Before the Friendship Games: Sunny Flare

Chapters

The Good Life
Discomfort
A New Day
Crystal Clarity
Date Night
Trauma
Memories
Home
Sunday Mourning
Pit Stop
Final Leg of the Journey
Dawn of a New Week
Further Clarity
Thinning the Herd
Alleviating Boredom
The Day Drags On
Harsh Reality
Backlash
Spreading the Word
Exhaustion
Thursday Morning
Team Meeting
Funeral, Part II
Funeral, Conclusion
The Ride Home
Towards a Bright Future
Mini-Road Trip
Funeral, Part I

The Good Life

Author's Note

Eight days until the Friendship Games

The Good Life

Sunny Flare woke up, ready to get to school. She put on her uniform and looked at herself in the mirror. God, I'm hot. she thought as she struck a pose. She giggled and headed downstairs.

"Good morning!" Sunny said to her parents. Her father, Stellar Tycoon, shared her eye color and the darker shade of her hair lifted his head from the local newspaper, revealing his light purple skin."Good morning!" he said. "Did you have the dream again?" He asked, softly.

Sunny looked away. "No." she said quietly. The incident may have been over a year ago, but the wounds were still fresh to her. Both of her parents supported her throughout its entirety, which she was grateful for, but she didn't like them bringing it up.

"Now honey..." said her mother to her father. "You know she doesn't like it we bring it up." Her mother, Shimmering Glaze, had the same skin color and lighter shade of hair as her daughter. She was slightly overweight, but she once overheard her father say that makes her hot. Sunny shuddered internally at the memory.

"I know that." said Stellar. "I just wanted to see if she's made any progress in the healing process."

Sunny sighed. "I appreciate the concern, father, I really do...but I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable talking about it or the dream that followed." she said as she walked toward the kitchen's pantry to grab a protein bar for her trip to the bus stop.

"Maybe you will, maybe you won't." said Stellar. "'Time heals all wounds'."

Sunny rolled her eyes. Oh how I desperately wish that were true, father... she thought. "Well, I should be heading off. See you both later!" she said as she closed the door to the house.

Sunny got on the bus and stared out the window as the vehicle passed her house. She sighed and closed her eyes, getting lost in the other students talking over each other. Her phone suddenly buzzed, nearly causing her to jump.

Hey, hon. Wanna hang out after school? - Sent by Rutherford

Sunny smiled. The man of my dreams. He's as strong as a yak, but thankfully he's not as dumb. she giggled.

Sounds good to me! - Sent by Sunny Flare

Sunny sighed again. She and Rutherford had been dating since her Freshman year at Crystal Prep, though he was a student at a different school...Everton or something. He's always been a caring, loving boyfriend...so supportive of me...especially during... Sunny shook her head. Dammit, I was trying to avoid thinking about it! she thought, feeling a lump in her throat. Just stay calm, Sunny Flare. Just stay calm... she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, effectively calming herself. "That's more like it." she said under her breath.

The bus stopped, snapping Sunny out of her thoughts. She slowly got off the bus and took a breath of fresh air. Maybe I should get out more often... she thought as she neared the entrance to Crystal Prep. She was approached by a male student with scruffy hair and a goatee sporting two different shades of vermilion. The sunlight shone off of his glasses as his light blue eyes looked at her nervously.

Sunny blinked. "What do you want?" she asked.

The student took a deep breath and said. "Willyoupleasegooutwithme?!"

Sunny blinked again as she parsed his sentence. "Sorry, dearie...I'm taken." she said, then ruffled the poor student's hair. "But it's so cute that you thought you had a chance with me!" she walked away, smiling. That never gets old. She entered the school and looked around. Hopefully today's going to keep me occupied. More often than not, I seem to get bored rather quickly around here as of late... She walked the halls to get to her first period class as the morning announcements began playing over the PA system. She sighed. Boring crap that neither interests nor concerns me. she thought as she tuned out the announcements...until she thought she heard the words "Friendship Games".

Oho. she thought. Now we're talking. She began listening intently.

"Tryouts will be on Monday and will take place throughout the second half of the school day." said the announcer. "But does it really matter who makes the cut? Crystal Prep always wins."

Sunny rolled her eyes. And you lost me. Still...tryouts on Monday... she thought as she neared her first period classroom. "This better be worth my time." she muttered under her breath as the teacher walked in.

Sunny left the classroom. "Well, that was an "I want x amount of time of my life back" period..." she grumbled. She made her way to her second period class. This place may bore me to hell and back, but I'd rather not flunk any of my classes here... she thought as she entered second period class.

The next few periods made Sunny Flare slightly restless. She was grateful for lunch to roll around, she felt like she was on the verge of losing her mind! She made a sputtering noise and collected her lunch, then sat down by herself. She looked around at the other students talking and mingling. Sunny made a scoffing noise. They don't know that friendship isn't really all it's cracked up to be. She thought back to the first time she met Rutherford. We were never friends, but we were never enemies, either....it was just one of those weird 'Hey, we connect. Let's give this a shot.' sort of things. And we haven't looked back from that moment. Sunny smiled dreamily as she ate her food.

After lunch had ended, Sunny Flare noticed Indigo Zap bump into Lemon Zest on purpose, causing the latter to spill all of her school belongings onto the hallway floor. Grinning, Sunny walked to where the bulk of the items were and kicked them as hard as she could, sending them about halfway down the hallway. Sunny was nearing her next class when an all too familiar sensation struck her. No. Not here. Anywhere but here! She tried to calm herself by breathing, but it was too late. Her stomach had been struck with pain so intense she blacked out before she could scream.

Discomfort

As Sunny Flare slowly regained consciousness, she heard her father's voice.

"...been happening to her ever since the-" her father cut himself off as he noticed his daughter open her eyes. He ran over to her side. "Hey, Sunny...how are you feeling?"

"Wha...what happened?" asked Sunny, her eyes bleary.

Her father sighed. "You...you blacked out, sweetie."

Sunny's eyes widened as she remembered what happened and realized where she was: the school nurse's office. "Dammit, father...you had to bring it up this morning..." she said, groaning in frustration.

"I know...and I'm sorry. Your mother and I are just so worried about you." said Stellar. "Don't you think it's time to get help? It's been over a year now and trying to avoid the issue is only going to make it worse."

"But father...you know I don't like talking about it." said Sunny.

"Obviously I do, but there are some times in life where you need to address something, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Speaking of which..." Stellar trailed off.

"Father? What's wrong?" Sunny asked.

"Sunny...we know how you've been treating the students here at Crystal Prep." said her father.

Sunny nearly gasped but kept herself in check.

"Your mother and I love you very, very, much...but that isn't who we raised you to be, Sunny Flare." said Stellar.

Sunny averted her gaze.

"We know why you're doing it, too."

"What?" said Sunny.

"Oh please, Sunny. Your mom and I may be loving parents, but we're not dumb!" said Stellar. "You're just being cruel to people to A: Distract yourself from an issue that's been getting progressively worse, and B: Make yourself feel better by tearing others down!"

"Do we really need to talk about all this here?" asked Sunny.

Stellar sighed. "Neither of us is going anywhere at the moment, so yes. We do need to talk about all this here."

Sunny frowned. "What time is it anyway?"

"Goddammit, Sunny Flare!" her father shouted, startling everyone in the room. He turned his head upwards and Sunny saw tears falling from his eyes. She put her hand to her mouth in shock. "Please...don't change the subject. You have to get help. If not yourself, do it for your mother and me...please." he shook as he began crying.

Sunny Flare felt a lump in her throat. She had never seen her father this distraught. "Okay." she said, trying to fight back tears. "I will. I promise." She hugged her father and they both wept together.

Sunny's father went back to work after she was discharged from the nurse's office. I never break promises that I give my family...but I'm glad father didn't make me promise to stop being a bitch. It's like a drug to me. She walked over to the Counselor's office and went to the appointments desk. "I'd like to make an appointment for tomorrow." she said to the receptionist.

"We have two counselors with open schedules tomorrow: Radiant Hope and Crystal Clarity."

Well I know I could use more clarity in my life than hope. thought Sunny. She made her appointment to see Crystal, and went on to her next class.

Sunny exited the classroom with a sigh. If this period was any indication, then it was probably for the best that I was unconscious for the last two. She headed for the doors, her day at school complete. She opened the doors and took a deep breath of fresh air. I guess I just needed some fresh air. I feel a little bit better. She smiled and boarded her bus. Finding her seat, she texted her boyfriend.

I don't think today's a good day for a date. - Sent by Sunny Flare

Is something wrong? - Sent by Rutherford

I had a blackout shortly late into the lunch period. I was out for a while. - Sent by Sunny Flare

Oh my god. Are you okay, hon? - Sent by Rutherford

I'm feeling fine, I'm on the bus heading home now. - Sent by Sunny Flare

Do you need or want me to come over? - Sent by Rutherford

I appreciate the gesture, but I think I just some time alone. - Sent by Sunny Flare

I understand. Keep me in the loop, okay? I'm worried about you, babe. - Sent by Rutherford

Sunny smiled.

Thank you. I promise I will. I love you. - Sent by Sunny Flare

Love you too, Sunflare. - Sent by Rutherford

Sunny blushed. She always loved it when he called her that. The bus had stopped, snapping Sunny out of her reverie. She got out of the bus and walked home.

Sunny entered her house. "Mother?" she asked.

"Oh thank god you're okay!" said her mother as she ran towards her and hugged her tightly.

"Not...for...much...longer..." said Sunny, her voice straining.

"Oh!" said Glaze, loosening her grip on her daughter. "Sorry about that. I can get carried away sometimes."

Sunny smiled and rolled her eyes. "I know." She broke the hug. "So I assume father told you what happened, then?"

Her mother nodded. "All of it. Did you seek out help?"

Sunny smiled. "Yes. I have an appointment with a counselor named Crystal Clarity tomorrow."

"That's good to hear." said her mother.

"You know I never break promises when it comes to family, mother. At least, not if I can help it." said Sunny.

Glaze smiled. "I know." Glaze's expression changed to a frown. "I just wish you were nicer to your fellow students."

Sunny sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Look. Your father and I have come to learn over the course of our lives that it pays to be a good and decent person. Isn't that how you and Rutherford met?" said her mother.

"That was different, mother. We just have a certain...chemistry about us." said Sunny.

"And how is that any different? How many terrible people do you know with boyfriends and girlfriends?"

Sunny looked her mother straight in the eyes, and earnestly said "You'd be surprised, mother...you'd be surprised."

The remainder of the day, what little was left of it, was rather uneventful...which was fine by Sunny Flare. She was drained from the days activities. Now in her room, Sunny put on her pajamas and fell asleep quickly.

A New Day

Author's Note

One week until the Friendship Games.

A New Day

Sunny woke up, feeling refreshed. I hope today will be more interesting than yesterday was... she thought. I'd rather avoid those serious stomach cramps and blackouts if I can help it...and I usually can. She frowned slightly. Usually. She walked down the stairs to the kitchen. "Good morning!" she said.

"Good morning, dear!" said Glaze. "Did you sleep well?"

Sunny nodded. "Just another average dream. Nothing good, but nothing bad either."

"Better than any old nightmare." said Stellar.

"Indeed." said Sunny. "I'll take any mediocre dream over any nightmare." She hugged both of her parents. "Well, I should be off. See you later!" she said with a smile.

"Goodbye!" said her parents as she left.

Sunny boarded the bus and checked her phone.

Hey there. Feeling better? - Sent by Rutherford

Sunny smiled.

Yes, dear. I am. - Sent by Sunny Flare

Good to know. - Sent by Rutherford

Think you'll be up for a date tonight? - Sent by Rutherford

Sunny giggled.

I'm not making any promises! ;) - Sent by Sunny Flare

You know I love it when you tease me like that. - Sent by Rutherford

Indeed I do. - Sent by Sunny Flare

I'll text you after school, okay? - Sent by Sunny Flare

Fine by me, Sunflare. Fine by me. - Sent by Rutherford

Sunny blushed. God, I love it when he calls me that! The bus stopped in front of Crystal Prep Academy, and Sunny disembarked. She walked the hallways and stopped, seeing Lemon Zest. The two made eye contact, and Sunny gave Lemon an evil stare. Sunny turned around and grinned. That ought to keep her on her toes. she thought, then went to her first period class.

First period had ended, and Sunny Flare managed to pay attention for most of it. I wish something interesting would happen already! she thought. Walking the halls, she heard students talking about a fight between two girls. 'Be careful what you wish for'... thought Sunny, and listened in on one of the conversations.

"Did you see what happened in the hallway?" one student said.

"Dude, she had Sour Sweet on the ropes!" said another.

Sunny quirked an eyebrow. "What are you two going on about?" she asked. One of the students took his phone out, and handed it to her.

"Watch the video." said the student.

Sunny shrugged and hit play. Her eyes slowly widened as she watched the entirety of the fight between Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest. Well now... she thought. This certainly is an interesting development. A smile spread across her face. I had no idea Lemon had it in her. she gave the student back his phone after watching the video, and walked off to her next class. Whatever happened between those two, it had to have been quite significant.

Second period had come and gone, and Sunny walked the halls. I doubt that I'd get answers from Lemon... she thought right before she bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going, you upper middle class bitch!" said a familiar voice.

Shaking her head and slowly getting up, Sunny Flare found herself face to face with Sour Sweet. Sunny smiled. "So...I saw the fight."

"Good for you!" Sour said, her voice dripping with sweetness and sarcasm. "Now fuck off, I'm not in the mood to talk!" she yelled.

"Hold on a moment." Sunny said, grabbing Sour by the shoulder. "What happened between the two of you?"

Sour blinked, then snickered. "Oh, please! Since when do you care about people other than yourself?"

"You'd be surprised, Sour. You'd be surprised..." said Sunny. "Besides, you seem like you could use a friend."

Sour blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "What's in it for you?"

"Why, Sour!" Sunny said, in a tone of mock surprise. "Whatever makes you think I have an ulterior motive?"

Sour rolled her eyes. "Because you're you, dumbass!" she yelled. "I don't think you've ever done anything without an ulterior motive!"

Sunny Flare rolled her eyes and smiled. "Sour Sweet...you know me so well! It's like we're becoming friends or something."

Sour rolled her eyes and made a frustrated grunt. "Fine. If it gets you off my back, I'll tell you anything."

"That's the spirit!" Sunny said, trying to hide the devilish gleam in her eyes.

Sour told Sunny about Lemon's outburst in the hall, but left out her confession. She didn't want any other people to know. Sour then followed it up by telling her about the fight, even though she knew it happened.

Sunny made a hissing noise through her teeth. "Ouch." she said. "Rough day."

"Rough day?" said Sour. "Rough day?! Rough life is more like it!" she said, unaware of the tears she was shedding. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd rather be alone and miserable than spend one more minute next to you!" Sour said, walking away.

Sunny blinked. Looks like today won't be so boring after all... The warning bell for third period rang, and Sunny made a break for her classroom.

Sunny stretched and yawned as she left her third period classroom. Well...that was a class. Nothing special though. she stroked her chin in thought. Now then...how can I use what I learned from Sour Sweet? She bumped into someone while still in her thoughts. "Watch where you're going!" she snapped. A purple and magenta-haired girl with her hair up in a bun yelped and pulled at her hair, her nervous eyes shimmering behind her glasses. Sunny rolled her eyes and walked over to the counselor's offices. She sighed. Well, I'm not looking forward to this...but a promise is a promise. I just want to get this over with so I can move on with my life. She went into the reception area and waited, getting antsy. Why am I getting so nervous? she thought. I'm not planning on telling him or her anything serious. I'll just make it a 'getting to know you' sort of thing. She frowned. But father's right...some day I'll have to tell the full story.

"Sunny Flare?" a voice called out.

Well...here we go.

Crystal Clarity

Sunny Flare entered Crystal's office. Inside were several books on psychology on two shelves with each shelf on the left and right side of the room. Pictures of people Sunny assumed were her family were in various places around the office.

"Sunny Flare?" asked Crystal. Sunny brought her gaze to the guidance counselor. Crystal Clarity looked to be in her late thirties, her skin a very pale yellow with a medium shade of purple for her hair. Crystal's eyes were a light hazel color.

"Yes. That's me." Sunny answered.

"So...where do you want to start?" asked Crystal.

Sunny shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Why not talk about something that makes you comfortable?" asked Crystal.

"I guess that's as good a place to start as any." said Sunny. "Well as you know, my name is Sunny Flare. My parents Stellar Tycoon and Shimmering Glaze are the best parents anyone can ask for! They love me unconditionally and they've always been supportive of me."

Crystal nodded. "That's good. Any brothers or sisters?"

"No." said Sunny. "I'm an only child, which is fine by me."

"Have you ever felt lonely before?" asked Crystal.

Sunny scoffed. "Everybody feels lonely from time to time."

"I meant 'do you suffer from loneliness?'" Crystal said.

"No." said Sunny. "Even if my family is away for some reason or other, I at least have my boyfriend Rutherford to keep me company." she smiled.

"Do you have any friends?" asked Crystal.

Sunny shook her head. "No. I mean, I have supportive and loving parents, as well as a boyfriend who treats me the same way. Why would I want friends?"

"There may come a time when your family and your boyfriend aren't able to help you. Wouldn't you want friends to support you?" asked Crystal.

Before Sunny could respond, she felt a pang in her stomach and winced.

"Are you okay?" asked Crystal.

"I'm fine..." said Sunny.

"Are you sure?" asked Crystal.

Sunny sighed, calming herself down. "Yes, I am."

Crystal made a note on her notepad.

"Look." said Sunny. "There may be a day where I decide I want friends, but that's not today or even tomorrow."

"Fair enough." said Crystal. "Any hobbies?"

Sunny thought for a moment. "No, not really."

"Have you ever had any sort of trauma before?" asked Crystal.

Dammit, I was hoping I'd be able to leave before she asked! thought Sunny as she felt another pang in her stomach. Well..I did promise my father... Sunny Flare took a few deep breaths to calm herself before starting. "There is...one that I had. Just a little over a year ago. What you saw when I winced in pain? I think it's what is known as an...aftereffect." Sunny said, visibly growing uncomfortable. "I get these sharp pains in my stomach from time to time..." her voice cracked.

"Is it cancer?" asked Crystal.

"No..." said Sunny. "But there have been times where I'd prefer that over what happened to me." she sniffled. "You see...what happened was...I...I...I can't..." she started crying openly. "I can't do this..." she said, sobbing. "I can't bring myself to tell you what happened. It's just too painful!"

Crystal handed Sunny a box of tissues, and ended up getting a tight hug from Sunny Flare as she cried into Crystal's chest. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I understand." Crystal said in a soothing voice. After a few minutes, Sunny calmed down and broke the hug.

"Thank you." said Sunny as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"You're welcome." said Crystal, smiling. She checked the clock in her office. "I think our time is up. Would you like to make another appointment?"

Sunny smiled. "Yes...Yes I would."

"Then I'll see you again soon." said Crystal.

Sunny walked over to the reception desk and made an appointment for Monday, just before the tryouts for the Friendship Games. She smiled and went on with her day.

The rest of the school day barely kept Sunny's interest, as she was excited for her date with Rutherford later tonight. He had been on her mind throughout most of the day, and she couldn't wait to feel his gentle touch. She sighed dreamily. My Prince, Rutherford... Sunny boarded the bus and stared out the window as it left Crystal Prep. She made a sputtering noise, closing her eyes. Her phone buzzed, nearly startling her.

Are you looking forward to tonight? - Sent by Rutherford

Indeed I am, Prince Rutherford. ;) - Sent by Sunny Flare

"Prince" Rutherford? You must be more than just excited, Sunflare... - Sent by Rutherford

Sunny giggled and blushed.

Well tonight you'll see just how..."excited" I am. - Sent by Sunny Flare

I can't wait! See you in a couple of hours! - Sent by Rutherford

I love you. - Sent by Sunny Flare

I love you too. - Sent by Rutherford

Sunny sank into her bus seat and sighed. Tonight will definitely be a night to remember... she thought, nearly giddy with anticipation.

The bus reached Sunny's stop and she got off. Upon reaching her house, she opened the door. "Hello!" she said.

"Hey, Sunny!" said her father. "How was school?"

"It was sort of boring as usual." said Sunny.

"Did you see a guidance counselor?" asked Glaze.

Sunny nodded. "Her name is Crystal Clarity."

"Did you tell about the incident?" asked Stellar.

Sunny took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "I didn't. I tried my hardest, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her."

"Well at least you're trying, Sunny." said her mother. "Who knows? Maybe one day you'll be able to tell anyone about it!" Her mother paused, realizing what she just said. "Not...that I recommend you do that." she said as she blushed from embarrassment.

Sunny giggled. "It's okay, mother. I understood what you meant." Sunny's eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot. Rutherford and I have a date tonight! I hope this isn't too last minute of a notice for you two."

"Not at all." said her mother.

"Don't worry about it, Sunny." said her father. "We didn't have any plans for tonight."

Sunny smiled widely. "Excellent!"

Within a couple of hours, a car drove into the driveway. "That's him!" Sunny said excitedly.

"You two have fun now." said her mother.

"And come home safely!" said her father.

"Don't worry, I will!" said Sunny, and she left the house.

Date Night

Sunny got into Rutherford's car and took a good look at her boyfriend.

Rutherford was tall for a senior in high school. Sunny often wondered if he would end up playing basketball for a living. His hair was shaggy, just the way she liked it thank you very much. His skin always seemed to have an immaculate tan...and don't even get Sunny started on his toned body...

"Sunflare?" asked Rutherford, snapping his girlfriend out of her dreamy state.

"Yes?" she said, eyes half-lidded.

"Are you okay?"

"I am... I just really missed you." she gently kissed him on the cheek.

"I can tell." he grinned. "You look like you're close to jumping me."

Sunny giggled.

"Well, let's get going before you completely lose control huh?" he said with a wink.

"Let's." said Sunny.

Rutherford started his car and left Sunny's driveway. "Where to?"

"As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter to me." said Sunny with a sigh.

Rutherford smiled. "All right then. Strip club it is."

Sunny laughed. "Okay, maybe it matters just a teeny bit where we go...you goofball." she said as she slowly leaned on his shoulder.

"Then where would like to go? 'The sky's the limit', as they say."

"Hmm..." said Sunny. "Any good movies out?" she asked.

Rutherford shrugged. "Not that I know of. I've heard talk of a movie called 'Stormy with a Side of Pudding', but that doesn't sound interesting to me."

Sunny smiled. "We could just...go to your place and lie on the floor, staring into each other's eyes..." she said dreamily.

Rutherford grinned. "That sounds like a good plan to me." he said as he started driving towards his home. "My parents are out on a date right now, if you're in the mood for something more than just staring into my eyes..." he trailed off meaningfully.

Sunny giggled. "Maybe I am, Prince Rutherford...maybe I am..."

Rutherford got out of his car and opened the passenger side door, letting Sunny out.

"Oh, my! Such a gentleman!" she said, smiling widely.

"After you, milady." said Rutherford, bowing.

Sunny giggled. "Oh, come now, Rutherford... I can't imagine royalty bowing to anyone."

"Well...what's a prince without a princess?" he said as he drew Sunny close and gave her a passionate kiss, stroking her hair.

Sunny sighed softly in contentment and slid her tongue against her boyfriend's teeth, causing him to open his mouth. She leaned forward and deepened the kiss, savoring every moment of it as their tongues danced together. The couple broke the kiss to catch their breaths. "You haven't lost your touch." she said.

Rutherford laughed softly. "Neither have you, Sunflare." He smiled. "So what do you say to pizza and a movie?"

Sunny smiled dreamily. "Works for me."

Sunny and Rutherford entered the latter's house and got settled in. "What do you feel like watching?" He asked as he rifled through his movie collection.

Sunny made a non-committal noise.

Rutherford turned around and looked at Sunny.

"What?" She asked. "As long as I can snuggle with you it doesn't matter what you put on."

Rutherford grinned. "All right then. 'Strip Club Cuties 24 it is." Within a moment, Rutherford felt a pillow hit the back of his head.

"You really are a piece of work sometimes." Sunny said teasingly.

Rutherford turned around and said "I aim to please, milady." with a wink that almost melted Sunny's heart.

Rutherford chuckled inwardly. Gets her every time., he thought.

After the couple settled on a movie and ordered pizza, they sat down on the couch and spooned as they waited for thier dinner.

Sunny Flare looked into Rutherford's icy blue eyes and gently stroked his left cheek. "I love you." She said softly.

Rutherford smiled, his eyes half-lidded. "I love you too, Sunflare." He said as he gently kissed her forehead. They nuzzled each other while the movie played on.

Sunny Flare gradually felt herself lose control as she started to breathe on Rutherford's neck. Rutherford took notice of this gave Sunny a quick peck on the lips. She responded by trailing her tongue slowly up her boyfriend's neck, sucking on it every once in a while.

Rutherford gasped and shuddered, moaning slightly. In return, he nibbled on Sunny's ear causing her to squeal with delight.

No longer able to hold back, Sunny grabbed Rutherford by the head and gave him a fiercely passionate kiss, slowly stroking his shaggy hair as she slid her tongue across his teeth.

Her boyfriend complied, and the kiss deepened and intensified. The couple fell off the couch and onto the floor, with Rutherford pinning Sunny down. They stared at each other with love for what seemed like an eternity...

Suddenly Sunny Flare started wincing in pain. "Sunny!" said Rutherford. "Are you okay?!" His tone was that of concern.

Sunny grunted in pain. "It... will pass. It always...gah...does..."

Rutherford slowly lifted her off the floor. "Maybe we should just take it easy tonight, Sunflare. I don't like worrying about you."

Sunny smiled. "You're so sweet to me." She said as she wrapped her arms around him and pecked him on the cheek.

The doorbell rang. "Sweet, the pizza's here!" He said as he finished lifting Sunny off of the floor.

"You go on ahead, I'll go get the paper plates!" Said Sunny. Damn this aftereffect! she thought, frustrated that it interfered with her intimacy.

After the movie ended and all the pizza was eaten, Rutherford looked at his phone to check the time. "Well, I should probably get you home... that is, unless you want to go to the strip club. That option's still open." He said with a sly grin.

Sunny laughed. "What's with you and strip clubs tonight?"

Rutherford shrugged and smiled. "What can I say? I love a good running joke."

Sunny grinned. "All right, you goofball... let's get me home."

The two got into the car as Rutherford started the engine. He turned on some heavy metal, headbanging so hard that his car was shaking. Sunny cracked up as the car moved out of the driveway.

Spent from the night, Sunny leaned against her boyfriend's arm and closed her eyes, lost in the moment. All that she remembered after that was hearing her boyfriend scream, seeing a pair of headlights heading straight for them, the sound of metal crunching...then blacking out.

Trauma

Sunny regained conciousness in...Crystal Prep? She was walking the halls with no one the wiser to her condition, and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as she could help it.

Still, she felt scared and insecure, worried that someone would find out and tell Principal Cinch. Then her condition would be the least of her worries.

She had told her parents and her boyfriend, and though they were initially shocked they supported her.

It had been a couple of weeks since she broke the news, and she now faced an uncertain future.

Before she could have another thought, a wave of searing pain struck her in the stomach, causing her to fall to the floor, doubled over in pain.

The next thing she knew, she was lying on a gurney being pushed by a doctor. Her mother, father, and boyfriend were following closely with fright and concern on their faces.

She tried to speak to them, only for an even stronger wave of pain to wrack her body as she shrieked and writhed in utter agony.

"It's okay, Sunflare! I'm right here, you're going to be okay!" Said Rutherford, tears streaming down his face.

"We're all here for you, honey! Just hang in there and you'll pull through!" Said Shimmering Glaze, her eyes getting misty.

"We all love you so very much, Sunny Flare! We won't leave your side until this is all over!" Said Stellar Tycoon, barely able to keep from sobbing.

Sunny's gurney came to a complete stop into an operating room, all the lights blinding her. She could hear her own heartbeat along with the beeping of the heart monitor.

The surgeons all spoke to one another, but Sunny couldn't hear a word they said as her heartbeat and the heart monitor gradually sped up...until her heart stopped beating and her pulse flatlined. The lights became brighter and brighter as her pulse continued to flatline... Then after half a minute, her heart started beating again and her pulse returned.

After her operation, she was wheeled into the recovery room, where her parents and boyfriend embraced her, bursting into tears.

A few minutes later, Sunny Flare was brought to a desk where she had to do some paperwork. A doctor handed her a clipboard with paper on it. Sunny Flare's eyes widened with horror as she stared at the piece of paper filled with the words "Non-Viable" and "Miscarriage".

Sunny woke up with a start, this time in a different hospital room. She looked out the window of her room, noticing the sun was out and shining. She looked around and saw flowers on one of the chairs that was placed next to her bed. She had an IV stuck in her, so she knew she'd have to get up slowly. She sighed, and slowly got up.

This has got to be the strangest dream I've ever had, she thought as she slowly walked towards the bedroom door.

As she got closer to the door, she heard her father's voice. "I don't care how horrid of a person she is!" He whispered sharply into the phone. "I have no interest in joining your little rebellion!" He paused for a moment, listening intently. "I am thinking of my daughter's future, which, by the way, is in serious jeopardy... again!" Stellar said as he hung up on whoever he was speaking to.

She peeked her head out to look around, trying not to be noticed by her father. She wanted the lay of the land before anything else happened.

She recognized this location as the local hospital, with visitors and doctors in scrubs walking through the hallways, each of them with a clear destination.

As she looked around, she noticed her mother sitting in a chair a few feet away, her head in her hands as her body shook and convulsed.

Oh, my god...is she crying ? thought Sunny as she put her hand to her mouth. Wait...am I...dead? she thought to herself. She put her hand to her forehead and sighed. What on Earth happened to me?!

Sunny slowly and quietly walked back into her room and was about to get back into her bed when the memory of last night hit her like a freight train. Her eyes widened in horror and she began to hyperventilate as a chill took hold of her entire body. All of this had happened in an instant, overwhelming her senses and causing Sunny Flare to let loose a shriek unlike any she had ever had before.

This caused several doctors and her parents to come scrambling into the room.

As the staff and her family rushed towards her, she had another horrible realization...Oh god...I had the dream! she thought as she let loose another shriek of anguish, then blacked out again.

Sunny slowly regained conciousness again, but this time she was barely able to move. Both her mother and her father were by her side, looking even more frightened than they had the day she lost her unborn child.

"Honey? Are you okay?" Asked her father, his voice quavering.

"I...I...don't...know." Sunny said slowly.

Her mother leaned in closely, taking her daughter by the hand. "After you blacked out from all that screaming, the doctors thought it would be a good idea to inject you with some sort of sedative." she said. "It'll keep you calm."

Tears formed in Sunny's eyes. "Mother...Father...I had the dream."

Sunny's parents took one of her hands and held them with both of theirs. "We're so sorry..."

"For what?" asked Sunny, confused until it hit her. "Mother...Father... where's Rutherford?"

They both looked at her, tears in their eyes. "When the paramedics came..." her father said as he choked up. "They saw someone in front of you."

Sunny slowly shook her head in disbelief. "No..." she whispered.

"You were lucky, Sunny...you only got scrapes and bruises..." said her mother.

Tears began to fall from Sunny's eyes. "No...please, no..." she whispered.

"The drunk driver was arrested on the spot...but..." said her father.

Sunny could barely hold back the tears she felt coming.

"Rutherford quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped in front of you so he could take the brunt of the crash..." said her mother.

Sunny began shedding tears.

"I'm so very sorry, honey... Rutherford didn't make it...he sacrficed himself so you could live." her father said, his voice cracking.

Sunny broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Her parents hugged her as tightly as they could, and they cried as a family. Sunny's parents shedding tears for their daughter's safety, and Sunny herself shedding tears of mourning for her lost prince.

Author's Note

Six days until the Friendship Games.

Memories

Sunny was discharged from the hospital within a couple of hours. She stumbled a little as she got out of the wheelchair, the sedatives slowly leaving her system.

As she waited for the family car to pull up, she found herself looking back to the first time she and Rutherford had met.

It was a nice and sunny spring day. The birds were chirping and people were walking their dogs. Sunny was sitting on a park bench, enjoying the weather. She blinked as a tall, muscular man looked over her.

"Is this seat taken?" The stranger asked.

Impressed by his physique, she giggled in spite of herself. "No." She said. "If you want to sit here, then by all means." Sunny said with a smile. She could have sworn she saw the young man blush as he sat down next to her, causing her to blush as well.

"Name's Rutherford." he said, extending his hand. Sunny simply stared into his eyes and got lost in them until he said "and you are...?"

Sunny laughed awkwardly and took his hand. "I'm Sunny Flare." she said. She couldn't help herself as she felt heat quickly rise to her face, feeling the gentle touch of his hand.

Rutherford seemed to have noticed this, and blushed in spite of himself. The two looked away from each other, embarrassed.

After they had gotten past the initial awkwardness, they struck up a conversation and hit it off.

After about an hour, they had to part ways. "Hold on." Said Rutherford. "Why don't we keep in touch?" He said with a smile.

Sunny felt herself blush again and nodded. The two exchanged phone numbers and left.

Sunny's father pulled the car up, with her mother in the back seat. Sunny smiled, understanding that her mother had decided to comfort her in the likely event she would need it on the way home. She got into the car, buckled her seatbelt, then leaned on her mother's shoulder as she recollected her first date.

It was a cool Autumn afternoon. Sunny's mother had dropped her off in front of the coffee shop, and Rutherford didn't keep her waiting. He was there within a minute. The two spent their time talking, laughing, and eventually staring into each other's eyes. They scheduled another date for later that week.

Sunny sighed, closing her eyes as she remembered the very moment they fell in love with each other.

A few months had passed since their first date, and they had many more after. This date, however, was unlike any they had before. The atmosphere was far more romantic. It was night, and they were taking a walk in the very same park that they had met. They reached the very same bench they first met in, and stared into each other's eyes, getting lost in each other. Rutherford had slowly taken Sunny by the hand and stroked her hair gently. "Sunny Flare..." He said, snapping his girlfriend to attention.

Sunny blinked, getting herself reoriented. "Yes?" She said softly.

Rutherford hesitated for moment, then took a deep breath and exhaled. He looked her straight into her eyes, his own half-lidded. "Sunny Flare...I love you." He said, smiling.

Sunny gasped, heat rising in her face as she put her hands to her mouth. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined someone would fall in love with her. She slowly felt a lump in her throat as her heart pounded like it never had before. She sniffled, slowly being overcome with emotions. "Oh, Rutherford..." Sunny said, her voice quavering. "I love you too...with all of my heart." She said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

The two drew close to one another, then embraced in their first deeply passionate kiss. Sunny felt her heart burst into song, feeling sheer joy at Rutherford's touch.

Sunny felt a lump in her throat as these memories flooded through her, and she hugged her mother.

They night they first made love would remain in Sunny Flare's memories for as long as she would live. They slowly walked into Rutherford's room as his parents were out of town. They kissed deeply and passionately on the bed. They broke the kiss and stared each other in the eyes, affirming their love for each other.

Rutherford gently stroked Sunny's hair and gently kissed her neck as she moaned softly. Everything else that happened after that was pure love, as Sunny recalled her heart racing even faster and harder than the night they told each other they were in love.

In the car, Sunny's grip on her mother tightened as she remembered the day she broke the news to her boyfriend.

Sunny Flare had knocked on Rutherford's door, sweating from anxiety. He opened the door and smiled. "Hey, Sunflare." Said Rutherford.

Sunny looked inside the house. "Is it just you here?" She asked.

Rutherford blinked, then nodded. Sunny slowly walked in, closed the door and led him to the sofa in the living room. "Sunny..." said Rutherford, showing concern in his voice. "Is everything okay?"

Sunny started to tear up, then took a deep breath and shuddered. "Rutherford...I'm pregnant."

Rutherford's eyes widened in shock. "Sunny...are you absolutely sure?" He said, almost at a whisper.

Sunny nodded. "I took a test a couple of days ago. I have no doubt in my mind."

Rutherford took a few minutes to process this. "Do you want to keep it?" He asked, his voice filled with concern.

Sunny had made her decision the minute she found out, even if her lover was against it. "Yes." She said. "Yes I do."

Rutherford smiled and gently stroked her hair. "Then I do too." He hugged her. "You and I will be excellent parents."

Sunny could barely hold back the tears that she knew were coming when one last memory went through her head.

Moments after the loss of her child, Sunny was hugging herself tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. Rutherford slowly walked over to her, tears of his own flowing. He took Sunny by the hand and held it tightly. She shot towards him and held him as tightly as she possibly could and bawled into his shoulder.

Rutherford gently stroked her hair and gave her a soft peck on the cheek. "It's going to be okay, Sunny." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I love you so very much, and we will get through this together." Rutherford's voice cracked. "I will always be here for you. Always."

The last word from her memory echoed in her mind as she lost herself in her emotions again, sobbing deeply into her mother's shoulder.

Home

Stellar parked the family car in the garage, unbuckled his seatbelt and got out. Glaze took Sunny by the hand and walked her into the house. She turned around and looked at her daughter. "Are you going to be okay, honey?" She asked softly.

Sunny sighed deeply. "If I'm going to be honest...not for a while to come." She said, looking down at the floor.

"We understand, sweetie." said her father. "You've had a harrowing time these last few hours. Just remember that we'll alwa-"

"Please don't finish that sentence." Sunny said quietly, but not so quietly that she couldn't be heard.

Her father slowly nodded. "Okay, Sunny. I understand."

"Do you?" Said Sunny. "Did you ever lose a child before it was born?" She said, unable to control her grief. "Did you ever lose a loved one to a drunk driver?" She said, the volume in her voice rising. "Did you ever think that after a life-changing loss you felt like you couldn't possibly love again?!" she said as more tears fell. Sunny ran upstairs to her room and slammed her door shut. Glaze and Stellar looked at each other, concern on their faces.

Several hours had passed, and Sunny Flare had not even set foot outside of her room. Her parents agreed that she needed some time alone to deal with her loss, but she had never spent this much time in her room over the course of a day before.

Glaze and Stellar looked at each other and nodded, then walked up to their daughter's room. Holding their hands together in anticipation of an intense conversation, they knocked on her door. There was no answer. Slowly, they opened the door to a dark room.

"Go away." Said Sunny.

"Now, Sunny..." Said her mother.

"I said go away." Sunny repeated, her tone a little harsher.

Stellar sighed. "Sunny...we know what it feels like to lose a loved one. Well...almost."

"'Almost', huh?" Sunny said bitterly.

"Yes." Said her mother. "When you...you know..." She said, choosing her words carefully. "The incident. Do you remember?"

Sunny remained silent for a moment, then spoke. "How can I forget?" She said quietly. "I was dead for almost a minute." She sighed. "But that's not the same as actually losing a loved one."

"But we want you to know that even though the feeling didn't last long, your mother and I will never forget the grief we shared with Rutherford when we thought you'd passed away." Said her father.

"Look." said Sunny. "I know you're trying to cheer me up...and despite my actions and tone of voice, I truly appreciate your efforts." She sighed deeply. "But I'm afraid it won't be enough."

"Don't you at least want dinner?" asked her mother. "You haven't eaten since last night."

The room was filled with silence for a minute.

"I am hungry...but I won't be in the mood to talk." Said Sunny.

"Fair enough." Said her father.

The dinner table was set. Stellar Tycoon and Shimmering Glaze sat down, waiting patiently for their daughter. They heard footsteps slowly descending from the staircase.

Sunny entered the dining room, looking like an empty husk. She ate her dinner almost mechanically.

"Sunny, dear...we know you're not in the mood to talk, but while you were upstairs your mother and I got to talking..." said Stellar.

Sunny looked up from her dinner plate.

"We think you should make some friends."

Sunny blinked, then smiled. Her smile became a snicker, which turned into full blown laughter.

Both her parents looked at each other nervously, unsure how to react.

When Sunny's laughter died down, she wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh wow..." She said. "That was legitimately funny, father."

Stellar blinked in confusion. "It... was?"

"Yes." Said Sunny. Think about what you just said. "'Make a friend.'" she fought the urge to laugh again. "At Crystal Prep? Seriously? That place is simply a hellhole with a bunch of people making each other miserable if their team loses, and the 'friendship' there only lasts as long as we're competing on the same team!"

Stellar blinked again.

"Look" said Sunny. "I know things there were great and all when this...Amore person was principal, but things have changed. It's a much more aggressive environment now. If you even so much as show any sign of weakness, you get eaten alive."

Sunny's parents were unable to speak, shocked by their daughter's words.

Sunny snickered again. "'Friendship'. Seriously, father... that's just plain ridiculous."

Sunny's father looked her in the eyes, his expression serious. "Do you really believe that...or are you still trying to make other people's lives miserable just for your own enjoyment?" He asked sternly.

Sunny finished her dinner. "So what if I still am? Why should it concern you?"

"Because you're our daughter and we love you, that's why." Said her mother.

Her father sighed deeply. "What happened to the old Sunny Flare? You were so sweet and caring!" he said, tears falling from his face.

She gave her father a cold, hard stare. "She died with her unborn child and the love of her life." She said and went straight back to her room.

Stellar cried as his wife ran over to comfort him. "She's been going through a lot lately, Stellar. I know it doesn't justify her behavior, but I think we should just leave her be for now."

After a few minutes, Stellar calmed down and looked at his wife. "Have things really changed since you and I graduated Crystal Prep Academy?"

"It would seem so, honey."

They looked at each other meaningfully, then nodded. Stellar grabbed his phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, someone picked up.

"Hello?" said a voice.

"My mind has changed. We're in."

Sunny entered her room and sighed deeply. Father was right...I have never acted towards him that way. I can't bring myself to apologize. Not yet, anyway. She slowly changed into her pajamas, determined to stay in her room for the remainder of the day. She crawled into bed and turned out the light.

Sunday Mourning

Author's Note

Five days until the Friendship Games.

Sunday Mourning

Sunny woke up, thanking her lucky stars that she didn't have a nightmare to top off the traumas she suffered from the last couple of days. She stared at the ceiling of her room, sighing deeply. She didn't know whether she wanted to stay in bed because it was comfy, or that she simply wasn't in the mood for any sort of interaction, or both.

I'm pretty sure my parents would coax me out of bed one way or another, so I might as well rip the band-aid off quickly...

Sunny got out of bed and stretched. She walked over to the mirror to take a look at herself. Wow. she thought. I look as good as I feel... Sunny Flare's hair was an absolute mess. Hey eyes were puffed up from all the tears she had shed through the night, and bloodshot from the lack of sleep. At least she still had her figure, but at the moment that was little consolation. She made a sputtering noise and went downstairs, still in her pajamas.

She walked into the kitchen to see her parents at the table. She slowly walked over to her father and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry about last night." She whispered into his ear.

"I know you are." said Stellar. "Apology accepted."

Sunny breathed a heavy sigh. "Thank you. I needed to hear that." A tear fell from her cheek, but she didn't weep openly. She had had enough of that, but she knew deep in her heart of hearts that she was far from done with her mourning. She took a deep breath before asking a question she had not wanted to ask..."Do his parents know?" Sunny asked silently.

"Yes." Said her father. "They wanted me to say to you in no uncertain terms that they do not blame you for his death. In fact, they're proud of the action he took to save you, and that if you wanted to spend some time with them, you're more than-"

"Please...please stop." Said Sunny, feeling tears welling up again as she sniffled. "I understand the sentiment, but I don't know if I can face them right now...even if they don't blame me for anything." She covered her face with her hands and sobbed into them. Glaze gently stroked Sunny's back to calm her down as Stellar embraced her, Sunny's sobs now being muffled.

After a few minutes, she had calmed down. She made an exasperated noise. "I'm having such a hard time dealing with this..." She said and put her hands to her forehead.

"You could always tell Crystal." Said her mother.

"Well naturally, I'm going to." Replied Sunny. "I feel like I need all the help I can get." She said, sighing. "One minute I feel empty, another I'm depressed, another I'm angry at the world for taking my world away from me..." She sighed again. "Why did he have to die?" Sunny said, her voice cracking.

Glaze hugged her daughter. "Your father and I are here for you, Sunny Flare, but we still want you to make friends."

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Maybe I will, and maybe I won't." She said. "I just don't think I'm ready for it."

"You won't know until you try." Said her father.

"I suppose you're right..." Said Sunny. "I guess I just need something to do to keep my mind occupied for a bit."

"Such as?" Her father asked.

Sunny shrugged. "I don't know!" She said, frustration in her voice. "It's a Sunday, there's hardly ever anything to do on a goddamn Sunday!" Sunny sighed. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Sunny. We understand you're having a hard time." Said Glaze.

"That's putting it mildly." Sunny said under her breath. "I just wish Monday would come already so I can talk to Crystal Clarity and get this done and over with!" Before her parents could say another word, she continued. "And yes, I know it's not that simple, but the pain is driving me crazy!" She said, tears in her eyes. "It hurts so much that I'll never see the man that I loved again...or even feel his touch..." She collapsed to the floor and sobbed. "I wish I could have traded places with him..."

Her father ran over to her and embraced her. "Now you listen here, Sunny Flare." He said sternly. "If you ended up dying, do you have any idea how your mother and I would feel, let alone Rutherford?"

"I just miss him so much, Father..." she sobbed.

"I know, sweetie, I know." He said, hugging his daughter tightly. "It's going to hurt for a long time..." He gently rocked her back and forth.

Sunny cried into her father's chest as she let out her frustrations, yelling "Dammit!" every so often between sobs.

Glaze ran over to her husband and daughter, embracing the two while gently stroking Sunny's hair.

Sunny took a deep breath and shuddered. "I don't know how much more of this I can take..." she said. "And it hasn't even been two whole days!" Sunny sighed heavily. "What am I going to do with myself if all that I do now is think about Rutherford and cry?"

Sunny's mother gave her a sympathetic look. "You try to move on as best you can." she said. "Like your father said, it's going to hurt for a while...but eventually the wound will heal."

Sunny sighed. "Easier said than done at this point..."

"That's understandable." said her mother. "Is there anything you would like to do today?" she asked, hoping that a diversion or two would brighten up her daughter's mood.

Sunny thought for a moment. "I don't know..." she trailed off. "Why don't we just jump in the car and take things from there? You know...play it by ear."

Stellar Tycoon and Shimmering Glaze looked at each other for a moment, then shrugged. "Works for us." her father said. "'The sky's the limit', after all."

Sunny winced at the phrase her father used, as it was one of the last things Rutherford had said to her before the fatal accident. She managed to hide it from her parents, as she didn't want to worry them any more than she already had.

Pit Stop

The atmosphere in the car had changed drastically after the phone call from Rutherford's parents. Before, it was light-hearted and tranquil. Now the mood in the car was silent and somber.

After a few minutes, Sunny Flare broke the silence. "Father?"

Stellar looked his daughter in the rear view mirror. "Yes, sweetie?"

"Can we pull over when we reach a sparsely populated area?"

"We'll be near a gas station soon, honey." said her father.

Sunny began shaking. "No, father... I don't think you understand." she said, her voice trembling.

Stellar glanced at his daughter and saw the look in her eyes. His eyes widened, then he nodded in understanding. He accelerated the car and found a bunch of cornfields, driving off the road then parking the car.

Sunny Flare quickly took off her seatbelt and ran away from the car. She stopped, breathing heavily. She took a deep breath, threw her head back...then let out a shriek of pure, unbridled rage. It lasted for several seconds, then slowly died down and ebbed into a moan. Taking another deep breath, she let out a wail that caused both of her parents to come rushing towards her.

As they reached her, they saw that she had collapsed from her emotions and was sitting on the ground.

"Why can't I go four fucking hours without being constantly reminded of him?!" Sunny said as her whole body shook. "Can't I just stay happy for a moment? Is that too much to ask?!" she said before descending into another fit of sobbing.

Her parents hugged her tightly, shedding tears of their own. They could hardly bear to see their daughter in such deep sorrow.

After a few minutes, Sunny calmed down. "I don't know how much more of this I can take..." she said, her voice nearly hoarse from her screaming. "I just want it all to stop. I just want my pain to just go away..." She shuddered.

Shimmering Glaze and Stellar Tycoon walked Sunny to the family car. Sunny sat still for a few moments, then slowly got out of the car.

"Sunny?" asked her father, who was sitting in the driver's seat. "Are you okay?"

Sunny sighed deeply...then made a break for the highway as a car sped forward.

"Sunny Flare!" her mother shrieked. "No!"

"Shit!" Stellar panicked as he fumbled with his seatbelt.

Sunny came within a few feet of the road, then felt a wave of pain hit her in the stomach. No! she thought. Not when I'm so close! Sunny tried to push past the pain, but eventually she slowed down to a walk as the pain intensified. Just a little bit further...then she would finally be free from all of the pain and suffering!

Before she could take another step, an even more intense wave of pain shot through her stomach, causing Sunny to scream in agony...then pass out.

Sunny Flare opened her eyes to the park where she and Rutherford first met. Did I do it? she thought. Is this Heaven? Slowly, before her very eyes, Rutherford materialized out of thin air.

"Rutherford...is it really you?" Sunny said, tears falling from her face. Rutherford slowly walked over to her, smiled...then slapped her in the face as hard as he could.

Sunny backed up a few steps, stunned. Her tears of joy now became tears of pain. Betrayal. Anger.

Before she could say anything, Rutherford stared at Sunny angrily. "Sunny Flare, what the fuck were you thinking?!" He said, furious.

Sunny burst into tears. "I can't live without you! The pain is becoming too much to bear, and I just want to end it all and be with you forever!"

Rutherford was still giving her the angriest look she had ever seen...then shot towards her and hugged her, crying. "Don't ever do that again...you scared the shit out of me."

Sunny stood still, shocked by Rutherford's display of emotion.

"Sunflare." he said, his voice cracking. "I didn't sacrifice my life for you to just throw it away because you miss me. I wanted you to live on. I know you would have done the same for me."

"Oh, god, Rutherford...I miss you so much!" Sunny said, sobbing.

Rutherford smiled. "I know you do...but you shouldn't throw your life away like that. It's bad enough that your parents lost a grandchild, then someone they consider part of the family...but imagine how heartbroken they would be if they lost their only child?" He said. "You've already died once, Sunflare...even if for only a minute. I don't think I'd be able to face you if you did something so selfish."

"But I don't want to get over you!" Shouted Sunny. "You were the only man I ever loved!"

"Goddammit, Sunny Flare!" Rutherford yelled. "It hurt me enough slapping you once, I don't want to have to do it again!"

"Then don't!" Sunny shouted.

"Don't give me a reason to, then!" Rutherford said. "I'm trying to talk some sense into you!"

"By slapping me?!" said Sunny.

"No!" said Rutherford. "I'm trying to get it through your head that while I may be gone, both of your parents still love you!" he shouted. "And now they're scared out of their wits because the only child they'll ever have just tried to get herself killed by a car! Which, by the way, is how I fucking died! Or did you forget that in your grief?" he shouted, sobbing.

Sunny put her hand to her mouth in shock. "Oh...oh god." Her knees buckled and she collapsed into a sitting position. "What's wrong with me?!" she covered her face with her hands.

Rutherford hugged her tightly. "You're going through a lot. I get that." He said softly. "But please...for all of our sakes. Mine, your parents, and your own...endure the suffering. I know it hurts, but I'll be here...in your heart and in your head. After all...I did say I'd be with you...always." He leaned towards her and kissed her deeply.

Sunny regained conciousness just inches away from the road, where an ambulance and a police car were parked. She slowly got up, only to be hugged tightly from behind.

"Sunny Flare, don't you ever...ever scare your mother and I like that again. Do you hear me?!" her father said from behind her, his voice cracking.

Sunny teared up as she heard footsteps rapidly approaching until they stopped. She heard her mother burst into tears, which sent Sunny over the edge. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she repeated until she descended into a bawling fit.

Author's Note

I'm genuinely concerned that I'm starting to go overboard with Sunny Flare and her emotions. I would greatly appreciate feedback.

Final Leg of the Journey

After her parents squared things away with the police and the paramedics, they got back in the car with Sunny.

Her father had calmed down, but her mother was still sniffing.

After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, Stellar spoke up. "Sunny Flare...what were you thinking?!"

Sunny flinched at her father's emphasis on the last word of his sentence.

"We lost you once, even if only for a minute...and then there was the car crash that killed Rutherford."

Sunny flinched again, guilt slowly tightening it's grip on her.

"And just a few minutes ago, you tried to kill yourself...in practically the same way your boyfriend died!" Stellar shouted.

"You think I don't already know that?!" Sunny blurted out, then put her hands to her mouth.

Her father drove the car off the road, then hit the brakes. He turned around and looked at her.

Sunny took a deep breath, then told her parents what she had experienced when she blacked out.

Her mother and father were in tears again when she finished telling them her story.

"So what you're saying is... Rutherford saved you?" Glaze said.

"I suppose that's one way to put it." said Sunny. "And yes, I plan on telling the whole same story to Crystal Clarity. That's a promise."

Silence hung in the car momentarily.

"Regardless of that," her father said, breaking the silence. "You still tried to kill yourself."

Sunny put her hand in her hands. "I know..." she sighed. "God, I'm such a mess right now."

"You'll feel better soon enough, Sunny Flare." said her mother, now in control of her emotions.

"I just wish I knew when 'soon enough' is..." Sunny said before she made a sputtering noise.

"Don't we all, Sunny...don't we all." said Stellar.

"Have we had dinner yet? All of these emotional breakdowns are making me hungry." said Sunny.

Shimmering Glaze snickered. "See? That little bit of snark right there means you're fighting. Maybe 'soon enough' might be closer than you think."

Sunny smiled slightly. "Maybe, indeed."

"Well then. Let's find a place to eat, shall we?" said Stellar.

As the family sat down with their food, Sunny was the first to speak. "You know, I suppose this little impromptu road trip might have been needed more than I thought at first."

Her parents smiled.

"I still can't believe that I tried to kill myself back there..." she said quietly so that no passers-by would give the trio questionable looks.

"Us too." Said Glaze, speaking for herself and Stellar. "But let's not talk about that right now."

"Agreed." Sunny nodded.

"Are you excited about the Friendship Games?" asked Glaze, changing the subject.

"As excited as I'll ever be, I suppose." Sunny said. "I mean, I get the whole 'We always win' and 'school spirit' thing, but sometimes it can get to be a bit much."

"From what we've heard, I'd be inclined to agree." said Stellar. "No school environment should be that hostile."

"Why, when you were in bed at the hospital, your-" Shimmering Glaze was cut off by her husband's hand to her mouth. He shook his head slowly.

Sunny blinked, but decided to pretend she didn't see what just happened.

"Anyway..." said Glaze. "How's school been?"

Sunny shrugged. "No interesting news, I'm afraid. Just your average everyday what have you and such."

"But you have been keeping your grades up?" asked her father.

Sunny nodded. "Of course I am. How often have my grades slipped over the course of my life?"

"She's got a point there." Glaze said to Stellar.

"Just asking." said Stellar.

Sunny smiled. "You know what? I think we should do this again some time."

Stellar and Glaze smiled. "Yes. Yes we should." said her mother.

"I'll drink to that!" said her father.

"But after this, I think we should go home. I'm drained, emotionally, mentally and physically." said Sunny.

"I think we all are." said Glaze.

"I'll drink to that, too!" Stellar said with a laugh.

As they got up from the table, Sunny leaned over and gave her parents a hug. "Thank you." She said. "Both of you."

Her parents smiled.

"I guess things can only get better from here." said Sunny. "There might be a few rough moments in my future, but I think the worst of it has passed."

"Don't tempt fate, Sunny." said Glaze, smiling.

"Aren't you doing so yourself simply by saying that?" Sunny said with a grin.

The trio laughed.

"Well, we should get going. It starting to get a wee bit late, and there's work and school to be had tomorrow." said Stellar.

Sunny sighed and rolled her eyes. "Can't I sleep in or something? I almost don't want to go to Crystal Prep tomorrow."

Sunny's parents gave her funny looks.

"What?" said Sunny. "I said 'almost'." she smiled.

Stellar rolled his eyes and smiled. "Let's get going then."

Stellar paid the bill in full, which Sunny and Glaze thanked him for, then they all boarded the car.

"To home, then." Said Stellar as he started the engine.

About an hour away from home, Stellar and Glaze nearly jumped from fright when they heard snoring in the back of their car.

Glaze turned around to see her daughter with her head leaning to the side, eyes closed and mouth open, slightly drooling. She held back a laugh from sight, then turned back around.

"I feel so bad for her, dear. She's been through far too much the last couple of days." Glaze said to her husband.

Stellar sighed. "I know, and as a result of that so have you and I."

"I'm sorry I almost told her about...you know." said Glaze.

"I don't think she's on to us." said Stellar.

"Do you really believe that the Friendship Games are that important to the mission?" asked Glaze.

"The higher-ups sure seem to think so." responded Stellar. "Besides, if it gets that damned Cinch out and Cadence in, things could only get better for Crystal Prep. After all, her-"

"Shh!" Glaze said. "I think her snoring stopped."

Sunny stirred, then rubbed her eyes. "Are we home yet?" she asked, still half-asleep.

"As a matter of fact, we are." Said Stellar as he parked in the garage.

"That's good." said Sunny. "If I was asleep any longer, I'd likely have a crick in my neck." she said as she stretched, yawned and unbuckled her seatbelt. "I don't know about you two, but I'm going straight to bed."

"Us too." said Glaze.

Sunny hugged her parents goodnight. "Again... thank you. I love you both, and I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Same here, Sunny. Same here." her father said.

Sunny went up to her room, changed into her pajamas and immediately fell asleep.

Dawn of a New Week

Author's Note

Four days until the Friendship Games.

Dawn of a New Week

Sunny Flare opened her eyes slowly to the new day. She stretched and yawned. "Right... let's get this day over with." she said to herself. She got into her uniform and walked downstairs.

"Good morning." Sunny said, still not quite fully awake.

"Good morning, Sunny." said Stellar. "Sleep well?"

"I suppose I slept well, given all that I've been through lately." she said.

"You've been through a lot, honey...are you sure you still want to go to school today?" asked Glaze. Stellar gave her a meaningful look. "What?" asked Glaze. "If she doesn't want to go, she shouldn't have to."

Sunny sighed. "I think I should go today. I can't just stay here feeling sorry for myself... I don't think it's what Rutherford would have wanted." she said, smiling sadly.

"I understand, sweetie. I just thought I'd give you the option." said Shimmering Glaze.

"I appreciate it, mother." Sunny said as she made her way to the door. "Goodbye!" she said, the closed the door behind herself.

"What was that about?" Asked Stellar as soon as the door closed.

"I know we want her to go to the Friendship Games, but would it be such a bad thing to miss one or two days of school? I know it goes without saying, but Sunny Flare has been through hell since last Friday evening!" said Glaze.

Stellar sighed. "I know, I know...but at the same time she shouldn't isolate herself. She needs friends now more than ever. If this whole plan doesn't pan out, I'm going to give First, Second and Third a piece of my mind."

"What about Benefactor?" asked Glaze.

Stellar shuddered. "Don't get me started."

Glaze walked over to her husband and put her arms around him. "I get it, the robotic voice freaks you out."

"I suppose I could understand the need for anonymity, but the voice thing is too much for me..." said Stellar.

Sunny sighed as she reached the bus stop. Maybe I should make friends or something. My parents won't always be able to help me through my grieving...I've been mean for so long that I'm not sure I can make any. She boarded the bus, still lost in her thoughts. So I have Crystal Clarity, then the tryouts...today should be a good distraction for me at least. Sunny sat down and closed her eyes. Here's hoping that today goes smoothly.

The bus reached Crystal Prep and Sunny exited the vehicle. She had reached the entrance and was about to go further when she heard someone call out her name.

"Sunny Flare!"

Sunny turned around to see Principal Cinch. She quickly turned around to look like she was distracted by something, rolled her eyes, then turned back around. What does she want this time? Principal Cinch caught up with Sunny. "Yes, Principal Cinch?" she asked.

"You have my condolences, Sunny Flare." said Cinch.

Sunny Flare's jaw dropped and felt a chill throughout her body. How did she know?! She quickly regained her composure in the blink of an eye. "I'm sorry, Principal Cinch...condolences?"

"Oh, Sunny Flare, you don't need to hide your pain from me. I heard your boyfriend died in a car crash."

Shaken to her core, Sunny summoned nearly all of her willpower just to stand up. The rest of if kept her from bursting into tears on the spot. "Ah...I see." she said, trying to keep her emotions in check but letting a little sadness show just to play along with whatever scheme her principal had in mind.

"It's always sad to lose the ones we hold so dear. But I assume like any good man, he would want you to move on with your life." said Cinch.

Here it comes... thought Sunny, knowing Cinch was about to play her hand. She nodded, keeping the act going. "I loved him with all of my heart. And I know that me moving on is what he would want." she said, feeling a lump in her throat. Reign it in, Sunny Flare. You don't want to be manipulated if you can help it!

Cinch put her hand on Sunny's shoulder. "That's good to hear." she said with a smile. "Perhaps if you were to try out for the Friendship Games you might find fulfillment and come one step closer to moving on."

So that's her game this time, huh? Sunny thought. Fortunately for me, I was planning on doing that anyway! She felt relief, and decided to sell her deception by letting out the real tears she had been holding back. She nearly collapsed into Principal Cinch's arms, crying.

"It's okay, Sunny Flare." said Cinch, patting her on the back. "You have an appointment with Crystal Clarity soon, correct?" Still crying, Sunny looked up and nodded her head, then buried it into Cinch's chest, keeping up the act. A few minutes had passed before Sunny stopped. Cinch looked her in the eyes with an expression of sincerity. "Try out for the Friendship Games. Do it for him." she said, her voice calm and soothing. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend to."

Sunny nodded and smiled. "I will. Thank you, Principal Cinch!" Said no one with an ounce of sincerity. she thought. Once the principal was out of sight, she sighed deeply. "Damn that woman." she said under her breath, and walked the halls to clear her mind.

How the hell did she know about Rutherford?! I didn't tell anyone and I'm pretty sure my mother and father wouldn't bother to tell her. She's not the type to pay attention to what we students do outside of Crystal Prep unless she believes she'll benefit from it! Sunny's eyes widened, then put the palm of her hand to her face. Well, there's the 'why'. If only I knew who told her...not that I imagine I'd be in any position to do anything. She snapped herself out of her thoughts as she arrived at the counselor's offices. She sat down and put her head in her hands. How on earth did Cinch become a principal? she thought.

"Sunny Flare?" a voice called out.

Sunny got up off of the seat and went to her appointment.

Further Clarity

"Hello, Sunny." said Crystal as Sunny entered the office. "How have things been?"

"Do you have a box of tissues? It's a long story..."

"...and to top it all off," Sunny said between sobs. "Somehow Principal Cinch knows that he died and how it happened!"

"My god." Crystal said, before running over and hugging Sunny. "Have you called a suicide help line?"

Sunny shook her head. "I'm pretty sure I won't ever pull a stunt like that again." she sobbed again. A minute later, she calmed down. "I'm really sick of crying all the time." Sunny made a sputtering noise.

Crystal smiled and broke the hug. "I understand, but-"

"It's part of the healing process." Sunny said, cutting Crystal off. "I know." she blew her nose. "I swear I've heard that almost as many times as I've cried over the course of the weekend." she took a deep breath and sighed. "But seriously, Crystal Clarity...how did Principal Cinch know about Rutherford? The fact that she knew about him at all, let alone that he died in a car crash is going to keep me awake tonight." she put her hands to her forehead. "I think I would have gone ballistic if she knew about my...you know."

Crystal nodded. "Yes, that concerns me as well. Principal Cinch doesn't usually pry into the lives of other students here." she then smiled and looked at Sunny. "It was very brave of you to tell me what you went through. I can only imagine the pain you have been feeling all this time."

Sunny smiled. "Well it was either that or bottle it up, and I think we both know how that works out."

Crystal laughed. "True." she checked the clock on her wall. "I think our time is up."

Sunny sighed. "Well, I can always see you again some time."

Crystal smiled. "That's true too. I'll see you again, Sunny."

"Indeed. See you later." Sunny said as she closed the door.

Once the door was closed, Crystal took out her phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, the call was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Cadence, did you know about Sunny Flare's...'condition'?" asked Crystal.

"Yes." she answered.

"And you heard about what happened with her boyfriend?" asked Crystal.

"Yes. Her parents called me." said Cadence.

"They called you, and not Cinch?" asked Crystal, feeling slightly relieved.

"Yes. I can't imagine why they'd call her." said Cadence.

"Then why did Sunny Flare tell me that Cinch not only knew about her boyfriend, but how he died?"

Cadence's gasp was audible over the phone before the volume went almost completely mute. A couple of seconds later, she apologized. "I'm sorry, I just lost my grip on my phone." she paused for a moment. "How could she possibly know about Rutherford? Almost all of the staff here are on our side."

"You said almost all of the staff." said Crystal.

"Those of the staff who aren't with us are too afraid to take action against her. They're worried about their careers, but also...their families." Cadence sighed. "They mostly keep to themselves, and only interact with her if they have no other option."

"Someone had to have told her, Cadence. Abacus Cinch isn't psychic!" Crystal snapped.

"Calm down, Crystal. I know you want this madness to end as much as I do..." said Cadence.

Crystal sighed deeply. "I know...but I feel bad for Sunny. Hasn't she been through enough?"

"Normally I'd be inclined to agree, but there's something special about her, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet...and perhaps even Twilight Sparkle. Vice-Principal Luna tipped me off about how things have been improving at Canterlot High because of six girls and their courage against these strange magical forces I've been hearing about. I believe if we get those girls exposed to the girls from Canterlot High, they might see that a change is in order around here." said Cadence.

"I still find it hard to believe that magic is a thing that exists." said Crystal.

"Me too, Crystal, but here we are."

"Cadence...what are we going to do if this plan of ours falls through?" said Crystal.

"I have the utmost confidence that it won't." said Cadence.

"Very well. But back to the main topic at hand: How did Cinch know about Rutherford?" said Crystal.

"Don't worry, Crystal. Myself, Luna, Hope and Benefactor will look into this. Rest assured."

"I'll try, but you know how I can worry sometimes." said Crystal.

"I do." said Cadence.

"Goodbye, Cadence."

"Goodbye, Crystal."

After Sunny left Crystal's office, she headed for the tryouts. The room was packed with people. She noticed Sour waving at someone, which surprised her. Sour Sweet almost never smiled and waved at people. She found Sour's target to be none other than Lemon Zest. I can't help myself, I just love messing with her. She gave her the same face as last time, and stifled a laugh at Lemon's reaction. She noticed Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap, and simply shrugged. Well, let's get this show on the road then. Sunny heard Principal Cinch's voice and snapped to attention.

"This first round of tryouts will involve academics." said the principal, much to the disappointment of roughly half of those in attendance.

"The hell did you guys expect, moto-cross racing?!" Sour said. Sunny suppressed a laugh. Sour Sweet's outbursts can be amusing sometimes. she thought.

"As I was saying..." Cinch continued. "The first round of tryouts will involve academics. The top fifty scores will move on to the next round. To your seats!" All students did as instructed. "And...begin!"

I should have known there'd be an academic portion. Crystal Prep isn't known exclusively for athletics... Sunny thought as she answered the questions on the paper.

A while later, Principal Cinch shouted "Pencils down!" and the sound of pencils clattering to desks and the floor filled the room. "The results of these tests will be posted later today in the hallways. Dismissed!"

Time to play the waiting game, then. thought Sunny as she made her way to her next class.

Thinning the Herd

Sunny Flare exited her class and walked the halls, anticipating the results of the academic portion of the Friendship Games tryouts. She scanned the walls intently, searching for the outcome and rankings. I have no doubt that I ranked high, but I'm still nervous. she thought. She stopped in front of a large crowd of students. This must be the place. Sunny moved her way through the throng until she finally found the standings. She smiled, folded her arms and gave a nod of satisfaction. Top Five. As always, stiff competition around here. She scanned the piece of paper until her eyes reached the bottom.

Notice: Second round of tryouts will be held after next period in the track field.

All right. Academics then athletics. Fair balance. Sunny thought. She pushed her way out of the crowd and moved on to her next class.

After her class, Sunny made a beeline for the track. She recognized Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest and Sugarcoat. That doesn't surprise me. It's like the five of us are the best of the best around here. She heard Principal Cinch speak up, so she snapped to attention.

"As you've all no doubt realized," said Principal Cinch. "This tryout will be physical. The top eleven fastest lap times will move on to the Friendship Games."

Most of that statement seemed unnecessary. thought Sunny. And why run one lap in the track? This almost seems arbitrary... she shrugged. But who am I to say so? It's the staff's decision, not mine.

As Sunny waited for her name to be called, she let her thoughts drift. So...the funeral. she sighed. I'm not looking forward to it...but of course I'm going to go. What kind of surviving girlfriend would I be if I didn't? She felt a lump in her throat. 'Surviving girlfriend'...great. Now that's going to be hanging over my head for a while. She rolled her eyes.I'll have to go up to a podium, reminisce about all the times we had together then inevitably burst into tears, bawling my eyes out while trying to finish my last anecdote...in front of a crowd of people I hardly know, save four. she sighed again.

"Sunny Flare!" Principal Cinch called out, snapping her to attention.

Here goes nothing... thought Sunny as she walked up to the track. She took her mark and closed her eyes. This lap's for you, my Prince... she thought as she could feel tears welling up.

"Go!"

Sunny ran as fast as she could, using her emotions to fuel herself. She suppressed a scream to avoid funny looks or unwanted attention. When she reached the end, she ran off the track then collapsed from exhaustion, breathing heavily. She felt someone pick her up off the ground. She turned her head to see Dean Cadence with a sincere smile on her face. She gave Sunny a hug then whispered into her ear. "He would have been proud of you." Sunny's eyes widened in shock. "Don't be so surprised, Sunny." she said. "Your parents called me and told me while you were unconscious in the hospital."

Sunny sniffled, then buried her head in Cadence's chest and cried.

Still exhausted from her run and breakdown in front of Cadence, Sunny slowly made her way to the results of the final part of the tryouts. She found a group of students trying to look over each other. This must be the place. She looked at the posted results.

Competitors for the Friendship Games
Indigo Zap
Lemon Zest
Sour Sweet
Sugarcoat
Sunny Flare
Neon Lights
Trenderhoof
Suri Polomare
Jet Set
Upper Crust
Royal Pin

Sunny blinked in surprise. Okay...Indigo being at the top doesn't surprise me. Neither does Lemon coming in second, but Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat beat me?! I know I'm not the most athletic person here, but come on! She slapped the palm of her hand to her face and dragged it all the way down to her chin. I suppose I shouldn't complain all that much, though. At least I'm still in the top five...and officially in the Friendship Games. Sunny smiled. Sometimes in life it's the little things...

The warning bell for the final period went off. Using what little energy she had remaining in reserve, Sunny sprinted to the last class of the day.

"Ugh." said Sunny as she left her final class. Thank god that's over with...my muscles were killing me in there! Perhaps I overexerted myself at the track...

She boarded the bus, glad to be on her way home for the day. She sat down, then slid a little on her seat. Whoever makes these seats should be sued or something. They're hardly comfortable! Sunny winced a little as she felt a muscle throb. It would seem a hot shower is in order when I get home.

The bus reached Sunny's destination, and she left the bus. She opened the door to her house. "Hello." she said wearily.

Shimmering Glaze was the first to greet her. "Oh my...Sunny, are you okay?" she said, sprinting over to her daughter. "You look exhausted!"

Sunny smiled weakly. "'Exhausted' would be putting it lightly, mother."

"Did you have a rough day?" asked her mother.

"I'll tell you and father all about it later. Right now I could really, really use a hot and relaxing shower." said Sunny.

Glaze smiled. "Understood. Dinner will be ready shortly, so try not to take too long."

Sunny smirked. "I'm not making any promises!" she said in a singsong voice.

When Sunny sat down to the dinner table, she took a deep breath and told her parents all that had happened.

"Wait..." said her father. "How did Principal Cinch know about Rutherford?!"

Sunny shrugged. "I wish I knew. I'm genuinely worried that I won't be able to sleep tonight not knowing that."

Glaze and Stellar shot each other meaningful glances. Fortunately for them, Sunny was too tired to notice, much less care. She did, however, notice her father get up. "Excuse me." he said. "I have an important call to make." Stellar left the dining room.

"Why don't you go to bed early, honey?" asked her mother. "You've had a long day today."

"Tell me about it." Sunny said, sighing. "I feel that if I don't get enough sleep tonight, someone's going to have hell to pay."

Glaze smiled as her daughter left the table. "Good night, sweetie."

"Good night." said Sunny as she left the dining room.

A few minutes later, Stellar returned. "Where'd Sunny go?"

"She went to bed early. The day really took its toll on her." said Glaze. "So...what's the word?"

Stellar sighed. "The higher-ups know as much as we do at this point. Hopefully we'll get some answers soon...the Friendship Games are within a few days."

Alleviating Boredom

Author's Note

Three days until the Friendship Games.

Alleviating Boredom

Sunny woke up feeling refreshed. I guess I won't be giving anyone hell to pay after all. she thought with a smile. She got dressed and headed downstairs. "Good morning!" she said.

"Good morning!" said her parents.

"Sounds like you got a good night's sleep!" said Stellar.

"Thankfully, yes." said Sunny. "I feel better already." she smiled. "I feel like I could seize the day easily!"

"That's good to hear!" said Glaze.

"Well, I should be off. I don't want to keep the bus waiting!" she said as she closed the door.

Sunny sprinted to the bus stop and made it with seconds to spare. She wiped some sweat off her brow and breathed a sigh of relief as she found a seat and sat down. That may have been a but too close for comfort. She closed her eyes and threw her head back, relaxing as the bus took her to Crystal Prep.

Once the bus had stopped, Sunny stepped out and entered the school. She looked around the halls and sighed. Hmm. Doesn't seem to be anything noteworthy going on right now...might as well get to class.

After her class, Sunny roamed the hallways until she heard two familiar voices. That sounds like Twilight Sparkle and Lemon Zest... she leaned over and heard the two talking. Might as well stick around. I might be able to have some fun after all...

Once Twilight and Lemon finished their conversation, Sunny couldn't help but laugh as she stepped out into plain view.

"Sunny Flare?" said Lemon, surprise on her face.

"Ahahahahaaa...Oh, man. I haven't laughed like that in a while." said Sunny. And have I ever needed it. she thought.

"What's so funny? ...And while it's fresh in my mind, why the hell have you been giving me funny looks all this time?!" demanded Lemon.

"One: You and Twilight. Two: You're cute when you're paranoid." said Sunny.

Lemon blinked. "Are you hitting on me?"

Sunny Flare smirked. "What do you think?"

Lemon let out a frustrated grunt. "Enough with the bullshit, Sunny Flare. Just spit it out. What do you want?"

Sunny sighed. "Fine. You're no fun. I just want you to know that your friendships with Twilight Sparkle and Sour Sweet are temporary, at best."

Lemon blinked. "Wait, what?"

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Ms. 'herd mentality'."

Lemon gasped. "You heard my whole rant?"

Sunny grinned widely. "I wouldn't be surprised if at least half the school heard it. Look, my point is that during the so-called Friendship Games, we'll all be friends until the end. Of the Friendship Games, that is. I'm sure there's a good chance we'll all throw each other under a bus 'every goddamn time we get the chance', but-"

"Stop quoting me, it drives me crazy when you pull that shit!" growled Lemon.

Sunny smiled. "You like to deprive me of my fun, don't you? I thoughtIwas the designated school sadist."

"Just get to the fucking bottom line already!" snapped Lemon.

Sunny sighed with a smile on her face. "Did I mention you're cute when you're pissed?"

"Okay. I'm done." Lemon started to walk away before Sunny grabbed her by the arm. "What?! If you have something to say, just say it!"

"All right, all right!" said Sunny. "Bottom line: We'll all only be friends during the 'Friendship Games'. What you have going on with Sour Sweet and Twilight won't last beyond that."

"You're a cynic, Sunny Flare." said Lemon.

"And don't you forget it, sweetie." Sunny smiled as she let go of Lemon's arm. "Hmph. 'Friendship is magic.' That nonsense is for little girls. We're teenagers, we've moved beyond that point."

"Yours must be a sad and lonely existence, Sunny." said Lemon.

Sunny barked a laugh. "Oh, please!" she said. "If anyone's existence is sad and lonely, it's most likely Sour Sweet's!"

"You don't know what she's been through." Lemon said through clenched teeth.

"But you know I'm not far off the mark." said Sunny.

"That's. Not. The. Point." said Lemon, her face reddening.

The bell rang, and Sunny Flare darted to her class. I needed that more than I thought I did... she thought as she entered her next class.

Sunny left her class. So where do I go from here? she thought. I don't have an appointment with Crystal Clarity, and I don't know where Lemon is... Sunny rolled her eyes. What am I saying? I'm a bitch, not a stalker. she made a sputtering noise. It's times like this that make me wish this school had someone who's all about parties. Damn near everyone here is boring. She sighed. Bored, bored bored... With nothing else to do, Sunny shrugged and went to her next class.

Sunny exited the classroom. You know, at this point having a blackout might just be preferable to the boredom I'm suffering right now... She put the palm of her hand to her face and dragged it down to her chin. "So. BORED!" she said, nearly yelling.

"You could always masturbate." said Sugarcoat, who was nearly a foot behind her.

Sunny yelped and jumped, caught off guard not only by Sugarcoat but her suggestion to alleviate boredom. "You shouldn't say that in public!" she snapped.

"I just did." Sugarcoat said, smiling faintly. "Last time I checked, that wasn't a crime. At least, not in a high school."

Sunny opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. She opened it again, only to close it again a second later.

"You don't look like you're bored anymore." said Sugarcoat.

Sunny blinked, then sighed.

"You're welcome!" said Sugarcoat as she walked off to her next class.

Sunny rolled her eyes as she watched Sugarcoat get further and further away, then shook her head slowly. I swear, sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by idiots...and yet, she did distract me from my boredom. Even if only momentarily. I suppose I should move on with my day just to get it over with. "'You could always masturbate'..." she muttered under her breath, shaking her head and rolling her eyes again as she went to her next class.

The Day Drags On

Sunny trudged out of the classroom. I almost fell asleep in class! That's never happened before! She started pulling at her hair in frustration. I can't for the life of me remember the last time I've been this bored! She pulled at her eye sockets and growled.

"Bored?" said a voice behind her.

Sunny turned around to see Indigo Zap, thankfully not as close to her as Sugarcoat was.

"No, I'm trying to stretch my body because it's been my lifelong dream to break the world record for tallest human." Sunny said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Indigo.

Indigo snickered. "I didn't think you had a sense of humor."

Sunny shrugged. "Whatever gets me through a day as slow and uneventful as this."

Indigo smiled. "I hear that. I almost want to tempt fate just so something interesting would happen."

"That's hardly ever a good idea." said Sunny.

"You'd rather be bored out of your skull than have anything interesting happen today?" asked Indigo.

"I'd rather be bored out of my skull than risk a chance of any sort of catastrophe." said Sunny.

"Hey, sometimes the reward makes the risk worth it." said Indigo.

"Sometimes." said Sunny.

"Look, it's not like I want the apocalypse." Indigo thought for a moment. "I just want something that's non-lethal and harmless but still exciting to happen."

"Such as?" asked Sunny.

Indigo shrugged. "I don't know! I'm so fucking bored I think my imagination put itself out of its misery!"

Sunny blinked.

"What?" said Indigo. "I can't think of anything creative right now, that's the best reason I can think of!"

Sunny rolled her eyes. Perhaps I am indeed surrounded by idiots. Perhaps.

"Oh, come on!" said Indigo. "Surely this boredom's been affecting your brain as well."

"Maybe just a little." admitted Sunny. "I feel like I might be on the verge of losing my mind!" And not just because of the boredom, either. she thought. "Got any ideas on how to kill this boredom of ours?"

Indigo grinned. "I do, but I think we'd get ten to twenty years if we followed through with it."

Sunny blinked again.

Indigo laughed. "I'm just kidding. I've got nothing right now."

Sunny groaned, frustrated. "Then why am I even talking to you?!"

"You've got nothing better to do." Indigo said, smiling.

The bell for the next period rang.

"I do now!" Sunny said in a singsong voice. "Ta-ta!"

Another class, another one hundred brain cells destroyed thanks to boredom. Sunny thought as she left her classroom.

"Incoming!" shouted a voice from behind her, approaching at a fairly rapid speed. Sunny yelped and jumped to the side as Indigo passed her by, rolling on the wheels hidden from within her sneakers.

At least she seems to be having fun. thought Sunny, feeling slightly jealous. Maybe I should try something like that. Her eyes widened and she shook her head. What am I thinking? That sort of behavior doesn't suit me. I mean, I know I'm bored, but still!

"She can be so annoying sometimes." Sugarcoat said, once again nearly a foot away from Sunny.

Sunny yelped again. "Don't you have any respect for personal space?!" she yelled. "How do you keep doing that anyway?"

Sugarcoat smiled. "It's easy to sneak up on people when they're lost in thought."

Sunny sighed. "Okay, you've got a point." she begrudgingly admitted. "Do you have any ideas on how to kill boredom?"

Sugarcoat opened her mouth.

"Besides masturbation?" Sunny said, unfortunately loud enough for any nearby people to hear. Several students stopped and gawked at her as she buried her head in her hands.

"You don't seem to be bored anymore." said Sugarcoat, smiling.

"Go to hell, Sugarcoat...go to hell." Sunny said, her face still buried in her hands.

"You're welcome!" said Sugarcoat as she walked away.

Great. Not only am I fully convinced that I'm surrounded by idiots, now I look and feel like an idiot as well! Sunny thought as she grumbled and muttered under her breath. Once she finished, she sighed and went to her next class.

Lunch time. Sunny thought as she left the classroom. What sort of lunacy are Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap going to force me through this time? Quickly snapping out of her thoughts, she scanned her surroundings. Perfect. Just perfect. she thought as she put the palm of her hand to her face and dragged it down her features. I'm surrounded by idiots, I look and feel like an idiot, and to top it all off, I'm getting paranoid! She grunted in frustration. I almost prefer boredom over this madness!

"Sunny Flare?" said a voice behind her.

Sunny yelped, then lost her temper. "Son of a bitch! Can't I go at least one fucking period without being startled?!" She panted, her body shaking from fury. Sunny turned around to see Dean Cadence, and she blanched. "Hi...Dean...Cadence." she said sheepishly.

"Are you okay, Sunny?" Cadence asked.

Sunny sighed deeply. "I've just been having a rough couple of passing periods, that's all." she said as she began to calm down. "First boredom, then stupidity, then boredom again, then stupidity again..." she felt her anger rise, but calmed it down with another sigh. "Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap were trying to cure me of my boredom, but at the same time doing so at my expense. Well, not every time I spoke to them." She pulled at her eye sockets. "I swear, this day has been ridiculously boring and it's been driving me mad!"

Cadence smiled. "I understand. Have you tried making friends?"

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Like I haven't heard that a million times already." she sighed.

"I know this isn't the ideal place for friendship, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't at least give it a chance." said Cadence.

Sunny sighed. "Yeah...I guess." Suddenly, she felt a huge pang. She cried out in pain.

Cadence ran over to Sunny. "Sunny! Are you okay?"

"I...I think so..." she said as she tried to catch her breath. Before she could say another word, a fresh wave of pain rippled through her body and she blacked out.

Author's Note

More comedy before the storm that's coming...

Harsh Reality

Sunny opened her eyes to the park that she and Rutherford had met. She sighed. "There's got to be a less painful way to see you." she said as Rutherford materialized in front of her.

"If I could help it, I would." he said, smiling.

"I suppose so." said Sunny. She sighed. "You wouldn't happen to know how the principal of my school knew about your death, would you?"

"Sunflare...I hate to break it to you, but I don't know. I'm just a figment of your subconscious, not the actual ghost of your late boyfriend." said Rutherford.

Sunny felt a lump in her throat. "I've known that all this time. I just wanted to keep up the illusion as long as I could..." she sniffled.

"I'm sorry." Rutherford said.

"Great. My subconscious is apologizing to me for taking the form of the love of my life who died in a car crash." Sunny said. "If that isn't insanity on some level, I don't know what is." She sighed deeply.

"Hey." Rutherford said, slowly putting his arm around Sunny. "Subconscious or not, I'm still here for you."

Sunny smiled sadly. "I know. I just miss the real you. No offense." she said, raising her arms.

Rutherford smiled. "None taken, Sunflare. None taken."

Sunny made a sputtering noise. "Well, now that we've acknowledged the elephant in the room, where do we go from here?"

Rutherford shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, but I think our time is up."

Before she could say anything, she regained conciousness.

Sunny opened her eyes and found herself in the nurse's office. Sitting next to her was Dean Cadence.

"Well," said Cadence, smiling. "You did want something to do to pass the time."

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah... I know."

"Have you ever thought of taking medication to curb the stomach pain?" said Cadence.

Sunny blinked. "I don't know if I want to."

"I understand why you wouldn't, but aren't you at least a little worried about the potential damage to your body?" said Cadence.

"You mean besides the damage already done by my..." Sunny trailed off. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable talking about it. she thought with a sigh.

"Well, yes." said Cadence.

"I'll tell you what." said Sunny. "I'll talk to my parents about it, then get back to you."

"I suppose that's fair enough." said Cadence.

"What time is it, anyway?" Sunny asked.

Cadence looked at the clock on the wall. "It's about time to go." she said. "You'd better hurry if you want to catch your bus home."

Sunny bolted out of the nurse's office running as fast as she could, not bothering to stop and speak to other people. All pain aside, that was preferable to boredom. she thought. She had made it to the bus on time, but spent nearly the entire way home catching her breath. Okay, I think this settles it. I need to work on cardio a bit more often.

The bus stopped next to her house and she opened the door, relieved to be home. "Hello!" she said as she entered the kitchen.

"Hello!" said Stellar.

"How was school today, sweetie?" asked Glaze.

Sunny rolled her eyes and sighed. "Boring. Very, very, boring. For the most part, anyway."

"'The most part'?" asked Stellar.

"I had another blackout." Sunny said, averting her gaze from her parents.

Glaze sighed. "I think we should start thinking about how to prevent that from happening in the future."

"Actually, it's funny you should say that, mother." said Sunny. "Dean Cadence brought up the possibility of me taking medication 'to curb the stomach pains'."

Stellar thought for a moment. "I suppose that's a good idea."

"But I'm not so sure I want to." Sunny said.

"Why not?" asked her mother.

"I think you can imagine why." Sunny said.

Stellar sighed. "Honey...you know that's not really-"

"Of course I know it's not him!" Sunny snapped. "I've known that from the beginning!" she paused, then buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I already had that conversation with 'Rutherford' when I blacked out today." she sighed. "I just wanted to believe it was really him in some way, shape or form so very badly." she sniffled. "But the illusion was good while it lasted." she started sobbing as her knees buckled.

Glaze ran over to her and held her daughter up as she buried herself into her mother's chest, gently stroking her hair while whispering words of comfort into her ear.

A few minutes later, Sunny had calmed down then sighed. "Life can be so unfair sometimes." she said, blowing her nose.

"It sure can." said Stellar. "But the important thing here is that you're trying to move on as best you can." he smiled.

"I am." said Sunny. "It's difficult, but I am." she wiped a tear from her eyes.

Glaze looked at her daughter. "You don't have to take the medication if you don't want to." she said.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure on that. While I get to see Rutherford, or at least a facsimile of him, Dean Cadence brought up a good point." said Sunny.

"And that would be?" her father asked.

"Well, Cadence asked me if I was worried about the potential damage the stomach pains were causing my body." said Sunny.

"You mean besides the mis-" her mother started to say before Sunny cut her off.

"Yes, I said that too." said Sunny. "I just don't know." she sighed.

"Well you have some time to think on it, honey." said Glaze.

"Which I'm grateful for." said Sunny. "But I don't plan on taking too long. This seems too serious to just put on the shelf."

"Agreed." said Stellar. "Now that all of that's out of the way, how about dinner?"

Dinner had been uneventful, but at least not as long and boring as her day at school was. Afterwards, Sunny went straight upstairs. Who knew such a boring day could be so exhausting? she thought to herself as she turned out the light. She fell asleep within an hour.

Backlash

Author's Note

Two days until the Friendship Games.

Backlash

Sunny woke up with a sigh. Today better not be like yesterday. she thought. I've had enough boredom to last a lifetime! She put on her uniform and went downstairs.

"Good morning!" she said as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning." said Glaze.

"Good morning." said Stellar.

"Sorry I can't stay and chat, but I just want the school day to be done and over with. Goodbye!" she said as she shut the door behind her.

Sunny boarded the bus, then sank into her seat slowly, sighing. Maybe I should have stuck around a little bit at least. she thought, feeling guilty that she didn't hold a conversation with her parents. Well, what's done is done. She stared out the window as Crystal Prep came into view.

She got off the bus, keeping an eye open for Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap. She entered the halls of Crystal Prep, then bumped into Sour Sweet, who had tears in her eyes. Sunny blinked.

"I don't want to hear a goddamn word out of your mouth or so help me I'll turn your entire fucking skin black and red to go along with your shade of blue!" she shouted.

Sunny blinked again, almost nervous at the sight and decided to leave her be.

"What's her problem?" Sunny thought out loud.

"She and Lemon Zest had a falling out." said Sugarcoat, just a foot away from Sunny. Again.

Sunny let out a yelp. "Stop fucking doing that!!!" she yelled, then paused. "Wait...what did you just say?"

"I said Sour and Lemon had a falling out." Sugarcoat repeated. "Apparently Twilight told her everything that happened between the two of them and that pissed Sour off." Sugarcoat paused for a moment, then sighed. "I already regret telling you." she said as she left Sunny on her own.

Interesting... Sunny thought as she made her way to class.

After class ended, she scanned the hallways until she found her target. "Hey there." said Sunny Flare.

Lemon sighed. "What do you want?"

Sunny smiled. "Heard about your falling out with Sour Sweet. I haven't seen her since then."

"Yeah? So what?" said Lemon.

"Aww. Is that the reaction I'm getting out of you? Darn, I thought you'd try to come at me or something." said Sunny.

"Not in the mood, Flare." said Lemon.

Sunny smiled. "Oho, last name only? Are you finally coming on to me?"

Lemon rolled her eyes. "If by 'coming on to you' you mean resisting the urge to shove my foot up your ass. I wouldn't do it though, something tells me you'd enjoy it."

Sunny laughed. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm a sadist, not a masochist."

Lemon rolled her eyes again. "Sometimes I wonder. Is there anything you want? Like...oh, I don't know...gloating?"

Sunny put her hand to her mouth in mock astonishment. "Why, Lemon Zest, whatever makes you think I'd do that? I wasn't the one who spilled the beans to one of her only friends. That was all you." Lemon's face began turning red. "Oh, goodness!" said Sunny. "You're turning a most delightful shade of red, it's very becoming!"

Lemon snarled. "Isn't their someone else you can piss off and masturbate to their misery?"

What is it with people here and masturbating?! Sunny thought. Setting that thought to the side, she grinned. "You're the best target in all of Crystal Prep Academy! Why would I ever aim for anyone else?"

"Keep testing me, and I just might give you a damn good reason." said Lemon.

"Such as?" asked Sunny. Oh, this ought to be good.

"Last warning, Flare." said Lemon. "I don't want to have to do this."

"What's with you and last names?" asked Sunny. "Besides, you know nothing about me."

Lemon allowed herself a smile. "Interesting choice of words, Sunny Flare. How about this last name, then...Rutherford."

Sunny Flare blanched. "Uh...what was that?" Maybe I misheard her.

"I. Said. Rutherford." said Lemon.

"How...how do you..." said Sunny. No! She knows too?! Sunny thought. What the hell is going on?!

"Like I'd tell you." said Lemon. "And if I know about Rutherford, then I'm sure you've gathered that I also know about your-"

"Don't say it!" said Sunny, tears forming in her eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be the nice one..." She even knows about the miscarriage?! she thought, her mind reeling from shock.

"Are you familiar with the phrase 'Even Buddha will get upset if he's hit in the face three times?'" said Lemon. "Well, I've been hit in the face too many goddamn times! It's time I started pushing back. I've been putting up with Crystal Prep Academy's bullshit for far too long. All the competitiveness, the backstabbing... I have had enough!"

"Wait...are you...?" Sunny looked at Lemon.

"Here's what you're going to do, Sunny Flare." said Lemon.

"You...you're blackmailing me?!" said Sunny.

"After all the shit I've been through, I'd like some sort of...'compensation' for all the grief you and the other girls have caused me." said Lemon.

"What makes you think they'll listen to you?" said Sunny.

"I know all the deepest, darkest secrets of our fellow Shadowbolts." Lemon said.

Sunny Flare's eyes narrowed. "You're bluffing."

"Are you willing to take that chance?" said Lemon. "I'm starting to think it really would kill everyone here to be nice to each other."

"Okay." Sunny sighed. "What is it you want?"

"That's more like it." said Lemon. "What I want...Sunny Flare...is for you and the other Shadowbolts to treat each other nicely. I'm not asking or forcing you all to be friends, I'm not so sweet and naive as to believe that's possible. At the very least, try to be civil with one another."

Sunny blinked. "That's all you want?"

Lemon's expression hardened. "What, you were expecting a sexual favor? As you just said to me; 'Don't flatter yourself'. Now go spread the word..." Lemon narrowed her eyes. "And get the fuck out of my sight." she hissed.

Sunny nodded and ran off. As soon as she knew Lemon Zest couldn't see her, her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. She burst into tears, bawling.

Spreading the Word

Sunny eventually regained control of her emotions, but her mind was still reeling. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. Before she could even come up with another thought, the bell for second period rang.

"I'm late for class!" she said, panicking. I'll have to regroup my thoughts later. Class first.

With second period over, Sunny slowly gathered her thoughts. I still can't believe she did that to me! she thought, her encounter with Lemon Zest still quite fresh in her mind. She knew about Rutherford and was even willing to bring up the... she sighed. I suppose that's another thing I deluded myself over. That Lemon wouldn't fight back. That I didn't have it coming. That she was one of the nice girls around here. Was. How long before Twilight Sparkle snaps? she shook her head. No. Now's not the time. I've got to find the team, tell them what Lemon told me... she sighed again. And lay low for a while.

Sunny Flare scanned the halls while keeping an eye on the time. So I have to find Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, Suri Polomare, Trender, Neon Lights, Jet Set, Upper Crust and Royal Pin. The first two shouldn't be hard at least...

"Incoming!" said a voice, rapidly approaching her.

Sunny sidestepped then crouched and extended her leg, tripping Indigo.

"Ow!" Indigo cried as she the floor with a thud. "What the hell was that for, Sunny?"

"I was trying to get your attention." Sunny said.

"Well, you succeeded." Indigo said, dusting herself off. "So what gives?"

"Lemon somehow knows all of our deepest, darkest secrets and is blackmailing us into playing nice with each other throughout the Friendship Games." Sunny said.

Indigo stared at Sunny, her jaw dropped. She blinked, then burst into a laughing fit. "Holy shit, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

Sunny sighed. "Indigo."

"I mean, can you imagine? Lemon Zest! Blackmailing not just you, but the entire team?!" Indigo laughed harder.

"Indigo!" Sunny growled.

"You should use that as a line for a stand-up routine or something!" said Indigo.

"Goddammit, Indigo Zap, LISTEN TO ME!" she yelled, grabbing her by the collar and forcefully pinning her to a nearby locker.

Indigo's eyes widened in shock. "Okay, okay! Jesus, Sunny. I believe you."

"Good." Sunny said, releasing Indigo. That's one down.

The warning bell for third period rang.

Sunny got out of her third period classroom. She quickly looked behind her to see Sugarcoat, standing about a foot away.

"Okay, you got me this time." said Sugarcoat.

"Sugarcoat, Lemon Zest knows all of our deepest darkest secrets and she's blackmailing us into playing nice throughout the Friendship Games!"

Sugarcoat blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "I call bullshit," she said.

Sunny Flare gave Sugarcoat the most frightening death stare she could muster.

Sugarcoat's eyes widened. "I believe you."

Well, that was easy. Six to go. thought Sunny.

The warning bell for fourth period rang while she continued her search. After class then.

After Sunny got out of her fourth period class, she ran through the halls and bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going...okay?" a voice said.

Sunny recognized the verbal tic immediately. "Suri." she said. "Lemon Zest knows all of our deepest, darkest secrets and she's blackmailing us all into playing nice with each other during the Friendship Games!"

Suri scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like she'd ever do something like that."

Sunny let her temper rise enough to show anger, but not enough to the point where she'd get rough. "Suri. Polomare." she said through clenched teeth. "I have had the week from hell. I have suffered in ways you cannot possibly imagine." she glared at Suri. "And I can make you suffer in ways you cannot possibly imagine." Sunny got so close to Suri, the latter could feel the former's hot breath on her neck. "Do you believe me now??"

Suri blanched. "Y-y-y-y-yes." she stammered.

"Good." Sunny said, and stomped off in search of her next teammate as Suri hyperventilated and fanned herself to calm down. "Five left." Sunny muttered under her breath.

The warning bell for fifth period rang.

It was now lunchtime, which meant Sunny had ample time to find Jet Set and Upper Crust sitting at their regular table in the cafeteria. Finding them was the easy part. Convincing them was harder than she imagined. It took her almost the entire lunch period to get it through their thick skulls that she was telling the truth. She thanked her lucky stars that she just barely had enough time to eat.

Two for the price of one, three remaining. Sunny thought.

The warning bell for sixth period rang.

Sunny sighed as she began to feel weary from seeking out her teammates. Only three left, Sunny Flare. You can do this! She nearly ran into a dark blue-skinned student. Sunny blinked. "Royal Pin?"

"Yes, that's me." he said, smiling. "How can I help you?"

Sunny sighed. "I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but one of our teammates, Lemon Zest, is blackmailing us all into playing nice with each other during the Friendship Games."

Royal Pin sighed. "Another one succumbs to the madness, I see."

Sunny blinked. "Wait, you believe me?"

"Indeed I do." said Royal. "I've seen it happen before. It's happened to the best of us. I fear it's only a matter of time before I fall victim to it myself."

"Thank you for making this easier for me." Sunny said, smiling genuinely.

"You're welcome." said Royal.

Two left! thought Sunny, feeling a rush of excitement.

The warning bell for seventh period rang.

Seventh period had ended, and Sunny bolted out of her classroom, nearly bumping into a student. She stopped just short, then realized who it was. "Neon Lights," she shouted.

"Yes," he asked as he turned around.

"One of our teammates, Lemon Zest, knows our deepest, darkest secrets and is using them to blackmail us into playing nice with each other during the Friendship Games!" Sunny said.

Neon gasped, visibly disturbed. "That's all I need to hear." he said.

Wow, whatever he's hiding must be pretty serious for him to react like that. thought Sunny. One left...

The warning bell for the final period of the day rang.

Sunny Flare was in such a panic to find Trender that it took her a couple of seconds to remember that he was in the same class as her. She slapped the palm of her hand to her face, then dragged it down to the bottom of her chin. She ran back into the classroom, catching him before he went to find his bus.

"Trender!" said Sunny.

Trender looked at her. "Yes?"

"One of our teammates has found out our deepest, darkest secrets and is using them to blackmail us into playing nice at the Friendship Games!" Sunny said.

"No!" said Trender, horrified. "Not my reputation!!"

Well at least he's convinced. Sunny said. She made her way to the buses. "My work here is done." she said, satisfied.

Exhaustion

Sunny boarded the bus and sighed deeply. Ugh. That was a very, very tiring experience for me. She sunk into her seat and put head into her hands. And there's the funeral tomorrow... Sunny made a frustrated grunt. Am I even going to have enough energy for the Friendship Games on Friday? "A good night's sleep would be nice." she thought out loud.

Once Sunny reached her bus stop, she got out of the bus. She entered her home. "Hello." she said.

"Rough day?" asked Stellar.

Sunny rolled her eyes. "What was your first guess?" Sunny said bitterly.

"That bad, huh?" asked Glaze.

"I don't really want to talk about it all that much, honestly." said Sunny.

"Fair enough." said her father. "But if you change your mind, you know you can talk to either of both of us."

Sunny smiled. "I know."

"Have you given any thought about the medication?" asked her mother.

"I haven't. Today was so hectic it was one of the last things on my mind. I promise I'll sleep on it." she said.

"Okay, but you need to make your mind up by tomorrow morning." said her mother.

"Understood". said Sunny. She sighed. "Speaking of which, I'm dreading tomorrow."

Glaze nodded. "That's understandable. We're not looking forward to it either."

"It's going to be painful, I know." said Stellar.

Sunny put her head in her hands. "That's putting it lightly. I have no doubt that I'll burst into tears several times, cursing the heavens for taking Rutherford for me, bawling over his casket..." she sniffled. "Crying in front of his parents who I still feel like I don't deserve to talk to, apologizing to them even though I know did nothing wrong by surviving..." her voice cracked. "Watching his casket lower...saying goodbye to him one last..." she trailed off and started sobbing uncontrollably, her body shaking with emotion.

Glaze and Stellar ran to their daughter and embraced her a strong hug.

"I know this whole week's been tough on you, Sunny." said her father. "Nobody should have to go through what you have."

"Your father and I are here for you." said Glaze.

Several minutes passed until Sunny calmed down. She let out a deep sigh, shuddering. "I'm going to be so drained by the end of this week."

"I think we all are." said Glaze.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm getting hungry." said Sunny.

"Dinner does sound good right about now." said Stellar. "How does Chineighese sound?"

After dinner, Sunny Flare flopped on her bed and yawned. "Better get a good night's sleep." she muttered under her breath as she turned out the light. Sleep overtook her in a near instant.

Sunny opened her eyes and found herself in the last place she expected.

"Wait...what am I doing here?"

She was standing in the park where she and Rutherford met.

"Over here." Rutherford said, just a few feet away from Sunny. She walked over to him.

"I thought you could only show up if I had those stomach pains." said Sunny.

Rutherford smiled. "Things change."

Sunny smiled back. "So." she said, worried about how he'd respond. "What do you think about the medication issue?"

"Personally, I think you should take it." he said.

Sunny smiled, tears in her eyes. "Somehow, I knew you were going to say that."

"It's your body, Sunflare. I'm not going to force you to take the medication, even if I could." Rutherford said.

"I think that statement is ironic, considering you're the manifestation of my subconscious." said Sunny. "Which would mean that it's also your body...I think."

Rutherford laughed. "Okay, sure. We'll go with that."

Sunny laughed with him, then sighed. "I've decided that I'll take the medication. I'd rather not risk any more physical trauma than I might already have." Sunny said. "But right now, I almost don't want to wake up."

"Why?" asked Rutherford. "Because I'm here, or because of the funeral?"

"Both, actually." said Sunny. "I mean, this whole week has been mentally, physically and emotionally draining. I just want it to be over with already."

Rutherford smiled. "I get that." He put an arm around Sunny's shoulder. "Look. I know tomorrow's going to be very emotional for you. You'll have to come face to face with my mother and father. You're going to see my corpse. You're-"

"You're not helping!" Sunny shouted, tears streaming down her face. "I don't need, nor do I want any more reminders about the funeral. It's painful enough that I have to watch your casket get lowered tomorrow evening, or have to come face to face with family of yours that I not only haven't met, but likely didn't even know existed!" Sunny sighed, then sniffled.

"Sunflare..."

"I know you're my subconscious, but do you have any idea what I've been through the last few days? I've been through an absolute hell!" Sunny said. "Killed by a drunk driver, who I hope dies a slow and painful death from a cancer of the liver. Constantly being reminded of your death in any way, shape or form. Constantly being told I should make friends when I'm still not sure I'm ready for it. It's all becoming overwhelming and I just want Friday to be over so it can stop already!!"

"Sunny." said Rutherford. "Even after the Friendship Games, I doubt the pain will leave you. It'd be too soon."

"I know." said Sunny, sniffling. "I just needed to vent. It's been a nonstop roller coaster ride of emotions for me and my parents." she sighed. "They must be worried sick about me. I'm sure they were even before I tried to get myself run over by a car on the highway." She laughed bitterly. "Not one of my prouder moments." she sniffled again. "God I miss you so much."

Rutherford hugged Sunny. "Just remember, Sunny Flare. I'll always be with you. I'll always be a part of you."

"But it's not the same to me as feeling your touch." Sunny said.

"I know." said Rutherford. "Just keep what I said in mind, okay?"

"I will." Sunny said as she broke the hug, then woke up.

Thursday Morning

Author's Note

The Friendship Games are tomorrow.

Thursday Morning

Sunny Flare opened her eyes. Well, today's the day. she thought with a heavy sigh. Better power through it and thank the universe I'm not an alcoholic. She trudged out of her room in her uniform, sighing again.

"Hi." Sunny said flatly as she entered the kitchen.

"Hey, sweetie." said her mother as she gave Sunny a hug. Sunny fought back the tears she could already feel coming until her father joined in the hug, which broke her as she buried her head into her mother's chest.

"I know, I know..." said Stellar. "It's not fair. We can all agree on that." Glaze felt Sunny nod her head against her chest as the muffled sobs continued from her mourning daughter. A few minutes later Sunny calmed down and broke the hug.

She sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "Well, that's the first of many for today." she said, bitterness in her voice.

"You'll get through this." said Stellar.

"I know." said Sunny. "Pardon my French, but the healing process can be a real bitch."

"Amen to that, Sunny. Amen to that." said Glaze.

Sunny took a deep breath and exhaled. "Well...here I go." she said, then left home.

The bus ride to Crystal Prep was uneventful, save for her fellow students chattering on and on about the Friendship Games. Well, that was fine by Sunny. At this point she'd welcome almost any kind of distraction. The bus stopped in front of Crystal Prep, and Sunny exited the vehicle.

Sunny walked to the entrance, keeping her eyes peeled for Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, but most of all Lemon Zest. She still couldn't believe Lemon knew about her boyfriend and the incident! We're all going to play nice together during the Friendship Games, but after that, she is fucking dead. Sunny thought, letting her anger take hold of her momentarily before sighing. I don't want to see her or any of the other Shadowbolts today if I can help it.

The warning bell for the first period of the day rang, bringing Sunny Flare out of her thoughts. One thing at a time, she told herself. Schoolwork calls.

After first period, Sunny left the classroom and again kept her eyes open for any of her teammates before nearly bumping into someone. Sunny yelped as she noticed someone in front of her, before calming down when she looked at Dean Cadence's face.

"Good morning, Sunny." said Cadence, a smile on her face.

"Hi." Sunny said, practically monotone.

Cadence looked at Sunny with concern. "Is everything okay?"

Sunny sighed deeply. "No."

"What's wrong?" Cadence asked.

Sunny looked into Cadence's eyes for several moments before taking a deep breath and exhaling. "The funeral is tonight." Sunny said, averting her eyes from the Dean.

"I can only imagine what you must be feeling right now." Cadence said, with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Better to imagine than to feel what I'm feeling right now." Sunny said. "I almost want to trade places with you, just so I don't feel pain over this loss any more."

Cadence put her arms on Sunny's shoulders. "Sunny Flare." she said. "Loss and death are a part of life. It happens to everyone. Besides..." she said. "I don't think you'd want to trade places with me." A lone tear fell from Cadence's eyes, shocking Sunny.

"Dean Cadence..." Sunny said. "Are you okay?"

Cadence wiped the tear from her eye. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Just an old memory passing through my mind. But enough about that." she said, rather eager to change the subject. "Have you made a decision on the medication?"

It's probably best not to push the issue with her. Sunny thought. "I have. I decided that I'm going to take the medication." Sunny smiled sadly. "Besides, I've had more than enough pain to go around lately."

"Wonderful." Cadence said, smiling. "I'll get in touch with the nurse's office during your second period class and you can pick it up afterwards."

"Discreetly?" asked Sunny.

"If you so wish. I understand how personal this issue is for you, Sunny Flare, and you have my condolences. Give my regards to your parents, won't you?" said Cadence.

Sunny nodded. "Of course I will. Thank you, Dean Cadence."

"You're quite welcome." Cadence said, giving Sunny a hug. The warning bell for second period rang and the hug broke. "Now off to class with you." Cadence said gently, with a smile.

Sunny waved goodbye to the Dean, then headed towards her second period class, smiling earnestly for the first time in what felt like a long time.

Second period had ended, and Sunny made her way to the nurse's office to pick up the medication. She made sure that nobody she recognized saw her, as she wanted to avoid any and all questions that might come from witnessing her leave the office while putting something in her pocket. The third period warning bell rang, prompting Sunny to rush to her next class.

As she left her third period class, Sunny found herself reflecting on Dean Cadence. That's going to bother me. I haven't seen her cry before, and she's always been a calm and collected sort of person. She shoved the issue to the back of her mind. But that's her business, not mine. she thought. Still...I can't help but worry about her. Sunny arrived at her fourth period class early.

Fourth period was uneventful, and Sunny Flare knew lunch was just around the corner. That meant she'd have to be extra wary and double her efforts to steer clear of her teammates. I'm not in the mood for interacting with any of them if I can help it. she thought, continuously scanning the hallways until she reached her Fifth period class.

It was now lunch time, and while Sunny was hungry, she kept her eyes peeled for her teammates. At this point, I don't care if I look like a paranoid lunatic. I'd rather play it safe than-

"Sunny." said a familiar voice.

Sunny yelped, then sighed deeply as she saw the owner of the voice.

"Come with me. Principal Cinch wants the team to meet." said Sour Sweet.

Team Meeting

Sunny Flare stared at Sour Sweet. "Okay. Fine." Sunny said. "Let's get this over with." I knew I'd have to go to a team meeting and that I was hoping against hope. she thought as she sighed.

"I don't like this any more than you do!" Sour snapped. "I know what you've been doing to Lemon Zest. If I had my way, I'd make you bloodier than her and me after both fights combined!" She took a deep breath and exhaled. "If she did anything to hurt you, you more than deserved it."

Rage slowly built within Sunny as she clenched her hands into fists. "You don't know what I've been through, you obnoxious bipolar bitch."

Sour rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Get off your high horse, then go fuck yourself and the horse you rode in on." Before either of the girls could take action, their attention was diverted by a person clearing their throat. Sour's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! H-h-hi, Radiant Hope!" she said, smiling sheepishly.

"Hello, girls." said the guidance counselor. "Am I interrupting something important?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"N-n-n-not at all!" said Sour, raising her hands in defense. "Sunny Flare and I were just going to meet the rest of the team for the Friendship Games, but we got distracted and started a...heated debate." Sour gave Sunny a meaningful look. "Right, Sunny?" she asked.

Sunny wasn't in the mood to get into any trouble. Not in front of a staff member, at least. She decided to play along with Sour's ruse and nodded.

Hope looked at the two skeptically. "As long as that's all you were doing." she said. "We've had enough fights here on campus over the week as it is." she turned around. "Goodbye, girls. Try not to get into any trouble." Hope said as she walked away.

As soon as the two were certain Hope was out of range, they glared at each other.

"Later?" Sunny said, her eyes narrowed.

"Later." Sour said in agreement. "Let's just get this shitfest over with before we seriously try to kill each other on the spot."

Sour Sweet led Sunny into a room filled by Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Suri Polomare, Neon Lights, Royal Pin, Jet Set, Upper Crust and Trender.

Sunny waved to her teammates, then folded her arms. "All we need now is Lemon Zest."

"And Twilight Sparkle." said Sour.

Sunny blinked. "Wait, what? When did Twilight decide to compete? She's not the type for this sort of thing!"

"I'm pretty sure Principal Cinch 'convinced' her to join." Sour said, rolling her eyes.

"You mean like how Lemon 'convinced' us into playing nice for the Friendship Games?" said Sugarcoat.

Sour sighed. "Lemon might have a point, though. We've always treated each other like crap for the most part. Except for you, Royal Pin. You're all right." she smiled.

Royal smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

"That doesn't justify her actions, Sour." said Indigo.

"Maybe not, Indigo, but did all of you really believe something like this wouldn't happen?" Sour said. "Lemon and I have gotten into a fight in the hallway, everybody seems to like making each other paranoid..." She put her head in her hands and sighed again. "Something had to give eventually and that something was Lemon Zest. Is it really such a bad thing to try to be friends?"

Sunny rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Oh, please. Get off of your soapbox and get Lemon and Twilight so we can all move on with our lives."

"Shut the fuck up, Flare!" yelled Sour, getting in her face. "I don't care what sort of bullshit caused you to be the Queen Mother of all bitches, but if I hear one more goddamn word out of your mouth I swear to god I will find two pairs of the sharpest scissors in this school and jam each of them into both of your lower holes as hard as I fucking can!"

Silence engulfed the room, save for Sour's heavy breathing after her rant.

"I'm getting Lemon and Twilight." Sour said, opening the door. She slammed it so hard it startled everyone in the room.

Silence followed again until Indigo spoke up. "Holy shit. I don't think I've ever heard her make a threat like that before."

"Indeed." said Royal. "I believe you pushed the wrong buttons this time, Sunny."

"Congratulations." said Sugarcoat. "You've pissed Sour Sweet off even harder than Lemon Zest."

"Fuck you guys." Sunny said. "Fuck all of you." She turned around and wiped a tear from her face and stifled a sniffle.

A moment later, Sour returned with Lemon and Twilight.

"Obviously you know me, Twilight, Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap and Sunny Flare." said Sour as the three girls entered the room. "But here's the other half of the team." She said as she gestured toward six others.

"First off, this is Suri Polomare." Sour said.

Suri gave Lemon a nasty look. "Sunny Flare gave us your message. We all agree to your terms, but once the Friendship Games are over, we're going to make your life hell...okay?"

Lemon gulped nervously. "Actually...about that..." she said before Sour moved on to the next introduction.

"Not now, Lemon." said Sour. "This is Trender."

"Hello." he said. "I don't know how you found out all of our secrets, but I assure you that wewillfind yours...and when we do..." He made a fist with one hand and punched his other.

Lemon sighed.

"This is Neon Lights." said Sour, gesturing towards a light blue-skinned student with black hair and sunglasses.

"You are so dead after the games." he said, snarling.

"This is Royal Pin." Sour said.

Royal Pin scowled at Lemon. "How dare you." he said. "The knowledge you uncovered was meant to be confidential."

Lemon glanced behind herself to see Twilight slowly pulling at her hair with her mouth open and teeth clenched. Lemon frowned and put her hand on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight jerked a little, clearly startled by the sudden pressure she felt from her friend's hand. Lemon gave Twilight a reassuring smile. "Hey." Lemon whispered. "I've got your back."

Twilight calmed down slightly and smiled back. "Thanks." she said.

"Hey. What are friends for?" said Lemon, grinning.

"Oh get a room, you two!" said Sour. She paused for moment, then put the palm of her hand on her face as she sighed. "Anyway...moving on."

"Jet Set and Upper Crust, Crystal Prep Academy's power couple." Sour said.

"I'd say 'pleased to make your acquaintance'," said Jet Set, "but we all know that I'd be lying, given the circumstances."

"Indeed!" said Upper Crust. "The nerve!"

"And of course you already know me, Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, and Sugarcoat." said Sour.

"Mark my words, Lemon Zest...we will find out how you got that information. One way or another." said Sunny Flare. And then I'll pay you back. she thought.

"Yeah, Lemon, what the hell? I don't think anyone here's gone so far as to get dirt on other students just to protect themselves." said Indigo.

"That's a new level of fucked up, Zest." said Sugarcoat.

"But as you've heard, we agree to your terms." said Sour. "After the Friendship Games, however, all bets are off!"

Lemon nodded in understanding.

"Now that we have all that established...get the fuck out of our sight." said Sunny. Lemon and Twilight left the room, shortly followed by everyone else. Sunny sighed deeply. What the hell is wrong with this place? she thought before heading over to her sixth period class.

Funeral, Part II

It had taken longer than Sunny was used to for her to put herself back together. She took it as a sign that reuniting with Rutherford's parents had led to a much-needed release of emotions. Unfortunately, she knew she still had more where that came from.

"It's good to see you again, Sunny." said Solace. "I just wish it was under better circumstances..." she trailed off, and began crying into her husband's shoulder.

Sunny sighed deeply. "You and me both, Solace. You and me both."

"I think she speaks for all of us." Sunny's father said as he and her mother walked towards them.

"Stellar Tycoon. Shimmering Glaze." Sparks said, nodding to each of them. "How have things been for the two of you?"

"A little rocky, as I'm sure you can imagine." said Stellar.

"But other than that, things have been relatively okay." said Glaze.

"We are so very sorry for your loss." Stellar said.

"We can only imagine how hard things have been for you lately." said Glaze.

Solace regained control of her emotions, then walked over to Sunny's parents, embracing them in a fairly tight hug.

"It's been very hard for us these past few days." said Solace. "But knowing our son gave up his life to protect the one he loved helps a little." Solace gave a meaningful look to Sunny, who could feel more tears slowly approaching. "He knew what he was doing." she continued. "And our offer still stands, Sunny Flare. If you ever want to do something with us, don't hesitate to give us a call."

Sunny nodded, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I promise." she said with a sincere smile. "And I never break promises with...family." she said, feeling a lump in her throat as her voice cracked.

"You have no idea how much that means to us, Sunny." said Sparks. "You'll always be welcome in our home."

"I know." Sunny said. "I love the both of you." She said before breaking down again, hugging Sparks.

"I hate to interrupt this moment, but I think the service is starting." said Glaze.

"I think she needs a few minutes." said Sparks.

"No." said Sunny between sobs. "I need to go in there, even if I'm in the middle of crying."

"Very well, then. Let's go, shall we?" Sparks said as he took Sunny by the hand and held it tightly to show his emotional support for her.

Sunny nodded, tears still in her eyes.

As the service started, Sunny felt anxious about getting up on the podium. She sighed heavily, preparing herself for another breakdown. As if I haven't had enough of those.

"Sunny Flare."

Sunny nearly jumped in her seat as hearing her name snapped her out of her thoughts. Well...here we go. She slowly walked up to the podium, sighing heavily. "My name is Sunny Flare, and I...I was Rutherford's girlfriend." she started. "Rutherford and I met in a park by sheer chance. We started up a conversation, exchanged phone numbers...started a relationship..." she choked up a little. "I loved Rutherford so very much. More than anything or anyone." She steeled herself for what was to come. She took a deep breath and exhaled, shuddering. You can do this, Sunny Flare. You have to do this. If not for yourself... Sunny began tearing up. Do it for your Prince.

Sunny took another deep breath and exhaled. She looked around the crowd of gathered friends and family members. She found her parents and Rutherford's parents, who nodded in support and approval. Sunny clenched her hands into fists and forced herself to focus. She sighed heavily. "In my Sophomore year at Crystal Prep Academy...I found out I was pregnant." She winced inwardly as she heard murmurs in the crowd. Don't let their opinions bother you, Sunny Flare. Just keep going! she encouraged herself.

She stifled a sob as she continued. "The baby didn't make it past the third month." She heard more murmurs. "I suffered intense physical, mental and emotional trauma that day. Presently, I suffer from an aftereffect." she fought her hardest to keep her emotions in check, which was slowly becoming a losing battle. "Every now and then, I'll have sharp pains in my abdomen. Sometimes the pain becomes so intense it makes me black out...so starting tonight, after this funeral, I'm going to start taking a medication to block or at the very least dull the pain." her voice cracked and her breathing began to hitch.

Barely able to keep it together, Sunny decided to wrap things up. "But despite all of that...I would do it all again. Because on the day of the..." she felt like she would break at any given moment, but continued her desperate struggle. "On the day of the miscarriage, Rutherford ran to me with tears in his eyes...and he said to me 'It's going to be okay, Sunny. I love you so very much, and we will get through this together. I will always be here for you...always...'" Sunny Flare pushed herself beyond the limit for a few more words. "He gave up his life to save mine...and if that isn't true love...I don't know what is. I miss him so much..." she trailed off, then finally broke.

Overcome with grief and loss, Sunny Flare's knees buckled and she collapsed onto the floor. She covered her head with her hands and let out a wail that immediately sent her and Rutherford's parents to rush to her side, giving her the tightest hug they could muster without hurting her.

"We're all so very proud of you, Sunny Flare." said Stellar Tycoon.

"That took a great deal of courage, sweetie." said Shimmering Glaze.

"I believe I speak for Solace and myself when I say Rutherford would be proud as well." said Glistening Sparks.

"It's okay, dear. It's okay. We're here for you. Just let it all out." Steadfast Solace said soothingly.

Sunny Flare had heard all of their encouraging words, if only just barely, as she bawled uncontrollably just inches away from the podium.

Funeral, Conclusion

After her display of emotions next to the podium, Sunny Flare remained quiet for the remainder of the service up until the funeral procession. She sat in the back of the family car, staring out the window. "I still can't believe he's gone." Sunny said, then sighed deeply. "Just last week we were happy together. Hanging out, watching a movie while eating pizza...and now today, I'm going to watch him get buried." She pressed her forehead against the window, her breath slightly fogging it as her voice broke.

Sunny's mother held her daughter's hand as she leaned on her mother, closing her eyes and letting out a sniffle. Glaze gently stroked Sunny's hair in an effort to comfort her. Her daughter had been through more than her fair share of trauma recently, and seeing her shed so many tears had made her feel powerless to help her short of simply being there for her. She understood how her daughter felt. She, too, was devastated by Rutherford's death. Not to the same degree as Sunny herself, but Glaze had considered Rutherford family. Always treating Sunny with respect and love and being there for her whenever he could.

Stellar would occasionally glance at his wife and daughter in the backseat, feeling the same way as Glaze. He and Glaze had always been there for Sunny when she needed it, and even sometimes when she didn't want it. Seeing her suffer so made him suffer. Stellar always thought of Rutherford as the son he never had, and was heartbroken over his death. He felt a single tear run down his cheek as he heard Sunny sniffle again in the back.

Despite her best efforts, Sunny slowly felt herself drift off to sleep. The energy she spent mourning on the podium had to be replenished. Glaze smiled sadly, still stroking her daughter's hair as she began snoring. "How much longer until we reach the cemetery?" asked Glaze.

"Probably about ten minutes, though I imagine she needs more sleep than that." said Stellar.

Glaze nodded in agreement, then sighed heavily. "I wish there was more we could do for her. It's really hard for me to see her like this. No doubt you feel the same way."

Stellar sighed. "Of course I do, honey. I don't like seeing her this upset, but for now all we can do is be her moral and emotional support."

Once the family arrived at the cemetery, Glaze woke Sunny up. She gave her daughter a sympathetic look. "We're here." she said softly.

The trio slowly walked towards the gravestone.

HERE LIES RUTHERFORD

FRIEND, SON, LOVER

Sunny Flare nearly burst into tears at the sight. "Oh god, this is it." she said as the full gravity of the situation landed squarely on her shoulders, causing her knees to buckle. Shimmering Glaze held her up as her husband, Rutherford's father and others carried the casket towards the rectangle-shaped pit in the ground.

Sunny fought against her instinct to bury her head in her mother's chest with every fiber of her being. If she didn't watch the whole ceremony, she felt as though she would never forgive herself. She took a deep breath and shuddered as the casket reached its destination. She felt each of her hands being held, and she looked to see both of her parents holding them. "I love you two so much." Sunny said, blinking back tears.

"And we love you too." Shimmering Glaze said as tears streamed down her face.

"We're here for you, Sunny Flare." Stellar Tycoon said, his voice cracking.

Sunny sniffled as the casket was slowly lowered into the ground. "Goodbye...Rutherford." she said as she felt her tears fall. She watched as her boyfriend's casket became covered with dirt until it was no longer visible, her parents by her side the whole time. Once the men were done shoveling dirt, they and all the other people had left. All that remained were Sunny and her parents.

Sunny let go of her parents' hands and turned to face them, her eyes red and puffy. "Can I have a minute?" she asked. "I want to say goodbye to him one last time."

"Of course, honey." said her father.

"Take your time." said her mother, and her parents walked towards the car.

Sunny slowly walked up to the grave. "Hey there." she said. "What do you say to the man who sacrificed his life so that the one he loves could live on?" she sniffled. "At the very least, I'm grateful. But I wish this cost wasn't so high. For everything you have done for me, I am eternally grateful." she gulped. "Words alone can't express how much I still love you and miss you..." she nearly lost what little composure she had, but pressed on nonetheless. "You will always be in my heart, Rutherford. You will always be my Prince." Sunny felt tears falling from her eyes. "I'm going to do my best to move on. For both of our sakes. I know you would have wanted it that way." Sunny Flare found herself stuck on the spot she was standing in. "Goodbye...and may you rest in peace." Sunny gathered all of her willpower to slowly turn away from the grave. Don't you dare look back, Sunny Flare. Don't. You. Dare.

Moving forward was perhaps the most difficult thing for her to do that day. She kept the family car within her line of sight as each step she took felt heavier than the last. She knew she could visit him again sometime, but the finality she felt from the situation made walking away harder for her. Sunny could see her parents waiting for her patiently, understanding that she was going through an internal struggle of sorts. Her slow walk turned into a sprint, then she ran to her parents with their arms wide open. They all embraced each other in a tight hug as Sunny Flare let out all of her emotions for the final time of the day.

The Ride Home

Silence hung in the car for minutes as the family of three drove away from the cemetery. Sunny sighed deeply as she stared out the window.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Glaze.

Sunny shrugged. "Hell if I know. Honestly, I'm not even sure I'm done crying over this overall. I just know that I'm crying about it today."

Stellar nodded from the driver's seat. "That's understandable."

"But I do feel a little better. Not much better, but better enough that I can feel a difference." said Sunny.

"That's good." said Glaze.

"At least the Friendship Games are tomorrow. That'll be a good outlet for me after the week I've had." said Sunny.

"Indeed." said Stellar. "Just try not to go overboard."

"Who? Moi?" Sunny said, innocently.

Stellar smiled, then rolled his eyes as Glaze and Sunny laughed.

Sunny sighed. "I needed that laugh."

"We all did." said Glaze. "It's been a rough week for us all."

"Yeah." said Sunny, resuming her gaze through the window as she sighed.

"Maybe some dinner will cheer you up?" asked Stellar.

"I'll take anything at this point. I'm starving." said Sunny.

"I'm game." said Glaze.

Stellar Tycoon, Shimmering Glaze and Sunny Flare all sat down at a table in the restaurant. Sunny made a sputtering noise.

"What's on your mind, hon?" asked Glaze.

"Well, it's just that...sure, the Friendship Games are tomorrow. But for the first time since I don't know when, I feel like I'm facing an uncertain future. That bothers me, not knowing what to expect in the days to come. Before the accident on Friday, it felt like everything was set in stone. Rutherford and I had each other and I had-" she cut herself off to revise her statement. "I still feel like I have a bright future ahead of me, but it's been clouded by his death." Sunny sighed.

"Well, you know the saying; 'Even the best laid plans fail'. If the future was so easy to predict, wouldn't that be boring?" said Stellar.

"Not if it meant you could prevent an untimely death." Sunny sighed heavily.

"Have you ever thought of what you want to do after Crystal Prep?" Glaze said, eagerly changing the subject.

"Not really, actually." Sunny admitted. "I don't have much time left at CPA, and I have no idea where to go from there once I graduate." She put her head in her hands. "Maybe my future isn't as bright as I thought."

Stellar grabbed Sunny by the wrists, surprising his daughter. "Now you listen here, Sunny Flare." he said as he looked her in the eye. "Your future is as bright as your name. In fact, that's why we gave you that name."

Sunny's eyes widened. Her parents had never told her this before.

Glaze gave Sunny a smile. "It's true. When you were born, we settled on the name Sunny Flare because we hoped for your life and future to be a bright, shining light. So bright that it could only be described as a Sunny Flare."

Sunny had a hand to her mouth, at a loss for words.

"So if you ever have any doubt about your future, just remember this: your future is, has been, and will always be bright. Don't ever doubt it." said her father.

Sunny started tearing up. "Dammit." she said. "I thought I was done crying today."

Glaze smiled. "This is different. You're shedding tears of joy, not sorrow."

Sunny blew her nose using a napkin. "I love you both." she said, sniffling.

"And we love you." said her father.

"Now enough with the emotions, let's eat!" said her mother as they all laughed and ate.

Sunny, Glaze and Stellar all got back in the car after having dinner. Sunny sighed, leaning on her mother. For once, it was not a sigh of sadness, but one of contentment.

"You do realize that if you fall asleep in the car, you'll have to wake up and walk up the stairs, right?" Glaze said with a smirk.

"If." said Sunny, smiling. "I'm not planning on it, mother. I'm just enjoying the moment."

Glaze smiled and stroked her daughter's hair, then looked to Stellar and nodded.

Stellar smiled and started the engine, as eager as his wife and daughter to be home and get a decent night's rest after the emotionally tiring events of the day.

Sunny closed her eyes, and basked in the sounds of cars passing by as they played whatever loud music they were listening to. It's too bad I can't hear any wildlife ambiance. That would be nice right about now. she thought. But beggars can't be choosers. She let out another contented sigh, truly at peace for the first time since she woke up at the hospital after the car accident.

Stellar pulled into the garage. "All right, people. We're home!"

Sunny groaned. "Can't we just stay like this throughout the night? I'm so very comfortable."

Glaze chuckled. "As much as I like the sound of that, I warned you."

"Indeed you did, mother." Sunny smiled. "But there's just one problem with your warning."

Glaze quirked an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

Sunny looked at her mother and grinned. "I never fell asleep."

Glaze snickered. "But you still have to go up the stairs to get to your room."

"I know." Sunny said. "I was just saying, is all." she lifted her head off of her mother's shoulder with a little bit of effort. She walked out of the car and stretched. "Wow, I really needed that." She yawned. "Well, bedtime for me."

"I think it's bedtime for all of us." said Glaze.

"Today was a truly exhausting day." said Stellar. "Have a good night's sleep, honey!" he said as he hugged Sunny.

"You two sleep well as well." Sunny said, returning the hug, then hugging her mother. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" her parents said as she went upstairs before them.

Now in her room, Sunny Flare changed into her pajamas. She took the medication and crawled into bed. She stretched and yawned one last time before letting sleep overtake her.

Sunny woke up the next day, feeling refreshed.

Author's Note

The Friendship Games are today.

Towards a Bright Future

So. Sunny thought. Today's the day. She changed into her uniform and went downstairs.

"Good morning!" she said to her parents as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning!" said her mother. "How are you feeling?"

Sunny made a sputtering noise. "About as good as I can feel at the moment, I suppose."

"Are you excited for the Friendship Games?" asked her father.

"A little, yes. Not as much as I thought I'd be. I still have my feelings from the funeral hanging over my head." said Sunny, sighing.

"At the very least, the Friendship Games could prove a useful distraction." said her mother.

"I guess that's true." Sunny admitted. "Lord knows I could use one or seventy after the week I've had." she said, rolling her eyes.

Glaze smiled. "The road ahead is going to be rough, that's a certainty. But remember what we told you last night."

Sunny smiled. "I do remember. My future will always be bright, no matter what I do."

"Exactly." said Stellar, smiling widely.

"Well, I had best get moving. I don't want to miss the bus now, do I?" said Sunny.

"Indeed not." Glaze said with a grin.

Sunny embraced both of her parents in a hug. "I love you two."

Her parents returned the hug. "We love you too, Sunny Flare."

The hug broke, and Sunny left the house for the bus stop.

Sunny had arrived at Crystal Prep and took a deep breath of fresh air, then sighed. "Well...here we go." She walked towards the entrance, then stopped short when she heard an ear-splitting scream come from one of the bushes. She stood still, a chill running down her spine. What on earth?! She saw Radiant Hope run into the bush. Sunny shrugged, then walked into the school.

All of her fellow students were chattering about the Friendship Games. Apparently news of whatever happened in those bushes hadn't reached the inside, but that was fine by Sunny. She wanted nothing to do with whatever sordid business was being conducted.

Sunny sighed deeply. I know I'm trying to get over Rutherford, but I still can't stop thinking about him. What would be different right now if the car crash didn't happen? Would I still be happy? she shook her head. No. Enough of that self-talk. she admonished herself.

She scanned the hallways in an effort to distract herself. All throughout the halls were banners of the Crystal Prep Shadowbolts logo, congratulating the team for winning the Friendship Games. Crystal Prep may always win, but this seems a bit premature. Sunny rolled her eyes, then moved on.

She had passed by several of her teammates in the halls.

"Trender." Sunny greeted.

"Sunny Flare." Trender greeted.

"Sugarcoat." Sunny greeted.

"Have you masturbated yet?" Sugarcoat asked.

Damn that woman! Sunny thought as she gave Sugarcoat a death glare she knew would go unnoticed. She sighed again, then moved on.

The halls were still filled with the chattering of students and out of the corner of her eye she noticed the one student that asked her out last week. She frowned a little, actually feeling sorry for the poor guy. She walked over to him.

He noticed her and slowly turned away.

"Hey." Sunny said.

"What do you want?" he said, bitterness in his voice. "Do you just want to remind me that I'm cute for thinking I had a chance with you? Or did you want to tell me that you're still taken?!"

Sunny winced out of guilt and emotional pain from the student's outburst, especially from his last sentence. She took a deep breath and sighed. "No." she said. "I came to say that I'm sorry."

The student blinked in surprise before he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "How do I know you're not trying to trick me right now?"

Sunny sighed again. "You have every right to believe that, and I completely understand your anger."

The student blinked again. "You...you do?"

"Yes. The past week has been an absolute hell for me, and I'm not sure I want to talk about it. But at the very least, I wanted to apologize to you." Sunny said, in a most sincere tone.

"I...I don't know what to say." The student said, visibly shocked.

Sunny smiled. "Why not tell me your name?" she asked.

"My name is Sunburst." said the student.

"Sunburst." Sunny said. "That's a nice name."

Sunburst blushed. "Thank you."

Sunny smiled. "I don't know if you still have feelings for me or not, but either way I wouldn't mind being friends with you. It feels like the least I can do to make up for turning you down the way I did."

Sunburst smiled back. "You know what? I'd like that."

"Great!" Sunny said. "Well, I need to be off. I'll see you after the Friendship Games!"

Sunburst waved goodbye to Sunny, then went about his business.

Sunny went back outside and took a deep breath of fresh air, savoring the noises in the background. The birds chirping, the air rustling the foliage around her, the airhorns...

Sunny jumped as realization hit her. Airhorns?! The noise came closer as someone in a gorilla costume rushed towards her, pelting her with...Sardines?! What the hell is going on?! she thought as she ran like a madwoman, trying to escape the clutches of some demented person that came out of nowhere.

"Great, now I'm going to smell like fish for the rest of the day!" Sunny said. Having had enough, she turned around and looked at her gorilla-costumed assailant. "What is wrong with you?!" Sunny yelled.

The person in the gorilla costume shrugged, did a dance for a few seconds, then plodded off with onlookers recording and laughing heartily.

Sunny put her head in her hands, holding back tears. Calm down, Sunny Flare! she thought to herself. You've been through enough already, don't give that weirdo the satisfaction of seeing you break down! She quickly ran inside, using what little time she had before leaving to take a quick shower in the locker room and putting on a spare uniform she brought with her.

The time was now. Sunny stood in line where Sour Sweet was waiting while Dean Cadence was looking over a checklist. The two simply stared at each other, neither one willing to start up a conversation. The silence continued as more students joined the line until it both were broken.

"Dean Cadence?" said Twilight, cutting in line. "I'm not really sure where to go."

Cadence walked away, holding up a finger. "On second, Twilight." she said.

"You could try the end of the line." said Sour, causing Sunny to smile slightly despite herself.

Twilight turned around and adjusted her glasses. "What did you say?"

"Just that someone as smart as you should definitely go first." said Sour.

Twilight raised her arms defensively. "I...I didn't mean to. I was just asking."

Dean Cadence returned. "This is the right bus, Twilight. Go ahead."

"But...I didn't mean to cut in front." Twilight said.

Sour folded her arms. "Well it's too late now!" she said.

As Sunny and the remaining students boarded the bus, she smiled. My parents are right. My future will always be bright. No matter what happens.

End of Book Two of The Crystal Prep Chronicles: Before the Friendship Games

Author's Note

I'd like to think of this story as a learning experience for me. I'm pretty sure I went overboard with all of the crying in this story, so the next time I write a sad story I'll try to curb that.

That aside, I'm proud of this story (like all the others) and I enjoyed writing it (like all the others)!

One last note: the Sunburst thing wasn't really meant to be a surprise. I wanted to be sure readers knew who he was based on his description when he made a cameo early on. I just decided at the last minute to have Sunny interact with him in a genuine effort to turning over a new leaf.

Mini-Road Trip

Sunny, Glaze and Stellar got into the car. "Okay!" said Stellar, clapping his hands together. "The world is our oyster. Let's head in one direction and go from there."

"All right." said Sunny, eager to get her mind off of her troubles. "How about...left?"

"Left it is." said Stellar as he turned the car left. "Now what?"

"Let's go straight for a couple of miles." Glaze chimed in.

"Sounds good to me." said Stellar.

After roughly a half hour of directions from Sunny and Glaze, the family ended up at a forest preserve. Glaze sighed. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, before taking a deep breath of fresh air.

Sunny nodded. "Yeah." she said quietly, listening to the wind rustle the leaves in the trees. She smiled, genuinely feeling at peace for the first time since... She winced slightly, feeling the pain in her stomach. No. she thought. You are not going to do this to me. Not now! She took a deep breath and exhaled calmly, keeping the pain at bay.

Neither of Sunny's parents noticed this... another thing she should thank her lucky stars for. She was trying to relax and be at peace, and she needed both quite badly.

Glaze and Stellar looked to Sunny. Sunny gave her parents a weak, albeit earnest smile. Satisfied, her parents continued forward, still glancing at her occasionally.

Sunny sighed. I hope they don't become clingy. That would be one of the last things I need right now.

A couple of hours had passed and Sunny and her family made their way back to the car. They got in and buckled their seatbelts. "How does lunch sound?" Stellar asked.

"All that walking we did made me hungry." said Sunny. "What are our options?"

Her father listed off the nearest restaurants. "So..." he said. "Which one sounds good to you two?"

Glaze and Sunny thought for a moment, then made their decision. Stellar nodded, and proceeded towards their destination.

Once the trio found a spot to sit at with their food, Stellar tried to strike up a conversation. "So, Sunny... looking forward to the Friendship Games?"

Sunny shrugged. "I'm not sure, given current..." she trailed off and sighed deeply. "Circumstances."

"I understand." said her mother. "But think about it this way: It'll serve as a nice distraction."

Sunny stared off into the distance, playing with her fork. "I suppose so." she said.

"Well we aren't going to pressure you into entering, Sunny." said her father. "We're just worried about you, and it seems like the Friendship Games might just make you feel a little bit better."

Sunny looked up from her fork. "I'll think about it." she said. "I'm not saying no, but I'm also not saying yes. I'll give it some serious consideration."

"Fair enough." said her father. "Have you made any friends yet?"

Sunny sighed. "Can we please not talk about this right now?"

Stellar made a noise of exasperation, pinched the bridge of his nose, then calmed down. "Sunny...we've been through this." He said. "Your mother and I think it would benefit you."

Sunny looked at her father. "I'm not saying no, but I'm also not saying yes. I'll give it some serious consideration."

That's probably the best answer I'm going to get out of her...might as well take what I can get at this point. thought Stellar. "Okay." he said, nodding.

Thankfully, the rest of lunch was free of awkward or otherwise uncomfortable conversations and situations. Sunny, Glaze, and Stellar got into the car and headed to their next unknown destination.

An hour later, the car ended up in a gas station. Which was fortunate, because the car was in need of fuel. As the car got gassed up, everyone got out of the car to stretch their legs.

"It was starting to get cramped in there..." said Sunny, stifling a yawn.

"I agree..." said her mother as she took a breath of fresh air again. "So now what? I think we've pretty much hit the edge of town. If we go any further, we'll end up in Canterlot City!"

Sunny blinked. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not." said Glaze. "I just don't go there very often. I'm afraid we might get lost if we're not careful."

Sunny snickered. "Sometimes you worry too much."

Glaze smiled. "Yes... I suppose I do. Sometimes."

"All right, people." said Stellar. "The car's all gassed up and ready to go!" The family went back into the car and sped off to their next destination.

"Hmm...." Stellar said, stroking his chin. "There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of interesting things here. Just houses."

"Houses are better than just cornfields as far as the eye can see." said Glaze.

"She has a point, father. Cornfields are the most boring things to look at during a road trip." said Sunny. "It makes me feel like I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere."

"Well on that we can all agree." said Stellar. "Not that there's anything wrong with the cornfields themselves, it just feels...rustic to me. And not the good kind of rustic."

They all laughed together.

"So...where to next?" asked Stellar.

After a few more twists and turns, they found themselves at a strip mall. "Huh." said Stellar. "I guess not all stops are perfect."

"Nothing here seems to interest me here..." said Sunny.

Glaze shrugged "Yeah, strip malls never really were my cup of tea."

"All right then." said Stellar. "Let's move on then, shall we?"

"Okay, let's take a left here." said Sunny.

Stellar Tycoon's phone rang and parked the car off the side of the road. He never drove while he was on the phone and he didn't much care for the speaker phone feature.

"Hello?" said Stellar. Sunny couldn't tell who her father was speaking to, much less understand what the caller was saying. "Yes...yes..." his tone of voice changed, and Sunny felt a wave of apprehension wash over her. "I understand." He said solemnly. "Yes. We'll be there." He hung up and gave Sunny a sad smile, as though he knew what was she was thinking. He sighed. "That was Rutherford's parents...the funeral is on Thursday evening."

Funeral, Part I

After the team meeting, the rest of the school day was a blur to Sunny. All that was on her mind...all that mattered to her was the funeral for her late lover. I'm so sick and tired of crying, and I'm not looking forward to the funeral. She sighed deeply and put her head in her hands. She made a sputtering noise. At least the school day's over. One less thing to worry about.

Sunny boarded her bus and closed her eyes, trying her hardest to keep her emotions under her control. Thinking quickly, she sent a text to both of her parents.

Would the both of you be able to greet me at the front door when I come inside, no questions asked? - Sent by Sunny Flare

Of course, honey. - Sent by Mother

We'll be waiting. - Sent by Father

Thank you. I don't say it enough, but I love the both of you so very much. - Sent by Sunny Flare

Sunny dared not look at her parents' responses, for fear of being pushed over the edge. She allowed herself a sniffle and a tear to fall as her house was within sight. She exited the bus, sprinted towards her house and opened the door, and collapsed into tears in the arms of her parents as her floodgates were opened.

After she had calmed down, she looked her parents in the eye. "Thank you both. I really needed that release."

Her parents smiled. "Any time." said her mother.

"Are you ready for tonight?" her father asked, his tone serious.

"No." said Sunny. "But I'm going to go anyway." She wiped a tear from her eye. "It's the very least I could for the man I not only loved, but sacrificed his life to save mine."

"Well said." said Glaze.

"Let's get changed into the proper attire." said Stellar.

Stellar, Glaze and Sunny all gathered in the foyer, well-dressed for the occasion.

Sunny sighed. "I almost wish I had no emotions. Almost." Sunny said, staring at the floor.

"Just remember, sweetie, we're here for you." said her mother.

Sunny smiled. "I know. And I love the both of you very, very much for it."

"And we love you too, Sunny." Her father said.

They all hugged, then boarded the family car.

As Glaze started the car and backed out, Sunny stared out the window with a deep sigh.

"How are you holding up back there?" asked Stellar.

"Oh, I imagine I won't burst into tears until we get out of the car. Failing that, when I see his parents. Failing that, when I do my speech." Sunny made a sputtering noise. "Most likely I'll cry during all three of those events. Nothing like a good old-fashioned trifecta."

Stellar Tycoon snickered. "At least you still have your sense of humor."

"I was hardly kidding, father." Sunny said, her voice monotone. "I have no doubt I'll cry more than three times tonight. It's not like I've done that enough over the past week." she said bitterly, rolling her eyes.

Stellar frowned, then shot Glaze a quick glance. Glaze noticed, but simply shrugged. The family traveled the rest of the way to the funeral in silence.

Once they arrived, they got out of the car. Glaze and Stellar looked at Sunny with sympathy. Sunny sighed deeply. "I'm fine. For now, at least. Everybody else is going to give me the same look all day, so I'm sure that'll break me."

Stellar and Glaze looked at each other, confused. "Do you want to cry?" asked her mother.

"Of course I want to cry!" Sunny snapped. "How could I not want to?! It's practically all I've been fucking doing lately!"

Glaze and Stellar's eyes widened in shock momentarily.

Sunny sighed. "I'm sorry. I know I've been grieving all this time, but that doesn't excuse my outburst." she said.

"We understand, dear." said her father, placing an arm on Sunny's shoulder. "You've had it rough all week."

"That's an understatement." said Sunny. "It's been a living nightmare. A living hell." Keep it together, Sunny. Keep it together. she told herself as she and her parents made their way to the funeral home. Once inside, Sunny scanned the crowd and saw numerous faces she didn't recognize.

Then, she heard a voice. "Sunny Flare?"

Sunny knew the owner of the voice all too well. Simply hearing it caused a lump to form in her throat. She turned around slowly and sure enough, there they were. Rutherford's parents.

Rutherford's father, Glistening Sparks, was who the voice belonged to. Sparks was a fairly lanky man with beige skin and blue eyes, with fading silver hair on his head. He gave Sunny a warm, sympathetic smile.

Rutherford's mother, Steadfast Solace, was a sort of contrast to her husband. She was slightly overweight, with mustard yellow skin. Her hair was a hue of gold, and her green eyes were puffy from crying. This had shocked Sunny, since in all the time she had known Rutherford's parents this was her first time seeing her cry. Steadfast had always been a jovial person.

But this is her son's funeral after all...and my boyfriend's. Sunny thought, feeling the tears coming at the sight of the two. She hadn't seen either of them since about two weeks before the accident. They were almost always busy with some sort of business. Sunny didn't know what sort of business though, she felt that asking them would be prying into their private lives.

Sunny Flare and Rutherford's parents simply stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Sunny slowly walked toward then, even though she wanted to run to them oh so desperately. She didn't want to cause any more of a scene than she knew she would when she'd reach them. She started sniffling almost immediately once she began walking in their direction, barely able to keep her emotions in check as she wondered what must be going through Sparks and Solace's heads right now. She stopped just a few inches short of the two.

"Hello." was all she could bring herself to say before collapsing into their arms and bursting into tears, bawling uncontrollably.