Thursday : An athletes regrets and a princesses lecture ( Edited by : BiggerNate91 )
Another day had passed, and Sunset’s spirits kept rising. She sat in her math class, with happy thoughts of the day before running through her head. While it felt awkward kissing her ex at first, she had to admit that it felt nostalgic to kiss Flash again. She was still a bit skeptical about trying again with Flash, with that nagging fear of hurting him again still lingering, but Flash was quick to assure her that he had her trust. Even though Sunset was happy that Flash was willing to let her back in his life, she requested that they start off slow, just to be safe. Flash was quick to accept, understanding that there was still a lot going on in Sunset’s life.
A small blush formed on the teen’s face as she sat at her desk, trying to concentrate on the math lesson for today. Her thoughts then shifted back to her main priority for the day. While she was happy at the thought of starting over with Flash, she reminded herself that it was finally time to see Rainbow Dash.
Throughout her classes, Sunset's mind was focused solely on Rainbow and what she was going to say to her when she saw her after classes ended. She had a feeling that Rainbow would try to spill her feelings about how awful she felt, just like the other three Rainbooms did, so she planned to be up front with her. Let her know it’s okay right off the bat.
When classes finally let out, Sunset retrieved her belongings from her locker and prepared to make her way out to search for Rainbow. Her friends met her at her locker to send her off.
“You’re going to see Rainbow today?” Rarity asked.
Sunset nodded. “I’m going to try, at least. Hopefully she’s where I think she’ll be. And hopefully she’ll be willing to hear me out.”
“She will.” Fluttershy reassured. “I know she will.”
“You sure you don’t want us to come with you?” Pinkie asked. “We’re always here for support. And it would be super-duper nice to see Dashie again.”
Sunset smiled. “I appreciate the offer, but it’s probably for the best that I go on my own. We wouldn’t want to overwhelm Dash, given how much she’s still hurting. Plus, I want to do this one on one.”
“That makes sense!” Pinkie chirped.
Something then came back to Sunset. “Actually… you girls don’t have anything going on this afternoon, do you?”
“I don’t believe so…” Rarity said. “Why do you ask?”
Sunset paused before answering. “…Twilight said she wants to talk to you today.”
The girls were surprised, but regained their composure. “At what time?” Rarity asked.
“Around four pm, I think? She was hoping she could meet you at the portal and just set some things straight, if that’s alright with you.”
The Rainbooms looked at each other, then nodded. “Yes, we can do that.”
“Should Dashie be there as well?” Pinkie asked.
Sunset thought. “I guess it depends on how well our meeting goes. If it goes well, the two of us will meet you at the portal. But you girls can go ahead and see what Twilight has to say.”
“Sounds good to us!” Pinkie said.
Sunset checked her phone for the time. “Okay, I gotta go, I don’t know how long Dash will stick around at wherever she is. Good luck with Twilight!”
“And good luck with Rainbow.” Fluttershy replied.
The Rainbooms waved as Sunset exited Canterlot High.
An hour later, Sunset approached the entrance of the Canterlot City gym. She had considered checking to see if Rainbow Dash was at her house, but she remembered what Flash had told her. Dash was more likely to be at the gym rather than home, either to train her body for an upcoming game or to relieve some stress after a long day. After taking a long breath, the fiery teen entered the building.
Sunset felt fortunate that the gym was public, and that she didn’t need a membership to get in. She explained to the man at the front desk that she was here to see Rainbow when she arrived, and the man let her in after laying down the rules of the place. As Sunset passed by a few of the trainers and gym goers, she suddenly found herself getting leered at by a few of the guys and even some of the girls every time she took a step.
“Hey there, hot stuff!” A guy who was deadlifting called out with a whistle.
“Nice hair, girl.” A female who was doing curls said with a wink.
“Hope ya brought tickets to the gun show, baby.” A guy said as he flexed his bicep.
Sunset rolled her eyes. Oh brother, she thought.
Another guy jumped in front of her, startling her. “Howsabout ya ditch that Flash guy and have some fun with a Crystal Prepper instead?” He got closer and closer to her face, causing her to reel back.
“OY!” A loud voice then rang out.
Sunset turned around to see Gilda walking toward them with a menacing look “Back off, Justin! She ain't interested in any of you idiots!”
The buff teen chuckled darkly in response. “Hehe, I always knew ya swung that way Gilda, but I didn't think Shimmer was your type.”
“I SAID SCRAM!” Gilda roared.
“Ok, ok, I'll leave, jeez.” The guy backed away and turned to head back to the weights, but not before calling out one last time. “I’m always available if that blue loser dumps ya.” He cackled and exited.
Sunset wiped some sweat off her brow. “Thank you, Gilda. Good to see you again.”
“Good to see you too!” Gilda replied. “Sorry about Justin, that idiot has a habit of hitting on every girl that steps in here. Guy thinks he’s such a chad…”
“No kidding…” Sunset said with a chuckle. Her look then turned sincere as she met Gilda’s eyes with her own. “Um… I promise not to say anything about… which way you swing. Filly Guide’s honor.”
Gilda chuckled. “Nah, you don’t need to worry about that. Half the school already knows I swing that way, and honestly, who even really cares about if you’re gay or a lesbian anymore?”
Sunset nodded, before an awkward silence hit once more. After a few seconds, Gilda addressed the important subject. “I guess you’re looking for Dash, huh?”
“You guessed it.”
“Well, you came to the right place.” Gilda pointed down to the far end of the gym. “She’s in her usual spot, tucked away where she thinks no one will find her.”
Sunset nodded again. “Thank you so much G, I appreciate it a lot. See you around.” She turned to leave, but felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Good luck, Shimmer.” Gilda replied. “If any of these losers give ya anymore trouble, just give a hollah. I'll be by the treadmills.” Sunset nodded in thanks one more time before the two teens went their separate ways.
The fiery teen continued her trek though the gym, trying her hardest to spot her rainbow haired friend. After a few minutes of walking, Rainbow Dash finally came to view, tucked away in the corner just as Gilda had said. She was laying down on a bench press, hoisting a weight of an impressive size above herself.
Sunset took note of her sweaty figure and was visibly surprised that she was almost as jacked as Applejack had been, and by the looks of it had gotten a bit taller as well. Flash wasn’t the only one who bulked up after I left, she thought.
As Rainbow finished her last rep and sat up, Sunset approached the bench. Rainbow wiped the sweat off her face and removed the towel, when she finally noticed the girl in front of her. Her towel fell out of her hand.
“S-Sunset…?” Rainbow whispered.
Sunset smiled. “Heya, Dash.”
Rainbow shot up from the bench to her feet. Her shocked eyes locked with Sunset’s.
“Oh my god… you came back…”
Sunset nodded. “I sure did.”
Rainbow’s heavy breathing was audible from where Sunset was standing. “Gilda… she told me that you were back, but I didn’t want to believe it… I thought you weren’t ever going to come back.”
"Well, I can’t run away forever.” Sunset said with a shrug.
Rainbow nodded. “Yeah… so she wasn’t kidding when she said you wanted to talk to me, huh? Thought maybe you were gonna swing by my place or something.”
“I thought about it, but Flash told me you’re here a lot more often.”
“Heh… smart move. I didn’t know anyone knew I came here.” Rainbow paused before continuing. “Have you seen the girls yet?”
Sunset nodded slowly. “Yeah… we talked. They told me about…”
Sunset trailed off, not wanting to say the name. Both girls winced.
Rainbow broke the silence after a few seconds. “Well… if you want to talk, let’s do it in the locker room. We’ll have more privacy there.”
“Sounds good.” Sunset replied.
Rainbow turned and started to make her way toward the locker room, with Sunset trailing behind. A few feet away, Gilda watched the two girls walk into the room and shut the door behind them. She silently prayed that her two friends were able to make peace after months apart from each other.
Rainbow Dash sat down on a bench in the locker room, while Sunset opted to stand. Both of them tried to make the motion to say something, but neither of them knew how to start. They both knew that the next few words they said could change everything. After an eternal-feeling few minutes, Rainbow finally spoke up.
“Sunset… I… I really messed up. I know that’s putting it lightly, but… you were right to leave us. I was—”
“Dash, stop.” Sunset held up her hand, silencing the athlete.
“What?” Rainbow stammered. “But… but I—”
“I know what you’re going to say. I heard similar things from the other girls. I get it, you feel like an awful person, you treated me horribly, you don’t think you represent loyalty anymore, you blame yourself for Applejack, you’ll never forgive yourself for hurting the both of us.”
Rainbow was wide-eyed. “How did you…?”
“Trust me, the girls spilled their guts out to me a few days ago. They felt just as shitty as you feel.”
“But… it’s true, though…” Dash whimpered.
“Please look at me, Dash.” Sunset locked eyes with Rainbow’s teary ones. “I understand you completely. But I promise you, you do not have to feel that way anymore. I was able to forgive the other girls, and I’m ready to forgive the Crusaders. That means that I forgive you too.”
“WHAT?!” Rainbow shouted. “But… but why??”
Sunset sighed. “Because I realize now that I still had a lot of forgiveness to earn before I could really call you my friends. You may have hurt me a lot when you accused me, but I still have to remember that I was a terrible person to everyone. If I was in your shoes, I probably would have thought it was me too.”
Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but Sunset cut her off. “And I know that doesn’t excuse anything. But if I was able to be forgiven for all the harm I did as Biggest Meanie, then you can be forgiven for this. The girls and I are friends again, and I want you to be there too.”
Rainbow hesitated. She turned away from Sunset, tearing up. “I… I don’t know if I can.”
“Why not?” Sunset asked.
“I… I can’t ever forgive myself for killing Applejack…”
Sunset marched over to Rainbow, grabbing her shoulder and turning her to face her.
“What the hell?!” Rainbow cried.
Sunset stared into Rainbow’s eyes with a serious, yet solemn expression. “You didn’t kill Applejack.”
“Yes, I—”
“Listen to me. What you said to Applejack may have been too far, but it’s not why she died. She was betrayed by her sister and she felt she went against her element. It was the pain of abandoning me and losing me that pushed her to the last straw. She… she felt like she didn’t deserve to live anymore.
“Believe me, I thought it was my own doing as well. I thought that maybe this could have been prevented if I hadn’t left. But it just would have made things worse. So many people have been blaming themselves for what happened—Gilda was, I was, even Twilight was. But it wasn’t any of us. And I don’t want anyone else thinking that they killed her.
“No one is blaming you, Dash. Not me, not the girls, not the Apples, not even Scootaloo. You are a good person, you just made some mistakes. They were big mistakes, sure, but they were still mistakes. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my life, it’s that mistakes are correctable. And I want to help you correct this mistake. I want my friends back in my life, and I want you to be one of them. It’s not going to be complete without you. I know you want the Rainbooms to be back… so let’s bring them back.”
Sunset finally let go of Rainbow, who stumbled backward slightly.
“Sorry to have to be so intense.” Sunset quickly added. “I just needed to be sure I got through to you.”
Dash turned away from Sunset once more. “You don’t understand… Applejack and I argued for months about whose fault it was that you left us. I was so mad at her every day for two months. I couldn’t handle the fact that she was criticizing me for not representing my element. I said so many bad things… and I said something that I regret forever. The last thing I ever said to Applejack was that insult. I never even got to apologize to her…”
Sunset watched Rainbow start to weep. She walked back up to scoop her into a hug.
“I don’t know what to do anymore…” Rainbow sobbed. “It won’t ever be the same without her… I can’t look myself in the mirror… how am I supposed to move on from this??”
“Together, that’s how.”
Rainbow sniffed and looked back up at Sunset. “Together?”
“Together.” Sunset nodded. “I’m here for you and so are the girls. The roads are going to be rough, but they’re still traversable. It is never too late to make things right. The Rainbow Dash that I know would never back down and give up, no matter what the challenge is. You are NOT a bad person. There are people that love you, Dash. The girls love you, I love you, Scootaloo loves you, even Gilda loves you. We’re all by your side, and we could really use you by ours. If Applejack was here right now, she would want you to come back. I know that if she was here, she would still love you; no stupid fight would ever change that. You are, and will always be, our friend.
“Please, Rainbow… come back to us.”
Rainbow was speechless. She embraced Sunset once more and held her tighter. “I’m sorry Sunset, I’m so sorry. Please don't leave us again…”
Sunset smiled. “I’m not going anywhere. Pinkie Promise.”
The girls held their happy hug for almost a full minute, letting out happy, if also slightly relieved, giggles. Finally, they parted and got a good look at each other.
“Damn, Dash, you’re just as swole as Flash is!” Sunset remarked. “Have you been working out non-stop for two whole months?”
Rainbow chuckled. “Hey, an athlete’s gotta stay in shape, especially if she’s gonna kick some Shadowbolt ass in soccer!” She gave a big flex of her arms to her friend, striking a pose. Sunset clapped in amusement, genuinely happy to see Rainbow Dash back where she was welcome.
While Sunset and Rainbow were mending their friendship, the three other Rainbooms were patiently waiting outside the portal for their guest. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity sat comfortably on a picnic blanket, courtesy of the party girl, along with some snacks that they snagged from the vending machine to keep them occupied as they waited. As they sat near the statue waiting for Twilight to arrive, they began to wonder how their conversation with the princess was going to go down. After the scolding she gave them last December, they were all full of anxiety with the fear that Twilight was still angry at them.
Just then, the statue started to vibrate slightly, and the magic portal began to emerge in a rippling effect. The girls snapped to attention, and stood up to ready themselves for their guest’s arrival. Sure enough, the portal flashed and out stepped Princess Twilight Sparkle, who stumbled slightly before correcting herself. She dusted herself off, and then met eyes with the three Rainbooms. Each of them had visibly different reactions, ranging from awe to trepidation.
“Hello, girls.” Twilight greeted her friends.
The trio replied in unison. “Hello, Twilight.”
Another long silence filled the air as Twilight tried to find the words she wanted to say. The Rainbooms for their part let the Princess get herself ready, still acting cautiously as to not risk upsetting her. Finally, Twilight sighed and spoke.
“Girls, I… I have a lot to apologize for.”
The Rainbooms were quite surprised. “What?” Pinkie asked.
“The last time we spoke, I said a lot of… choice words. You know that I was incensed when I heard what you and the Crusaders did, and I made sure you knew it. And when Sunset came back with me, I was ready to make sure it stayed that way. I didn’t want her ever seeing you again…”
Filled with shame once again, the girls hung their heads.
Twilight continued. “But now… I realize maybe I was too harsh. Sunset was willing to forgive you someday, and I should have accepted that. She admitted to me that she understood why you reacted the way you did, and over time I realized that I could have been more patient with you. I’m sorry for trying to give you such an intense punishment.”
“Darling, you don’t have to be sorry at all!” Rarity cut in. “If anything, we absolutely deserved that little scolding you gave us. We were horrible to Sunset and it was only a matter of time before someone called us out for it. You were right, we should have taken her side and believed her, but we didn’t.”
“Yeah, we really needed to hear it, too.” Pinkie added. “I don’t think it would have really gotten through our heads if you didn’t yell at us.”
Twilight hung her head. “Well… that’s not the only reason I feel guilty for reacting so harshly…”
The girls were confused. “What happened?” Fluttershy asked.
“This wasn’t the first time I experienced an event like this.”
Twilight went on to recap the same stories that she told Sunset: the Gabby Gums incident, and the Canterlot wedding. She told her friends everything, from how the pony versions of the Crusaders were nearly ostracized from Ponyville before it was discovered they were blackmailed, to how she cut ties with her friends after they were tricked by the Changeling Queen, to finding out about Shining Armor’s attempted suicide. The Rainbooms were shocked to hear about all the horrific events that had happened to their friend.
“I’m so sorry, Twilight…” Fluttershy murmured. “You shouldn’t have had to go through all of that.”
Twilight sniffed. “What I’m trying to say is… all of this came to mind after Sunset told me everything that happened since she was gone. She told me about the gloom, the fights, all of it. She told me about… what happened to Applejack.”
The girls winced upon hearing their friend’s name again.
Twilight went on. “There’s still a part of me, deep down, that feels like maybe she wouldn’t have taken her own life if I hadn’t yelled and scolded you. I know it wasn’t my fault… but that little doubt is still there.
“Sunset says she wants to make amends with you and be friends again, so I want to do the same. I am so sorry for acting the way I did, and for never giving you a real chance to make things right. I forgive you, and the Crusaders, for everything that happened. All I hope… is that you can forgive me too.”
Twilight said nothing more and began to silently weep as her tears poured onto the blanket like rain water. She then felt a hand on her shoulder belonging to Rarity. She stopped crying to look up at the fashionista who had a comforting smile.
“Of course we forgive you. We don’t blame you for anything. You’ve always been our friend, and nothing could ever get in the way of that. We’ve all made a lot of mistakes, just like your friends back home, and now we can work to fix them. We may not be the same as the other us-es in Equestria, but we can still work to be the best selves we can be. Because that is what friends do for each other. We promise, we won’t let you or Sunset down ever again.”
Fluttershy and Pinkie nodded in unison at Rarity’s side, giving Twilight the biggest smiles that they could.
A proud yet relieved smile formed on the Princess’ face. In a split second, she brought her friends into a tight embrace.
“You really are the Elements of Harmony. I’m so glad you’re my friends.”
“Likewise, darling.” Rarity replied.
“Girls?” A voice came from the side.
Twilight and the Rainbooms turned to see that Rainbow Dash and Sunset had finally arrived.
“Dashie?” Pinkie gasped.
“Heya…” Rainbow stammered, twiddling her fingers. “Listen… uh… I—”
“RAINBOW!” The Rainbooms shouted with joy. Before Rainbow could react, she was swept up in her friends’ arms.
“I’M SO HAPPY YOU’RE BACK!!!” Pinkie shrieked.
Rainbow recovered from her shock and smiled warmly as she embraced her friends. “I’m so sorry for being such an asshole…”
“It’s okay, Rainbow.” Fluttershy replied. “Welcome back.”
Twilight and Sunset watched their friends hug each other. “Now that’s a wonderful sight.” Twilight said.
“Truer words have never been spoken.” Sunset agreed. The sight of all her friends finally back together sent a warm fuzzy feeling through Sunset’s insides. It was really beginning to feel like things were actually returning to normal.
Five down, three to go.
I have returned😎 also good news, I didn’t have to make a 2 part chapter after all, I figured out how to add in the dash reconciliation and twilights lecture into Thursday withought splitting it👍 anyways hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and as usual leave a comment down below about your thoughts and how I can improve. Next up is the CMC’s turn to face Sunset so stay tuned for that 
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That disgusts you? But not everything else you went through?
nice work
I'm looking forward to the next chapter!
11719262
oh that sounds really useful, I'll definitely give it a try when I write the next chapters. Thanks for showing me this👍