"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better, it's not.
-Dr. Seuss
"C'mon Dust! Just a few days is all I'm asking for here."
"You think my home life is any better? If I were to bring you home, they'd probably kick me out right along with you. Sorry, but you're just gonna have to find somewhere else."
To say that Gilda was having a bad day would be an understatement. Her mom had gone off on one of her crazy mood swings and had kicked her out of the house.
It wasn't the first time. Gilda figured she just needed a couple days. That's how long it usually took for her mother to come to her senses.
Normally, in these circumstances, she would just rough it in the streets. It wasn't being homeless, it was just...a really tacky camping trip.
That's what she told herself anyway. But it was the middle of Winter now. Canterlot had crummy winters, and she didn't want to be left out.
She would never openly admit to anyone at school that this sometimes happened. However, this particular incident was a little more serious. Therefore, swallowing her pride, she had asked Lightning to share her house for a night or two.
That had flopped.
I could try the school... she thought.
CHS had lousy security, she had always known that. That's why she, and thirty other students were able to get inside the school so easily, barely even a week ago when they had ambushed Sunset Shimmer.
The only problem was that Gilda figured that the faculty had to have grown brains since then and started to actually lock the school up.
She decided to migrate there anyway and check it out, but her suspicions were confirmed. The door was locked. Big surprise there...
With that option off the table, she concluded to trudge on. No sense in hanging around. It was Winter break, so no one would even arrive in the morning.
After about an hour of roaming with no destination in mind, she came across a bench outside what looked to be a rundown apartment complex.
"Doesn't look like i'll be getting any better than this..." She sighed as she sat on the bench.
It was getting dark, and she couldn't walk all night, so she figured she might as well get comfortable. As comfortable as one could get anyway, in her current predicament.
Little did she know that inside one of those apartment windows, a very familiar fiery haired girl had caught sight of her.
I did not see that...Sunset Shimmer told herself as she walked away from the window. If you didn't see something, you had no obligation to do anything about it.
Besides, she told herself, she's just sitting there. It doesn't mean... she snuck a peek back out the window.
She was laying down now...No...No dang it! Keep walking!
She didn't.
5 minutes passed, then 15 minutes...
She was still laying on the bench.
She just had to choose the bench right outside her apartment. On a cold night no less. Not much warmer than the night when...That night.
Sunset groaned and looked up at the sky.
"...Really?..." She moaned. "I've heard of the saying "Love your enemy" but...REALLY??"
This was the last thing she wanted to do. She left it for another half hour. Maybe she was just taking a break from a long walk.
Gilda didn't leave the bench.
Sunset sighed, muttering under her breath. She exited her apartment, going into the hallway to the apartment foyer.
She watched the bench for a while, seriously debating just turning around and going back inside.
I ought to... She thought to herself. I ought to just leave her there...
But, something inside of her wouldn't let her do that.
Sunset had every right to pretend she had never seen Gilda...So why was she opening the door, and making her way towards the rickety bench?
She stopped at the bench. Gilda was facing toward the back, so she didn't see her.
Last chance to turn away Shimmer...Sunset rubbed her temples, trying to think of the best way to make herself known.
She cleared her throat. A moment passed before Gilda turned her head and saw Sunset for the first time. There was an awkward silence. Gilda squinted her eyes.
"Heck are you doing here?"
Lovely greeting... Sunset crossed her arms.
"Should be asking you the same thing..."
Gilda turned back to the wood of the bench.
"None of your business. Now get lost, Shimmer." Gilda stated coldly.
"Actually, it is my business. Want the truth? I live in those apartments, and I could complain that there is an unwanted stranger outside my window."
Gilda cursed under her breath annoyedly, before turning back to face Sunset again.
"Fine, I'll leave." She got up from the bench, and turned to make her exit.
"I never specified that I wanted you to leave. I simply stated that I "could" complain."
"Potato, potahto..." She made to leave, but Sunset put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"C'mon Gilda, in all seriousness, why were you just laying on that bench for an hour?" Sunset queried.
"Doesn't matter anyway." Gilda shrugged her off.
"It does when it's this cold out...Be real with me here, Gilda. You don't have to tell me if anything happened, but..."
Sunset hesitated a moment before continuing, despite her internal conflict at what she was about to offer. "Do you need somewhere to stay?"
Gilda caught what Sunset was offering. She felt insulted, turning around and getting in Sunset's face.
"No, I don't need anywhere to stay! I'm fine on my own!" She snapped.
Sunset couldn't help the flinch and flicker of fear at Gilda's outburst. She backed up, almost wanting to turn and run. Her mind however, was frozen in her sudden fear, as unwanted memories from the previous week resurfaced.
"Take your pity elsewhere, Shimmer!" Gilda spat, as she followed Sunset's footsteps forward menacingly, as Sunset kept backing up.
"Take it, and screw OFF!!" Without warning, she reached out and pushed Sunset backwards, causing her to lose her footing and fall to the ground.
Sunset looked up at Gilda, fear written on her face. Her mind took her a week back in time. Her eye suddenly throbbed. Her back ached.
"Did we give you a concussion last week?? Is that what it is? Do you have memory loss??" Gilda raged on. "We used you as a punching bag, and I could do the same again right here!"
Sunset didn't doubt her words. Gilda looked absolutely livid.
"You should hate me right now! Whatever happened to Sunset "of Steel" Shimmer?!" Gilda demanded, bringing a sudden pause to her raging.
"Well??" She pressed.
"She changed." Sunset stated quietly, "Which is what I've been trying to prove and show since the formal..." Sunset pushed her fear down, and cautiously got back to her feet.
"Maybe...Just maybe, this will finally prove that for good."
Gilda scoffed. "Take your goodwill elsewhere, Shimmer."
Sunset sighed. "What did I ever do to you Gilda?" She asked, gaining her confidence back, but still sounding emotionally drained. "Especially now that you know the truth, what on earth did I ever do to you that you still hold a grudge against me?"
"I would think that would be obvious." There was a pause.
"You can't be serious...You're holding a grudge against me because I put you on babysitting duty for a few months?" Sunset asked incredulously. You're really something, you know that Gilda? Would you rather that I had you thrown in prison instead? Cause I could have. Who holds a grudge for what is basically an act of mercy?"
Gilda rounded on her.
"Exactly!! You ought to hate me! But not only did you NOT send any of us to jail, but now, you're inviting me into your home?!" Gilda looked ready to pull her own hair out.
"What EVEN Shimmer?!?"
Sunset bit back her fear of the fuming girl, even as Gilda's hands were fists, that were shaking slightly, like she was barely holding back her urge to strike.
Sunset felt the creeping desire to turn and run once more, but she stood her ground.
"You know...I don't think this is a grudge at all." She said cautiously.
"I think you are simply feeling something you likely haven't felt in a long time...three things to be exact. Conviction, guilt, and regret. It's eating you up inside." Sunset concluded.
"No! It's just so loathsome that you're so forgiving!" Gilda shot back.
"Being shown forgiveness and kindness is loathsome to you?"
"To the extent that you go, yes!!"
"So, you think I should hate you?"
"How many times do we have to spell this out?" Gilda cried angrily "Yes Shimmer! You should hate me!!"
"Because if I hated you, the guilt wouldn't be half as bad." Sunset surmised.
"Dang it Sunset! It has nothing to do with guilt! Just stop caring so much! Stop being so-"
But, before she could finish, Sunset did something that caused her to freeze and tense up. What she did was so foreign to Gilda, she didn't know what to do with it, especially coming from Sunset.
Sunset was...hugging her.
"I think its been way too long since someone gave you one of these." Sunset said as she held the hug. Gilda moved to push her off.
"Don't push me away Gilda. This attitude you have that to be shown mercy and forgiveness is loathsome is not healthy, and you know it. Just accept this."
Before Gilda could stop herself, unwanted tears blurred her vision. Soon she was sobbing and shaking as Sunset held her in the first embrace she had since she could even remember.
On top of it all, this embrace was coming from the same person she, along with thirty others, had beaten so mercilessly barely even a week ago. She still had scars and bruising on her face, her eye was still healing, and yet...this embrace was coming from her.
She could deny it all she wanted, but Sunset was right. The conviction, guilt, and regret for what she had done was overpowering her, and eating her up inside.
Why couldn't Sunset just be bitter like everyone else?
Gilda did stay that night, but she was gone the very next morning. Her pride wouldn't let her stay any longer.
Thankfully, when she got back home, her mother was already willing to let her back in the house. The last thing she wanted was to have to go crawling back to Sunset's.
The following day, she went out to the mall, where she ran into Lightning Dust.
"Oh, hey! Wasn't expecting to see you here." She rubbed her head. "So, uhh...Your mom let you back in yet?"
"Ya." She stated simply.
"You...You find someplace to stay the other night?"
Gilda's eye twitched slightly.
"....No."
