A Different Sort of Sunsetby MareDoVVellChaptersMeet Sunset ShimmerNot What You ExpectedGood Night Turned BadMeet Sunset ShimmerSunset Shimmer was, as her teachers would put it, a "difficult, but gifted young woman". That description was usually followed by a grimace, much like the one Principal Faust was currently directing at the Truancy Officer standing in front of her desk. Sunset smirked as she watched the grimace turn into a helpless shrug through the open office door. "Ma'am, this is the third time this week I've caught her wandering around the city when she's supposed to be in school. Are you telling me there's nothing you can do about it?" The Officer asked, crossing his arms with a disbelieving frown. Principal Faust sighed, dragging a hand down the side of her face. "Sunset is...a special case. You might not believe it, but she has been the number 1 student in her class for 3 years, and she's a shoe-in for Valedictorian. She's also president of the chess and science clubs, and has taken so many AP classes she's practically halfway to a Bachelors degree." the Principal explained with an edge of manic laughter to her words. "It's a little hard to reprimand her for cutting class when she never misses a test or assignment, and she scores perfectly on all of them. At first we assumed she was cheating, but she's proved us wrong on that repeatedly...much to her delight." Sunset held back a giggle at hearing that particular admission, thinking back to the handful of times they had tried to ambush her with surprise tests, in sterile, locked down rooms, accompanied only by a proctor. God she loved a good pop quiz. The Truancy Officer gave a disbelieving grunt, casting a suspicious glance out into the hall at the girl in question. "Be that as it may, if it keeps happening..." Principal Faust held up a hand tiredly. "Look you're welcome to charge her guardians for truancy if you like, but considering she's in the care of a state run orphanage, I'm not sure you'll get very far." Principal Faust let out another heavy sigh. "I know it's unconventional, but she'll be 18, and a graduate, in a matter of months, and we're content to just let her be, as long as she keeps up her academic performance." The Officer looked thoroughly nonplussed. "There's gotta be something you can do, what about refusing to let her graduate unless she improves her attendance?" Principal Faust smiled ruefully at the suggestion. "We tried that once. She came back the following Monday with a copy of the test for a GED, filled it out in front of me and had me grade it. She scored 100% of course. I believe her exact words were 'If it's really a problem, I don't mind dropping out, but I'd rather have a good old fashioned diploma, and I'm sure you'd rather not have to explain to your bosses why your top student has dropped out.'" Now it was the Officer's turn to offer a tired sigh. "Y'know what, fine, they don't pay me enough to deal with this, but I'm still gonna have to bring her in if I catch her just roaming the city, that part of the job is set in stone." "I understand, I doubt it'll do much good, but I'll try and talk to her, maybe if she knows she'll just keep getting picked up and brought back, it'll curb her desire to leave school grounds." The Principal offered sympathetically. "Yeah, you do that." The Officer said, his expression a strange mixture of defeated and amused as he turned and walked into the hall. "See you later Officer." Sunset called cheerily as he walked past. "Hopefully not." He shot back with a small frown. "...just...keep the grades up kid, or we'll have words." "That I can do." She shot back with a wink. The Officer rolled his eyes, the edge of his mouth turning upwards the slightest bit as he walked off towards the main entrance. "Sunset? Can you come in here for a moment please?" Came the Principal's voice through the open door. Sunset stood and walked into the office, closing the door behind her. Immediately she dropped into one of the chairs in front of the desk, swinging her heavily booted feet up onto its wooden surface, pointedly ignoring the heavy twitch this caused in her Principal's eye. Principal Faust gave her a halfhearted frown, then slumped down into her own chair, propping her head up with one hand, observing the teenager before her. Sunset looked much the same as she had for the past few years, tall and a little scrawny for her age, her head topped with a spiky pixie cut that hung in front of her eyes, hiding the several silver studs that adorned her face. She was wearing heavy black work boots, faded black jeans, a t-shirt, black of course, and it was all topped off by a terribly abused denim vest that was covered in an indiscernible mess of patches and pins. Principal Faust let out a groan. "Sunset..." Sunset looked up, giving the woman across from her a quizzical glance as she rummaged around in her vest pockets for a moment, eventually pulling out a small green and white box, along with a lighter. "SUNSET!!!" Principal Faust roared as her eyes shot to the pack of cigarettes. "What? I made sure the door was closed, and I brought enough to share." Sunset explained with a small shrug. "That's not..." Principal Faust ground her teeth for a moment, before letting her shoulders slump. "Oh who am I kidding, it's not like it's the first time..." She moaned, pulling a crystal ash tray from a desk drawer and putting it between them. "Gonna take all day to get the stink out of here..." Sunset gave her a sympathetic look, which didn't stop her from leaning forward to offer a cigarette, then lighting it for her Principal before doing the same for herself. Principal Faust took a long drag from the cigarette, taking a thoughtful moment before exhaling, then daintily she tapped it against the rim of the ash tray. Almost immediately she felt slightly light headed, but at the same time she could feel most of the tension in her neck begin to unravel. "Now then..." She began, giving her student a piercing look. "What have I told you about leaving school grounds?" "Don't get caught?" Sunset offered with a grin, rolling her cigarette between her teeth. "Yes! I mean, no! T-that's not really..." "Principal, relax. It won't happen again." Sunset offered soothingly. Principal Faust blinked in surprise. "It won't? You mean you'll stop cutting classes?" "Pffft! Absolutely not!" Sunset laughed, almost choking on the smoke in her lungs. Principal Faust looked rather unamused at that. "I mean I won't get caught again. I have a plan. This way, you won't get in any trouble, and neither will that cop. He actually seems kinda nice when you get down to it, and I'd rather not make life hard for him." Sunset explained nonchalantly. "How very considerate of you." Principal Faust grumbled. "Just...I'm sure you're sick of hearing it, but keep your grades up, and we won't have a problem, but please be careful, at this point we've bent the rules so much for you that I'm not sure we could help much if you ever got into any real trouble." Sunset gave a small smile at that, but it was also a bit sad. "Thanks, but don't worry, I can take care of myself, been at it long enough at this point." Despite herself, Principal Faust reached out and gave the girl's hand a comforting pat, before straightening up and taking another puff of her extremely illicit cigarette. "So what is this plan of yours?" Sunset's expression morphed into a mixture of mischief and excitement, a look that the entire school staff had learned to dread. "Well I'd explain it to you, but..." Sunset lifted her hand to glance at a very expensive looking watch, which the Principal had to resist assuming was stolen. The girl may have been a delinquent, but theft wasn't her style. "Unfortunately I have a bus to catch!" Sunset declared as she stubbed out her cigarette and made for the door. "A bus?" Principal Faust asked in surprise. "A bus to where?" "The suburbs, apparently some interesting stuff has been happening out there." Sunset called over her shoulder, before disappearing through the door. "So that's her plan..." Principal Faust mumbled around her cigarette. "I hope she knows they still have police in the suburbs...those poor sheriffs." Author's Note A few people requested a sequel after The Mis-Test Mystery, and I really wanted to do more with Sunny as a character, so here we are! I feel like this chapter is a little over the top, but I kinda like that about it. Like what happens if pre-reformation Sunset was a good-natured rebel instead of a huge bitch. Not What You ExpectedTwilight Sparkle couldn't help but grin, a heavy blush on her face as she and her best friend Sunset Shimmer exited the movie theater together, their hands still intertwined, as they had been for most of the movie. This was it, after months and months of failed advances, it seemed like Sunset was finally showing some romantic interest in her, and Twilight felt like she was practically floating. The pair walked casually through the parking lot until they came up to Sunset's motorcycle, where they stopped to face each other. "I-I had a great time with you tonight Sunset." Twilight breathed, a nervous smile splitting her face. "Yeah, me too, we should do it again sometime soon." Sunset said with casual nod. She wants to go on a second date! Twilight's heart was beating a mile a minute. It was really happening! "Well, I should probably get going, it's supposed to rain tonight and I'd rather not get caught in it on my bike." Sunset admitted wryly as she checked the weather on her phone. "You said you were taking the bus home right?" "Mmhmm." Twilight nodded, before taking a shaky step forward and closing the gap between them. "B-but we have a while before the next bus shows up, so no need to say goodnight just yet..." She whispered, her mouth going dry. Tonight's been going so well, I just have to! I'm going in for the good night kiss! She began leaning up towards the taller girl, her eyes going half-lidded. "Yeah well, like I said I wanna try and beat the rai..." Twilight leaned in even more, her eyes closing as her lips lightly puckered. "Snrrk!" Twilight's eyes shot open at the sound of Sunset trying to hold back a laugh. "Y-y-ya alright there Twi? Y-y-you look like you're about to sneeze or something!" Sunset stuttered as she tried to hold back a series of high pitched giggles. Twilight leaned back, standing ram-rod straight and staring wide eyed at Sunset, her blood suddenly feeling more like ice water. N-not again, please don't tell me it's happening again!? Sunset took another minute to get her giggle fit under control before slamming her motorcycle helmet onto her head. "Man, you're a riot Twi, later tater!" She called before bopping Twilight's nose with a finger and hopping on her bike, starting the engine. The cold in Twilight's veins quickly turned into the heat of anger and frustration as tears began to creep into her eyes. "YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT SUNSET!!!" She screamed, venting her heartbreak to the world, but of course even that was swallowed by the roar of Sunset's motorcycle as she gave her a casual wave and zoomed out of the parking lot. Twilight bit back a sob as she felt the tears start up in full force. "Damnit Sunset, I'd hate your guts if I wasn't in love with you..." she whimpered, trying to scrub the tears from her eyes, but that only made her feel more miserable. Realizing she was about to start bawling in the middle of a public parking lot, she gave a panicked look around and spotted a secluded looking alley next to the theater. Casting caution to the wind, she made a dash for the nearest shred of seclusion so she could have a good long cry before going home and facing her parents, who also thought that she had been out on her first date that night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sunset Shimmer stretched languidly as she stepped off the bus and observed the collection of buildings surrounding the bus stop. "Hmmm, convenience store, coffee shop, movie theater, yeah this'll work, took longer to get here than I expected though." She mused to herself, looking between her watch and the rapidly setting sun. It was at that moment that a few stray drops of rain began to fall, causing her to glance up at the graying sky. At least it was warm out. She glanced behind herself at the bus schedule posted at the stop and did some quick math in her head, before shrugging to herself. "Not like anyone'll come looking if I don't make it back to the orphanage by curfew." With that, she walked up through the parking lot towards the theater, intent on checking the posters along the wall. "Hmmmmmm, trash, garbage, seen it, trash, good trash, the book was better..." She muttered to herself as she looked over each poster, moving from the entrance towards the side of the building. ",trash, boring trash, loved it but will never tell a soul, and finally trash. Guess that's a no go for catching a movie, guess I'll check out..." She snapped her mouth shut as a high pitched whimper drifted from around the building. "Huh, is somebody back there...?" She took a few slow steps closer to the mouth of the alley and attempted to peer into the shadows. Unfortunately she couldn't see a damn thing from this distance, but she did hear more distinctly human noises towards the back. It may not have been the wisest idea, investigating a sketchy alley in an unfamiliar part of town, but Sunset didn't scare easily, not to mention she was already bored out of her mind, and the alley offered at least some refuge from the steadily heavier rain. Maybe the suburbs weren't the land of adventure and freedom she had been hoping for. With that thought, she stepped fully into the shadows of the alley and headed towards the figure crouching deeper in. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Every time Twilight thought maybe she was done crying, she'd be hit with a renewed wave of sadness, and bury her head between her knees once again. It was beginning to get on her nerves. "I'm so stupid! Of course she didn't think this was a date." Twilight grumbled between sniffles. "She didn't think the library or the aquarium was a date either, why would tonight be any different!" with that she slammed her fist against the brick wall she was sitting against, which immediately drew a yelp and fresh tears as she cradled her sore hand. Between what was sure to be a fresh bruise and the rain picking up, Twilight was just about ready to give up on the last of her dignity and go cry in the bus stop until the next bus came when she was interrupted by heavy footsteps further up the alley. Suppressing a yelp of surprise, she glanced up to see a tall, intimidating looking figure approaching her. In a fit of panic and shame, she reflexively curled into herself, hoping the stranger would just walk past her, maybe not even see her at all. Of course that hope went out the window as the sound of footsteps came to a stop a mere foot away from her, eliciting a fresh whine of sadness and fear from Twilight. "L-look, I'm having a really awful night and this is just the icing on the cake. I don't have much money on me, but it's all yours, just d-don't hurt me. Leave me alone, please." she squeaked, clenching her eyes shut as hard as she could even as she sobbed into her knees. What followed was the longest silence of Twilight's entire life. "Jeez girl, I'm not mugging you, am I really that scary looking?" Twilight's eyes shot open. That voice... She looked up at the figure before her, but it was still shrouded in the general darkness of the alley. It was rummaging in it's pockets for a second before before lifting something to it's mouth. There was a scratching noise, followed by a click as a flame sprang to life, lighting the end of a cigarette. In the brief flash of light, Twilight's eyes went even wider as she caught sight of amber skin, capped by crimson and gold hair. "Suns...!" "Whoa! That was bright, blinded myself a little." The girl said, stumbling a little. "Uh, I know you might wanna be alone right now but...mind if I sit down for a second, just until I get my bearings back?" She asked, a hint of awkward guilt in her voice. Twilight kept staring at the dark figure wordlessly, before realizing she had been asked a question. "Oh, umm, sure I guess..." "Thanks!" Was all the warning given before the girl plopped down right next to Twilight. "So, you want one?" she asked, gesturing towards Twilight with what looked like the silhouette of a cigarette pack. "I-I don't smoke." Twilight half-whispered, still trying to piece together what was happening. "Might make you feel better." The girl mused with what sounded like a good-natured grin. "You sure?" She asked again, shaking the little box. "No, thank you for the offer though." Twilight said with a small smile herself, belatedly realizing she seemed to have finally stopped crying. "Hmmm, suit yourself." The girl took a drag of the cigarette hanging from her lips, causing the end to flare and provide Twilight with another flash of a face that was familiar yet completely different from what she expected. A hand extended through the darkness towards Twilight. "Anyways, I know I'm interrupting, but what can I say, I'm a bit nosy. I'm Sunset Shimmer, it's nice to meet ya." Author's Note Poor Twilight, can you imagine having what you thought was a romantic date end with the words "Later tater!" So obviously, this story has no cover art yet, but I'm hoping I can commission someone to fix that. Would love to get an artist's rendition of punky Sunset. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be very welcome. Good Night Turned BadSunset held her hand out to the crouched shadow she had been chatting with, not really expecting anything. What she received however, was a pair of surprisingly warm hands wrapping around her own, as the figure pulled close enough to be seen in the limited light, enough that Sunset almost dropped her cigarette in a cartoonish gape. "It's nice to meet you Sunset." The girl said, with a strangely knowing smile. "I'm Twilight Sparkle." "T-Twilight huh?" Sunset remarked, looking away and hoping the shadows would conceal her blush. After a moment she turned back and pulled on the cigarette, illuminating them both with the glowing ember. "It's, uh, nice to meet you." she managed, hoping her cheeks didn't glow as bright as they felt like they would. "What's got you out here all alone?' Twilight sniffled for a moment, then took a deep breath, wiping her eyes. "Uhh, friendship problems I guess. Y'know." She said, with a slightly bitter chuckle. Sunset grinned uneasily, not that it could be seen in the darkness. "Yeah, I get that..." She said far more casually than she felt, before again pulling on her smoke. There was an awkward pause, before Twilight's newly familiar voice burst from the darkness. "What, uh, what brings you out here all alone?" Sunset chuckled a little more genuinely now. "Oh y'know, looking for the next great adventure." She answered with more of her usual confidence. "I usually hang around the city, so I figured the burbs might offer something new. Though it took me a bit longer to get out here than I expected, not sure I can find a bus back at this point..." Twilight seemed to giggle at that, before releasing an adorable "Eep!", and pulling out her phone, her frown evident in the ghostly glow of the screen. "Something wrong?" Sunset asked, surprised to find herself genuinely concerned. Twilight looked truly panicked. "I-I was supposed to get in touch with my parents hours ago! They must be worried sick! There's no reception in this alley, I don't even know what time it is!" Sunset grinned, "Well I have you covered there." She raised her left wrist, the ill-fitting watch shinning even in the limited cell phone light. "It's exactly 12:35...give or take 2 minutes..." Twilight squinted at that curiously for a minute, before her eyes went wide as dinner plates. "I'M SO LATE!!!" she warbled, holding her head. "What am I gonna do!" Sunset bit her knuckle, trying not to giggle at how adorable the girl was when whipped into a tizzy. "Reception's way better by the bus stop, go try there." Twilight's head whipped back and forth between Sunset and the alley entrance. "Th-thank you so much!" She gasped before jogging off. Sunset chuckled before breathing deeply into her mostly gone cigarette, closing her eyes and enjoying the highly temporary satisfaction it provided in the face of the pretty girl leaving her behind. "W-wait, Sunset!" "H-hurk!" Sunset nearly tossed up a lung as Twilight's voice returned. "Uh, S-sorry to surprise you." Sunset, still gasping and clutching her chest, looked up to see Twilight framed by the light at the mouth of the alley. "I-I want you to have this!" Twilight practically shouted, throwing a small piece of paper at Sunset before running off. Sunset took a moment to cough like a middle aged man before scrabbling for the piece of paper and unfolding it. It was what looked like a phone number, followed by a short note. Call me. If she hadn't already had the wind knocked out of her, it certainly would have been now. As she watched Twilight leave and tried to catch her breath, her ears perked at the sound of heavy boots coming down the alley behind her. They stopped abruptly. "Well well well, what do we have here?" Came a sneering voice, and Sunset whipped her head around to see three silhouettes that seemed dressed similar to herself. "Some little tramp on our turf!" The voice continued, with far too much excitement for Sunset's taste. At least Twilight was gone. "Ugh, I was having a great night, what do you dicks want." Sunset muttered, drawing herself up to her full height, and setting her shoulders, which was more than enough to scare off most creeps in her experience. Apparently not in this case however. She somehow tasted the blood before feeling the fist collide with her face, as she fell backwards and landed on the rough concrete. She collected the blood in her mouth and spat before pulling a single brass knuckle from her pocket and letting it glint in the limited light. "Really!? You're just gonna cold cock me like that? What a bunch of turds!" she growled, pulling herself back up slower than she'd like. At least the nervous step back all three took in response was satisfying. Unfortunately the apparent leader regained his nerve quickly, pulling a hefty pocket knife from his coat. "Oh this one has some fight in her, let's teach her not to step onto our territory with such a pretty face!" he gloated before lunging at her. Sunset dodged the clumsy thrust easily, landing a solid hit upside the idiot's head, but the two lackeys charged and grabbed her arms, pinning her against the alley wall. She struggled of course, but she couldn't break free before the leader shook his head groggily and stood back up. "Ohhhh you cunt!" He slurred, adopting a manic grin, "You'll pay for that." Sunset kept struggling, determined to not go down without a fight as the glinting knife grew closer and closer to her face. As it drew within an inch, she grimaced and turned, hoping it would be quick. At the last moment, Sunset saw a flash out of the corner of her eye as a heavy black boot caught the leader in the side of the head and he crumpled to the ground, followed by heavy elbows to both the lackeys' necks. Sunset nearly crumpled with them in relief, but instead slumped against the alley wall. "Uhhh, B-Batman?" "No you fuckin moron, Batman is a wuss." Came a stern voice, and as Sunset looked up, all she could see in the limited light was a wiry, feminine, figure with twin tails as it approached and started helping her up. "Wh-what do you want?" Sunset asked feebly, hating the sound of the waver in her voice. "To help you, dummy" scoffed the mystery girl, hoisting one of Sunset's arms around her back. "Can you walk?" "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just let me be, I can handle myself." Sunset grumbled, making a token effort to pull away from the girl, but utterly failing against her grip and her own shaking knees. "Hah!" Barked the girl harshly. "Sure you can Red. Just shut up and come along already. You can take a nap and then fuck off to whatever it was you were doing." "Whatever bitch." Sunset muttered sullenly, before letting herself be carried along and using her free hand to pull out her pack of smokes and raise one to her lips, then glancing at the girl carrying her. "You want one?" The girl looked like she was holding back hysterical laughter, before taking a deep breath and glancing at Sunset. "Sure Red, It's been about three decades, but I could go for one." Sunset was too tired to decode such a weird comment, so instead she feebly pressed a cigarette into the corner of the girls grin and fumbled for her lighter to ignite both. She took a lazy puff and glanced at the girl. "So where the hell are we going?" Author's Note Enter Aria. Credit to I-A-M for Aria calling Sunset Red, it's too fun a casual nickname to not use. Also I worry that I wrote too much chemistry between Sunset and Aria, so if you want that, again I-A-M is your savior with the brilliant AriaSet fic Rules of Engagement (highly NSFW but still brilliant)
Meet Sunset ShimmerSunset Shimmer was, as her teachers would put it, a "difficult, but gifted young woman". That description was usually followed by a grimace, much like the one Principal Faust was currently directing at the Truancy Officer standing in front of her desk. Sunset smirked as she watched the grimace turn into a helpless shrug through the open office door. "Ma'am, this is the third time this week I've caught her wandering around the city when she's supposed to be in school. Are you telling me there's nothing you can do about it?" The Officer asked, crossing his arms with a disbelieving frown. Principal Faust sighed, dragging a hand down the side of her face. "Sunset is...a special case. You might not believe it, but she has been the number 1 student in her class for 3 years, and she's a shoe-in for Valedictorian. She's also president of the chess and science clubs, and has taken so many AP classes she's practically halfway to a Bachelors degree." the Principal explained with an edge of manic laughter to her words. "It's a little hard to reprimand her for cutting class when she never misses a test or assignment, and she scores perfectly on all of them. At first we assumed she was cheating, but she's proved us wrong on that repeatedly...much to her delight." Sunset held back a giggle at hearing that particular admission, thinking back to the handful of times they had tried to ambush her with surprise tests, in sterile, locked down rooms, accompanied only by a proctor. God she loved a good pop quiz. The Truancy Officer gave a disbelieving grunt, casting a suspicious glance out into the hall at the girl in question. "Be that as it may, if it keeps happening..." Principal Faust held up a hand tiredly. "Look you're welcome to charge her guardians for truancy if you like, but considering she's in the care of a state run orphanage, I'm not sure you'll get very far." Principal Faust let out another heavy sigh. "I know it's unconventional, but she'll be 18, and a graduate, in a matter of months, and we're content to just let her be, as long as she keeps up her academic performance." The Officer looked thoroughly nonplussed. "There's gotta be something you can do, what about refusing to let her graduate unless she improves her attendance?" Principal Faust smiled ruefully at the suggestion. "We tried that once. She came back the following Monday with a copy of the test for a GED, filled it out in front of me and had me grade it. She scored 100% of course. I believe her exact words were 'If it's really a problem, I don't mind dropping out, but I'd rather have a good old fashioned diploma, and I'm sure you'd rather not have to explain to your bosses why your top student has dropped out.'" Now it was the Officer's turn to offer a tired sigh. "Y'know what, fine, they don't pay me enough to deal with this, but I'm still gonna have to bring her in if I catch her just roaming the city, that part of the job is set in stone." "I understand, I doubt it'll do much good, but I'll try and talk to her, maybe if she knows she'll just keep getting picked up and brought back, it'll curb her desire to leave school grounds." The Principal offered sympathetically. "Yeah, you do that." The Officer said, his expression a strange mixture of defeated and amused as he turned and walked into the hall. "See you later Officer." Sunset called cheerily as he walked past. "Hopefully not." He shot back with a small frown. "...just...keep the grades up kid, or we'll have words." "That I can do." She shot back with a wink. The Officer rolled his eyes, the edge of his mouth turning upwards the slightest bit as he walked off towards the main entrance. "Sunset? Can you come in here for a moment please?" Came the Principal's voice through the open door. Sunset stood and walked into the office, closing the door behind her. Immediately she dropped into one of the chairs in front of the desk, swinging her heavily booted feet up onto its wooden surface, pointedly ignoring the heavy twitch this caused in her Principal's eye. Principal Faust gave her a halfhearted frown, then slumped down into her own chair, propping her head up with one hand, observing the teenager before her. Sunset looked much the same as she had for the past few years, tall and a little scrawny for her age, her head topped with a spiky pixie cut that hung in front of her eyes, hiding the several silver studs that adorned her face. She was wearing heavy black work boots, faded black jeans, a t-shirt, black of course, and it was all topped off by a terribly abused denim vest that was covered in an indiscernible mess of patches and pins. Principal Faust let out a groan. "Sunset..." Sunset looked up, giving the woman across from her a quizzical glance as she rummaged around in her vest pockets for a moment, eventually pulling out a small green and white box, along with a lighter. "SUNSET!!!" Principal Faust roared as her eyes shot to the pack of cigarettes. "What? I made sure the door was closed, and I brought enough to share." Sunset explained with a small shrug. "That's not..." Principal Faust ground her teeth for a moment, before letting her shoulders slump. "Oh who am I kidding, it's not like it's the first time..." She moaned, pulling a crystal ash tray from a desk drawer and putting it between them. "Gonna take all day to get the stink out of here..." Sunset gave her a sympathetic look, which didn't stop her from leaning forward to offer a cigarette, then lighting it for her Principal before doing the same for herself. Principal Faust took a long drag from the cigarette, taking a thoughtful moment before exhaling, then daintily she tapped it against the rim of the ash tray. Almost immediately she felt slightly light headed, but at the same time she could feel most of the tension in her neck begin to unravel. "Now then..." She began, giving her student a piercing look. "What have I told you about leaving school grounds?" "Don't get caught?" Sunset offered with a grin, rolling her cigarette between her teeth. "Yes! I mean, no! T-that's not really..." "Principal, relax. It won't happen again." Sunset offered soothingly. Principal Faust blinked in surprise. "It won't? You mean you'll stop cutting classes?" "Pffft! Absolutely not!" Sunset laughed, almost choking on the smoke in her lungs. Principal Faust looked rather unamused at that. "I mean I won't get caught again. I have a plan. This way, you won't get in any trouble, and neither will that cop. He actually seems kinda nice when you get down to it, and I'd rather not make life hard for him." Sunset explained nonchalantly. "How very considerate of you." Principal Faust grumbled. "Just...I'm sure you're sick of hearing it, but keep your grades up, and we won't have a problem, but please be careful, at this point we've bent the rules so much for you that I'm not sure we could help much if you ever got into any real trouble." Sunset gave a small smile at that, but it was also a bit sad. "Thanks, but don't worry, I can take care of myself, been at it long enough at this point." Despite herself, Principal Faust reached out and gave the girl's hand a comforting pat, before straightening up and taking another puff of her extremely illicit cigarette. "So what is this plan of yours?" Sunset's expression morphed into a mixture of mischief and excitement, a look that the entire school staff had learned to dread. "Well I'd explain it to you, but..." Sunset lifted her hand to glance at a very expensive looking watch, which the Principal had to resist assuming was stolen. The girl may have been a delinquent, but theft wasn't her style. "Unfortunately I have a bus to catch!" Sunset declared as she stubbed out her cigarette and made for the door. "A bus?" Principal Faust asked in surprise. "A bus to where?" "The suburbs, apparently some interesting stuff has been happening out there." Sunset called over her shoulder, before disappearing through the door. "So that's her plan..." Principal Faust mumbled around her cigarette. "I hope she knows they still have police in the suburbs...those poor sheriffs." Author's Note A few people requested a sequel after The Mis-Test Mystery, and I really wanted to do more with Sunny as a character, so here we are! I feel like this chapter is a little over the top, but I kinda like that about it. Like what happens if pre-reformation Sunset was a good-natured rebel instead of a huge bitch.
Not What You ExpectedTwilight Sparkle couldn't help but grin, a heavy blush on her face as she and her best friend Sunset Shimmer exited the movie theater together, their hands still intertwined, as they had been for most of the movie. This was it, after months and months of failed advances, it seemed like Sunset was finally showing some romantic interest in her, and Twilight felt like she was practically floating. The pair walked casually through the parking lot until they came up to Sunset's motorcycle, where they stopped to face each other. "I-I had a great time with you tonight Sunset." Twilight breathed, a nervous smile splitting her face. "Yeah, me too, we should do it again sometime soon." Sunset said with casual nod. She wants to go on a second date! Twilight's heart was beating a mile a minute. It was really happening! "Well, I should probably get going, it's supposed to rain tonight and I'd rather not get caught in it on my bike." Sunset admitted wryly as she checked the weather on her phone. "You said you were taking the bus home right?" "Mmhmm." Twilight nodded, before taking a shaky step forward and closing the gap between them. "B-but we have a while before the next bus shows up, so no need to say goodnight just yet..." She whispered, her mouth going dry. Tonight's been going so well, I just have to! I'm going in for the good night kiss! She began leaning up towards the taller girl, her eyes going half-lidded. "Yeah well, like I said I wanna try and beat the rai..." Twilight leaned in even more, her eyes closing as her lips lightly puckered. "Snrrk!" Twilight's eyes shot open at the sound of Sunset trying to hold back a laugh. "Y-y-ya alright there Twi? Y-y-you look like you're about to sneeze or something!" Sunset stuttered as she tried to hold back a series of high pitched giggles. Twilight leaned back, standing ram-rod straight and staring wide eyed at Sunset, her blood suddenly feeling more like ice water. N-not again, please don't tell me it's happening again!? Sunset took another minute to get her giggle fit under control before slamming her motorcycle helmet onto her head. "Man, you're a riot Twi, later tater!" She called before bopping Twilight's nose with a finger and hopping on her bike, starting the engine. The cold in Twilight's veins quickly turned into the heat of anger and frustration as tears began to creep into her eyes. "YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT SUNSET!!!" She screamed, venting her heartbreak to the world, but of course even that was swallowed by the roar of Sunset's motorcycle as she gave her a casual wave and zoomed out of the parking lot. Twilight bit back a sob as she felt the tears start up in full force. "Damnit Sunset, I'd hate your guts if I wasn't in love with you..." she whimpered, trying to scrub the tears from her eyes, but that only made her feel more miserable. Realizing she was about to start bawling in the middle of a public parking lot, she gave a panicked look around and spotted a secluded looking alley next to the theater. Casting caution to the wind, she made a dash for the nearest shred of seclusion so she could have a good long cry before going home and facing her parents, who also thought that she had been out on her first date that night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sunset Shimmer stretched languidly as she stepped off the bus and observed the collection of buildings surrounding the bus stop. "Hmmm, convenience store, coffee shop, movie theater, yeah this'll work, took longer to get here than I expected though." She mused to herself, looking between her watch and the rapidly setting sun. It was at that moment that a few stray drops of rain began to fall, causing her to glance up at the graying sky. At least it was warm out. She glanced behind herself at the bus schedule posted at the stop and did some quick math in her head, before shrugging to herself. "Not like anyone'll come looking if I don't make it back to the orphanage by curfew." With that, she walked up through the parking lot towards the theater, intent on checking the posters along the wall. "Hmmmmmm, trash, garbage, seen it, trash, good trash, the book was better..." She muttered to herself as she looked over each poster, moving from the entrance towards the side of the building. ",trash, boring trash, loved it but will never tell a soul, and finally trash. Guess that's a no go for catching a movie, guess I'll check out..." She snapped her mouth shut as a high pitched whimper drifted from around the building. "Huh, is somebody back there...?" She took a few slow steps closer to the mouth of the alley and attempted to peer into the shadows. Unfortunately she couldn't see a damn thing from this distance, but she did hear more distinctly human noises towards the back. It may not have been the wisest idea, investigating a sketchy alley in an unfamiliar part of town, but Sunset didn't scare easily, not to mention she was already bored out of her mind, and the alley offered at least some refuge from the steadily heavier rain. Maybe the suburbs weren't the land of adventure and freedom she had been hoping for. With that thought, she stepped fully into the shadows of the alley and headed towards the figure crouching deeper in. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Every time Twilight thought maybe she was done crying, she'd be hit with a renewed wave of sadness, and bury her head between her knees once again. It was beginning to get on her nerves. "I'm so stupid! Of course she didn't think this was a date." Twilight grumbled between sniffles. "She didn't think the library or the aquarium was a date either, why would tonight be any different!" with that she slammed her fist against the brick wall she was sitting against, which immediately drew a yelp and fresh tears as she cradled her sore hand. Between what was sure to be a fresh bruise and the rain picking up, Twilight was just about ready to give up on the last of her dignity and go cry in the bus stop until the next bus came when she was interrupted by heavy footsteps further up the alley. Suppressing a yelp of surprise, she glanced up to see a tall, intimidating looking figure approaching her. In a fit of panic and shame, she reflexively curled into herself, hoping the stranger would just walk past her, maybe not even see her at all. Of course that hope went out the window as the sound of footsteps came to a stop a mere foot away from her, eliciting a fresh whine of sadness and fear from Twilight. "L-look, I'm having a really awful night and this is just the icing on the cake. I don't have much money on me, but it's all yours, just d-don't hurt me. Leave me alone, please." she squeaked, clenching her eyes shut as hard as she could even as she sobbed into her knees. What followed was the longest silence of Twilight's entire life. "Jeez girl, I'm not mugging you, am I really that scary looking?" Twilight's eyes shot open. That voice... She looked up at the figure before her, but it was still shrouded in the general darkness of the alley. It was rummaging in it's pockets for a second before before lifting something to it's mouth. There was a scratching noise, followed by a click as a flame sprang to life, lighting the end of a cigarette. In the brief flash of light, Twilight's eyes went even wider as she caught sight of amber skin, capped by crimson and gold hair. "Suns...!" "Whoa! That was bright, blinded myself a little." The girl said, stumbling a little. "Uh, I know you might wanna be alone right now but...mind if I sit down for a second, just until I get my bearings back?" She asked, a hint of awkward guilt in her voice. Twilight kept staring at the dark figure wordlessly, before realizing she had been asked a question. "Oh, umm, sure I guess..." "Thanks!" Was all the warning given before the girl plopped down right next to Twilight. "So, you want one?" she asked, gesturing towards Twilight with what looked like the silhouette of a cigarette pack. "I-I don't smoke." Twilight half-whispered, still trying to piece together what was happening. "Might make you feel better." The girl mused with what sounded like a good-natured grin. "You sure?" She asked again, shaking the little box. "No, thank you for the offer though." Twilight said with a small smile herself, belatedly realizing she seemed to have finally stopped crying. "Hmmm, suit yourself." The girl took a drag of the cigarette hanging from her lips, causing the end to flare and provide Twilight with another flash of a face that was familiar yet completely different from what she expected. A hand extended through the darkness towards Twilight. "Anyways, I know I'm interrupting, but what can I say, I'm a bit nosy. I'm Sunset Shimmer, it's nice to meet ya." Author's Note Poor Twilight, can you imagine having what you thought was a romantic date end with the words "Later tater!" So obviously, this story has no cover art yet, but I'm hoping I can commission someone to fix that. Would love to get an artist's rendition of punky Sunset. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be very welcome.
Good Night Turned BadSunset held her hand out to the crouched shadow she had been chatting with, not really expecting anything. What she received however, was a pair of surprisingly warm hands wrapping around her own, as the figure pulled close enough to be seen in the limited light, enough that Sunset almost dropped her cigarette in a cartoonish gape. "It's nice to meet you Sunset." The girl said, with a strangely knowing smile. "I'm Twilight Sparkle." "T-Twilight huh?" Sunset remarked, looking away and hoping the shadows would conceal her blush. After a moment she turned back and pulled on the cigarette, illuminating them both with the glowing ember. "It's, uh, nice to meet you." she managed, hoping her cheeks didn't glow as bright as they felt like they would. "What's got you out here all alone?' Twilight sniffled for a moment, then took a deep breath, wiping her eyes. "Uhh, friendship problems I guess. Y'know." She said, with a slightly bitter chuckle. Sunset grinned uneasily, not that it could be seen in the darkness. "Yeah, I get that..." She said far more casually than she felt, before again pulling on her smoke. There was an awkward pause, before Twilight's newly familiar voice burst from the darkness. "What, uh, what brings you out here all alone?" Sunset chuckled a little more genuinely now. "Oh y'know, looking for the next great adventure." She answered with more of her usual confidence. "I usually hang around the city, so I figured the burbs might offer something new. Though it took me a bit longer to get out here than I expected, not sure I can find a bus back at this point..." Twilight seemed to giggle at that, before releasing an adorable "Eep!", and pulling out her phone, her frown evident in the ghostly glow of the screen. "Something wrong?" Sunset asked, surprised to find herself genuinely concerned. Twilight looked truly panicked. "I-I was supposed to get in touch with my parents hours ago! They must be worried sick! There's no reception in this alley, I don't even know what time it is!" Sunset grinned, "Well I have you covered there." She raised her left wrist, the ill-fitting watch shinning even in the limited cell phone light. "It's exactly 12:35...give or take 2 minutes..." Twilight squinted at that curiously for a minute, before her eyes went wide as dinner plates. "I'M SO LATE!!!" she warbled, holding her head. "What am I gonna do!" Sunset bit her knuckle, trying not to giggle at how adorable the girl was when whipped into a tizzy. "Reception's way better by the bus stop, go try there." Twilight's head whipped back and forth between Sunset and the alley entrance. "Th-thank you so much!" She gasped before jogging off. Sunset chuckled before breathing deeply into her mostly gone cigarette, closing her eyes and enjoying the highly temporary satisfaction it provided in the face of the pretty girl leaving her behind. "W-wait, Sunset!" "H-hurk!" Sunset nearly tossed up a lung as Twilight's voice returned. "Uh, S-sorry to surprise you." Sunset, still gasping and clutching her chest, looked up to see Twilight framed by the light at the mouth of the alley. "I-I want you to have this!" Twilight practically shouted, throwing a small piece of paper at Sunset before running off. Sunset took a moment to cough like a middle aged man before scrabbling for the piece of paper and unfolding it. It was what looked like a phone number, followed by a short note. Call me. If she hadn't already had the wind knocked out of her, it certainly would have been now. As she watched Twilight leave and tried to catch her breath, her ears perked at the sound of heavy boots coming down the alley behind her. They stopped abruptly. "Well well well, what do we have here?" Came a sneering voice, and Sunset whipped her head around to see three silhouettes that seemed dressed similar to herself. "Some little tramp on our turf!" The voice continued, with far too much excitement for Sunset's taste. At least Twilight was gone. "Ugh, I was having a great night, what do you dicks want." Sunset muttered, drawing herself up to her full height, and setting her shoulders, which was more than enough to scare off most creeps in her experience. Apparently not in this case however. She somehow tasted the blood before feeling the fist collide with her face, as she fell backwards and landed on the rough concrete. She collected the blood in her mouth and spat before pulling a single brass knuckle from her pocket and letting it glint in the limited light. "Really!? You're just gonna cold cock me like that? What a bunch of turds!" she growled, pulling herself back up slower than she'd like. At least the nervous step back all three took in response was satisfying. Unfortunately the apparent leader regained his nerve quickly, pulling a hefty pocket knife from his coat. "Oh this one has some fight in her, let's teach her not to step onto our territory with such a pretty face!" he gloated before lunging at her. Sunset dodged the clumsy thrust easily, landing a solid hit upside the idiot's head, but the two lackeys charged and grabbed her arms, pinning her against the alley wall. She struggled of course, but she couldn't break free before the leader shook his head groggily and stood back up. "Ohhhh you cunt!" He slurred, adopting a manic grin, "You'll pay for that." Sunset kept struggling, determined to not go down without a fight as the glinting knife grew closer and closer to her face. As it drew within an inch, she grimaced and turned, hoping it would be quick. At the last moment, Sunset saw a flash out of the corner of her eye as a heavy black boot caught the leader in the side of the head and he crumpled to the ground, followed by heavy elbows to both the lackeys' necks. Sunset nearly crumpled with them in relief, but instead slumped against the alley wall. "Uhhh, B-Batman?" "No you fuckin moron, Batman is a wuss." Came a stern voice, and as Sunset looked up, all she could see in the limited light was a wiry, feminine, figure with twin tails as it approached and started helping her up. "Wh-what do you want?" Sunset asked feebly, hating the sound of the waver in her voice. "To help you, dummy" scoffed the mystery girl, hoisting one of Sunset's arms around her back. "Can you walk?" "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just let me be, I can handle myself." Sunset grumbled, making a token effort to pull away from the girl, but utterly failing against her grip and her own shaking knees. "Hah!" Barked the girl harshly. "Sure you can Red. Just shut up and come along already. You can take a nap and then fuck off to whatever it was you were doing." "Whatever bitch." Sunset muttered sullenly, before letting herself be carried along and using her free hand to pull out her pack of smokes and raise one to her lips, then glancing at the girl carrying her. "You want one?" The girl looked like she was holding back hysterical laughter, before taking a deep breath and glancing at Sunset. "Sure Red, It's been about three decades, but I could go for one." Sunset was too tired to decode such a weird comment, so instead she feebly pressed a cigarette into the corner of the girls grin and fumbled for her lighter to ignite both. She took a lazy puff and glanced at the girl. "So where the hell are we going?" Author's Note Enter Aria. Credit to I-A-M for Aria calling Sunset Red, it's too fun a casual nickname to not use. Also I worry that I wrote too much chemistry between Sunset and Aria, so if you want that, again I-A-M is your savior with the brilliant AriaSet fic Rules of Engagement (highly NSFW but still brilliant)
