After the Fall Formal, Sunset struggles to fit back in to life at CHS. Will she shove aside her pride and make some friends, or is she doomed to remain an outcast for the rest of her high school career?
After the Fall Formal, Sunset remains as proud and stubborn as she's always been. But unfortunately for her, the students at CHS aren't going to keep letting her walk all over them. Highjinks ensue, and Sunset finds she'll have to give friendship a try; whether she wants to or not.
Slow burn. Story will be set in three major arcs, then maybe a fourth to tie things up.
This is a re-telling of Sunset's adventure towards redemption. Major canon divergence. SciSet is endgame, with background WallTrix.
This story is inspired by "Long Road To Friendship" by The Albinocorn so there will certainly be some similarities, but I think you'll find that I take it in a different direction
A raw, fiery vortex of light surrounded her, glowing with every colour of the rainbow. It was a beautiful sight that she knew would haunt her nightmares. She could feel the ground ripping away beneath her floating body as she desperately tried to remain airborne, to cling onto the last shreds of her dignity as everything was taken from her.
That fierce burning sensation attacked Sunset’s senses, fraying her nerves and bringing tears to her unseeing eyes. Her batlike wings and flaming tail disintegrated from the outside in, and she could feel every bone, every muscle, every fibre crumbling to dust. She gasped, fruitlessly trying to fill her lungs with air. She had never, ever felt pain like this.
Finally, just as Sunset was sure her skin would melt off, the blast ended, and she was left curled pathetically on the smoldering ground, huge sobs wracking her frame.
Was someone speaking? The ringing in Sunset’s ears was overwhelming, and… were her eyes open? Either way, she still couldn’t see. She could only make out bits and pieces of the speech being thrown at her from above the scorched pit she lay in.
“...never rule… power is gone… what is in your heart...”
She could hear herself saying something in return… an apology, maybe? She didn’t know, all she could processes was the violent pain shooting through her body and the tears streaming down her face.
More muffled sound filtered into Sunset’s scattered brain. She was just barely able to absorb more than the last time as her hearing slowly returned to normal.
“Friendship…seek it out…or forever be alone… choice is yours...”
This time, Sunset could hear herself reply. Her voice came out in rough gasps and sniffles as she tried to respond to the somewhat familiar voice through her tears.
“B-but,” she stammered. “All I’ve ever done since being here is drive everyone apart.” Sunset hiccuped. Her tears were forming a small puddle on the ground beneath her chin. “I don’t know the first thing about friendship!”
Sunset’s finally vision cleared a little, revealing the sight of an angel reaching down to swoop her upwards.
She blinked. Her vision cleared more, and she almost screamed when she realized it was Twilight Sparkle.
Fear shot through Sunset’s addled mind. 'This is it, she’s going to finish me off- she’s going to kill me…'
'I never got to go home…'
But when the final blow never struck, Sunset looked up through eyes blurry with tears.
Twilight’s hand was outstretched, a small smile on her face. This time, Sunset could make out what the Princess was saying as she lifted Sunset out of the crater.
“I bet they can teach you,” Twilight gestured to the human Elements.
Each had a look of apprehension on their faces, but smiled for Twilight’s sake.
Sunset struggled to keep her balance as Twilight took her hand away, turning to her friends. The red head could hear whispers from the students, now recovered from their brainwashing.
“So, are they, like, aliens or something?”
“That was wicked! I can’t believe she’s a real princess!”
“I can’t believe she’s a real monster!”
“Well, I can.”
Sunset flinched, suddenly wishing her hearing hadn’t returned so quickly.
She watched as the six talked and laughed, as Flash Sentry asked Twilight to dance, as the rest of Canterlot High went back inside to enjoy their night, shooting Sunset scathing glances and fearful looks on the way.
Soon, the only souls in the courtyard were Sunset, Celestia, and Luna.
Celestia caught Sunset’s eye and gestured for the girl to follow her and Luna.
The sisters walked ahead of her, talking in hushed tones and glancing back every few seconds to make sure she was still behind them.
'Heh. Or to make sure I’m not gonna go all ‘she-demon’ on them.'
They arrived at the office the principals shared. Luna ducked in first, leaving Celestia to send Sunset a wary glance.
“You wait out here,” the principal said.
Sunset shuddered. 'She sounds exactly like Princess Celestia did that day…' Not mad, but terribly disappointed. Almost ashamed. Ashamed of Sunset? Of herself? Almost a little… scared? Sunset never figured it out the first time, and now wasn’t any different.
Sunset sat in the hallway outside the principal’s office as Celestia went inside to deliberate with Luna on what to do with the delinquent next. Tears slowly continued leaking from her eyes. Her back felt like it was still engulfed in red-hot flame and she could feel something sticky binding her shirt to the affronted flesh, but her thoughts were so clouded and her body so full of adrenaline that she couldn’t really understand the pain she was in. The sensory overload from the had rainbow left Sunset in a daze.
'No, daze isn’t the right word,' she thought, definitely in a daze. She knew she had read about this somewhere, now what was the word? Distraction? Distance?
Dissociation.
'Yeah, that’s the one.'
Time didn’t seem to pass as the girl sat, awaiting the principals’ verdict. A minute turned to an hour in the blink of an eye, and Sunset didn’t feel any of it.
Finally, Luna opened the door, a look of pity on her face. “Come on,” she said softly, offering Sunset a hand.
It took Sunset a moment to register the command. She took Luna’s hand and stood shakily, moving to follow the adult towards the gym. Sounds of the dance filtered in and out of her mind, voices drifted, shadows shifted on the walls. But still, Sunset followed, her legs weak and leaded.
Luna turned the corner, away from the partying teens, and led Sunset out the fire exit doors to the gym’s storage shed. The principal unlocked the door. It swung open, hitting the side of the shed and shaking loose some peeling paint from the old wood. Luna disappeared into the dilapidated structure for a moment, rummaging for a bit before producing a large wheelbarrow filled with bricks. She wheeled it outside, then leaned back into the unit to snag a bucket full of mortar and its matching spreading tool.
Luna gave the bucket and tool to Sunset’s unsteady hands and grabbed the wheelbarrow for herself, huffing as she lifted the heavy brick. She started to wheel it around the outside of the school to the front area. Sunset scrambled after her. The dark haired woman didn’t speak a word as they walked.
By the time the two reached the front of the building, the dance had wound down and Canterlot High was bidding farewell to their newest, though temporary, Wondercolt.
Sunset watched with detached sadness as Twilight hugged her friends and moved towards the portal. Twilight and the five glanced in her direction for a moment, and Sunset made brief eye contact with the departing Princess.
Twilight smiled at the red-head. She said something to the five that Sunset couldn’t make out due to her distance from the group. Rarity responded, frowning in Sunset’s direction. Finally, Twilight said one last goodbye to her friends and disappeared into the portal.
There was a small ‘zap,’ and the portal was closed.
Sunset felt a part of herself leave with it.
***
Rainbow Dash watched the swirling light of the portal absorb her new friend into the unknown realm beyond. Soon after, her wings vanished, dropping her unceremoniously onto the ground.
“Aw darn,” she said, lifting herself from the concrete and dusting herself off. “I was hoping I could keep those.”
Rarity heaved a dramatic sigh. “Me too, darling. I had so many accessories for our adorable pony ears!”
Rainbow Dash grinned as Rarity continued rambling about her fashion ideas. She watched as Applejack enthusiastically nodded along, even though it was obvious she had no clue what Rarity’s fashion language meant. She saw Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy talking animatedly about Spike, the shyer of the two coming out of her shell a bit given a topic she was comfortable with.
Dash sighed happily. Having her friends back felt wonderful, like things were finally right again. Except...
“What are we going to do about the she-demon?”
Rainbow’s friends stopped talking and turned to her, stunned. Applejack glanced in the direction of the school, where Sunset, Snips, and Snails were working to repair the broken wall.
The farmer adjusted her hat. “Erm, well, Twilight said-”
A scoff from Rainbow interrupted her. “I know what Twilight said.” The chromatic haired girl crossed her arms. “But she can't seriously expect to just forgive Sunset for everything she put us through.”
Rarity bit her lip. “I… I agree, she was, quite frankly, atrocious to us. Poor Fluttershy has been eating alone at lunch for years!”
Upon hearing her name, Fluttershy shrunk back with a whimper. She said nothing, opting instead to play with a lock of her long pink hair that hid her face. Rainbow picked up on the movement and put a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder. Guilt festered in her stomach. That was partly her own doing.
'No,' Rainbow Dash thought, shaking her head. 'It’s all Sunset’s fault! She’s the one who hurt Fluttershy, I would never-'
“I don’t know, girls,” Pinkie chimed in, breaking Rainbow Dash from her thoughts. She looked up at the party lover. “We promised Twilight we’d help her learn the magic of friendship-”
“But did we Pinkie promise?”
Pinkie Pie opened her mouth to retort, then shut it quickly. Rainbow Dash had a point.
The five girls looked over at Sunset and her former cronies. The red-headed girl was placing mortar-covered bricks into place where her blast had ruined the building’s facade. Her sunken eyes didn’t appear to see any of the work she was doing.
Despite Sunset’s pathetic appearance, Rainbow Dash felt no sympathy. All she saw was the girl who ruined the school and tore her friends apart. Red hot anger boiled in her chest, and her hands clenched into fists. 'She doesn’t deserve a second chance after everything she’s done.'
Looking around at her friends’ faces, she could tell that they agreed, for the most part.
Applejack sighed grimly. “Ah don’t feel good about just droppin’ her like a hot potater, but she was right awful to us.” She kicked at the ground, getting dirt on her boots (much to Rarity’s dismay).
“But maybe she’s changed?” Pinkie said hopefully. “I mean, that blast really seemed to knock some sense into her!”
Fluttershy nodded “I think we should at least give her a chance.”
But as they looked into eyes that once held so much entitlement, so much contempt, it was difficult for Rainbow Dash to see the broken girl behind them.
***
'Brick. Mortar. Wall.' Rinse, repeat.
Sunset’s body moved on autopilot as she repeated the process, over and over, wincing as she moved. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, leaving her body in more pain than she wanted to admit.
“You will begin rebuilding the school tonight, but your real punishment is detention,” Luna had said as the three began their work earlier that night. “Sunset, you will have five months worth. Snips, Snails, you have three.”
She glanced at her companions. The two freshmen were joking around, playfully shoving each other and trying to smear mortar on the other’s face as they pretended to work. They didn’t appear to be affected from the rainbow blast at all. Sunset turned back to the wall, placing another brick. 'So, how come I’m the only one in pain?' Snips and Snails had transformed, too, so why were they completely unaffected?
'Probably because of the Elements,' Sunset thought with a frown. She wiped the sweat from her brow with a dirty hand. 'They must have decided that Snips and Snails were worth sparing the pain. Me, on the other hand...'
Sunset’s thoughts thoughts were interrupted by a regal voice. “You three are done for the night.” Luna had a stern look on her face, but her eyes were soft. “Go home, get some rest. Just be prepared for detention when you come back to school on Monday.”
With a sigh, Sunset put the brick she was holding back into the wheelbarrow. Snips and Snails stopped roughhousing. Snails looked up, confused. “Don’t we have to finish rebuilding the school?”
Snips elbowed him in the ribs. “Shut it, dude!” He turned to the vice principal. “Uh, please don’t make us rebuild the school.”
“Don’t worry,” Luna said, hiding a snicker behind her hand. “We don’t expect you to fix the entire school. That’s a job for a real construction crew.”
She gestured towards the wheelbarrow and mortar bucket. “This was just a temporary punishment. The construction company is sending people to restructure the school’s entrance tomorrow morning.”
The boys simultaneously let out sighs of relief.
“Thanks VP,” Snips said. He and his friend started walking towards the street. “So, is your mom picking us up?”
Their voices faded and Sunset was left alone with the vice principal. Sunset shuffled her feet, avoiding the taller woman’s probing eyes. She was just about to leave when Luna stopped her.
“Sunset,”
The teen shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She crossed her arms, as if trying to protect herself from Luna’s gaze.
Sunset sighed. “If that’s all, I’m going to go now.” She started to turn, but was stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder. She tensed immediately.
The Vice Principal noted Sunset’s discomfort and retracted her hand with a guilty look on her face.
“Look, Sunset…” Luna paused for a moment, trying to choose her words carefully. “Just take this.” She reached into her pants pocket and produced a small business card. She took a pen from her blazer’s breast pocket and scribbled something onto the back.
“Call me if you need anything.”
Sunset scowled as she snatched the paper, shoving it into the pocket of her leather jacket. She didn’t say a word, simply turned on her heel and started moving. She felt Luna’s eyes on her as she left.
Sunset managed to keep some of her composure while she walked. After she made sure she was safely away from CHS and no other people were lurking around, the worn girl slumped in on herself.
Pain shot through her body and her legs ached while she walked. The journey was quiet save for Sunset’s laboured breathing and the scrape of her shoes against the concrete. She managed to make it fairly far away from the school before her legs gave out.
Sunset collapsed against the dirty wall of a nearby building. She sucked in a breath, her hands scraping against the rough brick surface, trying not to completely fall to her knees.
'Suck it up, Shimmer,' she told herself harshly. 'Only a couple more miles to go.'
Gritting her teeth, Sunset pulled her body upwards and resumed her progression. The walk was long and slow. Intense stubborny and the last shards of Sunset’s pride were the only things preventing her from passing out.
Finally, after what felt like eons, Sunset arrived at the Hollow Shades Apartment Complex. It was several miles away from the more middle class city of Canterlot, and in it resided the poorer citizens of town.
Sunset wearily climbed the stairs of the complex to the second floor. She fumbled with the key she pulled from her ripped pants’ pocket and unlocked the wooden door. It swung open with a creak, revealing the unimpressive interior of Sunset’s home.
The red-head staggered into her apartment, kicking the door shut behind her. She managed to unsteadily make her way to her dingy couch.
Motes of dust puffed up from the furniture’s fabric as Sunset collapsed onto it.
The shadows of the pitch black night loomed over the girl as she quickly lost consciousness. The darkness swallowed her whole, consuming her and filling her vision until nothing but blackness remained.
When Sunset awoke, the sun had long since risen. Afternoon light streamed in through the apartment’s few windows, disregarding the faded curtains like they were made of ash and illuminating the otherwise shadowy room.
The sad apartment was sparsely furnished. The previous tenant had left behind whatever he didn’t want, unintentionally gifting Sunset with a couch, a desk, and several broken appliances. The couch and the desk were certainly old, if not a little gross, but they suited Sunset’s needs just fine. The appliances, on the other hand, Sunset only kept because she had been too busy collecting information and planning to return to Equestria to throw them out.
The stained couch that supported Sunset’s battered form faced an old, boxy television set that no longer worked. Sunset sat up, pain ricocheting throughout her body. She gasped, barely managing to catch herself against the arm of the couch.
‘Fuck… I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus,’ Sunset thought, turning her eyes to the T.V. in front of her. She gazed at her reflection in the warped, dark glass. Shadows hung underneath the sad eyes that roamed across her figure. Her once radiant, flame-hued hair was matted and dull, tangles catching in Sunset’s fingers and she ran a hand through it. She still wore her torn, slightly burnt clothing, which hung around her loosely.
She sighed, then winced as the movement shot another stab of pain throughout her frame.
'Alright, Sunset,' She thought to herself. 'C’mon, you gotta clean up before something gets infected.'
Gritting her teeth, Sunset pushed herself up, using the arm of the couch as both leverage and stability. Her back was pulsing and her legs felt heavy as she slowly picked herself up. She kept herself upright for all of three seconds before she stumbled, unceremoniously slamming into the wall behind the living area. With a grunt, Sunset pushed herself upwards, leaning her forearm against the wall for support as she slowly made her way down the hall.
The bathroom lights flickered on when Sunset turned the switch. She lowered the lid of the toilet and practically fell onto the seat, inhaling deeply, out of breath. Even the simple movement of walking down the hall had completely overexerted her, reigniting the flaming hot pain that her body was under the night before.
“Okay, this’ll be fun,” Sunset muttered under her breath. She shimmied off her leather jacket, dropping it to the cracked tile floor. Her rough, scraped hands gripped the singed fabric of her shirt. She experimentally lifted the shirt up a little-
-and immediately dropped it back down as a fresh bolt of pain projected through her body.
Sunset yelped. 'Alright,' she thought. 'So it’s stuck to my back, presumably with blood. I’ll have to do this quickly.'
She gulped, her hands clutching the fabric tighter than before.
'Like ripping off a band-aid...'
This time, Sunset screamed as she ripped the shirt from her body. She was wrong about the blood causing her shirt to stick; the rainbow had seared Sunset’s shirt to her back, the burnt flesh melding together with the fabric. The sudden motion agitated the wounds and tore away any semblance of scabbing that had formed. Fresh blood bubbled from the re-opened wounds and pain roared through Sunset’s body.
It took an immense amount of willpower for Sunset to keep herself from passing out, but somehow, she managed. 'I’m better than this,' she assured herself, biting her lip to keep from crying out again.
As she waited for the agony to die down, Sunset reached for the cabinet door that rested underneath the sink and next to the toilet. She fumbled for a minute before wrenching it open and snatching the rusty pair of scissors that had been there since she moved in.
Sucking in another deep breath, she carefully cut her sports bra down the middle of her chest and peeled the rest of it off her back. It didn’t hurt quite as much as the first time, but it still made her cry out.
The material of the bra was covered in grime and splatters of blood. Sunset dropped it on the floor along with her shirt and jacket, and let the scissors fall with a metallic clank.
Sunset let herself sit for a bit longer as the pain died to a throb. “Well,” she sighed. “Cleaning this is going suck.”
The redhead wiggled out of her pants and underwear, adding them to the pile of bloody fabric by her feet. She stood and, using the wall for support, pushed back the shower curtains and turned the water on.
Horrific misery assaulted her body as Sunset stepped underneath the cold spray of water. Her tears mixed with the blood that swirled down the drain.
Sunset grit her teeth and went through the arduous process of cleaning herself. Aside from the mess that had once been Sunset’s back, the girl had also sustained some smaller cuts and scrapes from the… ‘blast,’ as she was calling it in her head. Both knees were scraped badly, and light scratches were littered all over her body. Her fingertips were rubbed raw, the skin peeling like a bad sunburn, which she assumed was due to the transformation from fingers, to claws, then back again.
Despite the torment that her body was enduring, Sunset managed to stay underneath the water until it ran a light pink; a big change from the deep red that it had been when she first allowed her bloody form to be rinsed.
The water shut off with a squeak, and Sunset stepped out of the shower. A wave of nausea crashed over her.
“Shit,” she cursed, her vision starting to blur. “I’m not going to make it to the couch this time, am I?”
Sure enough, only moments later, Sunset sank to the floor, passing out once again.
***
Anxious fingers flew across the keyboard, hastily searching for something useful. Her eyes flitted from her computer screen to the her wall, which held not just the bulletin board the girl was staring at, but a wide array of certificates and ribbons. Trophies lined the dusty shelves above her desk; she spared them little notice as she scribbled down numbers and figures into her notebook.
Most teens might be spending a Saturday evening doing something fun, like hanging out with their friends.
Twilight Sparkle was not most teens.
Also, she had no friends.
The scientist sighed, leaning back in her chair. She swept her bangs out of her eyes and adjusted her glasses. “It just doesn’t make sense,” she muttered. “These readings are incredibly unique, I’ve never seen anything like it before! And there, of all places?”
She had been thrilled when her energy-reading spectrometer started picking up on strange surges of power that week. And such powerful ones, at that! Imagine her shock when she checked to see where they were coming from:
Canterlot High School. AKA, the school she was set to transfer into.
Twilight shut her notebook. The week had been spent studying waveforms, comparing and contrasting data tables, and formulating equations, trying to figure out what type of anomaly could create such energy waves; but to no avail.
That didn’t put a dampen on her excitement, though.
'I’ll finally be able to collect some field data soon,' she thought, her knee bouncing as her mind swam with theories and possible explanations. 'Just one more week!'
She idly chewed her pencil, rolling her chair over to where Spike was resting on her bed. He sat up, eagerly wagging his tail as Twilight scratched behind his ears.
“I hope I fit in, Spike,” she murmured. Sure, the prospect of groundbreaking scientific data was incredible, but it didn't make the social aspect of transferring schools any easier.
The dog tilted his head as Twilight continued. “After what happened with… w-with Moondancer…”
Spike barked and nuzzled against Twilight's side. She sighed, drying the tears that had started to form with the back of her hand. She knew it was odd for someone in their senior year to transfer schools, especially after classes had already started.
“I just don’t want to be ostracized again.”
Her faithful companion yipped, standing up on his hind legs so he could lick her cheek.
Twilight giggled, scooping up the dog and snuggling him close to her chest. “Yeah, you’re right, bud. It’s a fresh start. Maybe I’ll make some friends this time around.”
***
Celestia was pacing. Again. She walked through her and Luna’s small kitchenette, around the dining table, and over to the sink once more. She fussed with the tidy countertops, rearranging things, then putting them back to their original spots before setting off for another lap around the area. Again.
It was Sunday, two days after the Fall Formal, and Celestia had been pacing since Saturday morning. The woman didn’t often wear her emotions on her sleeve, but pacing was a sure sign that something was wrong.
“Sister,” Luna called, her eyes not leaving the television. “You’re wearing a rut into the floor.”
The principal stopped, wringing her hands together. “I’m sorry, Lu, I’m just-”
“-worried about her, I know.” Luna sat up and gestured for her sister to join her on the cushy sofa. When Celestia sat down, Luna rested her head on the elder sister’s shoulder.
The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Luna spoke up again. “I’m worried about Sunset too, Tia, but we can’t do anything now except wait. I gave her our cell numbers, she knows she can call if she needs help.”
Celestia threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. “But that’s just it, Luna! She won’t ask for help, no matter how much she knows she needs it!” She brought her hands down in exchange for tapping her foot anxiously. “She… She’s so much like you were, all those years ago. Headstrong, stubborn, self-reliant...”
“...and suffering, all alone,” Luna finished. She shifted to meet her sister’s teary eyes. “I remember, Tia. But I eventually came around, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but-”
“We can’t force her to reach out. That’s something she has to do on her own. You’re right, she’s a lot like I was.” Luna sighed. “And if I know anything about myself during that time, I know that right now her pride is damaged, and she’s trying to pull herself up independently. She’s going to realize pretty soon that she needs to accept help from others.”
Celestia bit her lip. “You’re right, I know. I just hope she’s alright in the meantime.”
***
School on Monday, to no one’s surprise, was cancelled, due to the “long overdue renovations” happening on the building’s front.
Wallflower Blush was thrilled. This meant she could tend to her garden without the distraction of all those people!
...Not that anyone would have distracted her in the first place. Or even noticed her, for that matter.
Dressed in her favourite gardening clothes- a pair of tan overalls, brown workboots, and her brown striped shirt, of course- Wallflower breathed in the brisk autumn air. Leaves crunched underneath her feet as she made her way towards the hidden garden she had tended to for years, now.
Ducking under tree branches and carefully stepping over underbrush, the girl followed the near-invisible path through the forest. A smile graced Wallflower’s face as her secret spot came into view. It was her own personal sanctuary; shrouded in comforting shadows, hidden away from the world, it was the only place she felt truly safe.
She set her bag of gardening supplies on her small stone bench and started pulling out her equipment.
'Let’s see,' Wallflower thought, taking a look at her mental to-do list. 'Rake the leaves, weed the rest of the western section, trim the rhododendrons…' Her eyes scanned the quaint area, thoughts flooding with ideas for springtime, which flower patterns would look good together, what colours she should implement next spring.
Eventually, she shook herself out of her daydreams and got to work.
A breeze rustled her hair as Wallflower continued preparing her garden for the coming winter. Few plants were still in bloom, but the surrounding forest offered an array of beautiful reds, oranges, and golds for Wallflower to enjoy.
Wallflower hummed a soft tune to herself. Her gruff, low voice echoed in the small clearing; it the only sound other than the rustle of leaves and the scrape of her tools.
Her tools. She looked down at the slightly rusted trowel she was using and smiled. Her gardening supplies were all very old, but they were her prized possessions.
Hours passed, but Wallflower hardly noticed. She pulled weeds, trimmed flowers, raked leaves, all with a happy grin on her face. Soon enough, the sun had started to set, and Wallflower stood to admire her work. The girl sighed happily, pulling her phone from her pocket to take a picture.
Her stomach dropped when she was greeted with a slew of missed messages.
'Shoot,' Wallflower gulped. 'It’s past 6:00, isn’t it…'
Sure enough, the time on her phone read 6:15. Wallflower quickly scanned the unread messages, fear creeping up her neck.
5:47pm - Momma > Please get home quick, sweetie. FS wants to start dinner.
6:05pm - FS > where are you
6:05pm - FS > your late for dinner again
6:09pm - FS > worthless piece of shit
6:10pm - FS > if you keep running off like this ill skin you alive
Wallflower hastily dropped her phone into the front pocket of her overalls and shoved her tools back into her backpack. She took off in a run; down the hidden path, out of the trees, past the school’s now repaired front, and across the sidewalk that lead to her home.
She tried to keep the familiar feeling of fright from completely overtaking her as she stopped on her front porch, panting.
'He’s gonna kill us one of these days…'
Wallflower straightened up and looked at the front door apprehensively. She tried to control her breathing the way she was taught, but the intense pounding in her chest refused to lessen.
Finally, after about a minute of just breathing, Wallflower bit the bullet and pushed open the door.
***
Sunset Shimmer was not alright. She woke up naked on the floor of her bathroom. The yellowed light that hung over Sunset’s head illuminated the room, but did nothing to alleviate the darkness from seeping in through the hallway.
'So it’s nighttime, but what day is it?'
The former unicorn groaned and pushed herself up. The pain in her back had been reduced to a dull ache, allowing her to stand without using the wall for support. In fact, now that she paid more attention it it, Sunset realized that her skin felt clammy, a stark contrast to the burning sensation she had felt during the blast.
She sighed. “Alright, let’s see what the damage is.”
Sunset leveraged herself up onto the sink’s counter, her back facing the mirror. She shifted, twisting so that she could see the destruction that had been wrought on her from the blast.
Bile filled Sunset’s throat at the ghastly sight and she gagged, bringing a hand to her mouth to try and keep it down.
There were three major wounds, two of which were long slashes that ran parallel to Sunset’s spine, just inside and exactly the length of her shoulder blades. The lacerations were a hot, angry red colour, and the skin that surrounded them was charred black. Several ragged cuts, each a pinkish hue splintered away from the scorched flesh, out across Sunset’s shoulders and shoulder blades.
'S-shit,'
If that wasn’t bad enough, another gash, this one more circular, lay just above her rear, about where the waistband of her pants would lie. It was a similar red as the first two, but instead of blackness circling it, there were blisters of various sizes. Similar cuts like the ones all over her shoulders fractured outwards, up her lower back.
It was so much worse than she had anticipated. Tears formed in Sunset’s eyes and she was powerless to stop them as they cascaded down her cheeks and dripped onto her thighs from her seated position. Her hand, still over her mouth, caught the sobs that heaved from her lungs.
Never in her life had she felt this weak.
'Okay, okay come on! Think Sunset, what do you do now?' Sunset frantically tried to organize her scattered thoughts as they flew across her mind in a frenzy. 'Um, uh… Oh! Internet, there’s always an answer on the internet!'
Sunset scrambled down from her perch on the sink and snatched her pants from the pile of clothes on the floor. She fumbled with the garment until she found her cell phone. She knelt, tapping her fingers impatiently against her phone case as the device booted up.
The screen finally lit up, allowing Sunset to confirm that it was Monday evening. She ignored the implication that she slept on her bathroom floor for two days and tapped her internet app, hastily starting to research. The more she read, however, the more her stomach flipped and churned with anxiety.
Sunset shook her head. “Knowledge is power,” she whispered, trying to stay composed. It was a line she often repeated to herself when things looked grim. She could feel her mind teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown, but she refused to let herself fall just yet. “Knowledge is power,” she said again. “And if I have knowledge, I have power by extension.”
It took almost thirty whole minutes of tapping from article to article, but eventually Sunset had a pretty good idea of what had happened.
The three major wounds were obviously from her wings and tail. Sunset gathered that the smaller cuts were results of the wings and tail as well, though indirectly. She guessed that her skin had stretched and ripped to accommodate for the new appendages that she was not meant to have, leaving tears in her body as a result.
“Okay, um...” Sunset's tendency to mumble as she formulated theories and ideas did not bear her situation any exceptions. She stood and turned to look at her back in the mirror again.
“The wing wounds appear to be third degree burns.” She took a shuddering breath, tracing her injuries with her eyes. “The tail mark is only a second degree burn, and that combined with the cuts was where all the blood came from.”
She bit her lip, eyes roaming across her back. “They’re definitely going to scar…”
The information was grisly, but it gave Sunset a sense of control over the situation. If she knew what something was and why it happened, she could find a solution.
The girl took a deep breath in. “Alright. Th-this is good, now I know what I’m up against.” The encouragement was weak, even in her desperation for comfort.
Sunset kept taking deep breaths, trying to calm the onslaught of anxieties and fears and, worst of all, the doubts.
'What if these wounds kill me?'
'I don’t have the medicine to take care of them.'
'... I’m never going to bounce back from all this, am I?'
She shook her head. 'I have to stay calm. Thinking like that won’t fix anything.'
After several minutes of controlled breathing, Sunset felt exhaustion weigh on her. The past days had been awful, and, despite having spent most of that time unconscious, suddenly all she could think of was sleep.
She flicked the bathroom light off, using her phone screen to illuminate the way to the couch. As she collapsed, face first as to not agitate her wounds, she struggled to keep the tears from escaping her eyes once more.
The first thing Sunset did when she woke up was rush to the kitchen.
‘Waterwaterwaterwaterwater-’
The tap squeaked as Sunset thrust the handle upwards, unleashing a spray of cool water into the sink. She dipped her head beneath the stream, taking in greedy gulps.
It took Sunset several minutes to find the strength to tear herself away from the sink. When she did, she snagged a clean cup from the cupboard and filled it to the brim with the still-running tap water before shutting it off.
Still naked, she took the water with her to her bedroom, taking sips every few seconds. It was a sparsely furnished room, with an old mattress pushed up against one wall and a desk occupying another. Two piles of laundry graced the floor; one clean, one dirty.
Sunset moved over to the clean pile and grabbed herself some underwear and a pair of black sweatpants. She set the water down on her desk and wriggled herself into the clothing, careful as not to agitate the tail-wounds above her rear.
As for her top, Sunset chose an old, baggy hoodie. It was a tacky thing, stamped proudly with the logo of some irrelevant company. She had picked it up somewhere for free and never wore the thing, but she found herself glad that she had hung onto it.
Holding her breath, Sunset slowly dragged her arms through the sleeves and pulled the garment over her head. It settled around her frame loosely, barely brushing the open injuries on her back. She released a sigh and reached for her glass.
‘Those websites all mentioned something about dehydration,’ she noted asthe rest of the water was downed in a single gulp. She snorted. ‘I guess it’s really starting to hit me, then. ’
The redhead trudged into her living room. ‘Okay,’ she thought as she snatched her backpack from the floor near the couch. ‘I need to stock up on medical stuff.’
After rummaging around in the pack for a few minutes, Sunset produced her battered wallet, which she tucked into the hoodie’s pocket.
The journey to the nearby corner-store was far more arduous than it had been in the past, but Sunset managed to make it quickly. She returned home with a few rolls of gauze and medical tape, a pack of sterile pads, and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide disinfectant. She winced as the cashier handed her the receipt; twenty dollars was a pretty big hit to her dwindling funds.
Sunset unceremoniously dumped the newly-bought materials into her bathroom’s sink and braced herself against the ceramic. The pale skinned girl in the mirror was almost unrecognizable. Sweat clung to her forehead, and her eyes were bloodshot.
‘Let’s get this over with.’
The disinfectant stung, and the small washcloth Sunset had soaked with the liquid was slowly absorbing the remaining dried blood. It wasn’t the uncomfortable sting, however, that had Sunset worried.
‘Everything hurts, but…’ she pressed the cloth harder against the wing wounds. Her brow creased. “I can’t feel the cloth. There must be extensive nerve damage.” The odd non-feeling, she found, was not just on the wing slashes themselves, but in much of the surrounding skin.
Sunset finished disinfecting her wounds, her arm bending at an awkward angle in order to address all the trouble spots. She was almost afraid to turn and check her progress in the mirror, but she did anyways.
The harsh redness around the two main wounds had lessened, but the surrounding skin was still a sickening, charred black. The blisters around the tail mark remained a gross, yellowish colour.
The open cuts the splintered out form the main wounds had already started to heal. They had a thin film over them, and Sunset noted that they seemed a lot less fragile than she imagined they would.
‘That’s odd,’ she thought. ‘I didn’t expect them to improve that much.’
But Sunset certainly wasn’t the type to look a gift-horse in the mouth. Or a gift-pony, in her case.
She simply shrugged and continued cleaning herself up.
***
There was an air of acrimony surrounding the students of CHS as they started populating the front courtyard of the school. The newly repaired front of the building didn’t catch much appreciation; everyone seemed to be looking out for something, like lions searching for prey. Rainbow Dash got a few friendly waves she waited by the Wondercolts statue for her friends, but otherwise, the students of Canterlot High School were on a mission.
“Hoo-wee! This place is tenser than a turkey on Thanksgivin’!”
Rainbow chuckled as Applejack approached her, Rarity following close behind.
“You can say that again, darling,” the fashionista exclaimed with a flip of her hair. “I wonder what’s got everyone in such a tizzy this morning?”
Rainbow Dash scoffed. “They’re probably keeping and eye out for a certain redhead. I mean, just look at Curly!” She gestured to Curly Winds who had an arm wrapped protectively around his boyfriend, Wiz Kid. They were waiting by the entrance, scanning the crowds as people slowly filed into the building. If looks could kill...
Pinkie Pie, who had joined the group moments ago, was looking around quizzically. “What redhead are we talking about?” She asked. “Spitfire? Rose Heart? OH! I know! It’s Raspberry Fluff, isn’t it?”
Rainbow face palmed.
Applejack hid a snicker behind her hand. “Ah think she means Sunset Shimmer,” the farmer clarified.
“Ohhhhhhhh, that makes WAY more sense!”
The group shared a laugh. They chatted comfortably as they waited for the last member of their group to arrive.
It took a few minutes, but just as the first bell was about to ring, Fluttershy ran up to the cluster of friends.
“Sorry I’m late,” she huffed, resting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. “I found a stray cat and I just had to run back to my house to get her some food!”
Rainbow smiled affectionately. “No worries, ‘Shy. Someone’s gotta help the little guy, right?”
There was a blush on Fluttershy’s cheeks as the group migrated into the school, but she hid it behind her hair.
***
The atmosphere around the school calmed down significantly by lunchtime, once everyone realized Sunset was absent.
“Serves her right,”
“If she shows her face around here again, I’m gonna beat her up,”
“Count me in, dude!”
Wallflower Blush listened to the various conversations about Sunset Shimmer as she waited in line for her lunch.
‘Sunset Shimmer, huh?’ She thought to herself. She reached for a container of milk only for it to be snatched by the person behind her as he cut in front. The gardener huffed, grabbing a different container. She was used to things like that happening on the regular.
Wallflower finished getting her food and left the cafeteria through the fire exit doors. She let her thoughts wander as she made her way to her garden.
She had never had an issue with Sunset Shimmer. The school’s resident ‘queen bitch’ had left her alone during her reign over Canterlot High, so Wallflower never had a reason to hate her.
‘I mean, I’m probably just as invisible to her as I am to everyone else, so why should I care about what she’s done?’ Still lost in her own world, Wallflower sat on the bench overlooking her garden. She poked at her salad absentmindedly.
‘I wonder why she’s not here today,’ she queried. ‘Knowing her, she’d show up just to make a point. She wouldn’t let anyone take her pride.’
A part of Wallflower admired that bit of Sunset. She was the center of attention and she took no shit from anybody. She was noticeable, she was powerful, she was strong.
Wallflower clenched her hands into fists, envy filling her chest. ‘She’s everything I can’t be.’
She continued eating in silence, her shoulders hunched and tense.
After a bit, Wallflower heard the bell ring in the distance, announcing the end of lunch. She stood with a sigh and tried to turn her mind back to her classes.
***
“Take your time, Twilight,” Clear Voice said with an encouraging smile. “And try to keep your breathing even.”
Twilight bit her lip. She glanced around the room; anywhere but the book in her hands.
The walls were painted a soothing yellow that matched nicely with the deep brown bookcase on the back wall. There was a wide range of material, everything from children’s stories and poetry to novels and psychology manuals.
The girl shifted in her seat. It was a cushy white couch that matched the chair Clear Voice was sitting in, across from her.
With a deep breath, Twilight began reading from the book.
“O-once upon a mid...night d-dreary,” her words were slow and deliberate as she concentrated on every syllable. “Whi-ile I pondered, weak and- weak and… weak and-”
Her eyebrows scrunched together and she made a frustrated noise. “Weak. And... Weary!” Twilight beamed, her eyes darting up to Clear Voice. The doctor returned the proud look, then gestured for her to continue.
The process went on until Twilight had read the first two stanzas of the poem. Clear Voice stopped her here and there, offering pointers and reminders as the poem went on.
Twilight leaned back in her chair, pausing for a moment as she read the third stanza in her head.
‘And the silken, sad, uncertain… uhg, stupid alliteration,’ she thought with a huff.
Luckily, she didn’t have to continue. The timer Clear Voice had set went off, signalling the end of their session.
‘Oh thank goodness.’
“You’re making great progress, Twilight,” she said as she took the book from the girl’s hands. “You’ve been handling the more difficult poems very well.”
Twilight smiled, but remained silent. She brought her hand to her chin, fingers straight, then dropped them outwards.
“You’re welcome, Twilight.”
Twilight walked to the door of the office accompanied by Clear Voice, and waved over her shoulder as she entered the main lobby. She spotted her dad’s car in front of the building and made her way over with a grin.
“Hi, sweetie,” Twilight’s dad, Night Light, greeted his daughter as she jumped into the passenger’s seat. “How was speech therapy?”
“Better,” Twilight responded by pressing her hand flat against her mouth, then slipping it to the right, her fingers curling into a thumbs up. Several more gestures followed. “I started on The Raven by Poe.”
Night Light read the hand motions and nodded. “That’s great! Poe was always a favourite of mine.”
Twilight settled into her seat as her dad pulled out of the office park. A comfortable silence fell across the two.
Ever since she was little, sign language had been Twilight’s preferred method of communication. Growing up with a stutter had made speaking far less desirable. ‘Besides,’ Twilight thought as she watched the scenery pass through the window. ‘People can’t make fun of the way you speak if you don’t speak at all.’
Traffic was surprisingly light for the heart of Canterlot’s cityscape, so the drive to Twilight’s home was quicker than usual. Soon, the sights of high-rise buildings and rushing cars were replaced by a quiet neighborhood. Sidewalks and well maintained front yards passed by until a friendly lavender hue, similar to that of Twilight’s skin, broke the otherwise uniform colours of the houses. A small garden of daffodils just below the front porch complimented the paint job well, and Twilight smiled when her dad pulled into the driveway.
“Hey, you two!”Twilight’s mom welcomed her husband and daughter they entered their home.
Night Light removed his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. “Hello darling,” he said. He kissed his wife on the cheek, then moved to the kitchen to start on dinner.
Twilight shut the front door, cutting off the chill from the darkening outdoors and relishing in the warmth of the house. She gave her mom a little wave before making her way up the stairs to her bedroom.
“Hey Spike,” she mumbled as she shut the door to her room. The dog yipped, stumbling over his paws to great his owner.
Twilight stroked his soft fur for a moment, then promptly collapsed on her bed with a groan. Therapy was often draining for the girl.
Spike gave a sympathetic whine and hopped up to the bed. He settled himself at his owner’s side, giving her hand a small lick.
“Tha-anks bud…”
Even with speech therapy, few people ever heard Twilight speak. Her family, Spike, and her therapist were among those few that she trusted enough to use her voice around. On a good day, the girl was actually quite talkative, especially when her favourite topics were involved.
‘Uhg, I just wish it weren’t so difficult ninety percent of the time.”
Twilight lost track of how long she simply lay there, thinking. About Canterlot High, about the strange energy waves, about Moondancer…
A quiet knock at the door interrupted her rumination.
“Hey, sweetie,” Twilight Velvet opened the door with a creak. “Dinner’s ready.”
Twilight gave a small grunt of affirmation. She waited for the sound of footsteps receding, but turned her head to the doorway when she heard none.
Velvet still stood in the doorway. “I talked to Principal Celestia today,” she said.
That got Twilight’s attention. She sat up, giving her mom and inquisitive look.
“We’ve got your accommodations all set up,” Velvet continued. “She said not to worry, the students at CHS are apparently very accepting. You’ll also have most of the same classes you were taking before.”
A smile graced Twilights lips. “Th-thank y-ou.”
“Of course, honey.” The two shared a tender moment before Velvet gestured towards the hall behind her. “Come on, you don’t want your food to get cold.”
Wednesday brought with it the metaphorical rain on the Wondercolt’s parade, instantly drowning the light mood that most had adopted on Tuesday.
Sunset was back.
There was no mistaking that head of flaming hair, the confident stride, the look of arrogance on her face. She popped the collar of her back-up leather jacket as she strode to the entrance of CHS, relishing in the whispers and angry looks of her peers.
The crowded hallways parted as everyone noticed Sunset. ‘Idiots,’ she smirked to herself.
Sunset quirked an eyebrow as she approached her locker, which was being blocked by Lyra and BonBon. They each had identical looks of anger on their faces.
“Sunset Shimmer, we’d like to have a word with y-”
Sunset scoffed. “Yeah, I don’t really care.”
Lyra yelped as she was shoved to the side. BonBon caught her by the arm before she could fall to the floor. “Hey, you can’t do that anymore,” she yelled.
Slamming her locker shut, Sunset turned, taking an intimidating step forward. The two instinctively flinched back, and Sunset sneered.
“Watch me.”
She then turned on her heel, leaving Lyra and BonBon to stare after her, along with the many students that had been pretending not to watch the exchange.
Sunset held her head high as she walked to her first period. ‘I might not be in charge anymore, but they still fear me, for the time being.’ She hid a wince as the bandages wrapped around her torso rubbed uncomfortably against her wounds. ‘And I’ll take anything I can get at this point.’
***
Rainbow Dash slammed her tray down at her friend’s usual table. “I cannot believe the audacity of that girl!”
Four pairs of eyes turned to her.
“Ah take it you heard what happened with Lyra and BonBon,” Applejack sighed.
Rainbow nodded and took a furious bite from her sandwich. “I mean,” she spoke through her food. “She’s in no position to be acting like a bitch.”
“Please don’t speak while you eat, Rainbow,” Rarity said with a disgusted look. “But yes, I thought she’d be a little less…”
“Meany weenie?” Pinkie Pie supplied.
“Erm, sure.”
Fluttershy, surprisingly, spoke up. “Maybe we can try talking to her?”
Everyone stared at her, and she shrunk back. “I mean, um, well, everyone could use a little kindness… Maybe she’ll listen to us if we try-”
Fluttershy fell silent, along with the rest of the cafeteria as the subject of the five’s conversation burst through the doors. Hushed whispers soon spread as Sunset entered and got her food, seemingly oblivious to the tension.
Tray in hand, the red-head made her way to an empty table at the back of the room. She sat and began eating her lunch as though people weren’t glaring holes into the back of her head. The volume of the room slowly rose to a more average level as people cautiously went back to their conversations.
Applejack adjusted her stetson and sighed. “Well, Fluttershy might be right. Ah reckon it’s worth a shot,” she said, and stood from her seat.
“Wha- Applejack are you crazy?!” Dash half whispered, half shouted.
Rarity stood as well, followed by Pinkie Pie. The athlete’s jaw dropped as the three began walking towards Sunset’s table, leaving her alone with Fluttershy. The shyer of the two looked like she wanted to join the others, but, with a glance at Rainbow Dash, remained seated.
The cafeteria once again fell into silence as everybody watched with bated breath.
“Howdy there, Sunset,” Applejack said as she approached the girl’s table. Sunset raised an eyebrow, saying nothing. “Er, would you like to join us for lunch?”
“Yes, dear,” Rarity chimed in. “Maybe we could try being friends? Let bygones be bygones?”
Pinkie Pie bounced on her toes. “It’d be great! We’d all be besties and have best friend sleepovers and we could make best friend cupcakes together-” She stopped when Rarity put a hand on her shoulder. She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry! I just love making new friends!”
“Mhm,” Sunset had a bored look on her face. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
Rainbow’s hands clenched as she watched Pinkie’s face fall. Applejack reflexively adjusted her hat again, and Rarity scrunched her eyebrows together.
“Well, darling, Twilight said that we could teach you the magic of friendship-”
Sunset interrupted with a short laugh. “The magic of friendship? What on earth makes you think I want to be friends?” she spat. “That stupid princess ruined my life! I’m not about to play nice with you all just because she said so.”
Rainbow Dash was about to march over there and punch Sunset’s face in when she felt a warm hand cover her own. She looked up at Fluttershy, who was giving her a pleading look. The chromatic-haired girl huffed, but she stayed put and tuned back into the ordeal between her friends and Sunset.
Pinkie Pie’s eyebrows were scrunched together. “But at the Formal, you said-”
“I don’t care what I said!” The bully was scowling, her arms crossed. “I clearly wasn’t thinking straight if I said I’d rub shoulders with the likes of you.”
Rarity frowned and put an arm around the very dejected-looking Pinkie Pie. She looked to Applejack, who sighed. “Welp, we tried,” the country girl said.
The three went back to their table, leaving Sunset behind. Rainbow Dash exhaled sharply and returned the patient smile that Fluttershy was giving her.
***
The bell had dismissed the school for the day not ten minutes prior, and Sunset was taking her sweet time to get to the principal’s office. The halls were almost entirely empty, with only a few stragglers passing Sunset now and then.
‘Detention. Ugh,’ she thought with a scoff. The girl’s eyes narrowed as she slowed her already leisurely pace. ‘Why am I even going? I have better things to do than whatever she has in store.’
Walking from her final period of the day to the principal’s office should have only taken five minutes, but Sunset had managed to drag it into fifteen. She navigated as many out-of-the-way hallways as possible before even getting close to her destination until finally, the door to Celestia’s office appeared at the very end of the hallway she had just turned the corner to.
At the sight of the door, a flicker of something all-too-familiar lit inside Sunset. Fear bubbled up from the pit of her stomach, throughout her chest, and into her throat where it robbed her of her breath. She stopped dead in her tracks and her hands clenched into fists.
Her mind was a shameful mess of anger, angst, and a humiliating dose of longing for the pony she foolishly thought of as a mother. Sunset let out a frustrated growl and turned on her heel, marching back down the hall and towards the school’s main entrance. “Detention is so beneath me,” she grumbled. The excuse was feeble, but it assuaged her racing thoughts for the time being as she shoved away the obnoxious emotions and memories that threatened to absorb her mind.
Through her tenure at Canterlot High, Sunset had gotten very good at avoiding the principal. Facing the dimensional counterpart of her former mentor was definitely not very high on her to-do list. The prospect of spending two hours of her after school time with the woman for the next five months was sickening to the girl.
Sunset pushed open the doors and burst into the cool Autumn air. She inhaled deeply, trying to clear her mind as she began walking to her apartment.
The door slammed shut and Sunset dropped her things unceremoniously by the couch. She was not looking forward to once again performing the laborious task of cleaning her wounds.
The dim bulb of Sunset’s bathroom flickered on. Sunset sighed as she stripped her shirt and pants from her body, tossing them to the tiled floor where her decimated clothing from the Fall Formal still lay. The bandages, slightly yellowed from her sweat and use throughout the day, peeled off bits of the scabbing that had formed on the girl’s back. They, too, landed in a heap on the floor.
Sunset hissed as the hydrogen peroxide seeped into the wounds. The bubbling, fizzy popping was the only sound in the room aside from Sunset’s ragged breathing.
‘I hate this,’ Sunset thought with a grimace. She rewrapped the area with fresh bandages and turned around. Aside from using the mirror to better clean her injuries, Sunset had been avoiding her reflection since the Fall Formal. Something about her sunken eyes, her once brilliant hair turned limp and tangled, the pathetic expression of angst in her eyes… it made her feel helpless.
“But I’m not helpless,” Sunset growled, finally meeting her own eyes for the first time in nearly a week. “I am Sunset Shimmer, and I deserve that crown!”
There was an acidic feeling that burned bright in Sunset’s chest. It was overwhelming, almost difficult to keep in. She despised those five best friends, she abhorred the students of Canterlot High, and she hated hated hated Twilight Sparkle. A maelstrom of bitter contempt swirled within Sunset, begging to break free.
“RRAUGH!”
Sunset’s fist found a home in the drywall next to her bathroom mirror. The wall easily gave way to her attack, sending dust flying. The redhead let out several curses as she pulled her hand from the wall.
“You know, you probably shouldn’t do that.”
Sunset jumped at the sound of a voice. ‘What the fuck was that?’ Her head whipped from left to right, trying to locate the source of the words.
“Try the mirror, dumbass.”
Sunset’s eyes darted to her reflection, still clutching her injured hand.
The reflection didn’t hold the same position as Sunset. Her hands- ‘no, she has claws,’ Sunset corrected- were crossed and her hip was cocked to the side, a stance that radiated power.
The whites of the reflection’s eyes had turned a shadowy black, making her teal irises stand out like beacons. What was once yellow skin had darkened into a charred crimson colour, and a pair of bat-like wings unfolded from her back.
She looked like a monster.
The freakish facsimile of Sunset Shimmer grinned, showing off her sharp fangs. “Hey there, Sunny,” she said mockingly.
Sunset’s heart beat fast in her chest. “Okaaay,” she mumbled. “Clearly I’m hallucinating.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” The creature in the mirror flipped her flaming red hair, her matching tail flicking arrogantly. “Either way, hurling your fist into shit isn’t exactly smart. Look, it’s already starting to bruise.”
Sunset looked down at her hand, which was still covered in white drywall dust. She sent a cautious glance up at the demon, who raised an eyebrow, before gently brushing the powder off.
Sure enough, dark purples and blues were already forming around her knuckles. Blood oozed from several cuts in her skin, mingling with the remaining white dust.
Keeping her eyes trained carefully on the demon in her mirror, Sunset turned on the sink and rinsed her injured hand under the cool water.
The demon met her eyes easily. “You’re right, you know.”
“About what?” There was a squeak as the water shut off and Sunset shook water droplets off of her hand.
Teal eyes glowed hungrily. “You deserve that crown.”
Sunset huffed.
“All that strength,” the demon continued. “All that power… It should be yours.”
“Yeah,” Sunset snorted, reaching for a clean washcloth to dry her hand with. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Like how to get it back?”
Sunset dropped her washcloth, her heart leaping in excitement. “What are you saying,” she asked eagerly, albeit still reasonably suspicious of the talking demon reflection in her bathroom mirror.
“If you truly aren’t as stupid as you look,” the monster began, earning a glare from Sunset. “You’ll find an opportunity. Though you’ll most likely have to be patient, which I know isn’t your strong suit.”
The demon wasn’t bothered by Sunset’s angry scowl. She merely smiled, one of her pointed ears flicking carelessly.
“Fine, just be cryptic and irritating,” the redhead grunted sarcastically, though a familiar spark of ambition was once again present in her chest. She wrapped her mangled left hand in some of the remaining bandages. When the demon didn’t respond, Sunset looked up at the mirror.
Only her usual, sallow expression stared back.
***
It didn’t take long for the Wondercolts to grow a backbone. By Thursday, people were getting fed up with Sunset. She could feel what little of a hold she had over them slipping, and she was not happy about it.
After years of falling prey to Sunset’s vicious rule over their lives, the students were not about to throw away the chance that Twilight had given them and it showed in the glares, angry comments, and crumpled papers that Sunset found were being hurled at her.
‘I thought I’d have more time,’ Sunset thought as she returned the snarl that Sandalwood was giving her from across their shared math classroom. She huffed and went back to pretending to take notes. ‘Stupid pony princess and her stupid powerful magic. I’d be home by now if she hadn’t-’
“Ms. Shimmer!”
Sunset’s eyes snapped upwards to meet the harsh gaze of her teacher.
Ms. Harshwhinny raised an eyebrow. “I trust you were paying attention,” her words dripped with sarcasm. “So can you please explain Brouwer's fixed-point theorem?”
The redhead rolled her eyes. “Brouwer’s fixed point theorem states that, for every continuous function in which a compact convex set is mapped, there is a point, X0 by which f (X0) = X0.”
Sitting back in her seat with a smirk, Sunset relished in the irritation in Ms. Harshwhinny’s eyes. ‘Honestly, this stuff is child's play,’ she thought.
“...Correct,” Ms. Harshwhinny spoke through gritted teeth. “But I suggest you pay attention, Ms. Shimmer, unless you’d like to have your after school detention duties extended.”
Several snickers tittered throughout the classroom, and Sunset growled under her breath. It was a relief when the bell rang, releasing the students to lunch. Sunset packed her things quickly and left before Ms. Harshwhinny could try and reprimand her further.
The walk to lunch was just as tense as the rest of the day had been. Sunset discreetly bit her lip as yet another angry student shouldered her when they passed her in the hallway. Going after every student who bumped into her wasn’t worth it, so she simply adjusted her grip on her backpack and continued to the cafeteria, trying to ignore the pain in her back.
Luckily, the lunch line wasn’t very long, so Sunset didn’t have to endure too many more shoves. She snatched an orange and a bottle of water, producing a crumpled five dollar bill to pay for the meal.
‘I’m running out of money,’ she frowned as she collected her two dollars of change from Granny Smith. ‘And unfortunately, I don’t think Micro Chips is going to let me steal his lunch money anymore.’
She sighed, carrying her modest lunch to her usual table in the back of the cafeteria, but as she looked towards the location she nearly crushed her water bottle in anger.
Lyra sent her a shit-eating grin from her spot next to BonBon…
… At Sunset’s table.
Sunset stomped towards the two. “You freaks are gonna scram real quick, if you value keeping your kneecaps,” she hissed, temper blazing.
Lyra narrowed her eyes. “No,” she said firmly.
There was a dangerous look in Sunset’s eyes, but it didn’t scare the seat-stealers. “This is my spot! You can’t just take it-”
BonBon stood defiantly. “Watch us,” she smirked. Before Sunset could respond, BonBon grabbed Lyra’s open bottle of apple juice and poured it over Sunset’s head.
There was an intense silence for a moment before the room erupted into cheers and laughter.
“Woo!”
“Yeah, girl!”
“REVOLUTION!”
At that, a piece of someone’s lunch spattered against the back of Sunset’s head. Then more. Soon, a majority of the students were hurling their half-eaten lunch and Sunset, the others clapping and encouraging them. A few even offered more ammo.
Sunset let out a frustrated yell. A grapefruit, of all things, soared across the room, smacking Sunset in the forehead, just above her eyebrow. She dropped her lunch with a holler and ran, escaping to the closest set of doors she could find.
The fire exit doors burst open and Sunset flew out of the school. Fiery anger coursed through her veins as she ran. She didn’t know where she was going and she didn’t care, just as long as she could get away from the humiliation and find something to punch.
The crunch of leaves replaced the sounds of Sunset’s sneakers hitting the pavement as concrete turned to dirt. Her new injury stung, and stabs of pain shot through her back with every step, but still she ran to the thicket of trees across from the school. She ran and ran and ran, greenery whirring by, until she burst through the forest into a small clearing.
Sunset stopped, her eyes blurred with angry tears. She screamed and hurled her already injured fist into the nearest tree.
“FUCK,” she yelled, kneeling over and clutching her hand. Pain ruptured throughout the appendage, the thin bandaging doing next to nothing to soften the blow.
“Well that wasn’t very smart,”
There was the sound of another’s voice and Sunset tensed. ‘Is it that demon again?’
She turned to see a green-skinned girl that she hadn’t noticed before regarding her from a small bench. They locked eyes, and for a moment the two simply stared at each other.
After a long silence, the green girl sighed, setting her lunch aside and brushing crumbs off of her oversized brown sweater. “Welcome to my garden, I guess. My name is-”
“Wallflower Blush, I know.”
Wallflower blinked. “You know who I am?”
“Of course I know who you are, I know who everyone is,” Sunset snarked, internally glad that her sinister reflection wasn’t back. She shook her head a bit, dislodging some leftover mashed potatoes that had clung to her hair.
“Huh,” was Wallflower’s response. She cocked her head to the side, eyes taking in Sunset’s pitiful state. “Why are you crying?”
‘Shit,’ Sunset straightened and hastily rubbed at her eyes, wincing a bit. “I’m not crying,” she said firmly as she tried- and failed- to regain some semblance of dignity.
“Uh huh,” Wallflower said, unconvinced. Sunset scowled, looking anywhere but at the other girl. This gave her time to take in the area she had stumbled across.
An intricate garden was growing in the clearing, filled with all sorts of plants and flowers. Only one or two were in bloom, the rest looking a bit dreary in the cold air. Despite their current state, Sunset recognized some of the plants; a group of asters populated the farthest parts of the garden, closely joined by a cluster of daisies. Bundles of daffodils were paired with a spattering of small narcissus flowers close to the entrance, complementing the tall trees and mossy rocks well.
‘Wow,’ Sunset thought. She was almost a little impressed. ‘This place must be really beautiful in the Spring.’
A rustling sound caught Sunset’s attention and her eyes snapped back to Wallflower. The girl was rummaging around in her backpack, her brown eyes combing through the ragged bag until she produced a small tupperware container.
“C’mere,” Wallflower nodded towards the stone bench she was sitting on. Sunset hesitated, and the gardener rolled her eyes. “You said you know who I am. You should already know that I’m harmless.”
Sunset huffed and apprehensively trudged over to the bench, taking a seat next to Wallflower. She watched as the girl popped the lid off the container and dipped two of her fingers into the odd green paste that it held. She reached out, and Sunset flinched away.
“What are you doing,” she snapped.
Wallflower snorted. “Jeez, you’re so jumpy. It’s not like, poison, or something.”
Sunset gave her a doubtful look, which granted her another eye roll. “It’s a plant based medical paste,” Wallflower elaborated. “It helps with bruising.”
No large part of Sunset’s skepticism was banished, but she didn’t move when Wallflower’s hand got closer to her face. She hissed, closing her eyes as the cool mixture hit her skin. It was lumpy, and it stung a bit at first, but Sunset could already feel the pain soothing.
Wallflower took her hand away, and Sunset opened her eyes. She saw the quiet girl eyeing her left hand, still wrapped in bandages. She reached out again, her eyes searching Sunset’s for silent permission.
Sunset just clenched her jaw and nodded slightly.
Her hand throbbed as Wallflower carefully unwrapped the dingy bandage. Wallflower’s eyebrows scrunched together when she saw the extent of the bruising. She spared a glance at Sunset as she spread a generous amount of the paste onto Sunset’s hand, covering the dark shades that spread across her knuckles.
“That wasn’t just from the tree, was it,” Wallflower mumbled as she gently coiled the bandage around Sunset’s hand once more.
The response was only a haughty scoff as Sunset yanked her hand back. “You know who I am, right?” she asked, changing the topic. Her voice was cold, still demanding the same respect that had so recently been stripped from her. “Why are you helping me?”
Wallflower considered the question for a moment, eyeing Sunset with an unreadable look, then shrugged. “Eh. I guess it just feels nice to be noticed.” She stood and stretched, then cast a glance down at the girl. Sunset watched, not bothering to hide her annoyance as the gardener’s eyes went from the bruising at her hairline to her rebandaged hand.
The two locked eyes again in what Sunset decided was a battle of wills. Neither spoke.
Finally, Wallflower broke the silence, still maintaining eye contact. “You wanna eat lunch out here with me?” She asked. The question caught Sunset a bit off guard, but she didn’t let it show.
Wallflower turned her gaze to the garden around them and Sunset mentally congratulated herself on the win. Unaware of their competition, Wallflower continued her thought. “Nobody knows this place exists, so people aren’t gonna bother you.”
A rejection and a scathing comment were on the tip of Sunset’s tongue, but she faltered. ‘She has a point. At least this way, I won’t get another fruit to the face.’
Sunset narrowed her eyes. There was… something in Wallflower’s deep brown eyes, but it wasn’t anywhere near the malice that she had expected.
After a minute of internal debate, Sunset huffed and looked to the ground. “Sure,” she said harshly, her distaste evident. “But we aren’t friends, okay?”
“M’kay.” If Wallflower was hurt by Sunset’s words, she certainly didn’t show it. In fact, Sunset was a little miffed to find that she didn’t seem particularly concerned at all. “Let’s go, the bell’s about to ring.”
The pair walked to the school in silence. Sunset was mentally course-correcting the entire time. ‘So, CHS has finally had enough. Obviously I can’t get away with much anymore.’
She glanced at the green-hued girl, who was easily keeping up with Sunset’s long strides. She could certainly make use of another pawn, especially since Snips and Snails had wisened up. ‘I’ll keep her in my back pocket until I find a way to get back on top,’ she calculated as they approached the building. ‘After all, this world is just full of fools who can’t understand what they’re dealing with.’
Wallflower pushed the doors open, and the two stepped into the warm, heated air of the school. She looked at Sunset. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see you.”
Sunset watched Wallflower disappear into the crowded hallway. She smirked and began walking to her next class.
‘I’ll rise again.’
***
Friday brought with it a feeling of liberation for the Wondercolts. Lyra and BonBon had proven that the mighty Sunset Shimmer could, in fact, be conquered.
Rainbow Dash was eager to take advantage of that.
“Move it, Sunshit,” Rainbow said. She shoved Sunset, nudging her elbow harshly into the redhead’s side as she passed her in line. The chromatic-haired girl sent a smirk over her shoulder. She could tell that Sunset was seething with anger, but did not catch the wince the other girl let slip.
“I don’t know if you remember,” Sunset shot out through gritted teeth, “but I still know everything about everyone here. I can still ruin you.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
Sunset barked a laugh, fixing Rainbow with an evil look. “I’m sure everyone would simply love to know about your little crush on-”
She was cut off as Rainbow Dash darted forward. She grabbed Sunset’s shirt with a venomous glower cast at the girl, who returned the look with just as much rancor. “You better not finish that sentence, Shimmer, or I’ll-”
“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack approached and interjected before someone started throwing fists. “C’mon,” She grabbed the grumbling Rainbow Dash by the arm and hauled her back in line behind Sunset. The farmer fixed Sunset with a careful look, but ultimately gestured with her head towards the register. “Go on now. You might be a bad apple, but at least you didn’t start nothin’ today.” Applejack shot a glare at Rainbow Dash, who huffed.
Sunset scowled at the pair and stomped forward to pay for her lunch. Rainbow watched as she slapped a few dollars onto the counter and stormed out the fire exit doors.
The two purchased their food and moved towards their usual table, where the others were already seating. Their friends looked up as the two sat down.
Applejack swatted the back of Rainbow Dash’s head.
“Hey!”
“Hay is for horses, Dash,” the farmer scolded. “You can’t just go around pickin’ fights with everyone you dislike.”
Rubbing the back of her head, Rainbow sunk into her seat. “She was asking for it,” she muttered, poking at the jell-o she had bought.
Fluttershy frowned. “Now, Rainbow, there’s no need to be so-”
“Pugnacious?”
“Meany weenie?”
“Plum foolish?”
Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack all spoke at once. There was a beat of silence as the three met each other’s eyes before the whole table burst into laughter.
“I was going to say ‘hostile,’” Fluttershy giggled. “But those work too.”
Rainbow grinned as the table went back to their usual banter. Her eyes flicked over to Fluttershy, who met her gaze with a small smile. The athlete's heart fluttered.
Sunset’s words rang through Rainbow’s head. ‘Dammit!’ She shoved them back as far as possible and focused on her lunch, tearing her eyes away from Fluttershy and trying to ignore the butterflies still present in her chest.
***
“Soo…” Wallflower began. Sunset shot her a cranky look, not in the mood to fraternize, but her companion wasn’t deterred. “How’s the bruise?”
Sunset blinked. “Um,” she said, floundering for a moment. She still wasn’t quite used to people being unaffected by her, despite the new attitude the Wondercolts has adopted. “Uh, it’s okay, I guess. Whatever that green shit was helped.”
Sure enough, the bruise at Sunset’s hairline had gone from a gross yellow to a much calmer red overnight. Even her mangled hand was starting to heal a little quicker, having changed from its deep purples to lighter shades.
Wallflower nodded. “I made it. It’s a combination of Arnica and Lavender, mostly. Helps reduce swelling.”
The redhead raised her eyebrows. ‘Hm, there’s a story behind this,’ She thought. ‘Why would little old Wallflower Blush need to make something to alleviate bruises?’
She filed the thought away, mentally making a note to do some snooping later.
Out loud, Sunset responded with a hum. “That’s interesting,” she said, her tone more calculating than intrigued. She shifted on the bench, wincing as her jeans rubbed the bandages over her tail wound.
‘Wait a second-’ A lightbulb went off in Sunset’s head.
“Say,” she began, then took a bite from her apple. She kept her features a practiced calm and her breathing even; she was well versed in keeping her intentions unknown. “You wouldn’t happen to have something that helps with burns, would you?”
“Uh,” the gardener raised an eyebrow at Sunset. “I’m sure I could whip something up. Why?”
“Well, you see,” Sunset started, putting on her best sympathetic face. “My dear brother suffered from an accident recently and was left with a terrible burn on his back. I was hoping I could find something to spare him the pain.”
Internally, Sunset smirked. ‘The ‘hurt family member’ card is always a favourite,’ she thought as she outwardly laid on the puppy-dog eyes.
Wallflower’s eyebrows raised further. “... Right,” she said with a disbelieving glance and a bite from her sandwich.
Sunset’s eyes narrowed. ‘She doesn’t believe me, huh? I didn’t think she had the mental capacity to spot a lie.’
“I’ll see what I can do,” Wallflower continued, unaffected by the suspicious look Sunset was giving her. “Shouldn’t be too hard, probably something Aloe-based...”
Sunset finished her apple in silence. ‘I guess it doesn’t matter, so long as I get what I want and she doesn’t ask questions.’
She shook herself out of her thoughts and once again cast her gaze towards Wallflower. The gardener had pulled out her phone. She tapped it a few times, then handed it to Sunset. “Here,” she said. “Give me your number. I’ll text you when it’s finished.”
Sunset took the phone, albeit hesitantly, and added herself as a contact. She handed the phone back to Wallflower who took it, then tapped the screen a few more times in rapid succession. Sunset’s phone buzzed with a notification.
12:56pm - Unknown Sender > It’s Wallflower
The redhead snorted and added Wallflower as a contact.
“Anyways, I’m almost always here over the weekends,” Wallflower said, gesturing to the garden around them. “You can meet me here if you want.”
“Mhm.”
The splitting sound of the bell caught the attention of the pair. Neither spoke a word as they made their way back to the school and went their separate ways.
***
Wallflower inhaled the crisp autumn air as she stepped out of Canterlot High and into the sunlight. Students shoved past her like she was invisible, eager to meet the awaiting weekend.
She sighed, descending the steps and receiving another bump as Spitfire ran past to meet Rainbow Dash and the other soccer players. The gardener paid them no mind, her brown eyes on the ground and her shoulders hunched as she made her way down the street. Little buttercups and clovers pushed up through the cracks in the sidewalk. Wallflower was careful to avoid stepping on them. She passed Sugarcube Corner, where many students of Canterlot High were flocking to, not bothering to look up.
Wallflower began to relax as the area’s popular stores and businesses soon gave way to smaller, more niche shops. She stopped for a moment to gaze into the window of her and her mother’s favourite antique store before continuing on her way.
Soon, a familiar building came into view, bringing with it a smile to Wallflower’s face.
The bell above the door chimed as Wallflower entered the shop. Her smile grew as a cheery voice rang out from the back.
“Welcome to ‘Stroke of Luck Flower Shop!’ I’ll be with you in a moment!”
Wallflower found a rare moment of peace as she slowly walked through the store. She ran her hands gently along the leaves of the many plants that filled the small building. It was a small sanctuary against the rapidly freezing weather, a place where the flowers were still happy and blooming.
“Sorry about that.” A stout woman with light peach skin and raspberry coloured hair sauntered into the room. “I was just filing some-” She stopped, her face lighting up in a smile when she noticed Wallflower. “Oh, ’Blush!”
“Mmph!” Wallflower was swept up into a suffocating hug. “Hey, auntie Roseluck,” she managed to get out through the tight embrace.
Still wearing her bright smile, Roseluck released her niece. She moved back behind the counter, idly tidying the cluttered surface. “Sorry, the store is such a mess! I haven’t had time to clean since that shipment of saplings came in.”
True to Roseluck’s comment, the store was in disarray. The front desk had almost no room on its surface, so covered in papers and folders. The rows of plants were in no discernible order; perennials and annuals were mixed up, warm and cool colours clashed, and hanging arrangements clouded over sun loving flowers in planter boxes.
“It’s alright,” Wallflower chuckled. She reached over, grabbed a haphazard pile of receipts, and began ordering them by date. “I can help when I come in for my shift next week.”
Roseluck faltered, almost dropping the binder of sales records she had been holding. “Now, ’Blush, I know you’re eager to get back to work, but...”
‘Here we go...’ Wallflower thought. She kept her gaze on the receipts in her hands.
“Are you sure it’s been enough time?” Roseluck gently put a hand over one of Wallflower’s, stopping their task. The girl looked up and met her aunt’s worried eyes. “Working won’t make things any easier if you still need time to grieve.”
Wallflower sighed. “I know, but I really want to come back. I won’t have much to do in my garden now that the weather’s getting colder. It’d be nice to still have something to do...”
‘...and to have an excuse to stay away from home as long as possible.’
Though unspoken, Wallflower’s last thought seemed to reach Roseluck. The woman's face darkened.
“Uh, besides,” Wallflower continued before Roseluck could push her on the topic. “It’s almost been a year. I’ve had enough time.”
Roseluck bit her lip. Her concern was evident and Wallflower winced.
“... If you say so, dearie, but please let me know if you need a break.”
“I will, auntie.”
There was a small silence, but it was broken by Roseluck before it could get uncomfortable. “So!” The elder gardener put the records binder down and clapped her hands together, the warmth returning to her features. “What can I do for you? I know you didn’t come here just to help me clean,” she joked.
“Well,” Wallflower started. “I was hoping to grab some Aloe Vera, if we have any left. I’m making something for- uh, for an acquaintance.”
If possible, Roseluck smiled even wider. “Wallflower Blush! Did you make a friend?!”
“Um…” Wallflower couldn’t bear to shatter the hopeful look in her aunt’s eyes and the joyous smile on her face. “Kinda?”
The answer was good enough for Roseluck.
“Oh, I’m so proud of you!” She pulled Wallflower into yet another bone crushing hug, going as far as to spin her around in a circle. The girl yelped. “I knew you’d find someone! Oh! You must tell me everything about them, spare no details! Can they come for tea sometime? I’d simply love to meet-”
“Uh, auntie? Can’t really breathe.”
Roseluck blushed and set Wallflower down. “Sorry, ’Blush. I’m just so happy for you!” She beamed, then gestured towards the back room. “Here, tell me about your friend while I find you some of that Aloe.”
When Wallflower didn’t immediately start talking, Roseluck sent her an expectant look behind her shoulder. With a sigh, Wallflower followed her aunt to the back, resigned to her fate.
The small back room was somehow even messier than the front of the store. Extra gardening tools lay against half the far wall, a few having fallen over onto the floor. A creaky wooden desk was blocked into a corner, surrounded by half empty boxes of wares and a rusted filing cabinet. Shelves lined the left and right walls and were filled to the brim with anything from potted plants, to planter boxes, to plant magazines.
‘Oh boy, she really needs my help organizing.’
Wallflower peered around a stack of boxes. “Um, her name is Sunset. Sunset Shimmer.”
“What a lovely name!” The older woman began rummaging around through the shelves of excess flower seeds and flower pots, searching for the requested plant. “Very charismatic. Go on, tell me more!”
“Uh.” She side stepped out of the way as Roseluck shuffled by obliviously to the other side of the room. “I was going to make her a burn salve from the Aloe and probably some Comfrey. She said her brother got hurt.”
“Oh, my, how terrible!” There was a loud clanking as a stack of watering cans fell over, then another CLANG as a planter box followed in suit. Finally, Roseluck pulled out a small potted aloe plant from the shelf. “Well, you’re quite kind for helping her.” She handed the plant to Wallflower, who took it with steady hands. “She’s lucky to have a friend like you.”
“Yeah,” Wallflower said. “Lucky her.”
Wallflower was no fool. Under her quiet demeanor was an observant girl with an eye for detail; details that most people often overlooked. Nobody noticed her, but she noticed a lot of things about others. She realized that Curly Winds and Wiz Kid were dating two years before they announced it on MyStable. She saw that the famously cold-hearted Gilda had a soft spot for kids, particularly orphans. She knew Trixie Lulamoon was being bullied, despite her best efforts to brush it off.
Wallflower also noticed the way Sunset winced when she sat down. Or how she grit her teeth as she walked. How she bit her lip when someone shouldered her, the way she didn’t lean her back against the stone bench, the pain in her eyes.
No other conclusion seemed probable, and the request for burn treatment only solidified Wallflower’s suspicions.
That Saturday found Sunset shirtless at her desk. Her healing wounds, still fragile, demanded space to breathe and without the obligation of school, Sunset was happy to oblige.
She had once again skipped detention on Friday. The girl had no doubts that she would be hearing from one of the Principals at some point, but she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.
The redhead’s leg bounced up and down at a rapid pace. Her impossibly old laptop was trying its best to log on, but Sunset was impatient. She would have just used her phone, but it was almost dead and she didn’t feel like wasting money on her electric bill to charge it. While she waited, Sunset mentally went through the subject of today’s snooping; Wallflower Blush.
As the queen of Canterlot High, Sunset hadn’t looked too deep into Wallflower’s business. She had deemed the gardener insignificant and thus not worth looking into, but from what she remembered Wallflower had a pretty nice life. A little lower income, sure, but nothing all that horrible.
‘Doting mother, Daisy Charm; loving father, Aster Bloom,” Sunset listed off in her head. ‘No siblings, not adopted; nothing that would warrant bruises. So, what are you hiding, Wallflower Blush?’
The computer gave off a loud whirring sound as Sunset’s desktop loaded. “Uhg, finally.”
It took a few seconds for google to pop up. Sunset’s hands darted across the keys, her computer trying desperately to keep up. Wallflower Blush’s name eventually appeared in the search bar.
The first thing that popped up was an article from the Canterlot Star, one of the city’s less popular newspapers in comparison to the much wider spread Canterlot Times.
Sunset clicked on the link.
When it loaded, Sunset was met with a picture of a young Wallflower Blush shyly smiling next to a large planter box that housed several blue roses. Next to her was a beaming man with purple skin and fluffy, two-toned green and magenta hair.
‘Wallflower Blush and Aster Bloom: Local father-daughter duo wins regional ‘Rare Plant Cultivation contest,’’ Sunset read from the title. ‘Okay, not useful. I already knew she was a plant nerd.’
She clicked back to the search page. Her phone buzzed on the desk, but Sunset ignored it as she typed in the name Aster Bloom. Another front page article from the Canterlot Star appeared.
Sunset’s heart dropped as she read the title.
‘Hit-And-Run Crash Leaves One Dead, Two Injured.’
Cyan eyes darted across the page as Sunset hastily tried to take the information in. ‘A member of the Canterlot community was killed last Sunday in a hit-and-run car accident,’ she read. ‘The culprit, who was caught by authorities at a nearby traffic light, was reportedly inebriated when the accident occurred.’
Fearing the worst, Sunset continued reading. A pit was growing in her stomach. ‘Aster Bloom, local flower connoisseur and employee at Stroke Of Luck Flower Shop was out with his wife and daughter when the vehicle struck the family. Aster Bloom was killed upon impact. His wife and fellow employee at Stroke Of Luck, Daisy Charm, was rushed to the hospital with a broken arm and a light concussion. The driver suffered a minor concussion as well. The couple’s daughter, Wallflower Blush, remained miraculously unharmed.’
There was more, but Sunset found herself unable to continue reading. She almost felt sick. ‘Gods above, that’s awful…’
True sympathy struck Sunset as she sat there, trying to process the news. Contrary to popular belief, she wasn’t entirely heartless. She even was prone to occasional acts of what looked suspiciously like kindness (though she preferred to think of it as mercy). She didn’t tell anyone of Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch’s secret relationship, nobody knew that Gilda was an orphan, and Spitfire’s adoration of her pathetic three footed pet bunny was kept on the down-low.
Of course, she considered it to be emergency blackmail material- but either way, she knew about every single thing that happened to the students of Canterlot High.
‘So how on Earth did I miss this?’ The date of the article showed that the crash had occurred nearly a year ago. Biting her lip, Sunset exited out of the tab and turned off her laptop, leaving the screen open. ‘Why didn’t I know?’
“Because you didn’t care enough to look.”
The voice was back, taunting her from the back of her head. “You again?” Sunset asked as she looked around for the demon.
“Yes, me again.” From the shadowy reflection of Sunset’s now dark laptop screen, the demon showed off her rows of sharp teeth in a grin. “Surprise!”
Sunset only narrowed her eyes. More intrigued than annoyed, she didn’t speak, giving her double the chance to continue.
“I mean, boo hoo, little Wallflower Blush experienced some light trauma,” the demon said with a mocking, faux-sadness and an insincere pout. She held the look for a second before her dropping it, her expression flat. “I mean, join the club! You never cared before, so what’s got you all soft about this?”
“What-?” The question caught Sunset off guard. “She deserves a little empathy! I’m not a monster-”
A howl of laughter cut her off. “Well, you could have fooled me!” The haunting figure’s fiery hair shimmered as she continued laughing. “Seriously, what the hell do I look like to you?”
An odd feeling, one that felt all to close to guilt was starting to stir in Sunset’s stomach. ‘I’m not a monster...’
“It’s not something to be ashamed of,” the demon said. “Sure, the transformation part was a bit… unexpected, but the rest was brilliant! You did what you had to do and it almost worked!”
There was a sour taste in Sunset’s mouth as she turned to respond, but as she cast her glare to the computer screen she once again found herself alone. She met her eyes in the screen- her own, sad, normal blue eyes- and found herself uncharacteristically disgusted at the girl who stared back.
Sunset slammed her laptop shut. Her phone buzzed again, and this time she picked it up.
11:03 am - Wallflower Blush > Hey. I finished the burn salve last night
11:13 am - Wallflower Blush > I’m at the garden all day
The little typing bubble appeared and disappeared as Sunset struggled to type a nonchalant answer despite the news she had just uncovered and the shaking experience with her other. Finally, she settled for a simple ‘I’ll be there soon.’ and put her phone in her pocket.
The redhead shook her head, trying to drown the flurry of bothersome thoughts that assaulted her mind as she got up. She pulled on her baggy black hoodie, not bothering with something more presentable, and quietly slipped out of her apartment.
***
Wallflower put her trowel down and wiped at her brow. Finally, the whole of her garden was free of weeds! The gardener stood and took in her handiwork.
The garden was a tidy compilation of browns and greys, the remainder of the in-bloom flowers having exchanged their happy hues for the dull promise of winter. Even so, Wallflower’s little corner of the world looked peaceful in its dormant state.
The green girl smiled as her eyes passed over every part of the garden. The daffodils, the pansies, the daisies… Her eyes lingered at the cluster of drooping asters.
An intense melancholy stabbed her heart, and Wallflower sighed. ‘It never gets easier, does it?’ She walked over and bent down to dig up a stray weed that must have evaded her earlier rounds. The asters remained dead and dreary, unable to commend her for her efforts.
Her thoughts wandered from the garden to the school, barely visible through the thick foliage of golden and orange.
Spending lunch with Sunset Shimmer had been… interesting, to say the least. ‘I don’t know what’s more shocking; the fact that I offered or the fact that she accepted,’ Wallflower thought. Her eyes traced the rays of sunlight that wandered past the leaves. ‘Well, any company is better than no company. Even if that company is Canterlot High’s newest social pariah.’
The buzz of her phone snapped Wallflower out of her rumination. She removed one of her gloves, which she stuffed into her overalls’ front pocket, and picked up her phone. ‘Speak of the devil…’
Sunset Shimmer’s name donned Wallflower’s latest notification.
11:14 am - Sunset Shimmer > I’ll be there soon.
Wallflower didn’t respond to the text, opting instead to move over to the stone bench she had recently shared with Sunset. She let her mind wander again while she waited for the redhead’s arrival.
The gardener ran her fingers across the rough expanse of her seat. Tiny bugs skittered between the cracks in the stone, and one wandered onto her finger.
The girl raised her finger to eye level. She watched as the bug darted across her skin, going in circles on the tip of her appendage. Smiling, she lowered the digit, allowing the insect to crawl back to its friends.
‘Friends...’
Wallflower observed the bugs as they continued their endless journey across the fissures in the rock. ‘She said she doesn’t want us to be friends, but...’ The gardener couldn’t deny that she was a little worried about Sunset. Did worrying about someone’s well being make them your friend? Wallflower didn’t have an answer.
Her thoughts about Sunset wandered further. ‘I wonder how she got hurt. She’s more than capable of standing up for herself, so I doubt someone tried to beat her up. And I mean, burn wounds? That’s oddly specific... and she seemed fine up until-’
Wallflower’s thoughts came to a screeching halt.
‘The Fall Formal.’
Being more of an introvert, Wallflower didn’t bother going to the Formal, but that definitely didn’t stop her from hearing about the events that ensued. Pictures and posts about Sunset’s demon form were all over MyStable. It was almost impossible to not know about Sunset’s transformation.
But that wasn’t all. Someone had gotten a video of Twilight and her friends shooting that wacky-looking rainbow thing at Sunset.
Wallflower pursed her lips. ‘Could the rainbow have hurt her somehow?’
It would make sense; when else would she have sustained what appeared to be a serious injury? Wallflower’s head was spinning. The pieces were falling into place. ‘Nobody else seems to know. And why would they? Sunset surely hasn’t told anyone, and the Princess was using the Magic of Friendship, right? So no one has any reason to believe it could hurt her.’
The small bugs moved to and fro. Wallflower tracked their movement absentmindedly, still lost in thought. ‘She’s hurt, probably really badly, and I’m the only one who knows.’
Her eyes caught on one bug in particular. It had flipped over onto the hard shell of its back, tiny legs skittering in the air helplessly. It rocked back and forth, desperately trying to free itself from the pathetic position it was in, but to no avail. Other little bugs passed by obliviously, each caught up in their own task. One finally took notice of their struggling comrad. It approached and nudged the debilitated bug with its head until it flipped back onto its tiny feet.
Wallflower raised an eyebrow. ‘Those are some very topical bugs,’ she thought. The bugs regarded each other for a moment, then scampered off together across the rocky surface.
She sighed. ‘Someone needs to help her. Might as well be me.’
The sound of footsteps broke Wallflower from her thoughts. She looked up just in time to see Sunset emerge from the thick forest. The redhead trudged through the leafy ground and stopped in front of Wallflower.
Blue eyes met brown.
“Hey,” Sunset said with a clearly forced casual expression.
“... Hi.”
Wallflower was a little taken aback by the attire Sunset showed up in. The gardener had only seen the girl in impeccable dress paired with her signature leather jacket; the loose sweatpants and ratty sweatshirt were a far cry from that.
There was an awkward silence as the two avoided eye contact. Wallflower felt as though something had shifted between the two, but she couldn’t put her finger on what.
“So, uh…” Sunset finally spoke up. “The burn stuff?”
“Oh! Right, sorry.” Wallflower grabbed her backpack, searching through the main pouch for a moment before producing a glass jar that held a cloudy gel inside.
She hesitated for a moment, then held the mixture out to Sunset, who took it and slipped it into her hoodie’s pocket.
“... Thanks.” Sunset turned to leave, eyes on the ground.
Wallflower felt that, somehow, she needed to do something. Without thinking, she leapt to her feet.
“Sunset, wait!”
The redhead stopped and turned, an odd look on her face. She raised an eyebrow.
“Uh...” Another small silence passed as Wallflower searched for what to say.
‘Might as well bite the bullet...’
With a deep breath, Wallflower made eye contact. “Do you need some help? Applying it, I mean.”
“What do you-”
“I know you’re hurt, Sunset.”
***
Sunset tried to swallow her panic. Shock donned her features, unhindered by her usual carefully crafted mask of indifference. Sunset was surprised to find that she didn’t feel angry at being found out; more baffled that Wallflower had managed to see past her facade.
“How did you...?”
She trailed off, and Wallflower sighed. The gardener sat back down. “I’m an observant person, especially when it comes to injuries.” She shifted on the bench, almost subconsciously rubbing her arm. Sunset’s eyebrows scrunched together- she still didn’t have an answer to why Wallflower had bruises, seeing as her snooping had been derailed- but she didn’t press the topic. Instead, she bit her lip and moved to sit next to Wallflower. The girl looked at her, but Sunset’s eyes remained on the ground.
“... It’s my back. It happened at the Fall Formal.”
Wallflower nodded. “It was that rainbow thing, wasn’t it?”
‘I really shouldn’t have underestimated her, huh.’ Out loud, she heaved a sigh of her own. “Yeah. Transforming from demon to human via giant friendship blast apparently puts a lot of stress on your body.”
She shifted in her seat. She downright hated sharing her vulnerability. It made her feel weak, but she couldn’t deny that a small weight being lifted from her shoulders.
Wallflower repeated her question. “Can I help you apply the gel?”
On instinct, Sunset wanted to snap that she didn’t need anyones help. She wanted to push Wallflower away, to refuse anything that would make her seem weak.
But for some reason, she didn’t.
Instead, Sunset swallowed her pride and nodded. “Yeah. That would be nice.”
“Alright,” Wallflower gave Sunset a small smile, which Sunset found herself returning. “Turn around.”
Sunset handed Wallflower the mixture and turned on the bench.
“Can you lift up your sweatshirt?”
Taking a deep breath, Sunset nodded. She slowly lifted the hem of her sweatshirt, bringing it up over her head so that it hung around her arms, covering her chest while leaving her back exposed.
Wallflower gasped. “Oh my gods, Sunset…”
Sunset hissed as Wallflower gently traced a finger along the outsides of the wounds left by her wings. The burns had been healing quicker than Sunset expected them to, but they were still ghastly and painful.
There was the sound of a metal lid unscrewing from the glass jar Wallflower held. “Why haven’t you gone to the hospital?”
The cool gel surprised Sunset when it hit her skin. She grit her teeth as Wallflower started to spread it across her injuries. “I’m a magical pony from another dimension,” she responded with a bite to her words. “I don’t exactly have any kind of documentation.”
“Wait, you’re from the portal world?”
“Yeah.” More cold gel plastered across Sunset’s back. She could already feel a fresh relief seeping into the mangled tissue. “You didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t,” Wallflower replied with a hint of fascination in her voice. “That’s pretty cool.”
Wallflower continued applying the burn salve, leaving them in a more comfortable silence than before.
‘She’s been… surprisingly tolerable.’ Sunset thought. ‘More so than Snips and Snails were, at least. Definitely has more personality than the two of them combined.’ She frowned as she remembered the discovery she had made earlier. ‘And much more depth…’
“... There.” With a few more strokes of her fingers, Wallflower was finished applying the salve. “All done.”
“Thanks.”
Sunset heard the rustle of fabric as Wallflower wiped her hands on her jeans. The redhead gently pulled her sweatshirt down over her torso once more, careful to keep it from sticking to her back.
‘Uhg,’ she thought as Wallflower stowed the remainder of the gel in her backpack. ‘I guess I owe her for all this help.’
Steeling her nerves, Sunset took a deep breath. “Hey, uh, Wallflower?”
“Hm?”
Sunset hesitated. She was glad her back was still to Wallflower so the other girl couldn’t see her face. “I… I just recently heard about your dad. I- uh, I’m sorry.”
Wallflower froze. “... You didn’t know?”
“No,” Sunset said softly. “I didn’t. I would have said something.”
“Ha. That’s unlikely,” Wallflower said flaty. Her words were bitter, but they didn’t seem to hold any concentrated malice towards Sunset alone. “Nobody said anything. Nobody cared. Why would you?”
Wallflower’s tone was more self pitying than aggressive, but still, Sunset winced. Echoes of the word ‘monster’ bounced around in her head. She turned on the bench, finally facing Wallflower.
Sunset was just beginning to feel like maybe she had said the wrong thing when Wallflower burst into laughter.
“Wow,” she said in between giggles. “You really have a way with words!”
Sunset tried to hold her laughter in- she really did- but she soon found herself guffawing alongside Wallflower.
“You know,” Wallflower said as their laughter died down. “That actually made me feel better. You aren’t half bad, Shimmer.”
A light feeling was present in Sunset’s chest as she and Wallflower went their separate ways. It followed the redhead home, gracing her with a good mood for the rest of the day.
She wouldn’t call her new bond with Wallflower friendship, per se, but maybe it was getting somewhere close.
A red glow was cast across Twilight’s face as she gazed at the digital alarm clock on her bedside table. The girl was sitting upright in her bed with her blankets cocooned around her as she watched the minutes pass.
‘6:45 a.m. Fifteen minutes until I have to get ready for school.’
A shudder ran through her at the thought of school. Twilight hadn’t slept. A forceful storm of anxiety had swept her up and carried her mind far away from the reaches of sleep.
As her remaining fifteen minutes of peace slowly dwindled, Twilight felt the nausea in her stomach grow. ‘What ifs’ circled through her mind rapidly- what if she said something wrong? What if nobody shared her interests? What if Canterlot High was just like Crystal Prep?
Twilight’s breaths came in frantic puffs and tears blurred her vision. ‘What if Moondancer was right? What if I really am a freak and a loser and unlovable and-’
A knock at Twilight’s door broke her out of the anxious spiral. She looked up, wiping the tears from her face as her dad entered the room, along with Spike.
“Hey there, sweetheart,” Night Light said, giving his daughter a smile as Spike jumped up into her lap eagerly. He sat down on the edge of her bed. “How are we feeling today?”
Twilight’s hands shook as she signed.
“I can’t do it.”
Spike whimpered and moved to lick Twilight’s face, giving her a nuzzle as well. She gave him a watery smile.
“You can stay home today if you need some more time to adjust,” her dad said gently. “How long have you been up?”
“All night.”
“Aw, Twi,” Night Light put a hand on her shoulder, which was still covered by her blankets. She leaned into the touch and let out a small sob. “It’s going to be okay, I promise. Principal Celestia said the students there are some of the kindest she’s ever met.”
“I know, but what if-”
Night Light shook his head. “No more ‘what ifs’ today, Twilight. I can tell you’ve already thought of plenty.” He stood, then bent over to give his daughter a kiss on the forehead. “Why don’t you go on and get some sleep?”
Twilight nodded. She gave her dad a small smile, which he returned as he left the room and shut the door quietly behind him.
***
When Sunset came to lunch that day, Wallflower could tell that the unintentional bonding they had shared over the weekend wasn’t some sort of fluke.
Gone was a large amount of the vulnerability that Wallflower had seen on Saturday; in its place was Sunset’s usual aloof mask, but Wallflower could tell that she had made a chip in her armour. The redhead had greeted her with an almost microscopic smile, and she seemed a little more relaxed as she sat down.
Wallflower returned the smile with one that was slightly less reserved. “Hey Sunset.”
“Hey Wallflower.”
“How’s your back doing?”
Sunset shifted, subconsciously pulling at her blouse. “Still hurts, but that gel helped a ton.” She paused, seeming to think for a second before adding a soft “Thank you.”
“No problem,” Wallflower responded. “I’m happy to help.”
The rest of their meal was spent in relative silence, though it was much more comfortable than the previous lunches the two had spent together. Brown eyes floated across her beloved garden. Autumn was in full swing, coating the ground with oranges and browns as September came to its final week.
Wallflower finished up her sandwich and tossed the remains into her brown paper lunch bag. She stole a quick glance at Sunset as she shoved the bag into her backpack. The redhead seemed to be admiring the scenery, lost in thought as Wallflower always was. The only difference, Wallflower noted, was that she wasn’t eating.
‘Come to think of it,’ Wallflower thought with a small frown. ‘She doesn’t really eat much at all.’
The bell rang, bringing Wallflower away from her thoughts. ‘Hm. I’ll ask her about that some other time.’
The two picked up their backpacks.
“Hey,” Sunset started as she stood.
Wallflower looked at her. “Yeah?”
“Where’s your next class? Maybe we can walk together, um, if it’s already on the way to my class anyways. Might as well.”
It took a lot of self control for Wallflower to bite back the shit-eating grin that threatened to break out across her face. ‘Shimmer’s warming up to me, huh?’
Out loud, she responded with a nonchalant “Sure”- ‘best not to wound her ego’- as she stood up as well.
And that was that. The pair walked towards the school together in companionable silence, and this time did not separate as they entered the crowded halls.
***
Sunset sighed as her final class of the day came to an end. Students jumped to their feet as the bell rang and scurried to their freedom outside the classroom’s door. Sunset sighed, waiting until the classroom was empty until she got up.
“Ah, Miss Shimmer. Just the student I was looking for.”
Sunset jumped as a regal voice greeted her upon leaving the classroom. “V-vice Principal Luna?” Shocked, but still composed, Sunset straightened her posture. ‘This can’t be good,’ she thought.
The Vice Principal raised an eyebrow, her face donning a stern expression. “My sister has been wondering where you’ve been for the past week. I thought I made it clear when I issued your detention that your sentence started immediately.”
“Ah, well, about that-”
“I suggest you save your excuses for the Principal.” Luna’s expression softened a bit. “Come on, Sunset. You don’t want to be late.”
Begrudgingly, Sunset followed Luna through the rapidly emptying halls. The students they passed all gave Sunset the same smirk, clearly enjoying the fact that she was in trouble once again.
The walk to the principal’s office was silent, but Sunset’s mind was abuzz with resentful fear. No matter which world, contact with Celestia was not something that the former unicorn wanted to experience anytime soon.
All too quickly, the pair arrived at Celestia’s door, and Sunset froze. For some reason, she couldn’t will her legs to go any further. Her jaw was clenched tightly as she tried to find the determination to move.
In the glass window of the wooden door, Sunset caught a glimpse of her reflection- and nearly shrieked when she saw her demon self once again.
The image’s eyes blazed. She seemed amused. ‘A little frightened, are we?’ The reflection taunted her in a whisper. ‘Just don’t show any weakness. Especially not to her.’
“Sunset…?”
The teen jumped a bit. “What?” She snapped. The demon disappeared, throwing one last toothy grin Sunset’s way. “I’m here now, let’s just get this over with.”
With that, Sunset shouldered past Luna and flung open the door.
***
Principal Celestia startled as her door flew open and Sunset Shimmer stomped in. The girl plopped herself down in the chair across from her, silent the whole time. Over the student's shoulder, Celestia shot her sister a confused look, which Luna returned with a shrug. Her eyebrows drawn together, the principal gestured for Luna to leave.
The woman was relieved to see that Sunset was okay. When she hadn’t shown up for detention the past week, Celestia thought it best to give her the space to come on her own, but Luna had convinced her to let her intervene.
As the door shut, Celestia fixed Sunset with a kind gaze. “Hello, Sunset,” she said, keeping her voice open and warm. She could tell that Sunset felt uncomfortable.
“So,” Sunset started, not making eye contact. “What’ll you have me do? Sit here and think about what I’ve done?” Her words dripped with sarcasm.
‘Straight to the point, I see,’ Celestia thought. She pursed her lips. “Well, I was actually going to have you help Mrs. Smith in the cafeteria. Wipe down the tables, sweep the floor, exchange the daily menus- that sort of thing.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”
Celestia nodded. “We could always use an extra set of hands around the school, so your detention tasks will all be pretty similar in nature; just simple, helpful tasks.” She smiled, ignoring Sunset’s sour look. “I’ll have Luna take you down to the cafeteria.”
As Sunset left, the older woman slumped a little at her desk. She simply couldn’t understand the distance that seemed to already exist between her and Sunset. All she wanted was to help the wayward soul that had come to her school those three years ago.
‘I can only imagine her animosity has something to do with the other world’s Celestia,’ she thought. ‘Hopefully she can find a way to separate the two of us.’
***
‘Shit shit shit fuck shit I’m late again,’
Wallflower dashed through darkening streets of Canterlot, barely sparing any attention to odd looks she received from the occasional passersby.
Once again, Wallflower had lost track of time in her garden. Because of the cooling weather there hadn’t been much left to do, but Wallflower could spend hours just basking in the peace and quiet of her little corner of the universe.
That dedication to her garden, however, was her kryptonite.
Wallflower tried to shove down the dread bubbling in her stomach as she careened through her neighborhood and approached the front of her house, a small home near Canterlot High.
She stopped on the dilapidated front porch of the one story house. Nobody wanted to garden there anymore, so the whole of the lawn had gone to shit. Wallflower tried not to look at the long-dead flowers and yellowed grass that surrounded her home.
‘It’s not really a home anymore though, is it,’ she thought. ‘Not since he moved in.’
The sad yard seemed to agree. ‘Whatever.’ Wallflower took a deep breath. ‘I’ve wasted enough time already.’ With that, Wallflower steeled her nerves and pushed the door open.
Immediately she was greeted by a commanding voice.
“You’re late.”
A hand reached out and slammed the door behind Wallflower, trapping her against the wooden surface. She bit the inside of her cheek, schooling her features so that she didn’t reveal the fear coursing through her veins.
“Sorry…” Wallflower mumbled, keeping her eyes low.
The man scowled and forcefully grabbed Wallflower’s arm. “Sorry, what?” he snarled. His breath smelled like alcohol. “And speak up.”
“Sorry sir,” she said a little louder.
“Fucking brat. You better not be late again, I swear, I’ll-”
A meek voice interrupted. “F-Firestorm, please, let’s just eat...”
Firestorm’s eyes narrowed, but he released Wallflower’s arm with a shove. Wallflower winced and rubbed the area while his back was turned. ‘It’s probably already starting to bruise.’
The green-hued girl avoided eye contact with both her mother and her mother’s boyfriend as she made her way to the dinner table. The food was, of course, lackluster and cold, but she poked at it to keep up the appearance of busyness.
“Um, how was school Wallflower?” The shy voice of Daisy Charm broke the otherwise stoic silence that so often descend between the three. “Roseluck tells me you made a new friend.”
Wallflower tensed, but kept her eyes low. “Yeah,” she mumbled. “Doesn’t really matter.”
Daisy pursed her lips. She looked as though she wanted to press the topic but, with a glance at Firestorm, said nothing.
The trio finished their meal silently. As per usual, Wallflower was the first to excuse herself. She quietly stood, scraped what remained on her plate into the bin, and walked to the end of the hall where her room was.
The teen shut her door softly behind her and collapsed face first onto her green bedspread. She lay there for a bit- content to pretend that, just for that one moment, the world did not exist- before sitting up and reaching for her backpack.
‘Running low,’ Wallflower thought as she extracted the tupperware container of green paste from her backpack. Sure enough, her skin was already darkening where Firestorm had grabbed her. She popped off the lid and removed a sizeable blob of the material, which she then spread across her upper arm with practiced ease.
She finished quickly and put the paste back in her backpack. ‘There aren’t many places that still have Lavender and Arnica at this time of year,’ Wallflower thought, lightly ghosting her fingers across the bruise. ‘I’ll have to ration out the rest.’
That daunting thought was pushed to the back of Wallflower’s mind as she lay back down on her bed. She needed a nap.
Celestia sat at her desk, tiredly sagging over the paperwork for the new student CHS would be receiving. She had come in earlier than usual to make sure everything was as ready as possible for Twilight’s arrival. Of course, Celestia had known about Twilight’s transfer for weeks- she had approved the request, after all- but today, today was the day that she actually arrived.
The principal was being careful; she had taken down the pictures of Twilight being crowned princess at the Fall Formal that hung in the main hall, and took great care to find and hide any other semblance of the Princess’ time at Canterlot High. She had done everything she could to make Human-Twilight’s transfer as smooth as possible.
But boy, did Celestia have a bad feeling.
“Sister?”
The principal looked up as Luna entered her office. “Good morning, Luna,” she said with as much of a smile as she could muster while her sister took the seat across from her.
Celestia eyed Luna’s coffee enviously as the Vice Principal took a sip from the steaming mug in her hands. She took an unsatisfying gulp of tea, suddenly wishing she hadn’t sworn off caffeine years ago.
“Thank you again for leading today’s staff meeting, Lu,” she said, reaching out and taking hold of her sister’s hand. “I’ve just been swamped with paperwork regarding our newest Wondercolt. Has the rest of the staff been informed of the situation?”
“Yes,” Luna replied. “Everyone is aware of Twilight’s arrival and has been instructed to act as though she were completely new. And,” she gave Celestia’s hand a comforting squeeze, “everyone is prepared to do damage control with Sunset if need-be.”
“Good.” Celestia sighed, trying not to think about the headache this day would surely bring. “Though, I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Sunset will come around,” Luna said. “She’s a good kid at heart.”
“I know,” Celestia said with a soft smile. “I’m just worried about her. I know this will be as rough for her as it will be for Twilight.”
Luna returned the smile. “Well, they’re both very lucky to have you looking out for them.”
***
Twilight Sparkle looked at the school’s front entrance apprehensively through the window of her brother’s car. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest. Despite her excitement about getting some answers on those strange energy readings, the utterly terrifying notion of changing schools and meeting new people was crushing to her.
“You’re going to be okay, Twily,” Shining Armour said from the driver’s seat. “They’re going to love you, I guarantee it!”
“But,” Twilight signed, her hands shaking. She watched students lazily file into the building. Groups of people milled about the courtyard, chatting and smiling. Her breathing became short. “But I don’t know anyone and where will I sit in my classes the school year has already started and it’s a Tuesday, who starts school on a Tuesday-”
Her rambling was interrupted by a soft boop on her nose.
Shining Armour retracted his hand and gave her a patient look. “Deep breath in, Twi,” he said gently. “You know the drill. Breathe in, hold, breathe out.”
Twilight took in a deep breath, following her brother through the familiar breathing exercise.
‘Breathe in, hold, breathe out,’
It took a few minutes, as usual, but Twilight felt a bit better by the end. She smiled at her brother and pushed up her glasses. “Th-anks big bro.”
“No problem sis,” he responded with a chuckle. “Now go get ’em!”
With one last anxious glance out the window, Twilight opened the door and stepped out of the car. Shining Armour waved and drove off, the movement of the vehicle scattering fallen leaves around Twilight’s feet.
She hunched her shoulders, closing in on herself as though it would protect her from the eyes of her new classmates. It felt like the students were staring her down as she started walking towards the school.
Twilight’s own gaze remained firmly on the ground. ‘Calm down,’ she told herself with a shaky breath. ‘Nobody’s staring at you. It’s just your imagination.’
She spared a glance upward. ‘See? No one is- wait, hold on a second,’
For some reason, as soon as she approached the school, all eyes were on Twilight. Her eyes snapped back to the ground. ‘They actually are looking at me!’
So caught up in her anxiety, Twilight didn’t notice the boy in front of her until she bumped right into him.
“Oof, uh, e-excuse me, I-”
“Twilight?”
Twilight looked up, confused. The boy, who had deep blue hair, was grinning at her like she had hung the sun in the sky.
“We’ve got to stop bumping into each other like this,” the boy said, a laugh decorating his voice.
“Um,” Twilight adjusted her glasses, squinting a bit. She’d certainly never seen him before. “I’m sorry, I don’t- I don’t think we’ve met. I’m ju-ust transferring in f-from Crystal Prep.” She paused. “H-hang on, h-ow do you know my na-ame?”
Blue eyebrows scrunched together in surprised confusion. Whether it was from her response or her stilted way of speaking, Twilight didn’t know. She wilted under his probing eyes, feeling like she had somehow said the wrong thing.
Luckily- or, perhaps unluckily- a group of students saved her from answering.
“Hey, Twilight!” A girl with rainbow coloured hair approached Twilight.
‘Definitely unlucky,’ Twilight thought as more attention was drawn to her. She quickly studied the group as they drew closer.
The rainbow one was wearing a sports jersey and carried a soccer ball under her arm. Behind her, there was a diverse cast of four other girls. A girl with immaculate purple hair and pristine clothing strode next to a country-looking blonde. After them were two girls with pink hair, but Twilight noted that one seemed a lot more outgoing than the other; she walked with a bounce in her step, while the other hid behind her long locks of hair.
The group stopped in front of where Twilight still stood, anxious and confused, next to the boy.
“You’re back,” the rainbow girl continued. “We thought you couldn’t come through for another thirty moons!”
Twilight blinked. ‘This is getting ridiculous,’ she thought, even more confounded than before.
“Uh, guys,” the blue haired boy said before Twilight could attempt to respond. He seemed to have shaken off his shock, but his eyes remained trained on the purple girl. “Can we talk for a sec’?”
The girls look at him with confused expressions of their own, and Twilight seized the opportunity to leave while she still could. “Um,” she mumbled, “I gotta-gotta go, uh, m-meet with Principal Ce-Celestia.”
The nervous girl speed walked away, trying to ignore the many eyes that followed her as she burst through the front doors of the school.
‘What is with this place,’ she wondered, her mind racing. Several students waved to her and a few said hello as she passed them. ‘Why does everyone at this school know who I am?’
***
“Uh,” Rainbow Dash and the rest of her friends watched Twilight hurriedly walk away. “Flash, what was that about?”
The boy was still looking in the direction that Twilight had gone. “I think,” he started, then stopped, looking rather tongue tied. “Um, I think something’s wrong with Twilight,”
The shocked faces of Flash’s friends stared back at him.
“Why,” Rarity started. “Whatever do you mean, dear?”
“Ah’m afraid Ah’m not following, Flash,” Applejack added.
“Yeah, I mean she seemed fine to me,” Rainbow said with a quirked brow. Next to her, Fluttershy remained silent with her eyebrows scrunched together as she watched the conversation.
Flash sighed. “She was wearing those glasses and the way she talked was… well, it was definitely different than how Twilight usually speaks,” he said. He rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes. “She didn’t recognize me. And she said she was just transferring in from Crystal Prep!”
The group erupted into confused calamity.
“Crystal Prep?!”
“No way,”
“Ah don’t believe it!”
Flash flinched, holding his hands out defensively. “Look, I’m as confused as you are! I mean, how does she not-”
He was interrupted by huge gasp and a blur of pink as Pinkie Pie zoomed to the front of the group. She popped up behind Flash, using his shoulders to leverage herself upwards so as to better address everyone, throwing off his balance and nearly taking him to the ground in the process.
The party planner took a deep breath. “That Twilight is obviously the Twilight from this world since it couldn’t possibly be the Twilight from the pony world since the Twilight from the pony world doesn’t go to Crystal Prep or wear glasses!”
Pinkie emphasized her words with her fingers in front of her eyes, curled into the shape of two circles in a makeshift pair of glasses. She hopped down from Flash’s shoulders, giving her friends a big smile.
“Er…” Flash’s face was a mixture of perplexity and disappointment as he straightened up. “Uh, yeah, I guess that makes sense. I mean why would she be back so soon? Of course she isn’t our Twilight, haha.” He shuffled his feet.
Rarity was the first to get over the shock of Pinkie’s revelation. She gave the still-rambling Flash a sympathetic look. “We know you miss Princess Twilight, Flash,” she said, then turned to the others. “But this is Twilight is our Twilight. We should welcome her just as we welcomed the Princess.”
The group voiced their agreement.
Applejack adjusted her hat. “Ah’m sure she’s mighty confused by now, seeing as all of CHS already knows who she is.”
“Oof, yeah,” Rainbow said. “We should prooobably do something about that.”
***
Twilight’s hands shook as she raised a fist to knock on Principal Celetia’s office door. She had gotten many greetings and high fives from the students roaming the halls, much to her confusion. ‘This is really weird. Could it have anything to do with those energy spikes?’
A moment after she knocked, a cheery voice invited her inside.
“Come on in!”
The purple girl took a deep breath as she grasped the turned handle.
The room she stepped into had a soft looking interior, with shelves full of books lining one wall and several filing cabinets donning the other. Natural light glowed through a large window behind a desk, at which sat a tall woman with shining hair.
The principal stood as Twilight came in. “Good morning,” she greeted with a warm smile. “You must be Twilight Sparkle. My name is Principal Celestia.” She held her hand out.
Twilight returned the smile, albeit with more anxiety, and shook the offered hand. “N-nice to me-et you,” she managed to say.
“Now I know you might be a bit overwhelmed right now,” Celestia said as she retracted her hand and began rummaging around the many papers that littered her desk. The woman eventually located the paper that detailed Twilight’s classes and handed it to her. “But I’ve made sure your first day will be as smooth of a transition as possible,” she said. “I have a pair of students that can show you around and escort you to your first class. Those two and their friends are quite the accepting bunch, so you don’t have to worry about talking too much if you aren’t comfortable.” The principal’s tone was gentle, but not overly delicate. Twilight was starting to calm down from her earlier panic.
Celestia continued. “I believe you all share first period together.”
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door.
“Ah, perfect timing.” The principal stood and made her way to the door. She opened it and greeted the group. “Hello, Rainbow Dash, hello Fluttershy. Come on in, our new student is already here!”
Just like that, Twilight’s anxiety spiked upwards as two familiar students walked into the office. Their shocked expressions were mirrored in Twilight’s own.
“Girls, I’d like you to meet Twilight Sparkle; our newest Wondercolt!”
There was a beat of silence as the two girls glanced first at Twilight, then at the principal. The girls seemed to be silently communicating something with the older woman that Twilight couldn’t decipher.
Finally the girl with pink hair- ‘Probably Fluttershy,’- spoke, giving Twilight a small smile. “We actually ran into her earlier out by the statue, but we didn’t get the chance to properly meet.” She offered a hand. “I’m Fluttershy. It’s nice to meet you, Twilight.”
Twilight shook her hand, then Rainbow’s, trying to return their smiles with minimal success. She could already feel her mind reciting her usual set of worries.
Before she could attempt to force out some form of greeting, Celestia came to her rescue. “Well, I’m glad you three are acquainted,” she said. The woman turned to Twilight. “You see, I chose Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to escort you because the two of them speak sign language as well. That way, you already have two friends to help you communicate should you need it.”
Twilight blinked. She had never received such considerate treatment from Principal Cinch, so she was a bit baffled at the effort Celestia put forward to make sure she adjusted well. She could feel a true, honest smile start to spread across her face; the first one she had managed since the week began. She nodded to the principal, hoping that the woman could see the thankfulness in her eyes.
Her message seemed to be received, as Celestia gave her a pat on the shoulder before moving to open the door once again. “You three should get going, if you want enough time to show Twilight her classes before school starts.”
“You can count on us, Principal C!” Rainbow Dash saluted the older woman as the three moved out into the hallway.
The door shut quietly behind them, leaving Twilight to awkwardly tangle her fingers together as there was a silence. ‘Well, they seem nice enough, and Shining Armour really wanted me to make some friends after Moondancer…’ She pushed the thought away. Her gaze flitted between the tiled floor and the lockers that lined the wall as she steeled her nerves. ‘I guess I should give it a shot.’
Twilight made a pointing gesture with her finger, then she pressed her index and middle fingers flush together on each hand and circled them around each other; “You two sign?”
Rainbow grinned widely. “Sure do!”
Fluttershy nodded. “I was nonverbal until around third grade and my uncle Discord is deaf, so my family and I all know how to sign.” She smiled at Rainbow. “I know Dash doesn’t really seem like the type to know ASL, but we’ve been friends for ages. When we met, she demanded that her parents let her take lessons.”
“Aw, it was nothing! Anything for a friend.”
Twilight noted the blush on Rainbow Dash’s cheeks at the comment, but the athlete was quick to change the subject. “C’mon, let’s get going. Don’t want to end up late for first period.”
With that, the trio started walking. Rainbow took the space to Twilight’s right, while Fluttershy kept in stride on the left.
The girls showed Twilight each of her classes, starting from her last period of the day then making their way to her first. Twilight found herself relaxing in their presence. Rainbow Dash did most of the talking, much to her relief, and she quickly found that Fluttershy wasn’t the type to try and prod her into conversing.
“We have a fifteen minute homeroom every morning,” The group rounded the corner to a hallway in the math wing of the school as Rainbow explained Canterlot High’s bell schedule. “Then we have periods one through seven, which are an hour long, and a thirty minute lunch splitting it up after third period.”
“Aaaand here’s our homeroom class,” Dash concluded the tour as the group arrived at their classroom. “You’re gonna love Mr. Doodle. He’s usually pretty cranky, but since we have him for homeroom he lets us do whatever as long as we’re quiet.”
She tried the door to see if it was unlocked yet as she continued. “Our whole friend group has first period together, so you can officially meet.” Upon finding no resistance, the athlete pushed the door open, sending an apologetic smile over her shoulder. “Uh, sorry again for the weird welcome.”
“We, um, sort of thought you were someone else,” Fluttershy added. The three entered the classroom together. It was empty, except for an older man with a clearly fake toupé sitting at a desk.
Twilight wrinkled her nose, following her new friends to their seats. “Everyone here seems to have the same thought,” she signed. “People keep saying hi, and everyone somehow knows my name already.”
Fluttershy and Rainbow exchanged glances, once again silently conveying a message that Twilight couldn’t understand. “Um, yeah that’s odd,” Fluttershy said. “But we might be able to explain.”
“It’ll have to be later, though,” Rainbow said with a gesture to the door. Students had started filing in and taking their seats, and a lot of people were staring at them. “At lunch would be best. It’ll be louder and we’ll have our own table, so there’ll be less obvious eavesdropping.” She raised her voice at the last two words and shot a glare at Sandalwood, who was using a textbook to poorly hide the fact that he was openly following their conversation. He jumped a bit when Rainbow called him out, then smiled sheepishly.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to Twilight. “In the meantime, we can get to know you!”
Just then, three girls- ‘Of course they’re the ones from earlier-’ entered the classroom together. Rainbow waved them over. “Hey, everyone!”
The purple hued girl sunk a little further into her seat as the girls approached. ‘They all seemed like nice people, but…’ Twilight bit her lip. She knew she never did well with group dynamics. ‘Today’s going to be a long day, isn’t it.’
Sunset Shimmer could tell that she was going to have a long day. Any residual good feelings she had from the weekend and lunch on Monday instantly evaporated once she made it school.
Something felt fishy. The usual hostility she received from the students suddenly had an added layer of smugness to it. Sunset decided she hated it.
She scowled at every student that past by as she stomped to her homeroom class. As she rounded a corner, someone called out to her.
“Hey, she-demon!” Sunset spun around with fire in her eyes- a fire that, for once, did not affect Micro Chips, who only smirked back. “You should watch yourself. I don’t think Twilight will give you another chance if you try to pull anything else.”
‘Twilight?’
He walked away with the same annoying confidence that the rest of CHS had adopted in regards to Sunset, leaving the girl angry but confused. ‘What the hell is he talking about,’ she wondered angrily. ‘Princess Sparkle Butt is gone for the next three moons.’
Sunset brushed off the encounter as an empty threat as she continued to her homeroom, but an uneasiness had already started to creep up the back of her neck.
The bell rang just as Sunset sat down in her homeroom. Ms. Harshwhinny gave her a glare- she technically wasn’t late, but she was cutting it close- as she got up to address the class.
“Settle down, now, class.” Ms. Harshwhinny’s dour voice cut through the chatter, silencing the excited teens quickly. “I know you must all be quite excited about Ms. Sparkle’s arrival, but-”
“WHAT?” Sunset leapt to her feet. Her heart was racing. All eyes turned to her with varying degrees of smug and satisfied expressions, but she hardly noticed.
Ms. Harshwhinny glowered at the redhead. “If you would please refrain from interrupting, Ms. Shimmer…”
‘It’s not possible.’
Several snickers ran through the class, but, again, Sunset did not notice. She could feel the blood pumping in her ears as she clenched her jaw. It was as though her world had come to a screeching halt.
“Ms. Shimmer, sit down.”
More laughs. More delighted faces and gleeful smirks as Sunset stiffly returned to her seat. The disgruntled teacher continued talking, but all Sunset could hear was her own racing thoughts. ‘No, she can’t… It’s impossible, the portal is closed!’
The rest of homeroom passed in a whirl of anger and confusion for her as she tried to figure out exactly what in Tartarus was going on. Before she knew it, the bell had rung once again and Sunset was robotically pulling herself up and moving to her first period.
The first half of the day flew past Sunset in a blur. Luckily for her, she didn’t see Twilight in any of her classes.
Her third period study hall was far more stressful than it normally was. She usually spent her time in the library productively; either reading, doing homework, or helping Ms. Cheerilee put books away.
The rumours of Twilight’s arrival left her distracted and angry- well, angrier than usual. It was bad enough that she had a few shared classes with those insufferable Elements of Harmony, but now that their little sextuplet was once again complete…
‘I don’t stand a chance against them.’ Sunset’s hands clenched into fists. Her history homework sat untouched in front of her. ‘I just don’t understand,’ she thought bitterly. ‘How? And why?’
Not really paying any attention, Sunset tore the nearly blank sheet of lined paper out of her binder; she was supposed to be writing an essay on the Byzantine Empire, but hadn’t gotten any farther than putting her name on the paper.
‘I mean, who does she think she is?’ The paper ripped between her fingers, straight down the middle, with a satisfying sound.
‘She barges in here, she destroys everything I’ve worked towards… Then she finally leaves, and has the audacity to break the laws of reality and come back?!’
A small pile of shredded paper had started to form beneath Sunset’s hands. Several pairs of eyes turned to Sunset as she slammed a fist into the table, jostling the tiny strips of angry confetti she had created.
‘Hasn’t she ruined my life enough already?’
Tears of frustration stung at the corners of Sunset’s eyes, which only angered her further. She was close to screaming in fury when the shrill sound of the bell interrupted her rumination.
It was time for lunch.
Lunch, where the whole of the senior class would be.
Where Twilight would be.
Sunset stood, her eyes blazing with a flame that was all too similar to what she wielded on the night of the Fall Formal. She shoved her history binder into her bag and swept the bits of paper into her hand, depositing them into the recycling on her way out of the library. She moved like she was on a mission.
‘I’m going to get some answers,’ she thought. ‘One way or another.’
***
The bell rang, dismissing Twilight from the Home Economics class she shared with Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy.
Pinkie Pie was chatting happily as the four exited the classroom. “I’m so glad you got to join our group! I mean it makes sense because we were the only group missing a fourth member, but still!”
Twilight smiled. “Thank you,” she signed. Rainbow and Fluttershy had shown the group some of the more basic signs during homeroom, so they could at least pick up on some of the things Twilight signed without translation.
“Ah’m glad too,” Applejack added. “We’re all mighty happy to have you as a friend, Twi.”
Twilight blushed. She was surprised to find that she was happy, too; if not a little bit exhausted from all the interaction. The day was only half-way over, but Twilight already felt as though her internal batteries were close to empty. She simply wasn’t used to this much attention being on her.
The four fell into step together; the Apple/Pie cousins lead the way side-by-side, leaving Twilight and Fluttershy paired behind them. They navigated through the crowded halls together, swiftly making their way to the lunchroom.
As expected, the cafeteria was jam-packed. Twilight winced as a wall of sound hit her upon their entrance. Thankfully, Fluttershy picked up on her discomfort and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, steering them through the lunch line.
After they got their lunches, two voices shouted over the noise.
“Hello, girls-”
“Hey, nerds!”
Twilight heard Fluttershy giggle from beside her as Rarity swatted at Rainbow, who had launched herself over the table- and, subsequently, knocked Rarity’s salad over- to beckon them closer.
Applejack snickered as she and Pinkie sat down, leaving Twilight and Fluttershy to sit across from them. “Nice goin’, Dash,” the farmer joked.
“Oh, uh, sorry ‘Rares,” Rainbow said as she noticed the small disorder she had caused.
Rarity huffed, brushing lettuce from her skirt and mumbling something about how undignified Rainbow was, and the group shared a laugh- a laugh that Twilight actually joined in on.
Smoothing out her shirt and making sure there were no more stray bits of food on her clothing, Rarity turned to Twilight. “So,” she said. “How has your first day as a Wondercolt been so far, Twilight?”
Twilight smiled. “It’s been… overwhelming. But not as bad as I thought.” Her hands, finally, were not shaking when she signed her response. “Although, I’m still confused as to why everybody knows my name already.” She glanced around, making eye contact with each of her new friends.
There was a moment of silence after Fluttershy translated what Twilight had said. Twilight wasn’t great at reading social cues, but even she could tell that everyone seemed to not know how to respond.
Finally, Applejack cleared her throat. “Erm, well… Ya see, sugarcube-”
“You!”
A shout rang out across the cafeteria, interrupting Applejack and silencing the entire room.
Twilight’s new friends froze. She turned her head to the source of the noise, only to find that the owner of the voice- and most of the cafeteria- was staring directly at her.
Twilight gulped as the girl strode towards their table. She had flaming red and gold hair that cascaded over her shoulders in waves. In contrast to her yellow-orange skin tone, her eyes were a shockingly cold teal; but they blazed fiercely when they met Twilight’s own gaze.
Her heart skipped a beat in a way that was all too familiar; this time, not from anxiety, but from something Twilight feared much more.
‘Crap,’ she lamented as the visibly fuming girl approached. ‘Just what I need; yet another really pretty girl who hates me.’
“Ah, dammit,” Rainbow Dash muttered, breaking Twilight from her thoughts. She and Applejack stood from their seats and moved to put some space between the fiery stranger and Twilight herself.
The girl came to a halt in front of the table. Her eyes never left Twilight- something that both delighted and terrified the quiet girl.
“Um, howdy there Sun-”
She didn’t let Applejack finish. “What on Gaia’s green earth is she doing here?!” She jabbed a finger in Twilight’s direction.
Rainbow pushed the girl back by the shoulders. “Back off, Sunset Shimmer. She doesn’t need you all up in her business.”
The girl- ‘Sunset Shimmer’- clenched her jaw as Rainbow shoved her. She brought a closed fist back and Twilight’s eyes widened, but Rarity jumped in before she could strike.
“Now, now,” the fashionista said in a placating tone. She put a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder and pulled her back towards the table, sending her a look that said ‘drop it’. “Why don’t we all just calm down and talk about this like civilised adults?”
Sunset dropped her still-clenched fist and laughed hollowly. “Calm? You expect me to be calm? How am I supposed to be calm when the freaking Princess of Friendship is somehow back when it should be impossible!?”
“...Princess…?”
Twilight’s voice was soft, but it still somehow brought the conversation to a screeching halt. She almost wilted as everyone looked to her, but her curiosity spurred her forward. “Wh-what do yo-ou mean?” She forced herself to lock eyes with Sunset. ‘This girl… She’s involved with all this- whatever the heck this is.’
There was silence as the two stared at each other. Twilight blushed as those cyan eyes seemed to really look at her for the first time since she entered the cafeteria. They roamed from the quiet girl’s glasses, to her striped shirt, to the messy bun her hair was in- almost curious, but never losing the intensity they held.
Finally, Sunset turned her attention away from Twilight, and the bookworm let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
Sunset looked to Applejack. “Cowgirl. Explain,” she demanded. “Now.”
Applejack sighed. “We’ll tell ya everything we know,” she pacified. “Let’s just go somewhere with less of an- ahem- audience.”
With all of the calamity happening around her, Twilight had failed to notice that the entire cafeteria was watching. She sank lower into her seat, graciously accepting a comforting hand from Fluttershy and a sympathetic look from Pinkie.
Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Fine. I know just the place.” Without another word, Sunset spun around and strode toward the cafeteria’s fire exit doors.
The group shared a cautious look, but ultimately got up as a whole and moved to follow Sunset, leaving the cafeteria to slowly return to normalcy.
To say that Twilight was confused was an understatement. There was so much happening, and the only person who didn’t seem to have all the pieces was Twilight herself.
‘Well,’ she thought. ‘At least I’m finally about to get some answers.’
***
Sunset stomped out of the school and towards the edge of the woods, not bothering to check if the Princess and her pests were following.
‘Except that isn’t the Princess, is it?’
No, this girl was much different. She didn’t hold herself with the same obnoxious confidence as Princess Twilight Sparkle. And not to mention that stutter! When Sunset actually took a good look at her, it was clear that this was a different person, despite their similarities.
‘There had better be a different explanation for this than what I’m thinking of,’ Sunset thought bitterly. ‘If I have to deal with two fucking Twilights I think I’m going to scream.’
Soon enough, Sunset pushed through the rapidly lessening foliage and marched through Wallflower’s garden.
“Oh, hey Suns-”
“Hi, Wallflower. We’ve got company today.”
Ignoring the confused look Wallflower gave her, Sunset stalked over to their usual bench and plopped herself down with a huff. Moments after, the Elements and their new friend entered into the clearing.
Wallflower raised an eyebrow. “Huh,” she said in a tone that was almost teasing. “I didn’t know you guys were friends.
“We’re not friends!”
“We aren’t friends!”
The gardener snickered as Rainbow and Sunset spoke in unison. “Sure, whatever,” she said with faux-innocence.
Rainbow stopped glowering at Sunset for a second and turned to Wallflower, seemingly noticing her for the first time. “Wait, who the hell are you?”
“Anyways,” Wallflower said, blatantly ignoring Rainbow. “Why are you guys all- holy shit, Princess Twilight?!”
Sunset groaned as Wallflower noticed the newcomer. “Yeah, something like that.” She gave a pointed look to the Elements, who were all standing awkwardly around the clearing. “Start explaining before I go absolutely berserk.”
She tried to ignore the snort of laughter Wallflower let out as, to her surprise, Fluttershy stepped forward.
“Sunset,” she began in a gentle, but firm voice. “There’s no need to be so rude.”
Sunset blinked. Being completely honest, she didn’t think Fluttershy had the guts to talk to her like that. Or to talk to anyone at all, for that matter. ‘Must have gained some courage from hanging around Rain-bitch for so long,’ she thought. Still, she gave credit where credit was due and chose to overlook Fluttershy’s unexpected boldness. Instead, she stayed silent and let the girl continue.
“This is Twilight Sparkle,” Fluttershy said, putting a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “She’s a new student that just transferred in from Crystal Prep Academy. She isn’t the Princess, so please don’t hold anything against her; she doesn’t even know you.”
There was a tense beat of silence as Sunset absorbed the information.
So she was right; there were now two Twilight Sparkles.
And of course, she was less than thrilled.
“Gods above-” she stood abruptly. Rainbow and Applejack moved to shield Twilight should the redhead attack, but Sunset instead turned and flung her fist into a nearby tree.
“rrRRRAGH!”
“Godammit Sunset, we talked about this!”
Ignoring Wallflower’s words and the fresh pain in her hand, Sunset stomped back to the bench and sat down.
“Of course, of course there’s two of them now,” she grumbled, tossing her uninjured hand into the air. “Just kick me while I’m down, why don’t you?”
She saw Wallflower roll her eyes in her periphery. “Cool it, Saddle Rager,” the green girl quipped. “You might actually break your hand if you keep this up.”
Sunset was about to tell Wallflower exactly how she could go fuck herself when that unsteady voice spoke up again.
“Um, w-will someone please tell me wh-what’s go-ing on?”
Twilight looked scared, much to Sunset’s delight, but she pushed past Applejack and Rainbow, looking to the red-head for answers.
“Don’t look at me Princess,” Sunset spat bitterly. “Ask your new friends.”
“I-I’ve tried!”
The Elements at least had the decency to look a little guilty.
Applejack sighed deeply. “We’re mighty sorry for not talking about this sooner, Twi. There hasn’t really been a good time.”
“Until now,” Sunset jabbed.
The cowgirl winced. “Until now,” she repeated.
“Well, might as well get comfy.” Applejack brushed away some fallen leaves and sat down on the dirt. She gestured for her friends to do the same. “Yer’ in for a long ride.”
***
It took most of the lunch period to explain everything.
Sunset’s rule over the school and theft of the crown, Twilight’s arrival and quick befriending of the Elements; her subsequent win of the crown, Sunset dog-napping Spike and her threat to smash the portal.
The transformation. The blast. The end.
Applejack gave most of the summary, with the others- sans Wallflower and Sunset- chiming in with details here and there. In fact, Sunset had stayed surprisingly silent through the explanation, merely alternating from glaring daggers at Twilight to huffily inspecting the ground.
By the time the story came to an end, Twilight’s head was spinning.
‘Princesses? Ponies? Magic?!’ She shook her head in disbelief. The scientific part of her brain was at war with her instinctive need to fill in the blanks around her. ‘There’s… There’s no way. These people are crazy, they have to be!’
‘But this would explain that big energy spike,” she countered herself. “A surge of magic like the rainbow blast they described would certainly have been picked up by my machine!’
A scoff brought Twilight out of her thoughts. She looked up. Sunset was looking at her with an unreadable expression.
“She doesn’t believe you yet. Show her the video.”
The Elements immediately cringed, but Rarity pulled out her phone nonetheless.
The video was short and appeared to just be a poor smear campaign, but to Twilight it was earth shattering; no amount of photoshop or video editing could create a minute-long video of Twilight Sparkle herself when there were pretty much zero videos of her online at all. And how would anyone at Canterlot High know who she was in the first place? Crystal Prep was in the city, she had never met a Wondercolt before today! And not to mention the fact that she didn’t own clothes that looked anything like that, nor had she worn her hair down since third grade.
Any way she looked at it, the video only served to reinforce what they had told her.
The inner scientist in Twilight was both dismayed and absolutely ecstatic. On one hand, magic defied any and all laws of science and nature; but on the other hand, there was so much research to do! So many things to test, so many experiments to run…
But it didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. All of this new information went against everything Twilight had learned, undid years upon years of devotion to science and reasoning and uprooted every belief that Twilight held dear.
Rainbow Dash’s nervous chuckle somewhat brought her mind back from the clouds. “Guys, I think we broke her.”
Twilight almost didn’t hear her. She merely nodded, hoping that was enough of an answer for the time being.
“Oh, poor dear,” Rarity said from her spot next to Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Not wanting to get her dress dirty, she was happily sat on Applejack’s worn flannel shirt. “We know this is a lot to absorb,” she said kindly. “But we’re here for you.”
“Yeah,” Pinkie spoke up. “We can’t promise everything’ll make sense, but nothing fun ever does!”
Twilight smiled weakly. The faces of her new friends- her new, magic friends- smiled back warmly.
Just then, the bell rang, causing Twilight to jump slightly.
Sunset Shimmer got up from the bench and stretched lazily. “Well, I’d say this has been fun,” she said with a faux-blaisé tone. “But it really hasn’t. Let’s never do this again.”
“Now there’s something we can agree on,” came Rainbow’s caustic response.
The rest of the group started getting up from their respective spots, shouldering their bags and fixing their clothes as needed.
Twilight took an offered hand from Fluttershy. ‘Oh boy,’ she thought as she and the Elements started walking back to the school. ‘I really need time to process all of this.’
***
The rest of the day was a living hell for Sunset. As it turned out, she had not one, not two, but three whole classes with Twilight Sparkle.
“I guess the second half of my day is totally ruined forever, now,” Sunset thought bitterly, glaring daggers at Twilight as she exited their shared seventh period. “Classes with Sparkle, then detention. Can’t get much worse than that.”
With a snarl and a glare at anyone who crossed her path, Sunset navigated the halls swiftly. Usually, she wasn’t in any rush to see Celestia, but today she had a bone to pick.
Sunset didn’t bother knocking when she reached Celestia’s office.
“Principal Celestia!”
Celestia blinked as Sunset burst into the room and loomed over her desk, anger coming off her in waves.
“Um, come on in, Sunset. What can I help you with?”
It took a lot of self control for Sunset to not flip over the desk between her and her not-really-former-teacher. “You know exactly what you can ‘help me’ with, Celestia.” Sunset almost growled the older woman’s name. “Why in the name of the gods is Twilight in so many of my classes?! There’s no way in hell this is going to end well and you know it!”
The Principal narrowed her eyes with a frown. “I’m going to choose to overlook the way you just addressed me,” she said in a warning tone. “And instead focus on your glaring disrespect for your classmates. I tried to keep Twilight away from you for as much of the day as possible, but unfortunately there is only so much I can do.”
Sunset felt her anger in her stomach coming to a rolling boil. There was no way in hell she was spending this much quality time with the Princess’ doppelganger. “You have to move her,” she insisted.
“The classes Twilight is taking make her schedule inflexible,” Celestia said, keeping her voice even. “Certain teachers only have certain classes in certain periods, especially with advanced courses; that is something that cannot be changed. You should remember having the same problem when you signed up for your classes this year.”
“Then make her take a different class!”
“Twilight has as much of a right to be there as you do.”
“But-!”
“Sunset Shimmer!” Celestia abruptly pushed herself into a standing position, slamming her palms on the desk and cutting Sunset off. “If you are going to continue acting like a child, I’m going to have to treat you like one. I’ve had enough of this attitude. Do I make myself clear?”
That shut Sunset up rather quickly. Celestia had never talked to her like this; at least, not this version of Celestia.
The principal sighed heavily. She sat back down, lacing her fingers together atop her desk.
“Twilight Sparkle will not be moved, and you absolutely will not harass her, nor myself, over it. End of discussion.”
Rather tongue-tied, Sunset just stood there, quietly staring at Celestia with wide eyes. She was still mad, but all the fire had been let out of her like a rapidly deflating balloon. She felt like a filly again, being scolded by the Equestrian Celestia for one reason or another, leaving her uncharacteristically sober and reflexively silent.
After the silence had stretched for a bit too long, Celestia spoke up once again. Her tone was much more gentle, but lacked the condescending nature that Sunset expected.
“I’m sure today has been very stressful for you,” she said softly. “Why don’t you go on home, Sunset? Detention can wait.”
It sounded to Sunset like there was some true compassion behind Celestia’s voice, much more than there had ever been with her former mentor.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and left without another word.
