“And you’re sure you’re okay with me leaving you?”

Sunset turned back to her friend, who was already half way out of the door.

“I’ll be fine on my own. I’ve done this before and I know I can call you guys if I need to.”

Rarity huffed.

“Oh, but last night you were so… forgive me, darling, I know you hate it, but I just really don’t feel comfortable leaving you on your own after that,” she pouted. “And it’s our last week before the Christmas holidays, are you sure you don’t want to come in to see everyone?”

Sunset smiled and shook her head.

“I know what I need to do. This time I know what I need to get better.”

“And that’s what?”

Sunset shrugged and rubbed her arm.

“It’s… time for me to face my demons, I guess.”

Rarity gave a small smile.

“Dramatic… I like it.”

She and Sunset shared a chuckle.

Rarity stepped forward and pulled Sunset into a hug. Sunset returned it, noticing her friend was holding her tighter than usual.

“I’m really proud of you, Sunset. I’m so sorry about all of this.”

Sunset smiled.

“Thank you Rarity, you’ve really helped me recently.”

After a second longer the girl released her, retrieved her school bag off the floor and returned to her position at the front door.

“I’ll come check on you after school if you want?”

Sunset nodded, “I’d like that.”

With that, Rarity left, pulling the door too behind her and leaving Sunset alone in the flat.

She had elected against telling her the plan. She knew that she should have, and she would regret not doing so. But right now… Sunset was struggling to convince herself it was a good idea, never mind somebody as protective as Rarity. There was no chance she would have approved, much less let her do it on her own.

She glanced at the kitchen clock. 8:32 a.m.

That gave her roughly four hours to prepare.

Four hours.

She licked her lip nervously, eyes still on the clock.

‘Four hours.’

The first thing she’d done was tidy the place. Even though she’d mentally recovered from her depression, her apartment hadn’t been so lucky. Piles of books, unwashed dishes and dirty clothes had become commonplace. They were the first thing to go, and in their place were polished surfaces, freshly-vacuumed carpets and pine-scented air freshener.

The second thing was to get dressed. She didn’t want anything fancy, but thought pajamas would have been a little too casual. Which meant casual jeans and a dark purple top; nice and simple.

Third was to open as many curtains as possible. It was unusual her apartment being so brightly lit, it left no shadow with a place to hide, and, if anything, the snow outside helped reflect the brightness back inside. She wanted the room to represent her intentions… that, and she didn’t want to give anything the chance to sneak up on her.

As she tugged open the living room curtains, Sunset paused.

Déjà vu set in and a swelling of anxiety washed over her. Her eyes scanned the street below. Cars in traffic, tightly wrapped-up pensioners, the odd runaway newspaper. Nothing scary, yet, not a week ago, opening those same curtains had sent her spiraling into a panic attack.

‘Nothing scary,’ she repeated.

Sunset swallowed hard and continued her preparation.

The fourth thing she wanted ready was some snacks. First impressions were everything, after all, and she wanted her guest to feel welcome. She emptied out a bag of chips into a bowl and placed it in the center of her coffee table.

‘What if she doesn’t like chips?’ occurred to her.

‘Good point.’

Sunset put out a bowl of nuts as well, just to be sure.

‘What if she doesn’t like nuts?’ another voice spoke to her.

Sunset stopped and took a deep, slow breath.

She wasn’t going to let herself over-think it. She knew what over-thinking did to her.

She was okay. She was calm, cool and collected. She was perfectly in control.

The silence hung heavy in her apartment, she noticed. She’d debated putting some music on, but she wanted to keep her ears peeled for the door. Which left her with just her thoughts to keep her company.

Sunset sat down.

The living room was sparkling clean and a place had been set out for both herself and her guest to sit. The place was ready, and a glance at the clock told her she wouldn’t be waiting long before her company arrived either.

The butterflies in her stomach had not gone unnoticed, but she did her best to tame them. She didn’t need to feel nervous. She’s got this. She’d come a long way. Since waking up scared and alone with just Nurse Redheart to keep her company, to willingly inviting one of them into her apartment… At risk of blowing her own horn, Sunset was proud of herself.

This path she’d taken had been a rough one. She believed what she had said to the Dazzlings the night she’d appeared at their door: she did blame herself for not extending her hand to them the way Twilight and her friends had done for her. But it was time to make up for that. She wouldn't leave them alone again.

For so long recently Sunset had been focusing on her attack, reliving the moments again and again in her head, haunted by them. But she was past that now. Now was the time to look towards the future, and embrace the new world that awaited her. She didn’t know how this meeting was going to go, but she was ready to approach it with a smile on her face and the willingness to forgive, forget and grow.

‘Forgive, forget, grow… I like that.’

This revelation made her smile. But that smile only lasted a second, before slowly draining from her face.

‘Stop it.’

Sunset swallowed.

‘You’re doing it again.’

Sunset huffed.

‘You’re over-thinking. Don’t let yourself, you’ve got this.’

Despite her resistances, Sunset could feel her happy mood draining away. New thoughts began to cloud her head.

‘Absence of proof is not proof of absence.’

‘It’s not a trick.’

‘How do you know? What evidence do you have she’s telling the truth?’

‘If I don’t trust her I can’t move forward.’

‘That’s not an answer.’

Sunset jumped to her feet and began pacing.

‘It’s not a trick. She’s never harmed me before and I have no reason to suspect her now.’

‘You have no idea who she is, you have no reason to trust her.’

‘It’s too late now anyway, she will be here any minute.’

‘You can be prepared.’

‘How?’

Slowly Sunset’s gaze made its way to her corridor door.

Her doubts had a point. What if she was begin too optimistic? She was inviting a complete stranger into her house, one who had close ties to people who have done her a great deal of harm. There was nothing wrong with being hopeful, but there was a line between that and careless.

Gritting her teeth, Sunset quickly jogged into her bedroom. She returned a moment later, holding something tightly in her hands.

The baseball bat.

‘A precautionary, nothing more. Just in case,’ she told herself.

Sunset bent over to tuck the baseball bat down the side of her armchair.

KNOCK
KNOCK

Sunset froze mid action.

A whitewash drained over her. This was really happening. Too late to back out now.

Sunset shook her head. She placed the bat hidden away from view and made her way into the hallway. A quick check through the peep hole confirmed her visitor was not only who she thought it was, but that she was on her own.

As her hand inched up to the door handle, Sunset took one last look in the mirror.

Not two weeks ago she’d been looking in the same mirror, bloodied and bruised after her attack, about to let her two friends into her apartment. Now she stood fully healed, prepared to welcome one of those very attackers into her home. Her thoughts from earlier returned.

She really didn’t know the way this was going to go.

If things worked out? Fantastic, no doubt lives could be improved for everybody all around.

If they didn’t? Sunset had her last-minute back up plan, and she had had it up to here with being pushed around. She’d be able to handle it.

Whichever path it was going to take, she was ready to embrace it.

Taking a deep breath, Sunset turned the handle and gently opened the door...

Sonata stood on her doorstep, wearing a similar expression of uncertainty, but with an equally optimistic smile. But that wasn’t all, Sunset noticed. Her eyes were drawn down, where, wrapped tightly around Sonata’s hands she saw…

Sunset smiled.

Her purple scarf.

Author's Notes:

For my final words and a QnA, read this fics blog post here.