As a mare of many magical talents, keeping in shape and staying fit was never a concern for the young Sunset Shimmer. Many spells were accessible to her that would allow her to burn off excess calories with just a flick of her horn. As a girl growing up in a land without magic and high in fatty foods, however, proper exercise was suddenly a key concern for Sunset Shimmer.
Whilst out on her Saturday morning jog, Sunset Shimmer would pass by many familiar places and people, but would not stop for any of them. Not because she disliked them, or because she was short on time, but simply because they bored her. Even as a filly, casual conversation with ordinary ponies simply didn’t appeal to her, so she avoided it.
Today, however, something caught Sunset’s eye as she passed by the Canterlot Public Park. A scene that was interesting enough to warrant her stopping to see what was up. Many people passed by her, most of them adults with children, as they wandered away from the scene building up on the makeshift soccer pitch.
Lying down on the grass on her front, her face down in the mud but her long rainbow-coloured hair allowing for easy identification, was Rainbow Dash. She was wearing her sports jersey, suggesting to Sunset Shimmer that she had been out there practicing for the upcoming match.
Behind Rainbow Dash, trembling and slowly taking a step back with tears running down her face, was the unmistakable cowardly form of Fluttershy, also dressed in suitable sporting attire. And what she was so afraid of was…
Three girls and two boys, all of which looked to be around their age, were towering over Rainbow Dash, grinning and laughing with malicious tones in their voices. A fourth girl, this one the tallest, approached Fluttershy.
Sunset Shimmer recognised the uniform that they were all wearing. Black tracksuit trousers and matching hooded jumpers, with an equine skull with two wings stretching out from either side on the fronts of each of their jumpers… They were the Manhattan High School’s Shadowcolts, here for a match with Canterlot High School’s own Wondercolts team. They were all wearing their hoods up, so Sunset Shimmer couldn’t identify any of them.
“What’s wrong?” the tall girl asked Fluttershy. “You’ve gotta be tougher than that if you honestly think you stand a chance against us.”
“B-But I’m not-”
“What?” the girl asked, turning her head and putting a hand around her ear. “Speak up! I can barely hear you!”
“You… You leave Fluttershy alone!” Rainbow Dash shouted, pushing herself up, only to be stomped back down into the mud by the guy standing before her. “Damnit! You’re playing dirty!”
“We’re just checking out the competition,” the girl responded, examining Fluttershy with much scrutiny. “You look like you should be playing tea parties with you dolls at home.”
“P-Please,” Fluttershy said. “Please don’t hurt Rainbow Dash…”
“Huh?” The girl stepped closer. “What was that? Louder!” Fluttershy could only whimper as she turned her head to the side, closing her eyes and muttering prayers under her breath. “C’mon! If you’ve got something to say…” The girl reached up and grabbed Fluttershy’s chin, pulling her head so that their eyes met. “Then say it to my face!”
“She said that you should stop using her friend as a doormat,” Sunset Shimmer said as she approached the group, who all turned their eyes towards her. Standing tall and proud, Sunset Shimmer cast her gaze over the five standing above Rainbow Dash. “I would request the same thing, too.”
“Who are you?” the leader asked as she released Fluttershy. “Hey! Look at me when I’m talking to you!”
“You don’t seem that tough,” Sunset Shimmer said. “It’s your lackeys over there that I’m more concerned with, so I’ll keep my focus on them.”
“What was that?! You have some nerve!”
“So do you,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Assaulting a pair of Canterlot High students, and in our own city, no less. As president of the Student Council, I will not merely glance over this.”
“Oh, so you’re their friends, is that it?” the leader asked, walking up towards Sunset Shimmer, who still didn’t turn to pay any attention to her. “Damnit! I said look at me!”
Sunset Shimmer finally shifted her attention as she saw the other girl kicking through her peripherals. Quickly, Sunset Shimmer backed out of range of the kick and grabbed the girl’s leg. “I’m not. I simply won’t allow outsiders to attack members of my school.”
“Let go!”
“Hey! What’s going on over there?!” Everybody gasped and turn their heads to where a man, dressed in police attire, was running up towards the scene.
Using the distraction, the girl attacking Sunset broke free of the hold she was in and took off away from the park, her partners following after her.
“Stop!” the policeman shouted, but it was no use. They were simply too fast. He stopped in front of Sunset Shimmer and glanced over the scene, finding Fluttershy helping Rainbow Dash out of the mud, before turning an angry glare to Sunset Shimmer. “What is going on here?! I will not tolerate fights like this between students!”
Sunset Shimmer looked up at the policeman, her bottom lip curled and her eyes watering as she sniffed. “I-I’m sorry, officer. It was those mean bullies. I saw them a-attacking my friends and I just had to help them, so I… I…”
The policeman gulped as Sunset brought her arm up to her eyes and cried into her sleeve. “C-Calm down, Miss. Please. I’m sorry for yelling.” Looking around with a nervous look at the crowd gathering around, the policeman cleared his throat and stood up straight. “W-Well, I suppose I can let you off with a warning. But fighting really is bad, you know? If you ever find yourself being bullied again, you should find an adult and let them know, okay?”
Sunset Shimmer removed her arm and nodded her head. “Calling Sheriff Silverstar!” a voice shouted from the speaker strapped to the policeman’s shoulder. “We got reports of hoodlums shoplifting at your location!”
“Oh shoot! I’ve got to go, but you make sure to remember what I told you today!” With that, Silverstar turned and left the scene.
Fluttershy approached Sunset Shimmer, carrying a limping Rainbow Dash around her shoulder. “Um… t-thank you…”
“What were they after?” Sunset Shimmer asked, wiping the crocodile tears from her face and folding her arms as she cast an annoyed gaze over the two girls.
Fluttershy flinched, so Rainbow Dash answered. “They were just tryin’ to get an advantage over us for the match on Monday.”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Is that so? And they thought the best way to do this was to attack the two of you?”
“They thought that Fluttershy was on the team, too,” Rainbow Dash said. “I don’t think they were after me specifically…”
“Which means the others might be in danger, too,” Sunset surmised. “Hmph! If there is one thing I will not tolerate more than a student who thinks they can talk back to me, it’s outsiders causing trouble for my school!”
“Y’know, being the president of the Student Council doesn’t mean you own the school,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Regardless, I will not simply stand back and let this go unchecked,” Sunset said as she pulled out her phone.
“Who are you calling?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’m going to have the team assemble at Rainbow’s house,” Sunset explained. “It’s nearby, after all. We’re going to make sure no one on the team is alone up until the day of the match.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “You really care about us, huh?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Sunset said. “I simply refuse to give up any of our school’s cups or trophies to a low group like that.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. She should have known it wouldn’t be that simple. “Well, I don’t mind everyone meetin’ at my place, but I think it’s already too late. I sprained my ankle pretty bad.”
Sunset looked down at Rainbow Dash’s foot hovering slightly above the ground. “Well you’d better hope it’s nothing serious. Otherwise, we’re going to have to find you a replacement.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with helping us like this?” Fluttershy asked. “We don’t want to get in the way of any plans you had today…”
‘I was going to see how that statue piece reacts to different types of electromagnetism…’ Sunset approached the two and grab Rainbow Dash’s free arm, wrapping it around her shoulder. “I did have plans today, but then I found that troublesome group who thought they could walk all over Canterlot High and get away with it. Now I have to make an example of them.”
“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.
“We’ll discuss that later. For now, we have to make sure they don’t injure our school’s star players,” Sunset said as the three girls began to move. “Let’s meet the rest of the team at your house and then we’ll discuss strategy.”
“This is our star team?” Sunset Shimmer asked, looking over the gathered players around her. Rainbow Dash, Lightning Dust, Scootaloo, Snowflake, Caramel, and Braeburn. Fluttershy was also present, tending to Rainbow Dash’s ankle by wrapping a bandage around it. “Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust aside, we have two newbies, a freshman, and…” Sunset looked at Snowflake, who was sitting in a formal style on his knees with his back straight. “… Didn’t you get kicked out because you broke too many windows?”
“YEEEEEAH!”
“… H-He got better,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “He’s totally got more control now, and besides, we thought it was unfair to crush his dreams like that just ‘cause of a little accident.”
“As I recall, there were over fifty incidents in under one month of complaints being filed against the school because of a soccer ball with too much power smashing into people’s homes,” Sunset said. “Well, I guess he can be on defence. But what about the newcomers? Why isn’t you captain on the team?”
“Firefly’s doing some joint training thing with Cloudsdale High,” Lightning Dust explained. “She left the tournament to us.”
Sunset sighed. “That girl’s always causing trouble. Did she at least leave some paperwork behind this time?”
Lightning Dust shrugged. “There were a few papers in the clubroom. Maybe that was it?”
“Um, excuse me,” Caramel said, raising a hand, “Is it true that Rainbow Dash was attacked by the Shadowcolts earlier?”
“It is,” Sunset said. “That is why you are all here. If our school’s soccer team is being targeted, then I feel it necessary to keep you all together until the day of the match. That’s why I had Lightning Dust call you all here with some provisions for sleeping over. This will be your safe house until the day of the match.”
“… But I’m the only one who seemed to bring anything,” Caramel noted as he looked around the room, spotting only his own sleeping bag and backpack in the corner.”
Lightning Dust shrugged. “No way my folks would agree to me sleeping over at someone’s house on such short notice. ‘Sides, I think we’ll be fine going home in the evening. The Shadowcolts have their training sessions then.”
“And my mum wants me back by nine,” Scootaloo said. “She doesn’t like me staying out too late.”
Sunset sighed and shook her head. “Guess it can’t be helped. Even so, you can’t honestly expect to believe that this is your winning team.”
“Well what d’ya expect?” Braeburn asked. “Any kid that’s serious ‘bout sports goes to Cloudsdale, and they kick our butts all the time. Not exactly good for morale.”
“We’re short on club members as it is,” Rainbow Dash said. “OW!”
“What?” Sunset asked, examining Rainbow Dash’s ankle. “Don’t tell me-”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy said. “Rainbow Dash, this is pretty bad! I don’t know if this will recover in time for your match.”
“What?!” Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash shouted in unison.
“No way!” Rainbow Dash protested. “I’ve been practicing so much! I have to play!”
“A loss by forfeit? I won’t accept it!” Sunset Shimmer shouted. “I will not let those Shadowcolts make fools of Canterlot High!”
“Well unless we can find a new sixth member by Monday, there’s not much we can do,” Lightning Dust said. “This pisses me off.”
Rainbow Dash nudged Lightning Dust with her elbow. “Kid present!” she whispered. “Watch the language!”
“Well you’d better find someone!” Sunset shouted. “Our school’s reputation is hanging in the balance here!”
“She really cares that much about what others think of our school?” Caramel whispered to Braeburn.
“She does,” Braeburn confirmed, “But not usually to this extent.”
“What’s her deal?” Rainbow Dash whispered to Fluttershy. “Why’s she so fired up about this?”
“I think she’s just upset that you got hurt,” Fluttershy told her. “In the park, she kept her eyes on you because she was concerned.”
“Are you sure?” Rainbow asked. “You must have been imagining it.”
“Hey, why don’t you join our team?” Scootaloo asked. “Since you’re our Student Council president, you should be looking out for us, right?”
“But is she even any good at athletics?” Lightning Dust asked.
Sunset folded her arms and grinned. “Doesn’t matter. All we need is six members to avoid disqualification.”
“Um, the Shadowcolts aren’t exactly pushovers, y’know?” Braeburn said.
“Right. But after their foul play earlier today, I’d say we’re well within our rights to return the favour.” The gathered Soccer Club members gasped, whilst Sunset Shimmer pulled out her phone. “I’ll just get Snips and Snails to sneak into their hotel and add a little something to their meals that will make them unwell on the day of the match. Then they’ll have to resort to substitutes.”
“Hold on!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We’re not stooping that low!”
“I joined the Soccer Club to play against challenging opponents, not their underlings,” Lightning Dust said. “Besides, I only play honest, fair games!”
“That’s right! It’s not cool to use cowardly tricks like that!” Scootaloo said.
“YEEEEEAH!”
“So you’ll just accept the fact that they tried to sabotage our school’s team?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “You’ll just roll over and give them the victory, just like that?”
“Of course not!” Lightning Dust said. “But who said we’re gonna lose? Heck, if we beat ‘em with this handicap, won’t that just make our victory all the sweeter?”
“Hard an’ honest work is the way forward,” Braeburn said, “Not tricks and dirty scheming.”
“Are you forgetting what they did to Rainbow Dash?!” Curious looks were sent Sunset’s way by everybody gathered in the room. “I mean… don’t you want to get revenge for your teammate?”
“Hey, it’s not like they hurt me real bad,” Rainbow Dash said. “Besides, if you really wanna avenge me, I’d prefer you do it by beating them the right way.”
“I never said I wanted to avenge you,” Sunset said before sighing. “But if that’s how everybody else feels…” The nods she received from every other member of the Soccer Club made Sunset Shimmer groan in frustration.
“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Scootaloo said. “They went to the trouble to attack someone on our team, so they can’t be that good, right?”
“The last Shadowcolts team was made up of final year students,” Lightning Dust said. “I don’t know anything about this current one.”
“Hey Sunset,” Rainbow Dash said, “Are you really gonna fill in for me? I mean, we only have a day to get you ready.”
“Not much we can do in a single day,” Lightning Dust said.
Sunset Shimmer put a hand to her chin. “… Well,” she said, “It won’t take long for me to study up on the rules and basic plays of this game.”
“The issue is you athletic skill,” Braeburn said. “Or your lack thereof.”
“But don’t you go running every week to stay in shape?” Fluttershy asked.
“Just ‘cause she runs a lot, doesn’t make her a good soccer player,” Caramel said.
“No, but it does make her fast and durable,” Lightning Dust said. “So what d’you think? If you can just get the ball to me, I can score all the goals we need.”
Sunset Shimmer thought it over. “It sounds like it could work,” she admitted. “Very well then. Tomorrow we’ll meet p her for some last-minute practice. Just make sure not to travel alone, okay?”
“Got it,” everybody else replied.
Sunset Shimmer sighed as she suspended a test tube before her eyes, staring at the clear liquid inside. “Why did I agree to that? I should have just called Snips and had him contaminate their food. It would have only been a little morning sickness, nothing harmful.”
Sunset picked up her pen and scribbled something down onto the paper on her desk. “Negative response. At this rate, the portal will open again before I can harness this world’s magic. And now I’ve got a stupid soccer match to worry about? Maybe I could have Big Macintosh fill in for me instead. He might actually be able to intimidate the enemy.”
Sunset’s phone began to ring beside her, singing the song ‘Smile, Smile, Smile’ by Pinkie Pie. “How does she keep changing my ringtone?” Placing her test tube down, Sunset reached for her phone and answered it. “What is it?”
“Oh, um, sorry to bother you, Sunset Shimmer.” The voice on the other end was unmistakably Fluttershy’s. Sunset even had to press her phone closer to her ear in order to actually hear the girl. “Um, if you’re busy, I suppose I could talk to you later… I-If you don’t mind, that is.”
Sunset felt a vein about to pop. “Just tell me what you want!” She had already been interrupted, she might as well know what it was for.
“W-Well, it’s Rainbow Dash. Her ankle was worse than I thought and… I think it might be broken.” Sunset fell silent. “S-She’s at the hospital right now. I’m with her. I just thought that you should know. She might not be able to make it to practice tomorrow.”
Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes. “Is that so? Thanks for the heads-up, I guess.” Sunset disconnected the call and placed her phone down, remaining silent for a few seconds as her hands shook. After a few seconds of thought, Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes and climbed out of her seat, reaching across her desk and cleaning up her work station. Suddenly she didn’t feel like working on her little project anymore. She didn’t feel much in the mood for anything; she simply felt the need to lie down in silent meditation and calm herself down before an artery ruptured.
“Oh my gosh! Dashie, are you okay?!”
Fluttershy had to stand between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to prevent the latter from making Rainbow’s injury any worse. “Pinkie Pie, please-”
“We heard about what happened,” Rarity said as she pulled Pinkie Pie back. “What those Shadowcolts did was simply awful!”
“Well, ya ain’t lookin’ that bad,” Applejack said as she examined her friend. “Are ya okay ta be walkin’ about so soon?”
Rainbow Dash, using her crutches to keep her balance while her injured foot was suspended in the air, smiled and nodded her head. “It’s cool. Just as long as I take it easy for a while. The doctor said it should heal up in about eight weeks, probably even less than that since it was only a minor injury.”
“Ah heard Sunset Shimmer’s gonna take yer place in the match today,” Applejack said, receiving a nod from Rainbow Dash. “Is she gonna be alright? Ah’ve seen her in Gym. She’s fast, but not so nimble.”
A smile spread across Rainbow Dash’s face. “I got a text from Lightning Dust this morning. She said: ‘Don’t worry. We’ve got this in the bag.’.”
“Well, the match is about to start,” Rarity pointed out as she looked down at her watch. “We should go and find somewhere to sit.”
“Need any help?” Applejack asked.
“Thanks, but I think I can manage,” Rainbow Dash replied as she slowly began to move forward. “Just ‘cause I’m hurt, doesn’t mean I gotta stop workin’ out.”
“If you say so.”
The five friends walked together towards the soccer field, where students from all over the school, and also outside students from Manhattan, were gathering. As they neared the stands, they passed by the team from their school that would be playing in the match.
“You guys!” Rainbow Dash called out, drawing their attention. “Good luck!”
Sunset Shimmer noticed the crutches and the bandage around Rainbow’s foot. Her eyes narrowed and she turned back to the field, picking up the pace as she continued to walk.
Lightning Dust grinned. “She’s got fire in her eyes,” she said as she followed after Sunset. “No way we’re gonna lose this match.”
As soon as the match began, the student of Canterlot High who were gathered began to cheer. Rainbow’s attention was kept on Sunset Shimmer, curious about how she would handle herself out there. It seemed that the team had a rather simple strategy: Braeburn, Scootaloo, and Caramel were on defence, with Snowflake in the goal, and Lightning Dust on the offence. Sunset Shimmer’s job was to get the ball and pass it to Lightning Dust, who would take the shot.
It was a simple strategy, but Rainbow Dash was surprised at just how well it had worked. Sunset Shimmer showed no mercy throughout the entire match, her eyes remaining focussed the whole time as she kept them on the ball and never let it out of her sights. Although her aim was off, she showed great skill in being able to intercept the ball from opposing players many times over.
Even when the Shadowcolts resorted to trickery, attempting to trip and injure Sunset Shimmer and Lightning Dust or kick the ball into their hands to earn free kicks, the team didn’t let up. In fact, these tricks only seemed to fuel the raging fire in Sunset Shimmer’s eyes, and her skill simply continued to increase throughout the course of the game.
“She’s good,” Applejack commented as the game drew into its final minute, the score tied three-all. “Ah never thought she could be so athletic.”
“From where I’m standing, it appears more the case that the other team is simply too intimidated by her to play to their fullest ability,” Rarity said.
“I still don’t get it,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “What’s driving her to go so far?”
“I told you,” Fluttershy said, smiling as she watched Sunset Shimmer pass the ball to Lightning Dust, “She’s upset with the other team for hurting you.”
“No offence, but that’s jus’ crazy-talk,” Applejack said. “Ah mean, sure we hang out with her more often than we did before, but she still ain’t exactly warmed up to us jus’ yet.”
“But she’s still a human being, and has a good heart,” Fluttershy responded. “I know she cares more than she lets on.”
“I hope so!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “I still haven’t been able to take a picture of the six of us with her smiling yet!”
Rainbow Dash turned her attention back to the game. Lightning had a clear shot towards the goal, and pulled her leg back. But Rainbow’s eyes shifted focus to Sunset Shimmer, who was standing back as she watched Lightning Dust taking the shot. ‘She said it’s just for the school’s reputation, but…’ Rainbow Dash remembered back to when Sunset Shimmer had come to her aid in the park. ‘I don’t know… She doesn’t usually get her own hands dirty unless it’s personal. And she never picks her own fights.’
“SHE DID IT!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as the ball went into the net, followed by the crowd going wild as the scoreboard updated to show the new score favouring Canterlot High. With only seven seconds left on the clock, their victory was assured.
“They really did it!” Applejack cheered as she clapped her hands and stomped her feet with the crowd.
“That was a simply stunning victory!” Rarity shouted over the noise of the cheering crowd.
Rainbow Dash watched as the winning team gathered around and celebrated… All except for Sunset Shimmer, who was silently walking off of the pitch by herself. Rainbow Dash grabbed her crutches and pushed herself up as quickly as she could.
“Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked.
“Sorry, I’ll be right back,” she said as she sneaked quietly past Fluttershy.
“Wait, I’ll help you-”
“I’m going to the little girls’ room.”
Fluttershy blushed and sat back down. “O-Oh… W-Well, if you need anything, just call me right away.”
“Will do.” Rainbow Dash slowly made her way off of the stands and wandered away from the field… in the opposite direction to where the restrooms were.
“Sunset!” Sunset Shimmer stopped and turned around. She found Rainbow Dash quickly rushing towards her. “Wait up!”
“Shouldn’t you be moving a little more slowly?” Sunset asked.
“I… I just… needed to catch u-up is all,” Rainbow Dash said through her pants for breath as she closed in on Sunset Shimmer. “Where ya headin’ in such a hurry?”
“To get changed and go home,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Now that our school’s reputation is safe, I’m going to take a much-needed bath to wash away all of this sweat I’ve built up.”
“But what about the victory party?”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “The what?”
“Y’know… After every match, we have either a ‘victory party’ or a ‘we’ll do better next time party’. Basically, the team gets together for pizza and-”
“I’m not on the team,” Sunset interrupted.
“But you helped us out, so you’re an honorary member. And besides, aren’t you hungry after all that runnin’ around?”
As if on cue, Sunset’s stomach rumbled, bringing a blush to the girl’s cheek as she placed both hands over it. “… E-Even so, I can have something to eat when after I go home.”
“C’mon, it’ll be fun,” Rainbow Dash said. “And it’ll be my treat… As long as you order something cheap.”
Sunset gave Rainbow Dash a suspicious look. “Why are you so eager to invite me along?”
Rainbow’s face turned a slight shade of red and she brought a hand up to scratch the back of her head. “Well, I guess it’s to thank you for sticking up for me back in the park, but also ‘cause we’re pals, y’know?”
Sunset was taken aback by that response. “Just so we’re clear, I was standing up this school, not for you specifically.”
“Whatever, you still helped me,” Rainbow Dash responded.
“And about your offer… fine. It just so happens I was going to have pizza tonight anyway.”
Rainbow Dash grinned. “Awesome! Now c’mon, let’s get back before they take the group picture!”
“You do it,” Sunset said. “I’m joining you for this party of yours, but that’s it. I just want to get out of this sweaty clothes as soon as possible.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Honestly, why do you have to be so difficult?” she muttered as she turned around. “Well alright then. Your loss. I’ll catch up to ya later then.”
As Rainbow Dash slowly made her way back towards the pitch, Sunset turned around to make her way towards the changing room, only to stop as she came face-to-face with Principal Celestia, who was smiling down at her student. “Y-You… How much did you…”
“So,” Celestia said, “You’ll be saving that soup for tomorrow night, I’m guessing?” With a blush, Sunset Shimmer huffed and stormed past Celestia. “Just try not to stay out too late!” Celestia called after her student. “Making friends is good, but so are your studies!”
“I’m not making friends!” Sunset shouted back before continuing on her way, a little faster now. “Stupid Rainbow Dash,” she muttered to herself with a furious look on her face. “Just ‘cause she has that stupid injury, she thinks she can guilt trip me into…” Sunset shook her head. ‘No, I’m not letting her win. I’m just taking advantage of her stupidity to get some free pizza and then I swear I’m out of there!’
The door to Principal Celestia’s house creaked open silently. Sunset Shimmer slid slowly into the house through the small crack and then just as stealthily closed the door, allowing it to click before removing her boots and tiptoeing through the house, towards the stairs.
“Welcome back,” Celestia called out, turning on the hallway lights and startling Sunset Shimmer. “Did you have fun? I suppose you must have, since you stayed out until ten at night.”
Sunset Shimmer glared and fumed at the smug-looking principal standing before her, but no words came from her mouth. Partially because she was tired, and partially because she still hadn’t explained to herself why she had stayed out so late with those people.
“… I’m going to take a bath,” Sunset finally said after a short staring contest with Celestia, trudging up the stairs with a heavy sigh. ‘Next time I should just keep running and mind my own business…’