//------------------------------// // A first friend // Story: Another Chance // by Small Muffin //------------------------------// Scootaloo walked into her homeroom, and was greeted, as per usual, by her two friends. "Morning Scoots, yall okay?" Bloom asked. "Fine, you two?" she replied. "We're fine." Sweetie began with a grin, "This is gonna be great." Scootaloo looked over at Applebloom, who had just as big a grin, "What is?" "She's in today, I saw her dad drop her off." Sweetie replied. "Um, who?" Scoots asked, rather confused. Just then, Diamond Tiara walked in, with an angry look on her face, "Oh, her." she answered herself with a smile. Tiara noticed their smiles as she walked past them towards her own desk. "What are you three so happy about?" she asked, she was clearly in a bad mood today. Bloom just laughed at her, "Leave us alone, or we'll go tell Sunset you're still buggin us." Tiara twitched slightly at that, "Oh please, she was just in a bad mood, you three are dead." "Really?" Bloom asked with a smug look. "Cus she told us if we ever needed anything, she'd help us out with it." Tiara's face twisted in fear for a second, "W-what?" "You heard us," Sweetie added, "so why don't you just go away." "Yeah, you're starting to annoy us." Scoots finished as Diamond walked away, mumbling something under her breath. The three crusaders erupted with laughter, and after a good minute of it, Scootaloo was the first to calm down, "Ok, that was pretty funny." When the other two had calmed down, Sweetie gave Applebloom a nudge, who then looked over to Scoots, "So uh, speaking of Sunset, how'd it go with Dash yesterday?" Bloom asked. "She... she wanted me to stay away from Sunset. I even told her what she told us, how she wanted to help us but, she wasn't happy about it at all." Sweetie sighed, "I guess they're right, so what do we do?" "I reckon we should... I don't know." Applebloom replied. I get that she helped you, but she'll just use you up and throw you away. "Maybe we shouldn't get involved with her, what if this is a trick?" Scoots asked. "Maybe we should." Applebloom said as an idea came to her head. "Why?" Scoots asked, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe we can get our sisters to see that there's something different about her." Sweetie nodded, "You're right! We just need to get them in a room together." "I guess." Scootaloo mumbled, not exactly convinced. "Relax Scoots, it'll be fine." Applebloom told her as she swung her arm around her reassuringly, "It can't be that hard to get Dash into a room." As the bell went, the three of them got up, and headed out into the corridor. Scootaloo was still unsure about everything, but the other two seemed happy with the idea. Sunset walked into her first lesson, maths, with the one person she wanted to talk to, sitting in the corner with a free seat next to her, which Sunset quickly filled. Applejack gave her a rather questionable look, "What do you want?" she asked, rather surprised at her seating choice. This shouldn't be that hard, she is known for being easy to talk too. Sunset told herself before responding with a simple "Nothing." She didn't even know what she was going to say to her. "Good." AJ mumbled under her breath. Neither of them said anything else to one another for quite some time. About a quarter of the way through lesson, Sunset decided to break their silence. "Aj, can I talk to you after class for a bit? It won't take long." Applejacks pen stopped dead in it's tracks, "Why?" "I just wanna tell you something, that's all." She looked over at Sunset "Just tell me now and get it over with." "I'd rather talk to you in private." Applejack couldn't see any hint of malicious intent in her face, which was a first for her. "Won't take long?" she asked. Sunset nodded, "About two minutes at the most." "Fine." Aj rose her arm, drawing Miss Cheeriles attention, "Miss, can I and Sunset be excused for a minute?" Others in the class looked at each other, as the conversations between everyone began. "Oh of course." Cheerilee looked from Aj over to Sunset, who stood up, and seemed to scan across the room at the others, "Take as much time as you need." "Make this quick." as they both stepped outside, Sunset closed the door behind her. "So what do you want?" "I just..." Just stay calm. "I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for all I've done to you over the last three years." Aj rose an eyebrow at that, not buying it at all, "Uh-huh." "And, I told Applebloom a few days ago that, if she ever needed any help with anything, I'd help her out with it." Aj still didn't even look like she cared in the slightest, "So if there's anything I can do for you, then just ask." "Is that all?" As much as she didn't want to, Aj could hear the sincerity in Sunsets voice, and as far as she could tell, Sunset was telling the truth, she didn't give off any signs of a liar. "Cus yall could a told me that in there." "Well, there is one more thing." Aj didn't move, "it's about Rain..." she sighed and stopped, "You know what? There's no point, you're not even listening." Sunset finally had her attention, "Wait, about what?" Sunset turned around and walked off. "Tell Miss I've gotta go see someone or, something." As Aj walked back in, she realized what, or who, she was going to say. "Rain? Rain? Rainbow? Rainbow Dash!" She quickly darted back out, and looked to see if Sunset was still in view. She wasn't. "What about Rainbow? What do you know Shimmer?" Sunset wondered through the school, staring at the floor, not sure what she had in mind was a good idea. "I need to go talk to Rainbow. If I'm gonna sort this out, I need to talk to her." "A little to the left." she looked up to see the always hyper Pinkie Pie, accompanied by Snips and Snails, putting up some more posters. "PERFECT! Oh, hi Sunset. You ok?" she asked as she noticed her approach. Here we go again. "Fine, haven't you put up enough of those?" she asked as she came to a stop. "No, we just got these, take a look." she handed Sunset one of the posters. Come one. Come all! To The Great and Powerful Trixie's magical extravaganza. She looked up at Pinkie, who was looking around for a good place for the next poster. She looked back down at the poster. Next Tuesday lunch time, in the school gym. "Wait, Tuesday, that's a bit soon isn't it?" "Ooh, over there! Wha, oh yeah, that's what they said, but she just shrugged them off." Pinkie shrugged herself, "Apparently she's been practicing for months." "And what about you?" Sunset asked, "You ok with such a short deadline?" "Nonono, to close. Lift it up a bit. There!" Sunset had to admit, it was kinda funny seeing her two lapdogs following someone else, not that she minded. "Pfffft, nah. If I can set up the Fall Formal decorations in three days last year, this'll be no problem." Sunset sighed lightly, "Right. The Formal." "Heck, this way I can get my job done a bit quicker, I just leave em up for the Formal. Easy." She sighed again, "I guess it is." That one didn't go unnoticed though, "Hey, you ok?" Pinkie asked, "You've been acting... different these last few days." "Fine. Different how?" Sunset asked. "Well, you seem... Nicer." "I do?" she asked, more surprised that Pinkie was so up front about it than anything. "Yeah, I mean, you had that awesome smile on you on Wednesday," she laughed slightly nervously, "I'll admit, I didn't know you could smile like that." "Thanks, I think." "And yesterday you actually apologized to those two for something." she pointed over at Snips and Snails, "And I'll be honest, I uh..." she laughed nervously again, "I half expected to end up on the floor when I spoke to you yesterday." "Yeah... I'm a terrible person aren't I?" Sunset mumbled under her breath. "I like it," Pinkie continued, "you seem like a nice person when you're not angry all the time." Sunset smiled at her, "Thanks, it's nice to know someone thinks so." her smile fell rather quickly, "You know Fluter-" "Hey! Wanna be friends?" She interrupted. "What?" Those four words sent a familiar spark through Sunset, who couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You, you want to be friends?" Pinkie nodded, "With me?" she nodded again, "Really?" "Yep. You seem nice enough now." she stretched her arm out for a handshake, "Friends?" The magic of friendship is everywhere. Sunset pulled Pinkie into a hug, "Yes. Thank you Pinkie, I'm so sorry for everything, I'm so, so sorry." "Hey, no need to get too close, that's my job." Pinkie joked. She heard Sunset crying into her shoulder, "Are you, crying?" she didn't get a response, as Snips and Snails approached them both. "Um, did I say something?" "What did you say to her?" they both asked in unison. "Iduno." was all Pinkie could say. Sunset pulled back from the hug, and wiped her eyes, "S-sorry about that, I've just, never had a friend before." "What? Never?" "Nope," she sighed. "Never ever ever?" "Is it that hard to believe?" she asked, finally calm again. "I guess not," Pinkie answered, "Anyway I guess Aj owes me a tener." "Why?" Sunset asked. "Oh I bet her ten dollars she was wrong about you. She's convinced you're faking it but... I know you're not." Sunset laughed, "Ok, well too bad for her. Thanks Pinkie, if you ever need a hand with something, just ask." "You too," she replied. "What?" Pinkie laughed, "Friends look out for each other, so if you ever need my help, then you just ask." "Will do. Well I... I gotta go, talk to you later Pinkie." Sunset walked off, and toward her locker with the best smile she had ever had. When she got there, she opened it, and after a bit of searching, found her magical book from Celestia. "I hope it still works." When she got back to her apartment she immediately got out her book, opened it to the next blank page, and began to write. Dear Princess Celestia. Over the last few days I've come to understand what you were trying to teach me all along. That friendship is a great thing, and is more powerful than you could ever understand without experiencing it. I've also come to realize just how much of a failure I am, I wasn't ever worth your time, and I hope that by now you've found someone else who is. I'm so sorry for how I treated you, and I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't even know if you're going to get this, or if you'll even care, but I had to try. Your failure of a student, Sunset Shimmer.