//------------------------------//
// Finding Answers and Cold Possibilities 
// Story: Shimmering Sunset 
// by Darknight293 
//------------------------------//

"NO!"

You wake up with a start. Sitting up and holding a hand to your stomach, feeling no switchblade sticking out of you. What you do feel is cold sweat on your brow. You lift your hand from your stomach and wipe it off, trying to clam down.

A nightmare you thought, It must've been a nightmare

You look around your room, your breathing returning to normal. Your eyes fall upon the alarm clock, reading 5:32 AM. Seems you weren't going back to sleep with the requirement to get up for school so close.

You think back to the nightmare, already sending shivers down your spine. You remember the demon, Billy and his brothers, along with Katherine and her friends.

"So if Sunset truly turned into a demon, then she's playing with me. For all I know it's going to be a power struggle between her and Katherine. If the others are with Sunset then they're on her side...maybe, but I did see them facing against her, seems I need to know what happened at that...battle you could call it?"

As you shift on the bed, moving to get off of it having thrown your covers all over the bed in your sleep, you hear a soft crunch noise coming from your jacket.

You put a hand in your left pocket and pull out the note that Trixie girl gave you. You open it and read the words on it again as you think aloud, "She told me to watch out for Sunset and it seems she was right, maybe she'll know more? If this is all true then I have to watch my back, which means I need information right?"

You chuckle nervously, put on your glasses, and get out of bed. Jamming the note back into your pocket. You stretch and decide to take a shower, going to your closet and picking out some items to wear. The usual blue jeans with a red- no wait, red is a bad idea. You instead grab a black shirt that is next to the red one and take them with you into the nearby bathroom.

You set them down on the counter next to the sink, the strip down and get in the shower. You turn on the shower and makes sure it's warm before fully going under the torrent of water, letting wash down your short hair and back as you make a plan for today inside your head

Best thing I can do now is try to find out if Sunset is truly still evil, but asking her is a bad idea since she's likely to deny it regardless if it's true. That Trixie girl seemed wary of her and might know more. But so would the other girls I met at lunch, like Rainbow Dash...but they seemed like good friends so I can't tell what they'd say to me if I ask them about this.

You grunt in mild frustration as you reach out to the knob to turn the shower off. Once that is done you step out of the shower to dry yourself off and donned your new clothing and your jacket. You then walk out of the bathroom after turning off the light in there.

You then pull out your phone to check the time, only to find a response from one of your texts that you sent yesterday.

The text you sent to Amber.

You put in your password and open the message system to read her reply.

"Hey, it's great to hear from you that you're okay! Clark told us what happened before I sent this text to you, perhaps you can call us all sometime?"

You smile and reply "Sure, but after school."

You look at the time before you out your phone back in your jacket, 6:15AM? Guess you got distracted in the shower while you cleaned yourself up. You head into your room to get your backpack, picking it up and take it with you downstairs.

You reach the kitchen a dozen seconds later, setting the backpack down next to the table you get out the same thing you ate yesterday. Who could say no to cereal?

As you eat for a bit your mom walks out of her room, already dressed and ready to go. Though you don't need to leave for about 20 more minutes or so. You swallow and look at her. "Already ready to go Mom?"

She looks at you and smiles, pulling out her keys, "Yup, after you finish your breakfast!" She sits in the other chair, "Did you make any friends at school yesterday dear?"

You chew some more and swallow before responding, "Sort of...there was a few girls who wanted to be my friends and one of them showed me around the school before classes started."

Her smile grows bigger, "That's good sweetie! See, you're already making friends here."

You nod, and finish eating, trying to conceal your discontent and fear while you speak, "Yeah, it's all going better than expected right?"

She giggles and asks you about yesterday. You do your best to talk about your classes and your new 'friends' without sounding upset, thankfully she seems to buy it all. You both get up, you walking to the sink to put up your bowl while she heads out to the car.

You follow her outside shortly afterwards and get into the car with her, your backpack in the back seat. She's already started up the car so you're both on your way when your seatbelt is buckled in.

You arrive at the school in the usual amount of time. After waving and saying goodbye to your mom after getting your backpack from the backseat, you start to walk towards the school.

Course, then you realize you have no idea where Trixie would be.

Face palming, you look around the campus from your position near the statue. Come to think of it, there was really only a few people out here, maybe most of them come in late or are inside?

You pull out your phone and check the time

7:21AM

Well now you knew why there wasn't many people here at least. Grumbling, you put the phone back in it's pocket in your jacket and continue to walk towards the school doo-

"Hey there New Guy."

You nearly jump out of your skin as you turn around, seeing Sunset standing right there with the same smile as usual. You try to calm down as you greet her, "H-hey..."

She giggled, which was kinda cute, "Are you alright? I'm sorry if I scared you."

You rub the back of your head with your left hand as you look away from her, unsure if you should stick around and ask her or go and find Trixie, "It wasn't you, I was just thinking about...something."

You couldn't tell what she was thinking till she spoke, "Something? What kind of something? Is there someone bothering you around here?"

You didn't hear anything from Sunset for a full minute as you didn't reply to her questions. After the long silence you look in her direction and feel like a jackass.

Sunset is turned away from you, her right hand on her left arm. After a few seconds she glances at you, "That someone is me isn't it? You know the truth don't you?"

You take a deep breath through your nose and nod, "So what are you going to do with me?"

You seem to hit a nerve, she goes from quiet to hurt, facing you she speaks, "Do to you? Just because I have a bad history doesn't mean I can't change! It doesn't mean I'm still evil! Why does everyone think I'm going to hurt them?"

You hold your hands up at her defensively, "I-I didn't mean it like that Sunset!"

She crosses her arms and turns away from you, "Sure you didn't! That's why you're afraid I'll do something to you because you think I'm a nice girl," she was clearly being sarcastic.

She looks at you with hurt in her eyes, "I thought that since you weren't from around here you'd be...different in a good way, perhaps give me the second chance I really want, understand me better than others. But I can see you're like the rest of the people here besides the few friends I do have and that was a false hope of mine."

What she says only makes you feel like a complete jackass, here a girl that was nice to you from the start now has her feelings hurt because of your own insecurities and assumptions. But what could you do about it now?

Wait...

The scar on your arm? Perhaps, it could work, hell, might be the only way to prove to her that you have trust issues. You also should stop talking so much in your head.

"Sunset, I'm sorry...perhaps if I showed you why I don't usually trust people you'll understand."

She hmpfs, "And what's that?"

You sigh and stretch out your left arm. Your right arm going to the sleeve of your shirt and jacket, pulling them both back to reveal the scar on your left arm.

However, Sunset doesn't seem to be moved by it.

"So you think one scar on your arm gives you the right to not give a girl a second chance after she regrets turning into a raging she-demon?" She turns and starts to walk away, her hands holding her arms as she speaks with clear dismay in her voice, "You think you got trust issues and a painful past? Huh, guess I don't know what I saw in you then..."

You stand there, unable to move. Here you are, a nerd from Hoofington who almost ended up dead, and you just hurt a girl's feelings. A girl that had been nice to you from the start, who's friends accepted you as well and tried to make you feel a bit at home.

Unfortunately you can't do anything about it, as Sunset disappears into the school, you hear the sounds of feminine laughter behind you. Pulling the sleeves back to your wrist you turn around to see Katherine and her friends, Pale and Cobalt, by the statue.

Katherine walks over to you like she owns the place, "How cute, the big bad Nerd showing off his scar and thinking it will fix everything!" She gets up real close to you, "Too bad kid, you're the weak one around here. So learn your place."

She knees you in the stomach like she did last time and walks right by you, her friends pass you as Cobalt hits you across the cheek. You spit, thankful that no blood came out. A part of you felt like backing up, but another piece of you was actually angry.

Furious even...

You stand up and look at Katherine as she walks away, you're smart enough to hold your tongue. But you have to fix all this and show her that you won't take it anymore.

After all, if you don't, it'll be like a Hoofington all over again...and it's only been two days!

You get up and make sure you still have your backpack wih you before you head inside the school. Once you're in the foyer you look around, sadly Sunset isn't here and it appears Katherine and her buddies have already disappeared. Since you don't know where Trixie could be, you head straight to your locker to up up your things and get what you need for class.

Once you have that and you're on your way to class, you try to think of what you should do now. Perhaps you can try and find Sunset and apologize, maybe her friends can help. Except you don't see them till lunch, and it's stupid to do anything to get revenge on Katherine for trying to make you feel like a weakling.

Okay, technically you are semi-weak, PE does have some perks at least.

As you walk into the classroom with about 15 to 20 minutes left, you note there is only one other person in here, that Trixie girl that sits behind you in class!

You walk over to your desk and sit in it. Placing your stuff on the desk before turning in your sit to look at her.

It seemed she had been watching you when you entered because you're immediately staring right into her eyes once you turned to face her.

She looks at you with a smirk on her face, "So you've come to ask the Great Trixie for help have you not?" She doesn't give you a chance to answer, "Well you're in luck that the Great and Powerful Trrrixie is feeling generous today and is willing to give you some of her time."

You mentally sigh at her third person narrative and respond, "Yes, I wanted to now more about what happened on that day Sunset became that...demon thing."

She nods, "Easy to remember when she became that demon, Trixie remembers a 'Twilight Sparkle' there with those other five people who tried to stop her," She brings up a hand and counts them off, "Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity."

She thinks for a bit, "Oh, and there was this magic crown thing that Twilight person from that Equestria pony world or whatever had. They somehow used the magic inside it to defeat her and turn her back to normal, don't ask Trixie how it's possible."

You weren't sure if she was crazy or not, but you do know Sunset turned into a demon, but a magic crown? A pony world? It was really hard to believe.

Yet it was true no? Sunset had indeed became the demon and you saw that picture that had those six girls. But something bothered you, "How did she turn into the demon and can she do it again?"

She shrugged, "How should Trixie know? All she knows is that Sunset put the crown on her head and transformed, perhaps you should ask the others about this."

Before you can ask another question the bell rings and soon the classroom starts to fill. You turn in your seat and face the front of the class.

Looks like you'll have to wait till later for answers, but you felt uneasy. It was your second day at a new school, you already have a few bullies picking on you, and you've wounded, or maybe even broke a girl's heart whom has not shown you one bad sign. Not to mention that you've become crazy enough to want to stand up against Katherine.

Maybe you hit your head really hard in that alleyway all those weeks ago?

Your classes seem to pass by very slowly today, multiple poisonous thoughts lingering in your mind. The dreadful past of Hoofington, the threatening present right now, and the cryptic, though near future for you life in Canterlot. Truly you were at a crossroad in your life, one that was now deciding your social life for good depending on your choices.

Course, it couldn't be more obvious, the repenting girl whom has done terrible wrong in the past, the new evil girl with two other people that reminded you of Billy and his brothers, it made it all seem like it was not only a choice, but a do over of Hoofington no?

The bell rings once again, invading your thoughts and dispelling your thinking process with loud ringing. You grab your stuff and head to your locker to put up your things for lunch, once your done with that you stand up and head down to the cafeteria.

As your on your way down to lunch you turn the corner to enter an ominously darken hallway, which was strange. Shouldn't the school make sure the bulbs stay alive or was it a cut off from the power grid? You walk down it as you think, only to see someone you didn't want to see.

Katherine, but alone this time. She's staring right at you with a smug grin on her face, she slowly walks towards you as she speaks, "Look who I found going to lunch down this hallway, all alone."
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the last thing you want to see.

A switchblade.

She notices you shock with ease which only makes her grin wider as she stops right in front of you, "Oh yes I know what made that mark on your arm Hoofington nerd, and unless you want to feel he cold touch of it in a more...important location. You'll do as I say."

You can only stand still and stare at the blade as you respond, "W-what do you want?"

She chuckles, "Even if Sunset isn't trying to take over the school she can still be a threat. But if someone were to down her spirits, crush her heart. It might break her spirit and sudden care for the well being of others," you couldn't believe your ears, was she asking you to her Sunset more and on purpose this time?

She continued before you could speak, "And since she's seems to have a liking towards you, or did anyway, you'd be the perfect nerd for the job." You couldn't believe what she was asking for you to do, but what could you do to defy her? She had a switchblade inches from you. "Of course you can refuse and hope someone will find you before it's too late..."

You dare to look at her eyes instead of the blade, a smirk on her face. She knew you wouldn't refuse, you already tasted death by a switchblade before but did she know that part of it? Either way she had you cornered.

But you couldn't just do that, not only will your life be hell if you submit, you'll make Sunset's own life worse. Perhaps you can agree for now and then tell Sunset and the others. Unless they don't believe you, then you run the risk of a Hoofington Incident again.

She laughs, "Are you really that afraid? This is too easy..."

Her sentence makes you realize your breathing rather fast and your heart is practically pounding. You try to calm as she speaks, "Make her see that no one cares for her today or else." She pokes your chest with the switchblade to empathize her point before she turns and walks away from you.

You stood there for a minute, calming down before you thought about your situation. You had little choice, but you'd be damned it you're going to repeat the past and be the weak one again and do what she says.

...maybe you should see a doctor just in case you really did hit your head really really hard. Seeing how you've become crazy or perhaps insane. All you have to do is warn Sunset right? Simple and easy. Unless she gives you a look that says "Don't come over here."

You sigh aloud and continue to walk to lunch, if only you weren't so traumatized about switchblades you could've shown less weakness. You enter the Cafeteria to find the line isn't at long, most people have already sat down or finished eating.

You get in line and wait, looking over at Sunset's table only to find six pairs of eyes staring at you back, none if them seemed happy with you, Pinkie herself seemed upset and Fluttershy looked like she wanted to stay away from you.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash had the "Don't come near here look" on their faces, so much for your warning. Rarity looked away a few seconds after you looked over there, while Sunset looked...

Depressed...

She looked away from you a few seconds after you looked at them like Rarity did and back to her food, she was idly messing with it with a fork. Your reaction to her...past seems to have really hurt her.

There was no way in hell you would do what Katherine told you to do now! You might drive Sunset to suicide...But how can you fix what you've damaged without Katherine pretty much fatally wounding you? You get your lunch and start to walk to an empty table that is a few tables from the others.

You sit down there and silently eat your food, looking at it and nothing else. After a few minutes of eating you stop, you still have food but you don't feel hungry anymore. You look over at Sunset's table again, to find her glancing at you.

She breaths in and looks away from you again, you look around the room and see Cobalt watching you. You control your breathing as you stare back at him, he gets up and walks out of the lunch room a few seconds later.

Well that can't be good at all, he must be going to report to Katherine. You decide to get up and toss your food in the trash, putting the tray up before following after him. If you're gonna go against Katherine you best at least know what she has in store for you.

Thankfully Cobalt is either careless, stupid, or both since you're able to easily follow him down a few hallways. You look around the next corner to see Katherine and Cobalt, you stay still and listen in.

"Well?" Katherine asked.

"He didn't do it," Cobalt replied, "Didn't even try to walk over to her."

She frowns, "Really? Fine, I didn't want to do it but looks like we have to do plan B thanks to him."

Cobalt actually seems to stiffen, if you saw correctly, "Wait Katherine, perhaps we just need to threaten him a bit more, Pale could-"

"No!" She interrupted, "The mistake that Sunset did was taking too long to act, I won't make that mistake. You and I will follow Sunset home in the afternoon and...take her out of the equation." Katherine adopts a wicked and evil smirk as Cobalt breaths heavily.

What?! you thought, Does she mean she's going to...hurt Sunset, or worse? All because I didn't do what Katherine told me to do?

"O-okay Katherine, but leave Pale of it okay?"

She sighs, "Fine, I'll keep your sister out of this but you're still helping me in case it goes wrong. Now come on, the bell is going to ring soon." She turns and walks down the hallway, Cobalt following her, they disappear a few seconds before the bell rings.

You stood there in shock, they were going to kill her weren't they? Katherine is insane! Worse than Billy ever was, you have to stop her. Because you couldn't live with yourself if you allowed murder to be done when you could stop it. But since Sunset doesn't want to see you, you have no choice but to follow Katherine after school.  

Hopefully PE was more useful than you thought...