//------------------------------// // 24 - Special Holidays - Sunset // Story: Sunset Shimmer - Six Friends One Heart // by Babroniedad //------------------------------// Sunset Stories shared, everyone was brought up to speed. Twilight cried as she embraced Sunset. “I am so, so sorry Sunset! I never thought this would happen. Not in my worst nightmare. I am so, so very sorry.” “It’s not your fault Twilight. I don’t blame you. Please know I don’t blame you for any of this,” Sunset cried on the shoulder of her friend. “I know you would never have let this happen if you knew. It’s not your fault.” There was a knock on the door. “Enter please,” called out Luna, and Flash poked his head in. “I found the girls. The CMC is here too, they have something they want to tell you.” Saying that, Flash opened the door fully, stepping aside to hold the door open. The five friends and their sisters entered the office, lining up in front of the desk, heads hung low. Flash shut the door then joined them. “Sweet harmony, Sunset! You look like 50 miles of bad road sugar! What tha heck happened to ya?” gasped Applejack. “Long story Applejack. Long story. Short answer? I wish I knew.” Sunset hung her head, still holding Twilight. Twilight brushed the tears from her eyes, then smiled at Sunset. Luna looked to the girls before her desk. “Alright girls. I believe you have something to say?” Applejack stepped forward, her hat in her hands. “Sunset. Ah was wrong to not listen to ya. Ah know ah ain't got no right to ask this of ya, but ahm here ta ask it anyhow. Can ya ever forgive me for not listening, and not giving ya the chance ya needed? Fer not giving ya muh friendship instead ah the horrible guff ah put ya through?” Rainbow Dash stepped up to stand next to her. “And some loyal friend I turned out to be. Sunset, I don’t expect you to ever forgive me for what I’ve done. But I am begging you please forgive me.” Rarity looked up, turning to face Sunset. “Darling, I was a complete ass. You have every right to be angry with me. I would completely understand if you never forgave me. But please dear, I am so very sorry. And I will never abandon you like that again.” Fluttershy looked down at her shoes. “I was wrong. You were a true friend. I was the one that was never a friend. Please Sunset. Please forgive me. I’m sorry.” Pinky Pie slumped down, hair flat, looking completely dejected. “I’m sorry. I should’ve never called you a meanie secret stealer. Sunset, please forgive me. I just want to be your friend again. I‘m so, so sorry.” Tears streamed down her face. Leaning back from Twilight, Sunset palmed away her tears. She looked towards the girls. “Girls, I know you didn’t do this to me. And I know you never expected this to happen. But it did, and now we are all stuck with these consequences.” Their faces fell. Sunset continued, arms outstretched to the girls. “But I do forgive you. And I still want your friendship, if you’ll have me. I’m damaged goods now, but if you could forgive me for everything I’ve done, I could never hold this against you.” With that, the girls rushed forward and embraced Sunset and Twilight in a massive hug. Tears were shed, and hearts were mended. After several tearful moments, Applebloom stepped forward. “We’re anon-a-miss,” she said simply. Sunset looked stunned. Twilight sighed. “I was afraid of that.” “Wha… huh?” Sunset gawked. Twilight turned to Sunset. “Their counterparts did something similar a while ago. I’ll tell you later.” Turning to Applebloom, she only had one word. “Why?” Applebloom looked down in shame. “Ah was jealous of all the time she was spendin’ with ma sister. Ah wanted her ta spend the time with me.” “Me too,” added Sweetie Belle. “I wanted Rarity back. She used to spend more time with me, but since Sunset came she hasn’t had time for me anymore.” “I was missing all the time Rainbow used to hang with me. Even though we’re not really sisters, she's been a big sister to me for as long as I can remember. I wanted her back too.” The girls hung their heads in shame. Sunset looked at the girls. “Girls, look at me,” she said. The three of them looked up at Sunset. Seeing her there, they were ready for her rage. She had every right to hate them. They had hurt her, hurt her badly. But when they looked in her eyes, they saw something else. It wasn’t rage. There was pain, there was confusion too. But no hate. Pain and confusion. “Girls, are you telling us the reason for all this, for starting anon-a-miss, for spreading these secrets and hurting everyone around you, was just to get your sisters back?” The three girls nodded. “Did you talk to them? Did you tell them how you were feeling, that you missed them and needed them in your lives?” Scootaloo shook her head, the other two nodded. Scootaloo sighed. “I was too ashamed,” she said. “Scoots. Ashamed? What did you have to be ashamed about?” asked Rainbow Dash, still shocked. “I knew you’d think I was uncool if I acted like a little crying baby. So I kept my mouth shut,” she answered. “I didn’t want you to think I was a baby. I wanted to be cool like you. I wanted you to like me.” Scootalo hung her head in shame. Rainbow knelt in front of Scootaloo. “Scoots. Hey… Scootaloo. I would never think that! I’m sorry you thought that. Clearly I haven’t been the friend you needed either.” She groaned and face palmed. “Way to go Rainbow. Letting everyone down lately.” Looking back to Scootaloo, she took her hands. “Scoots. Hey Scoots.” Scootaloo looked up at her. “Scoots, I’m sorry. I messed up. I didn’t realize you felt so abandoned. And then when all this started, I abandoned my friend Sunset. I screwed up Scoots. Big time. And I’m sorry. That was wrong of me. But what you did here… that was wrong too. Big time. You’re gonna have a lot of work to do to set this right. It won’t be easy.” Scootaloo’s shoulders started shaking. Her head dropped. Silent tears slid down her cheeks. “Scoots. Look at me.” She raised her head again. “Scoots, this hurts. This hurts a lot. You’re hurting. I’m hurt. Sunset is hurt horribly. And you got a lot of track you’re gonna have to cover. But not alone. Scoots, I’m not abandoning you girl. You’re not alone. I’m here, and I’m not leaving you. I’m not gonna leave you hanging.” She pulled Scootaloo into a tight hug. Sunset reached over, and pulled them both to her. “And neither am I. Come here girls.” She hugged them tightly, tears spilling. After a few moments, Sunset looked back to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. “Girls, what happened? After you spoke with your sisters, why’d you continue this?” “She pushed me off. She kept insisting everything was fine. She was busy, there wasn’t time right now, it wasn’t a good moment,” Sweetie Bell answered. Applebloom nodded. “It felt like no matter what ah said, it wasn’t important enough to change nothing. Like anything ah was worried about was just not important. No matter what ah said or did, ah was just ignored. Ah blamed you for it, all ah it. But ah can see now, ah was wrong. Mah heart was bitter, and ah wasn’t looking at the facts. Just mah hurt feelings and mah anger. Ah am so sorry Sunset. Ah’d give anything to take it all back, ah swear ah would, on ah stack ah bibles.” Sweetie Belle continued. “I blamed you. I blamed Rarity. I blamed everyone else. But now, I see it clearly. I made the poor choice to start this mess. And to continue it. And I let you get hurt by this, even though that's nothing I ever wanted. I am so sorry Sunset. I will do anything to make this right, even though I know I can never set this straight.” Sweetie hung her head, still crying. Holding out her arms again, Sunset called them over. “Come over here girls. Let’s work together to make this right. We can’t change the past. But we can build our futures, a better future, together, as friends.” The girls stepped forward, and joined Rainbow and Scootaloo in the hug. Sunset looked over to her former friends. “Group hug girls? As friends again? Can we do that? Can we be that again?” Her friends rushed over and joined them, all joyful tears and smiles. Flash placed his arm around Twilight’s shoulders. “Your padawan has grown so much, Obiwan.” Twilight looked over at him and smiled. “What? I don’t get it.” Flash grinned. “Star Wars reference.” Cocking an eyebrow, he spoke in a high pitched ragged voice. “I see your training is incomplete, my padawan. I must train you thoroughly…” Twilight blushed and laughed. “Okayyyy… Not sure what that entails but color me intrigued. Maybe later?” “It’s a date, Princess,” grinned Flash. “And it entails several hours of binge watching some awesome old movies, with lots of snacks and insightful discussion.” “That sounds like my kind of evening. It’s a date,” agreed Twilight, placing an arm around Flash and giving him a gentle squeeze. Smiles so wide they threatened to split their faces, they watch their friends tearful and heartfelt reconciliation. Pulling away from the hug, Sunset grinned. “They grow up so fast!”, Sunset snarked at Flash and Twilight. Behind her, Luna snorted.