“I should’ve known,” Sunset sighed. The look on her face was one of complete heartbreak.
“Dear, it’s just a jacket, and a…well, frankly, I never thought it looked good on you,” Rarity told her, even though it was likely a statement Sunset didn’t want to hear. The injured teen wasn’t too happy to hear that her jacket had been stolen by her assailants and set on fire in front of the school the following Monday morning. That in itself was bad – the stench of burnt leather tainted Rarity’s sensitive nose a half-day later, a sign that it would be lingering for a while. But just that alone would have been horrific; other students noticed that the jacket had been doused with what looked to be blood and…. Rarity shuddered in revulsion at that second thought; cleaning up after her pet cat Opalescence was one thing, but to have it smeared all over the garment? Small wonder that she, Bon-Bon, and a few other students had lost their breakfast on the front lawn that day.
But it had been the note, written on cardboard and set carefully away from the flames, that had been the piece d’ resistance: a somewhat misspelled but nonetheless tasteless and rude manifesto clearly indicating what Sunset’s mother could do to herself, Sunset’s lineage, and various other insults. It was more than enough to infuriate Rarity on behalf of her friend, and just as much the others in their circle. But none too surprisingly, the school had reacted in the usual manner: the faculty held an impromptu all-classes session in the auditorium, where Principal Celestia promised that unless the student responsible for the act came forward, there would be repercussions for the whole of the student body. Of course, the students involved never stepped forward and Celestia reacted accordingly by announcing that the Winter Wonderland Dance would be cancelled as a result.
“Yeah, but the jacket was the first thing I’d ever bought here on this world,” Sunset told her, “because I needed one and I really liked it.”
“But, the ‘biker’ look, quite frankly, is a bit gauche and not at all your style,” the fashionista told her. “Truth be told, I always felt it looked like you were screaming ‘I shop at Abercrombie!’ with that jacket. There’s so much more that looks better on you, really.”
“Thanks.” Sunset smiled wryly as she then added, “You know, the ironic thing about all this is that it wasn’t that note that bothered me. I mean, honestly, it’s probably true from a technical standpoint.”
“Sunset, dear, you can’t possibly—”
“No, Rarity, you misunderstand: what I’m saying is that my species probably could do half the stuff that the letter says; it’s just part of the way we’re built. Plus, with magic, well…you never know.”
“You really do still have magic?” Rarity asked.
“A little – it tends to waver depending on the cycles of the moon and some other stuff. I can do divinations, cantrips, and charms – the easy stuff. For heavier spells I’d need to be in my real form, and even Princess Twilight couldn’t figure out how to do that on this world.” Sunset paused in contemplation for a second before she asked Rarity, “Can you lock the door really quick?”
“Certainly,” Rarity said, figuring that Sunset was about to show her something.
As Rarity sat back in the chair once more, Sunset put her palm out, and a cerulean ball of fire appeared in her hand, giving Rarity a slight startle and then a soft gasp of awe. A second later, the sphere of energy twisted into a small figure, eventually creating a miniaturized version of Sunset’s true form.
“This is what I really look like,” the bedridden teen told her friend.
“You really are a unicorn?” Rarity asked. “I thought you were being facetious that one day, and then when the princess changed us all into those hybrids I thought that you might have been descended from an equine species, just like we humans are from primates, but I never actually imagined….”
“Now you know how I feel when I first got here,” Sunset laughed, then pantomimed her earlier reaction from years ago: “‘A sapient species descended from monkeys? Impossible!’”
“Why are you sharing this with me?”
“Because…well, think of it as an apology. I know I ruined the Spring Fling Dance for you back in April because I called you a fat cow. Truth is, I’m probably more like a cow than you’ll ever be, Rarity. And you have no idea how sorry I am for those words I said back then.”
The fashionista got up and embraced her friend. “It’s all in the past now, Sunset. Besides, we’re friends now, and we can just be miserable together, considering that Fluttershy probably looks better than both of us combined,” Rarity said, a melancholy smile coming into her face.
“Does she have any idea of how drop-dead gorgeous she looks?” Sunset asked.
“Well, I know that Applejack’s brother Macintosh said if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s been dating his girlfriend since their sophomore year, he’d ask Fluttershy out. Personally, I think he’s very attracted to her, but is too much of a gentleman to cheat on his girlfriend, since they are very good together.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to admit, Mac’s easy on the eyes,” Sunset agreed.
A wry smile came over Rarity’s face. “Oh, really? I wondered why you were dating Flash Sentry, but I guess that having a young man around is okay for you, regardless of species?”
Sunset blushed. “Rarity, I am a woman in my prime, you know. Besides, it’s kinda funny: there’s that weird theory I read once about how human girls are subconsciously attracted to horses in general, but maybe because they’re my genetic ancestors it doesn’t affect me. On the other hand, I…well, let’s just say there’s a lot of things I did in the past that I wish I could take back, but what’s done is done.”
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. While Sunset cancelled the spell, Rarity unlocked the door, and as she did, both Twilight and Octavia stood there, in their school uniforms. “Oh, hello, Rarity – what are you doing here?”
Octavia leaned against the door jamb and grinned. “So, did we interrupt any moments of young love?” she asked as she folded her arms.
“Well, I dunno, Tavi,” Sunset replied cattily, “considering that you, me, and Twily have already slept together.” When Rarity looked at her oddly, the flame-haired girl added with a grin, “Platonically, of course.”
“Oh.” A second later, the fashionista continued. “Well, as for me, I thought I’d come by and drop Sunset’s homework off. And you’ll have to excuse me; Sunset thought I should see the wound and I was concerned that your little brother might walk in accidentally.”
“Unfortunately, Spike does have a bad habit of wandering in where he’s not wanted,” Twilight admitted, “but I love the little guy all the same. Anyway, I popped in to say that since my parents and Tavi’s are headed out to the opera tonight, we were going to make dinner. Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup okay with you, Sunny?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’m not sure I can keep down anything heavy right now anyway.”
“Oh, and you’re welcome to stay for dinner as well, if you’d like, Rarity,” Twilight offered.
She shook her head, stating, “Thanks, but no; I have to pick up my sister from her singing practice, and then I’ve got to head to work for my shift today. But I sincerely appreciate the thought.”
“Rarity?” Sunset said from her bed, “thank you for everything. I mean that.”
“Sunset, dear, you should know by now – that’s what friends are for,” Rarity said, bending over once more to give her friend another hug. “Besides, after today, I daresay we’re closer now than we’ve been before.”
“That we are,” Sunset agreed. “That we are.”
Seated in a booth at a Denny’s just outside of Ponyville and just off the Interstate, a very agitated young man with blue-hair and wearing a US Navy Blue Angels sweatshirt sat next to a rainbow-haired girl wearing a Mickey Mouse hoodie; she was currently sipping from a strawberry milkshake and occasionally looking out the window. The guy finished off his Coke and groaned.
“Look, Rainbow, not that I mind taking you places,” Soarin’ told her, “but could you explain to me why I had to drive you all the way out to Ponyville? Fuck, the gas alone, not to mention the 220-mile round-trip and my car needs new tires….”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Soarin’, I really appreciate this, okay? I mean it. Aside from my friends, you and Spitfire are the only ones I can trust, and this is important.”
“Yeah, well, you owe me a date for this one,” he told her.
“Fine, fine, fine. Movies this weekend, okay? My treat.”
“Works for me. So who are we meeting again?”
“Rainbow!” The voice called out in stereo, and two very hot teens, the kind that you usually found on the “Barely 18” websites that Soarin’ occasionally looked a…that Soarin’s friends occasionally looked at, not that he would know what they were, embraced his sometime-girlfriend. The slightest irreverent thought ran through his mind, and he buried it immediately, lest Rainbow put a fist in his face shortly.
“Hey, Cloudy, Flits, have a seat,” Rainbow said, as the twins plopped down next to her. It was then that Soarin’ noticed that as hot as they looked, they were dressed somewhat conservatively – hell, considering that Ponyville was a farming community 112 miles east of Canterlot, that shouldn’t have been too surprising, all things considered.
“Cloudy, Flits, this is my…sorta boyfriend, Soarin’. He plays basketball for our high school varsity team. Soarin’, this is Cloudchaser and Flitter, a couple of girls I went to school with before I moved to Canterlot.”
“Yeah, we were all living in Cloudsdale way back when,” Flitter said – and she had the cutest voice ever! – before she continued with, “But in our case, our dad got a job here in Ponyville as the town vet, so we moved to our grandparents’ horse ranch and, well, here we are.”
“Yeah, the girls run for Ponyville’s track team, and they’re fast as lightning,” the rainbow-haired athlete said.
Cloudchaser shuddered. “Ugh, Rainbow, do me a favor and don’t remind me of that skank – I can’t believe that she even said that shit.”
“Uh, someone want to fill me in on what’s going on?” Soarin’ asked.
“You…may have heard a rumor about us going around your school,” Flitter said, nervously adjusting her hairbow.
Soarin’ rolled his eyes. “It’s about you two?” When the twins nodded, the blue-haired youth rolled his eyes. “Sorry to hear that. All week I’ve been hearing some of the guys just invent the most outrageous crap about it, and it just seems to get worse and worse. Hell, Garble was just saying at practice this morning that his girlfriend Gilda wrapped you two up as a gift for him while she was on the rag and that you two work for pretty cheap.”
“Oh, God, we’re going to be ruined!” Cloudchaser said, slumping burying her face in her hands as she started to cry. Flitter immediately moved to her sister’s side, embracing her and wiping her tears away.
“Rainbow, you gotta do something!” Flitter said. “This is killing us – it might be all fun and jokes over in Canterlot and Cloudsdale, but in a small town like Ponyville…shit, the place is still like the 1950s at times! I can only imagine the shit we’ll be in if our parents hear about this!”
“And none of this crap is true!” Cloudchaser moaned.
“I’m working on it, girls. You have my word,” Rainbow said, “and you know I don’t bail out on my friends!”
“Hey, I have really no idea what’s going on, but if you need my help, I’ll be glad to do whatever I can,” Soarin’ offered.
“Thanks, Rainbow,” Cloudchaser said in a sobbing voice. “You too, Soarin’.”
“Hey, Cloudy, anything for an old pal. You know that,” Rainbow said, before a thought came to her. “Cloudy, you mentioned something about not reminding you about somebody?”
“Yeah, you mentioned Lightning Dust, didn’t you?” the girl with the sky-blue, spiky-bob hairstyle replied. When Rainbow Dash shook her head, a light went on in Cloudchaser’s mind. “You know, this didn’t start that long after we were hit up by her.”
“Really?” Rainbow said, giving her friend a lidded look.
“Yeah. We were at the Regional Track Meet last month, when she came up to us and started looking at us like we were pieces of meat. Then she made that – ugh – ‘proposal’. Well, neither sis nor I wanted to hear that crap, so we bet her that we could outsprint her in the 400-meter dash. Then she goes on about being Olympic material, and that we must really want it to bet her, and all that jazz.”
“Yeah, sounds like Lightning, alright,” Rainbow muttered. “Girl’s got an ego on her the size of a city block. So what happened after that?”
Flitter grinned. “Smoked her – ‘Olympic material’, my ass. I was easily a half-second ahead of her and Cloudy was even faster – she barely missed breaking the state record. Another girl from Goldwater was behind us and ‘Ms. Gold Medal’ was a solid fourth. Oh, she was not happy.”
A thought crossed Soarin’’s face. “Is it possible then that she spread the rumors just to get back at you two?”
“I have to wonder if that’s what happened,” Flitter replied. “Great – she’s a creep and a sore loser.”
“Well, I’ll put a stop to any of the guys trying anything,” Soarin’ assured them. “There might be a few, but I’ll do everything I can.”
“And I think it’s time I had a personal chat with a certain individual next time I see her,” Rainbow said, a wicked grin coming over her face as she smashed a fist into her palm.
Later that night, Sunset was gingerly changing into pajamas when there was a knock on the door. “Yeah, come in,” she said, figuring that it was one of the girls coming by to check on her; sure enough, it was Tavi. “Oh, hey, didn’t know you were staying overnight, Tavi.”
“Yeah. Mom’s been dying to see the opera since it’s in town, and I’m guessing your parents and mine are—” The raven-haired girl shook her head. “Listen to me: you’ve only been here a month and I’ve gotten so used to you being here that I accidentally referred to Uncle Night and Aunt Velvet as your parents. Well, they really do think well of you.”
The smile on Sunset’s face fell. “Um…yeah.”
The look on Octavia’s face was one of bewilderment. “I…hope I didn’t say anything wrong.”
“No, it’s not you – it’s me,” Sunset said in a manner that hinted that she wanted to talk; Octavia immediately sat down and listened. “Tavi, it’s just….” She sighed, shaking her head. “Do you know the real reason I went back there? I didn’t tell Shining the whole story—”
“I hope you didn’t lie to him,” Octavia interjected.
“—but I didn’t lie, either,” Sunset finished. “I guess I went back because I was wondering who I really am now. For four years, it was just me in that little room, on my own, me against the world and liking every moment of it. And now so much of it is slipping away – the place where I lived, my jacket….”
“That jacket must’ve been important to you. Rarity said you were more distraught about that than the note.”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m an orphan and I never knew who my parents were, so I can’t get angry about that. Furthermore, while I did have a guardian…a mother figure…I ran away of my own accord and I think, no, I’m actually pretty sure she doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore, else she would have come for me.” Sunset left out the rest of the detail; while she trusted Octavia, she didn’t know how to explain the truth.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive – I wouldn’t be here otherwise. But it was the jacket that was the first thing that was truly me. I know that sounds dumb, and maybe Rarity’s right that I bought it for all the wrong reasons, but it was the first step in making myself who I am. But now, I’m not sure that was the best thing. And now I don’t know who I am anymore.”
Octavia looked worried. “I think I’d better go get Twily as well, Sunny,” the teen said, rising from her seat.
“I’m already up,” a familiar voice said from the door. “I was making sure Spike was in bed and I overheard you two talking.” The purple-haired girl immediately sat down on the bed next to Sunset. “I knew something was bothering you, but when you locked the door and were talking privately to Rarity, I figured that you were just too embarrassed to mention it to us.”
“No, it’s not that—”
“We’re not offended, Sunny. She’s your friend, and you’ve known her far longer than you have us,” Twilight commented.
“Girls, it’s just that….” Sunset’s features screwed in concentration as she tried to search in her mind for the best way to explain what she really couldn’t voice. “I’ve just been on my own for so long, that I…I’m sorry. I feel caught between a rock and a hard place. I adore you guys – even Spike,” she said with a sloppy smile, “but even after all this time I still kinda feel like I’m not sure I belong. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I….”
“I hope we’re not—”
“No, of course not! You guys dropped everything to get to the hospital when I ended up there. That says everything right there!”
“Not if you’re still doubting yourself, Sunny,” Twilight said, as a sad look came over her face, even if just briefly. “Look, I know I’ve said this before, but…we’re your family now. And maybe Tavi and I can’t always understand what you’re going through, but we’re going to be here for you, always, no matter what. Sisters always are.”
“Um, Twily? How can you even think that? I’ve been here just for a few weeks now.”
Octavia added, “Yes, and yet you heard my earlier slip-up. It’s like you belong here now, Sunny. Besides, if Uncle Night were here, I know what he’d probably say: ‘Weeks can be but a lifetime and a lifetime’s not meant to be wasted on sorrow.’”
“Besides, you do like my parents, right?” Twilight asked.
“They’ve been nothing but wonderful to me, even when I haven’t deserved it,” Sunset admitted.
“Because that’s what family is, Sunny,” Octavia chimed in. “They’re always there for you, even when it doesn’t seem like it. Look at me: I’m an only child, and yet I’ve never had to worry about a lack of siblings, because I’ve always had Twily, Shiny and Spike there for me.”
“Besides,” Twily teased, “you are your own twin, after all.”
To Sunset’s surprise, Octavia’s eyes narrowed in genuine annoyance. “I wish you’d stop mentioning that, Twily – it’s really creepy.”
“No it’s not!” Twily defended. “I think it’s absolutely fascinating! I—”
“—am not a science experiment, Twilight,” Octavia said in a firm tone; it had been the first time since Sunset had known them that Octavia had ever used her cousin’s full first name.
“Yeah, I know, but I just think that it’s really neat, especially since it’s biology, which is fascinating in and of itsel—”
“Look, Mr. Spock, can we just drop it and get back to helping Sunny with her issue?” Octavia said, groaning in frustration.
Finally Sunset had enough of watching one cousin glare at the other. “What is she talking about?”
“I can’t believe I’m talking about this,” Octavia muttered. “Do you know what a chimera is?”
“Um, mythological thing?” Sunset’s only knowledge of it was from the song on Discord’s album. Come to think of it, I think I remember something about something by that name in the Flame Geyser Swamp or thereabouts back in Equestria, but I’m not completely sure.
“No,” she sighed, “I mean the biological term.” When Sunset shook her head, Octavia continued; it was clear that she was doing so reluctantly. “Well, you know what fraternal twins are, right? At one time, I was apparently going to have a twin brother or sister, I don’t know. Well, apparently…he or she…is me.”
“Wat.” The look on Sunset’s face even seemed to unintentionally copy the internet meme she’d seen, though without a mirror she wasn’t aware of that. Twilight, who was, had to prevent herself from laughing, lest she further irritate Octavia.
“While I was forming in my mother’s womb…basically the fetus that was me and the fetus that was my sibling merged, kind of like the opposite of identical twins,” Octavia explained, quaking slightly at her clarification.
Sunset blinked. Fusion? That actually happens here? The thought of that freaked her out a little: fusion spells were some of the worst of the worst black magic spells out there, though there were natural cases of it occurring; she remembered from her lessons with Princess Celestia about griffin mythology and how the griffin species was created – lions and eagles were fighting each other in a horrific war of attrition and the sheer amount of magic caused a backlash, eventually fusing the two creatures into one kind of being. It had ended up being the only way the war between the two species ended, and the remaining lions and eagles disowned their merged counterparts, leaving the new species to forge its own path. But while the sun alicorn had explained that the story was just mythology, Celestia did give a real-world example of a white magic fusion: the alicorn herself, a combination of pegasus, unicorn and earth pony essences.
“I….” Sunset began, but quickly stopped, not even really sure of what she could say.
Octavia nodded sadly. “Yeah, I know. It’s extremely rare – rarer than your condition, even – but I’m carrying two sets of DNA.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how’d you find out? I mean, if it’s that rare, it’s probably not something they check for often, I’m guessing,” Sunset inquired, the academic in her somewhat intrigued.
“Same way they found out about your blood: testing. In my case, when I was eleven, I had to have my appendix removed. When they did a check on my blood, they noticed that I was A-negative. Well, another doctor didn’t know my blood had been drawn, so he did it as well, but he came up with AB-positive. Since that can’t be possible – positive and negative bloodtypes normally mixed together can cause hemolysis, which is a blood disease – they immediately did a second round of tests on me, which is how they found out.”
“Wow,” was Sunset’s only response.
The look on Octavia’s face was suddenly fragile. “Do me a favor? It might seem cool to others, and it sounds like you’re comfortable with your unusual blood type, but to me, it’s always been kinda creepy – I had nightmares about it for days afterwards – and while I know Twily doesn’t really mean any harm by it, I’d rather the others not know. I’m sure they’re trustworthy, but…I’m just not comfortable with it.”
“No problem – I’m very good at keeping secrets, more than I’d like at times,” Sunset assured her.
“Thanks, Sunny,” Octavia said, yawning. “Well, I dunno about you, but it’s been a long day for me and I’m gonna go to sleep.” With that, went over to Sunset’s dresser and pulled out a spare pair of pajamas. “Mind if I borrow?”
“You’re sleeping in here?”
“Great idea!” Twilight agreed. “It’s always better when sisters are together, right?” she added.
Octavia and Sunset looked at each other, then as they looked at Twilight, the pair reached verbal synchronicity: “Twily, do you know where that comes from?”
The look on Twilight’s face was one of perplex. “I heard some guys mention it at the mall the other day while we were in Spencer’s, why?”
Octavia blinked and Sunset facepalmed. Sunset then said, “It’s the name of a series of pornos where sisters – um….”
She looked at them with confusion at first, then wide-eyed disgust and shock a half-second later. “Ewwww! You guys are…. That’s gross!”
“She really doesn’t get out much, does she?” Sunset cracked to Octavia.
“Well, in my defense I can say I’ve gone out on at least one date – with a boy from our sister school, the Muenchinger Institute for Young Men, and only because Dad wanted to strike a business deal with the boy’s father. Blueblood turned out to be a grabby creep who tried to cop a feel, but very fortunately for me, Shiny just happened to be on patrol that night and scared Blueblood to the point that he pissed his pants!” Octavia giggled. “After that, I decided that I’m just going to wait ‘til college, and I don’t doubt Twily’s much the same way.”
“Well, I did have a boyfriend not too long after I first got here,” Sunset admitted, “but he and I broke up. Good thing, too: the sex wasn’t worth it.” The other girls looked at her in surprise, and she said, “Look, I’ll admit it – I regret it. It’s part of why we called it quits.” Well, that and he kinda started having a thing for your pony counterpart, Twily, but I won’t mention that.
As they waved goodbye to Night Light’s brother and sister-in-law as they drove off, Night said to Velvet, “We should really do this more often, love.” The pair unlocked the door, stepped into the house and as he helped her with her coat, he added, “The girls are obviously old enough now to watch Spike and we’re not getting any younger.”
Velvet nodded in agreement. “Plus, it’s great spending time with Evening and Ballad,” she admitted. “With them always on the road, we don’t get to see them as much. I know Ballad’s privately admitted to me that Tavi’s over here so often that sometimes she fears I’m more her daughter’s mother than she is.”
“Yeah, Evening’s told me more than once that’s why they didn’t try for a second kid,” he told her.
“Well,” she said, yawning slightly, “I’m going to check on the kids and then head to bed. Long day tomorrow, including the parent-teacher conference; I’ll be meeting with Tia, Lulu and a few other teachers regarding Sunset.”
“Nothing bad, I hope,” Night asked as he removed his own longcoat.
“No, but I suspect they’ll bring up her recent injury. Hopefully Tia’ll have more information,” Velvet guessed.
As both adults ascended the stairs, the first place they checked was their son’s room. Spike was out like a light, though the TV in his room was still on, the telltale sign that he’d been playing videogames past his bedtime again. She was going to have to talk to him about that tomorrow and come up with an appropriate punishment.
Next was Twilight and Octavia’s room. The beds were made and unused, which probably meant that…
Sure enough, heading to Sunset’s room, the trio was asleep together again. As a maternal smile came onto Velvet’s face, she knew that having the troubled teen come live with them had been the right move. Tia had said in an email conversation that since the new arrangement had come about, Sunset was paying more attention in class, her grades were no longer borderline abysmal and she wasn’t giving the faculty conniption fits. The last was confirmed by Lulu, who added that she’d seen a marked improvement in Sunset’s behavior, given that she was a barely-controlled hellion at one point.
But now she has us, Velvet thought. Now she doesn’t need to face the world alone anymore.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Night said from behind her. “And yes, I agree: this was the right thing.”
“I’m glad you think so,” she said, not taking her eyes off her girls. “Here I am, Assistant Director of Equestria County’s Department of Social Services and I’ve never been a foster parent myself – somewhat hypocritical, given that I’ve had to tell countless foster parents over the years what to do. And by Sunset’s reputation, she was probably the worst possible choice – Tia’s only come around in the last week or so.”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m glad she turned out to be wrong.”
“So am I, love,” she sighed as he put his arms around her while they watched the girls dozing gently. “So am I.”
The following morning, Sunset woke up alone. That didn’t surprise her; with parent-teacher conferences going on at school today, the students had the day off, but that was at her school, so Twilight and Octavia had to head in. As she got up, she heard a commotion downstairs, and wondered who it could be, as she thought she was the only one home. Quickly taking a shower, she went downstairs to dig something out of the fridge, then maybe get caught up on her homework.
“So I see you finally decided to join the world of the living.” She saw Night Light sitting there, nursing a cup of coffee. “Can’t say I blame you; you’re still recovering from your injury and that can take a lot out of a person.” He looked at her and said, “There’s some Hot Pockets in the freezer if you’re hungry. Not the greatest thing in the world for breakfast, but I suppose it could be worse.”
“I’m surprised you’re here,” she told him.
“So am I,” he agreed. “Apparently they moved up the installation of some new equipment in the building on campus where I teach,” he explained, “so classes got cancelled for the rest of the week. Would’ve been nice if they’d told me that yesterday.” As Sunset threw a pair of the breakfast pastries in the microwave, he looked at her and said, “So I understand that your jacket was stolen and destroyed by whoever hurt you.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Caused a commotion the next day at school when whoever took it made a display of the whole thing.”
Night took another drink of his coffee and frowned. “I know she hasn’t mentioned it, but…Velvet and I really aren’t happy about you heading to the old warehouse, by the way. You could have been injured far worse than you were, Sunset. That part of town isn’t all that safe during the best of hours, yet you went there during the weekend, when there was no one around.”
“I—” she began, intending to tell him that she’d spent four years there relatively unmolested, so what was there to worry about? But then she looked at him and saw the disappointment in his eyes and seeing that flickered something within her. There was an unknown factor about his pained gaze that hurt her inside. She couldn’t really explain why; she’d faced plenty of teachers before, many of them male authority figures, and she rarely gave a flying fuck about what they thought. But regardless, the let-down visage on the gentle man sitting at the table made her feel guilty about everything that had occurred in the past couple of days.
“I’m sorry,” she told him, meaning it. She didn’t know what else to say, so she poured herself a glass of orange juice; it would be less awkward than the silence that was sinking in.
“I know,” he told her. “Velvet told me everything and I certainly understand how you feel, Sunset. I’ve been there myself sometimes. But it’s already mid-November and it should be snowing soon. We’re going to have to get you a replacement jacket.”
Sunset trembled, both at his words about the weather and at the behest of her memories; her first month here had been a January and the snow had fallen hard. She’d arrived completely in the nude – she never did understand how the princess had arrived with clothing when she came over – and had watched others from a distance, then focused enough to make raw approximations of clothing. She later found the money and with it, bought a jacket that had been mismarked at the mall. She’d cherished it, but like so many memories of her earlier years here on Earth, they were now just that – memories.
Meanwhile, Night continued to look at her as she ate the Hot Pocket and appraised her, as if he was pondering an issue. Finally, getting up from his chair, he said, “C’mon. I’ve got something to show you.”
“Okay,” she said, wolfing the last bite, draining the glass of juice and following.
They went over to the closet, and Night Light wasted no time in digging into the closet. “Ah, here it is.” He brought out a leather jacket, military style – and not just a military style, but according to the tags on the inside, the insignia and the flight patch, an actual military fighter pilot’s jacket, complete with the patch that read:
NOCTURNAL BREEZE “PEGASUS”
LCDR USN
“This used to belong to my brother, Nocturnal Breeze. Unlike my younger brother Evening and I, Nocty was a military man – he was a fighter pilot for the Navy. He loved flying those fighter jets – think he flew the F-18, if I recall correctly.”
“Was?” There was something about the word that hung on the older man’s lips.
Night nodded. “We lost him during the Gulf War back in the 90s. He was a damn good pilot, we were told, one of the best, and he was probably going to be in the Blue Angels someday. But something went wrong on his aircraft and it went down without him being able to eject – the Navy confirmed that he hadn’t been shot down; it was a mechanical malfunction that did him in. He’s buried in Arlington, with honors – but both Evening and I would rather have him back, as would our parents.” The man was silent for a moment, the words having brought back memories not long buried to the forefront.
“I’m sorry,” Sunset said once again. One of the things she’d had to catch up to speed on was the number of conflicts that various groups of humanity had with others of their own kind. At first, Sunset thought that, given her relatively aggressive nature – not common for ponies – she’d fit right in with her then newly-adopted species, but as of recent, she’d begun to wonder if Princess Celestia set the mirror to this world in order to exile ponies like her; unrepentant miscreants that might do enormous damage to Equestria, but here on Earth would be likely seen as nothing more than small-fries, or would be dealt with by the authorities here.
“Not your fault; you weren’t even born then,” Night assured her as he set aside his recollections, unaware of Sunset’s own thoughts. “Anyway, one of the things he had was a few of these jackets. I was told the Navy only gives out a couple of these things as standard-issue to their pilots, but he loved the damn things so much he’d bought several more for reasons I’ll never know. My dad has one, as does Evening and myself. And now,” he said softly, “this one’s yours.”
Sunset paused for a second, stunned, but then soon found her voice – somewhat: “I…I can’t. It’s not….” She was flustered; this was more than just buying her clothing or anything of the sort; this was a family heirloom. While she had nothing of the sort on her own, she could certainly understand the concept, and was now certainly reluctant to take what had to be a valued treasure from their family. “But what about Shiny? Or Spike? The girls?”
Night shook his head. “As much as I would love to give this to Shining, he’s a little too broad in the shoulders for it to fit him; besides, Shining already has all of his uncle’s medals in a display – he felt that would be enough to remember Nocty by. And Spike’s got one as well; someday he’ll be old enough to fit into his. As for Twily and Tavi? Neither of them wanted it and they have their own keepsakes of their uncle. Besides, you need a coat for the winter months – I understand it’s going to be a bad one this year – and I think my brother would do the same thing if he were here.”
She took the jacket as though it were a sacred item, gently slipping it on; somehow, it felt more right wearing this than the jacket she’d just lost. “I’ll treasure this always,” she told him, meaning every word of it and starting to become overwhelmed by the mixture of feelings running through her.
“I know,” he told her. “Besides, if you ask me, you look good in it – better than that old jacket. Just…do me a favor and don’t get stabbed again and have this one stolen as well.”
She was still overcome by the moment. “I don’t know…I just….” She started to tear up again. Night did the only thing he felt he could do: take the girl into an embrace, holding her as she stood there, shuddering from the tears.
“I don’t deserve any of this,” she told him. “I don’t deserve to have any of you.”
“It’s not about deserving or not deserving,” he told her. “It’s not even really about what you want, Sunset. It’s about what you need. Everyone needs someone in the end, and the only ones that don’t are either lying to themselves or worse. No one in the family sees you like that. You went back there because you were wondering what happened to your home…. Well, here it is: this is it. This is your home now.”
“Hey, Spitfire!” Rainbow specifically showed up to soccer practice an hour early, because the track team would still be working out this afternoon. She usually didn’t socialize in the same circle as the junior and with the vastly different schedule the two girls kept, this would be one of the only chances she’d have to put a stop to it.
“Heya, cuz!” Spitfire shouted as she walked towards her cousin, wiping the sweat off her brow with a towel before hanging it around her neck. Spitfire was the captain for the girls’ varsity track team and the honor was well earned; the junior held the current state record for the 200-meter dash and had almost broken the 400-meter dash. Track scouts for the US Olympic Team were already watching her and Rainbow couldn’t help but feel pride in her cousin’s accomplishments; she was, all in all, almost as awesome as Rainbow herself. “What brings you down here?”
“Looking for your favorite pain in the ass,” Rainbow growled. “Found out that she’s likely the ones behind the rumors about my old schoolfriends.”
“Yeah, heard about that,” Spitfire said, running a hand through her shaggy yellow-and-orange hair. “Those girls are good folks, and hate to see that shit. Anyway, the bitch is in the locker room; she blew a fuse because the rest of the relay team isn’t as fast as she is, even though she’s a fucking slowpoke herself.”
“Thanks.” Rainbow turned in the direction of the girls’ locker room before she felt Spitfire’s hand on her shoulder.
“Just…be careful,” the older girl advised. “She’s faster than you and I suspect she knows how to fight, and…call me crazy, Rainbow, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“That’s sweet, Spits. You almost managed to sound like Fluttershy there for a moment – almost, but not quite,” she teased.
“Rainbow, if I have to explain to Scoots why you’ve got a black eye….”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll be careful – bob and weave and all that shit,” she said as she walked off towards the locker room.
As Rainbow walked into the locker room, she could hear Lightning’s voice as she hit up another girl: “So, trust me, I’ll make you sing like an opera star—”
“Sick bitch!” A figure ran down the lockers, almost bowling over Rainbow. The prism-haired athlete noted that it was another one of her soccer teammates, Roseluck – and she looked very agitated.
“Hey, Rose, you okay?” Rainbow asked.
“Oh, God, Rainbow – I’m glad to see a friendly face!” Roseluck pointed an angry finger in the direction she’d run. “I was getting dressed for practice and that cunt’s been watching the whole time!”
“Hey, what can I say? You’re hot and nubile, and I bet you’re great in bed,” Lightning Dust said as she rounded the nearest stand of lockers. “Oh, and look, it’s Rainbow Dash! Wonder if it’s true what they say about you, too?” Reaching in her pocket, she pulled out a key. “You know, my house has a hot tub, and my parents out of town for the week…what’s say I introduce you two to the world of womanhood? Unless, of course, someone already beat me to it….”
“Uh, no, but you and I are going to have a nice little chat about some bullshit you’ve been spreading about a couple of friends of mine – the names Cloudchaser and Flitter ring a bell?”
The leering look of thought on Lightning Dust’s face would have been comical had it not been for the thoughts Rainbow knew was running through the older girl’s mind. “Yeah,” she said suddenly. “Pair of twins. Kinda boring, really – they were more interested in each other than me. Oh, they took care of my needs well enough, but I think they were really just there for the chance to—”
Lightning’s words were cut off by Rainbow smashing a fist against a locker. “I know you’re lying, you fucking skank. Just like I know you’re lying about what happened at the Regionals – I know that they blasted your ass and that you’re slow as shit. Face it: you’re just a jealous, unpopular carpet licker that is not only is a sore loser, but has no class, either. Small wonder you can’t get a guy of your own…or a girl!”
Lightning’s eyes narrowed. “I’d watch what you say before I shove that fist of yours straight up your own pu—”
“Back your words up, bitch.” Rainbow brought her fists up, just as her father had taught her to if she ever needed to protect herself. And while she’d been in a few scraps before, she remembered Spitfire’s words: I suspect she may know how to fight, Rainbow.
“Rainbow….” Roseluck said, afraid at the sudden escalation.
“Rose, get out of here,” Rainbow said, not taking her eyes off Lightning. “Let me handle this.”
“Be careful!” With that, the other girl raced out of the locker room.
“I almost had her,” Lightning said. “You owe me for losing out on that fine piece of ass, Dash.”
“Sorry, Rose is way too classy for you,” Rainbow taunted. “But on the bright side, I think her boyfriend might agree with you on her posterior.” Rainbow would have said more, had it not been for Lightning’s quick strike. While Rainbow had already been anticipating that she’d be attacked, she hadn’t counted on the speed of her assailant; Rainbow barely managed to dodge the first thrown at her.
Shit, she’s fast! Rainbow thought as Lightning retracted the arm. Fortunately, while I’m not exactly a track star, I’m no slouch in the speed department either, she thought, jabbing forward with her right fist. Unfortunately for Rainbow, her fist sailed through the area where Lightning had been just a few seconds earlier and connected with nothing, leaving her open—
—for Lightning to score a direct blow against Rainbow’s torso, knocking the breath from her. Rainbow collapsed to the ground, gasping; she hadn’t been hit like that before.
“Awwww, what, Dashie, not so fucking tough after all?” Lightning taunted, pulling the fallen teen up by the shirt. “I mean, after all, you clearly wanted me to show you how I did your friends because you wanted some of that action too, right?”
“Fuck you,” Rainbow snarled. “In case, you forgot, I have a boyfriend.”
“As if anyone’s going to believe the walking Gay Pride Flag. Everything you do screams butch, girlie, and I wonder: when you with him, do you imagine him as a girl, or are you the one wearing the strap—” Lightning never finished her word as Rainbow took that moment to take advantage of Lightning’s vulnerability, punching her in the stomach. While it was enough to get Lightning to release her, it didn’t last long.
Rainbow immediately took advantage of the situation, throwing another punch, aiming right at Lightning’s face. It connected, rocking the girl’s head back. But as she pulled back, Lightning immediately grabbed Rainbow and slammed her back against the lockers, kneeing her in the crotch. While it wouldn’t disable her on the same level as a guy, it certainly did hurt and gave Lightning enough time to grab Rainbow again and slam her face-first against another set of lockers.
Rainbow spat out a glob of blood that welled up when she bit her tongue; she was going to definitely feel that tomorrow. More immediately, she was going to feel the blow she took to the side as Lightning punched her in the solar plexus, making her gasp for air.
“Fucking skank,” Lightning said, wiping a rivulet of blood from her lips. “What, think I’m some pretty little princess like one of your buddies? No, I’ve been through enough dances, sunshine, and unlike you, I know how to handle myself.”
“Oh, hey, there you are!” A new voice rang out and both girls turned to see Gilda standing there, leaning against the locker. “Well, Lightning, I came by to pick you up – got tickets to the Floating Trashcans’ concert at the Broken Down Club at 7:30, but I guess you’re too busy in foreplay.”
Rainbow saw Gilda and the minute the two connected eyes, it did not look good. They had been friends once, back when they both lived in Cloudsdale on the same block. But something happened between them; Rainbow didn’t remember much, but she did recall that Gilda didn’t want to speak to her ever again, she said at the time. At the time, Rainbow’s mother assured her that she was just mad and that Gilda would come around in a week or two, but Rainbow later found out that her friend had moved to Canterlot two weeks later. They’d never made up as a result, and by the time both girls had found themselves at Canterlot High, they were very different people from the friendly children they’d once been…and were now definitely on different sides of the moral spectrum.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my old buddy Rainbow Dash. Hey, good to see you? Still fucking over your old friends? Or do you just save that for people who you don’t feel you owe apologies to?”
“Gilda, I don’t even rememb—” She was suddenly silenced as Gilda picked her up and slammed her, face first, against the wall.
“Yeah, well too bad for you, I do! My ass got beat that day thanks to you, you fucking cunt! My Dad tanned my ass within an inch of my life, just because you broke that flower vase and I had to cover for you!”
Part of Rainbow’s mind swam, trying to recall what had happened almost a decade ago. Had Gilda really been abused by her father for that? Had she really broken something as simple as a flower vase? Did her mother not want her to go over because Gilda was just being an angry child…or because Rainbow’s mother Firefly was concerned about her daughter’s safety? She’d have to ask her mother when she got the chance…probably after she got out of the hospital, which Rainbow figured she was going to be in soon, at this rate.
“You know, Rainbow,” Lightning said, as Gilda held her close, “we could make all of this go away, but you’re going to owe me.”
“I already know what you’re going to say and my answer’s the same: Fuck you,” Rainbow snarled.
“You know, as much as I’d be tempted to take you up on that,” Lightning said, “I suspect you’re a lousy lay. But….” she said, “you are going to give me a little something for my time, right?” Looking at Gilda, she said, “You got your knife?”
“Yeah, back pocket,” she said. “What’re you planning?”
“Well, I’m thinking I’ve got my phone on me, and I’m also thinking that Dashie here doesn’t need her shirt.” She looked back at Rainbow. “I’m betting you’re an A-cup, but let’s find out for sure, okay?”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Rainbow snarled, though she wondered if the girls were crazy enough to do it.
“Hey, you attacked me, and I have a witness,” she said, gesturing to Gilda here. “So, no idea why you decided to go back outside topless, but hey, I’m sure you can live with the embarrassment.” Taking Gilda’s knife, she opened the highly-illegal switchblade. “New knife?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Gilda muttered. “Lost the old one after we got into that fracas with the baconheaded bitch on Sunday.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “You’re the ones that stabb—” She never finished her words as Gilda threw a vicious punch right at Rainbow’s face, hard enough to bruise and leave no doubt she’d have a black eye for a few days.
“Don’t even think about telling anyone, Dash,” Gilda warned, “or you’re next.”
“Too bad for you that's not happening,” an angry voice said and the three girls had just enough time to react before Gilda suddenly took three blows to the stomach, followed up by a chest punch. As Rainbow crumpled to the ground, she had just enough time to see a familiar blur of blonde hair move in front of her. “Wanna dance, gals? Ah’m more than willing!” the voice snarled.
“AJ?” Rainbow asked, wondering two things: where the hell did she come from, and how the fuck did she move so fast? She would’ve asked more, but she suddenly felt careful arms helping her up, and she had just enough sense of mind to turn to see Roseluck helping her up.
“She was out walking her dog with her sister,” Roseluck said, “and I know she’s your friend, so I—”
“Bad move for you, you Goddamn country hick!” Gilda snarled as she recovered, bringing up her fists to fight. “Now I’m going to have to knock the freckles off your dainty little face!”
“You can try,” Applejack said, easing into a bouncing, rhythmic stance that Rainbow thought was odd. It was like some of the stuff she’d seen in the movies, but…where the hell did Applejack learn karate?
The answer came a second later as Gilda rushed her – only to be stopped by a single, brutal hook kick straight across the face. Gilda took the blow completely as it slammed her right into the lockers hard enough not only to knock her out in one blow, but crack the heavy plastic of the locker door.
Sliding back into a fighting stance, she looked at Lightning. “Guess your training was either shit, or you learned from watching too many of them chopsocky films?”
“I’m not afraid of you,” Lightning snarled as she attacked Applejack.
“Good as time as any to start learning, then,” Applejack said as she deftly moved, letting Lightning’s momentum carry her past the former farm girl. With a speed Rainbow hadn’t expected out of her friend, she grabbed Lightning, slammed her to the floor, and then grabbing her arm, placed her foot down on the back of Lightning’s neck. “Ever wonder what a neck brace feels like?” Applejack taunted.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” The girls all turned to see the school’s boys PE teacher and football coach, Bulk Biceps, standing there, looking at them angrily. “Usually I don’t bother going into the girls’ locker room,” the muscular teacher said, looking at the five girls, “but when I hear screaming outside, that tends to catch my attention.”
“Oh, thank goodness you’re here, Coach,” Lightning began. “We were a—”
“Shut it, Ms. Dust,” he said. “I think I’ve heard enough, but I didn’t hear all of it. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. Vice Principal?”
To the quintet’s surprise, Vice Principal Luna moved from her spot just outside of their view. “I’m glad that Coach Biceps asked me to retrieve some documents from the female PE teacher’s office for him,” she said, “as I wasn’t expecting to hear a confession, much less watch a fight between a few of my students.”
“Fuck….” Gilda groaned, nursing the bruise she was feeling as she was trying to recover from the hard hit she’d taken. That bitch Applejack kicks like a fucking horse! Gilda thought to herself. She was so out of it that she hadn’t noticed the vice principal walking right up to her.
Luna strode over and took the knife on the floor by Gilda’s feet. “Let’s see: weapon on campus, which is against the rules…and this is a switchblade, which as I recall is illegal in this state, Ms. Griffin?” The dazed teen had nothing to say; she knew when she was caught. But when Luna said, “And I thought I heard that this is a replacement for the one you used on Ms. Shimmer a few days ago,” her eyes turned to pinpricks of fear.
As Rainbow was able to get to her feet, she looked at her friend. “AJ – that was awesome! Seriously, where the hell did you learn that?”
“Well, y’know our next door neighbors, the Pagodas? Well, Mr. Pagoda runs a taekwondo dojang, an—”
“Could we not talk about Chinese food right now, AJ? I’m feeling kinda queasy.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Taekwando is a Korean martial art, Rainbow,” she drawled.
“Oh.” A pause. “I, uh, knew that.”
“Riiiight. Anyway, because none of Mr. Pagoda’s kids were interested in learning the art, he offered to teach us, so me, Mac, and Bloomie all took him up on it. Not anywhere near black belt yet, but Ah’m working on it,” she said with pride.
“Well, as I was saying,” Luna said, taking charge of the situation again, “I am extremely disappointed in you girls for doing all this – and I am horrified for what I just learned about what you’ve done, Ms. Griffin and Ms. Dust.”
“But we—”
“Save it,” Luna said with a tone that would brook no opposition. “I think you all have some disciplinary measures awaiting you in the future.”
“My, my, my, that does look quite fetching on you – far better than your old one,” Rarity said with approval as the girls met at Sugarcube Corner Café days later. It was Sunset’s first day out of the house since her recovery, and while the Cakes insisted that she didn’t have to come in for the Saturday morning rush since she was still recuperating, Sunset wanted to get out of the house and start adjusting to normal life once more. Besides, Saturday mornings tended to be slow, as most people liked sleeping in, so it wouldn’t be that bad for a start. So it was a pleasant surprise that it turned out to be a busy morning at the café…namely because most of the girls had went for breakfast, Twilight and Octavia included.
“Thanks, Rarity,” Sunset said, blushing as she took off her jacket, setting it on the coat rack. Outside, a blustery November wind blew, making her very glad she’d received the gift – the wind was stiff enough that even if she’d been in her native form, she might have needed a cloak or weathersaddle for protection from the elements. The jacket was definitely earning its keep in safeguarding her from Mother Nature; now all she had to do was to, in her opinion, continue to make herself worthy of being its owner.
Seated next to Fluttershy, Angel made a complex number of hand motions as he told his sister something; Fluttershy had brought him along as their mother was working today and the teen wanted to spoil her brother. As the platinum-haired boy finished, Fluttershy said, “Angel says he wants one now as well.”
“Well, I got lucky,” Sunset told Fluttershy. “Otherwise, I guess he’ll have to join the military.”
Fluttershy signed back the reply and the boy frowned; though Sunset couldn’t read sign language, Angel’s sharp hand movements left little doubt what his reply was. “He said ‘That sucks’ – well, he didn’t exactly say that, but…let’s just say that Mom’s going to scold him if he ever repeats what he told me,” she replied, giving her brother a reproachful look.
“Wow, and I didn’t even know that there was profanity in sign language, Flutters,” Octavia said.
“People can be very creative when it comes to the evolution of language,” Twilight commented. “I wouldn’t be surprised if sign language has a huge amount of profanity.”
“Twily, would you please not give him ideas?” Fluttershy asked, blushing.
“Well, I thought that he couldn’t hear we—”
“He can read lips,” the chiffon-haired girl replied. “Very well, too.”
“Oh.”
“Well, let’s change the subject: since Sunny’s back to normal now, I propose we all go to the movies today after work!” Pinkie said. “Any idea what we should go see?”
“Nothing violent,” Fluttershy said softly, and Twilight seconded that.
“Well, it’s it should be your choice, Sunny,” Octavia suggested.
“Well, there’s a few things that I’d like to go see,” she admitted, “though I wish AJ and Rainbow could join us.”
Pinkie’s usually cheerful demeanor suddenly dropped as she replied with, “I don’t think that’s gonna happen, Sunny.”
As one, the girls sighed.
Seated in an empty classroom in Canterlot High, three girls looked completely bored out of their skulls.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me,” Roseluck groaned, putting her head on the desk. “I guess no good deed really does go unpunished.” She looked at her fellow detained students. “What did I do to earn Breakfast Club?”
“Hey, Rose, it could be worse,” Rainbow Dash said. At the moment, she looked like a mile of bad road, with a black eye, split lip and a sizable bruise on her right cheek – and that was only the visible injuries.
“Rainbow, I’ve got Breakfast Club today, you and AJ have it for this week and next, plus we have to write Principal Celestia a three-thousand word essay on ‘how to be a model citizen’! And if that’s not enough, Ms. Luna suspended us from the soccer team for the rest of the month!”
AJ chuckled. “Shucks, Rosie, not like it’s the end of the world: sure, we’re all here in Breakfast Club, but you’re here just one week, and Rainbow and Ah are here only for two, because of, ahem, ‘prior good behavior.’ B’lesides, Ah’d rather have this than be in Dust’s and Griffin’s shoes.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Rainbow added. “Remember: Because of her antics, Lightning’s been suspended from school for two weeks and she’s been kicked off the track team for good. And as for Gilda,” she said, her voice taking on a slightly sad tone, “she’s been expelled – she’s gonna hafta finish up the rest of the school year at The Blanks.” Roseluck shuddered at that; the Equestria County Alternative High School for At-Risk Students, down south in the suburb of Sunnytown, was nicknamed “The Blanks”, both for its mostly featureless building and the fact that the school had no sports or afterschool programs. Combined with the school’s brutalist architecture dating from the late 1970s and the fact that Sunnytown was the regional slum, The Blanks had acquired the kind of reputation that one usually afforded to foreboding locations in horror films.
“And if that ain’t enough, both Lightning and Gilda are gonna face charges for hurting Sunset,” Applejack added, “though Ah’m wondring why you’re so concerned ‘bout Gilda, Rainbow.”
“We were friends when we were younger, and frankly, I just don’t know what went wrong,” Rainbow admitted. “She was a good person once. Maybe, like Sunset, she can be one again, someday.”
The trio fell silent for a few, working on their essays, before Roseluck stopped again. “Look, AJ, I’m sorry I got you involved in this. And Rainbow, I really didn’t thank you for helping me out that day. As it is, after this, I’m grounded for a week, but when things are settled, lunch is on me first chance we get, okay?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow laughed, “I’ll let you know when I’m no longer grounded. Mom and Dad basically grounded my ass for two weeks for this, plus I’ve got to do mine and my sister’s chores.”
Applejack laughed uncomfortably. “Heh – Ah got three weeks of grounding, plus doing mine, Mac’s and Bloomie’s chores, plus got a lecture from mah sa-bu-nim an’ when Ah’m done with mah groundin’lg, then Ah’m gonna have to clean the dojang. But Principal Celestia said she’d talk to mah parents and explain that if it hadn’t been for the fight, nobody would've found out who hurt Sunset.”
“Yeah, same here,” Rainbow added.
“Yeah, the Principal said she’d call my parents Monday,” Roseluck chimed in. “Even still, was it really worth all this?”
Rainbow and Applejack looked at one another. Rainbow had been injured in the fight, and while Applejack had gone unscathed, both had received punishment for their actions during it. But Rainbow had exposed Lightning’s lies in the process and protected her old friends, plus she’d saved Roseluck from an awkward situation. And as for Applejack, she’d rescued her friend from serious danger. And, as Vice Principal Luna had to admit, had it not been for either of them getting involved in the fight, Lightning and Gilda would have gotten away scot-free regarding their attack on Sunset – and for them, protecting a friend was always paramount.
Both girls leaned back in their chairs, smug smiles sliding nearly from ear to ear.
“Yup!” both said at the same time.