Chapter 17. Beeldenstorm.

Friday was completely uneventful, to Sunset’s relief. There hadn’t been any more destruction to her stuff, or stealing, or paper wad bombarding during classes. And on top of that, everyone seemed to be avoiding her. For the first time since the Fall Formal, Sunset felt calm within school’s grounds.

At lunch, Rarity had offered Sunset to make her another jacket. Sunset rejected her, naturally, as she had a spare jacket, and Rarity had already made one for her. Rarity tried to camouflage it as just an act of generosity between friends, but Sunset saw through her facade.

Rarity wasn’t easy to reject, however, so Sunset had to negotiate. And at the end, they decided to go shopping together. Sunset wasn’t sure why shopping was an activity for friends to do, and she wasn’t very fond of the idea, but at least it was better than receiving gifts out of pity.

“Why don’t you girls join us?” Rarity asked. “We never go shopping together.”

“That’s because you use us as mannequins!” Rainbow huffed. “I’m not going through that ever again!”

“Oh, come on!” Rarity insisted. “That was just once! I promise it won’t happen anymore!”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, Ah don’t mind going with y’all, but when exactly are y’all gonna go?”

Rarity hummed. “How about tomorrow?”

“No good,” Sunset said, glancing at Trixie and smiling at her. “Trixie and I already have plans.”

“Sunday, then?”

“I’m sorry, but I must decline,” Twilight said, idly poking her salad. “My brother is coming to visit, and I rarely see him lately.”

Rarity leaned back, placing a finger on her chin. “I want all of us to go together.”

“Easy! Just say dates and we will raise a hand if we’re available!” Pinkie suggested. “And we’ll just pick the day when all of us can go!”

“I agree with Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy said.

“Alright,” Rarity replied. “Next Saturday?”

All but Rainbow raised their hands. “I have soccer practice.”

“Sunday?” Everyone raised their hands. “Marvelous! We’ll go shopping on next week’s Sunday, then!”

“But not only clothes, right?” Pinkie asked, earning a few raised eyebrows. “I mean, Sunny needs a new phone! We can help her with that too!”

“I don’t want to sound rude, but,” Trixie said, giving Pinkie an even stare. “... Ok, I do want to sound rude.” She pointed at herself. “Only Trixie can call her Sunny.”

Sunset chuckled while Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Anyway,” Rarity said after a soft cough, “Now that everything’s settled for the shopping trip, we must make plans to go to the spa too!”

The following argument between Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity about going to the spa or not went by for the rest of lunchtime. That day, Sunset had to clean the chalkboards of all the classrooms for her detention. It was an easy task, but it took her two whole hours. And by the end of it, her right arm was numb and weak.

After that, she went home and got prepared for the next day.

She had agreed to meet with Trixie at eleven in the morning at Flim and Flam’s emporium. And with just a pear and some cookies as breakfast, Sunset walked to the bus station.

A cold breeze made her shiver, and she wondered if she should have put on thicker clothes. Normally, she’d have picked her winter clothes without a second thought, but she had a date with Trixie after their meeting with the brothers, so she had decided to use something that her girlfriend would like better.

Under her spare black jacket, she wore a magenta shoulderless blouse sewed to a black necklace, and her usual skirt had been replaced by a pair of mid-thigh length denim shorts. She had always found human fashion to be a little weird, what with using a lot of clothes to cover the torso, and almost nothing to cover the legs. Hers were freezing, and it wasn’t even Winter yet.

She really missed her fur.

As she got off the bus, she caught sight of Trixie, who was standing at a crosswalk. Sunset jogged towards her, and just before Trixie started to cross the street, Sunset hugged her from behind, pulling her backwards to avoid an accident.

Trixie yelped as her arms flailed aimlessly. “Gotcha!” Sunset laughed.

“Why do you feel the need to scare me like this?!” Trixie yelled as she regained her balance.

“You look cute in my arms.”

“That’s not what I asked.” Trixie sighed, freeing herself from Sunset’s grip and turning around to look at her. She eyed Sunset’s attire and grinned. “Trixie approves.”

Sunset chuckled. “I’m glad.” She leaned forward and locked her lips with Trixie’s, hugging her waist with an arm. “You look beautiful, too.”

Trixie frowned awkwardly as her cheeks started to heat up. She was using a dark blue turtleneck, jeans, and similar boots to her usual, but white with purple details. “Well, this is our first real date, and not just an after-school hang out.”

“Yeah… I just wish you used flat shoes.” Sunset leaned back a little at Trixie’s deadpan. “What? Can’t I like how you look with your real height?”

“You only make fun of me.”

“No, I tease you. It’s different,” Sunset replied. “If I really wanted to make fun of you, I’d call you names.” She used a finger to lift Trixie’s chin. “But, if it really bothers you, I’ll stop.”

Trixie looked down for a moment and offered Sunset a small smile. “I will find something to tease you with, and then we’ll be even.”

They shared a laugh before resuming their walk to the emporium, holding their hands. Sunset couldn’t help but notice that, even if Trixie’s hand was rather cold for the weather, it still provided more warmth than any of her gloves. It was a weird, yet very welcome sensation.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at their destination. Sunset looked up to the flashy sign and made a mental note to tell the brothers that it was an unnecessary waste of electricity. She released Trixie’s hand to open the other and let her in, to which Trixie obliged with a smile. The amount of articles inside the pawn shop had increased since her last visit, Sunset noticed.

The man at the counter straightened up at the sight of customers. His eyes sparked in recognition, and adjusted his glasses, offering them a big smile. “Miss Sunset Shimmer and Trixie Lulamoon, I presume?” He greeted.

Sunset walked toward him, swinging her hips in forced confidence. Her eyes darted to his ID badge, reading the name Silver Shill. “So the brothers told you we were coming.” Silver nodded, his eyes drifting every now and then to Sunset’s legs. “Then tell them we’re here,” she said, crossing her arms.

Silver went to the backstore, Trixie approached Sunset with a frown. “He was checking you out without even trying to hide it.”

Sunset grinned at her. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of that guy.”

Trixie blushed, but her frown remained. “Don’t be ridiculous! It’s impossible for someone like him to be with someone like you.” She puffed her cheeks in a childish pout. “I just find disgusting that men his age lust after young girls.”

Sunset barked a short laugh. “Think of it this way,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Checking me out is as far as anyone can get, except for you. So you should be showing me off, saying things like ‘yeah, she’s mine, be jealous’.” She chuckled. “That’s what I do.”

“I don’t know if I’m comfortable with showing you off…” Trixie blinked for a moment and then raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you actually say that?”

“Well, more like I think it. You don’t notice, but people ogle you too.” Sunset grinned at Trixie’s increasing blush. “All those times I kiss you out of nowhere at our dates? It’s a message for them: She’s taken, get lost.” She laughed a little more. “And in the process, I get to kiss you. It’s a one sided win-win.”

Trixie snorted. “You’re so weird sometimes…”

Sunset hummed an agreement, puffing out her chest in pride.

The door that lead backstore opened, and from it came Silver Shill, followed by the brothers. “Sunset! It’s always a pleasure to see you!” Flim exclaimed with his arms spread.

“And I bet it’ll become an equal feeling for you too, Trixie!” Flam said, holding the knob of the door. “But please, do follow us! We have much to discuss!”

The girls nodded and followed the brothers to a room that reminded Sunset of an office. However, it was made a complete mess, with stacks of papers hurriedly placed upon desks and boxes, and wires scattered through the floor, leading to unknown destinations. Sunset shuddered, and did a poor job at hiding a disgruntled expression.

“What the heck happened here?”

As Flam closed the door, Flim rounded a desk and sat down on a worn out swivel chair. “I am ashamed to admit that we do a very poor job at organizing our files.”

“We were considering calling you for help,” Flam continued, “but we didn’t want to disturb your vacations.”

Sunset let out a heavy sigh. “What am I going to do with you two?” She asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Tell you what. I’m free next Saturday. I’ll help you clean this mess then.”

Flim raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” he asked. “We can just wait-”

“It’s ok,” Sunset said with a smile. “I was planning on returning to work a little earlier anyway.”

“We’ll take your word for that, then,” Flam announced, walking to his brother’s side. “Now, how about we get down to business?”

Sunset nodded, pulling a chair and sitting down. After Trixie did the same, Flim reached for a few stapled papers and handed them to Sunset. “Here’s the contract.”

“Let’s see,” Sunset said, taking the papers. She shifted and crossed her legs, getting comfortable before starting to read. Trixie played idly with her fingers, glancing around the room and occasionally looking at the brothers, who were reading some other papers. Most likely related to the pawn shop.

“Alright,” Sunset said, putting down the papers. She took a pen that was lying upon the desk and placed it on the front paper. “It’s pretty solid. I’m glad that you decided to try to make it fair for both parts. But there are certain points that need some fixing.” She placed the papers on the desk and circled a paragraph with the pen. “For example, here. You can’t expect Trixie to advertise your company weekly. First, because she isn’t a professional yet. Second, because performers work under different kinds of contracts.”

Flam scratched his chin. “I see.”

“Then,” Sunset turned page and circled almost half of it. “As sponsors, you can’t discuss anything financial directly with Trixie; you have to do it through her manager.” She looked at Trixie. “She still has to find a manager, but my point still stands.”

“I thought you were her manager,” Flim pointed out, and Flam agreed with a nod.

Sunset glanced at Trixie, who only shrugged. “Well, I’m not.” Flam gave her a look. “I’m not!”

Flam nudged at his brother. “My word, Flim. I think we’ve read that completely wrong.”

“I think you meant to say that you read that wrong, dear brother of mine,” Flim replied. “I knew from the start that Sunset was not her manager.”

“Ah, so you say now,” Flam said. “Well, I think we can both agree now that their relationship wasn’t financial.”

Flim nodded. “I suppose you’re right, Flam. It wasn’t financial, it was physical.”

“Say, didn’t we have an idea like that for a movie once?”

“That’s right!” Flim turned to Trixie. “Say, when is your bir-”

“Stop!” Sunset yelled, her cheeks red with both embarrassment and anger. “If you dare continue that line, I will hurt you! Both financially and physically.”

“My, my, Sunset!” Flam said, putting his hands in front of him. “It was only a joke!”

Sunset placed her hand on her forehead and inhaled deeply. “Anyway,” she said in a sigh. She looked at Trixie, who wore a confused stare, and then back at the brothers. “Let’s just get this over with.”

To Sunset’s relief, the brothers remained silent for the most part, agreeing or humming or asking real questions every time she circled a paragraph of the contract. Then, when everything had been discussed, Flam proceeded to rewrite the whole contract on his computer, a very old one, at that. Sunset had to get to the other side of the desk to see the screen, so she could point out mistakes and keep discussing the terms and conditions.

It took them almost a whole hour, but finally, the contract was done. Sunset made sure that both Trixie and the brothers could benefit from their association, and also, that whether or not Trixie succeeded in her career, she’d still be safe from any unjustified debts or contract holes from where the brothers could take ill advantage.

“And now that it’s finally done,” Flim announced, stapling the freshly printed papers, “all that’s left is a signature!” He handed the papers to Trixie, who took them cautiously.

“Let us know when you hire a manager,” Flam said. “But it’d be better if it’s within the next month.”

“Alright,” Trixie replied, giving the papers a quick glance before smiling confidently at the brothers. “Trixie will keep in contact with you! And she is looking forward to a successful and beneficial relationship with you!” She shook hands with them and headed to the door.

Sunset was right behind her, but Flam cleared his throat. “Ah, Sunset, can we talk to you for a second?”

“Sure.”

Flim glanced at Trixie. “Oh, right,” Trixie said and got out the room, closing the door behind her.

She was curious to know what they wanted to talk with Sunset about. It probably was related to their businesses, since Sunset was their counselor. Trixie decided not to be nosy. At least, not in front of her soon-to-be sponsors.

Silver Shill looked at her and gave her a small smile. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, and smiled back. “Say, I didn’t get your name,” she said.

“S-Silver Shill,” he answered, managing a small blush. “You are Trixie Lulamoon, right?” She nodded. “Oh, gosh, Flim and Flam have been talking about your show all week! I wish I could’ve seen it myself!”

Trixie couldn’t help but smile proudly at that. “Worry not! Since Trixie will become a professional, world-renowned illusionist, you might be able to attend to one of her shows!” He managed to squeal in excitement. She wanted to dislike this guy, but he was a potential loyal fan, and she wasn’t going to be mean to a fan. “So, how old are you?”

“Twenty.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow as her eyes widened in surprise. “Really? You look-”

“Much older, I know,” he admitted, idly scratching the bridge of his nose. “It’s the chin. Too big for my head.”

Trixie bit her lower lip guiltily. She had thought that he was an old man, a creepy one at that, since he was checking Sunset out earlier. Of course, she still felt uncomfortable with the fact that he liked her girlfriend, but knowing that he was actually a young dude made it way less creepy.

The door behind her opened once again, and Sunset walked through it, looking back at the brothers. “Alright, see you later.” Flim (or Flam) yelled back a farewell before Sunset closed the door and turned to look at Trixie. “Our business here is over, for now. Let’s go.”

“Finally,” Trixie said, letting Sunset lead the way. Unfortunately, she caught sight of Silver Shill, who was, once again, drooling over Sunset’s figure. She shuddered a little, but then, an idea occurred to her. “Hey, Sunny?” She called, gently grabbing Sunset’s jacket before she reached the front door’s knob.

“Yeah?” Sunset asked, turning to look at Trixie.

Trixie leaned forward and pulled her closer, locking their lips for a few seconds. “Thanks for doing this for me.”

Sunset smiled. “No problem,” she said before turning back to the door and opening it.

Before she followed, Trixie glanced back at Silver Shill and gave him a victorious grin, and not even wanting to see his reaction, she turned around and got out of the pawn shop, closing the door behind her.

She noticed that Sunset was staring at her with a knowing smile. “What?”

“I’m so proud of you,” Sunset said, dramatically placing a hand over her chest.

“Shut up,” Trixie muttered, unable to hide her blush. “But it does feel good to make people know you’re taken. By me.”

Sunset chuckled. “Now we’re speaking the same language.”

Trixie rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. “By the way, what did the brothers wanted to talk to you about?”

“They asked me if we’re dating.”

“Eh?” Trixie blinked. “Didn’t they imply that they already knew?”

Sunset hummed, tilting her head playfully. “They just wanted to make sure. And they also asked me to separate my relationships from the business.”

“Well, I suppose that’s normal, right?”

“Oh, but of course. I’m just summarizing it for you, though. They also joked a lot about it.” She snorted. “Some of what they said was actually pretty funny,” she said, looking at Trixie with a side grin. “And I’m actually considering the other stuff.”

Trixie deadpanned at Sunset. “Great, now you have another thing to think at night. Now, how about we go on already?”

“Alright, alright,” Sunset said, still smiling. “But we still have an hour before the movie starts, let’s go eat something real fast.”

Trixie couldn’t help but smile. She casually pulled a loose strand of hair back behind her ear and nodded. “Lead the way.”

Sunset woke up, taking a breath so deep that she could feel her lungs hurt for the excess of air. She had had a nightmare in which she was thrown to the bottom of a lake with her feet tied to a heavy concrete block.

She slowly sat up, passing a hand through her messy hair. She didn’t know why these nightmares kept happening. At some point, she had searched the internet for an answer, but the closest she got to a good reason, was guilt bottled up in her. And the solution sounded so simple, and yet so hard at the same time.

She had to forgive herself.

But, how could she do it? Yes, she was trying to be a better person, and she was letting a bunch of angry teenagers have their payback on her, as unfair as it was getting. But, no matter how much she could try, she could never get even to the things she did back in Equestria -the things she did to her mentor and teacher. At least, not until she returned.

She sighed in defeat. Maybe, having nightmares for two and a half years was a kind of punishment, at least until Princess Celestia got a word with her.

She looked at her clock. It was fifteen minutes past midday. Her stomach growled in demand of food, and she got up to oblige. It was fortunate that she didn’t have any plans for today, it had been years, probably even decades since the last time she allowed herself a day of pure laziness.

So, after preparing a very complex bowl of cereal, she ate it very slowly and very lazily, not even bothering to turn on the T.V. Once she finished, she put the dishes in the sink and decided to do them later, probably at night, or the next day.

She walked to her room, climbed to her bed, covered herself with her blankets, and opened her laptop. Pinkie Pie had told her many times already that cat videos were funny, so she decided to give them a try.

And so she spent the following five hours watching funny cat videos, until her stomach demanded more food.

It wasn’t exactly something she was used to, but she wouldn’t mind having another lazy day next week. The thought of inviting Trixie over and have a lazy day together crossed her mind, and not even the cat videos would stop her from entertaining the idea.

The next day, and despite the nightmares, Sunset woke up with newfound energy. It seemed like a whole day of doing absolutely nothing productive had helped her with most of her tiredness and stress.

She got to school a little early than usual, and decided to sit down at her favorite spot: the portal’s base. The day was a little cold, but not so much that forced Sunset to wear any more than her usual jacket. The spare one, that is. She did, however, replace her skirt for a pair of jeans. It was better for the already cold days.

She leaned her head back, resting it upon the portal’s surface, and closed her eyes. A gentle breeze tried to mess her hair, but only her bangs moved, caressing her face in a soft manner. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling, and imagined herself, once again, back in Equestria. She pictured herself taking an afternoon nap under a willow, and wished she could go back in time, if only to kick herself for not appreciating those moments.

“Hello, Sunset,” Rarity’s voice snapped Sunset out of her reverie, making her open her eyes. “How are you today?”

Sunset closed her eyes again, but smiled nonetheless. “I am.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at that, but instead of asking about it, she decided to change the topic. “Did you have fun on Saturday?”

At that, Sunset opened her eyes again, and Rarity swore she had seen a little spark in them. “Oh, yes. The movie sucked big time, though.”

“Well,” Rarity placed her hands on her hips. “I told you Rainbow Dash has a very strange taste with movies, did I not?”

Sunset chuckled. “Lesson learned. I think we’ll go with Pinkie’s suggestion next time.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with my suggestion?”

“Rarity,” Sunset began, slowly standing up, “you think Rainbow Dash hates mushy stuff? Then let me tell you a thing or two about Trixie.” She snorted. “And I’m not really fond of that, either.” She gave a nonchalant shrug.

Rarity pouted for a moment. “Suit yourselves.”

The growing flow of students told the girls that classes were going to start soon. While Rarity hurried to her locker, Sunset decided to stay against the statue some more. Not only did she want to wait for Trixie to show up, but the mere contact with the only gateway to Equestria soothed the tension of her shoulders. If only a little.

She closed her eyes once more and leaned her head back, resting her weight against the statue. She could hear the students muttering something in loud whispers -most likely insults to her, but her mind drifted away with the thoughts of Equestria, and of her under a willow tree. While she were there, nothing would get under her skin. Those pesky teenagers were no threat to her, as long as she could just lean on the portal, close her eyes, and sigh her worries away.

The first half of classes was pretty uneventful. Ignoring the stares and the muttered insults, Sunset was relieved that any physical harm was seemingly gone. Sunset dared to think that she’d only have to endure death glares for the rest of the month, and maybe just the occasional direct bullying to her things.

She’d have to keep an eye on that. She didn’t want her other jacket to be ruined too, after all.

The whole gang had already gathered up at a table when Sunset arrived for lunch. With her tray holding a pair of sandwiches, a pear, and a glass of water, she sat down at the only empty seat, which had been left empty on purpose in order to let her be right next to Trixie. In hindsight, it was a good thing that they knew about their relationship.

“So, as I was saying,” Pinkie said after stuffing a whole cookie into her mouth. How was she still able to vocalize perfectly with her mouth full, Sunset didn’t know. Fortunately, Pinkie did swallow before continuing. “That new Pizza restaurant in front of Sugarcube Corner has a game I wanna try with you!”

“A game?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah!” Pinkie leaned over the table. “They have this gigantic pizza that a normal person can’t possibly eat on their own! They say that if a group of eight people can finish it, they’ll give us free pizza for a year! A YEAR!”

“Eight people?” Rainbow counted each girl in the table and grinned. “Girls, I think we’ve already won that free pizza.”

“Hold on yer horses, Dash,” Applejack interjected before looking at Pinkie. “Just how big is this pizza?”

“Big!” Pinkie spread her arms wide, managing not to hit Rarity in the process. “Like the size of this table!”

Everyone looked at the table. “That’s too much pizza,” Trixie said. “And I never thought I’d actually say that.”

“Oh, come on!” Pinkie pouted. “I know we can do it! AJ, Dashie and me can eat the major part! And the rest can eat normal portions! We can totally win that free pizza!”

“Alright! I’m with Pinkie!” Rainbow said, reaching a hand at the center of the table. “I say we go today after class! Who’s with me?!”

“Alright! Let’s do this!” Applejack said, reaching Rainbow’s hand.

Pinkie did too. “Yay!”

Then Rarity. “I do like pizza every once in awhile. I’m in.”

“I don’t think it’ll cause any harm,” Twilight said as she reached their hands too.

Fluttershy was next. “I, uhm, I’m in too.”

“Oh what the hell,” Trixie joined, and then nudged at Sunset.

Sunset smiled nervously. “I have detention… Sorry.”

The girls looked at each other, but before any could take out their hand, Pinkie raised her free hand, somehow avoiding to fall on the table. “Oh! We can tots wait for you!”

There was a shared round of agreements. “But, I don’t want you to be here all bored while I finish whatever Principal Celestia asks me to do today.”

Pinkie bit her lower lip before lighting up again. “Well, we can wait for you at Sugarcube Corner! We won’t eat there -obviously-, so you don’t have to worry about us being bored or having fun without you!”

“Come on, Shimmer,” Rainbow said. “I want to eat my lunch already!”

Sunset hesitated for a second, but upon another nudge of her girlfriend, she gave in and put her hand on top of the pile. “Alright, I’m in too.”

Rainbow lifted her hand, and everyone followed, cheering a loud PIZZA before laughing. Even Sunset found herself giggling a little, and she kept holding Trixie’s hand, if only a little longer. She was actually looking forward to it; the last time she ate pizza was almost a year ago, after all.

The second half of classes went by pretty fast. Mostly because Sunset found herself daydreaming in the middle of the lessons. Fortunately, the teachers didn’t seem to notice that she wasn’t paying attention.

The bell signaling the end of school day snapped Sunset out of her reverie. She stifled a yawn and stretched her arms as she got out of the classroom. The swarm of teenagers flooded the corridors, wanting to leave the school as fast as possible. Sunset stepped away from their paths, not wanting to make them aware she was there, and rested her body on the wall next to the classroom’s door.

Some students did notice her, but, as they’ve been doing the past weeks, they only glared, mumbled insults, and got on their ways. Sunset didn’t know whether it was a good or a bad thing that she was getting used to being hated this openly. She decided to shrug it off. It didn’t matter, anyway, since she wasn’t going to see any of them after her month of detention ended.

Once she was sure that there wouldn’t be another wave of students, she went straight to the principal’s office. She was grateful that the teachers hadn’t asked her yet why she wasn’t bringing anything to classes, not even notebooks. She could just walk around the school without having to go to her locker all the time.

She crossed the foyer with haste, gracefully dodging the students there, and made her way to the principal’s office. Upon three knocks at the door, a voice called. “Come in.”

Sunset entered the room, and watched Principal Celestia close a small, brown portfolio. “Good afternoon, Sunset.”

“Afternoon,” Sunset replied with more reluctance than she had intended.

Celestia didn’t seem to notice Sunset’s tone, as she smiled at the girl. “Listen, I have to attend to a meeting with the School Board,” she said as she circled her desk. “That doesn’t mean you won’t get detention. You’ll help clean the kitchen, and you’ll be able to go when Ms. Smith allows you to.”

Sunset nodded slowly. She was aware that CHS’ cook was Applejack’s grandmother. And she was also very aware that the woman could ramble for hours. Fortunately, she also knew that Applejack’s big brother picked her up at some point, so maybe she wouldn’t have to be at school more than strictly necessary. She had to meet the girls at Sugarcube Corner, after all, and she didn’t want to keep them waiting too much.

“Alright, get going,” Celestia said. “The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be over.”

“Ok,” Sunset replied and got out of the office. She almost hoped to see Trixie outside, or maybe one of the other girls, but that was not the case. She huffed and hurried to the cafeteria.

It was a strange sight to Sunset, seeing the cafeteria completely empty. She remembered her first months in the human world, when she had to sneak in here and look for the leftovers. It made her feel uncomfortable, and she reasoned that it was because of the familiarity.

There was a loud clang that took her attention to the now empty food counter, and Sunset found Granny Smith leaning on it, giving her a small and warm smile.

“Well lookie here!” Granny Smith said. “What can Ah do ya for, young’un?”

Sunset’s eye twitched at the unfortunate choice of words, but she managed to smile back. “Principal Celestia sent me here to help clean the kitchen. For detention.”

Granny Smith’s eyes widened in comprehension. “Oh, right. She told me a student was comin’.” She eyed Sunset up and down for a moment. “Y’all don’ strike me as the troublemaker type.”

Sunset let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. It was good to know that Granny Smith hadn’t been at the Fall Formal. “Let’s just say I had a bad day.”

“If you say so,” Granny Smith said, shrugging. “Well, don’ just stay there doin’ nothin’! Get here n’ help!”

Sunset cracked a small smile at the woman’s command. It was really hard to take her seriously when she had such a weak and cracking voice. In the past, Sunset would have shown her superiority, but she was a different person now, so she obliged without complain.

That day, Sunset learned a valuable lesson. Even though Granny Smith always treated students with kindness and the occasional harmless ramble, she wasn’t exactly an easy-going, laid-back old woman.

She made Sunset mop the floor twice, because she had missed a spot of oil near the fridge. After that, Sunset had to do the dishes, which much to her chagrin, consisted not only on very dirty food trays, but also the ridiculously big saucepans, grills, and ladles. And then, she had to mop the floor again because she accidentally spilled some of the saucepans contents while doing them. And as if that wasn’t enough, she also had to clean the stoves and the counter.

By the time she was done, her arms felt numb and weak, and her back ached in places she had never experienced pain, even as a pony. Sunset now admired Applejack a little more, just for growing up with a grandmother like Granny Smith.

“Y’all did a good job alright!” Granny admitted, narrowing her eyes a little. “Of course y’all still far from doin’ it properly, but y’all already better than most young’uns! To think y’all only had to mop three times!” She gave a satisfied smile. “Mah dear Applebloom still don’t get ‘round the proper way to hold a mop, and she has to do it four or five times ‘fore it’s clean. Ah’m just glad Applejack n’ Big Mac got the hang of it real fast, ‘cause now y’all can see it ain’t easy to keep a kitchen clean, especially when yer as old as me! Mah back hurts so bad Ah sometimes have to just sit down for a little while ‘fore continuin’ the chores.”

“Can I go now?” Sunset pleaded. Her back muscles throbbed in pain, and she only wanted to sit down and rest for the rest of the week, if possible.

“Of course!” Granny Smith said. “Y’all were really helpful, Ah might ask Principal Celestia to getcha here again if’n y’all still on detention.”

Sunset shuddered at the thought, and she knew that the idea was going to haunt her for the rest of the day. She made her way out of the cafeteria and up to the foyer. The big wall clock signaled 4 o’clock. It was really late. She was sure that the only people left were just the janitor, Granny Smith, and probably Miss Cherilee.

She stretched back, feeling a few pops along her spine, and some of the stiffness faded away. Not wanting to waste any more time, she crossed the front door.

The afternoon sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky, making Sunset shield her eyes from the sudden change of brightness. She stood there for a couple of seconds before her sight adjusted to the new light, and she pulled her hand down, blinking a few times. Her eyes unconsciously wandered over the portal, and she froze.

In front of the statue was a girl, a student, Sunset reckoned. She had a light green skin, and teal and white spiky hair. Her amber eyes were focused on Sunset, scrutinizing her with a wide, sideway grin. Her arms were behind her body, and she was leaning forward in a failed attempt to look playful, and rather resembling a predator ready to bounce.

Sunset gulped involuntarily, and for a moment didn’t dare to move. Her stomach felt like a void ball as she knew that this girl was up to something awful.

“Are you going to stay up there all day?” The girl asked. Her tone was playful, but there was a venom in her voice that hissed an obviously ulterior motive.

Sunset’s legs moved on their own, slowly taking her down the front stairs. When Sunset was just a few meters away, the other girl began stepping back, and when she got right next to the portal, she lifted a hand in front of her.

“Stop, would you?”

Against her better judgement, Sunset didn’t listen, and she kept walking to the girl. She saw the golden collar with a little lyre trinket resting on her clavicle, and Sunset finally remembered the name of this girl.

“I said,” Lyra Heartstrings announced, reaching behind her and lifting a big and heavy sledgehammer to her right, and her eyes morphed from jolly to pure anger. “Stop!” She yelled.

Sunset froze again, feeling an icy chill run through her spine. Her eyes widened in horror as her pupils shrank to their minimum, and every muscle in her body stiffened. “What-”

“No, no, no,” Lyra interrupted, her voice somehow maintaining the mischievous tone from earlier. “You will only speak when I say so.” She grinned widely when Sunset gave a very subtle and hesitant nod. “So you really have been tamed, huh? Tell me, how does it feel like to pass from alpha bitch to pitiful whelp?”

“What are you going to do?” Sunset was unable to contain the urge to ask such a question, as her eyes locked onto the raised sledgehammer.

Lyra stared at her, and for a moment Sunset thought that she had angered the girl a lot more. “Answering a question with another question is cheap. Then again, what can one expect from the likes of you?” She made a clicking sound with her tongue. “But don’t worry, this big guy ain’t for you. I’m not a monster.” She chuckled a little. “No, I’m going to smash this statue and blame you. Hopefully, you’ll finally get expelled.”

Sunset’s heart stiffened, and she felt her blood increasing its speed through her veins. It was unnervingly cold. After a quick analysis of the situation, Sunset gulped, fighting the urge to lick her dry lips. All the teachers and her friends had already left, Lyra must have waited for just such an occasion. “Isn’t… Isn’t there a better way to get me expelled than destroying school’s property?” Her mouth quivered a little. “You could get caught and get in trouble…”

“Oh, please,” Lyra huffed. “You don’t really think you’re the only one that can plan things, right? I made sure that nobody will come here in the next hour.”

“But why bother doing it like this?” Sunset asked, trying to buy time to think on a way to convince Lyra to not continue her plans. “Wouldn’t it be easier to do it at night and still have me take the blame? And, of course, I can just tell the principal what happened.”

Lyra snorted, leaning the sledgehammer into a more comfortable position. “Come on now, who do you think they’ll trust more? A student with a spotless behavior record, or a bitch that actually destroyed school’s property?” She laughed some more. “Besides, there is a bigger reason behind this, yes.” She looked straight to Sunset’s eyes, and her smile disappeared. “You see, as everyone here, I want revenge. But unlike those brutes that went straight to breaking your things, I actually put some thought on it. And I discovered something very interesting!”

Sunset didn’t like where this was going.

“You act really weird around this statue,” Lyra stated, and Sunset felt a chill run through her entire body. “I don’t know why, but you always look so nostalgic, so at peace, so happy, when you’re near it. You look at it and you touch it, as if it was some kind of gift or memory.” She huffed again. “I don’t really care why, no. What matters is that this statue is important to you, unlike your books or your clothes.” Her smile appeared again when she saw the spark of understanding in Sunset’s eyes. “This statue is irreplaceable to you.”

Sunset tried to gulp, but her throat was dry. Cold sweat ran through her face, and her heart pounded so fast and so hard, she thought it was going to explode. While Lyra spoke, she was trying to remember what she did to her. But try as she might, she couldn’t. Of all the things she had done, and of all the things she had kept track with, she just couldn’t remember what had she done to Lyra Heartstrings.

“I…” Sunset found her voice raspy, and she cleared her throat before continuing. “I’m really sorry for what I did to you.” She knew it wasn’t a good apology, but she hoped it could help her buy some more time.

Lyra’s face morphed into a wicked frown, and her eyes shone with ire. “You don’t remember what you did.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. “Of course not, why would you? You didn’t really care back then, you just wanted to prove a point. And prove it you did, didn’t you?!” A vein was showing from her forehead as her cheeks turned red.

Sunset stepped back unconsciously, and cursed herself for that.

“But it was my fault, no?” Lyra said, balancing the hammer with her right shoulder. “I shouldn’t have disobeyed the new bully. I shouldn’t have tested her limits. I shouldn’t have confronted her.” Her eyes were focused on Sunset’s, and her pupils were shrank, letting her amber eyes shine brighter with the sun. “Tell me something, bitch. Did you have fun? Huh? Did you enjoy seeing my life fall apart?”

Sunset decided to remain still, doing her best to not move a single muscle. A few remnants of memories swam her mind, and she could vaguely remember having a heavy talk with Lyra when she had first sat down the throne of ruler of Canterlot High. But the very specific, important details, escaped her.

Lyra twisted her mouth in a scowl. “You know, I find it highly offensive that you don’t remember.” Her fingers tapped the sledgehammer’s handle with thoughtful haste. “Since you seem to have grown a conscience, I’ll refresh your memory.” She took a deep breath, never taking her eyes away from Sunset. “I was running for princess of the Fall Formal, but you wanted to win too.”

Sunset’s eyes widened as the memories returned to her from the dusty, forgotten corner in her mind. An audible gasp escaped her mouth.

“So you remember now?” Lyra asked.

Sunset nodded quietly. Lyra stared at her, and Sunset knew that she had to say it.

“I…” she gulped. “I found out you’re… homosexual. And I threatened you with spreading the word…” Lyra’s eyes narrowed, and it took all of Sunset’s willpower to not look away. “You didn’t give in, thinking that I had nothing but my useless word… But I had proof…”

“Yes…” Lyra said slowly, as if thinking on her next words. She then cracked a forced, wicked grin, leaning her head a little backwards. “I was taught to stand up against bullies! Boy, that was a good idea, huh?! Who would’ve thought you’d have spied on me?! That you’d have taken my phone and used my photos and messages?!” She leaned forward, almost losing balance because of the hammer, and stomped her foot. “And not only did you post them online, but you also sent them to my whole family!”

“I-”

“Shut up!” Lyra yelled as tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. “You think the mockering from the students was what made me step back from the dance?! Wrong! I had countless arguments with my family! I was kicked out from my home! Do you have any idea how that feels?! Huh?!”

“Well-”

“Shut up!” Lyra stomped her foot again, breathing heavily.

Sunset couldn’t help it. Try as she might, she couldn’t hold back the tears running from her cheeks. Her heart throbbed painfully, and her stomach ached with a void sensation. She looked down, hugging herself, as guilt and remorse built up upon her back. “I’m sorry,” she cried. “I’m so, so sorry... I wish I could go back in time to… to change everything I did… But I can’t… I’m sorry…”

Lyra looked down at Sunset, her teeth clenched and face red of fury. She straightened herself as her expression slowly became an inscrutable one. “Being sorry ain’t enough,” she said, unable to hide the tremble of her voice. “I don’t want you to apologize, bitch,” she inhaled sharply, holding the hammer above her head and glaring daggers at Sunset, “I want you to beg.”

Sunset pressed her hands into tight fists, working silent words with her jaw. In other circumstances, she would have walked away, but Lyra was threatening, unbeknownst to her, the portal back to Equestria. Sunset couldn’t take any risks, reckoning that agreeing to Lyra’s demands was the best chance she had of saving the portal.

And for the first time in her entire life, Sunset kneeled down and bowed her head, letting her arms fall freely at the sides of her body.

“Please,” she said, barely loud enough for Lyra to listen. “I beg you…” she contained a hiccup and raised her voice. “Please! Please don’t destroy it!” She looked up to Lyra, but her vision was blurred away from the tears. “Do anything you want to me! I won’t tell anyone! Hit me instead! Do whatever you want to me! But please!...” She felt her back throbbing in pain, and a strong headache at the sides of her head. “Don’t do it!”

Lyra observed her in silence, as if pondering her next move. And when Sunset had stopped talking, she tilted her head and frowned. “Impressive.” She lifted the hammer. “But not good enough.”

Sunset felt her heart stop. “Please!” She felt a surge of adrenaline, and she somehow stood up. “It’s my only way home!”

Before Sunset could even step further, Lyra gave her one last look. “Oh, boo hoo.”

And she swung forward.

Author's Notes:

Well, this happened...