Ever since the Battle of the Bands, Sunset had been more or less avoiding her friends. Not because of their doing, but because of a rather... personal problem that had popped up in the week following the Battle. Due to this problem she had zero desire to hang out with her friends at their houses, where she might be asked to stay the night.
However, the following Friday, Pinkie had enough. She decided that either Sunset would willingly come to a sleep over, or Pinkie would make her come to a sleep over.
Needless to say Sunset made the safer choice.
She twitched and fiddled nervously in the hours before bed, ever anxious of her friends finding out about her secret. She knew it was a trivial thing, really, and there was no reason for her to fear her friends, but she knew at least some of them would find her predicament... Amusing. Since the Battle she had been building up her 'Bad Girl' reputation again, albeit this time with less black mail and possible seduction... Okay, so she still used seduction but come on, like Rarity could tell her not to!
Her friends were supportive of this, for the most part. As long as it was only an image, and not actual bullying this time. She was grateful that they understood, and that they trusted her. In truth she wasn't doing it to go back to her old ways, or for power, or anything like that. She was doing it because she wanted respect, and because, well, she liked the way she looked in a leather jacket and torn jeans. She was intimidating, despite being the shortest of her friends.
"Chill out, Sunset." Rainbow laughed at her as Sunset chugged the rest of her third soda, "There's enough soda to go around. Besides, I think you've had enough."
"Yeah!" Pinkie chimed in, "You're gonna have to pee in the middle of the night, and it's never any fun to have to get up and go to the bathroom!"
"I can manage my own bladder, thanks." Sunset grunted and rolled her eyes. Pinkie should have a 'TMI' warning tattoed to her forehead.
"Ya seem nervous." Applejack commented off-handedly as she looked up from her phone. She had been playing some new game, Trials of Tribes or something, and had said rarely anything all night. Her and Rainbow had become obsessed with the game in the past few weeks, and were constantly attacking each other--both in the game and out of it--over the silliest things. Sunset glanced around uneasily at the comment, which made her other friends take notice in the conversation.
"I've noticed that as well," Rarity looked at Sunset with a worried expression, "Is something bothering you, darling?"
"I'm just tired." Sunset assured her friends as she took a bit of one of the cookies Maud had provided for them. She avoided eye contact with everyone while she ate, though she could feel them staring at her. She knew that, sooner or later, she would have to tell them. All the same, though, she hadn't really... thought about what she was going to say.
"You sure?" Rainbow prodded, "Sound like you got something on your mind. Or someone." She shared a look with Sunset, one that told her she knew full well what she had just brought on. Ever since Sunset had (innocently) brought up the fact that Rainbow and Gilda were an item and, essentially, outed them, Rainbow had been out to get her.
Sunset was willing to admit she deserved a good amount of payback, but bringing up love interests in front of Rarity was going too far.
Faust dammit, Rainbow Dash.
"Oooh, got a special somebody, do we?" Rarity squealed, "It is almost Valentines day, after all! Who is it?"
"No one! I don't have a special someone!" Sunset hissed. She glared at Rarity, hoping she would drop it, then at Rainbow, hoping she would spontaneously combust. Unfortunately, neither happened.
"I think you're ly-ing." Rainbow said in a sing-song voice that made Sunset want to punch her.
"Well I'm not." Sunset huffed and crossed her arms.
"Sounds like something a liar would say..."
"Sounds like you need a high-five in the face with a chair."
"Ohhh, you wanna go?" Rainbow sat up straight with a sneering grin. She had the remains of a cookie left in her mouth, and nearly spit them out as she spoke. Sunset had no doubt that this girl would actually fight her in the middle of all of their friends.
"Maybe I do!" Sunset growled in return. The cookie in her hand crumbled onto the table.
Applejack rolled her eyes at the scene before her. Pinkie Pie looked at her, confused as to why her friends were suddenly so upset. "What are they doing?"
"Fightin' fer lesbian dominance."
"..."
"..."
The silence that came after that was awkward, save for Applejack who grinned smugly. Rarity's face turned an interesting shade of pink, probably at the idea of whatever a 'lesbian fight for dominance' might be. Fluttershy's eyes widened, though she didn't say anything. Perhaps the best part was Pinkie, who simply accepted what Applejack had said and nodded seriously.
Sunset was the first to break the silence. She doubled over onto the table, her head under her arms as she tried to hold in her laughter. Rainbow Dash was less successful and sprayed cookie crumbs out of her mouth as she laughed and tried not to choke. Applejack looked smug at her own little joke, and the others were torn between not understanding and wanting to laugh.
"Dammit, Applejack." Sunset weezed, "We don't need your input!"
"S-S-Sunset!" Rainbow breathed deeply between laughing fits, "I chall-challenge you to a lesbian-off!"
"How about no?" Sunset's face was bright red as she launched into another laughing fit, this time the others joined her.
"You're just afraid you'd lose!"
"We'll just call you the winner, okay?"
Rainbow grinned at her accomplishment. "Aww yeah, cuz I'm-! Wait a minute!" Rainbow's face changed from victorious to shocked within half a second, and it was too much for the other girls to handle. They all (sans Rainbow) began laughing again.
"No fair! I've been tricked!" Rainbow whined, but the others ignored her. For a solid five minutes they all laughed and joked about the situation, before finally landing on the topic of Trials of Tribes.
Topic successfully avoided. Sunset thought to herself. She rubbed her aching sides and chuckled again.
"Come on, Sunset," Applejack said sternly as the others walked up stairs to bed. "No more prolongin' it. Whatever's the matter, ya need ta tell us." The farmer looked at Sunset with a worried expression, which made Sunset sigh.
"Yeah, yeah... Just let me change and I'll be right up, okay?" Sunset ran a hand through her hair nervously. She was thankful when Applejack merely nodded and walked up the stairs with their friends, who were all ready for bed. Sunset herself had been prolonging going to bed because... She didn't want them to find out her secret. Sure, they were her friends, but it wasn't like they could do anything to help her...
She piddled around for a bit longer and took her time getting ready for bed. It was twenty minutes later that she finally found her way up the stairs and into Pinkie's room. She stood in the doorway for a moment and looked into the darkened room. Rainbow was fast asleep and snoring, as was Pinkie. The other girls appeared to be asleep, but she couldn't tell.
She stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, and when they did she was met with a horrifying sight.
Rarity stared at her.
"Sunset... Why are you...?" Her voice was loud enough to call the attention of Applejack and Fluttershy, who both opened their eyes and also looked at her strangely.
"Uhh..." Sunset had been hoping they all would have been asleep, and this would never have to happen. Of course, that's not how it went.
"Sunset." Applejack said, "Just what the hell is going on?"
Rainbow's snores stopped, and she grouchily turned over to look at them. "Can you please--"
She, too, stared at Sunset. Then Pinkie woke up, and stared at Sunset.
Because Sunset was glowing. And not like a healthy glow, no, Sunset was glowing like a dim light. Her 'aura' cast an orange glow around the room, looking almost like a night light's glow.
The girls stared at her in silence.
Rainbow assumed that Sunset was on some kind of drug, the only human explanation for her to glow. "Look Sunset, I don't know what you're on, but I could really use some the next time I go to one of Vinyl's parties." Rainbow said with the biggest grin Sunset had ever seen on her face.
"The only recreational drug I'm on is called friendship." Sunset replied dead-pan. She was not feeling up to having this conversation with Rainbow at two in the morning.
"Sure Sunset, and my hair is naturally rainbow colored."
Sunset stared at Rainbow. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out as she tried to process this information. She had no real comeback for that, mainly because her mind refused to accept the information that it had just been given. Rainbow Dash dyed her hair? She dyed it rainbow colored of all things? How? Why?
"Seriously, Sunset, what... What are you on? Is it dangerous?" Rarity was concerned and reached out for her friend, who pulled away. As Sunset became more upset she began to glow a brighter, red-er color.
"I'm not on anything!" Sunset almost whined. She stood up and walked briskly to the light switch and turned the light on. Once the attention was off of her 'aura' she glared at her friends, "I swear! This just started happening after the Battle! I don't know if it's some kind of left over magic, or a curse, or what!"
"Calm down, Sunset, we weren't try'na 'cuse you of anything." Applejack said sternly, "We jus' want ta know what's goin' on."
"Well don't look at me!"
"How can we not look at you?!" Pinkie yelled gleefully, "You're like a glow-stick! And you light up the room! You're-" A look of realization crossed Pinkie's face. Slowly a grin spread across her face, and Sunset slinked back a bit.
"Don't you dare." Sunset threatened, but her intimidation factor wasn't very successful since she leaned back slightly and almost cowered in fear.
"You're..." Pinkie's face nearly split in two as she grinned. She dragged out the word as the sheer brilliance of what she was about to say overwhelmed even her.
"Pinkie...!" Sunset's voice was strained, and she leaned against the wall for support. Her eyes were wide, and a drop of sweat made its way down the side of her face.
"You're..." Pinkie was about to explode with the information, but she couldn't resist holding out the surprise for just a few seconds longer.
"Please!" Sunset almost yelled, but her tone told the girls that she was resigned to her fate. Whatever Pinkie was about to say, Sunset would never recover from.
Finally Pinkie, nor anyone else, could handle it anymore. Sunset closed her eyes tightly.
"You're shimmering! Sunset's SHIMMERING!" Pinkie screamed this realization out loud and jumped up and down on her bed. The accursed sentence became a mantra and the pink girl said it over and over again with every bounce. Rainbow was rolling in her sleeping bag, almost crying from the amount she was laughing. Applejack was in a similar situation, but she was at least trying not to laugh.
Rarity hid her face as she guffawed, something that Sunset otherwise would have found amusing. Fluttershy smiled, but when she made eye contact with Sunset she hid behind her own hair.
Sunset groaned in annoyance.
"You guys are impossible!" She huffed angrily as she crossed her arms and slid slowly down the wall. She was humiliated and cross, not a good combination.
After they had all calmed down a bit, they offered their apologies and condolences. Sunset was still upset, however. She tried to just smile and nod, but the strained look on her face told her friends that she was unhappy.
"So, you say that this happened after the Battle?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah. I went home that night and found out I glow in the dark. Scared the crap outta my cat." Sunset chuckled at the last bit.
"You have a cat?" Fluttershy smiled, already preparing to ask its name, species, medical history, and probably a lot of other things Sunset didn't want to get into.
"Let's stay on topic." Sunset said gently, "I've asked Twilight, but she has no idea what it could be. The best we can guess is I'm somehow leaking magic."
"You're like a magic fountain!" Pinkie giggled.
"As interesting as this is," Rainbow cut in, "Can we finish this conversation later? I'm kinda tired."
"This isn't about you, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said, a bit cross, "This is about Sunset." Sunset gave Rarity a grateful look as Rainbow shut up instantly.
"Twilight thinks I should go back to Equestria for a bit so she can run some tests, but I'm not sure..." Sunset frowned and sighed. She wasn't entirely sure if she would be welcomed back in Equestria, and it scared her to think of returning, even if she had Twilight's promise of safety.
"We understand where yer comin' from." Applejack assured her, "But... Maybe it's time fer ya to go back. Ya can't stay in fear of Princess Celestia ferever, can ya?"
Sunset didn't respond. She would be perfectly fine with never seeing Celestia again but all of her friends, especially Twilight, were always pushing her to settle things. She didn't want to, she shouldn't have to! But she didn't feel like fighting anymore.
"I guess not." She sighed again, "Let's just go to bed. I don't want to talk about this anymore."
They figured out that with a few well-placed blankets, it almost didn't look like she was glowing. After a while everyone had settled down and finally gone to sleep except Sunset, who was thinking. She wanted to know why she had been glowing, and if going to Equestria was the best thing to do... Surely the glowing would go away on its own, though, right?
Her thoughts were interupted by something wet trailing across her cheek. She jumped up with a screech and knocked her head on someone else's.
"Pinkie?! What the hell--" The pink girl had licked Sunset's cheek for unknown reasons.
"I wanded tho thee if ah coud durn mah dongue oranth!" Pinkie's tongue was stuck out, but there was no trace of the glowing magic on it. This seemed to make Pinkie sad. Sunset's shriek had woken up the other girls again, and they all looked unamused at Pinkie's antics.
"Pinkie, stop sexually harassing Sunset so we can all go to sleep." Rainbow growled.
"Awww," Pinkie whimpered, "How disappointing..." Sunset gave her a terrified look, unsure of what she was talking about. The other girls either ignored it or sent her a pitying glance before going back to sleep.
"I feel violated."
"Shhhhh!"
Author's Note
It. Is. Finished.
Maud stood amid the trees of the forest as the setting sun cast orange and red-hued rays among the branches. She didn't really hear the noises of the forest until she realized they had stopped. The birds no longer chirped, there were no small creatures scurrying about, and even the crickets that had just emerged had gone silent.
Someone else was near.
She heard someone behind her and turned around slowly, calmly, and without any emotion on her face. She was met with the sight of a slightly nervous, slightly cross Sunset Shimmer.
How poetic, Maud thought to herself, Seeing Sunset Shimmer while the sunset still shimmered...
Then she remebered why she was there in the first place, and all thoughts of poems and romance flew from her mind.
"You're impossibly smart... and strong. That symbol seems to mean more to you than it does most people. You... you tried to demolish the school. And sometimes you speak like you're from a different world." Her gaze shifted from Sunset's face to the general direction of the sunset. "You almost fainted when you heard some humans eat horse meat, and you hate Celestia without a direct reason."
Sunset blinked in surprise, unaware of how much the woman before her had been paying attention to her. Maud had obviously given this much thought, and she was about to get answers one way or another.
"Where are you from?" The grey girl had no infliction in her tone, only a sparkle in her eyes.
"Somewhere else." Sunset whispered as she stepped forward, towards Maud.
"But where?" Maud's voice lowered to a whisper on the last syllable, and her eyes narrowed. She watched as Sunset looked away briefly before looking back at her. She was thinking, Maud realized. Maud could only hope that Sunset trusted her.
It was a big risk for Sunset. One wrong word, telling the wrong person, hell even lying could make this end badly. Maud understood the reason for Sunset's uncertainty, and her insecurities.
"...It's called Equestria." Sunset looked into Maud's light blue eyes, and a rush of adrenaline flowed through both of them as each realized what exactly this meant. "It's... a different world."
Maud took in a deep breath. She had known, but it was still shocking to hear it said out loud.
"I know what really happened. The Fall Formal, then the Battle..." Maud's voice trailed off as she tried to word it right. Sunset had a shocked look on her face. Maud wasn't in high school, and she certainly didn't go to CHS--how could she have known? She didn't consider the fact that Maud was Pinkie's sister.
"There... It--it was..." The scientist inside Maud didn't want to admit it, but the dreamer--and the romantic--in her was pushing through. What Sunset--and the others--had done, it had no earthly--no human explanation.
"Say it." Sunset stepped forward again, and was only an arm's length away from Maud. "Out loud. Say it."
"...Magic."
Sunset stood frozen, utterly exposed. Maud stood there with less expression on her face, but inside her mind worked a million miles an hour.
"Are you afraid? Shocked? Confused?" Sunset implored quietly, almost resigned.
"I'm not afraid of you." Maud said firmly. She saw regret and pain flash across Sunset's face. "I'm not afraid of you, Sunset."
"Then ask me what happened." Sunset's face darkened, "Ask what happened at the Fall Formal."
"You wouldn't hurt anyone." Maud's voice was dangerously close to showing emotion, but not the one Sunset thought it would be. Maud almost sounded... happy.
"You think you know me?" Sunset glared at Maud, but the grey girl didn't even flinch. She stood her ground, confident that Sunset would never hurt her. She was slightly startled when Sunset grabbed her by the hand and began to drag her deeper into the forest.
"Where are we going?"
"Deeper into the forest. You need to see... You need to see the magic for yourself."
"But--I thought only friendship--" Maud was confused, but she was interrupted before she continue.
"We thought that at first, too." Sunset nodded, "But there's... a way around that."
Maud was silent for a few moments. Soon enough they had gone further into the forest, and it was becoming steadily darker every second. For the first time a pang of fear surged through her. They could get lost, or be attacked, or any number of things. And the had no kind of flashlight or way to see in the dark.
Or so she thought.
Sunset took off her jacket in one fell swoop and tossed in onto a nearby log, as if she had practiced that move. As the sun slipped further and further away she glanced at Maud with a bit of fear and excitement in her eyes. She held up her hand in front of her face, and Maud found herself transfixed by the sight.
Sunset was glowing a bright orange color. She lit up the forest like a night-light or a glow-stick would, and all Maud could do was stand there in awe. She's shimmering. Sunset took a step towards Maud.
"This is what I am. I'm not of this world." Maud isn't sure what Sunset expected of her--fear, nervousness, pity maybe--but she was obviously not expecting Maud to grab her hand and lace their fingers together. Maud enjoyed the blush on Sunset's face, and the way the glow was suddenly tinged with pink.
"You're beautiful."
Sunset sighed, but there was a small smile on her face.
"And you're impossible."
Sunset woke up with a start. Her heart pounded in her chest and she struggled to clear her mind of the mental image of her and Maud of all people.
She glanced around and found that all of her friends were still asleep, so she decided to join them in slumber once again.
She didn't notice Maud peering through the doorway at her.
Author's Note
You should probably kill me now... it might be for the best...
sorrynotsorry
Also I had to actually read the Twilight script to get this scene written... And yes, this is a Twilight parody xD
"Sure Sunset, and my hair is naturally rainbow colored."
****************************************************
The sun shone down with a blazing heat on a ridiculously warm day in Cloudsdale. As per it's name, the sky was cloudy as always in the gloomy town. The sounds of children and teens rung throughout the small Cloudsdale campgrounds, and filled the air with a melodious yet tiresome noise.
Children played with balls and splashed in the nearby river with joy. It seemed like a perfect day, despite the heat.
One kid in particular, a ten year old named Rainbow Dash, crouched low to the ground in a readying position. Her friend Fluttershy stood to her right a small ways, meek and quiet as ever. To her left were two boys that Dash was about to leave in the dust.
One of the boys, Hoops, sneered at Dash. "Get ready to lose, Rainbow Crash." The other boy laughed and sneered at her and Fluttershy, who squeaked and hid behind a tree nearby. Dash couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"On your marks!" The call from their counselor brought their attention back to the race they were about to compete in. A friendly competition, they had assured him, but they all knew it was much more than that. Rainbow glanced at Fluttershy out of the corner of her eye and saw big blue eyes watching her in awe.
"Get set!"
She turned back to the front and braced herself. Her breathing grew steady and calm, and she closed her eyes. In, out. In, out. In, out. In.
"Go!"
****************************************************
"Come on Flutters," Dash nudged her friend in the side, "We've been through worse, right? We can get through this together."
The two thirteen year olds sat on Fluttershy's bed with tissues and magazines between them. Fluttershy's face was red and splotchy, and her eyes were puffed up from crying. She refused to look at Dash and kept her face buried in her pillow. Rainbow sighed in frustration when she didn't get a reply, and ran a hand through her canary-yellow hair.
Her mind drifted back to that day at camp, as it often did. She ran that memory through her head at lease once a week, and it was easily the most important one to her. That was the day Fluttershy and her had really become friends, after years of living next-door to each other. Their friendship meant a lot to Dash, not that she would admit it out loud.
"It's just some bullies. And you know we have a bit of a record with them." She tried to joke, but Fluttershy only shook her head sadly. Dash huffed and then groaned and flopped down dramatically next to her friend.
"Come on, 'Shy, you're not about to let some bullies knock you down, are ya?"
A nod, and Dash grabbed a pillow to scream into. The two were so unlike each other that Dash often didn't know what to do when it came to the shy girl. Being brash didn't work, being funny didn't work, Dash was out of ideas!
"Look..." Maybe... She shuddered to think about it, but sometimes Fluttershy responded to honesty, and sappy stuff. It made Dash want to gag, but if it would help her friend feel better she was willing to try.
"Look, 'Shy. I..." She had no idea what to say, so she hoped just speaking and not thinking would work (it would be a first.) "I'm sorry they got to you. I should have been there, I know that, I shouldn't have left you on your own."
There was silence, and Dash sighed again. "Shy... You know what they say doesn't mean anything. They didn't... it's not true. So it's not a big deal."
There was silence for a moment, and Fluttershy lifted her head slightly. "How... How do you deal with it?"
"Aw, they're just names, it's not a big deal!" Dash grinned, happy to see her friend's face again. "Besides, if gay is the worst they can call me, I must be pretty awesome."
Fluttershy studied her face and looked down at the pillow again. "But you're used to it. I'm... Not."
Dash grimaced and rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess it's kinda my fault they targeted you this time, huh? I mean they question my sexuality all the time, and you're my friend so... I guess it leaked through, huh?" She tried to joke, and keep it light, but Fluttershy wouldn't bite.
"I'm sorry." Fluttershy whispered, and Dash glared.
"What are you sorry about? None of this is your fault."
Dash gave her a curious look when she blushed and looked away again. "Shy, this isn't your fault. They're just calling names, it doesn't mean anything. No one's gonna think you're gay just because of Hoops and Dumb-Bell."
Fluttershy was quiet for a long moment, and she looked up at Dash with large, sad eyes. She whimpered slightly and said, "But-but what if I am?"
Dash realized she really needed to work on that 'think before you speak thing' as she watched Fluttershy's face go from hurt, to ashamed, to terrified, before it disappeared into the pillow again.
She swallowed hard and laid a hand on her friend's back. Words flew through her mind at a million miles an hour, but she waited patiently for the right thing to say.
"It's okay." Dash said gently, "I don't care. And the kids at school won't, either. I'll beat the crap outta anyone that gives you trouble, alright?"
Fluttershy sniffled again, but Dash took it as a good sign.
"In fact," She smiled, "I have just the idea to get the attention back on me."
****************************************************
Rainbow Dash walked proudly through the halls of her middle school. The stares of her peers only heightened her pride as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. It had taken a while to do on her own, but her hair matched her name, and she couldn't help but grin.
When asked why she did it, she would shrug and say "Why not?" Which seemed like a standard Rainbow Dash answer. Sure, there were rumors and speculations, but no one knew for sure what the reason behind the hair change was.
When Fluttershy was asked why, being the best friend, she merely blushed and stuttered something no one could quite hear. When she thought no one was looking, though, she would smile softly in the direction of her best friend.
It was perplexing, and no one knew the truth, not even their other friends. But Rainbow realized triumphantly that no one bothered Fluttershy any more, and that was all that mattered to her.
Author's Note
I?? Don't remember writing this? But apparently I did. I cleaned it up a bit and straightened (ha!) some things out so... This is more like a prequel, but if I published it on it's own I don't think people would notice it much!
So, here's this little fic based off of that one line in Glowstick ;)
