//------------------------------// // 11- Two Bad Options // Story: The Trick to Growing Up // by Hakuno //------------------------------// Chapter 11: Two Bad Options Princess Celestia was late. Sunset paced around her room. Princess Celestia was never late. Not that Sunset knew for a fact. She had only been the princess’ student for three weeks now, after all. But Princess Celestia had always come for their daily studies at noon sharp. She said it was the best time to drink tea with an interesting book at hoof. But not today. It was already an hour past noon, and the princess had not arrived yet. Sunset had poked her head out of her room, waited for a guard to pass by, and asked him for the princess’ whereabouts. The guard had only shrugged. He probably was a new recruit and didn’t know much. Sunset made a mental note to study the ranks, so she could ask ponies that would know things. She walked in circles in her room for ten more minutes, then opened her door again to wait for another guard. She repeated this process several times, but nopony could tell her anything. Defeated, Sunset let herself fall on her bed. She still couldn’t believe it was this soft. Maybe Princess Celestia had very important duties to attend to. Maybe there had been an accident somewhere, a natural disaster, perhaps, that required all her attention. Or maybe it was those pesky nobles again, trying to get the princess to agree to their tiniest whim in hopes of getting even richer. Sunset honestly didn’t understand why rich ponies wanted to be richer. Not three weeks ago, she had been just another pony, and now she had a very generous stipend. She earned so many bits a moon she didn’t know what to do with them! And she knew those nobles earned many, many times more than her. What could they possibly be doing with all that money? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. Sunset sat upright and jumped off her bed. Finally, she thought as she made her way to her door and opened it. Princess Celestia greeted her with a warm smile. “Hello, my dear student,” she said. “I’m sorry for being late. Something incredible just happened and I had to take care of it.” Her voice was so soft, so tender, Sunset couldn’t bring herself to be mad at her. “It’s ok, princess!” She said. “I’m sure it was really important.” “Oh, it is,” Princess Celestia said, then nudged to her side with her head. Sunset cocked her head in confusion, then followed Celestia’s gesture. She had failed to notice the bright pink unicorn mare standing right beside the princess. The new pony sheepishly waved a hoof. “Sunset, meet Mi Amore Cadenza,” Celestia said. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” That’s when Sunset noticed the pair of wings at the sides of the unicorn. She gaped and looked between the two alicorns back and forward. “What?” Was the only thing she could say. Princess Celestia gave Sunset a playful pat on the head. “May we come in? There are things we three need to discuss.” Sunset absentmindedly nodded, stepping aside to let the two mares into her room. She never got her eyes off of the alicorn. ~~~~~~~~ It took all of Sunset’s willpower not to scream her rage out. After school, Diamond Rush had made Sunset stop being a passive observant and start training with them. Sure, Sunset didn’t try any of the over-the-top movements the other girls did, but she had been stretching the limits of her human body, and more than a few times she thought she’d actually break. Diamond was set on getting Sunset to a level acceptable enough for the cheerleading tryouts next month. Sunset decided that would be her time limit for concocting a plan that would allow her to leave Diamond’s claws. Unfortunately, the intense training had left her too tired to properly think. She had showered after practice, but the warm water did nothing to help her numb limbs. She hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much in the morning. When she got home, she spotted Trixie sitting at the dining table with a notebook and some books here and there. Trixie looked up at her. “Hey,” Trixie said, setting down her pen. “How did it go with Diamond?” Sunset pulled a chair close to Trixie and let herself fall on it. She let out a long, dragged-out sigh that eventually turned into a groan. Trixie looked down at her notebook. “Yes, I know what you mean.” “You were right,” Sunset said after a short pause. “She was using me… Why didn’t I see it?” She saw Trixie shrug. “I knew I didn’t like her at first, but… Tartarus, I hate her.” “Why don’t you ditch her, then?” Sunset looked up to the ceiling. “Didn’t I tell you she has a pact of non-aggression with Rainbow Dash? And if that wasn’t enough, she said she’d convince her that I’ll do something horrible to her friend so she beats me up.” She grabbed the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “I need a plan.” But what could she do? Go to a teacher and explain everything? Diamond could most likely act like she didn’t know what Sunset was talking about, making Sunset seem like an idiot. She briefly thought of reaching out to Rainbow Dash, but she dismissed it. That would simply be suicide. Maybe she could try to talk to everyone and convince them that she would not, could not hurt them. But even her immediate classmates, who had seemed to believe that she was no bully before, were actively avoiding her now. How long would it take her to even make them listen? Too long, she decided. It all came back to Rainbow Dash and her impulsive nature. None of this would have happened if Rainbow was not a one-track mind kind of girl. Sunset just wanted to go about her day, to study and to research and put together her report to Princess Celestia. Why were these stupid humans making her life so difficult? Trixie didn’t attempt to propose any ideas, as usual. Sunset didn’t know why she kept thinking Trixie would be of any use to her. She had given the girl a ruby as payment for her assistance, but Sunset thought it was time to accept she had completely wasted it. At least she had one month to think of a plan. She could do that. She just hoped she could survive the cheerleading training until then. ~~~~~~~~ “So, I need a plan,” Sunset said. She and Sunflower were at their usual spot, under the third three from the school’s entrance. Sunset had decided to use their tutoring session to ask for advice. She figured that Sunflower, who had been making an effort to better her grades, would be able to at least stimulate Sunset’s thought process. “A plan,” Sunflower nodded. “Why don’t you tell a teacher?” Or maybe not. Sunset frowned. “Sunflower, think for a bit. Do you really think it is plausible that telling a teacher will protect me from Diamond making Rainbow Dash beat me up?” Sunflower made a face. “Exactly,” Sunset said. “I’ve been thinking of many things, but the only factor I can’t control is Rainbow Dash.” “Well, I shared classes with her last year,” Sunflower said. “She’s not as bad as you think. I bet that if you manage to get to her and tell her what’s going on before Diamond realizes, she won’t do anything to you.” Sunset considered this. “But how am I going to do that? Even if I simply walk up to Rainbow Dash, I seriously doubt she’ll listen to three words before she tackles me.” “You did make her fall in mud,” Sunflower said. She had a point there. Sunset still didn’t know if Rainbow had factually known or if she had guessed, but it was obvious Rainbow wasn’t so stupid as to dismiss her mud dive as a mere accident. Sunset almost wished she hadn’t made her trip. Almost. “Good morning, Sunset.” Sunset felt a chill run down her spine. Diamond Rush walked up to her, casually waving her golden hair with a hand. Her smug grin was the most infuriating thing Sunset had seen. “I suggest you stop wasting your time with your… friend here,” Diamond said, barely acknowledging Sunflower with a quick glance. “You have an image to maintain as a future cheerleader.” “What do you care about my image?” Sunset retorted. Diamond gently placed a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Your image is the image of the cheerleaders. I’d suggest you stop wearing that hideous jacket of yours. Black is such a boring color.” She shook her head. “Now, lilac. That is a good color for a jacket. It’s the school’s color, after all.” Sunset pressed her hands into fists. “You don’t get to decide my wardrobe nor who I hang out with.” “Oh, but I do,” Diamond said without pause. She then got close to Sunset’s face and whispered. “That is, if you want me to keep you in my group.” Without another word, Diamond Rush resumed her walk into the school. Sunset growled. “Can you believe that?” She said through her teeth as she turned to Sunflower. She was surprised to see the girl hefting her bag on her shoulder. “Where are you going? We still have some minutes left to come up with ideas.” “You heard her,” Sunflower said, not looking at Sunset. “You can’t hang out with me.” “Oh, no, no,” Sunset said, grabbing Sunflower by the wrist before she could get away. “I’m not letting that witch tell me what to do.” “Sunset,” Sunflower said. “I don’t want to be the reason you’re hurt. It’s better if we’re not seen together.” “But-” “Don’t worry,” Sunflower interrupted her with a smile. “I got your back, remember? I’ll be trying to come up with ideas during class.” She looked from side to side. “We’ll meet at the bus stop from last time after school.” Sunset nodded slowly and released Sunflower’s wrist, then watched the girl go into the school. Sunset clenched her jaw. During all her life, Sunset had done things head-on, always making her way through the way she wanted. She hated that she had to work around this, that she was being pushed by a mere snob girl. With a deep breath to calm her shaking arms, Sunset entered the school to face the day. She only hoped she could come up with something soon. ~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, Sunset couldn’t concentrate, what with everyone glancing at her and talking in hushed tones, afraid of what she might do to them if they annoyed her. Sunset had always pictured ponies bowing to her and minding their mouths when speaking to her, but this was different. She wanted to rule with a firm hoof, not a feared one. Fear had proven to be a very ineffective ruling method. First, because subjects would tend to mediocrity for fear of standing out and later being punished for the simplest of mistakes. Second, because there would always be a rebellious side to them, brewing, patiently waiting for the chance to take the government down. Sunset did not want to rule with fear, and so she had to do something with her situation now that it was just a human school and not a whole princessdom. But what could she do? She tried reaching out to her classmates and explain. They listened to her, they nodded and agreed. But somehow, Sunset knew they were just trying to please her. One of them even offered to do her homework. Sunset took deep offense in someone even suggesting she’d trust anyone to do her chores. She could get perfect grades on her own, thank you very much. Maybe she could send a letter to Rainbow Dash explaining the situation. But would Rainbow care enough to even open the envelope? Would she perhaps distrust its contents and simply ignore it? Did she even have enough reading comprehension to understand Sunset’s flawless prose? There weren’t many other options, anyway. If the letter failed to convince Rainbow of her innocence, then Sunset could simply have to come up with new ideas. She had just one month, but she had to try her best at every possible path. So, she took a sheet of paper and, whenever she had time during class, she started drafting the letter. Writing with her hands was still a clumsy affair, but Sunset was nothing if not patient. She didn’t expect to finish a convincing letter at school; she’d have to do it at home. But it never hurt to get a head start. All the time she had was too little. When lunch period arrived, Sunset had barely managed to get one paragraph down. She had rewritten it maybe a dozen times, struggling to find the right words to appeal to Rainbow Dash’s ego. But sweet Celestia was it difficult. Not only did Sunset not know much about Rainbow, but she wasn’t used to complimenting others either. It wasn’t too often that she found good qualities to acknowledge in her peers. Sunset lazily made her way to her locker. She wanted to delay her arrival at the cafeteria as much as possible. The less time she spent with Diamond Rush, the better. So, it was with a defeated sigh that she greeted Diamond, who was waiting for her at her locker. “And here I thought I wouldn’t have to see your face for at least two more minutes,” Sunset muttered as she opened her locker and put her stuff inside. “We’ll have to work on the way you talk to me,” Diamond said with half a smile. “But that’ll have to wait. We have something to take care of right now, so hurry up.” Sunset growled as she deliberately slowed her movements. Diamond didn’t seem to be in a hurry either, but she eyed Sunset with a soft scowl. By the time Sunset closed her locker, Stutter and Allegro had arrived. For a moment, Sunset thought she saw a faint expression of resignation on their eyes, but as soon as she blinked, she saw the girls happily talk with each other. “That’s three minutes you’ve wasted of my time,” Diamond said in such a low voice it was almost a whisper. “That’s thirty additional minutes you’ll spend training today.” It was a strange sensation, feeling the left part of her upper lip tremble along with the left side of her nose. Like a growling timberwolf. Sunset had to painfully clench her teeth to stop herself from telling Diamond just what she thought of the treatment she was giving her. Diamond signaled Sunset to follow her and turned to walk. Sunset decided to play along for the moment, her fingers already hurting for how much she was clenching her fists. They weren’t going to the cafeteria, that much Sunset knew. They passed hallway after hallway, stopping only to pick up two more girls from the cheerleading team. Where were they going? Sunset noticed she and Diamond were at the front of the group, being closely tailed by four girls. Somehow, she felt like they were surrounding her from behind, as if to stop her in case she decided to run away. But a look at the glances students gave her was enough for Sunset to realize that that wasn’t the case. If she pictured herself in third person, she could see that she and Diamond looked like equals. She, especially, looked like she had power over the other four girls. If human psychology was similar to pony psychology, it would be easy to guess that others would see Sunset right then and conclude that she had forced her way into the group of the most popular girls in school. It would send a clear message: Sunset was dangerous and resourceful. Sunset decided she needed a plan to ditch Diamond and her friends before the week was over. She didn’t think she would be able to live like this for any longer than that. But, where were they going? They stepped outside and into the soccer field. From what Sunset had heard, it was actually a smaller version of a real, professional one. Some bleachers sat at the sides with small groups of students having lunch on them. Diamond led the group along the perimeter to the side of the school. There were areas of unkempt gardens. Although ‘garden’ was maybe too generous an adjective for what was essentially just a couple of overgrown bushes and a solitary tree that cast a soft shadow below. They were strangely silent, Sunset noticed. Normally, Diamond was always saying something, no matter how inconsequential, and her friends would normally agree and even offer their ideas. But now she didn’t hear a single word. Diamond kept looking forwards with the slightest of frowns. Was she angry or simply annoyed? Which option would force Sunset to do something she did not want to? As they got close to the tree, Sunset noticed there was someone there, sitting against the trunk. The first thing she saw was silver hair, and Sunset’s every hair stood to attention. She gave another step and she could see soft blue skin. This can’t be true, Sunset thought as she felt her stomach churn. Suddenly the air got colder. Sound dimmed, and her heart thundered in her ears with a steady rhythm. She wanted to turn around and walk away, but her legs betrayed her. An image of Rainbow Dash, covered in mud, glaring murder at her, fueled her arduous path. The numb pain that lingered ever so persistently in her face and arms moved her limbs with the same dexterity a puppet master would her puppets. Sunset didn’t know why, but she knew exactly what Diamond had brought her here to do. She did not want to intimidate anyone, that wasn’t her way of ruling. Fear was unreliable. But she was scared of the alternative. “Hello, Trixie,” Diamond said in a tone that Sunset could not recognize. Was that amusement? She couldn’t tell. Trixie flinched and gasped as she turned her head towards Diamond. She hastily stood up, dropping her juice box to the ground. Sunset didn’t fail to notice the stained wad of paper and the used plastic sheet. With movements that reminded Sunset of a disoriented moth, Trixie hastily grabbed what was left of her lunch and tried to flee. Unfortunately for her, the four other girls in the group had spread to the sides, trapping her in the tiny space. Trixie looked around, and her eyes fell on Sunset. Her expression was of disbelief at first, but as quickly as it came, it had been replaced by one of utter resignation. Sunset felt an uncomfortable heat in the pit of her stomach, a discomfort she had not felt before. “Dear old Trixie,” Diamond said slowly, deliberately, as she gave a single step forward. “How have you been?” Trixie looked down. She didn’t reply. “Getting good grades?” Diamond asked, giving another step forward. “Eating well?” Trixie didn’t reply. Diamond stepped forward again and leaned over. She was taller than Trixie. Not that that was a difficult thing to achieve. Trixie was shorter than most girls, and Diamond was taller than most, even getting one or two inches on Sunset. But right now, Sunset thought she looked twice as tall and much, much darker. “Making new friends?” Diamond asked, saying the last word ever so slowly. Trixie flinched slightly and softly bit her lower lip, but she didn’t reply. Diamond waited for ten slow seconds, then cocked her body to the side. “Are you listening to me?” She asked. “You know I don’t like being ignored.” There was something in Diamond’s voice. A tone that was dissonant with her bright smile. It felt like a black spot on ripe fruit. A warning, a promise of the inevitable. Trixie, still looking down, gave a slow nod. “So, are you making new friends?” Trixie slowly shook her head. “No?” Diamond asked. “So you’ve been a good girl? Keeping to yourself?” Trixie nodded. “And you haven’t broken our deal, have you?” Trixie shook her head. Diamond frowned, and Sunset felt a chill run down her spine. “You should know,” Diamond said in a low voice, “I don’t like being lied to.” There was a pause, but Trixie did not reply. “You see, a little bird told me you approached another student.” It was difficult to see, but Sunset thought she caught a glimpse of Trixie’s eyes, darting from side to side. “Outside school.” “I-I…” “Don’t you remember what you agreed to?” Diamond interrupted the reply. “I can’t believe it, Trixie. To think that you’d be so bold as to disobey me.” She almost sounded… amused. Trixie hunched over herself, trying to make herself smaller, probably trying to disappear. But Diamond didn’t give her a chance. “You seem to really want to talk, huh? Let’s talk then!” She gave out a chuckle. “So, last weekend we went to Coloratura’s concert, isn’t that right, Allegro?” “It was totes fun!” The girl replied. “It was!” Diamond agreed. “Too bad my dad decided to be there with us, huh girls?” She didn’t even turn to look, but her friends nodded anyway. “He’s, like, so lame. Always wanting to follow me around and saying he likes the same things I do… Ugh, like, get a life, right?” Sunset looked at them with utter disbelief. What was going on? Diamond just kept saying meaningless stuff over and over again, like it was meant to be scary or threatening, but she wasn’t really saying anything! But more surprising than that was that it was working. With each word that came out of Diamond’s mouth, Trixie just hunched over and over, as if they were punches and she was just trying to put on a defense. But the defense was cracking. Sunset could see the sun reflected on a tear in Trixie’s right eye. This was disconcerting. She had thought Diamond had brought her to intimidate, to threaten, but so far she had just been watching. Sure, the circle formed of girls impeded Trixie to just leave, but Diamond was not hitting her, she hadn’t even touched her. This wasn’t bullying, this was just a girl saying nonsense to another girl. And yet, Sunset couldn’t help but feel her heart rate rise and her arms tremble. The heat in the pit of her stomach flared with such intensity she thought she would vomit. “Now then,” Diamond continued. “How about we talk about your parents? Such lovely people, but- Oh, right, you only have your mom, don’t you?” Trixie didn’t reply. “Whatever happened to your dad?” She asked, then turned to her friends for a moment. “Guys, do you know about Trixie’s dad?” The girls shook their heads, some simply laughed. Diamond turned back to look at Trixie. “Where’s your dad, Trixie?” Trixie didn’t reply. “What happened, Trixie?” Diamond insisted. “He went to buy tobacco and never returned? No, wait, that wasn’t it, was it?” Trixie sobbed quietly but didn’t reply. “No, no, I think I remember.” Diamond placed a finger on her lips. “He… He left because… Oh, I have it at the tip of my tongue.” Trixie’s body was shaking, and tears fell from her obscured jaw. But she didn’t reply. “Ah, that’s right,” Diamond said with a wide smile. “He didn’t want you. You disgusted him so, so much, he just had to go. Oh, I feel bad for him, really. He seemed like such a nice guy.” Trixie fell to her side, crashing against the trunk of the tree, hugging herself. She was doing her best to resist, but the tears kept coming, her body kept shaking. And yet, she didn’t reply. Sunset couldn’t believe what was happening. She knew it was just Trixie and her mom, but she had never given a single thought to Trixie’s father’s whereabouts. It was with a suffocating heart and a painful heat in her stomach that Sunset realized she had been wrong. Diamond didn’t need to punch Trixie or shove her around. She didn’t need to play hurtful pranks on her or frame her for things she didn’t do. She only needed knowledge of one deep weakness, a crack that she could slither in. But… Why wasn’t Trixie doing anything to stop it? Why didn’t she insult Diamond back? Why didn’t she hit her for saying those hurtful things? Why was she just letting it happen? Letting Diamond say whatever she wanted? Why was she such a pushover? Why? Sunset gritted her teeth. Ever since she met Trixie, her impression of the girl was that of a pushover, a doormat. She knew this, but she hadn’t realized just how much this was true. Trixie was just letting Diamond step on her and stomp her feet on her and stain her full of dirt and refuse. Even when she was being unraveled, her strands broken and dirtied, Trixie simply let Diamond clean her soles on her. Even if she was crying, hurt beyond comprehension, she let Diamond keep talking and talking and laughing and it was just so infuriating. “What…” Sunset tried to say, but the word died in her throat before it had reached her mouth. She pressed her nails into her palms until her fingers hurt and took a deep breath. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” She yelled. There was a deafening silence as everyone slowly turned their heads to her. But Sunset didn’t look at them, she simply stared at Trixie, feeling a pounding pain at the sides of her head. “What did you just say to me?” Diamond asked, turning fully toward Sunset. Sunset huffed and rolled her eyes. “For Celestia’s sake, Diamond, the world doesn’t spin around you!” She said, then looked straight at Trixie and pointed a finger at her. “Why are you letting this happen? I knew you were a pushover but this is on a completely different level! Have you no pride?” Trixie was still sobbing, but she had stopped crying as soon as Sunset started yelling. She looked at Sunset with horrified eyes, but didn’t reply. “Are you just going to sit there and take it?” Sunset continued. Diamond straightened up and scowled at Sunset. “What do you think you’re doing? Are you…” She gasped. “Are you siding with Trixie?” The four girls around them all gasped loudly and ooh’d. Sunset only raised an eyebrow. Suddenly she felt surrounded as all eyes were on her. “But of course,” Diamond said with a soft laugh. “You’re new, so you don’t know.” “Stop saying that,” Sunset growled. Diamond passed a hand through her hair. “Sunset, dear, I suggest you stop talking. You see, little Trixie here is not the best person to be defending right now.” Sunset crossed her arms. “Why do I get the feeling you’d tell me the same with any other person?” “Touché,” Diamond replied. “You’re defying me, Sunset. That’s the stupidest thing you could be doing, you know, on account of our little agreement.” “It was no agreement,” Sunset refuted, feeling her bubbling anger so strong in her stomach it was getting painful. “You’re just a rich, snob, princess wannabe that can’t do anything by herself.” As she talked, she saw the girls’ expressions morph into ones of disbelief, while Diamond’s scowl only deepened. Sunset’s arms were shaking, too, but she just couldn’t stop speaking her mind. “This is why you brought me here? To make me watch as you bully someone that won’t even look back at you? This is pathetic.” There, she had said it. Now she only hoped no one would notice her knees were about to give up. What was happening to her body anyway? Diamond only stared at Sunset for a full ten seconds. “This,” she said as she lifted a finger, “is your one and only free pass.” She then pointed her finger at Sunset. “I will ignore all the absolute lies you just said about me, but you will have to teach Trixie here a lesson about not stepping out of place. Otherwise, well, I think you know.” Sunset tried, but couldn’t frown any stronger. Her whole body was alight, burning inside, her heart was beating furiously, and her limbs were shaking like crazy. She was so angry, just so powerfully angry. Angry at Diamond Rush and her manipulation, angry at Trixie for being such a massive doormat, and angry at herself for having fallen into a trap where anything she chose would end badly. One option was to become a bully, having Trixie, the girl that lent a helping hand when she needed it, as her first victim. The other option was standing up for her against Diamond, giving herself away to a painful beating by Rainbow Dash. The memory of a girl covered in mud, of a fist to her face, of feeling helpless against an onslaught of punches, sent shivers down her spine. She didn’t want to experience that again. She didn’t want to- “Sunset,” Trixie said, putting herself in the spotlight. “I-” “Who the hell gave you permission to speak?” Diamond snapped at her, making Trixie flinch. That did it. Sunset didn’t know why, she didn’t know how, but her body moved on its own accord, and she soon found herself gripping Diamond’s shirt. She felt a weird satisfaction at Diamond’s confused and surprised expression. “S-Sunset! What do you think-” “I’m sick of you,” Sunset said, struggling to speak for how stiff her jaw was. “I’m sick of your threats and your passive-aggressive attitude. I’m sick of you thinking you’re anything more than just a stupid brat.” Diamond’s breathing quickened. “Let me go, Sunset. You’re gonna regret it if you don’t.” “Why? Because you’ll tell Rainbow a lie that’ll make her hate me even more?” Sunset allowed herself to smile, then took one hand from Diamond’s shirt, turned into a fist, and lifted it. “Then maybe I should make it so you can’t talk.” Diamond gasped sharply. “Y-You wouldn’t dare hit me!” “Oh yeah? Why not?” “B-B-Because!” Diamond spat, staring at Sunset’s raised fist. “You’re not that kind of girl! You’re not violent!” “May I remind you I fought Rainbow Dash?” Diamond snorted and actually smiled. “No, you didn’t. You fought her back.” She turned her eyes to look defiantly at Sunset. “Besides, if you hit me, you’ll get in so much trouble. Everyone knows Rainbow is a brute, so you got away with fighting. But I’ve never been in a fight. Besides...” She looked to her side and Sunset followed her gaze. The four other girls were holding those strange devices, rectangles of different colors. They were looking at the things, but something in the way they held them was eerily familiar. It felt like… Sunset’s eyes widened in surprise. Were they cameras? Diamond chuckled and looked back at Sunset. “I’m sure the principal would love to see you bullying another student.” Sunset gritted her teeth. She had been trapped again. She hated Diamond, but she also hated her lack of human tech knowledge. With a frustrated growl, she lowered her fist and released her. “Now,” Diamond said, trying to sound calm despite the frenetic look in her eyes. “I know you’re a smart girl. I think you know by now that siding with Trixie is the worst thing you can do.” Sunset didn’t reply, so Diamond continued. “You haven’t noticed how no one ever talks to her? That’s because no one likes her. No one wants to even be seen with her. Are you sure you want the same happening to you?” Sunset noticed how, with every word Diamond said, Trixie tried to make herself smaller. But there was something that bugged Sunset. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself. “You mean to tell me that Trixie is always alone?”  Diamond nodded.  “Always?”  Another nod.  Well, would you look at that, Sunset thought. A way out. Sunset walked up to Trixie. She half expected the girl to flinch or run away, but Trixie simply stood there, waiting. Sunset placed a hand on Trixie’s shoulder and waited for the girl to slowly, ever so slowly, look up at her. The defeated expression in her eyes was just the last push Sunset needed. She smiled at Trixie. “Today’s Saturday’s rerun of Elementians.” Trixie’s eyes widened, but Sunset only turned around and faced Diamond. “Oh, ho ho ho, you did not just choose this!” Diamond said with a massive smile on her face. Sunset matched it with a defiant smile of her own. “You ever try to bully Trixie again, and I will break your nose.” That made Diamond’s smile disappear, if only for just a second. “Well, that’s the fun part! I don’t have to do anything. You’ll regret what you’ve done soon enough, and we’ll see who’ll laugh last. Come on, girls.” Slowly, the five girls turned around and made their way back to the school’s main building, leaving Sunset and Trixie alone under the shade of the tree. “Sunset…” Sunset waited for Trixie to continue, but she didn’t. Instead, they fell silent for a while. Sunset was still shaking, knowing that sooner or later, Rainbow Dash would know she had ditched Diamond Rush and would come for her. She couldn’t help but regret what she had just done. Only a little though. She would have hated herself if she had chosen to be a mere lackey to a spoiled brat. She only hoped she wouldn’t hate being Rainbow’s literal punching bag more.