The gentle tapping of rain on glass wasn't what woke Sunset Shimmer, nor the faint scent of gasoline and stale air. Instead, that which disturbed her sleep was the voice of a very irate man standing over her, arms crossed and expression somewhere between annoyed and worried. "Young lady, this is the last stop for the night," he gruffly informed her. "You need to exit the bus."
Sunset stirred, blinking herself awake, only to cringe as the bright lights overhead stabbed into her eyes. She reflexively raised a hand to block them out as her eyes began to adjust, and she pulled herself upright. She quickly took stock of her bags; thankfully, nothing was missing. "Last stop?" she questioned groggily, squinting at the driver. "Hang on, what time is it?"
"It's ten in the evening."
"Oh." That woke her up. "Oh, no. Shit," she hissed, squinting out of the rain-soaked window into the darkness, trying to pick out any familiar details. "Where am I?" Only the muted reflection of the bus lights greeted her from the glass of the covered bus stop to her right; she could see little past the looming driver to her left, but it was clear that the two were the sole remaining occupants of the vehicle.
"Hollow Falls," he informed. "Just on the outskirts, east side." He stepped back, gesturing towards the exit in an exaggerated manner. "Your chariot has run its course."
"Alright, alright," she growled, picking up the backpack that had served as her pillow for the ride. She scooted out of the seat, slinging the bag over one shoulder and stepping past the man, who still held the sarcastic pose. "I'm going. Chill the fuck out, old man."
"I've been 'chill' for the last few hours, I'll have you know," came the response. "Normally we don't allow people to use the bus as their personal naptime nook, but you looked like you could use a break. With that kind of attitude, however, I don't think I'll be lending that courtesy again."
Sunset snorted quietly. "Whatever." Making her way forward and down the stairs, she stepped out of the bus, with immediate regret hitting just as swiftly as the rain swept away the warmth of the bus, the cold and wet sinking into her in the few hurried steps between the open bus door and the covered stop. She couldn't help but shiver at the sudden difference in temperature.
The man glanced out at her from the open door, then turned away. A moment after taking his seat at the front, the interior of the bus went dark, and the door closed. With a rumble, the bus hurried along on its way, leaving Sunset alone.
A dozen yards away, opposite of the lonely bus stop, the falling rain was brought into sharp view, illuminated by the first in a long line of street lamps. Their light revealed rows and rows of small, cramped houses with high fences separating neat and orderly postage-stamp yards. In the distance, Sunset could pick out the rain-blurred lights of an 8-Twelve as the only sign of real civilization. "Great. Just great. Last stop, Middle of Fucking Nowhere. Thanks for nothing, asshole." She grunted, slipping the other strap of her backpack on. Time to figure out where I'll be sleeping for the night.
Sunset grimaced and ventured into the rain, the lack of a hood and the gaping holes in the back muting her worn leather jacket's efforts to keep her warm and dry as she took hurried steps down the street, her eyes drifting from one darkened home to the next. It's going to be hard to find anything that's abandoned for sure at this time of night. I guess I could see if there's a shelter in this fucking nowhere town, if by a miracle it's not hours of walking away. A breath of wind sent a deeper chill into her. I wouldn't make it. It's so fucking cold. At least it's not snowing, I guess, she bitterly scowled.
Sullenly stepping on, she passed house after house, the pitter-patter of the rain and the gentle sploosh of boots on wet sidewalk being the only sounds filling the silence. With little else to distract her, Sunset quietly seethed. Goddess damn that pony princess prick. I was SO CLOSE! I almost had it all. I mean, sure, my plan had its flaws and I was winging a good bit of it... she reflexively winced. Ugh, I'm sorry, Heather, she idly projected her thoughts to her somewhat destroyed faithful jacket. Those stupid wings put holes right through you. Remind me to find a good place to get you fixed once we get settled in, alright?
Her thoughts settling to mostly quiet fuming, her eyes passed from poor target to poor target until her gaze landed on a mailbox full to bursting - enough soggy envelopes and advertisements to keep the front from closing properly. A-ha, here's a possibility. Unless this person is just really lazy. ...Worth a shot. She shivered. Not like I have options.
She examined her possible prize; a tiny grey-toned house practically no different from any other that she had passed on her way here, with no car in the drive and all the windows shuttered and dark. With a quick glance around to make sure she wasn't being watched, she stepped closer, out of the light of the streetlamp. A careful look around the front revealed some potted plants decorating the covered porch, clearly beginning to wilt. This would be so stupid. She carefully tipped a few of them, checking beneath for a key. On her fifth pot, a small glint rewarded her for her efforts; a quick poke at it confirmed that it was, indeed, a key. Okay, yeah. That's stupid. Who does that anymore?
She circled the darkened home, looking for signs of life. Finding the fence circling the backyard to be unlocked, she slipped in as quietly as the thankfully not-very-creaky gate would allow. With the yard as dark as her own sins, she creeped forward, almost blind as she headed for the back door she could just barely make out. A few steps away from it, however, her foot met something she hadn't seen in her approach. The sound of a shattering pot filled the air as she landed hard on her knees. Panic gripping her chest, she scrambled to get herself upright. Nope, fuck this, I am not getting caught here. She rushed back to the gate, opening it as quickly but quietly as she could, and let herself out. She returned to the sidewalk, trying to keep her pace looking natural; at least, as natural as a teen skulking around at night could be.
Well, that went fantastic, she cursed to herself. Whatever, the middle of a neighborhood is a little too conspicuous anyway. She looked down the street, her eyes once again struck by the fluorescent sign of the distant 8-Twelve. I need to get out of the rain, even just for a little while, and have something hot to eat. That'll have to do, I guess. She heaved an annoyed sigh and once more her footsteps carried her on.
Author's Note
I've been almost exclusively reading Sunset Shimmer stories for the past few months and I couldn't help myself - I'm making my own, with blackjack and hookers*.
*Might not contain blackjack or hookers.
Edited 12/7/23 at like four in the morning because why did I put everything in present tense.
A chime sounded out as Sunset stepped through the automatic doors into the painfully bright but thankfully warm interior of the 8-Twelve, her shivering settling slowly from the relief. About her, almost haphazardly, several shelves stood stocked to the brim with candies and crackers and everything in between. Shoved against one wall was a counter, behind which sat a bored-looking attendant. He barely glanced up from his phone as Sunset entered.
Sunset took her time idly browsing, enjoying the warmth while she still could. It doesn't look like the rain is going to let up anytime soon. Fuck my luck. She scowled at the available selection, finding plenty of empty calories in colorful wrappers but little that would actually satisfy the hunger starting to gnaw at her. Of course. I could blow half of my remaining cash here and barely call it a meal.
Finally settling on a large and equally overpriced bag of Cheez-Thats, she glowered her way on over to the teen and deposited it on the counter before him. Why they fuck are they selling Cheez-Thats in a bag, anyway? What kind of dystopian hell is this place? Is this my comeuppance for daring to seize my life by the horns and take what's mine by force?
-beep- "That'll be seven-oh-six."
Ugh. She dug her cash out from the interior pocket of her jacket, dropping two slightly damp five-dollar bills on the counter.
The cashier gave the bills a resigned look as he picked them up, tapping at the screen on the register before him. "Your change is two-ninety-four," he droned as the till popped open, his hands clumsily stuffing in her bills and retrieving some to give her, along with a number of coins. "Do you want a receipt?"
"Pass." She held her hand out for the change. Once it was dropped into her grasp, she stuffed it all haphazardly back in her jacket, the pocket full of currency letting out a muffled jingle. She swiped the bag and turned, leisurely making her way to the exit as she tore the top off the bag and pried open her prize, discarding the strip of plastic in the vague direction of a trash bin by the door. Huh. It's resealable. Alright, you win this one for convenience, you miserable disgrace, but that doesn't mean I'm happy with you.
She stuffed a handful of crispy, cheesy squares in her mouth as she stepped through the doors once again, the chime bidding her farewell while the teen returned his attention to his phone. Looking out at the rain from the covered strip in front of the store, Sunset gave it as much of an annoyed look as she could muster whilst chewing a large amount of Cheez-Thats. I guess I have no choice but to check Boogle Maps for somewhere to stay. I have enough for a cheap motel if I really can't find anything but unless I want to fight Teen Wonder back there for his hours, I could only afford about two days before I'm out completely.
She slipped off her backpack, unzipping it and reaching inside to dig through - surprise, surprise - slightly damp rolled-up clothes. After a moment of searching, she pulled out her phone. It lit up at the click of a button, the amusingly appropriate background of a sunset greeting her. Pulling up Boogle Maps revealed... A whole lot of residential. Fucker. The nearest anything is another two miles away and the only motel in the city is five out. She closed up the app, stuffing the phone back into its slightly drier hiding spot and zipping the bag up.
Sitting down and leaning up against the wall, Sunset let out a sigh, torn between the choices of saving or scarfing her small supply of food. Her hands idly made the choice for her as her mind wandered, the crunch failing to drown out the sound of heavy rainfall. So what the hell am I going to do? If I keep walking I'll make it to the motel, but no guarantee they'll even have anything open.[/] She let out a sigh. Goddess, I need a drink.
Chewing on that thought for a little while as the shivers start to set in again, she made an executive decision. You know what? I've had one hell of a last twenty-four hours. Scrambled on home yesterday with my tail between my fucking legs after getting my shit rocked by that rainbow beam bullshit. Of course I forgot my bike in the parking lot, that got keyed and battered to a sad wreck. Couldn't even get it to start after all that they put it through. It's probably going to be hauled off for scrap, or worse, one of the Fantastic Five Fuckers might claim it for her own. That Rainbow Dash bitch always looked hungry whenever she saw you, Sexy. But I can't do anything about that now, can I?
So here I am now. The mighty Sunset Shimmer, eating Cheez-Thats out of a bag outside an 8-Eleven in the middle of fucking nowhere, only possessions left in this tiny-ass backpack.
Yeah, fuck this.
Sunset kipped back up, slipping her Cheeze-Thats into her bag and her bag back over her shoulder as she made her way back into the merciful warmth of the store. She all but stomped forward to the alcohol section and picked out a case of hard ciders. No, scratch that. She grabbed a second case and brought them both up to the register.
The teen glanced down at the alcohol as he returned his phone in his pocket, then raised his gaze back up to give her an unconvinced look-over. "I'm gonna need to see some ID."
Sunset snorted and pulled her false ID out of her pants pocket, presenting it for the challenging cashier. "Read it and weep."
Raising his eyebrow in disbelief, he shuffled his gaze between the ID and its clearly teenaged owner. "Uh huh... Yeah, this is fake, isn't it?"
Sunset glowered at him. "I'm sorry, do you actually care or are you just looking for an excuse to piss someone off?"
The teen paused for several long moments, seemingly weighing his decisions. "...Whatever," he finally muttered, scanning the drinks with a roll of his eyes.
Good. I didn't feel like beating up a punk this late anyway. Sunset slapped down her cash at the teen's prompt, not really listening. I'm tired, I'm cold, just shut up and give me the damn booze. With some change slid back to her, she picked up what belonged to her and left, returning to sit where she had before. Come to mama. She screwed off the top of the first cider and chugged it, not stopping for breath until every drop was consumed. I swear, why is it that no Terran cider compares to Equus's? It's like everything is less vibrant here. She popped open another cider, taking a short drink.
The chime went off to her side as the door opened. "Hey, lady, you can't drink those here," the teen called from the entrance.
"Oh, for fucks sake," she growled. "You can't just leave things be, can you?" She glared daggers up at him.
He offered little in return but an uncaring shrug. "Just following the rules for a paycheck," he droned. "So either put those away or scram."
"Fuck you and fuck off." She took another swig, turning her eyes back to the cold, wet drizzle.
"I can just call the police if you don't want to listen."
She paused, bottle half-raised for another drink. She glared over, then back to her bottle. "...Fine." She tipped the bottle up to her lips and drained it, shoving the empty back into the case as she rose once more. She let out a strong belch, raised her middle finger, and stepped out into the rain. Well, nowhere left to go but try for the motel, I guess. She huffed in annoyance and continued on her soggy journey, water already finding its way into the holes in the back of her jacket. That kid is going to pay someday. I'll make sure of it, she mused. No, fuck it, not just him.
She allowed herself a small, dark chuckle. They'll all pay.
Author's Note
Seriously, who came up with putting them in a bag?
Edited 12/7/23 at like four in the morning because why did I put everything in present tense.
