Chapter 8. Nightmare Sunset.

Sunset and Trixie spent the next couple of hours practicing and planning the show. The more time that passed, the more convinced Sunset got that Trixie was actually pretty good at it. And quite a few times she got really impressed by the most mundane tricks, and the only reason of that was that she didn't know how they worked. It was until the sun started to hide down the horizon and produced long and thick shadows, that the girls realized just how late it was.

"Well, I think it's time to go home." Trixie announced, watching at the small windows and their rather pretty yellow and red hues.

Sunset looked at Trixie and narrowed her eyes. "Is it that late already?" She said in a very bored tone and idly scratched the back of her neck, sighing a little. "At least isn't dark yet."

"Why? Afraid of the dark?" Trixie teased.

"Hah, you wish." Sunset said with a dismissing movement of her hand. She then stretched her arms in front of her. "See you tomorrow." She said and started to walk to the gym's door.

"Wait." Trixie said, and Sunset obliged. For a moment they just stood there for a moment, and Sunset quickly became very impatient, tapping the floor with her right foot. Trixie looked away with a small frown. After a few seconds, she looked at Sunset again and shrugged. "I forgot. See you."

Sunset rolled her eyes and reassumed her walking home. "Weirdo." She said in a whisper.

The next day came faster than expected. Mostly because Sunset didn't have anything else to do, so she just got home to eat something, take a shower and go to sleep. And after another dreamless night, she woke up and got ready for her second day as a prisoner in this world.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

She wasn't a prisoner in the literal meaning of the word, but she felt like it, since she wasn't able to do anything she wanted to. Like do magic, for example, which was a part of her since the very day she levitated something for the first time. Nor could she eat flowers or hay, since her human mouth and stomach wouldn't ever allow her. And she had tried. Twice.

And now, prisoner Shimmer had to go to the prison within her prison world. Where the other not-really-prisoners wanted to hurt her but wouldn't ever dare to do it, because she still knew everything about everyone. "And thinking about it…" Sunset took her skirt and searched in one of the hidden pockets, quickly finding the small stack of notes she retrieved from her locker. Notes she had written to keep track of her wrongdoings and other stuff she wasn't interested in anymore.

She let out a heavy sigh, more out of guilt than anything. She took a small bucket she didn't even know why she had, and tossed the stack of notes into it. "Time to get rid of these." She said and produced a lighter from a nearby shelf. She took one of the notes and set it alight. And without hesitation, she dropped the burning paper into the trashcan, and the fire spread really fast.

Another heavy sigh escaped her mouth as the flames consumed the paper and ink. She waited until the fire didn't have any more to burn; until only ashes remained. And when the fire finally disappeared, she frowned. "This was supposed to make feel better…" She said and waited a few seconds, looking at the bucket, as if waiting for it to answer. When that didn't happen, her frown deepened and she pressed her fists so much that her knuckles started to turn white. A sob escaped her, and without even thinking, she kicked the bucket, spreading the ashes everywhere.

"How disappointing…" She said and sat down on the floor, leaning on a wall. She decided to take a fetal position and bury her head in her arms. "Why it doesn't make me feel any better?" She said as tears formed in her eyes and quickly made their way down her cheeks.

Sunset stood there for the longest time, crying in silence. Only crying.

The sky was completely cleared, not a single cloud could be seen. The sun was shining brighter than it had the past months. Birds were chirping, street dogs were playing and barking, and cats were meowing or sleeping. And Sunset was cursing everything for being so happy and colorful. Of course, the universe didn't care if she was sad or depressed or angry or tired, and that just made her curse the universe a lot more.

She made her way to the high school trying to ignore the universe, which just happened to be a really difficult task.

But before she entered, she realized that she lost a lot of time burning those notes and crying. "Ruminating." She corrected herself out loud. It was late, like, first class missed late. And she thought she'd get a nervous twitch in her eyes or something, since it was the first time in her entire life that she was late to anything. But for some reason, she just couldn't care less. She just stood there, in front of the school, with her new favorite place behind her. She knew that she was very, very late, but she just didn't care.

She sighed -it seemed that sighing was becoming a very recurrent habit- and decided to enter the school nonetheless. She still had a punishment to bear. Though, thinking about it, the day before she wasn't called for detention. Sunset found that very weird, but decided to shrug it off and not ask questions.

There were a few students here and there. Sunset instinctively embraced herself, rubbing her fingers in her new jacket's sleeves. She walked past a small group of students. Even though she knew, it was still a surprise that there was a member of the football team talking so friendly with a nerd. Sunset tried her best to go unnoticed, but failed miserably. They noticed her, and she prepared herself for the insults and stares. But she heard nothing. Perhaps they were tired of insulting her behind her back.

She got to her locker pretty quickly and oh surprise, more insults. She just rolled her eyes and opened it to take a notebook. This time, she was more aware of her surroundings, and she could hear the students in the hall. They were whispering about her, she knew because she could hear her name between lines. She slammed closed the door, deciding that this time she'd be able to ignore them.

Only this time, they weren't trying to kill her with her gazes. She didn't even need to use her peripheral vision, since even in front of her, they were looking at her, but they were smiling. And not the friendly kind of smiles, but devious ones. Those were smiles of children after they set up a prank, and were waiting for their victim to fall in it.

It was unsettling, to say the least. Sunset knew it; she could actually feel that something bad was going to happen to her, that she'd be humiliated by the students. She was absolutely certain that whatever they had planned, it was going to be so big, that their ulterior motive might as well be to see her crying again. As if the events of the Fall Formal hadn't been humiliation enough. She sighed once more and shrugged. If it had to happen, then by the heavens, she'd do absolutely nothing to stop it.

Not that she wanted it to happen, she'd rather not. But if the students got their revenge, maybe they'd stop insulting her. It wasn't like she was going to spend the rest of her life in that world anyways, for she was going to return to Equestria at the very first chance she'd get. So what was a little humiliation? She still had a bright future, there were tons of things she could do to ensure herself a nice and wealthy life.

With that in mind, she decided to hold up her chin and walk as if she still ruled the school. And obviously, the more confident she seemed to be, the bigger the students' smiles grew. Of course it was totally her plan to fall the roughest, for it'd mean that she was a really important person.

And like that, it was lunch time already.

In the few classes she had, all her classmates had been staring at her with devious smiles. They were so obvious that Sunset started to feel uneasy. She wondered just how many students were involved in this something they had prepared for her. And what if it was the whole school? And what if they uploaded it to internet? She still had the promise of returning to Equestria, and no one was able to take that from her.

She was just getting out of the classroom when Trixie called her from behind. "Hello hothead."

"I'm pretty sure you meant to say 'hot stuff'." Sunset replied with a teasing smile.

Trixie chuckled a little. "In your dreams."

Sunset and Trixie started to walk at the side of the other in the direction of the cafeteria. "So, are you gonna tell me how did you do that with the coin?"

Trixie passed a hand over her head to push back the restless hairs that always wanted to be in her face. "It's not complicated, you only have to practice."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

The girls entered the cafeteria and quickly made their ways to the queue. "All in due time, Sunset. We have to focus on your roles first, so everything goes right."

Sunset rolled her eyes and sighed in disappointment. "Fine."

"Aww you really want to be my assistant!" Trixie teased, unable to hide her amused smile. "Maybe I should actually teach you a trick or two just for your enthusiasm!"

"Shut up."

Trixie let out a loud chuckle as she took her food and Sunset followed her shortly after. Trixie was going to her favorite table when she suddenly stopped, making Sunset almost trip and fall. "Hey, you almost made me drop my food!" Sunset yelled, but Trixie looked at her with a concerned frown. "What?"

"Can't you notice that everyone is watching us?"

Sunset turned to see the cafeteria, and true to Trixie's words, everyone was staring at them. No, they were staring at her, at Sunset. And their gazes were of different emotions. Some were really confused, some were really mad, and some others still had those devious smiles. Sunset felt really nervous, but did her best to hide it. She walked to the only empty table and placed her tray on it.

But, before she could decide to sit down, Rainbow Dash came walking really fast and stopped until she was uncomfortably near her. "What did you do?!" She yelled, and Sunset had to turn her head a little to the side, closing a little her right eye.

Rainbow Dash was really angry. Perhaps she's in one of those days. Sunset thought and smiled to herself. Rainbow was really trying to dig a hole in her, and it quickly became annoying. Sunset decided to have some fun out of the situation. "I've done many things in my life. You need to be more specific." She said with dismissing tone in her voice.

But Rainbow grabbed her from her jacket and brought her closer. "Don't play dumb with me, Sunset!"

"You repeat yourself." Sunset said calmly, but with a clear warning tone in her voice. "Now, would you mind stop ruining my jacket and ask things like the adult you always pretend to be?"

Rainbow was about to answer with an insult, but a voice from behind her stopped her. "Rainbow Dash! What do you think you're doing?!" Rarity yelled, even being but a few feet away from her.

"Why are you defending her?!" Rainbow yelled back, dropping Sunset, but not turning around. "She did something to her and I just want her to admit it!"

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Dashie, please. I've done many bad things to many girls. Being so vague won't benefit anyone." She said, idly touching her jacket there where Rainbow grabbed her.

"Don't call me Dashie!" Rainbow yelled again, pointing a finger towards Sunset. "Don't you EVER call me Dashie! Only my friends call me that!"

Sunset put a hand on her chest and faked a hurt voice. "Oh woe is me! And here I thought we were friends!" She even faked a sob, and Trixie, who was behind her, chuckled a little. "Seriously though, you have to be more specific."

"It's Twilight." Rarity said with a concerned voice. "Our Twilight. She started studying in CHS today."

For a moment, Sunset stared blankly, and after a few seconds, she sighed. "What are the odds?" She put a hand on her forehead and looked up. "Sometimes I think I live in a bad written novel."

"What did you do to her?!" Dash asked again.

Sunset looked at her with a bored expression. "And, pray tell, who told you I would ever dream to do anything to a simple mortal?" She said, faking an offended tone. "You know I only steal crowns to magical princesses."

Rainbow's frown deepened. "I swear that if you don't tell me-"

"Then what?!" Sunset snapped at Rainbow, who had to step back a little for the impression. "You know what? I'm sick of you attitude towards me! I am sure I never did anything bad to you! So stop acting like you deserve to treat me like that!"

"You know very well what you did!" Rainbow yelled. "You made us fight against each other to break our friendship!"

"OH MY GOODNESS I'M SUCH A BAD PERSON!" Sunset yelled, glaring daggers at Rainbow. "May I remind you that I only sent ONE SINGLE TEXT MESSAGE to you?! And what did it say, huh?! Do you remember?! Because I do!" She took air, and didn't let Rainbow to answer. "It said that Applejack changed the date of an event of hers! Only that! And what did you do?! You stopped talking to her or any of your other friends!"

Rainbow only stared at Sunset, unable to say anything. But she was pressing her fists so much, they were turning white. "I am the monster who made everyone hate everyone here, I won't deny it. But you? You are the worst friend ever!" At that, Rainbow showed her teeth and leaned a little to the front. "Where were you when I insulted Applejack because of her family?! Where were you when I ruined Rarity's dress at the Spring Fling?! Where were you-" She stopped a little, almost hesitantly, and her next words came in her normal volume. "Where were you when I humiliated Fluttershy time and time again?"

There was a moment where the two girls only stared at each other in silence. Trixie who was listening to every word, Rarity who was concerned of what happened just moments before the argument started, Fluttershy who was trying to become invisible, and all the students that were there; all of them were silent, just waiting for something to happen.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the wait didn't last long. Sunset raised her head and glared down at Rainbow Dash. "I am a terrible person, I can recognize that. I've done many bad things, and everyone here hates me to some extent. But I've never denied that, and I don't try to pass the blame to others."

"Shut up."

"You, on the other hand, abandoned your friends. You ignored them when they needed you. You completely forgot them, and it only took one. Single. Message."

"Shut up!"

"I threatened and blackmailed and insulted and humiliated your friends, and I am a horrible person because of that. But you abandoned and ignored and forgot them, and now you try to take it on me so you can sleep peacefully every night." Sunset paused a little to get some air and to let her words sink in Rainbow Dash. "And that's why you are worse than me."

"SHUT UP!"

And then, Sunset's world spun, and she found herself hitting the floor like deadweight. Her vision darkened, and she felt the world move below her. She couldn't think of anything, and at the same time, her mind was a turmoil of different thoughts. And when her vision started to normalize, she started to feel a tingling sensation in her face, and it quickly became stronger and stronger until it transformed into pain. She put a hand on her face, but the touch sent a wave of pain that made her flinch. She felt something moist in her hand, and she blinked a couple of times before looking down at it.

There was blood in her pinkie finger.

Without thinking on anything else, but still having in mind the pain, she put her hand again on her face. It hurt, but she ignored it, and after a couple of seconds, she moved it away so she could see it better. And confirming her fears, her hand was now half covered in blood.

Before she could do anything, Trixie filled her vision wearing a concerned frown. "Here, let me help you." She said and offered a hand to Sunset, who took it and slowly got in her feet. She tottered, but finally could bring herself to stand on two feet. But even so, she had to use Trixie's arm as a third balance spot. She put her hand on her nose again, this time only as an instinctive way to alleviate the pain with pressure, and then gave Trixie a thankful glance before looking down again.

"Rainbow Dash, what did you do?!" Rarity said, making Sunset slowly turn around.

And she could see Rainbow Dash with her fist in the air, but what really impressed her was the expression in her eyes. It was a mixture between anger and confusion. As if she still didn't know what she did. Sunset only narrowed her eyes and turned to Trixie, who offered her other arm as support to prevent her from falling. "Come on, I'll take you to the infirmary." She said so low that almost sounded like a whisper.

Not that Sunset complained. She only nodded and sighed before realizing she could only breathe using her mouth. "Yeah… you do that…" But then, a thought crossed her mind. She smiled to herself, and decided to say it before going anywhere. "Congratulations, Dash…" She said and breathed through her mouth once. "You are CHS' new Alpha Bitch." And with that, she walked away with Trixie's help.

"You don't have to tell me who did this." Nurse Redheart said while cleaning the last blood stains in Sunset's face. "But I do have to encourage you to report them to Principal Celestia or Vice Principal Luna." Sunset only rolled her eyes and flinched a little when the nurse pressed a little too much. "Well, it's all clean now. You can go, but come back tomorrow to see its progress."

"Sure." Sunset said, or attempted to say, since she felt all her face numb from the medication.

"And don't attempt to retire the gauze." The nurse warned, tossing the bloody cotton into a trashcan and taking off her gloves. Sunset groaned as a response, but Nurse Redheart seemed oblivious, perhaps she was used to cranky students after nose realignments.

Sunset slammed the infirmary door after coming out and turned to leave, but Trixie stopped her, motioning at her own nose with a finger. "You have something… here…" A small smile escaped her, and Sunset actually chuckled a little, but kept walking. "Well, that was quite the show. I don't think mine can outdo yours."

"Har har." Sunset wanted her sarcastic voice, but the numbness of her face made her sound rather stupid. "I jusd wadt to kdow what was all that aboud." Trixie was struggling, and losing her inner fight not to laugh at Sunset, who just ignored her. It was fair, if it was Trixie talking like that, Sunset would totally laugh at her.

"Well, I can tell you." Rarity said behind the girls. "How are you feeling?" She asked when she saw the gauze in Sunset's nose.

"Good." She answered and waited for Rarity to walk to her side. "So?"

"Let's go to the science lab." Rarity said and let out a heavy sigh as the girls started to follow her. "As I said earlier, Twilight was transferred this morning to Canterlot High. I volunteered to show her around, you see, and from what I saw, she's really similar to the other Twilight."

"Woah woah woah, slow down there." Trixie interrupted. "You also said something like that back there at the cafeteria. Like 'Our Twilight', and now you are talking about the 'other Twilight'? What exactly is going on?"

Rarity sighed again. "The Twilight that came a week ago is from a different world, and the Twilight here is from this world. They are different, and it's important that you know that."

"Hey, I'm the magician here, but if it weren't for what happened last week, I wouldn't believe you."

"Anyway, as I was saying…" Rarity said. "I kind of convinced her that there was a student that looked like her and shared her name, so she wouldn't freak out when a sea of students tried to ask her about the events of the Fall Formal." She turned a corner and waited a second for the girls to catch up with her. "It was all going really smooth, and I was feeling brave, so I thought that she should meet you before the other students tried to convince her that you're evil or something."

"Which I totally am." Sunset said, and noticed that the numbness was wearing off.

"Anyway," Rarity said rolling her eyes. "We were at the cafeteria, just talking and all that, and everything seemed to be going very well. That, until she saw you entering the cafeteria…" She made a small pause and actually stopped walking. She turned around and looked at Sunset's eyes. "She became really pale and rigid. And then she just burst out. Applejack went right after her, but it was clearly a sign of fear."

"I'm no medic, but I'd say she was feeling sick." Trixie said with an eye arched.

Rarity shook her head and scratched it a little. "No… After you two went to the infirmary, we found Applejack and Pinkie trying to calm Twilight down at the science lab -where we are heading-, and after a couple of minutes, she finally told us what happened." She sighed again and closed her eyes for a moment. "It's a very interesting story, and it took us a really big amount of effort to convince her to talk to you."

"Let me guess, for some reason she was passing by at the Fall Formal when she saw me becoming a ferocious -and quite sexy- she-demon, and now she's having nightmares."

Rarity and Trixie shared a chuckle. "No, it's not that." Rarity said and stopped right in front of the science lab's door. "It'd be easier that way." And with that, she opened the door.

Sunset was the first to enter the lab, and she could see Rainbow Dash at the far corner, looking at the wall next to her. In the opposite corner, there were Applejack and Pinkie Pie standing and talking to each other, and between them, sitting and trying to be unnoticed, she could see dark blue hair with pink and purple tufts, who had to be Twilight Sparkle. Sunset stepped further into the lab and decided to talk before the girls noticed her.

"So!" She said, and everyone looked at her. But she focused on Twilight, who actually flinched at the sound of her voice and very slowly looked up. And Sunset could see the emotions that flooded her eyes. There was fear, yes, but it was nothing compared to the confusion, the surprise, and the betrayal that showed up when she looked at her eyes. Sunset felt a little uneasy, but decided to keep forward. "They told me you're afraid of me!" She declared in a serious, but comical tone, as if she was parodying a soldier.

Twilight looked away and bit her lips, but said nothing. "Sunset?" Applejack said with a tone of surprise. "What happened to ya?"

Sunset looked at Rainbow for just a moment and almost immediately returned her gaze to Applejack. "Speedster girl over there thought I needed a rhinoplasty." She said with a bored tone and quickly dismissed whatever Applejack was going to say with a movement of her hand. "No need to think about it too much. We're here for a subject immensely more important than a stupid argument." She looked directly at Twilight's eyes while saying that, and she made Twilight look at her. "Ok, first things first," She said walking to her and grabbing a chair to sit right in front of Twilight. When she was but a feet again from her, she sat down and leaned closer, always looking at her eyes. "What do I have to do to convince you that I'm not the same Sunset Shimmer you know and most likely hate?"

There was a heavy silence in the room, and everyone turned to look at Twilight, who was having troubles figuring out just what was going on. But, even if it didn't last long, it wasn't Twilight who spoke up, but Trixie. "Wait, there is another you?"

Sunset turned around without standing up to look at Trixie. "Think about it, this Twilight isn't the same Twilight you know. And still she has some negative feelings towards me. But I've never even crossed a word with her, so it's obvious she has some history with the other me."

Trixie frowned as the words sunk in, and after a couple of seconds she just shrugged. "Sounds logical."

"Logical?" Twilight asked, and everyone turned to look at her again. "You're saying that there's someone that looks exactly like me and shares exactly my name, and that it's the same for you!" She said directly at Sunset, who only raised an eyebrow and had a very bemused smile. "You can't be serious."

"I bet the other Sunset would say exactly the same." She said very calmly. Twilight leaned back and looked at Sunset's eyes with a very confused gaze. "I figured as much." She said and moved a little to make herself a little more comfortable in her chair. "You told the girls what my evil twin did to you. I'd like to hear it as well."

"Sunset Ah don't think-"

"Calm down Applejack, I just want to know." She took a breath through her mouth. "Besides, it's not like I'm demanding information. I want a trade." She said, looking directly at Twilight, who leaned back a little more and produced an unsure frown. "You tell me what I want to know, and I will answer any question you may have about this whole mess. Perhaps that way I will convince you that I'm not the same Sunset."

Twilight had to stop for a second to think. She put her head on her hands and closed her eyes for a moment to meditate about what Sunset had said. After a couple of seconds she let out a long sigh and looked up at Sunset. "I can't exactly put my finger on it, but…" She said and frowned in concentration. "There really is something different… Between you two." She made a pause to gather her ideas and sighed."Ok… Two years ago, I started freshmen year at Manhattan's Academy of Technology and Research."

There was a low whistle, and the girls turned to the source of it, looking at Trixie who blushed sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just that that's a very expensive school. Even I couldn't afford it."

"I had a full scholarship." Twilight said almost instantly.

"Even more impressive." Trixie said with a small smile. "But… Sorry, please continue."

Twilight nodded and took a deep breath before talking again. "Anyway, I was a boarding student there, and you can guess who my roommate was."

Sunset snorted. "Let me guess, she bullied you to no end until you finally decided to change school."

"No…" Twilight answered in a whisper. "We became really good friends, actually." Sunset raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I mean, she always was really harsh in her words and she liked to give orders… But, she always helped me in my homework and we made a lot of science projects together. And when a few students tried to bully me, she defended me, and they never tried to be mean with me again."

"We were very close, she even…" Twilight blushed a little and made an awkward smile. "She even helped me with this guy I liked… Gosh it was so embarrassing…" She cleared her throat. "Anyway, the point is that we were best friends… Or, well, at least that's what I thought…" And suddenly, she grimaced and her semblance darkened. "A few months after sophomore year begun, she began to grow distant with me. At first I thought… I wanted to think that it was just my imagination, but she didn't want to help me anymore, she didn't want to do anything with me. She… She even requested a change of dormitory. I didn't know what was going on…" Tears begun to fall down her cheeks and she started to sob softly. "She wasn't only my best friend, she was my only friend! I asked her many times why she was acting like that, but every time she dismissed me saying that it was my imagination, and that I was making a storm in a glass of water…"

Sunset was growing very uncomfortable, but decided to listen to everything until the end. "And then…" Twilight said, sobbing. "And then, a month before classes finished, she told me that she had something important to tell me, and asked me if we could meet… I thought that she wanted to apologize in private, so I told her to go to my dormitory…" Twilight shook her head very slowly a few times. "I couldn't be more wrong… She… So bluntly, told me… No, she ordered me to down my grades. Because she needed to be the best so she'd get the scholarship for the university…"

There was a moment when Twilight stopped to take a deep breath. "I couldn't believe it! She wasn't even threatening me, she had a bored expression, as if I had to obey her just because it was she who was giving the order! And I couldn't take it anymore… I snapped at her. I was very angry, and told her that I wasn't going to do it. I even told her that we weren't friends anymore, and that she could as well forget about the scholarship, because it was going to be me who'd get it."

"Of course that didn't make her happy, but… But… I never, ever, considered the possibility that she'd get like that…" Her mouth trembled and her eyes were distant, clearly remembering that moment as if it had been the day prior. "She slapped me, and told me that if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even be there… That I owed her that much, and that I was obliged to do what she wanted." She frowned, and her eyes filled up with the emotions she felt that day. "I… I slapped her back… And I… I told her that… That she'd have to do the principal some 'favors' because I was getting that scholarship…"

And then, she opened her mouth for a few seconds, but not a single sound came through it. She was having troubles saying the next part, but none of the girls told her anything, for she had to do it by herself. They waited, and Twilight finally found her voice again. "And the next thing I remember is… I was falling…" She looked directly at Sunset's eyes. "She pushed me off the window… And I fell three stories…"

"The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital… Thankfully, I only broke my left leg and arm. It could have been worse… A lot worse…" She sobbed. "Imagine my surprise when she came to see me… I… I honestly thought that she regretted what she did... But, again, I was very wrong… She told me that it was my punishment for disobeying her, and that she hoped I learned the lesson…" A growing pain appeared in her forehead and it was becoming really difficult for her to continue. "I told my family the truth, and they believed me, but Sunset had a very solid alibi where I 'tripped'. And what's worse: her family is very wealthy, so even if I sued her, I'd lose, and it'd be counterproductive."

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply and slowly. "So, my parents decided to take me to live with them again and to enroll me in a different school… That's why I'm here, and it's also why I could only begin studying here from today… I had to make a full recovery, both physically and psychologically, from what happened…"

And the silence reigned once again in the lab. The only thing that could be heard was Twilight's sobs and hiccups. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow and Rarity already knew the story, but even so, it wasn't less painful to hear it a second time. Trixie didn't exactly know what to do, so she tried not to make eye contact with anyone. But Sunset had a very serious expression, she didn't even blink.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Sunset finally spoke up. "I see…" She said in a whisper, but it could be heard by everyone. Twilight looked up at her, and found that Sunset had an unreadable expression. "Sorry to hear that…" She said, and immediately after stood up. She then turned around and took a deep breath. "I… will answer your questions tomorrow." And with that, she walked to the door and got away.

None of the girls could react in time, but Trixie was the first to do it. "I'll go get her." She said and ran after Sunset.

"Well, that was… somethin'." Applejack said and Rarity hummed thoughtfully.

Sunset ran to the gym and into the storage room, closing the door behind her and leaning on the next wall, letting her body slide to the floor. She looked at the ceiling and just stood there without moving a single muscle. A few minutes passed, and she heard the sound of the door unlocking. Trixie cautiously entered, and when Sunset laid her eyes upon her, she showed her the keys that Principal Celestia gave her to let her practice her show.

Without crossing a word, Trixie closed the door and walked to Sunset's side, sitting on the floor as well and looking at the ceiling. Sunset didn't look at her, and kept staring at the void, only staring.

The silence grew between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Trixie's company actually helped her calm herself, if just a little. She could feel her chest heavy, the corner of her lips shaking and tears forming in her eyes. And then, she suddenly felt very tired, and she wanted to lie down a little, so she did it. Her head met Trixie's shoulder, but neither of the two girls did anything to get away. They just stood there for the longest time, staring at nothing in particular, only staring.

"I'm a horrible person…" Sunset said with a very low voice, but thanks to the silence of the room, Trixie could hear her very clearly. "I've done many bad things in my life… I've hurt many people… But…" She had to make a pause to repress a sob and force her not to burst into crying. "But… I'd never try to kill someone… I… I'm not…" The tears were now falling free down her cheeks, and she had to close her eyes, but still kept herself from sobbing. "I'm not a monster…"

Trixie could feel heaviness in her chest as well. She took a silent, deep breath and did her best not to move. She slowly turned her head to look at Sunset, and she could only see her red and yellow hair, and the gauze that covered her broken nose. "I know, Sunset." She sighed and looked at the ceiling again. "I know."

Author's Notes:

So I wrote this chapter in only two days! What is this madness?!

The events here were actually going to happen in two chapters, but I decided to make them into only one.

The name of Twilight's Academy is an invention of mine, any similarity with reality is mere coincidence.