Wounds Not Quite Healed

The next day, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were sitting together on the steps of the school’s main entrance. They were all still in shock over what they’d seen last night.

“Am I the only one who can’t come up with an explanation for what we just saw last night?” Rainbow asked her friends.

“Nope, even ah think what we saw couldn’t be interpreted any other way,” Applejack replied.

“Look, it’s Sunset,” Fluttershy informed them pointing to their approaching friend.

Sunset was wearing her usual attire, but this time she had a pair of sunglasses on.

“Hey girls, how’s everything?” Sunset politely asked in a seemingly happy tone as if nothing happened last night.

“Are you okay, Sunset?” Rainbow asked suspiciously.

“Just fine. Why do ask?” Sunset answered casually.

“Last time we saw you, darling, you weren’t exactly decent,” Rarity said.

“Oh, I just got out of the shower that’s all,” Sunset said reassuringly.

“In an apron?” Rainbow asked suspiciously again.

“I couldn’t find any towels, it was the only thing I could find.”

“But you didn’t look soaking wet at all,” Fluttershy pointed out.

“Sorry girls, I gotta get to class,” Sunset nervously excused herself and walked into the school. “See you later.”

Despite Sunset’s claims, the five friends weren’t convince in the slightest that things were okay.

In the school cafeteria, the five friends sat down at a table for lunch. They had hoped Sunset would join them but she chose to sit at an empty table all alone instead. It was like she was trying to avoid them. Then they were approached by the Crusaders.

“I take y’all are worried about Sunset,” Apple Bloom guessed.

“Yeah, there’s something about her that seems out of place,” Fluttershy replied.

“We’ve noticed she’s been acting weird too,” Scootaloo said. “It’s like she’s trying to hide something.”

“And it’s making us a little worried,” Sweetie Belle added.

“Oh, now you’re all concerned about people’s feelings considering what you pulled last season,” Diamond Tiara unpleasantly remarked to the three Crusaders overhearing their conversation.

“Six months of detention wasn’t nearly what you deserved,” Silver Spoon bitterly added and left with her friend.

Many of the other students shot the Crusaders very angry and threatening glares which the five older girls noticed.

“What’s with them?” Pinkie asked.

“Although we apologized for our actions,” Apple Bloom sadly explained. “Some people still haven’t forgiven us for the whole Anon-a-Miss thing.”

“So that’s what all the teasing and picking on you was about,” AJ said with realization.

“I can’t believe I almost forgot how bad that was,” Rarity said.

“I promise y’all we’ll have a talk with everyone and clear this up,” AJ promised.

“We appreciate that, but right now we’re more worried about Sunset,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Do you think it has something to do with that dirt bag she’s been hanging around with?” Scootaloo asked.

“Most definitely,” Rainbow answered with bitter absolution.

“Have you tried talking her into breaking up with him?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yes, but she won’t listen,” Fluttershy answered.

“Maybe she’s to talk with somebody else,” Applejack said getting an idea. “And ah know just the person. Come on y’all, let’s go see the principal.”

The Five and the Crusaders left the cafeteria and headed straight to Principal Celestia’s office.

Twenty minutes later, a request by Vice Principal Luna over the school speakers was heard.

“Sunset Shimmer, please report to the principal’s office.”

Later, Sunset Shimmer arrived at the principal’s office and sat in a chair facing Celestia’s desk. Both Celestia and Luna found it strange to see Sunset wearing a pair of sunglasses. The Five and the Crusaders were outside the door waiting and trying to see if they could listen in on the conversation inside.

“Sunset Shimmer, do you know why you’re here?” Celesita asked.

“No, I haven’t done anything wrong. Have I?” Sunset nervously asked.

“No, you’re here because your friends and other students have been voicing their concerns about you.”

“But I’m fine, really,” Sunset assured them.

“Miss Shimmer, you are obviously not fine,” Luna argued. “Your grades have been dropping and you haven’t been very social with anyone. For goodness sake, you’ve been going to therapy.”

“I have a lot of stressful issues and Zak needs me for a few things,” Sunset tried to come up with an excuse.

“What kind of things?” Luna asked suspiciously.

“You know, things,” Sunset nervously tried to come up with something.

“Are there any problems between you and Zak?” Celestia asked suspiciously. Ever since she and Luna met Zak, she developed a deep hatred for him. It was clear that this creep didn’t care for the importance of Sunset’s school life.

“No, not at all,” Sunset insisted. “He may seem a little rough around the edges but he’s really not that bad.” But Celestia and Luna weren’t convinced.

“Can you take off your glasses and look me in the eye when you say that?” Celestia requested.

“Well… uh…” Sunset stuttered nervously. For some reason she didn’t want to take off her sunglasses which increased the principal and vice principal’s suspicions.

“Please,” Celestia insisted.

Sunset let out a defeated sigh. She had no choice. She reluctantly removed the sunglasses from her face. When she did this, both Celestia and Luna’s faces lit up with shock and horror.

“Oh My God!” an utterly horrified Celestia exclaimed.

Sunset’s right eye was swollen and had a dark color to it. “This isn’t what it looks like,” she tried to say.

“Sunset Shimmer, has Zak been hitting you?” Luna asked with a very upset look on her face.

“No, it was an accident,” she tried to deny, but this didn’t convince the two sisters in the slightest.

“Sunset, it’s painfully obvious to everyone here at CHS that you’re in some trouble,” Celestia tried to reason with her. “But we can’t help you unless you open up and ask us to. So please, talk to us. You can trust us, can’t you?”

Sunset thought for a moment, then she seemed like she wanted to say something. But then she changed her mind. “I… I can’t,” she said with tears flowing from her eyes. Then she got out of her seat, left the principal’s office, and ran down the hallway past her friends sobbing.

When Sunset ran past her friends, they all managed to get a good look at her face and saw the black eye. Their faces were etched with horror. Rainbow’s face slowly formed into one of absolute fury. Now they knew Sunset Shimmer was being physically abused. They all walked into the principal’s office to find Celestia with her face buried in her hands. She had failed to help a student and she wasn’t taking it well.

“Okay, we all know what’s goin’ on, right?” Applejack asked to see if everyone was on the same page. Everyone nodded their heads ‘yes’.

“We can’t let this piece of shit keep treating Sunset like this,” Rainbow angrily declared.

“Shouldn’t we tell the police about what he’s doing to her?” Fluttershy suggested.

“I’m afraid they can’t do anything unless Sunset files the report herself,” Luna sadly told them.

“She won’t do it. She’s probably scared of what Zak will do if she does,” Rainbow said.

“And personally, I don’t blame her,” Rarity added.

“Come on, we gotta go talk to her,” AJ said leading her four friends out of the principal’s office.

At Sugarcube Café, Sunset was sitting at an outside table drinking a smoothie. She looked absolutely miserable and received a lot of concerned looks from people who passed by her noticing her black eye. Then she noticed her friends had arrived and approached the table she was sitting at. They looked at her with concern written across their faces.

“If you don’t mind, I don’t want to talk about this,” Sunset said covering her black eye with her hand.

“Sunset, please talk to us,” Fluttershy pleaded.

“I may be good at sensing when someone isn’t happy, but even everyone else can see you’re not happy as clear as frosting on a cake,” Pinkie said.

“You’re obviously not doing well, darling,” Rarity added.

“If you just tell us what Zak is doing to you then we can help,” Rainbow insisted.

“This ‘relationship’ you have with Zak is causing you more pain than a rattlesnake bite in the desert on a hot summer day,” AJ said.

“It’s just a developing relationship, I can deal with it,” Sunset insisted. “Besides, I’ve had worse pain.”

“Since when?” Rainbow asked confused. But before Sunset could answer, a very familiar and unpleasant voice called her name.

“Sunset!”

Everyone turned to see a car had parked near where they were and out of the vehicle came Zak and his two cohorts from before; Chunk, the portly one, and Scratch, the slim one.

“What the fuck is taking you so long?” Zak asked in an angry tone.

“Sorry Zak,” Sunset nervously apologized and got up from her seat. “I’m ready to go now.”

“Hey Zak!” Rainbow called to him getting his attention. She and the other four all had bitter looks on their faces. “We’ve got something we need to say to you!”

“Sunset, get in the car,” Zak commanded his girlfriend while glaring at her five friends.

“Zak, there’s no need to do anything here,” Sunset nervously tried to talk him into just leaving with her. She sensed what was about to happen, she didn’t want to see an unpleasant confrontation between her friends and her new boyfriend. “Let’s just leave and-” But before Sunset could finish, Zak grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.

“I said get in the car!” he threateningly ordered her and then released her. Sunset obediently did as she was told.

Watching Zak threaten their friend like that made the Five’s anger increase even more.

“So what the hell do you want?” Zak asked impatiently.

“We want you to leave Sunset alone,” Rainbow told him.

“She’s very unhappy,” Pinkie said.

“And she doesn’t need a brute like you making it worse,” Rarity added.

As the girls voiced their complaints, Zak’s impatient glare slowly formed into a smug and malicious smile.

“Aw! Isn’t this cute, boys?” he mockingly asked his two cohorts. “They’re all concerned.” Both Chunk and Scratch started chuckling mockingly which made the girls even angrier.

“Don’t you even care how Sunset feels?” Fluttershy asked trying to find at least one shred of humanity in that mess.

“Listen, I don’t need a group of pitiful lonely skanks telling me how to treat my property,” Zak argued.

“Property?!” Rarity exclaimed utterly appalled.

“Sunset Shimmer is not your property!” AJ angrily declared. “She’s a person!”

“What kind of creep treats someone who cares for them so cruelly?!” Pinkie asked angrily.

This made Zak let out a small sadistic chuckle. “You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?!”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked confused. But her question was ignored.

“Well, if you’re all that concerned, perhaps I could hook you up with some of my boys,” Zak mockingly suggested. “Chunk, Scratch, what do you think?”

“Sounds good to me, boss,” Chunk agreed.

“Yeah, give the rest of us a chance at some lovin’,” Scratch mockingly said licking his lips in a perverted manner.

The five girls stood there glaring furiously as the thugs mocked and laughed at them.

“Look ladies,” Zak said in a faux affable and threatening tone. “I don’t know exactly what feelings you have for my girl and I don’t really care. But I don’t ever want to see you talking to her again. Although, my offer for you to join us is still open. So if you ever change your minds, you know where to find me.”

Zak walked back to his car and hopped in with a smug smile on his face. As his two cohorts got in, Scratch shot the five girls a sadistic grin and a very foul hand sign. The Five watched furiously as the car with their poor friend took off.

“FUCKING ASSHOLE!” Rainbow yelled after them.

It was clear that something was keeping Sunset from leaving Zak and Zak wasn’t going to let go of Sunset anytime soon. They needed a new plan to try and save their friend from this horribly toxic relationship.