Life's been hard for Sunset ever since the Fall Formal. She's chronically lonely, much of her free time is dedicated to work and studying, and her classmates still don't trust her. Regardless, she's committed to making things right and improving herself one day at a time.
Most of her new friends are trying to make her feel welcome, but everything feels so forced and awkward at first. This is made worse by Rainbow Dash who seems intent on making things difficult for Sunset. Are they just incompatible? Or is there a deeper reason they can't seem to get along?
Shoutouts to EileenSaysHi, NudistSquid, X_c4nd13d_p3pp3r_cut13_X, Gusto Starstorm and another one of my friends for a combination of workshopping, pre-reading, editing, and proofreading 
Featured 10/13/22! Thank you!
This story begins a couple months after the events of the first Equestria Girls movie.
This also takes place before the events of "Can You See What I See?", but you don't have to read that to understand this or vice versa.
Aww. Sunset and Fluttershy is such a good friendship dynamic that's never exploited enough on this site. Good start!
It's extremely rare to see stories set between EG1 and EG2, which is a shame because there's some incredible story potential there.
Oh this is very, very good stuff. This adds a lot more depth than what you usually see in fanfic regarding Flash and Sunset's pre-EqG relationship and, even knowing that this is a prequel to CYSWIS, almost makes you want to see SunFlash get back together.
No kidding.
(EDIT: Oops, fixed a dumb mistype that changed the meaning of the sentence)
Loving how connected you've already got with the characterisation of Sunset. You see stronger elements of her self doubt and self hatred from Can You See, whilst showcasing how lost she feelds without anyone to guide/be there for her. Bravo!
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I think it's because the stories are potentially strong but simultaneously limited. We know Sunset hasn't ponied up, neither has Princess Twi returned, so magic shenanigans are limited to the girls transformations ie: relatively low stakes when it comes to the Urban Fantasy elements. That leaves various forms of Drama and the inevitable character building of Sunset connecting with the girls. Cool, but it only has so many directions.
I guess you can involve Human Sunset at this stage feasibly, or bring in questions of Sunsets living conditions/staying at the school after turning into a demon.
I was not expecting the sequel to be a prequel. Interesting. This should be good.
Let me guess, Rainbow Dash is just being super tsundere
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Good guess, but not quite! You'll see
Great fic so far! Looking forward to more.
I loove fluttershy shes such a sweetheart. When sunset smiled after she delivered her rejection i kinda read it as "please dont worry yourself over me" n then i read fluttershys returning smile as her bein like "please dont forget that i care about you" its such a sweet lil interaction from one adorable and wonderful gal to another (who def doesnt feel like one yet but is one nonetheless!)
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Wait sequel?
What was the first one
Wait what the romance part for?
Is it shipping flutter dash or rainbow and sunset shimmer?
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When I first started talking about this project, I said it was going to be a sequel to my first story. Not long after that, I scrapped what I had and decided to make this a prequel instead. So they might have been under the impression this was meant to take place after my last story until they saw it go up.
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You'll see soon! Patience
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More or less, yeah. (And for safety's sake, the other story in question is here.)
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I can do that
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Thanks
Didnt know we'd get some stuff w sunset n flash, but i suppose i shoulda seen it coming. It was very touching too, and it gave great closure to their relationship. Also flash sentry is a rlly nice dude, he seems like hed be a damn good friend and deserves a good ol high five r smthn, espec for bein a great person to sunset. Id be like bam🙏
Is the refference something to do with the White Van? It's highlighted but never brought up again.
Great chapter though!
Okay SOMEONE give Dash a wakeup call and VERY soon or else I'm about to actually have to run her fade myself. Girl this is NOT okay!
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Nope! The van is referenced later on as Dash's van. It's never explicitly stated by anyone that it's hers; Sunset just figures that out on her own. The reference is quite a bit later than that
Poor sunset she hates what jerk she was and rainbow sending her the message she isn't wanted and the other girls except for fluttershy aren't really trying to befriend her.
You mean 5? Sunsets the sixth person.
Does this takes place during or before Rainbow Rocks?
Add 'to' after 'want me.'
Or he might've blocked your number Sunset.
Good going doofus.
Damn, and here I thought he'd not forgive her!
https://m.But still..
Mhm
Ya think!?
Yep.
I'll take it.
Remove the period before ;
Huh, for a second there I thought it was there by accident, but it was really part of the scene.
You get used to it with time.
She's right, these things take time and patience Sunset.
Okay damn, its rlly startin to settle in that dash is very much not a friend rn for certain, but i believe in sunny, she can turn her around!! On a separate note, though, i think it felt weirdly like, comforting to think abt the shed they were practicing in, like idk why but it feels like it woulda been a cool place to be in, not just cuz a buncha cool gals were there but just like, how it woulda looked or something idk lol.
And as for the reference, I can only guess it was that duo of musicians w clown masks on whose genre was hard for sunny to pinpoint. As for *what* that is a reference to, i really can't think of anything outside of like, the insane clown posse, but maybe its something else idk lol
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You're getting credit for pinning where the reference is! But it's a different act featuring two guys that look like clowns.
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clown core?
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Ding ding!
Love it.
Another great chapter working on Sunset becoming a better person
Sunset post-Fall Formal - "What in the hay am I supposed to be doing?! Where's the instruction manual for Friendship at?! Is it morally unsound to punch Rainbow Dash in the face?"
Excellent chapter. Sunset's punishment is kinda messed up, but then again even her canon punishment was kinda messed up, so there's not much you can do about that. Literally demanding financial restitution for her involuntary transformation into a demon seems especially ghoulish though.
I can speak from experience of working on weekends. Ever since this past January not long after my 20th birthday I started working at my local movie theater and out of all the shifts I've had so far weekends are the time I'm always working as I got college to deal with when I'm not at work.
Same, I'm not a fan of closing ships, hell my shift I had yesterday was a closing shift. And sadly ended on a bad note.
Not surprised Dash would say that to her.
A*
used*
She*
Your so gonna regret this later Sunset.
Capitalize 'she' after 'Uhm...'
Add 'a' after 'given me.'
Nope.
She*
Yep she is.
He*
Chriiiist that interaction with sunset n fluttershy, just with the fuckin...the way sunset offers to give her a ride home without even fuckin thinking about it and keeps making it worse for herself for whatever reason because her brain is shitting itself...feel like that kinda exact thing i think has happened to me multiple times holy shit, weird and cool to see that kinda thing being played out in front of me lol. dont worry sunset i know just how u feel girl.
Also rlly found tht april bit hilarious, fantastic setup n payoff lol
Aand it is on hiatus ._.
Even knowing just Sunset's side of things what Rainbow Dash did was exceedingly unfair, uncalled for, and quite frankly not awesome and petty. She has no real excuse to act that way and should be better.
Welcome back! This is a very good chapter that does a great job with the character work. The scene with Luna is really well done and showcases a different side of her from the disciplinarian who almost wrongly disciplined Princess Twilight when last we saw her (at this point in canon). And it fits very well with her being Princess Luna's counterpart that she would be the more hesitant of the sisters to dole out burdensome punishments with repercussions outside the school grounds.
As for Rainbow Dash, I love the way you're handling her. It makes perfect sense with her personality that she'd be the one least willing to turn the other cheek toward Sunset. Keep in mind that not only was she personally experiencing Sunset's torment for months if not years, but she was also having to see the impact Sunset's bullying left on her friends, particularly Fluttershy, who's strongly implied both here and canon to be Rainbow's best friend of the bunch. In Equestria Girls, we literally meet Sunset in the human world as she's harassing Fluttershy, after having broken up their friendships and isolated her. And then, of course, at the Fall Formal, Sunset's monstrous form literally throws a fireball that could very well have killed them -- to say that qualifies as being "physical" with her bullying is an understatement.
Rainbow Dash is the element of loyalty. And she's incredibly loyal -- to her friends. Sunset is not only not her friend, but someone who repeatedly and severely hurt her friends. And those friends might be willing to give Sunset a chance at Twilight's behest, but Rainbow doesn't see someone sincerely attempting to change. Rainbow is steadfast, she's determined, and she's defensive. (We all saw how her pony counterpart took it when she realized Gilda was being cruel to Pinkie Pie.) In her eyes, with Sunset, it's far better to be safe than sorry, especially when Fluttershy, in particular, is repeatedly putting herself in alarming proximity to her former tormentor. So she makes a point to keep Sunset firmly in her place and, if at all possible, push her away (literally if needed) where she can't become a danger to her friends once again.
Fluttershy, of course, does see sincerity in Sunset, even where Sunset herself questions her own motives. Her embrace of Sunset is likely what's holding Rainbow back from completely lashing out at her, even if it's also part of what's driving her aggression. We'll have to see going forward if she can be what defuses some of the tension between Rainbow and Sunset, even if we know from Rainbow Rocks that there'll still be doubt and mistrust by the time the Sirens arrive on the scene.
I'm so glad this is back!!
Rainbow isn't being done dirty here, with her brash personality this kind of confrontation would be inevitable. The physicality of it is inevitable at this age as well.
I don't really give my 2 cents on stories but I genuinely love this story so far, I really liked the entire "fight scene" especially since both sunset and rainbow are so well written in this. I prefer books that portray sunset as snarky and mean and provocative at times instead of the rainbow blast completely stripping her of her worse qualities.
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I'm happy you mentioned that! Stripping Sunset of the worst aspects of her personality was something I wanted to avoid from the outset. I've seen fics do that, and while I don't consider it an issue and understand why others write it that way (canonically speaking, that is just sorta how it happens), I feel like it robs her character of a really interesting introspective journey.
Perhaps the most personal quote in this chapter (and the story thus far) is right here:
From experience, I know being a jerk can be an intrinsic part of someone's personality, but it can also just as easily be a learned behavior. In both cases, it can be next to impossible to truly unlearn those behaviors. When unlearning isn't an option, learning to control those impulses is the next best thing. Unfortunately, control is almost just as challenging to learn, and it's a very slow and arduous path. Progress is seldom linear as well.
Thank you for your comments, and I'm very glad you're enjoying the story.
Oof.
Violence ain't gonna fix it Sunset, it'll just make things worse!
Didn't sound like one to me.
She's got a point Dash.
Ok, now she's going a bit too far.
I mean, you are half responsible for what just happened.
Your missing a " at the end of the paragraph.
Vice Principal*
Dash and I*
Some things are best left unanswered.
Of course it had to happen.
Seems someone came back with a bang, and I didn't even realize it.
I'll admit, this general setup for Rainbow Dash, I've seen rather often, with only a few exceptions (and I'm one of them, so I don't count). But at the same time, it's one I never get tired of, seeing the double-edged nature of Loyalty; she's not going to be wishy-washy on an issue that involves someone who hurt her friends. Either she's the first one on board the 'friendship with Sunset' train or she's the last holdout, and there is NO gray area. At least, that's how I feel, and so seeing these kinds of conflicts are always fun for me when done right (which I think you have thus far, so good on you).
And of course, despite her failings, I appreciate that Sunset's not done a complete one-eighty. Some writers I felt went TOO deeply in on making her really sad or apologetic (which I get), but I feel like part of the fun of a character like this is wanting to be better despite some deeply ingrained stuff (ego, temper, manipulative nature, etc). Yes, the nature of her redemption is supernatural, but all the more reason why it's good for her progression to feel natural.
Thus far, I've been loving it, and I eagerly await the next chapter.
Wonder if she felt tingling cuz of the sting of something making contact on the wound, or cuz she wasn't quite expecting her to get so close and examine it like that with her hands, or both! Either way its a very sweet gesture and it goes to reenforce that shes a thoughtful lady n i rlly liked that.
................................. I..................... I don't like this Rainbow Dash.... no GENUINELY I do not like her and I find her just as bad as Early Sunset. She's not even trying to make an effort. She's basically given up already which is pathetic for someone that's 'loyal'. And omitting details to your friend IS STILL LYING Dash. You........ this story's gonna be fucking HARD to read. I'll keep going but...... mmm. I don't know how much I can stomach RD behaving this way. The fact this is a prequel to another story makes me nervous about how long this'll last.
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This is certainly understandable, and I appreciate that you're willing to push through in spite of this. Without spoiling anything, I'll tell you that the next chapter should illuminate a lot of the reasons as to why she's acting like this. There's a lot about my interpretation of Early Sunset that differs from canon, and I've kept those details vague thus far with good reason.