The pet shelter was more than a place he volunteered at for Sunburst, these days, it had become a haven from the outside world.
On the surface, his life was normal enough. He had a mother, an older sister, and a grandfather that came to tend the backyard every Saturday. He was a straight-A student, had a fair number of friends, and one close friend that was closer to him than anyone else in his circle. The best thing in his life was this close friend—Starlight Glimmer, the bad girl of Sire’s Hollow.
She was also the source of most of his problems. Not that he would give her up for anything in the world; Starlight was dear to him, he loved her, the thing was that the only troubles that Sunburst had in his life usually…involved her somehow.
When he got in trouble at school, it was usually because he had stood up for Starlight, who never fought back as well as she could. Sunburst understood her reason: Starlight just wanted to get by until graduation, keep her head down until she was old enough to live on her own, something that would be easier if she had her high school diploma and no criminal record to her name. He got that. Even respected her for that.
He just wished that it didn’t have to be this way.
The only fights he had with his mom were because of Starlight, arguments that started because he wanted to do something with her, be it go to the movies or drive her somewhere. His mother refused to see things his way, never gave him leeway when Starlight was concerned, and he knew why. His mother believed in the town’s gossip, the terrifying picture they painted of his friend, rumors that made his blood boil and sick to his stomach. He had given up trying to clear Starlight’s name, learned that he couldn’t change anyone’s mind, his mother’s especially, and Sunburst simply refused to talk to her about it anymore, opting for lying instead.
He didn’t want to. He hated it. But if he had to choose between the peaceful life he had and Starlight…
Sunburst grunted as he and Starlight lugged a heavy sack of dog food to the other room, Fluttershy watching with worried eyes as the two teenagers struggled. Starlight scowled, complaining about the inconsiderate people who donated the food for dropping it through the lobby instead of the backdoor.
Sunburst smiled. It wasn’t even a contest, Starlight needed him more.
The shelter was old, musty, and smelled generally bad. The animals were nothing if not playful in the mud—or whatever dirty substance they could find—and loved to gang up on her to lick her face and fingers. More often than not she was bend over cleaning something or fixing something, and the old woman that owned the place would always give her this strange look that made her uncomfortable enough to leave the room to do other tasks.
And somehow, she felt more at home here than anywhere else she had been in her entire life.
The hours turned to minutes and the weeks flew by as she settled into a routine. She and Sunburst worked for the shelter three times a week, generally Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays after school. He would always give her a ride to and from the shelter, in which then he would take her to his house so they could hang out as always.
After that near disaster with Mrs. Mi Amore, Starlight was more careful, spending as much time as she could in the warmth of Sunburst’s room before heading back to her foster house. Even then, she took the long way round, stopping at a nearby park to kill the time before she finally arrived at the house. By then the drunk was passed out on the couch and never noticed her coming in, giving her the chance to sneak some food to her room and work on her homework until the early morning hours.
Sometimes she was lucky enough to finish early, giving her enough time to sneak in a nap before she had to get ready for school. She slept lightly though, and at the first sign that the man was awake, she made sure to leave as quickly as possible, breakfast be damned.
Flash came into the shelter the other days, much to Sunburst’s chagrin, but Fluttershy needed as many extra hands as she could get. Starlight had seen him once or twice at school. He seemed quiet and nice enough, maybe a bit shy, but she had never gone out of her way to talk to him.
That was why, when she finally had the chance to meet him for the first time, she was a bit shocked.
“Hi, you’re Starlight right?” Flash asked, giving her a winning smile as he struck out his hand. “I’m Flash Sentry, but everyone calls me Flash. I’ve seen you around the school.”
“Ah, yeah,” Starlight said, taking his hand and shaking it lightly. “I thought you didn’t work Tuesdays.”
“Not usually, but my girlfriend had to switch work hours, so I’m switching this week to see her. You know, so we can have some quality time,” he winked at her as if Starlight knew what kind of ‘quality time’ he was talking about. “I have to talk to Sunburst, but maybe we can hang out later after we are finished here?”
Starlight nodded, still a little confused.
He was…loud.
“Hey, you made it!” Sunburst said, taking Flash’s hand and bringing him into a one-arm hug.
Flash laughed, clapping Sunburst on the shoulder. “Twilight had to change hours this week and I wanted to see her so…” he shrugged. “I thought I make an appearance and help you guys out.” Looking around, he peeked his head out the doorway where he came from, turning back just as fast. “Speaking of which, I can’t believe Starlight actually works here.”
Sunburst crossed his arms. “She does.”
“Good for her,” Flash said, his easy-going smile never once faltering. “I don’t know what’s going on but…I heard she got into some trouble, so I was a little worried…”
Taking a breath, Sunburst did his best to reel in his anger. Of course he had heard—the whole town had heard. Sire’s Hollow was a place that was filled to the brim with gossip, but when Starlight was concerned, the rumors turned even wilder.
“She’s doing good work here, and Fluttershy trusts her.” He said, unable to hide the defensiveness in his voice.
“Hey, I don’t know her that well, so it’s not my place to make any judgments.” Flash raised his hands slightly as if to soothe him. “But if Fluttershy trusts her, then that’s good enough for me.”
His shoulders slumped slightly. Just like everyone else, Flash had his own secrets. His were more in the form of his personality—he was quiet as a mouse, and just as meek when he was in class, but once he was out of the schoolyard, he was someone else entirely. Sunburst didn’t understand why he hid his true self in this way, and he didn’t know Flash that well to ask, but he was glad that Flash wasn’t the judgmental type.
Sunburst looked out the door, he could see Starlight at the other end of the building, her purple hair making her stand out against the wash-out white walls of the shop. She wasn’t in earshot so he turned to Flash and spoke seriously.
“She needs someone to believe in her, you know? Fluttershy taught me that, and I figured that if anyone could help, it would be her,” he shrugged and leaned on a nearby table. “You’re different too, or at least, you act differently here than at school, and I think that’s what she needs: a different environment, a place where she can be herself…but more than anything she needs someone that can give her a chance.”
Flash was quiet for a moment, thinking. He followed Sunburst’s eyes, watching the girl as she worked. “That’s why she has you.”
Starlight balanced the dog bowls in her arms as she waded her way into the dog pen. She tried not to smile at the dogs—at their big playful eyes and lolling tongues—but despite her best efforts, she winced when she smiled a little too widely.
Adagio and her gang had cornered her earlier that day, just after school when the final bell rang and they were all outside. With no teachers or witnesses to stop them, Starlight had finally managed to break Adagio’s nose, while she was suffering from a very sore jaw.
When all the bowls had been filled, Starlight sat down on a nearby chair, listening to the sounds of kibble crunching and licking tongues. She lightly pressed her fingers over her makeup-covered bruise, probably a nasty shade of purple underneath her foundation, perhaps it didn’t help that her dear old foster father had punched her in that same spot two months ago.
She felt something warm and heavy settle on her lap, she looked down and suppressed her smile, staring into the warm eyes of a grey pitbull, who whined softly as she begged for her attention.
“Hey Phyllis,” Starlight said, petting the dog between her short ears. This earned her a butt wiggle, her short tail wagging against the concrete. “Finish eating already? Good girl.”
Starlight liked animals just fine, but this battle-scarred pitbull was quickly turning into her favorite. According to Fluttershy, Phyllis had been in the shelter the longest, since most people were wary due to her breed and turned off by her scars. No one knew where she came from before she was dropped on Fluttershy’s doorstep, but it was easy to tell that it had not been a good place, whatever she went through it made Phyllis into a shy and withdrawn dog that liked to hang around Starlight for some reason.
“At least you got out,” Starlight mumbled, tracing a faded scar over the dog’s eyebrow. “I still have to wait for my turn.”
Phyllis whined and pawed at her leg. Starlight learned a while back that this was her way of asking for more attention, and Starlight more often than not obliged to her demands. The girl sighed and sat on the floor, much to the dog’s delight, and Phyllis started licking her face, her short tail wagging as fast as it could. Starlight tried to halfheartedly push her away, but she kept petting and doting on the dog all the same. She wished she could take Phyllis with her if only her situation wasn’t what it was, but it made her more determined to leave this town and stand on her own two feet, she swore to herself that once she was settled, she would only come back to this place to get Phyllis and never look back.
“Hey,” a familiar voice said softly, drawing Starlight’s attention away from Phyllis. Sunburst leaned against the frame of the door, watching them with a small smile. “Fluttershy doesn’t need us for much today, so I thought we could head out in a few minutes. Is that alright? Or do you have more things to do?”
Starlight shook her head, turning her attention back on Phyllis. “Nah, I’m pretty much done here.” She scratched Phyllis under the chin and the dog’s back leg thumped against the floor. “I’m just hanging out with my favorite girl.”
Sunburst’s smile widened and he walked into the dog pen, approaching the pair slowly, when he was close enough, he kneeled and held out his hand for Phyllis to sniff, speaking softly to encourage her. The dog sniffed the offered hand and bump her head against his fingers, much to Sunburst’s delight.
“Oh my gosh,” he whispered, looking at Starlight with awe, “this is the first time she’s let me pet her!”
Drawing her legs to her chest, she rested her chin on her knees and watched the pair play, her heart feeling full and content. This. This was all she ever wanted. This peace, this tranquility, was worth all the trouble, to see him smile so wide that his dimples showed, at ease with her beside him, the girl with no future. It didn’t matter that they were both sitting on dirty concrete surrounded by dogs that nobody wanted, or that her jaw throbbed with pain from wounds new and old. She would have given anything for this moment to last forever.
Phyllis eventually grew tired of the attention and walked away, leaving the pair alone. Sunburst sighed, leaning back on his arms as he tilted his head to the ceiling, watching the old fans spin lazily overhead.
“You’ve done in a few months what I couldn’t do in two years,” Sunburst said. “I knew bringing you to the shelter was a good idea.”
Starlight turned to face him better, sitting with her legs crossed. “Excuse me? I think it was my idea to come here in the first place.”
He turned, his mouth hanging open with the beginnings of a joke on his lips, his blue eyes traced her face…and his smile faded. She tensed when his large, warm hand reached out towards the bruise on her face, and she realized belatedly that Phyllis must’ve licked her makeup away. She didn’t move, didn’t say a word as his fingers lightly brushed against the green and purple mark. Behind his glasses, his eyes were wide, but his expression was strangely blank, and that worried her more than anything. He rarely shut down like that.
“I’m okay,” she murmured but it was no use, he was lost in his own thoughts. “Sunburst, really, I’ve had a lot worse.”
She realized her mistake the moment the words left her mouth. Sunburst had never seen her at her worst, never saw her past whatever little scratches Adagio could dish out every couple of weeks or so. He didn’t know about all the broken bones, the cracks, the sprains, and twists. Her bastard foster father always hit her in places that could easily be covered by clothes and makeup, it was the reason she wore dark and baggy clothing, it was easier to hide the bandages that way.
She leaned back, leaving his fingers dangling in the air, her eyes darting to the concrete floor. “Are you done with work?” She asked quickly.
Sunburst’s expression was unreadable as he nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”
The way Starlight spoke to him sometimes made him feel…incompetent. Unworthy almost. It always came back to that secret, that little thing she refused to share with him. He had no idea what it was, but despite her efforts to hide it from him, Starlight’s mask had its cracks.
The times she walked up to school before she saw him, the nights when she woke up from a nap…it was during those times she showed him what she was feeling, pain, trepidation, fear. But this, this was the strongest clue he had received so far.
I’ve had a lot worse.
It wasn’t a dismissive ‘oh I’ve had worse, don’t worry’. It was ‘I’ve had a lot worse’, and the way she said it made him even more agitated. Sunburst knew when she was lying, he might not call her out on it every time she did, but Sunburst always knew. And this wasn’t one of those times.
It was why he was so desperate to leave the shelter. He waved goodbye to Fluttershy as he and Starlight headed for the exit, and he was in such a hurry to be gone that he almost forgot his winter jacket. Their jackets hung on the coat rack, and he forced himself to take his time as he wrapped his scarf around his neck before checking on Starlight. Her purple hair was standing up on end, the cold and her jacket always had a static effect on her hair.
If he weren’t so worried, he would have laughed at her appearance.
The past few months hadn’t been so bad. Starlight and Adagio only fought twice since the last time Mrs. Mi Amore stepped in. So far, the teacher hadn’t said or done anything to them, but Sunburst noticed that Starlight came out of her class later than the rest of the kids. Again, he said nothing. Sunburst believed that if it were important, Starlight would tell him without hesitation, she just needed to jump a few mental hurdles until she could find the words to express herself.
I’ve had a lot worse.
What did that mean? Had she been in any more fights that he wasn’t aware of? It couldn’t be, since Adagio and her group were the only ones that dared to touch her. Maybe there was more going on there, more than he realized. Did Adagio know where Starlight lived? Was she taking their fights outside of the school now that a teacher was keeping an eye on her?
He zipped his jacket with determination; whether she was ready or not, Starlight was going to talk.
A cold breeze blew when they stepped out, shaking the trees and making them release what few leaves still clung to their branches, the fallen leaves crunched under their feet as they made their way to Sunburst’s car. Sire’s Hollow was a picturesque town during this time of the year, the trees turning red and gold with the change of the seasons, and sometimes, if they were lucky, they were blessed with snow during Christmas time.
Sunburst unlocked the car and got in, barely waiting for Starlight to get in before driving out of the lot.
Starlight stared at him; her blue eyes serious, she knew that something was up, not that Sunburst was trying to hide his apprehension now that they were alone. But he refused to talk about here, in the car, instead, he drove as fast as he could towards his house, the sooner he got there, the sooner he could get answers out of her. Because Sunburst would get answers. It didn’t matter that his mother was difficult, that the teachers didn’t care or that Starlight was as stubborn as a mule—Sunburst would protect her, always.
Love made smart people act out.
Starlight waited by his bedroom window, pressed against the wall of the house and hands deep in the pockets of her sweater as the day grew darker and the wind howled around her. It always took Sunburst a few minutes to say hello to his mother and discuss his day; but today his window was locked, forcing her to wait outside. It made her realize that, in the time she had known him, she’d never used his front door to get in the house, never seen the inside of his home beyond his bedroom and the bathroom down the hall. Starlight didn’t mind. She would rather deal with the sneaking around than not having Sunburst in her life at all.
When Sunburst finally opened the window, Starlight jumped in with practiced ease, latching onto the edge and crawling through with little thought. She closed the window behind her and ditched her coat at a corner of his room, where his mother was less likely to notice any wet stains from the cold. She rubbed her hands together, heaving a relief sigh, but froze when Sunburst’s blue eyes glared at her.
“I’m going to get dinner,” he declared, crossing his arms, “and when I come back, you are going to tell me what’s going on.”
Starlight stood frozen on the spot, despite the warmth of his room chasing away the chill from the outside. Sunburst gave her one last meaningful look before he left the room, closing the door behind with a soft click, and Starlight sank onto the bed and cursed.
She couldn’t tell him the truth. She refused to drag him into the mess that was her life. It would only hurt him if he knew just how fucked up everything was. She thought back to the look in his eyes and his attitude, it was obvious that he suspected that something was going on, had he figure it out? What if he told his mother? Or one of the teachers? Would they believe him?
She stood up from the bed and started pacing. No, he wouldn’t. He was pragmatic in that sense, he wouldn’t sound the alarm unless he confirmed with her that his suspicions were true. She still had a chance to lie and wiggle herself out of this. Starlight had been able to do it before so this shouldn’t be any different.
Then she thought back to the look he had given her in the shelter, blank, but so focused that it made her freeze on her spot…and she instantly felt guilty.
She stopped pacing, looking at her crumpled jacket, wondering if running away was an option.
The room was quiet, quiet enough that she heard his footsteps coming down the hall. She had no idea what he was bringing for dinner, but given the situation, she didn’t feel particularly hungry. She would eat of course, not doing so would only stress Sunburst further. It was all about doing damage control and keeping him calm and in the dark.
When he walked in, he was clearly pleased with tonight’s dinner, grinning as he closed the door behind him. He grabbed a paper plate and a plastic fork from his closet, the ones he bought for these occasions, and transferred more than half of what was on the plate to hers.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, grabbing the cutlery and digging in.
Sunburst nodded and took a bite of his food. The silence settled around them and for a moment, Starlight thought the conversation had been postponed indefinitely, but once his plate was clean, he pointed his fork at her with a firm look. “Spill.”
Starlight froze, looking down at her plate, her hopes dashed. “About what?”
He sighed, setting his plate aside to really look at her. Starlight felt trapped again, it was the feeling she usually got when Sunburst stared at her too intently. It was like he was studying her, searching for something deep within her soul, seeing right through her façade and her tricks. She hated it just as much she loved it.
“Has Adagio been bothering you more outside of school—when I’m not around?”
She paused, trying to fit together the pieces he had let go. He had seen her hurt and he instantly thought that Adagio was responsible, which was partially true, but it barely scratched the surface of the real problem. She let out a breath, partly relieved and partly disappointed that he hadn’t figure it out. Sometimes she wondered if her life would be better if he just…knew. If somebody knew.
“You should talk to Mrs. Mi Amore about it,” Sunburst urged. “If you can’t tell me…” He shrugged and Starlight could see the hurt he was trying to conceal.
“Adagio hasn’t done more than usual, Sunburst,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. “She just got lucky today. If things escalate, I’ll tell you, okay?”
Sunburst nodded but didn’t look convinced.
She bit her lip, realizing that she had to give him more, something that would stop this line of questioning. Just because he hadn’t guessed correctly, didn’t mean that he wasn’t on the right track to finding out. She had to throw him off with something else.
“There’s a reason Adagio singles me out,” she whispered, letting go of one of the many things she never told anyone.
“She’s a bitch?” Sunburst rolled his eyes and took a sip of his water.
“No,” Starlight said, trying her best not to smile. “Adagio is like me, she’s an orphan, we even lived in the same house for a time before she got adopted.”
Sunburst nearly spat his drink, but he swallowed it awkwardly and he started coughing instead. Starlight patted his back as he caught his breath. “She’s adopted? But she said—And the others think—”
“They adopted her for her talent,” Starlight explained, cutting off his stutters of incredulity. “The social worker rounded up the kids with any kind of artistic talent and narrowed it down to the two of us…and they almost chose me, but Adagio interfered.” Starlight shrugged and took another bite of her food before continuing. “I don’t know what she did or said, but it worked and Adagio was chosen, and I stayed in that foster house until I was too old to live there.”
“But she succeeded, she got out, she’s popular and all that, why does she attack you?”
“If I had to guess, it’s because I’m the only one who knows her secret, and I’m the one she can direct her anger towards—from one orphan to another.”
“Then why don’t you say something?” Sunburst asked, his blue eyes narrowed with confusion, and maybe a bit of anger. “Why haven’t you told the world, get back at her with this?”
“Even if I did, would anyone believe me?” Starlight started, tossing her paper plate in the trash. “I don’t have any evidence, no pictures, no videos from that time, only my word, and you’ve seen how much it’s worth in this town. It could backfire and make my life harder, or it could work and make Adagio’s life harder, and give her more excuses to antagonize me...it’s better not to risk it.”
Sure, Starlight hated her with every fiber of her being. Adagio made her life just that bit more difficult than it should be, and part of her was envious of her undeserved good fortune—but deep down, she couldn’t blame Adagio for her attitude.
If she were in Adagio’s place, she probably would’ve done the same thing.