The Sunny Side

by Danger A Dragon

Out of Hell

“Sunny, take a look at what I can finally do,” Twilight whispered, holding a book in her hooves excitedly. I turned to my sister and looked at the book she was holding. It had been two years since she had shown me her magical aura surrounding that book. Since then, I have been teaching her levitation, beams, shields, and everything else I could to make her more likely to get into Celestia’s school.

“Look, look,” Twilight said excitedly as her aura enveloped the book and flipped it open to a random page. My eyes widened as I smiled.

“That’s great, Twilight. Can you turn pages, too?” I replied in excitement at her progress. Twilight poked her tongue out in concentration and even started to sweat a bit before she turned the page. “Wonderful, truly wonderful, Twilight.” Twilight giggled in delight at the praise. “We should celebrate this accomplishment.”

“How?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.

“Mmm, how about going out to eat tonight?” I suggested.

“Ooh … what's that?” Twilight asked in confusion.

“Oh, right. You don’t know about that yet. Going out to eat means having somepony else make us food in exchange for bits,” I explained.

“We don't have bits,” Twilight mumbled.

“That’s where our bumbling father comes into play. See, he keeps bits on him all the time. So, when he passes out like usual. I’ll take his bag of bits and we’ll go get something to eat,” I explained to Twilight. Twilight kept quiet and simply nodded. “Hmm, you don’t seem to like that idea. So, how about I just make your favorite food instead.”

“Eating out is good,” Twilight said softly.

“Alright, we’ll eat out,” I nodded. “Have you learned anything else while I’ve been away?”

“Not to open the door when you're gone,” Twilight squeaked. My eyes shrunk and I really looked at Twilight. One of her back hooves was standing funny and had a funny angle to it. I growled and stomped a hoof in frustration before levitating Twilight onto my back and walking towards the front door. “Wh-Where are we going?” Twilight whispered.

“To the hospital to treat your injury,” I answered. From the angle I knew the hoof was broken and needed medical treatment if Twilight was to walk properly without pain each time she took a step. Out the door, we found our father, passed out on the doorstep. I huffed at him and levitated the bag of bits he kept on him to me before continuing towards the hospital.

“I'm sorry. I had to go to the bathroom and he was there,” Twilight whispered.

“It’s alright, Twilight. It’s not your fault. It’s his fault. I’m just glad you’re not more hurt,” I replied.

“There's so many ponies,” Twilight said with widened eyes when we entered the main streets of Canterlot and headed straight for the hospital.

“Mhm, we live in a pretty big city,” I nodded. This was the first time Twilight had left the house since mom disappeared on us. I didn’t want her encountering dad if at all possible.

“Why is that pony looking at us?” Twilight said softly, pointing her hoof in front of my face to get me to look. I looked at where she was pointing and found a grey Unicorn with a white and purple mane staring right at us. When she appeared to realise we had spotted her, she looked away and went about her day.

“I’m not sure, Twily. Some ponies are just strange like that,” I said, making note of the mare’s description for the future.

“Okay,” Twilight said softly. A silence came over us as I continued to walk towards the hospital.

“How do you feel about taking a test, Twilight?” I asked after a little while.

“A test?” Twilight asked excitedly.

“Mhm, a test to get into Princess Celestia’s school,” I nodded with a smile.

“I'm not ready for that,” Twilight breathed.

“I believe you are, little sister,” I replied as the hospital came into view.

“You really think so, Bunny?” Twilight asked worriedly.

“Bunny? You haven’t called me that in a while,” I chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I do. You’re at the level I was when I got in and it’s not a one and done deal. You can retake it if you happen to not get in.”

“I-I can?” Twilight gasped.

“Mhm, so long as you’re under seven years old. So, you’ve got this year and two more if you don’t pass this time,” I explained as we approached the front doors of the hospital.

“Three chances, okay,” Twilight said determinedly and quick glance back showed Twilight with her face scrunched up in determination.

“That’s my filly, but relax for now. The test is open for a little while for applicants who have to travel to get here. So, just concentrate on healing,” I told her as we walked into the hospital. The smell of disinfectant greeting us. Twilight took a deep breath in, then one out.

“That … is a really nice smell,” Twilight said finally.

“Really? Huh, it’s just ordinary to me,” I blinked in surprise as I approached the front desk.

“You try living in a closet for five years,” Twilight murmured.

“Sorry, Twi. Once you pass that test, you’ll never have to go back to that closet,” I told her.

“You promise?” Twilight questioned seriously. I nodded before looking back at her.

“I promise, Twilight,” I said, just as serious as she seemed. Twilight breathed and smiled.

---

TWO MONTHS LATER
“Bunny?” Twilight whispered hopefully, peeking her head out the closet only to notice a stallion-like shadow through the open doorway of her sister’s bedroom. She froze at the shadow when it moved towards her. The white coat of her father appeared in the door, grinning sloppily, as if one half of his face was functional while the other wasn’t. “D-Dad?”

“Oh, Twilight. There you are,” her dad said slowly, pronouncing each word clearly. He approached her and in his white magic, held up a black and white collar. “You’re coming with me.”

“No!” Twilight shrieked, her eyes widening. She lit her horn out of reflex and put up a weak purple shield around herself. Her father chuckled and tapped a hoof against it. The barrier shattered and Twilight gasped, backing up into the closet. Her dad levitated the collar closer only to drag her out, shivering and with flowing tears.

---

I was actually humming on my way home, humming. I hadn’t hummed since mom disappeared. Why was I humming? Testing opened today and I was able to get a slot for my sister for tomorrow. So, I was very happy and excited because I knew Twilight would pass it and we could leave our wretched home life behind us.

I walked into our home and scanned for my father as usual before going to my room upon finding no sign of him.

“Twilight? Coast’s clear, honey,” I said softly with a knock on my closet’s door. I didn’t hear a peep. Upon opening the door, I found the little stack of books my sister keeps by her had toppled over and a couple pillows were scrunched up against the back wall. Twilight wasn’t there, though. My mind kicked into high gear as panic told hold. Where was she? Was she alright? Did dad get to her? If he did, what’d he do to her? I raced throughout the house calling her name as I ran.

Not seeing her, anywhere inside, I checked out the backyard just to be sure. The yard itself was overgrown and weedy. The grass was tall enough to hide a small filly of Twilight’s size but what was odd was a shiny metal pole with a chain looped around it sticking up out near the back fence.

“Twilight!? Are you there!?” I called desperately as I walked towards the metal pole and chain. I heard a tiny squeak and the chain rustled a moment later. Worst case scenarios raced through my mind as I followed the chain. Twilight’s legs were all broken and she’d been dumped in the yard to hide it. Her jaw was broken, her body bruised and batter and that squeak was all she could muster after the beating. Twilight was profoundly hurt and possibly dying. I knew how my father could be and how bad he could get. I just hoped that my worst fears weren’t true.

“Bunny?” Twilight gasped when I followed the chain to my sister. She was curled up but her puffy eyes were happy to see me. The chain was connected to a black and white collar around her neck.

“It’s alright, Twi. He’s not here,” I said calmly as I undid the collar, but pure rage was burning within me, wanting to be released. How could he do this to his own daughter!?

“Ow!” Twilight yelped when I tried taking off the collar. “I th-think he super glued it.”

“Son-of-a!” I shouted as I lit my horn and melted away the chain connecting the collar to the pole. He was going to pay for hurting my sister like this! Twilight lifted a foreleg when the molten metal brushed past it on its way to the ground.

“We can cut the collar off … if we manage to work the knife behind it,” Twilight suggested quietly.

“No, we’re going to Princess Celestia’s school. They have glue solvent there. I’m not causing you more pain,” I said firmly as I levitated Twilight onto my back.

“Okay,” Twilight whispered and I felt her bury her face in my mane.

“Say goodbye to this place, Twilight. This is the last you’ll see of it,” I told her as we walked through the house.

“My Smarty Pants doll?” Twilight asked hopefully.

“Ah, of course. How could I forget? Let’s go to my room and we’ll pick up some necessities,” I replied before turning to go to my room.

“Yay!” Twilight cheered and hugged my neck tightly.

“Anything else you can think of that you’d like to bring with you?” I asked, my smile from earlier back in place.

“Starswirl’s book,” Twilight said after feeling her breathing for a few moments.

“The funny one about Starswirl the Breaded or the serious one about Starswirl the Bearded?” I asked.

“Both,” Twilight replied immediately. I giggled at her response. Of course she’d want both, should’ve known.

“Alright, both the books and Mister Smarty Pants. Anything else? I’ll be grabbing a few things too, but we should have room for a couple more items,” I told her as we arrived at my room. I immediately put on my saddlebags and levitated Twilight to the floor so she could grab her things. Twilight ran into the closet upon being set down and tossed out the two Starswirl books, her doll and a pillow with a group of three jewels on it. I grabbed my pillow with my cutie mark embroidered into it, a photo of mom and me, and a photo of Twilight and I before putting them in my bags along with Twilight’s items. We could fit everything in my saddle bags, but the pillows made it so I couldn’t close the flaps. Oh well, they’d be fine.

“Okay, that’s everything, right?” I asked as I looked around the room.

“Yes, that’s right,” Twilight nodded. “But with the pillows … lay them on your back, then me on top. That should close your item thingies.”

“You just want a cushy ride,” I smirked, but put the pillows on my back before setting Twilight on top of them.

“Nope. Your back needs to be cushy too,” Twilight protested.

“Well, I won’t say that they don’t help,” I chuckled and started towards the front door before thinking of something. I turned and went back to the backyard before casting my strongest fire spell to turn the pole and chain into useless lumps of metal. Satisfied with my work, we continued on our way to the school. “I’ve got you scheduled for the test tomorrow, Twilight.”

“You know that will cause a fire, right?” Twilight asked worriedly, turning my attention back to the lumps of metal.

“The grass is still green along with the weeds. They won’t burn too easily, but if it starts a fire then so be it. This house doesn’t hold very many good memories for either of us,” I replied.

“What about sleep?” Twilight asked softly.

“I’ll apply for dormitory life when we get there and ask for you to stay with me tonight,” I answered. Surely they’d let her stay with me since the her test was tomorrow. Especially after seeing the collar my ‘father’ had placed on her. I felt my sister lower her head and try to read out something.

“What is B-I-T-C-H-Y-S-L-U-T?” Twilight asked out loud and curiously. I stopped in place and looked at her in concern. She was looking down at her collar with her tongue poking out in concentration.

“They’re mean names our supposed ‘father’ uses for mares. One is based off of the name for a female dog. The other… the other isn’t something you should know as of yet,” I told her as I turned back around and continued towards the school.

“Then how do you know it? You’re only ten,” Twilight asked confusedly.

“He called me both of those names before and I made the mistake of looking them both up,” I explained softly as we got into a more crowded area of the city.

“I found the mare again,” Twilight said softly and pointed to the same grey mare from when I took Twilight to the hospital when we were closing in on the school. I turned to the mare and examined her a bit more. I didn’t really get a chance to do so because she quickly walked away but I quickly spotted three purple stars on her flank for her cutie mark.

“She’s such a strange mare, staring at us like that,” I muttered before continuing on. I made a mental note to ask around about that mare. This was twice that she’d been looking at us and fled before either of us could say a thing to her.

“She’s weird,” Twilight commented.

“I can’t disagree with that,” I replied. The school buildings could now be seen along with the front gate.

“It’s big,” Twilight breathed.

“Mhm, and only ponies who have business in the school can even get onto the campus,” I told my sister in hopes of making her feel more secure. Twilight held onto my neck as we walked up to the front gate. When we got to the front gate, I knocked on it and waited for a response.

“... maybe they’ve gone home?” Twilight asked quietly.

“There should be at least one staff member here to keep an eye on the ponies who live in the dorms,” I told her before firing a magical flare into the air to grab the attention of anyone inside the school.

“That could hurt somepony,” Twilight mumbled, looking up at the flare.

“You’d think, but it’ll burn out before it hits anything and anypony flying around will see it and be able to avoid it without trouble,” I explained as the flare in the shape of my cutie mark blazed above us.

“Hello? Is somepony there?” a stallion asked from the other side of the gate.

“Yes, my name’s Sunset Shimmer. I’m a student here and would like to come inside,” I told the stallion. I didn’t recognize his voice, though. He was probably just one of the teachers or staff I hadn’t encountered yet.

“School’s over for the day, Sunset. Did you forget something?” the stallion asked as he opened the gate for us. He was a steel colored Unicorn stallion with a green mane and tail. His cutie mark was a microscope. He blinked at seeing us and cocked his head to the side in thought. “Who might you be, my dear? I recognize Sunset, but you, little filly, are new to me.”

“I’m … uh,” I heard Twilight falter while fear edged her voice.

“Is everything alright, dear?” the stallion asked.

“She’s scared of stallions we don’t know, sir. She’s my younger sister, Twilight Sparkle,” I told him. I made a note to work with Twilight on the fear our ‘father’ had imprinted on her for stallions.

“Oh dear,” the stallion said in concern. “Why is she wearing a collar?”

“T-To … e-e-emulate a d-dog,” Twilight’s voice shook at the answer.

“We were playing pretend. I was the ‘master’ and she was the ‘dog.’ As we played, some super glue spilled onto the collar and it’s now stuck to her coat. Our father is out on business and won’t be back until much later. I was wondering if it’d be okay to use some of the glue solvent here at school to remove it,” I explained. A story was better than the truth at this point. I didn’t want anyone pitying us or thinking less of either of us before getting to know us for who we really are.

“Oh, of course. Right this way,” the stallion replied and ushered us inside the gate before closing it behind us. He lead us to a nearby classroom and got us the solvent. I opened it and got to work dissolving the super glue.

“I’d also like to apply to live in the dorms from tonight on, please,” I said as I worked on the collar.

“That’s very short notice, but I think we can accommodate you, Sunset,” the stallion nodded. “Oh, forgive my lack of manners. My name’s Steel Bearing. You can call me Mr. Bearing or Mr. Steel. I’m one of the staffers who stays late to make sure the students staying here are alright.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bearing. I’d also like for my sister to stay with me tonight. She’s got a test to get into the school tomorrow and I’d like to be able to help her prepare and get a good night’s sleep. She doesn’t sleep well when she’s alone, you see,” I told Mister Bearing. It was partially true and I’d make sure to tell the principal the whole truth tomorrow.

“Hmm, that’s an unusual request, but each room is made for two. So, I guess that’s alright,” Mister Bearing said slowly with a nod.

“I can sleep with you?” Twilight whispered in my ear. I smiled at her and nodded. Twilight smiled back softly before tugging at her collar with her magic. The collar slowly came away before accelerating a bit when any remaining glue lost its hold. Twilight’s breath caught a bit before she let it out and flung the collar into the trash can a bit forcefully, causing it to tip over.

“Good riddance to bad rubbish,” I muttered as I used my magic to right the trash can.

“Well, now that you’re done here. I’ll show you two to your room,” Mister Bearing said before walking out of the classroom.

“You’re going to pass, Twilight. I know you will,” I said as I redid our pillows and placed Twilight back on before following Mister Bearing.

“My throat hurts,” Twilight murmured, gently hugging my neck to stay on.

“Outside or inside? I’m guessing outside, though,” I asked as we wound down the hallway.

“The first one,” Twilight sighed. I nodded in understanding. Super glue would irritate the skin and the collar was as tight as it could go without choking Twilight.

“A nice bath or shower will sting a bit, but it’ll help in the long run. We’ll take one together when we get to the dorms,” I told her.

“A bath sounds nice,” Twilight smiled.

“Mmm, it does. We can take our time and relax, too. No one’s going to burst in and try to hurt us here,” I replied.

“Are you positive?” Twilight whispered.

“Yes, I’m positive. We have locks on the doors and there’s somepony here to make sure nothing happens to us. Tonight, that’s Mister Bearing,” I explained to Twilight. I couldn’t blame her for her reaction. Baths back home were always tense. We never knew when or if ‘dad’ would burst in and abuse one or both of us. Twilight buried her face in my neck and merely held on when I followed Mister Bearing onto the floor our room was on. It wasn’t much further until Mister Bearing turned and opened a door for us.

“Here you go, ladies. Your room. If you need anything, let me know. I’ll be glad to help as I can,” Mister Bearing said and gestured to the open room.

“Thank you, Mister Bearing. We’ll be sure to let you know if we need anything,” I smiled and entered the room before flicking on the light. There were two beds, two desks, and space for books and other personal items. The beds already had sheets and pillows on them and looked very comfortable. The desks were adjustable for a pony’s height and there was even an attached bathroom. I set Twilight down and turned to smile at Mister Bearing. “Thank you again, Mister Bearing.”

“You’re welcome, fillies. I’ll let you two get settled,” Mister Bearing said with a wave before walking off. Twilight wandered about the room with wide eyes before sitting in the middle of the floor.

“It’s big,” Twilight breathed.

“Compared to the closet, yes. Compare to my room, not so much, but we’re together and that’s all I care about,” I replied as I set our pillows on one bed and closed the door before locking it. I turned and found Twilight staring at me with a big grin.

“This is a palace!” Twilight giggled.

“Then that makes you a Princess,” I grinned at her before bowing. “What are your orders, Princess?”

“Bath time, Miss Shimmer,” Twilight beamed.

“As you wish, Princess Sparkle,” I chuckled and levitated Twilight off the floor before walking along with her into the attached bathroom. It had a toilet, sink, and a shower/bath in it along with other basic accoutrements such as towels, soap, and shampoo.

“Where’s the rust?” Twilight asked confusedly, looking down in the bath tub from the height she was at.

“There is no rust, Twilight. This is new or well cared for,” I answered as I began filling the tub with hot water.

“The water’s clear,” Twilight said in astonishment.

“Mhm, it is. The piping here is also well cared for,” I nodded and smiled at her. “Things here are going to be very different from at home. Everything here is well taken care of whereas ‘dad’ didn’t take care of things and I could only do so much.”

“That’s if I pass the test,” Twilight said quietly.

“You’re going to pass, Twilight. I know you will. You’re talented with magic and learns things very quickly,” I assured her.

“What should I do for the test tomorrow then?” Twilight asked with a small sigh as I filled the tub with cold water when the hot water got to the right height.

“Hmm, is there a spell you’re really good at?” I asked. I’d seen her perform spells, but even I didn’t know if she favored any of them.

“Not really. I couldn’t summon a shield strong enough to protect against dad, I couldn’t fight him because I was panicking too much, and I was out of ideas by the time he got this collar on me,” Twilight said sadly.

“Hey, that’s alright, Twilight. That’s alright,” I said reassuringly as the water got to a comfortable temperature and I shut it off. I smiled and gently set Twilight into the water. She plopped in and then breathed when she managed to keep her head above the water.

“Hello,” Twilight giggled.

“Hello,” I chuckled before joining Twilight in the bath. “We’ll have to wash your throat for it to feel better, but let’s enjoy the water for awhile.” I watched her brush her mane out of her eyes and I found a small cut on her forehead that was dangerously close to her horn. “Twilight, how’d you get that cut on your forehead and why didn’t you tell me about it earlier?”

“What cut?” Twilight asked curiously.

“This one,” I said and gingerly touched the cut with a hoof. Twilight hissed involuntarily.

“I don’t know where it came from,” Twilight mumbled.

“Hmm, that’s odd, but alright. It’s really close to your horn, but it shouldn’t affect anything,” I said in thought. At least it’d missed her horn. She wouldn’t have been able to use magic if her horn had been injured and we needed her to get into Princess Celestia’s school.

“How close!?” Twilight asked in a panic. I held up both hooves and showed her how close by moving them together until they were about the right distance apart. “That’s close.”

“Mhm, but it didn’t get your horn,” I nodded. “How about you try to summon something tomorrow?”

“How and what?” Twilight wondered, and I could see she was doing her best to not hyperventilate.

“Calm down, Twilight. It’s simpler than it sounds. You think of the thing you want to bring to you and will your magic to make it travel to you. The bigger the object the harder it is to summon. If it’s a pony then it’s even harder since said pony can resist the summons,” I slowly explained to her.

“What if … and I think a five year old summoning a pony will get me in … what if I somehow summon you?” Twilight asked. I smiled and mussed her mane.

“That would definitely get you in, little sister,” I told her. Twilight giggled and smiled up at me. “When you’re trying to summon me. Think of my cutie mark. Cutie marks are unique, so thinking of one you know will keep you from summoning a random pony.”

“And if I summon a random pony instead? Like d-d-dad?” Twilight asked fearfully.

“Then scream for help. I’ll be waiting outside of the testing area and will come to your aid in an instant. The teachers there should also help if you’re screaming for help,” I said as I gently hugged my sister. Twilight hugged me tightly and sniffled. I sighed and held her as I rubbed her back. I swore then that my ‘father’ would pay one day.

“We’d better get ourselves washed,” Twilight mumbled after a few tense moments of silence.

“Yes, my Princess,” I said softly before grabbing the shampoo and helping Twilight wash.

---

After our bath was done and we’d dried off, I started practicing with Twilight. I had her summon one thing after another; pens, paper, notebooks, her pillow, my pillow. We eventually got down to her trying to summon me. We worked until late in the night before calling it off and heading to bed. We slept together with me holding Twilight as we fell asleep.

Comments

[ironkid1234]

Cute story please update soon.