Principal Celestia's graduation speech had been the utter textbook definition of boring.

Sunset Shimmer's initial excitement for her monumental day had already been bleeding away from her. Now, amidst the pomp and circumstance, the only thing she wanted was for it all to just be OVER. Up on the podium at the far end of the auditorium, past the endless sea of black and gold graduation hats, it felt like Celestia's speech was threatening to keep Sunset trapped in her seat for the rest of her life.

You only get to graduate high school once in your entire life. Four long, crazy years in which plenty of weird, fun, and terrible stuff happens. Couldn't Celestia maybe spare something other than her usual practiced pleasantries? Couldn't she make it just a little bit livelier?

She probably did this kind of thing on purpose.

"...And in whatever endeavor that you choose to persue after today, I wish all of you fortune, success, and most of all happiness." Oh, good, it was sounding like it was about to end. Finally.

The sea of black and gold began to rise and filter into something more like a river. As Vice Principal Luna began to announce names, something stuck out in Sunset's mind: This was it. It was over. She was out of school.

She had never given any real thought to what came next. Tests, studying, and the doldrums of day-to-day student life had kept her busy and whiled her days away.

Well. No sense in worrying about that now, Sunset thought. She would find something. She's always been able to do anything she put her mind to.

NEARLY always. There was that one time, but it was long, long ago.

Sunset raised her eyes, irritated. Was it over yet? She saw Celestia congratulate a student, shake their hand, and then present them their diploma along with that warm summer smile of her's. She always seemed to give everyone that smile.

"Sunset Shimmer." Luna's voice over the microphone broke Sunset out of her thoughts. This was it.

She strode onto stage amidst the applause, but along with every step, color faded more and more from the stage. The air had become still and heavy, and the sunlight filtering through the windows dimmed. When she finally completed the arduous journey from the steps to the podium, she looked up at the grey, smiling statue of Principal Celestia.

Trying to process what was happening, Sunset turned around. She saw a grey, lifeless auditorium filled with grey, lifeless students all wearing grey, lifeless robes and hats.

Bit by bit, everything started crumbling down.

Seized by a sudden panic, Sunset clambered off stage and ran. She bolted for the exit between the statues of smiling students and with cold, clammy hands, shoved the doors open and stumbled to her knees outside. Too afraid to shut her eyes, she looked up.

There was no sun. In its place, an pitch-black orb of darkness had appeared, hovering barely ten feet above the equestrian statue in the courtyard like someone had punched a hole in the sky.

As if waiting to be noticed by Sunset, it grew, enveloping all.

-----


With a completely undignified shriek, Sunset hit the deck, painfully feeling her nose crush against hard wood.

Sunrise from her window found Sunset's bloodshot eyes, causing her to snap them shut and curl up in the tangled mess of sheets that had gracefully joined her on the trip gravity had provided her from the bed to the cool floor. Birds were chrping.

"Uuuuugh."

The shock of sudden awakening, the pain from her fall, and the confusion from the strange nightmare were having a three-way fistfight in her brain. And, whoever was winning, it definitely wasn't her.


Daring to remove her light-blasted eyes from her covers, Sunset groggily glanced up to her nightstand. Her beat-up alarm clock informed her, in no uncertain terms, that it was abundantly early in the morning, and her calendar hanging from the wall added a nice fat "MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST" to the mix. Her first day as a Senior.

The worst day of the year.

Sunset exhaled. A graduation nightmare was probably not the best way to start her experience at a new school.

Untangling from warm mess of sheets, she turned off her alarm clock. There's nothing worse than waking up before it rings, and then also have it ring right afterwards.

She wasn't going to give the dumb cheap piece of plastic that satisfaction.

Getting dressed and packing up her bookbag was a nice way to knock all the sleep out of her brain, and waking up early meant that, hey! She had enough time to wash her face and comb her hair!

Looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile.

Yeah no. You're lookin' great, Sunset Shimmer. Awesome as ever.

Time to hit the cafè at the corner. She was going to need a double to get through this particular morning.