7DSJ: The Three Sunrises

by Shinzakura

September 17: Hold Me There and Never Let Me Fall

“HOW DARE YOU HUMILIATE ME, USURPER!” an ivory face, with eyes glowing like twin stars stared right at her. A mane the color of the rising sun glowed with pure and utter power, and the sight was fearsome to behold. But it was the sneer on the face of the being looking at her that hurt the most: a frown that said that it didn’t care. That the grimace’s owner felt no love any longer.

And she knew that it was her fault.

“DIE, TRAITOR!” The world filled with nothing but flame….

And Sunset sat up, gasping for breath. The sweat still glistened on her nude body, and despite the soreness she felt, she shivered from her nightmare.

She turned to see both the clock, which read 3:30 am; and Flash, gently dozing in the bed next to her. Getting out of bed, she slipped on her panties and bra, then walked over to the chair, where her clothes were slung all over the place – including what was left of her shirt. They’d ripped it off in a fit of passion.

Well, he ripped it off in passion. I felt nothing, she thought to herself. Not even like in the past. Back then, she had a “relationship”, quotes and all, both because he was the dreamiest guy in school, and because she enjoyed her freedom probably a little too much. But she wasn’t the same person she was when she broke up with him back in March – or even the same person who felt a twinge of jealousy when he was paying attention to Twilight Sparkle during her time here, even if he didn’t remember the alicorn now – Twilight’s last spell before returning to Equestria had ensured that only those who needed to remember would do so.

Then why did I do it? she asked. I could have come up with a billion ideas. Hell, I could have found a way to blackmail him or something. Instead, I let him have what he wanted. A wave of nausea sank into her as she realized what she’d done.

She walked over, reached in his pants and pulled out his wallet. It’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Sunset could practically hear Princess Celestia’s words of disgust clear in her mind. Congratulations, nightwalker. I hope lifting your tail was worth it, instead of becoming a princess. Sunset opened Flash’s wallet, finding a little over a hundred in various bills; his parents were loaded, so his allowance usually counted in the three figures.

And all I have to do is take the money I earned, Sunset thought to herself in loathing tones, and then go find the next trick. Who else? Maybe Mr. Tofu? Guy’s probably never gotten laid. Or maybe Mr. Form Factor, the computer teacher – I hear he likes cute girls. Or maybe even Ms. Raven; I heard she got caught with a female student and….

She looked at the sleeping form in the bed, and the pain ripped her apart. She had happily been a slut, if only to control him. Now? The one time presumptive-daughter of the Princess of All, a former baroness and once the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria had just reduced herself to a common whore.

Sunset slumped to the floor in a wordless cry. I’m so sorry, Princess. I have failed you once again. Sunset wasn’t sure how long she was there, crying silently at her lowest point, only afraid that Flash would wake up, tell her to take the money and next time bring a friend.

Horrified, she shoved Flash’s wallet, money still in it, back in his pants, then slipped on her clothing – she took one of his t-shirts, more out of need than revenge – and quietly left the house. She had time to get to the warehouse and take a long, long cold shower in order to get ready for the school day.

Too bad I can never wash away my sins, the former unicorn mused as she closed the front door of the house and started walking down the street.

“I…I need help,” Sunset said to the others at lunch that day.

“Sunset, dear, is everything alright?” Rarity asked.

“No, no it’s not.” And with that, she explained everything of the night’s prior events. She knew Flash wouldn’t talk about it; he had his reputation as “Mr. Nice Guy” to maintain, if only to victimize the next girl. But she had pledged to be a different Sunset Shimmer now, and that meant treading paths that she wasn’t used to having available…or even easy to tread.

So she explained. And if the girl’s reactions were bad yesterday, as she watched Fluttershy all but run from the table, she wondered if she’d truly blown her chance for friendship finally and utterly.

Applejack took a long draw of breath before saying, “Sunset? Ah think it’s fair t’ say that ya done fucked up bad.”

“That’s not all she fucked,” Rainbow snarked, only to get stared at by Rarity. “What?”

“Rainbow, darling, don’t be so crass.” Rarity turned to Sunset, a clearly and overtly kind smile on her face. “Sunset…I will be honest, dear: I don’t know what to say. I don’t see you as a lady of the night, but for you to fall so far….”

Sunset looked as though she wanted to cry. “Rarity, I don’t know what to do! I’ll lose everything if I run out of money!”

“Well, as much as I dislike the option as we would miss you, mayhaps it is time for you to return to your homeworld?”

Sunset shook her head. “Thirty moons, Rarity – that’s two and a half years. And keep in mind that the first full moon isn’t until October 8th. I’ll be dead long before then. Besides,” she sighed, “Trust me when I say that option is completely off the table. I don’t want to go into detail, but for better or worse, this is my home now.”

“Well, we would have to find, er, employment for you that would fit your requirements and not ask too many questions,” Rarity supplied. “Unfortunately, as I understand it, our state is notorious for wanting information for underage employees’ sakes.”

“So in other words, I’ll have to fake more documents like when I got here four years ago? You know I can’t do that. Principal Celestia knows about me now and she’s going to be keeping an eye out. I may as well paint a sign on the wall that says, ‘Hey, I’m committing fraud!’”

“Hey, it’ll work out,” Applejack assured her friend. “It’s just like a story mah parents used t’ tell me when I was a little girl. There was a girl who lost her parents, and lived alone in her home. One day, she got visited by an angel who told her that everything would be better. But then her house burned down and she went to live in the toolshed. Then a second angel came and said that everything would be better, but then that night a tornado came and broke the toolshed and the little girl went to live in a cave in the side of the nearby mountain. And when the third angel came, the little girl told him to go away, but the angel said, ‘How will you ever know joy if you don’t look, little one?’ And when the girl came out of the cave, there were people there, looking for her, including her uncle, who took her to his house so she could live happily ever after.”

Hearing the story, Sunset didn’t say a word. She’d heard the story before, dozens of times, in fact – back in Equestria, where it was called “The Three Sunrises”. The story was basically the same, only with a little orphan filly and Princess Celestia coming at each sunrise to promise the little filly that things would be better soon; when the filly hid, Princess Celestia had told her, ‘How can you ever see the sunrise if you don’t go look?’ The story ended with the filly being happily adopted by nobles and living a happily ever after. If it hadn’t been for the fact that the story was centuries old, Sunset might have thought that Celestia invented it just about Sunset herself.

Or maybe that’s what I wanted, and I didn’t know it until it was too late, Sunset mourned.

Unexpectedly, there was a slight giggle and everyone turned to Pinkie. “What’s up, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked.

A wide smile came onto the cheerleader’s face. “Oh, nothing much,” she replied.

“Auntie Cup! Uncle Carrot! I’m home!” Pinkie chirped as she walked into the Sugarcube Corner Café. She was wearing her cheerleading outfit after a long practice session and ran straight home, because her aunt and uncle still needed lots of help with the business.

“Oh, hey, Pinkie,” Carrot said, looking up from doing the day’s register count, pausing only as his niece kissed him on the cheek. “Cup’s upstairs with the twins. Can you give me a hand prepping the kitchen for tomorrow?”

“Sure! But can I take a shower first? Got all sweaty working on a new routine with the squad,” the hyper teen said. As her uncle nodded, she could see the café’s kitchen just behind him, looking like an utter disaster. It never looked so unkept before, but then again, it had only been in the past year or so since her aunt’s pregnancy and subsequent birthing of Pinkie’s cousins Pumpkin and Pound that things had gotten too hectic for the family.

Pinkie quickly rushed upstairs, said hi to her aunt and cousins and gave them loving kisses as well, before bounding into the shower and emerging fifteen minutes later with a towel around her frizzy cotton-candy pink hair and wearing a white t-shirt and capri jeans. With that, she rushed back downstairs, and dived right into the action, washing the pots and pans while her uncle started sweeping up the day’s detritus.

“Sorry, Pinkie,” Carrot said. “I know you’d rather be out doing teenage stuff instead of helping two fuddy old folks run this old shack.”

“Oh, don’t say that, Uncle Carrot,” Pinkie said with a sincere smile. “I love baking and party planning and all that, and between that and hanging out with my friends and being on the cheerleading squad is more than enough for me! Besides, I have the best aunt and uncle in the world and I couldn’t ask for anything more!”

“I know, but I wish I could get more help around here,” he sighed. “I don’t want you to miss out on your youth, and with Cup taking care of the twins, I can only do so much.”

A smile, the usual smile Pinkie had when she was about to ask for something, came over the teen’s face. “Maybe I could find another way to help?”

“Sweetie, I don’t want you to quit cheerleading just for our sakes.”

“No, I don’t mean that,” Pinkie said as she sprayed down one of the cookie sheets. “I mean, what if we got another person to work here after school?”

“I thought about that, but…well, I’d have to cut your hours, which…well, it would impact your allowance, sweetie.”

Pinkie smiled cheerily. “Honestly, Uncle Carrot? This is more important. And not just my hours, but…well, I have a friend I want to help, too.”

“Pinkie, I don’t…I mean, I can’t—”

Pinkie jumped up and down, holding Sunset’s hands in hers. “Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease say you’ll take it! You need one, my aunt and uncle really need help with the café, and I can’t be there all the time. I mean, the squad has to go to football games and all that an—”

“Okay, okay, okay!” Sunset said, not sure whether to laugh or hug Pinkie infinitely – not that the latter would mind too much. “I mean, beggars can’t be choosers, right?” She then winced as she said the old human aphorism.

Applejack placed her hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Sugarcube, this ain’t a handout, if’n that’s what you’re thinkin’. Ah been to th’ Sugarcube Corner dozens o’ times. They’ll work ya hard – you’ll earn your pay.”

“But what made your aunt and uncle decide to okay it? I thought you said that the café’s hurting for business right now?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, that’s easy!” Pinkie chirped. “I just had them cut my hours so they could pay Sunset!”

“Wait – didn’t you say once that your allowance is based on the hours you work there?” Sunset asked. “Pinkie, I can’t do that – that’d be hurting you and I can’t do that to you, Pinkie.”

The cotton-candy haired teen looked at her friend. “Sunny, I told my aunt and uncle the truth. Well, the part about you turning over a new leaf and sorts, not about you living alone or not being human or stuff like that – funny, people would think I was crazy if I started mentioning that!”

“I can’t imagine how anyone would ever think that,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“Anyway, though, as much as you need help, they need your help, too! Uncle Carrot…he’s always so tired after working the café all by himself, and I worry about him. And Auntie Cup can’t help much, because she has the twins. And while I want to do more, there’s only so much I can do. So, really, as much as you need help, Sunny, my aunt and uncle need help too.”

“Sunny?” Sunset repeated. She never told her friends, but she really detested that nickname, if only because how often Flash had used when they both had angry, drunk sex. The one time she’d heard him slur, “Sunny Hunny’s fuckin’ funny; wants me to spooge all on her tummy,” she made it clear that she wanted to be called just Sunset from that point. Yet even still, she knew Pinkie wasn’t saying it out of malice or revenge – she was just being Pinkie.

Sunset nodded. “Okay. I guess I’ll head to the café with you afterschool—” Before she could even finish, she was wrapped up in a virtually bone-crushing hug from Pinkie. “Pinkie…dying here….” Sunset gasped.

“Yay! You’ll do it! This calls for a ‘Sunset Got a Job’ party! Everyone’s invited to the café!”

Cup looked sternly at the teenager before her, and it was all Sunset could do to just stand there and take the woman’s withering glance. “So, you’re the one that’s been causing my niece heartache all these years?” Sunset wanted to melt from the withering glare the woman was giving her; whatever stories Pinkie had told her about her aunt being a softy were probably not as true as the teen thought they were. But then Cup smiled beatifically and added in softer tones, “Well, if Pinkie says you’ve turned a new leaf and need help, then far be it from me to turn away a girl in need.”

Sunset nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Cake.”

“Oh, let’s see how much you thank me by the end of the day,” Cup said with a knowing smile.

“Sunset! Can you get this to table three?” Carrot called out, passing the plate to Sunset. “Also, this needs to go to table four, and this one needs to go to table one.” Sunset took the four trays, her arms wobbling as she barely held onto them both to the weight and the bulkiness. Moving slowly, she tried to get the dishes to the tables in the right wa—

“SUNNY!” Pinkie rushed down the stairs, wearing her cheerleader outfit. “Liking the job so far? You look good! Keep it up!”

“Pinkie, I just started five minutes ago,” Sunset said, gritting her teeth. Granted, she was grateful for Pinkie’s help in getting a job, but she needed to concentrate.

“Cool! Anyway, I gotta go because the football team’s playing Forest Edge High in an hour and I gotta get ready for our drills!” She waved over to her uncle, adding, “I’ll be home late tonight! I’ll see you later!” And before she even got an answer, she rushed out the door, leaving a befuddled and still struggling Sunset wondering what the hell just happened.

However, she didn’t have to wait much longer before Pinkie raced back in and shouted, “Totally forgot my pom-poms!” Unfortunately, while running past Sunset, she accidentally bumped into the overburdened teen. Sunset moved back and forth, trying to get a hold of the trays before she lost control. At the last second, just before she was about to drop them, she moved her other hand in to help and then poured spellfire through both hands, using a quick tractor spell to keep everything in place, while casting a second spell with the other intending to hide the cyan light flash of her magic. She’d fallen to her knees by the time everything was done, but somehow she’d managed to save everything before food and drinks had been splattered over the café floor.

Carrot was at her side in an instant. “You okay?”

“Yeah, my mistake,” she apologized. She knew it had been in truth Pinkie’s jostle, and she knew that Pinkie hadn’t intended to do so, so she wasn’t going to blame her for what was clearly an accident. Plus, Pinkie was her friend…maybe.

“Well, here, let me help you with that. Wouldn’t want the new employee to get hurt, would we?” he said with an awkward grin.

“No, I think I’d like to survive the day,” Sunset said, somewhat embarrassed.

Without warning, Pinkie rushed right by with her pom-poms, shouting, “OhmyGodImlateIllbebacklaterguysbye!” as she raced by both, leaping out the door and into a car driven by another cheerleader that Sunset recognized as Somersault. Thankfully the other cheerleader hadn’t seen her, or else Sunset probably would’ve gotten an earful for stealing her phone and placing it at the bottom of the school’s swimming pool. Soon enough, the car drove off, with Sunset watching it recede into the distance.

“Something wrong?” Carrot asked.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “Just my past haunting me.”

Wiping a bit of sweat off her brow, Sunset exhaled. Her first night working had been unusually busy for the café, Carrot admitted; the café usually closed at six due to the tapering off of business, but for some reason, everybody in the universe wanted to hit the Sugarcube Corner today and that meant that Sunset worked until the legal limit of ten that night instead of seven, which had been the original plan. Given that the place was busy, she needed the experience and the money, and she couldn’t leave Pinkie’s family hanging, Sunset gave no qualms. All in all, truth be told, it had been a relatively uneventful night, with the exception of Derpy Hooves and her friend Carrot Top briefly coming in to grab a coffee, seeing her and immediately heading back out.

Finally, as she set the broom and dustpan in the closet and removed her apron, Carrot smiled. “Need a lift home, Sunset? It’s getting late and it is a school night.”

“No, I don’t live far from here,” she lied. In truth, she left her bike outside – well, technically the bike belonged to Snails’ sister before Sunset “appropriated" it; sooner or later, she was going to have to return it – and a good thirty-minute ride to her home. It was a good thing that no one had ever really inquired into her residential situation – for years she used an address that didn’t exist, but sounded like it was in the eastern part of town, maybe – but now that the truth was out, sooner or later Principal Celestia or Vice Principal Luna was going to look into the truth, and if she had problems now, that was going to be magnitudes worse.

Best not push my luck in the meanwhile, Sunset thought.

“Well, at least let me make a panini or something for you before you go,” Carrot insisted. “You didn’t take a break for dinner, and I’d feel better if you did that.”

“Sure, thanks,” she said. At least the food here was healthier than the instant ramen she’d have to cook at home. Since she wasn’t a pony anymore, her metabolism wasn’t as high and while magic users could burn off calories just from spell, her human body didn’t seem to quite have that type of advantage. Besides, she liked looking good; while she was sure she wasn’t going to return to her relationship with Flash, there might be a chance that she might meet another guy that she liked, preferably one that wasn’t a bitch in sheep’s clothing.

It was then that the door unlocked and Pinkie walked in, somewhat subdued – well, subdued by Pinkie standards, in any case – and weary. “I’m home,” she said softly, before realizing that Sunset and Carrot were still in the café space of the building. “Busy night, huh?”

Sunset nodded. “How’d the game go?”

“JV and Varsity got their butts handed to them. Forest Edge had better teams; nobody’s fault, really. Though I am a little angry that Gridiron was paying attention to Sweet Swings instead of me.”

“I thought you had no interest in dating, Pinkie,” Sunset replied.

“Well, not really…but a girl likes a guy paying attention now and then, right?” the cotton-candy-haired girl said with a wink.

“Uh, yeah.” The room settled into an awkward silence as Pinkie realized she said something she shouldn’t have.

“Sunny….”

“Look, I gotta go.” Carrot came back at that point and brought out a doggie bag with a turkey and swiss panini, chips and a Diet Coke. Sunset said her thanks, taking it. The adult then left the two teens alone, saying he’d head upstairs.

“Sunny, I…look, why don’t you stay over, tonight? You can borrow some of my clothes for tomorrow, okay?”

The ex-unicorn shook her head. “No, but thanks.” She briefly hugged Pinkie, and headed for the door. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

Pinkie’s hair seemed to deflate. “I’m sorry.”

Sunset gave her friend a wan smile as she headed out the door. “It wasn’t you. It was me. And I’m tired of it always being me.” Nothing more to say, she grabbed her jacket, then walked out the door as she fished out the key to her bike lock.

Pinkie waited until Sunset rode off before locking the door and turning off the café lights, heading upstairs to the second-floor residence. Waiting there for her was Cup, with a bowl of chicken soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. “Do you want to talk about it, sweetie?” the matron asked her niece.

Pinkie sat down at the kitchen table, looking at her aunt forlornly. “No…but I wish Sunny would. I wish I knew what to do to help.”

“Some people need help, just like you did when you came to live with us,” Cup said, sitting down at the table as well. “But some people want to figure out their own way in life, and they never really do until it hurts. It sounds like that’s what your friend’s going through right now.”

“I know,” Pinkie said softly. “That’s what worries me.”

Comments

[shy sad jaded shard]

why have i not started this before now?

[LucarioFan2066]

“Sweetie, I don’t want you to quit cheerleading just for our sakes.”

Nice nickname; very apt.

and then poured spellfire through both hands, using a quick tractor spell to keep everything in place, while casting a second spell with the other intending to hide the cyan light flash of her magic

Well, this is different - magic in the human world. So much for Rainbow Rocks pronouncing it extremely difficult...