Sunset Shimmer lay on the floor of her apartment, curled into a fetal position and practically inanimate, save for the light breathing she was doing. The last of her tears ran down her eyes, but the emptiness in her body didn't go away. It did change that her time in Canterlot High was over.
It was over.
All her hard work to get everyone to trust her again. All the sacrifices she made. All the acts of atonement. All of it was gone in one day.
Just flushed down the drain. And it was because of something Sunset didn't do. She knew she was guilty of a lot of sins, but getting punished for something she didn't do hurt, like a rusty knife in her back.
Not to mention how suddenly it all ended: One minute, her friends were gushing over her getting to celebrate their first Christmas with her, and the next minute, they left her abandoned and crying in the hallway.
Her comatose state was interrupted by some thumping. After a few seconds, she realized someone was knocking on the door. Wiping the tears from her puffy red eyes, Sunset pulled herself up to answer the door. Not out of politeness, but because she wanted to enjoy her pity party in peace. Sunset opened the door, only to find a certain white-haired girl answering.
"Hey Shimmer," Gilda said, her yellow eyes honed in on Sunset, "we need to talk-," in a panic, Sunset quickly slammed the door. She was met with an angry yell.
"SHIMMER! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Sunset pushed her weight against the door, but it was no match for the statuesque girl's strength. Gilda forced the door open and burst into the former unicorn's apartment, her face in a red-hot rage. "YOU'RE DEAD!" The white-haired girl fumed before letting out another wail. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"Y'all haven't seen her in class?" Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo. The two girls and Sweetie Belle stood in the halls, practically gushing over having gotten one over on Shimmer.
A proud smirk formed on Scootaloo's face. "Nope. I've talked to all her teachers, and they haven't seen her either."
"Rarity still isn't talking to her," Sweetie Belle added with a nasty grin of her own.
"Are you sure?" Apple Bloom asked with a serious tone. Sunset and their older sisters needed to stay out of contact for their plan to work. If they reunited, they would put 1 and 1 together and find out they were the ones leaking secrets.
"I went up to Rarity," Sweetie Belle gloated. "And asked in my sad voice, 'Why are you being mean to Sunset?' " Apple Bloom smiled, remembering that they could shift suspicion away by pretending to like Sunset, and was impressed with Sweetie's puppy-eyes.
Scootaloo was happily curious. "And?"
"Well, Darling," Sweetie Belle said, imitating Rarity's fancy speech. "They are not words a proper lady uses in public." All three friends laughed out loud.
"Good," Apple Bloom chirped with a dark smile. A part of her regretted her actions. Some say she was going too far. But after all that Sunset did, it was what she deserved. Not getting invited to the party was just the final straw that broke the camel, or in this case, pony's, back. "And maybe if we're lucky, we'll never see her again."
The three girls paused as they noticed the hallways had become unusually quiet. "What's going on?" Sweetie Belle asked worryingly. They turned around and saw a shocking sight.
Two people escorted, or perhaps paraded was the better word, down the halls by two cops while covered in handcuffs. One of them was Officer Garda, the school's resident police officer, while the other was some fat lady with brown hair and blue skin that Apple Bloom did not recognize.
To Apple Bloom's growing horror, Gilda's face and clothing were all covered in blood, her face covered in slash marks. What horrified the youngest Apple was Gilda's expression. It was completely blank and emotionless. Whatever horrible thing Gilda had done, she didn't seem to show any remorse or shame for it.
Officer Garda and the female cop stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Go on," Officer Garda told Gilda. "Tell'em what you..." he trembled as if he wanted to punch Gilda herself. "Tell them what you did, monster."
Gilda's expression was colder than ice. "That...that bitch spread my secrets," she said in a tone that was calm but with such force that everyone could hear Gilda's confession across the hall. "And saw her and I saw red and..." a nasty grin formed on her face, but then faded, "I...I just woke up... like this..."
The hallway descended into a cacophony of shrieks, terror, fear, and sadness. With that, Apple Bloom and her friends felt tears run down their eyes in guilt. Apple Bloom's guilt only grew when she saw her older sister shrieking.
"WHY?!" The cowgirl shrieked, her tears running down. Behind her, Applejack's friends were also crying their eyes out. "WHY DID YOU DO IT?!"
Gilda lost any pretenses of calm, a psychotic smile forming on her face. "That bitch got what she deserved! I thought you and your bodies would be thanking me, Apple Girl!"
"I didn't want her to die!" Rainbow bellowed in hysterical rage, moist tears running down her eyes. Scootaloo's heart utterly shattered at that.
"YOU MONSTER!" Rarity shrieked in a voice that felt like a knife in Sweetie Belle's heart.
"Don't worry," Officer Garda muttered. "She's going right to jail."
"No, she's not going to the jail."
Suddenly a red-skinned upperclassman stepped out of the crowd. Apple Bloom remembered this was Sunset's boyfriend, Twinkle Toes. He strode toward Gilda, bone-chillingly calm. As soon as Gilda saw him, her deranged joy became more pronounced. "What's wrong, Twinkle? Sad I killed your pet slut? Don't worry." Gilda's eyes became utterly dead as she let out an evil cackle. "Don't worry. There's enough of her left you to enjoy." She paused. "Barely." Everyone let out a horrified gasp, followed by more shrieks.
Twinkle's expression got colder. "You're going to the morgue." The track runner suddenly pulled out a handgun and shot Gilda point-blank. She fell to the ground, dead, with a spot of crimson forming around her white shirt. The hallway descended into an even louder chorus of shrieks, crying, and whimpers as the two cops tackled Twinkle to the ground.
"OK! I admit it!" Apple Bloom yelled over everyone. "I am Anon-A-Miss!" The upset crowd looked in shock at the red-haired girl. But what broke Apple Bloom more was the betrayed look on Applejack and her friends' faces.
"Me too!" Sweetie Belle yelled, tears running down her eyes.
"Me three!" Scoootaloo shrieked. "We're sorry. We didn't mean for anyone to get..."Scootaloo lost all composure and broke down crying along with her friends. The taciturn female officer stepped away from manhandling Twinkle and stormed to the CMC. The three girls craned their heads, ready for whatever punishment the blue-skinned woman was going to give them. They deserved it.
The CMC broke from their grief as they stared at the cop in confusion. She didn't look angry, admonishing, or even remotely upset. She was smirking at them. Their confusion gave way to shock as the woman pulled off what turned out to be a face mask and wig, revealing familiar red and yellow locks.
"Gotcha!" Sunset said with a smirk. Suddenly a not-dead Gilda sprung up from the ground, laughing her ass off as well. Twinkle was also cackling like a madman, as was Officer Garda. The entire student body stood in shock at what occurred while the CMC was still cold and motionless.
"I think I'm a pretty good actor!" Gilda boasted. "You dweebs are too easy."
"You all should've seen your faces!" Twinkle gushed.
While the police officer and three students continued to laugh over their successful prank, a flurry of complicated emotions flowed through everybody; Relief that Sunset wasn't violently murdered. Guilt at being deceived and not believing Sunset, exhaustion at being, and anger at the CMC for leaking their secrets online.
The emotion that won out in Apple Bloom and her friends was fear as Officer Garda approached them with an angry expression on her face.
The emotion that won out in Applejack and her friends was guilt as Sunset's fit of laughter died down, and she looked at them with no small amount of disappointment. It was a look that was even worse than when Sunset bullied them in the past.
Apple Bloom once thought the scariest thing she'd ever seen was her Granny blowing a gasket at her.
But that paled in comparison to seeing the police officer's gaze honed onto her like a vulture waiting for an animal to die and become its lunch. The fact that he was looking down at him made his expression all the more powerful. And the look Vice Principal Luna was giving them wasn't much better. The lack of noise coming from her two friends showed how scared stiff they were.
"A slumber party," Officer Garda parroted to the Crusaders in a deceptively calm voice. Officer Garda, Luna, and the Crusaders were in the Vice Principal's office. The three sat on a couch. Vice Principal Luna sat silently behind her desk while Garda stood beside the woman. "That's what this is about?" The green-skinned man asked, taking a sip from a mug he was carrying. A very long and audible gulp. He then placed the mug on the desk with more force than necessary, causing a noise that made Apple Bloom and her friends flinch. "You three violated your sisters' privacy and violated the privacy of others because you got upset over not getting invited to a slumber party?" Luna's gaze was even sharper, driving the three girls to bow their heads in shame.
After a few moments of silence with disgust in her voice, Vice Principal Luna finally said after a few moments of silence. "Are you sure that's the reason?"
"Well," Apple Bloom muttered reluctantly.
"OK, we thought it wasn't that everyone started liking Sunset, OK!?" Sweetie Belle shrieked at last to the surprise of the adults.
"And why is that?" Principal Vice Principal said in a less harsh voice.
"Sunset ruined some poor girl's life," Apple Bloom muttered bitterly, " and she also ruined my life, sending my family and me into the poorhouse for a year. And after the...Battle of the Bands, everyone started liking her and patting her on the back."
"So when we didn't get an invitation and she did," Scootaloo said with pursed lips, "it felt unfair...she was getting everything she didn't deserve while we were getting screwed over."
"You know what's unfair?" Officer Garda asked the three girls with a sarcastic smile. "When someone steals your secrets and spreads them online." The girls flinched at that.
"And it never once crossed your mind to talk about how you felt with me, your friends, and your sisters?" Principal Luna asked with some sadness in her voice.
"I didn't think they'd listen," Apple Bloom muttered angrily. "They were all patting Sunset on the back."
"So your...strategy was to humiliate your sisters, humiliate everyone else, and get someone in trouble for something she didn't do." Luna's face was one of incredible disappointment. "That's how you chose to deal with your anger. By becoming as bad as Sunset used to be?" The three Crusaders felt tears go down their eyes.
"I'm sorry." Apple Bloom said bitterly. Luna looked a bit sympathetic, if still angry, but Officer Garda was not.
"I can see that." Officer Garda crossed her arms. "But what had I made perfectly clear after the whole thing with Quick Pace?"
"Not to take revenge against Sunset?" Sweetie Belle said.
"And what did you do?"
"Took revenge." Sweetie looked down at her knees.
"Because revenge doesn't solve anything and makes you stupid." Garda's face turned red again. "And because you violated that, you three are in severe trouble!"
"Hey." Scootaloo looked at the man with pleading eyes. "Doesn't it count that we told the truth?"
Officer Garda's face was one of disbelief. "Oh, so you want a medal for telling the truth?" Officer Garda said sarcastically. "I suppose you want a prize for chewing with your mouth closed, right?"
"Uh, no?" Sweetie Belle uttered.
"Nope, is right." A nasty smile appeared on Garda's face. "What you three we'll be getting is some nice, long community service. Since Sunset had to do 100 hours of community service, you'll be doing 200 hours."
"What?" Scootaloo said in a panicked tone.
Luna felt a mean smile form on her face as well. "That sounds pretty fair."
"But...but..." Apple Bloom stammered. "Sunset did worse-"
"If you think I'm being unfair," Officer Garda interrupted with a look that stopped Apple Bloom cold, "I'm gonna tell you now that I could care less about Sunset Shimmer." A dignified expression appeared on his face. "My true friend is the law, which you broke. By taking revenge when I said not to!" Apple Bloom's defiance ceased and replaced by acceptance.
"I will also be notifying your parents," Luna said coldly, "and you will confess to what you did in front of the school tomorrow. And you will also go right up to Sunset and apologize to her. If she lets you." Luna finished with some bitterness, emphasizing how the three girls almost permanently drove Sunset from the school.
"Yes, ma'am," Sweetie Belle said in a tired voice. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom also silently accepted their punishment. The three were so weighed down by guilt. They couldn't care less about the fact their reputation was about to go down the drain.
"Again, I can understand you have lingering resentment toward Sunset for what she did," Luna said in a sympathetic voice, "and you have every right not to like her. But this is not how a mature person handles their anger. You've not only hurt Sunset but many of your classmates and your siblings. If you hurt someone, you have to pay the price. My hope is you girls will take that lesson to heart."
"Now get your butts to class!" Officer Garda growled. The three girls walked out of the room, dragging their feet, their heads hanging in shame.
As soon as he left, the red-haired officer snorted. "You know what's great about kids?"
"No, what?" The Vice Principal replied.
"You can't think of anything either," Officer Garda muttered as he felt a massive headache in his brain. "Those three idiots are the best argument for why we should bring back child labor."
"Hey Shimmer," Gilda said, her yellow eyes honed in on Sunset, "we need to talk-," in a panic, Sunset quickly slammed the door. She was met with an angry yell.
"SHIMMER! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Sunset pushed her weight against the door, but it was no match for the statuesque girl's strength. Gilda forced the door open and burst into the former unicorn's apartment, her face in a red-hot rage. "YOU'RE DEAD!" The white-haired girl fumed before letting out another wail. "I'm gonna kill you!"
Sunset was terrified. "I'm not Anon-A-Miss!"
"You slammed the door on my fingers!" Sunset's eyes widened in confusion.
"What?"
"I was here to drop your book off," Gilda shrieked, "and you nearly tore off my fingers!" Sunset looked and saw a book was in Gilda's right hand. Sunset realized it was her political science textbook and she left it there after running out of the school in tears. Gilda let out another wail, dropped the book, and held onto her left hand. Sunset saw Gilda's fingers were throbbing and realized Gilda wasn't yelling in a rage. She was yelling in pain.
"Oh Gilda," Sunset said with some remorse, "I'm so sorry. Are they broken?"
"No," Gilda hissed in agony, "just...bruised." Sunset went to the first aid kit as Gilda let out another moan of pain.
"What did you think I was doing here?" Gilda inquired. The white-haired girl was resting on the couch, her fingers wrapped in bandages and covered in a plastic bag that was being used as an ice pack. Sunset stood near Gilda, acting as a nurse.
"I thought you were going to kill me," Sunset admitted shamefully, going over to her fridge and getting a soda for the white-haired girl, which Gilda took.
"You thought I was coming to kill you?" Gilda said in honest confusion.
Sunset gave Gilda a nasty stare. "Well, you did spend a few days tormenting me."
Gilda was completely unapologetic. "You ruined my summer for no reason." While Gilda no longer had it in for Sunset, she showed zero remorse for having bullied Sunset out of revenge. Sunset didn't know if she deserved that revenge, or if it was a well-deserved reality check, but it still left her skittish around Gilda. "You haven't done any shit to me know, so why would you think-
"Being Anon-A-Miss," Sunset interrupted.
Gilda looked at Sunset with utter disbelief before letting out an annoyed snort."I never thought you were Anon-A-Miss," Gilda muttered with disdain.
Sunset looked at the brawler with disbelief. "Really?"
Gilda rolled her eyes. "Even if you did do shit like that, I doubt you'd be stupid enough to make it so obvious." A nasty smile came on her face. "I mean, you are stupid, but not that stupid."
"Well, that's dandy," Sunset muttered sarcastically, "the girl who dunked my head in the toilet though I was innocent, my so-called friends didn't." Sunset felt tears run down her eyes. "I mean, I worked my behind off to make up to them, I did everything I was supposed to do, I helped them out, and they betrayed me."
"Yeah, it's a real pity,"
"Was I ever their friend, or did they just help me because they felt they had to?" Sunset asked rhetorically, tears running down her eyes. "I save them from the Dazzlings, put up with their snide remarks, help them with their homework-" Sunset's rant was interrupted by Gilda letting out a contemptuous laugh. "What are you laughing at?"
"How much of a big baby you are," the white-skinned girl said with disdain. Sunset glared at the girl.
"I'm a baby," Sunset replied with anger.
"What did you think was gonna happen Shimmer?" Gilda asked, rising from the couch, still covering her fingers with an ice pack. "You fucked over everyone, became a demon, blew up the school, got an innocent girl sent to the joint, and drove that dwarf so insane he attacked you, me, and everyone else."
"But-,"
"Did you really think everyone was just gonna forget all that?" Gilda asked with a raised eyebrow and a disgusted tone. "That you'd live happily ever after in eternal happiness and peace, huh? Did ya?"
Sunset let out a shameful frown. "I mean, a week ago, I was gonna get invited to Christmas party. I thought it meant I was in the clear." Sunset frowned in anger. "No matter what I do, everyone here will remember me as the 'School Demon?' Everyone will always wait for me to screw up? Should I even try and stay here?"
"I have an answer for that question," Gilda uttered. "But first, we need to go for a good hike."
"What?"
"A hike," Gilda repeated. "There is someplace I need to show you. Besides, you have a lot of stress, and you need to walk it off." She narrowed her eyes. "And you do owe me for smashing my fingers when I was trying to bring your book home."
Sunset let out a sigh. "OK. Where are we hiking?"
"Green Hill Park."
Sunset panted as she finally reached the summit of the mountain they were climbing. Her shirt and hiking shorts were soaked with swear. She collapsed from exhaustion, much to Gilda's contempt.
"Oh suck it up," Gilda said, not showing an ounce of exhaustion. "Soldiers have to climb even steeper hills while carrying 50 pounds of supplies."
"Is that why you can do it?" Sunset said, pulling a bottle of water out of her bag to relieve her dehydration.
Gilda let out a smirk. "I am planning to be in the army. And I've climbed this mountain since I was a kid. It was hard for me the first time, but what I found at the top is so worth it."
Sunset put her water bottle down. "What?" Gilda pointed outward to a cliff at the summit. Sunset could not believe what she saw.
The entire city of Canterlot was before her very eyes. All the streets she walked down, all the roads she had driven on, looked so small. The setting sun made the whole city look like it shined like gold. "Wow," Sunset said with awe, "this is so beautiful." The sight of this proud city appearing so tiny helped Sunset's troubles melt away a bit.
Gilda crossed her arms, a proud smile forming on her face. "Yep. I bet the hike has calmed you down a bit."
"I guess," Sunset admitted. All that exercise helped her feel good. "But let's just say I'm not eager to try again."
"Suit yourself."
"So what was the story you wanted to tell me? And why do we have to do it here."
A wistful smile formed on the white-skinned girl's face. "This place was where the second part of my life began."
"Is this about how you were adopted?" Sunset asked with a flat voice.
A sheepish smile formed on Gilda's face. "Well, that's part of it. How much do you know?" Gilda said, narrowing her eyes. "I mean, you did spy on everybody."
Sunset flinched, remembering how she stole secrets. "I know that you were adopted, but I don't the how."
"Well, it started here when I was about 12 years old. As I said, my mom was a wretched bitch." A pitying look came on Sunset's face, which faded as Gilda glared at her. "So I came here. Not just for the hike. But...my mom didn't feed me, so I came here for...food."
Gilda hid behind the bush, waiting for some idiot to let their guard down. The growling in her stomach made her increasingly impatient. "This is the tourist season," Gilda muttered to herself, "there's got to be a sucker out there." She paused as someone dropped their bag in front of her. With practiced caution and motion, Gilda crept out of the bush, stole the bag, and dove back behind the bush.
Gilda smiled with joy, which only grew when she saw the spoils: a couple of turkey sandwiches and a bag of chips. However, before she could eat them, she found herself yanked out of the bush and knocked to the ground.
"Nice try." A female voice said. Gilda looked up from her daze. She saw a yellow face staring back at her with a toothy grin to her growing apprehension. "But I have the ears of a mouth."
"That's how you met Spitfire?" Sunset asked with disbelief.
Gilda let out an amused smile. "I think I made a great first impression."
"So, what happened next?" Sunset asked her.
"Well, Spitfire did threaten to call the police on me," Gilda said, "but then she noticed how skinny I was. And then she saw how...bruised I was, and how I cringed when she mentioned my mom. She pretty much figured out my situation in about five minutes."
"Really?"
A proud smile formed on Gilda's face. "You can never get anything past, Sis. She knew my mom would lie, so she came up with a plan to expose her.
"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Gertrude," Spitfire said with a reassuring smile to Gilda's mother. Spitfire decided to return Gilda home personally and stood in the poor apartment. The woman wore a frumpy grey dress, her grey hair was matted, and she reeked of an obnoxious amount of perfume.
"My daughter was always a compulsive liar," the woman said with a forced smile, "I've tried to get her counseling, but she always avoids my help." Gilda suppressed a frown.
"It's a shame," Spitfire said to the woman. She turned to Gilda with a glare. "You stay out of trouble, young lady." Gilda nodded with a frown. Spitfire tapped the wall near the door and then walked out. As soon as she left, Gertrude turned toward Gilda with an unhinged frown.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, YOU LITTLE TRAMP?!" Gertrude screeched. Gilda began panicking.
"Mom, I was-," Gilda's pleas ended with a punch to the face.
"I WORK MY ASS OF FOR YOU," Gertrude shrieked, yanking her daughter by her short hair. "And this is how you repay me?!" Gertrude repeatedly slammed Gilda's forehead into a nearby wall. "By making me look bad?!" Suddenly, Spitfire burst back into the room, a stern glare in her bespectacled eyes.
"Ms. Spitfire," Gertrude said, immediately releasing her daughter. "What are you-," Spitfire silently pointed to the wall. To Gertrude's panic, she saw a tiny camera planted there. Spitfire held up her phone, showing a recording of Gertrude's abuse. The tall woman chuckled nervously.
"Ms. Spitfire," Gertrude said with a sheepish smile, "my daughter...never listens to me." Spitfire continued to stare at her silently. "She's always acting out. You believe in discipline, right?"
"Your right," Spitfire said in a chilly voice. "Bad people need discipline." She cracked her knuckles. "I'm about to give some you some discipline." Gertrude's face went pale with fear, while Gilda felt a happy smile form on her face.
"Spitfire kicked her ass and made her cry," Gilda said with a viciously happy smile. "After that, the police took her away, and I never saw her again."
"So when did your stepdad adopt you?"
"About a week. I stayed with Sis until then." Gilda said. "Of course, being adopted wasn't all sunshine and lollipops."
"Why?"
"First of all, living in a military family is kind of like juvie," Gilda muttered, "the rules are stringent. And with my background, Sergeant was on my ass all the time."
Gilda ignored the alarm clock when it rang, enjoying the comfort of her new bed. She continued to sleep for a few more moments when an obnoxious trumpet drove her awake. Gilda rubbed her eyes and saw Glider staring at her with a displeased look.
"All soldiers must be up at 0600 hours!" Glider bellowed.
"But Sergeant," Gilda wailed before a trumpet cut her off.
"For your act of insubordination, drop and give me 20," The Sergeant commanded. Gilda muttered angrily, only for a trumpet to cut her off again. "For giving me the lip, you get 30." Gilda silently frowned at began doing pushups.
"Yeesh," Sunset said with some horror in her voice, "he seems pretty harsh."
"Yeah," Gilda said idly, "the Sergeant could be a jerk. But he was hard on me because he wanted me to succeed. But he did....care about me."
Gilda sat in her room, playing her Joy Boy. She had nothing to do on her birthday, as expected, but she was content that she could at least have time to veg out. Her peace was interrupted when the Sergeant burst into her room.
"Report to the mess hall at 900 hours, maggot," The Sergeant bellowed.
"But Sergeant-,"
"No butts, maggot," the Sergeant said with an odd frown that looked like he farted and was trying to hide it. With a sigh, Gilda got up from her bed.
After a few minutes of walking, Gilda reached the mess hall, and what she saw made her nearly fall over with shock.
Spitfire, Soarin, and all the guys were in the mess hall. They were standing around a table, looking at her with a happy smile. In the middle of it was a chocolate cake with a small phrase written on the side.
"Happy Birthday Gilda!"
"Now that the birthday girl is here, we can all cut the cake," Soarin said happily. Soon, they all began singing 'Happy Birthday'. Glider walked in with a happy smile. Overwhelmed by joy, Gilda pulled the military officer into a hug, happy tears falling down her eyes.
"Wow," Sunset said with a cheerful smile, "that sounds nice."
"Yeah," Gilda said with a wistful tone, "the whole base treated me like I was their kid." A frown formed. "But not everything was perfect in my life, aside from how strict the Sergeant was. Some people didn't...trust me one bit."
"Like who?"
A disgusted frown formed on her face. "The Sergeant's sister, Phyllis."
"Hello, Gilda." The voice felt like a thousand swords stabbing her in the ears. Gilda forced a smile to her face as Phyllis came into the house. The woman's dyed blond hair contrasted sharply with her pink skin. Her brown mink coat that looked like an ugly carcass, covered her entire body.
"Hello, Aunt Phyllis," Gilda said with some forced politeness. Gilda struggled not to notice as the woman flinched over "aunt".
"How was your day," Phyllis said, "staying out of trouble?" The tone Phyllis used made their conversations sound like an interrogation.
"No worries."
"Good for you," Phyllis said in a sweetly condescending voice before walking (or fleeing) from the tall girl to talk to the Sergeant in her office. Gilda walked by the office, eager to return to her room when she heard the woman screeching.
"That girl is a devil child," the woman wailed, "why do you keep her around? She has no respect for authority or me."
Gilda suppressed a sob. The only thing that kept her from breaking down as she walked away was hearing the Sergeant defend her.
Sunset shot Gilda a sympathetic look. "Ouch."
Gilda let out an annoyed sigh. "Phyllis was one of these nutcases who talks about living according to good Ameliorist values." The military brat let out a frustrated snort. "They groan about how religious they are, and yet they always fall short on the part about tolerance and forgiveness.
"Back home, I've met nobles like that," Sunset said.
"Really?"
"Snobs who talk about Harmony but look down at other ponies," Sunset said with a nasty grin.
"Thankfully, she only came around a few times a year," Gilda said, "but one time, about a few months after I was adopted, she came to a barbecue and brought her son." Gilda felt some distaste form on her face. "Cousin Talon. And he was, to put it mildly, a brat."
Gilda came up to the boy with an excited look on her face. He had yellow skin, green hair, and a sun-yellow shirt, blue shorts, and red sneakers.
"I'm Gilda. What do you-,"
"Mom told me about you," the boy, Talon, said with a sneer, "about how your a criminal who should be tossed into the streets."
Gilda growled at the boy."I haven't been a criminal in a year-,"
"Criminal, criminal, criminal!" Talon chanted. Gilda was about to raise her fist, only for Talon to wail.
"Mommy, the criminal is attacking me!" Talon said.
"Man, that kid sounds like a real monster."
"To be fair, he was a product of his sweet and lovable mother," Gilda said with a roll of her eyes. "Anyways, that barbecue would be the worst day of my life."
Gilda happily took a seat between the Sergeant and Sis. She wanted to dig into her burger, but to her annoyance, she had to listen to a pompous speech by some old general. She felt something brush up against her leg but ignored it, thinking it was some bug.
Just as the man finished his speech, the general's wife let out some wail.
"My pearls!" the old lady bellowed. "Someone took my pearls!" Everyone started looking around, trying to find the woman's valuable object.
"Well, look what we have here," Phyllis said, walking up to Gilda. The Sergeant and Spitfire saw the woman approach them with some distaste.
"What are you talking about?" Phyllis bent over to the area near Gilda and picked up a string of pearls.
"Those are my pearls!" The general's wife shrieked. Everyone turned to look at Gilda with a glare, who responded confused.
Gilda was shoved into her room by an angry Glider a moment later.
"But Sergeant, I didn't do it-," Gilda complained sadly.
"YOUR GROUNDED!" The man bellowed. "I let you into my home, and you steal from the wife of my commanding officer! I defended you in front of Phyllis, and you rewarded my faith like this. Maybe you should go back into the street."
"But-," Gilda's protests died as the door slammed. The white-haired girl fell to the floor, crying her eyes out, tearfully pleading that she didn't do it.
Gilda clutched her arm and felt her eyes turn a little wet.
Sunset ran over to Gilda and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Gilda, I'm so sorry." That memory so hurt Gilda, she didn't push Sunset away over and complained about not needing pity.
"I know," Gilda said with an uncomfortable expression. "It...sucked a lot. Everybody I came to see as a family just...assumed I would go bad again...and didn't bother to hear me out. Even my own adopted dad...saw me as a criminal. It...just hurt."
"So, what did you do?" Sunset said in a soft tone. Gilda's lips quivered a bit, but she managed to rein in her emotions with a sigh.
Using a bedsheet, Gilda was able to climb down the second floor. As soon as she reached the ground, she ran away from the house, tears running down her eyes. She didn't even bother to look back. Since they thought she was evil, she wasn't going to give them a second thought.
"So you ran away?" Sunset asked, herself on the verge of tears.
"Yeah," Gilda said, "I figured if they weren't gonna believe me, I wasn't gonna stick around."
"So when did you prove you didn't do it."
"I didn't," Gilda said. "It turns out Talon was the one who planted the pearls on me."
"What?" Sunset said with disgust.
"Yeah," Gilda said with some disdain, "he did it because he thought it was funny. But after I ran away, he confessed because he felt guilty about what he did." Gilda felt her lips quiver again. "So...everyone started looking for me. And eventually, Spitfire found me..." Gilda paused, struggling to remember a painful memory.
"What?" Sunset asked in a soft voice.
"You can't tell anyone about this," Gilda said in a sad, grave voice. "I never even told this to Chips, Rolling Thunder, or Lightning Dust."
"I won't," Sunset assured. With a hard swallow, Gilda continued.
Gilda reached the summit of Green Hill. It was beautiful, unique, and the perfect place for her to end it all. Gilda hesitated, but then the words of her so-called mother came in, reminding her of how worthless she was. Then she remembered how no one cared for her opinion, how they'd treat her like a criminal without even letting her speak in her defense.
Soon she was able to walk closer and closer to the edge. In a few moments, she would be taking her last dive. She remembered Rainbow Dash attacking her, Blossomworth paralyzed, all the people she robbed, to remind her why no one loved her. Suddenly, jumping seemed to be enticing. She put one toe forward and took another deep breath. This was it. One more foot forward, and she wouldn't have to worry about anything, anymore.
"GILDA! STOP!" Gilda turned around and saw Spitfire coming toward her.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Gilda bellowed.
"Don't jump," Spitfire said in a pleading tone, "please!"
"Why shouldn't I?!" Gilda yelled. "You all think I'm a monster!"
"I don't," Spitfire said, "we know it wasn't you." Spitfire got closer, only to stop as the white-haired girl inched closer to the edge.
"YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE ME!" Gilda accused, angry tears falling down her face. "YOU THOUGHT I WAS STILL A THIEF!"
"You're right, I did," Spitfire admitted with some regret. "I made a mistake. But that doesn't mean I think you're a monster!"
"YOU HATE ME!" Gilda yelled, her face stained with tears.
"NO, I DON'T!"
"YES, I DO!"
"If I hate you, then why am I looking for you?!" Spitfire threw back. The question gave Gilda pause. "If I hated you, why would I be begging you not to jump?" Gilda saw sad tears flow down Spitfire's face. "Please, Gilda, don't do it."
Gilda stood still as a statue, not knowing what to do.
"I'm sorry, Gilda," Spitfire said regretfully. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. But just because we make mistakes doesn't mean we don't love you." Gilda ran away from the ledge and into Spitfire's arms with a deep breath.
"I love you, Sis," Gilda said, tears flowing down her eyes as Spitfire pulled her into a hug.
"I love you too," Spitfire said, tears running down her eyes as she patted Gilda on the head. "And I'm sorry."
Sunset felt herself crying. Gilda herself was on the verge of tears too.
Sunset put another warm hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid of crying. I won't judge you for it."
Gilda composed herself and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Gilda sounded sincere. "It's just...the first time someone I've told someone about this, outside of Spitfire and the Sergeant."
"Did he ever make it up to you?" Sunset asked with some concern.
"Yeah," Gilda said with a smile.
"How?"
"I'm sorry, Gilda." Talon looked honestly ashamed. Gilda responded by spitefully turning her head away from the boy. He looked at Glider, hoping for some mercy. "And I'm sorry, Uncle Glider."
"You should be," Glider said, coldly furious. Spitfire and Soarin were also thoroughly angry. "And it will be a long time before I ever invite you-,"
"Don't blame him," Phyllis crooned, coming into the room. "If it weren't for the criminal," Phyllis said with a glare to the white-haired girl, "being a bad influence on him, he wouldn't have-"
"GET OUT!" Glider bellowed.
Phyllis looked confused. "Glider, how could you-,"
"You've done nothing but badmouth Gilda, and I've had it!"
"But-,"
"You may be my sister, but that doesn't give you the right to badmouth my daughter," the man said, gesturing to the door. Gilda felt a warm smile form on her face. "Even when she's done nothing wrong, you keep belittling her, when it was YOUR son who was stealing. And this is the last straw! Since you can't accept her, leave and don't come back!" Soarin and Spitfire also gave her glares, warning her to leave as well. With a sigh, Phyllis stormed away, taking Talon by his arm.
Glider turned toward Gilda with a regretful sigh. "Gilda," Glider said, his eyes wet. "Could you ever-," Gilda ran to Glider and pulled him into a hug.
"You called me your daughter," Gilda said, "I already have." Glider happily returned the hug.
"What?" Soarin' said with silly dismay. "No hug for us."
"They're having a moment," Spitfire said playfully, "don't ruin it."
"So, you're saying that even though your adopted family made a mistake, that didn't mean they didn't care about you," Sunset surmised.
"Pretty much," Gilda said.
"So you're saying that...while my friends did a stupid thing, I should just forgive them," Sunset said as well with some discomfort in your voice.
"I see what you're saying," Sunset said. "My friends aren't perfect, and they did something stupid, but they have forgiven me and have done a lot for me. And if I didn't forgive them, I'd be a hypocrite."
"I'm not trying to tell you what to do," Gilda said. "The Sergeant told me this: that if I wanted to call myself a good person, I had to do the hard thing and give you a chance," Gilda said with a stern look. "The dweebs and your boyfriend did the hard thing. Maybe you got to do the hard thing for once. Besides, I think someone who stands up to me to defend you deserves a second chance."
Sunset's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Gilda's eyes twinkled. "Oh, you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"I was going to put itching powder on your shit, and Fashion Queen stood up to me to protect you. Even kicked me in the throat." Gilda looked more amused than insulted.
"Really?" Sunset said with a smile.
"Yeah," Gilda said.
Sunset frowned a bit. "I get what you're saying. But...they were telling me how they saw me as family...and then they told me to scram. Doesn't that mean they never really forgive me?"
An odd smirk formed on Gilda's mouth. "How about this? I have a way you can prove that if your friends do care about or not."
Sunset noticed the smirk and felt one form on her own face. "What are you planning?"
"Depends," Gilda said, her smile becoming more mischievous, "can you get your boyfriend on board?"
"Depends on what it is?" Gilda told Sunset her plan, and by the end of it, Sunset was cackling.
"All I have to do is get Micro Chips on board, and the plan will be all set," Gilda said with a cheeky smile.
"You want to help me out?" Sunset asked the military girl in a soft voice. "Does that mean we're friends?"
Gilda let out a frown. "Well, I used to think you were revolting."
"And now?"
"Well, since you started taking a shower, not so much." Sunset started laughing like crazy. After a day of misery, her spirits felt lifted. "You did help me with my essays, and while your E-mail scam with Chips was messed up...without it, I wouldn't have dated him. So yeah, we're cool."
"Thanks," Sunset said. While Sunset was still upset, Gilda's advice and offer of help lifted her spirits. Now she needed to get Twinkle on board.
"I'm not mad at you guys."
The Rainbooms met in Sunset's apartment. She asked them to come over for a talk but was deliberately vague. When she invited them in, she looked despondent. The Rainbooms expected a major ass-chewing or tearful shrieking. To say there were stunned by those words was a massive understatement.
"But-," Pinkie began, only to be cut off by Sunset raising her hand.
"I can't blame you guys for what you did," Sunset said in a soft, empathetic voice. "The whole Anon-A-Miss thing is something I would've done, and you had no way of knowing your sisters would've done something like that. It was pretty easy to suspect me." Sunset briefly stared at the floor before continuing. "And I do believe you guys are sorry and ashamed of yourselves. You did break down and cry when you thought Gilda murdered me." Sunset let out another thoughtful pause before continuing. "Part of me wants to give you guys a chance the same way you gave me a chance," Sunset said, "but-," Sunset looked down again, her face incredibly uncomfortable.
"What is a sugar cube?" Applejack asked with concern.
"It's OK to tell us," Fluttershy assured her.
"I'm seeing. I don't know, a pattern," Sunset said uneasily, "that shows that deep down, you guys always held a grudge against me, you never actually forgave me, and the only reason you hung out with me is that you felt sorry for me."
The Rainbooms were shocked at the accusation. "Sunny," Pinkie objected, "that's not-,"
"Pinkie Pie," Sunset uttered in a calm but forceful tone. The pink-skinned girl shut her mouth. "Let me recap. When I was suspended, the only people who bothered to hang out with me were Applejack and Pinkie", Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity looked down in shame, "and even then, we only met once a week after school, either in Cherry's diner or in my house where no one could see us." Pinkie Pie and Applejack suddenly felt like they wanted a hole to swallow them up in embarrassment. "And that was after I paid compensation to one of you."
"And you two," Sunset gestured to the fashion lover and the animal enthusiast, "only hung out with me because Applejack and Pinkie Pie begged you. And you," Sunset turned to Rainbow, "you avoided me for a couple of weeks and took joy in my suffering." Rainbow didn't even respond, looking thoroughly ashamed. "And the only reason why you hung with me as I was carted off to jail." Sunset felt herself on the verge of tears and took a deep breath before continuing.
"And there were all those times you 'joke' about me being a demon," Sunset said, her voice about to crack. that hurt the Rainbooms even more than a scream. "And," Sunset bit her lip to control her quiver, "maybe I deserve some of those comments, but they tell me you think of me as a monster."
The accusation completely abashed the Rainbooms. "But Sunset," Fluttershy said in a horrified, "we've taken you to our sleepovers, and movies, and dinners-,"
"Did you do that because you wanted too," Sunset asked with a serious look, "or did you do it because you felt you had to?" Sunset clenched her fists. "Let me tell you something. What you guys did to me was worse than what Gilda, Micro Chips, and everyone else did when I got back." The Rainbooms look confused. "Yeah, they were rough on me, but at least they didn't lie to me or pretend to be my friend. When you guys ditched me, it was like...Quick when he pretended to like me when he was plotting revenge." Sunset's friends, Applejack especially, were mortified by the comparison. Sunset began feeling tears fall down her eyes. "I'd rather have no friends than be around people who are gonna lie to me later."
"Sunny," Rainbow finally said, "I'm sorry-,"
"I KNOW YOUR SORRY! I KNOW YOU FEEL BAD! BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Sunset took a deep breath before continuing in a hoarse voice. "I need to know the truth: did you guys hold a grudge against me all this time?! If you want to hang out with me now, it's not going to matter if you still hold a grudge because it means you'll probably ditch me again!" The Rainbooms sat still in contemplative silence over the question.
"OK," Applejack said uneasily, "maybe we did hold a grudge against you! But that wasn't the only reason why we got upset."
"Then why?"
"Let me put it this way, Darling," Rarity said in a soft, thoughtful voice. "It's because you became our friend that we got mad at you. You are stealing our secrets would be the equivalent of my father or mother doing it. It's because there was so much love between us that we got mad. After all, we thought someone we'd come to care about was betraying us". Sunset softened at that, albeit slightly. "But yes," Rarity admitted to her shame, "maybe we never really got over our fear."
"And again, I don't blame you," Sunset said. "But if you're going to keep holding a grudge against me, then what's to stop you from abandoning me again the second I do something wrong? Again, I don't want to hang out with people who deep down resent me."
"We promise Sunny," Pinkie Pie said in a pleading tone, "we'll throw you-"
"Pinkie," Rainbow interrupted. "Sunset doesn't want a party, she wants to be able to trust us again." Rainbow looked at Sunset with pleading eyes. "What can we do to prove we won't ditch you again?"
"OK," Sunset said with a stern look. "There is something I want you five to do. I want you to name someone you despise or have hurt you in the past." The Rainbooms looked perplexed at the idea.
"OK," Rainbow said in a confused tone. "Uh, Gilda."
"Uh, Fleur De Lis," Fluttershy said.
"Suri Polomare."
Pinkie didn't respond, not thinking of a single person she despised.
"Strawberry Sunrise," Applejack said.
"I want you to go up to these people and try and bury the hatchet with them," Sunset said. "Not just apologize. Make an effort to hang out with them."
"But Sunset," Applejack objected.
"Again, if you still have lingering resentment toward me, your apologies and gifts and invitations are going to mean nothing because your gonna ditch me when things get rough again."That statement hurt the girls. "The only way to you can prove your sorry is if you can do the hard thing and bury your hatred with someone else." Sunset's expression softened. "I'm not saying you guys have to bend over backward to appease these people if they act rude to you. But here's what the Princess taught me: 'you can't be good when its convenient. You have to be good to everyone. Either everyone is happy, or no one is happy.' Thus, if you guys can't let go if your grudges against them then you won't be able to let go of your grudge against me. If you can do that, then it shows me you won't let your grudges consume you anymore, and I can feel comfortable hanging out with you again."
A long silence hung over the air. "You're right," Applejack declared solemnly, "if we can't forgive these people, then we can't call ourselves Elements of Harmony, now can we?!"
"She's right," Fluttershy said. "We need to be good, even when it's hard." Rainbow looked uneasy. But then she remembered Sunset crying down the ground, and her face became one of resolve.
"We'll do it," Rainbow said in a low, serious voice. "We can't let the stupid things in the past control us anymore."
Sunset looked at them very, very stoically. "Well, you gotta prove that to me." The unsympathetic tone made them cringe because it showed she while she wasn't tearing them down, she wasn't putting stock in their words anymore. They had to prove their words through actions now.
"Also, I want us to take a break." Her friends looked confused. "Look, it isn't what you think it means. I realize I can't keep relying on you guys, and I need to make my own friends. For a month, I want time to meet new people, OK?"
To Sunset's joy, her friends didn't protest, instead giving her tearful smiles, proving they accepted she wanted some time apart.
Gilda bench pressed in the gym with Micro Chips as her spotter. Her face was red sweat, her skin sweaty, and her arms were screaming in pain.
It was a perfect day for the white-haired girl.
"28," Chips counted, "29, 30!" Gilda let out a sigh of relief as she finished her reps. She got up from the bench and took a seat near a plastic chair.
"Good job, Gilds," Micro said with a congratulatory smile.
"Nah, I'm slowing down," Gilda muttered as she took.
"Not in the sack," Micro joked. Gilda spat out a drink in both astonishment and laughter.
"The nerd is finally loosening up," Gilda said in a smile that was both.
"Well, that's what ointment and tissues are for," Micro Chips said.
Gilda let out another proud cackle. "You are on a roll, Chips." Micro looked at his watch.
"I got to get to the AV Club," Micro said to Gilda, running out of the workout room.
"See ya." Gilda went over to a mirror and began lifting a few dumbbells over her head.
"Gilda." The white-haired athlete paused when she saw who was in the mirror. She reluctantly turned around and saw Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow," Gilda said in an icy tone. "What do you want?" Rainbow frowned like she had a nasty paper cut. "Well, out with it."
"I want to say that," Rainbow bit her lip, "what happened to Blossomworth...wasn't your fault." Gilda's eyes widened. "Yeah...you peer pressured me...but it was my choice to make her go walk on the ledge too, so I can't blame you." Rainbow took another deep breath. "But since that time...I've treated you like you were a worm. Even when you tried to save Applejack, and...I wanted to know if...you wanted to make peace and...bury the hatchet...and all that." Gilda stared at Rainbow with an inscrutable expression.
"If you don't want to," Rainbow said with resignation, "that's-,"
"I was jealous of you and Blossomworth."
Rainbow narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What?"
"I was jealous of you and Blossomworth," Gilda repeated in a soft voice.
"Why?" Rainbow asked. "You seemed pretty popular. That's why Moondancer and I-,"
"Yeah, well being popular among lowlifes is pretty hollow." Gilda frowned seriously. "Almost all those goons that followed me ended up in juvie. Believe I wouldn't trust them as far as I could spit."
Rainbow frowned sympathetically at Gilda. "Really?"
"The reason why I hung out with those jerks and did all those stupid stunts was that," Gilda frowned morosely, "I never had anything worth living in life. And, maybe, I made you and Blossomworth do those things was because," Gilda's lip began quivering a bit, "deep down, you and Blossom," Gilda looked down with regret, "had something I never got." The military brat's eyes began to water. "You two had people who...cared about you." Gilda started shaking. "And-and my-my mom was-," She bit her lip. "And maybe I was dragging you down to my level."
Rainbow put a hand on Gilda's shoulder. "Gilda, I didn't know-,"
"But that didn't make it right for me to do what I did," the white-skinned girl croaked. "Making Blossom do that, and-and making fun of her and-," Gilda broke down in tears.
Rainbow pulled the military girl into a hug. Gilda let out an apology in between sobs while Rainbow patted her on the back and said sorry too.
"We can't change the past," Rainbow cooed with a smile as the last of Gilda's tears died down. "From now on, we go forward." Rainbow extended her hand. "Deal."
Gilda looked scared, but then accepted the hand with a grateful smile. "Deal."
Micro Chips watched this with such a small amount of pride. His girlfriend was growing up.
"Keep digging."
Apple Bloom and her friends dug a new flower bed while Officer Garda supervised. They worked for hours, getting covered in sweat and dirt. Officer Garda watched this while sitting under an umbrella, sipping lemonade, and reading a book on ancient torture techniques.
They felt like slaves and him the slave master. Being forced to toil on Saturdays wasn't just bad. It should be a human rights' violation.
"Can we take our break now?" Scootaloo asked in a desperate tone.
The man didn't look up from his book. "Ten minutes."
The three scrambled to a nearby table and took out their lunches.
"Granny's making clean out the pig troughs!"
"Rarity has me scrubbing the floors."
"Rainbow's making me do the laundry for all the sports teams."
They didn't say anymore. They knew they deserved it. But it didn't make their punishments suck less. They chowed miserably on their lunches when they saw a shadow emerge. They looked up and their blood went cold.
Sunset Shimmer approached them with a smile while holding a plastic bag. The fire-haired girl probably had some revenge scheme planned out. Apple Bloom let out a resigned sigh. "Go ahead. Do yer worst."
"You're right," Sunset replied with a scarily happy smile. "I am going to do my worst." The three shook as Sunset took something out of her bag."You're getting blueberry pie, not cherry."
Apple Bloom and her fellow Crusaders looked confused, seeing the fire-haired girl offer them a pastry. "Why are you getting us a pie?"
"I wanted to welcome you to a special club."
Scootaloo cocked her head. "What club?"
"The Did Stupid Things Club," Sunset remarked with an odd smile. "To qualify, you have to do a foolish thing. Once you get in, your activities include back-breaking labor, being grounded, and having everyone distrust you." Sunset's expression softened. "But there is another part of this club: forgiveness and getting a second chance."
The Crusaders looked morose. "But...we humiliated you and hurt our sisters," Sweetie Belle muttered remorsefully.
"Well," Sunset said, "you did save my life." Apple Bloom was surprised. "I can definitely forgive someone who saved me, even they were mad at me."
"But what about the rest of us?" Sweetie Belle said in a soft, weak. Scootaloo looked curious.
Sunset's expression became more severe. "What you did was wrong, but...I shouldn't expect you to be completely comfortable around me or that all of your hatred would vanish. But also, life's too short to hold grudges. I can see where that leads." She wordlessly gestured to their condition: despised outcasts who worked to the bone for their stupid behavior. "And if people can forgive me for being a demon, I can forgive you guys. Especially since you guys are already making up for your mistakes."
The Crusaders broke down in tears, muttering apologies.
"See, you guys understand what you did was wrong," Sunset assured them with a smile, placing the pie on the table and giving them each a hug.
As the last of their tears died, Sweetie Belle looked at Sunset with a serious question. "Want to join us?"
"Sure," Sunset said with a smile. Sunset sat down and pulled a plastic knife out of the bar to evenly split the pie between the four of them.
Officer Garda looked up from his book for a moment and looked at Sunset with a proud smile.
