All Apologies

by Gpizano

What Else Should I Write

It had been three months since Sunset Shimmer had met Jackie Vibrato, three months since she had left her adopted home city of Canterlot and came to Los Pegasus. Since then it had been quite the emotional roller coaster ride for the red head. There had been crying, fighting, and trying to close herself off from others, afraid that if they got too close she would be hurt again. But there had been good times as well, laughter, times where she could relax and feel safe. She had even joined Jackie's band, the then Dune Dog Runners but now rechristened the Pony Breakers after all three band members went into 'Pony Mode' on stage during a performance.

Shifting softly, she looked up to see that Jackie was still sleeping soundly, mouth hanging open and blissfully unaware of the world around her. Every now and then Sunset Shimmer found herself snuggled up next to Jackie, since they shared a bed there really wasn't a lot of space but it was still a bit embarrassing! Even more so since the guitarist didn't seem to mind. Ugh, why did the woman have to make for a good warm, soft pillow? Sunset carefully pulled her head away from Jackie's shoulder and slowly rolled off the opposite side of the bed. Although it seemed like Jackie could sleep through anything, the red head still did her best to be as quiet as possible to let the guitarist continue peacefully resting.

As she stood up, the high schooler stretched her arms over her head before running a hand through her long, red hair, the streaks of yellow through it would of shined in the sunlight, if any could get through the thick blanket Jackie insisted on having over the window. Since the Pony Breakers had successfully selling their songs online, she officially could pull in some money and no longer had to keep borrowing clothes from Jackie. Her pajamas were a black camisole and a pair of dark red, cotton shorts that nicely showed off her legs. The others had warned her how hot the nights in Los Pegasus could be and had prepared as such for the oncoming heat when selecting her clothes.

When she opened the door, she was only slightly fazed to see Tino and Poppy on the other side, the former having a big grin on his face while the latter wore a small, devious smirk. A glance down and she saw that Tino had a pot and wooden spoon while Poppy had in hand an air horn. However before she could say anything, Tino looked her up and down.

"Caliente, chica."

Then he glanced around Sunset to see Jackie still sleeping on the bed, in a men's tank top and a pair of shorts that reached her knees, her mouth still open as a light snort escaped her.

"Eh, not so much."

"So this is what you meant by 'surprise' the other day?"

"Nah, this ain't the surprise. But it's gonna be hilarious!"

Rolling her eyes, Sunset Shimmer smiled softly before pushing past them, not wanting to be in the room for what was about to happen. Yet when she reached the living room, she was surprised to see a glum looking Sandy sitting with Bobby on the couch.

"Hey Sandy, what's up?"

"I got turned down for another audition.. again. After what happened on stage a month ago, people are wary of me pulling such a 'trick' again and ruining the show I'll be in."

Grimacing, Sunset Shimmer knew very well the incident that had happened. The woman had been given a role for a major part in a play, she had claimed it would have given her career a huge boost that it sorely needed. She had been so happy that she had even gotten all of them tickets to see her performance. The play had started off well enough, while never having been a big fan of Shakespur, the Merry Wives of Windsoar had been wonderfully acted, Sandy was a wonderful Mistress Page and had all the audience laughing... until she suddenly sprouted pony ears and her already long hair lengthened further! Despite the shock of going into Pony Mode, Sandy had done a very good improvisation and the rest of the play had gone on. However, the story that had been spread was that since Sandy was a friend of the Pony Breakers, she had access to whatever 'special effects' they used on stage and was trying to hog all of the attention for herself.

Before she could give her sympathies, there suddenly came a loud ruckus between the loud crash of the pan, the blaring of the air horn, and the storm of cuss words that came from Jackie.

"I WILL MURDER BOTH OF YOU WITH MY GOD DAMN FUCKING GUITAR AND NO ONE WILL EVER FIND YOUR BODIES!!!"

Shaking her head, Sunset Shimmer took a seat in one of the chairs, her, Bobby and Sandy ignoring the ensuing kerfuffle as, from what it sounded like, Jackie had tackled someone to the ground. Probably Tino.

"I'm sorry it's been rough Sandy. I had no idea that anyone else could go into Pony Mode outside of my ex-friends. If I had any idea how you could control this without having to stop acting then I would tell you."

"It's fine Sunset. I'll hardly let something like sprouting pony ears stop me from being on stage. I will find a way."

The ruckus was soon moved from the bedroom to the living room, Tino, Jackie and Poppy all somehow tangled together and rolling about as they wrestled around punching, biting and giving wet willies. However Jackie wasn't the best fighting one on one and had no chance when she was facing two opponents at the same time. It soon ended with Tino and Poppy sitting on top of Jackie, the blue haired woman face down and kicking her limbs helplessly as she tried to escape.

"You gonna' calm down?"

"Only when I devour your heart!"

"That doesn't sound like a yes."

After about another minute, the guitarist finally ran out of steam and lied panting on the floor.

"F-Fine... I'm calm..."

"Okay, then we'll let you up and tell you the good news!"

Slowly and with caution, Tino and Poppy got off of Jackie and extended their hands to help her up. The guitarist took Poppy's and slowly began to rise to her feet... only to reach out and give a hard flick to Tino's crotch, the man jumping back and covering his sweet breads as his voice raised an octave for a moment.

"Ah! El infierno de mierda!"

"You're lucky I didn't punch it Tino!"

Dusting herself off, a still disgruntled Jackie moved to sit on the floor next to Sunset's chair, moping softly. Sunset could not help but giggle softly as she reached out and pat Jackie's head, finding the other was sitting at the perfect height for it. Merely giving a half hearted scowl to the other, Jackie turned her gaze back to Tino and Poppy, waiting for one of them to spill what the good news was.

"Well, even though I don't think you deserve the good news now, this does concern Sunset as well, so-"

"We got a gig in Manehattan. At the Ballroom Blitz."

For a moment there was silence, then the biggest shout came from Jackie as she immediately got to her feet and started hopping in place in a manner almost reminiscent of a certain pink haired girl that liked to throw parties.

"AHHHHH! NO WAY! No way! OH MY GOD! WE DIDN'T?!?!?!"

"WE DID! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!"

Soon Jackie tackled Tino in a hug and they both started hopping around. Poppy for her part did none of that but had her arms crossed and perhaps the biggest smile on her face that Sunset had ever seen. But the red head had one question.

"The Ballroom Blitz?"

"SUNSHINE!!! The Ballroom Blitz is one of THE big live music venues in Manehattan! They get bands from all over to play and many a band just starting off small became BIG news after playing a night at the Blitz! Oh my god, it's on my list of venues I've always wanted to play! Tino, how?!"

"I got a call about a week back. Apparently with all the videos people have been taking of us going into 'Pony Mode' there's enough online buzz about us that the owner decided he'd have us play in a week and a half!"

Before another round of cheering and dancing could happen, Jackie suddenly stopped, lowering her arms as she stared at him.

"A week... we have... a week and a half... to get across the country and make it in time... for what is perhaps the biggest set in our lives."

"Yup."

"And you sat on this information for about a week when we could have left earlier to avoid the stress of getting there on time... for a gig that could make our music careers at one of the places you know I've dreamed of playing at."

"Eeeyup!"

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

This time before she could pounce, Poppy had come up behind and put her in a full nelson, not that it stopped the guitarist from flailing her limbs and kicking out, trying to reach her bass player and dish out some old fashioned bodily harm. Scowling, Poppy tightened her grip to get Jackie's attention.

"Would you relax, spaz? Tino is just messing with you. We spent a week renting a hotel room, planning the route, what sets to play, and how to get Bobby, Sandy and Sunset Shimmer to come along."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. I lied for Bobby saying he had a death in the family so that his teachers would just give him his work upfront. And for Sunset, I got some doctor's notes forged saying she's in the hospital so she can miss her school time. And Sandy has plenty of vacation days saved up."

Looking over at Sandy and Bobby to see if this was true, both nodded to confirm that what Poppy said was true.

"I figured that after my fiasco with the Merry Wives of Windsor, I could use a trip back to my hometown to have a bit of a breather."

"And finals aren't here yet, I'll be able to keep on top of my work by way of internet. I know this would be a big deal to you, so I wanted to come along."

Now fully calmed down, Jackie looked very touched by the sentiments of her older friends. So much that she even gave Tino a hug and apologized before rushing off to her room to go pack!

"You really forged doctor's notes for me?"

"What? It's the Los Pegasus high school system. You could miss half the year and you'd still pass."

---

Despite the furious packing, it was decided that a sort of celebration was in order before they began their long cross country journey tomorrow. They all drove to the beach and found a spot where no one else was around, Tino brought a small barbecue, the others brought food, and to be sure they would be up early to travel tomorrow, Jackie only paid the guy down the street enough to sneak out one pack of beer. Music would be played from Jackie's old CD player, batteries provided by Sandy, and of course she had brought her acoustic guitar.

They celebrated long after the sun set, the fire from the small barbecue providing light and the moon providing a wonderful view as it's beams of light lit up the ocean. They were so carefree that Jackie, Tino and Poppy even went into Pony Mode! In the past three months since their gig at the Vagrancy club, they had grown more comfortable with the wings and the ears. The three had even become decent at flying, darting about in the air and horsing around, no pun intended. The other three would be content to watch them, Sunset Shimmer and Sandy simply not interested in changing and Bobby still uncertain about wanting to try and see if he could go into Pony Mode as well.

After awhile of watching Poppy, Jackie and Tino, Sunset turned to her bag and produced a hard bound book with her cutie mark on the front. She opened it to a fresh page before taking out a pen, tapping the end against her chin for a moment before she began to write.

~ Hey Twilight, I know I haven't written you since I started at my new school and I'm sorry I haven't been writing more. Dealing with being in a band and a new school, things just seem to slip away from me sometimes. No one knows about my past and I've been getting along well with many of the students at Los Pegasus High School. But I have some news. The band I'm in, the Pony Breakers, have a gig in Manehattan! We'll be traveling across country by car and one of our stop overs is Canterlot. I'm... still wary about going back there, but I figured since I was passing through we could meet up for a bit? Maybe you could even meet my new friends. I know you've been interested in meeting them but haven't been able to since you haven't found a way to open a portal here in Los Pegasus. But if you could spare the time, we'll be in Canterlot in two days so we can meet up.

Your friend,

Sunset Shimmer ~

Since it was getting on in the night, Sunset hadn't expected to get a reply so soon, but when she felt her book vibrate, she excitedly opened it up to read the response.

~ Hi Sunset! I'm so happy to hear from you and to know that things seem to be going well for you! You caught me at the perfect time, being a new princess with all of these new responsibilities has been hectic but I'll be able to spare some time to slip away in two days! I'm so excited and I'll be looking forward to seeing you again and meeting your friends!

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle ~

Smiling to herself, Sunset Shimmer gave her an estimation of the time she should of been by the portal in two days before signing off and closing the book. Looking up just in time to see Poppy land on the ground just as her Pony Mode ended. Jackie and Tino were less than lucky though, still in the air when their wings went away and falling from about twenty feet in the air and into the ocean. Although there was some concern at first, the two soon surfaced, laughing as they swam back to the shore and rejoined the group.

There was a content smile on Sunset Shimmer's face as she watched the others.

Life was good.

Author's Note:

Ahhhh, slice of life happiness.

And then they get to Canterlot. I hope you're all ready for the high school regime of Chrysalis!

Comments

[wiccanminnesota]

One question that still needs to be answered is what school if any did Sunset attend while she was away from CHS I find it hard to believe that she would be able to get by without a high school diploma.

[Gpizano]

7507216 Sorry, I thought I made it clear in the story.

But in between the events of Ponies Go to Heaven and the first Chapter of All Apologies, she transferred to Los Pegasus High School to finish out her last year of high school.

And hopefully I've established how shitty the Los Pegasus basic education system is so getting into high school there was even easier than Canterlot HIgh despite Sunset Shimmer just popping up one day from another dimension.

Also during the first two installments it all basically happened over holiday break, so no need to worry about school immediately or being kicked out. SHe only missed a couple days when she ran off to Los Pegasus.

[thexat]

I'm a bit worried by the "Dark" tag there, but oh well...

[Gpizano]

7507277 Welllll, it's kind of like a safety net I think. Mainly I put it there for Chrysalis...

Edit: I'm not saying there's going to be like, violent shit that would require me to label gore or whatever. But I feel what's ahead is going to be well... dark.

EditEdit: And hey, if what I'm thinking of isn't that dark I can always take the tag off.

[thexat]

7507286 Well we'll see, I guess! I quite like some darker themes but as far as Anon-A-Miss stories go, I like the lighter tone of yours!

[Gpizano]

7507313 Yeah, I mean there's still going to be light moments in Anon-A-Miss amongst all the drama buuuuuut with Chrysalis, I don't see myself writing her as anything less than malevolent for this.

Like I said in the description, in this sequel shit is going to go ape. XD

[Uria the Sacred Beast]

I do have to ask, why have you decided to split this all into several stories instead of a few arcs all in one story?

[thexat]

7507322 Sequel to "All Apologies": "Stairway to Heaven", where Sunset Shimmer runs away to Groenland and lives a peaceful and retired life far from all the dramas. XD

[Gpizano]

7507326 *shrugs* Just the way I'm doing it?

Plus all the songs I chose for each arc would get mashed up and I would only have one cover art.

I guess if I thought about it, if I tried doing it all in one, big thing I guess it might burn me out if that makes any sense. Like I need an end to get refreshed before tackling another arc. And I guess I see it as a difference between putting in a chapter that says "time skip" and having separate stories to have like, a definite marker of different moments of time in the Guitars, Sugar, OCs and Magik universe.

But I guess the bottom line is, it's just how I'm doing it.

[Gpizano]

7507333 Psh, Greenland? The least she could do is go to New Zealand where she ends up having to destroy the one ring. XD

[Uria the Sacred Beast]

7507338 Fair enough!

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

7507347

[River Road]

I like that you use Los Pegasus. Most bronies I meet insist on using Las Pegasus for Las Vegas and Los Angeles comes up short, even though it makes much more sense.

[Esorial]

"We got a gig in Manehattan. At the Ballroom Blitz."

A Sweet reference. Nice.

[Pr1deM0rn1ngstar]

Jesus and I thought my roommate was bad being as he threatened to shove a pole up my ass for waking him up