Their picnic was over now, but the six friends remained in the park. No one wanted to leave, or even move from the nice spot, until they had heard Sunset's story to the happy conclusion.
“When you all clued Principal Celestia in that there was a problem.I think she pretty much left the school as soon as she could.” Sunset said. She couldn't help smiling, even if there was still a little of the bad to share, everything got so much better from that point on.
“So she went to look for you?” Rainbow asked, it looked like she was puzzling through a theory.
“Yeah, besides me she was the only one who knew where I was holed up.” Sunset said, tracing and idle pattern on the blanket. “I'd not shared with anyone else where I went. So she had to go looking or break our agreement.” The red-head shrugged, “If she'd told the authorities at that point, things would have gone badly... I was unrecorded and with no known guardian. Waiting for me then was the care system at best, lab rat at the worst.”
“Sounds about right.” Rainbow agreed. “I guess from there she helped you sort out y'know, existing on record and then getting adopted?”
“Yes.” Sunset was about to go further on that track, but an indignant huff distracted her.
“Sunset Shimmer, if you think you will get away from telling to the fullest extent just how poorly you thought out your time of sickness, you have another think coming!” Rarity wagged a finger, scolding her friend, backed up by Applejack and Fluttershy.
“Ah... yeah.” Sunset gave her friends a sheepish grin. “Okay. You all deserve to hear it. Though I might not go into all the details. What's past is past, so there isn't any point to upsetting you all too much.”
As Celestia drove from the school to the building that Sunset called home, her thoughts couldn't help but fall on fearful conclusions. Sunset had missed three days of school, she was sick, she had been in poor physical condition for a while. Not only that, she had been alone and ill without heat, food or water. With her phone battery dead there was no chance to even check she was... Celestia stumbled mentally even calling the battery dead. It was a job for the woman to control her breathing.
“Calm down 'Tia. Breath.” Luna said from the passenger seat. She was worried too, but someone had to keep calm, if even for the sake of the girl they were going to find.
“I'm trying to keep a cool head Lu', but I am worried for Sunset. So many things could have happened!” Celestia rounded a corner, there was only a few blocks to go until she reached Sunset's home and hopefully the ill but otherwise unharmed girl.
“Her friends said she had been feeling under the weather on Tuesday.” Luna reminded her sister. “She might simply have a bit of a cold and be staying inside.”
“You didn't see it there Luna... It wasn't the place to be while well, let alone when sick.” Celestia halted her car. “Can you stay here? I want to be ready to move on right away if she's not here.” Celestia was quick to jump out.
“Of course. I have my phone if there is a problem.” Luna took the device from her pocket.
“Thanks.” Celestia wasted no time and made her way from the car right to the loose railings. The bolts were in place, Sunset had them with her when she left and replaced them on her return. Things were looking up.
Pulling the bolts free and shifting the railings, the teacher picked her way through the yard to the boards and Sunset's clever doorway. It wasn't too difficult to find the knot-hole. A little rummaging knocked the latch free, the bar clattered to the floor, and she swung the door open. “Please be alright Sunset.” Celestia left the door ajar.
There had not been any reaction from anyone at the noise she had made entering. It was worrying still. Up the rickety staircase, the office door was locked, the padlock in place. “High up.” Celestia muttered to herself, remembering. “Sunset? Are you alright?” She called out, unlocking the door and letting herself in. The first room was empty.
Carefully, hesitant to disturb Sunset or discover an alarming scene, Celestia went to the interior door. “Please...” It was a near silent prayer.
She opened the door and looked in. A little gasp escaped her.
Lying on the bed, wrapped in blankets upon blankets, was Sunset Shimmer, she didn't stir. “Sunset?” The teacher couldn't help the crack in her voice. Sunset took a shallow breath that turned to a deep, dry cough.
“Oh Sunset...” Celestia was in the room swiftly. She knelt down beside the bed and placed a hand to the girl's brow, Sunset was boiling up.
“Mom?” Sunset hissed through cracked lips. She sounded confused and exhausted.
That one word tore right through to Celestia's heart. This girl, this child, was suffering all alone with no one to take care of her. That decided things.
Celestia pulled out her phone and dialled. “Luna, come up, it is pretty easy to find the way. I need a little help.” She pocketed the phone as soon as Luna agreed and returned her attention to the ill girl in the make-shift bed.
“Have you had enough to drink Sunset?” Celestia asked gently. There was a half empty bottle near the bed. It was worrying her, back during her first visit the teen had explained that she replenished her drinking water from the school water fountains and Sunset had not been to school in three days now.
“Got my bottle. Got to make it last 'til I'm better.” The ill girl said, her eyes were unfocused, it was clear she was hardly aware of who was there. Celestia moved to get the girl to take a drink, she had no way of knowing if this had been all the water available to Sunset or how much she had drunk while sick. As it was, the girl eagerly drank the cool liquid, to fight the illness she should have been taking in plenty of fluids. In too short a time the bottle was drained and Celestia let the girl back down on her bed.
“Goodness, Sunset!” Luna said, entering the little room and seeing the teenager limp in bed.
“Can you pack her things? She is coming with us.” Celestia pointed to the boxes near Sunset's bed and a few of the scattered items the girl obviously treasured. Luna nodded and began putting things away as Celestia bundled Sunset up in her blankets and sleeping bag, preparing to pick her up.
“I think that is everything but the candles.” Luna lifted the single box the things had fitted in and watched as her sister easily lifted Sunset in her arms. “We're taking her home?” The girl was slack in Celestia's grip, unresisting and barely awake.
“Of course. She is sick and needs looking after. I was hoping to broach the subject under less dramatic circumstances, but she needs me, she needs us, now.” Celestia was trying to ignore just how light Sunset was in her arms. If her friends had not seen her in school since Tuesday when she had been sneezing and coming down with a cold... The implications were horrifying to the nurturing woman. Her thoughts on the journey there were no longer morbid, but Sunset was by no means out of the woods yet.
“Good.” Luna left the room with the box, faster than her sister, she returned and met Celestia halfway out of the building, helping her to carry Sunset down the rickety staircase. The girl barely reacted, mumbling and coughing weakly as she was carried out.
“Can you drive?” Celestia asked when they reached the car. Luna got the back door and took Sunset so her sister could sit on the back seat. When Celestia was settled she carefully placed the girl beside her.
“Of course.” Luna took the keys she had in her pocket.
As the car started up and pulled away, Celestia held Sunset close. “Don't worry. We're taking you home. You'll be safe and looked after.” There was no reply, but Celestia held tight. “It will all be okay.”
“Okay Fluttershy?” Sunset was somewhat crushed in a tight and clutching embrace from her sobbing friend. It was pretty much what Sunset had expected.
“You were sick and we didn't look after you.” Fluttershy said, burying her head into Sunset's hair.
“I told you though, Mom found me.” Sunset hugged Fluttershy and looked to her other friends. Who were now looking very surprised.
“Wait a minute. You're saying that Principal Celestia, our principal, adopted you?” Rainbow said, incredulous.
“Yeah. That is what I was getting to.” Sunset replied, shrugging, nonchalant even if finally revealing all was making her so happy.
“That's fantastic!” Pinkie Pie jumped for joy, confetti randomly appeared in the air. “I'm going to have to throw you a yay you're a mom and daughter party!”
Unfazed by the strange occurrence, Sunset carried on smiling. “Maybe a little low-key though? Mom doesn't want it common knowledge, if only because there are a few people at school who would give me a hard time.”
“Darling, that is sad but true, though surely we can do something in celebration.” Rarity clasped her hands together.
“Ah don't know about you, but Ah would really like to hear the story of how Sunset actually got adopted.” Applejack commented. “Ah'm glad that you and Principal Celestia got each other, but Ah am curious as to how.”
“Yeah. We can do the warm fuzzies after the story.” Rainbow grinned. “Awesome though. Our Principal knows a super spy? So cool.”
“Heh, yeah. Chrys is an interesting lady.” Sunset laughed. “I was out of it by the time Mom rescued me though. I think my fever broke a day or two later, but it was all pretty much a blank.” She'd had that part of the story shared with her after the worst was over. Celestia had been happy to share just how close everything had been, mostly to convince Sunset to stay in her care for a while longer. It wouldn't be helpful for her friends to know that part though.