"Whoa...bummer!" grumbled Pinkie Pie, after bumping into the base of the statue.
Sunset Shimmer, who stood at the wrecked doorway of Canterlot High, heard this. She looked out to see Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash standing around the statue that housed the portal to Equestria. The portal that, from that moment on, was sealed shut, and would never open again for another thirty moons. And here she was now, stranded on the wrong side.
Terror seized her, Terror and guilt. She wanted to scream out, break something, do anything that could vent her frustration. But she was too sad and weak to do any such thing. Instead, she sat down against a wall when Snips and Snails had gone further back into the building for more supplies, and cried her pain away in silence. She didn't care who was watching her, didn't care if Vice Principal Luna was going to punish her even further for discontinuing her work on the doorway. She needed this.
Hateful, sickening memories flooded through her: The day she abandoned her studies with Princess Celestia, the year she spend bullying the other students, the pain she felt when she put on Twilight Sparkle's crown, and the madness that consumed her mind when she turned into that...abominable thing. And it was all her fault. She understood this completely. Sunset Shimmer, former student of Princess Celestia and unicorn extraordinare, not only caused trouble for every other person around her, but had thrown away her own life at this expense to pursue her own selfish desires.
And now the tidal wave had reversed direction, and she wasn't at the top. In fact, she was now at the mercy of everyone around her. All the bullying, lying, cheating, and manipulating she had exercised at this high school was going to be her undoing. She could just imagine all the students at this school lining up to give her a thrashing for what she did.
And her little "stunt" just a few minutes ago was bound to have the local authorities--the police, the FBI, even the National Guard--come after her. They wouldn't care if she was repentant, or that she had all her evils practically zapped away by the powers of a set of magical artifacts from the same magical world that she originated from. For all they would know (or care), she was a dangerous criminal or terrorist. She'd be lucky if she was just sent to a state prison for what she did, and especially what she tried to do.
"Sunset Shimmer." said the voice of Vice Principal Luna, who was now standing in front of Sunset. "Could you stand back up? I want to talk to you."
Sunset said nothing, and didn't move even an inch.
"Sunset, please." said Luna. "I just want to talk to you."
Sunset Shimmer slowly stood back up, and looked into the vice principal's bluish-green eyes.
"You're going to have the cops arrest me, aren't you?" whimpered Sunset, stiffly. "I bet I'm getting the death penalty for this."
"Now, don't act like that, Sunset." said Luna, who put a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "No, I already talked it over with my sister, and with Twilight Sparkle. We all agreed that we should not report this to the police. However, we will have to try hard to keep things quiet about what happened here to the rest of the town."
"What's the point, Ms. Luna?" questioned Sunset. "The entire student body knows what happened here. And they know now about how I've been acting since the day I came here."
"Don't you worry, dear." said Vice Principal Luna. "We will also make sure the students keep quiet about what happened here, too. I promise that as long as you go to this school, you will not be harmed by any student. But still, I am certainly curious about you, and how you came to be here to begin with. Would you mind sharing this with me?"
Sunset nodded mechanically. She pointed towards the statue in front of the school. Twilight Sparkle's friends had since vacated from the area to go back to their homes.
"You see that?" she said.
"Yes, of course." nodded Luna.
"Well, concealed in the base of that statue is a portal to a parallel world." explained Sunset. "A world inhabited by magical creatures, mainly ponies. There are three kinds: Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. In that world, which is called Equestria, I was a unicorn, and could use magic there."
"And yet, you are but a teenage girl on this side." said Vice Principal Luna. "And you were unable to use that magic, I take it?"
"Yes." said Sunset. "A unicorn can only use its magic through its horn, and this body has no horn. Therefore, I cannot use magic at all, unless I have a magical artifact channel it out."
"Like Twilight Sparkle's crown?" deduced the vice principal. "But why does the portal change your body so?"
"I have no idea." said Sunset.
"But the portal is right there, so why don't you simply walk over there, and go back to where you belong? Surely, that would be safer for you than staying here?"
"I can't." said Sunset, who now had a frustrated tone in her voice. "The portal only opens every thirty moons, and it deactivated right after Twilight Sparkle used it to go back to Equestria."
"Thirty moons? So that means you would have to wait a month before you can use it again?"
"No. Not thirty nights. Thirty lunar cycles!" corrected Sunset, bitterly. "And I don't know why! I didn't build the thing, so don't ask me how or why it works that way!"
"But that would mean that it won't open again for two and a half more years!" gasped Luna. "Sunset, why did you not tell me about this earlier? If I had known that, I would've wanted you to go through that portal!"
"Well, I wanted to go back." said Sunset. "But Twilight Sparkle told me to stay here."
"Why ever would she do that?" asked Luna.
"To seek out the magic of friendship." mumbled Sunset.
"What was that, dear?"
"Nothing." said Sunset. "Look, this is going to be a very long, painful thirty moons for me. I just know it. So if you don't mind, I'd like to go back to my apartment. If you need me to do anything, I'll take care of it later."
"Understood, Sunset." said Vice Principal Luna. "Tomorrow is Saturday, so if you don't mind, I would like you to come back then, and help some more on the damages your demon form caused to the school."
"Okay, Ms. Luna." said Sunset. "Well, good night. And thank you for being so understanding."
Vice Principal Luna opened her arms, and gave Sunset a warm hug.
"Good night, Sunset." she said. "Oh, and one other thing?"
"Yeah?" replied Sunset, whose eyes were watery again.
"I would like you to try experimenting with that portal." said the vice principal. "Maybe you could find a way to get that thing opened before another thirty moons come to pass. Not that I'm worried that our strategy will fail, but it is always good to keep your options open."
"I'll keep that in mind. Bye!" Sunset pulled herself away, and walked along the sidewalk to Dodge Boulevard. She turned right until she reached the apartment complex. She went in through the front door, where the landlord was yawning slowly at his desk.
"Wow, I thought you'd never come back!" he said to Sunset, once he noticed her. "So, how was your school dance? Did you get crowned again?"
"Nah." said Sunset, lightly.
She sniffled a little. The landlord heard this, and took a close look at Sunset, noticing her dirt-stained face, saline-drenched cheeks, disheveled hair, and tattered jacket.
"Holy mother of--!" he exclaimed in surprise. "What da heck happened to ya?!"
"C'mon, Frosty. It's been a long night, and I'm very tired." said Sunset, dismissively.
"But look atcha!" said the landlord. "Why're ya all dirty and ruffled up? Stay right there."
He grabbed a handkerchief from a drawer in his desk, and walked up to Sunset. He was at least half a foot shorter than Sunset, yet nearly twice her age. He had to stretch his arm ever so slightly as he rubbed the dirt off of his tenant's face.
"Who in their right mind could possibly do this to a beautiful young woman like you?" asked Frosty, once he finished rubbing the last speck of dirt off Sunset's nose. "It just ain't right."
"It's nothing, okay?" Sunset shook herself away. "I've just had a rough night. A very rough night."
"Honestly, I've never seen you in this condition, though!" said Frosty. "How could a tough lady like you have such a hard time?"
"It's complicated, Frosty." said Sunset, after a brief pause. "But it's been a long night, and I'd just like to go up to my apartment."
"That's okay, Ms. Shimmer. But wouldn't you like me to do something about that jacket of yours?"
He felt through one of the holes in the back of Sunset's leather jacket.
"It looks like a dog gnawed on it or something." commented the landlord. "If you'd like, I have a friend in town that's a tailor. He could fix it for ya, and then it'll be back to you tomorrow afternoon. Would you like that, Ms. Shimmer?"
Sunset Shimmer took a moment to think about it. Then she took off her leather jacket, and handed it to her landlord. She brushed some dust off of her purple t-shirt, and sighed.
"Actually, that would be kinda nice right now." she said, with a weak smile. "But please, just call me 'Sunset'. I'm not really in the mood for formality tonight."
"I have to say, Sunset: You're awfully polite now." said Frosty, with a smile of his own. "A lot more than this morning, that's for sure. Can I expect more of this, or is this just a one-time deal?"
Sunset paused for a moment.
"To be honest, I really don't know." she said. "Good night, Frosty."
"Good night." said Frosty, who gently patted Sunset on the back as she passed by him. "You're a good girl, Sunset. Don't you forget it."
"Thanks." Sunset acknowledged.
She went up to her apartment, and sat in the kitchen. After guzzling down a bottle of water to moisten her dried throat, she slid out of her long black boots and then went over to lay on her bed. Since she wasn't completely tired, she decided to switch on the radio beside her bed. She adjusted the dial, scanning the stations until she found one that came in clear.
"Fresh from the assembly lines here at Sombra Industries, the SombraTech Mark II combat shotgun is now available at over five hundred stores throughout this fine country to gun enthusiasts, hunters, farmers, private collectors, home owners, security organizations, and military personnel alike." said a man's voice on the radio. "For a modest price of $649.99, you will be able to defend your home from intruders of all kind. Whether you are fending off a gang of thugs, keeping unwanted guests off of your property, or putting some poor beast out of its misery, the newest upgrade of our third hottest-selling firearm is guaranteed to accomplish its task for the man or woman that wields it in their hands. New features include adjustable firing rate, compatibility with three different types of ammunition, a built-in auto-loader, and a collapsible laser scope for long-range targets."
Sunset Shimmer thought about this for a moment. At first, she thought it wouldn't be too bad an idea to get herself some protection, since it was likely that someone might decide to exact their vengeance on her for her actions in the past. But almost immediately, she rejected the idea of her ever using a firearm, even for self-defense. Even if she wanted to purchase a gun, she had nowhere near enough money to afford one, wouldn't be allowed a license since she was only a high school student in this world, and anyone with common sense would know better than to shoplift from a gun store.
Not that she would've needed a firearm to prove she could defend herself. During the time she spent here in the human world, she had learned several self-defense skills, such as boxing, kickboxing, tae kwon do, and fencing. She also had a couple of improvised weapons in her possession: a sledgehammer (which she had previously dropped by the statue in front of Canterlot High and never picked back up) and a golf club (which she kept under her bed to keep intruders out of her apartment).
But she seemed reluctant about doing this, since she was deeply troubled by the recent events at the Fall Formal. She decided that she would worry about it tomorrow, switched the radio off, and gently fell asleep on her bed.