Chapter One - The Ones You Leave Behind

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The night was crisp and calm, with a few clouds left to lazily drift across the sky. They hardly obscured anything, and that was fine by the pegasus as she stood upon the castle wall and looked up at the moon hanging overhead. She gently removed her helmet with one hoof, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

There were nights to sing of one sort of lost love. This was a night to sing of another.

“Somewhere, out there

Beneath the pale moon light

Someone’s thinking of…”

She paused, her ears standing straight up as she heard soft wingbeats behind her, hooves gently landing upon stone. And she groaned. “Every stinking time. What is it that ponies have against that song?”

“I personally am rather fond of it.”

“Me too!” The mare turned to the newcomer and continued, “I’ve loved it since…!” She then realized to whom she was speaking and stood at attention, then snapped off a brief salute. “Princess Luna! Ma’am! Forgive my outburst!”

The Princess of the Night softly laughed. “Be at ease, Lieutenant. I’ve no objection to your singing.” She approached the young mare and noted, “And in fact, I know the reason for which you sing. There are ponies whom you miss, aren’t there?”

A soft nod. “Yes ma’am.”

Luna smiled. “You are not the first to do such things. My sister would sing to me during my long banishment.” She looked up at the moon and explained, “Every night for a year, and then each night of the full moon until a century passed, and then every night of my birthday following until my return. I heard, even if I could not reply.”

“You were fortunate.” The pegasus looked up alongside her and remarked, “I don’t even know if they can hear me. Or if they’d care. One left with harsh words, and never answered my letters. The other, I was forced to leave, and the results were little different.”

Luna looked at the mare beside her and noticed the tears forming in her cyan eyes. She knew full well whom she spoke to; the resemblance was a dead giveaway. “First Lieutenant Sunrunner, heed my words. I speak from experience on this matter.” The mare turned to her, and she noted, “Time gives us all reason to reflect, in one form or another. As horrible as you feel, do you truly believe that your wayward cousin feels any different?” A smile, and she added, “And do you truly think that you are hated, or worse, forgotten, by the colt you left behind?”

Sunrunner shrugged. “I don’t know, at least as far as the first goes. And the second…” She flashed a hopeful smile. “I can dream.”

“Then go and dream and hope, young guardsmare. But first, sing. This time, I shall not interrupt you.”

“Okay, but…” She flashed a hopeful smile. “But with your permission, I’d like to do a solo instead.” A smirk. “And if you see a stallion come by with a microphone and star cutie mark and he attempts to burst into song, do me a favor and put him on mute.”

Luna smirked in turn. There was a tale there, she suspected. “We have an accord. Now I bid you, sing.”

And the mare did as instructed by her royal audience, and her memories went back to long ago, starting with one shattered dream in particular.

She didn’t know what she’d done wrong. Most children didn’t, usually because no one had explained to them what they’d done wrong, but this wasn’t a normal thing for Sunrunner. This time, it wasn’t her parents or a teacher telling her that she’d done something bad and explaining to her why.

“Sunrunner, there’s something you need to get through that thick, bird-brained skull of yours.”

This time, it was someone her own age, being mean to her for doing what she’d been told was the right thing. For trying to be nice.

“I don’t have a sister. I never had a sister. It was just me and my mommy and my daddy – I didn’t want a sister and I didn’t need one. We’re not sisters, and we’ll never be sisters.”

It had hardly been a second after Shims had left before she started trying to hold back her tears. She didn’t know what else to do, after what she’d heard.

“My mommy isn’t your mommy. You never knew her, just like I never knew your mommy. And I wish I hadn’t. I’m going back to Canterlot, back where I belong, and I’m staying there, and everypony will know my name. Sunset Shimmer. Not some stupid nickname like ‘Shims’. If I ever hear it again, it’ll be too soon.”

But after a few seconds, the tears came anyway, and the little pegasus filly dropped to her hindquarters and began to weep.

She barely noticed as the bedroom door creaked open. “Runnie?” Her tears paused as she looked up to find her father standing in the doorway. “Sweetie, what happened?”

“It’s…” She wiped away as many of her tears from one eye as she could as she protested, “It’s nothing Daddy, I…”

Blue Streak had closed the distance and started to gently wipe away tears from her other eye with one silvery wing. “It doesn’t look like ‘nothing’ to me. And besides, the last time I checked, there’s no shame in crying.” He sat down beside her and gently wrapped that same wing around her as she stopped trying to wipe away her tears. “Now, what’s wrong?”

The filly bowed her head. “Shims hates me.” She looked up at her father and pleaded, “What did I do?! I never hurt her! I never insisted on anything! I shared my room, I kept out of her business, I left her alone when she asked me to, I wasn’t anything but nice to her, and she hates me!”

Her father frowned, then considered his next words carefully. “Runnie, I don’t think Sunset actually hates you. She’s just…mad in general, I suppose. It isn’t your fault.” He bowed his own head and admitted, “In fact, I think it’s more mine and your mother’s fault than anypony else’s.”

Sunrunner looked up at her dad in shock. “What did you do wrong? You’re the best mommy and daddy ever!”

“And do you think that, from Sunset’s perspective, her mommy and daddy weren’t the best ever?” That caused the little filly to wonder as Blue Streak continued, “One day, Sunset was just as happy a little filly as any other, and the next, she’d lost her parents, and a mare she never knew showed up and said that she was her aunt and that she had to move away from everything she knew. How would you feel if that happened, and you lost everything you knew?”

The filly bowed her head sadly. “I’d feel really bad.” She sat up again and continued, “But I didn’t want her to forget her mommy and daddy. I just wanted her to feel like she was a part of this family.”

“And so did we.” A sad expression crossed the stallion’s face. “The trouble is, we did a very poor job of it. I hardly knew her mother and father, and as for your mom…” He sighed. “What happened between her and her sister is something I’ll leave to her to talk about. But the fact remains, we didn’t give her the chance to mourn them, or to let them go, and accept us as family. And that’s our fault, not yours.”

“But what can we do so that she does accept us as family?” At her father’s silence, she asked, “Daddy?”

Blue Streak sighed. “I don’t know, Runnie. I really don’t.” He offered her an encouraging smile. “But what I do know is that we shouldn’t give up on her. Sunset may not be your biological sister, but she’s still a part of this family. And someday, she may find that she needs us. So don’t give up on her, hmm?”

The filly smiled. “Of course not, Daddy. You don’t give up on anything you love.”

The grown mare frowned as she made her way along the streets of Canterlot, wings tucked to her sides and her thoughts dwelling on her recent decisions. It didn’t feel like she’d given up on something that she’d loved, but it felt uncomfortably close, and she needed somepony to talk about it with.

Fortunately, she knew exactly where to go, and her mood brightened just a small bit as she found herself at her destination. It was an older house, not particularly big but in good condition, and thinking of this place brought thoughts of both joy and sorrow to the forefront of her mind as she climbed the steps and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal an older mare, time having done little to dull her golden coat or discolor her mane, who smiled as she set her eyes upon her visitor. “Hello Runnie.”

“Hi Mom.” Sunrunner took her mother into a warm embrace. “Thanks for having me over.”

“Well I’m not about to turn my little filly away when she needs to talk with her family, now am I?” Solar Flare beckoned her daughter into the house and closed the door behind her. “Your father will be along in a little bit. He’s…”

“Getting something for the two most important mares in his life.” Blue Streak entered the sitting room from another door and set a tray filled with drinks onto a waiting coffee table, then gave his daughter a warm hug. “How you feeling, Runnie?”

The mare laughed. “I’m okay, Dad.”

The three then sat down at a sofa and got comfortable as the stallion asked, “So, what’s all this about? Some big news? Maybe even a promotion?”

“No Dad, not yet. And you know why.” Sunrunner had taken a lot of effort to explain that the promotion she’d received from Second Lieutentant to First Lieutenant was the result of special circumstances, and that it would be some time before she’d be eligible for promotion to the next rank up barring further special circumstances or changes to the law. “I do have some news though. News that could have an effect on my career.” Her parents’ expressions went from eager to concerned as she explained, “I’m not going to be a Wonderbolt.”

Solar Flare’s eyes settled into a grim expression. “What happened?”

“It was my choice, Mom. I’ve been hearing a lot of scuttlebutt about some things regarding the team, stunts pulled behind the scenes that haven’t made it into the wider press for whatever reason, and I couldn’t really justify staying in that kind of environment.” She made a half-smile and explained, “I’m not going to be part of a unit if I can’t be sure they won’t have my back. And from what I’ve been hearing…”

A hoof was gently laid upon hers, and her mother smiled. “It’s alright dear, you don’t need to explain it any further. You made the right decision for you, and that’s that.” She noticed her daughter’s frown, then sighed. “Let me guess, there’s more to it.”

Sunrunner nodded. “I turned down a prestigious post. That’s the second one in the last six months. I could’ve taken a post in the Crystal Empire, but I stuck with the chance to be a Wonderbolt instead.”

Blue Streak smirked. “Ponies don’t always make the smartest decisions when it comes to the heart, dear.” At his daughter’s shocked expression and furious blush, he teased, “As if your mother and I don’t know about why you wanted to be a Wonderbolt.”

“Blue, stop.” Solar Flare rolled her eyes at her husband’s antics, then turned serious as she admitted, “Still, it’s a little worrying that the biggest reason you had was to impress a colt.”

“Mom! That wasn’t…!” The mare groaned. “I didn’t want to be a Wonderbolt because Quiver thought I could do it, or because I thought I could impress him. I didn’t have to work that hard to impress him to begin with, after all.”

“Well, it doesn’t take much for a young mare to impress a young stallion.” Another glare from his wife prompted Blue Streak to admit, “I speak from experience here.”

“The point is that I ultimately wanted to be a Wonderbolt because I thought it would be a good fit for me.” A sheepish grin spread across her face as she admitted, “Plus, I kinda liked the idea of him finding out, and actually having something he said could happen that he could be happy about for once.” She sighed and admitted, “Still, I have to think of what is before I think of what could be. And as happy as it might make him, it would leave me miserable.”

“And it was the right decision to make.” Solar Flare gently draped a wing over her daughter’s shoulders. “Let it go, hmm? The sooner you do that, the better. And hopefully, you won’t…” She noticed the frown on her daughter’s face and fought back a groan. “Sunrunner, what happened?”

The mare reached into the bag around her middle and pulled out an opened letter. “I don’t know how, but I got this in the mail. It’s an invitation to a class reunion, at the school I went to back in Indianapoloosa before we moved here.”

That got both her parents suspicious as Blue Streak raised an eyebrow. “But you didn’t graduate from that school. We transferred you to Canterlot Academy, and you graduated there.”

“I know, but apparently I’m wanted back at the old school to help prep for this upcoming reunion and as a special guest.” She opened the invitation and explained, “Apparently, they want to honor Quiver, among other graduates from that particular class. I want to believe that this is legitimate, but I’m not sure. The only reason I can think of for them to honor him would be an apology over all the grief he went through.”

Solar Flare turned bitter. “If they were going to do that, then they should be apologizing to you as well, along with the administration at that damned school.” She gritted her teeth and growled, “If I ever see that bone-headed pig-faced plot-kisser Fairweather again…”

“Mom, I’m not arguing.” Sunrunner turned attention back to the invitation and continued, “Still, there’s got to be at least a small chance that this is genuine. And as much as I doubt Quiver will want to attend something like this, maybe this will give me the chance to get back in touch. He was the only real friend I had back in that Tartarus pit of a school, after all.”

“And you’ve already decided to go, despite your misgivings.” At his daughter’s nod, Blue Streak smiled. “Well, I can’t fault you for bravery. Just be careful, hmm?”

The young mare smiled. “I will, Dad.” She turned to her mother. “And at least this time I’m choosing to go there, right?”

Solar Flare shrugged her wings. “I suppose. But like your father said, be careful. As much as things changed when you went to that school, something tells me it didn’t change all that much. I still wish you hadn’t ended up there. One friend made and your cutie mark earned aside, you were much better off at the old one.”

“So that cousin of yours ever write you back?”

Sunrunner shook her head sadly. “It’s gotta be because she’s really busy. I mean, she’s Princess Celestia’s personal student. That’s gotta take up a lot of her time, right?”

The jenny beside her rolled her eyes. “Filly, you are way too much of an optometrist.”

The filly grinned at her friend’s purposeful malapropism. “Gotta see things clearly if you’re gonna see the bright side, Muriel.”

The two broke out into laughter at that. It had been a good day at school for them and their class, between fun lessons and the special guest who’d come in. That was something of a rule for days like this, right before the break prior to the next trimester of classes, and nopony really minded.

“Class?” Their teacher cleared his throat, and their attention went to him as the skinny unicorn started passing out forms. “Kids, I’m afraid something’s happened. It’s nothing bad, but these forms are for your parents, and will explain everything that’s going on in more detail.” As the last of the forms went to their recipients, he asked, “Does anypony know what the Equestria Education Association is?” No hooves were raised, and he continued, “Well, they’re basically the ponies in the government who are in charge of schools. What gets taught in them, whether a school will get government money, and so on. And they’ve recently decided that…” He hesitated somewhat, as if his next words were bitter in his mouth, then continued, “…that government-run schools will be segregated beginning next trimester.”

The various foals looked among themselves as one colt raised a hoof and asked, “What’s ‘segregated’ mean?”

“Well, it means that one school – this one, in fact – will be set aside for all the students in the city who come from non-pony races. Anyone who isn’t a pony and is attending classes at a government-run school will be coming here after the break, and anyone who is a pony and is attending classes here now will be going to a different school instead.” He looked forlorn as he admitted, “I’m very sorry, kids, but there isn’t much to be done about it.” The bell rang as he declared, “Class dismissed! Nopony forget your personal things now!”

Sunrunner was flabbergasted at the news, and only spoke among her friends enough to determine that of all the schools the ponies among them were going to, none were the same. Her father, meanwhile, was similarly surprised by the news, and the two made their way home in silence until they entered. “Honey, there’s something you need to see.”

Solar Flare looked up from the stove and her efforts at making dinner, holding back curses that she hadn’t retrieved her sister’s cookbook along with Sunset, and saw the concerned looks on the faces of her husband and daughter. “What’s going on?”

Sunrunner pulled a form from her saddlebags and explained, “My teacher gave me this note. It says I’m gonna go to a different school after break.”

That got the mare’s attention, and she claimed the form from her daughter and started reading it aloud. “In accordance with recent guidelines set by the Equestria Education Association, the public school system will be reorganized in order to better accommodate non-pony races…” Her eyes widened as she realized, “They’re segregating the schools?!”

“And it looks like Runnie’s school is the one that they’re sending everyone that isn’t a pony to,” Blue Streak noted without pleasure. “Story broke today at the paper, took us all by surprise. It’ll be front page tomorrow morning.”

“This is insane! Runnie had good teachers there! Friends! Now she’s going to have to figure out her way around a new school, and we have no way of knowing if the teachers there will be anywhere near as competent as the ones she already had!” She huffed. “Do we at least know what school she’s going to?”

“It’s on the second form, dear. They’re stapled together.”

She glanced over the second form and calmed slightly, though her face still showed concern. “Well, at least we have that. I’ll feel better if I can take a look at this, get the lay of the land…” She then turned to her daughter and gave her a sad frown. “I’m sorry, Runnie. I wasn’t expecting this any more than you were. Are any of the ponies you know at least going to this new school with you?”

Runnie shook her head. “Muriel’s staying at the school I’m at now because she’s a donkey, and all the rest of my friends are going to other schools.”

“Well, maybe this will be good for you.” Blue Streak offered a hopeful smile as he suggested, “A new school could mean new friends, after all.”

“But I’ll miss my old friends,” the filly noted sadly.

“Yes, and that’s fine, but there’s nothing stopping you from keeping in touch, right?” Her father gave her a gentle nudge as he added, “And making new friends wouldn’t be bad either. It’s like the old saying, eh?” The two shared a grin before he suggested, “Anyway, you go and get washed up, and I’ll help your mother with dinner.”

As her daughter dashed off, Solar Flare rolled her eyes at her husband. “I don’t need your help with dinner, dear.”

“Exactly, I’m a lousy cook.” Blue Streak smirked. “Which is why I’m going to get the plates and cutlery ready.”

The little filly laughed at her father’s joke. Maybe he was right, and this change was a good thing. If nothing else, she wouldn’t know until she went.

Chapter Two - Sometimes You Leave For A Reason

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Indianapoloosa hadn’t changed much in the years since Sunrunner had moved to Canterlot, nor all that much in the months since her last visit, just after she’d graduated from Wing Point and before she’d gone off to her eventful first assignment in the Royal Guard. Sure, some businesses were gone and others had popped up to take their places, but that was common in any large city. The same mayor was in office, the same streetcars still ran, and the school she’d found herself at after her transfer, surprisingly enough, was still open.

Then again, Marshmuck Public School Number 101 was a reasonably modern building funded by a royal grant, so perhaps the school board simply didn’t want the crown to feel that it had wasted its money.

As Sunrunner climbed off the streetcar, her gaze swept over the school and its surrounding area. Much to her surprise, very little had changed. The Shake ‘n Bake close by was still open, and still seeing regular business by the look of it, as were the odd shops in the nearby plaza. She’d never been to most of them, but her parents tended to spirit her away from campus as quickly as possible after a school day had completed, and her route never took her past any of those shops. Maybe she’d get the chance now, but for the time being, she had other things to contend with.

The doors leading into the gym were wide open, and Sunrunner strode in to find more than a few vaguely familiar faces already inside, most engaged in conversation with one another as they set up decorations. One in particular caught her eye, a wide banner displaying the names and portraits of the students set to be honored at the reunion. The usual suspects were there, like Brick Wall’s smug grin and High Note’s all-too-easy smile, but right in the middle was a familiar, nervous but pleasant smile belonging to somepony she hadn’t seen in far too long.

“Excuse me!” A familiar voice snapped her out of her reverie as she turned to see a pale coral pegasus mare approaching her, a clipboard in one wing. “You can’t be in here unless, like, you were invited! Either show me some ID or leave, before I call security!”

Sunrunner silently pulled her military ID from the bag at her side. “Took you a while to notice me, Hot Trail. You should’ve carded me before I got in the door if you’re that worried about security.”

Hot Trail’s magenta eyes went wide in recognition. “Sunrunner! O-D-C, look at you! You haven’t changed a bit!” The mare turned away and called out to the rest of the gathered ponies, “Everypony, one of our honorees has arrived to help with the preparations! It’s Sunrunner, everypony! Sunrunner!”

The various other ponies in the room turned at the mare’s beckoning, and surprised and delighted smiles spread across their faces as they congregated around her. All the attention made Sunrunner more than a little nervous, especially as she barely remembered most of the ponies now surrounding her. Thank the Maker for name tags.

“Wow! It’s great to see you!” One pale blue unicorn stallion with square-rimmed glasses and an abacus cutie mark approached. “You look great.”

“Thanks, Digit Count. You’ve held up okay too.”

The stallion turned surprised as he realized, “You remember me?” He then glanced down and gave a nervous laugh. “Oh. Right. Lanyard.”

Sunrunner smirked. “And it hasn’t been that long since I left. Plus my memory was never that terrible.”

Digit Count managed another nervous laugh. “Well, we’ve still got some decorations to put up. Think you can help while we catch up?”

“Sure, just tell me what you need.”

Outwardly, she looked calm and confident. On the inside, she wasn’t quite as nervous as she’d been when the gathered ponies had approached her, but she was still a little uneasy. Still, this wasn’t the first time she’d found herself a little anxious, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Nothing to do but dive in and deal with it.

Anxious was a polite way to describe how Sunrunner felt at this new school. The building was smaller and more modern, or so her parents claimed, but that did little to make her feel comfortable. To a little filly, big was still big, and unfamiliar surroundings would make anyone uneasy.

“Class. We’ve a new student today.”

The stern-faced elderly mare who was her new teacher did little to help, especially as she gave her a cold, prompting glance. The filly stood up straight and gave a friendly smile. “Hello everypony. My name is Sunrunner, and it’s very nice to meet all of you.”

“She comes to us from School 18, where many of your classmates are now attending classes.” The teacher cast her gaze towards one corner of the class and ordered, “In keeping with the seating arrangements, all students whose names come after hers alphabetically will move back one seat.” The students obliged, though some looked less than pleased at it. “You may take your seat now, Sunrunner.”

The filly did as she was told and quickly moved to her seat. She went past a smug-looking unicorn filly and found herself placed behind a shy-looking earth pony colt, then put aside her schoolbags and settled in.

“Now then, those students remaining no doubt recall that you had an assignment due today. You were to write an original story and recite it before the class.” She gestured towards the desk. “I have my copies of your stories here, so clearly most of you turned in something to recite. Should there not be any volunteers to go first, we will go in alphabetical order.”

“Miss Persimmon?” The colt seated in front of her raised a tentative hoof as she looked his way. “Please, may I recite my story first?”

The other students looked among themselves in surprise until the smug unicorn turned back and spoke in a mocking tone. “Do you really think that whatever you wrote is worth anything, Lumber Mill?”

The colt seemed to deflate as the other students snickered and laughed, which left a poor impression on Sunrunner. The impression faded as the teacher gestured him forward. “Come on then, Quiver Quill. Nopony else is wanting to volunteer, so we may as well start with you.”

Sunrunner watched the colt leave his seat and scurry forward to a waiting lectern, then saw him smile as he addressed the class. “My story is called ‘Nightmare’s End’.” He briefly looked down at the sheets of paper before him, then began his tale. “It was a cool morning, right on the cusp of dawn…”

The class listened in silence as Quiver told his story, of a lonely young colt confronted by one of the greatest boogeymares known to every foal in Equestria only to ask for a quick death, convinced that no one would miss him when he was gone. Even as the story continued, and the colt found himself being comforted by Nightmare Moon of all ponies, Sunrunner found herself wondering how the colt could feel that way, or what could have inspired a story like this, all the way to the story’s end.

Those thoughts were quietly pushed aside as the colt said the last few words of his story. “‘Please remember this for me, little colt, and know that you are loved.’” He closed his eyes, and his blank flanks flashed as marks appeared upon them, looking like quills laid over blank scrolls. She’d seen something like this before, thanks to Shims, and seeing it again made her smile.

“What a stupid story!” Her smile and Quiver’s faded as the smug unicorn’s voice started. “Seriously? Nightmare Moon’s just a story for stupid little foals, Blunder Bill. Everypony knows that.”

Assorted snickers sounded amongst the other students as the colt tried to defend himself. “But I did research…”

“It’s ridiculous, a pony treating something like that like it’s real!”

“I found the oldest versions of the story in the senior edition of History of Equestria…”

“It’s just some scheme to steal candy from foals one night a year!”

“I cross-checked that with entries in The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide and Predictions and Prophecies, I even did the math, it was…”

“What kind of stupid retard would even…?”

“Hey!” The snickering and giggling halted as Quiver banged a hoof against the lectern, what timidity he had replaced with rage. “You shut up and listen to me! I put a lot of work into this, and…!”

“Quiver Quill!” The rage was replaced with fear as the teacher turned her attention towards him. “It is against school rules to use such language. With me. To the principal’s office. Now.”

She led the young stallion out, and the snickering and laughter started up again just as the classroom door closed behind them. The smug filly turned back to her and said, “Don’t waste your time with that weirdo, new girl. He’s a joke.”

“Yeah, Primrose is right.” A pegasus filly in another row giggled. “Quiver’s the biggest dork in, like, ever. What was that dumb thing that showed up on his flank, anyway?”

“It was a cutie mark. Ponies get them when they discover their special talents.” She glanced at the two fillies’ flanks and glared. “Looks like he’s got one up on the two of you.”

At their shocked expressions, she pulled a notepad and pencil from her bags and jotted down the names of those books. Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

“Hang on, let me adjust a little…” The banner was adjusted in his magic as Digit Count called, “There! We’re good!”

Sunrunner promptly banged a nail into the banner with her hoof, and the banner was fixed. She then came in for a landing beside the two stallions she was assisting and smiled in satisfaction. “Looks good.”

“It looked good the first couple times, though.” The other stallion with them, a soft orange unicorn with a cutie mark resembling two screwdrivers crossed over a gear, smirked and noted, “Just had to be mathematically perfect, huh Digit?”

“Hey, it’s not my fault certain measurements are more aesthetically pleasing than others.” The bespectacled unicorn turned to the mare and noted, “Anyway, thanks for coming by to be part of this Sunrunner. You’ve been a big help.”

“Yeah, I’m a little surprised to see you here. I mean, you didn’t graduate with the rest of us.” The second stallion turned puzzled. “Come to think of it, where did you end up graduating from?”

“Canterlot Academy.” She shrugged. “I’m not exactly thrilled about having bounced between three different schools before I went on to higher education, but hey, some things are beyond your control.”

The stallion frowned and bowed his head. “Ain’t that the truth.”

Sunrunner curiously raised an eyebrow. “And what brought that on?”

Digit turned somber. “Bit Stream, now really isn’t the time or place to be bringing that up.”

“I know.” Bit waved a hoof as he turned to Sunrunner and explained himself. “It’s nothing you need to worry about. Just some bad luck at a poker game a while back.”

“Followed by him meeting his fiancée.” The blue unicorn smirked. “Evened out alright, I’d think.”

“Yeah, but…” The orange unicorn looked up at the banner and the ponies displayed upon it and noted, “I’d like it if I was up there getting honored too, y’know? I mean Primrose and Brick and High Note are no-brainers, and we all know why Quiver’s up there…” Digit snickered at that, while Sunrunner barely had a chance to question why before Bit continued. “But still, I’d like something to be proud of.”

The mare found herself shaking her head. “It never hurts to prove the inverse to an old proverb right though.” She took on a reassuring smile as she noted, “And you’ve got plenty to be proud of. We all do. Still, I can understand you not elaborating. Say anything more, and certain someponies might hear the scuttlebutt and take advantage of it.” At the strange looks she received at her choice in words, she explained, “Scuttlebutt. It’s military for ‘gossip’.”

The two nodded in comprehension before Digit wondered aloud, “So, are you dating somepony in the Royal Guard, or working with them, or…?”

“I’m in the Guard.” She stood a little straighter and explained, “Save for one mission right out of the Academy, I’ve been stationed in Canterlot for the last year or so.”

Bit let out a low whistle. “Nice. You must be enjoying a cushy gig like that.” At the mare’s surprised expression, he elaborated, “The Royal Guard. It’s one of the easiest jobs in Equestria the way the papers talk about it. You stand around all day wearing nice shiny suits of armor, get nice pay and health benefits, and nopony ever gives you trouble. And if they ever do, they get swatted aside like the changelings did when they attacked Canterlot last February.”

Sunrunner restrained herself from doing anything beyond narrow her eyes in disapproval at that comment as she considered her next words. “Excuse me a minute.” She then turned away from the two and made her way towards the doors leading into the rest of the school, hoping to find the nearest restroom and get some privacy.

She’d heard a great many opinions about the Royal Guard both before and after she’d joined, ranging all across the spectrum. Some were positive, playing up its heritage and roots in groups such as the Mighty Helm and the Royal Legion, groups that dated back to before the founding of Equestria proper. Others were less so, with more than a few feeling that the Guard was oversized and unnecessary in a nation devoted to the ideals of harmony and friendship, and even a few fringe claims that it wasn’t nearly adequate for its job of protecting the nation and its borders. This was the first time that she’d heard anyone speak like it was a cakewalk, however, and her own experiences had more than proven otherwise. Explaining to Bit Stream exactly how misinformed he was, meanwhile, was likely to be a difficult and daunting task, and that was assuming he was even able to listen.

“You think he’ll show up? I mean, he’s kind of a big deal now.”

Sunrunner found herself curious as she heard conversation coming from within the mare’s restroom, the door propped open for whatever reason and allowing her to more clearly hear the conversation going on therein. The first speaker’s name escaped her, but the second one…

“You kidding? High Note sent us his RSVP! That attention whore fag’s gonna be here for certain.”

Definitely Hot Trail.

“And it’s a good thing too, considering who else is gonna be here. High Note’s gonna love seeing his little coltfriend again after all this time, and everypony’s gonna love the show Primrose has planned with them.”

“But Quiver hasn’t sent back an RSVP!” Sunrunner’s eyes shot open at the mention of her friend’s name as the unfamiliar mare continued, “What makes you think he’ll be here?”

“Well it’s, like, obvious! The only pony who was nice to him is gonna get him here!”

Her cyan eyes narrowed in rage as she turned a complete one-eighty and marched back towards the gym, bitterly reflecting to herself on how the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

“Miss Persimmon? May I speak with you about something?”

The elderly mare flashed a cold expression at the filly before her. “Recess has been called, Sunrunner. Run along.”

“I know, but this won’t take long, I promise.” The filly pulled some papers from her saddlebags and explained, “I’ve visited the central library, and I read the books that Quiver mentioned about his story, and…”

“The contents of Quiver Quill’s story have nothing to do with his punishment. He disrupted class.”

“Because Primrose mocked him over his story!” The filly looked up at her teacher with pleading eyes. “She started it! Why isn’t she getting any punishment?!”

“Because Quiver Quill was the one to write such a ridiculous tale in the first place, and thus invited trouble. Principal Fairweather agreed with my assessment, and that is the final word on the matter.” Her next words had an air of cold finality as she ordered, “Now as I said, recess has been called. Run along.”

Sunrunner frowned sadly, then turned away from her teacher to do as she was told. It was unfair, but she didn’t see much that she could do about it at this point beyond what little she’d already attempted. She tucked her papers back into her saddlebags, then set the bags aside near her desk, and made her way out of the classroom and off to the playground, only just getting out of the way as one of her classmates rushed past her back into the classroom.

She thought little about it. The pegasus filly probably forgot something when she rushed off to recess and had come to retrieve it. She put the thought out of her mind as she walked to the doors heading to the playground, right past the door to the little filly’s room…

“Hey-!”

Sunrunner was jerked into the room in somepony’s magical grip, and soon found herself knocked onto the floor, one wing slightly crushed between the floor and her body.

“Hello, Chum-Scummer.”

The filly barely had time to recognize the voice before she was flung about once more, ending up on her remaining wing and the opposite end of the bathroom from the door. She felt a hoof press against her head and another against her body as the source of the initial attack approached. “Primrose.”

Primrose Thorn sneered over her with all the confidence of a hawk having caught a small rabbit. “What’cha been doing, Rum-Chugger? Trying to help your new friend, Putrid Swill?”

The earth pony mare standing over Sunrunner laughed at Primrose’s remark as another filly rushed into the room. Sunrunner turned alarmed and struggled as she recognized the saddlebags in the other filly’s grip. “Hey! Those…!”

She was silenced with a stomp to both her head and torso as the mare holding her down barked, “Hay’s for horses, freak.”

“Well said, Roxy.” Primrose pulled the contents of Sunrunner’s saddlebags out and examined them. “Well look at this, girls. She’s another stupid little weirdo who actually believes that Nightmare Moon was real.”

“Where are they, like, coming from?” the third filly pondered aloud, waving her pale coral wings for emphasis.

“Well, considering her old school was the one that all the asses ended up going to…” The three bullies laughed at that remark as Primrose chucked every book and paper into the nearby toilets. She flushed them, then approached the still-struggling Sunrunner and noted, “Let me educate you on something, you stupid little filly. I run this school. Not the teachers, not the principal, me. I’m better than everypony else here, better than them, better than that dork Quiver, and better than you. Because my daddy is the Mayor, and Fairweather’s such a plot-kisser that he won’t dare do anything to get on my daddy’s bad side. And if anypony’s stupid enough to think they can get away with anything, well…” Several pairs of scissors floated around her head menacingly as she remarked, “This is a school, isn’t it? Time for an education.”

Sunrunner continued to struggle, but that only prompted another stomp from Roxy before the lesson continued in earnest, the blades of the scissors cutting and tearing through her mane like sharks after a bleeding body. Once or twice they pressed into her flesh, not deep enough to bleed but enough to hurt, but that only seemed to delight her tormentors more, until after what felt like an eternity, Primrose was satisfied.

As the bully and her two toadies laughed and marched out of the bathroom, Sunrunner collected herself and, with a throbbing headache and pain in her sides, rose to her hooves and tried to examine herself in a mirror. What she saw almost took her past the threshold to tears. Her mane, formerly long and free-flowing and styled to look like her self-proclaimed surrogate sister, was reduced to a shredded mess, some patches cut all the way down to her scalp.

She had to do something. She had to tell a teacher, Miss Persimmon, Principal Fairweather, anypony about what had happened. Primrose had to be lying, they couldn’t ignore something like this! She pulled what she could of her papers and books from the toilet, left them to dry, then rushed to the door, only to find that it wouldn’t yield. “Wha..?! Hey! Let me out!” She banged against it with her front hooves and shouted, “LET ME OUT!”

She had no way of knowing the door had been wedged from the outside, a clever application of a trick that Primrose had learned from her private magic tutors. She could only bang fruitlessly against it until she tired out, and began to sob, powerless and alone.

A great deal had changed for Sunrunner since that day. She was older and wiser. She’d learned a thing or two about hoof-to-hoof combat, how to wound and maim and even kill if necessary, and discovered that she was more than capable of doing exactly that. There were a number of dead changelings that had experienced that for themselves a number of months previous. She was far less likely to end up the victim of a trio of bullies now than she was then.

But many things weren’t different. She refused to be used as a pawn in somepony else’s game, and she refused to let anypony else use her to hurt her friends. Even ones she hadn’t seen in years. And the sooner she got the buck out of here, the better.

She marched right back into the gym and made her way towards the doors leading outside. Her return didn’t go unnoticed, but nopony paid much mind as she went on her way, and she didn’t dwell too much upon why. She was about halfway out of the gym before somepony finally called to her.

“Sunrunner! Like, what’s the rush?” She turned back to see Hot Trail trooping after her, a bright yellow mare following close behind. Likely the one she’d been talking to in the restroom. “Listen, I need to ask you a favor.”

“No.”

The coral mare closed the distance and pleaded, “You don’t even know what…”

“You want me to get in touch with Quiver Quill and make sure he comes to this reunion.”

Hot Trail rolled her eyes and noted, “Well, he is one of the guests of honor. We don’t want him to miss out…”

“On what you and Primrose have planned for him?” The fiery-maned pegasus’s voice had gone cold as her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Well I do. And I won’t be a part of it.”

Sunrunner turned away, but barely got a few steps before Hot Trail goaded her. “Why do you even care about that stupid little fag anyway?” She stopped as the mare continued, “Honestly, was it because both of you were weird little freaks? Him and his Nightmare Moon story was bad enough, but you? What made him so special?”

The gym went silent, the other ponies’ attention on Sunrunner as she answered. “What didn’t make him special?” She turned around and stood tall as she recounted herself. “My first day at a new school after transferring out, and I saw this skinny colt go up in front of his classmates and tell a story to them. One that he’d written, after digging through history books and scrounging through centuries-old accounts of legends and myths and folklore, that took an old mare’s tale and showed it through a different lens. He turned a monster who’d gobble up little foals if her sweet tooth wasn’t satisfied and made her a tragic figure, who would cause the end of the world as we knew it simply because she thought she’d been shunned. It was different, and interesting.” She quickly looked over the gathered ponies and snarled, “And all of you laughed at him over it.”

Hot Trail scoffed. “Well, it was a stupid…”

“And he turned out to be right. Or have you forgotten the Summer Sun Celebration before last? About Princess Luna’s return from her thousand-year imprisonment? Sure, Quiver got details wrong, but the gist of it was right, and name me a single writer who doesn’t take liberties or finds themselves proven wrong when history or science marches on.” She raised an eyebrow and asked, “Anypony wonder what would have happened if that long night hadn’t ever ended? I have, and I thank the Maker every morning that certain ponies were in the right place at the right time to make a difference. And so does Quiver, probably.”

“Well, those dumb books…”

“I looked over those dumb books, and tried to stand up for him. And what did I get for it?” Her gaze was locked on the mare across the room from her. “Come on, Hot Trail. Don’t you remember that day? You and me and Roxy and Primrose, in the bathroom? You chucked my things into the toilets. Roxy stomped on me and held me down. Primrose sheared me like a sheep.” Her eyes narrowed even further as she recounted, “I was stuck in there for an hour, because somepony had forced the door shut. I only got free because the janitor came and forced it back open. And I remember what happened after that.” Again, she looked over the gathered ponies and snarled. “How all of you laughed at me. I’d been assaulted, and it was treated like a damn prank!” Her focus turned back to Hot Trail as she noted, “And the ones responsible were never punished.”

The coral pegasus looked, for a brief second, intimidated by the mare before her, but regained her composure as she stammered, “Well, you deserved it! Besides, you don’t do anything wrong if you don’t get caught!”

“Horseshit!” Sunrunner’s eyes were alight with fury as she roared, “The only reason you and Roxy and Primrose got away with any of the crap you pulled was because of the cowards and bastards that allowed it! Our apathetic teacher! Our toadying pig of a principal! And of course, his honor, Mayor Crimson Thorn, or as Primrose always called him, Daddy!” Her attention turned to the rest of the ponies as she added, “And that includes the rest of you! You all sat back and watched while Primrose and her goons had their fun, while Roxy and Brick Wall shoved me and Quiver around, and I bet some of you laughed every time Quiver and I were on the playground, me trying to teach him to sing, only for High Note to come along and break out with…” She took a deep breath and sang out, intentionally off-key, “Oh WHAT a Beau-Ti-FULL MORN-NING! Oh what a Beau-Ti-Ful DAYYYY!” She snorted and declared, “Bastard’s lucky he isn’t here right now, or I’d tell him right to his face how much of a rutting plot-hole he is.”

Hot Trail huffed. “Well if you hated us all so much, then why bother coming?!”

“Because I hoped that you’d all pulled your heads out of your plots and grown up!” The mare regained her composure. “Because I hoped that events had led to all of you reflecting on and reconsidering what had happened, and regretting what you had and hadn’t done. But obviously, I was wrong.” She narrowed her eyes at Hot Trail and spat, “This school taught you all the wrong lessons. That it’s fun to laugh at other ponies’ misfortunes. That it’s okay to be cowards and monsters, because nopony will ever punish you for it. I’m glad that I learned otherwise, and the only reason I’m glad to be here now is so I can say this.” She turned around and marched out as she called, “Good riddance to all of you.”

A tiny part of Sunrunner considered this was probably an unwise idea. Someone complained to the right ponies, and enough fuss was made over it to the right places, and she could be dragged into a military hearing. Her career would be tarnished, probably more than her awards could overcome, and that was the best-case scenario. But at the same time, it felt good to voice her ancient frustrations, and finally let them out.

It wasn’t much punishment, but it was better than nothing.

Chapter Three - Always Worth It To Try

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There were many words to describe Principal Fairweather. Later in her life, after Sunrunner had gained a measure of experience and a chance to expand her vocabulary, she’d learn quite a few of them.

“Oh my my my, aren’t we the little troublemaker?”

None of them would be particularly pleasant. The stallion seated before them behind a large, imposing desk was portly and rotund, with a thinning mane and a muzzle more suggestive of a pig’s snout than anything else. The tiny round glasses he wore did little to discourage this image, nor did the cheery-looking expression upon his face as he regarded the filly before him.

The mare and stallion seated on either side of Sunrunner had their gazes locked upon the stallion before them in turn, their target either unaware or uncaring of their state. While Blue Streak merely looked displeased, Solar Flare was glaring daggers at the piggish stallion before her. “Somepony in this room is.” She cast a side-long glare at the filly seated by herself at the opposite side of the desk, the little unicorn the picture of innocence with wide, frightened eyes.

“Now now, Miss Flare, you don’t want to set a bad example for…” The door to his office creaked open, and the piggish stallion beamed pleasantly. “Ah, Mister Mayor!”

“Principal Fairweather.” At the surprise of the other parents present strode in a tall, middle-aged unicorn stallion with the bearing of somepony who was accustomed to holding authority and power. He closed the door behind him with his magic and turned his attention to the lone filly. “Hello my dear.”

Primrose sobbed and wiped away a crocodile tear. “Hi Daddy.”

Crimson Thorn offered his daughter a smile before he turned his attention to her principal. “Now then, may I inquire as to why I’ve been summoned from City Hall?”

The principal’s answer was so oily, it was practically dripping. “I do apologize for the inconvenience sir, but I’m afraid that your daughter is the victim of a terrible attack from this horrid little delinquent.”

“Delinquent?!” The daggers had graduated to rapiers as Solar Flare turned her attention to the mayor. “Sir, your daughter and two of her friends dragged our daughter into a bathroom, tossed her books and papers into a toilet, assaulted her, sheared her mane off, and then left her in there with the door jammed!” She turned her attention back to the piggish principal and noted, “And not only did her teacher absolutely fail to notice that one of her students was missing, it was a half-hour after classes resumed before anyone even noticed what had happened to her! And that’s ignoring the fact that her teacher marked her tardy!”

“Well, she was late for afternoon class…”

“She was trapped in the damn bathroom!” Solar Flare’s attention was back on the piggish principal as she roared, “And she’d still be there if a janitor hadn’t been able to get the door open!”

“At which point your daughter rushed back to her classroom and attacked Miss Thorn. The only reason she isn’t even more injured is because her teacher managed to stop this delinquent in time.”

The mayor’s eyes went wide as he looked to his daughter. “Is this true?!”

Primrose took that as her cue to bawl her little eyes out, not even bothering to hide her false tears. “She was so me-ee-ee-ean to meeeee! All I *sob* wanted to do *sob* was be her friend!”

Sunrunner turned to the filly and almost spat a response, but a hoof to her shoulder from her father stopped her. Blue Streak then turned to the mayor and noted, “Sir, please, consider my daughter’s current condition. She’s bruised. Her mane has been shorn and torn away, in places down to the scalp. And that’s ignoring the fact that the door was jammed shut from the outside. Since when could a pegasus bend metal to seal a wooden door from within the room they’re sealing? And why would they do so, if the result was them being sealed inside? It defies all logic.”

To his credit, the mayor at least seemed to consider this argument, but whatever sense of him being a reasonable figure of authority faded as he turned to the principal and noted, “Fairweather, I believe you’ve implemented your zero tolerance policy, yes?”

Fairweather’s grin was painful to see. “Why yes, though I fear some parents simply cannot recognize the need for it. One mother came in just yesterday morning, for example, protesting her son’s…”

“Yes yes, but why haven’t you implemented it here?!” He moved in close and wrapped a protective limb around his daughter as he protested, “Not only has this miscreant attacked my precious daughter, but she’s spreading these slanderous allegations about her! This must be stopped, at once!”

“I quite agree, sir!”

“Our daughter is the victim here!” Solar Flare’s protests, alas, fell on deaf ears as she continued, “She was assaulted!”

“And we only have her word to go on for the perpetrators of said assault, Miss Flare. And regardless, ours is a nation founded on the principles of harmony, and one does not achieve harmony through violence towards one’s peers. As such, your daughter shall be suspended from classes for the remainder of this week, and that’s my final word.” The grin never left his muzzle as Fairweather turned to the mayor and noted, “Is this satisfactory to you, Mister Mayor?”

“Indeed it is. Now if you’ll excuse me, my daughter has been traumatized enough today, and we will be leaving immediately.”

“Of course, sir. Do have a pleasant day.” Sunrunner and her family could only watch in shock as father and daughter Thorn departed the office, the latter turning back to shoot her victim a triumphant sneer before the door closed behind her and the principal turned his attention back to them. “Now then, as for your daughter, she is not permitted on school grounds until her suspension is completed. Do see her out, and have a pleasant day.”

Solar Flare seethed at the piggish stallion before her, before she got to her hooves. “Runnie, I’m afraid we need to make a couple stops on the way home. To a hospital, for starters.”

Sunrunner kept quiet as her mother led her out, her father following close behind. The three exited the school and strode down the street and was only once they were a block away from the school grounds that she finally broke her silence. “I’m sorry, Mommy.”

Solar Flare paused, then turned to face her daughter. “Oh Runnie…” She then took her daughter into the tightest hug she could manage. “I’m the one who should be sorry, that you have to deal with all of this.”

“But I’m the one being punished.”

“For doing the right thing, for fighting back against a bully.” As her husband joined her, she noted, “And there’s no shame in doing the right thing.”

Blue Streak smiled and hugged his daughter close. “Your mom’s right, Runnie. You did good, even if you got in trouble for it.”

“Yeah, but Primrose got away with it! She got away with being mean to Quiver, and now…!”

“And now your daddy the journalist is going to go home and write an op-ed piece for the Star explaining just what happened to his little girl and how a corrupt principal is letting a corrupt mayor’s daughter get away with being a bully. Your school’s namesake would approve.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Never let the bastards win, Runnie. They don’t deserve it.”

“And after that, we can see about getting you to a different school.” Solar Flare scowled as she looked back at the building they’d just departed. “If that pig Fairweather is so corrupt, then…”

“Mommy, no.” As her mother looked at her in alarm, Sunrunner stood tall and said, “If I leave, who’s going to be there to look after everypony else that Primrose bullies? Like Quiver? I told you about that story he wrote and how everypony reacted to it. What do you think’s gonna happen if he stays here?” Both adults considered that grim possibility as their daughter turned back to the school and declared, “Somepony’s gotta be there for him. To help him. To protect him and give him a shoulder to cry on. Somepony’s gotta be his friend, and it’s gonna be me. The bastards don’t deserve to win, and he doesn’t deserve to lose.”

Sunrunner felt a tingle at her hips, then heard her father give a small chuckle. “Seems we’re gonna have to add planning your cute-ceañera to the to-do list.”

The filly looked at her father in confusion, then to her flanks to find something new present – a red discus shield with a four-pointed star upon it. She gasped and jumped into the air, then flew about in a circle as she ecstatically exclaimed, “I got my cutie mark! I got my cutie mark!” She punched the air and shouted, “Take that, Primrose!” She then came in for a landing and asked, “Can we invite Quiver, and Muriel? And maybe write to Shims and…?”

“Easy there, silly filly! One thing at a time!” Solar Flare drew her daughter in with a proud smile. “First hospital, then barbershop, then ice cream on the way home. We’ll figure things out from there.” She grinned and added, “But yes, we can invite your friends.”

Sunrunner beamed all the way to the hospital, not caring that hospitals were scary places. She had something no bully could take away from her, and she was gonna do all that she could to help a pony who needed a friend to see exactly the same thing.

Whether or not she’d managed to do that was something that she’d wondered about for a long time. As Sunrunner exited the school, a mess of thoughts were in her head, the notion that she’d wasted her time once more being at the forefront of her mind. She glanced around, and her sights found themselves on the nearby Shake ‘n Bake. She’d never been one for alcohol, but she could definitely go for a milkshake.

A chain of restaurants that was common throughout the Indianapoloosa region, Shake ‘n Bake was known for several things. First, for offering twenty-four service for whatever meal one could ask for (barring products with meat in them, much to the consternation of the griffon population), chief among them baked goods, milkshakes and smoothies. Second, for having good service and generally being family friendly. Third, for being reasonably inexpensive. She wasn’t dirt poor, but on her paygrade, the mare wasn’t eager to spend too much for comfort food.

She entered to find the place was relatively quiet, with only a few ponies seated and eating their meals while the staff took a few quiet moments to themselves. To their credit, however, they were quick to notice the presence of a new customer, a jenny turning around to greet her. “Welcome to Shake ‘n Bake, would you like a booth or…” Wide-eyed surprise was on both of their faces as the donkey broke out in a smile. “Runnie!”

“Muriel!” Sunrunner laughed in surprise as she recognized her old friend. Despite her best efforts to keep in touch, they’d lost track shortly after the mare had moved to Canterlot. Another bit of bad luck, but at least this one had come to an end. “Sweet Celestia, what are you doing here?”

“Believe it or not, keeping all the ponies who work here on their hooves and off their lazy plots. Come here, we got plenty of space at the bar.” Sunrunner complied and claimed a stool for herself as her old friend asked, “So you here for that reunion they’ve got going on?”

“I was, despite not even graduating with the rest of them.” A sad expression crossed her face as she admitted, “With one exception, they were all jerks.”

“Mare, I can believe that easy. What can I get you?”

“Large chocolate milkshake.”

Muriel complied, and personally set to work on the confection. “Got a job here out of school, right at the bottom, and saw more than my fair share of the students and faculty. You ever meet an old crab named Persimmon?”

“Had her as my teacher after I transferred in. Calling her a crab is an insult to the crabs.”

A smirk crossed the jenny’s muzzle. “Depends on what kind of crab you’re talking about, honey.” The completed milkshake was placed in front of Sunrunner complete with whipped cream, cherry, straw and spoon. “First one’s on the house for cops and active duty military. Company policy.” At her friend’s surprise, she explained, “Caught an article about you in the Star from after the changeling invasion. Uniform looks sharp on you, mare.”

A smile crossed the pegasus’s face as she stuck her straw into her treat. “Thanks.”

“Bet that coltfriend of yours tells you that all the time, though.” The smirk on Muriel’s face faded as she noted her friend’s rueful look. “What happened?”

“You remember that cousin of mine in Canterlot?” A nod. “She vanished. Dropped off the face of the earth. The family moved out there in case she ever came back, and I lost touch with Quiver in the bargain. Left him at the tender mercy of our classmates for the last couple trimesters before graduation.” She bowed her head. “Felt terrible ever since.”

A bell chimed behind her, and Digit Count’s voice called out, “Sunrunner?” She looked up to see him and Bit Stream reflected in a mirror. “May we join you?”

Muriel regarded them uneasily for a few brief seconds, before Sunrunner gave her a quiet nod. The jenny then looked up and asked, “What can I get you two gentlecolts?”

The two stallions didn’t miss the chill in her voice as they claimed stools on Sunrunner’s right. “We’ll have what she’s having.”

Muriel set to work on their milkshakes as Sunrunner idly sipped hers. She finally opted to speak. “I’m not about to give you or anypony else in there an apology.”

“We weren’t here looking for one.” Digit seemed genuinely contrite as he kept his hooves off the bar. “We just wanted to talk is all.” At her raised eyebrow, he admitted, “You’re right, what Primrose and Hot Trail and Roxy did to you was wrong. We shouldn’t have laughed at it. But it was so strange seeing you like that, and we were young and…”

“And that doesn’t sound like an apology.”

The stallion bowed his head. “It was trying to be.”

Sunrunner scowled. “You don’t try anything. You do it, or you fail. That’s the first thing a good drill instructor teaches you in the Guard, and it goes for everything. Digging trenches, issuing orders, cooking a meal, being a friend, whatever.” The scowl softened as she admitted, “Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try in the first place, but the fact remains that all the two of you and everypony else in our class ever succeeded in doing was being a pain in mine and Quiver’s hindquarters.”

“Okay, hang on, I get the frustration over you, but Quiver?” Bit glared at her as he continued, “Seriously, you act like he’s the only pony to ever get a raw deal! Like he’s the only one who’s ever gotten knocked around! Look at me, I’ve had a sh…” He caught Muriel’s glare and nudge towards a family with young foals, and censored himself, “…shimply poor time of it too.”

Digit rolled his eyes. “You’re engaged to Kandi Sugar.”

Sunrunner looked at the orange stallion in shock. “The model? She’s your fiancée?”

Muriel let out a low whistle. “Stallion, if you think getting engaged to a mare that gets compared to Fleur Dis Lee in the looks department is something to complain about, then you need something a lot stronger than what we sell here. And I’m not talking alcohol.”

Bit bowed his head and admitted, “I’m not complaining about being engaged to her. Kandi’s amazing, and she’s a lot smarter than she lets on. But…” He groaned. “She could’ve been engaged to a wealthy genius instead of a stupid failure.” His milkshake arrived just in time as he took hold of it in his magic. “I got my cutie mark for my engineering prowess. Building stuff. I remember that trebuchet that you and Quiver put together for class that one time, and that got me inspired and…” He shook his head. “Not important. Anyway, last year I got this idea for a machine, powered by unicorn magic. Self-propelled transport that didn’t rely on rails, just a well-kept road. You could use it for transport, hauling cargo from one place to another. And, obviously, you could steer it, like a paddle boat or a go-cart.”

Now Sunrunner let out a low whistle. “That would’ve netted you a fortune. Especially if you could work out a power source that didn’t rely on unicorn magic.” She could already imagine more than a few ponies in the Equestrian military who’d approve of something like that adapted into an armored troop carrier, to say nothing of the civilian applications.

“Yeah, but that wasn’t the only idea I had. I thought about magic-powered devices that could pick fruit en masse, sort them, squeeze juice out of them. And I thought I’d put them all together into a proof-of-concept vehicle, before splitting them into three or four separate machines and selling those for individual purposes. I had plans, a working prototype, and Digit was helping me with a business plan.” He sighed. “And then I went and met this pony at a poker game and got conned out of the thing wholesale. Blueprints, prototype, the whole lot.” He grumbled even more. “And if Primrose ever found out…”

Muriel gave Sunrunner a curious expression, to which the mare explained, “Primrose Thorn. The Mayor’s daughter, massive Queen Bee.”

“The mare who almost scalped you?” At her friend’s nod, the jenny scowled. “Yep, that sounds like the sort of thing a mare like her would use to put someone down.”

“And get everyone to join in on.” The pegasus scowled as she looked to the orange unicorn and noted, “I’m sorry that you went through that, Bit Stream. You didn’t deserve it.”

“Thank you.”

“But it’s a terrible shame it didn’t teach you anything.” Before he could protest, she continued, “You think others don’t put as much work into what they do as you did with that fancy machine? That I didn’t put as much work into my classes at Wing Point or defending Canterlot from the changelings? My medals aren’t participation awards, and there are plenty of ponies who’ve earned more than I did, and made far greater sacrifices.” She idly rubbed her hoof on the glass holding her milkshake and noted, “And Quiver certainly put a lot of work into that story he wrote. Enough to earn a cutie mark.”

The two stallions considered that for a moment before Bit asked, “Okay, fine, but what made him so special? He’s no better than anypony else.”

“He’s no worse than anypony else either. No different, no more or less special, except that he wrote and recited a story that I liked, and he was mocked for it.”

Digit turned defensive. “Hey, Primrose was the only one who ragged on him about it.”

“To his face. The rest of you just laughed and mocked, and you were so caught up in what you thought was wrong with the story that you never considered the story itself. What happened in it.”

Bit scoffed. “Some whiny little foal meets Nightmare Moon and gets her to not bring about night eternal. Like that’d actually happen in real life.”

“Forgot that the whiny little foal asked Nightmare Moon to straight up give him a mercy kill, didn’t you?” She frowned as she added, “Little kid gets confronted by the scariest thing in Equestrian folklore since the Windigoes, gets told that she’s gonna bring about an apocalypse, and what does he do? Scream and run away for her to catch and gobble him up? Nope. He stands there, resigned to his fate, and asks her to kill him. Because he’d probably die anyway, and because nopony would miss him if he was gone. Some might call that a way to get attention, but me? I wondered if it was a cry for help.” She turned away from them and admitted, “They say that authors put a little bit of themselves into every character they write. With that in mind, how could Quiver sound?”

Digit looked ashamed as he answered with the first thing that came to mind. “Suicidal.”

Bit Stream gave them an odd look. “Isn’t that a bit much? It’s just a story.”

“Who was Primrose’s favorite target? Who was the butt of every joke, the one who’d get knocked around and tripped and shoved?” The blue stallion frowned as he admitted, “I remember him getting to school early every morning after a while, and just as the door would open to let anypony in, wham.” He swung a hoof down through the air for emphasis. “Primrose would shove him into the door frame, just so she could beat him inside.”

“And until I came along, nopony did anything about it. Not Persimmon, not Fairweather, not a single student in the class.” She frowned as she added, “And what he got at home probably wasn’t much better. He’d always come in exhausted, browbeaten, worn down and run out. And when he’d leave for the day with his father, no matter how he felt, he’d go quiet immediately. Like he was scared of something.” She bowed her head and admitted, “Years later, I tried to get back in touch with him. Found one of the old school directories, went by his address. I was greeted at the door by his father, and tried to explain myself, but got yelled at for my trouble. The third time, the old stallion threatened to get the police. Ponies can do terrible things when they’re scared, to others and to themselves, and if you spent all your time around somepony like that, you’d get scared easy, and you’d want an escape. Especially if one wasn’t coming anywhere else.”

Bit looked at her incredulously. “And that’s why you were nice to him? Pity?”

“I was nice to him because he needed a friend.” She turned to the stallion and said, “How many times could tragedy and pain have been avoided if somepony had just sat up and done something? It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, or some big production, just something small. An act of random kindness, and the entire world can be changed for the better. I got my cutie mark thanks to him, and being a light in the dark for him was the least I could do.” She smiled fondly as she recounted, “And he was a great friend. Shy, awkward, but sweet. Good for a warm hug on a lousy day, and good at ideas and stories.” She grinned as she admitted, “He came up with the trebuchet idea.”

Now Bit Stream turned awkward, which prompted a smirk from Muriel.

Sunrunner’s grin turned back to a smile as she continued, “And he was always willing to try new things with a little encouragement. Taking up the saxophone, learning to sing, all that. Writing might’ve been his passion, but he enjoyed all the arts.” The grin faded as she noted, “It’s just a shame that I was the only one who supported him.”

Now Muriel’s smirk turned to her old friend. “That’s more than friendship, filly.”

A sad expression crossed her face. “For both of us.”

Bit turned confused. “Seriously? I thought he was a colt-cuddler.”

Digit looked mortified. “Bit!” He lowered his voice to a whisper and hissed, “Don’t call homosexual stallions that!”

Bit’s answered in a hiss of his own. “Why not? Some of them call themselves that!”

“And most of them don’t like the idea of being called anything that sounds remotely like ‘child predator’!”

Bit opened his mouth to respond, but quickly closed it before returning to his normal tone of voice. “Okay, fair point, but what made you so certain?”

“Quiver always told me that he hated writing poems. Meter and rhyme was always a pain for him to work out, ensure good flow on. With prose fiction, a short story or something, he could work out a groove, but poetry was lots of work and lots of trouble for him.” She smiled as she recounted, “So him writing that poem for me to admit how he felt made it all the more meaningful.”

The two looked at her in surprise. “He fell for you?”

Sunrunner rolled her eyes. “Don’t be surprised. I’m not exactly Kandi Sugar, but I’m not ugly either. Besides, I was the only mare in that class who treated him like he mattered. And who are you more likely to fall for – somepony who’s nice to you, or somepony who treats you like dirt?” Bit conceded that point with a nod as she continued, “Anyway, I never got the chance to answer him. He wasn’t in class that day I found the note in my locker.”

“Yeah, he was out with the flu.” The realization hit Digit as he realized, “And you left that week for Canterlot. But he never asked anypony what happened to you…”

“Probably because he didn’t think anypony would give him an honest answer.” She gave the two stallions a hard stare and added, “Like I said, I was the only pony in that school who treated him with anything even remotely resembling basic decency. The rest of you treated him like a joke, or bullied him. Persimmon would’ve rolled her eyes at a student dropping dead in front of her, and Fairweather was a boot-licking toady. And the world being the way it is, both of them are in even higher positions of power now, and might even get higher than that.”

Digit gave her a surprised look. “How did you know all that? I mean, you didn’t go in where you could’ve seen Persimmon’s portrait as principal…”

“My father’s still got friends over at the Star. When they told him Fairweather had been appointed superintendant of Indy’s public school system, he told my mother. You’d think a bomb had gone off in our house, the way she reacted.” She huffed and noted, “Doesn’t surprise me he promoted his cronies when he got the chance.” A sigh, and she noted, “What happened to me, Muriel? I used to be so sunny and cheerful.”

“Your cousin used your offer of friendship for birdcage liner, you got transferred to a school run by an opportunistic jerk and put in a class run by an apathetic teacher, the local Queen Bee assaulted you and got away with it, and you got torn away from a stallion that you’d not only fallen for, but fell hard for you.” She smirked and added, “Compared to that, the changeling invasion was a cakewalk.”

Sunrunner laughed. “No kidding.” The levity left her voice as she admitted, “Well, Quiver wouldn’t have come to the reunion anyway. I wouldn’t have been worth it. I want to think he hasn’t forgotten me, but I tried to keep in touch, only he never wrote back. Even if I knew where to look for him…”

“Ponyville.” At Sunrunner’s curious expression, Bit Stream explained, “He moved to Ponyville earlier this summer. First invite we tried to mail out, the post office failed to realize he’d changed his address and sent it to his parents’ place. Some old stallion came, yelled at us over the screw-up, and gave us the new address.” He pulled a napkin to him with his magic and produced a pen, then wrote the address down before passing it over to the pegasus. “Assuming that was his dad, you were right. Guy’s a jerk. He might even be responsible for Quiver never getting any of your letters.”

Sunrunner’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Ponyville?” She read over the address. “He’s living there?” She laughed, finished the last of her milkshake and then produced some bits and laid them down on the counter. “Muriel, great seeing you again! Next time I’m in town, I’m stopping here! Keep the change!”

She dashed out as Digit looked over the money in confusion. “I thought this place had a policy of giving a free drink to active duty military.”

“It does.” The jenny smirked and noted, “She just paid for your drinks.” She then turned her attention back to the door, and hoped to herself that her friend would reunite with the stallion in question. They both needed a reason to smile again, and it would be good for her to reunite with someone that she’d lost.

Especially considering the chances of reuniting with that cousin of hers were slim to none.

“What do you mean, she’s gone?”

It felt like the throne room had gone into an arctic chill at Solar Flare’s words as she narrowed her gaze at Princess Celestia. Meanwhile, none of the guards, miraculously, had done anything beyond maintain an alert posture and keep their eyes on the angered pegasus before them, but that was merely because they hadn’t gotten a reason to do otherwise. That was little comfort to her husband and daughter, however, who both looked worried for her safety should she go too far.

Celestia, meanwhile, had maintained some silence, likely due to her considering her next words carefully. “What I mean, Solar Flare, is that your niece is gone.”

“With all due respect, your Highness, I’m not the sort of mare who enjoys going around in circles, or in playing ‘Twenty Questions’. Now please explain to me what the rut has happened to Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunrunner could see the guards tense at her word choice, but they restrained themselves as the princess nodded. “Of course, but before we proceed, could I ask that your daughter step outside?”

Solar Flare frowned, then turned to her daughter. “Runnie, please do as the princess asks. Your father and I will tell you everything when we’re done. Just don’t wander too far.”

The younger mare nodded at her mother’s request, and one of the guards escorted her out of the throne room. The halls outside, thankfully, were lined with the odd bench here and there, possibly for the use of the odd royal petitioner but in this instance allowing Sunrunner the chance to sit down and rest. As much as she didn’t want to be left out on what was going on inside, she also didn’t want to be in the blast radius of her mother’s rage.

“Miss?” She looked up at the guard as he asked, “Would you like anything? Some water perhaps?”

She nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

The guard went to fetch a member of the castle staff, one approaching not too far away, while hoofsteps sounded from the opposite end of the hall. Their pace quickened before they came to an abrupt stop as a young, pleasant voice asked, “Excuse me? Would you by any chance happen to be named Sunrunner?”

“Yes, why…?” She looked up to find herself looking into a very familiar pair of light purple eyes, belonging to a mare only slightly older than herself that she couldn’t help but recognize. She shot to her hooves in alarm. “Excuse me! My apologies, your Highness, I…!”

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza smiled gently upon her. “It’s alright, and you don’t need to be that formal. You’re not much older than I am, after all. Call me ‘Cadance’ if you like.”

Sunrunner relaxed. “Okay, Cadance.” She flashed a nervous smile and noted, “I guess I wasn’t too hard to recognize.”

“No. Aunt Celestia’s mentioned you from time to time.” Cadance tilted her head slightly, and thus caused her ponytail to tip to one side as she smiled. “You and Sunset Shimmer look so much alike, you’d think you were sisters.”

The younger mare bowed her head. “I always thought of her as one, even if she didn’t reciprocate. Were you and Sunset friends?”

A sad frown formed on the alicorn’s face. “No. My aunt, for whatever reason, kept me and her separate whenever possible. Even those times where I saw her since coming to live in Canterlot a few months ago, she hardly acknowledged me. I just passed it off as her being busy with her studies and carried on. I had plenty on my plate regardless. Still, I hoped that she at least had some kind of relationship with her family.”

“I wish that’d been the case.” The guard who’d escorted her out of the throne room earlier returned with one of the palace staff and two glasses of water in tow. “How…?”

“Duty of a Guardspony to be observant, miss.” The stallion turned to the princess and asked, “Some water for you too, ma’am, or would you like something else?”

“Water’s fine, Sergeant.” Cadance took one glass up with a wing, then after Sunrunner did likewise, invited her to sit with her. “Anyway, I’m sorry this has happened. Do you know anything about what’s going on?”

“No. Do you?”

The alicorn shook her head. “Like I said, my aunt tends to keep things to herself, for a number of reasons. I have to wonder if that’s always a good thing.” She then sighed and asked, “Anyway, I hope whatever’s going on doesn’t stop you from getting back home soon. You look like you left somepony behind.”

A half-smile formed on Sunrunner’s face as she swallowed her first bit of water. “How could you tell?”

Cadance returned the half-smile and noted, “I’m the Princess of Love, or so the papers say. I can tell when somepony’s feeling that special something.” She put a hoof to her mouth and awkwardly remarked, “I’m sorry, I…”

The pegasus mare giggled. “It’s alright, I know what you meant.” Her mood lightened, she admitted, “But yeah, I’ve got a colt waiting for me back home. I know how he feels about me, and I feel the same way about him, but…”

“But he doesn’t know yet.”

“Haven’t gotten the chance to say anything.” She smiled dreamily and noted, “He’s smart, and silly, and kind of a dork, but he’s got a big heart.”

Cadance smirked. “The best stallions always do.”

“But he’s been hurt so bad. Bullies and jerks and everypony putting him down like he’s nothing.”

“Then it’s a good thing he has you to lift him up.” The princess gave an encouraging smile. “You’ll see him again, Sunrunner. And something tells me he won’t forget a mare like you anytime soon.”

The young mare flashed a hopeful smile as the doors to the throne room opened. She finished her drink and rose to her hooves as her parents emerged. “Mom? Dad? What’s going on?”

Her mother’s expression was foul, her father’s regretful as he answered, “Runnie, I’m afraid we might not be seeing Sunset again for a long time. She was expelled from Princess Celestia’s tutelage, something about breaking into the restricted section of the castle library, but she ran off before she could be given the chance to pack or we could be contacted. The princess doesn’t know when, or if, she’ll return.”

She looked between her two parents uneasily. “Then, we might never see her again?” At her father’s nod, she frowned. “What will we do?”

“We stand vigil and hope.” Solar Flare straightened up and explained, “Ownership of your aunt’s house here in Canterlot passed to me after she and your uncle passed away. We’ll sell the house in Indianapoloosa, and move out here.” At her daughter’s shocked expression, she frowned regretfully and said, “I’m sorry, Runnie, but think of the bright side. You won’t have to deal with any of the bullies you faced back there anymore, or anypony who let them get away with treating you like garbage. You’ve already applied to Wing Point, so you won’t have too far to go if you get accepted if you live here.”

“Still, I…” Sunrunner caught the look in her mother’s eye and opted against arguing further. “Can I at least write a letter home sometime? Keep in touch with my friends?”

“Of course.” Solar Flare then turned her attention to the young princess among them and curtly noted, “Excuse us, your Highness, we’ve business to attend to.”

The three pegasi then started to make their way out of the palace, with Sunrunner taking up the rear. She turned back to find Cadance flashing her a hopeful smile, even as Celestia joined her with a broken, apologetic look on her face. She tried to smile back, but barely managed it before she found her attention on the way ahead. She had much to do, after all, and optimism could only get her so far.

Besides, there was something wrong with seeing the Princess of the Sun look as though a shadow had fallen over her. But then again, hadn’t one fallen on all of them?

Epilogue - Reunion With The Quill

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The early morning sun hardly bothered Sunrunner as she narrowed in on her destination. Ponyville was thankfully easy to get to from Canterlot, given that you could see either settlement from the other without little trouble, but that hardly made her task easier as she landed in the town square. She had an address, true, but she’d never been to this town, and getting around was going to be far easier said than done. Especially given the town lacked street signs.

Sunrunner had to wonder about that. Granted, if the place was small enough, ponies wouldn’t need street signs to navigate it, but still, it certainly looked big enough from the sky.

She spied a building that resembled a gingerbread house, a plump-looking middle-aged mare in the shop window turning a sign from ‘Closed’ to ‘Open’ and decided to try her luck. She went up to the door and entered as a bell chimed to signal her arrival. The mare turned back to her in surprise. “Oh! Good morning, and welcome to Sugar Cube Corner! You’re a fast one!”

The pegasus smiled politely. “More like a lucky one, ma’am.”

“Well, no matter, we’re happy to have you. Passing through town?”

“Trying to find a resident, actually. I have his address, but this is my first time in Ponyville.”

“And you need directions?”

Sunrunner nodded and gestured towards one of the fresh baked goods out and ready for customers. “And I’d like a bagel too, please.” If she was going to take up the mare’s time, she should at least buy something while she was doing so.

“Of course, dearie.” Money and food were exchanged, then the elder mare glanced over her guest’s destination. “Oh, I know the stallion who lives there! He comes by here twice a week or so for baked goods. Muffins, usually. What’s your business with Quiver, by the…?” She stopped when she saw the expression on Sunrunner’s face and smiled. “Nevermind, I think I know what’s going on.” She then wrote out some directions and passed them on. “These should get you there in a jiffy. And good luck!”

“Thanks, ma’am!” Sunrunner then exited the shop, took a bite of her bagel, then took flight to try and find where she was going. Thanks to her updated information, it took very little time indeed to find where she was going, just long enough to finish off her food and come in for a landing.

It was a modest little place, one that couldn’t have had more than two bedrooms. She wondered idly if both were occupied, partly because she wondered if Quiver could afford a place like this on his own, and partly because a tiny part of her still wondered if he’d moved on and left her behind. It didn’t seem like him, but still, ponies can change. Sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse.

She was about to knock on the door, but paused. What if Quiver had changed? What if he’d forgotten her, or thought that she’d abandoned him and just put her out of his mind? What if…

No. She came all this way, and regardless of how things turned out, she was going to see it through. Steel yourself, Runnie. Remember that poem he wrote. She then closed her eyes, and began to recite it.

“T’was a blessed day, when she called me friend.

That word lifted my spirits, and gave me joy without end.

Whom am I to thank, who’d cause my soul to mend?

She who would run with the sun.”

“A treasured heart, that’s her gift to share.

Among those cruel souls, she made known her care.

You’ll find few finer, upon this I would swear.

She who would run with the sun.”

“Though wounded by monsters, she would stand tall and brave.

In places of cruelty, paths of kindness she’d pave.

Faced with a monster, she’d name them as nave.

She who would run with the sun.”

“She’s ever at my side, when push comes to shove.

Her spirit’s like an eagle, her heart like a dove.

Who is this fair maiden? The one whom I love.

She who would run with the sun.”

When she finally opened her eyes, she stood in surprise at the stallion before her. He carried himself a little taller, and looked more at ease than she’d ever seen him, and perhaps a little better physically, but the important things were no different from how she remembered them. The same slightly messy brown mane, a little tamer with age but hardly any different. The same earthy brown eyes, deep with intensity and pain, but not so deep that she couldn’t see herself reflected in them. And his voice…

“Runnie?”

It was Quiver Quill. And he hadn’t changed a bit.

A nervous smile spread across her face. “Hey Quivs. Long time no see.”

Scars of the Sun

by EchoWing

Chapter One - The Ones You Leave Behind

Chapter Two - Sometimes You Leave For A Reason

Chapter Three - Always Worth It To Try

Epilogue - Reunion With The Quill