunflower standing behind Sunset. “Is she with you?” Sunset gave Sunflower a quick glance. The girl seemed really nervous. “Yes,” Sunset said, looking back to Diamond. “You may remember I’m new in this city. Even with the directions you gave me, I wasn’t sure how to arrive.” “Ah, yes,” Diamond said, then looked at Sunflower. “You did well. Now, run along.” “She’s staying,” Sunset said, and Diamond looked at her, surprise showing in her eyes. There was something else in there, something Sunset couldn’t quite tell, but after a while, Diamond’s expression returned to normal. “Oh, Sunset, you should’ve told me she was a friend of yours,” Diamond said, scooting over to leave enough space for two. “Come on, girls, sit down.” Sunset did so, and Sunflower slowly got to her side. She noticed Diamond’s group looked at Sunflower as if she was doing something unforgivable. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Guys, this is Sunset,” Diamond said, and her group turned to look at Sunset. “You know her, she stood up to Rainbow Dash.” Diamond passed a hand over Sunset’s shoulders. “She was so brave, not letting that bully intimidate her. What do you say smoothies are on us?” The group smiled and agreed. “What is your favorite, Sunset?” Diamond asked, smiling at her. “Uhm, I guess strawberry,” Sunset said. Diamond nodded and, when an employee approached, proceeded to order the smoothies. Sunset turned to Sunflower. “What about you?” Sunflower blinked and flinched as if she just realized where she was. “Uhm…” She looked around, then quickly returned her gaze to Sunset. “I-I’m ok.” “But you just told me these were the best smoothies you’ve had,” Sunset insisted. Then it dawned on her. She turned to look at Diamond’s friends. They were very suspiciously looking down at their… whatever it was they were holding. Diamond let out a soft chuckle. “Come on, you’re Sunset’s friend. Order whatever you want.” Sunflower nodded meekly and asked for a chocolate smoothie. Sunset didn’t fail to notice the furtive glances Diamond’s group shot at her. What was going on here? She’d have to remember and ask Sunflower and Trixie later. “So, Sunset,” Diamond said, giving Sunset a big smile. “Tell me about you.” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to know?” Diamond chuckled. “You know. For example, what do you like to do in your free time?” Sunset considered her answer. She knew from experience that the rich kids didn’t really care about knowledge. Sure, they cared about getting good enough grades, but not about learning. They would either take advantage of the real intelligent students or of the group of less rich and popular that always followed them. She had no reason to believe humans would behave the same way, but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. So she simply shrugged. “I just watch T.V. or play video games,” she replied. As always, she wasn’t lying. She did watch Elementians and played video games with Trixie every now and then. Diamond hummed. “I thought you’d be the studious kind, based on what your classmates say about you. I guess you’re just naturally smart, aren’t you?” Sunset couldn’t help but feel proud. Of course, she was naturally smart, and of course her classmates would be talking about it. “I am,” she replied. “It is a shame, really, that you don’t want to be a cheerleader,” Diamond said. “All of us have high grades, keep healthy with a lot of exercise, and get to be the center of attention.” She leaned in a bit closer to Sunset. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to at least try?” Sunset frowned. Why was she insisting? There had to be a hidden reason, some ulterior motive, something Diamond Rush would gain by having Sunset in the team. But what was it? “As I said,” Sunset said carefully. “I’m clumsy and I could-” “Clumsy people can get rid of their, well, clumsiness,” Diamond said. She then waved her hand towards one of her followers. “Take Stutter here for example.” The girl of pale lavender skin and blonde hair waved at Sunset with half a smile. “She was a real clutz only a few months ago, and now she can easily perform a backflip. Isn’t that right, Stutter, dear?” “I-It’s, uhm, y-yeah, b-but,” the girl stuttered. “I-I’m not n-nearly as g-good as y-y-you.” Diamond snorted amusedly. “Of course not, but that’s not the point. Come on, Stutter, show Sunset what you can do.” Stutter tensed up. “Uhm… R-R-R-Right h-h-he-eere?” “Of course right here,” Diamond said softly. “It’s only a backflip, dear. Just do it once so Sunset can see what a clutz like you can achieve with a little training.” Sunset watched the exchange with curiosity. She wasn’t sure what a backflip was. She knew she had heard the term somewhere, even back in Equestria, but the meaning escaped her. She raised her head as Stutter stood up. The girl looked quite uncomfortable but still did as Diamond asked. She took a couple of steps away from their table, then looked around the locale. Stutter took a deep breath, then, without another word, she jumped in her place, taking her legs back and doing a whole loop backward before landing back on her feet. Sunset’s eyes widened. How had that girl managed that? Sunset had checked her jumping capabilities and had found them extremely low compared to a pony’s. But now there was a girl that had managed to defy gravity for a moment. How? “Impressive, isn’t it?” Diamond asked, and Sunset turned to look at her. She saw a spark in Diamond’s eyes. She knew Sunset was more than impressed. Stutter sat back down, wearing a massive blush across her face as some of the other customers applauded. Just this demonstration of physical skill was enough for Sunset to consider this meeting not a complete waste of her time. A waitress arrived at their table, carrying a tray full of their smoothies. Sunset noticed the girl was quite monochromatic, as everything in her was pink. Her skin, her hair, even her clothes. Had her eyes not been a bright blue, Sunset would’ve thought she was a mannequin. The girl gleefully passed the smoothies to everyone, having Sunflower be the last. When she leaned in to place Sunflower’s smoothie, the waitress leaned over, and Sunset could hear her whispering. “I added a cherry because you looked like you needed it. It’s on the house.” Then, as quickly as she arrived, she left. Sunflower seemed in a better mood. “Maybe you could come to our cheerleading practices,” Diamond said, idly using a finger to play with her straw. “We do a lot more than just backflips. Maybe then I can convince you to join us.” She still didn’t want to join them, mainly because she was already spread thin with her human studies and her report to Princess Celestia, but she supposed she could spare some time to observe them and make notes. “I suppose I can,” Sunset finally said, then tried her smoothie. She gasped. It was the best smoothie she had ever had.