Wounds Not Quite Healed

It was shortly after New Year’s Day, all the students of Canterlot High were returning to school to start the next semester. It had been a very rough holiday season for most of them, but it seemed like everyone had gotten through it and were happy to go back to school. A certain group of teenage girls were already getting underway with their New Year plans. They were all part of a music band known as the Rainbooms, which included: Rainbow Dash, the lead guitarist; Fluttershy, the tambourine player; Applejack, the bass player; Pinkie Pie, the drummer; Rarity, the keytar player; and Sunset Shimmer, the rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist. They were all gathered one afternoon in the music room to practice their instruments, except for Sunset.

“Shouldn’t she be here by now?” Rainbow said impatiently while tuning her guitar.

“Maybe she’s doing some important school work.” Fluttershy guessed.

“She does have other classes to work in.” Applejack reminded Rainbow.

“I know, but have any of you noticed she’s been hanging out less with us since the holidays?” Rainbow asked the others suspiciously.

“Come to think of it, she has been skipping music practice lately.” Pinkie said.

“I’m sure she had her reasons.” Rarity dismissed their concerns. “It’s the new year. A time to start again.”

Then Sunset entered the room holding her backpack. “Hey, girls.” She greeted them.

“Sunset!” they all happily greeted her back.

“You’re late again.” Rainbow teasingly reminded her. “Where have you been?”

“Oh, you know… busy.” Sunset replied sheepishly.

“Come to think of it, you’ve been busy for quite some time since the beginning of the new year.” Pinkie said.

“Yeah, about that. Sorry girls, but I’m afraid I can’t practice with you today. There’s something I need to do.” Sunset regretfully told them.

“This is the fourth time this week that you’ve skipped band practice.” Rarity said.

“Is everything okay?” Fluttershy asked concerned.

“Oh yes, everthing’s fine.” Sunset assured them. “It’s just a really important errand I have to do.”

“Well, if you say it’s important, I’ll take yer’ word for it.” Applejack said understandingly.

“Me too.” Fluttershy agreed.

“Me three!” Pinkie said wanting to join in.

“Thanks, girls.” Sunset said gratefully. “I’ll see you all next week.”

“Would you like to have a sleepover this weekend?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, no. Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t do that this time.” Sunset nervously apologized.

“Oh, okay.” Rarity said slightly disappointed. “You probably have a lot on your plate at the moment. How about another time?”

“Yeah, perhaps another time. Well, I gotta get going. Bye.”

“Goodbye.” They all bid their friend as she left the room.

“Is it me or has Sunset been seeming a little… off lately?” Fluttershy concernedly asked the others.

“You think it might be related to what happened during the holiday season?” Rarity also asked.

“Nah, it can’t be that.” Pinkie said doubtfully. “The true identity of Anon-a-Miss was revealed and everything went back to the way it was. By the way, how are your sisters doing?”

“Oh, Apple Bloom hasn’t been feelin’ too happy lately.” AJ sadly told her. “She’s been picked on less since the beginning of the new year, but ah’ think she’s still feelin’ pretty bad about the whole Anon-a-Miss thing.”

“Same goes for Sweetie Belle.” Rarity sadly added. “Some nights I hear her crying in her sleep.”

“Hey Rainbow, how’s Scootaloo been?” Fluttershy asked her friend.

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t really seen Scoots lately.” Dash said concernedly. “And whenever I do see her she seems so sad.”

“They’re all probably still feeling pretty ashamed for what they did.” Fluttershy said feeling a little sorry for the three younger girls.

“Well, ah’ think we all have a pretty good idea of what’s probably eatin’ those three. But we still need ta’ figure out what’s eatin’ Sunset.” AJ said suspiciously.

As Sunset walked down the sidewalk from the school, she dropped her seemingly happy façade and her facial expression showed that she really was quite unhappy. After walking for some time, she arrived at a certain building and entered its doors. She walked up an ascending staircase till she reached a room where a woman with glasses was sitting behind a desk and working on her computer.

“Hello, can I help you?” the woman politely asked looking up from her computer when Sunset approached her desk.

“Can you tell Dr. Shrink his five o’clock is here?” Sunset replied.

The woman said pressing a button on the phone on her desk, which made a buzzing noise, and spoke into it. “Sir, Sunset Shimmer is here to see you.” Then she took her finger off the button and turned to Sunset. “He’ll be with you shortly.”

Sunset sat on a bench near the entrance of the room. After a minute, the door near the woman at the desk opened to reveal a tall, slender man wearing a suit, glasses, and a concerned look on his face. He also had nicely cut and groomed moustache and beard. He looked to be in his late-thirties.

“Sunset, I’m ready.” He informed her in a gentle voice. She got up and followed him into the room. They were now in a room with a desk, a bookshelf, a coffee table, and a couch built for a person to lay down on. “You remember how this goes, right?”

Sunset placed her backpack next to the couch and lied down with her back on the couch. The doctor put a water jug and a plastic cup on the coffee table near Sunset and took his seat at his desk.

“So, how have things been lately?” he asked her getting out a pen and a notepad.

“To be honest, I’m actually not feeling very good today, I’m afraid.” She said. “I felt the pain again.”

“Would you mind telling me how all this happened again? Try not to leave out anything important.” He instructed.

Sunset told Dr. Shrink about the day she first came to Canterlot High to the Anon-a-Miss affair. She told him about how she used to be a terrible person in the past, but after losing to her rivals at the Fall Formal (she left out all the magic parts to avoid looking crazy), she strove to become a better person. She also told him that after the Battle of the Bands (minus the magic parts), things were actually starting to look up for her. That is until the Anon-a-Miss affair started. A mysterious blogger had somehow gotten his or her hands on the secrets of some students, including her former rivals turned friends, and posted them on the internet. It wasn’t long before everyone started accusing her of being this blogger and scorned her. Even her own friends came to believe it was her and turned their backs on her. It was the most heartbreaking and worst moment in her life. Eventually, the true culprits confessed and everything seemingly went back to normal. But for the Sunset, the pain and heartache never went away. After the beginning of the New Year, Sunset secretly decided to take up therapy sessions with Dr. Shrink to help ease her pain.

“And that’s the whole story.” Sunset concluded her story while wiping away some tears.

“It appears to me that the problem here is still the same.” Dr. Shrink explained. “Sunset, you suffer from an extreme fear of loneliness. You believed that if you always had your five friends by your side, everything would be alright. But this incident with Anon-a-Miss has proven that not everyone is completely reliable. Have you taken my suggestion and made some new friends outside of school?”

“Yes, I have.” Sunset answered with a smile.

“And how has that been going for you?”

“Very well, thank you.”

Dr. Shrink suddenly got a suspicious look on his face. “You’re not still going out with him, are you?”

Sunset then started to look nervous. “I know when we first met after New Year’s things got a little... bumpy. But I think our relationship is getting better. I feel we’re becoming closer everyday. We’re going out for dinner this weekend.”

“Hmm.” Dr. Shrink still looked suspicious, but then he seemed lightened up when he looked at his watch. “Well Sunset, if you believe everything’s going to be okay, I’ll take your word for it.”

“Thank you, sir.” She said getting up from the couch and grabbing her backpack.

“Same time next week?”

“Sure thing. Goodbye, thanks.” Sunset bid him farewell and left the room.

Dr. Shrink got up from his desk and looked out the window of his office down at the street. He saw Sunset leaving the building and head down the street. He couldn’t help but think about what Sunset said when he asked her about him.

“Oh, Sunset.” The doctor said to himself in a tone of disappointment. “You should know by now that I can tell when you’re fibbing.”