Sunset after the Storm

Sunset after the Storm

-by SunlightRays-

Lightning Storm walked down the sidewalk leading to his new school. He sighed from under his grey hoodie.

Others would have said that it was fine weather, with blue skies and warm temperatures. To him, however, it looked just as bleak as a day with heavy cloud cover and chilly winds. Every building he walked past, every tree he saw, every car that passed by him seemed greyer than reality. It had been like this for the past few months, after she….

Lightning shook the thought out of his head. He sighed again, walking the rest of the distance between him and Canterlot High. His mom had offered him a ride, but he had rejected her offer. He was going to do things on his own now, just like how he dealt with… with the incident on his own a few months back. He passed through the school’s main gates and headed towards the front door.

And here he was. Looking up at the school building that loomed before him. Just like he had done during the past few years. Just like that day, when… when….

Come on, Lightning, this isn’t your old school. New school, new memories, new chances. Lightning shook the thought out of his head and entered the building. He looked around the lobby, which had only a few students here and there. Not surprising, really, since the start of class was about an hour away.

Now, what was I supposed to do? Oh right, pick up my papers and schedule from the principal’s office. Now I wonder where could that be? He considered finding the principal’s office on his own, but after considering the possibility of getting lost in this unfamiliar place, he decided to ask for directions.

After looking for someone he could ask, he walked up to a girl wearing a pair of purple sunglasses and headphones standing by the lockers. At first, he tried to ask without disturbing her.

“Um, excuse me?” Lightning asked. The girl didn’t respond.

Lightning tried again. “Excuse me?”, this time a little bit louder.

Still no response. Slight anticipation spread through him as he feared that this girl might not appreciate being disturbed. Lightning considered walking away and finding another person who would help him. But he decided to try. He had been rejected more than a few times before; once more wouldn’t make a big difference.

Lightning waved a hand in front of her eyes, while still saying “Excuse me?” even louder.

The girl turned to look at him. “Oh, sorry. Didn’t know you were there.” She took off her headphones and asked, “So how can I help you?”

“Oh, uh, um, do you know where the principal’s office is?” asked Lightning.

“Oh, sure. It’s down that hallway, third door on the left.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

“No problem. By the way, are you new here?” The girl asked.

“Oh, y-yeah. I transferred here today.”

“Oh! It’s good to have new friends here. I should introduce myself then. My name’s Vinyl Scratch, although I go by DJ P0n-3 around here.”

“My name’s Lightning. Lightning Storm. Nice to meet you, Vinyl.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Vinyl then closed her locker and picked up her bag. “Well, I’d better get going. See you later, Lightning!”

“See you!” Lightning said as he turned around and headed down the corridor Vinyl had told him.

Down this hallway, third door on the left…. Bingo! He stopped in front of a door and knocked.

“Come in.” A woman’s voice answered from the other side. Lightning opened the door and went in. “Oh, you must be Lightning Storm, the new transfer student.”

“Yes, ma’am. I came here to get my schedule.”

“Well, of course. I’m Principal Celestia. Welcome to Canterlot High, Lightning.” She stood up and held out a hand towards him.

He shook her hand and took a seat while Principal Celestia went to pick up Lightning’s file.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll have a great time here. Here are your schedules and periods, as well as a list of scheduled school events. Take a good look at them,” said Principal Celestia with a smile.

“Thank you so much for these, ma’am,” said Lightning.

“It’s my pleasure. Oh, and before you go to your first period, you’ll need someone to show you around the school, lest you lose your way in this building. The corridors can be a bit confusing at times.” With that, she pressed a button and spoke into the microphone. “Sunset Shimmer, please report to my office. We have a new student who needs a tour of the school.”

“Sunset Shimmer?” Lightning asked with an air of curiosity.

“Oh, yes. She’s probably one of the most brilliant minds Canterlot High has. She… well, she does have a certain history, but she’s a good student now.”

Just then, a knock on the door came. “Come in,” said Principal Celestia. The door opened, and a girl came in. She had red and yellow hair and wore a black leather jacket with a light blue dress under it.

Lightning was stunned. Not because she was pretty — not that she wasn’t — but because of something she had that reminded him of… of her…. She was different, definitely, yet she had something quite akin to her….

Lightning began to panic. No, stop it Lightning! Stop it! It’s all in the past; your old school, her, the incident…. She’s not her! She’s—

“Hello, anybody there?” A voice penetrated through Lightning’s train of thoughts.

“Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, sorry. W-what did you say?” Lightning stuttered, trying to hide the thoughts that had been flowering in his mind.

“I said that my name is Sunset Shimmer, and I’m pleased to be your guide,” said the red-haired girl, extending a hand towards Lightning while stifling a giggle.

“Oh, um, I’m Lightning Storm. Nice to meet you Sunset.” He shook her hand.

“Well then, let’s get going, shall we?” said Sunset, opening the door and stepping outside.

“Sure. Oh, and thank you, Principal Celestia!” Lightning said as he rose from his seat and picked up his bag.

“You’re welcome, Lightning,” answered Principal Celestia, wearing a warm smile.

“…and here’s the chemistry classroom, where we do a lot of fun experiments. Any questions?” asked Sunset as she concluded the tour.

Lightning shook his head, deep in thought.

“Hey, you’ve been awfully quiet during the whole tour. Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just…,” Lightning let out a sigh. “It’s just myself, I guess. I’m just having some personal thoughts right now.”

“Oh. Well then, are you sure you heard what I’ve been saying? You wouldn’t want to get lost in this maze of a building, would you?” Sunset said, with a playful tone and a faint smile on her face.

“Nah, I’m pretty sure I picked up most of what you were saying. I’ll be able to find my way around here, thanks,” Lightning replied, answering with a smile of his own. Just then, the bell signaled ten minutes to the start of class. “Oh geez, I’d better get going. Wouldn’t want to be late on the first day of school.”

“Yeah, sure. Oh, and Lightning?” Sunset called after him.

Lightning turned around. “Yeah?”

“Do you want to hang out with me and my friends after school today? I could introduce you to them,” said Sunset.

Lightning hesitated for a moment. Once again a voice began to speak inside his mind. Don’t. Don’t become close to her. You know what happened the last time you did that. How your ‘friend’ hurt you. How your so-called ‘best friend’ left you in endless pain. She might do the same. She might hurt you again. She might—

“Shut up,” Lightning hissed to himself. Then, realizing Sunset’s questioning gaze, he regained his composure and said, “I-I mean, sure. I’d love to.”

“Alright then, meet me at the front doors after school. See you then!” With that, Sunset jogged away to her own classroom.

“See you later, Sunset!” Lightning called after her.

As Lightning turned around, he began muttering to himself. “Look, however much she may resemble her, Sunset Shimmer is not her. This is a new school, a new start for me, and I would like to leave what happened behind, okay? It won’t happen again. I won’t allow it.”

Lightning then sighed, rubbed his pounding right eyelid, and picked up his pace towards his first day of chemistry class.