//------------------------------// // Not Quite Back To Normal // Story: Equestria Girls: A Fairly Odd Friendship // by redandready45 //------------------------------// "Timmy." The brown-haired boy looked up from his cafeteria food and saw Chester and A.J. looking at him with concern. It appeared both of them had been freed from the Dazzlings' spell, along with everyone, and didn't remember what they had done under it. "Dude," Chester asked him with concern. "Why are you sitting here alone?" Timmy looked down. "Timmy," The blond kid said with an encouraging smile, "I'm not mad at you. You went berserk because of Tad and Chad. Besides, they're going to a new school-," "I'm sick," Timmy lied, "and I don't want you to.....catch it." "Don't worry dude," AJ said, pushing a button, causing a giant hypodermic needle to burst out of his sleeve. "AJ will cure whatever disease you have. Super-noogies, super-tummy aches, and the ocassional wedgie burn," AJ paused at Chester started pulling him away, much to the bald kid's annoyance. "Don't worry dude," the son of Bucky McBadbat said, picking up the hint that his best friend wanted to be alone, "we hope you feel better." Cosmo and Wanda, disguised as milk cartons, watched this with concern. "Timmy are you-," "Not hungry," Timmy said simply, dumping his uneaten lunch into the trash before walking out of the cafeteria. "So yeah, Tad and Chad are, like, going to Crystal Prep's Junior Academy in Canterlot," Veronica gossiped. "Uh huh," Trixie muttered, not really caring about those two. Seeing them get beat up by a supposedly unpopular boy after picking a fight with him, to say that the raven-haired girl didn't hold them in much regard anymore was putting it mildly. She wasn't really paying attention to her ponytailed best friend's chatter. Much of her attention was on the certain brown-haired boy walking out of the cafeteria, looking like the world had ended. Francis stood by the cafeteria door, waiting for some new meat to come out of the cafeteria. He smiled when he saw his familiar victim walk out. "Hey Turner," the grey-skinned boy said menacingly, "I didn't forget about what the girl did. Welcome to the corner of pay and -," Timmy just walked by him, completely ignoring his presence. "Wow," Francis commented, for once sounding sympathetic, "he looks really beat up. I can't hit some sad kid." He frowned in annoyance. "There can be no true suffering without there being some joy to take away," the tall bully commented in a philsophical tone. "LALALALALA!" Francis looked and saw some whimsical kid dressed in bright clothes with a smile as bright as the sun. "As the President of the Glee Club," the boy chirped. "Every day is the best day ever!" Francis smiled sadistically. "But I can hurt him!" The tall 12 year old bared his fists, ready to bring the pain. "Thanks for coming over Sunset," Mrs. Turner said, dressed in a fancy outfit and getting her purse ready. "Even though this is your last day before sweet and lovable Vicky comes back," Mr. Turner gushed tying his tie, "I'm still glad you showed up." "Yes sir, Mr. Turner," Sunset. Or more specifically, a robot that looked like her said. It was so realistic, the Turner parents couldn't tell the difference. "My systems indicate that Timmy will greatly partake in numerous diversions under my supervision." "And Timmy sure is happy," Mrs. Turner said, gesturing to her brown-haired son who was sitting in front of the TV with a wide smile, playing with his V-Cube. "Anyways, have a good night," Mr. Turner said, as both he and his wife walked out the door. He paused when he noticed Sunset was, for some reason, stammering and sounded hoarse. "Sunset," Mr. Turner asked with concern, "are you-," "S-s-s-s-systemings' failing," Robot Sunset said, "power going offline." Fumes starting pouring out of its mouth. "Oh my gosh!" Mr. Turner said with a mixture of drama and horror. "It's worse than I thought. You have a sore throat," the black-haired man said sympathetically. "Well don't worry," the man said as he grasped the door, "I'll get you some cough medicine on the way back." The man opened the door, politely holding it for his wife, before leaving the house himself. The couple walked to the car, while the brown-haired woman looked over her list, trying to remember everything as they prepared to go to the opera. "Tickets, check, keys, check, wallet, check, video camera disguised a brick so we illegally record the opera," Mrs. Turner said, holding the brick with a lens it in. "We have everything," the real estate saleswoman said with a smile. "Where?" Mr. Turner asked. "In my purse," Mrs. Turner said. The middle-aged woman's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait a minute." ONE MINUTE LATER. "I forgot my purse!" The brown-haired woman ran inside and, to her relief, she found her purse on the table. She looked through it, only to notice something that gave her concern. Her son looked at the TV screen with an unusually sad tone. And he wasn't playing his video game with any real enthusiasm. He seemed to be deliberately walking the the video game character off a cliff, over and over again, causing him to get a GAME OVER. "Timmy," Mrs. Turner asked in a concerned voice. "Is everything OK?" "Everything's fine," Timmy said in a tone that didn't convince than woman, "don't let me ruin your fun." Mrs. Turner felt an upset frown on her face. She could just feel that Timmy was in a really poor mood, and Mrs. Turner was a bit shocked by what her son was saying, but before she could inquire, she heard her husband honking the horn, telling her it was time to go. "Well Timmy, if you want to talk," Mrs. Turner said in a soft, concerned voice, "I'll see you tonight." Timmy didn't even acknowlege her presence, just staring blankly at the screen. Mrs. Turner was about to inquire, but then she glanced at Sunset, and decided that Sunset could help her son out. "I love you Timmy." As soon as Mrs. Turner left, Cosmo and Wanda poofed in front of him, loving expressions on their faces. "Timmy," Wanda began, "why are you-," "You know, I think you two deserve a nice vacation." Timmy interrupted with an insincere smile that couldn't mask the sadness in his eyes. Though Cosmo was normally an oblivious goofball, he wasn't going to let Timmy distract him. "Timmy, why are you avoiding everyone-," "I wish you two would go on a nice vacation," Timmy ordered. "Timmy," Wanda urged, "don't-" "Go," Timmy said, a little harshly. With a sigh, and knowing they couldn't really disobey Timmy's orders, Cosmo and Wanda vanished with a poof. Timmy sat alone for a few minutes, staring blankly at the video screen for a few more minutes. It was pulled out of his thoughts when the front door opened. "Hey!" Timmy turned away from the screen, and to his shock, he saw a familiar fire-haired girl at the door looking at him with a smile. Timmy was confused. "What are you doing here?" Sunset looked at him with an excited smile. "Cause I have yet to beat your high score in-," Sunset paused, looking around. "Where are your parents?" "Opera," Timmy said, his frown deepening. A worried expression was on Sunset's face. "Where are Cosmo- "They're on vacation," Timmy said, in an even more agitated voice. "Then who's here watching-," Sunset paused, noticing some giant electronic robot in the room. "Salutations," the robot said, before letting out a weird static like hiss. "That's odd," Sunset said with a sheepish smile, looking at the robot that was obviously shaped like her, "a robot-," "I know what you want Sunset!" Timmy abruptly yelled in anger. "Just go away!" Sunset looked at the boy with a hurt expression. "Why are you running away from me? And why are mad at me?" Sunset's frown deepened. "Do you still think I'm a demon?! Do you still think I'm an evil bully?! That I'm gonna hurt Cosmo and Wanda-," "YOU JUST WANT ME TO GRANT YOU WISHES!" Timmy yelled, before angrily throwing his controller against the wall and running up the stairs, crying all the way. "Timmy come back!" Sunset yelled with a concerned expression, chasing after her charge. "All's fair," the robot began, before letting out another electric hiss, "in love and intergalatic conquest." Sunset ran back to the robot, an annoyed frown on her face. "I don't sound like that," Sunset said, before resuming her pursuit of the upset ten-year-old. By the time she reached the top of the stairs, the door to his room had been slammed shut and locked. "Go away," Timmy yelled. Sunset didn't go away, sensing that Timmy needed her help more than ever, as heard by the weeping coming from his room. "Timmy please come out of there," Sunset pleaded in a soft voice. She got no response, except for the weeping. The former unicorn could just picture the kid, hiding under his blanket, looking like a sad little lump on the bed. Sunset stared at the door, not knowing what to do. After thinking over a strategy, Sunset let out a sigh. "OK Timmy," the CHS teen began in a soft voice, "I'll leave and never come back. But you have to look me in the eye and say 'I hate you.' " After a few tense minutes, the door finally opened. To Sunset's relief, Timmy didn't look angry. That's not to say he was in good shape, his face was full of tears and self-loathing, but there was none of the cold anger he'd showed her during their fight. "I....I...."Timmy said, but he couldn't say the words, or even pretend to be angry. "I don't need any wishes from you. I like hanging out with you," Sunset said to the boy in a soft voice. "Why would you think that of me?" Timmy tried to speak. "Because...because I'm a monster!" The words took Sunset aback."A monster?" "You didn't do anything to me, none of your friends did anything to me, and I turned some them into worms, made them think you were evil, and I nearly turned Fluttershy into bird food!" Timmy shouted, the guilt dripping from his voice. "Timmy," Sunset reprimanded, "the Dazzlings were messing with your brain-," "They said they couldn't make me do it if I didn't want to!" Timmy protested, tears rolling down his eyes, "they said they couldn't make my friends and my parents hate me unless they really did deep down!" Sunset felt a surge of hatred for a certain trio surge through her brain, but she swallowed it. Her attention was helping Tmmy cope. "You only spied on because you thought I was a monster too!" Timmy wailed. A pang of guilt shot through the fire haired girl. "Timmy, I never thought you were-" "You could've helped me save Cosmo and Wanda, but I said mean things to you and ran away from you," Timmy continued, his eyes a sad fountain of tears. "Because of that, Cosmo and Wanda almost became dinner!" "Timmy..." "It's my fault the Dazzlings nearly took over the world, cause I'm a stupid little twerp..." "Timmy..." "Everyone would be better off if I wasn't born-," Timmy's tirade and crying ceased felt something slam into his head, followed by an oddly adorable squeak sound, as well as a weird pain from his scalp. It was not enough to make him complain, but enough to make him rub his head a little. He looked up and saw Sunset glaring at him while holding a rubber chicken in her hand. "OK," Sunset said in a voice that made her sound like a rumbly volcano that was about to blow, "I don't ever want to her those words again." The tone in her voice spooked Timmy a bit. "What words?" "That everyone would be better off if you were born," Sunset said, throwing the rubber chicken to the ground. "Let me guess, the Dazzlings told you that right?" "Yeah?" "You know why said those horrible things to you because they're sick little monsters who want to make you feel bad! Only a horrible, evil person would ever tell you something so disgusting." Sunset's anger softened a bit. "You should never, ever listen to someone who tells you those things." "But I did want to do those things," Timmy muttered in a sad voice. "Turn you into a worm..." Timmy felt himself crying a agan. "And why did you do that?" Sunset asked with crossed arms. Timmy felt himself frown uncomfortably as he remembered why. "Because...I thought you were evil-," "See, you're not a monster Timmy," the fire-haired girl sat down next to Timmy, putting a soft hand on the boy's shoulder. "You turned me into a worm and made everyone forget I was good because you were scared. You thought I was some evil villain and that I was going to hurt your fairies. And the Dazzlings weren't lying about that Timmy," Sunset said in a softer, sadder voice. "I was evil." Timmy looked concerned. "Sunset..." "I was a monster," Sunset said in a pained voice, almost on the verge of tears herself, "I was that horrible and I was that mean. I hurt Fluttershy, I hurt Moondancer..." the blue-eyed girl paused to wipe tears from her eyes, "I hurt everybody. I wasn't some supervillain Timmy. I was stupid, stuck-up, spoiled little brat who thought I was better than everyone. I was so stupid, I actually thought I could turn of bunch of teenagers into a private army!" Sunset frowned bitterly, remembering her idiotic non-plan for defeated a powerful pony sun goddess. "I didn't even really care about power or being a princess, I just threw one big tantrum over not getting what I wanted and it took a blast of rainbow magic to make me see how horrible I was." Sunset looked at Timmy with kind eyes. "I don't blame you for turning me into a worm, and I wouldn't blame Jorgen for erasing my memories either. I kind of deserved both of those things." Sunset sat down next to the boy. "But your friends didn't deserve it," Timmy said, the pain in his voice returning. "I nearly turned them into...." Timmy paused, too ashamed to speak. "And why did you do that?" "Because Adagio told me that they were evil," Timmy admitted. "I'm so stupid-," "Timmy, you're not stupid," Sunset said in a serious voice. "You listened to Adagio because pretended to be your friend. She tricked you into thinking that, and if someone tricks you, it isn't your fault, it's because they're good at tricking people. We knew what the Dazzlings were like, and they still managed to trick us. That's their special talent," Sunset said with no small amount of contempt her voice, "along making you feel bad and messing with your brain. You helped and listened to them because you thought they were trying to help you. And when you saw what Adagio and her sisters were really like, you stopped," Sunset said, putting another warm hand on Timmy's shoulder. "Even at your worst, even when the Dazzlings were messing with your brain, when you saw I wasn't evil, you stopped and turned my friends back to normal." Timmy paused, remembering when Sunset pointed a tranquilizer gun and him, then dropped it, and then let herself be turned into a worm again. Nobody who was ever evil would do something that like that. "And then you cried when you realized you did something wrong, and then Adagio tried to bully you into destroying us, and you stood up to her even when you knew how bad I was," Sunset said. "Monsters don't do things like that. They don't apologize, or admit their mistakes, or cry, and hide in their rooms. They also wouldn't give up the people they love to save them." Timmy looked at her in surprise. "Yeah I Timmy, I heard that. The Dazzlings were promising you power and playing mind games with you, and you didn't listen to them because you wanted Cosmo and Wanda to be safe. Because you love them and care about them. And not just because they have magic, but because you see them as family." "But...I....I ran away from you and called you those mean things-," "Because you were angry at me Timmy," Sunset said. "And you had every right to be. I lied to you, and spied on you, and called you names, and threatened to hit you. And it was wrong," Sunset whimpered, trying to hold back guilty tears. "But I was scared too. I wasn't scared because I thought you were a monster," Sunset stressed, seeing Timmy's mood deteriorate again. "All I knew about you what that you had lots of power and you could hurt someone with it. I thought you had some weird magic thing that would drive you crazy and make you evil-" "Just like what happened with you," Timmy commented in a soft voice. It wasn't accustatory or an attempt to deflect responsiblity, but a tone of understanding. "Yeah," Sunset said in a reluctant tone. "Part of me...was afraid you would make the same mistakes I did." Sunset's expression lightened, a proud smile. "But I'm not scared about that anymore Timmy. You know why?" "Because of Da Rules," Timmy said uneasily. "Well yeah," Sunset admitted with a sheepish smile. "But also because I know that you are good person; you gave up Cosmo and Wanda to save them, you helped me save everyone from the Dazzlings, and you helped protect everyone. Not only that, but you could've done some horrible to the Dazzlings, but instead you did the mature thing and had them shipped off to the fairy jail, That proves to me you learned from your mistakes." A proud smile formed on her face. "I know what's like to feel so bad, you want to hide from the world. You're hiding in your room with no fairies because you think you don't deserve magic or friendship. But if Princess Twilight said I should get a second chance despite not deserving it, than you definitely should get a second chance, because you've already made it up to me." She took Timmy's hands into her own and looked at him with a happy face. "I like being your babysitter Timmy, and my friends like you a lot too. We don't need wishes to want to be with you. My friends want to be around you because your a good kid who can learn from his mistakes." For the first time, a small smile appeared on Timmy's face. Sunset felt her heart soar, thinking she'd finally gotten through to the boy. But then a sad frown appeared on his face. "I used to think the Da Rules were dumb," Timmy said in a sad solemn voice. "I use to think Jorgen was a big, dumb jerk who wouldn't let me have any fun." "That wouldn't be hard to think," Sunset thought to herself silently. "But there was one rule I thought was really unfair," Timmy said bitterly. "The not-telling-anyone-about-magic-rule. Because of it, I couldn't get the thing I wanted the most." Sunset looked at her charge curiously. "What was that?" "Someone who I could tell Cosmo and Wanda about. I think magic is great, and I wished I could share it with Chester and AJ and Elmer and Sanjay. I thought if I could tell everyone I had magical fairies, they would like me more and I could become popular." Timmy looked down on the floor solemnly. "But-," "But what?" Sunset asked in a soft voice. "Two weeks after Cosmo and Wanda became my godparents," Timmy recalled, "I decided to use their magic to get popular so that Trixie would like me. I couldn't tell her I had fairies, but I did the next best thing: I wished for fancy clothes, and fancy teeth, and stuff and I told everyone I was rich. And it worked. I got to sit at the popular table, and Trixie was sitting next to me on the bus, and kids liked me." Timmy looked down again, before continuing with a regretful sigh. "But I treated Chester and A.J. like they didn't exist just to hang out with jerks like Tad and Chad." Saying their names made Timmy sound like he bit into lemon. "And then I treated Cosmo and Wanda like slaves, working them to death and never saying thank you," with a bitterly self-loathing expression. "Because you were so happy with the attention you were getting, and that you were sitting at the popular table, you didn't care about anything else?" Sunset asked with wisdom in her eyes. Timmy looked the fire-haired girl with surprise. "I kind of felt the same way when I won my first Fall Formal," Sunset said with an odd smile. "I told myself that winning was part of some evil plan," Sunset chuckled, "but deep down, I liked the attention of being a princess, and thought that becoming a real princess would make me happy." Timmy then continued. "But then...Jorgen and the Fairy Court were so mad over how I treated Cosmo and Wanda, they took them away from me." Timmy said, taking off his hat and twisting it around in his hand sadly. "I mean, it was only for a day, but because of that, I had to tell everyone the truth that I wasn't really rich. And," Timmy paused, twisting his hat again, "they all ditched me. I mean, I kind of deserved it for being such a jerk-," "And you think that's what I am going to do if Cosmo and Wanda have to go away?" Sunset asked in a hurt voice. "Ditch you?" "You and your friends only noticed me because I had magic," Timmy said with a whimper. "Timmy," Sunset admonished with a soft voice. "My human friends don't have magic, and I still hang out with them." "But they're cool, and you're like...a magical superhero," Timmy whined and let out a soft sigh. "Without magic, I'm just...buck teeth and a pink hat." "And what's wrong with that?" Sunset asked Timmy with a wry smile. "Yeah Timmy, your right. I only noticed you because you had magic," Sunset admitted. "But I really like taking care of you." "That's what Vicky said she do", the buck-toothed boy said in a more shaky and bitter voice, his hands twisting his hat even more. "She promised to take care of me...she promised me she'd love me...and the first thing she does..." Timmy paused, too upset to speak. Sunset pat Timmy on the head to help ease his pain. "What did she do?" Sunset asked, in a tone was both forceful and comforting. "She..she burned all my toys and ruined all the videos mom and dad made me and then said it was my fault." The words filled Sunset with disbelief and shock. Somehow Timmy sensed that, and he jumped up angrily, glaring at her. "Yeah I know you don't believe me! Nobody believes me! My parents don't believe me when I tell her how evil she is," Timmy said with so small amount of resentment in his voice. "My teacher's don;t either. She does mean things to me, and every time I tell someone, she acts nice and makes everyone think that I'm a dumb liar." Admittedly, Sunset was having a hard time believing was Timmy was saying. But...she kind of did believe it. She played the same game with the teachers during her "bad-girl" face, albeit not to the same extent. Sunset also had seen how cruel Vicky was to the boy when she thought no one was looking. But she also knew Timmy, while he could lie, wasn't a kid who made up sob stories for pity. This wasn't a kid lying for attention, this was someone confessing to a horrible secret. "Why is she mean to you?" Sunset blurted out. "Because she says I am a bad twerp who deserves it." The words shocked Sunset. And the shock was giving way to a deep hatred that Sunset barely contained. "And your parents don't believe you?" Sunset asked in an even tempered, but strained, voice. Timmy frowned even more bitterly. "My parents are...are...idiots!" He yelled. "They only care about having fun, they couldn't care less about who watches me." Sunset tried to argue, but Sunset had also seen their neglect first hand, and so she didn't say a word. "And...Crocker, he keeps trying to take Cosmo and Wanda away," Timmy said in a scared voice. Sunset realized the boy was opening up about his dark secrets and hung on his every word."One day, I'm having fun with Cosmo and Wanda's magic, and the next day, he's hunting me down, saying he'll prove to the world fairy godparents exist." This time, Sunset couldn't hide the hatred she felt for the man. A deep angry frown formed on her face, and she realized breaking that man's leg was too lenient for the creep. "Why don't you just wish for another teacher?" Sunset asked in a somewhat harsh tone. "Is there a rule against that?" "How do you think I met Doombringer?" Timmy asked in a sad voice. Sunset looked at the boy in confusion. "What?" "One day, Crocker hurt himself," Timmy recounted. "And we had a substitute teacher: Mrs. Doombringer. But she said her name was Mrs. Sunshine. She acted nice, giving everybody gold stars. But she only pretended to be nice so I would wish she would be my real teacher," Timmy frowned uncomfortably. "Doombringer was pretending to be nice to you so she could use Cosmo and Wanda to take over the world?! " Sunset barked, clenching her fists. "Worse," Timmy said, much to Sunset's shock. "She...she wanted to rip Cosmo and Wanda's wings off," the first tears were streaming down Timmy's eyes," and...and turn them into trophies." Sunset's anger gave way to horror. "She nearly beat me, nearly took and Cosmo and Wanda," Timmy said, trying to keep himself from crying, "and Crocker was the one who save me...because he wanted to catch Cosmo and Wanda herself..." TImmy finally broke down crying, finally unleashing the pain and suffering of his life. "And the Dazzlings..." Timmy said before crying even more, "I finally got to share my magic with someone..... and they tried to turn me into their wish slave," he wept even more, "and they were gonna destroy Dimmsdale..." Timmy once again started crying harshly, too upset to say anymore. Sunset watched all this a sense of pity and helplessness. Sunset...didn't know what to say. Life isn't fair. It was a phrase Sunset had heard more than once in her life. It was usually said when a spoiled brat complained about not getting whatever petty object they desired from their parents. Some of the less patient royal guards shouted this to her when she complained about not getting to princesss. But since she learned to be more mature and aware of the world around her, Sunset had been given perspective about how petty and selfish her own actions had really been. On Equestria, and especially on Earth, there were beings out there who had far, far worse lives than she did. She'd hurt everybody in her life over not getting what she wanted, a princess position she was not remotely qualified for, while there were poor souls who didn't even get the things they needed: not enough food, not enough money, not enough shelter, and not enough love. An innocent little kid could end up in a place with no love through no fault of his own. Poor Timmy was in that category. The people in his life, the people who were supposed to look after him, either neglected him or were selfish monsters who tried to hurt him. It wasn't shocking that Timmy finally snapped. It was shocking that he managed to hold himself together all this time. Sunset tried to feel angry. Tried to feel a sense of righteous fury anger over Timmy's situation. Instead, she felt ashamed. She knew she shouldn't be ashamed. She stopped being the villain long ago. She stopped hurting others intentionally. But to her horror, Sunset realized she'd been all of those horrible people in Timmy's life. She'd been a Vicky, a Crocker, a Doombringer, a Francis, a Tad and Chad, and a siren. She'd hurt other people for her own gain and for sick pleasure, hid behind a two-faced facade, kidnapped, stole, lied, and blackmailed. To her growing terror, she would've definitely done all those horrible things to the boy if things had been different. If Timmy had the misfortune of entering her life before the Fall Formal, she would've definitely sunk that low and took away the only real happiness in that poor boy's life. All for a stupid, childish grudge. And despite Sunset turning over a new leaf, she still made his problems worse. Yes, those problems began long before she knew of Timmy's existence, with most of the blame being laid at those bullies, those popular brats, that awful sadist who somehow got to be a babysitter, those paren- Sunset didn't know how to feel about Mr. and Mrs. Turner. They weren't the worst people in the world, they did love Timmy, and when they thought she was evil and a threat to him, Mr. Turner waved a bat in her face. They seemed more dumb and self-absorbed than malicious. But it was clear they didn't give him the love he needed, and often treated him like a chore they could pass to someone else, and for that, Sunset didn't really like them all that much. And then there were the Dazzlings. They were probably the worst people Timmy ever encountered. They didn't just hurt him, they tried to exploit his anger and vulnerabilities, and feed off of them for their own power and glory. Sunset wanted to break into that fairy jail just to tear those monsters to pieces again. But Sunset realized that didn't excuse her own role in Timmy's breakdown. Yes, she did come to care to genuinely care for the boy, as did her friends. But that didn't change the fact their first meeting was built on a measure of deceit. Sunset had been the best babysitter for Timmy, and he had to learn she had an ulterior motive for being nice to him. The end result was a kid who when he finally got what he long desired, a group of people with whom he could share his magic with, he pushed it away. He had been let down by so many other people in his life, he treated the kindness she and her friends gave him as fake. After being hurt by the people who were supposed to care for him, when he finally met someone who not only liked him, but with whom he could share magic with, he treated it like another horrible sham, expecting to be conned and mistreated. And Sunset didn't have anything she could really say to him to make him feel better. She couldn't tell him nothing bad would ever happen again. Despite all the precautions she and her friends took, bad things still did end up happening to him. Twilight was probably better at this as the Princess of Friendship, but Timmy wouldn't accept advice from the pony who spied on him as a potential threat. A small part off her wanted to adopt Timmy, but Sunset realized that she was still too young to legally adopt someone, and while she liked babysitting the boy, she was far from ready to be a guardian to a human child. And Sunset doubted adopting Timmy would be a complete solution to his problems. As she reached the elevator to her apartment, Sunset sighed, trying to remind herself that as bad as Timmy's situation was, it wasn't hopeless. This Vicky girl seemed horrible, but after everything Sunset endured, she was a little gnat. She had many, many ideas on how to deal with that little witch brewing in her brain. Despite the pain of his life, Timmy avoided sinking to the level of the Dazzlings and maintained his morals. Not only that, while Sunset didn't like Timmy tearing himself, a small part of Sunset was relieved that Timmy was reflecting seriously on his actions, rather than letting victory get to his head. It meant Timmy would never do anything the horrible things he did again. While Timmy was still uneasy around Sunset and pushing her away, he couldn't say "I hate you." Timmy still cared about her, he just wasn't sure her affection for him was real. But it was real. Sunset did care about Timmy. She wouldn't have broken Crocker's leg or punched Adagio's nose for someone she was going to use later on. From the very moment she laid eyes on Timmy, she saw a kid in great need, and had wanted to save him from what she thought was corruptive magic. From the very moment she played video games with him, she'd come to care for the boy like her own. Her fellow Rainbooms felt the same way, as did her other friends at Canterlot High. They loved him for being a little cutie, they loved his resourcefulness, they loved him for not giving in to the Dazzlings, and when he spared the Dazzlings for their cruelty, they saw him not just as a good kid, but a hero. They were all proud of him and so was she. Timmy, because of his brave deed, also helped her reconcile with Moondancer. The girl was not giving Sunset another chance, but was transferring back to Canterlot High. Timmy right now was broken, but Sunset knew he would be able to build himself back up again. He was strong kid who endured so much hardship, but never lost sight of the people he cared about or what was just. He didn't have the hatred of an entire student body to bring him down either. Plus, he had two beings whose very existence was giving love and care to children in need. And made Sunset's heart kind of fuzzy: beings with the powers of an alicorn, but who devoted their lives to being there for lonely kids. But there was one issue she had to solve first- Sunset got out of the elebator, seeing two people in front of her apartment. "Excuse me," Sunset said, "could you please-," Sunset's eyes widened as she saw the very familiar pink and green hairdos. Cosmo and Wanda were standing in front of their apartment, this time looking full grown adult humans. Sunset vaguely remembered Timmy talking about their shapeshifting abilities, but still it was stunned to see them going from goldfish to looking like normal humans. They were looking at her with a very morose expression. "Hey," Sunset said awkwardly, not having had a chance to directly talk with them, "uh...didn't Timmy say you were on vacation?" "He wished for us to go on vacation, but never said where," Cosmo added while raising his eyebrows. "Besides I've always wanted to see Canterlot's Theater District from your apartment." Sunset's eyebrows raised. "Wait, how did you-," "It was in the brochure," the green-haired fairy said, revealing a brochure marked "Sunset's Apartment." Sunset was uneasy. "There are brochures to my-," Sunset paused as Cosmo cheerfully opened the door to her apartment, letting himself in without. permission Sunset let out a small sigh followed him in, and found the fairy excitedly taking pictures of her apartment with an old fashioned camera, complete with flashy bulb. "I can't believe I am seeing Sunset's historic broom closet!" The Pinkie Pie-like fairy chirped. "And now I get to take pictures of the Great Overflowing Trash Can!" Sunset turned back to the pink-haired fairy whose mood deteriorated even further. "Uh," Sunset began,"is everything-," "I'M SO SORRY!" Wanda wailed before heavily sitting down at the table, much to Sunset's astonishment. "I'm so sorry for what we did. But please don't stop talking to Timmy! We'll give you anything!" The fairy looked so desperate. "He really, really misses you." A wry smile formed on Sunset's face. "Yeah I kind of figured that out from the Sunset robot he wished up." Wanda's eyes widened. Apparently Wanda didn't expect Sunset to still want to have anything to do with the boy. "Look," Sunset said in the softest smile she could muster, "I'm not mad at him or at you two. I get how it works, you're supposed to give Timmy what he wishes for-," "You don't understand," the pink-hair fairy whimpered, looking even more miserable. "It's not just my job to grant him wishes. I'm supposed to be the parent. I'm supposed to be the responsible one. It's my job to teach him right from wrong. And," she tugged at her hair out of self-loathing, "I failed at that. I knew...that...that...turning you into a worm and ditching you in the Everfree was...wrong. But...when...they showed us...you becoming a demon...I got so angry and scared that someone else was coming to hurt Timmy I just lost it." Wanda looked down uncomfortably before looking up. "But...in my anger...I didn't think about what I was teaching him. I made him think it was OK to do those kinds of things. Those...sea witches nearly turned them into their minion...and your friends nearly paid the price...but only because of the horrible example I set for him..." the pink-haired fairy felt tears go down her eyes, "...and not only that...he and your friends had to be the one to save us...." Sunset was taken aback by the grief, "Wanda-," she said in a soothing tone "I'm the worst fairy godmother in the world!" The fairy's head fell into her hands and she started crying horribly. Sunset could feel the grief, the shame, and the anguish. And it hurt a lot for this poor fairy to be tearing herself apart. But the former unicorn could see other things: Wanda's care for the boy, wanting the best for him, and not feeling good enough for the boy no matter how hard she tried. It was parental love, plain an simple. This being who held so much power was a mom to Timmy in all but name. Suddenly, the green-haired fairy came over and set down next to his wife. "C'mon," Cosmo said with a goofy smile, "you're not the worst godmother in the world. There is this godmother who turned her godchild into a snowman on a hot summer day, and there was this godmother who turned her godchild into a snail in France, and there was this godmother who put the peanut butter before the jelly, and there was this godmother who helped her godchild steal Christmas..." This dude was definitely spacey like Pinkie Pie. Certainly very different in temper and disposition to his wife. But Sunset noticed that the green-haired fairy was patting his wife on the back, almost pulling her into a hug. In spite of his rambling, he still trying to make his wife feel better. Wanda rolled her puffy red eyes in a silent disapproval of her husband's irreverence, but the pink-haired fairy unconsciously returned the gesture. As if she just knew Cosmo was looking out for her. Rarity once told Sunset love was more than just cute cards and fancy chocolates. True love was who you trusted to care for you, and these two clearly trusted one another. They seemed so different, and yet they seemed made for one another. "I don't need anything from you too," Sunset said as honestly as she could. "Yes, you two hurt me badly, but you did it because you were trying to protect him. Because you two love him." A huge smile formed on her face. "And I have something that proves you two aren't failures." "I DON'T CARE ABOUT POWER! I DON'T CARE ABOUT WISHES! I CARE ABOUT THEM!" The tape recorder said. "They make me feel safe. They make me feel special. They make me feel loved." The two fairies were stunned by the passion in Timmy's voice. "Where did you get this?" Wanda asked in amazement. "Rainbow went back to the ruins of the factory to make sure there wasn't any evidence," Sunset said with a smile. "The building was intact, probably because of one of Timmy's wishes." Sunset's smile grew wider. "That's not all she got." The Cosmas watched with amazement at Timmy's battles with the Dazzlings in the factory . By the end of the footage, proud expressions were on their faces. Sunset decided to put icing on the happy cake. "You raised a kid who loves you for you, not the wishes you grant him." Sunset said with a happy smile. "He was willing to give you up if it meant saving you from a life of eternal servitude. Just because you two didn't do everything right doesn't mean you didn't do nothing right." She placed a friendly hand on Wanda's shoulder. "You raised a kid who took on several armed officers with no training or experience. If that isn't a sign of good parenting, I don't know what is." Based on the huge smile on Wanda's face, her spirits were raised considerably. Cosmo was also excited, albeit like a kid in a candy store. "Yay, Timmy loves us!" Cosmo said. He was so happy, he poofed himself into becoming a firework, blasted off toward the celiling while shrieking "YAY!". He exploded into a colorful green light. "So you're still going to babysit him right?" Wanda asked her with a hopeful smile. "Uh," Sunset said uncomfortably, "Timmy and I...we're taking a break right now." The Cosmas were confused. "Why?" Wanda asked. Sunset frowned, not happy to deliver the bad news. "Timmy...blames himself for everything that happened. The Dazzlings made him think he's a monster who no one loves...and that the only reason my friends want to hang out with him it because of...your magic and that we only want to use him the way the Dazzlings did. He's been hurt by so many people, you know, that he can't believe that I would want to hang out with him. " Cosmo and Wanda looked deeply upset over Timmy's emotional state. Cosmo's frown looked especially horrible, like a little puppy who lost his family. "He's afraid that one of my friends might try and take advantage of him." "That's not true, right?" Cosmo asked hopefully. Sunset took a deep breath, needing to cross the bridge. "He's not entirely wrong." Wanda's eyes widened at her candor, but Sunset felt she needed to be frank. "My friends are decent people, but they can be a little selfish and can get carried away. Until...I can figure out a way that they don't end up taking advantage of him, ...I think maybe we need to be apart. I don't his heart could take one more betrayal, and he needs some space to come to terms with everything" The two fairies chewed on this for a while. "Maybe we can both figure something out," Wanda said in a stern tone. "I mean, not now. You're probably tired and we're also tired." "Yeah, so why don't we find sometime to meet up," Sunset asked. The two fairies nodded sternly, before getting up from the table and leaving, giving her one last "see you around" before poofing away. But before she left, Wanda came back to the table with something else to say. "I hope this isn't too much trouble," Wanda asked Sunset in a soft voice, "but can you promise me something?" "Sure." "If our luck runs out and we have to go away forever-," "Don't worry," Sunset said in a soft voice. "I'll look after him like he's my own if it comes to that. So will my friends. I promise you." Wanda smiled softly and then pulled Sunset into a hug. "Thank you," Wanda said repeatedly with relief in her voice. Not to long ago, this fairy saw Sunset as a dangerous threat. And now, she trusted Sunset to look after the boy. If they could get along, then Timmy could definitely put himself back together and trust Sunset and her friends again. Where there was love, there was hope.