Luna looked through the chart that contained medical Sunset's information.

"It appears the Sunset Shimmer has a rare blood type, one that I can honestly say I've never seen before.", Dr. Night Light explained.

Luna flipped back and forth through the pages. "So what does this mean exactly? Will she need special medications or have any medical conditions I need to be aware of?"

Dr. Night Light leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "Honestly, other than her unusual blood type, she appears to be a perfectly healthy fifteen-year old girl. If it weren't for her getting shot, she could have possibly gone her whole life without ever knowing. I don't think she'll need any special medications or have any unusual medical conditions." What he didn't tell her was that according to the tests, Sunset had the blood type similar to a horse, he figured that was too outlandish, a human having similar blood to a horse. Deep inside he shuddered remembering the conversation with Chrysalis, the head of Hive Labs, something about her voice felt wrong. "We'd like to hold her for one more week to make sure she's recovering properly from her traumatic incident and her emergency surgery. In a couple of days I'll begin scheduling her for physical therapy, and I'd like you to attend as well."

"What will she be going through with her physical therapy?"

"Building up her upper body strength. Massages and manual flexing of her legs so the joints don't lock up. How to do every day things, like getting in and out of bed, using the bathroom, how to dress herself, and how to get in and out of her chair."

***PARTS UNKNOWN***

Agents Cloak, Dagger and Shadow sat around a conference table. The three of them looked through a stack of files.

"It would appear that our broadband EMP detectors that were set around Catherlot City detected a pair pulses unlike anything we've detected before.", Shadow said, "The first of the pulses lasted nearly ten minutes and the second only lasted about thirty seconds. They lasted longer than what's normally been detected in Canterlot City."

"Where did the pulses originate from?", Cloak asked.

"The high school.", Shadow replied. "They were first detected there back in the cold war when NORAD set up detectors to see how far the EMP of detonated nuclear bombs reached. That's when there was a series of unusually regular EMPs were first detected."

Dagger flipped through the decades old files on Canterlot City. "It appears that every two-point-five years there are regular pulses, usually lasting just fractions of a second for three days, the beginning and ending of the odd cycles usually indicated by a single pulse that lasts nearly a second. There have been attempts to explain it, from things as mundane as there being an odd quirk in the magnetic field there, all the way to the insane like there is a magical vortex."

Cloak spoke up. "Those two unusually strong pulses were much higher than is normally read in the city. The first pulse was about a hundred times stronger and lasted nearly ten minutes, the second one was much stronger but only lasted thirty seconds, the sensors read a thousand times stronger before the sensors went haywire. It's speculated that it could be magnitudes of orders higher. According to the estimates our analysts made, the second pulse was equal to what Earth's magnetic field puts out in a year."

"Did any civilians film what happened? Any passing cop car's dashcam? Any tourist who thinks they're a big name movie director? A cellphone video?", Shadow asked, "What about any satellites that happened to be passing overhead at the time?"

"There were no satellites passing overhead at that time and there were reports of cameras blinking out or shutting down in a radius of twelve blocks. There have been reports from eyewitnesses saying they saw demons, a coiling rainbow of light, and teenage girls with horse ears and feathery wings.", Dagger replied. "Though something did damage the front of the school. Our local office in Canterlot City has kept a tight lid on it, informing local news stations that it was a poorly documented gas pipeline that had been laid down back in the thirties that ruptured."

"Good.", Shadow said, "Last thing we need is the CIA, NSA or the army getting hold of this information until we have found out what caused it and figure out to weaponize it, then we'll make a fortune selling it to the highest bidder." His phone chirped alerting him to a message. "If you'll excuse me good sirs, I need to check this." He pulled out his phone and checked the message. Seeing that it was a file from Hive Labs, a smile spread on his lips and he clicked to download the file. "My apologies gentlemen, that was another venture. I suggest we have the mercenaries of Storm to go on alert for when we discover the origins of what created the pulse and pull some strings to get Code Name: Baby Doll pulled out of prison in Morocco. If we are successful in our venture, Number One will be most pleased with us." He interlinked his fingers in front of his chest in the crude likeness of an octopus. "All hail Specter!"

Cloak and Dagger also did their hands in the symbol."All hail Specter!"

***

In the center of the high security U.N. prison on the island of Morocco sat what looked like a fourteen-year old girl in a solitary confinement cell. In reality she was a forty-five year old woman, one of the most dangerous freelance international spies currently serving out a one hundred and fifty year sentence, her name is Cozy Glow. Don't let her youthful appearance fool you, currently eighty-three countries all wanted her on charges of espionage, both political and corporate, thirteen of them had a shoot-on-site order. The only reason why she looked so youthful was because of experiments of questionable ethical nature that was carried out on her when she had become Specter's youngest operative.

Cozy Glow looked up when she heard the sound of the key being pushed into the lock of her small, cramped cell. It wasn't time for the guards to bring her evening meal yet, nor was it time to take her out to the yard. She thought that she was going to be strip searched and have her cell tossed again. Instead she was surprised to see a small squad of Specter field operatives. The lead operative gave her the interlinked finger octopus salute, which she returned.

The head field operative tossed her a duffel bag. She opened it up seeing a pantsuit in her size and a sealed manila envelope.

"So what's the target this time?"

Sunset woke up from one of her many post-surgery naps. In her still sleep-clouded mind she turned to get up and use the bathroom, only her legs didn't respond. Instead of her feet touching down on the floor, she tumbled out of the hospital bed unceremoniously. "Ow! Ow! Owie! Ow!" The sleep fog was gone in an instant as her face made a touchdown on the floor, she smelled the iron in her nose, tasted copper on her tongue, the stitches in her stomach throbbed with angry pulses and her forehead ached. She flailed about on the floor trying to reach the call button, hoping that when she fell, she had knocked it down. No such luck. Propping herself up on her elbows, careful not to twist herself around too much, she looked for a way to call for some assistance.

Sunset wracked her brain, she needed a way to get someone's attention.

The click of the latch on the door caught her attention. Sunset looked over her shoulder, saw the yellow hand of Fluttershy grasping the door handle and heard the raspy voice of Rainbow Dash.

"I know 'Shy, it's just that hospitals give me the heebie-jeebies. It's all those needles. Plus now that Sunset's a cripple."

"Rainbow Dash! We don't know that for sure. All we know is that she was--Oh my!"

Light cyan eyes and blue-green eyes locked.

Fluttershy was holding a small stack of schoolbooks and papers in front of her chest. "Oh my! Oh goodness! Are you okay?" She took an unsure step forward.

"'Shy, what's goin' on?" Rainbow Dash pushed into the room past her friend. "Oh. Uh. Hi, Sunset. How are things?"

"Get a nurse.", Sunset said feeling nonplussed and a bit embarrassed, considering she had fallen out of bed and how hospital gowns were generally aligned.

Fluttershy nodded and bolted out of the room.

Rainbow Dash walked over. "Here, lemme help ya up."

Sunset swatted her hand away. "No! Don't!"

Rainbow Dash recoiled as if someone had waved a snake at her. "Why not?! I'm just tryin' to help you up. You need to learn to trust me."

"Use your head for something other than hitting soccer balls off of, Rainbow Dash! If you find someone on the floor with a spinal injury, you don't move them unless you know how to do so, otherwise you could injure them further."

Sunset felt the anger, more at herself and the situation than anything else, burn in her chest. It quickly faded when she saw the hurt on Rainbow's face. The athlete's lip trembled as tears welled in her eyes, she began backpedaling out of the room. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Rainbow Dash didn't hear Sunset's apology over her own feeling of humiliation. She turned and bolted down the hallway, loudly berating herself and calling herself stupid.

Just then Fluttershy returned with a nurse.

The nurse gingerly lifted Sunset back onto the bed. She then quickly checked over the amber-skinned girl, making sure she didn't rip open any of her stitches or seriously hurt herself. "It looks like other than a bump on the head, a bloody nose and a split lip, you didn't hurt yourself. I'll still have to report it to the doctor and he may want to do further examinations to ensure you're fine. I'll get you a compress for the bump on your head and some acetaminophen for the pain."

After the nurse left, Fluttershy stood in the doorway with a worried look on her face. "What happened with Rainbow?"

Sunset cast her eyes downwards, feeling ashamed. "I kinda snapped at her. I didn't mean...*sigh* I was more upset at the situation, what with face planting on the floor and you two seeing my butt."

Fluttershy chuckled. "Well it is a cute butt."

Sunset blushed at Fluttershy commenting on her butt. "Uh...thanks...I think?" She cleared her throat and let the heat dissipate from her cheeks. "Could you get Dash back in here? I need to apologize for blowing up at her...and let her know I'm not mad at her, I was mad at the situation."

Fluttershy nodded. "Mhm! Oh! Before I forget, I brought you some of your schoolwork." She looked around for a moment. "Uh, where do I..."

Sunset gestured to the small end table by her hospital bed. "You can put it there, Flutters."

Fluttershy placed Sunset's schoolwork on the end table, then left to find Rainbow Dash.

Twenty minutes later the pair returned.

Sunset was thumbing through some of the schoolwork when she heard the door click. Looking over the top of the schoolwork, her heart sank seeing the defeated look on Rainbow's face.

"Sunset...", Rainbow's voice has an even more raspy quality to it than usual, it was been clear she had been crying, "I-I want to ap--"

"Rainbow, no...", Sunset interrupted, "...I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. You didn't know not to move someone when they have a spinal injury, or might have a spinal injury. You were just trying to help. I was more mad and upset at falling out of bed...and the fact that you two saw my butt."

Rainbow snickered. "That was your butt?! It looked like you had two boards strapped to your back. Bah-ha-ha-ha!" She gripped her sides laughing as she fell on her butt.

Sunset fumed at Rainbow.

"Rainbow Dash!", Fluttershy scolded, "It's not nice to make fun of someone's butt! I think Sunset's got a nice butt. It fits her properly. How would you feel if someone made a joke about your breasts?"

Rainbow stopped laughing and a slight blush spread on her cheeks.

"What's all this 'bout butts an' breasts?", Applejack asked stepping through the doorway holding plate covered in cellophane.

Sunset scratched the back of her head nervously. "Well, I fell out of bed because I had to pee and forgot that my legs don't work anymore. While I was on the floor trying to figure out to call the nurse, 'Shy and Dash walked in, and they saw my butt through the back of the gown. Then I kinda snapped at Rainbow when she tried to help me up off of the floor. I managed to apologize to her, then she made the crack about my butt just before you walked in."

Applejack walked further into the hospital room. "Heh! Butt crack."

"Did someone make a funny joke about butt cracks?", Pinkie asked, bouncing in.

"No, Pinkie. Nobody made jokes about butt cracks. Rainbow made a joke about Sunset's butt b'cause she an' dash saw her butt when she fell outa bed."

"So Dashie made a butt crack?", Pinkie asked with a snigger. She soon burst out into a fit of giggle-snorts.

"Pinkie Pie!", Rarity scolded as she walked in the hospital room, "It is unlady-like to make jokes about posteriors."

"Hail, hail, that gang's all here.", Sunset grumbled under her breath.

"Rares, Pinkie didn't make any jokes about anyone's butt.", Applejack interjected, "Rainbow made a joke about Sunset's butt and Pinkie made a joke about Rainbow making a butt crack. Heh-heh!"

Rarity waved her finger at Rainbow Dash."Rainbow Dash! It is most unlady-like to make jokes or unwanted comments about someone's posterior!"

"Can everybody please shut up about my butt!?", Sunset shouted.

"What's all this about butts?", Doctor Night Light said entering the room.

Sunset facepalmed.

Pinkie took in a deep breath. "WellSunsetfelloutabedandFluttershyandRainbowDashwalkedintimetoseeher...mmmmf...mmmmf...mmmmf!"

Applejack pinched Pinkie's lips closed, cutting the party girl's words. "Ah dun think th' doc needs tuh be drowned in words, Pinkie. B'sides, Ah'm pretty sure he's seen so many butts that it dun phase him none."

Doctor Night Light only gave a polite chuckle. "If you ladies would excuse me, please? I need to make sure your friend isn't seriously hurt." He turned his head to the door. "Nurse?"

The five girls turned and left the room to wait in the hallway as a nurse walked in.

After the nurse closed the door and stepped up next to the bed, Doctor Night Light leaned forward and said, "Alright, let's get you checked out and make sure you're okay, so you can get back to your friends."

Sunset blinked the spots from her eyes when the doctor shined a pen light in her eyes. She winced in pain when he poked at the bump on her forehead. He ran his fingers along her nose, checked the split on her lip, made her open her mouth and shined the light in her mouth. He then ran his fingers along her jawline and reached around to squeeze the back of her neck in several places. Grunting in satisfaction, he quickly scribbled down several things on her chart.

"Alright miss Shimmer, I need to check under your gown. Just relax and I'll be done quicker than two jiggles of a lamb's tail."

Sunset squenched her eyes shut and threw the sheet over her head in embarrassment. Even before she had left Equestria, she was always embarrassed when visiting the gynecologist for routine checkups and pelvic examinations, even though the doctor wasn't giving her a pelvic exam, it still didn't make her feel any less uncomfortable. The doctor quickly examined her stitches, poked at her stomach in a few places and listened with his stethoscope in several places. Pulling her gown back in place, he scribbled several things down onto her chart and tapped her on the arm to let her know he was finished.

"Well Miss Shimmer, everything appears to be okay. I suggest putting something cool on that bump, and taking some acetaminophen for pain if you need it. If you experience dizziness, nausea, or feel any unusual pain or discomfort in your tummy, call a nurse.", Doctor Night Light said, "I'll let your friends know they come back in and visit with you some more." Walking to the door, he pulled the handle. It swung open and five girls landed in a heap on the floor in the door frame. Looking down at the five girls on the floor, their cheeks pink with surprised embarrassment, he chuckled. "Your friend is ready to see you again." Stepping over the pile of girls, he walked down the hallway, flipping the ink pen back and forth in his fingers as he whistled a tune. I bet Twilight would love to hang out with those girls. It would do her some good to get out of the house and do something other than study for college.

The girls pulled themselves back up to their feet. Applejack was the first to approach Sunset's bed and pulled the cellophane off the plate.

"Ah whipped ya up a whole mess o' apple fritters. Like Granny always says, 'Hospital food dun heal no one up right-n-proper. Tuh heal th' body, ya need tuh feed th' soul.'"

The farm girl placed the plate full of deep fried apple pastries in Sunset's lap who in turn picked one up and took a bite. Almost immediately her eyes sparkled when the flavor hit her tongue. With loud munching sounds she scarfed down the deep fried pastries. She swallowed down the last bite, which was followed a second later by a burp.

Sunset blushed and covered her mouth. "Oh! Excuse me!"

Applejack chuckled at Sunset. "T'ain't bad manners, jus' good food. B'sides like my cousin Braeburn always says, 'Better comin' out th' attic than th' basement.'"

Pinkie giggle-snorted at Applejack's comment.

Sunset, feeling a bit more emboldened at Pinkie's laughing at Applejack's comment and having a belly full of apple fritters decided to add to the humor. "Only now if it comes out of the basement, it's going to be a bit harder as I can't lean to one side."

Pinkie and Rainbow fell into each other's arms with sputtering giggles. Applejack let out a series of belly laughs. Fluttershy snickered and giggled as she held a hand over her mouth. Rarity attempted to hide her amusement at the crude, unlady-like humor, she failed.

Once the laughter at the crude humor died down, Sunset's expression turned serious. Worry and sorrow filled her voice. "I thank you all for coming to visit me." Her voice cracked. "I'm so, so sorry for how I treated you all for all those years. *hsnf* What I did was unfor--"

"Think nothing of it, darling.", Rarity said, cutting off Sunset as she sat down on the hospital bed, "We'd do anything to help you out. You may have behaved poorly in the past, but that's behind us." She wiggled her hips slightly. "This mattress is awful lumpy."

Sunset looked where Rarity was sitting. "Uh Rares, you're sitting on my foot."

Rarity jumped up from the bed all-a-fluster. "Oh my my my! I'm so sorry darling! I didn't realize I was sitting on you!" She dropped to her knees. "Please please please forgive me! I didn't know I was--"

Sunset tried to tell the fashionista everything was okay, but she had descended into hysterics. Taking a deep breath, Sunset shouted, "Rarity! Calm the fuck down!"

The use of shouted vulgarity snapped Rarity mostly out of her hysterics.

"There's nothing to forgive. You didn't do it out of any ill-will, you just made a mistake."

The six girls had been chatting for an hour when Luna walked into the hospital room. She smiled as she looked at the chatting girls. She cleared her throat to get the girls' attention. "I need to talk with Sunset alone for a bit."

The five girls nodded and gathered their things up.

"Ah need tuh get back tuh th' farm. Apples ain't gon' pick themselves."

"I need to get to the animal shelter. Today's my day for volunteering."

"I've got my apprenticeship with Fancy Pants. Ta-ta darlings!"

"I gotta help Mr. and Mrs. Cake with the afternoon rush."

"Well I got nothin' goin' on. Practice was cancelled."

Luna shot the athlete a searing sidelong glare. Rainbow instinctively withered from the glance, knowing it all too well as the one that she usually received just before getting detention.

"I uh...I'll go and find something to do that isn't here."

Once Luna and Sunset were alone in the room, the vice-principal grabbed a chair and placed it next to the hospital bed. Sitting down, she pulled from her purse that Celestia had several times joked 'Was big enough to hold a mid-sized sedan with enough room left over for two motorcycles.' a stack of papers. She blew out a sigh laced heavily with apprehension. "First off let me say that it is the duty of both myself and my sister to report your living conditions to DFCS and CPS, something neither of us particularly enjoy doing. You've been officially put into the foster system."

Visions of Sunset's youth when she was a filly of barely five years old when her mother had abandoned her on the steps of an orphanage. She opened her mouth to speak, but Luna raised a finger to cut her off.

"It is my duty as an employee of the Williams County educational system to report to the department of family and children services, and child protective services. That doesn't mean I'm abandoning you to be shipped off to a children's home somewhere clear across the state." Luna shuddered at the memories of her experiences when visiting one of those places, and the stories of what should have been legally declared slavery. "I know a few case workers who owed me a favor or two who agreed to help fast track the paperwork to make me your foster mother...that is if you want me as your foster mother."

Sunset mulled it over in her head for a moment. "Yes, I'd like to be your foster daughter."

Luna smiled at that. Pulling a pen from her purse, she signed, initialed and dated the various documents on the marked lines. "I'm getting a wheelchair ramp and a special shower chair installed at the house. But don't think for a moment that you're getting off easy. Besides your normal schoolwork and homework, you'll be expected to have household chores. Then there's your physical therapy and family counseling. A case worker will pop by whenever they feel like it. I'll also need you to be upfront and forthright with Celestia and myself about pony magic and if there are any other users of pony magic from your original world that may be here and could cause troubles."

Sunset nodded. "I'll divulge any information I know. But as far as I know, there's no other ponies or creatures from Equestria here."

Luna hummed thoughtfully. "Well I can't ask you to offer any information you don't know." She put the paperwork back in her purse. "Oh, and one more thing, I attend church every Sunday. Now I don't know what kind of religious beliefs pony-people have so I won't force you to attend church, but I will suggest it. Now let's see if we can get a nurse or an orderly to find you a wheelchair. I saw this nice courtyard outside and I'm pretty sure you'd like to get some fresh air and sunshine."

***

A week had passed and Sunset had been discharged from the hospital. That night she slept in her new bedroom. An old futon served as her bed, two cheap plastic sets of drawers bought from a big box discount national chain store placed side-by-side served as a combination night stand/dresser, on it were placed her phone, a wind-up alarm clock and a few other personal knickknacks. Luna had ordered some actual bedroom furniture for her but it had been delayed in shipping. By the futon sat her wheelchair. In the corner sat propped against the wall was her old half-worn out electric guitar. Fortunately she hadn't lost all feeling below her waist, so she could at least feel when she had to use the bathroom, though her legs were numb and limp as the nerves connecting them to her spinal column had been severed by the bullet.

Sunset drifted through her dreamscape. Images of her learning by the side of the solar princess danced through her dream, followed by images of ponies frolicking in the meadows or flitting through the skies. The dream shifted and she was no longer in Equestria, she stood in front of Canterlot High. She was surrounded by students and teachers. Suddenly fire erupted from nowhere, burning everyone and everything to ash. Out of the flames strode her demon-self, its face was twisted in a cruel sneering smile, its sharp teeth glinting in the flickering light of the flames.

"Such a failure. You could have had it all, but look at you now. Just a worthless cripple bound to a chair and will be nothing but a burden on those around you."

Out of the flames walked Short Fuse, his right hand a strange fusion of flesh and firearm. He raised his right arm and leveled the weird fusion hand at her. The demon drifted to him, cackling as it fused with his body, twisting it into a horrific hell-spawned monstrosity. It spoke in a voice like knives to Sunset's ears. "D̸̡͉̜̭͕͚͔̣̎̀̊͑̇͑̀į̷͎̰̫͎͉̖͉̗̦̥̥̯̱̉̊ę̷̡̜̹̜̻͉̺̙̤̳̞̃͊̐̓̆̾̌̎̚ ̷̩̹̼̫̹̹̱͉͚́͑̑̕͝b̷̛̼̼͓̗̦̓͗̄̋̒̇̾͂̉͛̿̅͘i̵̲̖̩͋͗͐́́̀̈̈͒̆̿̚ț̴̛̳̫̦͈̣̮̍̃̃̾̄͒̉c̷̢̙̐́́̒̋̀̈́͋͒͛͠͝͝h̷̡̛͙̔͂͂́͛̂̎͘͠!̵̫̣̩̻̤̇̚͝" The dream ended with a crack of thunderous sound.

Sunset sat up in bed, sweat coating her body, soaking through her clothes and bed sheets, making her body feel sticky and clammy. Outside thunder rumbled as rain began pattering down on the roof. Pulling the wheelchair over, she clambered onto it, awkwardly wheeling into the hallway and to the bathroom. Switching on the bathroom light, she wheeled over to the sink and turned on the tap. Splashing cold water on her face, she looked in the mirror. "It was just a bad dream! It was just a bad dream! It was just a bad dream!" She repeated the mantra over and over. Hearing the sound of step-thump, she looked over and Luna standing in the door of the bathroom propped up on a crutch, a concerned look on her face.

"Sunset, is everything okay?"

Sunset stared absentmindedly at the stump just below Luna's knee. She realized that the water was still running in the sink. Turning it off, she answered, "Uh, yeah. Just had a bad dream."

Luna hummed thoughtfully. "You sure? There anything I can do?"

Sunset shook her head. "No...uh...no...I'll be okay. It was just a bad dream. I should just go back to bed."

Luna scratched at her chin for a moment. "Come to the kitchen with me. I think there's something that can help with bad dreams."

After both had reached the kitchen, Luna placed a saucepan on the stove, grabbed milk from the fridge and a small box of cocoa powder from the cabinet. Once the milk was warmed up and steaming, she poured it into two mugs and scooped three spoonfuls of cocoa powder into them each. After stirring them up, she placed one mug in front of Sunset. "When Celly and I were little and had a nightmare, mother would make us hot cocoa and have us tell her about the dream." She took a sip of her cocoa. "Celly always makes better cocoa.", she muttered to herself. Clearing her throat, she looked over at Sunset. "So...tell me about your nightmare."

Sunset picked up the mug, feeling the warmth spread through her hands. "I...uh...I'm not sure that this is necessary. It was just a bad dream...y'know...the subconscious trying to make sense of something that doesn't make sense."

Luna shot a small grin at Sunset and took another sip of her cocoa. "Humor me. And don't forget to take a couple of sips of your cocoa before it gets cold."

Sunset grumbled wordlessly under her breath and looked down at the light brown, mostly-milk drink in the white mug in her hands. Lifting the mug to her lips, she took a sip. The chocolaty taste of the cocoa made the corners of her mouth turn up in a small grin, and the warmth of it trickling down her throat and settling in her stomach, making the warmth spread out through the rest of her body made her relax. She told Luna of the nightmare.

"Well now, that was a scary nightmare.", Luna said.

"Stupid isn't it?"

"Quite the opposite. If you didn't have any nightmares after going through such an ordeal, I'd be more concerned.", Luna said thoughtfully. "After the wreck I was in that cost me my leg, I had horrible nightmares for months."

After they had finished drinking their hot cocoa, Luna placed the mugs in the sink and filled them with water to be washed out in the morning.

Luna helped tuck Sunset into bed and kissed her on the forehead. "Now if you have anymore bad dreams, I've got plenty of cocoa to help fight them off."

***

Sunset grumbled as she reached up to switch off the annoyingly ringing alarm clock. Throwing the pillow over her face, she just wanted to go back to sleep.

"~Sunset!~",Luna's sing-songy voice called out, "~Time to get up and get ready for school I've got breakfast cooking!~"

Sunset would have just pretended that she didn't hear Luna and go back to sleep, but the mention of breakfast made her stomach give a gurgling rumble. "Traitor!", she grumbled at her stomach. I simply gurgle-rumbled, almost in response. "Yeah yeah!", she grumbled back at her stomach as she threw off her sheet and blanket. Doing the stretches that she had learned a few days before to keep her legs limber, she prepared to get her day started. Pulling the wheelchair over, she climbed into it. Opening the drawers, she pulled out clothes for the day and made her way to the bathroom. Grabbing a towel from the linen closet, she entered into the bathroom and disrobed. Positioning the wheelchair so she could find an angle to easily and comfortably climb onto the toilet was a bit awkward, but she managed to do it with a little difficulty.

After Sunset had finished on the toilet, she climbed back on the wheelchair and wheeled over to the shower. Looking at the shower chair, it looked more like white plastic bench with aluminum tubes for handles that also served as armrests than a chair. She positioned herself to transfer from the wheelchair to the shower chair. That's when not taking the time to lock the wheelchair's brakes made itself known.

As she shifted her weight forward onto the shower chair, the wheelchair rolled backwards and sent Sunset sprawling onto the plastic bench, then to the floor with several thumps. "Ow! Ow! Dammit! Ow!"

Hearing the sound of a thump from the bathroom, then hearing Sunset shouting in pain made Luna forget what she was doing and hurry across the house. Opening the bathroom door, she saw Sunset on the floor struggling to sit upright. "Sunset! What happened?! Are you okay?!", she shouted as she hurried over to help the girl out.

"Yeah. I just forgot to lock the damn wheels on the wheelchair.", Sunset said, feeling more frustrated and embarrassed than anything else. "It was just a stupid accident."

Luna helped Sunset up to the shower chair and began checking her over. Fortunately she didn't appear to be hurt other than a bruised cheek. "Well you appear to be okay. Just make sure to lock your wheels in the future."

The sound of the kitchen smoke alarm followed by the scent of smoke made Luna realize that she left breakfast on the stove. "Oh ssssshhhhhhhitake mushrooms!", she shouted rushing out of the bathroom.

Sunset looked to the back of her retreating foster mother, then over to the wheelchair that was sitting on the far side of the bathroom. "I...uh...I got everything from here...I guess." Sliding herself across the shower chair, she closed the shower curtain as best as she could, grabbed the back brush and knocked down the handheld shower head.

Luna had cleared most of the smoke in the kitchen using the fan in the hood over the stove, and with a dish towel and an open window. She looked at the scorched remains that used to be fried eggs. "I guess it's toaster pastries for breakfast then.", she grumbled, fetching the box of foil-wrapped, sugar-frosted, artificially-flavored jam-filled pastries. Not exactly the most nutritious of breakfasts, but it was better than nothing. She hummed a jaunty tune in an attempt to better her mood as she took two of the pastries, placed them into the slots on the toaster and pushed the lever down. The jaunty, mostly-formless tune transformed into a nineteen-fifties show tune from a sappy musical as she walked over to the fridge to get the bottle of juice out. "~Good morning! Good Morning! It's great to stay up late! Good morning to you!~" The tune went back to humming as she placed the bottle of juice on the table. She did an odd skipping dance over to the cabinet to grab down two glasses. The pastries came up from the toaster with a pop. Putting down a plate next to it, she grabbed the two hot pastries and quickly put them down on the plate. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" She quickly rubbed her fingertips together to get rid of the heat, she really should have let them sit for a few minutes to cool before picking them down. Picking up the plate in one hand and carrying the two glasses in the other, she did her little skip dance over to the table, half humming-half singing her little tune.

Luna looked up from what she was doing when she heard the water in the shower turn off and Sunset bumping around in the bathroom. Crap! I forgot to move the wheelchair closer so Sunset could transfer over after she gets done. "Get you head in the game, woman!", she grumbled to herself as she walked across the house, "Sunset's going to need your help to relearn how to gain her independence again."

Luna opened the bathroom door and her eyes shot open in surprise. Sunset had not only finished her shower, but had dried herself off, lowered herself onto the floor, scooted across to her wheelchair, climbed into it and had gotten partially dressed.

Sunset, in her bra and panties, with her hair in a towel turban, was currently pulling a tee-shirt over her head. Popping her head through the neck of the shirt, she saw Luna standing in the bathroom doorway with a smile on her face. "Uh, hi."

"Everything going good?"

Sunset grabbed her pants and unfolded them. "Yep." Bunching up one of the legs of the pants, she looped a hand under her knee, she lifted her leg and slid it into the pant leg, then followed suit with the other pant leg.

Sunset lifted herself up off the wheelchair with one hand as she pulled up the pants with the other. "Let me help you with that.", Luna said stepping over and helped hold her foster daughter up as she got dressed.

Once Sunset was dressed, minus her socks and boots, she looked up at Luna. "So, what's for breakfast."

"Well, it was going to be eggs and bacon, but well...that got kinda burned. So it's toaster pastries, fresh out of the box. I'll give you some money when we get to school so you can go to the cafeteria and get some better breakfast."

***

After getting to school, Sunset wheeled through the hallways to the cafeteria. Though the toaster pastries were better than nothing, being composed mostly of sugar, they didn't last long. She stopped dead in her tracks. There was Rolling Thunder leaning up against the wall. The two girls locked eyes and for a moment Sunset was unsure of what was going to happen next.

For a long moment Sunset Shimmer and Rolling Thunder stared at each other. Tears welled up in Rolling's eyes and she turned hurrying to the restroom.

Sunset sat in the middle of the hallway for a few moments unsure of what to do. Blowing out a sigh, she knew what she had to do, something she wasn't too keen on, but she needed to do it. Gripping the wheels of her chair, she turned around and made her way to the girl's restroom.

"Ouch!"

Sunset felt her chair lurch and immediately knew what had happened, she ran over someone's foot. "I'm sorry. I've not had this chair for very long and am still getting used to it. I didn't mean to run over..." She paused looking into the brown eyes of a green-skinned girl. She wrack her brain, trying to place the name to the face.

Wallflower Blush took a few steps backwards and turned to get away from the former bully, not quite running, not quite walking. She slipped into the crowd of students and disappeared, just another body in the crowd.

Sunset shrugged, though she couldn't quite place the girl's face, she had other things to do and would ask her name later when she saw her again. Wheeling into the restroom, she followed the sound of crying. Reaching up a hand to knock on the stall door, she called out, "Rolling Thunder? I need to talk with you. Could you please come out?"

Rolling Thunder didn't answer, instead bitterly sob behind the stall door.

Sunset let out a small sigh. "I...uh...just...um*ahem*...how are you holding up?"

"It's unfair!", Rolling Thunder half-screamed, half-sobbed.

Sunset was taken off guard. "Uh...um..."

Rolling Thunder unlocked the stall and flung the door open. Her eyes red and puffy from crying, she stared into Sunset's eyes. "We just wanted to kick your ass. At least that's what I wanted to do, the three of us beat you down to send a message, then leave you on the bathroom floor. I didn't realize that he'd go all psycho and try to drown you or choke plant girl out. Lightning and I knew about Fuse's shitty home life,and one of us should have said something, but if you've ever met his dad, he's a scary guy, like really scary. He gave off 'I'll follow you home and murder you in your bed' vibes."

Sunset balked, her mouth felt dry. She didn't know Short Fuse's home life was so bad, just another of her sins laid bare for the world to see. "I deserve this." She slapped her legs. "Maybe worse."

"No!", Rolling said sharply. "You may have been the queen bitch, but nobody, no matter how bad they are or were, deserves to be left crippled, or dead in a box. And that's why it's unfair. If I had said something even just a couple of weeks ago on how bad Short Fuse's home life was, you'd still be able to walk, Short Fuse would still be alive and his dad would be behind bars."

"So where is his dad?", Sunset asked.

"You didn't hear?"

Sunset shook her head no.

Rolling sucked in a shaky breath and blew it out. "The cops had been trying to contact Short Fuse's dad for days after he shot you then himself. The cops kicked in the door to his house after the neighbors complained about a smell. Turns out Fuse had shot his dad that morning before coming to and everything went to shit."

Sunset tried to say something, but words wouldn't come. Her eyes stung as tears welled up.

Rolling Thunder hugged Sunset Shimmer as the two cried.

Lightning Dust went to step into the restroom and froze in her tracks in the doorway. Her hands clenched tightly into fists until her nails dug into her palms. There was Sunset Shimmer hugging the only best friend she had left, Rolling Thunder. Her heart was still aching over the death of Short Fuse and she was still plagued by the nightmares of seeing him put the pistol in his mouth and pull the trigger. She had managed to convince herself that Sunset was responsible for Short Fuse taking his own life, and that girl was currently hugging the only friend she had left. 'She's going to take the only friend you have left!', the dark part of her brain whispered.

With tears stinging her eyes and cheeks, Lightning Dust turned and ran. Going down the hallway as fast as her legs would carry her, the whole time teachers and other faculty shouting at her to stop running in the halls, she barrelled out of the door. Running towards the wooded patch near the back of the school, everything seemed to move by in a blur.

Lightning Dust screamed with all of her might as she punched and kicked a tree until her knuckles were bloody and her feet throbbed in pain.

From a window three girls watched. The first had yellow skin, red hair and brilliant orange eyes, the second had orange skin, purple hair and greyish-purple eyes, the third had white skin, green eyes and pink and purple-swirled hair. They whispered to each other and scribbled something down in their notebooks.

***

Principal Celestia looked through Cozy Glow's file as her "parents" sat in the office with their "daughter". The principal gave a few grunts before closing the new student's file. "Everything appears to be in order here, Mrs. Sunny Glow and Mr. Moon Glow."

'Sunny Glow' gave a broad smile. "That's good to hear, Missus Celestia--"

"It's Miss actually.", Celestia corrected, "I never married, though I prefer being called Principal Celestia."

"Ah. Well I am glad that my daughter here has been able to get enrolled in school.", 'Sunny' said, putting on her best broad, saccharine, phony smile.

'Moon Glow' reached over to pinch his 'daughter's' cheek. "I know it's a bit scary, schmoopy-popkins, moving all the way out here from Bethesda and starting at a new school where you know anybody."

Cozy Glow said nothing,just simply tolled her eyes. 'Dial it back, idiot! Or you'll blow our cover and then Number One will put a bullet in all of our brains.[/]'

Celestia smiled softly, she had been familiar with overprotective patents and their generally average parents. There was something that was off with Cozy Glow. Nothing that was immediately outstanding,just something with her gaze, it belonged to someone older than a "thirteen-and-a-half"-year old girl. She'd snoop in to it later. The last thing she needed right now was a scandal, especially since the school was still under investigation for the shooting.

Cozy Glow's 'parents' had stopped talking. Celestia had never let her mask slip, a skill she had learned long ago when dealing with people she didn't want to see her real emotions. "I'll have Vice-principal Luna show your daughter around the school and escort her to her first class."

***

Cozy Glow had sat down in her first class, eighth-grade literature. She scanned the room, after all decades of training to assess potential threats and potential targets to exploit, especially when the room is filled with eighth-graders.

"Howdy!", a voice drawled from her side.

Cozy coolly looked over to the yellow-skinned, orange-eyed, red-haired girl and gave her best impression of a nervous teenager's smile.

"Th' name's Apple Bloom. What's yers?"

Author's Note

Considering that I went a little bit over the top with the edginess in the prologue, I figured I'd try to interject some humor and a bit of silliness.

If anyone guesses where I lifted Specter from, I'll give them an invisible cookie.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Spot any typos or misspellings, or have any comments or questions, or just want to throw some shade or pure bane? Leave it down below.