Three o’clock. As per usual, the school bell rang, and floods of students dashed into the hallway with a chorus of cheers and laughter. Mr. Cranky Doodle’s classroom emptied out in seconds, all except Sunset Shimmer, who stayed planted in her seat until the commotion had settled and the crowd of students had dissipated.
As she left the building, she saw her classmates rushing into their cars and urgently driving off into the distance, as if their lives depended on it. No stop lights or pedestrians were getting in the way of their fun, it seemed. Sunset simply shook her head and walked away, before a car rolled to the curb in front of her.
“Get inside, darling!” Rarity called out, waving at her friend. “We’ve only got a couple hours! Every second we waste now is a second that could have been spent doing our hair, fixing our makeup, accessorizing, taking pictures—”
“If every second is so important,” Applejack interrupted, peeking out from the passenger seat, “then why are you takin’ so long with this sentence?”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Are you coming, Sunset?”
Sunset stayed put and shook her head. “No, that’s okay,” she said, running her fingers through her hair. “I’ll still have plenty of time if I walk home. No need to worry about me.”
“Are you sure? I want you looking your best tonight!”
“Really, it’s fine.”
Rarity nodded, waved her friend goodbye, then quickly drove off with the same disregard of the other students. Sunset sighed, then continued walking home.
She wanted to be excited for prom. She really did. Pinkie Pie and Rarity had spent the whole school year hyping it up, to the point where even Fluttershy, who hated painfully loud music and giant rambunctious crowds, was excited. And yet, still, all Sunset could feel was indifference.
Maybe it was her dress. She had spent hours in Rarity’s boutique, trying on all seventy-three gowns that matched her skin and eyes, but still were in fashion, until she found what Rarity called “the one.” It was red, yellow, and orange dress with fire patterns and black accents, and Sunset looked stunning in it. She loved her dress, and the matching shoes, earrings, and necklace that went along with it. Still, indifference.
Maybe it was her date, or rather, lack thereof. She was going alone, but she didn't really mind it; in fact, she preferred it. Not having to spend the entire night with one person gave her the complete opportunity to explore the venue, which she heard was gorgeous from at least twelve people. But when Twilight Sparkle talked about bringing Timber Spruce, or Rarity testing the waters with Ragamuffin, or Rainbow Dash losing a bet and having to take Zephyr Breeze, she couldn’t help but feel a little left out.
Maybe it was just a bad day. She had scored a B-minus on her latest calculus test, her lowest grade all semester, and gotten hit in the head with a dodgeball during gym class. Maybe it was her hair, which wasn’t cooperating with her now, and surely wouldn’t cooperate with her when it came time to assemble her prom look. Maybe it was that man at the coffee shop who took forever deciding what he wanted, infuriating Sunset so much that she had to leave without receiving her espresso. Who gets in line without knowing what they want?
Regardless of the reason, Sunset was just not excited for prom.
Sunset sat on her bed, absentmindedly flipping through a furniture catalogue.
She had fully assembled her prom look, outside of her shoes, which had five-inch heels and hurt every time she put them on. The dress was beautiful, and she had somehow managed to sculpt her hair into something resembling a bun. She didn't put on too much makeup, since she felt like she didn't need it, but had decorated herself with expensive jewelry that Rarity loaned her. She didn't really want to wear any accessories besides the necklace and earrings that came with the dress, but she felt like Rarity would call her out if she wasn’t wearing the golden bracelets or diamond headpieces she had given her, so they found their way onto her body.
She had hoped that putting herself into her prom dress would get her excited for the celebration, but she still felt empty inside. She didn't want to go, but at the same time, she had already paid for a ticket, and money was tight as it was. At this point, her last hope to feel something was her friends, who were supposed to pick her up… five minutes ago. They were late.
Sunset moaned and leaned back onto her bed, covering her face with the magazine. There was a “sixty percent off” deal on a wooden table set that didn't look half bad. She reached for a marker to circle the sale, but was interrupted by a ring at the doorbell. She let out a loud sigh, then opened the door. Standing there was Twilight Sparkle in a beautiful navy blue gown decorated with stars and constellations.
“Hey Sunset!” she chirped, the biggest smile on her face. “Are you ready for the night of our lives?”
“Wait, was that today?” Sunset joked, although she could've honestly meant it. “Let me put on my shoes, and we can go."
Sunset did not enjoy high heels. As pretty as they looked, walking in them was a certifiable form of torture, and she cursed her past self for letting Rarity convince her into getting them. As her and Twilight left the house and walked toward the limousine parked across the street, Sunset almost tripped over nearly everything. Twilight had picked a stylish pair of flats, and Sunset couldn’t have been more jealous.
When they got into the limo, they were greeted by Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Timber Spruce, Ragamuffin, and Big Mac, each in ridiculously good looking suits and dresses. Sunset’s house was the penultimate stop before Fluttershy’s house, where they’d meet up with her, Rainbow Dash, and Zephyr Breeze to take pictures. The limo was fairly big, so even with so many people, everyone still had a little bit of space to themselves. Plus, there was free sparkling water, which was nice.
“SUNSET!” Pinkie shouted, throwing her arms around her unsuspecting friend. “Are you excited?!” Before Sunset could even respond, Pinkie kept going. “There’s going to be so many sweets there! Cake and ice cream and a chocolate fountain and a MASHED POTATO BAR!”
“Uh, Pinkie, mashed potatoes ain’t sweet,” Applejack pointed out.
“When you dip them into the chocolate fountain, they are!”
Applejack gagged at the thought while the others laughed. Sunset made a mental note to get to the chocolate fountain before Pinkie did.
“Let’s get going!” Rarity said to the driver, who nodded his head. “We have an hour to take pictures and get there! Every second counts!” Rarity’s dress was so ornate and decorated that Sunset couldn’t help but feel under-dressed, even though her own outfit had Rarity’s approval.
As Twilight settled in next to Timber and Sunset sat by Pinkie, the limo began to move, and the speakers inside began playing some pop song Sunset didn't know.
“I love this song,” Timber said, bobbing his head. “I can’t want to dance tonight. It’s been way too long since I busted out my moves.”
“Are we going to have to do that group dance that you’ve all been doing since second grade?” Sunset asked. Her friends nodded. She cringed, already knowing she would be the only one at prom who hadn’t mastered it, and would end up looking like a fool. She made another mental note to sit out when that song played.
“You look great, by the way,” Twilight said, marveling at Sunset’s outfit. The rest of the group collectively nodded their heads in agreement.
“Thanks,” Sunset replied, rubbing her hands together. “You do too. All of you do.”
For the rest of the trip, Sunset sat in silence, tuning out the rest of their friends while they talked about food choices, dancing, and who was going with who. Big Mac was similarly silent, but Sunset wasn’t surprised. After all, he was Big Mac.
“Rainbows, come a little closer!”
“Nope! I think I’m fine where I am.”
“You’re on the opposite side of the room! How are we supposed to get the shot?!”
Fluttershy’s house was buzzing as the girls and their dates posed for various pictures. Fluttershy’s parents had decorated her backyard, so it looked like a movie set full of props and various backdrops.
Taking pictures, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a long and arduous process. First, Twilight wanted a photo with Timber, and then with Applejack, and then of course Pinkie wanted one with Applejack, too, who wanted one with Big Mac, and so on. Sunset adored her friends, but if there was anything that could make her even less excited for prom, it was this.
“Sunset, you haven’t been in any pictures,” Fluttershy observed, sitting down next to her on a bench. “Is something wrong?”
“Nope,” Sunset lied. “Just letting you all have your turn first.”
“You know, for someone who used to rule the school by lying, you’re doing a pretty bad job of it right now,” Rainbow Dash joked. “Seriously, what’s up?”
“Nothing! That’s the thing!” Sunset said, putting her hand to her forehead. “Absolutely nothing is wrong. And yet…”
“And yet what?” Fluttershy asked.
Sunset sighed. “Never mind. Come on, Rainbow. Let’s take some pictures together.”
“PLEASE,” Rainbow agreed. “Anything to get away from Zephyr Breeze.”
For the next fifteen minutes, Sunset posed for pictures, smiling and posing until it felt like that was all her body could do. But no matter what prop she was holding, which friend she was smiling with, which backdrop she was using, none of it felt right. None of it felt like her.
Those twelve people were right. The prom venue was, in fact, stunning.
Sunset couldn’t help but marvel at the opulent two story mansion, with a dance floor the size of the CHS gym, a beautifully maintained outdoor garden, several open fire pits, and what seemed like millions of flashing lights glimmering in the darkness. It was perfect, everything Sunset had imagined and more.
Still, she felt empty as she walked through the doors.
“Welcome to the Canterlot High School prom!” Principal Celestia said as she checked the group off her list of students who bought tickets. “Enjoy your night! Make it one to remember!”
The first few minutes of prom, when people were still arriving, felt awkward. Everyone was complimenting each other’s looks, eating appetizers, and sitting down at tables chatting. No one was dancing or taking pictures yet, so Sunset didn't know what exactly what she was supposed to do yet.
She didn't want to intrude on Twilight, Rarity, or Rainbow’s time with their dates, so she ended up clinging to Pinkie Pie, a decision that was quickly regretted. Pinkie was bouncing around, trying to talk to every single student, staff member, or chaperone that walked through the door, which meant Sunset had to walk around in those terrible high heeled shoes.
“Wow, you look amazing, Sunset,” Lyra said, her arms linked around Bon Bon. “Can we take a picture?”
“Yes, please!” Bon Bon agreed.
“Uh, sure,” Sunset replied. The couple put their arms around her, and Sunset managed to pull out a fake smile that would look good enough when they looked back at the photo.
“Thanks, Sunset!” the two said simultaneously before skipping off together. Sunset sighed, and looked around for Pinkie, who had wandered off while she was taking pictures. When it became clear she couldn’t find her, she instead made it her mission to find the hopefully less active Applejack or Fluttershy.
As she searched, her mind kept going back to that table set she had seen in the magazine earlier. How nice would it be to just sit down at that table and read a book, she thought. But she was at prom, and she was committing herself to the prom experience.
She couldn’t find Applejack or Fluttershy, so she gravitated toward Flash Sentry, who was hanging out with Sandalwood and Micro Chips by the bar. She felt uncomfortable inserting herself into an already established group that was in the middle of a conversation, but knew that she would’ve been even more uncomfortable just sitting alone by herself. So, she listened in on what they were talking about, hoping she could make a contribution.
“Flash, you’re definitely going to be prom king,” Micro Chips was saying. “According to my calculations, based on a poll I did earlier, there is no other male in this school with your popularity.”
“Sweet,” Flash replied, sipping a glass of ginger ale. “What about prom queen?”
Sandalwood took out his phone and opened up the calculator application, which confused his friends. “Let’s see… Rarity is obviously a pretty strong contender, but it’s possible the reign of Twilight Sparkle has begun. Fluttershy’s the underdog, but underdogs have a habit of winning things like this.”
“What about Sunset?” Flash asked, noticing the girl awkwardly standing a couple feet away from him. “What are her chances?”
“Eh, I’d say she could give Twilight a run for her money,” Micro Chips admitted.
Flash turned to her and smiled. “Looks like we might have a pretty cool night ahead of us. I should go prepare my prom king speech.”
Speech? No. Sunset Shimmer definitively did not want to make a speech. Not today. She would put on the dress and eat food and dance, but a speech was where she drew the line. She couldn't be prom queen. She just couldn't.
About an hour into the event, people finally made their way to the dance floor, going crazy over some popular songs Sunset had heard before but never really paid attention to. At first, she sat at her seat and observed as her classmates danced, but Twilight eventually noticed Sunset and pulled her onto the dance floor.
“You seem like you’re not enjoying yourself,” Twilight observed as she danced with her friend.
“Nah, I am,” Sunset fibbed, making movements with her arms to appear as if she was dancing. “What about you? Where’s Timber?”
Twilight noticed the attempt to change the subject, but ignored it. “Seriously, Sunset, I’m worried about you. You barely took any pictures or said anything in the limo. Talk to me.”
Sunset sighed. “I don’t know what wrong’s with me. I really want to enjoy prom. I sincerely, wholeheartedly do. But I just can’t get into it.”
Twilight chuckled. “That’s okay! Prom is what you make of it, Sunset. There’s no rules about what you have to do. If you can’t get into what everyone else is doing, then do your own thing. Timber and I were planning to talk about astronomy after dancing, for example.”
Sunset hadn’t considered that. “Okay. I’ll do my best. I promise you, Twilight, I’m going to have fun!”
“Fun-set Shimmer!” Timber Spruce blurted out, arriving on the dance floor to join Twilight. Sunset rolled her eyes.
After a couple minutes of wandering, Sunset headed toward the second floor of the building, where she found exactly what she desired: a library. And even better, right in the middle of the room was the exact table set Sunset had been eyeing earlier. For the first time all night, she was actually excited.
She was sat down at that glorious table set, happily reading a suspense novel about a missing cat and its journey to find its owner. Her horrible high heels were on the ground, and her bare feet rested on the table top. She had let her hair down, and while it still refused to cooperate with her, it at least felt marginally more free than it had in the bun.
Unfortunately, she only had exactly nine and a quarter minutes of this bliss until Vice Principal Luna found her.
“Ms. Shimmer!” the staff member called out to teenager, who nearly fell off her seat in shock. “You’re not allowed to be up here! All prom activities are downstairs.”
“But—”
“No buts. Head downstairs and enjoy the night. You only get one prom.”
Sunset Shimmer sighed, then followed Vice Principal Luna back to the area where students were allowed. Only when she sat back down in her assigned seat did she realize that she had left her shoes in the library.
Good riddance to those high heels, she thought. Of course, this meant doing the rest of prom bare foot, which didn't seem all that appealing, either. Plus, she had also left the book upstairs, too, which meant that she wouldn't be able to read it or escape the prom scene.
She moaned. This wasn't her night.
Another hour passed, and the DJ called out that the dance floor would be closed for the next half, since the main courses for dinner were finally ready. Sunset had been filling up on Shirley Temples, so she wasn’t all that hungry, but ultimately reached the conclusion that if she didn't eat now, she probably wouldn’t later.
The main courses looked appetizing, with various pastas, salads, and breads spread out across two long tables. And, of course, there was the mashed potato bar Pinkie Pie had mentioned.
Sunset ended up in line with Rainbow Dash, who was hiding from Zephyr Breeze.
“Can you see him?” Rainbow asked, her hand attached to a tablecloth, ready to dash under it, should she need to.
“Nope,” Sunset said. “All clear.”
“Good. He’s been driving me up the wall! ‘Rainbows, let’s do this!’ ‘Rainbows, let’s do that!’ When the slow dance starts, I’m hiding in the bathroom.”
Sunset shook her head and began placing food on her plate, without really paying attention to what it was. When she went back to her seat, she found two servings of mashed potatoes with nothing on them, three rolls of bread, and two tomatoes from the salad. She didn't want to go back in line to get an actual entrée, so she started eating her plate of side dishes.
While she was eating, she saw Pinkie Pie dousing her mashed potatoes in chocolate. Rarity reapplying her makeup in a handheld mirror. Twilight laughing with Timber. Fluttershy talking to birds in the courtyard. Each of them was having the time of their lives.
Meanwhile, she just scrolled through her phone, until she realized she was just scrolling through her homepage, looking at nothing.
Once dinner was finished, the DJ called everyone to the floor for the group dance Sunset had been dreading. She knew if she stayed in her seat, someone would try to reel her into embarrassing herself, so she instead ran towards the bathroom… where she ran into Pinkie Pie.
“Come on, Sunset!” her excitable friend cheered. “It’s dancing time!”
Before she could process what was going on, she found herself walled in by her peers on all sides. To her, it felt like they were all in perfect synchronization, each arm, each leg, each head mesmerized by the song Sunset hardly knew. She was the sole person on that floor who wasn’t moving, and her heart began to race.
“Sunset Shimmer, don’t just stand there! DANCE!”
She didn't know who that voice belonged to, but she didn't care. She spotted Flash Sentry in the crowd and tried copying his movements, but it was too much. She couldn’t get her right foot to touch her left hand in time. Whenever the crowd jumped, her feet remained planted on the ground. She tried predicting the next movement, but to no avail. Eventually, she was just improvising.
And then people started to look at her. They stared, their eyes drilling holes into her heart. She kept dancing, but her breathing got heavier. Sweat began dripping down her forehead. Eyes welled up in her eyes. It was too much.
The moment the song ended, Sunset ran. She didn't know where her legs were taking her, but she knew she couldn’t be there. She ran and didn't stop until she found herself in the outdoor courtyard. She took in a deep breath of fresh air, then sat on the steps of the stairs leading back inside. Everyone else was on the dance floor, so she was alone.
At least, she thought she was.
Sunset Shimmer was crying. She tried not to. She desperately wanted to hold back those tears, but she couldn’t. She sat on the steps and cried.
Her mind was racing. Why could she handle the Fall Formal and every other school function, but not this? Why couldn’t she dance with her friends? Why couldn’t she get excited over mashed potatoes? Why couldn’t she be excited at the prospect of being prom queen? Why couldn’t she smile, and take pictures, and admire everyone’s good looks? Why couldn’t she enjoy herself?
And why was that table set the only thing that could make her happy?
She put her face in her palms and wept, only finding solace in the fact that, since she wasn’t wearing makeup, it wouldn’t run and ruin her look. Not that that mattered. Sunset had already decided she wasn’t going back in there.
After a minute of crying, she felt a hand carefully touch her shoulder. She looked up, expecting to see Twilight, but instead was greeted by Big Mac’s warm smile.
“B-Big Mac?” she asked, finally catching her breath. “What are you doing out here?”
Without a single word, Big Mac simply pointed up toward the sky.
She looked up, and saw a masterpiece. The full moon was glowing, surrounded by what felt like infinite twinkling stars, each carefully placed throughout the night sky. There wasn’t a single bird, cloud, or plane in the sight; nothing to ruin the perfect piece of art before them.
Sunset had never seen anything like it. All those years in Celestia’s classroom learning about the moon, seeing it in pictures, watching it on TV—none of that compared this time. Sunset’s mouth gaped open. Her tears began to dry up and her heart stopped pounding, but she didn't even notice. She was living in the moment.
“I don’t want to dance, and I’m not hungry,” Big Mac finally said. “I just came here for the view.”
Sunset started crying again, but this time they were tears of joy. She finally understood what she wanted. And, for the first time all night, a genuine smile graced her face.
“Sunset! There you are!”
As Sunset returned inside, she found all her friends and their dates (excluding Zephyr Breeze, unsurprisingly) huddled into one group, worried looks on their faces.
“We’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Twilight said, rushing over to give Sunset a hug. Sunset accepted the warm embrace and smiled.
“We got so worried when we saw ya runnin’ off,” Applejack continued.
“Where did you go?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Outside,” Sunset replied, looking back toward the courtyard. “The music was too loud. I just needed a moment to myself.”
Her friend's exchanged looks of confusion and concern. “Are you sure?” Fluttershy questioned. “You seemed pretty down earlier.”
“We’re here to talk, if you need it,” Twilight offered.
Sunset simply shook her head. “I’m good. I’m just enjoying my prom.”
Without another word, she walked away. People were on the dance floor, but she walked right past them. She grabbed a strawberry, dipped it into the chocolate fountain, then sat right down in her seat. After putting her feet up, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Um, darling? Where are your shoes?”
The rest of prom was simple. The dessert bar was huge, offering the students cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, and ice cream, turning Pinkie Pie into a hyperactive rage on the dance floor. When the slow dance came, Twilight and Timber danced together and shared what Sunset assumed was their first kiss, given how awkward it looked. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash avoided Zephyr Breeze like the plague, turning her night into a game of cat and mouse that she was secretly enjoying.
Flash Sentry was crowned prom king, just as Micro Chips had predicted, but in a surprising turn of events, Applejack won prom queen, despite not even knowing she was a candidate. Flash made a very bad speech, and only after everyone laughed did he find out that a speech was not required. However, he saved the moment by perfectly dancing with Applejack when the DJ called for just the royalty. Rarity mourned her lost chance at prom queen, but only briefly, because she quickly found out that a pic of her outfit was trending on Snapgab.
Sunset simply sat in her seat and watched the rest of the night unfold before her eyes. People offered her dances, but she declined. The only time she got up was to grab a huge helping of Granny Smith’s famous apple pie, which she handed to Big Mac outside with a quiet wink and a nod.
When it was time to leave, Sunset Shimmer and all her friends filed into their limo, exhausted from the night of partying. Pinkie Pie fell into a sugar coma, whilst the others stayed awake and made plans to have a sleepover leading into prom weekend. However, the whole time, Sunset was invested in something on her phone.
“Everything okay, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
"Yup!" Sunset chirped with a grin. "Just treating myself to a new table set."
Everyone shrugged, confused at what she was talking about. She didn't care, though. For at least for one day, she was happy. And that’s all she could’ve asked for.
