//------------------------------//
// Rumors (Edited) 
// Story: Seeing the Sunset 
// by CoverArt 
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	Sunset had a free period after her history class with Rainbow. As she normally did, she spent her time walking around after depositing her jacket in her locker. She was hoping to get time to think about everything. Normally she wouldn’t want to, but after everything that has happened, she definitely needed to think.
Okay, here’s what I know: Rainbow doesn’t like me at all. Well, neither does anyone else, but this is different. She doesn’t like me, because she thinks I’m trying to steal Fluttershy. She also thinks I broke them up in the first place. She is very physical in her threats. Fluttershy and the others are the only ones sup--
Sunset’s thoughts were cut off as she walked around the corner and ran into someone. She fell and heard papers hit the ground. She was about to apologize before she was cut off by the person, who turned out to be Lightning Dust.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” Lightning exclaimed as she kneeled down to pick up the papers and books she dropped. Sunset went over to go help her.
“I’m so sorry. Here, let me help.”
“I’ve already seen how you ‘help’. Just leave." Sunset decided to just accept her wishes and got up to leave.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she walked away. She took a couple steps before she heard Lightning murmur something. Even though it was a murmur, Sunset still heard it.
‘Whore.’
Sunset would have just walked away. She should have just walked away. But something inside told her to fight this one, so she did.
“I am not!” she said, spinning on her feet.
“Oh, please. Everyone knows you sold yourself for money your first year in this world.”
This came as a huge surprise to Sunset. She never did anything like that her first year. Yeah, she did things she didn’t want to, but she had standards, even in rough times. To think someone would spread that sort of rumor about her made her mad.
“What? Who the hell told you that? I did nothing like that!”
“Flash told us all about it. He said that you told him about it.”
“Flash Sentry?” Sunset was extremely hurt. She didn’t think he would spread a rumor like that. She knew he didn’t like her but that seemed a bit overboard for him.
“Yep. He told just about everyone.”
That was the last straw for Sunset. She started to tear up, so she turned around and ran for the nearest girls' room.  She ignored any calls for her to stop. If there even were any; Lightning Dust wasn’t one to care for other people.
She burst into the bathroom and took a moment to make sure there was no one else there. Satisfied that she was alone, Sunset let her tears flow. She didn’t even know why she was so worked up about this. Come to think of it, she was worked up this much when he broke up with her too, and that’s when she was still the alpha bitch. Sunset felt something welling up in her, however, something she hadn’t felt since before the Fall Formal. Anger.
She was angry at Flash for hurting her like this. Whether he liked her or not, she still respected him, and he goes and does something like this? She decided that she had to confront him, and she knew exactly where he would be next; he had the same schedule as when they broke up, so she was very familiar with it.
Sunset dried her eyes as best she could and put a determined look on her face. Her anger was the only thing keeping her from crying right now, so she latched onto the anger and went with it. She stomped out of the bathroom and went to where she knew Flash would be. Today, that would be the gym.



Sunset stormed into the gym. It was the last few minutes before the period was over, so the teacher let them get dressed and hang out in the gym before the bell. Sunset saw Flash on the other side of the gym. He was with a few friends. They were laughing. Probably about me, she thought, releasing a small growl. She walked over to the group. When she was within fifteen feet of them, they noticed her. Flash started to speak first.
“Oh, uh, hey, Sun--“
“Shut up, you jerk,” Sunset cut him off, "How dare you spread rumors like that!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Like you don’t know! You told the whole school about how I’m some sort of whore, and that I told you that myself.”
“Wait, what? I didn’t--“
“Shut up! I don’t want to hear it,” Sunset cut him off again, her volume rising with every word she spoke. She was getting into it, and it felt nice. "Of all the people who would do that, you’re the last person I thought would be that much of an ass!”
“But I didn’t do it.” Flash was getting angry at Sunset, but she didn’t care.
“Oh, so they just got that from out of thin air? I was told you said it to everyone! It’s because of people like you that I can’t have a normal life!” Sunset screamed, getting in Flash’s face.
“It’s your own fault, bitch,” said a voice from behind Sunset. Sunset turned around to yell at the ass that said that, a growl starting to escape from her mouth. As she turned, though, it caught in her throat.
There were dozens of kids around her; Sunset must have counted at least forty or fifty kids glaring at her. In actuality there were only about fifteen, but Sunset couldn't help but think there was a huge crowd there to get her. It was becoming increasingly apparent that they weren’t there to support her. Her anger dissipated and left only fear and anxiousness.
“This is why no one likes you,” one kid said.
“It looks like becoming a she-demon and getting her ass kicked didn’t help her at all,” another spoke.
“She’s so pathetic.”
“Demon.”
“Bitch.”
“Loser.”
Sunset kept hearing the insults coming, and with each word or sentence spoken, her anxiousness was replaced with agreement, her fear replaced with self-hatred.  She was still shocked to be bombarded like this, but she agreed with every word. She turned and looked at Flash. He didn’t seem to know what to do. He looked concerned, but he neither offering any comfort for her nor any aid for the other kids. He looked at her and spoke neutrally.
“I only told them you worked odd jobs. I didn’t think they’d get that out of it. But you didn’t help yourself here, either.”
With that, he walked out of the gym, not wanting to be in that awkward situation any longer. Sunset could only stare at where he stood moments ago. 
He didn’t start the rumor. Someone else made it. How could I be so stupid? And I just… In front of everyone. I proved their point.
Sunset started to tear up, and she ran out of the room, ignoring the confused voices of everyone else. They didn’t care about her, and she didn’t want them to care about her. She didn’t deserve it; she was still the same monster she was before Twilight came. She ran into one of the bathrooms again, not even bothering to check if anyone was in there before she started sobbing. As it turns out, she was alone, but not for long. She heard the bell ring and knew a couple girls at least would come into the bathroom before heading to their last period class. Sunset stuffed herself into one of the stalls, cutting her arm on the locking mechanism, or rather, the jagged piece of metal that was once a locking mechanism. She gasped at the pain and looked at the small cut.
It drew a couple of small beads of blood, but that was it. That’s not what worried Sunset, tough. What worried her was the fact that she felt better because it happened. The pain… helped her. It still hurt, but it distracted her from her troubles. That’s what worried her. She knew that cutting was bad. She knew that even back when she was in Equestria. Was she really that desperate? She knew, whether it ended bloodily or verbally, it would end badly. But then, why did it feel so right to do?
Maybe it was her desperation, maybe it was her self -hatred talking, but Sunset decided to leave the option open for her most desperate of cases. She hoped she wouldn’t need to do it, but it was an option, and it made her feel better knowing there was an option. Now though, it did its job; she successfully got her mind off of everyone and felt at least a little bit better now, enough that she could go back to class.



Sunset met Fluttershy at her locker after the last bell. She put on a fake smile and approached the pink-haired girl.
“Hi, Fluttershy. How was your day?”
“Hey, Sunset. It was good. How was yours?” Fluttershy asked, grabbing her books from her locker as she looked up at Sunset.
“It was… eventful. I just kinda want to get home and sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Alright. Let’s stop by your locker, first,” Fluttershy said, standing up and closing her locker.  They walked down the hall together, stopping at Sunset’s locker before walking out of the school and towards Fluttershy’s home. They remained quiet for a while, both just thinking to themselves. Sunset tried to keep her mind as far away from today and the rumor as possible. She thought about the trees, the cars passing by, and even Fluttershy. This was both helpful and not helpful.
She couldn’t help but feel that Fluttershy was a savior; she did, after all, save Sunset's life. Sunset wondered if any feelings she had towards the pink-haired girl were just because of that. At this point, she didn’t care about Rainbow. The girl seemed to be okay with them dating if they wanted, even if she was hoping Sunset would slip up with it. Sunset thought it would probably be best not to even try.
But even as she tried to think of reasons why they wouldn’t work out, she found reasons why they’d be good together. Sunset felt safe with Fluttershy and truly felt nothing the girl could do would make her feel otherwise. Fluttershy stood up for her against Rainbow and the others, and that showed she cared, too. Add the fact that Sunset thought she was pretty and smart, and she couldn’t find a reason not to try with Fluttershy. But what would she do? Ask to go to dinner or the movies? She couldn’t pay for them.
Sunset was so lost in her thought, she failed to notice Fluttershy asking her a question.
“Wha? Sorry, I was in my own little world.”
“It’s alright. I, uh, was asking if a rumor I heard about you was true,” Fluttershy blushed brightly, and Sunset stopped dead in her tracks, stunned.
“A-absolutely not. I would never, Fluttershy.”
“I thought so. I’m sorry for bringing it up. I just heard a lot of people saying it. Is it bothering you that much?”
Sunset thought back to the encounter she had with Lightning Dust, then the one with Flash. She winced ever so slightly before answering, “Uh, no, not really. They can think whatever they want. It won’t make it true.”
“Alright, well, if you ever want to talk about it, just let me know.”
“I will.”
The two of them continued their walk in silence. It only took them a few more minutes to get back to the house, and Sunset was relieved when they walked through the doorway.
“Alright, I think I’m gonna go sleep now. See you later, or tomorrow, I guess,” she said, starting for the stairs.
“Oh, Sunset, don’t you want something to eat first?”
“No, I’m good. I’m just really tired is all. Thanks, though, Fluttershy.”
“Well, okay, but I insist you take my bed tonight. if you’re that tired, you should sleep comfortably.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that, Fluttershy.”
“I insist.”
“And you won’t accept 'no', will you?”
“Nope. I also don’t want to accidently kick you when I’m walking in there." She smiled and walked into the kitchen.
“Fine.”
Sunset went upstairs and got changed. The mirror had yet to be fixed in the bathroom, which Sunset was fine with; she didn’t want to look at herself, anyway. She sighed, walked over to the bed and got under the covers. When she told Fluttershy she was tired, she said it as an excuse to not be bothered the rest of the day. However, now that she lay there, she realized she really was exhausted, as she found sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.