Chapter 1
Sunset Shimmer was feeling nervous. She tried to convince herself she shouldn't be. After all, she was just asking a small favor. But there was a niggling, insecure part of her mind that told her she had no right to be asking favors yet. It was far too soon for her to expect any kind of sympathy after what she'd done. Even if they had already agreed to be her friends, none of these girls had any reason to really feel any attachment or obligation to her yet. She'd done nothing to earn any favors, so she certainly shouldn't be asking.
The girl sighed uncomfortably as she remembered that, despite how true these thoughts might be, she really didn't have any other options. Sunset had become much better with using her hands and fingers since coming to this world than she was when she first got here. Her handwriting was just as neat now as her hornwriting had been in Equestria, she'd picked up quickly on conversational hand gestures, she could tap out a text on her smartphone just as quickly as any other teenager, and Flash had even taught her how to play guitar back when they were still dating. Despite all this though, she sincerely doubted if she had the skill and dexterity necessary for needlework, and she certainly had no idea how to go about repairing tears in leather.
Her favorite jacket had been thoroughly battered in the magical explosion that had removed the corrupt magic from her system and turned her from a demon back into a normal girl. The worst damage was obviously the large rip in the right shoulder, but there were points of distress littering nearly every inch of the garment. She didn't know a lot about leather, but she at least knew that it was supposedly a very tricky material to work with, and therefore not something she should mess around with unless she wanted to ruin it further. Part of her thought perhaps she should just replace it, but a more sentimental part of her refused to give up on it. This was part of the outfit the mirror portal had created for her when she first came to this world. Giving it up would feel like giving up a part of herself. Plus, she couldn't really afford to buy a new one anyway. Leather was expensive.
So, that left her here. Standing in front of the large house before her in an ill-fitting sweat jacket, tattered leather coat wadded up in her arms, swallowing her pride and trying to work up the courage to ask for assistance she knew she did not deserve.
Taking a breath to steel herself, Sunset marched up the walkway of the house and knocked boldly on the door.
She heard a high-pitched voice shout “I got it,” from within the home and cringed. That was definitely not the voice of the girl she was here to talk to.
The door opened to reveal her suspicions were correct. The smiling face of her underclassmen Sweetie Belle peered upward at her from within the doorway. The smile quickly dropped from the girl's face though as she saw who was on her doorstep.
“Oh.” The young girl's face was a blank mask of uncomfortable confusion. “Uh, hi, Sunset Shimmer.”
“Hi there, Sweetie Belle.” Sunset gave the girl an awkward smile in an attempt to seem as nonthreatening as possible. “Is your sister home? I was hoping to talk to her.”
Sweetie frowned, but nodded. “Sure, I'll get her for you.” She turned slightly and shouted over her shoulder, “Rarity, you have a visitor!”
Sunset flinched slightly at the volume of her voice. She was keenly aware of the fact that the girl had made a point not to invite her into their home, as well as that she had referred to her as a “visitor” rather than a “friend” of her sister's.
“Be right there!” Rarity's voice sang through the house from up the stairs. In fact, she quite literally sang her response. Clearly she'd caught the girl on a good day. That was a reassuring sign.
When she came into view of the door and caught sight of her guest, Rarity's face lit up. “Oh, Sunset! What a pleasant surprise. Please, do come in.” She smiled and gestured for her to enter, making Sunset instantly feel better about coming here. At least someone was glad to see her.
Rarity turned to her sister and admonished her gently, “Sweetie, that was very rude to leave my friend standing out in the cold like that. You should have invited her in.”
Sweetie Belle crossed her arms and turned away, grumbling quietly, “She's not my friend.”
Rarity shot her a glare, and the younger girl quickly scampered out of the room. She sighed and turned back to her friend. “I'm sorry about that.”
“No, it's okay,” Sunset reassured her with a note of resignation in her voice. “I deserve it.”
The fashionista frowned, but did not argue with her. Instead, she looped her arm through Sunset's and led her up the stairs. “Why don't we head up to my room and you can tell me to what we owe this visit today.”
The ex-unicorn was startled by the contact, and had to mentally remind herself that all the girls in this group were prone to these sorts of shows of physical affection. So, instead of pulling away as her first instinct suggested, she took comfort in the gesture as a reminder that she was wanted here, despite Sweetie's behavior. “Thanks, Rarity.”
“I have no idea what you could be thanking me for,” the girl said casually. “Good manners should be expected of any lady.” It was apparent from her tone that she knew exactly what she was being thanked for, but she refused to acknowledge it as a way of telling Sunset that she didn't need thanks for being her friend.
Upon entering the room she'd been lead to, Sunset's first thought was that it just screamed Rarity. Aside from the expected decorations of dress forms, a workbench for her sewing machine, and a full-length mirror to model her designs in, every item in the room was clearly carefully chosen to create a perfect image. The dark fuchsia curtains spaced evenly along the walls, the crimson chaise lounge, the four-poster bed with it's lacy purple frills around the top, and the countless velvet pillows littering every corner of the room; it all gave off the same elegant image that Rarity herself projected on a daily basis.
“Have a seat here, dear,” the room's owner said as she pushed her gently down onto the chaise. “Would you like something to drink? A snack perhaps?”
“Oh, no. I'm fine,” Sunset quickly rebuffed her friend's attempts to be a perfect host. She already felt she was asking too much just by coming here unannounced. “Thank you for offering, but I was actually just hoping to talk to you about something.”
The violet-haired girl smiled serenely and sat down on her bed opposite Sunset. “Well, of course. Fire away then, darling. I am all ears.”
Sunset laughed nervously. As her fears crept back up on her, she thought that maybe cutting right to the chase wasn't the best plan after all. Maybe she should have taken the drink offer, if only to buy herself a bit more time to figure out how she should ask this. She realized her silence was probably starting to creep towards an awkward length and decided to just barrel forward, no matter how much of an idiot she made herself sound like.
“Okay, well, I came here because I need your help with something. Normally I wouldn't ask, especially given how terribly I've treated you up until recently, but you're kind of the only person I know who might be able to help me with this. So, I’m sorry if it seems presumptuous of me to show up out of the blue asking favors like this, but you're kind of my only hope. Anyway,” realizing she was rambling a bit, Sunset bit her tongue and held up her tattered jacket for Rarity to see, letting the crumpled mass unfold itself to reveal the damage. “Can you fix this for me?”
The teenaged fashionista had an amused smirk on her face, her eyebrow quirked at the sight of the garment before her. She reached out to take the article from Sunset's hands and said, “Let's have a look and I'll see what I can do.”
As her now unoccupied hands fell back into her lap, the once proud girl found herself shifting uncomfortable as she watched the seamstress carefully assess the damage to her favorite article of clothing. Her expression shifted slightly when looking at certain points, and she could only hope it was because she was planning and not because these sections were beyond repair. Even if it was fixable though, there was no guarantee the girl would agree to help her. Maybe she was just humoring her by looking at it, and would soon throw it back in her face in refusal. Sunset suddenly found herself missing the times when she didn't care what others thought of her. At least then, when she made demands or threats, she could have fired back with insults if denied her request. Now though, she really did want these girls to like her, and that meant she had to ask nicely. If she was denied help, she wasn't even sure how she'd react. Maybe go home and cry about what a pathetic failure she continued to be.
Suddenly dreading this idea, Sunset found that her brain-to-mouth filter seemed to shut off, as a stream of insecure excuses flew from her lips. “I know I don't deserve any help. I've been absolutely awful to you in the past, and I know I haven't done anything yet to earn your respect or your kindness. I certainly haven't earned the right to be asking any favors, but I really don't know where else to go with this. I would completely understand where you're coming from if you decide to just turn me away right now, I would totally deserve it. And I know it's just a coat, it's not even really that important. But it's important to me, and if you could at least think about it—”
She cut herself off when she felt a hand on hers. Looking up, she found Rarity leaning forward to meet her eyes with a look of concerned sympathy on her face. One hand was still wrapped around the jacket, while the other rested atop her own nervously clenched fists. “Sunset, dear, that is quite enough of that. I know you're still very new to the concept of having friends, but one thing you need to understand is that asking for help is not something that needs to be earned. Favors are not a currency to be bartered, they are gifts to be generously given. No matter what you may have done in the past, you are my friend now, and that means you are more than deserving of my help.”
“But, I—” Sunset tried to stammer out a response but was quickly cut off by Rarity shushing her.
“I'll not hear another word on the subject.” Her dismissive hand gesture gave an air of finality to the discussion. “Now, as far as your jacket is concerned, I should be able to fix it for you without too much trouble.”
“Really?” Sunset's face lit up like her namesake.
“Absolutely. I don't have a great deal of experience working with leather, but I have enough that I should be able to make the necessary repairs. And if I run into any snags, it can simply be treated as a learning opportunity.”
“Oh, thank you, Rarity! It really does mean so much to me. I'd be happy to pay you for your work. Honestly, just name a price.”
“Out of the question. I would never dream of accepting payment from a friend in need.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I never expect any payment from Rainbow Dash when she asks me to fix the tears in her soccer uniform, and that thing has been ripped open so many times it's a wonder it's still in one piece. I'll not treat you any differently.”
For a moment, Sunset didn't know what to say. Finally, she sighed and closed her eyes. “Thank you, Rarity.” She hoped her tone properly conveyed that she wasn't just thanking her for fixing her coat. The warm smile she received in return indicated that it had.
“You're very welcome, darling. Now then,” the young seamstress quickly stood up and spread the jacket out on her work table before turning around to retrieve some of her supplies, talking all the way. “Given the nature of the material, I can't give you an exact estimate on repair time, but I believe I should be able have it ready for you by Monday at the latest. I'll need to figure for seam allowance, especially with this tear in the shoulder. I don't want to stitch up too much of it and have it be too tight on you. That is your dominant arm after all.” She hummed thoughtfully, before producing a ribbon of measuring tape from seemingly out of nowhere. “Right then, come here and let me get your measurements.”
“Um, okay.” Even knowing as little as she did about clothing, it occurred to Sunset that she probably should have expected this request. She stood still while Rarity flitted around her, measuring her shoulders, arms, waist, etc. She would take a measurement, quickly jot it down in small notepad, then deposit her pencil behind her ear while she took the next one. While she did this, Sunset couldn't help but notice a few other names and series of numbers written in the pad of paper.
“Do you have everyone's measurements written in there?”
“All of my friends and family, yes. It's good to keep these things around in case I want to surprise someone with a handmade ensemble for their birthday. It seems as though I have to retake Sweetie's every few months though. I do wish that girl would stop growing so quickly.”
Sunset chuckled. “Worried she'll pass you up someday?”
Rarity scoffed. “In her dreams, perhaps.” An almost mischievous grin seemed to pass over her features for a moment. “Incidentally, what are your favorite colors in an outfit? I notice you're fond of this shade of magenta.” She tapped her friend's shirt with a playful smile.
The former magic student let out a nervous laugh. “Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. My birthday is still a ways off.”
“Spoilsport.” The fashionista stuck her tongue out at her and she laughed. “Still, I like to plan quite a ways in advance if I can. I'll have to remember to incorporate this symbol of yours as well.” She gestured to the dual toned sun on her shirt. “Does it hold some special meaning?”
“Well, it's just my cutie mark,” Sunset said with a shrug.
Rarity giggled at that. “Cutie mark? Charming as the term is, I'm afraid I don't know what that means.”
“Right, sorry. Not in Equestria anymore.” Sunset had gotten pretty good at avoiding pony terms during her time in this world, but now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag there was no reason not to talk about it with her friends. “A cutie mark is a magical symbol that all ponies eventually develop. They appear on a pony's flank when they discover their special talent. That unique skill that makes them different from everypony else. Some of them are pretty straightforward in their meaning, like an eighth note for someone who's talented at music. Others are more abstract though, like stars often representing magic.”
“What an interesting concept. Just by looking at someone you'd be able to learn something about who they are from their cutie mark. What does yours mean?”
“Well, mine's one of those more abstract ones. It's a shimmering sun.” Rarity chuckled at this. “Yeah, I know, sometimes they fit your name too well. Anyway, I got it when I performed this really complicated spell. It was way outside of what a filly my age should have been able to do. Because of that, I thought my talent had something to do with powerful magic. But, Princess Celestia thought it actually represented a burning passion. Like, the passion I have for learning new skills. In Equestria, I channeled that passion into learning magic. Here though…”
“It became a passion for power,” Rarity finished her sentence after a long moment. She saw the look of guilt that had taken over her friend's features and squeezed her shoulder gently. “Well, passion can be something of a double-edged sword, but that doesn't make it inherently bad. Perhaps your new passion can be learning how to be a good friend.”
Sunset smiled. “Yeah, that's kind of my hope. I'm usually pretty good at things when I really put my mind to it, so fingers crossed on me not being the worst friend ever.”
“I'm sure you'll be wonderful at it, given enough time.” Rarity seemed to become serious for a moment as she moved around to stand directly in front of her newest friend. “Remember though, with passion it's not about putting your mind to it,” She placed a finger to Sunset's chest and smiled gently. “It's about putting your heart to it.”
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YES!
Oh, I'd love to see this continued!
I like it, a lot :)
Dat accidental press of 'Enter'
*when she
The current sentence is super awkward, hence the shift to make it an introductory phrase. It sounds a lot smoother as a result.
There were a couple other grammatical mistakes, notably some comma splices and using hyphens instead of em dashes (—) for interruptions.
The story was still enjoyable, though. Would definitely enjoy seeing more stories similar to this one.
5458576
Whoops! Thank you for pointing out that accidental enter, I'll fix it. I caught one of those before submitting, but apparently it happened a couple times.
As far as the awkward sentence, I was sort of going for a stream of consciousness thing with that whole paragraph, so that effect was semi-intentional. But you're right, your version of that sentence sounds better. I'll probably go change that too. Thanks for the helpful review!
It amazes me that so many, myself included, have had Rarity be the strongest, if not one of the strongest, supporters of the newly-reformed Sunset Shimmer, despite having some of the strongest reasons to dislike her.
Not complaining; it leads to great stories like this.
And she certainly did in the end, Rarity. She certainly did.
That was really sweet, spot on!
just when i was looking for a story about Sunset in her first days after the fall formal...
this was really good. Really liked your explanation of Sunset's cutie mark.
That was a sweet little story :)
Aww, how sweet!
This was a really REALLY GOOD Sunset Shimmer fanfiction. You nailed each one of the characters to a tee. A lot of times, I feel like writers drag conversations or make the characters say things unnaturally. For example, Sunset Shimmer may randomly spit out something without any reason behind it. But not for you, you've got all that stuff nailed down. Everything felt so natural that I kept reminding myself "I'm reading this.. and it's this good?"
When you got into the cutie mark part of the story, I went "oh boy, please do this right." Soooo many fail so hard at the cutie mark, saying it represents fire magic. Augh, I hate that shallowness. You're interpretation of it was right on the money though. Not exactly like my interpretation, but yours actually works better in casual conversation. My interpretation addresses the yin yang of the cutie mark and what the red and yellow represent. However, both interpretations capitalize on something, "her passion/ambition." I like yours more for causal conversations, because this is generally what the ponies in the show do. There's a lot behind Twilight's cutie mark, but the way its talked about in causal conversation gets straight to the point. That's what you did with the cutie mark and everything in this fanfiction. You got straight to the point with each aspect. It was direct, saying not too much or too little. Well done :D
5460402
Generosity is more than just being free with gift-giving. It's also being free with advice, and comfort, compassion. It's one of the couple Elements that isn't easily abusive, unlike Kindness.
Personally, I think Rarity fits very well in the scenario of picking up Sunset from where she's fallen. More people should run with this idea.
5464447 Oh, I'm not arguing. I just went at it from an angle of her needing to overcome a few small hitches. One can still choose whom one is generous with, after all.
5464536
I know, just reinforcing your point as to why Rarity's good for this.
5464593 Ah. Sweet.
This was such a sweet story, thumbs up for you.
Sequels or continue, one of the two.
Simply fabulous, darling,
s6.postimg.org/dd47s96ap/Pirate_Approved.jpg
That might actually be literal.
SO MANY FEELS
that in order to express how many feels there are, I must use idiotically large font.
thuis would make a great EQG Promo short or a filler episode for the upcoming EQ Acadamey show
Short and sweet, I like it. I wouldn't be opposed to similar one shots/chapters of her having a one on one with each friend.
This was really lovely... I'm among those who'd love to see more stories like this.
Very nicely done
Sunset's cutie mark, to me, symbolises balance between the pursuit of power and opening herself to helping others. Probably because it looks a lot like the Buddhist 'ying-yang' symbol.
5599575 good lord, please don't ever go through that portal naked Sunset!!
I can't believe this story has 3 dislikes.
CLEARLY SOMEPONY LACKS THE IDEA OF GOOD LITERATURE!!!
I loved this story. THUMB UP FOR YOU!
This was very well written and I really do hope you do a follow up to it. Such a very wonderful story.
I love this ^-^ I got recommended here from Worn Leather by Holy, and I am very glad that I made the trip!
~SoDF
How nice. I liked this though I'm not a big slice of life fan myself.
Good work
Sweet with the help of this story I got some sick nasty head cannon for Sunset's cutie mark.
A cute story nice job
As well-handled as your other work! I like the subtleties of the various interactions, though I was a bit taken aback by Sunset’s reaction to Rarity’s touch, given how tactile ponies as a people seem to be—but then I suppose Sunset might be an exception to that broad trend.
A couple of errors I should point out, though: the past tense of “lead” is “led”, and as is very common, there is trouble distinguishing “it’s” (contraction of “it is”) and “its” (possessive form of “it”). If your reaction to the latter is “but that’s inconsistent”, alas, you are quite correct. English is a most irregular language.
You should change the Rarity tag to the new Rarity(EQG) tag
awesome story
This is why Rarity is my favorite, along with Sunset, of course. She's the most well-mannered of the group.
This was everything I wanted it to be and more. Very well done!
You missed one. :B
Well done
She was so sweet to her.
I absolutely adored your portrayal of Rarity in this - a shining example of the generosity she so often represents. And it was pleasant seeing her both comfort Sunset Shimmer and work expertly in her own element to assist her. 
Sunset and Sweetie Belle were also quite in-character here too.
Polite and welcoming paired with hesitant and repentant was rendered here wonderfully. I particularly liked how you showed that Rarity keeps a list of her friends' and families' measurements so she can make fashionable gifts for them, and then implied that she was already planning on making Sunset Shimmer something like that in the future.
Your idea that Sunset's cutie mark represents 'passion' was also unique, as I've never read of that anywhere else. Thank you kindly for the engaging read.
Awesome! Loved this! Give me more Sunset stories like this! Please and thank you for sharing this!
You can has review!
I love Sunset Shimmer stories, especially sweet ones like this.
I have an idea for you I Wonder In the vesion of Equestria girls Sunset Shimmer as a twin sister name Sunshine Shimmer she was Princess Celestia Student her sister sunset shimmer try to clam her down but she didn't listen to her and abanded her studies and do her own path to steal Twilight crown. Sunset Shimmer she a nice girl in chs but her sister Sunshine Shimmer was the big Meanie. Sunset Shimmer was so scare of her sister She didn't have a choce to Be force by her sister to be lackey along with snips and smails. they serve as minor antagonists and Sunshine Shimmer's bumbling lackeys. Sunset Shimmer is best friends with Fluttershy pinkie pie applejack rarity and rainbow dash. Sunset shimmer was force by her sister to kidnap twilight dog spike. Sunset shimmer tell twilight i'm sorry her sister sunshine shimmer force her. Sunset shimmer was happy to have a friend like twilight but she give to crown to her sister sunshine shimmer and turn into a raged she-demon. Sunshine Shimmer hypnosis everyone in school along with her sister sunset shimmer as her own army to take over equestria.
Hi! I read your story, or rather, only the part of it that you posted :) I like her very much. I was more intrigued by sunset's explanation of her cutie mark, since I didn't know what the sun on sunset's t-shirt meant :D
I have one question. I really liked your story, and I look forward to continuing. But I have a suggestion. Can I translate your story into Russian? If you understand Russian, I can send you a link to the site where I will publish the translation and indicate you as the author.
AWWWWW MAN this is the cutest story ever!
An oddball ghost happened across your fic and read it. Have a review!
THANK YOU FOR WRITING