Everyone was silent for thirty seconds--at least, by Rainbow's count. No one said anything, or even moved, the entire time.
Finally, Soarin chuckled, then Spitfire, then everyone started laughing. Sunset even gave an awkward chuckle, looking around in complete confusion, giving Rainbow a, "What the hell is going on?" look.
"That was bloody perfect," Soarin said, wiping tears from his eyes.
"A-plus timing, there," Thunderlane agreed. "So, uh...nice to meet you, Shimmer." He extended a hand. Sunset hesitantly took it, shaking it.
"Nice to meet you, too...formally, at least."
Spitfire stepped forward next, sizing Sunset up. Then she grinned. "You know, Dash's word carried a lot of weight. Just enough, I think." She reached out a hand.
Sunset took it, shaking it. "It's...Spitfire, right?" she asked. "I don't really know most of your names, sorry."
"Don't sweat it," Spitfire said, "we mostly just use 'hey, you' or 'bitchface' anyway."
Sunset's grin turned a little more genuine. "I think I'm going to like you," she said slowly. She turned, eyeing Gilda. "And you are...?"
Gilda put a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "A word?"
Rainbow winced. She'd been watching Gilda's face the whole time, and 'stoically silent' was not something she'd normally use to describe her friend. "We'll be right back, don't eat the new girl," Rainbow told her friends.
Sunset blinked, eyes going wide as the other three turned to look at her.
Gilda took Rainbow a short distance away, then put her hands together, taking a deep breath. "Dash," she began.
"Hey, I know that she's...not the best of people, but she's trying to turn her life around. I think she deserves a second chance," Rainbow said.
"Dash, you know she's just fucking with you," Gilda said. "She's gonna act all sweetly, be nice and all, but she'sjust gonna turn right round and stab you in the back. You're just setting yourself up to be Applejacked again."
"And if Applejack came over and genuinely apologized, I'd accept it, too," Rainbow said, folding her arms over her chest. "Look, G, she's...having a rough time of it."
"So? She's horrible! What do I care?"
Rainbow glared at her. "When I found her, she was about to jump off a roof, Gilda."
"You should have let her."
Rainbow blinked. "Come again?"
"She's a horrible, two-faced, lying whore with a god complex," Gilda snorted. "Everyone would have been a lot happier if you'd let her jump."
"You—you can't be serious," Rainbow said.
"I'm perfectly serious, R.D," Gilda said, jabbing a finger at Rainbow's chest. "No one would miss her, and you did this whole school a disservice."
"Do—do you hear yourself right now?" Rainbow shouted. "Are you honest-to-God proposing the death penalty for...for being a jerk? The fuck is wrong with you?"
"A jerk? Is that all she is?" Gilda pointed at Sunset. "She's not a jerk, she's downright evil! Listen to me! She's not your friend, and even affilliating yourself with her is gonna make you an outcast!"
"Do you know how many people said the same about you?" Rainbow shouted.
Gilda stepped back, eyes going wide as a silence fell. It took Rainbow a second to process that Sunset and the rest of her friends were all staring at them, too.
Gilda scoffed, closing her eyes. "Fine," she said. "Be that way. Don't come crying back to me when I turn out to be right." She spun on her heel, striding off.
Rainbow awkwardly stepped back over to the group. "Well, that didn't go over well," she muttered.
"Rainbow," Sunset began, but Spitfire cut her off before Rainbow Dash could
"Look, Sunny-side, let me be honest a sec, okay?" She waited for Sunset to nod, then continued. "You're not exactly my favorite person, either. Rainbow's word carries a lot of weight, but not all of it. Enough to make me give you a chance, but you better not blow it. Regardless--" She glared in the direction Gilda retreated to. "—That was way the hell out of line."
"No shit," Soarin said. "'Should have let her'...honestly."
Rainbow winced. "Um, how much did you guys hear?"
"The whole damn thing," Sunset said stiffly. "Especially after you told her about, you know... a certain moment on the school's roof." She glared at Rainbow.
"Um—look, I—it was—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--"
Sunset put a hand on her shoulder. "First, let's be honest: I'm the last one who was a right to complain about someone else blabbing about my secrets, okay? At the same time, I'm still pissed."
"I know, I'll make it up to you--"
"You kinda have already," Sunset said, shaking her head. "Just, uh...give me a minute to get my anger in check. I'm not exactly the calmest of people."
"Just come sit down with us in the cafeteria," Soarin put in. "We should get moving if we actually want lunch."
Sunset looked over her shoulder, then sighed. "Hey, Dash?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks...for...everything. And...sorry about Gilda."
"Sunset, if Gilda chooses to be a jerk, that's on her," Rainbow said, taking Sunset's hand. "I meant what I said. I choose who my friends are, and there's nobody alive that can stop me."
Sunset almost smiled, but then frowned.
"Hey, chin up. You ain't responsible for me losing friends. Now, come on—let's go get lunch."
"Aren't...you upset?"
"Uh..." She winced. "Yeah, kinda. Gilda's an old friend of mine. We go way back. But this is hardly the first time we've had a huge fight. It'll blow over in a week or so." She reached over, pulling Sunset into a half-hug. "Don't sweat it."
Something still seemed to be bothering her, but Rainbow decided to let her work whatever it was out on her own.
All too soon, it seemed, classes were over, and Rainbow had a choice to make. Not much of a choice, but it still felt hard.
"Hey. Want to hang out again today?"
A few feet away, Sunset paused, looking up from her locker. Then she grinned. "Sure. My place or--"
A light popping sound came up between the two of them, followed by a voluminous cloud of smoke. "You have gone too far this time, Shimmer!"
Coughing, Rainbow Dash blinked tears out of her eyes to see Trixie standing between them, glaring with a righteous fury at Sunset.
"Trixie will not allow your villainy to stand up any longer! Your lying, scheming ways are numbered, vile fiend!"
"Um—" Rainbow put a hand on Trixie's shoulder, then roughly shoved her aside. "First--" She coughed "Ugh. Quit it with the smoke bombs, Trix. No one finds them endearing. Second....erm, Sunset, did you do anything to Trixie recently?"
"No? Not that I can remember, anyway," Sunset said, tapping her chin. "Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot here. I'm certain we can talk this out--"
"Talk it out? Talk it out? You owe Gilda the MOTHER OF ALL APOLOGIES, SHIMMER!"
Rainbow Dash groaned. "Oh, is this about Gilda, then?"
"Yes! Sunset has made it look like Gilda said a series of horrific, vile things online! Things that are unquestionably irredeemable to even associate with another person! You will--"
Rainbow Dash spun her around, glaring into her face. "Whatever it is she said, she chose to say," Rainbow pointed out.
"Wha...what?"
"Yeah. I was there when she told her to jump off a roof. This isn't on Sunset."
Trixie blinked, staring at Rainbow Dash. "Give...give Trixie one moment."
Rainbow Dash released her, and, in front of the audience that had gathered, Trixie pulled out her phone. After a second, she frowned, then tapped away a second more. "She...hold on. This...this post is her, right?" She showed the phone to Rainbow Dash, displaying a post on one of the school's most popular online hangouts, a cheery site called 'MyStable'.
The newest post was unquestionably not cheery.
"Yes, that's Gilda."
Trixie stared at the phone, silent. "She really said that? She told a suicidal person to jump off a building?"
Rainbow Dash growled. "I'm certain she's getting what's coming to her, one way or another."
Trixie took off her hat, holding it over her chest. "I...I..." She turned back to Sunset. "I'm...I do owe you an apology, it seems..."
"Hey. Everyone here knows that I'm a bitch, me included." Sunset gave a grin. "I don't particularly blame you, and I'm not going to make you apologize. Not when I probably owe you several, either."
"Trixie...I...I need to think about this," Trixie muttered, turning away. She walked off quickly, pushing through the crowd.
Sunset examined the watchers, then shook her head. "So, my place or yours?" she asked.
"Yours, maybe?" Rainbow said. "Continue where we left off?"
"Sure." Sunset's eyes flickered back around to the people staring at them, frowning. "What are you guys still doing here?" she demanded.
The crowd, slowly, began to disperse. Sunset cleared out her throat. "So..."
"Uh, I'll catch up in a bit," Rainbow said, patting Sunset on the shoulder. "Promise."
"Oh. Uh, okay. I'll--"
Rainbow slipped past her, then took off at a light sprint. She ran along the corridors, slipping past throngs of people, some of whom stared at her.
The mild scene earlier seemed to have been passed around, and she saw several people looking at their phones in disgust as they looked at the MyStable post Trixie had found.
"Hey, Dash," Soarin said, stopping her. "So, I was thinking..."
"Sorry, Soarin, I'm kind of booked for this evening," Rainbow replied hastily. "In a bit of a rush, too."
Soarin laughed. "Since when are you not?" he asked, stepping aside. Rainbow moved past, continuing her sprint.
Eventually, she found what she was looking for. Regularly, at CHS, certain people ended up being considered 'outcasts' for one reason or another—in the past, that was usually Sunset's doing, but this girl had dug her own grave, and was doing her best to take a nap in it.
"Hey, Gilda!"
Gilda looked up at the sound of her name being called. "Dash? What, did you--"
Rainbow stepped forward, then punched her in the face.