After they finished eating and Hay Lin took the dishes to be taken care of the four sat around the room kind of doing their own thing. Taranee was sitting at the table doing her holiday homework early much to the shock of Irma who was sitting on the edge of the cot laying back on it with her arms splayed out. Cornelia was sitting back in the corner between pacing acting almost like a caged animal with a deep frown and saddened expression. Hay Lin’s eyes kept flicking from one to the other as she also sat at the table sideways with a leg pulled up on the chair with her hugging it and resting her shin on her knee.
“I still can’t believe you are worrying about homework now, Taranee. We have plenty of time.” Irma groaned.
“I just want to get it done early so I won’t have to worry about it later.” Taranee said.
“I finished mine early this morning.” Hay Lin admitted getting shocked looks from everyone. “What, I can finish my homework on time.”
“I know you can finish on time, Hay.” Irma said as she sat up with a roll of her eyes. “I just can’t believe you actually finished before Taranee.”
“Well, I had a lot on my mind with the dream and the stuff she said in it.” Hay Lin said looking embarrassed as everyone’s attention was turned to her.
“What stuff?” Cornelia said stiffly.
“You mean there was more to the dream?” Taranee asked giving Hay Lin a curious look.
“Come on, out with it Hay, what else was in it.” Irma urged.
“Look, I don’t know if it was important. There was talk of unicorns and Sun Goddesses and stuff. It’s why I didn’t mention anything to begin with since it all sounds so farfetched that it has to be just a dream.” Hay Lin explained.
“Start from the beginning and tell us everything and don’t leave out a single detail.” Cornelia said as she came back to the table to sit down with a serious expression. This was the Cornelia the group had come to know the last year and a half as she had stepped up to actually become a semi-decent leader in Will’s place when she wasn’t in what Irma called snob mode. Sadly the bursts of Cornelia being like this were few and far between.
“Ok. You know Will came in and when asked to introduce herself she said her name was Sunset Shimmer, a unicorn from Equestria and was once the student of the Sun Goddess and the top student at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She said that the flank kissers claimed some stuck up prince was the stop student.”
“That does sound like one of your messed up dreams.” Cornelia sighed earning a glare from Hay Lin, even if it had a playful edge to it.
“I usually like my messed up dreams thank you very much.” Hay Lin snarked, “Anyways, the teacher said something about it being nice to have such a prestigious student joining us and Will said she just wanted to live a normal life away from all of that with us. That’s when I noticed it was Nerissa and my homework was blank after finishing and Nerissa asked me what was wrong, if a guardian had my tongue.”
“I can see why you thought it was just a dream, it sounds like a normal nightmare.” Cornelia sighed.
“Wait girls, what was the worlds the Oracle told us about when we took Susan there to meet with Elyon, Vathek and Caleb? At least the one he seemed to have a personal grudge against.” Taranee said.
“I still think you was seeing something not there Taranee, Charlie Brown was more burned out than Bill and Ted. Just not as brain dead.” Irma replied with a grin.
“No, she has a point.” Cornelia said getting a smile in appreciation by Taranee only for it to change into a huff as the blonde continued. “At least on the world, I really don’t think anything can phase that guy.”
“I think it was Equisterra or something.” Hay Lin said with a shudder.
“Equestria.” Irma said slowly making all their eyes go wide.
“Do you think Sunset Shimmer and Will is connected? Maybe they know each other and actually came here? Maybe that was Will?” Taranee said hopefully.
“That couldn’t have been Will, she would have just said she was and besides she was working with Shagon.” Cornelia said crossing her arms with a huff. “I refuse to believe Will would align herself with Shagon and Nerissa!”
“We should just keep our plans as is for now until we learn more about Sunset Shimmer and what is going on. I have a feeling there is more going on than meets the eye.” Hay Lin said before groaning as Irma started humming the theme song to Transformers.
Sunset was exhausted by the time she found her way back to where Shagon teleported them from. She had cried over the feelings of betrayal and the way it made her heart feel, but she pulled herself together reminding herself that she wasn’t some weak little girl who was going to let some jerk walk all over her. She reminded herself that she was Sunset Freaking Shimmer and she wouldn’t be brought down because of some stupid hormones making her feel things for a stupid boy.
The problem with psyching oneself up though was that eventually you would realize no matter how much you tried to pump yourself up it didn’t get rid of your feelings of sadness, heartbreak and even loneliness. The loneliness was actually easy to deal with she figured because she would be spending time with Susan whom she did accept that the woman loved her. Heck, Sunset had to admit she loved the woman as a mother but was afraid to call the woman mother. For one, she was worried if she did things would change again as they always did when she got too close to a parental figure. And second, she was still coming to terms with knowing she was the woman’s daughter in a new body with new memories. She wasn’t sure what to think of it still as she could actually be Will’s daughter and Susan’s daughter, but that would discount what the spirits told Yan Lin? Was she a reincarnation then? That posed the same problem in some ways?
Discounting loneliness, there was still the sadness and heartbreak. Those emotions were harder for her to deal with as they had been a constant plague to her for awhile now. It left her wondering if she was just feeling effected by the pain Anon-A-Miss caused still with this opening those wounds again of if maybe her emotions were somehow mixing with the emotions belonging to Will somewhere deep inside? The whole thing was just so confusing no matter how she looked at it.
The ride back toward the apartment was actually a nice surprise as not only had the old man driving the bus express concern for her expression and asked if she was okay, but so had two other people. Despite the rough day she had had with two people being bigoted to her it was nice to see strangers express concern for her. It showed that there were good people out there. They accepted her mumbled answer that she was okay, just an argument with her friend.
As she got off the bus she squared her shoulders as she carried her bags inside the lobby giving the security guard a nod and smile as she passed him.
“Hope you are enjoying your time here Ms. Shimmer. I must say I haven’t seen Ms. Vandom this happy.” The middle aged man said as he hurried past Sunset and pushed the elevator call button for her.
“Thank you Mr. Aggrest.” Sunset said as the elevator dinged announcing it’s arrival with the man holding the door open to make sure it didn’t close until Sunset was safely in with her bags. It didn’t take long at all to pull out her elevator key that let her access the top floor as Susan showed her and get home.
“Welcome home honey, I’m glad to see you bought some stuff.” Susan said as she hurried to Sunset once she saw her and gave her a hug and kiss on the head. “Did you have fun?”
“Actually, for the most part I did. I have to go back to the mall tomorrow to pick up a guitar they’re holding for me.” Sunset said a little sheepishly.
“Let me guess, you only took a little bit of money with you.” Susan said with an exaggerated sigh. She didn’t want to say she expected it even if she did because she was also curious to see how the teen spent the money. She fully wanted and expected Sunset to have the money spent by the end of the weekend, yet she was relieved and even proud that the girl was being thrifty with it. She needed to get Sunset to understand that it was okay to spend it, that she needed to balance her want to be thrifty and the fact that she needed stuff. As in literally needed stuff as in the girl’s clothes were barely holding together at some points though it was easy to tell that somebody had lovingly did a lot of repair work on some pieces. Still, she was proud that Sunset wasn’t in danger of becoming a spoiled brat, not that would have made Susan love her any less. She would have just had to have given a little tough love and break the girl of the habit.
“I only took seven hundred dollars.” Sunset said, blushing a little as she saw Susan’s jaw drop.
“And you got all that?” Susan asked in astonishment. Sure she realized Sunset had been frugal, but this was insane! Even Twilight ended up with not even half of what Sunset had for that much money.
“Well, I got a drawing desk and an easel they will be delivering.” Sunset said.
“All that for seven hundred dollars?” Susan sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Sunset, honey, I’m going shopping with you tomorrow when you pick up your guitar and we aren’t leaving until you have ten changes of clothes at least and a warm winter coat if you didn’t get one and underwear.”
“I’m sorry I disappointed you.” Sunset sighed.
“Oh honey, you didn’t.” Susan said giving another hug though this time not letting go. “I’m so proud that you know the value of money and aren’t one of those snobs, but you need certain things sweetie. And since I am now off until after Christmas what better way to spend a day than mother daughter bonding by shopping?”
“That sounds fun actually.” Sunset said genuinely happy to get to spend a day with Susan as her worries melted away for the moment as the woman held her.
“Let’s get dinner taken care of then we can put up the tree and some Christmas decorations.” Susan said a little impatient to do that with Sunset.