It was three days into the new year and oh what a year it had been already! Not only did Jackie's band become a hit at club Vagrancy (even if they did go into Pony Mode and had to change the band name on the spot), but they had been signed on to play again in a couple of weeks! Which meant more money! And their songs had seem a small spike in sales online and people were asking for 'My Past Is Not Today', which would have to be recorded and which meant Sunset was basically more or less a part of the band. So far the new year was awesome!
... except for the hangover she had right now as she woke up that morning.
It felt like her brain was sticking to the insides of her skull and her mouth felt like a slightly damp, sticky sponge. It took every ounce of strength she could muster to crack open her eyes, glad that her room was still dim thanks to the blanket she had over the window. At the moment she was face down into her pillow... and feeling an odd, light pressure on her back. Was she having a stroke? Wait... no, she was pretty sure that wasn't a sign of a stroke.
Slowly she turned her head and saw red and yellow just about at her shoulder blades. Right... this was nothing new.
Sometimes on the rare occasion when Jackie woke up before Sunset Shimmer, the high schooler was sometimes found cuddled up against her. Usually just sort of pressed up against her side but somehow in the night, the other had gotten her head and part of her upper body resting on her back. Even though Jackie wanted to get up and was desperately in need of some water and aspirin, it seemed a shame to move the other. She couldn't exactly see Sunset's face but it probably looked peaceful. That was fine, all good, she could just go back to sleep.
.... fuck, she had to pee!
Things had now become serious, Jackie started to whimper slightly as she felt the mounting pressure. There was no way she was going to piss her pants and wet the bed. It wasn't fun back when she used to party in high school and she wasn't going to embarrass herself in front of Sunset Shimmer! But how could she move without waking the other up?! Okay, she knew her brain probably hated her guts, had lost a lot of brain cells during her party days and was probably in horrible shape right now but it had to give her an idea! Think. Think! THINK DAMMIT!
"... you know if you need to get up, you could just gently move me."
"You're awake?"
Jackie winced as she noticed how cracked and hoarse her voice sounded.
"Mm, it's kind of hard to sleep when I can hear you and I can feel you squirm."
Grateful when Sunset Shimmer carefully rolled off and back onto her side of the bed, Jackie fell out before scrambling out of their room and to the toilet. She exited afterwards with a sigh of relief, aspirin in hand as she headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Bobby was on the couch, studying for the upcoming spring semester and clad only in a pair of long johns for the cold weather, minus the top that was resting on the back of the couch along with his pants that he could put on when Sunset Shimmer got up.
"Morning Jackie. How do you feel?"
"Like a gobi desert booger. So not bad in terms of hangovers."
"Mm. I guess, you're still in your clothes from yesterday though. I mean, you didn't have to consume both packs of beer..."
"You kidding? I got to pay the guy on the corner with my own money! Not money I borrowed from you or one of the guys because I had to use the money I was saving for things like bills n' stuff."
After gulping down three glasses of water with the aspirin, Jackie was starting to feel a lot less dead and decided to make herself some toast. However, just as the slices had popped out of the toaster, she heard her phone start to ring. The blue haired guitarist grumbled softly as she fished it out and put it to her ear, propping it against her shoulder so that she had both hands free to butter her toast.
"Yeah?"
"U-Um... is this Jackson Vibrato?"
"Yeah? What you want?"
"S-Sorry! Um, is Sunset Shimmer with you? My name is Fluttershy, we both know Treehugger and she gave me your number and-"
Fluttershy... why did that name sound familiar? It was hard to shift through all her mental notes and memories with a brain that felt like it had been pickled but eventually something popped up. One of Sunset Shimmer's friends that had turned on her was named Fluttershy! Jackie's eyes widened, completely forgetting her toast as she reached up to take her phone back into her hand.
"... excuse me."
Once she had hung up, she raced over to the couch where Bobby was and slapped the text book out of his hand.
"Hey!"
"Shhhh! It was one of them!"
"One of who?"
"Sunshine's ex-friends!"
When his own brain brought him up to speed, Bobby's eyes went wide as well while he lowered his voice.
"Well? What did you say!?"
"Nothing! I dunno what to do! I mean! Argh! What do I even say to one of them!?"
Before the banter could continue, Jackie's phone rang once more and she cautiously answered it.
"Hell-?"
"WHERE THE HELL IS SUNSET SHIMMER!?"
"OH SWEET JESUS TAP DANCING CHRIST!"
A very loud voice with a slight scratchy squeak to it had blared through her cell phone, waking up a very angry sledgehammer that apparently had been slumbering in her head until now. With it's awakening came a fury as it started to pound at her forehead and temples from the inside, leaving Jackie at it's mercy until the reinforcements of the twin aspirin finally kicked in. To give the aspirin a chance at success in their mission, Jackie immediately hung up on who ever it was that had called her.
She whimpered pathetically as she rubbed her forehead, wondering if there truly was some sort of wheel that turned, giving good luck and then immediately giving shit luck. The new year was supposed to be awesome, and what wasn't awesome was having some assholes call her while she was still recovering from a hang over!
For the third time instead of a call there came a text. A text in that freaking annoying text language that Jackie could barely fathom when she was sober! And came with a lot of blank spaces that she guessed were supposed to be emojis, not that her cheap old phone could get those. More and more came, a flood of texts so mighty that Jackie worried for a moment that her phone might explode and thus blocked this new, terrible number.
"Bobby... I think I died and went to hell."
A fourth number rang in and instead Jackie passed the phone to Bobby, curling up on the other end of the couch while the college student answered her phone.
"Hello?"
"Hullo? This Jackson Vibrato?"
"Um, no. This is Bobby. Well, Luca Bookkeeper, but everyone just calls me Bobby."
"Uhhh-huh, that's nice. Cin y'all hand me over to Jackson?"
"You want to talk to Jackie?"
Glancing over at the other end of the couch, he noticed Jackie shaking her head and mouthing 'I am not here!'.
"Uhhhhhh, no?"
"... no s'in ya' can't hand me to Jackson or no s'in Ah can't talk ta' her?"
"... yes?"
There came the sound of air, it sounded like a sigh to Bobby.
"Look mister. It's important Ah talk ta' Jackson. She knows where our friend is."
"You mean Sunset Shimmer?"
"Wait, ya' know her too?"
"Uhhhhh... yes?"
"Is she there with ya'?"
"Um... not... in this immediate area?"
"Now ya' look here ya' shifty varmint-!"
"Applejack! Please give me the phone! Now!"
Waiting patiently and looking slightly uncomfortable, Bobby tapped his finger against his knee as he heard a bit of muffled arguing on the other end before someone new was on the phone.
"Hello, please excuse my friend, she has been under a lot of stress lately. My name is Rarity, may I know yours?"
"Sure, I'm Luca Bookkeeper, Miss. But everyone just calls me Bobby."
"I see, well it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Bobby. May I please speak to Miss Jackson Vibrato?"
"Erm. Well, she's kind of not feeling up to it at the moment. She's kinda... hung over."
"Oh dear. Well be that as it may, I am afraid I must insist on speaking to her. It would mean ever so much to me and to all of us if you could hand the phone over to her."
With how nice and well mannered the girl on the phone sounded, Bobby hesitated for a moment before holding the phone out for Jackie to take. The woman shook her head and tried to push it back but Bobby was insistent, which lead to Jackie simply giving in and taking her phone back.
"God dammit Bobby... hello? This is Jackie Vibrato."
"Excellent. Miss Vibrato-"
"Ugh, please. Just call me Jackie, I don't want to sound like a school teacher."
"Very well, Jackie. My name is Rarity and I... was, a friend of Sunset Shimmer's."
"Yeah, I know, she told me about what happened in Canterlot. Smooth move by the way."
"... yes. But we have known for some time now that she wasn't the one responsible and we've been desperately trying to find her."
"Wait... how do you know?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean... you dump her like... ugh, I dunno, like something you dump and now you're saying you know? What tipped you off besides the obvious everything?"
"Well... we found the ones responsible."
"Oh yeah? Who?"
"I really don't think this concerns you-"
"Bullshit it doesn't. I found her being assaulted on the streets and she was really messed up by what you and the others did. This totally concerns me!"
"... she was attacked?"
The other side of the line was quiet for a time, Jackie not hearing anything and wondering what Rarity was doing on the other end.
"Very well. If you must know... it was our sisters."
"... are you shitting me? I'm hanging up now."
"WAIT!"
Wincing and pulling the phone away from her ear, Jackie rubbed her forehead for a moment before moving it back.
"Wait, please... when Sunset Shimmer disappeared without a trace, we all were so worried. And then when we found out the true identity of Anon-A-Miss we felt so foolish, to say the very least. We hadn't given up and when Treehugger sent Fluttershy that video, we felt so relieved at least knowing she was still alive. All we want is a chance to make it up to her, to make things right and bring her back. Please."
Maybe it was the headache egging her on, but Jackie still felt very tempted to hang up on the other. Except... except the other sounded so sad and she sounded so sincere in wanting to apologize. She knew Sunset Shimmer still hadn't tried to contact anyone back in Canterlot, what if she never did and needed a push? Did this group deserve it? But... everyone deserved a chance, didn't they? She knew how it could feel to so badly want that shot.
"Ugh, why do you have to be so loud?"
Jackie's head snapped over (an action she immediately regretted as her headache flared up) and saw that Sunset Shimmer was up and about. The red head yawned as she headed over to the kitchen and towards the coffee pot that contained cold coffee brewed up earlier in the morning. Jackie bit her lower lip before glancing over to Bobby, the man offering not much more than a simple shrug before motioning to Sunset Shimmer. After steeling her nerves, the guitarist stood up and slowly approached Sunset Shimmer, who didn't notice her until Jackie cleared her throat.
"Um, Sunshine? Sooooo I was wondering. Where were you on um, calling your ex-friends back in Canterlot?"
"Why do you want to know?"
She could hear the slightly irritated tone in Sunset's voice, not a good sign. Put it off or just rip off the bandage?
"Well... funny story. I guess some how they know about me. And got my number. And one of them is on the phone right now wanting to talk to you."
When Sunset Shimmer turned to face her, the woman shrunk under the astounded and angry gaze turned upon her.
".... no."
"But Sunshine-!"
"NO! I am not ready to talk to any of them!"
"Yeah but-"
"JUST STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS!"
With that, Sunset Shimmer took her cold coffee and Jackie's toast before storming off back to their bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her. Leaving Jackie was a headache that throbbed as a chorus of jackhammers drilled away at her skull.
"Fuck my life..."
"... she won't talk to us."
The other four sitting around the table looked as dejected as Rarity, the fashionista hanging up her phone before turning her sullen gaze downwards. They had all met at Sugarcube Corner Cafe, determined to get in contact with Sunset Shimmer and let her know how sorry they were. It seemed they would never get the chance though. She barely noticed the door ring, catching two new figures entering the establishment out of the corner of her eye but not really paying attention to them.
"Hey, we can't give up now! Look, Treehugger knows this Jackson Vibrato right? Probably knows where she lives? Let's just go there and see Sunset!"
"Um, Rainbow Dash, Treehugger told me Jackson lives in Los Pegasus..."
"So? I mean, we could totally get there and back before school starts again!"
"Um... but what about money? And our parents?"
"Fluttershy, we can't just let this go! No matter what we have to make this right now that we know where Sunset is!"
"You found Sunset Shimmer?!"
All eyes at the table looked over and were shocked to see Discord and Celestia standing there! Well, not so much Discord, he seemed to just pop up these days, but this was the first time they had seen Celestia since the last day of school! It was surprising to see the woman out of her usual pants suit, instead dressed in slacks, boots, and a winter coat that was open enough to show the long sleeved shirt she wore underneath. What was really striking was how tired and run down she looked. She looked less vibrant than usual and it made all their hearts ache some, especially Applejack's, Rarity's and Rainbow Dash's, since it had been their siblings who were responsible for the events leading up to her resignation.
"Erm, yes'm. We found she's livin' in Los Pegasus with some Jackson Vibrato gal'. She won' talk ta' us though."
"So we're forming a super plan to go there and talk to her and get her back but we don't know how to get there or if she'll still not talk to us and getting around our parents! I'm thinking cat suits and the full tech gear to sneak out!"
Ignoring Pinkie Pie's usual ramblings, the girls started arguing over if they should even attempt trying to go while Celestia became quiet, deep in thought. She soon felt a nudge at her side and glanced over to see Discord grinning toothily to her, already catching on to what he was suggesting.
"... girls. There's no way you can go to Los Pegasus by yourselves. I just don't see that plan working."
"Oh yeah? Then what do you suggest we do? Er, ma'am?"
Smiling to Rainbow Dash and over looking the tone of voice, Celestia then surprised all of them with her suggestion.
"I will go."