Monday, June 20, 2016

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Today's Horoscope (Virgo): Don't be too hasty to judge others. Especially when you yourself are far from perfect.

Early Morning

The streets of Canterlot are eerily empty and silent in the wee hours of morning. I had to drink three cups of coffee before I left the dorm. Mom and Dad are barely awake.

I manage to get them to the airport without incident, then wait at the gate with them until their flight boards. I grab some breakfast at the airport before driving back to the dorm. Nobody else is even awake yet. I stop to pee, then go back to bed, locking my door.

Daytime

It's late morning when I wake up, freshen myself up, and head downstairs. Twilight, Velvet, and Cadance are in the lounge. I blink. "You guys haven't missed your train or anything, have you?"

Velvet smiles. "Actually, Night Light already left. I'm staying until after Shiny's birthday."

"Vel, you really don't have to—"

"Dear, I insist," Velvet says. She looks up at me. "I'm not letting Cadance go out to that farm with the rest of you. I know her. She won't sit still if she sees the rest of you working, and the last thing she needs right now is to strain herself trying to do farm chores."

Cadance rolls her eyes. "I'm not even that far along, Vel—"

"SO," Velvet says loudly, "I'll be staying behind here with Cadance while the rest of you help out Applejack's family. And since you're not coming back until after the first, I figured I might as well stick around for Shiny's birthday. Night Light's coming back on the third."

I nod. "Makes sense." I look around. "So, where's everybody else?"

"Getting ready for the trip," Twilight says. She pauses to check her phone, then continues, "Shiny, AJ, and Sunset went out to get some of the stuff we need to take with us and rent the van, Pinkie and Rarity went to stock up on food and snacks and stuff to take along, and everyone else is checking the tents and stuff we used last time and getting it ready to load."

I stare at her. "You sent Sunset out with your brother? Are you insane?"

"Applejack's with them," Cadance says. "I trust her to keep Sunset in line."

"I don't trust her to not kill Sunset," I counter. "Not after the shit that went down at Mr. Apple's funeral."

Velvet's head snaps around. "What was that?" she asks.

I wince. Damn, I forgot...

"Sunset...kind of made a scene that day," Twilight says. "Showed up at the funeral, read off a bunch of really insulting Canterbook posts about Applejack."

Velvet closes her eyes and lets out a slow hiss.

"Vel, don't," Cadance says in a warning tone, putting her hand on Velvet's shoulder. "Besides, Applejack's already planning her revenge." With a vicious smirk, she adds, "I'm pretty sure Sunset's going to get all the literal shit jobs on the farm."

"Good," Velvet says. "A girl like that deserves to root in filth." She stands up, grimacing. "If you'll all excuse me, I need to visit the ladies' room."

Once she's gone, Twilight turns to Cadance. "I don't like the idea of us being separated," she says. "If any Zodiac stuff comes up, it's—" She pauses. "Actually, nevermind the Zodiac stuff, what about these trials we keep dealing with?"

I shake my head. "I don't think that'll be a problem," I say. "Remember, we were all asleep in our own beds when the last one happened."

"Yeah, but we were all still here in the dorm," Twilight points out.

"Twiley. It'll be fine." Cadance smiles. "I have faith in you kids. Even if you have to fight without me, you'll manage."

"Still...what if something happens in Zodiac?"

"Sunset can't go into Zodiac without us knowing," I point out. "I mean, she'll be right there with us."

"But we don't really know the limit of her powers," Twilight protests. "What if—"

"Twilight," Cadance says firmly. "I'll be fine."

Twilight sighs. "I just don't like the idea of all of us splitting up," she says.

I shake my head. "I'm not as worried about Cadance being alone as I am about Sunset Shimmer slipping off with your brother while we're up at Sweet Apple Acres. I've tried to remind him who and what she is, but I think he's still a little..."

Cadance groans. "Yeah," she says. She rolls her eyes. "You men are all the same, honestly..."

"Hey! I'm not the least bit interested in Sunset Shimmer!"

"But you were eyeing Rarity up and down pretty good yesterday," Twilight says with a smirk. "And, well..."

I facepalm. "Okay, okay, I think with my dick ninety percent of the time," I say. "But not about her." I shake my head. "I'm gonna grab some lunch."

Twilight perks up. "I could eat."

"You already ate," I say.

"What? No I didn't!"

"You sure? Because the big bite mark out of my ass says otherwise." I stick my tongue out at her, then head to the kitchen. Behind me, I hear Cadance burst into giggles.

After I finish lunch, I decide to go upstairs and start packing for the trip to Sweet Apple Acres. We're staying for ten days, so I need to pack more than usual. By the time I'm done packing, Shining Armor and the others have returned with the van; I head downstairs to help with the loading. Half the girls are already packed, and the rest are in the middle of packing. By dinnertime, everyone is packed up, and all our bags are loaded into the van.

Evening

After dinner, I check in with my parents to make sure they got home safely and settled back in alright. I'm just closing the call when there's a knock on my door. I open it, and find Sunset Shimmer on the other side.

"What is it?" I ask.

Sunset shifts her weight, scratching her elbow absently. "Do you have to be so hostile every time I want to talk to you?"

"Yes."

She sighs, casting her eyes away. "Look...I'm sorry, okay? For the way I acted this weekend."

"No you're not."

"Okay, fine, I'm not. But at least I'm trying to pretend I am. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Not interested in your bullshit."

Sunset rolls her eyes. "You don't get it, do you? People don't want to be friends with me. They never have. The only way I can interact with people is either by pissing them off or being a pricktease."

I frown. "Have you ever tried acting like a normal person?"

"What do you think I'm trying to do now?" she asks, throwing her hands up. "I've been trying to convince these girls I can be just like them, but they won't give me the time of day! Everyone expects me to be, y'know..."

"A bitch?"

"Yeah." Sunset sighs. "Nobody's giving me a chance to be anything else."

"Gee, I wonder why." I cross my arms. "You're not getting any sympathy from me, Sunset. Not after everything you've done."

"Oh, but you'll forgive Fluttershy, when she did just as much as me," Sunset hisses coldly. She storms away.

...damn.

I hate to admit it, but...

...she's got a point.

Eris was every bit as sick, twisted, and vicious as Sunset Shimmer. But when we found out she was Fluttershy, we...

I mean, it took a while, but...we did forgive her.

Does Sunset Shimmer deserve the same second chance we gave Fluttershy?

I lie in bed for a long time thinking about that...