“What do you mean he’s not coming!?” Twilight screamed.
Derpy gulped, “Sa… Sorry, Twilight. Fla.. Flash said it, it was a family emergency. Aunt was in a bad accident. Ma… Might be back Saturday, but he definitely won't be here Friday or for opening night on Thursday.” Which, being Tuesday, would be in less than three days.
“He… He said he was very sorry, but family comes first.” Derpy let out a dreamy sigh. “What a family man.” She then frowned upon seeing several strands of Twilight’s hair sprout up from, and even fall out of their directors head.
“Um, Twilight,” Derpy slowly asked, reaching an arm out. “Are you okay?”
“No! I am not okay!” Twilight laughed while Derpy and the other cast members started to take several steps back. “I’m hysterical!! I’m without a prince, and I’m hysterical! I skipped breakfast because I didn’t think anything bad would happen today, and now I’m hysterical!! I stepped on a crack and walked under a ladder, and I’m hysterical! So why don’t we just say Macbeth while we’re at it! Hehe! That’s a funny sounding word. Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth! Weeeee! Hahaha Hahaha!!! Hey, what else could go wrong? Cliche, but who cares?! Why don’t we start wearing shoes on our head and turn our pants into shirts?!”
As Twilight carried on, near the back of the crowd, Pinkie Pie sighed. She looked around the set, and picked up one of the foam fishes that decorated the set.
“Excuse me, pardon me! Hey, how are you doing?” Pinkie said, making her way through the body of students. “Pardon. Oh! Your sister like my birthday gift? Or wait, is that next week? Anyways, excuse me, coming through. Pardon me. Thank you.” She got to front as Twilight was going on about something to do with ladybugs and quesadillas.
“I mean it’s like everyone forgets I also love vanilla cupcakes!” She screamed upwards, oblivious to her pink friends advance. “Why is it everybody is more fascinated with what I’m fucking afraid of, rather than—
With an indifferent expression, Pinkie Pie raised up the fish, and smacked it across Twilight’s face. The loud swat was followed but pure silence as no one dare say anything until reality caught up to Twilight.
“Did,” Twilight started as she rubbed her cheek. “Did you just slap me with a fish?!”
“Yes. And I’ll do it again!” Pinkie declared. And so she did.
Sunset Shimmer walked into the auditorium to the sound and sight of the fish slapping Twilight across the face a second time. Her mouth dropping open in a way one would imagine a person might do in such a scene.
“What the?” Sunset started to question.
“Flash can’t be here for opening night and Twilight’s reacting the way you’d expect her to,” Rainbow Dash filled in.
“Ah,” Sunset nodded, racing towards her distressed friend.
“Hum… You need me to slap you a third time?” Pinkie offered, raising the prop. “For luck.”
“That won’t be necessary, Pinkie!” Sunset said, taking the fish and throwing it away from Pinkie Pie. “I’ll take it from here. You all do… Something.” She addressed the crowd. “Twilight, how about we step outside for a bit?” she offered her.
Worn down from her rant, Twilight could do little more than allow Sunset to guide her out. As they walked away, Sunset glanced at the crowd with a look that said; ‘fallow, and you die’...
📣📣📣🌤🌇
This couldn’t be happening, Sunset thought. And yet, here she was. Standing alone on the shipping docks, watching Twilight’s wedding ship sailing into the setting sun like a bad joke. The worst part, she hadn’t even been invited! Simply tossed to the side as if their time together meant nothing.
Sunset opened her mouth and tried to scream. When nothing happened, she began to stomp on the wooden planks. All while trying, and failing, to get the swear words she wanted to come out of her mouth. Suddenly, as she brought her foot down hard onto the planks, the wood shattered. Pausing from her meltdown, Sunset peaked through to see the waves swirling about.
She started to laugh. When no laughter came, she threw her hands over her head, and slumped down on a nearby poll.
Was her voice really that important?! The only thing Twilight cared about? Well, that was okay. Who needed someone that self centered? She’d rather take her chances in the sea witch's garden instead! That would show everybody. She hoped when those like Twilight and Celestia found out what happened to her, how it was because of them she was damned, that their guilt would eat them alive!
Until then, she had nothing better to do but curl up into a ball, and cry.
💔🌅🌅🌅💔
Thankfully, as Sunset walked Twilight outside, no one had to put her little unspoken threat to the test.
“Okay,” Sunset instructed as she led Twilight outside. “Twi, would you be willing to–
“Don’t tell me to take a fucking breath!” Twilight spat, slapping Sunset’s hand away. “I didn’t think to have an understudy, anymore than I thought about you and Flash being the romantic leads. And why? Because I’m stupid! Because I didn’t want to hurt someone else’s feelings by making them do all the work for nothing! Because I was thinking how to be a good person rather than a good director and now… Gah!”
Twilight threw her hands on her head and crashed down on the doors steps.
Having taken all of that in, Sunset simply allowed Twilight to cry as she thought about how to best approach this. Once Twilight’s sobs had started to die down, and she had a, hopefully, good enough game plan, she sat down besides her.
“Look, Twi, we’ll think of something. Worse comes to worse, we delay the opening night to next week or something.” When Twilight scooted away, Sunset sighed. “Okay. I know this may not be the best advice, but I really don’t have anything better.” She took in a breath. “It’s just a dumb high school musical. Not the end of the world like some of the other problems we face.”
Twilight looked over to Sunset, her face unreadable.
“You’re doing a great job as director, I think.” Sunset threw out as she tried to make herself look small.
After a moment, Twilight started to laugh. It was small at first, but soon, it became very loud. Before Sunset could decide if she should or shouldn’t laugh along, Twilight pulled her into a hug.
“Oh am I an idiot!” Twilight declared once she could form words. “Sorry,” she said, pushing away. “Guess I still have trouble focusing on what’s important in life. I actually, for a minute there, wished Flash’s aunt would die faster so he could make it back here in time. Oh wow!” She fell onto her back. “I am the same shut in Crystal Prep brat I was before coming here!”
“Well,” Sunset said as she awkwardly scratched her neck to that. “If it helps; I’m too much of a coward to talk to my parents because of what I last said to them.” She laid down next to Twilight on her side. “Telling them I wished they would die might have honestly been an improvement over what really happened. Guess we can both be horrible people together.” She rolled onto her back, and took Twilight's hand.
“You're not,” Twilight sighed, squeezing onto Sunset’s hand. “From what you told me, they were at fault too. No matter how ‘out of love’ it was.” She sat herself up, still holding onto Sunset’s palm. “Which does not cancel out what you did, but the fact they wanted to reach out has to mean something.” She took in a breath when Sunset said nothing. “Come on, I promise to stop worrying about the play if you promise to send them a message.”
Sunset arched an eyebrow. “That seems like a rather unfair deal.”
“Well I know you’ll say yes because you’d do anything for me.” Twilight said, sticking out her tongue.
Sunset chuckled. “You’re too good for me, Sparky.” With a smile as she sat up, she added, “Don't ever change.”
☀️ 🏫 🏫 🏫 ⭐️