Chapter 001: There was an attempt to keep friends
Sunset Shimmer blinked at her locker as she slowly dropped her backpack to the tile floor. There were a few meanspirited chuckles from the few surrounding students. Demon Bitch was crudely spray-painted in red across the front of it. It was fresh, the paint rolling down the locker and dripping to the floor.
"If they only knew." Sunset sighed as she dragged her backpack across the floor and let it go so she could start fiddling with the combination lock. She blinked when her normal combo didn't work. She frowned when it didn't work a second time.
"Of course." She sighed. "Switched the lock." She shook her head and lolled her head back with another slow sigh. She took a breath and looked back down at the lock. She paused, chewed her lip, then glanced around. Nobody was too close, and the looks she was getting were foul. She shrugged and leaned closer to her locker.
The skin of her hand prickled as her orange skin turned to a deep red. She squeezed, faking a loud sneeze as the lock crumbled in her hand. With more prickling, her hand returned to "normal," and she quickly moved the lock pieces to her backpack.
Thankfully the inside of the locker hadn't been messed with... to her knowledge. Deciding not to look too much into it, she shrugged out of her leather jacket, hung it in the locker, then stuffed her backpack into the bottom of the locker. She made sure to tug out the book and binder that she'd need for her first class, then slammed the locker shut.
She needed to make a stop or two before her first class.
The front office wasn't anything fancy. There was a large desk in front of a hallway (that led to the nurse and the teacher's personal offices) as well as a few chairs that acted as a "Waiting Room." As Sunset came in the pale pink woman sitting behind the desk looked up. She gave a weak smile as the door shut behind Sunset.
"Hey, Miss Petunia." Sunset announced. "Just letting you know that it happened again."
"We know." Miss Petunia nodded, shaking her head. "This is getting out of hand."
"Yeah, school kids are cruel, what else is new?" Sunset rolled her eyes. "Anyway, janitor busy?"
"Pretty sure he's getting ready to clean your locker." Petunia smiled at her, shaking her head again. "Maybe Principal Celestia needs to have an emergency school meeting."
"It's fine. I don't even look at MyStable anymore. Pretty sure this is going to just blow over eventually." Sunset shrugged. "I hope.... Anyway! I'm gonna go apologize to the janitor!"
With that, the young woman turned on her heel and left the office.
The janitor's closet was tucked away at the end of a hallway of lockers. For some reason the light above it always flickered. Sunset swore that he kept it that way on purpose.
Reaching the door, Sunset knocked. "Mister Chern? It's Sunset." She made sure to pronounce it right, (saying hern rather than ch-ern.)
"Come in." The voice on the other end replied.
The inside of the closet always made her do a double take. It was less a "closet" and more a heavily converted classroom. (That had to have been a science room at some point.) Most of the floor was covered in a brown rug. A wall was covered in shelves, and all the shelves were filled with various cleaning solutions. Another wall bore a large number of cupboards. A corner had been converted into what looked like a small apartment. There was a small single bed, a small end table with a lamp, and a small table bearing a small coffee maker and a microwave. The wall across from her had a few sinks and what looked like a shower. A figure in a brown jumpsuit was bent over the shower, apparently using the showerhead to fill a bucket.
"Sorry to bother you." Sunset said, standing by the door as the shower was shut off.
The figure stood. It was a man. A man who seemed to barely squeeze into his jumpsuit. His forearms alone-
Sunset shook her head and noticed him looking at her.
Mister Chern was pale white with yellow irises in off white eyes. A mop of stringy grey hair sat atop his head and a scraggly goatee covered his chin. His smile showed off a single, snaggle-toothed canine. "Is no problem little Shimmer." He shook his head. "Is always nice to see a kind girl like you."
His voice bore an accent that Sunset couldn't quite place, however she assumed something Russian-esque. "Yeah, if only everyone else thought the same." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Do not worry about thoughts of those who believe lies." Chern turned and dropped a sponge into the filled bucket. "On that note, I am going to clean your locker."
"Oh, I can do that if you want. Sorry that it happened... again." Sunset winced a little.
"Is not your fault. You were not the one that used cheap spray-paint." He chuckled. "Oh, before I go, how is Miss Meg?"
"She's great! I can't thank you enough." Sunset smiled. "It's wonderful having somebody listen. How do you two know each other."
"We are relatives, so to speak." Chern said, setting the bucket on the counter with a small slosh. "She is cousin's kin on brother's side."
"Wow, sounds like you have a big family." Sunset chuckled, leaning against the door way.
"You could say that." Chern chuckled as well. "But big families can have their own issues."
"I wouldn't know." Sunset said awkwardly.
"You will have family someday little Shimmer." Chern nodded. "Now, you should get to class, is starting soon."
His sentence was emphasized by the ringing of the bell.
"Shit!" Sunset swore as she bolted.
Class was... class.
Sunset was grateful for lunch, though the awkward part was holding her tray while looking for a place to sit. Her eyes fell on her old spot... with the girls...
"Okay. You can do this." Sunset murmured to herself as she started towards their table. "You don't need to sit with them... You just want to say something... It'll be fine..."
The moment she got close to their table, her heart began to race. A sick chill ran up her stomach and down her spine. She gulped.
Fluttershy was the first to spot her. The girl's eyes welled up and she scooted back. She was followed by Pinkie, who scowled at her. Just as fast Rainbow, AJ, and Rarity all stared at her.
"H-Hi..." Sunset managed to get out.
"The fuck do you want?!" Rainbow said in an almost growl.
"I just- I-" Her words were catching in her throat.
"Well?" AJ glared at her. "Spit it out."
"I just want to say-"
"Why'd you do it? We trusted you..." Fluttershy's voice squeaked out. Sunset couldn't look at her.
The feeling of cold filled her stomach, making her feel more sick. "I-I didn't- L-listen I-"
"We should've known that it was all an act to just get back at us." Rarity said with a hrumph.
"Please. C-Can I see you all after s-school? There's something th-that I want to say." Sunset finally managed to get out.
"Whatever it is, you can say it here." Rainbow half-snarled at her.
"I-I can't- Not here." Sunset's heart started to race. Her eyes stung. "A-after s-school, behind the bleachers- Please."
She quickly turned and tried to make her way away from them as fast as she could. It was difficult. Her legs were shaky. She could barely hear the rattling of the plasticware on the tray over the ringing in her ears. She felt light-headed. Through the mental haze, and the watery blur of her eyes, she looked for a spot to sit down. She didn't think that she'd be eating after that.
There.
There was half a table open. Only one person was sitting there.
She quickly made her way over, trying not to stumble. She managed to plant herself on the bench, virtually slamming the tray down as she took a deep gasping breath. She wasn't sure if she hadn't been breathing, or was just hyperventilating.
She managed to focus enough to look across from her.
"Oh..." Sunset squeaked out quietly.
Sitting across from her, was Gilda. Captain of the boxing team, captain of the wrestling team (both of which she was in the male division for), the young woman was a living brick-shithouse of muscle. The dark-tan-skinned young woman in the leather jacket and gray, almost off-white, tee shirt stared up at her through her white-gray bangs. A single gold-orange eye looked at her. The left looked milky, filmed over. It probably had something to do with the ragged scar over her left eye the cut through her eyebrow. The look Gilda gave her simply looked... tired.
"C-can I sit here?" Sunset gulped while trying to get her breathing under control.
"Free country." Gilda grunted with a small shrug of her boulder-like shoulders.
"Th-thanks." Sunset nodded, quickly sliding her tray aside to prop her elbows on the table, just to plop her face into her hands.
"Mmmhmmm." Came the response.
Sunset tried to go to her "happy place."
A wheat field. A soft breeze. The warm sun-
How could you?
'No. Just relax. You in your-'
You fucking bitch!
Sunset squeezed her eyes tighter closed.
We should've known you'd never change.
Her breathing picked up again. Her eyes stung.
"You gonna eat that?"
Her thoughts suddenly screeched to a halt.
Sunset slowly pulled her face from her hands. Gilda was looking at her. The dark-skinned young woman gestured at the abandoned tray with a calloused hand. "You gonna eat your lunch?"
Sunset blinked. "No."
"Sweet." Gilda dragged the tray over. "Not allowed to get two portions."
"No... You're not." Sunset blinked again. Her mind stalled, trying to process... something so simple.
"I mean, I get it, but... I don't eat enough. At least according to my doc." Gilda said, taking a bite out of the sandwich that was formerly on the tray.
"You're... talkative." Sunset blinked again.
"Mmmhmmm." Gilda nodded slowly, glancing at her. "Only really talk to the guys though."
"The... guys?" Sunset was still having an issue processing... everything.
"Boxing and wrestling. They don't even see me as a chick anymore." Gilda shrugged. "Got shit-talked when I started, then I knocked the captain out."
"Which one?" Sunset just decided on not thinking.
"Yes. Both. Same teams." Gilda shrugged again.
"Huh... Why... Why don't you hate me?" Sunset asked dumbly.
"Huh?" Gilda blinked at her as she took another bite of the sandwich. "Why the fuck would I care what some cocksucker says on MyStable?"
"You... huh." Sunset blinked. "That's what I've been trying to do."
"Hard to do when everyone shoves your face in it." Gilda rolled her eyes. "Know that feeling, you beat up some dickheads when you're younger and you get branded a bully for the rest of your school career. At least they got creative and called me a team whore for a while."
"Huh- Wait what?" Sunset shook her head and stared at her. "Who called you, what now?"
"Yeah, for awhile had a rumor floating around that I only got on the teams cause I took all the guys in a train. Well, that, or I sucked off the coach." Gilda chuckled. "Gross motherfuckers."
"That's..." Sunset blinked. "That's awful."
"As awful as getting blamed for some dickhead on the internet airing everybody's dirty laundry?" Gilda raised a brow.
"I'm surprised you didn't mention the she-demon bit." Sunset let out a small groan. "Everyone else does."
"Well, you could blame that magic tiara. Like, you were just so pissed that you changed. That or you're actually a demon." Gilda shrugged, finishing off the sandwich.
Sunset had run out of fucks, and the day was only half over.
"I am a demon. Well, half, really." She groaned, lowering herself to the table.
'Ah yes, post anxiety attack depression. My old nemesis.'
"Really? Sick."
Once again, Sunset's thoughts multi-track-drifted into oncoming traffic. Her head slowly raised as she looked at Gilda. "I just admitted I was a half-demon, to a girl I only know because she's intimidating and has a reputation of violence, and all she says is... sick?"
"Yep." Gilda nodded. "Man, I've been through enough shit already. Half-demon just get's thrown on the eh, fuck it pile."
Sunset blinked. "I could be lying."
"Sure." Gilda shrugged. "You could be. Doesn't bother me either way. Not surprising actually, pretty sure Hell is actually Earth and we've all just been lied to." She snorted and shook her head. "There's shit enough for it to be."
"Wan.. Wanna talk about it?" Sunset asked.
"Pfft, we're good." Gilda waved her off. "Just the regular lapse into depressive nihilism."
"I always thought you were just a meathead." Sunset said bluntly.
"I am a meathead. A meathead that actually reads. Mom didn't raise an idiot and... dad didn't raise a pussy." Her jaw clenched a bit at the end of her sentence.
"You doing anything after school?" Sunset asked, once again blunt as a hammer.
"No, looking to forget everything in the arms of an amazon?" Gilda asked deadpan.
Gas! Gas! Gas! I'm gonna step on the Gas!
Sunset blinked.
"Wut."
She blinked again. Her brain processed. Her eyes widened. She felt her face get very hot. "No! Not that!" She gasped. "N-not that that's anything against you! Just-"
"It's fine, just fuckin' with ya." Gilda snorted, cracking a small smile.
"I figured- Just-" Sunset shook her head. "Why?"
"Why not?" Gilda shrugged. "Plus it was funny."
"It was not." Sunset frowned at her.
"To you probably. So, what's after school?" Gilda asked, looking at the dubious-looking pudding on the tray.
"I asked my.... friends... to meet me... behind the bleachers." Sunset said slowly.
"Dash is gonna try to kick the shit out of you, probably AJ too. Fuck, I wouldn't put it past Rarity and Pinkie. Fluttershy would just sob and make you feel guilty." Gilda said bluntly.
The sick feeling returned. "N-no, th-they wouldn't do that."
"You asked them to move out of the public eye, where somebody could say something. Just sayin' the worst case scenario." Gilda poked at the pudding with a spoon.
"Why?" Sunset audibly gulped.
"So you're not too surprised, and anything else would be nice by comparison." Gilda shrugged yet again and stacked the tray on top of her own. "So, why'd you ask if I'm doing anything?"
"Morale support?" Sunset asked weakly.
"Ehhh... fuck it. I don't have plans." Gilda shrugged.
"Thanks, that means more than you know." Sunset said with a weak smile.
Gilda rolled her eyes. "Well I can't be a dick and bail when you could get the shit kicked out of you. Gotta have some kind of backup just in case."
"Still you barely know me and I'm asking-"
"Shhh." Gilda shushed her. "Don't ask why, just accept it."
Sunset sighed. "Okay...."
The rest of the day would've been a normal boring school day, was it not for Sunset's nerves distracting her. Her concentration seemed to slip further as the day went on. Seeing her locker clean was a small plus, and she was almost surprised that nobody did anything to it during the day.
She was glad she automatic-piloted writing down any homework she needed to do. Getting that drilled into her head by Celestia was one good thing that came out of her tutelage.
Her hand shook as she squeezed the straps of her backpack slung over her shoulders. The girls were grouped together outside the backdoor. Sunset had the strong urge to pace. Gilda was nowhere to be seen.
She stared at the ground.
'Of course she wouldn't come. Nobody ever-'
A pair of hands clapped her on the shoulders.
Sunset yelped, almost shrieked, as her heart tried to jump out of her chest. The girls glared at her as she whirled around.
She stared into a tee shirt covered chest. Her head raised.
"Yo." Gilda raised a hand.
"What's she doing here?!" Sunset heard Dash shouted.
"Bodyguard, because you guys are assholes." Gilda shouted.
"Oh we're the assholes?!" AJ snapped.
Sunset's heart started to race again. This was a bad idea.
Suddenly Gilda's hand was on her shoulder. "Hey, fuck 'em, we could just leave."
"N-no." Sunset shook her head and turned, only to start towards the bleachers. Gilda followed right behind her. Sunset could hear the girls dull-roar of muttering.
Once behind the bleachers, Sunset tensed, She turned toward the girls, Gilda standing a little ahead and to the side of her.
"So, what's this about?" AJ asked, folding her arms over her chest.
"You're going to admit it aren't you!?" Pinkie snapped. "You're Anon-a-Miss!"
"No!" Sunset started to shout before cutting herself off. "I-I'm not. I... I w-wanted to show you something. I want to prove to you that I'm not Anon. I wanna be honest with you." Her breathing started to pick up.
"Well who else could it be?!" Rainbow snapped. "You're the only one we told!"
"Hey, shit gets out no matter what, you could've been recorded, it could be your family getting back at you." Gilda countered, snapping back. "Fucking Hell, it could be your little sisters!" She pointed a finger at Rarity then AJ.
"Sweetie would never!" Rarity gasped.
"STOP!" Sunset yelled. "Stop! Fucking stop! I just want my friends back!" She pleaded as she felt the prickling on her skin. "I'm not Anon! I'm not a monster!" She felt the flames ripple up her body. She unconsciously relaxed as her wings emerged. Her elongated claws flexed. Her tail lashed anxiously. She felt the hot tears rolling off her eyes. "M'not a monster. I'm a demon and you all deserve to know. This-" Her breath hitched. "This is me."
The girls all stood still, eyes wide.
They were silent, just staring at her.
"P-please. I-I'm being hon-"
"The spell didn't work!" Rarity blurted.
"She's still a she-demon!" Pinkie gasped.
"We- We n-need to tell Twilight now!" Fluttershy managed to get out.
"How?! Sunset has the Journal!" Pinkie cried manically.
"You girls run for it. We'll keep her here!" Rainbow snarled.
AJ didn't say anything, just broke into a dead sprint towards Sunset.
Sunset's heart broke. She choked out a sob.
Something moved.
A fist collided with AJ's face and the farm-girl was hurled back into Rainbow, toppling the pair of them to the ground.
"The FUCK is wrong with you?!" Gilda snapped furiously, standing in front of Sunset Her left fist raised while the right hand was roughly shaken out.
"Gilda! Get away! She's a demon!" Pinkie cried out.
"So-fucking-what?!" Gilda snapped. "She comes out here, wants to trust you with something important to her, and you fucking do this?! Two of you try to fucking attack her, smart by the way, attacking a fucking half-demon. But why the fuck does what she is matter? No, wait, worse thing- Why the fuck would you instantly believe she was some dickhead on the internet? What would she have to fucking gain by doing that?! Do you honestly fucking think she would give up the few friends she's managed to make?!" She continued her rant, raising her shaken out fist defensively. "What-the-absolute-fuck?! What did she ever fucking see in you?! Did any of you really believe in her in the first place?! Fuck, I properly met her fucking today and I can tell you that not only is she not the Anon-a-cocksucker, but that you don't fucking deserve to have a friend like her! Now kindly pull your heads out of your pussies and fuck-the-fuck-off!"
With that, Gilda whirled, plopped an arm over Sunset's shoulders and steered her away from the bleachers.
Sunset shook as she slowly shrank back to human. The occasional fiery flicker emphasized the changes, didn't do more that slightly singe the arm of Gilda's jacket.
"It wasn't supposed to go this way." Sunset said quietly, staring into the middle-distance as tears dripped off her jawline.
"Fuck 'em." Gilda grunted, her voice sounding hoarse. "Burn those bridges."
"Where are we going?" Sunset asked softly.
Gilda shrugged. "I'm taking you home, then... fuck, I don't know, drown ourselves in booze and ice cream?"
"Why?" Sunset blinked. "Why are you being so nice?"
"No idea. Just... think I know what it's or something... Don't know..." Gilda shook her head. "Tell ya' when I figure it out."
