A very tall man with pale skin, a gaunt body clothed in ragged black, and long black hair stood by the statue in front of CHS, bathed in the moonlight. He looked at the statue's base, then back at the destroyed doorway of the school. He inhaled through his nostrils, and sighed deeply.
"So...warm." he said, quietly. "Still fresh. Just as I suspected."
A couple of people walked up to the statue from the other side.
"I bet she's still here, hiding like the coward she is." said a voice. "I'll teach her to bully my kids like that."
"Don't you think you're taking this too far?" said a young woman's voice.
"Trust me, I know how to deal with these types." said the first voice.
A man and a younger woman, presumably the man's daughter, walked around to the other side of the statue, where they saw the stranger standing erect under the starlit sky.
"Oh...sorry." said the man. "We were expecting someone else to be here."
The stranger turned around to talk to face the man and woman. He glared at them through his red-rimmed sunglasses, which had lenses darker than the night itself.
"Whoever you're looking for..." he said coldly. "You won't find them here."
He approached them.
"Okay...well, good evening then." said the man.
But the stranger came closer and closer to the father. He bent his head forward so that he was a few inches from the parent's face.
"Yes..." said the stranger. "A very good evening."
"Okay." said the man. "Thanks, mister."
"Hey, dude. Like, what's your problem?" said the girl.
Faster than a shooting star, the stranger clasped his long bony hands around the necks of the man and his daughter, and held them up in the air. The man dropped a taser that he had kept concealed in his pocket.
"You will leave this place, and never come back." the stranger told them, eerily. "If you do, I'll be waiting. Do you understand?"
"Y-ye..." choked the father. "Yes sir..."
The stranger let the two go, and watched as they ran away panicking in the gloom.
"I have use for you yet, Sunset Shimmer." the stranger said to himself. "I can't let anyone try anything questionable around you...yet!"
It was two hours to sunrise, and Sunset rolled around in her sleep, moaning uncomfortably. She was experiencing a night terror. After ten minutes of nonstop whimpering, she woke up, her skin beaded in sweat. She shook her hair, and bawled her eyes into her hands. She climbed out of bed, and got a bottle of water out of the fridge. She opened it, and took a huge swig from it. She took a throw-pillow off the couch, and screamed into it.
"C'mon, I've gotta get a hold of myself." Sunset said to herself. "Everything's gonna be okay, girl. Maybe things will get better."
Sunset Shimmer woke up groggily the following morning, yawning noisily. She decided to turn on her television, switching to Channel 15. Just as she suspected--yet she wish didn't--there was a news report involving Canterlot High.
"For those tuning in, Canterbury had a rude shake in its slumber, as seen here." said a reporter. "Last night, a strange incident has left Canterlot High School without a main entrance."
Sunset cringed, rubbing her legs together nervously.
"While nobody was seriously injured, the actual cause has been nigh impossible to identify." said the reporter. "We have a few witnesses here with us, who claim to have seen what happened."
The reporter went over to a tough, thuggish-looking man that was gaping in awe at the wreckage.
"Sir, do you have any comments on this? You have seen what caused this, correct?"
"Oh, yeah." said the man, absent-mindedly. "I know what did this."
"And that would be...?" asked the reporter, who was holding his microphone up to the witness's mouth.
"Aliens." said the man in a professional tone.
"Excuse me?" asked the reporter.
"Spacemen wrecked the place. I tell ya, just like Mr. Wells would've described it! I saw them abduct someone in their UFO, and they started shooting death rays at the school!"
If it weren't for the fact that she herself was involved in the actual (and traumatic) event, Sunset probably would've burst out laughing.
"Um...thank you." said the reporter, who was clearly as unamused as Sunset. "Moving on to the next witness..."
He went over to another man, who was holding a gilded cross in both of his hands.
"The End of Days is upon us!" said the man. "The Prince of Darkness has sent his emissaries upon our mortal world! Repent, or we will all burn in a sea of everlasting flames!"
"Well, thank you for that vivid insight." said the reporter, rudely brushing the man off so that he could find another witness. "Okay, how about you?"
He held the microphone up to what looked like a homeless person.
"Terrorists!" shouted the man, who was clearly intoxicated on something. "They blew up...the...the...school. They want to get back at the government! They want their message to be made clear!"
"Sir, what terrorists would you be referring to?" asked the reporter.
"The ones that stole weapons from the Army!" said the witness. "Look at that! Don't tell me that doesn't look like a bazooka blasted that doorway apart!"
Sunset Shimmer growled again. She stood up, and turned off the television set. She scowled at the blank screen, angry at how out-of-proportion the people were acting. On the other hand, though, at least none of them seemed to suspect that she actually had anything to do with it. For a while, she thought about whether or not she should leave town. But then she dismissed the idea, thinking that if that were the case, she should've just ran straight for the portal last night, when she had the chance. At least here in Canterbury, she would have a chance of waiting for the portal to open again.
After a brief shower, she put her clothes back on and slipped into her knee-length boots. Sunset then went downstairs to speak to Frosty.
"Hey, Frosty." said Sunset, meekly waving her hand.
"Sunset, I was just watching the news!" said Frosty. "Man, it's no wonder you came back looking like that! I'm just grateful you're still alive, after...whatever the heck happened at that school!"
"Thanks for the concern, Frosty." acknowledged Sunset. "How'd you sleep?"
"Oh, fine." said the landlord. "Especially since Nose Nip went and fixed my alarm clock. The stupid thing was beeping on and off all week!"
Then Sunset frowned a little, and Frosty noticed.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"No, it's just that I watched that same news report." said Sunset. "I'm a little scared, to be honest."
"Wow, are you serious?" said Frosty, in disbelief. "You, Sunset Shimmer, the toughest girl I've ever met, are scared?"
"Mmm-hmm." nodded Sunset.
"Now, now, I can tell when someone's serious. Please, come take a seat with me." the landlord pointed to a stool behind his desk.
Sunset felt obligated to sit herself down, and nervously crossed her legs. Frosty sat down on his own chair, and turned it to face Sunset Shimmer.
"Now please, could you tell me what's wrong?" requested the landlord. "Don't be shy! You can tell me anything you want!"
Sunset Shimmer nervously adjusted herself, and turned her head to face the front door for a moment.
"Okay, Frosty." said Sunset. "I think I might have made some enemies at my school. In fact, I probably made a lot of enemies."
"Really?" said Frosty, evenly. "And are you afraid that they might do something to you?"
"I am." said Sunset, nodding slowly.
"Should I call the police about it?" asked Frosty. "Because I practically have Police Chief Star Shield on speed-dial."
"Nah." sighed Sunset Shimmer. "It'll just over-complicate things. I just want you to turn away anyone that might come looking for me. I'd rather not be disturbed."
"Understood, Sunset." said Frosty. "Anyone that comes looking for you with intentions to harm you will have to deal with me and Nose Nip first."
He reached underneath his desk, and pulled out--to Sunset's surprise--a double-barreled sawed-off shotgun, which he then twirled for a while in his hand.
"You see? This is how determined I will be to keep my word." said Frosty. "Nobody gets away with hurting my tenants, unless they fail to pay the rent. Even then, I'd never let 'em get hurt too badly. It'd be bad for business, after all."
"Thanks, Frosty." smiled Sunset. "I really appreciate this. But, do you think you could put that gun away? I get really nervous around firearms. Especially shotguns."
"Oh, right." said Frosty, checking to make sure there were no shells loaded in the gun's twin chambers, and then placing the weapon back under his desk. "Let's just keep this a secret between us, shall we? I'm technically not allowed to own a shotgun that's had its barrels sawed off like that."
"No problem." said Sunset.
"But, if you'd like, I could pull a few strings to get you a temporary license to use firearms." offered Frosty. "After all, that's the beauty of our nation's Bill of Rights. And I happen to know a guy in my hometown of Baltimore, that could lend you a revolver or even a hunting rifle."
"No thanks." declined Sunset. "Guns just aren't my style. I'm more into hand-to-hand and close-quarters combat...if any combat at all."
"Then how about I buy you a hunting knife or a switchblade?"
"I'm the kind of girl that prefers to use blunt objects, if any weapons at all...and I've already got that part covered."
"Well, if you insist." nodded Frosty. "But if you'd like, I could have Nose Nip drop you off at the school to see you safely there. Hell, I'd do it myself, if I weren't so obligated to check up on the other people living in this building."
"Well, I guess that'd be okay." said Sunset. "But just for the first few days. I'd like to see if things can blow over."
"Right, then." acknowledged her landlord. "By the way, I've also gotten around to fixing up your cell phone."
He opened a drawer in his desk, and handed a mobile phone to Sunset.
"I've even payed the latest bill for it." he added. "If you have any problems at your school, just whip it out and give me a holler. Nose Nip and I will come charging in!"
"Then I guess I'll keep that in mind." said Sunset with a small grin.
"Good morning, boss." said the voice of Nose Nip, who just walked in through the front door, before turning to notice who was sitting with Frosty. "And it's good to see you, Sunset. Mr. F here told me you had a little problem last night."
"You have no idea." said Sunset, slightly uneasy about it.
"Well, I'm glad to see you're okay." said Nose Nip.
"Thanks." Sunset grinned.
Nose Nip had always been nice to Sunset, ever since the night she stumbled onto his apartment building.
TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO...
Sunset slowly and cautiously walked down the road from the statue she had emerged from just a few minutes ago. She had already discovered that she was unable to use magic, on account of her transformed body. She considered walking back to the portal to go back to the world where she could use it, but decided that she had already sealed her own fate in Equestria. Not only had Princess Celestia disavowed her as her star pupil, but banned her from entering the palace. Adding to that, she broke into the palace again to get close to the artifact that overwhelmed her curiousity, and then used it for selfish intentions.
If she crossed over again, she would probably suffer an even worse fate than simply being unable to use magic. She formulated her plan to get back at Celestia for denying her the power she deserved. It would be a long, monotonous, and risky task, but she believed that she might be able to find some way to attain power in this world. If she was lucky, she might be able to recruit some of the locals to assist her in her conquest.
But then she stopped at the intersection of Excalibur Avenue and Dodge Boulevard, and examined her own anatomy. To her dismay, she discovered that she was now physically younger than she was in Equestria, by at least two years. There was no way that she could possibly get any of the kind of support she'd want, and just because she had the body of a sixteen-year-old teenage girl. Sunset cursed under her breath, and looked around for someplace where she could sleep the night away. She walked down Dodge Boulevard, and noticed an alleyway.
There was a stack of cardboard boxes against the brick wall of one of the buildings, which Sunset Shimmer promptly approached with the intention of laying either on top of them, or underneath. She extended her hands forward in an experimental fashion, bending her new body's appendages up and down, and grabbed one of the boxes. Suddenly, there was a loud, shrill yowling noise and a stray cat that was hiding underneath the box dove out between Sunset's legs. Immediately afterwards, a string of loud barks announced an oncoming dog, which knocked Sunset clean off her feet as it chased after the cat. Sunset toppled over, and banged her elbow against a glass bottle, which shattered beneath her and caused her to cry out in pain.
Growling furiously, she grabbed the top of the broken bottle, and tossed it after the dog and cat. But it missed, and shattered against a side-door in the building opposite the one with the brick wall. There was a loud grumbling noise, and a tall man built like a lumberjack opened the door and poked his head out.
"What's going on out here?!" he demanded. "Who's out here throwing stuff?"
He looked around and saw Sunset laying on the ground, clutching her elbow. Confused, the man walked towards her, avoiding the bottle fragments that littered the pavement.
"Hey, girl! Are you hurt at all?" asked the stranger.
When he tried to pick her up, Sunset hastily kicked her foot at the man's knee.
"Hey, hey! I'm not gonna hurt ya!" said the man, cautiously. "You look like you're in serious pain. Why don't I get ya inside, and my boss can help you out!"
Since Sunset was in too much pain to argue, and felt she had nothing to lose, she permitted the man to carry her into the building. He set her down in a chair, and went into another room.
"Yo, Frosty!" said the man's voice. "I just found a girl out in the alley, and she's hurt pretty bad!"
"I'll be right there, Nose Nip." said a second voice, who Sunset deduced to be Frosty.
A shorter man wearing spectacles entered the room, and gently grabbed Sunset by her wounded arm, inspecting it for glass fragments.
""Geez louise!" he commented. "Don't worry, I've got some tweezers right here."
He pulled off Sunset's leather jacket, and carefully plucked the pieces of glass out of her arm. When he picked the last fragment out, he wiped the blood off her elbow with a piece of fabric. After that, he came back and put a band-aid over Sunset's wound.
"There you go, young lady." said Frosty. "It looks like I just saved you a trip to the hospital."
"Where am I?" asked Sunset Shimmer, as soon as the pain eased up.
"You're in my apartment building." said Frosty, who looked rather sore that Sunset didn't thank him.
"No, I mean what's this world called?" asked Sunset.
"Um, Earth." said Frosty. "Kinda thought you could figure that out for yourself."
"Now, now, Frosty." said Nose Nip. "Maybe English isn't her first language?"
"It is my first language." said Sunset, loudly. "I'm just new around here, okay? I actually meant 'what's this town called'?"
"Canterbury." replied Frosty. "So, you're new around here, huh?"
Sunset nodded slowly.
"What state?" asked Nose Nip.
"What?" asked Sunset.
"Which state of the country are you from?" asked Nose Nip again.
"I'm not from this country." said Sunset.
"So you're...an immigrant?" asked Frosty, curiously.
"I guess so." said Sunset.
"Who do you live with?" asked Nose Nip. "Because if your family has a phone number, I could tell them that you're here, and they can pick you up."
"I don't have a family." said Sunset. "It's just me, and me alone."
"Do you at least have a house somewhere in town?" asked Nose Nip. "Because I have a truck, and could drop you off somewhere."
"No." said Sunset. "I don't even have a home..."
Her eyes began to water.
"I got kicked out." she whimpered. "And they...they wouldn't let me come back!"
"Now, you're going to be okay, little lady." said Nose Nip, putting a comforting hand on Sunset's shoulder. "You're gonna be just fine. By the way, do you have a name?"
"Sunset Shimmer." replied the girl. "My name's Sunset Shimmer."
"You have a beautiful name, Sunset." said Nose Nip, with a smile.
"I know." said Sunset.
"Well, if you'd like, you could stay with me, Ms. Shimmer." said Frosty, before catching himself. "I mean, you could stay in my apartment building. I have a nice little room up on the third floor that I think would suit you perfectly. It's pretty cheap, too. Do you have any money on you?"
"Unless you take bits, then no." said Sunset.
Frosty whispered into Nose Nip's ear:
"What the heck are 'bits'? Some kind of foreign money?"
"Search me, boss." said Nose Nip.
Then the two men looked back at Sunset.
"Well, I'm sorry but I don't know what to tell you." said Frosty. "I run a very strict regiment with my tenants. If you don't have a way to pay your fee, I'm going to be legally obligated to expel you from this building after a couple of days."
"Great, just great." groaned Sunset. "First, I'm in a town in a country I'm not even familiar with, and now I'm at risk of getting in trouble with the local police without doing anything wrong!"
Nose Nip turned to Frosty.
"Boss, do we have to kick her out?" he asked. "I mean, just look at her! She's practically defenseless!"
"Um...yeah!" said Sunset, who decided to exploit the situation. "Please, have mercy on me, O honorable and merciful Frosty!"
"Sorry, missy, but if you want to actually live here, you better be able to pay the rent, which is $84.99 a month." said Frosty. "And that's pretty cheap compared other apartments in this town. If not, you better get ready for a long walk back to...whatever city you came from."
"Vanhoover." said Sunset, involuntarily, before clasping her hands to her mouth.
"What was that?" said Frosty. "Did you just say 'Vancouver'? So you're from up North, in Canada?"
"Sure, let's go with that." said Sunset, who decided not to correct him, as it would just raise more questions.
"Oh, wow!" Frosty suddenly smiled. "You're Canadian! Then that changes everything! Why the heck didn't you just say so? I absolutely adore Canadians, especially the girls. I tell you what: If you agree to do a little work around the building every once in a while, then you can stay as long as you want."
"I will gladly do whatever you say, 'boss'." said Sunset, who got up from her chair and bent down to nuzzle against her new employer. "Whatever you say."
And she hugged him.
"Easy there, kid." said Frosty. "We only just met!"
"That reminds me, Sunset." said Nose Nip. "What school do you go to?"
"I don't go to any schools right now. You could say I jumped ship." said Sunset, letting go of Frosty.
"Well, you could go to Canterlot High." suggested Frosty. "I mean, since it's just around the corner from here."
"Canterlot High?" repeated Sunset.
"Yeah, it's a pretty neat place to go to." said Frosty. "And I happen to be good friends with Ms. Celestia, so you could probably start there when the next semester starts."
"Celestia?" gasped Sunset, alarmed.
"Yeah, she's the principal there. She's a very nice lady, too." said Frosty. "I think you'll like her. Plus, her sister Luna's the vice principal there."
"So, this really is some kind of alternate world from the one I came from." thought Sunset. "Maybe I could find a way to make a difference here, after all!"
"Okay, Frosty." said Sunset. "That sounds good to me! So, about that apartment..."
PRESENT DAY...
"About that apartment of hers..." said Frosty, who was talking to Nose Nip about Ms. Zecora upstairs. "Could you take that sledgehammer of yours and knock her door down with it? I know she's in there! I know she's just dodging the bills!"
"Oh, I would, but I already lent mine to Sunset over here." said Nose Nip. "Just last night."
"Oh, yeah!" said Sunset, who snapped out of her deep thoughts. "I left it at the school! I'll be right back!"
And then she ran out the door before Nose Nip and Frosty could respond to her...only to come running back a couple minutes later.
"Oh, right. The police probably took the stuff as evidence." said Sunset. "Sorry."
"Ugh." said Nose Nip. "Second time this month. Don't worry, Sunset. I don't blame ya."
"If I could, Nips..." said Sunset. "Could I come with you to the hardware store?"
"Sure." said Nose Nip, nodding happily.