Playing the drums – to Pinkie Pie at least – was a great escape from reality. A chance to forget about work, about problems; a way to escape what bothered her, a chance to hit her bad feelings with sticks.

Everyone had their own way of dealing with stress. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would often go to the movies or play music together, Rarity would normally spend the day eating ice cream and watching drama shows, and Applejack would be the one organising some kind of girls night.

Then there was Sunset.

Sunset Shimmer was often distant, and getting her to talk about her feelings was a challenge Pinkie had faced on more than one occasion. She dismissed this hesitance as a side effect of being from another dimension, although she wished, sometimes, Sunset would let the others in a bit more, too. As much as she wished it, Pinkie knew Sunset had her reasons why not. The others had been rough to her after the Fall Formal. Not as rough as the rest of school, to be fair, but still rough.

Pinkie, on the other hand, had not. That had been mostly due to her pre-existing crush on the yellow and red-haired girl, dating back to well before the Formal. The duo – Pinkie and Sunset – were very close now, as Pinkie had been more than willing to be a sympathetic ear to Sunset during some of the harder months, and eventually Pinkie had figured out Sunset’s dreadful secret.

She’d suspected, of course, but finding out hadn’t made the shock any easier. She remembered that night, about a month after the Formal, vividly. Pinkie had spent that whole day psyching herself up, mentally preparing. She’d done herself up, gone to the store, bought some flowers and some chocolates before taking a walk over to Sunset’s and ringing the doorbell.

She’d been met by an incredibly pale, tired and weak girl, who’d seemed even more surprised than she’d been. The night had ended in tears, confessions, and promises.

But Pinkie wasn’t sure one of those promises had been kept.

She was vaguely aware of the others, minus Sunset, beginning to filter in as she continued playing, beating harder and faster. Sunset was getting distant with Pinkie. That never happened. It just didn’t. It scared Pinkie.

She wanted to know Sunset was fine, that she wasn’t being pressed too hard, but she heard the whispers in the hallway. The side eyes, the glances. Hell, people were beginning to whisper about her, and they’d been very careful to keep it secret. She was just worried it was too much for Sunset. Pinkie resolved to book Sunset’s evening for some one to one time. Maybe some music, maybe some games, but mostly talking.

She looked up with a start as a hand grasped her own, and found herself face to face with Applejack.

"Honestly Pinkie, we’ve been callin ya name for ages!"

"Sorry," she giggled, "I might have been a bit-"

"Com-plete-ly distracted?"

"Rarity, love, ya gotta stop throwin shade at everyone!"

The other girl shrugged before blowing Applejack a quick kiss.

"Only for you, darling~"

Applejack sighed, linking arms with the purple- haired fashionista while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy rolled their eyes from where they stood together at the edge of the room.

"Anyway, Pinks," cut in Rainbow, "Do you know where Sunset is? This is the third practice of ours she’s missed in a week!"

"Uhm, well, it’s the third day she’s been off this week too. It isn’t just band she’s missing." Added Fluttershy.

"She doesn’t even play with us, Rainbow. I don’t know why ya get so... so hurt when Sunset misses practice."

"I want her to see my band play! And Sunset makes a good audience for Fluttershy’s stage fright."

The others rolled their eyes, and Pinkie nodded her head to answer Rainbow's question.

"Uh huh! She said she was going to Equestria today to visit Princess Twilight and some other ponies before the the prep for the showcase begins in two weeks. I’ve been helping her get things to take with her."

Rarity and Applejack shared a glance.

"Say, you an Sunset have been spendin a lotta time together these past months. Is somethin goin on with you two?"

Pinkie squirmed uncomfortably, feeling her heart skip and flutter for drumbeat.

"Uhh, nope, not really. I mean, she’s been helping me with my math but that’s it, really-"

"Hey Pinks, is that one of Sunset’s jackets?"

She hesitated.

"I forgot mine at hers on Saturday when we went out. She gave me hers when I got cold."

"How sweet of her," said Rarity, "Where did you go out to exactly?"

Pinkie froze for a moment before grabbing her – well, Sunset’s – jacket, and making her way to the door.

"I- I left something in my locker, I’ll be... right..."

Pinkie slipped around the corner with a sigh. She knew avoiding the question was only delaying the inevitable. It was obvious enough that their friends had caught on. She slipped her phone out of her pocket as she walked, intending to leave a message for Sunset to inform her that the others knew their secret. Not that she knew why they were hiding it from their friends, anyway. She could understand keeping it from the wider school, but why Sunset hadn’t wanted to tell the others was beyond her. But it had made Sunset happier at the time, and so Pinkie had stuck with it.

She began humming to herself as she walked, and almost didn’t notice the humming coming from Sunset’s locker. However, when she did, she became incredibly curious. Sending the message, she looked up and down the hallway, and, seeing no-one, quickly dialled in Sunset’s combination.

There, stuffed into a bag and surrounded by padding, was a leather book with gold trimmings, with a symbol in the centre that Sunset had described to Pinkie as her ‘’cutie mark’’, glowing on and off in a purple colour while shaking. Pinkie grabbed the book and flicked through until she reached the last written on page, where the blank one next to it began glowing purple as text appeared.

‘’Dear Sunset,

Just writing to ask when you wanted to come to Equestria. The others are all excited to meet you! Plus, I can’t wait to talk about some of those books you gave me. They’re so interesting! And don’t think you’ll get away with not telling me more about this special somepony- sorry- someone you mentioned last month!

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle.’’

Pinkie felt her heart skip another beat. And then another. She slipped her phone back out of her pocket, and there, underneath her warning,

‘’delivered; 13:17.’’

In soft, grey words.

Sunset was still here.

In their world.

She dropped the book.

Sunset wouldn’t, would she?

Not again?

She heard footsteps in the hallway behind her, and muffled voices as she stood, gasping for a breath that was too shocked, too scared to come. She heard her heartbeat, matching the drumbeat she’d played, felt herself shivering at the same rate as a cymbal. Heard roaring in her ears like Sunset’s motorcycle. The hallway seemed to be spinning slightly, and her legs, which felt increasingly unsteady, finally gave out from under her.

However, instead of meeting the floor, she felt someone catch her, followed by Rainbow’s concerned face appearing in her view, shouting something back down the hallway. Then Fluttershy’s, then Rarity’s, and, finally, Applejack appeared in view, the last of which was speaking in a muffled voice over the roaring in her ears.

"Pinkie, Pinkie, can you hear me? Ah need you to breathe for me, okay? In and out, nice and slow. Ah know your scared, but we’ll get ya through it, okay?"

Pinkie could only nod as she fought to slow her breathing, fists bunching and releasing as she tried to process her thoughts. Fluttershy began talking Pinkie through her breathing as Applejack stood up to speak to a teacher who had just arrived on scene. Pinkie calmed slowly over the next 5-10 minutes, worried friends surrounding her while staff tried desperately to fend off the growing crowd.

When the roaring in her ears finally came to a stop, Pinkie felt some strength return to her legs and she made an effort to stand up, although she had to be supported by Applejack.

"Alright Pinkie. What happened? It’s not like ya to panic like that."

"Sunset hasn’t left yet."

"What? What does that mean?" asked Rarity.

"She hasn’t gone to Equestria, she’s still here."

"And why is that a bad thing, darling?"

Tears began to form in Pinkie’s eyes and she began trying to push through the crowd towards the main doors, Applejack chasing after her.

"Whoa- Pinkie! Stop!"

"No!"

"Why? What’s wrong with Sunset?" called Rainbow.

Pinkie span where she stood, facing the crowd with tears on her face.

"You pushed her! Too hard! For what purpose? To keep her in her place!? She’s already changed! Anything that Sunset does today is all your fault!"

With that, Pinkie ran for the doors as worried mutters spread through the crowd. But Pinkie didn’t care.

"Pinkie- wait!"

"I have to find Sunset!"

Her phone was going haywire in her pocket as Pinkie reached Sunset’s house, but she ignored it as she bashed a fist against the door.

There was no response.

Pinkie looked around desperately before her eyes locked on a small wooden box half hidden behind a plant pot. She dialled Sunset’s locker code into the lock attached to it and grabbed the spare key hidden inside after it opened. Pinkie unlocked the door and pushed her way into the house, barely bothering to shut the door behind her.

The living room was dark, as all the curtains were shut and there were no lights on. Pinkie stood still for a minute, trying to let her eyes adjust.

"Sunset? A- Are you here?"

Pinkie could see a framed picture of their friends on top of a fireplace, and next to it a smaller one of just her and Sunset, taken during Pinkie’s birthday party a few weeks earlier. Pinkie ascended the staircase to Sunset’s bedroom, which overlooked the rest of the downstairs area, but still couldn’t find Sunset. However, she did find Sunset’s phone on the bedside table with the ‘’do not disturb’’ function enabled.

Pinkie travelled back downstairs, passing through the kitchen before reaching the bathroom.

"Sunset?"

She pushed the door open, and there, in the corner, illuminated by a pair of candles, sat Sunset Shimmer, who looked up with a start from where she held a razor to her arm.

"P- Pinkie- I- I can-"

Pinkie rushed over to the girl, crouching down to bundle her into her arms as tears began rolling down both of their faces. Pinkie moved her hand up Sunset’s arm until she could force the razor from her hand, hearing it clatter to the floor.

"How long?" She asked, softly.

Sunset’s response was barely a whisper through the tears.

"A- A few hours today. A- A f-few days to- total."

The other girl swallowed.

"It’s not th- that bad- I-"

"Shut it, Sunshim."

They sat there together for what felt like hours, and after a while Pinkie began singing softly, stroking the other girls hair. Eventually, though she wasn’t sure when, Pinkie realised Sunset had fallen asleep in her arms. She got the impression Sunset had downplayed how long she’d been here, with the razor, but she didn’t care as much now.

After a while, she heard the others arriving and muttering in the living room.

"In here." She called.

"Pinkie, why’d you rush off like that!? We had to talk to Principal Cele-"

Applejack cut herself short as she turned on the bathroom light, finding Pinkie sat in the corner with Sunset sleeping in her arms, the latter girls right arm showcasing a series of cuts, some fresh, some old, and the razor on the floor next to them.

"Oh my god."

Applejack whispered, shock in her voice.

"You knew? We did this?"

Pinkie only nodded, trying hard to not start crying again.

"Did what, darling? We can’t see, you’re in the-"

Rarity cut herself off as Applejack moved out of the way, allowing the others to see Pinkie and Sunset. Silence descended, and after a moment of inaction, Applejack helped Pinkie move Sunset to her bed.

Fluttershy, who had brought the book from Sunset’s locker, wrote to Princess Twilight, informing her of events, before going with Rainbow Dash to meet her. Rarity made a quick rummage of the cupboards downstairs before taking off to get food and more first aid supplies, as Sunset had few. After dressing Sunset’s wounds as best she could, Applejack sat with Pinkie, who sat on the floor next to Sunset’s bed, still singing softly.

"You should have told us, Pinkie."

"She made me promise not to. She didn’t want any of you to think down on her any more than you did already."

"So, you two are...?"

Pinkie nodded.

There was no point trying to hide it now.

"Since about a month after the formal. That was when I found out."

"Ahm so sorry Pinkie."

Pinkie only nodded sadly, before continuing to sing.

The others trickled back in slowly over the next hour, Princess Twilight in tow. They stayed there together as the day drew on, neatening up Sunset’s place, restocking empty cupboards, and finally setting up sleeping bags for the night. While the others placed theirs downstairs, Pinkie put hers next to Sunset’s bed, and watched out the window as she sang.

They would have to deal with the school soon. She wasn’t going to go in tomorrow- she was going to spend the day with Sunset. But the others would have to, would have to tell Principal Celestia what had happened.

Given what Pinkie had said in the hallway, and the bullying announcement the principal would almost certainly give out, most of the school would be able to figure out what had happened in one way or another.

They might end up being nicer to Sunset for it, but it wasn’t worth the pain Sunset had been through. If only they just could have been nice in the first place- like she’d been.

Pinkie sighed, interrupting her own soft singing before continuing again as the sun dipped into the horizon, bleeding red into the clouds around it.

She couldn’t let this happen again. She wouldn’t. Pinkie was going to make sure no one hurt Sunset, again.

It had already happened two too many times.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading!
This story came at then end of a like 3AM reading session so uh don't blame me if it's bad.
Equally, I haven't written in a while but! I am writing more stories, so expect the quality of writing to get better over time with those.
This story is a standalone; but most of the others will be in the same world, so keep an eye out for them!
The next one to release will be the first chapters of Dying Rays (EQG) followed by Storm in a Bottle (FIM). I have a prequel for Dying Rays in the works too.
Anyway, thanks again for reading!
Love you all byeee