Chapter 8 [Edited]
Apologies Aren’t Always Enough
Chapter 8
Written by FreeHomeBrew
Edited by FreeHomeBrew
Reviewed by Sadistic Fluttershy
Chapters 1-6 written by Sadistic Fluttershy
The gates had been closed when Sunset arrived at school that morning. She’d come so early that not even the groundskeeping staff had been present yet, though they wouldn’t be long.
When the first groundskeeper arrived, she’d asked if she could get in sooner rather than later since there were a few things she wanted to do after having been absent for so long. Though it wasn’t exactly allowed, she’d gotten her exception and went in.
In her absence, she had thought much about school and how things would change. Coming to school just after sunrise literally showed everything in a whole new light. Every empty hallway that echoed her timid footsteps was basking in golden rays, dancing to the melody the brisk morning breeze was playing in the trees; a rejuvenating sight, instilling in her a great sense of optimism. This was her time to seize the things that had newly become important to her, she knew. She saw herself standing exactly where she was, on her own, confident in her abilities to overcome whatever she would face, come what may.
For the first time in a long while, she managed to smile. Her future was hers for the taking.
She walked down the hallway and turned the corner at the end, walking towards the lockers. She opened hers and found the book Twilight had left her on the top shelf. She didn’t notice anything remarkable about it, but presumed it would be full of concerned messages. This too would start anew.
She undid the ribbon on her hand, exchanged it for the book and locked the locker. She found a nice secluded spot in the warmth of the sunrise and sat down. Eager to tell Twilight about what decisions she’d made, she paged through the book, back to front, and found the next empty page to write on.
“Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I hope you’ve been well. I hope you’ve not been too concerned since our last correspondence. I’ve been recovering from a really bad situation. I guess I still am, and probably will be for some time to come, but at the moment I’m feeling pretty great.
I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch for so long but I’ve been in the hospital. I’ve had a lot on my mind. That’s part of the bad situation I’ve been through. Knowing you I’m sure you’ll be too curious to let this go, but I don’t want to talk about that right now. If you want, you’re welcome to stop by anytime. Actually, you know what? I wouldn’t mind returning to Equestria for a visit. We’ll come to that later.
What I wanted to tell you is that I have made some decisions of which I would like to inform you, as a friend. Because of the things that have happened recently, I want to make some changes.
First, I’m going to really focus on my studies to both catch up due to my time spent in the hospital and simply to improve. If I can be a B student I can definitely be an A student. I remember acing classes in Equestria, so I’m sure I can do it here.
Second, over the summer, I’m planning to spend some time away from this place and just pick up a summer job. Something manual and really physical, or maybe volunteering at events and such. We’ll see. I just want a break for a while and rebuild myself.
I can hear you now, ‘But what about your friends?’ Well, you see, that’s the third thing.
After having thought about this for days, thinking really hard and facing things I did not want to face, after plenty of restless nights, I’ve decided to break up with them. At least for now.”
Sunset’s breathing got heavier as she recalled having cried night upon night facing this decision. In the end, it had been a harsh matter of facing reality, however brutal. It was either to accept reality for what it was or reject it and live in a fantasy. Sunset swallowed the knot in her throat and continued.
i]”I want things to be like they used to be. I wish I could go back but I’ve come to realize that in this world, that is impossible.
Everything in this world is permanent, and that is something that hit me really really hard. There is no turning back. It is literally not possible. Imagine not having time travel spells, or even teleportation. See my predicament? Even when you break a vase, you can’t just restore it magically. You’ll have to manually pick up the pieces one by one, sort them out, glue all the little shards together perfectly, and even then you’ll forever be reminded of having broken the thing. No matter how precious it was, how dear you held it, you can never make it like it used to be.
The only way to move is forward, so that’s where I’ll go. I’ve decided that my part in restoring our friendship is to make sure we have time. I’m not the only one who got hurt, and I’m not the most important one either, depending on who you ask.
To be honest, it feels good to have made these decisions, because now I’ve got somewhere to go. I know how to make life worth living again. Just knowing that makes me happy. I know I’ve set realistic goals. Things I can achieve if I push myself. I’m absolutely positive.
I just can’t be with my friends right now.”
Sunset took a deep breath. She had done so well thus far. She had convinced herself that she was beyond the difficult part of moving on. That it would no longer hurt as bad as it did. She had hoped the healing would begin today.
”It hurts me just to say that, just to think about it. That is precisely why I need some time for myself.”
She felt her heart pick up an anxious beat when the realization that she would see her friends again finally sunk in. Sure, she had factually known this from the start, but only now actually realizing that it would only be hours, if not mere minutes, until she’d face them again in public made her queasy.
She had said all she’d wanted to say to them through Applejack yesterday. Surely they’d know she wouldn’t make much contact if any. She tried her best to put it off and face them when she eventually would.
Back to the letter. She reread the last bit she wrote and continued where she’d left off.
”If you need me, or just want to talk to me, you know where to find me. I’d love to come and visit Equestria and Canterlot after everything that’s happened. But I’m not a quitter, so I won’t give up on these friendships of mine, even if they’re broken right now.
I’d like to hear your thoughts in person, rather than just reading them in this book. Just let me know when and where and we’ll see where we’ll go from there.
Twilight, hold on to that pen. Save your thoughts for when we speak. Put them on paper if you must, just make sure it’s not this paper. I know you’re eager to write even as you read this.
I’ll check this book again in a few hours during lunch break. Should be in about four and a half hours.
Hope to see you soon,
Sunset Shimmer.”
She put her pen away and closed the book. She held it close, thinking of Twilight. If anyone knew what to do it would be her.
Sunset had set her mind on doing things her way, going about it alone for the most part. She’s always been a sturdy loner, able to deal with whatever comes her way on her own. That however, was also what had lead to her downfall. Twilight had saved her then. Sunset wanted to do her proud and save herself and her friendships on her own this time. At the back of her mind, she felt the gnaw of her past chipping away at her confidence.
Twilight was someone she could have been, in a way. She had had those same opportunities but persistently declined them. Stubborn as she was she had her own way of learning and her own interests that didn’t always align with those of her mentors. Had she been sent to Ponyville, who knows who she might’ve become. Then again, she might’ve been the one to save Twilight had that mare ended up in this world in her stead.
Sunset looked down the hall, left and right, to make sure she was alone. She put her hand under her shirt and on her skin. Slowly, she felt up her belly, up to her chest. She ran her fingers up to and across her scars. They didn’t hurt, but she did feel the bumps and unevenness. No doubt they’d be clearly visible. She wasn’t too bothered about how it looked, but more about how, even if she could forget this all ever happened, these scars would forever remind her that it had.
She wasn’t sure whether or not to show Twilight. No doubt there would come that time she would find out what has happened to her. Would she panic? Would she worry? At least it would be up to her own discretion. Maybe the scars would be hidden if she were to visit Twilight in Equestria. She’d lose her clothing, sure, but at least she’d have fur.
All in due time, Sunset. She thought to calm herself.
Sunset sat upright, put the book in her backpack – in case Twilight would respond today – and left for her new class.
* * *
Sunset decided to check in with her new homeroom teacher, miss Soft Spot, who was mostly informed about the things that had happened at school surrounding the anon-a-miss incident. The teacher had ushered in the students, quite a few of whom had bullied Sunset.
Sunset stood in the hallway, looking into the classroom through the open door. Inside she noticed streamers, balloons, flags and over the whiteboard at the front, a banner welcoming Sunset back to school, reading Welcome back Sunset Shimmer! in cheerful writing.
She clenched her fists and turned her attention to the students. Only a few of the students looked her way, another few tried hard not to. All the looks were of shame, pity and concern. Despite the classroom decorations, most of the students seemed completely oblivious to her presence, as though nothing had happened. Sunset took it all in for a moment before swiftly turning to miss Soft Spot.
Soft Spot smiled at Sunset, trying her best to remain welcoming to her new student. She’d never seen anyone frown like that. It were times like these she wondered if her hope should be this unmoving.
“Will you be joining us, Sunset?” She asked. Sunset shook her head and remained quiet. “We’d very much appreciate your company...”
“I’m not going in there,” Sunset said. “Who would! It’s! I...” She looked away, having noticed she’d raised her voice. “I’m NOT going in there!” She said flabbergasted.
Soft Spot sighed, her welcome back party crushed. She solemnly closed the classroom door from the outside and got Sunset seated in the small office area between classrooms. She sat Sunset down at a desk and went to tend to her homeroom. Sunset got out a pen and paper, impatiently waiting for Soft Spot to return.
Sunset had known Miss Spot to carry her heart on her sleeve and to have an excessive amount of compassion and care. Always willing to go that extra mile even at her own expense, though never exceeding her professional capacities. One might say she was well-grounded if it hadn’t been for her naive hope even when faced with a situation that had none. She can tell you exactly what’s going on in almost every situation, yet have thoughts, dreams and decisions based on outcomes that are either very unlikely or extremely difficult to achieve.
Sunset had seen the similarities between herself and this teacher, in how she’d stood up against the Diamond Dog Brothers and Diamond Tiara for the CMC, who’d wronged her the most out of everyone involved. However, where this teacher was very open and personal, Sunset was very distant and closed. More cunning, composed and calculating.
The office door opened and Soft Spot entered quietly. Having given Sunset a few moments to calm down, she was disappointed to find that she had been brooding instead. Though the situation was unfortunate, it had also been foreseen. It was a situation Soft Spot had allowed to talk to her new student in private.
When she asked why Sunset didn’t want to join in today, Sunset offered to “write her a Celestia damned book!” An answer for which Sunset had immediately apologized.
Soft Spot reminded Sunset that this was her homeroom and that by next week, she’d like all her students to attend in the classroom. She promised Sunset to try her best to make things work again.
The conversation moved on to Sunset’s current situations and where she was headed, defusing the momentary anger. Sunset had told her the same thing she’d told Twilight. Part of her had hoped Soft Spot would ask her how she felt about this mess to just have a place to vent it all, but for some reason she hadn’t. Sunset was certain Soft Spot had noticed her flinching and bottling up having to think she’d lost her friends again.
The conversation came to a conclusion and she’d given Sunset the same assignment as the rest of the class. Sunset could leave earlier when she’d finished it.
The next few classes until lunch break Sunset Shimmer had spent sitting in the front row and just focussing on the lessons being taught. There hadn’t been any group assignments. The teachers hadn’t been awkward about anything despite knowing what had happened and how things had been. They’d asked her how she was doing and appreciated having a new student in their class.
Some teachers apologized for having thought she was anon-a-miss, having had their own secrets exposed during the incident. They’d all been sincere. Sunset had accepted their apologies and told them not to worry, though in the back of her mind she was already composing a plan to burn down the school with everyone still locked inside.
Every time she’d gotten a “sorry” for all the misery she’d been put through she noticed it became harder and harder not to get angry. To just be friendly with all those terrible people who had either partaken in or had allowed for everything that’s happened. How could she? When she was in the hospital she’d not gotten a single card, visit or phone call. Not one! Was her anger not justified? If there would be one time she would allow herself to be angry, would now not be the time? If she’d keep her calm through all of this, she’d never be angry ever again. She couldn’t imagine anything worse happening for the life of her.
She recalled then, something worse had already happened, and her friends had saved her from it. She didn’t want to be upset. To let this anger in and let it fester. To let it become something rotten she would inevitably let loose on someone who she had already decided did not deserve it.
This is why she had cleared some time to heal. This is where she had created the space to vanquish this beast. Never again did she want her demons to take her back. However, she still felt the way she felt. This was the undeniable truth. The only thing she could do was let it all out in her own ways. If she were to feel like this no matter what, she would try her best to be miserable on her terms and on her schedule.
She had to stay in control. As she would come to find however, she would become but a paper windvane commanding a storm to turn or halt.
* * *
Lunch break had come around and Sunset had found herself a secluded bench in a park outside of school property. She’d lost her appetite before she stepped outside, but the walk in the fresh air had brought it back in full vigor. Usually the maid would make her lunch, but this morning her mother had already made her something special. It had really lightened her mood, and she had been smiling all the way.
After she’d finished, she got the book out of her bag to see if Twilight had left her any messages. The book wasn’t glowing. Well, it has only been a few hours. I’m sure being a princess is taking up a lot of her time, Sunset thought to herself.
She hadn’t wanted to see her older messages since before she made her latest entry. In fact, she had wanted to not see them. Yet, the question of how good of a friend Twilight had been through all of this was never far away. Should she not be more concerned for her friends in this world? Surely a princess would have a day off once in awhile to just leave a message?
Right then, the book began to glow. Sunset eagerly opened it to the next empty page, after her latest entry. Letters formed where Twilight wrote on her end of the mirror.
“Dear Sunset Shimmer,
It’s nice to see a friend know you so well as you know me. I was indeed very worried and picked up the pen as soon as I could. Then I had to set it down again, tend to Equestria and wait until now to write you back.
I’m happy to hear from you and that you’ve found yourself a stable place from which to move forward, even it is between a rock and a hard place. The best thing about rock bottom is that the only way to go is up, right?”
Sunset sighed. Twilight’s attempts at humour really fell flat, not appealing to her sensibilities at all. She might’ve thought of it as mocking had they not been friends. She was grateful for the supportive message though.
“From what you’ve told me, I can tell something has gone terribly wrong. I don’t know what has happened but I really want to talk about it in person. Or pony, as per your suggestion.”
For some reason, it took a few minutes for the next words to appear. It could’ve been anything really. Was Celestia bothering her? Was she pondering about something super important to put there? Did Spike sneeze? The words continued.
“You know what? You can stay the weekend if you like. You’re always welcome of course, to stay as long as you like, but this weekend we can easily accommodate.”
Must’ve been talking to Spike. Strange, how Twilight of all people hadn’t made or confirmed these arrangements before deciding to write the letter.
“I’m getting excited just thinking about it! A sleepover! With a scholar from another world! You were a scholar here after all, no doubt you’ve learned a lot about your new world, right? I ~”
The words ended in an ugly curve swirling and bumping into the inner seam of the book.
“We’ll get to that when you get here.”
The pause that followed next took long enough for Sunset to close the book, only to open it right before putting it away. It had started glowing again.
“I’m excited that I get to see you again, not to mention having you visit Equestria. However, it won’t all be fun and games.
I know you’ve been hurt. A lot. I’ve been there myself. I too started out as the lone scholar, content with life as I knew it. Then my friends made it infinitely better. I cannot possibly tell you how much they’ve enriched my life, for I know not the words. I don’t need to, because from your experience you already know the things I want to tell you.”
Sunset put a hand over her chest. Twilight was right, probably more than she knew.
“Then, one day, everything we had built together had been ripped away from me. From us. My friends hated me and even each other. They had turned against everything they stood for. Lying Applejack, cruel Fluttershy, selfish Rarity, spiteful Pinkie Pie, treacherous Rainbow Dash. I had given up on them. I retreated into solitude. So too had I turned against my element.
My past had taught me that I had always been the one I could always rely on, besides of course my family and princess Celestia. But with them I shared no friendship like I did with those five.
I knew that, alone, I was safe. Alone, I could heal. Alone, I could move on. That’s what I thought.”
Sunset felt as if her heart was beating beyond the gate, there in Equestria. These words had struck all the chords that she had been playing for the recent past. Just get away from where it hurt, be it at home, in the streets, in school, or even in this human world altogether. Find a place to rest and heal. She read on.
”But I was wrong. When I came back to my house, I started packing to get away from Ponyville, feeling my mission here was over. I had failed. I had failed everyone. My friends, myself and worst of all, Celestia. I had hit rock bottom.”
There was a pause. Where Twilight had written, a few small colorless splotches appeared. The words continued shortly.
”All day, Spike had been sneezing up letters I had sent to Celestia. They were the friendship reports I had been sending to Celestia ever since I had arrived in Ponyville. I started reading them.
Poor Spike, the letters just wouldn’t end. Soon I found myself literally buried in a pile of my most treasured memories. One by one, I felt as though they brought me back to life. I felt a spark inside me like I did that very first time. A spark that only the Magic of Friendship could ignite. It is Magic that is in itself magical, in all the ways it manifests. It is so incredibly powerful and it can be blunt and obvious like the rainbows, yet also be subtle and moving just like that little spark. But I digress.
Had it not been for those memories, who knows what might have happened. To be honest, it still hurts just thinking about it.
I want to say that in that moment, when my faith had been restored, I had decided to fight for our friendship, but the word “decided” is not what it felt like. Does a fish “decide” to swim? Does a bird “decide” to fly? Because that was how I had “decided” to restore our friendship. I did so one friend at a time, and thus the group gradually came back together.
I would have lost them forever had I given up.
I don’t know what happened with you, or how bad it was. Just know that things are not as hopeless as they may seem. The fact that we’re writing each other about this and that everyone is upset about it is a good sign.
Until we meet up this weekend, look into your heart and see all the happy memories of them that you’ve treasured there. Know that times have been great together. You’ve been through thick and thin with these girls. As you have done before, so too will you do again once all of this is in our past. You were right in knowing this would not happen overnight. It will take some time, and it should. I suppose I was lucky that the cause of my friendship problem had been a magical one instead of being entirely worldly.
Things will be right again, Sunset. I hope you’ve also made that clear to your friends. Hope is a really powerful thing. It lends everyone time and helps keep things from going off the deep end.
I hope I’ve not written too much of what you would want to hear in person instead of writing. I’d like to think I haven’t.
There is one more thing I’d like to leave with you. I want you to know that it hurts not because you hate them.
It hurts because you love them.”
Whatever Twilight would write after those words, Sunset would read in full once she’d reopen the book. Her hands were wet from wiping away the unending tears. She tried desperately to not let out any audible sobs, but to no avail. For the next few minutes, she hoped to not be found.
* * *
Lunchtime was almost over when Sunset tried to sneak back into the school, wanting to go unnoticed. Her eyes were still red from earlier and she wanted to freshen up before going into her next class.
The ground floor was empty save for a few cliques of students known to be tardy more often than not, so Sunset picked up the pace a little. She got into a restroom, splashed her face some and hurried to her next class. She got a few looks when she rushed in as the last student to enter the classroom, out of breath no less, but she got no comments.
During class, Sunset realized she hadn’t yet seen any of her friends today. True, she had actively tried to avoid them, but she’d also expected to at least catch a glimpse of them. Maybe in a reflection, or just turning a corner. Maybe overhear them somewhere. Anything.
That same queasiness from earlier had returned, as she grew more and more anxious the later the hour grew. Did she even want to bump into them just moving between classes? She had intentionally avoided them thus far, would she end up regretting having not seen them? Would they say hi? Would they stay quiet? How would they even react?
All sorts of scenarios started playing through her head, as her mind took her places she did not want to go. Her hands grew sweaty at the thought of ending up in a dense crowd, being pushed up against any of her friends. “Sunset?” Maybe she’d just leave the class last, wait for the hallways to be clear. “Sunset?” Then again, even an open encounter like that would keep everyone on edge. Would Rainbow Dash even show up today? And what of the others?
“Sunset?” The teacher called out. Sunset turned to face the teacher's desk, still a little out of it.
“Sunset? Are you alright?”
Sunset looked around the classroom and noticed almost everyone was quietly staring at her, brows furrowed in concern or annoyance. She turned to the teacher.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry.”
The teacher put up a fake smile and proceeded with the class. She noticed Sunset hadn’t written down anything despite the assignments on the board, affirming that her worries were not misplaced.
“How about an exercise, Sunset? I heard you’ve been keeping up with your studies at the hospital. Do you want to give it a try?” The teacher inquired. “How about number 37?”
Sunset looked at the book in front of her and paged to the exercise in question, a challenging one she noticed. Reading through the exercise she figured she was just about to catch up to the section covering this material.
Sunset looked up to the teacher, knowing she had intended to challenge her, and smirked.
“Challenge accepted,” she said. Sunset picked up her book, got up and walked over to the whiteboard. She skimmed the assignment on her way. Standing in front of the whiteboard, she could feel the gaze of the students behind her. Once she got into the material however, she managed to push through.
Writing the equations on the board, her anxiety dissipated. After reading the data, substituting, calculating and finally answering the question, she asked how she’d done.
“It’s almost perfect,” the teacher said.” Your answer is correct, though you can divide all the coefficients by 3, and you forgot an e for the electrons. The coefficients are not too important now because the answer is correct, but the electrons are an important part. Once your exams come up, this will be taken into account. This is precisely the difference between the A students and the A+ students.”
“Got it. Thank you,” Sunset said.
They shared a smile that Sunset carried back to her desk in the classroom. She hadn’t particularly studied this material, yet still got A-level results. With her teacher’s remarks, she was certain she could work towards her newly set goals of becoming an A+ student. Invigorated, she went on to the next exercise, minding the details of her solutions.
Class had continued as normal, though Sunset had remained focussed on her own goals rather than having partaken in group activities. If there had been any, she hadn’t noticed.
The class concluded right before the bell rang, allowing ample time to ensure she’d be the last one to leave the room. Steeped in her book, she held it up to obscure her face as she navigated the emptying hallways to her next class. She snuck in a few peeks around to see if she could spot her friends. At the end of the hallway, Pinkie Pie just turned the far corner. In the window she saw Rainbow Dash by her side.
Sunset lowered her book with a sigh. If Rainbow Dash was here, everyone else was too. One burden less to carry around, albeit a bit late in the day. Now it wouldn’t keep her up at night.
The teacher ushered the students into the next classroom. Sunset had intended to be the last one to enter, again, making use of the commotion to just get seated without drawing much attention to herself. At least she hadn’t rushed this time.
Behind her, Ditzy had followed. For but an instance they had made eye contact. Questions riddled Ditzy’s face, but once she noticed Sunset had noticed, she moved on to sit down. Sunset kept eyeing her with curiosity until she sat down. Much to her disappointment, Ditzy had not looked back.
Great, Sunset thought, just what I needed: More distraction. I did so well just now. What does Ditzy of all people want with me? And why now? Why not earlier?
Before long, Sunset was passed a note from Ditzy, asking if she’d like to talk for a moment after class. She looked up and turned towards Ditzy, who put up a warm smile. Sunset wasn’t sure what to make of this peculiar situation. Just why? The longer Sunset looked though, the more she noticed Ditzy’s radiant eyes; she was sincere. Sunset nodded and turned back to try and focus on the lesson.
Now what? She thought, frustration simmering. She sighed. She tried to recall all her interactions with Ditzy up until now but she’d always just been in the background. She didn’t particularly mind Ditzy, though she had been part of the mob during the whole big incident recently. Why had she been smiling like that, like nothing was the matter?
Sunset thought it weird how she could be so very upset with her closest friends, yet classmates who were virtually strangers to her got such an easy pass. Was she that cynical to simply expect such rotten mob and bullying behaviour from complete strangers? They weren’t just mere animals not to be held accountable to their actions! Everyone was in on this!
Though in the end, weren’t they also just victims of the real perpetrators?
Sunset didn’t know anyone who’d even known or had cared to know Ditzy’s secrets in the first place, so why the hostilities? What possible reason did Ditzy have to be angry with her? Was she standing up for a friend of hers?
Now, all of a sudden, she’d made a completely normal impression too. As if they had no history before now. The only way to know, Sunset knew, was to just ask when the time came. No need to fuss over questions you can save for later. She hadn’t known Ditzy to be a liar, so she hoped that would be true at least.
The rest of the lesson flew by without a hitch and before she knew it, she was standing outside the classroom, Ditzy in tow. The rest of the students went on to their next class, leaving them with some time alone.
“Well, what did you want to talk to me about?” Sunset asked Ditzy plainly.
For some reason, Ditzy was a little perturbed by even this simple question, Sunset noticed. Ditzy opened her mouth to speak but Sunset beat her to it.
“What?! What was that just now?!” Sunset asked, hands on her hips. She sighed, relaxed and tried her best to come off as less hostile. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little on edge. Today’s been one big crazy weird rollercoaster,” she said, waving her hands around.
“Oh, it’s okay,” Ditzy said, her tone apologetic. She looked at her feet. “I just wanted to talk with you for a little while, actually. But we don’t have time between classes.” Ditzy looked up to Sunset, hopeful.
A moment of quiet fell, and Sunset didn’t know if she was supposed to speak up. Since they were pressed for time, she did so anyway.
“Okay? So what do you propose?” she asked.
Ditzy shuffled her feet anxiously. In a way it was adorable, Sunset thought, though it wasn’t exactly out of bashfulness.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but….” She looked at Sunset “I mean, I really do, but, I was wondering if maybe you would like to stop by my place after school?”
Sunset was taken aback. It seems today’s ride just never ends. Then again, this is Ditzy. Despite not having interacted with her, rumours had it that Ditzy was somewhat clumsy. People who’d be around her would easily find themselves in unexpected but harmless situations.
“I understand if you don’t want to, after all the terrible things people did to you, including myself.” Ditzy said, ”I know it’s hard to start trusting people again, that’s why I said it’s a lot to ask.”
Sunset scratched the back of her head, looking at Ditzy. She didn’t take Ditzy as someone capable of malice or anything, so surely there was no harm in taking her up on this offer. Then again, you don’t just never hang out and then start talking about trust out of the blue. She never trusted Ditzy to begin with, nor did she distrust her. They didn’t know each other. If Ditzy were to earn that trust, at least she seemed to be trying now. She did have a bit of ground to cover.
“Well, not today, but maybe tomorrow if that’s alright?” Sunset said. “Here.” Sunset handed Ditzy her phone. “Just text yourself so we’ll have each other’s numbers.”
Ditzy was positively elated, though the self-awareness kicked in swiftly and she settled down. They exchanged numbers and went on their way. Sunset looked behind her seeing Ditzy texting, but didn’t receive any messages. A feeling of distrust towards Ditzy over something minor like this was feeding into her paranoia, much to her annoyance and concern.
The next few classes were uneventful. She didn’t see her friends again, no one sought out her attention and finally she got some schoolwork done. The hours passed smoothly and before she knew it, the school day came to an end.
Standing by her locker preparing to go home, Sunset got tapped on her shoulder. “Hello Sunset,” Soft Spot said ”do you have a minute? It won’t take long, I promise.”
Sunset turned around, bag half packed. Soft Spot’s timing was a bit inconvenient since she wanted to just let the day end, but she also wasn’t in any particular hurry. Better to just deal with this now rather than later.
“Sure.” She put her bag in her locker and followed Soft Spot to her office. They sat down at the small coffee table.
“So,” Soft Spot began, “how was your day?”
Sunset sat down in a recliner, pondering for a moment. “It’s been a wild and tiring ride,” she said, crossing her arms.
“Oh? Do tell?” Miss Spot asked.
“Just, a lot of things going well, and bad, then weird. I did well in class, but got pretty distracted by everything that’s going on and then Ditzy just, out of the blue, decided to talk to me saying she wanted to meet up at her place,” Sunset said. “I’d also almost missed out on one class, had to rush to make it in time. It’s all just been frustrating.”
Soft Spot nodded, but didn’t respond to what she’d just heard. “Did you see your friends today? I know you were a bit nervous about that. I hope things worked out for you?”
“That it did, actually.” That at least went well. Sunset thought. “I just wanted to know if they’d been at school today and I found out that they were, so, yeah.”
“That’s good to hear. Sounds to me your day hasn’t been all that bad, has it?” Soft Spot said. “You’re no longer concerned for your friends having been here today, you know you’re mostly caught up with your studies and got an opportunity to make a new friend,” she continued.
“I guess,” Sunset said. “It just sucks to be too frustrated to notice. I-”
The room fell quiet. She crossed her legs and let her hands rest in her lap. She looked down, facing away from Soft Spot. Soft Spot just let her speak. Sunset sighed.
“This is when I would go to my friends, they’d listen. But I don’t even have that anymore.” Being alone had never hit her this hard. Then again, she never had friends as close as those five. “I’ve never felt so alone.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Soft Spot said. “I hope you’ll find a healthy way to deal with what you’re going through.”
Sunset looked at Soft Spot with a lucid hopelessness, a face that could only mean “save me. Help me.”
“This might not be for everyone, but have you thought of keeping a diary?”
The thought of home, of Twilight and Equestria, brought a smile to Sunsets face. “Actually, I’ve already been keeping a diary of sorts ever since I got here. It’s actually a collection of letters to a pen pal but she’s literally a world away, and she’s really busy. She’s a close friend, but it’s not the same. With letters only every so often, I’m not too keen on sending bad news.”
Soft Spot smiled. “But she would be open to you opening up, right?”
Sunset nodded. “I know she is.” The thought brought a tear of joy. She wiped it away.
“I’m glad to know you have such a good friend out there to help you in your darker hours,” Soft Spot said. “Just remember that you can always make new friends. You don’t need to be lonely.”
Sunset sighed. “I just want my old friends back. I don’t just want friends: I want them to be my friends again,” she said. There rung a helplessness in her voice she’d not heard before. “I wouldn’t want them to replace me either. After everything that’s happened, I trust them enough to at least want the same.”
Soft Spot chuckled into her hand. “Oh Sunset, I wasn’t suggesting you’d replace your friends! I’m just saying that you can always make more friends,” she said jovially. “And Ditzy might be that first new friend. She was kind enough to reach out to you, all at the risk of being rejected. I hate to bring it up but given your rule over this school a while back, I’d say that takes at least some guts,” Soft Spot said. She paused briefly before concluding. ”Especially for a girl like her.”
“I guess.” Sunset had been the worst school bully. She had been feared but ultimately not respected. She’d gotten nothing for it but trouble, as had everybody else. She’d never picked on anyone in particular, or rather, she’d bullied every single victim in particular, on a personal level. She knew exactly what got to each individual. It had been why she had been so effective. She didn’t just do it to a single person.
“What do you mean, especially for a girl like her?” Sunset asked.
Soft Spot smiled. “Don’t worry, you can ask her tomorrow,” she said. “Actually, she’ll probably tell you on her own.”
That just raised more questions. Every time Sunset thought the day couldn’t get stranger it did. She simply supposed Soft Spot had already said too much about something that was probably told to her in confidence, or whatever. Home sounded pretty good to her right now, so she just let this rest.
She bade Soft Spot goodbye and went back to her locker, got her bag and left the school premises. Moments later, at the school gate, six students and a teacher looked on as she faded towards the horizon.
“So, how was she today, Miss Spot?” asked a nervous Fluttershy. “I hope she’s doing alright? Please let her be alright.”
Soft Spot put her hands on the outermost students and they all turned to face her.
“It’s hard to tell, but she has high hopes for the future.” A sigh of elation followed, which immediately got drowned out by an overwhelming sense of dread when they noticed that single word that was to follow.
“However,” Soft Spot continued, “she is very deeply hurt in many ways, and she’ll be struggling to keep herself from going off the deep end shortly.”
Soft Spot wasn’t trying to be blunt or hurtful, but she couldn’t bring herself to be dishonest about these things. The truth was harsh and painful, but living a fantasy would be the worst thing to do.
“DEEP END?!” “SHORTLY?!” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie yelled simultaneously.
“Ssshhh,” Soft Spot shushed. The loudmouths immediately realised their mistake, though to no apparent consequence.
“What I meant by that,” Soft Spot continued, “was that she’ll become incredibly sad. That’s the deep end I meant.” Soft Spot turned to face the horizon where Sunset was merely a fading spot in the distance. ”Nobody wants to be sad, so we all fight it, all the time. But her pain is inside her, and it will stay with her, even grow on her. There is no place for her to hide or to find comfort, because this pain she cannot shed. It will follow her everywhere, because she has no choice but to take it everywhere.” She turned back to Sunset’s friends, a tear running down her face. “And there’s nothing we can do about it.”
She wiped the tear away before turning to Ditzy. “We can’t do anything about what she’s going through, because through it she must go. There is no turning back in this.” She put her hands on Ditzy’s arms. “We can’t do anything, but you might be able to help her.”
Ditzy looked at Pinkie Pie, who smiled and gave a nod, before turning back to miss Soft Spot. “Actually, I already reached out to her because of Pinkie Pie earlier,” Ditzy said. ”I overheard her talking about Sunset and how she basically has nobody to just talk to.” In her Ditzy eyes swelled a flame of determination. “And I don’t want her to go down that awful path.”
Everyone nodded.
“So how long until… you know,” Rarity said, “she’ll give in?”
“I don’t know, Rarity,” Soft Spot said. “Could be by the end of the week, could be a month. It’s all up to Sunset.”
Rainbow Dash clenched her fists and frowned. “I just wish there was something we could do. Anything!” She put her hands on her head and messed up her hair in frustration. “This is driving me insane!” She said, gritting her teeth. ”If Pinkie hadn’t caught me earlier today, I would’ve run up to her and just made a terrible scene!”
Pinkie Pie put her hand on Dash’s shoulder, as did Applejack.
“Ah know Dash. We all do,” AJ said. “But we’re already doin’ the best we can. Ya know that, else ya wouldn’t even realize ya would’a been makin’ a t’rrible scene.”
“We’re all in this together,” Pinkie Pie said. “I want to just go out there and hug her ‘till she’s better. I’d get a degree in heart surgery overnight if it means I can mend her heart.” She tried to put an arm around Dash to pull her into a hug, but Dash shrugged it off and pushed her away. Dash wasn’t the one who needed it. It was Pinkie Pie who did. AJ winced at the painful rejection, but given recent events, it came as no big surprise.
It had been difficult to keep an eye on Dash during the past few days. Over the weekend they’d even had a sleepover just for that very reason. Keep her distracted. Keep her from getting any crazy ideas, and talk her out of the ones she got anyway. Whenever she got low on energy however, she’d just keep to herself like now. In the end they were able to restrain her one way or another. They had been very fortunate Dash is pretty predictable, and a terrible liar to boot.
Another good fortune had been that Pinkie Pie didn’t meet their expectations to just go along with Dash, unintentionally egging her on with her own crazy ideas. Instead, she had been the most dedicated to keeping Dash in check. She was the one coming up with one crazy idea after another for them to do to keep things under control. Exhausting sports and games, fun stuff that would take a lot of concentration and creativity. It had been very effective and perhaps more importantly, even if ever so briefly, fun. Genuinely fun. In the quiet though, the crawling sadness and despair had been ever lurking.
“I know,” grumbled Dash. “It just sucks.” Dash shifted her attention to Ditzy, still frowning. “You better make it count.”
Ditzy gave her a smile and thumbs up.
“Don’t do anything I would do,” Dash joked cynically before looking away.
“I’ll give it my all,” Ditzy said.
Dash nodded without turning around, letting out a quiet “good luck” before walking to where she’d parked her dirt bike. Pinkie followed suit. A few steps away she twirled around, also wishing Ditzy good luck before picking up her pace to catch up with Dash.
“Ahm somewhat concerned,” Applejack said.
“We all are darling,” said Rarity, “we’re in an entire jar of pickles, especially -”
“Ah mean about those two,” AJ interrupted. “Ah mean, with Dash it’s really obvious but Pinkie’s kinda gettin’ on mah nerves too.”
Fluttershy was taken aback, thinking they’d stand by one another. She wasn’t the only one.
“On your nerves? Whatever do you mean?” Rarity asked before Fluttershy could.
Seeing their expressions, Applejack quickly clarified, “Ah don’t mean it like that. Ah mean she’s bein’ off somehow. Ah realize nobody’s much of themselves raht now, but she’s somethin’ else entirely.” Applejack looked down, thinking. She wasn’t even sure what she meant, let alone able to express it. “Ah dunno how to tell ya what Ah mean but either she’s happy, bouncy and all alright with this, or she’s suppressin’ somethin’ fierce an’ she’s just pretendin’.”
Applejack looked back up. “And Ah’m really certain it ain’t the former. She ain’t lahk this when she’s her normal self, not even when she’s a bit down or disappoin’ed. Anyone else seein’ what Ah’m seein’?”
The group considered her words but to no particular conclusions either way. Rarity thought back to the exhausting weekend sleepover and get-together they’d had, which was typical enough for Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy agreed on that. Ditzy and Miss Soft Spot couldn’t really tell, much to Applejack’s dismay.
“I’ll keep an eye on her if you want” Soft Spot said, “but I doubt it’s something serious, or at least as serious as the state Dash is in.”
“Thanks miss Spot” said Applejack, “Ah appreciate that.”
Right then, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie came up to them on Dash’s bike, ready to head over to Pinkie Pie’s place. Rainbow Dash had her helmet on already, waiting for Pinkie Pie to put on hers.
Rarity gave Pinkie Pie a knowing look, who in turn smiled back like she was going into an exam she didn’t know was today. “Good luck,” Rarity said. Pinkie Pie nodded. She put on her helmet, grabbed Dash by the waist and off they were.
“Ya see what Ah mean?” AJ said. Unfortunately nobody else did.
After some idle talk had petered out, everyone said their goodbyes before going their respective ways. Time would tell whether Applejack had been imagining things, or if she had been misreading her friends.
Usually, AJ would walk towards the bus stop, get on the bus and be home last of everyone on. Either that or her brother would pick her up after some chores in the neighbourhood. It would be a while before things would get back to usual.
Past the corner, Applejack stopped to rummage through her backpack to get her earbuds. She put them in and plugged the cord into her phone. She went into the playback settings, setting it to play repeat the current song. From the main menu, she went into her files. She scrolled through to the most recently added song, “Farewell for Now” by “Dusken Flares”, closed her eyes and hit “play”.
“... final reason I called you here ...”
* * *
That night, Sunset came home to an empty house, only to find her parents sitting at a set dinner table in the yard. They had one of her favorite dishes prepared.
She sat down with them and discussed the day over the course of the meal. They had been excited to hear how well she’d done during class today and how much she liked her new homeroom teacher. She hadn’t seen her friends today, though she had known they had been there.
Finally, she said, she had plans for tomorrow after school with another student. Fleur didn’t exactly know what to make of that, but Sunset seemed to be happy about it. She had recovered enough to be able to hold her own. Besides, everyone now knew it had been the Cutiemark Crusaders spreading those rumours all along. Hence her suspicions and distrust of the other students had subsided significantly.
When Sunset had first landed in the hospital, it had been no secret how devastated her parents had been. Any parent would be, or at least should be. Gradually life on the outside had gone back to what was relatively normal.
From time to time however, they still realized how close of a call they had had during those few days. How close death’s cold touch had visited upon their dearly beloved daughter. It had greatly strengthened their appreciation for the lives they shared together, and that of their daughter in particular. It had certainly shown its effects in both their attitudes and the things they did to make her life all the better and enjoyable.
The flipside of that coin had, unbeknownst to Sunset, also taken an appreciable toll. Late nights haunted by images of a life without Sunset recurred over and over. Planning the funeral of her own child. Dreams so lucid she’d wake up sick, her head over a porcelain bowl. Having to say words she would never want to speak to an audience she’d never want to face at an event she’d never hoped to be. Everyone dressed in black and sadness. Visiting the grave and losing the strength to even stand or kneel. Freefalling into that bottomless pit of despair and the insanity of knowing she would see her child no more.
Worst of all had been those nights where she’d run back into the hospital looking for her daughter, only to find out she didn’t make it or had been dead on arrival. Having to witness her injured body, the blood, the medical staff doing their absolute best to stand in the way of the inevitable. She’d wake up in a cold sweat, exhausted, and learning from Fancy Pants she’d been tossing up a storm.
Some days Fleur would wake up tired after a night of quiet fits of weeping at the thought of the culprits and what they must have been thinking to be able to do such horrible things to her beautiful daughter. To Sunset, those days she just waved off as having been busier than usual at work, or some other excuse. Sunset had been keen enough to notice something was off, though it wouldn’t be until she herself would be a mother that she’d know exactly what it was. All she could do was be there for her parents, her mother, and love and support them.
Even in her recovering state, Sunset would have the maid help her make them breakfast or dinner, redecorate a few things, make them a painting. Just like how her mother had hand made her lunch today. Small things. Meaningful things.
The table got cleared and Sunset got out her homework.
She showed her parents what she’d done at school today, explaining what’d she’d done right and wrong and how with a bit of extra work ahead of her, she’d be an A+ student in no time.
Her parents had been nervous about Sunset’s first day of school. Everyone had been bullying her so much that seeing all of them again could’ve been upsetting. Had her friends not attended this school, she might’ve switched to another school altogether.
After getting her parents back up to speed, Sunset excused herself and went up to her room for some privacy. On her way, the events of today passed her by in no orderly fashion. By the time she reached the door to her bedroom, she didn’t even notice her turning the handle and stepping inside.
She shut the door behind her. The handle clicked and suddenly, all became serene. Sunset let out a sigh as though she had been holding a very deep breath, slumping with her back against the door.
All throughout the day, thoughts had been running miles a minute back and forth in her mind, to the tune of an ever growing background noise. Like a mental tinnitus, she had only noticed once it vanished. After a sigh of relief, the exhaustion of entertaining all that noise kicked in.
Before going to sleep, she had only one last thing on her mind: Twilight. She got the book from her backpack and opened it up. As much as the previous parts had moved her, this finale was rather anticlimactic.
“Please keep hope and have faith in yourself and your friends. Things may seem bleak now but all will be right again. Think of all the good times. When you had a sleepover and a pillow fight. When you won that game. When you went out to see a movie. All those memories, hold those dear. Let them instill in you hope and faith.
See you this weekend.
Yours truly,
Twilight Sparkle”
A painful advice to revisit those memories. It’s the memories that hurt the worst. The bullying she could handle. It’s the pleasant memories that stung. The worst of ‘em, were those memories of her friends standing against her in her hour of need. Just thinking about having to go through that again split her skull and churned her stomach. On the far side of her room she could’ve sworn she saw a tealish spark in the mirror.
Though the night was young, she decided to simply call it a night. All her loose ends had been tied up and she had grown awfully tired, feeling like a wreck. Just as a check to be sure, she put her hand on her forehead; she didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary.
A little while later she’d completed her nightly rituals of brushing her teeth and whatnot. She didn’t quite recognize the face in the bathroom mirror. The whites of her eyes appearing black no longer than a blink of an eye. Her incisors feeling sharper than usual. Despite expecting to look somewhat pale, she seemed to be completely flushed.
When she got back by her bedside she took one last check up. She felt her teeth and checked her skin but apart from her scars, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe her headache had her hallucinating, she thought.
She got under the covers and finally put her body to rest. Her headache had only slightly worsened, though she was too beat to let it concern her further. Tomorrow morning, all would be well.
In the silent dark, quietness overcame her and all outer thoughts turned inwards. She closed her eyes and let Twilight’s words open the gateway to those memories she’d not want until things had turned back to normal. Her thoughts gradually strayed from paths she had set, to an ever changing mix of images from the past, should-haves, could-haves and moments between tremendous joy and bliss and bottomless pits of deep grief and sorrow.
The whirling mix seemed to change ever more rapidly, but once she took notice, eased to a halt. Finally her mind had settled, though it felt like she wasn’t quite “there” yet. She had landed in a space between the waking world and the dreamlands. It was as if she could be pulled in either direction at a moment’s notice. Sensations from the outside mixing in with experiences from the past as she recalled it.
Even here in this strange place she felt the tiredness seeping through her body. A numbness one feels at the brink of passing out, slowly swaying to and fro’ like ocean tides. There was a warm and soft pressure all over her body, keeping still her body and her soul. Her sleep would prove deep tonight, and all she could hope for was to wake up well rested.
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Hmm apparently I didn't get a notice for the last three updates till now.
Man, do any of those freakings tudents regret what they done? Sunset should transfer to another shcool for sure!
Hoep she lashes out at them some point or Twilight rips them one.
Also are the Diamon dogs arrested yet?
Recovery's gonna take time, no matter what.
I have a idea for next chapter. Diamond Tiara realizes that Sunset is still alive and confronts her at school but accidentally reveals how sge tried to murder Sunset and the CMC to all of CHS.
Things to fix:
But I’m not a quitter, so I won’t give up on these friendship of mine, even if they’re broken right now. - I think it should be "friendships".
“I’m not going in there” Sunset said. - I think a comma should be placed after "there".
Sunset had known miss Spot to carry her heart on her sleeve and to have an excessive amount of compassion and care. - "miss" should be capitalized.
Sunset felt as if her heart was beating beyond the gate, there in equestria. - "equestria" should be capitalized.
“Challenge accepted” she said. - There should be a comma after "accepted".
“It’s almost perfect” the teacher said.” Your answer is correct, though you can divide all the coefficients by 3, and you forgot an e for the electrons. The coefficients are not too important now because the answer is correct, but the electrons are an important part. Once your exams come up, this will be taken into account. This is precisely the difference between the A students and the A+ students.” - Comma after "perfect".
“Got it. Thank you” Sunset said. - Comma after "you."
In the window she saw Rainbow Dash’s by her side. - I don't think you need to the apostrophe s for "Dash's".
For some reason, Ditzy was a little perturbed by even this simple question. Sunset noticed. - I think you should place a comma after "question" instead of a period.
“I’m sorry, I’m just a little on edge. Today’s been one big crazy weird rollercoaster” she said, waving her hands around. - Comma after "rollercoaster".
“Oh, it’s okay.” Ditzy said, her tone apologetic. - I think you should place a comma after "okay" instead of a period.
“Okay? So what do you propose?” She asked. - Lowercase "She".
“Hello Sunset,” Soft Spot said ”do you have a minute? It won’t take long, I promise.” - Either place a comma after "said" or place a period and then capitalize "do".
“It’s been a wild and tiring ride” she said, crossing her arms. - Comma after "ride".
“Just, a lot of things going well, and bad, then weird. I did well in class, but got pretty distracted by everything that’s going on and then Ditzy just, out of the blue, decided to talk to me saying she wanted to meet up at her place” Sunset said. - Comma after "place".
“You’re no longer concerned for your friends having been here today, you know you’re mostly caught up with your studies and got an opportunity to make a new friend” she continued. - Comma after "friend".
“I guess” Sunset said. - Comma after "guess".
“I’m sorry to hear that” Soft Spot said. - Comma after "that".
“I’m glad to know you have such a good friend out there to help you in your darker hours” Soft Spot said. - Comma after "hours".
“I just want my old friends back. I don’t just want friends: I want them to be my friends again” she said. - Comma after "again".
Soft Spot chuckled into her hand. “Oh Sunset, I wasn’t suggesting you’d replace your friends! I’m just saying that you can always make more friends” She said jovially. “And Ditzy might be that first new friend. She was kind enough to reach out to you, all at the risk of being rejected. I hate to bring it up but given your rule over this school a while back, I’d say that takes at least some guts” Soft Spot said. - Comma after "friends" and lowercase "She" and comma after "guts".
“Don’t worry, you can ask her tomorrow” she said. - Comma after "tomorrow".
“So, how was she today miss Spot?” asked a nervous Fluttershy. - Comma after "today" and capitalized "miss".
“However” Soft Spot continued, “she is very deeply hurt in many ways, and she’ll be struggling to keep herself from going off the deep shortly.” - Comma after "However".
“Ssshhh” Soft Spot shushed. - Comma after "Ssshhh".
“Actually, I already reached out to her because of Pinkie Pie earlier” Ditzy said. - Comma after "earlier".
“So how long until… you know” Rarity said, “she’ll give in?” - Comma after "know".
“I don’t know Rarity” Soft Spot said. - Comma after "Rarity".
“Ah know Dash. We all do.” AJ said. - Comma after "do" instead of a period.
“We’re all in this together” Pinkie Pie said. - Comma after "together".
“I know” grumbled Dash. - Comma after "know".
“Don’t do anything I would do” Dash joked cynically before looking away. - Comma after "do".
“I’ll give it my all” Ditzy said. - Comma after "all".
“Ahm somewhat concerned” Applejack said. - Comma after "concerned".
“We all are darling” said Rarity, “we’re in an entire jar of pickles, especially -” - Comma after "are" and "darling".
“Ah mean about those two” AJ interrupted. - Comma after "two".
Seeing their expressions, Applejack quickly clarified “Ah don’t mean it like that. Ah mean she’s bein’ off somehow. Ah realize nobody’s much of themselves raht now, but she’s somethin’ else entirely.” - Comma after "clarified".
Ditzy and miss Soft Spot couldn’t really tell, much to Applejack’s dismay. - Capitalize "miss".
“I’ll keep an eye on her if you want” Soft Spot said, “but I doubt it’s something serious, or at least as serious as the state Dash is in.” - Comma after "want".
“Thanks miss Spot” said Applejack, “Ah appreciate that.” - Capitalize "miss" and comma after "Spot".
“Good luck” Rarity said. - Comma after "luck".
Finally, got all that done. Very good chapter in showing Sunset trying to adjust back and reaching out to Twilight and starting off the threads for more healing with others at CHS. Looking forward to seeing how her meeting with Ditzy will go and hopefully the Diamond Tiara situation will be dealt with soon.
8333096
I let him know that you found these mistakes, he’ll appreciate it greatly! :)
8332705
Sunset knows it was Diamond that tried to kill her.
Also, all of the next few chapters have already been planned out. Thanks for your input though.
8333096
Thanks Rixec,
It's those kinds of mistakes I can't easily catch since I've read the chapter over and over again. You know when you write something and you "reread" it and then instead of reading what's there, you're reading what you think is there? Well that's what happens unfortunately.
Thanks for finding all the mistakes. Really appreciate it. I'll fix them in the google drive document since I can't fix them here (not my account).
Hey all, quick update.
I've lost my skype contact with the author, Sadistic Fluttershy. That is, he's changed his status to " no longer responds to skype messages of any kind". We'll see how that turns out.
In the mean time, I have been working on the next chapter. Thank you all for bearing with me. I've set an outline and I'm fleshing it out right now.
Also big thank you to all the feedback. I do appreciate it, though not all of it will make it into the story. Or, it might make it into the story by ways of changing direction rather than inserting the suggestions quite literally.
@marinus18, I'll see what I can do with Sunset's characterization, as well as Fleur's. Right now, the pacing across chapters is pretty slow as I'm going through the psychological changes Sunset's decision is having on her in a very immediate sense. After that the plot should pick up again. I feel a need to break things down before I can rebuild them.
Anyway, work is most definitely still in progress. I'm writing probably about 800 - 1000 words a day maybe? I just wanted everyone to know I've lost my skype contact with the original author. If I don't get it back I'll post the remaining chapters on my own account.
Please let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions. Should I make Sunset and Fleur despair before things turn better? Or is that too OOC? Let me know. I'm also going to involve more characters to help Sunset and her friends out somewhat..
Back to writing!
~FreeHomeBrew
Hey all!
Just a note to let you know I'm still working on this story. Next chapter is gonna be pretty massive so I'm even considering to upload it in sections/chunks.
If anyone is interested in reviewing it thus far, you're very welcome to. I've lost touch with Sadistic Fluttershy for the most part so I kinda need a new reviewer. Just message me on skype, same username there.
Anyway I'm in at about 40% now, 22 pages ish in google drive.
Kind regards,
FreeHomeBrew
8748916
Fair enough I suppose. Assuming my thought process would be shared is relatively unrealistic.
8800800
True.
8333386
If the next chapters have already been planned out then why hasn’t there been a new chapter in over 230 days?
8801158
Remember that FreeHomeBrew is the writer now. And ive known him for years. He is very picky about quality. And i dont blame him.
Ive seen the next chapter and its being split into several parts which means there will be a chapter 9 part release until its caught up to the last part of that chapter.
I know i should have written all the chapters beforehand but I dont think that way. I write as i go.
The story changed directions early on leaving much more potential for the story to grow. A good story should never be rushed. Im an impatient person too. But i have learned that with Homebrew, he produces quality work. Just trust him. Thats all i ask of you and all my readers.
Im working on my own projects on the side that ill release at somepoint. For now, im bugging my writer of the story more and more to get chapter 9 done.
Just be a little more patient. I promise it will be worth the wait.
8803545
Despite having lost touch with HB for various reasons that I won't go into here, I can agree that he strives to release high quality content. Having worked with him as a VA for several years, he was always pushing me to improve and increase my vocal range, and it's partially because of his persistence that I have gotten to voice characters in media outside of MLP.
Trust me guys, it will be worth the wait.
8804245
8803545
Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude (just read my bio). It’s just that in my experience when a fic doesn’t have any updates for like 7 months it’s usually dead.
I think there are multiple problems with this line. If it's part of the letter, shouldn't it be in italics? Also at the start, someone seems to have missed the back space.
Ignoring that, great chapter, and story as a whole so far. I also am really hoping we get to see full action concerning Diamond Tiara, even if it in several chapters time.
And I'm sorry if this sounds judgemental (even though it probably doesn't), but I really am having a hard time deciding whether I like FreeHomeBrew's style or SadisticFluttershy's style, even though it doesn't matter, but it bothers me nonetheless.
You know what? They're both perfect. Now brain, you can actually go to sleep and stop worrying. Unless it's about when the next chapter will come out. Even though I can be patient. And I will.
Hi there :)
Wanted to say that I really enjoyed your story.
More precisely , the caring personality of Fleur de Lis and Sunset's decision to end her friendship with Applejack.
I'm really looking for any next chapter, and because this is a good story for me, then waiting is worth it.
Keep going!
Did I start something?
Alright guys,
Due to the large amounts of confusion from you all regarding Chapter 9 and the dream stuff and all that crazyness. Me and FHB decided that we should take a different approach and just post the chapter as a whole rather than parts just to ease (or cease) any confusion from then on. Hope you guys like reading long chapters. This’ll be a chance for some of you to re-read from the beginning to where we’ve left off from Part 7.
So, enjoy and hope that this’ll clear things up.
-SDF
is this normal Chemistry or Physics?
Twilight in this story is being dumb. Her friends didn't turn against her in that case of their own free will discord used his magic to make them change so they couldn't use the elements on him. And in the wedding case the only person who should be blamed is Celestia considering she raised Cadence from a little filly after she became an alicorn.
Soft Spot casually being a confidant for Sunset then proceeds to go behind her back and share all those feelings with the ones who betrayed her.
Ditzy trying to help her out is cool, however if she starts sharing everything Sunset says to her with those other five then she’s just as bad.
When a person opens up to another about their troubles it takes trust to do that. It means they believe the other person won’t just give up everything they’re sensitive about to others. The fact that Soft Spot did this after everything Sunset has been put through and as not just her teacher but her homeroom teacher! That’s supremely fucked up on so many levels.