BONUS CHAPTER: How Do You Heal A Broken Heart? (original with comments)
"Fluttershy?" Sunset said groggily. "You're still here?"
Fluttershy got up from the armchair she was uncomfortably resting in at the time. She slowly walked over to the couch and sat down on the edge of one of the cushions. She reached over and brushed Sunset's matted hair from her face before replying.
"After you poured your heart out earlier, I didn't feel right leaving you here alone. I wanted to be here if you woke up so that you'd have someone here to talk to."
Sunset's eyes welled up slightly at the sound of Fluttershy's soft, gentle voice. She sat up and put her arms around Fluttershy and began to cry once again.
"Thank you so much. These last two weeks have been terrible. I'm close... *sniff* close to..."
"Shhh. I'm here for you and the others are going to be there when you need them."
"I... feel so... guilty over what... *sniff* ...happened."
"I told you earlier. There's no way you could've known someone would be that careless to drink and drive. It's not your fault."
Sunset buried her face into Fluttershy's shoulder as she once again began to break down. Fluttershy gently wrapped her arms around her so as not to cause Sunset any additional pain from her broken ribs.
"Why? Why me? Why did I have to survive?" Sunset sobbed. Her words were muffled due to the fact her face was still up against Fluttershy's body.
"I don't know. I promise that everything will turn out okay. It's going to hurt for a while but I'll help you through it."
Fluttershy texted Sunset before leaving for school to let her know that she was going to stop by to pick her up. There was something going on and it didn't sit well with Fluttershy. After not receiving a return text like normal, Fluttershy quickly threw her school clothes on and didn't even brush her hair. She ran out the door almost forgetting her purse.
"Sunset, answer the phone," Fluttershy begged as she called her friend. After seemingly setting a land speed record to get to Sunset's apartment, she ran to the door and began pounding on it frantically. With no answer, Fluttershy turned the doorknob to see if she had locked the door. Surprisingly it wasn't.
"Sunset?" Fluttershy called as she slowly made her way through Sunset's place. "Sunset it's time for... NO! Oh no! Oh my gosh!" Fluttershy screamed at the sight she was looking at in Sunset's bedroom. She ran as fast she could to back to her car to get her phone to call the ambulance.
Fluttershy walked through the hallway of CHS in a zombie-like trance. She was staring straight ahead and not really paying attention to anything as she walked.
She got to the music room to meet with her friends but rather than socialize, she went to one of the corners and pulled out a photograph of the seven friends. Sunset and Twilight were in the front row, Rarity, Pinkie and herself were in the middle row and Rainbow Dash and Applejack were in the back row.
A stray tear rolled down each cheek as she removed a pink gel pen from her backpack. Rarity, confused by Fluttershy's odd behavior, set her keytar down and walked over to see what the pink haired girl was doing.
Fluttershy had drawn a heart around Sunset and Twilight and underneath wrote the following:
SS + TS: Together Forever
"Um, what are you doing, darling?" asked Rarity. "And where's Sunset?"
"Sunset's gone," Fluttershy whispered in a monotone voice.
"Gone? What do you mean?" Rainbow asked from across the room.
"She's just... gone."
"Fluttershy, what happened?" Rainbow asked, picking up on the fact that something was wrong. "Where is Sunset?"
"She left..."
"You mean back to Equestria?" Rarity asked, setting a hand on Fluttershy's back.
"No. She's... she's... I saw her... why did she do it?" Fluttershy mumbled cryptically as more tears began flowing down her cheeks.
"Do what?" Pinkie asked.
"There was... oh no! Sunset! Why? Why did you did this?! You could've called me!" Fluttershy cried out.
"Uh, are y'all sayin' what Ah think yer sayin'?"
"She didn't..." Rarity said in shock.
"Don't worry the paramedics will be here soon, Sunset," Fluttershy continued before standing up and walking out of the room, still in a daze.
Fluttershy slowly walked up a narrow gravel path, attempting to hold back her tears. It was the first time she had walked this path since Sunset's funeral a month prior in an attempt to overcome her grief. There were almost no sounds around her aside from the occasional breeze that made the blades of grass dance and the obvious shuffling of gravel under her feet. After a few minutes she reached her destination. In front of her stood a marble headstone. It was marked:
Sunset Shimmer
Beloved friend. May you finally find peace.
"Um, hi Sunset," she said softly. "It's me. I, uh, was in the neighborhood and, um, thought I should stop to say hi."
She knelt down on the ground, sat on her heels and placed her hands in her lap before continuing.
"I guess you're wondering how I'm doing since the, um, day. It's taking a little longer than I expected but I'm almost over the sight of you... *gulp* ...in your bed. The counselor I'm seeing said I'm making progress but I still wake up at night crying because I wasn't there for you more than I was."
Fluttershy took a moment to wipe her eyes before she resumed her conversation with Sunset.
"We all really miss you. Rainbow Dash wants to rename the band in memory of you and Twilight but we can't think of a name. Rarity has made a dress that has a red and gold pattern similar to your hair and is sparkles beautifully in the light. It's currently her best seller. Applejack has been the rock for all of us to lean on. I guess it's because she knows what we're going through. Pinkie's throwing a birthday party for you on your birthday next week. She knows you won't be there but still insists on having it.
"The memorials on you and Twilight's lockers are still there. I wish you could've seen how beautiful they are. Principal Celestia said it's a way to remember you girls. She's also going to be naming the school library as "The TwiSet Memorial Library" after the two of you. Pinkie Pie picked out the name, if you can't tell.
"Anyway, now onto how I've been. I'm feeling guilty about not walking home with you that afternoon. I should've known by how you were acting that day. Staring off into space and not really talking to anyone. Excuse me..."
Fluttershy wiped her eyes again and pulled a tissue from her skirt to blow her nose as her emotions slowly began taking over.
"I... I never told you this but while I stayed with you after Twilight passed, I, um, started to develop feelings for you. Strong feelings. The same feelings you had for Twilight. I think that's one of the reasons why I've taken this so hard. I feel bad about having these feelings toward you because, I don't know, I feel like I took advantage of your situation to find love. I'm really sorry, Sunset. I hope you can forgive me.”
Fluttershy paused again to wipe her eyes and nose. The fact she hadn't broken down into a full blown meltdown yet had surprised her but she knew it was coming soon.
“I just wish I had told you about how I felt. I… *sniff* I… I can't help but think that… *sniff* ...you might not have done what you did if I… if I…”
Fluttershy's head was now buried in her hands and she wept at her fallen friend's grave. She couldn't put together any words as the guilt returned to her mind. Guilt from not being there for Sunset that fateful day. Guilt from developing a crush on her while she was helping Sunset through her depression. Guilt from not sharing her feelings with Sunset.
“I… I don't know why…*sniff* ...these feelings developed. I… *sniff* I feel as though I betrayed you and Twilight. It hurts so much when I… *sniff* ...think about it. I am so, so sorry, Sunset.”
After a few minutes of crying, there was a light pressure on her right shoulder, causing Fluttershy to lift her head to see who had their hand on her. However, when she looked, she found that there was no one there. She sniffled a few more times and wiped her eyes, still confused as to what was happening.
The wind suddenly picked up and began circling around her in a vortex; the radius getting tighter by the second. It wasn't a normal breeze and Fluttershy could tell there was something almost magical about it when she thought she heard a voice singing.
“Sunset?” she asked quietly.
Author's Note
This is an impromptu sequel that I decided to do at the last minute.
How Do You Heal A Broken Heart? 2.0
"Hmmm...Fluttershy?" said Sunset groggily, rubbing her eyes as she woke up. "You're still here?"
Fluttershy, who had been dozing off and on most of the night, slid out of the beanbag chair that she was resting in. After a quick stretch, she padded barefoot across the floor to the couch. She sat down next to Sunset - who had sat up by then - and smiled before reaching out to move the dirty, matted hair from Sunset’s face.
"Yes, I am," Fluttershy replied. "I didn't feel right leaving you here alone after you poured your heart out. So I had Rainbow bring my pajamas so that I could stay the night." She paused for a moment after realizing what she had said. "Oh. I'm so sorry about staying uninvited."
"It's okay. That was a nice gesture," said Sunset as tears welled up in her eyes from Fluttershy's soft, gentle voice. She scooted closer to the yellow-skinned girl and embraced her as her emotions began to take over again.
Fluttershy held Sunset's head and responded. "It's just wanted to make sure someone was here in case you woke up and needed to talk."
"Thank you so much," said Sunset, slightly muffled. "These last two weeks have just been a living torment. I...I'm not sure how much… *sniff* ...more that I…"
Fluttershy began rocking back and forth as Sunset’s crying increased. "Shhh. It's okay. I'm here for you, as are the rest of our friends. Whenever you need us, we'll be there."
"I...I feel so guilty...like it was… *sniff* ...like it was me that was...was supposed to die."
"Sunset, this was not your fault," Fluttershy reassured. "I told you earlier, there's no way that either you or Twilight could've known that some would be that careless to drive drunk."
"I know. But it still doesn't change the fact that I'm still alive...and she's dead."
Fluttershy moved her free hand to carefully embrace Sunset’s upper torso so as not to cause her any discomfort, due to her broken ribs. "I know Sunset-"
"Why though? Why? Why did it have to be me that survived?" interrupted Sunset, still muffled due to her face being pressed against her friend's body.
"Sunset, everything happens for a reason."
Sunset sat up. "That cliché doesn't help, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy took both of Sunset's hands in her own. "I'm sorry. Everything is going to be okay. It's going to hurt for a while but I promise that I'll be here to help you through it."
"Thanks for being here for me over the last few weeks," Sunset said as she and Fluttershy sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office. "It's really meant a lot to me."
"Oh it was no trouble at all," said Fluttershy as she interlocked the fingers of her right hand with the fingers of Sunset's left hand. "I'm just glad to see you back to your former self."
Sunset noticed the gesture and blushed slightly. "Well, I'm almost back to my former self. I still have this thing on," she said motioning to the cast on her arm.
Both girls giggled at the remark; earning a few odd looks from the other people in the waiting room in the process.
"I think they're on to us," Fluttershy whispered, eliciting another joined giggle.
"I think you're right," Sunset whispered back.
Both girls smiled as they locked eyes with each other. They slowly moved closer to one another until their faces were almost touching.
"You think this is the place to do this?" whispered Fluttershy nervously.
"I really don't care," Sunset replied.
The hearts of both girls fluttered as they finished closing in on each other.
"SUNSET SHIMMER?" called the nurse.
Sunset snapped out of her trance and shook her head. "Here," she said, getting out of the chair. "Are you coming back with me, Fluttershy?"
"Oh, um, no thank you. That little buzzsaw makes me nervous," she replied, still blushing. "I'll just wait here for you."
"Okay," Sunset said with a wink.
Fluttershy stretched as she sat up in bed. She hadn't slept well the last few days because of an uncomfortable feeling that she couldn't shake. She opened her nightstand and pulled out her phone and saw that she had gotten a text from Sunset after going to bed the night prior.
Good night fluttershy. Hope u sleep well tonight
The unsettling feeling increased tenfold after reading the message. Sunset had never sent her a "good night" text before and getting one out of the blue worried her. Before hopping in the shower, she texted Sunset to let her know she would stop by to pick her up for school.
She didn't get an immediate response but decided that Sunset must be in the shower.
"Something's wrong," Fluttershy said when she left the bathroom fifteen minutes later. "She's never taken this long to answer."
So she called Sunset to make sure she knew that she would be stopping by shortly. After five rings, however, the call went to voicemail.
"Um, Sunset? This is Fluttershy. I wanted to let you know that I'll be at your place in about twenty minutes to pick you up. Please call or text me as soon as you get this. Bye."
Over the next few minutes, which seemed like an eternity, the feeling in her stomach grew to be unbearable. Fluttershy dropped her hairbrush in mid-brushing and finished putting on her clothes. She grabbed her car keys and - after stopping briefly to grab her purse - ran out the door.
"Please answer the phone, Sunset," begged Fluttershy as she sped toward her friend's apartment. She seemingly set a land speed record on the way, repeatedly calling her fiery-haired friend.
Upon reaching her destination, Fluttershy ran to the door and began pounding frantically on the door. "Sunset? Sunset, are you in there?" she shouted as loud as she could. After not receiving an answer, Fluttershy turned the doorknob, expecting it to be locked.
It wasn't.
Fluttershy slowly made her way through Sunset's place calling her name every couple seconds.
"Sunset?" whispered Fluttershy as she got to Sunset’s bedroom. "Sunset, it's time for-"
A blood-curdling shriek echoed through the apartment as she took in the sight in front of her.
"NO! Oh no! Oh my gosh!" Fluttershy cried as she placed her hands on her cheeks in panic. "Please, don't be…"
Not knowing what else to do, she bolted to her car to call the police and ambulance.
She returned to Sunset's bedroom and sat on the floor until the emergency personnel arrived.
Fluttershy walked down the corridor of Canterlot High with her backpack over the left shoulder in a zombie-like trance. Her fellow students were asking her what was bothering her as she passed them. In her daze, however, she couldn't comprehend what they were saying. She just stared straight ahead and walked to the music room on autopilot.
Once she got to the room, she walked to one of the corners, sat down and pulled out a photograph of the seven friends. She studied it for a moment, taking in everyone's position. Twilight and Sunset were in the front row with their heads turned slightly toward each other. The second row had Rarity and herself being squeezed by a grinning Pinkie Pie. The back row had Applejack and Rainbow Dash holding onto each other's shoulders.
She stared at the picture as tears escaped the confines of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Her vision became more blurred each minute that she studied the photo. She didn't know how long it had been by the time she pulled a pink gel pen from her backpack and wrote on the picture.
The girls all looked at Fluttershy, wondering what was causing her bizarre behavior.
Rarity was the first to reach her to see what was going on. She squatted down beside the pink-haired girl and set her right hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Fluttershy, dear, whatever are you doing over here alone?" she asked softly.
Fluttershy didn't say anything. Instead, she revealed to the others what she had done. A heart was drawn around Sunset and Twilight and underneath the heart was the following:
SS + TS: Together Forever
"Darling, if you don't mind me asking, what is with the drawing?" Rarity inquired before looking around. "And where is Sunset?"
"Sun...Sunset...gone," whispered Fluttershy in a monotone voice.
"Gone? What are you talking about?" Rainbow asked.
"Just...Sunset...gone…"
Picking up on the fact that something was amiss, Rainbow pressed further. "Fluttershy, what heck happened? And where in the world is Sunset?"
"Left...gone…"
The others looked at each other in confusion as the shy girl fidgeted nervously.
"She left?! You mean back to Equestria?" Pinkie asked, suddenly invading Fluttershy's space.
"I...I saw her...but why? She...she's...why?" Fluttershy mumbled cryptically as more tears covered her face.
Applejack knelt down in front of Fluttershy, lifted her chin and looked her straight in the eye. "Fluttershy, what happened?"
A shriek - similar to the one she let out earlier - suddenly escaped her lips, causing the others to cover their ears. "Sunset! No! Please no! Why did you do this?!" Fluttershy cried out. "I told you that I'd always be there for you!"
Applejack looked at the other guys in shock. "Are y'all thinking the same thing Ah am?"
"She didn't…" Rarity said, snapping her head back to Fluttershy. "Please tell us that she didn't…"
"Don't worry, Sunset," Fluttershy said as she gathered her things up and walked out of the room in a daze. "The paramedics and police will be here shortly."
Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity followed close behind Fluttershy to see what she was doing. Fluttershy walked back toward the school entrance before stopping at Sunset's locker. She fished out some tape from her backpack and stuck the photograph to the door of Sunset's locker.
Just as the girls were about to continue interrogating their friend, an announcement came over the PA system.
"Fluttershy, please report to Vice-principal Luna's office, please!"
Fluttershy walked slowly along a narrow gravel pathway. She was wearing a black outfit and carrying a single rose. Tears filled her eyes as she got closer to her destination.
This was the first time that she had walked this path since her friend's funeral. Her only reason for being there in the first place was because her therapist had urged her to do so.
The only sounds that could be heard were the shuffling of gravel under Fluttershy's feet and the grass waving from the light summer breeze that was flowing through the air.
She stopped after five minutes or so of walking and stood in front of a pair of tombstones. One of them read:
Twilight Sparkle
Beloved daughter, sister, and friend.
2000-2017
The one to the right of it had the following:
Sunset Shimmer
Beloved friend. May you finally find peace.
1999-2017
It was so kind of Twilight's parents to pay for Sunset's burial and set her next to Twilight, Fluttershy thought as she bent down and set the rose against the tombstone. She then wiped her eyes and knelt down on the ground at the foot of the grave. Here goes nothing.
"Um...hi Sunset," she said softly. "It's me, Fluttershy. I was kind of in the neighborhood and, um, I thought that I might stop by. I...I know that you are dead but I just wanted to tell you how I'm doing.
"I've been seeing a therapist to help me since I found you… *gulp* ...i-in your bed. He's helped me get through the nightmares I've been having, although I still wake up screaming from time to time."
She took a moment to wipe her eyes and looked around before resuming her conversation.
"Everyone misses you. Rainbow Dash is trying to come up with a new name for the band to honor you and Twilight's memory. What we've come up with is The Sunlight Rainbooms. I hope that's not too cheesy.
"Rarity - with the help of her supervisor - started a custom clothing line that has a sparkling red and gold pattern to it. It reminds me a lot of your hair, to be honest," Fluttershy paused to wipe her eyes again. "Not only is that their best seller, but all profits go to the Suicide Prevention Foundation.
"Applejack has been the rock for us to lean on during this time. I guess it's because she knows how it feels to lose someone close.
"Pinkie’s been talking about throwing you a birthday party next week. We've done our best to talk her out of it since you won't be there but she insists on throwing it."
Fluttershy jumped slightly and let out a small gasp as she felt something on her shoulder. However, when she looked there wasn't anything there. She looked around to see if anyone else was around her but found the vicinity vacant.
"The memorials on you and Twilight's lockers are still there. I wish you could see them. They are beautiful. Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna said it's one of the best ways to keep your memories alive. She is also holding a contest to rename the school library in your and Twilight's memory.
"Enough about everybody else. I'm sure you're more interested in how I've been. I still feel guilty about not going home with you that day. I should have known something was wrong. Between the feeling in my stomach and your be...behavior. Ex...excuse me…"
Fluttershy removed a tissue to wipe her nose and then wiped her eyes with the back of her left hand as her emotions began to overtake her.
"While I never said it, I'm almost certain you had your suspicions. Sunset, I...I began to develop feelings toward you. V-very strong feelings. Almost as strong as you had for...for Twilight before she passed away.
"I think that is why I took this so...so badly. I feel like I t-took advantage of you. I was lonely at the time and...and you were vulnerable. I'm so, so sorry that I took advantage of you to fall in love. I really hope that you and Twilight can forgive me.
Fluttershy paused once again to wipe her eyes and nose before the inevitable meltdown began. She knew it was coming the way her eyes were watering.
"Sunny, I mean, Sunset...I really wish that could've had the courage to tell… *sniff* ...tell you how I felt. If I had… *sniff* ...maybe you would've have k-killed yourself."
Fluttershy dropped her head into her hands as she wept heavily at the foot of her fallen friends' graves. Her mind couldn't put any words together as the feelings of guilt returned in force. Guilt from not being there for Sunset that fateful day. Guilt from developing a crush on Sunset during her depression. Guilt from keeping her true feelings to herself.
"I...I don't know why… *sniff* ...or, or even how these… *sniff* ...feelings developed. I-I feel as though… *sniff* ...I betrayed you and… *sniff* ...Twilight. Sunset, it just hurts so… *sniff* ...so much when I think a-about it. I am… *sniff* ...truly sorry for that, Sunset."
As she resumed crying into her hands, the gentle breeze suddenly picked up speed and began circling around her. The radius of the vortex created from by the wind began shrinking by the second. There was something magical about it and Fluttershy picked up on that fact. As the wind blew away the tears from Fluttershy's face, a sound began to appear that almost sounded like someone singing.
Fluttershy looked around in confusion, trying to determine where the sound was coming from. "Sunset?" she asked softly. "Is that you?"
