Chapter 3 - Aftermath

Something felt wrong to Applejack as she went about her usual farm chores. Everything was alright a moment ago; when all of a sudden a bad feeling overtook the tanned farmer.

“Are you alright, sis?” Applebloom saw the strained look on her sister’s face.

“Ah’m fine,” Applejack shook off the bizzare occurrence.“It’s probably nothing,” She thought, returning to her work.

***

Rainbow Dash flew across the field, dribbling the soccer ball with practiced ease. She was coming up on the goal, her protégé cheering her on as she lined up the shot. She pulled her foot back and-

-and fell flat on her face. “Dash!” Scootaloo cried, rushing to help her mentor up. “Are you okay? What just happened?” She questioned.

“I’m fine Scoots,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I don’t know, I just got this really weird feeling...”

***

Rarity was stitching up a rip in one of Sweetie Belle’s dresses. The sewing needle flowed in and out of the fabric gracefully as the seamstress mended the garment.

A sudden, bleak emotion startled Rarity from her work. “Ouch!” She exclaimed as she pricked her finger with the needle. “That was strange,” the purple haired girl thought, temporarily pausing her work.

***

Pinkie Pie was putting the finishing touches on her latest batch of cupcakes. She finished with a flourish, licking her fingers clean of the sweet icing that coated her in random splotches. “Woo! Now we can have a party-wooooooah!” The energetic baker bounced rapidly, almost vibrating as her Pinkie Sense unexpectedly activated. The spasms stopped, but Pinkie was left with a residual feeling of dread.

“That’s definitely not good...”

***

A melodic tune filled the air as Fluttershy went about her cottage, feeding her animals. She harmonized with the birds, refilling their feeders with a smile. An odd chill shot down her spine and she dropped the bag of bird seed from her hands. The animals were startled, but soon surrounded their caregiver when they sensed that something was wrong.

Angel, Fluttershy’s rabbit, nuzzled her hand, attempting to calm the shaking girl. The initial shock had faded, but it did not take with it the feeling of unease that followed Fluttershy as she slowly went back to her interrupted task.

***

Trixie wrapped her arms tightly around herself. The cold winter air was biting, but she was on a mission. “Sunset looked so upset...” The magician chewed on her lower lip, a nervous habit that she inherited from her mother. The image of Sunset’s teary eyes, both in the school’s cafeteria and on the sidewalk near the grocery store, was seared into her memory. She hadn’t suspected for a second that Sunset was Anon-a-miss; it was obviously a rouse, someone heinously trying to frame the fiery-haired girl. Why didn’t anyone else see that?

This whole debacle was clearly hurting Sunset. Trixie may be vain at times, but she was more observant than people gave her credit for. She watched, she listened, and she remembered. She watched Sunset grow and bloom as she made friends with the Rainbooms. She listened to the way she talked, noting how much kinder her words were. She remembered the look on her face the night of the Fall Formal. Trixie saw deep regret and profound anguish in the former-unicorn’s aqua eyes.

Not that she was paying extra attention to Sunset, of course!

Any passerby would have thought Trixie’s flushed cheeks were a result of the crisp wind. They would be wrong.

Trixie shook her head, trying to rid her mind of those pesky thoughts. She had something important to do, and she couldn’t afford to be distracted!

Trixie checked her phone. The time read 12:03 in the afternoon. Turning her thoughts to the task at hand, the girl took a look around her surroundings. Dilapidated structures and a sad, cracked sidewalk filled her vision. “This is definitely the place,” Trixie affirmed. After Sunset ran off following their interaction the day before, Trixie hardly hesitated for a second before racing after her. She called out the red-head’s name several times, but the distracted girl did not seem to hear. When she hurriedly wrenched open an old factory’s door and slammed it shut, Trixie realized that this empty suburb of crumbling structures must be Sunset’s home.

Trixie slowed her pace, coming to a stop in front of the decrepit factory’s heavy metal doors. She raised her hand and knocked on the door three times in rapid succession. “Sunset?” Trixie’s voice echoed throughout the vacant streets. “Sunset, open up! I know you’re in there,” she yelled. She waited a few seconds, but there was no noise behind the doors, or at least none that she could hear. “Well fine. If she’s not going to answer, I’ll just have to let myself in. I doubt it’s locked.”

Trixie’s assumption proved to be correct; she gripped the cold handle and gave the door a firm shove, feeling it swing open after some initial resistance. The blue skinned girl found herself in some sort of open foyer. The air was musty and cold, and Trixie held back a sneeze. She saw stairs leading upwards to her left, and three doors on the walls opposite and adjacent to the doors. What caught her attention, though, was the door on the right, labeled “Maintenance.” It was opened slightly, and Trixie could hear a faint, raspy sound coming from the other side.

“...Sunset?” Trixie crossed the room, gently grabbing the door and pulling it open.

“Holy fuck!”

***

“Sunset Shimmer,” a regal voice sounded out. Sunset looked up. A glittering cosmos surrounded her, shifting and spiraling out endlessly. She was laying down on what appeared to be nothing at all. Sunset felt warm; she felt safe.

“Where am I?” She wondered aloud, shifting to sit up, legs crossed.

“You are in the realm between worlds,” the same voice as before echoed around her. Sunset tilted her head. “This is the middle ground. You cross this plane as you leave one world and enter another. You have seen it before, am I correct?”

“The portal? Am I going to Equestria?” Sunset asked, wide eyed and confused. Her brow furrowed. How did she get here? She didn’t remember going through the portal, how did-

“Oh yeah…” The grocery store. The decision. The rope. “So am I dead?” the red-head questioned.

“Not yet,” the voice cryptically replied.

Another question popped into Sunset’s muddled head and tumbled out of her mouth: “Wait, who are you?”

“Ah, my apologies. Allow me to introduce myself.” A figure began to take shape in the void. Dark hooves appeared, followed by wide wings, then finally a pair crystal blue eyes not dissimilar to Sunset’s own. The alicorn looked down at Sunset’s human frame. “My name is Princess Luna. I do not believe we have met.”

Sunset stared with shocked eyes. “I’ve only heard old fillies tales of you…”

“Yes, well. Long story short, I am back. And, as Princess of the Night, I have rule over ponies’ dreams.” Luna explained, settling into a sitting position so that she was eye-level with Sunset’s still human form. “Princess Twilight asked me to check up on you; she has been sending you messages, and she grew worried at the lack of response.” Sunset bit her lip, but she didn’t feel bad about leaving the book behind before winter break. She didn’t exactly feel like talking to anybody, least of all someone that reminded her of her non-friends. “I see that her concerns were… well-founded.” The Princess continued. She gazed at Sunset with empathy. “Before my banishment, I held some of the same feelings you do. Though, I never did reach the point that you are at.”

Sunset sighed. “Yeah, well. At least everything’s finally over. You said that I’m dying, right?”

Luna nodded. “However,” she added, “you can go back. It is not too late to pull yourself from the brink.”

The faux-human snorted. “Ha, that’s not happening. I knew exactly what I was doing. I don’t want to go back.” There was no hesitation in her voice, and Luna saw no confliction in her eyes. Tears started to well up in Luna’s eyes, but she blinked them away before Sunset could notice.

“... Very well. I know I cannot make you choose something that, in your heart, you do not want. But I will say this; you will be missed. By me, by Twilight,” The alicorn sighed, “and by Celestia, perhaps most of all.”

Sunset felt an ache in her chest at the mention of her old mentor. “Tell her I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Luna gave her a small smile. “She forgave you long ago.”

Sunset drew a shaky breath, not quite believing the news. “It can’t be that easy,” she began to protest. “She can’t just-“

Suddenly, a rip began to form in the space to Sunset’s left, tearing the beautiful light around it and stealing the words from Sunset’s throat. She let out a strangled gasp. It was a dark, swirling purple, and it started to spread, eating up the brightness. Luna squinted. “That is… unexpected,” she observed.

“W-what is that?” Sunset stuttered.

“It appears,” Luna said with sparkling eyes. “That you are going back, after all.”

Sunset’s eyes grew wide as the purple darkness started to swallow her. “No!” she shouted, her view of Luna becoming clouded. “I don’t want to go back!”

She could have sworn she saw the Princess smile before everything faded to black.

***

Sunset eyes blearily blinked open. “Celestia, FUCKING DAMMIT!” She screamed internally. “Why am I still fucking here?!”

“Oh thank the gods, you’re alive!” A familiar voice whispered. As her eyes adjusted to the room’s dim light, she found herself gazing up into tear-filled purple irises.

“Wha-“ Sunset cut herself off with a violent cough. Her throat felt like it was on fire and her head was pounding.

Luckily, the girl above her understood the unasked question. “I came to check on you, you just ran off yesterday. I wanted to talk…” she trailed off before clearing her throat and continuing. “I came in and I found you in here. The rope had snapped and you were on the floor, you weren’t breathing… I- uh, I tried to stop the bleeding...” Trixie sniffled and wiped her eyes, gesturing towards the sweatshirt wrapped tightly around the silent girl’s arm.

Sunset used the lull in the one-sided conversation to take in the rest of her surroundings. The frayed rope, snapped and useless, dangled above her, taunting her. Trixie had taken the time to carefully unwind the noose from Sunset’s neck; she saw it on the other side of the room, tossed carelessly across the floor. Her bra and underwear had spatters of blood on them. Sunset also noticed that she was laying on something warm…

She sat up with a jolt, removing herself from her comfortable position in Trixie’s lap.

Trixie leaned back, giving Sunset room to breathe. She fiddled with her fingers, watching as Sunset tried to process everything. Pushing her light-blue hair from her face, Trixie took a moment to try and process the situation as well. “She-she really tried to...” She shuddered. Sad eyes inspected Sunset’s broken form. Dark bruises were already starting to appear on her neck. Blood coated her legs and right arm, soaking through Trixie’s navy-coloured sweatshirt. The viscous liquid had started to congeal in places, aiding in Trixie’s attempt to stop the bloodflow and slowing the rate at which it seeped out of Sunset’s scarred body. Her eyes were lifeless and dull.

Trixie shifted, fishing her phone from her pocket. “I’m going to call an ambulance-” Sunset struck like lightning, snatching Trixie’s phone with absurd agility given the state she was in, letting out a pathetic squeak in the process. “Wha- Sunset, you need medical attention for your injuries!” Sunset shook her head, wincing as the motion agitated the growing bruises adorning her neck. “Why won’t you get this treated?” Trixie was dumbfounded, she had to be in an incredible amount of pain! Sunset only glared in response. “...Oh, right, unicorn from another dimension, duh.” However, Trixie knew that was only half the reason; the girl didn’t want any help. Sunset sighed, passing the phone back to its owner.

Sunset grunted, forcing herself to her feet and ignoring the red-hot pain that rocketed throughout her body. She shakily crept towards the open door, disregarding the incredulous look she was getting from Trixie. “Wh-how are you even moving right now?!” The magician exclaimed as Sunset hobbled across the main floor. Sunset only glanced back at Trixie in response, the former having just stood up and started to follow. The battered girl used the wall as a crutch as she began to ascend the stairs. She startled when she felt a warm hand on her back, helping her to keep balance. She sent Trixie a cold look, but did not protest as she was guided up the steps.

Trixie dropped her hand as they reached the stairs’ summit, trailing after Sunset who stumbled into the bathroom. Sunset began pulling out her first aid supplies, expression blank as she once again placed the materials on the edge of the sink. Trixie gently placed a hand on Sunset’s shoulder, stopping her as she started to clean the blood off. “Please, let me help you,” Trixie begged.

Sunset gave her a long, searching look, but the girl’s eyes only held sincerity. Finally, Sunset resigned with a sigh, moving to sit on the lid of the toilet. “I’m too fucking tired to fix myself up, may as well entertain her.”

Trixie crouched and began cleaning Sunset’s wounds with an expertise that the red-head did not expect from her. Seeing Sunset’s astonished look, she laughed softly. “My mom is a doctor,” she explained. “She made sure I knew basic first aid and some other medical stuff.” Trixie delicately began wrapping gauze around her arm, afterwards moving to her legs before adding additional bandaging to the healing cuts that Sunset had made the week prior.

The ordeal was mostly quiet, aside from Sunset’s scratchy breathing. The events of the day were starting to catch up with her, and she found herself nearly nodding off as Trixie finished taping the gauze and stood from her stooped position. Sunset stood as well, silently thanking the other with a small nod. “Why is she helping me? I don’t deserve this.” Sunset averted her eyes and slowly made her way to her bedroom, exhaustion consuming her. She collapsed face-first into the uncomfortable mattress, not caring that Trixie was still in her home. “I deal with her later,” was the last thing she decided before she drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

***

Trixie gazed at Sunset’s unconscious form with a mix of concern and soft sadness decorating her features. She sighed. “What now?” Trixie definitely did not want to leave the mutilated girl alone. What if she tried again? Trixie shivered. “What if she succeeds?” That decided the matter. Trixie retrieved her phone from her pocket and dialed her father’s number. “Hey, Dad. Yeah, I’m fine- is it okay if I stay at my friend’s house tonight?”

Author's Note

Aaaaaand chapter three is complete! This was a bit of a tough one to write, but I think it turned out okay

As always, comments are welcome!

~Bitty Bug