Chapter 12 - Cleansing

Sunday found five girls seated silently around their usual booth at Sugarcube Corner. Untouched food was scattered across the table, neglected by the present company as they contemplated the scathing anger, harsh words, and disappointed glares that Twilight had made sure they would never forget.

I can’t fucking believe you five. I fucking trusted you to take care of her, and what do you do? You fucking left her when she needed you the most.

Applejack’s hat was pulled low over her face. She was too ashamed to even look at her friends.

Do you even know what you did to her?

Rarity’s heart felt like it was being crushed between two walls of stone.

She tried to kill herself. Twice.

Rainbow Dash was taking it harder than anyone else. It was rare to see the athlete cry, but she hadn’t stopped since Twilight had given them that particular bit of information.

The Rainbooms were shattered. The verbal slaughter that the Dazzlings and Trixie had delivered paled in comparison to what Twilight brought them just moments ago, before she stormed out of the quiet café.

You five disgust me. Celestia help you if you get into any more magic trouble, because I won’t be there to save your careless asses.

Quiet sobs mixed with the late March rain that blew against the building’s windows. There wasn’t a dry eye at the table as the five lamented over their mistakes. Pinkie Pie’s hair seemed to be permanently greyed, and Fluttershy was shakily rubbing her bunny, Angel, in a desperate attempt to find some sort of comfort.

Maybe Twilight was beating a dead horse in paying the Rainbooms a visit.

Maybe it didn’t matter. They certainly deserved it.

All the Rainbooms knew was that they felt like absolute shit about what they- and their sisters- did, and it was clear that there was no way in hell for them to make amends.

***

Sunset Shimmer was having a surprisingly good day. Trixie, the Dazzlings, and Twilight had all slept over at Trixie’s house, and five of the six were currently enjoying lunch at the kitchen table as they waited for Twilight to return from her visit with the Rainbooms.

Sunset gazed contentedly out of the window. Rain was her favourite kind of weather, and never failed to soothe her when she was feeling down. As Trixie entertained the others with show magic, Sunset turned her attention back to the papers that Supernova had given her the day prior.

“Guidelines, huh?” She thought with a sigh. “I was hoping she would forget about them by the time I checked out of the hospital.” But, of course, Supernova Lulamoon did not forget.

Teal eyes traced the words on the crisp papers in front of her, inattentive as Sonata cheered at Trixie’s card tricks.

I will be confiscating any and all sharp objects that you own, as well as anything that can be used for suicide.

You will be sending me or Trixie updates by phone every hour that you spend outside of school, excluding time you spend with Trixie, so that we know you aren’t doing something destructive.

You will notify one of us when you go to bed and when you wake up, as well.

In addition, I’m going to give you some papers about healthy coping mechanisms and cognitive behavioral therapy. You must actively try and implement these things into your life.

These guidelines will be in effect for the next two months, after which we will meet up and I will determine if you are safe enough to drop some of these restrictions.

Sunset flipped through the packet Supernova had given her. The doctor had already promised to accompany her back to her factory afterschool on Monday so she could find and take away all the dangerous items. “Uhg,” Sunset’s nose wrinkled as she reread the guidelines. “I mean, this makes sense and it’s all fair, but I definitely don’t have to like it.”

Sunset’s petulant thoughts were interrupted by a series of knocks against the door, followed by the sound of Twilight entering the house and slipping off the raincoat she borrowed from Trixie.

“Hey guys, I’m back,” Twilight’s cheery voice rang out as the purple pony-turned-human breezed into the kitchen.

Adagio shifted in her seat, moving to put her feet up on the table. “You look surprisingly happy, Princess,” she snickered as Trixie shoved her feet off the surface. “Yelling at the Rainbitches feels great, doesn’t it?” The elder sister continued, unphased by Trixie’s glare.

Twilight gave a small laugh as she took a seat next to Sunset. “... Maybe a little bit,” she admitted, grabbing a sandwich from the plate at the center of the table and taking a bite. “I usually try not to let my anger get the best of me,” she said through her food. “But Celestia above, they really messed up.”

Sunset grinned. It was nice spending time with both her Equestrian and human friends. Twilight seemed to be getting along shockingly well with the Dazzlings, despite their mischievous personalities clashing with her innocence.

Trixie got up from her spot at the table and started collecting the empty plates strewn about. “So,” she said as she put the dirtied dishes in the sink. “What do you guys want to do now?”

Sonata suddenly brightened. “Oh! Can we try that computer game that Aria mentioned?” The former siren exclaimed with excitement. “Golfing with pals, right?”

Aria snorted and Sunset barked a laugh. “Sounds great, Sonata.”

As the six migrated to Trixie’s room, Twilight grabbed Sunset by the arm. “Um, Sunset?” The Princess’ expression had sobered into something more serious. “Is it okay if we talk alone for a second?”

Sunset felt anxiety flare in her chest. “Calm down, idiot, it’s just Twilight. It’s nothing bad,” she tried to calm herself as she gave Twilight a shaky smile.

“Sure thing, Twi.” Sunset turned to Trixie, who was lingering at the base of the stairs leading to the house’s second level. “We’ll be up in a sec, go ahead and start the game without us.”

Trixie nodded and shot Sunset a supportive expression before dashing up the stairs.

Twilight sat back down at the table, and Sunset followed. The Princess’ hair formed a curtain around her face, hiding it from Sunset’s view. The two were silent for a moment before Twilight spoke up, her voice trembling.

“Please never shut me out again, Sunset.”

Twilight lifted her head and met Sunset’s eyes. Sunset let out a small gasp when she saw the tears gathering in her friend’s eyes. “I was so worried about you,” she continued. “I understand that depression is a difficult thing to deal with, but I can’t try to help if you don’t talk to me.”

Sunset looked down at the table. “I know. I’m sorry, Twilight. It’s just-” her words caught in her throat, and she tried to push past the anxiety. “I’m only just learning how to talk about this stuff. I’m so used to keeping it to myself...”

Twilight reached across to the table and gentle brought Sunset’s hand into hers. “I know I’m not here in the human world a lot, but you can always talk to me with the journal if you ever need to rant.” Sunset met Twilight’s watery eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do if you succeeded...”

Sunset lunged across the table and brought Twilight into a hug, her own tears just starting to fall. “I won’t try again, I promise,” she choked out. “I promise...”

After a few moments, the two separated. Sunset looked at Twilight. “I’m not going to push you away anymore, Twi,” she said earnestly. “I’m sorry. I was just upset that no one was listening to me about the whole Anon-a-miss thing.”

Twilight smiled and wiped her eyes. “No, I’m sorry. You were right to be angry with me, I should have realized that those five aren’t the same as the five from my world.”

Sunset chuckled. “How about we agree to stop apologizing to each other? Otherwise I don’t think we’d ever stop,” she joked.

“Deal,” Twilight giggled. “Let’s go join the others.”

As the duo ascended the stairs, Sunset felt a warm feeling settle in her heart. She hadn’t felt this light in a long time.

***

All too soon, Monday came, and it was time to bid Twilight adieu. Early morning sunlight mixed with the residual smell of Sunday’s rain to create a peaceful atmosphere, only broken by six sets of footsteps as the girls approached the Wondercolts statue. It was early enough that they were the only people there. Trixie had suggested they leave early so as not to draw unnecessary attention to Twilight’s presence.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye, Princess,” Adagio said with a smirk. “It’s been wonderful spending time with you,” she purred, relishing in the flustered blush that erupted on the shorter girl’s face.

“Um, it’s been, ahem, nice to see you as well, Adagio,” Twilight managed to stutter out, ignoring the amused look she was getting from both Sunset and Trixie.

The Princess was still recovering from Adagio’s flirtatious farewell when Sonata leapt forward and pulled her into another one of her crushing hugs. “You have to come back soon, this was SO fun!” Everyone laughed at Twilight’s flabbergasted expression. Aria simply gave Twilight a mischievous look and a wave over her sister’s shoulder.

When Sonata finally released Twilight, it was Trixie’s turn to say goodbye. She gave the other an amicable pat on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming over, Twilight. I’m glad you and Sunset got to talk.”

Twilight grinned. “Thank you for making this possible. You’re a great friend, Trixie.” The magician retracted her hand, shooting one last smile at her new friend as she stepped back, allowing Sunset to approach.

The two girls looked at eachother for a moment before Sunset enveloped her friend in a warm hug. “I promise I’ll write you every day,” she mumbled into Twilight’s shoulder. “I’m not going to shut you out again.”

Twilight pulled away with a bright smile on her face. “Just remember that I’m here for you,” she said as she stepped away. Twilight turned to the rest of the group. “It was really great to get to know you all. I hope I’ll see you all again next time I visit.”

And with that, Twilight stepped through the portal.

The group was quiet for a moment before Aria strode up to Sunset and slapped her playfully on the back. “Welp, that was fun. She’s less of a stick-in-the-mud than I thought she’d be,” the punk quipped. Sunset nudged her friend in the ribs with a smile, and the group light-heartedly started moving towards the school.

Sunset was escorted to her locker, then to her first period by her friends, as usual. As she waved goodbye to her group with a smile, she pulled out her phone for the first time since Friday. Seeing the recent messages from anyone but her real friends would always leave her feeling upset, so Sunset had gotten into the habit of leaving her phone off most of the time.

The red-head sat down at her desk as the screen brightened and unlocked. Almost automatically, Sunset opened up her messaging app and stared at it for a second. An idea flickered through her head, and she acted on instinct. With a few taps and a smile, a notification popped up on the screen.

>Are you sure you want to block this number?

Sunset’s smile grew as she hit ‘yes.’ “Goodbye, Rainbow Dash,” she thought cheerfully as she started tapping again, repeating the process four more times.

In less than a minute, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie also joined Sunset’s list of blocked numbers.

Sunset leaned back in her seat and pocketed the device as the bell rang and Miss Harshwhinny began her lecture. “I should have done that a long time ago,” Sunset thought as she got out her textbook. “That felt amazing!”

***

Trixie and Supernova watched as Sunset shoved open the door to her factory.

“Home sweet home,” she muttered sarcastically as she let her guests in. Supernova immediately gave Sunset an expectant look, and the teen sighed. “All the dangerous stuff is in the Maintenance closet, and I’ll go grab my pocket knife. You can check my room and bathroom after that if you want.” Sunset spun on her heel and rushed to her room, leaving Trixie and her mother to explore the Maintenance closet.

By the time Sunset returned with her cutting knife, Trixie had checked the kitchenette and Supernova had raided the closet. She collected the rope leftover from Sunset’s first attempt, a rusty saw, and a broken screwdriver in the plastic bag she had brought. Sunset trotted down the stars and dropped her blade into the bag.

There weren’t many words exchanged during the ordeal. The red-head led her guests upstairs, opting to lean against the wall and watch as Supernova searched first through her bathroom, then her makeshift bedroom. The only things worth taking were a pair of scissors and the only remaining bottle of over the counter medication that Sunset hadn’t swallowed during her second attempt.

Sunset felt a pang of anxiety as she watched Supernova collect her coping mechanisms, but she forced it away. “This is good,” she affirmed. “I don’t want to go down that path anymore.”

“This is the first step towards something better.”

Author's Note

Thank you all so much for the kind messages you gave me on my update, I really appreciate the understanding and support! I hope you enjoy these two chapters!

Things are going to mellow out a little after this; life is starting to look up for Sunset, and now that all that drama is done with, things can heat up between her and Trixie

Also maybe I was a liiiiiittle too harsh with the Rainbooms, but like I said, it starts looking up from here

~Bitty Bug