//------------------------------// // Sunset's Words // Story: An Equestrian Element // by Quillion9000 //------------------------------// Park “…Sweetie Bell, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo put me through all of that because they wanted to spend more time with their sisters, and they felt like I hadn’t been punished enough?” Sunset asked. Flash told Sunset everything as it was, with no embellishment to make it seem any less bad. Throughout it, Sunset become eerily quiet and just as eerily calm about the whole situation. “Pretty much.” Flash stated. “When you get back to Canterlot, I want you to promise me something.” Sunset stated. “Sure, what is it?” Flash asked, a bit worried. “After taking the rainbow laser of friendship, I could sympathize with everyone I hurt, and my apologies after the fact were no less sincere.” Sunset nodded. “Now, I can empathize with all of them. When you get back, tell the student body I’m sorry and that they are forgiven.” “Yeah, I’ll be sure to remember that.” Flash stated. “Now, I want you to send out the message and tell them where I am.” Sunset voiced. “They are to wait at the fountain over there, and no one is to approach me, should they see me. Once everyone is gathered, I will approach them, and they are to listen. Can you do that?” “Y-Yeah, I’ll do it.” Flash stated, taking out his phone. At this point, he did not think this would go well; however, he knew they didn’t deserve as such. The fact that he was forgiven, to him, was nothing short of a miracle. He sent out the message exactly as Sunset told him to. “Alright, it’s done.” Flash stated. “Good, now I need some more ice cream and time to process just how I’m going to handle this.” Sunset voiced, walking off. Domino City: Streets “I got to keep lookin’ for locator cards if I want a shot at helping Yugs and Sunset in the next round.” Joey voiced to himself while looking for his next opponent. “I’m ready for anything with this deck of mine.” “Hey, are you Joey Wheeler!?” A female voice called out. Joey turned to see that it was some girl with pink hair in a pony tail and blue eyes. She wore a colorful outfit and had a duel disk on her arm telling him she was part of Battle City. Something about her seemed familiar, but Joey couldn’t place his finger on it. “Yeah, I am.” Joey turned. “Who’s askin’?” “Great, my name is Pinkie Pie.” The girl responded, which sounded even more familiar than how she looked to the Red-Eyes user. “My friends and I entered this tournament because we’re looking for Sunset. See…” “You’re one of them!” Joey pointed at her, as it finally clicked for him. “You’re one of the people who hurt my friend over that Anon-a-Miss nonsense.” “She told you about that?” Pinkie asked, surprised. “She told her us everything.” Joey declared, making Pinkie flinch. “Let me just say, our friends, Yugs and Tea, are ten times better than your lot. Unlike any of you, they don’t judge Tristan, Sunset, or I on our past misdeeds. They don’t go bringing it up constantly only to say, ‘no offense’. Like that makes it any better. In fact, we’re the ones who bring it up around them, yet they’ve never once held our past against us. I think, that’s proof they accept us.” “We accepted Sunset.” Pinkie tried. “Yeah right.” Joey retorted. “If you’d truly accepted Sunset as one of your friends, truly forgave her, then she’d have never been suspected. Friends don’t outright suspect each other of something, no matter how incriminating it might look. At the very least, it’s either you suspect all your friends or none of your friends. There’s no half measure unless you never truly forgave Sunset. I know some princess asked you to look after her, but if you didn’t mean it, you shouldn’t have agreed.” “We already know we messed up.” Pinkie declared. “That’s why we’re trying to make amends.” “I’m not buyin’ it, and I won’t help you.” Joey declared, brushing past her. “If you’re wise, you’ll leave her alone. Sunset doesn’t need this.” “I’ll duel you for your help!” Pinkie yelled suddenly. “If I win, you must help me find Sunset.” Joey glanced back at her. “There’s no incentive.” “I’ll put up my two locator cards against that information.” Pinkie declared, taking them out. “You seem to forget every duelist must bet at least one locator card; however, the deal is sweat enough.” Joey stepped back from her. “By beating you in this duel, I’ll take ya out of this tournament.” “Alright, let’s go!” Pinkie declared. “Let’s Duel!” (Joey 4000/Pinkie 4000) “Since you challenged me, I’ll go first.” Joey drew. “Looks like my deck is resonatin’ with my desire to beat ya because I’m startin’ with Red-Eyes Fusion to call upon any Fusion monster I got which list a Red-Eyes as material. This spell draws materials from the deck, hand, or field.” “It does!?” Pinkie was shocked since only Rarity’s ever shown a fusion spell like this. “Yep, though I can’t normal or special summon again this turn, but that hardly matters.” Joey retrieved his materials from the deck. “I combine Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact. Get ready because this monster hits like a meteor. Fusion summon Meteor Black Comet Dragon(LV 8/3500/2000).” A bipedal black dragon shrouded in flames appeared roaring. “If he’s Fusion summoned, any Red-Eyes I wish can go from my hand or deck to the grave. I’m sending a second Red-Eyes B. Dragon from my deck.” “Why would you do any of this on the first turn?” Pinkie asked confused. “I see where you’re coming from; however, the resources would’ve still been worth it even if I went through my hand.” Joey declared. “The fact I’ve only used one card from my hand is all the better given what this card does. Speakin’ of it, you now take half the sent monster’s original attack. Go, Meteor Soul!” A spectral, flaming Red-Eyes appeared before crashing down on the opponent (Joey 4000/Pinkie 2800). “Now, I’ll set two cards before ending my turn.” “I don’t have the luxury of taking this easy.” Pinkie drew. “I summon Performapal Turn Trooper(LV 4/1200/1200).” A warrior appeared. “When I summon a Performapal, I can special summon Performapal Helpprincess(LV 4/1200/1200).” A purple haired female appeared. “With two level four monsters, you can build the overlay network.” Joey declared. “Exactly.” Pinkie declared. “I overlay my two level 4 monsters to Xyz summon Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer(R 4/O 2/2000/1500).” A purple, humanoid falcon appeared dressed as a ranger. “By detaching both his overlay units, one monster you control is returned to the hand.” Castel, the Skyblaster Musketeer(R 4/O 2/2000/1500) “In this case, it’ll be my extra deck.” Joey voiced before smiling. “I ain’t defenseless because one of my face downs is Red-Eyes Spirit allowing me to return any 1 Red-Eyes monster from my grave to the field. I choose one of my Red-Eyes Black Dragon(LV 7/2400/2000).” The black dragon with red-eyes appeared. “That’s fine by me because I’m rebuilding the overlay network with my rank 4 monster!” Pinkie declared. “She can rank up!?” Joey thought, stunned. “Rank-Up Xyz Change!” Pinkie declared. “Appear Drill Driver Vespenato(R 5/O 1/2500/2100).” A large, yellow and silver machine hornet appeared. “That’s not all because I’m equipping him with Xyz Unit. This grants any face up Xyz monster I control ATK equal to 200 multiplied by its rank. Since Vespenato is a rank 5, that’s 1000 more ATK.” Drill Driver Vespenato(R 5/O 1/3500/2100 effect). “He’ll destroy your dragon!” Vespenato drilled clean through Red-Eyes (Joey 2900/Pinkie 2800). “I was banking on using this with my prior dragon, as Red-Eyes Fusion changed his name to Red-Eyes Black Dragon, but this will do.” Joey nodded. “I activate Red-Eyes Burn. If a Red-Eyes I control is destroyed, we both take damage equal to their original ATK.” “The dragon I just destroyed had 2400 ATK!” Pinkie exclaimed. “That it did.” Joey declared as they were both awash in flames (Joey 500/Pinkie 400). “Now, end your turn because I’m finishing this duel on my next.” “My only hope is that he doesn’t burn because what protection I do have in my hand can’t stop it.” Pinkie took two cards from her hand. “I set two cards and end my turn.” “My turn!” Joey drew. “You made a mistake sending my dragon back to my extra deck because now I can use him all over again.” “What!? No!” Pinkie exclaimed, stunned. “You couldn’t have drawn the materials to make it again.” “That’s assumin’ the fusion specifies exact monsters.” Joey countered. “While it does have requirements, my deck can fulfill them in many ways. That said, I don’t need those when I can just activate Dragon’s Mirror. With this, I can pull off any Dragon type fusion by banishin’ materials from my field or grave. I banish one Red-Eyes B. Dragon and Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact. Now, welcome back my meteoric monster. Fusion summon Meteor Black Comet Dragon(LV 8/3500/2000).” “No!” Pinkie exclaimed, in desperation. “Don’t do this!” “To me, you don’t have a leg to stand on with such a request.” Joey declared firmly as he pressed on. “Like before, if he’s Fusion summoned, any Red-Eyes I wish can go from my hand or deck to the grave. I’m sending my last Red-Eyes B. Dragon from my deck. Go, Meteor Soul!” A spectral, flaming Red-Eyes appeared before crashing down on the opponent (Joey 500/Pinkie 0). Pinkie collapsed to her knees in defeat as the cards which remained in her hand fell to the ground. “Alright Pinkie, cough them up.” Joey approached her. “Your rarest and two locator cards.” “Here.” She took out her Sky Magician and two locator cards. “Just please, have some mercy and help me find Sunset.” “You lost, so that’s not happening.” Joey declared as he took his prizes. “You and your friends made your bed. Your best attempt to get out didn’t work, so you can lie in it. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your mistakes and be better than the people who hurt my friend.” Joey then sighed and closed his eyes as it’s been quite sometimes since he’s felt like this much of a jerk. Granted, even thinking about it, he didn’t believe any of Sunset’s friends deserved a second chance after everything they did. That said, based on what he heard from Sunset, he didn’t think any of them were truly bad people. They were just good people who made a horrible mistake. Perhaps, to some extent after working out his anger through this duel, he could cut this girl a slight reprieve. “Look.” Joey sighed as he crouched before her with a gentler expression. “I’ll admit all of you aren’t lost causes. The way Sunset talked about you makes me believe that much. Honestly, I let what you did get to me because I consider Sunset a good friend. That doesn’t change the fact I think you shouldn’t go bugging her. Of course, I can’t speak for what she would want. I can only talk based off what I believe. If you want to continue lookin’ for her, I won’t stop you, but I’m not about to throw you a bone. If you hurt her again, we’ll have a larger problem.” He put Sky Magician on the ground and picked up Performapal Whip Snake. “I don’t do much with continuous spells, so I’ll exchange Sky Magician for Whip Snake.” He stood. “Now, I’m leaving.” With that, Joey walked away and soon turned a corner leaving Pinkie. She could only clench her fist in frustration, sadness, and anger over the situation. She was soon snapped out of it by her phone vibrating. She took it out only for her eyes to widen. “Sorry Joey, but I can’t accept your advice.” Pinkie stood, those negative emotions taking a backseat to the party planner’s determination as she sprinted in the direction of the nearest park. “I stole Sunset’s smile, so I at least got to try and make up for that.” Park Sunset had gotten her ice cream, and it, if even a smidge, did make her feel better. After Flash sent out the message, it did not take long for members of the Humane 5 and CMC to arrive. While everyone of them wanted to talk with Sunset, they were respectful enough of her wishes. No one went up to speak with her, and they all congregated at the fountain impatiently awaiting everyone’s arrival. Sunset, by contrast, was more than willing to wait however long it took. After all, Battle City’s first round was a two-day affair. She was confident enough in getting the remaining four locator cards she needed, today or tomorrow. At this point, the only ones who had yet to arrive were Pinkie and Scootaloo. The former was quick to change that. Out of anyone, she seemed the most eager to speak with Sunset. Fortunately, Rainbow and AJ noticed this before dragging the Performapal user to the fountain. This left Scootaloo, who arrived not long after Pinkie. Of course, she was hesitant given she arrived with a familiar face. Though, everyone quickly realized they couldn’t be who they knew. Sunset broke her own rules by approaching them. “Scootaloo?” Scootaloo looked away prompting Twilight to speak up. “As I understand it, I’m this world’s version of Twilight Sparkle.” This prompted Sunset to stare critically at the younger girl who shrunk under her gaze. Clearly, this had not won her any favors…provided there were any to begin with in this situation. “How much do you know?” Sunset eventually asked, turning her attention to Twilight. “I know what Scootaloo knows about Equestria, you, and Anon-a-Miss.” Twilight answered. Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “Scootaloo…” “Y-Yeah?” Scootaloo asked. “Fountain.” Sunset ordered, firmly. The Vendread user scurried over to the others who were silently watching. No one dared step on Sunset’s toes over this, given everything they’ve already done. As far as everyone there was concerned, this was Sunset’s show. “Alright, what do you want?” Sunset asked. “Pardon?” Twilight asked, a bit timidly. Her desire to know things was faltering under Sunset’s gaze. “Why are you here?” Sunset asked. “If you’re looking for a way to Equestria, I don’t…” “No, after the things I’ve heard, going there is the farthest thing from my mind.” Twilight voiced. “I’d rather not mess with forces that could…” “…turn you into a demon.” She didn’t want to say it, but Sunset would. “It’s fine. I’ve come to terms with that, and it’s a wise decision because I would not recommend that to anyone.” “Well, I’m here now because I found myself genuinely concerned about you.” Twilight voiced. “Granted, I’ve never met you, but to hear what you went through…even knowing the bad.” She shook her head. “I just…” “Alright.” Sunset took a deep breath. “Fountain like the rest. What I’m about to say will be directed at them rather than you. At the end, draw your own conclusions after I’m done.” “Yes, thank you.” Twilight voiced before scurrying over. Sunset soon turned that way and strolled over to the assembled students. Admittedly, she was rather frustrated and angry over everything that happened; however, it was massively tempered by how everything turned out. Of course, she’d rather Anon-a-Miss never came about. Still, she couldn’t deny the positives. She found true friends, learned parts of herself she never knew were missing, and had a brother who, thus far, seemed good in her books. Still, the positives didn’t seem enough for forgiveness. As Sunset finally reached the gathered students, she noted Flash stood to the farthest left while Twilight stood to the farthest right. Both were well away from the remaining eight, which was good given these were now the people she had problems with. “I’m going to lay out the objective facts.” Sunset began. “When Anon-A-Miss started. I told five of you it wasn’t me. In the beginning, with Piggly Wiggly, that was good enough. Then, the next post came being about Rarity’s closest of shame. Suddenly, my words just wasn’t good enough. In contrast, the rest of the group never once suspected anyone else.” The Humane 5 looked guilty at this. “I was left to fend for myself as more posts started to trickle in. Slowly, the student body began to single me out as the school was divided again. In fact, it was worse than I ever made it, yet the three who were behind Anon-a-Miss didn’t step forward. Now, I know at one point I was proud of my own ability to divide the school, but after being blasted with the laser of friendship, I saw just how wrong it was. Let’s talk about that, perhaps if I had the culprits would have known just how much I was punished. That laser brought out my sympathy. Every bad thing I ever did came crashing down onto my very soul all at once. Those were not crocodile tears I shed that night. After the fact, I was as apologetic as possible while being understanding that it’d take time to make up for my past. In the end, I was willing to try, and I never shied away. It seems certain people just thought I was not punished enough. You know, I’ll admit that’s fair. After learning the full truth, I could empathize with everyone I hurt on a level I never could have before. Though, I don’t feel much like forgiving the culprits, and I’m not about to say as such. After all, I know what false acceptance feels like. I suppose what I’m saying is, I’ve experienced true friendship and learned a lot from it. I know now that we weren’t friends, and none of you can change that now. If you have any delusions we were, I want you to look inside yourself and truly mull over everything I’ve been saying. If I were your friend, I’d have been above suspicion like the rest, or you’d have also suspected the others. I do recognize that all of you came here for me, but that doesn’t erase what has already transpired. Not to me. I can’t, at this point, forgive eight of you. Perhaps one day, after things have settled in more, I could find it in my heart to forgive and start over. That day simply won’t be today. As things stand, I got a life I’m content with. That should be enough. Now, I have locator cards to earn, so I’m going.” Like that, Sunset turned to leave with the eight she couldn’t forgive feeling rather demoralized. This hadn’t gone as any of them expected it to, but after hearing Sunset’s perspective, it seemed like the only way it could have gone. One of them managed to find a little more determination. “Sunset, wait.” Rainbow stated sincerely, managing to stop the girl. “After hearing you out, I know nothing we say will prove anything, but maybe we could still show you.” She raised her duel disk. “I challenge you to a duel. I’ll let that try to say the truth.” Aside from Sunset, who blankly stared at Rainbow, the others looked at one another uncertainly. It was only heightened among the other members of the Rainbooms…given what happened when the shoe was on the other foot. “I said nearly the same thing at Sugar Cube Corner, yet dueling achieved nothing.” Sunset voiced. “No, your duel meant something, but we were too stubborn to admit it.” Rainbow declared. “You’re not, and I’m confident I can say something good enough. I’ll even make it an official Battle City duel. I got two locator cards.” “At the very least, I do need locator cards.” Sunset also didn’t feel disgusted or appalled to be in any of their presence. “I have two as well.” “Then, you and I can put it all on the line.” Rainbow declared, firmly. “Two Locator and two prize cards. That way, we have all the drive needed to duel our best.” Sunset genuinely didn’t know if this duel would change anything with how she felt, but the prospect of two locator cards was just enticing enough. “Very well. Rainbow.” Sunset turned to face her opponent, activating her duel disk. “I accept.”