A Bitter Sunset

“So.” Celestia started to slowly pace atop of the wooden stage that rested in the auditorium. Countless sets of eyes looked up at her as staff and student alike looked up at her in wonder.

“As you all must know by now, Sunset Shimmer returned to the school this morning.” the cries from the students confirmed the woman’s statement.

“You’re going to get rid of her, right?” a younger, student in the back called out, the two girls beside her nodding in agreement.

“Yeah! Kick her out!” another called out, a steady chant starting to call for Sunset’s removal.

“Quiet, please.” the students quickly died down at the woman’s tone. “Thank you. Now, Sunset Shimmer came to my office this morning to talk.”

Murmurs instantly returned to the student body.

“She came to ask us to let her remain as a student of Canterlot High School.”

The murmurs ignited into shouts of dismissal and dismay.

“As much as I know you all want her gone, Sunset Shimmer is being allowed to return to our school.”

That was the final straw, the students regressing into a brutal mob of booing and cursing as Celestia stood up on the stage, a tired sigh escaping through her lips. She slowly brought the microphone back up to her lips and-

“Hey! Would you all just shut up!?” a rainbow maned girl dashed out from behind the curtains behind Celestia, coming to a rest standing defiantly on the front of the stage. “Is this what the Princess would have wanted?”

“Aww, shake your head, Dash!”

“Yeah, what’s up with you? Have you already forgotten what she did?”

“Uh, in case you forgot, I’m part of the friggin’ reason we’re all still here, thank you!” Rainbow Dash shot back with as much brimstone as was being thrown at her. “And don’t forget that it was Twilight who reached out to try and help, Sunset!”

“She really likes making things more difficult, doesn’t she?” Sunset shook her head as she listened from back behind the curtains, the other four girls looking around sheepishly.

“Besides! She needs help, and that’s just what me and the others intend to do!” Sunset froze at the athlete’s next shout-out-loud comment to the crowd.

“And that’s my cue to go and stop her from fucking things up even farther…!” the amber girl growled darkly as she strode purposefully out onto the stage, alerting the crowd to the fact that she was indeed here. The boos and shouting reached a fever pitch as Sunset walked forward in a lackadaisical manner.

“Yes, yes thank you! Thank you all!” she called out, her booming voice washing over the crowd as she waved at them sarcastically.

“Sunset? What are you doing?” Celestia’s voice was rushed and quiet as she turned back towards the girl who was now giving a slow, lazy golf clap.

“Doing you a favour.” Sunset said quietly as she maintained her focus on the jeering crowd. “Would you rather the crowd be angry at you, or me?”

“...What?” the snow white woman looked utterly baffled st the words coming from the mouth of Sunset.

“Think of it as me starting to pay back the favour early.” Sunset turned towards Celestia, before reaching down and grabbing the microphone in the Principal’s grasp. Sunset gave a quick wink and click of her tongue, though her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Thank you.”

“Heeeellooo Canterlot High School!” Sunset sang loudly into the mic as she made her way to the end of the stage, grabbing Rainbow by the shoulder and pulling her back.

“Go grab the other four and then go stand by Celestia.” she whispered as she removed Rainbow from the center of attention.

“Yes, hi! What do you want to ask me?” Sunset smirked as she knelt down and pointed the mic towards one of the many frothing students at the front of the pack.

“Fuck you, Sunset!” the student yelled at her, causing Sunset to give a quick bark of laughter.

“I appreciate the interest, dear, but maybe you should shoot for someone more along your lower echelon.” the student just continued to repeat his choice sentence at Sunset as she stood back up.

“Now as much as I know you all wish to tell me where to go, I figure you should all know that I am fully reinstated here at CHS. And another tidbit of fact that I know all of you standing down there won’t believe is that I’m not here to cause trouble… I’m just here to finish my studies.”

Now it was disbelief’s turn to ride rampant through the crowd as they continued to heckle Sunset, the girl’s smirk continuing to grow as more and more hate was thrown at her.

“I made a promise that I wouldn’t initiate any sort of trouble while I remained her.”

“Then what do you call what you just did?” a student asked loudly.

“Ah, good of you to ask! Maybe there are more than five brain cells spread among you all.” Sunset’s comment only added more fuel to the fire as she looked back over her shoulder. “I am allowed to defend myself, so I hope none of you think that I’m going to let you walk all over me. My pride as a superior individual demands so.

“Though it is not up to me to decide fully, but rather you should all think of this as my jail, and the five girls back there as my jailers. I’m going to be with at least one of them at all times, and they shall report to Celestia if any trouble arises from any of you.

“Oh, and I guess myself as well.” Sunset chuckled, shaking her head slightly. “Though I have all the reasons to not instigate anything, believe it or- well none of you believe it, I’m not stupid enough to think that.

“Anyways, that’s everything I had to say, so expect to see me back around the halls and in your classes showing you what smart really is.” Sunset gave a small wave to the vitriolic crowd as she walked back towards Celestia and the five girls that were going to be her “friends” for the next nine months.

<(‘-‘<) ^(‘-‘)v v(‘-‘)^ (>‘-‘)>

“Couldn’t you have played that a little more… tactful, darling?” Rarity asked as her and the other Wondercolts struggled to keep up with the long strides of Sunset Shimmer.

“Look…” Sunset paused her hands clenching and unclenching as she tilted her head down towards the ground before turning around. “I’m playing “nice”, as it were, with you and the Principals because your playing “nice” with me. Unfortunately I am in your five’s debt, but I wouldn’t mention it if you value… Well, you know.”

“Is there a reason you keep trying to threaten us?” Rainbow asked, an amused look spreading across her face. “Cause we aren’t taking it seriously- Fluttershy doesn’t count!”

“What Dash means,” Applejack interjected as Sunset started to chuckle in reaction to the buttercreme girl’s sudden fit of fearful shaking. “Ah believe, is that we want to ta help ya Sunset, honest. We get it, ya don’t ta be friends, but that ain’t mean that we can’t help ya.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever floats your boat.” Sunset shrugged, matching her apathetic response as she returned to walking back to Celestia’s office. The woman wanted to speak with the six of them one last time before they went off to class.

“Ah, Sunset. It would probably come as little surprise that the student body attempted to vent their anger on your locker and it’s belongings, so we moved them in here.” the Principal pointed towards a cardboard box that Sunset’s locker had been dumped into. “I doubt it would be safe right now to return them, so feel free to grab what you need from here as you need.”

“...Thank you…” Sunset’s voice was quiet as she walked over to the box and started rooting through it, grabbing her binder before pausing and pulling out another book, a large, dual toned sun embossed on the front.

“Sunset…? Why are you shaking?” the Equestrian didn’t know which of the humans in the room asked that comment, her attention instead glued entirely onto her journal. She had forgotten that she had even brought it over… With this…

“Sunset?” the girl, in a single action, bolted to her feet and grabbed the collar of the girl who had just grabbed her shoulder, before pausing when she remembered where she was.

“Woah, what’s up with you so suddenly?” Rainbow Dash inquired as Sunset released the shorter girl and went back to pick up her journal.

“It’s nothing… We should get to class…” Sunset said as she deposited the book back into the cardboard box.

Her hand tingled as the Equestrian magic left her grasp.