"Sunny, look out!!" I shouted as we were shoved into the path of the oncoming SUV. It was too late. By the time Sunny hit the throttle, we were already skidding across the asphalt. Both of us hit our heads on the ground with enough force to crack the helmets.

I lifted my head just enough to see my lifeless girlfriend lying about 7 feet away shortly before losing consciousness myself. I came to a few minutes later to find one of the drivers checking on me while the other driver had stayed with Sunny until the emergency vehicles arrived.

Once the paramedics did the preliminary check on me, I requested to stay until Sunny was conscious.

"Sunset? Wake up! Sunny, please wake up," I shouted as a stabilizer was put on Sunny's neck.

I began to cry as she continued to lay there lifelessly, while she was strapped to a backboard.

"Sunny, please wake up! I love you! I need you to wake up! Please!" I yelled as tears filled my eyes.

"I need an Ambu bag! She stopped breathing!" One of paramedics shouted.

"What?!" I shouted in distress. "Sunny! Don't leave me! I can't live without you!"

I tried going over to her but one of the police officers held me back so I wouldn't get in the way. Meanwhile one of the paramedics began CPR on Sunny as tears began flowing like rivers down my face.

"No!" I cried desperately. "You can't let her die! Sunny please wake up!"

Sunny's shirt was lifted up to just below her breasts as they attached the electrodes for the portable defibrillator. They jolted her three times, each time the same result: nothing.

As they continued to try work get her heart restarted, I buried my face into the chest of the officer holding me. My words were unintelligible as I pleaded into the officer's chest. I turned around after a few minutes to see if they were getting anywhere with Sunny. That's when I lost it.

The paramedics had taken the neck brace off and were covering her body with a sheet.

"NO! NO!" I screamed. "SHE'S NOT DEAD! SHE CAN'T BE DEAD!"

I turned back to the officer and buried my face back in his chest. He held me tightly for a few minutes as I continued my uncontrollable wailing.

“Ms. Sparkle, we need to get you the hospital so that your injuries can be treated,” a third paramedic told me before she and the officer helped me into the second ambulance.

After getting seated on the stretcher in the second ambulance, I leaned forward and held my face in my hands as I continued crying.

"Twi, I'm okay," I heard Sunset say. "I'm not dead."

"I... I just... I just saw you... you die," I cried. " You have a... a sheet covering you on... on..."

"Twilight, you're asleep. I only have an injured spine and broken arm. I'm not dead, babe."

I opened my eyes not to the bright inside of the ambulance but the darkness of the bedroom. My head was resting on Sunny's shoulder as she continued to to console me now that I was awake.

"Oh Sunny," I cried. "It felt so real."

"What was the dream about?" Sunny asked me as my sobs began to slow.

"It-it was about the accident," I whimpered. "You wouldn't wake up on the road. Then you... you stopped breathing. And...and... and..."

"Shhh. It was only a dream," Sunny whispered. "I'm fine. A little banged up, but fine. Okay?"

"Mmhmm," I mumbled into her left shoulder as we both laid there in the dark with Sunny stroking my hair.

"I promise that I'm not going to leave you and I won't let anything happen to you," she whispered as I drifted back off to sleep.

When I woke up this morning, I could tell how bad I was crying that night. My eyes hurt, were red as tomatoes and still semi-swollen. I looked up to see that Sunny had managed to roll onto her right side slightly at some point after my nightmare so that I could spoon with her. I looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw in was 6:26, meaning the alarm for school was going to be going off in a few minutes.

I leaned up and kissed her on the cheek before sliding out of bed to get breakfast made. I laid out my clothes on the desk chair and limped toward the kitchen.

"What would be something to treat Sunny with?" I said to myself. "Let's see... eggs... soy bacon... bell peppers. I know, I'll try my hand at an omelette."

After literally checking the battery on smoke detector, I began cooking the bacon and dicing one of the peppers. Once the bacon and peppers were ready, I cracked a couple eggs in a bowl to mix the yolks and whites before pouring them in the frying pan. I put the filling in and folded over the empty half of eggs.

I loaded up the bed tray with the omelette, two slices of buttered toast and orange juice and limped back to the bedroom with it.

"Mmmm, that smells delicious," Sunny told me as I entered the bedroom. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells."

I set the tray on the bed before helping her sit up so she would be able eat more comfortably. I climbed up next to her on the bed after setting the tray in her lap and put my arm around her as she began to eat.

"How is it?" I asked her after she ate a few bites. "Be honest Sunny."

"It's pretty good," Sunny replied as she swallowed a bite of toast before giving me a mischievous smirk. "I'm surprised you didn't set off the smoke alarm."

"Oh shut up," I giggled before Sunny cut a piece of her omelette and fed to me.

While Sunny finished up her breakfast, I got off the bed and got dressed in my conservative attire that consisted of a purple skirt and vest with a light blue shirt and red bow.

After Sunny finished her breakfast, I limped my way back to the kitchen so that I could wash the dishes on the empty breakfast tray.

"Do you need any help getting dressed, Sunny?" I shouted across the apartment.

"I don't think so but I could use some help getting my clothes out of the closet," she shouted back.

I made my way to the closet where I took out her light teal dress, blue-green pants and old leather jacket. A look of concern crossed Sunny's face as I held up her jacket. It was almost as though she was worried I would find something that she wanted to keep a secret.

"Something wrong, Sunny?" I asked softly as she put on her strapless bra.

"Uh, yeah. There's nothing wrong," she tried to convince me. "Everything is fine. I, uh, just have some, uh, bad memories from that jacket."

"Oh Sunny," I said as I sat down next to her and gave her a hug. "It's okay. I realize you had some rough times when you wore this jacket but those times are behind you. You're a better person now. Okay?"

"Okay..." she conceded. "Can you give me some assistance in using the bathroom and getting these pants on after that?"

"Sure thing," I smiled as I gave her a peck on the lips.

While Sunny was in the bathroom I moved her jacket to get to her pants. As I did I felt the crinkle from some paper coming from the inside pocket. I looked toward the bathroom to see if Sunny was looking before pulling the paper out and reading what was written.

To whom it may or may not concern,

The last couple months I've been trying to make amends for all the trouble I caused. It doesn't seem to matter to anyone though. The members of the Rainbooms were supposed to look out for me and teach me how friendships are made. They have treated me like complete shit. I thought when Twilight came back I could tell her what I was feeling, but she's been more interested in her friends that are fighting with each other. I thought that cutting my arms would give the release I needed to get through this but when they decided to show their hypocrisy in the second round of the competition, I couldn't take anymore.

By hanging myself in front of the school, I'm showing my celebration for how fucked up humans really are. Hopefully everyone will feel better once I'm gone, especially those who were supposed to be my friends.

Goodbye and fuck off,

Sunset Shimmer

Now I understood why Sunny began freaking out when I pulled the jacket out of the closet. It was more than just bad memories, she had intended to commit suicide while this was part of her regular attire. What was disturbing about the note was that Sunny had signed it in blood.

"Twi? Can you give me a hand, please?" Sunny called from the bathroom.

"Coming!" I replied as I quickly folded the note and placed it back where I found it.

"Really?" she giggled as I entered the bathroom. "Before school?"

"You're in quite the mood this morning," I told her.

"I'm trying to take your mind off your nightmare you had," she replied as I helped her put her pants on. "Plus you made me breakfast without burning the building to the ground."

"Oh, ha ha," I said sarcastically. "I know I've set the smoke alarm off more times than I care to count. You don't have to remind me."

I glanced at the clock as Sunny laughed at my comment. 7:31. I began to panic as school started in fifteen minutes and we were at least twenty minutes away by foot.

"Um, Sunny," I said as I furled my brow, "We have a problem."

"What's that?"

"School starts in fifteen minutes," I told her.

"Relax," Sunny assured me as she picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Hey Rainbow. Are you at school yet? Uh-huh. Can you swing by my place to pick up me and Twi? What? I know you drive a Mustang. We can manage somehow. Ok. We'll be waiting in the parking lot. Thanks, Rainbow. See you in five."

"Twilight. Sunset. How are you feeling, darlings?" Rarity asked as the two of us joined the other girls at our usual lunch table.

"We're still sore obviously but at least we're alive," I responded.

"I'm just thankful we were wearing our helmets when it happened," Sunny told the group. "I feel kind of embarrassed being confined to the wheelchair but I think eventually I'll get used to it."

"What're y'all gonna do in th' meantime while yer healin'?" Applejack asked.

Neither me nor Sunny had really talked about what we would do in the short-term. Sunny had a bigger challenge ahead of her in the long-term with her partial paralysis.

"Are you going to need a new wardrobe, darling?" Rarity asked earning herself a look of uncertainty from Sunny.

"I really don't know at this point, Rarity," Sunny told her. "I needed a little help this morning with the pants from Twi but if I keep working at it, I should be in good shape, clothing wise."

"Well just let me know if you change your mind," Rarity responded.

"Hey you know what we need to do?" Pinkie asked everyone.

"Throw a party?" Rainbow replied with a smirk.

"How did you know?" Pinkie said.

"That's your answer to everything, Pinkie," Sunset chuckled.

"Oh. Yeah. Anyways how about a big 'Welcome Home/Get Well Soon' party at Sunset and Twilight's place? Would that be okay?" Pinkie inquired of me and Sunny.

"Well a 'Welcome Home' party really doesn't really work if it's at someone else's home. So sure," I said with a smile.

"Sleepover?" Sunny asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Sleepover!" the rest of us shouted in unison.

Sunny looked at me and shook her head before pulling me close to her face. "Our place isn't even wheelchair accessible yet and you're already volunteering it for parties. What are you thinking?" she whispered harshly, bringing a few tears to the front of my eyes.

"Su-sunny? Wha-what was that for?" I whimpered quietly. "I-I thought y-you'd be happy t-to have everyone spend the-the night. It could take yo-your mind off of everything for a night."

"You could have at least let me answer since I'm the primary on the lease," Sunny continued to scold me.

"Twilight? Sunset? What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked us as I returned to my normal sitting position trying to decide what to do.

"I... I don't know," Sunny said shaking her head. "What happened?"

"You... you..." I stuttered just before getting up and leaving the cafeteria in tears as quickly as my broken foot would let me.

I sat on the toilet in the women's restroom with the stall locked and my knees drawn as close to my chest as possible.

What got into her? She's never snapped at me like that since we've been together, I thought as I continued to wipe the tears from my face. It's like she was a whole different person. And then she acted like nothing was wrong.

"Twilight?" I heard Fluttershy call as she knocked on the stall door. "Would you like to talk? It's only me in here. No one else, I promise."

"Thank you but I... I'm fine, Fluttershy," I responded as I cleaned my face again.

Something caught my eye as I continued to stare at the floor through my tears. Joining Fluttershy's green and white shoes was a pink ponytail, which could only mean she had ponied up for showing her kindness.

"Twilight, I'm not going to ask that you let me in but I really would like to help you out," Fluttershy said softly.

A memory flashed through my mind of when I first meet Fluttershy and how I was feeling down in the dumps before she handed Angel to me to hold. Realizing that she would be the best person to talk to at the moment, I reached forward and unlocked the door so that my soft spoken friend could come in.

"I'm not going to close the door so if someone comes in, they're going to see us talking," Fluttershy told me. "We're all worried about you. Even Sunset."

"Wh-why would she be worried a... about me?" I cried. "She's the one who... who..."

Fluttershy just wrapped her arms and wings around my body like she was my own personal angel. I cried into her shoulder as she just rubbed my back to console me.

"It's going to be okay," she assured me. "Sunset wants to talk to you after school. I'm guessing it's to apologize and explain herself."

"Okay," I sniffled. "Can you stay with us in case I need a ride home to my parent's house?"

"Sure," Fluttershy responded as her wings returned to a folded position before she ponied down. She took some toilet paper and cleaned my face up better than I was able to do by myself before lending me her hand to help me up. "C'mon. We're late for class."

Sunny was waiting in front the Wondercolt statue with a disappointed look on her face. While I was a little encouraged by the sight, I didn't know if she was disappointed in herself or me. I took a deep breath, looked over at Fluttershy who was playing with her pets in the bushes and nervously made my way over to Sunny.

"Sunny? Are you-" I said before she gently placed her fingertips on my mouth.

"Twilight... I... I'm so sorry for what I did," she said as tears welled up in her eyes. "I don't know what happened. One minute we were talking about a party, the next thing I knew you heading out of the cafeteria, crying."

I knelt down beside her so we could be eye level with each other before she continued, "I have no explanation for what came over me. I only hope that you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."

After taking a moment to think it over, I leaned forward and gave her small kiss on the lips. "You really hurt me, Sunny," I said after breaking the kiss. "But I love you and that's what matters most."

She reached out and embraced me as we both cried into each others shoulders.

Later that night, Sunny and I were joined by the others for a "Welcome Home" sleepover at our apartment. All of us had gotten changed into our pajamas except for Sunny, which was a little odd but we figured she was going to changed one of the times she used the bathroom.

While Rainbow Dash and Applejack were busy playing the latest soccer game on Sunny’s Ponystation 4, Pinkie had brought some supplies to give me another baking lesson. Fluttershy was playing with Spike and Angel Bunny while Rarity was busy giving Sunny a makeover, which kept me giggling from the kitchen.

“Darling I won't keep poking your eyes if you stop moving,” Rarity fussed.

“Sorry, Rarity. I'm not used to having makeup on,” Sunny replied. “Ponies don't usually wear it. Sure there are a few exceptions to that but I never wore any. Even to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“Well I hoped that giving you a makeover would boost your spirits somewhat,” Rarity said to her. “You seemed pretty down at school today.”

“Hey, that's cheatin’!” I heard Applejack yell while Rainbow Dash cackled like a hyena.

“It’s only cheating if you get caught by the referee,” Rainbow laughed.

“How in tarnation can y’all get caught cheatin’ by the ref on a video game?” Applejack continued to gripe.

“Doesn't matter. I still won due to my awesome skills,” Rainbow boasted.

I heard a country-accented groan before being joined in the kitchen by our resident farmer. Applejack squeezed past my tutor and I to grab an Apple soda out of the fridge to calm down.

“Hey did Sunset tell ya what her big announcement was, Twi?” Applejack asked me after draining half the bottle in one gulp.

“No she didn't,” I replied before a small smile crossed my face. “I'm just as much in the dark as everyone else. It kinda makes the anticipation feel a little more special.”

“So when do y'all wanna ask her ‘bout it?”

Before I could answer, the timer on the oven went to let us know the chocolate filled banana cupcakes were done.

“Let’s ask her while we let the cupcakes cool,” Pinkie replied eagerly.

“Sounds like a plan ta me,” Applejack replied.

"So what's this big announcement that y'all teased us with, Sunset?" Applejack asked as her, Pinkie and I entered the living room.

“Well, I wrote to Princess Twilight this afternoon while I was waiting for Twi to meet me at the statue after school, informing her about the accident and that I'm now confined to a wheelchair,” Sunny began. “She responded almost immediately afterwards telling me that there may be a way to reverse my paralysis.”

“Really? How so?” Fluttershy asked, beating the rest of us to the punch.

“She said that even though I'm a human right now, the Equestrian Magic contained in our geodes would be able to heal me since I'm originally an Equestrian unicorn.”

“Are you serious? That’s freaking awesome!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“From what I was told, if the geodes are stacked like coins in a specific order, they have healing properties,” Sunny explained as she nervously fiddled with hers. “And since we're all here, well, I hoping that maybe we could see if it might work. Please?”

“Ah don’t know, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Ah mean, it sounds like a great idea an’ Ah sure would like ta see y'all walk again but this sound too good ta be true.”

“If there's a chance that she could walk again using the geodes, shouldn't we at least give it a try?” I asked.

“I don't know, Twilight,” Rainbow replied. “The last time Sunset had a shitload of magic at her disposal, things almost didn't turn out too good.”

“I know I'm going to sound uncouth but I don't care,” Rarity growled as her face began turning red. “The only reason you're agreeing with Applejack is because you two are fucking each other. I say we try giving it a go.”

“Boy this party really began to turn downhill all of a sudden,” Pinkie noted.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Rainbow shot toward Pinkie Pie. “Don’t change the subject.”

“Y’all don't seem ta remember what Sunset done when she turned in her ‘She-demon’ persona,” Applejack said using air quotations.

I looked over at Sunny while our four friends continued to yell at each other. What I saw surprised me. Instead of a look of concern, a small smirk was plastered on it.

“Why are you smiling, Sunny?” I quietly asked out of curiosity. “Our friends are fighting with each other and you've been silent the whole time.”

“I'm smiling at Rarity's comment,” Sunny replied. “I never expected something like that out of her.”

Sunny did have a point. We never heard her drop an f-bomb the entire time we've known her. I nodded and turned my attention back toward the argument with the intention of breaking it up.

“Ah’m done arguin’ with y’all,” Applejack grumbled as she removed her geode and handed it to Sunny. “If y'all wanna take th’ chance, fine. But if sumthin’ bad happens, none of y'all better blame me.”

“Or me,” echoed Rainbow Dash as she followed suit with her geode.

The rest of us gave up our geodes one by one as Sunny began stacking them in her hand. Mine was on the bottom, presumably to allow the magic to flow into her hand. Then after hers was Rainbow's, Rarity's, Fluttershy's, Applejack's, Pinkie's and finally her own.

“Is anything happening?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

Sunny didn't say anything. Instead, her eyes were glued to the stack of geodes in her left hand. We all sit in silent anticipation to see if what she had told us would really happen.

“Something is happening,” Sunset said after two or three minutes.

Almost immediately after she said that, the stack of geodes began glowing and I noticed that her scars on her right arm had begun disappearing.

“I think it’s working,” Sunny said as an odd smile spread across her face. The parts of her body that were injured began glowing just like our geodes.

“This is amazing” Pinkie Pie said in awe.

“I know,” Sunny agreed as she grasped the geodes tightly in her fist and slowly stood up.

“Sunny! You're… you're walking!” I exclaimed as I jumped up and threw my arms around her.

“Will you stop already? I'm getting tired of being embarrassed in front of the others by you for every little thing,” Sunny snapped.

“Su-Sunny? Wha-what was that for?” I gasped as tears began filling my eyes.

“Every time something happens between us, you cling to me like a parasite,” she continued. “It’s getting old.”

I couldn't believe my ears. After all we had been through, this was how she was going to treat me?

“What the fuck has gotten into you, Sunset?!” I heard Rainbow yell as I ran out the door barefoot and in my pajamas.

Author's Note

Return of the cliffhanger...

Those who have followed the series from Book 1 may recognize the note that Twilight found.

Thanks again to Uncle Bob for proofreading/editing.