Sunset Shimmer snuck into school on Monday morning with her bags already packed by her side. In and out, she thought. Maybe Principal Celestia will be nice enough to just give me my files if I ask nicely. It’s not like she couldn’t make a copy of them for me, at least.
That is, if she still isn’t tied up like Friday night. She shivered at the thought.
There were more important things to attend to than that, so she shook it off and silently continued her way into school. It was a quarter to seven, so only a few students had arrived, the janitor unlocking the door for them just a few minutes prior. She quickly made her way to the principal’s office, hoping that it might be unlocked and she would not have to deal with Principal Celestia at all.
“Wishful thinking,” a scratchy voice called from behind her.
Sunset paused and turned. A man in a patchwork coat with a toothy grin across his face stood against the wall, stroking his goatee. He eyed the girl with a look of peculiar interest.
“. . . I’m sorry?” asked Sunset, glancing to see if anyone else was around. “Were you speaking to me?”
“Yes,” the man said. “I have a penchant for speaking when no one asks it of me.”
The girl nodded warily. “Okay,” she said. “ . . . Is there something you need?”
He snorted. “Oh, if only you knew the half of it. No, no, I probably shouldn’t. I probably shouldn’t have even said anything to you at all, but silly ol’ me just can’t himself.” The man furrowed his brow before his mouth turned upward into a mischievous grin. “Well, I would like to extend you my thanks.”
“. . . For what?”
“For making sure that over a millennium stuck in stone wasn’t completely peaceful,” he snickered. “Your daily feuds were some prime entertainment—they helped stir me awake, somewhat. And I'm glad for it; it would have been a shame to miss these past few months stuck in a lousy old garden.”
Sunset’s eyes widened in realization. “You’re . . . “
Discord pushed himself off the wall and took a step closer. His eyes lowered into small slivers, and Sunset swore she saw a burning power hiding beneath them. “You have a lot more in store for you, pony.”
Sunset took a step back in trepidation. “What do you want from me?”
The man’s gaze softened and he took a step back, chuckling. “Nothing, really—Celly wouldn’t let me lay a claw on you if I wanted to. Although, if I had to suggest something . . . whatever you do, don’t make it boring.”
He turned around and, waving a hand goodbye, silently strolled out of the building into the courtyard. A snap rang out, and he disappeared.
Okay Sunset, calm down. There's no need to panic over it. Choosing to ignore everything that happened as best she could and get back to the task at hand, Sunset made her way down the school hallway and quickly reached the principal’s office.
As she approached, she saw Principal Celestia leaning against the wall next to her door as if waiting for her. “Sunset Shimmer,” the woman said calmly.
Sunset frowned as she approached the principal. “Hi Principal, listen, is there any chance before you send me away that—”
“Hold on, Sunset,” Celestia interrupted. “You’re not getting sent away.”
“Huh?” Sunset sputtered.
“The School Board ruled in your favor. They’re letting you stay. We’re going to have a lot of work to do, especially involving your home situation, but we’ll discuss everything later this morning.”
Sunset stood in shock, her mouth gaping wide open. “I’m . . . going to stay? After everything I did?”
Principal Celestia smiled. “It isn’t going to be easy for you, but if you’re willing to tough it out, then yes. You didn’t think we’d give up on you so easily, did you?”
“I . . . I-I just . . .” Sunset barely could choke out a sentence before Celestia wrapped her arms around the girl in a tight hug.
“Use this chance,” she whispered in Sunset’s ear, “and live a good life. I can't help you anymore, but I have a feeling you're not going to need it.”
She unwrapped herself around Sunset and stood back. “Well, I have some important business to attend to. I’ll see you later today, Sunset.”
“O-okay . . .” Sunset managed to croak out, but Celestia was already walking down the hall in the direction Sunset had just come.
Sunset’s stomach twisted into knots and she leaned against the wall next to the principal’s office. Too many emotions were flowing through her brain: relief, excitement, confusion, fear, and shame all battled to take control, leaving her a helpless mess. She took a few breaths and stood back up, recollecting herself. It was all a little too much at once.
Part of her was terrified. Sure, she wanted to stay, but that was going to be a lot harder than dropping everything and running away. She knew how to run away—she was quite good at it actually—but swallowing her pride was quite foreign to her. How was she going to make amends? Would the students reject her immediately, making her the pariah that no one dared even speak to? They weren't just going to let her off the hook, even if she wanted it to be so. I suppose I’ll have to break the news to the girls. I wonder if they’ll be happy or sad that they’re stuck with me?
Suddenly, the door to the Principal’s office opened up and out stepped a tall, alabaster man with a thick mop of golden hair on his head. He closed the door behind him and, seemingly not noticing the girl outside, let out a sigh. Upon turning back around he noticed her looking at him awkwardly and his expression immediately darkened. “Oh. Hello, Sunset Shimmer.”
“. . . Hi President Blueblood,” Sunset said quietly.
The man silently looked her up and down. “I was just speaking with Principal Celestia about you.”
“You were?” Sunset said, glancing back down the hallway. “Because she just went down there. . .” She trailed off as the only thing she could see in the direction Celestia left was an empty hallway.
Blueblood furrowed his brow, but upon seeing her glance down the hallway, rolled his eyes in realization. “Oh, right. Of course, they just can’t leave me alone,” he muttered under his breath. “Never mind that last bit. I take it you’ve been informed of your current status as a student here at CHS?”
Sunset turned back to him. “Yes, Celestia told me, I . . . I’d like to thank—”
“No, don’t,” he interrupted with a raised palm, “I don’t want your thanks. Thank the police department for dropping your case yesterday. Or the members of our board that started a renovation fund and already managed to find a donor willing to pay for the whole school with upgrades.” He shook his head incredulously. “You’re a very lucky girl. Don’t mess this chance up, because it’s the last one you’re getting. We’ll talk more when the bell rings. And I expect complete transparency from this point onward.”
Sunset nodded. “Yes, I promise. Just . . . I have one question,” she muttered.
“Yes?”
“It’s great that I’m not expelled, but . . . How?”
Blueblood stopped, frozen at the question. His left eye twitched slightly, but he made no other sign of movement. Sunset instinctively stepped back and cringed, worried that she had just set off the man's notoriously short temper.
A small snort escaped his lips.
Despite placing a hand over his mouth in an attempt to stop the oncoming convulsions, Blueblood's chest rumbled with a low chuckle. Soon the endeavor to keep his composure failed completely, and he leaned onto his knees and gave in to a fit of hearty guffaws.
"Well, Sunset," he got out between breaths, wiping away tears from his eyes, "I haven't the faintest idea!" He immediately fell back into another fit of laughter. Gone was the dark expression gracing his features, replaced with a foreign mirth that even he wasn't fully sure how to handle.
Snapping out of her shock from Blueblood's sudden shift in mood, Sunset couldn't help but join in with a giggle of her own.
It felt good. It felt like something she could get used to, even if it meant she was going to have to change, make amends, and fight through her shame. And even though staying at CHS wasn't the easiest option for her to take, she didn't want to run away. She truly wanted to stay—she hadn't felt that way in a long time. If ever!
For the first time since the Fall Formal, a smile trembled its way onto Sunset Shimmer’s face.