IX - Somewhere Else
Sunset remained on the floor, her legs curled up beneath her white gown. Even though she was right next to the hospital room’s door, there wasn’t much reason to move, incorporeal as she was. Such a decision was made easier by the waves of exhaustion that continued to wash over her, forcing her invisible form to the ground.
Once the nurse had left, the room had gone quiet once more, and Sunset relished in the silence. The low hum of electricity was soft enough that it disappeared beneath the ringing in Sunset’s ears, which itself was so ever-present that she hardly noticed it anymore. As she struggled to keep her breathing steady, Sunset observed Rainbow Dash through half-lidded eyes. Her former friend had her phone out and was tapping the screen as quickly as her thumbs would allow. Sunset assumed that Rainbow Dash was following the nurse’s advice, though she was more than a little uncomfortable with the idea of all the other girls crowding into the room to weep over her broken body.
During the days since her fall, Sunset had changed her stance on wanting apologies, inspired by a sort of pragmatism that could only be understood now, on the eve of her end. It wasn’t that Sunset did not appreciate the others admitting their mistake—rather, it was the notion that such an admission somehow erased or even eased the suffering she had endured. Sure, they meant well, but good intentions didn’t do Sunset much good now that she was nearing her, well...
There was no time to dwell on that now. Sunset focused what little resolve she had left into staying alert. Weariness was creeping even deeper into Sunset’s limbs, so much so that she splayed her legs out on the floor. She could feel her heart reverberating through her entire body every few seconds, and each beat felt like a kick to the chest. With every dry breath she took, a stinging sensation gnawed at her throat, and a shudder ran through her limbs when she exhaled. More than anything, though, Sunset was so, so cold.
She had to hold on. She had to hold on until she could see Twilight. Sunset knew she could not leave before explaining to the princess why she had chosen to die. Twilight deserved that much, after all she had done to make Sunset’s life a little better. She had given Sunset so much. The least Sunset could do was let her know that her efforts, while ultimately wasted, were appreciated and adored every step of the way.
The first of her former friends to show up were Fluttershy and Rarity. Sunset had not seen Rarity since the night of her fall, and she was a little surprised by what she saw now. Rarity entered behind Fluttershy, wearing a dull grey hoodie and jeans. Her face was free of any makeup as she lifted her head to look at Sunset’s motionless body. Rarity’s eyes were brimming with tears, and she stumbled forward. Rainbow Dash stood up to offer Rarity the only chair in the room, which Rarity promptly collapsed into with a huff. She remained there, sniffling, as Rainbow Dash spoke up.
“I don’t suppose you two have heard from AJ or Pinkie yet, huh?” Rainbow Dash said.
“I’m afraid not,” Fluttershy said, her voice quivering as she glanced at Sunset’s motionless body. “But, Rainbow Dash... Have you heard about the Anon-a-miss profile? Who it was?”
Sunset let out a mute groan at that. Even if whoever was responsible had been caught, that did little to change her situation now. Honestly, she thought, perhaps she would be better off not knowing. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little curious.
Rainbow Dash slumped against the wall. “Yeah, y-yeah I heard. Saw it online a little while ago.”
“And...? Are you alright? How do you feel?” Fluttershy asked.
“Honestly? I don’t know. I mean yeah, Scootaloo and her friends are just kids. And yeah, kids can be stupid and jealous and have no idea what they’re doing, but...” With a heavy sigh, Rainbow Dash looked over at Sunset’s bed. “I’ll never be able to look at her the same way again.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Rarity croaked from her chair in the corner. “They set the stage, yes, but we carried out the performance.”
“We should h-have been better,” Fluttershy said, her voice tinged with sorrow. “This is no one’s fault but ours...”
Silent as ever, Sunset sat there on the floor, contemplating everything she had just heard. It was Scootaloo, then. Scootaloo and her friends, so Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle too. And they framed Sunset because they were jealous of her.
It made sense, she supposed. While their actions and reasoning were awful and manipulative, they were no worse than the things Sunset had done for years. Knowing that the culprits had done this over something so petty seemed remarkably ironic to Sunset, and it confirmed to her that such an event tearing her life apart was an inevitability. If it hadn’t been Anon-a-miss, it would have been something equally destructive, and the end result would be the same. Such thoughts made her feel a little better, at least.
“Have...” Fluttershy spoke up, pulling Sunset back to the present. “Have they told you h-how long she—” She never finished her question, as Rarity burst into tears.
“We killed her!” Rarity screamed, burying her head in her hands. “We killed our f-f-f-friend...!”
The other girls moved to console her. Rarity’s wails filled the room, their volume only adding to the pounding in Sunset’s ears. She shut her eyes, wincing, and as she did, a dim spark began to flicker in the center of Sunset’s vision. She opened her eyes, and the spark remained, gleaming brighter and brighter. Sunset squinted, unable to figure out what she was looking at, only to hear a familiar voice echoing from what sounded like miles away.
“Sunset? Sunset Shimmer?”
Sunset gasped. “Twilight...?”
“Sunset?”
“Twilight, where are you?” Sunset said, her voice strained and breathless. The spark was now a brilliant light, and the hospital room disappeared within its shine. Sunset blinked, and—
Her eyes drifted open. She was on her back, suspended in the very same dreamscape she had been in with Luna, only now it seemed... dull?
Sunset sat up, looking around. The stars that had once dotted the entirety of the dreamscape were gone, replaced by a hazy glow of deep violet. Just looking at such a color made Sunset sleepy.
“What’s all this about?”
She turned around to see Twilight Sparkle. The princess was human, just like Sunset, and her clothes were the same as the ones she’d worn when she first arrived in Sunset’s world.
“Sunset, are you feeling alright?” Twilight asked. “Princess Luna said you needed to speak with me, and that it was urgent.” Twilight looked down at Sunset. “And why are you wearing a dress? Or, a gown maybe? Rarity would know.”
“I-I...” Sunset had no idea what to say. For all the mental energy she put into thinking about this meeting, she hadn’t quite figured out exactly what to say. Finally, she spoke up. “Twilight... How much do you know?”
“Know about what?”
Sunset took several deep breaths. The effort of speaking just those few words drained her far less than she had expected. In fact, the strength that had been steadily draining from her over the past few hours had returned, if only a little bit of it. Still, she had so much to say to Twilight, and no idea how long she had left to do so.
“I need you to promise me something, okay?” Sunset said.
“Of course!” Twilight said, smiling. Sunset could feel dread overtake her as she looked at Twilight's smile. Was this really the right thing to do...?
“What’s going on?” Twilight continued.
“Please, just..." Sunset said, "Don’t say anything or ask any questions until I’m done.” She placed a hand on her chest to steady her breathing as she steeled herself for the horrified reactions she knew were coming. “There’s a lot I have to say...”
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Please don't kill off Sunset. Anon a miss stories where Sunset dies don't end well in readers views
Oh, Rarity... it's always hard to learn something once it's too late. Feeling incredibly anxious about what Twilight's reaction will be; I could see her blowing up, but I could also see her just freezing in catatonic shock.
twilights going to burst into the human world with shock paddles.
"CLEAR!"
Man, I fricking hate to see Sunset die since there are some stories where she dies. :( I really hope to see that she somehow survives and I see those girls including the CMC and the students at CHS to suffer more than her of trying to kill herself.
Like what Memendez says to his enemies in Black Ops 2: "You'll suffer with me as well."
Twilight is in for one hell of a bad time.
I hope Sunset doesn't die,, I hope she lives, but also hope she doesn't just let things go.
She right even if they admitted their mistakes, the apologizes just won't make things better.
It may be months even years before things can begin to heal. I wonder how the Principals are taking all this.
Oh come on, man. You end it there?
Boo, hiss
Okay, yeah, I'm sure you have a reason for it, but ending it here just irritated me. Here's hoping the next one fills the gap that this chapter feels like it has.
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I actually agree with you; if Sunset were to die, then that means the CMC would've actually won in the end, albeit a gruesome Pyrrhic victory (once the Human Five learn who the culprits were, they would almost certainly break all ties with them, blood relations be damned; Twilight and Celestia would also be devastated and likely harbour grief-fuelled anger).
I do not like stories where bullies end up winning, no matter how severely they're punished afterwards; bullies should always lose.
The details you put into the story are outstanding. A lot of readers might get upset about where the chapter ended but me personally, I love it. Cliffhangers (especially when done right) IMO make the story worth reading.
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It's not over?
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It will. I am not skipping the explanation to Twilight. Chapter X will pick up right where we left off, and you will not have to wait nearly as long for it.
9359492
Yes, but cliffhangers.
Boo, hiss
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Cliffhangers are good for ya, at least if your fingers can hold.
9359492
9359633
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How I feel when I get a cliffhanger...
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This might be slightly off-topic, but I genuinely want to know. Is the title supposed to be a reference to Undertale? Like the song "It's raining somewhere else"
Very much looking forward to the next chapter. Keep up the good work!
The descriptions of Sunset fading away, even though she's basically a spirit here, are heartbreaking to read. As is her reasoning about wanting/not wanting apologies. With only one chapter to go, I really hope that, between Sunset retelling it and (hopefully) Twi responding, she finds something that brings her peace. I have no idea how Twi will react, though. I'm a bit on the edge of my seat for it.
There's something to be said about how understandable this, while still kicking me right in the gut. The reactions to revealing Anon-A-Miss's identity, particularly Rarity's, do the same thing. This whole story is incredibly heavy, but like your other heavy stuff, none of it feels tacked-on or out of place. It hurts to read, but it's a realistic hurt.
And here we go...