The Buried Secrets of Canterlot
The crowd was all waiting with baited breath as Sunset Shimmer on her horse Solar Flare were jumping the jumps in the arena. It was the second month of the Equestrian Games and it was the second weekend in fact of the showjumping portion.
Just based on what was seen during the first month events and the placement in the scores it really looked like it was gonna come down between Sunset and her rival at the Stables Midnight.
Based on what Sunset's friends had observed and also what Applejack's boyfriend Butch explained to them was these two had been rivals since their first riding lesson nearly three years ago.
Midnight came from a very prominent and wealthy Korean family. Her parents actually worked for the city of Canterlot in very high and vitally important positions. Her mother Artume was the Assistant D.A. and her father Mandanu was one of the highest ranking councilmen in the local government. So it wasn't just her horse with a great pedigree.
The more the girls had learned about Midnight the less likeable she seemed. When they had asked what school she went too as Twilight knew she didn't got to Crystal Prep nor was she a student at CHS they got a surprise and more confusion.
For Midnight went to a school they had never heard of, it was a private girls school called Lady Chrysalis's Girls Academy. When told about more about it made her seem even worse.
Lady Chrysalis's was very similar to Crystal Prep has they had a lot of emphasis on reputation and very high expectations for all the students there. It was also very selective in who was allowed to attend it, as everyone one of the girls there seemed to come from very influential families. Even their school uniforms of black and teal seem to make it seem even far more sinister and not the best place for nice girls to be found.
From what they learned about this Midnight girl she was the top student in all areas of her school curriculum and prized highly by Headmistress Chrysalis like her own personal student.
Therefore based on all this information and what kind of behavior she had displayed so far it would seem she was basically a very snotty, arrogant, and overly-competitive young woman. With extremely unlikable personality traits such as being quite malicious as well as sarcastic when she spoke, plus it was clear she was driven to accomplish her goals at all cost, seemingly being the kind of person who like to be the best at everything and did not take kindly to being outshined, as she was looking very angry as she watched Sunset having her turn doing her jumps.
Sunset finished flawlessly and the huge crowd gave a standing ovation and her furious rage, jealousy and arrogance was becoming even clearer. As Sunset was heading to back to the small stables used during the shows while Ms. Horseshoe was telling it was time for intermission Midnight did something really despicable.
As Sunset was taking a breather with her friends Midnight came behind her and shoved her face first into the mud and laughed in a snide manner.
"Oh, Sunset? I'd have to say that is so not your color. Ha!"
"Hey girl! No need for that kind of behavior! You better apologize like right now!" fumed Applejack furiously at the dark haired girl as Rainbow Dash also looked ready to wallop Midnight.
"Really? Me apologize? Yeah, right! If anyone should apologize it should be Miss Little Cheater here! No way is anyone that good without cheating! You have got to be cheating, Sunset!
Even when we started taking riding lessons nearly three years ago you seemed to already know everything there was to know and I don't know what ability you have to make things go so perfectly but you'll be sorry!"
"Now really, darling! There is no need for that kind of disreputable behavior or blatant vulgar boorishness! Just because someone is better at something then you yourself are at doesn't make them a cheater! Also at least Sunset isn't being a bad sport over any of this, so she's got the proper manners too, which you so sorely obviously lack my dear. Sunset may be a lot of things but a cheater? No she is not!" Rarity defended Sunset whose hair was coming out of its bun and her clothes were badly stained.
"I know she's cheating and I'll find a way to prove it! C'mon, Nightmare let's get you rehydrated before we do the second half of today's jumps! Ebony! Opal! Get your butts over here and tend to my horse now!" snapped the rude girl as two teenage girls who cowered at her took her horse to take care of him and she glared hatefully at Sunset and her friends once more then left their sight.
"She is so unpleasant! The way she's acting, I've never been so peeved over anything not even my own little brother's laziness gets me as peeved as that little cretin does! You so don't deserve any of this, Sunset!" Fluttershy remarked with anger flushing her pale cheeks as she did her best to keep Solar Flare calm who was also upset by the girl's less than stellar behavior.
"Yeah she is for sure one bad egg and a serious party pooper! She so would not make the list to any decent party in town! Not unless she bought her way in, she be on the A list for the rudest meanest party though!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she blew a raspberry at the girl.
"What exactly makes her hate you so much, Sunset?" Twilight asked curiously as she wrung out a washcloth and cleaned Sunset's face while Rarity got out a spare clean outfit and magically produce again her dressing screen so Sunset could change.
Sunset sighed and went behind the screen to quickly change and five minutes later while Rarity got her hair back in a bun she offered what she could. "I'm not entirely sure the reason behind all the animosity, I mean it seems a lot of people hate you for no good reason at all, though I do remember how it all started.
It was at our first riding lesson which I still remember perfectly as if it were yesterday. We were all asked to go around a circle to get a feel for the horse and she decided to show-off and pulled off a few tricks to which everyone was showering her with praise and attention and Ruthie was trying to stop her and get her to behave but she would not stop showboating.
All seven of us since everyone competing in these Games were in the same riding class, we all were impressed alright, then something bad happened and it was both bad as in not good and also embarrassing."
"What happened to the little prissy loudmouth bragger? What brought her down a peg or two? Since something obviously did based on her un-awesome actions right now."
"Well, her horse Nightmare got startled by something when he got near me and Solar Flare. Never found out what freaked him out but he reared up just enough that she fell off and into a big fresh mud puddle and her horse was freaking out.
I reacted instinctively and went off to catch him before anyone got hurt. I succeeded in catching him and calming him down while inadvertently showing off some of my own skills at the same time and everyone was more impressed by me then her and when I tried to help her up she yelled at me, blaming me for her embarrassment and saying she would never rest till I paid for humiliating her.
Ever since then she's done her best to outshine me and do whatever she can torment me. Whether we are exchanging insults or a few not so nice pranks on me. Though one thing been crystal clear since that first class and that's she's got some unwarranted vendetta against me for absolutely no reason!
So that's all I know," Sunset conclude the origin of this bitter rivalry.
"Wow, now she's even more obnoxious and not just because what Butch and the other riders told us about her. I mean we have become pretty darn friendly with the other riders.
I mean the other kids all go to Canterlot Catholic School as Solar Wind does, but only you go to CHS and that right little monster goes to that girl's school which we never even heard of!
She's one bad apple that's for sure!" Applejack stated truthfully the shared opinion of all of them.
"Bad apple or being a bitch aside Applejack, she's the one I need to beat to really win this. All eight of us are quite good and that's fact, but Midnight and I aren't in the top two for nothing.
Anyhow you all better get back to your seats. Intermission will be over in ten minutes and then we'll be doing the second half of today's jumping. So need to focus. See you later!" as they hugged and ponied up for a split second before they hurried off back to their seats.
The rest of the day passed quickly and things were looking better but it was clear when everyone was leaving for the day that Midnight wasn't happy at all. Sunset didn't even care as she was used to it when Midnight made another thinly veiled threat to her because she'd done it so much.
However there was one thing she and Twilight had seen that they hadn't told anyone about after that weekend had finished. While all the other girls were outside with their boyfriends just talking about the games and enjoying the sunset, she and Twilight had realized that they had accidently left her journal in the stable where Solar Flare was kept.
While everyone was preoccupied they had slipped back in unnoticed by anyone and gotten the book back, but then hidden in the stale as they could hear very angry voices yelling coming from three stalls down to the left of them.
The voices were extremely enraged more like furious and it also sounded like someone was being ruthlessly and passionately verbally castigated in that stall.
Twilight didn't recognize the words, on the other hand could unmistakably understand the tone and Sunset knew it was Korean being spoken as it was the language her father spoke when he was worried or depressed so she knew it.
However she wasn't able to get all of it since it was spoken so fast and furiously it wasn't coming out completely clearly. Though from what she was able to get it was obvious the two people speaking were very disappointed in whoever they were speaking too and that this dishonorable and disgraceful behavior would not be tolerated and if the person they were speaking too thought failure was acceptable they were dead wrong.
That was the only thing she was able to get. They just ducked down further so not to be seen when whoever been screaming was now marching past them and with whoever they'd been yelling at.
It turned out to be Midnight because even though she had been rude and mean this whole time she simply seemed meek and weak as she just said in English softly in a very defeated tone of voice as they passed the stall.
"I will not fail for a second time, Mother, Father. I'll win don't worry," though it was clear she was not very confident in that statement and they could even hear her shed a single teardrop from the sound of things.
They waited ten more minutes before leaving themselves looking at each other in total shock and utter stunned silence. As they slowly left barn they thought it was best to this incident to themselves and not tell the others about it.
On the other hand they couldn't help but feel perhaps they had judge the book by its cover and not for the context of the pages when it came to Midnight based on what they had just unintentionally overheard and seen.
With that disturbing incident stuck on her mind and all her other worries and concerns with everything else in her life everything seemed to becoming more intense and almost too much for her to handle.
It truly wasn't a surprise all the emotional and mental distress she was under was making her slightly nervous and it certainly wasn't helping her nightmares any, for she was still having them even if not as frequently.
Though they always seemed to get worse after she had spent the day competing in the Games meaning her weekend slumber wasn't at all peaceful, which had been making Mondays very hard to deal with at school.
That particular weekend she slept so poorly she wanted to have her parents let stay home to sleep instead of going to school, which they were tempted to do, but in the end she had to go to school and just try and stay awake.
When Sunset got to school that morning everyone else was bright-eyed and bushytailed and in good spirits. Whilst the other girls were gossiping enthusiastically on the side of the Wondercolt statute that faced the school, Twilight slipped unnoticed to the backside where Sunset was collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
Helping her up they moved to a nearby magnolia tree to talk whereas their friends who still didn't notice their absence continued to conversed about their own little fusses and more importantly about their latest romantic escapades.
Even Spike was too busy with them to take notice that Twilight wasn't there for he was talking elatedly about his own crush on Tecna's dog Ember, who he'd played with recently at the dog park and said she was a lot of fun to be with and not to mention highly attractive in other ways.
Twilight and Sunset giggled a bit from their hiding spot and just sighed for a moment thinking about Fledge and Sunrise before getting frank with each other. Even being young and in love there were other matters that needed to be discussed and even under the spell of the Magic of True Love it didn't have to rule everything they did or thought about.
"I know you told me months ago there is no logic or reason when it comes to love, and we all sooner or later lose our minds when we find it. While I'm thrilled that all of us are falling in love and seem to be going about it the right way, nevertheless we can go a few days without thinking of the boys right?" Twilight inquired as she tucked the hair that had fallen into her face behind her left ear.
"Yes, we can go a few days without thinking of the boys, Twilight, I think we've let the spell from the Magic of Love overtake us a bit too much. I do believe we are going about it the right way of you know taking the time to really get to know our boyfriends so we can move past the stupid teenage infatuation fling stage and it becomes more genuine and real.
Also at least our boyfriends having been hanging out getting to know each other as well. So at least we are all friends and can hang out and have a good time and it does not have to be a date.
Still a few days without lovesickness infecting our brain cells would be alright with me. I have more than enough already tainting my brain I don't need more contagions of any kind up there," she expressed wearily as she tapped the side of her head.
"Are your nightmares still coming back?"
"They've gotten worse since the Games started. For 48 hours I'm force to deal with these morbid nightmares that seemed to come every weekend with a more vengeful attitude then the weekend before!
I have enough things on my mind as frankly we all do. The school year is almost up and we have had enough trouble caused by me that many things have been delayed. Like school pictures are late this year because of all the problems I started! So we will be getting them taking two and half weeks from now.
Don't worry about them being ready for the yearbook on time. Photo Finish isn't name that for nothing. If she's got a camera she can do anything and do it faster than you can blink!"
"I've not been around very long but I have been around long enough to know we all have things we aren't proud of and we all have moments were we do things we wish we could undo but just have to live with them. Even if it's too our everlasting regret.
Still a lot of good happened because of you even if your actions had first were less than desirable, you set off a chain of events that ultimately brought Canterlot High together and helped saved my life. Everything happens for a reason.
Still we have many good things in our lives and some bad but let's just focus on the good shall we?"
"You are beyond book smart, Twilight, and I thought your boyfriend was profoundly wise."
Twilight blushed the same color as her pink hair stripe and smiled knowingly with twinkle to her lilac eyes, before she replied coyly. "Well he does give good advice that's for sure. Still anything I can do to take your mind off these nightmares?"
Shaking her head dejectedly she answer back, "I don't think you can, for the only thing I can surmise is they won't go away unless either they come true or I figure out what they mean.
Yet those nightmares aren't the only think I've been thinking about since last night I mean."
"You mean Midnight, right? I guess we really shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I'm not an expert and I don't know what was being said but just from the tone I think we both got the gist. She's under extreme pressure from her parents and she most likely isn't as nasty as she gives the impression to be."
"Well, I know from my dad that in many cultures from that part of the world that parents do place many extreme demands on their children and many times they seem too high. Plus I think it goes without saying if those expectations are not met or succeeded, it looks like you get what apparently Midnight was getting a lot of belittlement and not really any love of any kind.
That's really got to suck and not make you feel at all good on the inside, so now I really understand Midnight a lot better and what our rivalry is really about. She's just wanting her parents love and affection so badly something that you should not have to fight to get but just be given regardless of anything.
My parents love me despite everything I ever did when I was still the world most rotten and nasty bitch. They had the power to kick me out and really leave me homeless, but they just loved me despite it all and just kept trying to reach me. So I never had to fight to earn their love. I had to do a lot to make up for my pervious bad behavior but I didn't have to do anything just to be told they loved me!
Though it looks like Midnight has to be beyond perfect to just be given even a margin of affection, which is so wrong and just messed up. Now I really just wish I could help her is all. I've learned how friendship can save so many lives and I wish to save hers now."
"Well, I believe everything we saw and heard and what you just said is important for the both of us and the rest of the world. For it serves as a reminder unless you really know someone don't judge them on face value unless you see them when they are alone and not having to have one image made known.
Also friendship and all the Elements of Harmony really can save someone's life. We are both proof of that since it was because of them we didn't get ourselves killed when we became as you call it 'raging she-demons' and just died! So yeah friendship can make a big enough difference it can save you from dying one way or another. We both understand that better than anyone else!"
"Point taken that's a lesson we both really know well and understand better anyone else here in this world. Now we better get back to the girls and get to homeroom and worry about helping others out a little later."
The girls rejoined their friends and after hiding Spike in her backpack they hurried to get their things from their lockers and to homeroom. Though they never made it too homeroom thought because at that moment an announcement on the PA system said they need to go to the gym.
Wondering what on Earth this time the assembly would be about as that was what all the kids were talking about as they hurried to the gym. Many were scrambling to pick up items they had just taken from their lockers and were dropping in their haste to get to the gym.
They just thought about all the recent times they'd been in this gym and wonder what the heck was this one about? So far this year they had had one about the Big Help Week, Father Daughter Dance, Open House and most recently the Social. So what the heck was this one gonna be about? Just how many more surprises did the school have in mind for everyone?
It looked like Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna could tell the students were both curious and a little unsure what was coming. Still they soon put everyone's minds at rest and simply explained that they were just informing the student body they would all be going on a field trip today to learn the history of Canterlot.
Explaining they felt it was time to know more about both the personal history of Canterlot and themselves they would just be spending the day going to different historical locations and would like the students to each write a report on some personal part of Canterlot history and how it tied into their own.
As they pointed out one cannot have a future if you don't remember the past. So to have any future you need to learn from the lessons of the past and apply them to the present to shape a better future according to how you lived in the here and now. As no-one would ever know the future itself it was still essentially important to learn from the past.
Well everyone loves a field trip and even if they had to do a homework assignment for later that week at least they get out of class for a while and perhaps everyone would learn some things that they didn't know! History was full of surprises and how that fit into their own personal histories? Let the story unfold!
As a result one and all rapidly put their things back in their lockers and headed out to get on the buses waiting to take them all to the first of many different locations to talk about the history of Canterlot.
The girls were talking amongst themselves at the back of the bus while Fledge was sitting with the rest of the boyfriends who went to CHS were in the front. Each group was talking about how they could make a great visual presentation to give for this report once they had enough facts.
Their first stop was not far from Tecna's mom's salon actually as her salon wasn't the only older building in the area. The area where Beauty Mark's was had many different older buildings and they were about to learn a lot of colorful stories about its history.
In fact their first building was a little shocking as it was an old abandoned church. This thing was so old and decrepit they were a little unsure if they even go into it. They ended up going inside after all and began learning how this was in fact the first church built in Canterlot over two hundred years ago and it was one of the few places that there was some harmony despite the vastly social and racial differences of a total different era so long ago.
It was a place of charity and compassion for the people who founded this took all comers from all walks of life regardless of any of the stupid things most people thought were important when they were not. Rich or poor, any color of skin, no matter what faith they belonged to all were welcomed here.
They gave to all who needed them from offering food and shelter to the homeless and downtrodden, to teach anyone how to read or write, to give them a sense of belonging and hope. All in the name of love and friendship.
Even if the church had been over and over again vandalized and on one occasion even had had a small fire set to it when a service had been happening, in effort to burn this place of harmony down, they kept it open to help all people for the common goal of being one race of humans and that we all needed each other and that the lesson to learn in all of us was to be kind to those around us!
Next location was another nearby old building which was a courthouse and learning how many people of course been convicted of crimes that were not their fault or that some felt that not the right sentence of justice had been carried out.
Learning about some of the darker trials one would not associate with the Canterlot of today with, but this courthouse had seen all of the most terrible heinous crimes one could think of. Everything from child abusers to rape and even murder had all had one time or another be brought before a judge and jury in this old courthouse.
Though if they had done their job right or if true justice was ever served was up to debate as they were given a lecture on some of these darker moments in Canterlot's history.
Little did they all know that even darker secrets of the past would soon reveal themselves to these students, though these secrets would shock them even more then what they had already learned. Also one person would get a shock so big they be left wondering something that no-one else would ever be left wondering.
Other locations they went too included a bed and breakfast, an old sanatorium, various nature locations, and a small number of timeworn houses and in conclusion they drove past a very isolated as well as disregarded cemetery.
After absorbing so much of all these parts of the unknown past it all seemed to be screaming to be told and find out more. So all the students divided into different groups determined to uncover more buried secrets and give the best presentations at the end of the week to bring the past to life and make sure things were not forgotten.
The Rainbooms had already for part of their presentation to do a musical number as part of it. Their boyfriends had planned to do dances inspired by the events and they were gonna combine them together for a one of kind preforms of history.
So each group was doing tons of research and practice to get ready for everything on Friday and the whole thing was gonna be part of an upcoming episode of Tecna's webshow which was still getting like a bazillion hits with each episode she uploaded.
Therefore everyone was quite busy and just really didn't have much time to think as they were doing so much for this school assignment. They learned a lot of shocking things and all of it would make for a very lively and awesome performance.
Though it was what Sunset and Twilight uncovered that not only shocked them it would shock all of Canterlot to the core.
It was Thursday morning and the students of CHS had been allowed to for week to doing their homework outside of school as long as they told Celestia and Luna where they'd be doing research for their projects and at least check in for homeroom and be back at 1:40 to come back at work the remainder of the day at the school itself on their projects.
So it was now 9:36 and Sunset and Twilight were in the basement of the local library trying to find some last minute research for the project while the rest of the girls were back at school practicing and designing things for the project.
Flipping through many old newspapers hoping to find something that would make their project stand out and be truly unique they had taken to going through as many newspaper archives as they could find and even Spike was helping out best he could.
"There sure is a lot of newspapers not in the computer system, I mean I've run all I keywords I could think of through the computer search engine, hoping to find something truly significant to help us out. Nevertheless it would seemed the computer search was at least fruitless for I didn't discover something whatsoever that really jumps out to give us that little something to make our project really stand out, I'm afraid," Sunset admitted in defeat as she finished going through the computer.
Taking a break for a moment from research she decided to write a quick letter to Princess Twilight which she been meaning to do for quite some time. So taking out her journal for a moment she quickly wrote a letter.
"Dear Princess Twilight and Prince Fledge,
Cannot talk long as Twilight, Spike and I are busy at the library trying to uncover something for a school wide homework assignment. We are supposed to be finding out the history of this world Canterlot and how it relates to us now in the present.
I can't help but feel we need something bit and important to really make sure we get an A+ on this assignment and history can be so fascinating. I can't wait to see if we find out something no-one else ever knew about. Oh gotta go, Sci-Twilight is calling me over to help her now. See you later,
Love Sunset Shimmer"
Sighing in defeat she pushed herself away from the desk and walked over to Twilight who was heaving a large book full of old newspapers that Spike had just fetched for her onto the table.
"Thank you, Spike, have a doggy treat for all your hard work," as she gave him a few treats to nibble on.
"Thanks, Twilight! These are so worth it for carrying that dusty cobwebbed covered book to you in my mouth. That particular one is very odd if you ask me," he said as scarfed down his treats.
"Why do you say that, Spike?" inquired Twilight curiously to him without looking at the book yet.
"Well, Twilight just look at it! All these other books in this room are at least dusted and looked like they have been handled before. That one looked like it's never seen the light of day and was forgotten as if wasn't even here. Look how grubby it is and how stiff it is as if it's never been opened even! More treats please?"
"Here some my mom made, Spike and he's got a point, Twilight, this one definitely different from all the others."
"Well, let's see why. There got to be a reason as it's not even that old. It's only from a little over three years ago," as it took both of them to get the stiff book to open and saw the yellowed pages of "The Canterlot News Chronicles"
They started looking in January at the newspapers with the most attention, but it wasn't till they got to August that they discovered something that changed literally everything.
It was a very small article so small if not for Twilight's attention to detail they would've missed it all together. She stopped Sunset from turning the page and looked like she just lost all the blood in her face as she was examining the article.
Whatever this tiny article was about it scared her so bad she tried to sit down but fell to the ground because she missed the seat and didn't even seem to notice she was sitting on a cold floor. She just looked like she had seen the Ghost of Christmas Past and Yet to Come at the same time.
"You okay, Twilight? Why do you look like you seen a ghost? Are you okay? Talk to me! Twilight!" screamed Sunset and Spike at the same time and finally she snapped out of her dumbness and spoke softly.
"I have just seen a ghost or something like one. I also know why you've had at least one of your nightmares. You did live one of them and died in the manner of that one."
"What are you talking about, Twilight?"
"Look at the tiny article on page 354 on the bottom left corner dated August 12th three years ago," was all she was able to say.
Not sure what to expect but first helped Twilight into a chair Sunset turned the book to look at the article in question and almost felt she her heart would stop and she almost fainted to the floor too.
It wasn't a very big article though it should have been A LOT BIGGER! Though why it was so small and easily overlooked was a crime in and of itself.
The small title was called "Teenage Victim of Hit and Run Dies"
"Today 7:17 pm the victim of a hit and run near Canterlot Park died. The victim who was unknown to everyone at the time was at last identify as Sunset Shimmer.
She was apparently heading to the Park to meet up with the rest of the students from the various middle schools about to become this year freshman class at Canterlot High.
Despite heading to the Park for the Freshman Class Welcome Party no-one was able to identify her at the scene. What little was able to be found about Ms. Shimmer is that she was another unfortunate lost soul of the foster care system whom from what police uncovered was bounced around so many times since the age of two never was in one place long ever.
With no known family and sadly none of the foster families she'd been with over these past 12 years came forth to identify her and was only learned by checking foster care records was she at all identify or she may have been classified as a Jane Doe for all time.
The driver of the hit and run 19 year Declan Trager was coming back from a party where he'd drunk himself to oblivion and he didn't even have a license to begin with. He's been taken into custody and will face his trail on September 14th.
There will be a funeral service held for Ms. Shimmer on August 14th though it likely given the facts of trying to identify her and the lack of any real knowledge of this girl no-one will likely come to the service."
Now Sunset felt truly dead on the inside. Now she realized she had died and what that first nightmare meant. It was the REAL HUMAN Sunset Shimmer's last moments alive! Quickly flipping to the date of the funeral there was no mention of it and she just knew in her gut no-one in this world had mourned her death or her other self's death.
No friends no family. No-one even cared enough to remember her or about her other self's death! No-one had ever in all the time she had lived in this world mentioned anything about a barely 14 year old girl dying. No-one mention a hit and run and given all the evidence and the size of the article and just everything else it looked like no-one even cared enough to remember it had happened or was worth talking about at all.
She grew really enraged and for a moment it looked like the she-demon had returned. Sunset snatched up the book and moved so quickly to the Xerox and copied the article and then ran it through a nearby laminate machine before stuffing the article into her wallet. Then she went to find the maps on the computer and found quickly what she was looking for and printed it out.
All this time neither Twilight nor Spike even breathed or moved but they knew exactly what this was all about and knew this was something that needed to be told the rest of Canterlot.
No-one deserved to be forgotten and no-one deserved what the real Human Sunset Shimmer had gotten. To be passed around so much that no-one even cares enough to come identify your body or even come to your own funeral. To die alone and that no-one even bothered to remember it! She be incensed too!
Still they left the library and hurried back to the school and told the girls they had something very important to do right now and they could care less if they got caught leaving school early.
The other girls had no idea what riled up Sunset Shimmer so much but they knew it wasn't good. Fledge knew it was something very important though he got Helena to pick them up and all the girls and all their boyfriends all got picked up and then headed to that desolate forgotten cemetery they had passed on Monday.
The others didn't know what they were doing at a cemetery of all places and especially when they should still be at school but they kept following Sunset who seemed to know where they were going.
All the girls were clutching their boyfriends tightly and they kept going till they at last came to a very lonely spot far from the other graves a spot unlike the others who were clearly still at least well-kept and visited on some occasions they had found the one grave that was so overgrown by weeds looked like never been visited at all. It was by a burned and half-dead oak tree.
Sunset was yanking up the weeds with such ferocity no-one had ever seen her even when she'd been a bitch this angry. Finally the last of the weeds had been removed and she kicked the rest of the debris away and that's when everyone else but Twilight gasped at what the old cheaply made headstone said.
It didn't even give a date of birth or death! Nor a proper message of farewell at all! It just said in horribly done like someone just was paid to do it quickly for like 15 bucks that how cheap and uncared about this headstone was. No-one had really cared about making this headstone or who had been buried here at all. Given all the things around this!
All it said was "Sunset Shimmer" and even that was so badly written it was almost not legible at all. There was nothing at all too it and now everyone got what this was about.
Everyone didn't speak for a moment as Sunset was crying and finally Rarity was the first to speak. "This is a terrible injustice! To see this much impertinence and decimation! If this is what I think it is, darling are you trying to say this is the true Sunset's grave and that no-one gave a damn at all about her?!"
Sunset took out the article from her wallet and now everyone even Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were beyond incensed by this all. Determined to make this somewhat right all 16 of them set to work.
They worked to nearly dusk but finally they had made the grave look cared for a not just 'oh someone died and we just need a headstone!" Everyone somehow produced something and Helena had made a lot of calls and by the time dusk was here it was like half of Canterlot and most of CHS was here.
Even though cemetery rules are only allowed there from sunup to sundown no-one even cared about that. The rules were broken that night as the first Sunset Shimmer was finally given some acknowledgement and was finally shown that someone did give a damn she had died and that she would be now remember and that the other Sunset Shimmer would make sure to keep her alive.
It was such a nice rededication and memorial service that everyone but Twilight of course ponied up and somehow that magic really seemed to make the grave site look more magical and somehow it brought the tree back to life and grow to be healthy.
The next day they did give presentations but nothing anyone did even when the girls and their boyfriends perform compared to last night moonlight service.
At least now there was one nightmare that Sunset didn't have to deal with anymore. However did that mean if one nightmare had come true that mean the others would too? Was the old Sunset Shimmer trying to warn her about danger yet to come to her? Since she had obviously sent the first nightmare as part of plan to make sure she was finally remembered.
It was unsettling and really was freaking all the girls out and made them really worried about what was really going on.
Sunset actually read to her friends the short reply letter from Princess Twilight because she didn't want to be without her friends.
"Dear Sunset Shimmer,
Fledge and I are excited to hear your working on a history project, you know how I love books and learning about any subjects. And history is quite fascinating and one of the most magical things to learn about.
I had a very hard time with all our friends teaching the History of the Wonderbolts to Rainbow Dash, but finally figured out how she learned.
Though I'll say this Fledge just came back from watching the Applewood Derby and he was in his own words fairly disgusted with how Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity completely took over from what their sisters wanted to do in the Derby and did it all themselves and try to relive their 'glory day'
Fledge has given everypony he could advice before, but he practically spat it at everypony involved that this was for the fillies to have fun and to remember again they were meant to help not do it.
Never seen him look that angry since Starlight stole our cutie marks.
Right now he's busy calming down in a bubble bath after enjoying watching the CMC do the race the way they wanted.
So that's what's going on here in Ponyville. Still must go for now. Got do a ton of stuff around here and it seems there never enough hours in the day to do it all!
Hope you and all our friends at CHS are fine and good luck with your horse riding competition and we are all eager to hear if you win or not.
Lots of love from all your friend here in Equestria!
Princess Twilight Sparkle!"
"Wow, it's still freaky to know we all exist in both Equestria and here! But to know I needed Twilight's help to study for a test? Wow!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in wonder.
"Well, we all knew we exist in both worlds but it be even more interesting if we all knew what was going on in Equestria ourselves. I'd like to know what I'm like in Equestria and if I'm less timid there," spoke Fluttershy.
"It be nice for all of us darling to know those answers."
"Yeah like a big party for sure!"
"I reckon it be nice to know a bit of what we are like in the other world."
"Or know more about this Prince version of my boyfriend is like."
"Well how about you all tell me what you want to know and say and I'll write a special letter here and now to Princess Twilight and tell her you are all asking and wanting to know?" Sunset asked with her pen poised.
"Sure!" and that's how they ended that Friday all writing one giant letter to Equestria and it seemed things were going to go well for quite some time!
