A series of oneshots that take place after the events of "Bitter Tears."
"Bitter Tears" ended on a bittersweet note, with Sunset determined to heal and move on from the Anon-A-Miss incident, and her friendships with the Mane 5 as strained as ever.
This technical sequel is a series of oneshots, in no particular order, that shows the different P.O.Vs of the characters who were affected by the events in the previous fic - from Sunset to CMC, and even the Dazzlings, and how they're adjusting to their now-human life after their defeat.
Sunset gazed down at her orange skirt in annoyance. It was Saturday morning, and she was still in her pajamas, pulling out her clothes so she could get dressed and go out for the day. Apparently, her skirt had gotten caught on something without her realizing it, or it had a mind of its own and was purposefully trying to spite her, because there was a huge vertical rip in the front near the purple and yellow stripes, from the brim all the way up to the waistband. There was no way she'd be able to wear it again.
"Is something wrong, dear?"
Sunset looked up to see Mrs. Shy in the doorway, concerned filling her eyes.
Sunset blushed and turned away - she usually tried to avoid cursing in front of Fluttershy's parents. "Oh! It's nothing....my skirt's ripped..."
"Oh dear." Mrs. Shy, her hand touching her cheek. "Well...I'm sure Fluttershy won't mind you borrowing something of hers for today."
"Um, thanks."Sunset said, averting her eyes. "But I'm sure I can find something else to wear."
Mrs. Shy smiled gently, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Alright, Sunset. Let me know if you need anything." And she disappeared down the hall.
Sunset sighed, them flopped down on her bed. Why did Fluttershy's parents have to be so nice? She'd been staying with them for over three months and she didn't once hear them complain or question why she was there.
Sunset smirked. Not hard to see where Fluttershy gets it.
She felt no need to complain though...she had a roof over her head and a bed to sleep in. It was certainly better than staying at a homeless shelter, or sleeping on a bed of books in the school library. (She was actually surprised she had been able to get away with that. Seriously, did Canterlot High School not have any security at all?)
Returning her mind to the matter at hand, she lifted up the ratty piece of cloth that was her signature skirt. Honestly, she was surprised it hadn't given out before now. And as she felt of the fabric, she realized that it was so old and worn that it would probably tear further if she tried to sew it. Not that it mattered, since she didn't know how to sew, anyway.
She supposed she could ask Fluttershy.....but things were still pretty awkward between them. Besides, Fluttershy's fashion sense was.....well, it wasn't hers.
Groaning loudly, she fell back against the bed and covered her eyes with her arms. Why in the seven layers of Tartarus did she never buy a spare outfit? Now she had absolutely nothing to wear.
Guess I'm staying in today....and for the rest of my life, Sunset thought bitterly. Consequently, she didn't feel like parading around in public showing off her panties to strangers.
Wait, said a voice in her head. Don't you have a spare outfit?
Sunset mentally groaned. Great, the voice was back. Uh, pretty sure I don't.
Yes you do, the voice insisted. It's still in the box, under the bed.
Sunset uncovered her eyes and sat up, furrowing her brow. That's right; she did have another outfit....the one Rarity made herself. It had been a Christmas present.....one she had gotten just as she was about to leave the human world for good, after her friends had ditched her.
At the time she had dismissed it as a guilt offering on their part, and had shoved it away where she didn't have to look at it. Now, though?
She sat there for ten whole minutes, mentally debating with herself. Finally, she straightened and made a decision.
You know what? Screw it. It's a perfectly good outfit. There's no reason for it to just sit there collecting dust.
With resolve, Sunset knelt down on the floor and pulled out the box.
"Good morning, Sunset. What can I get you?"
"The usual, Mrs. Cake."
As Mrs. Cake went to the coffee machine, Sunset examined her new jacket, tracing her fingers over the leather. She'd have to ask Rarity where she got the material...
"Sunset?"
Well, speak of the devil.
Sunset turned to find Rarity standing behind her, her eyes wide with shock.
Sunset gave a nervous smirk and waved. "Hey."
Rarity blinked several times before slowly pointing at Sunset. "You're....wearing the outfit I made."
Sunset blushed and rubbed her arm nervously. "Well, yeah. I mean....my old one was kinda ratty, and....it is a pretty good outfit. I just didn't see why-"
Sunset felt all the breath go out of her lungs as Rarity's arms wrapped around her neck. She felt Rarity trembling.
Sunset tried to look anywhere else. "Come on, Rarity. It's just an outfit."
But it wasn't. And they both knew it.
"Here you are, dearie." Mrs. Cake said, placing Sunset's coffee and blueberry muffins on the counter. She looked up and furrowed her brows in concern. "Oh. Is something wrong?"
Rarity quickly let go of Sunset and wiped her eyes. "No ma'am. Nothing at all."
Mrs. Cake looked from Sunset to Rarity, then back to Sunset. "Um...that'll be $5.95."
Sunset stood there a moment, then walked up to the counter, gave Mrs. Cake her money, then grabbed the cup and paper bag.
"Have a nice day!" Mrs. Cake chirped, smiling.
Sunset nodded, then turned to Rarity.
"Umm....see you later, I guess."
"Yes." Rarity said, nodding awkwardly.
And with that, she walked through the door and left Sugarcube Corner.
She walked until she came upon a bench. As she sat down and munched her breakfast, she realized that she felt....significantly lighter.
"I'm glad to hear that, Miss Dash. Alright, how about we start off with a little progress report? How have things been going since our last session?"
"Uhhh....good, I guess. I'm still doing the breathing exercises, and....I'm still working on being more open and....you know...trying to step back a bit....It's....it's hard."
"That's okay. Old habits are hard to break. The important thing is, you're trying."
"Yeah. Uhh...Sunset's.....well, she's still not talking to us. I mean, she'll say 'hi' in the hallway and stuff, but.....for the most part she doesn't really hang out with us anymore.....Is it...wrong to say I'm a little...relieved?"
"I can't speak for your emotions, Rainbow. You feel what you feel. But to answer your question...I think if, after months of tension and awkward interaction with a friend that I knew was mad at me, I can't say that I wouldn't feel a bit of relief when said friend finally told me how they were feeling and stopped interacting with me. I would feel sad, of course, but also relief that I no longer had to deal with that tension."
"...I guess. I wonder if Sunset feels the same way..."
"It is possible."
"Heh. Of course, you would know, wouldn't you, Doc?"
"It may have come up."
......
"Rainbow, how about today...we talk about Scootaloo?"
".....What about her?"
"Tell me about her. Your relationship with her."
"She's...she's like my little sister......she was."
"When did you first meet?"
"Aw geez, it was a while ago....I think, it was about, I don't know, four years ago? I was on the junior team and Scoots was, like, 8? 9? Anyway, I was practicing for the next game when I saw these jerks picking on her. Calling her 'Chicken Legs' and pushing her around."
"And you felt the need to intervene?"
"Well yeah. I mean, the way they were treating her, it wasn't cool, ya know? And besides that, it was three against one. It was totally not fair! She couldn't even fight back!"
"So you decided to intervene, even the odds a little."
"Yeah! So I walked up to 'em, and I was like 'Hey! Leave her alone!', and they just laughed at me, so I whipped out my soccer ball and showed them what happens when you mess with the Dash! They never even saw it coming! My skills were awesome! Better than awesome! It was awesomeness times infinity! It was.....sorry I'm.....I'm doing it again, aren't I?"
"That's alright Miss Dash. I think, in this instance, you have every right to be proud of yourself. You defended an innocent young girl from a group of bullies.....although I do wish you had chosen a less....abrasive method in doing so."
".......Yeah. Anyway, they ran off and Scoots ran up to me and said I was awesome and cool and she thanked me about a zillion times. After that, she started following me around. It was kinda annoying, to be honest, but....after a while, she kinda grew on me. She kinda reminded me of me when I was her age. We've been tight ever since."
"And then Anon-A-Miss happened."
"....Yeah."
"I notice that out of you, Applejack, and Rarity, you seem to be the most upset. At Scootaloo in particular. Can you tell me why?"
"......Remember when I told you about how upset I was, when I thought it was Sunset?"
"Yes."
"It's kinda the same here. It's not the secrets themselves...well, okay, I was upset about that, but....what really got me was the captions. When...Anon-A-Miss posted that thing about my science report....they....they said...."
"Take your time."
"They said that.....I had better hope to get a soccer scholarship because....cuz...sob....a stupid dumbass jock like me sure isn't good for anything else!"
"Take deep breaths, Rainbow. Let it all out."
"Sigh. That's...that's what really hurt, ya know? I'm like.....Is this really what you think of me? Just some...dumb jock who's only good for kicking a ball around?! And....and if she thinks that....if Scoots really thinks that...then...."
"It's possible that everyone else thinks it, too?"
"....Yeah."
"....Rainbow....have you actually told Scootaloo this?"
"No. I haven't really spoken to her since that day in the hospital. I'm....I'm not even really mad at her anymore. It just.....it just hurts to be around her, ya know."
"And because you feel it would be hypocritical to give her a chance when you wouldn't give Sunset the same chance?"
"Well...yeah. But, if I'm to be honest....it's cuz I don't wanna be around her....."
"Rainbow....I know you probably don't want to hear this. But-"
"You're gonna ask me to forgive her, aren't you?"
"No. Only you can decide that. I do think that, if there is any real chance at putting this behind you, you need to be honest with Scootaloo about how hurt you were by her actions, and how you're still hurting now. I think you've seen firsthand what happens when you allow these feelings to fester."
"Yeah. I think part of me knows that....."
"You have every right to be angry at her, Rainbow. You even have the right not to forgive her, if that is your choice. But let me ask you this; after all the good times you've had with Scootaloo, after how close you two were....do you really want those memories to be tainted by this one incident?"
"....No. I still have really good memories of Scoots, and.....even though she hurt me, she's still a good kid. I....I don't wanna hate her.....Okay. I'll talk to her."
"Good. That's all the time we have for today. I wish you the best."
"Thanks Doc."
"And remember, Rainbow. I'm just a phonecall away if you need to talk."
Pinkie Pie sighed deeply and she speared another chunk of meat on her fork and held it to Gummy's mouth. The crossed eyed baby alligator sniffed the morsel in front of him, then opened his mouth as wide as he could so his owner could push it into his mouth. Having no teeth, Gummy needed assistance with eating, which involved pushing his food all the way back to his throat so he could swallow it. Gummy tipped his head back, allowing the meat to go down his throat, and then lowered it again. He blinked slowly, showing his appreciation.
Pinkie smiled, a strangely sad-looking smile for the usually chipper teen, and she reached with her fork for more meat.
Anyone who looked at Pinkie would think the poor girl was sick; her normally bright blue eyes were now very dull and morose, she had a bit of a pallor to her pink skin - it was almost gray looking. And her signature poofy hairdo was now limp and hanging in her face, as if it had been doused in water.
Of course, considering what the girl had been through these past few months, it wasn't hard to understand why she looked the way she did.
"I thought you had work today."
Pinkie turned to the source of the familiar monotone to see Maud standing in the kitchen doorway, her pet rock Boulder held delicately in her hand.
She turned back to Gummy, who was licking the fork. "We're not busy today, so the Cakes gave me the day off."
She placed the fork on the now empty plate and walked towards the sink. Gummy, seeing that lunch was over, hopped off the kitchen table and wandered off.
Maud walked into the kitchen next to her sister, placing Boulder next to the sink. "I wrote a new poem today. Do you want to hear it?"
"Sure, Maud." Pinkie said absentmindedly as she filled the sink with water.
Maud stood up straight and recited, clearly and boldly,
"Oh rock, You are a rock. Round and smooth I love you, rock."
She turned to Pinkie. "What do you think?"
"That's great Maud." Pinkie replied, smiling, as she washed the dishes. Her sister always had a great way with words.
Maud blinked slowly, then looked at the sink, then back at Pinkie. She asked, "Why did you put Boulder in the sink?"
"I WHAT?!" Pinkie shouted, her eyes becoming as round as dinner plates. She frantically searched the bottom of the sink, splashing soap and water, feeling around until she discovered that, indeed, Maud's pet rock was sitting in the center of the bottom.
"OhmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmyGOSH!!!" Pinkie plucked Boulder up and grabbed the nearest towel. She rubbed as quickly and as gently as she could until the rock was dry once more. She stroked the rock in apology. "I'm so SO sorry, Boulder."
Pinkie held Boulder out to Maud, her head bowed in shame. "Sorry sis."
Maud took Boulder from Pinkie, her stoic expression never changing. "He needed a bath, anyway."
Pinkie slumped, then sat down at the kitchen table, face in her hands. Maud distinctly heard her mutter, "....just one more thing I've messed up...."
Maud regarded her little sister, then sat down next to her, gently placing Boulder on the table. "You're still upset about the way you treated Sunset."
It was a statement, not a question. Pinkie nodded glumly, her frown deepening to comical proportions.
"You made a mistake, Pinkie. Beating yourself up's not going to fix it."
"I didn't make a mistake, Maud." Pinkie deadpanned bitterly. "A mistake is when you put chocolate sprinkles on a costumer's cupcakes instead of rainbow ones like they asked for. What I did was not a mistake. It was a super-colossal-Kamehameha-atomic-blast-of-Pinkie-is-the-worst-friend-in-the-history-of-worst-friendom FAUX PAS!"
Pinkie took a deep breath, her rant having deprived her of oxygen, then slumped over the table, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Maud blinked, then said, "Pinkie, I want you to listen to me. And I want you to listen carefully."
Pinkie sat up, wiping her eyes, and looked at Maud. Maud leaned in.....and continued to lean in until her forehead was almost touching Pinkie's.
"Shit happens."
Pinkie let out a gasp at her sister's use of profanity, which was immediately stifled by Maud covering Pinkie's mouth with her hand.
"Shit. Happens. Accidents happen. Things don't go according to plan. People make mistakes. Sometimes we have bad days and we lash out at other people. It's not fair. It's not right. It's downright disgusting. But it's a part of life, and we have to deal with it. And sometimes, when the shit hits the fan, the only option you have is to let it splatter all over you."
Maud ignored Pinkie's muffled, "Ewwwww....."
"And when that happens, you have two options; you can wallow around in it, or you can get up, wash it off, and move on."
Maud removed her hand from Pinkie's mouth and leaned back to her original position. "You guys hurt Sunset. It was wrong. But feeling sorry for yourself's not going to change things. If you want Sunset to forgive you, you need to learn to forgive yourself."
Pinkie bit her lower lip, considering her sister's words, then asked timidly, "But what if she never forgives me?"
Maud gave a small shrug. "If she doesn't, she doesn't. The important thing is that you learn from this. You and your friends are going to butt heads. But you shouldn't let your emotions get the better of you. Talk to your friends, have faith in them, and make sure something like this never happens again."
Maud crossed her arms. "So what are you going to do, Pinkie? Wallow around, or try to wash it off? Because most people don't want to hang around someone who wallows in shit all day. Those people are gross."
As Pinkie listened to Maud's words, her eyes began to brighten. Her face regained a little color, and even her hair began to look significantly poofier.
She let out a snort of laughter, which turned into a fit of giggles. "You're a real crack-up, Maud!"
Pinkie smiled, a real, genuine smile, the first in a long, long time, and embraced her sister in a tight hug.
"Thanks, sis. You're the best."
Maud's expression did not change as she monotoned, "Yes. Yes I am."
Adagio Dazzle leaned into the bench, her arms draped across the top, as she quietly and casually observed her surroundings.
The mall was busy, as was expected on a Saturday around midday, making it the perfect setting for their latest "fishing" expedition.
Looking to her left, she saw that Aria had already gotten a bite; she was casually leaning over the counter-top of the ice-cream kiosk, flirting heavily with the guy standing next to her, much to the chagrin of the woman standing next to him, as well as the man behind the counter.
Turning her head slightly, she heard the distinct sound of Sonata's cooing, "Oh Binky, you don't need to get me anything!", which was immediately followed by, "If you turn right and head straight, you'll be at Le Mode. Ask for Coco, she'll help you out."
Adagio smirked. Sonata had found that guy a week ago, and it seems she was still milking him for all he was worth.
Adagio, on the other hand, liked fresh meat, and she preferred to let her prey come to her. She may not have had her magic anymore, but she was still a siren.
One would think that after their defeat at the Battle of the Bands, the Dazzlings would've hit rock bottom, right? Not necessarily. While the first few weeks afterward were difficult, they had managed to adjust and eventually settled into a routine, just as they had when they first came to this world.
Speaking of which..."Uh, hey."
Bingo.
She turned and gave a casual smile. "Hey."
The boy was a stuttering mess, she guessed around 15, while his friends were watching in the background with baited breath.
"Um, so, my name's Red, Red Blazer, and um, I know this is really awkward and we just met, but - shut up!" He turned and shouted at his friends who were snickering like idiots. "I was wondering, maybe, possibly, if you'd like to, I don't know, get some coffee or, or something - I mean it's totally fine if you don't, I just-"
The boy's breath was stolen as the beautiful girl stood up and was suddenly very close to him.
"I'd love to." Adagio said softly, making sure to bat her eyes for good measure. She pulled out a scrap of paper and slipped it into the boy's sweaty hand. "My name's Adagio, by the way. Adagio Dazzle."
The boy's face was bright red as he stammered, "Really?! Great! Uh, I mean....cool." He smirked as he tried to pass off a "cool guy" demeanor, one she'd seen countless times before. Humans were so predictable.
Adagio stood there, hands on her hips, as she watched the boy walk off, his friends slapping him on the back in congratulations. As she sat back down on the bench, pleased at her latest catch, she began to quietly sing to herself:
Whoa, whoa, You didn't know that you fell Oh whoa, whoa Now that you're under my....
She slowly trailed off as she sensed someone standing behind her. She turned and smirked when she saw who it was.
Sunset Shimmer stood there, an unreadable expression on her face.
"Well. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Adagio stood up once more and turned to face Sunset, her hands on her hips. "Heard you tried to go through the looking glass. Find any rabbits?"
Sunset gave no response. Adagio frowned.
"Yeah, that was pretty lame. Never mind." She leaned against the back of the bench and pointed to Sunset. "Nice outfit, by the way. It suits you better."
Still no response. After a while, Adagio began to nervously rub her hands on her jeans. "Okay, normally I don't mind people gawking at me, but this is getting weird..."
"I thought the blast made you tone-deaf."
Relieved to finally get a response from her rival, Adagio simply shook her head. "Nope. Just deaf-deaf." At Sunset's confused look, she elaborated. "When you hit us with your magic, you damaged our hearing as well as destroyed our amulets. Took about a week for it to wear off. A pain in the ass, but there you go. Speaking of pains....."
Sunset took a step back as Adagio closed in and ran her fingers across Sunset's forehead. "Seriously? You headbutt a mirror and not a single scar?! How is that fair?" Adagio pursed her lips into a pout. She raised her hands in surrender when Sunset pushed her hands away. "Touchy!"
She returned to leaning against the bench and started examining her nails. "So how are the Rainbooms doing? You kiss and make up yet, or are you gonna let them sweat a little longer over how they callously betrayed you and abandoned you in your hour of need?"
Adagio didn't need to look up to see that this comment affected Sunset. Suddenly they both heard loud shouting and turned to see two boys fighting. A crowd was starting to form, but they could distinctly see Sonata at the front, shouting, "Stop! Stop fighting!" Adagio knew her sister well enough to know there was a smirk on her face.
"Heh. Only ten minutes, and they're already brawling. That's got to be a new record." Adagio turned to Sunset, then frowned at Sunset's expression. "What?"
".....Are you three going to be trouble?"
"Trouble? Moi?" Adagio gasped in fake offense. "Why Sunset, you wound me!" She grasped her chest dramatically before turning serious. "Seriously though. Did you really think you're little 'friendship beam' would make everything sunshine and lollipops with us? We're sirens, sweetie. Trouble is our bread and butter. Or are the two morons getting dragged out by security not enough evidence for you?
"Of course, if you're talking 'world-domination' trouble....eh. Maybe. Eventually. If we find another magic source." She shrugged and folded her arms. "Honestly though, we're not feeling too inclined to look very hard. Only an idiot tries something three times and expects different results."
"Hey Dagi! I got you a smoo...thie......." Sonata merrily skipped up to her sister with an orange beverage, but faltered slightly when she saw Sunset. Aria soon joined them, glaring suspiciously at Sunset.
"Thanks, Sony." Adagio said, taking the smoothie. "Well, this has been fun, but I think you have somewhere to be, right?"
Sunset seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in as she stuttered, "Y-Yeah. I'm - I'm late for work."
And with that, she walked swiftly passed the three. Adagio stirred her drink with her straw as she called out, "You should hang with us, sometime. Maybe we could sing a quartet."
Sunset faltered slightly, but continued walking.
Aria turned to her sister, hands on her hips. "Okay, so want to explain why you're having small talk with the bitch that took our magic away?"
Adagio shrugged. "What can I say? She's the most interesting human we've met so far."
Sonata's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But....she's not human."
"Exactly." Adagio smirked, and took a sip of her smoothie.
"So, you and Rainbow Dash doing okay?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Scootaloo sighed. "Not really. But at least she's speaking to me again."
Apple Bloom just stayed silent, walking slightly behind her friends. The girls' parents had decided to give them a "probationary period" once their grounding was over, as the girls had taken their punishment without complaint and had exhibited model behavior ever since. Scootaloo was allowed to use the family computer, but only for an hour and only with permission. Her activities would also be monitored to see she wasn't getting on any inappropriate sites. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were allowed to have their phones back, but they were only allowed to call and text, so no extra apps, and especially no Internet.
Lastly, the girls were allowed to go out in public without a chaperone, but they had to stay together at all times, and they had to call in every 30 minutes on the dot to let their families know where they were. In Scootaloo's case she had to have Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle call for her, as her phone was currently in pieces in the town dump.
Failure to comply with these rules would result in their privileges being revoked. Needless to say, none of the girls felt the urge to go behind their parents' backs.
Today the girls were at the mall, just browsing. Somehow the topic of conversation had landed on their sisters.
"Can't really say I blame her, though." Scootaloo continued. "I hurt her pretty badly. I guess....I guess I never realized she was a person, ya know? That she had feelings like everyone else."
"I think we all messed up in that department." Sweetie Belle commented sadly.
Again, Apple Bloom stayed silent, her eyes wandering around the various shops and people. She stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted a familiar face.
Scootaloo and Sweetie noticed their friend had stopped, and followed her line of sight.
Sunset Shimmer was behind the counter of the pretzel stand, wearing an apron and hat and smiling warmly at customers.
"Is....that Sunset?" Scootaloo asked, surprised.
"Yeah." Sweetie Belle nodded, looking only slightly less surprised. "I heard Rarity talking to Fluttershy about Sunset getting a job at the mall. Something about paying Fluttershy's parents back."
Apple Bloom stared at the ground, biting her lip. Then, after a minute she made a decision. Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath, and walked forward. Scootaloo and Sweetie looked at each other, confused at Apple Bloom's action, but none-the-less followed her.
"Thank you. Come again." Sunset called, waving to two departing customers. When she saw the girls approaching, she flinched slightly, but managed to school her features back into a smile. "Hi. What can I get you three?"
"Sunset, we need to talk to you." Apple Bloom. Sunset raised an eyebrow and looked to the other two. Realizing Apple Bloom's intentions, they nodded in agreement.
Still smiling, Sunset said casually, "Well. I'm afraid I'm kind of busy right now, so unless you three want pretzels-"
"Sunset. Please."
Sunset paused, her smile fading, as she looked into Apple Bloom's pleading eyes. Sighing deeply, she unfastened her apron and turned to another girl behind the counter. "I'm taking my break, ok Blue?"
"Don't take too long." the girl replied, not even looking up from the register.
Slipping off her hat and apron, she walked around the counter and stepped into a room next to the stand. After a minute, she came out, wearing her jacket. She nodded her head to the side, indicating to the girls to follow her, which they did.
After walking for a while, the girls found themselves in a parking lot, devoid of people save for them. They realized that it must have been the employee parking lot, as it was smaller than the regular lot, and it was next to the wooded area behind the mall.
Sunset sighed, then turned to face them, folding her arms. "So? Talk."
Apple Bloom stepped forward, looking directly into Sunset's face. "Sunset, Ah wanna say Ah'm sorry. For everything. We all are. Ah know it don't change what we did, but ya still deserve ta hear it."
"It was a crappy thing to do. We were jerks." Scootaloo added, looking at the ground.
"But most of all, we're sorry for not apologizing sooner." Sweetie Belle concluded.
Sunset said nothing. She stared at them, these three girls who were the cause of two months of pain and heartache. She contemplated what to say, weighing the words in her head. Finally, she spoke, softly but firmly.
"I was horrible to you. To the other students, especially your sisters. I broke up their friendship, I lied, I cheated, I bullied, I even tried to murder them in cold blood. 'Bitch' doesn't even begin to describe me. Heck, I think 'she-demon' is too nice.
"So yeah, I get it. You thought I got off too easy. I thought I got off too easy. So I don't blame you for wanting revenge for all the crap I put you through."
Sunset narrowed her eyes as her voice became more stern. "Here's the thing, though. You didn't just go after me. You went after my friends. Your own flesh and blood. Rainbow Dash may as well be with you, Scootaloo. You posted things that you knew would hurt them." Her gaze shifted to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "Things that were personal and meant to be private." Then to Apple Bloom. "Things they trusted you to keep in confidence.
"But that wasn't enough for you." Sunset said, her voice growing slightly. "You then went after the entire school. There were students crying in the bathroom, students who stayed home because they were too embarrassed to show their faces. I know, because they made sure to tell me while I was being screamed at! And yes, I know that those secrets came from other students," Sunset interjected as Apple Bloom tried to interrupt. "But it doesn't change the fact that you could've stopped it. And you didn't."
Sunset sighed, then glared at them, staring right through to their very souls. "What on Earth, could I have possibly done, that was so horrible, you had to drag your own sisters through the mud just to get back at me?"
The girls looked painfully at each other, before Apple Bloom closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth....
On the other side of the mall, patrons were shopping, talking, going about their business as usual. When suddenly.....
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
The mall became quiet as the patrons looked about in bewilderment for the source of the voice. Then, slowly, they all shrugged and went back the their business.
One tomboyish looking teen with blue hair smirked and nudged her friend, "Looks like they forgot to clean the bathrooms again, huh Zest?" However, based on the green-haired girl's rigorous head-bobbing to the music blasting from her headphones, she had obviously not heard what she'd said. The blue-haired hair simply rolled her eyes and muttered, "Never mind."
Sunset stared at the three girls in front of her, blinking rapidly, completely dumbfounded. This had to be a joke. It just had to be.
"A slumber party." she muttered. She looked from one girl to the other, who all looked like they had just swallowed an entire carton of spoiled milk. "A slumber. Party."
She said it several times. She used different inflections. And no matter how she said it, how many times she said it, it still made no sense.
The girls stayed silent. There was nothing they could say. Sunset's expression said it all.
"I - I just - I don't - WHAT?!"
"In hindsight, our reasoning was....very flawed." Sweetie Belle said awkwardly, rubbing her arm.
"YA THINK?!" Sunset screamed. She groaned in exasperation, running her hands through her hair, taking deep calming breaths. Then, she gave out a laugh and smiled at them.....the same smile they had gotten from Princess Twilight when she had chewed them out.
"Okay....I am just going to assume you three all sustained brain damage when you came up with this half-assed scheme. Because that is the only justifiable reason I can think of for all three of you to completely forget about the Christmas party!"
The girls furrowed their brow in confusion. "Christmas party?"
"You know! The Apple family Christmas party? The one the Apples throw every single year, and would only call it off during the apocalypse? The one that all of my friends were going to, including your sisters? The one with all those fun activities, like apple-bobbing and building snowmen, something I know for a fact Applejack and Rainbow Dash love to do? The one you three were still invited to after all the shit you caused?!"
It began to sink in just what she was implying, and the girls felt worse than they had after the break.
Sunset folded her arms, her grimace-smirk still on her face. "So just to recap. Instead of being patient, and waiting til the end of the week to hang out with your sisters at the party, you decided to throw a temper tantrum because your sisters told you, 'no'. And since you didn't get your way, since you each missed out on one slumber party, you decided to take it out on me and your sisters. Hell, you don't even have that excuse!" she pointed to Scootaloo. "You just went along with it because!"
Scootaloo didn't even bother to say anything. She wasn't wrong.
Sunset wiped her hand across her face, taking her grin with it. "This has got to be, the most petty, stupidest thing I've ever heard of. And coming from someone who's done her fair share of petty and stupid things, that's saying a lot!"
Letting out a deep sigh, Sunset pinched the bridge of her nose, willing herself to calm down. "I would've at least understood if this was about revenge. I'd still be pissed, but at least it would've made sense!"
"If it's any consolation," Apple Bloom spoke, looking at the ground. "We weren't exactly let off easy."
Sunset said nothing. She knew that the three were bullied in retaliation for Anon-A-Miss. Even now, the majority of the student body wanted nothing to do with them.
But though she sympathized with them and their situation, she couldn't bring herself to forgive them. Not yet, and especially not now.
"I gotta get back to work." she said quietly. Before she walked away, she felt compelled to say something. "Listen, I'm sure you've already heard this countless times already but, don't do this shit anymore. You have a problem with me, you say it to my face, okay?"
And with that, she turned and walked back inside.
Apple Bloom stared at the door for a minute, then pulled out her phone. The time said 3:29.
As she scrolled for her brother's number, Sweetie Belle got her own phone out and called her mom. "Hey Mama, it's me. Just calling to let you know we're still at the mall. I'll be home soon okay?"
Hanging up, she searched for Scootaloo's dad's number while Apple Bloom left a message for Big Mac.
Trixie stared dully into the bathroom mirror. Normally she would be preening and primping herself while telling herself how great and powerful she was. But lately, she wasn't feeling so great and powerful. She felt....she didn't know what she felt.
After Trixie's heartfelt apology to Sunset Shimmer a week ago, she had been doing a lot of thinking about the former bully. She, like everyone else at Canterlot High, had not believed for a second that Shimmer had truly changed after the Fall Formal. She recalled the feeling of smug vindication as she watched the girl wilt under the hateful glares of their peers. How good it felt to know that the she-demon was being put in her place, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Even after the Battle of the Bands, Trixie remained unconvinced she had changed. When Anon-A-Miss showed up, she wasn't at all surprised when Shimmer was made the prime suspect. A leopard never truly changed their spots.
But then she learned the truth. She had learned that Shimmer had been framed, and she had felt.....what? Guilty? Yes, that was the word. She wanted to dispel the unwanted feeling by apologizing, even preparing to grovel if she had to. She had been completely shocked when Shimmer had just accepted her apology just like that. The Sunset Shimmer she knew would've made her beg for forgiveness, for some kind of favor to make it up to her......and then she remembered to the dull, lifeless monotone in Sunset's voice as she had told Trixie to leave her alone.
Trixie felt a sense of unease as she recalled an incident during gym class three days ago....
As soon as Sunset walked into the locker room, everyone went silent. This had been going on since school started back up, no one daring to say anything to or about her.
She placed her bag on the bench and began to undress, an unusual sight, since Sunset usually changed in one of the shower stalls. The other girls just stared at each other and went back to their business.
But as Sunset pulled off her shirt, Trixie saw something that made her realize just why Shimmer always changed in private. There on her back, right between her shoulder blades, were two large scars. Trixie looked lower and saw a smaller one peaking out from the top of her underwear.
"Need something, Trixie?" Sunset suddenly asked, standing up to pull on her shorts.
Trixie blushed, realizing Sunset could see her staring through the mirror she was in front of. "Umm...Trixie was just.....wondering.....are those scars?"
She saw Sunset roll her eyes, and she couldn't blame her; it was a dumb question. "Yep." She said as she pulled on her sneakers. "Had them a while."
Trixie suddenly had a disturbing thought. She knew she should just let it go but she had to know. "So uhh.....where did you get them?"
Sunset stood up and turned to face Trixie with an exasperated look. It was a look that said, "Really? Are you really that stupid?"
Trixie's eyes wondered to Sunset's forehead, which had a large band-aid on it. From an accident involving a mirror, she'd heard. She wondered if it had a scar under it...
"Where do you think I got them?" Sunset asked, looking at Trixie pointedly. She then pulled a T-shirt over her head and walked out.
Trixie stood there in shock as it began to click. She idly looked over to where Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie wore similar expressions to hers. Apparently Sunset's friends didn't know about the scars either.
Months. Sunset Shimmer had had those scars for months.
Trixie didn't recall much of the night of the Fall Formal, but she knew that Sunset had apparently literally transformed into a raging she-demon. And apparently, after she had been changed back, she had bled so much from where her wings and tail had been that they had left scars.
Had Trixie learned about this months prior, she would've laughed, saying that it served her right. Now though.....
"Ahem."
Trixie was pulled out of her thoughts by her friend and fellow band member, Lavender Lace, who was glaring impatiently in the doorway.
"Look, I know you like to gawk at yourself in the mirror, but we'd like to eat lunch sometime today."
"Oh. Right." Shaking her head of her thoughts, Trixie turned from the mirror and walked out the door.
The rest of the day had not helped Trixie with her thoughts. As she and her friends made their way across the soccer field to watch Flash Sentry and his band practice, Fuchsia Blush apparently having a crush on the drummer, her eyes fell in the direction where she knew the amphitheater was, and where she knew there was a huge trap door that led to underneath the stage.
Unlike the Fall Formal, Trixie remembered everything from the Battle of the Bands. Every moment, every emotion....and everything she had been willing to do to win.
A sick thought crossed her mind. "Hey Lavender? Humor Trixie for a moment?"
"Hmm?"
"The trap door on the amphitheater stage......how deep is it?"
Lavender scrunched her face up in confusion but still answered, "About....twelve feet? Give or take? Why?"
Trixie's eyes turned to pinpricks. She was a girl of many talents, one of which being mathematics, and she had quickly calculated the height of the drop and the average weight and height of the Rainbooms, as well as the speed they were falling, to figure out whether someone could be seriously injured....or worse.
Trixie's stomach lurched as her lunch splattered all over the ground.
"Trixie! These are new shoes!"
"Oh my God! Are you okay?!"
If Trixie had heard them she gave no heed as she suddenly bolted off the field.
As the two girls exchanged confused looks, Flash came running up, having seen the whole thing.
"Hey, is everything okay?" he asked concerned.
"I don't know!" Lavender shrugged. "One minute she's asking about the trap-door in the amphitheater, the next she's puking her guts out and running like Satan was chasing her!"
"The trap door? Why? Is she planning on hiding a body?" Flash joked.
"I don't think so." Fuchsia said solemnly. "I think...I think it had something to do with what we did during the Battle of the Bands."
"Ah." Flash said, understanding. While it had been made clear afterward that the Rainbooms had not dropped out of the contest, everyone had just assumed it was the Dazzlings' doing. Apparently that was not the case.
"I'll go talk to her." He turned and took off, signaling to his band mates that he'd be back soon.
It didn't take long for him to find her. She was crouched near the base of a tree, her head buried in her arms and knees.
"Go away." she said as she heard him approach.
"Your friends are worried about you, Trixie." Flash said, sitting down on the grass. He made sure to keep a fair distance so she wouldn't feel overwhelmed. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" Trixie snapped her head up, her face wet with tears. "Trixie is an attempted murderess, that's what's wrong!"
"What are you talking about?" Flash asked, concerned.
Trixie stood up and started pacing furiously. "During the finals of the Battle of the Bands, I trapped the Rainbooms underneath the stage. The trap door is twelve feet, Sentry! It's a miracle they didn't break any limbs! And what if they had landed on their necks?" She yanked her hair in frustration. "And afterwards.....afterwards, Trixie wasn't going to let them out! She was just going to leave them there!" She gave a dry sob. "Trixie didn't think! She didn't care! All she cared about was winning some silly school contest!"
"I was so stupid!" Trixie kicked the tree violently. "I should've known the Dazzlings were manipulating me! I'm a performer! I should've seen their act a mile away! But I was too focused on winning!"
She dropped to her knees, wiping her eyes. "And the worst thing is....what if the Rainbooms hadn't gotten out? We would all be the Dazzlings' slaves right now.....and it would be all Trixie's fault."
Flash, who was willing to let Trixie vent and get it all out, decided to interrupt. "Hang on. I'll admit, trapping the Rainbooms? Pretty dick move. But you can't blame yourself for what the Dazzlings did. That's on them, not you." He shrugged. "Besides, you're not the only one who was acting like an ass during that whole fiasco."
"But your actions weren't potentially fatal, were they?" Trixie pointed out.
Flash paused, then asked, "This isn't just about the Battle of the Bands, is it?"
Trixie sighed, then turned her head away. "I don't like Sunset Shimmer."
Flash merely raised an eyebrow. "Really? Couldn't tell."
"No! I mean....." she paused, trying to get her thoughts in order. "I don't like her, but....I don't hate her."
Flash gestured for her to continue.
Trixie sighed, "After the Fall Formal, Trixie didn't believe Sunset had changed. She still didn't believe after the Battle of the Bands. She thought Sunset was merely saving her own skin, trying to hog the spotlight."
Flash just gave her a strange look. "That's a bit of a stretch, even for you, Trixie."
Trixie deflated. "I know. Trixie...I was just looking for an excuse to stay mad at her." She moved her legs so she could sit properly on the ground. "When Anon-A-Miss showed up, Trixie felt vindicated, knowing that she had been right. But then the truth came out...it just showed that I was no better than I thought she was."
Flash furrowed his brows. "Trixie, were you one of the students who submitted secrets to Anon-A-Miss?"
"Of course not!" Trixie shouted, looking indignant. "The Great and Powerful Trrrixie is far too mature for such childish antics!" She deflated again. "Or so I thought. I stilled laughed at all the posts, at how stupid everyone was acting, but then I got angry when it was my secret posted."
She laughed bitterly. "You know she confronted me? She thought that I was Anon-A-Miss. Sure I played it off but..."
"But?" Flash inquired.
"But I couldn't help but think.....what if she was innocent? And if she was....she really thought I would do something like that." Her eyes fell to her lap. "I know I can be a bit of a braggart, but....I never thought I was a bad person."
Flash rubbed the back of her head. "I'm not exactly a saint, either. I was her boyfriend. I knew her better than anybody. I knew she couldn't have done it, even if she hadn't changed. I saw her life fall to pieces and I did nothing about it."
Trixie fiddled with her fingers. "How did you get over it?"
"I didn't" Flash admitted. "But there's nothing more I can do. All I could do was apologize, move forward, and try not to screw up again."
Trixie just stared at him. "You're really bad at this."
Flash's gaze fell to the ground. "I know."
Trixie cracked a smile. "Thanks anyway."
"Excuse me." The two turned to see Flash's band mates, one of whom was smirking, as well as Lavender and Fuchsia. "I hope we're not interrupting anything."
Trixie, deciding to save face, stood up and dusted herself off, replying haughtily, "Please. As if the Great the Powerful Trrrixie would waste her time with this bohemian train-wreck." She turned to Flash, smirking. "No offense."
Playing along, Flash dramatically raised his arm to his forehead, the other clutching his chest. "Oh, my poor broken heart! How shall I ever go on?"
The group made their way back to the soccer field, laughing and joking the whole way.
Sunset and the Dazzlings' Super Special Awesome Karaoke Adventure
For whatever reason that even she couldn't fathom, Sunset had decided to take Adagio up on her offer to hang out with her and her sisters . They had manage to sneak into a karaoke bar with fake IDs and were now sitting in a booth near the stage. The Dazzlings had all ordered brightly colored mixed drinks while Sunset had merely ordered a water. Somehow the topic of conversation had landed on Starswirl the Bearded.
"Just as I said, he's dead. Been dead for a while."
"Well, when did he die?!" Adagio asked, throwing up her hands dramatically.
Sunset absentmindedly stirred her water. "The exact date isn't widely known, not even Celestia is exactly sure. But I'd have to guess around 800 years."
"Yeah, I'm calling bull on that."
Sunset's brows furrowed. "Excuse me?"
Aria elaborated. "We've only been in this dimension for two years, and the last time we saw that asshole, he was very much alive."
Sonata added, "Yeah, I mean, how old do you think we are?"
Sunset blinked, very confused. "Uhh..a thousand years? Give or take?"
The Dazzlings looked at each other....and then burst out laughing. Sonata almost fell out of her chair. Aria banged her fist on the table.
"Sunset, honey," Adagio said, wiping her eyes. "We may be vain, but no amount of make-up is that good!"
Aria straightened up, smirking. "Yeah, pretty sure people would be able to tell if we were that old!"
Sunset merely shrugged. "I thought the amulets were allowing you to keep your youthful appearances through magic."
Adagio frowned. "The amulets didn't work that way. They only granted us power, not eternal youth. If that were the case, don't you think it would've worn off by now?"
Sunset said nothing. She did have a point.
"And besides," Adagio continued. "We were in this dimension for months before we came across them. Found them in a pawn shop of all places. And it took us weeks after that just to figure out how they worked. Had to do research on the Internet."
"You do not want to know all the crap we had to sort through just to find anything remotely credible." Aria said with a scowl. "Seriously, why are humans so disgusting?"
Sunset folded her hands and rested her chin upon them in thought. "Something's not adding up. It's been documented that Starswirl died around 800 years ago. Yet you say you've only been here two years...." Her eyes suddenly widened. "Unless...."
Adagio quickly caught on to what Sunset was implying, and she narrowed her eyes in disgust. "You've got to be kidding me."
Sonata and Aria exchanged looks. "Uh, you wanna let us in on the joke, Dag?"
Adagio barked out a harsh laugh. "Don't you get it, Aria? That bastard didn't just send us to another dimension. He sent us to another time period. Everything we've ever known - our homeland, the other sirens - they're all long gone by now."
Silence fell as this information sunk in, and Sunset couldn't help but feel pity for her former enemies.
"So I guess our whole "Steal the magic source from the Rainbooms, become all powerful, break the barrier keeping us here, return to Equestria, and get revenge on Starswirl" plan was just one big waste of time then, huh?" Sonata asked somberly.
The group sat in somber silence for a moment or two, then Adagio suddenly clapped her hands together loudly, startling the group.
"No matter." She said. "The past is the past. All we can do now is move forward and adapt." She wrapped her arms around her sisters. "And you two morons need all the help you can get."
Aria merely rolled her eyes while Sonata rested her head on Adagio's shoulder. "Aww, you do love us."
"Will the following group please make their way to the stage - Dazzlings Plus One?" Called a man from the stage.
"Plus One?" Sunset asked, narrowing her eyes.
Adagio smirked. "Oh yeah. We signed you up to sing karaoke with us. We knew you wouldn't mind."
"Dazzlings Plus One, please come to the stage!" The man called.
As the sirens stood up from their seats, Sonata said cheerfully, "Just follow our lead. You'll catch on quickly."
"Wait a second!" Sunset protested, but Sonata had already grabbed her arm and was dragging her out of her seat towards the stage.
As they walked towards center-stage, all three Dazzlings began to sing, and Sunset felt her blood run cold. That was the same sequence of notes they had sung when they had first entered the cafeteria, right before they brainwashed the students.
Calm down. They don't have their amulets anymore, she reminded herself. They can't do any harm. They're probably just....warming up.
And indeed, Sunset was proven right when the Dazzlings changed key, and then looked at her expectantly. Getting the gist, Sunset decided 'oh what the heck?', and joined in, and soon all four girls were in perfect harmony.
Apparently satisfied, Adagio made a ceasing motion with her hands, silencing the group. She then turned and nodded towards someone offstage.
As the music started, Sunset realized she recognized the song, having heard it played on several students' phones. As the Dazzlings began to sway to the music, she did the same, doing her best to copy their movements. Then, Adagio stepped forward and began to sing:
I knew you were You were gonna come to me And here you are But you better choose carefully ‘Cause I’m capable of anything Of anything and everything
Make me your Aphrodite Make me your one and only But don’t make me your enemy, (your enemy) your enemy, (Your enemy) your enemy
So you wanna play with magic (Ahhhhhh) Boy, you should know whatcha falling for Baby do you dare to do this (Ahhhhhh) Cause I’m coming atcha like a dark horse
(Hey!) Are you ready for, ready for (Hey!) A perfect storm, perfect storm (Hey! Hey!) Cause once you’re mine, once you’re mine (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) There’s no going back
While Adagio sang the verse, Sunset and the other two Dazzlings sang back-up and danced. It was surprisingly easy for Sunset to synchronize with them. When Adagio was finished, she stepped back and Aria and Sonata took her place.
Mark my words This love will make you levitate Like a bird Like a bird without a cage But down to earth If you choose to walk away, don’t walk away
It’s in the palm of your hand now baby It’s a yes or no, no maybe So just be sure before you give it up to me Up to me, give it up to me
By this point, Sunset was really getting into the song. How long had it been since she'd been up on stage? As part of a group? So when it came time for the final verse, she proudly took center stage and sang out:
So you wanna play with magic Boy, you should know whatcha falling for (You should know) Baby do you dare to do this Cause I’m coming atcha like a dark horse (Like a dark horse)
(Hey!) Are you ready for, ready for (Ready for) (Hey!) A perfect storm, perfect storm (A perfect storm) (Hey! Hey!) Cause once you’re mine, once you’re mine (Aaaaaaaah!) (Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!) There’s no going back
The whole room exploded in applause as Sunset finished the song, posed victoriously. As she moved to leave the stage, she noticed the Dazzlings looking at her in surprise.
"What?"
Adagio cleared her throat and gestured to her head. Furrowing her brows, Sunset slowly raised her hand to the top of her head.
Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she felt two distinct pony ears.
Adagio was smirking as they made their way down the street to Joe's. This had been a good night. And who knows, maybe there would be more nights like this. The Rainbooms had really messed up throwing away their trump card like that.
Oh well. Their loss. Adagio thought smugly. She admitted that she had grossly underestimated Sunset during the Battle of the Bands, but it was obvious to her that it was only thanks to her that they had lost.
And besides, she turned to smile at Sunset, who was staring at the ground. It's nice to have intelligent conversation every once in a while.
"Sunset?"
As she and the others turned a corner, she stopped....and her smirk widened. Standing there, with looks of anger and confusion on their faces, were Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash.