Forged in Flame

"I GOT IT!" The sudden bellow knocked Medea off her hooves and dropped her hard onto the marble flooring. She shook off the daze and stood up, watching Sunset bounce around with joy radiating off her.

"You passed?" she asked.

"Yes! I passed it! I'm officially a student! YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!" The energy bursting from Sunset was overwhelming to say the least. Her horn sparked with uncontrollable magic, and her grin was wider than ever. Medea couldn't help but smirk.

"See? I told you! Who was right, huh?!" She quickly wrapped Sunset up in a headlock and gave her a heavy-duty noogie.

"OW! OWOWOWOW! Medea! OW! Stoppit!" Sunset pushed against Medea, lighting up her horn and pulling her off. She rubbed her head with tears in her eyes and pouted lips.

"Aww, don't be such a foal. We're just one pass away from celebrating!" Medea nudged against Sunset with a playful grin, though the fire-mane unicorn was far from pleased with the headache now present. The doors opened up again, and the stallion from before poked his head out, staring at Medea.

"Miss Rose, we're ready for you." he announced before disappearing behind the doors again. Medea took a deep breath through her nose and out past her lips. Sunset gave her a reassuring shoulder hug and smiled. The two nodded in unison and Medea made her way inside, the doors slamming behind her.

******

"You... you what?" Sunset stood before Medea, mouth agape.

"I didn't get it..." Medea's head was low, eyes hidden behind her mane, and her voice weak. Sunset's eyes trailed side to side, a chaotic mess of thoughts buzzing in her mind.

"There has to be some mistake. You're just as good as I am!"

"Well apparently not! I completely screwed it up!" She snapped, startling her friend. For Sunset, her childhood fantasy was crashing down all around her, and there was little she could do about it.

"What happened?" she asked. Medea leaned against a set of lockers and banged her head against the metal with a loud clang echoing in the hall.

"It was stupid. All I had to do was cast a gem finder spell on a hunk of rock, find a piece of sapphire, and dig it out with nothing but raw magic. Only the stupid spell didn't work right, and I ended up picking out stupid bits of ruby instead!"

"Couldn't they give you another chance?"

"I tried, but those uptight know-it-alls are such mules. They wouldn't let me try after that embarrassment."

"But... b-but we're... it's supposed to be the two of us! We're supposed to graduate together!"

"I know!" Medea took a deep breath and raised her head, eyes closed until she exhaled slowly. "I know. Look, we can still do this. We just need to find another way." Sunset looked a little caught off by this.

"Another? But... but I'm a student here."

"We can be students elsewhere! There are other schools!"

"I know! But this school is a once in a lifetime chance for any unicorn! I... I can't just give it up! My parents would be furious!" she said. Medea frowned and took a step towards Sunset.

"What, you're just gonna quit on us because of what your parents think?"

"No! I mean, I want to go to this school! I've wanted it since my mom told me about it!" Tensions were rising. Medea was steadily looking more angry while Sunset was on the defensive.

"We're supposed to be doing this together. We promised we would! YOU promised we would!" Medea spat.

"I... but..."

"You can't just abandon me! What am I gonna do without you?! We're in this together!"

"B-But...!" Sunset was choking on her own words, struggling to remain strong against Medea's attack, "I can't...! I can't! I've wanted this for so long! I... I thought we'd be in it together! I thought there was no way only one of us would fail!"

"I guess you were wrong. So what're you gonna do about it?" she scowled at Sunset, visibly shaking. Sunset's eyes shrunk in fear, feeling herself shrink before Medea, and darting her eyes left and right.

"I... I..." Sunset whimpered, with Medea scowling, her face tense with anger.

"So that's it?! I screw up, and you suddenly think you're too good for me?!"

"No! I... I just don't want to give this up! Please, Medea! Don't do this to me!" she pleaded Medea, who hardly appeared very merciful at this point. Her eyes squinted with contempt, and her teeth were clenched behind tight lips.

"Fine. FINE!" Medea yelled, shocking Sunset out of her thoughts, and stomping past her with a shove. Sunset stumbled on her hooves and twisted around, watching Medea leave in anger.

"Medea! Wait, please!" Despite her attempts, Medea didn't heed her call, storming off out of sight. Sunset stood alone in the halls, tears streaming down her face, her legs wobbling, and her head hung low, eyes clung tightly shut. "Wait..."

******

Sunset kept her hands around the glass of her milkshake, staring blankly at the mix of cream and milk in silence. Pinkie inched closer to her, nudging her hip into Sunset's, and snapping her out of her daze. She glared at Pinkie who's face was only an inch away, showing off the most innocent grin she could muster. Sunset struggled to figure which was more distracting, her painfully awkward lack of a sense of personal space, or the smell of cotton candy coming from her hair. No matter the case, she strengthened her scowl at Pinkie until she scooted back a foot.

"Sorry, I thought that'd make you smile." she explained. Sunset's glare softened, and she looked back to her milkshake.

"There's a lot about me you don't know..."

"Then keep going so I will!" Pinkie slurped her milkshake through a straw at an obnoxious volume, her full focus on Sunset. The teen glared daggers at her again, and Pinkie slowed her slurping down to a gentle suck. "Sorry." she whispered. Sunset sighed, rolling her eyes, and leaned on her hand, her elbow pressed against the table top.

"It wasn't all gloom. There were some happier moments at the time, as brief as they were..."

******

"Only three days left. I trust you are excited?" said Princess Celestia as she looked down with a gentle smile to the young Sunset Shimmer as they walked the halls of the school. The filly answered with a grin of excitement, barely keeping her hooves tied to the floor as she was bursting with energy.

"Yeah! It's so amazing here! I can't wait to get started!"

"Patience is a virture, my dear student. Remember that in your studies." The princess brushed one of her large but gentle wings over Sunset's head, her feathers combing through the filly's mane and tickling her nose. Sunset snorted in repressed laughter and nodded.

"I will!"

"I know you will." The two continued to walk down the long hall as both students and teachers passed them, most if not all stopping to bow in respect to the princess, who in return would give them a slight bow of her head. Sunset always watched Celestia's reactions to the others, and her eyes sparkled with both respect and inspiration. As they began to walk up the large staircase in the middle of the grand hall of the school, Sunset spoke.

"Princess, you're so nice to everypony." Celestia's ears perked, and her eyes turned to the little filly.

"You sound confused. Should I not be?" A playful smile coated her lips.

"N-No! You're amazing! It's no wonder everypony loves you!"

"Buuut...?"

"... But why? You're the ruler of Equestria, and a powerful alicorn. Didn't you ever think anypony was beneath you at all?" Sunset asked, her eyes full of innocence. Celestia frowned slightly, but she returned to smiling shortly after.

"You are a very curious pony, Sunset. Your desire for knowledge is a gift not everypony shares."

"Princess...?"

"Well, to answer your question, I see everypony with incredible potential. Each one is just as capable as you or me in doing wonderful things. All it takes is a good head on your shoulders, a strong heart, and the willpower to endure and overcome any hardship. It is through these trials that you inspire everypony around you, and they in turn inspire you to go on. You and me, Sunset? We are only different in title and appearance. But in our hearts, we are all the same. That is why." Sunset's eyes widened with both admiration and wonder. Her gaping smile was so wide, Celestia feared she'd swallow a fly.

"And... I have potential too?"

"More than you realize. I think you are destined for great things, my little pony."

"Princess!" A sudden call from behind forced Celestia to stop in her tracks, with Sunset only pausing a second later. She turned her head and met eyes with a golden coated female earth pony galloping after her until she came to an abrupt halt before the alicorn princess. Sunset looked over her and noticed how her brown mane was short and tied back in a funny little brush shape, and her even shorter tail followed the same pattern. The black paw-shaped cutie mark was rather cute to Sunset, forcing a tiny giggle out of the filly. "Forgive me, but I must speak with you."

"It is no trouble, Paws. What is the problem?" Celestia asked.

"It is regarding your most recent student, Sunset Shimmer." Sunset's demeanour shook a little. Her classes had not even started and she was already in trouble? Aside from gathering supplies and speaking with the princess, she hadn't done anything related since her enrolment.

"Did she do something wrong?"

"That's why I need to speak to you. We have reason to believe that she might have cheated in her enrolment exam." Her words felt as though they were coated in razor blades the moment they touched Sunset's eardrums. Her entire world rocked violently, and it only got worse the moment she saw the shock on Celestia's face, something that was a foreign concept to the filly.

"Cheated?!" Sunset yelled.

******

"You cheated?!" Pinkie screamed loudly, provoking a sudden silence in the entire café. Sunset quickly slapped her hand over Pinkie's mouth and gripped tight, glowering at her.

"Keep your voice down!" she sharply whispered, looking around as both customers and staff awkwardly started at her. She quietly sunk back into her seat and released Pinkie, looking at the smudge of cream over her palm in disgust, and grabbing a napkin to wipe it clean.

"Sorry." Pinkie said quietly. She gave a sheepish smile to the less-than-amused Sunset, who merely rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"May I continue?"

"Yep!"

******

"Sunset Shimmer, is this true?" Celestia asked, turning her full attention to the fearful filly.

"No! I swear, I didn't cheat!" Her eyes were filling up with tears, and her voice croaked with terror. Celestia gave her a stern look, eyes unwavering, and her breathing was calm, everything the opposite to what Sunset was going through. She kept that painful look on Sunset for what felt like hours before she turned her head to Paws with a softened expression.

"What proof do you have she cheated?"

"A janitor came across some powder in the middle of the exam room the other day. Our herbologist managed to identify it as a particular herb that can temporarily increase a unicorn's magic." Paws explained. Celestia was a mix of troubled and concerned. She closed her eyes and fell deep in thought while Sunset remained close by, fidgeting her hooves against the red rug. The princess opened her eyes and looked to Paws.

"Follow procedure."

"Right away, Your Highness." With a heavy bow, Paws departed from the scene, trotting down the hallway until she disappeared down a flight of stairs. Sunset looked up at Celestia, a subtle whimper behind her wobbling lips.

"W-What's procedure, Princess...?" she asked. Celestia turned and lowered her head to Sunset's level, smiling.

"The teachers are simply going to conduct an investigation to find the truth. If you are innocent, then they will find nothing that ties you to the herb."

"B-But I didn't cheat! I swear it!"

"I know, Sunset." Celestia replied. Sunset's shivering ceased, and her fear turned to surprise.

"Y... you do?"

"I do. I can see lies in the eyes of all my students, and I know you weren't lying to me." Her smile hardly wavered, enough to calm Sunset's nerves considerably. She took a deep breath and stared at the rug beneath them.

"Why am I the only one suspected? There must have been dozens of unicorns enrolling."

"That is true, but you were the only one who didn't fail their exam." This revelation shook Sunset to her core. She quickly looked up and met eyes with Celestia.

"The only one?!"

"That's right. You have a remarkable gift about you, Sunset. I suppose that's why you're the only suspect as well," Celestia rose her head, though her sight did not leave Sunset, "you need to be considerably powerful and skilled to even make it to the enrolment exam."

"And... if anypony had used that herb, then they'd have passed for sure." Sunset chimed in. Celestia gave her an approving nod.

"That is correct."

"But if that's true, then why am I still the only one who did?!"

"A very good question." Celestia looked away from Sunset and stared passed the window to the school grounds where the unicorns were playing. "But that will have to wait, we need to focus on proving your innocence. The sooner we do that, the sooner you can rest easier."

"What do you mean?" Sunset's ears flicked and perked.

"Until your exam results are proven genuine, your enrolment will be put on hold." Celestia's words were like a powerful wrecking ball against the pane of glass that was Sunset's confidence. The second those words sunk in, the filly felt heavy and breathless. "I'm sorry, Sunset. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that."

******

The walk home for young Sunset Shimmer was a long and dreadful journey. With every step she took, at least three different terrifying thoughts plagued her mind. What were her parents going to say? How was she going to get out of this? How will this affect her aspirations? It was all a frightening experience for her, to the point she prayed it was just a bad dream she was going to wake up from at any moment. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and that fact alone brought her even closer to breaking down on the spot. She needed to talk to someone, anyone. Just someone she could trust. With luck, Medea was going to be merciful enough to at least listen to her pleas.

Thankfully, her home wasn't too far from the street Sunset was walking. She changed her current course and headed straight towards it. Much to her relief, the lights were on. She quickly walked up the steps of the porch to the front door and rapidly pressed her hoof on the doorbell.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." As she bounced on the tips of her hooves, she watched a shadow from the other side of the tinted glass approach. With the sound of the locks clicking, and the rattle of a tiny chain, the door creaked open, and a dark blue coated female unicorn wearing her black hair in a bun at the back of her head appeared before her. She looked down at Sunset in curiosity.

"Sunset Shimmer! This is a surprise. I haven't heard from you in days."

"I'm sorry, Mrs Star Gaze. I've been um... busy." Sunset tapped her hoof against the porch in a fidget, "Is Medea home?"

"She's up in her room. Would you like a drink?" Star stepped aside and welcomed Sunset inside, smiling and closing the door behind her.

"I'm fine, thanks." With a nod of respect to Star Gaze, Sunset trotted her way up the wooden staircase to the narrow hallway, admiring the familiar lime green wallpaper decorated with pink blossoms and roses. She reached a white door covered in childish scribbles of random ponies admiring two familiar fillies standing either side of Princess Celestia, all done in permanent ink. A memory of herself and Medea creating these illustrations briefly graced Sunset's mind, and she stared longingly at the drawing of the two of them.

"I guess her not scribbling me out is a good sign." she thought. Coming back to the present, Sunset reached out and lightly knocked on the door.

"It's open." Medea called out in a faint voice. Using her horn to turn the handle, Sunset slowly walked inside, looking over to Medea sprawled out on her bed, facing away from the door. She took note of the mess Medea's room was in, with drawers halfway open, random articles of clothing littering the carpet, and books thrown idly.

"Medea...?" Sunset called out quietly. Medea's ears perked up and she turned her head to face Sunset, though her surprise didn't last long as it was quickly overcome with a frown. She turned back to the wall and groaned.

"What do you want?"

"I... I need to talk to you. I don't know where else to go, who else to talk to..." Sunset's ears flattened as she started to explain, eyes unable to focus on Medea and shifting across the clutter around her hooves. Medea's head turned again, albeit only slightly, with an eye looking over her shoulder at Sunset.

"Sounds like you're in some trouble."

"I am. My enrolment's been delayed because the teachers suspect me of cheating in the exam."

"What?" Medea's full attention was now in Sunset's grasp. She sat up on her bed and looked to the filly in shock. "You cheated?"

"No! I didn't cheat! Why would I cheat?!" Her horn sparked and her cheeks turned to a flush of red. Medea's half-lidded stare trailed to her bedroom window, and a pout grew on her lips.

"Well, you always wanted to get into that school..."

"I didn't cheat, I swear to Celestia!" Sunset screamed, slamming her hooves on the carpet, and sparking with more fierce magic from the tip of her horn. Medea looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, seemingly monitoring Sunset's reaction as she panted in annoyance. With a deep sigh, she slipped her way off her bed and trotted before Sunset.

"... Alright, you didn't cheat. But why come to me?"

"I just... didn't know where else to go. My parents wouldn't believe me, and..." she paused, lowering her head in shame, "and you're the only friend I have... had." Sunset curled one leg around the other, and she looked away from Medea with small tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Medea's stoic expression remained for a few seconds, but she eventually softened up and let out a long exhale, walking her way over and curling her leg around Sunset's neck, bringing her into a warm hug, much to Sunset's surprise.

"Have." Medea corrected with a smile. Sunset's eyes widened, and an uncontrollable smile broke out across her lips, her tears of sorrow now replaced with streams of joy as she wrapped her legs around Medea's neck, hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry I abandoned you, Medea...! I didn't mean to hurt you!" she cried into her shoulder.

"It's okay, Sunset. I can't stay mad at you forever." Medea leaned her head against Sunset as they both remained in each other's embrace, Sunset's grip was especially tight but left just enough room for Medea to breathe.

"What am I gonna do? Mom and Dad will kill me! No school will ever accept me!" She shivered against Medea, her panic overtaking her senses, and her breathing hastening. Medea pulled her back and brought her face up.

"Hey, you're just overreacting. Sunset, look at me!" Sunset jumped at the rise of Medea's voice upon her order, and she immediately complied, her sight focused on Medea's stern eyes, "Calm down, and think. As long as you didn't do it, what chance is there that this'll harm you in the long run?" Sunset let the question sink in, and after a few seconds of contemplation, she answered with a quick nod, though her vision hung as low as her ears. Medea smiled warmly and pulled her into a hug again.

"I guess I'm just a little paranoid..." Sunset muttered, leaning her head into Medea's neck.

"Maybe a little. Anypony with half a brain could have made that concoction." she reassured with a chuckle. Sunset stared idly into space, but her eyes quickly snapped wider, every gear in her brain going into overdrive. She backed out of Medea's hold and stepped away from her, glaring at her in fright, and her face turning pale. Medea stared in confusion. "What?"

"How... did you know about the concoction?" Sunset asked with a croak, just barely keeping herself from stuttering. Her eyes never blinked, and her breathing was shallow and fast. Medea didn't seem fazed, and she merely chortled.

"You said so."

"I never said anything about how I was suspected."

"Yeah you did, with the herb and-"

"No. I didn't." Sunset cut her off. One terrifying thought after another started to spread in her mind like a virus, but no matter what rational reason she tried to make up, there was only one logical answer. Medea was starting to lose her composure at this point, with her hooves in a slight fidget, and her eyes subtly darting across the background past Sunset's face. "Answer me! How did you know?"

"... Fine!" she snapped, "I was scared I wasn't gonna pass, so I tried some stupid herb to improve my chances, but the stupid thing didn't work! I failed all the same!" Despite her confession, Sunset's ice cold scowl didn't ease.

"You're lying."

"Why would I lie about admitting to cheating?!" Now Medea was on the offensive, both fillies battling with the daggers in their eyes. Sunset didn't falter, however.

"That powder was confirmed by the herbologists at the school to be a herb, a single herb that can boost a unicorn's magic! It takes some real idiocy to screw that up!"

"Oh that's rich! I was stupid enough to mess up my enrolment exam, yet you say I'm not stupid enough to mess up a magic boost which clearly didn't work!? How else could I have failed then?!"

"Because..." Sunset's glare grew harsher, her cheeks a flush of bright red, teeth gritting, and her horn sparking wildly, "you weren't trying to cheat. You were trying to frame me!"

******

"She didn't!" Pinkie cried out, once again attracting the attention of the customers in awkward silence. Sunset practically gave up on restraining her at this point, and simply ignored the stares they were on the receiving end of. She then leaned back, her arms folded, and one leg crossed over the other.

"Yeah, she did. Apparently, she thought she could get me begging for her forgiveness by sabotaging my enrolment into the school." she muttered, a faint twitch in her eyes, "Kids are stupid."

"But I thought you said you were friends."

"We were, but when she realized I wasn't giving up on my aspirations, she decided to screw me over."

"So..." Pinkie muttered, hesitation in her voice, "what did you do?" Sunset didn't reply right away, instead she held onto her arms and sunk her head lower, her lidded eyes skimming over her lap without focus. She eventually answered with a quiet and somewhat reluctant tone of voice.

"What I had to."

******

Sunset Shimmer ended up sticking around until the end of Pinkie's shift, long after the storm had subsided. She took great comfort in the lighting and heating the café had provided, a luxury she couldn't afford to waste nor reject. Thanks to Pinkie's good word, she was allowed to stick around without purchasing anything, an act that cheered her up after the melancholy tale she shared had soured her mood. Despite the sweet relief her surroundings presented to her, Sunset was barely kept from falling asleep in her seat, mostly thanks to Pinkie darting back and forth between the kitchen, the register, and her table to share her own batch of stories, though mostly quick ones regarding her recent successes in her pastries and cakes with the odd exception of something to do with cheese sandwiches.

She had to admit, despite her initial reluctance, Sunset had enjoyed her time spend in the café. It took her mind off the magic incident at the school, and she couldn't think of a better way she would have spent the night other than curled up under her bed sheets in her cold damp shed of a house. In an ironic twist, Pinkie's company was actually rather soothing; Sunset had not felt this relaxed in months, and the opportunity to talk about herself, even a little, was a welcome one.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Pinkie called out from the middle of the shop floor, grinning in her bright pink raincoat. Sunset stared at her for a moment, and let out a soft giggle before nodding in reply and stepping out of her seat. With the retrieval of her umbrella and the adjustment of her leather jacket, Sunset stood beside Pinkie and smiled.

"Ready." she said. Pinkie's cheesy smile grew wider and she quickly threw open the front door, bouncing her way outside with Sunset in tow. With the storm now passed, the wind was calm, and the streets were soaked, with the odd puddle on the pathway, something Pinkie Pie couldn't resist jumping into every time they passed one, much to Sunset's own irritation.

"Didja have fun, Sunny?" Pinkie gleamed with positivity, and Sunset couldn't help but grin in response, her face scrunching up in an attempt to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, it was... nice." she admitted, though she rolled her eyes at herself for her incorrect predictions not long ago. Pinkie jumped to her side and wrapped an arm tight around Sunset, squeezing her close, and giggling with a snort to follow.

"I knew you'd love it! Nothing like shakes between besties!" With her cheek pressed up against Pinkie's, Sunset blushed, her whole body fidgeting in the uncomfortably close proximity she had her in. After a bit of wriggling her way out, Sunset brushed her hair out of her face and slowly nodded, then pointed to the crosswalk close by.

"That's where we part, I'm afraid."

"Aww, bummer. These moments don't last long enough!"

"In my case, I think I've had enough happy fun times for one day." Sunset chuckled and patted Pinkie's back, walking to the edge of the pavement. "I'll see you tomorrow, Pink."

"Hey, wait! Why don't I walk you home?" She quickly jumped to Sunset's side, bouncing up and down on her toes. Sunset turned pale and quickly waved her arms at Pinkie.

"Um, th-that's okay! I can handle myself!"

"Aw, don't be silly! I know that! You can just never have enough company!" Pinkie winked and nudged Sunset's arm with a smirk. Sunset felt her gut twist and a lump rise in her throat.

"Oh Celestia, I can't let her follow me home! I need to get rid of her!" Just as Sunset was looking for a way out, the attention of them both was hooked by another.

"Hey, freak! I've been looking for you!" They both turned their heads down the direction they came, and spotted Gilda glaring them down a dozen feet away. Sunset returned her gaze with a sneer of her own, while Pinkie blinked in confusion.

"Fate, why are you cruel to me?" Sunset chose to turn away from Gilda, pressing the button on the crosswalk's post, and waited for the road to clear.

"Don't you ignore me!" Gilda growled, storming her way towards them.

"I'm not!" Pinkie chimed.

"I'm not talking to you, dweeb! I'm talking to the witch!"

"Just ignore her, Sunset." She took a deep breath and relaxed the tension in her shoulders, flexing out her fingers to ease the stress.

"You think you can cast all that hocus pocus and just walk away?! My team mate took a blow to the head because of your voodoo!" Gilda pointed an accusatory finger at Sunset, who didn't give her the decency of a look.

"What?! Sunny wouldn't hurt anyone!" Pinkie frowned and stood between Gilda and Sunset, unhindered by her predator-like eyes. Gilda stopped in her tracks, now sneering down at Pinkie.

"Oh grow a braincell, moron! It wasn't that long ago she threatened to shave your head and stuff it all in your tuba because of your noise!" she argued. Sunset winced and looked away, gripping at the sleeves of her jacket. As much as she wish she could defend herself, there was no denying she had made such a threat.

"That was Old Sunny! New Sunny is far nicer!"

"You honestly believe that? You haven't even known her for more than a fortnight, yet you claim to know her inside and out! How many people do you reckon she's hurt? She's a manipulator! Just as she's manipulating you to fight her own battles!"

"She isn't-!" Before Pinkie could finish, an arm suddenly swung before her and cut her off from Gilda. Sunset stood between them now, and stared the brute down.

"No-one fights my battles." she stated in a venomous tone. Gilda only carried a cocky smirk in response.

"Really? Because if memory serves, you had a couple of lackeys doing all the dirty work for you during the Fall Formal fiasco." She wasn't afraid to jab her where it'd do some damage, Sunset knew this, but she still felt her muscles twitch with anger. "And that's just one out of several I can recount. Hell, most of 'em I heard from Dash."

"That's all in the past! I've changed!" Sunset claimed with her face turning red.

"HAH! That'll be the day! 'Sunset Shimmer turns over a new leaf and becomes the paragon of CHS! In other news, goats are learning how to drive'!"

"They are?!" Pinkie howled. Sunset felt her face go limp, and she glared at her to the side of her sight.

"Pinkie. Not now." she growled behind clenched teeth.

"Face it, freak. You'll never drop that reputation. You'll always be that two-dimensional alpha bitch you convinced everyone you are. And that little show you put on will only cement it further that you are still a total she-demon!" Gilda's force was overwhelming for Sunset, who felt herself lean back as the giant of a teen stared down at her with ease. Her eyes twitched with anger she was barely restraining, but she maintained her composure with what strength of will she had left.

"I... will prove it...!" she claimed between short hate-filled breaths. Gilda cocked a smirk and leaned back with her hands on her hips.

"You'll prove how much of a lost cause you are. Everyone knows that. It's only because of naive peanut-brains like her that you haven't gone and hidden under a rock yet!" she said with a finger pointed at Pinkie over her shoulder, who stood silent and visibly nervous. "Without her, you'd be alone. You always were alone. You're so damn weak, you need those idiots." Her provoking had finally tipped Sunset's patience over the edge. With a visible shrink in her pupils, Sunset lunged out in a fit of rage and pounced Gilda, using all the weight and strength she had to throw Gilda off her feet and pin her to the hard pavement below. As her head hit the pavement, Gilda yelped in pain and quickly grabbed Sunset by her shoulders, throwing her off with power that surprised Sunset despite her obvious muscular build.

Sunset rolled to the side and felt her body slam hard into a brick wall, leaving her with a powerful ache coursing around her spine. As she came to her senses, Gilda was already on her feet and storming over to Sunset, reeling her leg back then kicking forward, fiercely landing her steel toe-capped boot into Sunset's gut. She shrieked in pain and fell into a coughing fit as her lungs desperately tried to retrieve air faster than her wind pipe would allow.

"Yeah, hurts when you're the one on the receiving end, doesn't it?!" Gilda said, relishing in the superiority she had over Sunset's predicament. She pulled her leg back again and prepared to land another blow, but her focus was cut off as Pinkie latched onto her around her neck and pulled her back.

"Stop it! Leave her alone!" she cried out.

"Rrgh! Let go of me, you idiot!" Gilda swung around and used her weight to throw Pinkie Pie off her with ease, sending her to the pavement with a heavy thud on her backside. Now free of interruption, Gilda reached down and grasped the collar of Sunset's purple shirt, pulling her up and clenching her free hand into a fist. "I'm gonna enjoy putting you in your place, she-demon!" Sunset's gaze was blurred from tears in her eyes, making the blow to the side of her face all the more surprising. As her vision blacked out for a second, pain rocked the side of her jaw, and the vile taste of copper covered her tongue.

"How does it feel, huh?! Go on, tell me! Tell me what it's like to be one of your victims!"

"I've changed...!" Sunset glared through stinging eyes in defiance of Gilda, who's smug grin turned to a scowl.

"You'll never change!"

"Yes I will! I WILL!" Her hands reached up and pressed against Gilda's chest. "LET ME GO!" Magic surged through Sunset's arms all the way to her palms, catching the attention of both Gilda and Pinkie. Her hands glowed a fierce purple and cast a powerful shockwave that knocked Gilda off her feet and sent her flying into the road. Skidding and rolling to a halt, she held onto her collar and stumbled to a hand and knee.

"GILDA! WATCH OUT!" Pinkie shrieked. Before Gilda could respond, lights flashed in her vision, and the piercing sound of tyres screeching against the wet tarmac road filled her ears. At that moment, time seemed to pause for her, and the split-second she had to absorb her situation turned into years that flashed past her eyes, the years she would never see. Much to her surprise however, the impact she expected in that moment came from another direction. Gilda felt her entire body lift off the road and fly off onto the pavement on the opposite side of the road, accompanied by a large pink blur grappling around her abdomen.

As the sense of time had returned to normal, Gilda leaned back against the wall of the building behind her and watched in fright as the car continued to screech past and eventually start driving off, letting off a few aggressive honks of its horn. She clutched her chest and breathed rapidly, fearful her heart was about to burst through her rib cage the way it was pounding. Pinkie Pie leaned up beside her, gathering her breath out of relief for the older teen's safety.

"Are you okay?!" she asked, leaving Gilda silent as everything was still soaking into her comprehension. She then looked over to Sunset who stood on the other side of the road, horror in her expression, and her body shaking viciously. She steadily took a couple of steps back, then twisted around quickly and ran down the street, ignoring the pain in her stomach caused by the strain.

"Sunny! Wait!" Pinkie called out to her, but all in vain. Sunset was gone.