Anon-A-Miss strikes, leaving Sunset completely alone. Thinking of ending it all, will she be saved, or will she Fall from Grace.
Anon-A-Miss strikes, leaving Sunset completely alone. Thinking of ending it all, she encounters a friend turned enemy, and together they try to find out just who Anon-A-Miss really is. Will Sunset be saved, or will she Fall from Grace.
'I just want it to end.' I thought to myself as I rolled over to look at my nightstand clock. It was a quarter after three in the morning. I had been trying in vain to fall asleep for five hours. I bet you're wondering why I had such a dark thought, so I will tell you...
After the Battle of the Bands had come and gone, things were finally looking up for me. My friends had finally truly accepted me and the rest of the school had stopped hating me for my past transgressions. Winter swiftly followed the Battle of the Bands and Christmas was just around the corner. Applejack had come up with the idea of having sleepovers at everyone's houses leading up to a Christmas celebration at Sweet Apple Acres. It didn't get that far.
A username on MyStable called Anon-a-Miss started spreading the secrets of my friends, starting with Applejack's family nickname. It only got worse from there. The school is now in utter turmoil, my friends all but abandoned me and not even the teachers believe my innocence. Now I lie in my tiny apartment, all alone, except for my thoughts. I hadn’t changed out of the dark grey hoodie and boy shorts I changed into after my failed attempt at proving my innocence to my friends at Sugarcube Corner, despite it being the middle of winter. I had no heat in the apartment, but it was okay. I didn’t deserve such a luxury.
‘Perhaps it would be better if I just ended it all.’ I thought darkly to myself as I reached under my pillow for the swiss army knife I bought after arriving here. I pulled it out, sitting up on the bed in the dim light of my bedside lamp. I pulled up my hoodie’s sleeves to reveal multiple scars lancing erratically up and down my arms in every direction. I had originally started cutting myself as an escape from the emotional pain I was feeling since this whole debacle had started: now I did it just to feel anything.
I found a patch of untouched skin on my left arm, readying the blade, before drawing a two inch long line across it, the red of blood bubbling up in the knife’s wake.
“Secret stealer.” I thought as I drew more blood from my left arm.
“Anon-A-Miss.”
“I can’t believe her.”
I kept cutting, getting more and more erratic as I thought of all the hurtful, hateful words spoken to me over the last few weeks. It got so bad that I stopped going to school entirely for the last week of the semester. Once again, after closing the knife and stashing it under my pillow, I found myself staring at the ceiling, thinking of ways to end it. As always, I came to think of a certain bridge about a mile away from my apartment. I got up and pulled on a pair of black jeans over my boy shorts and walked out the door, leaving my journal open on the last page that had writing on it. The writing read as follows:
Dear Princess Twilight
I know you said in your last message to find my family, but I have failed. I thought I had finally found my family in the girls, but they abandoned me after this whole thing started. Kind of don’t blame them though. This does look like the sort of thing the old Sunset Shimmer would do. I just wish that I could have experienced the true magic of friendship before all of this shit started.
Just know that what I am about to do is not your fault. You could not have foreseen that something this fucked up could happen. Just let the others know that I bear them no ill will and that they will always be my family.
Your once and failed student,
Sunset Shimmer.
I found myself awake after a few hours, feeling that something was wrong. I couldn’t place it, but I knew something was horribly terribly wrong. I sat up and picked up my phone. Nothing was out of the ordinary, apart from a single, two worded text I got from Sunset that sent a chill through my spine.
Goodbye forever.
I started panicking. I knew that Sunset had depression after the whole Fall Formal fiasco, but she had gotten past it… by… Shit. How could I have been so fucking careless? She only got past it by becoming friends with us. I called Applejack. She picked up on the third ring.
“Hello,” she drawled sleepily.
“A.J. Did you also get a text from Sunset?” I asked, trying to hide the panic in my voice.
“Dash. Ya called me in the middle of the night ta ask me ‘bout the traitor?” She spat, all tiredness replaced by pure anger.
“Please, A.J. Just check.” I plead, all control over my emotions fleeing, leaving the panic in my voice open to be heard.
“Okay, hold on. Ah’ll check,” She answered, a hint of panic creeping into her voice after hearing my panicked voice. “Yea. She sent me a text sayin’ “Goodbye forever”. What do ya think she means by that?”
“I don’t know. I have an idea, but I hope I’m wrong. Gotta go. I’ll call ya later.” I replied and hung up. I jumped out of bed, throwing a pair of jeans and my winter coat over my flannel pajamas and headed downstairs to the garage. I hopped on my bike and headed toward Sunset’s apartment.
“Please be okay, Sunset. I’m so sorry.” I thought, tears welling up in my eyes as I rode toward her apartment.
A few minutes after leaving my apartment, I reached the bridge. I looked over the edge into the ice cold water of the Canterlot River churning below. For the first time in weeks, I had tears in my eyes. I heard a faint voice in the distance, but I toned it out. I set my resolve and climbed over the railing, the sound of the voice getting closer. Finally I jumped, the sound of the voice closer than before.
In the pitch black, the only thing to keep me company was a faint beeping. The kind of beeping that could drive one crazy after a while. I could also vaguely hear the sound of someone sobbing quietly in the background, every now and then the sobbing was broken by whispered apologies.
“*Sob* I’m so sorry, *sob* Sunset.” the voice would whisper. The whispering voice had a very recognisable rasp to it.
“Dash?” I said in my head. The voice gasped. I had inadvertently whispered it.
“Sunset! Oh my gosh: you’re okay!” Rainbow Dash said, her tone of voice betraying the relief she probably felt. I slowly opened my eyes and looked over to where she was sitting. I couldn”t quite place my surroundings. Off white walls, floor coverings and a dull grey ceiling. Uncomfortable pillow. Then realisation hit me. I had actually committed suicide. Well, attempted to, anyway.
‘Can’t even do that right.’ I thought to myself. “How did I get here?” I asked Dash, trying to hide the disappointment at failing to off myself.
“I saw you jump off the bridge, so I managed to pony up and dive in after you. The impact knocked you out and very nearly did the same to me. I got you back up to the surface, but you were barely breathing. I wrapped you up in my jacket and called 911. That’s how you got here.” Dash started explaining, but started breaking down to tears. This was a side of her I had never seen. “It’s all my fault.” She said, fresh tears running down the tracks that were there from her previous bout of crying.
“You were out for a week. You had me worried.” she said, turning to me and wrapping me in an embrace.
“Why would you be worried about a fuck up like me?” I asked with very little emotion, causing Dash to flinch.
“Why wouldn’t I be? You’re my friend, Sunset Shimmer, even if I didn’t show it before now.” Dash replied, tears still falling down her cheeks onto my shoulder.
__________________________________________
I couldn’t believe my ears. After a week, Sunset was finally awake. But there was something wrong. Her eyes no longer held any joy, or any emotion at all. All there was, was a dead expression. A void, lacking a spark of life. I couldn’t help but cry as she embraced me back, hesitantly at first.
“It’s not your fault Dash,” she said breathilly, voice devoid of emotion. “My past actions left little to be desired.”
“It still doesn’t excuse my lack of loyalty. You needed us all during this whole fiasco, but we all abandoned you the second it looked like you were returning to your old ways. I abandoned you. There wasn’t even a shred of evidence proving that it was you who was posting secrets online.” I said, tightening the embrace I had her in. “I never would have forgiven myself if you had actually succeeded in…” I didn’t finish. I just squeezed my eyes shut, fresh tears falling down my face, and landing on her shoulder.
“There was no evidence proving it wasn’t me either.” she said, her body shuddering.
“Still though, where was my loyalty? The Element of Harmony I’m supposed to represent?”I asked no-one in particular. The question made Sunset break down completely, causing her to hug me tighter. “I swear, Sunset. I’ll find Anon-A-Miss, and I’ll make them pay.”
“Have you told the others yet?” Sunset asked after we broke the embrace.
“No. I wanted to make sure you were okay first. So far, Applejack is waiting for news because I called her that morning to find out if she had received the same text from you that I did.” I replied.
“Well, there’s no use in putting it off any longer.” Sunset said, her voice containing slightly more emotion, but mostly betraying the tiredness she felt. I nodded, took out my phone, and proceeded to call Fluttershy.
“Hey, Flutters, I have some bad news.” I said when she picked up after the fourth ring. __________________________________________
Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres, the CMC Clubhouse:
“Ah don’t think we should continue with the blog, you guys.” I said into the microphone of my cell phone. I was currently on a conference call with the rest of the CMC. “Someone could get really hurt.”
“Yeah, well, Sunset should have thought of that before she tried to steal our sisters from us.” the raspy, boyish voice of Scootaloo replied.
“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “And weren’t you the one who created the blog in the first place?”
“Yeah, Ah was. And now Ah’m sayin’ we should stop. I got a feelin’ that someone is already badly hurt because of it.” I replied to Sweetie Belle's question.
“Who cares if someone got hurt? Especially if it’s that demon bitch.” Scootaloo said, a hint of scorn in her voice.
“Ah do.” I replied. “Ah’m givin’ y’all ‘til the end of the week. Basically, two days before Christmas, to get on board. If y’all ain’t with me, Ah’m gonna delete the account and go to our sisters with the truth.”
“And if we do get on board with your plan?” Sweetie Belle inquired, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
“We still delete the account, and go to our sisters with the truth.” I replied.
“That’s all well and good, but you guys are actually blood relatives of your sisters. Rainbow and I aren’t. I’m just her adoptive sister.” Scootaloo said, traces of sadness in her voice. “She’ll kill me.”
“Sorry, Scootaloo, But whether you’re in or not, you still get burned.” Sweetie Belle said, her tone of voice telling me that she was in.
“Fine, but if I get killed, it’s your fault.” Scootaloo said just before she ended the call.
“We’ll talk about a plan of action tomorrow at our regular meeting, okay Sweetie Belle.” I said.
“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sweetie Belle said. “No matter what happens, I will always love you.” That statement caused me to blush.
“Ah love ya too, Sweetie Belle.” I said and ended the call.
__________________________________________
A week later, at Fluttershy’s House:
I was lying in my bed, stuck somewhere between sleep and consciousness. It had been like this for the last week. Never ending loops of staring at the cold, grey, unforgiving ceiling. Ever since that fateful call from Rainbow Dash…
A few days earlier…
I was at the animal shelter, just starting my shift, when my cell phone suddenly started ringing. I checked the caller I.D. and saw that it was Rainbow Dash calling.
“Hey, Dashie. What’s up?” I said after accepting the call.
“Hey Flutters. I have some bad news.” Rainbow Dash said. My heart stopped for a second.
“What sort of bad news?” I asked once I had managed to get my heartrate under control.
“It’s about Sunset,” she said, sadness thickly laced in her voice. “She… She tried to…” I heard the phone shift around and Sunset’s voice in the background.
“Just tell her. There’s no use trying to sugarcoat it.”
“Okay.” I heard Rainbow Dash reply in defeat. “She tried to kill herself on Monday.” I gasped, nearly dropping my phone in the process of covering my mouth, tears forming in my eyes.
“I-is she… Okay?” I asked, trying to get my voice to cooperate with me through the sobs.
“She’s fine now. They’re gonna keep her for a few more days for observation.” Rainbow Dash said. “She suffered a slight concussion and has multiple cuts on both of her arms, both of her legs, her abdomen and had a bit of hypothermia from the water.”
“O-okay. J-just let me know W-when Sh-she gets out.” I said, tears falling uncontrollably down my cheeks.
“I will, bye.” I replied before Rainbow Dash ended the call. After the call had ended, I pressed up against the wall, and slid down until I was sitting down with my legs brought up close. I buried my face in my knees, and wept uncontrollably until Dr. Rescue came in and saw me, giving me the day off.
Present day…
I didn’t have the will to return to work. How can I show kindness toward animals when the one person who needed it, got nothing but meanness instead? Sunset had been released last week Sunday, but I couldn’t get the fact that my lack of kindness had almost caused someone, one of my best friends, no less, to almost commit suicide. Some Element of Kindness I turned out to be.
__________________________________________
The Castle of Friendship:
The journal that shared a connection with the one that Sunset had in the other world was vibrating when I got back after the recent Princess Summit. I opened it and read the latest entry, expecting the problems Sunset had had recently been solved, but was surprised at what I saw instead. I hastily grabbed a quill in my raspberry aura and scribbled out a hasty, panic filled reply.
Sunset Shimmer
Please, don’t do what I think you’re going to do. I hope I’m not too late, but you are loved. You are my friend and I would sorely miss you. You can come back to Equestria. Princess Celestia is quite worried about you. Please, reply to me as soon as possible.
Rainbow and I had just gotten back to my apartment. I felt like such a burden, Rainbow having to go home to borrow her dad’s car instead of taking me home on her bike as I was not well enough to. I had been told of my injuries, but the one that worried Rainbow the most was the concussion. While it had gone down, I still got dizzy whenever I stood up, and I would black out for short periods of time. The doctors had said that I should recover with time, but truth be told, I still wished that I had succeeded. We got my floor and Rainbow turned to me.
"Sunset, I know you probably won't like this, but I can't leave you alone. At least for a while. It's your choice, either I stay over here, or you stay over by me." she said, a look of genuine concern in her eyes.
"I don't mind if you stay over, but my place has gotten a bit messy over the last few weeks." I replied, my head dropping in shame at the last part.
"It's fine if it's a mess. I don't mind. We can spend tomorrow cleaning up if you want." She said.
"Alright then. You let Applejack know about it, but how come you haven't told Pinkie or Rarity about it yet?" I asked.
"When I spoke to them last, they were quite adamant that the Anon-A-Miss page was created by you." Rainbow replied. She took my hands in her own, careful not to disturb the bandages and dressings that the doctor had put on my arms before we left the hospital. “I don’t think they’ll take too kindly to hearing your name being spoken.”
“Oh, I see.” I said dejectedly.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that if they see you, they’ll change their minds.” Dash said, turning to enter before me after I opened the door. What she saw made her do a double take. I had warned her about the mess, but she obviously wasn’t ready for what she saw. She walked over to the kitchen island and picked up what was left of my phone, sitting next to my broken laptop. “Did you do this?”
“Yeah. I destroyed my laptop after our last encounter at Sugarcube Corner and my cell phone after I sent you all that text.” I replied, looking away from her to hide the shame on my face, tears burning in my eyes.
“Hey. It's fine, Sunset.” Dash said soothingly. “The important thing is that you are here and are okay. The laptop and cellphone can be replaced. Your life can't.” She turned to me, concern in her features, mixed with something else. She mumbled something in a volume that Fluttershy would’ve been proud of.
“I’m sorry, Dash? I didn’t quite catch that.” I said, the fact of the matter being that I had in fact not heard her.
“It’s nothing.” the jock replied, turning away from me. “How about some food?” The sudden change of the subject left me taken aback.
“Sure. I don't have much here though.” I replied.
“I’ll order us a pizza. I know you don’t eat meat, so I’ll order a vegetarian one.” she said.
“You don’t have to do that for me, Dash.” I said. “I know how much you love meat. Order your favourite and I’ll get a vegetarian sub instead. I’m not all that hungry anyway.” I ignored the mutinous growl of protest from my stomach.
“Okay then. I’m just gonna step outside for a bit. Be right back.” she said, heading towards the door. I watched her leave when a sudden glowing and vibrating from my bookshelf caught my attention. I walked up to it and pulled my journal out. I opened it to a new page and a message from Princess Twilight appeared.
Sunset Shimmer,
Please answer me. I am extremely worried. Like I said, you are more than welcome to come home. You are loved here and would be sorely missed. I am about ready to come through the portal and see for myself what has happened.
Just let me know when you get this.
Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle
Seeing that brought fresh tears to my eyes. I heard Dash come in, but didn’t have time to wipe the tears that had already fallen from my eyes.
__________________________________________
I stepped outside without any protest from Sunset.
“Stupid. Stupid Dash. You almost let it slip.” I said to myself, mentally kicking myself. I took out my cell phone and dialled the number for my favourite pizza joint.
“HI, yes. I’ll take a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese and a vegetarian sub.”
“Sure. That’ll be $29.28. Will that be all?”
“Yes, that will be all.” I replied. “The address is 2127 Everfree heights, Apartment 3A.”
“Okay. Your order has been put through. Delivery will be in about twenty minutes. Enjoy your day.”
“Thanks. You too.” I said before hanging up. I walked back inside to see Sunset sitting in her small living room, her journal in front of her, tears falling down her cheeks.
“You alright, Sunset?” I asked as I walked up to her.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine, Dash.” she replied. “I just read a few messages that Princess Twilight sent me.” She turned the journal towards me. I read the first few after the last message that Sunset had sent before she tried to take her own life. It was almost enough to make me cry. Almost.
“I see now.” I said, turning to the last page that had writing on it. “Are you gonna take her offer?” I asked, hope flaring in my chest.
“I honestly don’t know. We’ll see how it goes in the new semester.” she replied. I knew exactly what it was she was referring to.
“Alright. On another note, Pizza is on its way.” I said, trying to sound cheerful.
“Cool. Do me a favour and answer Twilight, please? I can’t write at the moment.” she said, holding up her bandaged arms. “You don’t have to answer as me. Just tell her it's you and let her know what has happened. I’m gonna go change out of these dirty clothes.” I nodded as she turned to walk to her bedroom. I grabbed a pen and her journal and started scribbling in my neatest handwriting.
Dear Princess Twilight.
It’s Rainbow Dash. Sunset is fine, so you don’t have to worry about coming through the portal. She did try to commit, but I had managed to save her before she could succeed.
She has suffered through a lot during the past month, mostly because of us. I failed you. You trusted me to be the Element of Loyalty, but I abandoned her. But I swear I will make it right. She started cutting herself before the incident, and due to that, has multiple wounds on her legs, arms and torso. She has also suffered concussion from the fall, but we can cover that in person if need be.
I am currently keeping an eye on her and taking care of her while she recovers, physically and mentally.
If you wanna meet in person, I’ll be at Sugar Cube Corner with Sunset in two days time.
Your friend and failed Element of Loyalty,
Rainbow Dash.
I set the pen down and closed the journal in time to see Sunset walk out of her bedroom with a set of fleece pajamas on.
“You are looking better already, Sunset.” I said, turning to hide the blush I felt creeping up my cheeks. “Where the hell is all this sappy stuff coming from?’ I asked myself.
“Thanks Dash.” she replied, a genuine smile of contentment gracing her features.
__________________________________________
“Something is wrong. I can feel it.” I said to no one in particular.
“What was that, Pinkie?” I heard as Mrs. Cake came from the counter where she was serving some of the patrons who had come in to escape the chill winter air.
“Oh, nothing, Mrs. Cake.” I replied. “I’m gonna take my lunch break now.”
“Okay. See you in an hour, Pinkie.” She said as I turned to walk out the door. I nodded and pulled my phone from my jeans pocket. My Pinkie sense was telling me that the weird feeling I had gotten was related to Sunset, and that Dashie was the only one who knew of it. I dialled her number.
“Hey Pinkie, what’s up?” came the dejected reply from the other side.
“Hey Dashie. I was just calling to see if Sunset Shimmer was alright. My Pinkie sense started and I just knew that something had happened to her and that you were the only one who could tell me what was happening.” I said in my usual way.
“I figured that you would be the first one to figure out that something was wrong. Sunset is fine now, but she tried to commit suicide. She was released from hospital yesterday. She was out for a week and kept another week for observation.” Dashie replied. Immediately my hair fell flat with the sound of a deflating balloon.
“O-oh. Oh no.” was all I could say.
“Yeah. I already told Fluttershy and Applejack, but can I ask you to call Rarity and tell her to meet us at Sugar Cube Corner tomorrow. Princess Twilight is gonna be there too.” Dash said.
“O-ok. I will. See you tomorrow, Dashie.” I said, walking back to Sugar Cube Corner. I dialled Rarity’s number and waited. She picked up on the third ring, as always.
“Hello, Pinkie. What can I do for you, darling?”
“Can’t say much. Just that Dash wants us all to meet at Sugar Cube Corner tomorrow, It’s about Sunset, and Princess Twilight is gonna be there too.” I replied, voice devoid of emotion.
The day had finally come. It was time to face the wrath of the Princess of Friendship. The thought of it was enough to make me cringe in the driver’s seat of my dad’s Ford Mustang. If Sunset were aware of it, she showed no sign. I just sighed and pulled onto the street that Sugar Cube Corner was on. Finding an empty spot by the door, I pulled off the road and came to a stop. I could see that Twilight was already there, as well as Applejack and Pinkie Pie, the latter who worked at the establishment. I got out and went around to the passenger side to help Sunset to get out of the car, and we walked into the shop together.
Seeing us walk in, Twilight stood up and ran over to us, enveloping Sunset in a tight, warm embrace, Spike trailing behind a few paces.
“Oh Sunset. I was so worried. If I had known that things were this bad, I would have cancelled my trip to Canterlot for a princess summit and come straight here instead.” Twilight said, tears starting to form in her eyes. I could see Sunset struggling for air and I tapped the princess on the shoulder.
“Uh, Twilight, she kinda needs to breathe.” I deadpanned as she looked at me.
“Oh, uh, Sorry about that, Sunset.” she chuckled ruefully, letting go of Sunset. Sunset flashed me a grateful look as she caught her breath. “So, are the others gonna join us or is it just us five?”
“Fluttershy and Rarity are on their way now.” Pinkie replied, her hair not as puffed up as usual, reminiscent of her sister Maud’s straight hair. That was usually a sign that she wasn’t her regular, cheerful self. Suddenly, there was a ringing from the door, signalling the arrival of someone. We all looked over to see Fluttershy and Rarity walking over to us.
“Good, now that we are all present, tell me what happened since the last time I was here.” Twilight said, taking a seat in the booth that Pinkie had reserved for us. I looked over to Sunset, and at her slight nod, I cleared my throat to begin talking.
__________________________________________
Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres. The CMC clubhouse.
“I know we said we should go to our sisters with the truth, but I don’t know if it’s going to be that easy.” I said to Applebloom as we walked into the clubhouse.
“Ah know, but we gotta do it. Ah have a feelin’ that what we did has already caused damage. Damage that is gonna take awhile ta fix. We gotta do it.” Applebloom replied. “‘Sides. If’n our sisters don’t forgive us for it, we’ll still have each other.” She kissed me on the cheek.
“I know. I just feel so guilty. What if it was Sunset that got hurt that badly. I don’t think that I could ever forgive myself. But if we can’t come clean about what we did, how are we gonna tell our sisters about us?” I asked.
“Ah know what ya mean. Is Rarity also gonna be at Sugar Cube Corner, ‘cause that’s where A.J. went now.” Applebloom asked.
“Yeah, she is. She said something about all of them meeting Princess Twilight there, and something about… *gulp*… Sunset.” I started, nervously. “You don’t think?”
“Oh gods. How could we have been so stupid?!” Applebloom exclaimed.
“I don’t know, but we need to tell Scoots.” I said, taking out my phone and calling her number.
“Hey, Sweetie Belle. What can I do for you?” She asked after picking up.
“Can’t talk. Meet at Sugar Cube Corner as soon as possible.” I said hurriedly into the microphone.
:I’m not gonna ask, but the two of you owe me an explanation.” she replied.
“We’ll explain when we get there.” I said and ended the call. We ran into the farmhouse to beg Big Mac to take us to Sugar Cube Corner.
__________________________________________
I had just finished the retelling of the events leading up to today, and I could tell that everyone present, especially Twilight, was shocked to hear it.
“Sunset suffered concussion from hitting the frozen water. She still gets dizzy when getting up and randomly passes out, but the doctors are confident that she will recover with time.” I said.
“While I am upset with you all for what you did, I must commend you, Dash, for risking your life to save a friend in need. You are every little bit the Element of Loyalty.” Twilight said, her face turning sour at the next part, as if she had just had pure lemon juice. “As for the rest of you, I am sorely disappointed. Applejack couldn’t tell that Sunset was being honest about not being Anon-A-Miss. Pinkie Pie stole her laughter. Rarity couldn’t show generosity by giving her the benefit of the doubt and Fluttershy showed her no kindness in her time of need.”
“To be fair to the rest, I only showed loyalty after she had sent us the text I mentioned.I said, looking over to Sunset, who nodded in agreement.
“And I started out not believing that it was her, but the more was posted, the harder it was to believe.” Fluttershy said from behind the protective shield of her hair.
“I know you guys had every reason not to believe me. As I said to Dash after I came to. This blog looks a lot like what the old Sunset would do.” Sunset said, speaking up for the first time. Another ringing at the door heralded the arrival of newcomers. We looked up to see Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo standing just inside the now closed front door of the shop. They slowly made their way over to us.
“Applebloom. What’re y’all doin’ here.” Applejack said, standing up and embracing the younger Apple.
“We, uh…” she started, obviously nervous about something.
“What is it?” Rarity said from her seat.
“We have a confession to make.” Sweetie Belle half squeaked from next to Applebloom.
“Well, do tell.” Twilight said, a look of disgust on her face. I looked from her, to the girls, and back to her. Then, realisation struck, and it broke me completely. I looked at Sunset, who looked confused and a little startled.
“You’re Anon-A-Miss, aren’t you?” I said in a voice that could barely be heard, but the others all heard me. I could see Twilight, Applejack and Rarity start to bristle with anger. Pinkie’s hair deflated further and Fluttershy pulled herself tighter on her seat. Sunset, on the other hand, had not yet reacted. “Aren’t you!?” My raised voice caused all three of them to flinch. They didn’t say anything, but just nodded in assent. I got up and made a move towards them, my fists balled up in anger, but a hand on mine stopped me dead in my tracks. I looked over to where Sunset was sitting, her head bowed. I could see the tears in her eyes as she shook her head. I understood immediately what that head shake meant.
She got up and walked toward the girls. They started backing away, but Sunset reached them before they could even retreat two paces. She unexpectedly wrapped each of them in an embrace, the tears flowing freely from her eyes. She broke the embrace long enough to look them each in the eyes in turn.
Despite all my instincts screaming at me to yell at them, or to hit them, or something, I just embraced them. I could hear a chorus of gasps around me, but I paid them no mind, focusing instead on the three sets of stares in front of me. Orange, green and purple stared into my teal with a mix of sadness and shock, tears forming in them as they saw mine.
“Why?” I asked, no emotion to be heard in my voice.
“We were jealous of the amount of time our sisters were spending with you.” Applebloom started
“We did it to get them back.” Scootaloo said, looking away. Whether it was in anger or sadness, I would never know.
“W-we never m-meant for you to get hurt.” Sweetie Belle said, squeezing Applebloom’s hand.
“Never meant to hurt her, huh?” Dash piped up from where she was standing, moving closer to us with a threatening glare. “Do you even know what you caused her to…?”
I gripped her hand and she stopped dead in her tracks. She looked down at me and I shook my head again, telling her that I could handle it. She sighed and stood by my side as I prepared to tell the CMC about what had happened.
“You all know how much of a shit storm your little stunt caused at the school? Well, because of it, I was shoved around a lot. People cornered me and beat me on a regular basis. I got hateful letters in my locker everyday telling me to kill myself. That’s why I stopped coming to school for the last week of the semester. After the last time I tried to prove my innocence to your sisters and the rest of my friends, I became a total shut in. By this point, I was already cutting myself as an escape from the emotional pain I had suffered,” I said, lifting my shirt and sleeves to expose my cut torso and arms, to which another round of gasps assaulted my hearing. “After that failed meeting, it only got worse. It got to the point where I started to think of any way to escape the hell I found myself in.”
I began to break down and cry again. Dash placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, the gentle squeeze she gave asking if I was able to continue. I nodded and took a deep breath to try to calm down.
“It eventually got to the point where I was cutting myself just to feel anything, but it wasn’t enough.” I said, nodding toward Dash, to which she nodded and proceeded to take out her phone. She showed the CMC the message I had sent her and the rest. The CMC gasped once again as they pieced it together. “What you are seeing is true. I sent that to all of them and after that, I jumped off the bridge nearest my apartment. If it weren’t for Dash, I wouldn’t be here now.”
“Ah… Ah had no idea, Sunset. Ah don’t expect you to forgive us, but Ah was the one who created the blog. Ah roped the others in on it. Don’t be mad at them.” Applebloom said, moving to block Sweetie Belle from me.
“I’m not mad, Applebloom. Hurt, yes, but not mad. I’m just glad you had the sense to come clean” I said, a genuine smile on my face. “But I’m not sure if your sisters feel the same way. I’m not gonna punish you, I’ll leave that up to them and your families.”
“You’re not even a little unforgiving towards us, or our sisters?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Nope. Just taking a page from their book. They forgave me after three years of bullying and the Fall Formal Fiasco, so I’m willing to do the same.” I said, nodding to Twilight. “And I’m glad you said I can go back to Equestria, but my home is here now.”
Twilight nodded, turning to address all present.
“Welp, now that everything is sorted, I’m gonna head home.” she said. Turning to me, she added, “Keep me updated on everything. The second it becomes too much, I’ll be here.”
I nodded as we all walked out of the shop. We got outside when Dash spoke, getting Twilight’s attention.
“Hey Twilight. Why don’t Sunset and I take you to the portal? It’s on our way, and it’s too cold to walk in this snow.”
“Sure Rainbow Dash. I appreciate that.” Twilight replied. After saying goodbye to the others, we proceeded to Dash’s dad’s Mustang.
The ride over to the portal was less than pleasant, but then again, neither was meeting everyone at Sugar Corner. I still found it hard to believe that it took me trying to end it all for the girls to finally see sense. Though I have to admit, Dash being the one to save was a bit ironic. She is the one that I have the strongest feelings for, that we could be more than friends.
“You know that’ll never happen. You’re a fuck up waiting to happen. You fucked everything up in Equestria, who is to say that you won’t fuck this up too?” Sundown taunted me.
‘Shut up, Sundown. I know that…’ I said to her in my head.
“What? That you are a fuck up?” she said with a maniacal laugh tinged with a bit of scorn.
‘That I was a fuck up. I’ve changed.’
“Really? Then why don’t you try?” she said, perching herself on the seat next to me.
‘It’s not that simple. I don’t even know if she likes girls, not to mention even remotely liking me the same way.’ I said, a downcast look in my face. Rainbow looked in the rear view mirror and saw the downcast look.
“Hey, Sunset? You okay back there?” she asked, voice full of concern. Twilight looked back at me as well.
“I’m alright. It’s nothing.” I deflected. Twilight seemed placated, but I could tell by the look Dash was giving me in the mirror that she didn’t quite believe me.
“If you say so.” Dash said as we turned onto the street where Canterlot High was located. We came to a full stop on the curb by the statue that doubled as the portal to Equestria. We all climbed out and proceeded to walk to the statue.
“Well, this is where I leave you guys.” Twilight said, turning to Dash, she said, “Take care of her. She really needs a friend right now.”
“I will.” Rainbow Dash replied. Twilight nodded and turned to me.
“The second things here become too much for you to handle, let me know. I can have the portal open for you to come through. Even if you come through for a little while to clear your mind.” she said, to which I nodded. We all shared an embrace, then Twilight walked through the portal after Spike.
“Well, let’s get back to your apartment.” Dash said as she turned to walk away. I took one last look at the portal before turning to follow her.
_____________________________________________
I came through the portal, expecting the castle to be empty save for my friends who were waiting for me to return, but I wasn’t expecting what I saw when I came through this time. Princess Celestia was sitting at one of the reading desks in the library where the portal was.
“Princess Celestia! I wasn’t expecting you here.” I said, trying to hide the shock I felt.
“I came by to visit and maybe give you a heads up on when the next summit would be. Imagine my surprise when I got here and your friends said you had gone through the portal to assist Sunset Shimmer with a problem.” she said, getting up from where she was sitting. “And then I read the journal entries. Sunset is not hurt, is she?”
“I-I d-don’t know h-how to respond t-to that.” I said, gulping. I could see Celestia starting to lose her patience.
“Twilight. As your former mentor, it is my job to tell you that you are a terrible liar.” she said, staring right through to my soul. “So tell me. Now.” I could hear traces of the Royal Canterlot Voice thrumming in her voice.
“I-I…” I started, sweating.
“DAMN IT, TWILIGHT! TELL ME MY DAUGHTER IS OKAY!” she yelled, all self control gone. The force of the yell nearly knocked me off my feet.
“Well… Wait. Sunset is your daughter?” I asked in disbelief. It took a second for Celestia to regain her composure.
“*SIGH* Yes, Twilight, Sunset is my daughter. After she was born, I gave her up for adoption. I wanted to give her a normal life, away from the fame of being a princess. After I had learned that she had run away from her foster home as a filly, I took her in as my student. I had hoped that she would grow to become a pony worthy of being a princess, but it was not meant to be. She got her hoof on the papers that signed her away to the orphanage and questioned me about it. That was when she started demanding that I make her a princess.” Celestia said, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, my poor baby. How I wish I could take it all back.”
I went over to her and wrapped her in an embrace, tears of my own falling down my muzzle. Here was the strongest mare I knew, reduced to a sobbing mess over the mistakes she had made. She hadn’t even cried this much after Luna was freed from Nightmare Moon.
“Does Luna know of this?” I asked.
“As far as I know, she doesn’t know that she has a niece in another dimension. Though I’m not sure. She may have an idea from some of the dreams I have had about Sunset returning.” Celestia replied, a little bit of her composure returned after we broke the embrace.
“Well, your daughter is fine, now.” I started.
“What do you mean ‘now’?” she asked.
“Well, she tried to commit suicide.” I replied, to which she gasped, fresh tears forming in her eyes. “She was saved by that world’s Rainbow Dash and is now being taken care of by her.”
“Well, at least she is okay now. That’s all i could ask for.” Celestia said.
“I can arrange for you to meet with her.” I said, trying my best to convince her.
“*SIGH* Fine, Twilight, set it up.” she said in defeat.
“But I’m… Wait, what?”
“I said you may set it up. I know I’m not gonna convince you otherwise.” she said. I nodded and grabbed the journal in my raspberry aura. I penned a quick message to Sunset.
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
Would it be possible to meet tomorrow? I have somepony who wants to speak to you.
We had just left Canterlot High, the ride not quite as intense as the ride there. The journey started off in relative silence, which was bad news for me. Sundown loved to taunt in the silence.
“Hey, Sunset?” Dash said, interrupting my train of thought.
“Yeah Dash?” I replied.
“Do you think we can stop at my place first? Dad sent me a text saying he needs the car today.” She asked, looking at me out of the corner of her eyes for a split second.
“Sure,” I replied, doing my best to put on a fake smile. “I don’t mind.” She just nodded and carried on towards her house. I had never been to Dash’s house before, nor had I met her parents. I was sure to be in for a bumpy ride.
_________________________________________
I knew that Dash lived well, but what I saw when we stopped was something I would never have expected in a million years. The house itself was surrounded by a very large garden, as were most of the houses in the neighborhood. The houses were mostly three story Victorian houses, and Dash’s house was no different.
“Here we are, home sweet home.” Dash said, pulling into the long driveway. She turned off the car and climbed out. She then went around to the passenger side and helped me out, with me still being unable to use my hands due to the thick bandages. I just stared in awe at the house, causing Dash to laugh.
“Yeah,” Dash said, looking at the house itself. “Fluttershy had the same reaction.” I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. I was completely dumbstruck. “Come on, let’s get inside before we freeze our asses off.” I shook my head to get rid of the daze I was in and followed Dash up to the front porch. She unlocked the door and ushered me into the warmth, before entering herself and closing the door behind her. She took off her jacket and shoes and put them by the door. I did the same and followed her to the den.
I walked in behind Dash and I saw someone sitting in a recliner, watching baseball and sipping from a bottle of Sweet Apple Acres cider. Dash walked up to him and gave him a hug from behind.
“Hey Dad, I’m home.” she said.
“Hey there, Dashie.” he said. He then turned his attention to me. “And you are?”
“Uh. Sunset Shimmer, sir. Pleased to meet you.” I replied moving closer and offering him a bandaged hand. He got up and shook my hand.
“I’m Bow Hothoof. I’ve heard quite a lot about you, Miss Shimmer.” He said.
“O-oh. Y-you have?” I asked, getting nervous.
“Yip. Your rise to power as a bully. Your change into a nice young lady. Everything.” He said, his serious demeanor changing to one of lightheartedness. “I was actually wondering when Dashie was gonna bring a girl home.” he said, a heat immediately rising to my cheeks. Dash’s face had grown red at the exact same time that I felt the heat creeping to my face.
“Daaad.” she said in embarrassment. I was just standing there, watching Mr. Hothoof laugh at his daughter’s reaction.
‘I can’t believe it. Dash is actually into girls.’ I thought to myself.
“Well, it would seem that the pitiful pony has a chance after all.” Sundown replied.
‘It would seem so.’ I thought to myself, finally agreeing with Sundown on something. I must have missed out on a lot when I zoned out, because Dash’s mother suddenly appeared in my vision.
“Are you okay, dear?” she asked me. I shook my head to clear it.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” I replied.
“Good to hear it. I’m Windy Whistles. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope my rambunctious husband didn’t frighten you?”
“No, no. It’s not that.” I replied.
“Good to hear, I wouldn’t want my daughter’s friend to be uncomfortable during their visit.” she said, turning and staring daggers at her husband. “Would you care to stay for dinner?”
“I’d love to, thanks.” I replied.
“Anything specific?” she asked.
“She’s a vegetarian, Mom.” Dash replied for me. I nodded and looked at Dash, sending her a look that said ‘thank you’. She just nodded.
“I see,” Windy said. “Well, you’re in luck. I keep a good stock of vegetarian food for when Fluttershy is here. Dinner will be ready in about an hour, so why don’t you girls go on up to Dash’s room.”
“Okay, Mom.” Dash replied. She then turned to leave, beckoning me to follow her. I did so and we went up the stairs. Dash’s room wasnt on the second floor, but consisted of most of the top floor. The only thing breaking it up was a large bathroom and a door that led to a balcony. She had a TV stand with a forty inch LCD TV, An XBuck one, a Ponystation 4, and a surround sound home theater system around a cyan loveseat and recliner. Her bed was big enough to fit five people. She led me over to the loveseat. She kept opening and closing her mouth, presumably fighting to find the right words.
“It’s fine, Dash.” I said, grabbing one of her hands in mine.
“No it’s not. The only other person who knows my sexuality, besides my parents, is Fluttershy. I told her before I came out to my parents.” She replied. “I should have at least told you.”
“It’s okay. Do you have your eye on someone yet?” I asked, hope flaring in my chest.
“Y-yes, I d-do.” she stammered, turning blood red.
“Is it someone I know?” I asked. She just gulped and looked away. “So, a guessing game, huh? Is it Fluttershy?” she shook her head.
“Applejack?” she shook her head again.
“Is it…?”
“It’s you…” she said, not meeting my eyes. I sat there, dumbstruck for the second time that evening.
“There. That's the confirmation that you needed.” Sundown said.
“It doesn’t matter. Like you said, Sundown, I’m just a fuck up waiting to happen. I don’t matter.” I replied. Sundown just laughed in reply. I found myself in a tight embrace, Dash almost sobbing.
“Don’t let the demon win, Sunset. You matter to me.” she practically whispered in my ear. “Just please, don’t let her win.”
“I won’t.” I whispered, returning the embrace.
“Well,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Now that the sappy stuff is out of the way, who do you like?”
“I don’t really wanna talk about it.” I said, turning away from her to hide the blush I felt creeping into my cheeks.
“Come on, Sunset. I told you mine. You can at least tell me your preferences.” Dash said, trying to smother a very uncharacteristic giggle.
“Fine, I’ll tell you.” I sighed exasperatedly. I then took a deep breath. “I’m Bi, but I lean more towards girls.”
“No, I gotta know who it is.” Dash said, leaning forward.
“Fine. I'll give you a clue. She’s athletic, has cyan skin, cerise eyes and rainbow colored hair.” I said with a giggle.
“No way.” she said, surprise thickly laced in her voice.
“Yep, but I’m not quite ready for a relationship.” I replied.
“I completely understand.” she replied. Just then we heard Windy calling from the stairs. We both got up and made our way to the dining room.
_________________________________________________
With dinner done, we asked Windy if she would take us to my apartment, to which she readily agreed. I made sure that Dash had everything she would need so that she didn’t have to borrow any of my clothes that were a little too big around the bust for her, no matter how cute it looked on her. We made our way to the Ford Taurus and hopped in, Windy backing up afterward. She shifted into drive and we were on our way
A couple minutes later, we were back at my apartment. I let us both in and locked the door behind us. After Dash left to put her stuff in my bedroom, I noticed the journal glowing. I opened it up and read the message.
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
Would it be possible to meet tomorrow? I have somepony who wants to speak to you.
I had just gotten Spike to get us some tea when the response came through. As it came through, I read it to Princess Celestia.
Dear Princess Twilight,
It would be lovely to see you guys again. Sunset told me to tell you that we will be at Sugar Cube Corner tomorrow at about noon. Tell Princess Celestia that she is welcome here anytime, and that Sunset is eagerly awaiting her arrival.
Your Friend,
Rainbow Dash
“I see Sunset has guessed that it is I who wishes to speak with her.” Princess Celestia said with amusement. “Never really could slide anything by her.” She added, gaining a sudden downcast look on her face.
“Remind you of anypony?” I asked my old mentor sarcastically.
“Oh, ha ha, Twilight.” she sarcastically replied.
“What? It’s the truth, isn’t it?” I asked.
“I suppose.” she replied. “Is it okay if I stay the night here?”
“I have no qualms with that.” I said. “I’ll get Spike to write a letter to Luna when he gets back with our tea.” No sooner had I said that than the baby dragon walked in, a tray laden with tea cups and assorted finger foods. “Spike, take a letter.”
“Thanks for taking care of that, Dash.” I said, embracing her.
“It’s alright. I know you are struggling to write at the moment.” she said. “Now, shall we continue the conversation we had over at my place?”
“Fine, we can do that.” I replied.
“Cool, so, if not now, then when?” she asked.
“I didn’t say that I wasn’t willing to try now, just that I would have to take it slow. So, if you’re willing to be patient, I’m willing to try.” I said.
“I’m willing.” she said, wrapping me in another embrace.
“And we should wait until we’re about two dates in before announcing it to our friends. I don’t want it to seem that our relationship is too close on the heels of what I went through.” I added.
“Understandable” Dash replied. “How about we get some shut-eye? Long day ahead of us tomorrow. You said you wanted to be at the used car lot when it opens?”
“Yeah. Do you want the bed or the couch? My bed can easily fit two.” I said.
“Well, the heat in the living room doesn’t quite work properly. I learnt that the hard way. Is it alright to share the bed?” she replied.
“Sure. I have enough blankets that we can still be separate, Though I don’t think it’s necessary, do you?” I asked, getting up and leading the way to the bedroom.
“It’s entirely up to you.” she said, grabbing her pajamas and heading to the bathroom to change. I grabbed my pajamas and laid them on the bed, ready for me to put them on.
“Alright then. See you in a few.” I said as she walked out of my bedroom.
A couple of minutes later, we climbed into the bed. I cuddled spoon wise to her, and she gently embraced me from behind.
“Goodnight, Dash.” I said, closing my eyes.
“Goodnight, Sunset.” she said. She kissed me on the cheek and killed the lights.
I awoke the next morning, looking down to where Sunset was still nestled in my embrace. I still couldn’t believe what happened. I thought it may have been another dream, but it turned out that it wasn’t, and I was happy. I saw Sunset start to twitch in her sleep. I smiled, thinking she was having a good dream. She then started to thrash, almost hitting me in the face. That was when I knew something was wrong. I shook her gently.
“Hey, Sunset. Wake up.” I whispered. She woke with a start, tears running down her cheeks. I wrapped her in an embrace, whispering soothingly. “Shh. It’s just a nightmare.”
She didn’t respond. She just continued to cry silently, her body wracked with sobs. I just continued to soothe her to the point where she was no longer sobbing uncontrollably.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” I asked, not breaking the embrace for a second. She shook her head, not trusting her voice at the moment.
“Okay, I can accept that. When you are ready to talk, I’m willing to listen.” I said, kissing her on the cheek. “I’m gonna go get breakfast started.” Sunset nodded and broke the embrace. I got up and headed to the kitchen. I heard her shuffling around in her bedroom after I left. I didn’t know what it was she was doing, but I knew I could trust her. I got out all the ingredients I would need to make blueberry pancakes, one of my specialties. The only thing that sucked was the fact that Sunset didn’t drink coffee, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. I actually managed to sneak a jar of instant coffee in with my clothing, but I would have had to risk going back into Sunset’s bedroom to get it. I was about half way done with the pancakes before Sunset came out of her bedroom.
“That smells delicious, Dash.” she said, coming up and embracing me from behind. I reached down and held her hands in front of me.
“Yeah, but it’s nothing compared to your pastas.” I said. She just giggled in response and went to get plates for the pancakes. She took them to the kitchen island and set them down. She then set to work brewing us some tea. As she grabbed the tea leaves from the cupboard, I saw her grab something else from it. I looked over to see her holding a jar of my favorite coffee.
“Where did you get that?” I asked her. “It wasn’t there last night.”
“When you went to change, I saw it sticking out of your bag. I grabbed it and stored it away here where it wouldn’t get broken.” she said.
“Oh. Fair enough.” I said, finishing off the last pancake. I took them to the island and laid the plate they were on in the middle of it. She put two cups down next to the plates she had laid out earlier, one with coffee in it and the other with tea. We started eating in veritable silence, only disturbed by the sounds of chewing. I swallowed the mouthful that I had and spoke, further disturbing the silence. “We really need to talk about these nightmares. You’ve been having them every night since your…”
“*sigh* I know.” Sunset interrupted, clearly not wanting to bring up her suicide attempt. “They all start out the same.” she said, eating another mouthful of pancake, chewing thoughtfully. “It starts out on the day where I tried to plead my innocence to you girls, especially you. Then it fades into a couple days later, cutting myself while Sundown taunts me. Then I end up back in Equestria where my moth… I mean, Celestia is yelling at me, saying how I am unworthy to be seen anywhere near her.” I didn’t know how to respond.
“The last one has only come up recently, after the message from Twilight yesterday. I’m just stressed out about this whole meeting with Celestia today.” I could finally figure out what to say.
“W-wait. Princess Celestia is your Mother?!” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Y-yes. That's true.” she replied, nervous of what I was going to say next.
“I’m dating a princess…” I whispered to myself. I could see her flinch and turn her head. I wrapped her in a tight embrace and yelled, “That’s awesome!”
A couple hours later, we were heading toward the used car lot around the corner from my apartment. I had a bit of cash in my account that I was hoping to use to buy a car with, so that we didn’t have to constantly rely on Dash’s parents. I immediately saw something that I liked. It was a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. I walked up to it and nearly fell over backwards when I saw the asking price. They wanted forty six thousand for it, but I only had forty three thousand. Dash walked up to it and whistled.
“Now there is an awesome car.” she said, nodding her head.
“Yeah, I have one problem with it, though. I don’t have enough for me to make it my own.” I replied, ready to turn around and check something else. Dash grabbed my hand and dragged me to the sales office, careful not to hurt my cut arms.
“Don’t worry. My dad knows the owner. I’m sure I could get you a better price.” Dash said determinedly.
A couple minutes later, I paid forty thousand for the car. I signed the various paperwork and was handed the keys. I climbed in and turned the key, and the supercharged 7.0 V8 came to life with a throaty growl. I whistled, impressed with my new baby.
“I have the perfect name for you already.” I said.
“What are you gonna name her?” Dash asked after climbing into the passenger seat.
“I’m gonna call her Cammy.” I said, shifting into first gear and pulling out of the lot.
A couple minutes later, I pulled into an open space in front of Sugar Cube Corner. I looked at the dash clock. It was only eleven. I turned the car off and turned to Dash.
“So, we got an hour before they arrive. Shall we go in?” I asked.
“And do what? I kinda don’t wanna leave this awesome machine.” Dash replied.
“I don’t really want to either, but we could turn it into an unofficial first date.” I said, grabbing my door handle and climbed out. She climbed out as well, and I hit the lock button on the key fob.
“Don’t need to tell me twice.” she said, walking up to the door of the shop. She opened the door. “After you.” I walked in, Dash walking in afterward. We chose a table near the back and sat down next to each other. Pinkie came up to us and took our order (not before greeting us like only she could).
Pinkie had just delivered our drinks we had ordered, Rainbow receiving a strawberry milkshake, and me receiving a plain old blueberry ice tea. We sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company. She then got a thoughtful look on her face.
“Hey, Sunset?” she said suddenly.
“Yeah Dash?” I asked her in reply.
“Where did you get the forty three thousand, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked.
“Oh, I don’t mind. I pawned off a few of these after a week of being here.” I said, fishing a Bit out of my jacket pocket. “I used some of it to file for emancipated status, paid the deposit on my apartment, and the rest has been sitting in my bank account gaining interest. I actually have an offshore investment account at the bank.”
“And, purely for interest sake, how much is in the investment account?” she asked me.
“I have upwards of three hundred thousand dollars there.” I said, nonchalantly, causing Dash to almost choke on her milkshake. I just giggled at her reaction. When she caught her breath she spoke again.
"Wow. I never thought you would have that much." she said. The thoughtful look crossed her face again, "What were you gonna do with it if you had succeeded?" She didn't need to say it, for we both knew what she meant.
"I put in the clauses that if I were to pass on, it must be donated to one of the homeless shelters, specifically the one I ended up in." I replied.
"Fair enough. When are Twilight and Celestia gonna arrive?" Dash asked. Just then, the bell above the door rang, heralding the arrival of new people. I looked up to see Twilight walk in, followed by my mother, Princess Celestia. Dash looked over toward them, and immediately made to get up. I grabbed her hand and shook my head. She nodded in return and remained seated.
As Twilight and Princess Celestia approached, I got up, Dash following suit.
“Princess Celestia.” Dash said, dipping her head in a low bow.
“No need for that, Rainbow Dash. In this universe, where I hold no claim to royalty, you may call me Celestia.” Princess Celestia said with laughter in her voice, causing me to roll my eyes, and Twilight's eyes to grow twice their size in astonishment.
“Sorry about that.” Dash replied.
“It's not an issue.” Celestia said. “I assume Sunset has told you of our past?”
“Yes, she did.” Dash said, looking over to me. I could see the gears turning.
“Good. It saves some explaining then.” Celestia said. “Would it be possible to get a few moments alone with my daughter?” She turned to Twilight, who looked like she was about to protest, but thought better of it and nodded. She turned to Dash, who nodded and they both made to leave. I turned to Celestia as she sat down, and it began.
We had just left Celestia and Sunset to talk things out. I decided that it was maybe a good idea to leave the shop entirely and go window shopping. We got to a bookstore, where Twilight started having a geek out session.
“I can’t believe that there is a book shop right next door to Sugar Cube Corner.” she said, causing me to laugh.
“We can go in if you like. Maybe I can slide you some money to buy something you may be interested in.” I said, the mirth from the earlier bout of laughter still in my voice.
A couple of minutes later, we were back on the street, Twilight holding two of the Daring Do books and a chemistry book. I had gotten myself the latest Daring Do. We decided to take a slow walk around town for an hour, and catch each other up on what was happening in our lives, me trying to avoid mine and Sunset’s relationship.
“Now, Sunset. Before we begin, I want you to know something.” Celestia said, interrupting what I was planning on saying, causing a bit of annoyance to flare up in my chest. “*sigh* I truly regret what I did all those years ago, but I felt that it was for the best that you were away from the infamy of being royalty, especially since no one but the royal guards and I know who your father is.” As she said that, the annoyance gave way to anger, and it took all my willpower not to fully explode.
“If that were true, then why didn’t you tell me from my first day as your student?” I asked, barely containing an outburst. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes.
“I always meant to, but I saw too much of your father’s ambition and lust for power in you. I wanted you to learn humility and grace from his mistakes, but it was not meant to be. It’s my fault for showing you the mirror in the first place. The final straw in you leaving was finding out the truth, and I was too late to stop it from happening.” She replied, tears welling up in her eyes. I couldn’t contain it any longer. I jumped up and ran around the table, embracing my mother for the first time in years, tears freely falling from my face.
“I’m s-so sorry, m-mom. C-can you forgive me?” I said through the sobs.
“Oh, my dear. I forgave you from the day you became the pony I feared you would become, but it is not I who should be forgiving, but rather I should be asking yours.” she said, using a free hand to wipe some of the tears that had fallen down my cheek. “Can you forgive me?”
“Y-yes. I’m w-willing to forgive you.” I replied. “Only because you forgave me.” Celestia giggled at that. I pulled away from the embrace long enough to give her a confused look.
“I see the lesson in humility finally hit home.” she said, suppressing yet another giggle.
“Yeah, but it took a literal rainbow friendship blast to the face for it to be drilled into my thick skull.” I replied with a rueful chuckle.
“Well, if my calculations are correct, Twilight and your mare- I mean, girlfriend should be here soon.” Celestia said. I did a double take when I heard what she said.
“H-how did you know?” I asked.
“What, about you and Rainbow Dash or about them arriving?” she asked playfully.
“The former.” I replied.
“Well, it’s simple. I’ve been around for more than a thousand years, so I know the signs of a pony in love. I noticed upon walking in earlier how you grabbed her hand and shook your head. There is a deep understanding of what the other is thinking without talking about it.” she said.
“I see. Just promise me one thing?” I asked.
“And what would that be?”
“Please don’t tell Twilight?” I asked.
“I won’t.” she said. Just then, the bell at the door rang again. I looked over toward it and saw Dash and Twilight walking over to us.
“Won’t what?” Twilight asked in confusion.
“I do believe that is between my daughter and I.” Celestia said with a wink toward me. I could see Twilight getting frustrated, and tried to diffuse the situation.
“Why don’t I take you to the portal?” I asked, Twilight's head snapping up, catching my eye. She sent me a look that said this isn’t over. I gulped in response.
“Why, I think that will be a splendid idea.” Celestia said. I heard Twilight growl in frustration.
A couple minutes later, I parked my car on the curb and we all climbed out. Together we headed toward the statue that housed the portal. Dash and I each gave Twilight a hug and she disappeared through the portal. I then turned toward my mother and embraced her.
“Thank you for coming. It meant a lot.” I said as she returned the embrace.
“Of course. And I promise you, I will never abandon you again. You are always welcome back home, and when you come over again, we can announce everything to the kingdom.” she said, touching her forehead to mine. I felt a surge that could only have been magic. I heard a gasp from behind me, followed by the click of a camera shutter. I opened my eyes to see that Celestia had ponied up. But that wasn’t the only surprise. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a pair of bright, orange wings. My jaw dropped in surprise as she broke the embrace and headed for the portal, promptly disappearing through it.
I was waiting for Princess Celestia to come back through the portal. I knew she was spending what last few precious moments she could with her daughter before she came through. I heard the portal behind me suddenly flare up, and I turned to see Princess Celestia trotting through the portal mirror.
“Did everything go okay over there?” I asked my old mentor as she walked up to me.
“Why yes, Twilight. It ascended all my expectations.” she said with a joking voice.
“Uh, what?” I asked in confusion. She just laughed at me.
“I need to speak to my sister about Sunset. Just find out when Sunset is coming through the portal again. We have a ceremony to plan.” she said and took off for Canterlot. I didn’t question it and did as I was asked. I grabbed the journal from a nearby lectern and a quill and started writing.
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
Princess Celestia asked me to ask you when you are coming through again. I have no idea what she has planned, but I know it’ll be a surprise.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Dash was holding her phone out, the picture she took of me earlier displayed on the screen. I just stood there, utterly dumbfounded.
“Welp. That happened.” Dash said in an attempt to break the silence
“Yep.” I replied, shaking my head to get rid of the daze. “No use dwelling on it now. Let’s get back to my place.”
“As you wish, Princess.” Dash said teasingly.
“Seriously?” I deadpanned.
“You bet. I’m not gonna pass up on the opportunity to tease my girlfriend.” Dash replied, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. I just shook my head and walked to my car. I fished the keys out of my pocket and hit the unlock button on my key fob. I climbed in, Dash following suit, and turned the key. The V8 roared to life again and we took off, jamming to Rise Against playing through Dash’s phone on the car’s infotainment system.
A few minutes later, we arrived at my apartment. We climbed out of the car after I pulled into my allocated spot in the parking garage and killed the engine. We were walking side by side when I suddenly felt Dash hold my hand, staring straight ahead with a slight blush on her cheeks. I just smiled at the nonchalant way she did it. She might have noticed it, because, pretty soon, she was smiling too. We got to my apartment door and I unlocked it. Dash walked through first, not letting go of my hand for a second. I closed the door and slid the deadbolt home. I then turned to Dash.
“Soo, Dashie. What do you wanna do now?” I asked her in a teasing voice.
“Well. I don’t know about you, but I wanna just relax and watch a movie with my girlfriend.” she said, blushing slightly at the nickname.
“Alright then. You choose a movie and I’ll get started on some popcorn.” I said, letting go of her hand and walking toward the kitchen. That’s when I noticed the journal begin to glow and vibrate. I opened it up and words started forming on the first clean page.
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
Princess Celestia asked me to ask you when you are coming through again. I have no idea what she has planned, but I know it’ll be a surprise.
I didn’t know how to respond. I knew what it was about, but I was unsure of how long I was going to be gone.
“Hey, Dash. Twilight wants to know when I will be going through the portal again.” I called out to her from the kitchen. I heard footsteps approaching from the living room. She came through the archway and read the message from Twilight. Her eyes shot open with surprise, and I could see a trace of longing in her eyes. “You wanna see my home world, don’t you?” I asked, to which she nodded. I got a sudden idea. I grabbed a pen and started writing, glad that I no longer had thick bandages on my hands to hinder my writing.
Dear Princess Twilight,
I have someone from this side who would like to come with me. However, I fear it may cause a bit of a panic as she looks exactly like a certain famous cyan pegasus. Would it be possible to do a test run day after tomorrow, once Christmas and Hearth’s Warming are over?”
A couple seconds later, the reply came through.
Of course she can come. I know that my Dash was unhappy when she couldn’t go with me the times I went over. She is more than welcome to. Just so we can see if we can cover up the similarities.
Rainbow air fist pumped at that, digressing to a bit of a freestyle dance. I laughed at it, grabbed her hands and pulled her in for an embrace. I then wrote a reply to Twilight.
Awesome. Dash is pumped. Maybe we should have your Dash over as well, because some flying lessons are in order. We also have much to discuss, one of which will be a bit of a shock to you.
I started making the popcorn, Dash standing behind me. I could tell that she was admiring “the view.” I just chuckled and shook my head. Once the popcorn was done, we both went back to the living room. I was surprised to see that she picked a rom com instead of something along the lines of a fast paced action movie. We sat down on the threadbare sofa and Dash hit play on the remote.
Before the movie started, Dash turned to me.
“Hey, Sunset. How would you like to spend Christmas over at my place? I’m sure my parents would love to have you over again, and we can maybe tell them about us.” She asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.
“Sure, I’d love to.” I replied. “Especially since my mother already knows.”
“W-what, h-how?” she asked, bewildered.
“She kinda figured it out. Remember, she’s got over a thousand years worth of wisdom at her disposal. She would have figured it out eventually.” I replied.
“Fair enough. I’ll quickly let my parents know you’re coming.” She said, pulling out her phone. A couple of seconds later, we were watching the movie.
About half way through the movie, I felt her hand in mine on my lap. Before I knew it, she was kissing me. But it wasn’t one of the chaste ones that had become a regular occurrence for us. It was full of love and passion. I tensed up at first, but soon I melted into the kiss. I found my tongue probing her mouth, asking permission to enter. She obliged by parting her lips. After almost a full minute, we both reluctantly pulled away for air, our foreheads touching.
“I love you, Sunset Shimmer.” Dash said once she had caught her breath.
“I love you too, Rainbow Dash.” I replied, turning to face the T.V. again, my head resting on her shoulder. A couple minutes later, I dozed off, a smile of content on my face. I truly felt like I belonged, for the first time in months.
I woke up to the morning sunshine hitting me through the blinds. It took me a second to wake up fully, but when I did, I saw I was in bed, instead of on the sofa, The bed next to me empty but still warm, signifying that Dash had only recently vacated the spot
‘Dash must have carried me to bed after I dozed off.’ I thought to myself. I smiled at the thought. I took a deep breath through my nose, and smelt the mouthwatering aroma of Strawberry and Blueberry pancakes and coffee brewing. Normally, I wouldn’t touch coffee, but the scent was enough to wake me up. A roasted, nutty, bracing aroma that I had grown to love over the last couple of days. It reminded me of Dash, as much as the scent of her strawberry and peach shampoo.
I got up and headed to the kitchen. When I got there, I saw Dash wearing the apron that had my cutie mark emblazoned on the front. A custom one that I had made before my first slumber party that I hosted. I hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek. She leaned into the kiss, causing me to nuzzle her as I ended the kiss. I could smell the fresh scent of strawberry and peach shampoo, meaning she had recently showered.
“Morning babe.” I whispered into her ear.
“Babe. That’s a new one.” she whispered back.
“Come on, Dashie. Don’t act like you don’t love it.” I said with a chuckle.
“Of course I love it, babe. I’m just teasing.” she replied. “Breakfast is almost done, so you may wanna hurry up and shower.” I just giggled and left to take a shower. I got to the bathroom and turned on the hot water, waiting for it to heat up before turning on the cold. After a few seconds, the water was at the right temperature, and I climbed in.
Sunset had just left to take a shower. I was panicking. The gift I had gotten her before this whole Anon-A-Miss fiasco started, I destroyed. Now I had to get another one. How was I supposed to do that with her around. I then thought of the perfect solution. She needed a new phone, because her old one was still lying in her nightstand drawer, destroyed beyond recognition. I decided to call my mom.
“Hey there, Dashie. What’s up?” She asked after answering her phone.
“Hey mom. I have a favor to ask.” I said in reply.
“Sure dear, anything.” she said.
“Can you please go to the mall and pick up a phone for Sunset, as a gift from me? I can’t do it with her around.” I asked her.
“Sure dear. Just a quick question. What is Sunset interested in?” She asked. “Your father and I want to buy her some gifts as well.”
“Well, she’s into pretty much the same as me. Gaming, sports, motorsports.” I replied.
“Okay, thanks dear.” she said.
“Just don’t go overboard please.” I asked.
“Okay dear, see you later.” she replied
“See you later.” I replied and ended the call.
I got out of the shower and went to my bedroom to get clothes on, my body wrapped in a towel. I could hear Dash talking, but it wasn’t loud enough to hear what she was saying. I assumed she was on the phone. I got dressed and went back to the kitchen, where Dash was talking on the phone while setting the table for breakfast. She ended the call and sat down. I followed suit, breakfast waiting for us. I started eating, silent for the most part. I looked to Dash.
“So, what’s the plan for today?” I asked her.
“Well, we need to finish up here. Be at my place at eleven. Enjoy a feast with my parents. Be at Applejack’s later tonight. Come back here.” She replied, smiling at the last one. “After that, it’s anyone's guess.” I simply nodded, stuffing another bite of pancake in my mouth. I was wondering if we should just forego the idea of keeping our relationship a secret from the others or not. I despised keeping secrets from them, ever since my reformation that is. I decided to voice my concern.
"Hey Dash, seeing as my mother knows about us, and your parents are going to find out today…" I started, a little nervous.
"Yeah?" she prompted, probably guessing where the conversation was heading.
"I was wondering if we should just forego the idea of keeping us a secret, but I don't really know how they will react, Especially AJ. She comes from an old fashioned family." I finished.
"I don't really know either, but I know that she is our friend, and won't judge us either way." she replied, wrapping me in an embrace, having stood up and come around the table to comfort me.
“What would I do without you?” I asked her earnestly.
“Well, for one, you wouldn’t be here, and I’m glad you are.” she replied, gently kissing me. “And secondly, everyone needs a dose of awesome in their lives.” I chuckled at that, knowing she was right.
A couple of minutes later, we set about washing the morning dishes, having finished breakfast. Dash was washing them, and I was drying them off and putting them away in their rightful places. Afterward, we tidied up the living room and gathered the stuff we would need for the day. I grabbed my keys and we made our way to the parking garage, locking the apartment behind me. We approached my Camaro and I hit the unlock button on my key fob. We climbed in, I turned the key, and the V8 roared to life again. I backed up and we set off for Dash’s house, where her parents and a confession were awaiting us.
About an hour later, we roared up the road toward Dash’s house. I pulled up in the driveway and came to a stop in front of the garage. I opened the glove box and took out four envelopes. I had stopped at a nearby gas station to fill up my Camaro and went into the convenience store to buy some cards for Dash and her family. We walked up to the door and Dash let us into the welcoming warmth of the house, Dash closing the door behind us. We took off our jackets and shoes and walked into the den.
When we got there, I saw that stacked beneath the neatly decorated tree, was an equally neatly stacked pile of presents. Dash took the envelopes from me and placed them on some of the branches of the tree, amongst several others. We heard Scootaloo come running down the stairs toward us. We turned to see her running around the corner and straight to Dash. She jumped up and gave her sister a warm embrace, Dash returning it.
“Heya squirt.” Dash said. “Meet me in my room in about a half hour. We have something to tell you. Don’t forget to greet Sunset.”
“Okay.” she said, starting to blush. “Hey Sunset. How are you?”
“I’m better now. We gotta go greet your parents. We’ll see you in a couple of minutes.” I replied with a smile.
“Okay.” she replied and ran off, presumably to her bedroom. I heard talking coming from where she went.
“It would seem that Scootaloo has also invited someone.” I said in observation.
“It seems like it. Let’s not dwell on that. Let’s go find my parents.” she said, starting to walk off toward the kitchen. We got there, and saw that Dash’s dad was icing a christmas cake and her mom was putting the finishing touches on a seasonal salad.
“Hey mom, hey dad. Something sure does smell delicious.” Dash said. The smell of cooking meat made me a bit nauseous, but the rest was making my mouth water.
“Well, hey there, Dashie. That would be lunch cooking.” Windy Whistles said. She then turned to me. “It’s nice to see you again, Sunset.” Bow Hothoof nodded in agreement.
“Nice to see you again as well.” I replied. Dash nodded and we went up to her room, where we found Scootaloo inside, playing video games with none other than Silver Spoon, one of the girls who bullied the CMC for years, before Diamond Tiara started being nice. Dash coughed, causing the two girls to look to us. Dash looked to Silver Spoon, an unspoken question in her eyes. Scootaloo visibly gulped and started explaining.
“I-it’s not what you think.” she said, feebly, causing Silver Spoon and I to laugh.
“Then what is it?” Dash asked.
“I believe I can answer that.” I said with a good natured chuckle.
“Please do.” Dash said exasperatedly.
“I do believe that we aren’t the only ones that need to confess something.” I replied. I could see the gears turning in her head until the confused look was replaced with understanding. She mouthed the word “Oh” and turned to Silver Spoon.
“Is it true?” she asked, to which Silver Spoon nodded. Scootaloo went pale.
“Let’s all just take a seat on the bed and then we can all explain. Dash and I will go first, seeing as Scootaloo is too nervous.” I said, moving to the bed. The others all nodded in agreement and followed suit.
“Well. Sunset and I are in a relationship now.” Dash started, to which I nodded in agreement when they looked from Dash toward me. “Mom and Dad have known I was lesbian for some time now. I’d say about four years.” Scootaloo did a pretty good impression of Pinkie Pie doing a double take. Her expression then turned from shock to anger.
“How come you never told me?!” She asked.
“I don’t know, Scoots.” Dash replied, a downcast look crossing her features. I held her hand comfortingly. Scootaloo saw it, and regretted her harshness.
“I’m sorry, Dash.” she said.
“It’s okay.” Dash replied.
“Anyway. We plan on announcing our relationship after lunch.” I said, trying to steer the conversation away from that awkward topic. “Which, I assume, is your plan as well.” Scootaloo and Silver Spoon both nodded.
“How did you two get together?” Dash asked. “And when?” Silver Spoon grabbed Scootaloo’s hand when she saw her starting to hyperventilate. Scootaloo nodded and Silver Spoon started.
“It was two months ago. Scootaloo told me that she liked me, a lot. I had no idea how I felt about girls at the time, but I went with it. It was slow going at first, but gradually, I started feeling more towards her. It was then that I discovered that I had always been into girls, but never realised it. And now we’re here.” She explained, Scootaloo nodding.
“That makes sense.” I said. “I always knew that I was bisexual, even in Equestria. I liked both mares and stallions, but liked mares more.” Silver Spoon looked at me in confusion until Scootaloo whispered something in her ear, to which she mouthed “Oh, right. Pony from Equestria.”
A couple minutes later, we were called down to the den to open presents. Scootaloo and Silver Spoon took off at a run, laughing all the way down the stairs. Dash and I followed at a more leisurely pace. We got downstairs to see that Scootaloo had separated the presents for their respective owners. My eyes started tearing up when I saw that there was quite a large pile waiting for me.
I sat down in front of my pile and started unwrapping the first one. It had a tag that told me it was from Windy Whistles. Inside was a brand new pair of sneakers. She had even correctly guessed my size. The others included a brand new Ponystation 4 from Bow Hothoof, a new laptop and phone from Dash, among other things. Scootaloo had gotten Dash and I gift cards to Rich’s Bargain Basement, and there were thousand dollar gift cards from Bow and Windy for Grey’s Sporting Goods and Zecora’s Electronics. We all exchanged embraces. It then came time for the family to open their envelopes from me, and I pulled Silver Spoon aside. The family had each received five hundred dollars from me. They all looked at me, shocked.
“Where did you get the time to do this?” Dash asked.
“I did it all when we were at the gas station on the way here.” I replied. I took my purse out of the bag I brought and took out five hundred dollar bills and handed them to Silver Spoon. She wrapped me in an embrace. “Sorry I didn’t put it in an envelope, but I had no idea you’d be here today.”
“It’s fine, Sunset.” she replied.
“Just promise you’ll take care of Scoots.” I whispered in her ear.
“I will.” she said as we broke off the embrace.
“Right, I think it’s time for lunch.” Windy Whistles said, getting up from her recliner, Bow Hothoof following suit. We all filed out of the den and into the kitchen behind them. I chose a seat next to Dash on the one side of the table, with Scootaloo and Silver Spoon on the other side and the two adults having the seats on the ends of the table.
A couple hours later, lunch was finished, and we retired to the den with some hot cocoa. I was getting nervous, and I could tell that Dash and the others were as well, because soon we would have to confess our relationship.
“Mom, Dad. We have something to tell you.” Dash said, looking at me.
“So do we.” Scoots said, looking at Silver Spoon.
“Sunset and I are officially in a relationship.” Dash blurted, causing Bow Hothoof to almost choke on his cocoa.
“So are we.” Scootallo said, grabbing hold of Silver Spoon’s hand for comfort. What followed was dead silence. We heard the old grandfather clock ticking away in the foyer. Their sudden jubilant cries were not what we were expecting at all.
“Our girls have finally found their special somebody!” Bow Hothoof cried.
“We’re so happy for you girls.” Windy Whistles said, managing to wrap all four of us in a warm embrace simultaneously.
“You’re not even a little mad or surprised?” I asked, bewildered.
“Of course not.” they replied in unison, causing us to simultaneously breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in laughter and merriment, until Dash and I had to leave. I packed my presents into the trunk of my car, said goodbye to Dash’s parents, and we rode off toward Sweet Apple Acres.
