What A Long Strange Trip

by milesprower06

Upheaval

Sunset sat in the Sweet Shoppe, sipping at her milkshake, her empty salad plate in front of her as she scrolled through her phone. She couldn't yet figure out how to get that internal timer out of her mind, hoping that perhaps going to sleep tonight would get the end out of her thoughts, once the routine of the school year got started tomorrow now that orientation and stuff were wrapping up.

Band practice would certainly help, too. She still remembered how music had helped her immensely in the opening weeks after the Fall Formal in her sophomore year.

Her thoughts of months and years past were interrupted when she felt a vibrating in her backpack next to her. She unzipped the top flap, and reached inside. Pulling out the vibrating, glowing book, she quickly flipped it open to avoid drawing any attention, and pulled the bookmark to turn the remaining pages, and saw a sparkling on the next blank page as the ink from the other side began to materialize on the page.

Dear Sunset,

Well, it certainly sounds like I'm not the only one dealing with some considerable upheaval. I suppose I can share my big news as well.

Princesses Celestia and Luna are retiring. From a decision-making point of view, my friends and I are taking over. It's a moment that I've spent the last several months dreading, and now I suppose I can dread a few more months, because we've decided to postpone the coronation until repairs can be made to Canterlot Castle after a hostile attack on the city.

I know how the intensity of your homesickness has varied the last year, Sunset. If you feel that you're truly ready to come home, I will do everything I possibly can to make the transition as absolutely as smooth as I can. I might even be able to get you a spot in my court, if you feel that you're up for it. I know magic has always been very important to you, and you'll certainly have more of it over here. I could never assume how hard it will be to say goodbye to your friends, but I can certainly help you with ways to keep in touch with them, if you like.

So here's to the next few months for both of us. Let me know if you need absolutely anything. I'm here if you need me, Sunset.

Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle

Sunset let out a quiet breath. A part of her was afraid that she'd go through the portal and end up on the other side and wondering where her place would be all over again. But working with Twilight, or at the very least being involved in her court would probably be one of the best possibilities she could imagine right now.

Not that she could even come close to currently wrapping her mind around the idea of Canterlot without Princess Celestia.

After returning the book to her backpack, she grabbed the cherry in her milkshake, the bottom full of whipped cream, and bit it off of the stem, tossing the remnant of the stem down onto the napkin the glass sat on. She decided to take her time with the second half of the milkshake, because she had to figure out one very important thing:

How to tell her friends about what she was told about the portal today.

---

Sunset walked into the cafeteria, and immediately went to the line when she looked across the room and saw Pinkie Pie and Applejack already seated. Rather than try and spot the other three in line, she opted to keep her gaze on the approaching stack of trays, and avoid eye contact with the dozens and dozens of other occupants of the large dining area. It would be the same looks of disdain that she had been getting all week anyways. When she reached the trays, she grabbed one, and was content to stare at the empty tray. First came a small apple pecan salad, then a bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, biscuit, and last but certainly not least, a bowl of chocolate pudding, and a half pint of milk. After paying at the register at the end, her usual route of going right down the center had now been replaced of making her way around the outer edges of the room down to one of the outermost tables where Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy had chosen once that group had gotten back together.

She had often wondered if the five of them had gotten any different treatment from the rest of the school now that it was all too apparent that they had befriended her. After all, high schoolers loved to find guilt by association. But if they were, they never showed it. For the time being, the student body of CHS were happy to silently judge and shun her and her alone, and as much as she wanted to change that, she honestly couldn't blame them. Playing nice up until she got what she wanted had been her M.O. much of last year. She had dug this hole, and even with the five of them to help, digging out of it was going to take some time.

By the time she reached their table, the other three had taken their seats as well, and she took the open chair between Rarity and Pinkie.

"So, feeling better after your stunt this morning?" Applejack asked.

"A little bit. I don't have to look at those pictures anymore, and neither does anyone else," Sunset replied, taking a bite of salad.

"I'm sure it'll get better day by day. After all, you have us, darling," Rarity encouraged.

"Oh, I'm sure it'll end up being longer than I'd like," the fiery-haired girl quipped, mixing her corn and potatoes together. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar blue-haired teenager sit down at the adjacent table. Again, Sunset felt something inside come together and solidify; an opportunity. She glanced down to her backpack that she had set down next to her chair, and reached inside, coming out with a small plastic pack.

"Be right back, girls," Sunset said, pushing her chair out, and got to her feet, walking past Rarity and crossed the way over to where Flash was starting to dig into his salad. He saw the shadow cover half of his tray, and looked up at the origin.

"Hey," He greeted. More than anyone else had said to her all week. Ever the gentleman.

"Hey, Flash, so... I just wanted to come over and say... How sorry I am. For everything. I know nothing I say will ever be enough, and neither will this, but I figured I'd at least offer something more than words."

Saying nothing more, she gently set the package of four carbon fiber guitar picks next to his tray.

"I made a stop last night on the way home. I've been thinking about taking up playing again, but I figure you'll get a lot more use out of these than I will."

Flash looked down at the pack, and immediately knew that they were his preferred style of pick, and that they were some of the highest quality that the downtown music shop offered. He gave the slightest of smirks, then took the clamshell package in his hands, popped it open, grabbed one of the four, and tossed it over to her.

"Thanks, but far be it from me to keep you from playing again, if you think it'll help."

Sunset gave him a sincere smile, pocketed the pick, and turned to go back to her seat as he continued into his lunch. Her five friends were also smiling, having witnessed the exchange. Small, friendly steps like that were the best way forward.

---

Sunset wasn't sure if the afternoons were slowly improving, or if she was getting better at ignoring her classmates like they were ignoring her. But she had walked home, entered her apartment, and didn't feel totally drained and ready to collapse on her bed. She walked over to her bed, dropped her backpack, and felt the guitar pick in her pocket, which shifted her gaze over to the corner, where her sunburst v-body guitar leaned against the wall. Getting up to grab the cleanest looking cloth in the pile of towels outside the bathroom, she grabbed the neck of the guitar and carried it over to her bed.

Sitting down, she laid it gently in her lap and began to wipe the dust off of it. It had been quite a few months since she had played, and wondered if it was like riding a bike. She remembered enjoying it, and wondered why she had stopped, only to be instantly reminded of the answer.

Because playing had served its purpose. After that, it didn't matter anymore back then.

She ran the cloth up the neck and down the strings, making sure the strings were tight, noting that they probably needed a tune after sitting for all this time.

Seemingly satisfied, she walked back over and sat down in the wooden chair next to her small amplifier, weak enough to be well within acceptable volume levels for an apartment during this time of day. She plugged the cord into the jack on the bottom of the guitar body, and grabbed the small tuner that rested on the amplifier. She turned it on and found that the batteries were still good. Digging the pick out of her pocket, she strummed each string individually and made the appropriate adjustments to the tuning knobs on top of the neck. She picked up a notebook on the ground next to the amp, and flipped to the next blank page, digging out a pen from her backpack. Taking a breath, she began to strum the strings of the freshly tuned instrument, thinking back to some of the chord progressions Flash had taught her, moving her left hand up and down the frets on the neck. Once she had found the chords and key that she wanted, she repeated them over and over, as words began to come to her mind.

"Power... Was all I desired~"

Author's Note:

I'd love to know what you guys think so far. Thanks for reading, and I hope you come back for more!

-Miles

Comments

[SuperPinkBrony12]

Seems interesting so far, reflecting on how far she's come is definitely going to help Sunset come to a conclusion.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

Going good

[milesprower06]

10530985
Was wondering if and when I was going to mix those up.

Thanks for the spot.