Chapters The Reform of Sunset Shimmer
Author's Note
I just want to ask you to ignore the spelling and punctuation errors. English is not my national language. So I'm aware that there may be errors
Day 1
Sunset Shimmer, a former student of Princess Celesti from the pony dimension of Equestria, stood outside the doors of the school where she had been a bully for the past three years. Passing students shot her hateful glances, some openly, others secretly. It wasn't new, it had always been like that, with the difference that today she starts a new life, she starts writing her story from the beginning and of course everything will be uphill. She didn't expect anything else.
The sound of the lesson bell pierced the air. The last latecomers ran into the building, and she was still standing in front of the stairs, clutching her bag in her hands. After yesterday's fiasco and the promise of change, Sunset wanted to show her best side today, she wanted to prove to the people at school, and most of all to herself, that she can change and wants to do it. She has been given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do this and she certainly has no intention of wasting it. Unfortunately, it's hard to do this when stress is eating you up from the inside.
Adjusting the strap of her bag for the thirtieth time, she reconsidered her options. Option one, enter and prepare for the inevitable retribution from everyone in this facility. Option two, return to Equestri on your knees and beg Princess Twilight to give you a basement where she could hide for the rest of her life. And option three, bury yourself underground. Option three was her favorite, and she was only a few moments away from digging a hole with her bare hands.
She was very disappointed in herself. She promised to change, but how can she do it when she can't take that first step? She'll have to go in there eventually. She left her wallet in her locker, so she skipped breakfast today. Although that's a good thing, because if she were to eat something, she would have emptied her stomach long ago.
After twenty minutes of standing like a statue, she decided that it would be best to move today's revolution to tomorrow. Maybe in a week, yes, a week is a very good idea. In a week, the school will meet the changed Sunset Shimmer. With that promise, she turned her back on school, ready to go home and hide under the covers for the week.
"Sunset Shimmer," a rather familiar voice called to her.
Her whole body stiffened, deciding that today she would pretend to be a sculpture. When she was evil and mean, she could get away with everything, but of course everything went wrong when she decided to become good. This is just a paradox.
Slowly, almost in slow motion, she turned her head towards the school entrance. Principal Celestia stood in the aisle. Her expression showed no emotion, which only encouraged Sunset to run home. If it weren't for the fact that she can't move anything except her neck, she would have done it a long time ago.
"I've been standing in the hallway for over twenty minutes, wondering when you're going to come in," the woman said. She opened the door wider and with her other hand pointed to the corridor mentioned earlier in the conversation "Shall we go? It's your big day.
They looked at each other for a long moment. Celestia is waiting patiently for some reaction from the student, and Sunset is waiting for the moment when the woman blinks and she walks away. Unfortunately for her, Celestia seemed to have decided not to blink today. Letting out a resigned sigh, Sunset followed the principal to the classroom where her first class was held in room fifteen
When Celestia opened the classroom door, ten pairs of eyes tried to burn her alive as soon as she came into view. She didn't expect anything less, it was what she deserved after being a bully to all the students for so long.
The woman approached the teacher currently teaching the lesson and pointed at Sunset, introducing her as one of the stray sheep.
"Sunset Shimmer, please take a seat and open your textbook to page ninety-seven.
As she walked to the only available seat, she could have sworn that Celestia said "good luck" as she passed her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she sat down right next to the window in the last row, just managing to place her textbook on the bench before she was bombarded with paper balls. The attack took place in silence so as not to be caught red-handed, but despite this she knew what everyone thought of her and for the first time in years, not counting yesterday, she wanted to cry.
*
Sunset's focus on answering questions in her textbook was interrupted by the recess bell. A moment passed and her stomach began its merry-go-round again. The nausea and stress returned.
Despite her reluctance to come to the lesson, she had to admit that it was bearable, and this was probably due to the teachers who kept the students in line during the lesson. Unfortunately, her luck has run out, the first break has begun, she will be alone, there will be no one to save her from the students' revenge.
She postponed leaving the classroom as long as she could, but unfortunately her teacher asked her to leave the classroom so that she could close the door for the duration of the break.
As soon as she stepped out into the corridor, there was silence. Everyone was looking at her, they didn't even hide their disgust at seeing her. She tried to ignore it as she walked down the hall towards the parking lot. She needed to get some fresh air.
She heard the echo of footsteps behind her, someone was following her.
She didn't have the courage to look back and see who would be the first to pay her for her years of tyranny.
Her treacherous mind decided to play a game called "Who will be the first to punish Sunset Shimmer?
Her first choice was Flash, but he quickly disappeared from the list. Despite the many manipulations she subjected him to and the toying with his feelings, Flash was not a guy who took revenge on anyone. He will ignore her and give her the cold shoulder, he is out. Maybe it's Trixie? Or maybe it's Applejack and Rainbow Dash? Because of her, their friendship fell apart for quite a long time. She wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to spill applesauce on her or throw a basket full of sweaty towels on her. Princess Twilight may have asked to be friends with her, but grudges don't go away overnight. First revenge, the cold shoulder, and then finally forgiveness.
Sunset brushed her fiery locks. A dark scenario, even for her, but what can you do? She always had problems with positive thinking.
As each minute passed, her stress became more and more intense. She didn't know who was following her or what they had planned, but if the expressions on the faces of the students she passed were any indication, they themselves didn't know what was going on.
"Helpful, thanks " Sunset Shimmer's mastermind complained to who knows who.
Her incorrigible optimism changed to a moment of respite, she was now just in front of the door leading to the parking lot.
She heard the footsteps behind her seem to be getting closer, which only made her panic a little, and it made her forget about many teen movies and the effects of walking through doors. This was the biggest mistake of her life, she grabbed the door handle and, trying to escape from the students approaching her as quickly as possible, she fell straight into the trap. As soon as she walked through the door, she was pelted with leftovers from yesterday's lunch. The air filled with laughter from all who saw it.
She looked up and saw Apple Bloom and Scootaloo clutching the biohazard bin.
"This is your punishment for abusing my sister!" exclaimed the youngest Apple.
Sunset's eyes watered with tears. Even though she knew something like this was coming, it still hurt.
"Sunset Shimmer!
She knew that sugar-soaked voice all too well. Pinkie Pie appeared next to her and Fluttershy had wet wipes in her hands.
In her shy yet sweet way, Fluttershy tried to chastise the two younger girls' antics. Unfortunately, she spoke so softly that Sunset herself had difficulty speaking, even though the pink hair was right next to her face, helping to wash away yesterday's meal. So it was Pinkie Pie who took over.
Sunset wasn't entirely sure what she was shouting there. She spoke too fast and too many sentences at once.
"What happened here?
Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity approached the girls. After seeing Sunset's condition, the young designer immediately helped Fluttershy.
A positively crazy member of the chocolate fan club turned to the new arrivals.
"Ask these two " she replied and pointed her finger at the perpetrator of all this confusion, who was trying to hide.
"Apple Bloom?!" exclaimed her older sister "You'r in trouble, my lady!
"We just wanted her to pay for everything," Bloom tried to explain.
"But not like this, you can't treat another person like this!" Rarity replied, pulling fish bones from Sunset's hair.
"And she could, right?
"If that's how you put it Scootaloo, then...
"Rainbow Dash!" there was a chorus of opposition.
The rainbow-haired girl scratched the back of her head.
A crowd began to grow around the girls. It didn't take long for laughter and mockery to come at Sunset Shimmer's expense. There were several people who captured it all on their phones. The teenagers tried their best to hide their fiery hair from the crowd, but to no avail. There wasn't a person on the school grounds who wouldn't be standing there right now and making fun of the former tyrant.
Sunset knew something like this would come. You could even say that she had been preparing for this since waking up today, but unfortunately it didn't stop the tears from flowing from her eyes.
As soon as the first drops of salty liquid ran down her face, the crowd's laughter became louder.
"Hey! "If you want to make fun of her, you have to take care of me first," Applejack called out and rolled up her imaginary sleeves.
"Exactly," Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie replied in unison. Fluttershy only nodded, but was equally ready to defend Sunset's honor.
"What is going on here?
As if by a magic wand, the laughter stopped. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna joined the gathering. The students moved so that both women could easily approach the scene of the commotion.
After seeing the state Sunset was in, Celestia's face changed dramatically. She looked like she was boiling with pure rage.
"Who is responsible for this?!
Silence replaced the echo of laughter and mockery. No one was able to answer Celestia's question. Everyone knew that their principal had tantrums, but what was presented now looked like a pure tantrum. Steam was almost coming out of her body, which was the result of the blood boiling in her body. Even Luna herself stood in silence and prayed for the student who would have to deal with this anger. Despite her actions, Sunset was her sister's favorite. When the former tyrant got into trouble for her behavior, Celestia expressed no disappointment, only pure sadness.
"They were...
"It's pure coincidence" interrupted Trixie Sunset "The cook wanted to make her job easier and threw the leftovers out the window. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
No one expected such a response, especially the perpetrators. They were sure that Sunset would sell them at the first opportunity.
It was obvious that the management didn't believe Sunset. Before they expressed their objection to the girl's truthfulness, she fled the scene as quickly as possible. She had five girls on her tail, calling her name.
*
They caught up with Sunset Shimmer at the Canterlot high monument, and that was only because she tripped over her feet.
"Honey, are you okay? " Rarity asked worriedly.
"Why do you even care? You're only doing it anyway because Twilight told you to.
The fiery haired girl pulled her legs closer together, trying to make herself as small as possible. Her cries became louder by the moment.
She wanted to atone for the wrongs she had done, she would do anything. But if this is what every day is supposed to look like, she would rather disappear from the face of the earth of both worlds.
"She ordered it? She asked us, first of all" she heard Applejack's voice above her "Secondly, if we had done it under duress, none of us would have run after you. And thirdly, and most importantly, you regret your actions and that's enough for me to give you a chance.
"Exactly, honey. And besides, you have a big plus for covering Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. You could have spent it but you didn't and that is the first step to changing your behavior.
"Maybe I didn't spend them, but I wanted to. I wanted to boast so much that they would get punished but... but...
She was lost for words. For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say. Her mind went blank. When Celestia approached, she wanted to tell who was responsible. She derived great satisfaction from the thought of the punishment the two younger girls would receive for mocking her in front of the entire high school. But that thought quickly disappeared. She felt like someone else was taking control. Her anger towards the girls did not go away, but it was suppressed by a small question asked in her subconscious " What would I feel if I were in their place?
Then, for the first time in years, she decided not to follow her head, but rather her heart, which, as she wrongly assumed, had become insensitive to other people. She didn't know what exactly was happening to her, but before she could process it, she stood up for the younger girls, and then the run and the current situation.
"You want to change not only in the eyes of others, but also in your own eyes" Fluttershy guessed. She sat down next to her, gently combing the crying woman's wild hair.
"And what you said shows that you're on the right track" Rainbow added.
"I said I wanted to, and that's as bad as doing it.
"Girl, can't you hear yourself? You just admitted that you defeated your demons! You overcame your desire for revenge!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
"Pinkie's right. No one becomes 100% good within the first day of life reform, especially after so much time of being the biggest nag at school" Applejack winked at her and sat down to her left.
Without knowing when, the tears stopped.
If you think about it, Pinkie is actually right. She overcame her desire for revenge in front of the entire high school, maybe this will be the first step she needs to prove that she wants to change and that she will succeed. It is obvious that one such situation will not change the perception of it differently. But step by step, the first one is done, there are still a few hundred more to go.
*
Sunset Shimmer said goodbye to today's school day with tears in her eyes. If it weren't for the girls' support, she wouldn't have been able to survive those hateful glances. What's more, thanks to them she is ready for tomorrow, because she knows that even if something happens, they will support her.
After leaving the school grounds, she was exported home. They said they wanted to see her off and arrange a meeting tomorrow. As if they couldn't do it at school.
The thing is, it didn't look like walking a friend home. It looked like taking a crown witness to court. Rarity and Fluttershy led the group, Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked on either side of them, and Pinkie Pie trotted behind them. They all seemed to be having a conversation, but the vigilance in their eyes showed that they were ready to defend their new friend.
As soon as they arrived at her door, a truck magically pulled up, driven by Big Mac, with Apple Bloom sitting next to him. The youngest Apple wasn't looking at anyone, her eyes were fixed straight ahead.
After looking at Applejack, Sunset knew that a difficult conversation lay ahead for both girls.
She said goodbye to the girls and went inside. Today has passed somehow, now we have to wait for what tomorrow will bring.
The Reform of Sunset Shimmer
Sunset felt deja vu. She stood in front of the school entrance again, unable to find the strength to go inside.
She felt nauseous from the stress of this building and the people inside. It is also possible that the nausea is a result of yesterday's incident, even after an hour of scrubbing she could still smell the stench.
When the girls walked her home, they went their separate ways, promising to meet at the school entrance tomorrow, ten minutes before the bell. So Sunset Shimmer has been standing there for twenty minutes, waiting for the five girls to arrive.
She didn't pay attention to it before, but she has several lessons with at least one of Princess Twilight's friends. Before she started her reform, she was not interested in anyone but herself, the same with her feelings, she could trash anyone and pass by a crying student without blinking an eye, but when she was going through her crisis, which she would not admit to anyone, everyone had to jump to around her, trying to improve her mood so that she wouldn't turn their lives into hell for today. Now she sees her mistakes, and understanding this was helped by feeling the same pain and sadness that she felt for many of her peers.
As for her peers, many students ran past her indifferently and inside. Only a few stopped to take a look at her.
Even though she deserved yesterday's incident, she hoped she would only get a few insults today. She didn't have the strength to fight the laughter of the whole school again, she was afraid that the former Sunset Shimmer would take over and all her one day's work would be wasted.
The time spent feeling sorry for himself was interrupted by a gentle blow to the back of the head. Sunset turned around but no one was there. There was no one in the world fast enough to run out of sight in a second, she must have been hit by something. So her eyes went to the ground, where she should have dug that hole yesterday, and she saw a paper ball.
One? I expected at least ten.
She picked up the paper and unfolded it, it read "DEMON" in big red letters. All vital body functions stopped, including breathing. There was nothing she could do. Swallow the saliva gathering in her mouth, blink, or at least draw the much-needed oxygen into her lungs.
Started. After yesterday's incident, the fear that held the entire school in check is gone. They are braver, you can see it in the note and it probably won't end there. She's not even sure what they'll go to to humiliate her. Between all the insults available, they had to use this one. After all, she knows who she has become or who she was from the very beginning.
A single salty drop dripped onto a piece of paper, leaving a wet trace on it. In less than two days, he cries more than in his entire life. For her, tears were always a sign of weakness, lack of control over such insignificant emotions.
"What do you have there?"
The question didn't even have time to digest in her brain, and the piece of paper was snatched from her grasp by the ever-cheerful Pinkie Pie. As if by a magic wand, the body began to live again. She took a shaky breath of oxygen into her empty lungs as tears leaked from her eyes.
"It's not yours," she tried to muster an authoritative voice that came out more like a squeak.
"Girls..."
Without being aware of it beforehand, the five girls arrived almost on time. As soon as they heard the serious tone of Pinkie's voice, the calm conversation between the rest of the girls ended almost immediately. Seriousness replaced calm.
Once they were within arm's reach of Sunset, Pinkie passed the note into Rarity's waiting hands. The designer read the text loudly enough so that the other three girls knew what was happening but so that Sunset wouldn't have to hear them again, but even without that, the words echoed in her head.
A demon, a monster, a flaw in the world. This was how others saw her, and slowly she began to see herself this way too.
The rustle of paper brought her back to reality. Applejack crumpled the paper back to its former appearance and threw it as far as you could throw a paper ball on a windy day. Pure rage reigned on her face and her green eyes blazed. She had only seen her like this once in her life, the day she destroyed the friendship between her and Rainbow Dash. She had to admit to herself that this side of Applejack made her a little uneasy, and also a little attracted to her. This doesn't even surprise her in the slightest, she's always had a weakness for strength and power. And that bothered her a lot, that was the old Sunset Shimmer. The new and changed Sunset shouldn't fall under the spell of power, even if she was as attractive as Applejack.
The girls exchanged a mental message with each other. How they did it was beyond her. Even after all the time they spent apart, they still had that unique bond.
Rainbow Dash rested her elbow on the former tyrant's shoulder and put on a surprisingly genuine smile.
"You don't have to worry about what some piece of trash thinks about you."
"Not just one. The whole school hates me."
"They don't hate you at all, honey."
"You're right," Sunset replied and put on her sweetest smile she could muster, "They despise my life."
"They don't despise you. They want to punish you for making their lives hell."
"Pinkie, how is this going to make her feel better?" Rarity put her hands on her hips. She looked like a mother disciplining her child.
"Um, girls...
"We're supposed to make her feel better?
"Girls...
"Ugh! We discussed this yesterday, don't you remember?" Dash joined the discussion.
"Girls, can I...
"The first thing on our list was to go to Celestia to change our lesson plans, and then cheer ourselves up by throwing a party at my house!"
"Do you remember that now?"
It was funny to watch the girls agree on a secret plan among themselves, which was probably not intended to reach her ears, but what was more funny was that throughout the entire exchange between them, poor Fluttershy was trying to get their attention. Unfortunately, she spoke much too quietly and they were too busy with their plan.
"I think I want to say something, Fluttershy," Sunset spoke up on behalf of the shy girl.
"Thank you, Sunset. I wanted to say that the bell has already rung and…"
"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Rarity dramatically ran to the school, leaving her friends behind.
"I tried, but you didn't listen to me," the animal lover said to herself and followed the designer.
"We should go too," AJ replied.
The cowgirl placed her hand on Sunset's lower back, gently pushing her towards the school.
*
When the six of them entered Principal Celesti's office, she didn't seem to care, and neither did Vice Principal Luna. Even though the shorter woman didn't like truant, she just looked at it and went back to her papers.
It was then that Sunset realized that some strange plan had been put into motion that she had no idea about.
"Hello girls, you're probably here about the lesson plan," Princess Twilight's friends nodded. The principal pulled out a piece of paper from her binder. "As you asked, I made a new lesson plan to make sure that at least one of you will have the same classes as Sunset."
What, sorry?
"Thank you very much, ma'am," Rarity admitted and accepted the card extended to her.
Fashionista showed her friend the new plan, the girls nodded in agreement. Sunset, on the other hand, watched it all from the sidelines as if she were a ghost or at least invisible. She felt it was about her, especially when Principal Celestia said she had changed the lesson plan so that one of them would be in class with her. Application? They were afraid. They were afraid that the students' revenge would go so far that they would even go as far as mutilating her.
Maintaining silence, they left the office. The first lesson of the day, and her favorite, was mathematics. The girls separated right at the music room door to their rooms. Pinkie Pie walked with Sunset to math, her bouncy steps distracting her from today's commotion caused by the note. She didn't really think about who the recipient could be, there were too many suspects. Even if she knew who it was, what would she do about it? Revenge? Row? It was that Sunset, she solved every right hand that way. To this day, she still cannot understand how it could have happened like this. The desire to become an alicorn and gain unimaginable power blinded her. She was so immersed in it that she pursued it at all costs. She considered every human and pony inferior to her, to be despised and used to build her reputation. Out of all the students, not counting the princess' friends, she felt sorry for Flash the most. She toyed with his feelings for a very long time, and when their "relationship" served its purpose in her plan, she threw Flash away like an old toy. He is perfectly aware that regaining his trust will be extremely difficult. She doesn't want forgiveness because I don't deserve it, she just wants to show that she is sorry for everything she has done on Earth and in Equestri. It will be a very long road but she is ready to walk it.
He and Pinkie entered the room. The teacher stopped while explaining the pattern written on the board, and the students, after recognizing who had entered the classroom, changed their bored expressions to disgust at the sight of her. Before Sunset could look at the ground, Pinkie stood in front of her, ready to defend her in front of the entire class at any moment. She had to admit that it was funny to see their faces after this action.
"Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, please take your seats for these last twenty minutes of class," the dissatisfaction in his voice was palpable.
The girls sat in the front row and unpacked their books.
A few minutes passed after they entered, and Sunset felt herself hit in the back of the head with a paper ball. She turned towards the ever-happy girl to see her looking around the entire class, looking for the culprit. They all had smiles on their faces and finding the one who did it was extremely difficult.
She knew perfectly well to ignore the paper ball at her feet. She knew perfectly well that it would hurt her, but she was probably a masochist. She picked up the ball and unfolded it. There was written "DEMON" in bold blue letters. Tears involuntarily came to her eyes, but she wasn't going to cry twice today because of some insult, and she had heard worse things about her anyway. A gentle squeeze of her arm showed the support she received from Pinkie Pie. She was glad she was here with her.
*
Her second lesson of the day was art, another one of her favorite lessons. This time it was Rarity who accompanied her and no wonder, the girl had a huge talent. Sunset also had some skills and could confidently say that she could paint.
Today's topic was peace. Something Sunset would give all her money for. After the math was finished, the insults and laughter began, most of them caused by yesterday's incident. Words like "trash" and "dirty" echoed in her head.
Pinkie helped her through the crowd and handed her into Rarity's hand. The fashionista gave a cheer to all the students mocking her.
After entering the art room, the teacher gave the topic of the work and busied herself.
Sunset entered her creative zone and the whole world stopped existing for her. All that mattered was her and the canvas in front of her. When she was given the topic, an idea appeared before her eyes that couldn't wait.
For her, peace was associated with two things, sunflowers and the sun, so she spent forty minutes implementing her idea.
"Beautiful, darling," Rarity's voice whispered in her ear.
She didn't know what the purple haired girl saw in it. They weren't as realistic as she wanted, and the sun didn't reflect his glory the way she wanted. For her, the Sun was the most important thing, it was a haven of peace. She always felt safer in its glow.
"Thanks, although it didn't turn out the way I wanted.
"And what was it supposed to look like? I feel like I was there, I can actually feel the sound of sunflowers in the wind and the pleasant warm glow of the sun. You have talent, Sunset.
Shimmer looked at Rarity's canvas. The painting showed a wardrobe filled with various clothes.
"You have talent too.
Rarity smiled at this comment.
Two boys approached the girls. They looked at the painting with feigned curiosity. Rarity watched them carefully, waiting for their first move. Neither of them expected that the third boy would pierce Sunset's canvas with the wooden part of the brush, tearing it, creating a large hole and destroying her work.
Sunset heard Rarity screaming something but she couldn't understand what, the sound of flowing blood drowned out everything. No one, and no one, has the right to touch her works, let alone destroy them. She felt the rage boiling inside wanting to express itself, but she didn't give up. She wouldn't let old Sunset Shimmer take over the body, no matter how much she wanted to smash the three boys' faces against the wall.
At some point, a teacher approached them. Rarity pointed at her, then at the canvas, and finally at the culprits. The teacher was saying something but she couldn't hear anything.
She grabbed her bag and ran out of the room.
The Reform of Sunset Shimmer
Author's Note
Enjoy reading!
Day 2 2/2
Since the girls left, Celestia had been unable to focus on her work and had only been thinking about recent events. Just a week ago, every day had been the same, without any changes, without thinking about the possibility of other dimensions. Her only worries were her students, school and one big problem called Sunset Shimmer. And now? She had met a princess from another dimension, her students grew wings and pony ears, and the biggest bully of the school had turned into a demon. The simplicity of her life had turned into a pretzel, complicating everything, but as they say, "every cloud has a silver lining". Thanks to these complications, during the Fall Formal, Sunset's painful and delicate soul was revealed, who knew no other way to achieve her goals. Despite the fact that only two days had passed since Sunset announced her desire to change her life and fix all the damage she had done, she had changed beyond recognition. In those less than two days, she had not caused any conflict with anyone and had not created any intrigue. She changed from a choleric to a meek lamb.
Unfortunately for her, the students seemed to take advantage of this and decided to pay her back for those three years of bullying everyone. Yesterday's incident indicated this.
She was glad that Sunset was trying to change, but no one changes into a flawless angel overnight, it takes time. So she is shocked that she did not give the culprit or culprits of that event. She and Luna knew perfectly well that she knew who was responsible for it, unfortunately she decided to cover it up by making up some hackneyed lie, they knew her and knew that she could do better. She was supposed to ask her about it when she entered her office with the girls, but when she saw her pale face, she decided to let it go for today, and she already has a lot on her mind. She ends every day at school by cleaning the facility, she was also supposed to rebuild the wall that she demolished after her transformation, and she did this until Luna sent her home. The next day when she, her sister and the teachers arrived at the school, they were shocked to find that the wall had been rebuilt one hundred percent. She didn't want Sunset to tell her how she had done it, because she knew full well that it wasn't her, but some students with hearts of gold.
Celestia looked back at the clock. It was almost ten o'clock and her paperwork hadn't moved forward.
She combed her hair and sighed loudly. She loved being a principal, but this paperwork was driving her crazy. She could use some caffeine for such a difficult job. With that in mind, she left the office and headed to the cafeteria.
A lesson was currently in progress, so she was in quite a shock when she saw Sunset huddled under her locker. In the quiet hallway, she could hear her stifled sobs perfectly, which moved her heart. She didn't know why, but she had always had a soft spot for Sunset.
The woman quickened her pace.
"Sunset Shimmer, what happened?"
The student stopped crying after hearing her, and her body stiffened. Not even a second had passed before she relaxed and reached behind her to the locker door and closed it. There, in large red letters, were the words "DEMON" and "MONSTER". The color flowing down the locker indicated that the letters were fresh, Sunset herself must have come here a moment ago.
Or maybe she wrote it herself and immediately blamed an innocent person
Celestia pushed those thoughts out of her head. She wouldn't let her student's past deeds blind her to the seriousness of the situation. Now the girl was hated by the entire school, she needed support.
"Sunset?" - she crouched down next to her. She gently combed her hair trying to calm her down "Do you want to talk about it?"
The girl shook her head.
"Do you know who did this?"
Another shake of the head. Sunset curled herself tighter as if wanting to disappear from her sight, she felt it very clearly. At that moment she began to question her earlier years, how could someone who looked so fragile be the perpetrator of tyranny in her school? Maybe it was a strange reasoning, but somehow she couldn't connect the two girls into one person, they were too different. If Sunset had said at that moment that her twin sister was behind it, she might have believed it.
Celestia comfortingly rubbed the back of the crying girl. She wanted to do something to make it easier for Sunset, but her hands were tied. She couldn't force everyone in this school to forgive her, even a few teachers still held a grudge against her for her past misdeeds. She was the principal, not God. She couldn't change or force people's minds.
Feeling uncomfortable from kneeling for so long, she sat down next to her student. The cold floor sent unpleasant shivers down her spine.
"What was your previous lesson?" She asked after a long pause.
"Art"
The girl's hoarse voice tugged at Celestia's heart.
"And what happened that made you skip class?"
Instead of an answer, she got a shrug and a quiet sniffle.
"Did anyone say anything to you?" She was a bit surprised when Sunset snorted.
"They didn't have to say anything, I know exactly what they think of me" she pointed to the locker behind her "Now you know too. It would be better for everyone if I disappeared forever"
"Sunset, you can't think like that..."
"You're here!"
The exchange of sentences was interrupted by Rarity. The slightly out of breath girl glanced briefly at the still curled up flame-haired girl and in that short time Celestia could see pure sympathy for the girl.
"You have to stop Applejack and Rainbow Dash!"
Hearing both girls' names, Sunset finally raised her head.
"What happened?" She had a feeling she would have another piece of paperwork, only with the police.
"After Sunset ran away, I sent a message to the girls about what happened in art class. Aj and Dash didn't take it well"
Celestia and Rarity watched in shock as Sunset Shimmer ran towards the art class, the flame-haired girl ran into the wall on the turn, but it didn't stop her for a moment.
"What happened there?"
"I'll explain later, now you have to stop them before they do something they'll regret"
Celestia nodded and together with the fashionista ran after Sunset.
Even before they reached the door, muffled screams could be heard in the hallway. They were so loud that students and teachers from neighboring classes came out into the hallway. Luna and Fluttershy ran down the other side of the hallway.
"Do you know what this is about?" the vice principal asked.
"I guess. Please go back to your classrooms, there's nothing interesting here" She spoke to the onlookers.
As if to spite them, a cry of pain came from behind the door. Everyone in the hallway quickly entered the classroom.
Inside, a real armageddon was raging. All the students in the art class formed a circle and chanted many different words, creating only incomprehensible uproar. The teacher tried to shout over the students but even Celestia couldn't make out what he was saying over the screams of the students.
"What's going on here!?" Luna shouted at the top of her lungs.
Despite her composure, it was Luna who always lost her temper first and she was considered the principal more than Celestia, who by the way was the real principal and her sister was just the deputy, but despite that, the students were the most afraid of Luna, so as soon as her voice reached the students' ears, they immediately fell silent, which couldn't be said for the people inside the circle they had created. They parted like the sea as soon as they saw the principal. And there were three scared boys lying against the wall trying to hide from Applejack and Rainbow Dash's attacks. The only person in the room who tried to stop the girls, and not encourage them like the rest, was Sunset Shimmer, who like a koala sat on the back of a cowgirl trying to stop her with her weight alone. She wrapped her legs around the blonde's hips so she wouldn't fall, because her hands were busy holding Rainbow Dash's kicking shirt. She was shouting something to both girls, but Applejack and Rainbow Dash were shouting insults so loudly at the scared boys that they didn't hear her.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" Luna called again, but with more fire, which reached the girls.
As if by the wave of a magic wand, the commotion stopped.
Finding a chance to escape, without waiting even a second, the three boys almost fell to their knees in front of the women.
"Please help us! They've gone crazy!" One called out.
"It's probably Sunset Shimmer's influence that's doing this to them" The other added.
"If I were you, I'd watch what I say" Rainbow threatened.
"And if I were you, young lady, I'd sit quietly and beg the Creator that your behavior would not be punished with expulsion" Luna replied, moving her gaze from the rainbow-haired girl to Sunset Shimmer still hanging on Applejack's back "And you can get off now".
As if burned, she jumped off the cowgirl, only to jump on her back again when she wanted to attack the closest of the boys.
"Applejack!" Celestia called out.
AJ lowered her head under the weight of the principal's scolding gaze. Despite unclenching her fists and taking a step back, Sunset was still sitting on her back.
"Can someone finally explain what this madness is all about?"
"This is all Sunset Shimmer's fault," the third boy called out.
"You scumbag!" Rainbow Dash called out.
"This is my last warning, Miss Dash, if I have to silence you or Miss Applejack again, it will end in suspension."
Rainbow joined the cowgirl in examining the floor.
Celestia looked at the teacher, who just shrugged.
"I don't know how it started. Miss Shimmer ran out of the room without a word, and a moment later Applejack and Rainbow Dash ran in, almost immediately attacking the boys."
"So my question is, what happened before I met you, Sunset?"
"Stomach ache" She replied before Celestia could finish her sentence.
"Sweetheart..."
Celestia almost forgot about Rarity and Fluttershy, who were standing next to them.
The purple-haired girl looked straight into Sunset's panicked eyes. The key to solving this incident was the fashionista, who was engaged in a staring war with the former tyrant.
"Rarity?"
"Rarity."
Celestia shifted her gaze to Sunset, who looked down almost immediately after making contact.
"Rarity, what happened here?"
Everyone in the crowd looked at her. Even those who were in class seemed eager to find out what had happened. And if Sunset Shimmer was responsible for it.
So Rarity explained everything that had happened. She didn't leave anything out, she gave the tiniest details, like the laughter of the rest of the class after Sunset ran out, which only caused Applejack and Rainbow Dash to glare at each other, and the threats both girls made towards the boys, which caused the principals to glare at each other. The story ended with Rarity running out.
Celestia could feel a migraine coming on. Before Sunset took the crown, her life had been simpler, she almost missed him, but only almost. She would rather feel the pain of a migraine for the rest of her life than for Sunset to turn to the dark side again. She wouldn't let this girl doubt herself, she would give her soul to Satan himself if it would help Sunset Shimmer.
"I invite all five of you to my office. We need to talk, and you Sunset can come down now."
*
The silence was deafening.
Not a single word had been spoken since the door closed.
During her career as principal, she had hosted both the perpetrators and the victims of the brawl in her office many times. But even years of experience had not prepared her for the two girls to throw themselves at three boys who were begging for the chance to have protection, and since the school had none, Luna had to make do with standing between them.
Looking at it from a different perspective, Luna was doing a better job than any security guard , Celestia thought.
"You do realize that your behavior today could result in suspension? What were you thinking?"
"Principal Celestia, what else were we supposed to do? They attacked Sunset."
"For example, you could have come to me and Vice Principal Luna, Rainbow Dash. Besides, they attacked her mentally, not physically, and you both did the opposite."
"Exactly! Did you see our bruises?"
The blue-haired one was already taking off his shirt, Luna stopped him before he could undress.
"Spitershot, please calm down. And besides, you can only blame yourselves"
"So when Sunset does such tricks, you only wag your finger at her, and if someone repays her in the same way, they are threatened with suspension and expulsion? Where is the justice in that?!"
"Sunset Shimmer will atone for her misdeeds every day, whether it's her after-school work or the students who try to make her life miserable at every turn. Justice is not retaliating in kind, it's lynching. And that's quite a big difference"
"I should suspend each of you for a week, but since Sunset didn't press charges, you'll be suspended for one day. As for you girls, it's a harder situation, you attacked your friends, I should expel you from school" Celestia looked at the self-satisfied young men "Unless the boys don't press charges"
Celestia felt quite a bit of satisfaction at their faces. If they think they've won this round, they're sorely mistaken.
"Well, if you look at it from the other side, they provoked Miss Dash and Miss Applejack. The police might come to the same conclusion if they pressed charges."
Sometimes she got the feeling that Luna took pleasure in mentally tormenting her.
The three boys had a short but heated argument.
"We won't press charges if they are punished on our terms," Spitershot replied.
The sisters exchanged a quick look.
"Okay, what would that be?" Celestia agreed, much to the girl's dismay.
"Two weeks suspension, they have to treat us like the Three Kings, cook us lunches for three weeks, and bow to us at every turn for a whole month."
Before any of the girls could protest, Celestia spoke up.
"They'll be suspended for three days, they'll work in the cafeteria for a week cooking for the entire school, then the possibility of spitting in your meals will drop to zero, and as for the other two conditions, we can stop bowing but only for two days"
"Okay" The three of them replied almost immediately.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked like they were about to explode.
"You can go now."
