Breakfast was great for once, Sunset loving when she got to eat Posey’s cooking as the woman really knew how to unlike Sunset. Sunset’s culinary skills were very lacking, but when your budget didn’t always allow for stuff to make decent meals you get creative in what you prepare. Such as a box of dry store brand cereal with a handful straight from the box for a quick breakfast to fend of a rumbling stomach or a pouch of those flavored instant potatoes that only took water for a quick and easy dinner. She did have to wonder at times why she wasn’t more malnourished than she was.
Shaking those thoughts off Sunset looked for the bus which should be running any minute. She had thankfully managed to leave before Fluttershy got home and Posey had said she would clean her dirty clothes and return them later. Sunset had tried to discourage the woman, but Posey wouldn’t take no for an answer. Since then she had been walking aimlessly trying to clear her mind as she was having trouble deciding what to do. She was starting to wish she stayed at Posey’s or went home when Rainbow Dash and Rarity climbed off the bus with devastated looks that morphed to guilty ones when their eyes met.
“Sunset, darling.” Rarity started after several moments.
“Are you getting on?” The bus driver asked as the three girls looked at one another.
“Yeah, just give me a moment please.” Sunset said before turning back to the girls.
“I don’t have time to hang around while you three have your girl talk.” The man grumbled as he shut the door and pulled off making Sunset give an incredulous cry.
“What the hell!” Sunset snapped out as the bus pulled away.
“Where were you going darling.” Rarity asked.
“To the mall, I wanted to see if it was too late to get some extra hours if somebody calls off.” Sunset explained.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that?” Rainbow Dash mumbled before a horrified look crossed over Rarity.
“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity gasped in shock.
“I didn’t mean it like that, okay?” Rainbow snapped, the look of guilt as she scratched the back of her head clearly evident to Sunset.
“What did you mean?” Sunset asked, her eyes narrowing at Rainbow Dash.
“We went by the mall since you weren’t home looking for you. We ran into Rose and she said your boss wasn’t happy with you wanting reduced holiday hours.” Rainbow Dash said.
“So, it wasn’t like she fired me or anything.” Sunset said as she crossed her arms.
“Actually darling she has tried to call you several times and you wouldn’t answer.” Rarity added.
“When did she-wait, if it was last week I was avoiding answering calls because of Anon-A-Miss.” Sunset said, “I’ll just explain it to her, I’m sure she will understand.”
“I’m afraid not darling.” Rarity said softly earning a glare from Sunset.
“Look at it this way, at least you have more free time for Christmas. You can still come to the Christmas party as Applejack’s.” Rainbow said sheepishly, giving a small hopeful smile to Sunset before seeing the girl grinding her teeth.
“Hey, guess what Dash.” Sunset said sweetly before grabbing the rainbow haired girl’s jacket and pulled her closer. “I’m going to have plenty of time for Christmas and everything else! Want to know why?”
“Why?” Rainbow Dash asked with trepidation while Rarity looked on in horror.
“Because somebody pushed me to make more time making me ask for less hours at work then threw me away over a lie. That lie made me scared to answer my phone from all the threats I was getting. And now because of that I don’t have a job.” Sunset snarled as tears were brimming in her eyes. “Do you know that means? I really don’t think you do or you wouldn’t have just said that to me. I’ll have plenty of time since I won’t have money for rent and utilities meaning I won’t have a place to stream or get materials to do commissions. But hey, what does being homeless matter when you have more time to spend with the people who wrecked your life?”
“Sunset, I’m sorry.” Rainbow Dash squeaked out as her own tears were spilling. She never wanted to see Sunset homeless, especially after finding out she once was. She didn’t even mean to say what she did, her mouth was just too quick for her brain.
“You are sorry?” Sunset snorted shaking Rainbow Dash in her grip, “YOU ARE SORRY?”
“Darling, I think you might want to maybe ease up just a tiny bit.” Rarity suggested as she held up a hand showing a pinch like gesture. “We will think of something.”
“No, I’ll think of something!” Sunset snapped as she shoved Rainbow Dash away from her. “All of you just leave me the hell alone!”
Sunset stormed off ignoring the please for her to stop and listen. A part of her wondered if she was being hypocritical after being in a reverse situation not all that long ago. The only difference was Rainbow Dash had literally pissed her off to her face while when she was the one begging for someone to listen she was being shunned by something that was not her doing.
No matter now, she had a little over a week to figure out what she was going to do. Maybe her landlord would give her a little time if she picked up her last check on payday since she knew if you were fired you couldn’t get it until then and gave it all to him. That would mean no electricity though she was pretty sure she could handle that thanks to her powers bringing electronics to life. She would have to find another job and she seriously doubted her ex-boss would give her a glowing recommendation.
“So let me get this straight sugarcube, you put your foot in your mouth with Sunset and done kicked the hornets nest?” Applejack groaned as she paced in front of Rarity and Rainbow Dash in the barn as she took a break from doing her chores. Thankfully they were a lot less that in summer, but they were still enough to keep her busy at times.
“I didn’t mean to come off like that, Applejack.” Rainbow Dash sighed, “I was just trying to joke with her, get her to see the silver lining, you know?”
“Dashie, there is no silver lining for Sunset in this mess. Our sisters wrecked her life and we threw her away. The one stability she had was us and we done messed that up.” Applejack sighed as she took her hat off and held it to her chest. “We need to stop making things worse for the poor girl and start coming up with ways to actually make it up to her. Heck, the girl won’t even let us apologize for what we did.”
“I can understand that darling.” Rarity piped in, “She’s unsure if she can trust us right now after this mess so how can she trust an apology.”
“I’m afraid you’re right there sugarcube, but something needs done about this situation and fast.” Applejack explained, “I know she won’t like it none, but if it comes done to it she can stay in our guest room or maybe I can even get Granny to let her use the barracks until spring.”
“Maybe we can take up a collection to help her with her rent and stuff for a few months.” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“You know that won’t work sugarcube, but maybe she can still get her job back.” Applejack said.
“I doubt that, you haven’t met Sunset’s boss. She’s actually pretty strict bordering on mean.” Rainbow said.
“Can’t you get her a job on the farm?” Rarity asked.
“Can’t, we only hire seasonal help for the peak season when we can’t handle it alone. We don’t have the income right now to hire somebody.” Applejack sighed.
“Maybe the Cake’s can give her a job.” Pinkie Pie suggested making the other three girls jump in fright as the party girl was sitting on a bale of hay kicking her legs back and forth over the edge. Her hair didn’t look as poofy as usually which was more or less expected from the way all of them had been feeling lately. “She can have my job.”
“For land sakes girl, stop doing that!” Applejack gasped out as she fought to get her heartbeat under control.
“Do what?” Pinkie Pie asked innocently making the others shake their heads in disbelief.
“Darlings, I think we should stop this line of thought.” Rarity said as she realized something. “We should ask Sunset what she would want first and see if she would accept our help in finding her a new job.”
“Why wouldn’t she want our help?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Because she’s still angry with us.” Rarity said, “And I have a feeling going behind her back like this will only make her angrier.”
They all thought about it as they hung their heads as they came to the conclusion that Rarity was probably right. Things were tense right now with all of them and doing this might hurt their relationship even more if they didn’t talk to Sunset first.
“You summoned us Mistress?” Tridart asked as both him and Ember landed side by side in front of Nerissa kneeling to her. They were up in the mountains near where Nerissa escaped from her prison and the snow was blowing hard making seeing a little difficult.
“I did, and I want to thank you both for your service.” Nerissa said as she held her staff which magnified the powers she stole from the Heart of Meridian and the princess held inside it.
“What do you mean Mistress?” Ember asked in confusion as it sounded like Nerissa was saying that they were no longer needed.
“You both have performed splendidly, but I now have two of my team back as well as Shagon and Khor. So I no longer need you to run interference with the guardians. Instead I have a different use for you.” Nerissa said with a grin.
“What use Mistress?” Tridart asked before both Ember and himself was bathed in energy from Nerissa’s staff as the power that the woman used to create the two elementals drained away and back into Nerissa. As the energy returned to the old woman’s body she began to grow younger and younger seeing that the vision she had seen was right. She still didn’t plan to drop everything like what the two sets of spirits asked her though she has made a lot of changes to her plans. She realized that she didn’t want to go after everyone she had planned to. No, there was only one who she truly wanted to at her feet and she would try to keep collateral damage down but she would do what needed done.
As the two elementals completely vanished a fully youth restored Nerissa stood there a few moments basking in her new youth and the power boost she received by reabsorbing the large amount of power it took to create those two. With a flash of light she was gone leaving the mountainscape empty of life for the moment. At least until another flash of light appeared and the two elementals reformed.
“Your work isn’t over just yet.” A dark voice said over the wind.
“Of course.” Both elementals said as the once again bowed before taking flight.
Sunset sat at her table tapping a pen against the page of the open journal as she tried to figure out just what to write deciding on finally just telling Twilight everything that has happened lately and ask for advice on what to do. It took awhile to finish writing it down before closing the book and deciding to get ready for bed early after having a small snack.