The public bus doesn't usually make stops at Canterlot High but on this day in particular, nearly all of them are heading there at one point or another. As the school comes into view, you can't help but chuckle at the sheer number of Christmas lights wrapped around the thing. Pinkie's idea... You muse to yourself matter-of-factly as you stand up and walk up the aisle toward the door.
"Merry Christmas!" The driver calls as you and a small group of people step out onto the sidewalk in the chilling breeze. As the bus pulls away, you freeze in place at the sight of three girls seated and conversing on a bench in the courtyard, easily recognized by their hair as Adagio and her friends. As your other companions from the bus cross the street, you stand there timidly, contemplating your decision in coming back here. The three of them haven't yet noticed you and although you know that they are probably much different now than they were back then, you still can't help but feel terrified.
Just then, a fourth figure enters your line of sight and you breathe out a relieved sigh. Sunset has always been considerate of the needs of others and you're grateful to her for that, especially now. She approaches the trio and looks over at the newcomers crossing the street for a brief second before setting her eyes on you. She smiles reassuringly, beckoning you over with a slight head movement as you regain your composure.
Finally able to move your own two feet again, you begin cross the street, heart-in-throat as you draw closer to them. Sunset whispers something inaudible and they all look over to you, quickly standing up. Adagio wears a new smile, her earlier regret seemingly forgotten while Aria, even though she knew you were coming, still looks at you with her mouth agape and Sonata just grins and waves at you energetically. Stepping up off of the pavement and onto the sidewalk, you suddenly realize that you are at a complete loss for words. "H-hey..." You finally manage after a short moment in a bashful tone that would've easily befitted Fluttershy.
"Hey Anon!" Sonata chimes in happily. "So listen, we're totes sorry about the whole 'holding you down, torturing you and raping you senseless ' thing earlier on. We won't do it again, for realsies, right Aria?" She looks over at her friend, who is cupping her hands over her mouth in an attempt to fight back the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh my Celestia..." Aria ponders aloud, scanning you from head to toe and suddenly recalling in great detail the events that had transpired that night. "I... am so sorry..." She chokes as she tries to articulate her words, "D-does it still hurt where I-... p-pinned you?"
"What? Oh... No, not anymore..." You reply, remembering that she'd gripped you by the neck to hold you in place while they tortured you, though you can't recall much more than that. "No long term damage other than my pride, perhaps. " You chuckle in an effort to cheer her up, but she lowers her head into her hands and starts to cry. You're tempted to embrace her, but your apprehension gets the better of you.
"You have... every right to be the m-most angry at me..." She sobs. Adagio and Sunset gather around her, each placing a hand on her back in comfort and she looks at them gratefully out of the corners of her eyes.
"It's okay, Ari'..." Sonata whispers, hugging her friend's arm. "Just let it all out..." The corners of Aria's mouth lift with the faintest hint of a smile and she leans into the hug slightly before she continues.
"I-..." Her voice cracks, "I was s-so rough on you... I hurt you... I-I bruised you... b-but the worst part of it all was that I... enjoyed it..."
"Aria..." You begin to understand why Sunset has befriended them. Mustering up your courage, you finally place your hands on her shoulders. "I can see that you are a completely different person now than you were back then. I forgive you."
"You-..." She gasps, "You really mean that?"
"Absolutely." You reply, pulling her into a hug and the others join in. "Whatever happened to you, it's made you girls into much better people. Now, come on, girls. It's Christmas Eve. Shall we go inside where it's warm?" You're met with four eagerly-nodding heads in response.
Well, that was a big change.
"Oh my goodness..." You laugh nervously as you enter the crowded atrium, "How many flyers did Pinkie send out?"
"Four hundred and fifty!" Pinkie pops up seemingly from the ground in front of you. "And that's not including friends! Welcome back!" She pulls you into a quick hug.
"They just keep pouring in, don't they?" Sunset chuckles.
"I know! The gym and classrooms are filled! Now, people are spilling into the hallway!" Pinkie exclaims, "-And get this! These two brothers came in with this cute little ferret." She points to the gym, "They're in there right now and the thing is doing hand stands and jumping, actually jumping through these little hoops. It's so cute! Come on, you have to see it!" She jumps behind them and starts pushing them into the direction of the gym, leaving you engulfed in the strange crowd around you. Adagio looks back at you as if beckoning you to come with them, but you make no notion to follow.
They got what they wanted. Let's leave it at that...
The thought stings a bit, but it's probably for the best. Getting too close to these girls, no matter how much they seem to have changed, is not a good idea. There is always the slightest possibility that they could be acting out the part just to gain your trust, and a smart enemy would do just that.
As they disappear into the gymnasium, you begin to contemplate going back home when a voice behind you catches your attention. "What are you doin' hangin' out with them?" Big Mac asks. "Don't you know what they did?"
"I heard," You reply, "but if Sunset says those girls have changed, then I believe her..." You trail off, suddenly realizing that you're betraying your own words.
"She's no different than them." He shrugs, continuing on his way through the crowd. "Sure, maybe she's changed too, but they all come from the same rotten apple tree, if ya' take my meanin'." You already know Sunset has her own dark past, but now you're starting to wonder how much she and Adagio are actually alike.
"Ah, shit..." You mutter under your breath as you begin to weave your way toward the gym.
This could still go very badly...
As you enter, you notice that Adagio is already looking in your direction in hopes of spotting you. When she does, her expression brightens considerably and she waves at you before returning her attention to the circus playing out in front of her. "Alright, go have fun!" The sound of Pinkie's voice echoes from across the room. "We'll all meet up back here after you're finished caroling!" A crowd begins to clear out of the gymnasium, each of them with a thick red pamphlet in their hands. The room is left somewhat open in their wake, enough for you to see where everyone else is.
The brunt of the group is situated around the stage, conversing with each other and watching the ferret while Sunset has been unintentionally pulled away and is now having a rather one-sided conversation with a very talkative male. She sees you and profusely excuses herself before making her way over.
"I'm glad you decided to stay." She begins, "I was afraid you'd left after we got separated."
"I almost did..." You glance back over to Adagio, her eyes glued to the ferret on-stage.
Sunset frowns a little, "I can understand why. I got your message, by the way."
You cock your head at her in confusion. "My message?"
"Yeah..." She absentmindedly reaches for her cell phone but stops short. "...you tried calling me that night. You don't remember that?"
You shift uneasily, "I don't really remember much at all from that night, Sunset..."
"I'm sorry..." Her expression falls somewhat, her eyes drifting to the floor for a second before looking back up at you. "Adagio told me about what happened, a month after they came back to the school. I was mad... But I really do believe she's sorry about it."
You ponder for a moment. "Have you ever thought that she could be playing you to get to me?"
She looks over at Adagio, considering the thought for a short while before replying. "At first, maybe... But I don't think she would ever do that now..."
"Why not?" You raise an eyebrow inquisitively.
"After she told me what happened, I didn't speak to her for a few days..." She looks back at you, her eyes glistening a little. "I was just so mad... Then one morning, I saw her on an overpass as I was on my way to school. She was standing on the other side of the railing and leaning over the busy highway."
She pauses, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "She didn't want live with the shame of what she'd done to you, let alone think that she'd ruined her only chance at redeeming herself by telling me about it."
"...She wanted to kill herself?" Your eyes widen at her words, "...Over me?"
Sunset nods, "I had to beg her to climb back over and I drove her home, but she was just so miserable... I realize now that I shouldn't have been so mad, since she'd practically poured her heart out to me when she told me about what happened. It was just too painful for her to talk to me every day, knowing what she'd done, especially since she also knew you're one of my best friends..." She sighs deeply, "And I bit her head off for confiding in me... She didn't deserve that, especially from me. She reminds me so much of myself..."
"Yeah, but you probably didn't molest anyone though, right?" You chuckle nervously.
"Actually..." She admits, looking away in shame. "I... I almost did something far worse..."
You inch backward a little, "...What do you mean?"
"I..." Her voice cracks, "I tried to kill Twilight and her friends... before." She locks her eyes with the floor. You attempt to process what you're hearing, but you just can't imagine Sunset being capable of something like that. "You know me, Anon." She looks back up at you earnestly, "You know I couldn't even think of doing such a horrible thing now, but back then, I was just so much different..." She lets out a long sigh as her eyes fall back to the floor.
"Not a single day goes by that I don't regret that..." She continues, "I know they've forgiven me, but it still makes me sad sometimes... Not at all like her, though." She returns her gaze to Adagio, "She's had it worse than me I think, because she was actually successful in doing something horrible, and possibly other times in the past as well. But now?" She meets your eyes again, "She's such a different person now. Over these past few months, I've learned just how wonderful she really is. She's caring, selfless, impossibly intelligent, and always passionate about trying to be a better person. Altogether with her still somewhat snarky attitude, she really does have a wonderful personality." She laughs, "She's been working really hard to make amends with everyone, especially you." Her smile fades somewhat, "I can't tell you how desperately she'd been trying to find you. Searching nearby towns, schools, even homeless shelters... She'd nearly given up all hope before today, but now that she's found you again, I don't think I've ever seen her so happy." She looks back at you with a faint smile. "She really likes you, you know?"
You feel words die in your throat, contemplating how to respond. "Where I come from..." You try to think of a way to put it delicately. "...it's uncommon that you end up having a relationship with someone who... did what she did. Yet, I can see that she's so much different now than she was before. I've forgiven her, but... I just don't know if it would be such a good idea to trust her like that."
"That's understandable," She smiles, "but it's not every day that you get 'blasted by rainbows' either. That has a way of changing people like nothing else can. I would say that she's not that same person since then." You ponder for a while before she continues.
"Everyone needs a second chance..." Her eyes shift down toward the floor, "I know I needed one... but more importantly, what I needed more than that was for someone to give me the benefit of the doubt. During the Battle of the Bands, my friends were still skeptical of me even though I did my best to prove myself and because of that, we almost lost everything." She stares blankly at the floor as she recalls the events from months ago.
"It all came to a head after I jumped in to stop Rainbow from showing the Dazzlings her magic during the semi-finals. The entire school jeered at me and everyone thought that I had gone back to being the way that I was before, but what hurt the most was that my own friends wouldn't even step in to defend me." She clenches her fists a little. "Eventually they came around, but it was during the final battle when they were most desperate and I..." Her voice cracks a little and she turns away, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "I hesitated..." She finally articulates with a deep sigh. "It was only for a second, but part of me actually didn't want to help them because I felt more like a last resort than I did a friend. I just wanted to run off-stage and get away from it all, and I think that was exactly what they were expecting me to do, both them and Adagio..." She looks back up at you, wiping her tears with her sleeve. "But I'm glad I didn't. I only wish they could have tried to trust me... Maybe it wouldn't have gone so far..."
She's right, you know... You think as you shift your eyes shift back to Adagio.
"Adagio desperately needs the benefit of the doubt." She continues, following your gaze. "In some ways, she may already be an even better person than I am, especially if my previous confession is anything to go by." She looks back at you. "Please, Anon, will you do that for her? Will you trust her so that she doesn't have to go through the same emptiness and despair that I went through? For me? She's my best friend..." She pleads.
You ponder for a while, knowing that she's probably right, but you want to give yourself a while to think it over. "...Can I think about it?" You finally ask.
"Of course." She replies, frowning a bit. "I just want to come to a solution that's best for both of you."
"Thank you, Sunset..."