The gray skies above Canterlot High hung low, snow falling from them onto the ground and any passerby below. The wind blew harsh across any exposed skin, feeling like cold razors that cut to your bone while chilling your soul. Sunset Shimmer was no different. Despite her tanned and sun-like appearance throughout the warm part of the year, it didn't help when the seasons changed to Winter. Her orange and yellow complexion was covered up by the grays and blacks of her winter apparel, making her look like a piece of coal rather than a summer sun. The only trace of her summer-like features were her aqua blue eyes, which peaked out from under the brim of her wool cap.
The girl stood outside of the school at the bus stop, waiting for the bus to take her home. A sudden gust of wind snipped at her, causing her to shudder and attempt to recoil deeper into the warm confines of her jacket. Peaking out again, Sunset spotted the approaching city bus and felt her self smile a bit as the thought of getting a warm cup of coco danced in her mind. Unknown to her, a young man walking out of the school would spot the bus, panic, then make a mad dash for the bus stop. Within seconds the young man ran up to the stop, but his footing caught itself and propelled him forward in Sunset's back, sending her forward as well. Sunset yelped in surprise as her face hit a pile of cold snow. As she began picking herself up, the bus didn't even stop, instead deciding to continue pass the stop and along its' route. Feeling anger rising in her, Sunset stood to her full height and spun on the young man, and insult working its' way to her lips. However when their eyes met, the insult quickly died, but not her anger.
"Oh damn, I'm sorry! I must've tripped and..." stumbled the young man, his gaze looking up to who he had accidentally pushed. Fear clutched his heart as he realized who was standing over him. "Oh...shit..."
He knew who she was. She was Sunset Shimmer, Bad-ass of the School and Queen of the Senior class.
But what he didn't know was that those titles belonged to an old Sunset.
"Yeah, 'oh shit' is right. Because of you, I'm going to have to wait another half and hour in this weather." she snipped, folding her arms across her bust.
"S-sorry...I was running for the bus and...just please don't hurt me!" cringed the young man, his form flexing in the event of a beating. Watching the young man, Sunset realized that she had never seen him around before. Rolling her eyes, she knelt down a bit and extended her hand to help him up. Wary of this gesture, the young man accepted her hand and pulled himself up with her.
"You're new, aren't you?" Sunset asked. "Guessing you've heard some things about me?" she added. The young man nodded to both questions as he stepped back a bit, wary of her actions.
"Yeah...you're Sunset Shimmer. You're not exactly the nicest of people from what I was told..." he said, reaching down to pick up his satchel bag.
"Gee, thanks. That's always a nice boost." Sunset growled a bit. Sighing, Sunset reached a gloved hand to the bridge of her nose and pinched. "Look, I'm not as bad as what people have said now. I've actually changed. So if you would kindly stop looking like you're looking at Death himself, I'd greatly appreciate it." Sunset said, looking at him. He nodded slightly, his hands wringing the strap of his satchel in awkwardness. Looking back down the road, Sunset tried to think of how much longer she had to wait.
"D-Do you need a ride s-somewhere?" asked the young man. Looking to him, Sunset raised an eyebrow at the question.
"You drive?" she asked simply. "I thought you were taking the bus." she pointed out.
"Yeah...I recently just got my license and kind of forgot that I can drive now...m-my car isn't the best to look at...but..." he trailed off, reaching into his pocket to pull out a set of keys to his car, showing that the offer still stood. Not seeing any other option other than to wait, Sunset nodded and grabbed her bag, signalling the young man to lead the way. Walking around the west wing of the school, the two approached the student parking lot and up to the only car that remained in the lot.
"Just put your bag on the back seat..." mumbled the young man as he and Sunset approached the car. After putting their bags into the back, the two got into his car and got ready to leave. Putting the key into the ignition, the young man started the car, or at least tried to. The engine whined a bit before giving out. With another, more forceful turn of the key, the engine whined, then began spurring up before giving out yet again. Gritting his teeth and turning the key, the young man grumbled under his breath, sending curses and swears to his car if it didn't start. With a gasp, the cars' engine roared to life, calming into a calm purring.
"Finally! Guess my car doesn't like the cold..." he said, turning around to see where he was going as he backed out of the parking space, and out of the parking lot. "Which way...?" he asked. After telling him which way to go, Sunset turned to look out the window, watching as the winter landscape passed by. Quickly finding the landscape dull, Sunset turned her attention to the driver beside her. He had a toffee colored complexion, accented by his chocolate and caramel hair. A set of thick-framed glasses rested before his brown eyes, nervousness dancing in his eyes. To her, the boy looked ordinary; nothing special.
"You got a name?" she asked suddenly.
"Timeless. Timeless Toaster. Sounds' stupid, I know." he said, trying not to make eye contact with her as he drove.
"You can look at me. I'm not going to burn your soul away or something." Sunset said, finding his avoidance quite annoying. "I'm not the demon bitch everyone told you about anymore." she added.
"Kinda hard to believe when there's evidence of you turning everyone into zombies after turning into a demon yourself." he shot back, quickly cringing. "Sorry...sorry..." he added quickly.
"No, you're right, you're right. That night still haunts me, and no one has forgiven me either. Well, aside from my friends, but the rest of the school hasn't. Magic of friendship and all that." she said, waving her hands in false enthusiasm."Not that I'm ungrateful for a second chance or anything..." she added quietly. She was truly grateful for having been given a second chance, but when she's plagued by nightmares of what she had done, she started to question whether or not she was worthy of it. "I just wish the bad stuff would stop reaching new people before they meet me..." she trailed off.
"I know what you mean. I recently moved here from Vanhoover to get away from the bullshit that followed me there." he said, resting his head on his left hand as he drove one-handed. Raising an eyebrow again, Sunset looked at him, trying to figure out what he could have done. Rather than guessing, she spoke up.
"What did you do?" she asked.
"Apparently I set fire to the schools' gym." he said simply. "Cameras caught me and all." he added, visibly becoming angered about the topic. "But what they didn't know is that I was set up for it. Wrong place, wrong time. That and it didn't help that I was practically the schools' punching bag for a while, from both staff and students." he said, his fist tightly clenched around the steering wheel to the point where his knuckles were white.
"Hey...it's okay. We all have baggage. Just be glad you managed to get away, some of us aren't so lucky." she said, placing a hand on his forearm. Glancing to her hand, Timeless let out a deep sigh and nodded.
"Yeah...sorry...it's just one of those things that get my blood boiling..." he said. As silence fell between them again, Sunset kept looking at Timeless, sensing a connection being formed between the two of them. The simple fact was that they both had a bad history, and that he understood the struggle to break away from it. Looking up, Sunset began recognizing the industrial area they were driving in and told Timeless to stop.
"I can walk from here." she said, unbuckling herself and stepping out as the car came to a stop, seeming to be in a rush.
"Are you sure?" Timeless asked as she reached in to grab her bag. He glanced around the area, trying to figure out why she wanted him to stop here, of all places.
"Yeah, it's just a short walk from here." she said, closing the door and beginning to walk away. Stopping, Sunset turned and opened the passenger door, poking her head in. "Thanks for the ride." she said simply before closing the door again and walking away.
"Yeah...no problem..." Timeless muttered as he watched the girl walk away. Turning the car around, Timeless began driving away and back onto the highway, joining the afternoon traffic to the suburbs. As he drove, his mind began to process what had just happened. He pushed down the schools' most feared person of all and expected to feel her wrath. But in one drive with her, he saw that she was suffering from the aftermath of her past deeds. Taking an off-ramp, Timeless drove until he reached his home. After pulling into the drive way and walking inside, Timeless sat himself down at his computer and booted up one of his games, settling in for a long night of gaming. After sending out some game invites, Timeless hooked up his headset and smirked. "Alright boys, spin up those engines and ready the guns. We're going Kraut hunting." he said. On the opposite end, his teammates all gave laughs and cheers as they played their war game.
Back in the industrial side of town, Sunset had watched the boy drive away before she entered a low-grade apartment building. Stopping in the lobby to check her mail, her mind buzzed about Timeless. He seemed so ordinary when she first saw him, but after talking to him only once, she found out about the troubles that plagued him. She knows everyone has their own trouble, but it's not often that you meet someone who can relate with what you've gone through. After finding her mailbox empty, she walked up the lobby stairs and to the third floor where her she resided. Entering her apartment, Sunset tossed her bag aside and threw herself onto the couch, sighing into one of the pillows. Sitting up, she strode over to her bedroom where she changed into her pajamas. Laying down on her couch, Sunset grabbed the TV remote and turned the TV on.
Before long, she was sleeping.
And soon, her nightmares began.
