> Seeing the Sunset
>  by CoverArt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Depression  (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset Shimmer looked down at the water. It was perfectly calm, sparkling in the moonlight. That calmness was soon interrupted by teardrops falling from her face. The tears fell the distance to the water, their ripples shattering the placid surface. Sunset would soon be joining those tears. Yes, Sunset was going to jump, and she thought it was the best idea she ever had.
It had been nearly a week since the Fall Formal, and though she knew it would be difficult going back to school after brainwashing the student body, she didn’t expect it to be this bad. It was worse than she could even begin to imagine.  Sunset was lucky Vice Principal Luna didn’t really make her fix the front of the school, only pay for it. That was a problem in and of itself; she was living by herself and barely had enough money to make rent, let alone enough to pay the thousands of dollars it would take to repair the school. When Luna and Celestia find out about her not having parents, the want for the money will go away, yes, but it’ll lead to a slew of new problems that Sunset never wanted to face. Then there were the actual students. They all despised her, plain and simple. Even those who were supposed to give her a chance didn’t. They all glared at her, just like all the other students, although, oddly enough, Fluttershy’s seem to stem more from peer pressure than true anger. It was something Sunset would look into if she had the chance. Unfortunately, she was never given a chance to even get close to the pink-haired girl. Every time she tried, she would either be blocked by students exiting classes or by Fluttershy’s friends. They would tell Sunset to stay away from her. It was to be expected; Sunset bullied Fluttershy the most, after all. Sunset just had hoped they would all give her another chance.
The rest of the week was much of that same thing. Sunset was bullied mercilessly, specifically, but not exclusively, by Rainbow Dash, of all people. She would shoulder Sunset whenever the passed in the hallway, shot her constant glares, and was the one to always tell her off from talking with Fluttershy. Sunset didn’t know what her problem was but knew she deserved it. She bullied nearly everyone in the school. In some cases it was necessary to get money, seeing how she neither had nor was able to get a job. Because she came from Equestria, Sunset Shimmer didn’t really exist. She sold what keepsakes she could and bought fake papers so she could get an apartment and get into school. She would bully for cash when the monthly rent was coming up, and she would bully kids for their lunches since she couldn’t get them herself. But Sunset didn’t try to justify anything, even if she was forced in some circumstances. She deserved everything she was getting.
Even if she knew she deserved it, she wasn’t expecting the spray paint on her locker. ‘Whore’, ‘Bitch’, and ‘Demon’ were spray-painted onto her locker, and from there it didn’t take long to start hearing rumors about why one of the words painted was ‘whore’. The most popular one was that it was a reference to her above-average chest size. This did nothing to ease Sunset’s ever-growing anxiety. She constantly walked around with her books close to her chest and her head down. Even then, she felt the eyes of all the guys on her. This all persisted for the two more days until Friday.
Friday started out like any other day that week, with Sunset trying to navigate the halls with as little attention drawn to her as possible. Aside from a few comments and a few encounters with Rainbow Dash, she got through the day with little trouble. However, during the last period of the day, she was called down to Principal Celestia’s office. Shuddering slightly at being called down, as she knew what it was about, Sunset made her way to the office.  Celestia motioned for Sunset to sit down. Celestia had papers scattered on her desk, and she took a moment to put them into a pile before addressing Sunset.
“Miss Shimmer, I'll cut right to the chase. Your parents have yet to pay for the damages done to the school. I have no choice but give you until Monday to give us the money, otherwise we will have to take legal actions. I really hope it doesn't come to that. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Principal Celestia. I’m sure we can get the money to you by Monday,” Sunset replied, muttering at the very end, “somehow.”
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
Sunset nodded and walked out of the room. Instead of going back to class, however, she walked out the front doors. She went over and sat by the statue, leaning against the portal face. She silently wished she could go back to Equestria. Even if she weren’t welcomed back there by Princess Celestia, she still had one or two friends there.  In this world, she only had herself. Even the people who said they would be her friends didn’t want anything to do with her, and it was all her fault. If she hadn’t been so obsessed with power, if she hadn’t bullied and hurt all those people, she could have some semblance of a normal life. Now, Sunset had to pay for her cruelty, quite literally. She had no clue how she was going to get that much money by Monday.
For what seemed like the hundredth time that week, Sunset started to cry. She cried for what seemed like hours, although she knew it was only a few minutes. She had to quickly wipe away her tears when she heard the bell to signal the end of school.  She continued to sit there, however, not seeing a reason to get up at all. That is, until she saw a certain pink-haired girl walk off alone down one of the streets. Sunset saw this and decided that it would be a good opportunity to try to talk to Fluttershy to get some answers, if nothing else.  She ran after Fluttershy and caught up with her about a half a block up the road.
“Fluttershy,” she called out. Her name grabbing her attention, Fluttershy turned to see Sunset. Fluttershy gave a small smile.
“Oh, Sunset, I’m actually kind of glad you’re here. I’ve wanted to talk to you since the whole Fall Formal incident. Um, sorry to bring it up…” she added after she watched Sunset visibly wince.
“I-it’s ok,” Sunset replied in a faux-reassuring way. Fluttershy could easily see through the ruse, but decided not to push it. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I wanted to apologize for not being able to talk to you before. The others didn’t think it was a good idea. Not that I thought talking to you would be bad! They’re just trying to protect me, and I trust them. I hope it didn’t hurt you too much.”
“I’m fine,” Sunset said, too quickly, “I understand. Your friends are right; I probably should be kept away from everyone else. I’ve done nothing but ruin everything...”
“That’s not true, Sunset. I mean, yes, what you did wasn’t the nicest, but you deserve another chance, just like anyone else.”
“D-do you really mean that? I mean, if anyone should hate me, it’s you.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not entirely ready to outright be friends with you, but I’ll give you the chance to try.”
“Thanks Fluttershy, that’s all I can ask for, right now,” Sunset smiled and put a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. It had just occurred to her that this was the first time in a whole week she actually smiled. This, however, was going to be short-lived.
“Hey! Get away from her!” They both heard from behind them. They both turned just in time for Sunset to get a fist to the face, knocking her to the ground.
Reorienting herself, Sunset looked back up to see Rainbow Dash there, standing above her and between her and Fluttershy.
“I don’t know who you think you are to even go near Fluttershy, but I don’t want you anywhere near her, got it? If I do see you even trying to talk to her, then I will drop you so hard you’ll go back to whatever dimension you came from!” Rainbow yelled. Fluttershy seemed to be trying to stand up for Sunset, but due to the sheer anger in and volume of the rainbow-haired girl’s voice, Fluttershy’s pleas for her to calm down were unheard.
“Rainbow, we we’re just--“ Sunset tried to explain before Rainbow cut her off.
“Shut up! When will you learn that none of us want you around? If it weren’t for you, we would be a whole lot happier. We would never have been your pawns in your stupid attempt to have some fake semblance of people actually liking you. Well, guess what? No one does. We all wish you didn’t even exist! Now get the hell out of here!”
Sunset stood up, the dam collapsing.
“Don’t worry. After today you and everyone else will never have to worry about me again,” she cried. She turned and ran as fast as she could away from the two other girls. She ignored what little she heard of Fluttershy’s pleas for her to come back.
Sunset ran for a few blocks before she came upon a bridge. It connected Canterlot to the neighboring town of Ponyville. The sun had set by now, the cool air blowing against Sunset as thoughts raced through her mind. Sunset looked down at the water below. It was perfectly calm, sparkling in the moonlight. Sunset slowly climbed up the railing separating the pedestrians from the open air on the other side.
Thoughts continued to race through her. Was this the best answer? Should she just go home? Should she take her money and go as far away as possible? Should she go back to Equestria? Eventually her thoughts zeroed in on her thinking that this was all her fault and that this would be an appropriate punishment. She tried to think of alternatives, her inner self wanting to live, but deep down, she knew that this was the only way for things to be okay. She doubted anyone would care anyway. Hell, the way things have been going, they might even throw a party for the event. So, she took one last deep breath and let gravity take her.
> Savior (Edited) 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset fell for a split second before a sharp and excruciating pain came from her shoulder as something grabbed it and stopped her from falling. Her eyes flew open to watch as her head slammed into one of the railings on the bridge.
“Sunset! Are you ok? Please tell me you’re ok!” came a soft, familiar voice. Sunset looked up, her ears were ringing from the hit to the head and she was bleeding from her nose as well as other small cuts. There, somehow managing to hold her up, was Fluttershy, crying. Sunset shook her head a bit trying to clear it. That only succeeded in making her lightheaded.
“J-just help me up Fluttershy, please,” Sunset responded. It was clear from her answer, her voice, and the way she looked, that Sunset wasn’t ok at all. She silently pulled Sunset up, it wasn’t easy but she got Sunset over the railing and into a sitting position. Sunset didn’t fail to notice tears running down her savior’s eyes as Fluttershy got out a med kit from her bag, it never hurt to be prepared. Fluttershy got a handkerchief and started to clean up some of the cuts on Sunset.
“Sunset, why? I know what Rainbow said was mean but…” Fluttershy asked.
“I-I just couldn’t take it anymore Fluttershy, I’m sorry I even tried but… I just thought it was the only way,” Sunset cried. Fluttershy leaned in and hugged her.
“Suicide is never the only way Sunset, now we need to get you to a hospital, then we can call your parents,” Fluttershy said getting out her phone.  
“No! You can’t!” Sunset snapped inciting a yelp from Fluttershy.
“But Sunset you’re hurt, I think you might have a concussion at least, and your shoulder might be dislocated.”
“I know… but… I-I don’t have parents Fluttershy, and I can’t pay for my rent let alone medical bills and especially not the money for the school,” Sunset sobbed, “Just leave me here to die Fluttershy, Rainbow’s right I’m not worth saving.”
“Don’t you dare say something like that about yourself Sunset Shimmer!” Fluttershy said seriously,” I know who to call, stay here.”
With that Fluttershy got up and walked a few feet away. Sunset didn’t know whom she was calling and didn’t know if she wanted to know. She tried to stand up but as it turns out, Fluttershy was correct, her shoulder was dislocated. She used her good arm to push herself up… and fell back against the railing of the bridge. Her surroundings spun around her. She must’ve groaned because Fluttershy immediately turned around and rushed to her. She helped Sunset back to the ground.
“Sunset, you shouldn’t stand up right now, just wait a little bit, my moms coming.”
“Your mom?”
“Yea, she’s a nurse, she should be able to help, and in the mean time we should fix your shoulder.”
“A nurse? I thought she was some big time business person.”
“Well… she’s a part time nurse, she can still help. Now I need you to bite on this, this will hurt, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy put the leather strap of her purse in Sunset’s mouth for her to bite on.
“I’m going to do it on the count of three ok?” Fluttershy asked and was answered with a nod, “Ok, One, tw-“
Sunset yelped and bit on the strap as Fluttershy popped the arm back into its socket.
“Sorry,” Fluttershy said, taking her purse back. Sunset brushed some tears from her eyes and rolled her shoulder a bit making sure it still worked.
“It’s ok, I understand, it would have hurt more if you didn’t surprise me like that.”
“You realize we still are going to talk about all of this right?” Fluttershy asked in a deadpan tone.
“Yea… just… not now… please.” Sunset said hugging her legs. Fluttershy smiled at her and rubbed her back.
“Sure, as long as you promise we’ll talk about it, let my mom help you first.”
Sunset nodded and together they sat there in silence much to Sunset’s disappointment. She was alone to her own thoughts and she couldn’t really handle them. Part of her wanted nothing more then to fling herself off the bridge again; the thoughts of her fellow students still racing through her brain. She even contemplated trying to jump again. However, that thinking was cut short when she looked at Fluttershy. Fluttershy, the one person, outside of Twilight, to actually show that they cared about her, even if it wasn’t in terms of friends but basic human decency. She couldn’t just do that to Fluttershy, not that Fluttershy would let her, and not that she had the strength right now to do it anyway.  The only thing she could think of doing otherwise was cry, so that’s what she did. She cried into Fluttershy’s shoulder, who offered it to her once she saw Sunset was crying, until Fluttershy’s mom got there. Sunset dried her eyes a bit and looked at Fluttershy’s mom.
She, in a lot of ways, looked like Fluttershy. She had the same build, the same hair color. Her skin was a pale blue though. And her pink hair was short rather then long like Fluttershy’s. She had a worried look on her face. Sunset wasn’t sure what Fluttershy told her mom but she could tell she was taking it seriously.  Little words were said as Fluttershy’s mom, Daisy Shy as she found out her name was, inspected her as best she could with a portable med kit she brought.
“Well it doesn’t look like you have a concussion which is good, but I’d still like it if you could stay with us tonight, just to make sure everything is alright,” She said in soft tone, just a bit louder then Fluttershy’s own.
“I- I don’t know, I should go back to my apartment I think,” Sunset said, she was grateful but something inside her wanted her to be alone right now.
“Nonsense, you have no one at home to help you and you took a nasty fall, I insist you come with us to our home,” Daisy said with a small smile. It occurred to Sunset that Fluttershy didn’t tell her mom that she attempted suicide. Sunset appreciated that if nothing else, she didn’t know how to explain it to Fluttershy, let alone an adult.
“I agree Sunset, I’m sure we can stop by your apartment for you to grab some clothes, right mom?” Fluttershy added. She received a nod in response. Sunset had to concede since it was two against one, as well as the fact one was an adult and the other just saved her life. She nodded and they all got up, with aid in the case of Sunset, and got in Daisy’s car. The ride to her apartment was fairly quiet; the only major thing popping up was when Daisy asked Sunset how she fell. Sunset, not fully prepared for that told her that after a fight with Rainbow she ran away and slipped, hitting her head on the railing. Daisy could see through the lie but didn’t push it, knowing if she had to lie then it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about. Instead she sighed.
“That Rainbow Dash, she’s always doing something that get’s someone hurt, what were you two fighting about?”
“Oh, well it isn’t important really, it was just arguing over stuff, she was right really though,” Sunset said rubbing the back of her head.
“No she was not Sunset, how could you even say something like that?” Fluttershy burst out.
“Wait, Sunset as in Sunset Shimmer, the girl who always picked on you Fluttershy?” Daisy asked glancing asked her daughter in the passenger seat.
“Well yes mom, but she’s changed, she isn’t like she used to be.”
Daisy glanced at Sunset in the rearview mirror, “Well alright, but watch yourself, Fluttershy came home in tears a few times because of you.”
“Mom! That isn’t helping, she’s changed ok, I forgive her for all those times.”
Daisy was taken back by this; her daughter was never one for raising her voice at all, “Well ok if you feel so strongly about it.”
The rest of the ride to and from Sunset’s apartment was in small talk about homework and the like. Sunset even managed to crack a smile once or twice from jokes Daisy told them. Unfortunately Sunset couldn’t help but ponder what she was even going to say to Fluttershy. She wanted to keep denying anything was even a problem, she could handle it, and she was a big girl. However, one thought of where dealing with it herself had gotten her quickly threw that idea away.  Maybe, She thought, the truth would be the best option. They arrived at Fluttershy’s house a few minutes later and Sunset was allowed to take a shower and get ready for bed while Fluttershy and her mom made dinner. It was only eight o’clock at this point but Sunset was extremely tired so she happily accepted.
Sunset left the bathroom in her pajamas, she walked downstairs and saw Fluttershy and her mom sitting at the table, it looked like they had been talking a bit. Sunset’s mind immediately sprinted to the worst possible scenario, Fluttershy told her mom about her jumping and her mom trying to comfort and get answers out of Sunset. Sunset wasn’t prepared for that at all yet. She could feel the color drain from her face as they turned to see her standing there. They both tilted their heads and Fluttershy’s mother broke the silence.
“Oh, dear, are you alright, you lost the color in your face, do you feel dizzy or anything?”
“N-no ma’am, I feel fine. Um… what were you two talking about?” Sunset asked. The color returned to her face a bit seeing how Fluttershy’s mother was smiling at her in a nice gentle way.
“Oh Fluttershy just told me about your little trouble and asked if we could help in anyway,” She answered. Sunset’s returning color drained in the blink of an eye. Fluttershy, you didn’t, please tell me you didn’t.
“M-my problem?”
“Yes, about you owing money to the school and because you don’t have parents you can’t afford it. I’ll have you know that we would be happy to help you with the money, as long of course as you can pay us back in the future.”
“Oh! Heh heh, yea my money problem, I don’t want to impose Mrs. Shy, I’m sure I can figure something out,” Sunset sighed inwardly in relief.
“In two days dear? Absolutely not, I insist. We can afford to pay it and Celestia and I go way back, she’d believe me when I said I was helping my daughter’s friend’s family out.”
“Th-thank you Mrs. Shy. I don’t know what to say other then that.”
“Think nothing of it dear, now how about a couple of grilled cheeses? Hmm?” The two girls nodded while smiling.
Later that evening Sunset sat on the floor in Fluttershy’s room, she had a blanket and a pillow near her. She was both mentally and physically exhausted after the day she’s had. However, before she can go to bed she still had to talk to Fluttershy about everything. She deserved to know after saving Sunset. But every second Sunset waited for Fluttershy to get out of the shower was another second Sunset doubted if she should tell her.  She knew she should but something inside her dreaded the reaction and the comforting, especially the comforting. She liked Fluttershy and her whole personality but something about being comforted in this situation just left a sour taste in Sunset’s mouth. Almost like she wasn’t fit to be her own person. Fluttershy walking back into the room cut her thoughts off however.  
“You know you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Fluttershy said with a sad smile.
“No, you deserve to know, I just… don’t know where to start. So I guess I’ll answer any of your questions,” Sunset told her.
“Well ok, I guess my first question is if you’re ok now?”
“I-… Kind of. My head’s all messed up right now. Part of me is still telling me to do something. Another is screaming for self-preservation. But, no matter which side it is they both say it’s all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault Sunset, you made mistakes yes, but this past week hasn’t been your fault. Especially with Rainbow, what she said was completely uncalled for and you can bet I’ll be having a talk with her about this. Um… with your permission that is. I’m sure as soon as she hears what it drove you to she’ll apologize. She can be egotistical but she would never want to drive someone to that.”
“I don’t know Fluttershy. I don’t want to hear the comforting from them. It’s not like they’re my friends, they haven’t even pretended to be since Twilight left.”
“Sunset, you can’t expect any of us to become your friend just like that. But I know for a fact that they would at least try. You haven’t come up to us once this entire week.”
“Fluttershy, I tried talking to you so many times this week, they would always block me and tell me not to go near you. As well as glare at me when I walked by your table. They all hate me.”
“Who blocked you?” Fluttershy asked genuinely confused.
“Mostly Rainbow, although Applejack did it once.”
“Hmm… I’ll have a talk with them. But I know for a fact none of us glared at you, well except for Rainbow and Applejack if they were blocking you from seeing me. But the rest of us want to talk to you and give you a chance. In fact I think you should come with me tomorrow to the mall to meet up with them.”
“What? I-I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Please Sunset? I promise it will do you well to talk to us.”
“You’re not going to let me get out of it are you,” Sunset sighed.
“Nope,” Fluttershy said with a smile.
“Alright. If we’re really going to do this then I definitely need sleep, so I guess goodnight.”
“Goodnight Sunset, and don’t worry, if you need anything in the middle of the night just let me know, and I will always be here to talk if you need.”
“Thanks Fluttershy,” Sunset said crawling under her blanket. She closed her eyes and hoped that a nightmare wouldn’t claim her like the rest of the week had.
> Confrontations (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset woke up with a yawn the next morning. She thankfully had no nightmares, but that didn’t mean she had a restful sleep. Between the uncomfortable floor and the thoughts running through her head she could not get a full sleep. She would nod off for a few minutes to an hour and then wake up again. She contemplated getting up and doing something but the soft, cute snoring coming from the bed above her made her just lie there.  Eventually, around three in the morning, she finally fell fully asleep.
She sat up and noticed that Fluttershy wasn’t in her bed. It was unsurprising, given how quiet she usually is, but it still was somewhat disheartening to Sunset. She would have felt better if Fluttershy were there, if nothing else, to let Sunset know she wasn’t alone. Whatever. I’m a big girl. So what if she isn’t there. That doesn’t make me feel any better. Sunset got up and looked around for a clock. She found one on Fluttershy’s nightstand. it read 11:30am. Half an hour from when she and Fluttershy were supposed to go see her friends.
“Shit! Shitshitshitshitshit,” Sunset exclaimed, cursing herself out. You can never do any freaking thing right! She ran down the stairs, lightly running into the wall at the bottom of the stairs.
“Sunset! Are you okay?” Fluttershy exclaimed from her seat at the counter in the kitchen. Sunset looked up at her in surprise.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to wait for me; I can catch up. You go have fun.”
Fluttershy tilted her head, then righted it when Sunset's meaning became apparent just a split-second later.  “Oh, Sunset, I was just about to wake you up. I figured you’d sleep in, so I asked my friends if we could push the meet-up time to one. They said it was fine.”
“Oh…” Sunset didn’t know what to say other then that. She went from angry with herself to being angry with Fluttershy, but that didn’t last long before she just was even angrier at herself for being angry with Fluttershy. It wasn’t Fluttershy’s fault she overreacted.
“Um… I’ll go and get ready then.”
Sunset went upstairs and went into the bathroom. For a while, she just looked at herself in the mirror. She looked a mess and felt even worse. She turned on the water and took a handful to wash her face. The water felt good on her face. She could almost feel the dried tears washing off her. She brought her head up again to dry her face, when she noticed her reflection giving her a vindictive smirk, the same kind she used to give everyone when she was in ‘Alpha Bitch’ mode.
“You’re so pathetic. Not only did you try to kill yourself, but you also have to be taken care of by Fluttershy,” her reflection said. Any normal day, Sunset would know that this was all just her own thoughts, and deep down, she did know. However, in her emotional state, she couldn’t help but listen to the reflection like it was an actual person.
“I am not! I need help, but I’m not pathetic, and what’s wrong with Fluttershy? She’s been nothing but helpful since this all started,” she told her reflection.
“Except during the week, when you actually needed the help.”
“What was I supposed to do? I was blocked by her friends.”
“You know you didn’t even try, especially with Applejack. She just said it wasn’t a good idea for you to talk to Fluttershy right now. You just bowed your head like the little, insignificant mouse you are now and walked away.  If I were there, I would have demanded to know why they would deny me from seeing her.”
“Shut up! You wouldn’t have bothered to get them to be your friends one way or the other. At least I’m trying.”
“You’re doing a great job. Rainbow nearly drove you to suicide, while the others still think of you as the she-demon that destroyed the school. Oh, and then there is, of course, Fluttershy, who seems to be just treating you like a hurt puppy rather than a person. Although I doubt she sees a difference. I don’t.”
“Shut up! Fluttershy is the only one who actually cares about me, and don’t forget, you’re the reason we’re in this mess in the first place. You had to be the alpha bitch, you had to get everyone’s attention, and in the end, everyone hated you. It should have been you on that bridge, not me!”
“Ah, but therein lies the problem, dear: We’re the same person,” her reflection said, giving an evil, toothy smile.
“Shut up!” Sunset screamed and punched the mirror. The mirror cracked around her fist. She left her fist there for a few moments, just staring at her reflection. The only thing that got a reaction out of her was Fluttershy slowly opening the door and poking her head in. Sunset turned her head and met Fluttershy’s eyes. She could see the concern and worry in her eyes. This, combined with her thoughts and the pain she was feeling in her hand, was enough to make Sunset burst into tears.
Fluttershy, who was about to ask what was wrong, closed her mouth, walked in and hugged Sunset. Sunset was a bit surprised by the hug, but returned it and cried into Fluttershy’s shoulder. She cried for what seemed like hours, although it was only a couple minutes. As she finished, she pulled back from Fluttershy and looked at the mirror, then her hand. The mirror was cracked and probably would have to be replaced, and her hand was bleeding from a couple of decently sized cuts. Sunset was surprised that she didn’t feel much pain, but she chalked it up to adrenalin.  She looked back up to Fluttershy.
“I’m sorry. My head just got to me. I’ll pay for the mirror, or do something. I just… I don’t know…”
“It’s okay, Sunset. Here, just let me help with your hand.” Fluttershy led Sunset over to the toilet, where she sat Sunset down and began to clean and bandage her hand.
“Do you want to talk about it, Sunset?”
“I... no… yes… I don’t know… Not right now, I guess…”
“Alright, you don’t have to. Do you want me to push back our meet-up time again?”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll be ready.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, okay. I’ll let you finish up.” Fluttershy stood up and started to walk out the door.
“Wait, Fluttershy, just one thing,” Sunset said, making Fluttershy pause halfway through the door.
“Hmm?”
“Fluttershy… What am I to you? I mean, am I just another one of your hurt animals that you feel you need to take care of?”
“Sunset, I understand why you would feel that way. But, I don’t see you as another animal to take care of. You’re hurt in a different way then they ever could be, and I can’t help you as a caretaker. I can only help you as a friend, and that’s how I see you: as a friend.”
With that, Fluttershy closed the door and left Sunset to her own thoughts. Sunset just sat on the toilet for a while, just thinking. She shook her head and went ahead with her normal routine. Thinking hadn’t helped her so far, and she doubted it would help her now.



Sunset left the bathroom about a half-hour later, fully dressed. There had been no more incidents, thankfully, and in fact, the shower actually made her feel better. At least, she thought it was the shower. It might have been Fluttershy’s words that put her at ease. Either way, she felt better, and she was ready to meet Fluttershy’s friends. Am I, though? Sunset worried herself again, and she hated herself for it. She sighed and walked downstairs to see Fluttershy grabbing her purse and getting ready.
“Oh, Sunset, you got out just in time. Do you need anything before we go?”
“No, I’m fine, just a bit nervous.”
“Don’t worry, Sunset. I’ll be there with you, and I’ll make sure they don’t do anything. We can leave whenever you want to. But, I suggest we start going; it takes about a half-hour to walk to the mall from here.”
“You walk to the mall? Oh, yeah, you also walk to and from school. Why?”
“It’s nice to walk, and sometimes, my animal friends keep me company. It’s also really relaxing.”
“Oh, well, yeah, I guess we should start going, then.”



Fluttershy was right: Walking to the mall was relaxing. It seemed Fluttershy took a very scenic route through a forest. It brought them to the back entrance of the mall. It was a huge mall compared to the small town it was in, multi-storied with hundreds of stores. It was something you would see in Manehattan, not Canterlot.
They walked into the mall, crowded with people, and made their way to the food court, where Fluttershy said they’d meet the rest of the group. They went down the escalator and almost immediately saw the group, mostly thanks to the combination of rainbow hair and stetson that was so commonly seen on Rainbow Dash and Applejack. As they walked towards the group, Sunset became more and more anxious, and that was before the group noticed them. The first to see them was Rarity, who said something inaudible, but Sunset made out through lip movements what was an ‘Oh my’. This is when everyone else looked at them, giving various reactions. Sunset didn’t see anyone’s reaction other then Rainbow’s. Rainbow gave her a beyond-angry glare and crushed the cup she was drinking from in her hand. Sunset turned to Fluttershy just as Rainbow started to stand up.
“I can’t do this. I’ll just go home. I’m sorry,” she said turning around to run away. However, Fluttershy grabbed her wrist and held her back.
“No, Sunset. I’ll deal with her. You shouldn’t have to run away from potential friends.”
“I just don't--“ Sunset was cut off by a fist slamming into her face. She fell to the ground and gasped. She even spit out a bit of blood from her tongue, which she bit when she was punched.
“Rainbow! How dare you? Get the hell away from her!” she heard Fluttershy yell at Rainbow. Fluttershy never cursed, nor had she ever raised her voice to a screaming level. However, Rainbow didn’t seem to notice the new tone in her friend, only the words.
“I warned her not to go near you, and why the hell do you care? She’s been nothing but a bitch to you since she got here. I’m just putting her in her place.”
“You’ve done quite enough, Rainbow. You’ve made her life miserable, more miserable than any person's should ever be.”
“Good. She deserves every second of it. In fact, she doesn’t even deserve to be on this planet anymore after what she’s done. She’s a pathetic bitch who’s only talent is manipulating people, and now that she can’t do that anymore, she plays all nice-like and tries to get in your head so she can gain her power again. I bet she’s biding her time right now to go all she-demon again. I’m only trying to protect you, Fluttershy. She’s a threat.”
“Rainbow, you said almost the exact, same thing yesterday, and you want to know what happened? You made Sunset try to commit suicide."
“Good.”
“I had to--What?!”
“I said, 'Good.' She’s only going to hurt you, Fluttershy. She shouldn’t be here. I don’t care how she leaves, she just needs to.”
“I… just… Rainbow, you need to leave. Now,” Fluttershy deadpanned.
“Ah agree, Rainbow. That was completely outta line. No one deserves to get talked to like that,” Applejack said from behind them, she and the rest of the group having rushed over to see what was happening and hearing it all.
“Agreed. Sunset hasn’t done anything unworthy of another chance,” Rarity chimed in.
“Not cool, Dash,” was all that Pinkie said. Rainbow looked around at the group and realized she was outnumbered.
“Fine! I don’t need this bullshit. When she turns you all against each other again, don’t come bitching to me.”
With that, she stormed away, leaving the group to themselves. Fluttershy wasted no time in checking on Sunset, turning around and bending down to comfort the crying girl. Just like she hoped, the others quickly went to Sunset’s aid, too.
“I’m sorry, everyone. This is all my fault. She hates me so much, and you all should too,” Sunset said through her tears.
“No, it isn’t, Sunset. Actually, it's kind of my fault,” Fluttershy said while hugging Sunset.
“What do you mean ‘your fault’? You didn’t do anything to her.”
“She’s mad because she thinks you’re the reason she and I broke up.”
> Friends (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset was taken back. “You two dated?”
“Yes, for about a year, but after a while I just… didn’t have the same affection for her as I did before. I broke up with her just as you started to tear our group apart. She thinks it was you who made me break up with her,” Fluttershy said with sorry eyes.
“Didn’t you tell her otherwise?” Sunset asked Fluttershy, getting a bit mad.
“Yes, but she didn’t believe me. She still believed it was because of you, and when Rainbow is sure of something, there’s no changing her mind.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Applejack added, “Now come on there sugarcube, sittin' on the ground like that ain’t gonna help anyone.”
Applejack helped Sunset up and Rarity offered her a napkin to dry her eyes and blow her nose. Sunset gladly accepted it and used it. She looked around at the group before speaking.
“Thank you, all of you. This is more then I deserve after all I’ve done.”
“Nonsense, girl. You don’t need to thank us, and you haven’t done nothin' that would make Rainbow right to say that,” Applejack assured her, “Now come sit down with us. Only thing that can make ya feel better is a good time with friends.”
“Well, alright,” Sunset said, making her way towards the table the group was originally sitting at. Pinkie rushed up to her and looked Sunset up and down, scrutinizing every detail. She quickly turned to Applejack.
“Nurse Applejack, we need 50cc of cupcakes! Stat!” she exclaimed.
“Pinkie, Ah just bought you lunch,” Applejack said with a sigh.
“I said, ‘stat’! Do you want us to lose our patient, woman?” Pinkie nearly screamed, shaking Applejack.
“Ugh, fine, but you definitely owe me Pinkie.” Applejack and Pinkie walked down towards the cupcake shop. Well, Applejack walked. Pinkie bounced, as she always did. Sunset just sat down and watched them go, giggling a bit at Pinkie's antics and wondering if that was Pinkie’s plan all along or if Pinkie just desperately wanted cupcakes. Maybe a bit of both, if I know her well enough, she thought wryly.  It didn’t even occur to her that she didn’t really know Pinkie that well. The pink-haired girl just gave off the impression that if you met her once, you knew what she was all about.
“My, Sunset,” Rarity said, bringing Sunset out of her thoughts, “Where did you get such fashionable clothing? Twenty-First Century Fashion? European Hawk? Ponder?“
“Well, um, actually I got all my clothes from Goodcharity. Heh, it’s all I can really get," Sunset replied meekly
“Oh… Well I have to say, you still look fabulous, darling. Stop over by my parents' shop and I can provide you with some… less-used clothes.”
“But I can’t pay for it, Rarity. I don’t want to mooch off people. It makes me feel like I can’t do anything for myself.”
“Don’t worry, darling. My family’s shop might not be a brand name store, but we make enough money to get by, and my parents know me well enough to know to allow me to do as I please with our products, I can easily make more, as can my parents.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely, Sunset. What are friends for?”
“A-are we really friends?” Sunset looked up at Rarity.
“Well, as of right now, Sunset, I’ll say 'yes'. you need friends, especially after how tactless Rainbow has been, and if what Fluttershy said is true. It will take a bit before I think I’ll be fully comfortable with you, but you seem to be well on your way to being one of our full friends, despite our past.”
“But that’s just it, Rarity. I don’t want you guys’ pity. I want to make friends normally, not just because I can’t take the consequences of my actions,” Sunset snapped, getting angrier as she went on, even to the point of standing up out of her chair. Fluttershy stood up and rubbed Sunset’s back lightly, trying to calm her down.
“Sometimes, Sunset, friendship works in weird ways. Just because it isn’t how the other girls and I met or how other people meet friends doesn’t mean it’s the wrong way.  Sometimes, it takes events like this to bring people together. Don’t be mad at it. I’d say you should embrace the fact you’re on the way to making friends.”
“Yea… I guess you’re right, Fluttershy. Thank you. I’m sorry for yelling, Rarity. This week has been hell and a half. I guess I’ve been lucky that Fluttershy has been here to help.” Sunset felt Fluttershy hug her, and she happily hugged back, albeit after a slight moment of surprise. Rarity tilted her head slightly before answering.
“It’s no problem. I understand fully, and, might I add, you couldn’t have chosen a better and more caring person if you tried,” she said with a smile. Sunset and Fluttershy both blushed, Fluttershy more deeply.
“Wait, what?” Sunset asked. Fluttershy made a slicing motion on her throat, She was behind Sunset slightly, so Sunset didn’t see. Rarity took the hint.
“Oh, I apologize. I guess I was seeing things that weren’t there… Now, where are Pinkie and Applejack with the cupcakes,” Rarity said, changing the subject and looking towards where the pink-haired girl and her farmgirl friend had gone. To her luck, they were on their way back, carrying trays of cupcakes. Applejack did not look happy.
“When you said '50cc', Pinkie, Ah didn’t think you meant 50 cupcakes. This was expensive. Ah’m not made of money, you know.”
“Well, duh, Applejack! What did you think 'cc' stood for? It stands for ‘cupcakes'!” Pinkie said, raising one up and eating it.
“Ugh, Ah shoulda seen that comin', huh?”
“Yep,” Pinkie exclaimed as she placed a cupcake matching each friend’s hair color in front of their respective owners. They all smiled, including Sunset, and started to eat the cupcakes.
“How much were all of these, Applejack?” Sunset asked as she licked the icing off her red and yellow cupcake.
“More than Ah care to spend on cupcakes ever again,” she said, glancing at Pinkie.
“I told you I’d pay you back after I do a couple parties, Applejack,” Pinkie said, eating two cupcakes at once.
“Ya better, and no, ya can’t pay me back in balloons like you did last time. That was a one time thing.”
“Fiiiiiiiiine, I’ll pay you in actual money then.” Sunset giggled as she watched the two friends interact. She couldn’t help but be happy about joining the group, even with the way it started. She was pretty much forced to laugh at anything Pinkie did, she could relate to the hardworking Applejack, and she felt she could talk to Rarity about almost anything and have a decent enough conversation with her. Of course, there were flaws with them all, but she wasn’t in short supply of those herself. But then, there was Fluttershy. Her savior. Sunset could talk to her about her own feelings, something she wasn’t comfortable doing with the others yet. She also was going to be living with Fluttershy for a little bit. All of this helped Sunset feel… safe with Fluttershy. Then, there was what Rarity said. Sunset didn’t need to be a genius to know what Rarity meant. Did she like Fluttershy in that way? She thought Fluttershy was pretty, and she knew she could talk to her about her feelings, so it was a possibility. Sunset, however, didn’t know what Fluttershy thought of her, so she decided to just wait and see. Though she read in different novels that you shouldn’t wait for that kind of thing.
“…Huh, Sunset?” Pinkie brought Sunset out of her thoughts.
“Wha? Sorry, I was thinking of something.”
“I asked if you heard that the school should be finished with the repairs by Monday?”
“Oh, no, I didn’t. That’s good, though.”
“Yea, then we can get rid of one of the only reminders left of you being all ‘Rawr! I will take over the world!’” Applejack elbowed Pinkie in the side, and Pinkie looked at the embarrassed-looking Sunset. She quickly added, “Sorry.”
“It’s alright, Pinkie,” Sunset sighed, "I know I can’t run away or forget my past.”
“But you don’t have to be defined by your past, either, Sunset,” Rarity said, “The past is there so we learn from it, which I think you did.”
“Trust me, I think I learned.”
“So, Applejack, do you want to buy us all drinks? Those cupcakes need to be washed down with something,” Pinkie asked Applejack with a wink. The result was a glare from Applejack and laughter from everyone else.



Fluttershy and Sunset went home a few hours later, the same way they had gotten there. This time, however they went more slowly, enjoying the forest as they walked.
“So how did you like meeting our friends?” Fluttershy asked.
“It was nice. I like all of them,” Sunset responded.
“That’s great. I told you all you needed to do was meet them.”
“Yeah. I’m just worried about Rainbow. I don’t want to ruin you guys' friendship with her.”
“Rainbow will calm down and apologize eventually, and we’ll take her back--we know how she can be--but only if she apologizes. What she said was not appropriate at all. Oh! Here, take my hand; this area of the forest can be hard to navigate what it gets darker.”
It was, in fact, dark, so she decided to take Fluttershy’s advice and took her hand. She blushed a bit as she did so, but then mentally laughed at herself. Look at yourself. You’re getting so worked up about this. She decided to change the subject.
“So, what are we doing tomorrow?”
“Hmm, well, I had nothing planned, so I guess we can just play it by ear, if that’s okay with you.”
“Yeah, that sounds nice. What about during school? We have different classes.”
“I know the perfect spot to have lunch, if you want.”
“Sure, that sounds nice.”
“It’s a date, then,” Fluttershy said, giggling slightly.
> Conversations (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was Monday morning, and Sunset and Fluttershy had decided to walk to school together. It was cooler then the days prior, but that didn’t stop the two. It also helped that the area they were in never got cold enough to get snow. Sure, there would be a light snow one winter or another, but for the most part, it was just rain.
Sunday had been nice and quaint. They spent the day in the town botanical garden, and Fluttershy taught Sunset all she knew about the different plants. It surprised Sunset to learn Fluttershy knew about them. However, Fluttershy simply explained she needed to know about them to help her animal friends. They then went over to the park and ate lunch from a local deli. All in all, it was a very nice day, and even now, Sunset hasn’t had any hiccups or problems involving her emotions.
Well, Sunset though, it was nice while it lasted.
The two walked into school and began walking towards their lockers. Sunset had decided to walk with Fluttershy to her locker before going to her own. They had enough time, and thanks to Fluttershy’s mother, Sunset didn’t need to go to Celestia to give her the money.
As they walked down the hallway, Sunset got a reminder why she wanted to jump off that bridge. All eyes were on her, or at least, it seemed like it. She started to breathe heavily as even more eyes seemed to home in on her, surrounding her. They were all judging her, she knew; the way they were glaring at her told her as much. They were getting closer and closer. They just wanted her gone, so they closed in on her to suffocate her. She couldn’t breathe.
“Sunset!” A familiar voiced snapped her out of her thoughts. She blinked and found herself back in Canterlot High School. Everyone was just walking about, going to his or her lockers or to one class or another. Sunset felt herself breathing heavily. She looked to her right to see Fluttershy’s hand on her shoulder.
“Sunset, are you okay? I think you had a panic attack or something,” Fluttershy said, concern very apparent in her eyes. All Sunset could do, as she was still calming herself down, was shake her head ‘no’.
“Don’t worry Sunset. I’m here for you, and I’m sure our friends will be, too. Just try to be strong for us. I know you can do it,” Fluttershy hugged Sunset. Sunset blushed and looked around, almost going into another panic attack, but when she saw no one was really paying attention, she calmed down. That is, until she saw the rainbow-haired girl who was watching them.
“Shit,” Sunset exclaimed, backing away from Fluttershy. Fluttershy turned around just in time to see Rainbow turn away and punch a locker, leaving a dent in it.
“I should probably go talk to her, shouldn’t I?” Fluttershy asked, looking back at Sunset.
“Well, if I go, the next thing she'll punch won’t be a locker. I’m sorry Fluttershy.”
“There’s no need to apologize, Sunset. It’s my fault; I hugged you,” Fluttershy said as she started walking towards where Rainbow went to.
“Do you regret hugging me?”
Fluttershy turned around and smiled softly at Sunset. She said, “Not at all,” and she walked off.



Fluttershy knew where Rainbow went when she was mad at something: the back of the bleachers in the gym. They kept the equipment for the gym class there, so it had mats and bags for Rainbow to punch to take her anger out on. Sure enough, when Fluttershy walked into the gym, she heard mats being punched and made her way behind the stands.
“Rainbow, we need to talk,” she said as she saw the girl. Rainbow punched the mat in front of her a few more times before responding.
“Why don’t you talk to you’re new girlfriend. I’m sure she’d listen.”
“Rainbow, you know it isn’t like that at all.”
“And I was actually going to apologize to the two of you, as well as to everyone else. I know what I said was terrible, but then you go and start dating her and you call me the bad guy!”
“Rainbow Dash! Be quiet for one minute please and stop accusing me of something I did not do!” Taken aback by how loud Fluttershy was, Rainbow couldn’t help but stay quiet. “Thank you! Sunset and I are not dating. I don’t even know if she likes me. I was hugging her because she had just had a panic attack. I was being a good friend, unlike you!”
“What? All I’ve been doing is trying to look out for you, especially about her. She’s the reason we broke up. Don’t deny it.”
“Rainbow, I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again: Sunset had nothing to do with that. I just wasn’t feeling the same way towards you. Sunset didn’t even know we used to date.”
“You’re lying to protect her,” Rainbow Dash said through clenched teeth. Breathing deeply, she sighed and calmed down a bit. "Listen, I’ll apologize to you about yelling earlier and even about Saturday, everything I said, even the stuff about Sunset. But, I still refuse to be friends with her, and I definitely don’t want to talk to or be near her.”
“That’s the thing, Rainbow. I’ll forgive you for what you said to me, but I can’t be the one to forgive for what you said to Sunset. That was completely out of line. She’s the one you need to apologize to.”
“Hell, no. I don’t want to be in the same room as Sunset, let alone talk to her.”
“Then you’re not going to be able to hang out with us for awhile. Sunset is part of our group now, Rainbow. You have to either be the bigger woman and apologize or find yourself a new group of friends.” With that, Fluttershy walked away, not even giving Rainbow time to process her words, let alone speak. Fluttershy didn’t need Rainbow to know that saying all of that both scared and saddened herself. She hoped Rainbow made the right choice, but only time would tell.



Meanwhile, Sunset started to walk to her locker, trying her best to get herself into a place where she didn’t feel like the walls were closing in on her. It was only slightly working. She was breathing more heavily than normal, but at least she was able to keep walking. She wasn’t prepared for someone to call out her name, however.
“Miss Shimmer?” She knew the voice, although she didn’t talk to the guy often. It was the voice of the school’s guidance counselor, Dr. Discord.
“Yes, Dr. Discord?”
“My dear, I haven’t seen anyone shaking that much since a certain pink-haired filly--oh, did I say 'filly'? I meant 'girl'--” It was nothing new. Sunset knew that Dr. Discord was the very same as the master of chaos in Equestria.
Sunset looked down at herself, noticing that she was indeed shaking. She didn’t know why. She thought she was fine, and it wasn’t cold or anything. She tried to play it cool, however.
“I’m fine, Discord, what do you want?”
“Sunset, I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one. You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep doing this. You might actually succeed in killing yourself.”
“H-how did you know about that?”
“I’m sorry, maybe we haven’t met. I’m Discord, Master of Chaos. Where there is chaos and discord and all around bad times, I’m aware of it.”
“That makes sense, I guess. But wait, why do you even care?”
“Because as both former villains, I think we should look out for each other,” he said smiling. “That and both Celestias told me to keep an eye on you, so I knew it was something serious.”
“How do you expect to help me, though?”
“Hmm… Do you want to talk about it? Talking about your emotions can help you greatly.”
“No, I don't think I want to talk with you. I don’t even know how to put it into words, really.”
“Well I suggest you talk to someone about it. You seem to want to talk to Fluttershy about it, and I have to say, you couldn’t have chosen a better person.”
“Yeah, and because of that, I probably ruined her friendship with Rainbow Dash,” Sunset said, sliding down to a sitting position. Discord remained standing, however.
“Well then, why don’t you just crawl back to Celestia. I’m sure she’d gladly accept you back. All you have to do is go through the portal and admit to her that you failed.” Sunset winced at this. “Oh, I see, that’s one of the problems is it? You think you failed, is that it?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. It’s something, I guess.”
“Here’s how I see it, Sunny: You’re going through some hard times right now, and instead of sticking through it, you want to give up and take the easy way out. But at the same time, you don’t want to admit to anyone that you failed at living your own life. Am I right, so far?” Sunset was about to shake her head, but she thought for a moment before slowly nodding.
“Interesting. Thank you for answering. Here’s a lollipop,” Discord said, pulling a lollipop seemingly out of thin air. He handed it to her and started to walk away, before she spoke up.
“Wait, is that it? You’re not going to help me or anything?” Sunset exclaimed, actually a bit angry at Discord.
“I could tell you the answer to you’re problem and what you need to do, but would you learn anything? Besides, you’re on the right track as it is. It would be a crime if I did anything more than tell you to be careful.”
“That’s all you can do?”
“Oh, I can do much more, but as I said, you wouldn’t learn anything. Now, off to class with you. I believe the bell’s about to ring.” Discord snapped his fingers, and the bells chimed to signal the start of school. He then walked off and snapped his fingers once more.
“Great, now I need to lug all my books to my morning classes,” Sunset groaned. She stood up and picked up her backpack and immediately paused. The backpack was a lot lighter than before. She brought her backpack around and opened it, revealing that all of her books except for the ones needed for her morning classes were gone, presumably in her locker. Sunset couldn’t help but smirk a bit as she opened the lollipop and put it into her mouth.
“Mmm, root beer. My favorite,” She continued to suck on the lollipop as she made her way towards her first class. She had a feeling that this would be a pretty nice day after all.



Sunset was partially right. Her morning classes were all okay. The only problem was that Rainbow was in a couple of them, and all she did throughout the periods was shoot Sunset angry glares. You must have had an amazing chat, Fluttershy, Sunset thought to herself, trying to hide from the glares.
Sunset couldn’t be happier when the bell rang for lunch. She was one of the first out of the room, certainly helped by sitting in the front of the class. She went to her locker, which was on the way to the lunchroom, and dropped off her books. Just like she had thought, the rest of her books were in the locker, and she packed those into her bag for her afternoon classes. She made her way over to Fluttershy’s locker and waited a couple of minutes for her to get there. She knew Fluttershy’s class was on the other side of the school, so it’d be a minute or two before she got there. She didn’t need to wait long before she saw Fluttershy round the corner. Sunset waved to her and smiled as she got a wave back.
“How were your morning classes?” Sunset asked the pink-haired girl as the latter opened her locker.
“They were good, but a bit boring? How about yours?”
“They were okay. How’d the talk with Rainbow go?” They started to make their way to Fluttershy’s spot in the cafeteria.
“It went… well, I guess. I gave her a choice: either let go of this jealousy and anger at you or say goodbye to our friendship. I just hope she makes the right choice.”
“Wow, Fluttershy, you really did that?”
“Yeah. I’m not really proud of it but it’s what I needed to do. I hope.” They walked out of the door next to the cafeteria and went down the steps to a small tree, where they sat down.
“This is a nice spot, Fluttershy. I’m surprised I haven’t been out here before.”
“I usually don’t come out here. Usually I sit with my friends inside, but we all thought that you shouldn’t be in the cafeteria until you feel better, especially now with Rainbow.”
“Wait, ‘we’?”
“Well, me. But I told the others we’d be out here, so they should be out here shortly. Actually, here they come now.”
Sunset looked over to the door to the cafeteria and saw the three others, carrying trays, walk out and over to Sunset and Fluttershy Rarity spoke first.
“Hello, darlings. How are you today?”
“Hello, Rarity. We’re good. We just got here, actually,” Fluttershy replied.
“Well, it’s a good thing we’re not in the cafeteria. Rainbow looked mighty frustrated this morning during class,” Applejack said.
“That’s my fault,” Fluttershy sighed. "I gave her a choice between giving up being angry about Sunset or not being in our group anymore.”
“Yes, that will do it. Her heart's in the right place, even if she’s a bit misguided about whom to be mad at,” Rarity said, taking a sip of her drink. 
Her eyes widened and she choked on her drink. “Rainbow!”
Everyone turned to see Rainbow Dash standing in front of them. It surprised all of them how they didn’t notice their usually boisterous friend until she was that close.
Rainbow looked uncertain and rubbed her neck as she spoke, “Hey guys… Um, can you give me time to talk to Fluttershy and Sunset alone, please?”
“Why certainly, Rainbow,” Rarity said as she and the others started to get up. Applejack turned to the still-sitting Sunset and Fluttershy.
“We’ll be inside if you guys need us. Pinkie said she was going to buy me a cupcake from the food line anyway.”
“Yep! I got paid yesterday, so I can give you the money back,” Pinkie exclaimed, producing a wad of cash and handing it to Applejack.
“Thanks Pin-“ Applejack began, looking at the money, "Pinkie! This is Monopoly money! Who in their right mind would pay you in these?”
“Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake!”
Applejack just sighed and walked in with Rarity and Pinkie. Sunset and Fluttershy looked at Rainbow, waiting for her to start the conversation.
“So, uh, look. I’m sorry about Saturday and this morning, Sunset. It wasn’t cool of me. And Fluttershy, I’m sorry about everything that’s happened.”
“Apology accepted, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said, smiling a bit. She then looked to Sunset for her response.
“It’s okay, Rainbow. I caused a lot of trouble, and I can understand you being mad at me. I’m happy you’re willing to give me a chance. What do you say? Friends?” Sunset extended a hand to Rainbow.
“No,” Rainbow said, Fluttershy gasping. “I’ll play nice, sit and talk to you, but I can’t be friends with you.”
“It’s ok, I understand,” Sunset said. She was a bit disappointed, but she probably should have seen it coming.
“Here, I’ll go get the others so we can eat,” Rainbow said as she turned. She smiled as she walked, feeling relieved to be back in the group, even if she was still a bit wary of Sunset.



“You two have class together next period, right?” Fluttershy asked Sunset and Rainbow as they walked down the hall after eating, the others having already left to get their books. Sunset and Rainbow both gave an affirmative.
“Okay, well, I have to head to my class, so I’ll talk to both of you later.” She smiled at them and made her way down an adjacent hallway. 
Rainbow glanced over her shoulder every now and again, making sure Fluttershy was out of sight. When she was sure Fluttershy was away, she turned and slammed Sunset into the nearest locker.
“Hey, what’s the big deal?” Sunset exclaimed. She tried to get free, but she was well and truly pinned.
“Shut up and listen. I don’t know why Fluttershy seems to like you, but she does. But you know what?”
“What?”
“You don’t deserve her or anything as nice and beautiful as Fluttershy. She’s way too good for you.”
“I-I know,” Sunset said looking down.
“You stay out of her emotions, and if you dare hurt her, I will end you, got it?”
“Yes…”
Rainbow shoved her one more time into the locker and let go, walking away towards class. Sunset picked herself up and walked behind her. As far as their other friends were concerned, that didn’t just happen.
> Rumors (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset had a free period after her history class with Rainbow. As she normally did, she spent her time walking around after depositing her jacket in her locker. She was hoping to get time to think about everything. Normally she wouldn’t want to, but after everything that has happened, she definitely needed to think.
Okay, here’s what I know: Rainbow doesn’t like me at all. Well, neither does anyone else, but this is different. She doesn’t like me, because she thinks I’m trying to steal Fluttershy. She also thinks I broke them up in the first place. She is very physical in her threats. Fluttershy and the others are the only ones sup--
Sunset’s thoughts were cut off as she walked around the corner and ran into someone. She fell and heard papers hit the ground. She was about to apologize before she was cut off by the person, who turned out to be Lightning Dust.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” Lightning exclaimed as she kneeled down to pick up the papers and books she dropped. Sunset went over to go help her.
“I’m so sorry. Here, let me help.”
“I’ve already seen how you ‘help’. Just leave." Sunset decided to just accept her wishes and got up to leave.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she walked away. She took a couple steps before she heard Lightning murmur something. Even though it was a murmur, Sunset still heard it.
‘Whore.’
Sunset would have just walked away. She should have just walked away. But something inside told her to fight this one, so she did.
“I am not!” she said, spinning on her feet.
“Oh, please. Everyone knows you sold yourself for money your first year in this world.”
This came as a huge surprise to Sunset. She never did anything like that her first year. Yeah, she did things she didn’t want to, but she had standards, even in rough times. To think someone would spread that sort of rumor about her made her mad.
“What? Who the hell told you that? I did nothing like that!”
“Flash told us all about it. He said that you told him about it.”
“Flash Sentry?” Sunset was extremely hurt. She didn’t think he would spread a rumor like that. She knew he didn’t like her but that seemed a bit overboard for him.
“Yep. He told just about everyone.”
That was the last straw for Sunset. She started to tear up, so she turned around and ran for the nearest girls' room.  She ignored any calls for her to stop. If there even were any; Lightning Dust wasn’t one to care for other people.
She burst into the bathroom and took a moment to make sure there was no one else there. Satisfied that she was alone, Sunset let her tears flow. She didn’t even know why she was so worked up about this. Come to think of it, she was worked up this much when he broke up with her too, and that’s when she was still the alpha bitch. Sunset felt something welling up in her, however, something she hadn’t felt since before the Fall Formal. Anger.
She was angry at Flash for hurting her like this. Whether he liked her or not, she still respected him, and he goes and does something like this? She decided that she had to confront him, and she knew exactly where he would be next; he had the same schedule as when they broke up, so she was very familiar with it.
Sunset dried her eyes as best she could and put a determined look on her face. Her anger was the only thing keeping her from crying right now, so she latched onto the anger and went with it. She stomped out of the bathroom and went to where she knew Flash would be. Today, that would be the gym.



Sunset stormed into the gym. It was the last few minutes before the period was over, so the teacher let them get dressed and hang out in the gym before the bell. Sunset saw Flash on the other side of the gym. He was with a few friends. They were laughing. Probably about me, she thought, releasing a small growl. She walked over to the group. When she was within fifteen feet of them, they noticed her. Flash started to speak first.
“Oh, uh, hey, Sun--“
“Shut up, you jerk,” Sunset cut him off, "How dare you spread rumors like that!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Like you don’t know! You told the whole school about how I’m some sort of whore, and that I told you that myself.”
“Wait, what? I didn’t--“
“Shut up! I don’t want to hear it,” Sunset cut him off again, her volume rising with every word she spoke. She was getting into it, and it felt nice. "Of all the people who would do that, you’re the last person I thought would be that much of an ass!”
“But I didn’t do it.” Flash was getting angry at Sunset, but she didn’t care.
“Oh, so they just got that from out of thin air? I was told you said it to everyone! It’s because of people like you that I can’t have a normal life!” Sunset screamed, getting in Flash’s face.
“It’s your own fault, bitch,” said a voice from behind Sunset. Sunset turned around to yell at the ass that said that, a growl starting to escape from her mouth. As she turned, though, it caught in her throat.
There were dozens of kids around her; Sunset must have counted at least forty or fifty kids glaring at her. In actuality there were only about fifteen, but Sunset couldn't help but think there was a huge crowd there to get her. It was becoming increasingly apparent that they weren’t there to support her. Her anger dissipated and left only fear and anxiousness.
“This is why no one likes you,” one kid said.
“It looks like becoming a she-demon and getting her ass kicked didn’t help her at all,” another spoke.
“She’s so pathetic.”
“Demon.”
“Bitch.”
“Loser.”
Sunset kept hearing the insults coming, and with each word or sentence spoken, her anxiousness was replaced with agreement, her fear replaced with self-hatred.  She was still shocked to be bombarded like this, but she agreed with every word. She turned and looked at Flash. He didn’t seem to know what to do. He looked concerned, but he neither offering any comfort for her nor any aid for the other kids. He looked at her and spoke neutrally.
“I only told them you worked odd jobs. I didn’t think they’d get that out of it. But you didn’t help yourself here, either.”
With that, he walked out of the gym, not wanting to be in that awkward situation any longer. Sunset could only stare at where he stood moments ago. 
He didn’t start the rumor. Someone else made it. How could I be so stupid? And I just… In front of everyone. I proved their point.
Sunset started to tear up, and she ran out of the room, ignoring the confused voices of everyone else. They didn’t care about her, and she didn’t want them to care about her. She didn’t deserve it; she was still the same monster she was before Twilight came. She ran into one of the bathrooms again, not even bothering to check if anyone was in there before she started sobbing. As it turns out, she was alone, but not for long. She heard the bell ring and knew a couple girls at least would come into the bathroom before heading to their last period class. Sunset stuffed herself into one of the stalls, cutting her arm on the locking mechanism, or rather, the jagged piece of metal that was once a locking mechanism. She gasped at the pain and looked at the small cut.
It drew a couple of small beads of blood, but that was it. That’s not what worried Sunset, tough. What worried her was the fact that she felt better because it happened. The pain… helped her. It still hurt, but it distracted her from her troubles. That’s what worried her. She knew that cutting was bad. She knew that even back when she was in Equestria. Was she really that desperate? She knew, whether it ended bloodily or verbally, it would end badly. But then, why did it feel so right to do?
Maybe it was her desperation, maybe it was her self -hatred talking, but Sunset decided to leave the option open for her most desperate of cases. She hoped she wouldn’t need to do it, but it was an option, and it made her feel better knowing there was an option. Now though, it did its job; she successfully got her mind off of everyone and felt at least a little bit better now, enough that she could go back to class.



Sunset met Fluttershy at her locker after the last bell. She put on a fake smile and approached the pink-haired girl.
“Hi, Fluttershy. How was your day?”
“Hey, Sunset. It was good. How was yours?” Fluttershy asked, grabbing her books from her locker as she looked up at Sunset.
“It was… eventful. I just kinda want to get home and sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Alright. Let’s stop by your locker, first,” Fluttershy said, standing up and closing her locker.  They walked down the hall together, stopping at Sunset’s locker before walking out of the school and towards Fluttershy’s home. They remained quiet for a while, both just thinking to themselves. Sunset tried to keep her mind as far away from today and the rumor as possible. She thought about the trees, the cars passing by, and even Fluttershy. This was both helpful and not helpful.
She couldn’t help but feel that Fluttershy was a savior; she did, after all, save Sunset's life. Sunset wondered if any feelings she had towards the pink-haired girl were just because of that. At this point, she didn’t care about Rainbow. The girl seemed to be okay with them dating if they wanted, even if she was hoping Sunset would slip up with it. Sunset thought it would probably be best not to even try.
But even as she tried to think of reasons why they wouldn’t work out, she found reasons why they’d be good together. Sunset felt safe with Fluttershy and truly felt nothing the girl could do would make her feel otherwise. Fluttershy stood up for her against Rainbow and the others, and that showed she cared, too. Add the fact that Sunset thought she was pretty and smart, and she couldn’t find a reason not to try with Fluttershy. But what would she do? Ask to go to dinner or the movies? She couldn’t pay for them.
Sunset was so lost in her thought, she failed to notice Fluttershy asking her a question.
“Wha? Sorry, I was in my own little world.”
“It’s alright. I, uh, was asking if a rumor I heard about you was true,” Fluttershy blushed brightly, and Sunset stopped dead in her tracks, stunned.
“A-absolutely not. I would never, Fluttershy.”
“I thought so. I’m sorry for bringing it up. I just heard a lot of people saying it. Is it bothering you that much?”
Sunset thought back to the encounter she had with Lightning Dust, then the one with Flash. She winced ever so slightly before answering, “Uh, no, not really. They can think whatever they want. It won’t make it true.”
“Alright, well, if you ever want to talk about it, just let me know.”
“I will.”
The two of them continued their walk in silence. It only took them a few more minutes to get back to the house, and Sunset was relieved when they walked through the doorway.
“Alright, I think I’m gonna go sleep now. See you later, or tomorrow, I guess,” she said, starting for the stairs.
“Oh, Sunset, don’t you want something to eat first?”
“No, I’m good. I’m just really tired is all. Thanks, though, Fluttershy.”
“Well, okay, but I insist you take my bed tonight. if you’re that tired, you should sleep comfortably.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that, Fluttershy.”
“I insist.”
“And you won’t accept 'no', will you?”
“Nope. I also don’t want to accidently kick you when I’m walking in there." She smiled and walked into the kitchen.
“Fine.”
Sunset went upstairs and got changed. The mirror had yet to be fixed in the bathroom, which Sunset was fine with; she didn’t want to look at herself, anyway. She sighed, walked over to the bed and got under the covers. When she told Fluttershy she was tired, she said it as an excuse to not be bothered the rest of the day. However, now that she lay there, she realized she really was exhausted, as she found sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
> Nightmares (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset walked through the courtyard of the school. The sun was shining, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She found it odd that it was completely empty; it was almost time for school, and she didn’t see a single person.  She shrugged. It wasn’t her problem, and less kids at school meant less kids to make fun of her behind her back. In fact, thinking about it that way made Sunset even happier. Something did make her pause, though. She wasn’t walking with Fluttershy, and she didn’t know why. Maybe she was sick and I left her at home? But then why don’t I remember that?
She got out her cell phone and tried to dial Fluttershy’s house, but was only met with silence, not even a dial tone. That’s really weird… Wait, I don’t own a cell phone. Where’d I get this?
She didn’t have much time to think, however, as the sky got darker, rain clouds rolling in. Sunset jogged over to the school doors as the rain started to fall. She pulled the door, only to discover that it wouldn’t budge or even shake. She quickly got out her apparently new phone and looked at the date.  Tuesday, November fifteenth. She definitely had the right day. So why wasn’t the door opening? She turned around and was about to run around the school to try the back door, when she looked at the statue above the portal. She gasped at what she saw. There was no statue standing there. There was only her demon form, looking down at her.
“Well look at the pathetic girl in front of me. Wanting to be normal and loved when she knows she never will be,” the demon said with a laugh.
“What? How in Tartarus are you even here? You were me!” Sunset exclaimed.
“Oh, I still am, dear. I am you, and you are me. We are one. In. The. Same.”
“No, we’re not! You used to be me! I’m nothing like you now.”
“Oh, is that so? Well why don’t we ask them, hmm?” She motioned to her left. Confused, Sunset turned her head, and before her eyes, Flash Sentry and the rest of the kids she saw in the gym appeared. None of them looked happy in the slightest.
“Now before I ask them their opinions, do you want to admit I’m right?” the demon asked. Sunset stared wide-eyed at the suddenly-appeared people, but shook her head and put a determined look on her face before she replied.
“So I was a little mean to him. Who wouldn’t be? I had every reason to think he started the rumor.”
“Did you? I remember hearing you think to yourself that Flash wasn’t the type of person who would spread rumors.”
“W-well, yeah, b-but I--“
“But nothing! You knew Flash wouldn’t do something like that, but instead you listened to Lightning Dust, who has always just looked out for herself. She could have said it was anyone, and it’d be just as much of a lie. You know for a fact it was probably a mistranslation or someone else. Instead, you verbally assault Flash. Very harshly, I might add.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point, Sunset, is that no matter how much you deny it, I’m still part of you, and there’s nothing you can do to get rid of me.”
“That isn’t true! I used to be like you, and even now, I can fall back to you if I’m mad enough. But with Fluttershy and the others, I know I can get rid of you for good.”
“You mean the people you tried to kill?”
“Wait. What?” Sunset was taken back by this. What did she mean? Did Sunset forget something important?
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I’m talking about, even if you chose to forget it. It’s still in your mind.”
And then it hit her. Her eyes widened as the scene popped into her head again after repressing it for so long.
“When I was you… I shot at Twilight with that energy ball. Oh, Celestia, I did try to kill them.”
“Yes, and it seems they haven’t forgotten.” The demon motioned to the right with her hand. Sunset looked over and saw the whole group, including Rainbow and Fluttershy. They all looked like Flash and his group: furious. They looked at her like they wanted to tear her limb from limb.  Sunset had never seen any of them, not even Rainbow, so angry. They terrified her.
“I-I was driven by power then. I was you! I regret trying to do it. Especially now. I never wanted to do that.”
“Oh and I bet you regret bullying everyone else, don’t you?”
“O-of course.”
“You’re a terrible liar, although I am you, so I know when you are lying. You don’t regret bullying people. Maybe some, but you did what you had to do to survive. You wanted to live, so you lived. So what if you took down others to get what you needed? You obviously needed it more than they did.”
“That doesn’t justify it, though. I regret having to bully anyone at all.” She lowered her head. "If I knew this kind of thing would happen, I wouldn’t have even tried. I would have just died, like I should have before Fluttershy saved me.”
“You bullied, tricked, stole, and lied to everyone in Canterlot to live your life and get to the top. And the people you did all that to? They suffered. Even your precious Fluttershy suffered because of you, and you know they all resent you for it, even Fluttershy.”
“They all hate me, don’t they?” Sunset started to genuinely agree with the demon. What she was saying was all true. Sunset, up until that point, had simply refused to accept it.
“Why don’t you ask them yourself?”
Sunset brought her head back up, and her eyes widened. Her pupils became the size of atoms as she stared at the entirety of Canterlot surrounding the courtyard. There were at least four thousand people in the crowd, and it seemed to stretch for miles. They all had the same furious look, at least the ones Sunset could see. Sunset started to shake. She was never so scared in her life. However, that was before they started speaking.
They started shouting at her, everyone, including Fluttershy, her friends, and Flash. All saying how worthless she was and how they hated her. How they wished she was dead or gone, and how maybe they should help her with that. Throughout all of this, Sunset failed to notice her demon form vanishing from the statue base. Then, the crowd of people started to move.
They were starting to close in on Sunset. Panicked, Sunset turned and tried to open the doors to Canterlot one more time, yielding the same result as before.
Think, dammit, think! Sunset looked around. She was completely surrounded, the angry mob on three sides, the school behind her. There was no escape. Unless… The portal! Oh, please be open, please!
She ran for the portal, the crowd within ten feet of her as she reached it. She tried to push into the portal, only to be met with some resistance. She could get through, but it was a lot harder than it should've been. The crowd was now almost within reaching distance. With one final shove, Sunset fell into the portal, hopefully to her safety.



Sunset fell to the floor on the other side of the portal. With a groan, she opened her eyes and looked around. She was in Canterlot castle, in the same room where the portal was originally. That somewhat made sense; when she came to steal Twilight's crown she was in a different castle entirely. Obviously with that kind of security breach, Celestia probably wanted it closer to her. She was hit with a headache suddenly and brought a hand up to her forehead. What hit her forehead, however, was no hand, but a hoof. Oh, yeah that’s right. Sunset slowly stood up on her hooves and was about to walk out of the room, when the door burst open. With a gasp, Sunset fell back into a sitting position as several Royal Guard stormed into the room and leveled pikes at her. Oh… I didn’t exactly leave on a happy note, did I?
“P-please, I don’t mean any harm,” she pleaded.
“Is that so, Sunset Shimmer?” a very familiar voice replied sternly. Sunset suddenly felt that she'd have been a lot safer if she stayed in the human world.
“P-Princess! Hello.” Sunset bowed as the Princess of the Sun strode into the room, her face neutral, neither angry nor forgiving. Sunset had no clue what to make of this. Before she entered the portal, Celestia had made her anger with her apparent. Seeing her so neutral was by far scarier.
“What are you doing here, Sunset Shimmer?”
“I was attacked in the other world. The only way I could survive was to come here. I’m sorry about how I left. I-I’ve changed, though. Hasn’t Twilight told you that?”
“She has, but I remember telling you specifically that you are not allowed in the castle ever again. You have just stepped onto castle property. There must be reprimands.”
“Wait, Princess, please! I know I messed up, but this was the only way. They would have killed me if I stayed there.”
“Tell me, Sunset. Do you deserve for me to give you haven here?”
“N-no. I don’t after the way I acted and ignored you’re lessons. I don’t deserve for you to keep me safe here, just like I never deserved to be your student.”
Celestia smiled, “Well, at least my last lesson sunk in. You seemed to have learned humility, Sunset. I accept your apology.”
“R-really? You mean it? Thank you so much, Princess. Does this mean you’ll let me return?”
“Of course not,” Celestia giggled, before addressing her guards, “Kill her.”
“What?” Sunset walked backwards a bit as the guards moved forward. Her former mentor had just ordered her killed after accepting her apology. Why?
“I may have accepted your apology, but you are still not welcome in the castle, and after what you put Twilight through, as well as all of Equestria, you aren’t welcome in Equestria, either. I therefore have no choice but to kill you.”
“You could banish me! Or lock me up!”
“And allow you to have a chance to escape and plot to get revenge? I’ve learned my lessons, Sunset. You must not live.”
Sunset shuddered as she thought of what to say. There really wasn’t anything to say. Celestia had given her order, and Sunset knew she wasn’t going to go back on it. She looked around for any way of escape. She was too far from any windows to escape that way, and the door was behind the most powerful alicorn she knew of. The only escape she saw was going back through the portal. It was here when Sunset noticed that no one followed her through. She hoped that meant they had given up and that she wasn't going to be mauled when she went through, but there weren’t any other options. She took a deep breath and jumped backwards through the portal yet again.



Sunset fell to the ground, again groaning. This is getting as annoying as it is life threatening. She stood up and dusted herself off. She looked around and was shocked to find herself not in the Canterlot High courtyard, but on a bridge. Specifically, the bridge she was, just days earlier, trying to jump off of. She shuddered as she remembered it. She didn’t even want to be on the bridge but, for some reason, felt like she had to. Something was drawing her closer to the edge, something she couldn’t fight. She looked over the edge to the water below. No, it wasn’t water. What she saw down there was red. Blood.
“Jump,” came seven voices. Sunset gasped and turned around. Standing in front of her were her four friends, Rainbow, Celestia in her pony form, and her demon-self.
“Jump,” they repeated.
“No! I can’t.”
“Jump.” They moved closer. Sunset backed up until her back hit the railing of the bridge.
“No! Stop, please. Help me!”
“We will help you, Sunset,” Fluttershy said in her normal sweet tone, “Just let us help you.”
The group all put their hands up--or in the case of Celestia, a hoof--and pressed them against Sunset, pushing her.
“No! No! Stop!” Sunset tried to fight back, but she was off balance. There was no way for her to fight all of them. They pushed her over the railing and watched as she fell.
Sunset screamed as she fell into blackness.



Sunset woke up with a gasp. She was sweating and terrified. She looked around and at herself. Fluttershy’s room. It was a dream… Just a dream. Sunset couldn’t just sit there, though. If she did, she risked crying and waking up Fluttershy. She slowly got up and made her way towards the bathroom, careful to avoid the sleeping girl.
Walking into the bathroom, Sunset noticed the mirror she broke a few days ago had not yet been replaced. Sunset was fine with that; she didn’t want to look at herself, anyway. She made sure the door was closed before sitting on the toilet and crying. The dream was so accurate. Everyone hated her, and she deserved it. Even Celestia would never want to have her back. Maybe she would have been better off if Fluttershy hadn’t saved her.
No! I’m thankful Fluttershy saved me. I just need a… distraction.
Sunset went over to the trashcan next to the sink and pulled a shard of glass from the mirror she broke. She rolled up her sleeve and sighed as she brought the jagged glass across her upper arm. She whimpered a bit as the pain hit. She would wrap up the cut later and clean up the blood currently rolling down her arm, but now, she just needed to forget her dream.
> Guidance (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was Thursday morning, and Sunset was finishing wrapping her upper arm in a bandage. She sighed as she thought of the scars on her upper arms now. While not a huge amount, there were still too many. Sunset couldn’t help it, though. She kept having nightmares, so she would distract herself in the morning before school. Then school would give her a hard time, so she would distract herself when she got home, if not during school, although that only happened once in the past couple of days. She put on her leather jacket and went down to wash the tool of her self-destruction, a shard of glass from the mirror. They had replaced the mirror and thrown out the other shards on Tuesday, the same day Sunset started, but she kept one piece for this. She sighed one more time, putting the shard in a pocket of her jacket, a smile on her face as she walked out. She couldn’t let Fluttershy know anything was up; it would only end badly.
She walked downstairs and met Fluttershy, who was grabbing her bag for school.  Sunset grabbed her own bag and together they waved ‘bye’ to Fluttershy’s mother as they headed out.
“So Sunset, how’d you sleep?” Fluttershy asked as they walked.
With all the nightmares, I didn’t. Sunset thought. “All right, I guess. Why?”
Fluttershy sighed before answering, “Because I know you haven’t been sleeping well, Sunset.”
“I’ve been sleeping fine, Fluttershy, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Sunset, I hear you tossing and turning. I hear you whimpering in your sleep, or lack of sleep. I’m in the same room. I hear it all. Please, just tell me.”
“I’m fine, Fluttershy. Please just let me deal with it.”
“Sunset, please don’t shut me out. It’ll help if you let me and our friends help.”
“I told you I’m fine!” Sunset raised her voice. She paused before looking at her feet, walking forward again.
“I’m sorry, Fluttershy. You didn’t deserve that, but I just want to deal with it myself, okay?”
“But you don’t have to, Sunset. Just please understand that. You don’t have to be alone.”
“And I’m not. I have you and our other friends, but the stuff going on in my head is something only I can deal with, and you trying to help is just making it harder… I’m sorry, that didn’t come out right.”
“No Sunset I understand. I’m sorry. Just please, promise me you’ll go for help if you need it.”
“Alright, Fluttershy, I promise. Now can we please not talk about this anymore? Let’s just get to school.”
“Okay.”
Sunset knew already that this was going to be a hard day. She already felt like she needed a distraction. She just hoped she had time and that no one was in the bathroom. There was still room on her upper arm, but she would have to unwrap the bandages from the night before to get an area to cut though; she dared not risk cutting lower, for fear of being discovered.
A distraction already… This is going to be a long day.



Sunset walked out of the bathroom with a fresh bandage on her arm and a new wound that needed to heal. There wasn’t enough time for her to put her books in her locker, as she already ditched Fluttershy as soon as they got to school, so Sunset would have to lug all her books to her morning classes. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s had to do it, though, so she didn’t mind. It would just be a pain, though. She started to walk towards her first class when the loudspeaker came on.
“Sunset Shimmer, please report to Dr. Discord’s office.”
A few students around her giggled and chuckled at hearing her being called to her office. She sighed and made the turn to go to his office.
Grow up, for Celestia’s sake. Wonder what Discord wants so early.
Sunset could feel eyes on her as she walked towards the guidance counselor’s office.  It was located near the other offices of the school, though it was across the hall from them. It was supposedly equipped with soundproof walls to ensure that no one except Discord and the student heard what was being said. Of course, there were no such walls in the room, but that didn’t stop Discord.
She opened the door and walked in. Discord was sitting at his desk, reading some papers. He snapped his fingers as she walked in, and the door closed behind her. He looked up from his papers and sighed.
“What am I going to do with you, Sunset? I really don’t want to hold your hand through this, but your making it hard for me not to.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve been fine; I haven’t tried to kill myself or anything since last week.”
“And self-harm is just a step down from suicide, Sunset. In fact, it often leads to suicide, whether on purpose or by accident.”
“How do you know about that? What does it matter? It’s helping me, Discord.”
“It's not helping, Sunset, it's only hurting you more. What if Fluttershy or one of your other friends finds out? How hurt do you think they’ll be?”
“That’s why they’re not going to find out, Discord. This is what works for me. Who are you to say its bad?”
“I’m someone who cares, Sunset. As weird as it sounds, I care about you. I feel for you because we were both villains who were saved by friendship. We have a connection and the same friends, even if they’re from different universes. I don’t want to lose a friend if I can help it.”
“What would you have me do, then?”
“Well, frankly, I would want to transfer you to Crystal Prep. You need a change of scenery from here, but--"
“That’s your big idea?” Sunset screamed, “Send me to a new school so I can have no friends whatsoever but be safe from kids who hate me? Thanks, but no thanks, Discord. This was a waste of time.”
Sunset stormed through the door again before Discord could even snap his fingers to cause the door to open right back into the office. He sighed, snapping his fingers to send his message.



Sunset walked through the halls towards her class. Who the hell is Discord to tell me how to live my life? It's fine the way it is right now. I know I shouldn’t distract myself like that, but it's what works.
Sunset’s thoughts were interrupted by a piece of paper flying in her face, sending a chill through her body. She grabbed the piece of paper and was about to chuck it away when she noticed whom it was addressed to. Her.
 Sunset,
I know you don’t want to listen to me, but just hear me out this once. Be careful. I’m giving you a second chance here. Don’t make the same mistake; even if you think it works, hurting yourself isn’t the answer. I just healed your scars. They’re totally gone. Don’t make them come back. I believe in you, Sunset.
Discord, Master of Chaos and School Counselor
Sunset took off her jacket and looked at her arms. Sure enough, not even the bandages were there. Her mind was filled with mixed feelings towards Discord. She was thankful that he did that, but also mad that he wouldn’t just let her be. Either way, it didn’t really change her opinion. It was her life, she knew what was working and what wasn’t, and Discord and her friends treating her like a baby wasn’t working. Even if it was bad, her distractions helped her.
She put her jacket back on and reached into her pocket to see if she still had her shard; she had a feeling she might need it some time that day. She growled slightly when her hand felt not a shard of glass, but a lollipop. She threw it on the ground and stomped on it. She knew Discord had the best intensions, but he could go to Tartarus for all she cared. She needed that small amount of comfort, even if it was self-harming. She just had to go through the day without it, then.



The rest of the day, Sunset was met with continued harassment of the rumor and her outburst that accompanied it. It had been happening since Monday, and there was nothing Sunset could do to stop it, so she had to deal with it and hopefully give herself the distraction she needed later when she got home. It was hard for her, though. She desperately wanted to fight against the accusations, but if she did they’d just tell her that she was either in denial or lying. There was nothing she could do to get the rumor to stop. She constantly contemplated talking to Celestia or Luna, but she knew they’d only send her to Discord or make it worse some other way. She decided it was just best to ignore them and deal with it later, so that’s what she did.



Sunset and Fluttershy walked home in complete silence. The sun was already setting, since they both stayed after school to hang out with the other girls. Fluttershy tried to start a conversation once or twice, but Sunset wouldn’t say a word, not even to acknowledge Fluttershy said anything at all. When they were with her friends she seemed normal. She talked and laughed, but as soon as they left, she fell into this depressed mood. She also could swear she heard sniffles coming from Sunset, as well as tears falling, but she couldn’t tell, exactly. Sunset had let her hair down, covering her face just enough so she herself could see but also so no one could see her face. Fluttershy had done the same once or twice before when she was scared of someone or something. It was plain as day that something was hurting Sunset, but it was also painfully obvious she didn’t want to talk about it. Fluttershy decided to leave Sunset be until they got home. Hopefully, by then, she’d have calmed down a bit. The walk home was eerily quiet, and Fluttershy suddenly realized how much she missed having her chats with Sunset on their walks to and from school. She silently thanked whoever was up above when thy arrived at the house. They walked inside, and Fluttershy closed the door. She heard Sunset drop her backpack and start to walk upstairs.
“Sunset, wait,” she said. Sunset ignored her, however, and walked straight into the bathroom. Fluttershy contemplated waiting until she got out, but she didn’t hear Sunset lock the door, and she needed to get to the bottom of what was wrong, so she walked upstairs. She tested the knob to see if it was locked. She was right: It wasn’t. She opened the door.
“Sunset?”



Sunset was taking it hard. All of the comments and snickering behind her back, sometimes even in front of her face, they all hurt. She kept a happy face for as long as she could, sitting through the classes and lunch and even hanging out with the girls, but now, as Fluttershy and she walked home, she was mentally exhausted. She knew Fluttershy tried talking to her once or twice, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She was on autopilot. Just walk forward, and get back home. She started thinking about whether or not she should distract herself when she got home, her talk with Discord still ringing in her ears, but right now, she really needed it. She saw the front door and opened it, dropping her backpack on the floor. Any thought of avoiding the pain was clouded as she again remembered her day. She just walked upstairs and went into the bathroom. She thought she heard Fluttershy call for her but was too preoccupied to listen.
She closed the bathroom door, went over to the mirror, and opened the medicine cabinet. There had to be something she could use. While she looked she took off her jacket and let it fall. There, she saw it. A straight razor. It would do perfectly. She grabbed it and opened it. It looked like it hadn’t been used in a while, but it still looked sharp. She brought the blade close to her upper arm, prepared to make the cut.
“Sunset?”
Sunset gasped as the door opened, and Fluttershy stared at her. Sunset dropped the razor and started to stutter, not knowing what to say. It looked like Fluttershy didn’t, either, as she was just silent, with a hand over her open mouth. They stayed like that for a few moments, until Fluttershy broke the silence.
“I-is that your first time? Tell the truth.”
Sunset started to tear up. She knew she had to answer her, and she knew she had to tell the truth, but she was dreading it. “N-no, I’ve been doing it since Tuesday. I don’t have scars because of something Discord did.”
“Discord knew? And he didn’t say anything? Why?” Fluttershy raised her voice, becoming a bit angry at not Sunset but Discord. Sunset, however, took it as Fluttershy being mad at her, causing her to burst into tears.
“I’m sorry, Fluttershy. Please, it was the only thing that was working.”
“You could have talked to any of our friends, especially me, Sunset! Come downstairs. Please. I’m not mad at you. I just want to talk.”
“How can you still be so nice to me? I’m horrible, no one likes me, people probably hate you because you’re friends with me, and I cut myself. In fact, why do you even like me? I hate myself,” Sunset screamed, more angry at herself and getting caught than she was at Fluttershy. Fluttershy knew this, so she tried to get Sunset to calm down.
“Sunset, I don’t just like you. I love you. I care about you, and so do our other friends. We don’t hate you, and we would gladly help you if you let us. I don’t regret being friends with you, and I know for a fact neither does any of the other girls. Please, just let us help.”
“A-are you sure?” Sunset asked, tears still rolling down her face.
“Of course, Sunset. I’m here for you. It’ll be hard for you, Sunset, but I know if we all work together, we can make you feel better.”
“Thank you, Fluttershy.” Sunset hugged Fluttershy, which was immediately accepted. Sunset sobbed into Fluttershy’s shoulder, something that Sunset only just realized she desperately needed.



Sunset cried for a good ten minutes before slowing down.
“How do you feel, Sunset?” Fluttershy asked.
“A little bit better. Not one hundred percent, but definitely better.”
“Good. How about we go take a walk so we can talk?”
“I think I’d like that, Fluttershy,” Sunset sniffled, “Let me just wash my face and get my jacket.”
“Alright,” Fluttershy said. She waited for Sunset to finish before they both went downstairs. Fluttershy grabbed her light jacket, and together, they walked outside and down the street.
> Party (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset and Fluttershy talked as they walked down the street. Sunset did most of the talking, about her fears, anxiety, the rumor, her blowing up at Flash, and the dream. Throughout her explanation, Fluttershy spoke rarely, giving some words of comfort when Sunset started to get worked up and appropriate reactions for each story.
“Sunset, that all sounds horrible, and I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m surprised you haven’t wanted to just leave this world and go back to your old one,” Fluttershy said once Sunset had finished, giving a small hug to the hurt girl.
“It’s because of Princess Celestia. I know she’d forgive me for going against her wishes, but what if she punishes me for going back. Like, what if she banishes me? Or locks me in a dungeon?”
“Sunset, from what you’ve told me, your Celestia is a lot like our Celestia. Tell me, does our Celestia seem like the kind of person to lock you up for doing something wrong?”
“Well… There is detention, but no, you're right. Celestia wouldn’t be mad, either of them. I think they’re beyond holding grudges of any kind. Doesn’t make me any less scared of talking to her.”
“You’re allowed to be Sunset, especially if your Celestia is an all-powerful goddess like you said. But she’s also your mentor and, from what you told me, basically your mother. After everything, I know she’ll still love you, and I bet she's been wanting to see you since you left.”
“Again, you’re probably right. Maybe I’ll go back next time the portal opens up, if the anxiety caused by thinking of it doesn’t kill me first.”
“That was another thing, Sunset. I think you should see someone to talk to.”
“But isn’t that what we’re doing now?”
“Well, yeah, but you need to talk to a professional, Sunset. To be honest, I don’t know how to handle stuff like this.”
“Oh… Well, I mean, if you think I really should.”
“Don’t worry, Sunset, my mom knows some really nice people, and if you want, I can come once or twice if it’d make you feel better.”
“Really?”
“Of course, Sunset.”
Fluttershy looked ahead a few houses and saw a few cars at Rainbow Dash’s house. “Oh, look. Rainbow must have won her soccer game. She usually has a celebratory party with her team and Pinkie when they win. Do you want to go?”
“You want to go to a party?” Sunset looked at Fluttershy skeptically.
“Well… No, but it might help you. And Rainbow and Pinkie are there, so it should be fun, even for me.”
“Hmm… I guess, and if you want to go, I don’t see why not. It’ll help me get my mind off things, at least. Come on.”
The two of them walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. It was a minute before they heard footsteps on the other side of the door and the door opened. Rainbow stood on the other side.
“Oh, hey, guys. What are you doing here?” Rainbow asked, looking a little confused.
“Hey, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said, “We were just taking a walk and saw you were having a party, so we decided to stop by, if that’s alright with you.”
“Of course it’s alright. Come in.” Rainbow led them into the house, closing the door behind them.
“So, we got some pizza out back, some music in the living room, and fun all around,” Rainbow explained, “Oh, Fluttershy I wanted to talk to you and Pinkie in private, if you can.”
Fluttershy glanced at Sunset, silently asking if she’ll be all right without her there. Sunset noticed nodded slightly.
“Okay, Rainbow. Where do you wanna talk?”
“In my room. Let me go grab Pinkie.”
“I’m going to go get some pizza while you three talk,” Sunset said, walking out the back door into the backyard.
Rainbow came back with Pinkie and they headed upstairs to Rainbow’s room, Rainbow closing the door.
“So what's up, Dashie?” Pinkie asked.
“Do... Do you guys think I’ve been too hard on Sunset?” Rainbow asked, rubbing the back of her head.
“Well, a bit, yes, especially since she doesn’t really deserve it,” Fluttershy said.
“Yeah Dash, like what happened at the mall. That was, like, really bad,” Pinkie added.
Rainbow sighed, “Yeah, I figured, and looking back at it, I don’t know why I was so hard on her. I had reasons, but they were very flimsy, and I’ve actually enjoyed hanging out with her and you girls.”
“Yeah, after the mall, you seemed to be at least a little okay with her.” Pinkie said.
“I kind of wasn’t, though. I still didn’t like her because I thought she broke me and Fluttershy up, and even when I gave up on being angry about that, I was angry that they seemed to like each other.”
“So you were jealous of us?” Fluttershy asked.
“I was not jealo--" Rainbow sighed, “Yes, I was jealous.”
“Oh, Rainbow, I’m sorry for making you feel that way.” Fluttershy got up and went over to hug Rainbow.
Rainbow accepted the hug. “You don’t need to be sorry; I shouldn’t have been jealous, and I just hope I didn’t hurt Sunset too badly.”
“She has been hurting a lot, lately, but I know it isn’t from you. A lot of the other students have been giving her a hard time.”
“Oh, is that about that rumor I heard about her?” Pinkie asked.
“While I want to say yes, I don’t know how many rumors there are, so which one?” Fluttershy said.
“The one about what she did to get money,” Pinkie answered, “Are there more of those mean rumors?”
“Yes, that one, and I don’t know. Sunset only told me about that rumor.”
“I heard one that she was changing back to her alpha bitch self,” Rainbow added, “What’s the one you two are talking about?”
“That’s probably because she yelled at Flash. The rumor we were talking about was that she, uh… sold herself for money,” Fluttershy explained, blushing.
“Sunset would never, though. She’d have to be extremely, extremely, extremely desperate to do that,” Pinkie exclaimed.
“Yeah, even I know she wouldn’t do something like that. Now, what happened with her and Flash?” Rainbow asked.
“Lightning Dust told her Flash started the rumor about her, and she got mad because she didn’t think he, of all people, would do that. She blew up at him, and apparently, he didn’t start it, so she blew up in front of an entire gym class just to look like she didn’t change.”
“Damn… And you said Lightning told her that?” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy nodded back.
“She probably told her that to get a laugh; she’s always been a bitch. Wait, she’s here now. We should go talk to her,” Rainbow said.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Fluttershy asked.
Rainbow was about to answer when Pinkie cut them off.
“Hey, guys, do you hear something?”
They all listened. There was a chant coming from outside, but due to the window, they couldn’t tell what they were saying. They all looked out the window and gasped at what they saw.
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The chanting they were hearing was from most of the soccer team. They were surrounding one of the trees in Rainbow's yard, a fairly large oak tree. But it wasn’t the tree the crowd was watching. It was Sunset, being held against the tree by two of the team members and being punched by Lightning Dust.



Sunset walked into the backyard. She wasn’t regretting coming, yet, but now she was alone with people from school who hadn’t been the nicest to her the past few days, and that was putting it mildly. She would just ignore them or make small talk if she really needed to and, of course, eat a slice of pizza or two. She looked around the backyard. There were a few trees here and there, and to her right, there was the small patio that held a table. On the table were the food items promised, as well as some chips and soda. She walked over and grabbed herself a slice of pizza, taking a bite. Unsurprisingly, the pizza was from Tony Pepperoni; he had arguably the best pizza in town. Anyone who was anyone went to him for pizza.
She was able to finish the first slice before the other people really noticed she was there. Instantly, Sunset felt eyes on her, though she tried to ignore it; she knew Fluttershy was there to help her if she really needed it. She decided to just get a drink and try to ignore the looks until either her friends got back or the people chose to ignore her. In the end though, fate had other plans for her.
“Oh, hey, I didn’t know Rainbow hired a stripper for this party.”
That was Lightning Dust. Sunset tensed up, wanting to say something, but if she egged them on, it would only get worse for her. She almost crushed her soda can but managed to not reply to Lighting.
“I don’t know, Lightning. I’m pretty sure strippers are better looking, even the ugly ones.” This came from one of Lightning’s two friends. Sunset knew they liked Lightning, but she was only using the two like she herself used Snips and Snails. His insult didn’t nearly have the same impact Lightning’s did, though it still hurt. She ignored it still.
“Maybe you’re right,” Lighting said from right behind Sunset. She grabbed a handful of Sunset’s leather jacket. “I doubt any stripper would wear something as bad-looking as this.”
This was where Sunset couldn’t stop herself. As soon as Lightning grabbed her jacket and finished her sentence, Sunset felt her self turn, and before she could blink, she was bringing her fist across Lightning’s face.
“Don’t touch me,” Sunset warned. She hoped that would have been enough for Lightning to just go away. Unfortunately, though, Lightning wouldn’t back down from just one punch. Just as soon as Lightning recovered from the punch, which was pretty fast, considering how hard Sunset punched her, she threw her own punch. It connected with Sunset’s lower jaw and made her fall on her butt. Lightning’s punch was way harder than anything Sunset could have expected.
“You think you can stand up to us normal people? You need to learn your place, you worthless piece of garbage.” She looked to her two lackeys. “Hold her against the tree.”
Sunset tried to get up, but the two guys were on her before she could try to escape. They pulled her up and held her up against the closest tree, facing Lightning. Before Sunset could ask what Lightning was planning, she received a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of her. She couldn’t even double over to react to it due to the two guys holding her. She didn’t even have time to do much else but jerk from the blow before she received more blows to her face.
The blows continued for what seemed like hours for Sunset. Whether it was to her face or her body, the blows kept coming, and Sunset was close to the point of passing out. She didn’t even know how bad she was; she just felt pain everywhere.
Eventually, for once since it started, the blows stopped coming. Curious, Sunset looked up, albeit weakly. She saw Lightning on the ground, apparently having been punched. She looked up a bit further to see that it was none other than Rainbow Dash who had punched Lightning. Sunset couldn’t help but smile.
“Alright, everyone, party’s over. Get the hell of my property now!” she screamed, and everyone started to disband from the crowd that was watching Sunset get beat to within an inch of her life. Rainbow then looked at the two still holding Sunset.
“Let her go and get out of here before I call the cops.” She looked down at Lightning. “That includes you, too. If I ever see you three bullying Sunset again, I will personally see to it that your life is a living nightmare, got it?”
“Got it...” Lightning replied with a growl, “Come on guys.”
The two guys dropped Sunset and quickly followed Lightning out of the yard. Sunset collapsed as soon as she was able to and curled up a bit. She was starting to drift out of consciousness by the time Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie had gone over to check on her, and anything they said drifted off with her.
> Forgiveness (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset woke up in a sea of clouds, the night sky above her filled with thousands of stars shining down on her. As far as she could tell, though, there was no moon.
Sunset rose to her hooves and--wait. Hooves? She looked down, and she did indeed possess hooves, as well as an equine body. Sunset was now a pony again, much to her distress. Her eyes widened as she stared at her hooves. The last time she was a pony, she was in a dream that quickly turned into a nightmare.
“Th-this must be a nightmare. Oh, no no no!” she exclaimed. She began to hyperventilate, waiting for something to happen to bring her deeper into the nightmare. Sadly, knowing she was in a dream did nothing to banish it.
“Relax, my little pony,” came a calm yet regal voice from behind her. Though the voice told her to relax, Sunset's eyes shrunk to pinpricks, and her muscles tightened. She slowly looked over her shoulder, shaking slightly in fear.
“P-Princess Celestia?” Behind her, landing gently upon the clouds, was a white alicorn with a sun cutie mark. She spun around and stared directly at Celestia. She couldn’t bear the thought of what Celestia was going to say.
“This is definitely a nightmare,” Sunset managed to get out. She was about to try to run, when Celestia spoke.
“Fortunately, Sunset, while this is in your consciousness, I am real, and this is not a nightmare. You have nothing to worry about.” Her voice was calm and motherly, relaxing Sunset ever so slightly, though Sunset titled her head in confusion.
“If that’s true… then how are you even talking to me? Aren’t we in different dimensions?”
Celestia giggled slightly, replying, “Ever so inquisitive, my former student. I am still in Canterlot, actually. This is your mind. I’m only… 'visiting', I guess, is the best word. I’m using dream magic.”
“Dream magic? Isn’t Princess Luna the only one that can use that? And can that magic even go between dimensions?” Sunset seemed to have forgotten her fear, her curiosity taking over as her main emotion.
“Luna and Twilight teamed up to help me see you. They’re currently working hard, making sure I can stay here. I don’t know how long we can talk, and I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to do this again, so let’s make the most of it.” She smiled as she ended the sentence. Sunset looked down with a frown, however.
“What would we talk about? About how much you still want me banished but are too nice to really hate me? About how much of an idiot I am for going against you and then thinking I can make something of my life?” Sunset started to tear up, gasping for air as she went on, “About how much I miss you and about how stupid I am to think I could live without friends?” She stopped a moment as a sob hit her, then continued, “Or is it about how I screwed up with living my own life and now have to mooch off friends in order to even stay alive?”
Sunset fell to her knees and sobbed, her own words hitting her hard. She was sobbing so hard she didn’t notice Celestia walking over and lying down next to her until her wing draped over Sunset’s body, almost like a blanket. This made Sunset look up to her, confused. “Why?”
“Sunset… This is my fault. If I had just told you why it was so important to make friends, then you never would have looked into the mirror and come here. Though, in a way, it was better that you came here, wouldn’t you say?”
“Well… I guess, in a way. I have friends and a place to live, but what about the bad things that have been happening. If I just listened to you, they never would have happened.”
Celestia sighed before responding, “Yes, I understand that, Sunset, and I’m truly sorry you had to go through all of that. When Discord told me you were… harming yourself… I knew I had to come talk to you myself.”
“But he didn’t tell you when I tried to… get away from it all?” Sunset winced as the bad memories came forward. Celestia looked away, ashamed of herself.
“Yes, he did, but I didn’t think it was best if I intervened at that time… I don’t know why; you needed someone more than ever, then. Instead, I waited. Discord told me Fluttershy was helping you, but it was only getting worse for you, and I still didn’t intervene. I’m so stupid.”
“You’re not the stupid one, Princess, I am. I’m the one that decided to do it in the first place. If I had just been stronger or less stupid, then none of this would have happened…”
“Now, now, none of that, Sunset. Yes, we’ve all made mistakes, and I’m sure we’ll make plenty more. We’re only ponies--er, humans, both--after all. We make mistakes so we learn. I’m just happy you survived to learn.” Celestia leaned down and nuzzled Sunset a bit.
“Princess… I honestly thought you hated me, didn’t want to see me ever again. I-I knew you would forgive me, but…”
“But you thought I would banish you and lock you in a dungeon far from Equestria?” Celestia finished, chuckling slightly. Sunset blinked and looked up at her former mentor with confusion.
“How did you know I was going to say that?”
“Lets just say that you and Twilight are more similar than you think.”
“Is that a good thing?” Sunset asked with a raised eyebrow and small smirk. Celestia brought a hoof up to her chin in thought for a brief moment.
“I guess it could be, though the two of you have different ways of dealing with problems,” Celestia said, smirking. Sunset sighed and looked off into the distance.
“Twilight probably has a simple solution to solving problems. I mean, she beat me so easily.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Sunset. I’m pretty sure you never casted a Want it/Need it spell.”
“Wait, Twilight casted one of those?” Sunset looked up, surprised. When she saw Celestia nod, her jaw dropped. “Why would she do something stupid like that? Doesn’t she know how dangerous it is?”
“Did you think about the consequences when you chose your actions?”
“Well… no, but… I see your point, Princess.
“It's alright, Sunset. I know you will do well, and I’m here if you need me. Just talk to Discord, and I can try to convince Luna and Twilight to help me again. Though, I feel I should ask: What are you going to do when you wake up?”
“Well, honestly, probably thank Rainbow for sav--” Sunset gasped as she realized what had happened right before she entered this dream.
“Sunset? What’s wrong?” Celestia asked, concerned by the sudden gasp and the cutoff in her sentence.
“I just remembered what happened before I got here.”
“What?”
“I was beat into unconsciousness by some kids from my school. I think Rainbow saved me, but I’m not sure.” Celestia gasped at the information.
“Sunset, I’m so sorry that happened to you, and I’m sorry you have to go back to that.”
“It’s alright. I can’t stay here forever, as much as I’d like to. Besides, if what I remember is right, then Rainbow saved me, so I have to thank her.”
“I wish there was something I could do, Sunset, but I can’t do anything more than visit you here.”
“That’s alright, Princess. I don’t think I can rely on you anymore, but that’s okay. I have friends here, and because of them, especially Fluttershy, I think I might be okay.”
“Are you sure, Sunset? You know it won’t end just like that. It’s going to be an everyday struggle.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” Sunset shook her head. “No, I know that if I get help, then I can make it through it.”
Celestia smiled down at Sunset. “I know you can do it, Sunset. I believe in you. If it gets too much, know that in a handful of moons, you can come and visit for a couple of days.”
“But I thought you said I wasn’t welcomed back in the castle after everything that’s happened.”
“Sunset, as of now, you are hereby acquitted of all crimes you may have committed in Equestria,” Celestia said with a smile.
“A-are you sure, Princess? All of them? But, I stole an Element of Harmony and was about to invade Equestria!”
“Sunset, you were different then. The Sunset I’m talking to now is not that Sunset. I believe in you, Sunset, and I’m sure countless others do, too.”
Sunset smiled. “Thank you, Princess.”
Celestia rose to her hooves. “Now, you shouldn’t keep your friends waiting. I’m sure they’re very worried about you. So I just have one think to ask of you.”
Sunset rose with Celestia, and looked at her with a tilt of her head. “Yes, Princess?”
“Please, wake up, Sunset.”



Sunset gasped as she woke up in Rainbow’s living room. She groaned as pain hit her, but she managed to look around. All she saw was a mass of pink and yellow suddenly hug her, making her let out a small yelp in surprise.
“Oh, Sunset, thank goodness you’re okay! We all were so worried!” Fluttershy exclaimed.
Sunset struggled to spit out the pink hair that kept getting in her mouth. “I’m glad, too, Fluttershy, but your hair and my mouth don’t mix.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Fluttershy let go of her and backed away. Rainbow and Pinkie were behind Fluttershy. They both looked equally concerned. Pinkie’s hair was even deflated slightly.
“Dashie, are you sure we shouldn’t have taken her to the hospital?” Pinkie asked.
“She didn’t break anything. There’s not a lot they could have done, and if we brought her to the hospital, they would have asked questions. Not to mention the bills that I doubt any of us want to pay or tell our parents we have to pay,” Rainbow replied. She looked at Pinkie and saw that that really wasn’t the answer Pinkie was hoping for. She sighed and put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “She’s alright, Pinkie. We patched her up best we could, and she’s still alive, right, Sunset?”
“I’ll live. Don’t worry, Pinkie. It probably looks worse than it is,” Sunset said with a reassuring smile. In truth, it did hurt, but she could get over it. She silently agreed that going to a hospital would bring more problems than it was worth.
“Hey, Sunset,” Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her head, “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened between us. It was stupid of me to treat you like that, so… sorry.”
“It’s alright, Rainbow. At this point, all I care about is that we’re on good terms and that you saved me. Who knows what Lightning would have done if you hadn’t intervened? So, I forgive you and hope we can stick to being friends.” Sunset extended her hand to Rainbow for a handshake. Instead, Rainbow leaned in and gave her a hug. “Great. Now that that’s all said and done, what should we do now? We have all of Friday and the weekend to do stuff.”
The three other girls looked at each other before turning back to Sunset. Fluttershy was the first to speak.
“Um, Sunset, you were out all of Friday. It’s Saturday.”
“What? Really? But it only felt like… Whatever. We can still hang out, though, right?”
Rainbow chuckled as she walked forward a bit. “Yeah, of course we can, but first, let’s get you something to eat. You must be starving.”
As if on cue, Sunset’s stomach growled. She chuckled slightly, replying, “I guess you’re right. As long as you buy, though.”
“What, I save your butt, and then I need to feed you, too?” They all giggled. “Fine, but your buying next time, then.”
> Epilogue (Edited)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset and Fluttershy walked into school Monday morning. They were talking, and it looked as if Sunset didn’t even get beat up. Her face looked a lot better, due both to natural healing and the added help of makeup.
“So your Celestia actually was able to visit you?” Fluttershy asked as they walked to her locker.
“Yeah. Apparently, with the help of Princess Luna and Twilight, she was able to cross dimensions to get into my dream.”
“I don’t know, Sunset. That sounds kind of far-fetched. You were beaten into unconsciousness. Are you sure it wasn’t a dream?” Fluttershy asked as she placed her books in her locker.
“I mean… It could have been, but I believe it was real. Either way, it helped a bit,” Sunset said, smiling.
“I’m glad, Sunset,” Fluttershy said, closing her locker. She looked down to her purse as she felt her phone vibrate. She brought it up to look at who texted her. “Oh, that’s great. Mom just texted me that she has a list of doctors to look at.”
“Don’t say that too loudly, Fluttershy. I don’t want to give people more reasons to judge me or more ways to gossip about me,” Sunset said, looking down as they walked.
“It’s not that bad, Sunset. A lot of people see those kinds of doctors now, and like I said, I’ll go with you if you want,” Fluttershy said, putting a hand on Sunset’s shoulder.
Sunset smiled at Fluttershy. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”
“Don’t think about it; it’ll only bring you down.”
The two approached Sunset’s locker and she began to unpack her stuff. Sunset said, “Agreed. Say, how’s the whole band thing going. You guys have only been practicing a couple of days, after all.”
“Oh, it’s going very well, actually. We’ve been practicing a few songs, and well, you know I’ve been writing some myself.”
“Yeah. Have you told the others about them yet?”
“No, but when the times comes, I will.”
“Hey, guys!” came a voice from down the hall. The two girls looked over to see Rainbow jogging down the hallways with a smile on her face. She slid to a stop in front of them. “You guys won't believe what's happening!” she exclaimed.
“What?”
“The school is having a musical showcase!”
“Really?” Fluttershy asked with a big smile on her face.
“That sounds awesome,” Sunset added.
“Yeah. They’re starting to make posters in the gym right now. I figured we should probably make a poster or two for the Rainbooms,” Rainbow explained.
“That sounds like a good idea. Do you know how many bands are going to be in it?” Sunset asked.
“Not yet, but anyway, come on. We need to get the others and get a spot before it’s too late,” Rainbow said hurriedly.
“How about I go ahead and get us a spot and maybe start on it while you two get the girls?” Sunset suggested.
Rainbow and Fluttershy gave each other a look before looking back at Sunset. “Are you sure, Sunset?” Fluttershy asked.
“Absolutely. I’ll be fine,” Sunset said, waving off their concerns with her hand and starting to the gym, “Just be sure to get there as soon as you can.”
With a shrug, Rainbow and Fluttershy both went to look for the other girls.



“Did you make sure to give the papers and everything else we needed to transfer here?” Adagio asked Aria.
Aria scoffed before answering, “Of course I did." She gestured towards Sonata. "She’s the stupid one, not me. Besides, it was easy after singing to the secretary.”
“Well, it doesn’t hurt to double-check. Now, come on.” With that, they started off towards Canterlot High, evil grins on their faces.



Discord appeared behind Princess Celestia’s throne, trying to be quiet enough to give her a nice surprise. He crept up behind it, inching closer and closer, getting ready for the perfect moment to--
“How is she doing, Discord?” came a voice from behind him. He jerked in surprise slightly before turning around.
“You don’t let me have any fun, do you?”
“Not while you’re on the clock, no,” Celestia said with a smile as she walked past him.
“Hmph. Well, she’s on the right track. She is going to start seeing some doctors, and with Fluttershy’s help, I’m sure she’ll be fine, albeit with a struggle or two here and there,” Discord said, hovering next to her.
“That’s good, at least. I want you to keep an eye on her. I can't bear the thought of something bad happening to her. She’s already been through so much. Is there anything else?” Celestia sat on her throne.
“Yes, some bad news, actually. The Sirens are already moving in. They were about a block away when I teleported back here.”
Celestia’s eyes widened slightly. “That was very fast. Hmm… We’ll have to act fast, then. Discord, you’ll have to watch from a distance. They can’t know you’re there.”
“Yes, yes, I get it, Sun-Butt, but do you think she’s ready for them? We didn’t expect them to come for at least another week.”
“I believe in her. She’ll be able to defeat them in the end. I just hope she comes out better for it.”
“I’m sure she will. She may be recovering, but she’s not an idiot.”
“No, you’re right. She’ll do fine. Just keep an eye on her, though, just in case.”
“I will. Now, has the book been sent yet?”
“Yes. It should be arriving soon, a day at most. Twilight will have it before it’s needed, I’m sure.”
“Oh, that reminds me. Did she drink the potion?”
Celestia sighed, “Yes, but she tried to give it to her friends, too, so we had to come up with this whole story about how it was poison. We cleared it up, though.”
“You probably should have expected that, knowing her.”
“Yes, I should have, but it worked out in the end.”
Discord hovered away a bit, “Let’s hope it does. Now, I should go make sure everything goes according to plan in the other world. Ta ta.”
With that, Discord teleported away, leaving Celestia alone in her throne room.