//------------------------------// // Sunset almost has this Thing in the Bag... // Story: The Truth Behind Sunset Shimmer...? // by Teddie Williams //------------------------------// I'm wondering the same thing Sunset frowned at her counterpart's answer, wishing things would just click together or something. We're missing something here... I can just feel it... Sunset texted back, nibbling on her bottom lip as she did so. "Sunset! Time to get up if your gonna make it to school on time!" Mrs. Cake hollered up the stairs, reminding the young unicorn of where she needs to be in a few minutes. "Coming!" Sunset lunged across the room, flinging open her closet just long enough to pull out clean clothes for today... and to find an empty hangar to place the gown on. "Good morning class! Mrs. Solarflare had her baby last night so I will be filling in for her until we can find a suitable substitute." Principal Celestia smiled as she stood in front of the small homeroom, her gaze sweeping over the class to see if there were any empty desks. There wasn't any, so she quickly marked all the students as in attendance. As she did so, she glanced over to see what each one of them were doing. Most of them were busy catching up on the homework that they hadn't finished the night before, or reading, while a certain group of friends were huddled together whispering softly about something. Well... most of them were whispering about something. Sunset had her laptop opened and appeared to be doing research on something. Sunset rubbed her chin as she stared blankly at the various worldwide news articles that she had found online about missing crowns. Thinking things over, she probably should have been more specific and placed missing tiaras into the search engine. Instead she found herself looking at twenty or so different legends that were hundreds of years old, which wasn't very helpful since the ancient sketches looked nothing like the tiara that they were dealing with. In fact the only thing that came close to what she was looking for was about an infant princess that had been kidnapped around the day that Sunset had been born. The prime suspect was the king's sister-in-law, who had made a scene at the royal engagement party a few years prior, and has been noticeably absent since then. Sunset clicked on the link to pull up the photo of the MIA duchess... and immediately felt all color drain from her features. "Sunset? Do you feel alright? You look pale?" Principal Celestia spoke up, concern edging her voice as she glanced at the young unicorn. "Fine." Sunset croaked out, before quickly wiping a hand across her forehead. "Just a little warm is all... is it alright if I step outside for a minute?" Principal Celestia paused, eyeing the teen for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of letting her skip the class. Finally coming to a decision, she pointed to the door. "Take as long as you like... as long as you make sure you don't miss the next class." "Thanks!" Sunset darted out the door, barely remembering to gather her stuff up. As soon as she was out of the room, she yanked out her phone and sent a text message to Stormy, Get out now. Your life could easily be in danger. Whipping around a corner, she darted out of the school, heading straight towards the mascot statue. Upon arriving, she sank to the ground so as to sit on the soft grass. What's wrong? Is everything okay? Sunset nibbled her bottom lip, before sending a text that she knew would probably shake Stormy's entire world upside if she followed through with it. Look up Duchess Crystal River of the Kingdom Phoenixa. Then get over here as quick as you can! Sunset hit send, hoping against hope that she was being paranoid. It had to be a coincidence... right? Memories, ones that she refused to allow either version of Celestia to find out about, surfaced, making this discovery all the more heartwrenching. I can't get away... my teachers won't let me. Not unless I have a doctor's note or they hear from M...Jewel Shimmer. Sunset sighed, somehow not surprised about that. Stormy went to a prestigious, very strict, boarding school... unlike herself. Okay. Meet me at Sugarcube Corner... you do know what that is... right? Oh yeah! Another student pointed it out to me once. Good. Just hang on tight. Can you attend classes during the day and sleep elsewhere, or do you have to be in your dorm? The dorms are only for the students who live out of town. Why? I believe it is time for you to meet the Cakes... Really? They sound so awesome whenever you have mentioned them! A bell rang shrilly, startling Sunset as she glanced back up towards the school. I have to get to class. Talk to you after school in person. Sunset shoved her phone into her pocket, before snagging up her backpack as she hauled herself up onto her feet. Moving quickly, she darted back into the school, making a beeline for Advanced Calculus. If this was before she became friends with her friends and Princess Twilight, she would have skipped for the sake of skipping, but that wasn't her anymore, now that she was reformed. Stormy fidgeted nervously, glancing down at the article that Sunset had directed her towards. This was so bad.. like seriously how had they not noticed this earlier bad! "Hey? Sunset? Are you feeling okay?" Startled, the teen glanced up to see one of the nerds in her class hovering nearby, brow creased with confusion, thick glasses sliding down her nose. "Why wouldn't I be okay?" Her classmate, Hidden Star if memory served correctly, nervously fidgeted for a minute, before speaking up softly. "Well... you see you usually bully me at least three times a day but lately its as if you've forgotten that I even exist." Stormy blinked at that, startled, even as she glanced down at the article one last time. If she was to break free from Jewel Shimmer like her counterpart already did, she was going to need help...in the forms of friends. "Um...sorry about that. How about I treat you to lunch instead?" "Wait...what?" Hidden Star frowned, now more confused than she was a minute earlier. Stormy straightened up, looking the painfully shy nerd in the eye. "I've been thinking things over and want to change. I guess the best way to change is to try and make friends and apologize to those that I hurt. Right Hidden Star?" "Actually it's Society Star..." She mumbled softly to herself, before softly clearing her throat. "Ironic right? I can't handle attention at all, and my name essentially says that I'm a social butterfly. Hidden is more accurate. You can call me that. Stormy frowned, looking the other girl over. She already knew that Society Star had confidence issues before they came to this school, and she clearly needed someone to give it a much needed boost. "No. Society Star is a much prettier name. In fact, I think I'll call you Star for short. If your alright with calling me Stormy instead of Sunset." "Um... okay?"