Sunset walked down the halls as she made her way to the lunchroom, she heard the passing students giggling and whispering Piggly Wiggly. Sunset frowned as she had seen students laughing at the post by Anon-A-Miss throughout her morning classes. She hoped Applejack was doing okay, the poor farm girl looked distraught no matter how much she tried to hide it. She spotted Applebloom down the hall looking upset and decided to see what was wrong.

“Hey, Applebloom!” Sunset called out, Applebloom looked in her direction and she looked more upset. Sunset ignored it and closed the distance. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t ah be?” Applebloom said dismissively and rudely, Sunset was the last person she wanted to talk to.

“It’s just that you look upset,” Sunset voiced her concern, she wanted to see if she could help Applebloom. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Ah don’t want to talk to you about anything,” Applebloom bitterly said as she began to walk away.

“Hold on!” Sunset went around Applebloom to block her path. “You’re obviously bothered by something and it has something to do with me by how you’re reacting.”

When Applebloom looked away it confirmed Subset’s suspicions.

“Do you have time to meet me after school?” Sunset asked.

“Don’t yah have a sleepover to attend?” Applebloom questioned rudely.

“Not right away, so we got time to talk about your problems,” Sunset assured her, crossing her arms.

“Why should ah meet with yah?” Applebloom demanded.

“You don’t have to but if you want to deal with whatever issues you have with me then it would be in your best interest,” Sunset challenged, narrowing her eyes at Applebloom.

The two stared each other down before Applebloom looked away.

“Fine,” Applebloom mumbled as she stormed off.

Sunset’s expression softened as she watched Applebloom leave, whatever issue she has with her must be pretty bad if she reacts that way to her. She can’t recall doing anything particularly bad to her but she’ll just have to ask her later.

“You’re what?!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo shouted in unison.

The Crusaders are in their clubroom and Applebloom has just told them that she is Anon-A-Miss.

“Applebloom, how could you do this to your sister?!” Sweetie Belle shouted, she couldn’t believe that her best friend would expose her big sister’s secret to the whole school.

“It’s all because of Sunset,” Applebloom answered.

“Sunset?” Sweetie Belle questioned. “What did she do?”

“She’s stealing Applejack from me,” Applebloom answered.

“Stealing Applejack?” Scootaloo asked.

“It’s because of her that Applejack had to miss out on our tradition of baking Christmas cookies yesterday,” Applebloom clarified. “And now she’s going to miss making hot cocoa and watching Christmas movies.”

“How is that Sunset’s fault again?” Scootaloo inquired.

“None of the sleepovers would be happening if it wasn’t fer her and now she wants to meet me after school,” Applebloom said in an annoyed tone.

“Applebloom, I think you need to calm down,” Sweetie Belle stated, approaching her friend and placing her hands on her shoulders. “I think you might be overreacting.”

“Overreacting?!” Applebloom felt insulted.

“See? I’m sure your sister didn’t mean to bail on you. She just wanted to hang out with her friends,” Sweetie Belle reasoned.

“Yeah, we don’t always hang out with ours,” Scootaloo added.

“Y’all won’t be saying that when they ditch yah fer Sunset,” Applebloom said, crossing her arms

“Like that will ever happen,” Sweetie Belle said as she rolled her eyes.

The final bell rang and the students flooded the hallways eager to leave school and start their weekend, Applebloom was in a sour mood, and after her confrontation with Sunset as well as the talk with her friends, she was even more upset. Her visible frown deepened when she saw Sunset waiting by her locker, Sunset didn’t say a word and motioned for Applebloom to follow her. The two walked down the halls and to the Rainbooms clubroom.

“My friends have already left for the sleepover at Rarity's so no one will be bothering us here,” Sunset explained as she opened the door and held it for Applebloom.

The youngest Apple entered the room and Sunset closed the door behind them, Sunset stared at Applebloom’s back as she refused to turn around and face her.

“So are you going to tell me what your problem with me is?” Sunset asked as she folded her arms.

“Just who do yah think yah are?” Applebloom asked, still not turning around.

“Excuse me?” Sunset raised an eyebrow.

Applebloom finally turned around and gave Sunset the most brutal glare she had ever seen on a person as tears pooled in her eyes.

“Yah got some nerve acting like yah wanna help after yah stole my sister!” Applebloom angrily said.

“Stole your sister?” Sunset questioned, confused as to what Applebloom was talking about.

“She was supposed to come home yesterday and we were supposed to make Christmas cookies like we do every year!” Applebloom continued to shout. “It’s been our family tradition since our parents were still alive and ever since they passed away we do it to honor them! But instead, yah convinced mah sister to have a sleepover!”

Tears started sliding down Applebloom’s face as she continued her rant.

“Ah don’t even know why she is doing this fer yah after you broke up her and her friends and made her out to be a liar! How can she even be friends with a demon like you!”

Applebloom lowered her head and started sobbing as she finished her rant, Sunset looked at the youngest Apple with guilt and shame. She didn’t realize that she was taking up Applejack’s valuable time away from her family, or how it affected them.

“I’m sorry,” Sunset apologized. “I honestly had no idea about your family traditions when Applejack suggested this sleepover, if I had known then I would’ve tried to convince Applejack to do something else for me instead.”

She waited for Applebloom to respond and when she didn’t she continued.

“Do you know why Applejack suggested the sleepovers?” Sunset asked and Applebloom shook her head. “It’s because she wanted me to experience what the holidays are like with friends since I always spent them alone.”

Applebloom raised her head at this and looked at Sunset with bloodshot eyes, the former unicorn grabbed her left arm and focused her gaze on the floor.

“Your sister is an amazing person, a far better person than I’ll ever be,” Sunset commented. “I admire her honesty and wished that I was as honest to her as she is to me, but I couldn’t even bring myself to tell her that I never had a family.”

Applebloom’s eyes widened at this confession.

“Yah don’t have a family?”

“No, the closest thing to a family I had was my former teacher and I betrayed her,” Sunset’s body shuddered at the memory of Princess Celestia’s expression of disappointment. “You are right that I was a demon but I’m not that person anymore and I’m making up for my mistakes.”

Sunset raised her head and looked at Applebloom.

“Applebloom, I promise to make this up to you,” Sunset said before she had an idea. “Does your family do anything special tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow we decorate the Christmas tree,” Applebloom answered.

“Tomorrow we have a sleepover at Fluttershy’s house,” Sunset cringed as she watched Applebloom frown. “Do you think you can decorate the tree early so your sister doesn’t miss it?”

“No, she has a lot of chores to do on the weekends,” Applebloom answered in dismay.

“What if I did her chores for her?” Sunset offered. “That way she has free time to spend with you and your family.”

“That does sound like a good idea but yah gotta ask Granny first,” Applebloom said.

“Great, I’ll go ask her right now,” Sunset said as she left the room leaving a confused Applebloom behind.

“Thanks fer the ride Rarity,” Applejack thanked her fashionista friend as she and Rarity were in the backseat of Rarity’s mom’s car.

“Any time darling,” Rarity said with a smile.

“It’ll be nice to relax after the day Ah had,” Applejack said with a sigh.

“Have people been making fun of you?” Rarity asked with worry.

“Ah’ve been oinked at in every class,” Applejack explained but then smiled. “Of course, no one dared to do it while Sunset was around.”

“She has made it very clear what will happen if they do,” Rarity giggled as she recalled how every student cowered under Sunset’s intense glare.

“And ah’ll show my appreciation with another great slumber party,” Applejack said with a smile.

“She’s going to have a blast!” Pinkie declared from the driver’s seat.

“Rarity, remind me why Pinkie is driving?” Applejack questioned, looking at the pink-haired girl who was dressed as a chauffeur.

“Because she’s my chauffeur, darling,” Rarity answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Right,” Applejack said uneasily.

They remained silent the rest of the way until they got to Rarity’s home, when they entered the home they noticed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s coats by the coat rack. They walked up the stairs to Rarity’s room where Sweetie Belle is lying on her bed and talking to Fluttershy and Rainbow.

“Hello darlings,” Rarity greeted.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash greeted simply.

“Hello, Rarity. We were just listening to Sweetie Belle tell us about what she and her friends have been up to,” Fluttershy explained.

“Really?” Rarity said with a knowing grin and a raised eyebrow at her sister, who shrunk under her gaze. Sweetie Belle has been told numerous times that Rarity’s bedroom is off-limits when she isn't there. “Thank you for keeping my friends entertained, Sweetie Belle but it’s past your bedtime.”

“No, it’s not!” Sweetie Belle argued as Rarity pushed her out of her room.

“Now, now. It’s time for your big sister to hang out with her friends,” Rarity reminded her little sister.

“I can be cool!” Sweetie Belle continued to argue but it was no use as she was pushed out of Rarity’s room.

She was annoyed at being bossed around by her big sister and marched to her room, passing Sunset Shimmer as she reached up the stairs. Sunset turned to watch Sweetie Belle march into her room and angrily closed her door, she had a worried look on her face as she continued to Rarity’s room.

“Hurray, Sunset’s here!” Pinkie cheered as Sunset entered the room.

“Sorry I’m late, I had some business to take care of,” Sunset explained.

“No worries darling,” Rarity said as she waved dismissively.

“Now that Sunset’s here, it's time to tell spooky stories,” Pinkie said as she wrapped a blanket over herself and shined a light under her face to make her look scary.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy whimpered as she cowered before Pinkie.

“How about instead of spooky stories I can tell you about the crazy things in Equestria,” Sunset suggested. “I’ve brought my journal, and Twilight says high by the way.”

“I don’t believe we know much about you and Twilight’s world, darling,” Rarity brought up.

“I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about my world,” Sunset said as she took a seat on Rarity’s bed, she regaled them with tales of the lore of each of the pony tribes, and she answered Rarity's fashion questions which disturbed the young fashionista as ponies don’t wear clothes except for formal events. She told Fluttershy about the many animals that inhabit her world, from the cutest to the scariest. She told Pinkie about the amazing parties she and the Princess would attend in the towns they visited, she explained to Applejack about her world’s agriculture and how vital it was for their society which made the farm girl smile proudly. Rainbow Dash was fascinated with the amazing heroes and legends. It was like a real-life Daring Doo adventure.

Soon it was dark outside and the girls changed into their pajamas.

“I’ll be right back,” Sunset excused herself as she left Rarity’s room, she passed Sweetie Belle’s room which was opened partially. She couldn’t help but peek inside and saw Sweetie Bell texting angrily, Sunset knocked on her door to get her attention.

Sweetie Belle’s head quickly turned to the door and when she saw Sunset, she quickly turned off her phone.

“Sorry for bothering you,” Sunset apologized. “But are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle answered dismissively. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You look upset about something,” Sunset pointed out as she stepped inside Sweetie Belle’s room. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Sweetie Belle looked at Sunset’s smiling face and her frown softened a little.

“It’s Rarity,” Sweetie Belle started. “I was having a good time with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash but she has to go and push me out!” she threw her hands up. “She’s always hogging all the attention.”

“Rarity does like being the center of attention,” Sunset agreed with her. “But I don’t think she’s doing it for that reason today.”

“What makes you say that?” Sweetie Belle asked curiously.

“Because this slumber party is for me,” Sunset answered. “My friends are hosting slumber parties in their homes so that I can truly experience the holidays since I’ve always spent them alone.”

This caught Sweetie Belle’s attention.

“You were always alone for the holidays?”

“Yes,” Sunset nodded. “So don’t be too hard on your sister, she’s being a generous friend. More than I could ever deserve.” Sunset’s smile faltered as she remembered what she did to Rarity at the Spring Fling, and all Rarity ever asked of her to earn her forgiveness was an apology. Sunset’s eyes widened as she got an idea. “Say, Sweetie Belle, are you busy this Sunday?”

“No, why?” Sweetie Belle questioned.

“I know Rarity will be busy at work and if you want to…do you want to hang out?” Sunset asked a bit sheepishly.

Sweetie Belle was surprised by Sunset’s offer, she is a cool person and the most popular girl in school next to Rarity. Her friends will be busy so she’ll be bored at home.

“Okay.”

“Great!” Sunset cheered. “I promise, you won’t regret it. I better get back to the others, goodnight Sweetie Belle.”

“Goodnight,” Sweetie Belle said as she watched Sunset leave her room, her anger at Rarity momentarily forgotten.

Author's Note

Here’s the second chapter, events are staring to change. I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to your comments!