The Rejected

Chapters

Chapter One: Working On It
Chapter Two: Exes Meet Again
Chapter Three: An Uneventful Journey
Last Chapter: Parting For Now

Chapter One: Working On It

As Spring passed its blooming stage and entered the point where most of the delicate petals had long since fallen, due either to time or a storm, replaced with the ever-broadening leaves of what trees existed in the middle of the city, Canterville’s thousands of humanoid worker bees had long since settled into their daily doldrums – commute, work, commute, eat and/or watch television, sleep, repeat – glad at least to be free of the uncertainties of Winter.

Over at the public high school, though, this subtle shift in the season meant only one thing: Final Exams were coming soon. A palpable sense of concern permeated the entire building, through every room and hall, spilling out onto the grounds whenever students were around. During free periods when the weather was nice, as it was this particular day, it was common to see teenagers by the dozens finding some place outside the main building to cram as much rote knowledge as they could into their heads before the inevitable that they all knew was coming closer by the day. They all knew they would inevitably forget ninety percent of it during the long summer holiday, but that was in the future and thus not worth considering.

Normally, one would expect to find several students in the library as well. While this was definitely the case, with its main floor filled almost to capacity with students checking out books, sitting at tables reading or taking notes, or looking up information on one of the computers, the mezzanine level directly under the frosted glass dome was oddly devoid of people… with one exception.

Sunset Shimmer sat at one of the only tables on the mezzanine, several notebooks and her leather-bound magic diary spread out in front of her as she wrote obsessively on a piece of paper, occasionally looking at something in the diary before writing some more. She was so engrossed in her work, she had no idea someone had walked up right behind her.

She nearly leapt out of her chair when she felt hands touch both her shoulders, punctuating her surprise with a startled yelp, her pencil arcing away onto the main floor until it hit some poor schmo from the Math Club in the head. Turning around, she came face to face with the thing that scared her, and her brain instantly calmed down, though her heart rate took a few additional seconds.

“Oh. Rarity. It’s you. Sorry about that,” Sunset said quietly, remembering where she was.

“Good morning, darling,” Rarity whispered as chipper as she could, which was not very given the circumstances. “It’s been awhile. I apologize if I interrupted you.”

Sunset shook her head. “No, it’s not a big deal. How can I help you?”

Rarity looked blankly at Sunset. “Uh… well… I hadn’t thought that far.”

At that, Sunset held the bridge of her nose, stifling a laugh. “And here I thought you were the one of the two of us who was actually ‘with it’.”

Assuming a pouty face as she walked a few feet so as to not be directly behind Sunset, Rarity responded, “Well, we all have our off days, yes? Though I’ll admit I have been… more than a little distracted lately. Anyway, This is the last stretch before finals week, so you can imagine all of us are on at least a little bit of edge.”

Sunset tilted her eyes upward in contemplation. “Oh yeah. Finals. You all do have those coming up.”

“And so do you,” Rarity intoned.

“Erm, I actually, uh… don’t,” said Sunset, barely audible, her eyes quickly darting from side to side to ensure no one heard her. “I’m kind of, um, exempt. Forever.”

“What?” asked Rarity, clearly confused. “How is that even possible?”

Sunset sighed as she turned back to her notebooks. “Please. I… don’t want to talk about it right now, okay?”

“But if you’re not studying for finals, then what are you doing?”

“Research,” Sunset replied simply, not looking up. “Recollecting, note-taking, drafting clauses. At least as best I can manage with what I’ve got here, which isn’t a lot.” She sighed as she poked her cranium a few times. “Guess it’s up to my old broken brain to try and remember lessons from eleven-plus years ago.”

“Is there any way I can help you, dear?” Rarity asked.

“No,” said Sunset. “Not unless you’re fluent in a language and writing system from another dimension that’s been dead for over a millennium.”

Rarity’s expression drooped along with her shoulders. “Can’t say that I am. I suppose, then, that I should leave you to your work.”

Sunset turned to Rarity and attempted a wan smile. “Look, I’m sorry for acting short with you. That’s not me being a very good friend, is it? It’s just that… this thing I’m working on is very important, I want to finish it as soon as I can, and I want it to be perfect. It has to be perfect. I’ve been trying to decipher my old notes for a couple days and nights now. Maybe it’s best I take a short break, huh?”

She stood up and turned her chair away from the table to face Rarity, who took a nearby chair, turning it to face Sunset.

“So. Do you need any help studying for your finals?” Sunset asked. “If you do, let me know; I’m always glad to assist. You know I used to be a tutor back in the day.”

Rarity thought about this for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I… think I’ll be fine, but I appreciate the offer. If I need you, I’ll call. …Wait. That’s an extremely unreliable way to contact you. Fine. I shall visit your apartment.”

“Fair enough,” Sunset said, still quiet to avoid angering the multitude of studying students below. “But, there is one question that’s been bugging me. At least whenever I’m not consumed with this thing.” She vaguely motioned to her nebulous work.

“Oh? What’s that?” asked Rarity, her tone indicating she was utterly clueless but eager.

Sunset gave a wry smile. “Have you asked out that individual you have a crush on yet? I’d still like to meet him… or her.”

Rarity’s face contorted into surprised shock as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. Then she looked down at her knees. “You, um, already know the person.”

“Really? Well, I guess that’s no shock. I know just about everybody at this school, for better and worse.” Sunset’s tone dropped at the end as she again reminded herself of her self-inflicted failures.

“It’s… someone you know very well,” Rarity said, touching her index fingers out of nervousness.

“Do you at least plan to ask this person out before summer break? Best to get this sort of thing done before everyone goes their own separate ways during the vacation,” Sunset warned.

“I don’t think that will be an issue. My crush is… not much of a traveller.”

Sunset smiled dryly. “Heh. Sort of like me.”

“You could say that,” Rarity replied, a twinge of melancholy in her voice.

“Except,” Sunset said, oblivious, “I did literally come here from a different universe. That may be a farther trip than anyone here will ever take. But then that sort of depends on whether you can calculate transdimensional travel in terms of standard distance. I’m not sure that’s possible. I suppose that’s another theory that I ought to test out at some point. Sigh. Mark it down on the list.” She hastily pulled out another pencil and scribbled a sentence on a piece of notebook paper.

“Sunset, darling, I have a very important question to ask you,” said Rarity with utmost sincerity and seriousness.

“Oh? What is it?” Sunset asked, genuinely curious.

“Do you ever… plan on leaving? Going back to your own world?”

Sunset held her chin in a classic thinking pose, then rested her hands on her knees, involuntarily tapping her fingers. She had to think for a good long while before responding.

“I don’t know,” she said, her voice hesitant, tinged with sadness.

“Really?” asked Rarity.

Sunset shrugged. “I mean, probably eventually yes, but… who knows when. That’s partly why I’m working on drafting this letter. There’s some ponies I need to talk to.”

“Twilight, you mean?”

“No,” said Sunset bluntly. “If I wanted to write to her, I would have done it already. I’m not really wary of her anymore… except when she starts lecturing.”

“Oh.”

Sunset sighed. “Rarity, when you found me at my lowest, I told you that I committed unforgivable sins back in Equestria. I meant it. You helped me to face my demons here and integrate me back into this society. But, I still have unfinished business on the other side, and I think I might finally be able to start to face it. This work, this research, my letter…” she trailed off.

Rarity moved closer, placing her hands on Sunset’s. “You seem concerned.”

“To be honest, I’m terrified,” Sunset said, her voice breaking slightly. “But, I have to do it.” She stood up and turned her chair back toward the table in preparation to restart her work, then sat down. Rarity moved her own chair even closer to Sunset’s, placing her arms around Sunset’s shoulders in a loose hug, her own long purple locks nearly intertwining with Sunset’s two-tone hair.

“I can’t begin to understand what you’re going through right now,” said Rarity softly, “but I want you to know I will always be here for you. No matter what, no matter when. Outside of my family, you are the most important person in my life.”

“Even more than your mysterious crush?” Sunset asked, slightly shocked.

Rarity closed her eyes and pursed her lips as she took a deep breath in through her nose, letting it out slowly. “Darling, what was it you told me once? The smarter one is, the less one knows?”

“Close,” Sunset replied. “It’s that the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know and still need to learn, and the less confident you become.”

“I suppose that applies to everyone?”

“Of course,” Sunset said. “Especially me.”

“Especially you,” repeated Rarity with a sigh.

Sunset turned her head to face her best friend. “I suppose you’ll be working full-time or close to it at the boutique during the summer. Still, I hope we’ll get to spend time together. After all, I only live a few blocks away.”

Rarity smiled, or at least tried to. “I would love nothing more, darling,” she said as she stood up. “I should go. You need to work, evidently. And so do I.”

Sunset nodded as she turned back to her notebooks. “You know, we should meet up together after all this craziness is over and done with. What do you say?”

“Absol— uh, I mean… perhaps,” said Rarity. “Goodbye for now.”

“Later,” Sunset said pleasantly with a wave, not looking as Rarity turned and walked out the mezzanine’s double-door.

Chapter Two: Exes Meet Again

Rarity trumped down the hall, the natural light from the many windows along the outer walls making things unbearably bright as she held her face in her hands.

“Why did I do that? Why am I so stupid??” she cried aloud to herself.

She never got the chance to give herself a satisfactory answer, as she collided with some object that knocked her off balance and sent her stumbling backwards until she unceremoniously landed on her butt. Upon re-opening her eyes, her still-blurry field of vision was filled by a blob of denim.

“Hey. A-are you okay?” asked a male voice Rarity instantly recognized.

She looked up and found herself face to face with Flash Sentry, Sunset’s former boyfriend and her own quasi-enemy.

“Oh crap! I-I’m sorry for knocking you down, Rarity,” Flash said with clear trepidation. “Let me, uh, help you up.” He extended his left arm.

Rarity nodded. “Thank you,” she said as she took his wrist and hoisted herself back to upright position. “Honestly, I should apologize for bumping into you.”

“That’s true,” Flash said. “But, to be honest, you… kind of scare me, so I figured I’d apologize first so you wouldn’t, y’know, hit me again.”

Rarity’s face turned from brief shock to saddened guilt. “I’m sorry for that. I’m… sorry for everything. I’m nothing but an idiotic child.”

“What happened?” asked Flash with obvious concern in his voice as he led Rarity over to a quiet corner of the hallway that was not so oppressively bright.

Rarity sighed a long, mournful sigh. When she spoke, her voice was uneven.

“I… I’ve tried. So many times to tell her… how I feel, but… I can’t tell if she’s… deflecting to let me down gently because she’s not interested or… if she honestly doesn’t understand. I…” Rarity trailed off.

Flash pursed his lips as he attempted to understand the situation. “You’re talking about Sunset, right? Even to a dense moron (her words) like me, it’s pretty obvious.”

“Mm-hmm,” Rarity vocalized as she nodded.

Flash sighed. “Look, I’ve known her for a long time, and even though she’s changed a lot since we broke up, there’s just certain things about her that are just part of who she is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Flash said, “She’s the smartest girl you’ll ever meet… in most things… but she’s clueless when it comes to love or any sort of relationship anything. You would – maybe literally – have to smack her over the head seventeen times with some sort of romantic trinket and yell ‘I LOVE YOU’ in her face before she actually got the hint.”

“But… you dated her for a year or so,” said Rarity with a mild degree of surprise.

“That doesn’t mean either of us knew what we were doing; she was just better than me at faking it. And… I really didn’t know what her game was then,” Flash admitted sheepishly. “Knowing her, she probably did a lot of research before deciding to make her move.”

Rarity nodded, having seen Sunset’s work-style not ten minutes earlier. “So, how did your relationship happen? You must pardon my ignorance; I was sort of dealing with my life falling apart at the time.”

Flash regarded Rarity for a moment, then chuckled as he gave her a guilty half-smile. “Y’know, I wish I could say it was because I found out we had things in common or whatever, but it wasn’t. It was, uh…” he trailed off.

“Was what?”

“Um, have you looked at her??” Flash asked, levelling an are-you-blind glare at Rarity.

“…Frequently,” mumbled Rarity as she blushed.

“Then you already know. Sunset’s one of the hottest girls in this city! When she came up to dumb ol’ freshman me and told me she wanted to date, you better believe I said yes!”

“Hmm. I believe that is what Applejack might refer to, in her gauche yet accurate manner, as ‘thinking with the wrong head’,” said Rarity dryly.

“Maybe,” Flash admitted with a shrug, “But you can’t deny she has a pretty face. And a great ass. And that rack, man, she’s flippin’ stacked.”

“Yes. I know. I did all her measurements when fitting her for her current clothes.”

“I know by, well, getting to see a lot of her after our dates.”

Rarity groaned, knowing Flash Sentry had totally ignored all sense of decorum and broken protocol by complimenting a girl’s physical attributes in the presence of another girl. However, since Rarity had long since lost any romantic interest in Flash, she allowed the breach to slide and refrained from attack, allowing the tactless boy to keep his junk.

She then glanced down at her own chest – not small by any means (in fact slightly above average in size for CHS girls), but not nearly as substantial as Sunset’s.

“You know,” Rarity said. “For the three years that she and I were, shall we say, at odds, I had assumed Sunset wore padding to make her… attributes… seem larger. It was only after measuring her and then seeing her in nothing but her pyjamas that I realized that they were, in fact, very real. Especially since the Fall Formal and that little incident, she actually wears sports bras like Rainbow Dash’s to make herself appear smaller!”

“Well, no matter what you think of her personality, Sunset’s got everything in the body a guy – or a girl I guess – could want, and she knows how to flaunt it when she wants to.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes at Flash, causing him to flinch in anticipation of another slap to the face. “I never figured you to be this shallow,” she said, her tone utterly dismissive of him.

“Hey now,” he cautioned with a wave of his hand. “That’s just how I saw her freshman year, before I really got to know her. Also, you’re no better; you just said so yourself. At this point, I don’t care anymore. I got my own issues to deal with.”

“I can’t believe I actually wanted to date you freshman year,” Rarity groused.

“Wait, what??” Flash asked, dumbstruck.

“Oh yes. Sunset told me – well, heavily implied – that it was in part because of my interest in you that she decided to go after you, as part of her plan to ruin my social life. It’s truly amazing how much things have changed since then. Look at me; I’m in love with my best friend who until half a year ago was my mortal enemy. I’ve become so… twisted,” Rarity said, a bit forlorn.

“My god. I was nothing but a dumb pawn to her.” He sighed. “At least I learned my lesson before it was too late.”

“Please explain?” asked Rarity, extending a hand to him but jerking it back before contact.

“Girl’s a lot more secretive than even you know. One day, when things were already shaky between us because of her… actions, she screwed up and I discovered the truth, so she showed her true colours and dumped me before things got too serious. And before I could dump her.”

Rarity cocked her head, giving Flash a serious look. “So, what is that ‘truth’? You mentioned something very similar when we went to her apartment together. She has alluded to some… thing… as well, but refuses to give details.”

Flash shrugged. “All I’ll say is this: With age comes experience.”

Rarity frowned. “That’s not a good answer. You clearly know a lot more about my darling Sunset than I do. Considering how she already humiliated me in the past, I want to believe there’s no information you could give that would shock me or cause my twisted heart to waver. But I can’t learn if I don’t know what to ask.”

Flash shook his head. “I’m sorry, Rarity. I can’t tell you. If I said anything about what I know, it would get a lot more people in this city than just her in big trouble. My conscience is guilty enough right now without putting that on my brain too.”

“What do you mean? What in the world could a boy scout type like you have possibly done to earn guilt?” asked Rarity, incredulous.

Flash sunk his head into his shoulders as much as he could. “I… kinda broke things off with Limestone Pie.”

“Really??” asked Rarity, her voice registering some surprise. “But you two looked so cute as a couple!”

“Well, we had tons of fun jamming together, more than I ever did with Sunset, and I loved being with Limestone, but… the difference in life experience and, well… I just can’t stop thinking about Twilight. I tried to explain myself and let her down gently, but she sorta didn’t take it well. She threw her jackhammer at my head.”

“Oh my!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Yeah,” agreed Flash with a shrug. “At least Sunset only hurt people with words… usually.”

“Or lack thereof,” Rarity added glumly.

“Hey,” Flash said as he put a hand on Rarity’s shoulder. “You’ve got an in with her I never did. She actually cares about you. I could tell from how she acted when I blew my stack at her.”

“Huh?” Rarity tilted her head in confusion. “That’s not how I remember it. You were on the warpath and I had to protect her from your brutishness.”

Flash shook his head and smiled. “Maybe, but I saw her put herself between us to protect you, which she didn’t need to do, doesn’t make sense except maybe in her mind, and absolutely isn’t something she would have done back in the day. Still, I guess experience is an individual thing.”

Rarity pouted her lips as she thought about the events of that afternoon, when all brain activity was suddenly interrupted by the infernal din of the ringing of the school bell, followed shortly thereafter by the background noise of hundreds of teenagers and a few faculty members quickly moving through the building.

“Shoot!” Rarity exclaimed. “And here I was hoping to continue our little conversation.”

“Who says we can’t?” asked Flash. “I’m not going to my next class. Why bother? They’re just reviewing stuff I already know. Heck, I may even leave campus. Why not join me in being delinquent?”

“That just seems… wrong. Not the skipping class part, but the idea of you as any sort of delinquent.” Rarity said with a grin.

Flash chuckled at that. “You have a point. I suppose I’ll stick around for now,” he said as they both sat against the inner wall. Then he levelled a serious look at Rarity. “By the way, I’m sure Sunset already told you she’s exempt from exams, right?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes…?” she said, curious where this line of conversation would lead.

“Did you also know Sunset never goes to class? Seriously. Have you ever seen her anywhere in this building besides the hallways, cafeteria, library, or science labs? Do you know anyone who actually has a class with her?”

Rarity sat there for a long moment, her eyes widening at the realization at her answer to his question. “No…” she whispered.

“Then there’s no harm in us sitting here for a few more minutes so I can say what I need to say,” Flash declared, his voice echoing down the quieting corridor.

“And what, pray tell, would that be… hun?” asked a familiar female voice, several yards away but approaching, footsteps on the tiles echoing down the hall.

Rarity and Flash both turned their heads to see Sunset Shimmer walking towards them, all of her materials stuffed into a brown backpack slung over both shoulders. Though it was difficult to tell through the bright light, she appeared to be grinning. Eventually she reached the two. Unwilling to sit down because of the burden on her back, she towered over them until they attempted to stand. Sunset helped them both up, then gave Rarity a mischievous grin.

“Really, Rarity? This lug?” She thumbed toward Flash. “Sure, he’s nice enough – maybe a bit too nice for his own good – but I really don’t think you’re his type. He kind of has a fetish for girls who used to be horses.”

“What?!” Flash and Rarity both asked in unison.

“No! No! Absolutely not!” exclaimed Rarity, waving her hands.

“Gee, thanks,” Flash mumbled, causing Sunset to giggle as Rarity interjected.

“I mean… Sunset, Flash was just trying to talk me through some of my problems.”

“Leaving aside my shock at Flash being able to talk anyone through anything, does that mean you two are finally getting over your little tiff? That’s good at least,” Sunset said.

“Aaannd here come the cuts, as usual. So, I guess I’ll be on my way,” said Flash. “What I was going to tell you, Rarity, before we were interrupted, was this: Just keep trying. I know you can do it.”

Rarity smiled. “Thank you, Flash. And… once again, I’m sorry for slapping you before.”

“Hey, I’m man enough to admit when I deserve it. I deserved it,” he said.

“Isn’t this just a wonderful reunion?” Sunset asked sarcastically.

Flash pointed a what-the-hell glare at her. “Sunset, why do you have to be like this whenever I’m around? I admit it’s actually kind of refreshing compared to seeing you completely broken and sitting like a half-dead lump on your own couch, but still…”

“My best friend has a huge crush on someone in this school (thank Celestia it’s not you), and it’s my job to make sure the object of her affections is worthy of her,” asserted Sunset, her fist clenched in determination.

Rarity and Flash both stared at her, utterly dumbstruck, mouths agape.

“You really don’t get it,” Flash mumbled.

Rarity quickly jumped in to change the subject. “Sunset, dear. How goes your research on drafting that paper or whatever it was you were trying to do?”

Sunset wobbled her head vaguely. “Eh. Okay. I think I’ve made a little more headway at remembering things. With any luck, I’ll be able to write it while you all are in finals.”

“Um, Sunset?” Rarity asked tentatively.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Is it true that, in addition to being exempt from finals, you don’t have to be in class right now? That you can simply leave the school at will?”

Sunset looked shocked for a moment, her eyes darting from side to side to make sure no staff or hidden microphones were recording her this time. “Yes,” she whispered.

Rarity blushed slightly as she readied the next part of her conversation. “So, um… would you like to leave school? I… was thinking it might be a good idea for me to take you up on your tutoring offer. Something tells me you’d be much more effective than the actual teachers.”

Sunset smiled at that. “Well, not to brag…”

“Woah now, Rarity,” Flash said. “Skipping class and chilling in this hallway is one thing, but leaving campus? That’s not something a good girl like you ought to do.”

Rarity glared at him, dumbstruck. “Hypocrite much?” she asked before Sunset placed her hand on Rarity’s shoulder.

“Unfortunately, the doof’s got a point,” Sunset said. “Those truant officers are complete and total fascists who arrest first and ask questions later.”

“You know my dad was a truant officer before he was promoted,” Flash snipped.

“And I rest my case,” Sunset retorted. “Speaking of which, does Deputy Chief Bash Sentry still have that ‘Arrest and/or Shoot On Sight’ order against me?”

Flash shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe.”

Rarity stood still for a moment, looking from one to the other, flabbergasted at their exchange. Then, with a look of determination, grabbed Sunset’s arm with both of her hands. “Let’s go anyway,” she said, pulling her as they left Flash standing in the hallway.

“Later, you two,” he said, his voice slowly fading as the distance increased. “Take care of each oth…” The final words were cut off to the girls’ ears as he turned toward a separate stairwell. His denim jacket billowed in the wind of the recently activated HVAC unit’s vent.

“Rarity, what has gotten into you?” Sunset asked, attempting to regain control of her movement as they quickly descended the stairs, stopping briefly at Rarity’s locker to select her necessary textbooks.

“Sunset, I am quickly coming to a crossroads in my life,” said Rarity as she shut her locker door.

“Yes,” Sunset agreed, “All of you are. Next year is your government-mandated ‘Determinative Year’, where you choose your ‘Track’ and thus the course for the rest of your life: Spend a year cramming for entrance exams for University, start prepping for acceptance to a vocational school or CanComCol, or decide to go NPD – Not Pursuing Degree – leave school a year early, and spend that time volunteering or doing menial crap work like… I dunno, working for Big Beulah (I don’t recommend that, by the by).

“That’s… not quite what I meant, though that has been on my mind lately as well,” Rarity admitted as they reached the end of the hall.

“So what is it, then?” asked Sunset gingerly. “You know you can tell me, right?” She briefly placed her hand on Rarity’s shoulder.

“Well, it’s just… I… you… we…” Rarity sputtered as she desperately tried not to blush, pressing her index fingers together in nervousness. Sunset cocked her head in confusion but let it pass as she bade them continue.

They made more seemingly random turns through the building until they reached a lonely poorly-lit hallway filled only with some grubby lockers, a disused janitors’ closet, and a set of grimy green double doors along the far wall. Rarity followed Sunset’s line of sight to the doors before staring at her with an innocently blank expression.

“The alarm on these doors has been busted for years. Easy escape. Do you see anyone?” Sunset queried as she scoured the surroundings for invisible hidden cameras despite knowing CHS had none, and she in particular needn’t bother.

“No,” Rarity answered, then allowed herself a mischievous grin. “Let us, as they say, blow this Popsicle stand.”

“Do you want to open a door or should I?” Sunset asked, unintentionally posing to Rarity what she interpreted as a character challenge.

Rarity stood still and silent for a moment. Then, with a determined countenance, pushed open the door just enough to let the sunlight briefly intrude and give them room to slip out, before it quickly shut again.

Chapter Three: An Uneventful Journey

Outside the rarely used East Exit in the pleasant warmth of a mostly sunny Spring afternoon, the grounds of the CHS campus were now empty thanks to the students’ Pavlovian response to the bells. Rarity looked around her, slightly awed at the sight of the deserted grounds. Sunset sighed, her mood content yet a touch jaded.

“The bells control your existence,” Sunset said. “So many of these students will be in for the shock of their lives when they get out into university or the real world and there are no bells. No asking permission to use the toilet. No stupid hall passes.”

Rarity nodded slowly. “I always hear that, but to me it seems difficult to believe, even though the Carousel lack bells… aside from the little ones attached to clothes as a cute little accessory. Oh! Might you want something like that, Sunset? You could wear just about anything we sell.”

“No.” Sunset said bluntly as she shook her head. “I’m a simple girl with simple taste in clothing. Fancy is your thing, and you can have it.”

“But you simply must let me fit you for a ball gown someday!” whined Rarity as she started messing with Sunset’s long two-tone locks. “And let me style your hair. It’s already lovely now, of course, but a new hairdo could bring out a whole new Sunset.”

“I appreciate the gesture, really, but… for now, I prefer to be as plain as I can be,” Sunset said, gently redirecting Rarity’s hands. “Like that wall over there.”

Sunset pointed to an eight foot high concrete wall several yards away stretching north-south, separating the playing fields from the rest of the school grounds, painted light grey and broken by a gate at one point, the skeletal steel underbelly of bleachers rising behind it.

“That wall is so dull,” Rarity said.

“That wall is No-Man’s-Land,” replied Sunset with a knowing smirk. “Have you ever noticed it rarely gets graffitied? There’s a reason for that.”

Rarity cocked her head. “And what would that be?”

Sunset pointed up. Looking, Rarity saw the security cameras.

“The whole thing is a massive setup,” explained Sunset. “So much so that when the groundskeeper wanted to build a hedge maze in that expanse of grass between, the principal shot him down because it would interrupt one camera’s line of sight. Anyone who tags that wall gets caught by those and earns a one-way trip to suspension city. I was never stupid enough to try, but I’ve known more than a few who have. Schmucks.”

“Um,” Rarity vocalized with a tinge of uneasiness in her voice. “Aren’t we liable to be seen by those cameras and get in trouble?”

“No,” said Sunset confidently. “We’re in their blind spot right now. I’ve been to the security room; I know where they’re aimed. You’d have to get a lot closer to the wall for them to see you.”

Rarity nodded slowly. “So, then, which way do we go to get off the campus?”

“Hmm,” Sunset rubbed her chin. “Can’t go south. Junior High Annex is that way, and I think you know exactly what would happen if your sister happened to see us.”

Rarity pinched the space between her eyebrows. “Sweetie would tell everyone, including mom and dad, who would never let me hear the end of it. They already think I’m going down the wrong path in life.”

“Why in the world would they think that?” Sunset asked, surprised.

“Becoming friends with you.”

Sunset shrugged. “Ah. Well, they’re not wrong. After all, I did nearly drive you to kill yourself your freshman year. And… it shreds me up inside to know that, back then, I wouldn’t have cared if you had.”

“But you would care now?”

“Of course I would!” said Sunset, incredulous. “No one but me deserves to be put through that hell.”

Rarity placed her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “You don’t deserve it either, darling.”

“…That’s not for either of us to decide,” Sunset said, dully. “Anyway, south is out; east is out; only way to get off these grounds right now is north, which is fine, since we were going to turn that way eventually.”

“But that takes us…”

“…Right past all the classrooms, putting us in plain sight. I know. I also don’t care. All your fellow worker bees will be busy being lectured at, and anyone who looks out the window will get in trouble for that before they can rat us out… and I doubt anyone would turn you in. People like you. They could always narc on me, but it wouldn’t make any difference since, well, I’m above most of the rules here.”

They began walking north, sticking close to CHS’s main building, ducking under whatever windows they could for Rarity’s peace of mind.

“Why is that, Sunset?” Rarity asked in a stage-whisper.

“The administration and I have kind of a quid-pro-quo relationship,” Sunset explained in a slightly softer whisper. “Do you understand?”

Rarity scrunched her face in concentration. “I have certainly heard the term, but I cannot remember its exact meaning at the moment. Sorry.”

Sunset let out a soft chuckle mixed with scoff. “Probably for the best you don’t. After all, the last thing I’d ever want is for my best friend to get in any trouble.”

“Best friend…” said Rarity softly, her tone betraying a whirlwind of emotions.

“I’ve never had one before, so I suppose you could do better,” Sunset said with a shrug. “If I know me – and I’m pretty sure I do – I’ve probably made an infinite and mounting number of mistakes with you already.”

“Well…” Rarity began to say before trailing off. Silence regained, the two girls continued slowly making their way to the north edge of the campus, Sunset holding Rarity’s hand to help guide her. Rarity looked nervously around her like a moving sentry on the lookout for a surprise attack.

“Rarity, it’s okay. Calm down,” Sunset said, squeezing the girl’s hand more firmly for reassurance. “You’re acting like me; that’s not a good thing.”

“I-I’m sorry, dear. It’s just… I’ve never… actually cut class before.”

“You rebel, you,” Sunset said dryly. “Let’s be honest; being a bad girl isn’t in your blood. Not like me.” She let out a sigh. “I wonder… if you knew all the awful things I’ve done over the course of my life, would you still follow me like this? Would you even want to be around me?”

“Darling. Whether you meant to or not, you taught me a valuable if harsh lesson that hellish year: When one’s been destroyed, one must pick up oneself and move on. It’s the only direction one can go and still live. Who you were is not who you are, and we both know that,” Rarity explained.

“Why is it that the most valuable things people learn from me come from my being an irredeemable jerk?” Sunset griped. Rarity placed her hand on Sunset’s shoulder with a disarming smile.

As they rounded the northeast corner of the building, they eventually reached the horse statue on its massive marble pedestal. Sunset walked up to its southern face, the one closest to the school building, and knelt down before it. Rarity stood behind her, shuffling her feet for a moment before kneeling down herself. Slowly, Sunset reached out her hand, contemplating her fingers for a moment, and pressed her palm against the sheer polished surface. The seemingly solid wall vibrated, resembling a sort of cross between a soap bubble and mercury, a faint light engulfing the outline of her hand.

“It’s still open,” Sunset said, her affect unusually flat. “Since arriving in this world ten years ago, I’ve only gone there and back again – or I guess back and here again – once. It would be so easy for me to just… jump in. Go ‘home’. Be a magical Unicorn again. But…”

Rarity, steeling her guts and her expression, grabbed Sunset and twirled her around so they were facing each other, their noses practically touching.

“Uh, Rarity?” Sunset said in complete confusion.

She did not have time to say or think anything else as Rarity moved in and planted her lips against Sunset’s. Her eyes remained open in shock as Rarity’s closed, revealing the full extent of her sky blue eyeshadow. Rarity’s hands slipped from Sunset’s shoulder to her back, creating a vice-like yet tender embrace. Sunset had not known a sensation like this since her disastrous year dating Flash… and this felt different, more genuine for both of them. Sunset allowed herself to give in at least to a point, letting her eyelids droop as she brought her arms around Rarity’s own back, returning the kiss as best she could. Her lips were soft, Sunset noted; no shock given the girl’s attention to beautifying herself. An eternity passed in a minute. Finally, Rarity broke the embrace, her bone-white skin throwing her deep blush into sharp relief, leaving a thoroughly surprised (and also blushing) Sunset.

“That…” Sunset attempted to say, but Rarity cut her off, placing her index finger on Sunset’s mouth.

“I love you.”

Sunset merely sat there, still in shock as Rarity shifted position, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears as she reached out her arms.

“Farewell, my darling.”

Rarity pushed Sunset backwards into the portal; Sunset only had enough time to utter a gasp before being enveloped by the blinding light.

Once the light had faded, just as quickly as it had appeared, Rarity surveyed the scene. The love of her life was gone, possibly forever. Satisfied at her job well done, she proceeded to break down into a bawling mess on the sidewalk where anyone and everyone could see, but she no longer cared.

“…It’s not time yet,” Sunset said as she sighed in sadness and disgust, shaking her head before turning to face her friend. “Uh, what are you doing?”

Rarity, realizing her hands were in the ‘push’ position, immediately shifted herself to sitting cross-legged, hands safely in her lap. “Er, sorry about that, dear. I guess my brain went on a little trip.”

“Clearly. You need to be careful around this portal,” Sunset gestured to it with her thumb. “It may not be a one-way trip anymore, so far as I know, but it will mess you up if you go through it. In fact, I can’t say for certain what would happen to you since you’d be a foreign body and there’s another you on the other side.”

Rarity nodded. Silently, she stood up, extending her arm to help Sunset, who thanked her for the gesture and used Rarity’s wrist for leverage.

“Well, we’ve made it this far, and the school day doesn’t officially end for about two hours.” Sunset said. “Where do you want to go? My place? Or perhaps a café?”

“Hmm…” Rarity said, blushing slightly. “We could go to your apartment.”

“Probably safest. It’s close, reasonably quiet this time of day, not too many cops in the area,” Sunset concluded as the two girls proceeded in that direction.

“Er, question first. Have you cleaned it in the last month?”

“No comment.”

Rarity facepalmed with an audible slap as she shook her head.

“You know, dear, I know a thing or two about cleaning. When I was too young to have a real job, I cleaned houses, either for relatives or just neighbours. You could hire me on one of my off days. I’d even be willing to do it in a maid outfit! (at no extra charge for you, darling)” said Rarity, exasperation in her voice.

Sunset chuckled. “I’ll, uh, think about it.”

As they stepped off the campus into illegality, Rarity touched Sunset’s arm to get her attention.

“Why did they build this school where they did?” she asked.

Sunset smiled. “Well, it’s pretty centrally located, when you think about it. Easy access from all parts of the city – Downtown, the upscale Western Tracts where you live and where Crystal Prep is, the Wrong Side of the Tracks in the east, the more modest southern neighbourhoods, and of course the Farmlands on the north side of the river. In fact, I wonder if this school – specifically that statue – is the literal geographic centre of this city and, by extension, this world.”

“That sounds like quite a theory,” Rarity said with a small degree of awe.

“Yep,” said Sunset with a nod. “And that’s another reason I don’t feel ready to leave yet. There are so many unanswered questions about my adopted home. I suppose now that I have the drive to get out of bed again, thanks to you, I should start researching it in earnest as my next project.”

“Um, Sunset?” asked Rarity tentatively.

Sunset cocked her head, smiling slightly. “Hm? What is it?”

“Well, uh, you’re clearly… more intelligent than the average girl. So… why did you not go to Crystal Preparatory? What made you decide to enroll in CHS?”

“Ah. That,” said Sunset with a sigh of resignation. “Partly it was my lack of documentation – they won’t accept non-Citizens. But, more than that, it was irritation at people during my first year here who kept asking me if they knew me from there. Having to tutor a few of their idiotic legacy students later on gave me a pretty sour taste for the place. But I suppose the better question is why you didn’t go there. You’re likely intelligent enough. Certainly driven.”

Rarity sighed. “My parents couldn’t afford the tuition for both myself and Sweetie, so they opted to keep both of us in the public system. Fluttershy also missed out – her test scores got her in, but she told me its atmosphere was so oppressive that she had a panic attack in the middle of its ornate foyer and had to be forcibly removed.”

“Poor girl,” Sunset said with utmost sincerity. “I feel like I don’t engage with her enough.”

“Um, given what happened the last time you two were alone together, I’m sure you can understand why she’s kept her distance,” said Rarity, stifling a laugh.

“Point taken. I mean, I don’t remember what I did, but you’ve told me things. Sweet Celestia, I’m useless, aren’t I?”

“No, dear. But we ought to redirect your homesickness away from eating hallucinogenic plants in the future, yes?”

Sunset nodded as they reached yet another crossing, this one controlled by a light.

Heading ever north, the grass and most trees quickly disappeared, replaced by brick, concrete, stucco, or marble-clad buildings of increasing height on either side, along with, of course, parking garages. Sunset gestured to a handsome dark brick edifice with stained glass windows soaring several feet above them. The high-pitch roof stopped partway up to make room for a castle-like bell tower. It was impossible to tell if a bell existed due to the tower’s slatted shades. Atop the edifice sat a gold-coloured (probably brass) sun on a conical plinth.

“A kirk,” Sunset said simply. “I pass it almost every day, but I’ve never been inside.”

“Why not?” asked Rarity, not out of shock or disgust, but mere curiosity.

“I spent over seven years of my life growing up in direct contact with the closest thing my world has to a god – technically demigoddess, but you get the point,” replied Sunset. “That kind of experience, especially considering She and I ended up… not on the best of terms… makes whatever passes for worship here seem meaningless. Granted, She never liked being worshipped either. Regardless, I’ve always been curious about that aspect of this world’s society.”

Rarity nodded. “Well, I rarely attend, except for the Spring and Winter high-holy days when my parents make us, but perhaps we could go to one together?”

“I’d rather sneak into one of these places when a service isn’t happening, explore, and draw my own conclusions to satisfy my curiosity, but, I won’t rule it out,” said Sunset with a shrug.

“Fair enough.”

Shortly after the two girls crossed Seventh Street, as they made their way down the cracked, uneven sidewalk, a police car pulled up beside them. Sunset rolled her eyes and uttered a Classical Equestrian curse word so foul it would have caused Princess Celestia to wash Sunset’s mouth out with soap. Rarity, for her part, immediately began to panic, her eyes darting every which direction, hands fidgeting, feet shuffling.

“It’s all right. I think. Let me handle this,” Sunset said quietly, patting Rarity’s back softly for reassurance as a uniformed officer stepped out of the car.

Luckily for everyone, Sunset did not know this particular cop. He had light chestnut skin, close-cropped dark brown hair, and a permanent five o’clock shadow. In addition to being slightly pudgy, he wore no cap, though he did have a truncheon and a barely-visible pistol holstered on his belt. The man approached the two girls with an intentionally neutral expression.

“Good afternoon. I’m Officer Garrano,” he said with clearly fake pleasantness. “Shouldn’t you two young ladies be in school right now?”

As he reached for his cuffs, Sunset reached into a pocket in her backpack, causing the cop to immediately shift stance and move to his gun instead. Rarity emitted a high-pitched terrified whine.

“Hold on, Officer Ga-ha-no,” Sunset said, showing her hands as she over-enunciated his name. “I’m just trying to get my ID out for you. Surely I’m allowed at least that right, right?”

“Fine,” he said, “But I’m watching you.” He pointed at his eyes and then at Sunset, his face locked into a frown.

Sunset dug around in her bag for a few seconds until she produced a laminated card and a small piece of red cardstock. “My name is Phoenix Rays, Canterville’s premier tutor. Here’s my business card. If you’ve got a kid struggling in whatever subject, send ‘em to me, and I’ll set ‘em on the path to success,” she said with utmost confidence. After letting Officer Garrano look at that card, she handed him the laminated one. “And, here is my ID.”

Rarity stared at Sunset, mouth agape. Officer Garrano, meanwhile, studied the ID, tilting it against the light to check for the hologram bits. He narrowed his eyes as he looked back at Sunset.

“This appears to be genuine. But your hair is different,” he said, clearly suspicious.

“Yes. I got highlights. Is that a crime in this town now?” Sunset snipped.

“No,” the officer admitted. “But it’s hard for me to take this ID seriously. It says you’re 25, but all I see when I look at you is a high school girl.”

Sunset returned a half-smile. “At this point in my life, I wonder if I should feel flattered by that remark? Or should I still be offended? I’m short and I have a youthful face; neither of those are crimes yet, I assume?”

“So, what about your friend here?” he gestured to Rarity, who involuntarily shrank back.

“Well, she is a high-schooler,” Sunset said. “I pulled her out of afternoon classes because she needs some extra help in studying for her morning classes’ finals – those exams are next week, you know. She gets very panicked about these things, as I’m sure you can tell just from looking at her. She requires a quiet environment and direct engagement, neither of which the public school can provide. I think her parents would be very upset if you sent her back there in direct contravention of their wishes. It’d also be a waste of their money and my time.”

Officer Garrano’s frown deepened. “Something about this still doesn’t add up.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Fine. Fine!” she snapped. “Do you want to me to call CHS’s vice principal and waste her time? I’ll be glad to. Rarity, phone please.”

With a shaking hand, Rarity handed Sunset her cellphone. Sunset quickly dove into the call history and pulled up a number, selecting it to dial. Sunset tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for a response, which came on the third ring.

“Luna? It’s Phoenix Rays. Huh? Yes, I know I prom— Look, I’ll be blunt; I’ve got a truant officer on my ass because I pulled Rarity out of clas— Yes, her again. No! I swear, you and Flash both… Anyway, could you please tell this pig what he needs to hear so I can do my job? What? No, we’ll discuss that tomorrow. Ugh, fine. Thank you.”

Sunset handed the phone to the officer, who listened for about a minute before suddenly sporting a look of shock and sputtering out some nonsense words that resembled an apology. Then he hung up the phone and handed it back to Sunset, along with her ID and business card.

“It seems I was too hasty in stopping you two. Have a nice day,” he said before getting back into his squad car and speeding away.

After he was gone, Rarity stared at Sunset for a long time in simultaneous shock and awe. “How did you do that?” she asked.

“With these,” Sunset said, reluctantly handing Rarity the cards.

Rarity looked at the ID, a Class-M (two-wheeled vehicle) license. The photo was clearly of Sunset, except she was wearing thick glasses and had long straight crimson hair. The name thereon was indeed ‘Phoenix Rays’, listed her address – 700 West 5th Street, Apartment 416 – noted her non-citizen status as required by law, and gave her age as 25. The business card had Sunset’s sun motif as a logo and read simply:

Phoenix Rays: Canterville’s Top Tutor – Any Subject; Reasonable Rates; Call: (604) 555-3245 or Email: phoenixraystutoring[at]pmail[dot]com

After a long moment of silence, during which Sunset’s pulse noticeably quickened as she twiddled her thumbs, Rarity finally spoke. “This is the most impressive fake ID I’ve ever seen!”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah. Well, you know I don’t ever do anything halfway. Besides, how else could I get around in a foreign land?” Sunset said as breezily as she could (which wasn’t very) as she gave Rarity a light push in the direction of her apartment building and they resumed walking.

“That makes sense. I guess I just never think of you as a foreigner. Even though you are,” said Rarity.

“It took a little while to get used to this place. Now that I have, I wonder where my home really is…”

“Darling, I’ll tell you where your home is. It’s right around this corner,” Rarity indicated. They had reached the side of the century-old brick building Sunset had called home for a decade. Sunset looked to her right and sighed with relief that her moped still sat unmolested in its spot.

“Can’t argue with that,” Sunset admitted with a tired smile, which immediately vanished as they turned the corner and found a familiar figure standing in front of the main entrance.

“So, you did leave, just like you said you wouldn’t,” said Rarity, annoyed.

Flash Sentry shrugged. “I lied. Shouldn’t shock you; I learned from the best.”

“You flatter me,” Sunset said, obviously not flattered.

“You’re impressive,” Flash responded. “I didn’t think you’d be able to talk your way past Garrano; he’s a hard-ass for truancy. I really didn’t expect you to pull out your trump card with your girlfriend watching.”

Rarity blushed. Sunset did not notice as she insisted to Flash, “Rarity’s my best friend, not my girlfriend. There is a difference. I think you’ve been reading too much fanfiction again. Or watching too many adult videos.”

Rarity briefly sported a look of forlorn glumness, but neither Sunset nor Flash noticed.

Flash rolled his eyes at Sunset. “I’m a healthy young man who’s struck out with pretty girls three times in the last year alone. What do you think I do in my free time?”

Sunset shook her head and smiled. “You never change.”

At this point, Rarity decided to interrupt the reunion. “Flash? Um, question. How did you know about our run-in with the police.”

Flash reached into his denim jacket and pulled out what looked like a large walky-talky.

“Portable police scanner,” Sunset said. “That’s also how you beat us here; you knew where the cops were and took a different route.”

“So why didn’t you try to help us?” asked Rarity, anger building.

“If it had just been you, Rarity, I would have, without hesitation. But Sunset can handle herself when she needs to. I saw it so many times. It’s one of the few things I could stand about her by the end.”

“I appreciate the damning with faint praise, really I do,” Sunset snarked.

Flash held the scanner at Sunset. “Do you remember when we were on the bus together, going into the Western Reaches for some dumb field trip, and we accidentally found the frequency used by the Hypermart security, so you decided to mess with them to the point they ended up shutting the store for the day? I should have been disgusted, but I thought it was funny. I still do.”

“A good idea is a good idea, no matter how ethically dubious,” Sunset said, unable to hide her grin recalling the incident. “Just goes to show you’re not as squeaky clean as you like to think.”

“Yeah, but I can’t help but wonder… Did you corrupt me?”

Sunset shook her head. “You know the answer. Even at my worst, I can’t corrupt the incorruptible. Rarity here is a great example. After everything I did to hurt her, she still accepted me, and I owe her my life.”

“Flash,” Rarity said. “I’d like you to answer a rather important question.”

“Shoot,” he replied.

“Why are you even here?”

“Well,” Flash said hesitantly. “When I saw Sunset sitting by the statue, it made me think she might seriously be thinking about going back to that crazy magical horse world, so I figured I better beat feet down here and tell her what I need to before she left.”

“I’m not leaving… yet,” Sunset said. “But spit it out.”

Flash sighed. “I’m sorry for how I treated you during your breakdown. I just… didn’t know how bad it was, and I was kinda too ashamed and full of manly pride to admit that to you once you rejoined the land of the living.”

Sunset nodded. “Like I said on the day, there’s so much I should apologize to you for that it would take most of the afternoon. None of us want to deal with that. So let’s skip it.” She extended her right hand. “Truce? Perhaps even friends?”

Flash Sentry started to extend his own hand, then pulled it back as his expression clearly showed the gears in his brain turning, then let out a puff of air through his nose as he reached out to shake Sunset’s hand.

Rarity looked mildly miffed as she oversaw the rapprochement.

“Heh. A meetup of the rejected. The few, the proud, the persistent.” Flash said with a chuckle after he broke off the handshake.

Sunset raised her eyebrows at him. “Looks I’m not the only one dabbling in hallucinogenic plants. Explain please.”

Flash shrugged. “All three of us have had to face being rejected by someone… or many someones… within the last year or more. I’ve blown relationships with three girls including you.”

“Limestone gave you the boot too? Sad. You really should have gone for Maud,” said Sunset, a smirk spread across her face. “She’s insane, but the good kind, and Pinkie’s been wanting to get her hooked up.”

“I broke it off, but that’s not the point,” Flash said. “Anyway, you were rejected by the almost the entire school as soon as we got the chance, and you once said some things about your old tutor or something?”

“Well, yes,” said Sunset, nodding in agreement. “But what about Rarity? Who in the multiverse would ever reject a sweet girl like her? I’ll need to give that someone a piece of my mind.”

Flash and Rarity simultaneously facepalmed.

“What? What did I say?” asked Sunset, confused.

Flash looked to Rarity. “Do you remember what I told you?”

“I do,” replied Rarity with a sigh.

“I feel like I’m missing out on something big, and I’m going to feel really stupid once I figure out what it is,” Sunset said. “But, Flash, you’re not wrong about the rejection thing – I don’t take it well. That’s why I dumped you before you could do it to me. And of course I’m constantly thinking about Her and what She must think of me. I just, well, have to work up the courage to face… Anyway, I’m glad you and I can actually talk like normal beings again.”

“Well, that clears my conscience,” Flash said. “Sunset, I seriously hope you’re able to face down all these demons you’ve got. Y’know, you’re pretty cool when you’re not being a conniving manipulative bitch. This girl here,” he gestured to Rarity, “is exactly what you always needed.”

“I know.”

“Now that I’ve said my peace, I’m done here,” Flash said, then turned and walked off towards the restaurant district. “Take care, Sunset. Whatever you do, hopefully I’ll see you around. Sometime. Somewhere.”

Flash crossed the street and eventually left their sights.

“Sunset,” Rarity said, her voice filled with worry, “that sounded to me like a final goodbye. Does he know something else I don’t?”

“No,” replied Sunset. “Flash has always been quick to jump to conclusions. I told you I’m not ready to leave here yet, and I meant it. Now, let’s head up to my apartment. We have some revising to do.”

“Wait, what?”

“Rarity, I’m not the most truthful pon— uh, person in the world, but I really did used to be a tutor. It’s my job to make sure you pass your exams with flying colours. And since you’re my best friend, I won’t even charge you,” said Sunset with some sense of pride.

“You’re actually intending to help me study for finals.” Rarity said flatly, a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

Sunset nodded. “You told me a long time ago that your boss was willing to help you pay your way through a university art design program because she saw your potential or something, right? I think she’d be more likely to do so if you prove to her you’re a model student who wouldn’t waste her generosity.”

Rarity frowned. “Nothing you just said was at all incorrect.” She sighed. “Fine. Let’s get this over with. I have all the books I need,” gesturing to her own backpack.

“Excellent,” said Sunset, almost giddy with anticipation. “I’m looking forward to this! I hope you are too.”

Rarity said nothing, but let out a sigh as she followed Sunset into the building.

Last Chapter: Parting For Now

As the sun began to give up the ghost for the day, Sunset Shimmer’s apartment was filled with orange-hued light – her curtains were open for once – as she and Rarity sat at the repurposed stolen cable spool she called a coffee table, several books spread in front of them while Sunset attempted to help Rarity with preparing for final exams. Rarity, for her part, made the best attempt she could to keep up with Sunset’s explanations. This was hampered somewhat by the fact that Sunset Shimmer was the tutor, thus Rarity had difficulty keeping her eyes and mind from wandering. Nonetheless, she wrote as much down as she could around Sunset’s already detailed outlines.

“Okay,” Sunset said after what seemed like forever. “That’s about all I can do for your problem areas. It really sucks that 80% of the math you’re forced to learn won’t actually be useful in the real world unless you go into a hardcore STEM field, and CHS still isn’t great at teaching the stuff you will use – calculating tax, statistics, percent changes, interest – but I’ve tried my best. I know I’m kind of rusty as a tutor.”

“No, Sunset,” Rarity assured her. “You were able to make more things clear in an afternoon than my teachers could in half a year. I truly appreciate it.”

“Good, that means I only mostly fail, rather than completely,” Sunset deadpanned.

“Sunset, darling, I must ask you: Why did you decide to spend your time helping me study for finals rather than doing your own work?”

Sunset looked quizzically at her friend. “Isn’t it obvious? Finals dates are set in stone, but my work doesn’t have a time limit. Also, I need to ask you for a favour.”

“What is it?” Rarity inquired, visibly taken aback by Sunset’s extremely rare request.

“I want you to take those notes we wrote and share them with the others. This may shock you, but I do observe all of you; it’s an old habit from my magical research days. I know A.J. has even worse issues with math than you do, Pinkie isn’t great in the soft sciences, and Dash… kind of fails at everything. I won’t have time to help all three of them (Fluttershy will be fine). So, just give them a helping hand in my place,” Sunset said.

Rarity nodded. “Sunset, there’s something I must ask you. Well, two things, but the second can wait, to paraphrase yourself, until this is all over.”

“Sure, go ahead,” said Sunset with a friendly head tilt.

“What exactly is your work?” she asked bluntly. “Ancient languages, talk of unforgivable sins… You’ll pardon me if I don’t understand.”

Sunset lowered her head. “You know what I was like, what kind of person I was. The way I treated you your freshman year wasn’t all that different from how I acted when I lived in Equestria. I never realized, while in the thick of it, how horrible I was, even when ponies who cared tried to point it out.”

Rarity nodded slowly. “One more question. You mentioned at one point that Twilight was the chosen protégé of your universe’s Principal Celestia.”

“Princess,” Sunset corrected. “Boy, was I shocked to discover that downgrade. I can only imagine how She’d feel about it. It’s one of the enduring mysteries of this universe I hope to solve at some point.”

“Anyway,” Rarity continued. “She was your Celestia’s personal student, right?”

“Yeah,” Sunset said with a sigh, “The Princess saw something ‘special’ in Twilight beyond her extreme magical potential.”

“Does she usually accept students?”

“No,” said Sunset flatly. “With the exception of teaching good governance and protocol to my sort-of roommate Caddy for several years, in the past quarter-millennium She only took in two, one right after the other. She discovered Twilight probably a year or two after She and I parted ways.”

“I see. Do you not think your Celestia might have seen something special in you as well?” Rarity proposed, delicately.

Sunset, eyes closed, shook her bowed head ‘no’. When she spoke again, her voice was uneven. “During our final confrontation that awful night in the Archives, She told me She made a mistake, that the potential She thought She saw in me never existed, that I’m a complete failure in every way that matters. She was right, and I couldn’t face it. In my anger and hubris, I escaped to this world.”

“She rejected you.”

“And I deserved it.”

“Sunset, dear,” Rarity said, sidling up against her and placing her hands on Sunset’s shoulders, “Both of us have dealt with – are still dealing with – heartbreaking rejection. I may be just a girl who works in a dress shop, not the ruler of a kingdom, but it doesn’t matter if your Celestia is the demigoddess you say. I think she’s wrong. Or, perhaps she might have been correct then, but no longer. There is something special within you. I’ve seen it. It simply took time for you to reach inside, bypass all your guilt, and discover it for yourself. When you let people in, you are one of the sweetest, bravest, most conscientious girls I’ll ever know.”

“Rarity…”

“One thing Madame Tailor taught me… and so did you without meaning to: Very few know their path in the beginning; while some like me discover it early on, some may not find it for many years, and some never do. But once one has found their path and their place, they can be unstoppable,” Rarity concluded, misty-eyed.

Sunset’s eyes lit up, as if a light-bulb suddenly clicked on above her head. Her mouth hung slightly ajar.

“Sunset?” Rarity asked, confused.

“I think I know what I need to do now,” Sunset said. “Deciphering my old notes will still take some time; figuring out how to say my peace will take even longer. But… I have my path. Once I take my evening constitutional, I’ll get right to work.”

“You might be the only person I know besides myself who actually uses that word,” Rarity said with a chuckle.

Sunset shrugged. “Blame Princess Celestia; that’s what She called Her daily walks through the palace grounds. I guess that’s another bit of Her that rubbed off on me. Ever since you helped pull me from the edge, I’ve taken time every evening to walk to the statue or other places around Downtown and back. Anyway, I feel like my brain has mended enough for me to focus on my task at hand.”

“That’s wonderful!” Rarity enthused. “Do you need my assistance?”

“Sorry, but no. This is something I have to do alone,” Sunset said guiltily. “But, you’ve helped me more than you realize. Thank you so much!”

With that, Sunset, a beaming smile on her face, shifted position to gave Rarity a big hug. Rarity happily returned the embrace, though she was disappointed when Sunset broke it off far too soon.

“I… I suppose I should head home then,” Rarity said as she gathered her books and stood up to leave.

Sunset lightly grabbed Rarity’s wrist. Rarity turned back, intrigued.

“Once your finals are over, and my project is completed, we’ll go out to dinner together to celebrate. I’m sure Pinkie has some end-of-year party planned already – hopefully I can make that – but this will be just for the two of us, okay? A thank you for everything you’ve done for me over these last several months. I’d rather not inflict Beulah on you again, so it’ll be your choice.”

Rarity’s smile was accompanied by a blush. “I-I’d love nothing more!”

“Great,” Sunset said. “If my phone isn’t turned on, you know where to find me.” She gestured with one hand around her bare apartment. “I wish us both luck.”

“Of course, darling!” Rarity gushed as she made her way to the door.

Sunset made sure Rarity heard one last thing before she left. “Take care,” she said as Rarity briefly paused, nodded without turning around, and shut the door behind her.

The apartment was once again bathed in its usual silence, which felt off to Sunset when coupled with the brightness. She quickly remedied this by drawing the curtains and turning off every light except two lamps.

“No point in using much electricity if I’m not going to be here for half an hour.”

Somewhere off in the distance, a dog barked.

Sunset plodded across her floor, slipped her leather jacket Sasha back on, and exited her apartment, making sure to lock it behind her.

Almost exactly thirty minutes later, as the sun dipped below the horizon, she returned, sweating slightly due to wearing a long-sleeved leather jacket on a warm evening walk, but also sporting a satisfied smile.

She sat back down at her so-called table, spreading out her magic diary and her not-magic barely decipherable notes in front of her. She gave herself a single determined nod and grunt as she pulled out a pen.

“Okay. Time to get back to work… and finally finish this.”

Author's Note

To be concluded in Recovery. Please read me.