Prologue Part #1 - The Talk
Apple Bloom
Ah really hate to admit it, but them Sirens knew what they were doin'.
With their poisonous singin' and mind-twistin' magic, they undid a lot of the good work the Princess and her pals had done with just one song number. The varmints did this by ropin' the whole dern school into a Battle of the Bands competition and drivin' us all to be plum mean to each other. Ah mean, competition is fine and dandy, but not when the competitors are bein' rotten apples over it!
Shoot, we even betrayed the Rainbooms over it. Our sisters over it...
The longer the Sirens were left unopposed, the stronger their grip on our minds became, which made the negativity that was spread between the students only get worse. The three of us movie club girls stayed together, even as the other students tore each other apart. Our bond was, and still is, mighty strong, after all. But, as time went on, it became harder and harder for us to keep even our friendship goin'. On top of that, we could feel somethin' growin' within ourselves while we fell deeper under the Sirens' spell.
Somethin' cold, terrifyin', and familiar...
Thankfully, those magic-abusin' ingrates underestimated the Rainbooms, even when they had Trixie lock them up in a room under the stage. This poor choice gave them the chance to clean up their acts, come together, and fight back with their rockin' magical music! But, even their magic wasn't enough to stop those jerks.
Just when all hope seemed lost, when the Sirens were gettin' ready to finish their vile work, a miracle happened.
A lady with hair like fire, once an absolute meanie, took up the Princess's mic and sang like a gosh-dern angel from on high, ya'll! This act of honest bravery inspired the band to play their music alongside her. The combined power of their music and friendship created a magic so incredibly strong that it zapped the evil singin' magic right out of the Sirens! The Sonic Rainbooms saved us all from an eternity of mindless slavery and endless negativity that night. For my two best friends and Ah specifically, they saved us from the return of a nightmare. But, the girl who helped her friends when they needed her the most made it all possible. Her name was Sunset Shimmer.
The girl we once treated like a demon in disguise...
The halls of CHS, the day after The Battle of the Bands
Ah once thought that somethin' like this was impossible, even after magic became a thing. But, there we were, walkin' with Sunset Shimmer herself! No animosity, no bullyin', no cruelty from anyone. We were plum afraid while we traveled the halls of our beloved school, with a certain little item carefully hidden away in my left hand. But, it was not the older lady who walked at my left side that we were afraid of that day. Nah, we were afraid of somethin' else... What was much stronger than our fear, however, was our drive to do what had to be done. With my eyes locked on the hallway before us, Ah gave Sweetie Belle, who walked to my right, a thumbs up with my right hand that was both quick and discreet. She caught what was doin' in the corner of her eye and responded in kind with her left hand. Scootaloo, who was walkin' to Sunset's left, had already given us the go-ahead earlier that day. So, Ah knew, at that moment, that it was time. On behalf of the Canterlot Movie Club, Ah did what we did best: Ah took a bold risk.
With my eyes aimed at the hall again, Ah used my fingers to move that little item around a bit, so that it was bein' held by my index finger and thumb. It poked out from my hand at bit, which was perfect for me. Ah raised my left hand to aim the item as close to Sunset's face as Ah could reach. Ah could only go as far as just below her chin, but it was enough for her to see it. We all stopped walkin' to stand in a row together. Silence crept into the hall for a few seconds before she asked with polite confusion in her voice;
"A ticket?"
If Scoots and Sweetie looked at her, Ah didn't see them do it. My gaze did not move an inch as Ah told her with a subtle mix of excitement and fear;
"Consider it a long overdue invitation."
My nerves and fear got so strong when Ah finished talkin' that Ah couldn't bring myself to see Sunset's reaction with my eyes. Ah could feel my left hand shake more intensely by the second. A familiar voice in my head, a cruel one at that, tried to lead me astray with her venomous words;
She's not gonna take that there invitation, ya' dern fool!
After ya'll pushed her away, ya' think she'll give ya'll a cha-?
Before that evil spewer of terrible ideas could continue her rant, Sunset gently took the ticket out from my hand. That act alone encouraged me to shove that voice down into the back of mind, so that I could turn and face her. Ah caught her inspectin' each side of the ticket before she looked back at me. Oh my stars, Ah had never seen her make such a beautifully sweet smile until she fired it right at me. It was the kind of smile that could melt away anyone's worries just by existin'. It sure as hay melted mine, ah tells ya'! She sealed the deal by declarin' with friendly confidence;
"Well then, I'll see you girls tomorrow."
Ah'll never forget that smile for as long as Ah live.
The CMCs' Clubhouse, the next day. Afternoon.
Our chores were done and the homework was finished, so there would be nothin' to distract us from what we had in mind for that day. Much of our movie club decorations were moved out of the way to make room for a round wooden table in the center of the clubhouse and four wooden seats that were placed around it. Ah, myself, sat on the chair that stood in front of the clubhouse desk, with Scootaloo sittin' to my right and Sweetie Belle to my left. Standin' around on the table were four glass bottles of fizzy apple cider. Three of them were placed in front of each of us and one reserved for our incomin' guest, her empty seat in front of me on the opposite end of the table. We sat as still as statues, showin' no signs of impatience, which was especially odd for me. While Ah did have a well earned reputation for bein' too impatient to be patient, Ah made an exception for this day, for who was probably the most important guest we would have at the time. We all waited in silence for what felt to us like an eternity, even though it was only a few minutes, before a young lady's confident voice could be heard from our walkie talkie can, which was hangin' by its string on a spot on the wall to the left of the door;
"May I come in?"
Our guest, Sunset, had arrived!
Ah had never felt more nervous at that moment then Ah had ever been before then. My friends definitely felt the same way, since Ah could hear them gulp as Ah looked at each of them, their faces filled with fear. After takin' a breath to keep ourselves focused what we had to do, we got up out of our seats and walked over to the can. Ah grabbed it with my right hand, brought its business end up to my mouth, and told the girl on the other side;
"Finish this phrase and we'll let ya' in: When ya've hit rock-bottom..."
We experienced a few seconds of silence that, frankly, felt like hours to me. Before our nerves could get even more flared up, however, the guest gave her answer;
"Um... don't be afraid to climb back up?"
That answer, a pure guess if Ah ever heard one, came from a place of confusion and worry. Still, it was an honest one. My young mind could recognize that. But, Ah decided to get two more opinions. Ah looked over at Sweetie Belle to get her take on our guest's answer. She nodded her head to show her silent approval, with Scootaloo followin' suit when Ah looked at her as well. Even with their approval, Ah still felt a tad hesitant as wild thoughts born from fear popped up in my head;
"Is it really okay for us to bring Sunset into the clubhouse?"
"Ah know she won't hurt us none, but what if we hurt her again?"
"No, that ain't happenin' again! Never again!"
"Is she still mad at us? Ah hope not!"
"Oh, what are we gonna do?"
Ah closed my eyes and took deep breaths to hogtie those thoughts before they could get any wilder. All was silent for about three seconds before a single memory popped into my noggin'. By Ma' and Pa's spirits, it was as simple as it was powerfully sad:
The memory of the three of us seein' a young lady cry honest tears.
Almost instantly, my eyes opened back up, allowin' me to see my two best pals in the whole world smilin' at me all big and bright-like. Seein' them bein' so supportive of me was more than enough to help me make my choice. With a big ol' grin of my own and renewed happiness in my heart, Ah returned to the can, grabbed it, and happily told the guest waitin' outside;
"Works for us! Stand aside now, we're gonna lower the ramp for ya'."
The three of us ran through the clubhouse door and stopped at a single lever outside that was set up to the left of the doorway. We gave Scootaloo the honor of pullin' it, which she did with her usual level of gusto, her large smile refusin' to leave her. Within moments, the ramp that was raised in front of the door fell down onto the ground, now positioned at an angle that allowed our amber-colored guest of honor to walk up it. She wore a black jacket made of fake leather with small white buttons decoratin' the collar, a purple shirt that displayed on the front a fiery logo which depicted a yellow and red shimmerin' sun, an orange skirt of decent length that bore two yellow and purple stripes on the sides, and tall black boots fit for kickin' someone's hide that reached up from her feet to just below her knees. Tall purple flames were painted on the front and sides of the boots, makin' them look cool and intimidatin' all at once. The girl's steps were surprisingly soft and controlled, given her choice of footwear being built for stompin' around. There was a softness in her turquoise eyes that balanced out the fierceness of her two-toned hair, which bore the same red and yellow as the logo on her shirt. Just seein' this girl as she walked over to us reminded me of some more powerful memories. Few were good, but most were plum terrible. But, Ah wasn't gonna let bad memories keep me from doin' what was right. Ah checked on Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The determination on their faces gave my courage a good ol' boost as we did somethin' that, not too long ago, we wouldn't have dreamed of doin':
We welcomed Sunset Shimmer into our clubhouse.
As we ushered Sunset into the clubhouse itself, Ah couldn't help but notice her eyes growin' wide as she gazed at the all of the cool stuff that we owned. Authentic movie standees on the floor, movie posters, along with photos of our friends and families, linin' the walls, an old-fashioned bulky CRT TV standin' on the desk at the far end opposite of the door, a VCR and DVD player placed on top of each other to its right, a large flat-screen TV carefully placed on the wall above the CRT TV, a large locked steel safe with a combination lock sittin' on the left side of the desk, and a wooden podium with a gavel placed on it standin' proudly a few feet in front of the desk and not too far behind my seat at the table. With a growin' smile, she told us as she kept gazin' at our items, surprise made clear in her tone of voice;
"Wow. You girls really are a movie club. This stuff is awesome!"
Somethin' else caught her eye as she looked up and, land's sake, Ah could almost see the sparkles in her eyes when she did! She saw the little hand-crafted paper ponies linin' the space where the walls met the ceilin'. These little ladies were made with love in every foldin', Ah tells ya'. Each paper pony had the initials of the Wondercolt who made it written on both flanks and was given the same colors as a club member's hair. They were all lined up in a repeatin' pattern of colors: Red for me, pink and light purple for Sweetie Belle, and a deeper purple for Scootaloo, though Ah swear that hair of hers got a teeny tiny hint of red in it too! My friends and Ah looked at those beauties along with Sunset, love and gratitude swellin' in our hearts as our smiles grew wider than before. Why, just lookin' at them for a moment was enough to cheer us up, no matter how bleak things could get. We looked back at Sunset, who looked over at us at roughly the same time. A sideways smirk formed on her face, the kind that somehow smashed goodwill and confidence together in a way that didn't make her look plum arrogant. Before we could say anythin', she told us with a voice as sweet as Granny Smith's apple pie;
"The students who made these ponies would be so happy over what you've done with them."
Our hearts swelled a little bit more when we heard those words, as my mind thought back to somewhat recent history. Ever since the incident we caused with our... foolhardiness, we didn't invite anyone to our clubhouse, save for each other and our kin. So, most Wondercolts had no idea about what we had gone and done with those paper critters. After making a mental note to solve that issue later, Ah gave Sunset an affirmative nod and a thankful smile before my friends and Ah escorted her to her seat. Soon enough, we all took our seats and enjoyed some fizzy apple cider.
At first, we took swigs of our delicious drinks in silence. There was so much that Ah wanted to say to the young lady who sat opposite of me, so much that we wanted to say! But, Ah just didn't know where to begin, honestly.
Ah mean, what the hay do ya' say to a girl who had once hurt your friends and kin? The same girl ya' had hurt back?
Ah turned my head to gaze at my fellow movie buffs. Sweetie Belle, like me, looked mighty nervous when I checked on her. Scootaloo as well, given that she belted out a cough that was a bit louder than it needed to be. Silence filled the room again, but Scoots was not one to be silent for long;
"Sooooo... how are the girls?", she asked Sunset while lookin' right at her. Ah could tell from how much the hand she held her drink with shook that she was tryin' hard to keep nerves in check. It didn't help that she sounded as nervous as she looked. Sunset gave her a gentle grin when she responded happily after takin' a hearty swig of cider;
"They're doing great! Rainbow's been going to town on the guitar with these new songs we're working on."
She had the daredevil at 'Rainbow';
"That's so awesome! Rainbow Dash can ROCK with the guitar like no one's business!", exclaimed Scootaloo, her nerves soothed by her joy and excitement over anythin' involvin' her idol and sister-at-heart. Haha, the sugarcube even started playin' air guitar in her seat for a bit after puttin' her drink down on the table! The sight of her bein' so overjoyed helped Sweetie and Ah settle down into a calmer state. Ah swear, that girl was a helpful distraction from our cares sometimes. Sunset laughed a little while givin' the biggest Rainbow Dash fan in the room a look that was mighty friendly and said;
"Yeah, she does rock."
"Don't forget about Rarity!", Sweetie Belle cheerfully noted with that familiar squeak in her voice. She then held both of her hands together, moved them up to her chin, and added with a lovin' sigh, a big ol' grin, and closed eyes filled with, well, sweetness (no pun intended);
"Her keytar playing is so wonderful! She can make it play any lovely sound she wants."
"Don't ya' forget about my big sister's smoooooth bass playin' now!", Ah told them all with a heapin' helpin' of pride in my smile and heart. For good measure, Ah looked Sunset dead in the eye and told her with a happy wink;
"If ya' let her play on the acoustic guitar or banjo, Ah guarantee ya' that she'll rock the stage somethin' fierce!"
Sunset belted out a strong laugh before respondin' with a wink of her own;
"I'll keep that in mind. Anyway..."
She looked around the room from her seat before makin' a mighty nice comment;
"I'll bet you girls watch all kinds of movies."
A word of warnin': If ya' ask the Canterlot Movie Club anythin' about movies, ya' better believe that we'll give ya' honest answers filled to burstin' with loud as heck excitement. Which was exactly what we gave poor, unprepared Sunset;
"Oh, yes we do!", we declared together in unison out of pure excitement, our combined joyful voices and large sparklin' eyes drivin' our guest to lean back onto her chair's backrest through sheer vocal volume. She was clearly taken aback by our response, but that didn't stop us from rantin' with glee;
"Action! Thrillers! Adventures!", Ah belted out to start with. Sweetie Belle was right behind me;
"Mysteries! Comedy! Romance!", she exclaimed before Scootaloo chimed in as well with the passion of a dozen fans at the minimum;
"Superheroes! Sci-Fi! Daring Do!"
Before we could fully explode in a fit of movie buff mania, Sunset managed to interrupt us just loudly enough to get our attention while keepin' her tone well-meanin' and polite;
"Calm down, girls! I get it, you love movies!"
She didn't lose her smile for even a moment while she spoke. Honorin' her request, we relaxed ourselves into our seats. The room turned silent for a couple of seconds before she said somethin' that made our excitement from earlier threaten to return with a vengeance;
"Well, since I'm with a movie club right now, we might as well watch a movie. After all..."
She reached into her jacket's left pocket with her right hand, rummaged around inside of it for a bit, and pulled out a certain movie ticket. With a sly smirk, she happily finished;
"I brought my ticket."
She then placed the ticket on the table, so that we could look at it. It was red and had our club logo, a caped yellow filly, drawn on it. Oh Nelly, Ah was so glad that we gave her that there ticket when we did! We looked up at her with eyes sparklin' with joy for a moment or two before Ah sharply turned my head towards Sweetie Belle and told her with lots of enthusiasm;
"Sweetie, get us the starter flicks!"
With a quick salute, she ran over to the safe, used its combination that all three of us learned by heart to unlock it, and opened it up before reachin' inside with both hands. It took her a few seconds to find what she was lookin' for and pull it out of the safe. Restin' in her hands was a stack of DVD cases, three of them to be exact. With swift and careful movement, she bumped the safe's door with her right elbow, closing it from behind her. Smilin' from ear to ear, she practically skipped back over to the table before stoppin' to place the stack right on its center. Scootaloo, once Sweetie had done her bit, took two of the cases out of the stack, leavin' the one that was at the bottom alone. She then placed each case next to it at both sides, allowin' the covers for each one to be fully displayed. Without further ado, Ah looked up at Sunset and offered her with buildin' excitement in my heart;
"Go on now, Miss Sunset: Pick a movie ya' wanna watch."
Scootaloo was too excited to contain herself at this point. She pointed at the DVD on my right and exclaimed to our honored guest;
"Oh, pick this one! It's so awesome!"
"Now hold on for a second, ya'll.", Ah calmly told to Scootaloo while givin' her my best gentle take on Applejack's 'lecture glare'. She noticed the expression Ah gave her and promptly shut up. But, Ah wanted to avoid any misunderstandin's, so Ah asked her;
"Remember Movie Club Rule #31?"
Scoots expressed a sheepish grin as she recited apologetically;
"When the club is hosting a guest, let the guest pick the movie if they want to."
"Darn tootin'.", Ah said to her with sweetness on my face and friendship in my voice. There wasn't any sense in actually lecturin' her, since she was just bein' a little more excited than sensible. Sunset's voice, once again, got our attention;
"I figured you'd have your own rules, but I didn't expect you to have so many.", she noted with a bit of surprise in her voice once again. With a quick giggle and a warm smile, Ah responded while scratchin' the back of my neck with my right hand;
"What can Ah say? We take this movie buff shtick of ours seriously."
Lookin' satisfied, Sunset switched the topic around by pointin' at the movie placed at the center of the table and askin' us;
"This film, 'The Princess Bride'... I've never seen it before. What's it about?"
Oh, sweet apple sauce, that lady had gone and done pressed a specific button for Sweetie Belle, one that Scoots and Ah knew very well! We looked over at her as she started to rapidly bounce on her seat while showin' the biggest brightest smile on her face. She bounced for about two seconds before shootin' out of her seat to stand straight up while shovin' that sucker back a bit with just her legs. She then kicked it away from behind with her right foot for good measure, pointed at the movie in question, and started to gush like she was Scootaloo in a Darin' Do convention;
"You've never seen The Princess Bride before?! It's my favorite movie EVER and the first one I've ever watched! It's got adventure, sword fighting, romance, revenge, some of the best characters in cinema, and so much more! Rarity showed it to me for my sixth birthday and we had so much fun watching it! We always watch it together once a year on my birthday! I love it so!"
Just to drive home the point, she grabbed the DVD case with both hands and wrapped it around her arms to hug it as if she was holdin' a teddy bear! Ah couldn't bare the thought of pokin' fun at her behavior, especially with her adorableness lightin' up the room. Sunset gushed over how cute Sweetie was bein';
"That movie must mean a lot to you and Rarity!", she exclaimed with a look of love in her eyes. Once Sweetie came back down from her Princess Bride-induced high, she returned the case to its place on the table, moved her seat back to its previous spot, and sat back down, her dopey smile stayin' strong. Sunset, after takin' a moment to think, pointed at the movie to my right and asked;
"What's this one about? I've heard a tiny bit about it in school, but I never watched it."
Now, it was Scootaloo's turn to gush wildly. Well, it was, before she somehow stopped herself all on her own with a few deep breaths, much to my amazement. She then told Sunset with the remainin' excitement that she could not hold back;
"Iron Man is a super-awesome superhero movie that tells the origin story of a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist! When he learns about the painful consequences of his way of living, he strives to protect people using his smarts, money, and resources as the Iron Man!"
After givin' Sunset a quick synopsis of the movie, she decided to get up out of her seat and stomp around the table like a big ol' robot. Sensin' my cue, Ah began to do my best impression of a long and proud electric guitar riff with my mouth while playin' some air guitar. The riff was taken right from a certain famous metal song's introduction. Sweetie, recognizin' what was goin' on, started drumin' on the table with her fists to the rhythm of Scoots' stompin'. This was a fun little game we played whenever the Iron Man movies (and character) were referenced and we were together in one place. We didn't expect Sunset to take part in our fun, however! She did this by yellin' out with her best take on a robot voice at the correct moment during our performance;
"I A-M I-R-O-N M-A-A-A-N!"
That was it, the three of us had had enough. We just couldn't resist laughin' our hides off over the whole situation bein' so dern silly, not after seein' Sunset bein' just as silly as the rest of us! Speakin' of the lady, she was laughin' right along with us until we all calmed down enough to keep talkin'. Once Scoots had returned to her seat, we waited for our guest to make her choice. But, she was not finished with investigatin' her options, for she pointed at the movie on my left and asked;
"What about this one? I know I've seen some of Johnny Depp's work, but not this film."
My eyes grew almost as wide as a tub full of apples and my smile was as large as Big Mac's muscles! Ah slowly rose from my seat, pushed it out of the way with my legs, turned to face Sunset, and cleared my throat all dignified-like before lettin' the fan in me have some fun;
"That there's a classic swashbucklin' pirate tale full of plunderin', pillagin', scoundrels, and heroes!", Ah jumped into a sword fightin' stance and performed some pretend sword swipes and chops with my right hand as Ah went on;
"It features the noble William Turner, the courageous Elizabeth Swan, and the sly Captain Jack Sparrow as they go on a wild piratin' adventure across the sea to take on the cursed pirate crew of the Black Pearl, lead by the connivin' Captain Barbossa!"
With my synopsis delivered, Ah finished my performance, returned my seat to its place at the table, and sat back down, my smile still holdin' strong. Ah looked around to check the other girls' reactions. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gave off knowin' smiles, while Sunset clearly found my performance enjoyable if her slight well-meanin' chuckle was any indication. Without skippin' a beat, Ah asked her with excited anticipation in my eyes;
"Okay, missy, which movie do ya' wanna watch?"
Ah reckoned that my pals were lookin' at her the same way as Ah was. She held her chin with her right index finger and thumb to think for a moment or two before she let out that sideways smirk of hers. With a sweet glare pointed at us, she gave her answer;
"I'm thinking Iron Man this time. All three of the movies sound fun, but..."
She gave the wild girl in purple hair her attention before finishin';
"Scootaloo's synopsis for that film speaks to me."
Ah looked right at Scoots to see how she would react. She did so in exactly the way Ah expected, right down to the stars in her eyes and the smile so large her mouth was wide open! She practically leaped out of her seat as she raised her hands to the roof while yellin' out with absolute joy;
"AWESOME!"
Whenever that girl got a win, it was a win for the whole dern club, Ah tells ya'.
Before we knew it, we were chillin' out on our seats, which were moved in front of the table and positioned where we could clearly see the flat-screen TV. It was already set to the proper mode that allowed for the DVD player's default screen to be displayed, its logo bouncin' about while doin' an amazin' job of avoidin' the corners of the screen. With the volume already adjusted to the perfect settin', the TV remote rested on the table behind us. Ah had in my right hand the DVD player's remote. But, Ah wasn't gonna use it that time, no way no how. That honor belonged to another. Ah looked over at Sunset, who sat to my right, with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo respectively sittin' to my left, and told her with as sweet a voice as Ah could muster;
"It is a custom in our club to let our guest control the film durin' a personal screenin'."
Ah offered the remote to her as soon as she looked back at me. At first, her face gave off surprise, only for gratitude to replace it within moments as she gently took the remote from me. Once we were all looking up at the screen, she pressed the eject button to open up the player's tray, promptin' Scoots, who held the Iron Man DVD case in her hands, to get up off of her seat. She ran over to the player, opened up the case, took the DVD out of it, and placed into the tray. She then gave the tray a gentle push to have it close automatically before runnin' back to her seat. Every move she made was filled with excitement, to the point that the hand she used to handle the DVD shook a little. With that bit of business carried out, Sunset pressed the play button, navigated through the cool-lookin' DVD menu, and started up the film proper.
The openin' riff for ACDC's Back in Black filled the clubhouse with classic rock 'n roll, encouragin' the three of us movie buffs to bob our heads to the beat in perfect unison with our arms crossed to make ourselves look cool for fun. Ah stopped bobbin' my head to check on Sunset, who was head bangin' like a wild rocker while raisin' the devil horns to the roof with her right hand. That got a hearty giggle out of me, which got her to stop and look at us with a sheepish grin before returnin' her attention to the film, her hands restin' on her lap. Ah went back to watchin' it too, just in time to catch Tony Stark talkin' with the soldiers he was ridin' with in their military-grade jeep. Now, Ah expected the movie to be enjoyable for Sunset. Why wouldn't Ah? Iron Man's a great film! But, what Ah didn't expect was how the four of us would react to two specific parts of the movie: Tony Stark's introduction as a selfish rich warmonger and how he handled the truth about the damage his business did to people.
To quote an old Apple Family sayin': Perspective can hit ya' like a horse's hoof to the gut. Now, long before we invited Sunset into our clubhouse, we watched Iron Man with our sisters. They had brought Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy with them, which we didn't mind at all really. Scoots was so dern excited over Rainbow Dash havin' so many friends, let me tell ya'! She'd brag about it to anyone who would listen;
"Of course Rainbow would have lots of friends, she's that awesome!", she would say with this big ol' smile on her face. This was a couple of days after she, Sweetie Belle, and Ah first met. It also was the first time we had used the clubhouse to do a movie screenin'. Sunset Shimmer would sink her teeth into the school a week later. Combine that with all of the troubles that would come after... Yeah, when we watched that movie again, this time alongside the lady, we did so with a perspective that was very much like the one Tony Stark had gotten early on in the film:
The perspective of people who had hurt people who never deserved to be hurt.
Oh Nelly, did that hit us mighty hard! Gettin' through the moments in the movie when Tony was bein' a dern fool, his kidnappin', and him findin' out just how much pain his line of work had caused was tough for us kids. It reminded us of our own past foolishness... of when we didn't care...
Yeah, Ah know: the Canterlot Movie Club and not carin' don't mix none. But, it happened, and we were still payin' for it.
Ah, myself, was tempted to grab the remote from Sunset's lap and stop the film at times. But, somethin' inside of me was keepin' me from lookin' away from the screen. Ah didn't know what it was at the time, but Ah could tell that it felt like this gentle warmth in my mind and gut that was subtle and wordless, all quiet like if ya' will. Whatever it was, it was helpin', so Ah didn't see any need to fight it. It sure beat lettin' my fears win again...
Once we got passed the escape scene, Sunset paused the film and spoke up with a sad tone of voice;
"That was a brave thing Yinsen did for Tony..."
We looked over at her to find that she was shedding a tear or two while looking back at us. She wiped her tears with her right arm and smiled at us while adding with a more upbeat voice;
"We've only just started and the film is already moving me!"
We had a good laugh before she unpaused the movie. Regardless of the well meanin' laughter, we remembered somethin' important about ourselves:
We did NOT like seein' Sunset Shimmer cry.
We finished watchin' the flick without any problems or further delays. Soon after, we found ourselves sittin' at the table again, the DVD cases havin' been returned to the safe. My friends and Ah listened closely to Sunset as she happily gushed over the film with pure excitement in her eyes and voice;
"I loved how Tony refused to shy away from the fact that his company profited off of war. His business partner tried to give him the whole 'We are warmongers' spew, but Tony ignored his greedy flank and used company resources to protect people instead!"
Out of restrained confusion, Ah whispered to myself so that our guest couldn't hear me;
"Flank?"
Before I could investigate Sunset's strange word choice, Scootaloo responded with equal excitement while bouncin' in her seat;
"I know, right?! He's so cool! One scene I really like is the one when he flew out of his lab with his power suit on and zoomed up into the night sky like a rocket! No, a jet plane! NO, a rocket jet person!"
Sweetie Belle, with a giggle, added happily;
"I loved it when he saved those innocent people the bad guys were holding hostage by knocking the meanies out before they could fire their guns!"
Scoots and Ah looked right at her before the former noted while keepin' her big grin goin' strong;
"Yeah, and then the bad guys used this big tank to shoot Tony out of the sky. But this is Iron Man! No tank is gonna stop him! So, after it missed its second shot, he fired his own teeny tiny shell thing at it and walked away. Nothing happened for a few seconds and them BOOM!"
She quickly stretched her arms out to both sides without hitting anyone for dramatic effect before finishing;
"The tank exploded from behind him while he walked away like an action hero!"
Her smile somehow grew larger by the second as she clarified her point;
"An egghead. Blew up a tank. Like an action hero!"
Scoots' passion was so infectious, the three of us were laughin' together before we knew it. A few seconds later, we heard Sunset's joyful laughter, which prompted us to calm down enough to give her our attention. Once she stop gigglin', she told us with a happy sigh;
"Yeah, Tony Stark, as a character, is my favorite part of the movie. He goes from this uncaring jerk to a man who can't help but care about what his actions do to people."
She raised her head up to look at the ceilin', her smile as bright as her namesake, and added;
"He redeemed himself by the end."
When Ah heard those words come out of her mouth, somethin' in my mind clicked. We had so much we wanted to say to Sunset Shimmer, but right then and there, Ah knew where to begin. With a breath and a smile as bright as hers, Ah followed my heart;
"Ya' redeemed yourself too, Miss Sunset.", Ah told her as plainly as Ah could. She looked back down to see the smile Ah was givin' her. Ah figured Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were smilin' at her too. The happiness on her face grew in strength and beauty as Ah went on;
"You've become a mighty good person."
Scootaloo agreed with that sentiment and added to it with her personal brand of joyful gusto;
"Yeah! You're awesome!"
"You're kind!", noted Sweetie Belle with a voice crack filled with happiness. Ah finished off the round of compliments with one that came right from my Apple heart;
"You're honest."
All of those compliments we gave her were the honest truth. Why wouldn't they be? She showed those three traits to us, to the whole school, two days ago! While Sunset's face practically radiated with joy and love, not even that could stave off the old regret that grew inside of me after Ah spoke. My smile givin' way to a frown, Ah lowered my head to face the table below and said in a much softer voice laced with pent up sadness;
"Ah wish we had seen all of that sooner."
Ah could almost feel the sadness bein' quietly expressed by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle as Ah kept my head lowered in silent shame. Why? Why didn't we see how good she could be before... before...
Ah heard the rough scraping of wood upon wood as well as rushed footsteps. Before Ah could guess as to what was goin' on, Ah heard the gentle voice of Sunset Shimmer speak to us from behind;
"Even after what happened between us, I still didn't really show much proof that I had changed. I just... kept my distance. Towed the line."
Her voice expressed a kind of regret that echoed what my friends and Ah carried inside. Feelin' bad for her while also curious, Ah asked her politely, my regret holdin' my head in place;
"What kept ya' from showin' proof before ya' and the girls beat the Sirens?"
With a sigh, she answered hesitantly;
"I was... afraid."
Now, Ah was even more curious! Not enough to move my head in Sunset's general direction, mind ya'. Apparently, Scootaloo was just as curious, for she asked her softly;
"Afraid of what?"
She answered simply after pausing for a second;
"Of hurting people again. I... couldn't bring myself to risk that happening."
Hearing that truth come out was just what Ah needed, what we needed! All three of us shot up out of our seats to stand straight for a split second before turning right around on our heels to look at Sunset while shoving our chairs out of the way, our eyes wide with surprise. What we saw on that girl's face was terrible regret mixed with a heapin' helpin' of sorrow. It was enough to make me wanna cry and not just for her. Our own regret and sorrow that was kept inside of our hearts came flowin' out from our voices as we cried out in unison;
"We're afraid of hurting people again too!"
Tears started flowin' down from my eyes as Ah explained while holdin' my hands up to my chin as if Ah was pleadin';
"We wanted to talk with ya' when we were preparin' for that Musical Showcase! We really did!"
Scootaloo chimed in while tryin' to sniff back her own tears;
"We even wanted to let you help us with our poster! But..."
Sweetie Belle, the most tear-stricken of us, finished for our awesome friend;
"We were so scared of hurting you again that we pushed you away!"
With that, my friend and Ah aimed our heads to face the ceilin' and wailed to the stars above while lettin' our arms hang from our sides;
"WE'RE SO SORRY!"
At that point, all we could do was cry our hearts out while standin' as stiff as the family barn with our eyes shut tight. As we wept, Ah suddenly felt Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle bein' gently pressed against my arms. Ah didn't pay much attention to what was happenin', until Ah felt Sunset bring herself close to us, her head carefully placed on my right shoulder. Instinctively, Ah wrapped my arms around her waist as if Ah was holdin' my kin for dear life. It took... land's sake, Ah still don't know how long it took for us to calm down! But, when we did, Sunset told us softly, her voice as sweet as caramel apples to my ears;
"I'm sorry too."
Even with my eyes closed, Ah was sure that my two friends were holdin' her too, and Ah was dern sure that we all held her tighter after she spoke, our tears stainin' the wooden floor below us like waterfalls.
Once the hug had broken up, we noticed that Sunset was kneeling on her right knee to gaze at us at our level. That beautiful smile of hers was back and stronger than ever, chasin' away our sorrows like light wardin' away darkness. It didn't take very long for us to stop cryin' after that. Before we could talk again, however, she declared with soft anticipation in her voice;
"I've got gifts for you."
Whatever thought train our brains were on got derailed! Ah was the first kid to express our shared surprise;
"Gifts... for us?"
Sweetie Belle, true to form, went from surprised to overjoyed within moments;
"That's so sweet of you!", she exclaimed with an adorable squeak. Ah felt my own joy over gettin' something nice from Sunset grow within me, but Scootaloo sounded more nervous than anythin' as she noted while still soundin' appreciative;
"You don't have to do that for us."
"I want to, though.", Sunset said in response while keepin' that lovely grin of hers on point. She got back up to stand on her two feet while declarin';
I'm gonna go grab them real quick. I'll be back soon."
She passed us and over to the door with the three of us watching her as she moved. She stopped to turn around to look us in the eye and tell us with a wink, her smile gettin' a bit of slyness to it;
"No peaking!"
With sheepish grins and giggles, we nodded our heads in agreement. With that settled, she walked through the door and closed it behind her. We only had to wait for two-to-three minutes before she returned with a thin rectangular box held in both hands. The box was wrapped up in wrappin' paper that had a pattern of stripes that bore Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's hair colors, with my own color fillin' the background. The darn thin' even had a big pink bow on top. Our eyes grew big with excitement upon seein' this. What could that lady possibly want to give us? The guesses we were makin' in our minds were gettin' wilder by the second, Ah tells ya'! Sunset walked over to the table and placed the box on its center with an audible thud. It was long enough to reach about halfway to the table's edge at both ends. We looked at Sunset, who nodded at us while happy as can be. Before we get right to work on openin' up the package, however, someone else had entered the clubhouse. Walkin' in one at a time to stand at Sunset's left side were our big sisters: Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash! Oh Nelly, we were about ready to squeal in delight when Rainbow told us with a knowin' smirk;
"Hold on, squirts! You gotta open your gifts first, then we can hug it out."
Rarity and Applejack nodded their heads in agreement with smirks of their own. Oh, they knew us so dern well! Without further ado, the three of us kids jumped right into rippin' that wrappin' paper apart. It took us mere seconds to get enough of the stuff off to be able to lift up the lid. We gave each other warm smiles of friendship before we took the lid into our hands and opened the box as a team.
What we saw inside... give me a moment, ya'll. Ah'm gettin' teary-eyed!
Anyway, what we saw inside were three small boxes surrounded by thick bunches of old newspapers. Each one had its own color: red, lavender, and orange. So, it was easy to tell who they belonged to. We tossed the large lid aside and took them boxes into our hands, one for each of us, and saw that they had lids on top. With care, we held the boxes in our left palms and pulled the lids up with our right hands to reveal the gift we all shared. Each of us were given a pony: a paper pony made out of construction paper. These little critters were unicorns to be precise, as proven by their horns pokin' out from their foreheads. They were small enough to nicely fit in their boxes and were clearly made with the same love and care that was given to them paper ponies that were hangin' in our clubhouse, liberal use of crayons and all. What had struck us right in our hearts were the colors used to give them their appearance.
The amber coats and matchin' horns.
The red manes with yellow stripes.
The turquoise eyes!
It felt like we were holdin' three little Sunsets in the palms of our hands, ya'll! The cherry on top was what was written on both flanks for each paper pony, which were initials carefully written in red ink:
S.S.
There was no need for anyone in that clubhouse to explain why Sunset gave us these ponies. Our hearts knew the reason, and dangnabit, we were listenin' to them more closely than ever before. That warm feelin' from earlier that Ah could not name yet came back, which helped make what were about to do just a little bit easier on me. With the utmost care, we slowly placed the lids back on the ponies' boxes and carried them over to the safe. Scootaloo, with one hand, opened it up, allowin' each of us to place those wonderful gifts inside of it. Once the safe was closed again, we darted over to Sunset quick as a flash and gave her the biggest, tightest, most lovin' hug we could muster. We felt her and our sisters wrap us up in a group hug as we all allowed smiles as bright as the sun to shine on our faces. Not a word was spoken from then until Sunset Shimmer, our friend, left the clubhouse.
No more words were needed that time.
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static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/4/46/Emperor_Great_Crusade.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20161112112156
Great Crusade mentioned
11726220
Hahaha, I get it!
I like this so far. Interested to see how Octavia and Vinyl play into this. While I like anon a miss stories, it's cool seeing the movie club have other interactions with sunset
quite an interesting story, I'll say, I might want to rewatch the Equestria girls movies...
11726293
They are solid films, so a re-watch wouldn't hurt.
11726301
tis true
So it seems like the Crusaders did something to Sunset... am I understanding right?
whole darn school*
cha-*
girl she?" She*
business!" Exclaimed Scootaloo,*
Rarity!" Sweetie*
now!" Ah*
do!" We*
Adventures!" Ah*
Romance!" She*
y'all," Ah*
tootin'," Ah*
many." She*
Rarity!" She*
so darn silly*
heroes!" Ah*
whole darn club, ah*
so darn excited*
awesome!" She*
Kinda reminds me of another movie Disney did 2 years prior.
Sunset." Ah*
kind!" Noted*
Ah was darn sure*
you!" She*
though." Sunset*