Takes place after the Fall Formal, takes place before Rainbow Rocks. Sunset feels worthless, after all that's what she has been told her whole life. However she will soon realize she is worth a lot more thanks to her new friends
Sunset reflects on the horrible acts she has committed. She does not expect to be forgiven, but some people are willing to give her a chance. However, not many people are forgiving. She will learn through trial and error o what friendship really is and she will also learn that she is no longer alone in this world.
It was a moonlit night with wind howling through the streets of Canterlot making it one of the chilliest nights out of the whole month. A figure emerges out of the shadows and stumbles into a dark alleyway littered with rats scurrying to find their next meal. As the wind blew the figure started to shake, finally collapsing next to a green dumpster that smelled of rotten eggs. The moon’s light finally began to shine on a young girl with amber skin and wild untamed red and gold locks of hair. The girl's name is Sunset Shimmer. She was the queen bee of her school, Canterlot High, until her ultimate defeat by an actual princess from an alternate dimension.
Sunset leaned against the brick wall breathing slowly in pain thinking of all the mistakes she’s made in her life. She bullied everyone into submission and used Flash Sentry as a pawn to become popular. She even went as far as dumping a bucket of green slime on Rarity during the Spring Fling. Remembering the look of horror on the girl’s face used to give her pleasure, but all she felt now is guilt. She remembered all the horrible things she’s done since she started at Canterlot High and she wanted it to stop, all the voices in her head screaming at her telling her how terrible she is. She wants forgiveness, but she doubted anyone would forgive her, right now everyone probably wanted her to disappear.
“ Mom and dad are right I am nothing but a worthless piece of shit,” she says to no one in particular.
She tried to stand but was greeted by a surge of pain and fell to the ground. However, she manages to sit herself up against the brick wall. She began to slowly look around and was greeted by a red liquid starting to surround her. She places a hand on her back and winces in pain as she makes contact. She quickly pulls her hand away and places it infront of her face to reveal it to be covered with the same liquid, dripping from her fingers. Her vision became hazy from exhaustion; she slowly blinked her eyes shut, not before hearing multiple footsteps entering the alley.
“ Well, Well girls look what we have here a she- demon ready to be put down!” came a rough voice at the entrance of the alley.
Sunset’s eyes fluttered open, still exhausted and was not able to move, she looked into yellow eyes that could scare any person from a mile away. Eyes that could only belong to one person, Gilda Griffin. Sunset looked around in a panic to find a way to escape, only to realize that she was trapped and no one knew where she was. “Liked anyone would even care,” she sadly thought to herself. “ Get up so I can get a better look at you,” Gilda said with nothing short of malice. Gilda was at least a foot taller than sunset and had more of a muscle tone. Sunset sat there without budging an inch for she was too weak to move and didn’t care anymore.
“ I said get the fuck up!” Gilda screamed in anger, but Sunset still didn’t move, “Fine if you won’t stand up then I’ll make you, girls grab her and make sure to hold her still.”
At that Trixie and Starlight pulled Sunset up on her feet. All Sunset could do was wince in pain that was coming from her back. Sunset stared into the yellow eyes of her abuser; suddenly a sharp pain came from her stomach and all of the air was knocked out of her. Sunset tried to curl in to protect her stomach but wasn’t able to. Gilda was using her as her personal punching; punching the several times before pulling a knife out of her pocket.
“Any last words She-demon before you see daddy satan in hell,” Gilda says as she switches the blade open.
Sunset says nothing and opted to look down, ready for the torment to end.
As Gilda was getting ready to stab her in the stomach, Sunset closed her eyes anticipating the sharp pain, but it never came. SMACK! Sunset opened her eyes and was greeted by the back of a rainbow haired girl who was shorter than Gilda but about two inches taller than Sunset.
“ If you don’t back off I will throw you to the ground!” Rainbow Dash said holding Gilda’s wrist with her her right hand and the other one hanging by her side, bloody from punching her in the face. Gilda reaches for her face rubbing her cheek while spitting the blood out her mouth.
“ Very well then I was getting bored, lets have some real fun,” Gilda said with a smirk. Gilda swings her fist, using her free arm, at Rainbow’s head, but misses as Rainbow twisted Gilda’s arm around her back and slammed her to the ground, holding the knife against Gilda’s neck.
“ Now leave before I break your arm or before I slit your throat!” Rainbow said with a snarl.
“ Fine but the she-demon is your problem now Dash,” Gilda said while wiping off the dirt from her red flannel shirt. Grunting Gilda got up from her knees waving at Trixie and Starlight to release Sunset and walked out the alley not before waving both of her middle fingers.
Rainbow put the knife in her pocket stating, “she won't be needing this anymore. Huh! I sure showed them, didn't I!” she said with a proud grin across her face, while placing her hands on her hips. Rainbow turned around when she didn’t hear a reply only to find a collapsed Sunset in a puddle of blood. Rainbow notices the girl’s breathing was weak and rushed toward her checking for a pulse, which was faint.
“Sunset! hey Sunset stay with me! I’m going to get you somewhere safe.” Was the last thing Sunset heard before everything around her went to black.
Rainbow Dash stood there not knowing what to do as she reached for Sunset’s shoulder. She started to notice blood around the girl. Rainbow gasped in shock and picked her up in her arms and carried the girl to her car. She was shocked by how little Sunset weighed.
After thirty minutes of driving, they arrived at Fluttershy’s home. Rainbow ran out of the car and started banging on the door. Bang! bang! Bang! “All right, all right I’m coming knock down the door why don’t ya,” a voice called from inside the house. The door opened to reveal Dr. Posey, Fluttyshy’s mom. “Ms. Dash why are you banging on my door in the middle of the night like some crazy woman,” she said with a bit of frustration in her voice. “ No time to explain she’s hurt!” Rainbow said in a panic. “What are you talking about who’s hurt,” Posey said in confusion.
Before she could get an answer, she was grabbed by the hand and was pulled to the back seat of the girl’s car. She opened the door and saw Sunset shimmer, the girl who relentlessly bullied her little girl for years. Posey was about to yell but she realized the girl was unconscious and was covered in blood. “ She needs a hospital. Why didn’t you take her to a hospital?” Posey said while examining the girl. “I panicked and remembered you were a doctor and your house was the closest to where we were!” Rainbow said while looking at the unconscious girl with worry in her eyes.
Posey started to carefully pick up the girl in her arms, amazed at how light the girl was. “Can you get the door for me please,” Posey said as she was walking toward the house. “You’re going to treat her?” Rainbow said with a bit of excitement and confusion in her voice. “Yes but I do not know how much I can do for her but besides the blood, she looks a little beat up and I got the tools inside to stitch her up,” she answered in a professional tone. When they entered the house Dr. Posey commands Rainbow to clear the kitchen table so she can place Sunset on it. “Mom what’s going on why was everyone screaming? It’s the middle of the night,” a soft voice came from up the stairs. “Fluttershy sorry honey I didn’t mean to wake you but there seems to be an emergency that your friend brought here and I’m going to need you to get me my medical supplies,” Fluttershy’s mom said in a rush. “Rainbow what happened why is Sunset here?” She said in a frightened tone. “No time for questions I need those medical supplies!” Posey didn’t mean to scream but all these questions were just wasting time. Fluttershy ran into the garage to get the medical kit and Rainbow followed her to see if there was any need for her to carry anything. “So this was the girl who bullied my daughter for all these years. She doesn’t look that tough.” Posey thought to herself while examining the bruises on the girl’s face. “ I got everything I think you will need and including everything else,” Fluttershy said as she was placing the items on the table. “Thank you, and I’m sorry for yelling,” Posey said while embracing her daughter in a hug. “It’s ok you didn’t want to waste time,” She said while taking a step back. “Ok I need you, girls, to leave the area because I need to fully examine the extent of her injuries,” Dr. Posey said while pointing towards the door.
The girls walked into the living room with somber expressions making their way to the couch. Fluttershy was scared of Sunset and wanted her to have some sort of punishment for bullying her, but she never wanted anything like this all she wanted was the girl to get detention or to be suspended or expelled. “Why would anyone do this?” she said aloud “I don’t why someone would go this far, but Sunset did many horrible things to people,” Rainbow said looking at Fluttershy with a sad face. “ I know but this, this is just way too far,” she said in an angry tone, “ who did this and how did it happen?” “ It was Gilda along with Starlight and Trixie. I was keeping an eye on Sunset while she was fixing the damage she caused to the school. While she was doing so, I noticed Trixie and Starlight watching her every move. At first, I thought they were doing the same thing I was doing, making sure she doesn’t harm anyone else, but when Vice Principal Luna dismissed her they started to follow her with malicious grins on their faces. Instead of leaving it be, I followed them into an alley where I found them holding her up and Gilda with a knife getting ready to stab her. I rushed in and punched Gilda in the face and got her to back off. I turned around and noticed the collapsed form of Sunset Shimmer and now we are here,” Rainbow explained. “ Dear lord I know Gilda is a violent person, but pulling a knife on someone I never thought she would go that far,” Fluttershy said in shock. “I won’t let this happen again.” Rainbow says punching a fist in the palm of her hand,” I know we promised Twilight that we would keep an eye on her and we were going to give it a few weeks to make sure she is really repentant, but I think it's time that we uphold that promise.” “I agree,” Fluttershy said with conviction.
In the kitchen, Dr. Posey started to remove Sunset’s jacket to get a closer look to see where all the blood originated from. She was taken back when she saw the faded scars on the girl’s arms. She counted at least 10 of them. Most of them looked old some however looked fairly new. She continued to examine the girl by taking off her shirt and looked at her back. Posey gasped in horror at what she saw Two large gashes on both of the girl’s shoulders and one circular gash on the girl’s tail bone. She closely examined them; she noticed that they had already begun to scab over but the more she looked over them she thought that it was impossible because they appeared to have been deeper before the scabbing took place. Another thing the Doctor noticed, was how skinny the girl looks. It seemed that the girl hadn't had a proper meal in a while.
“Dear lord Sunset what happened to you. I know you are a bully but no one deserves this.” Posey thought to herself as she continued to look after the girl.
After two hours of examining Sunset making sure she was in a stable condition, Dr. Posey stepped into the living room to find the two teens asleep on the couch.
“Akhem,” Posey pretended to clear her throat.
The two girls stirred awake and saw Posey standing in the doorway.
“Is Sunset ok!?” Both the girls asked Unison.
“Yes, She seems to be malnourished and lost a lot of blood, but she is ok. She is resting in the guest room right now,” Posey said trying to reassure both teens.
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
“ Rainbow you are welcome to spend the night, but you need to call your father to let him know where you are,” Posey said tiredly.
“Already done!” Rainbow replied with a thumbs up.
“Good, now I need you to tell me what happened,” sternness evident in Posy’s voice.
“Ok, this is going to be a long story and it's going to sound crazy but I’m telling the absolute truth,” Rainbow said looking between the older woman and Fluttershy.
Rainbow Proceeded to tell everything that happened that night including Sunset’s transformation at the fall formal. Posey’s face went from not surprised to shock then into disbelief.
“Hahaha!” Posey laughed wiping a tear from her eye,” Ok Dash that was a good story. You should be a writer now tell me what really happened.”
When Posey saw the look on both the girls’ faces she saw how serious they were.
“Ok even if I do believe, how did Sunset know about the so-called portal?” She gave both the girls a quizzical look.
“I don’t know,” both the girls looked down seeming to contemplate the question.
“Well it’s late we can ask her in the morning, and it’s time for bed so get on upstairs we can finish this conversation in the morning,” Posey said yawning.
Posey headed to bed herself mulling over the events that unraveled itself that night.
“Looks like I’m going to have to call Celestia and Luna in the morning along with the girl’s parents,” she said to herself as she was slowly falling asleep.
Both the girls headed upstairs not before looking into the guest seeing a sleeping Sunset.
“She looks so peaceful, but I have a feeling that this is not going to last.” Fluttershy thought to herself.
“You are the most pathetic creature I’ve ever seen. I cannot believe I’ve given birth to you.” “But I tried, I thought painting this flower would make you happy. It's your favorite flower, it is a sunflower,” a young filly said, holding the picture with a teal glow of her magic. “You want to know what will make me happy? Getting Straight A's and becoming a student of the princess so we can finally get out of this dump.” An older unicorn mare said, taking the picture and tearing it to shreds, “get to your room and start studying.” The young filly headed to her room and laid on her bed crying. “HAHAHA! See even your own mother thinks you are nothing and your father is drunk who hates you,” the demon said, with a growl and baring sharp teeth.
She stood over sunset who was no longer a young filly but instead was a human teen. Her green and black eyes pierced through her soul; she reached out with her red arm to grab Sunset’s collar, pulling her up. Her claws pierced through her skin.
“Now you think that is the worst pain you felt, I’m going to show you what pain really is.” Demon Sunset said summoning flames around them.
“No please stop, I’m sorry!” Sunset said, screaming in pain as the flames started to engulf her.
“But the fun has only just begun,” Demon Sunset said, laughing maniacally.
“NOOOOOOOO!” Sunset woke in a jolt.
After a minute of trying to collect herself, Sunset realized that she wasn’t in her own bedroom. She looked around the room noticing the pink walls and the yellow dresser with a green lamp on it. She looked at a little alarm clock that read 8:30 and leaped out of the small bed. She then made her way to the dresser. Looking down at herself, she saw she was wearing pink PJs with blue bunnies on them. She pulled her shirt up and looked in the mirror at her back to find it bandaged up.
“Ok whoever brought me here wanted me alive but why?” She said aloud.
She grabbed the lamp and headed down the stairs that lead to the kitchen. Sunset looked around and saw a coffee pot making a fresh brew.
“Ok so they are awake. That means I need to get to the front door as quietly as possible,” She thought to herself clutching the lamp tighter.
Sunset made her way to what she presumed was the living room. She started to make her way to the door but was stopped in her tracks when she noticed a woman laying on the couch. Sunset was starting to inch back to look for another way out of the house. However, a beep from the coffee pot startled her and made her jump. Before she could run for the door, the woman was already up and was met with a crazy looking Sunset wielding a lamp.
“Don’t move or I will hurt you,” Sunset said in determination. Posey stared at the frightened girl and noticed her trembling like a frightened animal. Posey put her arms up in a calming manner to let the girl know she means no harm.
“I’m not going to hurt you, my name is Dr. Posey Petal but you can call me Dr. Posey,” she says as she was inching her way to the girl.
“Petal as in Fluttershy’s mom?” Sunset asked slowly putting the lamp down on the table next to her.
Taking a closer look at the woman, Sunset noticed how much she looked like an older version of Fluttershy but with a darker skin tone.
“Yes.” Posey said making her way to the kitchen “And she told me everything, you and I have lots to discuss.”
Sunset’s eyes widened, “you mean you know about the portal,” she said in shock.
“Yes I do and I also know about the bullying,” Posey said in an unreadable voice. “I’m sorry I’ll do whatever you want to make up for it,” Sunset said looking downcast. “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. Now come and grab a cup of coffee then we’ll have a chat before the girls wake up,” Posey said making her way to the front porch.
She took a seat next to Posey waiting for her to speak. After a minute of not saying any, Sunset opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Posey.
“ I need you to call your parents and then I’ll call the principal to let her know what happened last night with those three girls.” Posey said, taking a sip of her coffee, ”And I would also like a word with your parents.”
“That would be a problem, I kinda live by myself,” Sunset said scratching her head.
“What!” Posey exclaimed, “How is that possible you’re like sixteen? It's illegal, how do you manage to take care of yourself?”
Sunset looked at the older woman confused as to why she would even care.
“It was hard at first, but I managed to get some fake documents with the bits I had when I came over here, then I started school at Canterlot to stay close to the portal. I started to bully kids for money. However, it didn't pay enough for housing so I took refuge in a homeless shelter, but when they didn’t have a bed to spare I usually stayed at some of my hideouts in abandoned places. As for food, I would sometimes sneak into the school’s kitchen and take whatever I could carry,” Sunset said, looking at her own cup.
“Are you saying that you are from that universe and homeless?” Posey stared at the girl with sympathy.
“Yes, but I’m ok being alone besides I’m used to it, my parents and I never had a close relationship. I don’t even know if you can call what we had a relationship,” Sunset said, taking a sip of her coffee.
Posey reached to put a hand on Sunset’s shoulder but the girl flinched away. She took note of this and thought to ask her about it later.
“That’s not a good way to live. You shouldn’t be by yourself especially now with your injuries,” Posey said looking straight at the girl.
“I’ll be fine. You can just give me instructions on cleaning so I can leave you in peace,” Sunset said, getting up from her seat.
“ No you are going to stay here as my guest until further,” Posey said, getting up from her own seat.
“But I’ll just be a nuisance, look I’ve been by myself for three years and I’ve been taking care of myself a whole lot longer. I’ll be fine,” Sunset stood getting ready to go back in the house and wash the coffee mug.
“No You are going to stay here no ifs, and, or buts,” Posey said in a commanding voice.
“Yes ma'am,” Sunset said in a small voice.
“Now I have a question and this is coming from a concerned parent. How long have you been cutting yourself?” Posey asked concerningly.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Sunset tried denying the fact.
“Look I saw the scars so don’t try to deny it,” Posey gave her an unreadable expression.
“Ok I started it up again when I first got to this world but I stopped. However I started doing it again after I saw the princess make Twilight one,” Sunset said, looking downcast.
“What do you mean you saw her become a princess and did you return to your world?” Posey asked, sounding confused.
“I did when it opened a couple of days before the Formal. It made me upset that she chose her over me so that’s when I formed the plan to take the crown and return home to show her that I was not a mistake. However it did not go as planned,” Sunset said, hugging herself.
“Sunset you are not a mistake and I don’t want you talking like that if you need to talk about anything you can talk to me,” Posey said placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder taking note that the girl flinched away.
“Yes ma'am,” Sunset said shyly.
“Please call me Posey. It’ll make things easier since you are now staying with us,” Posey said, giving the girl a reassuring smile. “Now I’m going to get the girls up and make breakfast then I’ll call Celestia afterward,” she said making her way into the kitchen and up the stairs.
“Please don’t get the police involved. I know what they did was bad but it would just cause too many questions, questions that could lead to them finding the portal,” Sunset said worriedly.
“Ok but I’m still going to call principal Celestia about the new living arrangements,” Posey stated before heading up the stairs.
After Posey left, Sunset went to go sit on the couch, “maybe if I leave now she’ll just let me be,” Sunset thought to herself but her train of thought was interrupted by the grumbling of her stomach.
“Ok fine I’ll stay for breakfast after all I’m extremely low on food right now,” Sunset said to herself.
After five minutes of waiting, two girls walked into the living room and were greeted by a nervous-looking Sunset.
“Good morning,” was all Sunset could say without looking like she was about to fall apart.
“Morning,” the two girls said in unison.
“So I heard you are going to stay with me and my mother?” Fluttershy asked nervously.
“Yes, I guess if that's ok with you? If you want me to leave I will,” Sunset asked looking at the carpet.
“No, you are welcome as long as you need,” Fluttershy said with conviction.
Rainbow and Sunset stared at her in amazement. Sunset knew that Fluttershy was the element of kindness but Sunset thought that she didn’t deserve any kindness. After all, she bullied the poor girl for lunch money for years. She even threatened to tell the principal about her bringing her pets to school if she didn’t give her money.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” Sunset asked, starting to cry.
“Because it seems that no one has in a long time,” Fluttershy putting her arms around the girl.
“Hey you’re going to be ok,” Rainbow said wrapping her arms around the two girls.
After a minute of crying and hugging, Sunset regained her composure and the girls started talking about what to do next.
“So to begin with I’m sorry for what happened at the Fall Formal. I didn’t know that crown would turn me into that thing,” Sunset said, putting her knees to her chest.
“Wait, you didn’t mean to do that, and what was your plan exactly?” Rainbow asked with some confusion.
“No, oh Celestia I never actually wanted to hurt anyone. I wanted to return home to prove I was not a mistake to the princess and become one myself. However, when Put the crown on everything was like I was on autopilot. I had no control over myself,” Sunset said, burying her head deeper into her knees.
“Are you saying you are from that world too?”
Sunset shook her head up and down at the question Fluttershy asked.
“So that’s how you knew about the Portal,” Rainbow stated.
“How much did princess Twilight tell you?” Sunset lifted a quizzical eyebrow.
“I mean not much we did not have much time to talk. We had to get the crown and she had to get home before the portal closed.” Fluttershy realized that Sunset can no longer go home for another thirty moons,” Oh Sunset I’m sorry you can’t return home. Your parents are probably worried sick.”
“Ha! if only my parents only cared about me if I came home with an award for magic but other than that I was nothing to them,” Sunset said a little upset.
“I’m sorry.” That was all Fluttershy could say.
Rainbow just stared at Sunset with sympathy.
“Girls breakfast is ready!” Posey yelled from the kitchen,
When the three of them entered the kitchen they saw scrambled eggs with cheese and a stack of pancakes, that were almost as tall as Posey, with toast and butter on a plate next to them. Sunset starred in wonder; never in her life, she saw this much food before.
“I know it's a lot but ms. Dash over here can eat. Her stomach is like a black hole,” Posey said laughing at Sunset’s expression.
“I’m sorry to tell you there's not meat. We are vegetarians if you like meat, later today we could go shopping for some,” Posey offered Sunset a plate.
“No ma'am this is perfect. I’m a vegetarian myself,” Sunset said, taking a mouthful of pancakes.
After Breakfast thanked Posey and Fluttershy for letting her stay with them and feeding her. She and the other two girls headed to Fluttershy’s room to talk about their plans for the weekend, while Posey went into the living room to call Principal Celestia. After a couple of rings, Principal Celestia picked up the phone.
“Hello,” Celestia spoke at the other end of the phone.
“Hi, Celestia this is Dr. Posey.” Posey replied,” I’m calling about Sunset shimmer and what happened with her the other night.”
“I assure you everyone was unharmed. She was upset that she lost the crown to a new student of ours and she decided to throw a prank. However, the chemicals caused an explosion that messed up the school’s front entrance. The girl will be getting a two-week suspension,” Celestia said immediately.
“Cut the Bullshit Tia I know what exactly happened last night, but I’m not calling about that. I’m calling because of ms. Shimmer was attacked last night by three of your students,” Posey said, sounding a little frustrated.
“Good heavens is she alright. Do we need to call the police and who were the three?” Celestia sounded shocked.
“No police would cause too many questions and Sunset doesn’t want them to get involved.” Posey stated sternly, “As for the three girls they are Gilda Griffin, Trixie Lullamoon, And Starlight Glimmer.”
“She’s right, but how is she doing? I didn’t get a chance to talk to her Luna sent her home before I could,” Celestia sounded worried.
“She’s alright except she gained some injuries from an apparent transformation, and she has been living by herself since she came to this world,” Posey said taking a seat on the couch.
“I had no idea but explained a lot actually after the fiasco last night Luna and I took a look at her papers and noticed some discrepancies,” Celestia said with no surprise.
“Well I’m calling to let you know that she will now be staying with us,” Posey said.
“Ok, but be careful she is a tricky one,” Celestia said in exhaustion.
“I think tricks are on the last thing on the girl's mind. She needs someone to look out for her and she seems like she had a rough life,” Posey said with sympathy towards the girl.
“Ok but she is still suspended and as for those three girls I’ll deal with them,” Celestia said in a professional tone.
“Ok thank you Tia and tell Luna I said hi,” Posey ended the call and walked back into the kitchen to grab another cup of Coffee.
“I hope I can make life at least a little easier for this girl. I Promise to make it happier for her at least,” Posey promised to herself.
After Principal Celestia got off the phone with Posey; she headed to her sister’s room to wake her up for breakfast. She knocked on the pale blue door covered with stars. She peered into the darkroom to see her sister’s form laying on the queen-sized mattress. Her sister was wrapped in blankets making it seem like she was a caterpillar in a cocoon.
“Lulu time to get up. I need to discuss the events that unfolded last night,” Celestia said politely as possible. “Go away!” was all she got in response. “Ok, so you want to play this the hard way,” Celestia chuckled.
Celestia headed toward the kitchen, smirking all the way there, to fill up a bucket full of cold water.
“Dear sister you always have to make it so hard to wake you up, but not today. I'm not spending twenty minutes trying to get you out of bed. There are important matters at hand,” She said to herself making her way back to her sister’s room.
“This is your final warning Luna.” All she got in response was incoherent mumbling.
“All right then you asked for it,” Celestia said as she threw the cold water onto her sister.
“WHAT THE HELL TIA!?” Luna screamed looking like she was about to strangle her sister.
With a smug look on her face, Celestia replied,” Good you’re up now. We have matters to discuss concerning Sunset Shimmer.”
Luna looked at her with frustration. She slowly turned that frustration into confusion when she finally processed what Celestia said. “The girl who for some unknown reason turned into a demon,” Luna said getting up out of bed and grabbing a dry pair of clothes, “What are we going to do about her? We never dealt with magic, which is real apparently. Do you think we should expel her or call the police?”
“Good heavens no! We are not going to the police even if we did it will sound crazy. Imagine explaining that our statue is a portal to another dimension and one of our students stole a magical artifact that made her turn into a raging she-demon then was defeated from said dimension’s princess,” said Celestia, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Then what are we going to do? We can just let her get away with what she did,” asked Luna, throwing her arms up in the air. “Lulu, I think she has been punished enough. I just got off the phone with Posey, Fluttershy’s mom, she said Sunset was attacked last night by three of our students,” Celestia said with a great deal of concern, “ and I think a two-week suspension would suffice. It would give the students time to cool down.”
Luna stood there stunned at what she just heard. She was the one to carry out the disciplinary actions at school but she never believed in retribution.
“Who did it and is Sunset ok?” Luna asked desperately.
“Posey said she is fine but she received quite a beating. As for those who did it they are Gilda Griffin, Trixie Lulamoon, and Starlight Glimmer,” Celestia responded.
“Sunset treated her fellow students horribly, but she would never resort to violence unless it were self-defense even so that was rare,” Luna thought to herself.
“Gilda has always been troubled, but Trixie and Starlight have never been physical. Trixie is usually in my office but just because of the stunts she would pull for her magic shows and Starlight because she helped with said magic shows,” Luna said with some frustration.
“Sunset doesn’t want to involve the police because it would lead to them finding the portal,” Celestia stated, “I may not agree with not involving the police but I do understand about the portal part.”
“How did she know about the portal?” Luna questioned.
“That’s another thing I wanted to discuss with you about. Apparently, Sunset Shimmer is from that world and she has been living on her own for three years confirming the discrepancies on her school documents,” Celestia replied thinking about how they missed irregularities in the paperwork.
“Oh my! Does she have a safe place to stay?” Luna was shocked at the information that she was given. Just realizing she has been holding the bucket the whole time Celestia placed it down on the nightstand and walked towards her sister placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“She is safe. She is now staying at Posey’s for the time being,” said Celestia reassuringly.
Luna let out a sigh of relief.
“That’s good but what are we going to do about those three girls? We can let them think they can get off scot-free,” Luna said pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Don’t worry I think you have a perfect idea,” Celestia said with a hint of smugness. Luna lifted a quizzical brow.
******
Posey walked back into the kitchen noticing the awkwardness in the room. Deciding to break the ice Posey sat down at the table and looked between the three girls.
“So Sunset if you are going to be staying with us I think it would be best to go shopping and pick up some new clothes and certain foods to help with the malnourishment,” Posey said looking at the downcast girl.
“Please you don’t need to go out of your way for me. I don’t deserve kindness,” Sunset said sniffling. Instead of Posey being the one to respond to the girl’s comment it was Fluttershy.
“Nonsense! Sunset Shimmer everyone deserves kindness and no more complaining.”
All three women looked at Fluttershy with wide eyes. They never heard the girl shout before or be so determined. All Posey could do was sit and look at her daughter with pride and admiration. Rainbow looked at Fluttershy with admiration as well. Sunset sat in shock at what the timid girl said. She didn’t realize the girl was so brave. The whole time she bullied the poor girl never once she raised her voice or stood up for herself.
“Ok,” was all Sunset could squeak out.
After breakfast, the girls head to the living room while Posey went into her bedroom to get dressed for the day. The girls sat in the room with Rainbow taking the couch, Fluttershy taking the recliner, and Sunset taking the other recliner. A minute of silence swept through the room.
“I’m sorry,” Sunset said, breaking the silence.
Rainbow finally spoke up, “I know and I forgive you, but I can’t speak for the rest of the group. You need to talk to them when you are ready of course.”
“I need to get everything off my chest and I need to do it with everyone together,” Sunset said, hugging her knees close to her chest, “Fluttershy I’m ready can you call everyone and say to meet at Sugarcube corner?”
“I will, but before we do anything we should change those bandages on your back before your wounds get infected,” Fluttershy said getting up and grabbing the medical kit from the kitchen table.
Sunset was in pain the whole time but didn’t want to complain because she didn’t want to cause any more trouble. Lifting the back of her shirt stung a bit but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. Fluttershy eyes widened when she saw Sunset’s back most of her wounds were almost healed. The Scabbing was turning into scarring.
“But it's only been a few hours!” Fluttershy thought to herself.
After she finished bandaging Sunset, she headed back into the kitchen and texted the group.
Fluttershy: Hey girls can we meet at Sugarcube Corner today? Applejack: Howdy Fluttershy, I’m free but what for is everything ok? Rarity: I’m free as well darling. However, I must ask if everything is alright? Pinkie: Hey! Flutters of course I can meet. I'm absolutely positively free. Fluttershy: Everything is fine but there are things we need to talk about and Don’t worry about Rainbow she is here with me. I also would be bringing Sunset to Sugarcube corner too. She wants to talk to everyone. I think we should hear her out. Pinkie: I would love to talk with Sunset! I want us to be best friends! Maybe we can throw a HAPPY REFORMATION PARTY for her!!! Applejack: Ok but she better not do any funny business unless she wants the boot. Rarity: As a lady, I will hear what she has to say, but I do agree with Applejack that a girl mustn’t try any funny business.
Fluttershy headed back into the living room seeing Sunset look at her with anticipation.
“They agreed to meet with us at Sugarcube Corner around 12:30. It's only 10:30 so we have time to get ready,” Fluttershy said, putting the girl at ease.
“Thank you,” Sunset let out a sigh of relief.
“Don’t worry Sunset when they see how awesome you really are who wouldn’t want to be friends with you!” Rainbow said with a great deal of confidence.
“Maybe, I can trust these girls and not throw away this chance I’m given. I will not make the same mistake I did with the princess,” Sunset thought mulling over all the mistakes she made in the past, “I will make it up to them and everyone else I’ve hurt in the past that’s a promise.”
“Mommy, when is daddy coming home,” the young filly asked her mother while trying to avoid eye contact.
“I don’t know. You shouldn’t worry about those things. You should be worried about that test of yours and getting high marks,” a dark amber mare said, looking at the light amber-coated filly.
“Yes, mommy,” the amber filly said, heading to her room. “Sunset… Sunset… earth to Sunset.”
Sunset was jolted out of her thoughts and was face to face with a concerned Rainbow Dash.
“Huh?” Sunset said, looking confused.
“You ok? I asked you about your injuries, and you kinda zoned out,” Rainbow said, looking a little concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just was thinking about something. My back is a little sore, but it feels a lot better after changing the bandages,” Sunset said a little sheepishly.
“Well, that’s good. What were you thinking about anyway? You looked like you were out of it.”
“N...Nothing, look, I appreciate what you guys are doing for me, but there are things about my life I’m not comfortable sharing.”
“That’s ok, Sunset; we are here whenever you need to talk. If you are not ready to share anything, you don’t have to, right Rainbow?” Fluttershy said, entering the room after putting up the medical supplies.
“Right!” Dash said, giving both of the girls a confident smile.
“Well, I think we better get going to SugarCube Corner to meet with the girls. I hate being late,” Fluttershy said, looking at her watch that had rabbits printed on its band.
“Same here; I don’t like to be late too,” Sunset said.
“You sure you're ready for this,” Rainbow asked.
“No, and I’ll never be. This is something I need to do,” Sunset replied, feeling a little nervous but confident at the same time.
*****
Looking out the window of Fluttershy’s van, Sunset watched the cars come and go as they passed, thinking about the words she’ll say to Princess Twilight Sparkle’s friends. She thought about all the things she said and did to all the students of CHS. She didn’t know how to make it up to them. Finally, she was pulled out of her thoughts when Fluttershy spoke.
“Sunset, we are here.”
All three girls step out of the van, slowly making their way to the entrance with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in the lead and Sunset trailing behind them. Sunset was looking at her feet, pondering what to say to the group of people who she treated the worst. She looked up to see the three girls sitting in the window booth; suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and was jerked out of her thoughts.
“Hey, we are here for you,” Fluttershy said, giving her an encouraging smile.
“That’s right, Sunset, we are not going to leave your side; we are sticking beside you no matter what,” Rainbow Dash said, giving a thumbs up.
Walking into the building made Sunset feel more nervous than she already felt. The three girls made their way to the table where the other girls sat. Sunset looked at the group of girls, reading their faces; Applejack looked at Sunset with a critical stare, Rarity with a waiting expression, and Pinkie Pie vibrated while having a big smile planted on her face.
“First things first, I would like to apologize for my actions at the Fall Formal and all the things I did to you all ever since arriving in this world,” Sunset finally spoke, sounding sincere. A full minute of silence passed over the group of girls. A minute that felt like an eternity for Sunset.
“Shit, Shit, Shit, what do I say? Did I come off too strong? Did it sound like I did not mean it? I’m Sorry. I’m so sorry.” Sunset was having a mini panic attack until Applejack broke her out of her trance.
“What do ya mean ever since arriving’ in our world?” Applejack asked with a quizzical brow.
Sunset looked up and saw confusion written on the three girls’ faces. Looking between Rainbow and Fluttershy, both gave nods of encouragement.
“Well, I’m from the same world as Princess Twilight. I came here two years before the princess,” Sunset rubbed the back of her head nervously.
“So you are from this pony world, the same as Twilight?” Rarity asked with a shocked look on her face.
“Yup,” Sunset squeaked out, feeling pressured under the girls' stares.
“WAIT!!! So you are a pony? That’s so awesome! Sowhatelseisdifferentfromourworlddowehavecounterpartsdoyousleeponbedswhatdoyoueatwhatdesitfeelliketobehumanafterhavingaponybodywhydidyoucomeheretobeginwithandcanwehavesleepovers!” Pinkie said at a speed that no normal human could comprehend.
Sunset stared wide-eyed, trying to process what Pinkie had just said.
“Umm… umm…” was all Sunset could manage. Luckily for Sunset, Rarity calmed Pinkie down by placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders.
“Pinkie darling, I think you just broke the poor girl,” Rarity said, putting her hands on Pinkie’s shoulders, trying to calm the girl.
“You don’t have ta answer all that right now. How bout y’all take a seat,” Applejack said, noticing the panicked look on Sunset’s face.
Sunset cautiously took a seat next to Applejack, with Rainbow sitting to the side of her and Fluttershy sitting across from them next to Rarity and Pinkie.
“A pony, huh,” Applejack said.
“Well, unicorn, to be precise. Did the princess really not tell you any of this?” Sunset asked.
“Not really. We were all in a rush ta help her get her crown back before the portal closed. Now that Ah thinks about it, that’s how ya knew about the portal,” Applejack explained.
“Darling, if you don’t mind me asking. How did you get to our world?” Rarity asked. Sunset sat there getting her thoughts together before replying, “I don’t mind. It was one of the worst mistakes of my life.”
Sunset took a shaking breath to steady herself from reliving her worst mistake. Everyone waited patiently for Sunset to begin her story.
“I was a student of Princess Celestia. One day she showed me this mirror. I later found out the mirror was a portal, which showed me an image of myself as a princess. I wanted Princess Celestia to make me a princess because I thought I deserved it. She told me to make friends, but I never liked socializing, and I thought all the other ponies were beneath me. I snuck into the forbidden part of the library to find out more about the mirror. I found this book that explained how I could become what I wanted and how the mirror worked. She expelled me from being her student. I thought she was holding me back from my potential. I was filled with rage, so before I left, I knocked out the guards that were guarding the mirror and then leaped through. The next thing I knew, I was trapped in a strange world in a strange body. I enrolled at CHS to stay close to the portal. She treated me with kindness. She was like a mother to me, but I betrayed her by throwing a fit. I was selfish. I should have listened to her. I just wish I could tell her how sorry I am,” Sunset finished her story and wiped away the tears that were starting to form.
“Princess Celestia!? And you were a student of a princess?” Rarity asked.
“Duh, Twilight is a student of the princess, and the Princess is an alternate version of Principal Celestia,” Pinkie Pie said, grinning from ear to ear.
“That’s right,” Sunset stared wide-eyed at Pinkie’s explanation.
Everyone else was slack-jawed at Pinkie’s explanation until Applejack spoke up.
“So, does everyone have a counterpart in your world?” Applejack asked, still getting over the fact that the principal’s counterpart is a princess.
“Not everyone, however, I haven’t run into this world’s Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset explained. “Some don’t have pony counterparts; they might be different creatures such as dragons, griffins, and donkeys. I also have a theory that not everyone has a counterpart because Earth is much larger than Equestria.”
The girls took a moment to process the information that was given to them. Suddenly, Rainbow jumped from the excitement of hearing about all these magical creatures that were thought to be a myth. Sunset flinched from the sudden movement and silently hissed in pain from her back hitting the seat.
“Wait, there are not just ponies. There are griffins and dragons!!! I thought spike was kidding about him being a ferocious fire-breathing dragon,” Rainbow exclaimed in amazement.
“Yeah, and there are also many other creatures that exist too,” Sunset said, gritting her teeth in pain.
Applejack sitting to the side of Sunset noticed how the girl flinched from Rainbow jumping up, and when her back hit the seat, she could see the pain in Sunset’s eyes. What was more concerning to the farmer was the red tint on the back of her shirt growing.
“Uh, sugar cube, ah think yer bleeding and looks kinda serious.” Applejack interrupted the conversions about the mythical creatures.
“Oh uh, it’s nothing to worry about,’ Sunset said, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
“That’s bullshit, ya know it,” Applejack sounded concerned and angry at the same time.
“Applejack language! It’s unladylike to curse in public.” Rarity turned her attention to Sunset, “darling, if you are injured, please tell us. We will be glad to help.”
“Yeah, that’s what friends are for!” Pinkie said with her hair visibly deflating. “I think Flutters and Sunset needs to use the restroom,” Rainbow said, looking between Sunset and Fluttershy. “Oh dear, I think Sunset needs to go the bathroom real quick,” Fluttershy said, pushing the girl to the bathroom.
While Fluttershy and Sunset went into the bathroom, Rainbow dash stayed behind to make sure the rest of the girls did not follow. From her seat, Applejack was giving Rainbow a narrowing eye look. Rarity was looking at her nails, waiting for an explanation of what just happened, while Pinkie drummed her hands on the table, waiting in anticipation.
“What?” Rainbow said, shrinking down in her seat.
“Oh, nothin’ just hopin’ for an explanation,” Applejack said, eyeing Rainbow up and down.
“Lets just say sunset was through a lot last night, more than the rainbow wave crashing into her. I don’t want to get into details because it is not my story to tell,” Rainbow explained.
“Alright, Dash, but can we trust her? She does seem to be repentant. However, a leopard never changes its spots,” Applejack said.
“Yes, we can. At least, I think she has changed. Something is different about her,” Rainbow said with so much determination.
“Very well then. If she tells the whole story when she returns and tells only the truth, we’ll put it up to a vote if she can be given a chance,” Applejack said, with Rarity and Pinkie shaking their heads in agreement.
