Bury the Hatchet

by SapphireStar98

Chapter 2: One is Silver

“So, there’s the gymnasium to your right, and down the hall is one of the science classrooms…’ Sunset mentioned, largely unenthused as she gave the tour despite her slight excitement earlier. Her voice slowly trailed off as she noticed the duo stopped in front of the gymnasium, peering inside. Since the first bell had rung, a small group of students had gathered inside for a P.E. class. Some students on the sidelines noticed the three girls, shooting glares their way when Sunset must have come into their vision. Sunset shot one back, causing the students to quickly avert their eyes away in annoyance and possible anger as she led Autumn and Starbreeze down the hall.

Starbreeze sighed before speaking up, nearing the end of the hall and the aforementioned science lab. “Hey Sunset,” she began, drawing Sunset’s gaze toward her as the trio stopped in front of a wall lined with lockers. Starbreeze opened up her own locker before continuing, placing the folder from Principal Celestia inside. “Why is everyone acting so...hostile towards us?”

“Well…” Sunset began to respond, scratching the back of her head before crossing her arms with a sigh escaping her mouth. She looked as though she was choosing her words carefully, eyes glancing down at the floor for a second before saying anything. “To be honest, I’m not too sure. It probably has something to do with the Friendship Games being this year...or maybe that it’s me of all people leading you both around.”

Wait a minute, Starbreeze thought to herself. What happened around here that would make people hate Sunset? She’s been nothing but courteous to us this whole time...maybe she’s trying to make a good first impression. I don’t blame her.

“Figures,” Autumn chimed in, completely deadpan in her expression. Starbreeze could only assume that she didn’t hear the last thing Sunset said as she sighed deeply. Her brow furrowed as she continued on, leaning against her locker with folded arms. “They probably think we’re gonna go and sabotage the games, or maybe dig up some dirt about CHS to let Crystal Prep get the upper hand in some dumb sport's game or something, right?”

“Maybe they think we’ll deface the statue again...” Starbreeze muttered, barely being heard by anyone around her.

“As implausible as that sounds, you might be right...kind of,” Sunset explained. “Most likely, it's just be a simple case of distrust. After all, Crystal Prep has been-”

“Continually kicking the collective ass of CHS for years in pretty much every competition they’ve ever faced off in, including the Friendship Games?” Autumn divulged, eyes narrowing in annoyance as her voice took on a deeper tone. “Yeah, I know. Nobody would shut up about it back there.”

“Y-Yeah...I guess that’s one way to put it.” Sunset muttered. In lieu of saying anything else, preventing an already uncomfortable conversation from continuing, she instead brought the duo through the halls to continue the tour, avoiding eye contact with as many people as she possible could. After a while, the trio ended back up where they started in the foyer. Sunset led them up the stairs after wrapping everything up, taking notice of Starbreeze’s sudden burst of enthusiasm when she mentioned the library. All she could do was smile. It reminded her of someone else she knew, as much as she loathed to admit it.

---

Starbreeze could barely contain her excitement when she flung open the door to Canterlot High’s library, eyes wide with wonder at the enormous amount of books packed in every shelf in a library that had two stories.

“Am I...in heaven?” She murmured with her mouth agape in excitement soon after.

Sunset smiled warmly as she stood beside the awe-struck girl. “Yeah, I guess you could say that…” Her train of thought tapered off as her eyes caught Starbreeze beginning to head toward the middle of the room with Autumn trailing not too far behind. “Y’know, if you actually enjoy being cooped up in one room reading books all day.”

“Trust me, she really does.” Autumn called to Sunset over her shoulder as her hands rested in her jacket pockets, trying way too hard to seem disinterested.

“But,” she began again, grabbing hold of Starbreeze’s hand and guiding her to a nearby table, ignoring her whines of protest. “She does have some other things she enjoys...right?” Starbreeze’s cheeks shone a deep red soon after the words left Autumn's lips, apparently not thinking about the same thing Autumn was referring to, causing her to speak up again while holding her hand up to her mouth in a vain attempt to hold back bursting into laughter. Sunset couldn’t help but do the same. “I’m pretty sure I was talking about your sketchbook, you dork.”

“O-oh...right.” Avoiding eye contact while twirling a strand of her hair in complete embarrassment, Starbreeze fiddled with the navy blue backpack’s zipper with her free hand until she finally got it open. Poor kid...judging from the smirk Autumn gave her, Sunset gleaned that this was something Starbreeze was rather used to. Her hunch seemed to be right as Starbreeze let out a giggle shortly after.

Flipping through her sketchbook drew Sunset closer to her, noticing the art that graced the pages was rather well done and consisted mostly of a characterization of herself or hearts with wings, breaking free from chains or being held back with them. Every now and then, a page would depict the same person, smiling and happy with bright white wings spread wide across the paper or some other piece of art that was completely unrelated to the main theme. Intriguing didn’t even begin to describe the collection, and yet Sunset could think of nothing else remotely adequate.

“It’s all pretty damn good, isn’t it?” Autumn said with a cheeky grin and a hand pressed to Starbreeze’s back, taking a seat soon after her friend did.

“Y-yeah...it is, actually…” Sunset trailed off again, glancing up at a nearby clock. They had twenty minutes until she had to get to her next class, so maybe now would be a good time to ask about something that’s been on her mind more than any, right? “Um...girls,” she spoke, drawing the duo’s attention away from the sketchbook. “So, why...why did you two come here in the first place?”

“Why? Well…” Autumn began, seemingly concentrating on how to respond from the sudden shift in her eyes from lackadaisical to serious. “To make a long story short, we came here to CHS because-

“We want to feel like we belong somewhere,” Starbreeze interrupted, standing tall and confident with a piercing stare aimed directly at Sunset. Even she didn’t seem to know where this burst of confidence came from, as her eyes darted back to Autumn, nervous and unsure. She reassured her with an incredibly warm smile, causing Starbreeze to turn her head back in Sunset’s direction.

Where the heck did this come from? Sunset mused to herself, focused on Starbreeze’s sharp cobalt gaze. Maybe this was a little too personal to ask, but...I might as well hear her out. Go ahead. Give me your best shot.

“I know I’m just painting the situation with a broad brush, but…” She paused, taking a deep breath while placing her hand on her heart. “We’re just…I’m just so sick of being isolated from everyone else all the goddamn time! All I want to do is make some more friends and feel like I belong somewhere!” Her voice raised in volume, just loud enough to make an impact not just with Sunset, but with herself as well, judging from the look in her eyes alone. “I’m sick of being made fun of just because I’m a little different from everyone else and I’m sick of not being able to defend myself from it every fucking time!” Tears started to form in her eyes as she continued on, her voice lowering to barely a whisper, not caring about anyone else around her except Autumn and Sunset.

“I just…don’t want to be left alone anymore, dammit. I…I hate it so much…”

“And that’s why we came here,” Autumn added, placing an arm across Starbreeze’s shoulder for comfort. “Crystal Prep was everything we weren't looking for, so we pretty much said ‘screw it’ and decided to transfer here soon after we moved further from the place. ‘Course, it’s a hell of a lot more complicated than that, but…”

“Does it really matter that much to you two? Just...feeling like you belong somewhere?” Sunset chimed in, eyes drifting toward the floor as she drew the duo's gazes to her.

“My question is...does it not matter to you?” Starbreeze muttered, causing Sunset to have to strain to hear her clearly. When what she said finally clicked, Sunset gave a quiet sigh, folding her arms and refusing to make eye contact.

I guess what Twilight said did make some sense after all, huh? All the memories of the Fall Formal and the few days before came rushing back, filling her with anger that felt dead and cold toward someone that wasn’t even in the same dimension as her at the moment. What she said toward Sunset stuck in her mind, and it, most likely, would never leave.

The magic of friendship doesn’t just exist in Equestria. It’s everywhere. You can seek it out, or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours.

Everything finally clicked in Sunset’s mind as her eyes narrowed in defeat and disgust.

“I...I guess it didn’t. I never thought there was another way, at least, not when I tried to-” Sunset’s train of self-deprecating thought was interrupted by Autumn placing her free hand on her shoulder, forcing her to gaze deep into the girl’s emerald eyes instead of looking at the floor any longer.

“Got another question for you,” Autumn began, staring Sunset down with a determined glare. “Does anything that happened in the past matter in the present? And hell, even if it does...you can learn from those mistakes, whatever they might have been, right?”

Sunset felt compelled to answer, especially when Starbreeze’s soft eyes stared her down. Did they really? Sunset was sure that everything wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows even if she did have a different outlook on life. People would still hate her no matter what she did...right? Even if she went on to save this world in some way, people would probably still find a reason to hate her. These girls didn't seem to, but even then…

They don't know about me much at all; they didn't even start going to this school until this morning, so...why do I feel so compelled to give them the benefit of the doubt? Maybe goody-two-shoes Twilight wasn’t just spewing nonsense after all. Is this...what having a friend is like? Having someone to trust you even when everyone else refuses to? Thoughts ran through Sunset’s mind at light-speed. She wanted to run, to get away from all this and continue being how she was before; unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to turn away. She took a deep breath before responding, finally breaking the silence that had fallen.

“No...and, yes...right?” Sunset responded, unsure of what she was even saying.

Autumn gave the same warm smile that she gave to Starbreeze before, answering Sunset’s question louder than saying anything would. A small feeling of warmth blossomed in Sunset’s chest, something completely alien, yet...comforting, fighting down the bile that rose in protest of her newfound...friends. Oh geez, just listening to myself say this crap makes me want to puke. And yet...I have the strangest feeling that this whole friendship nonsense might not be so bad after all. Still want to vomit, though. Gotta find something to distract myself with...

“Well, I guess I’d better get you two back downstairs before the bell rings,” Sunset mentioned, glancing up at the clock to distract from her rising nausea at the thought of anybody actually making friends with her.

I’m sure if they found out what I tried to do at the Fall Formal, they’d probably hate my guts on the spot. Kinda surprised nobody’s told them yet...wait. I tried to say something, but Autumn went and interrupted me before I got a chance!

“Damn it all, what are the odds?” Sunset muttered under her breath, certain that nobody heard her as the bell rang to drown out her voice, followed by the familiar sounds of footsteps that permeated the school.

Sunset eventually brought the duo downstairs, stopping at the last flight to bid farewell with a lazy wave. All was quiet as, eventually, students made it where they needed to be, save for a few still rummaging through their lockers or chatting with friends.

Several moments passed before Starbreeze spoke up to break the silence that had fallen over them. “Looks like we don't have a class together during this second period…” she mentioned, comparing her schedule to her friend’s, handing it back to her after a few moments.

“Yeah, I guess not...but, you'll be okay, right?” Autumn asked as Starbreeze looked deep into her concerned gaze.

Starbreeze could only chuckle, diffusing some tension that built up inside her. “Yeah. I'll be fine,” she muttered, seeing the worry etched on her best friend’s face slowly fade. Not really knowing what else to say at the moment, all she could do was whisper, “I'll see you later, Autumn.”

“You too, Starry.”

Starbreeze smiled, ignoring the small part of her that fumed at the mention of that familiar nickname as she watched Autumn head down the stairs, walking away with her head held high despite the tears that she tried hard not to shed. Memories flew through her brain as they parted ways, reflections of her past bringing small tears of her own to the surface. It was time to move on from the past, though. She could only hope some of the students would help put it behind them, as hoping was the only thing she could really do, after all. Besides, isn’t that why they came here in the first place?

---

Starbreeze traced her finger along a map of the school in her handbook in an attempt to find her first class she had to go to. Even though the tour that Sunset gave did help a ton, she still felt like relying on the handbook for some reason...oh well, it couldn't be helped. What was her next class, anyways? English, right? She couldn’t care enough to focus on something so trivial; her mind was too wrapped up in other matters to even bat an eye at the task at hand or anybody passing by her.

Her gaze went from her handbook to a sign next to a door she stopped in front of; glancing over it caused her to smile when she realized that she found her location. It faded rather quickly when she realized exactly what that meant. The thought of a whole room full of unfamiliar people staring at her threatened to make her pivot on a heel and hide somewhere where nobody would care enough to look. Her mind spun with anxiety as she hesitated to place a shaky hand on the door handle, taking a deep breath to calm her racing nerves while turning the stainless steel handle to force herself to enter the room. Even if her legs refused to move, her mind compelled them to as she trudged along to the teacher’s desk to hand her the light blue pass. It really was a lovely color. It matched the teacher’s hair. What else was there to focus on so she wouldn’t pass out?

The teacher smiled more with warmth than annoyance, which was a first for her. Were teachers not as strict at CHS, or was she taking pity on her because she was new? The subtle shift in her eyes and lips made it seem real enough, although Starbreeze couldn’t tell. Not that she couldn’t read faces well enough, far from it, but her mind was too weighed down by an anxious wave to focus on something so trivial.

She stood and coughed, making sure to add enough force to it to break the student’s shared daze. Every pair of eyes was trained on Starbreeze like dogs eyeing a fresh meal. It was enough to make her want to puke. The only eyes that seemed genuinely happy to see her face was a girl in the back of the classroom, sporting hot pink hair and an infectious smile.

...That was the girl from earlier, wasn’t it? Crap.

Starbreeze could barely focus on what the teacher said about her, as she was more intrigued with how the excited girl looked at her over anything else. What she cared enough to hear was her name being said, that she was a transfer from Crystal Prep, and that the class should treat her so that she feels welcome. The usual. It felt difficult to breathe.

Breaking her out of her own daze was the energetic girl from before, waving her hand excitedly and pointing at a single empty seat next to her. Maybe she would have some relief after all.

Making her way to back of the class, Starbreeze couldn’t shake the sensation of eyes peering into her very soul as she took her seat, placing her backpack on the floor and her head in her arms. The only voice she cared to hear was the teacher saying to get to know the new girl. A good suggestion to be sure; it, however, wasn’t exactly one she felt like undertaking at the moment. She expected the students around her to share the same sentiment in not daring to approach her; that thought gave her some solace, as miniscule as it was.

A lone hand tapped her shoulder to rouse her, and she had a rather good idea as to who it belonged to. Starbreeze adjusted her head to have the girl in her vision, trying to ignore the several pairs of eyes that glanced back at her now and again. When she finally did, a high-pitched, bubbly voice followed.

“Omigosh! You’ve gotta be the new girl that I gave directions to this morning, right? Didn’t you and the girl that was with you move here after the Fall Formal? Everyone was talking about that for a little while!”

“Y-Yeah…” She quietly replied. She shouldn't of been surprised by how quickly the info spread, however, her heart began to sink at the thought. Starbreeze forced herself to pick her head up, even though a headache was setting in from the situation before.

“Well, it's nice to finally meet you!” She said as she extended a hand towards Starbreeze, who, accepting it rather meekly, shook it a little. The excited girl continued, her voice oddly exuberant even after being faced with someone from a rival school. “Anyway, my name’s Pinkie Pie! I know everybody here in CHS, so when I heard there were gonna be some new students coming in from Crystal Prep of all places, I was all ‘Oh my gosh, I have to meet them right away! I’m sure they’ll be so excited to transfer here!’ I mean, it’d be pretty silly not to do that, right? Besides, everyone in school was wondering when you’d show up!”

Starbreeze didn’t exactly know how to react as Pinkie Pie let go of her hand, giving her a bewildered expression in lieu of saying a word. Her smile really was infectious, as Starbreeze felt the corners of her mouth begin to lift just by looking at her, even as the thought of literally everyone in the school knowing about her and Autumn arriving at CHS attempted to pervade her thoughts. Judging by the looks she received just walking through the doors, the majority of the student body wasn’t too pleased with her being here.

At least I share their sentiment. I'd rather be anywhere but here right now. Like...with Autumn.

“Oh, I know!” Pinkie exclaimed, gripping Starbreeze's hands tightly in hers again and distracting her from her thoughts. “I’ll introduce you to all of my friends at lunch, then we can all get to know each other a whole lot better! Who knows, maybe you just might love it here! I mean, it’s gotta be way better than Crystal Prep, right? Whaddaya say, huh? Doesn’t it sound like a lot of fun?”

Yeah, sure. So much fun...wait a minute.

Starbreeze’s mind was a blur at the suggestion; if it meant seeing Autumn again to check on her, then she couldn’t really refuse the request; she'd do anything to be by her side again instead of being in a room filled with people that hate her. All except for this girl, who offered to introduce her friends to her, even if she was originally from a rival school; it honestly felt really nice to know that someone from CHS didn’t hate her on first sight aside from Sunset, and it was the least she could do to introduce her only friend to the other girls Pinkie spoke of when lunch came around.

Starbreeze had one other thought on her mind as things finally seemed to calm down as the teacher began her lesson after placing a book and a small stack of papers on Starbreeze’s desk.

These friends of hers might not be too happy to see Shadowbolts here, will they? Shit. What the hell did I just get myself into?

Author's Note:

Sorry for the wait; due to school and other such nonsense, this took longer than it should have. Once school is finally wrapped up, I should have plenty more time to post chapters.

EDIT 12/14/16: WOW, I'm such a freaking liar. Don't know why I always make promises it turns out I can't keep, but...whatever. This chapter was probably my favorite to rewrite, and I hope it shows.

As always, constructive criticism is always appreciated!