Love is a Battlefield

Sunset Shimmer grows up in the bustling town of Canterlot City.

An accomplished student, she is determined to pursue a career in medicine.

Twilight Sparkle
(Sunset's friend)
We were in the honor classes, and she was pretty focused out there.

Soon, Sunset is thrilled when she's accepted to her dream college out of state.

She begins classes later that Fall.

Sunset Shimmer
I was very excited. I LOVED it, I loved college.

In December, Sunset heads home for the holidays where she runs into a young man she dated in high school, Flash Sentry.

He was one of those people who could be very charming, and I think that she liked that he was big and strong.

They start dating again.

I was happy because I felt like we had rekindled an old flame. I really fell for him quite hard.

Sunset returns to college, but the couple finds that the distance between them puts a strain on their relationship.

He kinda convinced me after several months that I should move down there with him.

Sunset does just that. Following her heart, she moves in with Flash.

She plans to transfer to a local college in the Fall.

He just promised this great life and I thought maybe this is where I wanna go.

But a few months later, Sunset gets unexpected news.

She's pregnant.

The couple decides to marry and they tied the knot later that year in the holiday season.

I felt it was the right thing to do to marry the baby's father.

A month later, she gives birth to Dawn, a healthy baby girl.

Flash was pretty attentive, a pretty good dad. At this point, I did see a very bright future with him.

Sunset enjoys her role as wife and mother.

But as time goes on, Flash has a harder and harder time adjusting.

He wanted to do whatever he wanted to do WHEN he wanted to do it. He started going out to the bars, and he started coming back drunk...

They argue constantly.

Sunset begins to feel that it's up to her alone to ensure a better future for their daughter. When Dawn turns 2, she decides to return to school and pursue a degree in nursing.

When I went back to school, things got worse...

He used to holler at me for not cleaning up enough. I would vacuum the floor and he'd RE-vacuum because I "did it wrong".

She wasn't allowed to go out or see friends, he didn't want anyone talking to her, or even LOOK at her.

He started taking the money that was for bills and rent and food, and using it so he can go to the bar. I had put in a college fund for Dawn and that money was disappearing.

So I confronted him.

He picked me up by my shirt and threw me across the room when I hit the wall.

And my baby saw it and she did this blood-curdling scream.

Terrified, Sunset manages to escape Flash's blows, but fears what he'll do to either her or Dawn the next time.

I was just very focused on keeping Dawn safe.

It's time for drastic action.

She kicks Flash out of the house.

I was DONE at that point.

Sunset files for divorce. She struggles to begin a new life as a single mom.

She felt overwhelmed by all of her responsibilities. Taking care of Dawn by herself and to find time to do her studies and having to work alot...

I would go to school part-time. I worked two jobs. I just kinda......dealt with it.

But Sunset would soon learn that Flash has no intention of letting her go.

Whenever she leaves the house, he's there.

Sometimes he yells threats. Other times, he says nothing.

She couldn't go anywhere without Flash being there.

I was going through hell. It was just terrifying, I had to always look over my shoulder. I wanted to call the police, but since he wouldn't do anything, I figured they couldn't help.

I was mostly worried about what he'd do to Dawn. I wanted to protect her.

She feels her only option, the most dreadful to consider as a mother, is to have Dawn stay somewhere else. Although devastating for her, she hopes this strategy will keep her child out of danger.

But she's still at risk.

Everywhere I'd go, there's Flash, there's Flash, always waiting for an opportunity to do something.

I had to watch after Dawn, but it was hard to shake off my mind what he would do to Sunset.

And just when Sunset thinks things couldn't get any worse, one day, she comes home to a horrifying sight.

My house had been broken into. My stuff had been stirring around, my drawers had been gone through, my door had been KICKED IN...

Sunset immediately calls the police and reports the break-in. After an investigation, they're able to pinpoint a perpetrator.

It's Flash.

The police matched his shoe print to the print on my door, which connected him to the crime.

Flash is charged with breaking and entering.

He serves ten days in jail for the misdemeanor.

I thought that was not. Enough.

But even jail time will not deter Flash. As soon as he's released, he continues stalking her.

Now, with a new vengeance.

He kept coming back and coming back. At all hours, he was banging on the door, yelling and screaming, I never got away from him.

I was now on medications because I was having panic attacks and nightmares. I started telling people if something happens to me to pin it on Flash.

It's been almost a year and he was still at it, I was scared of what he would do. I was worried he'd cut my brakes, charge at me with a gun or something else, I didn't know.

Then, one night, her fears had been realized, when she wakes up to find she's not alone.

I remember looking up and seeing this shadow, looming, and he was at the edge of my bed...

With a knife.

He was just rocking back and forth...at that point, I just knew I wasn't safe in the slightest.

She tries not to panic and racks her brain for a way to get out of this alive. In the moment, she feels her only tactic is to reason with Flash.

I-I tried to be, you know, 'What's the matter? What's going on?' and 'Put the knife down, let's just talk'.

For two long, terrifying hours, Sunset tries to convince him not to hurt her.

And then, he just...left. Without saying a single crazy word. I was badly shaken, this was a frightening escalation in Flash's behavior. At my wits end, I finally called the police. They came over and looked over the place, they said they didn't have enough to arrest him or anything.

But I wasn't going to take "no" for an answer...

I told them that Flash had been stalking me for a year and that I was afraid for my life and the life of my daughter.

And that officer said, "You know, I think this sounds like a good stalking case."

For the next few months, police work to build a case against Flash. They interview witnesses and compiled a log documenting each stalking incident.

What they wanted to do was get things that were hard HARD proof.

Finally, by documenting each and every incident, police are able to gather enough evidence against him.

Flash is arrested for stalking, a felony in the state of Canterlot. He faces up to ten years behind bars.

In January, Flash is sentenced to prison...but for only two years.

It's small victory. Although Sunset had hoped for a harsher penalty, she's relieved to have the short respite away from him.

I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders because I didn't have worry. If he's in jail, he won't be able to hurt me and Dawn.

Sunset decides it's time for a fresh start, and in the summer, she moves several miles away to a new town.

I had a savings account, I took all the money out of it, and I moved out there on a whim.

Sunset is cautious and does everything she can to cover her tracks so Flash wouldn't be able to find her when he's released from prison.

She gives her address only to loved ones and gets an unlisted phone number.

It was a good start, a good start over.

She settles into her new life and gets a job at a nursing home.

One day, she meets a man named Dirk Thistleweed.

He was so quiet and put together and nice. We had that instant connection.

Sunset is taken with Dirk, but she's reluctant to jump into a new relationship too quickly.

I-It didn't happen overnight. After everything that went on with Flash, I think Sunset was a little hesitant to give her heart so freely to someone. She's obviously going to think twice about the next guy she meets.

I honestly tried really hard to sabotage this one unconsciously. I knew that this was the person I was supposed to meet, this was fate's reason for moving me up there.

That was a turning point.

Sunset eventually moves forward with a relationship.

But Flash is always in the back of her mind.

Soon, he is released from prison, but to Sunset's surprise, she doesn't hear from him.

She and Dirk move in together and about a year later, they have their first child. A baby girl they name Crescent.

I really felt safe with Dirk, I was very happy.

But her happiness proves to be short-lived.

I really really had hope that Flash would have just kept away. Far, far away, but it didn't happen.

I started seeing this red blazer drive by us and I would see somebody who kind of looked like him. I thought I was just being paranoid.

But I wasn't.

Flash has found her.

I was getting my kids into our car and Flash drove through the alley and yelled a whole bunch of profanity at me.

I was just crying going, "Oh, my gosh, this is just WRONG."

As Flash drives off, a terrified Sunset calls 9-1-1.

The police said it was "perfectly legal". When he's driving up and down my street past my house, it was perfectly LEGAL. If he's not caught on the property, there was nothing they could do.

I felt unsafe. I felt that he could be anywhere. I had no doubt that I was in danger.

Before long, Flash strikes again.

Sunset had taken her kids to this wading pool, it wasn't too far from her house.

And she saw him.

My mental state at this point, I don't even have a word for it. I thought he was going to start trying to get closer and closer and closer.

It freaked her out when she saw him.

It was just terrifying.

Sunset is beside herself and rushes home with the children.

There, Dirk tells her some shocking news.

Flash had moved to the same area we were in, and it was, like, several blocks away. I was very concerned.

Even more disturbing, after some research, Sunset finds out that Flash has been convicted of lewd and lascivious acts, which means he is a registered sex offender.

Now, more than ever, Sunset fears her children could be in danger. She digs deeper, looking for more info.

I looked him up on the registered offender website.

She discovers that Flash hasn't disclosed his current address to local authorities, which is against the law.

She decides to use this information to her advantage.

I called the police. I felt, if this is going on and I know about it, I'm gonna report it.

Sunset's courageous call nets results.

Officers act immediately and are able to arrest Flash for violating the conditions of his parole.

Soon, he was sentenced to 30 days in county jail.

It wasn't for nearly enough, but I was happy he wasn't out on the streets and able to get to her for at least a short period of time.

But this time, Sunset believes her quick and decisive action sends a strong message to Flash.

She would no longer allow him to take control of her life.

It infuriates me, he put me through so much.

I'm not gonna stand for it.

When Flash is released from jail, he doesn't contact Sunset. To everyone's surprise and relief, it appears as if he's finally moved on.

However, Sunset will always be looking over her shoulder.

Unless Flash gets put in prison for life, I will always wonder if he'll go after Sunny again.

I still think about Flash and where he is because I'm a little worried, you know, that he'll pop up or something will happen.

But Sunset's not the same person she was when Flash first started stalking her.

This experience changed me for the better.

I think it's made me a stronger person, it's made me learn alot about myself, I stopped having nightmares and I stopped being so...skittish and afraid.

Flash's stalking left Sunset with serious scars.

But with the help of therapy, she's doing better and has returned to school to pursue a degree in microbiology.

Fortunately, Sunset has been able to put this terrible ordeal behind her.