//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - Making an Effort // Story: No Offense // by NonDescript //------------------------------// "I mean no disrespect to you darling, but this seems awfully out of the blue coming from you," Rarity said as we walked down the empty halls of the school. All our other friends were busy doing... Something. I had kindly asked Rarity if she was willing to stay behind with me at the school a little while, before I left. Frankly, I don't feel safe being by myself at this point. Not after my breakdown yesterday. "Well, I'm trying, okay? I'm trying to make an effort here," I said with only a small hint of indignation. "And besides... I really need to apologize to Applejack. Bailing on her like I did was not okay, and I couldn't say sorry to her yesterday, because... Well..." "Yes... I heard about what Flash had said. While I would be lying if I said I didn't understand why he reacted the way he did, I can imagine it must have had quite the effect on you." "Nothing I don't deserve a thousand times over..." I'd been trying to push that part of yesterday out of my memory. "Applejack didn't take my overreaction too personally, did she?" "Well, I wouldn't say she took it personally, but it did seem to at least put a damper on her mood." That wasn't what I wanted to hear. "Still, I'm surprised to see you taking steps to try and apologize in such a way." "Offering to take you all out to a movie on me, is hardly what I'd call a suitable apology, but it's the least I could do on even my limited budget..." In all honesty, I couldn't even afford to pay for the six of us. At least, not without seriously depleting what little I still have leftover of other people's money. I feel terrible every time I make use of it now, but frankly I'd otherwise be broke. When I first came here, I didn't think far ahead enough to worry about currency or how I could pay for things. Then again, I didn't think ahead in a lot of different respects. But that did mean I had to find money wherever I could, and at the time, a normal job felt beneath me. I had only just gone from being Princess Celestia's student after all. Going from being a student of the most powerful being in existence, to a simple store clerk or the like, seemed like the most preposterous and insulting idea. Some of the money came from pick-pocketing, some came from stealing lunch money and some came from outright blackmail. All the means available to make sure I could survive without subjecting myself to actual, menial work. It did still mean I was always limited in regards to my own funds. It's part of the reason why even now, I don't actually have my own phone. Which was why all the harassing online was done with either Snips or Snail's phone. I just simply couldn't afford one of my own. Besides, blackmail always seemed to be more effective if I could present it in a tangible, physical form. Still, any hope of me saving up now will be crushed unless I can get a job. Frankly, I'd take any job I could get right now, but considering how much of the places that hire, have also employed students from Canterlot High... Let's just go with 'my chances are very slim'. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm sure all of us would all be fine with paying for ourselves if you wish to go out with us somewhere. It's certainly no trouble for any of us." It's just money. It's just money. It's just a significant portion of the small money you have left. "Please. I insist. I don't know if I'll be able to feel better unless I do something." Truthfully, I felt absolutely terrible about leaving Applejack in the manner I did. She didn't deserve me shouting at her, or trying to force an answer out her that I would have likely disregarded. And dare I say it, I need the five of them. I don't feel safe at school unless one of them is around. Sure, I don't deserve them standing up for me, but no one would dare try anything too harsh if they knew one of them was nearby. That's just asking to receive trouble. "Well, if you insist," she relented. "That being said, know that we already have forgiven you. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't? We're better than that." Your falling out I caused would beg to differ. I didn't voice that out loud, despite the urge I had to do so. There's no way for a comment like that to be taken as just a light jab. By this time we had reached the front of the school. "Anyway, thanks for keeping me company Rarity. I didn't want to leave during the rush and risk what some might do while obscured by the crowd..." "Think nothing of it dear! I'm more than happy to stay and talk with my friends." The ease at which she called me her friend did succeed in raising my hopes just a little. "Do you want me to follow you on your way for a bit more, or shall we bid our farewells here?" "Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be fine. Don't forget to tell the others about what I have planned for them tonight, and that the movie starts at 6:30. Everything's on me." "Will do dear. Ciao for now!" As she turned and walked back into the corridors of the school, no doubt straight to wherever the rest of her friends were, I stood there gathering my thoughts for a bit. I am incredibly lucky, all things considered. I've been nothing but a wreck for the past few weeks, and have been antagonizing of the people around me every moment I could get, and yet they continue to shrug it off and keep me around despite it all. I know I'm not worth it, and I know I don't deserve any of it, but I guess... That's friendship, huh? Doing things for people not because they deserve it, but because it's right... They really consider me their friend, don't they? Or at least, they're trying to believe it themselves. And if they're willing to do that, I need to stop questioning why, but instead start doing the same. My hand went to open the door to leave, with a bit of newfound confidence in what I must do, when I felt a hand grab my shoulder and pull me around. *THUNK* Before I had even registered what had happened, I was on the ground, ears ringing and face numb from a blow to the head. Just barely over the ringing I could make out the taunts of my attacker. "How does that feel Sunset, huh?! Why don't you get up and fight, huh?!" My mind was still reeling from the blow, unable to make out anything through my double vision. It cannot be overstated just how disoriented the hit to my head caused. And unfortunately, the only thing I could make out about my attacker, was that they were female. "You show her!" And, that they weren't alone. "Let me have a few hits too!" Before I had a chance to get over the hit to the head, I felt a kick straight to my stomach. My body threatened to expel fluids from my stomach as I proceed to try and catch my breath from the hit. I was having difficulty breathing, and my mind was racing. Yet it refused to act, as I left myself open to further blows. I felt more blows to my stomach, as my body went limp, unwilling to respond to my desperate attempts to get out of there. Soon I felt a body placing itself over top of mine. "You bitch! You absolute bitch!" said the voice who was just before egging on my original attacker. "This is for everything you ever did to us! This is for all the shit the school put up with!" I felt a few more blows to my head, but by this point I'd lost all sense of anything going on, as I just accepted the hits as they came, and started to feel my consciousness fade. The last thing I remember is shouting as the weight above me is alleviated, and then everything fades to black. "I just can't believe that someone could have done this! Thank goodness that Principal Celestia saw you when she did." Oh? So was it Celestia that I heard shouting? "...Uh huh." "You know, you're actually very lucky that you don't need to go to a hospital," Nurse Redheart, the school nurse said sympathetically, no doubt trying to cheer me up in some way. "If things had turned out differently, you may have needed to get your jaw wired shut, or had your nose put back in place. Or even worse, you could have had abdominal trauma. As it stands, the only visible problems you'll have is just some swelling and a black eye." She wasn't doing a very good job of making me feel good about the situation. "Uh huh. And not so visible problems?" "Well, you almost certainly have a concussion, and no doubt you're in a lot of pain right now. You'll probably experience alternating periods of pain and numbness as the week goes on. Your black eye should be fine within two weeks or so if there isn't any major damage there, however I would regularly use an ice pack to reduce the swelling." Two weeks? I'm going to have to live with everyone seeing me like this for two weeks? "And what's going to happen about all of this?" "Well, given the... Extraneous circumstances, surrounding you and the events at the Fall Formal, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna are hesitant to bring in the police, unless they can know for certain who did this. It's the same reason they wanted to avoid a hospital visit if at all possible." "...Great." I can't really blame them, given that I wouldn't want police to be snooping around and finding all about what happened here either. "So that's it then? I can leave?" "Not by yourself, no! Not only are you in no condition to really be moving without someone watching over you, it's probably best for your own safety that someone be with you at all times. Do you have anyone you can call? Your parents?" "My parents are on the other side of the portal." "...Oh. Right. Surely you can call one of your friends?" "I don't have a phone." I decided not to argue the point of whether or not they're my friends, since one, that wouldn't be helpful to my situation, and two, I wasn't really focused enough to form a coherent retort.. "Um. Well, surely one of the teachers who are still around would be willing to take you home. Where do you live?" Please don't make me say it "..." "...You do live somewhere, right?" Please, just drop the subject. "..." Luckily, I think she understood that the subject was a touchy one for me, and decided on a different course of action. "Okay, I'll ask around and see if anyone can get in touch with one of your friends, or if one of the staff would be willing to set you up in a guest room." "That won't be a problem," a voice said that I immediately recognized. "I'll let her stay with me." "...Mr Theory, I mean no offense, but I don't know if Sunset will be entirely comfortable staying with yo-" "I'll take his offer," I interject. Right now, I had just been offered an easy out to any further questioning, and I'd be damned if I didn't take it. "Let's go." "Sunset, really, I'm su-" "It's fine. I trust Mr Theory, and it's the first option made available. I can go now, and it saves the trouble of you needing to look around." I'm surprised I managed as coherent an argument as I did, considering I felt like any moment I would collapse again. Frankly, I was just more willing to answer any questions Discord might have than her, and he hasn't given me any reason not to trust him... Yet. "...Well. If you're sure. Just know, you should be fine enough to come into school again tomorrow at least, if you're up for it that is," she relented. I wordlessly stand up, and make my way out the door at Discord's lead. "You know, you really do look terrible." "And you truly know how to make a girl feel comfortable in her own skin." "Well, I've been told I can sometimes have a way with words~" "Just... Fuck off." The best way I could describe Discord's home, was that it was sufficient. It had everything that you would expect in a home, and nothing more. And yet despite that, it still managed to be an unorganized mess. I shudder to think what the purple marks on the wall are. "From your expression, I take it you like?" "Quite the opposite," I say, not wanting to indulge his antics. I had enough of that in the car drive over. "Where do I sleep?" "Well, there's the couch or the floor for one. You could probably barely squeeze yourself into the fridge, and there's plenty of room on the dining room table, plus-" "-I'll just take the couch." I flop down onto the couch face first, with all the intention of dozing off right there, when Discord decides to sit on a nearby chair in an attempt to continue the conversation. "You know, you probably shouldn't go to sleep so quickly. I hear that if you do you might not wake up again." "That's a myth. Now go away." "I do have to say though, I've generally been quite impressed with you. I expected you to have given up on everything quite a while before our little talk yesterday." He smirked. "I'm also impressed that from the looks of things, you didn't punch back." "I deserved it." "As true as that may be, there's nothing really all that funny in a one-sided fight. It's just cruel and uninspired." He leaned back in his chair, no doubt with no intention of moving in the immediate future. "I mean, at least with what you did, there was always the possibility of backfire. And even then, most of your supposed cruelty only seems that way because people for some reason think highly of their own social status. I mean, that really just makes no se-" Before he even realized I wasn't listening, I fell into a deep sleep.