One Decision

"Liar"

"False friend"

"Traitor"

"Demon"

Those are just some of the words of contempt that haunt the mind of Sunset Shimmer.

The fire-haired girl sits on her bed with her back stooped and her head down. Her hands cover her face while she listens to the sound of her cell phone, indicating more and more messages coming from the whole school.

How did this happen? A few weeks ago, everything was perfect in her life. She had friends, she was loved in the whole school, she had finally overcome that doubt and fear that her conscience carried since that autumn night. But then, one night, she went to sleep loved and appreciated, and when she woke up the next morning... everyone hated her.

Her phone does not stop ringing, but she does not bother to take it. She knows what those messages say: more and more signs of the hatred of the whole school.

Why? That was all she could ask herself. Why did everyone despise her and assault her all of a sudden? But the truth was... she knew the answer...

"Anon-A-Miss"

Such a simple name, only three tiny words. Nobody could ever expect that those three sounds, put together, could destroy a whole life.

She looks up, dried tear tracks on her cheeks, her eyes, reddened and completely dry, unable to produce more tears. She looks at the phone on her bed, still notifying her of new messages.

A sob escapes, and she wipes her face with her arm.

Unable to withstand the endless pinging from the phone, she takes it and angrily throws it at the wall. She hears the bang of the impact and the sound of the pieces of plastic clattering to the floor, and finally, silence... Her ears can finally rest.

She takes a deep breath and starts trembling.

The auditory torture finally ended, but nothing will save her tormented mind.

She stands up and walks to her bathroom. Letting the water run, she fills her hands and launches the liquid into her face. Raising her head, she looks into the mirror.

There, she sees a young woman... No, she used to be a young woman. A beautiful, strong, intelligent young woman. Now, she is a tangle of tears, grief, pain and confusion.

Even her friends, those who had come to know her, to love her, have turned their back on her. They accused her of something she did not do and left her...

'Why?'she asks herself again and again.'Why would someone do this to me? A few months ago, I would have understood, but now...'

She thought that the school had accepted her. She thought that she had made friends. She thought... that they loved her...

But they accused her, they rejected her, they abandoned her... She did not have friends, she never had...

"It was all a lie..."

*S*A*S*

The sun shines upon a new day, and while the winter wind is blowing calmly, it is still enough to force people to bundle up.

The moment the Equestrian girl arrives at school, she is immediately attacked by the looks, the same ones she had received the last few weeks.

But today, they have no effect on her. She ignores them and walks through the corridors.

More than one push and shoulder bump welcome her to the school, and her gaze quickly becomes poisonous as she endures them.

She finally arrives at her locker and prepares for her first class, but when she turns to leave, she feels a shove on her back that makes her fall and release her notebooks. From the floor, she turns around to see her attacker. Sandalwood stands over her and glares at her.

"Watch where you're going, you idiot!"he snaps.

Sandalwood leaves after saying that, but Sunset can see how his face changed to a smile of satisfaction. This makes her patience run out. Before he can react, he is whipped violently against the lockers. He looks up to see a pair of emerald eyes bathed in anger.

"Say that again,"Sunset says in a voice as cold as her gaze.

Sandalwood does not answer. His eyes are fixed on hers in fear.

Those eyes. He had seen those eyes before.

"Say. That.Again!"

He begins to tremble as he remembers this scene from months ago. The memories do nothing but heighten his fear of the look the former bully is directing at him.

"Come on! What's wrong with you?! You were so brave a moment ago! What happened?!"

There is still no response. The girl, seeing his pathetic expression, chooses to give him one more push against the lockers before she moves away from him.

She returns to pick up her things and notices how everyone in the hall is looking at her. The hate is gone. Instead, their eyes display amazement, and fear...

Once again, she ignores them and walks to her class. There are no more pushes or shoves. In fact, many move out of her way.

*S*A*S*

The class was boring as usual. Cranky Doodle's attention was dedicated to explaining theorems and equations on the board, while a group of students tried to understand what he was saying. Most had already given up and preferred to focus on anything else.

Sunset was not totally focused, either; they were topics that she already knew or that were easy to understand. She focused her mind instead on solving a bigger problem.

Something hits her and pulls her out of her thoughts, something small and somewhat soft against the side of her head. She turns her head and discovers the object, laying on the floor next to her seat: a small, triangular piece of an eraser.

Her eyes scan the room. She can hear a couple of stifled snickers, and turning her head, she sees three students a couple of seats behind her looking at her. Her eyes focus on the desk of one of them--Brawny Beats. There it is: a formerly square eraser with a cut corner.

She watches the teacher for a moment, and when he turns to write on the board...

Brawny gives a loud scream as an object collides with his face. Cranky immediately turns around.

"What's going on?"Cranky demands, upset about the interruption to his class.

Brawny holds his face in an attempt to soothe the pain, Sunset's notebook laying flat on his desk.

"I repeat, what's going on?"

"It was her! Shimmer threw a notebook at me!"he accuses.

All the students turn their attention to the situation except Sunset, who seems very interested in a page of her book.

"Class is not the time for clowning around!"Cranky says sternly.

"Say that to Shimmer! She assaulted me for no reason!"

The whole class focuses its bitter gazes on the Equestrian girl, but she does not seem to notice. Cranky Doodle approaches Sunset.

"Miss Shimmer, care to explain?"

The girl continues staring at her book for a moment before realizing the presence of the teacher. She looks at him, smiling innocently.

"Oh, sorry, Mr. Doodle, could you repeat the question? I was reviewing chapter six. I think you made a little mistake; you wrote 121, and it should be 112."

Cranky looks puzzled before turning his eyes to the blackboard.

"Oh my, how careless of me. Thank you for pointing that out, Miss Shimmer. It's good to know thatsomeoneis paying attention."

After giving a look of reproach to Brawny, Cranky returns to his lesson.

The boy growls and glares at Sunset, who looks back with a superior smile.

*S*A*S*

The morning gives way to noon, and with it comes lunch hour.

The student body mills into the cafeteria. Sunset checks her pockets, only to discover that she forgot to bring money to buy lunch. She sighs in defeat and goes the opposite direction of everyone else. It's not like she can sit down with anyone, anyway.

Looking for a place to wait out the lunch break, she arrives at the library. As expected, it is empty, so she decides to sit down and devote herself to her thoughts once more, thoughts about a certain anonymous person, and the mystery behind it...

*S*A*S*

Sunset's semifinal class ends, and Sunset makes her way to her locker to prepare for her final class. As she reaches her locker, the sound of hushed snickering catches her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees three girls pretending not to pay attention to her. It doesn't take long for Sunset to connect the dots. Acting natural, she discreetly unlocks her lock and moves away from her locker and instead tries to open the one next to her, noticing that the three girls' snickering turned to looks of confusion. A minute goes by while she stuggles with the lock before one of the three, Aqua Blossom, approaches her.

"Hey, what are you doing?"she asks, annoyed.

"What does it look like?"Sunset responds with some displeasure."I'm trying to open my locker."

"That's not your locker."

"Of course it is. I think I can recognize my own locker,"Sunset says, rolling her eyes.

"Well, that's not it. Your locker is next door."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"It is! You even unlocked it!"the girl asserts, pointing to the lock.

Sunset looks at the lock and shrugs."Wasn't me,"she says.

Sunset once again fiddles with the lock in an unsuccessful attempt to open the locker. Aqua grunts impatiently.

"You're an idiot!"she says, jabbing a finger at Sunset's locker."That's your locker."

"What doyouknow?Thisis my locker!"Sunset says dismissively, pointing at the locker she is trying to open.

Her patience gone, Aqua places herself right in front of the locker and slaps her palm on it.

"No, it's this one!"she snaps loudly.

Sunset does not respond. Instead, she quickly opens her real locker. Something inside activates when the door opens, and the would-be prankster is splattered with a bucketload of paint.

"Wow, you were right,"Sunset says, smirking."Thisismy locker."

Her smile of satisfaction is maintained as she passes by the newly painted girl. The girl in question clenches her teeth as she watches Sunset smugly leave.

"You are a despicable bitch!"she yells.

Sunset stops walking. She turns around, eyes ablaze. The culprit gulps, knowing she screwed up, and her fear only deepens when Sunset slowly walks towards her.

"Say that again,"Sunset commands.

Aqua freezes in fear when Sunset stops right in front of her, the girl's friends similarly petrified. The eyes of the former equine remain fixed on those of her prey, anger against terror.

"Come on! I dare you."

By now, a crowd had formed as the rest of the students wait to see what fate awaits Sunset's newest victim.

"Hey, what's going on here?!"

The sudden voice wins Sunset's attention. Aqua Blossom, snapping out of her terrified trance, turns and runs for her life alongside her friends.

Rainbow Dash stands in front of Sunset, arms crossed. Unlike the other students, she is unfazed by Sunset's glare.

"What do you think you're doing, Sunset?"Rainbow asks impatiently.

Sunset does not respond, instead staring coldly at the athlete.

"So it's not enough to expose everyone's secrets? Now you're gonna attack us, too?"Rainbow demands, her anger deepening.

Attack them? Where was this girl looking? It was Sunset who had been the victim of aggression--the aggression of the entire school.

The rest of Sunset's former friends approach. Applejack shares Rainbow's angry expression, while Rarity bears a look of reproach. Pinkie Pie looks in confusion at the mess of paint everywhere, while Fluttershy stares at her own shoes, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

"Well? Say something!"Rainbow demands.

She could answer, but what good would it do?

Without saying anything, Sunset pushes past the group and heads to her next class. Rainbow, livid at getting the cold shoulder, decides to give one last call.

"Nobody wants you here! Why don't you just get lost and let us live in peace?!"

More than one student nods in agreement with Rainbow. Sunset stops her walking for a moment and looks into the void as she turns those words around in her head.

*S*A*S*

Principal Celestia is sitting at her desk, reviewing the forms and records of the school as on any normal work day. This normal routine is interrupted when she hears the door to her office open as a student enters unannounced. Celestia looks up to see Sunset Shimmer in front of her.

"Sunset Shimmer? What are you--"

"Principal Celestia, I want to ask you something,"Sunset interrupts seriously.

The principal looked at the young woman for a moment. It is not often that a student enters unannounced, nor is it appreciated, but the look on Sunset's face convinced Celestia to let this pass.

"What do you need, Sunset?"Celestia asks calmly.

"I want a transfer request. I'm going to change schools,"Sunset replies matter-of-factly.

The answer stuns the woman. Her eyes widen and her jaw falls.

"You're... going to change... But, Sunset, why?"she stammers.

"I've had enough of all this. The school hates me, nobody wants me to be here, and honestly, I don't want to be here, either,"Sunset replies, shoulders slumped.

"Sunset, I know things have not gone well since Anon-A-Miss appeared, but... I know we can fix the whole thing,"Celestia says pleadingly.

"That's what you told me weeks ago, and so far, nothing happened,"Sunset said, exasperated."Nothing's changed, except for the fact that every day, they torment me more."

"Sunset--"

"It doesn't matter anymore. I don't have friends, I don't have anyone to support me or believe me, I have nothing left at this school. I want to start over somewhere else."

"Sunset, please think about this a moment--"

"Ihavethought about it, and I came to the conclusion that it's not worth it."

The older woman is speechless and never loses eye contact with the former equine. Sunset, in turn, keeps her eyes on the principal, but every second, her serious face slowly breaks to give way to a desperate, pleading gaze.

"I tried for weeks, but I can't take it anymore. I've endured their hatred, their rejection, their aggression, but... I can't. This is torture, and I don't want to go on. I want to have a new life, look for a place where, even if no one accepts me, then at least... no one rejects me."

"Sunset..."

"When I came to you a few weeks ago, you said you were going to help me. Well, you can help me now! Let me go! Free me from this hell you call a school, and let me find a new place."

The principal's hand rests on her chest, her heart pounding with despair.

"Please, let me go…"Sunset pleaded, tears finally welling up.

Celestia has to bite her lip and close her eyes to resist the urge to cry herself. When she opens them again, her only focus is the young girl's desperate gaze.

Only Tomorrow

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Sunset carefully observes the document on her desk, looking over the personal data she filled in.

At the moment, it seemed like a good idea. Nobody wanted her at school, and she did not want to go back. It was better to forget everything there and try to start over. A new school, a new opportunity, a new life.

But as soon as she arrived at her apartment and prepared to fill the empty spaces, she doubted her decision. Was this what she really wanted? Or was it just the heat of the moment causing her to make a hasty decision?

Did she really want to leave everything behind? That school had been something very similar to a home for more than five years. Whether it was being an oppressor or a friend, that school was once everything for her.

The answer, however, was so simple, so obvious. She didn't want to leave school, she didn't want to leave her friends, and she didn't want to leave behind the good times she had lived there. But... it was not her decision any longer.

She has left nothing; theschoolhas lefther.Herfriendshave lefther.The good times were gone, never, it seemed, to return. There was simply nothing that could convince her to stay.

Nothing... except hope...

Hope that one day, everything would be settled, that her friends would trust her again, that the school would accept her again, and that everything would be as it was so recently.

A hope that was falling apart more and more with each passing day.

It had been a long time, with a lot of pain and with many tears shed, but no more. She could not bear that any longer. All day, she had behaved like her old self in an unconscious attempt to escape that torture.

It felt awful. She did not want to be like that again.

Things would never be the same again. Her friends had abandoned her, and if they did not want to be with her anymore, well... that's the way it will be.

For a while, she sits motionless, observing the document. All the empty spaces had been filled, except for one...

"The student will be transferred fromCanterlot High Schoolto _____________."

She had not thought about it before. She had just been focused on leaving school, but where would she go?

What other schools were there? And which one could she even enter? Her grades were far from stellar; one does not focus on school when one is more interested in conquering the world. She had recently become serious in her studies, but she could never fix her previous low grades in such a short time period.

She lets out a sigh and gets up, walking into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk. She takes her time with the glass, trying to distract herself from her problem, but all too soon, she finishes the glass. Upon sullenly arriving back in her room, she spots a photograph of her and her friends together, smiling widely.

Her eyesight blurs, and she growls with annoyance. She irritably flips the frame face-down so as not to see the image. It doesn't help much, because when she looks up, she only sees more photos on the walls and even on some of the furniture, reminders of a happy past from a mere few weeks ago.

A mixture of anger and sadness takes hold of her, and in a sudden frenzy, she takes each photograph, each memory, and throws it against the ground, each shattering sound mirroring the shattering of her heart.

Breathing hard, she looks at the broken glass strewn around the floor. A couple tears escape her eyes, but she quickly eliminates them.

She was tired of crying, tired of remembering. The magic of friendship, the one that had promised her a life full of happiness, had failed her.

It hurt. It hurt so much. She would not go through that pain again.

She takes her laptop and quickly begins her search.

*S*A*S*

Principal Celestia remains silent, inspecting the document in her hands. She takes more time than necessary in a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable. Sunset remains seated in front of her, patiently waiting for the woman to make that paper official.

Soon, Celestia concludes that she had wasted enough of her own and Sunset’s time, and she speaks up.

"Well, everything is in order..."

She would have liked to say the opposite, to invent an excuse, just to keep the girl in that school, but she could not. It would not be proper on the part of a school principal, and it would not be fair, either, on the part of anyone...

"Just... one question..."

"One"... A hundred would have been more accurate.

"The school you have chosen: Are you sure that it's what you want?"

Sunset does not respond immediately. Instead, she looks at the ground, as if thinking about how to respond. When she finally does, her curt answer slices through the thick tension of the room.

"…I'm sure."

"... I'm just saying... it's not a school that... I mean, at an academic level, it's excellent, but what it is... in social aspects... and please don't think I have something against it, but... maybe it's not... what you're used to..."Celestia finishes lamely.

Hypocrisy? Where? There was so much that bothered her about that school, but she could not say or do anything about it. It was not her school, and she had to look and act professionally.

The fire-haired girl closes her eyes, again taking a moment before responding.

"I'm sure."

The principal opens her mouth to say something, but she stays quiet. She looks at the paper again in sorrowful silence.

"...I must ask one more time, Sunset..."Both women look into each other's eyes, and the older woman feels her own begin to burn."Are you... completely sure... that this is what you want?"

There is no answer, but the younger woman’s emerald eyes never left hers. The silence, and that look, were sufficient.

Resignedly, Celestia takes a pen from her desk and brings the tip close to the document. She feels a slight tremor in her hand, but she forces her muscles to move. Slowly, almost fearfully, she completes the last field of the document with her own name.

This and an ink stamp ends the matter, and she returns the paper to the girl. Her voice was muffled.

"…It's done…"

Sunset looks at the document, and then at the principal.

"Thank you, Principal Celestia."

There were things both of them wanted to say, but sadly, neither could form the words or gather the courage to do so.

Sunset stands up and, with a kind of bow, turns around to leave the room. A voice in Celestia's head shouts at her to do something, but she does not. The girl leaves the office without looking back, and when the door closes, leaving her alone, Celestia's strength leaves her. She hides her face in her palms and tries to silence her sobs.

*S*A*S*

The day, Sunset’s final day at Canterlot High School, moved forward, but Sunset paid no attention to anything. Not to the classes, not to the aggression, not even to the hours. By the time she realized that the final bell had rung and that classes had finished, almost all of the students had already left.

Walking down the hall, eyes straight ahead without really looking at anything, she is lost in her thoughts about her present and future, until she finally walks through the doors of the school.

The first thing she sees outside is the statue, the one that serves as the entrance and exit to her native world.

She thought of the day when she returned to her "home" just to steal that crown in order to use its power and what happened at the end of it all. It seemed so long ago, and yet, it was so fresh in her memory. The night that had changed everything, only for it to all change back in one fell swoop.

She was so focused on her memories that she doesn't realize that someone is running towards her. The person in question doesn’t notice Sunset’s presence either until it’s too late.

Sunset feels something slam into her back. Stumbling forward, Sunset keeps her footing and turns to see a young girl on the ground, one who knows perfectly what has been going on at school.

Apple Bloom, Applejack's younger sister, complains about the impact and the fall, before she looks up to meet the eyes of the former equine.

"S-Sunset Shimmer..."

The farmgirl looks into the eyes of the older girl, which are fixed on her. Her expression is cold, without emotion, and the little girl instantly feels intimidated by the gaze. Her mind tells her to pull away, but her body does not respond. Her eyes are transfixed on that emerald shine, which reflected something... an emotion...

Hate.

Sunset continues to look at the youngest of the Apples and notes how the little girl begins to tremble with held-back tears in her eyes. Both remain in a sepulchral silence for some time, until the older one speaks.

"Congratulations, brat. You win."

Her voice is as cold as her eyes, and after her short speech, she walks away from the school and away from her old life.

The little Apple stays in place, sitting on the ground. Her face reflects her fear as her eyes release small tears.

What did she mean? Why did she look at her that way? Could it be that, perhaps...

*S*A*S*

The moon shines upon the city, and although the city is still awake, the activity slowly starts dying down until, save for a few clubs here and there, the city is quiet.

In a remote area, a land long abandoned and devoid of any other presence, the equine girl drops an old backpack on the pavement and takes a box of matches out of her pocket. An old, metal barrel sits nearby, its contents of old replaced with dry branches and old newspapers.

Sunset lights a match and drops it into the barrel, and soon, a small bonfire lights up the darkness, though its heat does nothing to warm Sunset.

She opens her backpack and removes all the photographs of her and her friends. She looks at them for a moment one last time, and then, one by one, she throws them into the fire. In addition to the photos, she also burns some CDs containing the Rainbooms’ songs, songs that were once a symbol of friendship but are now just empty rhymes.

Finally, from the backpack, she takes out one last object: not a photo, not a CD, but a book...

The book that Celestia had given her so long ago, endowed with a magic that allowed each to get in contact with the other in any circumstance, a kind of magical version of cell phones, though not so sophisticated in technology.

Back then, Celestia had tried to teach her something, something she could not... no, shedid notwant to understand. The same lesson was shown to her by Twilight years later, and even after that, it took her a little time to fully understand it.

And now, here she was. Alone again, without friends, without a figure to guide her. Once again, the world had turned its back on her, and once again, it must be her, with her own strength, who stands up.

Twilight and Celestia had been wrong. She could not use the magic of friendship. She could not have friends. Her destiny is, always was, and always will be to be alone.

The book suddenly begins to shine. Sunset knows what it means, and after a moment of hesitation, she opens it to the last written page, and there they are: words that she did not write.

-"Dear Sunset,

I'm sorry I was slow to respond. How's everything going? Have things been fixed yet?"-

She stares at the message for a moment, the thought of not answering passing through her mind, but in the end, she takes a pen from her jacket and begins to write.

-"No, Twilight, everything is the same. The school still hates me, and so do my friends. Simply no one wants to believe me."-

She stands motionless, looking at the page and waiting for words to be written on their own.

-"Oh, no. This isn’t right, Sunset. I'm sorry I'm not there, but I promise I’ll be there soon and I'll help you solve it. Just wait a little longer, alright?"-

A laugh almost escapes her after reading that.

-"Don't bother, Twilight. I've decided to forget about it. There’s no point in continuing with this."-

-"Forget it? What do you mean? You can't forget something like this. They’re your friends, Sunset."-

-"Not anymore. They hate me.Everyoneat school hates me. I'm alone, and there's nothing I can do to change it."-

-"Don't say that! I know the situation looks bad, but everything will be fixed, I'm sure."-

-"Twilight, it's over. I can't resist it anymore, and I don't want to keep going with this. It hurts so much."-

-"Sunset, wait! It's just a mistake! We can fix it!"-

Given how the shape of the letters changed in that last message, Sunset guesses that it was written with haste and fear.

-"Maybe, but I don't care anymore. I just want it to end, and I'll do it. I'll end it."-

-"Sunset, don’t do anything stupid! Wait for me! I'm coming over right now!"-

-"Goodbye, Twilight."-

As soon as she writes that last sentence, she closes the book. It shines again, indicating a message from the princess, but she ignores it.

She looks at the book for a few seconds, and finally, she throws it into the fire.

The flames begin to consume it, and before long, the book is reduced to ashes.

Sunset watches the fire for a few moments, until she finally turns around and leaves, letting the fire carry away her past.

The past is not today. Now, there is only tomorrow...

Crystal Start

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Monday. The beginning of the school week, and likewise, the beginning of what Sunset hoped would be a better, calmer life.

Sunset stands before her new school, surprised about the massive size of the place. It is gigantic, to say the least, with three imposing floors covered with windows so crystalline that they almost seem to have no glass. Speaking of crystals, the pillars of the structure as well as the details that adorned the roofs really look like they were made out of crystals.

Sunset grunts to herself and tilts her head.'I didn't come to admire the architecture,'she thinks. She takes one last look at the structure and releases a content sigh.'Let's finish this.'

If the outside of the place was imposing, its interior is simply incredible. The architectural designs, the combination of colors, the cleanliness and meticulous care, the decorations that hung on the walls, it was all made with such perfection that the former equine cannot avoid feeling amazed.

'Is this a school or a castle?'

The lockers in the hallways and the classroom doors also look clean and ornate. No doubt they did not skimp on expenses when it came to building this place.

Finally, she fixes her eyes on the young people scattered around the place, all wearing an outfit similar to her own.

The sight makes her look down at herself and the uniform that she was now forced to wear: a sky-blue T-shirt under a mulberry vest, a plaid skirt in varying shades of indigo, a violent bow tie, violet knee-socks, and navy dress shoes. Her grimace of disgust at the clothes is not long in coming, followed by a sigh.

'Come on Sunset, you just arrived. At least wait till the end of the day before complaining.'

"Sunset Shimmer?"

The former equine looks up and blinks when she saw a woman standing in front of her. Sunset squints her eyes slightly; this woman looks a lot like...

"Nice to meet you. I'm Mi Amore Cadenza, the dean of Crystal Prep, but you can call me Dean Cadance."

The woman's face and the kind smile she wore make Sunset let out a bitter moan, and she hangs her head with an expression of pain and sorrow.'Why? Can't I go anywhere without my past following me?'

"Are you okay?"Cadance asks, concerned.

"I'm fine... just... transfer pressures,"Sunset says with a sigh.

"I understand. It must be difficult to start at a new school halfway through the semester."

"...I've been through worse things."

"Principal Cinch has asked me to take you to her office, if you would be so kind as to follow me."

Cadance doesn't wait for an answer and turns around, walking down a hallway. Sunset lets out a last breath before she follows her.

'Come on, Sunset, it's just Cadance. It's not that bad. You can still have a normal life here.'

*S*A*S*

About five minutes and two damn big staircases later, Sunset, cursing the burning in her feet, and the dean finally stop walking in front of a large door. Cadance knocks a couple of times, and a voice was heard from the other side.

"Enter,"says a sophisticated voice from within.

Cadance turns and smiles at the fire-haired girl."Principal Cinch is waiting for you. Please, go right on in."Sunset hesitates for a moment, but finally opens the door and enters the room. Cadance closes the door once Sunset is inside, leaving the whole room in near-darkness.

Only a soft light hanging from the high ceiling serves as illumination, but it is unable to give light to the entire room. A series of shelves, a bookcase, and a showcase of trophies, among a few other pieces of furniture, are barely visible in the dim light.

The light illuminates a small chair in front of a desk. The much larger chair behind the desk sits with its back facing Sunset, preventing Sunset from seeing the person sitting in it.

"Sunset Shimmer, please, sit down."

It is the same woman's voice from before. Sunset obeys the request and sits down on the smaller chair. The larger chair finally turns around, revealing the owner of that stately voice. It is a somewhat older woman with a serious yet regal look on her face, who overall gives off a refined, authoritative air.

"Sunset Shimmer, it is nice to finally meet you. I am Abacus Cinch, principal of Crystal Prep Academy."

"Um, hello..."

"I know it is your first day, Miss Shimmer, but I feel the need to inform you about a couple of things."Cinch pauses while she waited for a comment from the young woman, but when Sunset keeps silent, she continues,"This school is proud of its students and boasts a student body with a remarkable academic level."

The former equine shifts her eyes and crosses her arms in a gesture of annoyance, knowing where the conversation was going.

"Generally, taking into account your average grades in what would be the first part of the year, I must say that you should not be able to enter our school."

"Yes, yes, I understand,”Sunset says impatiently.“I didn’t take school seriously at the time. I didn’t bother doing things right."

"Yes, I expected that to be the issue, especially after seeing your perfect performance in the rest of the cycle. Taking that into account, I have decided to make an exception and accept you in our school."

"Well, thanks,"Sunset says nonchalantly.

"However, as with every student, I expect only the best from you and that your attitude of ‘not taking school seriously’ does not repeat itself, not at my school."

"Yes, I understand,”Sunset says, straightening up and keeping her voice level.“I already intended that when I enrolled her. I take my studies seriously now, and I have no plans to disappoint you."

"That is what I wanted to hear,”Cinch says with a hint of a grin. “With that settled, I welcome you to Crystal Prep Academy, Miss Shimmer. I hope you enjoy your stay."With that said, the principal dismisses the girl, and Sunset doesn't waste time leaving the room.

Once outside, she meets Cadance, who immediately extends a couple of papers."Here is your schedule, your locker number, and the combination. I also added a small guide for you to find your classes. This place is very big, and for the new ones, it can be easy to get lost."

"Thank you, Dean Cadance,"Sunset says sincerely though still somewhat eager to be away from the reminder of her past.

The woman smiles kindly before leaving. Sunset looks over her schedule and lets out a last sigh before she begins her day.

*S*A*S*

"I'm Sunset Shimmer. I live in the suburbs, and I just transferred from Canterlot High School. It's a pleasure to meet you all."Sunset smiles slightly as she introduces herself to the students of the class, but there is no response from them, and by their expressions, it is clear that they have little interest in her.

The teacher thanks the girl and asks her to take a seat at a vacant desk. As Sunset sits down, she looks around at the other students. No one pays any attention to her and instead focuses on the lesson dictated by the teacher. Comfortable with the lack of attention, she decides to imitate them and proceeds to catch up with the class.

*S*A*S*

'And I thought Canterlot High's classes were boring...'Sunset thinks. As the class continues, Sunset realizes that the difference between Crystal Prep and Canterlot High is stark and clear. The teacher in front of her is focusing only on giving his lesson; he doesn’t even turn around to see if the students are paying any attention. The students, in turn, look like machines copying every word the teacher says or writes.'I wonder if they even understand what he’s talking about?'

Looking at her own notebook, she sees that, unlike the others, her notes are minimal. In truth, she finds it more entertaining to count the times someone decides to look somewhere other than the teacher, the blackboard, or their notebooks. Four, so far.

The most interesting thing is that at no time does anyone look at her. Nobody seems even slightly interested in the new girl.

'So far, everything is like I expected it to be,'she thinks, relieved.

Finally, and after counting a fifth lapse of attention from her fellow students, she decides to focus her attention on the class and take a few more notes.

*S*A*S*

The first period eventually comes to an end, and the Equestrian girl walks through the corridors, again without any attention given to her.

She refreshes her throat at a nearby fountain and continues on her way, ready to reach her next class, but when she turns a corner, she suddenly collides with another student. She manages to keep her balance, but the other girl falls to the ground.

"Augh! Hey, be careful!"Sunset snaps.

Her complaints die upon seeing the fallen girl.

"I-I'm very sorry! I was in a hurry! I-I...Please, don't hurt me..."the young woman stammers.

She’s wearing the school’s uniform, and her hairstyle is very different, but her face is unmistakable. A single word escapes the former equine’s lips.

"Twilight..."

It was impossible. This could not be the princess she knew, but her face was identical. But, that means...

Twilight looks up, but her blurry vision prevents her from distinguishing anything. Being free of any physical or verbal attack, she frantically runs her hands across the floor, seemingly looking for something.

Curious, Sunset looks arounds and spots some black-rimmed lenses near some fallen books. She picks them up, and after seeing that they are fortunately intact, she cleans them a little on her vest and places them on the face of the girl.

Twilight jumps slightly, surprised at the gentle action. She looks carefully at Sunset in silence, receiving the same astonished look.

Both looked at each other in silence for a moment before Sunset reaches out to help Twilight. Twilight hesitates for a moment, then takes Sunset’s hand.

The silence held while they look at each other, neither of them sure about what to say or do.

"...Um...Are you okay?"Sunset asks awkwardly.

Twilight jumps again slightly as the question pulls her out of her trance.

"Ah...Y-Yes...I'm fine..."

Silence overcomes both again for a while.

"You...Have we...seen each other before?"Twilight asks quietly, looking away in concentration.

It is Sunset's turn to be surprised, but she smiles slightly as she answers,"Uh, I don't think so. I'm new, and...I don't know anyone, so we probably haven’t."The sound of the bell signals that classes are about to resume."I-I have to get to class, so, uh...goodbye."

She doesn't wait for an answer and simply leaves hurriedly. Twilight watches Sunset’s retreating form, her brow furrowing in thought.

"...I...I've seen her before. But where?”Twilight mumbles, before she jumps in alarm.“Ah! I'm late for class!"Lifting her books from the floor, she starts running towards her classroom.

*S*A*S*

As lunchtime rolls around, Sunset quickly gets in line in the cafeteria with many other students. Her excitement dies when she sees that much of the food prepared are products derived from meat.

'I should have seen it coming. I'll have to start preparing my own lunch,'Sunset thinks, disappointed.

Fortunately, she manages to grab herself a small salad, a roll, and an apple, ending with a dessert of strawberries and cream. She pays and begins her search for a place to sit. The room is as big as she expected it would be. Elegant tables fill the room, arranged in an orderly manner and leaving more than enough space for circulation.

Sunset soon gives up trying to find a spot and decides to simply approach a random table.

"Mind if I sit here?"Sunset asks hopefully.

The students look at her, but instead of responding, they return to their own affairs.

"...Well, they didn’t say no.,."she says to herself as she sits down in the least populated corner of the table. Resting her arm on the table with her face in its palm, she begins to eat, starting to find the lack of care from everyone more lonely than relieving. She tries to distract herself with her thoughts.

'Well, Sunset, both Cadance and Twilight are in this school. That’s…concerning. But it's not that bad, right? You can still have a normal school life. You just have to avoid attracting attention, which doesn’t seem to hard here.'As she finishes that thought and swallows her mouthful, she surveys the other students at the table, but she may as well not exist for all the attention they’re giving her. ‘You see? It’ll be easy.'

She takes another bite of her little salad and closes her eyes to rest her mind. When she reopens them, she notices a student a few feet from her, a girl with two-tone blue hair pulled into a high ponytail. She stands motionless, watching Sunset with wide, raspberry-colored eyes, her lunch tray in her trembling, light-blue hands. For the third time in a single day, Sunset is rendered speechless, recognizing the girl as one of the very sirens that put her life in danger only a few months ago.

The siren in question looks silently at Sunset in a mixture of surprise and fear before quickly walking away, almost running to lose herself among the tables and the crowd.

Sunset sits staring at the space Sonata occupied, her look of surprise changing into one of exhaustion. A very heavy sigh escapes her mouth.

"...It’s gonna be a long semester..."

*S*A*S*

That evening at Canterlot High School finds the Rainbooms going through routine practices in one of the music rooms, as usual. Only today, things are not going so well.

"Enough! Enough of this!"

They all fix their attention on the outraged, chromatic-haired girl, who looks back at them reproachfully.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?! You're playing awful! Applejack! You're totally out of tune!"

"Don’t blame me! Dern guitar doesn’t wanna stay in tune,"Applejack answers as she tries to adjust the strings of her instrument.

"And you, Rarity! Do you have the keyboard upside down or what?!"

"Of course not. I don't know what's going on. The keys simply don’t sound like they should,"the fashionista replies, playing some keys and trying to make some sort of rhythm with them.

"Pinkie, what's wrong with the drums?"

"I...I don't know. Suddenly, I can't remember how I played the songs,"Pinkie says, randomly trying a tune and failing to fall into any sort of beat."I don't remember how I did it before. It was so easy..."

Rainbow just growls in exasperation."Flutters!"

The last girl in the group hides behind her tambourine when her multicolored friend speaks to her.

"You play a tambourine! How can you not..."

She growls, not even know how to finish the question, and the shy girl begins to cry.

"You're not one to talk, Rainbow,"Applejack claims."You can't make your guitar sound good, neither."

"What?! Please! I'm an ace on the electric guitar. I play it perfectly."To demonstrate her point, she runs her fingers down the strings with a confident smirk. Her smile quickly dies when all she hears is a discordant mess, which cuts off abruptly when one of her strings snaps."Well, maybe I'm just having an off day,"she says sheepishly. Another string snaps.

All five girls stare baffled at their own instruments, not understanding why they can’t seem to play them. The depressed mood is interrupted by a knock on the door. Seconds later, it opens, revealing a familiar, young, blue-haired boy.

"Hey, Flash,"Rainbow says sullenly.

"Hi, Flashie!"Pinkie yells, perking up.

Flash Sentry enters the room, seeming nervous about something."Hi, girls. Um, how's the practice going?"he asks.

The question makes everyone look away.

"Not good,"Applejack responds glumly.

"I'm afraid we're going through some…technical difficulties,"Rarity added, discouraged.

"Oh, damn. Um...what's going on?"Flash asks, concerned.

"The girls suddenly can't play their instruments,"Rainbow asserts, before another string snaps."Well...I'm not on my best day, either."

"Oh, wow. Maybe it's a problem with the connection? Sometimes my amps act up and deform the notes."

"Good idea. I'll go check,"Rainbow says, walking towards the amplifiers.

The boy silently watches her, although his mind seems to be elsewhere. Rarity notices his far-off stare and says,"Flash, darling?"

Flash starts slightly."Oh, sorry. What?"

"Are you okay? You seem distracted."

"Uh...well, I..."

"Is there a problem?"Applejack asks."Something we can help you with?"

"Well...I wanted to ask if you..."The boy stops again. Everyone's eyes were focused on him, waiting for his question. Finally, he asks,"Have any of you seen Sunset lately?"

The question gains surprised and confused looks from the girls. Silence fills the room until the dressmaker answers,"I'm sorry, darling, but I'm afraid not."

"Why are you looking for her?"Pinkie asks curiously.

"Oh, well...It's just...I haven’t seen her at school lately...I wanted to know if she was sick or something."

"...We haven’t seen Sunny for a long time, actually,"Pinkie responds sadly.

"Yeah, and it's better that way,"Rainbow says, diverting her attention from the amplifier.

The boy is a little surprised at Rainbow’s attitude, but Fluttershy speaks up first in her characteristic soft voice."Um, maybe we should...go see if she's okay?"

"Go and see her?! Why?! She can break an arm for all I care!"Rainbow snaps.

Flash suddenly feels uncomfortable."Um, maybe it's not my business but...did something happen between you?"

"Of course, something happened! She’s been spilling the secrets of the whole school!"Rainbow says angrily.

"Oh, yeah. The Anon-a-Miss thing..."Flash’s face falls as the tension in the room rises.

"Yeah, ‘the Anon-a-Miss thing’. We haven't heard from her since last week, and that's fine by me. We don't want anything to do with that traitor."

All eyes are on Rainbow for a moment, then each of the girls looks away, each with a different expression. Applejack and Rarity look to one side, anger and depression on their respective faces, while Pinkie looks down with a hurt face, and tears fall from Fluttershy’s eyes as she stared at her feet, tightly clutching her tambourine in her hands.

Flash suddenly feels out of place, so with a gesture of thanks and a quick farewell, he withdraws.

*S*A*S*

The school was eerily quiet. Over the past few days, a strong tension hung in the air, but today, everything was calm. Maybe too calm. The students didn't talk or laugh, and while some stayed together, there were no animated chats, and there were certainly no smiles. Many things had changed since the arrival of Anon-A-Miss.

‘Anon-A-Miss.’The name resonates in Flash’s mind as he walks the halls, unnerved by the silence. Simply mentioning it arouses the anger and hatred of everyone in the school, anger and hatred directed towards one person, a person whose name Flash can only whisper, lest he ignite the proverbial powder keg just waiting to go off.

"Sunset..."

A Flash of Calm

View Online

He doesn’t know when or how it happened, but Flash Sentry finds himself staring at Sunset’s apartment door. He raises his fist and, after hesitating a moment, knocks on the door and patiently waits, but there is no answer. He knocks a second time, but as the minutes pass, it seems clear that the door will not open. For a minute, he stands there, thinking about what to do, but before deciding, he hears a voice behind him.

"Can I help you?"

Startled, Flash whips around to find himself face-to-face with whom he was looking for.

Sunset raises an eyebrow as she stares at the boy in front of her door, and both look at each other for a moment in silence.

"Su-Sunset... A-Are you..."Flash trailed off.

"Yes, I know who I am,"Sunset says, not rudely, but certainly not in jest, either.

Both keep their eyes on the other in silence.

"I want into my apartment,"Sunset says matter-of-factly.“Are you gonna move?”

"Ah! Yeah, sure. Sorry,"Flash stammers.

The boy steps aside, and the girl uses her key to open the door. She walks in without sparing him a glance, leaving the door open.

He stands at the entrance and watches as she walks through the living room and into another room out of sight. Nervous, he shuffles his feet, unsure of what to do. She returns shortly after. With a sigh, she takes off her shoes and looks at the boy on her doorstep.

"It's cold outside. Are you coming in or what?"she says impatiently.

He babbles an apology before pushing himself inside. She gestures to the door, and he closes it immediately.

As he takes off his shoes, a whistling sound comes from the other room. Sunset silently leaves the living room, returning a few moments later with two smoking mugs. She sits cross-legged on the armchair with one of the mugs, leaving the other on the small coffee table.

Sunset stares expectantly at Flash, and he stares back blankly. It takes a moment, but he finally realizes what she’s expecting, and he sits down on the sofa, taking the cup as she rolls her eyes.

Both drink in silence for a moment, simply enjoying the sweetness of the hot chocolate. After a few sips, Flash realizes that Sunset’s eyes are on him. Although she does not say anything, he understands what she wants to know.

"You've been absent for several days. I... I wanted to see if you were okay,"he begins softly.

The girl's eyes grow slightly in surprise, and after another sip, she says,"Word hasn’t got out yet? Weird."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed my uniform?"

Curious, Flash looks at Sunset clothes, and now it’s his turn to be surprised as he takes in the vest, skirt, and socks. He looks over at the foot of the coatrack and notices the shoes she had been wearing.

"Those…"Flash couldn’t make himself finish the sentence.

"I transferred to Crystal Prep."

"You...! I... I didn't know..."he said weakly.

"That's pretty weird. I thought that everyone would know by now,"Sunset says, looking into her drink.

"I don’t thinkanyoneknows, not even your friends,"Flash says, earning a grunt from Sunset. Concerned, he continues,"Sunset—"

"Why are you here?"she asks before he can finish.

"W-What?"Flash asks, taken aback.

"What did you come here for?"she asks again.

"It’s just... Like, you weren’t going to school... I got worried..."he says, looking away.

"You, worried? Why?"Sunset asks incredulously.

"Well, with what happened to you at school... I was afraid that maybe..."

"What, did you think I was gonna cut my wrists or something?"Sunset asks, crossing her arms.

"No!”Flash says loudly.“More like, you know, that you locked yourself away or something..."

Sunset sighs and pauses before saying,"I did, for a while,"surprising Flash.

To think that the normally unflappable Sunset Shimmer was beat down so much by Anon-a-Miss that she hid herself away from the world. It was a testament to how much power Anon-a-Miss held over Sunset, and it filled Flash with dread as he wondered who hated Sunset enough to do all this to her.

Flash watches her take another sip of her cocoa. Both are silent for a moment before Sunset continues,"But in the end, I got tired of it all. I wanted to fix things, but nobody listened to me. Everyone thinks I'm Anon-a-Miss, and they'll never believe me, so I left. I'd rather forget about it."

The silence falls again. With one last gulp, the girl finishes her chocolate. He observes his own, noticing it still almost full.

"… I believe you."

It is a soft but firm statement. She looks at him with some disbelief."… Why?"she finally asks.

Feeling suddenly nervous, he takes a sip of his drink in an attempt to calm down and command his words to respond."When... Well, when we were an item... I told you some pretty personal things about me, remember? Things I never told anyone else."

She just nods, crosses her arms under her chest, and leans on the back of the sofa.

"If you were really Anon-A-Miss,”Flash continues,“you would certainly have exposed some of them, but that never happened."

She looks at him for a moment, not sure how to respond.

"Besides, I don't see why you would do something like that. I saw you over the past few months with your friends. You were so happy. To throw it all away... It doesn't make sense,"he finishes.

"At least someone noticed,"Sunset mutters. She closes her eyes in thought and crosses her legs, and for a moment, Flash can’t help but notice how snugly her uniform fits the curves of her body. Realizing where his mind is going, he looks away with a slight blush and reins his thoughts back in.

"So, you don't think I'm Anon-A-Miss?"Sunset finally asks, opening her eyes.

"N-No. I know you’re not,"Flash finishes with a tone of confidence.

"That's... nice... Thanks. It feels good to hear someone say it,"Sunset says with a small, sincere smile.

Silence covers them once more. She looks towards nothing, while he looks at her, a mixture of sensations running through his head, one in particular.

Guilt…

"Sunset, I... I'm sorry..."he says softly, his voice shaking.

Sunset snaps her eyes in his direction. Just as she thinks that nothing else will surprise her today, he goes and says that."What are you sorry for?”she asks incredulously.“You haven't done anything. In fact, during the whole Anon-A-Miss thing, you're one of the few who never said or did anything to me."

"I know, but I... I always knew that it wasn’t you, but even so... I never did anything to help you..."

"It’s not like you had to,"Sunset says, looking away.

"I did, though. I... I saw how they treated you. I heard the things they said. I saw you cry. And still, I never... had the courage to..."

His fingers squeeze the cup hard as his hands tremble slightly, and he finds that he can’t finish his sentence.

"You were afraid,"Sunset says consolingly.

"What?"

"Everyone in the school was convinced I was guilty. If you’d done something to defend me, they would’ve believed that you were on Anon-a-Miss’s side, and they would have targeted you, as well."

"I never thought about that, though…"he says softly.

"Maybe not consciously, but deep down, you knew what could happen. You have friends and a life there, Flash. This is the first time we've spoken since our relationship ended. By helping me, you’d have had nothing to gain and everything to lose. "

The revelation chilled the boy. It was true that he had never thought about it, but what Sunset said made sense. Surely, he would have ended up just like her.

"... I'm a coward..."

"No, you’re not, Flash. You're smart. You always have been. There was no reason to risk it. That's why you didn't do it."

"Even so…"

He feels a warmth on his hand. Surprised, he looks up to see Sunset sitting close to him on the sofa, her hand on his. She smiles at him kindly."It's okay,”she says,“You know I didn’t do it, and that's enough for me. Thanks for believing me."

Despite the warmth of Sunset’s smile and touch, the gesture freezes Flash in his place, unable to say anything. After a few seconds that go by all too quickly, Sunset withdraws her hand and settles back into the sofa. Flash takes a swig of his drink and forces his mind to think of something to say.

"So, uh, how are you doing at Crystal Prep?"he asks, unable to think of anything else to say and mentally kicking himself for it.

"Um, fine, I guess. The classes are boring and the teachers are monotonous, but it's very clean,"Sunset says somewhat awkwardly after the sudden change in subject.

"That’s cool. Have you made any new friends?"he asks hopefully.

Sunset looks away, taking a moment to answer."No, not really,"she finally says.

"Oh,”Flash says, disappointed.“Well, I'm sure it’s only a matter of time."

"Yeah, sure…"she says distractedly.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no, it's nothing,"Sunset answers quickly. Suddenly needing to distract herself, she stands up and stretches her body to remove the numbness from sitting too long. Flash gulps as he again notices how the uniform hugs the girl's body as she stretches, and he has to force himself to look away as she straightens her skirt."Do you want more chocolate?"she asks, seeming not to notice his actions.

"No, no! I'm fine,”Flash responds, a little too quickly.“Actually, I think I should go. My parents might worry if I don't get home soon."A tad disappointed, Sunset nods as Flash finishes his drink and walks him to the door."Well, I'm glad to know you're fine, Sunset,"he says after crossing her threshold.

"… Thanks,”she replies slightly bashfully.

They turn to opposite sides, the atmosphere becoming somewhat clumsy.

"Sunset, do you think...?"Flash begins, trailing off.

She looks at him curiously, but try as he might, Flash can’t finish his question and instead asks a different one.

"Could we exchange numbers? I tried calling your number, but the tone said it wasn’t in service anymore."

“Uh, yeah, sure,”Sunset replies, wondering why it was so hard for Flash to ask such a simple request.

After exchanging and recording numbers, Flash looks her in the eye and says,"Thanks, Sunset."

"It's nothing. Thanks to you, too."

"If you ever need something, call me, okay?"Flash says sincerely.

"Sure,"Sunset says with a hint of insecurity.

With that, they say goodbye to each other, and the young man leaves, giving her small smile as he turns away, which she returns.

After he disappears from sight, Sunset re-enters her apartment, pulling out her phone and looking at the newly added number, the only number registered.

"... I did well to buy a new one, I suppose."

*S*A*S*

The sun slowly begins its descent into the horizon as Applejack and her younger sister Apple Bloom finish the last of their farm work.

The older one finishes repairing a misplaced board on one of the farm’s many fences, and after giving it a light kick to make sure it’s properly placed, she wipes the sweat from her forehead with a smile of satisfaction.

The voice of her grandmother Granny Smith carries from the house.

"Applejack! Apple Bloom! Supper’s ready! Come an’ get it!"

The older girl laughs a bit at the half-authoritative, half-jovial tone of her grandmother and turns to her sister, who is holding a wooden basket half full of apples.

"Come on, sugar cube. You heard Granny,"Applejack says.

"Ah'll be there in a minute. Ah gotta put these in the cellar."

"Well, don’t take too long. You know Granny doesn't like to start dinner with an empty place."

The young girl agrees, and while her older sister returns to the house, she carries the basket to the cellar. With great care, she descends the stairs one step at a time, reaching the bottom safely. She leaves the basket against the opposite wall, smiles in satisfaction, and turns to leave…

…only to notice someone in the cellar right in front of her. Confused, Apple Bloom looks up into a familiar pair of eyes.

"S-Sunset...?"

The presence of the girl confuses her, and the gaze Sunset directs at her scares her. The fire-haired girl looks at the little girl with a serious, cold gaze, and her eyes seem to give off a strange glow.

She had seen that gaze before. It was the same one Sunset directed at her at the entrance of the school the last day she showed up. Just like that time, those eyes shook Apple Bloom to her core.

"What... What are you doing here...?"Apple Bloom asks shakily.

Sunset does not respond, instead just looking at her silently with that frosty gaze. The younger girl takes a few steps back, but never do her eyes break away from Sunset’s.

A chill ran through her small body, and her eyes watered as her whole body trembled. She wanted desperately to flee, but the offending woman stood right in front of her, standing between her and the only path to safety. She was trapped.

Suddenly she hears a voice in the distance. It begins softly but slowly grows louder. Someone is calling her.

"Apple Bloom!"Blessedly, Applejack appears at the top of the stares, fixing her eyes on her little sister."There you are. Ah told ya ta hurry. Supper’s gettin’ cold, and Granny’s gettin’ mad."

The little Apple does not respond to Applejack. She looks around, noticing that Sunset Shimmer is nowhere to be seen. The older Apple notices Apple Bloom’s unease and approaches her.

"Apple Bloom? What's wrong?"

Apple Bloom rushes to her older sister and hugs her tightly as her eyes race around the room fearfully. Applejack caresses the child's head in an attempt to calm her down.

"... Sun... Shim..."Apple Bloom mutters.

"What was that, sugar cube?"

"Sunset Shimmer!"

"Sunset? What about her?"

"S-She... She was here! Down here!"

"Wh-What?"Applejack asks somewhat skeptically.

"Yeah! She was in front of me and... she just stared at me... It was creepy."

Applejack looks around but sees only baskets, barrels, and bottles, same as usual.

"Sunset ain’t here, and there was no way she coulda left without me seein’ her."

"B-But shewashere. I saw her,"Apple Bloom insists.

The older girl kneels down to look her little sister in the eye and cleans the small traces of tears from her cheeks.

"Look, li’l sis, Sunset ain’t here. Ya must’ve imagined it, and no wonder; that snake has caused no end of trouble at school."Apple Bloom’s chest tightens as she hears those words."And you've been working a lot lately, to boot. Your tired mind’s just playin’ tricks on you."

"B-But—"

"Sunset ain’t here, and she can’t do nothing to ya. I won’t let her,"Applejack says with finality. With a small kiss on the little girl’s forehead, the older one stands up."Now let's go. It’s time for supper, and then, it’s off ta bed. You'll feel better tomorrow."

Apple Bloom doesn’t resist as Applejack takes her hand and leads her out of the cellar. She can’t shake the image of Sunset’s glare from her mind, and she silently prays that her sister is right.

*S*A*S*

Sunset maintains a neutral expression as the teacher drones on, writing down data on the board and quoting phrases from a book in his hands. She glances at the sprawling notes in her notebook and sighs with fatigue. She turns her attention to the other students, all focused on their own books and notes.

Eventually, the bell rings, and as if everyone in the class has been trained, the teacher stops talking, and the students begin to put their things away.

"Don't forget to study for the exam next week. Have a good day,"the teacher says as the students move to their next class.

‘Another test?’Sunset thinks.‘That’s four already! And all in the same week. Guess the principal was right; no one’s gonna show any pity for the new girl.’

With a sigh of defeat, she begins to store her things and leaves the room with the rest of the students. Without paying attention to anything or attracting attention from anyone, she reaches her locker and begins to exchange her books for the next class.

As she finished, she got a prickly sensation on the back of her neck, and she got the eerie feeling that she was being watched.

She looks around. Many students walk down the hallway, but no one seems to care what she’s doing. She closes her locker and start walking.

Someone was following her, and she knew it. She developed a sixth sense for that kind of thing from her earliest days in that world, when she discovered its dark side.

She turns her head, but again, she can’t see her pursuer.

She kept walking, but the feeling never left. And maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, but she could swear she heard someone’s steps in sync with hers.She would stop, and the sound of the steps would stop. She would resume her walk, and so would the sound of the steps, only serving to strengthen the feeling of being followed.

She speeds up and hears her pursuer do the same. Without running, Sunset hastily begins weaving through the hallway, taking sharp turns whenever possible. Thankfully, no one tries to stop her or pays her any mind.

Having gained enough ground on her pursuer, she turns one last corner and hides behind it. Her ears pick up a sound: Someone had started running.

As soon as the pursuer gets close, Sunset extends her leg. The pursuer fails to see the obstacle and trips over Sunset’s ankle, falling to the floor with a yelp of surprise.

Sunset blinks in surprise as she beholds the fallen girl: There, kneeling and holding her nose with a whimper as she tried not to cry, is the blue Dazzling she had seen on her first day.

"You?"Sunset asks finally. The Dazzling’s watery eyes snap up to look at Sunset as she speaks."Are you... following me?"

The blue-haired girl looks nervous at first, but she quickly stands and changes her expression to a serious, almost intimidating one, but the effect is ruined as Sunset notices the sweat lining the former siren’s brow. She keeps glaring at Sunset for several seconds in silence, and Sunset, getting impatient, breaks the silence.

"Well? Why are you—"

"I don't know what you want, but you won’t get it!"the blue girl screams.

The interruption and sudden scream only confuse Sunset further."Excuse—"

"I'm going to stop you! I may not have magic anymore, but, uh, I know... kung fu! Hyaaa!"

As if to emphasize her statement, the girl raises her arms and one leg in a poor attempt to imitate the crane pose. Sunset just stares blankly, well and truly unintimidated, with only a single thought running through her head.

‘I should’ve gone to Trottingham Academy.’

The former siren, seeing the lack of reaction from her adversary, becomes even more nervous. Desperate to defeat her nemesis, she throws herself against Sunset, waving her arms with a shout.

Startled, Sunset moves aside, and the blue-haired crashes against the wall behind Sunset. Sunset stares at her as she slowly separates from the wall, holding her now bloody nose. She lets out a sob and turns to glare at Sunset, tears in her eyes.

‘Thiswas one of the sirens that had threatened to conquer the world?’Sunset thinks.

With eyes half closed in a deadpan expression, Sunset just looks at the former siren who continues to sob and hold her nose, ruining the glare she keeps up. Rolling her eyes, Sunset puts her hand into her pocket and pulls out a tissue, handing it to the hurt girl. Surprised at the action, the former siren nevertheless takes the tissue and holds it to her bloody nose.

"Look, whatever you're thinking, it's wrong,”Sunset says.“I didn't come here to hurt you or anything. I didn't even know you went here when I enrolled."

The blue-haired girl stares in surprise and stammers,"You... But then… Why are you here?"

The fire-haired looks away and takes a few seconds before responding,"That's none of your concern. The point is, I don't have any business with you. I'm just here to attend class."The raspberry-eyed girl stares more at Sunset, but before she can say anything, the bell rings, signaling the five-minute warning."And with that, I have to leave. Bye."

Sunset doesn’t wait for a response as she abruptly walks away from the still-confused siren, who stays in place, eyes darting from Sunset’s retreating form to the tissue Sunset had given her.

*S*A*S*

Things were quiet at Canterlot High School. The somewhat depressing and extremely heavy atmosphere that had accumulated in the school during the last weeks had disappeared. The students chatted amicably with each other and prepared for their classes as normal. It seemed that everything had returned to normal at school.

Apple Bloom walks down the hallway without any hurry. When she reaches her locker, she tries to open it, but it doesn’t budge. Figuring it had gotten stuck, she pulls hard, but it remains fast. Dropping her backpack, Apple Bloom places her foot on an adjacent locker and pulls the door as hard as she can, making use of her entire body.

Finally, the door flies open in her grasp, flinging her to the floor. Groaning as she rubs her sore backside, she starts picking through her backpack to put things away.

"You hear about Sunset?"a nearby boy says.

A conversation between two students draws her attention.

"What’d she do now?"the recipient of the question asks exasperatedly.

"She left school,"the first person replies.

The answer stuns the farmgirl and makes her drop her things, letting them scatter all over the hall.

"She left? Really?"came the surprised reply.

"Yeah, that's what everyone’s been saying."

"Actually, come to think of it, I haven’t seen her the whole week,"the second guy said thoughtfully.

"Principal Celestia probably decided to finally expel her once and for all,"the first says, his uncaring shrug audible in his answer.

Apple Bloom's eyes open, her pupils dilated in horror.

"Well, no more Anon-A-Miss,"the second boy says with relief and some joy.

Both guys leave with a chuckle, neither noticing the girl who heard their conversation, who now stood frozen with a lost look in her eyes.

*S*A*S*

"Expelled?!"

The Crusaders, by their leader's emergency call, are meeting under the bleachers on the football field behind the school, out of sight and out of earshot of anyone else.

"AB, are you sure you heard right?"Sweeting Belle asks.

The younger Apple nods with a look of panic on her face."I heard from some guys a while ago. Sunset hasn’t been to school for days, and they said that she ain’t a student here anymore."

Scootaloo's eyes open wide, while Sweetie covers her mouth as her eyes tremble."That... That’s..."Sweetie begins.

"This ain’t right. This wasn’t supposed to happen."Apple Bloom looks at both restlessly."Girls, we have to do something. We have to help Sunset."

Sweetie Bell nods quickly. Scootaloo, on the other hand, looks away."Why should we?"she finally asks. Her friends look at her in confusion."We did this so our sisters would spend more time with us, right?”she continued.“Sunset was stealing them."

"Scootaloo, how can ya say that?!”Apple Bloom says angrily."This ain’t what we wanted at all!"The little athlete does not respond, nor does she look at her friend, so Apple Bloom continues,"Wanting our sisters to spend time with us is fine, but to have them expel Sunset... That's bad, and you know it!"

Scootaloo looks down, and her eyes water a little."… I know…"

The three girls look at the grass, all with expressions of defeat and guilt. Sweetie Belle rubs her belly with a look of pain.

"Ugh... I feel like my stomach is spinning..."

"You okay?"Scootaloo asks, concerned.

"No…"The girl drops to her knees, holding her belly, as her friends approach and comfort her."We did bad,”she says.“Very bad ..."

Apple Bloom puts on a determined look."We have to fix this."

"But how?"asks Scootaloo."We can't tell the truth; our sisters would never talk to us again."

The three remain silent for a while, until the farmgirl pulls out her phone.

"I think that first of all... we have to end Anon-A-Miss."

She looks at her friends, as if waiting for some objection, but there is none. In fact, they each nod their agreement to her.

The little Apple immediately opens the account, taking in what they had done, what they had published, and the consequences they had brought about. A couple of taps, and a message appears on the screen.

- Are you sure you want to delete the account "Anon-A-Miss"? -

She does not hesitate even a moment.

- Yes -

Seconds later, it was gone. The page that had caused so many problems had ceased to exist. She sighs with fatigue, and her friends imitate her.

Old Faces, New Girls

View Online

A mighty rumble shook the air, like a demon's roar resounding all over the place.

The little Apple Bloom is shaken out of her sleep. She sits on her bed with her body shaking and her heart thumping against her ribs. It takes a few seconds to realize that the sound was thunder outside, a part of the storm raging outside.

She lets out a sigh of relief and takes a deep breath to calm her heart. Her ears pick up the howling wind and the din of the rain on her window and roof.

Finding herself too awake to get back to sleep, she gets up and leaves her room in the direction of the bathroom for a glass of water. Upon reaching the bathroom, she flips the light switch, only to be met with unbroken darkness. She flipped the switch fruitlessly a few more times before groaning at the storm-induced power outage.

Not wanting to go back to her room for a flashlight, she decides to make do with the faint illumination coming through the small window in the bathroom. She takes the plastic cup from the counter and fills it with tap water to drink, savoring the cool water in her mouth and throat, instantly calming her down. She lets out a sigh when she finishes.

When she looks up, she sees her tired face in the mirror, along with something else...

There’s a shadow right in front of the bathroom door.

The sight makes her drop the glass and turn quickly. It’s very difficult, but she eventually manages to make out a silhouette of the last person she’d want to meet alone on a dark, stormy night.

"Sunset ..."

Sunset stands motionlessly, standing between the girl and the door, staring with that disturbing gaze, which seems to glow in the almost total darkness.

"What... What’re you…?"

Her words die, and she feels her whole body freeze under that cold look. Her legs weaken, and she falls to the ground, but she can’t break her gaze fromthoseeyes.

In a desperate attempt to save herself, Apple Bloom hastily backs up until her back hits the opposite wall. There, she keeps her eyes on Sunset. Neither Sunset’s body nor her eyes move an inch.

Flashes of lightning flood the sky and light up the room. In each flash of light, the terrifying girl disappears, returning with the shadows in the next instant.

The little girl's eyes shed tears and her small body starts trembling again, strong shudders that wrack her whole body. She tries to speak or scream, but she can’t make a sound. She tries to move, but her body feels like stone.

Suddenly, the power returns to the house, and light returns to the bathroom, eliminating all the shadows. As for Sunset...

The little one is alone in the bathroom, surrounded by light, her body still frozen except for the tears falling down her cheeks and her chest moving with her shallow breaths.

*S*A*S*

Her mind had been shut down for quite some time. Instinct was what made her run out of the room and down the hall to her own room.

She slams and locks her door and throws herself on her bed, covering herself completely with the blankets. As safe under the blankets as she dares feel, she spends the rest of her night trembling and letting her tears flow from tightly closed eyes, trying to forget that gaze while repeating apologies to the empty room.

"Ah'm sorry, Ah'm sorry, Ah'm sorry, Ah'm sorry, Ah'm sorry, Ah'm sorry, Ah'm sorry..."

The storm outside ended not long before morning, but a more frightening storm still raged inside the little Apple.

*S*A*S*

Friday morning is gloomy, with dark clouds dimming the sky and a chilly wind blowing at anyone unlucky enough to be outside.

The atmosphere almost feels depressing, and it’s certainly affecting the students of Canterlot High School; the students are less animated, and everyone is looking for their friends and companions to distract themselves from the bad weather.

It is during a break between classes that the Rainbooms decide to go to their practice room to try to play, "try" being the key word.

The noise produced by those instruments is without even a hint of rhythm, much less harmonic sense, and with each discordant bar, the girls get more and more desperate to unite their tunes, without any success.

The rainbow-haired athlete groans and screams,"Enough!"with fury, throwing her guitar against the ground."What the hell is wrong with us? Why are we playing so bad?"

None can give an answer to that question.

"Believe it or not, Ah even think that every day, we play worse,"the farmer says.

"Why?! We were the best!"Rainbow yells.

Rarity looks at her keyboard."It's strange. It's as if our instruments don't want to work."

"I bet Sunset has something to do with this,"Rainbow says with suspicion.

Applejack looks at her curiously."Sunset? Why’s that?"

"Maybe she did something to our instruments before she left!"

"Come on, Rainbow, that ain’t possible,"Applejack says.

"And why not? She's already done a lot of damage at school. I wouldn’t be surprised if she also wanted to ruin our band."

Rarity supports the blonde."I'm sorry to poke holes in your theory, but I've taken my keyboard to be checked at several stores, and there's nothing wrong with it."

"And Ah carefully inspected my guitar. Nothin’s wrong with it, neither."second AJ.

"Maybe it is not something normal,"Rainbow theorizes, then smacks her fist into her palm in realization."That's it! She put a curse on us!"

"A curse? Please, ya can’t be serious,"Applejack says skeptically.

"Come on, she’s magic, right? She must’ve cast some kind of spell to throw us off our game!"

"Sunsie wouldn’t do that..."Pinkie Pie says sullenly.

"Of course, she would! She’s a demon!"

The dressmaker tries to calm her friend."Now, Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer doesn't have that kind of magic."

"How do you know?”Rainbow demands.“Do you know something we don’t? You in league with Sunset or something?"

"Excuse me?!"Rarity replies, scandalized.

"Calm down, Rainbow Dash. You're bein’ paranoid,"Applejack says, upset.

"Please, don't fight,"Pinkie says quietly.

There is silence for a short time, after which Rainbow sighs and shakes her head."Yeah, you're right. We shouldn’t be fighting each other. The real enemy here is Sunset."

"I doubt that Sunset is involved, darling,"Rarity says.

“Of course, she’s involved. How else would you explain what’s happening to us?”Rainbow says heatedly. She turns to Fluttershy.“You’re with me, right, Fluttershy?”

"Eep!"the shy girl squeaks at the sudden attention.“Wh-What?”

"You agree with me, right? Sunset did something to us,"Rainbow says again.

"Um, I-I-I, uh... The truth is... I don't believe that Sunset... I..."

"Ugh, not you, too, Fluttershy,"Rainbow says, exasperated.

"Rainbow, please don't be like this,"says the dressmaker."Things have been difficult for all of us."

Applejack sighs."Rarity’s right. It's only been a few days since Sunset left and even less since the Anon-A-Miss page closed. The wounds are still open."

Pinkie looks at the floor."I wonder why she shut it down."

Rainbow says with disdain,"Duh, Sunset was already expelled. Game over. She’s probably off hurting people at her new school or something."

Fluttershy takes the floor."Um, actually... no one actually knows if she was expelled... I mean, um..."

"That doesn’t matter, anyway,"replies AJ."The fact is Anon-a-Miss ain’t gonna bother us anymore. Now, it's almost time for next period. We'd better get goin’."

Nobody gives objection, and the five leave the room with a somber farewell. As the girls file out, Fluttershy notices Pinkie stay in her place with an unusually downcast look and an uncharacteristic silence.

"Um, Pinkie, are you okay?"she asks softly.

The answer takes a few seconds."I just want things to go back to the way they were."

The unexpected answer saddens shy girl, who sighs and nods in agreement. Finally, Pinkie leaves wordlessly, and, seeing herself alone in the room, Fluttershy does the same.

*S*A*S*

The last day of Sunset’s first week at her new school.

With her face resting on one hand and her elbow on the table, Sunset glumly eats her lunch as she contemplates her first week.

She knew that Crystal Prep would be strict, but she never imagined that it would be this sadistic. Tons of homework to do, tests to take, and projects to prepare all combined to wear Sunset to the bone.

She would have to devote the whole weekend to study if she wanted to pass those exams. Surely, no teacher would accept the excuse of "I'm new" if she got bad grades.

Thinking it through, though, Sunset found that losing her weekend did not matter; it wasn’t like she had a social life anymore, anyway.

A tired sigh escapes her as she wraps the thin strands of her meal around her fork and brings them to her mouth.

The cafeteria served noodles that day, which was absolutely fine by Sunset, considering that she forgot to prepare her lunch. At leastsomethingwas going well. The only problem was that the noodles came with meatballs, forcing Sunset to pick around them to get to the vegetarian-friendly food underneath.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees someone stopping at her side. She turns her head slightly and sees the siren again, standing beside her with her lunch tray. Sunset may have bothered to looked surprised if she weren’t so tired.

There are no words as the girls look at each other. Sunset notices a strange expression on the siren’s face, a mixture of what looks like fear and something that she can’t distinguish. Still, Sunset says nothing, waiting for the siren to begin.

Finally, after a few seconds, the blue girl hesitantly says,"Um... I... Can I... Can I sit here?"

The former equine manages to raise an eyebrow, displaying her confusion; she is the only one sitting at that table, sure, but there were many free seats in the cafeteria, so why does the siren want to sit with someone she clearly fears?

The siren, noticing the lack of response, bites her lip and, looking away, says,"I-It’s just that... I’ve spent a lot of time in this school, but actually... I don't really know anyone here, so I usually eat lunch alone, but... it's so boring, and, well, we both tried to conquer the world, so we have that in common, so, uh, what do you say?"

The nervous girl finishes her rambling and looks hopefully at Sunset, who merely keeps her neutral expression and silence. Slowly, the siren’s hopeful expression melts into one of sorrow.

"... I... Sorry, forget it. I-I'll go..."

With her eyes downcast, the siren turns and starts sullenly walking away. Sunset watches her for a moment before sighing.

"Wait,"Sunset says. The call surprises the siren, who stops and turns to regard Sunset expectantly."What’s your name? I never got it."

“S-Sonata Dusk,”Sonata replies.

Sunset sighs silently again.“Sit down.”

"Really?"Sonata asks, her hopes risen.

Sunset doesn’t answer verbally, simply nodding with her eyes closed. Squealing excitedly, Sonata plops down on the seat across from Sunset and begins to eat her lunch.

The two eat in silence for a while, until Sonata, perturbed by the prolonged silence, says,"So... what do you think of the school?"

Again, Sunset doesn’t answer verbally, but she does let out an exasperated moan while her mouth is full.

Sonata continues,"Yeah, this place sucks, but it’s a school, so what do you expect?”

A slurping of noodles is the only "answer" from the fire-haired girl.

"Yeah, it's really different from Canterlot High. I mean, the food’s fine, and the bathrooms are cleaner, but CHS had tacos."

Sunset takes a gulp of fruit juice in response.

"I wanted to go back to CHS, but… it's not like anyone wanted me there, and Adagio thought this place would be better for my studies anyway."

Finally, Sunset’s eyes fix on Sonata, and Sonata notices the questioning look. It doesn’t take long for her to figure out the unasked question.

"Oh, Adagio’s the one with the orange hair. She’s Adagio Dazzle, and the last girl is Aria Blaze."

Sunset makes a gesture of understanding and continues with her lunch.

"So, uh, yeah, I'm doing fine, overall. It's really boring here, though. I mean, school is supposed to be boring, but it’d be nice to have someone to talk to, you know?"

Again, Sunset gives no verbal response, just a very slight movement of her head.

"So anyway, studying’s all I’ve been doing since the Battle of the Bands. What about you?"

After swallowing her mouthful, Sunset turns her gaze away from the siren, her silence taking on a sadder quality.

Sonata nervously backpedals."Uh, I understand if you don't wanna tell me. I mean, it's not like we're friends or anything. That reminds me, though. Are we… still enemies?"Sonata finishes slowly.

Sunset wordlessly shrugs.

"Personally,”Sonata continues,“I don’t wanna be anyone’s enemy. I just want to, well... be me."

Silence falls as Sonata finishes what she has to say with an awkward chuckle. The two stare at each other until Sonata gets nervous and starts looking anywhere else but Sunset’s eyes. Eventually, her gaze falls on Sunset’s untouched meatballs."Are you going to eat those?"she asks. Sunset looks at her plate, then quickly pushes it towards Sonata, who gladly takes the meatballs to her own plate."Thanks! I prefer fish, but beef’s not bad, either."

Sunset watches as the smiling Sonata scarfs the meatballs down, and soon, Sunset returns to her own meal. There is no more talk after that, and eventually, the lunch hour ends.

*S*A*S*

Sunset walks down an empty hallway to her last class.

Just one more class. After that, she could go back to her apartment, rest for the remainder of the day, and use the weekend to go to the city library, catch up on her classes, and not fail the exams.

"What’re you so nervous about? It’s not that hard,"comes a voice from a nearby side hallway. Sunset stops and turns towards its origin.

"Please, let me go. I’m going to be late for class."

Thatvoice was unmistakable.

"Twilight ...?"Sunset mumbles in surprise. Her final class forgotten, she cautiously approaches the origin of the voices.

"Don’t worry. We’ll let you get to class as soon as you promise to help us,"says another voice, different from the first.

Sunset hides behind a corner and peeks at what’s happening. There, at the end of the corridor, Twilight is cowering against a window while two male students stand in front of her, each boy wearing a strange smile.

One of the boys, a muscular, red-skinned boy with orange hair, says,"Look, we all know that Mr. Trig’s tests are unfair. Just pass over some answers during the test and help us pass. That’s all we’re asking."

"B-But that cheating!"Twilight responds, appalled.

"Come on, do us a favor,"the other boy, a leaner, white-skinned boy with white hair, says with a hint of pleading."Isn’t helping out your fellow students the right thing to do?"

"I… I'm sorry, I can’t do something like that,"Twilight says.“I can help you study, but I’d like to talk about it after class.”She tries to move past the boys, but one of them roughly shoves her back against the window and clamps a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream.

Sunset sharpens her gaze and clenches her teeth.

The boys bear down on Twilight, who shrinks into herself in fear, unable to get away.

"Look, four-eyes, we're asking you nicely. Look at it this way: If you help us with this test, we can help you withyourproblems. Like your bully problems,"White says.

"But if you don't, then you’ll haveanotherproblem,"Red threatens.

Twilight was speechless with fear as both boys look at her menacingly. Tears threaten to break the surface of her eyes, and her whole body begins to tremble.

That's when Sunset's patience ends, and she comes out of hiding."Makes you feel tough to intimidate a girl, huh?"she demands. The two boys turn to see the fire-haired girl standing in the middle of the empty hallway."How about takingthisgirl on, then?"

Twilight stares at Sunset, her surprise reflected in her eyes, while the boys exchange glances.

"Who’s she?"Red asks White.

"Dunno,"he responds, just as confused.“Must be new here.”

"Hey, this doesn't concern you. Get out of here,"Red barks at Sunset.

"Why don't you make me, asshole?"Sunset snaps.

Both boys look at each other again before turning back to Sunset in irritation.

"Look, bacon, we’re giving you one last chance. Get out of here if you don't want problems,"Red says, pounding his fist into his other palm threateningly.

"Maybe Iwantproblems,"Sunset replies coolly, no doubt or fear in her voice.

Once again, the boys exchange glances before shrugging and advancing on Sunset. Twilight, released, falls to the floor, breathing deeply as she watches in fear.

"Listen, bitch. We're in the middle of something important,"Red says.

"Something that doesn’t concern you,"White continues.

Both look threateningly at Sunset, who stares back, unfazed."Oh, it concerns me, alright. A couple of jerks scaring a girl half their size? Makes me sick."

"Then piss off. No one’s making you watch,"Red barks.

"Yeah. You don’t want to make us angry,"White says.

Sunset snaps back,"No,youdon’t want to makemeangry."

Red scoffs."Think you're brave, don’t you, bacon?"

"Get over here, and I’ll show you just how brave I am,"Sunset responds impatiently.

Red looks her in the eye for a moment, then smiles."You know, I like your attitude, bacon. Here’s a lesson about Crystal Prep: You wanna get by here, you gotta be ruthless. Why don't you join us and help us ‘convince’ four-eyes here to help us out?"

"Screw you."

"You don’t seem to understand,"White clarifies."Here’s a multiple-choice question for you. A) You leave and forget you saw anything here, B) you join us, andwepretend you didn’t try to stop us, or C)"White smirks,“Well, I’m sure you know what C is. So, what do you choose?”

Both watch Sunset with confident, almost sinister smiles as they await her answer. Twilight watches, terrified. Sunset, though, raises her eyebrow as she pretends to think about it.

"I choose D?”Sunset says. "None of the above"

Incensed, Red steps forward and tries to grab Sunset’s shoulder, but Sunset instantly grabs his wrist and twists his arm behind his back, and Red yelps in pain. White angrily throws a punch at Sunset, who twists to shield herself with Red, who takes the blow in the face.

She pushes her shield against his partner, and they fall to the floor. They quickly stand up and look at her in anger.

"You’re dead,"Red seethes.“You miserable bitch. I’m gonna—"

Red’s threat dies in his throat as he takes in Sunset’s eyes, White looking equally shaken.

In those emerald eyes was anger, contempt, and a stronger hatred than either boy had ever seen or felt.

"You’re gonna what?"Sunset asks Red quietly. That voice, that sinister voice combines with her eyes to shake Red to his core, and though he tries to keep a tough front, the sweat on his forehead betrays his fear. His companion, free of Sunset’s attention, takes the opportunity to take a few steps back.

Sunset keeps her eyes on Red as she slowly approaches him until she stands right in front of him.

"Towhat? What are you going to do?"Sunset demands.

Red doesn’t respond, but his legs and fists tremble. When noticing the silence, Sunset turns her attention to White, who gives a start at the sudden glare and, managing to make his legs respond, runs away in terror. Without his friend to back him up, Red begins to panic.

Sunset returns her glare to Red, who follows his friend’s lead and runs around Sunset and down the hall away from Sunset.

Sunset keeps her eyes on Red’s fleeing form, making sure they don’t come back, then, satisfied, walks to the girl sitting on the floor and extends her hand to her.

"Are you okay?"Sunset asks.

Too shaken to answer verbally, Twilight simply accepts the hand and lets Sunset help her up.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?"Sunset asked.

Twilight just shakes her head without taking her eyes off her savior.

"That's good. Geez, anywhere you go, there’s always some jackass wanting to take advantage of others,"Sunset says heatedly. Her bad mood is deepened when she thinks,"Sounds kind of like me, really… "sending her thoughts into dark territory.

As the former equine starts losing herself in her self-deprecating thoughts, she doesn’t notice Twilight’s voice at first. It’s only when Twilight hesitantly taps Sunset on the shoulder that Sunset is startled out of her thoughts.

"Ah! What happened?"Sunset yelps, jumping.

"I, uh... um... Thank you..."Twilight stammers out.

Sunset waves her hand dismissively."Hey, you don’t need to thank me."A clumsy silence follows. Sunset seems to hesitate before extending her hand."I'm Sunset, by the way. Sunset Shimmer."

"Tw-Twilight... Sparkle..."

They shake hands awkwardly, and silence returns between them, until Sunset notices something alarming.

"Crap, we have to get to class! Come on."

To Twilight's surprise, Sunset takes her wrist and pulls her to start running.

"H-Hey, we can't run in the hallways!"

*S*A*S*

The teacher holds up a book for her class to see.

“‘The Tell-Tale Heart’,"names the teacher."If you remember, on Monday, I asked everyone to read a copy of this work. I assume that everyone has done so."

An affirmative answer comes from the children in the class, some more certain than others.

"Well, then, who can tell me in their own words what this story is about?”The teacher looks throughout the class.“Apple Bloom, why don’t you start?"

"Ah?"Apple Bloom starts, having been zoned out. She doubtfully answers,"Oh, yeah. Um, from what Ah read, is it about a man who murders an old man?"

The teacher responds smiling."Correct. What else can you tell us?"

"Well, suddenly, while the police are investigating, the murderer starts hearin’ the old man's heartbeats under the floor where he hid the body."

"Very good. Tell me, Apple Bloom: What do you think caused the man to hear the heartbeat?"

The girl seems doubtful, almost scared, when she responds,"Um... maybe... his guilt...?"

"Very good, Apple Bloom. The guilt he felt at his crime was too much for him, and he started hallucinating the heartbeat."

All students keep their eyes on the teacher during her explanation, except for Apple Bloom, who looks down at her desk, her mind hazy.

"This is a somewhat advanced topic for this class, but the biggest takeaway here is that powerful emotions, such as guilt, can directly affect our mind."

For three particular students, the room somehow seems to darken and become much colder than it was.

"I’m sure everyone in this room knows what I mean. When you do something wrong, your regretful feelings can build up, especially when someone was hurt due to your actions. That’s guilt."

The teacher’s words make Sweetie Belle's belly begin to hurt again, and Scootaloo looks away with sorrow. As for Apple Bloom, the teacher's voice seemed very far away, echoing as if from an abyss.

"The brain is a sensitive organ, and it’s very easy for our emotions to alter our thinking, and this work is an example of what an emotion, especially a negative emotion, can do to us. It can deceive our mind and make us hear or see things that in reality are not there."

Apple Bloom grabs her arms, feeling an intense chill. She looks up, and to her horror, she sees a shadow behind the teacher. The older woman does not seem to notice the shadow, which soon solidifies into a disturbingly familiar form, and then, Apple Bloom sees them again.

Those eyes.

She starts sweating and trembling as her terror takes hold of her, unable to tear her eyes away from the horrifying silhouette.

Scootaloo notices Apple Bloom’s change in demeanor, and, not caring about interrupting the class, says,"Apple Bloom? Apple Bloom!"

She didn’t respond. She couldn't; she was too focused on those eyes, eyes that watched her without compassion, that froze her insides and clouded all her senses.

She felt herself enveloped in darkness, where she could only see the girl, and those eyes...

The touch of the teacher's hand on her shoulder makes the girl come back to herself. The darkness and shadow disappeared, and she found herself again in the classroom.

The woman looks at her with concern, and the other students look at her confusedly, while her friends look at her with fear and concern.

"Are you all right, Apple Bloom?"the teacher says with concern.

The little girl takes a moment to assess the situation and responds,"Ah... Ah'm fine..."

The teacher touches Apple Bloom’s cheek."You're pale and cool. Do you want to go to the nurse’s office?"

"N-No. Ah'm fine, really. Sorry for interrupting the class."

The teacher looks skeptical but decides not to press the girl anymore and continues her class, changing to a different topic.

The youngest Apple remains seated, her eyes downcast and somewhat fearful. Both Sweetie and Scootaloo watch her worriedly. They have an idea of what may be happening to their friend, and it hurts to know they can’t help.

Lightning

View Online

Saturday arrives, and the thick clouds force the sun to struggle to brighten the winter sky. The threat of rain, or maybe snow, was evident.

Sunset had changed her usual leather jacket and skirt for a winter ensemble, albeit with a very similar color, to protect her from the cold winds while walking towards the Canterlot City Library.

“It’s simple, Sunset,”Sunset thinks to herself.“All you have to do is study up and review a little of everything from each class. Just go with what the teachers already went over, and then study the earlier lessons to make up for enrolling late. How hard could it be? You spent your whole life learning spells and lessons without any help. You’re in your element,”Sunset finishes confidently.

*S*A*S*

Sunset arrives at the library and wastes no time in beginning her study, finding a secluded table to minimize her distractions.

“Let’s see,”she thinks as she stacks her textbooks on the table, “I have a handle on algebra and philosophy, but I really need to study history and earth science.”She has a lot of work ahead of her, and though it is the weekend, Sunset already planned to spend all day studying. “It's not like I have any other plans,”she reminds herself glumly.

Sunset sits down and opens both her notebook and her history textbook.She gets a few lines in before a soft, surprised,“Oh!”snaps her out of her concentration. She glances up toward the source of the noise.

"Twilight?"

Twilight Sparkle, the Equestrian princess’s doppelganger, looks at her with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment.

"S-Sunset Shimmer... I..."

Twilight backs up a few steps, her eyes down, and Sunset gets a better view of the girl. She is wearing a purple winter coat that ran past her waist to reach her light-purple thighs, now covered in black tights. She has winter boots of the same shade of purple and pink gloves on her hands. She’s holding a couple of books against her chest.

"I'm sorry,”Twilight continues.“I didn't see you. It’s just… I usually sit here when I study, but I’ll just find somewhere else…"

“No, no, it’s okay!”Sunset says quickly.“Feel free to sit here, too. It’s more than big enough for the two of us, and I’m a quiet studier.”

Twilight hesitates for a few moments, and with her hand shaking a little, she reaches out, pulls out a chair, and sits down."Thank you…"

"It’s nothing."

Sunset turns back to her book and stretches her neck and shoulders a little, preparing herself for what promises to be a long day of reading. She pulls her book closer and starts reading.

It isn’t until Sunset reaches the end of the first page when she feels eyes on her. She looks over and notices Twilight staring at her with a look of curiosity. Twilight looks away quickly, but after an insistent gesture from Sunset, Twilight says,“I thought... I was the only one who came to the library on a Saturday.”

After a few seconds of silence, Sunset shakes her head with a small chuckle.“Make no mistake, this isn’t normal for me. I came because I have to catch up with some classes; I want to do well on these tests.”

The emerald eyes return to the book, and Twilight hazards a glance at Sunset’s notes.“Um, sorry to keep bothering you, but your notes seem... incomplete."

The former equine turns her head to look at the girl.“Well, yeah. I only transferred to Crystal Prep a week ago, so I missed a lot. That’s why I’m here. I have to go over everything, and it’s not like I have anyone to ask for help.”

Twilight bites her lip and blushes slightly."You can… ask me."

*S*A*S*

All morning, with Twilight's guidance, Sunset made a list of all the topics that would be covered on her tests. Twilight’s shy attitude melted away to confidence as she taught Sunset the many different lessons, and soon, Sunset managed to complete her notes, promising to make her studying go far more smoothly.

As noon rolls around, Sunset looks down at her many notebooks, once sparsely full but now brimming with notes, and she smiles, her chest swelling with a pride she hadn’t felt since childhood. The feeling is almost ticklish, and Sunset giggles.

It was almost fun. She never expected that spending the entire day studying would be anything but a slog, but the day was only half over, and Sunset had caught up in her studies. And she had one girl to thank for it.

Sunset looks over at the girl next to her, who is currently reading on her own, oblivious of Sunset’s gaze.

The irony was palpable. She had gone to a new high school in search of getting away from her past, but she had nevertheless found a familiar face. However, that girl, that reminder of her past, was helping Sunset survive her new classes.

Life was just one strange turn after another.

Just as Sunset is lost in thought, so is Twilight in hers. Eventually, she builds up some courage and says,"Um, Sunset?"

"Hm?"The fire-haired girl responds, snapping her eyes back to her book.

"I know we're studying, but I wanted to ask. What school did you go to before?"

"Uh, to Canterlot High,"Sunset replies, not wanting to talk about her old school.

As soon as he hears the answer, Twilight quickly stands and slams her hands on the table as she exclaims,"Canterlot?!"The librarian immediately shushes her, and Twilight covers her mouth in abject embarrassment."I'm sorry!"she apologizes quietly, sitting down again."You go to Canterlot?!"she exclaims again but in a hushed voice.

"Um... yes. What's wrong with that?"

"That school... I've been watching it for a few months after I picked up quantum and energetic anomalies that have no basis or explanation and seismic activity that didn’t correspond to any physical source! There’s something weird about that place, and you have to tell me what it is!"Twilight finished loudly.

Again, the librarian shushes the girl, who covers her mouth again.

Sunset, worried about the direction of the conversation, responds, trying not to look nervous,"I... I'm sorry, but I don't know what's happening."

"You don’t?”Twilight repeated, confused.“But, if you were at that school, you must have noticed something strange."

"I mean, I guess some things were weird, but... I really have no idea what happened."Sunset looks away, too afraid to look the girl in the eyes.

"But—"

"I prefer... to ignore certain things. I never asked questions, just focused on studying and nothing else."

Twilight seems to want to keep pushing but just sighs."I understand... I guess I'll continue my search alone."

Sunset watches Twilight dejectedly return to her book. For a moment, she thinks about saying something, but in the end, she prefers to let the subject drop.

*S*A*S*

A little past one o’clock, both leave the library, one with a backpack packed with books. Twilight had used her membership card to get a load of books for Sunset for further studying.

"You didn’t have to get these books for me,"Sunset says for the third time.

"It's not a problem, really. Besides, you need to study, and being able to read the information written several different ways always helpsmeunderstand it, so I figured the same might be true for you."

Sunset smiles, simply saying,"Thanks, Twilight."

Twilight smiles softly at her."Don’t mention it. I owed you."

That surprises Sunset."You owed me?"

"Of course. You helped me yesterday with those guys, so it’s only fair that I help you, too."

Suddenly, Sunset stops walking, staring at Twilight incredulously."So… you're only helping me because I stuck up for you? If I hadn’t shown up, you’d just let me struggle?"She looks hurt.“I thought you liked me.”

"N-No, it's not like that! I do like you!"Twilight responds quickly, stopping her own walk."What I mean is just that... you helped me, so I wanted to return the favor. I really do like you! You’re kind and—"

Suddenly, Sunset busts out laughing."Relax, Twi, I’m just kidding,”she forces out between breathes.“I really do appreciate your help today."

Relieved, the scientist blushes and looks away, and the girls continue their walk. When they reach the bus stop, they part ways with a pleasant farewell, and Sunset boards the bus to return home alone.

Twilight watches her leave with a pensive gaze, thinking,“I still feel like I've seen her before...”

*S*A*S*

Sunset leans her head against the window of the bus, her book-stuffed backpack weighing heavy on her lap. She kept running through the events of the morning in her head.

Reading in the library, sharing a few quiet laughs, even going to an early lunch together. Everything... had gone well...

She thought that the day would be heavy and boring, having to read non-stop just to have a chance for a passing grade, but thanks to Twilight, the morning was actually... fun.

Still, Sunset can’t stop her doubts from rising to the surface."I let myself go. I can’t be dropping my guard like that. ‘Friendship’ already burned me once, and I can’t let it happen again.”Sunset gritted her teeth as she finished,“You have to be more careful, Sunset."

Her eyelids remind her how early she had to get up, and, seeing that she still had some time before reaching her stop, she allowed herself to close her eyes and rest her mind.

*S*A*S*

The rest of the weekend passed uneventfully as Sunset spent the days studying. All too soon, Monday rolled around, and a new, test-filled school week began.

Despite this, Sunset was calm; it had taken all the weekend, but she had managed to catch up with all her classes at school. Well, the vast majority, but she was sure she could do well on her tests with little or no problem, so she was not worried.

She opens the door of her locker and gets her books for her first class.

"Hey, Sparkle, what happened to my homework?"

Hearing the familiar name, Sunset looks in the direction of the voice. Her brow furrows at the sight. Two girls had cornered Twilight, and Sunset could tell by their faces and previous tone that it’s not a friendly meeting.

Twilight—in a tone that surprises Sunset—snaps,"You can do your own homework. I don't have to do it!"

She tries to brush past the girls, but the aggressor, a blonde girl with light-green skin, grabs her by the arm."Where do you think you’re going?"

"Let me go!"Twilight demands."I have to get to class!"

"Forget your class. You can leave as soon as you get my homework done!"

The girl's companion, a light-skinned girl with three-toned blue hair adorned with googles, says with an expression of boredom,"Lightning, knock it off. We have class, too."

"Shut up, Indigo!"the blonde demands."And you, Sparkle. You better do what I say or else!"

"Or else what?"Twilight responds angrily.

Instead of a verbal response, Lightning Dust raises her fist. Twilight, knowing what’s coming, loses her bravado as she closes her eyes tightly and braces herself.

Something catches Lightning’s wrist, stopping the blow. The blonde turns around and sees Sunset holding her hand and glaring at her.

"Leave her alone,"Sunset demands sternly.

"Excuse me?"Lightning asks with contempt.

"I said, ‘Leave her alone!’"Sunset repeats more loudly.

Hearing Sunset’s voice and feeling no punch, Twilight opens her eyes to watch the scene.

"And if I don't?"Lightning challenges.

Sunset doesn’t respond verbally and instead quickly bends Lightning’s arm behind her back and twists. The sudden pain forces Lightning to release Twilight, who quickly pulls away.

Sunset quickly releases Lightning and pushes her. Lightning stabilizes and turns with fury, growling,"Who do you think you are, bitch?"

Her words fall on deaf ears as Sunset approaches Twilight, ignoring Lightning."Are you okay, Twilight?"she asks.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine,"Twilight says quietly.

Sunset’s attitude only makes Lightning Dust angrier."Hey, I’m talking to you!"she snaps, trying to grab the former equine’s shoulder. Sunset quickly turns and grabs Lightning’s wrist and looks at her with a flash of anger in her eyes. Lightning glares back with a furious glare of her own, but she can’t help but pause at the look in Sunset’s eyes.

Indigo finally takes Lightning by the shoulder and says,"Enough, Lightning. We have a test coming up, and I'm not going to be late because of you."

Lightning looks at her partner, turns to Sunset, who has not changed her expression, and finally lets go, saying,"This isn’t over."

Without saying more, she turns around and walks away quickly. Indigo and Sunset exchange glances, before Indigo follows her companion at a slower pace.

Twilight and Sunset watch them walk away, and Sunset asks Twilight again,"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I... Thank you,"Twilight squeaks, back to being the shy girl Sunset was more familiar with.

"It’s nothing."

The bell signaling the beginning of classes rings, and the girls hurriedly say a farewell to the other and hurry to go to their classrooms.

*S*A*S*

"So, how’d you do on the test?"asks Sonata while eating her lunch.

A sound mixed between a moan and a murmur is the response of the former equine as she eats her own lunch.

Once again, the two former Equestrians shared an otherwise empty table. Sunset did not know if this would become a habit, but like so many other things, she didn’t think about it; the blue-haired girl was... nice? Well, Sunset preferred the word “tolerable”, but still, she wasn’t bad company.

Besides, it was only lunch, right? Lunch was Sunset’s time to relax, a time to let her energetic companion prattle on about whatever she wanted while Sunset zoned out.

"Yeah, I figured you’d do well. You're really smart. I mean, you put together a years-long plan to get a magic crown. What’s a little math to you, right? "

Sunset rolls her eyes and swallows without saying anything.

She certainly loved to talk. Sunset did not even have to give a real answer to anything; the siren just talked and talked, and a very, very small part of Sunset wondered if it stemmed from some dire need to express herself.

"I’m jealous, honestly. I'm sure you can pass all the subjects without studying anything, and you have plenty of time to go out and have fun."

"Fun"... That term had long ago ceased to exist for Sunset.

"Adagio doesn’t let me have fun on the weekend. She just wants me to study. It's so annoying. I mean, I know I should study, but I'm not stupid! ... no much"

Sunset felt a slight tingling as a dismissive chuckle fought its way up her throat, but she managed to stifle it.

"Anyway, I did pretty good, too. Adagio promised me ice cream if I got good grades, so all the studying was worth it!"

Finally, Sonata takes a bite of her own lunch, and silence returns to the table, but unlike others, it was not an uncomfortable silence, just two classmates focusing on their food. Sunset’s mind is devoid of any particular thoughts, and knowing Sonata, Sunset was sure the same could be said of the former siren.

That silence lasts until a shadow is cast over the table. Both girls look up see a familiar purple face.

"Um, hi, Sunset."

"Hey, Twilight,"Sunset replies.

Twilight continues to stand with her lunch tray, looking like she wants to say something but can’t work up the courage. Sonata looks at her curiously, but Sunset has an idea of what Twilight wants.

"Do you want to sit with us?"Sunset asks.

"Yes!”Twilight exclaims before catching herself and continuing more quietly,“I mean, yeah, that’d be nice. Thanks."

She quickly plops down next to Sunset as the other two return to their food, deciding to follow their lead.

After a few moments in silence, the blue-haired girl pointedly clears her throat and looks at Sunset. Twilight looks her way, but when Sunset doesn’t react, Sonata does it again. When Sunset still concentrates on her lunch, Sonata practically shouts,“Ahem!”finally getting Sunset’s annoyed attention. Sonata nods her head in Twilight’s direction. It takes a few seconds, but Sunset’s brain finally clicks.

"Oh, right. Twilight, Sonata Dusk. Sonata, Twilight Sparkle,"Sunset says, quickly introducing the two to each other before returning to her own lunch. The introductions over, Sonata lets Sunset eat and begins the conversation with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle."

"Uh, same, Sonata,"Twilight says.

"Are you a princess too?"

"Um, no?”Twilight says, confused.“Wait, ‘too’?"

"Long story,"Sunset says, glaring at Sonata.

The scientist blinks a couple of times but decides not to press the question and instead says,“Um, well, Sonata, I assume you and Sunset are friends."

"Not really,"Sonata responds calmly.

"Oh."The look of confusion returns to Twilight’s face.

"In fact, a few months ago, we tried to kill each other,"Sonata continues calmly.

"What?!"Twilight exclaims.

"Well, it was more Adagio, but I guess I didn’t try to talk her out of it."

"... What?!"

"Long. Story,"repeats Sunset, glaring daggers at Sonata.

"What about you? Are you Sunset's friend?"Sonata asks, shifting gears.

"Um…"Her answer lingers a moment as her brain tries to put her thoughts into words."‘Friend’ is moving a bit fast, I think. Or is it?"Twilight looks at Sunset, who looks silently back at her.

"Oh, I understand,"answers Sonata, smiling."So, we’re a trio ofnot-friends, sitting and having lunch together. That's fine."

The former siren goes back to her own lunch, as does Sunset. The scientist remains somewhat confused, but in the end, she decides to do the same.

*S*A*S*

The final bell rings, and every student picks up their things and calmly prepares to start their activities outside of class.

Sunset joins the throng of students, packing her backpack with the books she’d need that night and preparing to return to her apartment. But as soon as she walks through the front door, she hears,"SUNSET SHIMMER!"

Sunset looks over and recognizes the girl she confronted that morning. Lightning Dust stands right in the middle of the road, her aggressive posture letting Sunset know what she wants.

"I’m not done with you, Sunset Shimmer!"the blonde shouts.

The scene had gained some attention as several students look over to watch the ensuing fight.

Sunset looks disinterestedly at Lightning. After breathing deeply and lowering her shoulders a little, she walks toward Lightning.

Lightning Dust changes her position, fists raised and ready to fly. Sunset walks towards her, but when she reaches the sidewalk, she takes a hard left and starts walking away from Lightning.

Surprised, Lightning Dust shouts after Sunset,"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

Sunset just keeps walking without a response. With a snarl, Lightning runs and stands in front of her, looking at her with contempt."What? You're going to pretend you're not listening to me? Or do you just think you’re too good for me."

"What do you want?"Sunset asks, annoyed.

"I want to finish what we started in the hall!"the blonde girl responds."I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Sunset looks at her for a moment, and in the end, she just sighs and brushes past Lightning, saying,"Look, I don't have anything against you, and I don't like fights. Just leave me alone."

Lightning Dust clenches her teeth as she watches Sunset walk away. Her eyes radiate anger as she runs to the other girl and throws her fist. Sunset, hearing the approaching footsteps, moves to the side and, with a slight turn, plants her knee into Lightning’s belly.

Lightning Dust's eyes widen, her pupils contract, and a bit of saliva escapes her mouth as she collapses, breathless.

Seeing the inert blonde girl on the sidewalk surprises and frightens Sunset."Damn, my body moved on its own! Geez, why do these things keep happening to me?"

Lightning remains on the ground, gaping like a fish as she desperately tries to catch her breath. Sunset bends over and quickly pulls the girl into a sitting position. Finally, she hears Lightning take a deep breath. Sunset sighs with relief and leaves the girl with her back against a nearby building’s wall. Lightning seems to be in a state of shock, because she does not move from her place.

Raising her head a little, Sunset realizes that she is now the center of attention of all the students in the immediate vicinity. Feeling the judging eyes of all the students on her, she turns to Lightning, who was staring at her with alarm, incredulity, and fear.

"I... I'm sorry,”Sunset stammers.“I didn’t mean to… You just… I... I'm sorry!"

Unable to do more and eager to get out of there, Sunset runs away.

The “fight” over, most of the students start walking away, chatting excitedly about the scene that just played out. One girl, Indigo Zap, simply stares on with intrigue, however, repeating the scene in her mind.

"Sunset hit her right in the diaphragm, taking Lightning out of the fight but without too much damage."Indigo watches as several students attempt to help Lightning up, only for the latter to push them off and get up on her own."It's not a very difficult technique, but it requires precision and skill to turn and do it as fast as she did. That girl is interesting."She turns and walks away, a curious smile decorating her face.

Another student nearby had also seen what happened, but his smile reflects only malice.

*S*A*S*

Sunset does not stop her run until she reaches the bus station. It arrives almost at the same time as she does, and she does not waste time boarding.

She almost throws herself on an empty seat and grabs her head, growling with annoyance.

"Ugh! Could things get any worse?”

Problems in Crystal

View Online

That Tuesday morning, things felt different, and the reason soon became clear to Sunset.

Every student’s gaze is on her as she walks down the hall. Some linger on her, others last only a couple of seconds before breaking off, but not a single student fails to stare at her.

"Ugh, this is the last thing I wanted,"Sunset thinks. She walks with a neutral expression, though deep down, butterflies dance in her stomach."Calm down, Sunset. It'll pass. Everyone will forget about everything soon. Just keep calm and let the gossip die by itself."

She arrives at her locker and prepares to change her books.

"Sunset Shimmer."

The mention of her name almost makes her jump in fright, but she manages to stay calm. Turning around, she found herself with Indigo Zap, the girl she had seen Lightning Dust with the previous day.

"Indigo Zap, captain of the soccer team. A pleasure."Indigo extends her hand in greeting. Sunset hesitates a moment but decides not to be discourteous.

"Sunset Shimmer,"she introduces.

"I know. I saw you with Lightning Dust yesterday after school. You sure taught her a lesson."

"It was an accident!"Sunset exclaims nervously, kicking herself at her tone, like a child trying to convince her mother that the broken vase wasn’t her fault.

"Accident or not, you know how to defend yourself without doing any real damage,"says Indigo with a smile."You’re pretty quick on your feet. If you haven't joined any clubs yet, how about joining a team? We have soccer, tennis, basketball, swimming, and many others. Someone with your skill would be valuable in our ranks. Think about it."

Indigo winks to Sunset, then walks away, leaving Sunset a bit surprised."She didn't even care that I hit her friend."

"Is it really true?!"

Again, Sunset had to force herself to contain her scream. She turned to see Sonata looking at her with great astonishment. Both look at each other in silence, before Sonata asks again,"Well, is it true?"

"It what true?"Sunset asks.

"That you beat Lightning Dust in a fight!"

Sunset steps back a little and looks around frantically to make sure no one is giving them much attention."It wasn't a fight. She just attacked me, and I reacted without thinking, but we didn't fight!"she tries to defend herself.

"It sounds like a fight to me, and it sounds like you won!"Sonata exclaims.

"Stop yelling!"

Sonata ignores her and continues,"I’ve heard of Lightning Dust. She’s one of the best athletes here. She’s strong and fast, but she has a bad temper. Even the guys are afraid of her!"

Sunset tries not to pay attention."Look, I just don’t want to talk about her."

"That sucks, because the whole school is talking about it."

As if rehearsed, several more students cast their glances at Sunset, who sighs."I know.”

"Hey, look on the bright side: You're famous now."

"That's the problem. I don't want to be famous."

"Why not? Being famous is super! Everyone admires you and loves you, and… Oh, I miss those times."

Sunset ignores the dreamy look of the former mermaid’s face and instead says,"Look, I'm not interested in being famous. I just want to be another random student, one whose name no one knows."

Sonata looks at her curiously, and then puts on a pensive look."Um, that'll be hard, because I know your name. Oh! I can try to forget it. Aria says I always forget things, so I’m sure I could forget your name if I really try."

Sonata closing her eyes and concentrates, her hands squeezing her temples. She utters a strained sound as her face takes on a reddish tone from the effort.

A tired expression adorning her face, Sunset sighs and says,"Sonata…"

The former siren drops her arms and releases her breath, returning her face to its normal color."Ugh, forgetting things is hard. Oh, wait! Maybe I don’t have to forget it! I just have to not use your name. Wait, but what will I call you?"

"Sonata,"Sunset snaps.

"I got it!"Sonata exclaims with joy."I'll give you a nickname! Nicknames are fun! Aria always calls me ‘stupid’ or ‘idiot’ or ‘the worst’... Well, those aren’t the best nicknames, but yours will be great!"

At this point, Sunset struggles not to growl too loudly."Sonata."

Sonata continues to not notice Sunset as she lists,"Let's see, how about ‘Sunny’? ‘Sunshine’? No, too close. ‘Set’? ‘Settie’?"

"Sonata."

"Oh, maybe ‘Flamey’? For your hair and—"

Her patience at an end, Sunset tightly grabs Sonata’s chin and forces the siren to look at her."Sonata, shut up!"

Sonata finally stopped talking in surprise, letting Sunset speak."Forget the nicknames. I'm just Sunset."

"But you said—"

"And forget the fight!"Sunset interrupts."Don’t worry about the gossip. Sooner or later, the school will have something more interesting to talk about."

"Okie dokie!"Sonata chirps. Sunset releases her, and Sonata skips off, oblivious to Sunset’s anger. Sunset watches her go with a sigh before returning to her locker and getting ready for the day.

*S*A*S*

Sunset's plan proved effective, and much sooner than expected, too. As soon as the first bell rang, the minds of all the students were off the fight and on the exams. For once, Sunset celebrated the invention of exams.

Finishing the first period, and the first exam of the day, Sunset rubs her neck to relieve her tension."Try to relax, Sunset. all this worry will just lead to premature aging."

She hears a voice behind her."Sunset Shimmer."

"Ugh, what now?"Sunset thinks before turning around, finding Cadance behind her.

"Come with me, please,"Cadance says."Principal Cinch wants to see you."

"What? Why?"Sunset questions, a little nervous.

"Follow me, please."

The woman walks off without waiting for an answer. Sunset watches her for a moment, then sighs in defeat.

*S*A*S*

Once again, Sunset finds herself facing the imposing door. The dean opens it and stands aside, letting her in.

The room remains the same as before; shadows rule over the room, the only light illuminating the single, large desk, behind which sits the principal, her elbows on the desk and her face behind steepled fingers. Her eyes are closed, and her face is gravely serious.

Sunset does not need to be a genius to realize there is a problem. A little nervous, she approaches and sits in front of the woman.

"Y-You wanted to see me, Principal Cinch?"Her voice betrays her nervousness.

The woman is silent for a few seconds before looking at the girl and answering,"Miss Shimmer, I have received unfortunate information about a certain event that happened yesterday after the end of the school day."

A growl escapes Sunset, although she manages to keep it low enough not to be heard. She drops her shoulders and lowers her head.“I should have known this would happen."

"Can you please explain what happened?"asks Cinch, though her tone made her statement more a demand than a request.

Sunset bites her lip and forces her mind to order her thoughts."Principal Cinch, I... It was not my intention to do that…”

The principal's steely gaze remains on Sunset, silently beckoning her to continue.

"Well, Lightning Dust, she… She was…"Sunset forces herself to stop. She didn’t want to get Twilight involved."We had a disagreement yesterday, and after school, she shouted at me, and..."

She becomes silent, trying desperately to clarify her thoughts so as not to say something wrong. The principal gives her a contemptuous look as she waits for her explanation to end.

"...Lightning Dust tried to hit me, and I... acted on impulse. I didn't... I didn't want to get into a fight with her."

"As I've heard,"the principal begins,"it was you who started the confrontation."

"What?!"Sunset exclaims, indignant and surprised."That's not true! "

"Do you deny, then, having acted against another student?"

"Well, no. I did hurt her, but... but I didn't want to. When I saw she wanted to fight, I tried to get away, but she chased me. I don't start fights.""Not since that night,"Sunset finishes mentally.

"That's interesting, because I have also been informed that you have had friction with multiple students whom you've threatened."

"What?! I never did that!"Sunset asserts.

"Miss Shimmer, you’ve been a student here for only a week now, and I have already been receiving complaints about your behavior. This does not bode well for your future here. However, I believe in due process, so I'll give you the opportunity, here and now, to explain to me what is going on."

To say Sunset was nervous would be an understatement. Sunset wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to involve Twilight, but every altercation Sunset had was because she was defending Twilight. What could she do?

A curious sound takes her out of her thoughts and grabs Cinch’s attention. Both look toward the office door as muffled voices on the other side reach their ears. There seems to be an argument going on.

Shortly after, the door opens with a clatter, and someone enters."Twilight, wait! You can't just barge in!"they hear Cadance say.

Sunset blinks in surprise as the bespectacled girl hurries up to her."Twilight?"

"Miss Sparkle, what is the reason for this interruption?"asks the principal, annoyed.

"Principal Cinch, please listen. This is a mistake!"Twilight pleaded.

"What is a mistake, Miss Sparkle?"

"Sunset’s done nothing wrong. It’s all my fault!"

The former equine, the principal, and even the dean are surprised at her words.

"What you talking about, Miss Sparkle?"Cinch asked, regaining her composure.

"I was the one arguing with Lightning Dust. Sunset was just defending me, that’s all!"

"Twilight, no!"Sunset intervenes."Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t force me to—"

"No, Sunset!"Twilight interrupts."You defended me against Lightning, but if it weren’t for me, your fight would never have happened."

"Twilight—"

"Enough!"The principal's tone of voice silences both girls. Taking a deep breath, she continues,"Miss Sparkle, please explain yourself carefully."

Twilight takes a deep breath and looks into Cinch’s eyes."Principal Cinch, yesterday morning, Lightning Dust and I got into an argument, and Sunset came and defended me from her. Lightning Dust didn't take it well, and that afternoon, Lightning challenged Sunset and attacked her when Sunset refused to fight."

"I was informed that it was Miss Shimmer who has been inciting conflicts."

"That’s not true!"Twilight exclaims confidently."Sunset is a kind girl and a great friend. She doesn’t start fights!"

Sunset could not possibly be more surprised to hear Twilight defend her.

"Very well,"pronounces the principal."In that case, Miss Sparkle, can you tell me the reason behind your dispute with Miss Dust?"

Here, Twilight looks away nervously."Well, you'll see... Lightning wanted... help with her homework—"

"‘Help’, huh? That’s a laugh,"Sunset scoffs.

"Sunset!"

Cinch is intrigued."What do you mean, Miss Shimmer?"

Sunset explains,"Lightning Dust wanted Twilight to do her homework for her. When Twilight refused, Lightning tried to hit her."

There seems to be a small, tiny, almost imperceptible change in the Cinch’s serious expression.

"It’s true,"Twilight finally admits."But Sunset helped me, and..."

"Lightning Dust didn’t take too kindly,"ends Sunset."And she wanted to attack me while I was leaving school."

Cinch closes her eyes and seems to enter a pensive state."I see. That is what happened, is it, Miss Sparkle?"

"Y-Yeah,”Twilight stutters.“So, don't punish Sunset. If there's a culprit, here, it's me."

"Twilight, no!"

"Well, the situation is clear to me,"the principal says, cutting the conversation short."Both of you are free to go."

Two pairs of eyebrows raise in surprise, but neither object. While they walk back to their classes, Sunset decides to say,"You didn't need to blame yourself like that."

"It was because of me that you got into trouble,"Twilight replies.

"Not really. I helped you because I wanted to do it. You didn’t force me to defend you."Sunset’s statement makes Twilight stop walking. When Sunset notices, she stops and turns to her."Twilight?"

There is silence for a moment as Twilight looks at the ground, focused on her thoughts. After a moment, she looks up."Sunset Shimmer, whyareyou helping me so much?"

"Why... What?"

"We don't even know each other, so why? Why are you putting yourself in the line of fire for me?"

Sunset freezes, trying to think of an answer.

It had been an impulse.

Why had Sunset helped her? Was it because she had that face? Was it because she knew what it felt like to be intimidated by others?

Maybe... Maybe she had simply gotten used to doing the right thing, and it would be difficult to change that part of herself... if she even wanted to change it.

The silence Sunset holds while trying to organize her ideas makes the scientist fidget a little.

"Were you... trying to win something?"

The question takes Sunset out of her thoughts."Win?"

"Is that what you're looking for?”Twilight demands, her voice rising.“Do you want some help with a contest? Do you want me to help you with your studies? Or do you think the teachers will treat you better by being with me?"

Her accusing gaze and the tone of her voice do nothing but confuse Sunset more.

"Say it! What do you expect to get? Why do you always jump to my aid?"

Yes, for a moment, she had forgotten it. Or had she ever actually processed it?

This girl was not the Twilight that she knew, and as similar as she was in certain aspects, she was indeed a different person.

After meditating a little, Sunset finally responds"I don't know."

"What?"That is not the answer Twilight expected.

"I don't know why I did it. I guess I just wanted to do something right, for a change."

Twilight is confused, but before she can say anything, Sunset turns around and walks quickly down the hall. Twilight watches her leave, biting her lip worriedly.

*S*A*S*

The dean and the principal remain in the office of the latter, mulling over the recent conversation. The dean looks nervously at the principal who, sitting at her desk, seems to be thinking deeply about something.

"Principal Cinch,"the dean begins,"Twilight is not in trouble, is she?"

"Not at all,"is Cinch’s simple response.

Her response allows the dean to breathe easy.

"On the other hand…"

The dean’s breath hitches, and she meets Cinch’s gaze.

"Dean Cadance, bring me Miss Dust."

*S*A*S*

The rest of the morning passed, and at lunch, Sunset met Sonata, as usual. The former siren looked at her strangely for a moment, getting the inkling that something was off. Sunset, however, paid no attention and only kept silent. Soon, the blue-haired girl shrugged and turned to her lunch. Thus, they returned to their already almost customary routine, with the former siren talking about her own affairs and the former equine listening to her half-heartedly.

*S*A*S*

With the last bell, the students begin to get ready to go to clubs or practice or simply home. Sunset leaves the school and follows her usual way to the bus stop.

Her walk is interrupted when she sees a person leaning on a tree stand up and get in her way.

“What a wonderful way to end the day,”Sunset thinks sarcastically.

Lightning Dust stands a few meters from her, and if she was upset yesterday, she looks downright livid today.

"Sunset Shimmer!"Lightning snaps.

"What now?"

"I got a bone to pick with you!"

"What did I do now?"Sunset asks, rolling her eyes.

"Don't play dumb! You told Cinch that I had threatened Sparkle!"

"Okay, and?"

"Because of you, I almost got two weeks of detention! She only let me go because she knows there’s an important game that she knows Ihaveto be in."

"Sounds like you got off pretty easy,"Sunset says.

"But she warned me that if I ever act up again, she’d expel me! It's your fault I'm on such thin ice!"

"You’re blaming me foryouractions?”Sunset asks incredulously. She continues more to herself,“Is there anything Iwon’tbe blamed for?"

"I’m blaming you foryouractions, bitch! And guess what. We're not on school grounds anymore. I can do whatever I want to you now."

Sunset just lets out a sigh and closes her eyes. Lightning cracks her knuckles and waits for an answer from the fire-haired girl, but Sunset just keeps silent. That just makes Lightning angrier. With a growl, Lightning throws a strong punch and hits Sunset on the cheek. Sunset staggers back but manages to keep her footing. Lightning wastes no time in throwing another punch, striking Sunset’s other cheek. As Sunset reels, Lightning punches her in the stomach, making Sunset double over. Taking advantage of Sunset’s position, Lightning knees her in the face.

Sunset falls to the ground, moaning as she holds her nose. Lightning stares at her, frowning. Growling, she grabs Sunset’s jacket collar and forces her to her feet.

"What's wrong? You're not gonna defend yourself?"

Sunset doesn’t respond. She just stares at the girl with a neutral expression.

Lightning throws another punch with such force that it forces Sunset back to the ground.

"Come on, what happened to all that bravery yesterday?"

Again, Sunset doesn’t answer. She just looks up at Lightning, her hand over the bruise under her left eye.

"Come on! Fight!"Lightning growls.

Lightning punches Sunset again, and Sunset moans in pain as she shields her face, turning to her side. Lightning just gets angrier and lands a strong kick to Sunset’s stomach. Sunset lets out a strangled groan and she holds her stomach.

Lightning uses her foot to roll Sunset onto her back. Planting her feet on either side of Sunset, Lightning punches her in her unshielded face several times. Sunset never defends herself, nor does she say anything.

Finally, Lightning straightens up and says,"You're pathetic."

Lightning hits her one more time and watches her for a moment. Sunset lies there on the ground, covered in bruises and small cuts. Her body trembles slightly, and her moans of pain do not stop. Disgusted, Lightning spits on the ground next to Sunset’s head and walks away, leaving the former equine there.

Sunset makes a great effort to stay conscious. Her face and body ache, and waves of pain shoot through her body with every movement."It could’ve been worse,"she finds herself nevertheless thinking.“Maybe now, she’ll leave me alone.”

She turns sideways, and the action only worsens the discomfort of her body, but she powers through it and forces herself to her feet. She struggles to maintain her balance as she begins walking, but she only makes it a couple of steps before falling back to the sidewalk. The pain of the impact forces a scream from her throat.

She grunts with pain and frustration as she rolls over onto her back, breathing heavily. The pain never lessens, and she begins trembling again.

Obviously, getting home in that state was not an option.

She had to think of another plan.

But she could not stay lying there, that much was clear. The sun would burn her, and night would fall soon, dropping the temperature dramatically.

She had to get home. Her wounds, despite the pain, were not serious. She could patch herself up in she could get to her apartment, and with luck, she could stay away from any further problems until they were completely healed.

But she could not walk. Perhaps if she rested an hour or two, she could gather the strength to return home, or at least find a place to take refuge. But waiting was not an option she liked.

Finally, an idea came to her head. With no other good options, she reached into her vest and pulled out her phone. She was filled with something similar to fear as she stared at the screen. A moment passed, then another, then another as she argued with herself.

The pain of her body and of her head finally convinced her, and she dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.

After a few rings, Sunset finally hears a voice.

"Um... Hello?"

Lost past. New Present?

View Online

Flash drove his car through the streets of the city, worry dominating his mind. More than once, he had to stop to review the address he was given, but beyond that, he managed to find his way easily enough.

Flash keeps his eyes peeled as he pulls down an empty street, looking for something. Or rather, someone. Soon, his eyes focus on what looks like the figure of a person leaning against a tree near the sidewalk. A closer look confirms that the person is a girl, and not just any girl.

"Sunset!"

In a hurry, he approaches, parks his vehicle, and gets out to run towards Sunset. Up close, he can clearly see the bruises and scrapes adorning the girl’s face. The area under her left eye is swollen with a blackish color. Her eyes are closed, spiking Flash’s worry.

"Sunset? SUNSET!"

Flash’s call does the job. Sunset stirs, managing to open her healthy eye and look at Flash.

"Flash... You came..."

"God, Sunset! What happened to you?!"

"Oh, you know... Conflicts between schoolmates..."

He doesn’t understand the answer but doesn’t make an effort to do so, deciding to ask later. Supporting the girl's arm on his shoulders, he helps her get up and walk to her car. He helps her into the passenger seat, quickly takes his own place behind the wheel, and gets back on the road.

"Don’t worry. I'll take you to a hospital. You'll be fine,"Flash says frantically.

"No hospitals... Just take me home."

"You’re hurt, Sunset! They should check you."

"Seriously, Flash. I have medicine at home. I'll be fine."

"Sunset—"

"Flash! I don't have any real ID?"she snaps."I’m an illegal alien as far as the government is concerned. Getting into a school is one thing. If I go to a hospital, they’ll probably put me in prison after patching me up."

The revelation freezes his blood. He does not stop driving, but he does speak as his brain tries to process the situation.

"Right… To home, then..."

*S*A*S*

"Ow! Damnit!"yelps Sunset.

"I-I'm sorry!"Flash says.

With great care, the boy passes the piece of cotton over the girl’s eye. She moans a little but does not move away. Taking some medical tape, Flash presses the cotton down and tapes it into place.

"Are you okay?"he asks for the umpteenth time.

"I've had worse, believe me,"she answers without much doubt.

There is silence. Flash looks at the girl.

The dirt had been cleaned, the small cuts bandaged, but the bruises were still noticeable. Her uniform was covered with dirt, and her hair was disheveled, but even in that state, Flash couldn’t help but see the pretty girl underneath.

He shakes his head hard."Come on, focus, Flash!"he thinks. To focus his mind on something else, he decides to talk."Sunset, who did this to you?"

Sunset hesitated a moment before responding,"A girl from Crystal Prep. Nobody important."

"A girl? Alone? Wow... That's amazing."The girl's healthy eye reveals her curiosity at the boy's words, and Flash quickly explains,"Well, at school, you never had problems with anyone looking for fights. I remember when you tackled the football captain after he stepped out of line. He was so impressed, he wanted you on the team."The memory brought a laugh to both of them."You always knew how to defend yourself,"he continues as his laughter quiets,"even physically. So, this girl—"

"Actually,"she interrupts,"I let her hit me."

"What?! Why?"Flash says, surprised.

"There was an... altercation between her and someone else, and I stepped in. She was really upset,"she explains."If I had defended myself, it would’ve just made her angrier. Now that she beat me up, maybe she’ll calm down and forget about it."

Flash is stunned.

Memories came to his mind of when he first met her. She was a distant girl, cold, seemingly afraid to do anything or talk to anyone.

It did not change much when they started dating, but she did open up a bit, at least with him. Then came the "dark age", when she began to take over the school. Many faced her, and she won all her battles. There was only one person who could beat her.

Twilight Sparkle.

After that night, she changed, it seemed, into a totally different person. That cold, aggressive, almost insensitive girl had left, and in her place was a fearful, kind, good-hearted young woman.

That girl that he knew was there all this time.

"Flash? Hey, Flash!"

The call pulls him out of his trance. He shakes his head and stutters,"Ah? What? Wh-What's up?"

"I know I look awful, but you don’t need to stare,"Sunset says in a somewhat teasing gesture.

He felt his cheeks heat up. How long was he deep in thought?

"I-It wasn't my intention! I was just thinking of something... something not important!”

She looks at him curiously, and he feels his whole face burn.

"Besides, you don't look awful. You're still beautiful. No, wait, I didn't mean that. Not that you aren’t, of course! You are! It’s just that—"

To avoid further embarrassment, he slapped his forehead with his palm and hid his eyes to avoid eye contact. Soon, a sound suddenly filled the atmosphere.

A snicker.

Flash parted his fingers a bit, allowing himself to look at her. Sunset had a hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to silence her laughter.

Flash was surprised, to say the least. He stares at her, but she does not stop laughing a friendly, comfortably laugh. He racked his mind, looking for some memory of having seen her laugh like that at some point in the past.

None came to his mind.

Sunset's face was still bruised, her hair disheveled, her clothes stained, but all that was overshadowed by that laugh. It almost seemed as if her face was shining. Flash did not know when, but eventually, his lips curled, and his own laugh escaped his mouth.

They keep laughing. He keeps a hand on his forehead, feeling silly but happy. She clutches her stomach, ignoring the pain caused by her laughter, and their laughter only grows. Calming down some, they open their eyes and look at each other, only to laugh again with more force. It almost seems that the laughter of one only increases that of the other.

For a few minutes, the whole apartment is filled with their laughter, but eventually, the laughter begins to fade. Both breathe deeply, small chuckles escaping a couple of times, until finally, the laughter fades entirely.

They remain silent, but it is certainly not an uncomfortable silence, until Sunset finally decides to speak.

"You always know how to break the tension."

Flash chuckles a bit nervously, this time."I really don't know what I did... Heh..."

Another, much smaller laugh escapes from her."Thanks for helping me today, Flash."

"It's nothing. What are friends for? If... If you need anything else, just call me."

"Thank you."A smile, small but genuine, lights up her face.

*S*A*S*

Eventually, the boy leaves, and the former equine is once again alone in her apartment. She lets herself fall on her couch and allows her aching body to rest.

The day had been difficult. Hell, “difficult” was putting it lightly, but at last it was over. Now, she could rest.

A curious smell reaches her nose. She looks at herself, noticing the state of her uniform.

Well, she could rest as soon as she cleaned her clothes a little; she still had school tomorrow.

*S*A*S*

Sunset hangs her washed uniform out the window to let the wind dry it.

She had, in the meantime, changed into a white shirt and some pink sweatpants to keep herself warm and comfortable.

Comfort. Sunset needed a bit of that after her day.

She drops on her bed and looks up at the ceiling, her healthy eye threatening to close.

It was still too early to think about sleeping, but after such a day, she may very well sleep and not wake up for a couple of days.

The idea sounded really tempting.

When she closes her eye and relaxes her body, her mind goes through her experiences of the day.

Her arrival at school to the stares of the students.

The talk with Cinch and Twilight’s help.

Her beating at Lightning’s hand.

And finally, Flash coming to her aid when she really needed it.

Thinking about that made her feel warm. Flash really helped her, answered her call, and brought her home. He even helped her with her injuries despite being told that it was not necessary.

Thinking about it, there was no reason to be surprised. Flash had always been like that. He was always helping her out. That boy was special.

"Princess Twilight’s lucky to have him,"Sunset thinks to herself.“Just one more thing she has over me.”

It's not the first time that Sunset thought about that. Princess Twilight had everything Sunset herself could ever hope to have.

Twilight not only received the acceptance of Celestia but also fulfilled the very dream that Sunset had held for so long, the very dream that Sunset left her entire life behind to achieve.

Twilight managed to become everything Sunset wanted to be. The irony was that the purple pony did it all without trying, instead simply being who she was.

Twilight had the love of her mentor, she had a crown, she had hundreds of ponies that loved her, she had a family, and finally, she had friends.

Friends who were there for her, friends who loved her, friends who appreciated her, friends who would never turn their backs on her.

The memory of those five girls invades Sunset's mind, but instead of getting depressed, she feels frustrated, angry.

She thought that she had done well, that she had proven that she had changed, that they trusted her.

She was wrong. They were never her friends. She was just a charity case, given to them by Princess Twilight, who had saved the school and rebuilt the friendship that Sunset herself destroyed.

It was so obvious, she felt so stupid for not noticing.

She was never a friend to them. They just wanted to please the princess.

"Stop thinking those things!"Sunset thought, reprimanding herself.

All that was the past, and the past is not today.

Now Sunset had another life, one that needed to be built from scratch. She had already done so more than once. She could get up and move on.

She was strong, she was intelligent, she was able to fend for herself. Even now, she had resources that she did not have the first few times. She could do it, even if she did not have friends.

The image of three people reaches her head.

Twilight, fearful, studious, with a great appetite for knowledge. They had helped each other twice. She was… something. Sunset did not know what, but she was something.

Sonata, once her enemy, now... Well, it was not clear what she was. She was happy, a little annoying, but in the end, she was someone to talk to. Or rather, someone to listen to.

And Flash, a little clumsy but a boy with a noble heart. She had heard that Equestria's Flash was a soldier of the royal guard. Sunset believed it; it made sense. He approached her years ago to help her when she was lost just because it was the right thing to do. And he helped her again now, after everything that happened.

Three people, two that Sunset barely knew, one that she had only known for a few years, were all she had in her life.

Calling them "friends" would be too much, but they were something to her.

She yawns and settles back into her bed.

Too many thoughts. She needed to rest. Tomorrow, hopefully, would be a better day.

*S*A*S*

It was not a better day.

When Sunset tried to get up, she was painfully reminded of the damage to her body, and after resting for several minutes, she was forced to move with great care to avoid further damage.

A couple of painkillers calmed her pain, thankfully, and Sunset quickly ironed her dry uniform, doing away with most of the wrinkles, before dressing and checking herself in the mirror.

The cuts on her face had healed, leaving only small scratches. There were still some bruises, but there was no other inflammation, which was good.

Her eye, on the other hand, was still in bad shape, the area around it bloated and black, but at least she could keep her eye almost fully open.

She thought about using makeup to cover her wounds, but she was not used to that. She usually put on only a little for meetings or parties that were really important, so her attempt to hide the wounds did not end well, and she ended up just wiping it all off.

Finally, she placed new, clean gauze on her eye and left for school.

*S*A*S*

Like the day before, many looks were directed at Sunset.

She did not know if it was due to her appearance, to more strange rumors, or to her fight with Lightning going public.

As before, she tried not to pay attention. Perhaps they would forget about her when they started classes, just like the day before.

Sunset arrives at her locker and prepares to open it, when she hears a gasp behind her.

"Oh, my God!"

Sunset quickly turns and sees a girl with turquoise skin and short, violet-and-pink hair adorned with a flower-shaped brooch. Her eyes were wide with horror as she beheld Sunset’s wounds.

"Ugh, you look terrible! I won’t let this go! Come with me."

Without another word, the girl grabs Sunset's wrist and starts dragging her along.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?"Sunset demands.

The girl gives no explanation as she pulls Sunset into a nearby restroom. She pushes Sunset into one of the stalls and closes the door after going in herself, locking it.

Sunset does not manage to ask anything before the girl pulls out a makeup set and starts working on Sunset’s face without asking permission.

For several minutes, Sunset feels the girl's hands move across her face, applying creams and powders. Finally, after a little mascara, she takes a brush and fixes Sunset’s hair.

Finished, the girl pushes Sunset out of the stall and toward the mirror, and Sunset gasps. Her face looks untouched, as if the fight had never happened. Even her swollen eye is hardly noticeable if you don’t know it is injured.

The mystery girl stands next to her and looks at her carefully before smiling and sighing."I feel so much better now,"she says.

After looking at her reflection for a minute, Sunset turns to her “attacker”."Um, now that you’re done, who are you?"

"Sunny Flare, honey,"she says."It´s a pleasure to meet you."

"Um, Sunset Shimmer,"Sunset clumsily responds.

"Oh! ‘Sunset’, ‘Sunny’. Almost seems like a predestined encounter."

Sunset decides to ignore that and says,"Um, I guess I appreciate you cleaning me up, but why did you do it?"

"For me, order and beauty are essential. I can't be calm if my environment is not in perfect condition."Her gaze changes from calm to a little serious."That means no spots, no dust, no mess."She looks closely at Sunset's clothes."And no wrinkles!"

Sunny says nothing else before pulling out a small spray bottle.

"H-Hey, wait!"

*S*A*S*

Finally, Sunset arrives at her classroom."How many crazy students am I going to meet?"she thinks to herself as she mentally reviews what she had just experienced with that girl Sunny Flare.

*S*A*S*

Another test, another problem Sunset didn’t need to worry about.

Despite it being only her second week, Sunset had managed to catch up with the classes, and she was sure she had done a good job on the exams so far.

"And it's all because Twilight helped me. I'll have to do something good for that girl,"Sunset thinks as she shuffles through her locker.

Sunset’s so focused on the matter, she does not notice when that very girl steps up behind her.

"Um... hi, Sunset Shimmer,"Twilight says softly.

Sunset turns so they can face each other."Hey, Twilight,”she said.“How are you?"

Twilight remains silent, looking towards the ground. The fire-haired girl waits for her to speak, and when Twilight does not, Sunset tries to say something.

"I’m sorry!"Twilight suddenly exclaims.

Sunset is surprised both at the interruption and at the sudden apology."What are you sorry for?"

"I-I'm sorry... for the way I acted yesterday."

"Yesterday?"

Twilight closes her eyes tightly."I was awful to you. I... I made terrible accusations at you. Don’t you remember?”Twilight looks away and says,“I shouldn't have acted like that."

Twilight suddenly starts sniffling, and Sunset thinks,“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. After everything that happened, that conversation was the farthest thing from my mind.”Sunset gently grabs Twilight’s shoulders and says,"Hey, hey, calm down. You don't have to sorry for that. There's no problem; it didn't bother me."

"It’s just that this is the first time anyone’s treated me like that, and I… I just…"Twilight managed out between sniffles.

Sunset was lost. What should she do? She had never had a girl crying like that in front of her. Well, not without her causing it herself, but that was in her dark days! This was different!

Twilight takes off her glasses and uses her arms to wipe away her tears."I-I'm sorry... I don't know why I'm crying. I'm such an idiot!"

"H-Hey, it's fine,"Sunset says hesitantly. She does not really know what to say, so she can only repeat platitudes.

"Y-You’ve been so kind, and I... I was so rude to you..."Twilight said.

"Come on, stop crying."Sunset's words seem to calm Twilight a little, and Sunset uses her thumb to wipe away the girl's tears."Twilight, it's okay,"continues Sunset calmly."You weren’t rude. You’ve been very kind to me, you helped me study for the exams, and you even defended me from Cinch. If it weren’t for you, I may not even be enrolled here anymore. You’ve helped me a lot, and I appreciate it."

Finally, Twilight's eyes look at Sunset's."I should be the one thanking you..."

"How about we say we’re even?"Sunset smiles softly.

The purple-haired girl puts her glasses back on, and they look at each other in silence. Sunset starts to say something but is cut off when Twilight suddenly hugs her tightly. It takes a few seconds for Sunset to overcome her surprise and respond to Twilight's hug.

It was strange. It did not feel like the hugs she was used to. It was different, clumsy, but it was not unpleasant.

Eventually, Sunset again remembered that this was not the Twilight that she knew, and it was soon clear that this girl had even less experience in friendship than Sunset herself had.

That hug, if you could call it that, reminded Sunset of herself. It reminded of her of those times when she did not know how to express her emotions, when she was afraid of feeling affection, and when she was not sure who she was.

All that was reflected in a single action from a girl who, despite being so familiar, was a complete stranger.

Maybe itwasa better day, after all.

*S*A*S*

Darkness covers the Apple farm. All the members of the family lie in their warm beds, sleeping peacefully.

Well, almost all of them.

Apple Bloom, the smallest of the family, cannot fall asleep. Completely covered by her warm blankets, she lies hugging her legs against her chest, her body trembling not from cold but from fear.

Apple Bloom couldn’t see it from inside her blankets, but she nevertheless felt that presence. It was near her bed... in front of the door... right behind her back... somewhere... or everywhere: the specter that tormented her so.

"It's not real,"the little one thinks to herself."Your mind’s playin’ tricks on you. It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real!”

She repeats those words over and over in her head. But that icy sensation on her back makes it clear that those eyes were on her.

*S*A*S*

It's early in the morning. Rarity takes a small sip of her fruit juice and prepares to return to her breakfast, when she notices that her sister has not touched hers.

"Sweetie, are you okay? You haven’t eaten anything."

"I'm not hungry..."says the little one.

"Does your stomach still hurt?"

The little girl does not respond, but her arms surround her belly. Her older sister stands up and comes over to hug her.

"Oh, darling, you really should see a doctor."

"Nurse Redheart said I don’t have anything..."

"While I do not question the professionalism of the nurse, you've been like that for several days. It's not good for you to eat so little. This afternoon, after school, I'll take you to the doctor."

Sweetie Belle does not argue. She only takes refuge in the arms of her older sister.

*S*A*S*

Scootaloo came to school early; she could not bear to stay alone in her house. She wanted to see her friends as soon as possible; being on her own was not doing her any good.

In fact, none of them was doing any good.

She had noticed the state of her friends. Apple Bloom was distracted, disturbed, and repeatedly stared at nothing with a face full of fear. Scootaloo herself was frightened by her friend.

Sweetie never wanted to eat. Every time she tried, she said that her stomach started to ache. Because of this, she always felt weak and sleepy.

The little athlete felt terrible, not only for what they did to Sunset but also because she could not help her friends, who were worse off than her.

Being without them terrified her. Every time she was not at their side, she feared for the safety of both of them, afraid something terrible would happen to them.

*S*A*S*

Canterlot High's principal keeps her eyes on the documents on her desk, writing, reviewing, filing, and setting them aside. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Eventually, Celestia pauses and looks at all the papers in the corner of her desk. She lets out a moan of frustration, throws all the papers on the floor, and buries her head into her arms on the desk.

"Why do I even bother?"thinks Celestia."What is the point?"

Forcing her body to straighten up and lean back in her chair, she looks up, her eyes wet.

She opens one of her drawers and takes out a newspaper clipping. This one displays a color photograph of six of her students and the girl that had united them. The caption under the image reads

"Great show, Canterlot High and The Battle of the Bands"

The principal's eyes are focused on the fire-haired girl. She was smiling, happy, surrounded by her friends.

Celestia runs her hands over her face, refusing to cry.

"Everything was going so well. I thought... I thought I could take care of my school. I..."

How did all this happen?

A little over a month ago, the school was very lively. Everyone was happy, there was friendship, love, good friends everywhere.

And then, Anon-A-Miss arrived.

One person, one page, one profile of a social network had completely destroyed the school.

They had all hated Sunset. And now she was gone.

And so was Anon-A-Miss.

Anon-A-Miss no longer existed. The page had closed, but she had still won, and even Sunset, being innocent, had allowed that person to win.

But, why did the school still look so depressed? Why were there no laughs? If everything was over...

Celestia does not notice the moment her sister enters her office.

"Celestia,"Luna says,"are you crying?"

Celestia quickly cleans her eyes and face, trying to maintain a serious face.

"It's just fatigue, Luna."

"Sister, I know you. What's wrong?"

Celestia is silent for a moment."What do you want me to say? I failed, Luna. I failed as a principal. "

"Celestia—"

"Everything was going so well: my school, my students, my career. And now… it’s all…"The serene face so characteristic of the principal threatens to fail at any moment."I couldn't protect my students from a digital ghost! I couldn't help Sunset Shimmer prove her innocence! Now she's gone... and my school..."

Luna wanted to say something to help her, but she did not know what. "Anon-A-Miss is gone,"Luna says,"Everything will return to normal sooner or later."

"I want to believe that, but everyone is—"

"It's just bad weather. Winter does that to people. When spring arrives, everyone will be back in their good spirits."

Celestia hides her face in her hands. Luna does not see them, but she knows there are a couple of tears flowing down Celestia’s cheeks.

"Sister, maybe you should take a couple of days off,"Luna suggests.

Celestia lifts her face and, with a movement, removes her tears."No. I've failed enough already. I'm the principal of Canterlot High, and I'll act as such."

Celestia does not wait for any response and proceeds to get up and collect all the documents on the floor. Luna watches her very worriedly but decides to simply leave Celestia to her work.

Storm of Truths

View Online

Scootaloo sits waiting on the stairs of the school. After what seems like hours, she sees Rarity arrive with Sweetie Belle in tow. She stands up and approaches, watching the older girl say goodbye to her little sister with a hug before reentering the school, waving a greeting to Scootaloo as she passed.

The little athlete slows to a stop, her concern growing as she beheld the state of her friend. "Sweetie Belle..."

"Hi, Scoots..." Sweetie Belle’s voice reveals her sorrow. Scootaloo feels a pressure in her chest. Not knowing what to say or what to do, she does the only thing that occurs to her: She hugs her friend in an attempt to calm her down.

"It's okay, Sweetie. It's okay," she says.

Sweetie Belle returns the gesture as a small sob escapes her. "I feel awful, Scoots..."

"We'll fix it."

"How?" Sweetie responds, sniffling.

Scootaloo hesitates a moment but tries to sound confident. "We’ll find a way. We’re Crusaders! We can do anything!"

Both sit again on the steps of the entrance, waiting for their leader. It's not long before they see her arrive in the company of her older sister.

Applejack looks worriedly to her little sister, who only looks at the ground, her face devoid of any emotion. Both Sweetie and Scootaloo approach and embrace their friend and leader. Applejack, despite the negative emotions, opts to leave them be and enters the school.

Sweetie is the first to speak, very concerned. "Apple Bloom, are you... okay?"

Apple Bloom just nods in silence. The expression on her face scares both of them. Her eyes lack any brightness, and her countenance is serious, without any sign of any emotion. It is as if she is only present physically, not mentally.

Scootaloo gathers her courage and tries to help. "Come on, Apple Bloom, we can fix this. We just have to work together, right?"

The farmgirl just nods, while Sweetie looks at the ground, and Scootaloo's spirits fall again.

*S*A*S*

The morning passes at school. In their practice room, the Rainbooms are doing... nothing...

"Come on!" suddenly exclaims Rainbow. "Didn’t we come here to practice?"

Applejack lets out a whimper before answering, "For what? We can't make our instruments sound good."

"But... But...! Argh!" although she tries, the multicolored girl can't argue anything.

The frustration is palpable. Even Pinkie is out of character, lying on the floor with arms and legs outstretched, her face just reflecting laziness.

Fluttershy keeps a deep silence. When she turns, she notes the anguished look of her dressmaker friend.

"R-Rarity? Um, are you okay?"

Rarity takes a couple of seconds to realize that her friend is talking to her. "Huh? Ah, yes, I... I'm fine"

Rainbow, still frustrated, looks at the dressmaker. "What’s wrong now, Rares?"

Doubtful and worried, Rarity says, "I'm sorry, girls. I'm just worried about Sweetie Belle."

"Oh, goodness," says Fluttershy. "Is something wrong?"

"She is sick to her stomach. She says her stomach hurts, and she has been eating very little for days. I want to take her to see someone to check her this afternoon."

Applejack can't help but relate. "Ah'm worried about Apple Bloom, m’self. She’s been actin’ mighty strange, lately."

Rainbow is curious. "Are they both sick? I'll have to tell Scoots to be careful not to catch it."

There was not much talk after that. None seemed to have the courage to talk. Though they all thought the same thing.

Things were not going well around them, lately...

*S*A*S*

Hard as they tried, neither the Rainbooms nor the Crusaders could be very attentive that day.

Rarity and Applejack worried about their own sisters.

Rainbow still thought about the problem in the band, and after listening to her friends, she was worried that something could happen to Scootaloo.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had not been alright since a long time ago.

As for the Crusaders... No matter what they wanted, the load had only gotten heavier every hour.

The last bell rings. The school day is over.

"Hey, girls, wanna come to my place?" Scootaloo offers her friends after class dismisses. "We can play video games. I have the new King of Duty."

Sweetie still looks very dismayed. "I'm sorry, Scoots, but Rarity’s taking me to the doctor."

"To the doctor... Oh..." Although hurt and worried, Scootaloo tries to stay calm. "Uh, what about you, Apple Bloom?"

"Ah don't feel like video games, Scootaloo..."

"Oh…"

All the students had already left the room. They are left sitting alone inside.

"Come on, girls, we have to cheer up!"

Scootaloo’s declaration is once again in vain; her friends do not react.

“Girls, come on. We have to figure this out," Scootaloo tries once more, albeit weakly.

Sweetie Belle looks up. "How? If we tell the truth, everyone will hate us."

"We don't have to tell the truth!" The little athlete tries to think. "We can... I know! We'll send a letter to Principal Celestia! Let it be from Anon-A-Miss, and we'll say it wasn’t Sunset, and we're sorry, but we won’t say our names."

Sweetie was skeptical. "I don't know, Scoots. You think it’ll work?"

"Of course, it will!" Scootaloo affirms, convinced. "Right, Apple Bloom?"

The leader of the bunch seems to think for a moment and opens her mouth to speak, only to freeze when she glances at the door.

There she is, standing right outside the door. Sunset... staring at her... with those eyes...

Apple Bloom’s entire body trembles while her face fills with fear.

"A-Apple Bloom?"

Both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are frightened when they see the change of attitude of their leader.

Apple Bloom can’t hear them. Those eyes keep watching her. That cold expression. Those spiteful eyes. It tortures her.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Her shout is punctuated by her chair hitting the floor as she jumps to her feet, scaring her friends.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

Sweetie and Scootaloo hug each other, scared to see Apple Bloom yelling at nothing.

"AH'M SORRY, OKAY?! AH DIDN’T WANT ALL THE SCHOOL TO HATE YOU! AH DIDN’T WANT YOU TO BE EXPELLED!" she continues to yell, always looking at the door, ignoring the confusion and fear it causes her two friends.

"Ah didn’t want this! Ah didn't want... AH'M SORRY!"

The girl falls on her knees. Finally, her friends approach her and shake her slightly.

"Apple Bloom!" exclaims Scootaloo. "Apple Bloom, calm down!"

Sweetie does the same. "Bloomie! Please, snap out of it!" Apple Bloom’s gaze remains locked on the door for a moment, but finally, the call of her friends makes her react, and she blinks a few times. "Apple Bloom?"

There is no answer. The little Apple looks at her hands, then at her friends. They look at her, worried and afraid.

There is silence, but before anyone says anything, Apple Bloom gets up and runs out of the room. Her friends, scared and worried, follow her.

Almost no one is in the corridors, everyone having left for the day, so nothing interrupts her in her run. Her tears blur her vision, but she manages to get to the exit of the school.

The Rainbooms are gathered near the school statue. Applejack notices her little sister running up to them.

"Apple Bloom! There you are. What took you so—"

Before she can finish her question, the little girl hugs her and starts screaming and crying.

"Ah did it! It wasn’t Sunset! It's my fault!"

Both Sweetie and Scootaloo arrive at the moment Applejack responds, "Apple Bloom, what are you—"

"AH’M ANON-A-MISS!"

Time suddenly froze. There were no sounds, no movements. Just the silence and the confused and perplexed looks of everyone present. In the silence, Apple Bloom could feel her, and those eyes, observing her from behind.

"AH DID IT! AH STOLE SUNSET’S PHONE! AH PUBLISHED THOSE PHOTOS! AH OPENED THE ACCOUNT! Ah did it because Ah was jealous of the time y’all spent with her! Ah didn’t want the school to hate her! Ah didn’t want her to be expelled! Ah’m sorry! AH'M SORRY!"

With each word, her grip on her sister and her crying become stronger and stronger.

Finally, she felt it leave. That presence, those eyes, vanish into thin air, nothing more than a mere memory. A phantom that never really existed.

None of the older girls know what to do or what to think.

Sweetie Belle felt her eyes shed tears. Her legs fail, and she ends up on her knees on the ground, crying in despair.

Rarity looks at her sister, aghast. "Sweetie...?"

Sweetie can only look at the ground. "I... I... I didn’t want this! I'm sorry, Sunset! I'm sorry..." Sweetie’s confession soon devolves into a torrent of tears and disconsolate cries.

Scootaloo tries to stay strong, but the sight of her friends crying is more than she can take. She covers her face and clenches her teeth to force herself to stay quiet, but her tears make her pain evident.

The crying of the three girls seems to echo in the empty campus.

The five friends remain immobile, unable to react, unable to make sense of what they are seeing.

*S*A*S*

It is not easy to be a mature and responsible woman.

It is not easy to be the principal of a school.

It is not easy... to be Celestia.

Silence governs the place, only broken by the quiet crying of the three girls standing in front of the principal's desk.

The woman is sitting, hands clasped, head down, eyes closed, nothing but seriousness on her face.

Her sister is standing at her side, her face neutral as she watches the three younger girls and the girls who accompanied them here.

As for the five friends, they cannot decide on a single emotion. There is confusion, regret, guilt, despair, so many emotions expressed at the same time, interspersed from one face to another.

None of the little girls dare to look up, and their tears just keep falling.

Celestia remains in her position for what seems like hours. Finally, she opens her eyes and looks at the progenitors of the entire fiasco.

"So, what made you three confess?"

Apple Bloom doesn’t speak, too afraid to reveal what she saw. Sweetie doesn’t speak, feeling too sick to open her mouth without vomiting. Scootaloo decides to be strong for all three.

"We couldn’t stand the guilt," she says, sniffing. If the answer surprised Celestia, her face does not let Scootaloo see it. "We didn’t want it to end like this... Just..." Nobody says anything. All are waiting to hear the whole story. "Seeing Sunset being hated... It made us feel awful. We didn’t want things to go that far. And then... when you kicked her out... we couldn’t…"

Scootaloo's sentence is broken by her little cry.

The Rainbooms seem to break piece by piece. Fluttershy covers her face, whispering words in a voice so soft that no one is able to hear her. Pinkie hugs herself, shaking as her tears fall. Rarity covers her mouth, her makeup having long since stained her face from her tears. Applejack is speechless, her face unable to process any emotion beyond shock. Rainbow looks in any direction other than her friends or the culprits, her teeth and fists clenched with such force that they could break at any moment.

The adults continue with their neutral and cold faces. Luna looks at her older sister, waiting for her to say something, knowing that this is a situation where they both must be in sync.

Celestia makes an inhuman effort to stay calm but feels her whole body burn with anger. Although her face does not reflect any emotion, inside, she just wants to scream, grab whatever is at hand and break it into pieces.

Celestia wanted to take these girls and give them a well-deserved punishment. She did not care that they were little girls, she did not care that they were crying. She just wanted to do something to release her tension.

What she would not give to be their mother right now, to have the privilege, the right, the freedom to give these three—

Celestia breathes deeply. Inhale... Exhale...

She could not. No matter how much she wanted to, it was not her place. These girls had destroyed her school. They had hurt everyone, everyone in it, but she could not punish them, not like that.

She had to cover her emotions, act like the mature woman she is.

And then, she would find a secluded place to let off her steam.

"You are wrong in one thing: Sunset Shimmer was not expelled," Celestia finally says after calming down enough.

Celestia did not know why she wanted to clarify that fact; it was not an issue of importance for this situation. But, for some reason, she felt that she should say it.

The gazes of everyone in the room are now on the principal.

"Sunset was not expelled," said the Principal. "She personally asked me to transfer her."

There was a collective gasp from everyone in the room sans the adults.

"It seems she got tired of being attacked, and she preferred to leave."

The place somehow feels even more depressing. Celestia is silent after that. Luna, seeing that her sister’s emotions are starting to rise again, takes the floor.

"So, you three created the ‘Anon-A-Miss’ account. You realize that you hurt not just Sunset but the entire school with your stunt, yes?"

There is no answer. If it were possible, the three girls would have shrunk more than they already have.

"There are so many questions that I do not know where to start.” The vice principal looks at the older girls. "And all of you, do you have something to say?"

The five are surprised to see themselves as the center of attention. Eventually, one speaks.

"Apple Bloom... why?" Applejack asks finally, looking at her sister.

The little girl does not dare to turn around. She trembles as her voice is interrupted by her sniffling. "Ah was jealous. You spent so much time with Sunset and so little with me. Ah wanted... Ah just wanted to have ya back."

Apple Bloom did not know what else to say. It was all the truth. There were no more excuses or reasons.

Applejack holds her head and resists the desire to scream, unable to believe what she hears.

Rarity also looks at her sister and tries to keep her voice steady. "Sweetie Belle... don't tell me..."

Rarity's little sister hides her head, but she nods to Rarity’s unasked question. Rarity falls to her knees and covers her face, beginning to cry.

Rainbow takes a step forward and looks at the girl whom she has come to call "sister" despite not having the same blood.

"Jealousy? That's it? You did that... because of jealousy?"

Scootaloo, unlike her friends, turns to see the girl she calls her older sister, knowing that keeping her back turned would only make the situation worse, if that were even possible.

"What the hell were you jealous of?!" Rainbow demands.

Scootaloo trembles; seeing Rainbow so angry terrifies her. "You... You spent all of your time with Sunset. You don’t even help me with my practices anymore... I—"

"AND THAT’S AN EXCUSE TO SPREAD EVERYONE’S SECRETS?"

The three little girls are terrified by the screams. “Rainbow Dash!” Luna snapped.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO US? NO ONE RESPECTS US ANYMORE! WE’RE THE LAUGHINGSTOCK OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL!"

Scootaloo backs away, the fear evident in her face. Her friends stay by her side.

"You hurt Sunset! You hurt everyone! BECAUSE YOU WERE JEALOUS?"

Rainbow's fists trembled. Her hands start bleeding. Even her friends start to get worried, especially for the safety of the girls.

Applejack is the first to face the athlete and raise her hands to her. "Rainbow, please, calm down."

Rarity also decides to defend her little sister and stands together with Applejack. "Rainbow, please. I know you're upset, but think before you do anything crazy."

Rainbow does not seem to listen to them, or even to hear them. There is only blind fury in her eyes.

Rainbow Dash’s mind couldn’t stop spinning. The images of what she had done to her equine friend, the echo of everything she had said to her, and the suffering they brought upon her all ricocheted throughout her head, repeating incessantly, and she could see nothing but red..

And it was all because of three young girls... all because they were jealous...

Fluttershy takes Rainbow by the arm. "Rainbow... please, don't be like this..."

Pinkie stands behind Applejack and Rarity and looks with desperation at her enraged friend. "Dashie, please... Let's not hurt any more people..."

Rainbow trembles. Her eyes drop tears of frustration and despair.

Scootaloo, still very afraid, takes a couple of steps toward her and looks into her eyes. "Rainbow..."

Both sisters looked at each other, one with regret, guilt, and fear, the other with regret and guilt, as well, mixed with anger. Anger towards her sister... or maybe... towards herself?

Finally, she explodes. With a powerful scream, Rainbow charges toward Scootaloo. Scootaloo covers herself and waits for her punishment.

But the punishment does not come. The athlete passes beyond the three girls and punches the wall hard.

All eyes are on Rainbow as she screams and hits the wall blow after blow with such force that the paint and lime begin to fall in soft dust.

Nobody says anything. Nobody reacts or tries to stop it. Not her friends, not the principals, all preferring that Rainbow hit the wall rather than the three girls.

After a minute of constant aggression, Rainbow stops her attack. A small pile of dust and a few drops of blood are on the ground at her feet.

Celestia speaks to her sister in a calm voice. "Luna, please see if Nurse Redheart is still in the infirmary."

Luna does not object and withdraws to fulfill the request as Celestia watches the four girls approach her friend and help her.

Rainbow's hands are covered in bruises and still-bleeding cuts. Her face is free of all anger and now shows only anguish.

Celestia takes a few seconds to think about her next actions. She stands up, gaining everyone's attention, walks around her desk, and looks at the five girls.

"Taking into account the suddenness of these events, I think it is better that we all retire. There is a lot to process."

Despite everyone’s surprise, none of them object. Certainly, a break would be good for them.

The leader of the Crusaders takes a fearful step towards the principal.

"P-Principal Celestia..." Apple Bloom gains a neutral gaze from the woman. "What... What's gonna happen to us?"

"Are you gonna expel us?" Scootaloo asks, equally scared.

The older girls observe the principal, as afraid of her decision as the Crusaders.

The principal remains silent, seeming to think about what to say.

"I'm going to make that decision tomorrow,” Celestia finally says. “For now, you're free to leave. Take Rainbow to the nurse. I’ll see you tomorrow... after school."

A strange mixture of relief and fear envelops the whole room.

Once again, there is no objection. Fluttershy is the first to leave, taking Rainbow. Applejack and Rarity take their sisters and Scootaloo out of the room. Pinkie is the last to leave, giving the principal a small gesture of thanks as she closes the door.

Finding herself alone, and after waiting a few minutes to make sure they will not return, Celestia finally allows herself to take the first thing she has on hand, in this case the microphone on her desk, and throw it furiously against the wall.

*S*A*S*

After Nurse Redheart treated Rainbow's wounds and bandaged her, the vice principal escorted everyone to the doors of the school. The young girls thank her as they leave.

Once they all reach the sidewalk, they stop walking. The two groups look at each other. The older five show no emotion but pain, worry, or anger.

The three little ones still look at them with constant fear, unsure of what to do now.

Apple Bloom takes a small step towards her older sister. "Applejack?" The farmer looks at her younger sister, letting her anger known with her glare. The little girl looks towards the ground, her eyes threatening to release tears again. "Do you hate me?"

There is silence while the older sister looks at the younger. Several sobs escape the minor.

Applejack kneels to look at her sister at eye level. "Ah'm angry. Very angry. Ya can’t imagine how angry Ah am with ya right now." Although it was not a scream, her tone was stern and grave. "But even though it’ll take me a long time to forgive ya for this, you’re still my little sister, and nothing’ll change that. So, no, Ah don’t hate ya."

The little girl sobs even harder, though there is visible relief in her posture. The farmer wraps her in a hug that makes the minor cry on her shoulder, taking refuge in her embrace.

Sweetie Belle looks guiltily at her sister. "Rarity?"

The dressmaker looks at her little sister and soon embraces her, too. "The same can be said for myself, Sweetie. Nothing will make you stop being my little sister, although when we get home, we will have a long talk." Her slight scolding is accompanied by her caressing Sweetie’s hair, and the little girl, too, releases small sobs while hiding in her sister's arms.

It is Scootaloo's turn to look at her sister figure. "Rainbow?"

The older athlete seems unsure of how to answer. She closes her eyes and turns her head. Hurt, Scootaloo lowers her head, ready to cry, but stops when she feels the hand of her hero and idol caressing her hair.

"I don't hate you Scoots... No more than I hate myself..."

It's no secret that Rainbow was terrible at expressing her feelings. So, an answer like that was more than satisfactory for Scootaloo.

"Come on, I'll take you home."

She does not wait for an answer, just taking her little sister by the hand.

Fluttershy takes Rainbow's other hand, "I’ll accompany you two."

Rarity and Applejack also take their sisters

"let's go home, Sweetie."

"C'mon, Apple Bloom."

After a farewell and a few hugs, the girls separate. Fluttershy accompanies Rainbow and Scootaloo, while Applejack and Rarity, along with their sisters, go their own way.

Pinkie stands alone in that spot, thinking of her friends and their little sisters. Though still hurt, she appreciates that nothing worse happened, and more than anything, she appreciates that her friends can still love their sisters.

Still, now she felt a little lonely...

She sighs, ready to walk home alone. Then, she sees her older sister Maud approaching the school. Pinkie is a little surprised but not unhappy. Maud looks at her, her face expressionless.

"You were late, and you didn’t answer your phone. I got worried."

Pinkie does nothing but sob and run to hug her sister tightly.

After so much trouble, a little sisterly love was just what Pinkie needed. And despite the lack of emotion in her face, Maud was happy to give it to her.

The eldest of the Pies holds the younger one with one arm and takes her home.

Sisters are something special, indeed.

Soon, the place is empty. No students, no teachers, only the light of the sunset bathing the surroundings. Therefore, there is no one to witness the strange waves coming from the base of the statue.

Among Sirens

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The day passes without incident at Crystal Prep, and shortly after the final bell, Sunset finishes gathering her books and gets ready to leave.

"Just one more day," she thinks, "and this horrible week is over. At least nothing worse can happen."

Without hurry but without pause, Sunset leaves the academy, keeping her head down with a tired expression, when she raises her gaze... she sees a peculiar sight.

In front of the school gate, among all the uniforms that leave the school grounds, Sunset distinguishes five people, five girls that she knows too well.

"Just my luck," thinks Sunset irritably. "Don’t bother with them, Sunset. The universe hates you, remember? Don’t tempt it to make your life more miserable."

She steels her resolve as a growl escapes her throat.

Those girls, those traitors, stand restlessly, trying to ignore the gazes that some of the students give them. Finally, they realize the presence of the former equine, and all their attention is focused on her.

Sunset thinks again, this time giving herself an order, "Ignore them. Just move on."

With firm steps, Sunset resumes her walk, keeping her eyes front without looking at the five girls.

They watch her approaching. Their nerves are already jittery, but they only get more so the closer the Equestrian approaches.

Rainbow looks askance at all her friends and, swallowing her nerves, takes a step forward.

"H-Hey, Sunset," she begins. "We wanted to talk—"

Her sentence is cut off when Sunset takes a turn and continues walking down the sidewalk without paying attention to them.

For a moment, they watch her walking away, a mixture of surprise and fear on their faces. Eventually, Rainbow rushes to catch up. "Sunset, wait!" The others imitate her, running to reach Sunset. Rainbow walks behind Sunset and says, "Sunset, listen. We... We want to apologize."

There is no response from the former equine; she just keeps walking. Losing hope, Rainbow stops walking, and her friends catch up to her.

Desperate, Fluttershy exclaims in a voice that no one would expect she could use, "WE KNOW YOU’RE NOT ANON-A-MISS!"

That gets it. Sunset stops.

There is silence for a moment, until Sunset decides to speak, although she does not bother turning around to look at them.

"What? The little brats confessed?" she asks evenly.

The question stuns everyone. Rarity asks, "Did... Did you know?"

"What really surprised me was that I didn't realize it from the beginning," says Sunset with some annoyance. "They were the only ones who could have had the access and opportunity to create Anon-a-Miss. I guess I was too hurt to think coherently."

None responds immediately, each looking away, full of guilt.

Rainbow tries to apologize again. "Sunset, we..."

"We’re sorry, Sunset," Applejack finishes. "We... We shoulda believed in ya..."

"Yeah, you should’ve," Sunset responds before resuming her path.

Rainbow comes forward and stands in front of her. "Wait! We know an apology isn’t enough!"

Rarity approaches from behind. "But we want to fix it, really!"

"We'll do anything to make it up to you," says Rainbow.

There is no response, no reaction from Sunset. She simply keeps her silence while looking at Rainbow. Then, Fluttershy approaches from behind, and Sunset turns to her.

"Sunset, we know we did wrong, and we're sorry. We love you, Sunset," Fluttershy says quietly.

Applejack supports everyone in the apology. "We know it’ll take time, but... we want things to be the same as before."

Pinkie shows a friendly smile while taking a pink, plastic container out of her backpack.

"I made this in Home Ec. I know it's small, but I promise that tomorrow, I'll make you a much bigger one and throw you a great party!"

Sunset looks at her for a moment, then takes the container and removes the lid. Inside is a small cream cake with white icing, circular in shape, with a big, pink heart in its center and alternating red and yellow lines on the edges.

Sunset looks up and sees all their hopeful smiles directed at her, waiting anxiously for her response.

Sunset does not say a word. Instead, she flips her hand, tipping the cake out of its box.

The cream, caramel and colors scatter all over the sidewalk. She drops the container into the mess, and in front of the astonished and hurtful look of the others, she turns around and walks away without regret.

Pinkie looks at the remains of her cake. Her legs give out, and she falls to her knees, looking up and watching Sunset leave without looking back.

More tears fell, more laments were spoken. They knew that a scene like this was possible… but that did not mean they were ready to receive it.

*S*A*S*

Sunset did not know how long she was sitting in that soda shop, but she did not care. She just wanted to forget that encounter.

How dare they? After weeks—WEEKS—of harassment, of calling her a liar and a demon, of turning their backs on her, of betraying the friendship they wanted so much to teach her, now they came and wanted to apologize?

Did they believe that she would forget everything? That she would just pretend that none of that happened? That she was going to hug them, forgive them, forgive those snotty brats, and keep being their friends?

This isn’t some Christmas special! It doesn’t work like that!

In her frustration, Sunset does not realize when she finishes her float until she hears the telltale sound of air through her straw. She snorts in annoyance and bangs her head against the table.

Why? Why did the universe do this to her?

Had she not been punished enough already?

She lost her life, her teacher, her home.

She lost what little she had in Equestria over a stupid decision, and then, when she was finally happy, three brats, five girls, and a whole school destroy the small but comfortable life she had salvaged.

And now, here she was one more time, wanting to start again.

Outside the exams and the strange students, things were going well at her new school. Not as peaceful as she would have liked, but she was getting up in the morning.

But no. She still couldn’t give herself the luxury of being calm. Peace and happiness are privileges that all but she could have.

Every time she tried to have peace of mind, there must always be something to ruin it.

She closes her eyes, immersed in her thoughts, until she feels someone standing next to her. When she turns around, she finds Sonata next to her.

The prosecution rests.

"Umm, hello!" says the blue-haired siren. "Uh, I know it's none of my business and that you’re probably not gonna talk about it, but... I saw what happened. Well, a little bit."

Sunset can just sigh.

"Well, if you want... to talk to someone..." Sonata says hesitantly.

Sunset's only response is another sigh.

"Or, if you want to just keep quiet, maybe I can buy you something? It’s no problem."

Sonata smiles and sits in front of Sunset.

Sunset just looks at her. Sonata looks so happy, so... innocent.

Was she really the same magical creature that tried to conquer the world?

The blue-haired girl continues smiling, waiting for an answer.

"... An orange soda," Sunset finally says.

*S*A*S*

Sunset did not know when, much less how, but soon, she found herself in front of a house. Sonata's house.

"... How did I get here?" Sunset asks herself.

Sonata just giggles and opens the door for the two of them.

"I'm home!" Sonata calls happily.

Sunset takes a superficial look around. It is a rather small house, but the living room does have the furnishings one would expect, like a couple of loveseats, a small table, and a television. There is a door in the back of the room and some stairs on one side that lead to an upper floor.

The door opens, and Sunset recognizes another of the sirens, the one with purple hair.

“Hi, Aria,” Sonata chirps.

Aria ignores Sonata, leveling her gaze at Sunset.

"Oh, good, you’re here." The sarcasm in her voice is clear. "Sit down. I'll prepare something for you two."

With that said, she returns to the room from which she came.

Sunset is a bit confused but does not resist when Sonata takes her and makes her sit next to her on the couch.

"Do you wanna watch TV?" Sonata asks with a smile.

Again, there is no answer from Sunset, so Sonata turns the TV on and flips through a couple of channels until she finds a cartoon.

Sonata giggles like a little girl at the cartoony antics. Sunset continues her silence but finds herself relaxing somewhat nonetheless.

A few minutes pass, after which Aria appears with a tray with two steaming mugs and a plate of cookies. She places the tray on the table and looks at her partner.

"Sonata," the purple-haired girl scolds, "If you're going to watch television, look for something your guest likes."

"But everyone loves cartoons!" the blue-haired girl protests.

Aria takes the remote and changes the channel to looks like a crime show. "She’s a mature girl. Surely, she likes more serious shows."

"Ugh, these shows are stupid! It takes forever for them to find the killer. I mean, look at him! Look at his face! It's obvious he did it! Why make us wait an hour for them to catch him?"

Although she maintains her silence, the sirens’ argument does pique Sunset’s curiosity. However, both fall silent when they hear a third voice approaching.

"Can't you two go ten minutes without arguing?"

Sunset turns. On the stairs that lead to the top floor, she sees the missing member of the trio come down.

Adagio.

The leader glares at her companions, before she notices the visitor.

Silence...

"You didn't tell me we had a guest," she says to the other sirens, no particular emotion evident in her voice.

"Sonata brought her," says Aria. "Yell at her, not me."

The leader looks at the blue-haired girl in the trio, who stands and smiles nervously. "Uh, yeah... Um, Adagio, she’s one of my schoolmates now, and she always seems lonely, so... I invited her home."

"I see."

There are no comments. Adagio simply goes to another room. Sonata returns to her place on the couch and, snatching the remote from Aria’s hand, changes the channel.

Aria glares reproachfully at Sonata but in the end decides to let it go. Instead, she turns to Sunset. "Hey, Summer Shinset."

"Um, it's 'Sunset Shimmer'."

"Whatever. You staying for dinner?"

Sunset did not quite know how to respond to that.

*S*A*S*

Night looms over the city.

Sonata has fun teaching Sunset a strange card game apparently based on some cartoon the siren likes. Sunset doesn’t understand the game very well but doesn’t really make much effort to do so, either.

Aria's voice is heard from the next room.

"Sonata! Come and set the table!"

"Aww! Why me?" Sonata moans.

"You brought the guest! I already cooked, so everything else is your job."

In a childish gesture, the blue-haired siren inflates her cheeks in irritation. Then, she smiles at Sunset.

"I'll be right back."

She leaves the cards on the table and leaves. Sunset remains seated and silent, unsure of what to do or say.

"I'm sorry for the screaming," Adagio says from behind her.

Sunset turns to the leader siren, sitting on one of the couchs, reading a book. When had she come in?

"Those two just can't stop arguing. Younger sisters, right? But, even if they don't say it, I know they love each other."

Sunset does not respond but nods in understanding.

What was she doing here? This is the house of the sirens, the same ones who not long ago tried to kill her and turn all humanity into zombies.

Now, she's sitting in their living room. She had watched television with them, played cards with them, and had even agreed to eat with them.

What was she thinking?! These were the sirens! They could have poisoned the food! Or worse, they could capture her and keep her locked up, torturing her in ways she never imagined.

So… why did those thoughts not scare her?

How stupid had she become? Did she not care about her own safety? Did she not care about dying?

Sonata leans into the room and looks at both girls in the room with a big smile.

"Adagio! Sunset! Dinner time!"

The orange-haired siren puts her book down and gets up. The former equine stays in place for a moment but finally follows her.

... Or is it that... she trusted them?

*S*A*S*

Like the living room, the kitchen is rather small. There is barely enough room for the sink, a refrigerator, a small shelf, and a rectangular table with a capacity for six people.

Adagio sits at the head, Sonata sits on her left, and Sunset sits next to Sonata.

Aria approaches and leaves a smoky tray on the table. "I guess you don’t eat meat," she says to Sunset. "So, I decided to make some ravioli." With that comment, she takes her place to the right of her leader.

Before Sunset could stop herself, she's already scooped some pasta onto her plate.

“DO NOT EAT IT!” screams something in the back of her mind. It has poison! A parasite! Drugs! Poison! You already thought that. Now you’re getting confused! Get out of there!”

She takes the first bite and allows herself a smile.

The dinner continues.

*S*A*S*

Thirty minutes later, Aria’s sitting in the couch, entertained with something on her cell phone. Sonata is forced to wash the dishes. Sunset stays on the long couch, watching something on television.

Adagio goes down the stairs, dressed in a winter vest. "I’m going out. See you tomorrow."

"Good luck," Aria says without taking her eyes off her phone.

Sonata dries her hands and runs towards her leader to give her a hug. "Good luck. See you tomorrow. I love you!"

The leader gives a small smile and an almost maternal kiss on Sonata’s forehead. Then, she approaches Aria and pecks her on the forehead.

"Ah, come on!" she complains, wiping her forehead with her hand

The orange-haired siren gives a mocking smile before walking to the door.

"You’re such a tsundere, Aria," Sonata teases.

"I told you to stop reading those Chinese comics," Aria scolds.

“They’re Japanese, Aria,” Sonata retorts.

While the two girls launch into another argument, Adagio walks over to Sunset. “Do you want me to accompany you to the bus stop?”

Sunset seems doubtful, but in the end...

*S*A*S*

Both Sunset and Adagio walk towards a nearby bus stop. Their silence had lasted since they left the house. It was somewhat uncomfortable, forcing the former equine to start a conversation.

"So, where are you going, so late?"

Adagio looks at her, but she takes a while to answer. "I have a night job. We’re not exactly hurting for money, but as a leader and a responsible older sister, I can't support the idea of not doing anything useful."

Sunset can just nod in understanding. "And the others?"

"I want Sonata to finish school so that if something happens to me, she can take care of herself." She speaks in a serious but calm tone. "I wanted Aria to do so too, but she said that she would rather tear her own brains out than set one foot back in a school."

"Wow... That’s pretty extreme."

"We agreed that she would not go to school but that she would have to take care of the house and the bills. We take turns cooking and washing the dishes, but she handles cleaning and calling for repairs.” Adagio sighs. “Well, I hoped to have the whole world praising me and an infinite supply of magical power. But, shit happens, and... it is what it is.”

Sunset identified almost uncomfortably with those words.

The conversation dies because neither knows what else to say. The silence accompanies them until they reach the bus stop. Both maintain their silence as they wait, Sunset facing the street while Adagio leans on one of the posts.

"... Hey," Adagio says after a while. Sunset turns to looking at the siren. "Thanks for talking with Sonata."

Sunset does not know what to answer, but her surprise is evident on her face.

"I put her in that school because it has high marks for education," Adagio continues. "But... she used to come home sad." She shoots a contemptuous look at Sunset. "Don't think that we care about making friends or pleasing people. It’s just… I realized that Sonata felt a little lonely and bored. But recently, she looks more animated. I never asked her why, but now, I think I understand."

Sunset couldn’t help but remember Sonata’s behavior when asking to sit with her for lunch. She seemed nervous, but… there was an almost pleading quality to her posture.

Sunset looks down, unsure of what to say. "I..."

"Sometimes, we just need someone to listen to us."

Sunset looks up again. The women stay silent for a bit, although there are no emotions on their faces.

"I know we're not friends," Adagio says finally. "And I don't expect us to be, either, but we are both beings from another world, trapped with a life we didn't choose. If you ever want to talk, we can listen to you."

The silence is resumed, and seconds later, the bus arrives, ending the conversation. They look at each other, give each other a casual farewell, and the former equine gets on the bus. Adagio watches the bus leave, and in the distance, sees the lights of her own. She releases a breath that she did not know she was holding.

*S*A*S*

Sunset remains seated, her eyes fixed on the city whizzing by, her mind calm.

"If you ever want to talk, we can listen to you."

Maybe it was that she trusted them... or maybe... it was just that she could understand them...

Cold Regret, Icy Resentment

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The school bell rings... But none of the girls seems to care.

The Rainbooms had gone to school, but the truth was that none of them were interested in the classes. At the first opportunity, they locked themselves in their practice room.

They had been there all morning.

Rainbow crosses her arms, alternating between looking at the floor and looking around the room. Her friends scarcely changed positions all morning.

Fluttershy sits on the floor in a corner, hugging her knees and hiding her head in her arms. Pinkie sits hunched over a small table, her head resting on both arms, looking at nothing with red, glassy eyes. Rarity sits silently in one of the chairs, hiding her face in her jacket’s hood. Applejack sits balancing her chair on its hind legs, resting her own legs on the table, her lowered hat hiding her eyes.

The situation was horrible.

No, “horrible” was too soft.

They were devastated, desolate... broken...

Everything had happened too fast.

The memory of their friend, of Sunset, despising them all and walking away from them.
So alive was the image, so firmly engraved in their memory, it only made them suffer anew with every recollection.

Rainbow closes her eyes and clenches her teeth to keep from crying.

She had to stay strong for her friends, but inside, she was falling apart.

She gets up and begins to speak, but her voice breaks, so she clears her throat and begins more quietly, "Uh, hey. It's almost lunchtime. I... I'll go to the cafeteria. Um, does anyone want anything?"

There is no response.

"Well? Anyone?"

The silence continues, until the farmer lets out a sigh and raises her hat very slightly, allowing herself to look at the athlete. "Whatever’s fine, Rainbow."

Rarity raises her head, too, just a little. "Just a salad... I'm not hungry..."

Pinkie takes out a plastic container, the remains of the crushed cake and something dirty inside. "Thanks, Dashie, but I brought my lunch..."

Rainbow cannot help but feeling worse and worse when listening to them, but she tries not to show it. "Um... okay. Flutters you want those animal crackers you like so much?"

There is no answer, except for a soft and incomprehensible murmur.

"Alright." Rainbow tries to be animated. "I'll be back soon, then... with lunch."

Rainbow tries to give a smile, but it’s forced. She retires, while her friends stay in their places.

Rainbow sighs, leaning against the door, and lets herself release a couple of tears before making her way to the cafeteria.

*S*A*S*

The final bell rings, signaling two important things: the desired end of a school week and the most desired start of the weekend.

But with three young girls, the story is different.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo sit at a table in the library. Miss Cheerilee, teacher and librarian of the school, approaches them with a written notebook.

Cheerilee had been informed about the situation. At the request of Vice Principal Luna, she had agreed to keep the matter secret until Luna and her sister decided the appropriate actions.
Meanwhile, Cheerilee would be responsible for giving all three a small punishment until such a decision was reached.

Cheerilee leaves the notebook in front of the girls, a series of equations and various problems, which instantly give the three girls a headache.

"When you finish them, you can leave. You can use any book from the library to help you. I'll be at the front desk in case you need something."

Taking the cell phones that the three had left on the table beforehand, she leaves them and lets them work.

The Crussaders sigh in defeat.

"We did the right thing."

"We deserve this."

"At least, the guilt went away."

The three agree, look once again at the exercises in the notebook, and after another sigh, each one takes pulls out a notebook of her own.

*S*A*S*

A little more than an hour had passed since the last bell. By that time, there was almost no one left at school.

Luna, wearing a dark coat on her arm, walks to her sister's office. She knocks softly on the door, and without needing to wait for an answer, she opens it, finding her sister putting some papers in her bag.

"Ready to go?"

For a moment, there is no response, until Celestia lets out a sigh and decides to speak.

"Almost. I’m just packing the documents I need to fill at home."

"You look tired."

"I am." Celestia releases another sigh. "But, it's the weekend. I'll finish these papers, and then, I'll be able to rest. I should feel better on Monday." Luna does not say anything in response, so Celestia just grabs her purse and coat, saying as she passes Luna, "Come on, Luna."

Luna, somewhat worried, follows Celestia outside the school. Outside, the cold wind blows strongly, rapidly chilling the women. They quickly don they’re coats and hurry to their car. That is, until Celestia stops after a few steps, staring at the statue in front of the school.

The steed, symbol of the school. Its imposing posture reflects strength and decision. Its size makes Celestia feel insignificant... impotent. Before the disaster...

Luna, oblivious to her thoughts but partially guessing the subject, tries to speak. However, an odd sound from the statue’s base interrupts her.

Their eyes fixate on the base, and to the surprise of both, a series of waves seems to emanate from its center, and before being able to question what they are seeing, the incredible happens.

A girl crosses the wall, falling on her knees to the ground.

"Twilight Sparkle?!" both women exclaim, surprised.

Twilight Sparkle, the same girl who twice had saved the school, knelt on the grass in front of the statue.

Her expression is strange. She seems dizzy and very tired. As she feels the cold wind running over her body, she begins to tremble and crosses her arms, hugging herself for warmth.

Celestia manages to overcome her surprise and without a second thought runs to her.
Without delay, she takes off her coat and covers the girl with it.

"Twilight! Why did you—"

"S-Sunset!" Twilight interrupts.

"What?"

"Sunset... Sunset... I'm sorry... I... I'm sorry, Sunset…"

The lost gaze of the girl betrays her confusion, while the agitation of her body and her breathing are proof of her nerves. Celestia gently pats Twilight’s cheek and tries to calm her down.

"Twilight? Twilight, listen to me. Calm down."

The touch on her cheek and Celestia’s soft voice seem to take effect. Twilight closes her eyes, her breathing calms down and her body stops trembling, although she clings to the warm coat.

"Princess… Principal Celestia...?" Twilight says hesitantly.

"It’s alright, Twilight. You're fine now."

The woman hugs her gently, and Twilight relaxes.

It was such a strange feeling, and at the same time, so familiar... so nice...

All too soon, the woman breaks the hug. Although disappointed, Twilight nonetheless turns to the statue. "It worked..." she said in a mix of surprise and wonder.

Celestia sees Twilight’s gaze centered at the base of the statue. The princess’s further silence worries her.

"Twilight?"

After a few seconds, Twilight's eyes snap open. "Sunset!" She turns to the woman. "Where’s Sunset?" she asks frantically. "Please, tell me nothing happened to her!"

Luna finally decides to approach. "Twilight, calm down. Please, explain what happened."

Twilight takes a couple of breaths, although she regrets it a little as the air chills her throat. Still, she manages to calm down and talk again.

"Over the last month, Sunset wrote to me telling me what was going on with this ‘Anon-a-Miss’ affair."

At the mention of that name, a chill goes through both principals separate from the cold weather.

"She told me that the school blamed her and that everyone assaulted her and attacked her. Even... Even our friends... They..."

She could not finish the sentence, and her body began to tremble.

Cold? Fear? Anger? Certainly some mixture of the three.

"I should have come sooner... I should... help her..." Her gaze falls, and Celestia strokes her cheek in an attempt to comfort her. "I told her to try to talk to them, that they were her friends, that they would believe her if she spoke to them honestly..."

At this point, both women can guess where this story goes.

"I was sure everything would be fixed... but then, two weeks ago, when I spoke with her, she told me that nothing changed! She told me that they hated her, that they all turned their back on her... that she was going to finish everything..."

That phrase leaves both women cold.

A phrase like that can easily be misinterpreted and bring up the worst thoughts.

"I tried to come at that moment, but the portal didn't open. I don't know why, but I just couldn't open it. I've been trying everything I could, and I finally made it, but Sunset... Please, tell me she's fine. PLEASE TELL ME THAT SUNSET’S OKAY!"

The principal cups Twilight’s face in her hands and, with a calm expression and voice, speaks to her. "Sunset’s fine, Twilight. It's not what you're thinking; she did not hurt herself. She just moved to another school."

The revelation surprises the princess. Her eyes grow larger as small tears form in them. "She... She’s..."

"Yes, she's fine. Don't worry."

The young Equestrian can’t take it anymore and lets out a loud cry, releasing her grief, her feelings, and her relief.

Celestia embraces Twilight, stroking her hair.

Twilight let herself be pampered, taking refuge in the arms of the woman, reliving days of her happy childhood with her teacher and second mother.

Sunset was fine. All her fears were in vain. She was so worked up for nothing.

How happy she was!

She did not care about the work she had to do nor about the time she sacrificed to achieve it. The only important thing was that Sunset was fine.

...

No. That was not true.

Against her desire, Twilight breaks the hug and stands up, still clinging to her coat.

Maybe what she feared did not happen, but Sunset was not fine.

Her friends left her, and everyone in the school thought that she...

And now... she had changed schools?

Both women watch the girl, who has been silent for a few minutes.

The principal tries to speak, but the princess beats her to it.

"Principal Celestia, I need to see Sunset. Please..."

*S*A*S*

A car of the purest white, adorned with small, golden details, parks next to the sidewalk of an apartment complex. The back door of the car opens, and the Princess of Friendship takes a deep breath before getting out of the car. Instantly, she clings to her coat when she feels the cold wind.

Celestia looks worriedly at the girl. "Twilight, I know you have the best of intentions to help, but maybe unexpectedly coming to Sunset’s apartment is not the best idea. Let me talk to her first—"

Twilight interrupts her gently. "Thanks for worrying, but... this is something I want to do alone."

"Twilight—"

"I wasn’t there for Sunset. I failed as a friend. But, I want to fix it, and I want to do it alone, to show Sunset that she can trust me."

"Twilight..." The woman's concern is evident in her voice and her gaze.

"Thanks for bringing me,” Twilight continued. “Do you want your coat back?"

"Save it; it's too cold."

"Thank you, Princess—Principal. I’ll return it as soon as I can."

"Don’t worry about that. It’s not important." Celestia is silent for a moment. "Twilight, are you sure you want to do this?"

"I am." With a bow of gratitude, the girl walks towards the building, while Celestia watches her, extremely worried.

Luna says from the passenger seat, "I don’t like it any more than you to not be able to do anything, but this is something that they must fix alone. I do not think we have the right to interfere." Her words are serious but with a touch of regret.

The older woman closes her eyes and sighs. Soon, they drive off, leaving Twilight to her work.

*S*A*S*

"Finally!" exclaims Sunset as she drops onto the couch.

The eternal and heavy week was over. No more classes. No more homework. No more crazy students. And best of all, no more exams.

Sunset allows her body to relax, sinking deeper into the couch.

She had only been in school for half a month and had already earned the scorn of one student, had called attention to herself more than once, was called to the principal's office, spent time with her former mortal enemies, confronted her hypocritical former friends, and even survived a massive wave of exams.

"It's not what I expected, but at least, the week is over," Sunset thinks to herself

Now, she could rest. She had about sixty-five hours to relax and do whatever she wanted.

...

What was she supposed to do now?

She turns onto her side, resting her head on one arm.

She didn’t have to study this weekend, and that’s all she devoted herself to doing until just the previous day. Now what?

What did she do before when she had no friends? It had been so long, she could barely remember what it was like to be alone.

A knock at the door brings her out of her thoughts.

She gives a snort of annoyance and turns her back to the door. She does not have the courage to entertain visitors.

More knocks sound. She ignores them.

More knocks.

She growls in frustration and pushes a throw pillow against her head in an attempt to block out the sound.

More knocks.

Finally, she resigns herself; whoever this is does not plan to leave anytime soon. Another snarl escapes her, and she gets up. She stalks to the front door and prepares to give out to the intruder, but her voice dies when she opens it.

*S*A*S*

Princess Twilight is surprised at the abrupt opening of the door. She finds herself face-to-face with her dimensional companion.

Both Equestrian girls stare at each other, one more surprised than the other. Silence covers them as the surprise of one and the fear of the other prevent them from speaking.

Twilight tries to calm down and talk. "Sunset—"

Her voice cuts off when the door closes tightly in her face, surprising her. Twilight spends a few seconds looking at the door in surprise, before she resumes her pounding.

"Sunset! Please open up! I need to talk to you!"

"Go away!" is the only answer Twilight gets from the other side of the door.

"Please, Sunset. I know you're angry, and I don't blame you, but please, let me talk to you!"

"I have nothing to say!" Sunset shouts from the other side, her voice cold and irritated.

Twilight starts to despair. "But I do! I know I failed you, but I want to fix this!"

"… It's too late for that." This time, Sunset’s voice is much softer, but it still retains that coldness.

"Sunset... please. Let me talk to you."

"Leave me alone! Go back to Equestria and never talk to me again!"

Somehow, Twilight could feel Sunset walking away from her. She feels the cold wind pass over her, as if the wind itself wants to push her away from the place.

Undeterred, Twilight shrugs inside the borrowed coat and looks at the door.

"I was not there when you needed me. I will not make that mistake again." Her voice is a whisper, audible only to her. She turns and walks a few steps, sitting on the ground and leaning her back against the small wall of the corridor.

The cold blows harder, and the princess tries to wrap herself more in her coat as she looks at the door.

“Sunset was waiting for me for a long time. Now, it’s my turn to do the same.”

*S*A*S*

Twilight did not know how long she was there.

One hour? Two hours? One day? A few minutes? She did not know.

She only knew that she was cold. Very cold...

Clinging tightly to the borrowed coat, the princess squeezes as tightly as she can into a ball to keep the little heat she has.

Her whole body trembles, her skin feels cold, her fingers begin to get numb, the nerves of her legs have long since fallen asleep, and worst of all, she starts to feel ice creep into her throat.

Her head told her to leave, her instinct for natural survival warned her strongly that it was not safe to be there, and her common sense constantly told her that she should look for a warm place to take refuge.

But she did not care anything about that.

Against her own judgment, Twilight forces herself to stay there.

"I will not leave you again."

That thought passed again and again in her head. It was the only thing her conscience could focus on now in search of the strength to face that cold.

Her foggy mind, her closed eyes, and her numb body made it difficult to notice the moment when her whole body was lifted off the ground, or at what moment the cold atmosphere seemed to vanish into warmth.

She was still cold—her whole body was frozen—but the wind and ice were gone.

How...?

Soon, she feels herself being carefully placed on something soft. A strange smell comes to her nose. It smelled like ripe fruit.

Her whole body seems to be wrapped in a thick cloth. Still trembling, Twilight can feel her body heat slowly increase.

She manages to open her eyes, finding herself in a small room, in a bed, a thick blanket covering her entire body.

The princess's mind fills with questions, but she ignores them all. Instead, she closes her eyes, submerging as much as she can into the warmth of those blankets.

She hears a door open, forcing her to open her eyes. To her delight, she sees her friend Sunset enter the room with a steaming bowl in her hands.

Sunset puts the bowl on the nightstand, arranges the pillows under the head and shoulders of the princess, leaving her slightly raised, and sits on a chair next to the bed. Wordlessly, she takes the bowl and a spoon, scoops some of the contents out, blows on it a couple of times, and brings it to the mouth of the princess.

Twilight realizes finally that it is a freshly prepared soup. The warm and appetizing aroma tickles her nose.

"Sunset—"

"Shut up."

It is not an aggressive tone but authoritarian. Sunset gently presses the spoon into Twilight’s lips, and Twilight obediently opens her mouth and allows the hot liquid to enter her, heating her body.

*S*A*S*

After about ten minutes, the bowl is empty. Twilight falls asleep, huddled in the blankets.

Sunset lets out a heavy sigh. She takes the bowl to the kitchen to wash.

It was still early, but Sunset was very tired. The week had been exhausting, and everything indicated that it was not going to end yet.

Tomorrow would be a long day.

She releases another sigh, and then a grunt.

Sunset takes a little of the broth, just to have something in her stomach, locks her door, and turns off the lights. She is so tired. She just wants to go to sleep. But there is a problem.

A princess is in her bed.

Sunset watches Twilight for a moment. Although asleep, fatigue and sorrow still show on her face.

Sunset rubbed her face, thinking about whether she should sleep on the couch.

But with the cold, she did not really like that idea.

"Ugh, fuck it..."

Breaks

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Celestia had no idea how she ended up here.

She remembered that she had arrived at home, but when she could not calm her head, she decided to take a night walk. Before she knew it, she had gone to the last place where anyone, herself included, would expect to see her: a bar.

Its interior embodies the typical image of a city bar, with small tables in the center and slightly larger ones at the edges, worn walls, and photos of different people—mostly sports stars and important figures in the bar’s history—on the walls. Most of the ceiling lights are off. This, along with the soft music of an old jukebox, give a calm, somewhat sad but somehow pleasant atmosphere to the room.

She sighs wearily, rubbing her face with both hands before resting her elbows on the bar and her head in her hands. Her head hurt… a lot.

The thoughts of recent events continue haunting her head. Frustration, anger, helplessness, grief, guilt, and many other emotions press heavily on her shoulders.

"What’ll it be?"

The question makes Celestia look up, spotting a familiar face on the other side of the bar. She would have been startled if she were not so tired.

The young woman maintains an expressionless face while cleaning a jug, her orange, fluffy hair tied back into a bunch. She is dressed professionally with a small nametag adorning her chest. "Adagio".

Celestia watches the other woman for a moment before deciding to speak. "Aren’t you too young to work here?"

The former siren shrugs with a disinterested glaze. "It depends on how you look at it. I'm old enough to have founded your school. Now, are you going to have a drink, or are you going to call CPS?"

The principal is silent, as if she were thinking of what to say. In the end, she gives up. "Whatever is fine."

Leaving the jug aside, the barista turns and searches among the drinks of the place. Finally, she serves a glass of whiskey on the rocks to the principal, leaving the bottle nearby.

"I see many things in this place," she comments after serving the glass, "but you're not one of the ones I'd expect to see." Celestia just sighs and takes a sip from the glass, almost choking on it. Adagio crosses her arms and keeps her gaze emotionless as she looks at the older woman. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Celestia looks back, serious but intrigued. "Do you actually care what happened to me?"

"Not at all," Adagio answers with a shrug.

Celestia's gaze has a glint of curiosity as she continues to regard the other woman.

Adagio, after a moment of silence, says quietly, "Do you know what we eat? We, the sirens?"

There is no response from the principal.

"We feed on negative energy, the feelings of affection and love that has turned into anger and displeasure. That gives us power. Oh, it did. Until that night."

The memory permeates the woman's mind, bringing back old emotions and magnifying new ones a little more.

"Everyone here has a story," continues Adagio. "Guys whose girlfriends left them or who lost their jobs, girls who think the world hates them, parents who had fights with their teens, and so many others."

Celestia looks around at the patrons. Several people in the place seem to be seriously depressed or worried.

"Listening to the misfortunes of others allows me to feel better about my own problems." Adagio pauses, almost pensively. "In a way, the negative energy still feeds me."

Celestia was not sure how to feel about that.

"That's why I'm always willing to listen to the problems of others. They all feel better after talking, and so do I. It's also free."

Adagio washes her hands and attends another newcomer.

Celestia looks at her for a moment, takes a sip of her drink, and then only sighs.

*S*A*S*

She felt warm, comfortable, happy, enveloped in such pleasant warmth.

She felt as if her problems were gone.

But she did not know where she was, so she wanted to open her eyes.

Her blurred vision prevents her from distinguishing anything. She feels herself in something soft and warm. A little thought makes her intuit that she is in a bed.

She feels something at her side, something thin and extremely warm wrapped around her, as if hugging her.

Her sight gradually becomes clear, and she manages to distinguish that warm something. Sunset Shimmer, her friend, the reason for her recent restlessness and fear, lies asleep at her side, her arms wrapped around Twilight’s body.

Sunset was with her. Sunset was okay!

Twilight felt her tears fall, not because of sadness or pain. On the contrary, she felt so relieved.

She had feared the worst. She had thought that by the moment she managed to get through the portal, it would be too late.

But she did not give up, even if it had cost her so much.

She was so tired; her body scolded her incessantly as punishment for her overworking. But she did not care. With a teary smile, she clung to the sleeping girl, her sleeping friend.

*S*A*S*

Her eyes open again. She feels the softness of the bed, the warmth of the blankets and its fresh scent. But the warm body beside her was gone. Instead, Sunset is now sitting in a chair next to the bed, looking at something on her phone.

The former villain turns her eyes and, realizing that the princess is awake, leaves her phone on the side and takes two pills and a glass of water from the nightstand.

Sunset helps the princess raise her head a little and gives her the pills. Twilight does not resist, taking them and guzzling all the water Sunset gives her. She had not realized how dry her throat was.

Sunset puts Twilight back down, then stands up and walks to the door.

"Sunset..." Twilight tries to talk to her. But Sunset either doesn’t hear her or is ignoring her, because she just wordlessly leaves the room.

The princess is alone. For a moment, she tries to get up, but her body rebels in its fatigue.

A few minutes later, Sunset returns with a steaming cup.

*S*A*S*

The morning passes. As Twilight recovers, she manages to sit up and drink the hot chocolate that Sunset prepared for her, trying not to fall asleep.

On more than one occasion, the princess tries to start a conversation. There is so much that she wants to say, but each time she tries, Sunset silences her.

The good mood that Twilight had had last night dissipated. It was clear that Sunset was still upset, and Twilight couldn’t blame her.

At around midday, Twilight can’t take it anymore. The fire-haired girl had not said a word all morning. Twilight watches her sitting next to the bed, her emerald eyes fixed on a school book.

The silence was torturing her. She had to talk to her.

"Sunset..." the princess says.

But Sunset does not seem to hear her. She just keeps reading.

"Sunset, please. Talk to me," Twilight says again, almost pleadingly.

Again, there is no answer. The princess feels ready to cry.

"Sunset, please!" she exclaims with despair. "Shout at me, insult me, tell me you hate me, anything! Just please... talk to me..."

Once again, there is no answer at first, until Sunset closes her eyes with a sigh and turns to look at her.

"What are you doing here?" Sunset asks seriously, coldly.

Twilight was surprised but relieved; listening to Sunset's voice felt like a gift, even if it was loaded with irritation.

So absorbed in her emotions was Twilight that it took a few seconds to answer. "I came because... I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Y-You said that you wanted... to finish everything. I-I thought..."

"Why do people think I'm going to resort to such nonsense?" thinks Sunset with annoyance.

"I was terrified," confesses the princess. "Even more so when the portal didn’t open, I don't know why, but I couldn't open it. I thought you’d…"

Tears had begun to fall from Twilight’s eyes, and she paused to wipe them.

Sunset looks at her for a moment, and then speaks again with the same cold voice. "I destroyed the journal. That's why the portal didn’t open."

The revelation leaves Twilight cold. "Y-You... destroyed it? Sunset, why…?"

"I wanted to start over, forget about the past, forget everything, even you and Celestia."

Twilight didn’t know what hurt more: the words or the tone in which they were said. Her heart felt ready to shatter.

"Sunset..."

"But the portal can’t be opened anymore. How did you get back?"

It is a fair question. Twilight hesitates, unsure of how to respond. "Star Swirl... I used the spell he used with the sirens."

Sunset crosses her arms, an annoyed gleam in her eyes.

Twilight keeps talking, looking down with embarrassment, "When I couldn’t go back, and when you didn’t respond to my messages, I got scared. I tried to fix the machine, I checked the mirror, the whole nine yards, but there was no way to open the portal.

“I even called Princess Celestia, but she had no answer... I didn’t know what to do..." Remembering those moments makes tears return en masse, and Twilight wipes her eyes to clear them more frequently. "I checked in my library and found the book that talked about the sirens. I remembered Star Swirl's spell, and... I thought I could learn the spell and use it to get here. I went to Canterlot and looked in the Star Swirl wing of the library in order to learn the spell.”

"How long were you there?" Sunset asks accusingly.

The princess is silent, her eyes on her feet, shame clear on her face.

Sunset to begins to tremble in fear and anger. "Don’t tell me you've been there for the last two weeks."

Twilight closes her eyes and clutches the covers. Sunset lets out a moan and puts her palm to her forehead.

"I just wanted to know you were okay," Twilight confessed. "I had to—"

"And surely, you made everyone in Equestria worry about you!" interrupts Sunset. "Your friends, Celestia… Did you ever tell anyone what you were doing?"

"... I told Spike to warn the others..."

Sunset groans again and gets up, beginning to pace. "Ugh... So, you recreated the spell."

"Well... not exactly." Twilight’s tone shifts from ashamed to slightly embarrassed. "The spell was too complicated, but I thought... maybe I could mix it with the magic of the portal to… force it open."

Sunset is silent, trying to control herself. "You shouldn't have come," she finally says.

Twilight responds quietly, "I... wanted to help—"

"It's too late for that," Sunset snaps.

"I know... I'm sorry!" The princess pulls her knees to her chest and buries her face in them.

Sunset sighs with annoyance. "It doesn't matter anymore... Just go back to Equestria."

There is silence. The princess sobs a couple of times before raising her head slightly. "… I can't…"

Sunset whirls around to face the princess. "What do you mean?" she asks, a pit growing in her stomach.

"Star Swirl’s spell... only works in one direction..."

Sunset freezes. Her eyes show a mixture of fear and rage. "... Are you telling me that you used a spell to open the portal knowing it was a one-way trip? How do you plan on going back?!" she shouts.

"... I don’t know," Twilight quietly replies with embarrassment. "At the moment, I didn’t care..."

"Idiot!" Sunset shouts, frightening the princess, who shrinks further into herself. "You left your friends! You left your family! You left EQUESTRIA! What if some villain appears and tries to conquer it?! WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY NEED YOU?! YOU ARE A PRINCESS! You have to protect Equestria!"

Twilight keeps her eyes downcast, while Sunset keeps her accusing glare on her. The silence remains for a full minute before Twilight finally looks up at Sunset. "... If I can't help a friend, how could I possibly help Equestria?"

The question stops Sunset in her tracks, surprise and confusion replacing the anger in her eyes.

They look at each other, neither knowing what to say.

Finally, Sunset grunts and turns around, and before either can say anything else, there is a knock at the door.

"Ugh, he finally arrived," Sunset mumbles.

Before Twilight can ask what she means, Sunset rummages through her closet and bureau and throws a shirt, socks, pants and a coat at Twilight. "Put that on," Sunset orders.

"Put on... Why?"

Sunset does not answer, instead just walking out of the room and leaving the princess confused. Finally losing some patience at Sunset’s attitude, Twilight takes an empty glass from the nightstand and presses it to the door of the bedroom to eavesdrop.

Sunset hears another couple of knocks by the time she reaches the door. She rubs her face to remove the heaviness and opens it.

"Flash, thanks for coming," she says, trying to smile.

The blue-haired boy looks at the girl a little curiously but smiles, "Hey, Sunset. Um... I’m here. What did you want to ask me?"

Sunset sighs again and lets the boy enter her apartment, then closes the door.

"I'm sorry I call you every time I need something, but... you're the only one I could call."

"It's fine. No problem, seriously. But what happened?"

Sunset takes a moment, breathes, and answers, "Twilight’s here."

The answer amazes Flash. "Tw-Twilight... Really?"

"Yeah. She arrived last night. She's in my room changing."

"Oh… so, what do you need?"

Sunset takes another moment, seems to try to calm down. "... I need you to get her out of here."

The boy's jaw drops, while Twilight, stunned at the curt answer, almost drops her glass in surprise.

"What?" Flash says. "Where do you want her to go?"

"Anywhere," replies Sunset. "I don't care, just... I want her to leave."

"But… why?" Flash can’t phrase his question any more eloquently.

Sunset looks at the ground, hurt. "I'm still mad about the whole thing. The whole morning was horrible and awkward for both of us. If she stays here, sooner or later, I'll end up saying or doing something that really hurts her. I don't want that..."

Flash looks at the girl, very worried. "Sunset..."

Sunset looks up with pain in her eyes. "I'm sorry Flash. Just, please take her away. Take her anywhere, as long as it’s not here."

Back in the bedroom, Twilight sinks to the floor, unable and unwilling to listen anymore.

Soon, Sunset returns to the bedroom. When she opens the door, she finds her visitor sitting on the bed, dressed in the clothes she gave her. Sunset’s head falls, and melancholy fills her eyes.

"Princess, Flash came to pick you up," Sunset says quietly.

Twilight does not answer; she just nods and gets up. A slight dizziness shakes her, but she resists it, and with Sunset’s help, she walks to the living room.

The young guitarist is surprised to see her, but he greets her with a small smile, one Twilight is unable to return.

Without comment, Sunset gives Celestia's coat to Twilight, who puts it on over her other coat. Sunset opens the door to let them both out. Flash leaves first, while Twilight takes a couple of seconds before beginning to walk.

"Please, don't come back."

The whisper is quiet enough that only Twilight can hear it, and it crushes her spirit.

"... I love you, Sunset. You’ll always be my friend," she says equally quietly.

Once both are out, Sunset closes the door, locks the safety chain, and takes a couple of seconds before leaning on the wall and dropping to the ground with a groan.

"No more... Please... I just want..."

Sunset cringes, suppressing her emotions and her thoughts, trying to get rid of the pressure on her chest.

*S*A*S*

Flash drives his car quietly through the streets, but he has no destination in mind. He doesn’t know where to go or what to do, so he just takes random turns, trying to think and constantly glancing at his companion. Twilight has her head down during the entire trip, her face showing no emotion beyond regret.

The silence has lasted too long. He knew he had to say something.

"Hey, Twilight. Uh… what do you want to do now?"

He kicked himself mentally. That was the best he could say?

The princess does not respond. She just keeps looking towards the floor.

Nervously, he tries to ask again. "Do you want me... to take you somewhere?"

It takes a few seconds, but finally, she responds, looking outside the window with an darkened expression. "Yeah. I can think of a place…"

*S*A*S*

Generally, Saturday is a lively, cheerful day at Sugar Cube Corner.

Today was a clear exception.

At the counter, Cup Cake tried to keep a semi-cheery atmosphere as she serves what few customers come in, while her husband Carrot Cake mans the kitchen, preparing more sugary snacks.

It's a dark, lugubrious day, and the cold certainly does not help the atmosphere, instead amplifying the depressing environment.

Especially at a particular table.

Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack frequent the store a lot, and usually, they chat and joke around animatedly whenever they visit. Today was a different story.

Each girl replays the last few days in her mind. None speaks, and they pay little attention to their drinks.

The silence between them lasts for a long time. It's Rainbow who finally breaks it. "Girls... we have to do something..." she says quietly.

"Like what?" Applejack asks, halfheartedly.

"Anything," responds the chromatic girl. "We have to show Sunset we're sorry."

"I think she knows we're sorry," says Rarity with clear pain in her voice. "I just simply don’t think she cares..."

Rainbow looks worriedly at her friends. She opens her mouth, but her voice dies when she sees the front door open and the person who enters the store. The others notice her expression and they turn around, each freezing as Rainbow did.

Twilight Sparkle stands at the entrance, looking around the store. It doesn’t take long for her to distinguish her five friends at the table.

As she figured, they were there; there were very few places where they could be on a day like today, especially in the current circumstances.

Twilight approaches the table, ignoring Mrs. Cake’s nervous look.

The five friends remain petrified when the Princess of Friendship stops next at their table, a serious, almost accusing gaze in her eyes. Several emotions run through the girls: surprise, fear, and most of all, shame. That last feeling forces each girl to break eye contact with Twilight.

The princess says nothing but eventually sits down next to everyone at the table, which only serves to worry the girls more.

Rainbow tries to speak to break the tension. "Uh… hey, Twilight. It’s been a while, huh? H-How are you?"

There is no response except for her accusatory gaze, which causes the athlete to shrink in her seat and look away. None speaks after that, and none dares look at Twilight.

The princess, on the owner hand, maintains her own somewhat pensive silence. She breathes deeply, thinking of her words.

Her concentration breaks when Mrs. Cake approaches her and, with a smile, gives the princess a root beer float.

"Uh, I... I didn't ask for anything," the doubtful princess comments.

"It's free, honey. You look like you need it," the woman responds with a kind smile.

The princess returns the smile with a small one of her own, and Mrs. Cake retires and leaves the store to give a drink to Flash, who had remained outside of the place.

Twilight takes her float and drinks a little to calm down. Then, she looks at all those present at the table.

"So, who will tell me what happened?"

None responds. They turn their eyes to look anywhere but at the princess.

Rainbow is the one who finally answers for all. "You already know what happened."

"I want to hear it from you."

The silence lasts a few more moments.

*S*A*S*

Eventually, one by one, they take turns and tell the familiar story.

When the story is finished, the princess remains silent, her eyes closed and her face thoughtful. They all remain silent, waiting for the inevitable.

"I can't believe you," the princess finally says seriously. "How could you... How could you think that Sunset would do something like that?!"

None dares to respond.

"We... We used the power of friendship with her!" she exclaims, looking furiously at everyone at the table. "She freed herself from that evil she had! She helped us defeat the Dazzlings! Damn it, it was thanks to her that we defeated them! How could you think she could do something like that?!"

More silence.

"Answer me!"

None wants to do it. They felt like little girls scolded by their mother.

"And even the whole school... If Sunset proved to everyone that she changed... I didn't... Ugh!"

Twilight grunts and takes a deep swig of her float. She lowers the cup, almost slamming it against the table, and after breathing and calming down a bit, she talks again.

"So... now that you know the truth, how do you feel?"

The silence returns. Eventually, Applejack is the first to speak. "What do you want us to say? We're sorry... We're really sorry..."

"We deserve Sunset’s hatred," Rainbow says, hurt.

Pinkie sniffles a little. "But, we don't want it to end like this. We want Sunset back."

"That will be difficult," says the princess, remembering Sunset’s words and attitude toward her just that morning, let alone the previous night.

"Please, don’t come back."

That almost makes Twilight break her angry facade, but she manages to keep it.

Rarity says, "We love Sunset. She's our friend."

"Or she was..." Rainbow says again.

After a silence, Applejack looks at Twilight with desperation. "Twilight, tell us what to do."

They all look with despair at the princess. She looks back at them with incredulous annoyance.

"Me?" she asks, almost sarcastic. "You’re asking me what you should do? Really?" The princess’s anger bleeds into her speech unabated. "What you should have done is trust your friend! You should have realized how ridiculous the situation was... You should have known that Sunset just wouldn't do that!"

They all lower their heads. The place is frozen.

Twilight stands up and takes a step away from the table. Turning away from them, she says. "You five caused this, not some magical, mind-controlling monster. I… have no reason to help you."

With that said, making sure that her tears are not noticed, she walks towards the exit, leaving them all amazed and, again, desolate.

She stops in front of the door, arguing with herself for a few seconds. Finally, she says, "When I arrived here the first time... I thought Sunset had separated you." They all look at her as she finally turns around, her glazed eyes contrasting with her grave face. "But now, I don't know if you five were ever really friends."

With no more words, the Equestrian princess leaves the place. The five friends are once again alone, sunk in their own despair.

*S*A*S*

Twilight tries hard not to cry anymore. She clings to her coat in order to avoid the cold and give her something to think about other than her crushing sorrow.

Flash, reclining in his car, sees her come out and lowers the window. "Twilight, what—"

"Let's go. Please," she interrupts him almost pleadingly as she gets in his car.

Flash looks at her, extremely worried. Nevertheless, he puts the car in drive and gets on the road.

Flash drives for a while, not knowing what to do or what to say.

So many things that he would like to know, that he would like to say, but he couldn't do it.

What he wouldn’t give to help Twilight, help Sunset, help... everyone...

A street light changes to red, and Flash stops. He takes advantage of the moment to look at his partner.

Twilight just looks down, and although she tries, she has a hard time keeping her sobs quiet.

How those tears hurt...

He shakes his head.

He couldn’t fall, too. Someone had to stay strong.

Withstanding the grief, Flash thought about what he could do.

"So, Twilight… where do you want me to take you now?"

She does not respond.

"Do you want me to take you to CHS? You can go home from there, right?"

It takes a while, but Twilight responds, her gaze still on the floor, "I can’t go home... Not anymore…"

He just stares at her in surprise, unsure of what to say. "O-Oh... Um... That sucks. Uh, you have somewhere to stay? I mean, I can take you to my house if you want. I don't know how to explain it to my parents, but I’m sure I’ll think of something."

"... I can’t ask you to do that, Flash."

"No, don't worry, it's not a problem. Seriously, they'll understand."

She shakes her head slowly. "I don’t want to bother you with any more of my problems."

"It’s not a bother. You’re not a bother. I want... I want to help..."

There is silence. The light changes to green, but Flash takes a few more seconds before advancing.

Twilight looks through the window. "Well... there is one place..."

*S*A*S*

"... And now... I can't go home" the princess says with embarrassment in her eyes. "And I was wondering... Could I stay here... until I find a way to get back or... find another place to stay?"

Celestia and Luna just stare in surprise. There’s a lot they expected would happen after Twilight’s attempted talk with Sunset, but they never would have expected Twilight to come to their door and tell them all that. It takes both of them a couple of seconds to absorb the whole situation.

Twilight, worried at the silence, continues, "But I understand if I can't... It's a difficult favor, and I know—"

Celestia hurries to speak, "Of course, you can stay, Twilight." She takes the girl by her shoulders. "You can stay as long as you need."

"I will prepare the guest room," the youngest sister says, although she radiates uncertainty.

"I'm sorry,” Twilight says as Luna goes deeper into the house. "I hate to be a bother, but..."

"It's not a bother, Twilight. You're welcome to stay as long as you want," Celestia assures her with a smile.

"Thank you, Principal Celestia."

The woman’s smile broadens. Then, she looks up to see the young man accompanying Twilight. "Thank you for bringing her, Flash. That was very kind of you."

"Oh, sure. It's... It's nothing," he replies bashfully.

Celestia steps back welcomingly and says, "Would you like to come in and stay for lunch?"

"Thank you, but my mom’s probably wondering where I am."

"That’s alright. You better head home, then. Have a good weekend, and thanks again."

Celestia waves at him with a smile, which Flash returns. Twilight herself turns to him and attempts to smile. "Thanks, Flash... for everything..."

"Yeah, no problem."

They look at each other for a moment, a little nervous.

"Well, I... I better go. See you later, Twilight. Um... let me know if you... you know, if you need anything."

With that and a wave, Flash gets into his car, gives a last goodbye, and leaves.

Both Celestia and Twilight watch him leave, then the principal says, "Let's go in, Twilight. It's very cold out here."

The woman takes the young girl into something like a hug. Twilight does not resist and instead gets as close as possible to the woman.

They enter into the house and close the door.

*S*A*S*

The cold wind continued its blowing, snow and ice falling from above, adorning the ground with their whitish imprints.

Everything seemed to be peaceful, but deep down, many hearts were broken.

Good Changes, Bad Changes

View Online

After the end of that Saturday morning, the rest of the weekend just… happened.

Sunset decided to stay at home, only going out to buy some supplies that lasted until Monday and spending the rest of the time resting and forgetting about her problems.

The first goal was successful. The second, not so much.

The Rainbooms fared similarly. Applejack shirked her tasks on the farm, Pinkie asked Mr. and Mrs. Cake for some days off, Rarity kept her boutique closed, Fluttershy asked for a replacement for the animal shelter, and Rainbow did not even do her soccer drills.

The Crusaders, by order of their sisters, were forbidden from seeing each other, so they were also at home the whole weekend.

As for Princess Twilight, the fatigue of those two weeks of hard work finally took its toll. She spent most of the rest of the weekend asleep with a slight fever, and although she tried to pay the hospitality of the principals by helping at home, her condition promptly caused Celestia to practically order her to go lie down and rest.

*S*A*S*

Monday comes, as does a new week at Crystal Prep.

Sunset enters the school, feeling somewhat lighter, her weekend rest showing its benefits.

Her wounds had also healed properly; the bruises were gone, and the scars were faded enough to go practically unnoticed.

She sighs and allows herself a smile. There are no more tests, so the classes will be relatively quiet. She can finally relax a little.

As she walks in, a large cluster of students gathered at the opposite end of the door catches her attention, and she approaches to see what everyone is looking at. Stuck on a noticeboard covered with glass sheets is what looks like the results of the exams.

Sunset moves among the students and gets close enough to take a look.

They are many sheets, each one showing a list of about 20 students, positioned in a perfect arrangement that covers almost the entire, very large board.

Sunset looks for her name, mentally grumbling when she realizes the list isn’t arranged alphabetically but instead by test results. "Seriously?" she thinks. "How are you supposed to find yourself in this mess?" Sighing, she resigns herself to search one by one.

The first name on the list not surprises her, "Twilight Sparkle". Curious, Sunset checks Twilight’s scores in each test. Perfect scores in every single test. Again, she is not suprised.

Sunset allowed herself a chuckle; there are things that would never change. No matter the world, no matter the Twilight, she will always be really smart.

Sunset looks at number two. "Sugarcoat" is the next name, who got perfect scores in all subjects too. Sunset is curious, nevertheless impressed but decided to stop wasting time and searches name by name until finally finding her own.

"Sunset Shimmer: 85, 87, 82, 90, 87.” And similars in each subjects.

Sunset beams. "Not bad for a girl who only had two days to study the entire semester." She checks her rank on the list: number forty-two. She isn’t quite sure how to take that news—it’s far from the top ten but nowhere near the bottom of the list—so instead, she heads to her locker, satisfied with her performance.

Sunset does not realize that someone is watching her as she leaves. A girl with platinum hair tied into three tails looks at the list, adjusting her glasses as she sees Sunset’s position on the list.

*S*A*S*

Things at Canterlot High School have changed little. Winter continues to hit hard at school, leaving the students discouraged and somber.

Applejack and Rarity are in the hall, mired in an unpleasant chat.

"... Do you think we were too hard on them?" Rarity asks

"Ah don't know, sugar cube. Do ya think we were too soft?" Applejack responds.

The dressmaker sighs, resting her back on the lockers and looking at the floor. "I don't know how to deal with this situation."

"Same. Ah’d talk ta Granny, but... Ah think this is something Ah gotta solve myself."

"You’re right. It’s our fault this happened. We must take responsibility."

"Yeah. Ah was way too lax on her over the years. Guess I didn’t teach discipline firmly enough."

"Imagine how I feel," a third voice says.

Both turn around, watching their chromatic friend approach.

"I tell Scoots doing push-ups is good for training, but… am I in the right here? I mean... I'm not her sister after all, you know?"

Rarity is the first to speak to respond. "Scootaloo and you share a strong bond, darling. You shouldn’t worry about things like that."

"Yeah, yeah, but still, sometimes I feel I’m out of line, like I’m taking someone else’s place."

"Scootaloo is very fond of you, darling. I'm sure she wouldn't want anyone else to call sister."

The girls’ attempts to cheer up their athlete friend works, if only a little. Rainbow sighs and looks down at the floor. "I can't get mad with Scoots. I'm just as guilty as she is... even more..."

"We are all guilty, Rainbow," Rarity says.

"But I was the one who told Sunset to leave school. If I just kept my mouth shut..."

"I doubt that would have changed anything," Pinkie says sadly from beside them. None had seen her arrive. Her friends immediately notice that her hair is no longer fluffy. Instead, it is completely straight and fallen. And it's not just her hair that changed; Pinkie's expression was devoid of all emotion. No joy, no sadness, nothing. It was just empty. It was like seeing her sister Maud but painted pink.

"Pinkie...?" Applejack begins hesitantly.

After a brief silence, Pinkie says, "Hi, girls. It's nice to see you." Even as she says that, her voice and face show no mention.

The three friends cannot take their eyes off her, too shocked by the sight of their party friend.

"Pinkie, what happened to you?!" Rainbow asks after recovering a little.

Pinkie does not respond immediately. Instead, she seems thoughtful. "I'm sorry, but starting today, I'd rather be called Diane."

None of the three respond, too surprised by what their usually bombastic friend just said and, just as importantly, how she said it.

"I liked seeing you, but I must go to class."

Again, with that voice and gaze so empty, Pinkie—or Diane—walks away from them, leaving them even more confused and shocked than they already were.

(NOTE: You may wonder why "Diane" and not Pinkamena, well, I see Pinkamena as a reflection of paranoia, it's like an explosion of emotions that Pinkie does not control at all. This on the other hand, is like an emotional block, I mean that Pinkie no longer presents emotions, but remains conscious, and it is she who decides to change her name, that is why it is not Pinkamena.)

*S*A*S*

Sunset walks through the cafeteria with her homemade lunch, looking for her usual companions. It does not take long for her to find them.

Twilight and Sonata seem to be having a quiet conversation, both sitting at one of the tables in the large room. When they see Sunset nearby, they both wave a greeting, inviting her to join the table.

Sunset starts to walk, when a voice stops her.

"Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset turns around, meeting a girl with platinum hair tied into three pigtails, orange glasses adorning her face. Sunset looks at her expectantly, waiting for her to do something. The girl looks back, her face serious, and for a moment, neither says anything.

"Um... hello..." Sunset finally says, confused by the situation.

"Sunset Shimmer, I apologize for my sudden appearance," the newcomer says in a soft but firm voice. "I come to represent a select group. We want to extend an invitation for you to join us at lunch today."

Sunset was not sure if she was more surprised by the words or the way she said them.

"I..." She turns to where her classmates are. Twilight and Sonata are also surprised.

"You had plans to have lunch with someone?" asks the girl in the same tone of voice.

"Ah... something like that... I guess..."

"Plans" was not really the right word. It was not like the three of them agreed to eat together. They had just met at lunch every day since they met each other.

It was more... a habit, maybe?

The bespectacled girl casts a glance at the table where Twilight and Sonata are. There is no change in her expression before returning her gaze to Sunset.

"I understand. Then, I formally ask that you accompany me. My colleagues and I want to talk to you about a certain issue. It will not take more than a few minutes, and then, you can go to your usual table."

Sunset is doubtful. She turns back to her companions, who never took their eyes off the scene.

"Um... What's the matter?" Sunset asked, doubtful. This school was certainly strange. Maybe not dangerous, but caution never hurt.

"Nothing that you should worry about," the girl answers with that monotone, emotionless voice, which doesn’t instill any confidence in Sunset, "but it's an important issue, and I think it may be of interest if you allow me to guide you. I promise it will just be a moment."

The girl turns around and starts walking. Sunset hesitates a few seconds. She turns to her companions one more time and, after gesturing them to wait, decides to follow the pigtailed girl, feeling, as usual, that it would be better to go with the flow.

A moment later, the bespectacled girl stops next to a table. She turns to look at Sunset and gestures to her, saying, "Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat."

Sunset looks at the table. Five students are seated around it. She is surprised to see a familiar face. Sunny Flare gives a small smile and a wink to the former equine.

Sunset’s guide, seeing that Sunset just stood there, decides to say, "I promise it will just be a moment. Please, take a seat."

As if in agreement, Sunny pats the space next to her. Finally, with a deep breath, Sunset obeys and sits down, the pigtailed girl sitting across from her.

Silence covers the table. Not knowing what to do or say, Sunset just looks at the others at the table. All keep a neutral expression, except Sunny, who smiles at her kindly.

The platinum-haired girl takes the floor. "Thank you for coming, Sunset Shimmer."

"Um, you're welcome?"

"I'll start by introducing myself properly. My name is Sugarcoat. It's a pleasure."

"Yeah, likewise," Sunset says hesitantly.

Sugarcoat signals to the light-skinned girl with pink hair sitting next to her. "This is Fleur de Lis."

Sunset looks at her. Fleur looks back, giving a courteous smile a nod.

"Next to Fleur is Trenderhoof," continues Sugarcoat, pointing to a boy with dark skin, blond hair and white glasses. He, too, gives a small smile and a greeting.

"Across from Trenderhoof is Jet Set." Jet Set is a boy with black hair and thick glasses. Peculiarly, he wears his school vest tied around his neck in a sort of cape. Unlike the previous ones, when Sunset looks at him, he simply nods, maintaining his neutral expression.

"And I believe you've already met Sunny Flare," Sugarcoat finishes.

Sunny, still smiling, says, "A pleasure to see you again, honey."

"Um, yeah, nice to see you, Sunny Flare," Sunset responds, trying not to sound nervous about the curious situation.

Sugarcoat speaks to everyone at the table. "Everyone, this is Sunset Shimmer. She transferred here three weeks ago. I assume all you have heard of her at some point."

Jet Set says with a contemptuous tone, "Certainly. I heard that she has been involved in certain… conflicts."

Sunset cannot help but shrink a little before the mention. Sunny says, "Oh, don't get upset, honey. Lighning Dust is quite infamous for causing problems, especially with new students."

Trenderhoof nods in agreement. "Students like her are the ones who give our noble institution a bad name. I don’t know why they have not expelled her yet."

Jet Set says with some annoyance, "If we're just going to talk about students who should be expelled again, I'd prefer to go back to my lunch."

Sugarcoat says, "I agree. We have not come to talk about other students but about Sunset Shimmer."

"Yeah, what’s up?" Sunset says, trying to contain her hunger.

"I will not beat around the bush," Sugarcoat responds, nodding. "Sunset Shimmer, your performance on last week's exams has impressed us."

"What?" Sunset asks, confused.

Sunny speaks to Sunset in a lively voice. "You've been in school for only three weeks, but you're already among the top fifty students."

Sunset did not know what to say. "... I just did well on some exams. That doesn’t mean—"

Sugarcoat interrupts her. "Exams for which you were not prepared, considering that it was only your second week here and that you arrived in the middle of the semester."

Trenderhoof continues, "You had everything against you. Anyone would have failed, and with just reason."

Sunny speaks again, smiling more widely, "But not only did you not fail, but you received very high marks."

Sunset is stunned. "Oh, yeah. Well, I guess... I'm just lucky, heh..."

"It's more than just luck," Sugarcoat interrupts her again. "Sunset Shimmer, you have proven to have a very high intellect."

"Uh, well, you know…” Sunset says, bashful. A thought occurring to her, she says, “Wait, you brought me here just to tell me I'm smart?"

"Not at all," responds Sugarcoat. "Although I agree, let's get to the subject that interests us. Sunset Shimmer, we cordially extend an invitation to you to join our Academic Society."

Surprise and confusion comes to Sunset’s face in equal parts. After a moment of silence, she hesitantly asks, "Is it a school club?"

"It's more than a mere club, you ignorant girl!" Jet Set snaps, startling Sunset.

Sunny looks reproachfully at the boy next to her. Sugarcoat also seems to glare at him, although it is difficult to determine in her otherwise neutral expression.

Sugarcoat continues, "In legal terms, it is registered in the school as a school club. However, it is more serious than that. As I said, it is an association made up of the best students in the school."

Sunny continues the explanation. "The best students come together to share knowledge and ideas. We participate in scientific and theoretical debates, and we find ways to advance in the future and be better than we are now."

"Oh. I understand... I think," Sunset responds after the explanation.

Trenderhoof says, "We’ve seen your amazing performance, and we wanted to contact you and invite you to join us."

"Who is ‘we’?" Jet Set mumbles. Sunset looks askance at Jet Set, who does not bother to look back at her and, unlike the others, decides to start eating his lunch.

Sunny returns to the conversation. "Anyway, Sunset, what do you say? Do you want to join?"

"Um... I... I'm not sure..."

"You do not need to give us an immediate response," Sugarcoat says without haste.

Trenderhoof follows up. "But take into account, please, that meeting with the best will help you in school and, well, in everything."

"It’s an opportunity to meet people on your level. People you can trust," adds Sunny Flare. "That will help you excel once you have graduated."

Sunset still does not know what to say. "I'll think about it, I guess. Um, if it's all..."

"You are free to go," responds Sugarcoat. "Our meetings are held every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday in room 206. The entrance is open for you whenever you want."

"Yeah, thanks…"

Sunny, Fleur and Trenderhoof give Sunset a farewell gesture as she leaves the table. After she leaves, silence reigns at the table of five for a minute.

Trenderhoof is the first to speak. "I don't think she was very interested."

"Let's give it time. She still needs to acclimate," Sunny Flare responds.

Jet Set seems still upset. "I honestly do not see why you are so interested in her."

"Well, we founded this society for a reason,” Trenderhoof ansewers. “Great minds must stay together."

Jet Set is not convinced. "Yes, but that girl has not been here for a month, and she has already caused plenty of trouble."

"Well, yes," Trenderhoof admits, "but we cannot blame her, either."

"Besides, she's always so close to Sparkle and that blue girl. I have a particularly bad feeling about the latter."

Fleur de Lis decides to speak for the first time. "It seems to me that Jet Set is focusing too much on unimportant details."

"Oh, look who’s talking."

Sugarcoat takes the floor. "Certainly, her actions are intriguing, but that does not change the fact of her performance, and we all agree that that is the only real requirement to be part of our society."

A nod is shared by everyone except Jet Set. "Hmm, if you're so determined, I cannot refuse, but that doesn't mean I like the idea,"he says.

The conversation dies there, and Jet Set continues his lunch while the others begin their own.

*S*A*S*

"YOU REJECTED IT?!"

Sunset jumps at the sudden shout. "Sonata, you don't have to shout. Besides, I didn't reject them. I just… didn't give an answer."

"Well, you should go and accept it now!" exclaims Sonata again.

"Why?"

Twilight responds, "The Academic Society is where the best students meet, and that certainly gives many possibilities to improve your performance in classes and... many other things."

Sonata continues, "Being there means you're the best, and being the best is... well... THE BEST! That's what Adagio always says."

Sunset does not know what to answer but says, "I'm not interested in being the best. I'm happy here, where I am."

Sonata almost seems upset. "What, sitting at a table with a nerdy reject and a lonely weirdo?"

"Well, yes." The answer leaves both girls surprised. "I'm not interested in being better or superior or someone important."

Neither Twilight nor Sonata say anything. They only gaze with astonishment at the redhead.

"It may seem strange, but I'm more comfortable here, with you two."

Sunset realizes that what she said was pretty corny, and she blushes and looks away, trying to distract herself with her lunch. Soon she feels both of her companions take her free hand. Looking up, she sees Twilight and Sonata smile at her.

Those smiles. It had been a while since someone gave her a smile like that.

Sunset kept looking at them for a moment. They never took their eyes off her. Finally giving in to the desire, she returned the smile.

The three smile at each other, their smiles growing every second.

Something changes at that moment.

Something grows.

Something... forms.

There is something new surrounding them, enveloping them.

A feeling? A desire? Or something else?

Whatever it is, it's something...

Magical…

Sonata opens her eyes in surprise. She jumps to her feet, surprising her companions. The siren touches her throat, feeling a tingling in her body.

Sunset looks at her, confused. "Sonata?"

There is no answer. The blue-haired girl circles her throat with her hand. Her body begins to tremble slightly.

She felt something, an unstoppable desire, that she had not felt in a long time. She wanted—she needed—to sing.

Sonata’s voice starts to be heard all over the place. Harmonious, melodious, beautiful and so soft.

All voices are silent, all eyes turn to see her, all ears are attentive to that beautiful voice that resounds in the great cafeteria.

All the students and even the kitchen workers listen enchantedly to the lovely voice of the siren who, with her hands on her chest, her eyes closed, and a big smile on her face, sings her heart out in an aria that captures everyone’s attention, filling herself with a bliss without comparison.

Twilight looks in awe at the girl, smiling and marveling at the beautiful melody.

Sunset, however, is perhaps the most surprised of all the spectators.

She was familiar with the song. The last time she heard it, it had been used for evil. Sunset even came to fear that song.

But now, she felt as if she heard it for the first time. She did not feel afraid. She felt... at peace. Happy.

The show ends as suddenly as it started. Sonata smiles, her eyes watering as she sits back down.

Twilight cannot resist giving a round of applause. "Sonata, I didn't know you could sing like that."

"I was... I..." The siren cannot even speak. But her smile is so bright, and even as the atmosphere of the room begins to return to normal, that atmosphere of joy persists at the table of three for the rest of the period.

Something had changed, and given the joy and wonder the girls felt, it was for the best.

Atonement

View Online

In a house in the suburbs, in a room completely closed off and devoid of light, lies a large bundle wrapped in the blankets of the bed.

Completely hidden by the soft fabrics of her bed, a girl remains out of reach of the outside world.

Her head is submerged in sour and painful thoughts. Her cheeks are stained with marks of what were undoubtedly tears. Her completely red eyes are dry.

She hears the sound of someone calling her. "Fluttershy!" calls the woman. "You're worrying me. You've been in there all day."

Fluttershy ignores her mother and remains in place, prey to her own mind.

"I'm awful... I'm awful... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm awful... I’m awful…"

*S*A*S*

The winter completely covers Canterlot High School. The cold permeates though the corridors, and even with the lights on, it looks dark and somewhat dismal.

At lunch time, the students try to distract themselves with talks or games to forget the cold.

"Stupid cold, stupid snow, stupid winter, stupid busted boiler, stupid—AAAAGHHHH! Why is it so cold?" screams a frustrated and somewhat desperate girl with mint-green hair.

"Lyra, please calm down," says her friend with cotton-candy-colored hair.

"I can't, Bon Bon! I hate the cold! IhateitIhateitIhateit!"

"Lyra, please, behave," a black-haired girl sitting next to them demands.

Shortly after the girl speaks, another girl with two-tone blue hair in a rebellious style appears.

"It seems like it’s getting colder every day," Lyra complains. "Why?"

"It's winter, Lyra," the black-haired one replies. "Winter is cold."

"Winter or not, this is too much! I can't even touch my lyre! If I take off my gloves, I feel my fingers freeze!"

Bon Bon lets out a slight sigh. "I know what you mean. With how cold it is, we can barely cook in class. The ovens take so long to heat up."

The black-haired girl rubs her temples. "In the name of Amadeus, you two are like little girls. A little cold never hurt anyone."

"This isn’t 'a little cold', Octavia!" Lyra snaps. "This is freezing!"

Octavia only shakes her head and starts eating.

Bon Bon, seeing that the situation is somewhat tense, decides to change the subject. "Hey, Octavia, how is your practice going?"

Octavia almost chokes at the sudden question but manages to drink her juice and respond somewhat hastily, "Oh, you know, perfectly fine, no problem."

Her nervousness isn’t lost on Lyra and Bon Bon, who look at her, somewhat confused.

The DJ turns to look at her friend. Even behind those opaque shades, Octavia can feel the girl’s eyes on her. After a moment, Octavia sighs and says, "Well, there have been problems with the members of the band. No one pays any attention at practice. In fact, everyone seems to have gotten worse."

The DJ continues to give Octavia that knowing look.

"Alright, alright, enough with the look, Vinyl. I... I haven't really done well either..." Octavia finally responds.

"What? But why?" Lyra asks, surprised.

"Lately, with everything that has happened, I have been... depressed..."

Vinyl puts a hand on Octavia's shoulder and gives her a kind smile.

Bon Bon sighs softly. "I know what you mean. The cooking club is the same way. The food is bland, and the desserts taste bitter."

Lyra looks worriedly at her friend. "This is all because of Anon-a-Miss. She started this whole mess."

Bon Bon seems to think a little about that. "But Anon-a-Miss is gone. The account is closed."

"That does not take away all the damage she did before leaving," Octavia responds with clear annoyance.

"I still wonder why it closed," Lyra says to no one in particular.

Octavia responds with disinterest. "It's obvious. Sunset Shimmer has already been expelled. There's no point in keeping the account. I’m sure she is causing problems wherever she is now."

With that answer, she continues her lunch. However, out of the corner of her eye, she sees Vinyl shaking her head.

"Vinyl, do you honestly still think it's not Sunset?"

Vinyl nods as she begins to eat.

"Who else could it be? She's the only one capable of something like that."

Swallowing her mouthful, Vinyl turns to the cellist and tilts her head with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know why she’d do it," Octavia responds to the unasked question, "but what does it matter? Reason or no, she did it. The whole school knows it was her."

Lyra hesitates a moment. "Umm, I'm not sure about that." The cellist and DJ turn to the mint-haired girl, who, after a bite of her own lunch, talks again. "Have you ever thought… maybe it wasn’t Sunset?"

Octavia looks at her contemptuously. "Oh, Lyra, are you really taking Vinyl's side?"

"I'm not on anyone's side. I’m just asking. Have you ever doubted it was her?"

Bon Bon, after thinking for a moment, puts her chin in her hand and responds, "At first, I had my doubts, but I can't think of anyone else capable of doing such a thing, and the fact that the Anon-a-Miss account closed when she was expelled all but confirms it."

"See? I told you," Octavia says to Vinyl.

The DJ just shakes her head and resumes her lunch.

Lyra looks curiously at Vinyl. "Why do you think it wasn’t her, Vinyl?"

Vinyl chews her mouthful and then shakes her head a little.

Octavia looks at her indignantly. "‘She’s not like that’? You act as if you know her well, which is not true."

Vinyl adjusts her glasses.

"You and I both know Sunset runs much deeper than what we see, especially for you, who never takes off those glasses!"

Vinyl swallows and turns to her companion with a frown.

"Hey, girls, don't fight," Lyra says worriedly.

Bon Bon sighs again. "There's no point in talking about it. Sunset’s gone, and so is Anon-a-Miss. Things are quiet again."

The group looks around the rest of the cafeteria. Everyone is quiet. There are almost no conversations, no laughter, only silence.

"Yeah, maybe too quiet..." says Lyra.

*S*A*S*

Sunset rummages through her locker, getting ready for her afternoon classes. “Just a few more hours, and I can go home,” she thinks.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a call. "Sunset Shimmer!" Sunset turns to find a young man with extremely pale skin and even whiter hair stomping toward her. "I finally found you. Have you any idea what you've done?!" he demands as he reaches her.

Sunset looks at him strangely and says, "Um... And you are...?"

He looks scandalized. "You don’t know me?! I am Winter White the Third, firstborn of the Winter family and future president of the largest financial company in the city!" he exclaims with something akin to pride.

Still confused, Sunset says, "Uh... A pleasure."

"The feeling is not mutual, Sunset Shimmer! You've ruined my academic record!"

"... I did what?"

"Because of you, I have failed last week’s exams!"

"Why? What did I do?" Sunset demands.

"What did you do?” Winter repeats as if the answer is obvious. “If you had not meddled, Sparkle would have helped me pass each test with excellence, as is only right and proper."

Sunset looks thoughtful for a moment. Then, she suddenly remembers. "Wait, I remember now. You and another guy were harassing Twilight that day."

"And because of you, I could not use her to pass! You have cost me my academic excellence!"

His shout surprises Sunset not only for his words but for the confidence in which he said them. It was as if Sunset were truly responsible for his failure.

"Hey, it's not good for you to copy others, much less attack them like that. You should’ve studied," Sunset says.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" he demands, even more annoyed than when he arrived. "You're going to pay for what you've done to me, Sunset Shimmer. You'll pay for it."

With that threat and an arrogant gesture, he turns around and stalks away, leaving Sunset still surprised and confused by the whole scene. However, after shrugging her shoulders, she continues her business, preferring to downplay the follies and oddities of the academy.

*S*A*S*

The three little girls, the Crusaders, stand in front of the imposing door of the vice principal’s office. After looking at each other with fear, Apple Bloom, acting as leader, takes the initiative and knocks on the door.

It only takes a couple of seconds before an answer is heard. "Come in," says the clear voice of the vice principal.

Fear runs through the girls’ bodies as they open the door and enter, never moving more than a few inches from each other. All too soon, the three are in front of the desk, and Apple Bloom stutters, "You... You wanted to see us... Vice Principal Luna...?"

The closed windows gave the room a disturbing, almost sinister gloom. Luna herself remained motionless, as if she herself were a very part of that gloom. However, her eyes, displaying an almost cold look, betrayed that she was very much real as she glared at the three girls.

The Crusaders tremble slightly at the silence of the woman, but eventually, the imposing authority figure speaks. "That's right, Apple Bloom." Her voice is dry, almost devoid of emotion.

The little farmgirl gulps and asks, "It's... It's about Anon-a-Miss again... isn’t it?"

Luna lets a second or two of silence pass before answering, "I have a question to ask you three." As if by instinct, the three girls hold hands as Luna closes her eyes and seems to meditate what she wants to ask. "You created the Anon-a-Miss account, and you three published those secrets about your sisters and their friends."

The three girls feel that familiar guilt gnaw on them again. They lower their heads with regret.

"I understand that part," Luna continues, "but there is something about all this that I don't understand."

The three look up, curious, waiting for the vice principal to continue talking.

"I can understand how you could know your sisters’ secrets, but... how did you know about the other students?"

Surprised, the three look at each other as if silently discussing how to respond.

"I can't imagine,” Luna continues, “how you discovered the secrets of the other students, not without falsifying them or lying, which is clearly not the case. How did you know about them?" Luna falls silent, patiently awaiting an answer.

The three girls remain silent, doubtful, until finally, they come to a silent agreement, and Apple Bloom finally answers, "It started after we... posted about our sisters. After a few days, we started gettin’ messages from the other students."

She stops her explanation for a moment to look at the vice principal. Luna makes no attempt to interrupt her.

Scootaloo decides to continue the explanation. "Some of them started telling us secrets about people they knew from school, asking us to post whatever dirt they had."

At this, the vice principal's brow furrows, and her gaze becomes more severe. The three cannot help taking a step back.

Apple Bloom continues, "S-Some said they had fun with what we posted, and that's why... they started tellin’ us more secrets or sendin’ shameful photos for us ta post."

Luna says calmly, "And you decided to publish all that? Why?"

Although her voice is calm, there is an edge in her voice, only reigniting the girls’ fear. Scootaloo responds, although terrified, "I-I-I don't know. W-We didn't believe... that it was all that bad—"

Suddenly, the vice principal slams her palm on her desk, making the girls shut up and jump, stifling a scream. Luna breathes deeply with her eyes closed. She relaxes her shoulders and tries to stay calm. "... Continue."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo try to continue, but their words are stuck. Sweetie Belle speaks for the first time, trying to be brave. "We published some things... things that we didn't believe were so bad. B-But then, more came... and more... and more..." Sweetie gulps and finishes, “We felt that we were in too deep, so we just published everything we were sent.”

After the explanation ends, Luna interlaces her fingers and with closed eyes thinks deeply. Finally, without opening her eyes, she says, "So, the students of the school got in touch with you—with Anon-a-Miss—and revealed by themselves the secrets of their acquaintances." She takes a deep breath. "Have I understood that correctly?"

The crusaders are still very nervous, but they all respond with a small nod. Luna takes a minute to think, which makes the three girls pale, fearing the worst.

With an exhalation though her nose, Luna lowers her shoulders and opens her eyes to look at the Crusaders again. "Do you still have these messages, or can you get them in some way?"

The question confuses them, and for a moment they do not know what to answer. The memory of when they decided to erase the account comes to their minds.

"N-No," Apple Bloom responds, scared. "We... We closed the account, and... all the messages were deleted with it..."

The vice principal doesn't say anything, just keeping her eyes on them.

Sweetie Belle suddenly has a thought. "Um... Maybe..."

She cuts herself off as Luna looks at her directly, unintentionally frightening her. After overcoming the scare, she continues, "Could we... recover the account?"

Luna is interested, and Sweetie's friends look at her curiously.

"The account remains for a period of time after deleting it... in case the user wants to recover it... Maybe..."

There is silence as the room’s occupants all think about that. It's Luna who breaks the silence. "Do it."

The order was not demanding but quiet, but it was still an order. The three girls sat partially frozen, not knowing what to think. But in the end, Apple Bloom pulled out her phone, and with a couple of touches, she saw a warning on the screen.

-This account has been deleted.
Do you want to recover it?-

The three stare at the phrase and, as if they were synchronized with each other, raise their eyes to the vice principal. Luna nods, and as if that would serve as authorization, Apple Bloom gives the answer.

-Yes-

And with that, Anon-a-Miss had returned.

Apple Bloom is afraid to speak. Her voice trembles slightly. "I-It worked..."

Luna does not respond. Instead, she stands up and approaches them. The three girls tremble, fearing what may come.

Luna stands in front of them, extends her hand, and says softly, "Can you show me?"

Afraid as she is, Apple Bloom does not protest, handing her phone over. Luna looks at the screen, seeing that account that caused so much trouble. She touched the device a bit, and her eyes display... something...

Returning the phone to its owner, she says, "Thanks, girls. This will help."

"H-Help?" Apple Bloom asks, concerned. "Help with what?"

Luna pauses a bit before answering, "You created Anon-a-Miss, but you are not the only ones to blame for this." Passing by the three, Luna walks towards the door. "You three can go. I don't need to tell you not to do anything with that account, but don't erase it, at least not until I tell you."

Opening the door, the woman prepares to leave.

"Vice Principal Luna!" Scootaloo exclaims. "What... What are you gonna do? And what will you do to us?"

Luna turns her head to look at them. "You three will have your punishment, but you will not be the only ones."

With that, the woman disappears behind the door of her office. The three are left alone, submerged in the gloom of the room, unable to understand what their vice principal was thinking.

Looking at the phone screen, the three simply stare at that account so hated not only by their sisters or the school but also by the three girls themselves.

The Real Anon-a-Miss

View Online

It is a new day in Canterlot, and the school day starts off much differently than usual.

A sudden assembly is called in the gym. Every student has been summoned, and despite their grumbling, none refuse to attend.

The stage was sparsely decorated, with only a table of to the side with a school laptop on it connected to a projector pointing to a white screen. In addition to that, a pair of microphones had been connected and placed in the center of the stage.

All the students gathered show confusion, curiosity, boredom, and in some cases, delight to be able to skip a few minutes of classes.

Lyra, Bon Bon, Octavia and Vinyl sit together and, like everyone else, pass the time talking as they wait for the assembly to start. Lyra looks at her companions and asks openly. "Does anyone know what this meeting is about?"

Octavia and Bon Bon shrug. Vinyl does not hear her due to the music audibly blasting in her ears.

"It was very sudden," Bon Bon said curiously. "When I got here, everyone was saying that we had to come to the gym."

Octavia crosses her arms and looks straight ahead. "I hope they announce that they improved the heating. This cold is annoying."

"Oh, now who’s the little girl griping about the cold?" Lyra says snidely.

"I know what I said, but that does not mean I like it," the cellist replies. "If they gave me a choice, of course I’d prefer to get away from the cold."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Lyra says, unconvinced.

Their conversation quiets as the last students enter the gym, the Rainbooms among them.

Hugging herself and looking down, the shyest girl in the group is led by her chromatic friend to the seats. Pink—... Diane enters behind them, displaying the same emotional state, or lack thereof, as the previous day as she walks without haste behind the first two.

The farmgirl and the dressmaker are the last, both wearing expressions of defeat. Their concern for their friends is obvious, but neither knows what to do.

For several more minutes, everyone gathered distracts themselves with conversation or focuses on their own affairs, until finally, the principals themselves enter the gym. Their arrival silences all the voices as each student turns to watch them walk up onto the stage.

The sisters observe all the students for a moment, seeing their looks of doubt and interest. The older sister, taking her role as principal of the school, takes the microphone and begins to talk.

"First of all, I thank everyone for coming," Celestia says, but her voice does not denote the encouragement and joy that is usually associated with her. On the contrary, her voice is very grave. "I know this assembly is sudden, but there is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately pertaining to Anon-a-Miss."

That got everyone’s undivided attention. The Rainbooms, including Diane, start in surprise. Lyra and Bon Bon looked worriedly at each other, while Octavia elbows Vinyl to get her to take off her headphones and pay attention.

Celestia waits a second, as if letting everyone process the warning, then takes the floor again. "Over the last month, an anonymous user has been exposing everyone's secrets and personal issues on MyStable."

One of the students, Crimson Napalm, mumbles, "'Anonymous user', my foot. It was obviously that bitch Shimmer." The comment, although quiet, wins a series of nods from those around him.

Celestia, despite not hearing anything, can easily imagine the comments among the students. "I know well that all have been a victim of this user’s actions and that this has brought more than one consequence to the school."

The Rainbooms can almost feel the principal’s gaze on them, or maybe it is their mind torturing them again. Either way, they lower their heads in guilt.

Celestia allows herself a few seconds to properly organize her words. "Today, I would like to inform you all that the identity of Anon-a-Miss has been revealed."

There does not seem to be much surprise in the students. Many were even annoyed. One student, Fuchsia Blush, comments sarcastically, "That witch Shimmer confessed her crime? Blessed be the Creator."

The students’ volume begins to rise as they comment among themselves about the matter. Celestia continues, "Silence, please. I am aware of the accusation towards Sunset Shimmer in these acts. However, as I have already repeated to all who have come to me, there is, and never has been, any evidence incriminating Sunset in this."

The muttering turns to shouting as the students start protesting and complaining. The vice principal, angry, takes the second microphone and shouts at the top of her voice, "SILENCE!"

Immediately, every student shuts up, frightened.

Calming down, Luna continues talking. "Returning to what has been said, although she has been blamed by everyone, there was never any evidence to associate Sunset Shimmer with Anon-a-Miss. Sunset Shimmer has been telling the truth; she is innocent of all charges. She is not Anon-a-Miss. "

Although there are no words, the skepticism is obvious on almost every student’s face.

"The real person behind Anon-a-Miss has been revealed," Luna announces, "and today, everyone will know who the culprit really is."

The atmosphere is charged with tense energy. The Rainbooms collectively gulp, fearing what was about to happen.

Celestia speaks again. "But before proceeding, I want to welcome someone important to everyone here."

The doors of the place open. Astonishment, surprise, murmurs and more than one gasp come from the students as Twilight Sparkle, walking with a grace worthy of a princess, approaches the stage and stands next to the principals. Her face is at the same time serene and serious.

"Twilight?"

"Is that Twilight?"

"Of course, it's her!"

"What’s she doing here?"

"She must have come for Shimmer."

"She’ll fix this mess."

Many similar comments are shared among the students, but the Princess of Friendship does not seem to pay attention to them as she keeps her straight posture, her eyes closed.

Celestia gives a microphone to Twilight, who, after thanking the principal, brings it to her lips. Everyone quiets down, anxious to know what their twice-savior has to say.

Twilight takes a final breath and says, "I'd like to say it's a pleasure to be here again, but that's not true."

The atmosphere suddenly begins to feel tense.

"More than a month ago, I heard out about this incident, about 'Anon-a-Miss', and about the accusations that were made towards Sunset, blaming her for being behind everything. The truth is that, at first, I wasn’t worried; I thought that the school could easily overcome this conflict. But, I was wrong."

The silence persists. All those present remain strongly focused on the princess’s words. The Rainbooms feel the weight of guilt fall on them again, and the once-hopeful Diane returns to her cold countenance.

"The first thing I will say," continues Twilight, "is that Sunset is innocent and always has been innocent in this situation, and I'm surprised that this school was so quick to blame her for these actions."

Now the murmurs erupt again, although not as intense as before. It is obvious that the students don’t believe either the principals or Twilight.

Unintimidated, Twilight continues to speak. "The real Anon-a-Miss has confessed, and to show you the truth, I will introduce you to them here and now."

As if that were a signal, three girls—Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo—enter the gym, their heads low and expressions full of guilt. Their sisters have to forcibly resist the urge to run up to them protectively. All the students look with amazement as the three girls stand next to the princess and the principals, not daring to look up.

Lyra, like so many others, is bewildered. "Is this a kind of joke?" she whispers. Even Vinyl raises an eyebrow behind her glasses.

"Canterlot High School," announces Twilight in a voice of conviction, "I present to you Anon-a-Miss, better known as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo."

There is no response; the astonishment and confusion are too great. It is as if time itself stopped.

Finally, Amethyst Star asks the question on everyone's mind. "What the hell is this?!"

Twilight responds, "They created the Anon-a-Miss account, and they took charge of spreading all the students’ secrets."

Cloudy Kicks gets up, frustrated. "That's not true! It was Sunset Shimmer!"

Before the princess could say anything, the leader of the Crusaders, overcoming her fear, takes the microphone and says, "It’s true! We started everything! Ah created the account, and Ah published my sister's nickname... and Ah designed the page to incriminate Sunset."

Not wanting her to go down alone, the other two step forward.

Sweetie says, "I was the one who stole Sunset's phone, and I published those photos of my sister and the others!"

Scootaloo is not far behind. "And I learned everything about Rainbow during my soccer practice. We’re Anon-a-Miss!"

Celestia takes a deep breath; seeing the girls confess alleviates her stress a bit.

Captain Planet suddenly shouts, "I don't believe you! Sunset’s the culprit. She is the only one who could have known everyone's secrets."

"That's not true!" claims Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle seconds her. "We did know everyone's secrets, because you all sent those secrets to the account for Anon-a-Miss to reveal."

If the students thought nothing else could surprise them today, they were wrong.

Gasps, widened eyes, and even looks of concern quickly filled the room and everyone’s faces. Crimson Napalm shouts, "That's ridiculous! You three are lying!"

The three girls look at the school principal. Celestia gives a nod and allows the girls to approach the laptop.

All students watch curiously when the projector displays on the screen the same image seen on the computer, that is, the homepage of MyStable. Everyone can see how the Crusaders access MyStable and sign in, and soon, the page of Anon-a-Miss is in view of everyone.

Once the session is open, Apple Bloom takes the microphone again. "Here it is. We recovered the Anon-a-Miss account. You can see it for yourself. We’re Anon-a-Miss."

The students are stunned, except for the Rainbooms, who are instead worried about what might happen next. Several students take out their phones, as if looking for a confirmation that what they are seeing is real. Soon enough, everyone confirms that the Anon-a-Miss page had indeed returned.

Scootaloo approaches the microphone. "And that's not all." Opening the message section, Scootaloo opens several windows, where the assembly can clearly see several users who had come into contact with Anon-a-Miss at some point.

"Many here sent us information," Scootaloo explains, "telling us your friends' secrets, even sending photos."

There is still no response from anyone; all the students gathered are too shocked by what they saw and heard. Suddenly, Octavia stands on trembling legs. "If this is true... I demand that you give me the password! I will see this on my own!"

The demand surprises the three girls a little, but they do not deny the request. Apple Bloom responds, "It’s ‘Crusaders_ABSBSC’."

Octavia is almost surprised that they agreed to her demand, but both she and several other students proceed to close their own accounts and open the Anon-a-Miss account instead.

All eyes are on the phones, or on the screen opposite, as the students read the conversations Anon-a-Miss had with a surprisingly high number of students.

It wasn’t long before accusations started flying as the students turned on one another in light of the revelation. Previously close friendships instantly dissolved as everyone demanded explanations from each other about why they had revealed those things to Anon-a-Miss.

The gym, in a matter of seconds, became a war camp. Students screamed and shouted, disowning each other and threatening to throw themselves at each other at any second.

Luna, finally having had enough, bellows once more, "SILENCE!"

The scream of the vice principal resonates throughout the place like a thunderclap, the speakers creating a deep echo that extends for several seconds after the sharp feedback. Instantly, all the students recoil, holding their ears, and some shrink from the fear.

After several seconds of silence, Twilight says simply and grimly into the microphone, "The identity of Anon-a-Miss has been revealed, and it is not Sunset Shimmer."

Immediately, the students put aside their feelings of betrayal, and instead, they all focus their eyes and blame on the three little girls.

The Crusaders immediately huddle together as they feel everyone’s rage on them. It’s then that Twilight stands in front of them, as if defending them. "But, Anon-a-Miss is not the Crusaders, either."

Everyone freezes in surprise at that. What did she mean? If it had not been those girls who made this mess, who was it?

Twilight takes a couple of seconds, breathing deeply, getting ready for the next thing she'll say. "Anon-a-Miss is each and every one of you. You all betrayed the trust and affection of your friends in order to get a laugh and an excuse to assault an innocent girl."

Silence sets in all over the place as everyone’s guilt begins to weigh on them.

"As far as I can see," the princess continues, "there is only one person who was never part of this, and that is Sunset, whom everyone, in an act of hypocrisy, pointed out and judged as guilty."

The feeling a shame permeates throughout the room.

Twilight gives a sigh. "And all I can ask is, ‘Why?’ What did any of you win with all this? You accused Sunset to the point of breaking her heart and her mind. You all built an imaginary case against her just to justify hating her."

Silence reigns.

"Why?" Twilight repeats.

No answer came.

Celestia lets out a sigh, asks for her sister's microphone, and speaks. "Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo have already received their punishment. They will be in detention and under extreme surveillance for the rest of the year. They will attend a course during the summer, and it will be seen that they do not use any digital equipment on campus without supervision."

"I'm not complaining; it could be worse," Scootaloo says softly, and her friends agree.

Celestia keeps talking. "As for the rest... I don’t think I can do much, although I am tempted to suspend every club and school event." Her voice becomes somber as she finishes, "In one way or another, with the truth revealed, the page will soon be closed, this time permanently, and with Sunset... having been transferred, I hope that this crisis is over for good."

All the students look at each other, unsure of what to say or what to think.

Twilight decides to give one last word. "I thought this school had changed, that you had learned something about friendship. I was wrong... I just hope that everyone is happy with whatever you have gained from this."

She does not say more. She just steps away from the microphone and leaves the gym without even looking at the students.

Everyone watches her go, so many feelings mixed on each face.

Finally, Celestia says, "This assembly is adjourned. You may all go back to your classes."

Without saying more, she leaves the microphone and retires along the same path as the Princess of Friendship.

The vice principal looks at the three girls who had initiated all this and says to them with a calm voice, "Girls, you can go, too. Thank you for coming."

Scootaloo is the first to speak. "We had to do it."

Sweetie looks very worriedly at the woman. "Vice Principal Luna, now all the students—"

"You'll be fine,” Luna interrupts, smiling softly. “I'm sure no one will dare to harass you, and if they do, you can come to me."

The three give her their thanks and, trying not to be seen, move away from the place.

Luna observes the rest of the students, still motionless in their own seats, all immersed in their own thoughts. She sighs and withdraws, too.

Slowly, recovering enough to move, the students begin to head to their own classes. Murmurs, whispers, and many laments fill the air while everyone walks away.

As for the Rainbooms, Fluttershy lets her tears flow again as they walk. Rainbow, trying to retain hers, tries to comfort her. Rarity and Applejack support each other, so as not to become mired in their own feelings of guilt. Diane just walks along, her face as cold as the winter air chilling the corridors.

Everyone felt the school grow even colder as they walked.

*S*A*S*

Flash Sentry looks towards the floor immersed in his thoughts like everyone else.

He thought about Sunset, about how she fared in her new school. What would she think if she had been here to see what had just happened?

He thought of Twilight, of her words of how the school, himself included, had contributed to this. Maybe he did not accuse Sunset, maybe he did not contribute to Anon-a-Miss, but... he did not make an effort to help anyone, either. He just... let it all happen...

He felt miserable... a fool, a coward...

Maybe he could not prove Sunset's innocence, but... he could have at least helped her.

"Why didn’t I do anything?" he thinks.

He should have gone to his classroom like everyone else, but his thoughts took him elsewhere.
Without realizing it, he passes by the principal's office. So silent was his surroundings that he can hear the conversation inside.

*S*A*S*

Inside the office, both sisters observe their guest with some concern.

"Are you okay, Twilight? You're a little pale," the elder asks, worried.

"I'm fine," the princess replies, "just tired..." And it shows. Her face is haggard, and her eyelids droop deeply as she struggles even to keep her head up.

There is silence between the three.

"It would be better to take you home," Luna finally says. "You need to rest."

"I'll be fine," Twilight replies. "I can go on my own; I've memorized the way."

"No way," Celestia rejects seriously. "You can't go alone. I'll take you."

"Leave it to me, sister. It would be better if you stay in school in case anything happens."

The discussion could have gone on for several minutes longer but for the knock on the door. Flash opens the door gently and cautiously shows himself before the women.

"Um... Excuse me..."

*S*A*S*

Flash drives his car unhurriedly through the streets, constantly shifting his gaze from the road to his passenger.

"Thanks for bringing me," Twilight says softly, "You didn’t have to."

"Hey, I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you," Flash replies.

"Thanks, Flash."

Twilight looks out the window, her normally serene face displaying her weariness and regret. Flash glances at her constantly. Twilight’s face in the window makes him want to talk, but he does not know what to say.

Flash looks at the road, but his mind is focused on so many things. "Twilight," he starts after a few moments, "is there anything I can do?"

The question confuses her a little. She turns to look at the boy. "What do you mean?"

Flash takes a moment, looking back to the road as he organizes his words. "Well, before... I could see Sunset suffering but... I never did anything, never tried to help her..." Twilight sees Flash’s hands tremble a little as he continues, "And now, I'm still not doing anything. Sunset left, and now the school... you... everyone... everything just..."

Flash’s emotions start to overtake him, and he forces himself to stop talking and focus on the road. The tears in his eyes make it difficult. Twilight gently puts her hand on one of his. The gesture seems to calm him enough to keep talking.

"I want to help... both Sunset and you... You two are really important to me," he finishes quickly, as if the thought simply came to his head and out of his mouth.

His words gently warm the princess's cheeks.

The silence returns; Flash does not seem to have anything else to say, so he focuses only on driving, asking again almost desperately, "Twilight... can I do anything to help?"

Now it's Twilight who looks down, trying to think. "I don't know Flash... I don't know..."

Flash exhales a breath which he did not know he was holding. Without wanting to make the situation tenser, he leaves the issue aside.

Eventually, they arrive at the principals’ house. "Thanks again for driving me," Twilight says.

"It’s nothing," he replies. "If you need anything, just let me know. Please, let me know." His tone takes on a desperate edge again,"Tell me if there’s anything—anything—that I can do."

Twilight cannot help but smile softly. "You’re very noble, Flash."

"I just want to help. You're my friend... and so is Sunset."

The smile fades, and Twilight looks down at the ground with watery eyes. "Take care of Sunset. She’s a true friend nobody in her right mind would want to lose."

Without another word, the girl opens the door and, with a gesture of farewell, walks to the house.

Flash looks at her retreating form and feels a pressure in her chest. Unable to take it, he jumps out of the car and shouts, "Twilight!"

She turns around, somewhat surprised by the call.

"I know that Sunset is hurt!" he exclaims from his chest. "But... if someone knows her well, it's me! And I know that... even though she's upset, I know she still sees you as a friend! She feels the same about the others... Just..."

He falls silent. She makes no attempt to stop his words.

Flash thinks, looking for a way to express what he wants to say. "I know she’ll come back... because... I know her." He clenches his fists hard, resisting the burning in his eyes, and tries to hide the pair of tears that escape. "I know..."

He speaks as if he is trying to convince the princess of his words, but deep down, he also seems to be trying to convince himself, too.

Both look at each other in silence. Her face is unreadable, his is tortured. Finally, Twilight looks down, her eyes trembling softly. "I hope you’re right..."

No more words. Soon, Twilight disappears inside the house.

Flash stays in his place for a moment, without moving, without thinking. His mind and body act spontaneously, putting him inside the vehicle to avoid the cold wind. He places both arms and his head on the steering wheel, exhausted.

*S*A*S*

Back at school, Celestia tries to keep her head in her work. But try as she might, she cannot stop thinking about everything that happened that morning and everything that happened even before then.

She remembers the day that Sunset arrived in her office and, with a terrifying confidence, proclaim her desire to leave.

How helpless she felt that day, when Sunset begged her to let her go and be free of that suffering.

Leaning her arms on her desk and hiding her face in them, Celestia continues to relive those memories. "I'm sorry, Sunset... I'm so sorry..."

*S*A*S*

Twilight falls upon her borrowed bed, her mind wandering in her memories of the last time she could see her friend. "Sunset... I hope someday you can forgive me..."

*S*A*S*

Flash is still in his car, still thinking about everything that happened. "Sunset... I'm sorry... I should... I should have..."

*S*A*S*

Celestia, Twilight, and Flash immerse themselves in the image of the girl they could not save. "I'm sorry, Sunset."

*S*A*S*

Sunset looks up with a start, but she only sees the teacher focused on his lesson and all the students taking notes.

She looks around distractedly, but finally, with a gentle shake to her head, she returns to her own notes. "I'm imagining things."

Song, Music, and Sirens

View Online

It is still early in the morning, long before any normal student would even think about getting out of bed. But Twilight Sparkle is no normal student. She always made a point to get up early, early enough to get dressed, eat breakfast, pack her things, and enjoy a bit of extra time to relax or study before the bus arrived.

And today would be no different, if it were not for one little detail.

"Where is it?!" she exclaims almost in despair as she rummages through her closet and bookcase. "Ugh, I swear I kept it next to my science records."

The normally organized girl had completely messed up her room. Between notebooks, papers, clothes and several other things scattered on the floor, it was difficult to distinguish anything, especially her carpet.

"Spike!"

From under a pile of shirts, she can see something moving. Suddenly, the object underneath bursts out of the pile, revealing itself to be a small, purple dog. He gives a couple of barks and jumps from his bed, approaching the girl.

"Spike, have you seen my historical report about the history of great history reports?"

The puppy tilts his head and gives a confused whine.

"I swear I had it in my desk drawer." The girl locks at the clock. "The bus will be here any minute! I promised the teacher I’d turn it in today. I can't just not take it, but if I don't find it soon, I'll be late! And there goes my perfect attendance! Help me find it, Spike!"

The canine makes a gesture that seems almost like a salute and rushes to sniff everything in the room. His owner pulls several drawers out of her closet, leaving all the items scattered on the floor and sifting through them in search of her report.

After a few seconds, she hears Spike’s barking. She turns around and sees him leaning his front legs on her bookshelf, barking and looking above him.

"Did you find it, Spike?"

More barking is the answer as he still looks up the furniture, wagging his tail. The girl looks up, spotting a metal box.

"In my inconclusive investigations box?” Twilight asked, unsure. “Wait! That's right!"

Twilight rushes over and grabs the box. Taking it to her desk, she unlocks the box and opens it up to find a small folder.

"Here it is! I remember keeping it here after the hydrochloric acid incident. Good job, Spike!"

A smile and vigorous petting are the ecstatic canine's reward.

Twilight is about to close the box again when she sees something inside it: a newspaper clipping, with a photograph on it.

"Great show, Canterlot and the Battle of the Bands"

A familiar face is among the group in the photograph.

Memories erupted in Twilight’s mind.

The analysis of the anomalies of that night. Spending the following day in that open-air theater. The energy waves, magnetic activity, climatic phenomena.

All that added to the strange recordings of the past few weeks that she already had concerning the school, but after seeing that her research did not have any significant progress, she copied all the data from her computer onto a thumb drive and left it in the box next to the newspaper cutout.

She looks at the photograph, particularly at the young woman with the hair of fire.

"I... I'm sorry, but I don't know what's happening."

"I mean, I guess some things were weird, but... I really have no idea what happened."

"… She does know what happened…"

*S*A*S*

Sunset’s morning started very... musically.

Since she had arrived at school, Sonata had spent her time singing, usually softly, but from time to time, the volume increased.

The students certainly let their irritation known, but eventually, most of them began to ignore it and just focus on their own business, as did Sunset as she concentrated on getting books from her locker.

The singing gets louder again.

Or at least, she tried...

"Sonata…"

"Yes, Sunsite?"

"I know you're happy because of your voice and everything, but... do you think you could lower the volume a little?"

"I'm really sorry. I'm just so happy! I missed singing so much."

Sunset just sighs.

She could not really blame the girl; she would probably be the same if she could suddenly levitate things like in the past.

Her thoughts break off as she suddenly feels the blue-haired girl hugging her tightly. "Thanks so much, Sunset!"

The smile and the unexpected show of affection do nothing but confuse her. "What did I do?"

"You gave me back my voice!"

"What?! What makes you think I did that?"

The siren separates from her but keeps her big smile. "Well, duh! Since the band thing, I didn't have my voice, and since then, I wasn’t able to sing. It was like that all this time, but now, you show up, and bam! I can sing again! "

"That's just coincidence."

"Uh, what makes you say that?"

"Well, because I didn't do anything to get your magic back."

"Um, actually, I don’t have my magic back. I can sing, but I can't charm people."

"… You tried to charm people?" Sunset asks, surprised and somewhat disappointed.

Sonata clamps her mouth shut and looks away with a nervous smile. "Of course not, silly. Nope! Not at all."

Sunset looks at her reproachfully, but soon decides to drop it; she can’t change what happened, and it isn’t like Sonata can hypnotize anyone anymore. "Sonata, I did not return your voice."

"Then how come I can sing again?"

"How should I know? Maybe the effect of our magic wore off, and your voice restored itself."

"Um, but... Adagio and Aria still can't sing."

"Maybe they'll take more time. I don't know."

"Oooooor, maybe I have my voice again thanks to you!" she insists with joy.

"But I didn't do anything. I don't even have magic."

"And that thing about the giant rainbow horse?"

Sunset hesitates for a moment about how to respond. "... That’s different, and I no longer have that power." Sonata is about to talk, but Sunset interrupts her, frowning. "And it's not something I want to talk about."

Sonata feels the mood and decides to drop the conversation.

They separate shortly after, each one going to her respective class.

Suddenly, Sonata feels a hand on her shoulder. Stopping, she turns around to meet a girl with wild, green hair.

*S*A*S*

The first hour passes without incident. It was at the first break that Sunset saw a scene she had become very familiar with. Three girls surround Twilight, glaring at her, while Twilight just keeps her eyes down, silent. Sunset frowns, quietly approaching the group.

The one who seems the leader of the trio takes a step forward and says in a threatening tone, "You got a problem, Spankle?"

"It's Sparkle," Twilight corrects softly.

"Do you think I care?" the leader responds.

"What do you want?" Twilight asks. "I haven't done anything to you."

"You bumped into me."

"It was an accident... And besides, you weren’t looking where you were going."

"Oh, so it’s my fault?" the girl leader demands angrily, but before the conversation can continue, she feels a tap on the shoulder. She turns and finds herself staring into two angry, emerald eyes.

"Get lost," Sunset demands.

"Excuse me?!" The girl exclaims. "And who do you think you are?!”

"Get lost," repeats Sunset.

"I don't know who you think you are, but—"

"I said," interrupts Sunset with a cold voice, "get. Lost." Sunset takes a threatening step toward the girl, glaring at her with a cold, piercing gaze, which makes the leader step back, unnerved.

Sunset maintains that gaze, and the girl finally recoils, scurrying away with her companions.

Sunset watches them leave, and when she loses sight of them, she turns to Twilight, changing her glare to a worried look. "Are you okay, Twilight?"

Twilight takes a deep breath, as if calming her nerves, and responds, "Yes. Thank you, Sunset."

"Why were they bullying you?"

The scientist takes a moment to answer. "They rarely need a reason... The other students just like to pick on me," she responds sadly.

"Why do they treat like this?"

"I’m an easy target, but I guess… it’s also because I'm the best student here..."

"How does that make sense?"

"Crystal Prep is a school with great prestige. The students that study here usually have many job opportunities, and the number of opportunities just increases the better you are. They don’t like that I’m the best, so they take their frustration out on me."

"They're just a bunch of idiots," pronounces Sunset. "Don’t let them bother you, Twilight."

"It's okay. It's been like that for practically all high school. After a while, they get bored and leave, so I let it go."

The conversation would have continued, but to the surprise of both, a voice calls, "Suuuuuuunseeeeeeeet!"

They turn around and spot Sonata speeding toward them. "Sunset!" Sonata exclaims when she arrives, tired and out of breath. "I finally—” pant “—found you.” gasp “Ugh, I need water."

Sunset looks puzzled at the siren. "What's up, Sonata?"

"You can't run in the hallways," Twilight mumbles.

Sonata regains her breath and straightens up. "Sunset! Do you want to play in a band again?" she asks with a big smile.

"What?" Sunset asks, confused.

"A band is forming, and you know bands, " the siren announces excited. “Why don’t you join?”

Sunset’s face falls. "Sonata, look, I don’t—"

"Excellent idea!" Twilight exclaims, interrupting Sunset.

Both former Equestrians turn with surprise to their companion. "What?" Sunset questions.

Twilight smiles. "Bands help creativity and teamwork, as well as exercising both body and mind. Joining a band is an excellent idea."

Sunset blinks, perplexed. "… What?"

Sonata is encouraged by the support of the scientist. "Alright! Come on, we still have time before next class!"

"Lead the way, Sonata!"

Before realizing it, Sunset is being pushed by the young scientist in a direction guided by the singer.

"What?!"

But while the three retire, none notices the silhouette of someone hidden behind a nearby corner.

*S*A*S*

"Welcome to my sanctuary!"

The three of them watch a girl with long, wild, greenish hair spread her arms with a big smile towards the large room decorated with dozens of musical instruments of all kinds.

"... Um, this is the music room of the school," Twilight says.

"Details, details. I’m Lemon Zest, and music is my passion!"

There's no answer. The former equine has a look of doubt, the former siren a smile, and the former... nothing, a look of curiosity.

"... Um, I'm Sunset Shimmer."

"I’m Sonata Dusk!"

“And I’m Twilight Sparkle, but I’m sure you already knew that.”

"I know you three, but this is the first time we talked, except maybe for Sparks."

Twilight does not speak but does look away a little with uncertainty.

Sunset waits a few seconds, then asks her question. "... Um, and what are we doing here?"

Lemon immediately answers. "I'll get to the point. I want to form a school band, to rock these halls!”

"Um, the school already has a band," Twilight says.

"Pff, boring! That's what they are," says Lemon Zest indignantly. "Those guys don't know anything about music."

Sonata agrees with her. "I agree. I've heard them play, and they're more boring than Aria's telenovelas.” Sonata considers a moment. “Um, well, maybe not that boring."

"So, I decided to put together a band of my own," announces Lemon. "The problem is that everyone here is boring. I haven’t had any luck gathering people who want to play in it."

Sonata keeps smiling, while Sunset and Twilight look a little confused. "And we're here because...?" Sunset says in a questioning tone.

"Because I've decided that Sonata will be the lead singer!" announces Lemon Zest without hesitation.

"Yay!" exclaims the siren.

"But a band is not just a singer, and this little siren told me," Lemon Zest approaches and jabs her finger forward, poking Sunset’s nose as she exclaims, "you’ve been in a band!"

"Um... I..."

"Do you sing, too?"

Sonata eagerly replies, "And how! Her voice formed a magic bomb that exploded and became a giant magic horse!"

Silence…

"Nice," Lemon says finally. "Show me what you can do."

"… Horse?" Twilight asks confused.

Sunset ignores the horse thing and instead responds, "Yeah, look, about the band: I already left those things behind."

Lemon insists, "Oh, come on! Don't act like the rest of the boring people at this school."

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to be part of another band."

Sonata also tries. "Awwww, come on, Sunsite! It’ll be fun~!" she says in a sing-song voice.

"I said—"

"Come on, Sunset. Join the band," Twilight says.

That only surprises the former equine more. "You too, Twilight?"

"Well, you still haven't joined any club. It's important to have extracurricular activities to round out your resume and help you in the future."

"Yeah, I agree!" Sonata agrees with a smile. "I didn't understand what she said, but I agree that you gotta join!"

Sunset tries to remain calm. "Look, all that about the bands and the guitar already—"

"Stop!" orders Lemon. "You play guitar?"

"… No," Sunset tries.

"That decides it! You’ll be guitarist and second voice!" announces Lemon.

"But I didn't say yes!"

Twilight supports it. "Come on Sunset, you need an extracurricular activity. What better activity than one in which you already have experience?"

"Why are you all insistent about this?" Sunset protests, trying not to sound as annoyed as she feels.

Sonata responds in a particularly serious tone, "I just want to sing again. I haven't been on a stage since the Battle of the Bands, and it was a long time even before that." A tone of lament is audible in the voice of the singer, which wins the other three girls’ concern, although only Sunset truly understands the reason for Sonata’s sorrow. "I'm a siren. I love to sing, and I love that people listen to me. I just... I want to feel like myself again..."

Lemon remains silent, slightly surprised. "... Wow. That’s deep, Duskie."

Sunset isn’t sure how to respond. "... I... understand that... but, all of this band stuff..."

"Look, how about this?" Lemon says, obviously trying to speak calmly. "We have a trial period. Say, two weeks? Let's play a little music, and if the idea doesn't convince you, I’ll drop it. What do you think?"

"Pretty please, Sunsite, with sugar on top?" Sonata pleads with a damn adorable look on her face, forcing Sunset to look away to avoid falling into the trap.

It doesn’t work. "Ugh, fine! Two weeks, and if I don't like it, I leave."

"YAY! I LOVE YOU, SUNSET!" screams Sonata and she wraps her arms around Sunset in the tightest bear hug Sunset’s ever felt.

"Oxygen... please..."

Animated, Lemon says, "Okay, let's start playing!"

The school bell sounds, marking the beginning of the next period.

"Better do it after school," says Sunset, free of the mortal embrace.

"Yeah, I guess..."

*S*A*S*

Sunset doesn’t pay much attention in second class, as usual.

Compared to the other students, who seem to be machines writing down anything the teacher says. Sunset decides to do the same, though her notes are much shorter and much less detailed.

Her face reflects her boredom, just like the yawn she manages to hide.

A curious sound, a click, catches her attention and makes her turn slightly, but she only sees her classmates.

She looks a little more, but, not seeing anything out of the ordinary, she returns her eyes to the front, still bored.

*S*A*S*

At lunchtime, Sunset is alone at their customary table. Twilight and Sonata had not arrived yet.
With a particularly tired look, she takes a bite of her apple, distracting herself with chewing.

Again, she hears that clicking sound near her. But again, when she turns to look, she doesn't see anything out of the ordinary.

She swallows her piece of apple, and when her regular companions arrive, she just ignores the matter.

*S*A*S*

The day passes, and the school day finally comes to an end.

Sunset collects her things and prepares to leave, and that's when Sonata returns to make an appearance. "Sunsite!" she exclaims happily, approaching the fire-haired girl.

"Hey, Sonata."

"Hey, wanna come to my place?"

"Um, why?"

"Just to hang out, or do you have something to do?"

"I thought we were gonna meet Lemon to play."

"Oh, something came up, and she can’t make it, so we’re just gonna meet another day. So, can you come?" Sonata asks excitedly.

Sunset thought about it. It wasn’t like she had anything against going to the sirens' house. At least, not anymore. After all, they had not tried to kill her last time. Not only that, but Sunset had nothing to do, and Sonata had turned out to be a pleasant—or at least bearable—companion during her time at school.

"... Alright," Sunset finally responds.

Sonata jumps jubilantly as Sunset turns back to her locker. Finishing her business there, both head to the school exit.

"This’ll be super fun," Sonata says animatedly, giggling. "We'll watch cartoons, we'll eat chocolate, we'll put itching powder in Aria's underwear."

"What was that last one?"

"And you know what day it is today?"

Sunset thinks for a moment, then says, "Please don't say it."

"Taco Tuesday!"

"You said it..."

Sonata skipping as Sunset walks, the pair leave the school, where they run into Twilight, who is presumably on her own way home.

"Twi-Twi!" yells Sonata without losing her rhythm.

Twilight turns and sees them approaching. "Hi Sonata, Sunset."

"Hey, Twi."

"Twi-Twi, wanna come to my place? Sunsite and I are gonna have fun."

"Thanks for inviting me, but since Lemon cancelled, I want to go to the library and see if any new books arrived."

Sonata frowns, ceasing her skipping. "Pffff, boriiiiiing! You're always studying."

"Not always..." Twilight mumbles.

Sonata takes the scientist's hand and starts yanking her along. "Come on, you'll have way more fun with us than with those old books."

"Wait!"

Twilight tries to protest, but the siren does not listen, just pulling her along. Sunset decides to just shrug and follow them, enjoying the role reversal.

*S*A*S*

"I'm... I'm Twilight... Twilight Sparkle. A... A pleasure." Twilight’s soft voice trembles as she introduces herself to the two older sirens.

Adagio and Aria keep a neutral look as they watch the girl introduce herself. Aria is the first to speak, in a dismissive tone. "Great. It’s not enough that we have the rebel. Now we have the twin princess."

The comment gains a confused look from Twilight, who, still somewhat afraid, asks, "Pri... Princess...?"

"Don't listen to her," Adagio replies nonchalantly. "Nice to meet you, I suppose. Make yourself comfortable." With that, she retreats to another room, leaving Aria to tend to the two guests.

Sonata and Sunset are already sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching with no small amount of humor as Twilight awkwardly meets the other sirens.

"Anyway," says Aria, surrendering to the situation. "I'll get you something to drink. Don’t make a mess. That goes double for you, Sonata." As she turns to walk to the kitchen, she either doesn’t notice or simply ignores Sonata sticking her tongue out at her childishly.

Sunset chuckles a little, then pats the seat next to her, looking at Twilight. "Come on, Twilight, have a seat."

"Y-Yeah... Alright..." she responds nervously, sitting next to the former equine, but her rigid posture betrays her fear.

"Twi, calm down—"

"I am calm," she says instantly.

The answer is so fast that it startles Sunset a little bit. "You don't have to be nervous."

Twilight tries to laugh nonchalantly. "Nervous? Nervous! I'm not nervous! Why would I be nervous? I'm perfectly calm! Not at all nervous—"

"Boo!" Sonata says suddenly, lunging at Twilight.

A scream pierces the air as Twilight jumps straight into Sunset’s arms, soon following by Sonata’s cackling.

"Those are some good reflexes," Sonata struggles to say between breaths.

Sunset levels a chastising gaze at the siren and pries the scientist's arms from around her neck. "Twilight, what's wrong with you? Why are you so... so..."

"Terrified?" Sonata asks innocently.

"… Yeah, that."

"... I don't know, honestly," Twilight responds after calming down. "It’s just that... I've never been here, and... I've never been in the house of someone I don’t know..."

"You’re silly! We know each other, right?" Sonata asks in a chipper tone.

"Yes, but I don't know your... your..."

"Sisters."

"Your sisters! They didn't even know I was coming! I'm an intruder!"

"Nuh-uh, you're my guest."

"But I don't know how to talk to people. What if I say something bad, or I make them angry at me, or I make them angry at you? What if—"

Twilight’s tirade is interrupted when Sunset taps her on the nose. "Calm down, Twi. They’re just normal girls, like us." “Well, maybe not like you," she thinks to herself before continuing, "Just act natural. Nothing’s going to happen."

Twilight is not convinced. "What if something does happen?"

"It won’t."

"But—"

"It won’t."

"But—"

"Twi."

"But—"

Sunset puts a finger on Twilight's lips and shushes her. "Twi, take a deep breath." Twilight inhales deeply. "Now, let it out." Twilight quickly releases her breath. "There. Better?"

"... I think... I think so..."

"Great! Then we can start the fun!" the blue siren exclaims, and before either of them can ask, the young diva gets up and races up the stairs.

Aria soon brings in a large tray with five porcelain mugs, a matching teapot, and a plate of cookies. "I made cinnamon tea. If you don't like it, too bad," she says, leaving the tray on the table and pouring some tea into each mug.

Shortly after, Sonata runs back into the room holding a weird box. When she dashes to the television, Sunset and Twilight realize that the box is a video game console. "Let the fun begin!"

*S*A*S*

Sonata and Sunset wave around their remotes, competing in a motion-controlled tennis game. Sonata can’t seem to stop giggling and taunting Sunset, while Sunset keeps her emotions in check, concentrating on her movements.

Twilight sits behind them on the triple sofa, drinking her tea. Adagio watches disinterestedly from the single sofa, while Aria is leaning forward in her armchair, watching with a great deal of interest.

Twilight decides to start a conversation. "So, you’re sisters... Are you triplets?" When Adagio raises her eyebrow at Twilight, the scientist says hastily, "I mean, you three look like you’re the same age."

Adagio shakes her head. "No, Sonata is the youngest. I’m the oldest."

"Oh. Then—"

"Yes! I win!" shouts Sonata, jumping excitedly.

"Congratulations, Sonata," Sunset says.

"Oh, yeah! Who’s the best? Me! Twi-Twi, you're next! Get up here!"

"What? But I'm really not good at video games. Can’t I just—"

Her comment falls on deaf ears when Sunset pulls her up from the couch and give her the remote. She doesn’t have time to protest before Sonata starts the game again, and before she knows it, Twilight’s clumsily trying to play against the much more coordinated and fluid Sonata.

With her hands free, Sunset plops down on the couch and takes a mug of tea, smiling a little as the warmth and flavor flow through her.

Unbeknownst to Sunset, Aria catches Adagio gaze. Adagio raises on eyebrow questioningly, and Aria nods toward Sunset. Adagio’s gaze flashes over to Sunset briefly, then, closing her eyes, she nods.

"Summer Shimset," pronounces Aria.

Sunset turns to the pigtailed siren. "It's ‘Sunset Shimmer’."

"Whatever. Let's go to the kitchen." She says nothing else as she stands up and walks into the aforementioned room.

Confused, Sunset looks at Adagio, who only focuses on her tea. Since Sonata and Twilight weren’t paying attention, Sunset decides to just follow Aria. When she closes the door behind her, the sound distracts Sonata, who looks toward it with a touch of concern.

"Yes, I scored!" Twilight exclaims.

"What?!"

*S*A*S*

As Sunset enters the kitchen, the first thing she sees is Aria with her back to the door, leaning on the sink, her head down. Sunset cannot see her face, but she can almost distinguish a sorrow and frustration in her posture.

"Um... Aria?"

There's no answer. Sunset just waits, until the silence becomes uncomfortable.

"How…?" Aria finally says.

Sunset, a little startled by Aria’s sudden question, asks confusedly, "Um, what?"

"How?" Aria repeats.

"How... what?" Sunset asks, still confused.

Aria finally straightens up and turns to look at Sunset with a mixture of anger and regret. "How did you return Sonata’s voice?"

The question surprises Sunset, and it takes a while to respond. "Why do you think I had anything to do with that?"

"You’re from Equestria," Aria explains as if the answer were obvious. "You have magic. Your magic is what defeated us! You are the only one that could have done it."

"I had nothing to do with it. Maybe her voice was only restored with time and—"

"You don’t know anything about sirens!" Aria yells. "Our voices... Our voices come from the magic of our jewels, and without them... without them..." Aria's body and eyes begin to tremble. Sunset is unsure about the situation. "Our voices won’t just ‘return with time.’ You must have done something... You had to have used your magic on Sonata to give her back her voice!"

"I didn't do anything," repeats Sunset, already regretting following Aria.

"You’re lying! You did something! You have to do it to us, too!" Aria demands with equal parts anger, despair, and desperation.

"I'm telling you, I didn't do anything to Sonata, and I don't know how she recovered her voice."

"You’re lying. You’re lying! YOU’RE LYING! Tell me what you did! Tell me now, or I swear I’ll... I’ll…!"

Aria doesn’t finish the sentence, but her hand firmly grasps the handle of a nearby kitchen knife. Sunset watches with wide eyes, her body tense and ready to bolt at the first sign of movement.

The door of the kitchen opens, and Adagio enters. With a serious face and a calm voice, she says, "Aria, that's enough."

The pigtailed girl does not answer, but she looks at Adagio, and then at Sunset, clenching her teeth and the handle of the knife tightly.

"Aria, we talked about this. Ugh, I knew this was a bad idea,” Adagio said tiredly. “Sunset didn’t return Sonata’s voice."

Aria looks frustrated. "How do you know? How are you so sure about that?"

The older siren takes a few seconds before answering. "Because Sunset Shimmer would never do that for us."

Sunset looks curiously—and a little offendedly—at the leader of the sirens. Aria does not change her expression but looks toward the ground.

"We tried to kill her." Adagio speaks neutrally, but her eyes are closed. "We did terrible things to her and to her friends, and we tried and almost succeeded in taking over this world, not to mention what we did in Equestria."

With each word, Aria's gaze fills with sorrow, and although she does not release the knife, she loosens her grip on the handle.

Adagio opens her eyes to look at her younger sister. "There's no reason why Sunset would give us back our magic, even if she could."

Aria releases the knife, and her legs fail. She falls to her knees, with a lost look of sadness and pain.

There is silence. Sunset relaxes when there is no more threat, but now, her face reflects doubt and grief.

Aria does not say anything. For a while, she remains silent. "… I'm sorry…" Her soft voice is only audible because of the silence of the room. "... I... I didn’t... I'm sorry..." Sunset can her the sorrow and sincerity in Aria’s apology. At the same time, although she tries to hide it, tears begin to fall from Aria’s eyes. Adagio approaches and kneels to hug her sister. "It's not fair... It's not fair..."

Sunset is surprised at the tenderness in Adagio’s embrace, and even more so to see tears fill Adagio’s own eyes.

"I want to sing again... It's not fair... I'm a siren. What kind of siren can’t sing?"

Never, even in her strangest dreams, would Sunset have expected to see that scene.

These were her enemies, evil beings who almost took over the world that she adopted, who tried to kill her, and now, those same enemies were kneeling on the floor of their kitchen, one of them struggling and failing to keep herself from crying, the other holding her sister in a protective, almost motherly way in an effort to comfort her.

Once again, Sunset wondered if these really were the sirens she fought at the Battle of the Bands.

Adagio looked up to see a very confused and surprised Sunset. "I’m sorry."

Sunset is slow to react. "Wh-What?"

"I apologize for how this evening’s gone. Although, I know it's not worth much coming from me."

Sunset does not respond.

Aria, after having calmed down, separates herself from the hug and looks back at Sunset. "Sum—Sunset, I... I'm sorry... I didn't want to... well... do that... I..."

Sunset struggles to find her voice again. "I-It's okay. It's over, nothing happened. It’s fine, really."

Adagio stands up. "... I don't blame you if you want to leave now."

"Leave? No! It's okay. Seriously, I'm fine. Twilight’s having fun, and so is Sonata, and I was, too. Can we just, you know... go back to that?"

The three of them watch each other for a moment, then Adagio helps her sister get up.

"I'm sorry," the younger siren says again.

Sunset approaches and puts a hand on her shoulder and gives her a soft smile. "Relax, it's fine. It wasn’t the first time someone threatened to stab me," she says dismissively, trying to joke. It does not do much, but it does diffuse the tension enough to let the women return to the living room.

*S*A*S*

A couple of hours and a few tacos later, the sirens say goodbye to their two guests.

"Um, thank you for your hospitality," Twilight says with a slightly exaggerated bow. “I had fun.”

The three sisters give her a weird look. Adagio says, "Don't do that; you’ll hurt your back."

"I had tons of fun! " says Sonata, beaming. "We should do this more often!"

Sunset seems to hesitate, but she eventually smiles. "We’ll see."

Sunset’s answer surprises the blue siren, but Sonata quickly gets over it and gives a bright smile and small jump of excitement.

"Well, this evening was... interesting," says the former equine. "See you at school tomorrow, Sonata. And I’ll see you, um... sometime, Adagio and Aria."

Adagio nods and gives a very slight smile. Aria looks unsure, but Sunset gives her a soft smile, and soon, the pigtailed siren returns the smile.

Sunset turns around. "Come on, Twi. The bus will be here soon."

The scientist gives a final farewell and rushes to catch up to Sunset. The three Sirens watch them leave.

"... She's not bad, for a pony," the oldest one says.

"I think she's great!" announces the youngest.

"... I guess, yeah..." the last one answers.

Adagio turns to go back inside. "Anyway, Aria, wash the dishes, Sonata, do your homework, and I'll get ready for work."

"Ugh, I hate homework."

"I hate the dishes."

"And I hate when you complain, but that's life."

The three reenter their home and close the door.

*S*A*S*

A little later, Sunset and Twilight are sitting next to each other on the bus. Sunset looks through the window at the falling snow, while Twilight seems lost in her thoughts.

"... Hey, Sunset."

"Hm?"

"How did you meet Sonata?"

Sunset takes a bit to answer. "... It's... hard to explain."

"It was at... Canterlot High, right?"

"Well, yes. She and her sisters... arrived at school one day, and... to be honest, we had some friction."

"And... why did they leave?"

"Let's say... there was a bit of conflict, and they had no choice but to leave school."

Twilight remains silent but keeps her gaze on the fire-haired girl. "... You do that a lot..."

Sunset turns and gives Twilight a confused look, "… Do what?"

"That. You never explain anything. It's like... you’re afraid to talk about what happened."

Sunset is silent. She turns around, avoiding Twilight’s eyes, but she can still see them in Twilight’s almost transparent reflection in the window. "... My past is very complicated, Twilight, moreso than my present. There are things that, however much I want to leave them behind, seem to come back to haunt me."

Twilight hesitates a bit. "... Do you... want to talk about it?"

"… Not really."

Silence surrounds them.

Twilight sighs. "Well, I won’t force you, but if you want to, you know, talk to someone, I... Well, actually, I'm bad with these kinds of things, but... I could... help you… or at least, I would try."

Sunset turns her head and gives her a small smile. "Thanks, Twilight. You're... You're a good friend."

"Fr... Friend..." Twilight repeats breathlessly.

"You okay?” Sunset asks, concerned.

"No! I mean yes! I mean... you... you're also... a good friend."

Sunset keeps her smile, and they fall silent as Sunset returns her gaze to the window and Twilight takes out her cell phone.

Despite the cold winter outside, somehow, both manage to feel warm.

Sunset cannot help thinking about what her life has become.

A month ago, Sunset would not have seen herself so far from the school she almost called a home, far from the people she had all but adopted as family, far from the life that cost her so much to build.

Still, she couldn’t help but smile. She did not expect to be in this situation, but somehow, she felt at peace.

Twilight, Sonata, even Aria and Adagio. She would not have expected to find them, or that they would find her, but...

Smiling again, Sunset closes her eyes, allowing her head to rest.

“My past is not today. Today, things are looking up by the minute.”

A New Anon-a-Miss

View Online

That morning, something was… different.

For some reason, Sunset woke up feeling strangely calm. When she got up, her body felt light, as if she had freed herself from a weight on her back that she did not even know she had.

Something urged her to open the curtains, and she was greeted by a bright day. Those icy clouds had abated enough to allow the sun to transmit its rays of light.

When she opened her window, a cool breeze caressed her face, seeping into her apartment, but the tingling prevented her from focusing on the cold. In a way, it was nice.

Sunset did not know why—maybe it was the fact that Twilight had a good time with the sirens, maybe it was the fact that she herself got to know the sirens a bit more intimately, maybe it was the fact that she didn’t get stabbed, but she felt good.

She took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, a smile infiltrates her face. Gently, she touched her cheeks, feeling the stretch in the muscles.

How much time had passed since a smile like that had been on her face?

Without erasing that smile on her face, Sunset had breakfast and prepared for the day.

As she leaves her apartment, Sunset takes a deep breath of the fresh air. Once again, the sun shines its rays down, warming her face.

With her smile still present, she locks her door and makes her way to school.

*S*A*S*

Her smile remained present even on the school grounds.

The first thing she notices is that several students scattered around the front yard are keeping themselves entertained on their phones or laptops, when usually, those same teens would be focusing on their books or homework, but Sunset does not pay much attention to that. After all, it is not uncommon for teenagers—even teens at Crystal Prep—to focus so much on their phones.

Still, Sunset can’t shake the slight feeling of déjà vu. Her smile fades slightly but not completely as she enters the school.

With some surprise, she sees the scene repeated in the halls; every single student is focused on their digital device. But once again, she tries to pay it little attention.

While walking through the corridors, she realizes some of the students looking or pointing at her. That bothers Sunset; the last thing she wants is more people paying attention to her. Sunset shrinks into herself slightly but continues her walk.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary; since her arrival, she had caught such attention more than once. So... this was nothing new… right?

As she walks, she notices a certain detail; the students looking at her keep flitting their glances between her and their phones or laptops.

Her ears begin to catch a couple of snickers. Her eyes turn in their direction, and she begins to notice that some of the students are laughing at her.

"Okay, this is new," Sunset thinks.

The students begin to whisper to each other between laughter, and a couple of glances even turn mocking. Keeping her eyes forward and trying and failing to puzzle out why everyone’s laughing at her, she gets to her locker and proceeds to prepare for her classes.

"Sunset!"

Sunset turns to the direction of the voice and is not surprised to see Sonata running toward her. "Hey, Sonata."

"It’s awful! It’s terrible! It’s a little funny, but it’s still horrible! You!" Sonata tries to reorganize her thoughts to form a complete sentence. "Someone put a link on the school page that leads to an internet blog about you."

There is a curious silence from the former equine. "I didn't know that the school had a page on the internet."

"Well, of course, they do! What place doesn’t in this day and age? You can see the dates of exams and holidays, the lunch menu for the week, stuff students publish, and tons of other stuff."

"Okay," is Sunset's only answer, “and…?”

There is a pause while both look at each other, until Sonata shouts, "But it's terrible!"

"Yeah, I think that we already addressed that part." Sunset sighs softly. "Now, what’s this about a blog about me?"

Sonata hurries to pull out her cell phone and puts it right Sunset’s face.

"It's awful! It reminds me a lot of what Adagio sent us to do around when newspapers were big, which is really, really bad."

Sunset, ignoring the siren’s comments, turns away from the phone and pulls out her own phone.

-Behind Sundown: Days of Shimmer-

Sunset raises her eyebrow at the title. “Is that supposed to be poetic?” Ignoring it, Sunset continues to look down the page.

Photographs and captions about her fill the page. The first ones she sees—the most recent post—is a photo of her yawning tiredly in class with the caption, -Work removes energy. Sleep brings wisdom.-

Next is a photograph of her eating an apple, her cheek bulging from the food in her mouth.

-An apple a day keeps the doctor away.-

Afterward is a photo of her watching a music video on a school computer.

-Who needs education when you have today’s top hits?-

There was little more besides this, suggesting that the page was set up very recently, but even with how few posts there are, it’s not hard to guess the idea behind the blog.

Sunset quirks an eyebrow. "Well, now I know why everyone’s looking at me."

"It´s terri—" Sonata begins before Sunset covers the siren’s mouth.

"You’re exaggerating. It's not that bad."

Sonata removes Sunset's hand from her mouth. "It's not that bad? Sunset! Somebody’s making you look ridiculous all over the school!"

Sunset wears a very calm look. "... Yeah," is her only answer.

Surprised by Sunset’s nonchalance, Sonata opens her mouth, but someone beats her to it.

"Sunset!" Both turn around to see Twilight running toward them.

"Hey, Twi."

"Sunset! It's terrible! It’s—"

"I get it!"

*S*A*S*

The three decide to go to a more secluded corridor to talk a little about the matter.

Twilight looks at her phone with concern. "I don't understand. Who would do this?"

"Someone who wants to hurt our Sunsite!" Sonata responds angrily. "But I'll catch him, and I'll make him watch a '13 Reasons Why' marathon! That’ll teach him!"

Sunset spends her time looking at the blog again.

It was not a big deal. They were simply candid pictures of her accompanied by “witty” or sarcastic captions. In part, it reminded her of the things she used to do in her dark times, just… softer.

It was a pretty pathetic job, overall, just some photos that weren’t very humiliating and lame jokes. But, Sunset knew all too well that it could be enough to have a school turn on someone.

Sunset sighs.

Whoever has done this, for whatever reason, is was more than clear that he wanted to make her look bad.

"It's Anon-a-Miss all over again..." Sunset says aloud, not realizing that she does so.

Instantly, Twilight and Sonata turn to look at her, confused, and just as quickly, Sunset slaps her hand over her mouth, looking back at the girls with wide eyes.

"Anonymous? Anonymous what?" Twilight questions.

Sunset gets nervous, not wanting to touch the subject. "Um, nothing... Nothing important... I was just... thinking out loud. Forget you heard anything."

From their faces, it is clear they are unconvinced. Sunset tries to smile disarmingly, but in the end, she can only sigh, having to explain herself.

"When I was at Canterlot High... someone created an account on the internet with the name 'Anon-a-Miss' and began to spread rumors and secrets about all the students, and everyone in the school decided I was responsible."

Twilight and Sonata listen intently, even the normally talkative Sonata staying quiet.

"Since that day, everyone at school hated me. They insulted me, they shouted at me, some even hit me. Even the girls who had been my closest friends turned their backs on me and blamed me for everything."

Twilight’s face radiates sympathy. "Sunset..."

Sonata seems almost terrified, her entire body stiff for a moment. "That's horrible! And I'm the evil one?!" she says, aghast, before throwing herself at Sunset, hugging her tightly.

"It's fine, Sonata. It's doesn’t matter anymore."

"Of course, it matters!" Sonata almost yells. "You’re so nice! I can't believe they did that to you!"

Twilight remains silent for a moment. "Was that why you left?" she finally asks.

Sunset stifles a sigh. "Girls, seriously, it doesn't matter anymore. It's in the past, and the past is not today. Now, I'm here in Crystal Prep with you two. I'm better off, now."

Sonata tightens her hug and rubs against Sunset as if she were a puppy. The act is strange but oddly cute, enough so that Sunset cannot help but chuckle a little, the tension in the room easing up. Twilight also laughs at Sonata’s attitude and gives Sunset a friendly smile.

Sunset allows herself to smile with them for a moment before turning her attention to the subject in question. "Anyway, like that time, someone is using the internet to make me look bad, which is weird; it's not like I’m popular here."

"We have to find the one who did this and force him to eat broccoli!" Sonata exclaims, releasing Sunset.

"I agree," says Twilight. "Regardless of their lackluster effort, this goes beyond simple joking. It borders on harassment, and I'm pretty sure it violates at least three school rules."

Sunset looks at her phone for a moment. "Can’t we just… let it go?" Sonata and Twilight look surprised at Sunset’s suggestion. "I mean... it's not like I really care. Besides, how would we find who did this?"

"If you’ll allow me," a fourth voice says from the side. The sudden voice makes everyone turn around, meeting a familiar face. Sunny Flare stands in front of the group, smiling. "Maybe, I can help you."

*S*A*S*

"You want me to do what?"

Our favorite trio watches as their impromptu guide converse with another student, a girl with mostly rose hair with a few greenish highlights tied in a high ponytail. Small freckles dot her yellow cheeks under her indigo eyes.

They were gathered in a fairly large room decorated with a long, oval table. A laptop sat at each place at the table, with the new girl sitting in front of the only one powered on, which she was working on before Sunny interrupted her.

"I want you to give us administrative access to the school page."

There is silence.

"~Oh, Sunny Flare, you're so funny!~" the new girl says sweetly, smiling. "But I don’t have time for your stupid jokes!" she finishes, her voice bitter and her expression angry in a flash.

And with that, she returns to her work on the computer.

"This isn’t a joke, Sour Sweet," Sunny Flare says pleadingly. "Someone’s harassing Sunset, and we need to check the page to know who."

Sour continues her work without paying much attention. "You know perfectly well that that kind of access prohibited for every student."

"Not for the school board president. That’s you."

Sunset and Sonata are a little surprised to learn about the girl's position.

Sour continues her work while responding, "Right, and why would I help you? What would I gain by violating school rules?"

Sunny puts on a somewhat victorious smile. "Well, I'm sure Cinch would appreciate being made aware that she has a stalker in her school. Think about it: What would she do for you if you were to bring to light who the perpetrator is?"

Sour stops working and falls silent the moment Sunny finishes her sentence. Our trio wait on bated breath for Sour’s answer, and finally, Sour gets up and turns around, giving everyone an extremely sweet smile.

"~You should have started out there. I'd be more than happy to help you!~"

*S*A*S*

"Alright! With Sour on our team, we’ll find the person responsible for this in a flash." Sunny Flare smiles confidently as the group leaves the student council room.

"Um, thanks," Sunset says unenthusiastically.

"No need to thank me, honey. It's my pleasure to help."

Sonata smiles with malice, or an attempt at malice, at least. "We'll find that criminal, and I'll make him pay. Nobody messes with my friends!"

Sunset looks curiously at Sonata at the siren’s comment, and Sonata, realizing what she said, turns away, grinning sheepishly.

Twilight is still doubtful. "It's good to have Sour Sweet's help, and I’m eager to learn who did this, but I don’t understand whythey’ve done it."

Sunny just smiles. "Don't worry about that, Twilight. We'll figure it out when we catch the perpetrator. For now, it's almost time to go to class, so we'd better leave."

Twilight looks at her cell phone and realizes that it's true. She gives a quick goodbye to everyone and leaves. Sonata follows suit, giving a happy farewell as she goes her own way.

Sunny Flare turns to leave, but Sunset stops her.

"Sunny Flare."

Sunny turns to look at her. "Yes, Sunset?"

Sunset comes a little closer and asks quietly, "Why are you helping me?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why are you helping me? You and I, well... We don’t know each other. We've hardly ever talked, and now, you’re offering to help me catch someone making a ‘hit piece’ about me. I..." Sunset trails off, having difficulty expressing her doubts.

But Sunny just smiles. "You're interesting," she answers simply.

Sunset is somewhat confused by that response. “Wh-What?”

"There’s something… attractive about you. I don't know if it's your brain, your attitude, your looks, or some combination of the three, but I think we can get along very well."

There is no response from Sunset, just more confusion. However, Sunny says no more, just giving Sunset a wink before leaving.

Sunset finds herself alone in the hall, trying to piece together the events of the last half-hour. When the school bell rings, signaling the start of the day, she decides to leave as well.

*S*A*S*

At lunch, our favorite trio gathers at their customary table.

"So, Sunsite," starts the siren, "any idea who could hate you?"

With food in her mouth, Sunset just shrugs. In the corner of her eye, though, she sees someone passing by the table. Sunset turns to get a better look and realizes it’s Lightning Dust, who glares at her as she walks by with her lunch tray.

Both, Sonata and Twilight also notice the presence of the girl. "Lightning Dust?" Twilight asks. "Do you think she...?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Sunset answers before taking another bite to her food.

Sonata takes the floor. "But she's evil!" She hesitates a moment. "Well, not evil like me, but she's evil, and she hates you."

"But I already fixed that when I let her beat me up."

"You what?!" Twilight shouts, shocked.

"Thank you, mouth. That’s the second time you betrayed me today," Sunset grumbles.

"What happened?" Twilight demands.

Sunset explains, trying to stay calm, "After the incident with her in the hallway, she came to me on the way home, wanting to fight. I thought that if I let her kick me around, she’d calm down and leave me alone."

"Sunset, that plan is ridiculous!" scolds the scientist, but she suddenly says, "Wait! What am I saying? You know what you’re doing. I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Sonata changes the subject. "Anyway, we already know who’s likely behind this torrent of lies."

They all look at Lightning Dust sitting at one of the tables, surrounded by other athletes. Sunset keeps eating, and although she also looks at Lightning, she is neither convinced nor, honestly, very interested.

*S*A*S*

In the last break before the final class hour, Sunset finds herself drinking from one of the water fountains. While there, she can see and hear a couple of girls laugh at her as they pass by, but she ignores them.

"Sun-Shim!" shouts a familiar voice.

Sunset turns around, facing Lemon Zest, who takes off her headphones as she approaches. "'Sun-Shim'?" the fire-haired girl questions.

"I have everything ready!" Lemon says excitedly.

“What do you mean? What’s ready?” Sunset asks.

"The band, duh!” Lemon says. “I've got awesome instruments, an amp, and I've already written a couple of songs. They’re works in progress, but we're ready to start our band!"

Sunset takes a little time to absorb Lemon’s words. "Oh, yeah, the band. I forgot about that."

"I’ll see you and Duskie after class. Prepare your fingers to rock!" That's enough of a goodbye for Lemon, who puts her headphones back on and half-walks, half-dances off, head bobbing with the beat of her music.

Sunset watches her leave, and after drinking another pint or so of water, she thinks aloud to herself, "I’ve got people who hate me on the internet, again, and now I'm in a band, again. And it’s only Wednesday."

With that idea in mind, she heads to her last class.

*S*A*S*

For the first time since Sunset arrived at school that day, things seemed normal. The practice room was exactly what Sunset would have expected.

Sunset looks around the school’s music room, repurposed to be Lemon’s practice room for the evening. Several classical instruments—violins, flutes, clarinets and similar instruments—and a few, more contemporary instruments—mainly guitars and percussion instruments—line the walls and edges of the room.

While Sunset tunes an electric guitar Lemon is letting her use, she watches Sonata run through some vocal drills while Lemon guides her a bit with her hand.

Sunset observes the guitar a little better, the faded paint on the neck and lower edge attesting to its frequency of use. It’s painted red some whitish-purple, lightning-shaped details, but it’s nothing outstanding.

Even so, having it in her hands brought a series of feelings Sunset wasn’t ready to deal with.

Sunset shakes her head, driving them away.

She shifted her thoughts to another topic, and for a moment, she wondered where Lemon had got the instruments from. That train of thought quickly went nowhere, though, as Sunset couldn’t really force herself to care enough to consider it.

"Alright!" Lemon exclaims suddenly, surprising everyone a bit. "Duskie will be our singer, and Sun-Shim the guitarist!"

"And what will you do?" Sunset asks.

"I’ll write and compose the songs and play bass," Lemons replies, hefting a bass that almost matches Sunset’s guitar.

"Do you know how to play that?"

"Nope, but I learn fast." As if to demonstrate, Lemon places her fingers on the strings and begins to play. It’s… not very harmonic.

Sunset looks away wearily. "... I'm starting to have serious doubts about this."

Twilight, who was sitting nearby, says, "Well, the practice looks somewhat disorganized, but that's why it's called practice. I'm sure, in the end, you three will get the band to work."

Sunset turns to look at the scientist, who, unlike them, holds no instrument and practices no vocals. "I've wanted to ask, Twilight. Why are you here? You said you don’t know anything about bands."

"Um... I came to give... moral support...?" Twilight responds with a somewhat nervous smile.

The answer does not seem to convince Sunset, but before Sunset can press the issue, an off-key note from the siren distracts them all.

Sonata reviews the scores in her hands a little. "I'm not sure about this song. The times seem off to me."

Lemon replies, "Like I said, they’re works in progress. You're the singer. Do you have any critiques?"

"Umm, Adagio is the one who wrote most of our songs,” Sonata says, embarrassed, “so... um..."

To everyone's surprise, Twilight decides to comment on the subject. "Can I see that song?" The siren gives her the music sheets, and Twilight looks it over for a moment. "I see a lot of high notes. Maybe adding some low notes—either for Sonata to sing or for a back-up singer to supplement—would make the melody more harmonic. I would also add a pause here and here," Twilight says, pointing to the indicated spots.

While she talks, she approaches a piano in the corner of the room.

Sunset is intrigued even more. "Twilight?"

Twilight puts the score to the side and sits at the piano. "Maybe something like this?"

Out of nowhere, and to everyone's surprise, the scientist starts playing that piano, recreating the whole song without so much as looking at the sheet, arranging some times and placing lower notes throughout the piece, forming a much more pleasing melody.

After a few minutes, she stops playing and looks at the group with a smile. "There, that sounds much better."

Nobody says anything. Not even Twilight. The silence is palpable, and although Twilight keeps smiling, the nervousness in her eyes is clear as she replays the last few minutes in her head and realizes exactly what she’s done. Gulping, she looks down, twiddling her fingers.

"Sparkle!" Lemon exclaims with a smile. "I didn't know you could play!"

"… Me neither…" Twilight mumbles.

"Wow, Twi-Twi, that was amazing!" Sonata announces, beaming. "I didn't know you had a musical side."

"... Musical side?"

"Twi, how did you do that?" Sunset asks, surprised herself.

"I... don't know... I don't know! I can't play the piano!"

"Well, you just did," Lemon says calmly.

"But I’ve never touched an instrument in my life! I can’t even play the triangle!" Twilight protests. “The only keyboards I’ve ever used are computer keyboards!”

Sonata is surprised but still cheerful. "Do it again! I'll write down the changes!"

"I don’t think I can—"

The siren does not let her finish, taking the scientist’s hands and placing them on the keys. Almost immediately, Twilight’s fingers move seemingly on their own, playing a perfect replica of her earlier melody.

Sonata wastes no time in penciling in the changes on the music sheets.

Lemon gets even more animated. "This is awesome! You’re in! Tomorrow, I’m getting you an electric keyboard!"

Twilight screams with terror. "Help! I don't know what I'm doing! Sunset, help me!"

Sunset just looks tired. "I should’ve gone to Trottingham."

Heat in the Winter

View Online

As soon as Flash opens the doors of Canterlot High, a cold gust of wind rushes out to greet him. He pulls his jacket tighter around him and walks inside.

"Ugh, is it even colder in here, or is it just me?" the young man thinks.

Although the hall is full of students, the corridors are completely silent. There are no animated talks, no laughter. They were like silent ghosts in an empty school.

Flash almost felt the sadness of everyone there, as if their despair were a disease. He felt himself slipping into a depression.

So focused is he on watching everyone, he is not watching where he’s going and bumps into someone. "Oh, sorry!"

The girl he bumped into straightens her shades. Vinyl Scratch, the "official DJ" of the school.

"Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention," the boy says again.

Vinyl only gives him a smile and waves off his mistake, then walks away.

Flash observes her leaving, but he notes something curious about her.

Vinyl did not look downcast or sad. She walked with a firm step, her head raised. She did not have that depressing aura that almost everyone else seemed to have. It was as if the cold and dead environment had no effect on her.

His thoughts are interrupted when he sees the DJ approaching a dark grey, black-haired girl.

Octavia Melody, on the other hand, shares the same expression as the rest of the school. Vinyl approaches her and gently strokes her back in support. Octavia leans into Vinyl’s hand, letting herself be pampered.

Finally, Vinyl wraps her arm around her friend's shoulders and walks her away.

"At least I'm not the only living soul around," Flash thinks.

*S*A*S*

At lunch, Vinyl sits at her usual table with her companions Octavia, Lyra, and Bon Bon,
but like everyone else in school, the three girls are too discouraged and downcast to do anything but mope.

Wanting to lift the mood, the DJ uses her cutlery to tap out a rhythm on her lunch tray. But none of her friends pay attention. Lyra absently stirs her food, Bon Bon eats slowly and mechanically, and Octavia does not even touch her tray.

Vinyl looks at each of them, then sighs through her nose and decides to take a bite of her food.

The table is silent. Vinyl does nothing but look at her companions, and though her glasses do not reveal her gaze, she is deeply worried.

Deciding to do something about it, Vinyl scoops some of Octavia’s food and brings the spoon to the cellist’s mouth. Octavia looks at Vinyl, surprised, but Vinyl just smiles encouragingly and puts the spoon to Octavia’s lips.

But Octavia looks away. "Vinyl... you were right..."

The DJ raises an eyebrow.

"It wasn’t Sunset... I... I should’ve..." Octavia does not finish her sentence.

Bon Bon rests her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling a little, and Lyra rubs Bon Bon’s shoulder, trying to soothe her.

Vinyl sighs, watching her best friends tear themselves up.

Internally, she almost wished she had been wrong...

*S*A*S*

The hours passed, and the school just seemed more depressing with each minute.

The atmosphere was cold, heavy, depressing. Each student looked discouraged, each class was silent. With every silent hour that passed, Flash felt himself falling further into depression. The thoughts of Sunset, Twilight, and the school were beginning to torment him.

"Muffin?" a voice says next to him.

Flash nearly jumps out of his skin, so focused is he on his thoughts. Clutching his rapidly beating chest, he turns to look at the speaker.

Recognizing the girl was not difficult: Ditzy Doo, also called Derpy Feet, though that was more derogatory. She was a pretty, happy, young woman, a little quiet but, true to the nickname given to her, very clumsy.

Her most memorable feature—and debatably the reason for her clumsiness—was her cocked eyes, which never looked in the same direction, giving her a somewhat silly appearance, although many, including Flash himself, thought that made her adorable.

Despite some of the students’ teasing, she always seemed optimistic, and she was overall a very well-liked girl at school for being kind, friendly, and quite funny.

Ditzy smiles at the boy while holding a muffin in her hand.

Flash is still confused, but Ditzy’s friendly smile is contagious. He takes the muffin, finding that it’s still warm, and smiles at her, "Thanks, Ditzy."

The blonde's smile widens, and she turns away from the boy and approaches a small group of students. That’s when Flash notices that the girl is carrying a plastic box full of muffins, covered to preserve the heat.

The group rejects the muffins that Ditzy offers, and Flash can see her shoulders drop slightly. She approaches another student, who also rejects the offer.

Flash watches her make her way down the hall, sadly respecting every rejection but beaming radiantly at every acceptance.

Flash cannot help smiling himself. He looks at the small baked good warming his fingers, the sweet aroma tickling his nose. Wasting no more time, he takes a bite, closing his eyes and savoring the flavor. Cinnamon.

The warm muffin, though small, manages to warm his whole body and bring a smile to his face.

*S*A*S*

The clouds had regained ground in the sky by the time our well-known trio leaves Crystal Prep for the day.

Sonata suddenly asks, "Do you two wanna come to my place? It's Taco Wednesday!"

"… Taco Wednesday?" Sunset questions.

"Yup! It's the day we eat the leftovers from Taco Tuesday!"

The smile of the siren is so... innocent. It almost infects the former equine. Almost.

"Thanks, but after all that practice, I'm exhausted. I just want to go home and rest."

"Awwww. Okay. What about you, Twi-Twi? Are you coming?"

The girl in question does not answer. She just looks at the ground with a pensive expression.

"Twi-Twi?"

Sunset, confused by Twilight’s attitude, snaps her fingers, saying, "Twi. Hey, Twilight!"

"Ah?!" Twilight finally reacts. "What happened?"

Both former Equestrians look with doubt at their companion. "Are you okay, Twi-Twi? You look weird."

"Something happen, Twilight?"

"No! No, I-I'm fine."

The answer does not seem to convince them, but Sonata drops it and repeats, "Um, well, do you want to come to my house?"

"Huh? Today?" asks Twilight, surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry, I have to do... a project… for class! I'm a little behind, so I'd better go home and finish it."

"Oh, well, more tacos for me, then! Yay!"

Sunset raises an eyebrow at Twilight's attitude but says nothing.

The three say goodbye after that. Twilight is the first to separate, walking quickly away from the others.

Sunset is still curious. "Hey, Sonata."

"Yeah?"

"You think Twilight was acting a bit weird, today?"

They look at each other for a moment. Finally, Sonata gives a smile. "Well, duh! But Twi-Twi’s always a bit weird! That's why she's with us!"

"... I’m not sure how to take that."

The conversation goes nowhere after that, leaving Sunset unsatisfied and Sonata cheerful, oblivious to the former’s thoughts.

*S*A*S*

Twilight walks hastily down the street. With every step, her pace accelerates, eventually increasing to a jog, then finally to a run.

Despite her poor physique, she manages to run until she gets home. She quickly locks the front door behind her and rushes straight to her room.

She barges into her room, startling Spike. Twilight doesn’t notice his shock as she yanks open a drawer of her desk and pulls out a tape recorder.

"Wednesday. Date, doesn’t matter. Time, uh... around five or six, I don’t know! I have to hurry to record this."

The little dog gets up from his bed and approaches his mistress curiously.

Twilight, on the other hand, keeps recording. "Today, there was a breakthrough in Project BANDA. Lemon Zest brought musical instruments to practice, which she and Sunset Shimmer practiced as Sonata Dusk sang. Unfortunately, there was no indication of sources or manifestations of energy. Stunningly, though, I played the piano perfectly somehow. I can't explain it: My hands moved by themselves. No, it's not like that... I moved them, but somehow, I knew the notes and I knew exactly which key to play, when to play it, and how to do it. This... I can't explain it. I need to run some tests to analyze it in more detail. "

Twilight slumps in her desk chair, pensive but tired.

"I have no doubt that Sunset Shimmer has a connection to the anomalies, and I can't rule out that Sonata Dusk is also involved."

She turns off the recorder. She sighs, and looks at her puppy next to her chair, looking at her with concern. She pats him on the head, which seems to calm him down.

Twilight relaxes. "Now that I'm calm, I'll proceed with the regular investigation."

Leaving the tape recorder to the side, she sinks down into the chair, her puppy looking at her.

"I'm close, Spike, but there's still a lot to figure out."

*S*A*S*

By the end of the day, the icy clouds had returned to take over the sky, making the atmosphere darker than it should be.

Sunset sighs, tired.

It had been a long day. Among the new internet stalker, those encounters with Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, the beginning of two weeks of band practice, not to mention the surprise of Twilight’s musical gift, Sunset dealt with far too much for a single day.

Sunset trudges up the stairs to her apartment door, when she notices someone in front of her door.

"And to end the day... her."

Dressed in winter pants as white as snow and a thick magenta coat is Princess Twilight.

Sunset stands still, staring at the princess. Twilight does not notice her presence as she stares at the foot of the door. Sunset purses her lips, thinking about what action to take.

A gust of cold air makes her decision for her.

With a slow pace, she approaches. The princess finally hears her footsteps and snaps her head in Sunset’s direction. Almost fearfully, she takes a few steps backwards.

"S-... Sunset..."

"… Princess."

There is silence. Twilight looks down, her body tense. Sunset remains impassive, waiting for what the princess has to say.

The wind blows with a little more force, dropping the temperature.

Sunset tires of waiting for a reaction. "What do you want?" she asks, not rudely but certainly not kindly

Twilight stays silent for a while longer. Sunset looks away and sighs through her nose, trying to be patient.

Finally, the princess speaks. "... I need your help."

*S*A*S*

"You want to get a job?" Sunset asks, somewhat confused.

The former villain looks at the princess sitting on her sofa, who keeps her gaze down, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. Sunset, still in her uniform, stands near the sofa, watching the princess, who keeps her eyes away from Sunset’s.

"You'll have to explain it a little better," Sunset speaks again. Her voice does not hold any kindness, but neither is it aggressive.

Twilight is again silent for a moment. "I want to get a job. Something... so I can make money."

"And that's because...?"

Twilight almost seems embarrassed as she speaks. "... Since I came... I've been staying with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna."

Sunset raises an eyebrow, surprised, though thinking it through, she probably shouldn’t be. “I suppose she would attach herself to Celestia’s counterpart,” she thinks.

After their last meeting, she had not thought about the princess again or what had become of her. Sunset had hoped that Flash would take care of the matter. He was probably the one who drove her there.

"I really have to do something good for that boy," Sunset continues mentally.

She did not let it show, but knowing that the princess was in a safe place and that she had someone to care for her relieved Sunset and warmed her a little inside.

Oblivious to the thoughts of her dimensional companion, Twilight continues, "They’ve both been really nice to me. They let me stay in their house and provide me with a bed, food, medicine... Vice Principal Luna even bought me these clothes so I can stay warm."

Sunset looks at the clothes out of the corner of her eyes. They certainly did look comfortable.

"They’ve taken such good care of me these days... I-I want... I don't feel good..." She pauses, and Sunset waits patiently for her to continue. "They’ve helped me a lot, but... I don't feel good accepting their help... I don’t want them to keep buying food or clothes for me. I want to be able to pay for my own things."

"... And for that, you need money," Sunset says simply, understanding the situation.

The princess closes her eyes with some regret and nods softly.

Sunset drinks some of her own chocolate before saying, "Well, I can imagine where I came into this matter."

"... Sunset, how can I get a job?"

And there’s the question Sunset was waiting for. Sunset takes a sip of air, then one of chocolate, and releases the first. Sunset walks a few steps with her back to the princess and thinks about how to phrase what she wants to say. "It's complicated. In Equestria, generally, when you get your cutie mark, you know what you're good at, so you just look for jobs in that vein, but in this world, things are different."

Twilight shrinks slightly in the sofa, taking a sip of chocolate as she keeps her eyes on the back of the fire-haired girl.

After a short pause, Sunset continues, "Humans... They don't have cutie marks or anything else that can easily tell others or themselves what they can do." She pauses, looking closely at her own hand, deep in thought.

Twilight, understanding the information, follows Sunset’s lead, looking at her own fingers surrounding the mug of chocolate.

"For that, humans need... 'artificial' evidence," continues Sunset. "Written documentation, licenses, resumes, and a bit of word of mouth are almost always required for a job."

The princess's face lifts as a bit of her former, knowledge-loving self shines through.

"Humans, in general, spend all of their formative years learning the skills to start a career, getting diplomas and licenses on their quest. In the meantime, many get smaller jobs, something to get themselves some money to support themselves while they’re in school. However, even these smaller jobs require government documentation."

Sunset sighs. "It's not like Equestria. This world, this species, has a social system even outside of nobility. It’s strict. I... I'd almost call it cruel..."

Memories come to Sunset's mind, dark memories from a distant time yet still firmly etched in her mind.

An uncomfortable silence surrounds them. In time, Twilight starts to worry. "S-Sunset?"

Sunset shakes her head gently, downing her chocolate before continuing, "Unless you have proof that you are a legal member of society, it's very hard to get a legal job."

Twilight looks down, becoming silent as she processes the information. "... You... have a job, right?"

Sunset grimaces. "Hm, yes. It’s an online job, but that takes time to learn, and... you won’t be here long enough for that to be feasible for you."

"… What do you do?"

The situation becomes uncomfortable for Sunset. "... You don't need to know the details. Suffice to say, I had to work on a lot of different things before I could afford this apartment and my own things."

"Then... how can I...?" Twilight's question remains unfinished.

The former villain turns around, unsure of how to answer. "… It's complicated," she finally answers. "First of all, you need papers. As I said, human society is very strict. You need a government document basically proving that you exist and that you are who you say you are. If you don't have that, well... it’ll cost you. Jobs, schools, hospitals... Everything depends on that document. "

"How can I get it?" questions the princess, eager to achieve what she needs.

Sunset looks away, biting her lip and becoming silent.

Twilight understands the answer. "It’s complicated..." she says for Sunset.

"Yeah..." Sunset responds simply in an almost hurt voice.

"... But... I want to work. I don’t want to be dependent on—"

"I know, I know," interrupts Sunset softly. "I understand. Look, it's a difficult issue, and... I'm not in the mood to deal with it right now."

Twilight hears some discomfort in Sunset's voice but gets Sunset’s meaning. "I understand..." She leaves her mug half-empty on the coffee table.

A chill runs through Twilight’s body. It feels as if the room suddenly cooled twenty degrees.

She stands up and bows to Sunset. "Thanks for your time…"

The princess starts to walk to the door, but suddenly, her vision becomes blurry, her legs weaken, and she feels herself stumble and start to fall, but to her surprise, she does not feel the crash against the ground.

Sunset had moved quickly and managed to catch the princess before she fell. "Are you okay?" she asked. It was slight, but there was something like worry in her voice.

"I'm fine," the princess replies, looking away. "Only a little dizziness..."

Sunset helps her up and places a hand on her forehead. "Your fever went up again."

"It's just a chill..."

"It doesn't matter. You should have stayed in bed and come talk to me when you were well."

Twilight looks tired. "Maybe... I'll go back to Celestia's house and... if it's okay... we'll talk another day..." She turns away and walks to the door.

At each step, she feels her feet get heavier. Her head starts to throb.

She reaches the door and opens it gently, only to be surprised when it slams closed. Looking up, she sees the former villain bracing the door closed with her hand.

"It's cold, and it'll get even colder when it gets dark. You can’t go out now."

"I'll be fine, it's not—" She does not finish her sentence as a coughing fit overtakes her.

Sunset gets between the princess and the door and crosses her arms. "Sit. Back. Down."

*S*A*S*

There was a faint knock at the door, and Sunset does not take long to answer it. "Principal Celestia, good evening."

"Good evening, Sunset," the woman greets in a calm voice, but her gaze is somewhat nervous. "Thank you for calling."

"It's no problem." She stands aside, allowing the woman to enter before, quickly closing the door to cut off the cold. "Can I offer you something hot?"

"Thank you, but I'm fine," she rejects politely. "I think it's better that we get to the heart of the matter."

Sunset nods and walks to her room. When she opens the door, she sees the Equestrian princess sitting on the bed, a small blanket on her legs.

"Princess." Twilight raises her head at the call. "Celestia came to pick you up."

The announcement causes the purple-haired girl to sigh, remove the blanket from her legs, and stand up. Sunset accompanies her to the living room, where Celestia waits.

When Celestia sees Twilight, she hurries and wraps her in a soft hug. "Twilight, I was so worried. Why did you leave without saying anything?"

"I'm sorry. I wanted... to fix something."

"You could have warned me."

"Sorry," she mumbled, taking refuge in the hug. "I wanted to do it by myself..."

"Please, let’s wait until you’re well. Sunset, thank you for taking care of her."

"Yeah, yeah," Sunset responds coldly.

Although Sunset didn’t outright say it, Twilight knew that Sunset was not comfortable with her present.

The thought depressed her.

Sunset leads them to the door and stands aside to let them both leave.

Twilight leaves first, but Celestia hangs back a bit. "Are you okay, Sunset?"

The question takes the girl by surprise. "Hm? Sure, why wouldn’t I be?"

"Just... Well, you’ve been in a whole new school for a few weeks. Do you… feel better?" Celestia asks, somewhat uncomfortable.

Sunset looks at her, hesitating a moment before answering, "I'm fine. I'm taking my classes, I’m passing my tests. The uniform bothers me, but I'm getting used to it."

"I see. That's good." Celestia smiles, but it seems forced. "And, do you have any friends?" she asks worriedly.

"Hmm..." Sunset doubts it, honestly. "Maybe," she answers, shrugging.

Celestia smiles a genuine smile this time at the news.

"Thanks for your concern," Sunset says. "I'm fine. I’m getting used to school, and... I think the school’s getting used to me."

Celestia's smile remains. Her voice becomes almost maternal. "That’s very reassuring, Sunset. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me, okay? You already have my number."

The woman laughs a little at the comment, though Sunset doesn’t follow suit.

She only had the number because she had asked Twilight for it, and Twilight only knew because she was using Luna’s phone.

"Yeah... I guess I got it."

The principal smiles once more and leaves the apartment. "Good night, Sunset. Thanks again."

"... Thanks, Sunset," the princess says softly. "And good night."

"Good night, Principal, Princess."

With that, Sunset closes the door, and both visitors leave.

*S*A*S*

“Finally home.”

Flash enters his room, dropping his things and plopping himself on the bed. He rubs his face with his palms and lets out a moan, exhausted.

After what Twilight had said to the school, after the truth of Anon-A-Miss had come to light, the school only seemed to have darkened more.

Throughout the day, he could only watch as the students immersed themselves in their sorrow, some more than others, and although it seemed that some were not so affected, in general, the whole school was now a nest of cries and lamentations.

They seemed to feel sad, hurt… and alone...

"Just as Sunset felt," he thought. “Now the whole school knows how she felt.”

He thought about Sunset, remembering their last meetings. Sunset was so hurt and angry with the whole thing.

“What would she think if she knew how the school is now?”

Sunset was always a somewhat difficult girl, and she had quite the temper. Anyone who met her would likely think she’d take pleasure in the school’s suffering.

But Flash knew her, and he knew that, despite Sunset’s temperament, she was very sweet, very helpful, very... warm...

Flash looks to the sides, as if looking for some furtive spy. Of course, there is no such thing; he's alone in his room. He leans over and opens the drawer of his night table halfway, sticking his fingers into the little gap on the right side.

Hidden in that small space, between the drawer and the furniture, there is a photograph.

Flash pulls it out and stares at it. It is an image of himself with Sunset Shimmer at his side. Both are noticeably younger, showing that it was taken a few years ago.

It brought to mind a memory of a somewhat distant time, that time when both began to know each other.

Flash never knew what it was, but something in Sunset attracted him almost from the first day.

Maybe it was that closed, almost shy attitude or her slight clumsiness; for some reason, Sunset was not really good with her fingers. Maybe it was just her face so naturally pretty without need for makeup or arrangements to look good, which was good, because Sunset had no idea how makeup worked and didn’t care to learn.

Whatever it was, he had approached her and offered her his hand to help her. At first, she rejected it, but eventually, she opened up to him, and soon, they became friends.

Time passed, their friendship grew, and eventually, it became... well, what it had become. But then, everything fell apart.

*S*A*S*

The principal's white car almost got lost in the snow that had started to fall.

Inside the vehicle, the woman observes her companion, who keeps her eyes on her lap, her face deeply sorrowful.

"Twilight, what’s wrong?"

There is no immediate response, but eventually, Twilight mumbles, "She... She just called me... 'Princess'..."

The answer confuses Celestia, but she says nothing. Twilight leans her head onto the closed window, looking at the passing scenery, but she does not seem to really focus on anything.

Somehow, her body feels even colder.

*S*A*S*

Flash sighs.

He did not remember that day well; he hated remembering it, so the memory had partially erased itself from his mind. That day, he had lost not just a girlfriend but a friend.

For a time, that photo was the only thing that remained of that good time, and he kept it, hoping that one day, the Sunset he knew would come back.

And she did.

Sunset returned to the kind, affectionate, friendly girl she used to be... a friend.

Unfortunately, he was afraid to approach her and ask if they could be friends again.

Whenever he thought about it, he felt guilty. Maybe, if he had talked to her before, calmly, without having this mess in the middle, he could have rekindled their friendship much earlier and made it much stronger.

*S*A*S*

Sunset, changed into more casual clothes, leans back in her chair and looks at her phone. Now, there are two numbers registered.

-Flash-

-Pr. Celestia-

She meditates on the new name. The principal had helped her a lot, even on very short notice. She already had a lot to thank Celestia for.

Both Celestias…

Sunset sighs. It had been a while since she thought of her former teacher. She closes her eyes, forcing her mind not to go deeper into her memory.

*S*A*S*

Flash sighs, shaking his head.

He was thinking about it too much.

He takes one last look at the photograph and puts it back in its hiding place.

Sunset was not a friend. At least, she did not seem to see it like that.

She did not hate him—at least, he thought not—but it was clear that she did not feel comfortable calling him a friend or anything of the sort.

Not that he could blame her.

Even so, he considered her a friend and wanted to help her in whatever way possible, and maybe, just maybe, one day, they could be like before. Maybe, one day, he would see that happy, beautiful, lovable girl there next to him.

Friends, couple, companions, whatever it was, it did not matter to him. Just... having her close... That would be enough for him to be happy.

Maybe one day. Maybe…

*S*A*S*

When Sunset opens her eyes, she sees the first name on her contact list again.

Flash had helped her too much in too short a time. But… it’s strange. Despite spending so much time away from each other, somehow, she felt good being with him. Did that guy also have some kind of ‘magic’? Or was he just a charismatic goofball?

Whatever it was, she was grateful to have him around, to know that he was there for her.

A thought comes to her head.

She purses her lips a bit in an uncertain expression. Then, she presses a button on the phone and puts it next to her ear.

*S*A*S*

Flash hears his phone starts to vibrate, followed by his ring tone. When he picks it up, he is both surprised and elated at the name on the screen. He quickly accepts the call and says, "Hello?"

"Hey, Flash," Sunset says calmly, but Flash can hear the subtle relief or excitement in her voice.

Hearing the girl's voice on the phone fills him with energy. "H-Hey, Sunset! Uh, hi, how are you?"

"Oh, I’m surviving. You?"

"Uh, well, I'm fine. Totally." Flash pauses. "Well, my band had a bit of a falling out," he admits, quickly adding, "but it's just a bad streak. It happens to the best, right?"

There was no reason for her to know what was happening at school, and she probably wouldn’t care, anyway, so he kept the details to himself.

*S*A*S*

Listening to that somehow brought back memories of her own band... with them.

Sunset quickly shakes her head, dispelling those thoughts. "Sure, you'll get better."

"Heh, yeah. So, um... why did you call? Not that I don't want you to call me! I love when you do! I mean, I like... talking to you..."

The girl bites her lip to stifle her laughter at the boy's nervous attitude.

*S*A*S*

He gave himself a mental slap. Way to make himself look bad...

Although, this was a phone... she couldn’t see him look bad, so way to make himself sound bad?

He shook his head away from such silly thoughts and returned to the call. "I mean... wh-what’s up?"

*S*A*S*

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something." Sunset pauses, as if thinking about how to ask. "Are you doing anything this Friday?"

*S*A*S*

… His heart stopped.

Long Week

View Online

A new day at Crystal Prep, and Sunset ...

"Can you repeat that for me?" Sunset asks cautiously.

Principal Cinch remains impassive, sitting behind her desk while watching Sunset sitting on the small chair in front of her. "I did not stutter, Miss Shimmer. Our school will be hosting an annual sporting event against Trottingham College next week, and I want you to be part of our team."

Everything remains silent, while the former equine processes the information. She turns slightly to look at Dean Cadance, who smiles back comfortingly.

Sunset tried to make sense of the situation.

She could not.

She had arrived at school that morning, and before she could do anything, Dean Cadance had approached and brought her to the principal's office, where Cinch thrusted this upon her.

"Principal Cinch, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't understand,” Sunset says uncertainly.

"Come on, it’s simple, Sunset," says Indigo Zap, standing next to Sunset’s chair. "Every year, we have a sports competition against Trottingham College. It's a way to unite the school and raise some funds."

Sunset nods, understanding that part. Or at least, she thinks she does.

"This year, we’re having a soccer game," continues Indigo. "The team has been putting in their best work training all month, but there’s a problem. One of our star players had a tear, and he won’t be able to recover before the game, so we need a substitute."

Sunset looks at Indigo, waiting for more. Indigo looks at Sunset.

Sunset blinks. Indigo blinks.

"I mean you, Sunset," Indigo explains finally.

"Yeah, I know!" says Sunset, smiling animatedly. After a pregnant pause, her smile turns nervous and she asks, "What?"

Indigo facepalms. "I need you to join the team, just for this game."

"That part I get it, but... What?!"

Cinch leans on her desk and says, "Is there a problem, Miss Shimmer?"

"You tell me!" Sunset responds, confused. "Why do you want me to play? What makes you think I can even play soccer? "

Indigo is the one who answers. "I already told you, we need another player."

"Don't you have substitutes for cases like these?"

"Yes, but none of them can stand up to Trottingham. We need someone who can handle their strength."

"But why me?"

"Sunset, I've seen you in gym class! You're agile, fast and strong, you practically mastered all the exercises of the class, and you don’t even sweat!"

"Of course, I sweat. What kind of person doesn’t—?"

"The point," Indigo interrupts, "is that you're a natural athlete. Maybe you can’t replace our injured player, but you can fill the space and give us a better chance than any other player would."

"This is ridiculous…"

To everyone’s surprise, the principal suddenly stands up. "In any case, Miss Shimmer, you will join the school's soccer team, and I hope that, with your help, we can deal with this problem."

"Do I even have a choice?"

The principal's gaze remains grave.

"I didn’t think so." Sunset lowers her head, defeated and frustrated.

Indigo gives Sunset a look, then says, "Being such an important event, Principal Cinch has allowed us to use the afternoon to practice. We meet after lunch from one-thirty to five o’clock."

"... I can't stay that long. I have... things to do at three-thirty."

She wasn’t about to tell them about the band.

Indigo looks questioningly at the principal, who simply returns the stare with a raised eyebrow. After an internal struggle, Indigo says, "... Okay, fine, since we kind of blindsided you with this. That should be enough for you to at least catch up with the team."

Cinch comes around to the front of her desk, standing in front of the newest student at the school. Her posture and the effect of the shadows and lights on her make her look extremely intimidating.

Sunset had faced evil demons and sirens, and that only here in this world, so the view of the imposing woman did not have much impact, although it did give a slight chill.

"I'm counting on you, Miss Shimmer," The woman says gravely. "To play—and win—on behalf of our school."

Sunset knows what manipulation was; she had used it hundreds, maybe thousands of times. She knows perfectly well that those emphases had a meaning.

But she is not sure what it could be...

"Dismissed," Cinch announces.

Sunset hurriedly leaves the principal's office.

The day did not start well. Sunset just hoped that nothing else would happen.

*S*A*S*

No such luck.

Sunset could not help but feel confused by the sight of the girl shivering in the chair in that small, dark room.

Sour Sweet smiles and says sweetly, "I present you, the digital stalker~." Her tone shifts, and she growls, "The creator of the blog!"pointing to the girl in the chair.

The girl in question is younger than them, about two, maybe three years younger, wearing the same school uniform, her purple hair adorned with a yellow-white ribbon, her soft, brown eyes full of fear as she looks at her ‘captors’.

Sunny Flare, standing next to Sunset, places a finger on her chin. "Are you sure about this, Sour Sweet?"

"Very sure. I followed the link's data in the school’s page, and I found the point from where it was created: this twerp's personal computer."

She presents a small, pink laptop. The younger girl bites her lip worriedly when she sees her computer in Sour's hand.

"You can see it yourselves,~" Sour says in her sweet voice. "The twerp left the username and password in the boxes."

Sunny takes the laptop and examines it, staring at the blog access screen. A click makes it open. "Hm, I see."

Sunset keeps her poker face, still not convinced it’s all a big deal.

The door opens, flooding the room in light, brightening the janitor’s closet the girls commandeered.

"Here we are!" Sonata exclaims, entering the place, pulling Twilight in with her by the wrist.

"Close the door! I’m trying to make this dramatic!" exclaims Sour.

Startled, Sonata slams the door closed, bathing the room once more in darkness.

"Um... What's going on here?" asks the scientist, fearful about the situation.

Sunny replies, "Sour Sweet has found who created the blog to defame Sunset."

"Who was it?!" Sonata asks angrily. "I'll make him eat rancid broccoli to teach him a lesson!"

The president points to the girl in the chair, who jumps backwards into the backrest when the blue-haired siren leans to face her.

"So, you're the guilty party, huh?!" Sonata says in a tone that’s almost threatening.

The accused does not respond, but small tears form in her eyes.

"Well, I only have one question for you!" Suddenly, Sonata opens the blog on her phone. "Why’d you just use normal photos? Don’t you know how to photoshop? You could do so much more to make Sunset look bad! If you're going to bully someone, do it right, girl!"

Silence falls on the group. Sour Sweet facepalms, Sunny grabs the bridge of her nose, Twilight sighs, and Sunset glares at Sonata.

Sour pushes Sonata's face away from the accused and stares at her. "Well, twerp, you’re trapped here. Confess your crime, and maybe the principal will have pity on you."

The defendant tries to speak, but her fear makes it impossible. "I-I-I…"

Sunset finally decides to speak up. "Okay, who is this?"

"This is—" Sonata pauses. "Uh… What's your name?" she asks the girl.

"Su-Su-... Suri..." she responds fearfully.

"This is Sususuri!” Sonata pauses again. “That’s a weird name. Is it French?"

Sunny massages her forehead before speaking, "Ugh, her name is Suri Polomare. I know her from my art class; she may be a freshman, but she’s already taking some advanced classes."

Sunset looks at the girl, now known as Suri Polomare. "Why would she do this? I don’t even know her."

Sour Sweet looks accusingly to Suri. "You heard the girl, twerp! Confess!"

"N-No... I didn't want..." She trails off, unable to say more.

"You won’t talk, huh?" Sour says, scowling.

"Oh! Leave her to me!" Sonata says suddenly. "I know sixteenth-century torture techniques that’ll make her talk."

Suri hugs herself in terror.

"That's not necessary," Sunny responds. "Let's just take her to the principal. She'll fix this matter."

"No, please!" Suri shouts.

"Aww, but I never get to use them!" protests Sonata. "Ever since they became illegal in the eighteenth century. Stupid humanitarians."

Although the phrase leaves all them a little confused, none seems to want to go down that particular rabbit hole.

"Alright, twerp, stand up," Sour orders. "The principal will want to see you and know what you did."

"No! It wasn’t me! I—"

"Don’t lie. Your computer has all the evidence we need."

"B-But—"

Sunny steps forward and crosses her arms. "If you want to talk, start by explaining your reasons."

"I-I wasn’t... I..." Suddenly, young girl starts crying. "I didn't want to do it! Someone made me create the blog and upload those photos!"

"Oh, yeah? Who was it?" Sour asks incredulously.

"… I can't say…"

"Why not?" Sunny asks, annoyed.

"... He told me that if I didn't do what he said... he would tell my teachers that I cheated on the exams two weeks ago..."

Twilight, a little surprised, asks, "You did?"

Suri shakes her head and clears her tears a little. "No! I know I'm not always fair in class... but I wouldn't cheat on an exam. That would get me expelled. I can't risk that..."

"Then why do you let him intimidate you?" Twilight asks, puzzled. "Just say he's lying."

Suri starts to sniffle again. "I can't... It would be his word against mine... and mine has no value because I’m still really young! No teacher in my advanced classes would believe me."

Sour Sweet lost the little patience she had left. "Just stop crying and tell us who you’re talking about!"

"I can't! He’ll know if I tell someone, and he’ll get me expelled."

Sour smiles at her. "Aww, that’s so sad~!” Her smile falls. “but I don't believe a word of it!"

"But... But I—"

"Forget it!" shouts Sour. "You, Blue, grab the twerp and take her to the principal."

"Yes, boss!" Sonata was used to the orders, so there was no complaint from her.

"Please! I didn't want to—"

"Tell it to the judge!" The siren takes the girl and forces her to her feet.

Sunny talks impatiently. "Whether your story is true or not, it's no excuse to do such an act. You deserve to be punished."

Suri can only lower her head and start crying. Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare glare at her with serious expressions, unconcerned with her crying.

Sonata keeps a deep frown, as if wanting to look rough. Twilight looks somewhat sympathetic.

Sunset, on the other hand, remains impassive, expressionless as she watches the young girl cry, defeated.

"It wasn’t me. Please..."

"You can say it until you’re blue in the face, but we won’t believe you," Sour says.

Suri surrenders, sniffling quietly. Sighing, Sunset approaches and looks at the little girl. "I believe you."

Suri opens her tearful eyes in great surprise, as do the other four girls in the room. Sunset ignores the others and just smiles softly at the youngest of those present.

Suri has trouble finding her words. "Y-You... Really...?"

Sunset just smiles encouragingly. "Sure. Sonata, let her go, okay?"

"Um, are you sure?"

Sunset just nods. The siren looks at the accused for a moment, before she lets go. "Well, if Sunsite says so."

"Sunset Shimmer, what are you doing?" Sour Sweet demands.

Sunset does not respond, keeping her attention on Suri. "You can go now. I'm sorry about all this."

Suri keeps staring at Sunset. "I... Seriously...?"

"Yeah. I know it's not your fault," Sunset answers.

"But... what do I do now...?"

Sunset doesn’t drop her smile. "Keep doing what that guy tells you."

"What?! B-But—"

"If you don't, he's going to lie about you, right?" Sunset extends her hand and wipes the tears of the young girl, who is more surprised. "Don’t worry. We'll fix this, and we won’t get you in trouble."

Suri begins to cry again, throwing herself at the older woman and wrapping her in a hug as she sobs. Sunset is surprised, but soon regains her smile and returns the hug.

The others are still surprised by the scene, though Sour Sweet also looks upset.

Soon, Sunset removes the girl from her waist and smiles again. "Come on, go to class, and don't worry about this anymore."

Suri can only smile through her tears. A snarl makes her turn around, looking in terror at Sour Sweet’s furious visage. Suri shouts in fright and runs out of the room, bathing the room in light for the brief moment the door is open before once more casting everything in darkness.

Sour Sweet looks at Sunset with a sweet smile. "Oh Sunset, dear companion, could you please explain~whatthe hell you just did?!"Her question ends with a growl.

"... You don't need to yell," says Sunset without flinching.

Sour opens her mouth to speak, but Sunny covers her mouth before she gets the chance and takes the floor. "I'm sorry, Sunset, but I agree. Why did you let her go?"

"Because it's not her fault," Sunset replies simply. "If someone is forcing her, I can't blame her."

Sour removes Sunny's hand from her mouth. "How can you say it's not her fault?!" she exclaims angrily.

Twilight says, "Sunset, do you really believe what she said?"

Sunset takes a few seconds, but answers confidently, "Yes, I believe her."

"Why?" Sunny questions, more curious than angry.

Again, Sunset takes a few seconds and closes her eyes a moment before answering, "Because I could see it in her eyes. She reminded me of myself..."

The answer leaves everyone more confused than satisfied.

"When CHS accused me of being Anon-a-Miss, it didn’t matter how much I cried or how much I begged. No one believed me. They were all convinced that I was the guilty party."

Twilight and Sonata look at Sunset with sympathy, and Sunny relaxes her somewhat accusatory expression.

It's Sour Sweet who stays confused. "'Anon-a-Miss'?"

Sunset continues, "Seeing her like that... It reminded me of how I was when they accused me of something I didn't do... Those tears can't be faked."

To her surprise, Sunset feels a strong hug as Sonata wraps her arms around her waist, and she smiles.

Twilight looks at her too, with a sympathetic smile. Even Sunny smiles after a moment of doubt.

Sour Sweet, however, says, "Alright, I feel like I'm missing something."

"I'll explain it to you later, Sour," Sunny replies.

"Ugh... Back to the point, we know that girl made the blog and is updating it!"

"Yes, but it's not her fault," repeats Sunset. "Someone’s manipulating her. We have to find out who. If you want to kill a snake, cut off its head."

Sour Sweet smiles. "Oh, and how do you expect to do that~?"

"Actually, Suri gave us a couple of clues," Sunset replies with a smirk.

Sour gets curious looks. "What clues?" Sour asks, frowning.

"I'll tell you, but first, can we get out of here? All this darkness is bothering me."

Once out of the janitor's closet, Sunset begins, "Well, first of all, we know it's a 'he', so Lighning Dust is out. I doubted it was her to begin with, but now, I'm sure."

The four watch and listen attentively, with different expressions.

Sunset continues, "More importantly, the person who is forcing Suri is doing so under the threat of lying to her teachers. Sunny,"Sunny snaps to attention as Sunset says, "you said that Suri has some advanced classes for her age, right?"

"Um, yes," Sunny responds. "She’s smart and has some contacts that allowed her to take a couple of higher classes."

Sunset says, "Okay. Taking into account that she said that she was too young for her word to have value, it can only be an older boy who knows her from her advanced classes."

Twilight meditates on that. "That makes a lot of sense. A teacher would only believe a lie like that if he knew both students from the same class."

"Precisely," agrees Sunset. "Therefore, the culprit—"

"Is a boy about our age who attends one of Suri Polomare’s advanced classes," Sunny finishes. "Right."

Sour Sweet considers that. "Hm, if that's true, what we should do is see what classes that girl takes and find out which male students take that same class. Even so, that could give an extensive list of suspects. How are we supposed to catch the culprit?"

Before anyone could answer that, the school bell sounds.

"We'll think about it after school," Sunset says.

With that, the five girls go their separate ways. Suddenly, Sunset stops and turns. "Sunny, Sour Sweet!" Both turn, and Sunset smiles at them. "Thank you."

With that said, she resumes her way, as do Twilight and Sonata, leaving Sour and Sunny, who watch the fire-haired girl leave.

Sunny smiles. "She's an interesting girl, don't you think?"

"I would say strange. Very, very strange," replies Sour. Sunny does not respond but maintains her curious smile, which Sour notices. "Oh no... I know that smile. What are you plotting this time? No! Don't say it! I'd rather not know."

Sour quickly scurries away. Sunny does not stop her; she just stays steeped in her own ideas.

*S*A*S*

"Here we go!" exclaims a happy Lemon Zest as she takes out a roll of paper from her purse, which turns out to be a small poster as she unfolds it.

On the poster is an image of an electric guitar. In the background is what looks like the sun hiding on the horizon, and around it are waves of dark colors, as if they were shadows in the illusion of movement.

The phrase 'Sunset Among Shadows' is written on the top, accompanied by some musical notes.

Sunset stares impassively, Twilight seems confused, and Sonata smiles, impressed. "It looks great!" Sonata says.

"Heh heh, thanks! I designed it myself!" Lemon says with pride. "Of course, I asked a graphic design house to do it put it on the poster, but the drawing was one hundred percent my idea."

Sunset is curious but smiles, in the end. "It's nice."

Twilight matches the smile. "Yes... Um... What is it exactly?"

"It's the new poster for our band!" Lemon cheers. “The one we’ll use to announce ourselves when playing in front of an audience!"

Sonata starts jumping excitedly in place, clapping her hands.

Twilight does not get quite so excited, but she smiles. "Well, it's pretty, striking, and quite original."

Lemon smiles broadly.

Sunset looks at the name. "Wath is, 'Sunset Among Shadows'?"

"The name of our band, duh," Lemon responds.

"When did we decide on that name?" Twilight asks.

"We didn't," answers Lemon, "but I did! It’s based on what we are! Twilight, Sonata and I are Shadowbolts, since we’ve been studying here for a while, but Sunset is still new. ‘Sunset Among Shadows’." She points first to Sunset, then to the rest. "Get it?"

Twilight asks, "Shouldn’t you have consulted us before making such a choice?"

"Can you think of a better and cooler name than this one?" Lemon challenges.

"Ah... I... Uh..."

"I think it's great!" Sonata exclaims with joy. "'Sunset Among Shadows'! I love it!"

Sunset is very confused. "Why’s the emphasis on me?"

"Well, you're the leader of the band," Lemon responds, as if it were obvious.

"What?! But it's your band!" Sunset exclaims.

"Well, I'm the founder, but the band only came together thanks to you. According to Duskie, you helped her sing again, and I would never have known about Sparkle’s hidden talent without you. Besides, you already have experience in bands, and you know how to play the guitar, which I still have to practice. You have more experience than me, and it doesn’t bother me to say that you’re smarter, and you probably make better decisions than I do. And that’s why you’re the leader."

The long and descriptive explanation leaves Sunset mute for a while, until she finally says, "Why do I feel like you're just making excuses not to do the job?"

Lemon's smile becomes a little nervous. "Anyway, I still haven’t told you the most exciting thing!"

"Oh, my God!" Sonata exclaims. "Can it even get more exciting?!"

"It sure can!" responds Lemon, smiling more widely. "You see, there’s this club that I usually go to on Fridays, and there's this guy I know. He works there, and I have a couple of drinks with him sometimes—"

"You’re underage," interrupts Twilight.

"And guess what!" Lemon continues, ignoring Twilight. "He got us a gig for next Friday!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" the siren screams gleefully.

"What?!" Sunset and Twilight exclaim in unison.

"We’re playing in front of a real audience!" exclaims Lemon. "What do you think?"

Smiling, Lemon waits for the response of her companions. Sonata jumps in excitement, but Sunset and Twilight are stunned.

"This is a joke... right?" Sunset asks, still surprised.

"Nuh-uh!" Lemon answers. "It's true. We're having our first concert!"

"Hurray!" exclaims Sonata, her face becoming dreamy. "I'll be able to sing again in front of people! How much I missed that!"

Sunset stares at Lemon, her temper rising. Lemon's excited smile almost made Sunset want to hit something. In fact, she does just that, slapping herself to force herself to react. "Lemon, that's crazy!"

"I know! And I love it!"

"We can't play in front of people! We’ve only been a band for a few days! What about the trial period? I haven’t even decided if I want to be in the band. We don’t have any songs! You don't even know how to play yet!"

"Pffff, learning a song or two will be like giving a taco to Duskie!"

As if she wanted to prove her point, Lemon pulls out a taco (from where, no one knows) and holds it out to Sonata, who stares at it as if hypnotized. Lemon gently throws the taco into the air, and Sonata catches it in her mouth, wolfing it down in one bite.

Sunset gets over her disgust and says, "Ugh, Twilight, help me here." There’s no response. "Twilight?" When Sunset turns to look at her companion, she sees that Twilight is gone.

The three of them look around, and finally, they find the scientist lying on her side, hugging her legs in a fetal position and trembling with a gaze of pure terror on her face.

"... Live... Play... People... Watching... Bad..." Twilight trails off, her words becoming incomprehensible.

Sonata leans a little to see her better. "... I think she broke."

Sunset approaches and kneels down, shaking Twilight. "Twilight. Twilight, what's wrong with you?"

"Ma-Ma-Many people... watching... Baaaaaad..."

"Ugh!" is the only thing Sunset manages to say.

Lemon is surprised, but tries to keep her smile. "... Okay, a bit of stage fright. Nothing that can’t be fixed, and I can practice and learn to play a couple of songs before next Friday, no problem."

Sunset rubs her face and lets out a moan. "Lemon, I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work."

"Oh, come on Sun-Shim. It's just a club. Nothing’ll happen if we fail!"

"I'm not talking about playing live, I'm talking about the band."

"... Wh-What...?"

"Look, I agreed to this, mostly because you wanted it, but I'm not really interested in having concerts and things like that. I'm sorry."

With that said, Sunset closes her eyes, and, with a serious, though sad, expression, walks towards the exit.

"Sun-Shim, wait!" Lemon exclaims.

Sonata hugs Sunset from behind and holds her in place. "Sunsite, don’t go! Please!"

"Sonata... I'm sorry, but... I can’t... I can’t do something like that..."

Twilight somehow leaves her fear behind and sits up hurriedly. "Sunset, wait!" Everyone turns to look at the scientist. "It's okay! I'm fine! I can do it. Let's play!"

"What?" That leaves Sunset more impressed than annoyed.

"Yeah! Please, Sunsite!" Sonata pleads. "I want us to play, all together! We're frie—partners!"

"Yeah, Sun-Shim, play with us!"

The three looks intensely, pleadingly at the former equine. Sunset could not be more surprised.

In the end, Sunset just sighs. "Alright..."

A squeal escapes from Sonata, and the siren tightens her embrace, crushing Sunset a little. Twilight smiles animatedly, but not as much as Lemon, who celebrates with her fist held high.

Sunset sighs again and lowers her head.

Why couldn’t she stop pampering these girls?

Calming down a little, Lemon says, "Alright, Sunset Among Shadows, we have a lot to practice and not a lot of time, so let’s get started!"

Sonata and Twilight rush to take their places. Sunset allows herself a few seconds to rub her face tiredly. "This is gonna be a looooooong week..."

Author's Notes:

In the Next Chapter of Sunset Among Shadows

The first thing he notices is the aroma of coffee beans, and the pleasant temperature of the place.

It is a fairly large venue, with many tables placed against the walls, provided with seats with very high backs. Several young people, and not so young, are sitting, drinking something warm.

His gaze never leaves the table where her already known woman with fire hair is sitting, she takes a drink at her cup and it is then that she realizes his presence.

She smiles softly at him, he does the same, she gestures for him to come closer, and he is quick to respond.

He keeps his smile, and he is calm, but inside, he felt his heart beat hard as he approaches the table.

... why was he so nervous? ...

When he is already very close, she greets him. "Flash, thanks for coming."

Do not miss it!

New Friendship Among Old Friendship

View Online

It's Friday, and the bell’s ringing signals the end of the school day and OF the week itself.

Flash Sentry quickly stores his books and notebooks and closes his locker. As he does, his bandmates Brawly Beats and Ringo jog up to him.

"Hey, Flash," greets Brawly.

"Oh, hey, guys," Flash returns.

"Hey, wanna practice?" asks Ringo. "I know we've been a little lazy lately, but you know..."

"We could use a bit of practice. Get our spirits up," finishes Brawly.

Flash gets a little nervous. "Oh, sorry, guys, but I, um… I have plans for today."

"Plans? Come on, man, what's more important than playing with your buds?" Ringo asks, surprised by the answer.

"I'm really sorry," the guitarist repeats. "But I've been looking forward to this, and... we'll practice tomorrow, I promise. See you tomorrow!"

With that, Flash turns around and runs off down the corridor. Both guys look at him for a moment, then exchange glances.

"It's a girl."

"Definitely."

*S*A*S*

Flash wastes no time in leaving school, bolting through the parking lot into his car. Seconds later, he was already gone.

The first thing he does when he gets home is to take a shower, quickly washing before jumping out and drying off. He rushes to his closet and yanks the doors open.

Flash is a boy. Clothes were not exactly a priority issue, but fortunately, he kept a few outfits that looked a little better than his casual clothes for special occasions. And, boy, was this a special occasion.

He pulls out a few shirts, a few undershirts, a few pairs of pants, and two light coats and spends the next five minutes rearranging them on his bed to find the look he liked the most. Finally, he finds one: a pair of black shoes and socks, warm but formal gray pants, a white shirt, a light blue sweater with his favorite lightning bolt symbol, and over it all, a black, synthetic-leather jacket.

After combing his hair, he checks himself out in the mirror. "It's not too much, right?" He adjusts the clothes, rolls his shoulders, and checks his hair. Walking away from his reflection, he takes a deep breath. "Damn. Why do I feel so nervous? I have to calm down. I don’t want to end up making a fool of myself." He checks himself in the mirror again. "Should I buy flowers...?"

His reflection gives no answer.

Something rings in his jacket hanging from his door. Quickly, Flash snatches the phone out of the jacket’s pocket and checks it. It’s his alarm.

"I'm late!"

Flash shoves the phone into his own pocket and dashes out of the room… only to dash back inside seconds later for his car keys.

*S*A*S*

Flash drives through the city at a slow but constant pace, carefully observing his directions. Finally, he gets to what looks like a café. He parallel parks out front and checks his phone.

-Brown Field.

Dumble Ave. and Dalf Rd.

4:30-

Flash looks up at the sign of the place. Sure enough, Brown Field.

Taking a deep breath, Flash takes one more look in the rearview mirror. He gets out of the vehicle and checks the time.

-4:15-

Despite his late departure, he had arrived a little ahead of time, much to his relief. He peers through the windows of the building, looking for someone.

"I wonder if she's already here," he thinks to himself. "Maybe I should wait for her out here."

The idea was not very tempting; the air is cold, and the wind is blowing rather strongly this afternoon.

"I can also wait for her inside. I don’t think she'll get upset if—"

Before finishing his thought, he manages to distinguish a red-and-yellow head of hair at a table at the back of the café.

He smiles broadly, checks his outfit one last time, and finally enters the place.
The first thing he notices is the aroma of coffee beans and the pleasant temperature of the place.

It is a fairly large venue, with many tables placed against the walls, lined with seats with very high backs. Several young people, and many not so young, are sitting around the place, drinking whatever warm drink suits their taste.

His gaze never leaves the table where Sunset sits. She takes a sip from her cup, and it is then that she realizes his presence. She smiles softly at him, and he does the same. She gestures for him to come closer, which he hurriedly does, keeping his calm smile, while his heart beats hard against his chest as he approaches.

“Why am I so nervous?” he thinks. “Come on, Flash. It’s Sunset. Get it together.”

When he is already very close, she greets him. "Thanks for coming, Flash."

"H-Hey, Sunset," greets Flash, containing his nervousness "It's good to see—Twilight?!"

He cuts his own sentence off, startled to see the girl sitting next to Sunset.

Twilight looks at the boy curiously. "Um... Hello?"

The height of the other patrons kept the girl hidden from the entrance. She looks curiously at his surprise.

"What are you doing here?” Flash asks. “Since when do you wear glasses?"

"Um, since ever?" she answers, confused by the question.

Flash looks across from the two girls, and his heart leaps into his throat yet again as he sees Sunset’s other guest. Sonata Dusk looks up when she notices Flash looking at her, waving happily at him in greeting.

Instantly, Flash takes a step back in horror. "Y-You’re...!"

Sunset bites her lip, and tries to smile. "Calm down, Flash. Everything is fine. Please sit down."

Unsure, Flash looks at Sunset, and then to the other two girls. The blue girl smiles and makes a gesture to sit next to her. Flash also notes a cup of coffee with cream sitting in that place.

After a moment of doubt, he sits at the table.

Sunset looks to the side for a moment, then tries to smile, nervous. "I took the liberty of ordering something for you. You still like decaf with cream, right?"

"Uh, yeah, thanks," he responds, still somewhat nervous, although now for reasons other than meeting Sunset.

Sunset clears her throat, trying to dispel the very tense atmosphere. "Well, um, I'll introduce you. Twilight, Sonata, this is Flash Sentry, a friend of mine from CHS. My only friend in CHS." The last sentence is a barely audible whisper.

Flash feels his heart skip a beat when he hears her call him a friend.

Both girls smile and greet the boy, and he greets them back, still confused.

Sunset follows the introductions. "Flash, this is Twilight Sparkle." She points to the girl with glasses. "You two don't know each other."

The comment gains a curious gaze from the scientist and a very confused from the guitarist.

"Uh... Of course... Yes..." Flash says, trying to regain his composure. "Uh, a pleasure to meet you, Twilight."

"The pleasure is mine, Flash," responds Twilight. "Sunset told me about you."

The boy felt his heart skip again. "Really?"

Twilight gets a little nervous. "Yeah. She told us about... the thing that happened at CHS… and she told me that you supported her when she needed it. That was very noble of you." She smiles at him.

That smile. Now, his heart was truly jumping.

"Heh... I just... I did... It's nothing, heh..." He tries to swallow his nervousness with a sip of his coffee.

Sunset talks again. "And this is Sonata Dusk. These two are my classmates at Crystal Prep."

It is then that he notices that the three of them are wearing the same uniform. Sunset notices her look and smiles with some regret. "Yeah, sorry that we came in uniform. We were…busy this afternoon, and we didn’t have time to go home to change."

"Oh, no, it's okay!" replies Flash. "The uniform looks good on you. I mean, it looks good on everyone. I mean, it just looks good! I mean... ugh..."

His attitude wins a couple of laughs from the three girls, and he cannot help but blush with embarrassment. He takes a sip of his coffee, turning his eyes away.

Trying to change the subject, he turns back to the blue-haired woman, who keeps smiling. "And, uh... I guess you and I don't know each other, either."

Sonata responds with her smile still present. "Well, I didn't know your name, but I remember you! You're the one crushing on Princess Twilight."

Twilight is curious about that. “What?"

"Don't worry about it," says Sunset.

The scientist’s curiosity is palpable. Almost as much as the boy's fear. "B-But then... you’re the si—"

"Calm down, Flash," says Sunset. "Everything’s alright."

"But she's—"

"Calm down. She won’t bite."

"Not unless you want me to," Sonata said. "I wouldn't mind; you're cute."

The look and her tone of voice the siren worry him, though the exact reason is debatable.

Sunset decides to change the subject. "Anyway, I'm glad the three of you could come."

Flash overcomes his fear, confused. "The three…"

Twilight says, "Well, you said you wanted to tell us something important."

"Yeah, well, it's important to me," answers Sunset. "I wanted to thank you for the help you’ve given me."

The three look curiously at the fire-haired girl, who blushes slightly. "Since... well... I changed schools, you three have helped me a lot. Flash, you were there to help me when I had no one else to call on. After... that fight and, well... you know, the other... I-I really appreciate it."

Flash blushes a bit himself, but he gives the girl a smile.

"Twilight," Sunset continues, "Without you, I wouldn’t have passed the exams, and I may have been expelled after the fight. Being with you makes me feel so much better at school."

Twilight smiles, and looks away, somewhat embarrassed.

"And Sonata…" The siren looks with an innocent, hopeful smile at the former equine.

Silence.

Sunset searches for something to say, finally sighing and saying, "I like you, Sonata." The siren’s smile widens, unfazed by Sunset’s pause. "Um, yeah, well, that's why I wanted you to come today. I wanted to thank you."

"Sunset, that's... cute," Twilight says, still smiling.

"Ooh, look. Sunsite’s turning red!" laughs Sonata.

"No, I’m not!" claims Sunset.

"Yeah, you are!" Sonata replies.

Sonata’s teasing just serves to darken Sunset’s blush, intensifying Sonata’s laughter and even drawing a giggle from the scientist.

Flash, however, seems a tad worried. "So... you asked us—the three of us—to come? Here? Today?"

Sunset looks curious. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Uh... No reason! It's nothing, heh heh..." Looking away, Flash takes a sip of his coffee as Sunset raises an eyebrow in confusion.

Twilight speaks up. "Well, Sunset, you don’t need to thank me. You... You’ve also helped me a lot, and... well... I don't even know what to say anymore."

"Sunsite, you're great! We love you," the blue-haired girl happily proclaims.

"I love you two, too," replies Sunset. "And you, Flash. You’re a great friend."

"Heh, you... You're also a great friend, Sunset."

The group shares a smile before Sunset speaks again. "Well, drink what you want today. It’s on me. Then, we can go and do something fun."

"Yay! I want tacos!" exclaims you-know-who.

"Uh, they don’t sell tacos here," says Twilight.

"... This place sucks."

Sunset chuckles a little. "Heh, we can go buy some later."

"Yay! Tacooooooooos!"

Sonata’s shout gets the attention of more than one of the other clients, but none of the teens pays attention, too busy laughing at the attitude of her blue-haired friend.

*S*A*S*

A few cups of coffee, some chocolate, and a few snacks later...

Sunset takes back her credit card and leaves the place to meet her three companions. "Well, where do you want to go now?"

"Let's do something fun!" Sonata proposes.

"Let’s go to the library," suggests Twilight. Everyone looks at the scientist, who looks away bashfully and says, "It’s fun for me..."

"That’s adorable, Twilight," Sunset says teasingly.

Twilight blushes as the rest share a laugh.

*S*A*S*

Sunset looks out the window of the car before turning and smiling at the driver. "Thanks for driving us. You didn’t have to."

"Well, I brought my car, so, you know…” Flash says. “It's easier than walking. Warmer, too."

Sonata leans forward a little. "I love cars! They’re so fun! Have any of you ever been in one?"

"I suspect we all have, Sonata," answers Sunset.

"I remember when cars were invented. They made such strange noises when they moved. It was like, 'plum plum clam clam pliiiiiiih'!"

Sunset and Flash chuckle at the siren’s imitation as Twilight raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean you remember when cars were invented?"

"And everyone wore such funny clothes,” Sonata continued, giggling. “Aria always hated those huge dresses. Oh! It was also around that time that Adagio had to pass herself off as a man! What was her name...? Oh, yeah! 'Sir Dazzlensen'!"

"Sir... What?"

"It's because it was impossible for a woman to have a high position back then. It was so funny to see her act like a man, especially whenever she had to hide her breasts!"

Sonata finally cuts herself off, falling into a fit of laughter. Twilight's curiosity only increases, and she looks at Sunset as if waiting for an explanation. Sunset just laughs nervously and shrugs at the almost accusatory look of the scientist.

"You are very strange sometimes."

*S*A*S*

Finally, they arrive at a destination: a striking music store with an attractive sign of colors, ornaments and neon lights illuminating the building’s façade.

Twilight hesitates a moment. "Um... More music?"

Sonata responds animatedly, as always, "Sure! We all love music, right?"

Twilight responds, "Um, no."

Sunset, too. "Meh, not so much."

Sonata ignores them. "Let's go in!"

The sliding doors open, allowing them to enter. The place is equally striking on the inside, with neon lights, posters of singers and shiny discs hanging on the ceiling and walls.

"Nice place," admits Sunset.

"Ugh, all this light’s killing me." Twilight touches her glasses a little. "I'll need to change these for sunglasses."

"Twilight!" Sunset exclaims, surprised.

"What?!" Twilight asks, startled.

"Did you just make a joke?"

"… Did I?"

Before Sunset could respond, they hear Sonata call, "Sunset, Twilight! Come here. You have to see this thing!"

When they turn around, they only manage to see her get lost among the CD shelves.

Twilight laughs a little. "Um, I think she's excited."

They hear the voice of Flash at the other end. "Check it out! This place is having a sale! I could use some extra strings."

Sunset laughs this time. "She's not the only one."

Twilight snickers with Sunset, which soon turns to a full, good-naturedly laugh.

*S*A*S*

The afternoon passes.

Sunset buys a couple of CDs as Flash buys his strings, and the two spend some time admiring some guitars placed in display cases around the store.

Sonata spends her time singing in what looks like a karaoke station, the other customers listening with great pleasure and applauding her after every song, which Sonata gladly accepts.

Even Twilight seems interested in some things, including instruments and posters, especially enjoying Sunset’s history lesson on some of the bands and songs. Finally, Sunset buys Twilight some CDs with mixes and melodies from keyboards to help her with her part in the band. Twilight happily, if embarrassedly, accepts.

*S*A*S*

After what felts like hours, they decide to leave, laughing and talking as they walk out.

Flash asks, "Well, where to next?"

"Tacos!"

The answer is so quick and determined that the others bark a laugh.

"I’m telling you, this place is great. And there’s a sale today,” says a voice in the distance.

Sunset's laughter dies instantly upon hearing that voice, and her brow furrows as she listens.

"We understand that, Rainbow," says another voice, "but why are you so eager? And why are you dragging us along?"

Sunset's gaze becomes extremely cold, and everyone's laughter ceases when they see her expression.

Flash becomes worried. "S-Sunset...?"

"We’re gonna buy new instruments!"

Soon, Flash hears the voices, too. He instantly looks in their direction, as do Twilight and Sonata, and spots a familiar group approaching.

*S*A*S*

Applejack asks tiredly, "New instruments? For what?"

"Duh! Ours suck now!" answers Rainbow. "We need new ones to keep playing."

Rarity says, downcast, "Honestly, Rainbow Dash, I don't have the courage to touch anything even remotely musical."

"Come on, girls!" the chromatic girl asserts. "I know... we've been pretty bad lately…"

“There’s an understatement,” Applejack says sarcastically.

"But I know we can pick up the pace and be the best band in the city again!"

Diane speaks up, her voice and words devoid of emotion. "There is no more band, Rainbow Dash."

"Pinkie, how long are you gonna be like this?"

"My name is Diane."

Rainbow ignores that and tries again. "Come on, girls, I know we can fix this. We just need to get some new equipment! You'll see."

*S*A*S*

The Rainbooms finally gets close enough to notice the Crystal Prep girls. The attention of both groups rests on Sunset.

"Sunset?" Applejack says.

Sunset doesn’t answer. Instead, she sighs from the nose, and her shoulders fall as if in defeat. "It was too perfect an afternoon," she mutters. "I should’ve known something would screw it up." Then, she speaks to her colleagues. "Let's go. I just want to go home."

Without bothering to wait for them, she begins to walk away. Her companions and former friends can only watch. And, again, the five friends feel that familiar pang of guilt.

The shy girl in the group looks away, full of regret, but in doing so, she cannot help but notice another familiar face.

"Twilight...?"

The name breaks her friends’ spell, and they look where Fluttershy is looking. Twilight herself turns around upon hearing her name, noticing everyone’s eyes on her. She shrinks into herself, uncomfortable at the sudden attention.

Rainbow looks over at Sunset’s other companions, noticing yet another familiar face in the Crystal Prep uniform. "You!"

Sonata jumps, realizing that the athlete is glaring at her.

"You..." Rainbow's voice drips with venom. She clenches her fists hard, her eyes blazing.

Sonata instantly becomes nervous and runs from the athlete. "Sunset! Wait for me!"

"Where do you think you're going?!"

To everyone's surprise, Rainbow races after the siren, easily overtaking her. Sonata screams as she is violently thrown against the wall and her vision is filled with the enraged face of the athlete.

"You! I should have known you were behind this!"

Sonata stares back, terrified. "Wh-What?"

"Free Sunset from your magic! Now!" orders Rainbow, furious.

Sonata’s scared look turns partly confused. "Free... What...?"

"Don't play dumb! You’re controlling Sunset’s mind!"

"What? No, I’m not! I can't do that stuff anymore!"

"Don’t lie to me! You're a monster! Leave her alone, or—"

She could not finish her sentence. Time seemed to slow as everyone saw Rainbow fall to the ground, the result of Sunset’s haymaker.

The prismatic girl falls to the ground, rubbing her rapidly swelling cheek as she looks up, seeing the most terrifying eyes she’s ever seen.

"Don't you dare touch her!" demands Sunset.

Her voice is as angry as her eyes, and the chromatic girl is frozen before the vision. She’s not the only one, though; Rainbow’s friends are also both surprised and frightened by the former equine.

"... S-Sunset..."

"If you touch her again, you're dead! Do you hear me?!"

Sunset was a demon once... in every way. But that did not compare to the cold and terrifying aura Sunset exuded now.

Flash and Twilight stare worriedly at Sunset. They had never seen her so angry.

Flash knew, perhaps better than anyone, the kind of person that Sunset was in Canterlot not long ago, but even he had never seen her like that.

And in Crystal Prep, Twilight had only seen Sunset as such a calm girl. Of course, she had stood up to those who bothered her and fought once against Lighting, but... this was not like that. She would never have expected the primal rage that Sunset showed now.

Sunset turns to the siren, her gaze softening but still serious. "Are you okay, Sonata?"

The siren does not speak, but nods. She looks nervous, scared. Sunset caresses the diva’s cheek, which seems to calm her a little.

Rainbow’s terror shifts to surprise at the sight, mirrored by the others.

Sunset was helping a siren...

Why…?

"... Sunset..." Rainbow whispers. The former equine turns to her, her gaze returning to that infernal fire. The chromatic girl shuts up, unable to continue talking.

Sunset ignores her and speaks to her friends. "Come on, Sonata, Twilight."

She gently takes Sonata’s arm and turns around. Sonata does not resist and follows Sunset closely. Very closely.

Twilight was still surprised, but soon runs to catch up to them.

Rainbow remains seated. "Sunset..."

"Sunset, wait!" The farmgirl runs forward and helps her athletic friend get up while calling to Sunset. "Sunset! That's one of the sirens!"

Sunset stops her walk, standing still for a moment. This allows Twilight to reach them. Both she and Sonata watch Sunset, worried. Finally, Sunset turns her head, looking at the blonde. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Applejack was so surprised at Sunset nonchalance that she lost her words for a bit. "Sunset... Ah understand... Ah understand that ya hate us... but... but ya can't walk with her! She's... She's a siren!"

"And I’m a pony. So, what?"

"Sunset..."

Rarity approaches a little and looks at her desperately. "Sunset, please think about what you’re doing! It's not safe for you to be with her!"

Sunset looks at them all with disinterest. "Why not?"

Rainbow recovers a little and answers the question. "Because she's one of those sirens! She’ll control your mind and make you do evil things, just like before!"

"Her name is Sonata,” Sunset snaps, “and if you’ll recall, the sirens never did anything to me."

Except for the confrontation she had with them in the hall, but that didn’t really count to Sunset.

"That doesn’t mean she won’t now! She's going to control you," repeats Rainbow, "and make you go back to what you were! Do you want that?!"

The accusations hurt the siren, which does not go unnoticed by Sunset. Sunset turns completely, glaring at everyone with a grave expression. "Guess what? There's a new Anon-a-Miss harassing me."

Everyone is, as Sunset expected, surprised.

"Somebody is making me look bad on the internet, spreading rumors and lies about me."

After saying that, Sunset is silent for a moment, and Twilight takes the opportunity to think about the situation.

Sunset was angry with those girls. That was more than clear. And by the way they all acted, it was not a superficial matter. This was something much more personal.

"Anon-a-Miss"... the incident that Sunset told them about. The reason why she had left Canterlot... A life destroyer that caused the whole school to turn against her...

Those girls were from Canterlot. They were schoolmates. No... It must be something... something more important than just schoolmates...

Sunset resumes talking. "I didn't care at first; it's not like I have anything else to lose now, or so I thought. When it started, Sonata was there for me. She supported me, she didn’t turn her back on me, she believes in me, and she wants to help me fix things."

Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity were speechless, unable to believe what they heard.

Fluttershy stays behind without saying anything, just looking at the ground with intense depression.

Diane just stares emotionlessly, her expression the same as it had been over the last week.

Sunset continues, "She doesn't manipulate me, and she hasn’t hurt me even by accident since we met. In fact, I felt better whenever she hung out with me."

Twilight assembles the pieces in her head. It was not difficult. Sunset's rancor was too deep, too personal. Those girls... they could only be...

Rainbow stares, unbelieving. "Sunset... are you saying...?"

Applejack is the same. "You’re sayin’... she’s—"

"My friend," Sunset interrupts, completing the farmer's sentence.

Again, time stops.

"Sonata is my friend. She’s a real friend, someone who believes in me and doesn’t turn her back on me."

The silence continues. Only the snow falling and some cars passing through the place are proof that the world is still moving, unlike Sunset’s former friends.

Finally, with the conversation over, Sunset takes the siren's hand, and they turn around, walking away. Twilight keeps her eyes on the five girls with a frown and an accusing look before she, too, walks away.

The Rainbooms are frozen in their place, only able to watch as the three girls get away.

Flash is the last one to retire, sharing a look with the five, a look of lamentation before following the Crystal Prep girls.

Sunset sees Flash approaching and watches him for a moment. "Are you coming with us?"

Flash just nods. There's no more talk as they leave the place.

*S*A*S*

A silence surrounds the four while they are in Flash’s car. It is not an uncomfortable silence, just a silence.

Twilight looks slightly over her shoulder, seeing Sunset and Sonata in the backseat. The latter has her eyes closed and her head resting on the shoulder of the former, who surrounds her with a protective arm.

Twilight smiles; it's a pretty adorable sight.

Sunset almost looked like a sister, or a mother taking care of her little girl. The thought caused Twilight to remember the times that Sunset had protected her at school.

"Sunset is truly a wonderful person," thinks the scientist. "I can’t imagine... who could believe her capable of something so bad." Her brow furrows at the memory of those five.

Flash keeps driving, unhappy about the whole situation. Eventually, he stops in front of a house. Sonata's house. "Here we are. This the place?"

The siren opens her eyes and turns to the house. "Yeah. Thanks for bringing me."

"No problem," the boy replies. "Seriously, I’m... I’m glad I could help."

"Heh heh, you're cute. Thanks. And... Sunset, thank you, too... for defending me back there."

Sunset just smiles at her. "Hey, that's what friends are for."

The siren’s eyes shine almost like stars as she throws herself in a bear hug at Sunset, who can only laugh at her attitude. "I love you!"the blue-haired one exclaims with great happiness.

Sunset smiles and stroke her blue hair. "I love you, too."

Sonata smiles at the caresses. They hold each other for a moment... and another... and another... and another...

Sunset, after a few moments, begins to get uncomfortable and tries to push the girl away. Although Sonata resists a bit, she finally separates, giggling as she smiles at everyone. "We have to do this again sometime!"

"If everyone else is cool with it," Sunset says.

"No problems here," seconds Flash.

Twilight just nods, and the siren beams.

Finally, she opens the door and says goodbye to everyone as she leaves the vehicle. "Oh! Flashine! You have to come to our band's concert next Friday! You'll love it! Byesies!"

The siren waves a final time before running to her house.

Confused, Flash sputters, "Concert? Band? 'Flashine'?"

The girls only laugh at his reaction.

*S*A*S*

The next stop is Twilight’s house.

"Um, thanks for bringing me," Twilight says.

"It's a pleasure, Twilight," the driver responds. "Um, it was good to meet you."

"Likewise. Sunset, see you on Monday."

"Not if I see you first, Twily."

Both giggle, and the scientist gets out of the car. The three share a last farewell, and Flash drives off.

Twilight gives a soft sigh and, smiling, walks inside her house.

*S*A*S*

The rest of the trip is silent until they reach Sunset’s apartment.

After parking, Sunset gets out of the car, as does Flash.

"Thanks for the ride," Sunset says.

"Was it better than the bus?" the boy comments jokingly.

"Definitely." They both laugh. "Thanks for coming, even though... you know. I'm sorry it didn't end all that well."

"Hey, it was fun. Twilight was a surprise, and Sonata was honestly not all that scary."

"It was weird for me at first, too, but I'm used to it now."

They smile and remain silent for a few seconds, until Flash speaks. "Well, I had fun. It was nice hanging out with you again."

"I feel the same. Honestly, I feel that I haven’t paid you back enough..."

"Hey, you don’t have to pay me anything. We're friends. Friends help each other."

Sunset smiled at him, a sincere smile. A smile that he had not seen for some time.

"Thanks, Flash. I'm happy to have you with me."

He smiles and blushes a little.

Sunset continues, "I’d invite you to come in, but it’ll be dark soon."

"Yeah. I guess... I'd better go."

She extends her hand, which surprises him a little, but he returns the handshake, and Sunset walks towards the building.

While watching her leave, a question pops in his head. "Sunset!"

She turns around.

Flash pauses, having trouble getting the words out. "... How... How’s... you know... How are things at Crystal Prep?"

The question surprises her a little, but she answers, "It’s alright. It's a school, and it has its problems, but nothing extraordinary."

"... Are you... happy there?"

Their eyes meet. Silence falls as Sunset considers the question. She seems thoughtful, maybe somewhat confused, about the question, and he waits for her response.

"... Yeah. Sure, I'm fine there," Sunset finally responds.

"... I... I see... That's good. I'm happy for you."

"... Flash?"

"If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you, Sunset. I really... I'm very happy for you."

He gives her a sincere smile, but she doesn’t return it. Something about his response struck her as odd.

"Flash…"

"Well, um, call me if something happens, or if you want to, you know, go out and do something. I'm free whenever you want. For you, always."

He smiles at her and waves, then turns around and gets into his car. One last look, one last smile, and he’s gone.

Sunset stays in place for a while, watching the darkening street he drove down.

When she finally enters her apartment, she goes over those last few minutes in her head.

Happy…?

*S*A*S*

Flash keeps driving, his expression serious, focusing only on the steering wheel. But inside, his thoughts are a whirlwind.

"The school isn't the same without you, but... you're happy. That's all that matters."

*S*A*S*

The wind blows. The snow has already begun to fall, and the night begins to take possession of the sky.

Lightning Dust practices with her soccer ball in the dying sunlight, bouncing it on her knees, chest and head.

She looks down the abandoned lot, imagining a soccer field and goal. As the ball descends to the ground, she gives it a hard kick, sending it soaring down the lot. It crashes into a metal barrel with a clang, but all she hears is the swish of the net and the roar of the crowd.

The barrel falls over, spilling its contents: a kind of blackish powder.

Lightning pays it no attention as she walks to retrieve the ball, but when she bends to pick it up, she sees something out of the corner of her eye almost buried in the powder.

Curious, she picks it up, shakes the dust off, and examines it.

"What's this?"

Author's Notes:

And here! which I hope will be one of the best chapters so far. I hope you liked it and thanks to everyone who is still here. I know that surely some will have lost interest but those who follow will be grateful for their comments, favorites and everything.

In the next chapter:

Sunset remains standing, in front of the entrance of the big shopping center of the city.

Take out her cell phone and watch the time on the screen. "She said at 11 o'clock, right?" Turn to the sides, as if looking for someone. "... well, it's the same, it's not like I have something better to do."

Subtracting importance to the matter she saves her phone and rests on a nearby wall.

A few minutes later she hears a familiar voice. "Yuju ~ Sunset ~!"

She turns in the direction of the voice, and sees Sunny Flare approaching in a hurry, waving her arm in greeting.

"Honey ~!"

Sunset gets up and soon they get together.

"I'm sorry for the delay dear, I hope you will not wait long."

"No, no, it's fine I only arrived a while ago." Sunset smiles at the girl.

"That calms me down. Well, we enter?"

"Sure, let's go."

To her surprise, Sunny Flare clings to her arm and smiles at her as they begin to walk.

A New Friend, Maybe...

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That day, to everyone’s surprise and delight, the sun shone bright in the sky. The gloomy clouds had mostly retreated, allowing the golden star to reign again. The winter wind was still present, but the sun on high allowed the day to be much less cold than it had been over the last few days.

Sunset stands in front of the entrance of Canterlot City Mall, looking around for someone. She dressed in her boots, black trousers, a wool shirt with long white sleeves, and her signature leather jacket. Her clothes were still warm, but, taking advantage of the good weather, she allowed herself to return to more comfortable and familiar outfits.

She takes out her cell phone and checks the time yet again. "She said eleven o'clock, right?" Sunset mumbles to herself. "... Well, whatever. It's not like I have other plans."

With that thought, Sunset stows her phone and leans against the wall.

A few minutes later, she hears a familiar voice.

"Yoohoo~! Sunset~!" Sunset turns in the direction of the voice and sees Sunny Flare approaching in a hurry, waving her arm in greeting. "Honey~!"

Sunset gets up, and soon, they get together.

"I'm sorry for the delaym dear. I hope you weren’t waiting long."

"No, no, it's fine. I only arrived a little while ago." Sunset smiles at the girl.

"That’s a relief. Well, shall we enter?"

"Sure, let's go."

To Sunset’s surprise, Sunny Flare clings to her arm and smiles at her as they begin to walk.

Unbeknownst to the pair, there are two pairs of eyes observing them closely through binoculars.

Hidden among some bushes in the parking area, a pair of cherry eyes and a pair of amethyst eyes, magnified by the lenses, keep vigil over the fire-haired girl and her current companion.

The amethyst eyes suddenly turn to cherry eyes. "Hey, Sonata."

"Shhh, be quiet, Twilight," answers the cherry eyes. "They could hear us."

"There are at least twenty meters between them and us," Twilight says, turning towards the front briefly before turning back to Sonata. "I doubt they’ll hear us. Anyway, why are we spying on them?"

"Well, obviously, we have to see how well Sunset is doing on her date."

"Umm, I don't know if this is a date, and why should we?"

Sonata squints her eyes into a look of determination. "Duh, we have to make sure her date goes well and see if Sunny Flare is a good match for Sunset."

"I still don’t think it's a date,” Twilight says, “and even if it were, I don't think it's any of our business. It's a personal matter."

The cherry eyes turn toward the amethyst. "Exactly!" They peer back through the binoculars. "And as Sunset's friends, it is our duty to interfere in her personal life and help her, whether she wants it or not."

"How does that make sense?"

Sonata glances back at Twilight incredulously. "Don’t you know anything about friendship?"

Amethyst eyes look sadly in another direction. "Um... I..."

Cherry eyes look away, ashamed. "Oh, right... Sorry." Sonata’s determined look returns. "Anyway, as friends of Sunset, we should spy on her and help her date be successful and make sure that Sunny Flare’s super-jealous gangster ex-boyfriend can’t get between them!"

"… Where did you get that?"

"I saw it on TV. Now let's go; we can’t lose sight of them!"

The two pairs of binoculars retreat into the bush... and then, the bush itself rises from the ground with two pairs of legs, which slowly move towards the mall.

*S*A*S*

As one would expect, the mall is truly large, a full three stories high with shops, stalls and businesses as far as the eye can see. On top of that, it's Saturday, so the place is jam-packed with people.

Sunset and Sunny walk through the place, the latter still clinging to the former’s arm. They give a fleeting glance to the stores, but nothing seems to really attract their attention.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation, Sunset."

"Heh, yeah, well, I didn’t have any plans for today anyway, so... Although, I was surprised when you called me. How’d you get my number?"

"It's on your school profile as a contact number. I just asked Sour Sweet."

"Oh."

"But no more talk. Let's have fun. Where would you like to go?"

"Oh, I don’t know. I mean, you're the one you wanted to come. You said you wanted to buy something."

"Well, it's more of a pleasure trip, but if I see something that I like, I'll buy it."

"Then you decide where to go," Sunset says.

"Oh, don’t cut yourself out, dear; we're here together, we should enjoy the day equally."

"I have no problem, really."

Sunny just keeps her smile.

*S*A*S*

To no surprise from Sunset, the first stop was a clothing store. Sunny Flare moves between the corridors formed by the racks around the place. Despite being winter, she does not show much interest in coats, instead looking more interested in dresses and accessories.

At one point, she tells Sunset that she’ll be in the changing rooms, and Sunset just nods.

Sunset had never had a special interest in clothes. In Equestria, the ponies almost never wear clothes, using them almost exclusively for elegance, and only the ponies of high lineage use them regularly.

Sunset never cared about those things, even in her youth. She did not see herself needing something as useless as clothes to see herself or be seen as superior.

Of course, as she arrived in this world, and saw her new body, it did not take her long to realize the differences. Unlike the ponies, beings in this world had a much more... exposed anatomy, and clothing was practically a necessity of privacy and protection from the elements. For that reason, she forced herself to get used to them.

Of course, many people here continued to see clothing as a show of high social class and similar things, but she still saw it as almost banal.

But even if she did not have a fascination, her vain side still liked to dress and look good. It kept people’s attention on her.

So, to pass the time, Sunset took the opportunity to look at some outfits that could serve her, though in the end, little comes to her attention; she already had practically everything she could need in her house.

Sunset selects a pair of wool socks and a cloth sweater. "I could use a couple of extra coats," she thinks to herself. "They say this winter’s gonna be unusually cold."

After looking a little further, she finds something that catches her attention: a white, leather jacket, hanging on a wall hanger. With some interest, she walks over to see it better.

It is not very different from her own, though it was thicker. It seemed a good option to fight the cold. White, turquoise rings surround the arms above the elbows, and silver buttons and folded and seamed cuffs serve as adornment.

Overall, it’s pretty, and it looks warm. Almost doubtfully, she approaches a mirror, leaving aside the other clothes she chose, taking off her jacket and leaving it with them. Finally, almost hesitantly, she puts on the white jacket.

It was her size, fortunately. She looks in the mirror, turning a little to see herself better. "It's a little weird."

"Honey," comes Sunny Flare's voice.

Sunset turns and sees the girl in front of the changing room, wearing a magenta evening dress, cinched at the waist with a low, V-cut neckline, short sleeves, and cutouts on the side.

Sunny observes herself and her reflection before looking Sunset. "What do you think? Is it too daring?"

Sunset waits a few seconds to answer. "It depends on the situation, I guess."

"Hm, good answer. Oh, did you also find something you like?" says Sunny when she sees the white jacket.

Sunset looks down at the jacket. "Um... Not really. I mean... I think... it's not exactly my style."

"I think you look charming."

Sunset checks herself once more in the mirror, then removes her jacket, replacing it with her own. "I don't think it's going with me, but thanks. You look good, too; the magenta looks good to you."

Sunny smiles almost with pride and returns to checking herself in the mirror, smiling at herself.

*S*A*S*

Both girls walk again through the mall, Sunset carrying a bag from the clothing store. Behind, two people follow them, dressed in brown raincoats with dark hats and sunglasses.

"I still think it's wrong that we're spying on Sunset," whispers one of the followers.

"Of course, it’s wrong, but it's for her own good!" the other responds.

"And why’d we buy these raincoats?"

"Duh! To be less conspicuous."

"I think we’re even more conspicuous now," Twilight comments as she looks around, the nearby passers-by giving them odd looks. "Can’t we just take them off?"

"No. We can't risk having Sunset recognize us."

"Wouldn’t it be better—"

"Shh! It looks like they're going somewhere else."

*S*A*S*

The next stop was a surprise, at least for Sunny Flare. "I wouldn't have expected you to want to come to the bookstore."

Sunset rubs the back of her neck and smiles sheepishly. "Heh, it’s just... I really like reading, and, um… it’ll only be a minute, I promise. Then, we’ll do something fun."

"Oh, honey, please don't take it that way. To tell the truth, I like reading, too." Sunny gives Sunset a smile before perusing the shelves.

Sunset seems still somewhat unsure but, preferring not to force the issue, begins checking out the selections, too.

The truth was that she needed something to entertain herself with.

Last weekend had shown her that she had too much free time. The movies and music CDs were fine, but their entertainment did not last long enough to make them a long-term solution. And after reviewing her variety of books at home and re-reading a couple of them, at some point, she had decided that acquiring new material would be beneficial.

The day and the place seemed like a good time to do it.

Sunset looks at the books on the shelves, examining the covers and the titles, taking a couple and reading the summaries on the back. Sunny Flare does the same, but where Sunset was checking out a wide variety of genres, Sunny was focusing her attention mainly in romance novels.

Outside the bookstore, Sonata and Twilight observe both from the shop window.

"Why are they looking at books? If they were comics, I’d understand, but books?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Books aren’t fun," Sonata barks.

"... I think they are."

"That's why you didn’t have any friends before. Sorry, but it's true."

Hurt, Twilight shuts up, looking away.

Meanwhile, both Sunset and Sunny seemed to have found what they wanted. While Sunny only grabbed one novel, Sunset has five different books, each of a different genre. Sunny raises an eyebrow with a smirk, and Sunset’s sheepish look returns.

*S*A*S*

After buying their books, both decide to take a couple of laps around the mall before stopping in a food court, finding a table as they dig in, Sunny with a slice of pizza and fries, Sunset with a salad.

"Salad, huh? You on a diet?" the lilac-haired girl asks.

"Actually, I'm vegetarian. I don't eat meat," Sunset answers.

"Oh. Social movement?"

"It's more... a cultural... custom," Sunset responds before taking a bite of her salad and averting her eyes.

"Hm, intriguing."

To the relief of the former equine, Sunny does not ask anymore and instead eats her fries, one at a time, gazing at Sunset the whole time, and Sunset follows her lead, busying herself with her salad.

At a table on the other side of the court, Twilight and Sonata continue their "mission", still wearing the coats.

"I wonder what they're talking about now," Sonata says.

"Who knows?" Twilight replies disinterestedly. "Sonata, we’ve been following them for an hour and twenty-three minutes. How much longer do we need to keep this up?"

"As long as it takes to be sure that Sunny doesn't do anything strange and to make sure that her obsessive and conservative father doesn't want to impose his old-fashioned social prejudices on them. There's nothing wrong with two girls dating!”

"... I’m beginning to understand why Sunset was afraid of you."

*S*A*S*

Sunny’s gaze is drawn to the raised voice across the room, and she notices the curiously dressed girls on the other side of the food court. She eats another fry and takes a sip of her soda before saying, "You know your friends are following us, right?"

Sunset just sighs. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice them..."

Sunny giggles. "Difficult not to."

"I'm sorry..." the equine girl says. "I don't know when they arrived—"

"Hey, don't apologize," Sunny interrupts her in a calm voice. "I think it's nice that they care about you that way."

"I don't see why they should worry..."

"Well, they don’t know me, and Crystal Prep students aren’t exactly friendly to each other. It's normal for them to worry if a stranger starts to hover around their friend."

“I suppose…"

There is a slight silence between them, giving Sunset a chance to get the courage to ask something. "Hey, Sunny Flare?"

"Yes, honey?"

"I wanted to ask you... Why are we here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, um... Why did you ask me to come in? I mean, you called me so suddenly, and... you said you wanted me to go with you to the mall..."

Sunny keeps a soft smile while eating her fries.

Sunset tries to think about what to say. "I mean..."

Sunny gives a giggle. "It's okay, honey. I understand you're confused. In response to your question, I actually wanted to get to know you better."

"Know me?" Sunset asks, bewildered "Um, why?"

Sunny eats another fry before answering. "Hmm, how to say it?" She thinks a moment but keep smiling. "You're interesting, Sunset. You have a series of outstanding qualities."

Sunset is somewhat confused. "Umm, qualities...?"

"Intelligence, beauty, strength, you don't let others intimidate you, and from what I heard out there, you're good at music."

Sunset could not help but blush a little at the compliments. Although at the same time, she wondered where or from whom Sunny heard the part about the music.

Oblivious to Sunset's thoughts, Sunny keeps talking. "That's why I like you, Sunset. It's always good to have contacts and relationships that help you move forward."

That phrase jogs Sunset’s memory. She’d heard it before.

"You’re talking about the academic association?"

Sunset remembered when Sunny and some other students had invited her to that.

Sunny eats another fry before answering, "Well, the association is for students to help each other, but in your case, it's something different. You didn't accept our invitation, but it doesn't mean you and I can't spend time together, right?"

"Um... I guess not."

"Perfect!" exclaims Sunny with a smile. "I think this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"... Friendship..."

Sunset is somewhat restless, but Sunny does not notice. After a few seconds, Sunset relaxes, deciding to worry about it later. She continues with her salad.

*S*A*S*

After lunch, they decide to go see a movie. The mall's cinema was easy to find. Sunny walks clinging to Sunset’s arm, wearing a calm smile. Sunset stays mostly indifferent to the situation, although she does glance at the girl with curiosity from time to time.

They stop at the banners, checking out the films on display.

"What would you like to see?" Sunny asks cordially.

"Uh... I don't know," Sunset answers. "You choose. "

"Come on, honey, we both have to enjoy it. What’s the fun of hanging with friends if one of us is bored?"

"Friends..." Sunset could not help but get a little nervous at that word. "Um, yes, but... well... I don't know what we should see..."

"Well, what movies do you usually watch?"

Sunset does not answer. Instead, her mind sinks into memories...

The truth is that she could not remember ever going to a theater to see a movie because she wanted to. First, she’d only go with Flash when they were dating. Because he had invited her. And after the Fall Formal, she would go along with her friends... because they called her...

She didn’t remember much about any of those films. She only went because of Flash, and as for the girls... she went simply because she would never reject a moment with them...

"... Sunset? Honey? Sunset," Sunny says, raising her voice.

Sunset comes out of those thoughts and shakes her head clear. "What?"

"Are you okay, honey?" Sunny asks with some concern. "You seemed distant all of a sudden."

"Oh! No, I'm fine, just... It doesn't matter. Umm..." Sunset turns her eyes towards the movie banners. "How about... that dinosaur movie everyone talks about?"

"You mean 'Prehistoric World'?"

"Yeah, that. There’s been a lot of talk about it on TV and on the internet. It should be pretty good."

There is no objection from Sunny, and soon, both buy their tickets, watched by the persistent duo outside the theater.

"Aha! I knew it! This is a date after all," the blue-haired girl says.

Twilight eyes her curiously. "I know I'm going to regret it, but why do you say that now?"

"Don’t you see?" Sonata snaps. "They’re catching a movie together!"

There is silence as Twilight tries and fails to see the importance. "... Um, yeah?"

"What do you think two people do in a dark room?!"

The question is partly serious, partly sarcastic. And, again, Twilight seems to need a moment to process it. "Watch a movie?"

"No!" corrects Sonata with clear frustration. "They're going to do girlfriend things!" She turns to watch both of them already entering the viewing room. "They’re gonna kiss and fondle each other and tell each other how much they love each other."

"Or... maybe they're going to see a movie."

"You don't know anything about couples, Twi-Twi. Two people go to the movies to be alone with each other. I can't believe that Sunny Flare would take Sunset to a place like that on the first date, and Sunset... I thought that she was more decent! I know horses don’t wear clothes, but—"

Twilight stopped listening to her partner’s rambling, instead thinking about what she had seen on her own.

Sunset and Sunny had spent the whole morning together, and although it could, perhaps, be seen as a date, there was no reason to think it couldn’t only be two friends hanging out.

... Friends...

For some reason, thinking about Sunset and Sunny being friends made her feel a pressure in her chest.

Sunny Flare was quite confident with Sunset, talking to her, taking her around the place, even cuddling with her arm.

She behaved as if she and Sunset were close friends, friends who knew each other... Friends... who loved each other...

... Why did that make her feel upset?

"There is no other choice, Twi," Sonata announces, oblivious to the fact that her partner is no longer listening to her. "We can’t let Sunset make a mistake like that. We'll need an armadillo, a chess piece, and a car!"

Even if she wanted to, Twilight does not have time to ask anything, because a voice behind both of them takes them out of the moment.

"Sonata?"

Both siren and scientist turn around, meeting the two older sirens.

"Aria! Adagio!" Sonata exclaims upon seeing them. "What are you doing here?!"

Adagio responds with indifference. "We came to see Eternity Wars."

Aria looks curiously at their coats. "This is the important mission you talked about? Dressing up like a fool at the mall?"

Sonata does not answer. She seems very surprised by something. "Wait... you two... are going to see a movie? Together...?"

Both sirens raise an eyebrow.

Sonata's bangs cover her gaze as she lowers her head. Her shoulders begin to tremble "... I can't believe it... My own sisters... in a forbidden union... AND YOU DIDN’T INVITE ME?!"

The elders had nothing but confusion on their faces. Twilight on the other hand, covered her face, completely reddened by shame.

"It's not fair!" The youngest siren complains. "You've been having fun without me! What have you been doing? Is that why you always send me to bed early? Why don't you ever invite me to your playtime?!”

The elder sirens just listen disinterestedly as Sonata rambles out her complaints. Twilight, on the other hand, just pulls out her phone and dials a number. "Cadence, can you come pick me up?"

*S*A*S*

The sun is slightly past its zenith as Sunset and Sunny leave the mall.

"This has been very pleasant," Sunny says, still clinging to Sunset's arm. "I must say, I enjoyed your company today, Sunset."

"Yeah, I had fun, too," Sunset says, though her voice turns nervous. "Sorry about any of my weirdness. Sometimes, I find it hard to talk to people."

Sunny just giggles. "We must see each other again. Get to know each other better, maybe share some experiences."

"Hey, slow down," Sunset says with a slightly mocking tone. "At this rate, you'll want us to marry."

Sunny gives a more jubilant laugh, which Sunset matches. "You're very nice, Sunset. I really think we'll be good friends."

"Yeah... I think so. Maybe."

Sunset was still nervous about that word, but she still did not very well know why.

Outside of the mall grounds, Sunny gives a last goodbye, which Sunset returns, and they separate and go their own ways. Suddenly, Sunset stops, looking at the horizon as she thinks about the day.

"Friends."

Sunny Flare, a friend? It wasn’t bad, but...

Sunset looks pensive. In the end, she just sighs. "Well, we'll have to wait and see."

With that, she resumes her path.

Author's Notes:

It's already late in my country, but I wanted to end this episode at once. I'm sorry it's not exciting, not very interesting but I hope it entertains you, I wanted to show Sunny a bit since I want to continue using her later.
As always, I can only thank those who give favorite, follow and comment, really encourage me every time I see a notification of any of those things.

I hope to see you in the next chapter, I love you all.

~*~*~
In the Next Episode:

Sunset opens one of the rooms, seeing that there is no one, enters slightly and looks at the windows, smiles a little when noticing the crystal blue curtains.

"perfect." speak to herself in a low voice

Twilight, with a confused look observes her from the door. "Sunset, what's wrong?"

"Come Twi. come closer." Ask Sunset at the same time that she approaching a window. "And please close the door."

Although confused, the scientist does what she asks, closing the door after entering. "um, what do you need help with?"

The former equine proceeds to close the curtain of the windows, with her hands tries to stretch it to leave it completely smooth, after that she takes a chair and places it in front. "Can you take off your jacket please?"

Twilight only confuses more, but still agrees, she takes off her school jacket leaving only the shirt underneath. "what are we doing?"

"I know it sounds strange, but ... I need to take a picture of you."

"... a picture?" repeat the word too confused.

Sunset points to the chair in front of the window. "Sit there please."

At this point Twilight could not be more confused. "A picture, but that ... why?"

Sunset looks at the ground, not knowing how to respond. "is…"

Past in the Present

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Sunday morning comes, and a soft layer of snow covers the street and the sidewalk a little. Thankfully, there is no wind, so the cold is not so biting that day, and despite the clouds, some rays of sunlight manage to break through and illuminate the city, giving it a small hint of warmth.

In her apartment, dressed in a warm and comfortable robe, Sunset is sitting in her kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hands. The warm aroma tickles her nose, making her smile.

The closed windows keep the cold out of the apartment. There are no sounds, not even from any vehicles outside. Everything is calm.

Leaving her mug on the table, she looks at the plate next to her. Two slices of toast, slathered with jam.

There was nothing to do, just rest. Sunset can forget any problem or concern that she may have had during the week.

It was a good Sunday morning.

...

Her smile fades, replaced by a tight frown and annoyed eyes. "Wait. I'm too comfortable, which only means one thing: something extremely stupid and annoying is going to happen to me in five, four, three, two—"

A knock at her door interrupts the silence of the apartment. Sunset emits a sound somewhere between a sigh and a grunt.

"And here we go..."

She goes to the door but intentionally takes a few seconds to open it.

When she does... Apple Bloom almost stumbles as her attempted knock just meets air. The three young girls, a little surprised, raise their eyes... and are instantly filled with terror.

The instant Sunset saw them, her expression becomes cold and resentful as anger and hatred are reflected in her eyes.

She had said something annoying would happen. But these three were another level.

None speaks. Sunset does not have anything to say, and the little ones are too terrified to say a word. They hug each other as they look at those disturbing eyes.

Apple Bloom had already seen those eyes. They had haunted her for a long time—too long—torturing her. She was certainly the most frightened of the three.

Sweetie Belle cannot stand that look, shrinking as hard as she can and trying to hide in her leader's neck.

Scootaloo, seeing Apple Bloom frozen with fear and Sweetie Belle on the point of crying, tries to muster up her courage and step forward... but stumbles back when Sunset's gaze turns on her.

For several seconds, the three remained there, embracing, intimidated by the eyes of the older girl.

Fed up with the silence, Sunset decides to talk. "Give me a reason not to kick your asses away from my apartment."

Her demand makes them back up in fright.

It is not a threat that she would have fulfilled, not physically, but she wanted to make clear her feelings towards all three, since they were apparently too stupid to realize it.

Trying to swallow her fear, the leader of the trio takes a small step. "S-S-Sunset..." Her voice is shaky and faint, but Sunset manages to hear it. "W-We... We want... to t-talk to you..."

"If you came to apologize, you can leave right now," Sunset says in a tone of voice that makes them shrink more.

"Th-That's not it..." the little girl replies but immediately regrets it when Sunset's gaze becomes more poisonous and aggressive. "I-I mean, we will, but—"

The stuttering makes Sunset lose patience and interest, not that she had any to begin with. With a movement, she closes the door. Or rather, she tries to, but the three little ones stop the door and push together against the older one, who pushes back in an effort to force it closed.

"Wait! Sunset, please!" the leader exclaims.

"Sunset! You hate us, we know!" the little athlete continues.

"But please, listen to us!" the third pleads.

For a few seconds, the struggle lasts, until the owner of the place rolls her eyes and moves away from the door, causing the girls to fall to the ground.

Whether it was intentional or an accident is up for debate.

The three complain a little about the pain but soon look up. Sunset's gaze calmed down, but she was still serious.

"What the hell do you want?"

*S*A*S*

Three cups of hot chocolate sat on a tray in front of the three small ones, who sit close together on the double sofa. The owner of the apartment sits in the single chair, her cup of coffee in one hand, the other resting on the armrest, tapping her fingers impatiently.

"Well? Spit it out! What the hell do you want?"

None of the three dares to look at her. Sunset seems to be struggling not to scream, and the three can hear a faint growl coming from the older girl’s throat.

After a few seconds, Scootaloo decides to take a sip of her chocolate, after which she gives an extremely nervous smile. "Th-Thanks for the hot chocolate. It's... delicious."

The same spiteful look is Sunset's only response, so the little girl just looks back down at her mug for another long sip.

Her friends imitate her. They seem to swallow a bit of their nerves with the chocolate. A bit.

Finally, Apple Bloom speaks. "Sunset... We... Well, we wanna apologize before anything else."

Another grunt and a roll of the eyes from Sunset.

"... We never wanted it to end like this..." the little farmer continues.

Sweetie Belle has begun to sob a little, follow her leader's words. "We didn’t want the school to hate you... Just... our sisters..."

Tears run down Scootaloo's cheeks as she tries to muster her courage. "We were jealous... of the time you spent with our sisters..."

So that was it. Sunset had expected it to be something like that.

There was a part of her that thought it had simply been revenge for her dark days, although her more rational side told her there must be a more personal reason.

When discovering that the girls had been Anon-a-Miss, Sunset had no doubt that it must have been related to their sisters.

"But what does it matter now? What’s done is done," she thinks.

Apple Bloom speaks again. "... Although... that's no excuse, Sunset... we..."

"We're sorry..." they all say at once, voices soft and hurt.

Sunset just grumbles and takes a long drink of her coffee.

She was angry, furious, more than she had been since she left Equestria.

These girls had done the worst that she could have imagined. To hell with furious demons, sirens and whatever, these three were worse than all that.

…

And still... seeing them there... hurt... repentant... their soft voices as they apologized and their eyes so full of guilt... of regret...

It was almost enough for Sunset to want to forgive them...

"But it's not enough," she thinks to herself before speaking to them. "Yeah, well, I'm not interested. If you only came for that, you can go."

Again, the three are silent for a moment. Scootaloo is the first to speak. "We came for something else, too."

Again, Sunset grunts and rolls her eyes. After finishing her coffee, she leaves the mug on the table and crosses her arms with an annoyed expression.

Apple Bloom says, "Sunset, we know ya hate us... and we know we deserve it... but..."

Sweetie can’t hold it in anymore. "Please, forgive our sisters!"

Sunset paused, surprised by the request, until her frown returns. "So, they told you to come."

The three girls are surprised and worried by Sunset’s assumption. "No! They didn’t tell us!" explains Sweetie. "We came here on our own!"

Sunset is incredulous. "For what?"

Apple Bloom begins her explanation. "Our sisters... They feel so, so bad for all this..."

Sunset sighs with fatigue, throwing her head back and closing her eyes. "Is it really too much to ask to just be able to leave all this behind?"

"Sunset..." Scootaloo wins the cold gaze of the older girl. "It's okay if you hate us... even if you hate us forever, but... but..."

"It ain’t our sisters’ fault! It was us who did all this!" shouts the little farmer.

"I already know that," says Sunset in a monotonous and tired tone.

"Then forgive them," Sweetie asks. "They... really love you."

Sunset does not respond. She leans her elbow on the armrest and her head on her hand, giving the three a weary look.

"... Sunset... our sisters—"

"Enough." Sunset cuts the farmer's sentence off harshly. "I couldn’t care less what happens with them or with you. I've left everything about that school behind. I have a new life and... new friends." The images of Twilight, Sonata, even Lemon and Sunny comes to mind. Flash appears, too, her only remaining connection with Canterlot High aside from the principals.

Sweetie Belle begins crying again. "But Sunset...!"

"They really feel bad!" Apple Bloom desperately exclaims. "Applejack was carryin’ apples all night... in the rain..."

The statement wins gains some interest from the fire-haired girl. The previous night, a heavy rain had fallen. Luckily, she was already in her apartment, resting. But, the image of her former farmer friend, working in the middle of the night, in the rain, comes to her mind.

Sweetie takes the floor. "Rarity hasn’t left her room... She’s been crying for days..."

Now it is the dressmaker who enters her mind, submerged in her room and in her pain. It is not an unfamiliar image; Sunset knows Rarity tends to behave that way when she’s miserable.

Scootaloo takes her turn to talk. "Rainbow Dash hasn’t been the same... She can’t play soccer well, she can’t play music well, and when I try to talk to her... her voice breaks... like she’s gonna cry..."

The athlete comes to her mind. Rainbow was always a strong girl. Few things could bother her, so to hear that this has been eating at her so much…

The remaining members of her former group also appear in her head. Sunset remembers the looks they directed at her on Friday afternoon at that unfortunate meeting.

"Hate us all you want..." the little athlete says.

"Hit us if it’ll make ya feel better!" the little farmer demands.

"But don’t hate our sisters!" Sweetie Belle screams, her tears coming back in force.

Apple Bloom also begins to sob, and Scootaloo, despite wanting to stay strong, cannot help but tremble with sorrow.

There is silence. The little ones never stop looking at the girl with eyes full of regret, despair... and supplication.

After a few seconds, Sunset finally gets up and glares at them. "You should go."

With bowed heads, looks full of sorrow and pain, and tearstains on their cheeks, the three little ones leave the apartment. Sunset follows and is about to close the door behind them, but not before giving them one last look.

The trio look back at her, full of tears, sobs, and defeat. Apple Bloom speaks up. "Sunset... are ya gonna forgive ‘em?"

Sunset looks at them for a moment. She closes her eyes, and with a serious but depressed voice, responds. "Your sisters abandoned me. They left me aside, all because of a stupid prank. Maybe you created Anon-A-Miss, but they were the ones who betrayed me. As far as I can see, they were never my friends if one absurd accusation was enough to make them forget me and our friendship. "

They do not respond. They just look at her with more pain in their eyes.

"Why would I want to be friends with people like them?"

She does not even wait for an answer, slamming the door in the girls’ faces. The girls watch the door for a moment, sobbing. Eventually, they embrace each other and walk away from the place.

*S*A*S*

With a sigh, Sunset drops into her bed and moans in frustration. She looks up at the ceiling, the words of the girls circling in her head.

She moans again, taking a pillow and pressing it against her face. "I just woke up, but I want to sleep again. I just want to forget about everything."

So, that's what she tries. She just stays in bed.

*S*A*S*

In another part of the city, the shadows of the big buildings obstruct the little light of the morning sun, making the place darker and even colder than it should be.

Only a single person is standing around, her whole body protected by a thick, lime coat, her head and face hidden by a hood.

The person stands still, expectantly, as if she were waiting for someone.

"Ugh... Cold, cold. I hate the cold, I hate the snow, I hate the mornings."

The complaints catch her attention. She turns her head and sees a person approaching her, a young teenager, dressed in a thick, wool sweater, a scarf tightly wrapped around his neck, and curiously, a winter jacket tied to his back.

"Ugh... This better be important," he says when he approaches, "making me leave home in the middle of the morning in the freezing cold."

"You’d be warmer if you put that jacket on your body instead of wearing it around your neck," the hooded girl says.

"Shut up and talk, Dust," the boy demands with a frown.

Lightning Dust lowers her hood. "You’re late, Jet Set."

"Yeah, yeah, what the hell do you want?" Jet asks with annoyance. "Why did you ask me to come, especially on a Sunday?"

"I need your help."

"Forget it," Jet snaps. "I will not help you study. Students like you are a lost cause."

Although the comment bothers her, the girl decides to ignore it. "I don’t need help studying. It's about Sunset Shimmer."

The young man raises an eyebrow and looks at her, intrigued. "Shimmer? What about her?"

"There's something that girl is hiding. I need you to help me find out what it is."

Although curious, Jet Set says with irritation, "What makes you think she’s hiding something?"

"She just shows up to school in the middle of the semester, gets good grades, makes me look ridiculous but then doesn’t defend herself later, and spends all her time with that nerd Sparkle and that weird blue idiot," Lightning says, her contempt evident with each item. "Then, there's that strange blog about her that came out all of a sudden."

"None of this is of any interest to me," Jet says, angering Lightning. "I don’t care what that girl does or what happens to her."

"Oh, come on, you can’t fool me. You think it’s weird, too, right? She’s only been here a week, and so much has happened with her."

Jet Set looks to the side. "So, what if I do think she’s weird? That still doesn’t mean that I care what she does or what happens to her."

"There’s something else," adds Lightning. She opens her coat and reaches in, pulling out a book. "I found this two nights ago in a dumpster, buried in ashes."

Lightning approaches and extends the book to Jet, who takes it and examines it, opening it and superficially leafing through its contents. "What's this supposed to be?"

"No idea," responds the girl, prompting Jet to roll his eyes, "but it belongs to Sunset Shimmer."

Jet Set raises an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

To answer, she closes the book and points to the symbol on the cover. "Because of this. It's Sunset Shimmer's symbol."

"What do you mean her symbol?" Jet asks, finally interested.

"She's on the soccer team with me, and in the locker room, I always see her wearing that symbol on some part of her clothes, be it her shirt, socks, or even her underwear."

Jet Set cannot help blushing due to the image that inevitably brings to his mind, although soon, that is replaced by a question. "Wait, why are you paying attention to—"

"The fact," she exclaims, cutting off his question, "is that this book has the same symbol, so it must be hers."

Jet is silent for a moment. "Yes, right. Let's suppose that the book belongs to her. How is that important?"

"Look at it carefully," Lightning says, pointing to the book.

Jet frowns at the order but follows it, reopening the book and turning the pages one by one. They are almost totally blank, although many of the pages seem to have the ghosts of words on them, very light, very... blurry.

Jet Set observes more carefully and realizes something else. The inner edges of almost all the pages have dark marks, as if they had been... burned. But, beyond those edges, the sheets are impeccable, as if this supposed fire never touched them.

... This book is strange.

After giving him a moment to examine the book himself, Lightning speaks again. "I found it in the ashes. Sunset, or someone else, tried to burn this book."

Jet Set keeps looking at the book, but he turns that detail over in his head. “Maybe she just wanted to get rid of it. How is that important?"

"You're supposed to be smart, Jet Set!" the blonde girl exclaims, apparently losing patience. "Look at it! The book is flawless!"

Jet considers it, frustrated. "Maybe she didn’t burn it. Maybe she just buried it in the ashes."

"So why does it have burn marks?" She takes the book and closes it. "Even the cover has them!" She points to several almost invisible marks. "A book that doesn’t burn. It belongs to Sunset Shimmer, of all people, and again, it doesn’t burn. Tell me that's not strange."

Jet Set is silent for a moment, before closing his eyes. "Curious, certainly, but as I said, I'm not interested in what that girl is related to."

Without saying more, he turns around and prepares to leave.

Lighting watches him angrily. "You know she’s hiding something. This book may have the answer you're looking for."

Jet stops, remains motionless a moment, before turning slightly towards her. "The answer to what?"

There is silence, until she responds, "The answer of who she really is."

They both look at each other without saying a word, the icy wind blowing around them.

*S*A*S*

What happened on Sunday morning left Sunset frustrated enough to lock herself up all day, but she couldn’t avoid going out on Monday. She did try to forget the whole thing, focusing only on school. It worked enough.

After lunch, Sunset went out to practice with the soccer team. That went as one might expect as she struggled to learn the rules and find her place on the team.

After two hours of chasing a ball, Sunset was extremely tired but somehow managed to get to the music room.

As she opens the door, the rest of the band turn to see their missing member arrive. She stumbles over to a chair, moaning tiredly.

"Hey, Sun-Shim. How's the gym?" asks Lemon, apparently oblivious to the girl's condition.

"I can't feel my ankles," says Sunset in a tired voice.

"No problem; you won’t need them. Ready to practice?" asks the green-haired girl.

Twilight glares at Lemon before turning to Sunset, somewhat worried. "You should go home to rest, Sunset..."

"I'm fine," answers Sunset. "It's true; I don't need my feet to play."

"Hey, I was just kidding," says Lemon, now worried herself. "If you want, you can go home. We can handle practice without you."

Sunset takes the guitar. "No, no... Let's do it." She checks the guitar’s straps.

"But you're tired," says Twilight with more concern.

"I'm fine. Seriously, I can play."

"Are you sure? It's not that you need to practice," says Lemon. "You’re an expert on the guitar. We’re the ones that need help."

"That's why I’m staying. I know this is important to you. I can't just leave you."

Sonata smiles fondly "Awwww, Sunsite loves us~"

"Of course, I love you," answers Sunset seriously but sincerely. "Lemon, have you done the exercises I taught you?"

"Yes, sir!" She moves her fingers a bit and then places them carefully on the strings. After that, she strums a couple of notes, nimbly moving her fingers from one end to the other and in different directions.

"Very good. Sonata, how’s your throat?"

"Soft as a freshly kneaded omelet!"

"... Right. Twilight, did you learn those songs that I gave you?"

"Yes. The CDs you gave me helped a good deal. Thank you very much," Twilight says, smiling, albeit somewhat distressed.

"No problem. We have to make sure that we can all play and sing chords before we start practicing any songs."

"Well, I feel ready!" the founder of the band announces. "I want to practice the song we’re playing this Friday!"

"Yay! I want to start too!" exclaims our blue siren, full of emotion.

Sunset looks from them to the scientist. "What do you say, Twi?"

Twilight is a bit surprised to be called but responds, "Ah, well... I guess we can try it.

"Well, if you're all sure."

Lemon nods excitedly, and soon, they begin to play, filling the room with their music.

Sunset looks at her companions.

Lemon, with more experience, fell in line with the notes and the melody with little effort.

Sonata had a big smile on her lips, trembling with excitement as she waited for her moment to sing.

But it was Twilight who surprised her most. Maybe she did not look as animated as the others, but her smile showed her taste and comfort for the activity.

What memories...

The scene was so similar. She clearly remembered the day that her... that they made their band. They looked so happy. Back then, Sunset was happy for them, too; watching them enjoy that activity together made Sunset feel just as good as they felt. Then, when she was also able to participate, her joy had no limit.

What memories... memories that would not return...

Separating her mind from those thoughts, Sunset gazes at her new companions, all smiling, full of joy.

What did it matter? Those times were gone.

But the past is not today. And today, she had new friends, friends who loved her, who cared about her.

Sunset could now really be happy.

"... Are you... happy there?"

The memory of Flash’s voice surprises Sunset, and her playing goes off key. Her friends turn to her. "A-ah, I'm sorry,” Sunset mumbles. “My bad, sorry..."

"Pfff, ha ha, Sun-Shim! And I thought I was the rookie."

Sonata joins Lemon in her laughter. Twilight looks at Sunset for a moment before she, too, begins giggling. Shaking her head, Sunset starts chuckling, herself.

*S*A*S*

The band's practice eventually ended. The four left the room and walked to the exit of the school.

While the others talked about the practice, Sunset remained silent, deep in thought.

Playing music... It was fun. She had forgotten that feeling.

Actually, she had forgotten many things after leaving Canterlot High.

She had wanted to forget everything about that school. Her former friends, her problems, the school... the princess...

That thought brought a memory to Sunset, an issue she’d have to deal with.

Suddenly, Sunset grabs Twilight’s hand, stopping their walk. "Twilight, I need to ask you a favor."

Twilight looks at her, confused, but follows Sunset as Sonata and Lemon continue home.

Sunset opens one of the nearby classrooms, looking around. No one’s inside, so Sunset looks at the windows, smiling when she notices the crystal-blue curtains. "Perfect," she says to herself.

Confused, Twilight observes her from the door. "Sunset, what's wrong?"

"Come closer, Twi," ask Sunset as she approaches a window, "and please close the door."

Although confused, the scientist does what she’s asked, closing the door after entering. "Um, what do you need help with?"

The former equine proceeds to close the curtain of the windows, smoothing any wrinkles with her hands. After that, she takes a chair and places it in front of the curtains. "Can you take off your jacket, please?"

That only confuses Twilight more, but she still acquiesces, taking off her blazer, leaving only the shirt underneath. "What are we doing?"

"I know it sounds strange, but... I need to take a picture of you."

"... A picture?" repeats Twilight, even more confused.

Sunset points to the chair in front of the window. "Sit there, please."

Twilight stays in her place. "A picture? But... why?"

Sunset looks at the floor, not knowing how to respond. "It’s…" She takes a while to give an answer. "It’s just, I have a problem to fix, and... I need a picture of you to do so."

Twilight, in addition to her confusion, begins to feel nervous. "I don't... I don't understand. What's the matter? Why do you need a picture of me? I—"

"Twilight," Sunset interrupts gently. Amethyst and turquoise eyes meet, and Sunset maintains a serious but calm expression. "You trust me, right?"

Twilight is a little surprised. "Sunset... I... Yes, of course."

"We’re friends," the former equine says, gently taking Twilight's hand. "I would never do anything to hurt you."

The sincerity in her words surprises the scientist. She breaks eye contact and almost seems embarrassed at herself. "... You’re right... I trust you Sunset."

"I'm just asking you to let me take a picture of you. It's not for anything bad."

Twilight takes a few seconds. "I know." She leaves her jacket on a desk and walks to sit on the chair Sunset indicated.

Sunset smiles gleefully and stands in front of her, looking at her for a moment. "Um, can you undo your hair?"

"My hair?"

"Yes, you... I need you to let your hair down."

Each order confuses her more, but she does it anyway, taking out the pins in her bun and allowing her hair to fall.

Sunset looks at her silently.

It was the same face... and it was almost the same hairstyle... but still...

"They... really are... different..." Sunset thinks, comparing the girl in front of her with a mental image of the princess.

Sunset puts aside that thought and pulls out her phone, turning on the camera and pointing it at the girl. She sees the image of the girl on the screen, but does not yet take the picture. "... Can you... the glasses...?"

It takes Twilight a few seconds, but she fulfills the request, taking off the glasses. "I can't see anything."

"It will only be a moment," says Sunset, returning her gaze to her phone. "Now, stay still, don’t smile, just look forward." She focuses with the cell phone, making sure the image is straight, and takes the picture. "Done."

Twilight replaces her glasses and blinks a couple of times, clearing her eyesight. "... Is that all?"

Sunset takes Twilight’s jacket and holds it out to her while the latter remakes her bun. "Yes, thank you. I know it's strange, but really, you helped me a lot with this."

The scientist is still confused. She stands up and puts her blazer back on. "I still don't understand what all this was about."

Sunset is silent, thoughtful. "Um... It's... hard to explain."

Twilight sighs. "... Again with that. You never want to explain anything, Sunset... What are you afraid of?"

Again, it takes Sunset a few moments before speaking. "I already told you, my past is complicated, and now, well... there’s a lot going on."

Sunset feels the scientist's hand take hers and turns to look at her as Twilight says, "We're friends." Twilight smiles softly. "You can trust me. You can tell me what's happening to you. I can help you."

Twilight gently squeezes Sunset's hand, and Sunset smiles back. "Thanks, Twilight. I know. I'm glad to be your friend." Both smile and firmly hold each other's hand. "I'll tell you everything," Sunset continues. "Soon. First... I have to clear my head a bit, okay?"

"Okay,” Twilight says, satisfied. “When you're ready, I'll be here for you."

They smile smiles full of confidence. Suddenly, Sunset realizes something. "Hey, Twi."

"Yes? What else do you need?"

"Well, I just realized I still don’t have your phone number."

*S*A*S*

Once out of the classroom, both resume their path to the exit of the school. The atmosphere between the two is calm and pleasant as they walk side by side, smiling.

Eventually, Sunset begins to gaze intently at the girl next to her.

Despite having the same face, the princess and the scientist were no doubt very different.

"What?" Twilight questions, breaking the thought of the former equine as she notices Sunset’s gaze.

Sunset blushes, embarrassed at having been caught staring, but instead of responding, she stops her walk.

Twilight, curious, does the same, opens her mouth to ask again, when Sunset extends her hand and removes Twilight's glasses.

Twilight blinks, confused by the action, and Sunset says nothing, just staring at Twilight's face.

There was no point of comparison. She just could not see this Twilight as a double. They were different people... ponies...? Whatever.

"Sunset, what's wrong with you? You’re acting very strange," Twilight says, getting a little annoyed by the whole situation.

Sunset does not respond immediately, but then laughs a little and returns the glasses to their owner. "Heh. I'm sorry, I just... I was thinking."

Twilight raises an eyebrow, as if waiting for a better response.

Sunset laughs again, more nervously. "I'm sorry. You know, I like your glasses. They make you look pretty." She gives a friendly smile and then keeps moving forward.

Sunset does not notice the look of surprise and the flushed cheeks of the violet-haired girl. "... Pre-... Pretty...?"

The surprise makes Twilight remain immobile in place for a while, but, noticing that the fire-haired girl has gone ahead, she rushes to catch up with her.

Author's Notes:

Um, well I do not know what to say that I have not already said.

I hope you like the chapter and um...

I have it! tell me, what has been your favorite part of the fic so far, I await your answers.

In the Next Episode:

The principal crosses both arms on the desk making her face in these.

Her sister sighs and approaches, staying next to the furniture. "Are you going to continue with that?"

"... sometimes I don't know why the hell I hear you ..." Celestia's voice was overshadowed by her arms, but she could still make out.

"Excuse me?"

Celestia raises her face and sees her sister with a certain grudge. "You and your idea of telling everyone the truth, because of that now everyone is depressed."

Luna crosses her arms, something annoying. "It was the right thing to do. Even without Sunset, the resentment remained firm."

"And now instead of resentment, we have depression. Great plan." Celestia speaks with strong sarcasm.

"Would you have preferred to remain silent?" Ask Luna seriously. "Let everyone keep believing a lie? There are things that young people must learn the hard way ... I know that better than anyone."

The phrase erases the annoying scowl of the older one. She straightens up and prepares to speak. "… Luna-"

*S*A*S*

Luna walks back to her own office. "There are things that are only learned by the bad way. And sometimes, they must be taught by the bad way." Her eyes seem to make a certain decision.

Fixing Some Things

View Online

The sun is beginning to dip below the horizon. Few of its orange rays remain to illuminate the streets, the rest lost behind the many tall buildings. The wind and the cold were gaining ground, making everyone outside want to finish their activities soon and return to take refuge in the warmth of their own homes.

However, Sunset is not close to doing that.

With a calm but serious face, she walks through an area almost unknown to most people. The place looks particularly dirty, with more trash than anyone would expect on the street. The alleys are very dark, as well. Even the few people around have an aggressive, almost frightening look to them.

She does not pay attention to any of that. She does not look at anyone or anything in the area. She keeps her eyes fixed forward until she finds a specific place.

The sign on the building is stained and discolored, the name of the place hardly legible. She looks at the place for a moment, breathes deeply as if gathering courage, and enters.

The place turns out to be a pawn shop. All kinds of items are displayed on the various shelves, tables, and cabinets. The place is quite clean, although the damaged walls and the floor with non-cleanable spots denote its deterioration.

Sunset stands at the door, staring at the man sitting behind the counter, who is busy reading a magazine, only looking up when he hears the tinkle of the bell over the door. A strange, almost predatory smile lands on his face. "Sunset Shimmer. What a miracle to see you in my lands."

"Hi, Skull," Sunset says in a calm, almost disinterested tone.

The man called Skull gets up from his chair and approaches the counter. The girl's eyes cannot avoid glancing at the striking skull tattoo on his arm. "I haven't seen you in a long time. I think more than a year."

"I know," Sunset responds in the same tone as she approaches. "I see that you’ve done well."

"I can say the same about you. Time treats you well; you're as... hot as ever."

Sunset rolls her eyes at the comment. "I have a job for you, Skull."

"Aww, and I thought you were just coming to see me," he says with false sorrow, smiling. There is no answer, except for the girl’s frown, so he says, still smiling, "Okay, okay, tell me what you need."

"The same thing I asked you the first time we met."

"What happened, little Sunset? Trouble with the law?"

"It's not for me," she says as she pulls an envelope out of her winter jacket and leaves it on the counter in front of him. "It's for her."

Skull takes the envelope. When he opens it, he sees a folded paper, and what looks like a photograph. "Hm, interesting. Who is she?"

"No one you should know," answers Sunset curtly. "I just need you to do your thing."

"Hmm, curious that you want to help someone," Skull comments with genuine interest. "What is this girl to you?"

Sunset is silent, not knowing how to answer. "... Just someone who helped me... a long time ago."

"Heh heh, you make me want to meet her."

"It won’t happen," Sunset says with a frown. "How long will it take you?"

"Hmm. It usually takes me about a week, but you're an old acquaintance. For you, my little Sunset, I'll do it in three days." That said, he closes the envelope and gives that same predatory smile. "I assume you’ll give me the usual pay?"

"Sorry, pal, but I have money now." As if emphasizing the fact, she puts a small wad of money on the counter.

"Aww, it’s just not my lucky day, is it?" Skull sulks playfully.

"It never is. I wrote down the information you need. If something’s missing, fill it with whatever you want, as long as it makes sense.” She looks pointedly at him to make sure he understands. “I'll be back in a few days."

Skull only responds with a smile. Sunset does not return it. As she leaves, he returns his sight to the image in his hands.

Sunset takes a look at the now-dark street. A deep breath makes her inhale the cold winter air. Shrinking as much as she can into her jacket, she quickens her pace to return to her apartment.

"One less problem to deal with... I hope..."

*S*A*S*

The days were passing, and Sunset was forced to split her time during school.

From class to class, Sunset focuses only on her notes. Every now and then, she looks up, looking around at her classmates in each room, waiting to hear that now-familiar click.

The practices with the soccer team.

After fifteen minutes of warm-up exercises, the players from the team go to the field to play. Indigo coaches each one by guiding and assigning movements, proving her intellect and quick thinking on the field.

Despite being new, the other students do not go easy on Sunset, playing with their full strength and speed. Each pass that they give is difficult for Sunset to receive, and each failure earns dozens of annoyed looks.

She ignores them whenever she can and only focuses on getting in touch with everyone.

Little by little, day by day, she begins to get used to the rhythm. She manages to keep up with the others while they run through the field. She receives and sends passes to the others, mostly without fail. And it does not take long to memorize the various quick movements of the field, stabilizing her movements and times in her drills.

The team is both surprised and delighted to see how she manages to catch up to the rest of the team.

The trials of the band.

After showering and changing, Sunset arrives at the music room, where her friends are waiting for her, sometimes playing a little to take advantage of the time.

Once all together, they continue rehearsing Lemon's song. Lemon, day by day, also improves, managing to play the song without any major mistakes. Sonata does not take long to memorize the lyrics and proves her expertise by setting her tempo, intonations, and times to perfection. Even Twilight is taking the matter quite seriously, to the point of not needing the notes to play.

Finally, at the end of each day, because of lost classes due to soccer practice, Sunset met with her teachers to get what lessons she would need to catch up on that night.

*S*A*S*

While Sunset kept getting in step with her increasingly strange new life, things in Canterlot did not change much.

After the words of their twice-savior Twilight, everyone in the school was very thoughtful and very depressed. There were tears and laments for much of that week. Little by little, they stopped, but that guilt was still present in everyone.

Many missed Sunset. Several had asked their former friends if there was a way to contact her, to apologize.

The answer was the same with the five girls.

Sunset did not answer her phone. Her number did not seem to exist, as if she had changed it or blocked their numbers. Besides, they already tried to talk to her, but Sunset made it crystal clear that she did not want anything to do with them or with the school.

Some students thought to go to her apartment, as it would not be difficult to find out where she lived, but nobody dared actually do it; if she could look with such hatred at those who were once her friends, who knows what she could do to the rest of the school.

The Crusaders received angry and spiteful glances on several occasions, but no one seemed interested in giving them any punishment, likely because they realized doing so would be hypocritical; no one at school had the right. The three girls were not sure if they were grateful for that, though. What they did was so low, so dirty, that sometimes, they thought they deserved a real punishment, as some did with Sunset when they believed her responsible. Still, their fear made them keep those thoughts to themselves; even if they deserved it, the idea of being beaten was not really attractive.

Even the classes were silent, with no whispers or hidden snickers and no paper airplanes or notes when the teachers were not looking. Even the teachers began to worry about the behavior of the students.

*S*A*S*

But not everyone in Canterlot is dominated by that guilt.

The school's vice principal Luna walks steadily toward her sister’s office.

Luna was known for always being serious, impassive, almost never with a smile on her face or any expression of grief or sadness. She was an intimidating woman, and the students and teachers were well aware that it was not a good idea to make her angry.

Certainly, she was the opposite of her sister, who always seemed happy and peaceful. With a warm attitude, Celestia seemed like a mother to everyone rather than a principal. For some, it was hard to believe they were sisters.

The vice principal knocks on the door as a courtesy before opening it and entering. She sees her older sister at her desk, attending to the virtually endless number of documents on it.

Celestia was known for being a woman who radiated a warm, welcoming, kind aura, but lately... that aura had been replaced by one of weariness, pressure... and mourning...

The elder of the sisters does not seem to notice the presence of the younger. Or, perhaps she simply ignores Luna as she remains focused on writing, sealing, and filing her documents.

"Celestia," Luna begins, "the board sent another message. It seems that they have noticed the drop in the grades of the students."

Luna’s sentence does not cause any reaction. The aurora-haired woman just continues her work.

Luna raises her eyebrow at the lack of response. "... The cafeteria caught fire."

There is no reaction.

"... I ate the cream cake that you hid in the fridge."

The principal's eyes turn slightly towards her sister, but the glance does not stay long, and soon, she returns to the papers.

"Well, at least you moved... somewhat."

Celestia made a sound, a sigh mixed with a moan, before crossing both arms on the desk and burying her face in them.

The dark-haired woman sighs and approaches, standing next to the furniture. "Are you going to keep sulking?"

"... Sometimes, I don't know why the hell I listen to you..." Celestia's voice is muffled by her arms but still audible.

"What do you mean?"

Celestia raises her face and looks at her sister grudgingly. "You and your idea of telling everyone the truth. Because of that, now everyone is depressed."

"It was the right thing to do," Luna argues. "Even before we did, the students were full of resentment and hatred."

"And now, instead of resentment, we have depression," the older sister complains. "Great plan."

"Would you have preferred to remain silent?" Luna asks seriously. "Let everyone keep believing a lie and keep an innocent girl in the line of fire? There are things that young people must learn the hard way. I know that better than anyone."

The phrase erases the annoyed scowl of the older one. She straightens her back and prepares to speak. "Luna—"

Luna interrupts her by shoving a document toward her. "I printed the school board’s message. I knew that if I only email it to you, you wouldn’t read it." Luna’s explanation is said with indifference, as if the talk from a moment ago never happened.

The principal looks at her sister for a moment, then takes the paper and gives it a look, but before she could say anything, her younger sister walks towards the door. "It's a phase, Celestia. Sooner or later, things will return to normal." Luna turns a little to look at her sister. "We have already gone through this. If you feel it is too much for you, ask for a few days off."

She doesn’t let Celestia answer before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Celestia stares at the closed door, her face resuming its depressed visage. She looks at the paper for a moment before putting it aside. She looks at the rest of the papers on her desk and plants her head into her hands, moaning in frustration.

Her gaze moves towards a drawer. Slowly, her hand moves towards it and slowly opens it. She can hear something move inside, and soon, she opens the drawer enough to see a glass bottle... with liquid sloshing around inside...

After a moment of doubt, she shakes her head and closes the drawer hard, the object inside thudding dully against the back.

She resumes holding her forehead and stays like that for a moment.

*S*A*S*

Luna walks back to her own office, on the way watching as some students walk through the corridors as she has been lately: silent, tired...

She stops for a moment, looking down at the ground... no, at her belly. She places a hand on it.

"There are things that are only learned the hard way," she thinks. "And sometimes... they must be taught the hard way..."

A decision reached in her mind, she resumes her path.

*S*A*S*

The days go by. On Thursday morning at dawn, Sunset comes out of the pawn shop, carrying a manila envelope. She keeps the envelope in her jacket and hurries to get to school.

*S*A*S*

The sound of the whistle makes everyone in the field turn towards Indigo.

"Well, team! The game is just around the corner. We’ve improved a lot, and I’m thrilled to say that our plays and strategies are one hundred percent polished."

A couple of impressed gazes, including Indigo’s, point at Sunset. The former equine blushes, a little embarrassed at the attention.

"We'll finish early today," Indigo continues. "I want your legs to be in perfect condition during the game, but before we leave, one last workout."

The team is divided, each group on opposite sides of the field.

"I want each group to imagine playing against Trottingham," orders Indigo. "GAME!"

Indigo blows her whistle and throws the ball into the air, and the game starts immediately.

Both sides are very even; being members of the same team and knowing all the moves, each player can easily match any other player.

Indigo watched for any weak points in the formations and movements and made sure to note the team’s reaction times.

Sunset keeps up with her group. With the plays firmly engraved on her head, she manages to guess and counteract the movements of several of her opponents, winning the surprise of many of the team.

She intercepts a high pass, stopping the ball with her chest and starts running towards the goal. Out of the corner of her eye she sees two companions at her side. She gets ready to pass the ball, but before she could, she feels something slip under her feet, causing her to fall to the ground.

She groans slightly before looking up. Lightning Dust looks down at her with a frown, the ball in her possession.

They stare at each other for a few seconds, until the blonde girl turns and runs in the opposite direction. Sunset moans a little and gets up, continuing the training like the others.

The training continues, and with it, Lightning’s “attacks” towards Sunset. Each time the former equine receives or intercepts the ball, the blonde girl wastes no time in rushing her, and although Sunset tries, she cannot do much against the blonde athlete. Lightning, with clearly more experience and skill, steals the ball from Sunset at every opportunity and in more than one instance, manages to make the former equine fall to the ground in the process.

Thirty minutes later, the training is over. Indigo sends everyone home to rest.

While walking, Sunset complains about her aching body, the product of constant abuse. Lightning pushes past her, giving her a contemptuous look, and Sunset just sighs with weariness.

*S*A*S*

Sometime later, Sunset Among Shadows just finished a perfect practice session of their song.

Lemon raises her bass in the air with joy. "Woohoo! Are we or are not we the most colossal band in the school?!"

"Yay!" celebrates Sonata with the same spirit.

Twilight says, "Technically, we're not a school band. We just hang out in the music room." She pauses, suddenly getting nervous. "Oh, god! We're sneaking into the music room!" she exclaims in panic.

"You just now noticed?" asks Sunset, raising an eyebrow.

"We can’t be here!" Twilight says hurriedly. "We don't have permission! If a teacher sees us, we’re in big trouble! And we’ll be punished! And our academic record will be forever tarnished!"

Lemon rolls her eyes. "Mine’s already garbage, anyway."

Twilight does not seem to listen to her as she continues her panic attack. "And no universities will accept us! We’ll never graduate in any specialty, we’ll be marginalized by society, and we’ll have to immigrate illegally to other countries to achieve something in life!"

The three girls observe their scientific colleague, slightly disconcerted.

"We'll practice somewhere else, if you want," Lemon says simply.

"We'll be great no matter where we practice," affirms the siren.

Sunset says softly, "Twilight, none of that is going to happen."

"But what if it does?"

“It won’t.”

“But what if it does?”

"Let's not start this again."

Lemon decides to change the subject. "Either way, we're ready to shake that place all night!"

"But, aren’t we playing only one song?" questions Twilight, calming down.

"Yes... but we’ll be so incredible that the place will shake until dawn!"

"Another YAY!"

Sunset cannot help but smile, amused by the jovial attitude of her friends. Soon, a yawn breaks that smile. The others notice.

"Sunsite, are you sleepy?"

"Huh? Uh, no,” Sunset says before letting out another yawn. “Um, well, maybe a little."

"Practice with the team and our band must really wear on you," Twilight says, somewhat worried.

"Not really. Don’t worry about me."

Lemon seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking. "Hey, Sun-Shim." Sunset turns to her, surprised at the normally spunky girl’s serious tone. "Hey, about the concert. If you feel... you know, it's too heavy, you don’t have to play that night."

"What?"

"Yeah., I mean, you have to play on the soccer team, and then, we’ll have to go to the club and play music, not to mention that you’ve been practicing both for the whole week. I understand if it’s a lot and if you’re tired."

"It's true," seconds the scientist. "Sunset, maybe you should forget the concert. The match against Trottingham is something that, well... you can't refuse, but it's a lot to ask you to then play with us."

"Girls, it's not that bad, really."

Even Sonata is quite serious and concerned. "Don’t get me wrong, I’d love it if we all played together, but I don't want you to get sick or something."

"Girls, hey." Sunset cannot help but smile. "I don't mind playing at the sporting event and playing at the concert on the same day."

"Are you sure?" asks Lemon.

Sunset hesitates a moment but keeps smiling. "Well, I won’t deny that it's a bit tiring, but to tell the truth, I want to play with you. It’ll be... It’ll be fun."

Sunset smiles at them all. Twilight and Lemon are a little surprised, but Sonata just smiles widely, her eyes shining.

Sunset could not deny that she was still somewhat surprised; her membership in this band was essentially forced upon her. She had only accepted after the insistent requests of the scientist and the siren. But recently, she had begun to enjoy playing with them.

They all share smiles, and Sonata gathers everyone into a group hug. Sunset smiles widely. "After all, they’re my friends."

*S*A*S*

After leaving soccer practice, Lightning Dust walked with purpose to a certain house. She knocks on the door, which doesn’t take long to open, but before the woman behind it manages to say a word, Lightning pushes past her inside the house.

"I’m here to see Jet Set. It’ll only take a minute."

Any attempt by the woman to speak or stop her was hampered by the speed of the words and legs of the girl who had already climbed the stairs.

In one room of the house, lit only with a dim lamp, Jet Set, wearing protective goggles, rubber gloves, and an apron, carefully introduces metal tweezers into a container with a strange liquid, slowly and gently stirring that liquid a little, and with slow, precise, careful movements, he uses those tweezers to extract a sheet of paper from the liquid.

Even with that light, which barely helps him distinguish his hand in front of his face, he squints and tries to observe the paper.

Out of nowhere, a bright light explodes throughout the room, scaring him half to death.

"What the fuck are you doing now?" the blonde athlete says, annoyed as she barges in.

"TURN OFF THAT LIGHT, GODDAMMIT!" The boy screams with equal parts despair and rage. Lightning looks at him curiously at his reaction, noting that he is now covering the vessel with his body and arms. "THIS MIX IS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE!"

The blonde, still surprised by his outburst, turns off the light.

The dim light is the only source of light that reveals the annoyed, frustrated and angry face of the young man. "Do that again, and I cannot be held responsible for my actions!"

"What the hell are you doing?" asks the girl again. "You take a job developing photos?"

"'You take a job developing photos?'" he parrots in a mockery of the girl’s voice. "No! Ugh... This is why I can’t stand you."

He picks up the tweezers, holding the paper again, and with great care, leaves the paper attached to a rubber sheet on the wall, held by a tack.

"I'm working on the book you gave me," Jet Set finally says.

The girl leans forward with interest. "Go on."

Jet Set grunts with annoyance as he pulls another paper from the container. "I am using a chemical compound, which your lesser brain would not understand, to wash these sheets that I took out of that book and find out what had been written on them."

"Can you do that?" Lightning asks, even more interested.

"I'm the thirty-second best student in the school for a reason."

The girl rolls her eyes, then looks to the rubber sheet where several pages lie, drenched in that liquid. "And your chemical thing, does it work? Because I don't see anything on those pages."

"That's because you have to look at them under ultraviolet light."

To demonstrate, Jet Set opens a small drawer and takes out a small device. With the push of a button, a purple light shines from it which, when passing over the sheets of paper, illuminates them brightly and revealing words on them.

"Wow. I’ll admit, that's cool. What have you discovered?"

"Nothing yet."

"You've been at it almost a week."

"If you think this is so easy, why don’t you do it?!" Jet snaps, and again, Lightning rolls her eyes. Jet Set continues, "The writing was erased in some way, which isn’t surprising, considering this thing was burned."

"But it didn’t burn, though." Lightning argues. “That can’t be why it disappeared.”

"I have been able to decipher some sentences," Jet says, "but they don’t seem relevant. They seem to be just conversations between Sunset Shimmer and someone named Celestia."

Lighting thinks. "Celestia… Didn’t Sunset Shimmer come from Canterlot High School?”

"Yes, I think so."

"CHS’s principal is named Celestia, right? Maybe it's her."

"It's possible, but as I said, they're meaningless conversations. Literally." He concentrates the light on one of the pages. "From what little I have been able to decipher, it seems that they talk about strange things like... levitating things and studies of subjects that do not even exist." He turns from the page with some annoyance. "I feel like I'm reading a childish story. A very, very childish story."

"And what else?"

"Nothing else. The first pages are full of that, so I skipped them and am now trying the ones in the middle of the book to see if they have anything more useful."

"And the book?"

"There on your right, but you will not be able to read anything there without processing the sheets first."

The girl does not hear the latter, having begun leafing through the book before he even finishes talking.

Something catches her attention. "Didn't you say you had ripped a few pages out?"

"Yes, of course. I couldn’t just throw the whole book into the formula."

His voice is somewhat rude, but Lightning pays no attention to him, staring at the book in her hands. "Then why aren’t there any pages missing?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Jet Set leaves his task to look at the girl.

Lighting points to the book in her hand. "The book is full. No pages are missing."

"What?!” Jet snatches the book from Lightning’s hands. “Have you gotten even more stupid, because…" His words fail as he examines the book, finding it as Lightning said.

The book was complete. Jet Set leafed through it, moved the pages, poring over it on his quest for any sign that some pages were ripped out.

Nothing.

"What... But... it's not possible..."

"Did you tear some pages out or not?"

"Of course, I did!" he exclaims irritably yet with intrigue. "I put them in the formula to examine..." He trails off again, trying to wrap his head around it all. "What does this mean?"

Lightning is silent but remains deeply serious. "It means that Sunset Shimmer is hiding more than we thought."

*S*A*S*

Classes ended a few hours ago. Only some students stayed to do school work, study in the library, or participate in some clubs, but even those students were already heading home at this point.

Sunset tries to do the same. With her head down and her feet dragging, she goes to her locker. Once there, she lays her head on the metal door and lets out a moan. "Someone, please... kill me..."

The practice with her new band was fun, but it did not take away the fact that the whole week had been extremely hard on her.

With a sigh, she grabs her backpack and what books she needs and gets ready to go home.

"Just one more day, Sunset. A game, a song, and then... it’s over," she thinks in an attempt to encourage herself.

It does not work at all. Just thinking about the day that follows exhausts her.

"I should have gone to Trottingham..." she thinks. "Although... I guess I'm glad I met Twilight, Sonata, and... Lemon. Maybe Sunny, I guess... They're all fine. Yeah, they're fine."

While she thinks about that, she notes that envelope between her things. She looks at it for a moment, and then takes it out to see it better.

She thinks for a moment, but in the end, she sighs with fatigue. "I'm too tired. I'll give it to her on Saturday."

With that thought, she sets to leave the envelope between her books in the locker, but she does not realize that her purple-haired, scientific friend approaches from behind.

"Hey, Sunset."

The greeting surprises Sunset, who jolts and drops her papers, books, and the envelope.

"I'm sorry!" the scientist says hurriedly. "I didn't mean to scare you..."

Sunset laughs, somewhat embarrassed. "Don't worry about it. I was lost in thought and didn’t hear you coming."

With that she leans to pick up her things. Twilight rushes to help her.

"I'm really sorry..." Twilight says again.

"It's okay, Twi. Really."

Both girls work to pick up Sunset’s things. Twilight picks up the envelope, but raises it upside down, and its contents slips out the, falling to the ground.

"Ah, sorry. I'll get it!"

Sunset’s eyes widen in terror. "Twi, wait!"

Her protest is useless, as Twilight picks up what the envelope contained, only to freeze when she sees what it is.

Sunset takes a heavy gulp, her eyes filled with panic.

Twilight’s eyes, on the other hand, only show surprise and confusion as they behold that little object: a small, laminated card bearing her name and a very familiar picture of her face.

Author's Notes:

In the Next Episode:

"What do you intend to do ?! Why do you want this ?!" Twilight question bothers.

Sunset does not know how to respond, just sighs. "... I guess it was inevitable ..."

*S*A*S*

Sunset hesitates a little before preparing to open the door.

"Sunset, I'm getting tired of so much mystery." Announces Twilight with annoyance. "Who are you coming to see?"

The girl's almost demanding tone causes Sunset to stop for a moment, but finally opens the door, and responds. "To you…"

Twilight remains with a gesture, but follows Sunset when entering the room. For a moment she keeps her eyes annoyed, but soon turns to the bed, and that expression is instantly erased ... replaced by surprise, followed by intrigue, and even ... fear ...

In the bed lies... she... herself

As if she were seeing herself in a mirror, she sees herself ... asleep ... firmly clinging to the warm blankets of the bed.

Twilight's Twilights

View Online

"What is this about?!" Twilight screams demandingly to a very nervous Sunset.

The former equine raises both hands defensively, looking around to make sure the hallway is empty. Fortunately, it is. Still, Sunset has no idea how to explain her current situation. "Tw-Twilight, I—"

"Why do you have an ID of me?! Where did you get it from?!"

Sunset tries to answer, but her words stick in her throat.

Twilight cannot stop staring at that card, and in a moment, she realizes why the photo is so familiar. "Wait... This picture..."The former equine bites her lip nervously. "... It's the picture you took of me the other day..."

"I... You see..." Sunset again tries and fails to explain herself.

"Is this why you asked me for that?!" demands Twilight. "You wanted to make an ID card with my name?!"

"Twilight... Please..."

"What do you want?! Why do you want this?! What do you want to do with this?!"

There's silence. Twilight is extremely upset and bewildered, and yet... her eyes seem to tremble with... fear...? Sadness..?

Sunset cannot give an immediate answer. She looks away, and finally, closing her eyes, she sighs. "It's not for you... It's for someone... someone who... you don’t know... but at the same time... you do..."

Twilight's gaze grows more severe. She crosses her arms and her eyes twinkle, ready to well up with tears. "I want the truth, Sunset!"she demands her with a stern but hurt voice.

Sunset does not say anything for a moment, but in the end, she just sighs. "I guess it was inevitable..."

*S*A*S*

Celestia does not take long to answer the knock at her door. She also cannot hide her surprise at seeing her old student at her door and a familiar face next to her.

"Um, hello, Principal Celestia," the former Canterlot student says with a nervous smile.

Celestia takes a few seconds to process what she is seeing and recover her calm countenance. "Sunset. Um, good afternoon." Her heart pounds as she resists a strong desire to take the fire-haired girl in an embrace.

"Sorry we came without warning," the fire-haired girl says with some fear in her voice. "Um, is the princess here?"

The word “princess” catches Twilight’s attention, although she does not say anything at the moment.

Celestia is still somewhat surprised, but she smiles kindly in response. "Yeah, sure. She's upstairs resting. Oh, but what am I doing? Come, girls; it's so cold out here."

She steps aside so that both girls enter the house, one more nervously than the other.

Both girls take off their winter coats, revealing their school uniform underneath, and with the woman's permission, they leave their coats hanging near the entrance.

Twilight looks at her partner and clears her throat. Sunset gets the signal immediately. "Oh, yeah. Um... Principal Celestia, this is Twilight Sparkle, a friend of mine at Crystal Prep."

Celestia tries to keep the familiarity out of her eyes, but at the same time, she can’t help smiling when Sunset calls her a friend.

Twilight takes a step forward and nervously greets the woman. "Good… Good afternoon. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Um, it’s a pleasure to meet you."

She makes a small bow that leaves Celestia somewhat curious but smiling. "Twilight, it's a pleasure to meet you, too. So, you and Sunset are friends?" Her voice reflects more emotion than she would have liked.

"I... Well..." She hesitates for a moment, but in the end, she smiles. "Yes, Sunset is my friend."

That only enriches Celestia's smile. Sunset, however, is surprised at the declaration, but soon, she smiles softly, too, full of hope that she hadn’t shattered her friendship with her.

Celestia says, "Well, I'm really glad to meet you. Do you want some tea, maybe cookies?"

Sunset responds, "Thanks, but that won’t be necessary, actually. I think we'll go see the princess."

"Princess?" asks Twilight in a low voice.

"Oh, sure. She's upstairs, the second door on the left."

"Thank you. Come on, Twilight."

Celestia watches both of them go upstairs, and when she is alone, she releases a breath that she did not know she was holding.

After reaching the top of the stairs, Twilight says, "What's that about a princess?"

"... You’ll see."

Twilight rolls her eyes, getting impatient as the girls walked down the hallway. "Sunset, I'm getting tired of this. Why did we come to this house, who or what is the princess, and who are you here to see?"

The demanding tone of the scientist makes Sunset stop for a second, but when they reach the door, she opens it and responds, "You."

Sunset is the first to enter, Twilight following with a confused and annoyed expression. Both remain silent. For a moment, the scientist keeps her eyes on Sunset, but when she turns to the bed, her irritation is instantly replaced by surprise, followed by intrigue, and finally... fear...

In the bed, fast asleep, lies... herself...

She stares at herself firmly clinging to the warm blankets of the bed as she sleeps.

Twilight opens her mouth to scream, but Sunset hurries to cover her mouth and stifle it. Sunset speaks to her in a low voice. "Look, I know it's... strange, but... I need you to stay calm, okay?"

After a moment of doubt, Twilight moves Sunset's hand away from her mouth and speaks in a voice that is equally low but extremely worried, "What’s going on? Who is she? Why does she looks like me?!"

Sunset tries to find a way to explain herself. "It's... too complicated for me to explain it to you right now. Just... give me a moment, please."

Without allowing her to ask more, Sunset approaches the sleeping girl. For a moment, she simply watches the sleeping princess, her calm face reflecting her deep and peaceful sleep. The blankets cover her entire body, leaving only her head out. Sunset has a slight feeling of guilt for waking her up, but it has to be done.

Sunset shakes the sleeping Twilight’s shoulder gently. "Princess. Princess, wake up."

There is no reaction from the slumbering princess, and the other Twilight considers the scene in front of her. "Princess?" she thinks to herself as memories replay themselves in her head with new context.

"Are you a princess, too?"

"Now we have the twin princess."

"Princess... They were talking about her...?" thinks Twilight.

Sunset continues her attempt to awaken the princess, shaking more firmly as she starts losing patience. "Princess, wake up."

"Sunset..." she hears her whisper, but the princess still doesn’t stir. "Don't leave me…"

Her words are very soft, and Sunset is surprised to hear them. A small tear runs down the princess's cheek.

Sunset suddenly felt hurt. Something in her chest felt cold.

She touches the princess's cheek, gently wiping the tear away. The princess purrs, pressing her face into Sunset’s palm. Sunset almost laughs at the gesture, but manages to keep herself in check. She raises her voice. "Princess, come on. Wake up."

Finally, the eyes of the princess open. For a moment her eyes are unfocused, but in the end, she distinguishes Sunset next to her. "Sunset..."

"Hey, Princess."

"Am I still dreaming...?"

Sunset raises her eyebrow but smiles. "No, I'm really here. I came to see you."

The princess's eyes and voice tremble slightly. "You're here..."

While both former equines gaze at each other, the other girl in the room suddenly becomes extremely quiet, without moving, her eyes fixed on the image before her.

Sunset, oblivious of her friend, sits on the edge of the bed. "How are you? I can see that you're still a little sick."

"A little," admits the princess, "but I'm already improving. Principal Celestia and Luna have been taking care of me. They’re so kind."

"That’s no surprise. After all, she is Celestia. It doesn't matter the world."

The princess gives a small laugh, and Sunset smiles. On the other hand, the scientist grabs an arm and bites her lip, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

"I'm glad you came..." the princess says softly and with pure honesty.

Sunset cannot resist the urge to caress the princess's cheek, and Twilight just responds with a smile, closing her eyes, and letting out an unconscious coo.

It was strange. The previous time they met, she was still angry at everything that happened. However, now, she was quite glad to see the princess. She could not explain the reason, but she was really happy.

Neither of them realizes what the scene causes in the other Twilight in the room. She remains silent, her annoyed expression having long ago disappeared. She shifted feet nervously, constantly alternating her gaze between the two girls and anything else in order to distract herself.

Twilight did not know why, but she very much felt like a third wheel.

Watching Sunset act that way... with that girl... who looked like herself... She was clearly someone important to Sunset...

And the way that girl talked to her... Why...? Why did they seem so close? Who was she?

... Who was she to Sunset?

Almost unconsciously, the scientist begins to back away, her eyes fixed on the image of Sunset, who was still looking with worried eyes at that girl while caressing her cheek...

Eventually, she manages to leave the room, and with more haste and strength than he would have liked, she closes the door. Twilight keeps her gaze down and embraces herself tightly.

Suddenly, she starts to feel cold. That image of Sunset with that girl... that... Twilight... has burned itself in her head.

It hurt... It hurt to see that...

"Who is she…?" she asks herself. "Why, Sunset... Why?!"

Memories reached her of the moments that they both shared: Sunset defending her… their conversations... the kind, friendly, loving way in which she treated her...

Sunset is her friend... They are friends... Sunset loves her, and she loves Sunset... They have a tie, a special bond... Friends have... bonds...

... Was that girl... another friend...?

The scientist’s body begins to tremble. She is cold, and she feels a pain in her chest.

Sunset could have other friends. Twilight was not Sunset's only friend. There was Sonata, Lemon Zest, maybe... Sunny Flare... and that boy Flash Sentry. It was good... That was good. Sunset had several friends. That was good!

Despite these thoughts, the image of what is inside the room continues to haunt her.

... That girl... had her face... and...

She remembers the ID card. It was her picture and her name...

And... she had the same name. It was... another Twilight. Sunset had... another Twilight...

Her mind kept replaying the scene of her copy and Sunset talking, smiling, touching...

A Twilight that... Sunset wanted more... more than her...

Her legs fail, and she falls to her knees, her body trembling and her tears falling.

*S*A*S*

The sound of the door closing makes Sunset turn, finding that her scientific friend was no longer in the room. "Twilight?"

The princess opens her eyes curiously. "Yes?"

Sunset turns around, aware of her little mistake. "Oh, no... It's nothing..."

The princess seems confused, but does not ask. She just closes her eyes again, rubbing her cheek against Sunset’s palm, holding the fire-haired girl’s hand firmly.

Sunset looks towards the door, now somewhat worried.

Suddenly, the strange atmosphere and the emotions that she felt vanish. Sunset remains motionless, repeating in her head the previous few minutes. She looks down at the princess on the bed, who is still holding her hand.

After one more moment, Sunset shakes her head and gets up from the bed, pulling her hand from the princess’s cheek, leaving the princess worried and a little disappointed.

"Um, yes. Let’s get to why I’m here,” the former villain says with some haste, wanting to change the subject.

The princess seems confused by her attitude, her confusion growing as the fire-haired girl takes something out of her pocket. It was small and looked like plastic.

"I brought this for you," the fire-haired girl says handing it over for the princess to inspect curiously.

*S*A*S*

Outside the room, the owner of the house narrowly missed dropping her tea tray at the sight of Twilight on her knees, on the floor, trembling and sobbing.

"Twilight!" She exclaims and hurriedly leaves the tray on a small nearby table to approach and kneel next to the girl. "Twilight, what's wrong?"

Twilight looks up, finding the worried face of the woman. Hurriedly, she wipes her eyes and tries to silence her sobs. "It’s nothing…"

"Nothing? You're crying."

"N-No... It's nothing..." Twilight removed her glasses in order to wipe her eyes better. "It's nonsense..."

"Nothing that makes you cry can be nonsense," Celestia says as she rubs Twilight's cheek, removing the traces of tears. "Something happened with Sunset?"

"Sunset..." Again, the image of Sunset and her double talking makes her chest ache. Celestia waits for her response. "She's... in there with... with... that girl..."

"Girl? You mean... You mean, with Twilight...?" The phrase felt strange, even if it were real.

Twilight was surprised to learn that indeed, that girl had her name. That girl... was another Twilight.

"Wh-Why... Why does she have my name... a-and look like me...?" Twilight questions with a trembling voice.

Celestia takes a few seconds to respond. "I see that Sunset has not told you about her yet..."

Twilight looks down, unsure what to say.

"Honestly, I don't know how much I can help you," the woman continues insecurely. "But I'll try to explain to you as much as I know, at least."

Twilight looks at the woman, her eyes still sad but now gleaming with interest.

Celestia helps her up and, with one hand gently resting on her arm, leads her towards the stairs. She takes the tray with the mugs and teapot on the way. “I know you said you wouldn't drink anything, but I decided to make some tea anyway."

"Thank you... Ms. Celestia."

A soft smile brightens Celestia’s face, and she continues to lead the distraught Twilight to the ground floor.

*S*A*S*

The princess looks curiously at that object in Sunset’s hand. "What’s that?" she asks finally.

The former equine takes a moment to organize her words. "Last week, you asked me for help because you wanted to find a source of money," Sunset says calmly but seriously. "With the way this world works, that would be impossible for you. So, I asked an old acquaintance to make this identification card for you."

Twilight pushes herself to a sitting position. The blankets fall, revealing the lavender, long-sleeved nightgown she is wearing. After shaking her head to clear the dizziness, she takes the card to examine it. "This is... what you told me about. Those social documents?"

Sunset hesitates a moment. "More or less... This is...” Sunset takes a deep breath. “I won’t lie to you; it's illegal—a faked document."

"Faked? But, then..."

"When I came to this world, I didn't have documentation. I had to manage to survive, and I found that there are people who do these things," Sunset explains, looking away, partially lost in memories. "With a faked ID, you can start making your way in this world."

"But Sunset... this is... wrong..."

Sunset does not look at the princess, her voice becoming somewhat cold. "At the time, that didn’t matter to me."

There is silence. The princess looks worriedly at her companion, who seems lost in ancient times.

"Anyway," Sunset continues, "this is as far as you or I can get. No one will give you a real ID."

Twilight keeps looking at that small object with a tinge of regret.

Sunset seems nervous. "In any case... With that, and even without any higher education, you can get a job. A waitress, store clerk... something like that."

There is no response from the girl with purple hair, who is deep in thought. Uncomfortable, Sunset continues, "Well... That's the best I can do. You're smart. You'll know how to use that."

Twilight becomes tense when she sees Sunset turn around. "Wait, you... You're leaving...?"

"I came to bring you that, and... I brought it. I don’t have anything else to do here."

Her voice seems cold, but at the same time, the coldness sounds forced, as if she really doesn’t want to hurt the bedridden girl. However, it has the expected effect, as the princess puts both hands on her chest as her eyes water.

Sunset stands still, turning her back on the princess for a few seconds.

Why was she hesitating? What was she doubting...?

With an annoyed moan, Sunset starts heading to the door.

"Wait!"

The loud cry is so surprising that it makes the former villain turn around, surprised. The princess herself is surprised by her own volume. She blushes slightly in embarrassment, and after a few seconds, she continues, "I-I'm sorry... I just... Could you... stay a little longer?"

Her voice and her look are so pleading... The shell that Sunset tried to put together almost shatters. However, she steels herself, trying to be serious. "I-I can't. I... I have to go home. There’s something big tomorrow, and I have to get ready."

Using the soccer game as a cheap excuse to... to escape? What happened to her?

Twilight looks down, hurt. "I understand..." She looks up again. "Then, at least... let me accompany you to the door."

Even as she speaks, Twilight pushes the blankets off her body and moves to the edge of the bed.

Surprised, Sunset quickly says, "Princess, no. You need to rest," unable to keep the disinterested façade up as her worry shows through.

"I've been in bed all day," Twilight says as she sits up slowly. "I think I can walk to the door, at least." Although it causes her dizziness, she stands up and places cotton slippers on her feet. Sunset does not seem convinced, but she prefers not to argue.

*S*A*S*

Downstairs, sitting on the sofa in the living room, Celestia looks silently at her guest, who is equally silent as she keeps her gaze on the steaming mug in her hands.

Twilight is thoughtful, as if she were analyzing the situation. The woman takes a drink of her tea, patiently waiting for the young woman to absorb and process the conversation.

Finally, the young scientist speaks, albeit with a very doubtful voice. "You... You... Her... Sunset..." She pauses, she taking a few seconds to put together a complete sentence. "An... alternate world... That's... what you’re trying to tell me?"

The principal waits a few seconds, taking a sip of her tea before answering. "That's what I can understand. The truth is that I myself am not sure of exactly how the situation works."

Twilight is lost for words again for a moment. "That... That's... It's so... Ugh..." Her fingers press the mug, and she takes a long drink of her tea. The hot drink almost burns her tongue and throat, but she ignores it. "That... is the most absurd thing I've ever heard."

Celestia is a little surprised by her words, but soon shows an understanding smile. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"Are you being serious, or are you playing with me?"

"I'm serious, Twilight," Celestia responds, still smiling but sincere. "I know it's hard to believe, but with what has happened at my school in the recent months, I'm willing to believe... almost anything."

Celestia corrects herself before finishing, because there were things that, even after seeing them, she would never believe.

Anon-A-Miss was among those things.

Twilight plunges into her thoughts for a moment. "Even about that stuff last fall and during that musical event?"

The principal thinks for a moment on how to respond. "Yes. It’s not easy to avoid the news, but so far, we’ve been able to keep the situation calm."

"And that... that 'Twilight'… and Sunset... are related to those events...?"

Celestia hesitates a second but nods. "It was they who saved the school and the students."

Twilight pauses. "Then, Sunset lied to me..." Her voice and her look are deeply pained.

The aurora-haired woman takes the girl's shoulder and speaks softly. "Twilight, don’t take it like that. Sunset just wanted to protect you."

"Protect me? Protect me from what?"

"Since you're aware of the events now, you shouldn't have to ask that," Celestia answers with equal parts seriousness and kindness. "The magic that Sunset has is beautiful in many ways, but it can also be dangerous."

Twilight does not respond. She looks unsure.

Celestia continues, "Sunset always takes care of others, especially those she loves."

Twilight thinks back to everything Sunset did for her.

Sunset not only defended her from the aggressors at school but also extended her hand in friendship, listened to her and understood her feelings.

She was her first real friend, and thanks to her, she was able to meet others...

She could not fight against the smile that formed on her lips.

Celestia did not fight her own smile, either. "Sunset is someone special."

"Yes... She really is." Twilight takes a sip of her tea as her shoulders relax. The older woman smiles more widely at the sight.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs causes both to turn. Sunset descends at a cautious pace, holding Princess Twilight's arm and waist to help her down.

"In fact, the Crystal Empire is real," says the princess. "Cadance is the ruler there."

"That explains everything," comments the fire-haired girl reluctantly. "Just my luck."

The princess covers a slight laugh as they stop at the bottom of the stairs.

Sunset's eyes meet those of her scientific friend. "Twilight..."

The Equestrian Twilight, however, is the one who responds. "Yes?" When Sunset does not speak again, she realizes that Sunset is not looking at her. Twilight follows Sunset’s gaze... and pauses, stunned.

Silence fills the room. Neither Sunset nor Celestia knows what to do or say, but both Twilights stare at each other, unmoving.

After a few seconds that felt eternal, the scientific Twilight gets up and, with some doubt, walks towards the girls of Equestria.

The princess is still silent, watching her double approach until they are face-to-face with each other, still without saying anything, never breaking eye contact.

Sunset had retreated a few steps, and after swallowing a little nervousness, decides to speak. "Um... Princess, this is... well, I assume you can imagine... She's a friend mine of Crystal Prep."

"Friend..." the princess whispers almost at the moment of hearing that word.

The visual contact between the two Twilights never breaks.

Sunset, after a moment, speaks again. "And... Twilight, this is... well... It's hard to explain..."

"Ms. Celestia explained it to me... a little," the scientist says in a neutral tone.

The owner of the house decides to get up and approach gently.

It was a curious image, having on one side two humans, natives of that world, and on the other, visiting ponies from a different world.

And yet, both sides were equally uncomfortable and confused with the situation.

Eventually, it is the human Twilight who makes the first move, extending her hand towards her 'twin', receiving a confused look from her. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. A pleasure to meet you." Her voice is neutral, however; she does not seem sincere, though it does not sound rude or a lie, either. Rather, she just seems unable to process the correct emotion.

The magical Twilight hesitates but responds by shaking her double’s hand. "Um... A-A pleasure... I'm... I'm also Twilight Sparkle..." she says, smiling nervously.

They shake hands for a few seconds, and when they let go, the scientist looks at her palm with great interest. The others watch curiously.

A couple of seconds more, and the scientist lets out a nervous laugh. "Heh, I'm glad we didn't explode, heh..."

The comment gains more curious looks, although soon, all but the princess begin to laugh. The princess just looks on confusedly.

The laughter lasts a few seconds before the scientist returns to speak to her double, this time with a small smile. "Well... this is... quite strange, really."

"Heh, yes, it is," the other Twilight agrees. "I think it's the second weirdest thing that ever happened to me."

"'Second'?"

Sunset decides to change the subject. "Um, well, I don't want to be rude, but… I have to go."

"I do, too," says the human Twilight. "Um, Twilight, we have to meet up one of these days and talk... about... something...?"

The magical Twilight smiles. "'Something' sounds good. I'd love it."

They smile at each other, this time a real, albeit still doubtful, smile.

Celestia approaches and speaks to her guest. "But it will be when you have recovered from that cold. Speaking of which, what are you doing up? You should be resting," she scolds.

"I just wanted to accompany Sunset to the door... then I'll go back to bed, promise..."

Celestia's gaze was a mixture of understanding and scolding. Sunset could not help but laugh at the image.

Celestia looked just like a mother.

Soon, principal and princess see the Crystal Prep students off.

"Thanks for your hospitality and for the tea. It was delicious," says the scientist.

"It was a pleasure. Come back to visit us whenever you want," the owner of the house says, smiling.

Both former equines look at each other. "Sunset, thank you... for coming. And for helping me."

Not knowing how to respond, Sunset averts her gaze. "It's nothing..." She looks toward Celestia. "Thanks for everything, Principal Celestia. Princess... I hope... that you do well."

She allows that as a farewell and begins to walk away. The human Twilight gives a final bow as a farewell and rushes to catch up.

The aurora-haired woman watches them go and releases a content sigh. As she looks at her companion, she notices the look of sorrow in those amethyst eyes. "Twilight?”

The girl is silent, her gaze forward even when the two are no longer in sight. "Principal Celestia..." She pauses, looking down, her eyes twinkling. "Do you think that Sunset... has forgotten about me...?" A couple of tears fall as she finishes speaking.

The question stuns Celestia. Twilight begins to cry, and almost as a reflex, Celestia envelops her in a motherly embrace. "Twilight, how can you think something like that?"

"Sunset has a new life... a new school... new friends... and another me..."

Twilight’s tears continue to flow, dampening the shoulder she buried her face in. Celestia holds the girl's body tightly and gently strokes her hair in an attempt to calm her down.

How had she seen two Twilights cry in less than an hour? And how is that the reason had been, apparently, the same for each one?

With her thumb, Celestia wipes Twilight's tears as she holds her against her chestmaternally. "Twilight, Sunset came here for you, came to see you. Do you think she would do such a thing if she had forgotten you?"

While trying to control her sobs, Twilight remembered Sunset’s arrival, the way that Sunset smiled at her, the soft touch of Sunset's hand on her cheek. It made her feel warm, loved... almost as if her friendship had re-ignited...

And although that feeling was extinguished in a short time, Sunset had helped her...

Sunset took that trouble for her...

She hides a sob in Celestia's chest and hugs her tightly. "I miss her so much…" she says, her voice muffled by the embrace.

Celestia embraces the girl firmly. "Me too, Twilight... me too..." The strength of the woman falters as tears manage to escape from her own eyes, sliding down the woman's cheeks while she, ignoring her own pain, caresses and soothes the girl.

*S*A*S*

It was difficult to know if the sun had already set, as the clouds obscure any source of natural light.

As usual, the cold wind attacks the streets of the city. Both girls know they have to get to their homes before it gets even colder.

It is not a long stretch to a bus stop, from which Twilight could take one to head home, but the recent events, still too fresh and attached to their minds, make the trip feel much longer and extremely awkward.

While standing and waiting for the bus, Twilight looks straight ahead with a neutral expression, while Sunset turns her eyes in all directions with impatience and a hint of... fear...

They had not spoken since they left Celestia's house, each one focused on her own thoughts.

Sunset looks at her friend, who keeps her eyes fixed straight ahead, although she does not seem to see anything in particular. After a pregnant pause, she decides to talk to her. "Aren’t you going to ask me anything?"

The answer does not come immediately. "There's so much I want to ask... but... I think... I prefer that you just start talking." Twilight turns her head to see Sunset. With a serious look and a voice bordering on pleading, she says, "Please, Sunset. No more secrets." Sunset bites her lip, looking away again. Twilight interlaced her fingers with Sunset's. "We're friends, Sunset. That won’t change... right...?" The last question is asked in a tone of desperation.

Sunset returns to look at her. Emerald and amethyst stare at each other. Her fingers tighten around Twilight’s. "That won’t change. Ever."

The answer makes the violet-haired girl approach and lean her head on the former equine’s shoulder. Sunset responds in kind, resting her head on Twilight’s.

"I'll tell you soon," Sunset says after a few seconds of silence. "But not now... Right now, it's all very confusing for both of us..."

Twilight seems to understand her, for she nods softly. After another few seconds of silence, she says, "Sunset... that girl... that Twilight... What relationship do you have with her?"

The question causes Sunset to lean back slightly to look at Twilight. "Relationship?"

"I mean... when we got there... you… you started acting very sweet with her... The way you talked to her... and the way you smiled at her. She's... someone important to you, right?"

Sunset stares at her for a moment, not knowing what or how to answer. "She did a lot for me in the past... When I gave in to my own ambition, she lifted me up and gave me her hand so I could move on, overcoming... one of the worst moments of my life."

"Anon-a-Miss...?" asks Twilight with curiosity.

The former equine shakes her head. "It was a time before Anon-A-Miss. The first time I felt truly alone. Other than my childhood, anyway."

Twilight is touched by her words and the way Sunset expresses them.

"I owe her a lot," continues Sunset. "She... Yes, she is important to me... and although I have my problems with her right now, it does not mean... that I stopped caring about her."

Although she responded to her friend, her words almost seem directed towards herself.

There is silence. Twilight looks down at the ground while asking another question. "When you came to Crystal Prep... did you help me... because I look like her...?" Her voice is wavering, dreading the answer.

Sunset looks away doubtfully. "I don't know..." she says.

The scientist raises her eyebrows, the surprise stark on her face. It does not seem like the answer Twilight wanted, because she looked to the ground with some disappointment. "Maybe that's why. I'm not sure either..."

"But you know," continues the fire-haired girl, "when I started to get to know you, I realized that, despite having the same face, you and she are very different."

"We are?"

Sunset gently squeezes her friend's hand and looks her in the eyes. "Maybe you two have the same name and the same appearance, but honestly, I can’t compare you to her. You are you.”

Silence resumes as they look into each other's eyes.

It is the former equine who breaks eye contact with slight embarrassment. "That... was cheesier than I expected..."

The comment wins a laugh from the scientist. "It was... nice, though."

Their smiles don’t fade as the bus approaches. They break away from each other, and the scientist takes a few steps towards the sidewalk to wait.

"See you at school tomorrow," Sunset says, her smile more relaxed.

Twilight nods but drops her smile, staring at Sunset. "Sunset," she speaks in a serious voice, "you're my best friend..."

Sunset is surprised to hear it, but her smile only grows. She opens her mouth to speak, but Twilight beats her to it.

"And I... I'm not willing... to be your second-best."

Sunset is intrigued by that, but before she can ask about it, she feels the soft touch of Twilight's lips on her own.

Two seconds. It was just that, then Sunset could only watch Twilight get on the bus. The doors close, and in a few seconds, the vehicle is lost in the streets.

She was alone in the place.

After a few seconds of completely motionlessness, she sighs, rubs her neck, and looks at nothing.

"Go home, Sunset," she says to herself. "Tomorrow’s a big day."

With that, she turns around and walks towards her apartment.

Vs Trottingham

View Online

Although the sun is at its zenith, the winter clouds completely obscure it, making the day gloomy, dark, and cold.

The stands at the Crystal Prep soccer field are filled with young students, half of them wearing the Crystal Prep uniform. The other half have different uniforms, each student standing out from the Crystal Prep students via a distinctive, gray jacket with Trottingham College’s emblem.

A voice is heard from the speakers located around the field. "Welcome, everyone, to the annual sporting event between Crystal Prep and the Advanced Trottingham College!"

The crowd of Trottingham students answer with cheers and applause, in contrast to the less animated applause of the young people of Crystal Prep.

A young man with dark skin and fluffy chocolate hair wearing Trottingham's jacket sits in an observation booth, his microphone projecting his voice around the field. "I'm Cheese Sandwich, and this is my friend Boneless!" he says, pointing to a rubber chicken seated next to him. "We all know why we’re here! Every year, both schools compete in this friendly contest, and I must say, I'm a big fan! Seriously, I'm just a fan. I was walking to my seat, and the door was open, so—"

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

Immediately, Cheese runs off, leaving a puff of smoke behind, grabbing Boneless with a cartoonishly stretched arm.

An older man enters the cabin with a frown. He sits down at the mic. "Sorry about that, folks. Welcome, everyone. Again."

Once more, the Trottingham students cheer animatedly, while Crystal Prep’s applause is far less jubilant.

"The competition promises to be extreme this year; both schools have been preparing for this for a long time. Even now, the teams are using these last minutes to stretch and get in tip-top shape, ready to give this their all!"

As said, both teams are huddled in their locker rooms. Trottingham is preparing with some stretches and words of encouragement between players.

Crystal Prep, on the other hand, watch as their captain Indigo Zap speaks.

"All right, team!" announces Indigo. "This is it. We’ve prepared for this for months, and I am not exaggerating when I say that we have this in the bag."

There is no reaction beyond an almost mechanical nod of assent from the players. Except for one.

Sunset looks between the other players, her nervous expression the only bit of emotion in the team.

"I'm sure you all know what to do," Indigo says.

"Yes, captain!" all the students say loudly, surely, and emotionlessly.

"Um... I think..." Sunset starts shyly.

"Don't forget your drills. Not that I think you will."

"Yes, captain!"

"Um... I think..."

"Let's show those clowns that the Shadowbolts are number ONE!"

"YES, CAPTAIN!"

"Um... okay...?"

"Everyone to the field! Move!"

The students rush out of the locker room. Sunset remains in her place, somewhat surprised by their attitude.

Indigo approaches her and smiles confidently. "Ready for this, Shimmer?"

Sunset turns around, seeing the confident smile of the girl who put her into this. "... I'll be honest with you, Indigo... No, I'm not."

"Ha! Don’t get nervous. You trained for this.”

"Four days of kicking a ball is not training. I'm not at the level of the others."

"Pffft, please! In four days, you memorized the plays, you learned the tricks, and you even showed me several weak points in our formations that I hadn’t noticed."

"And I gained several bruises on my legs and face." She rubs her cheek, remembering the times she 'stumbled' and fell to the ground.

"But today is your day! Victory awaits us!"

With that, the captain leaves the room. Sunset, seeing herself alone, allows herself to sigh. "At least it can’t get any worse."

*S*A*S*

"Give me an 'S'! Give me a 'U'! Give me an 'N'! Give me an ‘S’! Give me a... um... Is 'Sunset' written with one 'S' or two?

Sonata looks expectantly at her companions Lemon Zest and Twilight. The three of them are standing at the side of the field, all wearing a cheerleading outfit consisting of tight, sleeveless shirts and short, white skirts, each girl holding a pompom in each hand, one red and the other yellow.

While Lemon and Sonata are animated, Twilight tries to shrink as much as possible. "Sonata, why are we dressed like this?"

"Duh! To cheer Sunset on in her big game, obviously."

"But why do we have to use these?" Twilight asks trying to use the pom-poms to cover herself.

"Because that’s what cheerleaders use!" the siren responds joyfully before improvising a dance.

Twilight hugs herself, blushing. "This is shameful!"

"Come on, Twi-Spark! What's so bad about Sun-Shim seeing you in that outfit?"

It did not seem possible, but Twilight’s blush only increases. "I-It’s not that..."

"Hee hee! Twi-Twi’s blushing!"

"No, I’m not!"

"Come on, Twi-Spark, this is to support Sunset. With how hard she worked, she’ll need a support team."

"And as her friends, it's our job to do it!"Sonata shakes her pom-poms and jumps. "Yay, Sunsite!"

"We could do that without having to dress like this. Besides... it’s cold..." As if on cue, an icy wind blows over them, and Twilight’s shivering intensifies as it passes over her exposed arms and legs.

"If you danced around a little, you wouldn’t be so cold," the green-haired girl comments.

"Sunset, Sunset, let's goooooo!"

Lemon joins Sonata’s cheering, the duo kicking their knees into the air. Twilight can’t help but notice their skirts fluttering upward with each kick, and she hides behind her pom-poms, blushing more. "I couldn't do something like that!"

"Come on, Twi-Spark! Do it for Sunset."

"Sunset doesn't need this kind of help!"

"I'm afraid I have to disagree," speaks a fourth voice.

The voice makes them all turn around, finding Sunny Flare wearing the same cheerleading attire as Sonata and her friends.

Surprised, Lemon exclaims "Sunny!"

"Sunny Flare?" the scientist asks, confused.

Sunny, ignoring Twilight’s confusion, keeps talking. "Moral support is important. It builds confidence, reduces stress and insecurity, and helps the development of physical and mental activity," she says as she approaches the group.

"Sunny, what are you doing here?" says Lemon

"What do you think? I came to support Sunset," the girl responds as if it were obvious.

"But why the outfit?" returns the guitarist. "I mean, I never would’ve thought."

"Well, I'm also Sunset’s friend, and if you're going to support her this way, I can't stay behind."

"YAY! Sunset’s best friends together to support her!"

For some reason, that phrase makes Twilight worry. "... Best friends...?"

Twilight stares at Sunny, remembering the day she saw Sunset and Sunny at the mall.

Sunny Flare is a nice girl... Fun and pretty...

Sunny is… very attractive. The cheerleader costume fits her body’s curvature perfectly, from her legs covered only by tight, long socks, to her thighs half-covered by the skirt, which fluttered and moved at every movement of her shapely hips, to her slender waist, and going up to her bust...

Twilight turns her eyes downward toward her own body.

Suddenly, she felt... inferior...

Twilight had never cared about appearances. Such things mattered little in school, and it’s not like she gave the other girls much competition; her other female classmates were much more attractive than she. She knew that her appearance and her... anatomy were not something that stood out in a crowd.

But that had never mattered to her.

Until now.

Steeling her nerves, Twilight stomped toward the field just as the players began entering the field, surprising her companions as she began cheering.

"Come on, Sunset! You can do it!" she screams, jumping in place and waving her pom-poms energetically, trying to ignore the blush igniting her face.

Her friends pause for a bit in surprise before smiling and joining along.

"Give me an ‘S’! Give me a ‘U’! Give me an ‘N’!"

"Sun-Shim! Sun-Shim! We believe in Sun-Shim! Hip hip hurray!"

Sunny Flare smiles and immediately joins them, the four exclaiming Sunset’s name.

*S*A*S*

Trottingham arrives on the scene first, the students scattering to their starting positions, waving their arms in greeting to the audience. Instantly, their classmates begin cheering them on.

Crystal Prep, on the other hand, enters in perfect order, forming three rows that move in sync.

Sunset seems focused on keeping up with her peers, although her eyes soon catch a peculiar view: Her bandmates and Sunny Flare jumping around and shouting her name, each wearing a cheerleading outfit. Even Twilight is going along with it.

Surprised, Sunset isn’t paying attention to her walking and trips, her face hitting the earth.

Her companions, instead of helping her, only give her a reproachful look as they all continue forward.

Sunset lets out a whimper. "I should have gone to Trottingham..."

*S*A*S*

Minutes later, all the players are in place, firm and ready.

The announcer’s voice erupts from the speakers. "It's time, folks! Crystal Prep Academy versus Trottingham College. Will Trottingham defeat Crystal Prep on their own terf, or will Crystal Prep send them home with nothing but disappointment?"

The referee comes onto the field, and with the sound of his whistle, he drops the ball, and the game begins.

Trottingham quickly gains possession and rushes forward, the young man dodging all defensive plays before quickly passing to his teammate. However, Sunset intercepts, stopping the pass with her shin before giving it a strong kick to midfield, where her waiting teammate stops it and begins moving toward Trottingham’s goal.

Crystal Prep’s movements are almost mechanical as they pass their ball to one another in precise, almost synchronized movements to avoid the defending Trottingham.

The player advances, rushing toward the goal, but surprises everyone at the last second by a quick kick off to the side. The pass is received by Lightning Dust, who, taking advantage of everyone’s surprise, kicks the ball hard and clear toward the goal.

The ball advances at an amazing speed. Crystal's point seems certain, but to everyone's surprise, the goalie quickly interrupts, catching the ball with both his hands and his chest. Amazingly, despite the force of the impact, the goalie stands his ground.

Lightning stares, shocked at how easily her offense was blocked. The goalie, on the other hand, gives her a smirk before dropping the ball and kicking it far past midfield.

Lightning huffs. "This will be a little harder than expected..." She sees the goalie’s smile still present on his face, and she returns with one of her own. "That just makes it interesting."

*S*A*S*

For a while, Sunset only moves from side to side on the field, focusing only on the trajectory of the ball and plays.

"Heads up, Shimmer!" a teammate exclaims as a Trottingham student approaches Crystal Prep's goal.

Sunset advances, planting herself in front of him to block his path. He tries to swerve, but she doesn’t let him. She throws herself forward, and they start fighting for control of the ball.

Eventually, the Trottingham player is forced to throw a pass, which is intercepted by Sunset's partner, turning the attack towards Trottingham.

Sunset sighs and takes a moment to breathe.

"That's our Sunset!”

"You're doing great, Sunsite!"

"Hurray, Sunset! Ra, ra, ra!"

"Y-You can do it, Sunset!"

The voices make her turn her head, watching her... personal peanut gallery, all waving their pom-poms and giving smiles and cheers of encouragement.

"Why do I always choose the weird ones as friends...?" Sunset thinks.

Trying not to show her embarrassment about the situation, Sunset gets back in the game.

*S*A*S*

"Shimmer! To the right!" Crystal Prep’s goalie shouts as she throws the ball at Sunset.

Sunset stops it with her chest and, without losing time, runs off with it toward the goal. Several players from Trottingham rush her to stop her advance, and Sunset dodges one but finds herself unable to safely pass the second. At the last second, she passes the ball to her teammate, who tears off toward the goal with it.

Noise thunders throughout the stadium, from the echoing voice of the announcer as he narrates the different plays, to Sunset’s personal cheer squad, to the applause and cheering from the students of Trottingham. The only silent areas are the stands on Crystal Prep’s side.

*S*A*S*

Sunset runs behind a pair of her teammates, twins who carry the ball toward Trottingham’s goal. Many try to stop them, but they pass to and receive from each other perfectly, as if they had a telepathic link.

Eventually, though, the pair is blocked, and they pass backward toward Sunset, who receives the pass and veers to the side to run past the opposing defense. Taking advantage of Trottingham’s distraction, the twins rush past the defense, and Sunset returns the ball to the pair.

Closer and closer, they approach the goal, and one of the twins gives a powerful kick. The angle is perfect.

But so are the goalie’s reflexes.

The goalie grabs the ball from midair, flashing his smirk at the twins, who sneer simultaneously.

Sunset cannot help but be surprised by his speed. "He’s really good…"

With the long throw of the ball, the game continues. Sunset stands for a moment and takes a deep breath before following her companions.

*S*A*S*

The announcer's voice booms over the speakers. "We’re coming up on the end of the first half, folks, and the score is still tied zero-zero! Both teams have shown their skills and strength, but which one will break this stalemate?"

Lightning runs fast on the field with the ball in her possession, but as she gets close to the goal, two opponents block her path. She barely manages to get passed them, but the dodge unbalances her, and she finds herself unable to get past another blocker.

Indigo shouts from behind, "Lightning, pass it to Sunset!"

Lightning turns her gaze, seeing Sunset standing a few meters away, no opponents too close to intercept any pass.

Lightning doubts, looking between her position, her blocker, and the goal, so very close.

"Lightning!" Indigo shouts.

The blonde clenches her teeth, pulls her leg back, and unleashes a powerful kick. The ball flies past the Trottingham players and advances in a straight line toward the goal, but the goalie, ever vigilant, has little trouble intercepting the ball’s predictable path, using only one hand to stop its movement.

Lighting only stares at him, her neutral expression against his confident smile.

"Damn it, Lighting..." complains the captain of the team.

Again, the goalie’s pass goes long, taking the ball to a member of his team on Crystal Prep’s side of the field, who wastes no time turning and running toward Crystal Prep’s goal.

"Come on! Sunset, I’ll get the ball, you block whoever comes near!" Indigo exclaims.

"Y-Yeah, okay!"

Both speed toward the advancing player. A Trottingham player tries to cut Indigo off, but Sunset gets in the way, keeping him away from Indigo. Indigo rushes toward the Trottingham offensive and tries to take the ball away, her angle such that the player has no choice but to try to pass wildly.

Sunset keeps blocking the other player, who, in his desperation, ends up pushing through to receive the pass, causing Sunset to fall to the ground hard.

The sound of the referee's whistle is immediate. The whole game stops, and the man gives the penalty shot to Crystal Prep.

Sunset’s friends watch with some concern. "Sunset..."

"Calm down, Twily. Our Sun-Shim won’t let that beat her."

"Go, Sunset! Yay!"

On the field, Indigo approaches and extends her hand to the former equine. "Hey, Sunset, you okay?"

Sunset accepts Indigo's help. "Yeah. I’ve taken my fair share of falls... in more ways than one..."

"Well, can you make the shot?"

"Oh, no, no." Sunset shakes her head emphatically. "I prefer someone else to do it; I don’t want to mess it up."

"You won’t mess up."

"Please, let someone else do it,” Sunset begs.“I prefer to just be support."

Indigo sighs. "Well, I’ll do it, then. Go to your position."

"Thank you," Sunset says.

The penalty kick was blocked by Trottingham’s goalie, and Trottingham takes the ball. Two Crystal Prep players move to intercept, and the keeper passes, but the receiving player fails to catch it, and the ball goes out of bounds. The whistle is blown, and Crystal Prep selects Indigo to throw the ball back in.

Indigo stands with the ball, looking at the positioning of her team.

"All right, it's time for our 'Lightning Dominoes'."

Indigo looks at the nearest teammate and signs. He catches her meaning, and soon, the message is spread throughout her whole team.

"All right, let's win."

Indigo throws the ball in, her teammate snaps it up, and all players begin to advance, Trottingham not far behind.

Whenever Trottingham gets too close, Crystal Prep reacts with surprising speed, passing to the right to another waiting teammate, the field-wide line of players getting closer and closer to the goal.

Sunset receives the pass, moving quickly. Two opposing players approach her from the sides. Sunset glances to the side, but her teammate is blocked. She looks frantically for someone else, feeling the opponents closing in.

She suddenly hears Lightning Dust shout from across the field, "Sunset! I’m open!"

Sunset hears the order, and although she doubts, her advancing opponents don’t leave her much choice. She gives it a hard kick, and the ball careens through the air.

Trottingham's defenses approach to catch the ball, but Lightning gets there faster and takes it first, easily evading the remaining players, her approach to the goal wide open.

She and the goalie lock eyes, Lightning determined to best him this time.

She gets closer, rearing her leg back. Time seems to stop for a second before she lowers her leg and, with a huge blow, sends the ball soaring towards the goal.

Everyone in the field and in the stands are frozen.

The ball advances directly to the goalie. He extends his arms, blocking the ball with his hands, but surprisingly, the ball doesn’t stop. It just keeps spinning and pushing the goalie. He clenches his teeth hard, feeling the friction burn his gloves to the point that smoke rises from them.

All eyes are on the scene, and more than one face show amazement as the force the ball carries starts pushing the goalie back toward the goal. His feet leave drag lines in the grass as he tries to dig his cleats into the ground.

Sunset looks at the scene as much or more surprised as the others...

The power of that shot was amazing... but even more amazing is that the ball is still going...

The young man is still being pushed backwards. Almost his whole body is inside the goal, but he keeps resisting, trying to keep the ball from crossing the line of the goal.

Lighting grunts and clenches her teeth in suspense. "Come on… Go in..."

With his whole body behind the line, only a few centimeters of his arms prevent the ball from crossing. He keeps gritting his teeth, but soon, he flashes a smile.

The ball’s energy finally fades as it slows its spinning, its force weakening, until finally... the ball stops and falls to the ground... just outside of the goal.

The whistle announcing the end of the first half sounds, and the announcer starts exclaiming, “Wha—I don’t—I’ve never seen anything like what we just saw here, folks. That power, that defense! Incredible! And, to make things even more interesting, we’ve reached halftime, and the score is still zero-zero!”

Trottingham explodes in cheers and applause for their team. Crystal Prep, however, stays silent, most wearing an irritated or even disappointed glare. Soon, though, the teams return to their locker rooms, and the stands empty for the brief interlude between halves.

*S*A*S*

The Crystal's captain looks at her team scattered in the locker room. "I’m not gonna lie. I hoped it would be simpler, but we don’t always get what we want. I know that we can turn this game around and win!"

"Yes, captain!"

Sunset can’t help but look with doubt at the robotic response of her teammates.

"Now, we saw our opponents at work," the captain continues. "What can we say about them?"

The team thinks for a moment before answering.

"Their ability is outstanding, and they are able to coordinate their movements perfectly."

"They seem more focused on agility and evasion. I don’t think they can bring up much force if we corner them. Except for the goalie, maybe…"

Sunset listens as everyone continues to talk about the Trottingham team. She, on the other hand, is focused on the goalie.

"Sunset. Hey, Sunset!" Indigo snaps with a clap of her hands.

"Huh?! What... what's up...?"

"What’s on your mind?"

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about their goalie. That guy’s intense."

Crystal Prep’s goalie nods her head in agreement. "He moves like lightning and is as solid as a brick wall. Not even Lightning Dust’s shots could get through."

All eyes go to the blonde girl leaning on a nearby wall. She just snorts with annoyance. "Whatever. I just have to kick harder. Break his arm, if I have to."

Sunset swallows hard, not sure how serious Lightning is about that.

Indigo thinks for a second. "As things go, I don't think force is the key. However, we will make some player changes and get some fresh legs on the field to keep the team at one hundred percent."

Suddenly, Sunset feels a gaze on her back. She turns to see Lighting giving her a serious—and strange—look.

Sunset turns around and tries to ignore her and focus on the orders of the captain.

*S*A*S*

Meanwhile, Trottingham meets up in their own locker room, and by the words and actions of the captain, it seems their plans revolve around one person: Lightning Dust.

*S*A*S*

There is a slight break before the second half begins. Once the strategies are discussed and arranged, the players of both teams use that time to rest.

Sunset finds herself splashing water from a drinking fountain into her face. "Ugh... Why do these things happen to me...?" She thinks as flashbacks to the game assault her mind. Just one disaster after another...

"It's as if my life were controlled by a sadistic and egocentric loser who just can’t get a girlfriend and takes it out on me!"

(HEY!! that was not necessary...!)

She lets out a sigh, shuts off the water, and walks back to the dressing room, stopping when she hears voices nearby.

"What do you want to talk about, Lightning?"

Sunset recognizes the voice: Indigo Zap. Cursing her curiosity, Sunset approaches the place, and hides, watching and listening in.

The blonde sportswoman crosses her arms. "Zap, you gotta kick Shimmer from the team."

That surprises both Indigo and Sunset. Indigo recovers first. "Seriously, Dust?! Would you just put aside your grudge for a second and— "

"This has nothing to do with what happened between us!" Lightning snaps. "Trottingham is better than we thought. At this rate, we’ll end up tying the game, or worse, we’ll lose."

"You’re overreacting," Indigo says but finds it hard to maintain eye contact.

"You know I'm right. If we want to win, we need the best players in the field. We can’t waste one of our valuable spots on a rookie."

Sunset should have felt insulted... but she could not deny that Lighting was right...

Trottingham was good, a balanced and coordinated team. Crystal Prep's students were strong, with tremendous training and gaming experience.

But Sunset? Sure, she had almost mastered the teams plays and movements, but the rest of the team have also mastered their teamwork and cooperation with each other. Sunset didn’t know her teammates’ strengths and weaknesses as intimately as the rest of the team did. She was an outsider.

Indigo, after a pause, resumes the conversation. "Sunset’s good. You saw what she achieved in just a few days."

"It’s. Not. Enough," snaps Lightning. "Okay, fine, she’s got potential, but that’s all she has: potential. Potential isn’t going to carry us to victory, and we can’t be relying on potential in a game as important as this one."

Indigo seems nervous, but as she opens her mouth to speak, Sunset decides to pipe up.

"She's right."

Both are surprised when the former equine comes out of the corner and approaches them. "Lighting Dust is right,” Sunset continues.“You gotta replace me with someone else, someone better prepared."

"You are prepared for this," Indigo says almost pleadingly.

"Yeah, I mastered the plays you taught me, but only those. I don’t know the others, so the only thing I can really do is pass and intercept, while you have to narrow our plays to what I know. It would be better to have someone who knows the team inside and out."

Lightning remains serious, but she lets her curiosity about Sunset’s attitude show.

"Come on, you're helping us a lot," Indigo pleads.

"Zap, that’s enough," Lightning interjects. "Shimmer isn't ready for a game like this. Even she realizes it."

The captain remains nervous, looking at Sunset as if begging for support, but it is clear that the fire-haired girl is siding with the blonde.

Finally, with a sigh of defeat, Indigo speaks. "Sunset... I lied to you before..."

Curiosity overtakes Sunset’s features, and Indigo continues, "None of our players got hurt. I brought you onto the team at Cinch’s demand."

Now, Sunset is really curious, and by the look on Lightning’s face, it looks like Sunset wasn't the only one kept in the dark about this.

"Cinch wanted you to join the game. She told me to train you and get you ready to play today."

"What? Why?" Sunset’s voice reflects her discomfort at Cinch’s subterfuge.

"I don't know; she didn't tell me. I didn’t want to do it, but she threatened to pull us out of this year’s events if I refused."

"She what?!" Lightning exclaims, surprised and angry in equal parts.

"She can't do that!" says Sunset, even more surprised.

"She's the school's principal. She can do whatever she wants. Anyway, she showed me your performance in gymnastics, and she told me to train you. She left me no choice, so I fixed the plays and tactics a bit in order to integrate you and still maintain the level of the team. I won't lie, you did better than I expected, but... yeah it's true. You're not ready for a game like this..."

There is silence for a few seconds, the two girls processing this new information.

"Well, then we agree. Someone’s gotta replace me," Sunset says matter-of-factly.

"Didn’t you hear me? Cinch wants you to play. I can’t just remove you."

"Tell her I can't play."

"Do you think I didn’t?" Indigo rebuts, frustrated. "From the beginning, I told her that the team was fine, but that old woman is too stubborn. If I take you out without any good reason, who knows what she’ll do?"

Sunset begins to respond, but she pauses as she thinks.

She had only seen Cinch a couple of times, but that woman looked dangerous.

You should not judge a book by its cover, but that woman had an authoritarian and intimidating air. From the first day, she had left her intentions for Sunset clear.

She looked like the type of woman who would get what she wanted at any cost.

Indigo continues, "Even if you're not as good as the rest, we still have an opportunity in the game. I'd rather risk it than disobey her."

"… Maybe you're right…" Sunset mumbles.

There is silence for a moment.

"Maybe… there is a way..." Lightning comments.

Both look at Lightning with intrigue.

*S*A*S*

The students in the stands rush to take their seats with varying degrees of enthusiasm as the teams return to the field.

The commentator's voice is heard again. "And, we’re back, folks, and just in time! After that short break, the teams are ready to return to the field for the exciting second half."

The two teams take their places on the field. As before, Trottingham’s cheering and applause dwarfs Crystal Prep’s unenthusiastic response, with the exception of Sunset’s cheer squad, who start up their cheering again, must to Sunset’s embarrassment.

The whistle sounds, and the two teams start the game. Crystal Prep seizes the ball and starts the attack. A defender of Trottingham blocks the player, who wastes no time in passing to Sunset, who receives and rockets down the field, her cheer squad’s chants intensifying.

Suddenly, a Trottingham bolts toward her and intercepts with a sweep.

Time seems to slow as Sunset begins to fall. Everyone's eyes widen is shock and fear.

Sunset's knee hits the ground and her scream is heard throughout the field.

Sonata, Sunny, Lemon and Twilight look in horror at their friend lying on the ground, clutching her leg in pain.

"SUNSET!"

For the Victory

View Online

Sunset moans in pain as two men in medical uniforms set her on one of the beds in the infirmary.

"We'll notify the school nurse," one says.

"No, no, it's okay," Sunset says. "It was just a hard blow. Nothing’s broken. Just give me an ice pack for the swelling."

Unsure, the men check her to make sure she was right. After clearing her, they give her an ice pack and some cloth for the swelling and depart.

As they leave the room, Indigo and another pair of players enter and approach Sunset.

"Hey, Shimmer, are you okay?" asks the captain.

"Yeah, it's not serious," Sunset replies. “But to fall and hurt myself so badly... I’m such an idiot."

"Can you get back in the game?"

Sunset sighs. "I don't think so. I doubt I’ll be able to walk right for a while. It would be better to put someone else in my place."

The players with Indigo do not seem convinced, but neither says anything, instead deferring to their captain.

"Are you sure?" Indigo finally asks hesitantly.

“Yeah,” Sunset says reluctantly.

"Well, if you say so…"

"Don’t worry. I’ll be cheering from the bench. Make sure you win."

"You don’t need to tell me twice!” Indigo says, her confidence returning. “Onward, team!"

With that, Indigo leads her teammates out of the room, stopping to give one last look at Sunset, who smiles and gives her a thumbs-up, before smiling and leaving.

After making sure they were gone, Sunset lets out a half-sigh, half-moan, removing the ice pack and setting it aside. She stands up slowly and stretches her arms before flexing her back, which lets out a series of pops. She moans at the release of tension before stretching her sides and neck. Finished, she sits back down and sighs.

"Well, at least it's over."

Her rest is interrupted as her ears pick up the sound of hurried footsteps growing louder and louder. Suddenly, four familiar girls crash into the room, each face the picture of worry.

"Sunset!"

"Sun-Shim!"

"Sunsite!"

"Honey!"

Sunset flinches at the sudden noise, and before she can say anything, Twilight’s worried face dominates her vision.

"Sunset! Are you okay?!"

"Did you break anything, Sun-Shim?!"

"What do we do?!" Sonata exclaims, pushing Twilight and Lemon out of the way. "We have to keep her head up!" Sonata pushes Sunset down onto the bed and yanks her head up, earning a yelp. "No, wait! We have to raise her legs!" She lets Sunset’s head drop to the mattress before grabbing and quickly raising her ankles, ignoring Sunset’s protests. "No, wait! It's the head if she’s very red and the legs if she’s pale!" Sonata raises Sunset's head again, holding her face firmly to show it to the others. "Red or pale?"

All of them are silent, surprised by such behavior.

"I would say crushed," answers Lemon finally.

That gives Sonata pause, which allows her to finally think clearly. She looks at Sunset, her gaze meeting Sunset’s glare. "… Sorry," she says sheepishly, biting her lip as she releases Sunset’s head.

Sure that Sonata won’t bowl her over, Sunny approaches and, with Lemon’s help, helps Sunset sit up.

"Are you okay, honey?"

"Girls, I'm fine," Sunset says sternly, rubbing her aching face.

"Sonata, be more careful! Sunset’s hurt," Twilight scolds.

"Sorry... I wanted to help..." Sonata mumbles sadly.

Sunny smooths Sunset's hair and runs a hand down Sunset’s cheek, worry on her face. Sunset takes in everyone’s concerned expressions.

Sunset, somewhat embarrassed, gently moves Sunny's hand and stands up. "Girls, please, I'm fine, really."

"Sunset, don’t get up!"

"I'm fine, Twi,” Sunset insists, before hesitating and taking a deep breath. “I didn't hurt myself... It was all pretend."

"Pretend?!" they all exclaim.

"What do you mean?" Sunny asks.

Sunset scratches her head nervously. “Well, I did fall, but I pretended that it hurt much more than it did... to get myself out of the game."

"What?!" Twilight yells, shocked.

"Excuse me?" Sunny snaps, upset.

"Wow, you're a good actress," Lemon says, earning a scolding look from the Twilight and Sunny. "What?"

Both decide to forget that and redirect their gaze to Sunset.

"Sunset, honey, why did you do such a thing?"

"To begin with, I didn't even want to play. They forced me," Sunset replies indifferently.

"That’s no excuse to lie like that," the scientist says, Sunny nodding in agreement as the two continue their accusatory gazes.

"Ah, come on, quit looking at me like that," Sunset says.

Twilight raises her voice. "You had us worried sick, and it was all fake!"

The shout makes the former equine retreat and raise their hands in defense. "I-I'm sorry. I… didn’t mean to worry you..."

The apology has no effect. Twilight crosses her arms and Sunny puts her hands on her hips, both of them glaring at her.

"Look, I'm sorry if...” Sunset changes tack. “I just thought the team would be better without me..."

"And what does that mean?" Sunny questions.

"I just... I've only been on the team for a few days. I don't have the ability to participate in a game like this. They'll be better off if they use a more prepared player."

The explanation makes both look at each other for a moment before looking back to Sunset.

"Even so, that’s not an excuse for such an act. You could have just refused."

"... I really couldn’t..."

*S*A*S*

All sans Sonata stare with surprise after Sunset’s explanation of her situation, Sonata not really understanding the gravity of the situation.

"… I don't get it," says Lemon. "Why would P-Cinch want you on the team?"

"And why to the point of threatening the sports teams?" questions Twilight. "That... doesn't sound logical."

"I know, but she wouldn’t let me give up the game like that," Sunset explains. "And I couldn't risk the team. I know this is important for the school, and that's why it's better to use someone better prepared."

Sunny, although she seemed to understand, still does not look very convinced. Twilight overcame her displeasure, looking intrigued now, while Lemon was only slightly curious. Sonata is the only one still lost.

"Well, I don't really understand," the siren says. "But what will we do with the pom-poms now?" She shakes said pom-poms as if to emphasize her question.

"Well... you can still support the team."

"But what about the part that we put on our Sunset shirts and shout your name?"

"Just leave that part out. Look, I'm sorry, but I didn't ask to be in this game, and I didn't want to play. I was forced, and staying will just disadvantage the team. This game is important for Indigo and everyone else, so if they want to win, they have to use someone better. Everyone wins."

There is silence, each one seems to show different mixtures of feelings, from understanding to disgust.

Not long after, they decide unanimously to return to see the game. The "cheerleaders" go first.

"Do you think it's too late to write 'Shadowbolts' on our bellies?"

"Sonata!"

*S*A*S*

Sunset inches her way to the bench on the sidelines, growing more nervous as her teammates’ eyes fall on her. She makes a show of limping and moaning as she sits at the end to convince them that she’s hurt. None seems interested in helping her, which, for once, is fine by her. She simply sits and watches the game.

Indigo intercepts a pass from Trottingham and immediately blazes down the field. Many try to stop her, but the girl demonstrates her mastery in the sport, dodging and passing everyone in her path.

Finally, she reaches Trottingham’s half of the field and bypasses the defense. She approaches the goal, and she and the goalie lock eyes for a moment.

Indigo sees a chance and fires the ball toward the goal. The goalie remains motionless for a moment, watching the shot carefully. Finally, he flexes his knees and jumps to the right with surprising speed, catching the ball and falling to the ground with it in his arms.

He smiles, satisfied. Indigo scowls, and the game continues when the goalie throws the ball towards his teammates.

*S*A*S*

After fighting for control several tense seconds, Lightning Dust manages to take possession of the ball and starts running. Two Trottingham players follow her from behind, both right on her heels. Lightning accelerates in order to outrun them, but two players suddenly appear, blocking her. She stops and holds the ball with her foot so as not to lose it, but she is surrounded on all sides.

The blonde girl looks around, but they have her trapped. Thinking quickly, she sends the ball flying into the air. The five direct their eyes towards it. As it approaches the ground, Lightning suddenly takes a big leap. The other four do the same, but Lightning’s slight head start is all she needed. She hits the ball with her head, sending it forward to be picking up by Indigo, who starts running with it.

A Trottingham player quickly intercepts, and Indigo makes a desperate shot toward the goal, but the goalie stops it with no problem.

Nobody from Crystal Prep looks happy, neither in the game nor in the stands.

Cinch, who watches carefully from an exclusive area assigned to teachers and authorities, maintains a cold expression of disapproval.

Cadance, sitting next to her, has an expression of wonder and worry. "Trottingham has improved a lot."

"It appears so. Our team, on the other hand, has certainly declined."

"Um, you think so? They seem to be doing a very good job."

"'A very good job' is not good enough. Our students must be outstanding in every area, both mental and physical. Defeat is unacceptable."

Cadance looks at Cinch worriedly. "But... they're not losing. Both teams—"

"They have not scored any points. It does not matter if Trottingham hasn’t, either. If we walk away without a victory, it’s defeat."

Cadance, unsure of how to respond to the extreme declaration, simply returns her attention to the game.

Cinch keeps her cold expression, trying her best to hide the shadow of discomfort in her gaze.

*S*A*S*

Trottingham attacks, but the good reflexes of the new boy in Crystal Prep's goal allows him to block the shot.

Lightning catches the ball on the rebound and runs with it but does not advance much before three players block her. Unable to go forward, she decides to run to the side. The three of them run in the same direction, always in front to block her.

Lightning snarls but cannot do more than pass to a partner. The receiving girl takes the ball and advances, passing the ball herself when Trottingham tries to steal it. A boy receives it and kicks it into the air. A player from each team notices that and quickly jumps to get it.

With a headbutt, the ball ends in Trottingham’s possession, and they return the attack.

*S*A*S*

Sunset sighs, seeing the score unchanged as time ticks ever onward toward the end of the game. "I don’t think they’ll make it...” she thinks, full of grief and guilt. “If I hadn’t been in the first half, maybe things would have been different."

With another attack blocked and the ball still in progress going from one end of the field to the other, Sunset can only sigh again. "I need a soda."

She stands up, for a moment forgetting her fake injury. Her team’s scrutinizing gaze reminds her, though, and she once again fakes a limp to keep up appearances.

*S*A*S*

Sunset finally reaches the vending machine a distance away from the field, her thighs burning from the unneeded limping. She reaches a hand into her pocket but pauses. "I left my money in my jacket. Ugh..."

She curses herself and looks back at the field, the cheers and words of the commentator still audible, albeit unintelligible. The limp back was not going to be fun.

"Miss Shimmer?"

Sunset whirls around, finding a young Crystal Prep student nearby. It takes a moment, but Sunset recognizes her as the girl that Sour Sweet had discovered as the creator of that blog against her.

"You’re... Susi, right?"

"Um, it's Suri. Suri Polomare."

"Oh, yeah. Suri. Sorry."

"Um, what are you doing here?"

"I was coming for a drink. The game was making me anxious, and I need the sugar."

"But... your leg?"

The younger looks at the older girl's leg, who tries on instinct to pretend it was hurt but quickly realizes she’s found out. "Ugh, look, Suri. The truth is... I didn't hurt myself. I faked it to get out of the game."

Suri is slightly surprised. "Oh..."

There is silence, but soon, Suri gives a curious smile. "Wow, Miss Shimmer. I didn't know that you were capable of such a... dirty trick."

Sunset looks to the side in shame. "It's not like that. It’s just that Cinch—"

"No, no, it's fine. I also play a little dirty at school. It's not easy to deal with older students."

Suri's smile turns somewhat malicious, disconcerting Sunset. "… Sure…"

Suri giggles. "Miss Shimmer has a bad side. Interesting," she says with a scrutinizing gaze and a smile that could almost be described as sinister, complete with a hand on her cheek as she peers at Sunset.

Sunset was surprised, to say the least; this was a totally opposite view to the girl who was crying when she was being interrogated.

An unnerving though came to Sunset. What if… she was faking it.

Sunset shook her head. That couldn’t be. Her crying looked too real. No one could pretend like that.

… Right?

"Did you say you were looking for something to drink?"

The question shakes Sunset from their thoughts. "Huh? Uh, yeah... but I left my money with my jacket."

"Oh, let me, please." Without waiting for an answer, Suri takes out her purse, inserts some money, and grabs the soda after the can rumbles out of the machine. She extends it to Sunset with a friendly smile. "Here."

"Oh... I couldn't..."

"Please, I insist."

She extends the can a little more to Sunset, who finally, with a little smile, accepts it. "Thanks. You didn’t have to do that."

Suri doesn’t reply. She just keeps smiling. But, there’s something more.

“Is she… blushing?” Sunset thinks, before deciding that it can wait until after her drink. She opens the can and takes a swig, sighing at the cold liquid. "Ah... Much better."

"Miss Shimmer."

"Yeah?"

"You said you were anxious. Is something wrong?"

Sunset couldn’t tell if the concern in Suri’s voice was real. She is much harder to read than at first glance. "Um, it's nothing. I just feel bad for the team."

"The team?"

After another swig, Sunset says, "This game… It's important for Indigo and the team and... for the school in general. And... they're not doing very well..."

"Yes, Trottingham is better than we thought." The younger girl looks down slightly.

Sunset sighs with guilt. "If only I hadn't been on the team..."

Suri looks up, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"They put me on the team at the last moment. I barely had time to learn the plays. If they had put in someone with more experience and better training, maybe they would have had a better advantage."

"Don't underestimate yourself like at," Suri insists. "You played great."

"Thanks, but I'm not at the level. It's obvious that everyone there is better than me." Sunset punctuates her sentence with a swig of soda.

"That’s not true!" Suri screams, rapidly approaching and standing on her toes to be face-to-face with Sunset, who spilled some of her soda, startled at the scream. "You’re amazing! In such a short time, you were able to put yourself at everyone's level and stand up against Trottingham, who turned out to be better than any of us expected."

Sunset stares in surprise before quietly saying, "I just played support. I didn't do anything special."

"You’re wrong!" Suri screams again, forcing Sunset to recoil. "I saw you play! You were able to outwit Trottingham and keep up with our team. Don't say that the others are better! You are just as good as them!"

"But—"

"You’re smart! You’re strong! You’re… You’re beautiful! You’re awesome, and you can do anything!"

Sunset blushes at Suri’s cascade of compliments, hiding it with a drink of soda.

"And… And also..." Suri looks away, the fire leaving her eyes. "When the others accused me about that blog... only you believed me. I... I wouldn't have believed that someone would defend me, even when you discovered that I was the one behind the blog..."

Sunset remained silent for a moment, not knowing what to say as her doubts about Suri’s behavior during the interrogation evaporated. "It was the right thing to do," Sunset finally says in a subdued voice.

"You’re noble and kind. I… I really admire you, Miss Shimmer," Suri says, her eyes full of wonder as she puts her hands together and interlaces her fingers, smiling at the former equine, who is having problems processing the scene.

"I... I... Thanks..."

"You can do anything, Miss Shimmer. I believe in you."

Sunset gives a giggle in an attempt to remove her embarrassment. "... Thanks." Sunset looks down, smiling in good cheer. She takes one last drink and gives the can to Suri. "Thanks for the soda, Suri, and… for everything."

Suri just smiles tenderly, a slight blush on her cheeks. Sunset smiles at her, and then looks back at the field.

"Let's get back before the game ends."

"Oh, uh... You go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”

Sunset nods with a smile and makes her way back to the field.

Suri watches her go before turning her eyes to the can. She shakes it a little and realizes that it still has some liquid in it.

She looks up. Sunset is already some distance away. She looks at the can again... She feels her hands tremble slightly and her cheeks redden as her breath starts quivering.

With her legs shaking, she slowly brings the can to her lips. Her blush increases. She hears her own heart pound in her chest... She separates her lips...

"Suri! There you are!" shouts a close voice.

Suri lets out a yelp as the shout startles her, throwing away the can. By the time she calms down enough to think clearly, she looks back to the can with wide eyes, her lips quivering as she sees that its contents were spilled all over the grass as a girl with soft, cream-colored skin and sky-blue hair runs up to her.

"I was looking all over for you, Suri. The game’s almost over. Don’t you want to watch?"

Suri trembles, watching the soda—Miss Shimmer’s soda—soak into the ground. She clenches her teeth and growls, whirling on the intruder. "GOD DAMNIT, COCO!"

The girl recoils at the scream, shrinking into herself. "Wh-What's wrong?"

"You always ruin everything!"

Suri turns and stomps away, tears in her eyes, though not even she knows if they are tears of anger or of pain.

*S*A*S*

Sunset returns to the locker room, keeping her false limp as she walks, but she freezes when she sees almost all of the team inside. They are surrounding Indigo, who sits on one of the benches, holding her ankle in pain.

"Indigo!" exclaims Sunset, hurrying over, forgetting her limp.

"Hey, Sunset. I was wondering where you went," Indigo responds calmly.

"What happened to you?" Sunset asks, concerned.

"A Trottingham guy kicked my ankle when he tried to steal the ball from me."

Sunset doesn’t answer, but surprise and worry fill her face.

"Don't worry; it's not serious," Indigo says.

Another player replies, "It may not be serious, but you can’t go back to the game."

"Bullshit!" Indigo exclaims. "I can still play!"

Indigo suddenly stands and begins walking to the door, but she only makes it a few steps before the pain in her ankle makes her stumble. Thankfully, two nearby players catch her.

"She's right, captain," another player says. "You can't play that way."

"Well, what do you suggest?" Indigo demands. "We don't have any more fresh substitutes. We’ll have to put a winded player in."

"There are only a few minutes left," the first girl says. "Surely, someone can handle that."

Another player looks at Sunset—or, more specifically, at her leg—and says, "What about you, Shimmer?"

Surprised, Sunset says, "What?"

"It seems your leg is better."

The phrase and clearly accusing look fills Sunset with worry. "Uh… W-Well, about… About that…"

"Leave her alone," orders Indigo. "Just give me some ice and something to wrap it on. I’m going back out there."

No one is sure of the situation, not even Sunset.

Sunset closes her eyes, thinks for a moment, and decides. "I’ll do it."

That surprises the team, including Indigo and Lightning.

"He’s right; my leg does feel better. Guess it wasn’t as bad as I thought. And it’s just a few minutes, anyway. I think I can manage."

Indigo looks at Sunset a moment, before she smiles.

*S*A*S*

The players of Crystal Prep huddle at the side of the field, and Indigo gets everyone’s attention.

"Alright, listen. We don't have too much time, so we can only make one more attack. We’re going with ‘Lightning Dominoes’."

One of the players speaks. "Um, no offense, captain, but Trottingham has been on Lightning since the second half began. They won’t let her do anything."

The blonde girl growls, annoyed at the reminder.

"I know," announces the captain, "but that goalie… I don't know if he's an alien or did some dark ritual, but he doesn’t seem human. Lightning was the only one who even came close to scoring against him. It has to be her."

The rest of the team still look at her unsurely, but orders are orders, so they decide to give it a shot.

*S*A*S*

The players advance towards the field. As usual, Sunset is last in line. That is, until Lightning falls back to walk side-by-side with her.

The blonde does not look at her, but she speaks in a strange tone. "Shimmer." Sunset turns to see her, but Lightning keeps looking forward as she continues, "You know this game is important for the school, right?"

"Yeah…"

"How important is it for you?"

Sunset is a little surprised by the question. Unable to answer, she just looks down.

Lightning, noticing the silence, just presses onward. "We been preparing for this game for months, and a lot is at stake: our pride, our reputation… Tell me, Shimmer: Can I count on you?"

She suddenly looks at Sunset, her orange eyes meeting Sunset’s emerald eyes. Sunset looks back at her and, filled with the determination she saw in Lightning’s own eyes, nods her answer.

Neither says anything else as they take their places.

*S*A*S*

The voice of the announcer booms over the loudspeaker. "Only a few minutes from the end, and both teams are still tied at zero! At this point, whoever scores the first point is sure to win. Crystal returns to the field after the loss of no less than their own captain! Will they have the strategy to defeat Trottingham after such a loss, or will Trottingham push through their defenses for the victory?"

"Boneless and I both agree that this’ll be an exciting last few minutes!"

"How did you get back in here?!"

"You never closed the door."

All eyes are on the field as everyone anxiously awaits the final result. Only three minutes remain on the clock. Both teams are in position, and the referee takes his place with the ball.

Sunset breathes deeply, feeling the anxiety herself. She looks to the sideline and finds her cheerleaders smiling and waving, preparing to begin cheering. The sight lifts her spirits and calms her nerves… and heats up her face as Sonata reaches down and grabs the hem of her shirt before Twilight swats her hands away.

Rolling her eyes, Sunset returns her eyes forward.

Finally, the whistle sounds, and the last few minutes begin

Crystal Prep and Trottingham compete for control of the ball for a few seconds before Trottingham tears off with it. Crystal Prep fiercely launches after them, forcing Trottingham to send pass after pass to overcome Crystal Prep’s defense.

At just over two minutes remaining, Crystal Prep manages to steal the ball and begins ‘Lightning Dominoes’.

As Sunset receives her pass, she is quickly waylaid by three players advancing upon her. Thinking quickly and performing a few quick calculations, she kicks the ball to her right, sending it soaring through a player’s legs toward her waiting teammate, who gives Sunset a surprised but pleased thumbs-up.

Up in the stands, some of the Crystal Prep students finally drop their indifferent facades and give slight, impressed smiles at Sunset’s gambit, as do some of the Trottingham students.

"That’s how you do it, Sunset! Hurray!" Sonata shouts as the cheerleaders shake their pom-poms and jump excitedly.

The Crystal Prep player starts running, and the three who accosted Sunset turn and run after him.

Sunset lowers her speed to a jog, staring at Lightning Dust on the other side of the field. "It’s all on you, Lighting Dust."

Lightning Dust keeps her eye trained on the ball, eagerly awaiting her moment. Finally, the ball soars in her direction.

As if in slow motion, she lifts her leg, using her knee to stop the ball and drop it to her feet, and then, she’s races off with it toward Trottingham’s goal.

"Crystal Prep is in control!” the announcer shouts. “And here’s their opportunity to take home the trophy! Can they do what until now has been impossible?"

"Boneless feels his bones burning in excitement!"

"Can somebody take this boy out of here?!"

Lightning runs quickly, easily evading a couple of players trying to intercept. The goal is in her sights. She gets closer with every passing second… until a wall of Trottingham students wraps around her front arc, forcing her to stop.

"Crystal Prep had the lead, but Trottingham seems to have put up a wall in just seconds! What will Crystal Prep do?"

With less than a minute to go, all eyes go to Lightning: students, teachers, the dean, and most of all, Cinch.

Lightning remains motionless with firm control of the ball but unable to move. After what feels like an eternity, she extends her leg and prepares to kick. The students close in, an impenetrable wall. At the goal, the goalie waits patiently, a confident smile on his face.

Finally, Lightning kicks, digging her foot under the ball and sending it skyward. Some of the Trottingham players watch it, ready to jump, but Lightning suddenly shouts.

"Shimmer!"

The shout surprises everyone, especially when they all see Sunset racing towards Lightning. She takes a leap, and Lightning joins her hands, catching Sunset’s foot and ignoring the pain from Sunset’s cleats. Immediately, the former equine feels as if a current of electricity rushes through her leg as the blond sportswoman forces Sunset upwards into the air above the others.

No one can understand what they are seeing, and that shows in their expressions.

With the ball falling and she rising, Sunset leans her body slightly, still feeling that electric current surrounding her and starting to burn with the amount of energy running through her legs.

In a single movement, she kicks the ball, sending it flying at an extraordinary speed towards the goal. It collides with the waiting goalie, who holds it against is torso, trying to use friction to stop its rotation, but it doesn’t stop. The ball never loses speed as it spins against him, burning his uniform and causing smoke to rise from it from the friction burns. Arcs of static electricity start to run around his entire body.

All eyes are on him as he suddenly flies backward as if the ball never lost momentum, hitting and breaking through the net at the back of the goal. His helmet flies away, revealing his hair standing on end from the electricity. The front of his uniform is torn and burnt, and out of his pocket falls a book: The Secret of Sport, by Iron Will.

There is silence, then, suddenly, the announcer shouts, "It's… It's… It’s a goal! Crystal Prep scores!"

No sooner do the words leave his lips than the referee blows the final whistle. All eyes turn to the scoreboard.

'Home: 1 - Away: 0'

"Crystal Prep broke the tie! Crystal Prep wins!"

The stands of Crystal Prep explode with applause and cheers.

There is celebration throughout the field as the Shadowbolts get together and embrace, congratulating each other.

The Trottingham students remain silent for a moment, but eventually, they also smile and begin to applaud and congratulate the winning team, as does the Trottingham team, exchanging handshakes and high fives with Crystal Prep.

Finally, the goalie recovers, eyeing the broken net and the ball next to it. He frowns for a moment, but in the end, he also grins. He spots his fallen book and picks it up.

In the middle of the field, leaning over and trying to catch her breath, stands Lightning Dust, her back to Trottingham’s goal.

Suddenly, she sees a hand extend towards her and looks up, finding Sunset standing before her and giving her a kind smile.

For a moment, she does not respond, but finally, she accepts the hand of the former equine, who supports her and helps her straighten up. Neither speaks, but soon, Lightning returns Sunset’s smile with her own.

Within moments, the two are charged by their teammates, who lift them off the ground in celebration. Sunset can’t help but laugh at the gesture, especially as she hears her cheerleaders from the sidelines.

"Hurray, Sunsite! YAY!"

"That's our Sun-Shim!"

"You did it, Sunset! WOO!"

Between ups and downs, Sunset sends a smile to her friends.

Even the teachers celebrate amongst themselves, though not as actively as the students.

Cadance beams a big smile toward Cinch. "They did it! They won! Isn’t it wonderful?"

Cinch does not smile, but in her serious expression, there seems to be a hint of satisfaction. "Indeed, it is. I would have preferred a landslide victory, but breaking a stalemate with a literal last-minute point does carry a certain sweetness. And victory is victory, after all."

Adjusting her glasses, she looks at the fire-haired girl, currently going to the locker room with her companions.

*S*A*S*

"Let's go, Shadowbolts!"

"Shadowbolts!"

The whole team is gathered in the locker room, the good mood tangible in the room.

Indigo shouts, "Woohoo! Victory is ours! Who’s the best?"

"Crystal Prep!"

"That's right! I won’t lie; it wasn’t easy, but once again, we have shown our superiority! And let’s not forget the shining stars! Sunset! Lightning! Come here!" She extends her arm to beckon the two girls, who lie on the benches.

Lightning looks with some annoyance at the captain. "My legs are heavier than your tits. I’m not getting up."

"My tits are not heavy!" Indigo snaps. Sunset snorts a laugh at the response, and Indigo rolls her eyes. "Anyway, that was awesome! When did you plan that move?"

Everyone watches the girls, waiting for the answer. The two girls in question exchange glances, before Lightning responds somewhat hesitantly, "We didn't."

Judging by everyone’s expression, that clearly is not what anyone expected to hear. Sunset herself can’t add more than a shrug and a nod.

Indigo waves off the matter. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. The point is, we won!"

Everyone pumps their fists in celebration.

"And this deserves a celebration, Shadowbolts style."

The answer is a cry of shared joy. Even Lightning gets into the mood, struggling to sit up despite her fatigue. Sunset smiles, though not as animatedly.

Indigo notices Sunset’s reservations. "You’re coming, too, Sunset."

"What?"

"You’re part of the team, you’re coming with us to celebrate," declares the captain.

The rest of the team nod in agreement, including Lightning Dust.

"Um, thanks for the invitation," Sunset says sadly. "But... I have plans..."

"Come on. It'll be fun," Indigo insists.

"Really, I'm sorry, but I have something I need to take care of."

"Do you really, or do you just not want to hang out with us?" Lightning asks pointedly, an eyebrow raised.

"No, it's not that! It's just, I..."

It's not that the concert or the band was a secret, but Sunset really, really wanted to avoid anything that could draw attention to her even more.

Still, looking at the expectant eyes of her teammates, she knew she was defeated.

Sunset sighs. "Well, I have a... a kind of… concert..."

The answer leaves everyone intrigued. "You play?" someone asks.

"Guitar... And, well... I'm in this... uh, this band... and—"

"Say no more!" Indigo interrupts suddenly, before smiling at the whole team. "Change of plans, guys! We’re gonna hang with Sunset tonight!"

The entire team agrees enthusiastically, except for Sunset herself.

"What?!"

Author's Notes:

All right!
Sorry for the wait, I hope everyone will like the chapter.

As always I want to thank all the follow-ups that have been done to the fic. The Follows and Favorites, and most of all, the comments always encourage me.
And of course thanks to icecreammac for the editing and correction of the episode. Wonderful job.

Thank you all, I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the story.

---

In the Next Episode:

Lemon hurries to the microphone and removes it from the support to speak. "Who is ready to rock ?!"

Her scream resounds through the loudspeakers of the place, and the response soon arrives at way of excited screams.

"We are Sunset Among Shadows! And we come here to blow up this place!"

Again shouts of emotion hear from the place.

At the tables, Indigo shouts with great emotion and her colleagues back it. Adagio and Aria do not seem to share the emotion of the rest, but they look expectantly at their sister.

"Sunset! Good luck honey!" Sunny exclaims.

"Sunset encourage! You too Twilight!" Cry Flash to both girls.

Our girls from the stage, do not take too long to find their schoolmates and the three visits they have in place.

"Well let's not waste any more time!" Announces Lemon Zest. "Let's enjoy!"

Again, shouts of emotion don what you hear.

Lemon returned the microphone to its place and hurries back to her place, and watches the whole band. Sonata seems to want to explode with joy, Twilight is nervous, moves her fingers a bit to remove the tremors.

The looks of the three go to Sunset, who upon seeing them, can only sigh. "Well, let's start and finish with this"

Closes her eyes and take a few seconds, and start playing.

The Sunset Among Shadows

View Online

Author's Notes:

Hello to everyone
Here with the new chapter
It took a long time to correct several things ...
But finally it is here! I hope you like it
Thanks as always to icecreammac for its excellent work in correcting errors. And for your help in adapting the song of this chapter to English.
The song is "Sorairo Days" from the series "Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan". In case you want to listen to it.

Here too, the images of the outfits that girls will use in this chapter

Sonata: mixiepie.deviantart.com/art/Rainbow-Rocks-Sonata-Dusk-485098497

Lemon: https://derpibooru.org/1068327

Twilight: ar.pinterest.com/pin/390265123950243192/

*****

In the Next Episode:

Sunset curses her curiosity and gets up to go to her window.

She puts aside the curtain, even with the phone in her ear rubs one of her eyes with her free hand to clear her eyesight.

The day is not very bright, the clouds are responsible for overshadowing the sun. Sunset looks down trying to distinguish something ...

She stays a few seconds with a tired expression, and then ... her eyes open in surprise ...

"Nice hairstyle." Sunset hears the woman on the phone.

Sunset tries to crush her hair mess while still looking down.

That was ... it could be ... but ...

"Arrange yourself, get dressed and come here, we have to talk."

With that order, the woman ends the call.
Sunset blinks, too confused to answer, just close the curtain, cut the call, and take a few seconds.

The clouds had taken a rest, leaving the moon to glimmer in the sky among a sea of stars.

In the streets, young people take advantage of the clear Friday night to go out and have fun. And a lot of that fun is happening at Moonlight Buzz, one of the few nightclubs in Canterlot that admit minors, where a quartet of young women stand near the entrance with musical instruments, watching the many people entering the club.

"Are you girls ready to rock?" exclaims the girl with the greenish hair.

"Yeah!" the blue-haired girl yells.

"Um... yes?" the purple-haired girl replies nervously.

"I guess so," finishes the redhead.

An awkward silence washes over the band, known as Sunset Among Shadows, as they stand, waiting.

"Lemon, what are we doing here?" Sunset finally asks. “Why aren’t we inside?”

"Duh! We gotta make a kickass entrance!” answered Lemon. “We’ll wait for my friend’s signal, then we’ll kick open the door and blow the place sky high!”

"Yes! I love blowing things up!" Sonata yells.

"I trust that that’s just an expression here," Twilight comments.

The conversation is interrupted when a voice calls, “Hey, Sunset!” The band turns to find Indigo approaching. "Good luck,” she says. “Give us a good show!" With a smile and a wink, Indigo walks inside.

"Hehe, you're amazing, Sun-Shim! You got us such a big audience!"

"It's just the soccer team, and they just came to celebrate the game. I doubt they really care about us playing."

"Uh, it's not just them!" announces the siren. "They told some of the school, and those students told other students, and now, the place is packed with people from Crystal Prep!"

"Not to mention that Indigo shouted at the top of her lungs in the hallway. That sure got people’s attention. Now, let's show the school what good music is!"

At that moment, Lemon's cell phone rings. She takes it out and checks it, before beaming. "There’s the signal, Sunset Among Shadows. follow me!"

"Yay!"

As they start walking, Sunset mumbles, "I’m still not so sure about that name..."

Twilight lets out a giggle at the comment as the four girls go down the illuminated alley next to the club and walk to a nondescript, metal door.

Lemon knocks rhythmically, and seconds later, the door opens to reveal a young man of around twenty years with red skin, yellow-brown eyes, and black hair with a yellow streak in it.

"Girls, this is my friend Red Pegasus!"

The young man greets everyone, smiling. "Hey, nice to finally meet you girls." He talks to the girls, and then look at your screen "Like I weasel myself in the fic? Nice" He says and the look at the girls again. "Come on in."

He steps aside to let them in. Sunset is the last to enter, but she pauses, staring at him. "Have we met?” she finally asks.

"Not until now, but just so you know, I don’t have a girlfriend because I don’t want one, not because I can’t get one."

"… What?"

*S*A*S*

A few minutes later, the four girls wait backstage, different emotions dominating each girl’s features. Sonata is perhaps the most excited. "This is so exciting! I haven’t sung in public like this since the Battle of the Bands!” She pauses. “Um... a group of magical girls won’t come to blast us and stop us from singing again this time, right?"

Her three bandmates look curiously to their blue-haired friend.

Lemon responds with simplicity. "Nah, that won’t happen!"

"Probably not, no," seconds Sunset.

Twilight just gives Sonata a strange look. "Sonata, by any chance, do you suffer from some psychological disorder?"

"Um, well, in the twelfth century, they said I was a witch possessed by the Devil."

"… I thought so…"

Red pokes his head out from the common room and smiles. "Girls, you have visitors."

He stands aside, letting three familiar faces pass.

"Arie! Adie!" the blue girl exclaims, running to and hugging her sisters, although Aria tries to pull away. "You came!"

"Well, we wanted to see you back on track," the eldest sister said.

"Just don't make a fool of yourself," Aria demands. "You'll be alone out there, but you're still our sister. If you do something dumb, we’ll still look like idiots."

Sonata breaks eye contact, looking away nervously. "Honestly... I feel weird. This’ll be the first time I sing without you two." She looks down sadly. "It won’t be the same…"

Adagio places her hand softly on Sonata’s head. "Now, now, no tears. Tonight should be a night of excitement, not sorrow."

"Yeah, don’t cry. You’ll make us look bad."

"We won’t be on stage, but we’ll be watching from the audience. I want to see what you can do."

Sonata looks at Adagio with glistening eyes, her lips forming a wobbly smile.

Aria says, "You're a Dazzling. Singing and performance are what we do. Quit doubting yourself. You’re gonna knock them dead out there."

Despite Aria’s flat affect, her words hit home for Sonata, and she grabs them both in an even stronger embrace. "I love you two!"

This time, both sirens try to get away from the strong hug, without much success.

"Well, that's cute," says Sunny Flare as she approaches the band with a shopping bag in her hands. She turns to the rest of the band. "How are you doing? Ready to play?"

"Well, we’ve practiced all week, and we’re ready to bring the roof down!" Lemon exclaims.

Twilight becomes pensive for a moment. "Um... someone tell me again... How many people are out there...?"

Red takes a moment to think before responding. "I would say about three hundred, counting the audience that you brought in. We have the place full."

"… I thought so." Suddenly, Twilight dashes under a table, huddling into a fetal position and trembling with pure fear.

"And here we go again..." Sunset mumbles as she bends down meet Twilight’s eyes. "Come on, Twily, everything's fine."

"Too many people…"

"Hey, look at me." Sunset takes Twilight’s chin and gently brings Twilight’s head to face her own. Sunset smiles. "You'll be fine. You've been rehearsing all week, and you've become excellent with the keys. You'll make it, and if not... Well, we'll all be there, so if we make a fool of ourselves, we'll do it together."

Twilight seems still insecure, although she soon smiles slightly.

Red stands a little apart from the others, hand on his chin. "I feel like I'm forgetting something..." He thinks for a few seconds. "I got it!" Red pulls out a small laptop and types something on it.

There is a light tap on the door, and Flash pokes his head in. "Hi. Um, am I late?"

Red gives Flash a knowing smile. “Nope. You’re right on time."

"Flash! It's great to see you," Sunset says happily, walking over and hugging Flash in greeting. Flash is surprised, but he doesn’t hesitate to return the embrace. "I wasn’t expecting you to come," Sunset comments as she pulls away.

"Well, they told me they’d be playing tonight, and... I thought it would be fun to watch."

"Flashiiiiiiiiiine!" Sonata yells, leaping over and wrapping her arms tightly around Flash, who stumbles and almost loses his balance from the impact.

"Wah... Uh, hi, uh... Serenade...?"

"Sonata."

"Yeah,” Flash chuckles nervously. “I knew it was something about music."

The smiling siren increases the strength of her embrace, and Flash grunts from the pressure, bringing a giggle from Sunset as she looks on.

Sunny, meanwhile, comes over and looks closely at the boy, which makes him curious at first but uncomfortable as the unblinking gaze continues. Sunny does not seem to notice his discomfort as she turns to Sunset. "Sunset, honey, are you going to introduce us?"

"Heh, sure. Sunny, this is Flash Sentry, a former classmate from Canterlot. Flash, this is Sunny Flare, my... um, friend from Crystal Prep."

"Nice to meet you, dear."

Flash finally manages to free herself from the singer's embrace and shakes Sunny's hand. "A pleasure, Sunny Flare."

Lemon, who had been silent, suddenly leans onto Sunset, putting her wait on Sunset’s back, forcing Sunset to brace her knees to keep herself from falling. "Hey, Sun-Shim, is that your boyfriend?"

Sunset was not sure if the question was serious or poking fun but answered anyway. "Well, actually, we were dating once, but things happened, and... Well, we're friends. Good friends."

Flash kept silent as he pondered Sunset’s answer.

Sunny takes a closer look at the boy and smiles. "Well, I can see that you have good taste. Good-looking, tall, well-built."

"Uh, I—"

"He also plays guitar and has a nice car," Sunset adds, smirking.

Lemon puts more of her weight on Sunset’s back. "Sweet! Why’d you let him go?"

"It's… something I’d rather not talk about. And can you get off me?"

The green-haired girl heeds the request and stands up, allowing the former Equestrian to breathe.

Red clears his throat. "Alright, ladies, get ready. It’s almost showtime!"

"Alright, girls!" Lemon exclaims. "I hope you brought flashy costumes!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sonata exclaims, raising her blue backpack. Twilight silently hefts her own backpack in response.

Adagio pipes up, "Well, we're going to wait out there.” She turns to Flash. “Hey, Prince Charming, are you coming with us?"

"Oh, uh, sure." Flash smiles nervously, whispering to Sunset, "It's safe, right?"

Sunset flashes an amused smile and nods, and Flash joins the sirens as they head out to the common area.

"Don’t screw up, Sonata," Aria says right before the door closes.

"I won’t! I love you both!"

Sunny approaches Sunset. "I’ll go out, too, but first…" Sunny extends a small bag to the former equine. "A small gift."

"Uh, for me? Wow, you shouldn’t have."

"Now, now, don’t be modest. Take it." Suddenly, to Sunset's surprise, Sunny leans over and gives her a soft kiss on her cheek. "Good luck," she whispers before turning to the others. “Break a leg out there!” she calls before leaving.

Lemon snickers after Sunny leaves. “Wow, Sun-Shim, you’re a real Casanova."

"I didn’t do anything," Sunset says, but Lemon just laughs more, and Sonata, who missed what happened, simply joins in the laughter. Sunset just rolls her eyes.

*S*A*S*

The girls take turns using the small changing room to change to their costumes.

Sonata had brought the outfit she wore during the end of the battle of the bands, happy to use it again.

Lemon Zest had put on some yellow short shorts, a sleeveless pink shirt with flower patterns, and a black vest. She also styled her hair into a wave down the side of her head.

Twilight chose boots adorned with her signature symbol, black pants, and a light-blue T-shirt with designs reminiscent of digital circuitry.

"Geez, Twi-Spark, even in a concert, you can’t avoid being nerdy."

Sonata giggles at the comment.

"Um... What's wrong? It's electronic music... They’re electronic circuits..."

Sunset giggles and rubs Twilight’s shoulder in support. "Don’t listen to them, Twi. You look adorable."

The compliment makes the scientist blush. "Adorable…? That's... Is that good?"

Sunset’s smile grows in response.

"Alright, Sun-Shim, your turn! Show us your rags."

Sunset smiles and goes to the changing room, carrying her backpack and the bag Sunny had given her.

*S*A*S*

Truth be told, Sunset had no idea what kind of clothes she should have brought for such an occasion. Back at Canterlot, Rarity would always pick her outfits. Sunset herself didn’t really have anything flashy or remarkable in her closet. So, in the end, she decided to wear the clothes she used to wear in her darker days. After all, those clothes made her look aggressive and rebellious. Perfect for a rock concert.

She looks at herself in the mirror for a moment.

It had been a while since she had worn those clothes. She feels strange, though she couldn’t deny that there was a certain… nostalgia to it.

After looking at herself for a minute, she turns and spots the bag Sunny Flare gave her. Curious, she takes it and opens it up. She is surprised, but her surprise soon melts away into a smile.

*S*A*S*

Sunset comes out of the changing room, surprising her companions with the white jacket she is now wearing.

"Looking good, Sun-Shim!"

"You look awesome, Sunsite!"

Sunset smiles at the compliments, including Twilight’s silent smile and nod. Still, Sunset adjusts the jacket and smiles doubtfully. "You think so? I'm not sure it's my style."

"It's completely your style!" asserts Lemon.

Sunset can only smile as she remembers the day at the mall with Sunny, when she saw this jacket.

"Thanks, Sunny."

*S*A*S*

The club's stage was covered by a black curtain. Behind it, Sunset Among Shadows gets ready to play. Sunset helps Lemon correctly connect her bass, Twilight adjusts her keyboard, and Sonata opens the curtains a little, peeping out and quickly spotting the large table where her sisters, Flash, Sunny Flare, and Indigo Zap are all seated. All of them are passing the time chatting excitedly, except for Aria.

The rest of the sports team are at the tables surrounding the other one.

A few minutes of silence go by, and soon, everyone’s ready to go. Each player gets into position, with Sonata in front at the microphone, Lemon a couple of meters to the left with her bass, Twilight behind the two with her keyboard, and Sunset to the right with her guitar.

"You ready?" demands Lemon excitedly.

"This’ll be so great!" Sonata exclaims.

"I'm not sure..." says Twilight.

"Let's go!" Lemon announces.

The curtain begins to rise, and colored spotlights and the music of the club wash over them. The club is packed, every seat occupied and the dance floor full.

Next to the stage sits the DJ of the club, who lowers the music and turns on the stage lights as the curtain rises, and soon, all eyes are on the girls of the band.

Lemon hurries to the microphone and removes it from the stand to shout, "Are you ready to rock?!"

Her scream resounds through the loudspeakers of the place, and the response soon arrives by way of excited screams.

"We are Sunset Among Shadows, and we’re here to blow this club sky high!"

The roar of the applause gets louder in response, especially the cries of Indigo and her team.

Adagio and Aria don’t yell, but they do watch Sonata expectantly.

Sunny exclaims, “Sunset! Good luck, honey!"

Flash yells, "You’re gonna rock, Sunset! You, too, Twilight!"

"Alright, let’s stop wasting time and start having fun!" screams Lemon before returning the microphone to its place and hurrying back to her place. Sonata seems ready to explode with joy, and Twilight, nervous, flexes her fingers to stifle their trembling.

The three look to Sunset, who sighs. “Well, let’s get this over with…" She closes her eyes and, after a few seconds, starts playing.

The music playing makes the whole club keep silence and see with good expectations the band on stage.

Slowly, the others join Sunset in the instrumental. Sonata, with closed eyes and a calm smile, begins to sing.

Can you hear my soft, distant voice?
Underground, I’m screaming out loud.
And the spreading shade in this world
Wants me in the abyss.

If this world has any plans
For myself and everyone else,
At the very least, I want to fight.
My destiny isn't to cry.

The weight of my dream presses down on me
And I wanted to surrender.
But now, up in the sky, I can see
My future is right here.

Sonata's smile only grows as she opens her eyes a little, watching everyone move their heads and feet to her infectious rhythm.

Sunset approaches the microphone in front of her to give backup to the siren.

Now I begin to fight
To cleanse out from my heart

All the sorrow and the pain
That I had yesterday.

The lively rhythm moves in waves through the crowd, who start cheering the band on.

And the me I want to be
Was created in a new light.

Tomorrow now is shining
Onto me once again.

The answer that I seek
Has always been inside of me.

Sonata begins shaking her hips to the beat of the song as the musicians play a small interlude. Her rhythm is almost hypnotic as the crowd starts clapping to the movement of her hips.

I’ll never turn back again.
The past is now behind me.
And today is better anyway;
I can forge my destiny!

Regrets, I have a few,
But my life is mine alone.
I want to set my soul free.
My destiny is to survive!

Sonata's happiness while singing is practically tangible. Sunset takes a peek behind her, seeing a huge grin on Lemon’s face.

I managed to cut path till now
Following in your shadow.
But now I’m looking for a better place
Where I can grow and thrive.

And today I remember
The words you told me yesterday.

I store them deep inside my heart
Until the day I need them again.

It is Twilight, however, who really surprises Sunset; all Twilight’s earlier apprehension had vanishing, leaving her with an excited smile on her face as her fingers dance across her keyboard.

It was strange, but for the first time in so long, Sunset felt... good. She felt happy.

And now I understand
The reason of my life.
That tomorrow is calling
For me to survive.

Sunset had forgotten how if felt when she played with people whom she wanted and who wanted her. It felt good, playing music with friends. It was... simply magical.

The answer that I seek…

Sonata’s body begins to glow. It’s slight, but it’s still impossible to miss.

Has always been inside…

Sonata rises in the air. Her ears change, and wings and a tail emerge.

Of me!

Flashes of colors fill the whole place as everyone watches, flabbergasted as the effect spreads to the rest of the band. Lemon smiles widely as her own ears change. Her hair lengthens and spreads out into a tail, and a pair of wings sprout from her back, which she wastes no time in trying out. Twilight, too, goes through a similar change, and although she’s surprised, she does not stop smiling.

Seeing all this play out, Sunset’s smile grows wide, and, with a burning passion, she continues to play as she feels the familiar tingle of magic in her body. Her ears emerge, and her hair lengthens to a tail, and as the melody continues, her body becomes covered with intense flames. Despite that, no one present feels any fear. They simply watch, mesmerized by the incredible sight and basking in the soft warmth of the flames.

Sunset’s white jacket changes color, as if the fire painted itself upon it.

It's so obvious to me now
All those words you taught me once.
Now I understand
This world is no place for tears

The four girls look at each other, full of joy, and an explosion of light and colors erupts from the girls of the band.

Now I begin to fight
To cleanse out from my heart

All the sorrow and the pain
That I had yesterday.

And the me I want to be
Was created in a new light.
Tomorrow now is shining
Onto me once again.

The girls’ playing picks up as Twilight and Lemon join the two singers for the finish.

The answer that I seek
Has always been inside of me!

Sonata steps back, her part done as the other members bring the song to its conclusion. As soon as the music ends, the entirety of the audience erupts with applause and cheers, many giving the band a standing ovation.

Sonata smiles, tears of pure joy in her eyes. She does not fight them, simply letting them run down her face as she smiles at her friends.

Finally, the curtains close as the applause grows even louder. Safe behind the curtain, Sunset Among Shadows breathes a sigh of relief at a performance gone off perfectly. They are tired, but their smiles never leave their faces.

Still high on emotion, Sonata laughs and dances around in excitement, while Twilight examines her new ears. Lemon looks at herself in the mirror, taking a couple of turns to check out her wings, before turning to her companions. "I have no idea what happened, but I love you guys!"

Lemon flies towards Sonata, and the two hug. Then, suddenly, they each grab another bandmate and pull them into a strong group hug.

*S*A*S*

"You did well, Sonata," Adagio says approvingly.

"You didn't make a fool of yourself. That's something," Aria mutters.

The blue-haired siren looks at both of them with such joy that their eyes shine brightly, especially as Adagio pats her on the head. "Good job, Sonata," Adagio says simply.

The younger girl smiles like a little girl as tears roll down her face. "I dreamed that one day you would tell me that."

Sonata throws herself forward and hugs them both. While Aria tries to break free, Adagio just rolls her eyes.

Sunset smiles at the scene before turning to Indigo, who was excitedly assaulting Lemon with questions.

"How did you do that? The lights, and the fire, and the wings. I’ve never seen anything like it!" Indigo says.

"Honestly, I have no idea!" Lemon answers. Suddenly, she snaps her attention to Sunset. "Hey, Sun-Shim!"

"Yeah?"

"Hey, hey, we haven’t exchanged numbers yet, right?"

"Um, well—"

"Oh, yeah, we didn’t, either!" Sonata exclaims to Sunset. “Let’s do that!”

"I can’t believe we haven’t," Indigo says incredulously. “Give me your number.”

"I would like it, too," Sunny says in obviously faux nonchalance.

Sunset smiles and chuckles good-naturedly before acquiescing.

When they finish, Adagio gets everyone’s attention. "Well, as much as I love friendly get-togethers," she begins, her sarcasm more than obvious, "I have to leave. My shift started a while ago, and I don’t feel like being chewed out by my boss again. Aria, you will take Sonata home after she’s done here."

"I always have to do everything," Aria complains. "Fine, but give me money for something to eat."

The older siren takes a wad of bills out of her purse, and hands it over. "Don’t overdo it with alcohol or spicy food. You know that gives you indigestion."

"Adagio!" Aria snaps, her face lighting up. Her anger only rises as Adagio ruffles her hair in farewell before doing the same for Sonata, who smirks at Aria teasingly. Finally, she turns to the rest.

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you all. Well, not really, but it was a pleasure to listen to Sonata sing again. Goodbye."

Despite her words, the girls give her a cheerful farewell. After she leaves, Indigo takes a swig of her drink. "Well, the night is still young. What do you wanna do?"

*S*A*S*

It does not take long for Adagio to get to work, and after a reprimand from her boss, she goes to the back to prepare for her shift. After donning her apron and fixing her hair, Adagio heads out to the bar, sighing at the familiar woman at the counter.

"I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re seriously starting to worry me."

The aurora-haired woman hardly raises her head in acknowledgment, her eyes staring at the counter and her fingers wrapped around an empty glass.

"It was funny to see you here the first few times, but now, it's concerning," Adagio continues.

Principal Celestia does not respond immediately. She plays a little with her cup before deigning to respond. "I need to talk to someone..."

"Geez, I hear that so much, I start to wonder if I should just be a therapist,” Adagio mutters, sighing. “I understand that you want to vent, but don't you have anyone better to talk to?"

Again, there is no immediate response. "Maybe? I... I really don't know..."

Adagio lets out a half-sigh, half-grunt and crosses her arms, giving a reproachful look to the woman. "Your students would be very shocked if they saw you here, not to mention your new adopted daughter."

The words make the woman wince in pain, and the dam breaks. Celestia pushes her glass out of the way and starts sobbing into the counter, her head in her arms. "I’m a failure! A complete failure!"

"Yes, join the club..." whispers the siren. Taking a random bottle from the shelf, she refills the woman's cup. "Look, I know what that feeling is. Believe me, I've lived it several times."

Celestia pauses her sobbing only enough to down the alcohol in one go.

"But you need a better solution than to come here and drink all this crap."

Celestia doesn’t answer, but eventually, her sobbing quiets down. She wipes her face with her arm and rests both hands on the bar, trying to stay upright.

Adagio only sighs heavily. "Alright, let's get this over with, and then, we'll see what we can do. Now, talk."

A Waking Nightmare

View Online

The night goes on after the performance, and Sunset Among Shadows and their companions enjoy every minute dancing, singing, or just sitting around and enjoying food, drink, and friends.

"And then, the cat fell on the rich lady’s hair, and we found out it was a wig!" Sonata exclaims, concluding yet another story from her long-lived life, and the table, Sunset included, explodes with laughter.

It's been a long time since she’d had a night like this. Surrounded by cheerful and friendly people. Sure, some were a bit… odd, but they were good people, nonetheless.

"That’s hilarious!" Indigo shouts in between gasps for breath.

"Oh, there’s been crazier, " Sonata replied. "Like, just last year, Adagio, Aria and I wanted to turn the world into zombies, and Sunset defeated us by creating a giant laser horse made of magic!"

More than one glance goes to the former equine, who only smiles nervously and drinks her soda, averting her gaze.

Indigo is silent for a moment. "That… is... awesome!" she finally shouts, her voice holding a strange but familiar… scratchiness.

Sunset snaps her gaze to Indigo, but where the captain of the soccer team was sitting now sat… Rainbow Dash.

"Wh-What…?"

"And boy, are we glad you did make it, Sunny!" Pinkie Pie yells from her place at the table… that Lemon Zest used to occupy.

Sunset stares, too stunned to respond... and the group's dressmaker seems to notice. "Sunset, darling, what’s the matter?"

With a jump, Sunset shoots up from the table, her chair clattering on the floor. All her former friends sat around the table instead of the people that were there mere moments ago.

"Sunset..." comes Twilight’s voice. Sunset turns hopefully toward her scientist friend… finding only the princess instead. "What's wrong?"

Sunset tries to answer, but her voice catches in her throat. She starts trembling as she squeezes her eyes shut, hands on her head as she violently shakes it from side to side as everything turns black…

Until she hears the sound of her phone.

Sunset wakes up with jolt, her forehead dripping with sweat and her hair and sheets a mess.

Sunset pants heavily for the few seconds it takes to register that she is in her room, in her bed, and that her phone is ringing.

Sunset grabs her phone, taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before answering the call.

"Hello?"

The voice of a woman is heard on the other side of the device. "Hey, are you still asleep? It's nine-thirty, pal. Get up!"

The voice was kind of familiar, but Sunset can’t quite place it. She sounds fairly young, but her voice carries a mature air. Regardless, Sunset answers, "It's Saturday. I don't have to get up."

It's not that she needed to respond to a person she did not recognize on the phone, but she was used to following the current of the strange things that happened in her life.

"With that attitude, you’ll get old very quickly,"the mysterious woman says. "Get up. There are things to do."

"Who are you, my mom?" Sunset snaps sarcastically.

Whoever she was, she had nerve to talk to her that way. Who was she, anyway? Did she dial the wrong number?

"Look through the window," the woman commands in a playful tone.

This was strange even for Sunset. She looked at her phone, considering just hanging up and lying back down. She still had a lot of Saturday to sleep away.

"Don't you dare hang up on me, missy!" the woman says in an almost threatening voice, though the teasing tone undercuts any effort to be intimidating. "Look through the window,"she repeats.

Sunset stares at her phone for a second. Try as she might, she doesn’t recognize the number. After another second, she curses her curiosity and walks to her window.

She pulls aside the curtain. The overcast sky keeps the day from being too bright, but the sudden burst of light in her room still forces Sunset to shield her eyes momentarily. After her eyes adjust, she looks down at the street, and her eyes widen in surprise.

"Nice bedhead," the woman says on the phone.

Sunset absentmindedly tries to smooth her hair, never taking her eyes off the woman.

That was... But... What!?

"Fix yourself up, get dressed, and come down. We have to talk."

With that order, the woman ends the call.

Sunset blinks, too confused to answer. She just closes the curtain, hangs up, and stares at nothing for a few seconds before beginning to start what promises to be a very interesting day.

*S*A*S*

Even after showering, grooming, brushing her teeth, and dressing, Sunset still isn’t quite sure how this very… unexpected meeting was going to go. Still, she pulls her boots on and exits her apartment.

In front of the apartment building, sitting on a perfectly polished, black-and-silver motorcycle and smirking, is Vice Principal Luna. Even stranger than her presence are her clothes. Luna is wearing high, black boots, tight jeans, a very form-fitting, dark-blue top, and a coal-black leather jacket. A sleek, black helmet rests under her arm.

Finally, Sunset finds her words. "Vice Principal Luna, what is this?!"

"No, no!” Luna says with a playfully chiding look. “I'd sooner stick a red-hot needle in one eye before working on a Saturday. Today, I'm just Luna."

"But what are you doing here?" Sunset asks.

Seriously, could her life get weirder?

"I've come to talk to you about something important. Come on, I’ll treat you to breakfast."

... Apparently, yes.

Sunset looks askance at Luna. "What are we gonna talk about?"

"Something that will interest you, don’t worry. Waffles and coffee okay?"

Sunset does not respond immediately, but eventually, she looks away nervously. "Um... Vice Principal, I... Uh, thanks for offering, but you see, this week has been... really strange... and, well, I had to take care of a lot of things yesterday. I’m exhausted. I appreciate the invitation, but I’d like to just stay home and rest."

Luna does not answer immediately, but she still holds her grin. After a few seconds, she dangles her key from her finger and holds out a red helmet. "I'll let you drive~"

*S*A*S*

The motorcycle speeds down the street, all thought of speed limits and traffic laws lost from the mind of the driver, whose laughter can only slightly be heard over the engine as she weaves through traffic, the wind making the small bit of hair peeking from under her helmet fly behind her looking as if on fire.

"This... is... INCREDIBLE!"

Sitting behind her, amazingly using only her legs to stay on the bike, Luna chuckles understandingly. Her own hair flies in the wind from under her helmet, causing an effect reminiscent of Princess Luna’s mane. "Yeah, I was like that the first time I drove this baby."

Unable to resist the temptation, the young woman pulls into a straight, beautifully empty street and kicks up the gas.

*S*A*S*

A deep moan escapes the scrambled blankets. Something underneath moves slowly, very slowly, and a tangle of colorful hair emerges from below. A pale hand pushes aside the blankets, and the woman spots sunlight filtering through the curtains with tired, pink eyes. Groaning, she ignores the temptation to go back to bed and decides to get up. As soon as she sits up, though, a harsh, throbbing pain shoots through her skull, and she immediately buries her head in her hands, moaning.

Finally, after a minute of agony, she opens her eyes, and as her vision clears, she takes in the room she finds herself in. "Odd. This isn’t my room… or my house."

Too tired to worry about the situation, she finally spots someone else in the room with her, sitting on the very same bed she herself was sitting on, reading the open newspaper in her lap, taking the occasional sip from a steaming mug.

Finally, the woman’s mind catches up to her, and her tired expression changes to one of fear, and she leaps out of bed with a yelp.

Without looking from her paper, the siren says with a neutral tone, “And good morning to you, too."

A sudden scream of terror echoes throughout the block.

*S*A*S*

A huge smile adorns the young woman’s face as she pulls off her helmet. "That was the most exciting thing I've ever done!"

The woman activates the alarm of her parked motorcycle and smirks. "More than facing chaotic magic and magical creatures?"

Sunset giggles. "Alright, good point. The most exciting unrelated to magic."

Luna smiles and fixes the girl's somewhat unkempt hair. "Well, I hope that trip worked up an appetite. Let's have breakfast."

Minutes later, they are seated at a diner with coffee and a tray of sweets. The beginning is pleasant enough, but Sunset can’t shake her nerves now that her adrenaline from earlier has worn off. After washing down the last bite of a scone with some coffee, she finally decides to speak. "Umm... Vice Principal—"

"I'm vice principal Monday through Friday and maybe a few Sundays, but today, I'm just Luna. Or, if you don't like being casual, you can tell me Lady, Majesty, or Your Great and Fabulous Goddess."

Sunset can’t stop herself from snorting in laughter. "Who are you, and what did you do with the vice principal of CHS?"

"I’d tell you, but then, I’d have to kill you,"Luna says with a playful wink.

Sunset can’t help but giggle again.

Was this really the cold, serious, frightening vice principal of Canterlot High? Was this how she really was? Playful and casual?

Sunset shakes her head a little, deciding to jump to the point now that her nerves were settled. "Well, Luna, um... you said you wanted to talk to me about something."

"That’s true, Sunset, but..." Luna stops and takes a bite of her croissant. "Ifs impolihe to tahk wif youh mouf fuh.”

Again, Sunset asks herself if the situation could be any stranger.

... Actually, no, it's better not to ask. She did not want an answer.

*S*A*S*

"By Eris, you’ve got some pipes!" the siren complains, sitting at her kitchen table with her mug. At the opposite side, the principal, already with her hair brushed, only stares at her coffee mug.

Both wear a gold-colored robe, each one belonging to Adagio.

"What did you expect? What if we… did something?" the woman can’t help but blush at the possibilities of what she may have done while plastered out of her mind.

"I already told you that none of that happened. Stop being so paranoid," Adagio says before taking a sip of coffee.

Celestia is silent for a moment before asking, "Then what happened?"

After taking another sip of coffee and pushing her newspaper aside, the siren looks at her and answers, "You overdid it last night. You drank more than usual, you started bawling, and when my shift ended and I was about to leave, you practically begged me not to go, said that you had no one else to turn to, blah blah blah. So that you wouldn't embarrass me anymore, I had to bring you here since you didn't even remember the address of your house. I brought you to my room, and you immediately passed out on my bed. I’m just glad you didn’t vomit all over it."

Before the explanation was even over, Celestia leans her elbows on the table and hides her face between her palms. "... When did I become so pathetic?" she asks once Adagio finishes speaking.

"Who knows?" Adagio responds, going back to her newspaper and mug.

Celestia stays still, just groaning, until she hears footsteps approaching.

Sonata, dressed in a light-blue set of pajamas adorned with musical notes and holding a pillow tight to her chest, plops into a chair with her eyes closed before placing the pillow on the table and dropping her head upon it, moaning tiredly.

Adagio does not seem to pay attention, but Celestia looks up a little.

The voice of the youngest siren is muffled by the pillow, but it is still audible. "Mmmh... Adie... give me breakfast..."

"Make it yourself."

"Don't be a meanie... I want cereal and milk..." At no time does she open her eyes, but her voice sounds childish and petulant.

Adagio sighs. "I can’t wait until you grow up,"she says as she gets up and goes to the cupboard.

Sonata ignores her, just yawning into the pillow. Everything is silent for a moment, until Sonata deigns to look up, with her chin still resting on the pillow. Eventually, her eyes lock onto the principal.

Celestia smiles nervously, while Sonata's eyes curiously run down the woman’s body, particularly on how the smaller Adagio’s robe fits extremely tightly on woman’s adult body...

Adagio approaches, carrying a bowl, a box of cereal, and a carton of milk. When she puts the bowl on the table, she notices how Sonata and Celestia look at each other, noticing in particular that Sonata is staring at Celestia’s chest.

Sonata finally breaks the silence, directing her gaze to her sister. "Adie, did you bring another prostitute home?"

Scandalized, Celestia huffs and looks away, blushing as she covers her chest. Adagio doesn’t respond verbally, instead just pouring cereal and milk onto Sonata’s head. Sonata buries her face protectively into her pillow with a whine.

*S*A*S*

"Hey. Hey, wake up."

The voice—and the rough shaking of her shoulders—rouses Princess Twilight from her sleep. She opens her eyes and sees probably the last face she’d like to see.

Aria stares don’t at the waking princess, rolling her eyes at Twilight’s surprised face. "Finally!"she exclaims irritably. "I thought you were the princess of friendship, not the princess of dreamland."

Twilight doesn’t answer, still too surprised by the unpleasant guest.

"What? Can't you talk? Well, whatever. I prefer it that way. Look, Luna told me to give you this." She holds out her hands. In one is a glass of water, while in the other are a couple of pills.

Twilight looks worriedly from Aria to the pills and back, making Aria grunt in annoyance.

"Look, I don’t give a rat’s ass if you kick the bucket, but she’s paying me to babysit you, so take your damn medicine!"

Wordlessly and worriedly, Twilight pushes herself up into a sitting position. She takes the pills and water and gulps them down, Aria watching with crossed arms the whole time.

"And I guess you’re hungry, too? Are you gonna get up, or would Your Majesty want breakfast in bed?" Aria says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Twilight doesn’t respond immediately, as she still tries to process the situation.

One thing was clear, though: This girl had attitude problems.

*S*A*S*

The lights flash and pulse rhythmically as music fills the room, the DJ’s upbeat tunes urging everyone in the club to get up and dance.

Sunset is the only one hesitating. Standing in front of the dance floor, she looks at Luna with confusion. "Vice—Uh, Luna, what are we doing here?"

"What do you think?" is the only response from the woman, walking onto the dance floor without another word. Not wanting to be left alone, Sunset follows her.

Waving her shoulders and hips, Luna quickly falls into the rhythm of the movement. She starts off small with some foot-tapping and head-banging before getting everyone’s attention with a quick split, her waist hitting the floor before rising slowly back up using only the muscles in her legs, bring some applause from the onlookers. Once she was sure she had an audience, Luna begins moving with surprising flexibility and grace, letting her hips do all the talking as she uses her arms to grab the attention of anyone whose eyes faltered from her. Not that many take their eyes off her, the movement of her hips and the slow circles in which she turned proving hypnotic even for Sunset, who watches, mouth agape, as the older woman dances in ways not even she herself could pull off.

Those that aren’t transfixed find themselves clapping and stomping their feet to her rhythm.

Suddenly, the beat of the DJ’s music picks up, and without missing a beat, Luna wrenches off her jacket and tosses it with a single movement as her movements become wilder but no less graceful, her turns becoming faster as her body twists in almost painful-looking ways. Her hair flies all around her, shining with the reflection of the spotlights.

Everyone’s applause picks up, as well, until only Sunset remains still, staring at her former vice principal tearing up the dance floor as if she’d been born for it. "Is she really Princess Luna’s counterpart?"

Before she can answer her mental question, she sees Luna fix her gaze on her, and without stopping her movements—though she does stop turning momentarily—she makes a beckoning gesture with her hand.

All eyes turn to the surprised Sunset, who denies the request with a nervous smile. That makes the woman stop her dance suddenly as she slowly approaches Sunset with a playful smile, her gaze holding Sunset still. Everyone seems to hold their breath as Luna gently takes Sunset’s hand and leads her back into the middle of the group, and without letting go, she begins moving again.

Luna’s quick and harsh movements, though rhythmic, end up violently shaking Sunset, so Sunset finds herself forced to move to Luna’s beat, matching the older woman’s steps and moves to applause of the crowd. Spurred on by the cheers, Sunset just shuts her mind off for a change and loses herself to the music.

*S*A*S*

Sunset drops heavily into the chair at a nearby table. "Whew! I don't remember the last time I danced so much!"

Luna answers, smiling, "I remember you dancing like that at the welcoming party during your freshman year."

Sunset laughs a little, seeming to remember. "Yeah, but there was more cake there."

Both laugh as an employee comes by and gives each woman a bottle of soda, courtesy, he says, of some of the other patrons of the club for their performance. The women quickly break the seal and down almost the entire bottles before heaving a sigh of satisfaction.

After a moment of content silence, Sunset says, “Okay, you’ve treated me to breakfast and some fun at a club. Now can we talk about what you wanted to talk about?”

Luna remains silent for a moment, but as she opens her mouth to answer, the doors to the club burst open, and everyone in the building falls silent.

The newcomers are young, about ten men to the group, each looking around twenty to twenty-five years old. Colorful mohawks, chains, and wild clothes make them stand out from the rest of the crowd.

Sunset and Luna watch as the men walk through the club, their intimidating glares forcing everyone out of their way as they move up to the bar, where the biggest member—likely their leader—plops onto a stool and pounds a fist on the bar, saying to the bartender in a raspy voice, "Give me a beer, and it better be cold."

The bartender responds calmly, "I apologize, sir, but alcohol is not allowed in this establishment before six p.m."

The gangster grabs the bartender’s collar and yanks him closer. "I said I want a beer! Do your fucking job!"

"I-I'm sorry... I-I can’t..." the bartender stammers.

"Hey, you!" comes another voice. Everyone turns and sees a young man leave the dance floor and approach the bully. "Leave him alone."

The gangster smirks. "Or what? You’ll run to mommy?"

The others in the gang laugh loudly and mockingly at the comment.

"We don't want any problems. Go somewhere else," says that young man, undeterred.

The leader pushes the bartender away and stalks up to the newcomer. "And what if we don't?" he says threateningly.

The young man stands his ground, his confidence bolstered as other young men approach to stand by him.

The boss’s smirk turns predatory. "Well, we have some brave men here. Wanna know what we do with brave men?" His group approaches, scaring some of the younger people away.

Frowning, Sunset found herself about to join the youngsters, but Luna gets up first, surprising the younger woman. "Luna?"

Luna stalks right up to the gang and says from behind them, "That's enough."

Her voice makes everyone turn, and the leader grimaces. “What do you want, bitch? Aren’t you a little old to be going out clubbing?”

"Get lost," Luna orders. "Don't make me send you to detention."

Everyone in the gang looks a bit confused at the comment, and one of them taunts, "Who do you think you are? Wonder Woman?"

The gangsters laugh again, their confidence once more replacing their confusion.

"No, I'm just a vice principal of a high school. But part of my job is punishing kids who step out of line."

Again, the gangsters exchange glances, while the boss chuckles as he approaches. "Principal, uh?"

"Vice principal,” corrects the woman.

"Look, oldie, this ain’t a school. We don’t take orders from you or anyone else, and you can’t do shit about it!" The man jabs his finger into Luna’s sternum to drive his point home. "So, go back to school and play cop there, because we—"

He interrupts his demand with a yelp of pain as Luna suddenly grabs his index finger and twists. "It's impolite to point," she snaps. She forces his arm downward until it’s bent at an uncomfortable angle, making him grunt in pain and anger.

After a few seconds, she releases him and shoves him backward. After steadying himself, he growls and rushes her. "You bitch!"

Luna deftly dodges, grabbing and twisting his arm behind his back and pinning him against the wall. He struggles, but he can’t seem to break her grip.

All eyes are fixed on her and on how easily she pinned the gangster.

"If you don't calm down, I will be forced to call your parents. Or the police. Your choice."

With that, Luna once more releases the man, shoving him toward a table. Fuming, he turns and shouts at the others, “What are you waiting for? Get her!”

Immediately, three men throw themselves at Luna, who quickly grabs one’s arm and swings him toward another, the collision sending them to the floor. The third throws a punch, which Luna catches. Quickly, she turns from him and flings him over her shoulder to the ground.

Another man draws and knife and runs at her, but she grabs his wrist and twists it right before the knife hits her, forcing him to drop the knife.

"Don’t run with knives. You could hurt somebody."

Hearing a couple more coming at her, she spins, forcing her assailant into his two companions even harder than before, leaving them stunned on the floor.

Two more manage to grab her by the arms, but to their surprise, she raises her leg up parallel to her body and kicks one in the face with the point of her boot. As he releases her, she punches the one remaining as hard as she can.

The whole group lies groaning and aching on the ground. Everyone stares, speechless, but none is as surprised—or as worried—as Sunset.

The vice principal had always been a woman feared at school. She never smiles, is never lenient, and never has any warmth about her. All of Canterlot High School’s students know not to make her angry.

Sunset had a lot of friction with her in her past, but if she had known Luna could do this…

"I’d never have pissed her off! I’m lucky to be alive!" Sunset thinks with terror.

The boss gets an empty bottle from a table, shattering it and approaching threateningly. His group starts to get back to their feet, each in pain but each seeing red. They surround her, pulling out all manner of weapons.

Many stare at the crowd, terrified, but Luna seems very calm about the situation. She closes her eyes and, in a deep voice, begins to speak, "Poor are those deluded souls lost in desolate dreams."

The phrase sounds almost like a prayer, confusing everyone.

"Poor are they who dare to oppose the queen of the night, who dare to arouse her fury!"

The boss starts to move forward, at a slow but determined pace.

"Whoever is brave or foolish enough, come and face a real nightmare!"

That particular word grabs Sunset’s attention. "Nightmare…?"

The subjects of the gang close the circle, but Luna never seems worried.

"Come, then, and face Nightmare Moon!"

As soon as the words leave her mouth, the whole gang jumps back, several of them stumbling and falling on their backs, their faces shifting from rage to terror in a millisecond.

"N-N-Nightmare Moon?!"

"The legend herself?"

"I thought... I thought she was a myth..."

Only the boss stays in his place, but though he does not retreat like his mates, he is still trembling. "That’s not true... If she’s Nightmare Moon, then..."

His eyes go to the Luna’s belly, as do Sunset’s.

Calmly, Luna lifts her sweater and the undershirt, showing off her midriff. And the tattoo on her side: A shadowy full moon, the word “Nightmare” inked underneath in elegant, somber font.

The response from the gang is immediate.

"It's the tattoo! The tattoo!"

"It's her! It's the real one!"

The boss finally recoils in terror.

Luna covers her belly again and, with gravity and contempt, glares at the gang. "Who dares then, oppose the sovereign? Whoever wants to live a waking nightmare, step forward!"

The gangsters do exactly the opposite, backing up as much as they can before hitting walls or tables. Luna looks at the boss, who trembles and looks at her without color in his face and with only fear painted in his eyes.

"Get out of here, before the shadows of night drag you to its prison."

There is no answer. Nobody speaks or moves.

"GET OUT!"

Her shout gets the gang moving as they collide, stumble, and crawl during their mad dash out of the club. Everything remains silent after they leave, but a few seconds later, the club-goers begin applauding Luna again.

Sunset remains still, her face still the portrait of astonishment as questions run through her mind. Luna notices her gaze and gives a somewhat heavy smile.

*S*A*S*

Twilight replays the video, constantly rewinding and fast-forwarding it, her bespectacled eyes fixed on the extraordinary event.

Again and again, she sees herself and her bandmates go through that... metamorphosis...

She sees her own ears disappear in a flash, only for new ones to appear on her head. She sees her own hair lengthen and spread... looking almost like a kind of tail...

Her mind works furiously, but no answers arise. Filled with frustration, he shouts angrily, rousing her canine companion out of his sleep.

"I don't get it!" screams the young scientist, frustrated. "What happened back there?!"

It made no sense. Somehow, she and her bandmates suffered very similar physical changes at the same time, but how?

Could it be a trick, some special effect made by Lemon, or Sunset, or even Sonata?

No, it couldn’t have been that. She felt those ears with her very own hands. They were real. Her human ears disappeared, replaced by those strange ears. Canine? No. Feline? No. What kind were they?

"Ugh, it doesn’t matter!" she snaps, trying to focus. "There's no way they could have done something to me without me noticing. We were together all day yesterday, from school to the soccer match to the concert. So how?!"

Try as she might, Twilight could not come up with an explanation. Her body simply changed while they were playing.

It was so strange...

After a moment, a thought comes to her mind. "Why did I not care at the moment?"

That night, she had not given her transformation a single thought. She just basked in the joy she felt while she played. She didn’t know what happened, but at the time, she didn’t care.

Why...?

A bark at her side pulls her out of her thoughts. She finds Spike sitting beside her, looking at her confusedly. She scratches his ears, which seems to satisfy him, if his wagging tail is any evidence.

"I don't understand, Spike," she says. "Since Sunset joined the band, such strange things have happened. I started playing the keyboard as if I had played it all my life, and what’s more, when I played with them, I felt so… confident." All of their rehearsals run through her mind, so many full of laughter and comfort. "And now... this."

She looks back at her computer, still playing the video taken on someone’s cell phone. The sidebar shows a few more videos, all showing the same event.

Apparently, their little concert was interesting enough for several people to record them. They were not good recordings—many of them shaky or washed out by the stage lights—but she still felt a little embarrassed to know that her face was on the internet.

Twilight was silent, her eyes closed, stifling her embarrassment as she thinks for a moment.

Maybe something happened...

Again, she recounted in her head the events that occurred throughout the week. Finally, she remembered the day she met her other self.

She opened her eyes and stopped at that thought.

Sunset had many secrets. Secrets Twilight was aching to learn. She didn’t want to pressure Sunset, though; she was afraid that she would put her friendship at risk if she pushed Sunset too much. But she wanted answers. Maybe she couldn’t get them from Sunset, but there was someone else who might be a bit more open...

"Spike, I'm going out."

Nightmares and Dreams

View Online

Celestia was always the “sun” of our family.

Our parents loved her. Teachers, too. All the boys wanted to go out with her. All the girls wanted to be like her.

The best of the class, the best of friends.

She was sweet, kind, intelligent, and beautiful inside and outside. She was just… perfect...

I was everything she was not. I never considered myself beautiful, always thinking my face was simply average. I was not as kind or as open to others as she was. I liked solitude. I had few friends and liked it that way.

But that didn’t bother me. I didn’t want to be like her... But the others...

“Celestia is on the honor roll!”
“You could at least try to make an effort at school.”
“Why can’t you be like your sister?”

“She always comes to school with Celestia, right?”
“She’s really unfriendly.”
“I can’t believe that they’re really sisters.”
“I don’t like her.”

Nobody knew me. Some didn’t even know my name. I was just “Celestia's sister”, the one who was not pretty, was not smart, was not kind, was not friendly.

I tried not letting it get to me, but eventually…

“Hey, you're... Celestia's sister, right?”

That was it. The last straw. The lockers clanged as I threw that boy against them. They clanged again when I punched him in the face.

I wasn’t going to let them keep comparing me to her.

Everyone said that I was the opposite of what she was. Maybe that was true. If she was warm and radiant like the sun, then I would be as cold and harsh as the night.

No one messed with me after that. No one spoke to me. They’d get out of my way as I walked down the hall. Student, teacher, didn’t matter. I saw them all the same way: prey. I made a reputation for myself, little by little. Everyone knew me not as Celestia’s shadow, anymore. I was my own person in their eyes.

Of course, there were some people who tried to put me down. I was hollered at, scolded, punished, attacked, but I came out on top every time.

It wasn’t just at school, either. It simply started there. I got into fight after fight with my parents. With Celestia. Finally, I had enough with them, too. I ran out of the house, jumped on my dad’s motorcycle, which still had the key in, and sped off into the night.

I barged into a nightclub, tired and angry. Some jackass started hitting on me, really into the bad girl vibe I was giving off. And I’m not proud of what I did, but he just wouldn’t leave me alone. I hit him over the side of the head with my mug.

That started a big brawl, me at the center. And as luck would have it, I came out on top again. It wasn’t easy. I was beaten, bloody, couldn’t see straight, couldn’t walk straight, but I won.

My reputation spread quickly. Most feared me. Some respected me. I was no longer a school girl, secluded and bored. I was a nightmare in broad daylight.

I decided to seal it. I found a back-alley tattoo parlor willing to ink minors. I came out with the tattoo you saw on my stomach.

That settled it. I wasn’t Luna anymore. I was Nightmare Moon. I forgot about school and family. I had what I wanted. People knew me, feared me. I was the queen of everything, and everyone else was trash under my feet.

Or so I thought...

You see, power is a funny thing. With power comes enemies, and the more power you have, the more powerful they will be...

I got the attention of several gangs. They weren’t happy that a high school girl was so feared throughout the streets.

I ignored them. They weren’t worth my time. But I was worth theirs.

Day after day, night after night, for weeks, months... It was one fight after another. And I always won. I would rise above every leader, humiliating them if possible. Each victory earned me new followers, new opportunities, and new languages that spread my name throughout the city. I was invincible. But if there’s one lesson I had to learn the hard way, it’s this: When you’re at the top, all it takes is one good push to send you tumbling back down.

I was caught alone in a warehouse. Upwards of twenty guys, each armed with pipes, knives, whatever. I went through my little opening ritual. “Poor are they who dare to oppose the queen of the night, who dare to arouse her fury! Whoever is brave or foolish enough, come and face a real nightmare! Come, then, and face Nightmare Moon!”

They all rushed me, and just like every other time, I won. All of my enemies lay all around me. All except one. I glared at him, ready to finish what they started. He reached into his vest, and I charged. Then... a bang.

Time stops. I stop running, a strong burning in my stomach. I feel at it, and my hand feels warm. Sticky. I look down. A hole. I look up at the gangster, and the room blurs. I collapse, and the guy drops the weapon and runs away.

I’m alone. All alone. I can feel the world fading away. I can’t feel the cold, hard ground beneath me. I can’t feel the flow of blood oozing from the hole in my body. I can’t even feel the person who ran up to me or hear what I know were her desperate screams.

Next thing I know, I wake up in a hospital bed. Miraculously, I didn’t die. And by my side was Celestia, asleep on a chair next to my bed, clasping my hand in both of hers.

I couldn’t fathom why she was there. I abandoned her. I abandoned my whole family to pursue my own selfish wants. And still... there she was, right next to me. My whole body felt cold, but my hand... It was warm...

Then, Celestia woke up. I remember her groan of pain as she straightened her back, but when she met my eyes, she froze, right before throwing herself at me, hugging me tightly as she cried in joy.

I cried with her.

Sunset looks intently at her former vice principal, who keeps her eyes on the city in the distance. They both lie at the bottom of a large hill, the whole city in sight.

The weather was cold, but there was no wind. Soft, light snow begins to fall, glittering in the sunlight as it descends to the world below.

There is silence for a moment. Sunset has no intention of interrupting.

"I had no one at my back at school or at home. That's what I thought, anyway. But the truth is that Celestia was always there for me... I felt so stupid for not realizing that before."

Sunset finally looks away, looking down...

Nightmare Moon... the legend of the Mare on the Moon... a story so old... so well known...

A jealous princess, seeking revenge for her lack of recognition of her hard work, forcing her night on all the ponies of Equestria…

Sunset had heard and read that story hundreds of times. She never knew how true it could be, because Celestia never wanted to tell her the truth behind it. But Sunset did know what happened in the end. Twilight and her friends managed to use the most powerful magic in Equestria and save that corrupt princess, returning her to the sister who, for a thousand years, had pined for her return.

This story was very different... and yet so similar...

In this world, there was no magic force driven by positive feelings. This fight, it was only the two sisters... and somehow... they managed to get through it...

Sunset returns her sight to the vice principal. "Vice principal... I..." She was not sure how to ask her question. "Why did you tell me all that...?"

The answer takes a second to arrive. "Celestia always believed in me, and she always believed that there is goodness in every heart. That's why she became a teacher, and then a principal: so that she could help young people take the right path. That's why, when you arrived at school, she believed in you, that you could put aside that evil attitude and be a good person. "

The words surprise the former equine, who looks downward again sullenly.

Luna continues talking. "I think she saw in you a reflection of what we both lived. I know I did..."

They look at each other, one with surprise, the other without any particular emotion.

"There are times... that we hurt others without realizing it, or we make decisions that affect others, and we don’t realize the damage we are causing."

Sunset frowns and looks away. Hearing those words brought mixed emotions.

Was this what Luna wanted? That's why she brought her here? That's why she had come and insisted on talking to her?

"I know it's hard to admit our mistakes," Luna continues. "But in doing so, you can see the world with different eyes."

Oh, boy. Sunset was sure of that. Those five surely now saw how stupid they had been. Sure, now they saw how their strong friendship was a lie.

Surely, they saw themselves and others as what they are: a bunch of hypocrites and liars.

With each thought, Sunset's frown festers more and more. That does not go unnoticed by Luna.

"Something bothering you, Sunset?" the dark-haired woman asks softly.

The former equine is silent, trying to erase her frown, although her gaze is still annoyed. She looks down, crossing her arms.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asks with some annoyance. "To talk about them?"

The older woman doesn’t respond. She just looks at the young woman for a moment. "No, Sunset, it's to talk about you."

That erases Sunset’s annoyed expression, replacing it with a surprised one. "About me?"

The vice principal seems to think over her next words. "Tell me, Sunset. Are you satisfied with having changed your school?"

The question surprises Sunset, and she hesitates for a moment about how to respond. "Yeah, sure…"

Her voice seemed to hesitate... Why...?

"Crystal Prep is fine," Sunset says, trying to sound more resolute. "I do well in classes, I passed the exams, and I made... new friends. Real friends!"

"And your old friends from Canterlot… Do you not miss them?" asks Luna.

"Friends? What friends?" Sunset snaps sarcastically. "I never had friends at CHS."

"That’s not what I saw," Luna says.

Sunset pauses. "I guess we were both fooled, then." Sunset pauses again, going through her memories. "I thought they were my friends."

"Are you happy now, without them?" Luna asks again.

"Why do you care?" Sunset demands, her back to the older woman.

"Because I'm worried about you, Sunset," Luna responds calmly but sincerely. "I want to know you're happy with your new life."

"I told you. I'm fine. I have a new school, new classmates and teachers, I have new friends, a new life, and it's much, much better than before."

"Is it? Really?"

Sunset whirls on Luna, finally losing her patience. "Where are you going with this?!"

"I don’t understand why you’re upset," the vice principal says, confused. "If you're happy with your new school, you shouldn’t be so annoyed."

"I’m annoyed because you won’t drop it! It’s none of your business!" Sunset snaps. "I can do what I want with my life!"

Luna looks away to the horizon. "Yes... That's what I said, too."

That leaves the former equine mute. The silence returns... until Sunset, resuming her frustration, breaks it. "Enough! I don’t want to keep talking about this!" She turns again and crosses her arms. "It doesn’t matter if they were my friends or not. That's the past, and the past is not today!" She recites her characteristic phrase with finality, wanting to end the conversation.

Luna turns to face Sunset. "And what is today, Sunset?"

Try as she might, Sunset can’t help but consider the question silently, but the answer keeps eluding her thoughts.

The tension in the air is broken by a single sound. Luna sighs and fishes out her phone, answering the call.

"Yes?"

"You’re paying me to take care of the little princess, not to deal with this," the woman on the other end snaps.

"What happened?"

"No idea, but don’t think I'm going to wipe these two crybabies’ tears and tuck them in!"

"Two, huh?" Luna shakes her head. "All right, give me fifteen minutes, and I'll be there. Thanks for your help." Luna ends the call. Sunset looks at her, puzzled. "I think something happened with Twilight," Luna says. Sunset’s puzzlement is replaced by concern. "Do you want to come?"

Sunset doesn’t hesitate even a second.

*S*A*S*

She stands in front of the door, waits a few seconds, meditates, takes a deep breath, releases the air, and rings the doorbell.

It takes a few seconds, maybe more than she would expect, but the door opens. Her eyes widen in great surprise, seeing a girl with long, purple pigtails on the other side. It takes a few seconds, but she soon recognizes... Sonata's sister...

"…Oh, great," Aria snaps when she lays eyes on the newcomer. For a moment, no one speaks as the two stare at each other. "So, what, are you going to tell me you're coming to see yourself?" she demands.

It takes a moment, but Twilight nods quickly in answer. Aria huffs with annoyance but steps aside, letting her in.

*S*A*S*

In her borrowed room, Princess Twilight is in bed, sitting with her legs covered by the blanket, her attention on the open book in her hands.

She hears a knock on the door, and without giving her time to answer, it opens, Aria appearing in the room.

"Hey, little princess, someone is looking for you."

She is surprised a little, but again, she has no time to respond before seeing her human counterpart behind Aria, giving her a slightly nervous smile. "Um... hello... Princess."

Princess Twilight takes a moment to process the situation, but her surprise melts into a very friendly smile.

"Twilight, hello. Good morning."

"Uh… Good morning... Um..."The scientist falls silent. "I'm sorry. This is so weird... heh..."

The princess just laughs, nodding in agreement. Aria rolls her eyes and huffs, leaving without a word, closing the door with perhaps more force than necessary.

Both are surprised by her rudeness, but soon, the princess waves it off and invites her reflection to sit on the chair next to the bed, and leaving her own book aside, they begin to talk.

*S*A*S*

Aria spends as much time as she can watching television. On the small table in front of the sofa was a list of schedules and what seem like the names of medicine.

She rolls her eyes to the clock on the wall and growls. "Geez, I've been here all damn morning. Damn Adagio making me come here while she curls up in bed with the principal. Ugh... Well, at least they're paying me."

She looks back at the clock, and then turns her eyes to the stairs.

"What are they doing up there?" she thinks, before she growls, "Oh, what do I care?"

Aria gets to her feet. "I'm hungry. I wonder if the old bats have something decent to eat."

With that, she stalks toward the kitchen.

*S*A*S*

Upstairs in the room, the scientist leans forward, wonder on her face. "And how big is Equestria?" she asks, the latest of many questions about Princess Twilight’s homeworld.

"Well, the land of Equestria is about thirty-six thousand square kilometers, but if we take into account the celestial territory, Cloudsdale, and the magical lands surrounding Equestria, it would be almost fifty-one thousand.

"Celestial territory? Like, flying cities?" The scientist takes a deep breath, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but this all sounds so… crazy. I mean, I think it would be easier to believe that you're just a girl who looks like me and that you have wild, vivid hallucinations about magical worlds."

Princess Twilight can only laugh. "I suppose so, although I can assure you that it is true. But I understand. If I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn’t believe in portals and alternate worlds, either."

There is a brief silence, while the scientist seems to think something. "And, how does Sunset fit into all this?"

The Princess’s eyes widen in surprise, before a pained expression crosses her face. "Sunset also comes from Equestria. She and I were once students of the same teacher, although... she already had years of advanced study when I was a filly."

"Years?" the scientist interrupts with bewilderment. "But I thought... um... How old are you?"

The princess laughs, a little nervous about the topic. "The portal tends to create several alterations when someone crosses it. The body you see before you doesn’t reflect my true age, for instance. But, more to the point… Well, maybe Sunset should tell you the bulk of it, but… Sunset and I were... not friends at first. We were actually pretty bitter enemies… but in the end, with the help of my… my… "

There is silence, an extremely hurt look crossing the princess’s face. The scientist is about to reach out to her, but the princess presses on. "... with some help, I could make her see that being a leader… is not about having power... but... helping... and loving... others..."

With each word, the princess’s composure cracks more and more. Her eyes threaten to burst into tears at any second.

"Then, she and I became friends, and she soon... made more friends... and was finally happy.” The princess sniffles hard. “And then, the Dazzlings arrived, and... we faced them, and we defeated them with our friendship...!"

Tears had begun to fall down the princess's cheeks as she speaks, the memories whirling through her mind. The other Twilight, not sure what to do, simply sits beside the distraught princess and runs a comforting hand down her back.

"Then, I thought everything was fine..." Equestria's Twilight speaks in an almost choked voice. "I thought that Sunset had managed to make friends... I thought they had forgiven her... They were supposed to have accepted her as a friend!"

Her scream is full of anger, pain, sadness, and guilt.

The princess retracts her knees and hugs them to her chest while continuing to pour out her feelings. "But it wasn’t like that. They lied to me. They lied to her. They left her. They blamed her for something she didn’t do. They abandoned her and left her alone!"

The scientific Twilight is surprised, and a thought comes to mind. "Anon-a-Miss..." She watches with awe and worry at the effect Anon-a-Miss had on her double.

"And I... I didn’t do anything for her..."

The human Twilight still doesn’t speak. “What can I say? What can I do? I had only just recently managed to make friends... I have no idea what to do here!”

After regaining a little breath, the princess continues talking. "I thought it would fix itself... That they would see their mistake... I thought... I shouldn’t... worry..."

"Princess... n-no. It wasn’t your fault..." the scientist says.

"YES, IT WAS!" she screams with despair and anger. "I told her to trust them! I told her to become their friend... I believed... that they would accept her... It's my fault... It's my fault they lied to her... That they left her..."

At this point, the scientist has no idea what to do, much less how to feel. What are you supposed to do when you see your own face crying so heavily in front of you?

She felt her own tears fall down her cheeks. She tries to stop herself and hold her tears in; it would not do for both of them to cry.

*S*A*S*

On the other side of the door, Aria stands with a glass of water and some pills. She hear the sobs of the princess and stops herself from opening the door. She listens in.

"Now... Sunset hates me... She hates me... and I... I..."

Aria starts to hear the other Twilight start to cry, too. She trembles and growls with annoyance. Forgetting the medicine, she stomps downstairs and snatches her phone.

*S*A*S*

She did not know how long the princess was crying. She did not know how long she herself cried. She only knew that she was tired.

She stares at the princess, who’s still having trouble keeping her tears in check.

"... Princess... you... love Sunset, right...?"

It was a question, but she was already sure of the answer...

"I do love her. She's one of my best friends... I want... I want her back... Oh, Sunset... forgive me!"

The scientist looks down at the floor, not sure what to say. "You know... after the first time you and I met... I talked to Sunset, and... she told me... that you are very special to her."

The princess, sniffling, looks over at her counterpart. "She... She said that?"

"Yes. She told me that you helped her when she was at her worst moment... and that's why she appreciates you. Even if she's upset... she still loves you."

The princess ceases her crying, a spot of hope blooming in her. "She said that? Really?"

Although the scientist smiles, her eyes hold some pain as she nods. "Yes. She... still cares a lot about you..."

"You... You think so?"

The human Twilight gently touches the hand of the other. "I know so."

The Princess of Friendship rests her chin on her knees, still hurt, still sad, but with some hope in her eyes. "I want her to come back... I miss her so much..."

The scientist seems to act instinctively, gently stroking her hair.

Both of them hears footsteps outside the room. There is a knock on the door, and when it opens, the younger owner of the house enters.

"Twilight?" Luna quickly becomes aware of the double vision. One of the Twilights quickly cleans her face, and the other stands up in a straight, somewhat nervous pose. "Oh, and Twilight, heh," Luna laughs, a little amused by the sight.

The bespectacled Twilight remains ramrod straight, extremely nervous about the sudden appearance of the woman. "G-Good morning! I'm Twilight Sparkle! It's a pleasure!" she says an octave too loudly.

"Um, yes... My name is Luna. My sister Celestia told me about you."

"About me!? What... What did he say...?"

"Well, that you and Sunset are good friends."

"Well, I don’t know if she considers me a good friend... but I... I think... that she’s... a wonderful friend..."

She says that with a soft smile. And that is the moment that the former equine chooses to appear.

"That was nice," Sunset says.

Both Twilights are surprised, one more than the other.

"S-Sunset!"

A strong blush adorns the scientist's cheeks, and all she can do is cover her face with her hands, drawing a laugh from the girl in question, who approaches her and gently strokes her head. "You’re wonderful, too, Twilight."

Even behind her hands, the bright red glow on the scientist’s face is clear as day.

Sunset just chuckles before pointing her eyes to the other Twilight. She smiles softly. "Hey, Princess."

"Sunset..."

The fire-haired girl sits on the bed next to her. "How are you? You look better."

"Um... yes... The principals have taken great care of me, and I think I’m recovering." She brings her eyes to the lady of the house. "Thanks, again…"

Luna just smiles. "Again, you don’t have to thank us. Aria told us something was wrong, so we came to check up on you."

"'We'...?" Her eyes go to Sunset, who instantly seems embarrassed as she turns her head away slightly.

"Uh, yeah! I... I was with the vice principal and... and... well, I came..."

"She was worried about you," Luna says, smirking.

"I was not!" Sunset exclaims, her cheeks just as red as her hair.

That makes the woman laugh, but the princess’s face falls a little.

Sunset catches the princess’s long face and quickly backpedals. "I mean, yes, I was... Well, I wouldn’t say that I was worried. I just wanted to see that you were okay, you know?"

"Is that not worrying?" Luna asks, that smirk still on her face.

"Shut up!"

Even the other Twilight in the room can’t help laughing at the scene.

"You, too!" Sunset’s formerly yellow face is now a bright orange, betraying her embarrassment.

The scene is cut off when the former siren, who is apparently still in the house, enters the room with the pills and the glass of water. "Well, Princess, if you stopped your whining, take your medicine."

Sunset’s eyes widen as Aria hands Twilight the items. "Are you... taking care of her?"

"Only because she’s paying me for it," Aria replies with indifference, pointing her thumb at Luna.

Sunset’s curiosity isn’t satisfied. "I thought you three didn’t need money."

"Of course, we don’t," Aria answers, rolling her eyes. "But having my own money will let me buy what I want without having to listen to Adagio’s bitching." Aria watches as Twilight dutifully takes her pills and drinks the water. She takes the glass and moves to leave, when she pauses, turning to Luna. "Since you’re back, can I go home?"

"Sure. I'll get you your money here soon," Luna responds with a small smile. Aria says nothing, just leaving the room, and Luna turns to the Crystal Prep girls. "Do you two want to stay for lunch? Celestia will likely return soon."

Both seem to hesitate a moment, until Sunset responds with some nervousness, "Thanks, but... after all that happened, I think I’d rather go back home... I still want to rest."

Twilight responds nervously, too. "Um, I’ll pass, thanks.” She turns to her counterpart. “Um, Princess..." Her double is surprised a little when she’s addressed. "Thanks for... well, for today. And I... well, I'm sorry for... you know..."

The princess is silent for a moment, but she soon smiles and shakes her head. "It's okay. Really. You helped me a lot."

"Uh... but, I didn’t do anything..."

"Yes, you did. You gave me hope." Saying that, the princess gently turns her gaze to Sunset, who watches the scene in confusion and slight embarrassment, starting to feel like she’s watching something she shouldn’t be. Something personal. "Sunset."

Sunset starts in surprise. "Uh, yeah...?"

"Will I see you again? Soon?"

The question leaves Sunset confused and unsure of how to respond. "Y-Yeah, sure... I'll come to see you, one of these days... I suppose."

The answer brings a shine to the eyes of the princess, who smiles softly.

The human Twilight purses her lips slightly and takes Sunset’s hand. "Well, Sunset, let's go!"

"What? Um, okay..."

"Nice to see you, princess," the scientist says in farewell to her double.

"Likewise. I hope to meet again."

"Sure! Goodbye."

Before Sunset can give her own farewell, Twilight pulls her out of the room. Luna promptly follows them.

Now alone, the princess hugs her knees again and sighs, memories of her previous conversation running through her head.

"‘... She told me... that you are very special to her."

"... She still loves you..."

"Sunset... I hope you can forgive me soon..."

*S*A*S*

The night-haired woman says goodbye to the three girls at the door, handing the impatient siren her pay. "Thanks for your help, Aria. Say hello to your sisters for me."

"Thanks for the cash. Good luck with the crybaby." With that, Aria turns around, not bothering to say goodbye before leaving.

Luna just smiles, shaking her head while turning to the Crystal Prep girls. "Come whenever you want. You are always welcome."

"Thanks, Vice Principal Luna," Sunset says, nodding.

"Um, thanks for everything," Twilight says beside her.

One more farewell, and both girls leave, leaving the woman to close the door after she enters her house. The girls soon reach the siren at the end of the driveway, who is counting the money in her hands.

Sunset looks at both of them with some doubt. "Well... now what?"

"I'm going home," the siren responds with indifference. "Do whatever you want. I don’t care."

"Do you want us... to accompany you?" asks the girl with glasses.

"I’d rather slice my neck open than be seen with you two. I'll get a taxi."

Without even saying goodbye, Aria starts stalking away, but Sunset follows her. "Aria, wait!"

"What?" Aria snaps, turning to glare at her.

"Thanks for taking care of Twilight today," Sunset says to her with a small smile.

Aria rolls her eyes. "Don’t thank me. I only did it because they paid me."

Sunset never drops her smile. "Even so, thanks."

Sunset extends her hand. Aria looks at her for a moment. "Do you expect me to shake your hand? Seriously?"

"What, you afraid my fingers will bite you?"

Aria rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed. She looks at Sunset a little more, the former pony just looking back with a smile. Finally, the siren quickly grabs Sunset’s hand before pulling away in the blink of an eye.

"I hope we see each other soon!" the former equine says.

"Don’t get your hopes up."

The pigtailed girl stalks away from the other two girls, who watch her leave. Twilight nervously starts, "Well... she is... um..."

"Nice?"

"… Yeah, really nice."

They both start laughing before taking each other’s hand and walking in the direction opposite of Aria’s.

*S*A*S*

Sitting in the taxi, Aria keeps her irritated grimace up as she leans on the armrest of the door and looks out at the window.

Suddenly, she feels an itch on her arm. She rubs it a little but feels the itch rise up her shoulder, forcing her to move away from the door as she tries to get rid of it.

The sensation goes up a little more and reaches her throat. She touches her neck... feeling... feeling...

Author's Notes:

Well here you have it, the new chapter, I have no excuse for my laziness, I just hope you liked it, and I promise that it will not be too long for the next one (Really, I'm serious this time). See you later, I love you all!

And do not forget to thank icecreammac who has corrected all the chapters of this story, without him, this would not be possible.

~*~*~

In the Next Charper:

"That ... is ... awesome!"

"And boy, are we glad you did it, Sunny!"

"Sunset, darling, what's the matter?"

"Stop thinking about that!" She commands herself by holding her head. "That's the past! The past is not today!"

"And what is today, Sunset?"

The question of the vice principal comes back to her mind.

Her head is attacked by the images of her former friends talking to her, the three little girls coming to her house ... and Princess Twilight ... crying ...

... her past always comes back to haunt her ... she can not close that cycle, because her past does not leave her!

She is going to close this cycle of betrayal once and for all ...

... this thing had to be finished ... and there was only one way to do it ...

I Am Anon-a-Miss

View Online

"I see that you still care enough about Twilight," the vice principal commented, not having started the motorcycle just yet.

Sunset, clinging to her in the back of the motorcycle, said softly, "What happened wasn’t her fault..."

"And you're not upset with her?"

"Yes, I am, but that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about her."

"It's funny, you don't seem to think the same way about the others." While speaking, the woman never looked at the girl behind her.

"That’s different," Sunset argued, annoyed.

Luna takes on an almost cheerful tone as she says, "Then, CHS doesn't worry you." It wasn’t a question, but she turns her head gently, seeming to wait for confirmation.

"Why should it?" Sunset asked with indifference, turning her head to the side.

"No reason," the woman responded, returning her gaze forward. "I was just curious." There was a small pause, until Luna spoke again. "Do you know how everyone at CHS are doing?"

"Surely happy that I’m no longer exposing secrets," Sunset spat.

"I see you haven't heard," the woman commented in a low voice.

"Heard what?"

"A lot has happened since you left, and now everyone is quite affected."

"Affected? How?"

The vice principal turned her head a little, and although Sunset can’t see her behind her helmet, Luna gave a knowing smile. "I thought you didn't care."

Surprised, Sunset turned her head away in contempt. "Of course, I don't."

"Then, you don't need to know."

Sunset plays that conversation over and over in her head as she lies on her bed. She moans in frustration and covers her face with a pillow.

“Affected”? What did that mean? Had the truth had already been discovered? Have those three confessed after all?

"If they already know, everyone must feel very stupid right now," she thinks to herself.

Three little girls had cheated the whole school. Surely, everyone there felt stupid.

She removes the pillow from her face and looks towards the ceiling.

What would they be doing now? Would they feel guilty? Would they apologize to her? Or would they ignore the matter, forgetting the harm they did to her and just focusing on their lives, like every other idiot in the world.

She breathes deeply and exhales a sigh as she thinks on her former friends. She plays over the last few times she saw them in her mind. That meeting outside the school, that cake... the time in front of the music store with Sonata... punching Rainbow...

"Hypocrites," she says to herself.

Hypocrites. that's what they were. After abandoning her and betraying her, they wanted to come and ask for forgiveness. Maybe she was a bad person in the past, but she never hurt a friend.
Mostly because she didn’t have any, but that’s not the point!

“Magic of Friendship”? There was no friendship with those five.

Frustrated, she lies on her side and tries to sleep. But she finds no refuge even in her dreams. She can see the hilltop she stood on during the Battle of the Bands. She can feel the warmth of the girls as they threw their arms around her. She can hear their voices cheering for her.

Sunset’s eyes snap open. Hurriedly, she sits on the edge of her bed and shakes her head. Why? Why was she dreaming about them?

"Stop thinking about them!" she commands herself, holding her head. "That's the past! The past is not today!"

"And what is today, Sunset?"

The question of the vice principal comes back to her mind.

Today... What was today...?

Today, she has a new life. New friends. She is happy. Really happy.

She trusts Sonata, Twilight, Sunny, Lemon, and Flash. Even Adagio and Aria, and there are Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, and that other girl. Suni? No, Suri! That’s it. She has people to trust, and they trust her. Her new life is great, even if it isn’t what she expected at first.

That is her today. A better life, with better friends, who really love her.

Her head is attacked by the images of her former friends talking to her, the three little girls coming to her house... and Princess Twilight... crying...

And a girl... who can’t leave that past behind...

Sunset moans and lies onto her back.

Her past doesn’t want to leave her. Every time it seems that she had overcome that bad time in her life, there is always something to remind her.

The past is not today, but it really wants to be.

Sunset sits back up, putting her head in her hands.

Her past always comes back to haunt her. She can’t close that chapter, because her past never leaves her alone!

That's why she can’t go on; the past is constantly coming back.

Sunset gets up and walks to the window.

She needs to close this chapter, needs to find the end of this whole affair. Finally find closure, where she can really turn the page, forget... and make everyone—everyone!—forget, too...

… Make everyone forget. Yes, that will do.

She is going to close this cycle of betrayal once and for all.

With a determined look, she looks at her own reflection, observing the treacherous weather, with the cold wind and the depressing snow falling outside her window.

This thing had to be finished... and there was only one way to do it.

*S*A*S*

Monday morning. Classes have already been in session for an hour or so.

But Sunset is not at school.

When she woke up, she stayed in her bed for a moment, thinking about what to do and how.

She knew that she should go, but she had doubts about how to show herself.

Notifying Celestia wasn’t an option. She’d surely tell everyone else.

She couldn’t call those five either; she no longer had their phone numbers.

Maybe Flash, but she didn’t want to use him to fix her problem again.

She sent a message to Sonata, telling her that she would not go to class. She knew that her blue friend would spread the word. She just hoped the school wouldn’t think anything strange.

She mentally prepared herself for what she was going to do. A part of her told her it was foolishness, madness, that it was not worth doing such a thing. And she can’t say she disagrees.

But she wanted to end this. Anon-a-Miss, CHS, them... Everything had to end. It had been a month, and Sunset still remembers. Still resents.

It has to stop. She has to move on.

After more time than she would have liked, she finally arrives at school. At her old school.

Canterlot High’s characteristic splendor seems... muted, the lugubrious climate and icy air making the school look like an old abandoned place, the kind one might see on those “haunted places” shows.

Sunset looks back in reflection toward the ever-present representative statue of the school. The impassable steed, firm even in this treacherous environment.

With a sigh, Sunset seems to ask that majestic entity to lend her some strength.

A quick look at the base leads her to a quick thought of… She shakes her head. It's not that time. She needs to concentrate on the now and on the school. She can give that more thought afterward.

Sunset takes a deep breath, feeling her body freeze in the cold air. She walks forward and strides through the front doors.

"Holy shit, it’s cold!" is the first thing that escapes her mouth as soon as she puts her feet inside the school. "It's colder in here than outside! What the fuck?!"

Sunset rubs her arms and adjusts her coat, holding it tightly to her body, but her current clothes seemed to help little to keep her warm.

Trying to ignore the drastic change in temperature, Sunset looks up, seeing... nothing...

The corridor is completely empty. There are neither students nor teachers in the halls, and Sunset can’t hear any voices or sounds.

"Okay... maybe school’s out after all..." She turns to the door for a moment, as if thinking of leaving, but she snorts in frustration. "I'm already here. I should at least make sure there's no one around."

She walks around the place a little, her expression almost nostalgic as she looks over the hallways, the lockers, and the classrooms.

Speaking of which...

Sunset stealthily approaches a door, looking through the window, and there they are. Several students are inside, all... studying? They look so sad. Their heads are down, and it’s hard to determine if they are reading their books or just looking at them.

Sunset looks around the room. Everyone in there is like that. Even the teacher in front, as he teaches, seems… worried about something.

After a few more seconds, Sunset turns away from the window. "Okay... This wasn’t exactly what I expected..."

Curiously, she walks forward a little, approaching another window, seeing a copy of the same scene. The students look sad, paying no attention to the class. Their eyes seem lost, without shine.

Sunset moves along, only finding the same scene in every room.

“What is going on here?”

Forgetting the rooms, Sunset wanders through the corridors, and that's when, finally, she sees a small group nearby. Three girls are gathered next to some lockers: Trixie Lulamoon and her small retinue.

Sunset can’t hear them, since they’re whispering. She sees them talking, sighing, letting their eyes fall.

Why did everyone seem so... sad...?

Suddenly, she hears something falling to the ground behind her. Sunset turns around and sees another girl standing nearby, her face full of surprise, her eyes a mixture of fear and amazement as she stares at Sunset.

The sound had also caught the attention of Trixie and the others, who, upon seeing her, are equally amazed.

Silence reigns in the hallway. None of the four seems to want—or can—say anything. And Sunset can’t, either. After a few seconds, Sunset continues walking, passing the three, her eyes looking forward.

"This... is not turning out like I expected..."

The bell rings, even that sounding quieter than she remembers. Walking past the science room, she sees a boy come out. Wiz Kid. He sees her as she passes, the surprise clear on his face.

Sunset doesn’t pay much attention. She just keeps walking.

While she walks, she can see some students leaving the classrooms, heading to their lockers.

She tries to ignore them when she can, but she can’t avoid noticing how their looks fill with surprise.

Little by little, the looks turn into murmurs.

"Sunset...?"

"It's Sunset."

"What’s she doing here…?"

Sunset tries to ignore the murmurs as she walks, focusing solely on reaching...

... Where exactly is she going? She just came to see the school, but now that she’s here, what is she supposed to do? Talk to them? Should she wait for someone to speak to her first?

Sunset turns slightly, noticing how many students recoil a little when she looks at them.

"... That wasn’t the reaction I expected, either..."

*S*A*S*

The door of the classroom opens suddenly, surprising both the students and the teacher.

"Sunset’s at school!" exclaims the young man who opened the door. After recovering from the initial surprise, many get up and rush out of the room.

The news soon spread. Students forgot their classes and left the classrooms. Students left their things at their lockers and all but ran down the hall, looking for their former classmate.

*S*A*S*

Lyra hurries to the Bon Bon’s desk. "Bonnie let's go!"

"Where?"

"To look for Sunset! We have to talk to her!" Lyra exclaims.

"Talk about what? She hates us," Bon Bon says, eyes falling.

"We have to let her know we're sorry!"

Bon Bon sighs. "Do you really think that will change anything?"

"I don’t know... but I have to do it!"

Lyra doesn’t wait for another answer before rushing out of the room. Bon Bon remains in her seat a moment before following hurriedly.

*S*A*S*

The vice principal of the school is sitting at her desk as usual, reviewing documents and arranging schedules, trying to keep the school in order.

It hasn’t been very difficult lately.

Some sounds from outside her office grab her attention. From behind her closed door, she hears some voices and what seem like hurried steps.

Curious, she gets up and approaches. When she opens the door, she sees what she already suspected: students running through the corridors.

With a deep frown, she gets ready to scold them, but she stops when she hears one of them.

"Over here! Sunset went this way!”

Hearing Sunset’s name stops Luna’s scold. She watches as they run down the corridor, and after a few moments, she smiles.

*S*A*S*

Sunset lets out a soft moan. While she walks, she can see how the students begin to approach, looking at her in amazement. They seem to want to talk to her, but none dares to do so.

Until Lyra comes running up.

"Sunset!" The former equine turns to see the mint-haired girl jogging toward her, though she halts a few steps away from Sunset. "You came back..."

"Not exactly true," Sunset thinks to herself, but she does not look away from the other girl.

"Sunset, listen."

That's what Sunset does.

"Sunset... I'm sorry..."

Yes, she has already heard that.

"I know it's not worth much, but I'm sorry... I'm sorry I thought... it was you..."

Sunset doesn’t respond but just keeps her gaze on Lyra.

Lyra tries to keep calm, but her voice trembles a little. "I don’t expect you to forgive me... but I wanted... I wanted you to know... I'm sorry..."

Sunset still doesn’t answer. The mint-haired girl never looks away from her, does not show embarrassment or sorrow... only sincerity...

The fire-haired girl still does not answer. Instead, she takes a look around, seeing how many students look down with... repentance?

"… What happened here?" Sunset finally asks. Hearing her voice surprises—and scares—everyone present.

Lyra is so surprised that she is slow to realize that the question was for her. "‘What happened?’" she repeats.

"Why does everyone here look so depressed?"

"Well... it’s because… we all regret what we did, Sunset..."

Several students nod in agreement.

Bon Bon seems to gather courage, and she approaches, standing with her friend.

"Sunset, since you left... it just hasn’t been the same here..."

Sunset doesn’t answer, but she does looks with some interest at the candy-haired girl.

"Sorry... We were wrong... so very wrong to believe... that you..."

Bon Bon cuts herself off with a whimper. Lyra hurries to give her a comforting hug. "Sorry, Sunset," Lyra says. "Really... We're all sorry...”

Both friends fall silent, and Sunset hears some murmurs around her. Very soft, apologetic murmurs.

The Equestrian girl looks towards the ground. "This... wasn’t what I expected at all..." Without saying anything, she resumes her walk, leaving behind all the group that had gathered.

Bon Bon watches her leave. "Sunset..."

"At least... we told her..." Lyra mutters sadly, still holding her friend.

*S*A*S*

Luna walks hurriedly, knocking on the door but not waiting for an answer before opening it.

"Celestia! You have to—"

Luna cuts herself off as she gets a look at her sister, who is shaking as she hurriedly shoves something in one of the drawers in her desk, accompanied by the sound of glass thudding against wood.

"Celestia?"

"L-Luna... What's up? The cafeteria catch fire again?"

Celestia’s question has a nervously comical tone, but Luna ignores it. "What are you doing?"

"My... My work, clearly. I'm the principal. I have... forms and things... requests... students..."

Luna looks skeptical and approaches the desk. Celestia, looking nervous, rushes to get up and around her desk to be between it and her sister.

"What did you want, Luna? Is there a problem? Something... we should attend to?"

Celestia's smile shows her nerves. Luna looks at her, and then looks at the desk for a moment. She seems to think for a moment, then sighs through her nose. "We have a special guest today. I thought you would want to know."

"… Guest?"

*S*A*S*

"Well, so far, this didn’t turn out as expected..." Sunset thinks for the umpteenth time as she walks down the hall. “Not that I expected that they’d be happy and celebrating—not after what Luna said, at least—but I certainly didn’t think the school would end up like this...”

After the encounter with Lyra, many seemed to decide to return to their classrooms. Those who remain in the corridors try to focus on their affairs, but all turn to watch Sunset whenever she’s nearby.

"This is ridiculous!"

It was one thing for them to regret it, even feel guilty, but this was too much.

"Even I wasn’t so depressed at the time..."

The school was so... quiet, the air so solemn.

Suddenly, Sunset has a thought. "Now that I think about it... Where are they...?"

Sunset feels a wave cold air pass over her as she searches. "Faust! When did it get so cold?!" Sunset picks up the pace, reaching the music room. "If they’re gonna be anywhere in school, it’ll be in here."

Sunset hesitates for a moment, snarls in frustration, and slowly opens the door.

“We have to finish this.”

*S*A*S*

A tap to her cellphone, and the video plays once more. Her pink eyes watch the video closely, concentrating on the way the fire-haired girl plays with them.

Her southern friend, sitting at a nearby table, watches her.

"You've been watchin’ that all mornin’, Rainbow..."

The chromatic girl doesn’t seem to hear her, reclining on the cold floor, with her cellphone held high, her eyes fixed on the screen.

"Rainbow..."

There is silence for a moment, but finally, she speaks.

"Those were us, Applejack. Those... were us..."

"Come on, Rainbow... Yeah, she was a great addition to the band, but... we gotta move on without her."

"Who cares about the band...?"

Again, silence. Rainbow keeps her eyes on the video, watching herself, her friends, and Sunset transforming with the Magic of Friendship.

"Sunset... is happy... without us..."

The words depress the farmer, who lowers her hat a little as she looks downward.

*S*A*S*

Sunset can see them both, as well as the others, from the now partially open door.

Pinkie is sitting motionless on a chair in the corner looking at the ground with a somber expression, her hair flat. It’s so unlike Pinkie that Sunset doubts for a moment that it even is Pinkie.

Rarity and Fluttershy are sitting at a desk. The former is disheveled, her clothes wrinkled and dirty, looking nothing like the prim and proper fashionista she is. Fluttershy, though, just looks... empty. Her red eyes are completely dry, and her facial expression is blank, as if she were merely a lifelike doll instead of a person.

It was strange. The last time she saw them, she only felt repulsion. She wanted to get away, have them as far as possible, and not even talk to them. But now, seeing them in that state...

Suddenly, Sunset remembers the day that the three younger sisters went to her house, where they told her about the condition of their sisters.

Frustrated by the sight and the memory, Sunset made a quick movement, and opened the door completely.

Except for Rainbow, everyone looks toward the door, where they freeze, surprise on their faces.

For a moment, there is silence.

Sunset remains standing, without saying anything. They do not speak either. Sunset and they just stare at each other.

Sunset looks to the side, spotting the band’s instruments stacked haphazardly into a pile.

Rainbow is finally overcome by curiosity, and when she turns her head, she barely manages to see something, someone at the entrance. When her eyesight focuses a little better, she almost jumps, dropping her phone.

"Sunset..."

Finally, it is Fluttershy who breaks the standoff, jumping up, her chair clattering to the floor. Without a second thought, she runs to the former equine, throwing herself at her in a desperate embrace.

Sunset grunts from the sudden tightness. The girl’s scrambled pink hair is the only thing she sees from her perspective, and Fluttershy’s blubbering pleas for forgiveness, accompanied by her sobbing, is the only sound in the room.

For a moment, Sunset does not react. She just remains with an unreadable expression, looking at and feeling the girl crying into her chest.

Finally, Sunset raises a hand, and she gently caresses that pink hair. The fire-haired girl looks up, seeing them all. She sees their tears falling, the despair in their eyes.

Fluttershy falls to her knees, her words devolving into a repeated, "I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…" as she cries.

Sunset did not know what to do, or even what to think.

Sunset never imagined...

Yes, she knew that they would see that they were wrong. She knew that the school would feel guilty, but this…

Sunset gently pushes the girl away, realizing the tears that fall from her own eyes. She moves back a few steps, looking down and to the side to hide them.

Sunset had also felt guilty for her dark days, but she never reached this level. She never would have believed that they... or the school...

"There are times... that we hurt others without realizing it."

Luna’s words ring loud and clear in Sunset’s head.

Rainbow manages to clear her head enough to speak. "Sunset..."

The sound of her name makes her look up. The other five girls are all standing now, looking at her with those eyes full of pain and misery.

"Sunset... We..."

"We know ya hate us... but..." Applejack tries to help.

"Sunset... we're sorry..." Rarity finishes.

"We love you..." Fluttershy speaks with pain in her voice.

"We miss you…" The neutral, emotionless voice everyone was used to from Diane had disappeared, replaced with a tone laced with sorrow.

Sunset doesn’t answer. She turns her gaze away again, noticing a familiar face.

Flash stands a few meters behind, nervous about the scene in front of him. When Sunset sees him, he approaches, making Sunset herself even more nervous.

"Sunset... what a surprise... to see you..." The guitarist tries to smile.

For a moment, she does not respond. She swallows hard, her eyes moving in all directions as if looking for a way of escape.

"Flash…"

"Y-Yeah? "

"What happened to the school?"

"Well... it's..." The boy is slow to respond, but Sunset just stands there, waiting patiently. "Since... Well, you know, since Anon-A-Miss..." He pauses, worried that mentioning that name will bother her. She just waits for him to go on. "Since then, everyone has been... um... worried...a-and sad…"

Sunset looks at him seriously. "When I left, they weren’t like that."

Flash takes a breath. "Yeah... It's like, after you left... and after Twilight told us everything, and..."

"Twilight?"

"Just… we're all so, so sorry..."

Sunset seems surprised at that. "Flash, you don’t have to apologize..."

Sunset turns her head a little, looking at the five girls still looking at her. She moans, frustrated. This was too much. She had come to school with a plan, but she doesn’t even remember what that plan is after all that’s happened.

"What the hell was I thinking? I never should’ve come..."

Grabbing her head, she moans again and turns away from the place, walking away.

Flash watches her, worried. "Sunset..." He doesn’t stop her, though, nor do the five girls. Oh, how they want to try, though...

*S*A*S*

Sunset rushes through the halls, trying to ignore the looks of everyone. When the front door is in before her, she stops.

The last time she went out that door, she was full of hate, a hatred of those who betrayed her and abandoned her. She thought that she would never be on this side of the door again.

And now... she did not even know what she felt...

Except cold...

The treacherous cold that froze the corridors...

Suddenly, the girl felt a hand on her shoulder, and she jumps in surprise, whirling around. Her eyes meet the dark lenses of Vinyl Scratch. Her glasses hide her eyes, but even so, her face seems to reflect concern.

"Vinyl..."

The DJ gives a gentle squeeze to Sunset's shoulder, a sign of support.

A couple of shy footsteps approach, and Sunset turns to see a girl with blond hair and cocked eyes.

"Ditzy..."

The named girl smiles at her with kindness but wariness. She carries in her hands a basket of homemade muffins. She holds one out for Sunset. "Muffin...?" she asks in a soft, innocent, worried voice.

Sunset stares for a moment, realizing she hasn’t eaten all day. She smiles softly and, with the same gentleness, takes the muffin.

Ditzy smiles with joy and hops in place.

Sunset keeps her smile as she eats.

Strange. She felt much better... Happy, almost...

A sigh helps her relax. Vinyl gives her another pat on the shoulder, and Ditzy gives her another muffin for the road. Feeling somehow better than when she arrived, Sunset leaves.

No one in CHS is sure of what had just happened.

*S*A*S*

The principals observe the departure of the girl from around a corner of the corridor.

"Sunset... She..."

"Hm, it worked better than expected."

Celestia looks at her sister in disbelief. "Luna... What did you do?!"

Luna just smiles. "My dear sister, you are a great guide to encourage and support certain students, but when it comes to the rebellious youth, you should know that I am the expert."

The older one tries to answer, but she simply can’t.

"Moving on to something equally important, what have you been hiding in your desk?"

The question is loaded with demand and expectation. Celestia can’t answer that, either.

*S*A*S*

Twilight walks worriedly through the corridors of Crystal Prep, staring at her phone. More specifically, at her friend’s number.

"Should I call her...?"

Sonata had said earlier that Sunset sent her a message that she would be absent for the day, and Twilight was worried sick; Sunset is not the kind of person who skipped classes for no reason. Is she sick? Is she injured? Is she… something worse?

And why hasn’t she told them anything? She just sent a vague a message saying that she would be absent.

After a moment of doubt, Twilight pockets her phone, sighing heavily.

Suddenly, someone grabs her from behind, wrapping an arm around her waist and clamping a hand over her mouth. The aggressor lifts her off the ground, and no matter how much Twilight struggles, the captor is too strong for her.

Her captor takes her, at an amazing speed, to a nearby bathroom, where she drops the scientist, who falls onto her knees with a thud. Terrified, Twilight whirls around to identify the assailant.

Lightning Dust stands over her, looking at her seriously.

"L-Lighting Dust?"

Lightning narrows her eyes and says menacingly. "Alright, Sparkle, I want answers, and I want them now."

"Answers?" Twilight crawls a bit in an attempt to retreat. She doesn’t know what else to do. Lightning Dust terrifies her, and Sunset isn’t around to protect her.

The blond girl glares at her a moment, before she pulls her backpack from her shoulder and pulls out a book.

"What’s this book, and what do you and Shimmer have to do with it?"

Twilight looks carefully at the book, but she doesn’t recognize it at all. The symbol on the front is somewhat familiar, but…

"Answer me!" Lightning demands, startling Twilight. "What does this book have to do with Sunset Shimmer?!"

The demand in her voice only scares the scientist more, and she can’t find the words to answer.

"Answer me or else! I know your girlfriend isn’t around to defend you this time!"

"I... I don’t know what you're talking about. I don’t know that book..." Twilight squeaks in fear.

Frustrated, Lightning Dust stomps toward her. Twilight tries to back away, but her retreat is useless. Lightning grabs her by the collar and yanks her upward until they’re eye-to-eye.

"Don’t lie to me! I know that you and Shimmer have been writing things down in this book. What is it, some kind of cheesy shared journal?"

"What? I don’t know what you're talking about."

Lightning gives her a shake before looking back at her, furious. "Stop pretending! There are notes signed by you, Shimmer, and by some lady named Celestia in this book! What is it? Tell me!"

Notes signed by her? But if she never…

The image of her twin comes to her head.

"Do they have… a shared diary?" Twilight mumbles.

"Answer me!"

Twilight looks down, her bangs covering her eyes. Lightning's patience was clearly coming to an end, judging by the vice grip she has on the scientist’s shirt.

"I don’t know..." Twilight says. Lighting grunts at that. "I don’t know what it is... but even if I knew... I wouldn’t tell you!" Twilight exclaims, looking at her aggressor in the eyes. Lightning flinches, surprised, as Twilight continues, "You don’t have the right to pry into Sunset’s life! I don’t know what it is, but if that book is Sunset’s, it's her business, not yours, and you're nobody to meddle in her personal life!"

Lightning clenches her teeth and thrusts her face into Twilight’s, their eyes a mere few centimeters apart.

"Go ahead, beat me up if you want, but I don’t know anything, and I'm not going to help you hurt Sunset!" Her fear is evident in the trembling of her eyes, but even so, Twilight doesn’t look away from Lightning's.

The blonde girl is silent for a moment, before she clicks her tongue and throws the girl to the floor painfully. "Tell Shimmer I'll wait for her tomorrow at the track before school starts," the athlete says gravely. "And tell her that if she doesn’t show, you will be the one who pays the price."

Without another word, Lightning turns around and storms out of the bathroom.

Twilight is motionless for a moment, lying on the floor. The courage that showed a moment ago is gone, and she ends up hugging herself and crying on the bathroom floor.

*S*A*S*

Before she knows it, Sunset is already home, not even bothering to take off her coats or shoes before dropping herself onto the bed.

With her eyes tightly closed, she tries to calm her head.

The images were repeated constantly, stirring with the voices she had heard.

Sunset growls, turning face down and sinking her face into the mattress as much as she can.

This was so annoying! Canterlot High was... It wasn’t a school anymore. It was... She didn’t know what! A cemetery? Because it certainly didn’t seem alive!

But worst of all, Sunset just couldn’t get their gazes and sobs out of her head!

Raising both hands, she begins to bang her head with her fists, as if hoping that would take away her thoughts.

Why did they act that way?

Did their stupid mistake affect them so much?

It wasn’t that they were the first or the last to accuse an innocent. She herself had done that a hundred times, and for worse reasons.

They were manipulated. In the most stupid way possible, perhaps, but they were manipulated. It wasn’t their fault.

So why? Why did they look so dead inside? Sunset herself had had her fair share of misery, all of it deserved. She was so much worse than they were—blackmailing, hurting, insulting, demeaning, anything to satisfy her childish whims—and even then, she never reached that level of emptiness when she was finally defeated.

“It’s because you were forgiven.”

Sunset pauses as she hears her own voice speaking to her.

“You got the forgiveness you sought. They haven’t. They feel they never will.”

She struggled to get it, and she succeeded. She was forgiven for her sins, and she was received with warmth and open arms.

But... didn’t that make all this worse?!

After forgiving her and giving her a place among them... they just took it away. For nothing!

They didn’t even give her an opportunity to talk to them! It didn’t even cross their minds that she could be innocent. They just blamed her and happily treated her as the scapegoat she was.

The images of some people suddenly rise to her head...

Flash... Vinyl... Ditzy...

Well, not everyone blamed her. Sunset knew that a small part of the school believed her. Or, at least, they had not attacked her for everything Anon-a-Miss did.

Sunset gets up and sits on the edge of her bed, shoulders and head drooping.

Still, all those who attacked her... Why would they deserve forgiveness?

They tossed her aside. Even after what she did for them and for the school.

She was a demon for a long time. But, they... They were no better.

“But they forgave you.”

She holds her head tightly to dispel that annoying voice.

"Yeah? Okay, they forgave me. So what?! Does that mean I should do the same?!" she exclaims loudly. "I have to ignore their betrayal and smile and forgive them like in some stupid children’s show?! I have nothing to regret!"

She jumps to her feet. "Anon-A-Miss is the bad guy in this story! Not me!"

Anon-A-Miss was the one who tore down friendships! Who betrayed everyone! Anon-A-Miss is a selfish person! She’s cruel! She doesn’t care about the feelings of others! She doesn’t care if others cry! She doesn’t care about the harm her actions do to others!

Anon-A-Miss was just thinking about herself, about what she wanted! About her happiness! She did what she wanted to satisfy her own wants! And she didn’t realize or care about the damage she was doing to others!

Anon-A-Miss only acted for herself. Anon-A-Miss never saw or thought about others... She just... She just focused... on herself... without caring... about others...

Anon-A-Miss... Anon-A-Miss did...

“Exactly what you did?”

Silence. There's only silence. No sounds from her voice, or her mind, or her surroundings. Everything is soundless as Sunset's tears fall to the ground.

"I am Anon-A-Miss..."

Author's Notes:

In the Ne xt Chapter:

There is silence between the four, for a moment they only look at each other.

It's when Lightning opens her jacket and pulls out the book, that they start talking.

"I don't want any games, Shimmer" says the blonde girl seriously and brusquely. "I know that this book is yours, because it has your symbol on the cover, I want you to tell me what it's, because you write on it with your girlfriend, and how it's not burned."

The only answer is a neutral gaze from Sunset.

***

Before continuing talking, Sunset puts her hand on Twilight's, who is still around her arm.

"I'm sorry Twi, I know I should have told you all this before... but... no, I have no excuse, I should have told you time ago."

"It's okay Sunset, do not worry anymore about that." Responds the scientist clinging more to the arm of her friend.

Sunset is silent for a moment, seeing her friend, then sees the two who accompany them. And sighs.

***

Princess Twilight, looking somewhat sleepy, she opens her eyes, and sees Sunset.

"Sunset ..."

"Hey princess."

She speaks to her in a soft voice, helps her to take off her belt and get out of the car. Again she is received by a hug, although this one is stronger. Sunset gives a touch on the purple hair and breaks the hug.

"Princess, I think we can open the portal."

The surprise is impregnated in the lavender eyes.

***

Both girls of Equestria arrive until they are together in front of the statue, Sunset observes the base, raises the hand a little, and when she touching it, feels that familiar sensation, the portal is open.

"Princess, it's time, the others are waiting for you."

The eyes of the princess look at the base, remain silent, leaning on Sunset.

None of those present say anything either, too confused and intrigued by the scene.

Lavender eyes go up, meeting the emeralds, they see each other in complete silence.
That, until the princess speaks in a soft voice ...

"come with me…"

Sunset is astonished at that. "what…?"

"Come with me ... Sunset ... let's go home."

Sunset departs a little, but holding the princess by the shoulders, they look at each other.

"Princess…"

Where Your Home Is - Part 1

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She had been lying on her bed all day, staring at nothing.

She hears a knock on her door and gets up to answer it, although her movements seem merely automated, her face showing that she is not really interested in her visitor’s identity.

That changes when she opens the door, her lost look replaced with one of surprise.

"Twilight?"

Her bespectacled friend, dressed in a thick coat, hugs herself while their eyes meet. She doesn’t say a word. She just throws herself into Sunset’s arms, trembling, afraid.

Sunset is shocked but doesn’t hesitate a second to surround her with her arms and try to comfort her.

*S*A*S*

Two mugs of hot chocolate lie on the bedside table next to Sunset’s bed. Both girls sit side-by-side on the bed, Twilight’s hand in Sunset’s as Twilight tells Sunset what happened to her. "Lightning hurt you?" Sunset asks, surprise and anger in her voice.

Twilight recoils at Sunset’s anger but responds, "N-No... I just... I got scared..."

Sunset pulls Twilight into a hug, which Twilight eagerly accepts, laying her head on Sunset’s shoulder. "Twilight, I'm so sorry. I didn't think about you... " She squeezes the scientist protectively. "I'm sorry. I should’ve been there."

Twilight separates a bit and gives a small smile. "It's okay. You’re here now."

They smile and resume the hug, although Sunset’s smile fades a little. "Twilight, what was that book like?"

Twilight changes her smile for a doubtful gaze. "Well... I don't know. It seemed normal, just a brown book with a big symbol on its front instead of a title. It’s looked like a weird sun."

"Like this?"

Sunset separates from Twilight and removes her jacket and coat, showing her shirt adorned with her old cutie mark.

Twilight is a little surprised to see it. "Yes! So, that book is really yours?"

Sunset does not respond. Instead, her gaze falls to the floor, thoughtful.

Twilight seemed to deduce the answer, changing to another question. "Sunset, what is that book?"

"It's... hard to explain..." Sunset responds without daring to look at her.

Twilight sighs. She should have expected that answer. After all, Sunset never tells her anything about herself. But she doesn’t want her emotions to divert the important issue, so she changes to another question. "And what relationship does that have with the princess?"

Sunset meditates a moment of how to respond. "The princess..." She stops a moment. "You see, the book is... like a journal, a way in which she and I had contact... It's hard to explain..."

Sunset takes a deep breath to get her thoughts in order. "It was given to me by... by a person who was very important to me who had a similar book. What was written in one showed up in the other, and thus, that… important person and I could communicate over long distances. One thing led to another, and Twilight and I started using it to write to each other."

Twilight looks down. "The princess… She’s very special to you, isn’t she?"

Sunset is a little surprised at that. "Umm, yes, she is..." Sunset is not sure how to explain herself, but she notices Twilight’s expression fall. "Twi... Are you okay?"

There is silence for a moment, but before Sunset can ask again, Twilight pounces on her, making her fall back onto the bed. The surprised Sunset fidns herself stunned to feel her friend's lips pressed against her own.

After a few seconds, Twilight separates from Sunset and gets up. Holding Sunset’s hands, she looks sadly at the Equestrian girl. "I'm sorry..." she whispers tersely, starting to wipe away tears that almost escape her eyes.

Sunset can only stare back at her, her face showing only surprise. Eventually she gets up, taking her friend by the shoulders so they can both sit down and face each other. Twilight doesn’t dare to look up. Taking off her glasses, she tries harder to dry the tears that fall.

"Twilight, you..." Sunset had very little experience in these things, making it hard for her to formulate her question.

Twilight remains silent, trying not to break down even as her body trembles.

"Twi, I'm not mad," Sunset says, trying to calm her. "But... is there something you want to tell me?"

The scientist doesn’t answer for a moment. She sips a little cocoa and cleans her eyes. Finally, she saying, "I don't want... to be second place..."

That answer only baffles Sunset. "Second?"

Twilight doesn’t dare look at Sunset. "The princess... She’s special to you, right?"

Sunset starts to feel uncomfortable. "Well, yes, she is, but you’re special too, Twi."

"But not in the same way..." responds the scientist in a slight tone of complaint. "You said that although we resemble each other, we’re different..."

"Twi..."

"You and she had the same teacher. You two had troubles and hardships when you first met, but now, you're friends... Great friends…"

Sunset gulps.

She was too careless. She had taken too long to tell Twilight about her past, and naturally, Twilight wanted answers, so she had gone to try to get them on her own.

"I'm such an idiot!" Sunset reproaches herself.

"The princess... is more special than I am..."

"Twilight! That's not... It's not like that..."

Twilight nibbles her lip. "I'm selfish... I don't want... I don't want to be less than her. I want to be your best friend—your closest friend—just like you’re my best friend, Sunset..."

Sunset is speechless. She has no idea what to do or what to say in such a situation.

Twilight keeps her head down. Her eyes are dry now, but despair still grips her.

Finally, Sunset takes her friend's chin and makes her look at her. They both stare silently for a moment, until Sunset smiles. "Twilight, you're like a kitten."

All tension breaks suddenly as Twilight stares flabbergasted at Sunset’s random comment. After a few seconds in strange silence, the only thing she says is, “… What?”

Sunset smiles a little more and caresses her cheek. "You’re super adorable, and you make people love you easily, but you are very capricious, and you need a lot of care," she clarifies.

Twilight looks away with an annoyed sigh. "I'm not capricious..."

Sunset suddenly snorts in laughter at Twilight's pouty expression, pulling her friend in a half-hug "Well, I always wondered what it would be like to have a pet." Conveniently, Sunset sees some candy settled on her bedside table. She doesn’t hesitate to grab it. "So be a good girl, and I'll give you a treat, Sparky."

Twilight just rolls her eyes. "'Sparky'? You couldn't think a more original name?"

The Equestrian’s laughter just grows, and although she tries to look annoyed, the young scientist soon joins the laughter and returns the hug. She can get her answers another day.

*S*A*S*

With the sun still covered by clouds, the cold winter rules over the city on Tuesday morning.

At Crystal Prep—specifically, next to the track around the back of the school, covered by the large shadow of the building—Lightning Dust stands, arms crossed, a winter coat tightly wrapped around her body to protect her, her brow furrowed. She repeated taps her arm with an index finger impatiently.

"This is stupid," she hears from behind her. She turns, glaring at Jet Set, who’s standing several meters away, his sweater tied around his neck. "Why didn't you just bring Twilight yesterday to confess everything?" he snaps.

"I'm not interested in Sparkle," Lightning responds dryly. "It's Shimmer who I want."

"And why did you tell her to come at this hour?!" the boy complains. "I can’t stop shivering, it’s so cold."

Lightning grunts, looking to the side and decides to ignore the boy to end the conversation. It works for a few moments. Until he talks again. "And if she doesn’t come? What, then?"

"She’ll come," the blonde girl answers. "She wouldn’t leave her girlfriend hanging like that."

Jet Set seems to hesitate, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, he just crosses his arms to keep warm.

Only a minute passes before the corner of the blonde's eye detects movement. When she turns around, she sees exactly who she wants to see.

Sunset, dressed in her white jacket, walks without haste or grief to where they are. Behind her is a scared Twilight holding onto Sunset's arm.

"Well, it’s about time," Jet snaps.

The two friends approach, leaving only a few meters between themselves and Lightning.

Sunset adjusts her white jacket to protect herself from the cold. Twilight remains behind her, a hand clinging to the Equestrian girl's arm, her look full of fear.

"Shimmer," speaks Ligtning Dust.

"Lightning Dust," she replies.

"Jet... Jet Set?" Twilight stutters.

"Sparkle," he replies.

There is silence between the four. For a moment, they only look at each other.

Finally, Lightning opens her jacket and pulls out the book. "I don't want any games, Shimmer," says the blonde girl. "I know that this book is yours. I want you to tell me what it is, because you write in it with your girlfriend, but you tried to burn it, and it just didn’t burn."

The only answer is a neutral look from Sunset, before she looks to the ground.

Sunset remembered that night... remembered that bonfire, the desperate messages of the princess, and finally the moment when she threw it into the fire...

Sunset can see Lightning rapidly running out of patience, so she decides to talk. "I can’t answer that last point, because I'm not sure, either. That said, even if I tell you, you wouldn’t understand, but if you want to know, it's a journal. A journal I share with a friend, and no, it's not the Twilight that you know."

Jet Set frowns at that. "What are you talking about? You mention Sparkle’s name constantly in the book."

Sunset closes her eyes to keep calm. "Look, it's a long story, and anyway, you wouldn’t believe me even if I tell you." The answer makes both angry. But Sunset talks again. "Still, I want to ask for a favor."

Sunset gently separates herself from Twilight—to the scientist’s worry—and walks towards Lightning. The blonde girl keeps her gaze on the former equine and a firm grip on the book.

When Sunset arrives in front of her, she looks at her for a moment before saying, "Can you return the book to me please?"

The question stuns Twilight and Jet Set. Lightning is frustrated. "You think I’m an idiot, don’t you?"

"Please. I need to use it for something important," Sunset says calmly. "If it still works..." she finishes in a small whisper.

"If what works?" questions Lightning who manages to hear her.

Sunset looks at her seriously. "I can tell you the truth, but you wouldn’t believe me unless I show you, and for that, I need the book."

Lightning is more frustrated than before. "Don't fuck with me! How do I know you won’t run away when I give it to you?"

"If I do, then you could just chase me," Answers Sunset simply. "You're faster and stronger than me. We both know it."

There is silence while both look intensely at each other. After a few seconds, Sunset stretches out her hand. Lightning doesn’t do anything for a moment, but after some thought, she finally extends the book to Sunset.

"What are you doing?!" Jet Set snaps.

Sunset holds her journal, looking at it carefully, and delicately runs her fingers down the cover. "Thank you," she says with sincerity, looking at the blonde athlete.

"Have you lost your mind!?" Jet Set barks at Lightning. "Take it back before she does something stupid!"

Lightning either doesn’t hear him or simply ignores him.

Sunset opens the journal, noting the pages are empty. "The pages are blank..."

"The fire got rid of them, I guess. Jet Set used a weird chemical bath he dipped the pages in," explains the athlete. "And with a blue flashlight, he could see the erased messages."

Jet Set bristles. "It's not a chemical bath! It’s a—"

"Nobody cares," Lightning interrupts.

Sunset examines the pages a little more, focusing. She manages to distinguish marks, practically invisible remains of some writing on the pages.

Lightning loses patience. "I’m waiting."

Sunset takes a pen out of her pocket. "In a moment, I should know... if it still works..."

She opens the journal and, finding a sheet without blots, begins to write.

-"Spike? Somepony? Is someone there? It’s Sunset. Please, someone answer."-

After writing the message, Sunset's eyes are glued to the book. Every silent second increases her desperation.

Everything remains silent while the other three look at her.

"What are you supposed to be doing?"Lightning asks, already extremely annoyed. Sunset doesn’t answer, still looking at her journal, and that only makes her angrier. "Cut the crap and—!"

"Give me a fucking minute!" Sunset screams suddenly. "Damn, you’re so—"

She doesn’t finish her sentence, as she’s interrupted by the book suddenly glowing and vibrating. Sunset watches carefully and sees words begin to form.

- "Hello? Sunset? Sunset, is that you?! It’s Spike! By Celestia, tell me Twilight is with you! Please!"-

The former equine can’t help smiling as she sighs in relief.

- "No, she’s not with me now, but don't worry. She’s in a safe place. I’m so glad I can still talk with you." -

When she finishes writing, she waits for an answer, not realizing the gaze everyone is giving her. She waits only a few seconds before receiving the next message.

- "Is she? Oh thank Luna! Weeks ago she just told me she was going to see you and she didnt let me go with her and went through the portal and Ive been so worried and all the ponies even Princess Celestia have been asking for her!"-

Reading that obliterates Sunset’s smile. And it’s not just because of Spike’s poor, hasty grammar.

It was what Twilight had already confirmed. The princess spent weeks away from home in Canterlot locked away, looking for how to contact Sunset.

It was not just the school... Sunset realized that her actions had affected the ponies in Equestria... even Celestia.

With a sigh, she goes back to writing.

- "Don’t worry, she's fine. Well, she has a cold, but she’s fine overall. Spike, I need you to do me a favor." -

The gaze of others shows different emotions, even more because of the fact that Sunset doesn’t pay attention to them, focused only on the book, which shines again.

- "Of course! What do you need?" -

- "I want you to call the other ponies and see if they can operate the portal. I'll send Twilight home." -

With that message sent, Sunset allows herself to relax her shoulders, which feel like a weight lifted from them. When the answer arrives, she doesn’t hesitate to read it.

- "Really? But Twilight tried to make it work, and she couldn’t. She told me you had a big problem and that’s why she had to go."

Sunset hesitates a moment, noticing that Spike seems to have calmed down. She looks unsure of what to answer.

- "That doesn’t matter anymore. Just do it, please. Twilight needs to get home." -

The answer takes a little longer to arrive. Spike is perhaps meditating on what she just said.

- "Okay, I'll call the others, but are you sure everything is fine?" -

- "It will be. Let me know when you get them all together. I'll go look for Twilight." -

- "Alright. I'll go right away."-

- "Thanks, Spike, and thank everyone for me" -

With that, Sunset allows herself another sigh, feeling relaxed, and closes the book.

"Well, that fixes that, I hope..." she finally says out loud.

When she looks up, she notices the blonde's anger.

"And now your little book glows. What was that!?"

Sunset keeps her journal in her backpack and answers. "If you want to know, you'll have to come with me."

"To where?" questions Lightning.

"Good question. I think I should make a call first."

With that said, she tries to take out her phone, but is stopped when Lightning grabs her from the collar of her jacket and pulls her close to her.

"Shimmer, listen, I'm bored with your fucking games!"

"Well guess what, Dust. My 'games' are not for your fucking fun," Sunset snaps. She glares into Lightning’s eyes. "I'll clarify one thing," Sunset speaks calmly but gravely. "I don't have to tell you anything. You have no right to come here, threaten Twilight, threaten me, and demand that I tell you about myself or my past. What I’m showing you is a privilege. So shut the fuck up and don’t make me take that privilege away from you."

The scene leaves Twilight terrified by Sunset's safety. Jet Set, on the other hand, is frustrated.

None of those present notice it, but suddenly, another student appears on the race track. Indigo gets ready to do some stretches for a morning run but stops as soon as she rounds the corner of the school, watching Lightning holding Sunset fiercely.

"I didn't come here to fight with you," Sunset continues. "I came to help someone who needs me. If you want to hit me, go ahead, but I’m telling you that you won’t believe anything even if I explain it to you."

Without fear, Sunset grabs Lightning's wrist and twists, forcing Lightning to release her jacket.

"If you want to know about me, you'll have to come with me, because my 'game' works by my rules, not yours."

Lightning clenches her fists hard. Sunset looks at her for a moment but prefers to ignore her and picks up her phone again. She dials a number and waits for an answer.

"Hello," says Sunset when her call is answered. "Principal Celestia, it's Sunset. I'm sorry to call you so early, but... is Twilight still at your place?"

*S*A*S*

The four get off the bus, and in front of them, across the street, is Canterlot High School.

Sunset is the first to cross the asphalt to get to the other side. Twilight follows her closely.

Lightning also follows her, still annoyed. "Shimmer, how much longer are you going to make us wait?"

"If you don't want to wait, you can leave. I'm not forcing you to stay," is all Sunset says.

Lightning clenches her teeth. "Bitch."

"This better be worth it," Jet Set comment. "You'll make us skip first class."

"I’m not making you do anything," Sunset says again. "If you don't want to be here, then get lost."

"Do you think we'll leave just like that? You haven’t answered my questions yet," says Lightning Dust.

"For the last time, if you don’t want to stay, fuck off!" Sunset growls, losing her patience. “If you want your answers, shut up and follow me.”

There is no response from either of them. Twilight, on the other hand, tries to stay close to Sunset and away from the other two.

"Sunset, are you sure about this?" the scientist asks her friend.

"Sure about what?"

"Well... you and the princess. Isn’t your world supposed to be a secret?"

The Equestrian doesn’t respond immediately. Eventually, she sighs. "At this point, Twilight, I have too many things on my mind. I just want to end this and hopefully solve the rest later."

Twilight pauses, worried, clinging to Sunset’s arm to show camaraderie and to help herself stay standing.

With the beginning of the school day approaching, students are seen arriving and entering the school. Every CHS student shoots surprised looks at the group—Twilight and Sunset, specifically—in front of the statue. Sunset tries to ignore them, Lighting and Jet Set don’t pay attention to them, and Twilight tries not to see them, while all the students, remembering what happened last time Sunset visited, simply pass them by nervously and head inside.

With the four in front of the statue, they feel the cold wind pass over them with intensity.

"And what now, Shimmer?" questions Lightning.

"We wait. The principal should arrive soon."

"The principal? Why do you want her?" asks Jet Set.

"You’ll know when she arrives." After answering and taking a few seconds to think, she sighs again and says, "Anyway... I guess while we wait, I can start telling you what you want to know."

Before continuing, Sunset puts her hand on Twilight's, whose hand is still on her arm.

"I'm sorry, Twi. I know I should’ve told you all this before, but... No, I have no excuse, I should have told you a long time ago."

"It's okay, Sunset. Don't worry anymore about that," responds the scientist, clinging more tightly to her friend’s arm.

Sunset is silent for a moment, looking at her friend, then looking at the two who accompany them. She sighs.

*S*A*S*

No one was sure how much time passed, because at the moment when Sunset began to tell them the truth, the rest of the world was silent.

Everyone had different emotions. Twilight was perhaps the most surprised, but though everything she heard was so fanciful, she knew that with the existence of her other self, almost anything was possible.

Lightning keeps a look full of annoyance, doubting every single word she hears, but she doesn’t interrupt.

Jet Set is perhaps the most skeptical, although on more than one occasion he seems thoughtful; some things he hears seem familiar to him, similar to what he managed to read in Sunset's book.

Sunset tried to summarize the story as much as she could, telling them first that she came from another world and was the student of a veritable goddess. She glossed over her fall from grace, skipping over to the part where she left home.

She told them that she spent several years in the human world and how Princess Twilight both stopped her villainy and helped her more than anyone else.

Finally, she decided to omit the sirens and Anon-A-Miss, the latter for more than one reason, and ended up telling them how she had tried to destroy the diary and leave Canterlot High School behind, thus reaching Crystal Prep.

As Sunset expects, surprised and incredulous looks are all she receives when she finishes all her history.

For a time, nobody says anything. They look intensely at the former equine, who only remains silent, waiting for the inevitable.

Lightning is the first to speak. "So, let me clarify this. You're a pony."

"You're from another world?" asks Jet Set.

"You're exiled?" finishes Twilight sadly.

With a frown and a somewhat tired gaze, Sunset just nods with an affirmative hum.

Lightning looks at her contemptuously. "That… is…"

"And here it comes..." thinks Sunset.

"… the dumbest, worst, most idiotic lie I've heard in my life!" finishes the athlete.

"I know," the former equine responds.

"Do you really expect us to believe all that?"questions Jet Set with annoyance.

"No, not really. I already told you that you wouldn’t believe me. That's why I invited you two to come: so you can see the portal to Equestria."

That statement leaves the three surprised.

Jet Set says, "Do you mean that the entrance to your magical world of ponies is in this school?"

Sunset nods. "In fact, the portal is right there," she says, nodding toward the statue. "It's closed now, but since my journal works again, we can open it. I hope so, anyway."

"What does your book have to do with this?"questions Lightning, still confused.

Sunset explained briefly how the journal was linked to a similar one in Equestria, using cell phones as a comparison, and explained that they could thus be used to open up the portal.

Suddenly, a bus stops in front of the school, and three Crystal Prep girls come off of it.

"Look, they're still here!" Indigo Zap is the first to cross the street in a hurry to get to school. Lemon Zest crosses behind just as quickly, and Sunny Flare walks along more calmly.

Sunset looks at them in surprise when they reach her. "What are you three doing here?"

"We should be asking you that," Indigo replies.

Lemon begins to explain, "Indigo saw you talking to Lightning outside of school. She called me and said all of you left in a bus, so I called Sunny, and she thought you would come here, so... we came."

"That doesn’t answer my question," Sunset says calmly.

Sunny is the one who clarifies it. "Sunset, honey, you skipped classes yesterday without saying anything."

"I warned Sonata that I wouldn’t go."

"And now, you’re meeting Lightning in secret," indicates Indigo.

"And you come to your old school with Twi-Spark," finishes Lemon.

"What's going on?" Indigo asks.

"Ugh... I just told the story. I don't want to do it again..." Sunset gripes.

Lightning decides to take the floor. "She’s trying to convince us she’s an alien."

The answer has the expected effect: silence.

Until Lemon speaks. "Oh, so you finally found out?"

Lemon’s friends look at her like she grew a second head.

"What do you mean 'you finally found out'?" questions Sunny Flare, crossing her arms.

"You know, that Sun-Shim is a magical creature from another world."

Just more silence.

"You can’t be serious," comments Indigo.

"Of course, I am," the rocker responds with confidence. "You don't remember the concert? The wings and the lights?"

"They were special effects."

"Special effects, my panties! I got wings, and I could fly! Those were no special effects!"

"Lemon, please." Sunny holds her forehead.

Sunset can just sigh and try to ignore the scene. Luckily, she finally sees a very familiar white and gold car arrive.

"Finally. Let's finish this..."

Her comment and the way she walks towards the vehicle stops the conversation, and everyone turns to watch her.

Principal Celestia gets out of the car, and the moment she sees Sunset, she dashes over to her and hugs her. Sunset is surprised by the action, but she neither pushes away nor returns the embrace. She just waits a few seconds, but she quickly realizes that Celestia won’t let go anytime soon.

"Um, Principal Celestia...?"

After a few seconds and a slight squeeze, Celestia finally releases her. "I'm sorry."

"It’s fine…"

Sunset falls silent, and Celestia says nothing for a while. Finally, the woman speaks. "I brought her as you asked. Is everything okay?"

Sunset looks at her with a calm face and just nods before walking to the car. Celestia opens the passenger door. Princess Twilight, looking somewhat sleepy, opens her eyes and sees Sunset.

"Sunset..."

"Hey, Princess," Sunset says in a soft voice, helping her unbuckle her seat belt and get out of the car. Twilight, too, quickly embraces Sunset, though this particular hug is stronger than Celestia’s. Sunset puts a hand on Twilight’s head and gently breaks the hug.

"Princess, I think we can open the portal." Surprise lights up Twilight’s eyes, and Sunset explains, "The book somehow survived. I wrote to Spike. He and the ponies should be preparing to open it now."

"R-Really...?" Doubt and hope are reflected in her eyes and her voice.

"I wouldn't lie to you about something like that. Come here."

Sunset wraps her arm around the princess's waist to support her and helps her walk to the statue.

Celestia stays behind. Although she’s smiling after hearing the news, her eyes have a slightly sorrowful tinge.

Finally, Sunset brings Twilight into clear view of the rest of the group. All but the scientist stand in stark surprise, their eyes flitting between the two Twilights.

"Sunset... who are they...?" the princess asks nervously.

"Schoolmates. Don't worry, okay?" Sunset says. "Just stay calm until Spike sends me the message."

Sunset feels the princess lean on her. She looks tired. Sunset reprimands herself for having to ask her to leave while she’s sick, but this has to be done.

"Hello, Twilight," the princess says with a slight chuckle to her double, who returns the greeting with an equal gesture.

"Hey, Twi-Spark, you didn't tell us you had a twin," Lemon says suddenly.

"Um, she's not my sister. She's the princess that came from Sunset's world."

"Ugh, please!" Lightning approaches a few steps and looks frustrated. "Four-eyes has a twin. So what? Do you think that serves as proof for your nonsense?"

"Not quite," responds Sunset. "But you’ll have your proof soon. Shut up."

The princess looks with concern at her companion. "Sunset... what happened...?"

Sunset tries to calm her by tightening her embrace. "I'm asking you not to worry, okay? you just focus on going home."

"But... what will you do...?"

"Hey, don't worry about me anymore." In an attempt to calm her down, Sunset holds her closer and caresses her head, a gesture that makes the princess close her eyes. "It's my fault that you're in this situation. Let me get you out of it."

The princess tries to object, but Sunset puts a finger to her lips to keep her from talking.

Celestia is watching the whole scene, both intrigued and worried. After a few seconds, she sighs with regret. "I don't want to, but I have to get back to my office. Sunset... can I...?"

"Don’t worry, Principal Celestia. I'll take care of her from here. I’ll make sure the princess goes home."

The woman still looks insecure, but she trusts in her former student. "Twilight, it was a pleasure to have you here." Celestia gives an almost maternal smile, which brings tears to the princess’s eyes.

"I regret having been a burden all this time," Twilight replies with a hurt voice.

"A burden? Twilight, it was an honor to have you with us. If you ever need anything again, don't hesitate to come here."

The princess doesn’t respond. Instead, she carefully moves away from Sunset and approaches the principal, stumbling as she gets close and falling right into the older woman’s arms. Celestia doesn’t hesitate, holding in her own tears as she embraces the princess as a mother would a daughter.

The woman gently moves the girl away and places a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll miss you. Good luck."

The princess does not respond, but her violet eyes look fondly at the woman.

Sunset soon approaches and holds her companion from behind, allowing the woman to retreat. With a somewhat hurt smile, Celestia steps back before finally retreating inside the school.

The princess drops in Sunset’s grip, forcing Sunset to strain to keep Twilight up. Indigo and Lemon rush to help her, and between the three, they firmly hold the princess up.

"I'm sorry for being a burden..." Twilight mumbles.

Sunny, looking a little out of place, approaches the Twilight she knows. "Sparkle, who is that girl?"

"It's... a long story, Sunny Flare..."

The elegant girl just sighs. "We're skipping classes for this. What's going on?"

Silence is the only thing that answers her. Jet Set eventually breaks it. "So, we saw the principal and this... copy of Sparkle. What now?"

Sunset looks at the group, who are all looking at her and waiting for the answer. She hesitates for a moment, but she hears a sound in her backpack, instantly knowing what it means. She asks her companions to hold the princess, and she rushes to open her journal.

- "Sunset, it’s Spike. Everypony’s here, and I think we know how to open the portal. Are you ready?"-

Without wasting a moment, Sunset takes out her pen and writes an answer.

- "Thanks, Spike. I'm with the princess. Please turn it on. I'll send her home soon." - She waits a second, then writes something else- - "Take care of her, please; she's still sick and needs attention." -

The answer takes only a few seconds to arrive. - "That's for sure. Everypony here is worried sick. We'll take good care of her. I promise." -

- "Thank you. Turn on the portal. I’ll let her know. She’ll be with you soon." -

- "Are you sure everything is okay? You don't need help? I can go to you, if you want." -

- "No, Spike, everything is fine. You only have to worry about the princess." -

- "Alright, but let us know if you need anything." -

- "Got it. Thanks, Spike." -

That ends that talk. Sunset closes the book, sighs, and stores it again in her backpack. "Well, the portal should be active soon," she says out loud.

Before the situation can continue, she sees the doors of the school open and her former friends approach, although they keep quite a distance from everyone. Their looks are full of concern.

Rainbow is the first to speak. "Sunset... what's happening?"

They all wait expectantly for the answer.

Sunset sighs again, clearly tired. "Yeah, I figured you would come..." she mumbles to herself. "I’m sending the princess back to Equestria," she answers aloud, to her former friends’ surprise.

Immediately afterward, a taxi stops in front of the school, and Sonata dashes out of it toward Sunset. "SUUUUUNSEEEEEEEEET!"

The named girl turns around, surprised. "Seriously?"

Sonata quickly scoops Sunset into a tight hug and looks at her desperately. "Are you okay?! Did they hurt you?! Did they beat you?! Did they tie you up and tickle you?!"

"Sonata, what are you three doing here?" Sunset asks, her eyes flitting toward the other sirens who approach from the taxi.

"Lemon told me you were in trouble!" the youngest of the trio answers. "I warned Adie and Arie, and we came to help you."

"Yeah, yeah." Aria approaches and looks at them all with disdain. “Who should we hit? The ones in uniform or the others?"

"I'm not in trouble," says Sunset, trying to ignore the comments. "I’m just sending the princess back to Equestria."

That answer leaves the three sisters surprised. "You can do that?" questions the leader of the group.

"If everything goes well, yes," answers Sunset. "In fact, the portal should be active now." Sunset tries to ignore the looks of doubt and surprise directed at her and gently touches Twilight’s cheek, waking up the slumbering princess. "Princess. Princess, wake up."

The violet eyes open, and they look at the fire-haired girl tiredly.

Sunset gazes back at her. "Come on. Spike told me they turned on the portal. Time to go home."

"Home…"

Sunset hooks an arm around Twilight’s waist, letting the princess leans on her as she leads her to the statue.

Indigo and Lemon stay close to help her, while the other Twilight, Sunny, and the sirens follow behind. Lightning Dust and Jet Set remain in their places for a moment but decide to get closer to see what they will do. The Rainbooms just remain in their place, unsure of how to react.

While all this is happening, several students had decided to skip their classes and went to the entrance of the school or some front-facing windows to observe the whole scene.

The principal and her sister also watch the event from the window of Celestia’s office. Luna’s hand is comfortingly on Celestia’s shoulder.

Finally, Sunset and Twilight stand before the statue. Sunset places a hand against the base, confirming that the portal is open. "Princess, it's time. The others are waiting for you."

The eyes of the princess look at the base as the girl remains silent, leaning on Sunset.

None of those present say anything either, too confused and curious to interrupt.

Violet eyes go up, meeting cyan. They stare at each other in complete silence. That is, until the princess speaks in a soft voice, "Come with me…"

Sunset recoils, astonished. "What?"

"Come with me... Sunset, let's go home..."

Sunset departs a little, still holding the princess by the shoulders. They look at each other. "Princess…"

"There in Equestria, there is true friendship. I can introduce you to all the ponies I know... I know that they will love you as you are."

"But, princess—"

"I know that Celestia will accept you! I know she misses you and that she will love you. You can have real friends. Sunset... come with me... please…"

Tears start falling from the princess’s eyes. Sunset is speechless, unable to believe what Twilight was asking. And she is not the only one; everyone around is equally surprised.

Lemon, Indigo and Sunny are extremely worried, the human Twilight even more so, the scientist trembling at the possibility. The sirens are also somewhat surprised, and they lean forward slightly, extremely interested in the response that Sunset might give. Lightning and Jet Set feel the tension, but they don’t really understand what’s going on. The Rainbooms just show their usual expression of regret and concern.

In the school, Flash manages to make space between the other students and go out to the stairs in front of the building, from where he can see the whole situation.

Everything is silent for a while.

Sunset keeps her eyes closed, while the princess continues to look at her with despair and tears. After what feels like an eternity, Sunset speaks to her without opening her eyes. "I'm sorry, Princess…"

The princess’s expression reflects the pain in her heart. "Sunset..."

The cyan eyes open, and they show a pained but sure look. "I don't belong to Equestria anymore. I can't go."

"But..." the princess begins, but nothing comes out of her.

"I left Equestria too long ago. I don't have a place in that world anymore."

The princess looks down, her tears falling harder. "... Then I'll stay!"

"What?!"

"I wasn't there when you needed me! I... I won’t leave you again!" she screams, clinging to Sunset tightly, her tears still flowing.

It takes a moment for Sunset to recover from her surprise. A hurt look crosses her face before pulling away and looking at Twilight seriously. "You belong to Equestria. It's your home, Princess."

Twilight sniffles. "It's your home, too..."

Sunset shakes her head. "No, not anymore. I left everything behind, and now, I have a life here."

With subtlety, Sunset looks around, her eyes falling on her Crystal Prep classmates, the sirens, and they linger on her friend Twilight.

"I don't know if it's the right thing or if it's what I deserve. But now, here is the only place I can be." The princess's sobbing intensifies. Sunset squeezes her shoulders a little. "Your friends are waiting for you. They’re worried, and they want to see you."

"But..."

Sunset cleans Twilight’s tears and caresses her cheek. The princess clings to Sunset’s hand, holding her tightly. "They’re waiting for you, Princess. It’s time to go home."

The scene leaves everyone hurt and touched. Even if they don’t understand the exact circumstances, they get the gist of what’s going on.

Princess Twilight closes her eyes tightly, her tears still flowing. When she opens them, she can only see Sunset full of anguish. Sunset looks back at her, her eyes trembling a little, but she doesn’t change her decision.

Unable to do more, the princess only approaches, closes her eyes, and gently presses her lips to Sunset's.

Sunset is not surprised, but she does not reciprocate either. She just lets the princess have the kiss.

After a few seconds, the princess separates and gives one last look to her friend.

"It's time, Princess," says Sunset softly.

Defeated, the princess departs from her and walks the last steps to the portal. She turns one last time, looking at Sunset with pain, then looking at the others present, who are looking back with sorrow.

Her eyes finally fall on them... those who were her friends. They watch her, their eyes full of pain and tears.

The princess chokes out a sob, scrubbing at the tears in her eyes, and she turns, taking the last step and disappearing from sight.

When she disappears, everything is silent once again. More than one face shows great surprise at everything they have just seen. And more than one show sadness.

Sunset is stoic, her face lacking emotion. She sighs again, and her shoulders fall. She looks tired but relieved, though a question rises to her head. "Why does every Twilight want to kiss me?"

Her question is said only for herself, and she dismisses it instantly, worrying about her next order of business.

She looks at the portal once more, and then sighs, relaxed. "Well... that’s over..." She turns around, seeing everyone's expressions. "I’ll answer your questions another day. I’ve got something I need to take care of right now."

She passes by her schoolmates and walks to her former friends. When they see her, they can’t help but feel somewhat frightened, anxious, but also curious.

To her surprise, she passes through the group, almost without looking at them, although she does speak to them.

"Come with me. I have something important to say to everyone."

Confused, they watch her pass them and go to the entrance but quickly follow her.

Everyone in the school sees her approaching, until she stops just a few meters from the stairs.

Sunset and Flash cross glances for a moment, and then, she looks at all the students who had come to see the situation.

Sunset takes a deep breath. Everyone present seems to deduce that she is going to talk, because all the windows, even Celestia's, open instantly, no one caring about the cold outside. They want to hear her.

After breathing a few more times, and taking one last look at the whole school, Sunset breaks the silence, trying to make her voice sound calm but loud enough for all to hear...

Author's Notes:

In the Next Spisode:

"Almost two months ago ... an anonymous user under the name of Anon-A-Miss, began attacking Canterlot, dispersing secrets, gossip, and lies about many of you."

***

Sunset approaches Flash, removes her journal from her backpack, and delivers to him.

"Sunset ..." Try to talk the boy with concern.

"Save it ... please ..." she asks in a soft voice.

***

Lightning looks annoyedly at Sunset. "You have the bad habit of getting where nobody calls you, and in many occasions you are a real nuisance." She changes her countenance angry with a calmer one. "But you also make a habit of helping others. Even when it's not your business."

Sunset just looks at her, bewildered.

***

"Didn't You know?" Lemon asks with a big smile. "Sun-Shim! You're a star! The school loves you!"

Sunset is stunned.

***

"Crystal Prep expects everyone, their students, to meet the standards of responsibility." Cinch speaks in her serious and elegant tone.

"And who can not meet these standards" The voice of the director becomes severe, almost cold. "It may not be convenient for them to be in our institution."

Sunset feels a chill at what he hears. "Are you going... to expel me ...?"

Where your Home is - Part 2

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Sunset takes a deep breath and starts talking. "Almost two months ago, an anonymous user under the name of Anon-a-Miss began to attack Canterlot High School, spreading secrets, gossip, and lies about many of you."

The Crusaders were not far away, watching from one of the first-floor windows. The three girls look down in guilt.

"This user incriminated me," continues Sunset, "and everyone fell for the lie, accusing me of being responsible for the account." She turns to see the Rainbooms standing behind her. "Even my friends believed it..."

The five girls look down, shame written on their faces, but they’re not the only ones. The gazes of everyone in the school are filled with guilt and regret, knowing that they all were responsible.

"Besides accusing me, everyone started attacking me, and nobody ever let me explain or prove my innocence. No one wanted to listen to me... Or at least, almost no one..."

Her gaze goes to Flash, who is still standing on the stairs. Then she looks around, seeing Vinyl and Ditzy Doo in different places.

Sunset takes a breath before continuing. "In the end, when I saw that I had no one to trust in school... I decided to leave, to try to find a place to escape from all that."

Celestia seems extremely affected by that memory.

"I left... but I couldn't get away," the girl admits, looking down a little. "Somehow... my past always came back and prevented me from leaving it behind..."

Nobody seems sure of what to think, but everyone keeps silent. Even her Crystal Prep buddies wait for her to finish talking, interested in where Sunset’s going with this.

"Almost all of CHS turned its back on me and hurt me." Sunset doesn’t dare look up. "I went looking for my own benefit, and I never thought about what would happen to this school after I left."

That turns several students’ despair into confusion. Is she feeling… guilty for leaving?

"I left because I was innocent, because I had never hurt anyone, but when I left... I ended up hurting everyone..."

Many at this point were sniffling or openly crying, Celestia included. The Rainbooms themselves struggle not to run to their former friend. Luna is the exception, the woman smiling with satisfaction and pride.

Sunset feels her eyes hurt, but she resists it and, forcing her voice not to break, finishes speaking. "I hurt the school... I hurt everyone... All of you were right: In the end... I was Anon-a-Miss." Sunset closes her eyes. "I'm sorry..."

Everything is silent. Everyone in CHS is surprised, and Crystal Prep's students are mostly baffled.

After a still moment, Sunset looks up and walks toward Flash, pulling out her journal from her backpack and handing it to him.

"Sunset..." Flash tries to speak.

"Save it... please..." she asks in a soft voice.

He doesn’t say anything. His eyes betray his sorrow, though he tries not to show it. He takes the journal and looks at his friend with concern. Sunset looks back at him, her eyes glazed, aching, but a grateful smile on her lips.

After that, she turns around and walks without stopping to look at anyone.

"Sunset, wait...!" Applejack suddenly exclaims.

Sunset stops, but she doesn't turn to look at them. "I'm sorry. I have a lot to think about..."

"We forgive you!" Rarity exclaims with despair. "If that's what you want to hear... then we forgive you...!"

Rainbow takes a step forward. "You didn't do anything wrong! We... We..."

"We can forget this," Fluttershy speaks in her soft voice, just loud enough to be heard. "Just…"

Applejack drops her own voice when she speaks again. "It's not the same without ya..."

Diane dares to take a few steps and speaks in a sullen but hopeful voice, "Please, come back…"

There is no answer for a moment, but Sunset eventually mutters, "I'm not ready... not yet..." With that said, she resumes her pace, accelerating a bit.

When she goes beyond the statue, Twilight is the first to follow her, running to reach her, extremely worried. Sunny is the next to do it, and half a second later, Indigo and Lemon also follow.

Sonata takes a step, but she turns to her sisters. The older one gives her a nod, and the middle one only crosses her arms but gives her a calm look. Feeling resolute, the youngest siren runs to reach her friends.

Lightning Dust watches everyone walk away, before looking down and following them with a hurried pace.

Jet Set stands in his place, looking towards the base of the statue. After giving a malicious smile, he departs, as well.

Adagio and Aria look at the school and the students. They exchange glances, seeming worried, but they decide to leave as well.

All of CHS is still, just watching as their old friend and classmate disappears after getting on a bus.

After what seems like an eternity, the students begin to disperse, each returning to their classrooms. Some seem thoughtful, others only sad, and some feel as if a heavy weight were taken from their shoulders.

The Rainbooms hug each other briefly before returning to class.

Flash is the last to enter. For a moment, he doesn't take his eyes off the book Sunset has just given him. In the end, he puts it in his backpack and enters the school.

Meanwhile, in the principal's office, Celestia sighs and feels her sister rub her back.

"I think it is over now," the younger says.

The elder doesn’t respond, simply letting her head and shoulders fall. Eventually, she gets up and opens a drawer in her desk. She takes the half-empty bottle from it and drops it into the trash can.

*S*A*S*

The bus stops right in front of the school, and Crystal Prep's students get off, approaching the building.

"So... are you really an alien?" Indigo asks. "You were pretty cool before, but now you're forty percent cooler!"

Sunset sighs while still walking. "Thank you,"she mumbles.

"Do you have powers?" Indigo continues. "Can you levitate things? Turn apples into oranges? Shoot laser beams!?"

Sunset takes a while to answer. "I could, but when I got here, I lost my horn."

Indigo is somewhat confused, but in the end, she shouts, "Awesome!"

"Indigo, please!" Sunny Flare reproaches. "Sunset has a lot on her mind now."

Twilight approaches her best friend and looks at her with concern. "Sunset, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," Sunset replies somewhat hurriedly. "I just need to take a breather."

There is a short silence until Sonata speaks in a somewhat fearful tone. "Um, Sunset, what will happen now? Should we worry?"

Sunset thinks for a moment, but before she can speak, Jet Set is heard from behind. "Worry? Why should we?" Everyone turns to look at him. "Our legacies are guaranteed!"

"What are you talking about?" Indigo questions.

Jet takes a while to respond, but in doing so, he smiles strangely. "Dimensional doubles? Portals? Alternate worlds?! This is the greatest discovery in history!"

His attitude confuses the others and worries Sunset.

"Imagine what we can achieve if we expose this to the world!" His gaze becomes dreamy but at the same time sharp. "Fame! Glory! Oh, the recognition we would gain if we show the world the entrance to a different reality! So many possibilities! We will be immortalized in history!"

His good mood doesn’t spread to anyone else.

"Why do you have those faces? What?! You need me to explain it to you with drawings?! This is big! Really big!"

Indigo speaks with some doubts. "Yeaaaaah, they're also big problems for Sunset if this is discovered. Who knows what they would do to her?"

Lemon puts a finger on her chin. "Maybe it’ll be like the movies; they’ll kidnap her and chain her to a dissection table, and then, they’ll… uh, you know…"

"Thank you, Lemon. I didn’t already have enough to worry about," comments Sunset, sarcasm oozing from her voice.

"Who cares about that?!" Jet exclaims. "We could be rich, famous, powerful!"

"I’ll be famous when I’m a sports star, " Indigo says nonchalantly. "The portal and stuff are cool, yeah, but it’s not something I wanna be famous for."

"I still wanna make it big with my band!"Lemon exclaims enthusiastically. "The magic and the ponies are fine, but rock is better!"She plays air guitar as she finishes as if to emphasize her point.

Sunny moves her hair from her eyes. "I haven't interest in getting Sunset in trouble. I can make myself a place in history without removing her from my life."

Sunset is too surprised by their answers. "Guys..."

Jet Set huffs with annoyance at what he hears. "Do what you want. It's more credit and recognition for me." He starts walking away, thinking out loud. "I'm going to retrieve that book, start researching, call labs, and—Woah!"

Before he can finish his sentence, Lightning Dust yanks the collar of his shirt, glaring at him. "Tell anyone about this, and I'll beat the shit out of you. Got that?"

"What?!"

Jet Set is not the only one surprised. Everyone watches with mouth agape.

"I said that you’re not gonna tell anyoneabout all this!" Lightning exclaims with anger.

"What?! But this was your idea!"

"My idea was to learn about the book. And I did. Just drop it!"

"Absolutely not! This is an amazing discovery! We can be rich and famous and—"

"Let me make it clear!" Lightning cuts him off. "Either you make sure you never say a word, or I will personally make sure you can’t say a word! "

The gaze she gives him is almost murderous. The boy feels those eyes pierce his head, as if he were seeing a wild beast ready to eat him. The blonde girl, seeing the look of fear, turns around and pushes him toward the school. "Get out of here. And if I find out that a single word came out of your mouth, you can say goodbye to your manhood!"

With a hard gulp, Jet Set departs from everyone and hurries to the school without looking back.

"What a coward. He doesn't even look like a man," the girl complains, crossing her arms. Then, she notices the looks everyone is giving her. "What?!"

Sunset takes a few seconds to say in awe, "You’re... helping me."

"Yeah, so what?" Lightning snaps.

"I thought... I thought you hated me."

Lightning looks away. "Maybe I don't like you, but that doesn't mean I think you're a bad person. You don’t deserve all the crap that’ll happen to you if this gets out."

Sunset is stunned by that, and she is not the only one.

Lightning lets out a snort. "You have a bad habit of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, and you’re a pain in the ass at other times. But…" She takes a breath. "But you also make a habit of helping others. Even when it's not your business."

Lightning gets ready to walk away, but before doing so, she says, "I’m not planning on being the villain at the end of the story. I wanted to know who you really are, and now I know. I still think there are things you didn't tell me. And believe me, I'll find out sooner or later, but for today, I'm satisfied."

Without saying more, she goes ahead and enters the school.

A stunned silence falls over the remaining members of the group, until Sonata smiles and says, "She’s nice, after all." The others give her a look, not sharing the sentiment.

Sunset herself sighs, smiling tiredly. "Well, this has been an exhausting day. And it’s not even half-over..."

Twilight puts a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should go home and rest. I mean... it wouldn't be good for your attendance record but..."

"Actually, a normal class day sounds good to me," Sunset says. Sunset starts to walk, and the girls follow her.

Sonata suddenly says, "You know, we haven't told you, but the truth is I'm an alien, too."

"Sweet!" Indigo says.

"That's cool, Dustie," Lemon agrees.

Sunset smiles and relaxes her shoulders a little. "I need a normal day. One where no one pays attention to me so I can focus on anything else to clear my head."

Sunset opens the door of the school, walking tiredly, but she slows down and eventually stops when she realizes that all eyes are on her. She blinks curiously but has no time to think anything before she hears everyone present excitedly exclaim, "Sunset Shimmer!"

To her surprise and great confusion, the students begin to greet her with lively smiles.

Wherever she looks, she sees smiling, friendly faces, nothing like the usual disinterested looks common from the student body.

"What's going on…?"

*S*A*S*

"What's going on?!"

Sunset repeats her question as she walks down the hall.

"Sunset!"

"Hey, Sunset!"

"What's new?"

"Nice to see you, Sunset."

These and very similar phrases are heard at every step from every boy or girl who passes by her.

"What's. Going. ON?!"

"You didn't know?" Lemon asks with a smile. "Sun-Shim, you're a star here!" she exclaims as she stays in front, walking backward to face her friend.

"Since when?!" Sunset demands.

"Since Sunday," she replies.

"Someone explain this to me!" Sunset demands, stopping her walk.

Sunny stops next to her and looks at her calmly. "Haven't you seen the social networks?"

"I’ve been avoiding those sites. New phobia I developed," Sunset says half-jokingly.

Sonata takes out her phone and shows the former equine the school page. Sunset’s eyes go from side to side as the siren goes from page to page, each full of photos of her in the soccer game against Trottingham.

"Since you won the game, the school has been loving you!" Indigo exclaims cheerfully.

"Me?! I didn't win! The whole team played!"Sunset argues.

"Yeah, but you made the winning point, and that's what counts," the athlete explains.

"It’s not just that, either," Sunny says, showing her phone. On the screen, Sunset watches a video of her band on that big night at the club.

"The music pages are full of videos of you and your band playing," explains the lilac-haired girl. "Just look at the pageviews."

Sunset checks the number. "Holy shit!"

"Yeah!" shouts Lemon with even more enthusiasm than usual. "Tons of students have been begging me to upload our songs for them to download!" The emotion of the girl is almost palpable. "Can you believe it? Just one concert and we’re already famous!"Lemon's eyes become stars as she finishes.

Sunset is speechless for a few seconds. "It's crazy..."

Twilight decides to take out her own phone. "In fact, even the blog that defamed you is now empty."

Looking at her friend's cell phone, Sunset sees the blog that was once dedicated to flinging mud at her is completely barren, no one bothering to even visit the page.

"Everyone has forgotten about that," Twilight says with a small smile.

Sunset still seems unable to wrap her mind around it. "I can't believe this is happening to me... Are there any other surprises?!"

The answer, surprisingly, comes in the form of the voice of Principal Cinch from the loud speakers.

"Sunset shimmer, report to my office immediately."

Sunset is speechless, looking at nothing. "Me and my big mouth..."

"Wonder what she wants," Indigo says, curious.

"What did you do?" Lemon asks, equally surprised.

"At this point, what haven’t I done?" Her comment is somewhat sarcastic but carries that tired tone that betrays her fatigue.

*S*A*S*

The group stops at the door of Cinch's office

"Are you sure you don't want us to go with you?" Sunny asks, somewhat worried.

"She called me, and it's not worth it for you to explain why you're not in class," Sunset replies without looking away from the door. "I'll see what she wants and I'll get out fast. Stay here."

The five watch Sunset knock on the door. Cinch's voice is heard from the other side. "Enter."

Sunset opens the door and, without looking back, enters the dark, almost sinister room. But she is not intimidated.

"Miss Shimmer," comes the principal’s voice. The back of the chair is turned, so Sunset can't see her. "Please, sit down."

Sunset obeys, sitting on the wooden chair under that dim light.

There is silence for a moment. Sunset just keeps calm and silent, waiting for the woman to speak. And she does so after a while.

"Miss Shimmer," Cinch starts. "Do you remember our conversation about this school on your first day here?"

Curious about the question, Sunset thinks about it for a moment. "About you accepting me as an exception and what would happen if my qualifications don’t meet the requirements?"

"And what else?" the principal asks.

Sunset was not sure. "Um, then, that Crystal Prep is a prestigious school and proud of its students?" she answers in an insecure tone.

"Precisely." Cinch turns her chair to face her newest student with a serious expression. "Crystal Prep Academy seeks to train the most influential young minds and guide them towards a promising future."

Sunset releases a small sigh through the nose. "Something told me that a rather serious—and annoying—speech was coming."

Neither Sunset nor Cinch realize that through the small crack below the door, Indigo Zap uses her phone's camera to see inside. The device’s screen is observed by the entire group.

"I don't think this is allowed..." Twilight says nervously.

"Of course, it isn't," Sunny snaps. “Indigo, knock it off!”

"I can hardly hear," Lemon complains. "Indigo, can you turn up the volume?"

Indigo acquiesces, turning the volume up.

"Crystal Prep has a reputation to maintain,"Cinch stresses, placing great emphasis on that word. "Every student who has graduated from this institution has become successful and renowned."

Sunset keeps her eyes fixed on the woman, but the truth is that her gaze feels tired and listless.
Luckily, Cinch doesn't notice.

"A school earns a reputation for its students, and students gain a reputation for their school. It is a vicious and endless cycle which Crystal Prep has been maintaining since its early years after its foundation."

"Um... yes, I understand that..." Sunset says, trying not to look too disinterested.

"Oh, do you?" The woman speaks in an almost sarcastic tone while maintaining her seriousness. "May I ask why you have been missing your classes, then?"

Sunset looks away and crosses her arms, keeping silent for a moment. "I'm sorry about that. I had important business to take care of."

"More important than doing your work at our school?" Cinch questions calmly but with a hint of protest in her voice.

Sunset forces herself to swallow a sigh and thinks to herself, "Well, it's not that I haven't imagined this situation." She changes her gaze to one of regret. "I'm sorry, Principal Cinch. I have no excuses, really. I will accept whatever punishment you give me."

"Punishment? No, Miss Shimmer, I'm afraid you're wrong," the principal says, removing her scolding tone. "Our institution rarely needs to take such measures."

A small grain of hope rises in Sunset. "Wait... she won't punish me? Is Cinch going to let me go without any consequences? No, that’s impossible."

Cinch keeps talking. "Crystal Prep expects all of its students to meet the standards of responsibility. That includes not only academic performance but also respect for every member of the student body and faculty and compliance with the established schedule."

This time, Sunset could not avoid a sigh at that speech. "I understand that, Principal Cinch."

"And to those who cannot meet these standards…" The woman pauses for a second. "It may not be best for them to be in our institution."

Sunset’s eyes widen into dinner plates. "Does… Does she mean…?" She swallows hard. "Principal Cinch, are you... expelling me...?"The fear is clear in her voice.

Outside the office, the five friends exchange surprised and terrified looks.

To everyone's relief, Cinch responds, "No, Miss Shimmer. A student as promising as you can be very useful to our school." A tinge of pride enters the principal’s voice. "You have shown it in your… basic training."

Sunset calls to mind that hellish week packed with exams. "You’re not saying that… that the exam week…"

Cinch just stares impassively and guiltlessly at Sunset. "It was necessary to know that your academic commendations were real and not simply for show from a subpar school."

Outside the office, the five girls continue to watch the talk from the cell phone screen.

Lemon is the first to speak. "So, Cinch had us take all those exams…"

"Just to test Sunset's ability?" Sunny ends the question.

Twilight thinks for a moment. "That... explains the suddenness of it all. It wasn't an exam period or anything."

Sonata, however, remains confused. "I don't understand... what does the principal want with Sunsite."

Indigo glares at the group. "If you’ll shut up, maybe we can find out."

In the office, Sunset sits stunned. "That's why you also put me in the soccer match, too, isn’t it?"

Once more, Cinch stares unfazed by Sunset’s distress. "Sunset Shimmer, you are a promising student, and I am sure that with the right guidance, you will be able to reach and exploit your full potential and become one of the best students in this school," she says with a tone which almost seems proud.

Sunset stares, silently waiting for Cinch to continue.

Cinch stands up and walks around her desk to stand directly in front of Sunset. "That is the reason why your recent attitude is worrisome to me. I hope and trust that such a situation will not be repeated." Her voice is severe again.

Sunset is still speechless, her face displaying her bewilderment. Even so, her eyebrows furrow a little as she frowns.

"I hope only the best of you from now on,"the older woman says. "Is that clear?"

Sunset looks at the woman, setting her jaw. "No."

Cinch's eyebrow rises at that answer.

Outside, the five girls are left with eyes wide open. Indigo snaps out of it enough to say, "Oh, I’m so recording this." She quickly begins recording with her phone.

Cinch pauses in surprise. "'No'?" she repeats. "What do you mean by 'no', Miss Shimmer?"

Sunset takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I didn't come to Crystal Prep to become an exemplary student. I just want to finish high school and move on. I don’t need fame or recognition."

Cinch narrows her eyes as she listens.

Sunset looks at the principal with a calm face. "I'm sorry," she says sincerely, "but if you expect to see me in the honor roll or have a showcase full of trophies that bear my name, you’re going to be disappointed."

Cinch doesn’t say a word, and after a moment of silence on both sides, Sunset gets up. With her head somewhat low and eyes closed, she says with a calm expression and voice, "If that’s all, I’d like to go to my next class."

Sunset turns around and walks towards the door. She takes a few steps before Cinch's voice stops her. "I'm afraid we are not done, Miss Shimmer." Sunset slowly turns back to the principal, who glares back at her severely. "I fear that you have misunderstood me. This is not an optional matter."

There is silence between them.

Outside, the five friends are worried about the seriousness of the principal.

Cinch continues talking. "As I said before, students must follow certain standards, and those who do not meet them must not be here." The woman walks towards her, her step is slow, almost intimidating, but Sunset is unfazed. "If you are not at the level of this school, you will have to leave, but I must clarify one thing."

Sunset keeps her serious expression. The principal frowns slightly, and her voice becomes somewhat cold. "Just as graduating from Crystal Prep can open many doors for students, leaving can close just as many." The woman stays right in front of the girl. As if she had planned it, she manages to have her shadow cast right over Sunset. "Crystal Prep has a lot of influence on the most advanced schooling institutions," The woman begins. "I, as principal, have the push to help students to reach their rightful place in one of them. But... I can also prevent those students from getting into any of them."

Sunset's gaze becomes more severe.

Outside, Sonata whispers. "Um, I don't understand. What is she saying?

Twilight explains, "That if she wishes... she could prevent a university from accepting a student who is waiting for admission..."

Indigo frowns. "Is she threatening Sunset?"

"That's low," says Lemon, "even for ol’ P.C."

"That can't be legal!" Sunny adds, equally angry.

Inside, Sunset's body start to shake. Her head is down, her hair shading her eyes. Her fists are clenched tightly. Cinch watches silently, her lips curling very gently into a victorious smirk.

Suddenly, before Cinch can react, Sunset grabs her lapel and yanks the older woman toward her face, glaring at Cinch with a face full of rage.

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN ME, YOU WRINKLED FOSSIL?!"

Her scream is so loud that it resonates in the room.

Cinch is paralyzed, her face showing nothing but surprise and more than a little fear.

Outside, the five girls are the same, with their eyes open, mouths agape, watching with terror as the enraged girl holds the principal tightly and aggressively.

Sunset almost growls as she says. "Do you really think you can threaten me? That you can use me to further your preciousreputation?" Sunset takes a step forward to tower over the now-kneeling Cinch. "Do you think you can bully me?" Sunset asks furiously. "DO YOU THINK THAT YOU SCARE ME?! DO YOU THINK THAT I CARE WHAT YOU SAY OR DO?!"

Sunset thrusts her head downward until her eyes are mere centimeters from Cinch’s. "You don't scare me," Sunset says coldly. "I don't care what you do. Want to ruin my higher education? Do it! Want to destroy my hopes of living above lower class? Be my fucking guest! I've seen my life fall piece by piece more times than anyone could bear. Everything I achieved, everything I fought for, destroyed, because of people like you, who think they can push me around whenever they want!

Sunset straightens up, glaring coldly down at the principal with eyes full of hate. "And you know what I did all those times?" she asks. "I got up! Every time the world kicked my ass, I gave it back double! Because I'm stronger than you! Stronger than anyone! No matter what you or anyone else tries to do to me, I will move on! You can call all the schools in the world if you want! Tell them to throw me out! Tell the world to push me aside! I DON'T CARE."

She didn't know when, but soon, the older woman feels her body crash against her desk. Instinct leads her to raise both hands and hold Sunset’s arms, while both look intensely at each other.

"One day I will be above you, and when that day comes, I will make you shine my shoes with YOUR REPUGNANT TONGUE!"

There is a pause between the two as Sunset waits for a response. Cinch can do nothing but clench her teeth, looking at her with a mix of anger and fear.

Sunset sharpens her gaze more. "I'm not your little bitch! You won't tell me what I can and can't do!”

Sunset wrenches her arms from Cinch’s grip and starts walking away, allowing Cinch to get to her feet as she says, "Don't play queen against me, Cinch. Because I will dethrone you."

Cinch only watches her leave with her own gaze full of rage. It takes a few seconds, but she finally manages to speak. "How... How dare you ?!" Sunset doesn't pay attention and keeps walking. "You have no idea of the trouble you’ve just gotten yourself into!"Cinch exclaims, losing her stoic and calm character.

Right in front of the door, Sunset stops, waits a moment, and then turns her head. With a cold and hateful gaze, she looks at the principal. "Oh, I know, but unlike you... I'm not a coward."

She says no more. The door closes as fast as it opens, leaving the principal alone in her office, breathing raggedly with eyes full of fury, she can only slide to the floor, and plan...

Meanwhile, the five friends beat a hasty retreat the moment they see Sunset approaching the door. It’s not long before Indigo crashes into someone. Looking up, she sees Dean Cadence, standing with her arms crossed and a serious look on her face. The five, realizing they were caught, just flash nervous smiles.

Sunset leaves the room, immediately noticing the scene. The five give her a surprised look, and she responds with one of her own. "... What's going on?"

Author's Notes:

In the Next Chapter:

Equestria. Ponyville.

It see flashes coming from the machine ... a purple silhouette crosses that spiral ...

"TWILIGHT!" Exclaim everypony.

***

Outside the house, Twilight removes the lid of the garbage container, and drops the bag in it. Then she takes the digital memory, observes it for a moment.

She notices the curious gaze of her puppy. After seeing him for a moment, she comments. "Spike ... there are more important things ... than science."

***

"It's obvious that Cinch won't be impassive after yesterday." Sunset says with annoyance, but concern.

***

Everybody are too confused, more before anyone could react, the door opens with a clatter and a boy falls to the ground, a girl falls on him.

"Hehe beaten by a girl, how pathetic." Suri Polomare speaks mockingly

Suri remains sitting on the boy's back, with both legs on the sides of your torso and using her hands to force him to the ground.

***

"I bet you never expected me to be behind this, right Shimmer?" The boy comments with contempt, although a satisfaction.

There is no answer, Sunset is silent while everyone sees it.

***

Sunset closes her locker, gives a small sigh and walks towards the exit.

Her walk stops, when she sees director Cinch, standing in the hallway.

"Miss Shimmer." Cinch speaks.

"Principal." The girl responds.

Where Your Home Is - Part 3

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In Princess Twilight's castle, five young mares and a baby dragon wait in front of a mirror connected to a strange machine, their expressions worried and anxious.

Rainbow Dash constantly shakes her head, trying to dispel any negative thoughts. Beside her, Fluttershy has her head down, but she stares unblinkingly at the mirror. She huddles next to Rainbow, the braver pegasus covering the shyer one with a supportive wing.

Applejack keeps fidgeting with her hat, her eyes darting around the room as she tries to find something to occupy her thoughts. Wanting to ease her friend’s nerves, Rarity uses her magic to wipe the farmer’s sweating brow with a handkerchief, winning a grateful smile from the Apple.

Pinkie stays right in front of the mirror, a little ahead of the others, sitting on her rump with her hind legs outstretched, looking with eyes both worried and excited at her reflection in the mirror.

Spike paces back and forth, eyes on the ground, occasionally chewing a claw. Every now and then, he pauses, his gaze rising to the book atop the machine, before going right back to pacing.

Finally, the machine starts to come alive, drawing everypony’s attention as the energy distributes to and fro throughout the mechanisms, before there’s a bright flash of light, the mirror’s reflective surface replaced by a spiraling pattern of light.

Nopony talks. They just look at the mirror, waiting.

After what seems like an eternity, the spiral brightens, and a familiar shape emerges from the portal. Pinkie and Rainbow seem to race to reach her first, but within a second, Twilight is overcome by a group hug.

"TWILIGHT!" everypony exclaims, faces filled with joy. However, Twilight doesn’t respond either to her name or to the hug, and faces of concern slowly replace the smiles.

"Twilight?" asks Pinkie.

For a moment, Twilight says nothing. She just lies her head on her pink friend's shoulder.
Soon, the gathered ponies begin to hear soft crying.

Spike panics, asking, "Twilight! What's wrong?!”

There is no answer except for the princess's sobs.

"Twilight, dear, what’s wrong?" Rarity tries.

"Are you okay, sugarcube?" Applejack asks, immediately feeling dumb as soon as the words leave her lips.

"No..." Twilight finally answers, her voice a soft whisper that the others only hear thanks to the silence of the room.

Pinkie reacts by reflex, tightening the hug. The princess's crying only returns and intensifies, however.

Rainbow swallows her pain and fear to speak. "Twilight... what happened...?"

For several seconds, Twilight doesn’t respond, but soon, she pulls away from her friend's shoulder, before slowly separating from Pinkie, answering without looking up in a cracking voice. "I… couldn't help her... I ruined it... I ruined everything! Sunset, forgive me!"

She sinks to the floor, sobbing aloud. None of them completely understands what happened, but they don't care. Spike runs and hugs her, and Twilight readily returns the embrace. The others quickly join in, trying to comfort the sobbing princess with their love.

Eventually, Twilight’s sobs quiet, and although her crying doesn’t cease, she does begin to calm down.

*S*A*S*

The blanket is wrapped by a blue light as Rarity gently places it on the princess’s sleeping form. The dressmaker delicately fixes the blanket and gives one last look to the sleeping princess. Rainbow touches her shoulder and gives her a sad look, and Rarity sighs, leaving the room with the others.

They walk a little down the hall, none sure of what to think or feel.

Applejack is the first to ask, "Spike, what happened?"

The little dragon stops walking and looks at everyone. "I don't know... Sunset Shimmer sent me a message through the book, and—"

Rainbow interrupts the explanation. "I thought the book didn't work anymore."

"I thought so, too," answer the little dragon. "But... I don't know, she just wrote to me and told me to look for all you to open the portal… then... I just..."

"Oh, what could have happened to our dear Twilight over there?" asks Rarity. "I can't imagine it..."

Fluttershy, worried, pipes up and says, "And... Sunset Shimmer...?"

Rainbow nods. "Yeah, didn't Twilight say she had a problem with the school there?"

"I don't know anything about that..." the dragon responds, grabbing his tail to soothe his nerves. "Sunset just told me that she was going to send Twilight back home..."

The answer doesn’t really satisfy anyone. After a few seconds, Spike says, "Girls, I have to send a message to Princess Celestia. She’ll want to know that Twilight returned."

"Go ahead," the farmer responds. "We’ll take care of Twilight."

"Thanks," the dragon responds with a small smile before quickly departing. When the dragon leaves, all the ponies look at each other, eyes full of worry.

*S*A*S*

The young scientist lies face-up on her bed, running the day’s events over and over in her head. The meetings with Lightning Dust and Jet Set. The arrival at Canterlot High School. The moment where all her companions and the princess arrived.

A sigh escapes her, remembering the way Sunset helped the princess, and a chill runs down her back as she remembers the moment the princess asked Sunset to leave with her.

Twilight puts both hands on her chest, feeling very cold.

Her heart almost broke at that moment. If Sunset left...

She shakes her head hard.

She didn't want to think about that. The thought of it destroys her inside.

She didn't want to lose Sunset. She owed Sunset so much.

Memories of Sunset bubble up into her mind. Their first meeting, meeting Sonata, the times Sunset protected her, the concert.

Sunset had changed her life in a way that Twilight herself didn't know she could or even wanted.

After remembering all the moments with Sunset, Twilight makes a decision. She gets up and goes to her computer.

Her little Spike, seeing his owner move, gets up and approaches her curiously.

Twilight connects a flash drive to her computer and loads it up with information from her computer. Finished, she takes a black bag and fills it with documents, a notebook, and finally, a newpaper clipping. Grabbing the flash drive, she leaves the room, her little dog following her.

Outside, she removes the lid of her garbage can and drops the bag in it. She holds up the flash drive and stares at it. After a moment, she notices the curious look of her puppy. "Spike, there are more important things than science."

The little canine seems extremely surprised by that phrase, though Twilight doesn't notice, still staring at the drive before dropping it into the container. She replaces the lid, and with a sigh, she goes back inside.

Spike watches her for a moment, then looks at the container, and finally follows her hurriedly.

Everything is silent except for the sound of the approaching garbage truck.

*S*A*S*

It's a new day in Crystal Prep, and in one of the school halls, two students stare at one of their phones, semi-hidden next to some lockers.

"Wait, wait, my favorite part is coming,"Indigo announces in a hushed voice to Lemon.

"One day, I will be above you, and when that day comes, I will make you shine my shoes with YOUR REPUGNANT TONGUE!"

"Look at Cinch's face!" Lemon exclaims with a cackle. "It’s like she’s afraid Sunset will eat her!"

Both continue to watch the phone, oblivious of the angry presence standing behind them. After a few moments, a chill runs down their spine as they finally hear, "Turn. That. Off."

Both girls freeze. Neither Indigo nor Lemon dare to turn or even move.

"NOW!"

The two girls panic, fumbling the phone between their four hands before one finally manages to catch it and close the video. They turn and stare in terror at the enraged girl behind them.

"H-Hey, Sunset..." says Indigo, trying and failing to be calm. "Uh... nice day, right?"

Lemon makes no attempt to hide her fear and instead uses her athlete friend as a shield. "Forgive me and spare my life, demon queen! I offer this virgin as a sacrifice in exchange for your mercy!" she screams with fear, pushing Indigo forward.

Indigo turns, blushing and extremely annoyed. "What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"

"What are you two doing?" Sunset demands loudly, prompting the girls to hug each other in terror. "Why do you keep watching that stupid video?!"

Indigo overcomes her fear to answer, "It's just, you look super epic, Sunset!"

"Yeah!" seconds the rocking girl. "I've never seen anyone talk to Cinch like that! In fact, I've never seen anyone talk to her at all! Everyone is always too scared to say a word when she talks to them."

"Yeah, and now, because of that, I have detention for three weeks..." complains the former Equestrian. “But I guess I’m not expelled, so there’s that…”

"You could intimidate the dean like you did with the principal," comments Indigo.

Sunset just frowns. "I will not go around intimidating people. I’m not that person anymore."

Their talk is interrupted by some students passing by.

"Looks, there’s Sunset!"

"Hey, Sunset!"

"We saw you in that video!"

"You're my hero!"

"You showed Cinch who's boss!"

Sunset just groans, hiding her irritated face in one hand. "I can't believe you put that on the internet..."

"Oh, come on!" Indigo says. "Haven't you seen the comments?! Everyone loves you!"

"I don't want everyone to love me!" Sunset complains. "I want them all to forget about that damn video."

"Don't play queen against me, Cinch. Because Iwill dethrone you."

Sunset shudders upon hearing that, looking a short distance away. Sunny Flare is standing in front of her locker, watching her sideways phone propped against some books. A dreamy smile and a blush are on her face, an intense glow in her eyes.

"SUNNY FLARE!" Sunset suddenly shouts, next to the lilac-haired girl in an instant, making her scream in fright and slam the locker door shut. "You, too?!"

Sunny seems to want to answer, but the only thing that comes out of her mouth is babbling.

"Why are you watching that?" Sunset asks again, more calmly this time.

Sunny is embarrassed to the point that her cheeks turn totally red. After thinking about it a lot, she can't find a good excuse. "I can't help it, Sunset. It’s just that... you look so..."

"I look so what?" Sunset asks with some impatience.

"You look so sexy, okay?!" Sunny exclaims, ashamed.

Sunset’s face explodes into a blush. "Wh-What?!"

Sunny Flare's face lives up to her name, as it turns so red that it seems to glow. "I'm sorry. I know it sounds bad, but the way you faced Cinch... You look so powerful and awesome that I can't help—"

"Please! Stop..." Sunset says, covering her face with her hands and trying to hide her own blush. "Please don't say things like that out loud."

Lemon wraps an arm around Sunset’s neck and pulls her close. "Come on, Sun-Shim! You’re the most popular girl in school right now!"

Annoyed, Sunset gently pushes the green-haired girl away and stands straight. "The days when I was interested in being popular are behind me. Far, far behind me." All of them see another group of students approaching, who greet Sunset in a manner similar to the first group, just frustrating her more. "Ugh! Guess I can kiss my dreams of anonymity goodbye…" She’s silent for a second. "What am I even complaining about? I can't even stay at this school anymore."

Sunset’s words stun her friends.

"What do you mean?" Indigo question first.

"Do you plan to transfer?" Sunny asks with worry.

Sunset looks at them all with an incredulous face. "Please, girls. After what I did yesterday, Cinch will storm over and tell me I’m extraexpelled, and not just from this school. Probably from every other school and university in the city."

The girls exchange worried glances, clearly not having thought of that.

Indigo rushes to protest. "But... But we can't let her do that!"

Lemon supports her. "Yeah, Sunset! Do the Demon Queen thing again and force her not to expel you."

Sunset rolls her eyes. "No way. I got carried away yesterday, but I won't be what I was in the past."

"But we must do something!" Sunny exclaims, forgetting her embarrassment and replacing it with concern. "We can't let her—"

Sunset interrupts her calmly. "Look girls, it's not that bad. I'll find out how to continue studying. There are online courses and stuff."She takes a moment to take a deep breath. "And even if I'm not here, it doesn't mean we stop being friends."

She gives everyone a smile, one that causes everyone to remain silent.

The bell signaling the beginning of class rings. "Time to get to class. See ya, girls." Sunset waves farewell, and the others sullenly return the wave, watching their friend head to class before exchanging extremely worried looks.

*S*A*S*

During the rest of the morning and even in class, Sunset received greetings and smiles from almost every student she passed.

It was strange to see those young people, before so cold, greeting her cheerfully as if they were all her friends.

It was a strange feeling, but at the same time, it was nice.

At lunchtime, Sunset sits with her usual companions Twilight and Sonata. However, the two girls notice a certain expression in their equine friend.

"Is something wrong, Sunset?" Twilight asks softly.

Sunset takes a second to respond. "It’s nothing."

Sonata shakes her head. "Nope! Don't try to deny it, Sunsite! I've known you for over seven hundred hours! And in that time, I learned how to read you, and I know that face. Something’s bugging you!"

Twilight takes a deep breath. "Sonata’s right. Something’s bothering you. What is it?"

Again, Sunset tries to speak, but she stops and just sighs. Then, she finally finds her voice. "I'm just tired... This month has been anything but what I expected..." Sunset rests her elbow on the table, her head in her hand, and takes a bite of her salad.

Her friends watch her, somewhat worried. "And... what did you expect, Sunsite?" the siren finally asks.

"Mainly to forget about Canterlot and have a quiet school life, with no one paying attention to me," the fire-haired girl responds.

"Um, I don’t think your plan worked out very well," Sonata comments.

"Really? You think?" Sunset spits sarcastically.

Missing the sarcasm, Sonata responds, "Well, yeah, because now, you're, like, the most popular girl in school."

There is silence while Sunset gives Sonata a frustrated look. "... You're lucky I can't get mad at you, Sonata."

"Thank you!" the girl chirps with a big smile.

Twilight tries to resume the conversation so as not to cause her best friend any more trouble. "Well, in my opinion—and even if it's not what you wanted, I have to say it—everything’s… better because of you, Sunset."

The former pony raises a silent eyebrow at the scientist while putting another forkful of salad in her mouth.

Twilight decides to keep going. "I mean, it sounds weird, but school feels different since I met you," she says with a soft smile, looking around the cafeteria.

Sunset follows suit, looking around, noticing that Twilight isn’t wrong. The students around the room are eating, laughing, smiling, and talking to each other animatedly. As if they were friends.

When Sunset arrived at Crystal Prep, everything was so cold and numb. That had been the reason why she had come to the school in the first place: so that she didn't have to interact with anyone and could be alone.

But today, she had felt warm and loved all day.

Returning her gaze to the front, Sunset sees her purple-haired friend smile at her, her blue-haired friend having gone back to her lunch, paying the two no more mind. But before she can say anything else, she sees Sunny Flare in the corner of her eye.

"Sunset, honey," the girl speaks when approaching the table, a soft blush still on her face.

The three friends turn to see her. "What's up, Sunny?" Sunset asks.

"I have some… important information."

*S*A*S*

"Oh, what a lovely surprise~!" Sour Sweet sings with an extremely bright smile and voice. "What do you want now?!" comes the expected other side of the coin.

Sunset, Sunny, Twilight and Sonata sit around the round table in the student council room with Sour Sweet, each girl skipping lunch to have this impromptu meeting.

"Suri Polomare spoke to me today in class," Sunny explains.

Sour Sweet rolls her eyes. "The shrimp? So what?"

"She is going to tell us the identity of the real user behind the blog that defamed Sunset."

"Oh, how interesting~" Sour begins excitedly, before her face instantly changes to a scowl. "Why should I care about that?"

Sunny pauses a moment before explaining, "Well, Sunset suggested we let you know."

The freckled girl glares at Sunset, who explains after a moment of doubt, "I thought you would like to know. You wanted to find the culprit to look good to the principal."

Sour Sweet raises an eyebrow, giving it some thought, but before she can say anything, a ruckus is heard on the other side of the door.

A male voice is heard in constant complaint, as well as grunting from a female voice and what sounds like a fight. There’s suddenly a loud thud on the door, and before anyone can react, it opens with a clatter, and a boy falls to the ground, a girl falling on top of him.

"Hah, beat by a girl! How pathetic!" Suri Polomare announces from atop the boy’s back, remaining sitting on him to keep him pinned.

After a moment of silence, Sour Sweet is the first to speak. "What the hell is going on?" she snaps.

Suri looks up at everyone present and smiles at them. "Hi there! I brought the bastard! This is the one who started that blog!"

The culprit, a boy with pale skin and white hair, growls, "Get off me, you little—Argh!"

His sentence is cut off with a yelp as Suri jumps on his back. "Shut up, you jerk!"

Sunset, as confused as all the others, decides to just ask, "Suri… what are you doing?"

"Miss Shimmer!" Suri exclaims with a big smile and a sparkle in her eyes. "I wanted to come and tell everyone who forced me to make that blog. Sunny told me to find all of you here, and while I was coming, I found him and decided to bring him to meet you."

"Get off of me, you fat pig!" he yells.

Suri growls and turns around, grabbing his legs and pulling them back, forcing a yelp of pain from her captive. "Call me that again! I dare you!"

Sunset decides to intervene before things get worse, pulling the girl off the boy. "Suri, calm down."

"You're lucky that Miss Shimmer is nice, you bastard," Suri announces without opposing Sunset.

Sunny decides to take the floor, clapping her palms. "Alright, alright, let's calm down. Suri, can you explain the situation please? Calmly?"

"With pleasure," the youngest responds, clearing her throat as Sunset releases her. "Yesterday, after watching the video of Miss Shimmer facing Principal Cinch…" She interrupts her own story to look at Sunset with stars in her eyes. "You looked fabulous, Miss Shimmer. A great example of strength and courage!"

Sunset pinches her forehead in irritation. "Thanks…"

Suri continues her explanation. "That inspired me to do what I owed. I realized that I didn't have to be afraid of a dumb, ignorant, bullying—"

"We get it!" Sour snaps. “Get on with it!”

Suri clears her throat again. "R-Right. And when I had class with Sunny Flare, I decided that I should reveal who he was."

"You're finished, twerp," announces the boy in question. "Say goodbye to school and your future."

"Shut up!" Suri snaps. "I don't care what you say anymore! Miss Shimmer has inspired me. I'm stronger than you think, and as of today, I won't let you or anyone else trample me!" she announces, but soon, her scowl changes to a blushing smile as she clings to Sunset's arm. "Except Miss Shimmer. She can trample me anytime."

Sunset’s eyes widen with a bright blush. "Wh-What!?"

Ignoring the scene, Sour Sweet decides to get up and walk to the girl. "Very nice speech, shrimp, but do you have any proof? Because as far as I can see, you're still the creator of that page, so you're still guilty."

The white-haired boy smiles confidently at that. To his surprise, Suri just smiles and turns away from Sunset to search his pockets.

"The evidence is right here." Suri takes a digital camera out of one pocket and giving it to Sunny Flare, the photo album open. "This is the bastard's camera. The idiot kept the photos he took of Miss Shimmer since all this began."

The group looking with curiosity at the photos, confirming that they indeed match the ones on the site as the white-skinned young man growls in annoyance.

“And since you can see some other photos of him with friends and stuff, it proves this is his camera!” Suri proclaims. “You’re finished, jackass!”

The young man growls in rage.

Twilight watches the boy and hesitates, but she eventually asks, "Um, is that true then? Was it you?"

After being allowed to stand, he adjusts his jacket and snorts in annoyance. "It seems I can no longer hide it. Yes, I started that blog to ridicule Sunset Shimmer before the whole school and make her pay for what she did to me."

They all show some confusion, Sunset more than anyone.

"I bet you never expected me to be behind this," the boy announces. "Right, Shimmer?"

There is no answer as Sunset stares at him a while. "Um, no... I had no idea, um... Who are you, again?"

The boy snarls in rage. "Who am I? Who am I?! I am Winter White the Third! Firstborn of the Winter family and future president of the largest financial company in the city!"

Sunset just looks blankly at him.

"Sunset Shimmer!" he exclaimed again. "You ruined my perfect academic record!"

Sunset stays silent for a bit before asking, “How…?”

Twilight approaches and whispers to her friend, "He wanted to copy off my exam, but you stopped him."

Sunset just replies, "Oh..." racking her brain for the memory. Finally, it comes to her.

Sunset rummages through her locker, getting ready for her afternoon classes.

"Sunset Shimmer!" Sunset turns to find a young man with extremely pale skin and even whiter hair stomping toward her. "I finally found you. Have you any idea what you've done?!" he demands as he reaches her.

Sunset looks at him strangely and says, "Um... And you are...?"

He looks scandalized. "You don’t know me?! I am Winter White the Third, firstborn of the Winter family and future president of the largest financial company in the city!" he exclaims with something akin to pride.

Still confused, Sunset says, "Uh... A pleasure."

"The feeling is not mutual, Sunset Shimmer! You've ruined my academic record!"

"... I did what?"

"Because of you, I have failed last week’s exams!"

"Why? What did I do?" Sunset demands.

"What did you do?” Winter repeats as if the answer is obvious. “If you had not meddled, Sparkle would have helped me pass each test with excellence, as is only right and proper."

Sunset snaps her fingers. "Wait, I remember now. You and another guy were harassing Twilight that one day."

"And because of you, I could not use her to pass! You have cost me my perfect record!"

Sunset shrugs. "You should’ve studied.”

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" he demands, even more annoyed than when he arrived. "Because of you, I must now waste my time with a tutor, and my parents have banned me from all recreational activity until I pass next month’s exams! You ruined my life! Which is why I decided that I would ruin yours, leaving you a laughingstock before the whole school!"

Sunset just stares at him, only half-listening to his tirade.

“But why use her?” Sonata asks, pointing to Suri.

"Simple, you twit; I needed a scapegoat!" the young man explains. "I also don't like her."

Sour Sweet decides to end the matter. "Anyway. We have the culprit, the evidence, and the confession. We just need to take it to the principal. And no soft-hearted losers are going to stop me this time!”

Sour and everyone else turn their gazes to Sunset, who suddenly feels nervous. She thinks about it carefully.

The issue of being defamed on the internet was never of great interest to Sunset. After all, she never sought to make a good reputation at this school.

On the other hand, this was not just the blog. This guy, Winter White, was more than just a slanderer. He didn’t just involve Sunset.

Suri had been dragged into it and used to fulfill his purpose. He took advantage of his older age and his school status to force a younger student to participate in these actions.

Worse still, he had used her as a scapegoat and forced her to create that page so that if it were discovered, she would be charged and punished...

"He reminds me of myself..." she thinks sadly.

After being silent for another moment, she sighs through her nose and prepares to make a decision.

It wasn't right... Someone like him... couldn't get away with this...

"Do it, Sour Sweet," she finally says, to freckled girl’s surprise, "Take it, and tell the principal what he did."

Sour Sweet pauses a moment but responds, "Well, you're finally doing the right thing."

Winter White exhales a growl in his throat.

"Alright, pal, the principal will want to see you," the student president announces.

*S*A*S*

After several minutes of waiting outside Cinch’s office, the door opens. Winter White leaves the place growling, and behind him, Sour exits with a smile of superiority.

"Well, what happened?" Sunny questions.

The only answer is Winter walking down the hall. He pauses for a moment and turns around, glaring at Sunset. "This isn’t over, Shimmer. I am Winter White the Third! I assure you that you will regret this!" With that statement, he stalks away quickly.

All the girls watch him leave before turning back to Sour. "So… what happened?" Sunny asks again.

"What do you think?" Sour Sweet replies. "I showed the principal all the evidence, and our pale friend was expelled. And she rewarded me with an admission at my dream university. What a beautiful day~"

Sunny smiles at the news, as does Twilight, while Sonata and Suri jump for joy.

Sunset, on the other hand, stays calm, even finding herself worried. "Was that really the right thing...?" she wonders.

The group remains lively as they walk down the hall. No one notices as the office door opens and Cinch walks out, watching Sunset leave.

*S*A*S*

The last bell sounds, signaling the end of class.

Sunset closes her locker, letting out a small sigh as she walks towards the exit.

She freezes in her tracks when she sees Principal Cinch standing in the middle of the hall.

The woman looks at the girl directly, without paying attention to the gazes that all the other students direct at her.

Sunset keeps her gaze on Cinch, and after a moment of mental preparation, she walks forward until only a few meters separate them.

Cinch remains silent for another moment before finally saying, "Miss Shimmer."

"Principal," Sunset responds dryly.

"How has your day been today?" Cinch asks casually but with a sinister tone under her voice.

Sunset shrugs slightly, acting casual. "Pretty good. Crystal Prep’s a good place. Clean, tidy, and although I didn’t think I’d fit in at all at first, I must say that lately, I feel like a real part of the school."

"Of course," replies the woman. "Crystal Prep prides itself on its title as the most prestigious school in the city, and we strive day by day to honor that."

"I can imagine," Sunset speaks in an even, disinterested tone.

Cinch soon changes her calm attitude to her usual intimidating one. "Unfortunately, it is impossible to prevent certain people who do not agree with our institution from walking through our doors from time to time."

"Yeah, well, no matter how clean a kitchen is, there will always be flies," Sunset says without breaking her own facade.

There’s a tense silence. The students around had, by this point, all stopped what they were doing and pay their full attention to the scene.

Cinch keeps her grave expression while Sunset stares back, undeterred by the woman's gaze. Finally, a bit tired of the unnecessary silence, Sunset decides to speak. "Do you have something to tell me, Principal?"

There is no response from the principal.

Sunset knew what was about to happen. She had been waiting for it all day. Maybe Cinch had let the classes end beforehand just to give her a real 'last day'. Or maybe, she wanted to see if Sunset would come beg for forgiveness. Or maybe, she just didn't have time to do it earlier, given how busy she must be.

Either way, Sunset knew what was coming.

Cinch opens her mouth to speak.

"NO!" A sudden shout is heard that startles everyone around. Even more surprising is when Twilight comes running down the hall and hugs Sunset tightly.

"Twilight?" Sunset asked, stunned.

"Miss Sprakle!" the principal exclaims, bothered by such an interruption. "What are you doing?!"

Twilight holds on to Sunset but looks toward the principal. "You can't expel Sunset! I won't let you!"

"Miss Sparkle, this matter does not concern you. Leave us be," Cinch orders, trying to remain calm.

Twilight does the opposite, clinging more tightly to Sunset. "It does concern me! Sunset is my friend, and I won't let you hurt her!"

"Twilight..." Sunset mumbles in surprise, looking at her friend with trembling eyes.

Twilight looks up into her best friend’s eyes. "You've protected me since you got here... Now, it's my turn to protect you."

Whispers and comments start filling the air from the surrounding students.

The principal's impassive countenance breaks, showing her clear irritation. "Miss Sparkle, I order you to leave us be, lest I levy punishment against you, as well."

"Punish me however you want!" the scientist responds without a trace of fear in her voice. "I don't care! I won't leave my friend alone!"

Sunset can't help smiling, her eyes quivering at what she hears.

Twilight lowers her voice softly, but she still sounds sure of herself. "Sunset is the best thing that has ever happened to me." She raises her voice again. "And if you want to expel her, then... you’ll have..." She thinks for a moment, but without ever losing her sincerity, she finishes, "Then you’ll have to expel me, too!"

Everyone in the place gasps. Even Cinch pauses, surprised. "Miss Sparkle! What are you saying?!"

"You heard me!" she snaps. "If Sunset leaves, I leave! Say goodbye to your best student, Cinch! Because I won't stay in a school without my best friend!" Twilight lays her head on Sunset's shoulder while looking gravely at the principal, showing in her eyes that she’s dead serious.

Sunset, after getting over her own shock, can only smile brightly, pulling Twilight into a hug of her own.

Cinch clenches her teeth, but as she opens her mouth, she’s once more interrupted. "You rock, Twi-Twi!" Sonata cheers, rushing over and standing by Sunset’s side. "Adagio will yell at me, but this school is boring! Only Sunset makes it fun, so expel me if you want, too!"she screams with enthusiasm.

The three friends look at each other, smiling. Unlike Cinch, who looks angrier with every passing second.

"This is crazy! And I love it!" calls someone else, who joins the group.

Sunset smiles at her. "Lemon Zest..."

"We're a team. Sunset Among Shadows! United to the end!" Lemon exclaims.

Cinch bites her tongue in an attempt to keep the little calm she has left. "Enough! I will not tolerate this kind of behavior."

Sunny Flare snorts with disinterest and soon also approaches the group.

"Sunny Flare?" Sunset asks, a little surprised but nevertheless happy to see her.

The elegant girl only gives a wink and a smile as she joins them.

Cinch continues to fight her inner anger. "This is too much. All of you are in serious trouble."

Indigo appears and smiles mockingly, joining them and high-fiving Sunset. Suddenly, to Cinch’s immense surprise, the entire soccer team joins the small group.

"If you are looking to do something to Sunset or our captain..."

"You’ll have to get through us, first! "

"Yeah! We're a team!"

"LET'S GO SHADOW BOLTZ!"

One more little voice is heard. "Oh, get off my way!" Suri pushes herself out of the crowd and runs to Sunset and, just as Twilight did, hugs her too.

"You too, Suri?" Sunset asks.

The little girl's answer is just a smile.

The students around smile at the whole scene, and soon, several students begin to walk. Without any doubt in their postures, they approach and remain near or behind Sunset and her group. They smile at each other, confident, supporting each other. Notably, Sour Sweet doesn’t join them from one end of the corridor, nor do Sugarcoat, Trenderhoof, or Fleur de Lis, the trio standing on the other end. They just watch with curious expressions.

Soon, dozens of students gather with Sunset, shaking hands with each other, more than one patting Sunset's shoulder or back and greeting their classmates with friendly smiles.

The principal, on the other hand, stands alone and angry.

One last student approaches Sunset, surprising her more than any other. "Lightning Dust?"

The blonde girl doesn’t respond at first, staring at Sunset with a serious expression, but she soon gives a small smile. "School’s more fun since you showed up."

Sunset smiles again, and the group turns to face the principal, confident and determined. There is not a hint of fear in their eyes.

Cinch doesn’t react, her face completely impassive. Silence fills the whole hall, the whole school.

After what seems like hours, Cinch takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. "It will be like that then." She says nothing more.

Cinch begins to walk towards the group with a firm, straight step. Sunset sees her approach but notes that Cinch is not paying attention to her or anyone else. Sunset separates from Twilight and Suri and moves to the side, letting the woman move forward. The entire group separates, leaving a path for the principal, who pays none of them any attention.

After a few more steps, she stops, her back to Sunset. "Miss Shimmer, compliance with school hours is valuable. I hope to see you in homeroom tomorrow by the time the bell rings."

Everyone suddenly shouts with joy and excitement. Sunset stays calm, but smiles with satisfaction. "I warned you what would happen."

Cinch turns her head slightly to stare the girl, her face as expressive as a stone.

Without erasing her smile, Sunset continues, "I’ll be here bright and early tomorrow, Principal. You have my word."

Cinch takes a few seconds before speaking. "Alright, then."

The woman says no more. She simply continues on her way down the hall, ignoring the shouts and celebrations and mockery from the students.

Twilight embraces Sunset again, followed by Sonata. On the opposite side of the hallway, Sugarcoat keeps her neutral expression, while Fleur and Trenderhoof smile in apparent relief.

Sugarcoat says, "Let's go. There are issues to attend to before our next meeting." With that said, she begins to walk away, the two following.

Sour Sweet wears her own smile before departing to get back to her own work.

Eventually, Sunset leaves school, followed by her closest classmates, everyone beaming with joy. While they chat animatedly, making plans and enjoying their small but significant victory, Sunset turns once more to gaze at the imposing and elegant building. "You know something?" She turns again and notices the gaze and smiles of her friends. "This place is starting to grow on me."

With that, they all go their way. A moment passes, but suddenly, the front doors fly open, and the Dean Cadance rushes out of the place.

"Sunset Shimmer! You still have detention! Sunset!"

However, the girl was already too far away to hear her. Cadance can only cross her arms and sigh.

End of Winter

View Online

Flash Sentry rifles through his locker as he prepares for class, thinking about what happened a few days ago with Sunset. As he closes it, he spots Applejack walking down the hall out of the corner of his eye. He takes a deep breath, steeling his resolve, and approaches. "Applejack!"

The farmgirl turns in his direction, though her expression falls when she sees who called her. "Hey, Flash..." she says unenthusiastically.

"Hey," he says in return. "Can I… ask you a favor?" he asks nervously.

Applejack’s downtrodden look turns curious. "Uh, what is it?"

Flash hesitates for a moment, taking another breath, and takes out his phone. "Can you... give me your phone number?"

Applejack is surprised, but she says, "Uh, sure, I guess."

They exchange numbers, and Flash lets out a chipper, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome..." replies the blonde girl, still confused. "But why’d you want it?"

Flash gets nervous again. "Um... well, you'll see..." He hesitates for a moment. "It's just that I want to be in touch with you. Just that..."

Applejack narrows her eyes. She can tell when someone is lying, and Flash is certainly hiding something. Suddenly, her face falls.

On the other hand, how well can she really detect honesty, if she couldn't see how Sunset told her the truth all this time...

Flash realizes something’s amiss. "Hey… you okay Applejack...?"

The farmer jumps a bit and shakes her head to dispel those thoughts. "I'm fine... I gotta head to class. See ya..."

She quickly brushes past him, her sorrowful face returning. Flash watches her for a moment, but soon, he turns around, taps his phone a bit, and sends a message.

*S*A*S*

The phone in her jacket buzzes softly. She pulls it out and sees a new message on the screen.

*S*A*S*

In the royal castle, the six ponies and the little dragon are directed straight to the throne room. All the while, Spike finds it impossible to keep his worried eyes off his best friend for long. "Are you sure you're okay, Twilight? The princess said you should come only when you recovered. It’s only been a few days…"

Twilight shakes her head gently. "I don't want to stay in bed, Spike." She takes a moment to take a breath. "I’ve been waiting for this for too long. Not only that, but now that I’m back, I have a lot of work to catch up on. Besides, I feel better; my fever went down and… I'm not so tired anymore."

Applejack comes forward a bit to walk by her side. "If you say so, we’ll believe ya. But if you feel tired or dizzy, tell us right away. I can carry you on my back, no problem."

"Thank you, Applejack, but that won't be necessary. I'm fine, really."

Silence falls once more as the others look worriedly at Twilight, but they raise no more arguments, and eventually, they pass through the great doors and enter the throne room. Celestia, sitting in all her splendor, keeps her composure as she watches her beloved student-turned-princess approach.

The group walks about halfway across the room before stopping, all except Twilight bowing in reverence.

"Princes Celestia..." Twilight begins softly.

The millennia-old princess descends the steps calmly, and upon reaching her former student, she immediately starts gently caressing her. "Twilight, you don't know how relieved I am to see you again." Her voice is soft, gentle, as is her smile. Only a very small glimpse of what seems like fear is perceptible in her words, impossible to detect by anyone without the intimate relationship Twilight had with her.

Twilight’s face falls, sensing that fear. "Princess... I'm so sorry... I know I did wrong. I worried you and everypony else... I just wanted... I'm sorry...!"

Twilight struggles to keep her tears from falling, and Celestia gently wraps the smaller alicorn in her wings, bringing her closer so as to let her rest her head on her chest. "Oh, Twilight, don't worry about that anymore. The important thing is that you're here again."

The young princess lets herself be pampered, burying her face in her mentor’s fur as her friends watch on, worried.

Celestia uses the feathers of her wings to gently lift Twilight’s chin to face her. "Twilight, do you think you can tell us what happened?"

Twilight lets out a soft sob and closes her eyes...

*S*A*S*

With the soft white wing covering her like a blanket, the purple princess leans on her former teacher, both lying on a large cushion in the solar alicorn’s room.

The other ponies are lying or sitting around, all with expressions of amazement, worry, and disbelief.

"... And although I wanted to stay... I knew that I was just a hindrance there," Twilight says sadly, sighing as she finishes, "Sunset... She didn't want to have me around... so... I agreed to come back." Her voice is loaded with sorrow and regret.

Although the ponies’ and Spike’s expressions run a gamut of emotions, Celestia’s own remains stoic throughout the whole story despite the burning anger and pain flowing through her veins.

"I can't believe it..." Rainbow mutters, breaking the silence after Twilight’s story concludes. Everypony gives her their attention, and she repeats, "No, really! I can't believe it!" she repeats. " Twilight, is that really true?!"

"It's true, Rainbow..." confirms the younger princess. "It’s all true..."

Rainbow lets out a growl. "But… she’s supposed to be like me, right? I’d never do something like that!"

"Rainbow, calm down," Applejack says.

"‘Calm down’?! How can I calm down?! I just heard that the other me on the other side of the mirror left a friend for nothing!" Rainbow snarls. "She’s lucky I wasn’t there to see that!"

Although the others aren’t quite as open about it, they find themselves feeling similar sentiments about the situation.

"I can't believe they did that to Sunset..." Pinkie mutters, looking nothing like the Element of Laughter she is.

Fluttershy quietly asks, "Um, but Sunset’s... She's fine, right...?"

Twilight looks down. "Yes... She attends a new school now... She has… new friends... like the other Twilight..." Although Twilight tries to be positive, saying all that only seems to hurt her. Especially the last part.

Applejack takes a moment before saying with a sigh, "Well, at least she's happy."

Rarity thinks for a moment, then asks, "And what will happen to our doubles? And the school?"

"I don't know..." Twilight responds. "The last time I saw the school, everyone was sorry.... but Sunset is so angry... I don't know if she’ll ever forgive them... I don't even know if I can..."

Celestia caresses her former student with her feathers, and Twilight takes refuge under the wing, full of grief and shame. "Twilight, I understand that you feel depressed," The princess speaks with a calm voice. "I, too, feel sorry for knowing what they have done to my student. And even more knowing that she will not return..." Celestia's composure, although she tries to remain serene, starts to crack.

Twilight hurriedly says. "I’m sure Sunset will come back, Princess! Someday. I... I know it..."

Celestia gently strokes Twilight’s mane. "Don't worry about it anymore, Twilight. It's all over. There's nothing we can do."

The young princess lowers her head at that. "I’m… I’m sorry, princess... I failed..."

Celestia is intrigued by that. "How did you fail, Twilight?"

Twilight tries not to burst into tears. "I'm the Princess of Friendship... and yet, I couldn't help Sunset, who you asked me to teach and protect. And not only that, I can't see my friends in that world anymore. I'm supposed to protect friendship, but... I ended up breaking it! I failed as a princess... as a guide... and as a friend..."

Trying to hide in the embrace of the aged princess, Twilight once again lets her tears flow as her friends watch, their spirits breaking.

Celestia comforts her little pony as much as she can. "Twilight, you have not failed. You have done your best to help Sunset. However, there are times when things do not come out the way we want..." Memories of Celestia's times with Sunset—the good and the bad—flow through her mind. "You can't force ponies—or any beings, for that matter—to make friends or learn lessons. I had to realize that the hard way..."

A sob is the only answer from the purple princess, and Celestia looks toward the others as she continues, "Neither should you feel bad, dear ponies. No one could have expected this all to happen. And honestly, I don’t think any of us can do anything to help. Sunset made her decision, and now, how things end depends solely on her."

The ponies feel uneasy, but they don't argue. After remaining quiet all this time, Spike finally decides to speak. "Princess Celestia, what... what should we do now?"

"Move on," she replies. "Wait, do our best, and be ready in case Sunset ever needs us again."

Twilight manages to look up a little. "... Spike, does the journal still work?"

"Yeah, but... Sunset gave it to Flash."

Twilight wilts at that. "She… did say she wanted to forget everything..."

"There are things we forget without realizing and things we remember without wanting to," Celestia says to no one in particular.

Her former student thinks of something. "Princess... Sunset tried to burn her journal, but why wasn’t it destroyed...?"

Celestia thinks about the question. "Though I cannot answer with certainty, I can only assume that the link between Sunset's journal and yours not only links their pages but also links their very existence. As long as your journal exists, Sunset's will also exist."

"... Then, I have to take good care of it... I don't want to lose Sunset..." With that, Twilight lies down and gently hides in Celestia's white fur.

"Nopony wants that, Twilight..." the older princess responds.

The room is silent, and soon, Celestia pulls plush cushions near her guests. Slowly, all the little ponies and Spike lie down, exhausted and ready for a much-needed rest. After a few minutes, Celestia is the only one still awake.

"Nobody wants that..."

Looking through the window at her own heavenly star, her mind drifts beyond her kingdom and her world as she considers her past... and her present.

*S*A*S*

"Sunsite!"

Sunset stops her walk and turns, seeing three familiar faces approach. "Sonata? What are you three doing here?" She asks, looking between Sonata and her sisters.

"It’s a public street. We can walk wherever we want,” Aria answers snidely.

Despite Aria’s rudeness, Sunset chuckles a little, admitting that the siren is right. "Well, yeah, but I was just wondering. "

"We’re going shopping!" Sonata answers happily. "We always buy food for the month here because it’s cheaper. Especially lemons."

Sunset raises an eyebrow. "Lemons?"

"Yeah! They’re for Aria. She loves them. Lemon soda, lemon candies, lemon cakes…” She leans over to Sunset and whispers. “She’s addicted, I swear."

"I am not addicted, damn it!" Aria snaps, though her face is flushed in embarrassment. "I just like lemons. And you’re one to talk about addictions, you taco fanatic."

"Hey, that’s different! Tacos are delicious! Lemons are too sour!"

As they both begin to argue, Adagio approaches and talks to Sunset calmly. "Ignore them. They get like this when the bus is late."

Sunset chuckles good-naturedly.

"By the way," continues the siren, "Sonata told us about you with the principal. Good on you, pony girl."

"It's… not something I'm proud of…" Sunset mumbles with a nervous chuckle. "Although, I guess I don't regret it, either."

Adagio smiles. "You still have that side of you. I like it. You would make a great siren."

Sunset gets a little awkward. "Um, I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks."

They share a smile, before Adagio turns to her sisters, who are still arguing about whether tacos or lemons are better, growing in volume with every word. "Enough!" she yells at them, and they both stop fighting. "Aria," the leader of the trio continues, "don’t you have something to say to Sunset?"

Aria is silent, her eyes wide. She looks away with a blush, and Sunset raises a curious eyebrow while Sonata giggles. It takes a few more seconds, but Aria finally says, "Alright, fine! I wanted to… I wanted to thank you, okay? There, I said it!" With that, Aria turns her back on the former equine, crossing her arms.

Sunset pauses a few seconds herself. "Um... you're welcome?" she says uncertainly, looking at the other two for an explanation.

"Aria can sing again," Adagio explains.

Sunset’s wide-eyed gaze snaps back to Aria. "How?"

"I don’t know," Aria responds tersely, not turning around. "Soon after I shook your hand, I felt something strange in my throat, and before I knew it, I was already singing..." Aria’s voice trails off as embarrassment overtakes the siren.

Sonata starts laughing. "Yeah! She came home spinning and dancing like one of those Broadway girls."

"SHUT UP! THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Aria shouts, her cheeks beet-red. Sunset lets out a small chuckle, causing Aria to whirl on her. "STOP LAUGHING!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Sunset says placatingly, her laughter dying little by little. "What about you, Adagio?" she asks, looking at the eldest siren, whose face remains stoic.

Sonata’s smile falls. "Um... Adie still can't..."

Sunset’s own smile evaporates, and she looks wide-eyed at Adagio. “Oh… Adagio, I’m sorry…”

Adagio just close her eyes. "It doesn't matter; if we can't charm people, singing loses most of its value, anyway..."

Silence falls as Sonata and Sunset stare at Adagio, the former with concern, the latter with shame for bringing it up.

Adagio finally speaks again. "Still... I can't not thank you, Sunset Shimmer."

"What? But… what did I do?"

"It doesn't matter. You did it, and that's enough." Adagio smiles softly, and soon, Sunset’s responds with her own hesitant smile. Without saying anything else, Adagio turns around and walks away, her sisters soon following her.

Sonata gives Sunset a smile and a farewell wave, which Sunset returns before suddenly calling, "Wait! Can I ask you something?" The three sisters stop, looking back at her with some curiosity. "It's just... I didn't think about it at the time but, you now know where the portal to Equestria is." Sunset doubts a moment. "I was wondering... Why don't you come back?"

There is a pregnant silence. Sonata looks at the ground, Aria looks away, and Adagio closes her eyes before answering, "We’ve already lived many centuries in this world, and we’ve lived many centuries in Equestria." Adagio pauses a moment as Sunset listens carefully. "Our gems were what allowed us to stay young and strong.… But now that we don't have them, the magic that kept us alive no longer exists. Our bodies are separate from that magic in this world, but the moment we set foot in Equestria… we will turn to dust in a matter of seconds."

The revelation leaves Sunset frozen, the stunned woman gaping at the sirens.

"When I say we are trapped in this world... I really mean it," Adagio finishes.

There is silence between the four, and Adagio suddenly smiles. "‘We are soulmates.’"

Sunset snaps out of her stupor. “Wh-What?”

"It's what you're thinking, isn't it?" Adagio says, still smiling. "You and we have more in common than we would like." With her smile still present, she turns around. "Well, that's all I have to say."

She resumes her walk, her sisters following.

Sunset stands still, and after a moment, she sighs in regret, then goes on her way.

*S*A*S*

It doesn't take long for her to reach that place. A mixture of feelings swirls in her head and stomach. She hesitates a moment, rubbing her neck nervously, before sighing and forcing herself to enter.

*S*A*S*

Inside Sugar Cube Corner, the colorful group of Rainbooms sits around their usual table, each with a drink in front of her. There is silence, when finally, Rainbow asks, "Are you sure it's her? Not someone trying to trick you?"

The farmer’s shoulders slump. "I have no idea, Rainbow..." she mutters. "But, honestly, I’m willin’ to try anything…"

She looks at the screen of her phone, reading that message for the umpteenth time.

Sugar Cube Corner. One hour. Bring the others.

The dressmaker looks very doubtful of the situation. "But why would Sunset ask us to come?"

The shyest allows herself to raise her voice a little. "Maybe... she finally forgives us..."

"Get real, Fluttershy..." Pinkie mutters, her voice muffled by the table she’s laying her face on. "That's not gonna happen."

Fluttershy opens her mouth to speak, but she closes it without saying anything.

There is silence while the five wait, so many mixed feelings among them.

The door opens, and the Rainbooms turn anxiously, except for Diane, who only slowly looks toward the door.

A casual, nameless girl enters and walks to the counter.

The five look down, almost missing when Sunset enters behind that girl. Sunset looks toward them, and they look back, holding their breath. After a few seconds, Sunset approaches the counter and a surprised Mrs. Cake. "Vanilla shake, please," Sunset says.

Mrs. Cake overcomes her surprise and gets the order together. After paying her and thanking her for the drink, Sunset turns again, this time walking toward the Rainbooms’ table.

The five never take their eyes off her; everyone sits frozen in her place. No one, not even Sunset, says anything, and eventually, she sits in the free chair at the table.

There is silence for a moment, until, finally, a sigh escapes Sunset's lips, and she decides to speak. "Let's skip the apologies; I think we all have something we regret," she says somewhat sharply, though her voice quickly softens. "Is there anything else you want to tell me? Or ask me?"

To say that the others are surprised and uncertain would be an understatement. The Rainbooms look at each other subtly, as if each wants someone else to start off. Finally, Rainbow Dash swallows nervously as she says, "Uh… How’s Crystal Prep? Is it as strict as they say it is?” She gives herself a mental slap; small talk is the worst way to break the silence. But at least she had broken the silence.

Sunset just shrugs. "Yeah, it’s pretty strict. The teachers don't even look back at the students; they just talk and talk and write things on the board. They don't seem to care if you pay attention or not."

Silence falls again after Sunset finishes speaking. Mrs. Cake stops by and gives Sunset her shake, which she starts sipping on. The five friends, meanwhile, get a little nervous again. This time, Rarity breaks the silence. "Um, and how are you faring at Crystal Prep? You’ve always excelled at CHS."

Sunset takes a long sip before answering, "I'm doing well, yeah. It's a lot of stuff, but I’m trying not to focus so much on the nitty-gritty. All I really care about are the basics. Just trying to pass the course."

There is another, more worried silence after that answer, and Sunset continues to drink her milkshake.

Applejack decides to change the subject. "So, uh, how’d ya meet, ya know… the other Twilight?"

Sunset takes a moment to consider how to respond. Eventually, she says, "We just crossed paths when I showed up at Crystal Prep.”

Rainbow Dash continues the conversation. "And how is she? Is she like the princess at all?"

Sunset puts her drink down and thinks for a moment about how to explain it. "Um, she's similar in a way, but at the same time, she's really different." She pauses, trying to order her thoughts. "Actually, I couldn't say they’re the same. She's still like the princess, but at the same time, she's not the princess...” She sighs. “That... doesn't make much sense, does it?"

There's a pause, and Rainbow suddenly lets out a chuckle. "No, but I think I get what you're saying."

Fluttershy finally dares to speak. "And she’s... your friend?"

Sunset can hear the tremble in the shy girl’s voice and again, Sunset seems to doubt how to answer. "Yes, she and I are friends," she says with surety. "Actually, I didn't expect to make any friends at Crystal Prep, but things happened and... now I have several friends there."

The answer depresses everyone, although they try to keep smiling, except for Fluttershy, who just looks down sadly, and Diane, who keeps her expression neutral.

Applejack takes the floor again. "You also have another band..."

The comment makes the table quieter... and somehow colder...

"So, you saw that," Sunset mumbles, her eyes turned away from the others.

"Heh, hard not to," Rainbow says. "The video’s all over the web."

"I know... It's a pain, to be honest," the Equestrian says to the others’ surprise. "Believe me, when I went to Crystal Prep, I thought I would go unnoticed. I didn't expect, or want, to be popular."

A couple of the girls snicker a little, and Rainbow comments, "It's the opposite of CHS, isn't it?"

Sunset nods and sips on her milkshake. "Speaking of bands, what about yours?"

Everyone looks suddenly unsure of how to respond. It's Diane who answers in her neutral voice, "The band doesn’t exist anymore."

"What? Why not?" Sunset asks, surprised.

"We can't play..." is her only emotionless response.

The answer only leaves Sunset more confused than surprised.

Applejack tries to explain it. "Try as we might, we just can’t make a harmony. We… We can't play even a single note."

"But why?" Sunset asks again, worried. "You were great before."

"We were..." Rainbow Dash answers with her head bowed. "It’s been weeks, and we just can’t play. We even tried different instruments. It’s something about us..."

Sunset doesn’t know what to say at first. The others certainly don’t look eager to say anything. Finally, Sunset mutters, "That's stupid." The comment surprises the five CHS girls, and they all look wide-eyed at the Crystal Prep student. "I know this whole thing has affected us all," Sunset continues, "but that's no reason to stop playing."

"It's not that we want to quit, " Rarity responds. "It’s just…"

"We can’t play anymore."

Pinkie’s somber response causes Sunset to raise an eyebrow. "Since when has being unable to do something stopped you from doing it?" she suddenly asks. Once she is sure she has the others’ full attention, she continues, "I've only known you for a year or so, but I've never seen you give up when you want something."

The phrase only receives a sad silence. Fluttershy tries to talk. "But... this is..."

"Look, I left CHS because I was tired of crying. Tired of thinking about everything that was going on. It was too much for me... It hurt..." Guilt looms over the five girls again, dragging their gazes downward, but Sunset marches on. "That's why I decided to forget it. I didn't want to continue living with the thoughts and feelings I had there. I wanted to move on... and that's what you should do now."

They all look up at the former equine. Sunset herself, after seeing that she had finished her milkshake, crosses her arms and gives them a neutral look. "This whole Anon-A-Miss thing has gotten out of control. You’re not the same girls I met, and that sucks." Sunset plows through the guilty silence following those words. "But you can’t let yourselves wallow in this. You gotta put it behind you and move on."

"But... You... We..." the athlete stutters, unsure of how to respond.

"We don't want to forget ya..." the farmer says sadly.

Sunset closes her eyes but maintains her neutral expression. "Yeah... and I can't forget you, either..." All the others’ eyes widen in surprise. "The reason I went back to CHS was to put an end to all this crap so I could finally move on. But, instead, the school was worse than I left it. Talk about failure."

"We’re so sorry..." Fluttershy says in a voice that’s extremely soft even for her.

"I also felt all this remorse and hurt those months after the Fall Formal, but I didn't cry. Although I felt terrible, I tried to do my best to keep pushing onward."

"But... we wanted to talk to you, and..." Rainbow doesn't know how to continue.

"The school rejected me back then, but I kept trying." She looks away from them and sighs. "Sure, you helped me. And that’s my point." She returns her gaze to them. "Sometimes, we do things we end up regretting. A lot. But crying won’t make it any better. I wasn’t alone back then, and you’re not alone now."

To everyone's surprise, Sunset stands up and stretches before looking back at them. "Stop feeling sorry for yourselves. You’re not like that. The Anon-a-Miss incident won’t end until you let it. You and everyone else at CHS."

Sunset lets out a sigh through her nose and turns around, starting to walk away. It isn’t long before Rainbow’s voice stops her.

"Sunset, wait!"

Sunset stops and turns around, seeing the athlete standing and looking back at Sunset with an uncertain but determined look. "Why are you telling us all this...?"

Sunset doesn’t respond immediately, looking down as she ponders her response. "I was also part of Anon-a-Miss. And… it's something I want to leave behind. But I can't until CHS does and until everything is as it was before."

Diane gets up and stands behind Rainbow to look at Sunset. "It can't be like before. You’re gone."

"Maybe not, but it doesn't mean that everything should look like this." She takes a deep breath as the others get up. "I have a new life at Crystal Prep. I have friends and people I trust."

They all look down for a moment in guilt.

"But... it's not the same as being with you..." Sunset continues, ignoring the others’ surprise. "Trust is like a vase; if you break it, even if you fix it, it will never look like it did before. Even if I forgive you one day, it will never be the same among us."

The girls’ spirits all sink like a stone, but Sunset trucks onward. "But you can discard that vase or leave it in its place and continue living, even with that defect." She pauses, watching as everyone seems to meditate on that. "I made my choice. Now it's on you and CHS. It’s your turn."

There is another silence, and after another deep breath, Sunset turns again and leaves the premises. The five remain standing in their places, all mired in the thoughts that their former friend just left them.

After closing the door and taking a deep breath of air—instantly regretting it as the air freezes her nose—Sunset stands silent for a moment. "Well... that wasn’t as bad as I expected..."

After resting her mind for another moment, she starts walking.

*S*A*S*

She isn't sure how far or for how long she walked, her mind focusing on absolutely nothing. There is a blank, peaceful calm in her mind.

A vibration and ping in her pocket snap her from her stupor. She sighs and pulls her phone out to read the message.

"Can we keep your number?"

After a moment of doubt, she sends her response.

"Don't call me if I don't call you."

Would she regret that? Maybe. But little could make her life more complicated than it already was, so... it would be a lateral shift at worst.

With that thought, Sunset moves to stow her phone, but she’s interrupted by a phone call. After seeing the name on the screen, she smiles and answers it. "Hey, Twi, what's up? The mall? Heh, sure, but I’m a little far from it. I’ll be there in an hour, okay?"

With that, she hangs up and puts her phone away, taking a deep breath. Despite the frigid air freezing her nose, a smile decorates her face.

*S*A*S*

Sunset arrives at the mall, grinning as she sees her bespectacled friend excitedly waving at her and calling her over. Indigo, Lemon, and Sunny are with her. She hurries over and joins them, spending the afternoon just window shopping and enjoying the simple pleasure of being in a group.

You know, it’s weird, and really annoying.

Whenever I want something, life ends up shoving me down.

I wanted to be powerful and a ruler, but right when I was on the cusp of it, I ended up alone in a crater, with no one by my side.

Then, I wanted to be accepted, and soon after I finally was, I ended up being rejected and abandoned...

And when I wanted to forget that and just live my life without anyone noticing me, I ended up being the center of attention. Some attention good, most of it bad...

Soon, the sun starts sinking beneath the horizon, and Sunset says her farewells and starts walking home, the streetlights turning on as she walks.

*S*A*S*

One morning in Canterlot High School, the Rainbooms meet in their practice room.

I guess life isn’t always what we want. Sometimes—a lot of times, actually—shit happens...

The room is silent. No one has any idea what to do. Until Rainbow decides to pick up her guitar and take an experimental strum...

And when that happens... we just want to get away from the problem.

Everyone gapes in surprise, even Rainbow, who can’t stop the tear from rising to her eye. It sounded… perfect...

*S*A*S*

But it seems that the more you try to avoid your problems, the more persistently they come back to haunt you...

Ditzy Doo hurries around the hall, distributing hot muffins to everyone at school, receiving an occasional smile in thanks. Soon, she arrives at Flash’s locker and silently extends a muffin. The guitarist stows that important book safe in his locker, turning with surprise as he notices the muffin, which he gladly accepts.

But despite that... I don't think it’s a good idea to keep focusing on them and torturing yourself.

Seeing Octavia's depressed state, Vinyl puts her headphones on her friend’s head and starts up a lively beat, which makes the black-haired girl smile softly. They both walk on until they meet Lyra and Bon Bon, who stand smiling and waiting for them.

I don't know if it’s my place for me to give advice, or if this can be useful to everyone…

*S*A*S*

The atmosphere at Crystal Prep is livelier than it’s ever been, with students greeting each other and smiling at each other. The teachers and classes haven’t changed, but the halls feel much warmer than they ever have before.

But I think I could learn something from all this.

*S*A*S*

The young pony princess watches the sky from a balcony of her castle, letting the wind flow through her mane. When she hears a call, she lowers her eyes and sees her friends waiting for her below. She smiles, and with a jump, she spreads her wings and descends to meet them.

*S*A*S*

The principal of Canterlot High stands hesitantly in front of the entrance to that bar, the cold night’s wind billowing her long hair.

She feels someone behind her, and she turns to find Adagio. They stare at each other a moment, until the siren walks forward and opens the door, holding it for her with a questioning eyebrow.

That although some mistakes you can’t repair, you can overcome them and move on.

The woman remains motionless for a moment, but in the end, she smiles and shakes her head. The orange-haired girl smiles for a moment, and then, she enters the building, closing the door.

The woman is left alone outside, until her younger sister approaches her. They smile at each other and begin walking away.

*S*A*S*

Sunset walks calmly along the sidewalk, trampling the half-melted snow. The clouds in the sky have broken, and the sun shines down on the city.

Don’t hide in the shadows.

She stops, looking at a nearby patch of snow. Leaning down, she slowly separates the snow.

As cold as winter is...

A small bud pokes out, freed of its snowy prison. Its bud is open just a pinch, but it’s enough to see the colors inside.

... spring will always come.

Sunset smiles, gets up, and keeps walking.

Sunset Among Shadows

End