It's the finale to the second volume of the series, and it's a very important chapter to Sunset's story. It's even one of the series' longest chapters, clocking at over 4000 words total.
Sub-Volume 2 - Fortunes and Tragedies
Chapter 14 - How? (Lennon, 1971)
Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle
Apart from being the day that Fictionary, Heartsong and Apple Bloom first met with Scootaloo, First Base, Sweetie Belle, as well as Rumble, it was also the day that Sunset Shimmer began her time at Canterlot High School.
"I sure hope I enjoy it there," she said to herself. Since Celestia was also principal of the school and Luna vice-principal, Sunset was sure that she would feel secure with their presence, but she took public transport to CHS because she didn't want the other students or staff to know that she was the principal's foster daughter.
Sunset stood before the school entrance, a look of anticipation on her face. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to her.
"Hey, Sunset! Over here!"
She looked over to face a familiar-looking girl with rainbow-streaked hair.
"Rainbow Dash!" she cried happily. Sunset ran up to Rainbow Dash and gave her a hug.
"How've you been?" she asked.
"Oh, just fine," said Rainbow Dash. Sunset broke the hug. "You know what, Sun? I think our time together again at Canterlot High will be awesome!"
"I sure hope so," said Sunset.
"Hey, look, Flash - it's Sunset and Dash!"
"Hey girls!"
Both Rainbow Dash and Sunset turned to face Flash and Soarin.
"Oh, hey there, guys," said Sunset. "Good to see- Oof!"
"So nice to see you girls again too!" said Soarin excitedly. He brought Sunset and Rainbow Dash close to him and hugged them tightly.
"Hey, don't get weird on me, Soarin," said Rainbow Dash indignantly.
"Sorry," said Soarin.
"So, what did you guys do this summer?" asked Sunset. "I know that Flash and his family went to the beach. I was there too..."
Flash sighed with annoyance. "I thought we agreed not to bring up that incident, Sunset."
"What incident?" asked Rainbow Dash.
Flash just groaned with annoyance; when Sunset told Rainbow Dash and Soarin that Flash came out of the water without his trunks after diving, they were in stitches.
"I told you not to tell them that!" snapped Flash. He was red with fury and embarrassment.
"Well, Rainbow asked," said Sunset innocently.
At that moment, Trixie and Starlight Glimmer were walking by.
"Oh no..." muttered Sunset.
"Well, well, well," said Starlight. "Look who we have here."
"Not them again!" exclaimed Soarin.
"Why haven't they been kicked out of the country?" snapped Rainbow Dash.
"Better yet, why are they even here?" Flash pointed out.
"Maybe their parents blackmailed the school board," said Rainbow Dash.
"How dare you!" snapped Trixie, sounding very insulted.
"Well, why else would a couple of brats like you be allowed here?" asked Flash.
"For your information, Sentry," said Starlight, walking up to him angrily, "we came in much like any other student of this school."
"People like you don't even belong here," snapped Flash. "Not if all you do is bully others!"
"We like to think of it as keeping the weaklings in their place," said Trixie importantly.
"Those 'weaklings', as you so rudely put them, happen to be our schoolmates," said Sunset firmly.
"Not our problem," said Starlight.
"It will be if you end up going too far," said Rainbow Dash.
"Wouldn't happen to us... Rainbow Crash," Trixie snickered.
Rainbow Dash growled angrily. She hated being called by her childhood nickname.
"Forget 'em, Dashie," said Soarin, putting a hand on her shoulder. "They're just not worth it."
"He's right," agreed Sunset. "C'mon, Dash; we better head to orientation."
"Fine," said Rainbow Dash.
With that, she and Sunset made their way to orientation, shortly followed by Starlight and Trixie, snickering to themselves.
In the gym, many students were gathered, waiting for the orientation to start.
"Hey, what's going on?" asked Rainbow Dash to one of the students.
"Need some help, partners?" The other student had turned to face them and spoke in a Southern accent. She had blond hair, green eyes, and wore a Stetson hat.
Rainbow Dash looked over at the other girl, taking in her appearance and accent. She somewhat resembled Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash figured, and thought, Maybe this is her sister she mentioned a while back?
"You could say that. Err... Applejack, yes?"
"Eeyup," said the girl. "It's nice to meet ya."
"Same here; I'm Rainbow Dash, and that's Sunset Shimmer."
"Hi," said Sunset. "I don't believe we've met before. Rainbow and I went to Canterlot Middle."
"Mah brother Big Macintosh and I went to Rainbow Falls Middle," explained Applejack, "and little Apple Bloom's still in Rainbow Falls Elementary."
"A friend of mine's sister actually met her," said Sunset.
"Her name wouldn't happen to be Fictionary, would it?" asked Applejack.
"How'd you know?"
"Apple Bloom told me about her."
"I'll bet she mentioned Vincent as well," said Rainbow Dash.
"She sure did," said Applejack.
"You'd love to meet him," said Sunset, before sighing. "Oh, Vincent's such a wonderful guy."
"Sounds like somebody's got a crush," teased Applejack.
"What?!" Sunset blushed. "I do not have a crush on anybody!"
"Then why are you blushing?" snickered Rainbow Dash.
"I'm not blushing," protested Sunset, and she walked away, feeling embarrassed.
"All Ah was that she had a crush," said Applejack. "Not that it was a bad thing."
What Sunset didn't realize was that Starlight and Trixie had been listening in to their conversation.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Trixie?" asked Starlight.
"I am indeed," her friend smirked.
Soon, it was lunch time. Several students were in the lunchroom while others were still in their classes. Sunset was sitting at an empty table when two familiar faces approached.
"Hello, Sunset."
"Oh no," groaned Sunset. "Not you two again."
It was Trixie and Starlight Glimmer.
"What do you want?" snapped Sunset. "Mo- uh, Principal McCracken said that if you were bothering me, I should ignore you and move on."
"Can't we just sit for lunch without being accused?" asked Starlight, sounding offended.
"Not from my perspective," retorted Sunset.
"So... what's this we hear about you and Vincent?" smirked Trixie with a raised eyebrow.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Sunset innocently.
"You said he was a wonderful guy, did you not?"
"Well, yes," said Sunset, but then something occurred to her. "Wait a minute; you were eavesdropping, weren't you?!"
"We just happened to hear you talking," said Starlight innocently.
"What exactly do you want with me?" Sunset demanded.
"We want you to join our little group," said Starlight.
"What group?" asked Sunset. "Like, some little club where we bully people for fun? Forget it. Vincent would never have approved."
"Indeed," said Trixie, with a hint of deviousness in her voice. "Although, it sure would be a shame if something tragic were to happen to him, wouldn't it?"
That must've hit a raw nerve with Sunset. "You... You wouldn't hurt him, would you?!"
"Hmm..." Starlight gave off a malicious smirk. "Maybe we will, maybe we won't..."
Sunset's hand turned into a fist. "You leave him alone," he demanded. "He has done nothing wrong to make you hurt him!"
"He rejected me when I tried to flirt with him!" protested Trixie.
"And rightly so, I felt!" retorted Sunset, and then she glared at Starlight. "Just you wait until Principal McCracken hears about what you're planning."
"So who's going to tell her, I wonder," taunted Starlight. "A goody-goody tattletale like you, I suppose?"
Where have I heard that quote before? thought Sunset, but she didn't have the time to dwell on that. Instead, she thought that if she did report Starlight and Trixie, she worried that this would only further earn her bullying from them. Not only that, but she was concerned about making her foster mother look biased towards a couple of students simply for bullying the principal's daughter.
"Tell you what," said Starlight. "We'll give you until the end of the school day to consider our offer."
Just then, the bell rang. Relieved, Sunset left for her next class - biology. At least I don't have to put up with them there, she thought.
It wasn't long before the school day had ended. Sunset had made the decision to come home on public transport, and she was hoping that she wouldn't meet with Starlight, Trixie, or both on the train. So far, she hadn't bumped into them and didn't see either on the platform.
"Sweet relief," she sighed. As she sat on a bench, Sunset silently hoped and prayed that neither would turn up before the next train arrived.
The last thing I need is those two giving me more grief, she thought. Sooner than she thought, the train rolled into the platform and came to a stop. Sunset felt relief as the doors opened and she quickly jumped aboard.
"Thank goodness," she said. "Next stop; home."
Sunset wasn't the only one aboard the unit she was in; with her were Flash, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and a sixteen-year-old boy Sunset assumed to be Big Macintosh. He had orange hair, green eyes, and a muscular structure which made him look strong.
"Oh hey, guys," said Sunset.
"Hey there, Sunset," said Rainbow Dash. "How'd it go with your first day? Me, I think I'm gonna like sports the best; it's been a childhood dream of mine to be part of the Canterlot Wondercolts!" Applejack rolled her eyes and just grunted.
"Oh, it went fine, apart from running into... them at lunch," said Sunset, with a hint of loathing at the word "them".
"Did they try anything?" asked Soarin.
"They did, but... I'd rather not talk about it."
"Why not?" asked Applejack.
"It's... not nice to talk about," Sunset said at last.
"Understandably," said Big Macintosh.
"Did they ever cause any trouble for you?" asked Sunset.
"Nope," said Big Macintosh. "Ah never let hoodlums get the best of me."
"Me neither," said Applejack.
Sunset thought about what the Apple siblings said. She felt sure that if she ignored Starlight and Trixie for at least a month or two, they'd get bored and leave her alone. Well, that was the theory, at least.
Soon, the train stopped and Sunset got out at her destination. She then walked over the pedestrian bridge above the tracks onto the other platform, and then onto her way to where she, Celestia, Luna, Solar Crystal and Nyx lived.
"Mom? Aunt Luna?" she called when opening the door. (She'd had a key with her so she could unlock it in case nobody was home.) Nobody replied.
"Oh," said Sunset. "They must be picking up Solar and Nyx. How silly of me to forget..."
Deciding to rest a little, Sunset then took off her shoes, walked upstairs, put down her backpack, and removed her jacket and socks. She then lay on her bed and picked up the nearest the book to read.
"Nothing like a good book after a hard day," she said. Sunset was so relaxed she didn't even notice when the door opened and her foster family came in.
"Sunset? Are you home?" Celestia's voice called.
Sunset jumped in surprise.
"Agh!-You-back-off-I-got-a-book-and-I'm-not-afraid-to-use-it!" she yelped, making a fighting pose.
Celestia and Luna were puzzled by what Sunset had just said.
"Sunset? Is that you?" Celestia called again. "Are you alright?"
Sheepishly, Sunset stepped out of her room and walked down the stairs.
"Hi mom."
"Are you quite alright?" Celestia asked.
"I am, you kinda startled me," said Sunset.
"Sorry about that," said Celestia. "Did you have a good day at school?"
"I did," said Sunset, making sure to leave Starlight and Trixie out of the conversation. "I also made some new friends. I met up again with Flash, Soarin, and Rainbow Dash, and then there were the likes of Applejack, Rarity, Big Macintosh, Math Equation, just to name a few."
"Well, I'm happy that you're making new friends, Sunset," said Celestia.
"Thanks, mom."
The following morning, Sunset was in high spirits as she boarded the train.
"I feel like today's going to be much better," she said to herself.
"Mornin', Sunset," Applejack called out to her.
"Morning, Applejack," replied Sunset. "How are you today?"
"Doin' pretty good," said Applejack. "We're plannin' to bake some treats for the upcomin' bake sale they're having at downtown Canterlot."
"Well, that does sound exciting," said Sunset. "I ought to go there some time."
"Yer welcome to help with baking if ya want," offered Applejack.
"I'd love to," smiled Sunset.
Today, the students had their first and third classes for the school year, with a homework session and brunch in between. Sunset had a good morning, and felt certain that nothing could possibly ruin it. Wishful thinking, as come lunchtime, two certain girls had a bone to pick with her...
"Hello again, Sunset."
The redhead yelped and raised both of her hands, accidentally smacking one of the two girls in the face.
"Ow!" cried Trixie.
"Ooh!" exclaimed Sunset. "I'm so sorry; I've got quick reflexes!"
"Hmph; we'll keep that in mind," muttered Starlight, half sarcastically and half serious.
"What do you two even want?" demanded Sunset.
"Have you considered our offer?" asked Starlight.
"What offer?"
"To join us, duh," said Trixie.
"No!" snapped Sunset, almost instantly. "I'll never be part of a heartless group of people, and that's that!"
"Oh yes you will," said Starlight, taking hold of Sunset's chin. "You know you want to join us, Sunset. I can see it in your eyes. You have hate and anger inside of you. Use it on those who do you wrong. Use it to gain reputation, respect, and power! It is your destiny!"
"No it's not!" objected Sunset, shoving Starlight away from her. "I will never become a bully like you! Now leave me alone!" And she walked away in a huff.
Trixie hoped to break the ice, "At least we've got each other, right?" But Starlight still had that smirk on her face.
"We might still have a chance to change Sunset's mind," she said deviously. "You can't run from destiny. You can only choose to meet it."
"How so, if I may ask?"
"All in good time, Trixie," grinned Starlight. "All in good time."
JANUARY 2011
As the school year went on, Sunset continued to ignore the two mean girls. Many events went by such as the 2010 Fall Formal, the Thanksgiving break, and the Halloween and Christmas parties. However, it was in the New Year during the winter that Sunset Shimmer's life, once again, would take a turn for the worse.
That January afternoon, Sunset was talking and hanging out with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity. Back then, Rarity was a sophomore at Canterlot High, having recently turned sixteen two months ago.
"I must say, it's great for us girls to just get together and talk," said Rarity.
"You said it," said Applejack.
"It's the life," agreed Rainbow Dash.
"Maybe to get out of this cold weather," said Rarity, "you three ought to take a trip to the spa with me one of these days."
"That would be a fun idea," said Sunset.
"I wouldn't be caught dead at one of those frilly spas," said Rainbow Dash.
"Well, what about you, Applejack?" asked Rarity.
"Well," said Applejack, "Ah don't really know..."
"What's wrong?" asked Sunset.
"Ah'm not really the relaxin' type," said Applejack.
"Looks like it's you and me, right, Rarity?"
"Absolutely, darling," said Rarity. "I wouldn't miss a trip to the spa for anything."
What none of them realized was that Starlight and Trixie were, at this moment, devising a devious plan against Sunset.
"This'll be a good one," smirked Starlight.
"That girl won't know what hit her," agreed Trixie.
JANUARY 22, 2011
Rarity and her mother Cookie Crumbles arranged for the date of hers and Sunset's spa appointment to be this Saturday.
"Thanks for bringing me," said Sunset.
"Oh, it's our pleasure, darling," said Rarity. "I'm glad your mother agreed to it as well."
"Yeah, it's a bit disappointing she couldn't come with us," said Sunset. "She does have work to do, even on the weekends."
At last, they arrived. As Rarity and Sunset sat down, the former's mother walked up to the receptionist.
"We've got an appointment for today, I believe," she said.
"Come right in," said the receptionist.
"Thank you," said Cookie Crumbles. "c'mon, girls. We'll have to be in separate rooms."
"What do you mean, separate rooms?" asked Sunset.
"I'm an adult and you two are teenagers," said Cookie Crumbles. "Have you ever ended up au naturel, as Rarity puts it, under the age of eighteen around adults?"
"N-no, but I see your point," said Sunset.
In Rarity and Sunset's room, the two were getting ready for a pedicure.
"What does one of those pedicures feel like?" asked Sunset.
"It feels like heaven for your feet," said Rarity.
When one of the assistants began work on Sunset's feet, she felt a bit sensitive at first. Sunset yelped and quickly retracted her feet defensively.
"It's alright," said the assistant gently. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"I-I-I'm not u-used to my feet b-being t-touched by o-other people," Sunset managed to blurt out.
"Oh relax, Sunset," said Rarity. "I felt the same way with my first pedicure."
Reluctantly, Sunset stretched her legs out again so the assistant could give her feet a pedicure. This time, she didn't flinch and pull back.
Rarity was right, thought Sunset. It does feel like bits of heaven. She then closed her eyes, almost looking to be asleep.
Soon it was time for back massages.
"Mmm... ooh..." sighed Rarity. "A little higher, dear. Ahh."
"It's like all of my stress and tension is just being broken apart," sighed Sunset.
Once the massages were done, the girls had guacamole put on their faces with cucumbers over their eyes. Both were now wearing towels over their hair as well as robes.
"Is that to preserve beauty?" asked Sunset as guacamole was spread on her face.
"Indeed," said Rarity.
Eventually, the two were led to a large tub filled with mud.
"What's mud got to do with preserving our beauty?" asked Sunset. "Won't it just make us dirty?"
"This is a special therapeutic mud," explained Rarity. With that, the two girls entered the mud bath. However, what neither of the girls realized was that two of the spa workers were actually Trixie and Starlight in disguise.
"You sure that will work?" Trixie whispered to Starlight.
"Of course," whispered Starlight. "That Sunset won't know what hit her."
While nobody was looking, Starlight took out a jar full of earthworms and dumped them into the mud. The worms landed in Sunset's part of the mud bath, but she didn't notice. Well, not until she felt something crawling on her face.
"What the?" she asked, feeling her face. She took off a cucumber slice, only to find...
"WORMS!"
"Sunset!" shrieked Rarity, removing her cucumbers. "Are you-OH MY GOODNESS, YOU'VE GOT WORMS!"
Some of the spa attendants heard this. They entered the room to find the two teenage girls in a tizzy.
"What's going on here?" asked one.
"Worms!" screamed Sunset. "And they're all in my mud bath!"
"No! I've got a few in mine too!" shrieked Rarity. "Get those vile creatures from me!"
An attendant then noticed Starlight and Trixie trying to sidle away.
"And where are you off to?" she asked sternly.
"We've been spotted!" cried Trixie. "Let's get out of here!"
The two girls ran as fast as they could, but they didn't get far as they bumped right into Cookie Crumbles, who had come running when she heard her daughter's scream.
"What's going on here?" she asked.
"There were worms in the mud!" cried Rarity.
"And they were crawling on my face!" added Sunset.
"Those two girls appear to be responsible for it," said the attendant, pointing to Starlight and Trixie. Sunset growled at she looked at them.
"You!"
"Surprise?" asked Starlight sheepishly.
"Why would you two do such a thing?" demanded Rarity.
Starlight and Trixie weren't too sure how to reply; they only wanted to prank Sunset, but not Rarity as well!
"Thanks to you two," scolded an attendant, "now we have to drain out the mud and fill it up again! I've half a mind to call the police on you!" Starlight and Trixie looked at one another nervously; Sunset still glared at them crossly.
The attendants called Starlight and Trixie's families over the matter. Needless to say, they were not happy with what their children had done, and they were sent home almost immediately. Because of the incident, Rarity and Sunset had decided to end their spa day.
"And it was going so well too," moped Rarity.
"Never mind, girls," said Cookie Crumbles. "There's always another time."
"I suppose," sighed Rarity. Sunset didn't say anything, but nodded in agreement. In her mind, she was wondering how to pay Starlight and Trixie back...
JANUARY 24, 2011
The following Monday, Sunset went to school, still thinking of how to get her revenge.
"So, they want to play rough with me, do they?" she muttered to herself as she walked inside. "If that's the way they want, I'm gonna fight fire with fire..."
At that moment, Starlight and Trixie walked in, both still mad over the punishments they had received for their incident at the spa.
"I can't believe this," Starlight fumed.
"Me neither; grounded for two months!" grumbled Trixie.
Suddenly, they saw Sunset.
"Oh, her again," said Trixie.
"Out of my way," demanded Sunset.
"Well, this is new," remarked Starlight.
"Where'd the new backbone come from?" asked Trixie.
"Pretty funny coming from a girl with the ego the size of her butt!" retorted Sunset.
"Excuse me?!" Trixie was most indignant!
"That was a good one," chuckled Starlight, earning a glare from Trixie.
"Don't think you're off the hook either," Sunset said to Starlight. "You've poked your nose into so many people's business I'm surprised it hasn't been chopped off yet."
"How dare you!" snapped Starlight.
The two mean girls fumed away. Sunset smiled at herself in triumph as she walked to her first class. Unfortunately for her, it would only be the start of her second downward spiral.
AUGUST 2, 2038
Sunset hung her head sadly. "I can't believe I let myself become that way," she said ashamed.
Once again, Vincent had to put his hands on his wife's shoulders to help her calm down.
"It's okay, dear," he whispered. "We all make mistakes."
Just then, Rarity looked up at the clock. It was only eight minutes after five.
"Goodness gracious, how time flies," she exclaimed.
"Bloody hell," remarked Comet Tail. "It's almost past supper time."
"Come on kids," sighed Song Cue, getting up. "We better head home for supper."
"Quite right," agreed Math Equation. "Our kids will be wondering where we are."
"Aww," the children groaned with disappointment.
"Aren't we gonna hear about how mum and dad fell in love?" asked Venus.
"I want to know about mommy and daddy's time during high school!" whined Violet.
"But how did you and mom influence them all?" asked Dawn to Vincent.
"That's another story for another time," said Vincent.
"Don't worry," said Twilight. "We can arrange for some time to continue the story."
"Of course, we will have to make arrangements to accommodate our schedules," added Flash.
"That would be nice," said Dawn.
"You're the best, dad," said Twilight V and Violet, hugging their father.
Math, Rarity, Comet, Song Cue, Venus and Mars all said goodbye to the Sentries present in the room and went for home.
"That was rather nice," said Vincent.
"Indeed it was," said Sunset, standing up and heading for the kitchen.
"C'mon, dear," Vincent told his daughter, and they both followed after Sunset.
"Mom?" asked Dawn.
"Yes, sweetie?" asked Sunset.
"Why does thinking about the past make you a little... um..."
"Uneasy?" asked Sunset.
"Yeah, that."
Sunset sighed unhappily.
"When I was around your age," she said, "I did things that I was not proud of."
"Were they as bad as insulting Trixie and Starlight?" asked Dawn.
"No, worse than that," said Sunset. "Out of all the students I was rude to back then, I treated your father the worst..."
"What?" gasped Dawn. "Why would you do that?"
"I didn't mean to," said Sunset. "I was so afraid that I would get picked on again, that I wasn't thinking."
"Fear is a powerful emotion," said Vincent. "If we don't control our fear, it can stop us from thinking straight, and it may end up hurting not only yourself, but your peers as well."
"I learned that the hard way," said Sunset. "That's why I had been so protective of you since you started high school. I love you with all my heart, Dawn, and I can't bear the thought of you in danger, especially after that bully gave you a beating last year."
"Thank goodness that bully got expelled," said Dawn.
"If only Sunny hadn't been so vicious with him..." said Vincent in a slightly teasing manner.
"Oh, you," giggled Sunset. Mother, father, and daughter all laughed.
"Are you prepared to take in what we're about to tell you over the next two weeks, Dawn?" asked Vincent.
"Very," his daughter replied. "I want to know your whole story."
Dawn Spark looked at her parents. She wanted nothing more than to learn everything she could possibly learn about their past. As they began to cook dinner, however, Vincent and Sunset were deeply worried that their daughter would think less of them if she learned what they went through...
FOOTNOTES
Rarity and Sunset's meetup at the spa is loosely inspired from Green Isn't Your Color. There are also minor references to Bridle Gossip and Legend of Everfree.
Starlight quotes the Thomas and Friends episode, Diesel Does it Again.
