Equestria Girls: Sunset's Shelter

Chapters

Chapter One: Before School Worries.
Chapter Two: After School Concerns
Chapter Three: Cold Night Realizations.
Chapter Four: A Day to Rest

Chapter One: Before School Worries.

“Cold!” Squeaked a young pink haired girl, bundled with several coats to keep the chilling air from nipping at her.

“Come on Fluttershy, it's not that cold out.” replied one of the girl's closest friends. A rainbow haired girl wearing a casual winter jacket, not even zipped. Always trying to show just how tough she was to her friends. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past the pair sending shivers down the rainbow haired girl. “O-okay I take it back, it's fr-fr-freezing out here.” The girl shivered, finally zipping her jacket and putting her hood up for warmth.

“M-maybe we should hurry to school before either of us catch a cold Rainbow Dash.” the meek girl suggested. Her friend nodding in agreement, unable to speak with the bitter cold stinging her partially revealed face.

Winter time was always tough at Canterlot High, this could however was some of the worse the school had seen in quite a while.

“I still can’t believe how quickly the temperature dropped.” Proclaimed a skinny girl, clutching a book in her hand. As she adjusted her glasses she could hear her name being called from a little distance away.

“TWILIGHT!!” yelled a bubbly pink girl as she sprinted to her friend. Pinkie was always one for never letting the weather get her down. Then again nothing really got the girl down, other than not being able to plan spectacular parties for her friends.

“Good morning Pink-ech” the small girl tried to speak but was quickly embraced in the biggest hug she had ever felt. “Oh my gosh Twilight it got so cold out I didn’t even know if you would be able to get her what with how small you are, I thought I would walk out of my house and on the way to school I would find a Twi-cicle and then we would have to try and get you out of the ice and it would be hard to do since the ice wouldn’t probably taste very well and we wouldn’t really want to try and out our way to you and then something out happen and the ice would fall and shatter into a million pieces and it would take all the king's horses and all his men to put Twi-mpty dumpty back together again.” The energetic pink girl finally stopped to catch her breath, even letting her new friend out of her death hug. She breathed a sigh of relief but at the same time, kind of missed the warmth the hug had brought.

“I’m fine Pinkie” The small girl spoke, adjusting her glasses as she did so. “ And just so you know I am more than capable of walking through the cold as anyone else at this school, regardless of if I may be a little bit smaller than the others.” She had started to remove her winter getup and began to carefully and accurately arrange them in her locker. She always had a pentiant for keeping everything neat and tidy. Her friend followed suit, but in her own unique that her friends had grown accustom to. The pink girl simply grabbed her zipper and pulled it straight down, removing three coats and some winter pants in the process. In one fell swoop she had balled up her winter wares and shoved them into her adjacent locker. “How did you- actually never mind.” The smaller girl chuckled. She had been warned not to look too deeply into Pinkie’s “Pinkie-ism” as their friends called them. “So where are the other girls?” She asked looking around for her new friends. Pinkie simply pulled out her phone and tapped the screen a few times. “Rainbow and Fluttershy are on their way right now, apparently Fluttershy was so cold she needed to go home and add some extra layers, Applejack and Rarity should be here soon as well. Looks like Applejack got a ride from Big Mac, and Rarity from her parents.” Twilight thought back to her new friends, it wasn’t too long ago that she had actually made found them.

The Friendship Games still lingered in her mind, specifically the part where she became corrupted by the dark magic she had unwittingly consumed. Turning her into a terrible which of her former self. If not for the forgiveness of her new friends she would have done terrible things. Speaking of new friends. “Any word from Sunset, Pinkie?” She asked with a twinge of nervousness in her voice. The Pink girl checked her phone once more, her usually bubbly smiled slowly turned to a frown. “Nothing, Sunny hasn’t said anything yet” Twilight let out a small sigh of sadness hearing this, maybe they could arrange for Applejack's brother, Big Mac, to pick her up. “Do you think Applejack could convince Big Mac to pick her up?” She asked her friend. Pinkie stood straighter and rubbed her chin with her index finger. “Possibly, but to be honest,” she began to flick at her phone again. “I don’t think I even had Sunsets address at all.” This worried Twilight quite a bit. How could Pinkie Pie not have her friends address? Maybe one of the others had it.

As a few minutes went by Twilight had continued to dwell over the issue, if she wanted to be a good friend she should at least know where she can find the ones closest to her. She quickly snapped out of her stupor though when she saw a large red truck pull up to the front of the school. Out jumped and Blonde girl with tan skin, her cowboy hat about to be blown away in the wind. No doubt about it, it was Applejack alright. The girl approached the front doors and saw her friends waiting for her.

“Good mornin’ Pinkie, mornin Twi” she tilted her hat to them as she usually does, waving to her brother to ensure she made it in safely. She heard a quick set of honks before the truck took off. “How about this cold huh?” She questioned trying to start a conversation. “Hasn’t been this cold in a few years.” Twilight looked nervously out the windows of the school, hoping her new friends were ok. Then, a small car pulled up to the school, and out stepped the Purple haired fashionista they all loved. As she made her way into the school they could see the elaborate outfit she was wearing.

“Good Morning, Darlings” She chimed upon seeing her closest friends. “How are all of you today?” Twilight was still fixated on the outfit Rarity was wearing. “That's quite the outfit you have Rarity.” she said looking in awe. Rarity chuckled “Why thank you darling, it is quite the ensemble now isn’t it?” The girl enjoyed when her friends liked her outfits. “Seems a little too much for my taste” Applejack spoke, having only worn a torn jacket. Since she had taken a truck to school she really had no need to be out in the bitter cold as long as some of the others. “I mean did you have to make it so… flashy?” Indeed the outfit consisted of bright whites and purple, with glittery sprinkled throughout the entire outfit. The parka, while cute, was also shimmering in the simple lights from the school. Rarity let out a small huff “ I will have you know dear that one should always look their best, even in the coldest of colds.” Her friends couldn’t help but chuckle. Looking back out the windows, two more figures could be seen running towards the school, though one seemed to be lagging behind. When they finally reached the school they swung the door open.

“Hu-hu- made it.” the rainbow haired girl spoke. A few tears had trickled down her face from the bitter cold winds stinging her eyes and cheeks. The quieter pink haired girl swiftly entered after her. Catching her own breath as well. “Wh-why did we hav-have to run again Rainbow Dash?” She managed to squeak the question out between breaths. The warmth of the school suddenly dawning on the girl just how many layers she had on.

“I told you Fluttershy, running gets the blood flowing. Keeps you warm” The rainbow girl tried to justify, even though she herself was kind of upset at herself for making them run. “So are ya’ll just gonna keep ignoring us or say hi?” The country girl suddenly broke the awkward conversation between the girls. “It truly is quite rude” Rarity spoke with her arms crossed playfully acting snooty to her friends.

“Oh!” Fluttershy was shocked, quickly turning a bright red. “I-i’m sorry, go-good morning everyone” She managed. “How you guys doing” Rainbow asked brashly. The others chuckled at the warm remark and familiarity from their friend. “I think for the most part we’re all alright, except no one has heard from Sunset.” Twilight spoke. Her worries returning to her once more. “Did any of you get a text or a message from her?” She began to sound a little worried. The others, save for Pinkie, pulled out their phones and checked. Nothing. No text or voicemail.

“It’s not really like her to miss class, or to not keep up with us.” Applejack explained. “Do you think something may have happened to her?” She questioned. Twilight shook her head unsure. “I don’t know, but does anyone have her address? I would at least feel a little better at least know where she was so I could check on her.” The others all began to scan through their phones, their expressions quickly growing to concern. “You know, I don’t think I ever got her address,” Rainbow Dash blurted out. “I don’t have it either.” Said the soft spoken Fluttershy, concern quickly filling her voice. “This is quite troublesome. How do I not have it either?” Rarity spoke sadly. “Something feels a little strange, don’t it?” Applejack questioned. “I can understand wanting person space and all, but to not even let her closest friends know where she stays is a little strange don’t yah think?” The others all began to nod in agreement when suddenly the doors burst open once more. Standing in the doorway, with a thick jacket, a light blue top and long pants was none other than-

“Sunset!” Her friends called out to her. “Sorry girls, bus was a little bit late, took longer to get here than I thought.” The red and orange haired girl explained rubbing her hands together for warmth. At the moment her friends were just happy to see her. “Oh Sunset deary, we are just happy to see you are ok, the bitter cold out there is dreadful today” Rarity comforted her friend, placing her hands on top of Sunsets to help warm them up. Sunset appreciated the gesture. It was so cold out that she would not her worst enemies be stuck out there, not that she really had any enemies anymore. Not since she reformed. She looked around the large entrance to the school only to spot the clock on the wall. “Whoa is that really the time, we should probably be getting ready for our classes.” She pointed out. Her friends checked the clock to confirm that her statement was true. “Ah horse apples. I still need to put mah stuff away.” Applejack said in a panic. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity all looked in agreement, they too needed to still head to their lockers.

“Alright see you girls at lunch then.” Sunset proclaimed as she headed to her homeroom class. The others all waved her off, they looked at each other and began to take off towards their respective homerooms and lockers, all save for Twilight who stood in the same spot, with he worried expression still glowed to her face. Applejack stopped and turned to look at her friend. “Twi?” she inquired. “You alright sugarcube?” Twilight shook her head a little. “Not really. I’m still a little upset that no one would have a way to find Sunset if something happened.” She had grasped her elbows, crossing her arms in the process. This really seemed to bother the girl.

“Don’t worry Twi” Applejack Reassured. “If it makes you feel any better we can ask her during lunch. Okay?” she asked trying to cheer her friend up even the slightest. Twilight gave a weak smile and nodded. It would have to do for now. She needed to focus on her studies until then, the walked to Applejack and gave her a hug. “Thanks Applejack” she chimed. “No problem Twi.” She hugged back, always happy to help. The two soon parted ways and began the school day.

Author's Note

So quick heads up for anyone who does decides to read this. I have not written a story like this in almost eight years. Yes, eight. As in this number (8). I used to love to read and write fan fiction but for a while I grew board of it. I found the Brony fandom and began to get enticed back into it. Ok enough about me lets talk a little about the first chapter.

As I mentioned above I am a little rust when it comes to writing stories, specifically beginnings. So the main idea of the story came to me when I was re-re-re-reading the 2014 Rainbow rocks annual comic and I asked the question, "Where does Sunset live" a question a lot of other people on this site have asked. And with amazing answers. but I wanted to try something a little different, no living in an abandon building, no somehow having her own apartment. Something a little more...dark. For anyone who will continue to read what I wright, I am quite the fan of dark themes and sad endings. Don't get me wrong, I also love happy endings, but struggle is something I always find fun to write.

Anyways before the author notes get longer than the story, please comment what you think of my first time writing in eight years and tell me what you think will happen or how you feel. Also if you have questions feel free to ask as well. Thanks for reading.

Chapter Two: After School Concerns

Lunch, everyone’s favorite “class” in school. A time to relax from classes, to look at what had happened during the first half of the day. A time to eat and recharge, and most importantly, a time for friends to catch up. With school now half over for the day it was finally time to ask the big question.

“Sunset, where do you live?” Twilight asked, taking a sip of her juice as her friend looked at her shocked.

“What?” Sunset asked confused. “Why do you want to know where I live Twilight?” She questioned back. It was just something that felt a little strange to be asked out of nowhere.

“It’s just-” The friend started, pausing only to think of the best way to phrase her reasoning. “With how cold it is we got a little worried when you didn’t reply to any of our messages, or send any of your own. We thought something may have happened and wanted to know where we could check on you, but when I asked the others, none of them had your address saved in any way.”

Sunset looked around the table she was sat at, each of her friends looking away a little sheepishly, not quite sure about how to act about the question. Sunset chuckled. “You girls don’t need to worry about me like that. I can take care of myself just fine. Been doing so for a few years now, ever since I came here actually.” She hoped her reassurance would ease her friends, she was wrong.

“It’s not that we don’t think you capable darling,” Rarity chimed, “it’s just better to know then to be left in the dark is all.”

“Yeah.” Chimed Rainbow Dash, “We all know where each other lives, that way we can visit or give each other missing assignments when we’re sick, or even just have an awesome hangout session.”

“Plus how can I throw you the most amazing parties if I don’t even know where you live?” Pinkie questioned, gripping Sunset’s shoulders and shaking her in hysteria.

“We know you don’t want us to-” Fluttershy squeaked from behind her hair, “but we all worry about you Sunset. You’re our friend, and friends look out for each other.”

“Fluttershy’s right.” Applejack spoke, tilting her hat up. “Friends should care for each other, and they should know where to find each other ifin they need any help.” She locked eyes with Sunset, who seemed a little uneasy about the situation. “You do have a place to stay, right Sunset?”

Hearing her friend call her name had snapped her out of her stupor. “What- oh yeah, of course I have a place. It would be weird if I didn’t” She rubbed the back of her head laughing awkwardly. Applejack gave her a sly grin and asked “Then you wouldn’t mind telling us the address would you?”

Sunset stammered a little from the question. “I-i would love to give you the address, it’s just that umm-” She thought quickly, “I actually had to leave my old place for a new one, I still haven't quite learned the actual address myself.” She looked around the room hoping to had appeased the others watching her. Applejack raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

“You moved and haven’t learned the new address yet?” She questioned sternly. Sunset began to sweat a little as her friend seemed to be interrogating her.

“Wh-what, it happens all the time” Sunset protested. “Takes a little bit for the new information to really sink in.” She nervously grabbed her juice and began to drink from it, not wanting to be asked anything else about the subject. She stopped between sips to speak again. “Besides, you girls wouldn’t want to see it anyways. It’s not a very nice place. It’s small and kind of dirty right now. Haven’t really gotten around to cleaning it.” Her eyes darted away from her friends, feeling uncomfortable about the question.

Applejack continued to stare at Sunset for a good minute before speaking again. “Alright Sunset, so long as you have a roof over your head that’s good enough for me.” She gave her friend a kind smile. Sunset returned her eyes to her friend and gave her own smile. “Thanks Applejack. And sorry for making everyone worry.” Her words had seemed genuine. She returned to her lunch with the others and they continued about their regular eating conversations. What Dash had been up to at soccer, how Fluttershy’s animals were doing. Even about what their best pony friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, had been up to.

As lunch came to a close, the girls had picked up their garbage and their trays, emptied them into the nearest receptacles and headed out the cafeteria doors. Sunset turned to her friends as they left the cafe. “We still having band practice after class “ She asked, looking to her rainbow haired friend.

“Not today, sorry. Kind of have other plans. Tomorrow for sure.” She responded, giving a big thumbs up to her friend. Sunset returned the gesture and took off to her next class. Happy everything had been resolved.

“You don’t have anything planned after school, do yah Dash?” Applejack questioned her, stern look on her face. “You plan tah follow Sunset home don’t you?”

Rainbow Dash squirmed a little before answering. “Okay yeah, but I can’t help it. Her story was so not convincing. And did you see how uncomfortable she was about just answering you? Girl is definitely hiding something.” She explained, hoping her friends would take her side.

“I can’t believe you Dash, wanting to follow one of your best friends home…” Applejack gave a disapproving stare, causing Rainbow Dash to sink a little. “Especially without asking us to help.” Rainbow jumped, a little confused. Her friends each giving her a sly smile.

“Wait, you mean you’re all okay with following her?” Rainbow was confused.

“Well we can’t just let it go with that, what if she is living in some dirty apartment or abandoned building. Just think of all the filth and vermin she would have to be putting up with. “Rarity replied, grimacing at the thought.

“Or what if she doesn’t have any way to stay warm.” Fluttershy interjected quietly, obviously worried for her friend.

“Or what if she doesn’t have like a super awesome game system to keep herself entertained!?” Pinkie screamed, as if terrified at the thought. The others looked at her with annoyance. “What, I don’t know what i would do without something to keep me entertained.” Her eyes began to drift apart, “I would probably go insane!”

“Pinkies ramblings aside-” Twilight spoke up, not the least bit satisfied with the story she had received. “We should still keep an eye on her, at least until we know for sure she is safe.” Her friends nodded in agreement with her. The plan was set, after school they would each follow her, keeping to the shadows so she wouldn’t spot them. This would settle the confusion once and for all.

The day had been long, so many classes, so little time. It was like they were trying to jam a whole library of information into each students head. Which for Sunset had never been an issue. She reveled in learning, they more she know, the happier she was. Quickly thought, the school day was at its end. At two thirty the bell had rang and all the students excited rushed to their lockers, finally ready to enjoy the rest of the day away from school. Sunset had no real plans for the rest of the day, with everything she would normal do canceled, she looked forward to just unwinding.

“Guess it’s time to head home” She thought aloud as she headed for her locker as well. Entering the proper combination and removing her winter jacket, which she now had slung onto herself, She headed for the front doors. There she saw her friends, all huddled together. “Hey Girls!” she shouted to them, waving as she did.

“Hey Sunset!” Applejack called back. Sunset quickly joined the huddle, feeling warm from her friends. “So whats going on?” She asked a little confused.

“Just making sure everything was set for tomorrow, don’t want anything to ruin our practice.” Rainbow explained. Sunset nodded, understanding how important it was for them to practice. Who knew, maybe they would have another battle of the bands on their hands in the future. They had to be ready for anything. Suddenly Sunset felt a warm embrace around her. Twilight had surprised her with a hug. “Uh Twilight” she chuckled.

Twilight backed away blushing. “Sorry, just wanted to let you know how much we care, also your very warm.” Her friends all chuckled at the notion and waved it off, Sunset included.

“Actually I should probably get going, I promised Sweetie belle I would help her with her homework after class today.” Rarity spoke up, waving to her friends as she took off.

“Yeah, I gotta get going myself” Rainbow Dash interjected. “Promised Scoots I would help fix her scooter, kid loves that thing, almost as much as she loves me.” She too waved and dashed off towards her home.

One by one, with their own reasons, they rest of the group had taken off for home. Save for Sunset and Applejack. “Promised Big Mac I would have him pick me up here when he dropped me off this morning.” Applejack explained, a little uneasy about the half lie. While she had told her brother to pick her up at that spot in the morning, she later texted him and told him not to worry.

“I can wait with you if you want Applejack.” Sunset offered not wanting to leave her friend in the cold. Applejack lifted her hand placed it on Sunset’s shoulder.

“Now don’t you worry sugar cube. I’ll be fine, besides Big Mac doesn’t usually take too long to get here. Now go on and git home yourself. Don’t want to get you sick because of me.” Applejack playfully shooed her friend away. Sunset laughed at the notion and waved to her friend.

“Suit yourself Applejack.” she waved as she took off. A smile on her face. “See you tomorrow!” She called back. Applejack waved back to her with her own smile, quickly turning to a face of determination. She looked around for anyone nearby before giving out a quick whistle. As if by magic, from the bushes, to behind some of the nearby buildings, to...wherever Pinkie came from, her friends had reconciled into their original huddle.

“She gone?” Rainbow Dash asked. Not wanting her friends to be seen.

“Eyup” Applejack replied, quickly turning her attention to Twilight. “You get that thing on her?”

Twilight adjusted her glasses giving a mischievous grin. “Sure did, planted it on her during the hug, right on the back of her shirt. She’ll never notice it.” She looked at her friends half hoping for some applause but instead was met with looks of concern.

“It’s not that we don’t believe you Twilight,” Rarity acknowledge, noticing the look of concern now her face as well. “It just feels wrong to have to, eck, bug our friend like that.” Rarity gave a look of disgust upon saying the word “bug”. She was quickly snapped out of her stupor when a swift slap to the back hit her.

“Don’t worry Rarity, it’s for a good cause, not Sci Twi over her can find her wherever she goes, right Twilight?” Rainbow interjected giving her friend the remark she needed. Twilight nodded and pulled out a strange device from her bag. The same device she had used before to locate the magic coming from the statue at the school.

“I reprogrammed my scanner to lock onto the chip I built and point us towards it, we should be able to follow it wherever it goes.” She fiddled with the dials and switches until a beeping could be heard. “Its working” She said excitedly, her expression quickly turning to concern. “She’s really moving fast.”

“She does take the bus everywhere” Pinkie spoke up, trying to be apart of the conversation in some way. “Maybe she lives far away?”

“Maybe, either way we should probably get moving, we don't want to stay out for too long, it might get even colder.” Twilight explained picking her bag up.

“C-c-colder?” Fluttershy squeaked, drawing the attention of her friends. “I really don’t like the cold.” She confided in them, causing them all to giggle a little. They each picked up their respective possessions and proceeded to follow Twilight’s lead, as she was the one who knew who to read the tracker.

After an hour and a half of waking, the girls spirits were starting to dwindle. They tried to keep going with witty banter. “I swear I saw her sleeping in the library, right before the whole Anon-a-miss fiasco.” Pinkie Spurted. “Just like Princess Twilight did right before she came back for the battle of the bands. Wonder if she got the idea from her?”

“I don't know, if she had a place why would she spend the night in the library, I mean, I know she likes to read and all but come on.” Rainbow dash interjected snidely. “I don’t sleep in the soccer field.”

“Nope, just in class” Rarity chuckled, causing Rainbow Dash to blush a little. The girls all chuckled at the notion until they were stopped by Twilight, who had stopped moving.

“Something wrong Twi?” Applejack asked confused. They were between two large buildings with a chain fence between them.

“The scanner says she should be down here.” She turned and pointed towards the fence. “But that doesn't make any sense,” she continued. “There shouldn’t be anything down there, that's just left over space that could fit anything.” They examined the fence looking for any hint, maybe the wind had blown the tracer off, maybe Susnet had found it and flicked it away. Suddenly Pinkie spook up.

“Girls I think I found something.” She waved for them to come to her. When assembled she showed that part of the fence had been broken, and that with a little bit of effort, she could bend it back. Large enough for them to all fit through.

“You don’t think she could be in there. Do you?” Twilight squeaked nervously. Applejack placed her hand on her back, to reassure her.

“Really only one way to find out.” She gave a reassuring smile. There was no way Sunset would be back there, she was too smart to be hanging out in a chained off alley like that, right? With little effort, Pinkie had peeled the chain back so her friends could all squeeze through. They struggled a little but soon they were each on the other side of the fence. After dusting herself off, Rarity perked her ear hearing a familiar tune.

“Girls, does anyone else hear that?” She asked with a look of distress on her face. The sound was in fact humming, of a very familiar song.

“That’s Awesome as I Wanna Be” Rainbow Dash spurted out confused. Their music had been kind of popular with the rest of the students and faculty at the school, but only someone who knew the inner workings of the song could be humming it that in tune. The group quietly followed the sound of the humming, tracing it around the corner of a building. Applejack popped her head out first, slowly followed by the others. No one could believe what they had seen in front of them.

“Oh mah stars” Applejack managed to sturmer. To their surprise they saw a familiar pair of black heeled boots, sticking out of what looked like a makeshift shack. Constructed mainly from found sticks, rope and a tarp to keep out rain. In front sat a small man, or in this case woman, made fireplace.

“So,” Twilight began, tears welling in her eyes. “She is homeless.”

Author's Note

So a quick bit of information here. I finished writing this chapter on Saturday, literally the day after I put the first one up. I then asked not one, not two, but three of my closest friends to read over it and give me some feedback and tell me what I need to fix or change. They never read it. They ignored my responses even though they originally said they would take a look but never followed through. Now I am not mad at them, I dont really do mad. I am a little upset though. I got no feedback on it and it didn't look like I would be getting any anytime soon. I said I would have this chapter ready in two to three days and now I am out of time. So I hope you guys do enjoy it and once again please tell me what you think in the comments. I love hearing from all of you.

Now that my rant is over let's talk a little about the chapter, is this where I promised things would get dark? Well not really, yes the idea of a homeless Sunset is kind of sad but its going to get much worse. I have some mean plans for her.

So now we get to a big question. When is the next chapter going to come out? I want to say it might take me about ten days to write it. I still need to think it over a few more times to get it exactly right, then HOPE one of my friends will actually read it. Anyways, that's all for now. Hope you all enjoyed it and thanks for all the support you guys show this story. It really means a lot to me.

Chapter Three: Cold Night Realizations.

The cold breeze blew past the group of girls, causing several to shudder from the cold nipping at their faces. They had huddled together as the began the long walk back to their homes, the sun beginning to set in from behind them. If they stayed out much later it would be bad for their health.

“But should we really be leaving Sunset out like that? It might be too cold for her.” Fluttershy chimed, worried for her friends safety and well being.

“We don’t have much of a choice at the moment.” Applejack replied, adjusting her hat to try and block some of the incoming wind. “Even if we really wanted to do something, we don’t have much of a plan.”

“It really does feel terrible to be leaving her there though.” Rarity interjected, her scarf blowing in the oncoming wind. “Do you really think she will be ok for the night? I heard it’s supposed to get really cold.”

“You kidding me!?” Rainbow snapped “Sunset’s tough, she can take anything that comes her way. Besides, it’s not like we haven't had cold weather before.” She gave a slight snicker and a thumbs up to her friends, hoping to raise their spirits.

“Yeah, but the weather people are saying this is supposed to be a record low.” Pinkie pointed out. “They say it’s supposed to get to below freezing tonight, or even colder! SUPER FREEZING!!!!” She was ready to burst at the words.

“Pinkie, there’s no such thing as super freezing.” Twilight Interjected, rubbing her arms for warmth. “But I am still very concerned. What if something happens to her over night? Hypothermia is a very serious issue, and not to mention the risk of sickness like the flu, she could be without any kind of help for so long.” She started to shake even harder, not from the cold so much, but at the thought of her dear friend wheezing and dying alone without any there to help her. She could feel her eyes start to sting a little as small tears began to form in her eyes. Applejack seemed to notice this as well.

“Hey, come on Twi.” She said softly to her friend, turning to face her. “Don’t you be worrying about a thing. First thing tomorrow at school we can bring this up with her” She managed to gently wipe away some of the loose tears from Twilight’s eyes. “Then we can help her find an actual place to stay. Even if it has to be with one of us for a while.”

Twilight gave Applejack a weak smile, which Applejack happily returned. Suddenly Pinkie Pie jumped into the middle of their heartfelt conversation. “She could stay with me for a while.” She gasped. “I always wanted a sister!”
Her friends gave her a confused look. “Pinkie, darling-” Rarity started.

“Don’t you have, like, Three sisters already?” Rainbow finished for her. Pinkie began rubbing the back of her head as she chuckled. “Oh right.” She laughed. This brought a small amount of enjoyment to her friends, who all began to giggle. Twilight quickly switched back to her sad demeanor though. The thought just would not leave her.

“Don’t worry Twi.” Applejack spoke again to her. “Everything is going to be fine. You’ll see.”

Twilight sighed a deep sigh before regaining her composure. “Your right Applejack. Thank you.” The girls all continued their walks until they each came to their respective homes, with Applejack's walk being the farthest. With heartfelt goodbyes and see you laters, they each prepared for the day ahead of them.

The following morning came all too swiftly for anyone liking. The sky was grey with dark clouds, blocking the beautiful and warming beams that the sun would usually provide. Replaced instead with the dark dreariness that came. Today was no warmer than the previous day had been, in fact it seemed to have been even colder. The girls followed their usual routines for the day, waking up, taking a shower, eating, and rushing to their respected positions for the walk to school. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash once again met each other and began their jog to school. Twilight took her unfortunately slow walk, Rarity and Applejack respectively got rides from their parents or elder sibling. And Pinkie Pie, with all her energy happily hopped to the school without a care for the cold at all.

“Twilight!” Pinkie yelled to her friend, who was at her locker. Twilight chuckled a little to this.

“Hello Pinki-ech.” Before she could finish she found herself both in an inescapable hug, and a weird sense of Deja-vu.

““Oh my gosh Twilight” Pinkie began “It got so cold out I didn’t even know if you would be able to get her what with how small you are, I thought I would walk out of my house and on the way to school I would find-”

“A Twi-cicle?” Twilight managed to ask through difficult breaths. Pinkie slowly let her friend out of her grasp.

“I knew it, you are psychic!” Pinkie screamed pointing at her friend. Twilight chuckled again and rested her hand on Pinkie’s shoulder.

“I’m not psychic, you said the same thing to me yesterday.” She retorted giving her friend a silly smile. Pinkie crossed her arms and gave a small pout.

“Shoot, I was hoping you were psychic, then you could have helped me find where I hid my favorite plushy.” Pinkie explained, once again striping from her winter attire to her usual outfit. Twilight shook her head and continued her walk to her friends usual meeting place.

“That’s not what a psychic is Pinkie, you’re thinking of a clairvoyant.” She joked with her friend following closely behind, skipping with each step.

“Whatever.” Pinkie exaggerated. Her face quickly became more malicious as she began to poke Twilight’s arm. “But you would totally tell me if you were psychic right? You wouldn’t just go around reading my mind would you.” Once more, Twilight gave out a small chuckle.

“Yes Pinkie.” She started looking at her friend. “If I was psychic I would tell you, and don’t worry, I don’t think anyone would want to see what goes on in your head.” Pinkie looked at her confused for a second but quickly continued to happily skip to the front of the school. There they saw two familiar faces, panting at the entrance.

“Maybe-next time-we-should-walk?” Fluttershy suggested between breaths. The combination of the cold and the distance the two had just jogged finally starting to hit her.

“Yeah-maybe-running-in-this-weather-was a-bad-idea” Rainbow Dash replied in the same way. She looked up to see her two other friends now joining them. “Oh, hey Twilight. Hey Pinkie.” She acknowledged finally regaining her composure. Fluttershy Straightened herself out as well.

“Hey girls.” Twilight replied. “Any sign of the others yet?” The conversation from the other day continued to linger in her mind, they had to confront Sunset on her living arrangements, even if it was a delicate subject to discuss. As if by magic itself, a familiar truck had just pulled up out front of the school. As the truck speed off they could make out Applejack waving as she began to walk into the school.

“Howdy ya’ll.” She greeted, rubbing her hands together for a bit of warmth. “Is it me or is it even colder outside than it was yesterday?”

“I think it’s actually about ten degrees colder.” Twilight replied pulling out her phone and checking the weather. Sure enough, the temperature for the day was an astounding seven degrees. She frowned, her brow following suit. The night before had been in the negatives, how could Sunset even call staying out in that living? Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of the main hall doors opening again as Rarity entered.

“My, it’s so chilly out there.” she started, unraveling her scarf from her neck. “Why couldn’t it be warm again, I miss my nice outfits from spring and summer, even fall.” Her friends all began to snicker. “What!” Rarity demanded, a little bit of blush growing on her face.

“It’s nothing Rarity.” Applejack Replied. “So, just one left huh?” She looked at the group, most of which looked away with some frowns on their faces, except for Pinkie who was just happy to be there.

“Well she did say last time the buses ran a little late.” Twilight perked up, not wanting to sound too upset. “Maybe they’re having the same problem.” She really just wanted to think of the most positive reasons for Sunset to take longer to get to the school then them. However, several minutes passed and still no sign of her.

“RRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!!!”

The loud bell had pierced the practical silence like a hot knife through butter. That was the warning bell, to let the students know classes would start in three minutes. Twilight began to look worried as the serious thoughts from their walk home began to come back to her. What if she was sick, or someone had done something to her, or what if she was-was. Small tears began to well in her eyes at the thought.

“Oh come now Twilight” Applejack rested her hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure she’s alright.” Twilight sniffed, then using her sleeve, wiped the tears away.

“Yeah, your right. I’m sure she will be here any minute.”

Lunch is usually meant to be a nice relaxing period to just refuel and let off excess steam. Today though was not the case. The school day was now half over and still, there was no sign of Sunset. Twilight began to worry more and more as her friend continued to be missing. Even some of the others girls started to really become concerned.

“Still no word from her?” Rainbow asked Rarity, her hands on her phone anxiously.

“Nothing.” Rarity placed her phone down. “You don’t really think something happened to her do you?”

“I don’t even want to think about what could be happening” Fluttershy squeaked from behind her own hair.

“Regardless, we need to check on her first thing after school today.” Applejack announced. “Even if she is fine we can’t let this keep happening. Ah mean, look at us. We’re worrying ourselves to death. Ah for one can’t take it.” Her friends all murmured to each other and gave nods of agreement.

“I hate having to wait so long, but I guess it is for the best. We can’t all just disappear without a word to the teachers or Principal Celestia.” Twilight acknowledged. For now all they could do was wait.

The remainder of the day was slow and boring. Twilight had already began to grow more attached to CHS then she had ever felt at Crystal Prep, but even so. She was one of the brightest students at the school. In fact, she could probably be teaching the courses there if she was interested. So for her, the classes were always more of a formality. Staring at the clock on the wall she began to count the minutes left until it was time to leave.

“13 minutes left” She thought to herself. “That's about 780 seconds. Not too much longer until we leave. Applejack already said she would get Big Mac to give us a ride this time to Sunset.” Twilight had become so lost in thought she didn’t even hear the teacher calling her name.

“Miss Sparkle!” Twilight jumped, she looked around the room with everyone staring at her. “Well Miss Sparkle-” the teacher spoke, adjusting his obviously fake toupee. “If you’ve finally come back to earth then maybe you could tell the class the angle of the triangle on the board.” He smirked at the girl with a small hint of malice.

Twilight adjusted her glasses and quickly glanced at the board. “The angle for angle cda is 32 degrees.” Her teacher looked at her dumbstruck. He was sure she wasn’t paying attention.

“Very well Miss Sparkle. But please do pay attention.” He said with a sense of anger in his voice. The class ended not too long after and Twilight hurriedly moved out of the room towards her locker. Quickly throwing on her winter clothes for the trip outside she rushed to the front entrance, her friends all waiting.

“Hey Twi” Applejack Greeted. “Just waiting on Big Mac, he said he would be a little bit with traffic being slow and all.”

“That’s fine.” Twilight acknowledged. She looked around her group of friends and noticed the look of unease on everyone's faces. “So still no word from her?” She hesitantly asked. None of her friends seemed to want to look up. She sighed. “I’ll take the silence as a no.”

Big Mac soon pulled up in his truck once more, ready to give Applejack and her Friends a ride. Applejack jumped into the front seat as she was ready to give the directions, the other five barely managed to cram themselves into the back seats, leaving their school books and backpacks in the back of the truck for later.

After a roughly ten minute drive, the group came upon a familiar location. “This looks like the place.” Applejack said nervously. Big Mac, looking skeptical, pulled the truck over to the curb and parked. Letting the others all pile out. “We won't be too long Big Mac.” Applejack waved to her brother. “Just wait here for a little okay.”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac acknowledged. He shifted into park and turned on the trucks radio as he waited. Looking back Applejack gave a small grin to the sight of her brother head banging to whatever song her was listening to. Pinkie quickly once again lifted the side of the chain fence to let her friends in, as they approached to the spot they had found Sunset before they heard an unfamiliar voice.

“That’s right, squirm all you want. I like when they give me a little bit of a fight.” The voice was low and raspy, belonging to a man they had never heard before. The group looked around the corner in horror at what they saw. The small camp fire was kicked apart and the small shelter that Sunset had made had been destroyed. Twigs lay everywhere and the tarp seemed to have blown away.

Kneeling where the shelter had once been was a raggedy man who seemed to be struggling to pull something away. As the girls looked in bewilderment they noticed a familiar pair of boots pinned down under the man’s weight, squirming to get free.

“This is going to be fun, don’t you worry your pretty little head” The man spoke again. This was the point that broke her. Applejack swiftly strode to the man, followed quickly by Rainbow Dash. She reached down and grabbed the man by the shoulder and shock. The man slowly turned around with a sound of disgust in his voice.

“Find yer own prey, this one's mine” He said before making eye contact. In almost an instant, the man was on his side, holding his now red and painful cheek. Applejack shook her first, stinging from the impact she had made.

“The hell is wrong with you.” The man yelled at the girls. “Wrong with us!?” Applejack asked shocked.

Her friends had now all rallied around her, letting Rainbow Dash stand next to her. They knew those two were the best fighters out of all of them. “You were assaulting our friend. Did you think we were just gonna walk away?” Applejack could feel her rage raising as the man stood up. He looked around at the girls and gave a snide smirk.

“Friends with her, heh, whatever you say.” He laughed as he walked in the opposite direction rubbing his face the whole time. “Friends with a homeless girl. That’s rich!”

Applejack took a deep breath and turned towards Sunset. “Sorry you had to find out like this Sunset, but we needed to know you were safe, we kinda followed you and need to talk.” There was no reply. Applejack leaned down closer to her.

“Hey Sunset?” She asked shaking her shoulder. Something was wrong. She looked even closer at her friend. Then she gasped in horror. She reached out her hand to touch Sunsets face. It was ice cold, then she quickly moved to her forehead. It was burning up. She looked over Sunset carefully. Her normal tan skin was starting to look...blue.

“Sunset!?” Twilight leaned next to her was well. She took far less time to realize what was happening. Her worst fears were coming true. She cupped her hands over her mouth as tears began to form once more.

“Applejack, what should we do?” Rainbow Dash had rested her hand on her shoulder. Applejack turned to face her companions and noticed the looks of horror and disbelief they each shared. Applejack quickly shook her feelings away, this was a time to take action, not feel sorry. Gently she reached under her unconscious friend and lifted her up.

“We need to get her somewhere warm so we can help her. Pinkie, go get the fence ready for us.” Pinkie saluted and rushed to the where they had entered. “Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash. Grab any of her things you can find. We are taking everything with us.” The three girls nodded in agreement and began searching the remains of the destroyed shelter for valuables. Such as Sunsets cell phone, her guitar, and some other assortments they figured she would want. “Twilight!” Applejack yelled.

Twilight was lost in her despair. Everything else around her to seemed to have stopped moving. Here she was, looking at her first real friend, who was dying and there was nothing she could do. What could she do? Maybe if she still had Magic she could do something but for now, she was just a weak little girl. She was powerless, worthless.

Applejack nudged Twilight with her foot, shocking Twilight just enough back into reality. “Get up Twi, we have to go now, we can’t keep Sunset out here any longer.” Twilight looked into Applejacks arms and saw the limp cold body. She stood up and pressed her pointer and middle fingers to Sunset’s neck. Bubump. Bubump. A pulse, this was what Twilight needed to feel. Her friend was still alive, if just barely.

Twilight shook her head, snapping back to reality fully. “Sorry Applejack. Let’s get out of here.” Applejack gave her a weak smile and began to walk back to her brother. The others following behind her with Sunset’s belongings. When Big Mac saw the group approaching he quickly turned off his radio and stared in shock. Quickly he opened the door for his sister.

“What happened?” He asked, a tinge of fear and sadness in his voice.

“Long story, tell you on the way.” Applejack replied, watching as the others piled into the car’s back seats. She gently lowered Sunset onto their laps. “Hold her, make sure she’s okay.” She ordered.

“Well, what do we do now?” Rainbow asked. Sitting in the middle she gently rested her hand on Sunsets abdomen, which felt smaller than it should be.

‘I’m not sure” Applejack replied, thinking as hard as she could. They needed to take her someplace warm where she would be safe. But where? They had to think fast.

Twilight rested her hand on Sunset’s face, gently stroking it. “We can take her to my place.” she suggested. Her friends all turning to look at her. She shrunk a little in her seat. “It’s not to far from here.”

Applejack let out a small sigh. “Guess we don’t have a choice. Mind giving Big Mac directions?”

Author's Note

Alright, so let's get a few things off the bat right away. Once again, I finished this chapter within my deadline I set for myself but could not get any of my friends to proof read it. I even offered to pay them to do it but no one seemed to want to. Now about this chapter a little. I am honestly not too happy with how it came out. It kinda feels a little dry to me. I know I wrote it but I was really just not into this chapter as much as the first two. That being said I am really looking forwards to working on the next one. This is where things are going to get fun. Anyways, I hope you guys like it as much as you can and once more, please leave comments for me. Every time you guys tell me how I can improve I really do take it to heart and try to follow your advice as best I can. Next chapter might be a month from now, a lot of work has come up and writing might be tough. If I do change this in the future I will make a blog about it. Enjoy.

Chapter Four: A Day to Rest

Silence, a heart wrenching lack of noise only broken from the silent whimpers that escaped from Sunset Shimmer. The sudden transition from cold to warm was unexpected and shocking. She was too weak to move, too weak to speak or open her eyes, but she could roughly hear some sound that she had not been expecting to hear.

“Take a left on the next rode Big Mac.” Twilight ordered, hoping to get to her home as soon as possible. She looked to her frigid friend whose head laid upon her lap. She bit her lip in fear, They had to get her someplace warmer than this truck or her friend might be in trouble.

“I still don't understand why we can’t just take her to the hospital.” Rainbow chimed a little annoyed. She cared about her friends no doubt, but the fact that they were ignoring the obvious solution was starting to bother her.

“Rainbow Dash, it’s not that easy.” Twilight spoke softly looking at her rainbow haired friend.

“You all keep saying that” Rainbow yelled, obvious annoyance begin to rise in her tone. “But why not? That’s what they’re there for. To make people better and to take in the sick. We should just take her there and then they can handle everything.” She contoured. Rainbow was never one for trying to argue logic into a situation but this time, she felt it necessary.

“Let me ask you this Rainbow Dash” Applejack spoke from the front seat. “Who's going to pay for her?”

Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head thinking, she never really thought about the bill before. “Doesn’t she have insurance or something?” She responded.

“Darling, she’s from another world remember?” Rarity spoke, trying to keep a calm demeanor.

“Then we can pay for it, I mean how much could it be really?” Rainbow Dash replied, sounding just a little too cocky for the moment.

“A bed alone could cost anywhere from one to three thousand dollars.” Twilight spoke, staring at Sunset the whole time.

“WHAT!?” Rainbow was obviously shocked by this answer. “Just to be in one of their beds!? That’s ridiculous.”

“That’s doctors for you.” Applejack replied. Normally show would relish in the moment of seeing Rainbow Dash shocked by what she had heard. Rainbow Dash was used to going to the hospital for injuries from sporting events, but she always had insurance to cover her. Sunset however, was not even technically a legal citizen as far as they knew. She was from another world entirely, one filled with magic and talking horses. There was no way she would have the means to pay for a hospital trip let alone avoid questioning from officials. Applejack let out a sigh, sometimes being Sunset’s friend proved to be a little difficult.

“Right up ahead Big Mac, you can pull into the alley.” Twilight broke the silence again, pointing out a house the group was quickly approaching. It wasn’t anything too spectacular, a two floor home with an average size yard, a two car garage and a large oak tree growing in the back. Big Mac pulled the truck to the end of the alley and shifted to park.

“Nice place Twi.” Rainbow remarked, exiting the truck first. With her friends help, the gently lifted and passed Sunset into Rainbow’s arms, next to Applejack she was one of the stronger girls physically. Sunset would be no problem for her to carry.

The rest of the girls scurried out of the truck back into the unforgiving cold. They made their way quickly to the door of the home, letting Twilight go ahead to open the way for them. Applejack stayed towards the back and gave a quick wave to Big Mac, signaling that he could head off for now. The truck began to pull away just as Twilight finished unlocking the door.

“Alright, let’s get her into the spare bedroom.” Twilight suggested, dropping her school bag and helping Rainbow through the threshold of the door. The posse of girls scurried into the home, all trying to avoid the cold. As Twilight began guiding Rainbow Dash to the spare room she heard the scurrying sound of foot steps.

“BARK, BARK!!” A barking sound could be heard along with the tiny steps when suddenly, a purple dog slid in front of the group, baring it’s teeth letting out a low growl.

“Spike, it’s just us, calm down.” Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes after spotting her closest friend.

“Oh, sorry Twi, didn’t know you were going to have company over, just sorta kicked into guard dog mode.” Spike replied. If it wasn’t for one of the eventful meetings that Twilight had with one of her now closest friends it would have been weird to hear the dog talking back to her. But after having accepted that magic was real, it was something she had grown used to. She did however have to continue to hide this fact from her parents and brother. Just to be safe.

Spike looked at Rainbow Dash, still holding Sunset. “What happened to Sunset? Is she okay?” Panic began to form in the little dog’s voice. Twilight bent down and lifted her friend into her arms.

“Don’t worry Spike, Sunset should be fine after we let her get some rest.” She bit her lip and looked away for a moment, letting a single tear drip down her face. “I hope” She whispered to herself.

Twilight continued leading her friends through the house. They had been friends with Twilight for a little while now but had never actually been to her home before, weather it be because she was too nervous about them judging her or her being worried about what her parents might think, now was not the time to be thinking that. After a moment, they had reached a door that Twilight hesitated on. She drew a sharp breath and then opened the door.

The room was pretty plain, a large bed sat in the middle of the room with a nightstand next to it. Across from the bed sat a wooden desk. From the markings on it, it was clear that it was a worn piece of furniture that had seen plenty of use.

“This room used to belong to my brother before he got married. Now he lives the Dean Cadence.” She explained. “I’ve been a little hesitant about letting others into this room but this is a little bit of an emergency.” Using her free arm she motioned for Rainbow to bring Sunset into the room. Rainbow nodded and slowly walked into the room, followed shortly by Fluttershy.

“Here, let me help.” Fluttershy spoke, and short octave higher than normal. She reached down and pulled the sheets of the bed up to allow Rainbow to place Sunset in more comfortably. Right before she was placed into the bed, Fluttershy reached out and gently removed Sunset’s boots. Sleeping with those on would not be an easy or comfortable feat. With Sunset now gently tucked into the bed, the rest of the girls decided to head out of the room, lest they wake her and make the situation worse.

“Well at least now she can get a bit of rest.” Applejack spoke, stating her relief. “Do you really think she’ll be okay Twi?”

Twilight shook her head a little. “I wish I could be more sure about it, from what it looks like it might be moderate hypothermia.” The rest of her friends all visibly winced after her assumption. Hypothermia was not something you wanted to have, especially not moderate to severe hypothermia.

“Are you sure about that Darling?” Rarity spoke, hoping for some other type of response. Once again, Twilight shook her head.

“I need to find one of my old medical books, it might have some information in there on what to look for.”

“Well, get to looking then.” Rainbow chimed in, using her hand to tell her to get to looking. Twilight nodded before taking off to her room.

“Come on Spike, let’s get looking.” Twilight pet the head of her friend.

Some time passed before Twilight returned. Her friend had gotten somewhat comfortable waiting for her, sitting and discussing the issues that they had just gone through.

“This all could have been avoided if she had just told us.”Applejack was quite clear in her thought. “Why did she keep this from us, we could have helped her. Gotten her out of the cold. Given her a warm place to stay.”

“Yeah, and thrown her an awesome Getting out of the Cold party.” Pinky spoke up, her hair had frizzled down into much more controllable flat strands after finding Sunset. Only with the recent thought had some of the bounce come back.

“I don’t think a party is what she needs at the moment Darling.” Rarity interjected, biting her thumb nail as she spoke. A disgusting habit unfit for a lady but a coping mechanism she had picked up regardless. Fluttershy gently placed her hand on top of Rarity's, lowering it from her mouth.

“It’s okay Rarity, I’m sure Twilight will be able to figure something out.” Fluttershy spoke calmly. She had been used to working with animals at the animal shelter, and helping people with their pets, so she had quickly learned to keep a calm tone around people who were beginning to worry.

“Fluttershy’s right.” Rainbow said, resting her arms behind her head. “Twilight’s smart, I’m sure she has an idea on what to do. She’s probably got this all figured out already.” She cracked a small grin feeling confident in what she had said. The sound of footsteps breaking her from her relaxation.

“I just hope your confidence in me isn’t misplaced.” Twilight said, having just returned from her room. A large book resting in her hands. Spike accompanying her as they entered the room and sat down on the couch. Spike sitting on his friends lap.

“So whats up doc?” Rainbow said, hoping to defuse some of the tension in the air with a little bit of humor.

“Let’s just say, it might be a little while before Sunset is back up to her old self. And that we may have a few problems to worry about.”

Author's Note

So a short chapter this time. I did not have as much time to work on this as I had hoped with work being a bit of a pain right now. There is also the fact that several new story ideas have popped into my head that I also want to start working on. That being said I want to also keep working on this. There may be a few spelling or grammar mistakes since once again I don't really have anyone to proof read this when I finish.

Okay, enough talking about problems. This is a short chapter so I promise the next one will be longer and far more entertaining. I am not going to give and estimate this time on when I will have the chapter done since these upcoming months is subject to change. But expect to see a new chapter soon. As always please tell me what you think in the comments and thanks for sticking with the story for so long.