Sunset Shimmer woke up sluggishly, her eyes barely even open when she did. It took her a whole two minutes for her to actually open up her eyes enough to see the blurred rule that she slept in and sit up in her bed. At first, she couldn’t see it was blurred since the darkness of the room blotted out much of the light, but slowly her eyes began to adjust. She looked around her low-lit room, unusually messy and unorganized. She looked out her bedroom windows were open and there saw there were still stars in the sky. She rubbed her eyes, sighing lethargically. Why had she woken up so early?
A fainting and quite vibration could be felt from her bed nearby, and she heard it more clearly. There was a buzzing, a buzzing somewhere in her room. She looked over and saw her black-colored phone vibrating on her drawer, almost seeming to bounce until she rubbed her eyes again and reached over to pick it up. The buzzing stoped when she touched it, and she sighed in annoyance. She opened it up and saw 5 missed calls and 43 new texts littered with emojis…all from Pinkie!
“Why Pinkie….” She sighed again as she scrolled through her new texts messages. Most of them were just emojis of cupcakes, party balloons, and pretty much anything else that had to do with partying. Sunset’s brow furrowed until she saw actual words written down.
“Hey Sunny!’ said one text. ‘I had a question that I just thought of right now!’ said another.
‘What could you possibly want at this time?’ Sunset said to herself as she kept scrolling down through her texts again. She wasn’t sure why she even still had a phone, especially after what happened over a week ago.
It had been a week since the three sisters known as the Crusaders had revealed their identities as the real Anon-a-miss. They had riled up the entire school, students who were once friends turning against one another. They were sharing secrets that, now, could never be taken back. The Crusaders had been working to undo the damage that they had done; Taking down the profile, telling principal Celestia and Luna, and apologizing to the other students. As a punishment, they got a whole six months of detention. Sunset knew they would probably be working during a few of their detention sessions. She knew well of that after the Fall Formal Incident not too long ago. But a part of her told her that the punishment didn’t extend far enough.
Sunset gave up on scrolling through her texts after Pinkie told her she had a crazy idea. She decided it would be best to call her back. Right on que, her phone started ringing again and this time she answered it. Mentally, she prepared herself for what was about to possibly destroy her eardrums.
“SUNSET!” shouted Pinkie, which startled Sunset out of her lethargy for a moment and almost caused her to jump underneath the bed sheets.
“H-Hey Pinkie” she responded, now lively awake but feeling herself want to slip back into the unconscious bliss of sleep. “Why are you calling me so early? It’s like…” Sunset looking over at a nearby digital clock. “It’s 1:51 in the morning”
“Weeeellllll” started Pinkie with a hint of bottled excitement. “I was dreaming about running through the Marshmallow fields of Candyland when I woke up with a question! I mean, it was a pretty good dream and I wasn’t sure HOW I even woke up! There was so much candy there that I couldn’t even get enough of it! I’mnotevensurehowIdreamedof-”
“PINKIE!” Sunset abruptly interrupted. “Just tell me the question so I can get back to sleep. It’s a Monday and I don’t plan on getting 2 minutes of sleep tonight.”
“Okay!” said Pinkie Pie happily. “How’ve you been since the Anon-a-miss thing?”
Sunset paused for a few moments and stared off blankly onto a pile of her clothes, even though it was pretty difficult to see in the darkness of the room. How had she been since the incident? The red-and-yellow-haired girl had been trying to forget about the whole thing the first few days after the Christmas Party at Sweet Apple Acres, but that attempt was futile considering it was heart breaking for everyone in their group. It was a blow to the sisters of the Crusaders, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack, who were their own family. But that seemed to be forgiven rather quickly, one of the small details that had been nagging at her mind during the last few days of the experience.
“Sunset? You still there?” Pinkie asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“What? O-oh, yeah sorry Pinkie. I sorta fell asleep for a moment.” Sunset lied and but made a real yawn.
“Sooooo?” Pinkie said, continuing to ask.
“Yeah, I’m fine. The Christmas party warmed my spirits.” said Sunset.
“Yay! I was soooo worried that you’d still be sad after the anon-a-miss thing! Even Rainbow Dash is still getting over it, but she’s really good at letting go of stuff and getting over things. Like this one time, she broke her leg during soccer practice but she still kept- “
“Pinkie!” Sunset interrupted again. “Is that it?”
“Yep!” she said, sounding thrilled. “Oh and one more thing, we’re all going out to the MALL to shop for some Christmas presents for Christmas! Can you come?”
“Yeah sure, I’ll come. Can I go to sleep now?” asked Sunset.
“Can you Pinkie promise?” asked Pinkie.
Sunset sighed again as she began the sworn-oath ritual that Pinkie had created. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Pinkie squeed on the other side of the call. “Thank you Thank you THANK YOU Sunny! Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. We’re going at 9 AM sharp, so don’t be late!”
“I’ll remember Pinkie. See you later!” said Sunset, almost smiling at the Pink-colored girl’s excitement.
“Sleep tight! Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” exclaimed Pinkie. “No seriously. They’re real meanies!” said Pinkie before Sunset ended the call.
“How can she have this much energy at three in the morning” Sunset asked herself, putting her phone down on the drawer. That call had lasted less than three minutes and now she had no idea how long it was going to take her to get back to sleep.
She lay the side of her head down on her soft pillow once again, facing the window, and pulled the covers of her bed past her shoulders. It was still dark outside, the stars in the night sky providing her the slightest amount of light into her room. She lay there until she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
She woke up a little later, looking out the window and seeing the stars in the sky again. They had begun to fade in light but not by much while the sky still was black as ever. Sunset closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep again. After a few minutes she did.
But she kept waking up, each time getting less sleep than before. She was restless tonight, even trying to cover out the light without moving her legs by putting her head under her pillow. She went to sleep, but couldn’t keep it that way. It felt like entire days had gone by till Sunset had finally given up her sleep out of frustration. It turned out that there was a little too much in her mind to actually get any sleep at all.
Sunset lethargically sat up a second time, this time there was sunlight coming through the window. She crawled out of bed, feeling ready to fall when her feet touched the carpeted floor of her bedroom. Sunset rubbed her eyes once more and made her way to the bathroom to get a small shower, hoping to relax a bit and wake up enough to start the rest of the day. The floor of her bathroom was cold and made her shiver a bit, her mind becoming more and more awake but threatening to sink back down into a deep sleep with every moment of slow movement. She finally stopped once she got to her sink, helping balance herself on the sides of her sink. She looked up. There were strands of her hair sticking out in weird places, clusters of hair bundled together elsewhere that messed up her facial appearance completely. Her eyes were bloodshot and veined from the lack of sleep, but it wasn’t so bad that she’d need eye-drops for them. Her PJs were wrinkly and messy from all the tossing and turning she did all night. Basically, Sunset Shimmer was a complete mess waking up. She’d definitely need a shower or some kind of clean up.
Sunset walked back out to her room before she let sleep overtake her mind. She could not let herself be late to the. . . . .
“THE MALL!” Sunset shouted in surprise when she saw the time. It was 8:44 am. They were going to start without her if she didn’t get ready now.
Sunset quickly walked back into the bathroom and skipping her usual morning shower. It was going to be quick start to her day today. Even as she brushed her teeth and got dressed, a small nagging seem to bother her. It didn’t matter now, she had places to go, people to see, and things to do.
The 5 friends and however many animals that Fluttershy kept with her waited patiently in front of the Canterlot Mall. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were talking about their next prank, giving an devilish glance toward a passing ‘victim’. Rarity was petting a cute cat that Fluttershy had brought with her while Applejack sat patiently watching it.
Pinkie suddenly shouted out, “IT’S TIME FOR SHOpPING!”, startling several of the animals and Fluttershy the most.
Rarity stood up, looking startled herself by Pinkie’s sudden outburst. “Pinkie, we cannot start yet. We’re still waiting for Sunset to get here.”
“Oh yeah! How could I forget?” shrugged Pinkie the ever-smiling Pie. “She said she’d be here. I even told her the exact time we were going in. Plus, I made her pinkie promise!”
“We may not have time, promise or not. The gifts are going fast as a fat woman chasing a pie” said Applejack, pointing to the large number of people heading into the Mall.
“I loooove pies!” said Pinkie Pie. “I even made one for the Christmas party. You tried a piece, right Dash?”
Rainbow Dash rubbed her head. “Heh, course I did Pinkie. I love them so much.” She said, rubbing her stomach over her sports hoodie.
“I know you do!” said Pinkie Pie with a wide grin.
“Ah think we should head on in.” said Applejack. “We’ll send her a message when we get inside.”
“You know, you could just say ‘text’ Applejack.” Said Rainbow Dash, getting up from her spot and heading towards the mall as the group began to follow.
Just as they got to the door, a bus pulled up to it’s stop. The messy haired Sunset Shimmer ran out of the door and looked around for her friends. She checked the time on her phone. 9:02. She cursed underneath her breath as she ran towards the entrance to the mall. Sunset’s phone vibrated mid-step. Another text message.
‘Hey Sunset. We’re headed into the mall. Are you close?’ asked the message from Rarity.
Sunset responded with ‘Yes! I’m inside the mall now. Where are u and the girls?’ said Sunset, entering the warm and cozy atmosphere of the entrance. Canterlot Mall was pretty big, the biggest Sunset had seen since this was the only mall she had ever seen in person. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too impossible to find them.
‘We’re by the animal section. Fluttershy wanted 2 get something xtra special for the animals at the shelter.’ Texted Rarity.
‘K. Heading over now.’ Sunset responded.
She started walking down the mall, knowing that her friends would probably wait for her, or at least be there long enough to let her catch up. She looked around, looking at everyone around her. They were all with each other, some wearing casual clothes they wore everyday while others wore ugly yet festive Christmas sweaters. They were all with one another, smiling happily to each other and laughing as they saw each other’s sweaters. It made Sunset feel a little weird being the only one alone and walking through. She hated that feeling, to the point where she had to pick up her pace to get away from it. The feeling of loneliness during a time where life was supposed to be full togetherness. The emptiness that she felt not too long ago, and seemed to follow her like a predator, waiting for her to feel her best to pounce and make her feel terrible once again. It happened three times in less than a year.
The first time was that fateful night at the Fall Formal. She felt the crown in her hands, her plans finally paying off. When she put it on, she transformed into her demon form. It felt good, but at the same time it felt awful. She even remembered crying before her tears evaporated into the air. Half of Sunset was putting her mind and soul into her plans but the other one tried desperately to escape the demon form. The first half was successful in dominating until Twilight and the rest had become the Elements of Harmony and defeated her, sending her into a crater in front of the entire school. It was humiliating to see her like that, defeated and battered easily. It felt even worse to cry to the girls who she had once broken up and defeated her. Sunset had been given a punishment to rebuild the entire school entrance (with the assistance of a construction crew) and serve a 3 week suspension under the supervision of her new friends. It was hard trying to get over it the first week, and even harder to face the realization the second week. She’d apologized countless times, to each individual student she had hurt and mind controlled but it was never enough. They hated her all the same.
Sunset had begun a stage of depression after that moment of humiliation. During her suspension she only went out when she had run out of food, fearing there would be a vengeful student like Flash or Trixie that would break her down even more. She cried herself to sleep every night, putting on a strong face for when her new friends had come over to her house. That’s how she got to know her new friends in the first place. The time she spent with them brought her out of the lower parts of it. That all changed when the Dazzlings showed up.
Her friends had always said no offensive, at least 3 times per week before the trio of sirens showed up. She had gotten nearly 7 ‘no offenses’ in two days. It hurt Sunset, to the point she got used to it. Then the second lowest point in the year was in that hallway. She tried confronting the Dazzlings, for a reason now she had no idea since she was supposed to be watching the qualifiers.
“Waiting in the wings while your friends have all the fun?”
“Oh, yes, you girls are so tight. And yet... they didn't ask you to be in the band.”
“Probably afraid no one would want to see them play if she was in the group.”
“Too bad! So sad!”
“If it's any consolation, no one is going to remember you at all by the time we're done.”
That was all, a mere five sentences to her face. The dazzlings left and let her wallow in the realization that she was not really close to her new friends, not enough to get them to consider asking her if she wanted to play in the band. She realized that throughout the whole ordeal she only had three real conversations, one of them being because she figured she couldn’t avoid Twilight while she wrote with the pen in her mouth. It was a very uncomfortable and emotionally painful experience for her the most seeing as she felt something she tried to escape from, neglect. Sunset was neglected throughout the experience up until the microphone rolled to her feet. No one seemed to care about her before she started singing. That was an especially low point in her life.
But after the music festival everything seemed to be looking up. She had finally been excepted into the group and the band, and pretty much took charge with the magical happenings in the human world. The depression she had never left her, and only resurfaced the day after the slumber-party at Rarity’s house. The day they confronted her about, anon-a-miss. She wasn’t anon-a-miss of course. It fact, looking back at it from different angle allowed Sunset to realize that the only reason she got accused in the first place was that she was taking pictures at the party. It hadn’t quite settled with her, even now. They hadn’t even apologized to her yet, and it didn't look like they were going to anytime soon.
So when Pinkie Pie asked her how she had been after a whole week, the thoughts she had felt over the experience had begun to flood back to her mind again. The ordeal she went through during anon-a-miss was heartbreaking for everyone, Sunset the most. The first and second lowest points had been marked with humiliation and neglect. The third lowest point was marked with betrayal.
She couldn’t help but hold back a tear. She had to. She didn’t want her friends to think something was wrong with her as she walked into the Pet Section of the mall where she spotted the five.
Pinkie Pie looked over and waved happily, calling out “SUNSET SHIMMER!” enthusiastically. The shout prompted the rest to look over and smile at her.
“Hey girls.” said Sunset as she walked over to them.
“Howdy partner!” said Applejack happily. “What took ya?”
“Just slept in a bit. It was kind of hard to sleep last night.” said Sunset, rubbing her head.
“Oh I can tell darling. Your hair is absolutely dreadful today.” remarked Rarity. “And your eyes look a little red.”
“Don’t worry about it.” said Sunset. “We’ve got presents to shop for anyway!” The shopping cart was already have full (or empty depending on your outlook on life) of chewtoys, cat scratchers, dogfood, a bag of hamster shavings, etc. “Buuuut you guys look like you’re already done.”
“No way! I’ve gotta get my parents a Merry Christmas Card and I gotta get present for the soccer team, volleyball team, track team, and tennis team!” said Rainbow Dash.
“Why all that darling?” asked Rarity
“Because! I’m captain of like all of them, except for tennis! But I can live with that.” said Dash.
"How modest."
“So, where to next?” asked Sunset.
“I need to get some ingredients for some super duper tasty cakes!” exclaimed Pinkie. “And other supplies for…partying!”
“And I need to go find some paper and some fabrics and string for new designs!” said Rarity.
“Ah need some new pots and pans for some Apple family cookin!” said Applejack
“We’ll probably run out of time before we actually get anywhere.” Said Sunset. “We’ll break up into groups of two. Rarity and Fluttershy, you’ll be one group. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, you’ll be another. I’ll go with Applejack to get what she needs.”
They all nodded to each other, forming a circle and reaching their hands into the center and raising them up in a cheer, “RAINBOOMS!”
